40% off Just For Fun Rubber Stamps !!!

40% Off Special Offer-2018

We hope everyone had a great  Holiday Season 
and we wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018!

Just For Fun is kicking off 2018 with a 40% OFF Special Offer!  It will start Januray 8 and run through January 15. All online retail orders will receive 40% OFF and your savings will be shown in red at check out. To get your savings go to  www.jffstamps.com 

Thank you for all your support in 2017!
Just For Fun

Looking for Third Coast Stamps...

I know many people out there e-mailed me and asked about what happened to Third Coast Stamps when they disappeared off the scene abruptly a couple years ago.  I felt really bad because I couldn't help anyone with the missing stamp orders, non-communication from the owners or any of the other problems that folks had when they shut down without notice.  

Well, I wanted to let you know that the same owners opened up a new store called Third Stone Stamps. I suggest if you have outstanding issues you might want to contact them here (taken from their web-site contact us page):

Third Stone Stamps
PO Box 308
Wolcott, Colorado 81655

We also have a Texas location so please contactus to see where we are before sending snail mail!

Phone: 970-370-5608Fax: 815-301-8935

val@thirdstonestamps.com

Normally I wouldn't post anything like this and I know it's not the Politically Correct thing to actually speak the truth when something is unpleasant BUT I know what a huge mess it was when they just up and disappeared.  I feel awful that I was on their team at the time representing Val and the company but I was in the dark just like everyone else. Despite that fact my name and art was associated with Third Coast so many people held me responsible. I am truly sorry and apologize for any inconvenience and loss of $'s she caused.  She left many unresolved issues with both customers and DT members alike - with missing orders,  LOTS of uncompensated work, ZERO communication, lost $'s etc.  Bitter as it may be I did learn a good lesson from the whole ordeal.

Since then you may or may not have noticed that I have limited my design team work to just a few companies that are solid, honest and reliable.  I don't want to ever associate my work with companies and/or people who are less than honorable or just out to make a buck. 

Even though I love so many of the images Third Coast/Third Stone offers I can't support them this time around nor would I suggest you do so either.  I know you're supposed to turn the other cheek or let bygones be bygones BUT I also believe one should learn from past mistakes and not repeat them.  So please be forewarned and order at your own risk.

Enabler Alert - Unity Stamp Co Sale!

Hi Peeps...

Just wanted to pass along a great sale over at Unity Stamp Co going on right now....

(Click on the images to be taken to the sale pages)

I'm not getting paid to post this or anything...

I gave in and placed a big order so I figured I'd see if anyone else

wanted to jump in and spend some money too - LOL!!

Gesso Stained Glass Technique

O.k...it's Friday and well, I was playing along really getting into this technique and what do you suppose happened?  I finished putting my stuff away and realized I forgot to take pics!!! OMG - what is wrong with me - LOL!!  I just started playing and I guess really got into it because I never even gave it a though.

Oh well - it's pretty easy and the original technique can be found here...  Neon Fire & Ice.   It's another gesso related technique for the Club Scrap May Technique Challenge - MM with a focus on gesso.  Those directions use neon inkers, I used a variety of blue Memento Luxe Inkers but you can use whatever inkers you want.  I also used book binding glue because it was sitting on my desk but other than that I did most everything the same (shocker I know!).  I did add some chunky glitter to one of the pieces while it was still wet.

I was able to pull 6 prints from one application of glue, gesso and inkers.  I thought that was pretty good.  Here are my resulting panels - 

These two are mirror images of each other - the one on the left was the first panel I dipped into the mix - it was a pretty heavy coating so I pulled a print off of it.

These were made on the lovely shimmery grey cardstock from The Blues kit.  I like that some of the grey still shows through.

And these two are the final prints.  The one on the dark blue cardstock was the last monoprint I pulled, the white panel was made by dabbing up the remaining glue/ink/gesso mix.  Hate to waste any you know.

And here are a few cards I made using these prints!

On the lovely grey shimmer paper.

This is my chunky glitter print.

and I made another card from this grey shimmer print too.  

