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I think if you enjoy it, but time is the real issue, then a card every two weeks isn't that bad, considering your situation. Maybe you could hold off buying new stuff for awhile.
This actually happens with a lot of hobbies. DH and I were into ham radio before we had kids, then we had our own two harmonics (as the other hams called them). A change of job and location and we haven't got back into it. But I remember a lot of people saying it was a great hobby for before you had kids, and after you retired!!
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
If it fits your budget, I recommend signing up for a class if they are available by you. Its uninterrupted "me" time already scheduled and you get out of the house for a few hours. And it can reinspire and remind you what you loved about stamping in the first place. I only have one six year old and its hard to stamp with him - he will want to stamp too which I am fine with but I can't concentrate on my own project then.
This is a great thread! I feel so much the same way sometimes. I have not gotten rid of all of my supplies, but I have weeded out a lot of stuff lately. I have a huge laundry basket full of sets and supplies that I haven't touched in at least a year to be traded or sold soon. Probably going to make a second round of eliminations tomorrow.
My son is 14 months and I feel major guilt when I don't spend time with him as I also work full-time as a teacher. However, I "plan" on taking some time this summer to stamp and get myself into the groove again. It won't be a lot of time, but enough to get in some practice and to feel better about keeping the sets and supplies that I will be using. My scrapbooks need dire attention, too.
While I don't have the issue of small children at home, I too found that I was not stamping as much as I wanted to. I'm now trying to carve out more time. One thing I'm doing is to stop buying MORE stuff. While I do love the every new item that comes out, I'm concentrating on using what I have. I'm gong through my SU sets and finding some that I still love--just kind of forgot I had.
Time not going to the store or online shopping I can use towards stamping.
Hey, I was in the same boat...about 15 years ago! I started....then put it away for almost 10 years! I would occassionally make a card, do some scrapping but not really.
But now that my daughter is graduating high school, I have pulled everything back out! We all go through times in our lives where time is just too short, but don't do anything drastic! I find that a lot of the stamps I bought 10-15 years ago cannot be found now and I love taking them out!
Susan- I agree with the others about keeping what you love and you most likely come back to it. I was a demo for SU two years ago and attended convention and lots of other events. Soon after that I decided to go back to school to get my masters degree. My daughter was 3 at the time, and I worked 2 jobs to pay for school. I moved and lost my beautiful stamp room. I am at the end of my program now and have just begun stamping again. I try to do the hobby and focus on what is important in the hobby. For example I want to create memories for my daughter. Now instead of 12X12 albums I just do 8x8. I send my family and friends cards, so instead of embellished all done out cards, i focuse on why I am sending the cards. For sure get rid of the stuff that you don't use. Save your favorites. This craft is not going anywhere soon. Slowly, but surely I bet you will create again. Best of luck. I think that is awsome that you do a card every two weeks.
I know how you feel. I work full-time and am going to college part-time. I am taking an online class right now that is 3 credit hours, but it is only 4 weeks long. So I have to cram 16 weeks of work into the month of June. In fact, I should be working on the class right now, but I needed a break. I don't think you should "give up". Maybe you don't have enough time right now to do much, but when your little ones get into school and get a little older, you willl have more time. Plus, I think everyone needs a creative outlet. When you do get some free time, enjoy stamping, even if it is only for a couple of hours per month.
Anyway, I hope you get some more time to relax soon - you deserve it!
Everyone has given you excellent advice, and I echo what they are saying - don't do anything drastic, and give yourself time.
I would like to add, perhaps you are feeling a little "guilty" about having invested a lot in a hobby you are barely able to pursue now. But remember, it's a hobby - something you got into because you enjoyed it! And more than likely, you will have the opportunity to enjoy it again in the future. Your hobby will be waiting for you when you are ready to pick it up again. Don't feel like you have to be doing something with your hobby every day. Now is not the right time for you. Later it may be again, as many have said.
In addition to stamping, I love to quilt, embroider, write and scrapbook. Often I abandon one or more of those for a few years, only to pick it up later and get totally involved in it again! It's fun, then, because it's all fresh and new again!
