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I have been working on organizing all of my stamps sets today. I have taken pictures of all the stamp sets and printed them out for my catalog. My question to you is, what headings do you use for your catalogs? Birthdays, Winter, Christmas, Nature, Flowers......what else? What do you do with the ones that are nothing but sayings in the sets? Then I have some that have a stamp for each season. I am starting to get overwhelmed! Please help
I probably have more single stamps than sets, that being said most of all of my really old sets were broken up to make the moving to themes work for me.
and I have more sentiments than images so, categories I have mine in are Anniversary, Love, Congratulations, Happy Birthday, Christmas, Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer, Animals, Patriotic, friendship, Humor, garden, encouragement, get well, faith
there are probably others these are just the ones that come to mind first.
then the actual images are more like, people, fantasy (people), children,animals ( by their various types) because, I have more than one drawer of just people and one of just animals, same thing with flowers they are line images and then solid bold types, backgrounds, leaves, trees, scene building sets, ( like stamp scapes type things) buildings, fishing, coffee( drinks), food,
and my newer stamps are by mfg. ( but, nearly all my stamps are on cling foam or clear so, they are pretty much on laminate sheets in pockets now. ) there are a few hundred left on the blocks ( such as Personal Stamp Exchange botanical and the Original Stampa Rosa House Mouse stamps) but, This works for me because, I have a I pretty much know where to start looking for things type of a system.
I do more scrapbooking than card making so this system makes sense only to me.
I have organized all my stamps by theme:birthday
all other occasions, thank you
alphabets, numbers
floral
nature
artsy
textures, patterns
backgrounds
religious
kid/teen
journaling
motivation/inspiration
summer/travel/nautical
borders
odd stuff like coffee, retro designs, whatever is left
Christmas is in a big bin with DSP, embellishments, dies, etc.
All other holidays like Valentine's, Easter, Thanksgiving are in a smaller bin
I have been working on organizing all of my stamps sets today. I have taken pictures of all the stamp sets and printed them out for my catalog. My question to you is, what headings do you use for your catalogs? Birthdays, Winter, Christmas, Nature, Flowers......what else? What do you do with the ones that are nothing but sayings in the sets? Then I have some that have a stamp for each season. I am starting to get overwhelmed! Please help
When it comes to sets with only sayings in them, I classify them by the type of sentiment they are. My categories include:
Another method to consider, if you’re keeping it on a computer, is to use the photo info section on each one to do multiple categories. That way when you are searching for a particular thing they will all pop up regardless of which way you’ve organized the stamp itself.
Or maybe do a spreadsheet and have each stamp numbered?
I keep a spreadsheet with multiple tabs - a tab for sets, a tab for single stamps, a tab for stamps with text, a tab for stamp & die combos, etc. My columns include manufacturer, year, name, # in set, category, and any other attribute I am interested in (size, retired, associated punch, etc.). I can include multiple categories, so I can easily search. Some of my categories are:
I also use Stuftainers as storage for frequently used stamps (birthdays, sympathy, get well, etc.)
As long as I put a stamp I've used away, this system works well for me. I am thinking of adding a "lost" box for when stamps don't make it back to their set.
Last edited by Diane17; 06-30-2020 at 01:36 PM..
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It took a long time for me to reorganize my stamps, but it was SO worth it. Hang in there.
I started with fewer categories and found it took too long to find what I was looking for - especially in flowers and sentiments. Breaking categories down has helped me a lot.
I keep track of my supplies on Pinterest, so I don't buy doubles any more. I also pin card samples to make according to my stamp categories.
