stampin' studio - nataliegramleystamps

inspire – create – share – final touches on my stampin’ studio

by nataliegramleystamps | Nov 26, 2025 | stamp organization, stampin' studio

As we prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow I wanted to post the final touch to my Stampin’ Studio – this room is the culmination of almost 25 years of so much fun and blessings –

I take the time today and tomorrow, as we all pause to express our thankfulness – time to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings in my life – my husband of 35 wonderful years, my 4 boys and my bonus daughter, my dream home on the lake and my wonderful Stampin’ Up! career and customers that I have been blessed to serve and teach as I enter into my 25th year!

Thank you for all the blessings in my life I look forward to continuing to CREATE and SHARE and INSPIRE!

Thank you to 3C Graphix for the great work on my new banner to complete my dream space!

I told my husband I had one final project for him – I needed to hang something and needed his precision and expertise! He is a measure twice -oh maybe three or four times to be safe LOL and then cut!

When I told him what I needed – he was happy to use his new ladder and measure it all out for me!

I asked a local graphics firm near me in Meadville called 3C Graphix to cut and put together our inspire- create – share banner that has appeared on our catalogs and promotional material for Stampin’ Up! for many years in white vinyl.

They did an amazing job and my husband did the rest measuring and getting it centered and straight on the wall above my IKEA Kallax unit wall!

The final portion was up to me burnish the vinyl with my bone folder and attach it to the wall and remove the sticky paper that holds it all together!

I was thankful for the library ladder and the fact that I am not afraid of heights LOL

I finished the project and the wall is now complete!

These organizational bins were an amazon find and I will be sharing them on my website soon.

They are perfect for the new Stampin’ Up! packaging!

Next time you are in the studio for class – look up and see the inspire- create – share on the wall above us all!

That is what I hope to do for all of you – every day – bring beauty and creativity into your world and inspire you to send your artwork out into the world to inspire and share with others!
One card at a time – we can make this a nicer place to be!

Thank you for supporting me – continuing to come to class and allowing me to inspire and fill your world with my art!

These organizational containers are amazon finds and fit perfectly the new Stampin’ Up! packaging. You will be able to find them on my website in my favorites soon!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow – I hope you all are surrounded by family and friends tomorrow and that your day is filled with great food and love and laughter!

All my best to each of you!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

← more color mondays - cherry cobbler, basic beige and crumb cake holiday pocket card →

new packaging tips and tricks

by nataliegramleystamps | Oct 22, 2025 | online exclusives, sneak peak, stamp organization, stampin' studio, techniques

Have you heard that Stampin’ Up! will be transitioning to 100% Photopolymer stamp sets! Due to the raw material shortages with Red Rubber we will be discontinuing that line of products and as we transition to this new material we will also be using new packaging – the November Online Exclusives will be the start of the gradual transition to this new packaging and photopolymer line.

The new packaging will be across the board for all new stamp and die sets and will be 5 5/8″ by 9″ envelopes.

Today’s blog post is all about the upcoming changes and some tips and tricks for storage and organization!

Below is the image of the Upcoming November Online Exclusive punch bundle Banner Sayings.

I love the new packaging for it’s sleek and elegant design but was a little disappointed that the stamp sets did not come with the pre-printed images that had previously been on the inside of the cases! I loved the pre-printed stamp images because it was a double check that I was not missing any of the stamps when I put them all back in the package.

So I have a tip to make the new packaging even better!

The stamp sets still come sandwiched in between two sheets of plastic – one thicker and one thinner.

I added three strips of Tear-N-Tape to the thicker sheet of the plastic sandwich.

I adhered the stamp set to the back inside of the paper sheath that comes in the envelope.

I removed the thinner plastic sheet from on top of the stamps and applied Tuxedo Black Memento ink to the stamps surfaces.

I closed the front side of the paper sheath over the stamps and either rub your hands on the top paper sheath over where the stamps are located or run a brayer over the area where the stamps are.

Now you have an entire image of all of the stamps in this set on the inside of the front cover paper sheath that comes in the envelope.

Clean off the stamps and place the thinner sheet of plastic back over the stamps.

Add three strips of Tear-n-Tape to the top of the thinner plastic sheet over the stamps.

