Friday, September 28, 2012

Our Clear Art Stamp Stock Update

Hi Everyone,

Here is a list of what is sold out and also what is now low stock (less than 20) but some sadly are down to 8 or less.  The Shopatron Store has no inventory controls (how silly) and we have to remove items when  sold out (wish it could say Discontinued). If we only have a few sets they will be listed in our Etsy Store as it keeps track of inventory.
There is still large amounts of printed products and they are all on sale as well in our Shopatron and Etsy Store!

Sold Out Large Clear Art Stamp Sets
SL08 Vintage Christmas
SL 14 Flourishes
SL22 Thanksgiving
SL27 Party Cats

Low on Stock (less than 20) in Large Sets
SL04 Kitchen Classics
SL21 Garden Girls
SL26 Mermaids
SL30 Car Classics
SL43 Antique Trims
SL53 Mustache Men

Sold Out Medium Clear Art Stamp Sets
SM04 Rosy Wishes
SM11 Party Queen
SM17 Seaside
SM32 Poppy
SM40 Grand Greetings
SM44 Fairy Wishes

Low on Stock (less than 20) in Medium Sets
SM01 Bird Notes
SM45 Cutie Cats
SM46 Jolly Halloween

Sold Out Small Clear Art Stamp Sets
SS10 Serenity Prayer
SS14 Twinkle Stars
SS15 Material Girl
SS25 Keys To Life

Low on Stock (less than 20) in Small Sets
SS02 Journaling
SS05 Little Chef
SS11 Message in a Bottle
SS18 Christmas Mail
SS22 Queen Bee
SS24 See You Soon

 Here are 2 stamp sets we finished back in August but my stamp company moved their plant and service went downhill and these were never made. I've found a new stamp manufacture who is making drafts of these 2 sets.  Do you like them?


Coming Mid October Christmas Express is a 4 x 6" medium set with 14 separate stamps. Look at the cute tickets and mail art stamps. I love the way this set came together with so many fun designs!

Coming Mid October
Snow Globes is a 6 x 8" large set with 20 separate stamps you can mix and match the greetings with.  There is a ornament top so you can create hanging Christmas decorations and 2 ornamental bases to make snow globes.  You could stamp the bases in gold or emboss them and cut them out to fit on the snow globes  The word Christmas comes out of the center globe so you can add any image (hey, a photo would be cute). This set will be fun to use with faux snow, glitter, embossing, etc.


It breaks my heart to see some of our stamp sets sell out. 

The Good News:  Scott picked up our Halloween CD's today and they turned out amazing and look so good!

We are going to create some really fun theme kits with the extra stock

 The first digital sets to be released soon : Thanksgiving, Vintage Christmas,  Mustache Men and Material Girl.  There is also a gorgeous Sewing-Button Set with beautiful button cards in the works and a bunch more!

I also bought a new website template today with software that will automatically  send links for any digital downloads that will be stored on their secure server! Now my webmaster just needs to build it

Sandy

Visit Our Online Shopatron Store
Visit Our Etsy Store
 
Join Us on Facebook! Over 4300 fans!


This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
 
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

 
Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Vintage Halloween CD, Tips & Links, New Samples and Update!

Hi Everyone,





Feedblitz keeps giving me errors and didn't send this to subscribers so I'm trying again.  I think we have too many subscribers for the 'free version'

Our Halloween CD finally arrived and a bunch of orders were sent out Friday! The silk screened superior labels take longer than paper ones but it all turned out amazing!

We send our orders by priority mail and here's the link to the Halloween CD in our Shopatron Store. We've also been selling the Halloween designs in smaller groups in our Etsy Store with papers $7.99, or the 12 templates for $5.99.

Click on the covers to see them jumbo sized and you can also see the preview sheets and samples here in our Shopatron Store.  
If you are wondering why I increased the price(it's $17.99, CD 1, 2 & 3 are $15.99) by $2.00 it's because quality antique seasonal images and are far more costly than buying patterns to create papers, plus the altered witch ladies and children as well as the 12 templates took so much time to design - but they were so worth the effort and hours our graphic designer Cindy van Koll put into it!  Also, Liv from Country Liv's Cottage Art helped wrap things up when Cindy was on vacation and made samples sheets like this with the Templates.