Can you tell I love that paper?

So there you go...another fun mix-y, messy technique for you to try!  

Supplies:

ClubScrap.com - Papers, Stamps, Book Binding Glue

IMAGINE Crafts featuring Tsukineko - Memento Luxe Inkers, StazOn Midis

Deco Art - Gesso

Martha Stewart - Chunky Glitter

Steampunk Beauty - SCACD!

I had so much fun playing with the stamps from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design I wanted to share another card I made this time using a Digital Stamp Image - Steampunk Beauty!

SCACD Supplies:

Steampunk Beauty Digital Image Stamp

SCACD Alice's Clock Statement Corner Die

Papermania Madame Payraud 6x6 Paper

Diamond Glaze

Fude Ball Pen

Other Supplies: Spectrum Noir Colored Pencils; Metallic Markers, Cardstock

You know how much I love Steampunk - well this card is packed with steamy goodness!  She was printed on Georgia Pacific cardstock then colored using colored pencils which I blended using baby oil.  I outlined some areas to make them stand out a bit more using the Fude Ball pen which I also used to add more detail to the hair/hat areas.

Once I had finished coloring her I fussy cut her from the cardstock.  You can't really tell from the photo but she's popped off the background with double stick foam tape.  I place her over the really cool Clock Statement Corner die-cuts - I love this die..I've had it for quite some time and use it often on my Steampunk goodies :)   It's all mounted on pattern paper from the Papermania - Madame Payraud paper collection!  I have to tell you I fell in love with this paper when I first saw it.  Most of the papers are collages of vintage ephemera with bugs, butterflies or birds tossed in for good measure.  There are a few sheets of paper that remind me of vintage wall paper.  LOVE it and it worked perfectly for this card.

So there you go.... another bit of goodness to inspire :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

SCACD This & That Rubber Stamp Blog Hop

Hi Friends and Welcome!  Today I am pleased to say that I have been asked to participate in a new stamp release from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design (SCACD).  

If you're following along on the hop, you should have come from Delphines Place and if you get lost during the Hop you can always find your way at the Store Blog - SCACD - Follow Your Heart in Art & Life.

SCACD is releasing 9 rubber stamps which are collectively called the “This and That Collection.” They each can be purchased now HERE. They were inspired by things going on in Susana's life as well as imagery she loves. SCACD Artist Carmen Medlin and Susana collaborated on the images and Carmen did an amazing job bringing these to life!!! We are featuring 4 Zen Beauties as well as 5 eclectic fun stamps today.  On a happy note if you buy the complete set of 4 Zen Beauties at one time you will get an accompanying accessory maple seed stamp as a bonus stamp.

SCACD also decided to offer only 3 of these not only in rubber but in digi as well for her SCACD Digital fans. So you can see the 3 newest versions at the top of the Digi area HERE  

For International Friends you can find the new SCACD Stamps HERE at Quixotic Paperie.

I was lucky enough to be able to create a project using the new fairy - Bliss...the beautiful ballerina fairy and here she is....

SCACD Supplies:

Bliss Fairy

SCACD Fancy Flower & Key Corners Die

Vintage Mint Silks Acrylic Glaze

Craft Concept Silver Fern Embossing Folder

Crafter's Workshop Art Is Stencil

VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

DecoArt Media Modeling Paste

Mini Ink Blending Tool & Foam

Other: Sandpaper, Distress Markers, Stickles Glitter Glue, watercolor paper, die-cuts, cardstock.

To create the Vintage Mint frame I smeared the modeling paste over the "Art Is" stencil, removed the stencil and let the paste dry.  I then painted the entire piece with the Vintage Mint Silks Acrylic Glaze.  I wish you could see the beautiful shimmer created by the mica in the glaze.   

The background fern mat was created by embossing it with the Silver Fern embossing folder then lightly sanding the high spots.  Bliss was stamped onto watercolor paper using VersaFine ink and colored using Distress Markers with a bit of glitter highlights.

To make the flowery border along the top edge of the card....

