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Susan (Soozie4Him): Congrats on your feature! I just clicked over and read it, and I LOVE the first card in the article! I liked all of them, but that one triggered an idea in my head for future use, so it's my fave... Kudos to you!
I've never posted anything before... but I do have a thought. I always send my cards blank. I write a note on plain white copy paper - you know the happy birthday to you bit - and tuck it into the card. Then the reciever of my card can pass it one by giving it to someone they love, all they have to do is supply an envelope. That feels so much better than thinking it was thrown away.
Georgia
I agree with everything that's been said, Carrie: now you have the time and the inclination you should start creating again. I love the idea of people being 'Swarovski' or 'Tag' worth: I know exactly what is meant and I, too, make that extra effort with cards for people who I know will appreciate them. If you do make crafting your business, I agree with those who say that you shouldn't take on too much because your passion will become a chore.
Over the summer, while I wasn't feeling so good, I made 160 Christmas cards for charity. I give them away in packs of 10 and ask the recipient to donate to their favourite charity: much better than the pittance they'd receive from so-called charity cards sold in the stores. I use a lot of recycled materials and elements from used cards, so the cards couldn't be sold at charity fairs or fetes anyway: people still seem to think they're great and they welcome the chance to donate to the charity of their choice.
Using recycled elements is also a good way to go if you're making a card for someone you think/know will throw it away afterwards: I always say that my cards are halfway to the trash can already, so it doesn't matter!
When I started stamping I started with the knowledge that my cards were automatically going to go into the trash can. I make the cards simply because I love to do it. It makes me happy to sit down and create the card;therefore, it's well worth it to me. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a number of people I gave them to kept them. Nothing lasts forever, so if making cards makes you happy, do it.
p.s. If you're really concerned about cards ending up in the trash, try creating things with your stamps that are meant to be kept: coasters, scrapbook pages, stamped linens. Go be happy.
Hi, Carrie. I really want to suggest that you stop worrying about making stuff for other people and consider making some things for yourself. Then, you might find a niche that would turn into a business. We don't have to use our beloved stamps only on cards. There's a wonderful book about stamping jewelry, or you could create a personal journal, maybe work with some clay or even carve your own stamps. It sounds to me as though you lost your love of the craft because other people did not share it. You should think about that.
-c
A couple of years ago I tried production work (craft fairs, wedding invitations, etc.) and I found that the pressure to create that many "perfect" items took away the joy of creating. I didn't like having to make a 100 of the same thing and even though I was making money, it wasn't fun. Once I stopped, my joy returned.
Same exact thing happened to me. I found that the stress of producing all those cards, staying out ahead of holidays (making 100 Christmas cards in July), trying to mass produce them and figure out what it was costing, not getting paid for my time. That ruined it all for me. The minute I stopped I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted.
What a great Board. I'm sure I'm not the only one who got a warm fuzzy feeling reading the supportive and entertaining comments. Sisterhood of Splitcoast for sure.
Okay, this is going to be a little long so I'm sorry in advance! But I need to explain the whole story. Here it goes: I have not done any stamping in about a year and a half. Prior to this, I was a very active stamper and was even a Stampin Up demonstrator. I made wedding invitations for numerous family and friends, baby shower and wedding thank you cards as shower gifts, xmas gifts, and greeting cards. I was told by so many people that I should start my own invitation, card, and gift business.
Then my middle daughter was getting married and I offered to make her invitations as I had done for my other two daughters. Instead, she chose to order her invites saying that everyone just throws the invites away anyway. Then I had been making special cards for my fianc� for 6 years when one day he said he didn't really like or care about receiving cards because he ended up throwing them away anyway (except for the ones I made him. He has kept all of them). After that I just stopped stamping completely. The thought of all of the feeling and hard work I put into making my creations just to have people just throw them away totally depressed me!
Well, I just recently lost my job and I now have the time and opportunity to start stamping again. Everyone I talk to thinks I should try to start a business with my stamping. I could feel the excitement of starting again but I am afraid. Do any of you have any advice or thoughts on this situation? I am feeling very conflicted right now. I have not bought any supplies in years but I do have a lot invested from previous years. Thanks for listening and for your patience regarding my situation!
Carrie
I am a card maker as well as 3d items. I make things for people who need an uplift in their life. I have 2 neighbors who are in their 90s. The man keeps all my little gifts! The woman moved and packed all my gifts. I now mail her things. I have a saying that people are "card worthy"! You should check out Etsy.com. See what other creative people are selling. You may find a niche and doing what you love makes work fun.
