Melissa
07-14-2005, 02:19 AM
For anyone who has stamps, I've come up with a pretty nifty way of keeping track of your stamp sets and miscellaneous stamps. See below:
Okay, so since I became a demonstrator, I've amassed a huge assortment of stamp sets. So many it's almost overwhelming! I do a lot of in-home stamp camps and people are always rifling through my stamp sets, so that any system of order I've ever tried to implement never seems to last very long. I have created a new, and very well-organized system if I say so myself, that just passed the third stamp camp test, so I'm gonna share it with you guys.
Okay, to start off with, you're gonna need a 3-ring binder, your stamps, a basic ink pad (or more if you feel like being super creative, which I didn't have time for). You're also gonna need plain white paper and plastic sheet protectors (optional), and some kind of labeling system (I used one of the instant label printer thingies).
What I did was on each page, I stamped out each image from the set, then I labeled the sheet protector with the name of the stamp set, the item # (if I had it) and if it was retired or not. This part is optional, I only did this because I always had people asking me if a particular set is retired or not, and I got tired of having to look it up and see. Anyway, after I stamped out each image, I organized them in my binder, by category: Christmas, text/message stamps, birthday, animals, etc. - however you feel like organizing them.
After I had my booklet made, I organized all my stamps how I wanted them, then I printed out a master map and inserted it in the front of the binder. Now, if people go searching for a set, they don't have to rifle through hundreds, they just consult the map, go right to it and then PUT IT BACK where they found it! It's easier on them and it's easier on me! I just thought I'd share this in case anyone else was looking for an easier way to store their stamps.
This system also makes it easier for me when I'm making a card, because if I am feeling a little empty on ideas, I simply have to flip open the book and see which stamps strike my fancy for that day.
* A slight variation that I plan on doing in the future is to add an extra sheet protector behind each stamp set and include a few sample cards/examples. I have a few, but this is gonna take a LONG time, so I'm not nearly close to finishing that one yet!
Okay, so since I became a demonstrator, I've amassed a huge assortment of stamp sets. So many it's almost overwhelming! I do a lot of in-home stamp camps and people are always rifling through my stamp sets, so that any system of order I've ever tried to implement never seems to last very long. I have created a new, and very well-organized system if I say so myself, that just passed the third stamp camp test, so I'm gonna share it with you guys.
Okay, to start off with, you're gonna need a 3-ring binder, your stamps, a basic ink pad (or more if you feel like being super creative, which I didn't have time for). You're also gonna need plain white paper and plastic sheet protectors (optional), and some kind of labeling system (I used one of the instant label printer thingies).
What I did was on each page, I stamped out each image from the set, then I labeled the sheet protector with the name of the stamp set, the item # (if I had it) and if it was retired or not. This part is optional, I only did this because I always had people asking me if a particular set is retired or not, and I got tired of having to look it up and see. Anyway, after I stamped out each image, I organized them in my binder, by category: Christmas, text/message stamps, birthday, animals, etc. - however you feel like organizing them.
After I had my booklet made, I organized all my stamps how I wanted them, then I printed out a master map and inserted it in the front of the binder. Now, if people go searching for a set, they don't have to rifle through hundreds, they just consult the map, go right to it and then PUT IT BACK where they found it! It's easier on them and it's easier on me! I just thought I'd share this in case anyone else was looking for an easier way to store their stamps.
This system also makes it easier for me when I'm making a card, because if I am feeling a little empty on ideas, I simply have to flip open the book and see which stamps strike my fancy for that day.
* A slight variation that I plan on doing in the future is to add an extra sheet protector behind each stamp set and include a few sample cards/examples. I have a few, but this is gonna take a LONG time, so I'm not nearly close to finishing that one yet!