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Up until recently I had mostly SU and PTI stamps, which come in their own cases, and Hero Arts, which comes on acetate. But in the past month I've gotten a bunch of stamps that came with only paper protectors over the cling backs and once I removed it I was left trying to figure out how to store the stamps.
Many are background stamps, so I am thinking a binder and pages would be best. But what kind of pages? What do people use?
I tried ordering some Stamp N Stash pages from Alluring Impressions but I have not received even a confirm of my order and it's been weeks so I'm thinking I'm not going to get it and will have to have Paypal resolve it.
Suggestions for something readily available?
At this point I have stamps stuck on the OUTSIDE of my SU DVD cases. Not a good longterm solution.
Thanks....
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I think the absolute best cases are the SU cases. If they don't fit in them or you want a binder, I think Tim Holtz binders are great! They zip closed so you don't lose any.
You don't want to use acetate - it can chemically react with the cling on the stamp and permanently fuse together.
You could order empty cases from SU for your orphans, if you were so inclined.
What I do with all mine (including SU - I remove them from their cases and use the cases for spellbinders storage) is stick them to laminated cardstock that I have cut to fit in a photo storage box. Laminating film isn't acetate, and I've had them stored this way for several years with no ill effects. I stole this idea from someone else here at SplitCoast, but I don't remember who. She also discovered that it worked to cut down pages from magnetic photo albums to use as storage boards. So, if you wanted to store in a binder, you could just buy one of those albums.
I made inserts for the photo boxes that are kind of like an accordian file, so that if any small stamps would fall off the laminated cards, they are caught in the file section and I don't have to hunt to figure out what set it belongs with. My storage cards fit in ziploc bags and in the SU cases, so it's easy to make a few sets portable if I need to.
I love the SU DVDs myself, but can't afford them for all my stamps. I have background stamps that won't fit and background stamps where only one would fit, so I am going to have to do some on plastic pages, no avoiding it.
I think the Stampers Best ones look pretty good. And they can be used for clear and rubber cling.
I looked at the Tim Holtz binder. It looks nice, unsurprisingly, since all of his stuff is very good quality. And the zipper would be a big plus.
But the Stampers Best go in any binder so I could just buy a zippered binder.
Yes, I am hearing that acetate is no good. But I have no laminating machine.
Anyone use those?
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Up until recently I had mostly SU and PTI stamps, which come in their own cases, and Hero Arts, which comes on acetate. But in the past month I've gotten a bunch of stamps that came with only paper protectors over the cling backs and once I removed it I was left trying to figure out how to store the stamps.
Many are background stamps, so I am thinking a binder and pages would be best. But what kind of pages? What do people use?
I tried ordering some Stamp N Stash pages from Alluring Impressions but I have not received even a confirm of my order and it's been weeks so I'm thinking I'm not going to get it and will have to have Paypal resolve it.
Suggestions for something readily available?
At this point I have stamps stuck on the OUTSIDE of my SU DVD cases. Not a good longterm solution.
Thanks....
You should NOT use any Acetate to store you unmounted rubber stamp.
The cling foam has a reaction to the foam will cause harm to the foam. Causing your foam to no longer work.
Tips: You can use plastic binders to store your cling mounted rubber stamps. However, you should not use acetate/film transparency to store your
stamps. Acetate contains chemicals that may permanently bond to the cling surface of mounting cushion.
You can safely store your Clear Cling stamps on Acetate.
Very glad I posted this. I might have ruined my stamps.
