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Hello!
I would like to know how people finish off the backs of their cards. Do you use a standard “stamped by” stamp or did you have a custom stamp made? Do you just sign your name? Do you use your real name or your “stamping name”? I’d love to see pictures if you can include them!
Thanks in advance! -Kathy
Last edited by kathyloves2create; 03-10-2021 at 04:13 PM..
Reason: Punctuation
I have numerous stamps that say either "stamped by" or "created by" and I add either my initials or my first name and the year. Sometimes for Valentine cards I'll use a small stamp that's an envelope with a heart on it, or for Easter a small back of bunny stamp, or a small turkey for Thanksgiving or other small stamp that goes with the holiday.
I have a couple of custom "Made by" stamps that have my name on them. I think I ordered them from Ebay, but I have had them for so long that I don't remember for sure.
I used to stamp all of mine with a custom stamp with my name on it (Ebay) but I made the mistake of using a strong cleaning solution I made from a Pinterest recipe and it destroyed it :( These days I just do a quick "Mel" at the bottom center. I rec'd a stamp from Altenew last year with my name on it and I do use that one on occasion but mostly just my "Mel"
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I use different "handcrafted by" stamps on the backs of cards I make for friends and family.
I don't put anything on the backs of cards I make for the swaps here on SCS. I just write my first name and my screen name on a small post-it and put that on each card.
I got a card from a swap several years ago and they had a large white sticker that took up almost half of the back of the card. The sticker had their name, email address, Etsy shop name, blog site, Instagram info and Twitter info.. I'm not a fan of that type of branding on the back of a card I may send to a friend or family member. I cut the back panel off and remade the card.
__________________ Lorraine
Wife to an awesome DH, Mommy to an adorable DS who is on the spectrum for autism, and Twin Sister to Linda
I found a no name stamp w my initials somewhere....I have been using that and a year.
I did have some custom stamps made but have not used them yet. I forgot where. If I remember I will let you know.
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
I have stamps made with my name along with a design. I recently just got a plain one the says handmade by Sheri then i use a tiny stamp with it depending on the occasion. Example for Valentines a heart. for Christmas I did a 🌳
I had a stamp made when I was part of the Cricut Card Fairies, but it's almost 2 inches in height, and the image stamps BOLD. Then, a friend had a stamp made for me that says "A Maryagnes Creation". It's probably 25 years old or more. Then, for a little while I was using a Mickey Mouse head punch, in black, and hand printed "hand crafted" with white gel pen on it.. then heard it was going against Disney as a licensed punch. Now, I use a little stamp that says "created by", and I hand write my first initial and last name. I also have a stampin up stamp that shows only 2 hands, and it's adorable. But, the 'created by' stamp is delicate and seems to be perfect. I sometimes write the year under it as well.
I recently started a thread on decorating the insides of our cards. In it we got talking about people re-using/re-gifting the card to someone else. I was wondering if there was a way suggest this to the recipient who we might not know. SusanBri suggested a stamp that says something like "Please reuse this card. Remove this liner and add your own message." It would go on the liner or you could use something similar on the back of the card with your initials or name, or whatever info you wish to share. Then the card could continue on "giving joy" if it was still in good shape. Some people like to keep their cards and some just enjoy and let go of things more easily.
I have a Stampin' Up stamp that says "It took hours to make this card...Act impressed" I write a little PS. Just kidding! along with it, or LOL! I'm very selective where I use it though.
I think the most popular placement for your signature or initials is the center or center bottom. That is where store bought cards have theirs...as you already know.
I don't put the date anymore because I sometimes have a card linger around until I have a particular use for it and if it is past that year it feels funny somehow to send it. Like it's old news! Or they might suspect it as a hand-me-down and be offended.
