My Stencil Organisation

Hi guys

I thought I'd pop by today and share with you how I store my stencils. 

I've had them in a ring binder for a while, which is where they still live, but I wasn't happy with the internal organisation.

For about a year I've just had them in normal A4 punched pockets but it wasn't a good use of space.  After being on the lookout for ages I managed to find some A4 photo sleeves which were divided into two pockets.

I trimmed down some copier paper to slip into each pocket...

And I can now store at least four stencils in each sleeve, either side of the paper insert, as opposed to only two previously.  And I  have labels on the outside of each pocket with the manufacturer and design name.

Stencils measuring 7" by 4 1/2", such as those by STAMPlorations fit happily...

My Dutch Doobadoo stencils measuring 8 1/4" x 6" fit snugly, only protruding very slightly above the pockets...

Any 6" x 6" such as My Favorite Things and Altenew can be housed in here too, only protruding very slightly out the top...

I have a few smaller stencils, these are from GlitzCraft and these fit nicely side by side...

The sets of mini stencils by Tim Holtz I've got stored together in their own pocket, and they only overlap very slightly...

Just the taller Tim Holtz stencils I have stored in standard punched pockets, two side by side as they are too long to store horizontally...

And here's the cute binder I use to store them (Bramble Wood range from W H Smith, here in the UK).  I bought a few binders from the same range a while ago (not sure if they are still available).  I'm also in the process of creating some swatches, which will also be stored in one of these but using coin pockets.

As I don't have a proper craft 'room' I don't have enough shelf or drawer space to store mine so this binder fits nicely in the cupboard within my desk.  I also have all my stencils catalogued using Evernote online software, and they are organised alphabetically in the binder by manufacturer, so super easy to find what I need.

So there you have it.  I hope this might give you some ideas if you're looking for a way to store your stencils.

Bye for now :)

Less is More Challenge #370 - Sketch 23

Good morning, crafters

Over at Less is More for the next fortnight's challenge we have a Sketch challenge for you.  It's been a while since we had a sketch so here it is...

Our sponsor for April is the wonderful Happy Little Stampers and our monthly prize winner will be eligible to purchase stamps or dies with a gift certificate.

And today we have the second of our February winners joining us as a Guest Designer, Sue of Sue's Card Craft.  So please do pop over to her blog to say hi :)


Just the one card from me this week.  Sketches are the challenge genre I find the most difficult and I've not been feeling great this last week either so apologies that I don't have more to share.

I thought I'd pick up my ProMarkers for this one as I've not used them in ages.  Oh dear, you can tell!  I started by stamping and masking and stamping some more then coloured in the balloons and clouds.  I stamped the sentiment on a cloud shaped die cut and popped this up on 3D foam.  Then the main panel was also popped up onto the card base.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Up in the Air, Wild Thing (sentiment)
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: Clearly Besotted - Cloudy Days Die Collection
• Coloured with ProMarkers and FlexMarkers

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #289 - CAS
Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #55 - CAS
Creative with Stamps - Challenge #25 - CAS + Sentiment

Although I find sketches tough my teamies have had no problems creating some great projects.  There's a wonderful array of diverse designs over on the main challenge blog so please do check them out, and I hope you can play along over the next two weeks.

Framed Heart

Hi guys

Today I'm sharing a card that I meant to share a few weeks ago!  I'm so disorganised, sorry!

Last month my boyfriend and I celebrated another year since our first date and every year we share anniversary cards...awwwww! lol

This is the card I made for him, super simple but I love how it turned out...

I started with a panel slightly smaller than the card base and die cut a square aperture.  I then die cut a further pierced square with the centre cut out to create a frame and adhered this over the panel to give the aperture some interest. I temporarily placed the panel over the card base and then stamped the heart through the aperture in blue pigment ink directly onto the card base, before embossing with clear powder.  This is clearer in the photo below...

To finish I stamped the label sentiment below the frame and popped the panel up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Hero Arts - Love Flourish; Altenew - Label Love
• Ink: Versa Color - Lagoon Blue; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Squares
• Embossing Powder - Wow! - Clear Gloss

Challenge entries

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #289 - CAS
Always Fun Challenges - Challenge #55 - CAS
Creative with Stamps - Challenge #25 - CAS + Sentiment
Penny Black & More - April Challenge - Black and White Plus One





That's all for today but I'll be back on Saturday morning with details of the next Less is More challenge.  Hope to see you then :)