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When I first started making cards my card seemed unique. I loved to Fussy Cut and I�m pretty good at it. Not everyone took the time to Fussy Cut Images. My cards stood out from the rest. Now with the matching Dies for stamp sets my cards are no longer
The stand outs they once were. This being said... I had the very first Sizzix machine and dies. Then I got the Spellbinders Wizard and all the sets of the Nestibilities. I love dies
And Matching stamps. I love my Scan N Cut and Cricut!! I have evolved along with my hobby!
__________________ Bev
Organized People are just too lazy to hunt for things!!!
I just googled youtube stamping bloopers. Yup, there are quite a few to watch.
I know, we used to go out on Saturday night, but now I'm content to google such a thing and have a good laugh! :lol:
LMAO. Dh says I am easy to make happy, but not to laugh. I have to say I laugh here more than anywhere else in life. Not at people but with them.
Just yesterday while heat embossing and looking at my drink glass I wondered how much poofing powder and EP I have managed to ingest over the years...usually I am fixated on not getting it (or glitter) in my eyes. Some days I think about getting a pair of racketball safety googles in my glasses script...Thoughts of a clutz....in this I will never evolve sadly...
I have often wondered about what would happen if the rug in my stamping room would get hot or catch on fire. With all the embossing powder that has ended up there, it could actually raise up in various colors! Since I don't eat or drink while I work, I'm sure I have not ingested much.
Absolutely love this thread!! Am like many here, of two minds. I love my "old" toys and enjoy learning how to incorporate my "new" toys. Have been card making most of my life as my parents always hand made our Christmas cards, we kids helped.
I take a while to jump on some of the new toys and do as some of you, put it in the card and then empty it as the item loses its luster.
As for being an artist, we all are!! I too have an amazingly talented artist Dad. . . As a youngster I was too intimidated to "do art." My DH calls me an artist and I now believe him. We all create, whether using someone elses' idea or something from our own imagination. If you really look at the artwork and the process of those we consider artists you will see that they also "copy" from reality and are inspired by ideas that others presented earlier. Look at all the still life paintings. . . Just my two cents. We are all artists in our own right!
Thanks Sue for starting this thread!
What an interesting thread. I am a stamper and cardmaker. I just joined a group of papercrafters who mostly scrapbook. I learned about a bunch of different types of cardmaking from them. Some like to just use patterned paper and only stamps that are sentiments. Some like to use kits for cards that use vinyl outline stickers instead of stamps. The one thing they really liked about those kits is that they used UP everything in the kit when they were done! So no huge stashes of stuff like stampers have! To each their own - there is a market for all of this.
One thing about store bought cards, I always thought that those cards simply followed the same trends that many crafters follow. I never assumed that we cardmakers were copying the style of store-bought cards, or trying to look like them. It really has never crossed my mind to look at store bought cards for ideas. Not sure if I understood that part of the conversation.
I think there are still lots of people who appreciate hand made. There are a few who undervalue hand made, which is a shame!
What an interesting thread. I am a stamper and cardmaker. I just joined a group of papercrafters who mostly scrapbook. I learned about a bunch of different types of cardmaking from them. Some like to just use patterned paper and only stamps that are sentiments. Some like to use kits for cards that use vinyl outline stickers instead of stamps. The one thing they really liked about those kits is that they used UP everything in the kit when they were done! So no huge stashes of stuff like stampers have! To each their own - there is a market for all of this.
One thing about store bought cards, I always thought that those cards simply followed the same trends that many crafters follow. I never assumed that we cardmakers were copying the style of store-bought cards, or trying to look like them. It really has never crossed my mind to look at store bought cards for ideas. Not sure if I understood that part of the conversation.
I think there are still lots of people who appreciate hand made. There are a few who undervalue hand made, which is a shame!
The intent of my comment was more that the cards were more likely to look mass-produced/store-bought/perfect with dies and such than the cards that were ALL made by hand (fussy-cut, embossed with a light table + stylus + stencil, etc.), as opposed to actively looking at store-bought for ideas, which I've never done, either, lol. Can't speak for others, though...