I love all the Templates like the mini Popcorn box which has a funny poem on one side.        
I made cheesey popcorn for my niece and nephew and they loved having their own.


I've been learning Photoshop and helping and we currently working on several projects including an amazing Christmas CD that is making my heart sing!
  
Image Editing Programs
I've had so many people inquiring about the CD's who are new to digital and wondering if they will be able to 'figure it out'.  Yes - if you can open a jpg or png file you can use our CD’s to print the papers and designs for all sorts of projects!  See my list below.


If you have an image editing program you can also easily re-size, crop, color, add text and print our Halloween images and designs on a variety of mediums using several image software programs that are FREE.  Check your computer to see if you already have a built in program you can use such as Paint, Microsoft Office Picture Manager, Windows Photo Gallery and often  printers come with photo editing programs.

Here are Links to the Most Popular FREE Image Editing  Viewing Programs

www.gimp.org  for Windows or Mac

www.adobe.com    Adobe offers a free 30 day trial for Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and for Adobe Premiere Elements.  Both are for the fully functional programs and offer a perfect way to see if you like the software!  

ALSO:  All of our Creating with Vintage CD series have a tutorial by digital expert Patty Deboswski www.thedigitalscrapbookteacher.com who shows step by step how to build and create a layout with multiple layers using Photoshop Elements 10.

Designer Leader Vicki Chrisman was also a huge help whipping up many of the included samples and getting me hi res photos. You can see some more of the samples on Vicki's Blog. Vicki is also putting on a huge Fall Fair & Vintage Flea Market next weekend Oct 5 - 6 at her home in Nebraska with her art group, so if you live in the area you should stop by as it sounds so great I want to go!!!

DT Member Marilyn McIldoon and Darlene Pavlick also made this cute cards 


We also included a sample of DT Member Julie Campbell's Halloween Art Journal and Melissa Bove's fun witch hat. I wish I could show everything!


Look at this adorable stamped card Sophie La Fontaine emailed me.  I just added the watermark as it looked so big when clicked him on but I wanted you to see the cute coloring job Sophie did. She turned our Uncle Sam from the  American Beauty set into a football fan and you can get the details.   Yikes - I just went to Splitcoast to find Sophie's link and spotted a bunch of gorgeous cards by a bunch of ladies you can see here! 

UPDATE:  Everything is sorted out with the little copyright problem I wrote about on my last post and all the items have been removed. 

We are working on a new website to make the digital downloads easy and instant!

SALE: We are starting to sell out and get low on some stamp sets and I will do another blog post and list the status of everything tomorrow.  A new stamp manufacturing company has contacted me about making stamps (my old stamp company was sold) and I'm tempted to have them make our 2 new Christmas sets that we finished last month. I will show you a peek tomorrow and see if you like them. My old stamp company was sold  I've also been given some contacts for other stamp manufactures to see if they want to carry our best sellers.  Material Girl is almost sold out and that is so sad!  But - maybe no company will want our stamps now that I've discounted them so much and will also be offering them digitally.

We still have a large amount of some sets and tons of printed stuff like Stickers, Creative Scraps, Booklets, etc and they are all on SALE. 

PS - I will add the Halloween CD to our Etsy Store tomorrow

Wishing you all joy & creativity

Sandy
 
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!


This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
 
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

 
Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Halloween Winners, New Samples and Etsy Theft

Hi Everyone, this is an update to my post yesterday


Congratulations to random.org winners #8 Sharon from Nova Scotia and #41 Linda Carson who each won our Halloween Kit and any Halloween Clear Art Stamp Set!  We are waiting on delivery of the Halloween CD, so we will email the winners the Halloween Download (available in our Shopatron Store now) and send the CD as soon as they arrive.  I want to 100% confirm the date before I post it. 

