Precious stamp set goes unused.....read all about it!

[tootsie roll]

What was the stamp set that you had to have and then never used?
For me it was Backyard BBQ. I think the set is adorable but I don't make
many summer themed cards. What's your story?

[KristiK]

Time Well Spent...still unmounted even tho I've seen so many cute cards! Not sure if I should keep it or give it away~

[blondie090277]

Tart and Tangy - thought it was cute but now I don't know what to do with it

[Mom2AngelJocelyn]

Unfroggetable, thought it was so darn adorable bu just can't figure out how to make a card i actually like

[Cook22]

It's not an SU set, but I got the clear Fluffles set from Stamendous. I love Fluffles, but I just can't get this set to work for me, keep thinking of passing it on to someone who might use it as it sits there month after month. And it's not that I don't like clear stamps, either - I don't know what the problem is.

[SophieLaFontaine]

Stampin' Up Nursery Rhymes (Humpty Dumpty, Cow over moon, Mary with lamb, Three men in a tub). I LOVE the images, and I still enjoy them whenever I am searching for another stamp set and I see this one. But I can't think of when I would use them on a card, especially the one with the three men in a tub *wide grin* - okay, let me re-phrase - I can't think of an appropriate use for that image. But I really, really like how those images were drawn - so detailed and pleasing to look at!

Actually, I've managed to use all of them at least once, except for the cow one. The Three-men-in-a-tub I used for my nephew - paired it with "fishing you a happy birthday" *cringing mightily at this memory*

[postcardgirl]

:rolleyes: Baroque Motifs! Just HAD to have it after seeing so many beautiful cards in the gallery - yet it still sits there right on my desk calling to me every time I go to stamp...

[kluvsj711]

Time Well Spent is just one of many for me. I love, love, love so many stamps that I just don't pull out, but when I think of getting rid of it to make room... I think of all the lovely cards I've seen on this site and then I put it back on my shelf with great plans to use it... eventually

[blank canvas]

This thread is painful and i feel a bit as though I'm at rehab, but MOST of my stamps I never use. I do look at them and I have great plans, but I don't seem to be able to snap out of the thinking that the cards I see on the gallery or in the catalogue using a certain stamp are somehow beyond me in terms of recreating.

I think that, and this sounds silly, but, stamps to me are like books. I never open a book properly and would never throw a book in the bin. I love them and have them everywhere. Same with stamps. I like what they COULD do, the magic, the hope and sort of ambition. Actually sitting down stamping and creating an amazing card is hard work (I have health problems) and just as I'd love to write a book, so I'd love to stamp all day. I'll never do either.

My beautiful stamps become something that torments me when i try to use them alot. I LOVE cardmaking and scrapbooking but it really causes me pain and exhausts me. Mentally, I then berate myself for being useless and things go wrong and then it's not fun anymore.

When i just play I do have fun, but tend to create loads of stamped images that all go in a box to be used 'later' (read I'll put it off til tomorrow?) and then...

When I started cardmaking I so wanted to love stamping and I do, but I love the stamps more than anything else I think, though in truth since I've found SU stamps, somehow my confidence has grown and I find them easier to get a good image etc.

Some people collect paper, and yes, I have a fair bit of that, but for me it's stamps, not shoes, not handbags, not makeup, just stamps.

Gosh, sorry, this sounds a bit of a confessional post, sorry if I'm a bit of a bore, hard to say what I mean!!!

PS I would LOVE the nursery rhyme set..wow!!! I have a beautiful niece and do do alot of papercrafting for her!!

[annie21211]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KristiK

Time Well Spent...still unmounted even tho I've seen so many cute cards! Not sure if I should keep it or give it away~

I loved this set but recognized that I wouldn't use it. So, I gave it away to a customer who had spent hundreds of dollars with me on SU in the last year.

I have a set from CTMH called Hocus Pocus that I just *had* to have and only recently used it for the first time. I've had it for a minimum of 2 years, probably longer.

[NicholeC]

New Beginnings - it's still unmounted. I bought it because it was being retired, but the new catty had a much cuter bride/baby/shower set that I needed to have instead. :(

[bdeyes9]

ALL OF THEM !!! LOL Seriously, I have been on a binge where I HAVE to HAVE
some LONG retired sets. Tickled Pink, Classic Convertibles, All Aboard, Oriental
gardens, the one with the sun and moon that Michelle Zindorf has created some BEAUTIFUL cards with. Stella Stamper is on her way...All of them are sitting. It's almost as if once a set becomes part of my HOARD I just look at it. I feel much like Blank Canvas. I have a creative block. I really Really want to create but just cannot make myself go downstairs...Maybe when winter comes....

