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we (well at least me) talk a lot on here about having too much and purging. SO, help me out - share your tips on purging. How do you decide which ones to let go of? If you two similar ones, what is your criteria?
I don't think it comes down to "two similar" ones for me because, I tend to collect similar kinds of things on purpose. ( things I like to color) which goes heavily in the highly detailed images above say simple cartoon ones.
when I did purge stamps it was mostly wood mounted pieces from sets where I wanted say 3 or 4 of the stamps in the set and the tiny ( filler ) things ( which all look the same to me ) and I never used them those were ones I got rid of to make room. anymore I tend to buy most things without wood and I leave the sets whole.
I did also end up buying a lot of stamps a long time ago with the intentions of RAK-ing images away to online peeps. (and so I did) and someday I may go through those stamps and give a hard look to some of them. but, when I do have that thought, my next thought is. you could just un-mount them and move them to cling foam and that would take care of the space issues.
I think it depends on why you have the stamps and what you think?
if you honestly love what you have someday you may regret getting rid of it.
if you have something you bought just to have something until you got something you like better you probably won't.
I mostly buy sentiment stamps more than shapes at this time and that is mostly a size and font thing which keeps me buying some sentiments I really use frequently even though I already have some with the exact words. ( like happy birthday ) kwim?
I would love to have purging ideas, too. I have stamp sets I don't really like, but I paid a ton of money for all my stuff, so I hate to just give it away. Funny, I don't have that problem at all with clothes. If I can donate them, I will. But stamp sets are another story.
I already unmounted most and that gave me a lot of space (to buy more?), but I still have stuff that I guess is almost worth nothing to me. I just decided that I am going to put those sets on the BST forum for cheap and see if they go.
__________________ Jennifer
Live each day with kindness, happiness, and a smile.
The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing says that we should start decluttering by discarding, and discarding is easiest by getting rid of things that are broken or have little value and are not useful anymore (I realize I'm paraphrasing :-)). So save your discontinued and rare stamps for the very end!
She also recommends the decluttering happen all in one swoop, without any attempt to put anything away until the next step.
Then we should pick up each item that's left, individually, and ask: Does this bring joy? If not, out it goes. I realize it might sound strange, but the author feels that you have a feeling in your gut immediately when you pick up an item whether or not it brings joy to your life.
I don't have the book yet, just used Look Inside on Amazon, but I am going to try this in my craft room :-)
I looked at that book, too. It seemed like an attractive idea at first blush. But then I realized that if I bought the book it would be to apply it to me, which was a ridiculous notion since MY book would be called "The Life-Changing Magic of Stuff, Stuff and More Stuff."
I like to tidy up, but when it comes to getting rid of things, I tend to think "it might come in handy." Or, "Ten minutes after I get rid of it I'll need it." Which does happen! ;)
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
I don't have a lot of experience purging stamps but I've gotten rid of my share of other crafting stuff. Here are the things I've learned (the hard way):
Buy what you love. There will always be plenty of items out there that you'll like, that are trendy for a week, that are cheap. But if you focus on buying what you love you'll have less stuff that needs purging.
If you don't like something enough to use it, there's no point in keeping it.
If it's a stamp you fight with and still don't get a good image, there's no use keeping it, no matter how beautiful.
If you can sell your unwanted items and recoup some of the money you spent, consider it a bonus.
If items don't sell, postage more than item is worth or if it is all just too big of a hassle, then donate your supplies to another crafter, a senior center, a small private school or just about any teenage girl. Take the financial loss and enjoy the feeling of making someone else happy.
Realize that keeping stuff you don't like or won't use will take up space, be a hindrance to finding things and a constant reminder of money wasted.
Poppy, I have that book and love it! It helped me get ready for that huge stamp sale I had last fall. And it has helped me fill my dining room with clothing, books, dishes, you-name-it, that I'm going to put in my yard sale or donate.
And she was right: for almost everything, I knew immediately if I wanted to keep it or not. Oh, the freedom of getting rid of things that didn't bring me joy (things that are useful is an entirely different category). To keep only the things I truly loved. A wonderful feeling!
And it has helped me appreciate the things I kept and the new purchases I make.
So the only criteria I have is: is it useful? or does it bring me joy?
__________________ 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.
Poppy, I have that book and love it! It helped me get ready for that huge stamp sale I had last fall...So the only criteria I have is: is it useful? or does it bring me joy?
I cannot believe you applied that criterion to that big and glorious Magnolia sunflower stamp and let it go :o But it has been bringing me joy, so thank you! And I plan to use some of the ideas in the book to have a clear out as well, so glad to hear your recommendation.
