Wednesday 1 February 2012

WOYWW - 139

There's a bit of the OCD in me working here right now:
Having looked at what seems 101 ways to organise stamps, as well as watching crafters videos on the same subject until my eyes were popping out of my head, I've finally come up with a system (yay!). There are bound to be things I'll find out along the way but the beginnings are shown on my desk, as it was left late yesterday evening. File box to the rear, white cards in a little pile, heap of stamps awaiting cleaning and some already stamped cards to the right.

I wanted a system to cover several 'Really Useful' boxes of wood mounted stamps which reside stacked on shelves behind closed doors, wood mounted stamps that I think are pretty to look at which live on some small shelves where I can see them - plus a whole ton of unmounted stamps destined to be filed in binders. I can't be trusted to take the rubber off the wood blocks as some people have cleverly done without risking life and limb, plus the pictures on the stamps are often so pretty that they're almost a work of art as they are.

So, yesterday I tootled off out to Staples and bought some heavy duty punched pockets, a couple of rather smart lever arch files for starters and a box file, index cards and 200 white cards to get me going. Am also on the track of some postcard storage pockets which will hold , for example, four LOTV unmounted stamps per page  in their own pockets - gonna order those later on this morning. Acetate/laminated card will also feature in lever arch files.

On my desk there's the very beginnings of Phase 1. I'm starting on the wood mounted stamps to ease into the task so every one of those will be stamped onto a piece of plain card before moving onto unmounted stamps (I'm not too worried about the images being 100% perfect as they're just for reference). On the back of each card I'll write the make and name of the stamp (in pen) and its location (in pencil so I can juggle things round whenever it suits). S= the visible shelf, B1 to whatever = the boxes (only two layers in a box thankfully), F1 to whatever = the numbered file and which page in the file.

The idea of having file card with pencilled in locations is that it forms the basis of the system and will the the first place to look for images under subject headings and their location. As stamps come and go it'll be easy to add more, remove any I don't want any longer (ha, as IF!!) and also to change their location if (for example) I find that stamps in a box can be re-organised to get the optimum 'fit' in the two layers. The boxes won't be as they are now, in a semblance of subjects, it will be done on a 'best fit' basis' as there's a lot of wasted space at the moment in them there boxes. This means I still have flexibility in the actual storage of the stamps - the same will apply to the files themselves. The index system will be the key holding it all together.

The subject index cards are alphabetical but I've just turned the whole lot of them around in one go as the backs of the coloured tabs are blank but still in bright colours and a Fine Permanent Pen is great for writing the subject on - so far I've come up with things like Babies, Flowers, Mice, Teddies - that sort of stuff. Easy to buy more index card sets of course :)

If you want a closer nosey, you'll also see a duster brush awaiting a wash and a round piece of foam beside it. The foam was used to finish off some Distress inking earlier in the week - it's also awaiting a little wash - and it came from a bottle of vitamin pills that Len opened the other day. I've got sponge daubers but I nabbed the foam and really like the gentle touch of it with DIs :)

And, anyone calling in here who plays in the Snippets Playground each week will see the gate keys propped up at the back. Jules sent them to me and they're much too pretty to drop into a drawer so they're waiting there to remind me that they'll be coming on my next outing to Hobbycraft or The Range where they will be bought their very own frame - one of those box ones with a gap between the glass and the back so that the lovely ribbon doesn't get squished and the keys can dangle from a little hook :)

And, if I didn't lose you all about 10 minutes ago - you should now hop over to see what everyone else has on their desk, floor, dining table, ironing board etc. this week over at Julia's, the Queen of WOYWW, who started all this off! Ha, ha - bet she's the only one of us with a deck chair on her desk :)

Happy WOYWW - sounds of regular thumps of inking and stamping coming from North Hampshire will just be me :)

Di
x

38 comments:

  1. OOh, good morning to you, what a task I don't envy you but I applaud you, good luck, xx

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  2. I agree with what you're doing - although it's going to be a lot of effort sorting/filing everything, it'll be worth it in the long run as you'll have easy access to all your stuff and won't waste time searching for it!!
    I had heard reports about possible earthquakes in Hampshire, but it was only you stamping away, lol!!
    Hugs, LLJ #68 xx

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  3. GOOD LUCK with THAT mammoth task.

    One thing . . . why write the location on the BACK of the card so that you have to flip it each time? Easier to see it if marked on the FRONT of the card where the image is? Just trying to save your poor wrists here!? Only a thought. Feel free to completely ignore me! xxx

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  4. A stroke of genius there Sarn - I suppose I was just trying to keep the front looking pretty :) I'll also have to stamp a few sideways plus some stamps will cover the whole of the front (the big background ones that I never seem to use!) anyhow so would likely still remove the card from the index box. How about on the back AND the front - snort, snort! I did say it's a work in progress - at least I've started the marathon :) Di xx

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  5. Good luck with your stamp organisation, I think its one of those issues evryone has to tackle eventually so its alays good to hear how others are doing it. Wishing you a lovely crafty week x

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  6. That is going to be super organised..but I think it will take a while to get to the end of it. Very good ideas though and I like that it combines your wooden images with your mounted images

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  7. good luck with the organisation i did mine a few weeks back x

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  8. I've only got a few stamps but was thinking of how to organise them. I'll wait to see what your marathon stamping/organsing is like and might just 'copy' it!!! Anything to make life easier is good with me!!! Have fun!

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  9. I started to categorise my stamps last year, it's a brilliant idea but sooooo time consuming! Hope you manage to get on top of it better than I have........

