Catslife Press is a unique company that specializes in stamps that appeal to all genres of stampers.

Catslife Press

   Some stamp makers specialize in a certain look or style of stamp while other stamp makers cater to artists who work in altered art and mixed media. Rarely do you see a combination of both, which is why it’s such a pleasure to introduce a stamp maker that crosses over boundaries and does a little bit of everything. Catslife Press is a unique company that specializes in stamps that appeal to all genres of stampers. They run the gamut from traditional card making and scrapbooking images to stamps specifically sized for ATC’s and domino art, and the art styles range from photo-realism to entertaining and quirky. What fun!

   This month, Scrapbook News and Review Magazine is proud to present Catslife Press in the Manufacturer Spotlight. We thoroughly enjoyed working with their stamps as well as getting to know their company, and feel confident that you will, too.

The Interview

Welcome, and thanks for joining us here at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. Would you tell us a little about yourself and your background in stamping?

   I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Economics and Psychology (not Art or Business, although I did take art classes!). I was interested in rubber stamping in the early 1990s and started attending rubber stamp conventions in the Bay Area at the time. Then I met my husband, Rick, when I was taking a ceramics class at night, using rubber stamps on my pottery, and he was a technician at the studio. He was interested in stamps as well and actually had more than I did! We went to the rubber stamp conventions together before we moved to the central Oregon coast and got married in 1998.

Please introduce your stamp company to our readers. How did Catslife Press get started?

   I started Catslife Press in 2000 after moving to the Oregon coast. We moved here in 1998 after escaping the rat race in the Bay Area. I had worked in the corporate world for over ten years and I knew that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing that. I wanted to do something that would combine creativity with business. I had always enjoyed drawing and thought it would be wonderful to have my own business that I could do wherever we lived. Before we moved to Oregon, I had planned to start a rubber stamp company and my husband planned to start a pottery business. We did the legwork for over a year (building a pottery studio, drawing, etc) and started both businesses in 2000.

Tell us about the artistry behind the stamps.  Do you design all the stamps for Catslife Press yourself? 

   Yes, we design all the stamps ourselves. I design the majority of the stamps, but I do get occasional help from Rick. He has drawn some of the birds and trees and helps me brainstorm. Our seven year old son Max has started helping as well. Our recent "Best Day Ever" seal was his idea as well as our most recent owl drawings. He had overheard me asking Rick to draw a few owls and took it upon himself to draw two for me. He brought them to me shortly afterwards saying "I heard you tell Daddy you needed some new owls and I drew these for you!" They were cute, and I used them individually as well as together for our "Owl always be your friend" stamp. He was happy and gets 25 cents each time one of them sells. Rick wasn't as pleased since I didn't end up using his owls!

How did you get started designing stamps and what inspires you when you create a new line?

   When we started the business, stamps were geared towards stamping scenes, making cards, and decorating envelopes, so we started with a lot more images. I get inspired by the current trends at the time, such as collage, altered books, ATC's and scrapbooking. I like to think about how stamps will be used by our customers, and welcome input from people letting me know what they would like to see. You never know where inspiration is going to come from. It can come from something I see in a magazine, in a store, a photo, something our son says, a suggestion, etc. Luckily things work out where one idea will kick start another and we end up with a new supplement of stamps. We’ve been coming out with new stamps twice each year, although I am thinking of coming out with smaller supplements more often.

We would love to know more about your stamps.  What are they made of and what are their sizes?

   We use deeply-etched red rubber for our stamps and press the rubber ourselves. Our mounted dies are then adhered to red cushion and hourglass maple wood mounts, and the image is indexed on the block in black soy-based printer’s ink. Our unmounted dies are just the red rubber, but nicely trimmed. We’re often asked if our unmounted stamps can be used with acrylic blocks. As our stamps are red rubber, the unmounted stamps don't automatically adhere to the acrylic blocks like clear stamps do, but a lot of people use them with a temporary adhesive. People often use EZ mount foam cushion, tacky glue, or something as simple as double-sided tape. I prefer wood mounted stamps myself.

   The sizes range from tiny to large (ATC size) with most falling somewhere in the middle. Our most popular seals are just under 2" in size and fit on 2 1/4" square wood mounts.

What do you love most about your stamps and what do you think makes them special or unique?

   I love that our stamps are original and that people enjoy the quirkiness that are in a lot of our sayings and images. I enjoy being able to use my love of art and writing in the design process. I write all the quote stamps and sayings and enjoy adding dry humor now and then.

We’re dying to know. Which of your stamps are your personal favorites?

   My favorites are the round seals as they are easy to use, versatile and can make an envelope, scrapbook page, or letter look complete on their own. I especially like the calendar seals we recently came out with. Of our images, our smirking Queen Bee is one of my favorites. She's versatile and she's got attitude!

You have a few new images. Can you tell us about them?

