SRM Stickers - The Clear Choice

Thinking of Mary

2011-11-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

Mary has worked for me for 30 years. We are kind of like sisters and so when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year it was a very difficult time. Now she's back in the hospital for reconstructive surgery and she's doing well.

When Tanya Tahir submitted this Tube and Card set using SRM's Thrive Quick Card I wished that she lived nearby and we could send it to Mary. I love everything about this project. Mary would love it since she loves chocolate and Tanya put mini Oreo cookies inside the Mini TUBE. What a darling combination.

It's amazing how far medicine has come in treating breast cancer. Each of us has people we know who have valiantly fought this disease. Mary is one of them. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

Countdown to Christmas!

2011-11-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Is it possible that there are only 44 more days until Christmas? YIKES! Now is the perfect time to start sharing with you lots of wonderful holiday ideas, so let's get started! No time like the present, don't you think? :)

Day #1: Ornaments

Here is a wonderful trio of Christmas Ornaments from Design Team member Elizabeth Carney using SRM's Quick Cards Merry, Jolly and Believe.

And more ornaments from Melanie Jarocki using SRM's Quick Cards Merry, Jolly and Believe.

Using the very same stickers, I love how these 2 designers acheived such different results.

Are you bneginning to feel inspired? If you want more Christmas Inspiration, visit the SRM Blog where our designers have been very busy elves, working to make treats just for you! :) Here's a link to all the Christmas posts: http://srm-stickers.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas

Loving all things Macintosh

2011-08-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is a story of coincidences, admiration and inspiration.

When I was a child, my mother, who was from Vermont, loved Macintosh apples. It was the only kind of apple she bought. I never really liked them but they were my apple and so I had a very early connection to the Macintosh.

When I graduated from UC Berkeley I headed back to Southern California to work for my father. He was an inventor. His Patent Attorney (and now mine) was Ed Taylor. One day Ed in the 1980's told me that he was moving to Northern California because he had been hired by Apple Computer (yet another Macintosh) to be their patent attorney. From that day forward I loved Apple computers.

In the early 1990's I got my first Apple computer because John brought one home from school to do his grading. It was a Performa. I was thrilled. I taught myself word processing and connected to the internet. I thought that this was as good as it gets.

In 1993 I was shocked to see an ad for Apple Computer where one of my products was featured. At that time SRM made pens and pencils with toppers. In this ad there was a little girl using my Star topper on a pencil sprinkled with stars. You can imagine my surprise and pleasure at this!

In 1995 I got my first new Mac and have been upgrading ever since. I think I'm due for a new one and I can't wait to get my hands on one and see what new things my computer will be able to do.

When I heard the news of Steve Jobs resigning for health reasons I was surprised by my reaction. I was stunned and profoundly sad. But then I realized that for many years I have felt connected to his company and to his products and to his genius. But it is more than that. I have been inspired by him. By his creativity, his passion and the extraordinary person that he is.

iAdmire
iRespect
iHope
iPray

God bless Steve Jobs in his struggle with his health. He has taught all of us so much and in so many ways enriched our lives. If you never heard the commencement speech that he delivered at Stanford University in 1995, I encourage you to view it on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

I for one intend to take his advice.

1. Love what you do (i Do)
2. Your time is limited so don't waste it. (i know)
3. Follow your heart and intuition. (i am)

Most of all as I continue down the road, I intend to be adventurous, stay hungry, and stay foolish taking chances and loving what I do.

Turning Over a New Leaf!

2011-08-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Being busy is no excuse for not posting to my blog so I've decided to turn over a new leaf...I'm posting a brief post at least 3 times a week. Right...sure...you've heard it before. My new strategy is to make it short but sweet. Here goes...

It's back to school and everyone is looking for great ideas for teacher gifts. Fortunately, you've come to the right place because the design team of SRM Stickers has been creating lots of school related projects lately. Here is one of my favorites from Kim Arledge, mason jars re-purposed to be holders for school supplies and the perfect back to school teacher gift. Love these! Will be back later this week with more!

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Where in the world is Susan McShirley?

2011-08-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posts lately. I have been crazy busy with CHA and the aftermath of CHA and then the Southern California Shop Hop.

CHA and the Shop Hop are so different. I love them both! CHA is meeting all of the stores that we do business with, seeing our reps, teaching a class for 200 store owners that requires weeks of preparation (thanks to my husband John for all his help on that).

The Shop Hop is where I meet the end user, the consumer. And I love to watch them play with our products and have so much fun with them. It gives me a lot of pleasure to see the pleasure that stickers and TUBES can bring to young and old, men and women across the board.

This past weekend was the 3rd and final weekend of the Shop Hop. I went to 3 stores and enjoyed each one. I worked with well over 100 consumers. We made Tubes and Magic Wands in Christmas, Halloween and Princess. I love seeing little ones use the products. We had them as young as 3.

The high point of the weekend was when my niece brought her 5 kids ages 10 - 4 1/2 months to a store to see me. The two youngest did not participate but the 10 year old girl (Aine) and 5 year old girl (Lillian) made wonderful Princess wands. Lillian has decided that she wants to use these for her next birthday party. She was so excited that she was practically jumping out of her skin! And the 8 year old boy (Hollis) mad a very crative Halloween Wand. I love how he used stickers to attach the paper to the wand. Who needs adhesives? LOL!

So now I can rest and relax on the weekends at least for a while. I better take advantage of that down time because not too far down the road it will start all over again! :) Thank goodness it just keeps coming at me! SRM Stickers is now 32 years old! Maybe it's time we gave a birthday party and made birthday tubes and wands to celebrate! :)

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New Products Revealed

2011-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is always a super hectic time of year. There are so many things to do in preparation for a show and inevitably there is always a snafu! I usually get super tired and get sick right before a show. Knock on wood....not sick yet! :) The printing of the stickers is exciting but also fraught with anxiety. There are always a few misprints and that holds up the shipping of the product. That has happened this time but I'm good with it. We are shipping now and I love that feeling.

And the catalog is printed and mailing and that is always the key to the beginning of the cycle. People like getting a printed catalog. The internet is amazing, but people like to have that catalog and turn the pages and touch the sample. Everyday we are sending out another batch of catalogs.

And the show is just around the corner. We are pretty much ready. The booth has been shipped. The class for 200 people (yes...200) has shipped and the class is almost full. YAY! The make & takes are done and shipped. Just a few more things to do and a few things to carry in my suitcase and then we will be done.

One snag... you are not really ever done. The show is HUGE and the work is grueling. After the show you have lots of shipping and lots of following up with the people you met at the show. And immediately after the show I'm doing a Shop Hop here in Southern California visiting 15 stores and doing make & takes with our new products.

Like I said, it's a busy time of year. Want to see a few new products? Here are a few. Enjoy!

Fancy Sticker Sentiments:

And the Mini Calendars abd Mini-TUBE {{SIGH}}:

If you want to WIN all the new stickers, hop on over to the SRM Blog this week and leave a comment!

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Gallery Idol 2011

2011-06-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Between now and July 4th is Open Auditions for Gallery Idol 2011 sponsored by Paper Crafts magazine. I love this competition, just like I love American Idol. Last year 2 of the top 10 used SRM in their cards. And in 2009 one of our current design team members, Rae Barthel, won Gallery Idol.

This year I'm facinated by the fact that about 1 in 20 cards posted so far to the Gallery Idol competition have used SRM Stickers. WOW! That's so impressive. I love that so many of the top card makers use SRM Stickers as their sentiment of choice. I'm hoping that some of our biggest friends and fans move into the top 20 that will be announced on July 8th. So much fun.

If you feel like getting your craft on, head over to the Gallery Idol Flickr and post your card. The guidelines are at the bottom of the Flickr page. The "Open Audition" round is "Congratulations" as the theme. Here's the link if you are interested: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gallery_idol_2011

and here are just a few of the cards using SRM Stickers that are in the competition. Best of luck to all of you SRM users. We are cheering you all the way!

Here's a card from Laurel Seabrook, a big friend and fan of SRM. Recently she was Moxie Fabber of the Week! Go Laurel!

And how about this beauty from Jan Tatomir! Jan LOVES her SRM and we love Jan! Go Jan Go!

And last, but not least, here's a card from Karen Baker who was in the top 10 of Gallery Idol last year. That's where I first spotted Karen and I've loved her beautiful graphic style ever since. And Karen loves her SRM! Best of luck in this year's competition. Beautiful card (as usual)! :) Love the combination of stamping and stickers. It's a winner!

So here's hoping that lots of SRM Stickers make it to the top 20! Thanks to all the designers that are making our product shine!

The loss of local stores

2011-06-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

I noticed on my Facebook this morning another one of my favoite stores is closing. This one is The Scrapbook Zone in Michigan and Kelley, the owner, has worked very hard for 10 years helping her customers to create wonderful scrapbook layouts, cards, altered proejcts. She has done her work with love and enthusiasm.

This is, unfortunately, too often the story of the local stores. They are in a fight for their lives and we need to support them in anyway we can. As a manufacturer, I don't sell to discount stores and give local stores lots of ideas to share with you. That's a big sacrifice for me but I believe in local stores and I think that this is the right way to do it. I do sell online because so many want that convenience but I always urge folks to support their local stores.

Visualize a world without small local stores, not just scrapbook stores, but all kinds of stores. It will literally change the landscape of Main Street America. Kind of depressing to visualize towns filled with the same stores over and over again. I for one love to poke around in small stores where I can find unique things, where I can find lots of personal service and where it feels good to support the small business person. I am a small business and I know what it takes to keep a small business going and growing. Work, work and more work. But it is a labor of love. For me, it has been a labor of love for me for 32 years.

So if you love SRM Stickers and you have a local store near you, please see if they have our product. If they do, buy from them, if not always at least from time to time. If they don't have SRM, ask them to bring some in. You will be glad that the store stays in your town and you don't have to say, like so many are saying these days, "Oh, I can't believe that they are going out of business". Instead you will be celebrating their success with your help and the help of your friends. Pass the word. Get people talking about helping small businesses and helping to retain the look and feel of your community.

And if you have purchased our products and are looking for inspiration it is all around you. It's in many of the magazines, on numerous blogs, SRM is featured in challenges and of course on the SRM blog where 5 days a week our amazing design team works their magic over and over again.

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Layout Love

2011-05-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

This week on the SRM Blog we are teaming with Bazzill to showcase their patterned papers, button, flowers and bling. Who says that Bazzill is just cardstock? Not any more.

Here are 3 luscious layouts from design team members who all seem to have aqua in mind when they created their pages. I love each one of them! And I love that for their titles and sub-titles each designer used SRM's Sticker Sentiments. Most people would say that those stickers are for card making. Wrong! They are for whatever you want them to be for.

Amy Heller created this exquisite layout using Bazzill's Grandma's Feather Bed papers with some bling and pearls. So YUM! Don't you just love those clouds? And for the words on her page, Amy used SRM's Spring Sticker Sentiments.

Next is a layout from Tania Willis that is simply precious. Tania also used Bazzill's Grandma's Feather Bed papers, a Bazzill flower and some bling. And for her title and words on this project, Tania used SRM's Life is Good Sticker Sentiment and Faith Sticker Sentiment. Perfection!

And last but not least is a special layout from Kim Arledge. I love the way she used Bazzill's Grandma's Feather Bed papers in strips and scattered SRM's clear stickers throughout the layout. Kim used SRM's Love Sticker Sentiment. {{SIGH}} LOVE this layout!

Hope this post has given you some inspiration for using patterned papers and SRM's Sticker Sentiments. They really work so well together.

Stickers and Paper

2011-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love best about SRM Stickers is that they with absolutely any paper you want to use. You can go sweet or sassy, fun or funky or just plain gorgeous like Nina Brackett who used Webster's pages for this dreamy set of baby gift bag, tag and card made with Websters Pages and SRM Sticker Sentiments Baby design.

Or how about something totally playful like these cards made by Tania Willis for her guest design spot at Echo Park Paper? She used EP Playground for these cards and SRM Stickers as ssentiments, of course!

Or how about not using patterned paper but just cardstock? That works too! Here's a card from Amy Heller doing just that using SRM's HAPPY We've Got Your Sticker with it's wonderful white sentiments!

So choose your favorite papers for layouts, cards or altered projects and know that whatever the theme you want, you will find a sticker at SRM that fits your project perfectly.

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Playing

2011-05-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

I don't get lots of opportunities to play with stickers but I do love it so. Recently, while working some consumer shows I've had so much fun meeting customers who use and love SRM Stickers. And having lots of fun playing with stickers and cards and TUBES and WANDS. I could do that all day, every day but something called work gets in the way! :)

I had an idea while I was working at the San Diego Expo that I thought would be fun. I envisioned a Magic WAND that would have a pennant and would be great for birthday parties or Team Treats or Graduation or school sports. I'm no match for our design team but I put together this fun wand for a birthday party favor as a way of showing them what I was thinking and they all loved it. I shared my idea with our Design Team and now I'm excited to see what they do with the wand and the pennant idea.

How blessed I am to have a design team that is so wonderful and talented and so active. They are crafting every moment they get a chance and most times they add some SRM product to their projects. I just love to see what they will come up with next!

