Coordinated Stamp Pads for your Rubber Stamps

It wasn't too long after I began stamping that I realized how difficult it was to find great stamp pads, in a large array of coordinated colors, within my local area's offering of craft and hobby shops. Boy was I surprised at how poor the selection was when I did decide to wander out to look for stamp pads. While it wasn't that hard to find specialty stamp pads like metallics and chalkers, finding dye or pigment based stamp pads in anything but the primary colors turned out to be a much bigger chore...until I discovered these fantastic sources that are only a few clicks away:

Sea Shells - Fantastic stamp pads with names like Tropical Raspberry and Conch Shell are just a few of the great offerings by this fantastic stamp pad company. (If you're not familiar with where to purchase these products, simply type in the names of the companies mentioned in this article in your favorite internet search engine). Affordable reinkers can also be purchased at reasonable prices for existing stamp pads which gives you the convenience of being able to control how juicy or dry your stamp pads remain.

Ranger Rick - If their stamp pad selection wasn't already fantastic, Ranger Rick just added a whole new dimension to stamping with their new line of scented ink pads. I love the Hot Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, and Sugar Plum stamp pads for truly fantastic holiday cards that have brilliant colors and a memorable scent!

Versa Craft - In the search to find unique stamp pads, Versa Craft takes the cake in my opinion. I love their fantastic colors, like Pale Lilac and Bubblegum which can be purchased at very affordable prices. There are twenty-two coordinated colors to choose from. Create your own brilliant stamp pad colors by blending reinkers on empty stamp pads (these can be purchased online or at your local craft store).

Brilliance Dew Drops - These stamp pads are sure to brighten up all of your scrapbooking, cardmaking, and paper craft projects. These twenty-four colored ink pads pack brilliance and beauty in a small, attractive container shaped like a dew drop. Don't plan on spending a fortune either, since I had no trouble locating their entire selection of stamp pads for under three dollars each.

Having stamp pads in coordinated colors makes cardmaking and scrapbooking more fun and ensures that your projects, layouts, and cards have are special, lifelong works of art too! You'll be pleased to know that many of these companies also offer other coordinated products such as ribbon, card stock, buttons, and brads. The stores we found these products at had reasonable shipping prices and good return policies. No need to worry about any extra expenses or losing your order in the mail. The best thing about buying these great products online is that you can shop in your pajamas, from the comfort of your home, at any time of the day or night, and you will be stamping with these great stamp pads in no time at all!

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Where You Can Find Precious Moments Rubber Stamps

The Precious Moments series has been a strong seller of memorabilia, and its popularity has translated into the sales of Precious Moments rubber stamps. For the collector, these items make great additions, and finding them is really a breeze. Check out these great ways to locate some new Precious Moments items for your home or office.

1. Scrap booking StoresThere are plenty of shops dedicated to the hobby of scrap booking, and these locales are likely to have exactly what you need in terms of Precious Moments rubber stamps. In fact, even at the smallest scrap booking places, you're likely to find a plethora of rubber stamps. Even if they don't have the Precious Moments stamps in stock, most merchants are happy to order them for you. And you might not even have to pay extra; some store keepers won't charge you anything more than the retail rate in the hopes that you keep coming back to them for all your rubber stamps and scrap booking needs.

2. Yard SalesBelieve it or not, you can find some terrific rubber stamps by Precious Moments at your nearest garage or yard sale. After all, scrap booking has become quite a huge pastime for numerous folks (whole industries have been dedicated to the practice!), and when someone tires of all the stamping, cutting, and organizing, they'll often sell off their merchandise for pennies on the dollar. Though you can't be assured of finding a specific stamper at a yard sale, you will probably come across Precious Moments rubber stamps occasionally.

3. Online AuctionsAh, the Internet. Where would we be without it? At any of the huge online auction sites, you can find tons of rubber stamps, and that includes rubber stamps by Precious Moments as well. Often, you can get a fantastic price, too; but beware of one thing: the shipping and handling fee. If you're going to pay more to have your Precious Moments rubber stamps delivered to your door than you did for the stamps in the first place, they might not be such a good bargain.

