Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I am looking for ideas on how to catalog all my sentiment stamps by theme (thank you, birthday, get well, etc.) so that when I am looking for the perfect sentiment I can see everything I have easily. I want to keep my stamp sets together. I also don't want it to take up a lot of space. Has anyone done this or have ideas?
I am currently working on this. I am stamping the sentiments on cardstock by theme and then numbering them so I can refer back to the stamp set where I can find them. The cardstock will eventually go into a 3-ring binder.
I am finding that I am having to rethink my categories as I find I have more of one theme than I thought and maybe not so many of another theme! And I'm having problems trying to decide how to divide up the more "everyday" type sayings. Inspirational? Friends? Kids/Teens? So many options and I'm trying to avoid putting the same sentiment in too many different categories.
I'm sure it will be a long works in progress, but it's already helped me a few times. So I've been encouraged to not give up and keep going!!
Typically I agree with Diane about EVERYTHING to do with organization, but I don't on this one, lol! I HAD a Rolodex, and it was a pain in my backside! I seem to be wheel-challenged, regardless of the form it takes. For example, I had to un-mount all of my Stampin'Up! wheels so they were just long, flat stamps because - even with a wheel guide - I could NOT roll that thing straight! As for the Rolodex, those stupid cards never spun the way I wanted them to, and I could never find anything without a few curse words (only in my head, of course - not out loud for others to hear...), so I gave up that idea.
I have all of my sets split up (like Diane), and I don't have an index of the images, but I do want one for the sentiments. I'm considering stamping them all on 4" x 6" index cards (large ones by themselves, and smaller ones several to a card) and putting them into inexpensive photo albums. The categories are where it gets tricky - I vote for thinking of how you are likely to use the sentiment, and categorize it that way...
If you do cards or a binder by subject...and if your stamp or stamps are for multiple uses...there's nothing stopping you from indexing it in every place it might be usable.
In any case, at each place, mark where to find the sentiment beside your image on your index.
Typically I agree with Diane about EVERYTHING to do with organization, but I don't on this one, lol!
LOL! I just think the Rolodex is cooool. Since I haven't got one yet I can't say that I would love one! I did see one at ARC the other day and resisted buying it because I don't have a place to put one.
Right now, I rely on my index cards that back where my stamp is actually found. But my sets are split up and the stamps are actually all together. I don't really need a separate index. Of course that assumes that I have all my index cards up to date. Which they aren't.
Thanks everyone for the good information! I am thinking that I will stamp my sentiments by category on 81/2 x 11 cardstock and label with the set it came from. I'll 3-hole punch it and put it in a binder.
I am also thinking of creating an index of the bits and pieces that come in a lot of sets - little hearts, stars, flowers, splats, etc. These 2 projects should keep me busy for a while!
I have been cataloging my stamps for quite awhile. I use the protective sheets that people use for baseball cards. I generally use one stamp per "card". I write what company and what stamp set on the back of the card, so I know where to find it. I put these sheets in a 3-ring binder according to categories ie: thank you, birthday, love/wedding, sympathy, get well,baby,animals, birds, flowers, etc. If the stamp fits more than one category, I stamp a card for each category. When I need a Happy Birthday stamp, I can flip to the birthday section and pick out just the right one for my project. It took awhile initially to get all my stamps cataloged, but now that I'm "caught up", it's just a matter of keeping current with doing any new stamps I might get.
Cataloging Sentiment Stamps
