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For my SU stamps, I sacrifice a catty and whenever I buy a set I cut out the catty photo and put it in a blank book. Non-SU stamps get stamped in the book. At first, I tried to organize the pages into categories (floral, kids stamps, sentiments, BGs, etc), but these days I'm lucky if they just get in there.
may be a silly question, but I had thought of doing this with cattys also, don't you need 2 cattys for this? I certainly have many sets from both sides of the pages.
Not a silly question at all. If the page has already been cut out of the catty, I make a photocopy of the sticker page before I apply them to the stamps, and that goes in the book instead.
here's my highly scientific method . . ..
i keep all of my stamps in a big drawer, and when i want something, i dig through the entire drawer, and look to see if i have something that will work, which invariably causes me to find some OTHER stamp that doesn't fit for the current project, but that I decide I want to play with INSTEAD. . .so i push all of my work off to the side of my desk and start a NEW project. it works out QUITE well - just not if I'm on a deadline!!! Seriously though, I don't have a system. I really do just dig through to look for something that will work. Although I have a lot of stamps, maybe I don't have as many stamps as some people who would NEED a system.
Wow, this a great thread. right now my system is...no system. I have accumulated tons of stamps in the last year and I always forget what I have. I've found some really great ideas here. Thank you ladies
Not a silly question at all. If the page has already been cut out of the catty, I make a photocopy of the sticker page before I apply them to the stamps, and that goes in the book instead.
oh ok good idea! of course last catty I had so many left over I could have made this for everyone on the thread, I threw them all away about one month ago.
What law of nature is that? Once you throw away a useless object it aquires an immediate use.
Sounds like some of you may spend more time logging/cataloging your stamps than you have time to actually use them. Either that or you just like to collect stamps.
Yes it has caused me to purchase stamps at stores that are duplicates of what I have......No wonder I like that stamp, I already have it! If that happens, I just return it for one I don't have.
I don't mean my comments to sound offensive, but I would just rather spend my time stamping and perfecting techniques and learning new ones.
Patti
Patti, no offense taken from me. For me it I have to have some organization or I can't be creative.
In some of our LSS you can't take a stamp back even if you haven't used it so I'm pretty cautious about not buying dups. I spend very little time on the journaling part. When I get a new stamp I just scan the label or stamp it on a journal page. Done, easy as pie takes all of 5 minutes.
Oh and I do consider my stamps a collection as well as tools. I don't collect anything else, no trinkets, no stuffed animals, no collectibles (except dust bunnies), and told DH no more jewlery since I don't wear what I have, so I figure I can indulge in have a least one collection.
the great thing about this forum is that we learn so much about what people do and don't do. I find it so facinating.
I have four 8.5 x 5.5 binders. I have a paper for each stamp set that has all the stamps stamped on it and have a running list in word. I have a list for CTMH also but no binder (don't have that many CTMH stamps). The lists and the pages are in alphabetical order. If I put to much info I only confuse myself and then the system doesn't work.
Oh and I do consider my stamps a collection as well as tools. I don't collect anything else, no trinkets, no stuffed animals, no collectibles (except dust bunnies), and told DH no more jewlery since I don't wear what I have, so I figure I can indulge in have a least one collection.
It's good to know dust bunnies have become collectibles, I must log onto
e-bay and see what they are going for now days, might be the answer to my
stamping budget :rolleyes:
thanks for all the good ideas, I might have to sift through and see if any would work. I would hate to do all the work and not use the system of not keep it up.
Each time I purchase a new SU set, I scan the sheet that has the sticky labels on BEFORE I apply them to the wood, then print out the sheet, cut it down to size, and tape (double stick tape) the copy inside the cover of the stamp set box (image facing up), so I can readily see the images in the box (I'm very visual LOL). Since the sheets are all saved and labeled in my computer, I can also print out on 8.5x11 paper and keep in a binder if I want (which I haven't done yet...). The rest of my single stamps are stored in plexiglass trays that fit into my handy dandy craft hutch, which I bought from a co. in northern WI. There are about 50 large trays - love it! I label the front of each shelf with the theme for stamps in that shelf.
