PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,312
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on May 12, 2021 3:43:34 GMT
I exclusively incorporate stamping into layouts, not cardmaking, planning, stamp art, junk journals, etc.. Also, I prefer wood mounted rubber to unmounted rubber and clear stamps. I do not own acrylic stamp sets & only a dozen or so photopolymer stamp sets. They are stored & readily accessible in an inexpensive clear freezer bin. I do have a few wood stamps and I use a plastic school pencil box. My stamps & supplies are housed in & on a (long-ago discontinued) PB Bedford 5-drawer cabinet that resembles a counter-height flat file. The clear freezer bin containing the dozen or so photopolymer stamp sets sits on top, while the first drawer of the cabinet contains inks, blocks, embossing powders, & other stamp-related tools. Wood-mounted rubber stamps occupy the remaining four wide drawers, loosely organized & labeled by type (e.g. alphabet, journaling, geometric) with one layer of stamps per drawer for ease in finding & returning stamps. I also keep a shallow wide bowl on my primary work surface to gather stamp-related supplies in hopes of not misplacing them.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,469
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on May 12, 2021 8:59:01 GMT
I'm really glad you asked this question as I was going through my stamp collection last week and found stamps I had forgotten I owned or could be better used if I stored them differently so I've been wondering how to improve my current storage.
I use an old DVD storage box and have added a couple of categories to make some of my stamps easier to find. I moved all my smaller than 4x6 stamps into the categories, previously they were stored together at the front of the box but rarely used unless I remembered to grab a specific one during a project. I'm hoping this will encourage me to use them more frequently.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,130
Jun 29, 2014 18:58:47 GMT
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Post by scrapnnana on May 12, 2021 16:46:22 GMT
For those who don’t have a lot of stamps, bins may work well. I’ve been a stamper and collector for 35 years, and I have far too many stamps to store in bins. I organize them all in binders. Most of my stamp collection is stored in Crop In Style Paper Sticker Binders (CIS PSB), which are no longer available ... The advantage to zippered binders is they store a lot of stamps (which can’t fall out), take up minimal space, and I can look through each binder extremely fast. I have tags for each of the binders listing what category or brand of stamps are in it. I organize by season as well as categories such as “sentiments,” but I also sort by stamp company in some cases. ... If you want more info, go to the following link to my blog post for how I organized them: My Stamp StorageThis is a great way to organize store if you’re a binder person. And it perfectly illustrates how individual our brains and organizing preferences are, because I’d say for those who don’t have a lot of stamps, binders work well. Though to contradict myself, obviously someone could have a ton of binders. I have a lot of stamp sets - even after a big purge - in six (?) long and a square bin. I wouldn’t be able to see see single categories on one binder page, so would need to flip back and forth, or open and shut binders to take pages out to compare. I do a quick flip through bins, angling or pulling final contenders but generally leave them in their clear pockets so I don’t need to remove them. ETA My system is similar to Jennifer McGuire’s ... The other reason I stopped using binders for any storage (not just stamps) was because opened up they take up so much space. It’s the same reason that hinged boxes and bins left the premises. If I have a stamp bin on the desk it’s only 6” wide (and goes back 14”). Though usually it’s not on the desk - it’s on a desk-height counter to my right made up of a few Ikea Alex units. ... A little clarification: most of my stamp collection is in multiple PSB CIS binders. Each of those can store 350 to 400 unmounted stamps in the Project Life pocket style page protectors. The binders that store 8.5x11 page protectors do not hold as much, but they still work for the stamps that don’t fit in my PSBs. My stamp collection would never fit comfortably in bins. I use stamps for both card making and scrapbooking. If I don’t have a patterned paper that fits my photos, I can and sometimes do create my own patterned papers with my stamps. I also don’t craft at a desk. I have a cluster of tables in the center of my craft room, so it’s easy for me to browse through a binder on one of the tables and still have plenty of room for my project. Since each binder has a label, I can also find what I want very fast. Even though I have an extremely large collection, I am pretty familiar with what I have. I don’t have to look through every binder to figure out what I want. Before I moved 5 years ago, I had a ton of wood mounted stamps. I unmounted and converted all of them prior to moving, because I didn’t want the added weight of the wood. I was already storing my clear stamps in the CIS PSBs, so I just added the converted rubber stamps to binders, too. As you said, though, brains are wired differently, and what works for me may not work well for everyone. It’s helpful for people to see the different systems of stamp storage. Also, PSB CIS zippered binders are no longer available except for a ridiculous price on eBay, although you can use a regular 12x12 binder.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,130
