Organizing Your Greeting Stamps

 

Recently I shared a video of my Stamping Loft.. a craft room tour of my little space.

Click here if you missed the craft room tour video.

One of the things that solicited a lot of comments was my 3 tins of loose stamps...

In the photo above, you can see the 3 tins I have with loose stamps.  This is probably my favorite craft room organizing tip!  The stamps are mostly greeting stamps from various sets, and I keep them next to my stamping desk so that I can grab them quickly, use them, clean them and put them right back in the tin.  I don't like to have to think about which set a thank you or birthday or get well greeting might be in, so I just like to keep them handy like this.  Lazy? hmmm.. I would rather think of it as efficient :)

WOOD?   CLEAR?   or  PHOTOPOLYMER?

You'll notice though that most of them are Wood Mount.  Stampin' UP! offers 3 different types of stamp options, Wood Mount, Clear Mount and Photopolymer.  You can see all 3 types on pg 4 of the Current Annual Catalog.  I get asked often, "Which type of stamps do you prefer?".  My answer is all of them, actually.... I really love the wood mount stamps for my greetings, BECAUSE of the way I like to store them (above), but I also like greeting sets in photopolymer so I can stamp them just where I need to.   And YES, I've been known to buy a set in wood mount and Photopolymer... not often.. but I have done it.

I like the Clear Mount for the more reasonable price, and smaller storage requirements, and then I REALLY love the photopolymer just because I can see where I'm stamping the image AND they stick to the clear blocks like nobody's business!!  I love that!!   So.. I buy stamps in all 3 options... mostly photopolymer, 2nd wood, and 3rd choice is clear.  That's just my preference.. no right or wrong about it.. it's a personal choice for everyone.

After I scoured 3 stores looking for the perfect variety of small tins to hold my stamps in, I happened upon this one in Target one day.... LOL.. you be the judge.. it might be a tad bit too big for my loose stamps :)

So let me hear from you ... what is your favorite?  Wood, Clear or Photopolymer and why?  Leave me a comment below (on my blog) and let me know!

You can view all of the stamps that Stampin' Up! has to offer

HERE in my online store.

 

{Edited to Add at 10:30am:  Connie asked in a comment below, how I keep track of where those stamps go... one good thing is that I'm blessed with a really good memory and I usually can remember where they go, and if not, I look at the GREETING INDEX on pg 245/246/247 of the current Annual catalog and I can usually find which set they go in.  I don't actually put them back into their set until the set retires and I sell or donate it.  Hope that helps?}

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Comments

[Christina]

I like all 3 for the same reasons! Imagine all of the loose stamps you could fit in that bucket! It would be awesome! Lol

[Rachel Bowers]

I'm a total photopolymer geek. Cost efficient and easy to use is high up on my list! I do love your greeting stamp solution though...I may have to be a copycat with some of my free-floating stamps...

[Connie Hobbs]

It is so hard for me to separate my stamps from their original sets. How do you keep track of where they belong?

[Katie B]

what a great idea. I have a ton of sentiments I turn to frequently but I have trouble remembering which shelf they went back on.

[Cindee Wilkinson]

I think your NEW tin probably wouldn't fit all your stamps....hahaha I like your idea! I seem to mostly by photopolymer and clear, so I couldn't have a tin like yours, but I do have a tin that I keep my single wood mount stamps in. Love it and it takes up so much LESS room.

[Joanne M]

I think the Target tin is just the right size!! :) I like wood mount but I think I'm starting to like Photopolymer too. I like background stamps in clear because it's cheaper and I just set them on the table face up to stamp them anyway - no need for a block!

[Donna Berkhof]

To Connie and all others who want to keep track, but don't want to separate stamps from their sets...here's what I do. It takes a little extra time when you first receive your sets, but it's worth it when you're searching for that specific image or phrase months or years down the road.
I have two 3-ring notebooks, one for images and one for words and greetings. Each has dividers for themes (birthday,sympathy etc. for words and trees, baby, large flower, butterfly etc. for images). Then I stamp each and every stamp on the pages where it fits and write in the name of the set it comes from. When I want a "thank you", I can turn to that section and see every "thank you" I own regardless of how old it is and learn what stamp set it is in. Then I just go to my alphabetically arranged stamp set and there it is. It's great for helping me find the phrase or image that fits in the space I have or fits the mood of the card I'm creating.
A little extra work, but a great pay-off!!!

[Susan B]

I love your idea and might have to look for some tins like that. I do not have a Target close to me. I love love love the photoplymer, than the wood and than clear. But I decided I need to buy more clear because also like you I have space issues. Thanks for sharing.

[Edna B.]

I prefer the wood, because I can read the woods on top. Otherwise I prefer unmounted as they take less space and are easy to use. Edna Again, Love your organized room. Wish mine looked so good.