Ingenious Inkling: Rubber Stamping Road Trip

July 26, 2009

Rubber Stamping Road Trip

It feels so good to be home ... this weekend my best stamping girlfriend and I drove 696 miles on our yearly road trip in search of rubber stamps. We had a fabulous time, ate some delicious food, and found lots of fun new products. We've done our annual road trip for several years, but this time we extended it an extra day to fit in even more shopping.

Our first stop was Scrapaganza and JoAnn's (both in the same shopping center) in Davenport, Iowa. The ladies at Scrapaganza are wonderful (always willing to show you how to use some of the newest goodies in the store) ... it's one you don't want to miss if you're in the area.

After that, we settled in for the night in Ottawa, Illinois with supper at our favorite restaurant, Tracy's Row House.

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening to dine outside on the patio under the beach umbrellas. The Elks Club was having an outdoor celebration just down the street, so we had fun people watching and listening to some live music.

We started with the fabulous Fiesta Fondue appetizer ... chips with a trio of dips that include black bean and corn queso, homemade guacamole, and delicious fresh salsa. That appetizer is a full meal even when shared by two, so we finished with light summer salads.

Last time we were in Ottawa, they had stove pipe hat decorations all over the downtown to celebrate the Lincoln-Douglas debates that occurred in Ottawa.

Now they have the decorations grouped all together in a cute little park, so we had to check them out. We loved all of the funky art and wonderful flowers.

We got up early Saturday, so we would have time to stop at the Milano Bakery in Joliet, Illinois to pick up some breakfast and a few cookies for the road. We love the fun employees (who remembered us from our trip last year) and were able to pick up t-shirts that declare that Milanos is home of the Best Buns In Town.

We arrived at Stamp Thyme in Lockport at 10am on the dot. We had fun checking out the new Halloween stamps from Northwoods, as well as lots of other fun products.

We had several people take pictures of Laura and I together this weekend, but when I got home, every single one was out of focus. Oh well, at least there are of a few of us individually to commemorate the trip.

Our next stop was Paper Source in Oak Park. We were thrilled to see there was also a Penzeys Spices store on the same block, so we had to stop there too. We wished we had more time to explore this area, but we were on a tight schedule to make all of our stops before closing time.

The employees at the Paper Source store were vary helpful and lots of fun. We picked up quite a few fun stamps, some of their awesome ribbon, and a few gifts too.

After that, we headed to Stampology, the home of the very best card samples. I would venture to say that they have made at least one card sample for every stamp they carry in the store, and they're always willing to explain techniques and share ideas. They also had some early CHA releases in stock. Unfortunately, I discovered that the close-up focus on my travel camera failed to work on this trip, so my card sample shots are all out of focus. At least this one gives you some idea. The other cool thing about this store is that they give you a 20% discount off your order when you visit from out of state.

Next, we ventured north to Arlington Heights to check out a new (to us) store - Craft Fancy. I was excited to find individual sheets Claudine Helmuth's sticky back canvas, as well as some other fun stamps.

We ended our Saturday shopping at the Cottage Stamper in St. Charles. They pack a ton of stamps into their quaint little shop. When I first started stamping, Magenta was one of the first lines I fell in love with, but lately, they've been hard to find. Cottage Stamper carries a broad collection of Magenta, as well as lots of fun stamps by Outlines, Studio 490, Northwoods, and A Muse.

I loved all of these cool mirrors they had hanging around the store. They also have great sample displays of projects completed by their different Card Club Groups.

We ended our evening with an amazing supper at Brio in Rockford, Illinois (TripAdvisor never lets me down). It was one of the most unique and delicious meals I've had in a long time ... I love how small plate dining gives you the chance to try several dishes. They were all fabulous and the service was impeccable too.

Today, we extended our trip by heading north to Madison, Wisconsin where we checked out Trader Joe's, JoAnn's, Archivers, Scrapbook Superstore, and by far our favorite, Scrapbook & Stamping Memories. We love the layout of the store ... lots of room to move around, shopping carts, and all of the newest products featured on displays right in the front of the store. The ladies there are fabulous & always willing to help you find exactly what you're looking for. It is one not to be missed.

Remember, if you're considering a road trip like this, always check out the websites and print out all of the monthly coupons before hitting the road.

Now I need to purge some of my old products to make room for the new. I can't wait to ink up my new stamps and play with my new toys.

Posted at 09:32 PM in Shopping, Travels | Permalink

Comments

From Stamp Muse aka M:

Stefanie, what a fantastic trip you had! I had to jump to your blog to see all the happenings you've been enjoying, and happenings they have certainly been! WHAT FUN!

Me thinks I need to steal this idea for a West Coast version of it. This is totally brilliant and it sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Your pics are fabulous, although I am sorry you were unable to capture any of the two of you together which were in focus. That is disappointing. But individually y'all look stunning!

Thanks so much for sharing your story ... too much fun.

Posted by: M aka Stamp Muse | July 26, 2009 at 10:49 PM