Flashback Friday Part 1: The 1970s
Hero Arts is celebrating 45 years in business this year! What an incredible journey it has been. YOU are a wonderful part of our history, and now that our anniversary is here, we'd like to invite you to celebrate this milestone alongside us! In the next several weeks, join us for fun, contests, behind-the-scenes content, lots of giveaways, new products, and more. Let's get this party started, friends!
The start of it all? Flashback Fridays. Over the course of five Fridays, we'll be sharing the story of our five decades as a company.
The setting: Berkeley, California, mid-1970s. Let's hear about the earliest days of Hero Arts from our CEO, Aaron Leventhal:
"Hero Arts was founded in May of 1974, near the end of the school year, when my mother (Jackie) decided she would try out her hobby at local craft fairs. Early designs included funky cartoon images, irreverent messages, and drawings from friends and family, including Betty Boop, cartoon monkeys, a cow by 4 year-old Aaron, and more. Most of the stamps were handmade in our bathroom, where our vulcanizer sat, that pressed rubber. The rubber was then cut and assembled in Jackie's bedroom, before being sent out via mail or sold at fairs."
Wondering what the first catalogs looked like? Well, they were actually fold-out posters...
Here's a closer look at the inside and back of the 1978 Hero Arts product poster.
Aaron even found this photo showing an early craft show booth from the late 1970s!
If you're interested in hearing more of the Hero Arts story, grab a beverage and enjoy this interview from a few years ago, when Aaron sat down for an Online Card Classes Crafty Chat. We think you'll enjoy hearing this story directly from him!
When did you start stamping? Let us know in a comment below and we will pick one winner at random to receive a $25 Hero Arts gift card! Comment by Thursday, April 25 at 11:59pm PT and you'll be entered to win.
Tomorrow we'll begin sharing peeks from our upcoming 45th Anniversary Summer Catalog! That's right, this year's Summer Catalog is one big anniversary celebration that we can't wait to share with you.
Thank you for joining us today!
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258 Responses
Edda Tan
August 15, 2019
I started paper crafting in order to cut costs for my wedding 👰🏻 🤵🏻 Just over ten years ago. Now I love making cards!
Kerri A Markey
May 16, 2019
I was a folk art painter and a friend went to a garage sale and found all these rubber stamps, she called me and told me to come check out this wonderful selection of crafts for sale, she forgot to mention that it was stamps. Afraid I would miss out on a great bargain I went down to join her and she helped me load up my car and I helped her load up hers and the rest is history. Have enjoyed stamping ever since, going on 12 years.
Karen L K
May 02, 2019
Such fun to see all the things from back in the day.
Anna Mahtani
April 26, 2019
I’m fairly new to the stamping /cardmaking community (just three years) but Hero Arts was immediately one of my favorite stamp companies!! ❤️ Happy anniversary Hero Arts!
Heidi varden
April 26, 2019
Happy 45 th Anniversary! I have stamped occasionally though out the years, never for card making purposes. I used stamps for walls, and cakes believe it or not. I have been stamping to make paper products since about 2016.
Dee Ann Matthews
April 26, 2019
Oh I’m not sure when I first stated stamping- a friend started me when she was selling them! I think it was about 35 years ago!
Anita in France
April 26, 2019
Congratulations on such a successful, innovative and contributory 45 years in business … what a wonderful legacy you have created for our crafty world … here’s to the next 45! I started creating properly with stamps about six years ago … needless to say my collection has grown a little since then! Anita :)
Lindar C
April 25, 2019
I started stamping about 40 years ago, although at the time I had no idea about card making. I just used to stamp my envelopes to make them pretty for the people I was sending them to. I still have all those stamps, but I had to remove them from the wooden blocks because my hands don’t work so well anymore and have a hard time holding on to things. I started making cards about 2 years ago.
Jan
April 25, 2019
I did catch part of your video and now cannot locate it but wanted to tell you it was interesting to me. I loved hearing how your mother began…she was such a pioneer to the craft world. I would love to see how stamps are made etc. I think that should be a contest ( A day with Hero Arts).
One thing I must tell you I so appreciate your price points on the matching dies you are never unreasonable and that makes me happy when you can get the stamp and matching die lol. Thank you for all the beautiful stamps you bring us, embossing powders, inks and inspiration. Thanks for sharing the bathroom to make rubber stamps possible. Please tell your Mom how much we love her company and what she did for the craft world. Best wishes on your anniversary, all the best!!!
Anna Rodgers
April 25, 2019
I began stamping in September 2017. I was hooked as soon as the inked stamp touched the paper! 😍
Becky Partan
April 24, 2019
I inked my first stamp in 2001, after seeing a heat embossing demo.. I believe it was a Hero Arts stamp. Shortly after, I stamped my wedding invitations. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Susan
April 24, 2019
Happy Anniversary! I started stamping in 2006 some of my favorite stamps are wood block stamps, I still use them today!
Beverly Perdue
April 24, 2019
Happy 45th Anniversary! Wow! I have been stamping since 2006. Most of the stamps I bought at that time were rubber block stamps.
Lynn
April 24, 2019
I began stamping sometime in the early 80s. The daughter of a friend of mine, who taught in Las Vegas, came home to Oklahoma with a wooden postcard she had stamped. I have never stopped. I remember some of the earliest stamps I bought were Hero Arts stamps.
Jane Hawkins
April 24, 2019
Seeing the Hero Arts product poster brought me right back to my high school days when I first began rubber stamping! (That gives you an idea how old I am!) I’m quite sure I still have a few of the old stamps, though dry and maybe a bit cracked I could not part with them! How far stamping had come from those humble beginnings!
Here’s to another 45 (and more)!
Julie L
April 23, 2019
I started stamping in 2005. My first stamps were Hero Arts, purchased at Creative Cards in Grass Valley, Stampers Corner in Elk Grove, and a place in Berkeley. Sadly all 3 stores are gone now. Can’t believe how many stamps I’ve added to my collection.
Rae Culak
April 23, 2019
I started rubber stamping when I decided to make a scrapbook for a friends baby shower. She could just add in images and write fun memories. I had so much fun I was hooked
Marie
April 23, 2019
My best friend gave me my first rubber stamp in the 70’s, with the standard blue office ink pad back then – nothing like your new reactive inks! I still have that stamp with hundreds, dare I say 1,000’s, more now!
Bertha
April 23, 2019
What an interesting story! I will listen to the interview.
I started stamping about 5 years ago and my first Hero Arts stamp was a wood-mounted background stamp called “A Village” that I hunted down on ebay! Still have it today. Love it!
Linda W. (ScrappinBari)
April 23, 2019
Congrats on 45 years! What an amazing journey you’ve had and still going strong! I’d stamped off and on as a scrapbooker but consider the advent of Hero Arts clear stamps the start of my card-making “career”. Really love your stamps and cherish my collection!!
Elena
April 23, 2019
I started stamping in 1988, and ironically, my first stamp set was by Hero Arts. I loved your products then, and I still do. Thank you all for your hard work and artistic talent. Elena
Susan Bainbridge
April 23, 2019
Love Hero Arts. Always have and always Will! Started stamping 10 years ago. I was introduced to Hero Arts by my stamping sister. Thankful for this.
Kathy H
April 23, 2019
I started collecting stamps back in the early 80s but probably had some earlier. I worked in Berkeley and people would stamp the inter office envelopes. Vendors sold stamps on Telegraph Avenue. Some of my earliest ones are Hero Arts.
Miriam Prantner
April 22, 2019
How fun to look back at those old catalogs! I started stamping in 2011. Thanks for the chance to win!
Annie
April 22, 2019
I started stamping in 2009 and have been hooked every since! I love learning new techniques and seeing the wonderful inspiration Hero Arts puts out on a regular basis!
