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I'm willing to bet that you've got lots of clothes in the cupboard that a jsut fine to wear but you still go out a buy something new every now and then?
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Once a year I go through my stamps and pull out stamps that I'm tired of or are no longer my style [I've been stamping for almost 20 years and my style and stamps have both changed]. Some I sent to my young nieces and nephew and others I give to friends who just started stamping. I've hardly bought any new stamps lately since I too find most of the new ones are repeats of what I have. I have been buying Nestabilities, other dies and embossing folders and playing around with these and getting new ideas. I also enjoy other hobbies: scrapbooking, counted cross stitch and charted needlework and love to read. By alternating all these hobbies, I'm still happy with stamping even though sometimes weeks go by without any images being stamped.
Wreck that Journal - oh I bought that a year or so ago. I am having a hard time doing anything to it. It is a book LOL!!! I pull it out now and again and tell myself to just do it, then put it back on the shelf.
I think the only new thing i have seen recently is the mustache fad and I think it is silly, otherwise I have the image or one similar too.
not sure what to do about it.
I have moved away from making cards all the time to doing some mixed media and 3d items. More fun for me.
Have a Big SALE on the B/S or ebay. Make a little money. Then buy something you want. Sell it now while people still want it (before it goes out of style or trend or another company comes out with the same thing just as cheap in clear or rubber only). By now I'm sure you know exactly what you like and have those sets put aside in the keep pile. The other pile - get it out of your life. Release all your unwanted burdens.
You'll feel refreshed and you'll make someone else very happy.
Susan,
I have been in a slump for about a year and am now pulling myself back out. It really helped to pack up all those stamps I know I am just not using and I will ebay them so someone else can find the joy in them. Unlike you, I had way to many that I just never got around to using. I find that playing in my scraproom just to play, without a particular project in mind has been helpful.
I hope your friends had fun running the Air Force Marathon. Yep, I am another one of those that thinks 26.2 miles is a grand ole time. Well, not so much the running part, but you get a free shirt and the best part??? A nice shiny medal. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, shiny!!!!
I too went through this not to long ago. Then I stumbled upon some really cool smaller stamp companies. Kraftin Kimmie moonlight Whispers lines and Sugar Nellie sent my card making into a new direction that I am really having fun with again. These are a fresh and whimsical addition to my growing collection. I am in the process of making 50 plus cards for Halloween for family friends and co-worker using several of these stamps and flowers cut from my little cricut. Each is different and more importantly each was fun to design and make. I now spend more time prowling the internet for small companies that have stamps that are different with a quirky sense of humor.
Susan,
I have been in a slump for about a year and am now pulling myself back out. It really helped to pack up all those stamps I know I am just not using and I will ebay them so someone else can find the joy in them. Unlike you, I had way to many that I just never got around to using. I find that playing in my scraproom just to play, without a particular project in mind has been helpful.
I hope your friends had fun running the Air Force Marathon. Yep, I am another one of those that thinks 26.2 miles is a grand ole time. Well, not so much the running part, but you get a free shirt and the best part??? A nice shiny medal. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, shiny!!!!
He injured his shin somehow but, of course, pressed on to finish. Nice, big medal, too. Y'all are crazy. Admirable, but crazy. ;)
Very interesting and idea-inspiring thread, Susan, but you give me a little sense of panic... what has been bringing me to SCS for the last while is the CAS favorites thread and the many lovely CAS cards, and I don't WANT you to lose interest in stamping!!! What will I do if all of you inspiring stampers give it up??
__________________ Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality. "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." George Washington
Very interesting and idea-inspiring thread, Susan, but you give me a little sense of panic... what has been bringing me to SCS for the last while is the CAS favorites thread and the many lovely CAS cards, and I don't WANT you to lose interest in stamping!!! What will I do if all of you inspiring stampers give it up??
DON'T PANIC!
I've got my towel (Hitchhiker reference) and am more than committed to CAS stamping for the long haul.
__________________ Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality. "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." George Washington
BTW, I'm fully aware this problem is comparable in importance to other first-world problems like having to turn the tv volume up because I can't hear it over the crunchy snack I'm eating, but still....
LOLOLOL!!! Sorry for your dilemma, but at least you still have perspective! :lol:
I have been unmounting my wood SU sets and have "rediscovered" many wonderful stamp sets that are more than 3-4 years old. I'm exited to use them again.
