Creating directory files for beginners

When you start collecting Papers, Embellishments, Templates, and Word Art not to mention all the stuff you might collect for Journaling... you'll find it more and more difficult to keep it organized.   So a few words of wisdom ... start organizing from the get-go!   Make a New Directory for all your 'DIGI STUFF', or you may want to name it 'DIGITAL FILES'.   Next add the first layer of folders by 'Designer name' or 'Site Name' AND a folder for a copy of the "PREVIEW" of each.   And if you have a special passion for something ... like 'brushes' or 'alpha or word art' make a folder in this directory.

We all think and visualize things differently, so there is no wrong way ... the important thing is that it makes sense to you and you can find the things you are looking for when you need them for your pages.

What you collect and what you will use, are the things you remember and can find again! If you're taking a class, I suggest you make a folder just for that class. So a beginners DIRECTORY may look something like this until you figure out 'how you think' about digital scrapping:

DIGITAL 'STUFF'  
  • Anna Aspnes
  • BRUSHES (I just put a copy of the previews in this file)
  • Cathy Zielske CLASS
  • Cilenia Curtis
  • FREEBIES (or start a folder with just the Shop or Site Name)
  • Jen Caputo
  • Katie Pertiet
  • K H Mize
  • Lori Davison
  • Michelle Colleman
  • Mindy Terasawa
  • Pattie Knox
  • TEMPLATES and QUICK PAGES (Copy of the preview only)
  • Tiffany Tillman
  • Tim Holtz
  • TUTORIAL GUIDES
  • WORD ART (Copy of the preview only)

Whatever you plan to put into a SPECIAL FOLDER (not by Designer or Site name) it is recommended that you put a copy in that folder so that your designer's folder doesn't become disected all over the place, because the more you collect, the harder it is to recreate the original collections.

The more you collect, the more folders you'll create.   So, the rule "LESS IS MORE" DOES NOT COME INTO PLAY !

It's easy to forget where that paper or template was, after collecting for a while, but we don't recommend using PSE to tag your digital stuff,. it tends to slow down the program. If you are using a PC without a good search ability, we recommend the ACDSee PhotoManager as your organizer software for your digi artwork too. You can download a free trial and test it for 30 days before purchasing. Well worth the price as it will save you hours of searching in the future. You'll never have to reorganize your files again! This program lets you tag every piece and part of each designers file so you don't have extra copies in other file folders, just maintain your original DIRECTORY!   This program also reminds you when its time to back it up and you can use it to tag your photo files too!