Linnea Sundstrom
April 22, 2019
what a success! I’m glad you didn’t give up! I first got a set of those black hard foam stamps in the eighties and was not a successful stamper! :D
Barbara-Jean
April 22, 2019
There was a Hero Arts demo at Jerry’s Artarama in West Hartford CT. I bought a butterfly stamp then. Wow, have my crafting purchases taken flight after that!
Eva N
April 22, 2019
What a fun look back at how Hero Arts got started! My stamping obsession started in 2016, anc Hero Arts, especially with the Monthly Kits, has been a big part of my crafting.
Bonita Reyes
April 22, 2019
Hero was one of the first stamps I ever bought…and so began the obsession
Bonita Reyes
April 22, 2019
I love these ideas!
Janet Sisk
April 22, 2019
I started stamping in December of 2001. A friend of mine needed help getting his wife introduced to people at our workplace. He asked me if I would have a stamping party for her so she could meet some of our teaching coworkers. I reluctantly agreed, but told her that I am NOT crafty so I am just doing this to help her out. LOL Well, I am STILL stamping and loving every minute of it. :D Thanks for the chance to win.
Denise Kitts-Wadlow
April 22, 2019
Happy 45th Anniversary HA!!! So happy for you and hope you’ll enjoy many more years. I started playing AT stamping when I was invited to a Stampin’ Up! party about 20+ years ago? My sister and I started with just a couple of images and 3 or 4 ink pads, because that was all we could afford. Although we were beginners, we were pretty proud of our first attempt. My first craft room was larger than a bathroom, but shared space with my home office. When my husband got tired of trying to get around my growing collection of craft supplies, he said I needed to move it to the master bedroom, and since we were empty nesters by that time, we would move the bedroom to the other end of the house. So I have a huge bedroom that I call my craft room now, but still, I have so much, that even after donating a bunch of stuff to our crafting group, my sister says I need a basement. Lol!!! Currently, we don’t have one of those, but maybe in the next house. Until then, I’ll make due and be happy with the space I have. Thanks for 45 great years of contributing to my papercrafting collection HA—looking forward to many more!!!
Toni C
April 22, 2019
So cool!! :) I’ve always loved paper craft but started stamping about 7 years ago when my cousin and a friend held a card making workshop. It’s an addiction now!
Ruth Southorn
April 22, 2019
What a fantastic milestone! 🙌
I got hooked on stamping thanks to a Hero Arts set I found in a small shop selling gugts and craft supplies. I remember that place vividly, it was a day trip we went on whilst I was visiting family. And I still have (and use) that stamp set, dated 2003!
Trends have come and gone but Hero Arts quality is here to stay. Here’s to many more happy stamping times! Thanks for the chance to win x
Denise from NZ
April 21, 2019
I have always loved creating handmade cards. I went to a craft expo held in Auckland NZ about 20 years ago and stopped at a booth selling stamps and some craft tools…..and the rest is history! I have converted my garage to a craft studio and create cards in pack for my friend at Christmas. Love stamping and love your brand
karenajo
April 21, 2019
Congratulations on 45 years! I started stamping in 2007 after being invited to a stamping party by a friend. When I say how embossing powder was used with the stamps, I was hooked. Thanks for all your great products !
Stacey Kowbel
April 21, 2019
Such a fantastic flashback! I have been stamping now for about 10 years – got interested when I saw the scrapbooking my sister-in-law was doing, and then a friend was selling stamps, so I dove right in!
Sue Rodriguez
April 21, 2019
I used to have a thing for rocking horses. One day at a craft section in a local food faire, I spotted a rocking horse stamp and had to have it. Then of course, I started stamping that little rocking horse onto everything; letters, cards, envelopes and even patient appointment cards at work. From that little stamp, purchased in the late 70’s, I am now a full blown stamper/paper crafter, 40 years strong!
Sue D
April 21, 2019
I think I have been stamping about 15 years now.
Joanne Williams
April 21, 2019
It must be 20+/- years and truly is my passion. I’m so thankful to instruct cardmaking classes at our local store. I so enjoy the time together. Thank you, Hero Arts!
Valerie Hayden
April 21, 2019
I started stamping in late 1969 or early 1970, there was a large article in the LA Herald Examiner featuring, Kids Stamps, Leavenworth Jackson and
Stamp In The Hand. I went nuts sending for catalogs immediately….still got the bug. Seen so many come and go, owned my own stamp store for seven years and loved it. Glad to see Hero Arts continuing on, always made a quality product with a broad range of stamps to appeal to everyone.
Here’s to another 45!!!
Diane Backus
April 20, 2019
I love, love , LOVE Hero Arts! your selections are unique, flexible, and priced fairly. when did I start stamping? i have a photo of me, about 8 months old, where i am teething on a wood stamp, it looks like a tree stamp. so i literally cut my teeth on them! My mom was a big crafter and her mom before that. I’m happy to say I passed it down to my daughter and my grandsons. they were thrilled with the Safari kit! happy anniversary to you all! xoxo
Kris Reeves
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in about 2007 or so. I was an acrylic painting teacher and we painted greeting cards but when I went to put a greeting on the card by painting it, my handwriting looked horrible! So I saw stamps with greetings and decided to use them instead. I started with sentiment stamps and they are my favorite still!
D.Ann C
April 20, 2019
Huge congrats on 45 years!!
I started stamping about that same time! My first stamp was a little lined kit that I could spell out anything. It wasn’t until I became disabled about 15 years ago that I really got into stamping and card making, tho. One of my biggest stamp collections are my Hero Arts stamps!!! Love ’em!!😍
Priscilla Bade
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in 1992 when I had my first job after finishing my training. I bought a set with 56 miniature rubber stamps mounted on foam cubes. I still use them! I have old Hero Arts stamps too, including A1228 Star Angel Postage and the set LL614 Musical Instruments (still in the decorative paper box). I love reading your blog for inspiration.
Helen
April 20, 2019
I think I was introduced to stamping in the 60’s when our art class did some simple cuts to explore various art techniques…but after a significant lull, I discovered a local craft store in the mid 90’s. So glad Hero Arts was one of the companies the store carried. Their wooden stamps are among my earliest purchases.
Eileen Peters
April 20, 2019
I started last year. I bought a cuttlebug an da few dies. Then i started watching youtube videos and saw some cards created by a hero arts kit. I though it was nice to have some direction since I didn’t exactly know what to do with what I bought. I got the October 2018 Christmas kit and I have been stamping and making cards ever since.
Georgie
April 20, 2019
I started stamping over 30 years ago. It has always been a fun and creative outlet. I have made thousands of cards over the years and continue to do so.
Jenn Shurkus
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in 1999 with a few wood mounted stamps from hero arts and all night media ❤️
Jackie S
April 20, 2019
I started stamping about two years ago. Love Hero Arts and use it as a way to keep calm in a busy world.
Teresa Wang
April 20, 2019
I start stamping in the early 90’s. I walked in to a local stamping store and was in awe of all the beautiful hand made cards. I was hooked and started making all the Christmas cards every year since then.
Marisela Delgado
April 20, 2019
I started stamping about 27 years ago. I am a letter writer (hand written letters) to friends and I always wanted to decorate my envelopes somehow, but didn’t know how. I had seen stamps, but was hesitant. I went to a flea market with my mom and a vendor was selling dozens of stamps. I went wild and from then on I have been addicted…..oops….a stamper. ha-ha Hero Arts was one of my first and favorites. Still is.
Kathy Marsh
April 20, 2019
I can not remember when I was not crafting. But I began stamping about 15 years ago at my first Stamp In Up party. Have been addicted since
Henriétte
April 20, 2019
I totally forgot to say that I love this looking back to the history and glad you still have a lot things from the early days to share with us.
Henriétte
April 20, 2019
Congratulations on the 45 Aniversary. What a great interview, thank you for that Aaron, what a great story and a awesome lady was your mam.