I am with the OP that SU stamps look like prior sets I already have. There are a few new ones, though, that are a must buy. I'm challenging myself to use what I have and not over buy. Good Luck with your journey and Happy Sampin'!!
I recently completed the huge project of unmounting my wood mount stamps, too, and I did that to help me not forget what I had. I know I'll never need to buy another "Happy Birthday" stamp as long as I live. LOL
I also love how much more space I have in my craft room now.
Perhaps you need to look for a different style of stamps. As in order from a company you never have. Peruse the gallery for something that strikes your fancy. Or send all your stamps that you are bored with to someone who would love to love them (hint hint hint ;)) and then replace with new ones. (Okay probably not the last one--although I would love that.)
That's just what I was going to say! If you are into one style of stamp maybe that's why nothing seems fresh enough? Maybe take a look at something very different than what you are used to?
I've been stamping for about 20 years and I have tons and tons of stamps as you can imagine. I haven't bought any new ones in a long time because I have plenty to keep me occupied. WELL... I just came across a company that knocked my socks off! I can't believe I've never seen them before. They are called North Woods and I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on lots of them!!!
I've noticed a lot of people now like the 'cute' style. Do you think that limits possibilities? Just wonderin'
Well, sc magnolia, I have some North Woods for sale on my stamping blog, if you're interested!
Cute style, to me, encompasses lots of different things, so I guess it's like most other styles...creativity ca push the edges of the envelope and expand the possibilities. I rarely do cute, and even then, it's usually on cards intended for children. But I still love seeing cute done CAS!
I know Rosie, as I unmount I discover stamps I completely forgot about, makes them feel new.
Last night I was at a friends house, she had some tile coasters set out that I made her years ago. I was thinking how much I liked that set and forgot totally about it. Maybe I will have to dig it out and play with it today.
That's funny SuG, and I so understand how that can happen. Ask my daughter how good I am at forgetting things. A few times a year I take her (she's 24) clothes shopping; a girls day out that is so much fun for us. But, so many times when she wears something I'll ask if "that's" new, it's so cute. She'll remind me, ahem, that I bought it for her on one of our shopping trips. Poor kid, I think I have her a little worried. ROFL
Since I unmounted my stamps, I've been playing with them by setting up challenges for myself. I'm storing all my stamps in binders that are categorized by theme. (ie., all the flower stamps are in one place, the leaves, food, female/male, etc.) All of my sentiments are categorized (ie., all Happy Birthday stamps are in one place). I've been flipping through my binders and randomly selecting images and a sentiment or two and then I make a card or scrapbook page using them. It's a fun exercise, it's stretching my imagination, and it's making me see my stamps in a new way. It's like picking your next trip by throwing a dart at a map.
I have a problem I have just recently recognized. I am an avid fan of PTI, and I stalk the blogs as soon as they start showing sneak peaks and releases. I get caught up in all of the fantastic projects they make, and end up buying sets that I end up never using because I can't duplicate their cards.
A case in point is the month before last, when Nichole had these awesome felt treat bags on her blog for the Mega Treats and Sweets set and dies -- I bought the set, dies, felt, etc; then I tried making one, and it just wasn't for me, it was frustrating. I was able to sell everything and not lose too much money, which made me feel good.
I am a stamp hoarder -- I have certain stamp sets that I NEVER use, but I know they are worth something or I like one stamp in there -- I have the Stampin Up! Hedgehog sets, For Love of Chocolate, etc. Do I ever use them? No. Will I part with them? probably not, although it would be nice to see them used.
I also have this unexplainable compulsion to buy every fruit-related stamp set and piece of paper I come across, especially if it has strawberries or cherries on it.
I'm feeling the restlessness too. Maybe it's the change of seasons here. I dunno.
But what I've been doing is learning new techniques and buying the things to do the techniques rather than stamps. For example, I just bought a boatload of Glitter Ritz glitters and the ScorTape/ScorSheets to go with it. I'm using dies that I already have to make some pretty nifty projects with this stuff. Something about a "velvet" technique. Anyway, learned it at my LSS.
For me it satisfied the urge to have something new, but it also gives me ways to use at least some of what I have.
I also think that I need to index or inventory my stamps. But it's such a HUGE and overwhelming job that I keep Scarlett O'Hara'ing that until tomorrow which never seems to get here.