We had a few glitches with some of the digital Halloween orders and some people's Dropbox Invite to the files went in their junk mail.  If you've had any problems please email me.

Here is the design for the Halloween CD Cover.  Here are the previous Halloween digital samples and links if you missed them.


DT Leader Vicki Chrisman has been busy creating a bunch of samples like this adorable layout of niece Jada and I love how she added the spider PNG to the photo! 


Check out these other  great Halloween samples on Vicki's Blog, like this house she created from one of the templates.  Look how she printed it again so she could cut out some of the images and raise them up on pop dots



This is super difficult for me but I feel I need to post about it and ask for your help.   A customer called today who found some of our Creative Scraps for sale digitally on Etsy and I was shocked to see not just images but the collage side of some of our Creative Scraps being sold for $1.50, or buy 1 get 1 half off.  


The seller cut off our header and logo off the top of our Altered Fairy Scraps. I'm appalled and sad and I hope you will email me if you see our products being sold digitally by anyone other than us.

 I have spent so much money buying the 'perfect vintage images and Cindy van Koll our graphic designer has spent countless hours cutting, layering and changing them to create art that is uniquely ours, so seeing these all for sale made me feel sick.

 I've contacted this seller 'floozieville' to ask her to remove all our images and any other companies designs.  I tried notifying Etsy but 4 pages of legal jargon popped up and they need to cover themselves and require written proof with copies.

 Thanks for NOT supporting sales like this!

PS: All our Creative Scraps, Vintage Cuts and other printed products are all on SALE right now in our Etsy Store and Shopatron Store.

Sandy

 
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!


This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
 
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

 
Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Halloween Digital Kit Giveaway & 2013 Free Printable Calendar

Hi Everyone,  we have 2 Giveaways for  our Halloween Kit and any Halloween Stamp Set!
Plus scroll down to get our 2013 Free Printable Calendar.


Our digital Halloween Kit is finished and they are available in our Etsy Store in four groups as well as all combined in a jumbo kit. I can add Cindy, our graphic designer made this fun digital layout below today using a bunch of the papers, ephemera and the PNG files which are cut out with a transparent background and they can be layered. 

I've been so bad about keeping my word lately and posting when I said I would!  Yesterday I found out why I'm such a jittery wreck.  My Dr. office called me to come in about my thyroid results and last month it was so low they upped my meds and now it's gone full circle and I feel like the upside down freaky head below on this layout!


                 I will add the Jumbo Kit to our Shopatron Store tomorrow. CD's coming asap
    Click on the papers below to see them larger


  The 44 papers turned out really great and go well together.  The download on Etsy is $7.99
 and I love  the new haunted house,  word art pages and Washi tape!  Look at these cute pinwheel flowers DT Leader Vicki Chrisman made using some of the papers designs


 Here is the PNG folder with 40 files for $5.99 which works out to less than 15 cents each! Why so cheap? These are part of our Jumbo Halloween Download Package which will also be available soon on a CD as well for $17.99. Our other 3 CD's are a hit at $15.99 each and we knew our customers would expect the same lavish amount of designs.


 Look at these wonderful journal pages that  DT member Julie Campbell  created
for her Autumn Journal.. She didn't use any digital software, she simply printed and cut out the images she wanted to use  from the Halloween kit.



I love these beautiful lace borders on the page below and because they are 
transparent PNG files  the colors on the paper show through the holes.


  There is an array of vintage images and ephemera included on the pages below from.  frames, tags, Bingo cards, postcards and more.  This Jpg Folder download is $5.99


DT Member Marilyn McIldoon has a couple of other fun Halloween cards on her Blog


 These are the 12 Halloween Templates for $5.99 and they turned out really fun! Use the templates to create special treat containers as sweet gifts, or dress up your Halloween party with an array of fun Halloween décor, fortune and stunt games, haunted house treat box, candy boxes, mini popcorn box, pumpkin basket, 2 wine glass shades and an adorable 7.5” Dolly Dingle paper doll!

