{capture the moment}

Picking & Packing

David and I just returned from a weekend in Cincinnati to help Julie & Jane with the huge task of shipping out all of our anniversary release orders!  We have never been there to help right after a release, so to see the whole process in action along with the sheer volume of EVERYTHING that they are dealing with was absolutely fascinating!  I took a few photos so that I could share a bit of the process with you!

Everything starts here with Jane.  She does all the legwork in preparing your order to be packed.  She prints invoices & shipping labels, processes payments and organizes all the paperwork for the pickers.

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The pickers take the paperwork and collect all of the items that you have ordered.  This is the "stamp wall" where most of the stamps are organized in order by item number.  This makes it easy for the pickers to find the set(s) they need easily.

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They also make the decision about which box would suit your order the best.  After they are done with that they set the box filled with merchandise in a stack for the packers.  (This is one of the stacks of shipping boxes that were ordered to have on hand for this release!)

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There were two "packers" in place when we were there.  Here is Julie double-checking the contents of the packages.  Every order is checked twice to make sure there are no errors.

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Here is Michelle packing up a box.  She has just finished wrapping everything in tissue and preparing the contents for its journey to its final destination!

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David is adding another package to the stack waiting for USPS to pick up.  I was so impressed with their speed!  These stacks are what they had completed packing on Friday alone!  And that doesn't include the UPS stack in the back room!

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While I was there I tackled the job of making up the stamp packages.  I really enjoyed the process!  Here are ALL the new stamps, waiting to be packaged!

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It all starts with assembling the stamp boxes.

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It is easiest to do 150 at a time.

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Then it is time to insert the stamps, CD case and rolled instructions with our new label.

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Finally, it is time to add the box band.  And then when these are done, the process is started all over again.  It seemed almost as if in a matter of minutes a batch I would have just completed would be gone!  I am in awe of how fast they work!  So, I am proud to say that many of you will be getting stamp sets that I personally assembled!  I hope you enjoyed this little peak into the process!  After seeing the progress they have made, you should all be getting your packages very soon!!!

Acrylic Stamps & ink

Many people have been emailing me recently in regards to the compatibility of different inks with acrylic stamps.  Everyone has different stamping styles and different "looks" or "results" that they prefer with their stamped images.  The following information is my personal opinion and not necessarily based on any scientific research! :)  I have been using acrylic stamps for about 3 years, and this experience is what I am basing my conclusions/opinions on...

DYE INKS:  I love using dye inks with acrylic stamps, especially richer, darker colors and bright, vibrant hues as well.  My favorite brand of dye ink is Stampin' Up!   
CLEANING: Dye inks may leave a VERY slight tinting on my stamps, but the majority of time they clean thoroughly.

PIGMENT INKS: Sometimes when I want a more vibrant hue or I'm layering images in different colors I prefer to use pigment inks.  Once again, Stampin' Up! is my favorite brand of this particular ink.
CLEANING: The clean up is a dream, with no noticeable tinting.  If the ink is allowed to dry at all on the stamp, a little scraping with a fingernail under warm running water may be in order.

CHALK INKS: These give a BEAUTIFUL matte finish and leave a nice dense coat of color on my projects.  Clearsnap's Fluid Chalk Inks are my personal favorite. 
CLEANING: These inks stain the acrylic stamps pretty aggressively.  There is some kind of ingredient in the ink that penetrates the acrylic and tints it quite thoroughly.  I have not yet found any cleaner that removes this tinting.  The stamps still remain transparent (just tinted, think rose colored glasses!) and that's good enough for me!

SOLVENT INKS:  I have used StazOn frequently with my acrylic stamps, although have recently switched to my personal preference of the Palettes.  I have heard from several people that you should not use solvent ink with acrylics, but I can attest to not having a problem.  I have acrylic stamps that I have used with StazOn for over three years, and the stamps are still performing just as well as they did when I first purchased them. 
CLEANING: StazOn cleaner or Ultra Clean works well for cleaning my stamps after use with solvent inks.  Some staining may occur, depending on how aggressive I am with my cleaning.

PALETTE INKS: Black Noir and Burnt Umber are my two favorites.  The Noir is a nice dense black and I love the look it gives me.  Umber is the nice, deep chocolate brown that I've always wanted! 
CLEANING: The noir & umber will stain your stamps, even after a thorough cleaning. Although,the  staining doesn't bother me, because if anything, I can see the outline of the image better for easier placement/use on my projects. 

