Unmounting Project - All Done!!!

[marysmessages]

I bit the bullet, took the plunge and finally gave in and unmounted all of my SU sets!!! Hundreds of individual stamps once they're out of the cases!!!

Since I figured I'm the one who uses them, I wanted to organize them the way I want them, not necessarily the way they come. So all the birthday greetings are together, get well, Christmas, etc. I have all the sets like the Nice & Easy notes so those birthday ones went with Birthday, get well with the get well, etc. The only ones I really kept together were A Little Birdie Told Me, Loads of Love, Just B, Enjoy, and a few select others. Now, when I need a birthday message, I can just look at those sheets I have labeled with Birthday.

So - I used the Cropper Hopper plastic sheets to hold the stamps. These are 7x9 sheets of a heavy white plastic with a tab at the top. The package states that you can stamp the images on one side and store the stamps on the other...I didn't want to be "tied" to that so I used regular typing paper cut at 7 x 8 1/2 to make the "index" for each, and used vinyl (plastic?) page protectors from the office supply store as an "envelope" to hold each of the sheets together. If you've ever used these Cropper Hopper sheets, you'll discover that once your stamps are on them and you put them vertically into a shoe box or basket, etc., the stamps from one sheet stick to the sheet behind it - definitely a bummer and not very good at all.

It was a long, drawn out, messy and tedious project but it is DONE!!! YAY!!! I am so very excited. All my SU sets now fit into two boxes on a shelf instead of dozens and dozens of clamshell boxes stacked into a CD/DVR shelving unit.

It was worth the work!!

[marysmessages]

Forgot to add the best part - - when I used the sheet protectors as pockets, I cut them down to 9.25 by 8 and sealed the open side edge using the seal feature on my vacuum sealer - worked like a charm!! My very own, custom made, pockets!!

[ceramicat1]

Congratulations!

[Ccrops123]

I am in the process of doing the same!

Thanks for sharing the great ideas!

[Petu2000]

What did you do with all the clamshells and wood blocks? I am holding onto alot of wood blocks right now. Expecting to create some photo art project.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marysmessages

I bit the bullet, took the plunge and finally gave in and unmounted all of my SU sets!!! Hundreds of individual stamps once they're out of the cases!!!

Since I figured I'm the one who uses them, I wanted to organize them the way I want them, not necessarily the way they come. So all the birthday greetings are together, get well, Christmas, etc. I have all the sets like the Nice & Easy notes so those birthday ones went with Birthday, get well with the get well, etc. The only ones I really kept together were A Little Birdie Told Me, Loads of Love, Just B, Enjoy, and a few select others. Now, when I need a birthday message, I can just look at those sheets I have labeled with Birthday.

So - I used the Cropper Hopper plastic sheets to hold the stamps. These are 7x9 sheets of a heavy white plastic with a tab at the top. The package states that you can stamp the images on one side and store the stamps on the other...I didn't want to be "tied" to that so I used regular typing paper cut at 7 x 8 1/2 to make the "index" for each, and used vinyl (plastic?) page protectors from the office supply store as an "envelope" to hold each of the sheets together. If you've ever used these Cropper Hopper sheets, you'll discover that once your stamps are on them and you put them vertically into a shoe box or basket, etc., the stamps from one sheet stick to the sheet behind it - definitely a bummer and not very good at all.

It was a long, drawn out, messy and tedious project but it is DONE!!! YAY!!! I am so very excited. All my SU sets now fit into two boxes on a shelf instead of dozens and dozens of clamshell boxes stacked into a CD/DVR shelving unit.

It was worth the work!!

[maslex]

Nice!!!

I just started this task yesterday. I got one set done. LOL


Luckily I only have about 15 sets to do. I'm just starting to build up my stamp sets after selling everything I owned!!!


I bought my first cling set last Christmas and really like them. I have bought 12 more since.


Can't wait to get the rest done.