I die-cut the Fancy Flower corners several times in both green and white cardstock.  I water colored the white flowers using the same inks as I did on Bliss which I then glued to the green die-cuts.  A bit of glitter was added for some sparkle.  To make the center connecting piece of vine & flowers I cut the left side of the corner die off one of the green die cut pieces then snipped off the right side flower.  I then positioned it in between the two corner pieces tucking the cut ends under the existing leaves. 

Thanks for stopping by - 

I hope you'e enjoyed my version of Bliss.  

Your next stop on the hop is Cheryl at The Ink Trap for more SCACD inspiration!   

Artistic Outpost Now Open!!

Just rec'd an e-mail that Artistic Outpost is now open under new management.  Looks like all of the wonderful plates are back but now they come mounted on cling cushion.  Each set is now $24.95 - about 5.00 more than before but I'm sure that the cling cushion is the difference.  

Shipping: United States: 1-2 sets of stamps - $3.50 First Class Mail option ava.; 3 or more sets - $6.00 Priority Mail or over $75.00 FREE Shipping!!

For International Shipping info please check out this page...  Customer Service Questions

Postage Refund! Susana's Custom Art & Card Design

The other day I placed an order at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design.  The shipping was $7.75 which is about normal for most places anymore so I didn't think anything about it.  I just paid for my order and never gave it a second though.

Since I have an etsy shop I do lots of shipping and I have a pretty good idea about what it costs to mail various items.  I know that I've over paid for shipping many times on many orders at various places but you know that's sort of the trade off for ordering on line.  It would cost me more in gas to drive to the nearest store (over 3 hrs away) so I pay it.  

Much to my surprise the very same evening I came back to read my e-mail and I had a notification that my package had shipped AND I had a refund of $2.75!!  I was totally amazed so much so I e-mailed Susana and thanked her.  

This is the FIRST time anyone has ever refunded the excess AND she stuck in a little stamp and package of Queen & Co pearls to boot!  How cool is that?  Anyway, it's always nice to be able to pass on info about great customer service.

Our Daily Bread Designs - Feature

Today I have a nice feature for you about a rubber stamp retailer - 

Our Daily Bread Designs!

As you know they will be the new home of Artistic Outpost rubber stamps.  Since many of you had never heard of them I thought it would be nice to introduce them and get to know more about the company, the owner and their products.

A little bit about the owner Kelley Holland....  

Hi! My name is Kelley Holland and I live in Hinckley, Ohio with my husband, Rick, daughter Summer, son Ricky and my Golden Retriever grand-dog, Murphy! I live halfway between Cleveland and Akron.

After many years of stamping, scrapbooking and crafting I have been frustrated by the lack of religious and spiritual choices in the crafting world.   I design and manufacture my own line of spiritual rubber stamps. I also carry a wide variety of products to assist you in your card making, scrapbooking and crafting.

I would love to hear your comments or suggestions! Please let us know about any ideas for stamps or products you would like me to carry in the store.  I would love to answer any questions you may have about products, ordering or shipping!

I had a chance to ask Kelley a few questions I thought you might be interested in....

How long have you been in business?  

March 17, 2008 Our Daily Bread Designs was founded.  North Coast Creations was added in January 2011 and most recently in April 2014, we acquired Artistic Outpost.

How did you get started designing rubber stamps? 

I (Kelley) was a consultant for a large stamp company.  Christmas was all about Santa and Easter was about a Bunny.  I wanted to start my own company with Christian themed rubber stamps by putting Christ back into Christmas and Easter.  It was also a great avenue to express my creativity. 

Where do you get your inspiration from for your stamp designs?  

I always enjoyed crafting.  I did everything from cake decorating, crocheting, cross stitch, and ceramics to scrapbooking.  The scrapbooking led to card making which led to Our Daily Bread Designs.  However, I never really felt that I was a creative person so I give all honor to God for His help and inspiration.

What is (are) your favorite stamp(s) that you offer? Best selling? 

I would have to say my favorite is my very first one that got things started for Our Daily Bread Designs.  This is called LIGHT OF THE WORLD  which is an image of a lighthouse with beautiful verses.  That same lighthouse is also our company logo. 

