Thinking about subscribing, but want to sample VSN before you write the check? The following articles represent the type of articles you will find in a typical issue of VSN.
I do not want to mislead you - VSN is not an online publication. These articles are here to give you a taste of what VSN is like. If you like the kind of articles you see here, check the store list page to find a store in your area that carries VSN or the Subscription page to order a subscription, current issue or back issue.
The articles found here are not set up to be printed or have their content copied. Think of it kind of like if you were sitting in a friend's living room and she had a copy of VSN and you picked it up to browse through while she was busy doing something else. You don't expect to keep it. You just browse and if you like it, maybe you'll pick up a copy next time you go to the stamp store or maybe you'll subscribe.
Click on an article link that interests you to open the Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file. If you need the Acrobat Reader software, you can download it free from www.adobe.com.
 
Artwork
VSN includes both full-color and black/white artwork contributed by readers. Here are just a couple of pieces from previous issues. Left: Edna Morton (Coronado Island Design and Stamps' Bloomers dimensional flowers). Right: Gwen Emanuel (Images from Penny Black and Hero Arts). More information about these cards can be found in the Apr '05 VSN! To see more artwork, see VSN's Art Gallery Page too! (Current issue readers can also access the special Readers Art Gallery from that page too!)
Greetings
Like many magazines, I begin each issue with a page from the editor. Topics range from answering readers questions about VSN, requesting feedback, commenting on current hot stamping community topics and encouraging readers to experiment, play and let their creativity flow. Here are a few that readers seemed to particularly like:
VSN's Unique Nitch
The Card That Got Away
Happenings
Many past issues started with a report on a stamping convention. VSN convention reports are less about the convention "experience" and more about which companies were showing what cool products and stamps. Sometimes you will also find tips and technique information tucked in this section too! Some reports are written by the editor, but many are submitted by readers who attended a show. Here is an example of a past Happenings report.
Chicago ACCI Show – By Judi Kauffman
Product Picks
We stampers love our inks, supplies, tools, books, videos and all the other things that make the stamps themselves so much fun. This section covers some of the best of these. I do not simply print company press releases. I try each product out and report my findings. Often this section includes product how-to’s and ideas. In many past issues there is even an actual product sample tipped into the issue for you to see, touch and even use! Here are a couple past Product Picks articles to give you an idea of what Product Picks covers:
Ranger Alcohol Inks, Acrylics and Color Wash
Carl Personal Rotary Trimmer, Finger Gloves, Kreinik Thread
Catalog Picks
But we can’t forget the stamps! VSN looks at a different stamp line in every issue and includes many stamp images both in the catalog review article and throughout the whole issue so you can get a really good idea of what the company offers. Here are a couple to try:
Serendipity Stamps
Repeat Impressions
Experimentation
I think the best part of stamping is playing around with stamps, inks and other products to see what happens. This is what Experimentation is about – trying new things. Sometimes I’ll go into a technique in great depth. For example, in most of the 2006 issues, I have focused on different art mediums and their use in stamping. I explored a slew of different ways to transfer pictures in the Feb ’05 issue. (In past issues, we’ve explored things like faux paste paper, altered books, holiday projects, resists, backgrounds and more.)
Other times the focus is on figuring out how to pick a product from a confusing array of choices – like the Aug ’03 very in-depth Inkpad article or the Jun '04 article on Choosing a Paper Trimmer.
And sometimes I put the spotlight on YOU, challenging you to come up with a creative use from a product or find twists on a technique. Then I’ll print your artwork and we’ll explore how you did it. VSN was the first to show tag art way back in Aug '98, including an actual tag in the Jan '99 issue and printing the tag art created in the Apr '99 issue. We’ve covered other sample inspired challenges, like mini-envelopes, CD art, altered pages, paper embroidery, micro beads and more.
The following article is a bit of a hybrid. The original article on Hand-Dyed Paper was printed way back in 1994. This was a time before VSN was printed on a commercial press so there didn’t tend to be photos in issues from the first year or so. The original article was all text but included a small actual hand-dyed paper sample tipped into each issue. Here you will find the text from the original article, but I have added photos since that is how you would see this type of article in more recent issues. I have also updated it to include current contact and product information.
You might wonder why I would re-print an article here that is over ten years old, but think about it – how many times have you learned the hot new technique of the moment only to forget about it when the next technique came along? I think many of us hit saturation point and have slowed down a little and are ready to go back and re-explore some of the solid techniques that are worth hanging onto. I particularly like that this technique can be created with items you probably already have in your stamp room and kitchen. (Note: A print version of this particular updated article can be purchased from VSN for $3 US check or money order. Price includes shipping within the US.)
Hand-Dyed Paper by Nancie Waterman
Quick Tips
One of the most popular sections of VSN is Quick Tips and Inspirations. This section is just what it sounds like – a gathering of all those little tips that make your creative sessions go smoother. (I think sometimes it is the little tips like these that are the most useful!) There are often ideas here on ways to use different products, quick little techniques, ideas for storing things, little inspiring stories, and more. These ideas come from readers who send ideas directly to VSN or they are tips posted online that are reprinted with permission. The following is a selection of tips from a few previous issues. It is shorter than the typical Quick Tips section tends to run, but it is just to give you a taste.
Selected Quick Tips (Various issues of VSN)
Stamp Room
If you have been stamping for a while, your focus may not be so much about buying new stamps and products, as on figuring out how to store and keep track of the things you already have. If you can’t find all those goodies in your stash when you are creating, then what’s the point, right? VSN periodically prints the stamp rooms of regular stampers like you and me. (In fact, I think VSN may have very well been the first stamping magazine to include such a regular column.) The stamp rooms we cover range from large rooms designed for that purpose to converted bedrooms, shared rooms and even mobile home storage strategies! Here is one of my favorite stamp room reports.
Cheryl Vennum’s Stamp Room
Submitting Art Electronically
This final article is the exception in that it has never actually been printed in VSN, since it seems a little too computer/technical a subject to be given so much space in a VSN issue. But if you have thought you might like to submit artwork to VSN by emailing a computer file, you may find this online only article helpful. Many people think that you can create a file for print just like you would to post it on a web page, but there is a little more to it . . .
Submitting Artwork via Electronic File
VSN Technique Index
Finally, I offer you an index organized by techniques. This index is a work in progress and currently only covers the Apr '03 through Oct '06 issues. Feedback on this index is welcomed. There are currently over 160 back issues of VSN so it will take me a while to index them all! Note: This index can be printed out but it may be more useful to leave it as a pdf file so you can do searches for key words.
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