Welcome to my blog!

Thank you for visiting my blog about cards and other hobbies. Stamp Club is for anyone that would enjoy making cards and learning new techniques - we would love to have you come! We meet the first Saturday of each month or the following Monday (unless changed because of holidays). (Each monthly get together is held those two days - sometimes one day is more convenient than the other!) An Evite is sent out each month - so if you would like to come to Stamp Club, just email me and let me know to put you on the Evite list: helencashon@gmail.com . Sometimes we have Stamp-A-Stacks or other classes also.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Stampin' Up! Convention Highlight Video and song

Stampin' Up! just had their convention in Salt Lake City, Utah and made this highlight video:





And another fun video Stampin' Up! did with their employees at the home office lip syncing to the I Am song.   I thought both videos were fun to watch!



Friday, June 8, 2012

New Ink Pads

Stampin' Up has new ink pads.   Below is the official information from the Stampin' Up Demonstrator website.

"With the introduction of the 2012-2013 annual catalog, we have made a very big change to our Stampin' Pads.

Introducing firm foam pads!  They change your stamping experience for the better!



We know you're going to love these new Stampin' Pads - just look at all the exciting benefits listed below:

- Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!

- Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!

In addition, our new Stampin' Pads

- Create wonderfully solid images.  The Firm Foam releases more ink onto your rubber stamp than the felt pads.  When using the Firm Foam pad, your stamp will get an even, solid covering of ink that you may not have been able to achieve with the felt pads.  Please note:  If you are using the ink pad frequently, you may need to re-ink your Firm Foam pad more often.

- Have a crisply printed, glossy label on the top of the pad that is easier to read and that will not fade or chip off!

- Come with color name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French, and German) - just choose your language, peel it off the back, and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!

- Use the same patented flip-top case design that stores the inking surface upside down, so the pad surface stays moist!

- Are available in all colors, including our exclusive In Colors!

Please note:  Five ink colors have undergone formula changes to improve functionality and color stability with the new firm foam pads.  These  colors are:

- Basic Black
- Basic Gray
- Marina Mist
- Perfect Plum
- Tempting Turquoise

All five colors of the reformulated inks have been fully tested and approved.  While using the new ink formula in the old Stampin' Pads is fine, we do not recommend using the old ink formula for these five colors in the new firm foam pads.  Any refills purchased after April 30, 2012, will contain the new formulated ink.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why did we switch from felt pads to firm foam pads?

A: We have worked very hard to improve the functionality of our Classic Stampin’ Pads. The firm foam allows for better ink coverage; plus it stays juicer and lasts longer.


Q: Do old Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills work with the new firm foam pads?

A: Yes, with the exception of Basic Black, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise, which have been reformulated to work with the new foam pad material. We do not recommend using old ink refills in these colors with the new firm foam pads.



Q: Before I use my firm foam pad, do I need to tap it and massage the ink around?

A: No. The firm foam pads are ready for use immediately. The best stamping technique with the firm foam pad is light tapping.



Q: My pad is too wet. What should I do?

A: We suggest using a paper towel to remove some of the ink. The amount of ink in each pad is carefully monitored in production to ensure the two-year shelf life.



Q: The firm foam on my lighter color pads looks blotchy. Is this normal?

A: Yes. The blotchiness is caused by the characteristics of the pad material. It does not affect the stamped image.


Q: When I first stamp with certain colors, my images seem a lot darker. Why is this happening?

A: When stamping with your old pads, you had to work hard to get even ink coverage on your stamp. With the new firm foam pad, the stamp gets a lot more ink on it so when you stamp, your image will appear darker. Once your stamped image dries, the color will look normal.




Q: When I compare the firm foam pads to my felt pads, some of the colors don’t seem to match. Why is this?

A: The firm foam and felt will not match exactly. Ink reacts differently to different materials. We have quality checked each ink color to ensure that the stamped ink color is true.




Q: What is shelf life of the firm foam pads? How long will the pad last before I need to re-ink it?

A: Shelf life is two years from the manufactured date, which means if you do not use the pad for two years, it should remain well saturated. If you use the pad frequently, the pad may need to be re-inked before the two years.


Q: What is the best way to remove the color labels from the bottom of the ink pad?

A: Start at the right bottom corner (just above the barcode) and slowly peel the corner up by removing both layers.




Q: Which end of the case do you apply the label to?

A: The label goes on the end where you open the case.


Q: If the ink pad becomes saturated with ink or liquid, will it cause the label to fall off?

