The day you become a stamper...

You start to develop Stamper's Syndrome. It means that you can kiss giving commercial cards goodbye forever. And sometimes, you kiss giving cards at all goodbye as well.

I used to be much more regular about sending cards, but now that I make them, I often forget to send them all together, one of the chief symptoms of SS. Which is quite stupid, really, since I have boxes of the things downstairs just waiting to be used.

But you will also find after developing SS that when you do decide to send a card, you end up making a new one anyway. Because nothing you have is JUST RIGHT for the person you have in mind. Yes, it's a disease and it's hell.  As the disease progresses, you procrastinate making that perfect card until it is entirely too late, and you send nothing at all. You are now in the final stages, but the horrible thing about this is that you don't die of it. It just spreads.

Once you have reached the final stage, you realize that giving gifts with ordinary wrapping paper (except for children, who usually don't deserve anything better anyway) is out too. How can you give anyone something simply wrapped in wrapping paper, without at least stamping your own tag or adding some kind of paper decoration crafted by your loving hands? It becomes impossible.

This happened to me this weekend. I finished knitting a baby sweater on Thursday for my son's teacher, who is expecting her second child in April and her first boy. Knowing that it's necessary to retool when a boy arrives after a girl, I decided that I would give her a little blue sweater I had knitted a while back and had not sewn on the buttons yet. Then I thought that the baby wouldn't get much wear out of a sweater with summer coming, though it's nice to have one for chilly air conditioned situations, and would then outgrow it before cold weather came again. So I determined to knit a second sweater in a larger size and give them both to her. If you want to see the finished sweaters, you can go to my knitting blog.

But the problem arose of what to put them in? Obviously, they are darling and perfect in every way (YILM!) I couldn't just wrap them up any old how, or put them in a gift bag, especially since those are darned expensive these days.  I have, like a lot of moms with kids my ages, a collection of gift bags that have made the rounds more than once. I think we have been circulating the same gift bags among the same group of kids in our school for years now. But this is not a child, who certainly deserves to get gifts in bags or packages to which they will hardly give a second glance so it doesn't matter what you use, as long as it stands up without falling over and doesn't have large holes in it. This is an adult and a teacher, who certainly deserves better. And (cough cough) I do have a bit of a rep at the school as someone who makes things that are nifty. Gifting in store-bought wrapping paper would be Letting Down the Side.

So this morning I staggered down to my crafting area and began creating. Yesterday was spent in a marathon swap finishing session. I actually packed up the various tools I needed into a tote and took them to lunch monitor with me. I took them to the bus stop when I picked up Laurel. I sat in the living room and worked on them some more, until every single last one of them was finished. And, as usual, felt totally demoralized and emotionally bankrupt by the whole process, wondering why, oh why, do I let myself in for this every time?

Only to remember all the delicious swaps one gets back after sending one's own marvelously designed and beautifully executed swaps (YILM!) off in careless postal hands. That is, if careless postal hands actually TOOK the priority mail package that one put out specifically for those postal hands to take and which careless postal hands did NOT take the package as they were meant to. Which meant that one had to drive the package to the post office oneself, even though one is still feeling ill and thought the whole point of click and ship was that one could ship one's packages from one's doorstep and bemoaning the retirement of one's old mail carrier, who was a dang site better than the Philistines who are doing his route now. But I digress...

ANYWAY, I decided I would have to make something to present the sweaters in and since I have an entire box of kraft gable boxes that, in a moment of madness and overweening confidence in my abilities to sign up hoards of customers to take a holiday packaging class, I ordered back in 2003 or 2004, I forget which, I decided that one of these would be the perfect container for two little sweaters. I worked on it this morning and, after a nap (the antibiotic I'm taking now seems to be doing nothing and I am still getting tired) and the aforementioned run to the post office and then the grocery store when I realized that all the milk was gone AGAIN, I worked on it this afternoon. And it was well worth the effort, as you will see:

Ingredients: (almost all SU!) Stamps - Nursery Necessities; Paper - Delicate Dots DSP, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, So Saffron; Ink - So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Brocade Blue; Other - Whisper White & Bashful Blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, small star punch, Scallop Circle Bigz die, Sissix tag die, large star punch, SU! Backgrounds Texturz Plates, 3/16" corner rounding punch, dimensionals, sponge wedge, white gel pen, Sahara Sand marker, Scallop Edge punch, So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Kraft gable box, Word Window punch

Yes, it's STINKIN CUTE!!! (YILM!) Here's some close-ups:

Now I'm afflicted with the other part of Stamper's Syndrome: the wish and desire to keep what you make for yourself. Because it seems entirely too cute to give to anyone. How could they appreciate it as you do?

