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looser
The Craft Curmudgeon
PeaNut 256,594
April 2006
Posts: 11,177
Layouts: 258
 |  Posted: 1/25/2013 3:08:20 PM
OK. This is a 2-parter thread & meant to be an 'up close & personal' one.
First question: Why did you begin stamping?
Second question: When did begin stamping?
For some of us StamPeas this will really tax our memories, but might be true for newbie stampers, too.  | |
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looser
The Craft Curmudgeon
PeaNut 256,594
April 2006
Posts: 11,177
Layouts: 258
|  Posted: 1/25/2013 3:17:16 PM
My 'Why' is fairly clear in my memory. I began using commercial image stamps in the early '80s as a way to transfer images to clothing. I was working at an (Indy) craft supply store & teaching classes in 'Wearable Art'. We used craft paint as our 'ink'.
My 'When'? Actually a few years prior to the '80s, but mostly with letter stamps & ink on paper, fabric & such--just to see what stamping was like. | |
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EllenPea
Pea with a Pen
PeaNut 70,644
February 2003
Posts: 19,345
Layouts: 784
Loc: Southern California
 |  Posted: 1/25/2013 3:21:51 PM
Just popping in, will join you in more full force when Winterfest starts:
I started stamping with Christmas cards for 2003. I had already been scrapbooking for two years then, but we had moved into a friend's extra bedroom and I had packed up and put in storage what few supplies I had then, which I think I kept in two dresser drawers. I decided to buy two or three colors of ink, two stamps, and a few sheets of red and white cardstock and prefolded cards. Then, with what was left over of all that paper, I decided to make a few valentines. Then a few Easter cards. I had two LSS bags full of stuff after that to merge with my two drawers of stuff that was in storage. Now I have a whole roomfull of stuff for scrapping, stamping, and as of last year, art journaling. | |
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Christinmay
PeaAddict
PeaNut 534,355
December 2011
Posts: 1,162
Layouts: 55
Loc: Sydney, Australia
 | Posted: 1/25/2013 4:08:46 PM
Another fun topic!
When- just about a year ago! Early January, 2012, I bought my first stamps and ink with a Christmas gift card. I rushed home to play, and it took a lot of playing around to get it looking half-decent. I can't believe that now, when simple stamping is second nature! For one thing, I thought that the WHOLE stamp had to fit on the ink pad, for one quick "stamp", then off and on to the paper. So I couldn't see the point of those tiny inkpads! 
Why- so that I could stamp sentiments onto my cards, instead of always using stickers or rub ons. That's it. It never occurred to me that I would get SOOOO into image stamping! And now I'm even starting to steer away from always using sentiments (or even always making cards! Shock horror!).
And, truth be told, I pretty much have you guys to thank for my venture into stamping! I wouldn't have got much further than sentiment stamping without 2Peas! 
Thank you all for endless inspiration! | |
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RubyRubbler
PEAlicious
PeaNut 457,452
February 2010
Posts: 399
Layouts: 21
Loc: Little Rock, AR
 | Posted: 1/25/2013 4:40:43 PM
I started stamping in the Spring of 1991. (I remember that it was Spring because my Daughter was only a few months old.)
Why? Because a friend of mine had purchased a Stampin Up set and she showed me how to mask an image and I was so impressed. I thought she was soooo talented. And then when she showed me embossing, I was hooked. You might say that it was love at first sight. Oddly, I don't think that that friend ever bought another stamp after that, but I've bought hundreds (possibly thousands?) since then.
I didn't have a hobby at the time and I really wasn't looking for one. It just happened.
I remember that searching for stamps and stamp stores became an obsession. (We didn't have internet then) And I distictly remember the day that my first 100 Proof Press catalogue came in the mail. I must've looked at that a hundred times.