The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing says that we should start decluttering by discarding, and discarding is easiest by getting rid of things that are broken or have little value and are not useful anymore (I realize I'm paraphrasing :-)). So save your discontinued and rare stamps for the very end!
She also recommends the decluttering happen all in one swoop, without any attempt to put anything away until the next step.
Then we should pick up each item that's left, individually, and ask: Does this bring joy? If not, out it goes. I realize it might sound strange, but the author feels that you have a feeling in your gut immediately when you pick up an item whether or not it brings joy to your life.
I don't have the book yet, just used Look Inside on Amazon, but I am going to try this in my craft room :-)
Almost everything brings me joy! I have fun giving stuff to others that I had to have and didnt use. Oh, I loved the pretty thank you card you sent! Its gorgeous!
Almost everything brings me joy! I have fun giving stuff to others that I had to have and didnt use. Oh, I loved the pretty thank you card you sent! Its gorgeous!
So glad! It's obvious that I'm enjoying my heart dies xxo
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Out of all my stamps/sets I LOVE almost all of them. I've gotten rid of maybe 15 sets. I have a garage sale bin I put them in. I can't tell you how many times I've needed a set out of that bin!
I'm always glad that I still had the set. I have so many sets I rarely if ever use as I don't make that many cards. But I look at the sets and I still LOVE them. One example is SU's Pick-a-Petal. I got it here from buy/sell. I've had it maybe six years...maybe used it once....I still LOVE it. Oh, well! I have lots of storage room!
I do get extra mileage out of many because I make small desk calendars for friends and co-workers. It's nice to get some use out of them.
My only tip is to put unloved sets into a garage sale/donation bin and see if you need it in the following year. Yes, sometimes quite a bit of time has gone by before I need a certain stamp!
I read some tips from that book....and yes, there are so many things I have that get used little but still bring me joy.
I'd say try to sell stamps you don't want anymore. I see people selling lots of sets on a stamping facebook group I belong to. When and if I decide to do a big purge I'll go through that group.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 01-21-2016 at 12:08 AM..
Garage sale, Goodwill, trash. That's what happened to about 200 sets when we moved in October. I have too many stamps and let go of some styles that I don't use anymore (i.e. Vintage) and some that look too dated. Now the stamp sets that are in my way-too-small stamp room get lots of love. I'm amazed at how little I kept and how little I can get by with now, after the purge. It's hard, just like tossing old clothes or toys, but it's worth it in the end to be able to use what you have and know where it is. Try not to think about the money, you will never get what you paid for any set. Just think about a new owner happy to have a new set at a bargain price.
Mary Beth
Mary Beth
I had a de clutter of stamps two or three years ago, when I moved from one room to another for my crafting. My criteria were:
Do I still love it?- I may have bought it years ago, and it's not my style anymore.
When did I last use it?- not applied to things like Christmas/Sympathy etc.
Have I ever used it? - You'd be surprised how often the answer was no.
Will I definitely use it again?- Many times the answer was 'highly unlikely'
Does it give a good image?- A few didn't, so went.
I also did a complete strip down to bare rubber of almost all my woodmounts, and as many E-Z Mounteds as I could.
HOW MANY similar things do I have, and which do I like best?
I never worry about the money - it's already gone. I never worry about breaking up sets - I'm not going to sell them when I'm done, just give them away, so who cares if it's complete?
A good example of my own purge is that I was a HUGE collector of hearts. Any/all hearts found their way into my stash! I did a major purge of ALL of my stamps, and whittled down the heart section to a manageable number. There were quite a few that were very similar in style, some that came in sets where I liked this one and that one, but not those three - you get the idea. Case in point: I had the Stampin'Up! set Something New to Love. I kept the sentiment, the outline heart, and the one that says "love" - the other three were gifted to someone else...
For me, it's the breaking of the attachment - to the idea of a "complete set" or to the image itself. We tend to form MUCH stronger attachments to our stamps than to the other things in our space, I'm thinking...
__________________ ~ Sue Happy for no reason...
Last edited by gregzgurl; 01-21-2016 at 04:45 AM..
Reason: add a link
For me, it's the breaking of the attachment - to the idea of a "complete set" or to the image itself. We tend to form MUCH stronger attachments to our stamps than to the other things in our space, I'm thinking...
I agree! I have always kept my Stampin' Up sets together, because the images are to scale and work well together. But when I started a donation bag for my local Creative Reuse Center, I realized that some poor artist or school kid could use that sunflower stamp but didn't care if they had the little leaf that went with it, and didn't even know it was missing. :rolleyes: I could keep the one or two smaller stamps I loved out of the set and give the rest away. Since then, I have been breaking up sets like crazy! I now have a little wooden box where I keep the smaller stamps, versus a bunch of big bulky clamshells.