I started stamping when I was quite young, I had older sisters and brothers and they had stamps that I used. But I think I was 8 years or so, I then received a special stamp box called Newspapers. The box had all small rubber letter stamps that you could slide into a special control slot and create your own words and sentences. This way you stamped your own newspaper messages. At the same time, I received all kinds of small stamps from flowers and butterflies in order to be able to make entire stories with pictures. All stamps were made of rubber at the time. I stamped a lot with that box. Now more than 50 years later I still love stamping.
Jan
April 20, 2019
I started stamping as a child but didn’t continue. I started again one year ago and am hooked! I love Hero Arts and am going to be adding more to my stash!
Ang
April 20, 2019
I’ve been stamping since the early 90’s. Card making is my creative outlet. Congrats on 45 years of great products!
Renee Thompson
April 20, 2019
I started stamping somewhere around 2003… haven’t stopped since!
Donna
April 20, 2019
Other than stamping PAID or my Aunt’s date stamp on everything as a child, the first art stamp i had was a goose. I think i had it in my mid 20’s. Every envelope that left my house had a goose on it.
Grace Enriquez
April 20, 2019
Your story is very fascinating. I will definitely read more about it.
I started paper crafting almost summer in 2017. At first it was an interest in planners but realized later on the I enjoy making cards. I forget about stress at work and just love being in my own world. I am learning and hearing more about local companies like yours. I don’t have many Hero Arts beauties yet but I k own it will change :-) Happy 45th ❤️❤️❤️
Hannah Parnell
April 20, 2019
I started stamping 19 years ago. I first started scrap-booking but found it was not the right fit for me. I took a stamping class at my local Joann’s store and have been hooked ever since. I am a fan of the Hero Arts products and have accumulated quite a collection over the years. Thank you for producing a quality product that lasts.
Kortney Wilson
April 20, 2019
1997 💌
Cherrie Maranan
April 20, 2019
I started stamping last year in May and I am loving and enjoying it so much. Being a stay-at-home mom to 3 little boys, crafting like card making is my time for myself. I have used stamps in making cards for family, friends and my sons’ class. I have tried using stamps on a canvas, too. My boys love stamping and coloring and making their own cards as well. Guess, I’ll continue to stamp as long as I live. Thanks to your beautiful stamps and Happy 45th Anniversary, Hero Arts!!! You live with your name, truly a hero to everyone. Cheers to more years in the business! 🥂❤️
Liz Ford
April 20, 2019
I started stamping back in grade school. That would have been in the late 1970’s. Probably when I was nine or ten: so that would have been 1978 or 1979. I loved doing craft projects and would go to Ben Franklin and check out all the markers, pencils, oils, stamps, needle point; anything on display and try to figure out how I could get my Mom to buy it for me if I did not have enough allowance to buy it myself. I found one of my first stamps a few years ago, it was a teddy bear sitting next to a striped ball.
Now I stamp mostly and used to scrapbook but have not really been consistently scrapping. Cards are my real main focus now, so I buy a lot of stamps and dies! From you guys lately! Happy Anniversary Hero Arts!
Glorie
April 20, 2019
Happy Anniversary Hero Arts! I started stamping in 2002 with a Hero Arts stamp set. It was a set of flowers and I made mother’s day cards. I need to see if I still jave that set.
Sharon Suske
April 20, 2019
In 1974 I was a sophomore in high school! Wowza! I started stamping when I started card making—maybe about 15 years ago. I really got active with it when I got my MISTI. Thanks for the chance to win! Happy 45th!
Natalie Winterstein
April 20, 2019
I started stamping around 2009, I think it was. I started papercrafting by scrapbooking and then transitioned to cardmaking and stamping.
MandaLJ
April 20, 2019
Love the “Parts of a rubber stamp” explanation! I can remember buying stamps while on holiday in Hong Kong in 1991 so I probably started stamping then!
Evette Rodriguez
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in October of 2018. Prior to that I was using stickers and digital art purchased online to decorate my planner. Honestly, I was afraid to learn to stamp, I resisted learning something new that I might love and further reduce my retirement fund 😊. But here I am, absolutely loving this newfound card making hobby that also translates to my planning life. Your stamps are unique and exceptionally made. I am happy to have joined the party. Congratulations on your anniversary.
Amber Scholtz
April 20, 2019
I am fairly new to stamping. I just started getting into it about a year ago. Some of my favorites are from Hero Arts. I love the layering stamps. I recently bought the caterpillar layering stamp. Happy 45th Anniversary Hero Arts! Wishing you many more years of success!
Kelly W.
April 20, 2019
Wow, what great memories Hero Arts! I love reading about your story, so interesting! I started stamping in 1999 when my sister invited me to a stamping party. I made my first card and was hooked! I love your products, giving outreach, and brilliant design team! Wishing you many more years of continued success in the future.
Joan W
April 20, 2019
Congratulations Hero Arts! I started stamping about 1979. Very few companies around back then but it opened up another whole way to enjoy my love of paper crafts. Still having fun and going strong after all these years.Wishing Hero Arts another 45 years (at least) of continued success.
Mindy Drummond
April 20, 2019
This time last year was when I started getting interested in Mixed Media which in turn led me to stamping. I quickly fell in love with everything to do with papercrafting. It’s become so much more than a hobby and I love it! I am very excited to go back to the beginning of Hero Arts and learn all about the history, the people, and the products that I enjoy so much – 45 years….WOW, Congrats!
mardy14@bellsouth.net
Tanya Perrin
April 20, 2019
I began “stamping” about 16 years ago but it was grounded in scrapbooking. I dont think I really caught onto card making until 5 years ago. The photos you shared are great!!!! Happy anniversary!
Leni
April 20, 2019
Congratulations on your anniversary Hero Arts! I am involved in stamping already for 15 years now. And I Love it so much! The reason I liked the idea of stamping is that it was my desire to be an artist, I would like to be a painter. But I misses the talent for it, so stamping was THE possibility to Create Art or something like that. Hero Arts was my first Love! One of the first Hero Arts stamps I bought was F3045 “Elegant Poppy” from 2004. In the summer of 2017 I was able to visit the Hero Arts store at their factory in Richmond; a highlight of my time in California! Thank you so much Hero Arts for all you do!
Kristina Gentle
April 20, 2019
I started scrapbooking with scrap paper and magazine clippings when I was 14, maybe 15. But really scrapbooking in highschool with real albums, stuff from creative memories. Sooooo 21 years ago! Seems like I’ve always done some sorta crafting. Now I find myself doing more cards and design!
Doris
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in the early 80’s. My sister had a rubber stamp party where we learned to color the stamps with Markers. My stamps fit in a shoe box back then.
Jean Heming
April 20, 2019
Ive been stamping over 20 years, My first start was a wooden christmas santa claus stamp , I came across in a kiosk in the middle of a mall… It was years after that that I got a few hand made from a printer company on wooden handles…stamps sure have come along way and i now own several hundred!!! Love stamping nearly everyday!!!
Rose Hackman
April 20, 2019
I started stamping back about 2008. Unfortunately, I didn’t discover Hero Arts until some time later. I guess good things really do come to those who wait! Congratulations on your Anniversary Hero Arts! May you celebrate many, many more.
Carla Hundley
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in
1986 or so! Happy
45 years!
Carla from Utah
Connie Myers
April 20, 2019
I don’t remember the exact year, but it was toward the end of high school/beginning of college (1970-1974). I guess you could say I grew up with Hero Arts!
Valerie
April 20, 2019
Congratulations on the 45 years! That’s amazing and proof that focusing on quality in products is a real strength. I’m fairly new to stamping, only a year!
Leanne in Cali
April 20, 2019
Congratulations on your wonderful anniversary! Such a long time to be in this business. I started stamping in 2000 when my oldest child was 2. Love your quality, kits and fun ideas and am looking forward to more!!
Dena
April 20, 2019
I started around 10 years ago.
