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What would you consider to be the "latest" trends in stamping? It seems embossing folders are very in (or are they about done?). Water coloring seems trendy. I am not sure about heat embossing, background stamping, ribbons, brads, buttons. It's so hard to tell whether people are doing what they like or what's on "trend." It's not that I care so much but I want to join a swap and I still remember being totally embarrassed at my first convention by an ugly card.
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Mary Kay
"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think." Buddha
I think you have to stick with what you love! But I understand if you're exchanging (or even selling) your work I think you do need to be aware of trends.
I would take a look at crafting blogs and crafters' YouTube videos – you see a wide range of techniques but you also notice trendier elements that start to creep in across the board. Most are easy to add to your own work to give them an updated look.
I also noticed in an online shop – I think it was Cherry on Top — a section called "upcoming products." That would be a great way to spy trends!
Styles more than products are trendy. Be on the lookout for older trends remarketed for different styles. So fibers become ribbons become baker's twine, etc. Same idea but different types of materials for different style trends. People are still wrapping, tying, making knots and bows, etc. Look for style changes, and you can see if what you already have fits.
I think that staying current is not so much about the technique but more about the image. Embossing folders, heat embossing, etc. are still popular when used in interesting ways. Chalks were old school and now Pan Pastels are popular because of the way people use them.
I'm in a swap group and when I get a card that makes me think out of style its more the stamp image. Some images carry over for years where others look tired and definitely not new. A person doesn't have to buy the latest holy-grail item - just find ways to use what you have in a new and interesting way. KWIM
I have to say that I'm one of those people who avoid 'trends' like the plague. I hate the way that rubberstamping/cardmaking has been dragged into the whole High Street fashion game. It used to be a real feature that hand made cards/tags/giftbags & boxes were unique, now whatever the latest trend is, like the recent cupcakes/owls one, is on everything, including cards/giftwrap etc in the shops, as well as featuring heavily in stamping/designer papers. But that's just my take on the whole thing- I've always been a bit of a rebel, lol.
I suppose what I'm saying is, don't worry about a trend if it doesn't really 'speak' to you? If you like a thing, that's great, but if it's not truly your 'thing', you'll probably end up struggling to use it in a way you're happy with, IYKWIM.
I have to say that I'm one of those people who avoid 'trends' like the plague. I hate the way that rubberstamping/cardmaking has been dragged into the whole High Street fashion game. It used to be a real feature that hand made cards/tags/giftbags & boxes were unique, now whatever the latest trend is, like the recent cupcakes/owls one, is on everything, including cards/giftwrap etc in the shops, as well as featuring heavily in stamping/designer papers. But that's just my take on the whole thing- I've always been a bit of a rebel, lol.
I suppose what I'm saying is, don't worry about a trend if it doesn't really 'speak' to you? If you like a thing, that's great, but if it's not truly your 'thing', you'll probably end up struggling to use it in a way you're happy with, IYKWIM.
Shaz, even though you are way across the "Pond", you always seem to speak for me. I agree about trends. I like to keep up with them, and look at them to see what's new. Sometimes I find something that is appealing. But if it doesn't speak to me, I don't care how trendy it is, or if everyone is doing it.
I've always loved this quote by Thoreau:
�If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I'm just recently browsing and googling for stamped cards and crafty projects again after a 4 year absence and after about a week, it's quite interesting for me to see what the current trends are.
While I feel the pressure/pull to suddenly fill my shopping basket whenever I follow links /search for products used and click BUY, I refrain since I have a huge supply room already that is already a challenge for me to use up in my lifetime.
I agree with everyone who has commented. I think art is and should be an expression of YOUR artistic trials and journey. We all make ooopsies, we all have a ha moments! We all get inspired by others. I've been there and done that with needing to and buying all the holy grail of the moment supplies. And it's hard to know which are the timeless classics. In the end, and please take it from a former collect-aholic, find joy in what you have and what you create. No one else needs to be impressed.
The only exception to this is when you're on a DT team, who should provide you with the latest and greatest. Now that's fun too to be creating that way. But it's a bit sad to neglect last month's kit, or last season's new buy.
We're all on a continuum of learning, skill, budgets, etc..and our tastes change. Not to mention, we all have different time constraints. But in the end, own your art, be proud of what you made. Swap confidently! Enjoy what you get back. You may find inspiration in your returns, and conversely, someone else may find inspiration in your artwork.
When you're excited about something, be it technique, product, tool, colors, image, etc. it'll show through in your finished work.
Don't be so self conscious is what I'm trying to say. Life is too short to be worried about impressing others or worried about what they think.
I think that staying current is not so much about the technique but more about the image. Embossing folders, heat embossing, etc. are still popular when used in interesting ways. Chalks were old school and now Pan Pastels are popular because of the way people use them.
I'm in a swap group and when I get a card that makes me think out of style its more the stamp image. Some images carry over for years where others look tired and definitely not new. A person doesn't have to buy the latest holy-grail item - just find ways to use what you have in a new and interesting way. KWIM
I love your term "latest holy-grail item" ----that sums it all up for me in my previous collecting habits.
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