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Help storing actual wooden stamps (then locating them!)
I am not a wiz when it comes to anything internet or with just computers. I just got the internet, 4 years ago. We weren't on the information highway by any means. We were on a dusty one lane road, with a chisel and a stone tablet. And Believe me, I went with my heals dug in and screaming the whole way.
Four years later, I'm on that ol' highway, in a super charged Mustang!
I have what I feel, a large wood and cling stamp collection.
I would like to have stampers share with me, how you keep an inventory,please.
I have never made a spreadsheet. I will need a system that is super easy.
**** I also need help in STORING THE ACTUAL STAMPS, (approx 4,500!)
Last edited by Mischelle1; 11-16-2020 at 07:39 AM..
Reason: Adding more info
I use Evernote: https://evernote.com/ This is free if you limit to 2 devices. I use a computer and the app on my smartphone. I started with just stamps by set. You can type in sentiments or what is pictured, separated by commas. If I want to look up Thank you, I type it in and it brings up all the sets and individual stamps that say thank you. The entries include pictures. If I can find a picture online, I save the picture and put it into the file. If I can't find a picture online, I take my own digital picture and put it into the file.
Over the years I have added more Notebooks (categories) Alcohol Ink, Dies, Distress Ink, Distress Oxide Ink, Embossing Folder, Embossing Powder, Sprays, Stickles, Stencils, etc.
This has also saved me from buying items I already have at home!
Last edited by KeyboardKid; 08-04-2020 at 07:00 PM..
My name is Anna and I'm a dinosaur. I still have a Rolodex for phone numbers and an old flip phone. For my stamps I looked at Evernote and AirTable but I just couldn't take the time to learn how to do it. So I just stamp all my stamps on file cards (with name and where to find the stamp), and have them divided by themes in a photo box. The down fall to online inventory for me was I couldn't see what the actual size of the stamp was, which meant if I needed a 2 inch stamp to fit a specific place I would have to dig the stamp out to see if it would fit.
Thank you so very much! My tech able kiddos, thought I could learn Airtable. I have watched and read Lydia's Blog for a few years. So, I can see my weekend will be busy!
Move over girl. I too have a stamped binder with my stamps in it. At first, all I did was stamp, write date, how much it cost. Then I added dates with the name of a project I made with it. Also, I would stamp the stamp in various colors and types of ink.
I too, have a flip phone. I have a smart one, too. When my first smart phone, went down hill, I replaced it with the flip one. But, I needed a bit more apps. So now I have both.
My name is Anna and I'm a dinosaur. I still have a Rolodex for phone numbers and an old flip phone. For my stamps I looked at Evernote and AirTable but I just couldn't take the time to learn how to do it. So I just stamp all my stamps on file cards (with name and where to find the stamp), and have them divided by themes in a photo box. The down fall to online inventory for me was I couldn't see what the actual size of the stamp was, which meant if I needed a 2 inch stamp to fit a specific place I would have to dig the stamp out to see if it would fit.
I'm a dinosaur, too, but I have both a physical stamped index so I can see what the image/sentiment looks like and what size it is, and the Airtable index so I can search for a specific image/sentiment and see photos of what the whole set looks like. The stamped index is by category and the Airtable is by manufacturer.
Oh that is funny Sue, ( I have binders by category and my evernote is by mfg.) so I am grinning. ( every so often I think, you could toss the binders but, I actually never do)
I still have binders too by category. I am not super strong on computers. I am fine with pulling them and flipping pages. I was advised to do this in my first stamp class by the teacher who said over time you will not remember what you have. She was so right.
I made the one mistake in the beginning of not noting whose stamp it is and the name but I do that now. If it does not have a date on it I will write the year I bought it so I know if they are eligible for challenges for older stamps.
I've been traveling on this highway for a number of years and use to use a wonderful program called PageSage that kept track of my stamps AND more importantly to me, a list of all my cards I'd made and to whom they were sent. Unfortunately, this was a product of a husband/wife team and when they split up, PageSage was gone. I now use Excel for keeping track of my cards, which works ok. For my stamps, I use Pinterest & have created several Private Boards for various categories. It works pretty well and no matter where you are, you can access it, which is a nice bonus! Plus, it's easy!!
I use Rolodexes for my inventory. I stamp the image on the Rolodex card and file it under its appropriate heading, like animals, water, background, etc., and I have the coordinating clear shoe box with the heading on it. I photocopy sets and attach them to the Rolodex card. They are so small I can't read the sentiments, but I can make out the image. I keep them in a separate shoe box. When I weed out my stamps, I just remove the card from the file. Stampin' Up! sets are different. I organize the ones in a clam shell in sweater boxes alphabetically. The flat boxes I store in a separate box by alphabetical order along with punches and other accessories. I have a note book that is roughly in alphabetical order. The ones in clam shells are in the front, then the flatter one next.