Our best selling stamp set is the  Scripture Collection 1. 

Anything special you’d like the readers to know about your stamps/ designs /

company? 

Yes, I think our stamps are more of an artistic design look and we are well known for our detailed font work.  Over ¾ of the company is women and our stamps and paper are completely made in the USA.  The rubber comes from Akron, the magnesium plates from Michigan and clear stamps from Georgia.  All packaging and shipping is done in Ohio.   

It's nice to see and support items made right here in the USA!

Are you an Angel Company?  

Absolutely!  For additional information see their "Customer Service Questions" page.

What forms of payments do you take?  

MC Visa, AE, Discover, Cash, Check, and we even had a lady try to barter with her jewelry once.

Do you ship internationally? 

About 20% of our business is international.  We ship to all English speaking countries with a few notable being; Indonesia, Korea, Japan, China,  and Brazil.

There are so many wonderful stamps and stamp sets offered at ODBD that I had a hard time choosing just a few to point out and share with you.  I have to say though that I was instantly drawn to the Birds & Nests images.  I love realistic images and these are about as close as you're going to get without being photo realistic stamps.  My favorite from this group of stamps are the Chickadee, Sparrow and Hummingbird.  They are simply beautiful!  These images are available individually or in a set with coordinating sentiments.  A nice option in case you just need the image.

Of course you all know I love all things Vintage and their Flowers & Garden stamps are stunning!   

Remember I had a hard time choosing but I have to tell you my favorite stamp set they sell is the Blue Ribbon Winner.  Maybe it's the country girl in me coming out but I can think of SOOOO many possibilities for this stamp set!  I also really liked the Apothecary Bottles and the Pickles set tickled my funny bone. The best thing about all three of these sets...they have coordinating dies to cut the bottles/jars out for you!  How cool is that!

Speaking of coordinating dies - ODBD offers a whole selection of ODBD Exclusive Dies that coordinate with their stamps!!  Makes cardmaking so quick and easy when you don't have to worry about fussy cutting everything.

I'll leave you to explore the site to find out what other goodies are lurking here and there that you can't live without ;)

When you have time be sure to also check out their Gallery (which is set up by stamp set!) and the blog - Our Daily Bread Design Blog for lots more inspiration.

NOTE: If you know of a rubber stamp retailer/mfg. you think would make a nice feature please e-mail me with the information.  I'm always happy to spread the rubber word!

Custom Crops - Going out of Business :(

I thought I'd let you know...Custom Crops is going out of business. 

 I got an e-mail saying that everything was 25-75% off until June 18th.  

After that they won't accept any new orders.

Rubber Stamp Chat's Spring Virtual Convention!

Are you a member of the Rubber Stamp Chat Forum?  If not you may want to join soon.  Their annual Spring Virtual Rubber Stamp Convention starts today and runs through Monday!  

Never been to a "virtual" convention before?  I hadn't either until I joined their forum but it's great!  Basically it's a group of smaller rubber stamp companies that usually get overshadowed by the big guys who got together to share their products with us all.  During this convention they offer really great deals ~ could be a % off their stamps, reduced or free shipping, specials (like $ 0.25 stamps) and more!  It is a perfect time to check out stamps you may not know you needed ;) Best part is...no sore feet from walking all day!  

I've "attended" many times and I've always been extremely happy with all of the stamps I've bought.  It's great to get stamps you've wanted at a super discount!

Pink Persimmon 30% Close Out

Pink Persimmon just announced they were going to stop selling clear stamps :(

Get your stamps here....

Pink Persimmon

before they are gone!

Our Daily Bread Designs & Artistic Outpost

Hi Friends ~

Earlier this week I posted about Artistic Outpost being sold to Our Daily Bread Designs.  Rick Holland - the co-owner of ODBD contacted me in hopes of calming our fears of  AO's designs falling by the wayside as so many companies have in the past few years.

