Stamp Organization System - Stretch Your Stamps

In this video I am sharing a deep dive into my stamp organization system, including what works, what I still need to work on, and answering some of the most frequently asked questions I get about it.
I was invited to share this video today as part of Choux Puff Creation's Stretch Your Stamps series. This week everyone is sharing videos on their stamp organization. See how everyone else organizes their stamps:
Shu-Wen Tham: • "Stretch Your Stamps" ...
Michelle Lundy: • My Stamp Organization ...
Chelsey Vorosmarty: • Stamp and Ink Storage ...
Check out the entire Stretch Your Stamps series here: • Stretch Your Stamps - ...
Products (some affiliate links):
Mini binders: amzn.to/3Jkrqu3
Insert paper: amzn.to/3NVbL83
Black ink: amzn.to/3JjVIgs
Wooden organizer: www.stampnstorage.com/multi-l...
*Note: Stamp-n-Storage discontinued the organizers I use that were originally designed for project life cards. They have this similar item, but the sections have slightly different dimensions. It seems like it would fit 3x4 stamps in sleeves or 4x6 stamps, vertically, with no sleeves.

[@ChouxPuffCreations]

Love how you stamp the highest number for your number stamp sets! Might have to try doing that myself! Thanks again for all the great tips and for being a guest contributer this month! 🥰

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you for inviting me to play along!! ❤️

[@valerier4361]

I am so in awe of this organization method. Can I do this too… maybe, maybe not. Good goal for 2024!!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

You definitely can! You can start small, maybe work with only a few key categories such as alphas + numbers and build from there. It is definitely time consuming, but worth it! And a good activity to do while watching TV.

[@hayleydoherty9557]

I really like the idea of stamping out into a binder by theme I'm going to do that as really helpful thank you x

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! Happy to inspire, I hope this system works well for you.

[@JulieLewis-zj3yf]

Freaking LOVE THIS❤❤

[@LindaLovesCreating]

ooh yay! Happy to hear that :)

[@cja398]

Brilliant. Thank you for sharing

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! ❤️

[@ChelseyVorosmarty]

I love the wood organizers that hold your stamps. So nice and organized!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! They are such nice quality, I would def recommend.

[@cici7329]

Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you!

[@sharylolson6949]

Wow! Loved this video. Thank you so much!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you!

[@ChappyPlans]

Wow Linda; your craft space is astoundingly gorgeous and your systems, while always a work in progress (as life goes for us all) is great! I am here for every single organization video ever. I have ocd, so this is a dream to watch !

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thanks! I’m obsessed with organization too, clearly. I’m hoping to get back in there and organize another area soon… hopefully next month!

[@allisonhiggins1826]

Thank you for sharing, Linda! Such a good idea for really being able to see what you have and use it!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you!!

[@kimlove-ottobre2631]

Great tips! Trying to get some organization happening!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Good luck! Take it a little at a time.

[@stamdl]

I have seen several methods of building a stamp catalog and I’m just amazed at what you have created! My favorite stamps are words and phrases and I’ve struggled with how to categorize them. Now that I see your approach I have a much better sense of how to proceed. Thanks for the inspiration. Do you have a list of your categories anywhere?

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! I have a photo of my categories on my stories highlight on instagram called “organize” (you have to click through a few video ones first) but it’s older, I’ll try to post an updated one soon! I hope you can find a system that works for you. ❤️

[@amberdawson816]

I have a very similar binder. For the months, I created a page for each on their own, so that I could compare each style of month together in one sheet. I also gave each season it's own page because there is so much crossover between the months. Hope that helps!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thanks!

[@hayleydoherty9557]

Really good video. The music stamp had me rolling lol hu I didn't need it lol the music notes would be easy enough to put buy hand 😂 hope it didn't cost alot x

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Ha! Totally get that, I think that too for some stamps/supplies. I can’t remember which one you’re talking about, but I get most of my stamps from creative teams or in kits, I rarely buy a stamp on its own. Still, I’m happy to have a collection!

