Die Storage (Wafer Thin Dies)

*Updated December 26, 2015 to add new pictures of my die storage as well as new categories!

Until now, I’ve been storing my dies like this and it worked fine until I got so many dies that I needed three containers to hold them! I didn’t have room for all the containers and it was starting to take a long time to find what I was looking for so I took a hint from my new stamp storage and updated stamp inventory and have switched them over to magnetic pockets, as well as having created a new die inventory notebook on Evernote (more on that later!)

I started by planning and gathering my supplies:

Dies, of course!

Die Storage Pockets – After much debate and trying several different options, I decided to stick with what works already and use these Avery Elle Stamp & Die Storage Pockets.

Dividers – A lot of people follow Jennifer McGuire’s advice and buy poly/plastic folders and cut them up, or you can do what Nichol Magouirk does and use these DVD Dividers. (Company went out of business but here is a link to more dvd dividers – http://amzn.to/2DkTxMd) However, I’m on a budget so I copied my idea from my Stencil Storage Solution and have decided to cut up pieces of good, sturdy cardstock (Bazzill Card Shoppe in Candy Necklace) from my stash and run it through my laminator.

Laminator & Pockets – If you are making your own Dividers, you will need a laminator and laminating pockets. This is the one I use from Purple Cows. The pockets I use are from AmazonBasics.

Cardstock – Any cheap cardstock will work fine for this. I used Georgia Pacific cardstock which you can get at Amazon for 9.95 (for a pack of 250 sheets!)

Magnetic Vent Covers – These are made to cover up air conditioning vents but the magnetic material is strong and ease to cut down and is much more affordable than any other magnetic material I’ve found. I bought a bunch of these for less than $5.00 a pack (you get 9 storage cards out of one pack) and am cutting them to fit my pockets and to hold my dies.

A Storage Container – *NEW 12/26/15 – I am now using this InterDesign Fridge and Freezer Storage Bin, 8-Inch by 4-Inch by 14.5-Inch, Clear to store my dies in.

I used to use the InterDesign Fridge and Freezer Storage Bin, 12-Inch by 4-Inch by 14.5-Inch, Clear in my craft room already that was empty (it used to hold my mists before I moved them to my Ikea Rakskog cart) so I am putting mine in there, however, if you have a smaller collection or don’t like the size of it, you can also use this: InterDesign Linus Pantry Pullz Organizer, Medium

Labels – I happen to have a TON of labels left over from my new stamp storage and they work great so I’m using them. They are the Avery 8167 Return Address Labels. (Much more affordable than using my Brother P-touch label maker when you have a large collection like mine!

Color Coding Labels – This product is optional, but because I don’t store my dies WITH my stamps (I’m OCD like that), I chose to purchase these 1/2″ teal color coding labels and put one on each stamp and die storage pocket that has a coordinating stamp and/or die.

Label Maker to label the Dividers – I used my Brother P-Touch Label Maker.

Printer: Finally you will need a printer to print your labels. Most of us already have one but here’s the one I have just in case you are in the market for a new one. I also use this printer for foiling with my minc machine. I will have a post on my new laser printer coming soon. (Search my blog for “laser printer”)

Die Storage Categories

*Updated 12/26/15

The first and most difficult step of this entire process was going through my dies initially and deciding how to categorize and store them. I have decided to store mine by category and I took note from the categories on the MFTStamps.com website because I find them easy to use and so my categories are:

Accents – This includes misc. dies that don’t fit in any other category
Alphas & Words – All alphabet and word dies
Backgrounds
Borders
Card Elements
- Banners & Labels
- Tags
- Other
Floral
Nested Shapes
- Pierced & Stitched
- Diagonal Stitched
- Double Stitched
- Frames
- Pierced
- Plain Shapes
Themed Dies
- Birthday
- Christmas
- Easter
- Floral
- Other
- Pet
- Thanskgiving
Stamp Companions – I no longer use this category or it’s sub-categories because I bought a Brother ScanNCut and no longer need stamp companion dies

Instructions to Create Your Own Die Storage Pockets & Inserts:

Let’s start by creating our pocket inserts which will hold the dies. Using any cheap 110lb cardstock (I used Georgia Pacific from Walmart) cut each piece so that it measures 5 3/8″ 7″.
Cut the magnetic vent covers to fit onto the cardstock inserts you just created. I cut mine to 5″ x 6 7/8″.
Using my ATG, I glued the newly cut magnetic material on to the inserts. This is what it looks like at this point.
Attach dies to magnetic insert and place the insert into the storage pocket.
Add a label and/or a color coding sticker to your new die storage pocket and voila! You are finished! Here is a photo of a completed die storage pocket.

Instructions for Making Dividers

Using a thick cardstock (I used Bazzill Card Shoppe in Jawbreaker).
Run it through your laminator inside of a laminating pocket.
Trim off the excess laminating material and cut in half to 7 3/4 x 5 1/2″
Add a label using your label maker or label sheets (I used my Brother P-touch Label Maker)

Completed Die Storage

Here is what my newly completed die storage container looks like filled with my dies (half of it is filled with large stamp sets stored in Stampin’ Up’s DVD cases).

To watch this video in HD click here.

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