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I'm on a budget.. Looking into buying some stamps. What is the most common and useful stamps one could buy? I love to do scrapbooks and cardmaking too.
If I were you, I would start out with a phrase set (Sincere Salutations) and a flower set like Best Blossoms. You can alter the look to make it look appropriate for anyone. For a man you could just use the leaves or for a little girl you can change the look by using bright fun colors and glitter. They're very versatile.
If I were starting all over again and I could only choose 3 sets to start out with, I would definitely get Sincere Salutations, Treat Yourself (because it also has a mug and steam in it) and a flower set. Right now my favorite flower set is Terrific Tulips.
Hope that helps!
__________________ "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." Herm Albright *2 Successful Trades
my most used sets are simply circles, cool cat, and the canvas background stamp. i wouldn't reccommend anything like a little love though(or most small things) i got a little love, and its just not useful to me. i've probabaly have only used it once. and like SkisInOkinawa said, you really do need something with flowers and words.
I agree with SkisInOkinawa--a floral (Watercolor Garden, Petal Prints, and Heartfelt Thanks are good choices, I think), along with a greeting set and maybe something like Itty Bitty Backgrounds. The shape sets are also good, and really versatile, too. I probably use Everyday Flexible Phrases more than anything else, though, because I can always find ways to use those little words.
Alphabets are good for scrapbooking, and the double alphas are small enough to use on cards, if you want to take the time to spell out your greetings.
A good rule of thumb for me is to think of several different ways I can use a set before ordering; this keeps me from ordering some cute, but not very versatile sets. Of course, if I really love something, I may order it anyway!
I love the set Lovely As A Tree, also get Itty Bitty Backgrounds, and get a word set that appeals to you, or an alphabet set and you can stamp your own sayings, get a stamp a ma jig to line stuff up correctly
__________________ Lisa C., Mom to 3 great kids, 3 super dogs and an cat that thinks she is a dog! My Gallery
I started with A Greeting for all Reasons, and was very happy with it. Then I got watercolour garden II, same result. Both were very versatile.
I'd definitely agree with SkisInOkinawa about a floral and word set. Unless you'll be making many manly cards, then I would probably go with Lovely as a Tree or something else that can be used for men & women.
__________________ -Shelby- I can, I will, I DO. -Verna C. Powers Okay, I haven't yet, but I still can, right??
I scrap and make cards. I started out with an alpha set because alpha stickers are so expensive (even though they are back in style right now...). I like the idea of getting one flower set, one greeting set, and one background. I too, make sure I will use it more than just one cute idea and also make sure there is more than one stamp from a set I will use before I buy it. I purchased the Going out in Style because my mom is in the Red Hat Society, and I sure don't use it as much as I'd like.
If I had to choose only five sets to keep, I would pick wonderful words, little pieces, all natural, unfrogettable, and pretty princess (I have two girls). If I did more scrapbooking too, I would pick an alphabet like pure and simple upper case. I also love my print pattern background!
Go with your gut and buy what you love too! If you love it, you'll most likely use it! Also, ask people to buy you stamps for your birthday and Christmas! That's a great way to get more stamps without spending your own money!
__________________ Donna
Happy stamping to all you Splitcoasters who inspire me each day!
I agree heartfelt thanks is a good one, Unfrogettable is great too. I'd get the everyday (and/or) expressive flexible phrases too those will give you a lot of words to work with & a good background stamp, like canvas.
I suggest since you are both a scrapbooker and stamper:
~ Letterpress or Headline Alpha (I feel that Letterpress is slightly more feminine and Headline is chunkier and more masculine)
~ Lovely as a Tree (great to do masking with)
~ I would get a flower-y set but I do NOT suggest Heartfelt Thanks unless you do well as 2 step stampin
~ I think Simply Circles is a good set (think bubbles in swimming pool photos for instance!) There was a thread that had a link to a layout with both Simply Circles and Crosshatch background yesterday. Will have to find it to link for you.
I know you will also want a word set/verses but I cannot suggest which one.
And finally, ALL BACKGROUNDS are good backgrounds to have. Right now, my favorite to use is weathered. But then again I am working in a heritage album.
I love the Loads of Love, the in full bloom and lovely as a tree. They are very versatile. I would have to say in full bloom is my all time favorite. There is so much that you can do with it.
This is a tough one! I use loads of love a lot! It is very versatile, you can put anything in the back of the truck, I have put items from On the beach in it, a friend of mine put furniture in the back, and i've seen a santa, snowmen and even a giraffe in it! I like two step floral sets like watercolor minis, watercolor garden or terrific tulips. I find I use those more than others. Bold butterfly is also a wonderful set with 2 diff size butterflies with both solid and outlines that can be used together or separately; as well as a flower that can be used by itself.
And a set like sincere salutations or all year cheer (any of them) do come in handy when you want to make a card for a particular occasion.
One of my fave stamps is Stipple Butterfly, and most of my family has received more than one card with the butterfly in different colors and with different accents like preprinted papers or ribbon. I just love coloring that butterfly!
Hope some of this helps!
Michael's has some really cute stamps for $1 if you have a store nearby. Dollar stores sometimes have them too. That way you could buy a few and see what you really like before you buy more.
I have quite a few $1 stamps because I can't resist a deal, but I like to buy sets because then I know everything goes together (I have coordination issues sometimes).
Also, check garage sales. I have seen quite a few stamp sets around and my brother-in-law bought me about 6 sets of older SU sets for $12.
I would go with a phrase set and a floral set to start with, along with a shape set.
I'm a cardmaker and tend to use pp most often, so background stamps aren't all that important to me. If I do want a stamped background, I use one of the smaller stamps (for example the flower in the pretty princess set, or the ones in the all year cheer). I do lots of printing on my computer on vellum paper for words and card sentiments for the insides. Get some adhesive spray to adhere it. As far as stamp set go, Lovely as a Tree is great for a masculine and sympathy cards, and Best Blossoms is a good versitile flower as well.
What is the most common & useful stamps