[QUOTE=DianeinSparks;22061123]I have numerous stamps that say either "stamped by" or "created by" and I add either my initials or my first name and the year. Sometimes for Valentine cards I'll use a small stamp that's an envelope with a heart on it, or for Easter a small back of bunny stamp, or a small turkey for Thanksgiving or other small stamp that goes with the holiday.[/QUOTE
Thanks for sharing what you do DianeinSparks. I love the idea of using a stamp that matches the holiday!
I have a couple of custom "Made by" stamps that have my name on them. I think I ordered them from Ebay, but I have had them for so long that I don't remember for sure.
I’ll have to check eBay for custom options. Thanks for the idea!!
I used to stamp all of mine with a custom stamp with my name on it (Ebay) but I made the mistake of using a strong cleaning solution I made from a Pinterest recipe and it destroyed it :( These days I just do a quick "Mel" at the bottom center. I rec'd a stamp from Altenew last year with my name on it and I do use that one on occasion but mostly just my "Mel"
Thanks for sharing! So sad your custom stamp was destroyed.....
I use different "handcrafted by" stamps on the backs of cards I make for friends and family.
I don't put anything on the backs of cards I make for the swaps here on SCS. I just write my first name and my screen name on a small post-it and put that on each card.
I got a card from a swap several years ago and they had a large white sticker that took up almost half of the back of the card. The sticker had their name, email address, Etsy shop name, blog site, Instagram info and Twitter info.. I'm not a fan of that type of branding on the back of a card I may send to a friend or family member. I cut the back panel off and remade the card.
I’m with you on not including a big sticker on the back with my name on it. It seems like that would take away from the card design and creativity
I put the date [year] on the card when I send it since I make tons of cards and some are a several years old before they are mailed.
I used to put the date on the back, because I was taught that when I started card making. However, I don't really understand what the purpose of that is. Would you please educate me on that. I do write the date of the occasion on the upper right corner of the inside of the card when I am ready to send it.
I have this heart in hand die that I use with a small stamp sometimes. I will decorate the hands with a ring or bracelet in pearls or gems too.
My apologies! The stamp I mentioned above is not SU it is Stamper's Choice. Sorry about that. I bought it from a SU Demonstrator's garage sale and most of her stamps were SU.
[QUOTE=Cre8ive Mind;22062815]I used to put the date on the back, because I was taught that when I started card making. However, I don't really understand what the purpose of that is. Would you please educate me on that. I do write the date of the occasion on the upper right corner of the inside of the card when I am ready to send it.
I have this heart in hand die that I use with a small stamp sometimes. I will decorate the hands with a ring or bracelet in pearls or gems too.
My apologies! The stamp I mentioned above is not SU it is Stamper's Choice. Sorry about that. I bought it from a SU Demonstrator's garage sale and most of her stamps were SU.[/QUOTE
I like your stamp that says it took hours to make this card! Thanks for sharing!
[QUOTE=Cre8ive Mind;22062815]I used to put the date on the back, because I was taught that when I started card making. However, I don't really understand what the purpose of that is. Would you please educate me on that. I do write the date of the occasion on the upper right corner of the inside of the card when I am ready to send it.
I put the date on the back of my cards because I send a lot of cards that I don't include a date inside since they are not for an occasion like a birthday or holiday but just a "thinking of you", "hello" or similar type card.
I thought this question was on a facebook group recently but I did not respond and now can't find it. I will try to remember.
First, if I was selling a card I would put the stampin up stamp on the back as they ask us to. Angel policy or something. But I don't sell completed cards so that is a moot point.
Next, I don't stamp or write anything on the backs of cards. I use a large yellow post-it inside to write on and I have a little slip I put inside saying feel free to share the love and pass this card on. You will need an A2-sized envelope. I know no one has room to keep and store the cards they receive so it seems as if passing them on is a better solution than to just throw them away. I would definitely not pass on a card that was signed on the back. I know one poster in that thread said she would probably throw it away and there was some pile-on there but I felt like she was being honest. Your options are to keep a card, throw it away, or pass it on. There are very few I would keep, to be honest.
