Shoebox: Rubber Stamp Storage & Calendar

By Carol Duvall

There was a suggestion in the Shoebox today that is definitely a winner! It was sent in by Dea Miller of Chesapeake, Va., who wrote the story but gives full credit for the idea to her sister RaLayne Lundberg. Both women are rubber stamp enthusiasts, but Lundberg had a challenge because she and her husband move a lot and carting the stamps and unpacking them and finding a place for them every time she moved became a bit of a problem. She solved it with one clever idea. At the grocery store, she purchased some two-gallon-sized Zip-Loc bags. (Yes...they DO have them. Even I was able to purchase them in my small town grocery store.) Into each bag she slipped a piece of sturdy cardboard cut to size as a backing and then slipped in rubber stamps until she could pack in no more and zipped the bag closed. The filled bags she then packed into a plastic container purchased at the office supply store. Now not only are all of the stamps readily available and completely visible, but when it comes time to move, she just picks up the entire container and moves it along!

I thought Lundberg's idea was so wonderful I had to give it a try, but instead of large plastic containers, I got a three-pack of cardboard fold-down boxes...I think they are the kind that are meant to hold magazines. For the plastic bags, I purchased some plastic holders that were intended for holding files. They were sturdier than the grocery store bags, so I didn't need to insert the cardboard. They were, however, much more expensive. If you don't have to buy very many, they are perfect. In any event, whatever you decide to use, this is a terrific and very practical idea.

In her letter, Miller also mentioned that she and a group of friends get together at each other's houses once a month and rubber stamp. In fact, they have lunch, they stamp, they swap craft supplies and ideas, and work on a project together. They've been doing this for 12 years! They have made cookbooks and calendars, among other things. In fact, the calendar I showed was one of their projects. She does have some physical limitations, but in spite of her physical problems, her rubber stamping has brought her so much pleasure that some time ago, her husband suggested she make a business of it. He got her a vulcanizer, a printer and a scroll saw, among other things, so that now she can design and make her own rubber stamps at home. She even sells them to four of the stamp stores in her town, so if you are ever in Chesapeake, Va., or if you live there or nearby, you might ask if the store you visit carries her stamps. What a nice story.