I think the Stampers Best polycarbonite sheets are going to be the way to go for me. I don't need tons of them. I store whatever I can in the DVD cases.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Those look good. Not too expensive. Thanks, Janett!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I've been using the 8.5X11 size of the EZMount sheets. I place them in a page protector sleeve and they could be stored in a binder if I wanted. I'm only using one side of the page because I prefer to use a multi-purpos container from The Container Store. Something about hiding them out of the open inside a binder scares me (out of site, out of mind LOL). They stand upright and I can flip through them easily so I can see what I have. Works out to roughly a $1/page for the EZ Mount Sheets:
If you want to use both sides of the EZ Mount sheets, get the page protectors that are designed to hold more than one sheet of paper so you have room to slide the sheets in and out of the sleeve easily.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
I didn't realize what I just posted was the same thing (this one didn't mention the actual EZ Mount brand name). Shop around for the best price. They're $6.50 on this site and only $4.95 on the site I mentioned ... and there could be other sites out there that might have them even cheaper! I didn't compare the shipping costs of these two sites which, of course, is always a factor :-)
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
Thanks, Leslie, I bookmarked those. I just ordered the Stampers Best panels and will see what I think of them. They were a bit more expensive than the panels you linked so I hope they are worth it. I actually think I want do what you do and stand whatever I end up with upright in a container. I like that idea better than a binder. I agree - out of sight, out of mind!
Which container did you get from the Container Store? Do you recall?
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Thanks, Leslie, I bookmarked those. I just ordered the Stampers Best panels and will see what I think of them. They were a bit more expensive than the panels you linked so I hope they are worth it. I actually think I want do what you do and stand whatever I end up with upright in a container. I like that idea better than a binder. I agree - out of sight, out of mind!
Which container did you get from the Container Store? Do you recall?
I used the Extra Large Multi-Purpose Bin - Translucent
15-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 9-1/2" h
Item Number 10055022
$6.99 each.
If the link to the picture doesn't work, go to their site and type "multi-purpose bin" in the search field.
As an aside, I also used these same containers in the Large size for 12X12 paper storage after seeing reference to them on SCS. See post #40 of this thread showing them in use:
These containers ended up being much cheaper than the 12X12 Cropper Hopper units I started out with.
I also used the Medum size for storing my Nesties and other die cuts on magnets on cardboard sheets. Again, they're easy to flip through. With my nesties I kept the original cardboard packaging and added magnet to the area where the nesties were originally taped on. With my Memory Box/Poppy Stamps that came in envelopes only, I cut cereal box board to the same size as the nestie sheet and put the images from the envelope on one side covering the cereal box inks and used the plain brown craft side for putting the magnet on. Works like a charm!
I'll try and post some pictures later this evening in case my commenting isn't clear.
Hope this helps.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
You know, I am just starting to collect Nesties and I did a lot of reading on the forum and watched videos on YouTube and everyone seemed to be doing the magnet/binder thing there too, but I didn't like it. I have also kept mine in the original packaging (I sliced off the very top so I could slide the cardboard with the dies on it back down into it) and I have them in another plastic shoebox, which is really too wide but at least I can flip through them. The one you use would be perfect!
Now my question is: what kind of magnetic thing do you use? Sheet/tape? What brand? I looked at so many kinds of tape and sheets and couldn't decide what would work best.
Your description of what you do seemed very clear - If I have read you right, you are simply cutting cardboard to match the size of the Nesties and using it to stick your non-Nestie dies on. Then it all goes it the container and can be ordered in any way you want and flipped through. I love it.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Yup, you've got it right. The type of magnet I used was very economical. Our main dollar chain here in Canada is called Dollarama. They carry a magnetic dry erase board that would go on your refrigerator or a filing cabinet or some other metal surface conducive to magnets. I can't remember the exact dimensions but they're a tad bigger than a legal sheet of paper, so a bit bigger than 8.5X14. The dry erase side has all kinds of wonky designs on them but the back is black magnet. I cut these up using the largest nestie in the set as a guide for sizing. The design side gets glued face down to the cereal board/nestie package and the black magnetic side is left facing out to put the nestie on. I can get anywhere from 4-6 sets of nesties mounted on magnet from one of these dry erase sheets for under $2. If you go the magnet route, don't be skimpy with the magnet, I tried that first and they didn't stay put on the magnet. I'll post a picture of that this evening as well.
