Tuesday, October 1, 2013

74 DIY Business Card Organization

This past few weeks have been an incredible whirlwind of goodness.  I have had the opportunity to sneak away from our small town life and head to a few big cities to grow, learn, mingle and explore.  And with these amazing blog opportunities, have come new relationships formed and contacts made.  Below you can see just a touch of my recent business card collection...


Yes, I sure have met some brilliant people over the past month or two, and I needed a storage solution for all of these gorgeous business cards stat!

My requirements were simple; I just wanted something that could look sweet on my desk and provide categories so I could easily locate a contact when the time is right.

I started with a simple unfinished wood box from our local craft store, with a 40% off coupon it came in under $3.


It received a lot of lovin'. First, I taped off the outer edges and spray painted the interior of the box gold.  Then, I used some left over stain {Varathane's Kona} for the exterior of the box.  Last, I cut a piece of decorative scrapbook paper, and affixed it to the top.  To give the box a nice finished look and to protect the paper, I gave it a couple of quick coats of poly.


I had some inexpensive bookplates from a craft store, which I touched up with a gold leaf pen and attached to the front of the box with two small screws.  I added some more scrapbook paper and a label printed with my label maker.


For the dividers, I took some plain white cardstock and cut it down to size.  I used the boxes interior measurements {height and width}, and sliced a sliver off of the sides and tops of the cardstock, to be sure they would fit after being laminated.  I also added some decorative paper to the lower half, just for some happy color, and labeled the dividers with categories I often reference with my business.


I opted to divide my cards by category vs. alphabetical.  There may be times when I am looking to work with a specific blogger, or want to pitch a story to a publication I have worked with in the past.   Therefore, categories will allow me to search by subject first, and look at my contacts second.  Plus, I am awful at remembering names, so this will ease my search efforts.


I love that the dividers stick up above the business cards, keeping everything super simple to find.  And once they were laminated, they fit nice and snug, so the dividers do not shift much within the box.


I am so smitten with the end result.  The pretty paper on the top, is just the icing on the fabulous cake!  This new little box sure holds a lot of talent inside!



I don't plan on taking all of my contacts with me when I travel, although, from time to time I may take a card or two out and slip them into my clutch.  However, there are other great ways to organize business cards such as rolodex files, binders and special wallets, if DIY'ing a cute box isn't your thang. 

Any other creative DIY ideas out there for storing business cards?  How do you keep track of the amazing people you meet along the way?


74 comments:

  1. Awesome idea, Jen! I may have to give this one a try - thanks for the post! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. TOTALLY adorable and functional! Another great idea, which I can't believe you are constantly coming up with!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hate business cards because they have never had a home before. This is such a great idea. It looks so cute too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks adorable! Do you keep them online somewhere too? I think I remember you getting one of those "neat" scanners (jealous!) was wondering if you scan them to have access online too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't because my scanner is hooked up to my desktop and I never thought to upload them online. But great idea for accessing contacts on the go! xo!

      Delete
  5. That a great idea! I have collected a bunch of business cards in the last month or so and I have been wondering if I should put them in my business binder or find a little box to live on my desk. Can you make me one?? :) I think I'll try my hand at making one myself since yours turned out so fab!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! :) I actually really had fun making this, would totally mass produce it if I had the time. Hope you have fun with it also! xo!

      Delete
  6. Yay! I see a little corner of my card peeking in there! Way to go in organizing these. I have been trying to figure out a system myself. I literally just have a pile on my guest bed...and have since August. Sigh. Not too proud to admit that one! Maybe I will give this a try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally understand! :) Mine were in piles in my purse... On my desk... In my suitcase... Randomly on the floor... Lol!

      Delete
  7. SOOOO cute - you are so creative! I love everything you do - have to check your blog daily to see what cute thing you came up with now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lanell!! I appreciate you popping by daily! :)

      Delete
  8. This is too cute! I love that you painted the inside too. It definitely adds a pop!

