Hostess Benefits and New Stamps

It's not yet posted on our interactive catalog, but you can see the full-sized stamp sets at the link above.
For orders placed through me of $30 or more, we have (15) brand new Gift with Purchase stamps to choose from, which I've shown here. Click on the images to enlarge the stamps.
If you host an online FunShop, you can earn hostess benefits, starting with just $100 in retail sales (or your own purchases). Choose one of the hostess sets labeled TA- as part of our generous hostess benefits. You also may choose a half-price item with each $100 in sales.
When your party sales reach $250, in addition to your level A benefits, you may also choose a level B stamp set (from the selection labeled TB-) and you may choose an addition half-price item.
For our complete hostess benefits, check out my website here.
If you've purchased $50 or more with me within the past six months, you should received a free hard copy of our full-color catalog within the next two weeks (I'm still waiting for my shipment to arrive). Otherwise, you can purchase a new catalog here.

June Stamp of the Month and Vintage Stamp of the Month

These two sets can be yours with any $30 purchase (before shipping and handling), only through June 30.

June's Stamp of the Month, Butterfly Boxes, is a whimsical set of 4. You can purchase this set for a limited time at a discount price of just $5.95. Be sure to check out The Angel Company's website for some samples on how to use this set. Click on the thumbnail images on the right to see more full-size sample cards and projects.

Our Vintage Stamp of the Month is the classic TAC Bear My Hugs stamp set of 7 for just $10.95. Stamp these cute little bears and have them "bear" your greetings for any occasion. Classic TAC lovers, your time has come!

When I checked today, these sets weren't yet posted on the TAC website. If you'd like to order these sets, email me with your order instead. You'll qualify for a free Gift with Purchase stamp as well when I place the order for you!

Discontinued stamps...

As you may know, we have a new catalog coming in July. With each new catalog, we retire some stamps to make way for new sets. Get these sets while you can--they won't be seen in the next catalog:

• T-2746 A God Thing
• T-2660 Abundance Is
• T-2333 All Season Skinnies
• T-2680 Animal Blocks
• T-2604 Autumn Smiles
• T-2265 Be
• T-2181 Be Authentic
• T-2656 Beach Fun
• T-2605 Beautiful Place
• T-2358 Birthday Buggies
• T-2321 Blossom Builders
• T-2515 Buggie Christmas
• T-2202 Calendar
• T-306 Chicken Scratch
• T-2573 Distressed Designs
• T-2124 Diva Dresses
• T-2619 Don't Bug Me
• T-2755 F is for Family
• T-441 Faith Hope Love
• T-2283 Fanciful Flowers
• T-2562 Fangtastic
• T-2650 Forget Not
• T-2623 Friendly Goblins
• T-2611 Friendly Note
• T-2791 Giggly Goblins
• T-2328 Hang Loose
• T-2728 Happy Celebration
• T-2713 Happy Holiday Squares
• T-2769 He Said She Said
• T-2406 Heart-itude
• T-2325 Hip Hardware
• T-2370 His Angels
• T-2794 Jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
• T-2704 License To Chill
• T-2560 Lily Pad Pond
• T-2375 Little Inspirations
• T-2615 Live Inspired
• T-2372 May Your Merry
• T-2548 Mini Sampler
• T-2334 More Season Skinnies
• T-2578 My Favorites
• T-2874 My Spiritual Journey
• T-2821 My Story
• T-2649 Needed Numbers
• T-2661 Nurture Your Soul
• T-2643 Old Friend
• T-2357 Pals
• T-2858 Party Notes
• T-2690 Party Time
• T-2683 Playful Paisley
• R-2027 Pretty Posies
• T-2540 Ragdolls
• T-2774 Remembrance
• T-2797 Retro Christmas
• T-2788 Retro Halloween
• T-2787 Retro Reindeer
• T-2789 Retro Treaters
• T-1232 Rub A Dub
• T-2353 Sassy Cats
• T-2712 Sentimental Boxes
• T-2152 So Girly Swirly
• T-2288 So Silly
• T-2639 Stipple Bet
• T-2221 Sweet Sayings
• T-2695 Swirly Seasons
• T-2327 The Buzz
• T-2800 The First Thanksgiving
• T-2618 The Only Thing
• T-2566 Tip Toe
• T-2602 Too Spooky
• T-2301 Truly Blessed
• T-2360 Wedding Wishes
• T-1205 Wishing You
• T-2569 Write It
• T-2823 You Are Mine
• T-2809 You're A Hoot
• T-1203 You're Invited

Also, please note that all the gift with purchase stamps will be retiring as well to make way for new items. And the hostess sets are usually moved into the general catalog to make room for new hostess sets.
Please note: This list is as complete as possible, though some sets may be added or removed at the company's discretion.

Big on Fun Promotion #2

We're on our second batch of limited edition Big on Fun sets!
From May 9 through June 16, 2008, when you spend $30 or more (before shipping and handling), you can purchase up to one of each of these limited edition miniature sets for just $2.95 per set. It's a great deal. And I adore the new Small Sentiments set--so sweet!
These sets are perfect additions to your stamp collection--you can use them for scrapbook page embellishments, tags or envelopes. Enjoy!
Click here for a full-size flyer.

