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I've been stamping for many years and Stampin Up has been all I have ever used (well 99.5% of the time) I do have some random wooden stamps from Michael's but that's about it. I MIGHT have a cling stamp set or two from other places, I just don't know from where. LOL
I basically collect Christmas and winter themed stamp sets. Those are the majority of cards that I make. Could you list your favorite stamp companies (especially for Christmas/winter stamps)
Thanks so much!
__________________
Life is NOT a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely BUT...to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand and screamingWOOHOO-WHAT A RIDE!
when i'm looking for a new company to fallow i like to go to Simon Says Stamp because they sell so much of everything. its a great place to find new things. I personally love cutesy stamps so Lawn Fawn is a favorite as well as Newton's Nook.
when i'm looking for a new company to fallow i like to go to Simon Says Stamp because they sell so much of everything. its a great place to find new things. I personally love cutesy stamps so Lawn Fawn is a favorite as well as Newton's Nook.
Thanks for the tip on finding companies on Simon Says Stamps. I'll go check them out. As well as the other two sites.
__________________
Life is NOT a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely BUT...to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand and screamingWOOHOO-WHAT A RIDE!
Thanks for the tip on finding companies on Simon Says Stamps. I'll go check them out. As well as the other two sites.
When it comes to buying stamps though i rarely buy from those sites. they never have good sales and i cant handle paying full price. I'll usually google the ones i want and find them cheaper.
123 stitch is one of my go-to online stores. I really like that their search engine allows you to look at specific manufacturers, and specific product - like dies or stamps. Handy tip for those who are new to the site. If you are interested in product other than stamps, tap the "scrapbook" tab In the top bar of choices. This is the place to find dies and things other than stamps.
Another favorite thing about 123 Stitch is that items you toss in the shopping cart stay there, without having to sign in. Also, they have a wish list feature that makes it easy to transfer something from the shopping cart to the wish list, also without signing in. They do run sales weekly, so prices are competitive in the market.
Other notable perks : they take PayPal, shipping charges are very reasonable, they ship quickly, and they ask if there was something that you were looking for couldn't find. They must take this seriously, because they have added product that I mentioned I was looking for.
Marcella used to illustrate stamps for Flourishes before they closed, so I was thrilled to see her launch her own company - she's so very, very talented! Her design team is amazing, too - such great ideas!
Another company I love is Purple Onion Design - especially the Stacey Yacula and Stephanie Ackerman stamps (check out her Hometown stamps). They're wrapping up a 25% off everything sale today (including clearance items - I got a mini sentiment set for 37 cents!). Well worth a look around... One thing to note: the stamps are unmounted rubber (my personal preference) - no foam, no cling, no block - so you will need to decide how you feel about that. There are plenty of work-arounds, but I thought you should know.
WhipperSnapper has amazingly adorable stamps - including snowmen and other winter critters, so that might be another place to look. You can get individual stamps or sets, and they offer rubber and photopolymer.
Here are a few of my favorite online stamp stores.
Gina K Designs, WPlus9, Papertrey Ink..( many have had bad customer service issues with Papertrey; I have not. I mostly buy their heavyweight card stock, but every now and then a stamp set finds it's way into my cart), Hero Arts, Penny Black, Northwoods ( they have cutesy as well as gorgeous realistic scenery stamps), Purple Onion, My Favorite Things, and Lawn Fawn.
Those are just off the top of my head! Web sites like Simon Says Stamp, 123Stitch, and Ellen Hudson all carry a variety of company's products. Including some of the brands I just mentioned. Simon and Ellen also have their own "in house" stamps.
I also started stamping through Stampin'Up and was a demo for a few years. After I stopped selling SU; I started looking around and became almost giddy with excitement! So many cool companies! So many different stamp sets and dies and embellishments!! How would my poor craft budget stretch far enough? It was almost overwhelming. So many choices!!!
My advice once you start cruising these online stamp stores is to keep a written wish list. Make a note of the web site you are on and beneath that write everything that catches your eye. Then sleep on it for a day or two!! Those sites like Simon's might not have the lowest prices on each item, but you might end up saving money on shipping charges if there are multiple items you want and you buy them all from one site.
Oh....also check Overstock.com. They have a fairly large craft section. If I am only looking for one or two specific things I will go there and search for those specific things. Their prices are almost always lower unless you catch a good sale on the other sites.
Two of my favorites have already been mentioned: 1-2-3 Stitch sells for many companies; they offer top-notch service. Papertrey Ink is the other; I am a long-time customer, and never had issues. There were some problems a few years ago, but they have worked really hard and have overcome these with flying colors.