Christine Focke
April 20, 2019
My supervisor gave me a little stamp and stamp pad for Christmas one year. She was not a stamper.
I noticed stamp classes advertised at my local stamp store and wondered why you needed to take
a class! Shortly thereafter I watched an embossing demo in the store window and I was hooked!
I have been stamping since January, 1997 and I still have that stamp! Your stamps have changed
so much over the years and they keep getting better and better! I loved hearing how Hero Arts
began its journey!
Rosie Lopez
April 20, 2019
June 2014 when 3 incredibly thoughtful families remembered that I had mentioned (on ONE occasion) wanting to try stamping but that it was a investment I couldn’t make at the time. They were parents of my preschool students and the generous gift basket of cards, inks and stamps started my stamping journey. Truly one of the most thoughtful gifts I received as a teacher.
Gina Mongenel
April 20, 2019
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary! I’ve been stamping since the early nineties and some of my oldest and favorite stamps are Hero Arts!
Brandy Jones
April 20, 2019
I started stamping in my early teens. I was always on the lookout for stamps of my name since it was a hard one to find. I discovered ones I could
Order in the mail and stamped everything I could!
Dawn Lovett
April 20, 2019
I started Nov of 2018. I was a quilter and had lost the use of my right hand in May of that year. I couldn’t cut fabric or hold it at the machine when I saw a crafters day on hsn. There I saw the electric die cutting machine and I thought I can put paper in that. I made some very simple cards with the products that came with the machine, and the rest is history. On a very good note my hand started improving just by it helping me guide the plates into the machine and placing paper it’s not totally back but I’m on my way.
Lisa A creations
April 20, 2019
Oh wow! I love seeing those pictures on how Hero Arts began. It makes me believe that anything is possible. I began stamping around the year 2012 when I was invited to a cardmaking class by a friend who sold Stampin Up products. After that, I was hooked. Been cardmaking ever since.
Brenda
April 20, 2019
I started stamping about 6 years ago.
Rema DeLeeuw
April 20, 2019
Happy Anniversay Hero Arts! I started stamping ten years ago and bought my very first stamp from your company!
Judy
April 19, 2019
Congratulations Hero Arts! Your stamps are what led me down the stamping and cardmaking road when I bought my first stamp set in 2000 (Leaf Prints LL568) which I still have today. Stamping, cardmaking and the creativity of paper crafts has enriched my life! Thank you for your wonderful products, inspiration and customer service!
conniecrafter
April 19, 2019
that was very interesting to hear how the company started up and so neat that Aaron kept it going and has been helpful to so many others along the way. That is what got me into stamping probably about 16 years ago, I wanted to add my own personal touch to the cards I was sending to family and friends and give them a bit of joy along the way!
Lisa Henning
April 19, 2019
I started stamping about 30+ years ago when I saw a cute set of Christmas images in some catalog that was delivered to the house and I thought, “I could decorate my greeting card envelopes!”. LOL. I never dreamt the things that are being done with rubber stamps now! Amazing how stamping has evolved!
Vikki H
April 19, 2019
I began stamping in 1978 with two or three Hero Arts stamps. I still have the bottle of silver embossing powder used with those stamps and melted over a hot stovetop burner.
Danielle Dietz
April 19, 2019
Love that we get to learn how Hero Arts started! I can’t wait to learn more.
Cynthia Baldwin
April 19, 2019
I started stamping as an extension of my scrapbooking/cardmaking hobby. And although I’ve been scrapbooking since high school (late 80’s), I’d say it didn’t really become a big pastime until I wanted to capture memories of my kids – so that was in the early 2000’s.
The first rubber stamp I ever bought I still have – a bear (our high school mascot) with balloons…and yes, it’s a Hero Arts stamp! Congrats on your anniversary!
Maryjo L Monterosso
April 19, 2019
I first started stamping in 2004 but I’ve been crafting in all kinds of media since high school. I graduated from high school in 1967 so I have been crafting for many years
Rachel W
April 19, 2019
I started stamping at a very young age. I don’t remember exactly how old I was but I remember going to a local store called the Paper Rabbit to get stickers (for sticker trading) and saw the stamps and there was no turning back!
Florie Vega
April 19, 2019
Although, I am old enough, I raised my boys in Puerto Rico so I was a full time wife, full time accountant at the University of Puerto Rico, full time mom and full time student because I had an asociate as secretary, but was pursuing accountants duties so I was studying to graduate with a BA in accounting. No time for myself until now that I am so sick., with that said I have been crafting since my youngest son introduced me to this world and I am loving it. One of my favourite craft companies is Hero Arts. Congratulations and I hope and wish that you continue for many more years.
Julie
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the late 1980’s. The oldest card I still have is dated 1999. I’m sure I have stamps from Hero Arts that are 20 years old.
Yvonne Vansickle
April 19, 2019
I took a first stamping class in 1985. Nothing like what we have today!
Jaclyn Watler
April 19, 2019
I started stamping only last year! My first Hero Arts purchase was the wonderfully beachy June 2018 MMH Kit :)
Charmaine Koh
April 19, 2019
I started stamping when I first started working life. At first I just wanted to make stickers with like the epoxy top, so i bought myself a stamp with embossint powder. Now that started my stamping obsession! (:
Teresa Selby
April 19, 2019
Love Hero Arts stamps and dies. I can’t wait to see more!!!!!!
Marlene
April 19, 2019
So amazing to see the progress throughout the years! Been a huge fan and customer for over 20 years myself!😊
Tracy H. Green
April 19, 2019
I got my first stamps as a child in the 80’s but I SERIOUSLY got into stamping shortly after my daughter was born in the 90’s. And I can’t even begin to comprehend all I have spent on my little hobby since then! 😂 Thankfully, I have a very supportive husband who is happy when I am happy. (Or so he says!😉)
Marilyn P
April 19, 2019
I guess I have been stamping for over 25 years. I have owned Hero Arts stamps for at least that long, maybe longer. The red rubber and wood mounted ones still stamp beautifully.
Maureen Hayes
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 2009-2010 and like almost everyone my first stamp was, you guessed it, a Hero Arts one!! Happy Anniversary to you, you’re a wonderful company and I wish you you many more years. 😘❤️❤️
Carri Tobler
April 19, 2019
I first started stamping when I was kid in the 90’s. My mom was person to show me how to emboss and we melted the powder by hold the paper above our toaster. I got more involved when I began to work at a craft store 17 years ago and now stamp all the time.
Bonnie McKenzie
April 19, 2019
My cousin introduced me to scrapbooking four years ago, it was fun I got married and started scrapbooking my wedding pics. For my wedding I made my invitations with her help of my design, that started me on making cards ever since I love it,
Kate Garvin
April 19, 2019
I started stamping with my mom when I was in middle school. She would take me to Stampin’ Up parties.
Aimee
April 19, 2019
Congratulations 🎉🎊
Stacy L
April 19, 2019
I just started stamping in January of 2018.
Seema Raja
April 19, 2019
As a newbee (just 1.5 years), to the industry it was such a joy to watch such an amazing interview. I wish more industries would understand the value of being a family at work especially since we spend so much of our time there and we live in a time where love and respect for one another is so important. Kudos to Hero Arts for all it is doing not just for the industry but also for the world in general. With all that Hero Arts does for the community I feel my money is well spent when purchasing their products.
Kristina Beagle
April 19, 2019
This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve been stamping for a hot minute, 15 years maybe. Hero Arts is the first brand I can remember caring about being brand loyal too.
Julie
April 19, 2019
I have only been stamping for about 10 years or so. I have enjoyed Hero Arts stamps a lot over the years. Happy 45th anniversary!
Karen Lingel
April 19, 2019
I started stamping around 1997 when I moved to California. My friend Frances invited me to a stamping party and and I was hooked. For many years, I called Frances “my dealer” who got me addicted to stamping! Sorry Frances, love you!
Patt H.