Jun 29, 2014 18:58:47 GMT
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Post by scrapnnana on May 12, 2021 16:54:04 GMT
I’ve been a stamper and collector for 35 years, and I have far too many stamps to store in bins. I organize them all in binders. Most of my stamp collection is stored in Crop In Style Paper Sticker Binders (CIS PSB), which are no longer available for a reasonable price. I reorganized my stamp collection at the start of this year. I had run out of room and needed more binders. Costco had some on sale that were left over from their fall school supplies, so I got them for about $8 each. They don’t hold as many stamps, unfortunately, but they work. If you want more info, go to the following link to my blog post for how I organized them: My Stamp StorageTFS! Would you mind sharing what type/brand of zippered binder the replacement Costco ones were that you found? Not that I could necessarily find the exact same ones, but I'd like to try one of the zippered ones and will be needing one more binder to get the rest of my polymer/clear stamps done. I'm currently using just a plain office-type binder because I had some unused ones laying around. I want to see if I like using the zip-around binders better. If nothing else I'll check back at Costco this summer when the new school supplies come out. I have not yet tackled removing all of my rubber stamps from their wood blocks, as that would be a huge undertaking. I have so many more wood-mounted stamps than clear/polymer stamps, so maybe I'll do it someday, but not anytime soon, LOL. I commend you for tackling that! For now, my wood-mounted stamp storage "system" (such as it is, haha) works fine for me. I have half in two organized/sectioned stackable bins that live on the floor below my scrap desk and the other half in a drawer unit (all are sorted loosely by category). The Costco ones are the Tech Gear brand. You can find them on Amazon, but they are more expensive there than what I bought them for. I moved to Texas from Northern Virginia a little over 4 years ago. I had a lot of wood mounted stamps. I knew for a couple of years beforehand that we would be moving, so I spent a little time a lot of evenings unmounting my wood stamps. We were paying for our own move, so I didn’t want the weight. It was totally worth the time it took to convert my wood mounted stamps. This blog post explains how I unmounted my wood stamps: Unmounting wood stamps
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Post by anniefb on May 12, 2021 18:26:27 GMT
I do mine by category.
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Post by CardBoxer on May 12, 2021 23:50:20 GMT
I’ve taken the Clutterbug test several times with different results, which is frustrating (about me, not her). I know you can be more than one type, but I wonder if one can be influenced by the space itself. I wish she was still on tv. She's currently filming a new season of her show in NY! Her whole family moved down here for a while. I've never seen her show but I love her YT channel. As for the Clutterbug test, I've had the same experience - my results have varied (bee or butterfly most often) at different times when I've tried it. But I think that's a function (flaw?) of the quiz itself, not on the person taking it. I don't think it's a well-designed quiz, IMHO (fun, but not totally informative). Answers can vary based on the state of things in my house at any given moment, and also there are many questions that I could have easily answered "all of the above"...but of course that was not an option, LOL. I have only just taken the quiz myself and there were definitely results that I think are true in one scenario but not in another, there were plenty where I couldn't pick just one answer, plus there's the organizing style I tend towards vs the style that helps me actually function. I think her videos are a bit more useful than the quiz itself. I saw one video where she mentioned people who love everything put neatly away but who leave piles of stuff out *specifically to annoy themselves* so they won't forget about it - that's me! I hate my piles, but if I pack stuff away neatly my brain thinks we're done. And because of whatever perfectionist mild-adhd procrastination brain thing I have going on, I have a lot of WIP piles. I’ll take a look on youtube. On tv I remember being a little confused by the categories too, but enjoyed the shows. For card making and other paper crafts I mostly like things put away but labeled, except for most often used things that either have to be in a reachable drawer (so still put away), or out. But I’d prefer the “outs” to be out in a visually appealing way to not feel mentally cluttered. Do you know if she’d categorize my half dozen long bins of stamps as being put away or out? They’re all in bins, but in a row on top of Alex units, don’t have lids and the stamp pockets stick up higher than the bin. Same with two different type of bins for dies in a cube on the other side of the room. I need to go back to review her bugs. Maybe the value isn’t so much finding an absolute category (unless it’s really clear) as it is really thinking about which way works best in different scenarios. Back to imagining/seeing ourselves using one method versus another to see what fits. Down to the nitty gritty details of imagining walking to get ____, bringing it to the table, and then like you said, putting it back. Which system feels the smoothest/causes the least angst for clean-up? I had to imagine all the steps.
