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I chose the "I do something completely different". The small print: I should say so far this is only for my SU! stamps. All others - well they're basically not cataloged/tracked with a few exceptions (outlines, holly berry house, house mouse).
I have just started to keep track, but what I am doing now is scanning the labels before I assemble into a free software package from Adobe (photoshop album starter addition). I created categories/tags (nature, floral, animals, etc) and association as many tags as needed per set. In addition, in "properties" I enter any sentiments included in the set. Since this is a searchable field, I should be able to find any sentiment without separating them from the other designs in the set. I plan to print out each label and file in a 3-ring binder eventually. Like I said, I've just started so I still have to go back and scan in the older sets. But I have been faithfully scanning all my new sets.
Is this a recent download from Adobe? I couldn't find anything titled album starter when I went to their web site. This looks like the kind of program that I am looking for to make my stamp inventory. Thanks for any help you can provide!
Annie
Is this a recent download from Adobe? I couldn't find anything titled album starter when I went to their web site. This looks like the kind of program that I am looking for to make my stamp inventory. Thanks for any help you can provide!
Annie
If you download Adobe Reader, there's a checkbox to mark if you want to download the Photoshop Album Starter Edition.
I would be the last two persons in the poll.. I dont keep an inventory, and I do something completely different.
Early on in my collecting stamps I saw a hutch built specifically for stamps in the back of a Personal Stamp Exchange Catalogue. They sold these units stocked, to their retailers. The shelves on top are deep enough to hold 3 stamps deep, and on the bottom shelves are deep enough to hold a box of envelopes, or about 14" deep. I had a dear woodworking friend make me a replica of these shelves. I keep plastic snap cases of seasonal stamps on the bottom shelves.
I keep all my stamps on shelves so that I can see them and have easy access. They are sorted on the shelves in catagories, like floral, bunnies, Noah, Birthday, Penny Black Mice, stampassions Dianna Marcum, etc. I put the biggest stamps in the back, and then smaller accessory or saying stamps that go with the big image in the front. To me its kind of like opening the fridge to decide whats for dinner. I look inside and say Ohhhh I can do this...or we can do that... as I pick and choose. Its easier to mix and match when they are all right there in front of me.
I have a girlfriend who had small space in her house, so she had shelves like mine built behind her bedroom door. Its perfect, as when her door is open, the stamps are protected, and the door is the natural distance from the wall....
I do have to admit that my collection has outgrown my first set of shelves and I had to have more made, and I do sometimes forget what I have in the bottom boxes, although they are also organized by theme: Gingerbread, Spiritual, Santa's, Easter etc. and of course my Valentines and Easter stamps are not just used for those holidays...so I go through them fairly often. I am guilty of occasionally running across one I forgot I had purchased, but its always a happy day, and I say "OOOOH COOOL!! I have been WANTING this one!!!" hehehe .
I have to say I have tried notebooks, index cards, computer files and nothing has worked for me. I have just decided I like the chaos of looking through my piles of stamps. Oh the joy of coming across a long lost stamp set! LOL (I will say I do indicate which sets I own in the stamping up catalogues).
I keep my sets sorted (when I do that) by size of box, then alphabetically by title on the shelves. I sort of have an inventory on my computer, so that I don't double-purchase, but that hasn't been a problem yet...
However, if I have really been stamping, or if I have been 'in the zone', I then have about 300 random stamps laying on my table, and a bunch of boxes, (with stamps in them, but not necessarily the correct boxes), on the floor around my chair and the stamp shelves. :rolleyes: Then I get the joy of reorganizing them again, because the way I did it before wasn't working, for whatever reason, so I reorganize them, and then I stamp, and then I re-reorganize them and then I stamp and thenIre-re-reorganizethemandthenIstamp.......It's all too much fun. :mrgreen:
i am sort of organized.....at least i have the christmas stamps tucked away in a box, then i have the plastic drawers from wallyworld...one drawer easter, halloween/fall etc
i also use a large flat box for orientals, smaller plastic shoe boxes for "birthday" and one for "thinking of you etc" ones that i use fairly often....flowers, travel....stuff like that
then there are many that dont fit any category, and of course the stampin up stamps have their own little house....i have taken some sets apart and put them in the obvious drawer (ex: easter)
just found a new way to do the clear stamps (new to me anyway)....i use clear CD jewel cases.....i cut out the pix of them that comes with each set and tape that to the outside and place each stamp in the corresponing area on the inside of the case. takes up so little room and they adhere nicely to the plastic cases.