My categories: BABY/ CHILDHOOD BACKGROUNDS BDAY IMAGES BDAY SENTIMENTS BIBLE VERSES FAITH/ GOD PRAYERS BIRDS BUTTERFLIES CATS & DOGS CRITTERS HEDGIES CHRISTMAS/ WINTER FEMALES FLORAL – Classic FLORAL – Doodle FLORAL - Silhouettes FLORAL – Trees & Leaves GREETINGS sentiments (hi/ hello/ thinking of you) QUOTES sentiments SENTIMENTS - general SYMPATHY sentiments THANK YOU sentiments HEARTS/ Valentines HOME, Misc. MUSIC NATURE PATTERNS/ Flourishes RETRO TRAVEL WORDS & ALPHABET
I cross index mine. Some fit in a variety of categories. There might be one set that has flowers, with sayings and then a vintage look... all in one stamp set. If you are keeping your catalog on the computer, put the different tags in and when you want to pull up flowers, it will come up no matter how you've organized them. If you're printing out pictures of each stamp set, print multiple copies if the set belongs in more than one category.
I don't break up any of my stamps sets, so the ones with assorted sentiments and images were always a little hard to categorize. However, I recently decided to add an All Occasion category for those sentiments and images that depict a variety of seasons on the same sheet of stamps. Those sets with images are usually easier to sort into themes and general categories, but the sentiments were tough.
I also have a category for most of my sets that include only sentiments. I don't give it a theme..just call it sentiments.
That seems to be working to me so far. The problem is when I want to further sort by manufacturer...argh.
Karen
Just wanted to add that I don't have a catalogue per se of my stamps, but just make dividers that I use as I store my stamps upright in clear bins. I have two bins for animals, two bins for garden and flowers, etc. Within those bins, I have further dividers for things like Cats and Dogs, Woodland animals etc.
I have been working on organizing all of my stamps sets today. I have taken pictures of all the stamp sets and printed them out for my catalog. My question to you is, what headings do you use for your catalogs? Birthdays, Winter, Christmas, Nature, Flowers......what else? What do you do with the ones that are nothing but sayings in the sets? Then I have some that have a stamp for each season. I am starting to get overwhelmed! Please help
I don’t have a catalog but stamps are sorted into categories so are catalogue ready - if I ever made one!
First doing a broad, macro sort without getting bogged down in the weeds can go quickly and be less overwhelming. After you have those broad categories, you can go back into each one to decide if they need to be further broken down.
For instance, if you had 15 stamps in a Nature bucket that included flowers, trees and leaves, you may not want to further break that down. But if you had 80, you might want three categories: Flowers, Trees, Leaves. Or two: Flowers and Trees/Leaves.
Too many categories can almost be like having no categories. A lot has to do with how you think. Would you think “food” for a cake stamp or “birthday?”
I have typical categories, and one called Things. It contains objects, like a record player, cars and a watering can. They’re unrelated, but since I don’t stamp many “things,” and they were purchased with an event or person in mind, it works. Another category is Art, which has things that artists use, like paint brushes and pens and paint splats.
Enjoy, don’t worry about finishing quickly. And it’s never finished, usually.
I index mine by theme in the same way that I put them in my storage boxes. I have love/girly, sentiments, animals, get well/sympathy, masculine, kids/baby and vintage categories. In addition to your categories.
But mine are also cross referenced in many ways as my organization is in an app. I would go CRAZY, as in stark raving mad!!!, with my 10000 stamps (not sets) and almost 5000 dies (also not sets) plus paper, stencils, embossing folders etc if I didn’t have computerized organization. I can search by more refined themes, manufacturer, if it’s a good set for colouring, and by the sentiments in the set. And more. I highly recommend My Stuff Pro as it’s amazing. A bit of a learning curve to set it up but after that it’s a cinch.
I forgot to add that I store my unmounted stamps in a different way from my full sets. My unmounted single stamps (and a few sets) are in binders and organized by categories such as People, Animals, Travel, Scenery, etc.
My wood mounted SU sets are on shelves in two different rooms and are not catalogued at all. They're loosely organized by Floral sets, kids sets, vintage etc. All of my Christmas sets, whether wood or clear, are stored in 3 large containers in a cupboard. Yes, my stamps have pretty much taken over the house, ha!
