I can’t wait! In just one week the new Annual Catalogue will be here. Full of lots of great ideas and lots of great projects to help you create whatever you want. It can be pretty overwhelming if you’re just starting out though. There’s just so much in there, it’s hard to know where to start. And so I thought I’d share a few tips for beginner stampers.
My first tip is to keep it simple! Even after almost 9 years as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator I still get caught up in ALL the things. So if you’re just starting out stick with the basics. And the basics are stamps, ink and paper or SIP.
In terms of your stamps you’ll want to keep 2 things in mind. First is to make sure that you LOVE the stamp set’s images, etc. If you don’t even like the images then you’re not going to feel like crafting with them which will put a definite damper on your creative juices! The other thing that you’ll want to remember is to look for a stamp set that has some versatility to it. So is it a stamp set that can be used for more than one event or occasion?!
Once you’ve got your stamps the next piece is the ink. Think of some of your favourite colours and what colours would work well with the stamp set’s images. You’ll also probably need at least one neutral ink colour. And the nice thing with neutrals is that you have more than just black and white to choose from! Here are the inks from the Neutrals collection…
And last but not least is your paper! Stampin’ Up! makes this part pretty easy. All of Stampin’ Up!s cardstock and inks coordinate. Which means that if you get the Misty Moonlight ink pad you don’t have to worry about matching it. There’s cardstock, ink pads/markers and even ribbon/embellishments in that same colour. You’ll also want to grab some Basic White cardstock, or some Very Vanilla if you want something a little more subtle.
The other tip I want to mention is that tools are your friend. And there are some simple tools that can help you get started. The 3 tools that I highly recommend for all beginner stampers are a paper trimmer, adhesive (tape runner and liquid glue seem to be the most popular choices) and something to clean your stamps.
Stamping and paper crafting is a LOT of fun! But it can be hard to know where to start. I hope these tips for beginner stampers have been helpful. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them, so send me an email; inkspirationwithteresa@gmail.com. I also share tips and project ideas in my weekly email newsletter that you can sign up for here. And if you’re ready to just dive right in check out my online shop to stock up with SIP.