Time for Ticket Tuesday – Want Two-Free Tickets to a Rubber Stamp Show put on by Rubber Stamp Events? Just answer an Easy Question and you might win! (This week’s question is toward the end of this post) It’s an unusually long post this time. The winner from last week is Robin Gasser! Congratulations! Robin, please email me at barbara@rubberstampevents Last week’s question was – How do you organize your mounted stamps? The results are in – and did they ever come in! The organization of most stampers who answered the question seemed to be they organized by category/theme/subject. Sometimes these were then divided after a while (i.e. animals when grew too large was subdivided by cats and dogs taken out for their own category). A few people organized their stamps by company/designer. Some by season. Some alphabetically – one by stamp name – not sure on the others. Many mentioned they also stamped the image in a binder and kept track of stamps that way. The actual storage systems used varied quite a bit – Many used drawers – whether they were Plastic drawer units…Wooden drawers…Drawers mounted on wall so the bottom of the drawer was attached to the wall then shelves were put inside. Many others used Shelves – Whether in a cabinet or open shelves in the craft room. Some of the shelves were floor to ceiling – while others were shelves made for a stamping table. Some very narrow shelves and others wide enough to put boxes, bins or lidded boxes, plastic deep 3D picture frames that could be stacked, some used inexpensive stacking trays on a shelf. Some had “units” like the IKEA Drawer Unit in a PAX Cabinet…IKEA Metal Cabinet with six small drawers…IKEA bookcase in a closet…a Cabinet with shallow drawers…Husband made cabinet…Son built shelving unit…Father built unit…Huge Cupboard…Tool Cabinet….Display units from Craft Store that was moving…Bakery Rack from flea market with sheet cake pans as shelves (or drawers). Some other storage systems that are used – Pizza boxes…Canvas Storage Box…Recycled Clear Plastic Baked Goods Containers…Jelly Roll Pans (stacked)…In Shoe Cubby…Shoe Boxes…Tackle Box…Photo Boxes. Some other comments that came in were – Would like to find a good way…Wish they were organized, looking forward to suggestions…I’d love a better idea…Right now – Very Haphazardly …Not enough stamps to organize them yet…Organization??? It’s gotta be in the dining room, family room or back craft room. when did I use it last??? You saw it where??? I think each person has to see what works right for them. Not every system will work for everyone (but wouldn’t that be nice?) I know I started with one, then moved on to something else. Now I read some of these ideas and I’m rethinking the whole system. Wouldn’t it be great to find the right system when the amount of stamps is still small?? Below are a few lengthy comments that came in, but I wanted to keep them intact because I think some ideas could come from them. Here are from some emails that came in - The iris plastic drawers have been wonderful, some are too deep, but for those I have found in thrift stores wire cooling racks which I then make taller with washers and screws and can then layer my stamps. I do not like to store stamps on top of stamps. Another storage item that I use is a tall DVD/CD unit, only 6-8 inches wide and 8 feet tall, but the shelves are adjustable (again it was a thrift store find that IKEA makes). My SU clam shell containers slide right in like books with easy access while the large background stamps also store like books. The last item that I use are the Darcie protect-n-store plastic clam shell boxes. They come in 2 sizes 12x12 and 8.5x11. I store theme stamps in these ie: all my graduation stamps or baby or wedding etc. Label them and up on a shelf above my table with easy access. In writing this I have realized again, I have too many stamps and must sell some more. --- My stamps are in plastic cases, plastic drawers and plastic bins. Each stamp is stamped in a notebook as to which area it is located and each stamp has a code to put it away efficiently. --- Most of my stamps are in drawers / baskets organized by category..........masculine/animals/wedding-anniversary/birthday/birds/winter/autumn/winter. When I get too many of one type, I separate them and they get their own space. For instance, birds were originally in with animals. I have a lot of Memory Box stamps and I have recently given them their own basket so I can keep better track of them and they also work well together. --- I had a friend make a special cabinet with several drawers just high enough for wood mounted stamps. I organize by topics such as "sayings", "flowers", "kids", "Christmas" etc. It helped me so much to have them organized. I can open a