Rubber stamping is a fun and exciting time and, like many hobbies, benefits from organizing your tools and supplies. Many organizational tools can be low cost and effective. Here are some helpful tips for keeping your rubber stamps safely stored and neatly organized.

One of the most important things with rubber seals is to keep them out of direct sunlight. The rubber will degrade over time, and the stamp image will become less clear and crisp. The sun’s rays will cause the rubber to crack and dry. You also want to avoid excess moisture. Ideally, you should keep your stamps in a cool dry place, without excessive temperature changes.

Mounted and unmounted rubber seals should be stored separately, which will help you find what you are looking for easier. Unmounted stamps can be stored in thin flat containers, such as CD cases. For storage in a CD case, simply use the EZ mount to stick your stamps to the inside of the case. You can then label the spine and front of the clipboard to make it easier to memorize. Another storage idea for unmounted stamps is to store them in a photo box on card stock. Attach the velcro to the card stock and place your stamps on the velcro on one side of the card stock, have the image on the front of the card stock, making it easy to flip through and find the right stamp.

With wood-mounted stamps, you may want to store them on a shelf, which saves space and is convenient for storage. While there is a wide variety of ready-made storage shelves and cabinets, you can easily make your own. The cassette tape rack can be an effective stamp holder and organizer. You may need to make more room for each stamp by separating every other notch in order for your stamps to fit properly. Another inexpensive shelving idea is to use the side of a baby crib, the kind with wooden slats. If you flip the crib on end and remove any hardware, you’ll have shelves that can easily hold your wood stamps, just screw them to the wall.

If you’re short on time, you may want to consider purchasing pre-made stamp holders and shelves, but with a little creativity, you can easily create inexpensive shelves and displays for your stamps and stamp materials. As long as you can easily find what you’re looking for, and protect your stamps from extremes of heat and humidity, your organizational system works!