this is the story.

I've been wanting to do a post for a couple of months now about some of my favorite stamps.  I also wanted to list somethings I like about the stamps....

First up is acrylic stamps.  I have SO many acrylic stamps.  Seriously. It is kinda ridiculous.  BUT...I love these two things about them:  1.) They are very affordable, and 2.) They are easy to store.  I may not always get a crisp clear image using these stamps; they are not as precise as a rubber stamp, but it simply does not bother me. I have acrylic stamps from many various manufacturers.  My favorites are Technique Tuesday, Studio Calico, Elle's Studio, & Pink Paislee.  The stamps are easy to remove from the plastic backing they come on.  This is a big deal in my book.  My least favorite brand of acrylic stamps is the Martha Stewart brand. I have bought two different sets of her stamps and have been HIGHLY disappointed each time.  The first set I bought was a gothic alphabet set.  They were ridiculously hard to pull off the plastic backing and I actually had two of them just absolutely refuse to come off and they tore!  I was pretty disappointed.  I thought that maybe it was just a bad batch and bought another set and had the same results.  Hence, I will not buy any more of her brand of stamps.  Now, punches...well, that is another story.  Have you seen the new holiday punches! Eesh.  I was in Michael's over the weekend and that Norwegian snowflake punch.  TO.DIE.FOR.  Anyway - back on track...Another thing I really like about acrylic stamps is the easy storage. They are not bulky and they all come in packaging that if taken care off, can be its home for quite some time. I keep my favorites right at hand on the lowest peg on my pegboard above my desk....I also like to rotate them around so I don't keep using the same ones over & over :-)

 Next up are the mounted rubber stamps.  These are my least favorite. And only because of their bulk and how hard it is to store them. When I first started scrapbooking, I only bought mounted rubber stamps.  Before too much time had passed, I discovered what a hard time I had storing them and then using them. I ended up putting them into a big plastic tub and then never used them. I ended up selling almost all of my mounted stamps except for a few I'm partial too. I love those two stamps in the above picture.  They are both designed by Christina Clouse.  You can find her delightful blog HERE.  The other stamp that is in the lower right hand corner of the picture is one I found at Michael's for one buck. The pro to these stamps however, is the very crisp image you get with them.  I also have to admit that I'm BAD at cleaning my stamps.  And that simply means, I don't. I really couldn't be bothered to do it. Which is another reason why I'm a fan of acrylic stamps.  The ink pretty much comes off with one stamp...and most certainly all comes off with a couple of more stamps. I keep a scrap piece of paper nearby when I stamp and after stamping my impression on my layout or card or whatever, I press the stamp on the scrap paper to remove the ink and then just slip it back in its package.  Easy peasy. I don't want to have to get up from my desk and go to the sink and clean them and then come back and dry them. It's bad enough I have to do that with a paint brush ;-)

My second favorite of the stamps are the unmounted red rubber stamps.  Similar to the acrylics, they are easy to store and are much more affordable than the mounted ones.  Plus, you get a clear crisp image.  I use these with the same acrylic blocks that I use my clear stamps on. Very simple.  Plus, the two companies that I typically buy my unmounted stamps from have the coolest designs.  If you have never checked them out, you need to go to their website immediately :-) Purple Onion Designs and Cat's Life Press.  Check them. You won't regret it.