Naughty

2011-04-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I've been very naughty. I have not blogged since April lst and that's no joke. I've been super busy with work. And I took a few days off, but really I don't have a good excuse. Well....maybe it's Pinterest! :)

I got my invitation from Pinterest a few weeks ago and there is no looking back. I don't know if you have become addicted but if not, think twice about going there because it's a place that's kind of like Alice in Wonderland. Remember when she fell down into the hole and entered an altered world?

How to describe the feeling I get when I visit Pinterest? It's like going shopping in a very yummy store where everything is irresistible. You see things that you like and you "pin" them to your board but it's easier than shopping because it does not cost you anything but time. Ahhhhh....there's the rub. Time is precious and so you have to give yourself a time limit to play in Pinterest. Otherwise, we are seeing days eaten up by "window shopping" so to speak.

So what do all of these delicious photos I have "pinned" to my Pinterest boards have in common? Color, glorious, vivid color that I totally love! All these photos are pinned to my board called "It's all about color". So much fun! Highly addictive but highly recommended. It's like looking at a magazine and clipping out your favorite things. I had no idea I would have so MANY favorite things! LOL!

2011-04-01T16:10:00.001-07:00

It's official, I'm addicted to Pinterest. What an amazing idea. I just "applied" for my "invitation" and I'm waiting impatiently. I want to have my very own board when I can "pin" photos that inspire me.

So many things can inspire. Looking a nature, for example, is a great way to find the perfect color. Nature cannot be beat for amazing colors. Or looking at blogs for just the right inspiration in any field. The whole blog thing is amazing. I'm on my blog, writing about blogs. That's funny.

Back to Pinterest. Lots of my friends are addicted and warned me not to "go there" if I did not want to burn up my day. But, I tell you, it's worth it! :) And I even see a potential to find new customers there so I can totally justify my addiction!

Here are a few of the photos that I've been lovin' today.

Paper ribbon from Paper Source {{SIGH}}

A felt flower arrangement {{SWOON}}

Presents wrapped in vintage fabrics {{LOVE}}

So there you have it. I have no idea what I'm going to do with these photos but at least for one brief moment, I was inspired by their creativity and I think that is worth the price of admission!

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Lovin' the Layouts

2011-03-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

SRM Stickers is sometimes thought to be a company that has stickers for cards. Some people think of the TUBES and party favors. Others think altered projects. While even others think layouts.

Today I want to feature some luscious layouts that are made using products that many would consider to be "card products". The fact is that any product we make can be used on layouts. On our blog recently a follower commented that SRM Stickers make it "so much easier to add detail, journal, title and/or subtitle layouts and you don't have to line up each individual letter". What a great observation!

So take a look at these beautiful layouts from some of our design team and also from the Sketchy Thursdays design team where SRM is currently being featured and see for yourself how versatile the Sticker Sentiment is for layouts. I think your going to love them! The used the same design for all of these layouts, the Life is Good Sticker Sentiment.

Here's a layout from Diana at Sketchy Thursdays

And here are 2 other layouts using the same sticker from SRM Design Team member Tanya Tahir.

So I kind of did what they do in the magazines and show 3 different ways to use one product. I love the results. So much inspiration. Thanks to all the amazing designers that make SRM look so good! Life is good when you have all these crafty people loving what you make. I'm a very lucky lady.

Whew!

2011-03-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

This past week was jam packed! I was preparing presentations for various stores and groups and I loved it! The reason is tht I got to "play" with our product almost every day. Usually my days are filled with marketing, product planning, meetings with the art department. Then I field tons of phone calls and there are always questions on orders and following up on shows.

I crave playing with product so this past week every day I played with TUBES & WANDS & Stickers, Oh My! The TUBES and the WANDS are simply the most fun product. I could spend days creating different uses for them. But this week, i focused on favors for birthday parties. What I love about the favors that I made is that kids can make them as an activity at a birthday party and take home their own self-made favor! Think of all the time you will save not having to make your favors. The kids will love making their own and it also gives you an added activity for the party goers. I call that a Win-Win-Win! :)

And what did I use to create this trio of wands? SRM's We've Got Your Sticker with its white, brown and black sentiments. Love this product!

March is National Craft Month and it seems only fair that we all have a chance to be crafty and play. It's only fair that I, a creator and manufacturer of all things crafty, should be able to join in the fun, don't you think? So get out there and get crafty all month long. If anyone asks you why you haven't done the laundry or grocery shopping, just tell them you're celebrating National Craft Month and they will totally understand LOL!

Big Girl Blog Post

2011-02-28T08:16:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Jenyfur, our genius blog and design team expert, was snowed in with no electricity and no internet. Oh-oh! That meant I would have to post the SRM Blog. It meant that I would have to put on my big girl blogging talents. Jenyfur gave me some tips and off I went.

Well, I'm pleased to report that I did the post and it looks pretty darn good. But what I really love is that I can take the tips that Jenyfur gave me and improve this blog. It's subtle things but this is my first post using these new "secret" ideas. Wonder if you can spot the differences?

For my post, I was thrilled to post the work of Carolyn King who is a guest designer for SRM on today's blog. She is so talented and I loved every card she did. Here's a little taste!

Using Sticker Sentiments (Life is Good), Carolyn made this darling card. I think it may be my favorite although I love them all!

So there you have it! My very first Big Girl Blog post. I know that pride is one of the 7 deadly sins, but I am proud of myself and better yet, I can use these skills to improve my blog and that makes me happy! As Caroyln King says in her card "Enjoy Life". I will Carolyn....I promise! :)

Going GREEN

2011-02-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

I love the color GREEN. It just makes me happy. And I love St. Patrick's Day cards and layouts and projects. They are just so much fun and super whimsical. So this week on the SRM Blog we are featuring all things GREEN! Yes, we are totally going GREEN! Be sure to check in every day this week so you don't miss a thing.

Here are a few of the GREEN cards we have featured so far:

A whimsical card from Virginia Lu....

An amazing card from Kim Arledge...

A stunning card from Amy Crockett and her Cricut...

And finally a beautiful, inventive card from Elizabeth Carney not only with GREEN but also with a touch of blue...

And if that's not enough we will have more St. Pat's projects on Wednesday and Thursday and on Friday it's a TUBE-A-LICIOUS day with lots of different St. Pat's TUBES just for you! I've had a sneak peek and these TUBES are amazing. Kind of like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! :)

This 2011 design team has really showed its stuff for our St. Pat's week. They are one talented bunch of crafters! I'm lucky to have them in my life.

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Design Team Inspiration

2011-02-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is such an exciting time of year when we have a new group of designers get their crafty hands on some SRM Sticker products. It's so much fun to see what their take is on our product and I'm really enjoying the introductions of each of the new design team members over at the SRM Blog.

On any given day you can see talent from all over the world showing us their layouts, cards or altered projects. Come join us 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. You will love the inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, SRM now has a new FAITH design of our Sticker Sentiments. I love this design. And one of our design team members, Elizabeth Carney, who claims she is not a card maker made some cards using this design. I beg to differ with you Elizabeth but you definitely are a card maker and then some!

Here are Elizabeth's beautiful cards.

And here is our new Faith Sticker Sentiment:

I hope that you find our new Faith sticker to provide wonderful sentiments for your cards as well.

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Oh dear!

2011-02-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Oh dear! Life has been so hectic with CHA and all the preparations and now the aftermath that I totally forgot to post my blog.

The good news is that CHA was a BIG success. Everyone is loving the new product. We are shipping like crazy and, if you can believe it, starting to work on our Summer CHA designs. It is an ongoing process that never stops. That's a good thing!

At CHA we introduced a new TUBE product called the WAND. If you believe in magic, you are going to love this product. Like the TUBE, you can decorate any which way you want. All that limits you is your imagination! The WAND makes me feel like a little girl again. It makes you want to play! And that's a good thing. Crafts is all about playing with ideas and materials and having a great time doing it.

So take a look at the WAND and see if you don't agree, it's magical! And see how great the We've Got Your Sticker HAPPY is for decorating this fun product! The white sticker is awesome!

By the way, our new design team is in place over at the SRM Blog and I love their take on our new products. We are going to have lots of fun with this group of talented ladies. If you want to be inspired every weekday, go and sign up to follow the blog and you will have more ideas that you will know what to do with. I feel so blessed by our design team and by Jenyfur Pohl who is our DT Guru. She's the best!

Off to do more work and I will keep you posted on what's happening in my wild and crazy life. To be continued....:)

New CHA Product - Hooray!

2011-01-21T11:41:00.001-08:00

It's that wonderful time of year when I get to share all the new products that we are bringing out at CHA. We started showing products on our SRM Blog with some amazing samples from a few of our 2010 design team members and Jenyfur too! Thanks ladies for your beautiful samples.

So lets take a look at the stickers and the samples and then if you just can't wait, you can go on over to the SRM Store and get yourself some of our new goodies!

Here is our new Sympathy Quick Card and a beautiful card made by Amy Heller.

And our new Mother Quick Card with a fun retro card from Deana Boston.

And I love our new Class of 2011 sticker. It's so versatile and can be used for cards, invites or our amazingly fun TUBE!

I'll be back soon with more! Love sharing with you and would love to hear your comments on the new product!

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Sick of Bein' Sick!

2011-01-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I spoke too soon. I thought I was getting well about a week ago but this virus lingers on. CHA is just around the corner and I need full strength so I am laying as low as possible and frankly I'm sick of being sick! I'm not alone in this. John is sick and everyone I talk to says, "Oh, I've been sick too. I've been sick since Thanksgiving!" Oh great! That is not what I wanted to hear.

So this weekend I am laying completely low. I am going to beat this bug! Naps, fluids, lounging, more naps, early to bed. I know...it sounds completely boring but there is no other way. My mom was a nurse and I've always been a good patient. But I'm losing my patience with this bug.

My goal is to be completely well by Monday. Here's hoping that I can make it happen. Outsmarting this bug is not a simple task.

I found this darling card from Melissa Elsner and I'm going to take her message to heart! Get well, get well, get well....like a mantra. The power of positive thinking!

Naptime....

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Back from the Edge

2011-01-09T10:30:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with all the kids and grandkids. Only problem was that everyone was sick. But there's not way that you're not going to snuggle and cuddle and read stories so I took my changes.

On the way home from our Christmas visit, John started getting sick. I hung in there and took care of him for a week and just when I thought that I had dodged the bullet, WHAM! I got it. First it was a cough and then my voice was completely gone. My throat was sore and for the first time in I don't know how long, I have stayed home from work for a whole week.

When I'm on vacation and I'm not working, I ususally have some amazing ideas for new products. I don't try, but it just happens. Well, I found that the same thing happened when I was sick. So now I am madly jotting down every idea that comes into my head. When the illness clears, we'll see if any of these ideas stick or if they were simply the product of a mind on too much cough syrup! :)

So, I'm happy to report that I'm back from the edge and feeling almost well. And when I look at the photos from Christmas, I really must say that it was totally worth it. All those hugs and snuggles were totally worth it.

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Crunch Time

2010-12-31T12:53:00.001-08:00

I always feel like I have prepared so well. I feel like I really planned ahead. But each and every year, 2 times a year, CHA creeps up on me and about 1 month before I start to PANIC!

We have a class with 148 people. YIKES! We have all the paper and ribbon cut and we will be having a major kit making party next week at the factory. OK...deep breaths...I can do it!

We have 3 booths with lots of new products coming. YIKES! Booth is planned, stickers are printing, a new and wonderful surprise product is coming at CHA. OK...I think we are OK here.

We have make & takes throughout the show. YIKES! That's a lot of planning but I can do it. It's all in my head. My head is rather full. Hope I can remember all the details! :)

We have a new design team being announed in 1 week. SO EXCITING! Can't wait to see who the final team is. Still last minute applications coming in.

So I will just keep this sign posted in my head. My working out is walking so I better step up the pace. That always calms me down! But if that does not work, freaking out is my other option! :)

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Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

John and I are completely ready for Christmas. We keep it simple but it is always so much fun. I love the tree and having friends over. I love buying the presents and thinking about each person and what would be just perfect for them.

Next year I'm hoping to have a more crafty Christmas. All of our design team members do such amazing things not only with card making but also with decorating the TUBES, making ornaments and making gift boxes and gift card holders. I'm sharing with you in this blog ornaments made by Amy Heller. {{SIGH}} So beautiful!

John and I both enjoy being crafty so watch out world, here we come armed with all the design team's tutorials. We can make, no copy, all of those wonderful projects made by the team. Their job is to inspire. Our job is to copy! :)

But for now, we will just be happy with what we've done for this year and enjoy every minute of this beautiful, miraculous season.

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Christmas Anniversaries

2010-12-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

My sister M.A. just had a 40th Anniversary party and it was fabulous. It was a combination Family Christmas party and Anniversary party as well. All the grandchildren were there in their Christmas dresses and Santa hats. The grandchildren and nieces and nephews sang Christmas carols including Brennan who is just 2. He actually sang the opening to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". I was amazed. Both of my sisters and one of my nieces share December anniversaries. I love winter weddings. Everything is decorated so beautifully for Christmas and the spirit of the season is a wonderful environment for the celebration of love.