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Post by joblackford on May 13, 2021 1:21:37 GMT
She's currently filming a new season of her show in NY! Her whole family moved down here for a while. I've never seen her show but I love her YT channel. I have only just taken the quiz myself and there were definitely results that I think are true in one scenario but not in another, there were plenty where I couldn't pick just one answer, plus there's the organizing style I tend towards vs the style that helps me actually function. I think her videos are a bit more useful than the quiz itself. I saw one video where she mentioned people who love everything put neatly away but who leave piles of stuff out *specifically to annoy themselves* so they won't forget about it - that's me! I hate my piles, but if I pack stuff away neatly my brain thinks we're done. And because of whatever perfectionist mild-adhd procrastination brain thing I have going on, I have a lot of WIP piles. I’ll take a look on youtube. On tv I remember being a little confused by the categories too, but enjoyed the shows. For card making and other paper crafts I mostly like things put away but labeled, except for most often used things that either have to be in a reachable drawer (so still put away), or out. But I’d prefer the “outs” to be out in a visually appealing way to not feel mentally cluttered. Do you know if she’d categorize my half dozen long bins of stamps as being put away or out? They’re all in bins, but in a row on top of Alex units, don’t have lids and the stamp pockets stick up higher than the bin. Same with two different type of bins for dies in a cube on the other side of the room. I need to go back to review her bugs. Maybe the value isn’t so much finding an absolute category (unless it’s really clear) as it is really thinking about which way works best in different scenarios. Back to imagining/seeing ourselves using one method versus another to see what fits. Down to the nitty gritty details of imagining walking to get ____, bringing it to the table, and then like you said, putting it back. Which system feels the smoothest/causes the least angst for clean-up? I had to imagine all the steps. I think she'd categorize the stamp bins differently if they're clear vs colored/white... idk! I think that a Cricket would put them in those bins but put the bins inside a cabinet with a door...? or maybe they'd choose opaque white bins so they couldn't see so much of what's inside? It might even make a difference whether you have them on top for easy access vs pulling out from the cubes like drawers (which is less visible and less accessible). I think Jennifer McGuire is a classic cricket, micro organized and most things put away in closed spaces, which might explain why her style of organizing is very popular but not all that easy to emulate for some people. I got Bee on my quiz and some things sounded right about me, but when I read the Cricket details it was almost all spot on, so I take it all with a grain of salt. I know that I'm cool with flipping through vertical files of things but I tend to put stuff back in a special place, sometimes at the front of the section, or I'll leave it out in a pile so I'll remember that I had an idea about how to use it... but my husband leaving all the toothbrushing things on the counter all the time drives me a little bit crazy. What is the medicine cabinet for?! (he's a Bee or a Butterfly and the rules of Clutterbug say I have to defer to his style. sigh).