One person said she wrote her message on another piece of white cardstock the same size as the card and then stamped off an image and stamped that over the top of her message. I loved that idea and I am going to start doing it! I think it looks classier than a post-it and it would protect the embellishments on the front of the card too.
It doesn't bother me if someone chooses to sign their card on the back or stamp their name on the back. But they should be prepared that it will be looked at once or twice and then thrown away. I really hope people will pass mine on.
Shameless self-promotion: I have sold several packages of envelopes and picked up customers I would not have otherwise known just because they got my card passed on to them and asked the sender where they got them.
Cre8tive Mind, I love both items in your photo. That stamps cracks me up. I can totally see myself using it.
I have two "handmade by" stamps but I rarely use them for a couple reasons:
1) My family and friends know who the card is from.
2) It feels weird to put my name on the back, sort of like I'm all proud of myself for making a silly card. I suppose if my cards were more artistic, I'd feel differently.
I have a sheet of tiny printed labels (the smallest label they make) to put on the back of cards, which says the card is handmade by me, using recycled materials wherever possible, as that is my speciality. I've been doing this for 20 years, long before the Green brigade started encouraging us to re-use and re-cycle. Never thought of getting a stamp made to say that.
Stampin' Up sold some stamps at some point that they personaliized some years ago that I have 3 of. I usually use one of those. When it is a black card, I usually just use a white gel pen, write Liz and the year on it like an artist might sign aa work of art. I hate it when I stamp it upside done by mistake sometimes, especially since that is the last thing I do when completing a card. So frustrating!!
__________________ LizThe joy of the LORD is my strength.Right Brain Madness --My blogProud member of the redDivasKSS certified multi-step stamperFan Club member since 2004
I'm a fan of signing handmade cards. They, like all works of art, should have your signature. If someone buys a Picasso painting, it would have his signature, if it was a finished piece. If that painting is sold or given away, the signature would remain. If someone resends a card I send them, my signature should remain on it too. I have several people that resend my cards and I'm careful not to write on the actual card, otherwise, I write in them as I know they will be discarded or kept as a remembrance for the occasion they were sent with the note inside as important as the card itself. Do people try to pass them off as theirs? I don't send out cards someone else has made for me, as a handmade card is too special to throw out. If I don't keep it for decoration or for sentimental reasons and it is written in, I cut off the front and reattach it to new card base, and hand write the artist's name on the back. Then I give it to a charity or group that sends cards to the troops or nursing homes.
Years ago when I was a principal, there was a group of us that stamped together. One of my teachers had a stamp made for me at her parent's print shop. She used the "Hand Made By" stamp I had used on the back of one of the cards I sent her along with my signature as the pattern. So with one stamp I could have a totally custom signature piece! It was the most thoughtful and amazing gift and I used it until parts of the plastic disintegrated. By this time I had retired, but still lived in the same area. I called her parents and told them what I wanted. They no longer had my pattern, so I just sent them another one and they made me another. I have gone through 2 more since then and now am using part of one and part of another that are still usable. I need to contact them, if they are still in business, to see if they will make me another, as sooner or later this system will fail, too. If not, anyone know where else I could get one with my very own signature on it? I had one made for my daughter when she started stamping and she loves it and may need a new one someday, too. I used to have a band stamp that I used to put the date on, but when I ran out of years, I could never find a replacement, so now I just add the month and year with a marker.
Interestingly, I used to put this in the center bottom, but now I put it at the bottom right. (My daughter puts hers at the bottom left.
Jeanne, I don't know anybody that would pass off one of my cards as their own, but I have heard of cases of pictures of cards on the internet being plagiarized. It's unlikely it would ever happen to our real cards though. I think that's one reason why you see so many pictures with watermarks across the picture of the card. If your cards are going to someone else to use their recipient may unwittingly think the sender made it if it isn't signed. I had that happen to my card and the sender felt bad, so I think I will start signing all my cards.
