Stamps, Paper, Scissors

Hallooooooo! A little whining but a card!

I'm still alive! Just tired. And after this past week and a half I now know I have:

1) Sleep apnea.

2) Vitamin D deficiency.

Which explains the fatigue. Bleh. I like stamping diseases MUCH better.

I'm waiting for the next sleep study where I will get the CPAP machine, and I am taking vitamin D, so that by the time I get to convention, I will be ALL revved up!

I also have a new graduate in the house:

We are proud of Laurel! She will be going to the College for Creative Studies in the fall if the money works out right. Some of which is going to come through mom's agile fingers.

Which is exhausting enough, without the fact that after the graduation on Thursday, the seniors had their all-night party and yours truly had to get up at 4:45 in the A of M to drive down to pick her up on Friday morning. And then on the way back we stopped at McDonald's to get a little breakfast and my car broke down IN THE DRIVE THRU. I couldn't even get out of the car to push it as I was right next to the payment window! The manager very kindly sent out a nicely muscled employee to push us into the parking lot. So Laurel and I spent some time sitting in the car waiting (so glad I brought my Nook!) Laurel just slept after she finished her breakfast. It took 105 minutes to get a tow truck to pick up my car and get it to the mechanics. Who turned out to be really busy, so my car is STILL there. Bleh.

So with all this, it seems quite appropriate that I post this card using some of my new schtuff which I have barely had time (or energy) to play with. Lookie:

Ingredients: Stamps - Keep Calm; Paper - Midnight Muse, Rich Razzleberry, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White; Ink - Midnight Muse, Rich Razzleberry; Other - 1/4" Stitched White Grosgrain ribbon, 3/4" circle punch, Midnight Muse marker, Basics Jewels Rhinestone, dimensionals.

I love the new In Colors. It helps if you think of Summer Starfruit as GREEN not yellow.

Well, this evening, for the first time in a long time, I am going to stamp. I am. Really. A grande frozen coffee with an extra shot of espresso should ensure that. I hope! Ta!

Don't it always seem to go...{FREAK TOUR}

 

That you don't know what you got 'til its gone?

It's that time again, time to freak out with the freaks on our monthly blog tour! If you've just arrived from Dawn Olchefske's blog, you have made it all the way to the end of the tour and can stop if you started at the beginning of the tour.

However, if you started right here, fear not! You can manage to get all the way around the entire tour just by following the links at the bottom of each post.

This post is going live on the evening of the 19th, so if you find some posts in our tour have not yet posted, please be patient.  The entire tour should be accessible at some point this evening. Keep checking back!

The theme is Going, Going, Gone and features stamps and accessories that are retiring at the end of this month.

This was a hard one for me. As soon as the retiring list comes out, I pull all my sets that are retiring, pull the cardstock, ribbon, and embellies and box 'em up so I can focus on the new schtuff I have coming in. So this kind of got under my skin, ya know? I don't wanna!!! Wah!

But sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I decided to use single stamps that were retiring and I was off and running. Lookie:

Ingredients: Paper - Attic Boutiqe DSP, Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral; Other - Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Itty Bitty Punch pack, Basics Jewels Pearls, Pool Party ruffled ribbon.

GOJUS! (YILM!) Yes, I know the paper is technically already retired, but hey, I liked it, didn't use nearly enough of it and when I had my head wrapped around "retired" it is what came to mine. Shoot me. But the die is retiring and I had just bought it and wanted to show it's paces. Look what's inside:

Ingredients: Stamps - Elegant Thank You; Paper - Attic Boutique DSP, Very Vanilla; Ink - Early Espresso; Other - Simply Scored

Aren't these just so cute! (YILM!)Just the perfect size to tuck into a gift of say...chocolate? I certainly think so! They fit quite nicely into my little Bitty Box.

Finally, here is a single stamp I fell in love with immediately and got on my first order and then NEVER USED. I will pause a moment to let that sink in. All along I had a card like this in mind, so I finally made it:

Ingredients: Stamps - Many Mustaches, Delightful Dozen; Paper - Well Worn DSP, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, River Rock; Ink - Versamark, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze; Other - Twill Tape, Sponge Wedges, dimensionals, clear EP, Vintage Trinkets, Early Espresso & River Rock Markers.

MOJUS! (YILM!) Isn't this just the cutest stamp? This is one I will keep FOR-EV-ER!

Well, it's time to pick up your jaws from the floor and move on if you haven't seen the whole tour yet. Next stop is actually the first stop, Sandy Mathis' blog. I know she's got some GOJUS! creations to show you! Ta!

