Make It: Hanging File Folders For Cardstock

Professional organizers will tell you that when it comes to paper, vertical storage beats horizontal every time. For everyday filing needs, hanging file folders make it easy to find and retrieve papers and records. No shifting and sorting stacks of paper; just flip, drag and drop!

Fast-forward to the scrap room! Scrap-sized hanging file folders are super storage solutions for 12-inch by 12-inch patterned paper, cardstock and scrap-of-the-month club kits.

Commercial products are available for scrap use, but they're expensive and hard to find--and some "made just for scrappers" products are a proprietary size that's hard to use with ordinary office furniture.

Solution: make your own.

Using standard legal size hanging file folders, you can make scrap-sized hanging file folders in a rainbow of colors. Legal-sized file folders are inexpensive and can be purchased in office supply stores--and they come in a rainbow of colors. Because they are a standard width, you'll be able to hang your home-made scrap-sized files from many file carts.

1. Gather supplies: file folders, scissors and clear tape. You'll use three legal hanging file folders to create two scrap-sized ones, so a box of 25 files will make 16 scrap-sized files. Add a pair of scissors and a roll of clear adhesive tape. [Note: we've made it easier to see the construction by using two different folder colors.]

2. Cut one file down the center. To create scrap-sized files, cut one of the three hanging file folders down the center.

3. Cut the hanger end off of two files. Cut one folded end from each of the remaining two files. Use the folded flap as a cutting guide.

4. Overlap one long and one short file segment. Overlap the center-cut file with the cut end of the long file. An overlap of about 1/2" is easy to measure if you use the center-cut file's folding guides as a guideline.

5. Tape file segments together. Using tape on both sides of the overlapped files adds security.

6. Fold in half and enjoy the finished folder!

Fold the new, scrap-sized hanging file folder in the center. You can hang it from any legal-sized file cart with sufficient clearance to hold oversized folders.

File Folder Solution: Z-Line Cart or Staples Cart

Hang scrap-sized file folders from a Staples cart: an inexpensive, versatile rolling file cart sold by Staples.Com that will accommodate both 8.5-by-11-inch and 12-by-12-inch hanging file folders.

First spotted in a "get organized" article in PaperKuts Magazine, the z-line cart is the answer to paper storage for scrapbooking. Easy to assemble, this cart offers hanging file areas for both standard letter-sized and 12-by-12-inch hanging file folders.

Lower-level baskets are handy for storing scraps or pre-cut photo mats. Best of all, you can purchase this cart from office supplier Staples.Com for a price far less than comparable scrapbooking carts.

When assembling the z-line cart, set the lower shelf unit to the lowest point on the cart legs. This ensures enough "hanging room" for the deeper 12-by-12-inch hanging file folders.

Z-line cart configured for scrap-sized folders: