I have a thing for rubber stamps

I’m not really into scrapbooking or crafty things like that. But for some reason, I’ve always had a thing for rubber stamps. I’m not sure what it is about them. Over the years I’ve built up a mini collection. I just can’t seem to resist buying them, even if I have no use for them. When I was listening to the audiobook of My Life in France,  Julia Child admitted she was nuts for rubber stamps. Somehow that made me feel better. If they were good enough for Julia, they are good enough for me.

I recently came across this article about a rubber stamp store in New York. It just so happened that I was headed to NYC for a long weekend getaway, so The Ink Pad was one of my first stops when I arrived.
It did not let me down.
I only snapped one photo from inside the tiny store because I didn’t want to waste time taking pictures. I had rubber stamps to buy! You understand.

The Ink Pad had everything you could possibly want and more. They were friendly and I wasn’t the only person visiting from out-of-town. The girl in line ahead of me was from Sweden, another couple was from Key West. Suddenly my one-hour flight from Toronto didn’t seem all that impressive.

One of the best things that I got was a celebration flags stamp. I’m going to use it for gift wrapping and to make my own cards (like the one above). I also love my vintage fork & knife stamp (below) and the Alice in Wonderland stamp that I’ve been searching for online for months. (Yes, I’m that girl who looks for rubber stamps on Etsy. So what?)

While I do wish The Ink Pad was a bit closer to home, it’s probably better that it’s not. After all, it gives me yet another excuse to go to New York. Not that I needed one.

Anyone else love rubber stamps? What do you use them for?