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Post by joblackford on May 13, 2021 1:27:49 GMT
The other reason I stopped using binders for any storage (not just stamps) was because opened up they take up so much space. It’s the same reason that hinged boxes and bins left the premises. Oh yes! I bought a Totally Tiffany binder thing (not the humongous one but one of the smaller ones) and opened it took up my whole workspace. I also got rid of my Iris bins because they took up way too much space when they were open. The standard school binder I use for die cuts is small enough that I can balance it on my leg or on top of things I'm working on to look through but if I want to leave it open I have to move it to a different surface.
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Post by peachiceteas on May 13, 2021 6:50:15 GMT
I have a really small stash of stamps so I have them divided into two IKEA storage containers - one for 6x4 stamps, which live in Studio Calico stamp sleeves, and another for anything smaller that are in a mix of small polypockets and SC stamp sleeves. I don't divide them into categories as I generally know the stamp I'm looking for or it only takes me a few moments to flick through the box.
If I had a bigger collection I would organise by theme. I completely agree with the idea to organise by how your brain works.
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Post by CardBoxer on May 13, 2021 13:28:16 GMT
The other reason I stopped using binders for any storage (not just stamps) was because opened up they take up so much space. It’s the same reason that hinged boxes and bins left the premises. Oh yes! I bought a Totally Tiffany binder thing (not the humongous one but one of the smaller ones) and opened it took up my whole workspace. I also got rid of my Iris bins because they took up way too much space when they were open. The standard school binder I use for die cuts is small enough that I can balance it on my leg or on top of things I'm working on to look through but if I want to leave it open I have to move it to a different surface. Ha! Yes, many Iris bins were donated. Even smaller hinged boxes were irritating. If it was tiny that might be okay but not really. It’s not that my work surfaces are small. But if I have card stock, inks, blending tools, maybe my iPad (for an inspiration photo, video, technique description), etc. out, I don’t want a real estate thief too. And opening/closing binder rings and turning pages was never in my wheelhouse. Many years ago at work I had a ton of binders containing training programs that I was in and out of constantly, and finally took them all to a print shop. They had a hole punch machine that made larger than normal holes to make it easier to leaf through a million pages. Life was better.
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Post by tealpaperowl on May 13, 2021 13:37:18 GMT
I do them by theme. In clear envelopes with dividers. Very similar to Jennifer Mcguire's style!
I love this, I can easily find what I need. I also stamp every single set into a binder, categorized the same so I can see all I have.
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Post by CardBoxer on May 13, 2021 14:32:01 GMT
I’ll take a look on youtube. On tv I remember being a little confused by the categories too, but enjoyed the shows. For card making and other paper crafts I mostly like things put away but labeled, except for most often used things that either have to be in a reachable drawer (so still put away), or out. But I’d prefer the “outs” to be out in a visually appealing way to not feel mentally cluttered. Do you know if she’d categorize my half dozen long bins of stamps as being put away or out? They’re all in bins, but in a row on top of Alex units, don’t have lids and the stamp pockets stick up higher than the bin. Same with two different type of bins for dies in a cube on the other side of the room. I need to go back to review her bugs. Maybe the value isn’t so much finding an absolute category (unless it’s really clear) as it is really thinking about which way works best in different scenarios. Back to imagining/seeing ourselves using one method versus another to see what fits. Down to the nitty gritty details of imagining walking to get ____, bringing it to the table, and then like you said, putting it back. Which system feels the smoothest/causes the least angst for clean-up? I had to imagine all the steps. I think she'd categorize the stamp bins differently if they're clear vs colored/white... idk! I think that a Cricket would put them in those bins but put the bins inside a cabinet with a door...? or maybe they'd choose opaque white bins so they couldn't see so much of what's inside? It might even make a difference