Stampy Goodness and How I Store Them

Let me start off by saying, I love all stamps.  But I prefer some storage methods over others.  Specifically, I like ALL UNMOUNTED stamps.  Seriously, I have an allergic reaction to wood mounted stamps.  Part of it is because I can't see through the blocks, that drives me nuts.  But also, wood mounted stamps take up mass amounts of space.  Huge. Amounts. Of. Space.  And I do not taking up more space than is absolutely necessary.  I've shared with you before how I store my stamps, but it wasn't a very effective post... So, let me share with you again, in more depth.  And show you how I unmount my wood block stamps.

How My Stamps Are Stored:

I store my stamps in these guys .  They have several different styles and sizes.  I found that the larger ones fit my needs better and the inserts that go inside are 8.5x11.  They are totally enclosed binder boxes so that if your stamps ever fall off the cling (which they don't) you don't loss them.  They will stay safe and secure inside your binders.  And as you can see, I store my stamps by Manufacturer.  In order to keep track, I have a Stamp Index (2 now) in which I have indexed my stamps by theme and stamp the image in each corresponding theme.  You may be wondering how many each binder can hold..... that depends on the thickness of your mounting foam/Acrylic Stamps.

I have 6 sheets with stamps on each side with paper divers between each sheet in this binder.  And it closes perfectly, snug but perfect.

My foam mounted ones can fit 4 double sided pages per a binder.  This binder particularly holds my stamps from Unity.  Unity Stamp Company has full 8.5x11 sheets of stamps that they sell, and I can fit one whole sheet on each page.

The stamps themselves are stored on EZMount Lightweight Storage Panels.  It was cheaper and easier or me to purchase them rather than buy chipboard and laminate it.  I have also seen options in which you place the chipboard in sheet protectors.  There are a lot of options for creating these Storage Panels, and for purchasing, this was just the option that I went with and am very happy with.   

I like to be organized, and see what's in each box, so on the cover, I save all the stamp inserts and such and put them on the cover of the binder that they are in.  Just like this:

 Now, just for the record, not all of these stamps come as clear mount (meaning use with an acrylic block).  Sometimes I do have to unmount my stamps from the block and change them over to static cling.  To do that, you need the following supplies

• Microwave
• Sharp coated scissors with a good point on them such as Tim Holtz or Cutter Bee.
• Static Cling Cushion (EZMount by Sunday International, or Hambo)
• Just a note.  Hambo is much much cheaper than the Sunday International brand.  I have never used it, just made my first order, I'll let you know how it goes)
•  Goo Gone - to clean your scissors after you're done.

 

1.  Heat your stamps in the microwave, I put mine in a glass dish first, just so that it makes it easier to handle them.  You will want to cook your stamps for about 1min30 seconds.  This is to heat the glues that hold your stamp, cushion, and block together.

 

2.  Next, you will want to peal the stamp fromt he block, and then peal the cushion from the stamp

 3.  You will place the unmounted stamp onto the sticky side of the cling cushion.  With the Image side up.  I generally do a whole bunch of stamps at the same time, or a sheet at a time.

 4.  Once that is done.  You will cut around the stamp.  Make sure to not cut into the image.  And you need to cut straight.  Meaning, do not cut the excess foam off at an angle.  If you do, the foam will not completely cover your stamp.  This leads to uneven pressure when you use your stamp which means wonky images.  This is the stamp in which your scissors will get gooey and ewwy.  That's okay, it'll clean up.  Some people dust the stamps and sticky stuff with baby powder to reduce the stick.  I didn't notice a different.
5.  Last, you flip the stamp over, and peel the backing off - this is the side that has the static cling to it.  And it is ready to store!