Varada Sharma

By the time you see this post, I will be on my vacation. I will be away from this space for almost 6 weeks. {Hopefully I have managed to persuade or bribe convince my family to let me carry some crafting supplies with me and I will still be creating. You will hear all about it after I return in January. }

While I am away, I just could not leave you guys without some crafty inspiration now, could I?So, I have put together two series of posts which will introduce you to crafting companies and crafters which I admire / adore.

Let’s get started with part 1 of the first series – My Favorite Companies. And since this is thanksgiving-black Friday-cyber Monday time frame, be sure to check these out, as they will be having several great sales / offers.

Affiliate links have been used in this post. If you make a purchase by clicking on any of the links below, I will get a small commission. I appreciate your support!

StampinUp!

This is one of the first companies I got introduced to for paper crafts (Thank you, @BrandyCox!). They have a whole business model built around paper crafting. You can join as an independent demonstrator, build connections, grow your network, make sales and earn rewards in money and/or StampinUp! products.

Things I love about StampinUp!

• You can make your a business out of your hobby. (There are some restrictions though, if you join as a demonstrator, you cannot promote any other company’s products, or something to that effect. Something you’d want to check out and make sure you are okay with if /when you take the plunge.) You can still buy their products from another demonstrator even when you aren’t one yourself though.
• Their inks / papers / embellishments in coordinating colors make card making very easy.
• Their paper catalogs are so full of ideas.
• I’ve met / interacted with two of their demonstrators and these ladies are so wonderful. You will be in a supportive tribe when you work with StampinUp demonstrators and many of them do run classes / camps / stamping parties locally.
• They have deals every week on some or the other products.

My favorite recent products

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Simon Says Stamp

This is one of my favorite stamping companies ever and they have many more things than just stamps! Their online store is a one-stop shop for most of your crafting needs. Stamps, inks, papers, dies, adhesives and many more things from several different brands are all available at this place.

Things I love about Simon Says Stamps

• One stop shop for all paper crafting needs
• They do have their own stamps too
• Their card kits are one of the best value for money! I am a happy subscriber :-) And yes, they do ship internationally too. They also have galleries created for every card kit where you can share your creations made using these card kits.
• Their blog has so many talented people share beautiful ideas all the time
• They have two challenges – Monday and Wednesday and both are so fun to participate

My favorite stamp / die sets from recent Create Joy release

Here are some card ideas using the stamps above  

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Hero Arts

Another great company with beautiful designs for stamps and dies. I love their pretty word stamps like the Peace and Joy stamp. I also love their stamp-and-cut products where they have one die and a couple images that match that die. Great for beginners and good value for money :-)

Things I like about Hero Arts

• Their minimum order for free shipping in US is $50. No coupon code needed. :-)
• Their word stamps, stamps with layering images are so pretty!
• They have recently started My Monthly Hero kits and each one is gorgeous.
• Love their stamp-and-cuts
• Their inks are just so buttery and stamp beautifully

My favorites from their recent stamps 

The first one is a special stamp set made in collaboration with Jennifer McGuire for #sharehandmadekindness challenge. Hero Arts will be donating 25% of the profits from these stamps to the Kind Campaign to support their efforts in ending bullying.

Some inspiration to go with these stamp sets:

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{Made by yours truly}

That’s all for today. Hope I am leaving you with a ton of inspiration to create something beautiful. Do visit those source links and give some love to these amazing artists.

Thanks for dropping by,

Much love,
~Varada