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Hello. I introduced myself yesterday and I am already sitting here asking questions. You poor people. LOL !!!!
I am trying to use my limited funds to buy wisely right now. I have some stamps and went through and found a number of cards that I can use as inspiration.
Now I am trying to figure out what paper to buy. The wasbi card stock is on sale, so I thought I would purchase that. I am using a site called www.scraptitude.com/colorcombo . I love the pomegranate so I entered that for a combo of wasbi and pomagranate. One of the colors that keeps showing up is the marigold. But, I can't seem to find it in my pring 2008 SU book.
So, if anyone can make paper suggestions for me, keeping in mind I have limited funds, I would love to hear from you.
Please feel free to comment on stamps, and inks as well, and any of the prints designer series too. I am so open to any suggestions.
Honestly you would get a better deal for your money if you bought a whole pack of Wasabi -- it is the regular, not textured, but it is only 23 cents a sheet compared to the 49 cents a sheet that the textured pack on sale is. The pack on sale is 16 HALF sheets, so you are only getting 8 full sheets in theory at 49 cents a sheet. The whole pack of 8-1/2 x 11 full sheets by contrast is only 23 cents a sheet for 5.50. That would be my first piece of advice for someone on a limited income. I know it is $2 more but you are getting much more than just 16 half sheets for your money.
Marigold Morning is one of the In Colors from last year so it is a retired SU! color and no longer available. If you like Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate (I do too!) you might try a pack of River Rock as a neutral color to go with it.
Also, if you have a Walmart near you, you can purchase 150 sheets of 110 lb. Georgia-Pacific white cardstock for around $6. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and it works well if you're doing any coloring like with pastels and blender pens. You definitely want some kind of neutral cardstock (white, vanilla, river rock) to go with your colors.
Inks - you should pick up a Basic Black if you haven't already and I would try to get 1-2 ink pads that coordinate with the paper colors you choose. The stampin' pastels are a great way to get a lot of colors without much upfront cost (compared to a set of markers or color families of ink pads). Pastels + blender pens go a long way and are easy to use!
Stamps - don't spend so much on stamps that you don't have enough left over for paper and inks. A couple of versatile sets and one or two that you love and can't do without is enough to get started with!
Depending on what your budget is, you might consider a SU! starter kit. You get 5 stamp sets, 6 ink pads, 3 packs of paper, pastels, blender pens, a scrub w/ mist, scissors, and a bunch of other goodies. You can customize the starter set to put in stamps and ink/paper colors of your choosing as well. Most people buy a starter kit to become a demonstrator, but quite a few buy it just for the savings as a stamping bundle with everything you need to get started.
Both the wasabi and pomegranite are only available until August. You might be better off looking at the 48 permanent colors and avoiding the in colors. It would bite to have spent your money on ink pads that you can't get paper for.
My advice (such as it is) is to pick a color family and buy the stampin spots and the assorted cardstock. You would get 12 colors of ink and 36 sheets of cs for under $30, and if you based your cards in a neutral, like white (I love the Georgia Pacific white at Walmart), you will get a lot of cards and be able to see what colors you like the best and which one you never use and go from there.
I am sure you will get all kinds of great advice, but this is my 2 cents.
When I first started, I picked out a card or two that I wanted to make and bought the supplies to do them. I purchased cardstock in whole packs (8 1/2 x 11) and would get the ink pads at the same time. I just budgeted in a purchase here or there until I got all the colors of inks and refills. I tracked my supplies with an Excel spreadsheet so I could "collect" the colors a little at a time.
As the UK only just got SU! I can't offer advice on the cardstock you asked about but one thing that might be worth thinking about on stamps is to look outside of SU! If you go for unmounted stamps (just plain rubber or rubber on static cling foam or clear polymer stamps) you will most likely make your budget go further, just because you're not paying for the wood blocks and the case - you only need a couple of acrylic blocks for almost any stamps then and you're good to go. It's also worth looking out for second hand bargains either at local yard sales or on auction sites like eBay (don't forget to take shipping cost into account, though).