Good luck with your decision, and do what is best for you - everything will work out fine!
__________________ Pamela I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. Ps 13:6
I'm thinking about giving up my stamping addiction. I just do not have any time to stamp with 2 little kids at home. By the time they are in bed I am just too exhausted.
It's so disappointing because I have my own craft room, I have tons and tons of stuff from buying all that stuff that I *had* to have. I really enjoy stamping when I get the time. But if I make one card every 2 weeks, that's an accomplishment. I just can't justify having all of these supplies when I rarely use it. I'm thinking of getting rid of it all. :(
Has anyone else gone through this? Any thoughts would be really appreciated.
Don't be too quick to give it up. You can put it on hold and make a card when you need it. You can also do some scrapbooking when you have time. As your children get older you'll have more creative time. Not only that you can use your skill and tools to make things for school and parties.
I think everyone really benefits from creative outlets like crafts. They are much more important than many people give them credit for. This is also something that your children can become involved in. My two youngest sons were really little when "they" decided they wanted to stamp. We bought a few stamps and had so much fun with them. It was many years later when I actually started stamping as a hobby. The fun thing is that I still had the stamps that they had used when they were so little.
I think we all go through so many phases in our lives. But some interests never really change, like hobbies. They may progress and grow and sometimes even wait for us but there still always there.
I am in the same boat. I have 2 littlies aged 4 and 19months, and I am so tired right now, that even though I really need to make a birthday card, and so want to get into it, I just don't have the energy. It's only 9pm here, and I am more than ready for bed! I just don't get the time during the day as my boy is quite high needs and has some health issues so I don't really get much time during the day. BUT my 4 year old is now going to kindy 3 afternoons a week and sometimes the toddler sleeps then, so I can often use those hours to stamp. Plus they both go to pre-school on a Friday morning, and if I don't have any other chores to do, I can use that time too.
Sometimes I don't make anything for weeks. But most days I like to just sit and play, even if only for 10 minutes. Sometimes it will just be stamping on a scrap piece of paper and experimenting with colours, other times it will be making a few die cuts to keep for later. But it's all therapy for me and when I do get those few precious moments to actually finish a project, you can bet I love every minute of it!
I am taking everyone's advice. I am not going to give it up. I really do love it too much. I guess I get very disappointed when I have to walk by my craft room and I see all those goodies just waiting to be played with. And I'm either too busy or too tired.
Just the other day I told my husband how frustrated I was because I had so little time for stamping. He reminded me that there are only so many hours in the day. With a full time job, a teen, a husband, and a sick Mom living with us, I'm thrilled if I produce a card or two a week.
To help ease the stress, I packed up about 4 boxes of stamps and an enormous box of papers. Out of sight, out of mind. I left a selection of my least used stamps behind.
It is easier to stamp when there isn't as much stuff to wade through.
If you love the hobby, consider finding some "me" time just once a week just to make one thing. Perhaps you and another Mom could trade off the kids for one 3 hours a week session, or your husband could handle the kids on a Sunday afternoon... just a thought!
Don't stress over it. It's one more thing you don't need!!!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Oh my! I agree with everyone else.............don't get rid of your supplies.
I used to make jewellery & many other crafts years ago...........sold them party plan................but i became ill (longterm) & gave everythhing up convinced i'd never craft anything ever again! Then 7 years down the line, through the encouragement of my DH, i slowly started making cards & it built up so i'm now doing my jewellery plus much more! When i think back to everything i gave up i cringe.............
So just close the door on your craft room........take the pressure to create away..............then one day you'll be back in it glad you kept everything!
Susan, I guess I have a different viewpoint than everyone else.
I just finished cleaning out my stamp room by selling everything I owned on ebay (six years worth of stamps, paper, etc).
I didn't stamp for almost a year and when I really examined what I was doing in my life, stamping just didn't fit anymore. I wasn't enjoying it and I didn't care for the "more more MORE" mentality that stamping/scrapbooking seems to be about (especially since the advent of sites like SCS and others). I wanted to simplify my life, not bring more "stuff" into it.
