March Creative Chat- Stamp Storage

It's time for the MFT Creative Chat. The My Favorite Things Design Team Creative Chat is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative spaces and share valuable organizational methods, tools, and shopping strategies with you. You'll be able to peek into our creative spaces, ask questions, and share your own ideas in the MFT forum.  This month, we were asked the following questions:  

Show us how you store your MFT Stamps.

When I first started stamping, I was a Stampin' Up Demo, so I had TONS of wood mounted stamps in boxes. I bought a white bookshelf, and started storing them on it, til it was so full I thought it might collapse. As I started to venture out into the world, I discovered many other stamp companies, and LOTS of new FAVORITES!! 

I bought lots of single wood mounted stamps that I now keep in a drawer, but never use. I really need to sell them, but it sounds exhausting, LOL!

My unmounted rubber stamps that I bought individually, before I came up with my system now, are still in their original packaging, in another drawer....that I never use. 

From this, I discovered-I don't play with what I don't see-and then I saw what Jodi Collins does/did!! 

For most of my design teams, I get my stamps as sample sets, without packaging, so I had to find a way to make them to where I could see them, and what they are. I decided, thanks to a picture from Jodi Collin's stamp room, to store them in clear standard jewel CD cases. I buy them in bulk from Super Media Store, which is the most cost effective way I can see to get them. I bought a label maker, and my new system was born. 

Now when I first started, I used the handheld, turn and click kind of label maker, but recently upgraded to the one pictured above....best decision ever! I finally, after a TON of time, and LOTS of label tapes, got all my sets relabeled. I put the name of the set on each one, and then they are separated by company, and then in alphabetical order. 

That's my shelf in all it's glory...about to run out of space. And yes, there is another shelf you can't see....it's just as full, I just couldn't get it all in the picture(tinyapartmentsyndrom)I still have my Taylored Expressions stamps in their original packaging, but rubber stamps aren't ideal for CD case storage...you end up using at least two per set and THAT'S not space efficient. As you can see, after I am done making my cards/projects, I prop them up on the shelf for inspiration. It also helps me not to repeat the same paper over and over, which I tend to do, lol.  That clear card box on the second shelf is full of empty CD cases, so I always have some available for my new stamp arrivals, and stamps for future releases. :)

Any tips or tricks on organization? 

Besides all the tips I have shared above, I would say my BEST advice is to keep on top of your organization. Always putting things up where they go, and immediately putting new arrivals into cases will eliminate any backlog. Since I am OCD, and they have to be in ABC order, some month's I do a LOT of moving. For My MFT stamps, I tend to put all the a la modes, and Pure Innocence stamps from each release into the same CD holders.The PI's don't always fit into one, but I try. That means that SOME of those cases you see hold up to five sets.....I think I may have a few, what do you think?

Well, that is it for me for now!! Thanks for stopping by!

Visit Kim's Blog for a full list of designers that have taken up the challenge and get ready to delve into the minds of our creative team.