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I have never been to a demo and I don't really know anyone that actually knows how to stamp. I just kept seeing so many great stamp projects that I decided to give it a try
I went to a Mom's night out- all the other people were scrapbooking, and there was a demo preparing some samples for a future stamp a stack. I was not a scrapbooker nor a stamper (in fact I had brought my taxes to work on lol!). I'd always been crafty but was hesitant 'cause I didnt have any of my own ideas. After attending her stamp a stack she referred me to the SCS gallery for more enabling. Smartest move she ever made :lol:
A friend of mine introduced me to stamping but at that time, she was not a demo. She just happened to have SU parties and sometimes we could go to the local craft store. After while she signed up and eventually so did I. SU has been the biggest influence my I am slowly finding all of the other companies that are out there.
Like many others I started out scrapbooking. When I had finished redoing the baby book my mother put together for me, my wedding pictures along with our honeymoon and our first year of marriage I was ready to start something new. I took a class at church put on by a SU demo. She eventually became my upline. And as they say the rest is history.
__________________ Charlee
My SU website - http://charleeg.stampinup.net
Live in the moment and make it so beautiful it's worth remembering.
My next door neighbour Barry is totally to blame! We went to a craft fair and at one of the stalls selling handmade cards there was a demo of stamping and heat embossing going on. I thought it looked really interesting. Barry said "I've got stamps and all the equipment, come round and I'll show you".
Within a week I had taken him up on his offer, he showed me and then he very kindly lent me all his stamps, inks, powders and heat gun so I could play and see how I liked it. I LIKED it LOL! I've been card making ever since.
He is no longer my next door neighbour - he moved away from the UK and now lives in the US and, sadly, we have lost touch. I still miss him and am so grateful he taught me about stamping!
I picked other! Ten years ago dd was in Albany Medical Center recuperating from spinal surgery. My mother brought her all the supplies to stamp with. Thinking it was something she could do from her hospital bed. DD was not interested at all! But late at night, sitting in the hospital, I got those stamps out and played. I've been hooked ever since!
I was working late one night, and went downstairs to the company cafeteria to get a can of pop. I heard lots of laughing, and poked my head around the corner to see what was going on. There were about 15 people in the cafeteria with all this stuff all over the tables. I knew some of them so I walked over and asked what they were doing. They were all stamping, which I had never heard of. I looked at what they were making and could not believe they had made those cards! One of my co-workers was also a SU! demo.
They invited me to a party a few weeks later and I went. I made a card with Fall Whimsey that I was so proud of! Still have it! I think I ordered $300 at that first party (and much more since then). That was 3 years ago. Love it!
Location: Wishing I was not at work but I have to pay for my hobbies some how! LOL!
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I started stamping because I was always running out of sentiments from stickers for my embroidered cards. I was using embroidery designs from www.embroiderylibrary.com that worked on cardstock to make my cards. Can you believe that my embroidery machine got me stamping? I bought a sentiment set by All Night Media off ebay for $10. Then I discovered SU and rest is history! That is the history of a stamping addict!
My sister.
Approximately 15 years ago for parent's 50th anniversary she purchased a small rose stamp and we made over 100 thank yous. Got family together and embossed those roses using the back of an iron (can you imagine?). This was before we had even heard of a heat gun. I still have the thank you.
Never much interested in stamping. What can you do with a stamp and a sheet of paper?? -- you must understand that stamping supplies were limited at that time. Very few colors for stamp pads, no pretty papers, and no stamp or scrapbook stores in area. Sis had been wanting to take a class in stamping but none were offered in her area (she lives in a small town). Found a class offered at the university (continuing education) and asked if she was interested. We attended and the rest is history. She has moved on to scrapbooking and I now make all my cards. Addicted. I look at cards in the stores and think I can do that.
About twelve years ago I went to work for a lawfirm where about 10 employees were Stampin Up card makers; one employee a demo. I'd say, co-workers got me started but they were more than co-workers, they were friends, too.
Well, I own a rubber stamp that I bought in 1985 or so...it was a Mary Engelbreit stamp of the Santa going down the chimney with the word "believe" below it. Technically, that was my introduction to stamping; I saw it at a store in Kalamazoo and thought it would be great for stamping the envelopes of my store-bought Christmas cards.
