Die/clear stamp storage + favorite retailers 4 card making?

I'd say Simon Says Stamp and Ellen Hutson are the big two for cardmaking (especially Simon since it carries a wider array of goods). I know that Simon has some issues (they can take a few days to ship your order and their customer service isn't always as friendly as it should be), but I shop there pretty frequently since they usually have a coupon for $5 off your order of $5 or more. Since their shipping is $6.99, it effectively makes shipping only $2, which is a steal especially for smaller orders, which is what I usually place.

Some other retailers I like:

The Stamp Market (only available on their website)
The Greetery (only available on their website)
The Ton (only available on their website)
A Pocketful of Happiness (beautiful designs but they're based in Germany; Simon Says Stamp carries some of their items, which is a good way to save on shipping)
Pigment Craft Co (Canadian based, Simon also carries some of their items)
Pinkfresh Studio (available on other websites but sometimes they'll have sales or clearance for much cheaper than other sites)
Cheap Scrapbook Stuff (this is more focused on scrapbooking supplies, but they carry a lot of Pinkfresh stamps/dies/stencils and they often have very generous coupon codes, so it can be a great way to pick up some discounted items)
Spellbinders (they often have great sales, I'll almost never buy anything new from Spellbinders because if you wait a few months, you might be able to pick it up at 40% off or more)
Mercari (If you're not familiar with it, this is a secondhand site like eBay. I sell there to do some destashing, and I've bought a few things too. The link is not to my shop, just the general site. You can sometimes find great deals on stamps/dies or find retired products here.)

Plastic sleeves for stamp and die storage work for me. I started with the thin plastic sleeves but have upgraded to the thicker Ellen Hutson brand. I also use her magnetic sheets. For the larger 6x8 stamp sets I use Tim Holtz stamp refill sheets (Amazon). All those sleeves are stored in various sizes of Fridge Binz (also Amazon). I use the deep split bin most often but the 8"x8"x6" works really well, too. Jennifer McGuire has several Youtube videos showing this storage system. I basically copied hers, right down to the dividers in the bins. www.jennifermcguireink.com/2014/07/video-small-large-clear-stamp-storage.html

As for online places to shop, Simon and Ellen are my favorites. I often buy directly from the manufacturer, especially at release time.

For inspiration, I follow the Instagram accounts of all my favorite stamp companies and card makers.

After lots of organization tries and fails, I settled on the Jennifer McGuire method using Fridge Bins and stamp pockets. I buy these from Amazon , in the 14.5x8x6 size because they work well in my shelving unit. I get these pockets for regular 4x6 stamp sets and these for the larger 6x8 stamp sets.

For purchases I usually buy from ScrapbookPal, Ellen Hutson, Scrapbook(dot)com or Simon Says Stamp, or direct from the stamp company if they're having a sale.

I use the stamp market storage pockets with their separates in fridge bins for storage.

For shopping I shop at:
1. Ellen Hutson
2. Simon says stamp
3. Visit firefly farm
4. The ton
5. Taylored expressions
6. The stamp market
7. The greetery
8. Lawn fawn
9. Queen and company
10. Butterfly reflections ink
11. Hello bluebird
12. Honeybee stamps

I collect too much stuff!

Yes on the EH sales. They also post quick technique clips on their IG.

I get the large and extra large Avery Elle brand stamp pockets from Amazon mostly because the shipping is free at $25.  I've tried other pockets from Amazon and they were crappy cellophane.

I did see that Laurie Wilson recommended CheckOutStore brand pockets.  I trust Laurie's opinion because she has been on lots of design teams and has accumulated tons of product that needs to be stored.  I have purchased the CheckOutStore stencil pockets and they are very sturdy.

www.instagram.com/laurie_willison/?hl=en

For small stamp sets and individual dies I use these CD sleeves: Maxell CD & DVD Keepers but they can be hard to find.

As far as Frig Bins, they are expensive.  I purchased some from Bed Bath & Beyond in the beginning of my organization but I've switched to these:

TIMART 4 Pack Pantry Organizers Bins. They are inexpensive but great quality and do not taper at the bottom so the storage pockets fit perfectly.  If you are going to look for "knock off" bins, make sure they don't taper at the bottom.  You'll be super frustrated when your pockets don't fit.

Another thing about bins to keep in mind.  Once you accumulate a lot of stand alone dies that need to be stored the bins get extremely heavy.  Using a large frig bin can be enticing because it holds a lot but it will get too heavy to handle.

Also, I use the Michaels Recollection cheap white card stock as the inserts in my pockets.  I tried the Park Lane brand white card stock and I didn't like it.  It's too gray for me.

I like the Share Handmade Kindness Facebook group.  It's a group started by Jennifer McGuire and a lot of stamp company owners and design team members are members of the group.  I hope this doesn't offend anyone...but I think the quality of cards posted in this group is higher/more sophisticated than other Facebook groups.

As far as retailers, I'm a huge fan of The Greetery, Honey Bee, Altenew and Hero Arts.  I know this is taboo but don't rule out AliExpress for stand alone dies.

I also recommend following card makers you like on Instagram.  I've noticed more card makers are giving up blogs and posting on Instagram.

  

I just tried a Honey Bee pad and it did not fit. I measured my Pad at its about 6 1/8” wide.

For stamps I somewhat follow Jennifer McGuire’s system, and buy Ellen Houston pockets in various places, including Amazon, depending what’s cheapest. One thing I changed: I had double frig bins for stamps but like pulling a bin to my desk to leaf through stamps, and the doubles were too big and too heavy. So I switched to the single ones.

For dies I use Simon Says Stamps 5” square pockets in bins that no longer are sold in the U.S., but there are many bins that work. Yes, some big dies stick out but I don’t care.

Like with the stamps, inexpensive cardstock is put in the pockets so dies are on one side and samples or extras behind it. I only use magnetic sheets for inviting/stacking dies - like circles of a billion sizes - and for a few sets with a ton of tiny dies. The rest of the dies are loose in the pockets and will not damage each other. It’s how some experts store their’s and how some companies ship them. By removing the rest of the magnetic sheets the space and weight was roughly halved.

I order supplies from tons of places, depending on sales and availability and how fast I need something. scrapbook.com, fran’s frantic stamper, simon says stamp, Ellen Hutson, a bunch of occasional places that pop up when I search for something - and then I check reviews or see if they’re a known quantity.

I recently bought I die I’d been searching for but which has been long retired from an eastern European company - blanking on the name! I took a chance but what a sweetheart the owner of the little shop was. And shipping wasn’t bad to the U.S! I’ll post it if I can find her.

Some companies have products I like but find their customer service wonky or lacking so buy their products from a company that I trust.

Sorry this is late but sounds like you’re set!

BTW, I only store dies with stamps if the dies don’t make sense without the stamp. If they need the stamp, they’re stored with the stamp in a stamp bin. Standalone dies are binned separately from stamps. I think that’s fairly common.

Ha, the die! Sometimes it’s the hunt itself more than the object of the hunt. I don’t have a photo account so can’t post it, but can email you a photo.

A card that used the die caught my eye. Then I imagined the die used to deboss envelope flaps. It just says “me to you,” (not from me to you) in a nice font with a tail at each end. See? Nothing special, but one I could see using a lot.