Mrs. Grossmans Stickers: the Woman Behind Stickermania

Stickermania: it's a phase most kids go through, at one point or another. (There are those of us, obviously, who never get over it.) But 'twas not always so. Once upon a time, there were more kids who collected stamps than stickers. That is, until Mrs. Grossman came along.

Andrea Grossman is a graphic designer who started her sticker business because of a printing error. In 1979, a local paper store asked her to produce a red heart sticker to decorate shopping bags for Valentine's Day. Grossman couldn't find anybody who made such a thing, so she cut a heart out of black artist's paper and sent it to a label printer. Instead of coming back on sheets of paper, as expected, the hearts came back on rolls, like ribbons.

A natural entrepreneur, Grossman created nine more designs and introduced "Stickers by the Yard" at a trade show. Retailers swamped her with orders, and within three years, stickers had become one of the hottest-selling products in the country. Grossman was featured in People Magazine as the woman who started "stickermania."

Here at Custom Sticker Makers, we tip our hats to Mrs. Grossman's Stickers--a business that operates today out of a 110,000-square-foot corporate headquarters with 90 employees, home to the world's only sticker factory tour.

Temecula Wedding Photographer Patrick Anibaldi: Stickers That Take the Cake

Anyone who's ever gone through the effort and expense of a wedding--plus, of course, the joy and beauty--knows that, in the end, it's all about the pictures. The right wedding photographer can make all the difference, and in Temecula, California, that photographer is Patrick Anibaldi.

Anibaldi's photographic style is creative, fun, and artistic. Rather than settling for the basic, canned shots, Anibaldi focuses on capturing the moments and emotions of a wedding as they unfold, creating a visual narrative that speaks for itself. He's been photographing weddings since 2007 and reports that he's fallen in love with both the technical and artistic sides of it. To Anibaldi, a great wedding is not necessarily a "Platinum Wedding" (i.e., one with a lot of bling) but one that has a "real-life love story begging to be told."

When customers work with Anibaldi, one of the final products they receive is a collection of wedding images on a CD. While the disk itself may not look like much, it is, in many ways, priceless--so the packaging materials need to help convey the value of the product. In order to accomplish this, Anibaldi knew he needed high-quality custom stickers.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "I can upload my own design and choose the size of sticker I want," said Anibaldi. "Plus, ordering through the website is simple and the quality of the stickers is top-notch!"

Stuff We Like: Facebook Stickers

If there is any lingering doubt about the degree to which Facebook has taken over our lives, these stickers should settle the question. On Facebook, of course, you can click the "Like" button to express your enthusiasm for everything from causes to comments to relationship changes to what your friends had for breakfast this morning. Now, you can do the same in the real world, via Nooooel's hilarious "button stickers."

Even better, these stickers (which come to us via The Creative Times) provide us with what FB, so far, has failed to: a Dislike button. Let's face it, there are plenty of things (including causes, comments, relationship changes, and what our friends had for breakfast) that deserve to be Disliked. With these handy-dandy stickers, at least in the real world, we can have our say.

While they do not as yet appear to be available for purchase, we imagine that comparable stickers could easily be had via a little graphic design know how and an order to Custom Sticker Makers.  

Delicious Branding: Three Seeds Natural Skin Care

We've all heard the saying: you are what you eat. But what about the products we put on our skin? The skin, after all, is a porous membrane, and whatever we slather on after a shower might as well be sitting on our dinner table. Three Seeds Naturals handmade skincare products was founded in November of 2009 with a vision of products that were simple, natural, and delicious.

When founder Sarah Maloy thought about natural skincare products, she thought about all the wonderful scents that really bring the four seasons to life. It turns out that in Greek mythology, the seasons were set in motion by Persephone and Demeter, and three pomegranate seeds. Thus Three Seeds Naturals was born--all-natural Sugar Body Scrubs, Everyday Body Lotion, Ultra Moisturizing Creamscents, and Lip Balms. All products are available in Three Seeds Naturals five signature scents: Fresh Lemongrass (Spring), Coconut Lime (summer), Almond Vanilla (Fall), Vanilla Fig (Winter) and their signature scent, Pomegranate. These natural products have a hit with customers at local craft fairs, and now, via the Three Seeds Naturals website, they're available everywhere.

