Do you feel a particular affinity for one company?

[Rachelrose]

Do you consider a particular stamp company or line your primary or favorite stamp source? I'd naturally expect SU demos to say SU. But how about everyone else? My original SU demo let her SU status lapse (she was for all intents and purposes a hobby demo) because she found she was more and more drawn to work with a certain other company's stamps. They spoke to her more strongly.

I am just wondering. I can't say that I have found one stamp line that is me. I've been collecting stamps for nearly a year now, and my collection is all over the map.

[Angelnorth]

I'm what I believe is known as an "equal opportunities" stamper :lol: I have stamps from lots of different companies and buy images that speak to me regardless of brand. I have companies who release stuff that's more likely to have that pull but even then it's not every release by any stretch of the imagination.

My main sticking point these days is format - I refuse to buy wood mount stamps so there are a few companies who are ruled out on those grounds alone.

[binkiemonstermom]

I obviously love Stampin' Up products!!! Before I was a demo, I shopped everywhere. I still buy different things here and there but for the most part my main shopping is SU. I find I spend less and spend better because I can get the coordinating products for my items such as stamp sets that match punches and framelits.
I buy all my solid cs from Stampin' Up and all my ribbon, buttons, and brads from SU. I used to buy whatever and found that I needed to buy 3-4X the amount to get matching brads and buttons for my papers. Now I buy my brights buttons for my brights paper1!! Easy and simple!!!
But I think that everyone should buy what they like!!!!

[GarnetJ]

I am like Joanne.... an "equal opportunities" stamper.

[Cinnistew]

I love Hero Arts and buy most of my stamps from them. Their Hero Hues line is fantastic.

I also buy stamps from Papertrey... although not as many as Hero.
I buy what I like... these are just the two I like most.

[sprtchick]

Flourishes, Our Daily Bread are two big ones for me. I love stamps..especially clear!
blessings.

[DianeinSparks]

I have several companies that are favorites but I'm always willing to look at something new.

[LancasterLurker]

I'm an SU! demo (pretty much hobby) but I have serious problems resisting Hero Arts!

[Kiwismum]

Well I don't and never have sold any products, but I do love my SU sets.

In saying that if I am after something in particular that SU can't provide for me, then it is equal opportunity and I will buy according to the image rather than the brand. I also prefer rubber to clear so that will sometimes come into it

[fairsinger]

I shop from several companies, but find my customer service experiences often lead me to (or away) from companies more and more. I've had excellent customer service from some companies, and I find I look to them first when I am ready to order products. I love that there are so many great companies and products to choose from now!

[RiverIsis]

I'm an equal opportunities stamper... and I fall in and out of love with some companies. One of my first loves was Hero Arts then I hated what they were putting out and now I'm loving the stuff they are doing. Love Gina K Designs too... but it took a while and I will be honest I didn't like their initial offerings but I like how they have grown. Big fan of Clear Dollar Stamps which has gone digital now. They may not be for everyone, however, I like their style for the most part and got plenty of stamps for small costs which is what I needed, I pretty much have a stamp for any occasion because of CDS. Indeed I used a CDS stamp for my Christmas cards this year. I'm also a big fan of High Hopes... I think they have changed ownership. I love the design of Kitchen Sink Stamps but I have learnt that they are beautiful but I tend to like to color instead of doing 2/3/4 step stamping. I love the sets I have and the words sets are great too and I use their words on the majority of my creations.

I have plenty of stamps, so now I am very picky about what I pick up. There are some smaller companies that have been peeking my interest on some blogs but I can't remember them.

[SweetMissDaisy]

Like others have mentioned, I'm an "equal opp" stamper!

I'm drawn to all kinds of images, and am grateful for the variety of companies to pick and choose from. And even while I'm an illustrator, I still LOVE to use other stamp companies products. That must make me a ♥stamper♥ at heart!

[cat_woman]

I really like to explore all of what the different companies have to offer, however, I usually buy digi stamps these days because of space issues. I will buy regular stamps, but only if I can get unmounted rubber or clear and only if they are a good price (ie on sale deeply discounted).

[Cook22]

I would say that I have most SU and then Penny Black, but I certainly have a wide and varied collection, and if I had more money and space - and time to use them - it would be even wider and more varied .

[lutheran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LancasterLurker

I'm an SU! demo (pretty much hobby) but I have serious problems resisting Hero Arts!

Hey -- that's me, too! Plus CTMH that I buy from a friend.
Mary Beth

[RiverIsis]

I don't mean this in a mean or disparaging however my love of multiple companies products is what always had me scratching my head at the nearly religious devotion some people ooze online about some stamp companies. I know some were for sales. But in the end I found it off putting. I'm looking forward to the levelling out. Might even pick up stamps of companies I have avoided because they seemed too popular.

[mswhittaker23]

I'm a hobby demo with SU but I do shop all companies. However, now that I know I need to meet my quarterly minimums myself with SU, I do buy much of my supplies through them. I still buy ATG refills instead of their adhesive though, still use Memento black ink instead of Basic Black, and rarely buy their DSP. I have found I love their card stock the best for card bases though, so I'll be stocking up on that next quarter.