Karen
I don't keep stamps in sets. I break them up into the categories that make sense to me. I let the individual stamp dictate how it is grouped. All sentiments/greetings are also grouped by theme. I don't care what set it came out of. I'm not limited what stamps go with what greetings---just what I think looks right or fits the situation.
I have gone through and reorganized my stamps at least a dozen times at this point - not only the categories and with stamps together or broken up, but also in the way they're stored (in binders, coin pages, DVD cases, sleeves, etc.). Here's where I'm at since I went the Airtable route to index them (thanks again, Lydia)...
I keep sets together - sort of. Images from a set are all together, and sentiments from a set are all together. Images are on laminated cardstock in photo sleeves (similar to Jennifer McGuire's system) in plastic bins from the bathroom department at Target. They are alphabetical by manufacturer and alphabetical within that manufacturer. Sentiments are on laminated cardstock in 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" binders, four pockets to a page. I sewed the page protectors with my sewing machine to make four pockets, rather than one. I do have some oversize sentiments and "word blocks" that won't fit in those pockets, so those page protectors were sewn in half horizontally to make two pockets for 4" x 5 1/2" cards. I can find anything in a matter of seconds now, where before I would be asking myself which category I put that particular image or sentiment in, and now - regardless of the occasion - I can find it because it's alphabetical, and the alphabet doesn't change, lol...
I have gone through and reorganized my stamps at least a dozen times at this point - not only the categories and with stamps together or broken up, but also in the way they're stored (in binders, coin pages, DVD cases, sleeves, etc.). Here's where I'm at since I went the Airtable route to index them (thanks again, Lydia)...
I keep sets together - sort of. Images from a set are all together, and sentiments from a set are all together. Images are on laminated cardstock in photo sleeves (similar to Jennifer McGuire's system) in plastic bins from the bathroom department at Target. They are alphabetical by manufacturer and alphabetical within that manufacturer. Sentiments are on laminated cardstock in 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" binders, four pockets to a page. I sewed the page protectors with my sewing machine to make four pockets, rather than one. I do have some oversize sentiments and "word blocks" that won't fit in those pockets, so those page protectors were sewn in half horizontally to make two pockets for 4" x 5 1/2" cards. I can find anything in a matter of seconds now, where before I would be asking myself which category I put that particular image or sentiment in, and now - regardless of the occasion - I can find it because it's alphabetical, and the alphabet doesn't change, lol...
Great idea Sue with page protectors. Why haven't I thought to sew pockets in my page protectors? Argh! I have some small stamp sets by Studio G that get lost in my usual organization bins so putting them in pockets would be a great way to keep them together. So am I correct in understanding that you store your image on laminated cardstock in bins, and your sentiments in page protector pockets? Do your store the sentiments from a set behind the images, or do you store all sentiments completely separate from images?
Still working on an organization method that works best. I like the alphabetization idea and do that by manufacturer. However, since I store whole sets, I don't alphabetize by theme...so it requires knowing which company makes which set, with with theme. Still not real efficient.
I just started using AirTable. I have a table for my stamp sets which has a picture of the set, a field for the set name, manufacture name and tags. I can then search the tags for what I'm looking for. I use tags like birthday, flowers, animals, trees, Christmas, etc. That way I don't have to group the stamp sets themselves by category. I have them in boxes alphabetically by set name.
When I had the sentiments with the images it was just too unwieldy, plus - as we've all discussed numerous times - lots of stamps cross over from one category to another, or even several others. I have all of the sentiments together in binders, alphabetical as mentioned. I have all of the images together in sleeves in bins, alphabetical as mentioned. Since everything is indexed and cross-referenced in Airtable, I can sort by what I'm looking for, see which set it's in and find it in an instant. Oftentimes I don't even have to do the Airtable search if it's a set I'm familiar with and can go straight to where I put it. I prefer "flipping" for images (sleeves in bins) and "leafing" for sentiments (pocket pages in small binders). Hopefully that all makes sense...