How to deal with your photographs

When you're first getting started, it can be overwhelming to deal with your photographs. Fortunately, many people have gotten into digital photography now--using programs like iPhoto to store, sort and label your photos is a great way to stay organized. You print out just the best shots for your layouts. A word of advice: it's worth the investment to backup your photos regularly. Use a secondary disk drive--even if you just periodically make a copy of all your photos onto a CD--so you have a copy of them in case of a hard drive failure or a fire.
Most of us, though we may be living in a digital age, still have some prints. What do we do with them? If you're like me, I had a huge box (or two) of photos, in something close to chronological order--when the film was developed. It can be a daunting task to go through these prints and figure out what to do with them. Here are some tips:
Make a list of the albums you'd like to make, and make notes as to which photos to include and as to how you'd eventually like the pictures sorted. Here's a sample list:

• Baby David (birth - 2 years, chronological)
• Baby Kate (birth - 2 years, chronological)
• Wedding (professional and friendly photos, plus honeymoon)
• Christmas (by year)
• Personal Growth (high school, college, other artistic education years, chronological)
  
• Book of Us (milestones in our marriage relationship, chronological)
• Best Shots (artistic photos and favorites shots, no order)
  
• Family album (any other photos, chronological)

Start sorting! You'll need some temporary containers for this process. I use a two-step sorting technique:

1. Sort by the general album. Put every picture into an album pile. As you're sorting, it might become clear you need another album, so add another pile. As painful as it is, if you find a shot that is out of focus or blurry, throw it out. If you can't identify who or what it is (and you don't know anyone who can), throw it out. (Make a help-me pile, if you need to.)
2. Sort each album pile by its theme. Sort each album pile into three piles--to be scrapped, to be kept elsewhere, and to be tossed (in case you missed any the first time through). Store the extra photos in a box or an acid free photo album. When determining which photos to scrapbook, start considering the size of your album now--how many photos will easily fit on the page, how many shots of a particular occasion will you need, and which are the best shots to use. Sometimes, a memory can be enhanced when you use multiple shots of a particular event (see my July 2007 page).

If you're anxious to get started, you can go through this process box by box and start scrapping right away. However, you may find more photos of an event you've already scrapbooked in other boxes. If you find more than one, great: add another layout. Most albums will allow you to insert and rearrange pages. But you may just find a single photo. A great shot. Then what? So I recommend you do step one with all your photos, and step two with just your first project. Then start scrapping.
Just a few basics on photos: First, you should store your photos where you live--not too hot or too cold, not too wet or dry. Don't put them in your garage! Second, if it's your only copy, consider cropping carefully. Or, if you aren't the original photographer, do not crop the photograph. In my experience, it can be offensive to people to crop photos. Especially with older photographs, just leave them whole. Third, if it's a Polaroid, make a copy (preferably a digital copy) to use in your scrapbook and never cut the original. Fourth, acid content (and the lack thereof) is very important in scrapbooking. If an item is touching your photo, make sure it is acid-free, or it will fade your photos over time. Finally, if you print your photos, be aware that most printer inks fade faster than photographs do. You can buy printers that archival ink, but it wouldn't hurt to include a CD in the back of your finished scrapbook that includes digital copies of all the prints you used.
Hope this helps you--don't be too overwhelmed. If you hesitate to go through that big box of photos, start small with a theme-specific album that doesn't require that you collect all your photos in advance. Have a good time and make great art!

Shopping list for new scrappers

Are you tempted to get into scrapbooking, but are confused with what supplies you need? Are you on a limited budget or do you have limited storage space to add your supplies to your home? Are you a new scrapbooker who needs down-to-earth advice and a shopping list as to what you really need to start scrapping? This post is for you.
To get started, you will need photos. If you can print them, that's easiest: you can edit and crop them before printing, plus you can resize them to fit your needs. If you already have a box of photos handy, that's great, too. I'll do another entry on the what to do with your photos later.
When you're first starting, I recommend you start buying your supplies slowly. Here are the basics:

• adhesive (acid free, wet or dry--your choice)
• trimmer (or scissors)
• embellishments (acid free of your choice--my current favorites are coordinated paper packs, ribbon, Stickles glitter glue and spiral paper clips)
  
• scrapbook (such as a postbound album, mini album, matchbook kit, or chipboard album)
  

Choose coordinating products for the best results--for beginning and advanced scrappers alike, coordinated products take the guess-work out of matching for you. I also recommend that you buy the colors that you like best, even if you think these won't "match" your photos. You can always print your photos out black and white, and most people find it easiest to work with colors and prints that they like, rather than ones that are currently trendy. Shop for paper by color scheme (or theme, depending on your first project), and try to stay within that theme. Staying within the theme will help your projects flow more smoothly--from page to page.
Once you've been scrapbooking for a while, you'll find your style developing. Then, you can add embellishments and paper to match what you have, and you won't accumulate supplies you don't like and won't use.
You might want your first album to be a smaller size, at least 8x8 or 9x9 or even a smaller gift album. This size is much easier to complete. Many crafters find that completing a smaller project (for example a mini mother's day album, a year-in-review, or a Christmas wish-list album) encourages them to go on and tackle larger or open-ended projects (such as a baby book or wedding album). Keep in mind that you can have more than one project going at once--this will often free your creative space and spirit, so if you get tired of one project, you can work on another.

Meet your Match--Matchbook Kit

Meet your match with Matchbook Kits from TAC™! For a limited time, from May 9 through June 16, celebrate the end of our catalog year with a bang with this special promotion. For just $28.90, you will receive:

• Pemberley Bay™ Matchbook Kit
• Limited edition True Wealth stamp set (only available with this offer, set of 9 elegant scrapbooking stamp)
• Free Rockin' Roxie™ Matchbook Kit

You'll be able to create an entire album in a single evening--and it's so rewarding, we're throwing in two matchbooks for you to finish in one night!

We have matching ribbons (for Pemberley Bay™ and Rockin' Roxie™) and hardware (for Pemberley Bay™ and Rockin' Roxie™) available for these kits, if you desire, or you can use your own. Contact me if you need more info--and here is the direct link for purchasing.