April 19, 2019
I’ve been a stamper since 1998 & still love everything about it. I started making cards when I saw a person make a cute card with a light box & metal stencils. I was hooked! Now I have as many stamps & dies as a small store & need to retire some! My first stamp was form Hero Arts!!
Beverly Boyles
April 19, 2019
I first started stamping in 1984 and my first stamp was from Hero Arts!!! And I have been a fan ever since!!!
Kathy Hendrickson
April 19, 2019
I started around 15 years ago and then stopped. Then I found a great shop in Roseville CA. The owner is an incredible artist and I learned so much about stamping, stamping techniques, and mixed media art. Unfortunately the shop is now closed but occasionally the owner will hold classes in the area.
Andrea B
April 19, 2019
Gosh, I think I started stamping in the early to mid 90s. Congrats on your anniversary!
Kim S.
April 19, 2019
1998. My mom had pancreatic cancer. She left us in September. I was the oldest and the executrix of her will. My youngest brother asked if he could have some pictures. I said no. They were MY pictures. Then I felt guilty. I had copies made and that was my first scrapbook. Did my shopping for it at Scraporium in Tampa. They’re still there. It snowballed from there. I don’t scrap as much as I should now. I make cards. Alot of them with Hero Arts stamps. You all have a lovely company. Thank you.
Anne-Laure BM
April 19, 2019
Hello ! So glad to be a part of your adventure and you are a part of mine too ! I’ve been stamping since I was a child, when my dad was still here. I stopped for many years and I started to create cards 2-3 years ago. <3
Love your brand, produits and you are the best team I know ! Thank you.
Kirsty Vittetoe
April 19, 2019
I started stamping when I moved to NYC 2003, I was watching QVC late at night and captured by those awesome wooden stamps, and no turning back since, LOL! Happy Anniversary!!!!!!
Vonnie her
April 19, 2019
I started almost 21 years ago. But really got into it the past 10 years.
Brenda
April 19, 2019
I started stamping back in high school so I’ll say I started at age 14. Loved stamps then and still do. Thanks for paving the stampin’ art world, Hero Arts! We are indebted to you.
Cheryl Stonley
April 19, 2019
❤️ Scrapp’n 👍😀 ‼️
Cheryl Stonley
April 19, 2019
Started Scrapp’n with a few friends once a month after my husband and I split It started out as therapy, now I am hooked and started making my own cards 💌📕✏️✂️🖊 LUV IT ‼️
Mary
April 19, 2019
I actually started stamping since 2011 and have enjoyed it ever since. This is when I started card making and have yet to purchase a store bought card since.
Dana N
April 19, 2019
Wow, how awesome of a milestone! I started stamping about 20 years ago after an aunt introduced this to myself, my mom and sister. We all still make cards, lots of cards!
Ellen E
April 19, 2019
I started BUYING stamps in the late 1980s. Started USING them in the 1990s. I have always had a soft spot for Hero Arts stamps! They are my one weakness. ❤️ Congratulations on your 45th anniversary.
Marty C.
April 19, 2019
Omg!! I remember that poster!!! But I’m old as dirt!!!! Love hero arts!!!!!
Heidi H
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in high school – so early 90s. Have always loved Hero Arts. Fun to learn the history!
Peg
April 19, 2019
Happy 45th Hero Arts!! I have been stamping on an off since the 1980’s! Love Hero Arts products!
Viveca
April 19, 2019
I started stamping when I was four or five (not very well of course) I had a box or random craft supplies and would make so many creations to give to family or hang on the wall.
Anita Ritchie
April 19, 2019
I loved the video! Hero Arts stamps always stamp the best! My first exposure to stamping was through Stampin’ Up, however, and a workshop where I stamped my first card, and was addicted! Now I buy from many companies and joke that each card I make is probably at least a $30 card!!
Rebecca
April 19, 2019
I had rubber stamps as a child, but the stamping was not anything worth sharing with friends! Hopefully with my stamp platform and clear stamps, the quality is a little better now. :)
Deborah Mattingly
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on 45 years. May you have many more years ahead. I first started stamping about 20 years ago. The industry has certainly changed since then.
Patricia Zukowski
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on 45 years of creativity . I think it is very possibly 40+ years since I started stamping . At one time I had a small craft shop in my basement at the farm where I carried your stamps and taught classes. Nice to know that you are still going strong. .
Nandini Karmarkar
April 19, 2019
Congrats! 45 is a really huge achievement! Thanks for sharing the story of how this great company was started. Looking forward to the rest of the series. I started stamping around 4-5 years back. I discovered Kristina Werner’s blog and got hooked!
Helen Kalb
April 19, 2019
Happy birthday Hero Arts!
I started stamping in 1996, most of my stamps were from PSX because I could get them where I lived at the time in Beijing, China. My friend Lorraine had some Hero Arts stamps that she had bought in Australia and I remember drooling over a catalogue she had. I still have and sometimes use my first Hero Arts stamps. Love your company!
Jackie
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary! When I first started stamped 5 years ago I tried many different companies’ products but now my only choice for stamps is Hero Arts and especially My Monthly Kit! Thanks so much…..
Jessica Monte
April 19, 2019
I first started when my daughter was 6 months old that was 15 years ago. I love making cards with my mom and best friend.
Nadine Dunker
April 19, 2019
You were part of my retirement gift that keeps giving. I started making cards and small books for family and friends and it just keeps going. I have so many of your images and other products that help make it happen. Just did a mini book for my sister’s 85TH. Birthday. Thank you for products and ideas.
Cyndee
April 19, 2019
I stamping in the late ’80’s. They didn’t really have a crafty store near me, so I would take the opportunity to check out the ones near my husband’s relatives when we went to visit.
Cara
April 19, 2019
1983ish? I may still have some old Hero Arts stamps!
Pam Foy
April 19, 2019
13 years ago! I have lots of hero arts stamps
Mary in Wausau WI
April 19, 2019
I didn’t know I was so late to the game! I believe I started stamping/collecting in 1995…but only dabbled while the kids were young. Now that we’re empty nesters I ink ‘me up as often as possible! ❤️
Danelyn Williams
April 19, 2019
Congratulations!!! Happy Anniversary!!!
Bonnie Hampton
April 19, 2019
This is just tremendous!
Ann Dahne
April 19, 2019
I’ve always been crafty, and purchased some stamps in every decade from the 70s to the present. Many of my early stamps were purchased mail-order from pages like the one you have shown above; sadly most if not all of those early one are long gone. I have been actively stamping cards for about 15 years.
Geri S
April 19, 2019
Wow! Congrats on 45 years! I started stamping about 30 years ago to find a cost effective way to mail cards to nieces and nephews scattered around the continent. I’d have to dig through my stash to see if I can find some of those first ones. Today Hero arts is the # one cost effective company that I love! I hope you an keep going the same way!
Amy Hanne
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 1999, I was invited to a stampin Up party, and I’ve never looked back 😍
Barbara Schmitz
April 19, 2019
I still remember the first rubber stamp I bought – an HA angel, in 1987!
Amy Cooley
April 19, 2019
I started stamping about 20 years ago. Happy Anniversary! I love the flashbacks!
Mary
April 19, 2019
Wow! Congratulations! I’ve been stamping for almost 30 years! Your stamps are the best!
Melissa
April 19, 2019
I started stamping probably 8 years ago. Congratulations on 45 years!
Stephanie B
April 19, 2019
Love the old catalogue and the picture of the stamp booth! I started a rubber stamp collection as a child in the ‘80’s and still have many of them.