[craftingcaren]

Border Builders . . . I thought I would scrap a ton with this set, but I haven't used it yet. All of you with Time Well Spent, USE IT. It's so cute. I'm so jealous. I love that set, I used to borrow it all the time before my demo sold it. I would buy it off of ebay, but it's just not in the budget with my monthly stamp club.

[tootsie roll]

Darling Dragons is another set that I've never used. It's hard to part with but I think I'll post it under trade and see if I can get a set I'll use more!

[lesliespringer]

Vases in Vouge. After I used it at my demo's house, I could not line the flowers up with the vases. So it sits uncut, and now I am trying to sell it!!!

[madstamper33]

Coldplay is one of my many unloved stamp sets. Had to have it, made one card with it that i didn't like and there it sits buried under many more unloved ones.

[jkstieber]

The Hero Arts ribbon stamps. I bought them probably four years ago and I've used them twice.

[toodlesyall]

Mine is the SU! All in a Row. No clue what to do with it. None whatsoever. I even unmounted it to push myself to using the set. Still don't. Sigh. Now, it bugs me every time I look at it.

[StampingShawn]

Unfortunately I somehow HAD to buy a whole group of Halloween cards, but here's the rub....I've NEVER made a Halloween card and I'm not even "in" to Halloween. Now I've convinced myself that I will use them on scrapbooking Halloween pics, but that's not likely to happen anytime soon. Oh the shame! Anyone have any Halloween sets they want to get rid of?

It's a sickness I tell you!

[anniesmom]

For some reason I just had to have Delight in Life. It sits untouched.

[CharityHand]

Another unfrogettable here!... you know what.. I'm going to take it out today. My next card WILL be made with this stamp set. ... oh and Best of Cluck... My next, next card Will be made with this one too!

[lbirus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blank canvas

This thread is painful and i feel a bit as though I'm at rehab, but MOST of my stamps I never use. I do look at them and I have great plans, but I don't seem to be able to snap out of the thinking that the cards I see on the gallery or in the catalogue using a certain stamp are somehow beyond me in terms of recreating.

I think that, and this sounds silly, but, stamps to me are like books. I never open a book properly and would never throw a book in the bin. I love them and have them everywhere. Same with stamps. I like what they COULD do, the magic, the hope and sort of ambition. Actually sitting down stamping and creating an amazing card is hard work (I have health problems) and just as I'd love to write a book, so I'd love to stamp all day. I'll never do either.

My beautiful stamps become something that torments me when i try to use them alot. I LOVE cardmaking and scrapbooking but it really causes me pain and exhausts me. Mentally, I then berate myself for being useless and things go wrong and then it's not fun anymore.

When i just play I do have fun, but tend to create loads of stamped images that all go in a box to be used 'later' (read I'll put it off til tomorrow?) and then...

When I started cardmaking I so wanted to love stamping and I do, but I love the stamps more than anything else I think, though in truth since I've found SU stamps, somehow my confidence has grown and I find them easier to get a good image etc.

Some people collect paper, and yes, I have a fair bit of that, but for me it's stamps, not shoes, not handbags, not makeup, just stamps.

Gosh, sorry, this sounds a bit of a confessional post, sorry if I'm a bit of a bore, hard to say what I mean!!!

PS I would LOVE the nursery rhyme set..wow!!! I have a beautiful niece and do do alot of papercrafting for her!!

No need to feel so bad, we are all addicts or we wouldn't be here, (((especially sitting here typing when I have the perfect day to stamp ("Hanna" is keeping us in today on the east coast) ))). Start small, maybe pick one set and find a card to CASE from the gallery or use a sketch challenge. Just look at all the unused stamps folks are confessing to! Just make one card, don't try to take on your whole stash!

For me, my "Stamp set of Shame" is Best of Cluck. I just had to have it, and love all the stuff made with it... but I just can't seem to use it!

[CharityHand]

Ok, so here is the card that I made with my unused unfrogettable set today. It actually was lots of fun!!

