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Hi everyone! I am giving a speech in a speech class on rubber stamping and I wanted to have a rough estimate of what this hobby/obsession costs per month. Hopefully the results wont scare off too many potential stampers!
I was also wondering why you chose rubber stamping as a hobby? I know I have started a lot of hobbies and given up on them quickly, but I have been stamping for 8 years! Has anyone else had a similar experience? What drew you toward stamping as a hobby and why do you keep doing it?
I too have done many things over the year and tire of them quickly. I think I have chosen to stay with rubber stamping so long because you are really not doing the same thing over and over. Everything you create with stamping is different, the images, the embellishments, the paper etc.
When I first started and up until just a few months ago I would easily spend $150 a month. But lately I feel I have everything so I have not spent more that $20 a month in the last 3 months. And, that is mostly on tape runners!
I just started stamping about 4 years ago but I have done many scrapbooks. that figure is for both hobbies. Is is not cheap but you can go with spending very little. I have found that scrappers and card makers are the most generous people in the world. In quilting classes--not so much sharing goes on but scrappers are like"what mine is yours". I loved that. I miss that we don't have any places for scrap night in Dallas anymore. There is only one store and it is always booked. I miss the social time. I actually drive 120 miles one way on special event days to scrap with people I met on line right here.
Hi. I got hooked on rubber stamping when I went to my first Stampin Up party some 13 years ago! Boy! I knew I was hooked when I saw the wonderful stamps and ideas started dancing in my head!! I have always liked to color - I gues I'm just a big kid at heart! So I knew stamping would be a great way to keep coloring and not have people think I was crazy! I started sending my cards to my family and then it became an obsession with me! I needed the next new thing and the best cutter and I could go on and on. Anyway, I keep doing it because I love it! I love it because it gives me a chance to express myself through art. I do think of my stamping as art. I challenge myself to come up with new things all the time. I have a room setup for my hobby and can tell you I have way more than a few thousand dollars in that room!!! My kids and grandkids will have lots of product to use when I'm gone! Oh I try to use the products I have on hand and not buy anything new but then there is the time that I just don't have the right paper for the project I'm working on or I see a new tool or stamp and I have to have it! Yes, stamping is an addiction for me but I figure it is way safer than some addictions I could have!! Good luck with your project!!!
I voted $0-$50, but that is after 8 or so years of accumulation of supplies. I guarantee in the beginning it was quite a bit more than that. I attend the occasional SU workshop and pretty much just order cs because nothing (other than the in colors, they are just beautiful this time!) in this catty has impressed me that much, but I do love their cs, ink etc. When one of the big box craft stores has some good sales I'll take advantage of them, especially copic markers, but other than that I am pretty content with my stash so my spending is down.
If you are talking new stampers, I would say somewhere in the range of $100-$200 a month depending on how quickly the addiction takes hold. I pretty much started with SU so my purchases depended on when people in my group had workshops (I'm not a demo).
I love stamping because it is a way to feel artistic without having to be artistic, does that make sense? I am not one of these people that can draw freehand or paint landscapes, but give me a stamp and an inkpad and I can create a card that looks pretty darn good. It gives me an artistic outlet, KWIM?
I can honestly say that I'm not totally able to put my finger on what is so addicting about this hobby. But I'm an addict! I don't send a lot of cards (didn't send any before I started stamping myself) to people, but I love feeling like I made a little tiny piece of art. And my mom loves to give cards to people, so she benefits greatly from my little addiction. I've cut down on my spending by never buying on a whim, or because I saw one cute card made with a certain stamp. I think about how often I'll really use something before I make any purchases. And I take a little color swatch with me when I'm shopping for ribbon or dp or anything, so I don't get home and have nothing to match the cardstock I have.
Thanks so much for all your replies! I have really enjoyed reading about why you all love stamping! You have provided me with some great information for my speech! Thanks again!
I first began to stamp in the mid 90's and for a long time thought it was just embossing images. I found online groups in 2000 and the growing volumes of knowledge in websites out there and things just snowballed!
I think like other people it is a way to enjoy being arty even though I cannot draw to save myself. I never ever ever get bored with stamping as there are far too many different techniques and mediums to work with. In all this time, boredom with this hobby has not been a feature.
Unlike most here SU has not been a driving force with me as it has only been in our country for the last couple of years. So, you can just imagine all the different goodies I have accumulated from just about all over in that time frame.
Like Eileen, I have thousands upon thousands worth.....I would actually be a bit mortified if I knew exactly how many thousands of dollars are in my dedicated art area...but I am set for my older years now and am quite happy playing with all my stuff!
To beginners, I always warn that this is likely to be quite addictive and will pull on their purse strings.....but after that warning...it is on their own head!
Love, love love this hobby...and I do not see me bowing out from it...in fact, I will probably be buried with some of my beloved stamping stuff.....I have already told hubby he is to ring a couple of my mates and they will come and sort my stuff out.....otherwise he could more and likely throw the lot to the dump (garbage disposal maybe to you US people).
