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I have always been anti-unmounted stamps until I decided to take the plunge and try it myself. I'm sure you have seen my posts in the past 2 weeks asking a zillion questions. Well, here is the verdict.............
I have unmounted 80 of my SU sets by putting them on EZ Mount foam and storing them in CD cases. I will be able to fit over 300 stamp sets AT MY DESK. I officially tried out my new system yesterday and I have to say that I LOVE IT!!! It's really not a longer process like I had been informed it was for years. The storage savings is AMAZING and I can have ALL my stamp sets right in front of me!! I stamped some cards & scrapbook pages to see if it was indeed easier and more convenient. It was!!
So......... for those of you who are still skeptical I would say....... give it a try!! I thought I would feel really guilty but I don't. I know that I will use more of my sets now because I can see them. I really didn't think my bigger sets would fit in a CD case but even my DD Pines set fit in one case.
Okay, off to stamp. I'm home from church sick today so I want to make some thinking of you cards for others!
I'm still wary about unmounting what I already have on wood blocks, but I do know that any stamp that comes into this house from now on will be unmounted (or in the case of SU, just not put on the wood block.)
I feel the same way. The space savings and the ease of organizing and actually using my large collection of stamps has brought back the thrill of stamping and I am stamping more than ever again! My craft room is also my writing room and having a neat organized space is crucial to my creative process. I just have yet to find any downside to unmounting at all! I was warned by the naysayers about all kinds of things that never came to be (stamps falling off mounts, cling forever losing it's sticky, poor impressions, and so on).
I'm thinking if my cling ever loses it's stickiness in the next few years I will just remount that one stamp on new cling. I actually got 6 sets on each sheet of Smart Cushion that I only paid $3.15 for. I think that is worth it!!
I'm still wary about unmounting what I already have on wood blocks, but I do know that any stamp that comes into this house from now on will be unmounted (or in the case of SU, just not put on the wood block.)
Unmounted is totally the way to go!
I was real hesitant at first and just started with some discontinued sets that I tried to sell but could not. Then I kept going. I really think I am going to unmount most of them. I'll leave a few of my kid's favorites on the wood mounts because it is easier for them.
Funny story....... yesterday my 6 year old DD was stamping with one of my new sets that I've never touched and she said "Mom, I will try not to get any ink on the wood". She knows that is a pet peeve of mine. At first I said, okay try really hard, and then I realized that I would be unmounting that set and I said, I don't care if there is ink on the wood! You should have seen the relief on her face. I think I will be training my kids in how to use the unmounted pretty soon. A lot less to worry about with the ink situation.
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I totally agree!! I have been unmounting my retired SU sets and loving it. But all current sets have still been wood mounted. Now I have four new uncut SU sets sitting untouched because I'm dreading putting them on wood. I love using the clear block and being able to see where I'm stamping without messing with the StampAMaJig. Storage, Ease of Use, Positioning Ease= All Good!!
I also got my TAC order this week and I am very impressed.
__________________
Bridget
Proud to be a former SU Demo & forever USC Gamecock Fan!
If you are still doing SU demos then you will want to keep most on wood blocks. I have retired from doing demos so now everything is for my personal use.
I also have my first TAC order coming shortly. I thought I'd give it a try!
Robyn.....I've been unmounting my retired SU sets (I'm a demo and try to keep current sets on the wood) AND all the rest of my stamps (I've been stamping for over 16 years, so have acquired quite a collection). So far, I have 125 CD cases full of stamps!!! Hopefully, at some point, I will get them all categorized and labeled so that I know what I have. But....unmounted is definitely the way to go for SPACE!!! That's why I originally started unmounting all my stamps. I have pledged that unless it's an SU set, all stamps that I purchase in the future will be unmounted!!! Saving money and space is a good thing!!!
I think that demos demoing with UM SU stamps may find themselves selling to BOTH UM and mounted fans. They may double their customer bases. Soooo many people think you have to mount those SU stamps to the wood and when they see you don't, they are just thrilled.
Robyn, if you find that your cling starts to lose its "clinginess" at some point, a simple bath in soap and water will likely bring it back to life. Usually it's just a build-up of oil, dust and/or pet dander that builds up that causes that problem.
I'll try that if I ever have problems with my "clinginess". I'm just having a ball right now using these!! It's not as overwhelming as my 2 filled bookshelves full of stamps that I forgot that I had!
I have also started unmounting my stamps and am loving it. I have some cling that I bought at Michael's and also tried the Aleene's Tack It Over & Over. The TIOO is very messy, but works well. The cling has worked well and I will probably use that for mounting new stamps. My favorite hint that I have read is using a repositionable glue stick. I love that when I have unmounted stamps. It is less time consuming that the cling and less time consuming, as well as less messy that the TIO&O.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to these threads. I have found the hints very helpful.
