Unmounted Stamps
- Amanda Rajagopalan


This is how I do my Unmounted Stamps.
Using idea’s from the Unmounted DVD plus a few of my own I have come up with what works for me.
I need to be super organised and can find things in an instance. Plus it also has to be stored in a safe way to prevent my little children from playing with them or losing them.

I use the HALOS system. It is easy to get more as I can just add to my next CS shipment.
The scissors I use are also from CS – They are the Kai scissors.

All the illustrations use the Background & Border unmounted. My Fonts are done in the same way.
I store them in separate files, for ease and quick reference.


Step 1

• Photocopy the unmounted reference sheet onto a piece of A4 paper. Doing 2 reference sheets at a time. If I can, I try to put similar themes together. Photocopy on both sides the same images. So it looks the same front and back.
• With the introduction of Club Stamp doing 2 reference sheet of the same theme has been made easier as one sheet will be from the B & B from the CS kit and the other from the CSt kit – if you happen to get both unmounted.
• Then photocopy another copy but only on one side.
• The photocopy that’s on both sides – laminate. We will use this for the loop in Step 4.
• The photocopy with only one side goes into my A4 reference book. This is to take shopping so I don’t buy similar or the same stamps. I do this for all my stamps, punches and magazines. I have found from past experience it is very easy to double up.

Step 2

• Cut off the excess rubber around the whole mat. Reduces waste of the hook tape.
• Place the hook on the back of the mat (1 roll of hook can do about 3- 3.5 unmounted sheets)
• Cut into 2 pieces, width wide across the back of the unmounted mat. Make up the ends with little slithers of hook - only if there is an image on the other side.
• Press firmly and rub out air pockets.

Step 3

• Cut out all the images.
• Tidy up the images by cutting any excess rubber or hook that may be over hanging.
• TIP: Wipe the blades of your scissors on an embossing stamp pad (any type). It will help reduce the scissors getting clogged up with the adhesive from the hook. I keep this pad purely for this purpose in my mounting box with my hook and loop.

Step 4

• Need the laminated photocopy for this step.

• Once all the images are cut and tidied up, lay them back on top of the sheet on their own images.
• Sometimes after they have been cut out they don’t quite fit back together in the same place.
• Keep juggling them around till they fit over the top of the printed images for that reference sheet. Some may not go back in the same spot I try to get them as close to where they were. Easier to find later.
• TIP: Any little images I try to keep off the edges and place in the middle where they can’t get knocked off when taking in and out of the pocket (Step 5).
• Once they all fit back on, cut the loop so it is where the image will go (see picture above & below).
• Place small pieces of loop under each stamp.
• If there are images that end up being a row (eg words or letters, see picture below). Use a longer strip rather than lots of little ones.

• Finished mounted sheet should look the picture below.

• Most likely, you will not be able to see any images underneath. This is not important as the other side will become your reference of what the stamps are and where they roughly are. (Step 6 picture)

Step 5

• Place laminated sheet with mounted stamps into a plastic pocket protector/sleeve with the stamps at the back.

Step 6

• Place all the plastic pockets/sleeves into an A4 file with the stamps facing the back of the file.
• By having them in a file you can flick through looking at the pictures on front clearly, without touching or moving the stamps, and find what you need. How you file them is a preference thing. My Club Scrap is in years. My others are by theme (eg baby, boys, celebrations, Christmas, etc)
• Final product should look like below.

I hope this has been some help to anyone who has been wary of buying unmounted stamps because of the how to mount and store them. I really like buying unmounted as the savings can be huge. I am a big Club Scrap fan and with their unmounted I’m able to get a quite few stamps of one theme at a time, without a huge expense.