As a neat-and-tidy organizer of stuff, I have always been stymied by ink pads. They share the same flaw that stamps have: there is no standard size, shape, or form to make storage easy. Some pads are shaped like dew drops, some like cat's eyes, some like cubes, some like ovoids, and some like whatever you call 3D rectangles. Blocks? I don't know and haven't had enough coffee to look the answer up on that Google thing, but some pads come in different sizes of rectangle with different features like flip lids or detachable lids or grooves to make holding them easier. And then there are Ancient Page inks. Good grief. Why did they put curves on the sides of the rectangles?!?
It's an OCD nightmare.
Anyway, there are very expensive and very beautiful, wooden ink pad holders that I would love to buy, but DANG. The money! I would rather buy ink pads. So with my low-cost, low-class solution to the problem of ink pad storage, I've found a way to have my ink pads and use them, too.
Sterilite storage drawers. The drawers slide out easily (no pesky catches), fit in two towers on my desk, and allow me to organize my inks by 1) type of ink, and 2) color.
Pictures are better than words.
A. Water-resistant Dye Inks
B. Shimmery Pigment Inks of the Fast-Drying Variety
C. Fast-drying Pigment Inks That Don't Shimmer but Look Great Anyway
D. Spectrum Ink Pads
E. Odd Inks I Don't Use Very Often for Various Reasons But Still Need
F. StampinUp Colors I Can't Part With
I pull out drawers as needed and stack them on my desk. It's so easy to move the light-weight drawers around, slide them back into place, and keep track of everything. Sorting by ink type means I never have more than three drawers out at once because I don't generally mix inks.
I DO USE all my inks. As with everything else in my stash, I cull periodically and get rid of whatever isn't working for me. This keeps my ink collection fresh and useful, not to mention so very pretty. Don't you just enjoy staring at all those wonderful colors!!??!
If you want to know more about types of inks and which brands I prefer (and why), check out my tabbed page on
Favorite Products. Always remember that one person's experience may not be the same as another's. If you're thinking about trying a new kind of ink, I recommend buying just a couple of colors and experimenting. That's what I did with distress inks, which turned out not to be for me. I was only out a few dollars and learned my lesson the easy way!
Now it's your turn. How do you store your inks? Have you invested in an expensive wooden storage, or do you use cheap baskets? How do you sort your inks...by brand, color, type? Inquiring minds, and all that.