I make cards when I have the time...I am working full time and find it hard to make the time. I am also a Stampin Up demonstrator....I sell a few cards but I can tell you that most all people who get my handmade cards just rant and rave over them....I think that (most) people who get a hand made card love it because they feel special that you put in so much of your time and creativity to make something just for them. I have wondered just how long I will be able to keep up being a demonstrator but I get girls asking me all the time "when are you going to have a workshop"...so I know that the passion is still out there....so don't give up and try to get inspired!!
I could feel the excitement of starting again but I am afraid. Do any of you have any advice or thoughts on this situation? I am feeling very conflicted right now. I have not bought any supplies in years but I do have a lot invested from previous years. Thanks for listening and for your patience regarding my situation!
___________
Someone said to me years & years ago regarding clutter in a house..."keep the memories, get rid of the mementos" and this has always stuck with me. I know i've gotten to the point where I throw away things that had great sentimental value but throwing away the item does not diminish the memory. I cherish all that has been done for me, given to me, time & money spent on me but I do not need to keep the item to retain the memory of feeling cherished.
I feel your pain of knowing that the item you worked so lovingly & hard on may be tossed but remember that the gift you gave these people was your time & your love, not the card.
Carrie, you should go ahead and start stamping again. Then take it one day at a time from there. If you feel you could support a business, then go for it. I started stamping with my oldest daughter 13 years ago, and I started out saying I would only make Christmas cards. Well.....................it is now a passion of mine, even though my husband says it is an addiction! He is very supportive of this hobby of mine. My daughter become an SU demo and now that she is so busy with her daughter and full time daycare business, I am going to take over. I plan on joining the SU team during this $25 special they have going. I NEVER thought I was good enough to be a demo, but once I retired and became a SCS fan club member, and started participating in all the challenges, I can see how I have grown as a stamper, and to also NOT be so critical of my work. I am very excited to start this new adventure in my life! So go for it girl!!
__________________ Mary ~~ QFTD #152, FS#514CC Guest Design Team 2012, 2013, 2017 & 2022 2014 CAS Spring Design Team MemberSC Guest Design Team 2015 & 2022 SU Consultant "Life's greatest adventure is finding your place in the Circle of Life" - Lion King
The personal pleasure and satisfaction I get from making cards is priceless. If someone else likes what I've done, that's a welcome bonus, but my creativity is driven more by a personal need than by a need for feedback from others. I love to share what I do with others and they are free to do what they like with it. Once it leaves my possession, it's no longer mine.
I am surprised at just which people have kept my cards...frequently the very ones I thought would just look, then trash. On the other hand, a very dear friend, who does appreciate my creations, tells me that I have reverted to a "cut and paste" time in my life...first grade classroom activities. Well, I've learned how to use my scissors quite well and I don't eat the paste (as some classmates did!)! I don't drink...I don't smoke...I don't carouse around...what I do is cut and paste and I love it!!
Carrie, make cards, because you enjoy the process, when the recipient loves the card, that's even better, just remember that no matter what you give away, once the gift is given with love, our responsibility for that gift is finished. Card making is therapy for me, I enjoy making the card and giving it to someone special, if that works for you, follow your heart. Gail aka graffiti
If it was something you enjoyed doing then I would get back into it. Make them for family and friends that appreciate them. Sell any that you can. I've learned to only send them to the people that love them and save them. If anyone is doing anything else with them, as long as I don't know about it, it's fine. I stopped sending them to my mom and just buy her cards because she never seemed all that appreciative. It seemed awful to me at first but I realize that if she didn't "rave" about them and care that much, store bought was fine for her.
I posted my thoughts earlier but have some additional ones regarding starting a business or just selling them. I only have so many friends and family to send my cards to so, fortunately, I am able to sell some at the small shop I work in. My boss was very excited when she saw my cards and wants me to make more plus her sister asked if I could make some shower invitations, as well. I turned them both down because I found that if I had to make more than 3 or 4 cards, I could get careless or sloppy and definitely bored. The fun is in the creation and even making a second or third card they are never quite copies but usually improvements. Having to duplicate cards was just too stressful and took all the pleasure out of it for me. I was also trying to make more to sell and making less for my friends until i realized what was happening. Now the personal cards come first and any extras get sold....
glad you're back to stamping and as Gayla said, do join us in our stamping get togethers. We have some friends who collect cards for the troops, in case you make any extra and those men and women do appreciate them.
There should be a get together in Binghamton in Feb and we're just down I-88!
I too got to wondering if I was "wasting time" making cards....then I got to thinking about the time chefs spend making extravagant meals, and cake makers their elaborately decorated cakes....which are consumed "tout suite" and end up down the you know what the next day as well...you know what. So card making is A.O.K... They usually sit out for viewing a few days at least.
