Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I know a lot of people that share their stamps and plan who will buy what stamps so they don't have duplicates of the same sets. Was wondering if a lot of people are doing the same with their tools. Things like the Cricut, Cuttlebug, punches, etc.
I usually stamp by myself at home, but knowing myself, I would not be comfortable sharing my tools if I did stamp with others.
I'm a grandmother, and have had lots and lots of things borrowed and accidentally broken through the years. People don't mean to break things, but sometimes they are careless and/or don't know how something works.
The tools you spoke of are not cheap to replace, so I have to say I would be pretty selfish in this regard.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I share with my 5-yr-old who's been scrapping with me since she could use scissors. I supervise of course and so far she hasn't broken anything. With others... no, I'll tell you I'm selfish. But so far nobody's come to borrow anything either and maybe because my stuff is not the usual. I think I'm the only one in town with a Klik-N-Kut and so nobody would dare come near it... too complicated. But those with Cricuts will always be asked. I've noticed that these Cricut owners will say yes but only if the borrower use their own mats.
I'm a hobby demo but I don't like people using my stamps either. That's prob. why I only demo or do a workshop once a year. I'm always hovering and cleaning after each use :\
I work hard for them and I just like to make sure that they last a long time. Is that bad?
Nope. I don't share. I did recently offer my friend a chance to come over and run some cards thru my BS using an embossing folder since that doesn't touch the cutting pads.
I rarely lend out stamps either as it never fails, weeks go by and then I go to stamp and that is the one I want.
I'm a hobby demo but I don't like people using my stamps either. That's prob. why I only demo or do a workshop once a year. I'm always hovering and cleaning after each use :\
I work hard for them and I just like to make sure that they last a long time. Is that bad?
I share stamps only with my stamp group or close friends. I do not share tools.
As a hobby demo, I only demo items that if they are ruined I don't fret. I don't care if wood mounted stamps get dirty but I do care if they smoosh a marker so I never demo markers because I only have one set.
I don't think it's bad that you don't want to share, but as a person who knows that a well used stamp with dirty wood will stamp the same as a clean wood stamp, it makes no sense "for me" to worry. Each stamper has their own threshold of tolerance so you have to do what is comfortable for you.
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
Posts: 4,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I stamp at home by myself also. I go to two different stamp workshops each month. I haven't had anyone ask to use any of my stamps or tools. I would hate to plan to buy certain stamp sets and then share...oh my!!! I'd never have what I needed when I needed it. It would cause too much frustration.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I had a friend had this kind of set up with her stamps with her "best friend." I always told her that I did not think it was a very good idea. My friend "A" pooled her stamps with her friend "B:" They were kept at B's house. They would buy sets with the understanding to share them, and not duplicate. Well, A was working and had more money, so she bought more sets than B did. Which was ok until they had a falling out. They then had to split up the sets. Then B decided that most of the sets were hers, AND since they were at her house... what could A do?
I had a friend had this kind of set up with her stamps with her "best friend." I always told her that I did not think it was a very good idea. My friend "A" pooled her stamps with her friend "B:" They were kept at B's house. They would buy sets with the understanding to share them, and not duplicate. Well, A was working and had more money, so she bought more sets than B did. Which was ok until they had a falling out. They then had to split up the sets. Then B decided that most of the sets were hers, AND since they were at her house... what could A do?
Thank you for sharing! I asked the question because a co-worker keeps asking to borrow my punches and so far I've let her but now she is making 100+ Christmas cards and wants to use my Cuttlebug and a bunch of punches. I've been thinking for that large a project she should purchase her own supplies. Also, it never fails that everytime she borrows something I end up wanting to use it on a project of my own.
Tools of the trade are little treasures to me! Sometimes I save and save for a certain thing or wait until it goes on sale. Then I jump in and get it! Then I treat it like gold, and keep it in its very own place of honor in my scrap room. A place for everything and everything in its place. I only share when I can supervise. How I would hate to loose a precious tool or have a borrower break it! Duplicate tools are OK to share! In fact I gave away my Score-It and my paper cutter to a friend who is just beginning this craft! I was glad to help her in this way, since I now have a Scor-Pal and a new paper cutter. If I can scrape and save for my own tools, then those who want to use them should be able to do so too!
My dad is a handyman. He always had a workshop with thousands of tools. He loved tinkering and keeping his tools in their place too! He was pretty kind though and let others borrow sometimes, but he always regretted it. They could come over and use his tools while he was there, but they rarely took them away from his shop. Tinkering tools cost plenty too, especially quality made products.
