Uploading changes. . .

just an FYI that we are uploading some changes to the site at various times during today so you may get a strange error, or get kicked off, etc. This is only temporary - you will most likely be successful a few minutes later. Thanks so much!

Go Titans!

Did anyone see the game today? I am a "fairweather" fan. Only around cheering when they are winning and today they won a good one! Almost broke the record for longest field goal to win the game.

The site seems to be running smoothly. I think most people can view it now and we have fixed the glitches we were aware of. If you still have any trouble just send a very specific note through the contact link and we will get back to you. I apologize for setting a specific "time" to the launch. I don't think I fully got the fact that it would take as long as it did for some to see it (and there could still be a few who aren't). Wishful thinking I think! Thanks for your patience and I hope everyone enjoys the site.

If you sent us a note in the past two days, we will be getting back to you very soon. Particularly those of you who checked out with a one time Papercrafting Kit because you couldn't get the membership price in your cart.

Have a great Sunday night - I am dealing with a sick little one today so it has been a little challenging, but he is starting to feel much better!

From my programmer. . .

My very sweet, hard working programmer wrote up something to post here last night (you will see it below). He always explains things to me very well. He has answered a few of the questions people have asked and has also fixed a couple of the glitches people found early on. Please continue to send us a note through the contact link (not here please) so we can contact you directly to let you know when we have fixed your specific issue. I will most likely have another post later today about the final issues a couple of people are having (and that they are fixed hopefully)! It seems to be the same 2 or 3 issues left that we are hearing about.

"Phew! What a day. First, let me introduce myself. My name is David
and I worked with Jenni on getting the new site up. I can't take credit for any of the great looking design (I draw crooked stick men), but unfortunately get to take credit for the bugs that slipped through testing.
I know many of you were very excited about the launch of the new site, and I apologize to those who experienced problems. Jenni has been great to work with and was very patient while I tracked down the cause of the few bugs that slipped through. I will explain them below, so you will know if you saw them that we are aware of them.

First, I will try to explain why some of you can't get to the new site (you may see a "404 error" or still hit the old site). I will do this with an analogy that hopefully makes sense. If you wanted to call someone whose phone number you didn't know, you would look in the phone book and dial the number. If that person's phone number had changed since the last phone book came out, you would get a message saying the number wasn't right. If you waited till next year and got a new phone book, the number would be correct in the new phone book and you could call them.
The internet works EXACTLY like that. When your computer wants to "call" a website, it looks up the address (this is called an IP address).
If your Internet Service Provider has an old "Phone Book" (this is called a DNS Cache), then they will give you the wrong number. Each ISP can configure when it gets a new phone book. Some of them are set to get a new one every few hours, some are set to get one every three days. If your ISP is the kind that has a three day wait period, I am sorry to have to say, you may have to be patient. Keep trying over the next hours and day or so and it WILL come up.
If any of you get to the new site (you can tell it is the new site because it starts with flash animation) and THEN get an error after that, please don't hesitate to let me know and we will work together to find the answer.

Second, there was the bug that showed itself by an error message next to the 'First Name' label. This was a tough one to reproduce, but I believe I have solved it. If any of you experienced this problem, please give it a try again. You should get through just fine now.

Third there was a bug that showed itself by an error message stating the
below:
Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a0005'
Invalid procedure call or argument: 'instrrev'
/eco/ecoinit.inc, line 39

This error was due to a problem with our server trying to talk to the USPS server to calculate shipping costs, and us getting an answer we didn't know how to handle. Though I haven't yet solved this issue, I did change it so it will give you a better error message and give you some instructions on how to proceed. I will continue trying to reproduce the problem and fix it, but if any of you see it before me, please don't hesitate to email the message that comes up.

Thanks David!
We also know about a couple of you who got the notice in your cart that you are "already signed up for memberhsip". You are not if you haven't checked out before (it is a glitch connected to when you filled out your info.) and I think I know why it is showing you that. We will know more today.

And, for those of you who can't get the membership price to show up even when you click on that button, we think we know why are are working on that as well. This is only happening to a few.

