Organize It: Unmounting Rubber Stamps

As my rubber stamp collection grew, I made the decision to unmount my wooden stamps in order to save space.  Splitcoast Stampers’ forums were especially helpful with this.  There are several ways to proceed when unmounting rubber stamps: ez-mount, tack and peel, aileen’s tack it over and over, etc and each option having it’s pros and cons.  I’ll review each of them briefly in this post.

When I first unmounted my stamps, I chose to use EZ mount as my method for adding cling to the back of my stamps.  EZ mount comes in two options, regular and thin, with each 8 ½ x 11 sheet costing anywhere from 3-6 dollars.  The benefits of EZ mount is that it’s permanent, there’s no sticky residue to contend with, and it works very well with acrylic blocks.  However, if you have a large collection of stamps, the cost can add up quickly.  In addition to this, the best way to cut the foam mount is with a hot knife, which can cost around 10-20 dollars and has quite a limited use in the scrapbooking hobby.  The entire process of mounting on EZ mount can also be time consuming depending on the amount of stamps you have.

Tack and Peel is a clear sheet that you add to your acrylic block that allows you to attach bare rubber stamps.  Each package of Tack and Peel by Tsukineko averages $8-10 and contains one 4” x 6 ½” sheet.  I have personally not used this method so I cannot attest to its pros and cons.  

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over is a flexible adhesive that creates a temporary bond.  A thin coat of the liquid glue is brushed onto the back of bare rubber stamps and allowed to dry.  Once dry, the glue becomes tacky and the stamps can then be adhered to the acrylic block.  TIO&O can be readily found at local hobby stores; averages 3-6 dollars for a 4 oz bottle and one bottle can last forever as a little goes a long way.  This has become my method of choice for my rubber stamps since it’s easy to use, easy to find, and very economical.  However, I have noticed that on certain types of rubbers, the glue will peel off.  Also, if there’s any residue on your stamps can cause the glue to not adhere properly.  So it’s important to apply to very clean stamps. 

Links to products discussed on this post:

EZ Mount

Hot Knife

Tack and Peel

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over

Links to tutorials on each method:

EZ Mount using scissors

EZ Mount using hot knife

Tack and Peel

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over

Thanks for stopping by!

Organize It: Stamps

One of the aspects I’ve struggled with the most throughout my paper crafting foray has been how to organize my ever expanding collection of paper, stamps, and tools.  When I first started scrapbooking several years ago, my collection fit in a tiny handheld crop bag.  Overtime, my storage and organization has evolved as my collection has grown.  So, I thought I would share my storage and organization methods in a weekly blog post over the next few months.  Perhaps I can help someone else get their collection neatly stored and organized.

Now, before I start, I want to make the following disclaimer: the majority of the storage and organization solutions that I’ve implemented have been based on ideas found on Splitcoast Stampers forum and tips fellow bloggers have posted on their blogs.  One such blogger, Patter, has been particularly instrumental in my organizing experience.  As I post each week’s different blog, I will try my best to include links to products and other sites that can perhaps help you along.  That being said, here we go!

This week I’ve decided to cover stamps!  Out of all my supplies, my stamp collection was the hardest to tame. Since I started, I’ve used several storage methods before I found the one I was happiest with.  Right now, I’m currently storing both my rubber and acrylic stamps in enclosed mini binders from Univenture. 

 All of my stamp sets are organized by brand.  If a particular stamp collection spans several binders, then the name of the stamp lines are also on the binder spine.

On the front of each binder is a table of contents with the names of the stamp sets that it holds.  Under the name of each stamp set is a line list of all the saying that can be found within that stamp set.  This helps me find a particular saying at a glance.

On the back of each binder is a picture of each of the stamp sets found inside.  This helps me search for any given image by scanning the back of the cover.

To create the panels that hold my stamps, I have taken several Scraponizer file folders and cut them down to fit inside the binders.  Each pack of file folders will yield 8 panels.  I like how the sturdiness of these file folders allow me to store stamps on both sides.  

The reason I’m so happy with these binders is that I can store both my acrylic and rubber stamps using one method so I can keep my storage uniform.  Also, this method is quite cost and space effective compared to other storage solutions. 

Links to products used in this post: 

Univenture mini binders

Scraponizer file folders

Links to other storage solutions: 

Carousel storage method

Envelope storage method

Thanks for staying with me through this long post! J  If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section and I will try to answer them.  Have a great day!