I started with a store bought stamp I had lying around the house.
Then I carved a new simple one, quickly, when I needed a stamp and
didn't have one. Used that one for several months before I carved a
better one. Now I plan to carve an even better one. (Um, soon.)

I do happen to have some consitency though. The first commercial
stamp that I used for my personal stamp was of The Doubtful Guest.
That is still used as a symbol for our group. The 2nd and 3rd
stamps are all scarabs. The 4th will be too.

Use what works for you.

Besides, when you get/make a new personal stamp people want to
eXchange with you again.

Scarab of the Doubtful Guests



--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Anna Lisa Yoder"
wrote:
> I wondered if one's personal stamp is the kind of thing
letterboxers use forever and ever til they die, amen, or do people
sometimes switch to a new design? Part of my ulterior motive for
asking is that my kids and I have just discovered letterboxing and
are itching anxiously to hunt for our first! We haven't carved
stamps yet, but have some "chops" (stamps) that were carved for us
in China out of soapstone. If we use these with the idea of maybe
switching later, is our name forever tarnished in letterboxer
world?! They are all under 1 1/4" around. Also, we haven't found
guidelines for what size range stamps fall into. Before carving,
we'd like to know ideal sizes and the upper range. --new addict
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Think of this as your signature - when you were six,
you printed your name, probably badly for awhile. As
you got older, you learned cursive, and AGAIN you
wrote your name badly. As you hit your teenage years,
you probably played with different ways to sign your
name. As you matured, you settled into a more
permanent signature. Your stamp is the same thing!

If most of us waited until we had carved a stamp we
didn't mind taking out in public, we would never go
letterboxing!

Just use what you have, figure out what you want,
learn how to carve it and then master it, and by
golly, then change it if you want to; but in the
meantime, go letterboxing and enjoy it!

Lucy






__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25
http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash

Hearty Amen, Lucy!
For those who asked about what to do for design, I say "Have fun with it!".

Some folks do a picture that relates to their Trail Name, or Handle -
like having the name Wacky Weasel (not trademarked. Go wild) and making a
weasel stamp. Some find a neat store-boughten stamp and take their name
after it. Some, like Diane and I, took the name "von der Insel" because it
means "from the island" in German, and our stamp is a sheep. The sheep
stands proudly on the coat of arms of Jamestown, RI, where our island is.
When we made personal stamps I carved a Medieval tower and she carved
what looks like three rings braided, but it's really one continuous
(moebius) briad. (We still share the sheep when we stamp in, but put our
individual stamps and the stamp of those with us around the 'team stamp' von
der Insel). Do what strikes your fancy.
As I said "Have fun with it!"

Dave
the von der Insels

----- Original Message -----
From: "Barefoot Lucy"
To:
Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 4:45 PM
Subject: [LbNA] Re: changing stamps? & sizes


> Think of this as your signature - when you were six,
> you printed your name, probably badly for awhile. As
> you got older, you learned cursive, and AGAIN you
> wrote your name badly. As you hit your teenage years,
> you probably played with different ways to sign your
> name. As you matured, you settled into a more
> permanent signature. Your stamp is the same thing!
>
> If most of us waited until we had carved a stamp we
> didn't mind taking out in public, we would never go
> letterboxing!
>
> Just use what you have, figure out what you want,
> learn how to carve it and then master it, and by
> golly, then change it if you want to; but in the
> meantime, go letterboxing and enjoy it!
>
> Lucy
>
>
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25
> http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

I have a question along these lines. I'm new to letterboxing, and I
used a store-bought stamp to get started. I think I have decided on
my "permanent" personal stamp now and hope to have it carved soon. I
have only found a few boxes, and all of them were found in the past
four months. Would it be acceptable to revisit the boxes that I
stamped with the store-bought stamp and to stamp them with my new
carved stamp referencing my initial visit? Obviously, I would not
include the revisit in my PFX count.

Thanks,

Sun Spyder

As a planter, I'd appreciate it! Nifty idea, there!

Dave
the von der Insels
----- Original Message -----
From: boxingspyder
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 12:33 PM
Subject: [LbNA] Re: changing stamps? & sizes


I have a question along these lines. I'm new to letterboxing, and I
used a store-bought stamp to get started. I think I have decided on
my "permanent" personal stamp now and hope to have it carved soon. I
have only found a few boxes, and all of them were found in the past
four months. Would it be acceptable to revisit the boxes that I
stamped with the store-bought stamp and to stamp them with my new
carved stamp referencing my initial visit? Obviously, I would not
include the revisit in my PFX count.

Thanks,

Sun Spyder




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]