But really, I only became a stamper in 1996, when I attended a MOPS meeting. Someone had brought in their rubber stamps (DOTS, as I recall) for us to make Christmas cards and I got hooked. I remember thinking "how much money I can save making my own cards!!!" BWAHAHAHAHHHH! Yep, them were the days. :mrgreen:
One of my best friends kept inviting me to a stamp camp for about 5 months straight. She'd show me what she made and I would ooh and aah, but still felt that it was too "froo-froo" for me. Finally in May 2005, I gave in and went along! I WAS HOOKED!!!
Three months later I became an SU Demo, and was stamping on everything. That fall I made stuff for my first fair. We did pretty well, especially for our first time.
Now, I am no longer a demo, but I'm her best customer.
__________________ Rebecca *~*~ProudArmyWife *~*~ MY GALLERY.SoCal Stamp Mania V--I was there!!!
Long ago and far away, I was looking for a craft for kids to do for Mother's Day. I was wandering around an arts & craft show at a mall in Toledo, OH and saw a vendor with tables filled with rubber stamps and ink pads. The heavens opened and choirs of angels sang as I purchased a bunch of stamps and a few ink pads. Now stamping is my life.
Mary Beth
I voted other. My daughter had a friend who was a SU! demo and asked if it was okay to have a party at our house. This was about 4 years ago. I agreed and figured I'd buy something small just to help her sales. HAH! I spent $100 at that doggone party and it hasn't stopped since.
__________________ All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
I voted friend because she invited me to an SU party she was the hostess for - but I guess I really needed to answer demo.
The demo at the party is STILL my demo and she's the real reason I'm hooked. She's the best demo - yes, I'm biased because she's also my friend now too. Her name is Natalie and she's right here in Middle TN.
She makes every stamping event fun - we laugh alot!!
I went to a Stampin' Up! party at my girlfriend's to be a body...I told her I wasn't doin' that stampin' crap...she teases me to this day because I was a demo for a while and I have a craft room loaded with enough stuff to open a store!
Location: Where the water meets the sand in So Cali
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My friend, Michelle, was a HUGE stamper/scrapbooker for years and she got me into it. I'm VERY grateful to her because this is such a wonderful hobby for me. I've been stamping/scrapping for about 7-8 years now. I've used her talent for years and am happy that for the past 4-5 years, I've gotten good at what I do!
I picked other. I think my intro into stamping started with the lick and stick tattoos that came in the Cracker Jack box. ;)
When I was a nanny in NJ in the early 90s, I came across an Inkadinkadoo kiosk at one of the malls and I bought a couple of stamps and an ink pad. I went every weekend and bought a few more things.
I think I went to my first Stampin' Up party in the mid to late 90s. I just remember being so happy that there was a "sisterhood" of stampers out there. I had just moved to a tiny town (approx. 1000) for a new job. The office manager was a DOTS demo and the receptionist was big into SU and other stamp companies. The receptionist and I are still great friends even though we now live 3 hours apart. She also introduced me to the Rubber Stamper Magazine. (How cool is that? A magazine for stamping!) Ha!
Kimberly
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
I used to swear up and down that I would never get into stamping. I just couldn't see the point in having to stamp, cut, color, layer, etc. I felt that I could do just as good of a job with my computer. I could still use cute images and I could make it say whatever I wanted. Then a friend invited me to a monthly make and take that a woman from our church used to put on for a few of the ladies. She said, "I know that you think stamping is lame, but if you'd just come, I think that you'd really like what we're doing." I was reluctant but agreed to go because she kept bugging me about it. I went and we made a cute card with the Love Without End set. It had lots of layers and I couldn't help thinking, "What a waste of paper." The card we made had a tag with eyelets on it and I got to use eyelets for the first time. The eyelet setting was fun, but I still wasn't completely sold. I ended up coming back for a second class. For this class, we used pastels and versamark and for some reason that is what really drew me in. The SU demonstrator sent a catalog home with me to "just look." She said I could give it back to her if I didn't want anything and I was still thinking to myself, "Yeah, this is kind of cool, but I can just keep making cards on the computer. It's still way cheaper." (And it is still way cheaper, but not nearly as much fun.) I looked through the catalog and then I started thinking of all the neat things I could do if I just had a few stamp sets. The catalog really is insidious and great at drawing in new stampers because it shows examples of cards that don't look impossible for a newbie to make. I decided to get Burst into Bloom and make more cards with Versamark and pastels. From there, it has ballooned exponentially. I rarely make cards on the computer anymore, unless I'm in a hurry or have to mass produce an invite for something that I'm not incredibly invested in. I like the dimension that I can give handmade cards. I guess that I'm still a relative newbie when it comes to stamping; I've only been at it for 3 years. I see it being a lifelong hobby though.
