9.21.2011

Cricut Cartridge Storage and Organization

The best way to organize and store your Cricut Cartridges is by using a Catalog and Numbering System. This system allows you to add cartridges to your collection, without having to “rearrange” or “re-organize” your existing cartridges. To use this system, you can either leave your cartridges, booklets and overlays in their original cases, or you can remove them from their cases and store them in a Cricut Cartridge Tote or Cricut Cartridge Storage Case. Regardless of the storage method you choose, the catalog system will remain the same.

The first decision you need to make is whether you plan to keep the cartridges in their original box or if you plan to condense them down using one of the storage tools mentioned earlier. If you plan to use one of the storage tools mentioned earlier, you may want consider keeping the boxes stored elsewhere, just in case you decide to sell the cartridge at a later date.

Start by numbering each of the Cricut boxes, cartridges, booklets, and overlays. If the box is labeled # 1, then the corresponding cartridge, booklet and overlay will all also be labeled #1.

Your next step is to collect the images of the shapes on each of the cartridges you own. You can either photocopy the back of the box or you can get the images directly off the Cricut Website. In either case it will be helpful and beneficial later to have the images stored both digitally and physically printed out. At minimum I would recommend 2 copies of each printout. The first for the appropriate section in your 4 Section System, and the second for a separate catalog. When you print out the image(s), give that printout(s) the same number as the corresponding cartridge, in this case #1. Generally most of the cartridges deal with a single “theme”, but in some cases, they may be appropriate for multiple themes. If the cartridge is appropriate for multiple themes, you will want to print out an equal number of images, so you can include one labeled (numbered) image in each section of your 4 Section System where appropriate. For example, if you had a Travel cartridge, that included lots of travel icons and also an alphabet, you would want to include an image of that cartridge in both the Travel Section and in the Alpha Numeric section.


Once you’ve printed out and numbered the images to match the numbers on the Cartridges, Booklets and Overlays, you can put the images into your 4 Section System, and into your Cricut Catalog (this may be easily combined with your stamps, punches, etc…catalog).

Your final step is to label the Cricut original box (if that is your storage method of choice) or the containers (Cartridge Tote or Storage Case) that you have chosen. Once this is done, you can put the cartridges, booklets and overlays into the appropriate container.

When you’re ready to crop, the image of the Cricut cartridge will “pop up” in the appropriate section(s) of your 4 Section System. In our example Travel; when you are scrapping Travel and you go to that section in your ScrapRack, you’ll see that cartridge image, the number on the image will tell you exactly where to find the cartridge, whether it is in a box or in a storage tote or case.

Simple!

4 comments:

  1. Hey that was very nice,, I would love to visit your blog very often,, Thanks for sharing such wonderful thing.

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  2. As I am an ardent Cricut Cart collector (I now have over 100 of the original
    ones, none of the Imagine ones), I have found the original boxes to be too
    bulky to efficiently and compactly store the carts. I have since began
    purchasing the Art Bin storage units. I was going to keep them in
    alphabetical order; however, something you said on the Webinar struck a
    chord in me: You put things in alphabetical order, then you buy an
    additional item, now everything is out of order, and you are shuffling to
    make more room! How true! I am going to segregate the carts into fonts and
    shapes, then just number them and keep them catalogued. One tip I have is
    that I take the wire binding off the booklets. I know, I know, many of you
    are now having heart attacks at that. What I found was that the majority of
    the pages were sticking to each other, due to the cutting of the paper to
    make the binding. Also, I do not speak all the languages that are in the
    book, and I want to quickly get to the Icon Gallery, not mess with paper I
    won't use in front of it! :) I have a friend who makes chain-mail items and
    garments (think of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table... that's
    chain mail). I hand the broken-down book to my friend and within half a
    minute he has a few rings every so many spaces. The book is now much
    thinner, and lays flatter in the tote, not to mention it opens easily and
    freely! I have a lot of work to do, especially with cataloguing the carts,
    but I do make every effort to keep an up-to-date list of what I have...
    accidental duplication is inevitable, and I want to avoid it as much as
    possible!! LOL

    Thanks for having these GOC series, Tiffany! I deeply appreciate the words
    of support, ideas, and especially inspiration! If someone else is in my
    shoes, and has done it, then I KNOW I can do it, too!!

    ~Jackie

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  3. I love all these ideas but I have found that the printed list from the website does not include all of the available items on my cartridge. Usually it is only a sampling, and it does not show layers. all of that is in the books. How do you catalog these for ease of use. I only have 6 cartridges so far so I want to start out right.

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  4. ang t - I'm with you! How do you catalog all the layers and images that are available. The printed list is NOT complete.....

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