[marysmessages]

Hi -

The clam shells and wooden blocks all went into the recyle bin and was picked up this morning!! I thought about keeping the blocks for the grandkids but they were so sticky - on both sides that I just tossed them. LOL!! My DH would have had a fit if I kept all that stuff - we live in a little, bitty house - reminds me of a doll house - and there is a serious lack of storage here. This is why I collect old picnic baskets - they look nice in my 1890's house and they provide much needed storage. I have them in every single room and sometimes they are stacked 2-3 high. I get a huge grin on my face every time I go into my office and see my finished unmounting project - - what a relief to have that done! I also took all the stamps that I had stored in 8 1/2 x 11 acrylic frames (think single stamps from LSS) and put them into these HUGE clamshells that I got at a LSS - you can get them in Thin (like for unmounts), Thick (like for stamps on wood) or Thicker - not sure what to use those for. So I have those sorted and into about 8 of those clamshells. The single stamps did not make for easy unmounting - some of them really had no label to peel off to put onto the foam side of the stamp and for the life of me, I could figure out what to do about that...the Stamps by Judith for example, were that way and, therefore I stored them in the huge clamshells. Would really like to get those unmounted as well but am at a loss as to how to do it.

This Friday at 1 pm we start our annual DWWSE - Deer Widows Weekend Stamping Extravaganza - - 5 of us - fabulous food, fun, laughs, stamping, shopping, chick flicks, more food, more fun, more laughing, etc....for 5 whole days!!! Some days we stay in our PJs all day and just do our thing!!! Cannot wait!! Everyone brings a project to share with the others, we have a "swap meet" and bring all the stamps, embellishments, scraps, magazines, etc. that we've grown tired of and its all up for grabs - no money changes hands! We learn new techniques, new folds, etc. and it's a great time! No little kids, no hubbys, no schedules, no stress!!!

Bring on the fun!!

[Gdoreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marysmessages

Hi -

This Friday at 1 pm we start our annual DWWSE - Deer Widows Weekend Stamping Extravaganza - - 5 of us - fabulous food, fun, laughs, stamping, shopping, chick flicks, more food, more fun, more laughing, etc....for 5 whole days!!! Some days we stay in our PJs all day and just do our thing!!! Cannot wait!! Everyone brings a project to share with the others, we have a "swap meet" and bring all the stamps, embellishments, scraps, magazines, etc. that we've grown tired of and its all up for grabs - no money changes hands! We learn new techniques, new folds, etc. and it's a great time! No little kids, no hubbys, no schedules, no stress!!!

Bring on the fun!!

Wow, that sounds like awesome fun! I got excited just reading about it. Hope you had a great time!

[miaow322]

Congratulations! I just started the unmounting process today. I did nine sets and decided to pass along one. 10 done and too many to say out loud left to do! =-) I love that 9 DVD cases are as thick as three clam shell cases!

[quickstuff]

I just finished unmounting 80 sets and probably have another 80 sets to do plus all the single stamps.

I figure the blocks will make good fire wood when the power goes out. Saving the clam shells to put cards or other giftables.

[fionna51]

Congrats! Don't you just love it when it's all done??!!

I did my unmounting a while back, but I kept my sets together...on laminated cards. But recently I separated my sets and re-did my arrangements. I used half-sheet laminated cards, cut my page protectors in half, stamped a half-sheet index card, and slipped the index card and the laminated card with the stamps on it into the page protector. It reduced the space I used for all those stamps even more. I think I could almost double the stamps I have before I'd run out of space. Not that I really need that many stamps ;) !

As for wood blocks...the ones I had never mounted anything on went to my grandkids to play with. I've given away some of the blocks with labels to folks who wanted to MOUNT on wood and were willing to clean them up. I still have two mailing boxes to give away.

As for the cases...I sold a bunch and have a bunch left. I sell them for a pittance plus postage. People use them to store flowers and ribbon and all kinds of other goodies in them. I have some DVD cases from the clear mount stamps that I am going to list for trade in the BST forum.

Great fun clearing up the space!

[Mary56]

I want to do this! I've been hemming and hawing for years, but I'm beginning to think this is what I want to do -- for space reasons. Then again, I love the stamp pressure that comes from the wood mount.... Did anyone have to get over that?

[fionna51]

If you use a heavy acrylic block like those from Stampin Up or Close to my Heart, you won't find any difference in weight from using wood.

[jmscoping]

I need to finish this. I have about 30 sets left and then I need to,trim the labels and spray the adhesive... It's taken me over a year to finish all my sets.... It was just soooo overwhelming! But I'm glad I've done it... I use a lot more of my older retired sets now.

[NYstamper]

I have unmounted half of my wood mount sets so far, but just to bare rubber. Trying to decide which way I want to go. Right now I am sitting in my living room with my clear mount sets piled all around me. Decided to start condensing them and so far I have emptied twelve cases. Good snowy day project.