Once I discovered mail order stamps, I knew that I was in for the long haul. It never got old. There was a time several years ago when I suffered from depression and stamped less. During that time I "lost touch" with my internet stamping friends and when I started stamping again, I found that almost all of them had moved on to other things. But I continued doing what I loved and the rest is history.  | |
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SWLady
PeaNut
PeaNut 546,811
March 2012
Posts: 391
Layouts: 23
Loc: Evansville, WI
| Posted: 1/25/2013 5:08:19 PM
Hmm... I started stamping because when I was at the consignment store in town, they had a set of about 15 CTMH stamp sets for like $20. I couldn't pass it up. I had already been making cards, but no stamping involved. I used stickers and rubons for my sentiments and such.
When was just last year. My first big stamping project was the one where we colored on our stamps. At least I think that was the first one. If it wasn't for you guys, my stamps would probably still be in a drawer! | |
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Christinmay
PeaAddict
PeaNut 534,355
December 2011
Posts: 1,162
Layouts: 55
Loc: Sydney, Australia
| Posted: 1/25/2013 5:17:18 PM
That's a lovely story, Michelle! | |
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paperkrafter4life
PeaNut
PeaNut 517,754
August 2011
Posts: 19
Layouts: 0
| Posted: 1/25/2013 5:42:37 PM
the year was 1981 had gone to Crown Center in Kansas City and bought a little bear stamp........back then you could only find stamps in gift shops, no stamp stores. Remember going to Jackson Hole, Wy after that and found a whole display of stamps at a store, the rest is history..............Started cause I liked first making stationery with stamps back before we did Cards, now I make tons of cards and do some scrapping as well. | |
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gardencat
PeaAddict
PeaNut 495,307
January 2011
Posts: 1,433
Layouts: 135
 | Posted: 1/25/2013 8:19:20 PM
papercrafter4life...that has to be Hyacinth in your Avi OMG...another brit com lover?
I only started stamping maybe 4 or five years ago. I don't even remember where or how I saw someone using embossing powder but I thought it was very elegant and, at the time I was just starting to make cards from my photos and small embossed stamps to dress up the envelopes seemed like the perfect idea.
My very first stamps were a small cat face, a leaf, and a dragon fly that I embossed in gold or silver on the envelope flap. Since most my photos were of cats or garden flowers those went well with the card subjects. Then when I did a card series with photos from China, I started looking for an asian themed stamp for the flap...along the way I came across some stamps, too large to use for the envelope, but that I just fell in love with and had to have, so then I needed to come up with some reason to use those...everything else just developed from there.
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stampwilly
PeaAddict
PeaNut 249,470
February 2006
Posts: 1,829
Layouts: 126
Loc: South Carolina
| Posted: 1/25/2013 9:28:05 PM
Why -- I went to a prayer group and afterwards we did a craft. A lady showed us how to heat emboss and it was magic to me! I was hooked. I bought an elegant fish stamp and some silver ink and embossing powder. I discovered a stamping board on line and loved the techniques that I found there. I also discovered a local stamp club here and joined.
When -- I think this was about 1993 -94. My boys were little. I have been in the stamp club about 18 yrs and I was stamping a few yrs. before then.
Stampwilly | |
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howdyheidi
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 540,243
January 2012
Posts: 2,987
Layouts: 185
Loc: PA
| Posted: 1/26/2013 11:17:41 AM
A fun thread!
Hmm. I received my first stamps when I was a kid. My aunt bought me two Hero Arts cat stamps, one of which is a bookplate (both of which I still have) after having seen them in a shop and hearing about how they were all the rage. I know I used them, especially the book plate, but can't remember much about how I used them.
Fast forward to about 6-8 years ago, my friend and I make a lot of home made gifts for Christmas together. She borrowed some stamps from her friend so we could make hand stamped coasters. I ended up buying quite a few stamps myself to finish the gifts. They did not get used much.
Fall of 2011, I needed a certain type of invitation for my sister's baby shower. I gave up finding them and went to the craft store and purchased the things I needed to make them. Haven't turned back since then, but I think that definitely has to do with the TwoPeas Stamping Forum for the education, support etc!!!
