Another update!

Ok so I received shipping confirmation for the new stamps and they are scheduled to be delivered on the 31st. Yea! I will let you know as soon as they are available for purchase.

Stamp Update

I just was in contact with the company that manufacturers our stamps for us and they are already run and cut. That means they just need to be packaged up and then they will be on the way to us. Yippee! I should get a delivery date after they have shipped and I will update you then.

Another great recipe!

Pat Jaynes was the "hostess with the mostess" at the workshop this past Saturday and she made a wonderful dish that we all went crazy over especially when she told us how easy it was. I thought we would share it with you too.

Meatball recipe:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs meatballs (I use the 6 lb bag from Sam's, Original Meatballs)
1 can cream mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can beef broth, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
Using a whisk, mix the soups and sour cream together until smooth.
Put meatballs in crock pot and pour the mixture over the meatballs, Cover and cook on low until the meatballs are hot. I tripled the recipe above for the workshop, and it took about 3 - 3 1/2 hours or so for the meatballs to get hot. Then I turned them on "warm" and kept them on hold until serving.

Boil wide or medium noodles (I used no-yolk noodles), drain and serve meatballs over the noodles.

Tastefully Simple Carrot Cake
Combine in large bowl:Nana's Apple Cake Mix2 Cups grated Carrots8 oz. can crushed pineapple well drained2 eggs1/2 Cup raisins1/2 cup chopped WalnutsStir to blend. Spread in greased 8X8 baking pan or 10" deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min. Cool.Top with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING Makes 9 servings.

I doubled the recipe and put in 9 x 13 pan and it turned out great!!!

For info on ordering TS product, go to my website: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/pjaynes

Got Copics?

As you may remember I had posted an online tutorial on beginning coloring with Copic markers and had told you that we had on order 12 colors (to make a set) of the Ciao Copics and how excited I was to get them in and start selling them. Oh!.. and we were even going to make a card at the Saturday workshop using them.

Well all that was true, but I have to tell you that after the workshop on Saturday this is how many of the Copics we had left. Can you believe it?! I thought they would go over well but I was surprised at how well. The workshop guests all "nabbed" them up so I do not have any to sell through the online store at the moment...but you can bet your bloomers I will be ordering more! I will let you know when we get more in.

New Products!

Here are some great new products that I just added to the store from Bobunny;
Mango Luau Buttons & Bling - You can find these in the "Embellishments" section

Mango Luau Silk Flowers - You can find these in the "Embellishments" section

Mango Luau Dude - in the "Pattern Paper" section

Mango Luau Dot - in the "Pattern Paper" section

Mango Luau Babe - In the "Pattern Paper" section

Coffee Dot double sided pattern cardstock (matches the Mango Luau line) - In the "Pattern Paper" section 8.5x11 Kraft cardstock from Prism - In the "8.5x11 Cardstock" section

Here are some cards that I made the other day using these new products and our Stamping Studio Rubber Stamps;

Thoreau Quotes item #RS003

Oh Dear! item #RSSMB31Sing item #RSSMB41

Gift Giving Girl item #RSSMB34Cherry Blossom item #FOTM7

Cabbag Rose item #FOTM5 Accessorize item #RSSMB43

5th Sneak Peek!

Here is the final set in this new series of rubber stamps sets that will be available soon - Stacked Teacups. This is another design by Dionne and I can't wait to color these flowers, and I fell in love with the saying as well. You can stamp one of the sayings on the outside of the card and then the other inside... I think it is a saying I will use again and again.

I hope you like this newest series of images. I will keep you posted as to when they will be available. I know there is a lot of interest in the golf cart set especially!

August FOTM Now Available!

Here it is.... August's Flower Of The Month and it is a beauty. I have had a chance to play with it quite a bit and love how it looks colored and shaded. In fact we are using this stamp today at our workshop.

It is now available for purchase in the online store. Just go to http://www.thestampingstudio.com/ and click on "Store" and then scroll down to either "READY SET STAMPS" or "Rubber Stamps FOTM".

Here is a card that I made using the stamp.