I think we need to take a cue from your friends, though, and USE UP our stuff!!!
The intent of my comment was more that the cards were more likely to look mass-produced/store-bought/perfect with dies and such than the cards that were ALL made by hand (fussy-cut, embossed with a light table + stylus + stencil, etc.), as opposed to actively looking at store-bought for ideas, which I've never done, either, lol. Can't speak for others, though...
I think we need to take a cue from your friends, though, and USE UP our stuff!!!
That makes sense.
I do think only using die cuts tends toward that look.
I get ideas from store bought cards that my non-card making friends send me all the time. My husband spends hours choosing a card he thinks is something I would find inspiration in. I have one with vellum butterflies that my sister sent me for my birthday that I have sitting on my stamp cabinet that inspires me every day. I have never copied it exactly, but the feeling the swirl of butterflies gives me has shown up in a swirl of leaves and I'm thinking about using it for snowflakes this winter. And, I may even do it with butterflies! I see no reason why a store bought card can't inspire us if a hand made card can. People are on Pinterest all the time getting ideas. I've even been inspired by Tee shirts, sheets, pillows and even a couch! Am I the only one that looks at store bought cards for inspiration?
I get ideas from store bought cards that my non-card making friends send me all the time. My husband spends hours choosing a card he thinks is something I would find inspiration in. I have one with vellum butterflies that my sister sent me for my birthday that I have sitting on my stamp cabinet that inspires me every day. I have never copied it exactly, but the feeling the swirl of butterflies gives me has shown up in a swirl of leaves and I'm thinking about using it for snowflakes this winter. And, I may even do it with butterflies! I see no reason why a store bought card can't inspire us if a hand made card can. People are on Pinterest all the time getting ideas. I've even been inspired by Tee shirts, sheets, pillows and even a couch! Am I the only one that looks at store bought cards for inspiration?
I clearly should not have read this thread and responded at night. I have not been sleeping well and was clearly not very articulate.
I certainly hope I didn�t come across as saying that one couldn�t take inspiration from store bought cards, or that doing so was bad. I even take inspiration from Kleenex boxes, anything really can inspire a design.
I think what I was trying to say is that trends exist insofar as color, style, images. They then surround us in all product categories (thinking of Pantone color of the year, rainbows, unicorns) and spill over into the stamps, dies and papers that are available. I would think that Hallmark is influenced by those trends AND we are influenced too.
What I haven�t observed is a feeling that a handmade card needs to look like a store bought card. Does that make any sense? When I give a card at a birthday party, my handmade card doesn�t resemble any of the store-bought cards - they really stand out as really different. That�s where I am coming from.
I DO now get the point that it is easier with dies or a cricut to CASE cards completely and have a less of a distinguishable style. Things have definitely changed.
I certainly hope I didn�t come across as saying that one couldn�t take inspiration from store bought cards, or that doing so was bad. I even take inspiration from Kleenex boxes, anything really can inspire a design.
I totally agree with this. Taking inspiration from a store bought card ... nothing wrong with that. Taking inspiration from anything that catches your fancy or imagination ... that's what it's all about, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by howdyheidi
What I haven�t observed is a feeling that a handmade card needs to look like a store bought card. Does that make any sense?
That's the part where I hope you're right. Everyone needs to do what makes them happy and satisfied, so if aspiring to look like a Hallmark card floats your boat, then go for it (general you, not specific you), but it doesn't seem like a recipe for happiness to me. A polished, well made card, yes. But trying to compete in the mass production greeting card world? Just doesn't seem fun or joyful to me. (but everyone gets to play the way they want to, and if it IS fun for some ... then they should go for it! imho)
not meaning to take the thread off course, Sue.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
Last edited by jeaniebean55; 09-18-2018 at 05:54 AM..
Reason: spelling (course not coarse ... smh!)
I hope that my original intent is not getting lost or twisted as we go, though. I think that all of us get ideas/inspiration from multiple sources - photos, other cards, fabrics, Kleenex boxes (I've even cut them up and used them on cards) - you name it! There's no wrong way to be inspired, for heaven's sake!
