More Questions, More Answers!

Thanks to all of you who have e-mailed me questions over the past few months—keep them coming! Here are some answers:


Q: What’s your take on rubber stamps vs. clear stamps?

Well, as you know, I’ve championed both—I love stamping and I’ll be forever passionate about the art. Rubber stamps have a place in my heart and always will. But they don’t have a place in my studio anymore, truthfully.
I think anyone who uses My Acrylix® stamps will agree with me that they’re superior. They’re lighter and easier to store and organize than rubber stamps. I also love being able to combine multiple images or spell a word on a single block: clear stamping saves time and the results are always gorgeous.

But the undeniable benefit is that you get perfect ink coverage and precise placement in your design EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just peek through that clear acrylic block to ensure your positioning and ink are ideal, and you’re good to go. You simply can’t get that by mounting an opaque rubber stamp to a clear block.

Speaking of rubber on clear blocks: recently, a competitor of ours reaffirmed their decision to stay with rubber instead of following the revolution to clear stamps. I think it’s great that they’ve chosen to focus on their roots. That said, I want to be “clear” about one thing: we’ve manufactured literally millions of stamps in BOTH vulcanized rubber and clear photopolymer, and there is no doubt that My Acrylix clear stamps can hold more fine details to give a crisper, more intricate stamp than rubber. Absolutely.

Additionally, the top-quality polymer we use and the production process we follow produce a stamp set that will last a lifetime. There was nothing easy or simple about transitioning our business from old wood-and-rubber to clear My Acrylix—it took a major investment in personnel, high-end equipment, and years of testing and training to perfect the process. But we did it because we knew it was right for the business and right for stamping. As we say, the choice is clear!


Q: Are the Close To My Heart offices and manufacturing facility open to tours? I’d love to see it!

Because of the proprietary nature of our production facility, our offices are not open to the public. In our offices, we do 100% of all manufacturing of stamps, using an earth-friendly, water-based cleanup that also maximizes polymer use. There’s virtually no waste! We also assemble, cut, and package many of our other paper and accessory products on site—it is an amazing hive of activity. In the front offices, you’d see computer screens and desktops full of upcoming products, from B&T designs to future stamp sets. We like to keep those top secret until the new Idea Book is unveiled—no peeking allowed!


Q: When you were just starting out, how did you balance family and business? Did you ever feel guilty spending time away from your kids to build your business?

I balanced my family and work and I didn’t feel guilty because I never spent too much time away from my kids. The primary reason I chose to start this business instead of working a “traditional job” was because of my children. I was a newly-single mom, and I couldn’t envision leaving them for 8-10 hours a day to earn a living. By starting my stamping business, I was able to work while my babies napped. I “burned rubber” through the night while they slept, and later, I packaged orders at my kitchen table while they were in school.

As the business grew into its own space, I made sure my office always had a “nursery” attached to it so I could bring the kids to work. That “nursery” evolved into a playroom, then into a teen hangout over the years. My kids feel as comfortable at Close To My Heart as they do at home, because they know that I’ve always been mom first and CEO second. That’s been such a joy to me, now that they are becoming adults and parents themselves.

I truly believe that when we put our first things first—God and family—that everything else will fall into place. And if it isn’t meant to be, it will fall out of the picture!