Ok, my word! I have a ton of angels on my shoulders!!!
I guess my next question is should I be buying 12x12 paper or 8.5 x 11?
We do have Walmart here, so I can go and check out the paper that was mentioned.
As for stamps, I am not really looking here for them, for just the reason mentioned above. We have an awesome store here called Your Happy Place.
Even though I have made more than 3 posts, i can't post the website for the store. Google, Your happy place, northort ny
I have purchased a set or two from them, and am budgeting for a trip to see them probably at the end of this week.
I am stuggeling with the stamp pad issue.
Should I buy the stampin spots for each paper pack I am buying???
(It almost seems as if i should if things are to coordinate~but not to sure on this part)
sounds like a lot to buy for a newbie who isn't sure where she is going with this. (yup, thats me...direction unknown!! LOL !)
Well, thanks all for the advice so far. I am taking notes !!!!
Lastly....is a cb a should have??? I know they are on sale at Michaels right now and I do have a gift card for the store for $40. It would cover most of the cost. Keep the suggestions going. I am soooooo APPRECIATING IT!!!
I like 8.5x11 paper best for cardmaking. If you cut the 11" side in half, you get 2 pieces of 8.5x5.5 cardstock. Fold these 2 smaller pieces in half on the 8.5" side to get two cards that measure 4.25x5.5" which is your "standard" card size. Very easy to work! I would only use 12x12 paper for scrapbooks (good for 6x6 and 12x12 books) or for some other altered item project that needs more paper coverage. So the paper size really depends on what you plan to make the most!
I got confused by the 3 post rule with posting links too. It says 3, but it is really something like 10 posts. Confusing huh? :confused:
Inks - In my opinion, Basic Black is the only must have! It was the only ink pad I got when I first started. I also got pastels when I started stamping to do coloring with. I've been slowly adding additional ink colors based on what I need to do a project with. I picked up a pumpkin pie pad during Halloween and a white craft pad at Christmas. When I signed up as a demo I splurged and got a few of the In Colors since I'm in love with Wild Wasabi and Purely Promegranate. I also picked up Chocolate Chip as a nice color that goes with a lot of different stuff. I prefer the full-sized pads over the spots unless I'm using pretty small stamps so that's something to consider. I also watercolor with my ink pads by smooshing the pad into the cover and then using a blender pen to pick up the ink.
Cuttlebugs -- very neat toy, but not a "must have". I did receive a card made with a CB background and I was really impressed, but I've been making cards for a couple of years now and have never owned/used one. Although if I had a Michaels gift card + the current sale, I would probably go and grab one if I could. Helpful huh? :rolleyes:
Here's a must have though -- Versamark!! Get a pad and/or a pen! I have both and love them to death. I use them all the time for embossing and watermarks. If you don't have an ink that goes with your paper, you can versamark your stamp and get an image slightly darker than your paper. This works great if you're trying to make a background and want something subtle.
Wow@ Have you eve gotten great advice. My 2 cents is to start with colors that you like. Buy the 8 x 11 paper & matching ink pad, not spots. Just keep adding. It is surprising how fast the supplies add up.
Happy Stamping
What would you want to use the CB for? If die cutting then yes, it's probably the tool for the job. If embossing then you may be able to do without! Do you have a pasta maker? The sort you run the dough through lots of times by turning the handle? Those work just great with the CB folders (just position it near the edge of your table if you're using an A2 folder so it has room to come out the bottom of the machine). If you don't already own one, they're the sort of thing that (in the UK at least) often seem to come up at yard sales and such so you might pick one up very cheaply and then you can spend the $$$ on the folders rather than the machine!
I'd second the vote for Versamark! As well as the cool watermark effect, you can also brush chalk (pastels) over a versamarked image for subtle colour or something like Pearlex (mica powder) for a shimmery image. It's really sticky so it's great for embossing powder too if you want to get into that.