My original intent was merely to notice how the craft has evolved over time to include tools and toys that enable a more polished look with more ease, and how reliant we may become on these things. Nothing wrong with that, either, I just know that I personally was more creative "back in the day", before the influx of "professional" tools...
You are right on, Heidi. I must have misread your post the first time. I agree with you totally. I don't want my cards to look store bought. That is one reason I call myself a stamper, not a card-maker, and have not bought into the dye/Misti/decorative paper craze. I would rather fussy cut, eyeball, and stamp or paint my own paper. I do have a cuttlebug and like the textured backgrounds I get, but I also use my light box, crimper and a edge punch now and then. I also love having a nice even circle, oval etc. but have few dies otherwise. I spend hours on one card, not 15 minutes gluing pre-cut pieces on. For me the process is the most fun. Once the card is done and I'm happy with it, off it goes to someone else.
You are right on, Heidi. I must have misread your post the first time. I agree with you totally. I don't want my cards to look store bought. That is one reason I call myself a stamper, not a card-maker, and have not bought into the dye/Misti/decorative paper craze. I would rather fussy cut, eyeball, and stamp or paint my own paper. I do have a cuttlebug and like the textured backgrounds I get, but I also use my light box, crimper and a edge punch now and then. I also love having a nice even circle, oval etc. but have few dies otherwise. I spend hours on one card, not 15 minutes gluing pre-cut pieces on. For me the process is the most fun. Once the card is done and I'm happy with it, off it goes to someone else.
Me, too. I used to get frustrated that I couldn't crank out a card in under 30 min (at least not one I was happy with), but once I let that go I'm much happier. I'll work on something and then let it 'rest' and come back to it later and often the part that seemed 'missing' will occur to me. Maybe someday things will fall into place more quickly, but I'm OK, either way.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
Boy have things ever changed over the years and yet basic trends keep cycling back around. It always makes me chuckle when a "new" trend comes along and I think to myself, "I remember doing that years ago".
As far as us copying card companies I have always thought of it as going the other way around. It felt like the card making companies were copying us in an attempt to regain some of their customer base. My husband usually tries to find something that looks like what I would make and I must confess I've always been on the fence about how I feel about that. I know it is a huge compliment from him but I'm a one of a kind crafter and didn't like what I/we do being mass produced.
I hope that my original intent is not getting lost or twisted as we go, though. I think that all of us get ideas/inspiration from multiple sources - photos, other cards, fabrics, Kleenex boxes (I've even cut them up and used them on cards) - you name it! There's no wrong way to be inspired, for heaven's sake!
My original intent was merely to notice how the craft has evolved over time to include tools and toys that enable a more polished look with more ease, and how reliant we may become on these things. Nothing wrong with that, either, I just know that I personally was more creative "back in the day", before the influx of "professional" tools...
That�s what my brain couldn�t come up with - polished - so thank you, Sue.
I like many of my cards to look polished, not all. Thank you stamping platforms, dies and videos. And I like some to have an artsy feel with handmade backgrounds. (I love you Oxides and alcohol inks!)
Polished or unpolished, isn�t it all good, including if someone aspires to have cards look like those from stores? Not my cuppa, but if that�s a goal, I think it�s as valid as looking obviously hand made or original. Time and effort and caring goes into all cards, and we�re not graded. Thank goodness (thinking of some of my not great cards). :shock:
I agree bjeans. No matter what, a handmade card takes time, effort, care and lot of love. Otherwise, they would be store bought! Now, I'm not knocking store bought. If I get a card from anyone, store bought or otherwise, I appreciate the thought. I'm just saying that those of us who make cards do it because we love it and want to share with others. If we didn't, we would go the store bought method. I make my own clothes because I love to sew, but I am often inspired by something I have seen on the racks or in magazines, and I certainly use a pattern, so I think it is much the same thing. My husband and son build furniture, but see something in a store or book that they copy with their own personal twist or design. Sorry, I got way off subject, but I do believe it is all related.