whether you have them on top for easy access vs pulling out from the cubes like drawers (which is less visible and less accessible). I think Jennifer McGuire is a classic cricket, micro organized and most things put away in closed spaces, which might explain why her style of organizing is very popular but not all that easy to emulate for some people. I got Bee on my quiz and some things sounded right about me, but when I read the Cricket details it was almost all spot on, so I take it all with a grain of salt. I know that I'm cool with flipping through vertical files of things but I tend to put stuff back in a special place, sometimes at the front of the section, or I'll leave it out in a pile so I'll remember that I had an idea about how to use it... but my husband leaving all the toothbrushing things on the counter all the time drives me a little bit crazy. What is the medicine cabinet for?! (he's a Bee or a Butterfly and the rules of Clutterbug say I have to defer to his style. sigh). Oh, good point about categorizing differently if bins weren’t transparent, put away, etc. I took the quiz again but gave up. I might be any bug depending on the items, item quantity and room function or functions. Some choices in the quiz seem so similar unless already familiar with her bugs. Like: 1 Out where I can easily use them and not misplace them 2 Organized properly and put away 3 Out of sight but still fast and easy to find 4 Visible and organized properly for quick access Without knowing the bugs, how would you differentiate between #2 and #3, or #1 and #4? #2 seems like #3, because if things were organized and put away they’d be out of sight but easy to find. I guess #2 is micro (cricket), and #3 is macro (ladybug), but you wouldn’t know that if new to her system. Not seeing clear differences, having several apply, or none apply, kept occurring. And the flow chart at the bottom of the page? I picked the three boxes but wanted the far right shelf with three objects, but you can’t traverse laterally. So maybe the point isn’t always perfect bug picking as being aware of four ways to organize to find the best fit. clutterbug.me/what-clutterbug-are-you-testOh, the bolded/italicized part of your post? Me! Though now we have our own bathrooms. I once bought him a small, clear acrylic drawer unit for his vanity top for contact lens cases, comb, etc., since he wouldn’t use vanity drawers. But he wouldn’t use the clear unit either since he didn’t get the point of “going through the hassle” of putting things away he was going to use daily. (I didn’t know the bugs then.) So I bought two small trays to corral items, which calmed my visual angst and he, butterfly-like, still put things out. And if guests were coming over so might use that bathroom, I’d put the trays in the closet.
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Post by CardBoxer on May 13, 2021 15:01:04 GMT
I made a mistake saying I made laminated copies of stamp sets if the set belonged in more than one themed category in my bins, noting where the set was. I did that briefly but it was a hassle since laminating takes pulling out the laminator, warming up and isn’t speedy.
Each set is still copied by plopping it onto my printer and the category the actual stamp set is in is noted. It’s cut to fit into a stamp pocket that also holds a cheap, thin piece of card stock for stability, like all stamp sets do a la Jennifer McGuire.
To designate certain stamps I might add colored dots since I have a bunch, or colored card stock. Still parsing that, as well as the best way to find certain sentiments that aren’t in sentiment sets. I’ll likely stamp them but have ruled out computerizing them, splitting up sets or a full sized binder. Maybe a small binder or folder with brads.
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vexedangel
Full Member
Posts: 359
Nov 4, 2018 20:14:04 GMT
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Post by vexedangel on May 16, 2021 0:09:45 GMT
I keep them on their backing and with their printed index, but in an Avery Elle 5x7 envelope. I cut the flaps off the AE envelopes. I also put in a sheet of white cardstock. Then in the upper right corner I put a label. 1-Ali E-Books, for example.
I sort them by categories. Some themed categories, but some more functional. For example, I have a section devoted to "card" stamps, in which I put all my sentiment stamps or sets that are obviously just for cards. I also have an Ali Edwards section just for her stamps, no matter the theme.
Then these are stored in order by the number at the front in IKEA boxes...they are more narrow than photo boxes and I can fit 2 side by side in my raskog. I tuck the lid under them and the envelopes stick out the top of the boxes and I can rifle through them.
