TCP Tuesday!

TCP Tuesday! It's that time again!

Head on over to Katie's Blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's Color Challenge. Check out her yummy cards and go and make something.

Want some even more inspiration? Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.

4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.

5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES17 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Monday

CHA Chicago!

Here I am in beautiful Chicago! It's 90 degrees here and I'm loving it. I'm so excited to be here. I'm walking the show this time and I've brought my camera, so I hope to bring you lots of pictures when I get back.

After a long flight from SF, I made it to O'Hare. And after a long walk I made it to the Shuttle Center where I was told to enter Door Number 1 (Let's MAKE a DEAL!) and voila a shuttle.

I got to the hotel and met up with some really nice guys who happened to be from Prima and we got to chatting about basketball. Love it. Love the Lakers.

Then Kim, the MFT lady, and Jamie came by. Said goodbye to the Prima guys and hello to Laura Canale, Deborah Anton, Carolyn King, and Michelle Giraud. (Trying hard to call them by their real names and not their screen names) Saw Diana Crick and Ellen Hutson from afar.

Then at dinner we hooked up with Carole Burrage and Lisa Johnson. Good times.

Still on the lookout for Emily and Nicky. Oh where, oh where can they be?

TCP Tuesday!

It's that time again!

Head on over to Jen's Blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's Inspiration challenge. Check out the inspiration and go and make something.

Want some even more inspiration? Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.

4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.

5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES16 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Monday!

Ferrety

Many of you may know that I just love ferrets. Even though they can be a little stinky, they certainly make up for it in intelligence and the ability to make me laugh.

My own beloved, Punky, passed away several years ago and since then I've been wanting ferret love. Because California stubbornly resists allowing ferrets into the state, I've been getting my ferret fix through the National Zoo ferret cam.

Lately, the ferret on the webcam, Georgia, had a little baby ferret, aka a kit. And I've been watching it grow and it has finally grown out of the "wormy" phase and has actually started getting its markings. Take a look.

TCP Tuesday!

Head on over to Leigh's blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's sketch challenge. Check out the sketch and go and make something.

Want some inspiration. Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES15 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Monday!

Okay. So I'm early.

Swanky Stamper

Congratulations to Linda Nicholson, our Swanky Stamper of the Month! She delighted us all this wonderful card she designed for the Color Challenge.

As the reigning Swanky Stamper of the Month she wins $25 in Cat's Cash! We've added more goodies to the What's New section, so there'll be more to choose from.

Don't you want to be the next Swanky Stamper? You can only win if you play.

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Head on over to Katie's blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's challenge. She's got a fun Stamp challenge for you.

Want some inspiration. Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES14 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

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And while you are at it, mosey on over to The Cat's Pajamas and check out the Project of the Month. It's a super cute Wampum Holder that Leigh featured on her blog. Now she tells you How. Read it on the website then download a copy. Then make one for yourself. And don't forget to show us what you made.

Holey Moley Monday

Holey Moley it's Monday. AND it's the last day of the month, which means the newly crowned Swanky Stamper of the Month will be revealed. Will it be you? You can only win if you play. Take a look at these contestants.

Design Team

There has been a really interesting thread going on over at Splitcoast Stampers.

The original poster writes: "I would love to be on a design team. I don't think I'm necessarily at that level, but I also sometimes feel like if I could spend copious amounts of money on anything I needed, then maybe I could be...I guess I just wish that a company would see my stuff and be like, wow, she does really good for not spending much money and not owning every copic marker and prima and ribbon and latest stamps and paper and embellies known to man."

There have been some really great answers posted and a couple by Gina K and Kim.
So I thought I'd put my two cents in.

First, you do not need to have every embellishment and die and marker known to man.
In fact, I would prefer that you didn't. What is most important for me when I look at design, is the design. Does it Wow me? Do you make the stamp sing? Is there joy in the design?