For other companies, I belong to The Stamps of Life monthly stamp club, and I regularly shop on Amazon or at my local craft shops for items. I have one specialty ink and stamp shop near me that I get Memory Box or Tim Holtz stuff through. But I don't buy from many other online places simply because I don't want to pay for shipping and don't ever have enough items I want to purchase all at one time. It's all about convenience. Buying SU gives me convenience (place my $300 order all at once, with hostess bucks for doing so) and everything coordinates.

[RAWS]

I buy what I like wherever I find it. I have lots of SU, Heartfelt Creations & Tim Holtz stuff.

[Rachelrose]

I do buy a lot of stuff from SU myself, but not a lot of stamps. I have some sets from them, but really I couldn't do without their paper and ink and other supplies. And their tools are usually the best. Although pricey. Still, I have a number of tools that I've bought twice - once from somewhere other than SU to save money, and then again to replace said item with an SU one of better quality.

For stamps, though, it's whoever has an image I like. And I buy in any format. I do tend to collect certain categories of images and completely avoid others.

[lesleybd]

I like Lili of the Valley stamps. UK company but sell worldwide. Unmounted rubber and some clear stamps. Adorable little characters and easy to colour.

Lesley

[geogymnast82]

When I look at my stamp inventory, I have more SU than anything because I was a demo at one time and bought for myself, but when I look at the artwork that I create for me or the stamps I pull out first because I most want to work with them (am more drawn to them than others), the stamp company ends up being Stampers Anonymous. Inkadinkado stamps are next in line followed by Purple Onion Designs.

[SophieLaFontaine]

My love is divided (multiplied?) between several companies: Crafty Secrets for vintage, Paper Smooches for my darling nephews, Penny Black for my darling nieces. I love all three styles.

But I also do have and love other stuff... SU!, DOTS (the older country-cutsey stamps, before they became CTMH), and House Mouse!! As well as Inkadinkado and Tim Holtz and Technique Tuesday. And Magnolia. And Magenta.

There are other stamps that I absolutely adore, but I don't have many of, because they don't "fit" my nephews or nieces (who get 90% of my cards). I loooooooooove Kraftin' Kimmie stamps (but I only have two of her stamps) and I loooooooooove Stampotique's Daniel Torrente's stamps (but only have three of those).

[Rachelrose]

I was looking at those Stampotique Daniel Torrente stamps the other day. They are really outside my envelope, I rarely do figures or people. But they are mesmerizing. I might have to have one or two, just to see what I'd make of them.

I just did order some strange but lovely dollface stamps from Blockhead (a favorite haunt of mine) and don't have a clue what I am going to do with them, but I want to figure it out. I need to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. There are only so many floral stamps a person needs, even when they are as passionate about flowers as I am.

[RiverIsis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachelrose

I was looking at those Stampotique Daniel Torrente stamps the other day. They are really outside my envelope, I rarely do figures or people. But they are mesmerizing. I might have to have one or two, just to see what I'd make of them.

I just did order some strange but lovely dollface stamps from Blockhead (a favorite haunt of mine) and don't have a clue what I am going to do with them, but I want to figure it out. I need to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. There are only so many floral stamps a person needs, even when they are as passionate about flowers as I am.

Yeah, I bought a year of flowers off CDS (Clear Dollar Stamps) and now question ever buying another flower stamp - it would really have to be special TBH - That was my excuse when I bought the Jumbos - plus I make BIG cards and sometimes little stamps just get lost on a 8.5 in x 5.5 in space no matter how you mount it.

Oh now there is another stamp company - Stampendous.

[cjzim]

I am a long -time SU demo, but my stamp purchases are all over the map! Yes, I like SU, and use almost exclusively their cardstock, ribbon, embossing powders and embellishments. And I have tons of SU stamps, but I also regularly buy stamps from many other companies who have images that speak to me! There are too many wonderful images out there for me to limit myself!

[cr8iveme]

I love acrylic mount stamps. Which is probably why I'm a CTMH Consultant.

But I also have a lot of SU, Hero Arts and A Muse.

[cr8iveme]

Also I love digi stamps because they are so flexible.

[southernstamper]

My favorites are SU, Penny Black, and Impression Obsession

[jazzytobi]

I too own a lot of stamps from a lot of different companies. I no longer buy wood-mounted stamps and won't purchase from companies with notoriously bad customer service, but other than that I have no boundaries in regards to my love of stamps!

[Misstreez]

I stick with particular brands for a few of reasons. First and foremost of course is I have to love the designs. I think I'm a very messy and disorganized person so I delibrately limit what brands I purchase as this helps me when it comes to tidying up as each brand is stored together in a particular way. For this reason I also like sets, so I know where each item belongs. So all my SU! sets have to be wood mounted. I love that the Tim Holtz stamps come with thier own storage index. I have a collection of Impression Obsession Cover-a-Card stamps that are stored different to my collection Stampendous Jumbos, etc. I store nearly everything according to brands, but I limit my brands I buy.

