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How do you organize your stash?

I use ACDSee to organize my digital supplies, but I use the basic folder structure for Windows/PC.

SCRAPBOOK KITS
KITS > DESIGNER NAME
CREATIVE TEAMS > DESIGNER NAME
TO SCRAP (non CT-related, like something I've purchased)

I use a tag for stores. I also tag by theme, rather than individual pieces, unless it's templates or stitching or something basic, then I have a tag for that as well.
 
since i have my lily in like 14 folders, (all i get in a month, goes into a folder-new month new folder) till i figure what to do, and he writes me dvd's

I have screwed around this week and put all lily folder names in excell. Went thru and made up the hyperlink to the folder on drive. Why i did this, don't know, but this might be something, as i can easily see what papers i have no ellements to match, and which byoc etc i have, or the multiple doubles of storyteller i have.

Or say to do layout for designer blog, humm, could just go down line and open the folders, btw, this also give me the big picture on how to consent the filenames.

I started with excell, for he wanted to know how much i been spending (including subscriptions)

ex (yes have 1374 main kit folders, no inner folders included, pp and el if bought separate, bundles are all in one folder.)

1375 Burnt Effect {Style} Paula Kesselring https://the-lilypad.com/store/Burnt-Effect-Style.html G \mydata64b\lily64\PaulaKesselring_BurntEffect_tyles 2/16/16 Lily 831045 $1.75 $3.50 new

this not gonna help anyone, i just rambling
 
AnneofAlamo said:
the lily pad
designers
collabs
m3
byoc by month
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This is pretty much what I do, as well. I used to do Store->Designer->Kit, but I found that I like to have a LOT of stuff to scrap with (more than comes in most kits except for Storyteller, which has a TON), so I started putting Storyteller, MPM, M3, and BYOC all together in folders by year and month. Inside each of the monthly folders I have yet more folders for Alphas, Journal Cards, Elements, Papers, and Templates. So if I need to find a button or element for a layout and I'm working with the March 2015 BYOC, I just go to the Lilypad->BYOC->2015->March->Elements folder and scroll through until I find something that will work.

I still keep each designer's stuff in its own folder inside those folders, but in Lightroom when I click on a folder that has subfolders I can see the contents of everything in the subfolders, as well, so I can still browse everything at once. I don't do any tagging at all, and I'm able to find things pretty quickly!

My process for starting a page is to choose photos, then scroll through the BYOC, MPM, M3, and Storyteller collages that I've put together with all of the previews (I started a thread for those here https://the-lilypad.com/forum/threads/byoc-mpm-m3-and-storyteller-color-references.36023/) and choose whichever one works best for my photos. Then I go to that folder in Lightroom, scroll through products, and start scrapping!
 
bestcee said:
So my top folder is
TLP
Then inside that is Onelittlebird, Fiddle Dee Dee, Etc by Danyale, and so on.
Then if you open the Etc folder you will see: gypsy, pandemonium, Lifetime stories, and so on. If you open the Gypsy folder it's everything in that one spot - the alpha, papers and elements. There's no separate folders within a kit {unless the kit came with 6 alphas. Then I leave an alpha folder}.

Does that explain it better?
Click to expand...

:) I think the big folder threw me off. I like the idea of all in one spot. I'm so used to my way though, that I don't think I'd be able to combine them. Or, I could, but it would take oodles of time.
 
Sadly, I have no idea! LOL! This is something I've been trying to get a handle on for quite some time. The problem for me is, I haven't been doing any tagging or labeling the entire time, and my digi stash is MASSIVE. It would take me a solid month of working to go through and tag / sort / organize everything I have. I do save them all in one place, at least.... DIGITAL DOWNLOADS > Folder named "Designer Name - Product Name". That way my stuff is all alphabetical by designer. I really REALLY need to find a good way to go about locating one stitching element or one certain alpha or journal card or whatever. It seems like such a daunting task! I don't know where to start!
 
