VillageImpressionsStamps

Stamping on Packaging

2010-12-03T22:39:00.007-05:00

I have been ignoring my blog lately, but I had to get back into action with this idea. Have a look at this lovely packaging, created with a custom stamp from Village Impressions. Here a photographer, Jill Renton, from beautiful New Brunswick Canada, has used a stamp to create distinctive and very stylish packaging for her business.

This would also work well for those who like to create "works of art" when Gift Wrapping or for packaging Wedding Party Favors! If you like the design, perhaps Jill can design a stamp for you too, check it out at:

www.scuffedboots.ca

Cool Pen Stamp

2010-05-30T21:45:00.015-04:00

Here is a pretty cool pen that has a self inking stamp built in. It is called the Twin (stamping and writing tool) made by Trodat. Perfect if you are looking to put a little "007" in your life. The stamp can hold one to three lines of text, graphics too.(7 x 35mm or 1/4 x 1 3/8th inches) Name, address, email address, whatever you like. Pens are easy to re-ink and will make tons of impressions. Check out the details here or watch my movie.

They make an excellent graduation present! Congrats, Mike :)

Lauren Curtis: Artist & Guest Blogger

2010-03-30T17:14:00.038-04:00

Hello readers! First off, I'd like to thank Anna Mae for "cross-blogging" with me & I hope you'll find this interesting as I'm one of the artists Anna Mae refers her clients to when they're in need of designs.

I was graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University) in 1988, and have since been selling my work throughout the U.S. and in Europe. I have participated in over 90 solo, juried & group exhibitions, and am a member of several NJ Arts organizations.

My work is shown in galleries, Holistic & Crafter Expos, health centers, & was accepted for a solo exhibit at Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters in 2009. The various media I work with include oils, acrylics, pen & ink, watercolor, pencil, charcoals and photography, along with a working knowledge of Photoshop.

I have been commissioned to create a wide range of artwork, including historical illustrations, pet portraits, paintings, graphics and designs for crafter (RUBBER STAMPS!) & greeting card companies. My illustrations, photographs and poetry have appeared in national & international printed & on-line publications.

I enjoy the challenge of creating pieces to meet my client’s needs, as well as my own self-expressive fine artworks. Much of my work focuses on nature and travel-related subject matter, as I love to journey to new places as often as I can. I work in a variety of styles, depending on the project I'm creating or the client I'm working for.

Included in this blog are a few images of my paintings & stamp art. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or for further information. If you'd like to see more, here are my websites & blog (Anna Mae has a post on my blog!)

Lauren Curtis

http://www.laurencurtisart.com/ (commercial & fine art)
http://www.laurencurtisart.mosaicglobe.com/ (fine art, photography, art updates)
http://www.laurencurtis.imagekind.com/ (cards, T-shirts, photography, illustration)
http://www.laurencurtis.wordpress.com/ (my NEW Blog!)

Clear Blocks for Clear Stamps

2010-03-04T15:27:00.008-05:00

You do not have to use any particular type or brand of block for mounting my clear stamps, any block will work. My stamps are self sticking with no adhesive needed, ever! They will stick to any smooth surface and if they ever get dirty and lose this self-sticking ability a quick wash with soap and water will bring it back to its original sticky properties.

In general blocks are made from clear plastic (often called acrylic - you may know it as Plexiglas), usually ½ inch thick to provide a good grip while offering some flexibility.

If you are the do it yourself type of person, search out your local glass or sign shop and ask if they have some small “scraps” left over from another project. You may get a lifetimes supply for free. You may need to cut them to size yourself, which can be done with a special plastic blade in your jig saw. When I first started with the clear blocks, they were not readably available commercially and I had to invest in the equipment to cut my own. Hand sawing was only fun for a few minutes, so I went whole hog and bought a chop saw with plastic cutting blade. I still cut odd-ball custom blocks for some orders and flame the edges to give them that polished look . I enjoy my “power tool and fire” time. I may make a video of this since it is kind of cool.

If you aren’t a do it yourself type, I would be happy to supply you with blocks. My stock size blocks are made in America and are laser cut so the edges have a nice polished look and feel.

Care and Cleaning

Acrylic is tough, but it scratches easily - this won't affect it's usefulness.

Wash with mild dish or hand soap, using plenty of warm water. Then pat dry with a soft cloth or paper towel.

Do Not use window cleaning sprays, alcohol or solvent based stamp cleaners (you can tell by the harsh smell). The solvent may make the block develop cracks all over its surface.

If you are stuck in a pinch or need to economize you can substitute any smooth clear item as a stamp block. For instance an acrylic picture stand from the dollar store, and empty cd case, even the lid off a stamp pad will work.

Handy Pocket Stamp

2010-01-23T20:28:00.005-05:00

Here is a cool little stamp I made for a geocacher or letterboxer? Fits in your pocket or key chain and has a refillable ink cartridge built in. I think this would be perfect for a signature stamp for the back of cards and ATCs, easy to take to workshops and crops. Anyway, wanted to see if I could upload a video and of course I should give credit to my teenage daughter who acted as hand model! Thanks Laura :)

50,000 Visitors and a Sale to Norway!

