14 Quick Tasks to Transform Your Paper Crafting Experience

Let's take some of the stress out of your paper crafting by completing some quick tasks that will improve your next crafting session. This video is not sponsored but some affiliate links will be used below to support my channel at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Storage System Video: • I Don't Use Stamp Pock...
Paper Busting Templates: jesscrafts.com/resources/
Arts and Crafts Thrift Stores: jesscrafts.com/blog/craft-thr...
8x8 Paper Busting Template for A2 Cards 10: jess-crafts.ck.page/8x8-pbt-10
Ink Brush Cleaning: • Do you REALLY NEED to ...
Arts and Crafts Thrift Stores: jesscrafts.com/blog/craft-thr...
Etsy Shop: jesscraftsshop.etsy.com
Coupon Code: YTFAN
SUPPLIES Mentioned
Zip Top Bags for Stamps: amzn.to/4bpePUk
Reusable dish cloths: amzn.to/3zdp9S9
Table top organizer: amzn.to/3KVIsCb
Mint Tape Dispenser: shrsl.com/4l4yf
Glue lounger and ATG holder (gifted to me by Make it by Marko): www.etsy.com/shop/MakeItbyMarko
00:00 Intro
00:33 Cut apart dies
01:12 Put away new supplies sooner
01:58 Put away piles
02:28 Check for dried out supplies
03:09 Clean your tools
04:23 Make an idea binder/catalog
06:44 Designate a trash and/or recycle bin
07:55 Designate a donation bin
09:02 Pre cut card bases and card fronts
09:30 Make your most used supplies accessible
11:12 Do a clean sweep
11:35 Add cleaning products to your craft space
13:08 Do a comfort check
14:08 Make a scrap busting project
Support my templates on Patreon or through KZbin Memberships (very similar pricing and perks):
KZbin Membership: / @jesscrafts
Patreon: / jesscrafts
Want to print templates in bulk? Check out my Etsy shop: jesscraftsshop.etsy.com
Save 10% with code YTFAN
Want to use my affiliate links when shopping at craft companies? Click here: jesscrafts.com/classes-and-mo...
My Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/jesscrafts
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Get access to hundreds of classes and patterns through Annie's Creative Studio:
shrsl.com/4f866
--- S O C I A L L I N K S---
BLOG : jesscrafts.com/blog/
NEWSLETTER: jess-crafts.ck.page/
INSTAGRAM : goo.gl/5qQBpq
FACEBOOK: / jesscraftsblog
PINTEREST: goo.gl/e5SJjT
CLASSES: goo.gl/VsEl57
--- C O N T A C T M E ---
Jess Crafts LLC
[e-mail]
---C A R D D O N A T I O N L I N K S---
jesscrafts.com/card-drive-res...
--- D I S C L A I M E R---
I sometimes receive compensation including physical and digital product in exchange for making samples. I use affiliate links when possible. I am not an expert or certified in any way. Please refer to manufacturer's guidelines to understand any safety precautions necessary for using tools and materials shown in tutorials. For more information please visit my blog.
#cardmaking #papercrafting

[@karencooper2703]

I go to my scraps first before I'll cut into a new full sheet. Yes ,I'm pretty much a paper hoarder😂 Great ideas.

[@debbiedeas]

The advantage of this Swedish dish cloths that you use for cleaning your brushes is that they’re typically compostable.

[@brteyes8423]

🧚‍♀️🧚🧚‍♂️ Fairies needed for my entire house 😍

[@sandyh8755]

Check out Take Your House back and learn to be your own fairy. Not affiliated.

[@keelyforrest3650]

One tip I took from you a while back was using the scraps for dimension instead of the foam squares. I found this very helpful. I still use foam squares but if I can use up scraps in a project for dimension I will.

[@kellelenart2837]

I do this all the time. I keep scrap strips to add dimension to die cuts and sentiments.

[@pamcolvin4723]

Love all your tips. I enjoy the "clean up" process sometimes as much as the "making". I love the saying: 3 steps in cardmaking 1. Buying the products 2. Organizing 3. Actually making something If I am in a craft mind block, I will try to re-organize something, or clean something. That often gives me ideas to use something that I may have forgotten that I had and loved at 1 time.