In the past, I've moved the designer's folder to a new store location. I'm toying with eliminating store folders, for stores I'm not frequenting, to have less of that folder moving business, as well as accommodating those designers who sell in more than one store. I'd like to keep my most frequently used stores separated because both stores have % usage guidelines. But the reality is, I know which designers are at which store. For now, they remain there, partly because that's just the workflow I've gotten used to, and partly because I am lazy and don't want to move everything.

I've also toyed with the idea of tagging stores, rather than keeping store folders. But... meh.

Another thing to consider is where you get your stash from, at least for me. I know the majority of my stash comes from TLP, PBP, and Daily Digi. TLP is very mix-up friendly, while the other two are not so much. So for me, maybe it makes sense to keep TLP all in one folder, but everything else doesn't need a store folder.

This method of thinking is also where I am at with M3, BYOC, planner, and storyteller. I'm thinking about how I get my stash, what is intended to coordinate, so how would I benefit the most keeping them? Would I get more use of them if I stored them all together, or with their pieces seated by designer? If I'm keeping them together, do I keep the add ons together or with designer? What about when I purchase the add ons after the fact (like, SOSN has last year's Jan add ons, but I don't think I actually have last jan's main kit)? All of these things are going on in my head right now, so I can decide how best I can keep track of my stash.
Lol! I know that was a very long winded explanation. Hope it helps. :giggle
 
Tree City said:
May I ask a question for those who organize by store? What happens when a designer leaves that store? Do you move all of that designer's stuff into a new location? @bestcee @jk703 @klee73010 (and anyone else who mentioned it--not intentionally leaving you out!)
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This is what I've been doing- just moving that designer's folder to either the folder for their new store or a retired folder (with the exception of Amy Martin, because I just can't let go of all of her templates that I've bought!) within the store they retired from. The only problem with moving a folder is that designers usually don't take all of their items with them to a new store, so I have to watch out for that when I'm scrapping. When @gonewiththewind came the The Pad and started releasing her Dressed Down templates, I moved all of the ones that I bought from her previous store into a "Scrap Orchard" folder under her designer name and have her new template line under a "Lilypad" folder. So the folder for her current items in my stash is in Lilypad->Templates->Fiddle Dee Dee->Lilypad.
 
Tree City said:
May I ask a question for those who organize by store? What happens when a designer leaves that store? Do you move all of that designer's stuff into a new location? @bestcee @jk703 @klee73010 (and anyone else who mentioned it--not intentionally leaving you out!)
Click to expand...

Mine seems time consuming, but is really easy, and doesn't take more than a few minutes. I just change the name on the albums. The versions in my Photos app are just a copy of the originals, so in my back ups, there is no store, just designer, then pack/kit name (all files combined).
 
scrappyjedi said:
This is what I've been doing- just moving that designer's folder to either the folder for their new store or a retired folder (with the exception of Amy Martin, because I just can't let go of all of her templates that I've bought!) within the store they retired from. The only problem with moving a folder is that designers usually don't take all of their items with them to a new store, so I have to watch out for that when I'm scrapping. When @gonewiththewind came the The Pad and started releasing her Dressed Down templates, I moved all of the ones that I bought from her previous store into a "Scrap Orchard" folder under her designer name and have her new template line under a "Lilypad" folder. So the folder for her current items in my stash is in Lilypad->Templates->Fiddle Dee Dee->Lilypad.
Click to expand...

I'm slowly but surely getting them all added back in . . . each week in SOSN (plus a new coordinating Dressed Down version for each set). I know it will take some time, but eventually, everything will be TLP! LOL
 
I organize by store so I can easily stick to the appropriate products when participating in challenges. My best organizational tip -- which allows me to see what I have as I scroll through my store folders -- is to make the kit preview be the folder's icon instead of the default blue folder. If you don't understand, I wrote all about it in this post on my blog. I only talked about alphas in the blog post, but since then I've been doing it for kits as well.