But the fact is, you must give the stuff away or have nothing to give and so you do. And this little box has its load of little sweaters packed up inside nicely (they fit perfectly!) and will be travelling to school on Monday with me, so I can sneak it in the teacher's room just before she comes back from lunch. I was thinking she might even keep the box to use for baby mementos...if she throws it away, I don't want to know about it. Because then I would have to kill her.

Well, this has been quite exhausting and one is tired. So one will toddle off to the recliner and decide what one will knit next and hope that this antibiotic gets off its keister and does something. Because one is tired of having sick ears and one is quite unable to figure out how to stop saying "one" all the time and one needs to just shut up and and hit "save" and let the nice people who read her blog get on with reading it. Ta!

Comments

[Peggy Maier]

The sweaters are beautiful & yes, I think I might be tempted to "you know what" if she threw that box away... but we all know that's not possible - it's WAY too CUTE!!!!

[Jessica Canham]

Jan, this is adorable! So much work. I love it and it deserves to be in a place of honor in the recipient's home.

[Chelle]

This is soooooo purty! I actually gasped when I saw it! The sweaters are awesome too!

[amysings]

That is truly beautiful, Janine. And if she throws it away (which she won't), I will come and help you hurt her. I promise. That's just the kind of friend I am.

Get better SOON!

[Stephanie P]

Oh my gosh, Jan, that box is as beautiful as it could be!!!! I'm sure the sweaters are equally as gorgeous. I'm sorry that you have the never ending virus/thingy/illness, I had some of that earlier this winter and it is such a blessing when you finally kick the nasty stuff and one feels GOOD. Which you will some day, sooner than later. Hopefully. Because we love you and want our old Jan back!!! Big hugs and take care!!

[Deborah]

We must be twins. LOL. Except you do way better work. :)

[DIane McCornack]

Goah I was reading the saga above and it came to me how painful it must be to be as talented as you are!! I think you must live in that same tortured place someone like van gogh must hve lived, please please don't try hacking off your ear!!! Stamper and a Knitter, I'm speechless.
Diane

[Claire V]

Well, I have to thank you for diagnosing me - who knew I had Stamper's Syndrome all this time? Do we have to start calling you Dr. now? At least now I can get some treatment and get on the road to recovery (NOT)!

Your blog is as much fun to read as your projects (stamper and knitter, etc. here too) are delicious to see! However, I'm still new to the bloggers alphabet soup and it took me a while to get (YILM!) - I have to work on that - otherwise, I think we are "sisters"!

[leslie]

OMG, this is hysterical! I make cards almost every day and send NOTHING. NOTHING. Except for the cards I had to MAKE to send with my kids' care packages because they had to be 'special'. I am so there with you.

B-E-A-U-tiful box, BTW. Hope you shake the sickness soon!

[Kathi S.]

I have SS as well but I had to quit cold turkey due to the state of the economy. I have to suffer with using old stuff since I can not afford to support my habit. When things pick up again, I predict I will go back to supporting mu habit. I am so looking forward to that.

Jan, I feel for you. I had strep throat in January which would not go away. After 10 days on penicillin, then next day I knew that I had strep again. I went to the doctors again and she gave me the same antibiotic as you for another 10 days. It left a yucky taste in my mouth the whole time. There was nothing I could do to get rid of that taste. I'm better now but I have to go back in July for another strep test to see if I am a strep carrier (20% of all people carry the strep virus). Oh boy!!

I loved your box. I would have probably not given it away or I would have tried to get it back later (you know, I wanted to make another but needed the orginal to look at).

[Gail S.]

Jan - what a beautiful box to hold the sweaters! My guess is of course she will keep it, it is just too cute to throw away! I love coming to visit your blog because you always make me smile!

[Linda Watts]

Jan,
I suffer from SS too! Thanks for coming out. I feel less alone.

I LOVE the box and the sweaters. I'm amazed you can create such masterpieces when you CLEARLY need complete bed rest. Your family should be catering to your every whim and bringing you high quality chocolates. Get Better!

[Cia Tate]

Oh boy, can I ever relate. I am deep in SS.

[Kathi Crouse]

OMG Jan, I thought you were writing about me! I'm so glad I'm not the only one with SS! I too have boxes of cards that I just can't send and by the time I get around to making one for the recipient it is much too late to send it! Your gable box is adorable and I can't imagine her wanting to throw it away! I hope you start feeling better soon, even though you are still not feeling well you are still making us smile! I love your sense of humor!

[Kraftyaunt]

That's me too! That's me too! Thanks so much for the chuckles. I've made everyone in my family read your blog entry so that the GET IT. I have SS too, but I don't want a cure. I'm having too much FUN being sick :-> Thanks for your time and your talent. You should write a book!