[@susangeist-ff3nn]

Thank you for the tips. Had never heard of a craft thrift store- none in my immediate area, but when traveling will definitely be on the lookout for one!

[@carolnicholson877]

Thank you for the reminder to keep our space tidy so creating is the focus not cleaning before we create. That really takes the joy out of it for me. Your hard work on all the templates is really appreciated. Thank you so much❣️❣️❣️

[@dorothyh.asbert5026]

I love your paper busting templates. You have your own binder for them!

[@debbiedeas]

One of my recycling hacks is to have a paper grocery bag nearby and put my recycling in that. Then I just toss the entire thing into the recycling bin.

[@melindagibson8606]

I thought of another idea I may try! ** I have a ton of unfinished projects. Not just paper but things I "planned" on making then.. didn't or haven't YET! I think.. I will start to put the whole project I planned to start in a 12x12 plastic container, or zip bag or shoe box (whatever it fits in). Then, every week or so, put out a project.. work on it a few min or even the whole thing. If I don't make it within a month.. or 2 (let's be realistic lol) give it away for someone else to make! Throw in an almost done roll of tape that is enough for them to use still, paint bottle, or mini glue bottle and get it gone! I know for me.. I forget about it, and the parts are all over the place. Maybe just maybe if I make project boxes, I'll get to it quicker. And if not, and I keep putting it off.. I probably didn't want to do it in the first place. Just the idea was cute, and I jumped on the, "OOH I can make that" train! But know I have no use for it, lol. Anywho.. enjoy! Lol

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

OMG! Both you, Jess, and Bitty Penny, have released helpful organizational vids…. Thank you! 🎉💜✨

[@minikraut]

Hi Jess, I often joke about my mesk and using something from my floor for Craft Roulette, but truth be told, I wouldn't find much there most of the time. I don't clean up when I'm finished, but I use the putting away period to get inspired for my next session. What I definitely do is a regular clean-up/testing of products and tools. I look at different items every week. One week, I will clean all my scissors, change/snap off blades on craft knives etc. The next week, I will look into my scrap storage and get rid of the ones which have been hanging in there for too long. Then I will take a look at my SVG files and either relocate them to a more fitting folder or banish them to backup. And so on.

[@ingrid2543]

Oh I have so much patterned paper and all your tips and templates plus your donation site are really appreciated.🧚🏼‍♀️

[@Pebblesmas]

i never clean my brushes, i always use the color on it if possible, and if not, i use a paper towel, or scrap and clean it on that and it works like a charm❤

[@teresazuehls783]

I think we all wish we had a clean up fairy!🧚 Thanks for the all the great tips! I think I want to change a few things around in my craft room. I do have my card bases and card fronts together and handy but not my ✉️. There are a few other things I could put closer so I i don't have to walk around my table to get to. I have a small trash bin that hangs from my table even though I have a small trash can right beside me on the floor. It seemed like all of the small pieces would land mostly on the floor so I got the hanging one for the smaller pieces. It works great and when the small one is full I dump it in the larger 🗑️ and dump it all at once.😊 TFS❤

[@dorothyh.asbert5026]

I don't have a fairy emoji.❤ so here's a heart instead!😂

[@mskerriboberri]

I have time to craft this entire weekend, I need that 🧚‍♀️ to come visit every few hours. Thank you for the hints, I have your templates printed, I’m sure I’ll be using some this weekend.

[@JessCrafts]

Have a fun crafty weekend!

[@kellelenart2837]

My top tip is that I keep my most-used rectangle (A2 layers), square, and circle dies right by my die-cutting machine. I store them on sturdy magnetic sheets. I label the magnet with the company/set ID, as well as the die sizes, so I know at a glance which layer together.

[@JessCrafts]

Great idea! I keep all my stand alone dies in an open bin that I can flip through right next to my machine so they are all within arms reach. It is so helpful to have it all together.

