Sigh.
[Those of you with sharp eyes will notice two empty drawers. I plan for the future.]
These drawers are the most efficient, cost-effective way to store loose stamps and Hero Arts sets, of which I have quite a few. Each drawer has a theme, such as Cooking/House, Thank You, Birthday, Non-Christmas Holidays, SU Animal Sets, Block Flowers, etc. I love how I can pull a whole drawer out and take it to my desk if I'm not sure what I want to stamp.
This is my Leaf drawer:
And my Tree drawer:
StampinUp floral sets fit nicely on end in one of the deep drawers because I have too many of them for the flat drawers:
Wow. My non-SU animal/insect drawer is a mess, isn't it? Sorry about that.
Here are some shadow stamps:
And here are some more shadow stamps:
This drawer has sayings and quotations:
This entire six-drawer unit is full of Christmas stamps:
See:
See:
See. I think you get the point. I have a lot of Christmas stamps.
My PTI, Hero Arts, and Mark's Finest Papers stamp sets are in CD holders on top of the plastic units. Each is grouped by manufacturer, and then subcategorized by whatever system seems most useful for the particulars of that manufacturer. I also occasionally include the clear sets with the loose stamps in the drawers when the whole set applies to a category there. For instance, Birthday Basics from PTI is in the Birthday Drawer.
This little stack is new stuff I haven't played with yet. Don't you love that tree? It's from Hero Arts. I've had my eye on it for a while and found it on sale last week at Michael's. Yippy!
Every four to six months I completely reorganize my stamps. From the messiness of some drawers, it's obvious that I'll be reorganizing soon. If I ever hit upon the perfect system, I'll be sure to share in detail, but frankly, I believe there is no perfect system. It's just fun to move them all about every once in a while.
No. I'm not AR/OC.
Well, maybe just a little bit.
So...I finally got my wish fulfilled :) I could see ur collection :)
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff...!!
Definitely an obsession :P
I'm forwarding this post to my older daughter who, 3 weeks ago, completely re-organized, cleaned and purged my stamping area and has since forbid me to buy anything else that is stamping-related. She kept telling me she was in shock from seeing what I had. But.....Sweetie, you've got me beat!!!
ReplyDeleteWowsers! I am going to show your collection to my DH- that way he will think I'm pretty good and won't mind me buying a few more sets! Thanks for sharing your room- I organised my embellishments by colour as you suggested last time and it is working very well!
ReplyDeleteOh my, this is hilarious. The only other stamp collection I've seen that size belongs to a lady who has owned an art stamp store for 15 years. Her personal collection exceeds her store inventory of stamps by 100's.
ReplyDeleteDid it take you long to determine which stamp brands were worthy of focus? I mean, do you have alot of stamps that don't yield a clean image or do you junk them as useless?
Thanks for sharing.
Oh. My. Gosh!!
ReplyDeleteI'm blown away by all those stamps...but I do love your storage system :)
I am in AWE!!! I thought I had a problem, er, obsession, um passion.
ReplyDeleteWow, sooooooooo many stamps!!
ReplyDeleteJust sitting here drooling, don't care what they come in or if they're well organised, just give me stampsssss! You have a serious collection, I'm pleased to note! Thank you for sharing :D xx
ReplyDeleteShould I be worried that I don't think your collection is as obsessive as some of your other posters? It kinda looks like mine! It's fun to see some of the stamps we have in common -- and some I used to have, and some that I wish I had, and....
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Have fun playing with the new goodies, too.
@Angela: No, you shouldn't be worried. I really do NOT understand why everyone is so surprised. *wink*
ReplyDelete@Bahb: I'll do a whole post about how I have chosen stamps over the years. It's a long story of growth and maturity. Well, I think maturity. Guess I should leave that judgment up to you all!
My WV is "comical." Should I be offended?
