It all started when�

[poppydarling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hlymbics

This is why every time someone views or likes or comments on cards I make that it is so special to me. AND, I finally found that craft gene that I thought I never had!

So I just left some comment love because everyone deserves to feel special ;)

[octoberbabe]

This was something I NEVER wanted to do or thought I could do. I loved counted cross-stitch and knitting. Didn't need anything else. DD talked me into going to a 3 week class with her at our local tech college. The teacher just happened to be an SU demo. Like the class, a lot, but was still only going to make handmade Christmas cards. Well, long story short, the teacher left being a demo and talked my DD into being a demo, and when my DGD came along, I got talked into being the demo. Which is where I am today. And if it had not been for stamping, the stress of my job would have done me in before I ever could have retired. Am retired now, and life is good, cause I have time to stamp, stamp and stamp some more! Life is good!!!!!!

[dsp245]

Thank you everyone for sharing all your stories - so lovely to read!

I always love art (drawing, painting, handmade items...etc) but went into accounting in college so I can have a job/career. In 2009, I was looking for a new hobby and something to do so I found my upline at Meetup.com teaching classes, went to her monthly Meet & Greet and got hook!! I bought the SU starter kit so I have supplies to start and been a demo since. I would consider myself more of a hobby demo, although I have customers here and there but this is still truly a hobby for me!

[lovetostamp3]

Oh, what wonderful stories! It's so great to hear how we've all taken different paths on our similar crafting journey!

As a kid, I too was one who loved to color, but could not draw well. I longed to be an artist! I enjoyed all sorts of needlework, and eventually discovered the world of stamping over 20 years ago. My first stamp was PSX, and I remember telling my husband as I kept purchasing stamping products "this is going to save us money! We aren't going to have to buy cards anymore!" And down the road, as those supplies kept growing, and I was even teaching classes at the local stamp store, I remember my husband saying "We could have owned stock in Hallmark for what you've invested in this 'hobby', Honey - or at least a new car!"

This hobby has made me feel like the artist that I never was, helped me keep my sanity when I lost my husband, child, sibling, and others...... It may have taken awhile to get my mojo working again, but that feeling of accomplishment and ability to create something from that inner spirit feels good. I would be lost without it and lost without this group of supportive and creative "cyber friends", who for whatever different reasons, all gather to share and offer their input and insight as another option or way to see things when I'm stuck. Thank you all...........

[MissyO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathy4

MissyO, Sorry to hear that! My Stampin' Up demo is the nicest, most caring and kindest person ever!!!! And she would have so given you that catalog for free right then and there!!! And taught you how to do all the things you wanted to know about!!! Because of her I am a Stampin' Up fan and all the card making companies and stuff! It's a great thing to do!

Hi Cathy4, well don't worry it forced me to learn and enjoy my creating. I learned from her and the things that I asked her for I turned that into lemonade with my demo sales and that my friend is what helped me. I created a starter kit for my customers and didn't have them do a make & take if I wasn't going to teach them. For instances, I taught myself how to stamp on candles and they loved them. I also taught them how to do a faux suede card, even thought it was messy, the ladies loved it and I still get emails asking if I can help them get more supplies.


When I was taking my "classes" from a Michael's store it just so happened that lady that was teaching happened to be a SU! demo and well she was awesome. I loved those classes and kind of miss them.


So all in all I guess she did me a favor. I also never charged for my catties. My customers loved me for that, I used it as a marketing tool and wish I was still a demo for that company. *sigh*


I love this subject it is so fun to read how it happened to everyone.

[Jo Ann F.]

Thank you all for sharing your stories.

Like some of you, I backed into my creative side. When I was growing up, I was the �practical�, mathematical one. My sister was the "creative one.� I studied math in college, and worked as a financial analyst. After my first child was born, I chose to be a full time mother. In looking through the catalog for the local community college, I noticed a class in calligraphy that said, �No artistic talent needed.� I thought, �that sounds like me,� so I signed up for Saturday morning classes while my husband watched our daughter. As luck would have it, I had a great teacher, who whispered to me one day: �You know, you really are much better at this than anyone else here.� What a compliment! I really felt like calligraphy was a gift from God to me, wrapped up in a beautiful box. I continued with classes, and as my family grew, my calligraphy time became limited. I also never really got over my lack of confidence in my drawing ability, so I started using rubber stamps to illustrate my calligraphy. My stamp collection grew and grew, and I love being able to brighten people's lives through cardmaking.

