In the Works...

Gobble...Gobble...

At first glance, this card may seem a little after the fact, but if you read on, you'll see why I chose it...

I hope all of you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving.  For me, Thanksgiving 2007 was one of the only times in all my adult life I did not have to assume the roles of resident chef and hostess... and with all the plates I've been spinning since September, this in itself was a HUGE, unexpected blessing -- True evidence of God's loving-kindness.  I did contribute my "bake it only once a year, bazillion calories" chocolate cream pie, but other than that, I had the chance to rest, relax, enjoy, and truly contemplate my "thank you list."

Now, never having experienced a "just show up and eat" Thanksgiving before, the boys (which includes hubby) and I didn't realize until the next day there happens to be a bit of a downside....namely, no leftovers. 

Believe me, as Friday lunch rolled around, and everyone was anticipating those hot turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce and a side salad, I found myself at a complete loss... "Sorry, guys..."

Then little by little the full realization began to hit -- Also no turkey hash, no turkey soup, no turkey pie, etc. -- the entire, week after Thanksgiving traditional menu wouldn't exist!  Talk about a rude awakening!  I don't know who was more disappointed, the boys, or the cook (her week of easy fix meals wasn't going to be there...).

Skip to later in the day on Friday... Eli and I were picking up a few essentials at the grocery store when my eye caught a sign on the meat counter -- "39 cents/pound -- While They Last."  Guess what it was for??? FRESH TURKEYS!!!  Oh, joy!  But I had only grabbed a hand basket, so I enlisted Eli to run back and get a cart, "...and HURRY!"

I proceeded to snag three lovely gobblers for less than $6.00 each, then zoom around the store adding all the fixings -- celery, fresh cranberries, potatoes, frozen peas (had to - anticipation had erased my memory as to whether or not I had any at home, and all I could do was salivate...). 

Of course, two of the birds are now sitting in the freezer, but the third made its way to the oven on Saturday morning, and at noon Eli, Mark and I were able to celebrate an after Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving meal.  A lot of fun... a happy memory... and hmmmm, maybe even a new tradition.

The best part?  Lots and lots of leftovers ahead... What a blessing!  Once again, evidence of God's loving-kindness.  How can I do less than give thanks continually?!?

smART rubber used on card: the BOX, and I&O Fall Sm.
Image stamped in black, clear embossed, and colored with markers.
Embellished with burnished copper brads.

My Turn As Hostess

Well, it's Tea Party time again, and this week I'm the hostess.  As an invitation, I sent each of the Cookies this sketch:

Since the "Text" box is supposed to be primarily for text, the real challenge comes in finding a way to include the stamped image or images... I might add that the brick pattern, ugly as it is, denotes the use of any print paper...

I actually had four cards in progress, but only managed to complete two of them:

Techniques/supplies used on both cards were pretty basic... Ink, heat embossing, layering, a corner rounding punch, brads, a little glitter glue, and some dimensional glaze...

smART rubber used:
Card #1
WD-43 Life's Donation
FL-09 Darling Duo
Card #2
ABC-Dog Daze
WD-163 Woof

If you'd like to see some other ideas using this sketch, make sure to visit the Cookies -- Dina Kowal, Trish D'Antonio, Donna Duquette, Heidi Kingery, and Susan Liles.

Or, if you, yourself happen to have an urge for tea, just give the sketch a go, and send me a link.  The Cookies and I would love to see what you've created.

Lovey & Dovey

If you've visited the smART website this month, then you know one of the specials is called the "Lovey & Dovey 12 Years of Bliss" Special (12% off all order subtotals) in honor of Mark's and my twelfth year wedding anniversary.

Well, today was officially "the big day." 

I awoke to a humorous anniversary card (not the usual genre, but the scenario and wording fit us so perfectly, the card was indeed, "perfect"), and a dozen roses set in a mason jar at my place on the kitchen table.

Now, I'm not exactly the fall apart, completely undone over receiving flowers type of gal, but I always appreciate that Markie Poo never forgets, and that He always finds some way to "surprise" me... But here's the best part --
 
No matter how many roses there are, the colors remain a majority of red for love, with a single yellow for friendship.

This is very important because ours was a real "When Harry Met Sally" type deal... We were best friends for several years, when all of a sudden, "BAM!" We each realized we'd met the person we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with... No other one would do.

Wedding bells rang a mere one month later... 'cause after all, "When you finally meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible..."