I used to be very active outdoors with hobbies like scuba diving, mountain biking, kayaking, and surfing to name a few, but in 2014 my life was turned upside down by a medical condition, leaving me in extreme pain and stripping me of my physical ability to take place in all those hobbies that made me, well, me. It took me awhile, but I picked myself back up and realized I need to focus on what I can do and take it as an opportunity to reinvent myself. I looked back at all my hobbies and saw some of those old stamps I still had, and I think everyone here knows how quickly that interest can grow! Now I’ve got a growing stash of rubber, photo polymer, dies, stencils and all the different inks and papers. I love that this is a hobby that you can put down and get back to, so if you have a condition like mine, you can pick it up on your good days for a few minutes here and there, but still have that feeling of accomplishment as you create something new.
Thank you Hero Arts for your inspiration, the kits are amazing. You guys don’t know how much joy you bring to so many of us!
Michele Hogarth
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the early 80’s and still have most of my wood mounted stamps. Can’t wait to see the anniversary sets.
sharon gullikson
April 19, 2019
I started, really, about 20 years ago. But I started seriously stamping, making it my big hobby, about 15 years ago. I went to a friend’s home stamping sales party, bought A BUNCH of stamps, inks, etc., and went from there. I love many different stamp companies’ offerings, including Hero Arts. Your stamps are very versatile, which is important. I’m going to check the link you offered about your history. BYE
SHARI CZERWINSKI
April 19, 2019
How fun to see the history of Hero Arts! I have a few older stamps from when I started paper crafting back in 1998!
Jeanne Beam
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on 45 years! I started stamping about 25 years ago. Some of the first stamps I bought was by Hero Arts. I still use them❤️
Thanks for a chance to win…
Patsy
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary! I have been using your stamps for 21 of those 45 years! Cheers to all the great years ahead.
Deborah Allmon
April 19, 2019
Love love Hero Arts! I first started stamping around 2001. I live in Oakland and realized that the company was local and instantly became a fan. I used to drop by the store in Richmond but I recently moved to Sacramento and don’t have an opportunity to drop by like before.
Gina McCarty
April 19, 2019
I owe my love for stamping to one of my best friends who has since lost her battle with cancer. She started having classes with a few of the ladies from our church as a Stampin’Up demonstrator. I immediately fell in love because this was something I could do seeing that I’m not really creative.
Anny
April 19, 2019
Wow!! That is soooo coooool!!! I love learning more about how Hero Arts started and blossomed! I started stamping about 2 years ago. I developed some hand problems and needed hand therapy. I thought crafting would be cheaper than what I would have to pay for therapy. Nope! Lol! But I LOVE it and it is therapy for my hands and brain so totally worth it! Thanks so much for sharing the history behind this wonderful, loving company. Here’s to another 45+ years!!!!
Kristen M
April 19, 2019
I bought my first stamps as a pre-teen. The oldest one I own is a Hero Arts wood mounted horse stamp that has a copyright date of 1987 on it! But my serious stamping hobby really started 7 or 8 years ago.
Cha Lion
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on your 45th anniversary! I’m new in stamping and cardmaking. I started in 2016! I discovered Hero Arts through scrapbooking videos on YouTube and then, I started getting products and I can’t stop!… here I am! :)
Dee Earnshaw
April 19, 2019
I started stamping when I had the kids – as a stay at home mom, it helped me stay sane – lol!!
Sarah Jay
April 19, 2019
I started stamping as a child in the mid 80s, making bookmarks and cards. I still have one of my Hero Arts stamps from that era! I picked it up again as an adult in 1999, and have been stamping off and on since then, working in design teams, having my work published, and even designing some of my own. Thank you for inspiring a life-long hobby and side hustle!
Heidi Macy
April 19, 2019
Oh, how fun! Do you have any of the stamps from the catalogs, still? I stamped a little when I was probably about 10-12. My oldest Hero Arts stamps are from the mid 80’s. They were cats and bookplates, gifts from my aunt. Still have them, still work great! I also have collected a few other older Hero Arts stamps from friends that do not stamp, but had them around from their childhoods.
Kelly Kennedy
April 19, 2019
I’ve really only been stamping a couple of years. I’ve dabbled a little but nothing too serious.
Phyllis Freese
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the late 1990’s after taking a “free” class at Michael’s. All my supplies I purchased fit in one small box and now they are spilling out of an entire room dedicated to stamping. Hero Arts has always been one of my favorite companies. I saved your catalogs, but mine are more recent than the ones shown here. Happy Anniversary, Hero Arts!
Debra Neuser
April 19, 2019
I started stamping 22 years ago. A friend of mine had a Stampin’ Up party, and I went under protest because as I emphatically told her, “I didn’t need another hobby!” But I fell hard for the craft, and my love affair with paper, ink and stamps hasn’t diminished a bit in all this time! I love how the industry has changed over time and how there are so many great companies like Hero Arts to provide us paper crafters with inspiration and temptation!
Lisa Byers
April 19, 2019
I started stamping two Christmases ago. I started watching a Lindsey Weirich video on YouTube and she was making a card. She made it look so easy!! So 15 months and $5000 later, I am enjoying stamping and making cards. Also, I remember these old Hero Arts Stamps. Gosh, I didn’t realize this was the same company. I had some of these. Wow, this shows my age!!
Amy
April 19, 2019
I started Stamping when I started working full time and didn’t have time for scrapbooking layouts. I loved listening/watching your story on OCC. Thank you
Cassi
April 19, 2019
I started stamping when I was about 12 years old. I had an aunt that made super detailed cards by hand and she taught me how to heat emboss. I instantly fell in love as I watched the embossing power melt. One of the first stamps I got is a Hero Arts teddy bear and cat stamp with the sentiment “best friends”. It is still proudly displayed on a shelf in my craft area.
Judith Williams
April 19, 2019
I was gifted a few stamps about twenty five years ago . Who knew a few stamps could turn into an entire room of paper crafting bliss?
Madeline L
April 19, 2019
I started stamping after going to a Stampinup class about 20 years ago. Discovered online videos and other Stamp companies about 2 and a half years go.
Connie
April 19, 2019
In the early 2000s I sold Stampin Up. I was more of a scrspboojer and terrible with stamping! Now starting a card ministry and lice all the options out there. Hero Arts is my favorite company! Ask my card friends as I say that often, not just for your benefit on this post. Great customer service too. Love the videos each month for MMH kits
Emmie W
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the early 90’s, with my children, and the very first stamp I purchased was by Hero Arts. Now I have grandbabies and do a card once a month with them using my MMHero kit. Time goes by way too quickly. Congratulations Hero Arts.
Lise Mariann
April 19, 2019
Congrats on your big anniversary. So exciting to see what you have in store.
I have been stamping since I started scrapbooking in 2004, but it’s not until the last year and a half that I have gotten really into stamping and cardmaking.
Michelle Sabata
April 19, 2019
How fun to see those flashback pictures! I started stamping in 2002 to help me deal with the loss of my beloved mom. All of my stamps for the first few years where hero arts stamps, yours was the only company I even knew was out there and I loved all of them dearly. And still do! Have fun celebrating this big milestone.Meenakshi Dige
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary. I started stamping 4 years back . I love stamping very much .
nanna
April 19, 2019
Fun pics! I started in 2014 :)
Kelsey Thomas
April 19, 2019
I started stamping about 10 years ago. :)
Margaret R
April 19, 2019
It’s so much fun to see the beginnings of Hero Arts – thanks for sharing your story! I started stamping sometime in the 80s; my husband and I collected (more than used) stamps that we bought at a stamp store in Anchorage. But I didn’t really get into it until about 6 years ago, after I started scrapbooking – that, of course, led to card making and lots and lots of stamping!
Denise Petro
April 19, 2019
I started stamping, probably around 1997. I still love this hobby!
Sladjana Perisic
April 19, 2019
I started this hobby after the birth of my first child in 2010 with scrapbooking. But really after discovering card making in 2015 I fall in love with stamping and haven’t looked back since. 😍Linda
April 19, 2019
I don’t remember the date I actually started stamping, but it was from a direct sales person with Hero Arts. I am a Bay Area kid and remember this new local company selling cute stamps. This was late 70’s early 80’s. I still have a Christmas set from 1985.