And when it comes to stamps I only buy rubber. I've sometimes been sorely tempted by some great clear stamp designs, but I haven't like their storage system, or lack thereof. And I don't know how to fit it into what I already have. I do have a few single, odd branded stamps but I rarely ever use them since they are outside my focus/thinking zone, if that makes sense. Nothing wrong with them, I just don't 'see' them in my mental inventory when I come to create something.

So yes, I stick with certain brands

[gregzgurl]

I've been both a CTMH and a SU! demo, so I have quite a few of their stamps (waaaay more SU! than CTMH, because I truly prefer rubber over clear). I went through an Inkadinkado obsession phase for a while, so there are quite a few of those, as well. I could never resist those $1 stamps (Studio G and Michael's) so those piled up. I subscribe to several blogs of really talented stampers that are on various design teams, so they often influenced stamp purchases, too, as did some of the creations in the galleries here on SCS.

This past year I've done weeding out and purging and giving away and organizing and indexing and all of that, so it's easier to see what I have too much of and not enough of (can you believe I had ZERO birthday stamps aside from a couple of sentiments? No cake, no balloons...) Since I already have SO MUCH from SO MANY stamp companies, now I go by what I truly need or that just really, really speaks to me.

[CraftyMel2]

I took a look around my crafty area and while I thought I was going to say SU, I have TONS of stamps from Inkadinkado! I never realized how many I had from them! I have a definite preference for SU paper and ink...well, and punches, SU/EK are the only ones I will buy because I have tried so many others and could not stand them. So...paper, ribbon, ink: SU Stamps: SU and Inkadinkado are what I have the most of. I do always look around at all of the stamps when I am in the store though and will grab whatever catches my eye not all that concerned about what brand it is.

[PedalPower]

I have a lot of older SU stamp sets, but right now my purchases are leaning more toward SP&Company for their awesome sentiments and also My Craft Spot for their sentiments. I use a lot of die cuts from Cricut and Silhouette, so sentiments are definitely more on my spending radar these days!

[sillyfilly]

Well I started out with SU. I still buy a lot from them. I love their card stocks and inks. They have top quality products. I then ventured out to CTMH but I don't buy so much from them anymore. I love Our Daily Bread, Verve and Flourishes. I have bought some dies from Sweet and Sassy and am expecting my first stamp set from them today hopefully. I am excited to get it because I am really loving some of the stamps they make. I have a lot from Penny Black and Inkadinkadoo. I guess I like a variety. I was going to put in a big order with PTI about the time everyone started having such problems with them. I figure where there's smoke there's fire so I ended up not placing the order. They really have some pretty stamps and am hoping they get their business straightened out and when they do I will purchase from them too. But I am surely waiting to hear things are better before I do. I won't abide by poor customer service from any company. I love stamping!

Not to hijack the thread but Michale's has buy one get one half price on Spellbinders. I bought some for myself yesterday.

[gr8cards]

I like SU and the stamp sets are reasonably priced compared to buying the same things at Mike's or Jo's....but I find that the tax and shipping brings the price up so much, I have to think twice (no, three or four times) before I make a purchase. I love so many of the products but I am being a little stubborn about it...our tax rate is about 10% here so I pretty much think about everything I purchase in town!

[ceramicat1]

I buy in phases. I used to buy alot of older SU sets, and now I am hunting old PSX stamps. I buy alot of Inkadinkado stamps along with current SU and CTMH. I also have alot of Impression Obsession stamps.

A sale will get my attention everytime. I have alot of various stamps from several different companies.

If I like the stamp, the company is only important if they have an unacceptable reputation.

[ujxm048]

I seem to only stick to 2 companies - MFT and Magnolia. I know I have a few others but I'd say 95% of my stash is from these companies

[maryrose]

I was an SU demo for years and had accumulated a LOT of stamps. But with time, I just got tired of the SU look. I also decided that I was done with storing wood mount stamps. I started selling off my collection last year, replacing it with new companies. I've become a big fan of the following: Waltzingmouse Stamps, WPlus9 Designs, Paper Smooches, Lawn Fawn, Papertrey Ink, Unity Stamp Company, My Favorite Things, Gina K., and of course, Hero Arts. I'm not loyal to any one company now. I buy what really speaks to me and my style more than what's the current hot trend. I've taken on a lot more clean and simple stamping than my days of multiple layers and accessories. I'm hoping to venture in to digital art next year, which will be fun.

[QueenOfInkland]

I'm an 'equal opportunity stamper' along with some others. I admitedly prefer red rubber, but I own lots of clear stamps too.

The important thing for me (aside from the image, of course) is a company's angel policy because maybe, someday, my dream is to have a small business and sell products that I make.

I only buy stamps that don't have liberal angel policies when I just cannot live without the image and then I'll just use it for personal stuff.

[Oddesigns]

I'm all over the map. I have a lot of SU but right now their stamps are doing nothing for me.

I'm currently crushing on Clear & Simple Stamps & A Muse Studio.

I own a lot of stamps from Repeat Impressions, Starving Artistamps, Stamps by Judith, Impression Obsession and Inky Antics

I had started acquiring some PTI sets when the customer service debacle hit, and decided to step away from them before I got burned.

I really wish I owned some Paper Smooches stamps.