I'd love some opinions and feedback!

[Cheeky31]

Hey guys! So excited to be a part of the forum ☺️

Question for you all... I've been asked to design a themed stamp/paper/stencil/sticker set, and I would love to get some feedback about what kinds of things you look for when looking for stamping elements.

I'd like to do something that has to do with animals, bugs, or some kind of characters... What do you guys look for when you are selecting things to inspire you? Are there themes/subjects you find there just aren't enough of? (This will probably be for Spring/summer if that helps).

Thanks so much, I can't wait to hear from you guys!

[wyobart]

Can only answer for myself, a card maker, for the spring season I would be looking for Easter themed products. I would love a floral Easter Lilly stamp with a matching multi-layer stencil that can be used to color the flowers. I don't use many stickers, but foiled sentiment stickers would be nice. My favorite papers are tone-on-tone with small prints.

I love it when I can find stamp sets with Christian sentiments.

Hope that helps!

[hultenlk]

I’m such a sucker for anything floral, especially in the spring. But butterflies or birds would also be a great way to go for something a little different. I hope you’ll share your project back here when you have it finished.

[Scrapjanny]

Welcome and congratulations!

Honestly, I think there are so many butterflies and flowers (I love them too!) that the market is saturated with them. Maybe some dragonflies would be nice. I'd like to see more cute frogs, snails, and cows too.

[wavejumper]

Hi and congrats! It is nice to be asked!

Personally I have been getting into rice paper...so pretty. One rare way to get me to buy florals as I am already drowning in them...I like the thin border stickers that come in the sets from England's Love from Lizzie. I think they might available from Paper Wishes too? Those are a PITA to cut yourself at 1/16th. In other words you would need to give me things I dont have already. aka I don't want sets that have generic sentiments. I have a bazillion Happy Birthdays, Get Wells, Thinking of yous when all I wanted was the image. I'd rather have a cheaper price point and less stamps. That might be a production issue though. But then come up with some interesting single lines. Quotes or something.

Subject matter is not easy. Everything has been done. We are seeing more forays into unusual animals over the past 5 years.... so I am going to say theme: male teens. Teen boys are hard to make cards for. Way worse for me than men....13 and up. There are not a lot of images of teens, even worse for ones of color....and they cant be cute. 16 yos don't want cute. I was able to get a few from Lilly of the Valley before they closed. It can be outline art but not like...Lawn Fawn. (I like them but you know what I mean)

I cant even BUY cards for them...I don't know what is going on at Hallmark but their think tank is clueless.

Not that I think they don't just dump it on the floor once they pull the GC, check or cash out of them but still. There is some stuff for "geeks" now...reading and science. But not a lot more.

[UnderstandBlue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheeky31

Hey guys! So excited to be a part of the forum ☺️

Question for you all... I've been asked to design a themed stamp/paper/stencil/sticker set, and I would love to get some feedback about what kinds of things you look for when looking for stamping elements.

I'd like to do something that has to do with animals, bugs, or some kind of characters... What do you guys look for when you are selecting things to inspire you? Are there themes/subjects you find there just aren't enough of? (This will probably be for Spring/summer if that helps).

Thanks so much, I can't wait to hear from you guys!

I love botanicals - different mushrooms, maybe mythical forest creatures, that sort of thing.

Welcome!

[Angelnorth]

For me, this is a “how long is a piece of string” kind of question! I think many of us have loads of florals so it would have to be something really different to tempt me in that direction. Like Lydia, I love botanicals (I have my eye on a lovely toadstool set at the moment - it’s on my Santa list even though I already own a good set of mushrooms!), have a weakness for bird images and tend to go for naturalistic rather than stylised/cutesy images. But many stampers pull in the opposite direction, it’s such a personal taste kind of thing.

Presumably you have a style or preference that’s led to somebody recognising your artwork and you being asked to design the set so I’d say go with what you’re already good at!

[aztk]

You are saying Spring... so botanicals/birds of Spring... baby birds, tiny leaves (like ferns or rhubarb) just unfurling, mushrooms newly coming out of ground next to stumps (fallen log) or fern type foliage. CROCUS, Daffodils or Paper Whites that are actually spring flowers. not really an insect gal, but Dragonflies would be good as there is not a lot . Not cartoon drawn images, something more real.

Teens - thru 20's males. drums/guitars, metropolitan buildings/university style landscapes/ skate boards & board parks just ideas.

[AScrapofKindness]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aztk

You are saying Spring... so botanicals/birds of Spring... baby birds, tiny leaves (like ferns or rhubarb) just unfurling, mushrooms newly coming out of ground next to stumps (fallen log) or fern type foliage. CROCUS, Daffodils or Paper Whites that are actually spring flowers. not really an insect gal, but Dragonflies would be good as there is not a lot . Not cartoon drawn images, something more real.

How lovely! This is definitely something I would be most interested in -- messengers of hope.

[Renata Joyner]

I'm with wavejumper: why can't we just buy ONE stamp anymore? I don't use words or sayings, so I've pretty much stopped buying stamps. If I really need something I don't already have, I'll cut my own masks and stencils or carve my own stamps. And Angelnorth hit the nail on the head: you were asked because you obviously have your own recognisably unique style, so I emphatically stand in agreement with the words "go with what you're already good at"!