Sneakin' and Peekin' and takin' orders...

Shhhhh....I'm about to show you sumthin'. Don't tell nobody!

Ingredients: Stamps - Papaya Collage, Itty Bitty Banners; Paper - First Edition DSP, Neutrals Patterns DSP, Primrose Petals, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla; Ink - Early Espresso, Primrose Petals, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit; Other - 1" square punch, Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, Basics Jewels Pearls, Blossom Party Bigz die, paper piercing tool, Vintage Trinkets, dimensionals, sponge wedges, Bitty Banners Framelits, Summer Starfruit marker, Early Espresso marker.

This is a set from the new catalog, which is shipping out as we speak. I have already sent out copies to those of you who order regularly online, so if you spent more than $50 online with me in the past 12 months, one is on it's way to you! If you aren't sure how much you spent with me, just drop me an email and I'll let you know if you have one coming or not. If you are local and you've spent $50 or more in the past 12 months, please email me and let me know that you want a catalog and we'll arrange for you to get it. I'm probably going to have an open house next month, so you can always pick it up then. My boxes of catalogs will be here on Tuesday.

But for the rest of you, I am taking orders for the new catalog. Cost to you is $5, including postage. It's a real deal! As soon as I get your Paypal payment for $5, I will arrange for your catalog to make it's way to you, straight from the printer! US customers only, please!

I can just tell you that the new catalog is DA BOMB! The new In Colors, two of which you see in this card, are beautiful and the new ink pads are AWESOME!

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I've been tired. In fact, I'm having a sleep study done next weekend because I am always having to take little naps during the day. What fun. I got my new stuff on Tuesday and have really only made 2 cards so far...tired! So tired that when I came down tonight to stamp, I moved things around on my desk, looked at one stamp set, pulled out some paper, and said, "Meh. Don't feel like stampin'!" And I went up and read a book.

I will be stamping tomorrow and as you can see, I have got SOME done. {Yawn!} Oh geez...prolly should just go to bed. Ta!

At this time...

Of the Stampin' Up! year it's easy to get a little squirrely, if you are a demo.

Why?

Well, if you are like me, by now you have gotten pretty much everything you want out of the catalog. You've gone through it backwards and forwards, made your wish list, and slowly checked off things as you got them. By the time you get near the end of the catalog, if you haven't gotten it yet, you wonder if you should or you no longer want it because it isn't new and shiny anymore and part of the attraction is just gone.

So you tend to, say, indulge in new stuff from...cough...{whispering} other places. And if you're smart, you actually use that stuff. But sometimes just buying it is enough and you let it sit in your stash and never use it.

So while I am waiting to put my preorder in on Monday, so I can get my new catalog in my order, which is...is...KILLING ME, if you must know, I am at my most vulnerable to stuff from...cough...{whispering} other places. Which I have, I must admit, indulged.This must stop! I have a new catalog coming! I need to save for that!

So the only thing for it is to use some of that OTHER stuff, stuff that I already had and never used, right? It's the only thing for it. USE IT! USE IT! It's new to me, since it hasn't been used! Right?

And I still had some 6 x 6 pads that I had...cough...bought the other day, 'member that? And some stamps I already had from a ways back. And since I was making something, just for fun, say, I could break out some other schtuff I'd had for a while and hadn't used, so the long and short of it is I made THIS:

Ingredients (all SU! unless otherwise noted): Stamps - Bird Notes (Crafty Secrets); Paper - BoBunny Ambrosia Collection, Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay, Vintage Cream (PaperTrey); Ink - Palette Noir Black, Crumb Cake;Other - Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Cuttlebug 2 x 2 Vintage dies, Prima Pixie Ellie flowers, Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon, Notch corner punch (retired), Labels Framelits, Basics Jewels Rhinestones, sponge wedge, dimensionals, Crumb Cake marker.

So there it is and it's GOJUS!!! (YILM!) And I'm not sorry! It was nice to use some of my retired stuff, some of my stashed stuff. I refuse to apologize! You can't make me!

But ya know, I'm really longing for Monday so I can put that preorder in! And I'm overnighting it so I can have it on Tuesday. I figure I spend a bit on expediting, but it will stop fundage from being diverted to...cough...{whispering} other places. Ta!

Retired Accessories List is up!

 

Retired Accessories List

Retired Definitely Decorative List

 

These items, some of which are discounted by up to 70%, will be available while supplies last ONLY.

And now the poop on this list, which might have you going, "HUH?!?!?" Fear not, all will be well.

