So... let's talk stamping companies. :)

[Ted]

Hello all!

Well, after spending much of my hard-earned cash with a certain stamping company, I think it's time I "play the field"... and look for some other companies to pilfer my wallet for me! ;)

(I still love this particular company, but I think I want to check out some other businesses just for fun!)

Here are the companies I'm considering:

Gina K (I absolutely ADORE her StampTV videos and I've heard she's a sweetheart and who doesn't like to support sweethearts?! ;) )

Mark's Finest Papers (there's a lighthouse stamp set that's REALLY calling my name!)

W plus 9 (Love their style!)

So... for anybody who has shopped from any of the above, here are some questions, please:

1. What do you like most about the company? (I love hearing positives!)

2. How are their shipping prices? Shipping times?

3. Do they have good customer service? Fast response times to emails?

4. Quality of stamps - nice, sharp images?

5. Anything else you want to share about them?

Also...

1. Do you have other company suggestions? I'm always on the lookout for bookmarks for my browser.

Thanks for any input... I look forward to reading your comments!

[babydal57]

Hi Ted!

I can only speak to GinaK as that's the only one from your list that I've ordered from.

Service is GREAT! I wanted to order from a sale she was having, but I was going on vacation and didn't want to leave the package on the porch for a week. Gina herself saw my post and offered to hold the order until I got back and only ship it after I contacted her. What a GEM!!!! Her cardstock is gorgeous and the white is da bomb for using with copics. And best of all, her stamps are now die-cut like SU's. Free shipping at $50 which is SO easy to do on her website.

Good luck branching out. ;)

[LSN]

Hey Ted! I'm currently in the same boat as you with that "other" stamp company. Hoping that I'll get my order tomorrow or Thursday.

To answer your question regarding other stamp companies that I love (in no particular order): The Cat's Pajamas, Verve Stamps, My Favorite Things and Waltzingmouse Stamps. All of these stamps are excellent quality, the customer service is top notch, and the shipping is always lighting fast. In fact, the shipping from WMS (which is based in Ireland) typically beats the other stamp company that we both love. I don't know if the style of my favorites will match yours, but I will vouch for each one personally. All are ran by first class ladies!

Linda

[Mindykid]

I like rubber cling stamps. The clear poly ones don't give a good impression which makes them look blurry. I have used the ones that Tim Holtz promotes, and the ones from the Cats Pajamas. I also like Hero Arts stamps that come on wooden blocks.

[cobby]

I know just what you mean! There are so many other stamp companies out there and so many great stamp designs and cool embellishments and tools to try!

I've ordered from Gina K for the reasons you mentioned and because I just couldn't resist some of those ADORABLE new releases this fall! Matter of fact, one of the newest winter releases, "Mugs and Kisses" is here in my house to be wrapped and go under my tree! I bought the Autumn StampTV kit and the paper is to die for as well! Fast shipping, great customer service, a real sweetheart, you can't go wrong ordering from her.

PapertreyInk is also wonderful. I've ordered paper and some stamps from them. Their paper is as wonderful as GinaK's. The stamps are clear which was a change for me and in order to get a clean image I had to buy some different ink other than the SU dye inks I already had. THAT....is a whole other topic and one that has been discussed at length out here so I won't get into that again. But, it gave me an "excuse" to branch out into other ink companies as well so really, where's the downside?? :-) (Memento, just sayin' ).

I've been tempted by Northwoods Stamps, their online catalog is GORGEOUS to look at; but I haven't sent any business their way yet.

Good luck...happy shopping!! Oh what fun it is to buy new toys for us to play.....

[Ted]

Thank you all... I'm excited with some companies you mentioned... (excited to check them out, that is! )

Polly, I have two WMS sets (Off Beat Backgrounds and Festive Foliage). The Off-Beat Backgrounds is awesome! Love the plaid-making abilities with it!

I've also been toying with Verve. I'll look at Cat's Pajamas as well.