I agree! I have always kept my Stampin' Up sets together, because the images are to scale and work well together. But when I started a donation bag for my local Creative Reuse Center, I realized that some poor artist or school kid could use that sunflower stamp but didn't care if they had the little leaf that went with it, and didn't even know it was missing. :rolleyes: I could keep the one or two smaller stamps I loved out of the set and give the rest away. Since then, I have been breaking up sets like crazy! I now have a little wooden box where I keep the smaller stamps, versus a bunch of big bulky clamshells.
Devil's advocate comment: If you un-mount those smaller stamps you could probably have them on a storage panel and take up even less space (plus see all of them at once, lol)!
Devil's advocate comment: If you un-mount those smaller stamps you could probably have them on a storage panel and take up even less space (plus see all of them at once, lol)!
Preachin' to the choir, sister! :p If I had the budget for more EZ Mount right now, they would all be ripped off the blocks. The MISTI has encouraged this revolution!
Hi!
I wasn't able to let go of my stamps, at the time the value was next to nothing. So I unmounted all of them, down to the bare rubber, used Aileene's Tack it Over and Over, on the back of the rubber, when dry stuck them to document sleeves (cut into quarters to fit into sandwich bags - in case the tack it over and over let go) and my collection that filled 5 Iris cards condensed down to 1 Iris Cart.
Works for me, I would suggest unmounting if you still want to keep your stamps.
I'm in the process of breaking up all my stamp sets, organizing my stamps by category and mounting them on EZ Mount boards. It just takes too long to go through all the sets if I'm looking for a particular image or sentiment. So, when I come across sentiment stamps I know I'll never use (e.g. Happy Spring), I toss it. I've also found some stamps that are simply poor quality and those get trashed as well.
__________________ Debbie "Make it work, people." - Tim Gunn My Gallery
I cannot believe you applied that criterion to that big and glorious Magnolia sunflower stamp and let it go :o But it has been bringing me joy, so thank you! And I plan to use some of the ideas in the book to have a clear out as well, so glad to hear your recommendation.
It brought me joy for several years. It was time to let it go.:rolleyes:
__________________ 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.
You know, when I was debating whether or not I should buy a MISTI (I did, but at that price point, I needed to justify it), one of the main things that swayed me was that I wouldn't have to fiddle with EZ Mount ever again! I don't have to remove it from stamps it's already on, but I also can use stamps with rubber only, and that saves time, space, and a few $$.
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydarling
Preachin' to the choir, sister! :p If I had the budget for more EZ Mount right now, they would all be ripped off the blocks. The MISTI has encouraged this revolution!
You know, when I was debating whether or not I should buy a MISTI (I did, but at that price point, I needed to justify it), one of the main things that swayed me was that I wouldn't have to fiddle with EZ Mount ever again! I don't have to remove it from stamps it's already on, but I also can use stamps with rubber only, and that saves time, space, and a few $$.
How do you get plain rubber stamps to stick to your MISTI?
Last year I finished a huge purge and set free over half of my stamps - I'm down to about 4K and it feels great. Set are broken down by categories and my criteria was a mix of ideas.
Duplicates - by size, shape, and texture. An example was hearts. I had over 60 small hearts (1/4" - 1"). So many were the exact shape and size.
Never used - never liked it - what was I thinking - let it go
Seriously too many - huge number of Thank You, Best Wishes, Happy Birthday, etc. I kept my favorites based on size, font, direction (horizontal or vertical)
Over Used - this was hard but I've used some of my stamps way too many times and I'm sure everyone has received that image multiple times so I wanted to force myself to find some new favorites
Modify it - I looked to see if I can modify the stamp to make it more to my liking. I found that instead of purging the image, I just need to cut off the "offending" piece.
Sentimentality - some stamps I don't use often but I love them so I kept them. Especially the first stamps I bought
Digi available - I have stamps that were bought for one person/occasion and I like it but I can easily find a Digi Stamp.
Rarely used - I had a ton of baby, shower, wedding stamps and I rarely use them. I kept a few of the ones I liked the most so I had them on hand but I doubt I'll use them very often.
All my stamps are unmounted on EZ Mount, stored by categories, stored in Unikeep Binder boxes on laminated cards with index sheets, and I have index binders with the images.
