Stamp storage (Part II) - photopolymer stamps

I LOVE OUR PHOTOPOLYMER STAMPS!

• They are totally clear! Say "goodbye" to crooked greetings! Say "hello" to the perfect alignment of alphabets! Didn't use enough pressure when you stamped/image didn't stamp completely? - You can almost always line it up again perfectly and stamp again(!)

• They are super sticky! No more having to use to 2-way glue on the backs so that they stick well to the clear blocks!

•They are really affordable! When all three stamp types are offered (wood, clear, photopolymer), photopolymer are always the least expensive!

But the issue is always having to contend with them being "sandwiched" in between two sheets of plastic when stored. I don't know about you, but I always found it a chore, albeit a small one, to put them back after use... Does it go this way? Does it go that way?

When SU! first started to sell this kind of stamp they were only available online (we still introduce a new photopolymer stamp set on the first Tuesday of every month, online only). But then when our new catalog arrived, we began to see more and more of these of this type of wonderful stamp being offered! In fact I've noticed that if the stamp set requires careful placement of images, it's only offered in the clear photopolymer.

I was so happy to see that the stamp sets were packaged in a clear case now too, and not just the two sheets of plastic!

But they still were sandwiched between two sheets of acetate even though they were in the plastic case! Ugh! It sounds like a small amount of work, but it was a royal pain-in-the-you know what... open case, peel off top layer of plastic, stamp, put stamp back on plastic sheet, replace top sheet, close case.

Then I watched a video by Mary Fish (http://stampinpretty.typepad.com/) and my world changed forever!

Let me explain how I now keep my photopolymer stamps....

First, notice that one sheet of acetate has the printed image on it and one is blank. 

Peel off the one that has the printed image on it, adhere a glue dot

 to each of the four corners, and stick it on the outside of the case (but underneath the plastic liner). When the case is open you should be looking at the printed images backwards! This is easy to see when you have words in the set:

(This is a view of the back of the case and so you can easily see  if you have a complete set, however, when you open the case the images will appear backwards.)

Next, peel off the stamps from the second clear plastic window sheet. You will stick the flat side of the stamp against your plastic DVD case. The image will match that of the other window sheet that you glued to the jacket inside.

Now they are ready to be stored! Everything is in its place and I don't have to fiddle with extra window sheets! 

I keep my extras as just that - extras. Window sheets are always great for shaker cards or other techniques!

Maybe you'll want to place that extra sheet on top of your stamps inside the case. That's up to you. I was happy to bid them adieu!

Aaahhh! I sleep well at night knowing that I took care of this situation!

Organizing Framelits

I have been wanting to change the way I organize my framelits for the Big Shot. 

All framelits come in a sturdy opaque envelope. They are attached to an inner piece of cardboard with a strip of really sticky double-sided adhesive. Half the time I feel like I'm going to bend my framelits when I try to pull them off! The other half of the time I get so frustrated because if I don't put them back on the adhesive strip, they end up falling right off and it's hard to put them all back in their envelope.

Here is what I mean:

See how they're floating around in there? Imagine a set with lots of little pieces!

I always spend a lot of time on Pinterest late at night. (If you know the follow me on Pinterest already know this) -ha ha!

I pinned a couple of different ideas for Framelit storage.

Some stampers are using a 6 x 6 or 8 x 8 photo album to store and organize their framelit collection. They are putting a set of framelits in each page sleeve.

 I have a box that I keep them in and I'm happy with that system. The box is from Creative Memories, and it was a "photo keeper". (I don't know if that is the official name, but it is wide enough to accommodate my larger size envelopes. - you know like the envelope liner framlits?)

(I keep my embossing folders in one of the storage boxes from Stampin' Up! -Perfect!)

Whether you put your framelits in an album or keep them in a container like I do, the element that all the posts seem to have in common is.... magnets.

I did a video when we first started to carry the framelits. I showed a couple of different ways how to use the heart framelits, and also how I stored them on a magnet sheet:

http://youtu.be/jh9BqZRZ0Ec

Problem is.... Stampin' Up! no longer sells the magnet sheets!

What to do...  what to do?

Who ever came up with this idea was a genius!

Yet another trip to Home Depot in order to purchase something not for its original use! 

(By the way, now that there is going to be a mad rush on this product, look for it in the plumbing, cooling and heating section of the store!)

These came in a three pack, 8" x 15", for only $4.50! I bought two, but I'm sure as my framelit collection grows (have you seen the new catalog?) I will be making more trips to Home Depot!

