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Fun conversation! I am normally not a trend follower (I don't want anyone telling me what to do! lol!!), but instead collect stamps which help me to personalize cards for my family. I make an average of 120 birthday cards a year for family, friends and customers. Though some stamps mentioned above are not faves of mine either, I can usually tolerate (or ignore) the ones which do not "flip my switch". The poop emoji and any negative type sentiments are not for me.....I would rather encourage someone with something positive.
And I truly do not “get” the snark that is out there in the way of sentiments. Who would say such things to a card recipient that they LIKED?
I’m a foliage and plant fan but please, no more layering stamps on flowers that all look alike. Just working out how layer two fits on layer one and so on deters me from ever using them much!
I can’t say I followed the trends mentioned - I tend to buy what appeals to me but I wait a few months after a release before I go hog wild and I rarely, if ever buy an entire release, even from the companies I prefer.
I would like to see more thoughtful, heartfelt sentiments (verses) in sets i.e birthday, thinking of you, just because etc. rather than just the word sentiments. I usually end up leaving most of my cards blank inside.
I am also sooooooo tired of the puns. Some of them are just way too corny.
I love seeing new releases and products but agree that they are a little too frequent. Designers are cramming new things into their posts for two weeks then they're on to the next thing. By the time the "commoners" receive their orders the "new" products don't seem so new (or relevant) anymore .
I would really appreciate some humorous stamps. My mother and other family members love sassy stamp themes. However, we seem to get the same old sentiments, and few sets that mimic the humorous cards found in stores
Was just thinking about this! I'm filled with the blahs over the similarity in craft-product design and the YouTube crafter videos surrounding these frequent look-alike releases. It used to be one of my favorite things to binge watch a bunch of these videos--each had their own individuality, which I so appreciated. But now, so many of my favorite YouTube crafters are on design teams or sponsored and I feel like I'm seeing the same old thing pushed week after week.
I realize I am in a tiny minority, but cutesy anything, talking vegetables, painful puns, doll-like stamps with no eyes and anything having to do with elaborate, cartoony scenes just leave me cold. Saves me a lot of money though:-)
And I truly do not “get” the snark that is out there in the way of sentiments. Who would say such things to a card recipient that they LIKED?
My 89 year old mother loves snarky/funny cards. She stands in the card isle at the store and laughs, picking out cards for her family. That's why I would be interested in those sentiments. If I can make my Mom happy, then it is a very good thing.
Was just thinking about this! I'm filled with the blahs over the similarity in craft-product design and the YouTube crafter videos surrounding these frequent look-alike releases. It used to be one of my favorite things to binge watch a bunch of these videos--each had their own individuality, which I so appreciated. But now, so many of my favorite YouTube crafters are on design teams or sponsored and I feel like I'm seeing the same old thing pushed week after week.
I realize I am in a tiny minority, but cutesy anything, talking vegetables, painful puns, doll-like stamps with no eyes and anything having to do with elaborate, cartoony scenes just leave me cold. Saves me a lot of money though:-)
I don’t think you are in a minority at all. I TOTALLY agree with you!! I couldn’t have put it better. ... I don’t know who buys them but presumably some do or they wouldn’t produce them.
I'm a not much of a trend-follower. I'll never tire of butterflies per se, but one particular butterfly stamp may go on sabbatical for a while. I make lots of birthday cards for family, and they don't seem to mind my old sentiments (they probably don't notice!) I have plenty of flowers and leaves. Just a couple of coffee stamps, but that's enough. Poop images will never find their way into my collection.
I giggled when someone mentioned buttons. I was really into that in my SU demo days, but got away from it because of postage. But earlier this week I made a stack of cards using retired textured card stock, striped ribbon and BUTTONS! LOL
My current trend is "You bought it, so use it!"