AND in the end, i sort of know what i have and sort of know where each one particular one lives....but it is fun to paw through them and rediscover....
what i really would like is to have ALL of them out where a glance would lead me to the right one !
imagine, with all the ones i have, i still dont always have the RIGHT one....how can that be? my husband wonders that as well....
I have a binder and USED to have multiple sets per page. I too was being driven CRAZY about the cross outs. I bit the bullet and re-did it. For ever more I will only stamp ONE set per page. Sure makes it easy to remove them when I sell them or when they retire. I have my retired stamps in their own binder.
No inventory here. I have my stamps separated into a few categories. Words & Sentiment stamps, backgrounds, floral & nature, Christmas, Fall, hearts & valentines, misc. I barely have time to stamp and clean it up. I don't think that I could handle an inventory. Good luck & more power to ya!!!
I'm more than one. I have a notebook that I stamp all my stamps in. I have been getting rid of some stamps though. And I'm in the process of changing to unmounted and revamping how I am storing/organizing them. So I don't know what I'll do.
I use a three ring binder and have one set per page. However, I have never sold any of my sets...I just couldn't part with them, because then I would surely be wishing I had that particular set.
I keep separate lists for the SU! sets, for the Jumbo Wheels, the Regular Wheels, the Backgrounds and all my single stamps are listed on Miscellaneous sheets. I also have a section in my binder for sentiments...VERY helpful. I use that more than anything else, I believe.
I also like to keep a copy of the sticker sheet that comes in SU! stamp sets IN the box with the set. That way if I ever forget which set a stamp came from I can easily find which one it was...PLUS I can make sure I have all the stamps in the set and haven't left one out before I put it away.
All my stamps in alpha order in Iris carts. I am hoping to get bookcases soon.
Thanks for all of your ideas. I love to see how everyone else does things. That's how I learned my method.
I have an Excel spreadsheet of my SU! sets with price/catty/year retired, mainly for insurance purposes. I was shocked at how much my SU! sets totalled up to (over 8 grand.) Granted, I didn't spend that much because I've gotten a lot for free in hostess stuff, but when I told my DH what the total was his eyes got big and he sort of swallowed hard. He started to balk and I said "Start totalling up your computer stuff and electronics" and he backed down.
I need to add my other stamps and accessories. That would probably drive me up to at least 15 grand.
As for storing my stamps, I have a couple of lateral filing cabinets. My SU! sets that are in cases, take up four drawers (3 retired, 1 current.) I store my loose wood stamps a couple of different ways. I have a couple of Iris carts that have stamps in a couple drawers, I have a 4-drawer hanging storage unit that has two drawers full of stamps, and all of my A Muse Art stamps are in another drawer. I have been slowly converting my loose stamps to acrylic picture box frames by theme. They're tall enough to hold one layer of stamps. These frames are stacked on a wire shelving unit. Someday, I'd like to have my hubby build me a wood storage unit to hold these frames (sort of like Collector's Cabinets.) My unmounted stamps are in binders.
I've thought about making a binder, but the idea of stamping all my stamps is overwhelming.
Mine are stacked on 2 shelves (boxed) in no particular order.
Individuals are in iris carts in some sort of category.
Unmounted are in cd cases in cd holders from IKEA.
No inventory.......that said, I have bought duplicates......then I vow to do an invertory.......that said, I don't. Do the inventory that is.
Shoulda listened to my Girlfriend at the very beginning.....stamp new purchases and list.........list where?
I have purchased at least 8 sets in the last year that I already had. So I NEED an inventory but I wont do one because I would rather be stamping. I always give the duplicate sets to one of my two sisters who stamp. They love it...they always benefit when I am an idiot..
Blessings.
Nahh........it would take me longer to look through a notebook than to just look at the shelves since much of my collection is mounted and out on the shelf.. The only stamps that I catalog into a notebook are my unmounteds and I have several hundred that haven't made it into that yet, just don't have the extra time!!
__________________ Ann Here is my oily blog! CLICK HERE Certified Copic Instructor - Local ClassesI love cars, stamping and essential oils!
I keep a list of the stamp sets I have but not the images. I've gotten so many over the years and given hundreds away as I make room for more that the list serves as a way for me to keep track of what I still have.
Wow, so many people just don't bother with an inventory that I'm starting to rethink re-doing mine. Maybe I'll just ditch the whole thing and not worry about it.
Hmmm. Will my OCD/AR self take over or can I "free-wheel" it?
Thanks to all you wonderful ladies for weighing in on this issue!