Here is the official Press Release:

April 16, 2014

Our Daily Bread Designs Buys Artistic Outpost

Our Daily Bread Designs LLC, announced it has acquired Artistic Outpost LLC from its founding owners, Robyn and Steven Sharp and Shelley Carr.

Artistic Outpost is a rubber stamp manufacturer known for its vintage inspired designs. Regarding the sale, Robyn Sharp said, “When we started the company in 2006, we began with an idea and dream to offer vintage style rubber stamps and to nurture our need for a creative outlet. Eight years later, we can say that we fulfilled our dream and had a ball; however, the time is right to let someone else take the lead to continue to grow our brand.”

Kelley Holland, owner and president of Our Daily Bread Designs stated, “I’m very excited about Artistic Outpost, it not only complements our whimsical and vintage North Coast Creations line, but it will be a wonderful addition to the Our Daily Bread Designs family of products. Artistic Outpost will remain exactly as it started, a vintage style rubber stamp company. There will be no changes to AO’s core style, only expansion of the already extensive product line. The vision moving forward with AO will be to add coordinating custom dies, custom vintage paper and new stamps and stamp sets.”

Our Daily Bread Designs is a design and manufacturing company of Christian, Scripture and Inspirational rubber stamps, custom dies, and custom paper. The company was founded in 2008 by Kelley Holland.


And after talking to Rick I was heartened to hear their plans...

There’s many reasons the owners of AO wanted to sell their company and equally as many reasons that we wanted to buy it.  It was truly a win-win-win for everyone.  Everyone being ODBD, AO and all present and future customers of AO products.

In an industry and market of companies/suppliers going out of business and a declining customer base; we at ODBD want to rejuvenate AO and take it to another level without disrupting or changing its core foundation. 

I’ve attached a news release about the sale with hopes that you can see we have some very positive plans for AO.  I also hope that you could share with your readers the fact that AO will remain unchanged yet expanded with new products such as coordinating dies, custom vintage paper and new vintage stamps.  

So it's great to hear that they plan to continue the same great images with the added benefits of dies, paper and more vintage images to come!!

I will also be doing a feature on them in the coming weeks so we can get to know them better.

Artistic Outpost Changes

I'm not sure if you're familiar with Artistic Outpost stamps or not but I they have been a favorite of mine for many years.  They offer beautiful sets with a vintage flair.

Unfortunately earlier this week they announced in their newsletter that AO has been sold :(  All of their remaining stock is currently 25% off.  (I wish I had some extra $'s right now!!)

AO was sold to the folks at Our Daily Bread. I don't know anything about them but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Scrapbook.com + Deep Red Stamps = FREE STAMP!!!

Deep Red Stamps

are now available at 

Scrapbook.com!!

A $4.50 Value, FREE

Get this cute Little Red Wagon Stamp 

FREE with ANY order while supplies last! 

Add it to your shopping cart with at least one additional, shippable item
and enter coupon code DRWAGON at checkout
and we'll include the free stamp with your order.

Act quickly... this offer expires
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at midnight PST,
or when supplies run out.

What can you do with the darling little wagon???

Here's an idea....

all stamps: Deep Red Stamps

Little Red Wagon - Scrapbook.com 

A Real Friend Sentiment - Scrapbook.com / Deep Red Stamps

Grunge Background Stamp - Scrapbook.com / Deep Red Stamps

ALSO

Scrapbook.com is having a Stamping Sale!!!

All stamping supplies (including Deep Red Stamps!) are 10% off through Sunday, February 9, 2014 at midnight PST

. Be sure to stock up on all your favorite stamps, stamping blocks, inks, cleaners, tools and MORE. The 10% discount is reflected in the sale price on each product page in the stamping category. No coupon code is required.

Sad News - Blockhead Stamps - Closing/Down Sizing

I know many sectors of the economy have started to recover but the craft industry still isn't back to what it used to be.  With so many store closings and web-sites shutting down I was so sad today when I read this e-mail from Blockhead Stamps....

Starting today - Clearance Sale on Everything 35% Off

Blockheads is closing down its craft supply business after 12 years of online sales.  We will continue to carry clear envelopes, coasters and the Blockheads line of stamps in half sheets and quarter sheets.