As Three Seeds is a start-up business, Maloy needed a quick, easy, and affordable way to really make her products look professional. Many of these products come in round jars, where CSM's stickers go on top and provide branding from any angle. They've also helped Maloy bring to life the spirit of her brand, as she has a different color sticker for each season. She's found that her stickers look great on the shipping boxes, as well.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "CSM is really quick and easy to use," said Malloy. "I was able to use the online ordering tool to easily and accurately place my order. I really appreciate being able to get a price estimate before making any decisions or contacting anyone. I've also contacted the folks at CSM with questions and they are always friendly and responsive. And the stickers look great!"

(Interested in natural skincare? Follow @3seedsnaturals on Twitter.)

Bumperstickers, Plato and You: If You Can Read This...The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers

There are those who may think political bumperstickers, philosophical or just plain funny bumperstickers are a less than serious form of discourse. But at least one thinker with real academic credentials seems to take them seriously: Jack Bowen, author of If You Can Read This: the Philosophy of Bumper Stickers, (which comes to us via Websticker's Marketing and Custom Sticker Blog).

Mr. Bowen--a graduate from Stanford University and holds a Masters Degree in Philosophy from California State University--has dedicated his big brain to dissecting the deep thoughts behind such common sentiments as:

• If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't More People Happy?
• At Least The War On The Environment Is Going Well
• Less Bark: More Wag
• Don't Believe Everything You Think

From the website:
"Long before blogs, tweets, and sound-bites, people were telling the world how they felt in brief, blunt bursts of information plastered on the backs of their cars. Whether they're political or religious, passionate or proud, controversial or corny, these brightly-colored, boldly-lettered mini manifestoes are declarations of who we are, where we stand, and what we'd rather be doing. But as bestselling author and noted philosopher Jack Bowen reveals, there's much more to this pop-culture phenomenon than rolling one-liners and drive-by propaganda--no less, in fact, than a wise, funny, poignant, contentious, and truthful discourse on the human condition."

This book has received some great reviews and we're looking forward to reading it here at Custom Sticker Makers.

Curious? The book is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indie Bound, and elsewhere.

SB 1070 Sticker Wars! Part 3: Voices from the Left

With the recent announcement that key provisions of SB 1070 state law will be blocked, subject to
a preliminary injunction by Federal District Court Judge Susan Bolton, Arizona's controversial immigration law is once again in the news. Governor Jan Brewer says Arizona will appeal this decision in the Supreme Court, but for now, much of the bill remains unenforceable.

Of course, like all highly charged political issues, this one is being debated on the nation's bumpers. In the last installment of our SB 1070 Sticker Wars! series, we brought you some of the more creative sticker designs from the red side of the political spectrum. Now we bring you a few of the stickers that can be found on the bumpers of those celebrating this week, in Arizona and beyond.

No SB1070--The Show Me Your Papers State
By playing on the design of the Arizona license plate, this sticker makes a statement about how SB 1070 has caused the state to be viewed in some other areas of the country.

We Are Human
Shepherd Fairey, the street artist who came to national recognition for his iconic portrait of Obama during the 2008 election, has created a series of designs opposing SB 1070, one of which appears here.

I Could Be Illegal

These small, round stickers from Cafe Press, come in packs of 10 and are designed to be worn on clothing,

 outerwear and hats.

Have a favorite SB 1070 sticker, from either end of the political spectrum? Custom Sticker Makers wants to know! Leave a link in the comment box and it could be featured in the next installment of our Sticker Wars! 

 

The Threadless Test: Does Your Sticker Design Have What It Takes to Be a T-Shirt?

So you've got an amazing custom sticker design that's proven popular. Does that same design have what it takes to be a popular t-shirt?

While the answer, as far as your particular design goes, may seem intuitive, it may not be, as the same image that appeals to people as a sticker may or may not inspire them to emblazon it across their chests.

Fortunately, there is a way to test your crossover sticker-to-shirt idea before you invest in getting it printed. Threadless Tees is a website where registered users can submit prospective t-shirt designs, via easy templates, and get them scored by their sophisticated design community.

Of course, Threadless has its own agenda: to find great designs for use on their t-shirts. However, if your design scores high with the Threadless community, chances are, you won't object, as the website awards $2,000-$22,500 for the most popular designs.

Even if your t-shirt design doesn't take the cake, though, this service offers a free and fun way to evaluate the potential of a sticker design as a t-shirt, offering the kind of market research on-the-cheap you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. (And if you're considering multiple designs, send your online friends over pick their favorite.)

