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I guess I'm feeling chatty today! This is such a weird day around here... Hubby has the stomach flu (prayers appreciated - I have fibro and a weird stomach and if I get it, I often end up in the hospital) and tomorrow is my birthday and I'd love to be able to get together with my oldest DD and her DH, along with our two other DH's, one of which has to go back to college on Monday. ANYWAY....
A year ago I had only been to one SU workshop - I had 2 sets and a few ink pads. I didn't know that to make a card, you cut a piece of cardstock in half and then fold it. I didn't know how to mount my stamps, and was basically clue-less!! Fast forward... I've been a demo since July and I'm loving it. I've learned SO much from my demo (now-upline) at her workshops once a month, and from everyone here on SCS.
So back to my question - what 3 things did you learn during 2004 that you'd like to pass on to others? Here are mine - just off the top of my head:
1) When you make a card you've never made before, always make 2, so you can send one and still have one to keep.
2) After trying various systems of storing and displaying my cards, I ordered page protectors from Century Photo that I put my cards/card fronts in and keep in a 3-ring binder. This works SO well! I can leave my binder on my coffee table for people to look through... These page protectors hold 4 cards on each side, 8 altogether. They are 35 cents each. Excellent investment!
3) Before you put the label stickers on your stamps, scan in or copy the label sheet. I put the copy in the bottom of the plastic stamp box so I can see the pictures from the bottom of the box. This way I know what leaf stamp goes with which flower set, etc. You can also make 2 copies and use the second one to put in a binder as a record of all the stamps you own.
This is a very thought provoking question. And after some soul searching, here are the three things that I have learned in 2004.
1.) A handmade greeting will always bring a smile to someones face, no matter what or who.
2.) Giving of your creativity to cheer, help or remember others is just as rewarding to you, if not more, than to the receiver.
3.) Spending time to create and share with others is never a waste of time.
So there you go - as far as organization goes I could probably come up with a thousand but the above three are what I experienced in the last year and will continue in 2005.
This year has been big for me in stamping - although, I've been stamping for sooooo long. I realized this year that regardless of the other 'hobbies' I try (and enjoy), stamping and paper crafts are, by far, my favorite. They relax me and make me feel good about what I'm doing.
I've advanced a lot with this stamping stuff this year. And ... the biggest thing - I found SCS. This is the greatest resource I've ever seen for stampers.
1. I can buy OR design OR make, but not all at the same time.
2. It's not about the money.
3. I can have too much stuff, but never enough joy--so I need to pay attention to which of the two I'm trying to get more of.
__________________ "I like work. . . I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart." J.K.Jerome
I had a really duh moment at Regional at Tulsa (I think it was there). That's where I learned about my #1.
1.: If you want to tear two layers of cardstock, lay them on top of each other and tear them together. Then slide apart to layer. They will fit perfectly.
2.: Stamp your stamp in versamark, then in a classic ink and emboss with clear embossing powder. This way you can emboss in all 48 SU colors.
3.: hmmm.....I will have to think a while longer for #3.
Soozie4Him - I loved your tip #3 on placing a copy of the stamped images in the bottom of the stamp container. I do have a binder divided up by catagories that I stamp an image of all my stamps in. This has kept me from ordering duplicate stamps as well as allowed me to easily see which stamp sets I can combine with others.
Three things I've learned this year:
1. My faith in God will carry me and my family through any ruff times no matter what they are.
2. Making time to do the things I love makes me a happier and more balanced person.
3. A hand made card or gift is more appreciated than anything I could buy someone.
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni Creative Crew SU Design Team Alumni
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Centerville. Ohio
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Wow....this was a REALLY good one!
1) If there's something that you want to do...do it NOW...do not wait...tomorrow may be too late!
2) It's almost impossible to be creative when your blood count is too low (not funny...but true!....but I'm better now!). So if you are having trouble being creative, go to the doctor and get your blood checked. LOL!
3) Simpler really CAN be better. (I must repeat this to myself 10xs before sitting down to stamp and constantly throughout the stamping process!)
