Video: Ink Organization + Storage + DISCOUNT CODES + GIVEAWAY

07.19.15

Hi there. Today’s video is an update on my ink organization and storage.

[All supplies are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post. Affiliate links used. To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]

I’ve shared many ink videos in the past, but I’ve added a few things to my system and wanted to share.

COLOR CODING

First, let’s talk about color identification. There are a few things I found helpful:

  • Ink Swatch Book – I find this essential when creating. It saves me so much time in matching inks and creating color combos. I have a free download of the swatches HERE, along with a video on how to create your own.
  • Brother Label Maker – I print out a label for each side of my ink pads. I like that the labels are durable and hold up nicely over time. (Many of the ones you print on your computer get messy quickly and fall off.)
  • Ink Dots – This is something I’ve recently started doing and I really find it helpful to see the true color of the ink pad at first glance. I stamp the color on top of two dots sandwiched together and adhere it next to the label. I encourage you to get your kids involved in helping. (A big shout out to Colin and my friend/right-hand-stamper Heather for helping me create all these dots!)

Note: I don’t think it is necessary to do all three of the systems above. It just depends on how many inks you have, how you work, etc. Maybe one would do the trick for you. I find all three helpful since I have a lot of inks for my job. (By the way, it is completely unnecessary to own as many inks as I do. This is my job and that is the only reason I have so many. Inks are like shoes – we all need and want something different, so you just need to pick what suites you. I show lots of inks in my videos to help you pick.)

INK STORAGE

I have a few ways I store my inks:

  • Organize More – I am a huge fan of Organize More… both the people and the products. I have several of their ink units in my craft room and cannot recommend them enough. They are amazing. You can get a closer look at these storage units in THIS video.

The kind people at Organize More are offering a 10% off code for my readers. Just use the code “MCGUIRE715” now thru 7/25/15. (And see below for a big giveaway!)

  • Stampin’ Up Ink Caddy – This option is great if you have a small desktop space for ink storage. I’ve placed a couple of these in a deep cabinet and have been happy with them. I like that each unit holds 48 ink pads and swivels for easy access. There is also a storage area on top to hold re-inkers.

If you’d like to get one of these caddies, just click HERE to shop with my friend Lydia Fiedler. If you use hostess code FEBAUNEW (enter this after clicking to view your shopping bag) you will go into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to her store. Lydia is awesome. If there was a unicorn made out of glitter it couldn’t be more awesome than she is. 😉

Here is one of my Organize More units. It is just a thing of beauty…

And here is a look at how the inks fit into the Stampin’ Up Caddy. I do like how this baby spins around easily…

OTHER ORGANIZATION VIDEOS

If you are interested in my other organization videos, you can find them all HERE.

DISCOUNT CODE

Just a reminder – the kind people at Organize More are offering a 10% off code for my readers. Just use the code “MCGUIRE715” now thru 7/25/15.

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to win a $100 gift certificate to Organized More? (I told you these were super nice!) For your chance, leave a comment below by 11:59pmEST on 7/31/15 telling me how you store your inks. (The winner’s name will be randomly selected and posted on my “Winners page” after the giveaway closes. International folks are eligible, too!)

SUPPLIES

Interested in the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here. All products featured were personally purchased.) Click on the letters below each picture to go to a favorite store:

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( JMink )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( OM )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( SU )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( IK )

 

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | AZ )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( AZ )

 
CLICK A SHOP:
( SSS | AZ )

 


Leave a Comment

1,275 thoughts on “Video: Ink Organization + Storage + DISCOUNT CODES + GIVEAWAY”

  1. Currently my inks are in a clear plastic bin. Would love to be able to access them easier, and be able to see them more clearly, all at once.

    Reply

  3. Right now I’m storing my inks in a draw. Not really working for me. Very difficult to find what I’m looking for.

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  4. I’m storing my Distress Inks sorted by color in 8″x5″x2.5″ pencil boxes, with a colored lid which is the same as the ink family inside. This works really well for me since they stack on a self and I can easily grab the box(s) I need. My other inks are also sorted by color and stored in shallow drawers.

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  5. The majority of my inks are in plastic “Binz” containers. Some are in a swivel container on my desk.

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  6. The only inks I have really organised are my distress inks. These are in a custom made (by my husband) portable storage case. I have labelled the inks with the name and a ink dot. The dots were created by swiping ink on thin card, punching a small circle and adhering with glossy accents. I take this case to crops and classes. All my other inks are in drawers in my desk. They are placed together by company but I don’t really have enough to bother implementing any other organisation.

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  7. I am VERY INTO ORGANIZING!!! This is a great prize!! I am in the process of moving my scrapbook room into another room because my WONGER HUSBAND busband built me beautiful counters with nice counter tops. Very nice cabinets, I could go on & on, but I think you get the idea. It is no where as big as yours, but it is extremely beautiful for me. I would just be on CLOUD NINE if this new piece of organizional beauty graced my wall. Thank you for the chance for the place to win. Buffy

    Reply

  8. My current storage for inks is *gasp* tossing them in a drawer and digging endlessly to find the ones I need. Yes, I need an intervention.

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  9. Currently my inks are stored in drawers. The drawers have post it notes as to the contents. I would love to have my inks better organized. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  10. I have tiny square pads, so I just stack them in a tuppleware container on top of my desk. It’s not very efficient though :/

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  11. I use the Organize More storage for most of my ink pads, except for the small Distress Ink pads, which I put in the tins that were designed for them. I love the Organize More storage – they look great and hang on the wall in front of my craft area within easy reach.

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  12. Thanks Jennifer I organize my inks in the Stampin’ Up! twirly gig by color groups and then my Tim Holtz distress inks are in the top of that stacked on top of each other and my pigment ink are in a little drawer storage unit stacked together by color groups as well. Thanks for all of your great ideas !