Now, after a dozen married years, we're still so happy and content to be working on the rest of our lives.  We thank God for the events, good and bad, that brought us together as friends, and also thank Him for finally using His 2 x 4 of circumstance to make us see what was truly meant to be... Lovey & Dovey now and for always.      

Concerning Postage - Part 2 - Shipping Charges

Many customers  worry about shipping costs which is understandable.  I say "understandable" because when I'm on the ordering end of things, so do I. 

At smARTworks our basic shipping policies are outlined on the official website, but I realize I have never taken the time to explain the details of assigning these charges...

smARTworks has an "exact postage" policy, meaning to the best of our abilities a customer's shipping costs mirror exactly what it costs us to mail their order.

To compute the shipping we use an official postal scale and the chart mentioned in the final note of Concerning Postage - Part 1

Here's how we do it:

• Assemble a given order.
• Determine the most appropriate packaging materials.
• Weigh order & packaging together.
    -- 13 oz. or more - Priority Mail
    -- Under 13 oz. refer to First Class chart.
• At designated weight, does order qualify for Letter/Card, Large Envelope, or Package rate?
• Charge customer accordingly.

Of course, as with all things, one finds sticky wickets:  Sometimes we call it an "envelope," and the postal clerk considers it a "package" ~ouch!  smARTworks eats the difference...

Sometimes we call it a "package," and the postal clerk says, "Envelope."  ~groan...   An overcharged customer -- usually not more than forty cents, but certainly not our intent...

There are even the times when different postal clerks make different calls on exact pieces of mail...  As you see, the element of human subjectivity makes a perfect solution impossible.

Personally, I think this may be why many stamp companies have adopted flat shipping rates.  Of course, there are other factors - cost of packaging, ease of mailing, less time to process, etc., but basically, "flat rate" is easily understood, and overcharges are unlikely. 

smARTworks, however, can't justify charging the person who wants one item the same amount in shipping as someone ordering twenty things... It makes us uncomfortable, and in our eyes, discriminates against "the little guy." ~And, boy! Do we know what that feels like!!!

Now that our policy, process, and philosophy have been shared, here are a few additional FYI tidbits about our shipping:

Except for custom block orders, we generally ship within 24-48 hours of receipt of payment.

Any "free" item included in a smART order is added after the shipping has been calculated. (Come on, making someone pay the shipping on a freebie is, well, kind of tacky...)

As implied in the Concerning Postage - Part 1 post, "flat" is generally cheaper.  That's why a customer might find the packages in a "stamps only" order taped together -- Doing so keeps the packages from shifting and "bunching up," so costs less to send... The tape strips peel right off without damaging the packaging... they only look a little strange.

Well, there you have it, a glimpse into the world of smART shipping.  Hope it answers your questions, and puts some of those worries to rest... When you shop with us, we promise to work really hard at keeping your shipping as inexpensive, and as "exact" as possible.

Liz's Teapot

Almost every image smARTworks carries has a story behind it. 

This is the story of Liz's Teapot:

At least two years ago, my dear stamping buddy, Elizabeth Trachtenberg, placed a "no pressure" stamp request for a plain, simple teapot.  A huge tea fan, Liz went on to explain exactly what she had in mind...

Seems all the rubber teapots on the market were just a bit too fancy, and more "special occasion" than for common, everyday fare... Liz wanted something she could decorate, dress up, and embellish in any way the whimsy took her...

Believe it of not, I got right on it, but for whatever reason,  just couldn't get it right.  Hubby and I would work awhile, shelve it for a few weeks or even months, and try again...

Then last March,  when smARTworks purchased the rubber stamp manufacturing rights to a slug of Angi-B & Company images, quite a few "tea things" were included.  An assortment of tea sayings were added, and come May, we released among others, a "Tea Theme."  None of the "pots", however, were what Elizabeth had requested, and I knew it, so as happy as I was with the release, I was still a tad disappointed.

I have to add that after Liz made her initial request, she never asked again, and I never mentioned it... I'm sure she figured I had forgotten all about it, or wasn't really interested in her idea.  Not the case at all.  The whole thing was very important to me... and I never forgot it (or gave up), not even for a moment...

Then, when Liz became really ill over the summer, I became desperately determined...  I just knew if something happened to Liz before I filled her request, I'd never forgive myself, and would carry the regret to my grave.  In fact, there was a point where I literally begged the Lord to help me get this done...

Sure enough, almost as soon as I put it in His hands, everything worked out, and Liz's Teapot "appeared." 