[@teressacharlesworth4109]

great ideas wish we had a craft thrift store here

[@kkrolf2782]

E V E R Y community n e e d s a craft thrift store!! In Tucson, AZ, they have a “used book” store that I understand also deals with musical instruments. They’ve had a few occasions to have rubber stamps, but not nearly as ”invested” in dealing in crafty things as I’d like to see.

[@sharonbrownyard2579]

I’m so happy to say I already do most of these ideas. However I really want your actual binders! 🤣🤣🤣

[@cindyellis765]

Your tips are really helpful. I also have a hand vac in my craft room. This helps me keep the mess that “falls around me” down to a minimum. By having it permanently in my craft area endures that I clean up asap.

[@btlm321]

🧚‍♀ and after my craft space, maybe she could do the kitchen 😉

[@monicahicks3037]

I have a small trash can on my desk for the little bits. It has made a big difference in holding down a lot of the mess. I definitely wish I had a cleanup fairy.

[@kellelenart2837]

Me, too. I keep a little bowl next to me for the backing I pull off of double-sided tape and small bits of paper I trim off. I sweep extra embossing powder that didn't make it back into the jar into it, too. All those little things that would float away before making it into a trash can on the floor.

[@PHALOMOON]

Same with me, I have a metal bowl on my desk for trash as I'm working, It really helps to keep my work area clean 😊

[@melindagibson8606]

I have used your zip top bag idea for stamps and it has changed my storage! It's pretty amazing! I appreciate you sharing all the things! ❤

[@EmmyRose22a]

Great tips. And i feel like many of them can cross over into other crafts easily too. Thanks for sharing. 🧚

[@stellaolejar9007]

Jess, what wonderful hacks/ ideas for my crafting room. It’s truly appreciated.

[@paulabenjamin6126]

I went thru the templates of yours that i have and figured out measurements to easily make 1 card from a template and separated out my DSP of those sizes from my scraps to use them up.

[@josephinemoyer8510]

Such helpful information cause I have gotten sidetracked by some of those tips than gotten of track. I feel like this video was for me 🎉❤. Thank you. Now I can get productive!

[@jesseb5112]

Great ideas! I'm working on my idea binder. I am going online less for ideas. I LOVE what you said about scraps. I periodically like making quilt pattern cards, but I don't like doing them enough to keep a container of those pieces on hand. Yes, I had to dump them after they sat for a year. You won't be shocked to know I also preferred working with pieces that went together instead of digging through a container to see what I could make work.

[@lindadubey2041]

Once a year i go through my dies, stamps, folders and donate what I haven't used in a long time

[@mandy.austin]

🧚🧚‍♂🧚‍♀ Throw the whole scrap box in the bin at least every year EXCEPT foam and metallics, and anything of a reasonable size and backed by double sided adhesive. You often need small pieces of metallics & foam and they go with everything, while the pieces already backed can save you time. I don't cut into new paper unless i have nothing in the scrap unless it is a new pad / pattern etc. Keep a mini diecutting machine and paper trimmer on your desk. That's all you need many times.

[@ericamarquette5709]

These were great!! Thank you! Definitely picked up some new tips!

[@kerriegood1046]

Great ideas. I am setting up a new stamp room soon, so these tips will come in handy as I get set up. Best Wishes!!!!!

[@anaraposo522]

Very good ideas 💡. Thank you Jess.

[@angelaharnett6437]

Lots of great tips . TFS

[@JessCrafts]

Thanks for watching!

[@TinyStitches1]

Do the fairies also make craft rooms? I have the supplies and had I a designated space it would be easy to keep organised.. Just need that designated space!!!

[@pampalke5916]

Great tips, thank you for sharing! I definitely need a 🧚‍♀️

[@glorialoungeway1138]

These are great ideas!

[@noreenmulder5255]

Hi Jess. Extremely helpful. TFS this awesome video. ❤❤❤

[@JessCrafts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gingerpayne7310]

Thank you!! Amazing tips and tricks. I will be adding this idea to my craft area.

[@laurasutton1551]

I found the color my life app recently it's great now I know what I have

[@DMoz13]

Thank you! This was helpful!