Secondly, I look to see how you use my stamps.
Yes. I look to see if you use my stamps. Any stamp company owner will tell you that they think their designs are unique. Flatter us. We want to see how you use the stamps and how the designs work with how we market the brand. We want to see that you like using our stamps. If you are chosen to be on the team we make no small investment with you with stamps and product and goodies, and the like. If you can't afford stamps, visit the PIF and Wish Rak areas of SCS and see if anyone will trade images with you for TCP images without having to buy tons of them.

Thirdly, take good pictures and post them somewhere.
In a gallery, on your blog. Somewhere we can look at them. And if you get chosen for my team, I use these photos in the gallery on the website. So taking good pictures is important.

Fourth, make contact.
Because TCP is such a small company I don't the time that I'd like to look for the perfect new member. So I take recommendations, look at designers who play on TCP Tuesdays, and drop me emails. If I don't know you are there, it's hard for me to find you.

Fifth. Wait.
TCP has a very select, small group of Design Team Members. Several have been with us almost since the beginning. When one team member leaves, I look for another. I look through all the links and emails that have been accumulating in my design team files and see what everyone has been doing. There have been a couple of outstanding members who, I'm sure, were a little surprised to get an email from me letting them know there was a spot opening up a year after they emailed me.

I hope this helps for anyone who is interested in being on the TCP DT.

Sorry. There aren't any positions open, but let me know you are there.

P.S. If you email me that you'd like to be on the design team you can bet I will make a beeline to your blog or gallery and see how many TCP cards you've done or if we are even in your "Favorite companies" list. You'd be amazed how many times that I am approached and the designer hasn't posted any cards or even mentioned TCP at all.

It is more important for me to have a person on my design team that likes my designs than it is to have a big name, though I do have the best of both worlds. Once you become a DT member, you become one of the TCP family. We value your opinions, ask your advice, look to you for creative vision. I don't want someone on the team who is just "making the rounds" .

I have a great friend who has a DT and she mentioned to me once when discussing adding members to it, that she would only take on members who absolutely loved her stamps and stamped the heck out of them. I think that's great thinking.

TCP Tuesdays

It's TCP Tuesday and Leigh is today's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess with swanky new color challenge!

Some of our super talented design team members have already posted their work. Hope you'll play along this week.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE, (in the comment section).
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES13 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Mondays!

Take a look at all the great entries for last Tuesday's Challenge. Hipster Hostess with the Mostess, Carole, took her inspiration from a great big bow she saw at a Chi-Chi hotel.

Tomorrow Leigh will be taking the reins from Toni for the week and doing the color challenge.

This month Michelle Giraud was crowned the June Swanky Stamper with her oh-so-fantastic Mod Baby Card. Will you be the next? You can only win if you play. Remember, you don't have to play every time. Just do one challenge and you could be the winner.

TCP Tuesdays

It's TCP Tuesday!

There has been a little technical difficultly as far as the blogs are concerned. So if you've been chomping at the bit to see what is in store for you, wait no longer.

Today's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess is Carole and she has got some kinda inspiring challenge for you.

Remember, if you play, post a link here to the photo of your work of art by Saturday. If you post to Splitcoast make sure you use the keyword TCPTues12 so that we can find it. Then, come back here on Monday to see your lovely piece and see what others were inspired to do.

Have Fun!

Holey Moley Mondays!

Our Hipster Hostess with the Mostess was Leigh and she had a great sketch! Here are all the entries who played last week.

Carole gets Dirty

Congratulations Carole, for being one of the latest addition to the Dirty Dozen on Splitcoast Stampers.

Carole joins the esteemed ranks of this exclusive group that includes our own Jen del Muro and Leigh O’Brien.

It must have been her keen sense of color and humor that caught Splitcoast's eye. I know it was these traits that caught mine. Check out this cute card she sent to me. I love the masterful use of pattern. Just awesome.

I am just jumping for joy here. Please join me in my jumping. Congrats Carole!

Sharing

I'm just getting ready to dump...er um...bring all my receipts to the bookeeper, so I just thought I'd post this really cute card that Jen did and gave me at the Arlington Shoebox Swap.

If this card doesn't want to make you jump in the pool, I don't know what will.