I keep unmounted stamps in a binder, with the images stamped on a sheet on the left, and the stamps directly across on the right. Those are somewhat themed - but I have to "review" the pages quickly about twice a year to remember the goodies I have stored.
For my acrylic stamps I keep them in a 3 ringed binder on static sheets- each sheet is organized by theme (alphabets, animals, flowers, etc.)
For my stampin up stamp sets I keep a spreadsheet in my computer alphabetizing the sets, then I have another smaller 3 ringed binder that has all the images organized by theme- so I can take a quick glance before pulling the stamp set out of the drawer. Each stamp set is organized inside of four dresser drawers- each draw contains the themes I mentioned above.
I keep my stamps in 4" binders (they are all unmounted).
I have another smaller binder with all the images stamped, so when I want a stamp, I just browse my index and decide what I want to use.
It works for me
I keep the index cards in my gallery. That's how I know when I'm not at home to look it up.
What a great idea! I actually photocopy the label sheet that comes with each SU set and put those in a 3 ring binder. I only have about 75 sets of stamps, but that is enough for me to forget what I have purchased! I have only 1 duplicate set that I actually purchased, although I have several from the SAB brochure because I earned many of the items a couple times over. I have some duplicates of the DS paper too because I forgot that I purchased it, but that's less of a problem. I use a lot of DS paper!
Our rule (to keep up-to-date) is: Can't use a stamp until it's indexed.
We stamp each stamp into the binder and enter it onto a searchable spreadsheet. Each stamp gets a number (on spreadsheet and in the book). Kits/Sets are numbered and lettered (1-a, 1-b, etc).
We move them to often to track WHERE they're stored. We have 5 various cabinets for our growing stamp collection. (4500+ so far.)
Background stamps are stored on thin shelves on the wall.
We tried to track our inks, papers and embellishment but it was futile.
The stamp binder has sections for Angels, Beast & Bugs, D.Morgan/Scenary/Alex Stamping, Elephants (avatar), holidays: Easter, T-day, Christmas, Valentines, and Misc holidays, then Winter, plants: realistic, bold/silouette, non-real, sayings: Thank You, Thinking of You/Just a Note, Sympathy, Happy Birthday, Friends, and Misc. words, the Asian, Western, Badgers (University Team here), Love/Weddings, Baby related, Borders, Backgrounds, Frames, House Mouse, Masculine, Collage, and Misc. stamps.
We also keep track of punches - by punching them out around an index page.
And stencils/templates (by photo-copying with the "door" open).
For those of you who don't index your stamps, you might think about it again, especially if you have a lot of stamps. If you have nothing to prove what you have, and something happens, like a fire, etc, the insurance company isn't going to pay off on what you say you have, you have to have some proof otherwise they will pay minimum under your homeowners policey, usually about $500.00. That is the reason I index all my stamps in a binder, along with all my markers, pencils, tools, embossing powders, punches, scissors, and anything else I think needs to be indexed. I've been stamping for about ten years and this was the suggestion given to me from the start. It takes very little time to index something as soon as you buy it. Unfortunately, I don't have my paper or ribbon indexed, and I have a lot of both. In my binder I have catagories, but some are about to be broken down even more, and I have a separate catagory for my SU sets. So think about it again regarding having some sort of indexing of your stamps and supplies and pray you never have a fire or other type of claim.
I've been thinking about checking the index of SU stamps and printing them out to put into a binder. I never understood *why* someone would post an index but now it seems logical.
I'm not sure how I'd do those store-bought stamps though?? I guess you could index things like flowers, baby, Snoopy, holidays, etc... ??
I have split them into catagories placed them into drawers, used them for a couple months hated that and put them all back together. I then put up 3" deep shelfs about my room. I can see them & They inspire me to use them But I need to thin down my collection ;)
I have unmounted all 115 SU sets and have many other sets and singles. I have index stamped all and have them in a binder on letter sized paper. I also have an excel spread sheet so I know what I have. The main reason I am posting is because I found this AWESOME spreadsheet yesterday and it could help lots of you! Thanks to Eeyore63125!
Is the spreadsheet all the SU stamps out there for all the years listed?
