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Here's my problem - I love stamping and I have lots of great stuff - but I have a hard time getting settled down and actually stamping - my DH jokes that the most time I ever spend with my stamping stuff is when I'm cutting out and mounting new stamps I've bought.
I need some advice on getting better organized and getting started - I have all my stuff (stamps, paper, adhesives, embellishments, ribbons and things sorted out into those little multi drawer storage carts.
I just sort of hit a road block pulling things out and actually stamping a card.
How about picking 1 stamp set and putting it on your workspace and only work with it until you've made 3 different cards. This way you're not overwhelmed with multiple sets waiting to be used.
The hardest thing for me is to JUST DO IT! To get me started, I'll pick out a stamp and search that gallery. I try to find a card I can duplicate. i. e. I have the cardstock, the ribbons, the brads, etc. When I am CASE'ing, it goes so much faster than the trial and error sessions and I feel good about myself. Then I usually find that I come up with a new idea while I am making that first one. And then one thing leads to another.
But the best thing I can do for myself is to clean up afterwards. I usually stamp at a table in my living room with my family. I tend to pile up mail there and with all the stamping *stuff* it looks pretty uninviting to sit down and create. So I TRY (I don't always succeed)to clean up between cards. I may leave out the things I KNOW I will use like the tape and stamp cleaner, but try to put away the stamps, and the pop-dots, and the crayons, and the cutter, and the box of ribbons, and the scrap paper. LOL Do what I say and not what I do because I just listed all the extra stuff I have out on my table right now!!
Anyway, I am subscribing to see what great advice everyone has.
I echo the sentiments about case-ing or the challenges. I started doing the challenges last august, and after doing them fairly religiously for 6 months i am finally able to sit down, pick a patterned paper (it's usually how i start), some stamps, and i'll create a layout as i go.. if i'm stuck i'll open a "Cards" magazine to look for a layout or look to the gallery for inspiration. but i found that doing the challenges FORCES you to make a card, whether you feel inspired or not. and that's what i love!
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I thought maybe we were married to the same man! My DH says the same thing. I did settle down and stop collecting and started creating lately. I did my own personal daily challenge. For example: Monday - create a thank you card. Tuesday create a get well card. Wed try using a new technique to make a thank you card. Once I broke it down into small time segments the ball just started rolling. Good luck!
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Marcia ..."Stamping is not just my hobby - it's my mission!"
I just saw your SCS ID and it jumped right out at me. I'm a Nashville transplant, myself. I grew up in Athens, Ga. That's right--I'm a Dawg fan! I live in Mt Juliet and go to Green Hill Baptist. We have a fun crop night the second Friday of each month from 6 to midnight if you'd like to stop by. There are a few card makers in addition to many other crafts. When I started stamping, I put all my stuff into totes and drug it to church. Now I plan projects and bring what I need. I've gotten a little better at designing my own cards but I definitely CASE'd a ton when I got started. The SCS gallery is awesome for inspiration.
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Something I did to "get my groove on" was make a list of all the upcoming birthdays, wedding showers, baby showers, etc (I work in a school so there is always someone getting married, having a baby or having a birthday), then when I sat down to stamp, I had a mission and I found that it was much easier to get inspired. Also nothing like a deadline (such as the shower is the next day) to get me motivated. HTH.
Sometimes I stamp a bunch of images and then just spend time coloring them in at another time. That way, I can use different stamps without feeling that I need to complete a card for each. Once I have images colored in a sitting about for awhile, I can pick out a few and get cards together a bit quicker.
Lately, I've been trying to do some paper crafting each day, even for just a few minutes. I don't have to finish a project, just get some steps down.
Hmmm... I also do that a lot, but one of the things that I have noticed about a lot of hobbies is that they all have varying amounts of what I call "putter value", you know, when you're just puttering around. Not all of your time needs to be stamping, but I find the mooning over catalogs and planning and organinzing my supplies is also time well spent. To me it is relaxing. I know that you wnat to be able to show more outcome for your investment, and the other posters have given you (and me) some great thoughts on actually getting started. When I had a horse, far more time was spent caring for it than riding it, but the caring time was valuable to me because it was relaxing too. So make some stuff and have a good time! ;)
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