I love the new, beautiful stuff I can make easily with new tools. I wouldn't enjoy this hobby so much without my Big Shot or MISTI.
What I think is sad about the evolution of stamping is the idea of "dated" images and techniques. This is one area where the retailers have foxed us into replacing lovely images. I have some beloved images and favorite techniques that members of the stamping community would recognize instantly as 10 or more years old. They seem old-fashioned to us. However, most of my card recipients have no familiarity with whether it's old or new. If they like the card, they like the card. And I'm happy.
I do think that cards these days look more elegant and sophisticated than they did in the past.
I love the new, beautiful stuff I can make easily with new tools. I wouldn't enjoy this hobby so much without my Big Shot or MISTI.
I do think that cards these days look more elegant and sophisticated than they did in the past.
I totally agree with this. And it helps me make cards that sell really well at my annual fundraiser for a charity. The people that buy them appreciate the fact that while they are homemade, they are still quite elegant and sophisticated as Leslie says.
__________________ Susan
My SCS gallery is here should you care to look! Or please visit my blog, Cardmaker's Garret.
What I think is sad about the evolution of stamping is the idea of "dated" images and techniques. This is one area where the retailers have foxed us into replacing lovely images. I have some beloved images and favorite techniques that members of the stamping community would recognize instantly as 10 or more years old. They seem old-fashioned to us. However, most of my card recipients have no familiarity with whether it's old or new. If they like the card, they like the card. And I'm happy.
I entirely agree. And I see that old images come around again with slight modifications. I'm often glad that I kept the old ones because there's lots of updated ideas to use them. I am buying a lot less, and what I buy is totally unique compared to what I have.
I entirely agree. And I see that old images come around again with slight modifications. I'm often glad that I kept the old ones because there's lots of updated ideas to use them. I am buying a lot less, and what I buy is totally unique compared to what I have.
Ditto on all of the comments you agree with, and ditto on using older stamps and your current purchasing pattern (me, too!)...
I bought a Ranger Melting Pot this month! I was so excited to finally get the melting pot this month I bought one of Suze's books too. How's that for going back in time, lol.
Stamping I do love back to basics. I do prefer the older techniques. The new techniques are gorgeous. I am not good with 10,000 steps to achieve that. I am in awe of you who are. I really love looking at your work. You do inspire me.
I do admit 100% I had a meltdown about all the tools on the market to create a card. I felt like I lost my artistic self and was not creative. I had to learn how to balance that. There are some really great tools on the market that enhance our work. I love my back in time techniques. That is very funny for me since I am a tech girl. You would think newest and hottest right? Give me my scissors, stamps & coloring tools I am happy. I do also love my ScannCut and platform. Those two things changed my stamping life and helped me get back to artsy.
I agree it makes me sad about how some of us think things are dated. I think those things are beautiful. I get shy about sharing because I do use older stamps. I just don't want somebody to comment "Oh, you used an old stamp" I had that one. I take criticism well but that one stung. I felt like it wasn't a criticism. You know somebody saying to me "Girl, that color combo might need a second thought!" That is a criticism. ;) I don't think my House Mouse stamps are dated. ;)
As an example I do love using an older House Mouse stamp. I love stamping him or her with my new press. Oh my gosh no more wasted card stock. You all know how hard those babies are too stamp. I get mice perfection and polished now. I will cut out my perfect pretty polished mouse on my ScannCut. Oooh and aaah over how gorgeous it is. I use my pretty coloring pencils to color him in. I prefer pencil shading over all the nice shading tools out on the market now. I have been coloring like that since I was a girl. Then I dig in my ephemera boxes and pick out pretty things to embellish my cards. Some of my ephemera is from the 70's, lol. Even though I used my ScannCut to cut out my mouse. I am still fussy cutting. I will add my fussy cutting to that card. I tend to use art paper when I stamp. It is too thick. House Mouse fussy cutting on thick paper is not back to basics, it is torture, lol.