[ctorina]

Ted, you should also check out Rubbernecker stamps! RubberNecker

[Joan B]

Gina K -- awesome customer service. There is a PHONE number you can call. The one time I called Gina answered. Her products are first rate and come immediately. She is incredibly nice and generous. Her stamps are rubber on cling mount. I'm not a fan of this style stamp but they now come pre cut and the rubber is deeply etched. You will not go wrong.

Mark's Finest -- no experience.

W Plus 9 -- I've purchased twice. Both times the stamps came right away. The quality is top notch.

Best of luck!

[Lainy67]

Haven't used those. I like several different companies. Flourishes have absolutely gorgeous stamps. They are excellent quality photopolymer and I get a better impression from them than I do from many of my rubber stamps.

If you are looking for more geometrical designs then Outlines has really pretty designs. They are versatile as well and can be embossed and layered or simply stamped and colored.

Bombshell stamps has great images if you are looking for retro style or pin up or even vintage vehicles.

I also like belles and whistles stamps for cute images.

All of the above are rubber with the exception of flourishes. But, as I said the impressions from those are cleaner than a lot of my rubber stamps.

[ClaudiafromGermany]

have you seen
Lili of the valley stamps

this stamp company is one of the hottest in Europe

[KathiR]

I'm devoted to Bombshell Stamps, but also love Technique Tuesday (polymer), Cat's Pajamas (polymer), Third Coast (unmounted rubber), and a host of other stamps.

[Joan B]

another point, which is unrelated to specific companies.

Branching out from any company can really re charge your mojo! I know that when i stick with one or two companies I can get stale. Sometimes a different company can give me a boost and I love combining stamps from different companies as well.

I always come back to my favorite companies, but sampling others is soo fun.

[Jennifer Styles]

Hero Arts
Impression Obsession
A Muse
River City Rubber Works

Have had only pleasant experiences

[Jennifer Styles]

Oh, oh, oh and:

Taylored Expressions

[peggysue]

Gina K is a sweetheart, truly, can't go wrong there!

MFP has great shipping and service and a great variety of products, I like being able to get the distress inks and charms, charms can be hard to find, along with other things. Stamp sets give nice, crisp images.

[LorraineBK]

http://www.stampersdream.com/Default.asp I ordered from them today and they shipped today. Great customer service!
I buy often from Joann.com and they also ship quickly and usually have coupons or free shipping.

[Toy]

Branching out is fun I love Gina K (totally agree that StampTV rocks). I have one of MFP's sets ... the eagle ... and I am dying to use it, but I've been backed up with projects.

Now, for my suggestions:

There She Goes' Clear Stamps - for line art, great to color, quality stamps.

1. What do you like most about the company? (I love hearing positives!)
Tons of stamps in each set. Sets coordinate well with each other. Great
variety.

2. How are their shipping prices? Shipping times?
For a set of 20 stamps, around $18. Fast shipping.

3. Do they have good customer service? Fast response times to emails?
Jessica (owner) is an amazingly organized person. She responds quickly!

4. Quality of stamps - nice, sharp images?
High quality acrylic stamps.


Rubbernecker - cling deeply etched rubber, vast array of styles.

I've never actually ordered from Rubbernecker. I've purchased their stamps at trade shows and have had some sent to me. They are an amazing company, though. I met Dave (owner) at the local trade show here last year and was quite impressed with him.

I could name more, but I'll let some others chime in. There are so many quality companies out there.

Good luck!

[sewflake]

I have ordered stamps from Mark's Finest......while their shipping is a little high for just a couple of stamp sets the images stamp wonderfully well but then I stamp with Flourishes quite a bit so the quality of stamping is what I am use to. Mark's Finest has wonderful customer service plus they have enought stmaps that call to me that I could get free shipping with a $100 order.... my wallet is a little flat this time of year.

[Phantom]

Ted, I've seen you in the forum for one very popular stamp company which I love too ~ nice to see you're spreading your wings!!

Gina K is a sweetheart and her stamps are very high quality ~ I've never been disappointed and the service is great, too.