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I spend about $30.00 a month. I would spend more if I had the extra cash! I've been stamping for four years. I've never really had a hobby before. I think I'm drawn to it because it's relaxing, a creative outlet, workshops are a social outing, (I go to one or two per month) and I'm also drawn to it becauses it connects me to kids. I've taught preschool and kindergarten and now am an early childhood specialist. Stamping is something my own kids did and I always had stamps in the classroom. Kids and me and stamps just go together! It's also made me more considerate...I remember birthdays and everyone gets a thank you.
Last edited by Allistamps123; 05-06-2009 at 02:24 AM..
Like you I started hobbies and it fell by the wayside.. Stamping just, well ok its not exercise.. lol.. except my brain. I use my brain all day at work and you would think coming and making a card would be something I wouldnt want to because I would have to think.. but what it does for me is lets me not think or worry of the real world .., it allows me to just use the creative side of my brain instead of the logical side ..
ok did that make ANY sense?
In short it allows me to not think of things that I HAVE to..
Location: Virginia, where we have the beach and mountains all in one state!!
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I voted 50-100. I have curved my spending alot recently so it may not be that much now. Some months I don't even order but wait until next month to see what's new if I want just one item.
Why stamping?? I think it's because (for me) that the creative outlet is endless!! I mean you can stamp on paper........but on fabric, walls, metal, ANYTHING. This is what draws me to it. My son, who is 15, will come and say How can I do this and I show him the tool and say WA LA and he reply's SWEET. I mean the "what can I do with stamps" are just endless.
Now I am a gal who has to have it all so when I say this don't think I am being hypercritical...but I DON'T think it's that expensive of a hobby....not if you start out small and purchase a little at a time. I am such a huge fan of showing people how they can get started without all the stuff, it just takes time. Find a consultant in your area and join class or find the free workshops (this is what I hold) and go there to get started. Also this is a way to try out new things to see if you really think you like an item or not.
My mom started stamping first. I actually (sorry mom!) made fun of it for awhile. What could you do with STAMPING. Put a picture of some silly country cutesy thing on paper with ink (this was the early 90's after all). What's the fun in that?
Then I went through a particularly difficult time in my life. I truly don't know why, but one day I asked mom to borrow her stamping stuff. (It all fit in a rubbermaid box!) It was one of those things that made me wonder if God had a hand in the whole thing, because from that first day stamping I had something positive to focus on. Stamping became, and still is, a light in the darkness.
I spend too much. Thankfully, I teach one class a month at my LSS and occasionally fill in for them. That almost always goes back into stamping stuff. So I chose $100-200/month. I justify that by not having any other vices. I don't drink, smoke or gamble. I don't have a cell phone or other little devices. I don't have a gaming system. I don't go out to eat much or go to movies or the theatre or the like. Geez, that sounds like a pathetic little life, doesn't it? LOL! But I've gotten most of my friends into stamping as well, so I'm not just hiding away in my little cave.
__________________ Debra ---artist * teacher * designer Say yes. Be generous. Speak up. Love more. Trust yourself. Slow down. ---Patti Digh
I chose 0-50, as right now I don't spend too much on stamping and other craft stuff, due to fixed finances and most of it being packed up to move anyway. When starting out though, it is going to cost more to get all the little things you need or think you need, although I think you could get started for under 100 a month. I see alot of things I think would be really cool to have, but can't justify spending the money on them, because I just don't see me using them that much, like a Cricut.
I have been stamping for probably about 12 years now, starting when I was a teenager, so by the time I moved out, I had a good start, but I remember my first stamping stuff was a gift that included CS, EP, a stamp and an ink pad. Made for some interesting improvising to melt the EP, since we lived out in the boonies.
I like pretty much any craft. I like the process of making something. I probably make under 100 cards a year right now, for birthdays and Christmas mostly, but they are so much more personal than a store-bought card.
I voted 0-50. This is because I spend very little of "my own" money on supplies. Usually 0/month. But, I am a demo, and what I earn for selling stuff I put towards buying my own - so it's kind of a deceiving question/answer. In truth, I wouldn't buy so much stuff if I wasn't a demo and my answer would still be the same as I wouldn't have a budget for it.
I love stamping because there's so many different techniques and things to try and ways to grow. The basics are the same, but a lot of things change. It's fun to create something simple in a little amount of time, or continually add to your scrapbook. A scrapbook also makes the pictures way more fun to look at. I will look at them over and over and other people like to look at them too. Beats putting pictures in a box or in a photo album with no explaination of what's going on. I remember the event much better as well, with the pictures and journalling.
__________________ Sending you a SMILE! :p
This is the day the Lord has made, let us REJOICE and be GLAD in it!
I voted 50-100, but that is only true the last few months. When I first started, I spent WAY more than that, but after doing this for about 5 years, I really have all the basics (cutters, cardstock, inks, markers, die cutter, etc). Now I spend money on toys and extras.