__________________ Tricia, Scramping in Estevan, SK CANADA
Currently I just "know" what I have...But I keep adding new sets either from Ebay for from the sell/trade forum here so I forget sometimes that I have something...I have them stored on their sides, so it's just an easy "flip" through to see what I have or need...One thing I do though is in whatever catalog is current, i will mark out or hilight the sets I have so when I am looking through I know not to order it
Me too! I alos just know what I have....I do have a really good memory... for now.... I think ;)
My Stampin Up sets are all boxed in their original boxes and shelved alphabetcally. My mounted are in the rubbermaid 3 drawer sets categorized by types ie florals, House Mouse, Music. My Christmas sets are all in a huge rubbermaid tote in the closet of my stamp room. My unmounteds are are in in photo boxes which have white 9x12 envelopes in them. The envelopes are stamped with the images that are in the envelope again by categories.
to those that keep a paper index for insurance/fire purposes - where do you store it? (hopefully not in the same place/house as the stamps - cuz if the stamps burn...)
I'm relatively new, but I keep ALL my files (stamping and otherwise) electronically (ie scan sticker set into comp first, or if I buy an already mounted set, actually put all the stamps sticker side down on my scanner and scan in that way) save/electronically organize, burn to disk every so often and swap out in our safety deposit box (at bank)
you can fit quite a bit on a dvd-r or two. so as long as my house and the bank don't burn down the same day....I should be covered.... just something to think about....
I have been keeping a list of my stamps for some time now. If I order from Stampin' Up or any other company, then I copy this list of items ordered online & put it in a Word document labeled "Ordered Stamping Supplies" and once a month, I print this list & also email it to myself. So, if I'm not sure if I have a certain set, then I look at my list on paper. If there is a fire, I can go to anyone's computer outside of my home to print off my list of stamping supplies. Hopes this can help.
To know which stamp sets I own, I simply add a sticker (a green dot) to my catalog next to the item number and price. Then I can just leaf through the section of the one I want to use and see what I have.
I mark the SU boxes with stickers - flowers, christmas, alphabet, etc so that if I want a specific type of stamps I can look for that sticker and grab them, I also stamp each set on a card so that I have the correct size and have them filed in category with the stickers on the card to match the boxes. The non-SU stamps are in SU or pencil boxes with category on the box and a card to go with.
The cards are attached to a couple huge 0 rings and I page through them when I am looking for something specific or certain size but usually I remember what set I want or grab the one with the stickers that match what I am looking for.
I started to stamp them in close to cocoa or other dark color to prevent the black from staining.
__________________ Kyloe
The lesson from Charlie Brown: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
I have over 160 SU sets and I have them listed in an Excel spread sheet. I have a word file (2 columns) that list my stamp pads.
I pretty much know what I have. I try to use most. My friends make fun of me because I call the cs by their full names. LOL No, I'm not a demonstrator.
I used to keep mine alphabetically filed, but because the cases are different sizes that didn't work well. Now I just have mine shelved by case size and find that because I can see the sets more easily I really had a better idea of what stamps were in there than I realized! I will probably continue to search for the "perfect" way to organize them.
that's how i have mine. i'm in the process of making a list to put on the inside of the cabinet, so i know what i have. but i haven't done it yet.
i like the idea of a book, though. so i know what images i have. might have to do that, too.
__________________
Ashley former SU! Demo, taking a break. but i'll be back soon enough.
new fan club member! supporting the site i love so much. my etsy shop ;; my blog
I have a binder and I have scanner all my stamps image and put it in this binder but it is not organized I just add a sheet at the end of it. I just devided up my binder in 2 sections SU and the rest. So when I am looking for something I just browse into my binder. In my binder I have a cross reference to my SU stamp box on my shelve so I just increment the number when I get a new set.
I store my acrylic and EZmounted stamps on white EZ mount sheets and I have 5 sheets in a 2 inch binder. So I also have a cross reference in my index binder to the binder which I have my stamp in. I have 7 binders right now full of stamps.
So that is the way I organized my stuff and it work well.
As I am new to stampin, I used the gallery and found all of my stamp sets, printed the index page (with a few examples) and put them in a binder. I made of a list of all my stamp sets, alphabetized them, and put them in my storage cabinet in alphabetical order. I carry my book with me all the time, so I don't duplicate stamps and can tell at a glance if I have the stamp sets available to do a particular project. It has helped tremendously.
