The Creative Cubby: Idea Binders

Even with awesome technology and online resources, I still can't resist the allure of a glossy magazine.

Obviously.

I am only one in a long line of women who save whole magazines for one or two ideas. Unfortunately, my Creative Cubby does not come equipped with infinite space and I rarely reference the magazines anyway. When I do try, I spend a full hour looking for that "thing" I saw in "that" magazine a year ago... or was it two years ago? Was it in Better Homes & Gardens or Martha Stewart? Maybe Family Circle? Or wait... did I see that online?

As you can see, it's a slippery slope.

All it takes is a trip to the dollar store (my store of choice: Dollar Tree) and a few hours of dedication to get my clutter under control.

Materials
3 1" Vinyl Binders
3 sets of 8 Tab Dividers
Sheet Protectors
Label Maker
Scissors, X-Acto Knife & Paper Cutter

The process is simple...

Pick up magazine... Flip through... Snip or tear out what you want to keep... Recycle

(please, please, please recycle)

I decided on my categories ahead of time and piled clippings accordingly. Here is my list of categories:

New Years
Valentines
St Patricks
Easter
Mothers Day
Memorial
Fathers Day
Independence Day
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Garden
Organizing
Cleaning
Living Room
Kitchen
Bedroom
Bathroom
Office
Skills/Techniques
Decor
DIY
Sewing
Parties

I didn't put recipes in these binders. I have a separate filing system for recipes I like, so those went off to the side (*sigh, a project for another day).

Simply load up your sheet protectors and bam! Filed!

Now I have my own special trick to make your tabs stick out. I can't stand that most tabs get hidden by sheet protectors and I really don't want to pay an extra $5-10 a pack just to get ones that are large enough to stick out.

Here's What You Do:

1. Lay the tab down and the sheet protector on top, lining up the right-hand side on your cutting surface.

2. Using an X-Acto knife, Carefully cut along the edge of the sheet protector where you want the tab to stick out. If the tabs have a gentle curve to them, be sure to cut until the curve flattens out.