The Regional Assembly of Text in Victoria, B.C.

What a treat! We have always been lovers from afar of The Regional Assembly of Text in Vancouver, B.C., so imagine my surprise when I found one on our weekend away in Victoria, B.C. I was ecstatic and would have been heartbroken had I found out there was a little shop there after we left.

Fellow brick and mortar lovers of typewriters, letters, cute cards and buttons (we could be best friends!), The Regional Assembly of Text is a quaint little stop with goodies galore. I walked away with one of their tote bags (I always love a tote), a button or two, a pencil box and a thank you card for our gracious hosts. Plus, we spied our good pals Yellow Owl Workshop!

If you're in either of these two cities, swing by and say hello. Prepare to be charmed.

Product Love: Carve a Stamp, Y'all!

I apologize for the y'all. However--we are going stamp-raving-nuts over here at Assemble, working on our Kickstarter. We're getting all those stampy files ready for the stampy plate makers and the stampy rubber makers. It's so exciting! We've got so many goodies coming to all of our backers soon!

However, we aren't the only ones making great stampy kits. We are absolutely in love with this Carve a Stamp Kit from our friends at Yellow Owl Workshop.


Look at the templates!!! Ack!!
Similar to our old Carve a Linoleum Block Stamp workshop, this kit has all that you need to make your own stamps, like:
• Easy to follow instructions
• 25 templates
• Block with two sides for carving
• Carving tool with multiple blades
• All purpose ink pad

We don't carry it in our shop--yet--but you can always pick it up directly from Yellow Owl Workshop or check out all of their other awesome products in our shop. We just were really excited about such an awesome kit--we love kits! And we love Yellow Owl!

Images via Yellow Owl Workshop

Quickie Stamp Tutorial: Masking with Yellow Owl Workshop Stamps

Have you ever seen a stamped image like the one above and thought, how the heck did they do that? It's a simple stamping technique that comes in super-handy: masking. See below for easy instructions!

You will need:
1. Stamps! I used Yellow Owl Workshop's Owl & Tree set, $13.
2. Crafting or precision scissors. Mine are from Martha Stewart's crafting line.
3. Ink pads! I used a few Colorbox pigments--Peony, Moss Green and Sky Grey (available at most craft stores).
4. A surface to stamp on, some scratch paper and some thin paper such as a post-it. I used some bright white Mohawk paper for all of the above.


To begin, ink your owl stamp and press it a few times on your scrap paper to get it good and ready. I've found that stamp impressions always look the best after a few impressions and ink saturations. Once you've done this a few times, ink the stamp and press it onto your post-it or thin paper. The post-it works well if you don't have the steadiest hand, because you can utilize the glue on the back of the post-it.


Get a really good impression and wait for it to dry. Then cut around the impression, staying just inside the lines.


When you have a good cut-out or "die-cut," stamp another impression of your owl onto whatever you would like to use as your finished piece (a card, a piece of stationery, etc.) Get a good impression and then lay your cut-out (the mask in masking!) you just made over the impression. This is where the post-it glue comes in handy, as the glue keeps it in place. Get it completely lined up with the final impression.


Repeat the inking and impressing process to get your tree stamp ready for the finished product. When it is inked evenly, gently place it over your masked owl and press down firmly. Try not to move the stamp, but make sure you press evenly, especially around where the owl is. Then, lift the tree off of the page.


Perfect! Your owl is now sitting in the tree. Use Windex and a paper towel or a baby wipe to clean your stamp (or if you're fancy-pants, use real stamp cleaner!) and repeat.

I love this technique, you use do it for many types of projects and can create whole scenes with different colors by using the masking technique. Good luck!

My Favorite Crafting Tools

I thought I'd share some of my favorite crafting tools. When you worked in craft and design, you start to assume that everyone knows about every magical product that you do--but that's not the case! Here are my top seven tools:


1. My great grandma's vintage crochet hooks. I'm not the greatest crocheter in the world, but I love using these and knowing that they have been in the family for generations. My own baby blanket was crocheted using these hooks and I'm honored to use them again.

2. I know it's silly, but Vanna White's yarns are the best! Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand are worsted weight acrylic and come in the best colors. I'm allergic to wool, so this makes for the best blankets and scarves. I'm working on a special project right now. more to come!

3. The 12" Guillotine Trimmer, available at Paper Source. I love their description: "Inspired by the French with the best of intentions, only this time adapted to fit paper. A very cool way to trim large sheets of paper with a crisp, clean straight edge. Also available in 6", 8.5" and 12" wide base. Napoleon would be so proud!" Anything involving the French Revolution gets me going. I have two of these and neither have ever gotten dull. I love love love them!