At the party my sister Mary Ann (M.A.) wanted some special favors so when she spotted the new TUBES from SRM she put on her thinnking cap and came up with some wonderful designs. On the ones for the adults, gorgeous ribbon was a big player. For the ladies, the ribbon was tied in a yummy bow. For the men, it looked more like a tie. Very masculine! And on the top of all, there was a Hershey kiss (red for girls, green for boys) that looked like a little Santa cap. So darling!

For the children M.A. took Carole Kisch's idea of a Reindeer food TUBE and did it with a twist. The children LOVED them and they are all ready to sprinkle it on their laws Christmas Eve. M.A. substituted colored sugar for glitter. Even the 2 year old loved his TUBE!

What a wonderful day it was with toasts and laughs and love and even a few tears. It's emotional to gather as family and seeing someone you have not seen in too long brings up tears of joy.

Looking forward to a wonderful Christmas with my kids and grandkids. Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when Santa comes to visit!

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Keeping Calm

2010-12-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

With less than 2 weeks to Christmas, I'm beginning to panic. I try to keep Christmas simple and focus on the reason for the season. And I love focusing also on our grandkids who are just beginning to really "get it". So much fun to watch!

The other day my husband John was talking to our 5 year old granddaughter and he asked her if she had an advent calendar. Yes, she did but she immediately focused on "TWO more weeks!". I remember when I was little that I could not wait for Christmas. Two weeks seemed like such a LONG time. But now, 2 weeks seems like such a short time to accomplish all that needs to be done.

But I'm not going to panic. I'm taking deep breaths and think about all these great new expressions about Carrying on. And looking forward to this magical time of year that is filled with so much astonishment.

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A Year of Blessings

2010-12-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

2010 has been very difficult for so many individuals and businesses. And yet, it has also been an incredible year of blessings. Here at SRM, we have had our share of blessings. In January, Jenyfur Pohl entered my life and set SRM on a path down the online community road. It has been a wild ride! :) We put in place our first ever Design Team and we were off and running. Week after week this extraordinarily talented group produced layouts, projects, cards, calendars and the list goes on and on.

Something that I think is so amazing is that if you hang around these talented ladies long enough, their talent starts to rub off on you. That is our goal. We want you to see what they do and then you go off and do it too! I am doing so much more crafting then I have ever done in my life due to the constant inspiration from our Design Team. I love using our products to create. My forte is mostly containers and gifts but I throw in the card and calendar here and there.

Yesterday I went to my office (ususally don't do that on a Saturday) and I played with our new product the TUBE. I was inspired by the TUBES made by Jenyfur (HUGS), Tanis (Birthday filled with coins and bills) and Deana (Valentines). I decided to make up some Valentine Tubes and I must say I love what I've come up with. What a wild and crazy and fun product this is. It can be a gift, a card, an invitation, a party favor or just a little something to give to a friend who needs a pick-me-up.

So this week I'm going to send some of my creations to Jenyfur who wants to feature te TUBE once a week on the SRM Blog. Let's see if I make the cut! But even if I don't I had so much fun making them and copying all the incredible ideas that our team keeps coming up with, I will be fine with that.

I guess the moral of this story is that I'm spending a lot of time counting my blessings and rest is just cream!

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Channeling my Martha Stewart!

2010-11-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

With the help of our super talented design team, I have recently been channeling my Martha Stewart. With all the supplies from Scrapbooking and card making, there are so many things that you can do as home decor or as hostess gifts. Believe me, you will definitely impress your friends and neighbors and it is not at all difficult.

Take for example this container of almonds that I dressed up with paper, punches, ribbon and stickers. I took it yesterday as a hostess gift for our Thanksgiving dinner and everyone loved it!

Tip: It's fun to find some food product that is in a see through container. Nuts are perfect for this and nuts are totally the rage now. Healthly and tasty and good for all seasons. It's nice when you see the contents of the container showing through and they become part of the presentation.

So I decorated the top, covering the label with a nice, big, chuncky circle and I popped one of SRM's white sentiments on from our We've Got Your Stickers THANKS sheet. Looks great on dark cardstock, don't you think? Then I added the felt fall leaves and a bit of bling and finished it off using a white pen to do the doodling around the edge of the circle.

Then I used my Marvy Border punch system and used the ribbon stitch cartridge. I simply LOVE this look. I threaded the ribbon through and then applied some stickers from SRM's Thanksgiving Express Yourself sheet. Then I wrapped the container with the paper crafted piece and there you have it!

Think of the possibilities...for Christmas, Valentines or just because. So start looking around your market for just the right containter to decorate and start WOWING your friends and family as well.

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My Not So Secret Santa's Helper

2010-11-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

My husband John is a big part of SRM ever since he retired from being a teacher. Whatever John does, he does with energy. And he is very crafty. Something that I never knew until I started giving him some crafty tools, paper and stickers.

John is in charge of putting together all the samples and kits for the classes at CHA. What a huge job that is. At the upcoming CHA in Los Angeles in January we have a class with 150 people! And who is in charge of making those 150 kits? None other than John. That's a ton of cutting and punching and organizing but he does it happily. Could not do this without John's help.

The day that our Marvy Border Punch System arrived, John spent the better part of the day playing with it. So adorable. He showed me all the possible punching optios and then started creating projects. Here are a few of my favorites.

I know that John will continue to be crafty and I will give you updates from time to time. Can't wait to see what he does for Valentine's Day!

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We're Talkin' Tubes

2010-11-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Life is funny. Recently one of SRM's design team members, Gina Hanson, made a Halloween project using a plastic tube decorated with a card, a beautiful bow and filled with candy corn. It was a darling project.

I looked at the project and said to myself "I have those tubes". In fact, they had been sitting high atop my factory since 1992! I had them pulled down and saw that they were in perfect condition and we decided to start selling tubes.

Once you play with this product you will get hooked. It's a clear 7" tube with a plastic cap. It's food safe, FDA approved so it's perfect for loading them up with yummy treats for birthday party favors or stocking stuffers.

There's a million different ideas of what to do with the tubes. It's going to be fun seeing all the different ideas that our team comes up with. But for now, I'd like to share one of my creations. I took one of our hiking stickers:

Then I took the sticker and put the word HIKING up the side:

Then I cut out a boot sticker for the top, filled it with trail mix and tied a ribbon on it.

Now I ask you, is that not totally fun? Tuck it into a backpack when your kids are taking a hike. Or serve it as treats at a Boy Scout meeting. These are sure to be a BIG hit!

I have a confession to make. I made this tube but I didn't take a hike. But I did eat the trail mix that was left over. It was yummy!

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Thankful

2010-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

We are heading into my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. For me it's such an uncomplicated holiday with good food, friends and family. No gifts to buy. Not too much stress. Folks are always happy to bring part of the meal so that the host family isn't left doing all the work.

The concept of Thanksgiving for me is simple. It is a day of gratitude, gratitude for so many things. Each of us could make a list a mile long of all the blessings we have and so here, on Thanksgiving, we have a day where it all comes together. What a warm and wonderful time of year it is.

And the meal itself is so wonderful. Once everything is on the table, people relax into several hours of sharing good times. Lots of stories are told. There's plenty of love and laughter. And there's no rush to finish the meal. Sometimes you even have to take a break to make way for desert. And even clean up is a group effort.

I try to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving in my heart all year long. I like to focus on what is good in my life being grateful for all that I have and not dwelling on what I don't have. And to think about and help those who are in need. Sometimes that's someone in my own family but most often it is people in my community. There are lots of opportunities to help others this time of year. I'm planning to put lots of energy there especially now when so many are hurting.

The Thanksgiving treat boxex I'm featuring in this blog are from Design Team member Carole Kisch. If you would like to use them on your Thanksgiving table, here is a link to her tutorial. Enjoy! http://srm-stickers.blogspot.com/2010/09/triangle-box-by-carole.html

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My Little Pumpkins

2010-11-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

Now that Halloween is over, we get to see all the wonderful photos that go with that festive holiday. So many great scrapbook pages are made for Halloween and Fall. The colors are warm and wonderful and oh those pumpkins.

I love pumpkins. The color is so yummy and the carving is too much fun. When I saw these adorable photos of my grandchildren at a pumpkin patch I knew that I just had to share. Eve, the one dressed like a pumpkin, is celebrating her 1st birthday at the pumpkin patch. Her cousins Sylvie (almost 5), Benjamin (almost 2) and Dylan (8 months) all got up on top of the pumpkin pile and had a good old time.

Pumpkin is a term of endearment and a perfect word to describe children. They are so sweet and fun. Truly a treat. I did not have children when I was young. But when I married I got 3 kids as teens and now they are all grown up and they have given me the most beautiful gift of all. My little pumpkins. 4 little pumpkins so far in our patch. Oh how I love them so.

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Pumpkin Carving Time

2010-10-30T08:38:00.001-07:00

When I met and married my husband over 20 years ago I thought I knew a lot about him. We met at our high school reunion and I had known him since I was 12. We met in Jr. High School. Everyone loves this story and it is very sweet. He is a great guy, a wonderful person, handsome and strong. But he was hiding a big secret.

He carves pumpkins. He is close to being a professional pumpkin carver. Every year it's a ritual at our house to get the pumpkins. They need to be the perfect size and shape. And then we devote quite a bit of time to carving the pumpkins. I do mine that look like they were lifted out of Martha Stewart Living. He does his that look like his job is to create fantastic pumpkins. Everyone in our neighborhood looks forward to seeing John's pumpkins. Kids want their photos taken next to his creations. It's a big neighborhood event.

Well, this year I waited too long to get my pumpkins and the pickings were slim. I got three rather small, but well shaped, ones and we will see what magic he can create. He was not unhappy with the pumpkins I brought home. You see, John never met a pumpkin he didn't like! :)

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Contain it!

2010-10-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I love containers, especially ones that are free. There are so many different things that you use and throw away but these containers can be the beginning of a beautiful project.

Here is a project made by Laura Krumpholz who is our Art Director. She sent this little container as a thoughtful gift to me along with a hand made coordinated card. I love getting things like this. She used a Crystal Light container and I love the way the top is shaped to hold a punched scalloped oval and one of our oval shaped stickers.

If you look around your house, you are sure to find lots of containers that can become a craft project. Lindsay Ostrom likes to take spaghetti boxes and tear them apart, cover them in papers and turn them into a container that is perfect for holding a mini album, for example. The beach mini album is one of her creations.

So look around you and see what containers you can find to turn them into wonderful and inventive projects that are sure to please! You will be amazed at how many containers you can find. It's a whole new way of thinking green and recycling in your own home. No more sending these containers to the recycling bin when you can turn them into darling projects like these!

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World Series Time

2010-10-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

The World Series is just around the corner and I have to tell you that even though my team is not in the running I just love watching the playoffs and the finals. I love the ritual of it all. So many people think that baseball is boring, but I love going to the ball park and enjoying the rituals from start to finish.
You've got your Star Spangled Banner, followed by peanuts. Then you've got your home team coming up and oh, it's time for some ice cream. It's 1-2-3 strikes your out and I think I need a hot dog.

You really have to be careful at a baseball game to pace yourself with the food. If you overdue, you can feel REALLY bad. So I usually just have a few peanuts, a little taste of ice cream but I must have the whole hot dog.

Win or lose, I always enjoy going to see a baseball game. But when I'm watching it on TV I pass on the food. It's just not like being at the ballpark. Hope that your favorite team is in the playoffs. Enjoy the games and may the best teams win! That will insure a fabulous World Series.

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Wickedly Fun!

2010-10-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished taking a look at a Halloween Hop that the SRM Blog is doing today and through the weekend. It is wickedly fun. Absolutely spooktacular! Want to get yourself some candy? Eye candy? Then this hop is just for you. The layout in this post is from Amy Heller. Is that not a layout to die for? And the card with "get candy" at the bottom of this post is also from Amy. What a talent. And the card at the top is from Tania Willis. Amazing card and I love the use of bandage gauze for the ribbon. How inventive is that?

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We live in an area where there are lots of kids and it is flat so it's easy to hit lots of houses for your candy stash in no time flat! Some years we get as many as 150 kids.

My husband John loves to take photos and so we began a tradition many years ago where we take photos of the children sitting on our front steps next to the amazing pumpkins that John and I carve every year. Then we send the photos to the parents. Well, some of those kids are all grown up and in college but I remember when Scott was Scotty and dressed up as a hobo. I'm sure he'd be embarassed if I put that photo online. After all, he's now a major athlete on the UCLA campus. I'll just stick to photos of pumpkins!

Hope that your preparations for Halloween are full of TREATS! Hope that there's a party BREWING and that when the time comes that your party is SPOOKTACULAR! So what's your costume for this year? I'm still thinking on mine

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World Card Making Day

2010-10-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today is World Card Making Day. It is a celebration for all of us who love to make cards whether we use rubber stamps, stickers, paper, ribbon, fabric, flowers, buttons, brads, punches. You get the picture.

I am here to tell you that before making our card making stickers, I really had not made too many cards. Now I can't stop. It's such fun and so satisfying. Even if I'm not as good as our Design Team members (and they are the BEST) I can still use their cards for inspiration and I must say that I am often very pleased with my card creations.