Nothing major- most are getting through fine (not fun to hear for those who aren't I know) but we are working on it and will get it all smooth here very soon.

Oh- also. I have a quick question for my UK friends! (Please excuse my ignorance): From what I know, in all cases I believe, England and United Kingdom are one in the same as far as how I need to receive and write the addresses on the boxes. Is this a correct statement? I'm not sure why it shows you both choices in the drop down then (which seems to cause a problem because it wants you to choose England)??

A little bit of help. . .

Patience is not my thing- it never has been. Particularly when it comes to scrapbook products! So, I VERY much understand the frustration some of you might be having who aren't seeing the site or who are experiencing errors. Again, most of the errors have to do with the site not populating in full yet (even if you see the home page). It has not be a full 24 hours yet since we flipped the switch and can take up to 3 days.

I will make this commitment- if you are unable to order what you would like by the time you get in (even if it is next week), I will get you want you want. That is how confident that I am in my quantities. So, send us a note at that time if you missed out on something you really wanted. Hopefully this will help as I know the frustration comes from just wanted the product (which by the way I am flattered about)!

We are doing what we can at the moment, but Ruth and I are not programmers (far from it!) and it is Saturday which makes it a little more difficult.

Here are a couple of things I have resolved that might be helpful:

- the login/my account link in the top right hand corner is not something you want to use right now. We are still refining that page. Some of you are going directly there to set up an account before trying to checkout (and it is a little glitchy). So, if you put items in your cart and checkout, you will be asked for the info. needed to set up the account there and you shouldn't have anymore problems.

- if you get a "can't calculate shipping error" this is coming from the USPS. They don't like something in your address and are unable to verify it. 99% of the time it is just do to a typo (but lets us know if it isn't and we will figure it out).

Troubleshooting. . .

For the most part it looks like those who can see the site are getting through and ordering okay. I know some of you are having some problems, most of which have to do with the fact that the site hasn't completely turned over (even if you can see the home page). Trying tomorrow again would probably be a good thing.

I will post some feedback tomorrow once my programmer has had a chance to look at it. If you get a specific error message, please send it to the contact link with the specifics of exactly what you tried to do and what you were doing when it happened. I will also have a better idea by then about what is due to the site not populating in full and what is due to an actual glitch.

Here is the direct URL to the shopping cart if is helpful:

http://www.jennibowlin.com/eco/store.asp

More tomorrow. We really still have plenty of everything to go around. I promise we will get everyone checked out successfully!

Slowly but surely. . .

Unfortunately when you launch a new site, it can be very tricky to assign a specific time to when everyone will be able to see it. My programmer explained this very well to me today, but it basically comes down to your Internet Service Provider and how long it takes them to "receive" the message that that we have a new site. There is really no way around it.

We have alot of inventory- on all products. I have just glanced at orders and we still have plenty of everything and I expect to for several days (or all month). Most products would only be temporarily out of stock anyway. I also looked into getting more of the Limited Edition Bookplate Ornaments together, so if these sell out quickly, I will restock them.

If you are getting "page can't be displayed" or server errors it is most likely because every page at the site has not transferred over so if you give it a little while, you shouldn't have a problem.

Thanks for your patience - I hope you enjoy the site! Did you notice if you move over the photos on the home page they turn to color??

New Site Coming Tomorrow Night!

Below is the newsletter I just spent a half hour trying to send out with no luck. I will have my programmer try from the new site tomorrow. In the meantime, please share this with anyone who would be interested.

Tomorrow we launch the new Jenni Bowlin Studio website and we couldn’t be more excited! We have a new look, new products and a new, easy going way to maintain a membership!

Many of you have been anxious to start a membership again. While in the past we have required a 3 month commitment, the new site will only offer one type of membership, indefinite! This means that once you sign up for membership you are set-up for recurring billing until and if you choose to cancel (with no minimum length requirements). Super simple – no more having to keep track of when your membership ends. Be sure to read our new membership policy at the site once it is launched.

Also check out our variety of new products! We have 5 styles of Junque Boxes (a new product for those who love using vintage bits and baubles on their pages), exclusive JBS products available for individual sale, a new Mini Brag Book Kit that includes the new JBS papers in miniature and a Limited Edition Ornament Kit. You will also notice an area with past kits for sale in case you missed a month. This is all of course in addition to our two monthly kits.