    ReplyDelete
  9. love it! such a cute project!!!
    emma @ {from my little pink couch}

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very cute! I made something similar but only to hold my own business cards. http://www.pinklittlenotebook.com/im-ready-for-you-blogpodium-diy-business-card-holder/
    I definitely need a "contact" box as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love how it turned out! So chic and pretty. Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
  11. Stop it with all that cuteness!!! I love it! Sorry I had to go and muck up the system by having a square card!! ;) I spotted me in that pile xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, thanks Cassie! I had to snip a bit of the gold goodness of the top to make it fit! Good thing I love ya! ;)

      Delete
  12. Such a great idea... I always end up misplacing cards! Not any more :) Thankyou... Clare Elise www.clareelisesparkles.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOVE! Way better than an old school Rolodex! Adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh that is adorable! I wish I had business cards to make this cute little thing for it! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my god, this is so cute and at the same time so professional. I love it! congrats!

    [DESABAFOS E COISAS]

    ReplyDelete
  16. I thought I would share my method (although yours is way cuter). I use the app Card Munch. You take a photo of the business card with the app and it translates it into a contact. You can choose to add it to your Google contacts or just leave it in the app. It is searchable. I love it. I don't retain paper cards anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds awesome! Someday I will get with the tech times. Something so nice about old school paper and business cards though. I will have to look at app for when I am on the go. Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
  17. brilliant! I definitely want to give this a try, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  18. what a smart idea! i love this!! xo jillian - cornflake dreams

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice idea (might steal it for something else), but I use an app on my work phone for such things (CamCard, the free edition, on Android). Lets me store all the contacts - mostly you just take a photo of the card and most of info gets input automatically (some very fancy cards do bork slightly, so a little tweaking is required), but it means that I have it on the go (networking, or if I get stuck out of the office - the perils of working from a vehicle!), and it just lets me phone/text/email/access their webpage direct from a single click. Plus...free! Currently I'm keeping all the cards I've scanned in one of my empty business card boxes (they are gorgeous very very thick cardboard boxes - I really want to do something creative with them, but I'm stumped) tucked up in my drawer - not terribly pretty, but for me at least, more functional on the road. Love to see what other people do with their empty boxes though :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Incredibly cute! Organizing always works best when it's something cute.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I LOVE THIS! Mine are all over the place. Can you just send me one?! I really do need to sit down and do this. Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Cute, cute, cute! What a beautiful way to keep your business cards at your fingertips! Love it!

    ~Abby =)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love this idea Jen! I actually have a trio of these boxes stacked in our home office. I bought 3 of them in graduating sizes to create a 'nesting' set - but I haven't found anything to store in them just yet. Business cards would be perfect for the smallest box. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! Love that! I didn't see the larger sizes, may have to check that out for a few of my other office goodies! xo!

      Delete
  24. This is such a cute idea for business cards! You could totally sell these on your Etsy shop! I could also see people using a larger box like that for recipes. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great ideas! Would love to be able to make that happen someday! xo!

      Delete
  25. Such a cute idea! I think I might have to steal it as well! Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Everything you make is so pretty<3 Just wondering how you adhere the scrapbook or 'fancy' paper to the index cards? It may be a simple question but I'm fairly new at this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great question! For the dividers, I just adhered the pretty paper with double sided tape and laminating them protects them from coming apart. The paper on top was adhered with Mod Podge and then given a few coats of poly over the top to protect it as well. Hope that helps! xo!

      Delete
  27. This is so adorable! I don't use business cards much anymore, but this makes me want to start collecting them more often :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is such a cute idea! One of the projects on my to do list is making a little box for my daughter's keepsakes - hospital bracelet, baptism certificate, etc. I'm totally going to use this and just adapt it to the size/look I'm going for!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello! I would love to do something like this to categorize all the "projects" I have in my head! I don't use biz cards right now, so I just manage my contacts with my iphone. Thank you for sharing such a cute project. I've never used a wood stain... I have to try it out! Thanks for mentioning the specific products you used!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love your idea! I use a baseball card holder (those plastic sheets) and place them into my home organizing binder in its own section, but your idea is much cuter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use the baseball sleeves in our Household Binder for our home contacts also. Works so great right? I just wanted something a little more special for all of the pretty cards I get for my business. I adore both options. :)

      xo!

