Monday Inspiration: Stamp Shows

On Sunday I headed off to Zeist, a town about an hour from Amsterdam by train, for the Art Specially stamp show. This is the fourth year I’ve gone to the show, and I always find something new—usually at the Judikins booth! (Where I should just have a standing account.)

Even though a lot of the vendors are stores, it’s nice to be able to shop for everything in one spot. I debated whether or not I should go this year, but I needed some basic cardstock (black, white, off-white) and double-sided tape, and a big acrylic block for some new Paper Artsy stamps I got recently.

Sara Naumann blog paper
This is all I *needed* at the stamp show.

And I figured since Judikins wasn’t attending this year, I’d save a lot on stamps…by not buying any, right?

Of course, in the end one doesn’t just come home with tape and cardstock. And one can pretty much always find a stamp or two…or three or four…that go together perfectly. I came across a stamp company I hadn’t seen before called Different Colors. The woman demonstrating showed (of course) multiple stamps together, and they looked so fresh and summery that I just couldn’t resist. She actually had a lot of very obedient customers: She would make a little card with a couple of stamps, and we would diligently load up our baskets with the stamps she used. Then she’d make another little card with the same stamps plus another one, and we’d all reach over and add that to our stash. Either the stamps are irresistible, she’s great at what she does, or we were all hypnotized.

Sara Naumann blog stamp show Different Colors magazine
The magazine from Different Colors. You can see some of their designs on the cover...so bright, fresh and summery. Just what I need!
Sara Naumann blog packet Different Colors
I got this cute little packet of peppermints at the Different Colors stand. The outside envelope is one of those clear plastic envelopes, and it's wrapped around the kraft piece and tied with twine. Love it!
Sara Naumann blog Different Colors card
I whizzed right home from the show and put this card together using stamps from Different Colors. Do not be impressed by my originality, since the color combination (one of my favorites) and the flower placement is pretty much straight from a sample in their booth. I think the combination is so fresh and fun, I wanted to re-create it as soon as possible so I wouldn't forget. I love that shadow stamp and the "100% pure" label.

I also came across these handy organizers for Distress ink pads. The lady at the stand told me, “If you have all the Distress ink pads, you’ll need four of these.” Well, I have some Distress inks, but certainly not all, so I got two, figuring I’d have extra space. Nope! I have exactly half of the Distress inks. Does this mean I shouldn’t buy more? Ha!

Sara Naumann blog Distress Inks organizer
Just enough ink pads to fill two organizers! I used to store my inks in an old wooden fruit crate, which is now home to my alcohol inks. (I like to think this makes me more organized, but I'm really just moving stuff around on my work table.)

Toward the end of my time at the show, I ran into Marsha Valk, who I met at the Mixed Media Circus in Hamburg. She designs for Scrap 365, which is a cousin of sorts to the Craft Stamper magazine as they’re both published by the same company. I love her style, and you can check out her blog to see her designs. I especially love her photography!

It’s amazing what a visit to a stamp show (or stamp store) can do for my creative energy level. When I got home, I started playing with my new stuff straightaway and even got a head start on the cards I’ll teach in my Mixed-Media Photo Cardmaking workshop at The New Label Project in June.

Enjoy…and happy Monday!

 

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One thought on “Monday Inspiration: Stamp Shows

  1. You were FOR SURE hypnotized! The stamps are really nice and I haven’t heard of them before either. Nice card you made!

    It’s always fun to see what people on ‘the other side of the pond’ are doing with art. Thanks for sharing and I’m going over to visit Marsha in a minute.

    Jan (A&S gal)

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