Here's a look at my folder of Valentine Svgs, and how I organize them.
This is my SVG Folder.
I have it organized with both numbers and names.
0 goes before seasons and holidays, so they show at the top of my list.
2 goes before material type projects - faux leather, 3d paper, etc
4 goes before specific project types - laser cutting, sewing, etc.
Then there are folders by project - Candy Holders, Cup Designs, Paper Flowers, Tote Bag svgs...
This exact system is always evolving for me, I'm constantly tweaking it, and it may not make sense to others. That's ok - this system is for me, not for others. I have it organized the way I think, so it's easiest for me to find things.
I also have an external hard drive that is not even 1/4 full, so I have LOTS of room. I duplicate files. So you may find valentine cards in valentines, but also in card making, and candy holders in Valentines and also in Candy holders, etc. I don't always use projects exactly the way they were shown - I may convert a valentine card to an anniversary card, etc... so, again, for me, this makes the most sense and makes it easier for me to find things.
This is the external hard drive I use. It's a wifi hard drive - connected to our local home network- so I can access it without actually connecting to it with wires. Very similar to using Dropbox, but a little more complicated to set up and get mapped so that the folders display like other folders in windows. Once it is set up though, this thing is awesome.
You do NOT need an external hard drive to use this method, you can store your files on dropbox, on your hard drive, even on a usb drive - whatever works best for you. I have this mostly because of our family photographs and genealogy. You can also sync this drive with the Plex app & firestick. You can put your home movies in a folder on this drive, and play them through the Plex app on your tv.
Although this is the best wifi external hard drive I have found so far, I do not think it is "the best", nor is it always user friendly. It's sometimes glitchy. Especially with Windows 11, which already seems to struggle with file viewing. I have to restart my laptop, or unplug the drive to reset it, more often than I would like. Not all the time, but it's not a flawless system. I just haven't yet found anything better, for me.
This is what my Valentine SVG Folder looks like.
I use mostly the same format for all of my seasonal & holiday folders, but there are variations. General Projects are "loose" in the main folder, then there are subfolders for things like candy holders, cards, vinyl projects, etc.
Almost every folder has a file called "0 Files". That's where I store the actual files for the projects in the previews. It takes this system - external hard drive over wifi - longer to view file previews than it does image previews, and I am impatient. So by storing all of the files in a folder, I can click over to this folder and see the projects quickly, then once I decide what to make, I just open the files folder and find the files, which are named with the exact same name as the preview photo.
It's also a lot less visual clutter, so it's just easier for me to see what I am looking for.
Here's a look inside my SVGS/Valentines/Vinyl Folder
I don't actually make a lot of vinyl projects for Valentines Day. I don't make valentines t-shirts, or pot holders, etc... so I don't download a lot of svgs for those projects. I saved just a few that I thought I might have a use for. They are just "loose" in the folder. My svgs show up as thumbnail previews like this, because I use a chrome extension - here's how to do that:
This is what my Valentine Cards Folder looks like.
Again, there is a folder for the files, and only the preview photos are "loose" in this folder.
Unlike my vinyl svgs, which are almost always just one file, paper cutting files often have several files for one project. So to eliminate visual clutter and make it easier for me to find things, I have the preview photo of the completed project here, and then in the "Files" folder, all of the files are stored in folders with the exact same name as the preview photo.
This is what it looks like in the Valentines Cards/Files folder
A mix of sub folders (for projects that have multiple svgs) and "loose" svgs, for projects that are just one upload.
Then, in addition to all of those folders, I have a "Cut Now" folder in Dropbox. Every week, or most weeks, I copy the projects I hope to get made that week into that "cut now" folder. Always copy, never move. That way I can delete anything in there without having to move it back where it came from. :-) I'm typically doing 12 things at once around here. My craft area is in my laundry room, which is also the back entrance to the house. So it's not at all unusual for me to start a project, go do the animal chores, come in with a basket of eggs and put the next mat in to cut, go back out and take scraps to the pigs, put in the next mat to cut, start a load of laundry, or start dinner, etc. Having the "Cut now" folder just makes it easier for me to cut projects quickly, without too much thought, while going about my day. Then I can assemble the projects later.
As with everything, this is what works for ME, and may not work at all for you. It may take some time to learn how you work best, and what system works best for you.
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Looking for free valentines day svgs? I have a photo album full of links here:
thanks so much, just last night I started to try and sort out the mess of downloaded items I have. Do you automatically unzip images when you down load them...... or wait and pray you keep up ........ I am just trying to get a handle on the chaos
ReplyDeleteA little of both. Sometimes I unzip, sometimes I just download quick while it's free. The important thing is to make sure to download the thumbnail of the project (right click on the image and save as) when you download the file, and name the image the same as the file. SO many of my downloads do not have photos, and for some of them, I really don't know what the svg pieces were supposed to make. I wish I had been better about saving photos with them from the start.
Delete