Be honest…
Do you know exactly how many dies you have?
And more importantly… do you know what all of them actually do? 😂
I ask because I've been there.
There was a time when I ordered a bunch of dies at once. I was excited to open the package and see all those lovely little pieces of crafty potential.
Except…
There were a few in there that I couldn't identify.
At all.
I turned them around. I looked at them from every possible angle. I tried cutting them out to see what they would make.
And eventually, I did what any reasonably desperate cardmaker would do.
I took a picture and posted it in a cardmaking group asking if anyone could tell me what the heck I had just bought. 😂
Thankfully, cardmakers are a pretty helpful bunch, and sometimes someone recognizes the mystery die immediately.
But sometimes?
Nope.
Mystery remains unsolved.
And I still have a couple of those little metal mysteries sitting in my collection today.
When Your Die Collection Starts Having Secrets
One of the funny things about cardmaking is how quickly a collection can grow.
You start with a few dies that you know you'll use all the time. Then you find another one that would be perfect for a project. Then another. Then there's a sale. Then someone releases a die that is just too cute to leave behind.
Before you know it, you've got a drawer full of dies and you're thinking:
"I know I have one that would work for this…"
So you start digging.
And digging.
And digging.
Only to discover that you actually do have one that would work…
You just couldn't remember where it was.
The Mystery Doesn't Have to Happen Twice
That's one of the reasons I like the idea of keeping an inventory of your stamps and dies.
Not because every cardmaker needs a perfectly organized craft room. Mine certainly doesn't look like a craft store showroom! 😂
But because having a simple record of what you own can save you time, money, and a whole lot of rummaging through drawers.
And when you finally figure out what that mysterious die actually makes?
Write it down!
Future-you will be very grateful.
That's exactly what inspired my Stamp & Die Inventory Log.
It's designed to give you a simple place to keep track of the stamps and dies in your collection, so you can actually remember what you have and find it when you need it.
And yes… perhaps it might even help prevent you from buying something you already own.
Not that any of us have ever done that. 😉
And Speaking of Dies…
My next video is going to be all about die cutting, so this seemed like the perfect time to talk about the little pieces of metal that can make such a big difference in our cardmaking.
We'll be talking about the process, the possibilities, and of course, getting those dies out of the drawer and actually using them!
Because let's face it…
Those dies aren't going to cut themselves. 😂
Happy crafting! 🦊✂️