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator "Famous Last Words" Spring Virtual Stamp Night, April 19 & 20
I'm so out of it since there aren't many brick and mortar stamp stores left where I can see all the new products and stamps and how they are used---maybe even take a class. Didn't even know any of the themes mentions were/are fads in the first place. I just like elegant and beautiful stamps. I don't really buy many new stamps, because I rarely see any that are better than what I have, and I am not one to get tired of using the same lovely stamp over and over year after year. I love leaves, weeds, butterflies, birds, lighthouses, barns, ships, trees. I have those and use them. If I don't like what I see, I don't buy it, fad or not. Guess I don't feel the need for trendy things when I have so many stamps in my style that I can use in so many different ways. I will agree, I don't see as many stamps that inspire me as of late.
I would really appreciate some humorous stamps. My mother and other family members love sassy stamp themes. However, we seem to get the same old sentiments, and few sets that mimic the humorous cards found in stores
Have you checked out Riley & Company? I think some of their “Funny Bones” are hilarious!
A couple of my faves:
Someone keeps putting vegetables in the beer crisper.
The wind was so strong, it blew me into the wine store.
These aren’t gray hairs. They’re strands of glitter.
My biggest fear is that when I die, my husband sells my craft supplies for what I told him they cost.
I like artsy mixed media stamps (clear, rubber and foam). I don't indulge in the latest trend of stamps, stamps w/matching dies and sentiments.
When I first started stamping I had a collection of those cutsey stamps which I purged from my collection many, many, years ago.
Some things on the list I totally agree with - some however, I'm still on board with:
I'd keep: llamas (I know, I know, but I still like 'em and falalalallama still makes me giggle) snark and pun never go out of style in my family - I think it's genetic mustaches for the most part - I was never on board with, however: Tim Holtz has a new holiday die set out (Cool Yule) that has a reindeer in it with glasses and a mustache that totally made me buy the set. Good thing it was 30% off! cartoonish characters, for the most part. I have enough.
On the other hand...this year I have to say...
I think Lawn Fawn has been just knocking it out of the park since January or February. There isn't a release (which only come about every 10-12 weeks!!!) that I don't have most of. Even the relatively cutesy stuff. I don't think anyone is besting them at interactive dies. Love their dinosaur related stuff that came out last winter with the volcano set that erupted. I'd be happy with more dino related goodies.
MFT has gone to every other month releases. At first I was unhappy, but I think it's been a good thing. I love Birdie Brown, and someone else mentioned, Stacy Yacula is now designing for them, and I adore her 2 sets. I'm going to look to see where else she's been designing - really, really like what she's done.
I like the word/sentiment dies that some with the shadow behind them. I just like the look. Since I don't have an abundance of word dies, these are the ones I look for.
Concord & 9th turnabout stamps are a-mazing! Pure and simple, just a-mazing!
Hero Arts has been unspeakably good this year in their kit of the month. I could only subscribe (financially) to one, and it took me a while to hunt around and pick - like about a year!!! - and this is the company I chose. Their advent calendar in an A-2 card size die set this month? Flat-out fabulous. $35 well spent and I haven't had a kit that has gone unused since I started. Loved the carousel themed one (no cartoon character type thing here!) and would love to see more of that done, and done well by other companies. Nice amusement park background, just well done.
I know folks are tired of seeing them around, but I still love owls. Found one set by Rubbernecker stamps that I could turn into a Santa Owl easily enough. So yes, that is happening.
Honey Bee stamps has been doing some unique things - one I really liked was the My tribe: each Thanksgiving my daughter and I make little gifts that each part of our family takes home when they leave after Thanksgiving dinner (Saturday this year) and I'm using this Honey Bee Stamps set to make the card to go with it. It's pretty unique and I wouldn't mind seeing more like this.
I'd like to see more this, too:
Multiple pronouns available: My/our possibilities
Mr and Mr Mrs and Mrs wedding cards -- it IS nearly 2019 companies!!!
More adoption cards
Fewer companies feeling like they need to excel at EVER facet of the business, and concentrating instead at the 4 or 5 things they do best: for example, I liked it better when AlteNew focused more on stamps, dies and inks, instead of feeling like they also needed to embossing powders, papers, tapes, tape runners, alcohol ink pens, etc etc etc. I also won't do their blog hops because they have so many designers to visit it would take a day and a half to get through the first day.... <ok minor nit picky rant over on that score>
End of too long post on what I like would like to see
small snark -- I love that it says post quick reply, cuz this was NOT a quick reply <G>
__________________ The future is uncertain, because love changes everything!
I think all you poor ladies have marketing overload.