Starting today we offer 35% off anything sitewide.  Take advantage of our need to clear out stock and stock up on anything you might need.

As with all fast and furious sales, two things to bear in mind:

1. No returns or refunds, sales are final.
2. Please pay attention to the product details link under an item where you can find out how much we have of something - we will try to keep the inventory as up to date as possible.**

** We do our best to get things off the site as they sell out but a person needs to sleep, so we will do our utmost to keep the inventory accurate - if we sell out of something before we can get it off the site, we will notify you of any problems with your order and appreciate your patience and understanding should something not be available.

Happy Shopping!


 

Frantic Stamper

I think I mentioned that I had pre-ordered the new Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells from Frantic Stamper when I shared some of the photos of the new paper line.

 

Well, I rec'd my order today and to my surprise there was a feather mega punch in the box!  At first I thought I might have hit the wrong button when I was ordering the papers but all of the paper and stamps I ordered WERE in there. 

 

I figured that someone packing the box must have made an error so I was about to e-mail them asking what they'd like me to do with it when I found a little slip of paper taped to the back of the paper punch package.   Here's what it said:

 

"Dear Customer,

 

Thank you for your order! We had some space/weight left over without increasing the shipping for your package so we thought you would appreciate some little freebies!!  Please enjoy these items or share with your friends.

 

Thank you for your support.

 

-The Frantic Stamper Team"

 

Not only that but they refunded me $3.00 extra postage!

 

How cool is that? 

You don't get that kind of service just anywhere so I really was very excited to share with all of you.

So, if you're in need of something crafty,

be sure and check em out....

I can say they have awesome customer service :) 

 

 

Temptation Tuesday - Dragonflybuzz's Rubber Stamps

Today I wanted to tempt you with an amazing Etsy Shop -

Dragonflybuzz's Rubber Stamps

O.k...you all know how much I LOVE vintage rubber stamp images well this place is a treasure trove of very cool vintage images.... absolutely TONS of awesome looking stamps for a very reasonable price.

It is actually an Etsy store that I've had on my favorites list for quite sometime. 

This little girl is what originally attracted me to their images... 

Girl w/ pussywillow and flowers.

Isn't she just precious?

Well, as I was digging around their site I realized that they also have a web-site called: Dragonflylaser Rubber Stamps  which offeres even MORE stamps!!!!

Many of their stamps come with three options - Wood Mounted, Un Mounted & Cling Mounted.  and they are made right here in the USA (Massachusets).

Check out just a few of their awesome images....

Halloween Ball

Front Door

Mini Tractor

Vintage Christmas Girl

So, if you're in the market for a new stamp or two (who isn't???)

then I hope you take a moment, stop by and check em out...

either on Etsy or their web-site.

Either way I'm sure you'll find something you fall in love with.

Temptation Tuesday ~ Red Rubber Designs

YES!  It's again time for me to tempt you and help a small business at the same time. 

 

Today I wanted to share a business operated by a long time friend & reader

of Ink Stains - Pam Upper. 

 

 She is the proud owner of Red Rubber Designs!

 

Here is a bit about her business...

 

"I am a former demonstrator for The Angel Company (TAC). I was an Angel for exactly four years until TAC closed its doors in August 2011. After I heard TAC's closing announcement, it took me all of five minutes to recognize the potential for a fabulous opportunity to have my own business and continue to work with products that I love! I didn't waste any time pursuing this opportunity and as a result, Red Rubber Designs was born.

 

Red Rubber Designs LLC is a woman-owned, small business which operates entirely in the U.S.A. Featuring designs from The Angel Company, we offer deeply-etched, quality rubber stamps in an online retail environment. With many styles of designs to choose from, we offer rubber stamps for everyone!"

Red Rubber offers a wide variety of images for cards, scrapbooks, mixed media, home decor and so much more.  All of their images are deeply etched rubber stamps which are sold in unmounted sheets to help keep costs down for everyone involved.    An example ~ they offer alphabet stamp sets ranging in price from $5.00-20.00; sentiments starting at $3.75; and my favorite - Grab Bags which sell for $8.00 - Images or $5.00 - words/phrases.   Red Rubber Designs wants to save you money as well by offering stamp bundles; brand new spotlight stamps which change monthly and Big Deals - all offered at amazing discounts.