I do love the evolution of our hobby but I had to learn how to turn off the media that influences me. I had to learn how to balance it. I do love a lot of the new tools on the market. I agree this industry has gotten to be to professional, perfect and polished. Walk down the card aisles, card companies are stalking Pinterest for ideas on how to make cards. We use to buy those cards because they were so fancy and now we are putting the card companies out of business. They need to follow the new social influencer's to stay relevant. You know my friends hand me store bought cards and ask me how it was made. That's when I knew the card industry went off the rails and reversed.
You sound like me (sort of), DeeAnn. Balance is what I strive for in all areas of my life, and crafting is no different. High-tech and low-tech, plain and fancy, new and old - it's all good, but I try to balance.
I use older stamps, too, and the comments on those are usually something to the effect of how fun it is to see an old favorite resurrected, so I'm sorry that you got such a negative comment. One of my favorite stampers here on Splitcoast is SophieLaFontaine, and she uses older stamps all the time!
Your comments on your friends' questions and the card industry are very revealing, and sort of prove my initial point - perfect and polished are becoming more and more the norm. Again - nothing wrong with that, just an effect of the evolution of our craft...
You need a book called Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. I keep trying to add a link, but it keeps redirecting from Amazon to Walmart. Don't know what the heck that's about, but...
Great book, and really fast read. May change your mind about how you feel on this subject...
I did found a TED talk from him...
Thank you for starting the thread...enjoyed reading all the comments...:smile:
from everybody...and yes...IMO...we all build onto what was there before in one way or the other already...
Happy "stealing" ;)
__________________ Ilona ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My avatar is my fur baby Romeo
First of all, I love my older stamps and I appreciate companies that don’t just retire everything. Our Daily Bread has a Throwback Thursday where they feature new cards using older supplies. I love that.
I had a thought about this thread the other day. Although there are some tools that help with the polished card look, I think there is another factor, and I think it is a positive.
Experience has helped a lot of us with our craftsmanship, and also there are a lot more classes online than there used to be. Therefore, if you didn’t understand color theory, or any area of arts & crafts, you could take a class on it.
I mostly studied art theories on my own with books and websites, BUT I also took some online classes that were helpful.
I never advocate for perfectionism in crafters, but I do think that improving craftsmanship & knowledge can be a good thing.
First of all, I love my older stamps and I appreciate companies that don�t just retire everything. Our Daily Bread has a Throwback Thursday where they feature new cards using older supplies. I love that.
I had a thought about this thread the other day. Although there are some tools that help with the polished card look, I think there is another factor, and I think it is a positive.
Experience has helped a lot of us with our craftsmanship, and also there are a lot more classes online than there used to be. Therefore, if you didn�t understand color theory, or any area of arts & crafts, you could take a class on it.
I mostly studied art theories on my own with books and websites, BUT I also took some online classes that were helpful.
I never advocate for perfectionism in crafters, but I do think that improving craftsmanship & knowledge can be a good thing.
What do you all think?
Absolutely! Thank you for reiterating that the proliferation of classes, blogs, galleries, Pinterest and all of the other media so widely available to us now has definitely been a huge part of our evolution...
I love my older stamps too. There are many I will never get rid of. And occasionally I see a card using an old stamp and decide I have to have it and then go off searching for it on eBay or Amazon. I've also posted on the SCS Buy/Sell/Trade thread when looking for an old stamp and I found this wonderful Santa stamp that I used here - old stamp combined with the newer things of an embossing folder background and a sentiment on a die cut label:
I get shy about sharing because I do use older stamps. I just don't want somebody to comment "Oh, you used an old stamp" I had that one. I take criticism well but that one stung.
That makes me irrationally angry; how can someone be so far into the Cult of the New that they would think that's an appropriate thing to say about someone's art? The mindset that you have to have the newest, bestest thing isn't just financially dubious, it's downright toxic sometimes. People should be proud of their old stamps, particularly given the fact that most of them are transient in availability. I've a few that date back to my childhood that I still use today, and I wouldn't trade them for an entire modern catalogue.