Thanks Susan for sharing your thoughts here. I was gone for 2 weeks visiting relatives. Got home almost a week ago and have not gone into my craft room. Thought something was wrong with me because I usually get stamp withdrawal when I am gone that long!
I realized that it is part: too much stuff that does not get used; too much "trending" with all the stamp companies which produce the same stuff; a need to find inspiration in new places, etc.
I thought I was just bored with the craft (have been stamping for about 15 years) but I love the craft and teach a card making class once a month at a local scrapbook store.
I think I need to seriously purge the ton of stamps I have - many are years old that have never seen ink and are not my style. And paper? OMG - I have cut back on dp in the past year so much. I have a ton and think it does more to stifle my creativity than help it. I find I use it to make quick and easy cards - just add a sentiment and I am done.
I let all my craft magazine subscriptions expire. They offer the same old think and no longer inspire me. Some are borderline weird, some have little to no stamping and some are so basic that they would only appeal to a beginner crafter (publishers are you listening?). I don't want to pay for a magazine that shows cards that are just designer paper with a stamped sentiment on a die cut.
I think I am in a "clean and purge mode". Yesterday I cleaned out a kitchen cabinet that was overflowing with plastic - all the plastic food containers. Many were over 20 years old, some were bottoms with no lids, lids with no bottoms, etc. I tossed just about everything (some went to goodwill), went to walmart and got one set of rubbermaid matching storage containers for $10 - enough for all my needs. The cabinet is about half empty and I can now find a bowl and lid when I need one.
I need to do this with my craft room. Sigh. Not looking forward to tackling that project but I know it will be benificial for me in the long run.
"too much "trending" with all the stamp companies which produce the same stuff"
I agree. I've always tried to resist following trends. Instead I prefer to follow my own path.
"And paper? OMG -I have a ton and think it does more to stifle my creativity than help it. I find I use it to make quick and easy cards - just add a sentiment and I am done."
I'm with you here too. I tend to think that decorative paper does stifle creativity. I'm more impressed when I see background techniques, handmade paper, or pastepaper etc. hmmm Maybe that's the difference between art and craft?
"too much "trending" with all the stamp companies which produce the same stuff"
I agree. I've always tried to resist following trends. Instead I prefer to follow my own path.
"And paper? OMG -I have a ton and think it does more to stifle my creativity than help it. I find I use it to make quick and easy cards - just add a sentiment and I am done."
I'm with you here too. I tend to think that decorative paper does stifle creativity. I'm more impressed when I see background techniques, handmade paper, or pastepaper etc. hmmm Maybe that's the difference between art and craft?
I like following my own path too. I know if most stampers saw my collection they would be confused, lol. It's just a potpourri of nothing that makes sense only to me.
I love handmade paper, background techniques and anything else like that. I do buy DP but I am selective. I used to buy a lot. My Mom & I have a paper love. I outgrew that phase and gave it all to my Mom. She was thrilled. I still buy individual DP for my altered art. I hardly use it in stamping any more.
I thought my problem was with the clutter of card making, but maybe my real problem is that I'm just bored with the stuff I've got! After a while, you try to make something that looks different, but it all ends up looking very similar.
If I had the money, I would consider wiping the slate clean and getting all new. But after investing in this craft for twelve years, I'm not certain that is possible.
Perhaps I will come out of this negative phase with paper crafting in a few months, and I will sell all my old and just invest in a few new. Not to mention the space I would save just by replacing all of my wood mounted sets with clear or cling.
I thought my problem was with the clutter of card making, but maybe my real problem is that I'm just bored with the stuff I've got! After a while, you try to make something that looks different, but it all ends up looking very similar.
If I had the money, I would consider wiping the slate clean and getting all new. But after investing in this craft for twelve years, I'm not certain that is possible.
Perhaps I will come out of this negative phase with paper crafting in a few months, and I will sell all my old and just invest in a few new. Not to mention the space I would save just by replacing all of my wood mounted sets with clear or cling.
Hmmm. Something to consider.
Yes. Something to consider...if you leave this hobby altogether, you will definitely be missed!
Thank you, Susan! You have really inspired me! I had never considered the option of wiping the slate clean and beginning anew. Now I am feeling energized and excited for the craft again. I must constantly remind myself "Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free!" I have got to keep it simple. (And btw, I love your blog and follow it often. I, too, am a brutal closet purger. It just makes life simpler that way!)
NOTHING is wrong with you!