Remember you can also print the templates in B&W on cardstock to cut out to use as templates with other papers and patterns to create gift and birthday boxes, party favors, anniversary or holiday wine glass shades (try using small punches and battery tea lights). Add extra embellishments with glitter, gems, Glimmer Mist, ribbon, lace and more!

Here's our 2013 FREE Printable Calendar to match our Calendar Scraps which are on sale for $1.50 as some of the calendar months no longer work - but the images are great!


This is George who we doggie sat for a week for our daughter Katie & boyfriend.  He is so funny and lovable.  He is 8 yrs but still tears around like a speeding bullet until you pick him up and then he's a cuddly baby.

 Don't forget to leave a comment and say what you like best in our Halloween printables and I will have random.org to pick 2 Winners next Tuesday, Sept 18/12.

 Wishing you joy & creativity

Sandy

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!


This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
 
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

 
Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823


Monday, September 10, 2012

Shabby Tea Room Challenge, Linky Winner and Halloween Digitals

Hi Everyone, 

Sorry for the delay with the Halloween Downloads (scroll down to read more) but HERE are the Halloween Download Items so far!  I need to re-add the 12 Templates again and the Jumbo Combo Pack .  

My dad had his cataract surgery surgery today and needed a ride to and from the hospital.  At 85 he is recovering very nicely and back home here now. We built a suite for my mom and dad when we built this house 18 years ago and when I was little we lived in my grandparents old house with 5 suites and a houseful of relatives.  It's amazing how fast the years have flown by! Now our girls are all grown and moved out and yesterday was our 34th anniversary. Time flies when you are having fun!  Our girls stayed over this weekend and snapped this photo before Scott & I went on a dinner date.
 

You are going to love the fabulous shabby samples by the Shabby Tea Room DT ladies have created using our CD # 3 and you can enter the Week 131 Creative Candy Challenge  to win a $50.00 Crafty Secrets Gift Certificate! Just be sure to follow the rules.



Fran Westmoreland - (Host) Purple Peanut's Crafty Blog

Debbie Marcinkiewicz - Deb's Simple Treasures


Lenet Mos - To Scrap or Not to Scrap

Rebekah Faries Midnite Lullabies Studio

Starr Timmons  - The Paper Chase

Tammy Roberts - Paperie Sweetness




Our Sept Linky Party had some great samples posted here!  I asked Scott to pink a winner for the $50.00 gift certificate and he picked the card above by Darlene Pavlick who entered 2 great cards (#10 and #11) so congrats to Darlene!  We were giving away 6 CD's but I decided to send a CD to everyone who entered as 4 people would have been left out, so congrats to Linda, Monti, Joann, Beth, Rene, Kate, Sarah, Sheila, Joy and Camie!  I will email links and send the CD asap.

 There are now so many amazing files on our Halloween CD I had to raise the price to $17.99 retail. I've been sweating about it all day but I need to give our distributor who sells wholesale to stores a huge discount and still make a profit after the cost of my antique Halloween images and the labor for Cindy to turn them all into paper and elements.  Here are a few more new files and you can see samples on Marilyn's Blog
Click the samples below to see some of the new files


The online Etsy Halloween File Downloads will be divided into 4 groups and priced as follows, or buy the entire digital group for $17.99  and save $7.97!
*NOTE:  The downloads  will only be available in our Etsy Store or by email and will have Free S&H of course.   

I'm back finally with links to the Halloween Downloads so far.  I need to re-do the 12 Halloween Templates and add the Jumbo Halloween Combo for $17.99

Download Pricing, no Shipping
44 Paper Designs $7.99 = less than 20 cents each
50 Image Designs $5.99     "                             "
40 PNG Stamps & Cut-outs $5.99 = less than 15 cents each
12 Template Designs  $5.99 each =  less than 50 cents each

Sample by Vicki Chrisman


 By the way, our Clearance Sale is going full force in both our Shopatron and Etsy Store!  and international orders can be placed in the Etsy Store.

  Also, the Halloween Label Stamp sets finally arrived!

Sandy

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!


This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
 
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817

 
Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 9823