Monday, April 23, 2012

Keep it Simple

As I was perusing Splitcoaststampers I came across a challenge that I couldn't resist.  I have posted it below:

Just like technology grows by leaps and bounds every year, so does the art/craft we share. It's hard to believe that just a little over six years ago, there was no Cuttlebug. Then the nestabilities and subsequent dies exploded on the scene. I remember when I started stamping... eyelets were the rage and brads were hardly heard of. And designer paper!! When I first started, they were limited as well.

~ Stamping Nostalgia ~

So our challenge today is going to be to make a card as if we were back in the early days of stamping. NO EMBOSSING, NO DIE CUTS, NO PEARLS, NO SEWING, Nothing that was not available way back when. 


     This challenge really got me thinking back to those first stamp parties I went to and the stamps, stamp pads, and paper I purchased then left them sit on the counter.  I remember some of those first cards I made, given what I owned and what I knew, I think I did a mighty fine job!!  Then I heard of a place called Splitcoaststampers and 'oh my' I could spend hours looking at cards and get ideas...I just knew I could never stamp as well as so many of the ladies whose galleries I visited.  SCS was a place I visited for about 2 years before I joined in 2007 AND I just knew I would never post a card there, I was way too intimidated. 
     During those early years a friend, who had been stamping for many years, challenged me to get together with her every few weeks and as I watched what she did I began to grow and learn and WANT to step out of my little box.  When she moved back to Illinois she invited me to be a part of the 'Stamp Club' she belonged to (and her sister stampers welcomed me with open arms).  What fun to get a challenge each month to create something of a certain color, or layers or whatever the theme was that was chosen.  How I looked forward to receiving their cards in the mail to see what they had done with the challenge - I couldn't wait for the mailman to come.  
    I'll never know what possessed me to play at the computer and become a blogger a few years ago.  What an adventure it has been!!!  The talent and ideas I have come across amaze me.  The kindness of people who I have sometimes contacted to find out 'just how they did what they did'.....has overwhelmed me.  Friendships have been made with people I have never met (but sure would like to).  Its been great.
     SO today I took the "Back to the Early Days" challenge and created this wonderful simple little card.  In those early days I had few supplies and would have stamped my image and layered it onto some colored paper....to make a real statement I would have probably put a few colors of paper under it.  The only way I could even think of adding texture would have been with my Fiskar cutter and stylus....to color my image I would have to raid my kids colored pencil box.  So what you see below is pretty much what an early card from me would have looked like...simple, clean, straight and pretty much one size fits all.  I don't regret those days and am glad to have had this challenge to keep me grounded about what it is I love so much about stamping.  








Thanks for visiting:
Challenges:  Splitcoaststampers TLC374

Materials:  Cardstock, colored pencils, Wordsworth Rubber Soul Stamp


1 comment:

  1. What a fun whimsical horse image and the scor lines always do such a nice job dressing up the clean and simple cards and it looks great here.

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