Organization. It’s a big deal to scrapbookers, right? It can be really hard to get anything done if your scrapbooking area is a mess. Don’t pretend like you haven’t ever opened the door, seen the mess, and closed the door again instead of going inside to create. Come on, we’ve all been there!

I have struggled with organizing my scrapbooking stash ever since I started scrapbooking about 4 years ago. At first it wasn’t too hard, but as my collection began to grow by leaps and bounds it got a little more challenging. I’ve always found it especially difficult to organize my vast (or ridiculous, depending on how you look at it!) collection of stickers, rub-ons, and other embellishments. I’ve tried containers (outgrew them), Cropper Hopper Sticker Envelopes (yep, outgrew them too) and finally, when my shelves were just bursting with this stuff, realized I had found the solution in the Clip it Up from Simply Renee.

If you have never seen (or drooled over) the Clip it Up at your local scrapbooking store or on Two Peas in a Bucket or other scrapbooking websites, you don’t know what you’re missing!

The Basics

The Clip it Up Base Unit is basically a frame that supports a metal ring, which spins easily to quickly bring items to within your reach. Products (up to 12″x12″) are attached with easy-to-use swivel clips, each of which can hold several items. In other words, you can get a lot of stuff on this thing! Plus there’ s a handle on top, which makes the Clip it Up easy to transport (although if you’re going to take it to a crop, you’re probably going to want to buy the storage cover to protect it from weather, dust, kids, etc…).

Each 18.5″ Base Unit includes: a 15.5″ center column, 12″ diameter base, metal ring on rotating arm, 80 chromed metal swivel clips, 25 section tabs with do-it-yourself labels, and an easy-carry handle.

The Upper Tier add-on, sold separately, provides additional storage and is perfect for smaller embellishments like brads, ribbons and flowers.

Pros

I found the Clip it Up extremely easy to put together, and I am generally challenged in that arena. It comes with easy-to-follow directions, plus no tools are required — yay!

I still can’t believe how many products I am able to store on my Clip it Up. And I can’t tell you how helpful it is to have my embellishments both visible and accessible while I am working. It’s SO much easier than trying to remember what I have and going to look for it in a container or an envelope!  I am sure that the Clip it Up will actually help me to use more of my stuff because I can now see it right in front of me.

Cons

I have really enjoyed my Clip it Up and have not experienced any problems with it. It does require a good amount of space, as the base is 12″ wide and product will usually exceed the diameter by 1/2 inch. But if your desktop space is limited, it’s easily stored in the floor or on a nearby stool or chair. (Again, that cover might come in handy if you need to store it in a corner or a closet when you’re not using it.) Let’s face it — if it were smaller, it wouldn’t be as functional!

The Clip it Up is not cheap, and the cost can be daunting, but in my opinion it pays for itself by showing scrapbookers like us what we have — and how little we really need to buy!

The Bottom Line

From the moment I first saw the Clip it Up I knew that it would be the perfect storage solution for me, and I’m sure you will love it too. I can definitely see adding to my Clip it Up with the Upper Tier Add-on at some point to hold my always-growing collection of brads and gems. Then I’ll have to move on to organizing my paper…

The Clip it Up is available from Simply Renee. The Base Unit costs $65.00, while the Clip it Up Upper Tier Add-on is $38.00.

For more information about the Clip it Up and the other great organizational products by Simply Renee, check out the Simply Renee website.

Don’t forget to read our other Scrapbooking Reviews – and to bookmark Qwowi so you can keep coming back for more! Leave a comment if you can; we’d love to hear from you.