Monday, July 22, 2019

Sold Out and Retired List


Here's a link to the retired list. 

This is a list of products from the current Core Catalog that will retire at the end of August. All available items are WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. A few things are already sold out. As more items become unavailable, I will update the list. 


Sometime an items is on the retired list because the packaging is being changed, not necessarily that the product is being discontinued. Sometimes the manufacturer changes, that's also a new item number. If you have a question, or are in a panic, just ask me.

If your list is really long, talk to me about Hosting a Facebook Party or Catalog Show. You can also click above on the Opportunity for You tab and jump in with both feet!

For the two-month long Seasonal Catalogs, products are featured for those two months and many are not intended to be in stock for longer. Stamps are being kept current longer than they initially were. Anything that is available, that is not in the Core Catalog or current Seasonal Catalog, can be found on my website under the Online Only section.

What will sell out first?

Wait a minute while I get my crystal ball...oh right, I don't have one. But, here are my educated guesses (and I've been wrong before!).


  • More than once, demand has exceeded supply and we've surprised the corporate office wizards  who study trends, buying habits, etc. You Are Enough and Stars and Sparklers flew off the shelves the last couple days of June!!
  • Paper collections are promoted in same order as they are in the catalog. They may sell out in the same order. 
  • Items for the retiring colors usually sell out fast as consultants rush to fill existing orders, buy supplies for upcoming workshops, complete collections and get back ups for their favorites.
  • It is easier to control items made "in house" than those we carry from other manufacturers. That is why sometime a product is just gone forever with no warning. When we attempted to re-order from the supplier, they had discontinued the product, or moved on to a new model. Stamp sets are made by CTMH, so if a quantity is low, they make more. 


The following colors are retiring (watch for updates!):



You already know one of the new colors...Mulberry! This was included in the May Special - You Are Enough.

 Any guesses on the new Color of the Year??







Can't find an item on my website? 

                           What do the banners mean?

                                                                            Is it sold out?

  • Back Order/Delayed Shipping
    • More are on the way. 
    • Item may cause order shipping to be delayed (up to 6 days) until it becomes available.
    • We know they'll be here soon so we're going to wait X days and ship everything together.
    • If you don't want to wait, remove the delayed items from your order before submitting. You can always ask me if I have something in stock (especially cardstock).

  • Low Quantity
    • Is is almost gone forever? 
      • current items-not necessarily
      • clearance and going soon items-likely
    • Is it going on back order? 
      • current items- maybe.
      • clearance and going soon items-unlikely
    • Will they be gone in 5 minutes or 5 months? Yes.
      • there might be 100, or 1000
    • ASK ME TO CHECK

  • Out of Stock
    • Is it gone forever?
      • Apparently not. This seems to be code for "be back soon." Example: Sugarplum reinker in the Summer of 2020, I would not have been surprised if it was gone forever, but more stock was coming within a week. 
    • Is it during a Flash Sale?
      • The "quantity set aside for the sale" is probably gone. Look for the item (especially current products) to return to stock (at regular price) after the sale.
    • ASK ME TO CHECK
  • Where did it go?!?!
    • During a flash sale, I had something in my cart, and then it disappeared! Now I can't find it online!! 
      • The item probably sold out. If it is a regular, current item, it will probably be back at regular price after the sale.
      • If it was a retired item, it is probably out of stock and gone forever.
    • It's only 3 weeks into the new catalog and I can't find a new product online.
      • Sometimes it's glitch.
      • I can tell you if the item actually sold out.
      • It may be temporarily unavailable to order. More are coming, but it will be too long to hold on back order. The items is "gone" temporarily until more are back in stock. (Example: the happened with Thin Cuts once)
    • It was in Going Soon or Clearance forever, now it's gone, along with several similar items.
      • They may have been pulled for an upcoming sale. (I saw this before Stamptacular.)
      • They may be gone, especially if they are really old and not selling.
      • It sold out. - These are generally a guess, unless I happen to catch it right after it goes. Retired items don't get placed on the list I receive.


Monday, July 15, 2019

Mix It Up!


Do you love our Mix In paper packs?! These collections are designed to MIX IN and coordinate with every other paper collection in the current Idea Book, or use on their own! Right now, the Mix-In colors are Ballerina pink plus neutral black, white, and grays. One of the things about our B&T (background and texture) Duos that I like is, if one side doesn't suit your taste, turn it over!