I love to share my tools while in swaps, but I'm right there when we do it. I also have my name on everything just in case. Guess I'm paranoid too, but part of this craft for me is the collecting and using of the fun to use tools!
Thank you for sharing! I asked the question because a co-worker keeps asking to borrow my punches and so far I've let her but now she is making 100+ Christmas cards and wants to use my Cuttlebug and a bunch of punches. I've been thinking for that large a project she should purchase her own supplies. Also, it never fails that everytime she borrows something I end up wanting to use it on a project of my own.
I agree with you. For that many cards then she should get her own stuff! It's one thing to borrow stuff for one card, but 100+ cards, no way.
JMHO
jennik
Thank you for sharing! I asked the question because a co-worker keeps asking to borrow my punches and so far I've let her but now she is making 100+ Christmas cards and wants to use my Cuttlebug and a bunch of punches. I've been thinking for that large a project she should purchase her own supplies. Also, it never fails that everytime she borrows something I end up wanting to use it on a project of my own.
I share with my stamp group, but if anyone of them broke or lost something, I have no doubt they would replace it.
Unless you're borrowing your friend's tools and stuff at an relatively equal rate, it's time your friend bought herself a cuttlebug or big shot and some dies. There are 50 off coupons pretty regularly.
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
Thank you for sharing! I asked the question because a co-worker keeps asking to borrow my punches and so far I've let her but now she is making 100+ Christmas cards and wants to use my Cuttlebug and a bunch of punches. I've been thinking for that large a project she should purchase her own supplies. Also, it never fails that everytime she borrows something I end up wanting to use it on a project of my own.
That's a no no for me. Punches can get dull. Or broken. Same with the CB and 100 cards is A LOT! She better have her own mats if she's cutting cause it'll for sure ruin yours.
Like another poster said, I also buy my stuff on sale. I'd wait for months or even years until the price is right or I have the money saved up. So my tools are my treasures and they have their special little space in my room.
I don't "group buy", but when I'm at a crop and someone wants to borrow/use, I share. This includes my CB, my Silhouette and all my tools and supplies.
Sorry, it's only "stuff" and I cannot and will not say no to friends.
I don't lend anything out. If someone wants to use something and they let me know ahead of time I may take it to a crop (depending on what it is - most of my group does scrapbooking only) and people are welcome to come to my house to use things under my supervision. Typically that's too much work for the potential borrower as they think I live too far away. Though I've never had anyone destroy my stuff I have seen it happen to others a few too many times and generally the lender will not say anything to the borrower. I've also been to crops where shared things have gone missing which still bugs me.
If your coworker (I notice you didn't say friend) wants to make 100+ cards she needs to work within her collection of tools. You aren't a store or hobby shop. Besides, how long does she plan on keeping your tools to make that many cards? I think that crosses the line.
I used to have two friends who were also next door neighbors and we fell in love with stamping at the same time. We'd go to each other's houses with our own projects, play and chat, and use each other's stuff. We had the idea that if we all liked a set, one of us would buy it and share it/lend it, but it usually turned out that once it was here, we all wanted it in our own stamp collection so it was easy to use whenever.
One of these friends was a messier stamper than I, and stamps would come back a little more 'used'. It's just stuff. Her friendship was more important to me than stamps that still look like virgins. She did mess up a Versamark pad (had been clear and she must have stamped something black and then into the Versamark) and I decided things like that would just be unavailable in the future since it affected 'future perfomance'. So that's how I decided what I'd share and what I wouldn't, if that makes any sense. (Sadly, they've since moved. One far north, one south. I really miss my stamping buddies!)
I've loaned stamp sets to folk I know and work with, but that's also on an individual basis and based on how responsible I know the person to be. I'm not a daily stamper by any stretch, so the stamps have always been returned before I need them again.
I'm totally OK with friends using my stuff (any of it) when we're stamping at my house. I can't imagine not sharing. I don't go to crops and only one swap, so I can't really say much about that, but I guess if it's not a consumable and I'm right there, I wouldn't have issues. As much as I love my babies ... they're 'just stuff' and people are ... people.
I agree with the poster above me ... it's one thing to share with someone who's just borrowing something for a 'test drive' or for a card or two. If someone is making it a habit, or for mass card making ... then they really need to have one in their own collection.
Finding a way to kindly say, 'no ____ isn't available.' might take some thought, but that's what would happen if it was happening to me.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
I mostly stamp by myself, but do get together with a group of friends once a month to have a craft day. I share whatever I have while there, and they do the same.