I've been seeing Mark's Finest Papers on Susan Raihala and Roxie Glaza's blogs and I'm very impressed. . . I know these talented ladies would not be involved with MFP if they weren't top notch so that's a great testimonial right there. They are certainly tempting me!!

I have not heard of the third one you mention.

I can give a HUGE vote of confidence to Waltzingmouse Stamps. If you're talking sweethearts in the stamp business, you have to include Claire Brennan. Outstanding stamps and service ~ her designs are so amazing!!

I have been a Verve Stamps fan since their Verve Visuals days when they sold rubber stamps. I love that you can spot the Verve style a mile away ~ very classy and charming. Excellent quality, service and sales, too!

If you really want to stretch your style, I recommend Artistic Outpost for quality and service - unique vintage/collage look rubber stamps. And Crafty Secrets is second to none in every category.

Amuse is fantastic -- the Amuse style is something I attempt now and then. I think I've been truly successful once or twice, LOL!! It's a great alternative to get you thinking "outside the box." Of course the quality - well, impeccable.

I know you've heard of my little company, too, as I saw your comment in a DT blog contest. I was really thrilled to see you there ~ and hope you'll consider visiting my store sometime too!

Enjoy the adventure and happy shopping :^) .

[StickUps]

Ted, what a fun, fun subject. I'm a equal opportunity shopper, but even more so this year than ever. I love not being limited and just buying a stamp because I love the image. Truthfully every month I have a new favorite company. This month it's Eat Cakes Graphics.

[Phantom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StickUps

Ted, what a fun, fun subject. I'm a equal opportunity shopper, but even more so this year than ever. I love not being limited and just buying a stamp because I love the image. Truthfully every month I have a new favorite company. This month it's Eat Cakes Graphics.

Oooh!!! Great shout out!! LOVE ECG, too!!! Holly is fantastic.

[kspiv]

I love:

GinaK. Her stamps are unbelievably beautiful! Her paper is to die for! Her customer service is the best around! She offers great deals with a buy a certain # of sets (3 I think)/get a free special set or buy 6 sets get a free stamp set of your choice. Also, she offers free shipping with a certain $ purchase ($50 I think). Family owned small business, which I love. And Gina is on here always quick to answer questions and be a wonderfully positive supporter!

Unity & Ippity. Unity is a family owned company made in the USA stamps with wind power, so environmentally friendly! yea! Fun designs, high quality red rubber cling mount stamps. Always offering specials. Buy certain $ amount, get free things. Free shipping often. Great deals on stamps quite often! They have some super awesome new co-stamping deals with many hot and up & coming companies too. They also have a Kit of the Month club that has a whole 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of rubber with lots of stamps on it! Also, owner Angela started Ippity, which is a home based business opportunity last year. They have very fun stamps and are offered thru an Ippity Chick. So you can not only support a company, but you can support a woman starting a home based business!

Taylored Expressions. I just love all their stamps and the ones I own I am super happy with! Pink cling mounted rubber and super high quality!

Those are some of my favorites, along with Stampin' Up....which may be the company you refer to....not sure. But I have branched out and there are SO many stamp companies out there that I have just recently discovered these gems I listed above recently but I am super happy with them.

[AmberDawn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted

Thank you all... I'm excited with some companies you mentioned... (excited to check them out, that is! )

Polly, I have two WMS sets (Off Beat Backgrounds and Festive Foliage). The Off-Beat Backgrounds is awesome! Love the plaid-making abilities with it!

I've also been toying with Verve. I'll look at Cat's Pajamas as well.

Toy no longer! You'll LOOOOVE Verve!

I will second, third, fourth, etc... for GinaK and MFT! I love these companies! I've also ordered from Marks Finest Papers before and Faith is wonderful! Very fast shipment Good luck and have FUN!

[Anemone]

I like Pink Cat Studio. They do both rubber and digital stamps. Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps

[AmberDawn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kspiv

I love:

GinaK. Her stamps are unbelievably beautiful! Her paper is to die for! Her customer service is the best around! She offers great deals with a buy a certain # of sets (3 I think)/get a free special set or buy 6 sets get a free stamp set of your choice. Also, she offers free shipping with a certain $ purchase ($50 I think). Family owned small business, which I love. And Gina is on here always quick to answer questions and be a wonderfully positive supporter!