[@pinkskies8128]

✨✨✨ B R I L L I A N T ✨✨✨

[@LindaLovesCreating]

❤️❤️❤️

[@olivemaycards]

Very useful tips, even though my stash of stamps is completely different for used in different ways. I think it would be worth creating something like this for card sentiment stamps, especially for the ones that are hiding in image stamp sets. My stash is pretty small so it wouldn’t take me too too long to find all the thank you and hello and thinking of you stamps and catalog them. I could put on a good audiobook and make a start. I like the look of the pages too.

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! I agree it could be useful for cards, especially for most used sentiments. ❤️

[@CareyBridges]

Love this! Thanks so much for sharing! This has definitely been on my to-do list (I already swatched all my inks and that has been so helpful). I really like how you categorize them. Question: Your story stamp storage seems to be getting close to full - what is your plan when that happens?

[@LindaLovesCreating]

That is a good question! I will probably shift one of the other sections into the organizer with my project life cards so I can have a 5th section for story stamps. But I have thought about the fact that, because you never use up stamps, at some point I will outgrow this system. I might reassess keeping some of the stamps at that point, or find another place to store my less used stamps, such as putting them in a labeled box in my closet. My binders would still work and I would just know which categories are in the closet.

[@sarahj.8213]

That's great! I've to do the same thing. I just recently thought about splitting my original stamps and organize them in new categories, but this is way better. Could you please share your categories? I would love to have them as a starting point for my own organization. Thanks so much

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! Yes I am going to save a photo of my categories on my Instagram stories today. ❤️

[@Butterflies.and.Tulips]

Thanks for the great details! Questions: do you take the plastic back off before storing in the sleeves, or leave it on? Secondly do you always wash the back with a baby wipe? Third, what ink doesn’t bleed through Hobonichi paper? Thanks!

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Thank you! I leave the plastic backing on, and that’s actually what my label is attached to (not the sleeve). I usually clean with baby wipes, but sometimes I get lazy and skip it. For hobonichi paper, I don’t do a ton of stamping because everything ghosts, but I don’t have bleed when I use black staz-on as long as it’s not overly juicy, so that tends to be what I use if I stamp.

[@Butterflies.and.Tulips]

@@LindaLovesCreating Thank you so much for the reply!!

[@nreif24]

After you go through the pages of your binders and add the new stamps that fit in each category, do you go back to the stamp set to make sure every stamp in the set was added somewhere? I could see myself missing a stamp in the stamp set because it didn't fit in one of the categories in my binder system.

[@LindaLovesCreating]

That’s a great question! I don’t, and I know that there are definitely some stamps that aren’t in my catalog at all. Those are typically ones that I wouldn’t reach for to use, not every stamp on a set is my style! I am not worried about it, if they don’t fit my categories I just figure I don’t need to know about it… that said, if I am looking for something that isn’t in my binder, I would consider adding new categories.

[@brendacooper7944]

Where can I see a list of your categories?

[@LindaLovesCreating]

Sorry, I don't have them typed out on youtube. If you visit my instagram @lindalovescreating I have a saved stories highlight about my stamp organization and you can see them there.

[@deigabennett7571]

What do you consider ‘Basics’ stamps (or is that a brand😂)

[@LindaLovesCreating]

That’s not a brand, they are stamps from a few different brands that are very basic so I’ll use them often. Things like numbers, days of the week, months, etc. It’s just a personal feel thing to decide if a stamp goes in basics or with others of its brand.

[@deigabennett7571]

@@LindaLovesCreating Thank you. I kinda thought it might be something like that, but just thought I’d double-check.

[@britasmith8008]

Goodness it would completely confuse me to do this. Much easier to have a page for a stamp set with all the stamps

[@LindaLovesCreating]

I totally get how different people have different ways of thinking. But this way, I can be working on a project, for example a page about a hike I went on, and think "hmmm I need a stamp for hiking" and then go to my page for that and see all of the stamps I have with that theme. The codes will tell where to find the stamp in my collection. Unfortunately, all the stamps on a set don't necessarily go together so just sorting them by set would be too difficult to find what I'm looking for, especially because I do have a lot of stamps!