__________________ Comparison is the thief of joy.
I'm very OCD so I've tried numerous methods. My latest one is to stamp images on card stock and put in binder by subject...babies, flowers, nautical, sports, etc. I also cut out the dies from colored stock and glue it onto the pages. If I know my design I just pull out the appropriate folder, find what I want, check to see if it fits in the space and go from there.
I would like to have stampers share with me, how you keep an inventory,please. I have never made a spreadsheet. I will need a system that is super easy.
I use Evernote, the electronic notebook app. I now know exactly what I have in my crafting inventory and where it is! No more buying duplicates or hunting through my stash for that perfect butterfly stamp.
I started loading my crafting inventory into Evernote back in September 2017. It took me about 2 months to get my basic inventory items (stamps, dies, and embossing folders) loaded with usage notes, sample images, and categorized for easy lookup. Almost 3 years later (as of Aug 11 2020), I now have over 1,925 entries (Notes) in Evernote. It is loaded with my entire craft room inventory, including stamps, dies, embossing folders, stencils, punches, paper pads, inks/paints, pens/pencils/markers, embellishments, adhesives & mediums, tools, all my storage & organization items, and so much more, like checklists, tips, techniques, and project recipes.
Below is a link to a free downloadable guidelines handout (PDF file) I created to help others get started using Evernote. Let me know if you have any questions.
I used Evernote at first, until they limited the number of free devices to 2. Since I wanted it on my laptop, desktop computer, phone, and tablet, well...I gave them the boot. Moved on to Microsoft OneNote, which syncs among all devices and has unlimited sharing. Not quite as elegant, but got the job done. When I saw Lydia's video on Airtable, I tried it, and LOVE it! It is really user-friendly, imo, even for people who have never set up a database. (I think the developers have done all the back-end work for you, so you don't have to worry about all the complex parts of database setup.) Plus, you can attach photos of your stamps/dies, whatever, to each record. You are limited on the free plan to 1200 records per database, as well as a couple other restrictions. But, you can have multiple databases for free, so I just made one for my digital images, & a second for stamps, dies, & stencils (each of those types in its own table in that base). For adding an image, there is a search feature for the adding-image function that allows you to find an image (or multiple ones) online, and just attach that to your record. I love that I can easily search and/or filter records within any table, so I can find exactly what I'm looking for. I'd encourage anyone to check out Lydia's video, and have a go at it! Worst case scenario--you set up a (free) account, enter a few records in your database to try it out, and decide you don't like it. Then, just contact the owners of the site to close your account, and move on. Probably the only thing I've mentioned that Lydia doesn't cover in her video is the image search feature. I think it's pretty easy, but it may not be simple for someone who's not computer-savvy. You could probably google it and find step-by-step instructions, or maybe in Airtable's help section. Hope this helps!
My favorite digital app is krafts inventory; however, believe it is still only available for ios platform. Have used for 6+ years for all my craft things. Very user friendly and allows you to take 1 or 2 pictures of the item listed. Cost way back when was $4.99 I still use a rolodex for my stamp sayings and list them by event.
Originally Posted by mphb[IMG]//images.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/images/scs2/buttons/viewpost.gif[/IMG] I've been traveling on this highway for a number of years and use to use a wonderful program called PageSage that kept track of my stamps AND more importantly to me, a list of all my cards I'd made and to whom they were sent. Unfortunately, this was a product of a husband/wife team and when they split up, PageSage was gone. I now use Excel for keeping track of my cards, which works ok. For my stamps, I use Pinterest & have created several Private Boards for various categories. It works pretty well and no matter where you are, you can access it, which is a nice bonus! Plus, it's easy!!
I would be interested to hear/see more about your process to get your stamp collection to Pinterest.
I can not express how much I appreciate everyone for their help. Happy bubbles fill my day!
Penguincrafter, thatgirlsisback, Papercrafter 40 and everyone, riding in on your unicorns, to my aid. I can't wait to sit down this weekend and watch Lydias video!
I think, I will still stamp my stamps on cardstock and clear protector sheet them. I can't not stamp my stamps! Too much fun, plus, stamping them helps me remember them and think of ideas!
Crossing my fingers that I cna learn Airtable. (Plus I have a new E-bay lot, I can't wait to stamp!)
Psychspa: You asked about Pinterest for storing stamp inventory... (tried to quote your note, but got an error message). I just create a separate Board for each category of stamps or dies, butterflies, words, flowers, etc. and I make the Board private. I then try to find my stamp/die online & save to my Board. If I can't find it, I take a picture of my stamp & upload it myself. It's easy & doable....and free! Hope that helps.
