Scrapbooking has become an entire industry in recent years with supplies and tools that do everything from die-cutting to stamping. There are so many pieces, big and small, and it’s important to keep things sorted and categorized.

One product I really like is this stackable paper tray which protects the paper and also provides an extremely neat display. The trays have a “lipless” design – you can pull any sheet of paper from a tray, even from the bottom, without disturbing the entire stack. And of course, it reduces clutter and increases your scrapbooking productivity!

Now you can sip your coffee while shredding those confidential documents and decreasing your paper clutter. This cool table was the winner of a recent competition for modern design and functional furniture. It definitely gets my vote for innovative organization! Check out the details.

Here are more tips for Evernote - my favorite online system for filing and sharing!

• Take photos of the wiring setup for your computer and television/dvd/stereo center so that if you move anything, you can put things back where they go.
• Scan and save warranty information for major appliances and electronics.
• Scan and save documents as PDFs and shred the un-needed paper version.
• Take photos of priceless items such as jewelry or family heirlooms with notes about their appraisal value.
• Make a PDF version of your business license - this comes in handy when you fill out business paperwork.
• Take pictures and make a list of important serial numbers on big purchases in case they are stolen; use the information to file a police report.
• Take pictures of the contents of your wallet in case of theft, especially the fronts and backs of cards for the phone numbers to call and cancel cards.

• Store recipes and pictures of dishes – use the transparent sleeves to keep it clean from spills in the kitchen
• Re-label the alphabetical tabs with months of the year and store birthday and anniversary dates
• Use it to organize small stickers or embellishments for your scrapbooking project
• Sports collectors can organize their baseball cards
• If you recently painted walls or furniture, store the paint chip for future reference.

This product definitely deserves credit for an innovative little feature that turns a standard office item into a unique organizer. If you notice, there are pivoting hangers on the corners that allow you to use this as a hanging file, or when you’re on-the-go, fold them down and carry it like a regular file!

• Blue exterior with gray dividers and 6 fasteners to keep papers securely in place
• 2″ capacity
• Environmentally friendly with a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled materials

Click here to learn more.

With so much technology, it’s ironic how much paper we still receive in the mail and have piled up on our desks. It’s important to shred anything with sensitive information like financial statements or credit card applications. A lot of clients ask me what to look for when they go out to buy a shredder. Here’s what I tell them:

1. Cross-Cut - This type of shredder cuts paper into smaller bits and is much more secure than a strip-cut paper shredder.
2. Able to shred plastic like credit cards, DVDs and CDs
3. Shouldn’t have a problem shredding the sticky part of envelopes
4. Large capacity – The container or basket should hold at least two weeks worth of shredding.

The weekend was a flurry of activity for Innovatively Organized!

Our booth at the NW Women’s Show was extremely busy with hundreds of visitors stopping to find out more on organizing their homes and businesses. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s the largest expo of its kind in the country, featuring a multitude of exhibitors aimed at the needs of women. There were vendors showcasing fashion, health and wellness, home decor, money matters, workplace leadership, food, travel and beauty. One of the most popular organizing questions we heard from guests was about paper management. Despite our addiction to communicating online and with electronic gadgets, everyone still needs to conquer the paper pile! Check out my paper management tips for more help with clearing the paper clutter.

Also over the weekend was the first annual Vendor Fair & Ask the Organizer Panel sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Attendees were able to meet local organizers and get questions about organization answered by a panel of experts.

Keep checking my blog and your email inbox for more news on upcoming events from Innovatively Organized!

Has the pending tax season motivated you to organize all of your important documents along with the financial ones?  This is the perfect opportunity to start some new filing habits and protect or replace any missing papers, credentials and forms.  Can you easily find your passport? What about your birth certificate?  Are you sure you know where you put that lease agreement?  I recently found an article in Real Simple magazine that gives great advice on how to get copies of critical documents.

Also, refer to my previous blog post Multiple Ways to File Paper for more organizing tips.

Have you ever needed a “virtual or digital” notebook or filing system?  Well, I know I’m constantly looking for ways to keep paper to a minimum without losing valuable information or time.  Sometimes you need more than a sticky note to remember ideas or information too.  Evernote is an online electronic storage solution that doesn’t just keep track of all the notes you create, it keeps them organized, electronic and easily searchable in one “digital file cabinet.” Whether it’s a web page, picture, document, email or an audio dictation, Evernote stores it all for free. You can even save messages from Twitter!  Evernote works on Windows or Mac platforms, via the internet, as well as a range of smart phones.  Learn more about Evernote and stayed tuned for future posts with more tips on how you could use Evernote to be more productive (my favorite topic!).