Unity & Ippity. Unity is a family owned company made in the USA stamps with wind power, so environmentally friendly! yea! Fun designs, high quality red rubber cling mount stamps. Always offering specials. Buy certain $ amount, get free things. Free shipping often. Great deals on stamps quite often! They have some super awesome new co-stamping deals with many hot and up & coming companies too. They also have a Kit of the Month club that has a whole 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of rubber with lots of stamps on it! Also, owner Angela started Ippity, which is a home based business opportunity last year. They have very fun stamps and are offered thru an Ippity Chick. So you can not only support a company, but you can support a woman starting a home based business!

Taylored Expressions. I just love all their stamps and the ones I own I am super happy with! Pink cling mounted rubber and super high quality!

Those are some of my favorites, along with Stampin' Up....which may be the company you refer to....not sure. But I have branched out and there are SO many stamp companies out there that I have just recently discovered these gems I listed above recently but I am super happy with them.

OH YES! How could I forget Unity??????? They're FABULOUS too and you can't beat their sales and customer service Love them!

[DerbyLea]

Hey Ted!
I think most of my faves have already been mentioned. I like:

Waltzingmouse- I "puffy heart" Claire, as you already know. She is the best. And her stamps are unique and fun.

Shady Tree Studio - And not just cause I am on the DT. Nancy is a doll. Her stamps are great quality and so fun to color. She has a lot of unique and beautiful designs.

Penny Black- I buy these from my LSS. I love their cute and whimsical designs.

Hero Arts- I buy these from my LSS as well. I love the quality, love that they are made in the USA. Love the variety of designs.

There She Goes- This little company has some cute, cute stamps. I love the chemistry set I bought from them. Great customer service too.

Hampton Arts- Buy from my LSS- so many cute designs. Quality stamps too.

Its fun to shop around. And really who can have too many stamps?

[Ted]

Holy cow, ladies! I go to watch Avatar in 3D (living room, no less!) and come back to see you give me a truckload of resources!

I'm so grateful for all these and can't wait to just linger here with a coffee tomorrow and browse them.

Thanks so very much for the votes of confidence in certain companies and introducing me to others. I'm in your debt!

[Joan B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted

Holy cow, ladies! I go to watch Avatar in 3D (living room, no less!) and come back to see you give me a truckload of resources!

I'm so grateful for all these and can't wait to just linger here with a coffee tomorrow and browse them.

Thanks so very much for the votes of confidence in certain companies and introducing me to others. I'm in your debt!

You are not in "our" debt. Perhaps your bank's????:p:p

[starbucks_stamper]

Another one to vouch for Gina K, just cannot beat the variety of stamps and her customer service is amazing.
And another great company is Layers of Color. Beautiful images (clear and cling stamps) as well as Art Stencils. Laura has fast shipping as well and wraps them just beautifully. I love a beautiful presentation

[Cook22]

I've never ordered from the three specific companies you are looking at, but I've seen several mentions of Rubbernecker in this thread and I can testify to their good service, fast shipping times and good quality rubber. They have a shoppers reward scheme, so when you buy $25 worth of stamps you can choose another one free and so on up the scale. I'd missed that the first time I ordered, and Dave contacted me to see what stamp I'd like.

[NYstamper]

Also check out Vivalasvegastamps. They have a huge assortment of images(rubber), and they ship fast. I also love I Brake for stamps. Super fast shipping.

[corrosive69]

1. Do you have other company suggestions? Some of my faves are Kenny K, Stamping Bella, Magnolia, and Hanglar and Stanglar.

I do have one Gina K set and i love it (got it as a gift), and her paper is awesome, and her service is awesome too!