   As I write this, we’re getting ready to release some new images that will be on our website by the time this is published. These along with our recent Holiday supplement were designed last fall and a lot of them centered around the holidays and winter. I had fun coming up with more new calendar seals and included some larger ones this time as well. I especially like the new birthday and Day at the Beach calendars, and also think the new scrapbook ones (This is what ONE looks like) are especially versatile. The birds are fun, too!

Is there a catalog we can look at. We need more!

   Currently our entire line of stamps is available to view on our website (www.catslifepress.com) and we’re working on redesigning our paper catalog later this year. With more images being added all the time, our old paper catalog outgrew itself and we need to transition to a larger format.

You have a company mailing list. What sort of information does it provide? 

   We currently have a Yahoo group and a link to join is on the first page of our website. We use this to announce new stamps, special sales or free shipping offers to group members. We’re thinking of creating a Facebook page for Catslife Press or a blog, but that’s on our long list of to-do's!

Finally, what is your favorite part of stamp making? 

   Hmm. It’s hard to pick a favorite! I really enjoy the design process, but I love having a business where people are happy to hear from you and so friendly. That is probably the best part.

Thank you for spending time with us, this month.  We’ve enjoyed getting to know Catslife Press a little better! 

   Catslife Press was kind enough to provide our talented staff with a few stamps to play with...we loved them!  Want to see where these stamps took us?  Take a look:

Orange Soda by Carey Bridges Credits Digital Paper (graph): Boys Toys by Jennifer Barrette; Digital Paper, Rickrack: Punkin Pickin by Bella Gypsy; Letter Stickers: American Crafts; Digital Stitching: Element-ary Stitches No. 2 by Carina Gardner; Stamp: Cat's Life; Ink: Ranger, Clearsnap; Pen: Sharpie; Buttons: Boxer Productions; Digital Template: In The Middle by ChrissyW; Note: This is a hybrid layout using digital and traditional supplies.

S'mores For Santa by Carey Bridges Credits Cardstock DCWV; Patterned Paper, Sticker: Karen Foster; Letter Stickers: American Crafts; Trim: Making Memories; Buttons: Foof-a-La; Stamps: Technique Tuesday, Catslife Press; Ink: Ranger, Clearsnap

Visit with Santa by Carey Bridges Credits Cardstock: Bazzill, other; Letter Stickers: American Crafts, The Paper Studio; Ribbon: May Arts; Stamps: Cat's Life, Creative Imaginations; Ink: Ranger; Pens: Signo, EK Success; Font: Smiley Monster; Other: Buttons, pop dots, sewing machine, thread

Feast by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Sassafras lass, Studio Calico; Letter Stickers: 3 Bugs in a Rug; Rub-on: Headline, Basic Grey; Brads: American Crafts, Doodlebug, Lasting Impressions, Making Memories; Stamp: Catslife Press; Ink: Stewart Superior, Ranger, Stampendous; Pen: Sakura; Border Punch: Fiskars

Thanksgiving 09 by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, BasicGrey, Studio Calico; Chipboard Letters: BasicGrey; Stickers: 7 Gypsies; Brad: BasicGrey; Chipboard House: Maya Road; Stamp: Catslife Press; Embossing Ink: Ranger; Embossing Powder: Stampendous; Border Punch: Fiskars

Dreamer Artist Trading Card by Tami Bayer Supplies Card Stock: Stampin Up; Metal Charm: Making Memories; Gem: K and Company; Stamp: Cat's Life Press; Ink: Stewart Superior; Spray Ink: Stewart Superior; Other: Vintage Rick Rack, Handmade Paper

Art Luggage Tag by Tami Bayer Supplies Metal Finding: Advantus; Stamps: Cat's Life Press; Ink: Ranger, Tsukineko; Glue: Modge Podge; Other: Countertop Sample, Music Flash Cards, Paper Tape Measure, Ribbon, Postage Stamp, Washer, Key, Ribbon

Word of the Day by Beth Root Supplies Patterned Paper: Pebbles Inc; Flower: Prima; Clip: 7Gypsies; Chipboard: Pebbles Inc.; Dots: Pebbles Inc; Sticker: Pebbles Inc; Stamp: Catslife Press; Ink: Staz On; Pen: American Crafts

This is What Today Looks Like by Beth Root Supplies Patterned Paper: Pebbles Inc; Bling: Me and My Big Ideas; Pocket: Making Memories; Chipboard: Pebbles Inc.; Flower: Prima, Fancy Pants; Stamp: Catslife Press; Ink: Hampton Arts; pen: Gelly Roll

Merry Christmas by Anne House Supplies Cardstock: Paper Mill, Ranger Glossy; Ink: Ranger; Stamp: Catslife Press; Stickles: Glitter

Cherry Blossoms by Anne House Supplies Cardstock, pearls, Chipboard: Basic Grey; Stamp: Catslife Press; Ink: Stewart Superior; Flowersoft: Flowersoft

   If you’re looking for a great variety of stamps and styles in wonderful deep etches, then Catslife Press is definitely worth a look.  With so many types of stamps, there are treasures here for every kind of paper artist.