4. Martha Stewart All-Purpose Craft Scissors. These are the sharpest, most meticulous scissors I've ever used. You'll want to have a separate pair for fabric, (and the odd bang trim!)

5. Rubber stamps! Some people swear by acrylic, but I love the feel of an old rubber stamp. Or a new one! Next week I'll use these Yellow Owl Workshop ones to show you a masking trick!

6. Versamark Watermark Ink Pad. Oh, how I love this schtuff. It creates the look of a colorless watermark when using stamps. Try it with embossing, and you get a colorless, glass-like surface.

7. The delightful, 1" Button Press. This machine began my official foray into my craft career, ten years ago. We still make buttons at Assemble today, and it's one of my favorite things to do. Besides, what's cuter than a button?

What are your favorite tools?

Simple Stamping & Embossing: Thank You Notes

Yellow Owl Workshop Many Thanks Stamp Set, $13
Have you written your holiday thank you notes yet? I have to admit that I haven't. I'm usually one of those people that does it so quickly that I may as well write it in front of the giver, but this holiday season was a busy one with packing up the space, etc.

Now that I have a bit of time, I thought it would be fun to make my own! If you lke rubber stamps, but haven't embossed, let me tell you: you're going to love it! Embossing (in stamp & ink terms) is the process of melting tiny granules of plastic over your image to create a shiny, raised impression. Heat embossing also sets the image, so there is no possibility of smudging. Here is a super simple tutorial:


You will need:
1. Some stamps! I this Yellow Owl Workshop Many Thanks Stamp Set. Love their sets! Plus the packaging is so cute.
2. Washi tape: To close up the envelope or decorate your card if you wish.
3. Scissors
4. Notecards: I used 4bar sized folded notecards in cream.
5. Clear Embossing powder: you can get this at most craft stores in a variety of colors (even sparkly).
6. Envelopes: I used 4bar Aflap envelopes in curry from Paper-Source.
7. Some scratch paper.
8. An embossing gun. These are relatively inexpensive and you can find them at craft stores.
9. Ink pads of your choice. I used Yellow Owl colors and a few Colorbox pigments.

Time to get started! Ink your stamp by pressing it into the ink pad gently until saturated. Stamp it a few times on the scratch paper. Stamps work best when they have been used for a while, so make sure that the impression looks perfect to you.


Continue using your other stamps and colors! Make sure to clean your stamps thoroughly before pressing them into a different colored ink pad. I use windex and paper-towels, but baby wipes work very well too. Never wash stamps in water, as you may loosen the glue beneath the rubber. If you are using acrylic stamps, make sure to buy the correct cleaner to keep your stamps clean and new.



While the ink is still wet, pour embossing powder all over the impression. Pour the excess back into the container of powder. It's very important that you do this while the ink is wet, or it won't stick to the image. You can wait all day to actually heat it, but make sure the powder is on it when it's wet.



Heat the powder with the embossing gun (staying about 6 inches away) until you can visibly see the powder melting, and becoming glossy. You will be done when there is a glossy, soft sheen on the image. Don't touch it until it's dry! If you don't have an embossing gun, I have heard of people holding paper over a stove burner to melt the powder but DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Eek! Also, a hair dryer sounds like a good idea but it's not: it just blow the powder off of your image.


Now write your letter! Handwritten or (in my case) typewriter-typed notes are sweet and genuine. Make sure to mention the specific gift you received, a little description of it or what you are planning to do with it, a personal sentence or two, and you're done!


For a sweet touch, close the envelope with a piece of washi tape and pop in the mail. We receive mail so infrequently that even just a little note is sure to make someone's day.


If you'd like some more stamping fun, check out this great video tutorial by our Favorite Friend, Kathryn Murray, on stamping and cleaning stamps, plus the difference between acrylic and rubber:

Rubber Stamps: Acrylic vs. Wood from Kathryn Murray Calligraphy on Vimeo.

Gettin' Stampy

I don't know what it is, but around Fall, I start digging out all of my old rubber stamps and playing with them. Maybe it's something about the changing weather that makes me want to make cards and wrapping paper. Craft season, so to speak. Assemble has an order out to to one of our favorite artists and designers, The Small Object, for brand new stamps and fun schtuff. We can't wait--should be any day now!

Photos via Assemble's Instagram

These are what I've been playing with lately, the Nesting Doll Stamps from The Small Object--they're on their way! And just new in stock, a verrryy limited edition of Seattle Stamps from Yellow Owl Workshop. These are not even available on their website, so be sure to grab them here at Assemble.

Here's another absolute favorite from Yellow Owl Workshop. My goodness, I want to buy this so badly, but we only have six of them so I'm saving them for customers. Eeek! It's the Farm Scene Set ($24.50). Just lovely. *stamp* *stamp* *stamp*