east grove stamp co 2015

East Grove Stamp Co. Collection 2015

www.eastgrovestampco.com

W h a t W e c r e a t 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.

W h o W e a r e :

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.

o u r s t o r y :

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.


r u b b e r s t a 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.

Thank YouThanx!

Thank youRS004 - 2.5x1.5”

Grazie mille!RS007 - 2.5x2”

Thank ewe very muchRS005 - 2x1.4”

Thank youRS003 - 3x1.5”

Thanx!RS002 - 2x1.5”

ThanksRS001 - 4x1”

GraciasRS006 - 3x0.7”

MerciRS008 - 2x0.75”

t h a n k y o u s t a m p s


EX LIBRIS

Ex librisRS0010 - 2.5x1.5”

b o o k p l a t e s t a m p s

p l e a s e D e l i v e r t o s t a m p s

PleaseDeliver

Toplease deliver to

Please deliver toRS0011 - 2x2”

Please deliver toRS0012 - 4x0.5”

This book belongs toRS009 - 2x0.5”

From the library ofRS009 - 2.5x0.5”


G r e e t i n G c a r D s

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.

I love you berry muchGC003

You’re my typeGC001

I love you a latteGC002

l o v e / a n n i v e r s a r y / v a l e n t i n e

You’re my cup of teaGC005

You’re the apple of my eyeGC004

Lettuce grow old togetherGC006

We make a good pearGC007


You’re a gemGC012 (1 Card) GC012B (Box of 10)

You’re sweetGC010 (1 Card) GC010B (Box of 10)

You take the cakeGC009 (1 Card) GC009B (Box of 10)

I donut know what I would do without youGC008 (1 Card) GC008B (Box of 10)

t h a n k y o u

You’re a peachGC011 (1 Card) GC011B (Box of 10)

You’re the best thing since sliced breadGC015 (1 Card) GC015B (Box of 10)

You’re dino-miteGC016 (1 Card) GC016B (Box of 10)

You’re tops!GC013 (1 Card) GC013B (Box of 10)

You’re the cat’s pajamasGC014 (1 Card) GC014B (Box of 10)

What’s shakin’ bacon?GC020 (1 Card) GC020B (Box of 10)

What’s up with chew?GC021 (1 Card) GC021B (Box of 10)

A noteGC022 (1 Card) GC022B (Box of 10)

J u s t b e c a u s e

You’re the bee’s kneesGC018 (1 Card) GC018B (Box of 10)

You’re the bombGC019 (1 Card) GC019B (Box of 10)

You’re my aceGC017 (1 Card) GC017B (Box of 10)

t h a n k y o u c o n t i n u e D


Cheers!GC023 (1 Card) GC023B (Box of 10)

I’m your biggest fanGC024

It’s roses all the wayGC025

Happy new beer!GC026 (1 Card) GC026B (Box of 10)

Congratulations on your little pumpkinGC027

o c c a s i o n - s p e c i f i c

c o n G r a t u l a t i o n s


W o o D p r i n t s

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.

Wine is bottled poetry WP001B (beech) - 5x12” WP001P (purple heart) - 5x12”

The connoisseur does not drink wine but tastes of its secrets WP003B (beech) - 5x12” WP003P (purple heart) - 5x12”

Wine is sunlight held together by waterWP002B (beech) - 5x12” WP002P (purple heart) - 5x12”

Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good peopleWP004B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP004P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”


The mountains are calling & I must goWP005B (beech) - 7x7” WP005P (purple heart) - 7x7”

Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep movingWP007B (beech) - 7.5x12”

Yeah, I’d hike thatWP006B (beech) - 7.5x12”

Midwest is bestWP008B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP008P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”

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 worldWP011B (beech) - 7.5x12” WP011P (purple heart) - 7.5x12”

I love you to the moon and backWP010B (beech) - 7x12” WP010P (purple heart) - 7x12”


p a p e r p r i n t s

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 one-

color 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.

Framed mock-up?

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fallPP001

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the worldPP003

The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall therePP005

I love you to the moon and backPP004

There are always flowers for those who want to see themPP002


h o l i D a y

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).

Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year OR001 - 3”

Merry & BrightOR002 - 3”

Ho Ho HoOR003 - 3”

o r n a m e n t s

Baby’s 1st Christmas (will update each year) OR004 - 3”

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? OR005 - 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.


Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year WP012 - 7x7”

Merry & BrightPP006 - 8x10”

All is brightPP007 - 8x10”

p r i n t s

Let it snow! PP008 - 8x10”

Merry Cheersmas and a Hoppy New Year PP009 - 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.

Cheers to cozy fires, warm drinks & plenty of flannel. Season’s GreetingsHC001-12HC001-20

Happy everythingHC002-12HC002-20

h o l i D a y c a r D s

Loosen the belt a notch & enjoy the holidays HC003-12HC003-20

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.


please deliver toSanta Claus

HO

HO

h o l i D a y s t a m p s

Mailed from the North Pole via sleighRS016 - 2x1.5”

Love SantaRS019 - 1.5x1.5”

Ho Ho HoRS017 - 2x2”

Merry & BrightRS015 - 2x2”

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?RS014 - 2x2”

To/fromRS013 - 2x1.5”

Let it snow!RS018 - 2x2”

Please deliver to Santa ClausRS020 - 2.5x1”

east grove stamp co 2015

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