Winner

The most expensive part of starting Stamplified Life was purchasing the tools. I initially bought a starter set when I was going to try my hand at this trade. Once I realized I could do it and was good at it, then I started wanting more and more tools. 

One of the wholesale companies I have been doing business with is Halstead Bead in Prescott, Arizona. They are family owned and operated and are a pleasure to work with. Halstead Bead has a blog and they offer grants and giveaways. I have never entered a giveaway, but I did this month. They simply wanted to know what my "go to" tool is, you know the tool you can't live without. This was simple for me, boring yes, but simple. It's my bench block:

This is a block that is steel and is what I stamp all my blanks on. I replied that it is the tool I can't live without because when your business is all about hand stamping jewelry, it would be impossible to stamp anything without this.

Well guess what...I was selected as one of the 3 winners. 

This is what I won:

This is a dapping set and block. This will allow me to take round/circle blanks and make them either concave or convex. This is where all those blanks I damaged with mistakes early on will come in handy so that I can perfect this craft.

Love Adds Up

This is one of my new favorite ideas that came from my friend, Laura. She was looking for a gold bar necklace with the names of her two boys on it.

I have not ventured into cutting my own bars yet, therefore I am limited to approximately 7 characters, based on the font style that is used. Laura wanted to give me the business, so she came up with this clever idea:

She even decided to add her husband's initial. We left this one as is, instead of blackening it and I really like how it turned out.

14k Gold Filled Bar Necklace on 16 or 18 inch chain

$35

"Frozen" Necklace

I am not a movie watcher and I think the majority of the latest Disney movies I have seen bits and pieces of, if I've seen them at all. Frozen is one of the movies I have not seen. The girls have seen it and loved it and Chris even said it's probably one of the best Disney movies to be released in awhile. 

Which leads to this morning. Amy, my friend from high school, contacted me via Etsy this morning. She found an item on another Etsy shop that her high school aged daughter wanted to give to her friend for her birthday this month. You know how children love to find the perfect item and then give you minimal lead time to secure said item. Well Amy was in a pinch and wanted to give me the business first if she could.

Here it is:

I did do a test blank first to make sure I could fit all the lettering. Kendall has already claimed the test blank. Oh the perks of being my child.

Thanks Amy for thinking of me and I hope your daughter's friend loves it!

Frozen Sterling Silver Hand Stamped Necklace

$25