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I don't think anyone has mentioned Our Daily Bread Designs yet!!! There are a bunch of people on SCS who are designers for ODBD and their cards are fabulous!! There are tons of great card samples on their website too! Here is the link:
It totally depends on your style. There are lots of stamp companies whose images I love but I rarely buy any more because I cannot get back to paying $8 and up for one image. I have to be smart about my stamping budget and my dollar stretches a lot further with clear stamp companies like Paper Trey Ink.
Lately I've bought 80% of my stamps from PTI, probably the other 10% from SU! and then a few miscellaneous purchases here and there from Rubbernecker, Magnolia, Penny Black, and Flourishes.
I have a ton of Art Impressions stamps and they're pretty reasonable if you go unmounted and they've got some really funny ones. Whipper Snapper is now offering some unmounted options so that might draw me back. I do love Whipper Snapper but their wood mount stamps are very expensive and they are not an Angel Company. Anna Wight's unmounted sets are a good value and her style is adorable.
Blah, Blah, Blah. With unlimited funds there are tons of stamps I would buy but being realistic I have been sticking with the companies mentioned above.
I love Whipper Snapper too! Shelly Comisky's images just make me smile! They are offering them unmounted, unmounted with cling or wood mounted. All mine (not counting . . . . :-) ) are wood mounted. Has anyone tried the unmounted?
I just saw Shelly Comiskey's stamps for the first time - her name was there for awhile before her stamps were. They are really sweet - love 'em. I have only bought Anna Wight from WS in the past and she is releasing some totally different designs soon - based on her photography.
I did get unmounted recently - couldn't resist Anna's Cozy Critters! Great to get them for less, just the rubber ~ which is where the magic happens, right?!
Has anyone thought of Outlines? I have a lot of fun with them - emboss the main image on a two or three different colours, then cut out and layer. Amazing!
Love the designs of a lot of the companies listed. My personal favorite is Close To My Heart, simply because I love the acrylics, and prefer their storage system. Also really like SU's designs, but I tend not to use wood anymore, they take up too much room. I've started using the SU stamps as unmounteds on my acrylic blocks. With the diecut designs, especially, they work pretty well.
One word of advice on the clear (acrylic) stamps, though, ask for opinions from people. I've heard that some don't hold up as well as others, I guess based on the quality of the polymers that were used to make them. I know I've had the clear CTMH since they first introduced them, and not had any problems. Also have some Autumn Leaves stamps that seems like good quality, but have not had them for as long...
I love ordering from the Ellen hutson site- she features the lockhart stamp company. Also I have had wonderful service and products from Blue Ridge Impressions and Our Daily Bread designs.
__________________ Susan
Last edited by misssez; 01-21-2009 at 12:19 PM..
Reason: spelling
I am starting to branch out.... but I don't know where to start. Please tell me what companies you find have the best stamps, in your opinion. I want to check a bunch out before I order some new ones...
Thanks!!!!
Jessica
My personal favorite is CTMH but I could be prejudice because I sell it. But I really like SU as second best.
Has anyone else used Outlines? These look adorable. They remind me of coloring books and I love to color.
My SIL made me a card using one of their gorgeous stamps. Lots and lots of work, stunning results! Mind you, I wouldn't dream of making/giving this to someone that I didn't outright adore... but they really are amazing. Nicely etched, good cs (yup, now I have some too). :rolleyes:
__________________ All inked up... and somewhere to go. My gallery, small but mighty... or maybe just mighty small! Come see my almost new blog... M'ija Stamps!
It's going to take me all week to check out the web sites y'all [yes, I'm a native Texan] have posted! I have been buying stamps for a long long time, but keep coming back to Hero Arts - rubber not clear - for the art work and the ideas on their website. I love Magenta with their laser cut images, but you really do have to use a brayer to get them inked properly. But SU is by far my favorite: best artwork, best variety, best catalog / idea book, best quality and ....the thing that doesn't show up until you've been stamping as long as I have ... SU stamps last longer. The images endure and the rubber and wood blocks are amazing. Love my Stampin Up!
Wow, that really depends on your style. I LOVE everything. Cutsie stuff, I go for A Muse, for fun different stamps definitely LOVE American Art Stamp, of course Stampin Up always has a great variety and I usually love many many sets, and they have the best paper. Hmmm, As you can tell, I am not a clear stamp fan. Denami has cute stuff, and I like Stampin Bella. Finally, Stampscapes are awesome...beautiful realistic outdoor scenes.
I love SU! I am in the process of clearing out about 75% of my other stamps and organizing my SU stamps in a way that I can more quickly locate what I am looking for. Other companies have wonderful stamps, but I find I don't use them after I buy them. I like having sets so you can always have the perfect go-alongs, although I do mix up my sets quite often. They also have the very best paper!
I started with CTMH stamps - love the acrylic and easy storage system. I tried a few others bought off e-Bay and hate them. They're cheaper and usually for a good reason. They don't stamp evenly or are so thin that the edges of the rubber leave an imprint unless you are really careful to wipe them with a q-tip before stamping. I have some alphabet stamps that were cut right on the carrier sheet and were almost impossible to pull off and the carrier sheet was cut through too, so I had to fashion a new one out of a page protector. I've learned my lesson - the designs might be cute, but it doesn't matter if they aren't useable.
I stick to CTMH and save up for their buy two get one free sales and for the big summer clearance with stamp sets on sale from $2-$8. The stamps match the paper and I can get everything I need to co-ordinate. Plus, they always have great specials. My rep has all sorts of different "clubs" where we make great cards with a minimum purchase and a turn at hostessing or technique classes with only a $5 fee to cover costs and no order commitments. I also love going to the website and watching CTMH TV, 10-15 minute videos that contain demos, new ideas, techniques, and special offers or checking out the Workshops on the Go. Quality with a rep to back up that commitment is worth it to me!
One final piece of advice would be to test ALL product ( stamps, markers, pens, adhesives, etc) asap after purchasing - maybe it's just that I have terrible luck, but wherever I buy from, if something can be defective or missing a piece, I'm ALWAYS the person that gets it. CTMH is one of the few I've bought from that I can conveniently get replacement product from; although to be fair, I live 8 hours from a decent craft store, so returns to them or from internet purchases are too inconvenient so I just suffer the losses from everyone else.
best stamp sets