      Delete
  31. So cute! I would love one of those boxes for earrings or other small jewelry pieces that tend to get lost. For business cards/discount cards I use something called a 'card cubby'. It's basically a micro file box with dividers (alphabetical) that are business card size and it fits right in my purse for on the go :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea to use these sweet little boxes for jewelry. Just line with felt and boom, simple storage! Love it! And that card cubby sounds amazing! xo!

      Delete
  32. It's crazy that something so small can be so darn cute and fun! What a great idea! LOVE it!

    ReplyDelete
  33. So pretty! I really love it! Great job! You rock!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is such a cute idea Jen! Good job!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. This might be a silly question, but do you cut your laminating sheets to size prior to sending them through the laminator? Or do you laminate and then cut? Just wondering, b/c I've found that cutting after laminating can lead to fraying... just never thought to do it before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends on the project, I do it both ways. I haven't experienced any trouble with fraying? Maybe it is the type of laminating sheet being used? I never cut all the way up to the edge however, I always ensure there is a small seal line that I don't cross. :) xo!

      Delete
  36. I think I'm going to hijack this idea for my son's YuGiOh card collection. Thanks for the inspiration

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea! My oldest was really into YuGiOh for awhile as well!

      Delete
  37. That is such a fabulous and frugal storage idea!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Jen, where did you get those pretty decorative papers? I especially love the paper on the inside of the box.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to stop into Archivers a couple of times a year to stock up on a few pretty papers. They have the best selection, although, a little bit pricey. I just try and push myself to get a lot of use out of a single sheet to justify the cost. :) xo!

      Delete
  39. great idea!! love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. This turned out so perfectly! I rarely hold onto business cards for long, because I don't want a bunch of random pieces scattered about, but it would be great to be able to organize pretty cards like this.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Cute! What a great idea to use an inexpensive wooden box. Love it!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. This is a beautiful little box. My business cards are all in a sad little pile in a desk drawer. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for this sort of box!

    ReplyDelete
  43. So cute! I love how much style you add to every project, no matter how big or small!

    ReplyDelete
  44. This is really cute. I love how 'clean' your labels look. Do you know what font that is? Or are they all printed from your label maker?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were all printed with my label maker. The font is called Mincho. xo!

      Delete
  45. Love your blog and your amazing ideas! Your blog often makes my day :-)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Love that idea, especially since I have a similar box laying around... I think I have just found a purpose for it!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Great ideas! Did you have a special tape on your label maker or did you print it on a clear label and used a piece of scrap booking paper?

    ReplyDelete
  48. This is SO chic and fun!! Can't wait to organize my pile of business cards. Those plastic card holders in a book is not a great system.

    ReplyDelete
  49. You are TOO GOOD. This is adorable and so perfect for keeping track of all those talented people!! I think I'll mail you one of my cards to have in the pretty box ;)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hi Jen, I love reading your blog. I love being organized and since I am putting together a new office space for myself I think I am going to do this diy project over the weekend! One question, are there specific parts of this where you would recommend letting something dry overnight or a specific dry time such as the spray paint, wood stain for the outside of the box or the poly that is put over the pretty paper on top?

    Also, the bottom inside of the box is so cute. Did you do the same thing as the top of the box to do this? A piece of decorative paper and some poly? Sorry for all of the questions, I just wanted to make sure I have all of the information I need!

    Thanks for this diy project! I really look forward to doing it! :)

    Brandy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HI Brandy!

      I always be sure to follow the dry times listed on the cans, and also try to always stain outside if possible, or open all the windows since the odor can be a tad strong. I didn't end up using poly on the inside, just double stick tape to add the pretty paper to the bottom.

      Have fun with your office space!! xo!

      Delete
  51. Do you remember which craft store you got this box at? I have been searching high and low and I cannot seem to find one for the life of me. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe Michaels or JoAnn - I have noticed that different store locations have different box selections. Hopefully you can find something similar. :)

      Delete
  52. Oh I would so buy one of these to day! I don't have time to make one - but I wish I did. Perhaps you could start a new side-business on Etsy?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking a moment to join in on the conversation! I read and appreciate each and every comment, however, I will remove any comment that I believe to be inappropriate, malicious, or spam-like. I would love for this comment section to be used as a place to engage in purposeful dialogue, I only ask that everyone remains constructive and considerate.

All comments will be moderated and may take a moment to appear.