VSN Sample Articles
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 Shop 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.
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, found in most past issues and periodically in more recent issues, 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
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. You'll find this section in every issue. 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. More recently we've looked at topics like paper casting, cards with pockets and ways to create dimension. (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 for 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 the 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. Just count it as a back issue when ordering.)
Hand-Dyed Paper by Nancie Waterman
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.
VSN Technique Partial 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.