I had been introduced to scrapping by a friend many years ago, but had not heard of stamping (don't know why not, but there you go...).
About 3 years ago, my best friend (now) here told me that she stamped, and showed me some of her stuff (which is GORGEOUS). I love crafts of almost all kinds, so I jumped on this bandwagon. She invited me to join her current hostess group (she was an SU demo, which I didn't know). That's all she wrote--I now have WAY too much stuff. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
My sister introduced me. She hosted a card class with our amazing SU Demo. I never thought I would do this on a regular basis, but here we are, two years later!
And we got our other sister and our aunt involved as well. And I'm spreading the word at work!
A Demo from SU got me hooked. I was a Longaberger consultant and a fellow consultant's daughter started with Su. I know how hard it is to get new customers for a home based business so I said I would help her out and have a party. I was hooked! It was a Jerry Maguire moment for me...
My big sis...I guess I could have put that under friend because she is my best friend, but I put other. Thank goodness she did!!! (that is not what my DH would say if you asked him though ;) )
Oh I love the story of how I got started stamping!
I was in the midst of planning a 60th surprise party for my father when a friend invited me to a SU party she was hosting for her SIL who was "practicing" for her first demo. Since she is a good friend I agreed to go, but it was a nightmare ... it was in between having my hair done for the party, and the actual party that night. I had to skip lunch, and I was cursing them both under my breath the whole time. LOL!
Little did I know that I'd drop $60 and become completely additced!!! 7 years later, here I am!
__________________ There were so many fewer questions when stars were just the holes to heaven. ~ Jack Johnson
A friend (who I am no longer friends with) was at Hobby Lobby and struck up a conversation with a SU! Demo who was also there. The SU! Demo invited her to have a party which she did. My Mother brought me (it's really her friend) kicking and screaming ... I loved it the first time I saw it and have been hooked (5 years) ever since!
I was first intrigued by rubber stamping from a gal I knew at church that was a demo. She held a class at a church activity, and I really enjoyed myself. A short time after that I received a free set from her, and then last January she called me telling me about the stampin clubs she held, and told me I should come to the first one to see if i was interested in signing up. I was hooked from that point on and just recently signed up through her to be a demo myself. Now she is my upline.
I've always been very "crafty" and even had my own business for 10 years designing and sewing childrens' clothing. So, my SIL asked me to come and "stamp" with her for the afternoon, and my reply was "I'll come, but I can't see me getting excited about that!" Famous last words! lol - she is ALWAYS reminding me that I said this!
Linda from PA
I picked other. It was my grand-daughter. She was having a party and invited me and her mother. (my daughter). We both went, but was not going to get into that. We decided to buy a scripture stamp set that we could use to stamp on store bought cards that we stamped. Then we were invited to another party, and by this time we were hooked. Especially me. Now about 4years later, I have way more than any of the rest of our group. I have 133 SU stamp sets, plus other stamps from Hobby Lobby. I have all kinds of stamping stuff. You name it, I pretty much have it. I also scrapbook, so have a lot of stuff for that. My daughter is now a SU demo. I think you could say that I'm hooked. I think I'm also one of the oldest stampers on SCS.
__________________ Janet - aka Ridge Stalker
Wife of 52 yrs, 2D, 2GD, 1GS, 3GGS
Check out MY GALLERYhttps://www.splitcoaststampers.com/g...0&ppuser=67069 Glitter Mafia member. Proud to be a fan club member. #67069
My mom. When we moved back to my hometown she wanted me to come to her "stamping party". I thought, "What are we? Kindergarteners? We're going to rubber stamp???".
My friend joined SU as a demo and introduced it to a group of us. I was very skeptical and didn't want to go, but I wanted to support her so I went and 3 years later I AM STILL HOOKED. Everyone is excited and appreciates a homemade card...how thoughtful! Kudos to SCS, SU, and all of you for sharing your talents and inspiration.
__________________ Bibby
'93, '07 Mount Aloysius College Alumni