I just started using AirTable. I have a table for my stamp sets which has a picture of the set, a field for the set name, manufacture name and tags. I can then search the tags for what I'm looking for. I use tags like birthday, flowers, animals, trees, Christmas, etc. That way I don't have to group the stamp sets themselves by category. I have them in boxes alphabetically by set name.
This makes sense to me. If I cross index the stamps in an app, I don't have to think of where the stamp would be. It would be alphabetized by name of set.
I've been playing with AirTable. How do I get a picture in there? Can I just copy and paste or do I have to save the image to my computer and link the file?
This makes sense to me. If I cross index the stamps in an app, I don't have to think of where the stamp would be. It would be alphabetized by name of set.
I've been playing with AirTable. How do I get a picture in there? Can I just copy and paste or do I have to save the image to my computer and link the file?
Roxanne
When you click on the box where you want to put the photo (it needs to be one of the columns in your base) you get a "menu" along the left side of the pop-up window, and you can select which method you want to use to add a photo. You can paste a url, upload from your computer, take a photo, do a search for the image, etc. I usually do a search for the stamp set (or die) and copy the image link when I find one I like, then paste it and upload. So far it's been working just fine.
I know I'm going to sound like completely out of the loop (and yes, I am!) because I never even thought to catalogue my stamps in a program. My questions are many. 1. When you organize and catalogue a particular image and stamp, do you also indicate where you store it? For instance, I have binders and boxes in about 5 different areas of the house. Knowing that a particular image is by a certain manufacturer won't lead me to its location. So just wondering what most of you do. 2. How do you keep from being completely overwhelmed if you also end up cross-referencing? For instance, I might have a foliage stamp that is part of a set, which is by a certain manufacturer. It might be referenced under leaves, Christmas (because it's a holly sprig), and under the manufacturer and specific stamp set. How would you catalogue a leafy wreath that could be used for Christmas but is not a holly wreath?
I have a history of trying to organize something and then not being able to find anything anymore..eek! Thanks for any tips. Karen
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful ways ya’ll keep your stamps organized! It has helped me.
So as not to get overwhelmed and stop I have decided to keep my sets together. In my binder, I took a picture of each and every set and labeled it with the stamp set’s name and it’s location. Then, I placed the picture of then set in the section that it fits best (flowers, nature, humans, words, etc.) One of these days I will cross reference them. I should probably go it sooner rather than later since I only have about 200 sets right now plus about 100 individual stamps.
I made a sample ring that has all of my embossing folders on it. One 2.5x4 inch sheet of the embossed image held on a book ring. This way I can lay it on my card as I work to decide which looks better.
I love looking through my binder to find old sets that haven’t seen a stamp pad for many moons.
I am still slowly working on my die cut binder. It will be in sets with all of the shapes on the sheet. My rectangle, square, and circle sets take up more than one page, but it helps to decide which one to use mid project.
Again, thank you for all of your help! I really want to check out that AirTable app for when I go to stamp camps and buy older sets. I haven’t bough a duplicate yet (I make my hubby check my stash before I buy if I’m not sure, lol), but maybe the app will spare him.
The other advantage of Airtable (aside from avoiding duplicates, etc.) is that you can cross-reference so easily. Whatever labels you add to that set will pull that set into the search for ANY of those labels. To use Karen's example, the leafy wreath could be tagged: wreath, leaf, Christmas, holly, decor, winter, and a search for any of those tags would bring it up (along with all of the other options with the same tag). Since it's in the Airtable index under manufacturer/set name (if that's how you set it up) you know where it is as long as your storage system reflects your indexing system. If there is a matching/coordinating die, you can cross-index the stamp set to it, as well. Very customizable, user-friendly, and free!
I know I'm going to sound like completely out of the loop (and yes, I am!) because I never even thought to catalogue my stamps in a program. My questions are many. 1. When you organize and catalogue a particular image and stamp, do you also indicate where you store it? For instance, I have binders and boxes in about 5 different areas of the house. Knowing that a particular image is by a certain manufacturer won't lead me to its location. So just wondering what most of you do. 2. How do you keep from being completely overwhelmed if you also end up cross-referencing? For instance, I might have a foliage stamp that is part of a set, which is by a certain manufacturer. It might be referenced under leaves, Christmas (because it's a holly sprig), and under the manufacturer and specific stamp set. How would you catalogue a leafy wreath that could be used for Christmas but is not a holly wreath?