I never have gotten into the whole dewdrops/baubles thing. But when I saw these and actually got to use them I had to go out and buy me a bunch. And then Tracy presented me with a whole boxload. I love to be up on the latest craze.

TCP Tuesdays

OMG! I almost forgot it's TCP Tuesday! I've been in a bubble these last 2 weeks.

Between filling orders and drawing up the new designs for the Holidays, I've been getting all my reciepts and the like ready for the bookkeeper. Over 10 lbs of paperwork so far this year. Sheesh!

Now for the fun stuff.

Head on over to Leigh's blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's challenge. She's got a fun sketch as the challenge. Check out her rockin' card. I just love how she used WRAPPING paper for the paper underneath.

This month Michelle Giraud was crowned the June Swanky Stamper with her oh-so-fantastic Mod Baby Card. Will you be the next? You can only win if you play.

Want some inspiration. Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES11 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Mondays!

TCP Tuesdays

It's TCP Tuesday!

Head on over to Katie's blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's challenge.

This month Michelle Giraud was crowned the June Swanky Stamper with her oh-so-fantastic Mod Baby Card. Will you be the next? You can only win if you play.

Want some inspiration. Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

PS. Notice the super cute TCP Tuesday logo. It was done by the multi-talented Leigh. We are so lucky to have her on the TCP DT.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES10 for this challenge.
8. Alma (that's me) will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Mondays!

Last week's TCP Tuesday players totally outdid themselves. Check it out!

You can play too! Tomorrow check out Katie. She is this week's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess and she will have a brand-spanking new challenge for you.

Swanky Stamper of the Month

Congratulations Michelle Giraud! She is the newest Swanky Stamper for the Month of June!
She won with this really cute Mod Baby Card that she submitted for Toni's blue color challenge! I just love the use of the embellishments and her paper choice.

Michelle not only wins bragging rights for being the June Swanky Stamper of the Month
but she wins $25 in Cat's Cash. That's right. $25 in merchandise from the Cat's Pajamas website.

Will you be the next Swanky Stamper?

Orphan works bill

Did you know that there is a bill coming to the floor of the House and Senate that makes it legal for anyone to steal from you even if you copyright your work. Yup, that is right. They were shot down once before because of action against it --- but now they are back as bill numbers H.R. 5889 The Orphan Works Act of 2008 and S 2913 The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008

The bills, permit and even encourages, wide-scale infringements of visual art while depriving creators of protections currently available under the Copyright Act. And anything on the internet is fair game.

Any image found anywhere without a copyright attached will essentially become part of the public domain. And for people like me or other artists who make our living through our hands, it would be our death and the end of companies like ours.

So if you've posted cards and projects, even photos of your family and children, these can legally be "stolen" from the web and used any way the "thief" wants to. Imagine turning on the TV and seeing a picture of your mother in a laxative commercial. Or your son and daughter in a condom ad in a magazine. Or your card in an cold medicine ad.

Won't you tell your Representatives that you don't want this? Please. It just takes a moment, and this site makes it really easy. Just choose what email you want to send. You don't even have to know have to know who your reps are. Please click here.

Our only power is in our numbers.

Please pass this on to any one you know. Please, please help.

TCP Tuesdays

It's TCP Tuesday!

Head on over to Toni's blog today. She is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess for this week's challenge.

It's the last challenge for this month that will put you in the running to be the Swanky Stamper of the Month.

Last month Therese B. was crown the very first Swanky Stamper with a wonderful mini coaster clipboard card. Will you be the next? You can only win if you play.

Want some inspiration. Check out the DT members to the left throughout the day to see their great cards.

Here are the deets. (Lifted from Ana's page.)
1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project HERE.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. {Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp}
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES09 for this challenge.
8. Alma will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

Holey Moley Mondays!

Oh ho, ho, ho! I am loving last week's challenge. If you missed that episode, it was a doozie. Let's recap. Carole (Hipster Hostess with the Mostess) set down one challenging challenge: Design a card inspired by a sitcom. It was a tough one, but a few fiddled the dials and made it happen. And boy, the results kept me glued to my chair. They made me laugh, they made me cry. They all wowed me with their cards. They all deserve an Emmy.