Amanda
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 1994 and still enjoy it as much as I did in 1994!
Allison Waibel
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary! To answer your question, I started stamping two years ago. I am just a baby in stamp land.
Merle J Unoki
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on your anniversary. Your Stamps was the first ones I started stamping with.
Lisa
April 19, 2019
I only started stamping in 2016 but my first order was from hero arts and I love it.
Tara
April 19, 2019
I am a pretty new stamper!!
I have been paper crafting for a long time, and accidentally purchased a set of embossing folders about six months ago. After figuring out what do do with them, I purchased a big shot. Then I needed some dies. Of course, after that I needed to start stamping too! So I ordered a set….and another…..and then several dozen more!
I haven’t been able to stop stamping since :)
Paz bustos
April 19, 2019
Just a little bit more than a year (im still not 45). Im so new in this theme bout just love it more and more
Jan Tinklenberg
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 1997, and I still have some vintage Hero Arts from back then! Congratulations on your anniversary!
Kim Klinkovsky
April 19, 2019
I was introduced to stamping 16 years ago by my sister who brought them to my house and said “Look what I found. You have to try these and make your own cards” and thats how my stamping obsession began. Thank you for all you do and for going greener too! It’s an incredible feat to survive 45yrs these days and to carry on your moms dream and continue to be a family run company is something pretty amazing! And the type of company I like to support. Happy 45th Anniversary and cheers to 45 more!!!
patricia woodbury
April 19, 2019
I think you should bring back some of the original stamp designs. From just that brief section of an old catalog I see some stamps I’d buy today.
Bonnie K.
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary, Hero Arts!
I’ve only just started stamping and card making in the last couple of years. It’s addictive!! Can’t wait to see what other fun memories you have to share with us!
Kelly Booth
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 1987 Hero Arts has always been a big part of my Hobby. So proud to have been a Hero Hostess and part of the Hero Arts Community!!! You Rock!!!!
jill allard
April 19, 2019
i was a stamper since late 1980s early 1990s however i lost everything crafty in a basement flood im recovering from bilateral pulmonary embolism and stuck on bedrest so the only way i can restart my collection is by me winning anything or a very helpful company will to help a girl that getting bedrest boredom
Josmary
April 19, 2019
I forgot to mention I started stamping and making cards about a year and 6 months ago. I was inspired by Cathy zilsky she was starting her journey in card making as well have being following her forever since I was a scrapbookers. Such a fun and funny lady.
Josmary
April 19, 2019
So funny to hear about Aaron’s cow stamp at 4 year old. The entire family contributing to grow what is now one of my favorites companies.
Jenny K.
April 19, 2019
I started stamping/crafting about 20 years ago when the first of my three children were born. HA has always been a favorite company of mine – you guys are amazing!
Gail Lamotte
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the very late 1990’s with shadow stamps from Hero Arts!
KimG
April 19, 2019
I have been stamping for over 20 years. Hero Arts stamps were some of the very first stamps I purchased and I still have most of them! Congratulations on 45 years! It is a wonderful milestone for one of my very favorite companies.
Susan McRae
April 19, 2019
That’s quite a milestone, big congrats Hero Arts! Love seeing the old fold-out posters, so fun! I started stamping in 1993 and have been addicted ever since. Hero Arts was one of the first companies I purchased from and still do to this day. Thanks Hero Arts for making fabulous crafty supplies to keep us addicted to this hobby!
Karen B
April 19, 2019
2003!
Jennifer Kotas
April 19, 2019
Congratulations! I was born in May of ‘74 as well! I started stamping about 20 years ago and have quite a few Hero Arts wood stamps from the early 2000s.
Rachael Shedeed
April 19, 2019
I actually came to the stamping game just 7 years ago. I had always done my cards and scrapbooks by piecing together items I cut out of magazines. I love stamping, and it has really allowed me to express so much creativity. So happy to be a customer of such a long-standing company with great products and service. Thank you HA and keep it up, congratulations!
Karen Hale
April 19, 2019
I got the stamping bug about 10 years ago after visiting a craft show. Since then it has become an addiction that I hope I’m never cured of. Congratulations Hero Arts on this milestone and thanks for your awesome products and great customer service.
Kailash
April 19, 2019
Congratulations Hero Arts and Thank You for being an outstanding company! I started stamping in 2011 and remember purchasing my very first stamp which turned out to be an itty bitty hero Arts cling stamp which I still own and keep very dear to my heart. I joined the HA flickr group and my life has never been the same since:-). I am so grateful for my craft and cannot imagine my life without it!
Mary Holshouser
April 19, 2019
My daughter took me to a card making class in 2004.
I’ve always enjoyed crafts and thought this was fun.
I got started making my own cards and it’s become
a big part of my life. I hold a couple classes each
month and love to share my skills. Happy
Anniversary – best wishes for many more.
txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Victoria Davis
April 19, 2019
I spent the 70s and 80s in San Francisco – best city in the world! I started stamping in the late 90s but I was so bad at it especially with the background (aka large) stamps. I emailed HA and they recommended that I lay the stamp down and apply paper on top. Worked better but still not great…until the MISTI came along! Love the MMH kits (-: You all provide excellent customer service – Hello Debbie L! Happy Easter
Shelley
April 19, 2019
Congratulations on your 45th anniversary. I started stamping in 1983 when my first job took me away from home and I’d write letters and decorate the envelopes with stamps. I still have a few of my first purchases…a calligraphy style “To” and “From” set by your company and a “To” and “From” set with a man on an island and a message in a bottle from an old stamp company called All Night Media.
Lindsay S
April 19, 2019
Happy Anniversary! I remember having some my little pony stamps when I was little, but I didn’t start getting into stamping until I was getting married 20 years ago. I remember stamping on the placecards for our wedding, and I couldn’t figure out why the ink was still wet. Then I learned there was a difference between embossing ink and dye ink. I was trying to dry the placecards in the motel room with a hairdryer the night before the wedding! I’ve learned so much since then!
Patti R
April 19, 2019
Growing up in Sonoma (all you HA folks know where that is!), I remember my grandma bringing me a small kit of four cat stamps, back in about ’79 that she had picked up for me. I stamped with it all summer and thought I was so creative! Fast forward about 20 years, and having a young family of my own. School art projects were a big thing and I had already been scrapbooking—stamping became a natural extension of it—eventually supplanting the scrapbook! I love, love, love stamps and Hero Arts has some of the best!
GLenda M Sultan
April 19, 2019
My introduction to stamping was in 1990. A friend owned a stained glass shop & gave lessons in several art mediums. After raising my children and retiring, I picked it up again. For a while there card making wasn’t popular. Thanks to scrapbooking, supplies are readily available for us card makers.
Trina P.
April 19, 2019
Happy 45th anniversary! Incredible and resilient. Love reading and seeing how HA got started. Will have to check out the video.
I started stamping in 2005. It has really been my therapy and saved my sanity. 💙
Cynthia O.
April 19, 2019
It’s awesome that Hero Arts is celebrating 45 years in the stamping business! Congrats! I have been stamping for about 20 years now,
Martin Jeanne-Marie
April 19, 2019
I only started stamping a few years ago but Hero Arts was one of my first Stamp companies I came across! I purchased some of the wooden mount rubber stamps and I was hooked! :)
Teresa Godines #6857
April 19, 2019
I tried stamping more then 20 years ago. I was not too successful. then a few years later I purchased another stamp. And then it happened…. I became addicted.
Nicole Nardi
April 19, 2019
I can remember having a few stamps when I was a kid, but really became a stamper about 6 years ago.
Cynthia Cole
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in 2008 when a friend took me to a card specialty shop. I was hooked from the start. How fun to look back to the 1970’s from your humble beginnings.