I have a different take on the ink pads. I use the basic black and basic brown ink. I then use the water color pencils and blender pens to do my coloring. For me it is the best way to go.
When I first started stamping years ago it was during a period when I was laid off from work so $$ was a huge concern. Here is what I did that got me through the 8 months.
ink pads - purchased colorbox sets that had multiple colors. I had 3 pads (brights, pastels, nature). This way I could use them to emboss if I wanted and if not, it only took a couple of seconds to dry with a heat gun.
Clear embossing powder and heat gun
Generic white -but good quality
Versamark pad - lots of uses for this puppy!
Color card stock - I bought individually only the colors I liked. Be careful buying stacks or series of various papers because you have colors you'll never use.
Markers - buy your favs. Marvy markers are great for coloring stamps
Quality, quality, quality - its difficult to get the great results from products that are of lesser quality. You'll waste money because even though its cheaper you'll burn through the products trying to get great results when its the paper or inks that are of lesser quality, not your ability.
I spent a lot of time researching the net to find techniques using things I had on hand.
ok well, now I have totally rethought my order and my SU demo may hang me yet.
I am putting the order on hold till tomorrow. I can't beleive how awesome you guys are with your advice.
I can't thank you enough.
Paula Anne, nah, your demo may sigh but won't hang you. The Demo really wants a happy customer and if you love what you buy because you use it, you will buy more supplies.
I also remembered something from when I started - don't let the number of products and techniques overwhelm you. Start simple and consider that some of the amazing work you will see took the artist considerable time to learn the ins and outs of this wonderful addiction.
Great advice and the only thing I can think to add is to buy a reinker each time you buy an inkpad. Dye-based (aka Classic) inkpads can be used for various techniques and having them in colors you own will make it easy to match/coordinate.
You guys are awesome.
As I sat here with a completed order, then re-read your helpful info, I stopped the order and decided to put it away for a day.
I am going to print out all the suggestions on this thread, look through the gallery again at the "works from the heart" (my term), that can be done with the stamps I currently have.
From there I will look at supplies used and then put my list together.
Because we paid off all the credit cards (YIPEEEEEEE), I actually have a budget of $150 to start.
I thought about getting the "rep" kit, but truth be told, I KNOW I am not going to be a rep and DON"T want to deal with the stress of quarterly quotas.
My party favor business keeps me pretty busy. This is just something I want to add into that line, without having to sell the stamps and such.
So, to all of you who have been so generous (along with my cousin, who I found out posts here too ... Thanks Alyson,) and of course my Long distance demo girl whom I drive crazy, Julia, a gigantic THANKS, from the bottom of my heart.
Pauline (stamphappy), you must know me~"don't get overwhelmed" that was my biggest problem. There is soooo much and with my current demo being hundreds of miles a way and only being able to communicate by email, I felt like I was floundering. So, thank you so much for that advice.
With the budget that you mentioned I would suggest getting a color family of the full sized classic ink pads and the coordinating color family of cardstock. I know that personally I tend to use the Soft Subtles more in Spring, Bold Brights in Summer, Earth Elements for Fall and Rich Regals for Winter colors. If you spread out your purchases over a year you can collect all the inks and colored papers in no time. I would go with one set at a time and a neutral, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Basic Black.... You can always fill in and add more of a particular color if you find yourself really gravitating toward it and using it up quickly.
I'll chime in again and say the best advice I've ever heard is buy the stamps and colors that call to your creativity. While In Colors might retire down the road, if there's a color you really like, go ahead and get it! You want stuff that will be fun for you to use, not something you'll use once, not like as much, and then put away for a while. If you buy a reinker for your pad, you'll be able to use it forever (or near to it!) I've had some of my pads for 3 years now and still haven't needed a reinker for any of my colors although I think my original Basic Black might need a boost soon, its not quite as juicy as it used to be. I love, love, LOVE Wild Wasabi and included the ink pad in my starter kit as a treat for myself.