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Post by retrofunscrapper on May 16, 2021 1:12:02 GMT
This thread cracked me up, because I just recently went down the rabbit hole of all the Clutterbug stuff on YouTube. I'm a cricket, and my husband is a bee. My mother (whom I've tried to help with organization in the past when asked) took the quiz this weekend and is a classic butterfly. The results helped her feel like her past attempts might just not have been tailored enough to her style, so I think that's positive. As for my stamps, I'm that weirdo who (despite being a nobody and not marketing anything) does sort everything by the manufacturer/designer. My brain is just more at peace that way. I have them in Avery Elle envelopes in bins in the upper decks of multiple Raskog carts for quick access, but I have uniform solid-color dividers at the front of each cart's rows due to my crickety desire for visual simplicity, LOL. I will admit, though, that I still have 1 full drawer of an Alex unit with neatly arranged & alphabetized sets in CD cases from back in the day (Papertrey Ink, etc). I think often about converting them, but they're sorted and fully functional as-is and none have gone bad due to the cases (The stamps are all high-quality, no cheap acrylic, so maybe that's why I've been lucky with that), so I'm kinda willing to leave those sets there unless a problem arises or it finally annoys me too much that they're stored differently.
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Post by Embri on May 18, 2021 7:20:01 GMT
The stamps are all high-quality, no cheap acrylic, so maybe that's why I've been lucky with that) In my experience it's the high quality photopolymers that end up fusing to CD cases, so please keep an eye on your stash. Maybe consider moving them to laminated sheets sized to fit in the CD cases, if you still like them for a storage method/container.
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Post by retrofunscrapper on May 19, 2021 20:36:03 GMT
The stamps are all high-quality, no cheap acrylic, so maybe that's why I've been lucky with that) In my experience it's the high quality photopolymers that end up fusing to CD cases, so please keep an eye on your stash. Maybe consider moving them to laminated sheets sized to fit in the CD cases, if you still like them for a storage method/container. Thank you so much for this advice! I may have lucked out more due to the dark drawer they were in, but you've convinced me I just need to go ahead and convert them to the same system as the majority of my stamps, and this way I'll be handling them all while reorganizing, so I can double-check that every single one is still okay.
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Post by Embri on May 20, 2021 2:32:54 GMT
UV does seem to play a role in it, so I don't doubt the dark drawers have helped. Not all photopolymers and CD cases use the same plastic formula either, so there's little predictability in the potential degradation. The better safe than sorry approach is a good choice, given how costly replacing many sets would be - if you can even find them!
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Post by Basket1lady on May 20, 2021 4:10:26 GMT
I just spent the most of April reorganizing my stamps. I had some in binders and some in CD cases and some in the original packaging and it just didn’t work for me to have them in so many places. I don’t have a lot, so I have them organized in 2 bins that I flip through. I only have a few categories—sayings, sets with dies, holiday, and everything else. I bought the pockets pages for Tim Holtz Binder Refill Sheets (which are actually pockets) and Tim Holtz Clear Storage Sheets. I cut the acrylic pages down to fit in the pocket to use with the smaller stamps and those that didn’t have the packaging anymore. It works really well. For the sets with dies, I had some magnetic sheets cut down to fit in the pocket pages too.
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craftgranny
Full Member
Posts: 174
Jul 30, 2020 11:56:27 GMT
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Post by craftgranny on Jun 1, 2021 16:29:58 GMT
I use binders and bins and like them both! I just took the organization test and I'm a bee and that would explain why I like everything displayed!
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Post by Citygirl on Jun 1, 2021 16:48:02 GMT
I just watched an IG video Laura Wonsik made where she cut up and separated a lot of her stamps and created her own custom stamp sets into categories. I don’t know if I would be brave enough to do it myself but I thought it was quite genius. Especially useful to group all of the random numbers together from the various AE story stamps.
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jediannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,841
Jun 30, 2014 3:19:06 GMT
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Post by jediannie on Jun 1, 2021 20:54:56 GMT
I just watched an IG video Laura Wonsik made where she cut up and separated a lot of her stamps and created her own custom stamp sets into categories. I don’t know if I would be brave enough to do it myself but I thought it was quite genius. Especially useful to group all of the random numbers together from the various AE story stamps. I watched it too and it gave me legit heart palpitations. I like the idea but I don't think I could do it because I do eventually sell off my stamps when I stop using them as much and having to put them all back together is too much work.
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