You need to examine what *you* want to do, not what everyone else is telling you. I wish I wouldn't have waited and would have sold my stuff months ago, instead of taking people's advice about not doing it.
I feel so much better, knowing I don't have a basement full of "stuff" I may never use and I love going to Hallmark to pick out cards now!! :mrgreen:
I took the pressure off myself about *having* to make something, and it's really helped my peace of mind.
Good luck with whatever you decide! I know how hard it is!
I have a 4 year old boy who loves to come into mommy's room and try to help me craft. It's like a game to him, ooooooh mommy is making cards so I better go get her attention! It's more like distract me from what I'm doing so I end up with several projects at different stages of completion. It can be very frustrating when you just never seem to get the time to get anything done. I have contemplated giving it all up many many times but then I remember that my son will be in school soon and that his interest in helping mommy will probably wane in the near future. Plus I think I would probably lose so much $$ trying to sell all my stuff that I'm better off keeping it all and just having patience.
My time will come at some point....
I didn't read through this entire post but wanted to comment. My daughter is 8 and my son is 5. I've really just started stamping. I do alot of my card making at work during my lunch hour..one solid hour of dedicated time!
However, both kids love to stamp with me. They each have 2 sets of stamps that they are allowed to use...my son is monochromatic - every thing he stamps is brown. My daughter, however, loves using color and is getting pretty creative. She knows how to use the stampin scrub between colors and is very good about cleaning up her scraps when she's finished. (She's not allowed to use Stazon!)
When I stamp at home, they usually join me. We have kid safe siccsors and my son loves to punch holes in his own scrap paper. I lay down a vinyl table cloth so that the coffee table stays free of ink and glue.
My husband will be out of town all week so I expect we will have at least one night of stamping together. It is good, quality time together and it gets all of us using our creative juices. I know it won't be long before we have to get creative with school projects so this is good practice...and fun too.
I still get interrupted but, that's okay too. I agree with the other posters, don't get rid of anything yet. Take a break and see how you feel in a few months, or even years.
If you just aren't in to stamping anymore then maybe give it some time before selling all of your things. If it is because you don't have time, then definitley DON"T DO IT! I have three boys-7 yr old, and twin 2 year olds, and I don't have NEAR enough time to do my favorite thing, which is stamping! However, I MAKE time once a day, no matter what! My DH is super supportive, too. He knows that staying home with three boys is like having 3 full time jobs, so if I don't do laundry one day, so that I can stamp for a bit, he helps me get caught up when the kids go to bed.
Even if it is for 30 minutes after the kids go to bed and before I go to bed, I will do something stamping or scrapping related. It makes me happy and keeps me sane! I hope that you can find time to squeeze in stamping if it is something that you are really passionate about! Don't give it up!
I haven't read all the replies so I am not sure if this advice has already been given. I would say wait and don't give up. I just went through a crafting funk. I just didn't want to make/have time for cards. One thing that really got me out of it was going through ALL my craft stuff. Evey last thing I own that dealed with stamping. I made keep, trash, and sale piles. It really helped to get rid of the stuff that I bought that turned out I really didn't like/need. I started stampin in Nov. 2004 and had to get everything all at once! Now I feel like I know what I want stamp/accersoires wise and it has cleared my stamping fog. KWIM?
Don't give up yet! My daughter is in the same position as you, with two small boys only 17 months apart. Why don't you try to barter some "time" to find a space to use your stamps? Choose what you want to do in advance, so you'll be able to make the most of your alone time. Pick something that can be done in stages, even or make ATC's that you can then use to make full cards quickly. Even those can be done in small snippets of time. My heart goes out to you. Hope this helps.
__________________
~Dianne~One of Kota's KidsSU Demo
Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is preparation for a future that only He can see--Corrie ten Boom
Just like everyone has said, it does get easier as they get older. But also remember you don't have to make something useful, like a card, every time you stamp. Sometimes it is relaxing just to go "play". Try some new color combo's, or practice watercoloring, etc. Don't put pressure on yourself to make something. Just have fun.
