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do you group all of your Christmas related dies together, no matter the type? (Ie sizzlits, originals, bigz, memory box, etc) or do you put all of your sizzlits (for example) together, and then group christmas ones together within that group?
Looking for ideas which is the better method.
Thank you very much.
Karen
I group mine together by category and not by company. That way, if I want a flower die, I only need to look in that section.
__________________ 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.
Is it hard to find containers, though, that fit all sorts of dies - thick to wafer-thin? My mind wants to group the type of die together first, but I thought I"d post to see if I can be convinced otherwise, lol!
Maybe you could do an index like others have done with their stamps. Cut whatever-it-is with the different dies, then put them in a photo album or binder or on note cards or whatever method you prefer and make a note of what type of die it is and where to find it. Those could be grouped by theme or category or whatever, and the different sizes/styles of dies could still be grouped into the containers that they fit into together. I'm just now getting to where I have enough dies to have trouble keeping track of them, so that's probably what I'll be doing...
Thank you, Sue. I actually already do make a cut of each die and put it in a binder. I use baseball card pockets. So maybe I should just be happy with grouping the die cuts together, and storing the dies separately because it's easier.
K
I suppose it may depend how you craft? Me, I only get my Christmas stuff out about October( If I'm lucky, its often December, lol). So all my dies/stamps/ punches are stored separately as Christmas ones. If you make Xmas cards all year round, then maybe not keeping them separate would make more sense.
In general dies that are specific to a particular holiday are stored with the items for that holiday (papers, stamps, punches, etc.). I have so many Christmas dies that they are stored in a box for just those dies. All my other dies are stored by categories (squares, circles, garden, etc.).
It's doesn't sense for me to store items by company (except SU cardstock that is stored by color). I know what I own but I may forget if it's a Memory Box or Impression Obsession die. Plus, I don't want to look in multiple places for a die. I truly believe that the only way to really organize for ease of use is by groupings of like items.
I don't make things off season - I just can't get into making Christmas cards in July but when I'm ready to start a season, I bring out the applicable boxes and can easily see what I need before going off and buying something new. Saves me time and money.
I group by category and store them in bins from Lowes . Christmas punches and dies and paper are all stored together but I'm not putting them away like I did last year. Might want to use some all year. Same with Valentines punches . I'm using them for Shamrocks for St.Patricks Day. Embossing folders are also stored that way except for the ones I have in that binder that was sold for them.That has not worked
I organize by category (birthday, friend, holiday etc). With a new system I've adopted, they are now uniform in size and fit into a Fridge Binz which fits perfectly in a cubby/shelf.
I've been moving towards this new system which I really like. I had a million leftover cd jewel cases when we digitized out cd collection. I pulled out the cd info and plastic, bought magnetic sheets (they were register covers from Home Depot), cut them to the fit the inside of the case and put the dies in. The magentic sheet keeps the die in place. I secured the magnetic sheet with a few adhesive dots. The flip side of the magnetic sheet is white so I adhered the die-cut shape on the white side to make it easy to tell what the die is through the clear plastic case.
This works for all of my dies except for the longer ones like PTI's zipper or MFT's Snow Drifts. I havent figured out a way to handle those yet but I only have about a few at the moment.
Category all the way. I don't care what company it comes from if want circles or squares, I go to those areas of my binder. I keep a handy little notebook with the different sandwiches in the container where I keep my plates and shims for quick reference when using dies from different companies.
My dies are in CD cases according to category: circle, squares, ovals, flowers, Christmas, etc. However, I need a way to store these CD cases. I have very little storage and work area. Not sure if I should try to find a CD tower or add a shelf somewhere, if I can find space. I want them visible and easily accessible. Currently, they are in crates on the first shelf of a bookcase, but when I want to get one I have to squat down to read the titles I've labeled on each case. Help!!
That's why I store mine at eye level, the metal ones. Sizzix and Big Shot are in cd houses I bought years ago and sorted by type with the shelves labeled.
I do the same for my Spellbinders - separate binders for circles, squares, rectangles, ovals, shapes, labels, etc.