drawer and scan stamps for what I am looking for. --- By category, like everything in the scraproom... I use four section system (& hint put things where you would look for them, not where you think they belong) --- I have them shelves that I have on three walls of my craftroom, I organize by words & verses, masculine, flowers & feminine and funny or silly. --- Tall bookcases I put shelves every 2 inches and use acrylic picture frames upside down filled with my wooden stamps...2 to a shelf. Holds about 3,000 and I index them in a separate book so I can find them easily. My mounted stamps are in a cabinet with lots of drawers under categories (i.e. backgrounds, flowers, Christmas/winter, animals, etc) --- I have never gotten rid of my mounted stamps. Years ago I bought a bunch of shelves from Hobby Lobby that were meant to store acrylic paints, but instead I loaded one wall with these shelves and placed my stamps on theshelves. Each shelf holds two rows of stamps. I call it my wall of stamps. I can see the front stamps and have easy access. I will never get rid of my wood mounted stamps. --- I started with these neat boxes a friend who worked at 3-M gave me. Then I bought a small Collectors Cabinet, then a larger one. Then my Wonderful Hubby who is a Carpenter, (but a workaholic), made me a beautifulcabinet, which I use a clear box frame for trays to keep my stamps and etc. Wish I could talk him into making me another, its beautiful! And works great! --- I have a 3 ring binder where I enter every rubber stamp that I own. Have them separated by category (birthday, Christmas, animals, flowers, sentiments, etc.) Every plastic case has a number so all I have to do is look up the stamp that I want, find the number, and go get it off the shelf. My friends love the system and have started storing their stamps the same way. Saves tons of time! --- The big ones stand upright so I can see them and the smaller ones are on pullout shelves that I was fortunate to get when someone was throwing them out. Each shelf is labeled by category - ie "butterflies" and I just pull it out and look. --- In plastic drawers, each labeled and numbered. (numbers on outside of drawers ex: 99-135) I have them listed alphabetically in a notebook, with a number beside them so I can find them, also stamped in a notebook with the number where to find them. --- I have cheap plastic trays that I put them on and stack the trays. try to organize by theme on each tray. I stamp all my stamps then index them in 3 ring binders. I may stamp an image more than once and index it under whatever topics it seems to fit with. I also indicated the stamp company, the price I paid for the stamp, where and when purchased . If it is a stamp that would fit in more than one of the plastic tubs, I also indicate which topic container the stamp will be housed in. Takes a little work at the start when I get a new stamp, but that way, I "remember" that I have it. This is especially good method for me personally when I stamp is appropriate for more than one topic. --- Behind the door in my scraproom (where space is wasted), I nailed two long vertical metal strips (used for shelving) about 2 feet apart. At 6"-8" intervals on each metal strip, I snapped into the holes 3" shelving brackets. Across each set of brackets horizontally I laid 2" wide thin wooden strips. This gave me 10 "shelves" on which to place my wooden stamps. The stamps are standing up and face me so I can easily see them. Well over 100 mounted wooden stamps fit on the shelves, they take up no room, and it cost me less than $20. Sharing ideas with other stampers is a large part of Stamping – Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. If you have a question that you’re wondering about – let me know and I’ll ask it as a Ticket Tuesday question. ** Here’s THIS week’s question ** Last week we asked about Mounted Stamps. Now this week - it’s How do you organize your UNmounted stamps? In case you’re new to this – On Tuesdays I ask a question related to stamping and all you have to do is leave an answer and that will be your entry for the drawing to get 2 Free Tickets for a Rubber Stamp Events show of your choice. Comments can be left any time through the following Monday Morning. At that time, a number will be picked from “a hat” and the corresponding number comment will be the winner. The answers will be shared the following week. There aren’t any right or wrong answers, but we will all see what the various answers are from stampers around the country. The winner will be notified in the following week’s Ticket Tuesday post. Please join us in this weekly drawing.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:10:00 +0000
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