Hi I'm new here (my 1st post). This is a bit lengthy in details but the method works great for me. I have 2 documents I use to track what I have. First is a spreadsheet which has all the details I want to track. You can keep it short if you want. I like to track lots of details including price. The list is sorted alphabetically but if I want at any time I can sort by any of the columns for instance by date of purchase or manufacturer.
I also have a MS Word document with a group of tables. I create a table with 4 columns and two rows. In the top row I import a picture of the stamp set and I can put 4 stamp sets in one row. In the second row I have the name written just under the picture. I add a few carraige returns to give me some space then I create another table so I can add more stamps. Or you can just copy the blank table over and over. I just keep making new tables as I add stamps to my collection. There are two simple ways to get the pictures into your table. I go to ebay and search on the stamp set such as "Stampin Up simple wishes". I find a listing with a good picture and click on the picture with my mouse to save the picture into my stamp directory. Now all you have to do is select insert, import picture from file and browse to where your directory of pictures are and select the one you want to put into the table. I drag the corner of the picture to about a 1.5 inch square so I can get 4 sets in one row. I have several hundred sets and I can print them out and view them on about 10 pages. Once I find what I want if I need a closer look I can just open the word doc to enlarge the photo. You can also scan the stamps themselves or a picture from the catalog but I find 95% of what I need on ebay or somewhere on the web. I order the tables of stamps alphabetically so that they are in the same order with the pictures as they are in the spreadsheet. When I buy a new set if there isn't room in the row to add another set then I'll just add another row. It's pretty easy to cut and past things over one slot or sometimes I shrink the pictures a little more to squeeze in another set.
I store all my stamps in drawers and I have 28 drawer units and each unit has 3 drawers. I label them 1a, 1b, 1c... I have a column in my spreadsheet that tells me which drawer I can find my stamps in.
I also have a column for description and use keywords to identify what is in the set. For instance if I have a star it will be either in the title or the description. If I have key words like "friendship" I put that in the description. When I need to find a star stamp I do a seach by selecting edit, find and type what I'm looking for "star" and it will tell me which lines in my spreadsheet has a "star" in it. So using key words in the description helps me to cross-reference my stamps that are in sets.
If you want to see and example send me your email and I'll send you a copy.
Something I forgot to mention in the previous post - I have a column for how many stamps in the set. Sometimes they are just individual stamps. Since it is in a spreadsheet I can go to the bottom of that column and enter the sum key and it will add up the total number of stamps I have. I was shocked to discover that of my 300+ stamp sets there were over 1400 stamps. I never would have manually counted those so it's great to have that feature in the spreadsheet. Each time I add stamps it automatically calculates the quantity for me. I know this is much to **** for most folks. I'm into organization.
It's fun to read this thread and notice how everyone is different. Some personalities get really annoyed with any type of organization and others are annoyed without it.
I'm the organizer type myself. After trying to stamp images onto pages to catalog and using up an entire black ink pad, I decided to simply photocopy the stamps and put them in page protectors in a binder. This works great for me. My stamps are arranged by maker except all alphas are in the same section.
At the back of the binder I have pages with samples of all my punches sorted by size.
I find I use more of my stamps when I have them organized this way because I see everything in the set, not just the stamp I am searching for.
Deb, I would really like to see your spreadsheets. They intrigue me!
I've been stamping for over 10 years and have a large notebook which is my personal catalog. I probably own around 2,000 stamps. Years ago I began to set up my personal catalog.
In the beginning I set it up into 2 sections. One section was by category of stamp...words, nature, etc. The second section was and still is by company.
I didn't do very well keeping all of the various categories up to date. The one section that I do keep on top of is the section for words, scripture verses, Christmas images, and Christmas sayings.
The first several pages in this section have the images of my various rollagraph wheels which also provides a quick reference.
I find the sayings section very valuable when I'm looking for sentiments, as I was yesterday, for a couple of birthday cards and another card I was sending. It saves me a lot of time when I don't need pictures. When designing my Christmas cards the Christmas section is very time saving too because it gives me a quick reference since the Christmas images in the companies section are scattered throughout.