It starts as being something relaxing and fun to do and then it turns into an artistic expression. And then when you give your hand made card to another person it becomes a gift and a joy to them. Everyone loves to receive a hand made card. I can't bring myself to throw away the hand made cards that are sent to me. I know that they are made with so much love. I tuck them in a drawer and every so often I bring them out and look at them. And they make me feel happy.

I have started a new thing with my granddaughter Sylvie. I have started to write her letters on hand made cards. We love making cards together and she so loves to receive one of my cards in the mail with a little note remembering something that we did together. Technology is great but sometimes the old fashioned way works best.

So make a card today and pop one in the mail to someone special. It's a beautiful thing! And by the way all of the cards used on this blog are by card maker extraordinaire Jenyfur Pohl. She lights up my life everyday with her talent and her sweetness. And did I mention that today, World Cardmaking Day, is her birthday? How perfect is that? Card maker extraordinaire celebrates her birthday making cards which is her passion.

Life is sweet!

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Making the Rounds

2010-09-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

I think that it is so important to meet the end user. I love going to stores and working with consumers and getting their feedback. Over the past few months I have gone to approximately 15 stores in California and done make and takes and we had so much fun.

On of my recent make and takes was in San Jose at Scrapbook Island. I've done business with Laurie forever but I'd never been to the store. It really makes you closer to your customers to visit their stores and even better if you have time to meet with their customers and play with your product together. All of that happened and everyone loved it.

I wish that I could go from store to store, from state to state, but that's not physically possible. So instead, I am offering stores the opportunity to do make and takes in their stores when they buy our products. We provide the make & takes and they do the rest. I think that using a product is the way that people fall in love with a product. So if you are a store owner, let me know if you are interested and I'll be happy to send you the details. If you are a consumer and you would like to see this happen at your store, let me know and I'll see if I can make that happen.

You never know what will happen when you make a wish. Sometimes your wishes come true! Right?

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Calendars, Calendars, Calendars!

2010-09-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Four of SRM's design team members have created calendars and they are AMAZING! You can view them all on the SRM blog They are all 8 x 8 or 6 x 6. Kathy Racoosin's calendar is a special Birthday calendar so you can keep it and use it from year to year. Tanis' calendar is a scrapbooked calendar with photos full of family fun and lots of love. Deana's calendar is a paper crafted work of art. And Jenyfur's is beautifully crafted with a minimalist look and feel using Basic Gray papers and SRM Stickers. I love them all.

Calendars are a labor of love. Just ask these 4 designers. They take a fair bit of time but are so satisfying. If you keep the calendar for yourself, you get to enjoy it every day of the year. If you give it as a gift, and so many calendars are made as gifts, you have the pleasure of giving something to someone that will be enjoyed every day for one entire year. Not many gifts can do that!

So go over to the SRM Blog and then take the links to each of the designers' blogs and choose which one of these beauties you want to make. Then get yourself a calendar, some companion stickers and decide what kind of calendar you want to make and if you want to keep it or give it away. Or make more than one. Keep one and give the others away. They will most certainly be gifts that will be treasured.

Happy calendar making! :)

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WGYS - SRM Design Team's Take

2010-09-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

Today is one of my favorite days to look at the Design Team's work on the SRM Blog. We are featuring the We've Got Your Sticker product which is my new all time favorite. Look at these beautiful cards by DT member Nina. WOW! I simply love the big chunky images, the multiple squares and circles with more images at the bottom and Love, love, love the WHITE sentiments, BROWN sentiments and the standard black sentiments. Let's just say that I love it all! :)

But what I really love is to look at what the design team makes with these stickers. What inspiration! WOW! You could sit me in a room for weeks and I would not come up with such beautiful cards. Every inch of these cards is perfection. But what I also love is that because they made them, designed them and executed the designs so perfectly, that they are now ready for me to {{GASP}} copy! Yes, there, I said it! I copy these DT members on a regular basis. And that my friends is the beauty of the blog. It is there for the taking. Sit down in your work space and crank out one card after another using the tips and tricks of these seasoned paper crafters who are regularly featured in the magazines.

What a beautiful scenario that is. Life is good. Relax, enjoy and don't stress about design. They will help you to become the paper crafter that you've always wanted to be. They love that they are inspiration for you (and me) and they will continue to put the highest level of paper crafting in front of you 5 days a week.

Please don't let me wake up from this beautiful dream! Actually that is a direct quote from Jing-Jing but I feel exactly the same way! :)

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She's Back!

2010-09-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been traveling around California up and down the state visiting scrapbook stores and craft stores all along the way. And the one thing that I see in every store is a thirst for all things paper. And after my visit, add stickers to that list of what they are thirsty for!

We have made lots of cards, met lots of wonderful people and left a trail of trained card makers in our wake. But while I was in the stores, I also shared Helen's 8 x 8 calendar. Remember, I was sharing this work of art with you. Well let's get back to that!

In this blog I'm sharing March and April with you. Each month is simply beautiful! On each layout Helen only uses 1 sticker, it's one of SRM's Monthly Memories. Such a simple formula yet the end result is spectacular. Helen loves to layer. If you look carefully you will see layers of paper, sometimes chip board and stickers that are matter on card stock. Each layer adds to the texture of the calendar and makes it even more beautiful.

So keep watching for more of Helen's beautiful calendar and get started on making calendars for 2011. Keep it for yourself or make calendars as gifts! You will love doing it and they will love receiving it. That's called Win-Win! :)

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It's Calendar Time!

2010-09-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love making calendars. It's a great gift and if you want to make many of them for Christmas gifts, you need to get started soon. I love the 8 x 8 calendars. They are just the right size for me.

One of our design team members, Helen Miles, created an 8 x 8 calendar that is simply devine. And she has done the hardest part. She has designed it for us. All we have to do is copy! Thanks Helen for all the inspiration.

I love how Helen takes amazing photos. That becomes the focus for the month. And then her layouts are so layered and yummy. She's only used one sticker per layout. It's the Monthly Memory stickers from SRM, all 12 months of the year. She has woven the words and the graphics from these stickers into each month's layout. Beautiful!

So, what are you waiting for. Time to get started. I will be sharing the different months that Helen has created over time so you will have the entire set! And if you want to check out all the calendar products that SRM has to offer, here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/2fcs86f Happy crafting! You are going to have yourself some fun!

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Cover Girls

2010-09-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a kick out of all the publications that our Design Team members are getting into. Amy Heller has had a very big month of August with a card in CARDS Magazine and a card in Scrapbook Trends as well. I'm sharing those cards with you on this blog. Way to go Amy!

And September is also looking great for Amy. She's on the COVER of Scrapbook Trends and inside she has a card AND a layout. SRM Stickers is loving the spotlight. Thanks again Amy...way to go! I don't think she will let that cover girl thing go to her head.

Now Jing-Jing Nickel is also a Cover Girl on Scrapbook Trends Holiday Idea Book. JJ is such a character...wonder if being a Cover Girl will go to her head? NAH! She'll just move on to the next fab-u-lous layout and dazzle us over and over again.

And Deana Boston, she's got herself a layout in September's Scrapbook Trends. Way to go Deana. Such a darling layout. She's on page 191.

And Nina Brackett...she's got 4 (count 'em) 4 cards in this month's Paper Crafts. And Tanis had a card in August's Paper Crafts.

I simply cannot keep up with all this publicity. But I'm definitely lovin' it! :) Thanks ladies. You really do make me smile!

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Sticker Love

2010-08-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

Recently Eliie, the daughter of my Art Director Laura, went to Ghana to teach on a summer program. Before she left she asked me if I could send some stickers with her to give to the kids. Since the World Cup was in full swing and Ghana was still in the competition, I sent a few different soccer stickers.

Kids love stickers and kids in Ghana love soccer so when Ellie gave out the soccer stickers at the end of her visit, it was a winning combination. As Ellie told me the story of the kids and their stickers, I was so touched. The children put the stickers on papers and did drawings. They put the stickers on their faces as decoration. They took their stickers with them to recess so that their stickers would be safe.

The photos that Ellie took tell the whole story. The thing that the pictures tell that I love the most is the happiness and deep joy in the children that Ellie taught. It struck her the these children who have so little in the way of material things in life have so much. They have a deep faith, a deep joy and faces that are so beautiful lit up with smiles that win your heart. And those eyes...those eyes. Ellie fell in love with the kids and she'll be going back. She feels that she has life lessons to learn from them.

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Blessed

2010-08-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

Blessed is the best word I have to describe my life. Even though it is a hard time with the economy, I wake up everyday with a sense of promise and expectation. I love to look at the SRM Blog Like today, a beautiful bouquet awaited me early this morning created lovingly by Norma Kennedy. She loves life, she loves to craft...her life is filled with love. What a blessing it is to have Norma. I think of Jenyfur who works tirelessly promoting SRM to our friends and fans in the blogisphere. What a blessing she is to me. I see the chat on our Design Team blog site and I love to peek in on the lives of our wonderful design team. 14 more blessings. I get to work and start my day with my right hand helper at my side, Mary. I have been blessed with Mary for 28 years. And my husband John usually comes to work to pitch in. An amazing blessing in my life and such a good sport! And each morning I talk to Laura, our Art Director, and feel so blessed by her talent and by her friendship.

I could go on but you get the picture. I think that it is so important to be grateful for all that you have. There are things I don't have and strive to achieve but for now I am happy with all the blessings around me.

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Magazine Love

2010-08-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a very exciting time for me and for SRM Stickers. I have been in business over 30 years and this is one of the most exciting times of all those years. Our product line has been changing from a basic, strong and steady line to a "Got to Have It" line and frankly, I've got to tell you, I like it!

Our SRM blog began in January under the wonderful talent and guidance of Jenyfur Pohl She has a strong belief in our SRM product as do I. She drew so many talented designers to our team and now they are beginning to pop up in magazine after magazine, month after month.

So far this month we have the following magazines featuring our design team members and our SRM sticker products:

1. Nina Brackett with 4 cards in Paper Crafts, 1 featuring SRM Stickers. Yay Nina. You can check out Nina's wonderful work on her blog.

2. Next up we have Amy Heller who is featured in the September 2010 Scrapbook Trends magazine. First off, she's the COVER GIRL! Oh My! If that's not enough, she is featured inside using SRM Stickers on a card and a layout! Whoo Hoo. Want to see more of Amy, visit her blog.

3. And in the same September 2010 issue of Scrapbook Trends Deana Boston has a fabulous layout called "Be Silly" on page 119! For more of Deana's work, check out her blog.

So much magazine love in just one month. Can you tell that I'm feeling giddy?
I will keep you posted each month on where you can see SRM published next!

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Together Again!

2010-08-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's no secret, Cosmo Cricket is one of my best crafting friends. We work together a lot teaching classes and teaming up like we are doing for a couple of days this week. SRM's Design Team members have been getting crafty with all 5 of Cosmo's CHA releases and you seriously need to check these out on our SRM Blog. On Thursday it Cosmo's Togetherness line that is featured in layouts and cards galore! So much fun. Then on Friday we are featuring Matilda, Mitten Weather, Pixielicious and Wanted.

And did I mention PRIZES? Cosmo is giving away Crafting Kits on their blog and on the SRM Blog we are giving away all the NEW SRM Stickers from CHA. And we are also giving away Crafting Kits from Cosmo.

Hello! I think you better get off this blog and head over to that one. Time's a wasting! :) Need that link again? Here you go... SRM Blog

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Still Hoppin'

2010-08-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just finished the second week of going to local Southern California stores on the Shop Hop that lasts for 3 weeks. I'm having a blast seeing all the stores and meeting lots of card makers in the area and introducing them to SRM's Card Making sticker products.

This last weekend was particularly fun. I started at Collective Journey in Redlands, a store I have sold to for at least 25 years. It was a gift store that then went into paper crafting big time! Had so much fun there with lots of people including a group that traveled by Limo from one store to the next. They were a riot!

The second store on Saturday was Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont. I have known the owner of this store for at least 25 years and I loved being in her store and meeting her customers. As an added bonus, Nina Brackett, one of SRM's Design Team members, joined me. She was great...designing cards and showing us here 4 (yes 4) cards in this month's Paper Crafts magazine. What a talent Nina is. And her daughter Gaby came along too and showed us her crafting skills. She made a card with my husband John and they could not resist showing their matching cards to the camera!

And on Sunday I headed down to Poway near San Diego and spent the day from 10-5 at Cool Scrapbook Stuff. The name of the store certainly describes it. She has more scrapbook stuff than most stores I've ever seen. She set up a workspace so we could accomodate 8 card makers at a time and WHEE that was something! Every 5 minutes I've have a new group of 8 makin' cards! They ranged in age from 5 years old to 80 years old and a great time was had by all, including me!

Enjoy the photos we took in Claremont and know that I am in Shop Hop recovery mode. Just one more store this upcoming weekend and I am hopped out! :)

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So Cal Shop Hop

2010-08-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's only 1 week since I flew home from CHA and so much is going on. We are shipping new product like crazy and orders are still pouring in. Got to love it! And so many consumers are becoming aware of our products. Remember, they are in local scrapbook stores. If you don't have a local store in your area, you can always find all of SRM's products on the SRM Website where we offer shopping too!

So now what is on my plate? Well, for the next 3 weekends I will be visiting Southern California stores to meet customers and to make cards. If you live in Southern California I would love to meet you and make a FREE card with you using SRM's amazing clear stickers. I know we will have fun.

