East Grove Stamp Co. Collection 2015
W h at
w e c r e at e :
East Grove Stamp Co. is a small, Downers Grove-based husband and wife shop. We make eclectic goods that engage the eye and inspire conversation: around your home and in your correspondence with friends and family. Everything we offer is something that has shaped our family life in some way. Whether it is an address stamp to aid in getting our holiday cards mailed out, a recipe box (coming soon) filled with our tried and true family favorites, or a wood print artfully displayed on our early twentieth century writing desk, we’re sending it with warm wishes from our home to yours.
Who
we are:
Our names are Mike and Sydney Musselman. We were high school sweethearts and life had a way of bringing us back together. Married now and living in what has been deemed the “East Grove” – when we’re not at home working with our hands, on the computer, or running the laser, we love to get out of the house for small adventures. Be it long walks around the “East Grove” with our son Luke or taking road trips to State and National Parks filled with hiking and exploration. If it involves the computer or paper, it involves Sydney. In the morning, as Mike is waking up, he can hear the floors lightly creaking overhead as she is upstairs in the office, handling all of the design work, customer service, social media, supply ordering, and coordination of print production. After dark, two floors below, in our basement studio spaces, Mike is the guy behind anything that is made out of wood, and is responsible for getting orders packaged and shipped. The drone of the air compressor that is hooked up to the laser and the whir of the miter saw act as a lullaby to the rest of the house as Mike uses the peaceful hours to catch up on the day’s orders. www.eastgrovestampco.com
Our
s t o ry :
The rule we set was that we could not spend more than $30 on our wedding gifts for each other. I got Mike a wooden box to put his cuff links, tie clips, and watch in. Mike had two rubber stamps custom made for me. His whimsically sweet wedding gift inspired me to start offering address stamps to my wedding clients, which I eventually started to sell to a larger client base through Etsy. Later, we purchased a laser to produce new stamp designs and in the process came up with a series of wood prints. The wood prints paved the way for paper prints and greeting cards (after all, some designs call for lots of color). East Grove Stamp Co. got its initial wings as Studio255, a company that Sydney founded back in 2011. Studio255 stemmed in two distinct directions: the first being custom wedding stationery and the second being rubber stamps. Both sides were successful in their own right. As the stamp side continued to grow, Mike got involved by bringing packages to the post office on his way to work, which transitioned to handling all order packaging, and eventually all stamp production in addition to collaborating with Sydney on new product development. It became increasingly clear to us that with the weddings, stamps, and new product ideas constantly bubbling to the surface, Studio255 lacked the coherency to be a successful brand. East Grove Stamp Co. was born to better realize our creative ideas and desire to reach a larger audience.
Rubber
s ta m p s
Our name product, rubber stamps marry the utilitarian and the creative in one little workhorse of a product. Address stamps and bookplates become as much a small form of self-expression as they do thoughtful gifts. Quietly commemorating life events such as new homes, new babies, and weddings, it’s been an honor to watch our customers come back to us as their families grow and their addresses change. We go the extra mile with our stamps, laser engraving the design onto each wood block. Mike takes the time to make sure each step in the stamp-making process is precisely executed, ensuring our customers receive the highest quality stamp that make beautiful impressions, on both the page and the viewer. Each stamp is packaged in a small cotton bag.
www.eastgrovestampco.com
T h a n k Y o u S ta m p s
Thanx!
Thank You
Thanks RS001 - 4x1”
Thanx! RS002 - 2x1.5”
Thank you RS003 - 3x1.5”
Thank you RS004 - 2.5x1.5”
Thank ewe very much RS005 - 2x1.4”
Gracias RS006 - 3x0.7”
Grazie mille! RS007 - 2.5x2”
Merci RS008 - 2x0.75”
B o o k p l at e S ta m p s
EX LI BRIS
Ex libris RS0010 - 2.5x1.5”
This book belongs to RS009 - 2x0.5”
P l e a s e D e l i v e r T o S ta m p s
Please Deliver To Please deliver to RS0011 - 2x2”
please deliver to
Please deliver to RS0012 - 4x0.5”
www.eastgrovestampco.com
From the library of RS009 - 2.5x0.5”
Greeting
cards
A mark of all of our greeting cards is their blank interiors. Being someone who freezes up when it comes time to jot down a pithy note, to Sydney, every handwritten word counts, including being able to handwrite ‘Happy Birthday’ in a birthday card. In addition to helping the card-challenged to feel like they’re writing more, the blank interiors allow the giver the flexibility to decide the card’s intent. Many anniversary cards also make lovely Valentine’s Day cards, romantic birthday cards, or thoughtful thinking of you cards. Cards that compliment are perfect for graduation cards, thank you notes, and birthday cards. Our A6 cards come housed in protective clear sleeves and paired with distinctive pale grey linen textured envelopes. While still a neutral, they’re more visually and tactilely stimulating than basic white.
