New Release Blog Hop- Day 2

Today, the Design Team has put together another Inspirational Blog hop featuring two more stamp sets that were released last Thursday.

Sweet Strawberries by Theresa Momber

You will love the ripe, plump starwberry images along with many sweet saying to make cards for all kinds of occasions!

Vintage Notes by Tami Mayberry
(coordinates with Spellbinders Office Supplies dies- more coming back in stock soon!)

This set is perfect for both card making AND scrapbooking. Stay tuned this week for a video project featuring this fabulous new set!

This is my card from Thursday's release party presentation video. In case you didn't get a chance to see the video, click here to watch it now- April Release Party Video

Check out all of the fabulous cards the design team has created with these two new stamp sets. And as you hop through the blogs, leave a comment on each of them if you would like to be entered into a contest to win a grab bag of deeply etched, precut Gina K. Designs stamps. Winners will be announced on Wednesday.

To begin the hop, click here:

Tami Mayberry - Illustrator Vintage Notes

Theresa Momber – Illustrator Sweet Strawberries

AJ Otto

Carolina Buchting

Carolyn King

Cathy Tidwell

Deb Felts

Donna Baker

Emily Giovanni

Giovana Smith

Jimmi Mayo

Lee Murphy

Lori McAree

Melanie Muenchinger

Michelle Woerner

Sharon Harnist

Suzanne Dean

Tina Gilliland

Vicki Dutcher

Enjoy all of today's inspiration and stay tuned tomorrow for our final blog hop day and a brand new video on StampTV!

Hugs,
Gina K.

New Release Blog Hop Day 1

This month, we had our release party over the lunch hour(s) and it was a HUGE success. We had the highest attendance ever! Although it was fast moving, I felt like I could keep up a little better. Must have been that large coffee I had a bit earlier! LOL!

If you missed the release party, you can still see EVERYTHING and play along with all the contests and challenges by clicking here- Release Party Forum

And to watch the Release Party Presentation Video, click here- Party Video

Inspiration

Today, the design team has put together a fabulous inspirational blog hop for you featuring two of the new stamp sets released yesterday including Basket Additions 2 by Melanie Muenchinger and Lacy Borders, a new Gina K. Designs set.

If you haven't seen my sample yet, I used both together in my video card at the release party. In the video, I show you how to color this basket using Copic Markers and a Copic Blender Pen. You can get the same effect using BIC markers if you don't have Copics but you will need a Copic Blender Pen or other Alcohol Ink Blender Marker.

To continue with the hop, check out what these designers have done with these sets and as you hop through their blogs, leave a comment on each of them if you would like to be part of a drawing for a free grab bag of precut, deeply etched  Gina K. Designs rubber stamps. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win.

Start hopping here:

• Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator Basket Additions 2
• AJ Otto
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Donna Baker
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Lori McAree
• Sharon Harnist
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

On Monday, we will feature two more new sets in another Design Team Blog Hop so stop back then!

*A little note about customer service

Our customer service hours are Monday- Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Central Time. If you have sent an email or left a message, we will have a response for you sometime throughout the day on Monday. Customer service can be reached by phone during the hours above and by email 24/7.

Our phone number is 608-838-3258
Our email address is: info@ginakdesigns.com

I hope you have a wonderfully inspired weekend!

Hugs,
Gina K.

It's Release Party Day and you're invited!

Come party with us today from 11:00 - 1:00 PM Central on the home page at StampTV!

There will be contests, challenges, full stamp set reveals and beautiful card projects by the design team along with a full length release party presentation video with tips and tricks to get your springtime stamping in full gear!

See the new patterned paper packs up close along with the coordinating card stock assortments and here some big news about our card stock collection!

Then, click on the video on the home page and watch Gina color with Copics, colored pencils and Gamsol, use a Copic Colorless Blender, play with embossing powder and more!

Here are the two projects you will learn about in today's video presentation.

First, Gina will show you how she mixes Copics and Colored Pencils to create this Sweet Strawberry focal image:

Then, Gina will show you how to color this basket with Copics and Colorless Blender to create an aged look. And, learn how to create a lacy basket garter from the new Lacy Borders stamp set!

All this plus lots of fun party chat, full stamp sets reveals and more!

Visit us at www.stamptv.com and the links to all of the party activities are right under the main video screen.

Click on the Video screen to watch the presentation video. It all starts today at 11:00 AM Central Time!

And don't worry if you can't make it. Everything will stay live through Monday so you have the weekend to enjoy all of the eye candy and play along with the contests and challenges.

So- happy release day from all of us at Gina K. Designs and StampTV!

Hugs,

Gina K.

Sneak Peek- Day 3 and more!

Today is our final day of sneak peeks and up first is a peek at our new "One free with 3" stamp set- One in a Million.

