Stash of cards?
 

Do you keep a stash of cards on hand? Or are you empty handed and stamp on "demand" for occasions and swaps?

I like to keep a stash of cards I've made, for swaps and occasions. Occasionally I will make a card for a specific reason to give out right after I make it.

Usually I make one of a kind cards. The downside to this is that it makes a MUCH bigger mess that way. It also makes it harder to give away my one of a kind cards. I know the obvious answer is to make two of each kind. :roll: I just get too excited and want to move on to the next thing.

I also have A LOT of handmade envelopes made from wallpaper in variety colors to choose from when I'm ready to send a card or a picture of my toddler to family/friends.

I'm a stasher! I enjoy making cards & having them on hand to send.

Well, I'm still new enought that I'm in it for the joy and have managed to swap out most of my creations, keeping one on hand for future reference. I do have a stash of Christmas cards started (thanks to the lovely challenge). The plan is to slow down on swapping and build up a stash to keep on hand so I have one ready when someone has a RAK or needs a pickme up. We'll see how it goes, so far I'm loving the swaps and the ideas I'm getting.

I have a stash. I try to always make at least 4 of whatever card I am working on, so I have extras for when I can't stamp or don't have time. I like having the option to go to the card files and pick out a card without taking all the time to get everything ready.

Karrie G.

stashing
 

I have a rather large stash since I go crazy trying different techniques, new stamps, different embellishments.....the list goes on. They are always one of a kind. I have so many now that I am sending my sister a stack for birthdays etc as she's on a limited income. More reason to stamp another stack!! LOL :wink:

I have a stash! I got one of those card organizers from Target and it works great! I always have sympathy, thank you's, baby & bday cards on hand! Saves me a lot of time!

I try to have a stash, but still end up make a lot of last minute cards! Something I've been doing lately is making up more card kits than I'll need for workshops (I'm a demo), and then after the workshop (before I've put all of the supplies away), I'll make up the remaining cards so that I'll have them on hand to send. Sometimes I'll do this with swaps too. This has worked pretty well so far.
Debbie

I'm a stasher and have made a few cards on demand. When I have a need to make one on demand I tend to make at least 4 -- I put one in my "idea" box and stash the other 2.

I'm toooooo new at this stuff to have a stash on hand, so far all my cards have gone out. When does the 'stash' start?? :lol: :lol:

Audrey

I am a "stasher". I usually make two of each card so I give one and save the second for those last minute emergencies when I don't even have time for a "last minute" card.

I'd like to be a stasher, but I seem more creative and more motivated when I stamp on demand for an occasion. I guess I am this way because depending on the person depends on the inspiration for the card. All my cards are made special for special people. If I am working on a card and I decide I would like to make an extra for someone else then I do it right then, but I hardly ever make 2, usually just one, except at Christmas of course and then I make alot. I had a couple extra from one year, I must say it was nice to have those extra few to go ahead and give people. =) I know, I know I need to be a stasher lol. :wink:

I am NOT a stasher. I wish I was though. I will case cards from the gallery or catalogs or make some up on my own and make them a card front to keep in my own binder that I bring to workshops. I always make a card on demand for whenever I need it (birthdays, anniversarys, etc). I think I'll start making up some in advance to just have on hand for whenever I need them. Sounds like a good idea!!!

I have found that I'm both. I make certain cards on demand, usually birthday cards but I've also discovered that if I have a bunch on hand, I send them to more people. It's nice to send Thank You cards with my orders but if I have to sit down and make them, then the orders are late or they don't get done.

If I have a bunch already made, it makes it so much nicer to send a card when I don't have time to make one.

They are also nice for RAKs/

Mo

Ditto, I am, too, a bit of a stasher. I have mine in a deep drawer, divided by occasions. But, when someone in the family has a birthday, anniversary or whatever, I make a card especially for that special person.

I'm a Stasher too. I have quite a few cards made up and have them in photo boxes with dividers by categories. Makes it very easy when my husband asks for a thank you card for a friend.

Speaking of my husband - funny story. This year for my birthday he went through my card pile and "bought" my birthday card. Inside he wrote:

Honey, I didn't want to upset you with buying a card so I searched for just the right one in your stock pile. It's the thought that counts, right?

I just about rolled on the floor. :lol: He know me too well. I have a hard time buying a card for anyone now. Very hard to justify it since I have a room full of stuff to make cards. But I sure save money by making them myself, don't I? :wink: Yeah, right!

I'm a stasher too. I just can't help myself when trying new techniques or stamp sets! Though I will also stamp special cards on demand. My problem is I will often change my mind. I make a "perfect" card for someone, then decide to use something else! Oh well, it adds to the stash!

Look at it this way .... you aren't spending any 'more' money! :wink:

Mo

Not a stasher at all... in fact, I find myself "dreaming up" my designs in bed the morning of the day I am supposed to give the card! :lol:

card stasher
 

I admit it - I'm a stasher --- but I also make a lot of carsds on demand.