I get shy about sharing because I do use older stamps. I just don't want somebody to comment "Oh, you used an old stamp" I had that one
Boy I sure hope that was not me-as someone said ^^^ sometimes I am on here late at night and I think I know what I am saying...I actually like a lot of older stamps-and I am a huge HM fan. I hope what I am saying in those cases is I know that one/I have that stamp too! I love how you used it! If it was me, I apologize right here and now!
If it wasn't, I bet that person did not mean it that way at all. I mean really-the old PSX floral stamps with their great detail are going for BIG money. So age can be a good thing! And some of the older HM too! So dont pay that any mind.
And let me tell you-many of MY stamps are old-I get them on ebay.
Sue- I agree- I like a lot of Sophie's work too! Her ability to get into tiny details always impresses me.
I have been known to buy a card just to bring it home and try to see what makes it tick...I liked some aspect of it-once it was a padded fabric quilted part....another time it was the dry embossed detail of some hydrangeas....
I am not going to lie. I am happy as a pig in mud for some things...like the A2 matting dies since I struggle with straight cuts, the MISTI is easier than the thing a ma jig, etc. But what I am doing isn't new. Just how I am doing it. And as I age...I like the extra ease. Now I am looking at an electric Big shot or geminii...I don't have a scan. I am thinking about a laminator since they are not super expensive and I love me some shiny. And round dies! I will never fussy a good circle!
LMAO about the EP in the rug....remember when I had the problem with it on my floor? It took me forever to get it up.
That makes me irrationally angry; how can someone be so far into the Cult of the New that they would think that's an appropriate thing to say about someone's art? The mindset that you have to have the newest, bestest thing isn't just financially dubious, it's downright toxic sometimes. People should be proud of their old stamps, particularly given the fact that most of them are transient in availability. I've a few that date back to my childhood that I still use today, and I wouldn't trade them for an entire modern/catalogue.
I�ve never read a comment that said anything negative about anyone�s card, though I haven�t read thousands, but wonder if the comment was simply written unclearly, and the poster�s intent was to say she recognized/remembered the stamp - in a good way.
All stamps are good stamps, and conversely, I�d hate to think stampers who like new, contemporary stamps are in a less acceptable Cult of the New. If so, I drank the Kool Aid. OTOH, I bought some vintage Winnie the Pooh stamps - old Pooh, not cartoony Pooh, so maybe there�s hope for me.
I still use lots of my old wood stamps - from the 90's and when I look at new stamp sets I see images that are very similar to the old ones I have and still use. I do buy new stamps but they are all very different from the ones I already have. Lately I've been buying Stampabella's Tiny Townie flower girls; they are so fun to color and so unique.
I do buy dies with matching stamps; my arthritic hands cannot do fussy cutting except for a single small image. Also dies that are A2 or 5 x 7 stacking dies help me get even cuts the first time and save wear and tear on my hands - and nerves!
I love my older stamps too. There are many I will never get rid of. And occasionally I see a card using an old stamp and decide I have to have it and then go off searching for it on eBay or Amazon. I've also posted on the SCS Buy/Sell/Trade thread when looking for an old stamp and I found this wonderful Santa stamp that I used here - old stamp combined with the newer things of an embossing folder background and a sentiment on a die cut label:
I�ve never read a comment that said anything negative about anyone�s card, though I haven�t read thousands, but wonder if the comment was simply written unclearly, and the poster�s intent was to say she recognized/remembered the stamp - in a good way.
All stamps are good stamps, and conversely, I�d hate to think stampers who like new, contemporary stamps are in a less acceptable Cult of the New. If so, I drank the Kool Aid. OTOH, I bought some vintage Winnie the Pooh stamps - old Pooh, not cartoony Pooh, so maybe there�s hope for me.
I hope you're correct, and it's just a misinterpretation. It's just a very odd thing to point out on its own. The Cult of the New isn't about people who like new X thing (which is fine, X thing is usually pretty neat), but when the older version of X is seen as worthless once there's a newer version out and has to be replaced. Thus there's a constant churning over of depreciated products, combining a fear of missing out and 'keeping up with the Joneses'. You see it more often in tech and fashion.
