How to Know if You're a Stampaholic
September 25, 2009 | By
Could your love for rubber stamping be described as passionate or even obsessed? You know that working with stamps has become more than just a part-time hobby when you’ve got at least one rubber stamp rolling around in your car. Maybe you’ve attended more stamp workshops than you can remember or you own a stamp that reads “addicted to rubber.”
Take the Crafty Stamper Quiz!
If you’re dying to know how serious your affliction is, take this crafty quiz and find out.
1. Your collection of rubber stamps seems to be growing…and in order to contain it, you:
a. have to get a Tupperware collection
b. have to build shelving
c. need to add an addition to the house.
2. You want to create your own stationery for invitations. In order to complete them you:
a. buy a stamping stationery set
b. buy a new set of alphabet letters, some embossing powder, and a fancy new rolling stamp
c. started with one set of alphabet letters but now have three or four–they come in different fonts, you know!
3. You frequent your local stamp store so often that the staff:
a. knows you by name and comments about your car “finding” its way there automatically
b. has made more than one remark about you bringing a sleeping bag to spare the extra drive
c. has hired you.
4. You find out that it’s not so difficult to create your very own custom stamp. You react by:
a. fiddling a bit with the process and then decide to leave it to the professionals
b. carving tediously until midnight, sure that you’ll be a master in no time
c. buy carving rubber in bulk and have at least two sets of Speedball tools. You never know when you’ll have a friend over!
5. You’ve heard that you can make your own stamps out of different mediums–including potatoes! You:
a. tried it once but didn’t think it was worth the effort
b. had a potato carving party and made stamps with all the neighborhood crafters
c. got in trouble with your family for trying to “save” the potato stamps for longer than their recommended lifespan. Let’s face it--they were getting a little stinky.
6.You’ve seen what the local craft store has to offer and are starting to grow bored with the aisle designated for rubber stamps. In order to expand your horizons you:
a. hunt down a rubber stamp store in your area
b. find incredible stamp warehouses on the Internet like: Invoke Arts, 100 Proof Press and Purple Onion Designs
c. attend stamp supply and technique conventions.
7. Someone mentions “Stamp Camp” at a local craft swap. You think:
a. “Stamp Camp?? What in the world?”
b. “I’d like to try that but don’t know if I have time.”
c. “I need to clear my calendar for this year’s Stamp Camp Weekend Adventure in Vermont. There’s no way it could be as great as last year.”
8. When a friend shows you a greeting card that she has made with rubber stamps you:
a. wonder if you could make something similar
b. have already made something similar
c. can name the stamp company and stamp price for every inked image on the page. You say, “This is lovely!” and think, “Inkadinkado, $9.95!”
9. As far as finances go, you:
a. don’t plan to spend on stamps but occasionally drop a few dollars if you find one you love
b. have a piggy bank with the words “stamp addiction” stamped (by you) on the side
c. have a direct deposit account linked with your paycheck. No need to pull from other expenses when you’ve got a budget set aside for new supplies.
10. For fresh ideas and inspiration, you subscribe to:
a. Crafts and Things (you like a little variety in your reading material)
b. Rubber Stamp Madness Magazine
c. Stampington Company’s Stamper’s Sampler, Workshop, Take Ten, Gallery, Inspirations and Apprentice. And well “all of the above” covers it, really.
If you’ve answered with:
Mostly a’s: You’re a Once in a Blue Moon Stamper. You’re a well rounded crafter who has not yet become obsessed with the rubber stamping community. You like to dabble with many techniques and mediums and enjoy stamping when it fits into your project or suits your mood. You certainly haven’t considered “Stamp Camp” yet and may be hoping to swap some of your old and unused stamp supplies.
Mostly b’s: You’re a Stamp Addict. You may very well be on your way to a serious habit. You’ve got a hefty supply of stamps and inks and are starting to dream up new ways to use them. You don’t just use stamps for stationery, but have gone about the house stamping aprons, notes to self, grocery lists, and books. If it hasn’t been stamped yet, it’s bound to be personalized soon.
Mostly c’s: You’re a Die-Hard Stampaholic. There’s a fine line between passion and obsession and you took a running leap over it ages ago. Stamping ideas cloud your judgment and meddle with your spending habits, yet they make you ever-so-happy. It’s better to have 736 stamps on the shelf than that many shoes, right? And of course it’s better to have an addiction to art than with Cheetos, as anyone would agree. Carry on and conquer the stamping world!
Helpful Resources:
Want to know more about the stamping possibilities available? Check out Stampington’s website for more information on art stamping, technique, and stamp maintenance. Don’t stop with a website like Addicted to Rubber Stamps. Be sure to search handmade stamps in Artfire and Etsy shops as well!
Recommended Reading:
Printing by Hand: Crafty Book Review
Swap that Art!
Word Jumble: Scrapbooking
Photos courtesy of: inklingsandimprints, Corrabelle, and scarletdgn.
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