The Gallery, which is now under the header “Create” will be loaded with the archived months in the coming days after the launch. You will see the archives here as well as the new December Gallery which will launch on the 12th. We will also be introducing a new “Share” area for our members to upload and comment on layouts (coming mid-month).

We are planning on launching the site at 8:00 central US time. However, depending on your ISP you may or may not see it by then. The vast majority of people will but it could take longer for some (a day+ in some rare cases). We have not sold out of the Papercrafting Kit for the past several months and 90% of the other products now offered are in high quantity and can and will be re-stocked. In short – we will do everything we can to meet the demand!

One last thing, while we plan to offer gift certificates and other gift services in the future, for now, if you would like to place an order or start a membership as a gift you simply choose yourself in the billing section and enter the person who is to receive the gift in the shipping area.

Think that is it! Please bear with us as we try to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone. We appreciate the patience our customers have always afforded us!

Jenni, Jared and Ruth – Jenni Bowlin Studio

Another Peak. . .

I am busy, busy, busy getting the site ready for Friday! In the meantime, here is another little peak at the December kit - a new exclusive JBS Rubber Stamp!

Speaking of Friday, the 1st - I'm not sure exactly what time we will go live that day (- it will not be midnight however). I will continue to post updates here as the week goes on and I will send out a newsletter on Thursday.

And, for your comedic enjoyment, here was the prayer head across our Thanksgiving table this year by the 5 year old:

Dear God . . .

-thank you for the builders who build the houses (very important- they are always included)

-thank you for the yummy bread (my children think they are vegetarians)

-thank you for our family,

but not for Maddox because he destroys my stuff (this is his 2 year old cousin)

A-"burp" (yes, he literally belched, very loudly, at this exact moment)

Glad to know that I am doing a good job at teaching him to love others and to show good table manners. . .

A promise is a promise (and it's even Monday)!

I left the door wide open when I said I would show the previews "next week", didn't I? I bet you were thinking Friday! ha!

Photos aren't great as they were taken with the flash (not alot of sunlight this morning).

This is the limited edition ornament kit. I didn't take the photo wide enough, but there are vintage chandelier crystals hanging from the bookplates and the beads are from old mercury glass beaded garland.

Also - here is a peak at the first round of JBS papers - exclusively premiering in the December Kit! This is a "snipet" of one of the papers!

And - I confirmed my December Guest Designer this morning. She is one cool girl you all know well (I can't give it all away in one e-mail)!

I know, bad blogger!

Between getting the new site ready, packing Junque Boxes, product development and some other surprises, something had to give. Unfortunately, for the moment, it has been this blog.

I really do have some fun sneak peaks to share (I will tease the the new JBS papers for the December kit this week) as well as a limited edition ornament kit that will be available in Dec.

I promise, it will all be worth the wait.

Okay - back to my desk. I have beautiful old mercury glass beads laid out everywhere (these will be a part of the ornament kit as well as the limited edition "Mistletoe" Junque Box!

*** here is the URL for those of you on Macs who keep crashing http://www.jennibowlin.com/MonthlyInspiration.aspx

the new site can't come fast enough!!

Finally got the gallery finished. . .

It was actually completed yesterday, but just in case you didn't make it over there, now you know! I would still like to add one more layout to the gallery though.

I got two good leads on where you can find the B-line stamp I have used in the gallery in past months. Stamp Diva apparently has it in stock now and I also got another tip that there is an e-bay seller who stocks it. Her seller name is paisley-jaynes-art.

We just finished watching The Polar Express - the Christmas season has officially begun! I actually picked up a couple of presents at Target today (as well as a new (vintage look) Santa covered in Mica Snow)! Speaking of Mica Snow, if you like the look of the old chipboard houses in sweet pastels sprinkled with this, you will LOVE next month's project kit!

November Gallery . . .

is up, but not fully complete. Still missing a few layouts in my gallery and the journaling jumpstart. These will be loaded by Tuesday at the latest.