4. Discount StoresSometimes, Precious Moments rubber stamps become �closeout� items at mainstream stores, so they are shipped to discounters. There, the price is significantly lowered and shoppers like you have the opportunity to purchase rubber stamps by Precious Moments at a fraction of what you'd pay in a retail establishment. It's a great way to save a little and still get what you want.

5. Personal FriendsDo you know someone who is �into� scrap booking but sometimes likes to unload her current inventory to make room for more? If so, why not ask her if she has any rubber stamps by Precious Moments? Though she might not want to part with them right now, she'll keep you in mind should the day come when she decides she's ready to give them away.

Remember - if you're looking for Precious Moments rubber stamps, there are many places you can find these quaint little charming items that have a tendency to make people smile.

About The Author:
Moises has been working for stamping industry for last 7 years. He created a website that has tips and advises about various rubber stamps. Come to http://www.bestrubberstamps.com to learn more about rubber stamps.

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What Are My Stamps Worth?

Stamp collecting has been a hobby for many generations. Whether you inherited a collection, casually collected stamps over the years, or are just about to begin collecting a commonly asked question is “What are my stamps worth?”

Whether you want to buy or sell stamps it’s important to understand how to properly describe the condition of stamps and how to properly grade stamps. This is a task each collector must learn to do.

It will take some practice and most likely some mistakes but over time you should be able look at a stamp and know the condition as well as give it a fairly accurate grade. Of course an exact grade can be given with close examination. This skill will save you time and money!

If you’ve ever had a look at a stamp catalog you’ll know that they generally have a section that outlines the stamps grade and its value. Usually the catalogue prices are based on one specific grade with the understanding by collectors that premium grades will sell for more and poorer grades for less.

Generally web sites follow this same format. The difference with a web site is that they will often scan all of the stamps they have in various grades for your viewing. The big problem is that scans may not always show faults so it’s important that the site also provide a detailed description as to the stamps condition.

The grading of stamps is fairly standard around the world which makes is relatively easy to buy additions for your collection from any part of the world or sell stamps to any part of the world. The big question that remains is do your stamps make the grade?

Grading is quite a technical process. It describes how well the stamps design is centered both vertically and horizontally between the perforations, the condition of the gum on mint stamps, and the effect of the cancellation stamp on used stamps. Stamps are graded like a school student earning marks such as superb or poor with an attached description that further outlines their condition.

Condition describes the physical characteristics of the stamp relating to the ink, design centering, and the paper. A description should be concise and provide the detailing that a standard grade does not supply. Whether you are buying or selling stamps you should always have a grade and a description available.

Superb defines a stamp that is perfect in every respect and it actually a very rare grade to see.

Extremely Fine or Extra Fine defines a stamp that is near perfect with a well centered design, cancel marks are neat and light, mint stamps have OG. The colors are rich and bright and there are no visible faults on the stamp.

Very Fine defines a stamp that is balanced and centered though not necessarily perfectly even. The imperforates have three normal margins, cancel marks are neat and light, mint stamps have OG. The colors are rich and bright and there are no visible faults on the stamp. This is the common grade for catalogue stamps. As you can see the difference between extra fine and very fine are nominal.

Fine defines a stamp where the design is slightly off center but is clear of the perfs with two normal margins. The cancel does not detract from the stamps design and mint stamps have LH or HH depending on when they were issued. There are no visible faults.

Good or average defines a stamp as having an off center design and the perfs may cut the design. The cancel is heavy and obscures the stamps design. There are no tears or thin spots. This is the lowest collectable stamp grade. Anything less is not considered collectible.

Poor defines a stamp that is not suited for collecting unless in the odd occasion when it is a very rare stamp. It may be off center, have thin spots or tears, and the cancel may be thick and smeared.

About The Author:
Jude Minar