Handmade Greeting Cards in Stationery Business Directory

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Impressions Art in Stationery Business Directory

 

In the autumn of 1992, I had a kitchen table home business making miniature grapevine wreaths. One day, my husband brought home a rubber stamp for me to use in making price tags for the wreaths and so began a hobby. I bought a few Holiday stamps for making Christmas cards and then in the spring of 1993 my Mom visited from New Mexico. Before leaving, she ordered three Southwest art stamps as a gift for me – little did we know what would follow, With paper, scissors, glue, ribbon, a black ink pad, those three Southwest stamps and an idea – I made 18 bookmarks. I wrapped them individually in plastic sleeves that I cut by hand and sent them off to my mother. She showed them to her boss who was the owner of The La Fonda Newsstand who actually ordered them... and so began a business. From bookmarks to cards, from a hobby to a business, ImpressionsArt grew exponentially. At one point I was making 10,000 cards per year, shipping them to wonderful Museum and Gallery/Gift Shops around the country. Most of my accounts were developed in Northern New Mexico and buyers from places as far away as the Smithsonian would discover them there, contact me and order. It has been a great adventure. In December of 1998, I had a new and wild idea - I wanted to write a book, memoir-style, to gather the stories of my art-life experiences. After a year of wrestling with countless issues, pen was put to journal on New Yearss Day, 2000. Balancing a card business and book writing was a juggling act that resulted in self-publishing Holy Moly Mackeroly! in the summer of 2002. My life changed big time. January 2006, North Light Books released my second book ART STAMPING WORKSHOP. Now my art-life stories and artwork are in book form and I am proud to share them. The plan is for more books to follow and I am sure to be surprised by other developments as well. My fascination with and connection to native, folk and ancient art is evident in my choice of design elements. From petroglyphs, pictographs and Pueblo pottery designs in the Southwest to ancient Chinese characters and Tibetan prayer flags, I love exploring the world of the symbolic and spiritual. I have carved images for the old adobe Spanish Santuario Gift Shop in Chimayo, New Mexico and created a line of stamped fabric cards for the special Amish Quilt Exhibition at the Smithsonian. A pre-Colombian line for the Palace of the Governors Gift Shop at one point, contrasted with the Ancient Greek designs I was experimenting with for St. John’s College Bookstore, both in Santa Fe. Different places, different themes – I get to do research and learn a lot as I take on the challenge of creating unique lines for a wide variety of customers. We may do a short run with certain designs while others go on to become big sellers. Either way, the repertoire expands. Japanese scrolls have always been an inspiration. Also, fabric designs from all cultures throughout history have a way of telling their quiet stories in texture, color, and graphic designs, both delicate and bold. Themes from nature translated into my own hand-carved blocks, for example, have made my work very personal. I want to touch the earth and sky, the past and present, the classic and spontaneous. Through my work I attempt to do those things and more. Having my own business, I am designing a lifestyle as well as visual artwork. Tools of the trade… it began with one stamp, then three, and took off from there. My art stamp collection at this point numbers well over 1,000. From the beginning I found myself branching out, wanting to include different printmaking tools in my work. In my home studio you can find collections of woodblocks from India, Nepal and Tibet as well as my own handcarved woodblocks. There are stone seals from Asia, some of them antique… in another box, a collection of American antique printers’ blocks. My own handcarved blocks now make up a substantial portion of my art tools and these are designed to be used on paper, fabric and clay. I always smile when I hear fellow stampers talk about how they “stamp for relaxation and to unwind from life’s pressures”! Since I have a stamp business I am not exactly relaxing when I work with my tools to meet deadlines and get rush orders flying out the door! My meditative/quiet time is when I carve – oftentimes in the very earliest morning hours. There is no way to accurately describe the feeling of having worked for a long time carving an image to get to the point of inking up a block, setting it down on beautiful paper to then ever so carefully lift it off and see the results. It is very rewarding. Then, taking the same image and experimenting on fabric and in clay triples the pleasure. I also love to work with recycled “things” that challenge my creativity and going to hardware stores is great fun. Tools and toys of the artist’s trade are all around us, not necessarily expensive, oftentimes free, and always a joy to “re-arrange.” A piece of paper becomes that fabulous “perfect card for that special occasion.” A designer shop’s discarded remnant of silk becomes a lovely Japanese Origami box. A wet chunk of clay… a glistening Raku mirror, The potential is limitless. Artwork that I have created in my home studio has been bought and sent all over the world. This is a deep source of satisfaction. It means a great deal to me to be part of someone’s story – part of a giving and receiving, a special place in a person’s home. In this high-tech age of speed and instantaneous global communications, something that is handmade, a card that is handwritten, the time and thought involved – these things have extra special meaning. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that my cards are “definite keepers” or something that “I just had to frame.” Thank you for that. I have always dreamed of having an art business and writing books. I have made an active choice to make those dreams come true, step-by-step, word-by-word, day-by-day.

 

Address: Gloria Page, P.O.Box 30850, Columbia, Mo. 65205.
Telephone: 800.690.3140
Fax: 573.256.2147
Website: http://www.impressionsart.com/