Winner….Winner Chicken Dinner! Yesterday we had 108 comments on the preference of what type of stamps you like….photopolymer, clear and wood mount! WOWZERS – there was a bunch of great comments and points and I encourage you to browse through them as there were some very great points about each of them!

I will say that the preference was Photopolymer and the random winner is…..Linda!!! Woot-Woot to you and please email me your address so I can mail your goodies to you! Linda is a gal after my own heart as I totally agree with her comment!

Before I share with you the super sweet card (and really the stamp set is oh so fun….I want to share some thoughts with you about how I feel with the different stamp choices we have.

1st, I love the convenience of the photopolymer. I am the very 1st to say that I can remember when Stampin’ Up! came out with a Photopolymer and I received it and thought – “THERE IS NO WAY THAT THESE WILL BE POPULAR”….(remember, that was not to long ago) and now I can say,  THEY HAVE COME A LONG WAY!

I do love them and I do think that they are here to stay but I do agree with several comments that the coverage, especially for larger ~ more solid stamps can be a challenge…the best tips I can give you are….

My thoughts about Photopolymer Stamps:

• Make sure you have a piercing mat underneath as this will help a bunch….Also, when I have a new one….I ink it up and then squish it around…twist and turn it…clean it – repeat it…inking it up, twisting and turning and then I find to have better results – I guess you can say I am conditioning it!

• I totally “get it” with may of you saying that you do not like the staining…I have learn to let that one go as there is nothing that you can do and you should think if it as a “GOOD THING” as that means the stamp is of good quality!

• Photopolymer is going to be the trend of the future (well, at least I think so) – they are cheaper, they can be made with still creating great detail and I hope that this anology will help you….I was the 1st one that totally fought Digital Cameras….I loved my camera…I loved having the negatives in my hands and I was in total disbelief that one day this way of photography would end….it has and we have learned to adapt ~ this is how I justify and try to embrace photopolymer stamps.

• For the comments of loosing a stamp because of them being clear and sometimes small – I HAVE BEEN THERE and yep…it is FRUSTRATING! I seem to find them…sometimes it takes a while but I will say that I usually find them on a bottom of an ink pad. I had to laugh when I saw many of you have the same issue!

My thoughts about Clear Stamps:

• LOVE the way you can store them….super , just like the Photopolymer.

• True I find it to be a ” pain in the drain” to place the images on the stamps etc…..and until I started to use that AMAZING contact vinyl on my mounting blocks, I too was frustrated many times. Please click here to see that post...I have received many comments on this working for you!

• I also think wiping over the backs of the stamps with an alcohol wipe really helps for both the mounting block and also the back of the stamp.

My thoughts about Wood Mount Stamps:

• If you are purchasing a background stamp – BUY THE WOOD MOUNT. This is one exception I would make…..WHY??? – easy…..when you have a very large stamped image…I find that you can get a much better coverage with the Wood Mount.

• I do agree with many comments that if you have a wood set and get the sentiment lined up perfectly…than this is the way to go – the problem I have is that I am not exactly perfect in lining up the stamp but have no fear – the Stamp~a~ma~jig is here! I highly recommend that you understand how to use this tool….I had it for easily over 2 years before I mastered it (totally my fault as I never gave it a chance)

Now here is a sneak peak of the Hostess Stamp Set in the New Occasions Catalog…it is fun, FUN, FUN!!! When I saw it – I knew that is would be coming to Randall Lane as is it just fun and different. I love the thickness of the sentiments….

Now look at this fun and quick card that I put together using many of the new products…can you spot the new products??? I’ll help you!

The new stamp set…the new enamel dots and the new ribbon! See below how you can get a taste of the new products in the share that I am offering.

For the sentiment…I used the clear embossing powder and heat set it – I just love the way that this looks giving a classic tone on tone effect. I think the most used embossing powders I use are the clear and the white.

In closing, please do not forget to sign up for a product share if you are interested. You can click here to see the original post that I did for the various offerings of the shares. If you have already emailed me, please do not think I forgot about you – I will be grouping the orders this week and sending a confirmation out to you.

The new catalog is live on January 5th and you betcha that I will be ordering ASAP to be able to turn around your shares to you! Going in on a share is the BEST WAY to get a taste of the new kids on the block without breaking the bank. If you want a share, please email me and put in the subject line PRODUCT SHARE so I can easily SPOT IT !

In closing, remember here is the post that will share with you the super cute card and gift from me for ordering in the month of December. I know that many of you are going to wait until the new catalog (and I get it – I do not blame you at all) but someone is going to be super happy with winning the BIG WIN of the markers! Make sure that you use the Hostess code of VJCAWTZR and guess what….if you ever forget what the current code is – no worries….it will be at the top of the blog post!

Here is a keeper of a picture that will make you smile…I just love my fur babies!