If you get tired of the EZ Mount try Aleene's Tack it Over and Over. In the glue section of Joann's. It is awesome and cheap. One bottle lasts a long time. You just put a thin coat on the stamp and let it sit overnight. Then you are ready to go. I've heard of people using double stick tape too - on the mount.
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
I'm so glad to hear you like it!! I think most people end up liking it, once they give a try (more than one stamping session!) The space savings is what its really all about!!
I've had my TAC stamps on cling for 4 years and no problems yet!! I think the fact that they aren't sticky makes it better...no dirt, cat/dog hair, etc... to cling to it!
Here is a recent post on this subject but you can also run a search to find even more info!! To get started I know you can mirowave your stamp about 10 sec and peel it apart. I think some folks have found UnDo to work really sell too!
And, of course you can buy UM in the future with the ez cling (although some online stamp stores only sell you the rubber image...so you can buy extra cling for this purpose!).
Hope this helps! I always tell people to try it a couple of times and you'll see how similiar it is to stamping with wood. :grin: And, the benefits are tremendous -- atleast to me! (cost/storage/clean up)
Am I missing something here?? Where do you put the indexing. If you don't have that to look at I don't understand how exact placement is easier. In the past I have bought stamps that have the indexing on top of them so you can see it through the acrylic block, but how do you do it with SU stamps?
Thanks for your help.
__________________ Lani SU Demonstrator Desperately trying to manage my addiction (stamping, that is)
I was real hesitant at first and just started with some discontinued sets that I tried to sell but could not. Then I kept going. I really think I am going to unmount most of them. I'll leave a few of my kid's favorites on the wood mounts because it is easier for them.
Funny story....... yesterday my 6 year old DD was stamping with one of my new sets that I've never touched and she said "Mom, I will try not to get any ink on the wood". She knows that is a pet peeve of mine. At first I said, okay try really hard, and then I realized that I would be unmounting that set and I said, I don't care if there is ink on the wood! You should have seen the relief on her face. I think I will be training my kids in how to use the unmounted pretty soon. A lot less to worry about with the ink situation.
Robyn
I'm glad you like the unmounted. Its amazing how many previous anti-unmounteds convert when they try it. Another case of "don't knock it till you try it". I for one am glad your unmounting, sounds like a heck of a lot of pressure on your daughter to not get ink on wood, now she can be a carefree stamper and use that 6 yr old creativity that somehow gets lost when we grow up.
Glad you like the new system
__________________ Bran Bran
I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that.
~Tom Lehrer
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
Exact placement is easier because you can actually see the outline of the stamp through the acrylic block. Some acrylic blocks have a line or grid system etched on them to help you align the stamp on the block before stamping with it.
I understand that you can see the general outline of the stamp, but depending on how close you trim your stamps, I still don't get how you can line things up without a positioner. I certainly agree that the space saving is a biggie...I need a bigger house. Anyway, I guess I will just have to try it and see if it works for me. Thanks
__________________ Lani SU Demonstrator Desperately trying to manage my addiction (stamping, that is)
Yes, you'll have to try it to see if you like it. I trim my stamps pretty close and exact so seeing through the acrylic block is a bonus for me. I can pretty much see where they are going. It's really fun. I feel more in control. I have really never had any problems with the wood this is just different.
I love my UM TAC stamps, and I umounted my wheels. I just haven't had the time to UM my SU wood mounts. I will sometime before our next army move.
Oh, I could never unmount my wheels. I am such a "wheel" kind of gal. I have all the reinkers for them so it is super easy. I think I own about 120 wheels right now, too.
New non-SU stamps have all been unmounted for me & it's convincing me I should unmount all other stamps (nonSU & SU) I have - but - I like that the wood mount has the image. My SU stamps are very closely trimmed & carefully mounted so I don't worry about lining up properly - I can tell how it will stamp because of the image. I saw where someone had directions for putting the image SU provides on the sticky back of the stamp - LOVE this!! but what about all the others? Does it bother you or is just not that important to you - especially with all the other benefits? What do you do with all the wood blocks (I'm not a seller on ebay).
HELP ME get over this.......
My friend (a SU demo) borrowed my Heartfelt Thanks for a Stamp Camp she was doing. When she returned the stamp set, it was no longer clinging to the CD case! I about DIED ~ :(
Apparently when she stamped with Stazon she used some type of stamp cleaner to get the black stain off� well, the cleaner got all over the cling! Which made it not clingy anymore� I was so disappointed� I didn�t want to have to remount it again to new EZ Mount, so I decided to wash it in the sink with soapy water.
I love UM's - although I have not taken the plunge to convert all my M's to UM's, everything new goes UM. I've had stamps with cling foam for over 7 years and have never had a problem with them losing their "cling".
The Aleenes Tack it over became "permanent" for me over time on several sets, so I have stopped using it.