SCS is a wonderful community and even though I could walk past you on the street because we never met in person, I feel bonded to you through love of stamping and sharing our talents with other people.My calligraphy teacher taught me more than just lettering - the power of a sincere compliment, and I remember and honor her by writing comments in the galleries.

[susanbri]

I started because of wanting to recycle things! I had a stack of beautiful commercial Christmas cards I'd received over the years - too beautiful to toss so I kept them. When I decided to clear some stuff out several years ago, I couldn't bear to part with them so thought of remaking them into new Christmas cards for me to send out. Of course, I had to buy a Merry Christmas stamp to use on them and through that one tiny purchase, I discovered the whole world of rubber stamps, etc. and got hooked!

So now, instead of a small pile of beautiful Christmas cards I couldn't bear to part with, I have a whole room full of card-making supplies!

[smhtwin]

I've been a volunteer at a local hospital for over 20 years. One year, at a volunteer meeting, the guest speaker was a DOTS (now CTMH) demo who made a card and had cattys out for us to look through. She also took bookings for parties at this meeting. My twin sister and I instantly booked a party and have been hooked ever since!

And 20 years later......I still volunteer at that same hospital and buy stuff from that same CTMH demo who has become a good friend :p

I'm definitely just a card maker and I enjoy making little goodies (bookmarks, post-it holders, candy sticks, etc.) and thankfully, my twin loves to scrap! And the best part of her scrapping our stuff is she knows pretty much everyone in the pictures of my DS so she can do almost all of the journaling too:p

[Serenity_Stamper]

Ohmygosh, so many memories. I began stamping when:

Rubberama was held over two days and there was a line an hour long before the doors even opened where people traded pins

Stampa Barbara was in existence, and had amazing classes

House Mouse home, Stampa Rosa, was in existence

RubberStampMadness still came in a large newspaper size. (I wrote for the for a while, and had the incredible honor to interview Janet Hofacker)

Carol Duvall was still on TV

Dee Greunig was a frequent guest

I started in 1992, on a work trip to San Diego (conference focused on Lotus Notes).... Bought a heat gun, rose stamp, and embossing powder

Mostly animals had a stamp positioner that was a crude pre-cursor to the MISTI

Oh, the memories

[Venice Pat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoBear2

For as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with paper and pencils. My favourite time of the year was the start of a new school year when my Mum picked up that year's school books & stationery - and opening that NEW pack of pencils was very exciting. The smell and feel of a new pack of pencils still excites me to this day I never achieved much in Art at school & I still remember my High School teacher writing in my end-of-year report: doesn't produce anything of much worth. So I assumed I hadn't a creative bone in my body & concentrated on science & maths instead. I still loved to colour with my pencils but that was really limited to colouring headings in my school books & not much else. Fast forward 30+ years......

Late in 2007, my best friend had started making her own Christmas cards using stamps & heat-embossing the sentiments with gold embossing powder (this was late 2007). She invited me over to have a go as she said it would be lots of fun - but I didn't think I would be very good at it - but she was such a great encourager and I had an absolute ball! I was so WOWED by the gold heat embossing - it blew my socks off! We had no heat-gun at the time and held our cards over the toaster to heat-emboss! So I went to a few Craft Shows and bought some supplies & heat-embossed everything & broke the toaster so DH bought me a heat-gun (plus he said he was tired of the house smelling of burnt toast crumbs!).

Shortly after, a Scrapbooking store opened just down the road from where I live & I saw dry embossing done with this magical machine called a Cuttlebug which I bought from that store. Well, that really kick-started my cardmaking journey & shortly after the Spellbinder Circle etc. dies were released which I thought were just amazing. I discovered SCS mid 2008 when I did a Google search for "Christmas card ideas" & was stunned at this amazing site with 1000s of cards & tutorials & ideas. I was literally shaking when I did my first upload here in Sept 2008 thinking that my card wasn't really good enough - but so many people encouraged me which was very kind & made me feel very welcome.