I've read here on SCS that many people on SCS use these things from Home Depot.:
I couldn't find them here in Canada at the time but we now have them at the Canadian Home Depots so I'm going to check these out to compare the prices and the thickness as compared to my Dollarama dry erase boards.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
Hi! I don't think I have posted in here yet, so HI!
I have recently used a method of storing stamps that I saw on YouTube on MargaretsCrafts Channel. The video is labeled "New Stamp Storage and Inventory Binder". She doesn't use a binder - uses a basket or bin. Any hoo, she uses a laminator to laminate card stock and stores the stamps on this laminated sheet and puts it in a plastic envelope with a snap closure. She then puts a label on the end where the binder ring holes are to help her find the stamps she wants. She also places a sheet of cardstock with all the stamps in that envelope stamped for easy viewing. She is amazingly organized!
Now I have one more tip to add to her amazing idea. I don't have a laminator but a friend of mine taught me a trick to imitate laminating. Buy a clear (adhesive) vinyl protector roll at your local dollar store. Using a sheet of cardstock as Margaret does, cut and adhere the vinyl to both sides of the cardstock with a tad overhang around all edges. Place the cardstock between two sheets of parchment paper making SURE the parchment is larger than the sheet of cardstock. Using a regular iron, turn steam setting OFF, and set iron to the lowest possible temperature. Iron a few times over the top piece of parchment. Let cool a bit, then turn 'sandwich' over and iron other side. (The parchment keeps your iron protected from getting all gummed up with the melted plastic.) When cool, trim the edges of vinyl but leave a small border around to ensure the seal stays sealed. I now have about 10 to 15 of these envelopes with laminated sheets in them. Approximately 8 are filled with my stamps!! I may get around to posting a pic. The only thing I have left to do to complete Margaret's system is doing the stamped image inventory sheet and applying a label to the end of the envelope. I bough ALL my supplies at the Dollarama, card stock, vinyl adhesive and the plastic envelopes.
By the way, I am able to laminate five sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock with two rolls of vinyl (the roll contains 17.7"x30") I have to splice the half sheet that remains.
Wow, didn't think this would take so much time to compose this posting! Hope it helps someone. Kudos to Margaret on YouTube for her amazing idea!
Wowza, this woman is into organization! You have got to admire her! I was going to say the degree of organization she has achieved would be overkill for the amount of stuff I have, but I am only six months into this and who knows down the road what lengths I might need to go to to keep track of what I amass. I keep saying I'm not going to buy anything new for a while but usually my mouth is moving even as my fingers type in my credit card info.
Like you, I have no laminator to make the panels, but your idea sounds like it works just fine MarlyMar.
But I have to confess that if I were to decide to use laminated cardstock panels, I would just buy them. I don't need so many that I can't do that. Most of my stamps are stored in CD and DVD cases at this point.
I am going to see how these Stampers Best storage panels are that I ordered. They are clear polycarbonate and supposedly pretty rigid.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I looked at getting my own laminator but it still worked out to over a $1/sheet when all was said and done so the EZ Mount sheets worked out well from a cost perspective. I might look at the vinyl option mentioned above. Is it actually a vinyl or is it what we call Mactac that has glue on one side?
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
Yes, I was going to say welcome as well, but then I saw you joined in 2008. So either you have been off the forum for a long while or you have been a very determined lurker! I could not keep my opinions to myself for that long!
In any case, welcome!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
LOL RachelRose!! No, I'm not a long time lurker, I just pop over to see projects from time to time. I saw this topic and like you, could not keep my input to myself! Heh heh!
Thank you for the welcomes both of you. Inharnish, I would say the clear 'mac tac' is the same thing. The label states that it is vinyl which I believe is what mactac is made of. Really, really cheap laminating stuff and works terrific!