Since I have more SU sets than any other company that section is first. Then other companies behind it from the ones I have the most images to the least.
The companies section is set up with SU in the front for over 60 pages. They are stamped on sheets of computer printer paper by sets. I draw a line where one set ends. The other companies are behind the SU one again by the company I have the most images going to the least, the pages for the companies which I have only a small # of images are in alphabetical order.
This is what works for me.
The first page of the Companies section has my alphabetical listing of SU sets I own, current sets are bolded, Sale A Bration sets are underlines, and I did another indicator for the current hostess set. I updated that list not too long ago and added the page # that set is on. Before I had to flip through until I found it.
Somewhere in there I have a page which lists the sets of stamps that are "vintage" images. On that page I also list which colors of cardstock and ink go well with the vintage look.
Since this catalog is one that has been developed over time there are many images that I no longer have, those have an X through them and as I get new sets I have taken to replacing those pages of images that I deem necessary. So now my "catalog" has some of the newer images towards the front instead of them all being on the last several pages. I use a sticky note attached to the divider page to list the pages that need to be replaced.
Besides SU, I have a lot of Stampscapes images. Those are included in the catalog I just described but I also have a duplicate set of those images as well as a list of the images by name in another small and far more portable binder that goes with me when I go to the stamp store that sells their images. When I acquire new images both binders are updated. I hate to buy a stamp I already have!!!
As for the actual SU catalog, every stamp set I have in the current catalog has an X marked, usually near the name & price of the set. I do that after I get the new catalog and have browsed through it. Again this keeps me from duplicating a purchase I've already made. To be honest I have more retired SU sets than I do current ones.
I have a 3-ring binder that I use. I use white cardstock in top load sheet protectors. I stamp on both sides of the cardstock because it doesn't bleed through. I only try to sort them by holiday. Other than that I just stamp each SU! set together with a date I purchased and number of stamps in the set. Maybe 2-3 sets per page. For stamps that are single (non-SU!) I try to stamp them all on one page in nice rows so each stamp is easy to spot.
I enjoy looking through my "binder o'stamps" quite a bit. I have no trouble finding the perfect stamp for what I need this way.
I use forms I printed out from organizedscrapbooks.com (I can't link it because this is my first post) I use the die cut pages, but stamp my images in the boxes, and write the info on the left hand side. I store these in a 3 ring binder organized with category tabs. I also have an Excell list stored on Google.docs in case of fire. As for the stamps themselves, I store in cd cases alphabetically no matter what company they came from!:?
I have a spread sheet as well. not only does it list which Stampin'Up stamp sets I have, it also list the various tools, inks,punches, etc. It makes it easy to scan before placing an order. So I don't wind up with duplicates.
I have all of my images stamped on 8.5x11 copy paper by stamp sets. I put the name and how many stamps are in the set. I then have them organised into three categories- SU, TAC & Misc. I absolutely love my stamp binder and use it alllll the time!
Okay, thought I would join in on the OCD side.......
I have the following items made to help me find stamps quickly and efficiently, which I guess it part of being OCD:
-A computer list with 1)Name of stamps 2)Number of stamps 3) Type of stamps ( a brief description) I have this in my computer for myself and two other friends I frequently swap sets with. We each have a printout to reference.
-A computer list with all of the sayings/sentiments/phrases.
-A binder with sets stamped in black ink, in alphabetical order
The reason I did this was I found myself racking my brain to remember which set had a particular stamp I was looking for...... I just grab my notebook and flip through the pages, and there it is!
__________________ -Paige, "Mummy" to Bubba and Baxter, the Boston Terriers- -My Gallery- -Fan Club Member-yeah!-
I either look the stamp sets up on Splitcoast.com in the gallery, or copy the stamp set on my copier and just put them in a sheet protector in a binder. Some of the older stamps I've gotten off EBay I can't find on splitcoast, but I just turn them face down on my copier and copy the stamp set for my binder. I also keep my stamps in alphabetical order in the storage cabinet so that I can find them quickly. I tried putting labels on the drawers, but they change so fast, I just quit doing that and reprint my list each time I add a new stamp. I also have one for all my tools and supplies I have.
Stamp storage
So Simple