www.eastgrovestampco.com
L ov e / A n n i v e r s a ry / V a l e n t i n e
You’re my type GC001
I love you a latte GC002
I love you berry much GC003
You’re the apple of my eye GC004
You’re my cup of tea GC005
Lettuce grow old together GC006
We make a good pear GC007
Thank You
I donut know what I would do without you GC008 (1 Card) GC008B (Box of 10)
You take the cake GC009 (1 Card) GC009B (Box of 10)
You’re sweet GC010 (1 Card) GC010B (Box of 10)
You’re a peach GC011 (1 Card) GC011B (Box of 10)
You’re a gem GC012 (1 Card) GC012B (Box of 10)
You’re tops! GC013 (1 Card) GC013B (Box of 10)
You’re the cat’s pajamas GC014 (1 Card) GC014B (Box of 10)
You’re the best thing since sliced bread GC015 (1 Card) GC015B (Box of 10)
www.eastgrovestampco.com
You’re dino-mite GC016 (1 Card) GC016B (Box of 10)
Thank You Continued
You’re my ace GC017 (1 Card) GC017B (Box of 10)
You’re the bee’s knees GC018 (1 Card) GC018B (Box of 10)
You’re the bomb GC019 (1 Card) GC019B (Box of 10)
What’s up with chew? GC021 (1 Card) GC021B (Box of 10)
A note GC022 (1 Card) GC022B (Box of 10)
Just Because
What’s shakin’ bacon? GC020 (1 Card) GC020B (Box of 10)
C o n g r at u l at i o n s
Cheers! GC023 (1 Card) GC023B (Box of 10)
I’m your biggest fan GC024
Occasion-Specific
Happy new beer! GC026 (1 Card) GC026B (Box of 10)
Congratulations on your little pumpkin GC027
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It’s roses all the way GC025
Wood
prints
What started out as a “what else can we do with this laser in our studio” turned into “let’s make wood prints as Christmas gifts this year” and eventually into a standout line in our shop (and one of our favorite things to gift). Mike and Sydney handpick each piece of lumber, sourced from a local lumber shop that specializes in exotic woods, and design with the unique characteristics of zebra, European beech and purple heart wood in mind. It’s important to note that due the unique qualities of wood, no two boards will look identical. Purple heart and European beech have fairly consistent burns, whereas zebra wood can burn light or dark depending on the grain of the wood. Also important to note, purple heart will naturally brown a little over the span of several years.
www.eastgrovestampco.com
Wine is bottled poetry WP001B (beech) - 5x12” WP001P (purple heart) - 5x12”
Wine is sunlight held together by water WP002B (beech) - 5x12” WP002P (purple heart) - 5x12”
The connoisseur does not drink wine but tastes of its secrets WP003B (beech) - 5x12” WP003P (purple heart) - 5x12”
Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good people WP004B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP004P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”
The mountains are calling & I must go WP005B (beech) - 7x7” WP005P (purple heart) - 7x7”
Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving WP007B (beech) - 7.5x12”
Yeah, I’d hike that WP006B (beech) - 7.5x12”
Midwest is best WP008B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP008P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”
www.eastgrovestampco.com
It was here that the romance of my life began WP009B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP009P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”
Given enough coffee I could rule the world WP011B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP011P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”
I love you to the moon and back WP010B (beech) - 7x12” WP010P (purple heart) - 7x12”
Paper
prints
While designing blank greeting cards that would be flexible enough to support a variety of occasions, Sydney designed several that didn’t truly make sense as greeting cards – but were designs that were worth pursuing. Converting them into wood print designs was her initial reaction, but when stripping the designs down to onecolor proved detrimental to the designs themselves, Sydney pitched the idea of paper prints to Mike. Whereas most new product lines result in a lot of back and forth between the two of them, this was a no-brainer, with Mike jumping on board immediately. Our 8x10� paper prints are printed onto museum quality fade resistant 19pt Savoy Cotton archival paper. Each one is mailed with a piece of chipboard, inside a clear sleeve, inside of a rigid cardboard mailer.
www.eastgrovestampco.com
Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall PP001
There are always flowers for those who want to see them PP002
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world PP003
I love you to the moon and back PP004
The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there PP005
H o l i day We get a little eclectic with our holiday offerings. A combination of tried and true designs from Sydney’s Studio255 days and new designs in new formats, the East Grove Stamp Co. holiday line is charmingly non denominational without using the stale “happy holidays” wording. Mike took an instant liking to the oldest holiday card design that we sell, Happy Everything, and has been cheekily using it for practically every card that he gives to anyone (with a few artful modifications using scissors and tape).
www.eastgrovestampco.com
Ornaments
Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year OR001 - 3”
Merry & Bright OR002 - 3”
Baby’s 1st Christmas (will update each year) OR004 - 3”
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? OR005 - 3”
Ho Ho Ho OR003 - 3”
Each ornament comes attached to a loop of loose weave Italian ribbon in sage with gold, navy with gold, or red with gold. Every ornament will be slightly different due to the nature of the various wood slices that we source.
Prints
Merry & Bright PP006 - 8x10”
All is bright PP007 - 8x10”
Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year PP009 - 8x10”
Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year WP012 - 7x7”
Let it snow! PP008 - 8x10”
Our 8x10” paper prints are printed onto museum quality fade resistant 19pt Savoy Cotton archival paper. Each one is mailed with a piece of chipboard, inside a clear sleeve, inside of a rigid cardboard mailer.
www.eastgrovestampco.com
H o l i day C a r d s
Cheers to cozy fires, warm drinks & plenty of flannel. Season’s Greetings HC001-12 HC001-20
Happy everything HC002-12 HC002-20
Loosen the belt a notch & enjoy the holidays HC003-12 HC003-20
Our A6 flat cards come paired with distinctive pale grey linen textured envelopes and has a small East Grove Stamp Co. URL on the back. Holiday cards are sold in boxes of 12 and 20.
H o l i day S ta m p s
To/from RS013 - 2x1.5”
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? RS014 - 2x2”
Merry & Bright RS015 - 2x2”
HO HO Mailed from the North Pole via sleigh RS016 - 2x1.5”
Ho Ho Ho RS017 - 2x2”
please deliver to Santa Claus Love Santa RS019 - 1.5x1.5”
Please deliver to Santa Claus RS020 - 2.5x1”
www.eastgrovestampco.com
Let it snow! RS018 - 2x2”
www.eastgrovestampco.com