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
Posts: 4,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Certainly for 100 cards she needs to buy her own cuttlebug or come up with a different design that doesn't use the bug. I got the CB last Christmas from my kids and this year I'm using an embossing folder. If I didn't have the CB I would be coming up with a different idea. I would never ask a friend to provide that for me.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
when I get together with friends to jammie stamp, we share everything, including consumables, but it's a two way street. Everyone in my group is generous and as we create, Gayla will say I have this brad and Nancy says I have this paper and someone else has the perfect ribbon to go with it. We decide ahead of time (sometimes) who's bringing which tools, because otherwise there would not be room to stamp ;^)
For those who don't know jammie stamping- we get together for shoe box swaps that are hours from home, so we get a hotel room the night before (and sometimes after) and stamp til all hours of the night in our jammies. We also did that after taking classes near Philly and at a cabin in the Dacks.
I would not like the one-sided deal with someone else making 100 cards with my CB, but I am loaning mine to my friend Andrea tomorrow to run some folders thru.
I only have one stamper friend that I stamp with and I would share everything with her (she is more careful and fastidious than I am!!!). But we don't plan our purchases with that in mind. We both prefer owning something to borrowing it, so since we've started stamping together, we've gotten many, many duplicates of stamp sets AND tools!! It starts out as borrowing, and then the borrower thinks "I want that for myself"...
edited to add:
Your co-worker sounds like a total user. I would not let her borrow anything more!! Unless she is a cherished FRIEND as well as a co-worker... then that would be different...
Last edited by SophieLaFontaine; 10-18-2009 at 07:07 AM..
Well, I don't play well with other kids and I don't share my toys either. I'm lucky that I usually can afford to buy what I want, but that doesn't mean that I freely throw my hard earned money away. I want to have my tools and stamps last. Most people that I have every lent things to that have broken or lost them just say "oops, sorry" and I'm out money and the item I lent out. I don't mind sharing my glue and paper and embellies most of the time, but its very rare that I scrap or make cards with other people, so I usually don't have to worry about it.
Wow, what a sticky question and lots of good, thoughtful responses. I stamp alone usually, and when I have a friend in my stamp room, I share completely, giving consummables and letting them use whatever because none of my friends is as into this as I am, LOL!
I have also occasionally loaned stamps and ink pads, and given paper and adhesive to a friend for various projects that her kids have at school, and I refused payback. But she's also very, very careful not to abuse my generosity, either, and pays me back in other ways anyway. I've never felt anything but pleasure that I could help her. Stuff is just stuff, but friends are precious.
On the other hand, only really good friends get asked to my stamp room. If someone were taking advantage of my generosity, I'd rethink my policy! Guess I'm really, really lucky in my friends.
I used to. I've loaned out stamps, stamp pads, punches, etc. My stuff is hard to come by as I have a very limited allowance for stuff like that. I've gotten back stamps that were put in water and the rubber came loose from the backing, gotten back dull punches and have had to replace them, dry inkpads, etc. Also, like some previous posts, stuff is kept too long and it's always what I need! I can't afford to share anymore, but if someone comes to my house and uses it while we work together - that's fine! My thinking now is - if you really want to use it - just save your money and go buy it! You might have to wait, but that's what I have to do too!
I've always said that I'm too selfish to be a demo, LOL. But that's because when I go to my demo's and see how people (ab)use her stuff, it makes me cringe. That said, I would much rather share tools than my consumables, especially if they can't be replaced.
But that's primarily for when I haul my stuff somewhere else. On the other hand, if someone comes to my house, I love to say "My stuff is your stuff!"
For me, there's a big diff between sharing and being taken advantage of. The former includes respect, the latter none.
...tips for dealing with the 'curious-non-stamping' visitor.
Recently I had a visitor, a close relative who wanted to see my stamps, and how I made cards. The praise and admiration was swelling my ego and it was with a hop skip and a jump that i went to my treasure trove and dug out the goodies. Within a quarter of an hour I was a gibbering mess, blaspheming into the sink, up to my armpits in soap suds.
I would like to share with you a few pointers:
If the 'curious-non-stamper' is arriving on a scheduled visit, be in the hall, coat on, car keys in hand and as soon as you answer the doorbell announce in a loud voice "I'm treating you to Starbucks, let's go!" Believe me, the outlay is justified.