Another suggestion, that I did for awhile, is to color at night. I would stamp images on plain white c/s, and then at night when I was too tired to move, I would get the colored pencils out and color. Took little effort and I could later use the images for cards.
This is such a good suggestion! I do this sometimes just to relax. I think of it as "art therapy" and it is nice to practice techniques without the pressure to make something.
There were long dry spells when I didn't have time and thought about giving up my hobby but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Now, one DD is grown and lives out of state. Our younger DD just finished junior high. My DH loves to golf, fish and hunt. I have much more time on my hands now and I am so glad that I held on to my crafting things.
Sometimes I think about giving up my stuff, because we have no room for it. Four kids in a three bedroom house with tiny bedrooms, and I teach music lessons and homeschool. I keep saying that if I don't get my own space so I can easily get to my things, I am giving it up and selling it all. My husband always talks me out of it! He says I enjoy it too much when I get to do it.
You have a craft space, but if you get rid of your stuff that room may get "re-purposed" and then when you do have more time - which may be soon - you won't have the space and you'll have to buy all over again. So I vote for keeping it. I am so longing for the day when I can just sit down and pull out my things, not have to scramble in the back of the toy closet, under the dining table, and in the kitchen cabinet to find what I want for the next card!
Can you ask your hubby, MIL, a good friend, etc, to give you a half day off for crafting?
I went through this when my 7 and 9 yo were younger. I sold all of my stuff. Then, when they got a little older, I wanted back in because I love stamping...that love never went away. Now I've spent way more than I ever needed to to replace all that stuff. My advice...don't give it up.
Can you ask your hubby, MIL, a good friend, etc, to give you a half day off for crafting?
I wish!!
We are moving into a new house soon. I have told dh that I am claiming the extra bedroom for JUST ME and all of my craft stuff! At first he was resistant but finally relented. :mrgreen: So I am happy to say that I am keeping all of my stuff and after we move I am determined to carve out some time for just me!!!
I would use that craft room, by setting aside "one" night (two hours tops) once a week and invite some ladies over for stamping night. Schedule it after the kids are down. You will find yourself looking forward to "that night" and the ladies you invite are probably feeling the same way.
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"]I hope you decide to stick with your hobby - too many women give things up that give them joy and that is not what life is about. We are entitled to a little "us" time and most of the time, that is the first to get pushed aside. Keep in mind, if you enjoy a little time for yourself - doing something you love, you are keeping yourself in a better space/energy and therefore will give your family your best. Making a card every few weeks is perfectly fine if that is what you can do and you enjoy it. Based upon the response of the thread, most are on the same schedule. We don't have to put our life or our hobbies on hold until we are empty nesters - balance is a good thing!
Remember the old saying: it is not the quantity, its the quality, so even if you are only able to find 15mins or half an hour, enjoy yourself and the time that you can call your own. The creative side of us always finds the time.
HTH.
Sheree
a stampin' and a scrappin' in Oshawa.
I totally agree with Cheri and Sheree! I wouldn't give up, you obviously love it. And boy is your gallery NICE!!! Besides, when your little ones get older, there will be lots of birthday cards and teacher presents that you can make. (You'd have to take time to shop for them anyway) Give it a break for a bit and don't pressure yourself about it.
Nah! You don't want to give it up! You just need to give up the guilt of "I'm not using this right this very minute, so it's gotta go!" I have stamped, off and on for almost twenty years and I may take breaks, but I never give it up completely. I haven't scrapbooked since I made a Valentine album for my daughter and her husband, but I know I will eventually. I couldn't get rid of those supplies just cause I haven't used them in a while. Life has its ups and downs and if you get rid of that stuff, I'll guarantee you'll wish you had it back one of these days! Hang in there!
I did give up stamping for 8 years....packed all my stuff away in a box and stored it in the attic. I had my twins, and a 4 year old DD at the time, and the sleep deprivation mattered more than the stamping. I started back up again 3 1/2 years ago, and now that my kids are 15 and 11, I stamp whenever I feel like it. I don't regret my decision at all, but I know its not for everyone.