Maria B
April 19, 2019
I think my first stamping started in 1977 or so. My friend Michael introduced me to stamping. I still have most of the stamps I bought then. Such a long time I’ve been enjoying stamping!
Kerry
April 19, 2019
I started Stampin’ in 2003 specifically for card making, but I did use rubber stamps when I started scrapbooking in 1994. Congratulations, Hero Arts!Marty R
April 19, 2019
It was probably in the 60’s when we made potato stamps. But was introduced to “real” stamping in the 90’s. But this serious stuff didn’t happen until I retired seven years ago. That’s when the addiction really happened. My tote box that would last me a life time turned into a craft room😂
BECCA YAHRLING
April 19, 2019
I want to say 25 years ago! I started going to arts & craft shows where I found scrapbooking and then that evolved into the stamping world.
Happy Anniversary to you – wow! – 45 years is such an awesome milestone!!!
Karen F.
April 19, 2019
Happy 45th Anniversary! What an amazing journey! Thanks for sharing your story and the great photos. As I too was “born” in Berkeley, albeit 22 years earlier, you will always have a special place in my heart. I started buying stamps for my mom and me to use to add a little something “extra” to our store bought cards and the outside of envelopes particularly at Christmas probably 35 years ago. My paper crafting started with embossing and die cutting and I didn’t really get serious about stamping until about a year ago after watching a Jennifer McGuire YouTube craft video. That is when I discovered and fell in love with the June 2018 Hero Arts MMH kit. Realizing I had missed out, I started the monthly subscription and have looked forward to every kit since!
Ang
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the 80’s. I remember Hero Arts from way back. I always loved that you are a local company (to me).
Thanks
Ang
Ellie S.
April 19, 2019
How wonderful that you still have the picture and “catalog” from way back! Such fun products!! Congrats on 45 years!!
I started stamping in 2002 after noticing the rubber stamp isle at Hobby Lobby for the first time. Bought a teddy bear stamp, some prefolded cards and a golden ink pad and made a card for my hubby! What a fun adventure it’s been!
Lagene
April 19, 2019
Congrats on 45 years, it’s fun hearing about your beginnings! I started stamping 2006 when I started making cards for friends and family.
Karthikha Uday
April 19, 2019
Wow! It is sooo good to see old pics and get to know how it all started!! I used to make cards as a child with just markers and thick papers, I was introduced to the stamping technique in 2015 :)
Diane Bakehouse
April 19, 2019
This is so much fun. I never knew Hero Arts was that old. What a wonderful story! I can’t wait to hear it all. I started stamping in 2012. My mum and sister had started making cards, and I had taken a year off to spend time with my family in England. Card making became my hobby.
Cindy C.
April 19, 2019
So interesting to read about Hero Arts’ history. I started stamping more than 20 years ago I can’t even remember the exact year. Hero Arts contest was the very first one I entered and it was done via the good old snail mail and the rest is history. Thank you Hero Arts for being a big part of my crafting life.
Dana M
April 19, 2019
Wow, 45 years – CONGRATULATIONS! Fun to see a bit of Hero Arts history. I bought my first rubber stamp around 1990 but really started stamping in 1996.
Sue Baker
April 19, 2019
As a child of the 60-70’s, I have been a stamping addict for a very long time. I loved stationary products and writing letters to my aunts and cousins. My dad gave me one of his old metal toolboxes that I decorated with “mod” stickers and this box held my prized collection of stamps and sealing wax.
Bonita Reyes
April 19, 2019
I remember when I would send in a card idea and receive a stamp from Hero. I love your stamps!
Cyndi Morris
April 19, 2019
I’m 71 years old and I’ve always loved crafting. I remember getting into paper crafting in the 70’s and my addiction to stamping was off and running! I loved mounted rubber stamps, but I wasn’t always successful at getting good images. Now with my Misti and wonderful products (like Hero Arts — I love your layering stamp and die sets), I’ve become a “pro” (OK, maybe not a pro, but definitely better at it). I’m now a happy granny with time to indulge my passion for card making.
Meghan Kennihan
April 19, 2019
This is AMAZING! I love the old pics! I started crafting from childhood but scrapbooking and cardmaking in junior high… I used to cut letters and pictures out of magazines to do my albums because there was no such thing as papers, stickers, brads, etc. :)
KT Fit Kitty
April 19, 2019
Ooooh, I so love looking back at the vintage stamp catalogs! I’m so glad you kept them! Yes, I remember that Crafty Chat and I will go watch/listen again – I remember I really enjoyed it the first time! I started stamping in the ’90s when a friend invited me to her house to make Christmas tags and wrapping paper. We had a roll of newsprint that we stamped on to make the gift wrap and then stamped on tiny folded cards for the tags and attached some ribbon. It was so much fun! I wanted to learn more so a short time later I took a few card classes and I was hooked! Making cards is a joy – for the maker and for the recipient!
Kristen HH
April 19, 2019
I think I started stamping in 2005 but took a break and then picked up again in 2010. Can’t seem to stop now! :-)
Kristi H.
April 19, 2019
So interesting to look back, isn’t it? I started stamping in earnest after my sister-in-law introduced me to scrapbooking in 2012. Soon after, I focused on card making and am still loving it.
Andre M.
April 19, 2019
I bought my first stamps and started making cards in 2017. It’s amazing to me that there’s a company that’s been doing this for longer than I’ve been alive. You’re a class act, Hero Arts! Congrats on achieving this milestone and may you continue to thrive and lead in this industry.
Kay Spangler
April 19, 2019
Since I have no natural ability to draw (can’t even make a good stick man), I can use stamps to make beautiful cards and such which can still be counted as art!
Deborah Cartwright
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the late 1990s and I still have some of your great shadow stamps from 2000.
Avra N Williams
April 19, 2019
I’m guessing I started stamping about 20 years ago, just a bit for several years, as I was primarily a scrapbooker. As of about 5-7 years ago I’ve exclusively become a die hard stamper and cardmaker. Happy 45th anniversary!
Laura P.
April 19, 2019
What a fun flashback! Conrats on your success…it is great to see a small business thrive and grow to the top of the industry! I started stamping in 1999 and my very first Hero Arts stamp was an image of the American flag. I still love it! Looking forward to more info on the history of Hero Arts!
Lisa K
April 19, 2019
I went to a MOPS meeting and the craft was all about rubber stamping. That was new to me, so I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased my first rubber stamps. Then I kept going back and most of the stamps I purchased were Hero Arts. This was nearly 20 years ago.
Jan Elmore
April 19, 2019
Oh my, I love this history lesson. You guys are awesome!
Sandi MacIver
April 19, 2019
I started stamping 30 years ago and Hero Arts were among my first stamps I bought way back then, and still are today, Congratulations on 45 years in business, and here’s to 45 more
Leigh Madison
April 19, 2019
I just started using stamps about 8yrs ago, but only started really growing my collections a few years ago when I learned about your my monthly hero kit! I’ve been hooked ever since :)
Christy Q
April 19, 2019
What an awesome look back! It’d be so cool to bring back some of those original stamps too! Can’t wait to see what will happen over the course of the next 5 Fridays! :) I started stamping when I was about 8 or 9 years old with my mom. Actually still have some of those wood mounted stamps many (many) years later! LOL
GabriellaB
April 19, 2019
I started stamping in the very early 80’s as a bored tween on summer vacation. The moms in the neighborhood signed a bunch of us girls up for a free crafts afternoon at our local library. I told my mom it was going to be stupid and I was going to hate it. The only thing I now remember is coming home with a hot pink bookmark that I stamped a cartoony bird on. I was hooked.
Carrie Carver
April 19, 2019
My stamping days only just began about a year ago, in early summer of 2018…and, my how I should have tried this ages ago! I always remembered seeing the wooden stamps in craft stores, and wondered what folks did with them, but never checked them out or met anyone that used them (to my knowledge). I just love all the possibilities and endless options with stamping.