Of course, once I had the teapot image all set and ready to roll, I still had to wait to rubberize it until an entire release was ready... I was bursting to tell, but I didn't.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth started feeling better again, so when I finally could unveil the existence of her "little teapot, short and stout," and present her with the actual stamp set, she was not only completely surprised, but able and excited to start using it...   

Here is the card I received in the mail on Friday:

Up close and personal what one sees is white embossing on decorative print paper... Very pleasing to the eye.

Seeing Liz's creation "fills me to the brim with happy thoughts," and causes my heart to overflow with thankfulness to the Lord.  He was so good to both Liz, and me. 

Notes: 
-- Liz's Teapot includes a couple other images and a saying -- You can view the entire set here
--The saying used on Liz's card is from WD-179 Brimming

Concerning Postage - Part 1 - Card Protection Tip

As you know, earlier this year, the USPS increased their rates and revamped their guidelines/regulations.  All the changes have been met with lots of questions... lots of confusion... and a fair amount of unhappiness.

For instance, in addition to actual weight, "bumpy, lumpy, thick (1/4" or greater), rigid, or square," now cost extra...

Why?

Answer #1  Because of the need to have envelopes zip through the automated machines -- bumpy, lumpy, thick, rigid, and square clog up those machines -- slowing down the process and requiring manpower intervention.  Since "time is money," the USPS is really just passing on the added cost. They actually call it a "non-machinable surcharge." BTW, requesting hand-canceling does not eliminate the problem because chances are a hand-canceled envelope will still be run through a sorting machine.

Answer #2 (as explained by my ever-patient postal person, Jerry)   Envelope rates are meant for just that -- FLAT envelopes... For years people have been putting package-worthy material into envelopes, and expecting envelope rates, so now, the USPS has defined a package by its qualities -- "bumpy, lumpy, thick, non-rectangular," etc. so even if it's in an envelope, the piece is assigned the package rate...

Okay, understanding the underlying reasoning helps, but I still resent paying "extra" just because I love brads, eyelets, charms, rhinestones, bows, and dimension.  After all, regardless of the "bump," it's a card, NOT a package!

Having worked on getting a handle on all the new considerations since May, I've maintained there just has to be a win-win situation out there... streamlined for the USPS, and inexpensive for me...

I used to cut a card-size piece of bubble wrap to protect my card front, but with the new regs, that makes the envelope too thick, so I stopped.

For a while, I tried inserting a simple piece of cardstock.  I wasn't 100% happy with this mode of protection because it still felt pretty "bumpy" to me, but envies weighing up to 1 ounce made it into the postal system on 41 cents...

Then I received a card utilizing the same "cardstock" protective method... Sadly, it arrived torn (a brad had gone right through the cardstock and the envelope).  Obviously, cardstock alone doesn't fair so well in the machines... Time for another idea... BTW, I've also had a card someone cleverly turned inside out, "tear through" (it is, after all the same concept).

Now, my new, so-far-so-good way to protect dimensional cards w/out clogging machines, or adding extra postage is with a card-sized piece of cereal/cracker box weight chipboard --

Here's why it works:

• it's heavy enough to really smooth out the "bumps"
• it's relatively lightweight (a standard A-2, 4.25" x 5.5" piece adds only 0.2 oz. to the weight of the envie)
• it's flexible enough to pass the "rigid" test

Additionally, it's one way to recycle those boxes and be kind to the planet. ~clap, clap, clap

To date, I've used the cereal box insert method on dozens of cards with no trouble at the post office, and no damage to cards... I've even received an insert returned to me in a swap card's envie with the words, "Great Idea" written on it. Hence, my deciding to share the idea with you.

Note: Jerry, that ever patient postal clerk even took the time to locate and photocopy this informative sheet for me.  It's the easiest one to follow that I've seen.  

Tea Party #2

Today's tea party invite and sketch challenge comes from smART Cookie, Donna Duquette --

Looks pretty straight forward, but Donna decided to tack on an extra challenge: "Do something interesting with the background strips..."

"I must be clever..."  "I must be clever..."  "I must be clever..."  This became my mantra for the week. 

All the while, I planned, envisioned, and stamped a dozen or so cleverly fantabulous card creations in my head, but come this morning, the day of the "party," still nothing on paper!