Broccoli Salad

As I was cleaning off my desk preparing for the workshop tomorrow (boy was it a mess!) I found this great recipe from Erin Dibbling for Broccoli Salad that is fabulous. So I thought I would share it with you too... the cranberry raisins really make the dish!

Broccoli Salad
5 cups of broccoli florets cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup of chopped red onion
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheese
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup cranberry raisins (or regular raisins)

Dressing
1 cup Miracle whip (if you are from up north) or Dukes (if you are from the south!)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix dressing together. Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl then cover with dressing and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour and serve.

A Sweet Sneak Peek!

I thought you might like something sweet but sugar free today! Here is an adorable cupcake set for you from artist Dionne. I hope these get here quick cause I can't wait to stamp with them!

Tomorrow is our monthly Stamp Club Workshop and also we will debut the August FOTM that will be available for sale.

Sneak Peek from Dina

Here is a pretty fairy stamp from our artist friend Dina Pagli-Gerner and this little beauty's name is Bubbles. She is going to be so much fun to color in with our Copic markers! We have some other fairy images on the horizon from Dina as well... they seem to be very popular right now and I just love Dina's style.

Some other exciting news from artist friend Brooke Smith... she is going to start working on next years Flower Of The Month! That's right, Brooke has agreed to draw us up more of her wonderful flowers for next year and I am very happy about that. Brooke is also working on another new series of images for us that will debut monthly that we will be keeping secret for now. :)

Sneek Peek - You Suit Me!

Hey everyone,

I missed you! My family and I just got back from a family vacation in MA visiting my husbands Aunt and Uncle. They were great hosts and took us to Pilmouth Plantation and the Mayflower, Boston Science Museum (we took a ferry into the city!) and they even took us sailing on there 38 foot sail boat. We came home exhausted but very happy with our experiences.

I thought I would give you another Sneek Peek stamp set from our new artist Dionne. Isn't this wonderful... and another one to make projects for our men. I hope you like this as much as I do and you can check out Dionne's blog if you want to see more of her artwork. I added her blog to the list on the left of this page "blogging friends".

New Artist and New Stamps!

That is right... we have new stamps being manufactured as we speak! One adorable set by our artist Dina Gerner and then we have 4 new sets by a "new to us" artist Dionne. Here is a Sneak Peek stamp set below. I just love her style and the sets she had put together for us are unique and perfect for card making!

I will be on road until early next week, and when I get back I will "Sneek Peak Ya" some more! Please give me some feedback on these new images.

Tip for the day...

You learn a lot when you take an art class... and not just what the teacher has prepared for you. I really like to teach classes, but I really, really like to take classes as well and get inspired and see what other teachers are up to.

At the Copic Marker Certification class I sat next to Suzanne Milam while Sally Lynn taught this very informative class. Sally Lynn told us a great way to clean your hands off of the marker ink was to use Purell Hand Sanitizer. Who knew? She said it has alcohol in it that does the trick... then Suzanne turned to me and said that it is also great for cleaning your acrylic blocks. Really?! Now acrylic blocks are hard to clean especially if you use StazOn Jet Black a lot like I do. Well it does make sense that the Purell would work. I can't wait to try it... and that is the Tip For The Day.

I forgot....

I forgot to mention in the last posting that the project featured in the photograph has a Sneek Peak for the August Flower Of The Month! (I have mentioned to you before that I am really bad at keeping secrets right?!!)

July 25th Workshop

The July Stamp Club Workshop is on the 25th and here are the projects we are going to make. This is a FREE workshop and anyone can attend. It runs from 11:00 until 2:00 and lunch is included. Please call (706) 359-6387 or email me for more information melissa@thestampingstudio.com

Here is a card holder and two cute cards to go in it using the Spotlight technique. This is a fun and easy technique that you may have tried before but it always fun to revisit our old favorites. The card holder is a template I came up with myself. We will be using ink pads and blending pens to color with so bring your blending pens with you to the workshop.

We will also be creating this card from the Copic Marker Tutorial I posted this week. You will be able to try these great markers yourself and see how wonderful they blend. I have jazzed this card design up a bit with crystals for the workshop.

We would love to have you join us! In addition to your basic craft supplies including adhesive and scissors please bring with you your blending pen and Copic markers if you have them.

