So, how do you?

Yeah. How do you? Choose the rubber stamps you buy, that is. Do you have an occasion in mind? Do you choose a suitable stamp for a personality? Do you see it, like it and buy it? I do. All three. But there is fall-out from methods one and two, and I end up kicking myself for not following my own advice. For a handful of years, I stood the other side of the rubbery line and operated the till. I watched customers choose stamps. There's a lot to it for some people. Some will pick up a stamp, examine and ask for ideas. Easy. Then they would suggest other ways - mask this bit off, stamp this and cut off that - you know, maximum potential use would be discussed prior to purchase. Others would come in and search the shelves for a specific stamp - for the 14th anniversary or the 'you learned to knit' celebration. Unsurprisingly, this is the least satisfactory way to yield a good result on either side of the rubbery line....compromise for the customer and not many sales! And there are the people that for the price, want the Universal Rubber: one stamp with which to make every card ever needed. I rarely had those in stock! So, I soon realised that the best advice I could offer was this: buy an image that you really like. That way, you will use it a kerjillion times and it will fit a kerjillion occasions and sentiments. Buy a stamp to do a specific job and it will forever be just for that one thing - you might use it on other stuff, but not nearly as much as an image that you were drawn to because it was so nice. The last stamp I brought that didn't follow my own advice languishes at the back of the basket waiting to be cleaned. I thought it would look great on our Anniversary invites. I've stamped it 3 times and there's no escaping the conclusion that I don't much like it, however appropriate it is to the theme, party, blah. So at the weekend when the County Antrim coast and our thoughtful hostesses led us to a craft shop (Crafters & Co, in Coleraine) I didn't hesitate when I saw the two Stampers Anonymous stamps pictured. I have no idea what I'm going to use them for, I just instinctively know that I will use them, a lot. And they were a bargain too, which helps. See, if I stick to my own theories, it works - for me at least! So that's how I choose 'em - you?