Edited to answer a couple of your questions: In instances where there are 3 or 4 dies in a set, I stuck all 3 or 4 dies in one pocket together. I was able to easily fit 3 Beautiful Blooms dies in a pocket. Same for the 4 Leaf Prints dies, all 4 slid into one pocket without any trouble. There are a couple of dies that are a bit larger in scale and they still slid into the pockets but may stick out the top a bit, as seen in the photo above. As for really large dies or long, skinny border dies, those are simply standing up in a basket with all of my impression plates. They're already fairly easy to flip thru, so I didn't need to create more storage for them.
Also, in such cases as the mat stack dies where there are multiple stamp sets that have images that coordinate with that die, you could easily write the names of the coordinating stamp sets on the back of the die pocket.
Hi-ya! Happy Friday!
If you've become one of the many that have fallen in LOVE with Papertrey's exclusive line of dies over the last few months, then you might be like me and in need of a better storage system for housing all of those cute little dies I keep collecting! I've got a do-it-yourself storage solution for you that is not only easy to create but it also repurposes and reuses a few items that you may already have around your house! I created custom die pockets in their own little file of sorts.....die pockets that let me see the dies easily as I flip thru the file, and are labeled for quick and easy reference!
Here's how.....
First off, I had to find the container that would serve as my "die file". Now, I could certainly have gone out and bought another storage container, but I had a feeling that if I poked around the house enough, I would probably find just the right thing. What I ended up finding was PERFECT! We had a vintage loaf pan in the kitchen cabinet that honestly hasn't been used in years, however it is just the right size to house my little die file and will leave me with lots of room to keep adding to my collection of dies, because let's face it -- us crafters are pretty much collectors too, right?! Haha.
Keep in mind that if you don't happen to have a vintage loaf pan laying around your houses *wink*, you can buy a new one at lots of places like Target and Wal-mart or you could find another container that would work for you as well. The dimensions I'll be giving you today though, fit a standard loaf pan.
So, after I'd decided on my die container, I wanted to create custom die pockets that would hold the dies and allow me to easily flip thru my collection and see everything at a glance. That meant that I wanted to incorporate some clear card stock on the front of the pockets.
Here's where you can be a bit 'green'! When you buy Papertrey stamps, do you throw out the clear acetate sheets that the stamps are packaged on or do you save them thinking that just surely, some day, there will come along the perfect need for them?? Well, today is that day! The above photo is my stash of those acetate sheets. I've been saving them for ages because they do come in handy once in awhile. :)
I cut down the acetate sheets to 3 3/8" x 3". Now keep in mind that if you don't have any of those sheets on hand, you can purchase Clearly Creative card stock from Papertrey to make your pockets.
Next, I pulled out a few sheets of card stock in colors that coordinate with the decor in my studio. (Of course, color coordination with your surroundings is not a must -- it's just my own little quirk. Ha.) I cut a stack of card stock pieces, each piece measuring 3 3/8" x 4". I was able to get 6 pocket pieces out of a single sheet of card stock.
Then, I laid a piece of clear card stock along the bottom portion of the colored card stock and stitched them together on 3 sides. Tip: I used my two-way glue pen to add a bit of glue in the center of the bottom edge of the card stock, just to hold the acetate in place while I stitched it.
The end result is a beautiful little stack of stitched pockets just waiting to be filled!
Now, if you don't want to sew these pockets, you could easily use a bit of scor-tape or other adhesive to hold your pockets together in place of stitching.
As you can see, I labeled the top of each die pocket with the name of the die. This will make it nice and easy to find dies when I'm on the hunt for a specific one, and it will make it easy to remember what the die is called when typing up supply lists.
The dies are so easy to flip thru now and I love that there is so much room left in the loaf pan for my collection to continue to grow! I can even make up more pockets to have on hand just waiting for new dies. :)
Thanks so much for visiting me today! I hope your weekend is a marvelous one!!
xo,
