Rubber Stamp Organizing {clear & unmounted}

 Again?!? (OK I can hear the collective groan) Yes, I have another craft organization project LOL! I think I enjoy organizing my crafting supplies as much as I like creating with them! This week I decided to take the plunge and re organize my clear and unmounted stamps.

 

Prior to this endeavor I had my stamps stored my manufacturer. I have been regularly submitting my artwork to magazines for the last seven years so I figured if I stored my stamps this way I could keep track of them better since magazines need to know who made the products I’m using. That was fine in the beginning when all the stamps I had were made by a handful of companies but as my obsession…er, hobby grew I realized it was impractical to continue to store my stamps this way. To compound the insanity I had some stamps in binders, some in CD cases and newer sets tucked hither and yon waiting to be used. Ack!  So I got brave and hauled all of my stamps out, sorted them into categories that made sense to me (every stamper would make different categories and that’s OK) and put them back in a much better system. I did this over the course of 3 days working 2-3 hours at a time. Here is my journey 😉

So, are YOU ready to tame your stash of stamps? Here are my tips for corralling your clutter:

1. Buy matching 3″-4″ sturdy 3 ring binders. Unless you already have a bunch of binders, in that case use what you have. I wish I had bigger binders but I did not want to waste what I had, it would be nice if they all matched but I bought new binders as my collection grew. Sometimes Staples has a 100% rebate on binders so that is a great time to get them cuz free is GOOD!
2. Pick up a large package of heavy duty page protectors and slip cardstock in them. Each will hold 4 of the 4″x8″ stamp sets (the kind from Inkadinkado and TPC) or 2 of the larger sets. Also grab a pack of baseball card holders and 4″x6″ divided page protectors for the smaller sets.
3. Don’t be afraid to break up the sets! That was my biggest fear. I did not know what to do if a set had a frame, a border, a background and a robot. Unless the stamp set is really meant to be used together go ahead and break it up. I decided whether or not to break up a set on a case by case basis. I needed a lot of counseling from other stampers to get to this point so don’t be afraid if the thought of breaking up a set gives you a panic attack 😀
4. Do it in small sessions. After 3 hours of sorting stamps I was questioning my sanity. “Why did I start this?” I took a break and came back the next day, I got my categories in binders but I was not sure I was better off so I quit for the day. The third day I went through my binders and got ruthless about breaking apart sets and really organizing it right! There is no way I would have been able to break apart sets on day one LOL!
5. If you need to know the stamp manufacturer you can write it on the page protector the set is stored in or you can write the name on the back of the UM stamp with a ball point pen. Best of both worlds I’m telling you!

Thanks for sticking with me though a long post and video. If you have any questions about my stamp storage please leave a comment and I will get back to you! Happy crafting!