I echo what some others have suggested, Airtable. I also use it to keep a log of my cards and who I have sent cards to (so I don’t send duplicates) ☺️
I'd never heard of Airtable and was getting excited until I looked at their pricing! Ouch! You only get up to about 1000 images free...well, that would be pretty quickly for most stampers. Then it's $10 monthly as I recall...THAT's expensive....to me. Disappointing.
I have my entire life in One Note and not only use it every day, but look forward to organizing new entries. It is free, syncs in real time, offers unlimited entries and sections, is color coded, and allows unlimited photos. I love using the search feature because I can track anything I have entered. I use it on my smart phone and desktop. It is accessible with or without constant Internet access and syncs all files when you reconnect.
It is simple and free, a Microsoft program. If I were just starting out today perhaps I would check out the other programs previously mentioned by members, but after 15 years and thousands of entries, I don't feel the necessity of starting over. I stick with it because it works! Get in the habit of using an organization system you like. I will say this however, because One Note is electronic it is on my phone and easily accessable 100% of the time. And the quick search function allows price checking, color matching, or accidental duplicate purchases when i am away from home. It has saved me money by stopping duplicate purchases many times. And I have entered the location of every item in my craft room which sure speeds up searching for supplies! I used to forget where I had stored my supplies and repurchased items which were later found. 😕 Remember, you can't easily take your binders out shopping. Save time and stress. Choose an electronic system. You can still make a notebook with stamp samples if you like.
Musette: WOW! What a great description of One Note! Never have considered it, but certainly sounds like something I'd love to use to keep better track of my cards (rather than Excel). Thank you so much for such a very helpful post!
I use AirTable also. After recommendations from this group, a month or so ago, I looked into it and decided it would work well and would allow me to get rid of the binders that I was using to inventory my stamp sets. So I started entering my stamp sets into Airtable and after I had entered about 100 sets, Airtable went offline. It was offline for everyone. I kept getting emails on how they were fixing it and to be patient. It was only down for about four hours but during that time I was FREAKING OUT! What if it went down permanently? My paper binders were harder to search, but at least I could hold them in my hands. Online, I have no control. I researched some more and found that I could download my data to back it up. Whew! As soon as AirTable came back on, I downloaded a backup file. As I continued to enter the rest of my sets, I would download the data every 50 more sets. Now I have the file online AND on my computer AND on my backup drive.
One more think I like about AirTable. I have a file for stamps, a file for dies and a file for punches. When I entered that stamp sets, I could cross index it to the die set or punch that it coordinates with. Too cool!!!
So glad it sparks your interest. I have everything in my life on One Note from past and future gifts to where household supplies are stored. Just remember to label entries by their name and add a phrase or word that you would use to describe them. I cannot always remember the proper name of a tool but I know it's purpose and location so this can help me search. I take photos including a bit of space around the item. Then I might circle the item in red. When you search, results pop up. Choose the best option. This will take you to the page where you will see the text of your search highlighted in yellow. Boy, I am a visual thinker. I now have a Galaxy s10, but One Note worked equally well with Galaxy S7 and earlier models. I tend to enter larger projects on my laptop and everything else on my phone. A lot of Stamp Sentiments are easier and faster to enter on a laptop.
Just one more tip... I do not use or store any new acquisitions until I have entered them in One Note. I have a hard and fast rule to place items in a dedicated open shoe box And I add them to my supplies only after entering them in to One Note. Just don't get overwhelmed. Do chunks of entries at a time. And don't forget that you can also create sections for directions and tutorials. See a card you like on Pinterest, grab a photo and copy the directions by taking a photo(s) or highlighting the text, copying, then pasting into your One Note. I use this a lot. I even write up my own creations so I can duplicate them later without recreating from scratch. This really saves time. There is also a Audio Record feature on the program. It places a button on the page. Although I can't say I have used it much. I think I will start using it to save time on some entries. Check out the You Tube videos and all the tips online. Just Google One Note. There are lots of programs available, but this just fits my needs very well. Have fun with which ever Program you choose.😊...
But One Note is Free and automatically backs up online. You can't loose your work. And, if you are without an Internet connection it will continue to function and wait for a connection to Sync.
It's very easy to stamp on card stock, put into binders sorted by categories (bird, flower, animal, etc.) and then flip through the pages to find the perfect one. Adding or deleting sets is simple. I actually used the planner rings with the heart insides and made books for each category but they require a little punch and plastic rings so you might use that money for....more stamps!
I bought some small rectangle adhesive stickers and used markers to color them. When I get a new stamp set I put a colored sticker on the inventory page and a matching one along the bottom of the spine. Clean-up is quick and finding the stamp set needed for flowers just requires me looking on the shelf for the pink sticker, babies and kids are yellow, holidays are red, sentiments are blue, etc. No more looking everywhere!
