Easy UPCYCLED Stamp and Die Storage File Box

Next on the list to tackle is my stamp and die storage problem. Things need to be stored safely but also be easy to find - and stamp and die sets need to be stored together. This is my solution (I've also made a video)...

Before:

This is the usual chaos in my corner of the living room - you can see why it needs tidying up a bit!

Closeup of the stamps etc in folders above my desk. As you can see, everything is pretty anonymous! I have no idea what is where, and end up going through the whole lot to find anything in particular. 

Here's a video showing exactly how I made a cereal box into these handy file boxes:

I apologise for the ugly strip showing other people's unrelated videos - which can't be deleted. It's YouTube's new policy. The strip shows on all videos made since September 2018! Just horrible!

My storage system is based on A5 (half letter size) laminated card with the stamps indexed on these, then tucked inside Tim Holtz Stamp Binder Refills. These are easily available (google for the best deal, Amazon has them plus a lot of other stamp stores) and come 8 to a packet. And they are not only tough polypropylene, they're also surprisingly inexpensive. 

I link them together with treasury tags (from any stationer) or you could also use ring binders. I also bought those hole reinforcements (little round rings to stop holes tearing in tags and papers) and found I didn't need them. I like the treasury tags and it's easy to flip the binder pages over, and they aren't bulky. However, when they are all stacked on the shelves, I can't tell what is inside. I tried card binder wraparounds etc but the weight made the pages sag when lifted off the shelf, so that idea didn't work for me. However, this upcycled idea did! 

After:

I used the smaller size of cereal as this means less strain on the sides from the weight of the contents. I also used PVA (white) glue as this makes for the strongest bond - these boxes are really solid when dry. Personally, I don't recommend double-sided tape (you'd need an awful lot of it) and I doubt glue stick would be strong enough either. So, for me, PVA - pretty much any brand - is the way to go.

I like a contrast lining, not only for extra strength because it's fun and looks pretty!

I've seen the A4 magazine folders, but never seen any the size I need. I bought two A5 ones (the wide white ones) from Ikea but they were too tall to fit the shelves and I had to cut them down. (I hid the cut edges at the top with washi tape, then some more where the cut-outs are, so the matched). At almost £2 for a single piece, although very strong, I thought this was rather expensive for what they were, so decided to make my own .... from cereal boxes!

These boxes are perfect if you just want to store A5 laminated sheets of stamps, magnetic sheets with dies - on their own, or in the Tim Holtz Refill pockets. These also fit in even when the treasury tags are added, so you can just flip through what you have, or take out the entire section.

I need more boxes (need to eat more cereal, lol) as this method is really working for me. I've been using these for several months now, and ❤❤❤ them.