1) Stamping is THE hobby for me - I'd never stamped (or scrapped or done any paper based crafts) until this year and now I'm waiting for my demo number from SU. Hooray!
2) That the technique junkies newsletter often made my cards look like I'd stamped before 2004! (www.patstamps.com)
3) That SCS really is the #1 stamping site on the Internet - this place is the best! Good company, fine card samples, great tutorials by Beate - what more could a girl ask for?
__________________ Jeanne K.
When will Red Riding Hood receive her first Kiwi Kiss? And who ate Chocolate Chip?!??? Find out on the next exciting episode of.... As the Stamp Caddy Turns(my gallery)
1- I learned to make my own old SU style ink pads by buying Commotion brand pads from Addicted to Stamps when they are on sale for $1 each and then filling them with an SU reinker
2-I learned that nail polish can be great on cards for sparkle and that lipstick can be embossed and looks great (kiss a card and emboss or draw on it and emboss)!
3-Papermate Erasermate erasable pens are great to write and then emboss. Who needs the fancy stamps that look like handwriting anymore??
Stop! Too many good ideas! Excuse me while I go kiss a card (I really would never have thought to do this, although sometimes they are so cute!)
__________________ "I like work. . . I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart." J.K.Jerome
1. My excellent demo is worth her weight in gold.
2. My cards are not ugly even though I have the most critical eye, and the faster I get them in the mail, the better I feel.
3. I once made a sctrach and sniff card with cool aid and embossing powder and it was the absolute cutest!-I just can't remember exactly how. Thank heavens for the awsome demonstrator. :P
My tip is kinda Stampin related and kinda deep, but it's from my heart!!!
So here goes..........(sorry if it sounds sappy!!)
My best tips I can pass along to others to to experience some of my "what I've learned" tips this year.....
1) ALWAYS save cards and letters from dear ones, no matter what because sometimes life is proof we don't love something enough until it has been suddenly taken away from us and it is amazing the kind of comfort you can feel in your heart and soul when holding a card or letter from someone who meant so much to you and now are gone. I used to rip through the cards and notes and get right to the present, now I would rather have 1 card or note rather than 1000 presents from friends and families (losing my mother to cancer very suddenly taught me that all of those cards and notes I kept the past few years meant more than any gift or present she ever bought me!!) You never know how much a card or note can mean to someone, somewhere, someday!!!! I have soooooo much joy every time I see my mother's handwriting or read (over and over) the cards she wrote to me and can hold on to them knowing it was just to ME.
All of that is what has brought me to stamping, card making and scrapbooking!!!
2) No matter how BAD something is, there is ALWAYS something positive (I found Stampin UP and SCS after realizing how much I needed a hobby or an outlet for my pent up creative side and found out that folks treasure memories and need to keep them and knowing I have not done enough to preserve memories for my kids!) I think SU and SCS are one of the top blessings I have ever received. There are days when SU and SCS save me from feeling the blues!!! I for one am very grateful for my demo and her letting me know about SCS too!!
3) And the very best tip I have is to always say "THANK YOU" and mean IT to others. Look past the "for the moment gifts" and give the true meaning of joy to others by letting them know how special they are. Even at my worse moment with my kids, I try to remember, if they were taken away from me tomorrow, how horrible it would be and that brings me back to reality.
Thanks for posting the question, it really does folks good to reflect on life's lessons and count our blessings!!
I hope each and everyone one of you have a joyous 2005 and continue to make a difference in others lives each and every day. All of the gallery postings and sharing on this site bring so much joy to so many, even if like me you LURK most of the time and don't remember to say THANKS!!
So thank you all and I look forward to growing in SCS this year, & I especially thank Daven & Tracy for having SCS for all of US.
My new years resolution is to learn 52 new techniques (1 per week) this year and I have a feeling I will have no problem searching for 52 new ways to stamp or make a scrapbook page!!!
My three are very simple tips I picked up here from the very talented and creative ladies who post, but I would have NEVER have thought of them myself.
1) Put a glue dot in the top of your Stazon lid and and the plastic pad cover will stick and not have to be taken off or put on separately. This really helps keep the ink off your fingers (which can take days to wash off)!