As for the other 2 i don't know much about them

Good luck in your search, love your blog!!
hugs

[LateBlossom]

Well, Ted, I'm on the DT for Mark's Finest Papers, and I'll say that their stamps are top-quality photo-polymer and incredibly flexible in design and fun to play with, their ribbon is a dream, they have a large selection of quality embellishments, and they added a green to their paper line that made me weak in the knees first time I saw it IRL. Faith, the owner, is 100% committed to top-quality customer service and is wonderfully nice, too!

Nancy at Shady Tree Studios is also nice as they come. Her designs are so fun and a bit different from what other companies are putting out. I love coloring them (which is shocking...I generally have not enjoyed coloring) because there aren't big huge blank areas to fill in, yet you can still shade for lovely effect.

Other companies I buy from regularly are Papertrey and Hero Arts. I've also ordered from Clear and Simple Stamps and found them to be awesome in both quality and customer service.

Good luck branching out, Ted. It's a lot of fun to play with other lines, and it's fun to combine different companies on one project, too.

[smaverick1]

Hi Ted! I can't believe no ones mentioned Lawn Fawn. They're a small Cali based company. The style is whimsical and great for Copics or paper piecing. The shipping is fast and cheap (even to Canada) and the sets are all under $15. As for quality, they are just like PTI. Seriously, they stamp the same.

You won't be disappointed with Verve. Especially if you like or use Bible verse stamps. Their selection is fantastic and you can buy them individually for $3. Happy shopping!!

[debbiemom23cs]

Ted,

I love Gina K. stamps and the shipping times plus great customer service make doing business with her a dream! The stamps are top quality red rubber. Really nice!

I have a bunch of sets from Mark's Finest Paper and they are wonderful, great quality, clear stamps! The images are finely detailed and the sentiments are very unique. Great customer service, too.

I am on the design team for Heartfelt Creations. Their stamps are high, quality pre-cut red rubber. The religious sentiments are wonderful and you can't find more realistic or beautiful florals anywhere!

Have you checked out DRS Designs? I have a ton of their rubber stamps and they have top quality, unique images and sentiments, too!

Should I keep going? LOL;)

You definitely have gotten some really good advice so far!!

[Paula in GA]

I've ordered from many of these companies and love lots of diversity. One of my favorite companies that I haven't seen mentioned is Home of the World's BEST Art Rubber Stamps featuring wildlife, cats, dogs, birds, lighthouses, and automotive Rubber Stamps.Art Rubber Stamps for all ages.
which I just love. They have delightfully realistic images and are red rubber. You can get them unmounted which I do with other companies, but I usually order these wood mounted because the wood is so beautiful. Prices are good, shipping is outstanding and the service has always been teriffic! Check em out!

[Phantom]

Thanks for the great shout-outs!!!

And thanks to Paula in GA for reminding me of Gray Wolf . . . I haven't been to their site in a long time. Beautiful stamps!!!

[Ted]

Thank you for the continued suggestions!

Paula, thanks for the Gray Wolf referral. I am a HUGE fan of lighthouses and their lighthouse images are beautiful.

The fact that unmounted stamps ship free is tremendous!

[whoistracy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joan B

Branching out from any company can really re charge your mojo! I know that when i stick with one or two companies I can get stale. Sometimes a different company can give me a boost and I love combining stamps from different companies as well.

I always come back to my favorite companies, but sampling others is soo fun.

Have to COMPLETELY agree with what Joan said here. I've started ordering a few sets from new-to-me companies and have loved playing with them. Definitely re-charges the mojo.

W-Plus-9 Shipping is awesome. Their stamps are super cute and a great quality.

I can glady say the same for Verve Stamps & My Cute Stamps.

Also, if you don't have any Hero Arts stamps, you should look into them. Either from their own website or support one of the smaller businesses that carry them. Top quality clear, cling foam, OR rubber on wood with great videos on their website and blog.

[KardmaDesigns]

Well I am new here and also fairly new to stamping but I fell in love with Close To My Heart. They have Acrylix stamps and they are amazing I find that they have a large variety of stamp sets, great ink, LOVE the paper....it's white cored and so great for distressing....lol.
I am a consultant now but that was because I really love the products!
Check them out...it's worth a peek! ;)
Happy Stampin'