[@JessCrafts]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brendamaun5455]

Great video! Lots of great ideas.

[@ruthjames715]

I don't know about fairies but I think I have sprites in my craft room, they steal stuff. I lost my envelope maker a couple of years ago and still haven't found it. thanks for your advice, Jess. Ruth down under.

[@conniegodfrey2317]

This was a helpful video. 😍

[@barbmac8572]

🧚‍♀️ great tips and reminders 🧚

[@SandraE_]

I have those cloths and didn’t really know what to do with them. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@kkrolf2782]

Those who like the chamois-type cloths need to give an automotive cleaner-type product a try; it’s called “the absorber”. I bought one a year or two ago from W-mart on the advice of one of the paper crafters here on y.t., but wasn’t into the ink-y part of our craft yet, so haven’t pressed it into service, but the crafter thought they filled the purpose splendidly, and at a price that could NOT be beat!! And the thing is H U G E !! (Something like 27” X 14” or maybe 16”?!?)

[@harriettezmalloy7182]

@@kkrolf2782I love those absorbed clothes. Exactly the same as the stamp shimmies craft companies are selling. I’ve got one that I cut down into 4 pieces. Love it!! And those cloths that Jess used in this video are fantastic for washing dishes. They are made to not smell. I wash it in the dishwasher & then set it out to dry. They do eventually wear out but they’re biodegradable. But I’ve been using them in the kitchen for about a year now & I really like them.

[@kathybost1879]

great video, tfs

[@cindyleis1195]

Great ideas for all areas and length of time involvement. Do you have this checklist as a download?

[@Roxanne-xx9nv]

Great video. Where did you get your dies snips from?

[@jogriffiths4797]

I use compression fingerless gloves while crafting, so my arthritic hands don't ache afterwards.

[@darcytownsend6870]

🧚 😊

[@kathyaclaude4966]

❤❤❤

[@created2bless322]

🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

[@ceceliasmithers9968]

🧚‍♀️

[@kkrolf2782]

Where do people put their “blogs”? Do I h a v e to go onto facebook or some such to find your list of “crafting thrift stores”??

[@JessCrafts]

Here’s the link: jesscrafts.com/blog/craft-thrift/

[@michelleb4697]

🧚🧚

[@patskar4977]

🧚‍♂️

[@ingrid2543]

🧚🏻‍♂️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏽

[@Bestofme54]

🧚‍♀️🧚🧚‍♂️🧚🧚‍♀️I need a whole cleaning fairy team1

[@nancyfleming4422]

🧚‍♂️🧚‍♀️🧚

[@cathylombard964]

🧚🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️

[@kadderkatch-vl3hh]

Just about all the ideas I could 👍. But the whole cleaning up thing was 🥴😩😢 😂😂. I always think about a creative chef having several 'sous chefs' to do the mundane stuff….. yep I could use a few of those. 😁😁

[@beadywoman]

Please send me the craft fairies!! 🧚🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚🧚🧚‍♂️

[@laurasutton1551]

I never wash my blending brushes it can ruin them

[@kkrolf2782]

I know there are crafters who claim that their blending brushes need only to be “scrubbed” off on a paper towel to remove the excess ink. And I get that that may work for DYE inks, but after using some of my blenders with Colorbox Chalk Ink, they look somewhat matted. My thought is that after just a few times of use, they’ll N E E D a washing. I may first try a very mild solution incorporating Simple Green, unless I hear caveats to the contrary.

[@PHALOMOON]

Using hot water can definitely ruin your brushes by impacting the glue holding the bristles. Try using cool water and a gentle soap (not detergent) and you should be ok.

[@kkrolf2782]

@@PHALOMOON Thx for responding. Be well

[@kellelenart2837]

My top tip is that I keep my most-used rectangle (A2 layers), square, and circle dies right by my die-cutting machine. I store them on sturdy magnetic sheets. I label the magnet with the company/set ID, as well as the die sizes, so I know at a glance which layer together.

[@rebekahm6288]

🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️🧚

[@Randibeate]

🧚‍♀️