I think this is the most important thing to remember: you may not be able to stamp now, but you will later. Stamps store!! They don't spoil, need attention, or get crabby if you ignore them. Some may be dated in style by the time you get back to them, but styles come, go, and come back. Someday your outdated will be new again. I started stamping over twenty years ago, and some of my first stamps are "hot" again!
So don't give up, pack them away under the bed, get rid of little stuff like embellishments if you must, but enjoy your babies for now, knowing the stamps will be waiting for you when you're ready again! Best of luck to you~
Don't think of stamping as something you HAVE to do! Enjoy it when you have the time to do it. Having stuff that sits unused is NOT the worst thing in the world - getting rid of it all and then wishing you had it back would be FAR worse!
Step back. Enjoy being a mom. Stamp or scrap when you have time and don't sweat it the rest of the time!
And, if anyone asks what they could do for you or give you, suggest taking the kids for a couple of hours so you CAN stamp, if you want to! :-)
I'm divorced with no children. I became a demonstrator in March, had to cancel the one and only demo I planned because I was sick, and honestly? I haven't touched a single thing I've purchased since Easter. And the total is close to $600.
I think married with children, divorced with no children... At some point I think everyone on here has gone through a period of thinking, "I haven't stamped in days/weeks/months. And I still continue to buy. And I don't use this. Maybe I'm just wasting my money."
RIght now, my theory is that I need to do my Spring cleaning and then reward myself with sitting down to stamp. Of course, that theory started just after I mailed my Easter cards out, and here we are less than ten days away from the start of summer! ;)
Work, kids, life in general... it all gets in the way. But like the saying goes... "This too shall pass."
My boys are almost 3 and almost 7. My first major stamping project way back when was the oldest sons birth announcements. I also have a craft room full of items. I sometimes have guilt for not using things often enough and often have frustration because I feel like the room is always needing to be cleaned! If I get time to be in there I always seem to be cleaning it up instead of actually creating things! All of that being said I also feel that the times I do get to make things are a huge help to me- it is my break time, my only thing that I seem to do by myself and FOR myself. I really understand about the being exhausted all of the time, little ones will do that to you! This may sound like a contradiction but I think it has helped me. I am in a card group. There are 6 of us, we make a pre determined theme each month but we only meet every other month (due to scheduling conflicts that always seemed to come up). We all exchange with each other, you make enough cards to give away 2 of your cards to each of the other ladies. The you get 2 of each of the ones that they did. You get so many great ideas this way, even though we all are doing the same theme we all have so many different ideas. I know that starting or being in a group like this may seem really hard but it makes me get out my stuff and actually use it and it makes me take the time for myself. You might consider it?? It has really helped me.
My boys are almost 3 and almost 7. My first major stamping project way back when was the oldest sons birth announcements. I also have a craft room full of items. I sometimes have guilt for not using things often enough and often have frustration because I feel like the room is always needing to be cleaned! If I get time to be in there I always seem to be cleaning it up instead of actually creating things! All of that being said I also feel that the times I do get to make things are a huge help to me- it is my break time, my only thing that I seem to do by myself and FOR myself. I really understand about the being exhausted all of the time, little ones will do that to you! This may sound like a contradiction but I think it has helped me. I am in a card group. There are 6 of us, we make a pre determined theme each month but we only meet every other month (due to scheduling conflicts that always seemed to come up). We all exchange with each other, you make enough cards to give away 2 of your cards to each of the other ladies. The you get 2 of each of the ones that they did. You get so many great ideas this way, even though we all are doing the same theme we all have so many different ideas. I know that starting or being in a group like this may seem really hard but it makes me get out my stuff and actually use it and it makes me take the time for myself. You might consider it?? It has really helped me.
Same exact with me!!
After reading everyone's responses I am happy to say that I am getting back into it. I did a quick reorganizing/clean up (since I have to pack it all away soon anyway) and that seemed to help tremendously.
If stamping is something you love to do, don't let it go!! As moms we give so much of ourselves every day...you shouldn't give up something you love even if you may not be able to dedictate as much time as you would like right now. As the kids get older, even a little older, they become more independent and you will have more time! Hang in there!!
__________________ She who dies with the most supplies wins!
