The one question I get asked over and over is about How I organize my stamps. I owned my own Stamp/Scrapbooking store for many years. I needed a system that I could find any stamp immediately. With over 10,000 stamps to control I needed a plan. I am now an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and a new life of storing stamps as SETS has begun.
I can’t tell you how many times have we have been in the middle of a class and someone says “do you have a Birthday stamp or Sympathy stamp instead?” I can put my hands on any stamp in an instant. Currently I have 2 systems. One system for pre-SU and one for SU.
PRE Stampin’ Up!
With the stamp store I had a 3 ring binder sectioned by theme. I stamped the stamp as soon as I got it into my book under a related section/theme(s). I housed the stamp in a drawer(s) corresponding to the theme in my book. When I wanted a stamp, i found it in my book and then went to the corresponding drawer to get it. I have 2 banks of cubbies that house the drawers. This system worked for years! These are my pre-SU stamps. 72 cubbies with 3 drawers in each and 2 layers of stamps in each drawer. Yikes! I need to clear a lot of this out!
Enter Stampin’ Up!
Now that I am a Stampin’ UP! demo I store my stamps in SETS rather than individually. I was faced with having to come up with a system that would cross file many theme possibilities contained within ONE set. Enter Evernote! Evernote has been a lifesaver! I store a photo of the set in my program app and key in all sentiments and tags of anything I might think of that applies to the set. When I’m looking for something such as a Birthday sentiment, I merely do a search for “Birthday” and all the SU sets I have with something relating to Birthday come up on my cellphone or computer. I choose the stamp I want to use and then I go where it is stored alphabetically on the shelf.
I get the photos that go into Evernote online by typing in the Stampin’ Up! set and then going to images. Then I find a photo of the set/bundle that shows the set and matching dies and add it into the set information in Evernote. I specify when I have matching dies within the program and what they are so they also will come up with “Birthday” search. I also attach photos of cards done with that set that have elements I would like to remember when working in the future with this set. All this information comes up with my search. Amazing!
Stamps out for use in projects
The stamp cases for the stamps I have out on project trays are stored differently. The case is stored temporarily in the clear boxes below. The Stamp case does not get filed until all the stamps are back in it. When I have cleaned the stamps i put them back into their case and then back on the shelf. Some sets may have stamps on multiple trays and when that class comes up I know right where to get the stamp case to show for class.
I started off with the FREE version of Evernote and branched into a subscription as I file all sorts of projects and information in this system other than stamps. It is a great data base.
Hope either of these systems help you in your craft room! enjoy!