Someone mentioned they bought king size dvd or cd cases for 1.25 each. Tapeonline sells them for .88 each and they are perfect to adhere magnetic vent covers inside for the spellbinder dies. I do both sides of inside of case and it holds it just fine. Anymore and I think I will just use one side so I can see through at what is inside. Now I have to put a picture on the front especially for the "label dies" as I can't remember which number is which. I was told by two clear stamp companies that acetate was fine for their stamps. I had not heard about the EZMount stamps having issues with acetate. Good thing I read this forum because I was just about to put them in there. Gina K sells the laminated sheets to go into plastic cases that hold about 3 pages both sides of stamps. Kinda pricey to invest in if you have a ton of foam stamps. Now I just have to figure out a way to remember what is in each case. I have 3 ring binders for each kind of stamps so far and also for complete color lists of all the Adirondack and Tim Holtz inks. REally cool as you can down load the form on line and put a sample in each space yourself. Talk about being organized! Hey I use them all the time. And I use my binder all the time for the little cd cases with the little clear stamps in them.
As promised, here are some very rough pictures of the items I mentioned above. This is my first time using Flickr but did this quickly as I don't have enough time to upload them a few at a time to the gallery. I'll edit them and upload to the gallery over the next few days. Hope this helps illustrate what I was describing above. And, please ignore the disaster of a craft room surrounding these photos.
Thank you so much for taking the time to take these photos and put them up! I really do love the idea of bins instead of binders! I think I will order the bins you use from the Container Store. They are available online, I checked.
Your craft room looks like mine - a living, breathing space.
I find it stifling when things get too neat.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I use GinaK's laminated cardboard sheets, but I don't put them into her binders. I bought Iris Card Boxes, which come with dividers. I used my clicky letter thingy to make labels of stamp companies for the tabs. I tried the laminated cardstock trick, but it was too floppy, and the stamps were always popping off. I am still using a few, I need to order more storage sheets from GinaK. I love those things. You can get the Card Boxes LOTS of places, just shop for the best price.
Argh! First you have to buy all the stuff and then you have to buy all the stuff to store all the stuff. Does it never end? No, it apparently never does.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Okay! I got my polycarbonate clear sheets from Stamper's Best, and they are great! I put my stamps on them and slid them into sheet protectors, and made an appropriate index sheet out of white cardstock for each that I slid in on top, so the index is what I see when I flip through them. Then I put them down on their side in one of my trusty Home Depot Shoeboxes. Fit perfectly! It's great!
Thanks Leslie! I've adapted your idea a bit - my sheets are on their side and not as many will fit as will in your container, but for now that's okay - but basically it's a total CASE of your storage idea. Much better for me than a binder! I am a happy stamper!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
U can use acetate to store. I glued my acetate to a mounting board. But you need to use the stamps on and off. Don't leave it on the acetate for too long or pressured applied on it for long. Some part of the cling will stick to the acetate.
Okay! I got my polycarbonate clear sheets from Stamper's Best, and they are great! I put my stamps on them and slid them into sheet protectors, and made an appropriate index sheet out of white cardstock for each that I slid in on top, so the index is what I see when I flip through them. Then I put them down on their side in one of my trusty Home Depot Shoeboxes. Fit perfectly! It's great!
Thanks Leslie! I've adapted your idea a bit - my sheets are on their side and not as many will fit as will in your container, but for now that's okay - but basically it's a total CASE of your storage idea. Much better for me than a binder! I am a happy stamper!
That's funny ... I started with mine on their sides in a different container but my source for the container rain out so I switch to these Multi-Purpose Bins and put them upright. Please post a picture when you have a chance. I'm glad my idea worked for you :-)
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
Hi
I thought I read somewhere that it is detrimental to put your clear stamps in cd cases,
stuck directly to the cd case. I can not find this info anywhere and I have all my stamps
rubber, clear and foam mounted directly on cd cases. Any one know of any problems with storing this way? I have tons of stamps and sure would hate to wreck them! Thanks for your help.
Clear stamps should be fine in CD cases - After all, Papertrey sold their sets with CD cases for years and even though they have now stopped including the case with sets, they still recommend them as a good storage option.
