Simon Says

We here at Simon’s Stamps have been wanting to write for a while about some of the fabulous designers and artists who order through our website, and when we first began thinking of distinctive artists we thought immediately of Maybelle. She’s a calligrapher based on the West Coast, whose work is so breathtaking that we all want her to work her magic on our address stamps!

We know her through her fabulous calligraphy work as well as her work through Stumasa, but you should have a look at her website for examples of her beautiful design work…her portfolios are truly amazing things. She’s done design work for weddings and family gatherings as well as for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Gap, Inc. (among others).

You can read more about Maybelle here on her website, as well as learn more about her approach and the specific design elements which go into each of her calligraphic creations.

If you’re not familiar with letterboxing, we’d like to introduce you to something that we think is kind of cool. It’s similar to geocaching, in that it’s a little bit scavenger hunt, a little bit science, and a little bit problem-solving.  

According to Wikipedia, “letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes usually contain a logbook and a rubber stamp. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox’s stamp on their personal logbook, and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox’s logbook — as proof of having found the box. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their “find count.”

Letterboxing actually has a long history, dating back to 1854, and there a number of different kinds of letterboxes as well. While there are a number of similar things in the States, such as folks hiking the Appalachian Trail and folks checking in to hostels, letterboxing is considered more of a hobby rather than a tracking system (check out the Wikipedia article for a little bit more information about letterboxing and the different kinds out there).

While we’re not outside, we actually do have one that’s been in our shop since 2003. It’s pretty cool to go through the little book and see who’s been here and stamped in…