Finally my stencils are organized in a way that I think will stick for many years. In the past, I have had them hanging from my large Simply Renee Clip it Up along with other things. Then I moved them to a box that sat on my art table. I did not care for the box so I began looking at moving them back to a Clip it Up but this time to a Mini Clip it Up. Unfortunately, this product is no longer available but many of you have them stashed in your closets or you can still find them on eBay, etc.
To Start
So, this past week I began the task of reorganzing them all. I started by setting the stack on the steps to my studio. It made it easier to sit on the steps, spread out, and work. I dictated the name and manufacturer of every single stencil into a note on my phone. It was very quick to dictate them as I worked. Now I have a digital list of all of my stencils.
The Mini Clip it Up
First, the Mini Clip it Up is perfect for my stencils. It fits on my art table, they hang nicely, and it fits a wide variety of sizes. The stencils sizes I have on here are:
4.3" x 5.7"
4.125″ x 8.5″
6"x6"
6"x9"
8.5"x8.5"
They all fit on here so well, and they are easy to grab, use, wash, and put away. And yes, I usually wash my stencils. If they are still a bit wet after washing, they will dry nicely like this. I wash them because I have found that some paints, mists, etc., do react with other products and end up on my pages. It's not always the color I want, and I don't like the mess. So, washing it is for me. :) I have a few that I did not get washed so you will see a few dirty ones.
Hanging the Stencils
To hang the stencils, I used two different products. I used the Simply Renee clips, and I also used clear J hooks that I got from amazon.com. They look like this:
The reason I used two different items to hang the stencils is first because if I only used the Simply Renee clips, all of my stencils would not fit. The clips are awesome but they do take up a bit of room. I only used the clips on stencils in which the clear J hook would not work for instance, intricate doily stencils, etc. The clear J hooks don't take up any room at all, and you can fit more stencils on the Mini Clip it Up. Here you can see a J hook on a Tim Holtz stencil. This makes storage super flat, and if these clips get paint on them, no problem. They are plastic.
Identifying the Stencils
Some companies have their name along with the stencil name printed right on the stencil just like the Tim Holtz stencil above. Love that. Some, however, do not. In those instances, I used my permanent marker to write the name on the stencil itself. This helps when I create products lists for a blog post.
Storage Order
I put the stencils on the Clip it Up in alphabetical order by design. For instance:
Alpha/Number
Circles
Diamonds
Doilies
Hearts
Lattice
Squares
Words
Etc., etc., etc.
I chose not to put them in order by stencil name because I can never remember the name of a particular stencil, and I certainly don't always remember the manufacturer either. This works for me.
Well, I hope this has been helpful and that some of you may resurrect those old mini Clip it Up units. Have fun organizing, and let me know your thoughts or if you have questions in the comment section below. Have a blessed weekend!