Soooooo, I decided to scratch the "clever" plan, and just stamp up something fun:

I used ABC-Caroling Kitties from the new smART release, ABC-Winter Borders, and one of the holiday related sayings from Middie Messages #3

The vellum background strips were heat embossed with a powder called "Winter Ice."  (It used to be sold by Berry Patch Designs.)

The kitties were colored by way of markers, colored pencils, and paper piecing.

Glitter glue was added to the little spots on the print strip, and Dazzle Dust was used on the snow heap. 

The final touch -- three rhinestone snowflakes which I've had for years -- originally purchased, I think, from Oriental Trader.

BTW, I opted not to include the arch of musical notes above the kitties' heads because I decided the pair are actually trying to catch snowflakes in their mouths -- one of those "celebrate winter" things my kids and I have always done... 

If you want to see what the other Cookies did with this same sketch here's where you can check them out:  Dee's Studio, Mama Dini's Stamperia, Susiestampalot, Tah Dah, and Sweet Something. 

Sure hope none of them were more clever than I... ~wink, wink

A Little Recognition

Most of the time I just do my thing, and don't worry about getting recognized.  After all, working hard, conquering something new, or a job well done, each comes with its own rewards... a sense of satisfaction and happiness, personal and professional growth, and the smile of the Master.

Okay, I'll admit, however, there are times when I read about another stamp company receiving rave reviews, and I do feel a twinge of jealousy...  Many times it's when due to work, I've been unable to stamp, am extremely overtired, or see someone else able to afford "x, y, or z" for their company while I can only plug along and add on little by little...

Those are the times I have to talk with the Lord, let Him set me back on track as to why and for Whom I am doing what I do (see About Us), and review my journey (in three years, smARTworks has come a long way, Baby!).

Then there are also times when out of the blue, someone does notice, and tells the world -- Enter Donna Coffeen (GW's Mrs. C), and her blog Ruby Slippers: "Vendor Praise" post, and Four Sister card. ~blush, blush 

Just that little bit of recognition has been so uplifting!  Makes me want to be better... do better, and continue to share the joy of stamping...

Forget the false humility of "Awwww, you shouldn't have..."  No, indeed, what I want to say is, "Thank You" --

Thank you for taking a chance on spending your money at smARTworks, thank you for using smART rubber to make others happy, and thank you for noticing how hard I try.  In doing so you've touched my heart, blessed my life, and encouraged me to continue the journey.

The moral of this post:  Encourage someone today.  It may mean far more than you will ever know.

Awesome Friend Award

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail, then a phone call from a customer who wanted to purchase a couple of stamp sets, but have them sent to her friend who was scheduled for surgery.  She wanted it timed so the rubber would be waiting when her friend returned home from the hospital... I ask you, how thoughtful is that !?!

I was so impressed by this gal's kind, and generous deed that I tried to make the gift extra special by including a card which used images/words from the same stamp sets ordered...

As you can see, it's a card which incorporates little more than the basics -- stamp... color... cut out... punch... but I was still super pleased with the results.  Kept thinking how surprised and happy the recipient was going to be... and what an awesome friend she has...

smART rubber used:  Message Mouse & Mini Messages #1

BTW, creating in "square" format  normally costs an extra 17 cents to mail, but if you pop it in a package, or even a rectangular envelope, regular rates apply.

November's Here

Since my last post, things on the home front seemed to spin a little out of control - the first day of deer hunting, hubby's birthday, taxi cabbing for my parents, a couple of wholesale block orders, and of course the EOTM (end of the month) craziness I've mentioned before... In other words, I've been a busy girl...

Anywho, check out these November news flashes --

• Hot off the presses! A new release of smART rubber designs!!!  Several sets have been designed by smART Cookie leader, Dina Kowal.  You'll know their hers by the "DK" prefix in the item numbers.
• Both on-line and print catalogs have been updated.
• smARTworks now carries Fabriano Medioevalis SQUARE note cards/envelopes.
• November Specials are in effect from now through the 30th.

Here is the featured card for the month -- "Cardworks" can be noted at the official site, but it really boils down to paper tearing & layering, "Chalk Popping" with Versamark ink, and embossed vellum cut-outs.

I must tell you that stamping and posting this card have given me a few good chuckles... The saying, "Life is a journey we being each day," sums up exactly how I'm facing things right now, but every time I read it, my mind immediately adds, "and mine is like a whirlwind tour..."   Believe me, it's hysterical!

smART Rubber Used:  FL-26 Leaves #4, FL-28 Leaves #3, and WD-38 Begin, Live, Enjoy.