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In your opinion, what set would be a "must have" for a new stamper? I am mainly concentrating on card making and using colored pencils. I thought maybe the flowers of the month set by SU so I had a variety to work with? What do you think? What is your all time favorite set for card making? What should I run out and buy right now?
Good questions......and a lot of your questions really depend on your style. Do you prefer cutesy stamps or realistic stamps? I assume you prefer to color them in. I'll list a few of my favorites, but these are *my* style and not necessarily yours!
1. A good floral set - my favorites are Natural Beaty (retired) and Sassy Stems.
2. A sentiment set is a MUST have - Warmest Regards (retired hostess set) is my favorite, but Sincere Salutations is great too.
3. A versatile background stamp - my favorite is Print Pattern, but Linen is a favorite around here.
I'd just cruise the gallery and see what cards seem to catch you eye. It's hard when your first starting and you want it ALL!
Barb makes a really good point. First, identify your style. If you like to color them (watercolors, markers, etc), then you'll want to go toward one style. If you want the ink to do the work for you, then you might go toward another. Personally, I like to color mine in, and I like Barb's suggestion of Sassy Stems. That set is so much fun! I tend to like stets where I can cut them out easily and "pop" them with dimensionals, too. But, anyway, first take a look at the catty and see what "style" you lean toward and then go from there!
Barb makes a really good point. First, identify your style. If you like to color them (watercolors, markers, etc), then you'll want to go toward one style. If you want the ink to do the work for you, then you might go toward another. Personally, I like to color mine in, and I like Barb's suggestion of Sassy Stems. That set is so much fun! I tend to like stets where I can cut them out easily and "pop" them with dimensionals, too. But, anyway, first take a look at the catty and see what "style" you lean toward and then go from there!
Cindy
Oooooo....I made a good point (I always feel like I'm blathering)!!! Thanks Cindy!
Thank you ladies! Great advice. Barb I have quite a few of your cards in my favorites already so you are great inspiration for me. I am going to buy a set of the salutations/greetings and natural beauty. Thank you for the suggestions!
Thank you ladies! Great advice. Barb I have quite a few of your cards in my favorites already so you are great inspiration for me. I am going to buy a set of the salutations/greetings and natural beauty. Thank you for the suggestions!
Thanks so sweet! I'm thrilled you like my creations!
I might suggest the Fun and Fast Notes that would be a good start for an All Occasions set and go from there. Unless the newbie thinks this is too 'cutesy'.
__________________ ~ Wendy ~ *AVATAR--That's my DD's cute feet at the beach when she was 18 months old! She's 5 now!Where did the time go???
I would also consider what "Kind" of cards you want to be making. If you are going to be making primarily birthday and friend cards then one of the florals(And goodness knows there are plenty!!) might work for you. If there are mostly men in your family, you might need a different set to start you off. Also if you have several children and anticipate a lot of kids (or baby) cards.
And (confused yet??) if your first major project is going to be Christmas cards.. that is a whole other order entirely...
I do love Sincere Salutations for an all purpose greeting set tho..
I'm fairly new to stamping myself, and I definitely agree with a sentiment set. You will use them over and over again, and I always like to get more for my money. I agree with the Sincere Salutations set, you can't go wrong. Also, a good floral set is nice because you can use that for just about any card you make. I'm really liking the Pick a Petal set from the new catty - you can stamp a different flower every time!
I go through the catty everyday ...just about .......and have my wish list (which grows everyday) after the accessories I have ordered warm words...... then im getting unfrogettable then cute as a bug ......yadda yadda yadda ...lol
Just a thought-when you are cruising through the galleries, take note of the sets that are retired. More than once I have had my heart set on a retired set (like Natural Beauty) only to have a really hard time getting it. Maybe focus on the new catalogue to ensure availablilty. Or you might get lucky and find a retired set anyway!
The best advice I would give is to buy very slowly -- you might be surprised to find your tastes changing as you gain experience. In the meantime, you can't go wrong with basic flower and sentiment sets that you love, and a simple background like Linen or Canvas.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
My $.02: When buying that first set, you should also consider what your stamp set budget is going to be. Also, remember the set is not your only stamping expense to consider. Plan accordingly.
On a side note, my first set was "Bitty Bolds" from Stampin Up (retired 2005). It has stamps for several occasions. It is still one of my favorite sets.
When I first started I found Lovely as a Tree and Wonderful Words worked so well for so many occasions and cards. If I could only own one stamp set it would be Lovely as A Tree but please don't tell my dh I could settle for only one.
I also think if you don't have many sets, Fun & Fast Notes is perfect...just remember to mount the words on the ends of your blocks so you can mix & match your sayings & images to make the set even more versatile
__________________ Shielded by the Shepherd
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future nor any powers.....will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39
The best advice I would give is to buy very slowly -- you might be surprised to find your tastes changing as you gain experience. In the meantime, you can't go wrong with basic flower and sentiment sets that you love, and a simple background like Linen or Canvas.
I totally agree! When I first started I bought so many sets with snowmen in them, and now, I barely use them. I didn't know what I was doing, or even what I was going to use them for, I just thought they were cute.
What stamp set is a must have for a newbie?
