Thursday, December 17, 2009

Hero Arts, I Love Ya! [edited]

When a stamper has Crafting Attention Deficit Disorder, or CADD, she must artificially limit her selection of stamps. This keeps her focused and prevents a secondary condition known as Stamp Overload. Stamp Overload, or SO, is a condition characterized by two main symptoms:

1. A million stamps, none of which coordinates with any other
2. Brain freeze from TOO MANY CHOICES.

Four years ago, I suffered this terrible affliction of CADD with SO. Still have the CADD, but the SO is now cured because I made an executive decision to buy stamps from only two companies: Hero Arts and StampinUp (still refusing to use the egregious exclamation point). Both companies have large product lines with lots of selection; both make deeply-etched, wood-mounted rubber stamps; and both have fab designs. Eventually, I caved and started buying Papertrey Ink's clear stamps because, well, I want to be Nichole when I grow up and PTI's style dovetails nicely with mine.

Limiting myself to these three companies, I've managed to overcome both symptoms of SO. My stamps coordinate easily now, and I rarely sit and stare and wonder where to start.

Thus my new set from Hero Arts put all sorts of ideas in my head, despite the fact that it's full of large outline images. Here's the first blog-worthy card to come out of it.





I'm giving this one to my DH, the chef. George loves to cook, and lately, I've been picking on him on my Questioning blog. (Read all about it here.) I'm going to sign this cute card and put it in his lunchbox tomorrow. He'll appreciate it.

Outline stamps always intimidate me, but this one provides the perfect opportunity to use spots of color, rather than coloring in the whole blasted thing. I rounded two opposite corners for the whimsy of it.

FYI! Bonnie over at The Craftiblog recreated the look of the Hero Arts shadow stamp I used on this card using a stencil. See how she did it...it's amazingly creative and clever and will solve the problem for those looking for that discontinued stamp!

Lueyes asked for the name of the Hero Arts set, so I added it and a link to Hero Arts' website in the supply list.

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts What's the Scoop
ink: Palette dark chocolate
paper: PTI white
accessories: Bic Mark-It marker in rambunctious red, corner rounder

18 comments:

  1. You are too funny but I feel your pain. My space is small and I sit there looking dazed and not knowing where to start. Being organized and having things accessible in a tiny space is very difficult and frustrating.

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  2. What a neat image! LOVE the pops of red on the hearts and trim on the bowl and the rounded corners...My hubby likes to cook too! We are lucky arent we!

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  3. fun! fun! fun!!
    i love the splashes of color.
    you are AMAZING again!
    marty ferraro

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  4. I love this!!! Really not much more to say than "I LOVE this!!" because I totally do! lol ;)

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  5. lol, so true!
    I stick to three companies the most too. but sooo hard lol

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  6. You are too funny! I suffer from CADD with SO, great to give it a name and know that I am not alone!

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  7. This card makes my heart happy too! I need to limit my stamp buying too and be far more focused.
    Happy Christmas to you and yours, Jo x

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  8. I'm glad to know the name of the diseases I suffer from ! Thanks!
    I love that card you created for George!

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  9. Oh it is sooo good to have a name for the disorder I suffer from and to know I am not alone .... thank you.
    Lets hope I can effect a cure as you have .... will that make me as talented as you? Nah thought not!
    Love the card and many thanks for the link ... now I too can make a lovely curvey card a bit like yours.
    TFS :-)

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  10. LOVE this card... and so will your husb, I'm sure. (Do you think there's a group somewhere for SO???)

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  11. You and I have similar thoughts regarding CADD and SO!! I too realized that I was going to have to limit myself. I have actually dropped StampinUp and have focused on smARTworks and Papertrey Ink. Recently, though, Jennifer McGuire and Lucy have been making me wish for Hero Arts stamps. When I was at one of my schools 2 days ago, I stopped into the awesome stamp store in that community just so I could buy a few Hero Arts stamps!! I am just dying to enter into a contest or 2!!! Hehehehe!!! Stay tuned to my blog in the new year when you will likely see some new cards from me with HA stamps!! Hopefully it doesn't bring on a full blown case of SO !!

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  12. BYW, I do think your card is adorable! I love how you added just small bits of red here and there...I would never have thought of doing htat...I'd have colored in the whole blasted thing!! :-)

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  13. I love reading your blog. I have CADD also. I crochet and bead also. My Husband is always complaining of paper being everywhere or yarn. I guess thats what happens when ou work in a craft store.

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  14. Oh Susan, you have described my afflictions perfectly. How nice to know that there is diagnosis, a named disease, and a possible solution! I'm going to have to seriously consider your cure.

    I love your card too, and the way you just colored a bit. You are so good at identifying your "issues" and addressing them. I couldn't figure out what I didn't love about outline stamps.

    Thanks once again!

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  15. Great Post. could you give a little more information about the HA stamp and which set it is from? TIA

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  16. What a fun card you have made with out having to color in those darn line images. I like how you have worked it. thanks for making me think outside the box {or color outside the lines...}

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  17. Reading your blog is one of the most entertaining parts of my day! And not just for the eye candy, either. Your humor cracks me up! Thanks for all the smiles.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!