And now I just love this hobby so much & can't imagine NOT doing cardmaking. Being creative has kept my mind occupied during some difficult times caring for a very ill family member; SCS has kept me connected to the world when I was isolated in hospital with my loved one; I continue to be inspired & challenged by new products & the return of techniques that I had forgotten about; but most of all, the kindness & care I have been shown here on SCS is something I am very thankful for & can barely put into the right words to express (reaches for tissues to catch the tears)

Wow, JoBear - I went back to your first upload and it is beautiful, and this after only a year of stamping. I don't have time to review all but I also looked at the next several entries - all very well done. So glad you decided to share your beautiful works of art.

[JoBear2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venice Pat

Wow, JoBear - I went back to your first upload and it is beautiful, and this after only a year of stamping. I don't have time to review all but I also looked at the next several entries - all very well done. So glad you decided to share your beautiful works of art.

*blush* Thank you so much - your comments made my day!

[Dorie95]

My mother was a fantastic knitter and crocheter and tried to teach me when I was young. I could not get the hang of either but I could color pictures in a coloring book like crazy!
Fast forward 50 or so years...when I got my first computer. It came with a greeting card program. Wow! You put a piece of paper in the printer, picked out a picture and a sentiment and there was a birthday card! A few cards later and my printer was out of ink! LOL! Few more years go by...I retire.
Since I haunt thrift stores I noticed a few stray rubber stamps here and there. For 50 cents or a dollar I bought a few more. Went to Michaels for a stamp pad. Then I realized Youtube had tutorials by Gina K. Oh my gosh, more stamping videos and more!! That was it for me. Now that I found SCS, Pinterest, Send Kids the World (from Cards for a cause) I am at peace. Having the time of my life, I'm coloring again.

[jeanne3579]

Have always worked with paper. Coloring in coloring books (the smell of crayons is still a favorite and brings back memories). Colored pencils were a treasured gift and a good pair of scissors was a must in our family. My dad was a draftsman, so brought home paper printed with blueprints on one side that we could draw on the reverse side. He also brought home tiny graph paper that could be colored to make designs. Christmas cards we received were cut out to make new cards or decorate wrapping paper. Guess it was just a part of me from the beginning. Was introduced to stamping about 20 years ago with the thought that this was a cutesie craft and really not for me, like a previous poster. When I did gold embossing I was hooked and the rest is history. I have always been a crafter, sewer, and into the arts, but nothing has held my interest and love as much as card making with stamps.

[Jill with a G]

I have a very creative family. My father is multi-talented, but is an electrician. He is an avid hobbiest though. Rocks and Minerals, tools, (he was like Tim the Tool-Man Taylor before that was a show on TV). My mom is an artist! She can draw and paint out of this world! All six of us kids have huge oil paintings she's done with something in the theme relating to us individually. Really Cool! My paternal grandmother loved to scrapbook in the 60's and 70's. Simple books really, no embellishments or pretty papers, but memories yes!! She would have so loved today's scrapbooking and cards!! My cousin and I both love to scrapbook and make cards probably due to her love of crafts and scrapbooking. Coming from a family of artists--two of my brothers can really draw and paint too. I just didn't get that talent--I can't draw what I see in my head. I was always told I was creative, and I found my outlet with some football booster club mom's in which one was an SU demo. One stamp camp is all it took. Now I have an official craft room, and I will always make cards!!!

[hilde jaeggli]

My first contact with stamping was back in the Year 1995. I am Suisse and was at that time living in Nigeria where my husband was working for a Swiss company. My husband had to attend a meeting in Portland-Oregon and I could escort him to Portland. There I walked around the town and was looking into shops. I then saw a window from a stamping shop and because it was not known to me at that time I entered the shop. The lady was very kind and told me all about stamping. I then purchased my first two stamps and an ink-pad. Since that time I am a very keen stamper and just love to do cards for all occasions.

[Gina K. Designs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorie95

My mother was a fantastic knitter and crocheter and tried to teach me when I was young. I could not get the hang of either but I could color pictures in a coloring book like crazy!
Fast forward 50 or so years...when I got my first computer. It came with a greeting card program. Wow! You put a piece of paper in the printer, picked out a picture and a sentiment and there was a birthday card! A few cards later and my printer was out of ink! LOL! Few more years go by...I retire.
Since I haunt thrift stores I noticed a few stray rubber stamps here and there. For 50 cents or a dollar I bought a few more. Went to Michaels for a stamp pad. Then I realized Youtube had tutorials by Gina K. Oh my gosh, more stamping videos and more!! That was it for me. Now that I found SCS, Pinterest, Send Kids the World (from Cards for a cause) I am at peace. Having the time of my life, I'm coloring again.

