GDS products - how do you organize your files

[katiehardin]

A lot of the challenges say 'use primarily GDS products.' How do you know what products you have that came from GDS?

The only ones I know for certain are the monthly kits, because they have GDS in the folder name, but the other ones I usually have sorted by artist name and with artists selling at multiple stores...I'm drawing a blank on how to know which ones come from GDS.

So I'm wondering how everyone organizes their files.

[lazyscrapper]

I sort mine by where I get then, ie which website. So GDS has it's own folder. Within that i sort by designers.

If you are all ready established in a system I would suggest making a seperate folder for the designers location. Such as OMAAT at GDS and then OMAAT at DD. That might work.

[agarzaldynrd]

I sort like Erica. I have a folder for each website, then in it I sort by designer. If one designer is on multiple websites, I just put it all in GDS. That is where I have most of my stuff from. GDS is the website that I Use most but the other website that I frequent don't have the same requirements about using mostly their products.

[rumkimom]

I too sort my kits by stores, then in that folder I sort under designer. If a designer sells under multiple stores, I keep the name of that designer under the store that I use the most (or do the most challenges for).

[briarwoodpups]

I've been trying to reorganize, too. i finally split out and made folders for stores, then one for freebies, with a subcategory of favorites. i have very few packages that are sold at more than one store, but for the few I have, I keep the original in the store folder where i got it, then make a shortcut and place it in the other folder where the designer sells so I remember that i have more kits at my fingers! but i have very few purchased kits that didn't come from gds, so my hdd isn't all that complicated yet :)

[daisydilly]

i use a regular ole notebook to go along with my computer files. i keep a list from each forum/store . in the start i didn't keep any list!!! and now i have all these wonderful items with no names

its not really hard to keep track but it does take some time to organize if you haven't done it before. i'm sure you will work out your system of things in no time

[HollyS]

One word............BACKUP!

LOL, since we are on the topic just thought I'd just throw that word into your mind :)

[britnkaysmemaw2]

That Holly, I believe is the best piece of advice there is when it comes to digi scrapping. LOL I too keep mine in Folders by Site then by Designers.

[elenasworld]

I also sort by the store/site I purchased the product, and then have folders by designer. I tend to be particular about my naming system, and I like to see Collab kits at the top or beginning so I preface those with an underscore so they sort first "_".

I used to try to keep track of where designers sell and move too and it go to be too much. Most of my kits are from GDS and my team work, so I usually know where things are from.

I also am pretty anal about backing up my photos and digi-supplies. I have an external HD, but I also back up to DVD as well. I would be crushed if I lost my photos more than anything, so I even have a back up of those on DVD that are going with me to my parents the next time I make the trip. I like to keep copies of my .psd files so that when I am ready to print, I can change dimensions or move my journaling from the edges and little things like that.

Some people tag their files or use ACDSee. That helps in searching for things and finding elements. I used to scrap a page with many kits and keeping track of things was a nightmare, and I spent a lot of time searching. Now I try to scrap with one or two kits and it has really cut down my time searching for that perfect element. It has been fun to use things I might not have, and well Speed Scraps are about all I use more than a few kits to make a page with anymore.

[katiehardin]

It never occurred to me to sort by stores.

I have folders for Kits, paper, elements, brads, buttons, frames, overlays, word art, alpha, ribbons, templates, quick pages. Then I usually have a folder in each one that starts with an underscore (so it sorts to the top) that I put every graphic in.

i.e. in the paper directory I have all the folders from each set purchased then I have _paper that has a file of each paper (so I can just open that one folder to choose rapidly--makes it annoying when multiple kits come with generic file names like paper1.jpg).

I use to sort my email receipts by store, but honestly there are so MANY stores that lately they get lumped into one group.