As a fantasy artist I live for Unicorns, Mermaids & all those pretty fantasy creatures. I hardly have any of those items in my stamp collection. I got a stamp of a mermaid tail this year & was so excited.
There are sloth stamps out? Are you kidding me? I need them. I love llamas. Oh my gosh I have a crazy flamingo love. Are we picking on koalas, lol.
Poop emoji. :( No love for poop emoji. That is so sad. I love him. He is Patrick Stewart for gosh sakes. Of course I am seriously big into Kawaii so I get the Kawaii reasoning behind poop and vegetable faces. I understand that Western culture it starts getting lost in translation. Especially in the crafting market where it starts to take on different meanings.
Years ago I unsubbed from all the stamp blogs, stamp newsletters and etc because it was way too much. It burns you out so fast. I adore owls and I was starting to get mad about the owl craze. It was like the stamp companies could only design owls. There were millions of them released in stamp sets every day. It is way too much. This industry needs to learn a big word called MODERATION, lol.
Now when I find stamps and adopt them I get excited because it is unique and fits my stamp collection perfectly. I never see the trends.
I am excited about a lot of the trends you all mentioned. There are snarky stamp sentiments now? Oh Yes! THANK YOU! I have requested those for years. Some of us stamp in other things besides cards, like our journals. Snarky is a need in a journal. I really do need to get some sloths.
I really do get the marketing overload. If I see another dragon video game I will scream. You know what I do art for? Dragon video games, lol.
I'm tired of new stamp releases every month, and then all the videos using the same sets. Then, in a few weeks, no one is featuring those anymore, and the new line is released. I know it's how stamp companies stay in business, but it was so much easier when companies had only 2 or 3 releases a year. Now it's just too overwhelming.
I’m all for this too. I actually like a lot of the things on the above lists (I love puns and woodland animals), but I want to see older stamps used and maybe more original designs instead of new stamps every month.
There ARE stamp companies that do things that way, still!! It might be worth looking around and letting them know that you appreciate how they do things... Or making a purchase of an older design from them...
MFT has gone to every other month releases. At first I was unhappy, but I think it's been a good thing. I love Birdie Brown, and someone else mentioned, Stacy Yacula is now designing for them, and I adore her 2 sets. I'm going to look to see where else she's been designing - really, really like what she's done.<ok minor="" nit="" picky="" rant="" over="" on="" that="" score=""> <g>
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<ok minor="" nit="" picky="" rant="" over="" on="" that="" score=""><g>Stacey has been designing for Purple Onion Designs for years - I have at least one-third to one-half of her stamps in my collection. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells art prints, greeting cards, fabric (yes, her designs) and paper clay figures. I just got an email yesterday regarding the Etsy shop saying that she is closing it for the holiday season because of the Canada Post rotating strike. Apparently there are backlogs of up to 30 days and she doesn't want people to get caught out in that. And she has a blog. Can you tell I'm a fan?</g></ok>
Just had to see what Stacy Yacula was all about and must say, it is so great that there are so many different stamps out there for all the different styles of stampers. There were only a handful of her stamps that I would want to own, and I already have something just as good or better in every case. The majority of her stamps are not my style and I would find no way to use them. Maybe if I journaled with stamps. I don't do anything but write in my journals.
I see a lot of butterflies popping up again and I’m just not ready for them to resurface. (Real ones, yes. Stamped ones... not yet.) Maybe its because they were a favorite in classes I taught so i just saw too many?