I used to make all of my cards on a "as needed" basis and would leave the left over parts and pieces in a zippy bag to use for another card. What I discovered over time was that I could never remember to look in the zippy bags for "parts" before I would start making more cards....I ended up with a lot of partially finished cards that had no appeal to me later.

Fast forward to today (yes, I'm a FlyBaby now, and that has made a big difference even in the way I make cards :oops: ) - when I make a "needed card", I always stamp a few extra images just so that I have some extras in case I flub on coloring or tearing or something else. Without fail, there are always perfectly good pieces that are well on the way to being something --- instead of putting them in a bag for later I now will make a point of assembling several cards from the leftovers.
As a refreshing result of "finishing what I started", I've discovered that the cards I make using the left-overs are usually quite different from the original card and they tend to be more creative and fresh.

If nothing else, having cards in stash are a great stress reliever -- nothing worse than having to buy a card because you don't have time to make one at the last minute.
Susy

I like to stash too--makes for those last minute occassions so much easier!

I host a stamping weekend once a year for me and fellow stampers....all weekend stay as long as you want....Friday thru Sunday...(Come when you can, leave when you have to kind of weekend :wink: ) I try to get TONS of cards done in this weekend for all occasions for the upcoming year! One gal that comes gets all of her Christmas cards done during our weekend!!

I really wish I could stash and not always have to work on demand. I just dont seem to find the time. Next time I make a card I will try and do everything twice so I have two cards the same, if I did that each time then I would end up with a little stash.

Thats going to be a new goal for me, along with my current non stamping one on keeping the kitchen sink empty and doing the drying up and putting it away so its all tidy.

Caz

I wouldn't call myself a stasher, but maybe more like a "hoarder"
I'll make a card and just let it sit on my counter for a few days, every once in a while walk by and look at it, maybe give it a small caress now and then :lol: c'mon admit it, I know I'm not the only person who does this :)
Seriously though, some of my cards I am very attatched too, butt I send out a lot of RAK's also.

The last time I made 2 cards of the same, I ended up sending the second one out too lol. I thought oh so an so would like this, so there went that card. I have a friend who always makes 2 cards of everything, but she keeps the second one for her book, not as a stash :D

I used to do that too. Now I scan all my cards before sending them out. This way I know who got what and I can recreate the idea if I need to. I do have a basket of cards for my customers to look at but some of those are from swaps too.

Mo

stasher
 

You can call my house the stash house. I sit here and make card after card with no intended recipient (most of the time). AND THEN I stamp someone a card for their birthday specifically for them even though I have a zillion all organized in the little black boxes from Target. What is wrong with me? LOL

See those black boxes on my shelf? They are almost all full of cards.

Jody, OMIGOSH!!! :shock: That is A LOT of cards! LOL. When I think "stash" I am thinking more like 20 or so cards which I have but they quickly go when I have RAK's or swaps to send out. I usually scan my better cards before I mail them out so I don't feel I'm letting them go forever. I did make many cards a few years and had a website under webshots but they disappeared! I think I might have deleted it myself so anyway I need to keep my pics of cards on a CD to be on the safe side. Right now they are on a Yahoo website.
I enjoyed this thread!

I tend to stamp on demand. I think my creativity is better when I'm under pressure (like the night before or that day). Lately, I've been trying to make 4 of each design. I bought some card organizers (from The Container Store) and plan to give them to my mom and my MIL for Mother's Day. So, I'm trying to make a cards for that.

You definately sound like me here :wink:

skpupy68,
Yeah, I now scan mine too and put them in a folder on my desktop, before I had my scanner up I would take pictures and I actually just found some I had taken pictures of ahwile back and thought they were lost for good. I have sent so many cards out without taking pictures I could kick myself sometimes, now it is habit since I have the scanner hooked up (since my last collage math course). :D

texasjodylynn,
uhhh did you say you were sending a box of cards to me, ahh thanks you shouldn't have? :wink: :lol:

I build up a fairly good stash each year, simply by taking the retired cards from my customer display basket, and when I can no longer display them at workshops, they get moved to my stash for personal use. I tend to do a lot of display cards so each year in July my personal stash gets a big influx!!

I usually make 4 of everything I do so I have "extras" on hand for those panicked forgotten birthdays etc. that I seem to do quite often. I think it's called mommy brain??? It just never goes away. :shock:

I build up a fairly good stash each year, simply by taking the retired cards from my customer display basket, and when I can no longer display them at workshops, they get moved to my stash for personal use. I tend to do a lot of display cards so each year in July my personal stash gets a big influx!!

I am a stasher! Some friends of mine and me get together once a month and do a card swap. We all come up with a card then have enough supplies that everyone gets to make 4 of the card you brought! It is sooo cool! There are usually 6 of us so we are getting to make 24 cards in one night and 5 of the designs are by someone else...but we get to make them ourselves! I really like doing this...not only do I get a lot of cards made, but I learn new things!