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Monday 3 February 2014

...What to do with those dies? - Storage Idea!

ED - All in stock dies are currently shipping to Europe and if demand is good I may consider making the magnetic sheets a permanent fixture on the store! ta for asking ladies!


Good morning - I have a picture heavy post this morning for you - apologies for the picture quality, ain't no sunshine here....

So I have been casting around to see how best to store dies. I have an idea for you this morning and I am chuffed with it, it seems to be working well for me so far.


In a nutshell, I have taken a standard photo box -  I think mine was a 'Semikolon' branded box that I picked up cheap from TK maxx. I believe these are intended for photos but it's perfect for dies. I am working with A6 sized card pieces, but I imagine 6x4 would do equally well.

I have made up a bunch of A6 size cards - and adhered magnetic sheet to the front of them. Attaching a little tab to the back of the open card creates a little file, a place to store extra die cuts and positioning frames, and also the tab makes it super easy to flip through! Love it!

Here's what a folder looks like:


Here's what it looks like opened up:


And here's how I made them:

I started with kraft cardstock - a good heavy weight, I used A4 size and folded it in half lengthwise. These are UK standard sizes but the principle here could be applied to other sizes, 6x4 inches or standard US card sizes.


Then I take my A6 magnetic sheet - the magnetic sheets I got were adhesive backed already.

Peel off the backing

And stick to one side of the folded card

Then I was able to run the knife down the edge of the magnet. This trims the cardstock neatly and leaves me with another perfectly sized card to stick another magnetic sheet to!


Next i used my Stampin  up tab punch to make a batch of tabs - I used a nice yellow card to co-ordinate with my box. I positioned the tabs in different places on each folder so as to make it easier to read the names as I flip through.

The box I'm using has 4 sections which I like as it keeps everything upright, but I imagine you could customise this idea to work for whatever box you have to hand - I'm thinking those index card boxes would be perfect for this, shoeboxes - cassette boxes from Ikea, photo boxes - LOADS of boxes will work for this idea!

The thing to remember is to use a good strong card for your mini folders, if your card is too floppy the magnet will make it bendy.

So far I have only added the WMS Cutting edge dies, but I'm going to tackle all my beloved Spellbinders soon and when I get to the bigger dies, I might start an 8x5 box!

If you fancy having a go at this, I have bundles of the A6 self adhesive magnetic sheets available at the store, but these things are heavy and I can only ship them to and from UK/Europe addresses at present, my apologies.

Hope it tickles!

10 comments:

  1. BRILLIANT!!!!! Love love this, Claire :). The folder idea....my mind is blown, lol. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. What a fab idea...and stylish too!!

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  3. Love, love, love your die box Claire. Is the magnetic sheet going to be a regularly stock item in the store? Only askin cos something tells me I might need lots and lots in the future LOL!

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  4. Brilliant idea! But when can we expect to get those dies in Europe?

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  5. A fabulous idea Claire! I already keep my Spellbinders dies on magnetic sheets in ringbinders, but I like this idea for my other dies. The brilliant thing about this is the space for keeping spare diecuts, positioners etc - so handy!

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  6. LOVE this idea! I think I should make a start on my die collection... :) xx

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  7. I use something similar but without the tabs - an open top. I currently have four boxes and growing. ......need to sort me a system whereas I know exactly what I have and what they look like
    What cha going to do with the long ones?

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  8. Fantastic idea! Love the neatness of the die storage and a good overview too! Thanks for sharing, Claire

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