The most important one of all is never to throw anything away, keep any off cuts of paper and card, as these could be useful for making cards in the future and save you money at the same time.

The best place to store all your off cuts is in a craft box which will grow in size over time once you have made a few cards. It is also worth keeping you eyes open for pictures in magazines and off cuts of ribbon that could later be used to finish off a card.

Organise your punched out shapes so that they are ready for use when you need to make a card, it is worth investing in some small containers to store these in and always label them so that you can see what is inside.

Once you have made a card it is a good idea to store it in a cello bag, this will protect the card from dirt and grime keeping it clean ready to be sent. The cello bags are also handy should you decide to sell your cards.

Organise your tools and supplies to stop them becoming damaged, rubber stamps for example will deteriorate if left in direct sunlight so should be stored in a box or draw keeping the image crisp and clear.

If you have purchased ink pads that are becoming old store them ink side down, this will make all the ink run to the surface so that the ink pad is always ready to use and you can get the most out of it.

If you have a huge amount of peel offs you may find that rather than look though all the ones you have it is easier to just nip out and purchase another one to fit your project. This will of course end up costing you money, which you would not necessarily spend if your peel offs are organised and labelled properly in your craft box

Keep scissors, trimmers and scalpel blades as sharp as you can as there is nothing worse than rough paper edges so remember to sharpen your scissors and replace you scalpel and trimmer blade as often as possible.

It is always best to store your scrapbook papers flat. This will ensure that the edges do not become damaged or creased and will keep the papers looking as new.

Card making is a fun hobby that can be enjoyed by anyone but it is important to keep organised, if your card stock becomes a mind field of paper mess you may find you do not want to return to it.