So here is my schedule for this weekend.

Sonja's Scrapbook Spot, Westchester, Saturday 10-12
Scraparazzi, Whittier, Saturday 2-4
A to Z Scrapbooking, Torrance, Saturady 6-8
Stampin' from the Heart, Culver City, Sunday 1-3

If you are in the area, come see me. Making FREE cards? Now that's a tempting offer! :) And if you're lucky you might just get to meet Nina from our design team. The SMILE card is her design and she thinks she might pop in and surprise one of our stores with a visit! Hope to see you soon.

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After CHA

2010-08-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Months, weeks, days of work and then CHA is here and gone! And now the follow up begins! But before we move on from CHA, I just need to acknowledge a few people who have helped so much in making this show and my business a big success story. We are all pictured in this photo from left to right: Laura, John, Me and Jenyfur.

Laura: Laura is a gifted artist and a wonderful person. We are very close as we have worked together for many years and each year is better than the year before. She designs the products and she helps to make the booth special too. I loved the little "Pockets" she created for the booth to feature each of our design team members' cards.

John: My husband is a wonderful guy and all the ladies love him. He is a retired teacher who is so sincere and has lots of great ideas too! His ability to listen leads him to making connections with people and ideas and his wonderful support of me through thick and thin is a big part of how I keep it all going. Running a business is a demanding job but with so much support, the load is lightened.

Jenyfur: What can I say about Jenyfur? She is like my special angel who loves SRM products and is helping to take our products to the consumer and make them love the product as much as she does. Her blogging expertise is so key to our success and her ability to draw so many talented crafters has given us a Design Team second to none. Like I told people in our class at CHA...Jenyfur as changed my life! Talent, brains, beauty inside and out...she's got it all.

So upward and onward as we plunge into the week after CHA. The follow up is a big job, but I am up to the task!

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CHA Aftermath

2010-08-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

All the SRM team that attended CHA had a BLAST! The booth was full of activity with card making and lots of customers and writing orders. The new product should start hitting the stores this next week! YAY!

It was such a treat to meet the 10 ladies from our design team that attended the show. Each time one would appear at the booth it was like a reunion except for the fact that we had never met in person. But that didn't matter because we knew each other well from our design team blog.

The dinner on Wednesday night was the crowing glory. We all relaxed and chatted and laughed and found out more about each other. Sitting down and having a nice meal together is a very solidifying experience.

So now we begin again showing you all the new products. More ideas will be coming at your 5 days a week on our SRM Blog and you are going to love all the ideas and the incredible talent that that time provides.

Everyone is back home now but they are all more connected than before. What a wonderful experinece. One that none of us will ever forget. Dreams do come true. Just as the designers that attended CHA. They were all in their element and loving it!

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We've Got Your Sticker!

2010-07-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

If you head over to the SRM Blog you can see all of the sneak peeks over the past week or so. The final reveal is today and it includes a new sticker called "We've Got Your Sticker". Well this product just arrived today (nothing like cutting it to the wire) and I totally LOVE it! WOW! How much fun are card makers going to have with these little beauties! Sentiments in white, brown and black and TONS of graphics. A card maker's dream. Can't wait to see all the new projects that our design team is going to make using these new products.

Well, CHA is just around the corner and I will be meeting my Design Team members for the first time. I can't wait. I think that it will be so much fun. I'm ready! I've got great product, great people to work with, great customers. What else could I ask for?

CHA....here we come!

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There's a Party Goin' On!

2010-07-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

There is definitely a party goin' on over here at SRM. With 25 new stickers rolling out, we are celebrating! All this week on the SRM Blog we are revealing all of the new products being introduced at CHA. So much fun!

One of my favorite designs is a Quick Card for PARTY! So many uses for this one. How about a birthday card? Or how about an invitation? I'm showing you a darling one from Tania Willis on our Design Team. Even though this product is made for cards, some of our Design Team members are using them on layouts too.

So hop on over to the blog and see all the new products. And if you can't live without them and you don't want to wait, they are now available on our online store. YAY! Did someone say "Shopping"?

So join the celebration and have yourself a personal party with our wonderful stickers. So clear, so easy, so much fun! Party! Party! Party! You get the picture now, don't you?

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Sneak Peek #4

2010-07-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love Quick Cards. I think that they are such fun for any level of crafter. Look at the beautiful projects made with our new SMILE design by Jenyfur Pohl, card maker extraordinaire! Simply beautiful.

But if you gave these same stickers to Jenyfur's kids, they would have lots of fun with them too and they would be able to easily use them and make something that would make them SMILE.

That is what we try to do with our products at SRM. We want them to be for every level of crafter. We want the most advanced crafters (that would be our Design Team members) to make projects with our products and LOVE them. And we want a beginner to be able to take our product and make something that makes them happy and makes them want to do more.

No matter what level you are, you will enjoy our products. And, by the way, we have lots of great ideas for you over at our SRM Blog. Take a look at our Flickr as well if you are stumped for ideas. There are almost 1000 projects posted there now.

Have a crafty weekend and I'll see you next week.

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Sneak Peek #3

2010-07-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Each day we are trying to give a new Sneak Peek of our new CHA products. Today's new sticker design is another Quick Card with the title of "HUGS". Love this design. Love the Lady Bug. Love the word HUGS on a card or a layout.

Tomorrow on the SRM Blog, there will be another Sneak Peek with a very special card to go along with the sticker. Today I got a sneak peek of tomorrow's sneak peek and trust me you are going to LOVE it. Just let's say it made me SMILE! :)

Stay tuned for lots more of the new product!

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Sneak Peek - Peace

2010-07-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

In our new introductions at CHA, we are bringing out 3 Quick Cards and 1 Sticker Sentiment for Christmas. Making Christmas cards is very popular and these new designs are so much fun to use. Our design team is just now beginning to play with the new designs and look what Jenyfur Pohl came up with - 2 beautiful cards for Christmas. Check them both out on the SRM Blog. I love the paper she used and the ribbon and the flower. And I love her use of papers. These cards really do express the hopeful feeling of Christmas.

I think that this year I am going to have a card making party for my family members. We are going to have such a great time spending time together, being crafty and getting all our cards made in no time flat.

Whatever the season, SRM has card making products. What are you waiting for? Isn't it time for you to get crafty? To see more Sneak Peeks make sure to visit the SRM Blog 5 days a week.

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New CHA Releases

2010-07-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the day. We are beginning to slowly unveil our new CHA releases to our consumer friends. How much fun it is going to be. The first design that Jenyfur on our SRM Blog chose to share is Halloween. It's her favorite holiday and she took our new TREATS Quick Card and created 2 darling bags for candy. Is it every too early to be thinking about Halloween? I don't think so. But remember, it is all about the candy and what better project that to decorate treat bags for your kids. So much fun!

Each day on the blog we will reveal another new design. Make sure to check in over at the SRM Blog so you won't miss any of the fun.

We have all of our stickers printed except for 2. We have shared all of the designs with our reps and our stores. And now we begin to share with you. I love the new products. I hope you do too!

Stay tuned...

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Surprise Packages

2010-07-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

With CHA coming up soon, I have asked all of our Design Team members to send me some of their favorite projects they've made with their SRM Stickers so we can feature them in our booth and in our class. We are setting up a little gallery in the class and their projects will be sprinkled throughout the booth. It will be so much fun!

Boxes have been arriving but I have been so busy, I just did not open them. Well, yesterday I opened a box from Carole Kisch. Inside the shipping box was a smaller box, a beautifully printed photo box. It was like I was on a treasure hunt. Then I opened the inside box and individually wrapped were 10-12 projects that she has done for us on the blog over the past 6 months. I loved these projects on the blog, but in person, they were simply spectacular.

Carole loves minis like the one showed here today on my blog. Many of the projects were mini and so darling. I loved looking through my special box and I can't wait to share these crafty treats with everyone at CHA. They are going to love, love, love them.

Off to doing more work in preparation for CHA. We are going to begin to do sneak peek of our new product release next week on the SRM Blog! So exciting! Don't miss it! Everyday there will be a new product shown. How much fun is that?

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Celebrate Independence

2010-07-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

I love the 4th of July. I live in a town that is the perfect place for this holiday. In the morning we have a 10K run, in the afternoon we have an old fashioned parade, in the late afternoons there are parties everywhere and in the evening there are fireworks practically in my back yard.

I truly appreciate the freedom I have in my life and this is a day when you can reflect on that great privilege. I love the fact that in my town everyone is actively celebrating freedom from morning until night.

One of the blessings of my life is our talented design team. Honestly, I don't know how they do it but they continue to come up with amazing projects using SRM Stickers week after week. When I need a graphic or a sample or a tutorial, I just look on our blog and find the perfect thing time after time.

Here are a few cards from Amy Heller, a very talented member or our team to celebrate the 4th! If you want to see more cards and layouts celebrating the 4th, pop on over to the SRM Blog and get ready for inspiration! Enjoy!

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You did WHAT with 1 Sticker?

2010-07-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

About 6 months ago my life changed when Jenyfur Pohl approached me with an idea. Let's get a Design Team and show everyone how great stickers can be, she said. I agreed and the rest, as they say, is history!

I have always loved that stickers are easy to use. They are quick and easy. No experience is required to use stickers. No training is involved. For the month of July, SRM's Blog has a theme called "Clean and Simple". The idea is to show people that with 1 sticker, here's what you can do. Today is the first day of that theme and it is starting with a bang! Nina, who makes the most lucious cards, decided to take 1 sticker (the Thank You Sticker Sentiment that costs $3.00) and make as many cards as she could. Well you can see the results in the photos I've posted here today. But even though she has made 12 cards, she still has enough stickers left over to make many more. Now that's AMAZING!

And that's what people are saying all over the blogisphere. They are saying how fun and easy and simple and AMAZING SRM Stickrs are. Have you tried them yet? You need to find out for yourself, just like all of our Design Team has found out, that these stickers need to be an essential part of your crafting stash.

So hop on over to our online store and take a look at all the themes and get started. And hop on over to our Daily Blog and get tons of inspiration. And make sure to check our Flickr Gallery where there are now over 800 great ideas for your card making, layouts and altered projects.

So what are you waiting for? Let the fun begin!

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Gallery Idol

2010-06-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Lots going on here at SRM in preparation for CHA in Chicago. We are bringing out 25 new stickers and teaching a class for 100 people doing 15 cards in 2 hours! Yes, you heard that right!

So in the midst of all this, Paper Crafts Magazine is doing their annual Gallery Idol to find the #1 card maker in the country. The competition is now down to the final 10. And 2 of the final 10 card makers have used SRM Stickers in their most recent submissions. All I can say is WOW! Thanks to Karen Baker and Sarah Martina Parker. They have used ribbon in beautiful ways, which was the challenge and when their cards were almost done...they popped an SRM Sticker Sentiment on it. {{SIGH}} I love to see our beautiful, clear sentiments featured at such a high level of competition. They make the sentiment so clean and clear and standing out.

So if you have some time and you feel like voting, hop on over to Paper Crafts website and see all the entries and vote for your favorite. Here's hoping that one of your favorites will have an SRM Sticker on it! :)

Need more inspiration, you will find it 5 days a week on the SRM Blog featuring 15 of the most talented paper crafters around!

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To Do List

2010-06-16T17:00:00.001-07:00

I have a TO DO list that is a mile long. I kid you not! Sometimes I get so busy with working on my TO DO list that I forget TO DO my blog and that's not good. I really enjoy doing the blog. It's kind of like "Notes to Self". Sort of a journal of things that are going on.

Well, the main thing that is going on with my TO DO list is that we preparing for CHA. The summer show is usually not the "BIG" show of the year but we always do a major introduction. This time we will have 25 new stickers and they are FUN, FUN, FUN! And we are teaching a class that will have room for 100 stores to participate. Now that is a BIG class! We will be making 15 cards in 2 hours! I know that sounds like a lot of cards for 2 hours but our stickers are super easy to use and you can really crank 'em out! We have the cards designed (we are using Cosmo's DeLovely for some of the cards) and all of our manufacturing partners are sending us the supplies. Can you say "Ohhhhhhhhh MY!"? The companies that are involved in our class are:

SRM Stickers - Stickers!
Cosmo Cricket - Patterned Papers
Bazzill - Cardstock and matching envelopes
Petaloo - Flowers
Creative Impressions - Ribbon
Clear Snap - Inks

Now all we have to do is cut the papers and the ribbons (major job)and put the kits together (another MAJOR job) and we will be good to go!

I love going to CHA. I love seeing all the local scrapbook stores who are our customers and giving them lots of great new ideas for using stickers. We hope that you support a local store. They work so hard to bring you the latest and greatest and to create lots of samples and classes that help you to be the craftiest crafter you can be!

Wish me luck! I still have a LONG way to go before the show but each day I mark off another thing from my list and I feel oh so happy that I have one less thing TO DO!

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Mad for Minis!

2010-06-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am mad for mini cards. They are just too darn cute. We have one design team member, Tanis, who is equally mad for minis and every chance she gets, she whips up a batch of them.