Alphabet Woof!: Family Fun with a Message That Sticks

Children's author Sherrie Madia has a fertile imagination--and so do her daughters, Emma (14) and Anna (12). Together, they created a one-of-a-kind children's book called Alphabet Woof!--the tale of a dog who eats magic soup that allows him to talk. As you might have guessed, this unexpected gift leads Moxy (the dog) and his family on some exciting adventures, told through fun rhymes and illustrations with a great family message.

Alphabet Woof! may be a whimsical tale, but it does some seriously good work in the world, as a portion of the sale of each book goes to support the SPCA International, which helps animals in need--yet another passion Madia shares with her daughters, who started volunteering with their Mom at their local animal shelter when they were young.

Madia and her daughters do a lot of events--from children's events to events for dog lovers--and wherever they go, they witness the same scene: once word gets out about their stickers, children run up in droves with their hands outstretched, asking, "Can I have a sticker?" Followed by, "And can I have one for my little brother? And my cousin, Marco? And my other cousin Sonia..." Recently, Alphabet Woof! Custom Sticker Makers stickers made it to the Tribeca Family Festival (Tribeca, NY) the International Children's Festival (Philadelphia, PA)-and soon, they'll be headed off to PetFest and Woofstock!, also in Pennsylvannia.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "Not all stickers are created equal!" said Madia. "Our Custom Sticker Makers stickers get rave reviews from children--when kids leave our events, each wearing a Moxy the dog sticker, we know we've gotten it right." She adds that when she and her daughters do events supporting causes for animals and the SPCA, they see their stickers go home on pet carriers and even on the bumpers of people's cars--which they believe is due to the quality of their stickers and their bold, bright colors. Plus, that durable, high-quality vinyl, really helps their message stick.

 

Stuff We Like: iPhone Stickers Personalize, Prevent Dropped Calls

iPhone stickers--some are lovely, some unique. Some actually claim to protect your phone from those pesky dropped calls.

For pure aesthetics, it's hard to beat the fine selection of iPhone stickers/skins and accompanying wallpapers from Skinizi. Featuring international artists like Anita Meija, Anne-Julie and Otto Bjornik--including noted street-artists like Dare--these stickers are made of thin vinyl utilizing 3M adhesive for no-residue removal. (They're also available for other devices, like the iPod, MacBook, PC laptops and more.) As an added bonus, Skinizi also allows you to design your own skins, whether for art or promotion.


However, if you're one of those iPhone 4 users sick of losing calls--and sick of hearing Steve Jobs tell you not to hold it that way--there's a more utilitarian iPhone sticker out there, designed just for you. Named, cornily but memorably, There's a Wrap for That, it's a sticker designed to fit around the perimeter of your iPhone, which manufacturers claim will help to reduce the number of dropped calls.

Link Skinizi's sticker skins, There's a Wrap for That features 3M vinyl for easy removal. It apparently fits the unique contour of the iPhone, completely covering the perimeter of the phone and preventing "death grip" syndrome--with cut outs, of course, for speakers, SIMs cards, headphones, etc. Do they work? Personally, we haven't tested their claims--but for those who've already invested in the latest iPhone, it may be worth the $10.00 for two of these stickers just to find out.

Mountain Goat Ski Guides: Spreading the Word About the Great Outdoors

Michael Barton may be a professional backcountry ski guide, but he considers it his job "to spread joy in the world"--and he'd like you to know that he takes that job seriously. His business, Mountain Goat Ski Guides, was founded on a vision that education should extend beyond the classroom, and that Mother Nature's awe-inspiring winter playground is the great place for kids and adults alike to explore themselves and the world around them.

Considering a visit to the Silverton, Colorado, area? Mountain Goat offers full-service, professional and insured backcountry ski guiding for individuals and groups, with permits that allow access some of the most majestic mountains in the San Juan Mountains and the experience to keep you safe in rugged territory. Or consider a custom course from Mountain Goat in backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, or snowboarding--or even ecology, snow science, climate change, and mountain travel.


Because Mountain Goat Ski Guides is a small business with a limited budget for marketing, their promotional strategy is built around their website, business cards, and--of course--their stickers. Mountain Goat stickers have proved a big hit with the company's clientele, especially their younger adventurers.


"Custom Sticker Makers' website was easy to use and my order came right away!" said Barton. You can check out the Mountain Goat Ski Guides blog at http://silvertonbackcountry.blogspot.com/