If you've arrived from Daryls' page, you're right on track. If you're starting here, follow the link at the bottom to "hop" the next blogger's page. Proceed until you complete the circle and arrive back on my page again.


As life often is, mine is busy and somewhat extra complicated right now, so I'm "cheating" by showing you a piece of artwork I CASEd (Copy And Steal Everything) from the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. But that's OK, that is the purpose of an IDEA book. But, did you know, the recipes for all the beautiful pieces are available to you?

On your consultant's website site, go to "More" and select "View Catalog." Then scroll down to the pdf link for Recipes. All the ingredients are listed including colors, stamp(s) and tools used. If Cricut shapes were used, the recipe will list the collection name, size, shapes name and DS code.

 Here's the recipe for this card:

PAGE 82
4¼" x 5½" Happy Birthday Card (Horizontal)

A1228 My Acrylix® Special Day Duo Stamps
X9005 Mix-in Paper Packet
X6028 Black Cardstock
X5988 Peach Cardstock
X6018 Raspberry Cardstock
X6022 Smoothie Cardstock
Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad
Z4057 Craft On Rubber Shapes
Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread
Z2068 Ranger™ White Super Fine Emb Powder
Z4220 Anti-static Pouch
Z4252 Heat Tool
1772 Glue Dots® Ultra-thin Dots

Guess what? The ONLY piece of Mix-Ins I have used to date is the one featured in the catalog. Could I just substitute that one piece? Me?? No! Any normal person? Yes!!


So if I was going to substitute for the B&T I might as well substitute the cardstock too. The colors used in the sample seemed a rather odd combination. By looking at the CTMH Color Wheel, I was able to determine the "formula:" one color from one section, skip a section, two colors from the following section. I'm sure there is a fancy name for this arrangement, comment below if you know it!!
My colors are:

Emerald from the green section
(skip the Blue-Green section)
Carolina and Bluebird from the Blue Section

Oh look, I picked blue and green!! Totally unplanned but probably done unconsciously; they're my favorite color combo!!

I had to decide which color was going to go where. That's hard!! When I was cutting the B&T from Mix-Ins, I made it a 4" x 5.5" rectangle. I know that I can get three piece across a 12" piece, and as long as I was making one card, I might as well make three. Then I cut each of the other three shapes from each of the other three colors and mixed them. This pattern is similar to, or a variation of , #16 from Make It From The Heart, Volume 4 (MIFTHV4#16).

Instead of the Craft On Rubber Shapes, I used Black & White dots. (On one card I used some retired Emerald dots from the Cats & Bats collection.

Have you ever heat embossed? Has it been forever?? We all love this technique so I'm not sure why we don't use it more often. If it really has been a while, check out what Close To My Heart offers now including a new heat tool, tinsel embossing power, and an anti-static pouch.

The pouch is great for keeping stray embossing power off your paper so that it only sticks to the ink. I also use it on the back of stickers when using them as die cuts. The powder inside the bag sticks to the sticker adhesive so it's not sticky. It's much faster, simpler and easier than using baby powder. The pouch also tames your lose sequins. Just throw it in the bag when they're new and give it a little shake. Remove the pouch and your sequins will stop doing their Mexican Jumping Beam imitation.

Another item I think is a must have for heat embossing is the All-Purpose Mat. The large size protects your craft space. It is also double sided. The smooth, shinny side is a non-stick surface. Keep your adhesive off the back of your project! You can also use it as a palette for watercolor projects and mixing ink colors. The other side is slightly tacky, which keeps it from sliding on your work surface. If you turn this tacky side up, it keeps embossing powder for dusting everything in the craft room. You can wipe or wash it off as needed. It is also heat resistant to  240° Fahrenheit.

Making all three sentiment squares the same would have been too easy. I used three combinations so you could see the difference. The photo on the left lists the ink underneath the piece and the embossing powder color above it.


At the far right is the combination from the recipe: Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder and VersaMark™ Ink Pad. In the center is the same powder over white pigment ink. And, the far left is white pigment ink with clear embossing powder.

What is your favorite color arrangement? Which embossing combination would you use? Answer in the comment section before  hopping over and see what Melissa has to share. (She also has a list of all the participants this month.)

These are the other products used, instead of or in addition to the recipe listed above:

X5990 Carolina Cardstock
X5987 Bluebird Cardstock
X6001 Emerald Cardstock
Z2045 All Purpose Mat
Z2863 White Pigment Ink
Z2088 Clear embossing powder
9044  Make It from Your Heart Volume 4
Z3314 Black & White Dots