Have I toad you lately?? by CharityHand at Splitcoaststampers

[meluvstampin]

Here are my "I had to have" but have not really met an ink pad yet

From The Kitchen Of
Spring Song
Taking Care Of Business

RETIRED
On The Go - had to have this from ebay
Age To Perfection
Cottage Rose
Memory Of The Heart

I know there are more.

[Cynamom]

I tend not to use my "solid" stamps a lot like Wild About You. But probably the one that most shocked me was Eat Cake. I went to a SU party and she had us do a project with it, and I eventually traded for it, but I NEVER use it.

[sewingmum]

We get a limited amout of SU sets in New Zealand, when I look at the US catalogue, I would *have to have* a whole lot of it! Very interesting thread tho, I am trying not to think about what I don't use "cringing"

[LateBlossom]

I love threads like this one. They make me feel normal.;)

[SusieMuslie68]

Mine would also have to be the Hero Arts ribbons set too. I've only used a couple of the stamps a couple of times.

[SCEmily]

Ginormous flowers. I've used it maybe once or twice, but I don't really like it like I thought I would.

[JampsterStampster]

Over the course of the 12 years I've been stamping there have been MANY sets I've had to have but have never used.

I have two peices of advice:

#1) Don't worry about it! You will eventually decide to motivate yourself and work with it. Maybe you have more or better equiptment now than when you bought it. That often makes inspiration easier.

#2) Have a stamping party. Have everyone bring a set they have trouble working with. Everyone has to make cards with everyone else's sets and give her those cards. She now has several ideas how to use it.

[Lisa Loiselle]

Mine was Hand Painted Petites - remember that one? Got it with hostess bennies at the first SU party I hosted, and I could never get it to work for me. Finally got rid of it. A friend of mine is hosting a stamp swap next month. Several of us are getting together to trade sets we never use. A few that are going in my pile are Smorgasborders, Noteworthy and By Design.

[JampsterStampster]

I hated smorgasborders, too and somehow ended up with 4 sets. I sold what I could and gave the rest away.

[DeniseW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharityHand

Ok, so here is the card that I made with my unused unfrogettable set today. It actually was lots of fun!!

Have I toad you lately?? by CharityHand at Splitcoaststampers

So proud of you! Good work!

[jennik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JampsterStampster

Over the course of the 12 years I've been stamping there have been MANY sets I've had to have but have never used.

#2) Have a stamping party. Have everyone bring a set they have trouble working with. Everyone has to make cards with everyone else's sets and give her those cards. She now has several ideas how to use it.

Thanks for the great advice!! This one I am going to do!!!! I have a few sets that have never seen ink. Can't think of their names, but I know they are there, way in the back of the shelf. Hiding. Never to see the light of day. ;) I even have a wheel, that hasn't seen paper or ink, EVER, in the 7+ years that I have had it. :( And that's a shocker, cause I love the wheels. Thank goodness I have slow down on the Have to Have it bender, (somewhat).

Jennik

[cullenwr]

Well, I just had to have Stella Stamper and found the set on ebay for a decent price. It just collects dust and I wonder why I was ever so set on buying it!!

[Laurie FW]

Polar Pals, I had to have it and I don't think I have ever made even one card or scrapbook page with it!

[Lisa Loiselle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cullenwr

Well, I just had to have Stella Stamper and found the set on ebay for a decent price. It just collects dust and I wonder why I was ever so set on buying it!!

I made some great Christmas cards with Stella once. Put a tree next to her, slapped on a Santa hat and sent it to my stampin' buds. It was adorable! Even if you never use Stella she's well worth keeping, IMO.

[RubberLady603]

Mine was Trees Three from Stampin' Up. I bought it when it came out and then never inked it up except to catalogue it in my binder. Since I kept looking at it thinking I would never use it, I sold it on Ebay.
Well let me tell ya! It was like losing a buddy.......I bought it AGAIN from my demo when she had her retired sets sale. Now I use it a lot and love it. AND! You know how them husbands don't notice much of your stash stuff?? As soon as I put the set back in it's proper place, he says "I thought you sold that set?"
But I did learn a lesson about hoarding.....Don't part with nuthin' cuz you might use it someday.
I think it's a sickness!

[ked]

Mine was that recent camping set with the bear with the outstretched arms. Never seen ink.