 

Another factor that lots of people ask about is Shipping!  I know, sometimes for me shipping is a deal breaker.  You can't afford to pay 10, 15 or even 20.00 for shipping no matter how great the deal is.  Red Rubber Designs has a GREAT Domestic shipping policy...

Orders over 50.00 are free, everything else is $5.00!

(*For shipping to the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and APO Destinations only.) 

(Canada - $12.95 & Elsewhere - $16.95 - be sure to see the list of countries they can ship to) 

You just can't beat that...you know going in exactly what your shipping will be and it's so affordable to boot!

 

 

I hope you stop by, check them out and help support a small business owned and operated right here in the USA!

 

 

!!CAUTION!! Inkadinkado & Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps

First off - I want you to know that I have never and will never lie to you about a product - good or bad. 

I tell it like it is no matter what. I'm not a sheep...I don't play follow the leader just because it's the "in" thing to do. Sometimes this means going against popular opinion ~  my integrity has caused me to be black balled in a fashion with at least one mfg.   Well, this is one of those times where I'm going to be honest which probably won't go over very well with some people.   But hey, like I told one person ~ guess there comes a time in life where you have to decide if you're going to stand up for your principals or go along with the crowd. 

Anyway...

A word of caution for anyone out there that is storing your Clear Stamps on anything but the original packaging....  DON'T!

A few years ago I took all of my packages of clear stamps (100+) and started storing them in 3 ring binders on storage sheets.  Took up TONS less space which I loved but after storing them that way a couple years I have noticed a terrible trend ~ some brands of stamps seems like they are melting into the storage sheets!!!! 

I first noticed it around Thanksgiving - I was going to use a few of their images for some projects BUT I couldn't peel the stamps from the storage sheets!  I actually tore one of the stamps in two during the process.    I didn't have any time to deal with it at the time because of the holidays.

Since the holidays are over I have had some time to go back to see what's going on.  Initially I thought it had something to do with the storage sheets but I discovered that it was only particular brands of stamps that this was happening to  all of the rest of my stamps were fine.

Storing them on their original plastic sheets isn't a good answer either because I have a few sets of Inkadinkado stamps that were stored on their plastic in the package which are the same way.   

The major stamp brands that ARE affected/defective  in my experience are

(my favorites of course!) 

7 Gypsies

Autumn Leaves

Fiskars

Hampton Arts

 Hot Off The Press

 Inkadinkado

 Martha Stewart

 Studio G.

I have contacted the mfg. of several of these stamps Wilton/EK Success (Inkadinkado, Martha Stewart) and was told it was too bad and they weren't going to do anything about it.

I have a call into Hampton Arts (which also makes Studio G) and have yet to hear back from them.

I tried to call Fiskars and the only way you can speak to anyone there is to fill out a very long detailed form on each product in question then they will talk to you.  I'm going to fill it out for each one when I get more time.

The stamp sets not affected are:

Crafty Secrets

 fontwerksHero ArtsPaper Studio
Printworks
Stampendous
 Stampington & CoOctober Afternoon
and several other smaller companies.

I'm sure that it's got to be something in the manufacturing process because the difference between the stamps is obvious when you touch/see them side by side.  The affected stamps are thinner, more rubbery and have a slick feel to them.  The unaffected stamps are thicker, have a "sticky" feel to them and are a bit stiffer. 

I'm very disappointed with Inkadinkado's response - I've spent quite a bit of money with them over the years (50+ sets of stamps) and I feel their response is almost a slap in the face.  I dearly love their designs but I'm not sure I want to sink any more money into a company that treats their loyal customers in that fashion.

  I'm sorry to say I don't have any solutions for this problem, I wish I did.  But I thought you ought to know so you are aware of this situation and can make an informed decision the next time you go to purchase clear stamps.