So the ongoing debate of wood mounted stamps or clear
continues. I love the look and feel of the wood mounted stamps, such great wood
grains and easy generally to grip. But the storage decisions have to be
continually addressed. Back when I had a couple of dozen stamps (bwahaha, sad I
know) there was no problem. One drawer of a rolling cart was perfect and left
other drawers for all of my ink and paper (again, I know but that addiction and
storage options are for others to blog).
As time goes on and the collection grows, I moved to plastic
shoe boxes. These were great. You can see what’s in the box, align the
different shaped stamps to fit a lot into the box and even label the boxes once
that solution grew. Then there were more rolling drawers, a great desk with
drawers on both sides that are just the right size for stamps. The kitchen
table art area grows into a home studio. And yet still, space becomes limited.
Then clear stamps arrived on the scene with much suspicion
but they were so easy to store. As this caught on, I saw a nice alternative.
The clear stamps are easy to store and come in a growing variety. Of course, I
needed both clear stamps and wood mounted stamps.
EZ Mount Cling comes on the scene so I can now mount my really
affordable sheets of rubber image. All I
need are a few acrylic blocks to be able to stamp them. I bought this
pre-sticky product and began the task of removing some of the wooden mounted
images and putting them on cling. Voila, easier storage!
So we arrive at the dilemma. What do I do with the wood
blocks? It seems wasteful to toss them and you just know there will be some way
to creatively use them later on. Earlier this year, I saw a new solution at
Scraphappy.
I can decorate the little wood blocks and make a whole new
line of fun. Pulling the bag of already denuded blocks out, I began the task of
cleaning them up and determining size options.
My mother is tricky person to shop for but as she is a
quilter, I could see the potential for a pretty little set of blocks with
buttons and flowers. Choosing some varying sizes of blocks, I did a light
sanding to be sure any lumps of foam were removed. Sorting through a nice
assortment of paper scraps offered a lot of color and pattern choices. (What a
great way to work on that paper addiction as the same time). I dug into my
collection of leftover embellishments from other projects and the fun began. I
rubbed a little Distress Ink around the edges to give the blocks some character
and built up the interest. The result was a sweet little Mother’s Day gift.
If you are trying to
find the next phase of sorting and stamp storage, give this a try. I am
planning little holiday gifts, and some birthday gifts, and …
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