Remove the release paper from the top plastic sheet and close the paper sheath over the stamps.

Now you will have the thinner plastic sheet attached over the printed images for all the stamps in the set. This thinner plastic does not hold onto the stamps as tightly as the bottom thicker layer!

Once you are done using your stamps you can place them over the image on the thinner plastic and once you close the paper sheath the stamp will be transferred to the thicker plastic sheet for storage!

Never lose a stamp!
Try this technique with all your new packaging and you will be able to stay organized!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

← more color mondays - azure afternoon, daffodil delight, and lemon lime twist building a reflection with light and wonder set →

virtual stamp studio tour

by nataliegramleystamps | Sep 17, 2025 | stamp organization, stampin' studio

I have been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator since June 2001 – crazy right?! And I have been dreaming of a dedicated craft room space for almost as many years. My husband and I moved a ton in our young life – 8 homes in our 35 years of marriage! So when we finally settled into our forever home – I started designing a space to create and share!

When you have the opportunity to create a space of your own – you want to make the most of every inch! So I started searching for the best organizational options for my space and IKEA and Stamp-n-Storage provided me with the best solutions!

Follow along and I will explain my organizational process to you – for me the more organized I am the more productive I can be and the more fluidly I can create!

As you enter my space from an outside entrance and walk up the stairs you come to a 5 x 5 Kallax unit in the hallway leading into the studio and I used that space for scrapbook storage. I elevated the Kallax unit onto a base board to create a built in look. This is the first time in years I have had access to all of my scrapbooks – a lot of them are not completed yet – I have my work cut out for me!

As you go around the corner I had a free wall and I added some vinyl that Stampin’ Up! used to sell years ago I never put them up as I wanted them to be in my last permanent home!
They are days of the week chalk board vinyl – no longer available but look nice and I use them to organize my time!

My back wall I wanted to use for storage and presentation so I created a wall combining Kallax units, alex drawers and some cabinetry on each end with trash side out cabinets. The Side cabinetry was kitchen counter height and there was a difference between the alex drawers which I knew I wanted for there sleek drawer design perfect for crafting supplies – I asked my builder if he could build a ribbon shelf for me so I drew out the idea and he filled the extra space perfectly for my ribbon storage.
Because of the height of the wall unit I added a library ladder – I am only 5’1″ so I knew I would need it! LOL…

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I added Stamp-n-Storage units made for the IKEA KALLAX system to add organizational elements to the Kallax units. 12 x 12 paper holders, 6″ x 6″ DSP paper storage, punch storage and ink and refill units!

For my 8.5″ x 11″ paper storage I use two different types of storage pockets – the side loading pockets I use for full pages and the top loading pockets I use for each individual color scraps.

On the top row I store in baskets – all of my card sets that I sell I batch them in sets of ten cards and envelopes and place them in acrylic boxes that I purchase from a company called Clear Bags.

I organize my embellishments in plastic Stamp boxes by color – neutrals, in colors, colored gems, colored sequins, pearls and rhinestones.
Below my embellishments I have two card storage units from Stamp-n-storage to store my completed cards before organizing them in sets for sale.

I added an outlet in a couple of the bottom kallax openings for easy acccess to items like my heat tool station.

And I created a concentrated space for all my Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machines and supplies.

Next I created a station for photographing my artwork for posting to social media with outlets for lighting and a lightbox for optimal light – I also purchased backgrounds for a more professional look.

I created work stations along the outside of the studio and a large center island for classes and extra workspace.

In my main workspace area I positioned another Stamp-n-Storage ink pad,reinker, marker and Blends storage units so all my inks are within reach. Little bins for scissors and glue and tools and this area becomes super functional!

I created a computer work station in the corner with easy access to my computer and printer and some bins for current catalogs and notebooks for designs and references.

I love my Alex IKEA drawers because they are the perfect size narrow and not deep for all of my crafting supplies to be easily found and not lost at the bottom of a deep drawer.

My label maker is my best friend and I labeled and organized all of my drawer by function –
watercoloring tools all in one place, retired embellishments all in one drawer, clear envelopes and Stampin’ Dimensionals. Each drawer labeled and organized by function and grouped together for easy access and purpose.