Website up!

We are back up and running... Yea! Thanks for your patience.

Website down....

Good morning,

We woke up to see that the website is down and also email, so if you can't get to the website, and your email to me won't go through, that is why. Please know that we are working on it and it should be up and running soon!

You can now sign up for Retreat!

***You can sign up and pay at the online store www.thestampingstudio.com in the section of the store "Workshops and Classes".

The Stamping Studio
2009 Annual Stamp Retreat

When? September 18th – 20th
Where? The Stamping Studio, Lincolnton Georgia (40 minutes north east of Augusta Ga)
Why? To retreat with like-minded stampers and have fun learning new things and make lot’s of projects and gets tons of ideas.
Who? You!… and 29 of your friends and other Stamping Studio Fans.
How much? $75.00 ($20.00 non-refundable) gets you Round Robin projects Saturday and Sunday (8 projects total!) as well as an Open House project, all of your meals and you can also take for Fee Classes if you would like.
What is happening?
Friday night – 5:00 Open House at the Studio which includes your dinner by “Husband” (Melissa’s Husband who is an awesome cook!) Unveiling of new stamp sets and opportunity to shop in the Studio and also a great Make-n-Take project.
Saturday – 4 wonderful Round Robin projects designed by Melissa Baldwin (Owner of The Stamping Studio) will be available all day to make at the Studio. 9:00am classes will begin at the old Hotel in Lincolnton GA (a 12 minute drive from The Stamping Studio).
Lunch will be at the Studio and more classes at the old Hotel and you can finish up your Round Robin projects or sit and work on your own personal projects at the Studio. Saturday night we will have a special dinner and you can also participate in the “Unders Swap”. Saturday evening your can stay as long as you like to work on projects.
Sunday - Starts with 4 more Round Robin projects, more classes will be available and of course lunch! The day ends Sunday afternoon.


Accommodations – We have some FREE accommodations on a first come first serve basis, if you don’t mind sharing a room, or bring an air mattress and sleep on the floor. The first people to sign up and pay will get first “dibs” on the free accommodations. There are also places in/near Lincolnton GA to stay;
*Savannah Lakes Resort (only 5 minute drive from The Stamping Studio) 1-800-544-8912
http://www.savannahlakesresort.com/accommodations.php
*Cullers Inn Lincolnton – (706) 359-6161 (12 minute drive from The Stamping Studio)
*Soap Creek Marina (cabins) (706) 359-4100 (5 minute drive from The Stamping Studio
http://soapcreekmarina.com/Cabins.aspx

What else? – If you are planning to attend with your girlfriends you can “hang” with them at the pool and fire-pit, and maybe get “Husband” to take you out on a leisurely pontoon boat ride on the lake. The Stamping Studio property is a lake property with wonderful views and relaxing atmosphere so don’t forget to pack your swimming suit! I doubt if you will have much time, especially if you will be taking classes, but you may want to bring your own personal projects to work on including scrapbooks.

What do I need to bring? – Please bring with you your basic crafting kit/supplies including scissors and adhesive. The Stamping Studio will not be supplying these two items. You will probably want to bring the crafting items you use most like a paper piercer, ruler, mini cutter, etc… If you are taking a class on Copics and you already have some, go ahead and bring those or any other supply you think you will need. Please mark all of the items you bring with you, with your name or initials. Things can get misplaced and we want to be able to return them to you.

What kind of clothes should I pack? – Defiantly casual! So shorts, Capri’s or whatever you feel most comfortable in is what you should bring. As stated before, bring your bathing suit. If you are a messy crafter you may want to bring your own apron.
OK!… sign me up!

Name;________________________________________________

Address;______________________________________________

Home phone______________________Cell__________________

Email address;__________________________________________


$75.00 covers all of your meals, Open house activities, 4 Round Robin projects Saturday, and 4 Round Robin projects Sunday. I understand that there is a $20.00 non-refundable fee if I have to cancel. You may not cancel after September 12th 2009.