Fewer companies feeling like they need to excel at EVER facet of the business, and concentrating instead at the 4 or 5 things they do best: for example, I liked it better when AlteNew focused more on stamps, dies and inks, instead of feeling like they also needed to embossing powders, papers, tapes, tape runners, alcohol ink pens, etc etc etc. I also won't do their blog hops because they have so many designers to visit it would take a day and a half to get through the first day.... <ok minor="" nit="" picky="" rant="" over="" on="" that="" score="">
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<ok minor="" nit="" picky="" rant="" over="" on="" that="" score=""><g>That is a really good point. </g></ok>
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<ok minor="" nit="" picky="" rant="" over="" on="" that="" score=""><g>And I have a lot of Stacey Yacula’s stamps through Purple Onion. Most of mine I bought in the last 18 months but are much older than that. I like the clear sets but probably won’t get them, I decided, because I would rather have a variety of animals than 3-4 of the same animal. </g></ok>
Never liked the tea cups, coffee cups, and fruit stamps. Also, expressions like “You are stronger than you think.” That one really irks me! How do I know how “strong” a person is?!
I think it's great that there are things out there we love and things we don't. So we can buy the things we like and not buy what we don't. Since there are different strokes for different folks, someone else will snap up what you don't. Let's keep the variety going and satisfy as many as possible.
I'm tired of new stamp releases every month, and then all the videos using the same sets. Then, in a few weeks, no one is featuring those anymore, and the new line is released. I know it's how stamp companies stay in business, but it was so much easier when companies had only 2 or 3 releases a year. Now it's just too overwhelming.
I too dislike the constant releases and in a month or two not being able to get the product because it was a special release.
Never liked the tea cups, coffee cups, and fruit stamps. Also, expressions like “You are stronger than you think.” That one really irks me! How do I know how “strong” a person is?!
After a friend kept calling to say she couldn’t go through with something, that she was too scared, even though she knew it could help her, I made her a card with that sentiment. In tears, she thanked me for believing in her, and we talked about fear, and when I had to be stronger than I thought I could be.
I think some sentiments wait for the right moment and person.
Someone once posted she didn’t like “get well” because it sounded like an order. That was surprising. Obviously “get well” wouldn’t be used for someone who sadly could not get well, but I’d love to get a get well card if sick. So different strokes...
I agree with the original post with the exception of flamingos. My flamingo stamps will always have a place in my craft room. But I can't stand the trendy stuff. It gets overdone fast.
And snark?! Agree with JoniWorx it must be genetic - certainly in my family growing up! Years ago I used to like some so much I wouldn’t send them - or would get two to keep one. (I know, silly.)
But like anything, it has to be done well (in my mind!), so out of 10 or 20 snarky cards I’d look at, maybe I’d like one or two. So I’m with the others who posted it was their cup of tea. (But I’m not into making cards with coffee or tea cups.)
After a friend kept calling to say she couldn’t go through with something, that she was too scared, even though she knew it could help her, I made her a card with that sentiment. In tears, she thanked me for believing in her, and we talked about fear, and when I had to be stronger than I thought I could be.
I think some sentiments wait for the right moment and person.
Someone once posted she didn’t like “get well” because it sounded like an order. That was surprising. Obviously “get well” wouldn’t be used for someone who sadly could not get well, but I’d love to get a get well card if sick. So different strokes...
Some of my loved ones have had serious struggles over the years - divorce, addictions, career setbacks, what have you - and sentiments that encourage and/or remind them that the situation is temporary are always well received. I agree with Beth that there is a time and a place - and a person - that these types of sentiments are entirely appropriate for.
I also agree about "get well" - I never, ever considered it an "order" until someone pointed that out. Likewise, someone else mentioned that she detested "smile" because it seemed so passive/aggressive to her. I love "be happy" and "smile" and all the rest of the Pollyanna-ish sentiments. I guess that's why there is such a wide variety, and why it's important to know your audience, right?
Some of my loved ones have had serious struggles over the years - divorce, addictions, career setbacks, what have you - and sentiments that encourage and/or remind them that the situation is temporary are always well received. I agree with Beth that there is a time and a place - and a person - that these types of sentiments are entirely appropriate for.
I also agree about "get well" - I never, ever considered it an "order" until someone pointed that out. Likewise, someone else mentioned that she detested "smile" because it seemed so passive/aggressive to her. I love "be happy" and "smile" and all the rest of the Pollyanna-ish sentiments. I guess that's why there is such a wide variety, and why it's important to know your audience, right?