2009-11-14T11:40:00.001-05:00

Last week I hit a big miletsone, my little website has just passed 50,000 visitors.

Over the years, I have shipped orders to every state except Delaware, and every Canadian province except for the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon Territory. I'm not sure what they are waiting for.

The top three stamping states are California, New York, and Texas, while the top three provinces are Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

I have shipped stamps to people in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and the United Kingdom. Just this week, I shipped an order to Norway!

I enjoy the geography lessons and am amazed that my stamps get all around the world!

Hand Made By Me Stamps

2009-10-16T14:50:00.002-04:00

One of the most popular items I make are Hand Made By Me stamps.

Here is a stamp I made for a pair of socks I knitted.

I have made them for people who sell clothing on Etsy, as well as for knitters and quilters. They are also very popular with woodworkers.

Worlds Largest Rubber Stamp

2009-09-18T16:01:00.007-04:00

The World's Largest Rubber Stamp is located in downtown Cleveland.

You can read all about it at RoadSideAmerica which provides a funny listing of all kinds of large tourist traps.

Happy Birthday to Village Impressions

2009-08-19T14:54:00.010-04:00

August was my eighth year selling stamps on the internet.

I now sell in a week as much as I did that first year.

I have sold stamps all over the World including Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and the United Kingdom.

I also have sold stamps into every State except Delaware, and every Province except for the Northwest Territories , Nunavut, and the Yukon Territory.

I keep waiting and looking for my first stampers to finish my customer map .

Stamps from Photos

2009-08-05T21:41:00.014-04:00

I have spent a lot of time learning Photoshop tricks to make stamps from photos.
I start by scanning a photo into the computer unless someone sends me a high quality image by email.

Then I increase the contrast, remove the background and touch up any problem areas.

In this case I zoomed in on the face and removed big brother (sorry).

The image must next be converted to pure black and white with a halftone filter (used to make newspaper images). Sometimes blemishes need to be removed and features enhanced. Not the case with my beautiful daughter!

Finally I can make a stamp from this converted image. The stamp is cut out and mounted on the clear block and then it is time to stamp away.

Most popular photo stamps are kids and pets, but any photo with good contrast works well.
A black dog on a dark leather couch or a white cat on snow would be really hard to make, but if I can't make it work, I'm the first to admit it. :)

This is truly a custom, one of a kind stamp!

The final product is such a pleasure to have and use.

Stamps for Clay, Pottery

2009-07-16T13:20:00.003-04:00

I get quite a few orders for stamps to use for clay projects.

People have used them on pottery, Sculpey, Play Doh, Precious Metal Clay (PMC) jewelry, and tiles.

I make these stamps extra deeply etched so they leave a good deep impression.

They can be used with a block for flat surfaces or pressed by hand without a block to work around curved surfaces.

Another neat idea is to stamp on clay using slip as the "ink" (see this link)

There are quite a few interesting videos on YouTube to give you some more ideas for stamping on clay.

Family Stamp, Pet Stamp

2009-07-15T21:07:00.001-04:00

Here we are on a family rubber stamp, as you can see, a typical happy family.

The kids are not so little now…..John is off to University in the Fall and Laura will be in Grade 11!

The family design was made by a lovely artist from the West Coast.

If you would like her to make up a family stamp for you, check out her website, or just contact me and I will work with her. http://www.figascloset.com/about_us.htm

Here is a stamp of Amy, my trusty sidekick. Amy is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

Wheatens are a godsend for a family with many allergies, until we met Amy a dog was out of the question for us.

I make a lot of pet stamps, just send me your photo!

How I Became a Stamp Maker

2009-06-23T10:30:00.001-04:00

My first blog entry will have to be about how I started this business.

My darling husband is an engineer and a great hobby starter, but a poor completer.

In 2001 he bought an expensive machine to make patterns for casting bronze plaques.

After several months of this machine sitting around, I asked him what it was really used for.

He said that people use it to make rubber stamps, which was apparently a big hobby.

After several hours searching the internet and looking at magazines I decided to use the thing to make stamps to at least pay for the machine, so I took it over.

Although it is supposed to be easy to make a stamp. it turns out there were lots of little tricks to learn.

Back in 2001, clear stamps were still a novelty, red rubber ruled the hobby.

One happy mistake and I discovered how to make the stamps self sticking. It was quite the thing to convince people to buy at first.....but of course now everyone has at least seen self sticking.
My first sale was from an ad in the back of a rubber stamp magazine , so you could say I started out in mail order. I even made a bunch of plaque patterns for a local foundry, which was the original intended use for the machine.

I made my first website with MS Publisher which came with my home computer. Although there was no cost, there were many hours of frustration, but believe me, if I can do it anyone can!

I went online for the first time December 2002, and the rest can be told in another blog.

BTW: Now it is 7 years later and DH still hasn’t made a bronze plaque !