Stamp Storage: Success!

Edited to add: Memory Bound, the store where I teach, carries the Avery Elle Stamp Pockets and the 12x12 acetate sheets. We ship super-fast to anywhere in the United States!

 

After a slow start, I'm pleased to report that I'm done re-organizing my clear and cling stamps. YAY! I'm so much happier with this new system. All of my clear and cling stamps are in one place, and there is plenty of room in this Target basket to add more. (Within reason, of course!) When I finished labeling everything and made the little hangy tag for the front of the basket, I felt ever so much better. It's the little things, people!

I started with stamps that were stored in CD cases and various other places. See my last post for pictures of that unpleasant process. All I can say is that I'm glad it's over!

 I mostly followed Jennifer McGuire's recommendations for using the Avery Elle stamp pockets with a couple of exceptions. In cases where Jennifer needed a new surface for her acrylic stamps, she cut apart the stamp pockets and used them to create a plastic backing. I opted for 12x12 sheets of thin acrylic because they are sturdier for pulling in and out of the bag. I just cut pieces to fit the bags.

 By putting the stamps in the bag with the backs facing outward, I can see the design easily, so I didn't spend time making templates with the images. I can always go back and do that later if need be. I also made those labels fairly detailed so I can tell at a glance what's in the pocket. (Sorry for the upside down picture!)

I don't have a label maker so I made my labels using text boxes in Word. (I've never bought a label maker because I like being able have access to all of my fonts so that all of my labels match!) When I teach classes, I need to keep track of product numbers so I included that information on the label, too. 

I had a few packages of smaller stamps that would have fallen to the bottom of the pockets so, as Jennifer suggests, I used a Glue Dot to adhere the plastic to the paper. For those sets I cut pieces of acrylic to fit both the front and the back side of the stamps, which allowed me to adhere the acrylic sheet to the paper insert.

I have a few packages of Close to My Heart stamps and decided to keep them in their original packaging since they fit in the basket just fine. I'll admit I was tempted to try to fit them into the pockets, but in the end I came to my senses!

 

Jennifer uses the clear Fridge Binz for her stamps, but I opted for a little more decorative black basket from Target since my stamps are stored in an open cube. I decided back when I organized my craft room that any visible storage containers would have to match my color scheme, and I've held to that pretty firmly! When I found this basket with straight sides and saw that it was just the right depth for the cubes, I knew it was meant to be! :)

 I freed up considerable space with this little project! My plastic Close to My Heart storage bin took up a lot of space. It's going in the Memory Bound garage sale planned for April.

 

These CD racks can be used elsewhere in our house.

 Here are just a few of the CD cases I emptied with this project! YAY!

 I now have a totally empty bin and cubby!

One of my goals for this year is to do more stamping, and I'm sure that having all of my stamps in one place and easily accessible will go a long way toward meeting that objective!

jp