The only time I tag is when an item is something special, particularly music-themed elements. And I tag simply via right-clicking on the item and adding it in the file info (the right click menu item "Get Info" on the Mac). Many designers give great file names so I can almost always find what I'm looking for via search, even without having tagged it, for ordinary things like buttons and even less ordinary things like clouds or bicycles.
 
I just saw the question about when a designer moves stores. That has happened to me several times already! Yes, I just select all that designer's kit folders and drag them into the new store's folder. Or if they've retired, I have a general non-store-specific folder.
 
HeatherB said:
I just organize by year, then by store and that's it really. I find that if I am looking for something in particular, I use TLP store search a lot lately (since the site renewal) and then check my stash if it says I already have something.
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Yes to this, I do it a lot too Heather and in the new store it is fabulous!
 
@Tree City Yep. I move the designer folder. It's really just a matter of moving the one folder from the old store to the new store, all the kits are safely nestled inside and move with the main folder. If I have some kits that don't make the transition, I will throw them into a RET folder under the designer. I don't want to accidently use it in a challenge, but often I still love the kit. And especially with SOSN, I don't want to search 2 or 3 store folders for a designer.

If a designer retires, I toss their folder into a RET "store" folder.
 
jk703 said:
:) I think the big folder threw me off. I like the idea of all in one spot. I'm so used to my way though, that I don't think I'd be able to combine them. Or, I could, but it would take oodles of time.
Click to expand...
The big folder is to make it easier for challenges. I started it when I was a baby Digi girl, and couldn't remember which designers beloved to which stores. I've kept it because it's easier for me to see at a glance for stores I don't frequent as much.
 
Mainly I use the Windows File Explorer to keep track of my kits. I organize by designer and inside the each designer folder are directories for the individual kits/products with a copy of the preview for each one. I can see all of the previews for each designer in one place, and easily go to the directory with the product I want.

I also use ACDSee for tagging those previews. If I want all the kits that I've purchased specifically to use for layouts about my daughter's scouting troop, I can look up the tag and see where those kits are, without having to search for them every time. I have tags for the common color combinations that I buy, as well as for specific products types, like templates or word art. I'm not much of a tagger and I only label items that I've looked for in the past, so that I don't have to search for them again.

I don't participate in challenges nor post in galleries where the product origination is important, so I don't bother with keeping track of the stores where they are available. If I did, I could tag those in ACDSee as well, and then just call up those previews that meet those requirements as I needed them.
 
jk703 said:
Mine seems time consuming, but is really easy, and doesn't take more than a few minutes. I just change the name on the albums. The versions in my Photos app are just a copy of the originals, so in my back ups, there is no store, just designer, then pack/kit name (all files combined).
Click to expand...
^That speaks to my personal organizational style cuz your backups are arranged w/o the store folder. I'd rip my hair out if I had to move stuff around in my 4 EHDs. I really would look like this emoji (except with curly hair): :madness And thanks to @bestcee @scrappyjedi @klee73010 and @michelepixels for your responses, too! I like the idea of a RET folder... I should probably do that myself. :)
 
Tree City said:
I'd rip my hair out if I had to move stuff around in my 4 EHDs.
Click to expand...

This is where Lightroom is a beautiful thing. You can look at files across multiple EHDs as if they were on a single drive (because they are all in a single library!), and moving files is as easy as dragging them to a new folder in your library- Lightroom takes care of moving from one drive to another under the hood. :)
 
Tree City said:
May I ask a question for those who organize by store? What happens when a designer leaves that store? Do you move all of that designer's stuff into a new location? @bestcee @jk703 @klee73010 (and anyone else who mentioned it--not intentionally leaving you out!)
Click to expand...
This was exactly why I eliminated store folders from my system. I used to have them by store, but back in the day, designers were hopping all over the place, and I couldn't keep track. Just not worth it.
 
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