Whenever you purchase any three full size stamp sets in one order, (sets valued at $19.95 or more,) you will receive our "One free with 3." If you purchase any duos or single stamps, three duos and singles count as one full size set toward this promotion. (Although our system will allow you to add this free set into your cart no matter what, it will only ship with qualifying orders.)

This set is full of sweet little unique sayings along with this whimsical bunch of flowers that is SO fun to color.

Other new items

This month, we are releasing three brand new 6" X 6" Pure Luxury Patterned Paper Packs and Card Stock Assortments.

Our Coordinating Berries and Vines Card Stock Assortment (not shown) includes these colors- Ocean Mist, Red Hot, Fresh Asparagus and Black Onyx.

Our Coordinating Poppy Prints Card Stock Assortment (not shown) includes these colors- Red Hot, Moonlit Fog, Sweet Corn and Grass Green.

Our Coordinating Sunshiny Day Card Stock Assortment (not shown) contains these colors- Bubblegum Pink, Jelly Bean Green, Sweet Corn and our new Dark Chocolate.

Dark Chocolate will replace our current Chocolate Brown. The main difference is that our old Chocolate Brown contained a bit of a reddish hue and didn't match our Chocolate Brown Ribbon. Our new Dark Chocolate is just as deep with a tad less red. I know you will LOVE it! (And coming soon- we will be adding a new brown called Milk Chocolate! YUMMY! More on that in the coming months.)

A Coupon for You

You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that you would get to choose one of our patterned paper packs for free, so here is the coupon for you! Thank you so much for your patience as we continue to make the changes required to provide you with the customer care you deserve.

You can use this coupon today or you can wait until tomorrow morning when these new paper packs are released- it's up to you! All of our new stamp sets, papers and card stocks will be available at 11:00 AM central time- tomorrow! (April 26, 2012) Just add the patterned paper pack you want for free into your shopping cart and then use the coupon code at checkout to see the savings. Make sure you hit the APPLY button or the coupon won't work.

Party on!

We would like to extend an invitation to you to come party with us tomorrow at www.stamptv.com,  right on the home page. We will have our feature length Release Party Presentation Video along with lots of contests, challenges, full stamp set reveals, gorgeous samples and plenty of party chat.

Here is an invitation video for you. (If you are reading this through an email or reader, you will have to click through to the blog to watch the video.)

We are so excited to party with you! But if you can't make it between 11 AM and 1:00 Pm central time- don't worry! The entire release party festivities will remain on the home page at Stamp TV through Monday. And on Monday evening, we will announce the winners of the contests and challenges. So make sure you come hang out at StampTV throughout the weekend and play along with all of the fun!

Make it a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Sneak Peeks- Day 2

Day two brings two more sneak peeks of exciting new stamp sets!

First, Tami Mayberry has designed a fabulous Vintage Set that coordinates with the new Spellbinders Office Supplies Die set. This set will make beautiful cards with a vintage feel and will be a perfect set for scrapbooking too!

Then, get ready for a stamp set that will be a MUST for your collection. These beautiful lacy borders will add the perfect accent to any card project! This set features several different borders to choose from along with a few greetings that might be missing from your collection.

Tomorrow, I'll show you a sneak peek of our new One free with 3 along with a few new patterned paper packs. And of course, there will also be card stock assortments that coordinate with these new papers. Make sure you come back for more tomorrow! :)

Make it a great day~

Hugs,

Gina K.

The April Sneak Peeks have begun!

It seems like a while since we had a release and I am really excited by what's in store for you this month!

Along with some beautiful new patterned paper packs, we have five new stamp sets that will really get you excited for summer stamping!

For eveyone who LOVES Melanie Muenchinger's Holiday Basket and Spring Basket stamp sets, Melanie has created all kind of new things to add to those baskets for spring, summer and beyond! I love having new ways to use my older sets and this one will be a MUST HAVE!

(Basket image is from the Holiday Basket stamp set)

Then, what's sweeter than strawberries in the early part of summer? How about a stamp set that allows you to make everything from labels for your jams and jellys to a tall Strawberry Daiquiri to celebrate a birthday?

Theresa Momber has created one of the sweetest sets ever and you will love all of the fabulous projects you will see in the coming months featuring this one!

So there are the first two sneak peeks. Tomorrow, stay tuned for a little Vintage and a little Lace. :)

Make it a great day~
Hugs,
Gina K.

Growing Pains and Some Personal Stuff

Hi Everyone,

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been for all of us at StampTV and Gina K. Designs

This blog post will have some business information and then at the end, a little personal post. So for those of you who prefer to not read the personal stuff, the dotted line will divide the two. :)

These last two weeks have been Spring Break in our area and we have been operating with a very scaled down Cast and Crew. A few things got away from us in our attempt to run at half staff, two of them being the endings to last weeks videos! NOTHING is more frustrating than watching a project come to life and then getting cut off right before the best part! We deeply apologize for that and today, in lieu of making a new video, we decided to fix our mistakes and redo the two from last week, complete with endings.