It’s amazing that you bring up this subject about smile stamps and such. I just removed from stamp drawer a stamp that said - think happy thoughts. I’ve never used it and finally figured out why - if someone isn’t thinking happy thoughts it’s a put-down to them, and if they already are in the happy-thought mode, why send it? Ugh..these are things I never even gave a thought to years ago. The PC world we live in today has created a lot of angst, and in the least likely places, like what to put on a handmade greeting card!!!!
I do have a favorite smile oriented sentiment that I use a lot because it isn’t instructing someone what to think/feel. It’s a Hero Arts sentiment: my heart smiles with thoughts of you. It’s in a script font and looks like a heart-felt, handwritten sentiment. So lovely, and loving!
Another much used favorite is a PSX stamp: You make my heart smile. Once again, it’s just an affirmative, uplifting message for the recipient....an updated version of the thinking-of-you sentiment.
I find myself avoiding the get well stamps until I find out what the ailment is and what the receiver will be facing for recovery. I pretty much stick to thinking-of-you, caring thoughts, love & prayers, as a way to avoid this journey down the rabbit-hole of what sentiment to use.
While we card makers may look under a microscope at what we make, non-card-making recipients don’t. They’re the recipients of an unexpected bit of caring.
“Get well” or “get well soon” is timeless and innocuous, simply short for I hope you get well soon, kind of long for a card front sentiment, and appears on gazillions of retail cards, stamps and dies.
I can’t imagine someone who’s been sick being offended unless they like finding things to be offended by in general. (What do you mean my hair looks nice?! Did it look bad before?!) ;) Of course if there was any question about full recovery, that sentiment isn’t at all appropriate.
Just catching up with some recordings from our craft channels in the UK and, well I never, there was a llama stamp in one programme and a llama die in another! I honestly believe I haven't seen that motif before now - I did say that I don't really see all the 'latest' sets the companies are bringing out. Think they're getting rid of them, in the week-long Black Friday deals we have over here (sorry, don't think the concept travelled well over the Atlantic!).
I agree about the too many releases. I couldn't tell you how many times I've see a stamp, die, set, etc and went looking for examples of it being used and could not find anything except maybe a very brief mention in a "reveal".
The industry has major attention deficit issues. That is bad/good as a consumer because even though there is too much being released, at least it forces companies to constantly mark down "old" merchandise that is really only been out a few months.
I have a friend with MS, and I have arthritis, and I told her once that my mind goes a hundred miles a minute, but my body moves like a sloth. It fits for younger people like us with hidden illnesses that aren’t so obvious.
So I’m still on board with the sloth for my spoonie friends, but kinda exhausted by all the cute stuff. I like that kind of thing in small doses. I do have a stamp set from AALL & Create with “arena rock” style unicorns (think Van Halen or KISS) that is hilarious, so I’ve used that one for the niece and nephews. My niece is a toddler, and still into the unicorns, so I’m okay with making cards that she will enjoy along with the boys.
I am OVER seeing base prices of things temporarily going up so a company can mark it "on sale". There are some companies that do this on a regular basis, really do they think we are that stupid.
Please do not start naming names, don't want to hyjack thread and don't want TOU's violated. I'm just expressing a frustration.
I am OVER seeing base prices of things temporarily going up so a company can mark it "on sale". There are some companies that do this on a regular basis, really do they think we are that stupid.
Please do not start naming names, don't want to hyjack thread and don't want TOU's violated. I'm just expressing a frustration.
Would giving a specific example of an item with price changes/time-frame in a non-accusatory manner be a violation? Or just price information? For example if CraftyCo listed the loonybaloony die set for $10.00 two weeks ago, raised it to $13.00 last week and is now giving $3.00 off. Would that be okay?
There are many posts where people mention the cost of an item and someone chimes in they’ve found it lower elsewhere. (I recently did that!) I know that isn’t at the same, but in both cases it would be providing factual info about prices.