I have a couple of other favorites: WPlus9 - just go to YouTube and watch Dawn work her watercolor magic with her stamps; and Altenew - their "Painted Flowers" set is my all-time favorite.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
to OP: Since you mainly send Christmas or winter cards, watch for Black Friday specials next year AND most companies have sales around any holiday. Sign up on those websites where you find your style, and they will email you with any sales going on. I have found the biggest variety of styles and products at Joann.com. They often have 40% off stamps, paper and other craft items. I got 50% off LOTS of stuff at Black Friday sale. Since they sell such a variety of products it's not difficult to get to the Free Shipping level with your purchase. Their Sale wording is tricky...you can't use more than one code upon checkout, so it's free shipping code or single item discount code.
Besides Stampin' Up!, I've been getting a lot of my stamps lately from Studio Calico. They release 4 different kits every month that usually have a stamp set, plus they release approximately 6-8 stamp sets in their monthly release, some with dies and some without. They released the Seven Paper Felix collection, which is their Christmas collection and they started releasing Christmas stamp sets in October and some are still available on their site.
I also second the Simon Says Stamp recommendation for their wide selection of multiple companies.
Lawn Fawn has awesome "cutesy" stamp sets featuring their "Critters".
Great advice above. I think it depends on your style and what you like.
I live in Canada so I find it easy to shop with SSS as they have so much variety and offer stamps from different companies so I'm paying one shipping charge instead of a few from different places.
I need to check out 123 Stitch....
So many companies is right. Hundreds and hundreds and pretty much all of them have Christmas/winter sections.
I like the general distributors ideas as they have both a wide selection and good sales. To that end look at Frantic Stamper, Ellen Hutson, Scrapbook.com, Scrapbooking Warehouse, Scrapmart.com, etc
You can also look on ebay or amazon-look being the operative word. Both can have good deals, and both can be way too high-but you will see a vast array of mfgs on them. You can also get retired stamps or closed companies on ebay but do your homework both how the site works and the actual stamp. You could think they were rimmed in gold with how some sellers price them there.
Look HERE in the gallery-just ask for christmas or winter and you will get tons of cards that mostly will tell you what company they used and you see how they look in action.
Impression Obsession (IO) makes some beautiful detailed whole scenes if you like that. Mo Manning does adorable children/people...Art Impressions (AI) does funny. I like Stampin Bella and Kraftin Kimmie. Penny Black was mentioned. I am missing a lot.
I have to agree that places like Ellen Hutson and Simon says have a nice wide variety. Simon was one of the first places I found for card supplies after I ordered a couple of things mostly for sbing through CTMH. I will say that I have a love hate relationship with Simon says... Love their products...absolutely hate their shipping and customer service. They have the worst shipping policy, IMO. They are also incredibly slow and shiping rates are high. I only live a hour from where they are headquartered and usually have to wait about 10 days or more. They also rarely have sales and when they do they are never very good. Ellen Hutson is even more expensive but their shipping is quicker and you have options. Scrapbook pal has limited selection but great prices and fast shipping . Paper tray ink has a very nice selection and good quality for the most part. Again customer service is not great. Ive also ordered from Joann's and got really good deals by using coupons.
Ecstasy crafts has some stamps and matching dies also. Look under products and scroll down and they are in Canada also. I love Power Poppy stamps also.
FranticStamper is my favorite online store. She doesn't have a lot of sales but then I don't buy a stamp because it's on sale. She has a wide selection of different companies and styles.
Impression Obsession has lovely stamps. One warning on WhipperSnapper, they have great images but the red rubber stamp impression is not very thick. I always have to cut out the center solids to keep from over inking - but that doesn't stop me from buying them.
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Originally Posted by maslex
I've been stamping for many years and Stampin Up has been all I have ever used (well 99.5% of the time) I do have some random wooden stamps from Michael's but that's about it. I MIGHT have a cling stamp set or two from other places, I just don't know from where. LOL
I basically collect Christmas and winter themed stamp sets. Those are the majority of cards that I make. Could you list your favorite stamp companies (especially for Christmas/winter stamps)
Thanks so much!
If you are looking for some visual inspiration - Kristina Werner runs a "holiday card" series every year. You can check out her videos and the supplies she uses at kwernerdesign.com
Recommendations on other suppliers really does depend on your style. If you could let us know if you like realistic, religious, whimsical, cute, etc. it would help narrow down some suggestions for you. I always find inspiration with Jennifer McGuire - jennifermcguireink.com
Good luck. Discovering new suppliers is always exciting, but can be daunting with so much choice!
Jaydee
I'd suggest having a look in the SCS gallery, in the Christmas section. You should see a lot of stamps there which will float your boat, and if the stamp set isn't mentioned, the uploader will always answer questions, I've found.
Help me broaden my stamp horizon!!!