2) Place a scrap sheet of copy paper on top of cardstock before using a bone folder to eliminate the shiny mark across the fold.
3) To use scraps of cardstock for printing computer-generated words or phrases, print first on plain copy paper then tape your cardstock scrap over the words. Feed it back through the printer the same way, reprint and there you have it. Great use of small scraps that may otherwise be useless.
I love all the great art and tips that everyone shares so freely here. Thank you to everyone!
#1. With God you CAN make it thru anything!
#2. Swimteam really is fun.
#3. I'm sooo beyond addicted when it come to stamps that my DH has just given up.
In Him,
Shawna
WOW......this is some thread!! I have learned more tips on these two pages than anyone could imagine!! YOU ladies are the BEST !! Thank you for sharing these wonderful tips.....I am going to try and remember each of them and put them to use! I started stamping and card making exactly one year ago.....After making my daughter's wedding invitations, I realized that this hobby was for me......and I use my Get Well type cards in my visitation ministry at our church. One day each week I visit hospitals, nursing homes and rehab hospitals, always taking an appropriate card to each patient. Seeing people eye's light up when they get a handmade card is exciting to me. I sometimes think that I am the one being blessed.......not the person I am visiting. Several very elderly ladies in the nursing homes tell me that they can hardly wait each week to get their new card. See, one never knows the impact that a piece of paper can have on someone!! This is the beauty of our hobby......!
1. Making cards is rewarding and an outlet for creativity
2. People treasure a handmade card.
3. A card is a token of love left behind as a visual reminder that someone cares.
Oh WOW! I don't even know where to start! Just from reading these pages I have learned more today than I did all of 2004. But I will post 3 things I did learn!
1) I can do anything I put my mind too.
2) I enjoy Stampin' more than I thought I would. I signed up as a demo in June 2004. I'm a hobby demo and want to keep it that way. I enjoy it and don't want it to become work!
3) I found SCS and it has been a delight! I enjoy coming on here everyday that I can to see all the wonderful stuff!
Thank you to Daven and Tracy! And to all the creative people I have cased over the last 6 months, thank you for allowing us to case your work! This site is awesome!
__________________
Powerful Women's Motto:
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says.. 'Oh sh*t....she's awake'
well I've been thinking about this as I read this thread. but I also shared it with my DH, and he actually came up with his faster than I did! so here are my DH's
1. helping your wife find time to stamp makes comming home more pleasant.
2. sometimes the card is ooh-ed and ahhh-ed over more than the gift
3. stamping has far more applications than he ever thought possible (ie: t-shirts, home decore, cards, scrapbooks, not to mention all the techniques etc...)
prety good for a guy who doesn't stamp I think!
here's mine:
1. I LOVE to stamp, but I got started so I could enhance my childrens' scrapbooks. sometimes I need to remind myself that spending time with them is more important than perfecting a technique (no matter how great it will look in their scrapbook hehe ).
2. I can't ever leave Utah! I'd go crazy if I had to wait longer for my SU! orders to come. :lol:
3. who needs a silent eyelet setter? sometimes it just feels really good to pound on something!
In life:
1. The value of True Friends, they love the cards we make!
2. God can help me through anything!
3. Life is shorter than we think, scrap as many of our moments as we can!
In my card and scrap world:
1. Coming out of my comfort zone is ok!
2. Casing is flattering!
3. Leaving comments on cards feels great! You know you make someone smile!
I’m going to keep my three new things towards stamping.
1. The Classic ink pads from Stampin Up don’t run when hit with water but make sure they are dry first. And if you press the lid down then open it there will be a perfect little bit of ink on the inside of the lid to use with your water wand. Cool!
2. That the left over rubber and foam you have from mounting your Stampin Up sets can be used in these ways:
A. Use foam to raise a design, (separate from rubber). Rubber works too if you use double sided tape on the non sticky side. Use one of each and you have two levels.
B. If your rubber is large enough you can make shapes to be used as stamps. I did three sizes of circles and mounted them on a square block purchases from the craft store. (A pencil eraser also makes a perfect smaller circle).