That wasn't answered neatly in two parts, but I think I answered the questions! | |
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Christinmay
PeaAddict
PeaNut 534,355
December 2011
Posts: 1,162
Layouts: 55
Loc: Sydney, Australia
| Posted: 1/26/2013 3:36:50 PM
This is such fun, to hear everyone's stories! Some are such chance meetings between (now) Stampeas and stamps! | |
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lylacfey
BucketHead
PeaNut 432,196
July 2009
Posts: 802
Layouts: 0
Loc: Ozarks
| Posted: 1/27/2013 8:33:00 AM
the year was 1981 had gone to Crown Center in Kansas City and bought a little bear stamp........back then you could only find stamps in gift shops, no stamp stores
paperkrafter reading about Crown Center made me smile so big. When I was a little girl in the 1980's I would shop at a little gift shop at Crown Center that sold a handful of stamps. Thank you for the wonderful memory.
I started stamping when I was a little girl. My Daddy was into leatherworking and he taught me to stamp. I fell in love with it. He started buying me stamps to stamp on paper. Back then we had three ink choices red, black and green, lol.
I stopped stamping full time in my mid-twenties when I took up needlework. I still did some stamping but needlework was my huge love at the time. I have always been into paper crafting. Also at the time the Internet boomed and I was online. I discovered these little mice called House Mouse. I fell madly in love with House Mouse.
My Mom one year gave me a House Mouse box full of House Mouse items and I went crazy. I asked her where she got all of it. She told me Hobby Lobby. I ran down to Hobby Lobby so I could get even more mouse stuff. My husband found the stamps. I bought all they had, lol. Went online to see what was up in the stamping world and found a whole new world of paper crafting techniques. I also found even more House Mouse stamps.
I got back into stamping with a flourish. I have over 100 House Mouse stamps now. I blame Amanda, Monica, Mudpie, Muzzy & Maxwell for my stamping obsession again.
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howdyheidi
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 540,243
January 2012
Posts: 2,987
Layouts: 185
Loc: PA
| Posted: 1/27/2013 9:12:35 AM
I'm loving these stories, I wish this was a sticky so I could go back and read it from time to time! | |
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Jill
BucketHead
PeaNut 57,587
December 2002
Posts: 863
Layouts: 27
Loc: Tennessee
| Posted: 2/1/2013 7:31:49 PM
I remember having stamps as a child. Kept them with my paints, crayons, and markers. Then, when teaching piano and tutoring while in high school, I used stamps as rewards ... either on the worksheet/music or on top of the hand. I can't remember not using stamps on papers as a teacher. Of course, I had my teacher stamps and my personal stamps which were used primarily for card making. Have used them through the years on scrapbook pages, as well. Even enjoyed designing a few. Bottom line ... what's life without stamps? | |
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lovepug2
PeaAddict
PeaNut 356,430
January 2008
Posts: 1,445
Layouts: 68
Loc: TN
 | Posted: 2/6/2013 12:32:21 PM
I have really enjoyed this thread!!! It's so interesting to learn how and why everyone got into the wonderful hobby.
I guess you can say I started stamping 8 years ago. I started out in the papercrafting world, scrapbooking. I used to stamp on my layouts and mini albums I would make. My first sets I owned were some alpha/number sets, some journal spots and a set of foam Heidi Swapp shape sets. Fast forward about 6 years later, I started gettting into cardmaking but didnt do much stamping on them. The 2P's thinking inking you tube series with Jennifer McGuire got me really interested in stamping, so then I started checking out other videos. After that I was hooked! I started "lurking' on this forum about a year and a half ago. I finally got up the nerve to start posting about a year ago. The rest is history!
So I answered that out of order so I guess the why I started stamping? I really enjoyed making cards and loved all of the looks and techniques you could get with stamps. And I really like coloring. And coloring in stamped images is like coloring for grown ups
While most of my stamping is on paper. I really like exploring other surfaces you can stamp on. | |
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