While a collection of greeting cards won’t take up as much space as a garage full of classic cars, these treasures will need a place to stay. Keeping them in good shape so they’re ready to be sent is key, and you must be able to find what you’re looking for. Not sure how to best store your card collection? Try these options:

Photo box
In order to keep your blank greeting cards in good shape and easily accessible, you’ll need a system. Photo boxes are the perfect size for most cards if you store the cards horizontally. You can even use tabs to note different sections for thank-you cards, birthday cards, congratulations and more. This way you can locate the exact section you need and quickly browse different styles to find the card that will suit your recipient best.

A shelf
If you are a frequent card-sender, you probably buy your cards in bulk. This means you have a slew of cards at home probably stashed in a box somewhere. You should be proud of your preparedness and enjoy the process of picking out the perfect card as if you were perusing the aisles of a stationary store. To recreate this fun process, you can make shallow shelves to hold your cards. If you have a craft room, dedicate one wall to hosting your card selection.

If you have lots of each card option on hand, you may need a deeper shelf. In this case, consider dedicating part of a closet to holding baskets or bins full of cards. Section them by design and reason (promotions, weddings, birthdays, sympathy, etc) so you can find what you’re looking for. Plus, it’s easy to see what celebrations you’re low on and should purchase the next time you find a fun design.

A mailbox shelf system
If you’ve ever visited an elementary school, you’ve likely seen the mail shelves many use to host teacher mailboxes. These shelves are short, with only about an inch of room for each section, and as large as a regular sheet of printer paper. With proper labeling, this type of storage can be the perfect spot to host greeting cards you have yet to use or even those you’ve received. You can color code the shelves, noting yellow is for thank-yous and green is for Christmas. Then, make a key stating each corresponding label to tape to the side of the shelf in case you forget.

Magazine holders
Do you have upright magazine holders at home? These can be great for storing cards. Label each box with the card type it contains and then use a piece of cardboard to section off different designs. Magazine boxes are awesome because you can stash them on a desk so they’re out in the open or place them in a closet so they’re out of sight. You can easily move them from one spot to another so you can find the card you’re looking for.