You may notice that all the stamp pads are on the list. This is because SU! will be having a new ink pad design coming with the new catalog. I think you'll like it a lot!

Your classic ink color refills, except for a few colors, will still work with the new pads. So if you decide the new pads are the bees knees, then don't worry about having to replace your reinkers. There are 5 colors that had to be reformulated to work with the new pads:

• Basic Black
• Basic Grey
• Marina Mist
• Perfect Plum
• Tempting Turquoise

You can use the new refills on your old pads without a problem. You cannot use your old refills on the new pads for these colors only, you will have to get the new formula.

You'll also see all the craft pads on the list except the black and white ones. Yes, they are retiring and will be gone. So get your craft ink refills while you can to keep your craft ink pads going.

You will see markers on the list. They are only going to have some markers available individually. The entire collection of markers will still be available in the color assortment sets as well as the entire marker collection.

Some of the 12 x 12 cardstock will no longer be available in individual packs, but still will be available in assortments.

The rest is pretty much business as usual. Just think of all the NEW stuff coming! And if you really love the old stuff and you want to get it before it is gone, here's the link to my online store, get 'em while they're hot!

Shhhhh...don't tell nobody...

I didn't exactly commit rubbah-dultery, but I did use some "contraband". I was at my favorite scrapbooking place last month and was lured into it by the siren call of patterned paper pads, so hard to resist! Lookie:

Ingredients (SU! unless noted otherwise): Stamps - Bring on the Cake, Nature Walk; Paper - Prima Sun Kiss Collection, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Marigold Morning (retired), Very Vanilla, Early Espresso; Ink - Early Espresso, Marigold Morning (retired); Other - Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Decorate Label punch, Modern Label punch, Ticket Corner punch, Metallic Brads, Prima Charmé Rose Sun Kiss, Early Espresso marker, Signo White gel pen, dimensionals, sponge wedges.

GOJUS!!! (YILM!) I love these colors, that's my only excuse...such pretty paper and then the paper  Charmé roses were GOJUS too! Which takes me back to the days of my youth, when Marie Osmond made her debut with...

Paper roses

Paper roses

Oh how real those roses seem to be

But they're only

Imitation

Like your imitation love for me..

 

Yep, just like me, she used to be so...so...STINKIN' YOUNG!!! Sigh...amazing how getting one year older can affect you!

Well, I'm off to tear my hair out and wail...I mean, work on Artisan stuff some more. I have one project left to finish and it's giving me FITS! Ta!

 

A big freaky Smooch!

It's that time again, time to freak out with the freaks on our monthly blog tour! If you've just arrived from LeeAnn Greff's blog, you have made it all the way back to the beginning of the tour and can continue on to end up where you finish.

But if you started right here, fear not! You can manage to get all the way around the entire tour just by following the links at the bottom of each post.

This post is going live on the evening of the 19th, so if you find some posts in our tour have not yet posted, please be patient.  The entire tour should be accessible at some point this evening. Keep checking back!

Let's talk about SMOOCHing!

You remember how when you were little, there was always that freaky aunt that you had that would corner you at parties, pinch your fat little cheeks, and make you give her a kiss?

Well, this post is not about her.

Or do you remember how when you first had a boyfriend or friends that were boys, they might have given you a kiss on your birthday, say, like ME 33 years ago TODAY (the 20th) when I turned 18???? When the guy I had a big crush on in the band I was playing gave me a CORSAGE, a CORSAGE, I ask you and a little smooch for my birthday, which happens, by some amazing chance, to be TODAY (the 20th)? Remember something like that from your teenage years? Even though he wasn't the guy I ended up marrying and he was just being nice to me, I kept that corsage for YEARS. In fact...I think I still have it!

Well, this post is not about that either.

It's about the current Stampin' Up! promotioin, Summer Smooches, and what a bunch of Freaks can do with this product suite!

Lookie:

Ingredients: Stamps - Occasions Alphabet; Paper - Summer Smooches DSP, Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White; Ink - Real Red; Other - Daffodil Delight Striped grosgrain, Summer Smooches Fabric Brads, Blossom Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Basic Black marker, Scallop Square punch, Neutrals brads, 3/16" corner rounding punch.

OMGojus!!! (YILM!) This is a nice cheery card for a special friend. There are sure some bright colors in this card, aren't there!

Next, I've got...yes, a PURSE made with the purse die. I bet you've seen a lot of these and figure you've seen everything that can be done with it. Well...you haven't seen THIS:

Ingredients: Stamps - Delicate Doilies; Paper - Vellum Cardstock, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder; Ink - Stazon White, Melon Mambo, Wisteria Wonder; Other - Boho Blossoms punch, Petite Purse die, Basics Pearls, Basics Pearls Large, Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.