When I bought my starter kit, I also subbed in Pun Fun instead of Greetings Galore because of where I am in my life with 2 little kids (ages 5 & 2). Pun Fun is more versatile for the type of cards I want to be able to make with a younger audience, but might not grab the creativity the same way of someone who isn't around kids. I also just love puns in general which is why I have Loads of Love (& Accessories) and Boatloads of Love. I'm a goof, I confess! :rolleyes:
Every stamper is different so only you can say which colors and stamp art styles match your interests the best. I'll just re-emphasize that when you're starting out, getting a few versatile items really helps like an all-occasions stamp set and a Versamark pad or marker and something for coloring like a set of markers or the pastels and blender pens.
Lastly....is a cb a should have??? I know they are on sale at Michaels right now and I do have a gift card for the store for $40. It would cover most of the cost. Keep the suggestions going. I am soooooo APPRECIATING IT!!!
Hugs,
Paula
I am super picky and cheap and the CB does not fall into my "must have" category.
I ended up getting the Cuttlekids version which was cheaper and fulfilled my needs, the dies for it were cheaper and on sale I got 8 of the packs for $32 which included an alpha. Though you can't emboss with it you can always use a rolling pin for the embossing folders. It is for my DD, LOL but I can definitely use it!
Inks - you should pick up a Basic Black if you haven't already and I would try to get 1-2 ink pads that coordinate with the paper colors you choose. The stampin' pastels are a great way to get a lot of colors without much upfront cost (compared to a set of markers or color families of ink pads). Pastels + blender pens go a long way and are easy to use!
DITTO!!! Basic black inkpad, reinker, blender pens and pastels and you are good to go - can color in anything with any color.
I totally agree with "pigfingers" (that felt funny to type).
A CB is not a must have. I always think its better to have a handle on the basics so you can decide if a product is a good fit for you style. If you find yourself doing a lot of manual cutting of shapes and you find that it taking you too long, then start researching the products. Don't go with what is popular at the time - go with what makes sense for what you want to do and how much do you want to pay for dies, cartridges, etc.
I also think that learning to cut diffulcult / tedious shapes builds your skill with manual tools. If you take a class its a good chance that you may have to be good with your craft knife. It will also be good to have this knowledge so that when you look for an automated solution you'll know what it needs to do. Its like using a calculator - you have to be able to add to know if the calculator is right.
With tools, you may find that the on-going cost is much higher that the original cost. It's no fun to have something you won't use because you can't afford to keep buying $60 cartridges. BTW I buy all my dies with a discount, it takes a little longer but well worth the saving.
I have printed out everyone's advice, and I am going to sit down tomorrow and come up with a working plan.
As much as many of you said I don't need a cb, I am keeping that because I just LOVE the embossed look on cards. I was traveling a number of miles to use one in a scrapping store and with gas at $3.55/gal it just seems worht it to me. I haven't opened it yet, and may change my mind, but for now it's a keeper.
So, thanks everyone. I really appreciate all the help and advice.
When I started, I went crazy, and now I have a ton of stuff that I never use! I agree that the SU paper is great, and would buy families of colours - you get to try lots of different options. I also like the spots - again, lots of options for less investment.
Someone also mentioned the heat gun, which is great for embossing, and it is on sale until tomorrow at Michael's for 50% off. This is how I have bought most of my tools - no point in spending full price and money on shipping!
ok well, now I have totally rethought my order and my SU demo may hang me yet.
I am putting the order on hold till tomorrow. I can't beleive how awesome you guys are with your advice.
I can't thank you enough.
Hugs,
Paula
Gee thanks, lol. You should know by know that I am very patient ;) LOL you are in good hands here.
__________________ Julia~My husband lets me have all the stamping supplies I can hide.
This may be late, but I am also on a very small budget. I make sure I have ample supply of CS (SU is the best) and then I make do with the other things I have around the craft room. You can always improvise and if you think you really need something else (like embellishments,etc.), there's always Wal-Mart.
Mary
Newbie needs supply help