[Angelnorth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renata Joyner

I'm with wavejumper: why can't we just buy ONE stamp anymore? I don't use words or sayings, so I've pretty much stopped buying stamps.

Without wishing to hijack the thread - we really can buy single stamps! Mostly from smaller companies who aren’t doing clear photopolymer, they’re doing real rubber and maybe they’re seen as “old fashioned” by some. If a company offers me unmounted or cling mount rubber (I don’t buy wood mounted as they take too much storage space) I’m very happy to be able to buy single images. Maybe we could start a new thread with ideas if folk are interested?

[Renata Joyner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angelnorth

Without wishing to hijack the thread - we really can buy single stamps! Mostly from smaller companies who aren’t doing clear photopolymer, they’re doing real rubber and maybe they’re seen as “old fashioned” by some. If a company offers me unmounted or cling mount rubber (I don’t buy wood mounted as they take too much storage space) I’m very happy to be able to buy single images. Maybe we could start a new thread with ideas if folk are interested?

There's nothing here that's not a set. Options are extremely limited and shipping kills everything at the ends of the earth. I'm happy to bleat and moan elsewhere so as not to 'hijack the OP's question, lol!

[vestamc]

I guess I am out of the norm but I love beach, nautical, tropical and travel (not that I have been traveling for a long while). I love flowers, leaves and butterflies but have a lot of them and don’t look to buy more. I also prefer graphic to cutsey.

[Angelnorth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renata Joyner

There's nothing here that's not a set. Options are extremely limited and shipping kills everything at the ends of the earth. I'm happy to bleat and moan elsewhere so as not to 'hijack the OP's question, lol!

OK, I’ve started a thread to share some sources for singles: here

[Moobid51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheeky31

Hey guys! So excited to be a part of the forum ☺️

Question for you all... I've been asked to design a themed stamp/paper/stencil/sticker set, and I would love to get some feedback about what kinds of things you look for when looking for stamping elements.

I'd like to do something that has to do with animals, bugs, or some kind of characters... What do you guys look for when you are selecting things to inspire you? Are there themes/subjects you find there just aren't enough of? (This will probably be for Spring/summer if that helps).

Thanks so much, I can't wait to hear from you guys!

I haven't seen many waterlilies, lily pads, fireflies, frogs, cattails, water iris, koi, turtles and stone ponds they all belong with in a while. Color wise, I like the various spring greens, pinks, blues, and greys these things would be colored.

[Bohodiva]

I have been scouring the internet for number and symbol set of clear stamps which include, punctuation marks and currency symbols only.
If any of you know of such product please share a link to the item.
Thanks much.

[Moobid51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bohodiva

I have been scouring the internet for number and symbol set of clear stamps which include, punctuation marks and currency symbols only.
If any of you know of such product please share a link to the item.
Thanks much.

I've sent a request in to Maymay Made It to see if she has a stamp set like you described. If she doesn't have one now, she could make one to sell to club members at a future date in 2022, if there is enough interest in owning one. I'll let you know her response when I get one.

[Renata Joyner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bohodiva

I have been scouring the internet for number and symbol set of clear stamps which include, punctuation marks and currency symbols only.
If any of you know of such product please share a link to the item.
Thanks much.

If you enter the following into Google search, there are quite a few options:
Stamp set numbers and symbols -alphabet -letters

​​​​​​

[Bohodiva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moobid51

I've sent a request in to Maymay Made It to see if she has a stamp set like you described. If she doesn't have one now, she could make one to sell to club members at a future date in 2022, if there is enough interest in owning one. I'll let you know her response when I get one.

I purchased discontinued wood mount set on ebay. Having a clear stamp set would be great..

[JBgreendawn]

I do not know if you need sentiment ideas for your spring set but, I have 9 bird feeders in my yard and last year I bought a pre printed sentiment strips panel ( printed card) that you have to chop up your self just to get one sentence that read. ( Happy Bird singing season) or even "home is where the birds sing" is another one I think I remember having seen I love.

I *heart* that and would buy it as a stamp with a type writer type font for certainly sure. ( swirly font sentiments tend to make my eyes cross unless they are huge and I lean towards slim single line sentences. )

is that entirely too precise?

[Here and There]

What a wonderful project to undertake! I second the suggestion/hope that you would post your final result for us all to see.
I have enough butterflies and flowers to sink a freighter; there seems to be one or the other in so many sets. I'm always on the lookout for another garden insect/animal to pair with my florals. I don't see a lot of ladybugs (non-cutesy ones.) I would be interested in a bird stamp or stencil that is versatile, not just a bird sitting on a branch.
I really love the toadstools and mythical forest creatures suggestion (& wild grasses and weeds?) Although...please, no more Gnomes.
I tend to lean toward more realistic instead of cutesy.
If you go with flowers, how about some less usual ones? I don't see many snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils or carnations.
Stickers: sentiments that could be mixed and matched?

[Bohodiva]

How about a techie stamp set: laptop, tablet, and cell phone sized 2"x3.5" for focal images.
The market is overflowing with florals, butterflies, and cutesy juvenile images. I refuse to buy anymore of them