Check it tomorrow, same Bat time, same Bat channel, for the next challenge.

And make sure you check out Karrie's blog and enter for some yummy blog candy. But you better hurry, you only have until Tuesday 7 pm to enter.

If it's Tuesday, it must be a TCP Tuesday.

This Tuesday, Carole is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess, and boy does she have a fun challenge for you. And her card is so clever. When I saw it I made Anthony get up and check it out. He started walking toward my brand spanking humungo screen (24" of Apple goodness). He started to say "Is it going to be really apparen... Oh!" And a smile broke out on his face. I love it when that happens.

So head on over to Carole's blog and check it out. I know you'll want to play. And while you are at it check the rest of the Design Team's blogs listed on the left side throughout the day. They just might have something that will cause a smile to break out on your face.

And if you want to play along, just post a link to your card in the comments section of Carole's challenge. If you post to SCS, make sure you use the keywords TCPTues08 so that we can all admire your work come Monday.

Holey Moley Mondays!

We had some really great cards this week! What? You aren't in there? C'mon and play along. This TCP Tuesday Carole is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess. And boy, if her challenge doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will. Play along and I can guarantee you'll be up on the big screen next Monday.

Here we go! go!

Woo! Hoo! The Lakers won last night's game and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Who would have thought that would have happened after they started rebuilding at the start of the season.

Check out this super cool animation that a Jazz Fan did to make us Lakers fans mad. It's from the Zoolander movie. Ha! Thank you!

Last weekend I got a new computer! I didn't really need it. I mean, the old computer was perfectly fine. I had it for 9 years and it showed no signs of slowing down. The reason I got it was because I had a low speed WI-Fi card and it was slowing down the internet speed for the whole house.

I got the 24" iMac and boy is it pretty. This was the first iMac I had ever got (having had only 2 computers in 20 years, my Power PC and my G4) and boy was it easy to set up. Literally, out of the box, plug in and it worked.

And then my Sweetie, Anthony, transferred over all my files. (Everyone should have a sweetie) Here is a shot of my new computer and what I am working on. The pink sticky lists the new clear sets that TCP will soon come out with. And on the screen somewhere is what I've been working on for Christmas. It's always hard working on Christmas when the temperature is nudging 90 degrees.

Finally a Blog

My eyes are not deceiving me. American Art Stamp FINALLY has a blog. One of my all-time favorite designers Michelle Giraud is the Design Team Coordinater and has put together this great blog for the brand-spanking new American Art Stamp Design Team.

And this team is full of talent. Amy Rohl, Cindy Haffner, Janine Orchard and Kirsten Dubosque make up this superstar team. Go check out the blog. They are doing some great work over there.

Holey Moley Mondays!

Holey Moley it's Monday! Take a look at all the great cards that were done for last week's TCP Tuesday.

Tomorrow there's a new challenge. Leigh is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostest. What challenge will she give you?

And remember to come back Monday, same Cat Time, same Cat Channel to see what all the players came up with.

What a Slug I've been

Yes. A complete and utter slug as far as posting is concerned. Y'all are keeping me busy (thank you). I am running around filling orders left and right. We are still a little behind, but we are catching up.

So for those loyal blog readers, I'm sharing another wonderful card from Tracy Falco. She doesn't have a blog, so she kindly said I could post her cards on my blog. The rocket ship and the asterisks are from our new set "It's a Mod, Mod World" and the sentiment is actually on one line, but she stamped it on 2 lines so that it would fit nicely in the tag.

I just love the black and white and red colors in this card. Did you notice the clever use of shredded paper on the rocket ship? Love it!

Time to play! This week Katie is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess.

She's hosting a stamp challenge with one of her favorite stamps. Do you have that stamp? I hope you'll play along if you do.

And if you are looking for inspiration, check out some of the other Design Team member's blogs on the right side throughout the day.

Remember to leave a link to your design in Katie's blog. And if you post on SCS use the keywords TCPTues06 so we can find you and drool over your creation.

Have FUN!