Also, you could make small canvas style cards on easels that don't have the sentiment on the front and reflect something about the recipient or their home style (or yours) and put the sentiment and such on the reverse side. You can get them at the dollar stores.
Creating with the spirit of love...you can't go wrong!
Stamp and create away. You never know who your cards will reach and how it will touch them. I send to all family members (even the children of nieces and nephews) and have never cared what was done with them because I so enjoy the whole process of making them. Some people say they keep every one, my sister frames them (makes composites of some for holidays like 4th of July), some I never get acknowledged. After years, I finally hear from a nephew who said how much his girls loved getting birthday cards made especially for them. My father used to put them up on a bulletin board in his retirement home. My husband loves his and displays them for a while (he is not a saver, though). I even got a phone call from a man who received one of my cards that the sender got from a basket our group put together for an auction. My daughter keeps everyone hoping to "paper the walls and ceiling of her future craft room. A neighbor lady from where I grew up displays all that I send and always writes to thank me. The rest I never hear about and when my husband reminds me of this as he looks over a card that has taken most of a day to create, I just say, "But I had sooo much fun making it!" I make cards for others, but the enjoyment is mine every time. Of all the crafts I've done throughout my life, this is my very favorite.
Popping back in again! I do very much agree with the posters who've said that mass producing can turn an enjoyable craft into a chore. I've done wedding Invites twice, besides my own. I thoroughly enjoyed doing my own, so when I was asked to do a couple of batches for other people, said yes. Huge mistake. Firstly, the first bride was very tardy getting me the list of names & info for the order of service, so both jobs ran into each other, when there should have been a couple of months between them. Second bride wanted everything yesterday! I ended up dreading working on them, and really hated making so many of an identical design. There was no feeling of creativity after the original designing.
I realised this is why I keep putting off making Christmas cards every year- making a huge amount of cards for friends/work colleagues, all the same. Then I also thought 'why am I doing it that way?' Why did I think I had to make all my cards the same? That has helped a lot- now I make maybe 4 or 5 of the same design, then switch to something different. Its also helped the guilt over having so many unused Christmas stamps- I swear I could make a different design for everyone I know for the next 10 years, and not repeat a stamp!
Do what makes you happy- if it makes someone else happy, thats a bonus. If not, it fed your soul & creativity at the time.
Popping back in again! I do very much agree with the posters who've said that mass producing can turn an enjoyable craft into a chore. I've done wedding Invites twice, besides my own. I thoroughly enjoyed doing my own, so when I was asked to do a couple of batches for other people, said yes. Huge mistake. Firstly, the first bride was very tardy getting me the list of names & info for the order of service, so both jobs ran into each other, when there should have been a couple of months between them. Second bride wanted everything yesterday! I ended up dreading working on them, and really hated making so many of an identical design. There was no feeling of creativity after the original designing.
I realised this is why I keep putting off making Christmas cards every year- making a huge amount of cards for friends/work colleagues, all the same. Then I also thought 'why am I doing it that way?' Why did I think I had to make all my cards the same? That has helped a lot- now I make maybe 4 or 5 of the same design, then switch to something different. Its also helped the guilt over having so many unused Christmas stamps- I swear I could make a different design for everyone I know for the next 10 years, and not repeat a stamp! Do what makes you happy- if it makes someone else happy, thats a bonus. If not, it fed your soul & creativity at the time .
It makes perfect sense to hang onto your artwork, whether it's a painting or a sculpture or a card! Before I started creating my own cards I used to browse the card aisles for hours, and often bought a card with the intention of framing it and putting it somewhere in my home - VERY affordable decorating! I have a section of an envelope from a Marjolein Bastin card (she was one of my favorite card artists) in a small frame on the shelf in my bathroom right now, as a matter of fact!
My "conflicted feelings" about stamping are along the lines of "is there something less ephemeral I could do with all of these fun toys?" One of the blogs I used to follow had a feature where the blogger (no clue who it was, now) made Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas and created a wall display with them. I also saw a thing somewhere else (pre-Pinterest) where a girl put a grid of clipboards up on the wall (3 across and 3 down - not finished or anything) where she put a constantly-changing, rotating display of whatever made her happy in the moment. I plan to incorporate the clipboard idea into my current stamp/craft/work room re-do...
I finally gifted a couple of my favorite cards to friends and family recently for some occasion or other, but it was painful, and I plan to re-create at least one of them and put it on one of the clipboards. I guess all of this is a REALLY REALLY LONG way to say - whatever blows your hair back - go for it! (After all, as Joan would say, "It's your hair, etc..." )
As I was going back over the posts here to save some of the choice tidbits many of you said, I reread this and decided to share how I display cards I have kept. Most have been given away, but this way I can use my cards as decoration (right now I have Halloween cards up) or for inspiration. For above my craft room window, my husband made me a board with a groove in it (which I thought would be perfect), but he knew better and added the little pieces of wood that can be moved, removed and used doubly for a large card. The second picture shows a close up of his creation.