ACRYLIC PAINT: To use acrylic paint, I just dab it on with a foam brush.  Or I sometimes use the handy dandy daubers from Ranger! And don't forget, less is more when it come to inking with paint!  I love the uneven nature that a paint stamped image creates.  There is something so earthy and organic about the whole process!
CLEANING: Be sure and clean your stamps with warm water immediately after stamping.  If the paint happens to dry on, I do a little gentle scraping with my fingernail to remove any residue.

In the end, I have three points I always make to the students in my classes...
1. A stained stamp is a loved stamp.  I purchase them to make beautiful projects, not to sit pretty in a box! 
2. If I clean whatever medium I chose to stamp with (Staz-on, bleach, acrylic paint, etc...), immediately from my stamp, long term effects do not apply.
3. Treat your acrylic stamps to a special spa treatment every month or so, depending on how often you use them.  Draw them a nice warm bath (without any soap or bubbles!) and allow them to soak for about 15 minutes.  When time is up, go through and massage each one, while still underwater) using a circular motion between your thumb and index finger.  This helps to loosen any residue that may have built up over time.  When done, you can rub them on your stamp scrubber to remove all the excess dirt and grime for good.  Then pat dry with a lintless cloth or lay out to air dry on a solid surface.

I hope that some of you will find this information useful.  Overall, just remember to have fun with your stamps and not worry too much about what the technique/medium may leave behind.  This craft is all about experimenting and broadening you creativity!  Happy Stamping!

Creating and image...

Michelle Wooderson asked in yesterday's post if I design all of the stamp images myself on my computer, and the answer is yes!  I just installed Adobe Illustrator into my PC this past fall and have been *attempting*  to teach myself how to use it ever since!  I have the major important functions down, but still have a lot to learn. 

It is fascinating to me to construct images from basic shapes and simple lines.  For example, the grasshopper in Green Thumb took many hours of "play".  I started with his head, which was a circle that I stretched and pulled until it became the shape that I wanted.  Then I worked on the body, which was created with a slightly altered oval.   Than I added his "belly" outline & neck piece by drawing in the shapes by hand using my Wacom Tablet & pen.  Then the leg.  Oh my goodness!  I think I invested about 4 or 5 hours into his leg over the course of two days!  It took several attempts and "do-overs" to get it just the way I had envisioned.  It took about 40 tries to get his antennae just right too!   The finishing tough  was his little eye which was just a simple circle, and thank goodness, that was a piece of cake!

Each image has much thought put into it, and I hope it shows!  I only create things that I myself would use. Or even better, images that I have always wanted but have never existed!

On a side note, the countdown for our April 15th Papertrey release starts tomorrow, right here!  So be sure to stop by to see some fun projects created with the new set!

Guest Star Stamper update!

We have received many submissions for our Guest Star Stamper Contest this month.  Since we released two sets this month, we have decided to have TWO winners!  One featuring Butterfly Kisses and one utilizing Green Thumb. You have until April 13th to get your entries in using either set.  The winners will each receive the April 15th release FREE and be featured in our Ink Pad gallery!  You can get all the details here! I look forward to seeing your submissions!

What's in a Name?

Many people have asked about both the name of our company and stamp line.

The concept behind the name of Papertrey Ink was actually formulated by my partner, Julie.  For several days we had been trying to think of a name that incorporated the number "three" in some form (because there are three of us within the corporation) and our medium of choice, paper.  Several ideas had been tossed around, we even came up with a few that we all loved, but they ended up having already been taken.  Then one morning Julie sent an email out to Jane and I suggesting Papertrey Ink. 
PAPER (because that's what we work with)
TREY (according to Merriam-Webster)
Pronunciation: 'trA
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural treys
Etymology: Middle English treye, treis, from Anglo-French trei, treis three, from Latin tres 
1 : the side of a die or domino that has three spots
2 : a card numbered three or having three main pips
3 : a shot in basketball that counts for three points
INK (because it was just cool to add that in place of Inc.!!!)
Within minutes I designed our logo.   I knew I wanted a "tray" to hold the name.  After I had added that, it looked a little bland, so I added the flower and finished it off with a polka dot center.  It came together really fast; all of the pieces just fell into place.  It was meant to be!

Text-style was my original pitch to Julie & Jane as a name for our Christmas Line, and the logo and name stuck and have been utilized in conjunction with all of our products so far.  I made a list of what characteristics I wanted the name to emulate and this one fit the bill...
TEXT- I have a passion for fonts.  Everything I create is usually originally inspired by a font.  Our stamp images are no exception.  If you notice, in the few stamp sets we have debuted thus far, the fonts play an important roll within the set as a whole.
STYLE- this word says to me trendy, hip & a "must have". That is how I feel about our products.  I think they have signature look that is trendy & now.  And yet they are timeless and versatile at the same time.
TEXT-STYLE together is also a play on words of "textile".  I love the feel of great paper, a new stamp in my hand or the textured layers of a handmade card.  And that is what matters in the end.  The feeling you have when you have experienced something great, something that makes you happy.  And that is how we wanted our customers to feel after they had a "text-style" experience.  That is what this entire ride has been so far; one big "happy place" for me.  I feel as thought the fit is just right!  And here's to hoping you feel the same!

