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While planning my new stamp room I realized all those Kallax cubes and shelves aren't going to solve my stamp pad organization problem. Pads are currently in at least 5 different locations. I do not want to buy any of those pricey pad organizers. Wide Ikea Alex drawers are the way I want to go. If you use those Alex units do you have any tips, warnings?
My plan:
1-Store pads by brand and alphabetically by color in vertical position.
2-Improve or add labels to be on all four sides of pad and include color swatch (on cardstock).
3-Store re-inkers near pads.
4-Add hair bands to those pads that tend to fall open (i.e., Distress).
5-Cut foam board where dividers are called for.
6-Use a color swatch book system like Jennifer McGuire's. (already use and love it)
7-Allow extra space for adding pads or brands.
I've looked at the storage videos from Jennifer McGuire, Kristina Werner, and several others. Before I buy the Alex units (Ikea has 15% off sale until January 10, 2017!), I want to make sure I have thought of any problems. Oh, and I want to stack two units on top of each other; so I won't use the castors that come with the units.
- If you care about the drawer not getting inky, you might want to line it with plastic shelf paper. Ikea has (or had?) some; you can get rolls and cut to size.
- I get a plastics fabricating company to make acrylic tops for my Alexes, desk and tables to protect them from stains and nicks. They sit on top like glass tops to, but are warmer and less clanky, bump-ons are placed under them. Many people wouldn't give a hoot about this. But most of my furniture is white, except for one gray, wide Alex in my supply closet since they were out of white. But it's a beautiful gray.
BTW, a nice Alex feature: you can have items in Alex that are stacked or sit taller than the height of the drawer sides. Love Alex.
Yep, excited to think ahead to having the pads so easy to access.
I want to avoid buying organizing inserts - at least until I finish the whole re-organizing project. They can add up in cost and often come up short in space when additions to your stash accumulate. Hmm, I've never even seen one of those plastic bands. Do they last a long time?
Laying some surface protection in the drawers first makes a lot of sense. I couldn't find the liner you mentioned on the Ikea web site. Better yet, this gives me a place to put the white side of all that ugly decorative paper I never use!
Re plastic bands, your office supply store should have them so you can see them or buy a small quantity. I haven't thought in terms of longevity, sorry. I just put them around ink pads when taking them to a class. But they can stretch out and eventually snap.
I can't even compare them to rubber bands since we haven't used those for almost 16 years. One of our cats likes them - or anything rubber. (Ask me what, or who, made the little holes punched in our flip flops.)
A lot of the smaller Ikea items don't make it onto the website, unfortunately.
It sounds like you've got a great plan; hope you keep posting.
Last edited by bjeans; 12-29-2016 at 07:51 AM..
Reason: rewrote something and didn't delete the first version
I don't have any Alex drawers but I'm fixing to get some!!
You can use cereal or granola bar boxes as inserts. Cut the height down to size and cover with pretty paper.
If you want to invest time, I saw a lady make a marker storage cubby from wooden craft sticks (Popsicle sticks) on youtube. I think you could do the same for inks. I was thinking of using a piece of heavy chipboard as a base and making stacked Popsicle stick divider walls for storing my inks upside down in the drawers. (Yes, they will take up a tonne of space unlike Jennifer McGuire's inks on their sides, but I don't have a lot of inks anyway.) You could space your sticks to hold inks on their sides.
I would recommend shelf liner too. Most home decor stores have that non-slip stuff on a roll that you cut to size.
I store my punches in wide Alex drawers (the top three are pretty shallow). Over time, I found the drawer bottoms sag in the middle, so my husband reinforced them on the underside
I made inserts to fit into a shoe cubby that holds all my sprays, inks, glitter glues etc. and they were easy to make and surprisingly strong. When I want to use them, I just bring the whole insert over to my craft table.
I have the wide Alex unit and plan to make some for it at some point, but I found a lot of Rubbermaid drawer organizers at Good will and they fit in the units well too.
I have 2 of these stacked. I removed the casters from one. I do recommend putting some of the non-slip material in between the 2 units. I am able to move this "one" unit around without the fear of it slipping.
As far as inkpads, I keep a tier that is on a turntable within arm's reach. There are other brands I use, such as Memento, Staz-On, & Versa-Fine which are in the shallow IKEA 5 drawer's unit. Since I don't have very many they just stack on top of each other in the drawer.
90% of my craft room furniture is from the IKEA Alex series.
Last edited by Jannarama; 01-24-2017 at 01:15 AM..
Reason: Spelling errors
Many say it is fine to store stamp pads vertically but I've had some leak, even SU pads. I think it could be hit and miss as to whether the ink follows gravity downhill.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
I had stored some inks on their sides and had a leak. It may have been a pigment ink pad; I later read you should store those flat with the foam side up. Not sure though. I have had many SU pads leak, some when stored correctly, I just think those are extra juicy.
Bjeans-I also have a plastic top for one of my storage items. I find it gets very static-y, does that happen to you?
I had stored some inks on their sides and had a leak. It may have been a pigment ink pad; I later read you should store those flat with the foam side up. Not sure though. I have had many SU pads leak, some when stored correctly, I just think those are extra juicy.
Bjeans-I also have a plastic top for one of my storage items. I find it gets very static-y, does that happen to you?
The only time there's been static is occasionally from the tiny bits from detailed dies. But I think they "jump" on the plates too. I'll double check tomorrow and re-post.
That's at my computer desk since I die cut there. There's no static At my craft table or trimmer table.
All have 1/4" protectors with polished edges, purchased from and cut by a local glass company - less expensive than the plastics company I used years before.
Maybe you could wipe your table top down with a slightly damp cloth or put a portable humidifier in the room if it's winter and dry? We have a whole house humidifier, but it isn't very effective; I'm always shocking one of the cats.
I love my wide Alex unit, but don't do any of the things you listed. I store all my pads face up in those shallow tray/baskets you can get at Wallyworld for 3 or 4 for $1. I can stack 4 stacks of 4 in each one, and just pull out a tray as I need it. This works great, since I do use a lot of multi-stamp images.
I store my cubes & tear drop pads in the shallower drawers in bead boxes. I store my reinkers in photo boxes because of lack of space in the Alex unit.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Hello everybody,I bought one of the wide Alex drawers as well and I have all my ink pads stored in there. I bought a plastic tray from a dollar store and that holds all my little Memento pads (which I use the most often) and then I have all the rest stored on their sides in the deeper drawers except for the Distress pads which are stored flat and stacked up. Frankly I find it a pain to have to dig around to find the ones that I want but really do not want to spend all that money on the stamp pad organizing units on the market. Was thinking of getting those clear plastic InterDesign bins and storing in there. At least I could find what I want instead of digging. Anybody use them? Do the ink pads leak?
Advice on Stamp Pads in Wide Ikea Alex Drawers
