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| Yes, I do all my own stunts! |
Whew. It is seriously crazy right now. My Stampin' Up! world has, in no particular order:
- Retirement List
- New Catalogue excitement
- last month for the Occasions Mini
- a colour refresh
-new inkpad styles
- a new catalogue Launch on 17th June 2018
-a broken ankle. Wait, what?
A couple of weeks ago I was hosting a lovely young friend of my daughter to stay with us to compete in a national fencing competition which was being held in my city. Not only was I hosting, I had also volunteered to help the canteen over the three day event. The very first evening our guest was staying I managed to slip on our polished wood floor while I was chasing our naughty dog who had a shoe in his mouth (his favourite game). I was sure I'd just sprained my ankle, and was given first aid from my daughter (who is a nursing and paramedics student), and went to bed. The next morning, after looking at the impressive swelling, I thought "hmmm. Maybe I should get an X-ray?" And of course, it turns out I'd managed to give myself a spiral fracture. So, that was it as far as my volunteering on the canteen, or even watching the girls compete. Couch with my leg up and no weight bearing at all for two weeks was the Doctor's order. No driving for at least 6 weeks.
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| My view the past 3 weeks |
I'm fortunate that I already work a flexible job from home, so I didn't have to take any time off and truthfully it's been wonderful to have the distraction. I've been grateful I don't have to try to navigate public transport and the city on crutches. After all, my lack of co-ordination is how this happened in the first place!
The main downside insofar as my Stampin' Up! job is concerned, is that my craft room is downstairs - and I cannot get into it at present. My children have been bringing this upstairs in a piecemeal fashion but its quite frustrating!
This experience was probably meant to teach me patience. And delegation. And not to chase the stupid dog.
Three weeks on I'm in an attractive moon boot which I can remove for showers and to give my leg some fresh air each day, so progress is being made, albeit slower than I'd like.
Now, about the other exciting Stampin' Up! stuff:
Colour Revamp. Can you believe it's been about 5 years since the last colour revamp?
What do you think? Recognise any returning In Colours? Welcome back, Mossy Meadow, Flirty Flamingo, Mint Macaron, and Blackberry Bliss!
Have to say I like the look of Soft Sea Foam, it reminds me of Pistachio Pudding. Merry Merlot reminds me a little of the Pomegranite colour we had a few years back.
As for the retiring colours, I think I'll miss Marina Mist (though Balmy Blue looks close) and Wild Wasabi (Granny Apple Green looks OK as a brighter substitute) the most, and I was surprised to realise I used to use Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke all the time, but haven't used them in ages. I suppose that it's a sign they aren't fashionable any more.
New ink pad style. Did you know that manufacturing moulds expire? I didn't. The old case’s manufacturing mould was about to expire. A mould can only be used a limited number of times before it needs to be replaced, so Stampin' Up! chose to improve it instead of just replacing the old style.
The new cases have the following improvements:
- * Less confusing to open. Opening the new ink pad case is now more simple and intuitive—just insert your thumb in the lip at the front of the case and lift it to open.
- * Have a tighter fit between the lid and the base. With the new design, the lid doesn’t accidentally become disconnected, which was a common problem with the old case style. With use, the lid will be easier to slide open and close.
- * Be stackable. The ability to stack the cases makes them easier to store and transport.
- * Include improved labels and stickers.
* In addition, Stampin' Up! improved our ink formula because we noticed that our old ink would sometimes bubble, especially on new pads and with lighter colours. When this happened, the ink wasn’t as even and smooth when stamped as we’d like to see it.
The improved ink formula will:
- Reduce ink bubbles.
- Help you get a smooth coating of ink on the stamp.
- Help lay down the ink better.
* Beginning with the 2018–2019 Annual Catalogue, all ink refills will have the improved ink formula.
* Archival ink will no longer be part of our ink offering. Basic Gray will now be part of the Classic Stampin’ ink family. Please note that you cannot use an archival ink refill on the new Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ Pad, as this will ruin the new ink pad. Only use Classic Stampin’ ink refills on Classic Stampin’ pads.
*Your best options for black ink pads are the Tuxedo Black Memento Pad, to use with Blends and general black stamping needs, and the Jet Black StāzOn Pad, to use for watercolour and nonporous surface stamping. Both will be part of our ink offering.
So much to look forward to! I think I'll sign off here and cover the other topics on a different blog post. This is getting too long!