Well, I've been in a declutter mode for a little while now. I've been stamping for almost 20 years and have gone through different periods where my tastes have changed. I recently went through all my stamps and realized for some I will just never use. I've sold about half of my wood mounted (with more on sale) and at least a third of my clear stamp sets - and more of those are sale. I realize that I want to keep stamps that I know I will use - so no more weird, trendy things, or things I purchased because I was going to get into the mixed media area. I focus now on basic but well drawn images that I can use for many different occasions and holidays. That means lots of birthday, Christmas and floral designs.
But if you are in the market please check out my buy/sell post!!
"I might use that or need that one day." That, my friends, is the motto of every hoarder! ;)
I've known hoarders, and it's very sad. It makes it much easier to let things go when I say to myself "You don't want to end up like _______." I think we just have to look at the thread posted here about the huge stamp auction. We all can agree, that person needed an intervention.
I just hold on to my stuff very lightly now. And here's what I've found. I never EVER miss an item after it's gone. Never.
So last year, when I realized that I was never using my SU ink pads and the giant ink caddy that took up so much precious space? Out they went into the garage sale. Probably about 60 plus ink pads and reinkers.The SU cardstock that was too flimsy for my taste and that I'd accumulated over time from being a former demo? Out it went. Nearly 2000 sheets of the stuff. The 300 plus wood mounted stamp sets that took up so much space? Sold to the highest bidder.
I have a nice manageable amount now that I try to keep in perfect balance. Buy a new stamp set? Get rid of an old one. I put a lot of thought into purchases now. I may not be Marie Kondo, but I do enjoy tidying up.
I used to hold onto stamp sets forever because I knew I wouldn't get anything close to what I paid for them.
In the last year or so I finally figured out that it doesn't matter if I get money for sets I don't use anymore. I didn't buy them because they had a good resale value, I bought them because I loved them or sometimes it was because of peer pressure (enabling). Anyhow, I realized that it's okay to break up sets and keep only the stamps that I love from a set and get rid of the rest. I go to the flea market about once month (I've been on a break over the holidays) and I just have bins of all the single stamps from broken up sets. They have actually sold better than when I tried selling the whole sets! I don't ask a lot for them, between .25- $3.00 per stamp, depending on the size.
With the new year off to a good start I've decided it's time to break up some more sets. I don't need 50 million Happy Birthdays, Thinking of You, and Thank You stamps, ya know?
Plus the less cluttered my studio becomes the more I love it an like spending time in there.
The decluttering book helped me so much. I was holding onto stuff that people gave me or that I felt guilty about giving up. The does it bring me joy question took care of that. Out it goes twice a year in a flat rate shipment to a friend who works in a store that has a recycled rubber sale every month. She gets store credit for everything that sells. Anything that doesn't sell after three sales goes to shelters and senior homes, etc. People come from miles around for the monthly sale. Stamphappy I really liked your list. Very helpful. Once in awhile I miss something I gave away but the lack of clutter is so freeing.
Last year I finished a huge purge and set free over half of my stamps - I'm down to about 4K and it feels great. Set are broken down by categories and my criteria was a mix of ideas.
Duplicates - by size, shape, and texture. An example was hearts. I had over 60 small hearts (1/4" - 1"). So many were the exact shape and size.
Never used - never liked it - what was I thinking - let it go
Seriously too many - huge number of Thank You, Best Wishes, Happy Birthday, etc. I kept my favorites based on size, font, direction (horizontal or vertical)
Over Used - this was hard but I've used some of my stamps way too many times and I'm sure everyone has received that image multiple times so I wanted to force myself to find some new favorites
Modify it - I looked to see if I can modify the stamp to make it more to my liking. I found that instead of purging the image, I just need to cut off the "offending" piece.
Sentimentality - some stamps I don't use often but I love them so I kept them. Especially the first stamps I bought
Digi available - I have stamps that were bought for one person/occasion and I like it but I can easily find a Digi Stamp.
Rarely used - I had a ton of baby, shower, wedding stamps and I rarely use them. I kept a few of the ones I liked the most so I had them on hand but I doubt I'll use them very often.
All my stamps are unmounted on EZ Mount, stored by categories, stored in Unikeep Binder boxes on laminated cards with index sheets, and I have index binders with the images.
This was a great breakdown, like it!!!! When our LSS had their annual "garage sale", I used the "joy" question for most items, and with the couple of stamp drawers I had time to go through, I pulled stamps I simply didn't use, or were no longer a "style" I was now using. Tastes change, and so had I!!!! I plan to use this again for the next sale and accumulate even more items!!!
