Stamp Organization

Author: Becky Cates

Over the past few years, I have become more and more of a rubber and acrylic stamp collector. I love to use stamps on my scrapbook pages and cards. With a collection that continues to grow, finding a method of stamp organization has become a necessity to keep track of what I own.

No matter which type of stamp you own (rubber, acrylic, foam or unmounted), it’s important to have some method of organization so you will know where to find a specific stamp when you need it. Organizing will also prevent you from buying the same stamp set twice. Yes, it has happened…don’t laugh! I know some of you are guilty of that too.

Here are a few categories to get you started:

-- Alphabets: Store alphabet collections together for easy reference. Shallow drawers or small divided cases are great
for keeping these small pieces together. Alphabet sets can be further divided by style and size of font.

-- Greetings such Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Thank You, etc.

-- Quotes, words & phrases

-- Background textures and images

-- Borders

-- Botanicals such as leaves, flowers, plants

-- Animals

-- Seasonal (subdivided into individual holidays)

-- Vintage

-- Frames

The size of your stamp collection will dictate what type of storage containers you need to accommodate all of your images. Be sure to label everything well so that when it’s time to put the stamps away they can all be returned to the proper place! For acrylic stamps you might want to consider stamping the image on a small piece of white paper or cardstock so you can tell at a glance what image is on the stamp.

While the original planning, labeling, and organizing of your collection can be time consuming, you will find your stamp organization time well spent when you’re ready to work on your next project!