Hello Lovelies! I've been papercrafting for 15 years so far and many things have changed, but stamps and dies have remained at the heart of what love about card-making and one of the more challenging things that I tried to organize when I set up the room.
I won't walk you all the way down memory lane, but just focus on what I am doing now; I've adopted Jennifer McGuire's storage approach to stamps and dies.
The packaging that most stamps and dies arrive in is usually too delicate for long term storage in my craft room. So here's the basic set-up:
Step-by-Step Stamp/Die Storage
Remove the stamp and/or die(s) from the cellophane bags that they are sold in, retaining the branded paper insert (if possible)
Place a plain paper inset into a plastic storage sleeve
Add the stamp including the branded backer facing the front of the sleeve in front of the plain paper backer. If there is a matching die for the stamp set, this is added to the back of the plain paper backer
Use a label-maker to add the brand name and product name to the front of the storage sleeve
Place the sleeve with stamp or die into the corresponding acrylic container for the brand.
Click here to view the full supply list or check out the one linked in the gallery at the bottom of this post when you have finished exploring this card.
Today's GIF!
I think this is apropos...
Stamp/Die Storage Supplies Details
Let's walk through all the details on the sleeves and inserts picture below that I most commonly use to hold most of my stamps and their matching dies. As noted above, there are 3 components to each size: Sleeve, Paper Insert and Magnet Insert
STORAGE SLEEVES
There are 3 sizes of storage sleeves that I use most often:
I was also so excited to see that Simon now has additional sizes of the Clear Storage Sleeves!
I now use the Cling and Stencil to hold my background stamps as shown below (after I trim the Simon-branded backer). I don't use a plain paper insert here:
The Slimline size is perfect for my Slimline Dies and Stencils!
PAPER INSERTS
I often place a piece of plain white cardstock inside the sleeve to give it stability and a uniform look. You can cut these sheets yourself or purchase the conveniently pre-cut inserts:
MAGNET INSERTS
I use 0.4mm thick magnet inserts if a stamp set comes with more than one matching die. Magnet sheets are also available in similar sizes to fit the sleeves, but to save on cost, I often trim the sheets to match the dies I am storing. Simon Says Stamp has a line of Memory Box Magnet Inserts in the following sizes:
STAND-ALONE DIE STORAGE
Primarily from my scrapbooking days, I amassed a large collection of stand-alone dies that I store in acrylic trays using sturdy cardboard-backed magnet cards from Stamp-N-Storage:
There are several sizes available, but I use these two:
Once the stand-alone dies are placed on this magnet card and the card is labeled, it goes into an acrylic storage bin like this one:
STAMP AND STAMPS WITH MATCHING DIES STORAGE
Once the stamps (and matching dies if applicable) have been placed in the sleeves. I organized them by Brand into two types of storage containers:
The LINUS Binz on the left hold my LARGE sleeves (with stamp sets that usually measure 6" x 8") and 6" x 6" background stamps . I like this smaller bin as the weight of stamps and dies add up and the smaller bin makes them more manageable for me to carry. The SPLIT Binz on the right hold my SMALL and MEDIUM sleeves.
Because I share cards on social media, I organize primarily by the company that designs the stamps/dies. Why?
It's easier for me to find things
Companies make products that often coordinate well together so this helps me when creating
As generous as my Studio is, I don't have infinite space. As I acquire new items from a particular brand, from time to time I will set things aside that I have made good use of or where it is unlikely that I will get a chance to so I can re-home them during a destash. This allows me to welcome new things and stay focused in my card-making. Keeping brands together makes it easier for me to make choices about what to keep and what to share with others.
You should consider what works best for your needs and making style, by brand or by theme. Both have their advantages based on how you need to create.
I hope this is helpful in some way as you choose storage solutions that work for you. I would recommend a few more things to manage the addition cost of these supplies:
Reuse the sleeves, backers and magnets for new stamps/dies when you say goodbye to older supplies
Repurpose the cellophane stamp/die wrapper to hold other items
Trim magnet cards to the size of your matching dies to stretch them
Thank you for stopping by and see you soon!
SUPPLIES:
I listed the products that I have used below. Please note that these are compensated affiliate links used at no cost to you. I really appreciate your support. All stamps used today were part of my maker package from Simon Says Stamp. Click on the icons below each product picture to shop with SimonSaysStamp.com.