I keep separate binders for companies (MFT, MB, TE, SSS, Marianne, Cottage Cutz, etc) and then I organize them by theme. I'm familiar with the "styles" of companies, so that's why I like them organized by companies. It also helps me to know what dies I have from that company and avoid buying duplicates.
For dies that accompany a stamp set, I keep the die with stamp set. For example, I have my PTI sets in clear DVD cases. I keep the coordinating die inside the case.
I also use mini binders from We R Memory Keepers (Memory Dock - Creative Dock - Classic Black) to store stamps. I keep the stamp set and coordinating die(s) in the same page protector. I was fortunate to buy the binders when they were on clearance for $3 each.
So do you all put your thick sizzix dies in with the wafer-thin dies, by category?
K
Karen, I keep all of my Bigz, thick dies in the Sizzix boxes made for storing them - I purchased mine through Stampin'Up! and love them. I organize by theme inside the two boxes. The rest of my thin dies, I store in labeled DVD cases (also purchased from SU) with a sheet of magnet inside to hold the dies in place. All of my little sizzlets and small square dies go in a couple little covered, cases. All of these dies are arranged by type, not by company. HTH : )
__________________ Claudia Splitcoast Fan Club Member
Mine are by category. Christmas are in a box with my stamps and paper and the thin ones are on magnets inside my stamp cabinet doors. Gotta use any space available right? The thicker ones are in a basket on a cart by where my Big Shot is along with a basket of embossing folders.
Thanks for all of tips and information - it's so fun to see how others store things, even though I don't know why, lol!
It seems like the majority of you store your sizzix thick dies separately, and all of the other die types together, grouped by category. So far, I keep my index by category, the dies by manufacturer. That translates into keeping them in their original packaging, and thrown into the 4 drawer jetmax cubes...
I keep my Bigz dies in their packaging in the CD tower houses labeled by shelf with the tiltle of what is on them facing out. That is, unless I am using them upstairs in which case they are stacked on a shelf willy nilly. I am organized but don't stay that way long, especially when crafting. LOL
I use the SU die storage boxes for my large dies (see below). I put one of the dividers in the top and one in the back of the box to hold the dies in place. Since these pictures were taken I've moved the dies in the black Sizzex rack to SU boxes.
Thin dies I store in Unikeep binder boxes on mag sheets by categories (see pics).
I think I've finally figured something out. As much as I love to organize, maybe I don't have as much stuff because I don't want to deal with an elaborate system! Oh my - some of your collections and storage solutions are really amazing. Kudos to all of you!
All of my embossing folders and dies fit in one CTMH stamp storage box, lol! They are sorted by company - but I can pretty much remember what's there ;) . (ETA: I do have several that go with stamp sets, and they are stored with the stamps.)
If I ever become a serious die buyer again, I know where to turn for ideas - amazing, ladies.
Category works best for me. I bought a plastic suit case like thing at Michaels that has 16 separate plastic boxes inside and each box has a hinge. I label each box by category. Doilies, Foliage, Children/Baby, Seasonal, Critters, etc. I have larger dies that don't fit so I have another much smaller plastic box that I put those into. Now I know that if they aren't in the "BIG" box then for sure their in the other. Works great for me.
Category works best for me. I bought a plastic suit case like thing at Michaels that has 16 separate plastic boxes inside and each box has a hinge. I label each box by category. Doilies, Foliage, Children/Baby, Seasonal, Critters, etc. I have larger dies that don't fit so I have another much smaller plastic box that I put those into. Now I know that if they aren't in the "BIG" box then for sure their in the other. Works great for me.
I must admit, I have hardly any dies besides Spellbinders. Those I tend to group in categories of flowers, Christmas etc. The rest of the dies just get lumped together. Sizzix get stored in scapbooking paper containers...I probably have 6. Sorry they are so big, I try not to buy them. My cuttlebug dies are in zip lock bags.
I don't have a lot of dies but I keep the original insert, glue a piece of magnet sheet cut to size (available from Staples) and stick them on and they go in the same basket with my embossing folders.
__________________ Loving life through all its ups, downs, misgivings, seasons, and screaming tantrums!
I do that with my dies also. Leave them in the origional package and put the magnetic sheet on the inside. Then I know which ones I have . I store them in a bin labeled with squares, circles, etc.
storing dies question -