Popping back in again! I do very much agree with the posters who've said that mass producing can turn an enjoyable craft into a chore. I've done wedding Invites twice, besides my own. I thoroughly enjoyed doing my own, so when I was asked to do a couple of batches for other people, said yes. Huge mistake. Firstly, the first bride was very tardy getting me the list of names & info for the order of service, so both jobs ran into each other, when there should have been a couple of months between them. Second bride wanted everything yesterday! I ended up dreading working on them, and really hated making so many of an identical design. There was no feeling of creativity after the original designing.
I realised this is why I keep putting off making Christmas cards every year- making a huge amount of cards for friends/work colleagues, all the same. Then I also thought 'why am I doing it that way?' Why did I think I had to make all my cards the same? That has helped a lot- now I make maybe 4 or 5 of the same design, then switch to something different. Its also helped the guilt over having so many unused Christmas stamps- I swear I could make a different design for everyone I know for the next 10 years, and not repeat a stamp!
Do what makes you happy- if it makes someone else happy, thats a bonus. If not, it fed your soul & creativity at the time.
Everybody gets a different card for every holiday, birthday, etc. I have so many ideas that I will never use them all in my lifetime, but this way I will make a bigger dent!
If you sign up you have until the end of March to make your $300 minimum. After that to stay active you must sell or buy yourself $300 per quarter.
If you place your first order during the first 30 days, you will receive 30% off instead of the usual 20%.
These figures are for the US.
You actually would have until the end of April because not selling $300 by the end of the next quarter (aka Jan-Mar) means that April is your pending month to try and complete your $300.
You also have 45 days to place the 30% off order (of $150+), but if you do it in 30 days after signing up under the $25 special, you'll get to choose ANY stamp set free on your first Demonstrator order in December.
It's kind of confusing and although I've been a demo for 5 years, I recently (in the last year) found out that you can order non-qualifying party orders (less than $150) in the first 45 days and the 30% would just take effect for the first one (within the 45 days still) over $150! So you could place a $50 order for extra supplies for your first workshop, get 20% instant income, but still get that 30% income on the workshop order. I thought it was the first order, period...but it's just the first order over $150 in the first 45 days! Always something to learn...
Sorry...total birdwalk but I just wanted to make sure everyone new what was going on with this promotion.
Carrie - Hey chica! If you were getting such wonderful responses and staying really busy to boot, why worry about what it seems like the minority has to say? Many, myself included, are trying to declutter their lives so they may throw your creations away after enjoying them for a time, but that doesn't mean your work is worthless!!! (I've never actually gotten rid of a handmade card though...so maybe I'm not decluttering very well.) Just the opposite!!! You've done something that not everyone can do and with the wedding invitations, you are allowing a bride's true vision to be realized because of the amount of customization you can do that the mass produced wedding card companies can't!!! What an amazing thing.
I say, if you want to do it, go for it!!! Good luck with whatever you decide! Even if you don't get back into it as a business, if you miss it, get back into it for YOU!!!
1. Take a picture of the card and save on a computer before you send.
2. Donate thank you and birthday cards to local charities where the volunteers will appreciate them.
3. Make things for your own home and family--like artwork or scrapbooks
4. Make more than one of your creations so you can feel like you still can "hold on to" something.
Some Advice about Selling at Craft Fairs:
Many people who go to these fairs are crafters themselves. They are there because they are crafty do-it-yourselfers. This may not be the best place for you to sell items. I tried this once and swore I would never do it again. The customers were over-loaded with great cute things and by the time they saw my cards, they were disappointed in just a card. They made comments like "I know how she did this--I can do this at home with my own stuff. Good idea--no need to buy." I was discouraged.
Instead, try selling groups of cards to local antique or boutique shops with high-end unique items. Customers there are usually wealthy working women without a crafty bone in their bodies. They eat up the homemade stuff if it looks chic and stylish.
I've tried ebay too but that was a really saturated market.
You have some negative family and friends there! But the ones telling you to do it are right.
It's too bad they can't give you honest constructive criticism, other than "I'll throw it away."
We all eventually throw things away and whether or not we keep them is up to us as an individual, true, but they shouldn't come out and say that they're going to throw it away before they even receive something! Just rude.
I don't think my own family and close friends *really* appreciated what I was doing as far as stamping and cardmaking was going until they could see that other people appreciated it and started even requesting custom items and paying me to compensate for materials.
Just go for it, if you enjoy it, to heck with everyone else!