I agree with the don't need nine million of one sentiment. Even though I had my sentiments stamped and in a Rolodex I was still getting overwhelmed. Most of the wood went out because I didn't want to bother with positioning or unmounting them. All the ones I didn't like that much got taken out of the Rolodex. I left them in the stamp sets in case I give those away. I want them to be intact for the next person. When I get to the point that I just can't go froward I know it's because I have too much and I need to dump. I'm not getting any younger. I've taken the I might need this some day out of the equation. I also gave away tons of dies that are no longer my style. They sat unused for two years. Having less has made this hobby fun again.
If you can find an organization that can use it it makes it easier I think. I didn't feel good about stuff going to the dump. Might try getting rid of a little bag of stuff and see how it feels.
When we moved, I sorted mine into leave it out to use or pack it up for later (it would be a few months before I saw them again). I found that I did not miss any I had packed and ended up selling them all after we moved.
If you're struggling, go through them and pack some up. If after x amount of time you still don't miss them, sell them! You may find you go pull a few out of the box, but overall, it's a good way to "practice" being without them.
Sandy I think that is a really good idea. I also have a habit of moving things I am not using but can't quite part with into the guest room closet. Usually within a year I'm ready to let at least half of them go. Out of site out of mind and making room for guests. I helped a friend sort and move some of her bead craft hobby into the garage. By the end of the year she gave a lot of it away. I hoped she would succeed with that because her husband was not happy to see it head for the garage.
I put items in a yearly stamping garage sale. I have a few boxes in my storage area that I keep on an ongoing basis and whenever I come across something I chuck it in there for the sale. At the last sale I sold over $750 worth. I also donate to an inner city school art project. I didn't miss one thing except for one pack of Christmas paper that would have come in handy but not like I didn't have other Christmas paper to use.
I have been trying to go through all of my items and touch each and make a decision. I went through all of my paper, all of my single wood mount stamps, etc. I sold 50+ sets of stamping up sets in the garage sale. Haven't missed anything. Could likely go through again and do a second pass to reduce more.
No point in keeping it all - I was drowning in stuff and couldn't enjoy myself in my craft room. I am feeling liberated and much more creative.
Very inspiring. Wow that's a heck of a garage sale. I too have only missed one little thing and that doesn't compare with how much better I felt after I got rid of stuff I seldom used. Silly story: I packed a bag of stuff in my husband's car that was supposed to go up to our vacation house. My husband thought it was charity stuff and gave it away. I racked my brain for weeks trying to think of one thing that was in that bag. I totally don't remember. That's how not important stuff can be.
Very inspiring. Wow that's a heck of a garage sale. I too have only missed one little thing and that doesn't compare with how much better I felt after I got rid of stuff I seldom used. Silly story: I packed a bag of stuff in my husband's car that was supposed to go up to our vacation house. My husband thought it was charity stuff and gave it away. I racked my brain for weeks trying to think of one thing that was in that bag. I totally don't remember. That's how not important stuff can be.
Amen, and amen! My husband and I put almost everything we owned in storage for 16 months while we went to help my brother build his house, and the only things I missed were my Christmas decorations (and not even all of those). Less is definitely more if you don't love it, and if you don't miss it then you don't love it...
Question to pose for my own...peace of mind?...justification? I don't know what, but: I have some stamp sets (probably seven or eight of them) that I use only on a rare occasion now and then, but I really enjoy looking at them. I love the style, they make me smile, and I may circle back around to using them. Am I being ridiculous to hang onto them? I'm too emotionally invested in them to be objective, but willing to listen to reason... I can be really ruthless when I purge, and I have weeded out a few stamps from these sets that I just don't love, but there's something about the rest of them - thoughts?
Stamps are kind of like clothing, if you haven't worn or stamped with it in over a year, you will not use it again. My friend is having a big garage sale in a few weeks to raise money for a mission trip. she will get stuff from my closet and scrap room.
__________________ Patrice. Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.
Stamps are kind of like clothing, if you haven't worn or stamped with it in over a year, you will not use it again. My friend is having a big garage sale in a few weeks to raise money for a mission trip. she will get stuff from my closet and scrap room.
I agree on the clothing (mostly), but stamps are a different thing entirely - at least in the Sue-niverse. I have too many stamps to use them all in a year (I know - that's too many), and they date back to the 1980s (some of them), so they rotate in and out of favor. Sometimes I use a new-ish stamp, sometimes I use an ancient one...
I would agree that if someone has NEVER used a stamp since they bought it, and it's been more than a year, then they might want to re-think hanging onto it vs getting rid of it - especially if there's some place that can benefit from it, like your friend or a school or the Girl Scouts or wherever.
Sharing tips for Purging Stamps