Signature_________________________________________

I will be paying my registration by;

_____ check/money order

_____ Visa/MasterCard (please email or call in your cc information)


The Stamping Studio – Melissa Baldwin Owner
1022 Choctaw Drive
Lincolnton, GA 30817
(706) 359-6387
Cell (706) 401-6985
Melissa@TheStampingStudio.com
Blog; The StampingStudioBlog.BlogSpot.com (check here for retreat updates and when the classes will be available for sign-ups)

Crazy for Copics!

Hey everyone! I am so excited to share with you that I bit the Copic Bullet and ordered 12 fabulous colors of Copic markers for the store. As you may remember I took the Copic Marker Certification class this past weekend and really feel in love with these markers and what you can do with them and how wonderfully they blend out. I am giving you a short introduction to coloring with them below.


Before we get to that I wanted to share with you the colors that will come in the set we are going to sell and tell you the difference between the to most popular types of these markers. First is probably the most popular "Sketch" which has a brush and a chisel end, and the second, which we are going to start carrying, is the Ciao. The Ciao has a brush and chisel ends as well. What is the difference? Well really not much... first is the price, the Sketch marker is going to run you about $6.00 or so and the Ciao is going to run you about $4.00. They both have the same size brush and chisel tip (which can be replaced), but the Ciao is a smaller marker and was originally marketed for children. Also, the Ciao has fewer colors. Oh did I mention that both types of markers are refillable?... so that means it does not matter if your Ciao is a bit smaller and holds less ink, because it is refillable.


My suggestion is to start collecting the Ciaos and then when you have all of those colors, fill in with the Sketch. At least that is what I plan on doing! It is cheaper that way and these Ciao's are a great way to start on your Copic adventure without breaking the bank!

The set we are going to start selling is a 12 piece set that has 6 color combinations that we think are going to be perfect for coloring in our rubber stamping images. Here is what it will include;

Flesh tones - E00 Skin white
E02 Fruit Pink
Green tones - YG41 Pale Green
YG63 Pea Green
Red tones - R27 Cadmium Red
R22 Light Prawn
Yellow tones - Y11 Pale Yellow
Y21 Buttercup Yellow
Pink tones - RV21 Light Pink
RV23 Pure Pink
Purple tones - V12 Pale Lilac
V15 Mallow

This set has these 6 handpicked tones that will blend perfectly together so the guess work has been taken out of which colors to purchase. We are also going to carry the blender pen and accessories including replacement tips. These were ordered today and they should be here in about a week... I can't wait!

In the meantime look below for a beginning coloring Copic tutorial that should give you a good introduction to the markers and how beautiful they color.
We are going to use our new July Flower Of the Month image Cherry Blossom... I love this image!

You will need to use a dye based ink pad with these markers. An ink pad like the StazOn is a solvent based ink and will run with the alcohol in these markers.First color the flower with your lightest color which is R22. Use small circular motions but you don't have to worry about going all the way to the lines.
Now use the darker red color R27 to go around the edges and shade lines. Also you see that I did what they call the "feather/flick" method. Start on the edge of the flower and flick color to the middle of the flower. This will blend out beautifully in the next step.Take the original color R22 and blend the colors together. ***That is how these markers are different than dye (water) based markers. With a dye marker where you put the color that is where it stays... with the Copic alcohol based markers the lighter shade will blend with the darker shade.Now we are going to try and lighten up the inside of the flower a bit to give it more dimension. We are going to do that with what they call their Colorless Blender. Except they should not have called it a blender because it really does not do that... it really takes color and pushes it away.Here I used the blender in the middle to push away the color to make the middle look more translucent. You can do this until it looks good and these markers will "never" make your cardstock pill... never!!Here is my final flower.Want to see that again?! OK so you first have your lighter R22 color (this is the red tones in the set we are going to sell) all over the the flower and you outline with the darker R27.Now use your flick/feathering to add more color from the edge to the middle.

Now take the lighter R22 and blend in swirling motions.

Then take your blender and use circular motions in the middle of the flower to move the color away from the middle.

Here it is all colored.

Here it is in a simple card. When the image is colored in so beautifully you don't need a lot on the card to make it pretty!

I hope you liked this introduction to Copics and please email me if you have any questions melissa@thestampingstudio.com