Each sentiment in our database has at least one category. We use a variety of guidelines to determine categories and try to be as consistent as possible. However, just like crafting, sometimes this does take some creativity and flexibilty.
- Some categories, such as for "Happy Birthday," are fairly obvious, so we try to prioritize these.
- To help users get the most out of their stamp collections, we also try to list some alternative or other categories where the stamp might be useful.
- We try to evaluate a stamp's entire sentence or phrase, if applicable, when determining a category.
- For stamps with two or more words, we do not break each word into its own. For example, a stamp that reads "Happy Valentine's Day" is entered one time as "Happy Valentine's Day." Its would not get separate entries for "Happy," "Valentine's" and "Day." You can still extract a word from a specific stamp by masking or cutting out unwanted words.
- Whenever a stamp only has a single word, it will always be assigned the "Single Word" category. This approach allows you to locate single words that can be easily combined, generally without additional steps, to create a custom sentence or phrase.
- Using the "Happy Valentine's Day" example, let's imagine you need the word "Day" to complete a sentence you're creating for a project. Searching "Day" on its own should surface this stamp unless you have the "Single Word" filter active.
- Most single words will also be assigned at least one category that fits the general theme of the set it is in. For example, the word "Happy" appears in many stamp sets and each time it's included in our system, it will always be in "Single Word." If Stamp A is part of a birthday set, we'll give it that category, but it won't be in Christmas even though it could be used to create the phrase "Happy Holidays." This would also be done the opposite way if a stamp set is a Christmas-themed set. The idea here is that, by assigning a word to "Single Word" and another theme helps users locate it for broader, general use but also flags the stamp as being part of a themed set.
- Filtering by "Single Word" is a great way to create your own custom mix-and-match sentiments.
- For stamp sets that are entirely or almost entirely single words and designed to be mixed together, the "Single Word" category will still be assigned. Words with broad uses may not include any other category. Words that are more specific, such as "Mom," would likely be found there as well as "Mother's Day" and "Family."
- If you're wondering about the difference between the "Love" and "Valetine's Day" categories, stamps that specifically contain the word "Valentine" or similar words such as "Be Mine" will get the Valentine's tag. We will also assign Valentine's Day even if that word is not on a specific stamp if it is part of a Valentine's Day themed set. Stamps with more generic words such as "Love" will be assigned to the "Love" category and, if the set it is part of is meant primarily for Valentine's Day, we'll also make sure cupid's arrow puts it in that category as well. If you're looking for more Valentine's Day options, a good trick is to use the Love category as well.
- In general, our goal is to help account for the most common uses of a specific word or stamp while also not assigning a slew of category names to a single stamp.
- We always welcome your thoughts on if a particular stamp might benefit from having a category added or removed.
- However, we may not add a category if using it in the suggested category is not likely to be common by most crafters.
Finally, please remember our categories are largely designed to help keep things organized, but, being the creative person you are, don't let this restrict how you use your stamps!
Oct 15, 2025