Not sure if you've heard of Color My Life, an app specifically for cataloging paper crafting supplies. Full disclosure: I created the app with my husband so I'm a little biased. We are partnering with many companies to include their products in the app so it's easy to search or scan a barcode and quickly add it. We have almost 70,000 items in our barcode catalog with a long list of companies waiting to be added. There is a subscription fee after the free month's trial ($1.49/month or a reduced 14.99/year). I hope you give it a look.
Not sure if you've heard of Color My Life, an app specifically for cataloging paper crafting supplies. Full disclosure: I created the app with my husband so I'm a little biased. I hope you give it a look.
Your app looks interesting. Do you have a web browser based and/or PC based version of this app yet!? Is there a way to do a batch import from an Excel file?
We don't yet. Our initial focus was on mobile devices but we do have plans to have a web version at some point. I'm about to post a video on how use your computer to help enter data on your mobile device using the universal keyboard. I think that will help in the interim.
We are also working on an import from either a CSV, JSON, XML format. It's in progress so hopefully it won't be too much longer.
We don't yet. Our initial focus was on mobile devices but we do have plans to have a web version at some point. We are also working on an import from either a CSV, JSON, XML format. It's in progress so hopefully it won't be too much longer.
Thanks for your response.
For what it’s worth: I have almost 2,000 entries and a huge amount of time and effort invested in Evernote. Therefore, I’m not likely to change to an alternative solution without an import option.
I can not express how much I appreciate everyone for their help. Happy bubbles fill my day!
Penguincrafter, thatgirlsisback, Papercrafter 40 and everyone, riding in on your unicorns, to my aid. I can't wait to sit down this weekend and watch Lydias video!
I think, I will still stamp my stamps on cardstock and clear protector sheet them. I can't not stamp my stamps! Too much fun, plus, stamping them helps me remember them and think of ideas!
Crossing my fingers that I cna learn Airtable. (Plus I have a new E-bay lot, I can't wait to stamp!)
Wondering how you are coming along on this. Have you learned AirTable? Was it easy?
Like musette, another One Note fan. I started with the stamped images in a folder/notebook, but that wasn't something I could take shopping. I have it on my pc and mobile, so whenever I'm out, if I pop into a craft shop, I can make sure I'm not buying duplicates of anything. Easy to load in images, I have pages for stamp companies, and stamps by theme. Same for dies & embossing folders, then I have inkpads etc etc. Started with Evernote, but that has a size limit, so switched to One Note, which doesn't, and is free.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel- unmounting rubber stamps
Currently, I'm working on my last group of 25 wood mount stamps, yeah! I'm so glad I didn't get rid of those older red rubber images. I plan on using them in future projects. What's old is new again...
I've been working on condensing, unmounting and cataloging my stamp collections off and on for some time. I've tried and dumped many organization systems over 20+ years including digital cataloging.
I want to see what I have and use it. I don't want to buy anymore duplicate images or words when I have more than enough to choose from in my inventory.
What I find working for me at this stage is binder storage with images stamped on cardstock and stored in a page protector. Stamps are stuck to opposing panel (laminated heavy cardstock). I don't need to remember the details of the stamp (company, name, cost, etc.)
I also file stamps and dies together. They're stored in the storage pockets and filed in clear storage containers (or photo boxes).
I've grouped them together by theme, with images stamped on cardstock and stamps on laminated sheet cut to fit pocket. Dies for the related themes are stored on magnetic sheets (magnetic vent covers cut to pocket size). Basically storing "like with like" and only keeping those that spark joy/inspiration. Chipboard, cut and covered with scrapbook paper, is used for tab dividers between the categories. I keep it basic and simple: text, botanical, figures, basic shapes, backgrounds, wildlife, and misc.
Not sure if you've heard of Color My Life, an app specifically for cataloging paper crafting supplies. Full disclosure: I created the app with my husband so I'm a little biased. We are partnering with many companies to include their products in the app so it's easy to search or scan a barcode and quickly add it. We have almost 70,000 items in our barcode catalog with a long list of companies waiting to be added. There is a subscription fee after the free month's trial ($1.49/month or a reduced 14.99/year). I hope you give it a look.
I plan on looking into this. Sorry it has been awhile, I have been in and out of the hospital. I really want to have a base for organizing my stamps before the first of the year. I have 2,500 or so stamps. Looks like your inventory will help. Let you know how it goes! Hopefully soon. ( I just got on the computer 4 years ago, when we got wi-fi, so, my computer skills aren't super great.
Help storing actual wooden stamps (then locating them!)
Inventory
