Hi stampers!  I had a rubber stamping expo this weekend, so I am a day late in posting.  Six of my downline joined me in working the booth (thank you Susie, Cyndra, Linda, Jackie, Myra and Cindy!!) and it was fun to stamp with everyone.   We had a little 3×3 make and take using all the punches with the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Polka Dot Punches and coordinating paper.  It also used the word window punch.  This is what everyone made at the booth:

I’ve had some requests for help for Sizzix storage.  I can relate also!  So this week I wanted to figure out a solution to store all of my Sizzix BIGZ dies so I can find them easily.   Stacking them on my shelf was driving me crazy, trying to read the name sideways and then they fall down in domino fashion.

Here is the video for what I did – the pics and the descriptions are below for those of you that can’t watch video:

I ended up using my Forget Me Not keeper.  I have lots of these and I love them.  They are sturdy, have heavy duty plastic dividers and look snazzy.  They are in the Stampin’ Up catalog, 11.95.   I can fit 12 Bigz dies in the box and the lid still stays on even though they are a little bit taller than the sides.

See the drawn image on the die above?  I cut each of my dies with a 5-1/2″ x 4- 1/2″ piece heavy card stock.  (the stock that comes in your DSP works great)  I used the cutout as a template and used a silver sharpie to draw the design on the back of each die.  That way I can flip through and find them quickly.  I keep the templates in the box with the dies.  (trial and error:  I originally cut out the designs in DSP and glued on the back of the die.  Didn’t hold up well after a few weeks!)  They store on their side so they fit in the box.  I wrote the name on the side with the same silver sharpie.

Mary Swan sent me this email about Sizzix Storage Boxes:

“Sizzix makes a box for storing the dies – different boxes to fit all sizes – go to www.Sizzix.com and search under “storage”.  The Bigz box is currently $24.95, but they very often have them in their “Tuesday Teaser” section – I’ve gotten several boxes for $7.49.  They come with plastic inserts that hold the dies upright, so they aren’t continually falling over, which I noticed in the video you were having trouble with.  If you haven’t signed up for the “Tuesday Teaser” notification, do – there’s some great deals in there – different every Tuesday, and only on Tuesday.  At their site, click on “Specials” tab and then Tuesday Teasers.”

Thanks, Mary!

How to store all those Sizzix plates and pads?  My good buddy Toni gave me this acrylic letter sorter”

I used it to store all of my plates:

I was thinking about how a napkin holder would work, too!  Here are some other ideas to hold those dies, folders and plates. (some of them would be too small for those of you who have tons of them!)

This is a Toast Holder-    I didn’t even know there was such a thing but you can buy them HERE

This is a really cool thing called The Collator.  I think it would hold lots of the big Texturz plates and pads.

Shabby Chic Solution:  If you are handy  and have some old springs laying around, this could work for lots of dies and plates for a stamp room that has antiques in it. I guess you could make the springs as wide and spread out as you like ot fit the Bigz dies.  You can visit Margo’s Robo Junker blog for other creative things they did  here

These next 2 are leather CD holder options look very nice but more pricey at 17-22 bucks  (to find them online, go here)

This looked interesting to hold the Bigz dies BUT not sure if the dimensions are perfect for them.  It says it is 5-1/2″ wide but so are the dies.  So not sure if that is the inside measurements.  I think if it holds a CD, it should fit our dies, right?    CD rack

I figured out a way to store Sizzlets!  More on that in a few days….

Rebecca Ednie emailed and asked for some advice from all of the organized stampers out there!

“I need storage for 6×6″ paper packs! Right now several of them are
in baggies but I need something better. As you use them, they fall  apart and the scraps fall out. Some people store them oversized
plastic CD bins but I don’t really have a place to put those. Any
other ideas?”

So anyone out there already solved that one?   My thought would be to use a filing crate box with hanging folders.  If  space is an issue, maybe an expandable file folder from the office store like this one I just found at Kinkos on clearance for $6.

What about a 6×6 album?  Put all of paper packs and pieces in top loading page protectors?  They would stay organized that way, altho you’d have to pull them out to see them all.

Happy Stampin’!

Linda Heller

www.lindaheller.stampinup.net