We all know Birgit's work both by look and by the way she finds just the right spot and size to sign her name and year right on the front of her beautiful card fronts. She continues to amaze me year after year. I wonder if she does anything on the back of her cards?
You can definitely get a signature stamp made. You could always inquire at an office supply store. Also your local notary public or lawyer could direct you to where they get their stamps made. A hunt online should do the trick too. I wouldn't mind one of those embossing circle presses used on graduation diplomas and official legal documents with some saying and my name or initials. I got one at a thrift store that says "Happy Christmas" that I use on the back of envelopes. Sadly the "s" doesn't emboss very deeply. I sponged the letters a bit to show definition in the picture. A liner in the card would be a must though.
Jeanne, I don't know anybody that would pass off one of my cards as their own, but I have heard of cases of pictures of cards on the internet being plagiarized. It's unlikely it would ever happen to our real cards though. I think that's one reason why you see so many pictures with watermarks across the picture of the card. If your cards are going to someone else to use their recipient may unwittingly think the sender made it if it isn't signed. I had that happen to my card and the sender felt bad, so I think I will start signing all my cards.
We all know Birgit's work both by look and by the way she finds just the right spot and size to sign her name and year right on the front of her beautiful card fronts. She continues to amaze me year after year. I wonder if she does anything on the back of her cards?
You can definitely get a signature stamp made. You could always inquire at an office supply store. Also your local notary public or lawyer could direct you to where they get their stamps made. A hunt online should do the trick too. I wouldn't mind one of those embossing circle presses used on graduation diplomas and official legal documents with some saying and my name or initials. I got one at a thrift store that says "Happy Christmas" that I use on the back of envelopes. Sadly the "s" doesn't emboss very deeply. I sponged the letters a bit to show definition in the picture. A liner in the card would be a must though.
I only mentioned this as there was a comment a poster made about never sending a card to anyone with the artist's name on the back and another who alluded to cutting such information off. My question referred to the reason why. I always make sure the artist's name is on the back when I give away cards.
I could not find a “made by” stamp that I liked so I designed a stamp with my initials and a symbol. Rubber Stamp Champ made the design for me...very, very reasonably priced and they have excellent customer care. They helped me make certain that I chose a size that would ensure that the symbol would come out clearly.
I put my initials and the year.
I am one who always put the date on all our kids school work (and pictures we sent to family!)
Sorry, it bugs me when people don't put a date on it!
I had this initial stamp made up with the words “Karen’s Studio” surrounding the letters...my initials are conveniently KS. I color the letters to match the front of the card, and then I always add a sentiment stamp. Depending on the occasion and the recipient, the sentiment might be sweet, snarky, or just funny.
A friend's husband is a graphic designer, so I sketched out what I wanted and he made me a clean image, which i then used to have a custom stamp made. My first name is Meryl, I live near the ocean & I love puns - so clearly MerMade was only way to go
A friend's husband is a graphic designer, so I sketched out what I wanted and he made me a clean image, which i then used to have a custom stamp made. My first name is Meryl, I live near the ocean & I love puns - so clearly MerMade was only way to go
A friend's husband is a graphic designer, so I sketched out what I wanted and he made me a clean image, which i then used to have a custom stamp made. My first name is Meryl, I live near the ocean & I love puns - so clearly MerMade was only way to go
I stamp a small inoffensive scripture on the back of my cards to match the colours on the front. My favourite one is "Love One Another" to which I add some colour-coordinated hearts or stars. The other one I often use is "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life". I don't put my name, the date, or handmade. My passion is making nice cards. I put them in cellophane bags and give them away to others to give away. I don't really mind what happens to them afterwards :-)
I ordered some small custom stamps from Paper Angel and The Stampin' Place that say something about handmade and have my name on them. There are lots of choices at both.
__________________ Susan
My SCS gallery is here should you care to look! Or please visit my blog, Cardmaker's Garret.
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