Stampers are fantastic!

Like so many, I love stamping for several reasons. I love the fact that stamping gives me a creative outlet, despite a severe lack of drawing talent. Having dabbled in other crafts, stamping is the one I really stuck with and am still very passionate about. One reason may be that I can make a card within a reasonable time. It evokes instant creative gratification. If a project doesn't quite work out, it's not the end of the world.

I also like that I can continuously send handmade cards to family and friends, or give a nice set as a gift. Any other craft I tried somehow came to a crushing halt because there are only so many painted silk scarves, knitted shawls or earrings and brooches I could wear or give away. Years ago, I knew a young woman who adored cross stitching and she created fabulous things. (It is something I enjoyed doing as well, but never really mastered.) However, the beautiful and very elaborate cross-stitched pieces this lady created, pretty much covered every surface of her apartment by way of doilies, runners, pillows and framed canvases.

Stamping has evolved over time and people keep coming up with amazing new techniques and new ways to use our stamps. While I remain true to my old style rather than try a lot of new ways, it is always nice to have options. It's also fabulous to see what others are doing with the very same stamps that I own.

Oh, I could go on listing reasons why I love stamping, but, one particular reason are the stampers I have met along the way!! Yes, I have made a few really good friends within the stamping community and I have found that stampers are generally a rather humorous, lovable, supportive and very generous bunch.

This brings me to today's card and Shirley, the lady who made it.

Shirley and I have never met, yet she was willing to look for a few stamps for me that I was unable to find. The stamps had been retired by the manufacturer for some time already and were very hard to find. I'd already scanned EBay for a long time before making a plea on a stamper's forum on-line. Shirley did not have the stamps, but she was going to a large annual flea market in California where stamps could often be found. She asked me exactly what I was searching for and offered to look for exactly that. Although, she was unable to find the stamps, she said she'd look again for me next year.

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather, when one year later, Shirley contacted me to say she was going to the flea market and to give her the list of coveted stamps again. Can you imagine? She even asked exactly how much I was willing to spend for each stamp, what the condition should be and all that. One week later, she wrote to say she'd found one of the stamps for me, but she'd hold it a few more days because she was hoping to find a couple more the following weekend. Although, her second attempt failed to find more of my stamps, I am beyond grateful to Shirley. She found the one stamp for me and then she mailed it to me with this gorgeous card and a set of clear stamps to boot! This is exactly why I think stampers are fantastic!!

Thanks again Shirley and happy 'World Card Making Day' everyone!