Who doesn't like stamping?

I love that stamp at the library... the one that the librarian uses to stamp the return dates. Its the crunk it makes when it hits the paper.

I came to Japan in February 2010 to stay for six months and try to learn the language. Today I had a look around the room that after these three months, has become my own. I have to say that a lot of the room is pink. Not my clothes, but looking at the little music boxes, letter sets, flowery notebooks and fabrics... you might think the room belonged to a 7 year old girl.

As much as stamping seems like either a sport for children... those colourful stamping pens which you used to go crazy with as a child, or an efficient office appliance for an every day receptionist. I think that it is something that will never cease to amuse me.

Recently I went to a little card shop in a town close by. The shop was filled with rows of the most beautiful cards with cute illustrations and wonderful photography. There was a section for vintage camera's, quirky pill pots and those wax stamps to close envelopes.

However the corner which really had me stop in my tracks, eye's wide and mouth a little open was a desk full of the most wonderful stamps.

They had tins filled with these little themed stamp collections, like sewing set stamps; little spools of thread, needles and thimbles.

There was a set for you to stamp out your own little park; fancy benches, little tree's, birds and Narnia lamposts.

I almost bought a set to create a city landscape. Skinny little buildings which you could just line up like the scene from Peter Pan, when they're flying above London.

The stamps that I ended up comming away with were simple and sweet. A little bird in a bird cage and little crochet patterns; perfect for stamping a letter or making a little present tag.

The joy though, that i'm trying to express is that, when i'm sitting on the floor of this pink bedroom and I take out my little light blue tin of stamps, with the little ink pad, I suddenly feel like the world is a simple place again. I'm a little girl, and in that moment, all I need are these three things... my stamps, an ink pad and a piece of blank paper.

Keishin