The theme of our SRM Blog this month is "Here Comes the Sun". Tanis saw that theme and in no time flat, she had a set of minis that are so clean and crisp. Perfect for a pool party or beach party or just a little note to say "hello". These 3 x 3 cards are simply adorable.

If you love to make cards and you have scraps lying around, perhaps mini cards are in your future. Make sure that you have SRM's Sticker Sentiments and/or Quick Cards or any of our themed stickers like the "Water Fun" ones that Tanis used on these cards, and you are good to go. Stitching, ribbons and buttons are always good additions to any card so have them on hand too.

Have fun with minis. I know that I do! Come to think of it, I like the Mini car and Minnie Mouse too!

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My friend Linda

2010-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've written on my blog before about my friend Linda who is a retailer in Wisconsin. She is such a dear. Once, with an order, I sent her a free roll of stickers and so when my grandbaby Eve was born, she sent me an incredible Onesie that her daughter Mindy makes. I have to tell you, it is CUTE! It's kind of like the one pictured here but instead of a turtle it has a big E embroidered on the front. Precious! You can see all of Mindy's creations on her darling website Miss Mindy Mac Designs.

OK...so now I notice on our online ordering that Linda has placed a retail order. Mind you, she is a retailer, but she just was dying to get her hands on a few of our special stickers that she wasn't quite ready to have in her store. I thought that was entirely TOO cute! Most people would be looking to get freebies but Linda is looking to support me and my company. Here is a BIG cyber hug to Linda who really is one of a kind. Thank you for your loving support Linda. It is truly appreciated.

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New Products Coming Soon!

2010-06-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

The cry from stores and consumers alike is "What's New?" Fortunately, both stores and consumers are loving what SRM is doing these days bringing a whole new twist to the sticker world but we simply cannot rest on our laurels. So twice a year, come rain or shine, we produce a new batch of lovely stickers and this year is no exception.

Just to drive you crazy, I will let you know that all the stickers are designed and are in the very early stages of production. There's lots to be done before we can show you what we have done, but I promise you....you are going to like it!

One of the reasons that people love SRM is that we always listen to what people are liking and what they are wanting from us. If you ever have an idea, send it my way because I'm all ears!

But while you are waiting for the new, check out the existing stickers in our line. It's kind of like the old song "Make new friends...but keep the old". As Tania, one of our incredible design team members so aptly said, ""What is there not to love about SRM stickers!? They really have left no stone unturned in terms of creating groups of stickers for almost every occasion you might ever need. In addition, I love how versatile the stickers are in terms of use. I can attach the semi-transparent stickers to white card stock and trim around them (as shown with the summer title) to make the color pop. This can also be done with placement over the same color tone which makes the color pop, but still maintains the transparent (rub-on like) quality (as shown with the 'soaking in the sun' square sticker. Or, I can place the sticker directly over a photo giving an seamless appearance and looking more like a perfect rub-on! We all know rub-ons can be finicky, but SRM stickers save the day, every time."

I could not have said it better myself! :)

By the way, if you want to see more layouts, cards and altered projects from our stellar design team, visit our blog 5 days each week. And if you can't live another day without SRM Stickers, visit our online store where you can find instant gratification!

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Laura

2010-05-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been on a mission to figure out if I "Know" our DT members, whom I have never met!

As I explore the lives of our creative team, I must confess that I love living a creative life. I love being around creative people. It's just inspiring! I have come to the realization that there are all different kinds of creativity. Some people think creatively, some are able to act creatively and some are able to execute creatively.

Today I am going to take a break from talking about our Design Team and talk about someone I actually know very well. She is an artist, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend and she does all of those roles beautifully. She is Laura, our Art Director. In the picture above, Laura is on the right with me at CHA. Laura is a complete genius in designing stickers. She is consistently able to execute creatively. I usually concept the idea. Let's say I want to do a series of stickers that are for card making. I talk it over with Laura and let her start to put some ideas together. She will start sending me ideas. Sometimes artists can be very attached to their work but that is not Laura. She is open to all the possibilities. If I say I would like a different color, she rolls with that. If I say that I don't think something is not working for me in art she has submitted, she rolls with it. I am never afraid to say exactly what I want to say.

One of my favorite stickers that we have in the line is called "Everyday Life". Laura is so good with finding just the right words and just the right fonts. I find that this is the most favorite stickers of our Design Team on SRM's Daily Blog. I guess because it's the everyday things that we want to remember about our lives. And in my everyday life, Laura is one of the leading members of the cast.

Every once in a while Laura will go to the mat on something that she truly believes in artistically. When she does that, I always say OK. I totally trust her instincts when it comes to product. What a joy it is to work with Laura. We are friends, we are co-workers, we are a team. And we are like sisters. How'd I ever get so lucky!

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Tobi

2010-05-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Tobi is a woman of many talents. In the arts, she is a teacher of music. She teaches high school choir and band. Wonder if she can give us any "Glee" stories? Probably!

In another area of art, she is **WILD** with talent for all things paper, stickers, rubber stamps and markers. She confesses on her Blog that she is hopelessly addicted to making cards. Lucky for me! I love looking at Tobi's cards. She is a genius with a Copic marker. And I love the special things she does with paper like her paper banners. She's been on a kick with them for a while. Everyone seems to be copying her as they too love them!

When I think of Tobi, I think of someone very emotional. I don't know why I think that but when I made her a special video it made her cry and that made me cry! Her emotion comes out in special ways. When I read that she had trained in Opera it all made sense. Musicians are sensitive and special people. And frankly I think that this is a perfect match for card making. Tobi's love and caring comes out in her cards. The beauty of her cards is impressive. They are often soft and express her love and caring.

I'm glad that I "know" Tobi even if it's only online. I don't think that Tobi can come to CHA but I hope to meet her one day in person. I know I would like her. I love the way she loves our products and shows them off in a very special way.

Thanks Tobi! We are lucky to have you with us.

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Deana

2010-05-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's funny. When we assembled our Design Team we were looking for card makers and for layout gals and for altered art specialists. Well it turns out that Deana who we thought was a layout specialist does it all. One of my favorite cards so far was her circle card. So inventive and darling.

So in my game of "do you know your own design team" I now think about Deana. I see her as a person who has her plate full and absolutely loves it that way! She has a crafting style that is so appealing to me. It's clean and crisp but not too perfect, if you know what I mean. She has a little artist in her house who she has been featured on Deana's blog and her daughter Bryn comes by her artistic talent honestly. You know the old expression, the apple does not fall far from the tree?

I look forward to every project that Deana does. I noticed when I was poking around her blog that lots of her projects are mini albums. Now there's a girl after my own heart. I love mini albums! They get the job done in 1/2 the time. Perfect for busy girls like Deana. But like I said earlier, whatever Deana does, she does it beautifully and I'm thrilled that she is on our team. Yeah team!

Thank you Deana for all the passion you put into your life and into your work. Especially your stellar projects with our stickers. They love having you work with them! :)

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Jen

2010-05-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

What can you say about someone like Jen Martakis? Wow, the woman does it all! She is **SUPER** talented doing design team gigs, designing digital products that are fabulous, raising a houseful of boys and loving it. And those eyes...those big beautiful eyes that are a window into a person with lots of love to give and talent to share. I feel that she looks like a person who has a lot of clarity.

I love Jen's Blog called "6 guys & a gal". She would be that gal. Imagine what it takes to tend to 6 guys! Recently on my Facebook I asked the question "What makes YOUR heart sing?" I loved of Jen's answer: In addition to her faith she said "....the way my husband looks at me.....my children.....scrapbooking.....I'm a pretty lucky gal. :) :) :)". You are blessed Jen and we are blessed to have you as part of our design team.

So when I look at Jen's work, what do I see? I see a very creative being with a lot of whimsey, someone who has a lot of spunk and is able to roll with it. She obviously loves color and all the power that goes with it. And she obviously loves her boys! How adorable is her layout showing 3 of her 6 guys!

Thanks Jen for being such a gifted talent and such a wonderful contribution to our design team. Can't wait to meet you!

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Amy, she's Posh but not a Spice Girl!

2010-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like Nancy Drew. I used to read these books when I was a kid and I've always liked to think that I can figure things out. One of my friends used to call me McSherlock! So this idea that I am going to figure out who each of my Design Team members is by looking at their pictures and their posts intrigues me.

I look at the picture of Amy and she is soft and sweet. But under that softness and sweetness, which is certainly there, she has a lot of determination. Amy loves to craft and she does everything so beautifully. Cards, layouts, mini albums, rubber stamping...she does it all! Check out Amy's blog which will give you a daily dose of her talent She expects a lot of herself and she always delivers. Even if she is sick she is crafting and delivering beautiful projects. One of the things I really love about Amy is that she enjoys submitting to publications. So many people submit, but I doubt you will find many who are accepted as frequently as Amy. I am so proud of her. Kind of like a mother would be. Each month she submits and each month I am thrilled that she is accepted in multiple pubs. It's like a dream come true for a manufacturer to have their products in the magazines on a regular basis.

I think that you can tell a lot about a person who crafts by looking at their work. When I look at Amy's work I see lots of love and life and happiness. Thank you Amy for being so good at what you do and so determined to make us look good. I keep pinching myself to make sure this is all happening.

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Helen

2010-05-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have this game I'm playing. I'm trying to figure out if I really know who my design team members are even though I have never met them. On some of them, I am sure that I am spot on. Time will tell. We are meeting each other in July at CHA and that is going to be so much fun!

Helen lives in England and she is one of the most amazing paper artists around. I wonder how I got so lucky to have the talent that our design team brings. It is truly a blessing. I love Helen's work. She loves to layer and loves lots of color and puts things together than are often unexpected. And she has a daughter, she often calls her "girlie" who she photographs with such expertise. Her photos are brilliant. And her daughter is a great model. She is very dreamy. If you look at the calendar pages I am using in this blog you will totally get the picture (pun intended).

So Helen is an artist, is wild with talent, is playful beyond belief, is fun and funny and full of love. Sometimes when I see a project by Helen, I just wish that she would have made 2 and sent one my way. She teaches classes in England. Boy those are some lucky students to be studying at the feet of this master of all things paper and stickers.

Cannot wait to meet Helen. I know that is going to be a very fine day indeed.

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Oh My - Nina!

2010-05-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Whenever I see a project by Nina I say "Oh, my!" Her work is so beautiful and delicate and special. Nina was born and raised in Southern California but has been living in Croatia for the past 14 years. She is raising a beautiful family there and it is her focus. But when the little ones are in school or asleep, she has a passion for all things crafty. She is a rubber stamper extraordinare, card maker and also a designer of rubber stamps. So you can safely say she does it all. And when she does it, whatever she does, she does it with such beauty and perfection.

The project I am featuring on today's blog were Nina's contribution to our recent blog swap with Write.Click.Scrapbook. It's made using SRM Stickers and Cosmo Cricket. Who would not love to receive this packet of cards tucked away so nicely in their yummy carrying case. I am raising my hand! So whenever you are in the mood to combine paper, rubber stamping and lace you might reference Nina's work on her blog Crafting In Croatia for inspiration. And then you can join me in saying "Oh my!"

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Tania

2010-05-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Whatever project Tania Willis does is simply AMAZING. I have loved her work and her personality since day 1. She is fun and she is deep. That isn't always something you find in people. She is a person I would like to know better. I don't know when I will get to meet her but in the meantime I will simply enjoy all of her talents.

Tania has challenges in her life. But she takes them in stride and carries on. I admire that about her. I love Tania's Blog. She is so honest and straightforward. Just the kind of friend I love to have. She loves to do tutorials and they are stunning. I would love to take a class from her. Even though I don't think I am on her level of crafting, I think that Tania probably brings out the best in people and I would walk away quite pleased with myself!

She is a person who loves scrapping about Everyday Life...we just happen to have a sticker for that! Look at the layout I have chosen on this blog that Tania has made using that Everyday Life sticker and see if you don't agree that this girl is SUPER talented, knows how to use color and designs with perfection. Can you tell I like Tania's work? Check our our SRM Daily Blog on a regular basis and you will be treated to her work. And remember...expect the unexpected.

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Carole-ish

2010-04-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am amazed that I can have friends that I've never met. I guess it's a bit like having a pen pal. But getting to know the designers on our SRM Blog team has the added benefit of seeing their creative side which reveals so much about them.

Carole's work makes me smile. She can make you smile everyday too if you visit her ISH blog. Carole is such a talented and prolific card maker. She probably has more posts than any other of our designers on our Flickr link and I look so forward to her beautiful work. Sometimes she surprises me with a peek into her personality. I love that when she submitted the Heartfelt Thanks card that I'm showing in this blog she added that "i'm not usually a punster, but this time i couldn't help myself. :) i found a neglected jar of felt flowers the other day while cleaning up, and well, you can see what happened." And what happened is such a fresh and unexpected design. I want to "lift" this design for my Valentine cards next year! Hope she doesn't mind.

Carole loves all things paper and it shows. Paper crafting makes her happy and it makes me happy that she is on our team. I look forward to the day when I can meet her in person. She has such a fun, cute expression in her photos. I think that she might be just a touch mischievous!