A: No, the label should not be affected. However, like most labels, if you pick at it or try and remove it, it may start to peel up.




Q: What are some additional features of the new firm foam pads that I can share with my customers?

A: See additional features below:

•The firm foam is nice and flat and will not become wavy.


•The firm foam material does not imprint on the stamp images like the felt pad sometimes did. However, because the firm foam material is a foam base material, the stamp image can momentarily leave an imprint on the pad, which can transfer to a second stamped image. By inking your stamp on different areas of the pad or waiting momentarily for the ink to rise back to the top, you can easily avoid this situation.


•The firm foam material is soft and has a nice bounce to it. It’s not hard like the felt is.


•The ink lay-down (how the ink is absorbed into the card stock) is even, not blotchy, and dries quickly. It has an increased opacity and stamps solid images beautifully.


Q: Will Stampin’ Spots use the new firm foam pad?


A: No. Stampin’ Spots will remain the same.



Q: Can I use the reformulated ink with my Stampin’ Spots?


A: Yes.



Q: Can I use the reformulated ink with my Stampin’ Around Wheels?


A: Yes."


Here is a video by Stampin' Up! about the new ink pads:





.You can also find some other videos on YouTube by going to YouTube and typing in Stampin' Up! New Ink Pads in the search box.

******

Don't peel the whole label sticker off - save the other language and use parts of them to put on the inside of your stamp pad (I'll show you where) so if you have two ink pads open (which you shouldn't!) that look similar, you can look at the inside color label to distinguish them.  And you can punch circles out with a 1/4" circle punch and adhere those to the end of your reinkers with a mini glue dot to help identify the reinker colors.



Thursday, June 7, 2012

Dining Room - CLEAN!

Just wanted to share - my stampin' friends don't ever see this room this way!  The dining room and the table in there do get straightened up sometime!   The picture is proof! (Taken January 2012!)





March 2012 Birthday Stamp-A-Stack

March 24, 2012
Stamp-A-Stack is where we make several cards of several designs.  On this day, we made 3 cards each of 5 designs for $20.  Then also two bonus designs - 3 each of those two designs also.

All images and supplies Stampin' Up!

Black and Soft Suede Happy Birthday
CASED from (will edit as to who from)



Button, Button Birthday Card
CASED from (will edit later as to who from)
"Birthday Wishes" stamp is from Occasional Quotes



Jolly Bingo Bits Birthday Present Card
CASED (will edit later as to who from)



Island Indigo DSP Birthday Card
CASED (will edit later as to who from)



Regal Rose Lattice and Fine Flourish Birthday Card
CASED (will edit later as to who from)



Everyday Enchantment DSP Birthday Card
CASED (will edit later as to who from)


Well Worn DSP
CASED (will edit later as to who from)



Stamped envelopes to coordinate with several of the cards


June Stamp Club

June 2 and 4, 2012

Valita’s Fresh Fold Card
Card Cased from Kathy Rau from
Stampin’ Connection 1/30/12
See Valita’s Fresh Folds
http://www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com/




Bright Blossoms Graphic Print “Out of the Box” card
CASED from Linda Heller at
http://www.stampingschool.com/





Easy Events Birthday Card (wedding stamp)
CASED from Anne Marques – posted in Stampin Connection May 8, 2012

Inside of above Easy Events Card
This is the new Oval Accent Bigz Clear die




Word Play JOY Christmas Card

CASED from Debra Currier
http://www.artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com

Linda's Workshop

May 14, 2012

Cards CASED.  Appear in earlier posts except for bottom right.   This card from Janet Wakeland.
Card upper right was done at Michelle Rahal's in Savannah.

May Stamp Club

Shoebox Swap
May 5 and 7, 2012

What fun we had with the shoebox swap!



"Eddie's" card


Jane's card - Peek-a-boo parts closed
Jane's Card - peek-a-boo parts open

Karen's Card


Lawanda's Card


Nancy's Petite Purse


Nora's Card


Pat's Card
(the piece on the top left is not part of the card - it is directions on how to attached the "candles"


Renea's Card


Susan's Card
(Choice of whether to make horizontal or vertical)


Wendy's Card #1 - large size card
The leaf is made with Fun Foam - small piece of Fun Foam heated until soft, stamped, and then cut out.


Wendy's Card #2 (Wendy brought a guest, so she made a shoebox for her guest)


Helen's Card
CASED (will edit later as to from whom)