If the 'curious-non-stamper' arrives unexpectedly, or indeed if the plain old non-stamping visitor suddenly develops a desire to play with your toys you will need a plan of action, may I suggest...
1) Decide, quickly, on the way to your stash, on your three oldest, most least-likely-to-be-used stamps. - Importantly, be sure to tell your visitor that you just got these ones and they're your favourites - at this point your laying the groundwork in the hope that your visitor will play nice with your toys.
2) Also pick out your oldest and most used up inks - two should suffice. Keep one in your pocket for when the first one lands on the baby, who will have it partially digested before you return from getting "more paper".
3) You will be going to get "more paper" because you are not stupid enough to let your visitor go to the stash and pick their own stuff...are you? Use cheap paper, back of old wrapping paper, children's homework books, anything BUT the PTI card - your 'visitor' will stamp profusely.
4) Only allow your visitor to stamp on a surface that is HIGHER than their waist height, this avoids the need to surgically remove pieces of disintegrated stamp from ink pad after the torture, sorry, visit is over - It also helps avoid cracked-ink-pad syndrome as the visitor will not be able to get their whole weight piled up on top of your favourite dark Chocolate Palette ink pad...that you had shipped all the way from America...
5) Importantly - pick up and clean each stamp just as you sense the visitor is moving on to the next image - you want to avoid the fistful of mangled sticky stamps served in a bed of tattered paper with a sauce of Palette de Stazon. However bad it looks tho' don't let them wash the stamps - they're slippy when wet and visitors seldom understand about things like plugholes.
6) Have a 'get out clause' in your head for when you can't take it no more..something like "Gosh it has been great, what a shame I have to GO RIGHT NOW and pick up my friends' kid from school on the other side of town. Ah well!"
If you sense that you're merely whetting their appetite and they're going to want to come back for more, might I suggest PTI gift certificate - so's they can get their own.
...tips for dealing with the 'curious-non-stamping' visitor.
Recently I had a visitor, a close relative who wanted to see my stamps, and how I made cards. The praise and admiration was swelling my ego and it was with a hop skip and a jump that i went to my treasure trove and dug out the goodies. Within a quarter of an hour I was a gibbering mess, blaspheming into the sink, up to my armpits in soap suds.
I would like to share with you a few pointers:
If the 'curious-non-stamper' is arriving on a scheduled visit, be in the hall, coat on, car keys in hand and as soon as you answer the doorbell announce in a loud voice "I'm treating you to Starbucks, let's go!" Believe me, the outlay is justified.
If the 'curious-non-stamper' arrives unexpectedly, or indeed if the plain old non-stamping visitor suddenly develops a desire to play with your toys you will need a plan of action, may I suggest...
1) Decide, quickly, on the way to your stash, on your three oldest, most least-likely-to-be-used stamps. - Importantly, be sure to tell your visitor that you just got these ones and they're your favourites - at this point your laying the groundwork in the hope that your visitor will play nice with your toys.
2) Also pick out your oldest and most used up inks - two should suffice. Keep one in your pocket for when the first one lands on the baby, who will have it partially digested before you return from getting "more paper".
3) You will be going to get "more paper" because you are not stupid enough to let your visitor go to the stash and pick their own stuff...are you? Use cheap paper, back of old wrapping paper, children's homework books, anything BUT the PTI card - your 'visitor' will stamp profusely.
4) Only allow your visitor to stamp on a surface that is HIGHER than their waist height, this avoids the need to surgically remove pieces of disintegrated stamp from ink pad after the torture, sorry, visit is over - It also helps avoid cracked-ink-pad syndrome as the visitor will not be able to get their whole weight piled up on top of your favourite dark Chocolate Palette ink pad...that you had shipped all the way from America...
5) Importantly - pick up and clean each stamp just as you sense the visitor is moving on to the next image - you want to avoid the fistful of mangled sticky stamps served in a bed of tattered paper with a sauce of Palette de Stazon. However bad it looks tho' don't let them wash the stamps - they're slippy when wet and visitors seldom understand about things like plugholes.
6) Have a 'get out clause' in your head for when you can't take it no more..something like "Gosh it has been great, what a shame I have to GO RIGHT NOW and pick up my friends' kid from school on the other side of town. Ah well!"
If you sense that you're merely whetting their appetite and they're going to want to come back for more, might I suggest PTI gift certificate - so's they can get their own.
I hope you find this useful, I would've...
Funny!