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Jing-Jing

2010-04-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait to meet Jing-Jing. She is funny, fun, **UBER** talented and did I say funny! But let's focus on talented. Oh, my! Everything she does is superb. I am constantly in awe of the way she takes the same supplies I use and manages to create works of genius. Yes, I believe they are genius. I look and see that she's got the paper and the stickrs and the embellishments but then she adds that special ingredient which is "Jing-Jing" and she delights every time. I always look forward to seeing what she will do next on our SRM Daily Blog.

The wonderful thing about Jing-Jing's layouts is that her talent and her humor often merge to give you the most amazing result. I think that her little girls are going to be super glad when they grow up and see the scrapbook pages she made for them because not only does she make a beautiful layout but she injects her personality into each layout so that they will see their mom's sense of humor in addition to her incredible talent.

We are blessed to have Jing-Jing. I think that when I meet her for the first time in Chicago I will have to smile. She just makes me smile! Enjoy her work on her blog, This Little Art of Mine. You will be glad you did. I bet she will make you smile too!

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Tanis

2010-04-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

When I wrote my last blog about Jenyfur, I realized that there are many people in my life that make me happy everyday and again, people I have never met. But just because I have never met them does not mean I do not know them. I think I know them pretty well and I love each and every one of them.

Tanis is a wildly creative. If you ask her to do something she is a total team player. Not only does she do it, but she does a great job. Tanis is an accomplished card maker and has been featured in many publications. There is a beauty and gentleness in her cards that I always love. There is a peacefulness in her work and I believe that is because there is a peacefulness in her life. But there is also a playfulness. I love her blog Paper Canvas with the quote at the top "My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is."

Not too long ago Tanis said that she wanted to come to CHA. She would be driving 14 hours from Canada to do so. And once she told the design team members she was coming everyone else chimed in that they wanted to come too. So Tanis, look what you did! Got about 10 of our SRM Daily Blog design team members to come to summre CHA. And won't that be fun! It will be the first time that any of us meet and I can hardly wait!

Life works in wonderful and mysterious ways.

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Jenyfur

2010-04-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I have someone in my life that is so important whom I have never met. How can that be you may ask? Well, here is the story...

In December a good friend Lindsay Ostrom asked me if I knew about a blog called Caardvarks. I did not. We were about to bring out new products that were going to be for card making and Lindsay thought that it was a good match. I contacted Jenyfur, sent samples of our new products and we agreed that she would feature SRM on her blog.

Several weeks passed and one day I got an email. Jenyfur wanted to talk. She had something important to discuss. We talked on the phone and she told me that she **LOVED** our products and felt passionate about them and wanted to help me let everyone else in the world know about them. She was dead serious. And I believed her. I believed that with her passion that she could and would let everyone know about SRM. She proposed that we start a blog, a daily blog 5 days a week, that we get a top Design Team together and go for it. And so we did.

And the rest, as they say, is history. It's been about 3 months since we started the SRM Daily blog and it is amazing. Our design team is world class. I love every minute of it. And Jenyfur, who started out as a card maker extraordinare has revealed to us through her beautiful work, that she does layouts too! Just look at this beautiful layout that Jenyfur made featured in this blog. Crafty, bright, energetic, organized and an incredible attitude...that's Jen.

How did I get so lucky? I ask myself that everyday. But I think that if you were to ask Jenyfur, she will tell you that she feels lucky. We are a good team and I'm so glad that Lindsay introduced us. Thanks Lindsay!

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Betsy Veldman

2010-04-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

All I can say about Betsy Veldman is WOW! Betsy is an amazing paper crafting and stamping artist and is a guest blogger on SRM's Daily Blog. To see all of Betsy's posts on our blog, please go to the SRM Daily Blog. The way she uses SRM Stickers on each beautiful card truly makes my heart sing. Who ever knew a sticker on a card could make a person so happy? Betsy is a Paper Crafts Go-To Gal and her work is revered in the paper crafting and stamping worlds. And now she visits us at SRM! {{Sigh}} All is good with the world. Go over and take a look and see if you don't agree that the devine Betsy Veldman deserves all the attention and praise she receives. Can you tell I'm in awe?

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CRAZY for Cards...the event!

2010-04-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first **CRAZY for Cards** event. I'm going to Sonja's Scrapbook Spot in West Los Angeles and we are going to be going crazy having fun and making cards for 3 hours. You can make a lot of cards in 3 hours with SRM Stickers Quick Cards and Sticker Sentiments. I can make about 25 cards an hour when I'm power crafting with Quick Cards. And really it's not even powering. Let's say you have a birthday party and you want to make an invitation. Design the card using Quick Cards. Make sure to keep one of the 3 sticker pieces for the outside of the card and off you go! You can be watching TV, chatting with friends and family, talking on the phone AND you can still be CRAZY for cards. That's the beauty of Quick Cards.

Now using Sticker Sentiments may take a bit more planning because you are making 25 **DIFFERENT** cards with each sheet. But I know that you will have so much fun. Just get out your scraps and get started! And when you are done, if you have used SRM's Stickers, be sure to post them on our Flickr where you will now find over 300 exceptional examples of what to do with our amazing stickers.

Got to go. Planning what to take to my CRAZY for Cards event and packing up. I know I'm going to have a blast. I'll tell you all about it the next time!

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Can you have too much Cosmo Cricket?

2010-04-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

Last week SRM's Daily Blog did a week using Cosmo Cricket papers. Well, the fact is that you did not even get to see all their creations because they made so many! Now I ask: Can you ever have too much Comso Cricket? I don't think so. We love teaming with their inventive papers and using our stickers to give some punctuation to the page or project.

So for this blog, I'm simply going to share a few views of a page made by our Design Team member Norma Kennedy who amazes me on a daily basis. Norma has a way with paper and stickers. She can teach us all a lesson! I get to see new things from Norma almost every day! Lucky me!

Be sure to hop over to the SRM Daily Blog where this week all of our design team members are being featured. It is a very cool hop and by the way, prizes are part of the deal!

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Happy Spring!

2010-04-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and it is truly my most favorite time of year. I love the trees budding and the flowers blooming and the feeling of promise in the air.
We just finished up a great week on our designers blog with projects using Cosmo Cricket papers and embellishments. WOW! What a terrific job they did using Cosmo's 3 new releases Joy Ride, Material Girl and Garden Variety. Don't know which one is my favorite. Hard to choose. But I do know that one of my favorite projects that one of our designers made this week was a card by Tania Willis. Everything Tania does is stellar. This card is so fresh and fun. It's just the kind of card you would LOVE to get in the mail. Who knows? Maybe I'll be lucky this year and Tania will surprise me with a card in the mail. I love getting mail. Real mail. Not email. It's just so thoughtful.

Hope you have a wonderful Easter and I'll see you back here soon.

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Crafting with Cosmo Cricket

2010-03-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

Today begins a week of "Crafting with Cosmo Cricket" on the SRM Stickers Daily Blog. Our incredible design team has cranked out tons of amazing cards, layouts and projects that will make you giggle with happiness. There is something about Cosmo Cricket that makes me happy. When I add SRM Stickers to Cosmo Cricket, the stickers somehow help to tell the story and whatever your project...it just gets better.

You be the judge. Cosmo Cricket seems to be on everyone's favorite list. And can you blame them? The designs are fun and whimsical, the colors are unexpected and the names they call their designs and the little sayings they add to their collections are really priceless. Julie and Eric must have a lot of fun dreaming up all that yumminess.

So take a look at our SRM blog each day this week and get lots of great ideas for projects that you want to make. The great part about the projects made by our design team is that they look great but they are also usually simple enough that anyone can do it. Just zoom in on the sample and, go ahead, scraplift! We want you to SCRAPLIFT...scraplift to your heart's content!

Remember, take some Cosmo Cricket, add some SRM Stickers and you have just created a recipe for happy things. I promise you! Need some SRM Stickers pronto? Check out SRM's consumer website where you will find all of our designs under one roof!

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My Man - That Crafty Guy!

2010-03-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

Who says real men don't scrap? My husband John is such a crafty guy! We are going to visit our new grandson this weekend and the other day I found him making one of our Baby's First Year Calendars for baby Dylan! All I could say was WOW! He began his project at about 1:30 in the afternoon. By 3:30 he had about 6 months done. It was a left over kit from our CHA Baby's First Year class. He was using SRM's calendar and companion sticker products and Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love papers. He is doing a spectacular job. Dylan's calendar is now finished and John has now started working on a calendar for our 4 month old granddaughter Eve. This one is a bit more challenging because he is using a variety of Cosmo's papers, not just the papers in the kit. I think that Eve is going to love the Girl Friday papers he used!

So as I work feverishly on developing our new products for summer CHA, John is doing product testing and he has found that calendars are fun, anyone can make one, and he loves that one day his grandchildren will understand that Grandpa made them that special keepsake. How sweet is that?

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Blog Hop - March 19 - 26!

2010-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

BIG NEWS! Do you love Blog Hops? Well get ready for fun because starting today a Blog Hop sponsored by the Design Teams of Scrap N' Art, Get Sketchy and SRM Stickers begins for 1 week! 19 blogs are involved and prizes will be given plus a grand prize if you visit all 19! There is lots of blog candy for you to enjoy as you start at Get Sketchy and end up at Stamp N Art's blog. But just before you get to Stamp N Art you will be stopping at SRM Stickers daily blog Leave a comment on each blog and you will qualify for the grand prize packet. Become a follower on SRM's blog and you will be in a drawing for a cool prize pack of our stickers! Oh, by the way, our SECRET word is ADVENTURES.

Bloggers were challenged to use a sketch and SRM Stickers in their designs. You won't believe all the different takes on just 1 sketch! Our sketch was done by Tanis and I love what she did!

What's Your Favorite?

2010-03-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite kind of papercrafting? Layouts, Cards, Altered Art, Home Decor, Mini Albums, Calendars? At SRM we have them all. If layouts are your favorite, check out this one I'm featuring on my blog today from SRM Design Team Member Jing-Jing using SRM Stickers and Lily Bee papers.

I asked this question recently on my Facebook page and I got the most wonderful answer from one of my FB friends Shar. She said "My fave papercrafting projects are scrapbooking pages, mini albums and altering. Who am I kidding. I love all kinds of papercrafting and have for as long as I can remember. Papercrafting completes me."

I think that is such a sweet idea and one held by many I know. Papercrafting completes me. I think that says it all!

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15 Minutes of Fame!

2010-03-11T06:53:00.001-08:00

On March 22nd I am going to have my 15 minutes of fame. Literally! I will be on Cool2Craft Web TV for 10 minutes and then take questions for 5 more minutes so that equals 15 minutes. I really looking forward to it.

When you believe in what you do, you really want to share it with others. I have been sharing with you in this blog and also on our daily blog which appears 5 days a week and is loaded with extraordinary samples and projects. http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com I share on Facebook everyday (Susan McShirley) and have a fan page for SRM Stickers. Now I get to take to the airways or at least to the internet to show you what SRM Stickers is up to. And I must say, I think that you are going to like what I have to share. So how do you see it, you ask? You just log on to http://www.cool2craft.com/webtv/home.htm

Before the show, make sure you check our SRM's Daily Blog where you will see lots of samples of how to use SRM Stickers. And after the show, make sure that you head on over to the SRM Store and get yourself some of our very cool 2 craft sticker products so that you can join in all the sticker fun! http://www.srmpress.com

At the end of my 10 minutes of demoing and showing a video and some slides of our products, you will have a chance to ask questions you've been dying to know about SRM's products, where to find them, how to use them, what you would like to see us do in the future. For 5 minutes I will be all yours and then when that is done, my 15 minutes of fame will also be done and I will return to my everyday life. Should be fun! Please join us! I look forward to meeting you in cyberspace!

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Mission Possible

2010-03-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

I got to thinking how many people there are out there that don't really know much about SRM Stickers. So I decided I would have a mission: to introduce as many people to SRM as possible. Sound impossible? Well, I don't think so. I am naturally a very optimistic person. My feeling is that we have fantastic products, an AWESOME design team now showing everyone how to use the products, a beautiful daily blog showing off all of the incredible creations our design team is making http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com and a Flickr stream to share our projects which now has 200 and growing! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1376214@N22

So for anyone of you who wants to make incredible cards, layouts and projects but want to make crafting just a bit easier, take a look at the project featured on today's blog. Using American Crafts Miss Lizzy line, Jenyfur has created a darling set of postcards that fit into a little tote and it's all topped off with a matching card. Now you can really impress one of your friends by giving this little pick me up gift set. And as they are falling all over themselves and you, singing your praises, just tell them that it's just a little something that you whipped up with a little help from your friend. Or should I say friends, your new friends at SRM named stickers, design team, blog and flickr.

But shhhhhhhhhhhhh. We won't tell. It's just our little secret. If you want to meet other crafters who share our little secret, head on over to our Facebook Fan page and join the fun! http://www.facebook.com/pages/SRM-Stickers/252517886298?ref=ts

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People Are Talkin'

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've noticed but there is a whole lot of "sticker love" goin' on out there in the blogisphere. Ever since our new stickers, Quick Cards and Sticker Sentiments have appeared on the market, we are hearing lots of positive words from many of our industry's top cardmaking talent and bloggers. Don't want to toot my own horn, but here is what some have said...

"...I'm sure you're hearing this all over the place, but seriously people!...SRM Stickers are fabulous. I love the quality madly & I was quite surprised at how they give can give ideas for cards that can take you out of a wee mojo rut."

