Prickley Pear Stamps: Storage Ideas

Hi folks! We have two DIY (do it yourself) storage ideas to share today. One Prickley Pear Clear Stamps and Dies storage by Tesa and one Ink blending tool turorial and storage by Cheryl.

Stamp storage by Tesa

The Prickley Pear Clear stamps come with a great sturdy acetate cover to where they cling perfectly (for years and years, no problems with clear stamps on the loose!). A good thing is that the acetate cover is in one piece, and folded over the stamps. I’ve been looking for a way to keep these stamps together with the coordinated dies in a more organized way (than my usual chaos) and decided to go for a home made file filled with plastic pockets.

I started with laminating 10 white cardstock big enough to hold the stamps and fit in the plastic pockets. The plastic pockets are around 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 (European standard A5). The stamps are adhered on the front of the laminated cardstock and I’ve made a pocket to hold the die and diecut template on the back. Then I filled ten pockets with stamps and tied it all together with twine through the plastic pocket holes. I used some spacers made of pizza boxes.

I used the finished plastic pocket book to measure out the size of my file. I cut three pieces of cardboard out of pizza boxes for the cover and laid them out on the table with some spacing between the pieces.

Then you just have to adhere them with some tape. Remember to keep the spacing between the pieces, it’s there so that you will be able to close the file!!! I use electrical tape cause it’s a bit elastic and will stay on forever.

Now it’s just to cover it all with some paper and decorate it the way one wants to.

When done with that, make four holes in spine of the file. Measure it to fit the holes of the plastic pockets. Use twine and a needle to first fasten the twine through the pile of plastic pockets and then go through the holes in the spine and tie a know and they will stay in place.

And here is the inside with the stamps and die holder. This way I always have the die I want at hand and it also keeps my die cut template so that I don’t have to make a new one every time.

(and sorry about the messy tape, but it’s a sign of love and use…)

Inking tool storage by Cheryl

I've seen several tutorials on making ink blending blocks rather than buying those expensive applicators with the handles (here is a good video tutorial). It sounded like a great idea to me, so I enlisted my husband's help and he set about to cut me 36 blocks (one for each Distress Ink color--I don't usually use other inks with sponge applicators). As he was cutting the blocks, I started thinking about how I could label them and also how I could label and store the sponge daubers so I could have one dedicated to each color also. Then it hit me, why not store the daubers inside the blocks! I wasn't sure it would work, but my husband made several test blocks and came up with one that works perfectly. So when I am in need of an ink applicator, whether it's a foam pad or a dauber, they are both conveniently in one place. I can use the block with or without removing the dauber. Without thinking about it, I found that I was placing my finger in the dauber while I was using the block--kind of like a giant dauber. :)

Here's what you need to make your own set:
Two (2) - 2" x 2" x 36" wooden ballisters ($0.89 each at Home Depot)
3/4" Wood Boring Drill Bit (approx. $4.00 at Ace Hardware)
1" wide Hook and Loop Tape--you'll need about 72" (if you use 3/4" wide tape, you'll need about 90")
Return Address Labels (or some other kind of label)
Label maker with clear tape and black letters
Blending foam applicators
Sponge Daubers
To make the blocks, begin by marking 1-7/8" for each block on the wood. You can get 19 blocks per ballister. Do NOT cut the blocks yet!

Clamp the wood strip securely and drill a hole in the center of each 1-7/8" section. You will need to drill almost all the way through so that the dauber will fit in far enough to allow the lid to close on the box.

Don't worry when the starter point on the drill bit protrudes out of the bottom of the wood. It has to in order for the hole to be deep enough. This hole will be covered with hook and loop tape. After all the holes are drilled, use a saw and cut each block on the marked lines. After cutting the blocks, sand them where necessary.

For the hook & loop tape, you only need the hook part (the sticky, rough part). For now, I just have the hook tape adhered to the block with it's adhesive backing. Eventually, I may either glue or staple it down because I noticed that when I pulled the applicators off the tape, it sometimes pulled the tape off, too. But, since I won't have to be constantly switching out the foam applicators now, once I get one attached to each block, they can stay there until they are worn out. I love the convenience!

I found this box at Joann. I think it was called an embellishment box, and it was on sale for $6. The box is the perfect size for all 36 blocks, and even with the daubers inside the blocks, it closes just fine.