GOJUS! (YILM!) I was inspired by an article in the most recent Stampin' Success, the magazine for us SU! demos, to try using my white Stazon, which has sat unused for quite some time. I stamped the outside of the purse with the white Stazon and the inside with Melon Mambo and Wisteria Wonder. It's much prettier in person. Here's another view:

I think this would be really spectacular with some white or colored Jordan almonds in it, for that special bridal shower, don't you think?

 

Well, it's time to send you on your way with a nice smooch:

You are on your way to my buddy Wendy's blog. I know she's pulled out all the stops as usual and has stuff that will amaze and delight you! Ta!

Extra! Extra! Deeply Discounted Rubbah!

Get yer deeply discounted rubbah hyeah!

I'm staring at a stack of rubber that's retiring in a little over a month, so there is only one thing to do! Sell off the other rubbah that has been retired for a while and is still sitting here! Gotta get rid of the old to make way for the new (which I'll be putting up for sale on June 1st!)

In the meantime, I have slashed and I mean SLASHED the prices of my older retired sets and wheels. All sets are $5 or less! All jumbo wheels are $2 and standard wheels are $1!

Download JanTinksStampSale2012.pdf (77.9K)

Download JanTinksStampSale2012.xls (26.5K)

 

Priority mail ONLY. Email me with the list of stamps you want, we'll work up a total and figure out the shipping. Get these sets while you still can! Ta!

 

 

 

Retired List is up!

USA Retired List in PDF format

USA Retired List in Sortable Excel file

My webstore to buy these before they are gone!

Another set of workshop cards

Hey y'all! I've had my head down for the past week creating hammer and tongs to get my stuff ready for... Yes..

THE ARTISAN AWARD CONTEST

Last year, I didn't enter at all, remember? I just didn't have the time or the energy and then shortly after that I got called about demonstrating at convention and had to find both the time and energy for that! What a fun-filled year this has been...well, most of it anyway.

I was debating about it this year. After all, last year I just had no time, no mojo, no nothing to put into it. Did I really want to try again this year? I knew I would be going to convention, but was I going to put myself through the stress of that tenterhooks period between the deadline and when the winners were announced?

Then SU! announced some changes to the AA contest. Now 20 finalists will be announced first, then at convention is when the winners will be announced.I dunno how that's going to work for tension, but they also said that all finalists will get a shopping spree. My ears started to perk up. Then deadline would be extended to May 31st, making this look more and more doable. And finally, the new AA winners would be the Artisan Award design team and get free stuff every month to create with and share! I was a goner at that point!

So I threw myself into it heart and soul. I've got all 5 cards, 2 of my scrapbook pages, and one 3-D item done and ready to send in when they give us the go ahead. I have both my other projects envisaged and will hopefully be finishing those this weekend. And I am having a ton of fun pushing myself above and beyond my limits, which is what this contest is all about. I'm going to try to remember that this year when I start worrying about winning. The pleasure of creating is what this is all about, so to me, I have already won! (I've almost convinced myself, so SHHHH!)

ANYWAY, the following cards were designed for Lori's workshop:

Ingredients: Stamps - Easy Events; Paper - Everyday Enchantment DPS, Soft Suede, Watercolor paper, Peach Parfait; Ink - Stazon Jet Black, Soft Suede; Other - Watercolor Wonder crayons, Peach Parfait polystitched ribbon, gold brads, paper piercing tool, sponge wedge, 3/16" corner rounding punch, dimensionals

STINKIN' CUTE!!! (YILM!) THe workshop guests enjoyed making this card very much.

For this next card, I was channeling my buddy, Wendy, who had created a card with this stamp set and technique just before the workshop and put it on her blog, Lookie:

Ingredients: Stamps - Mixed Bunch, Elementary Elegance; Paper - Everyday Enchantment DSP, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla; Ink - Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede; Other - Very Vanilla seam binding, Curly Label punch, Blossom punch, Everyday Enchantment brads, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, sponge dauber, sponge wedge, dimensionals.

GOJUS! (YILM!) this card uses the rock and roll technique. The guests, even though they were experienced stampers, had never heard of this technique before and really enjoyed making this card. THe cool thing about stamping is there is always something new to learn and techniques that I might think are old hat are fresh and new to people still. One more reason to love what I do!

Well, it's time to go back and figure out my next project. The original due date for these entries was April 20 (my birthday) and who knows? I might actually hit that! Ta!