When I first was introduced to scrapbooking, there seemed to be a natural progression to get involved in rubber stamping. While I liked the idea of stamping, my first concern was that there would be nowhere that I could store all the stamps I wanted to get. That, and if I only got a few sets of stamps, you'd see the same ones throughout all my projects! So until recently, I steered clear of them.
But then it happened! I was introduced to acrylic stamps, and then not long afterwards, rubber "cling-on" type stamps! Some people have been very smart to discover a way that I can add many new items to my scrapbook area, and at the same time, be space conscious. I'm not sure if I should be thankful given that my wallet has become much lighter! But, I'm really not going to complain, as I'm seeing some wonderful ways to take my scrapbook pages to another level. That, and as I learn more about stamping and what can be done with it, I'm expanding my hobby into what I would call "paper arts" versus just scrapbooking. What fun it is!
As a result of this new-found knowledge, it became very clear to me that with this cross-over between scrapbooking and rubber stamping, there are a lot of stores that should be listed in Crop Across Canada's directory. Although many of these stores may have a stronger focus on rubber stamping than scrapbooking, those of you not taking the steps into the world of stamping will still find lots of little tools, gadgets and general supplies in these stores that would be useful for someone solely devoted to scrapbooking.
So ... have a browse through the store listings and plan a shopping trip for the new year. Support your local scrapbook store (and/or stamping store)!