At the Stroke of Midnight...

You have let us know loud and clear that you're in love with Green Thumb!  Thank-you for all of your support, emails and of course, orders!  Our little company is growing by leaps and bounds with each new release, and we are SO grateful to our customers for that!  Allison asked through the comments section of yesterday's post about what it is like for us at midnight when a new set is revealed.  I thought that would be a fun question to answer.  (Sorry, no project today!  I have to get the June stamp set designed AND Paper Crafts assignments done this week!)

Jane & Julie (my business partners) are up in Cincinnati, while I am in Tennessee.  Julie  is the center of attention the evening of a reveal because she is our web master.  For the first 4-5 hours leading up to midnight, Julie and I are on the phone.  (Yes, I said hours, and we pretty much don't get off the phone with one another unless we need a bathroom break!)  I design all the web elements, email them to her and she places them and makes sure everything runs smoothly and is easy to maneuver.  During these marathon phone calls, we always come up with great ideas, such as the Guest Star Stamper contest and the Come Grow With Us program.  Around 11:45pm, Jane (Julie's mom) calls her cell.  Julie has both her land-line and cell at the same time! (I know, we need to look into 3-way calling!).  But it is at that point that the anticipation and excitement is more then we can bear!  Did we get everything done?  Is everything linked correctly?  How will the customers react to this set?  Do we have enough in stock?  Are we REALLY ready?  And than Julie let's us know that it is time to upload.  We wait to hear the infamous  "REFRESH" from her, and get the first glimpse of all that is new on the site.  The SECOND the updated site is uploaded the orders start coming in!  This particular reveal we had over 50 orders placed within the first 30 minutes, and they just kept coming even after that!  It was VERY exciting. Then I have "splitcoast" duty!  It is my job to head over to the splitcoast message boards to get a feeling of what the customers think of the set.  I read all the comments to Julie & Jane.  Meanwhile, Jane keeps an eye on the orders and updates us every couple of minutes with the numbers.  Julie mans the customer service emails, helping you with order issues, questions or mishaps.  Around 12:45am we do a little celebratory cheer.  Yawn collectively, bid each other good night (and Jane ALWAYS tells Julie & I to "sleep tight"), exhausted we hang up and GO TO BED!  I have say though, it is always tough to go right to sleep after all that excitement, even though I am incredibly tired! 

So that is what happens in the "moments" before a reveal!  So, on April 15th, when you are waiting for the next debut, keep in mind that Jane, Julie & I are waiting with you.  And maybe by then, we'll even have 3-way calling!

BTW,if you haven't already heard, be sure and check out Gina K's new stamp set that debuted in unison with ours.  Her set is designed on behalf of Autism Awareness month.  $8 per set will be donated to this worthy cause!  Go here for more information.

I'm going out of town for a few days but will be back at the end of the week.  Many of you will receive your Green Thumb stamp sets while I'm gone!  Be sure to post a link here if you create anything with your new "toys"!  I would love to see what you create!

Inks for Acrylic Stamps

I have received several emails today regarding inks that are compatible with Papertrey Ink acrylic stamps.  (NOTE: The information I am about to share with you is in reference to our stamps specifically and my experiences with the high quality acrylic they are made from.  Not all acrylic stamps are alike, so other brands may perform differently than the results I share here.)

-Can you use Stampin' Up! inks with acrylic stamps?
YES!  I own all of both the classic(dye) & craft(pigment) pads.  It depends on the color as to which of these two inks I prefer on a particular image.  I have found that there are some dye colors that "bead" more than others.  I usually lean towards pigment inks because you can control the uniformity of the inking a little better, and the color turns out a lot more vivid.  Generally, the fine line images do well with dye ink, the solid images preform better with a pigment ink.

-What brand of chalk ink do you prefer when using acrylic stamps?
At this moment I prefer Clearsnap's Fluid Chalk inks.  They work so well with the solid images.  And I love the nice matte finish that appears when dry.  The color is intense and has a lot of depth.

-Can you use StazOn with acrylic stamps without damaging them?
YES!  I recommend cleaning them immediately after you are done, to reduce staining.  The perfect cleaning solution is Ultra Clean.  It will clean StazOn that is decades old from your stamps!  We will actually be carrying this cleaner on our website as of Thursday!

I hope this answers some of your questions! Only 2 more days!