New to Stamping - Need some advice...

[gserfillippi]

Hi All--I'm new to stamping and love it. I'm building up my supplies and loving that too...I have a ton of great stuff. However, I'm better at copying others' layouts and using my own colors, stamps, etc., but how do I know how big/small to cut the various pieces? Is there some big stamping secret out there??? I don't want to start cutting things to small or big and then have a ton of scraps left over.

[JulieHRR]

Hmmm. Well, in paper crafting you're always going to have some scraps left over; it's the nature of the beast. ;)

For a standard A-2 card (measuring 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"), you cut a letter size sheet of card stock (8 1/2 x 11") in half so you have two 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" pieces.

Then score the 8 1/2" to 4 1/4" and you can fold the piece in half, yielding 2 A-2 cards from one sheet of card stock. This size card goes 1st class in the mail and is a standard in the US.

Many people generously include the source of supplies/materials used in their projects, even right down to an exact color name, but unless the project required very specific measurements (such precision folding, etc.), they more than likely didn't record or document that info.

So, unless someone specifically lists the measurements of each piece/layer on their card, you will have to make an educated guess, when copying (also affectionately referred to as CASE-ing, in the stamping world--Copy And Steal Everything).

Most stampers become pretty adept, as they learn, to eyeball things. ;)

Happy stamping to you, and I'm sure if you have questions about a specific project you find in the gallery, you can always private message a polite inquiry to the artist for more info.

[BA]

Congrats on entering the wonderful world of stamping! Welcome to our addiction, err...hobby

I too am much better at CASEing (Copy And Share Everything) and then tweeking to make the card my own.

I tend to start with a basic card size (8.5x11 cut in half, thus...5-1/2x4-1/4). Then I know what space I am interested in filling. I will then stamp my main image (for example a flower pot) on white cardstock. Trim this white cardstock down to where there is a small boarder around the image. From here I would layer that white cardstock onto another color cardstock...let's say green. I would place the white cardstock on top of the green cardstock and trim so the green cardstock is about an 1/8" boarder around the white. Some people like to have a larger boarder around as they mat/layer.

This is all personal preference. Also, the more you experiment, the more comfortable you will be at it. Keep practicing and don't worry too much about the scraps! You will be able to use them on another project...some day!

Have fun!

[muffincards]

Welcome to stamping! You can't get much better than a response from JulieHRR. ;)

I just wanted to add that some stamping blogs talk about the dimensions they used on their cards. You could start blog surfing and just find ones that work for you.

[MaryAnnK]

When I do the sketch challenges on Wednesday, I click on the thumbnail to open and then print it. I get a pretty close to A2 sized (5.5 x 4.25) printout. It makes it easy to figure out the sizes. You can link to the daily challenges on the home page.

Good luck with your stamping and remember, it's all about having fun.

[bksjones]

I agree, welcome to the addiction. You will collect scraps, lots of them, but eventually you will use them on future projects. Scraps make great layers and mats and embellishments without having to cut another whole piece of CS. Also, I find that the longer I stamp the better I get at making my own stuff--I still CASE of course, we all do. But now I find that other cards are more inspiration than something to copy. Good luck and enjoy!