I have a history of trying to organize something and then not being able to find anything anymore..eek! Thanks for any tips. Karen
1- I don't actually have a program to categorize my stamps. Because I break up the stamp sets, I put the individual stamps in the box/drawer where that stamp should go. For example, if it is a leaf, it will go in one of the 3 drawers I have designated for leaves. I try to subdivide leaves into style or type, which may be maple leaves, gingko leaves (for those that are identifiable) or leaf branches, single branches (for those rather generic leaves). I don't worry about the manufacturer and I keep all my stamps in the same cabinet, so they are all in one general place.
2- Again, since stamp sets are broken up, if there is a holly stamp, I would put it in the Christmas section, with all the other holly stamps I have. I would never use it for anything else but at Christmas time. If is it s wreath of various leaves that could be used at anytime of the year it would go with leaves and most likely in the box that housed other stamps that were of multiple leaves or a spray of various leaves together.
That being said, I have a a few stamps that are able to be used for several things---one stamp that is a scribbled loopy wreath that can be a holiday wreath, a sunflower, just a circular decoration (I've even used it for a simplistic sun). I put it in my design/texture/abstract section with other stamps that are circles, squares, squiggles, and textures.
I do the same with greetings. All like greetings are put together and I decide which fonts/sentiments go with which stamps or design.
Since I am a wood block person, and don't unmount my stamps and mount those that I get that are unmounted, the blocks all have the index on top so I can see what I have when I pull out the drawer(s) that show leaves, for example. I look through the stamps by picking up the clear boxes that are stacked two deep, until I see what stamp will work for what I have in mind. Sometimes, I take out 3 or 4 stamps that I think might work. Often, the stamp takes me in an altogether different direction, but if I'm happy with the result, what the heck. I have the stamp set or name of the stamp written on the side of the block, so I can check here at SCS or on Pintrest to see what others have done with the stamp/set.
I do keep a 3 x 5 file card record of stamps by category. This is written by hand and I mark those that I own with an asterisk. There are some stamps I don't own used on cards I admire that I can use something I have instead. Since I make cards by the month using the same theme for all the cards I need to send out that month, I can just check the category/list of stamps to see what has been done for a starting point for my creations. I rarely make more than one of a kind cards, so need lots of inspiration that I often find right here on SCS.
Different people categorize in personal ways. What ever comes to mind when you see a stamp could help you. I'm not sure I would know how to find anything storing stamps in their original sets. I need to know where a particular stamp is, not what set it is in. Someone else has grouped them, so it is arbitrary and I would rather group them according to my ideas, rather than someone else's idea of how things should be grouped. Do what makes sense to you. Good luck!
This is something I am tackling currently as well. I have most of my blocked stamps unmounted now. I have my main themes but am finding that some themes need to be broken down a bit more; ie Christmas can be sayings, trees, decorations, etc. Easter is not just Easter but Spring... etc.
I appreciate all the themes mentioned here as it really helps.
I also just bought a bunch of stuftainers and love them. It is amazing how much space I will save not using shoe box and bigger totes. Just WOW!
Now if only I could shrink up all my punches!
Splatter, paint splatter, and something like messy - but only if you think to yourself, “Hmm, I want to do some messy journal pages,” or “I want a mixed media messy look.”
I have quite a few scribbly, uneven or sketchy stamps, and I’d need to think of a high level category to capture them - like messy or wonky.
I have many categories bc that is how my brain works.... I have large categories subdivided:
One is flower/garden. Mixed flowers, flowers alpha, Also includes trees, leaves, people, etc. Sheds, tools, fences and arches, etc. This is a huge category for me.