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
I really only share things with my next door neighbor, who is my SU demo. She graciously lends (or gives) me things when I need them. therefore, I lend to her. She takes care of my things, I take care of hers. It's fine when it's like that. But I also cringe when others in our stamper group mess up her ink pads, or mangle tools. It's incredible how folks don't take care if it isn't theirs!!! I'm going to have some non-stamping friends over for a play date, but I intend to monitor CLOSELY how they behave with my things. I'm thinking the first time, I'll have projects ready just like at a stamp camp. If they decide they want to do this again, they can either buy their own supplies, or pay me for mine (not close friends, but I'd love to get a group of playmates set up!). As many have said already, I paid a lot for my toys, and most of these ladies make more than I do!
I know a lot of people that share their stamps and plan who will buy what stamps so they don't have duplicates of the same sets. Was wondering if a lot of people are doing the same with their tools. Things like the Cricut, Cuttlebug, punches, etc.
If they're stamping with me at my place, or I've gone over to stamp with them at their place and brought these tools with me, yes!
But, I never "lend out" stamps or tools.
Unfortunately, I had too many of my stamps/tools either not returned, returned in very poor, or even damaged condition, or missing pieces/components, so I had to eventually adopt a "no lend" policy.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Two former demo friends and I went in together on a purchase of the Big Shot Starter Kit when it was being offered last year, and since one of those friends happened to also be my roommate the Big Shot "lived" at our house, LOL! The third friend lived nearby and came over weekly for our Sci-Fi and Stamping night every Friday. They also went to the same church and volunteered for child care every Wednesday, so we'd see each other all the time and sharing supplies was never a problem. We'd even coordinate our SU! purchases based on what each person already owned. Of course, they also take good care of their own stuff so I never had to worry about something getting mangled.
When I'm demonstrating I always interject little comments about how to properly use and care for everything, but I always couch it in humor and present it as how not to ruin their own projects. Somehow when you turn it around to show the other stampers how to avoid damaging "their" stuff that they'll be taking home, they're much better about it. I have never had a smashed marker tip because I tell them that if they bear down and grind into the paper then they'll end up with ink everywhere because the tip will get bent out of shape and then they can't color fine details. There are no cracked, frayed ink pads or multicolored wood blocks because they know "that poor stamp didn't do anything to them" (always said with a smile, without fail and everyone giggles) so there's no need to pound it within an inch of its life when inking up the stamp, LOL! Everyone's also firm but gentle when stamping onto the paper, too, because they don't want blurred images.
I was nervous about demonstrating and letting others use my stuff because I'd heard all the war stories about damaged supplies, but realized that you can teach people the correct way to use everything in order to keep it in good working condition while still letting them enjoy themselves and fall in love with the art of stamping! :mrgreen: That said, however, I do not operate a lending library of supplies with my customers -- they'd never expect to borrow whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it from their LSS! ;)
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I share it all. My cricut has helped do signs for a friend's son's football team, my mom has my cricut right now working on things she wanted to do. I am the only one of my friends who really has any supplies so I do not mind it. I will say I have a very small group of friends and we are all like that, we share almost anything.
I have a group of girls I get together with and stamp and another I scrapbook with. With the stampers, we share stamps, tools, etc., but only when we get together. Nobody would take my Cuttlebug and folders home, and my friend wouldn't leave her Cricut behind. We will trade off consumables.
With stamps. we'll discuss how much we like various sets. If someone likes but doesn't love a set, and another member adores it, the one who adores it gets it and the other person uses it when we get together.
It has been known to happen that after seeing what someone has done with a stamp we 'didn't love', we've realized, 'hey, I could use this alot.... I need more access to it.' And then the person who thinks that thought buys her own set.
With my stamping group, we mostly will do things like, 'hey does anyone have a sheet of ____ cardstock?' or someone will bring their Cricut.
I take some stamp classes and someone always wants to borrow my scissors. I hate to say 'no" so I started taking two pairs. NO one uses my good ribbon cutting scissors (I even hide it in a desk drawer from my DH). I tell the person "here is an extra you can borrow."
I've had a few friends over (one at a time) to introduce them to stamping. If they get invited over into my craft room they are good friends and I trust them completely and let them borrow all my stuff although not my ribbon cutting scissors. I snip it for them.
I do have one friend how borrows my stamp sets but heck she is neater than I am so no problem.
I have a small (5) intimate circle of stamping friends that if they asked to borrow anything I had it would be in there hands as quickly as possible, but they would do the same for me. I have a cricut from one of the ladies right now.
Do you share your tools?