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  14. I store my stamp pads in a plastic box in a closet with other stamping supplies, but I need organization badly….so that I can be more able to create my cards easier! Thanks for the chance to win your giveaway! Your ideas are great Jennifer!

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  15. I store my ink pads in an old cassette holder, kind of like re-purposing. Your give such wonderful ideas to help us be more creative and less “messy” in our crafting. I used your idea for the color swatch and love it. I would love to win in your giveaway.

    Reply

  16. I store my ink pads in a repurposed wooden cassette holder mounted on the wall. Each ink is labelled with the name on 2 sides and a color dot.

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  17. I store them in a wood case my hubby made for me with the overflow sitting on a shelf under them. I lOVE ink!!!!

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  18. Thanks to your video on labeling inks, I am now adding that to one of my future projects along with the inventory. As of now, I have my mini distress inks all stored in a case that I can keep in one of my drawers and grab to take to crops with me. They are single layer with their blending pads underneath each one. The larger inks are stored in a small plastic unit on the table to the right of my computer. It has three drawers large enough to store about 18 ink pads in each drawer.

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  19. Right now I have my Stampin’ Up! inks in an Organize More wall mount ink slots (64 slots) and all my other inks in the top drawer of my Martha Stewart drawer/cabinet, which sits right next to my work station. I plan on using my Stampin’ Up! carousel for other inks once I get them labeled with your technique (dots). But I have more ink than that can hold, so I will still use my MS top drawer for inks. I also keep my basic blacks at my work station.

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  20. My ink pads are currently being stored in shoeboxes and it is driving me crazy! I’ve chosen to spend money on supplies rather than organizational materials and now desperately need a change. I am in the process of slowly moving all of my craft stuff to a playroom that is not being utilized anymore. It is overwhelming and I need a design team!

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  21. I use a cassette tape holder on the wall. It has 100 slots. Yet I have more than 100 inks in it. Best of all, it was free!

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  22. I have a small plastic four drawer unit that I have outgrown already… The inks are stored by brand, and being so full now they tend to get jammed. I do need a better and bigger system.

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  23. I do not have too much space so I just put them in a box in the closet. I wish I had a better way to store them. Thank you for the chance.

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  26. I have quite a few ink pads, from lots of companies, that I have collected over the years and unfortunately, they are not “organized” to say the least. Some live in a rolling cart with plastic drawers, some live in a portable unit (i.e. Stampin’ Up) and others, well, they are nomads and move along with the tides of my creativity. My goal is to at least get them all in one central location so I can utilize them better. Thanks for your never ending inspiration.

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  29. You’re a Genius! Great organizational recommendations! I’m a beginner, so I my supply of inks are a lil limited right now, but I’m doing this same thing to the inks I do have! Thanks for the chance!

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  30. I store my inks heaped into a couple of drawers and the distress inks are in an old Archivers ink pad display I got inexpensively when they went out of business…but I sure do need helllllp

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  31. I have my most used inks in 2 stampin’ up caddies. The rest are stored in clear plastic storage boxes. The inks are labeled, though I hadn’t thought of using my label maker. That seems better than the printed sheets I’ve used.

    Reply

  32. Hi, there boy this would be lovely to win. Right now I use little plastic holders that stores use to store their frames. When the frame box is empty I get the plastic inserts the frames were support with. It is pretty cool the best part they are free.

    Reply

  33. I store my inks in a draw. Some have labels because the company have labels for them. Other don’t. When I need them I just take them out.

    Reply

  36. I got an awesome handmade swiveling wooden ink storage unit at a garage sale for $25! The holes for markers and re-inkers were drilled for the old Stampin’ Up sizes, so mine don’t fit, but that’s okay because it fits somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 ink pads! I still can’t believe my luck.

    Reply

  37. Before this year, I did not have enough inks to worry about storage but now i make cards and am slowly buildimg up a collection in clear plastic bins but i have to get better organized than that in the coming months.

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  38. Right now my inks are tossed in a drawer…I would love a new storage system since I’m currently renovating my craft space 🙂

    Reply

  39. Very inefficient unfortunately. They are stored by company and by color. I use the 3L Really Useful Boxes stored on its side. One box holds 16 SU pads (which is mostly what I have). Ranger minis are in the little tin boxes. Would love the chance to upgrade my system. Thanks. For the chance. All of them are in a cabinet with doors.

    Reply

  40. I keep my inks in two “pieces and parts” 18 drawer storage units that I got at a big box hardware store. I can get 3 ink pads in a drawer and then I label the drawers with the ink colors it holds. Not the best system, obviously, but it was inexpensive and at the time worked for me. However, now I have more ink than drawers so I have the rest just thrown into storage drawers and it’s become a hunt and search effort to make a card. I have started buying some of the “minis” and keep them in the Ranger tin boxes.

    Reply

  41. I have a 12 X 12 plastic case that I store my inks in now. Every time I want to find a color, I have to pull out all of the inks to sort through them.

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  42. Not sure I’d call it “storing” my inks – in a plastic drawer sorta stacked on each other. Not easy to find what I want and very frustrating. I HAVE to get them organized!

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  45. My inks are just stacked in a clear plastic container. I really need a better storage system.

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  47. I made a plywood storage unit similar to the Organize More unit, but my inkpad collection has outgrown it.

    Reply

  48. Right now my inks are in stacks on my work desk – whenever I need a color I have to be careful not to knock everything over. I also have some small dew drops in a drawer – they get used more because they are easier to get to. I am in desperate need for some serious organization!! Thanx for a chance to win!

    Reply

  49. I use your ink swatch system but my inks are in several different areas in my craft room. I am still trying to decide how to store them.

    Reply

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