3. Is the same as the Susan had as her number three but if you forget to scan it first, just stamp each design on plain paper to put in the box. Excellent way to make sure you have your entire set when stamping with friends or a class.
4. This one is to make up for repeat on number 3. Don’t you just hate trying to watch TV and stamp and you miss something because you can’t look up. Check to see if your local library has books on tape or CD and you get a story and no reason to look up. I’ve been doing this for years with all my hobbies and it’s great.
I’m going to keep my three new things towards stamping.
1. The Classic ink pads from Stampin Up doesn’t run when hit with water but make sure they are dry first. And if you press the lid down then open it there will be a perfect little bit of ink on the inside of the lid to use with your water wand. Cool!
2. That the left over rubber and foam you have from mounting your Stampin Up sets can be used in these ways:
A. Use foam to raise a design, (separate from rubber). Rubber works too if you use double sided tape on the non sticky side. Use one of each and you have two levels.
B. If your rubber is large enough you can make shapes to be used as stamps. I did three sizes of circles and mounted them on a square block purchases from the craft store. (A pencil eraser also makes a perfect smaller circle).
3. Is the same as the Susan had as her number three but if you forget to scan it first, just stamp each design on plain paper to put in the box. Excellent way to make sure you have your entire set when stamping with friends or a class.
4. This one is to make up for repeat on number 3. Don’t you just hate trying to watch TV and stamp and you miss something because you can’t look up. Check to see if your local library has books on tape or CD and you get a story and no reason to look up. I’ve been doing this for years with all my hobbies and it’s great.
Great Thread! I got some great tips and am saving my favorites in my Yahoo notepad (see below).
1. If you have a Yahoo e-mail account, use the Notepad section to save tips, poems, or if you join a swap, a place to keep directions and addresses. If your computer crashes and you lose your data... Yahoo will still be up and running so you can go to your neighbors and get your saved info from them. :oops:
2. If you start a new hobby and think you'll be doing it for a while, find a spot in your house that will grow with your hobby. I started with just a tiny little Iris drawer system and now I'm up to 2 big 3 drawer file cabinets with a desk on top, and 3 small drawer units to fit my pads and accersories... and now that's getting too small... wish I had taken up a bigger part of the house cuz now I'll have to move all this stuff.
3. Simpler IS better. Layering goes from light to dark, light to dark. And the eye likes to look at odd numbers, like groups of 3's and 5's of images or embelishmenst.
Okay that last one was more like 3 in itself... :lol:
__________________
-Juliet A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at
kick boxing.
1. Step out of your comfort zone in all things so you continually grow
2. Touch others every day in a special way
3. Make time for yourself each day and reflect on your goals, dreams and desires to determine when you need to step out again to keep things moving!
Great book to read.... I would give one to everybody if I could
The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall
I promise it will change your life! Takes about 2 hours to read and at least 3 kleenex
Location: PennsylKansaFlorida...with two uber-cool Spammies!
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I LOVE this thread! Thanks for all the great tips! I hope I can lend a couple to all of you in my things I've learned this year. Though most of the things I've learned came from this site!
1. When making the glass ball ornaments that you pop the clear plastic sheet into after stamping, make sure that when you're cutting the circle in the plastic, leave a tab that will stick up through the opening in the ornament. It will keep your stamped image from turning and flipping in your ornament.
2. A great thing I learned about using the Microbeads as an embellishment is that you can stamp right onto a diskette label or any other printer label then you only need one layer of the extra sticky double sided tape for over your image to put your beads onto. I've used this on pens, the covers of flip mirrors, and Altoids tins, and I guess you could use it on anything!
3. I've learned that the tall skinny CD shelves you can buy at WalMart are GREAT for storing everything you need to get a project done. I bought 5 and I have them lined up against the wall on a very sturdy desk. I have all of my stamps, inkpads, wheels, and tiny drawers for all of my little stuff stored in them. Then under my desk I have file drawers for my paper. Everything is right there!
I'll see if I can post a picture below.
What 3 very helpful things did you learn in 2004?