Two is Holidays-Judaica, Easter, St Pats, Christmas, New Years, Christmas is very big-sentiments, orns, greenery, santa, elves, gnomes, fairies, people, Misc Patriotic got moved.
Three is People and animals. So Babies, Children, Girls, boys, Women, Men, Gen Family, parents, Oldies...and then animals are by Air, Sea and Land. There is a toys also
Four would be sentiments...Lot there. Humor, retirement/work (new), Gen writing, happy birthday, hello/thinking of you, get well, sympathy, graduation, love, wedding, anniversary, moving/welcome, Best Wishes, thank you, apology, invites.
Five would be friendship- general, humor, serious, support, "together" dream, faith/believe, children, people, animals, AI girls...
Six would be educational-gen, teachers, reading, science, space, art, music and dance
Seven would Seasons-the 4 plus ocean with summer for shells, beach etc (vs fish etc in animal/sea) Snow and people/animal for winter.
Eight-MISC tags, sets, diet/exercise, travel, fly, sun, Nature (scenery), clothes, food, tea/coffee (new) western, patriotic, stars, fantasy, borders, frames, backgrounds, buildings, parks Misc (one of a kind stuff)
Now that's for stamps only. Sentiments can be in any category in the front like women, Christmas, Educational, etc. The dies, stencils, etc- having much less of them also have less categories.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is organizing! What I've done is use index cards, stamp the set images OR glue images cut from the catalog on the cards. I have my sets on shelves and in some large baskets. I tried to put them in catagories to start with, greeting, holidays etc. but after a couple of shelves I just decided to get it done and reorganize later if I want. I also made a list of each set on the shelf so I could just glance at that to help me find what I want. This took a while but I think it will save me time later, not having to "dig" for what I want. I put colored stickers on all my retired sets, dies and embossing folders. I keep my cardstock in hanging files labeled with the color.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is organizing! What I've done is use index cards, stamp the set images OR glue images cut from the catalog on the cards. I have my sets on shelves and in some large baskets. I tried to put them in catagories to start with, greeting, holidays etc. but after a couple of shelves I just decided to get it done and reorganize later if I want. I also made a list of each set on the shelf so I could just glance at that to help me find what I want. This took a while but I think it will save me time later, not having to "dig" for what I want. I put colored stickers on all my retired sets, dies and embossing folders. I keep my cardstock in hanging files labeled with the color.
Jan Cramer
I really like the idea of putting images on index cards. Much easier to pull out some index cards than boxes or totes, etc.
I wonder if acetate would be better though as then I could use that for sentiments, images, etc to see if it fits in a specific space.
Thanks for the great idea!
ETA: Been watching videos where "sentiment strips" keep getting mentioned, so thinking clear would be good to see from the front or back of a die.
And maybe paint. And/or ink. I have splotches and splatters - but also paint tubes and paint brushes, and have used some together from different sets.
Can I assume tags can be added after the fact, not just during setup?
If you're referring to Airtable then, yes, you can add/delete/rearrange/sort/etc. any/all of the columns/tags/photos/links/etc. that you ever put in... Totally and completely customizable and user-friendly!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is organizing! What I've done is use index cards, stamp the set images OR glue images cut from the catalog on the cards. I have my sets on shelves and in some large baskets. I tried to put them in catagories to start with, greeting, holidays etc. but after a couple of shelves I just decided to get it done and reorganize later if I want. I also made a list of each set on the shelf so I could just glance at that to help me find what I want. This took a while but I think it will save me time later, not having to "dig" for what I want. I put colored stickers on all my retired sets, dies and embossing folders. I keep my cardstock in hanging files labeled with the color.
Jan Cramer
I really like the idea of putting images on index cards. Much easier to pull out some index cards than boxes or totes, etc.
I wonder if acetate would be better though as then I could use that for sentiments, images, etc to see if it fits in a specific space.
Thanks for the great idea!
ETA: Been watching videos where "sentiment strips" keep getting mentioned, so thinking clear would be good to see from the front or back of a die.
Organization (Haha!)