You are so sweet! *blush*

[kiki_mac]

When my mother died in 2000, my sister and I wanted to send some thankyou cards to some of the people that helped us at the time - we were both in our 20s and very inexperienced with death, and some older friends and family were our saviours. We searched so many shops for nice thankyou cards but they were either unattractive or inappropriate.

One day we were walking past an invitations and stamping shop and went in, and the very kind woman in there showed us how to emboss with embossing powder, and we found a totally appropriate stamp of a violin (my mother played for nearly 60 years). We rented a heat gun for the weekend, bought the supplies, laughed and laughed as we stuffed up so many images, and made some simple white cards with a platinum heat-embossed violin on the front, and then I made up a thankyou sentiment on the computer and pasted it inside.

With the crafting bug well and truly caught, that Christmas I decided to make some Christmas cards for the family with felt shapes and cardstock. They were a hit. I was sold. But I only made cards on and off, mostly when needed, until 2012 when I visited a small country town on holidays with the most amazing craft store, and got re-inspired. I came home from holidays and made a commitment to make cards more often. I then discovered SCS, found a LSS with monthly card classes (which I'm still attending).

[MissyO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiki_mac

When my mother died in 2000, my sister and I wanted to send some thankyou cards to some of the people that helped us at the time - we were both in our 20s and very inexperienced with death, and some older friends and family were our saviours. We searched so many shops for nice thankyou cards but they were either unattractive or inappropriate.
One day we were walking past an invitations and stamping shop and went in, and the very kind woman in there showed us how to emboss with embossing powder, and we found a totally appropriate stamp of a violin (my mother played for nearly 60 years). We rented a heat gun for the weekend, bought the supplies, laughed and laughed as we stuffed up so many images, and made some simple white cards with a platinum heat-embossed violin on the front, and then I made up a thankyou sentiment on the computer and pasted it inside.

I LOVE this. Isn't it funny how our senses and feelings turn on our creative side? When you are feeling like your world has collapsed around you and you are not sure how you are going to go on. . .it is great therapy to create.


Rent a heat gun? I have never heard that before. I am glad to read that you laughed. What great therapy and medicine. Just because you thought they were simple does not mean that the person that received your card of thanks felt that way and I am sure they felt so honored to receive it. What a great memory you will always have at such a horrible time in your life. I am sure that your mom was sitting there with the two of you and smiling down at you two.

[HOCKEY FAN]

20 years ago, I went to a small 'office' stamping party.... bought a couple of stamps, brought home the catalog, and told my hubby how much money that WE would be saving, cuz now I would be making ALL of my own cards. Well - you all know what happened - LOL.

[kiki_mac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissyO

I LOVE this. Isn't it funny how our senses and feelings turn on our creative side? When you are feeling like your world has collapsed around you and you are not sure how you are going to go on. . .it is great therapy to create.


Rent a heat gun? I have never heard that before. I am glad to read that you laughed. What great therapy and medicine. Just because you thought they were simple does not mean that the person that received your card of thanks felt that way and I am sure they felt so honored to receive it. What a great memory you will always have at such a horrible time in your life. I am sure that your mom was sitting there with the two of you and smiling down at you two.

Thanks so much MissyO, such kind words. I am so glad that my sister and I got a chance to laugh and be together at such a difficult time as we learned how to stamp and heat emboss!

And we rented the heat gun from the stamping shop we got the supplies from - it was an invitation specialist and I think they did it to save customers from having to buy their own. Heat guns were also really hard to find back then in Australia - when I bought mine later that year I had to get one on eBay as none of the craft stores near me sold them.

[Dorie95]

Yesterday I was in a thrift store run by a church in northern Wisconsin. Guess what I found? A Stampin' Up catalog from 2006 for $1.00! It's fun looking at the card ideas and products that were popular back then.

[buddy'smama]

I use to cross-stitched before my eyes got so bad. Then a friend of mine sent me homemade cards and I was hooked.