"have you heard about the amazing new stickers from srm stickers? these stickers are designed especially for card makers, how fun is that? i truly can NOT believe how easy these are to use love, love them."

"SRM Stickers have got me HOOKED! I’ve bought stickers off and on in the past, but have never been a fan. But these sentiment and quick card stickers are seriously amazing. I’ve been having so much fun with them!"

And from one of our valued local scrapbook store retailers:
"Those Sticker Sentiments and Quick Card lines are AWESOME!"

When you make a lot of cards, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time trying to get the sentiment straight, positioned, perfect. So with a sticker, there is never a problem. You can focus on making the card, creating a work of art. And at the end, pop on your sentiment. But the fun thing is that with a card the sentiment is really important. You want to say just the right thing. With our Sticker Sentiments we give you lots of wonderful sentiments to choose from.

Just take a look at the card I've posted to today's blog. The sentiment is bold, beautiful and a seamless addition to your work of art made by Tanis on our Design Team. This was made from a box top! Try these wonderful new products and see if you don't agree with the many card makers who are already madly in love, love, love with using stickers as sentiments.

To see over 170 cards, layouts and projects, head on over to our new Flickr site and check them out. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1376214@N22 You will be amazed at what our Design Team is coming up with.

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Card of the Day

2010-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

Every day I get up early, turn on my computer and look for my feed of the SRM Daily Blog. http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com And every day I am blown away by the ideas that Jenyfur and our fabulous Design Team is coming up with. Day after day, card after card, project after project. It is a BEAUTIFUL thing!
The talent is so impressive. And these high end designers all have such a positive take on our sticker products. They are amazed by how easy they are to use, how great they look and how addictive they are! Maybe we should print a warning on the backs of our stickers: WARNING: These stickers can be highly addictive!

So get on over to your local scrapbook store and see it they have our new products in yet. If they don't, ask them to order them and to teach with them. What an awesome class that would be. And Fun, Fun, Fun! If you can't find them locally, then hop on over to our online store and take a look. There are lots of goodies in our store and we are open 24 hours a day! http://www.srmpress.com

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Bree & Me

2010-02-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

Life is a wild and wonderful ride. You never really know what it is going to bring you or where it is going to take you.

So one day last August I receive an email from a person I don't know who has a challenge blog and is looking for a sponsor for a challenge. I tell her that I would like to wait for our new products cuz I think they are going to be really fun and that I think she will really like. Well, she shoots me back an email saying "Any hints?". I held firm and said that mum's the word and that I would get back in touch when the product was ready. Well, when the new card making products were ready I let her know and then sent her some samples to play with. She decided that they were well worth the wait. Long story short...she LOVED the product and the next thing I know she is in the booth at CHA hugging me! That's Bree, a natural cheerleader, a spontaneous, creative and full of life gal. Plus she has a big heart.

So now Bree and I are friends. Two kindrid spirits. Like I said...you never know what life will bring. The moral here is to be open, don't say no and never, never predict where or when your next good thing will present itself. So often I hear people say that they aren't sticker people. I say be open to the possibility that you may very well Love, Love, Love a sticker in a different form. Say a clear sticker that makes the perfect sentiment for a card or the perfect punctuation mark on your latest layout or altered project. We are talking about a whole new kind of sticker. Think rub on without the aggravation! That would be a sticker from SRM!

So what was it that brought Bree and me together besides fate? Quick Cards & Sticker Sentiments! Here are a few cards especially for Bree who when she first saw the Quick Cards said "You got me at HELLO". And to Bree I say "That makes my HAPPY!".

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New Friends

2010-02-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at how the world works. I have recently become friends with a super talented blogger, Danni Reid, due to a series of coincidences.
1) Because Danni checked out SRM Stickers on Scrapbook.com and
2) because she saw some of the cards I had posted to our gallery, and
3) because she posted a comment, and
4) because I emailed her to say that if you love the cards go take a look at our daily blog http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com, and
5) because I went to look at her beautiful blog http://www.dannisdoodles.typepad.com, and
6) because I offered to send some stickers for her to play with,
she is now using our product and loving our product and showing it on her
blog. It's like a beautiful story with such a happy ending.

But unlike a story, it doesn't have to end. Instead it goes on and on. Danni has featured SRM Stickers so far in 2 of her blogs and can't wait to make more cards using our, as she calls them, "amazing stickers"! I look forward to that Danni. And I will let my blog friends know when you feature us.

Thanks for being a friend. And an uber talented one at that!

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SRM Stickers - Online Store!

2010-02-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Lots of excitement going on here at SRM. We had a great CHA and for several weeks now our terrific new Daily Blog has been very active and exciting. We have introduced you to our new design team of 15 amazing designers plus Jenyfur continues to amaze us. And as of today, SRM Stickers now has an online store so you can find all of our wonderful products whenever you need them. Check it out: http://www.srmpress.com There are so many incredible projects being posted on the blog, I know many of you want to get your hands on this stickers ASAP.

Maybe you love Jenyfur's Happy/Hello Cards shown above. I know I do. They are made with our Quick Cards. Or perhaps you love Kathy's card with the dragonfly using our Thank You Sticker Sentiments with multiple Thank you's to form a trail on the card. So much fun and so inventive! What a talent she is! So take your time, explore the blog, take a stroll through the new online store and see if there are some things that you just can't do without. There is nothing more fun that a stash of clear stickers that you can use for making cards, layouts, altered projects, mini albums and calendars. And don't forget to keep checking back to the blog to see all the new ideas that will be coming your way. http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

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Basic Black

2010-02-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

This morning as I was driving to work I had a thought. I thought that SRM Stickers are a lot like a little black dress. You know that dress that you have in the closet that you use over and over again? It's basic, it's timeless, it's classic. You can dress it up or dress it down. It goes with everything. And you know that you can always rely on it.

So when you think of our stickers, remember that, just like your little black dress, basic is good. And black is good. Many of our sentiments are in black and they go with everything. Our stickers are timeless and classic. And when you combine them with the perfect accessories (like paper, punches, flowers, bling, etc.) just like your little black dress, our stickers come alive and can become the life of the party!

Think about it! I won't go so far as to say that like your little black dress stickers are sexy...that would be carrying the analogy just a bit too far!

Check out lots of great samples of cards and projects using SRM Stickers on our daily blog.http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com Follow the blog and see it you can't be a winner in one of our random drawings.

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Sticker Fun!

2010-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I just ADORE the latest card creation by Jenyfur on our daily blog. Who wouldn't love to receive this card?

Have you ever met a person who says "I don't really use stickers"? Someone who thinks that stickers are so yesterday or just for kids? Something that you slap down on a page or project when you just don't know what to do? I challenge them to tell me where the sticker is on this card. SRM Stickers are crystal clear and melt right down into the paper. They are the perfect punctuation to a card or project when you need just the right graphic or word.

So when someone you know says "No Thanks" to stickers you can say to them with a smile. "Oh, that's too bad. You are really missing out of a lot of fun". And you know what, they are. Help them discover the fun of SRM's clear stickers. They won't believe how great they look and how much fun they are to use. They won't believe that they are a sticker. They look like a rubon but are so much easier to use than a rubon. So for those of us who love stickers, let's spread the word.

Stickers aren't just for kids. They are for anyone who wants to have fun and create. Join in the fun with us. Take a look at all the fabulous things you can make with stickers on our daily blog: http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com And see if you don't agree that there's a whole new kind of sticker in town!

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A Wild Week

2010-02-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

Preparing for CHA is a lot of work.
Going to CHA is a lot of work.
Following up CHA is a lot of work.

News Flash! That's why we're here. We love the challenge. We love making stickers and sharing our products and our ideas with you. And we particularly love when you love what we do. So you can imagine my feeling of elation when I was approached by one of card making's most talented crafters, Jenyfur Pohl, telling me that she loves our products and wants to share them with the blogisphere! Needless to say, the past 3 weeks since Jenyfur began our new adventure, a daily blog that posts 5 days every week. Take a look at this awesome site and sign up to be a follower so you won't miss one single idea. http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

Making cards and craft projects with SRM Stickers is fun and easy. If you are a beginner, you will be able to jump right in and make awesome projects with our clear stickers. If you are an advanced crafter, you will love the ease of making projects using our stickers as a sentiment or punctuation to your card or page.

At CHA I would sit down at our Make & Take table whenever there was a break in the action and I would make cards. Valentine cards, birthday cards, thinking of you cards...and I simply LOVED it! It was so easy and relaxing but the end result was so darling and satisfying. So I got this idea that I would include a card sample in each of our orders that we send out to our independent scrapbook stores who order from us. I've made hundreds of them and I'm still loving it.

The simple cards at the top of this blog are super easy to make using SRM Sticker Sentiments (Thinking of You), SRM Quick Cards (Hello), Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird papers and Chip Board, some ribbon and card stock. They look amazing but you can crank these cards out in no time flat! Cards and crafting are so relaxing, so soothing. Try it...you'll like it. It's a great way to wind down from a busy day.

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The CHA Tote Bag Story

2010-02-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

I have a friend, Lindsay, who is oh so creative. If you give her almost anything, she can turn it into a craft project. At the CHA Consumer Show she got a free tote bag from a booth that is a very large chain for crafts that discounts. No names are needed but it starts with M. She works at a local independent craft store and wanted the bag but wanted to cover up the name. So here's what she did:

First she gessoed and painted over the logo, but dog gone it... she could still see it. So she used some fabric scraps and covered it up, added some painted hearts. Then she added a sewn sheet protector tag for someone to add their name and address and a few SRM Press stickers. Next she sewed a fabric heart to the outside of the sheet protector and added a Maya Road Frosted House tag and another SRM Sticker! The final bag is to die for and the price was right! Remember in crafting that you can use lots of free stuff, alter it and make it your own! Also remember that SRM Stickers are only available at local scrapbook stores, no discount chains. So get on over to your local store and see it you can't make one of those free tote bags that you have in the closet into a work of art!

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CHA Aftermath

2010-01-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

So let me just tell you right off the bat that CHA was awesome! Everyone loved our new products. There was a lot of excitement in the booth. And our class teaching Baby's First Year calendar was so much fun and everyone loved that. What's not to love making a fantastic project and having lots of fun doing it?

What was my favorite part of CHA? It had to be seeing all the store owners and magazine people I know and bloggers I've met in virtual space and my hard working sales team all together under one roof and all completely enthusiastic about what SRM is doing and the path we are taking. Our line has always been a "basic" line but with our new products we combine "basic" with "got to have it"! How fun is that?

Our industry needs new customers. We need to continue to grow. That will not happen with scrapbookers alone. It will happen with people joining us who may never scrapbook....cardmakers, calendar makers and people who just like to make a little craft project here and there. SRM's products help to make crafts easier for the novice. They are easy to use and very versatile.

My challenge to you is to invite someone to make a card today, someone who has never been "crafty". I bet you that they will love the experience and that they will want to make more. Ask someone you know to go with you to your local paper crafts store and get them started now. And then they will invite a friend and that friend will invite a friend and on and on it goes.

To see lots of great ideas for using SRM Stickers, be sure to visit our daily blog where 5 days each week you will get some great ideas! http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

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Birthday Wishes

2010-01-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but in my family we are growing by leaps and bounds! Out kids are having babies and our nieces and nephews are also having babies and that means a whole new round of birthday parties and lots of fun!

What better use of our craft time than to make a whole slew of birthday cards? Everytime a birthday comes along, all you have to do is go to your drawer and pick out one of the 25 cards that you made with you SRM Birthday Sticker Sentiment. How easy is that? And how much more affordable than going to the store and spending $3.50 every time you need a birthday card. Did I say 25 cards from one Sticker Sentiment? Yes I did! As amazing as that is, it's true. So get yourself over to your local craft or scrapbook store and ask for Sticker Sentiments from SRM Stickers. They will be arriving in stores in February so get ready to have fun! Just look at the darling card in this blog as a preview for how much fun! And look at the sticker sample too so you can start planning the cards you want to make!

For lots of card ideas, visit our DAILY blog where every weekday you will be amazed by incredible projects using SRM Stickers. http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

I'm at CHA and it is a great week! We are having lots of fun and getting lots of great ideas for more amazing stickers from SRM.

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Love, love, love...

2010-01-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I'll bet you are wondering what you are going to do for Valentine cards. How about using SRM's new Sticker Sentiments? You can make 25 cards from one sticker sheet! Yes, you heard it right...25 cards from one sticker sheet. Here;s a sample of one of these cards plus a sample of the Sticker Sentiment "Love" design. You can go crazy for cards using the new SRM Sticker products for card making. Making cards is a breeze using clear stickers. You will have perfect placement every time. Try them, you'll like them! I promise.

I'm off to CHA so I will be out of touch for a while but while I'm gone, you can enjoy our DAILY blog where you will find lots of great ideas every weekday of the year! http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

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Daily Blog - Day #2

2010-01-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

I'm still pinching myself about our new DAILY blog. Every weekday we will be sending great new projects your way. How cool is that! Today you can see lots of samples, not just one. Go check it out and become a follower so that you won't miss even one post! Just click on the link below.
http://www.srm-stickers.blogspot.com

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