I don't know about clings. Mine are either in DVD cases (SU sets) or on laminated polycarbonate storage panels. I've never though CD cases were good for clings simply because the cling film makes them too bulky and I feel like I'm squishing them in the case.
Others may be able to shed more light on this.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I stored my cling-mount stamps in cd cases for a little while, but the opening along the edge of the cover bothered me, and the number of sets that required a 2nd case irked me. As far as damage to the stamps - I had a couple of sets that I had gotten used that had been stored in the cases for a while and you could definitely see some etching on the case where it was in contact with the EZ Mount. It doesn't seem to have damaged the stamps or cling at all, but there was apparently some sort of chemical reaction happening.
I have a related question, actually. I am revamping my stamp storage completely, using laminated storage panels inside page protectors and sitting upright in bins. I have all but my SU cling sets this way now, but and wondering if I can use these same laminated panels for my clear stamps as well. I have always been less than happy with the CD case solution, for the same reason as you are Cheryl - I don't like that opening.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I had my stamps in CD cases for a few years, & then read that EZ Mount wouldn't guarantee their cling stamps if you used CD cases. I checked my CD cases & sure enough my cling stamps weren't clinging to my blocks anymore. I got rid of over 100 CD cases and now store mine on those storage panels from EZ Mount.
__________________ Keep what is worth keeping
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
I just emailed Stampers Best and asked if I could store my clear stamps on their laminated panels and they said yes. I happen to like their laminated storage sheets because they are a little smaller than 8.5 X 11, so they fit into page protectors very easily when full of stamps. Are the EZ mount panels truly 8.5 X 11?
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I found this site that sells 4 sheets for 2.98 Which is about .75 cents each. Best price I have seen. Unfortunately, I paid a little more as I did the Google shopping search AFTER I had already ordered them. Duh
I found this site that sells 4 sheets for 2.98 Which is about .75 cents each. Best price I have seen. Unfortunately, I paid a little more as I did the Google shopping search AFTER I had already ordered them. Duh
Argh! First you have to buy all the stuff and then you have to buy all the stuff to store all the stuff. Does it never end? No, it apparently never does.
LOL. SO true about storage systems!
I know you figured out what you want to do but just in case for anyone else...
I store both cling and clear on laminated pages from Crafter's Companion in binders-they come with or w/o tabs so you can section them by category (I do) I did have my clear on their acetate indexes..now that I read this thread I'll have to go get em off those. Great another thing to do instead of actually making cards. Dang. It really doesnt ever end!
Anyway, in a small piece of serendipity....CC is having a 40% off sale site wide right now till Feb 1st...so if people want to buy the laminated pages..now is a good time. It'll be under storage products. Code is JAN40
Found this thread really interesting but also worrying :o
I have masses of stamps, lots on wood which I intend to un-mount, clear cling stamps from assorted firms and lots of unmounted rubber stamps with no foam cushion.
Have been trying to organise (Ha!) myself and store stamps to I can not only find them, but know what I have. Doing this by putting them onto acetate sheets inside see-through A4 file page protectors......hope that sounds right?
Now, reading all the comments I am worried that these stamps are at risk. Or....is it only the ones that have a foam cushion that should not be on acetate? Please help this very confused and un-organised stamper :o
PS. am in the UK so not able to purchase a lot of the things that were suggested.
I didn't read this thread back to 2012, but Grafix Dura-Lar is a safe acetate alternative that many people have posted about and use. It comes in sheets or pads, and is sold on Amazon UK, craftyvron. : )
I have a couple heavy-duty larger sheets, but for stamps use 9x12 pads.
I'm switching to Dura-Lar for stamps that made in China, or when sheets were beaten up by the previous owner, and am keeping an eye on others. Some people have reported ruined clear stamps on some types of acetate. I wonder about heat/sun also playing a factor. Don't cook your stamps? : )
Can I use any type of acetate to store clings?
a bargain on EZ Mount storage