[marysmessages]

Hello and Happy New Year!!

I'm still loving my unmounteds - - more now than ever!! So easy to just pull out the birthday sheets, pick a sentiment and go....no more rummaging around through all the clamshells looking for the sentiment that you know you have, but hmmm, which clamshell is in it? what's the name of the set again?.... why can't I find it? This is SO MUCH easier!!!

I got a few new SU sets as Christmas gifts and they are already put together, the Tack It Over & Over applied, and put onto the plastic sheets and in the box. I use the Tack It Over & Over on ALL my unmounteds, even SU - - I don't like the way the SU stamps cling to the acrylic - for me, they always end up falling off! So, they get the "treatment" just like all the others! And it works great!

Don't be afraid fellow stampers - - it's a HUGE committment - but once you're done - you're done - and then you just have to keep up with it! I'd never go back now that I'm done!

Oh - and those CD/DVD "bookcases" that held all the clamshells? Now make beautiful "cubbies" for embellishments - sample 3D projects - pictures of family & friends - and other little things that I love and can't bear to part with.

All in all - - a great project!

Have fun!
Mary

[NavyWifeArmyMom]

Thank you to Mary for this wonderful thread!! My craft room is small, and in 5+ years of being an SU Demo I have acquired a LOT of sets of wood mount stamps - there just isn't enough room, and many have NEVER even been mounted!! This is definitely going to be a project that I embark on in the next couple of weeks!! I'm loving the idea of storing in CD containers. I'll be watching to see what others are doing - what pitfalls and successes they've had!!!

[Sundaystamper]

I spent my entire holiday vacation doing the same and blogging it!

Sundaystamper Papercrafts

[NavyWifeArmyMom]

The unmounting continues!! The night I read Mary's post, I had 4 empty CD cases, so I got started right off!! I have found that if I am careful, I can peel rubber AND the gray mounting foam from my Stampin' Up wood mounted stamps! Don't know yet how that will work on an acrylic block, but we shall see! Collecting all the wood blocks to take to our camp this summer and use in the campfire. I have also been able to peel the index picture from the other side of the wood block. I cut some colored copy paper to fit in the CD case and affixed the index picture to that, then put it in the front of the case. I haven't been quite so lucky with the little strip of title label that comes on the index sheet. Several have torn, so I have just been writing the set name & number of stamps right on the colored copy paper.

Since i was out of my original 4 empty CD cases, I went to Walmart & bought more. OOPS! Didn't realize that there was not a removable tray in the "slim" jewel cases!! I bought 30 for less than $10. Was thinking I would have to take them back, until about 2 this morning when I realized I have a LOT of CDs in the regular cases!! So, my afternoon has been spent re-housing 30 CDS, their covers and little books into the 30 slim jewel cases!! I have LOTS more CDs to go! I might even volunteer to re-house CDs for friends of mine (IF they purchase the jewel cases!) I'm thinking this is better than purchasing all new standard cases - yes!?!?!? However, at this rate, it's going to take a while to finish up this unmounting project!! ONWARD!!
PS: I should have also noted that all of my stamp sets have an "index sheet that I stamped when I mounted the stamps. I am keeping this sheet to put in the binder that I have as an "inventory" of my stamp sets.

[llpark2]

If anyone would like to sell or donate their wood blocks, please let me know. I will be glad to pay for shipping.
I'm looking for 1.5" up to 3" blocks.
Thanks

[fionna51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marysmessages

This Friday at 1 pm we start our annual DWWSE - Deer Widows Weekend Stamping Extravaganza - - 5 of us - fabulous food, fun, laughs, stamping, shopping, chick flicks, more food, more fun, more laughing, etc....for 5 whole days!!! Some days we stay in our PJs all day and just do our thing!!! Cannot wait!! Everyone brings a project to share with the others, we have a "swap meet" and bring all the stamps, embellishments, scraps, magazines, etc. that we've grown tired of and its all up for grabs - no money changes hands! We learn new techniques, new folds, etc. and it's a great time! No little kids, no hubbys, no schedules, no stress!!!

Bring on the fun!!

Sometimes I wish my hubby still liked to hunt. Then I could do something like this!

Congrats on your unmount project!!! I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!