[Kim]

OK, so after seeing your crimped scalloped border, I thought, "WOW, she's somebody to watch." Now, after reading your blog, finding out that you knit (me too, but only blankets as I'm a beginner), and laughing as I wonder if one always talks about oneself like this, I realize, you're too cool! I'm glad I subscribed!! Thanks for sharing!

[Janet Sisk]

OMG, I gotta laugh. I am a SS sufferer, too. Is there a support group yet? Maybe we could start meeting at Scrap & Yap! I am sitting on a card I am trying to get done for my nephew's birthday which is March 25. His party was yesterday in TN. I missed getting it there obviously by his party. I shall try and shoot to get it there by the 25th. I guess it will be by Priority Mail. :D

[Cindy Harris]

Wow! Darling box, I think it should be displayed at convention or something!! You are one talented lady. I am always happy when I open my google reader and see a post from you! Thanks.

[Karen L.]

Oh, my gosh@@ I laughed all the way through my reading of this post. LOL! You describe me to a "T," as well as many of my friends who also could be diagnosed with "SS." I feel so guilty when I know a special day is coming up and I plan a wonderful card but never get it made. And the day goes by and weeks go by, until it's embarrassingly just TOO LATE! You've described the "SS" all too well. Woe is me.... :)

[Maggie]

Hi Jan, Love, love, love your blog and all you do. You make me laugh and I'm so glad I have you for inspiration! I'm relatively new to cardmaking and would appreciate it if you or someone out there could tell me what some of the abbreviations are that a lot of you ladies use, especially YILM! Thanks so much. I look forward to your posts.

[Angji]

Just to represent the abused mail carriers, not all of us are careless Jan!

[Debbie Fisher]

Jan, this box is awesome!!! I ck'd out your knitting site and the sweaters are adorable that you made (and YES I love the buttons Ü).

[Lela]

I have the exact same malady. I have THREE sympathy cards that I am avoiding making. THREE. And the clock just keeps ticking.

YOU CRACKED ME UP.

The cool thing is, once we DO make something, well it may or may not be ON TIME but it is worthy :)

And Jan, your creations are WORTHY.

Hope you feel better. Blessings,

Lela

[Tina]

Imagine being a nurse and not knowing I had SS. You could be a MD! I have all the symptoms you described. Can't believe you have time to knit too. I started knitting two years ago and I hope to begin socks this year after I finish the hooded vest I am working on. Thank goodness it doesn't have buttons that I have to specially select! :) You have awesome talent and I love reading y our blog and seeing all of your creations. Keep inspiring us little people with your work both stamping and knitting! Tina

[Kim Howard]

I hate that I had a comment all typed out and now it's gone!! This gable box is so stinking cute and I never would have thought to decorate the outside like that without stamping on the box itself.

[Sharon Carr]

Yes Jan, the sweaters are adorable and the gable box you made was just the perfect container for them. I'm sure she will love it all and be forever grateful to you for making her little one such a precious gift.

[Liz S.]

WHEN will I learn?! When reading Jan's blog, PUT THE TEA DOWN!! Tonight it was complete spew at the first line.

And I am very sure that NO ONE throws away a genuine "Tink!!" I think people probably add provisions to their wills to cover the handing down through the family!!

[Charmagne Gibb]

thank you for finally putting a name to my syndrome! I've been suffering with various symptoms like yours for years and have the cards to prove it! Love hearing what's in your head each day...I start my day with a smile...thanks!

[Jeanette Lemay]

Jan,

I have to LOL when I read your blog today. I spent Saturday making cards at a "open" day work shop. I brought the cards in to show my co-workers and boss and my boss said: "Well, you must send out a lot of cards to folks." I smiled (and said to myself, "yeah, right!") ....I have promised myself to send this batch out...but first I have to photo them.....and admire them some more...and wonder if the recipent is "worthy" of receiving such a work of art....

Just one more sicko!

Thank you for your blog. I read it at work with my morning cup of coffee. I love your zany comments and am inspired by your work. Love, love, love pics of your creativity.

I couldn't help but re-calling the expression "we're professional grade" when seeing what you've done!

And love the knitting tibits as well. I've only ever knitted one sweater (cut a 16 stitch gash in the palm of my hand during the time I was attempting this "feat" of -- knitting difficulty) Took me a year to finish it.

I'm always trying to do the most complicated and "challenging" thing when attemping something so much so that I give up.

Thanks for showing me how someone is able to truly be "professional grade" and still accomplish all that you do.

[Darsana]

OMG that is beautiful. I am in awe of the stuff that you turn out. Also of the fact that you are absolutly right about the SS. It is a terrible affiction, and there IS NO ANTIBIOTIC. Only the stampers mantra..."I'm going to finish this card and get it out on time and next time I promise I will do a better job of planning for these types of thing" Fast forward to the next project and hear" I'm going to finish this card and get it out on time and next time......" You know the drill. In sickness and in health! Enjoy.

