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Thanks to Martha and the DIY Network and Crafsters.org, the world has gotten quite a bit more crafty in the last few years.  Me, I’m just kind of a long for the ride - thanks to a few failed attempts at candle making, knitting and a very brief but expensive venture in jewelry.  Sadly, my crafty talents lie primarily in appreciation, or in the very very basic application. 

Like stamps.

Stamps really just put it all out there for you, don’t they?  I mean even I can choose a pretty ink pad - place the stamp on top - and then conceivably choose an appropriate place on a note card, envelope or other paper product to imprint the image.  Not to diminish the really talented multi-layerd stampers out there (who are probably also screen printing their own clothing…I’m so jel) but the stamp and ink pad is pretty much Crafting 101.  And that’s just fine with me.

Plus, stamps are really pretty, last forever, and make fun affordable gifts. Especially stocking stuffers.

Crafty and Cute indie shop The Small Object has created an adorable set of 4 cartoonish head stamps called the Get Along Gang, which Uncommonindustries says are “cute as pie.”  The Small Object has a sweet story to describe the stamps, which would make a great stocking stuffer for a best pal or sweet sister, “These four buddies are the bestest friends in the big wide wonderful world. They have stuck together through pre-school, fights on the playground and a million and one games of Red Rover, Red Rover! Get your own set of happy go lucky pals.”

If it is possible to name-drop in the stamp world, than I suppose a very ‘important’ purchase would be Honesty Stamps by Thorsten Van Elten.   My favorite Honesty Stamps are “I swear on my mother’s grave I’ll never do that again” and “In all my life I’ve never met anyone as beautiful as you.”

AWWWWWW.

ThisNexter Omiru says these profound little stamps are “for the eternal bachelor.” See? Stamps go beyond just crafting, to actually saving relationships! Like FlameLilly ponders, “if you have a hard time actually saying it - does it count if it’s stamped? …You haven’t actually said it, but you’ve put it out there.”

Of course another way of “putting it out there” is with these hysterical Abusive Office Stamps found in Michelle Lamar’s fun Shallow and Tacky gift guide.   Choose “I haven’t got time to read this crap” for your next sign-off on the weekly TPS Report, or perhaps go all out with something really to-the-point like “This Is F**king Urgent”.

Regardless, of which bitter exclamations you choose, ThisNext shopcaster abh75 has the Abusive Office Stamps in her genius gift gude. Sure Bets For The Dreaded Offce Secret Santa, and says these guys are a great gift for perfect for “the office smart *ss or your assistant!”

So I guess it’s not just about being crafty afterall.

Want more Stamp-alicious ideas?  (including a really cute Mario Bros mini stamp) See more of my Gift Guide 06: Stamps for the Stocking list at ThisNext.