Monday, May 15, 2000

RUBBER STAMPS | COMPANIES
Note: I haven't purchased things from ALL of these places, but I have from some, and from what I understand, the stamping community is pretty honest. I wouldn't have them listed here if I didn't like their stuff, so take that for what it's worth. In the interest of classification, they're almost alphabetical, rather than by what they've got, etc. Thought that'd be more fair. :)

Art Dreams sells rubber by the sheet for abou;t $30, and has dreamy, collage-ready artwork that's really fantastic.

Artistic Enhancements doesn't sell stamps, they sell paper and wire accessories. And there's a ton of stuff on her page with how-tos and tips. It's really fantastic.

Angel Wings Rubber Stamps and Accessories has videos and how-tos, but also sells RS from about ten different companies. It's more of a clearinghouse than a stamp manufacturer, which I generally prefer.

Bella Rosa Paper Arts: I've ordered from here. Love them. And I love the artwork that they put up on their pages -- especially the artists' journal pages. Not to mention the stamps are fantastic, even if they are mainly from clip art books.

Coronado Island Stamping: These fall mainly under the Cute category, or at least they "lets see how artsy we can really get with landscapes" category. But they're local, so how can I resist?

For all kinds of cool stuff, try Creative Images Stamps. The page is obviously one of those Front Page abominations, but their vellum and sticker paper rock, and the stamps aren't too bad either. Lots of cutesy fairies and stuff -- avoid if cute makes you ill. Plus, they have a nazi-like return policy. I've been too scared to order from them yet, despite the wealth of papers, etc.

Enchanted Ink does fairies a little better (I think), and doesn't have the third reich returns. Not to mention they've got a great price on a grab bag. If I don't order another pile o' stuff from Bella Rosa, this is where I'll be ordering from next.

Fran is The Frantic Stamper (which sounds awfully familiar). Her French-themed rubber stamps, unmounted, costs only $18 for the SHEET, and are -so- incredibly cool. I want a lot of them, but keep forgetting that when I actually have money.

Haika Rubber Stamps are a northwest creation. As such, they've got kind of a northwest feel -- primal, tribal, fun. At only $15.50 per sheet, including postage/handling, they're one of the best deals out there. Love this one. Lovelovelove.

And just in case this list doesn't do it for you and you still need more, there's This List that lists a TON of different companies.

Red Castle has a catalog with samples, but also has a kick ass postoid program for the PC that will let you make artistamps really, really easily, something I kind of like. Now if I just liked my PC.

Rubber Art. Com is all right. I have it bookmarked because you can get Lumiere paints from here. Now that I have a local source, I probably won't go back -- only because that main page takes FOREVER to load, even on a cable modem, and you have to let the graphics load to navigate. I hate that.

Stone House Stamps has not only stamps, but also the acrylic backers for unmounteds, which I like. I also must get the Hearts Desire plate, which is only $21.

Turtle Arts makes my head swim. Probably one of my favorite web sites.

US ArtQuest makes both Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA), and PearlEx (dust to emboss with), and Suze makes Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). It's like a giant money drain in the middle of the website -- all money in a ten mile radius just flies RIGHT here and goes away. Of course, the good part of that is that in a few days you get a package full of goodness in the mail.

Wanna go into the rubber stamp business for yourself instead?

Visions Of Ink has the best collection of car stamps anywhere. Any make, any model -- chances are, they've got it.

Whiskey Creek has antique images, but the gallery of collage and tag art is better than their stamps...:)

Monday, May 15, 2000

RUBBER STAMPS | ARTISTS
I used to think that rubber stamps were all cute and fluffy -- then I had The Awakening.

These are others with The Awakening, who can show you in these galleries just how wrong you really are about that:

StampAndi isn't much of a web designer, but I like her cards. And her links are really great -- it's where I go a lot of times to find places I've missed. Rubber Stamp Addicts is in Australia, but it offers more than just products. It's got tips and techniques, and the gallery reminds me there is a god, and she stamps. (or so they say.) PetersonPosts is by this woman who not only makes collages, but also teaches the world how to make used dryer sheets into faux mulberry paper. How cool is that? This whole site is full of a gallery of stamp art that can't be missed. It's why I saved it for last. There's just SO MUCH HERE. I have linked directly into the tag art swap, just because I'm on a tag phase.

Go figure.

Monday, May 15, 2000

RUBBER STAMPS | EDUCATIONAL
Want to know, now that you've been inspired and have acquired a zillion of these things, what to do with them?

That's what I'm here for.

Art Continuum is an amazing convention, from what i hear. Stamp up some stuff and go play. The website at the top level there -- stampersanonymous.com -- is pretty nifty, too. Or you could just make these intaglio shrink booklets that oh, so, kick ass.

Gingerwood likes to think it's the premier stamping resource, and it -does- have lots of information, but I also like private sources, like Jen's site that show you how to make your own collage stamps, which are really hot these days.