I am glad to hear that you like the unmounted. Your concern about not fittin gyour larger sets, well you can put them in dvd cases. Our Walmart in Minnesota sells them and that is what I put my larger sets in. Before I knew that they sold them I put my larger sets in 2 cd cases and labeled them part 1 and part 2. I purchased a Casio Label Maker and put labels on them so that I know the set name.
I love UM's - although I have not taken the plunge to convert all my M's to UM's, everything new goes UM. I've had stamps with cling foam for over 7 years and have never had a problem with them losing their "cling".
The Aleenes Tack it over became "permanent" for me over time on several sets, so I have stopped using it.
You can purchase the EZ Mount cling and unmount your sets that you use with the Aleenes Tack and they will forever cling. When they aren't clingy, take a warm damp cloth and wipe them and set the aside to dry. Now just a bit about the acrylic for all of you. What ever you do DO NOT put the acrylic in your dishwasher, what happens is from the force of the water and particles in your dishwasher it will pit your acrylic and then your stamp won't sit flat, so to speak. Even more importantly, to clean your acrylic, you should just take a warm wet rag and then dry it off. You see my husband works with acrylic all of the time and one day he came home as I was taking my acrylic out of the dishwasher and he pretty much told me never to do that. When I asked him how do I get it clean he told me not to use dish soap or any soap for that matter, to just use a warm rag and wipe it clean. Works like a charm.
Sorry just my two cents, I would hate for anyone to not like their UM with the acrylic.
I also unmounted almost all of my sets. On the edge of the CD case I put the name and a number. All my flower sets are in the 200, Masculine 300, childrens and miscellaneous in the 500. I have a carasol cd case I got from Good will (actually I have found 3 but resisted buying the 4th one. ) The largest one that I am using now holds 120 cases. Before I put them in a CD case I took a piece of copy paper and devided it with a line which means I get 2 sets to a page. I stamped the set on the paper and numbered it and put it into plastic envelopes in a binder. Now all I have to do is look in my binder and Wow there it is. I too am using stamps that I really had forgotten about.
I also unmounted almost all of my sets. On the edge of the CD case I put the name and a number. All my flower sets are in the 200, Masculine 300, childrens and miscellaneous in the 500. I have a carasol cd case I got from Good will (actually I have found 3 but resisted buying the 4th one. ) The largest one that I am using now holds 120 cases. Before I put them in a CD case I took a piece of copy paper and devided it with a line which means I get 2 sets to a page. I stamped the set on the paper and numbered it and put it into plastic envelopes in a binder. Now all I have to do is look in my binder and Wow there it is. I too am using stamps that I really had forgotten about.
That's a good idea. I stamped the images onto a piece of paper and then scanned and reduced to fit them on a CD insert so that I can see what is in the CD case. I also have the name of the set entered in the insert that I can see when the CD cases are stacked. I like the idea of having the images stamped on paper in a binder with a numbering system as well. My brain is thinking of other ways to do this too.... Besides having the main full page index, a person could also divide this out into categories (like Thank Yous, snowmen, etc.) with the CD case number next to each image. Ooooooh!
You can purchase the EZ Mount cling and unmount your sets that you use with the Aleenes Tack and they will forever cling. When they aren't clingy, take a warm damp cloth and wipe them and set the aside to dry. Now just a bit about the acrylic for all of you. What ever you do DO NOT put the acrylic in your dishwasher, what happens is from the force of the water and particles in your dishwasher it will pit your acrylic and then your stamp won't sit flat, so to speak. Even more importantly, to clean your acrylic, you should just take a warm wet rag and then dry it off. You see my husband works with acrylic all of the time and one day he came home as I was taking my acrylic out of the dishwasher and he pretty much told me never to do that. When I asked him how do I get it clean he told me not to use dish soap or any soap for that matter, to just use a warm rag and wipe it clean. Works like a charm.
Sorry just my two cents, I would hate for anyone to not like their UM with the acrylic.
Inky Huggz,
I accidentally dropped a gallon zip loc bag that I had my acrylic mounts in onto my hardwood floor . . . They are all now shattering internally as I try to use them.
Is there anything that I can do to stop the shattering from progressing? Or, am I just gonna hafta replace the blocks? I'm just sick about it and I find it annoying trying to see through the shatter. I can even FEEL the cracks along the surface of the blocks--they are creating an uneven surface . . .
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I accidentally dropped a gallon zip loc bag that I had my acrylic mounts in onto my hardwood floor . . . They are all now shattering internally as I try to use them.
Is there anything that I can do to stop the shattering from progressing? Or, am I just gonna hafta replace the blocks? I'm just sick about it and I find it annoying trying to see through the shatter. I can even FEEL the cracks along the surface of the blocks--they are creating an uneven surface . . .
That's really a bummer. I just did a search on eBay for "acrylic blocks" and found an auction for a six block set for only $16.99. Click here. I think these are the blocks that I purchased. They work great!
My take on unmounted stamps....
