Ryn from Designs by Ryn asked how people store their stamps. While I was making a picture of it, I thought, why not present my entire storage system. Not all of it is perfect or works well, but it is what I have / use at the moment. I’ll share pictures and pro’s and cons of it.
Unmounted stamps on cling foam
Most of my stamps are mounted on cling foam. It saves space and I like working with acryllic blocks, it allows me to determine the position of the image better due to the outline of the stamp. I can easily place the stamp straight on the block and then line up the block with the edge of the paper.
I store the stamps laminated sheets which I put in binders:
- bought sheets with 4 holes in them (at Chocolate Baroque);
- bought sheets with 3 holes in them.
- Self laminated sheets with self punched holes.
- In binders per manufacturer: Easy to flip through for inspiration or to get a certain brand out for challenges. Just pick your ordner of brand (and style) of choice, put it on the table and start.
I started using an acryllic sheet to protect my stamps when opening the folder, also I put those in between when I am using the laminated sheet on 2 sides, so the stamps don’t press into eachother.
- bought sheets with 4 holes in them (at Chocolate Baroque);
- + : fits in to regular binders with the 2 pins.
- – : in the 2 pin binders the holes are more strained, so they wear out sooner.
Celtic symbols from Designs by Ryn. (Ok it’s actually called wintersheet I think, but I prefer a seasonless name :P)
- bought sheets with 3 holes in them.
- + : 3 pin binders are less common in my house (never looked for them in stores, usually there’s the 2 pins there I think), but I have one or two binders who have 3 pins. They fit well in there.
- + : The force on the sheets is more divided between the holes, the sheet has less room to wiggle around so the holes will tear less easily.
You could also use custom made backgrounds, here I only spritzed with orange inkwater. Beneath the samp you can see the sheet/image of the stamp, so I have all the information ready. You could laminate the original paper, but I scanned it and printed it out, as I use the originals in another binder, my index binder. Ofcourse, you can also just stamp the image and write the details of it by hand, but now I’ve got the logo of the designer (Designs by Ryn) on it as well.
Here I mainly gave the sheet a title (Deep Red), and stampd all images on the paper, wrote the stampsname and number beneath it and laminated it. I only forgot about the holes…ooops… It just fits, but I should remember that next time (make a “kantlijn”- a margin line?)
- Self laminated sheets with self punched holes.
- + : no uneccesary holes, make as many as you need in the right places
- + : you can laminate the stamped image / manufacturer
- + : it’s cheaper
- +/- : even with laminated cardstock they seem a bit more bendable then the bought ones. This could be fixed by adding an extra sheet of carstock, but then the cardstock has to be made smaller then it is now for laminating. There’s a 3-4 mm edge now with standard A4 sheets which is good, but for thicker paper this edge shout be wider.
- ?: I don’t know what the sheets are made of, so don’t know the long term effects on the cling foam.
I started redoing my binders, as I used to have the stamps stored face up on the page so I see the stamps when I browse the binder. But this one had the images on the left side, stamps on the other side, face down. Hmm isn’t that a good idea? 
Have the image on one side, and the stamp on the back? The disadvantage is maybe more stamps falling off while browsing?
- I forgot a 4th one: Sheets that are allready “ready to use
Mounting foam
Sometimes normal foam mounted stamps fall off. I can’t remember on which sheets they have been stored – I’ve moved them around a bit. It’s also the usage /dust that makes them less sticky. I get them to stick again by making sure the cling isn’t dirty, then rubbing it on my clothes to try to enhance the static part of it again. This doesn’t work for all though. Other, better tips to revitatlize cling foam is much appreciated!
Cling foil
In the previous picture you can see a stamp sticking out – It’s a background stamp with cling foil. I don’t know the exact name, but it’s not the EZ-mount foam, but more like a plastic cover which shows the image. It doesn’t stick well to laminated sheets. It’s so annoying and can damage the stamps, as when a stamp falls off and I put a binder back in the cupboard I might put it half on the stamp so the stamp is dented… happened once..
Stamps with this foil are often stampendous stamps / hero arts big stamps. I would really appreciate tips on how to make them stick to the acryllic block, cleaning them with a wet cloth doesn’t help. Even directly new out of the packaging they don’t stick well, I’ve had them all inked up falling off acryllic blocks onto my project :(. Now I used them in combination with Tack ‘n Peel, like the unmounted stamps. So the stamping part is sorted, but not the storing part. Tips?
Clear stamps
I store them on the same laminated sheets. Small stamps I might store in thintainers.
Unmounted stamps without cling foam
Not the best solution, I know. It was origianly a box to store stamps that still had to be mounted, but then it became a storage for the small stamps. I don’t mount them anymore, I use Tack ‘n peel. The two acryllic blocks on the picture have this on them, the left one had it on for a while (I hardly clean it, if I would, it would be more transparent still but it’s fine like this). I put some leftover tack ‘n peel on the right one just a few evenings ago. Works good for small stamps, thought be careful with very thin rubber stamps (like The Stempelwinkel), it theoretically is possible to tear the stamp when pulling it off.
Mounted stamps
Some I store in Thick Stufftainers (see a previous picture), others are stored.. well.. like this:
It’s not really stored, it’s more like… gathered in this box so they wouldn’t be roaming about.
Indexating and masks
Now, how do I know which stamp is where? I write on the binder which designer/brands of stamps are in it. Designs by Ryn and Chocolate Baroque have their own binders, other brands have to share. For more easier browsing images I have a showcase album. I put the imagesheets from the manufacturer/designer in, if the image is on the sheet. If not, then I have to stamp them and then put them in the file. Or only the empty backingsheet (with usually the brandname and stampname) goes in, as a reminder I still need to stamp it…
You can see on these images my own made masks, made from normal (coloured) paper and spray glue – the glue should be non-stick if left to dry after spraying, but I’ve found it does stick eventually a bit too much. I’ve looked around for another (cheap) easy solution and I found one.
Here are the Designs by Ryn sheets, and the masks are stamped onto (mostly) transparant) self adhesive window foil (zelfklevende transparante raamfolie). The advantage of these showcases is that I can put the masks on the image, so I won’t loose them and it’s easier to reuse them. Making a mask can take some extra time, but then you won’t have to do it again for quite a while, if handled well the masks lasts long. Do make them less sticky before sticking them onto your paper though! You can do this by sticking them onto your clothes and/or skin. Test on some scrappaper, I’ve been in a hurry and didn’t do this properly after making a mask, and put it down on still slightly damp paper… when taking it off it tore off a small bit of the top layer. I could repair it luckily, but still.
Cutting dies
I’ve mentioned these before:
Hmm oh right, that is still a concept post… Ok retry: I’m mentioning my entire workspace/storage area including the dies in an upcoming post. [edit: here!]Here’s a preview:
Stencils
Last, my stencils. They were in that showcase album before too, but it didn’t fit anymore so I searched for something else.
This is another showcase folder, and it works ok. I haven’t really sorted the stencils in there as I like browsing through them. Ofcourse you could sort them on brand/designer, theme, size etc, and I have done that for quite a while. Only when I am in a rush (or have made it later then bedtime allready) I’m not very picky about where I put the stencils back in. I just put them in a pocket that isn’t too full allready. I probably will sort them again in a while untill it’s a complete mess again.
If it wasn’t clear yet that I’m addicted to stamp and stencils then I think it’s clear now… I have more then enough of them, I should stop buyin…oooooh pretty stencil on sale….brb!
Any questions or tips? Please share!
DaqaDoodles 