I'll be the first to tell you. I never, ever thought I would become a stamper. Back in the day, I would attend crops and I still do. You know, those fun crafty gatherings where you sit all day scrapbooking, crafting, sewing.....and get saddle sore? Unless, of course, you're a seasoned crafter; they bring their own comfy chairs! I'd seen different ladies stamping over the years but, I didn't understand it, nor did I understand it's appeal. I decided to give this technique a whirl, after a scrapper friend taught me heat embossing. I was hooked.
What's the appeal, you say? Well, let me quickly share a few key points:
1. You can say goodbye to "Wal-Mark". A few, very inexpensive items are all you need to start creating your own handmade, thoughtful and inexpensive cards.
A stamp
An ink pad
Plain card or cardstock
Those three things are all you need to get started. I used all three of those items on the card below, plus three accessories; glitter glue, sequins and an acrylic block. The acrylic block is the mount for my stamp. You can find a small one for around $1.00 in a craft supply store. I intentionally used very few items on this card, just to show you how easy and inexpensive it can be. Sure, you can invest in more accessories and go all out, but the point is....you don't have to. Anyone can make a card. It's a matter of having the right tools, the desire and proper instruction.
2. Your creative options, with one stamp set alone, are endless. Look around and you can find a few basic all occasion stamp sets that will cover just about any holiday or special event. Your creativity is only limited by your imagination. You can find inspiration everywhere these days, whether it be social media such as Pinterest or a magazine. The set I'm using today, has butterflies and hearts. That pretty much covers everything from a wedding to a birthday to Valentine's or just because.
3. Make some extra cash. Be the go-to girl or guy for your friends and family. Make some cards for any occasion and have them on hand. Word of mouth can be a powerful thing.
4. Are you a giver? Donate! This is the perfect opportunity for you to make something that's a little piece of you, and donate it for a good cause. How about taking cards to the local nursing home so the residents can give one to a family member? Make a set of cards and box them up pretty for a school auction. I'm actually kicking off a fundraiser event making and selling Valentine cards for my son's upcoming mission trip with the youth group at church. Do you have a favorite server in a restaurant? A barista at the coffee shop? Wouldn't it just make their day the next time you stop in and hand them a sweet card?
Now you know the appeal. And as an added bonus, let me share a tip on the card I made above. Generational stamping. That's when you stamp your inked image more than once without re-inking. I spaced out and stamped a darker image with the butterflies, then stamped again quickly to give the same image a faded look. There's your bonus tip of the day.
If you're interested in the set below, I would appreciate it if you would use my affiliate link to shop. And if you enjoyed my article today, please leave a comment. Thanks so much!
Here's the link:
Supplies: Colorbox Pinkolicious archival ink, Waffle Flower "Flutter" stamp set, Ranger Stickles glitter glue in Crystal, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, The Paper Studio 4.5"x5.5" white card
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#cre8time #waffleflowercrafts #stamping #glitter #sequins #colorbox #ranger
