Simon Says STAMP STAMP STAMP CHA 2013

Hi Folks!  While Simon Says Stamp strives to be a one stop shop for your papercrafting needs, stamps have always been, and still are, the heart of our business. 

We spent the last 5 days in an industry trade show by the "Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) where we were thrilled to be surrounded by many many papercrafting products, but it is the STAMPS that gave my heart the extra bit of pitter patter. 

Penny Black features high quality made in the USA cling and wood mount stamps.  These artistic stamps take design to the highest level.  The founding mother of Penny Black told me that her focus is on bringing quality art and design to the consumer.  I really like how Penny Black features designs from a wide range of artists.  Among the talented artists who contribute to the Penny Black brand is Mo Manning.  Mo is a well knowing artist and these whimsical designs are popular with card makers.   From high fashion, to cute and whimsical, Penny Black stamps have something special for everyone.



Paper Smooches has released their own line of coordinating dies. This is definitely a trend for 2013. Kim Hughes is the designer and owner of Paper Smooches and has been in the industry drawing stamps since 2004.  Her whimsical style has a large following among card makers.  Stay tuned to our social media outlets!  We have some great card examples and new releases to show you!

Teri Anderson is designing stamps with Technique Tuesday.  I enjoy Teri's free spirit in everyday life. Really, she is a cool gal.  Thoughtful, funny, easy going.  Her voice makes me feel like I'm with a yoga instructor reminding me to breathe and keep calm. Well, her stamps definitely reflect her personality.  You've probably seen the "Keep calm" phrases Teri turns into stamp designs.  Keeping in fashion for the season, the new "Pucker Up" stamp set is one of my faves.   Above you can see her "Flair" set that has loads of possibilities for stamping!  To celebrate their 10 year birthday, Technique Tuesday is going to bring back some fan favorite stamp sets.  One of them is "Functuation".  


After 10 years of being in this industry and being too shy to go out and meet people.  I finally had the nerve to speak to Ali Edwards in person.  She is designing great stamps with Technique Tuesday that have messages with positive purpose.  At this year's CHA I just couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer.  It's nerve wracking... I didn't want to be yet another person who approached Ali Edwards and said "you inspire me"  "I admire you" but .... true to my awkward social skills....I did just that.  But hey, it's no lie.  I can't count the times that I've read Ali's blog over the last year and been impressed with her positive outlook and ability to keep things positive and take the high road in all instances.  She inspires me to be a better person.



We've had a long relationship with Impression Obsession.  In fact, their stamps were one of the very first brands we carried at Simon.  It's great to see Mitra and her designers consistently creating great stamps!  These washi themed were among our faves.



Stampendous has a vast selection from cute to artsy.  These cuties caught our eye!  We can't wait to show you more :)



We mentioned Lawn Fawn in an earlier blog post this week and they deserve mentioning again.  Lawn Fawn is a family business and it's a neat thing to see them grow from just a handful of stamp sets a few years ago to a huge range complete with papers, stickers, twine, and trendy wafer thin dies!




Hero Arts is getting back to the basics and their fun trendy stamps were showcased at CHA along with several new wafer thin dies and delicious new mid-tone ink colors.  Hero Arts' mid-tone inks are among most stampers top picks.  Shown above are Sally Traidman, Shari Carroll, and Lisa Spangler who are among the most well known stampers in the industry.




The Greeting Farm released several new designs this season.  If you love to color, these are a good fit for you!  The Greeting Farm is another family business.  Isn't it cool how many family businesses are in this industry! ?  Mrs. Greeting Farm is the artist and Mr. Greeting Farm helps  run the business!

Speaking of family businesses....one that spans through generations is Stampers Anonymous.  They make stamps right here in Ohio USA.  Two of my favorite people, Ted and Michelle Cutts, are so dedicated to their livelihood of making stamps -that they lived on site of the stamp factory for the first years of their marriage.  To this day, they travel stamp shows across America and consistently product great stamps and several other complimentary products.   Ironically, Stampers Anonymous manufacturers stamps for the most UNanonymous person in the industry.  Mr. Tim Holtz.  Tim's newest releases are is filled with these wonderful "Blueprints" images that are a collaboration with Mario Rossi III.   (We have these releases in stock NOW at Simon)  And even more new Tim Holtz stamps are coming in March!  WAHOOOOO!



The tradeshow has become like a family reunion for many.  Meeting up with old friends and making new friends with people who share the same passions as I do, is a huge blessing.  It's one of the greatest gifts in my life (besides my hubby and kiddos).  This love of stamping and papercrafting unites us all. Whether it be designer, manufacturer, retailer, customer...we all share a wonderful passion.  We hope that through participating in events like this, we can be better for our consumers.  We want and need to continually provide you with the greatest selection of quality products coupled with awesome customer service and inspiration.  Will you let us know how we are doing for you?

GUESS WHAT!!??  We found some really cool new treasure stamp brands that will be coming to Simon soon.... one of them has exploded into the industry in just the last 15 months!  More details coming very soon.  Hopefully you love them as much as we do! 

We have loads more of great things to show you from the CHA Tradeshow.  Are you following our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages?  (See the links below)  All 6 of our teamies who attended the show are continuing to upload the wonderful things they saw each day to share with you.   Thank you for walking this journey with us!   You are the heart of it all!

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