I do this hobby because I can have both instant gratification (a card in less than 15 minutes, sometimes) and long drawn out projects (fine detail coloring, fussy cutting, etc) with it. Also, it covers many mediums: coloring, cutting, embroidery work if I feel like it, my sewing machine, crochet, and tatting, depending on what I choose to put on the card. Plus, if I look at the amount of money I spend in cardstock and embellishments for each card, I don't mind giving away my results. I just use them to bless other people, you know?
I try not to spend too much, but being new to stamping, I do tend to get carried away with every new thing I see. I must say that last month, I was very good and kept my spending down to only what I needed. I am so proud of myself.
Ok..hubby isnt here so I can tell you honestly..that the first year I started stamping I spent well OVER $12,000.00. Now that does include my two matching desks, matching vertical file for my papers, and matching bookshelf for my stamps. But still it was a LOT of $$$$$ for one year...the figure is actually closer to $15,000 by the time you add in all the stamps and papers and tools I bought. My hubby knows I spent a whole lot and is always quick to tell people when we are showing them around the house that "this is the most expensive room in the house." I dont spend near what I used to...I tried to stay on a budget of $50.00 per month this year and so far that is not happening...I am spending way way more than that on new stamps and papers..then there are the nesties....Wow... In my defense I am not a new clothes person, dont drink or smoke...it would be great if I could quit eating so I had even more to spend...lol
blessings.
Great responses everyone! Sprtchick, I think my stamproom is the most expensive room in the house too! I recently inventoried all my SU! sets and boy was I surprised! That wasn't even counting all the paper, embellishments, etc! I find it is best to look at it purchase by purchase and not add up any totals! It is way too scary!
I agree with everyone who has mentioned the diversity of stamping. There is just so much you can do. For my speech I am showing framed art, coasters, bookmarks, boxes, and cards. Of course there are so many other projects too! It is hard to get tired of a hobby when all the creative people here on SCS are always coming up with new techniques to make me fall in love with my stamps all over again!
considering I just purchased a Quickutz Silhouette and a couple extras for it, as well as a new Guillotine cutter, it's been a big month for me... But i teach stamping at my LSS and usually buy the stamps that I will be using on the cards, as well as loads of other supplies etc etc etc... so I voted $100-200...
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When I first started stamping - about 12 yrs ago, I didn't spend much - UNTIL I got online with it - back then it was the rubberstamping email list. Oh how I loved to order from those vendors! Impression Obsession was my very favorite! I spend easily in the $100-$200 and that was 10 yrs ago!
Then I quite my job and started a rubber stamp business. So I had no $! And I had no time to stamp - at all! Soon the $ started coming in, but I still only get to stamp every so often so I try to use what I have. But I do still fall in the 0-50 range.
__________________ Mary Dew Lee
Serendipity Stamps
I voted for $0 to $50. Our budget is really tight now with the economy so I have not bought anything for quite a while. I have been using what I have or what until I get the $3 off coupon from Archivers (it does not have a minimum amount you have to spend so I love that coupone).
I love making my cards to give away as it tends to be more of a conversation piece than the cards that you can purchase. I also have 2 close friends that also stamp and scrapbook so we will try to arrange "sleep overs" every few months where we stamp, scrapbook, talk, and eat for the weekend. It is a good way to "get away" from it all.
I voted 0 to $50. I think that would be a good average. Some months, though, it can be much more. Others, nothing at all.
I started with scrapbooking in 1997 - having been editor of the newspaper in school, I was instantly "hooked" on layouts and sticker letters (just like press type!). Of course I've always been a photography buff, too.
Fast forward a short time and I got an invite to a friend's DOTS party (dozens of terrific stamps, now known as CTMH). I thought "Why not?" and went. Oh boy! Another fun hobby! I thought "Why not?" because I could use the same tools I had acquired for scrapping on my new card-making hobby.
Stamping chose me! I purchased a few stamps for my sweet little daughters (adults now) to make BD invitations and I ended up being the one who loved stamping. I have met and stamped with alot of wonderful women over the years (and continue to do so) who also share my passion for stamping. Stamping is very relaxing, the stress just leaves my body when I stamp. I get a wonderful sense of satisfaction when I create cards and stamping projects.
I also flitted from one thing to another until SU and stamping... it has been full on since 2004.
I chose 0-50 $ because that would be the average, some months more, some not at all.
Why?
~I can't draw but I love art. Therefore stamps are perfect for me!
~It can be accomplished in a short time, long term projects bore me and I quit.
~Others get enjoyment and encouragement from my creativity.
~I sell cards so make a little money.
~I have an eye for colour and design.
Oh, and first, my 'reasoning' went like this: think of all the money I'll save making cards, not buying them!
I started making cards because I thought it would be cheaper than buying them. (no seriously, I did THINK that)
If this makes you feel better, you're not the only one. And look at it this way, well yes, it does take time to make a card, it's productive time, you're not just standing around a card shop. People aprreciate your handmade card ...... The fact that you took the time to create something special just for them.
AND, the hubbys actually DO beleive that it is cheaper, so they don't mind you spending on the craft.:mrgreen:
A Poll and a Question