[Elizabeth Ecsy]

well... I knew something was wrong with me, but it took the great JanTink to diagnose me..

so adding Stamper's Syndrome to my list of others..

Stampin' Anonymous
Stampin' Addicts
Carpal Tunnel brought on by Stampin' Markers..

etc etc..

Love the gift box! It is SO difficult to give away good things like that to non stampers.. since you never know where they will end up.. I feel ya there!

thanks for sharing. hope you feel better! Liz

[Cindy Major]

Ooh, it sounds all too familiar. The needing to do everything by hand (card, packing, stationary, etc.), the wanting to keep it for my "portfolio" (the fancy name I use for my stash - make it sound better, doesn't it?) because it is so darn cute, the rushing at the last minute to get it all done...
You forgot to mention the colleagues relying on you to come up with "something creative" and always having to outdo the last time, which after a while can become really daunting. And the pressure of being fair to everyone and always having a gift that is as involved or fancy as the last one...

Yup. All too familiar.

The box really is stinkin' cute, though! It's really too bad I don't live in your neck of the woods and I am not expecting or don't have any kids... ;P

I am hoping the swap you are referring to is the Freaks' Minicatalogue swap. I had to rush like a madwoman to get mine finished (in two days because shipping to Canada is so freakin' slow!), but they are all done and safe with Lisa, now.

Cindy :)

[Elizabeth M. Harris]

You never cease to amaze me... Stamper AND knitter extraordinaire! The box and the sweaters are gorgeous! I need to find some of those gable boxes! LOL

By the way, I just finished 2 different antibiotics. Neither worked. My doctor decided to put me on a new allergy med. Voila! Almost all better after just 4 doses! No more fluid in the ears or falling over dizzy or out of control nose! I hope your doctor figures out something soon! I know how miserable you feel!

I can't wait to see your next creation! I am sure I will be amazed!

Big hugs!

[Sheri Smith]

This is amazing! It is so cute! I would NOT throw it a way. BTW, I was just loking up a recipe and saw some reviews and one was from you so I am making it. I thought it was kind of funny.
Sheri Smith

[Karen B]

Are you a comic? You should write professionally. You are so funny. I love your humour. Thanks for sharing your creations. I love how you decorated the gable box. Very elegant and yes, let's hope she keeps it for momentos as the alternative would be very messy.
Karen

[jeanne nielsen]

My goodness you keep me entertained! But, better yet, you keep me inspired! What a beautiful box! TFS! I'm off to make baby cards now!

[Gayle W.]

Okay, first off: Thank Gawd you have put a name to my disease and I can tell DH to kiss it, when he asks if I sent my Mom's birthday card yet. (Birthday was 3/9 and the answer is no.) And the reason is twofold, because a) I don't have the GIFT figured out to go with the card and b) I'm still trying to get the baby gift and card sent for my sister, who had a baby in JANUARY!!!!!

AND ... I was just thinking this morning ... how am I going to wrap the darling little outfits I bought? (Knit? I don't think so. Sorry. No can do.)

So, yes, now I'm apparently at that stage of SS where now I have to make the wrapping paper or box or packaging or whatever. My goal for today was to get the said baby gift/card to the post office.

Now, I come here, and see that STINKIN' CUTE, CUTE, CUTE gable box and I have to try to make one. In an hour and a half. WHY do you do this to me?! Dang it. This is going to call for massive amounts of chocolate.

By the way, if that teacher doesn't save that box for the REST of her LIFE, I will personally hunt her down myself. So scratch that task off your list. (I'm very helpful that way. YILM2).

YOU ROCK. SERIOUSLY.

Gayle

p.s. Almost forgot ... the sweaters are adorable too! Hey nice buttons, lady!

[Desiree]

You totally crack me up! And you have outdone yourself with the fabulous sweaters and incredible box to put them in. I would like to be pregnant (NOT) and get a cool gift like that!

[Tanya]

I've found the solution to my SS. I SELL my cards! That way I get to watch people Ooh and Ahhh over my creations many times, and then they PAY me! But I still don't manage to send out cards to people in my family like I should...but then I never did before I started stamping, lol!

[Claire]

Oh you are so right - there's never anything in the stash that fits the bill! I normally stay up late to do a card, then take 3 days to post (or deliver) the darn thing!

Jan, you are my sanity saviour! I now know that it's not just me LOL

[Karen Stephenson]

Please tell me with YILM stands for! Love your blog. Karen

[Jessica]

Jan I love this box, would you be willing to share how you did / designed the bits that close on the top, cos I am stuped and I prefer these to ribbon closures.