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  10. Good luck with your stamp organisation Di :)

    Have a great WOYWW, Luv Karen xx

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  11. Good luck with that task. all you then have to remember is to put them back in the correct place, clean and tidy each time. I need to think up a good method for my stamps, rather than the loose leaf files and various boxes that I have at the moment. Let us know how the system works in practice. Hope to see you in the playground very soon. xx Maggie #112

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  12. Blimey, that's an epic task, Di. Good Luck with it all. You'll be super organised when you're done. I start out with grand plans and get bored half way through and just go back to be being disorganised again!!!! Although I did buy another ring binder today with good intentions of doing some more stamp sorting. You must be rubbing off on me!!
    Happy WOYWW
    Hugs Lisax

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  13. Wow Di thats some task your taking on! it's nice though when it's in an organised place and your not looking here there and everywhere for a stamp that you need to use and you can't just put your hand on it, your such a busy lady l hope your going to show us the how it looks when finished l'll be calling by to check on you........have a great day:) Sandra H

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  14. Good luck with your plan for your stamps. Hope you enjoy this WOYWW. Zo x 89

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  15. Wow I think I have jujst come up for air after reading of your marathon organisation. Good Luck, will you have any time to make any more lovely cards. Hope it all works, will be watching with batted breath.

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  16. Hi, what a busy desk today, I love the stamps on your desk they are so cute. If you have lots of stamps it will take a lot of time organising I have the cling ones organised and I don't have that many but it took longer than I anticipated. Have a lovely Wednesday. Laura

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  17. lovely creative area, xx Happy WOYWW hun, hoping to get to post on blogs this week, as it didnt let me last week!!

    Lou P

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  18. Wow that sounds like one hell of a job. Good luck with it. Hope you show us when you have finished. Am having a a pif giveaway over at mine

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  19. I can see that you put a lot of thought and effort into getting organized - good job!

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  20. Hmmm - I think you are amazing getting up to such work organising your stamps - I just leave them in their original packeging! But every major company ( like Hero arts or Penny Black) are in their own box so some sort of system - good luck with the organising!
    Hugs,
    Cardarian

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  21. Hi there Di,

    Your organization of your stamps sounds like a great plan! After organizing my 12 x 12 paper I have to move some other things around. I may divide my stamps into categories and buy some pretty boxes to keep on my bookshelves in the living room for easy access. Hmmm, thanks for giving me an idea!

    Not participating this week as I didn't get photos taken (although I did write my post).

    Hugs,
    Kay

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  22. Oh lord, that's gonna keep you quiet for a day or two then!! Well done for taking the bull by the horns and getting on with it though.

    Hugs
    Brenda 115

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  23. WOW, what a task you have ahead of you...plenty of black coffee at the ready methinks! I have blogged on WOYWW this week, aren't I good? I wish you luck with all the cataloging, I may do summat similar....but then again.. maybe NOT!! xxx

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  24. WOW That is a lot of work! But it will be sooo worth it, and i bet it works really well and you will adjust it to suit you as and when, i like the wooden stamps but they are a pain for storing, i am still looking for a way that will work for me and my stamps, hope you have a great week Lou @#26

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  25. Good luck with your sorting. I'm sure it will save you a lot of time in the long run.
    Hugs,
    A x

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  26. Just pop round and organise my sewing room for me - unlike Annie I don't really have a place for everything and everything in its place!!!Had a fun morning with her litle twinnies today. x Jo

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  27. A big task, looking foward to the results of your hard work, I'm sure it will be really worth it in the end, Good Luck, Hugs May x x x

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  28. You Go Girl! It's a big job, don't let it overwhelm you. I started my stamp catalog and organizing my stamps early last summer. Boring work, I lost interest often but I kept going back to it till I finally got it done. It was so very worth it. I'm still working on storage but at least I'm organized.
    Hugs
    Bernie

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  29. Well you've lost me, think I will just stick to routing through a couple of draws and seeing what jumps out at me. Good luck.

    Kath x

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  30. PS I might have a lot on the go, Di, but I am still disorganised. I thought my eye appointment was for Thursday, so I missed it today. Oops! Red face and a bit of creeping required here, and a bigger calendar. xx Maggie #112

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  31. A lot of catagorizing and getting busy getting it done! I am still working on mine but still have about 100 stamps/sets that need to come off the wood! I am offering up some blog candy so come leave a comment on my blog and get a chance to win! Thanks for sharing and have a great week. Vickie #90

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  32. That is a mammoth task you've given yourself Di - good luck! Of course, you're young and you've got more stamina than I have so I'm sure you'll complete it in no time at all. In the meantime, I will stick to my less than organised method of routing through them all to find the stamp I need. I did start to catalogue last year but it's so time consuming and I almost lost the will to live :( Elizabeth x #78

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  33. You are so organised, this sounds like a really good idea, I can never find the stamp I think I have and sometimes forget all about one and am shocked to find it nestling neatly at the bottom of the box. Hugs, Amanda x

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  34. that looks like a long task! Have all my unmounted sorted and categorised, but my wooden stamps are just bunged in a drawer. You'll have to show us the finished storage!

    I missed posting on WOYWW this week cos busy, but checking out a few desks to feed the habit :-)

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  35. Sounds like a great idea...Have fun with the task ahead.

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  36. OK, you got me...this is a deeply impressive move. I will be monitoring...its success depends on your putting away in the right places too...and that's where my slutty habits would have it all crashing down!!

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  37. Wow! you must have a LOT of stamps to need to be that organised! lol!
    Good luck with it!
    I'm working my way through this weeks WOYWW – I think I’m just over half way through now!

    Sheena
    xxx

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  38. OMG - I think I will have to wait until I retire to bring a system like this in, but I applaud you, it sounds great. I can be organised, just not in the craft room LOL!
    There really are keys to the playground wow!
    Linbyx

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