Ink to Paper :: Organization :: Dies

Happy last day of 2019!  After Christmas I always get in a very 'get-all-the-things-organized' mood.  I'm sure that's normal for a lot of people.  I always purge my craft supplies at this time of year and this year, thanks to a little nudge from Ink to Paper's Organization week, I've finally decided to add some order to my dies.

It's been a long time coming; I was storing them in clear self-adhesive bags in a tin for as long as I've had them, which has been fine, but it's not exactly very nice to look at, nor is the easiest way to quickly find what I need to use.  After doing some thinking about it, I bought some plastic storage pockets and thin magnet sheets and took a day to clean up the chaos.

I found the magnets and pockets on Amazon, but you may find products you like better.  The pockets allowed me to store the stamps and dies together, which I hadn't previously been doing, but I've since found that it's very convenient to streamline my creative process.

If you have the Ink to Paper Hold 'N Fold storage pockets, you can use them instead of the other pockets to store your dies right with their coordinating stamps. Bonus: Complete detailed information about the collection is right on the packaging!

I also keep any extra stamped die cuts I've made in these pockets, too, which is another handy benefit to them.

I've laid out all the smaller dies from a set on the magnets.  To make the most of my magnet sheets, I did not use them for large dies, like the gift card pocket in the Tag Creations: Modern Gift collection or the snowmen dies from the Go-To Gift Card Holder: Snowman set.  I enclose the dies and magnet sheet in a flap-seal cello bag and can tuck the larger dies in with it, or just in the plastic pocket themselves if they're very big.

The cello envelopes secure the dies/magnetic sheets by ensuring the dies don't get knocked loose from their magnet backing and become lost.  I then store them in the larger plastic pockets with their large die counterparts, matching stamp sets, and ready-made die cuts.

Laying out the dies on the magnet sheets keeps them flat and contained in one spot for easy storage and it also allows me to see at a glance which die I need when it comes time to use them.  Magnet sheets are especially helpful when you have a very tiny die set or a lot of smaller pieces (like floral pieces) in one collection.  Make the most use of the magnet sheets by trimming them down to just the right size for the dies you're storing.

I decided to keep standalone dies together and to group dies in a series together in one pocket.  Series' such as On the Border, Border Bling, and To Die For share a pocket.  On the Border and Border Bling dies are full card-size dies so they don't require magnet sheets, but I've placed the To Die For words on sheets.

It feels great to finally have these dies organized, and while I was at it, I did my stamps, too!  You'll see those and a few tips a little later this week.  Thanks for stopping by and if you're getting organized over the holidays, have fun!  Happy New Year, friends!

Supplies:
Large Stamp & Die Storage Pockets (Avery Elle)
Thin Magnet Sheets
Clear Self-Adhesive Bags