TammyVanPelt

Please tell us about you, your family, your job, your home, etc.
Hello. My name is Tammy and I am a stamp-a-holic. I am 32 years old and have been happily married for 11 years to my dh, Jim. Since Amy was bold enough to admit that she met her dh at a frat party (shhh, we are not supposed to tell) I will share with you that I married my high school swim coach/teacher. We didn't get involved until a year after I graduated and then a year after that he moved to California to get a new start but couldn't shake the cute blonde he'd left in Colorado :o) So after a year of long distance relationship, we were married. We now have three gorgeous boys. Dylan (10), Samuel (7 1/2) and Joshua (3 1/2). I have been fortunate enough to get to spend time as "just a mom" to each of my three boys but financial difficulties drag me back out into the work force. I am currently working part time as a reading teacher at the same school my boys attend and I love it. I also volunteer as an Art Heritage teacher for my two older boys' classes and present an art lesson once a month in each class.

How did you first get involved in stamping?
I have been fascinated with stamps for as long as I can remember. I received my first two stamps over 10 years ago from my sister but I didn't really know what to do with them. I remember watching one of those talk shows with addicted rubber stampers who talked about buying "just the rubber" and mounting them to everything, even children's blocks. The first wood mounted stamps I found in a store (not a stamp store) was just after I got married and was living in California. I picked up several "smallish" stamps and gasped at the $6.00 price tag. Since I had no idea what to do with a single stamp, I sighed and walked away. Addiction for me didn't come until 1996, a couple years after a stamp store opened in our mall. You'd think aw-ha - but I still didn't go in, I would just drool as I walked by. Then, for Christmas, my observant husband bought a small tool box and filled it with stamps, inks, markers, glitters and embossing powders. WOW! Now I could do anything (right?). The next summer he introduced me to the internet :o) and that says it all.

What is your favorite technique(s)?
The thing I like about stamping is its diversity - that there ARE so many different techniques. I love to try them all. Favorite? I'm not sure. I like to emboss on vellum, sponge edges, use colored pencils, oh and chalk. Last night I spent making polished stone backgrounds after watching the rainbow sponge video - wow - need to try that! I like direct to paper quite a bit and adding pearl ex. Resist is fun and brayering too! Don't forget thumping and direct to paper.

What is your favorite card you have ever made; one you are the proudest of?
I don't think I have a favorite. The card I go back to the most is a vellum card. Stamp words on glossy, emboss image in black on vellum, color from back and layer onto glossy. Makes a quick, elegant card. Oh, but as I sit here the one card that keeps coming to mind was one I did for a Precious Moments garden set swap. I used a flower pot shaped card and ALL of the stamps in the set. It has a fence in it and I have not been very good with "scenery" or making scenes. But this card turned out and I was quite proud of it.

What are favorite stamp companies and why?
I'd say PSX and Magenta because I've always loved their detailed imagery but I rarely purchase them. My favorites tend to be the ones I sell or can get unmounted for the obvious reason of cost. Therefore, I enjoy Stampendous and VIP which I sell. Stampendous because I like the Precious Moments collection and Fran Seifords images. I find her style compatible to my style - cute and/or whimsical and elegant and her images are angel! And V.I.P. because I think they are very different from Stampendous and they
carry the Pocket Dragon images.

What are your favorite type images you use in your stamping?
I think I still tend towards cute but am trying to learn collage and artistic stamping. I own many Precious Moments, House Mouse and Pocket Dragon stamps. I collect and love butterfly and dragonfly images.

What are your favorite colors?
Personally - purple and blue. Card wise - lots!

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
Most of my hobbies center around what I do with stamping like paper making and eraser carving but I am also an avid slowpitch softball player. I play on a local women's competitive slowpitch team that plays tournaments and has been to the D level national tournament 7 times (I attended 3 of those times). I also enjoy reading, writing, camping, running, bicycling, swimming, playing with my boys and learning new things.

*What is one dream you have that you wish could come true?
Wow, this is a tough one. I wish my mom hadn't passed away. As for the future, I have many dreams and hope I will always have dreams. Then I hope I continue to work to achieve them, to grow and to become a better person.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
I know I have some but I can't think of any.

Anything else you would like to share? Like things you collect, things that make you happy, and so on.
I enjoy being a part of StampNTell and making friends across the world.