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So I'm still fairly new to the world of stamping but have a growing collection and need some storage help. I mainly have Inkadinkado cling foam rubber stamps, and some other clear cling stamps. I currently have them in Avery Elle storage pockets but here's my problem.
The clear plastic that the Inkadinkado stamps come on are little squares which leaves a lot of empty space in the storage pockets. What I'm looking for is a definitive answer to what type of plastic I could store my stamps on to use all the space in the pockets.
I know I can't use acetate and I don't have a laminator. I'm also UK based so suggesting a product from so-and-so store which we don't have over here isn't great. All I want is a fairly rigid piece of A5 sized clear plastic to store my cling stamps on.
Have you checked at:
1. The art store for some polyester film that is sturdy. Mylar (by Dupont) and Dura-Lar (by Grafix) are two brands that come to mind but there may be others.
2. The fabric store for quilting template plastic.
When you are looking for plastic sheets, look for polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene.
Then just keep your stamps of any kind out of direct sunlight.
Do you get advertisements in the mail on thick paper?? You could cover with pretty thin decorated paper and then add the duralar to it. I even get jewelry company catalogs on thick paper and I add duralar straight to it. It's free and it saves it from landfill.
__________________ Creativity is intelligence having fun. - Albert Einstein
Is there any type of glue I should use? I was just going to use some cheap, but thick white card to keep everything rigid as thick Mylar/Duralar is not cheap.
You could surely attach a thinner piece of mylar-type sheet to a piece of cardstock. If I was doing that I probably would use pieces of double-stick tape to attach them together.
Another thing you might consider. You say you don't have a laminator. I use the laminator at church...but amazon UK sells quite a few options for a very reasonable price. (about �13-14 and some are free shipping) It might be worth checking into those...and the pouches...to see if that is more reasonable than the option of using Mylar. It definitely is for me...by a LOT! You can laminate appropriate sizes of cardstock to fit your storage pouches that way. And they don't require fiddling with ways to make them stiff, because they are stiff.
I live in the UK, I bought a cheap laminator, around �15, and buy my pouches from Poundland- 10 in a pack for a quid. Laminate a thin sheet of cardstock, and you're good to go. As fionna51 says, this is definitely the cheapest option, especially long term.
Totally agree with Diane and Shaz - laminator is definitely the way to go! I even replaced the one I gave away when we moved because it was cheaper than any other option. You can use it for a lot more than stamp storage, as well. I use the laminated sheets with magnetic vent covers to store my dies, for example. I've also made luggage tags, kids' placemats, "paper dolls", etc.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Though the laminator sounds like the best idea, I have no where to store it and not a single use for it after I've made my inserts. Shall see if I know someone with one that I could maybe borrow instead.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Though the laminator sounds like the best idea, I have no where to store it and not a single use for it after I've made my inserts. Shall see if I know someone with one that I could maybe borrow instead.
Oh, you'll be needing lots more of those laminated sheets for all the new stamps you'll be buying! Just ask anyone here. LOL
Dea
Just adding to this- I've been buying my pouches from one of our Pound stores- so getting 10 for a quid. Just had a browse on E-bay, out of curiosity, and I got 100 for �5.49,(150 micron) so working out at more or less half what I was getting them for. Worth a look if you need any.
Totally agree that you'll need to laminate LOTS more sheets as you go along - I've burned through nearly 500 pouches over three years! Between new stamps, reorganizing existing stamps, purging and gifting, making sheets for die storage, etc., it seems like there's always SOMETHING in the works!
I also made THESE recently, so I'd be able to see which die or punch I wanted to use fairly easily, and I needed the laminating pouches and laminator to make them.
The laminator itself is relatively small (mine is 14"W x 3"H x 6"D) so it's fairly easy to find a spot to tuck it into a drawer or shelf. The box of pouches is pretty much letter size (slightly larger), so it fits in with my paper storage.
My friend has a laminator I can borrow for the time being which will do me fine for now. I don't have too many stamps and am currently without the funds to buy any more, but I will be buying card and pouches from Poundland. Their basic A4 card is 200gsm and you get a pack of 30. Hard to say no to that anyway.
Thanks for all the help. Now if only I could find an easier way of storing my ink pads.
Totally agree that you'll need to laminate LOTS more sheets as you go along - I've burned through nearly 500 pouches over three years! Between new stamps, reorganizing existing stamps, purging and gifting, making sheets for die storage, etc., it seems like there's always SOMETHING in the works!
I also made THESE recently, so I'd be able to see which die or punch I wanted to use fairly easily, and I needed the laminating pouches and laminator to make them.
The laminator itself is relatively small (mine is 14"W x 3"H x 6"D) so it's fairly easy to find a spot to tuck it into a drawer or shelf. The box of pouches is pretty much letter size (slightly larger), so it fits in with my paper storage.
:grin:I'm backing up Gregzgurl here. I wouldn't even like to think how many pages I've laminated, between buying new stamps, and reorganising. Had my pouches I ordered on E-bay arrive a couple of days ago- another great purchase from the look of them.:grin:
But you NEED one!!! Seriously - best $20 I've ever spent!
Or you NEED to have a really good friend who loves to share theirs. If my "office" laminator ever dies, I'm headed out to buy my own. I laminate a LOT too!
Inkadinkado Cling Foam Storage Help