Oh gosh No wavejumper it was not you. I know my night owl girls. My across the pond girls I didn't forget you either. We all post at the same time. Don't fret or worry. I have known you a long time and I know you are sweet.
To everyone it was not over here. Definitely no worries. Yes, she was criticizing. It was when I first got back into stamping. I have always stamped so I should say it was when I first discovered the online stamping world. I was in other groups. She went after me for not scoring my cardstock correctly. She said I needed a Scor-Pal. I didn't even know what a Scor-Pal was. Then she would criticize my stamps. The sad thing about my stamp. I got it at Hobby Lobby. How could it be old? Strike that it is Hobby Lobby, ROFL! I thought I misunderstood her too. Trust me, when I say I will ask if I misunderstood you. I do have dyslexia. I never want to side eye somebody because of a learning disability. No, she seriously went after me for not using trendy tools or stamps. I didn't know about design teams then but I was learning about them. I asked if made a mistake and joined a design team board. I didn't at all. She pretty much told me in this hobby you are not welcomed if you don't use the latest and greatest. Really stung and I admit shook me up because I was not in a good place then. Like the dork I was back then I bought these things and it was horrible and felt horrible to me. It was the darkest time of my crafting life. I did join the stamping and it's industries when it was super commercialized. I don't think that was very healthy. I am not criticizing. Everyone wants to make money and this industry was raw for it. I really get and understand that. When I joined I think it was so much products that we couldn't learn basic techniques or any of the beautiful stamp art without product overload. I hope I explained that ok. I do admit it has made me very gun shy. I love sharing my creative creations and I love helping. I thought helping was better than sharing because there seemed to be too many rules like writing down your cardstock, writing down all the stamp companies, die companies, ink companies. Seriously I love you girls but I don't know how you keep track of all that. Like I said I am dyslexic and I don't need that kind of rules or I just shut down. I hope I explained that ok.
The funny thing about the criticizing my creations were actually being profiled and winning little contests. I just thought of that. I never even entered the contests. I didn't know about those either. I was really, really green back then. Now, I know too much, lol.
Ahhh the joys(!?!?) of a backward compliment. I have been on several forums some were nice and some weren't, on one the owner was extremely mean. I too was very green to the online world at the time and the things she said to me and to others would send me into a major downward tail spin. That site didn't last even 6 months, see ya!
I am now at an age where I've started calling people out when they give a backward compliment in real live. I don't do it in a mean way I just keep pushing the issue asking, "what exactly did you mean by that? Did you really mean A OR did you mean B, I don't understand?". I don't do it every time but I'm getting better about standing up for myself.
May the evolution of stamping include supporting and helping each other instead of tearing each other down.
p. s. I will never ever give up my PSX stamps... or Stamp Rosa... or...
I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!! This thread is totally and completely reinforcing how kind and supportive this site is! Thank you, everyone, for continuing the conversation and bringing out other ways to look at things and for sharing so much!
p. s. I will never ever give up my PSX stamps... or Stamp Rosa... or...
Oh, so true! I have an idea for a new thread...what companies do you have stamps from that don't exist anymore. I could populate a whole thread by myself!
The Santa card is very cute and I wouldn’t have thought it looked old! Maybe that is because I shop all types of stamp companies? Not all of them have new releases so often.
I find that so odd that there are entire forums that are not supportive! I have seen a single unsupportive person here and there, but not a whole forum.
I do remember thinking the convention of listing every supply and cardstock/marker color was overwhelming at first. I do make a supply list for most projects, but if I can’t remember every single thing, I don’t sweat it!
Where did that convention come from?
Tim Holtz and WRMK seems to be able to sell just about anything!!! Lol. More power to ‘em!
The idea behind listing details about cards you upload is that people often find stamps, dies, colors, etc., that they like by reading those details. HOWEVER - while it's more or less "traditional", it is by NO means mandatory! I've seen some cards uploaded by even the most seasoned stampers with few, if any, details. Those of you who do not share your cards here because you don't want to list everything should just post anyway and not worry about it. If someone is really curious, they can always PM you, and we'd love to see your creations!