To watch the full video for the Petals and Wings Friendship Card, click here: Petals and Wings Friendship Card Project



And to watch the full video for the Masculine Card with Masculine Tags Card, click here: Masculine Card with Masculine Tags Card Project



Shipping Update
We are still at about 10 business days for orders to leave our warehouse due to an unexpected heavier than usual volume this month combined with many of our staff taking Spring Break to be with their families. We apologize deeply for the delay and we are working around the clock to get orders shipped as quickly as possible. Customer service emails are now caught up and we are able to handle the daily volume with no problem. Please keep in mind that customer service is closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so emails will be returned on Monday if you contact us on those days each week.

So what does the future looks like when it comes to ordering?
This month, something magical happened and Gina K. Designs had more than quadrupled the amount of orders that we have ever had during a new release. 4 times as many orders this month! WOW! We couldn't be more grateful for all of the wonderful word of mouth that you, our valued customers have shared with your stamping friends.
We have grown... and fast! Honestly, we were so very unprepared for that kind of volume and growth, we have all been running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Unprepared...
Not ready...
Dropping balls all over the place.

We are so sorry for that. We are stampers too and we KNOW how frustrating it is to place and order and watch it sit there, doing nothing for days on end. So, we need to get our butts in gear and give you the service you deserve.

Here is a peek at our plan to make things better for our customers:
1. We have made arrangements to add several new staff members to help with packing, shipping, manufacturing and customer service.

2. New equipment. Yep- it's time. We have already starting the process of adding a second stamp cutter to our manufacturing facility. This is where the MAJOR choke is for us. We can make TONS of stamp sets in day, but we can only cut a few at a time. So, it makes sense to invest in that area so stamps can be manufactured at a much quicker pace. With these new measurews, we should be back to our speedy selves, even with all of the extra volume.

3. Now, it will take about a month or two to really feel the effects of these changes because we are kind of sticklers about customer service and quality. That means we need to train these new folks to make sure quality comes first. And installation of the new equipment will take a little while due to electrical updates, delivery and installation of the new machine and the training required to cut the stamps properly.



This is all very exciting to us and we are eternally grateful for the loyalty and trust you put into our company and products. We ask that you hang in there with us the next couple of months to work through these exciting changes and we will continue to work around the clock to ship your orders as quickly as possible.
Of course our videos and new products will continue to be released and the changes will go on behind the scenes.

Our Next Release
Yeah, about that... We planned to have a new release on April 12th. But honestly, that's ridiculous! It would be very unfair of us to release new products when many of you are still waiting for your shipment from our last release! You see, it's not all about money for us. It's about the service first. And your orders that are currently in our system NEED to be our first priority. So, out next release will be postponed until April 26th.

Something for You
We have a couple of new 6 X 6 paper packs coming out during our next release and because you have been SO patient and loyal, we will be providing a coupon code so you can choose one of them for free with your new release order. It's the least we can do to say thanks SO much for hanging in there with us. We appreciate you. You are the reason we are growing. We will never forget that! Look for the coupon during our release party on April 26th.

So there are the updates... Now, I need to go make stamps, pick and pack orders and work on some new videos. Make it a great day!

And for those of you who want a little personal news, read on.
To the rest of you-
Much love ~ Gina K

-------------------------------


We had a wonderful Spring Break and shared some quality time as a family. With Alicia home from school, the four of us headed to the beach for a little R & R.


My girls, being kids and having fun playing in the water. Gosh, I love that!

During our time away, my Mom ending up needed colon surgery. It was extremely rough and she's still in the hospital. Although she is doing a little bit better, it's going to be a long recovery. And because she is in her mid 80s, healing and rehab will also take a lot longer.

It's been pretty stressful- feeling so behind at work, feeling guilty for taking a break, missing my daughter now that she's back at school and caring for my sick mom. But this is life. This is how things go sometimes. When it rains it pours.

I found this little quote, and it's helped me alot over the past two weeks...



That's my new mantra. And for someone who tends toward being a perfectionist, it's a hard lesson to learn.

But it's true... you can only do what you can do. Whether it's running a business, being a mom, or being a daughter... you can only give your best and no more. Whatever is left to do will still be there tomorrow.

One more quote that really got me this week is this one:



So in the middle of this crazy, wonderful storm of life, I am adjusting my sails...
I am so thankful I have you- my stamping friends and family.

You are my rock.

Loyal.

Patient.

Supportive.

...thanks for that.... thanks so very, very much...

With love,
~Gina