I cut it to the size of most of my framelits (6" x 5 3/4").

(I've had these goodies in my stamp room for years: a rotary cutter and a large cutting mat! I'm sure you could just as easily use scissors ,or even your paper cutter on this thin magnet sheet.)

No more messy framelits!

And because I had at least a 2" strip left over from what I cut, I put those to use as well!  No waste here! They were perfect for my smaller framelits!

I still have some small strips left over. I may even try this idea with framelits that match a particular stamp set:

Genius! (Tip was shared by Australian demonstrator Leonie Schroeder, on her website stamp-a-latte.com)

Try these tips! They will make your stamp room more organized and your life thatmuch easier!

My Stamping space!

I thought I would share my stamping space with you.

I remember when I first started stamping back in 1996. I was so excited when I showed my friend, Carol, the Rubbermaid container that I bought to store my stamps. She laughed.

She knew what was about to come. One Rubbermaid container could not possibly store everything that I would continue to buy as my love of the hobby  started to grow. One rubber stamp led to another rubber stamp, and so on, and so on, and so on....

I moved on to a 6-drawer container, and stored it in my dining room (because the table was where I did most of my stamping). When we were selling our house the realtor said, "That has to go!" Haha  If she could see me now...

One little container over the years has turned into a stamping room - larger with every house. When we bought our house in Connecticut it was essential that I would have a space to call my own to store all my stuff!

So we bought this house and I promptly plopped my stuff in a basement room. And there it stayed...  getting more cluttered over the years. The collection grew but it was never being organized, as I moved from party... to class... to work... etc.

Finally, last year, when I really had trouble walking, I came to the conclusion that I would probably kill myself tripping over something that was in the middle of the floor!

And so began the organization of my stamp room....

I see all of these cute, organized craft rooms on the Internet (or at Kathy's house ). How I long to be that neat! But I've resigned myself to the fact that it's never going to happen, and I'm okay with it. My room is so much better now. Although it's not 100% organized, I am able to walk across the floor without tripping and I can easily find everything when I need it. 

I wanted to share pictures for those who had seen the mess before, and to see that there is hope - even for a "clutterbug" like me!

I am also posting simply to give inspiration for some storage ideas. 

One of my favorite organizers is the rack upon which I store my 12 x 12 paper. I saw this idea on Pinterest (of course). It was so easy to make and inexpensive! You take a wire cube-shelving unit ( I bought mine at Aldi's when they had items for back-to-school - I guess college kids use them in dorms?) Anyway, instead of making the six cubes like you are supposed to, you make three and take the extra pieces to make racks. My husband secured them with zip ties, which he trimmed later. Instant scrapbook store!

Here is another one of these wire cube-shelving systems put together the way it is supposed to be...

See that stamp shelf on the wall? That is one of my prized possessions! My husband made this for me about 13 years ago as a Christmas present. Each shelf is wide enough to hold stamps 3 wood-stamps deep. Not only that, but each shelf is adjustable in case I have taller stamps! There is a space to the left where I can store ribbon or other small items. Isn't it awesome? I use it for my non-SU stamps.

On the right side of the room is where I do my stamping.  I use a 6-foot piece of kitchen counter that the previous house-owner used for sewing. (How lucky am I?) Inks, paper and ribbon are all within reach. 

The paper rack I've had forever. I bought it at Staples and I love it! I have all of my card stock organized by color families!

The ribbon rack my husband made for me. Isn't he handy? It's a repurposed CD rack! Who knew?

I have one table where I do all of my cutting. It's on the left-hand side of the room. With my Carl Cutter I can cut up to 10 pieces of card stock at once!  I have my Big Shot on the same table, as well as all of my dies, framelits and embossing folders. (PS: Nancy S. - this chair is still here waiting for your return...) 

So where are my stamps? You've seen all of the supplies in their storage.. You see, before we moved in this unfinished room was used as a storage area for canned goods, so it had all of these built in shelves. My husband (otherwise known as Bob the Builder) turned the stationary shelves into sliding drawers for me so I would have easier access to stamps that were stored behind the first row.

And let us not forget that I still scrapbook from time to time... We had this entertainment center that we weren't using but didn't want to get rid of. I happily moved it into my stamp room and now it discreetly stores all of my scrapbooking materials:  empty albums, embellishments, tools, pictures, etc.

You can see that I still have some clutter but it's a much happier place to be these days! I don't think I'm a candidate for any craft magazine shoots, but it's my mess and I love it!