So... Is that bad? It looks similar to mine, but, better organized. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never seen so many stamps outside of a store! I love your organization.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Same stamp storage as mine! Seriously LOVE my iris carts (as I call them!) And I have all my stamps arranged by theme, too. Have many of the same stamps as you, too. Hmmmmm. Here's a little tip I discovered a few years back when the iris carts were appearing to take over our home....to maximize your storage in these thin drawers, do a single layer of stamps on the bottom of the drawer. Then, puchase (on sale of course...hobby lobby has them on sale a lot) the 8-1/2"x11" cheap, clear acrylic box frames. Throw away the cardboard, and use the frame as a tray to store even more stamps in the same drawer. All you have to do is lift out the tray to see what is on the bottom of the drawer. Very important to use the size I mentioned in order to have sufficient storage as well as ease of removal. If I've been as clear as mud, I can send a pic of one of my drawers!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I just loved taking a peek in your drawers! I loved finding I have a few stamps that you do, and I lusted over more than a few that you have and I don't! And I do NOT think you have too many, it's just that they're wood-mounted and LOOK like there's so much. When you show us a picture of your PTI storage system, I'm sure it'll be much more consise. BTW, I've been looking for a "ground" stamp for a long time now, and noticed you have a few blue & green ones in the front of one drawer. Are they from Hero Arts?
ReplyDeleteSusan, me again. Sorry I missed your PTI storage pic the first time around. I just re-read your post, and saw it. All I can say in my defense is that my DH was bothering me at the time. So I showed him the pics of your stamps and he has slunk quietly away.....
ReplyDeleteSue, yes those ground stamps are from hero Arts. They were discontinued several years ago, however, and I've had other readers try and fail to locate them for sale anywhere. It's so sad!
ReplyDeleteGlad I helped you to put your honey in his place. How dare they bother us, LOL!
wow, you do have a lot of stamps!! Mine are only stored in those photo boxes that Michael's sells ... and they are only categorized by manufacturer - SU!, Hero Arts, smARTworks, and 'other'. And of course I have my CD stacker full of PTI. Your system is much better !!
ReplyDeleteLoose stamp storage is an issue!! Most of my loose stamps are A Muse and I have them in printers trays on the walls cause they are decorations (to me anyway) - You have a LOT of stamps but what caught my eye is your new Hero Arts Swirl Tree - I just got that stamp too and I inaugurated it last night - http://msmathey.blogspot.com/2010/08/pdccc44-colour-horribilis-challenge.html
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to see your storage system. I don't feel too bad about mine now as I also use the same system. I am in the process of reorganizing them all. I see so many stamps that we both have and that I love. Such a fun passion!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this post, I just chuckled.... because that's what I spent my weekend doing - reorganizing my stamps into the same Iris carts and trying to come up with some new 'categories' for filing away the stamps. All day saturday the sofa was off limits since I was using that as my sorting surface.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the validation that I'm not that crazy; that there are others who share the passion! I'm embarrased to say...my passion is now running over... but I have an understanding husband. :->
Awesome! Storage is a big issue, I love yours.I categorized my stamps last year by Holiday or Season and then I couldn't find anything. LOL Previous to that I had them according to size of the wood blocks in 12 x 12 storage units I got at Michael's on sale and have since accumulated a few clear sets, plus some SU sets. I love your idea of Trees, Florals, etc. I'm sure it's an ever evolving thing for everyone. Thank you for sharing Yours because it gives us more ideas since we all do things differently. Have a Great Day!
ReplyDeleteI am not in the least surprised that you have a lot of stamps, but... wow, that's a lot of stamps! I feel the itch to shop! No wonder I'm not constantly inspired. :P As to your reorganizing every so often, I do that even with my teeny collection... it's a great way to rediscover neglected images. When my Christmas stamps come out (very soon), that will be the first thing I do, just to reacquaint myself.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if I were to place all my supplies in one spot, I'd have what you have. Being in an apt means my space is really limited. To make up for that, I store things in different places. Not all my stamps can be in the same place but they are all catagorized in their own way. I've been a huge Anna Griffin fan, so the majority of my stamps are hers, but I have about a dozen PTI, as well. I love Waltzingmouse stamps (FAB designs & great quality!) and have several sets. I never tire of my stash, but do re-arrange often. It helps remind me of what I have :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for always inspiring!
Susan, have you ever posted a picture of your ink pad storage? I've got a similar stamp storage set-up and it's working for me, but I'm struggling with how best to store my ink pads.
ReplyDeleteWow...That's a pretty neat way to keep crafting things! And I ma sure you have spent enough time to organize it. Well done girl. I wish one day I will have a space like that as currently we have a small apartment in heart of IT hub California.
ReplyDeletewow!! you have a lot of stamps!! but i think you know that, lol!!
ReplyDelete