I was so excited to highlight the girls who help me pack the kits each month - they are so very talented and many of them teach as well at our local store (Scrap It!). This is all of them, minus the very cool Doris Sander who has a conflicting commitment. All of you who are exclusive 12 x 12 scrappers will enjoy this gallery!

We still have both kits available for sale at the site so go take a peak!!

A Tiny Surprise. . .

Kits will be going out tomorrow instead of Friday! I am headed to see my family for the long weekend and had to push it up a day!

New Gallery will be up late Sunday night (12th). The guest designer area will be a little different this month - we have 5 ladies contributing. More about that on Sunday!

Have a great weekend

Seriously excited. . .

I really can't tell you how much I am looking forward to December 1st! The launch of the new site not only brings with it a fresh face for the front (you should see the opening animation!) and the back end (a membership process that is so simple you just won't believe it!) but it also brings with it many new products and new areas at the site including:

- past kits for sale (finally)! If you missed out on a month, you may be able to find it here!
- JBS exclusive products for sale (like the name/date stamp, spiral notebooks and journaling cards
- a member gallery where you can post your JBS kit layouts and leave comments!! (coming later in December)
- JBS Junque boxes (see below)
- JBS limited edition kits (such as ornament kits and gift book kits)

I have been very busy getting ready for the introduction of the Junque boxes. Here is another sneak peak of what you will find in the box:

I am still trying to nail down my offerings, but there will be 4 different themes of boxes. Each will contain a collection of antique and vintage items (a $9.99 retail value) to use on your pages and other works of art! The boxes are almost 4" square and will all contain several squares of antique papers from ledgers, early readers and notebooks plus an assortment of embellishments such as buttons, trims, ephemera and findings. There will also be a limited edition box on most months. Each box will have a specialty focus, such as the "Hollywood" box which will contain vintage glass rhinestones, early rhinestone buttons, old sequins and trim. Hopefully you get the idea!

What I can promise you on these is this: I have purchased "altered art" or "collage" materials from ebay and elsewhere before only to be disappointed with the assortment I get. Things are either not old (the 80's does not count here!) or they have no real functionality for scrapbooking. These boxes will only contain the things I love. If I wouldn't use it, it won't be in there. I am very picky on this and plan to hold them to a higher level then most people would expect. Having said that, you have to love the old and embrace imperfection to love these boxes. Your buttons might need a nice babywipe bath and your trims may have a color spot here or there. You also need to be somewhat aware of the fact that vintage millinery ribbon and old rhinestone and glass buttons are highly collectible and can hold a high value in and of themselves (as well as other things). To counter this and to keep the cost down, you will not receive full yards of most trims (12" to 18" depending on the trim) and you will get a wide variety of buttons, for example. Much of this will be on the site (more specifically) so that you can make a decision before you buy. This is such a joy for me - I have such a passion for "recycling" the old and giving it new life and I am thrilled to have found a way to share it with you!

I am grooving right now . . .

to the MSN link (thanks Kris). Jared told me about this yesterday but I had yet to get over there. Too bad I don't have the cool camera laptop like Donna and Cathy Z. Lucky for you, hubby has promised me one soon and you can check out my very 80's dance moves!

John Mayer live - so good for my mojo - as I'm working on new journaling cards for the December kit right this second (and making some Santa Fe Chicken Soup)!!

November Kits are available now!

Remember, if you are using a MAC you may have problems checking out. If you don't have the option to use explorer as your browser, just send Ruth a note through the contact link and we will get you a kit. This will all be resolved with the new site.

Have a great night (don't know about you, but we are literally sitting on about 8 pounds of candy right now)!!

8:00 tonight!!

November Kits go on sale 8:00 central time. I will be sending out a newsletter shortly before this so check your inbox (and junk folders)!

You can see the "sneak" peaks on the home page at the site, but you will notice that the kits have not actually changed over to November yet.

You still have to do a one time purchase this month (still offered at the $28 reduced rate). Next month you will be able to start up a membership again if you so choose! See you tonight. . .

Finally. . .

some November previews! I decided to go ahead and create a couple of layouts with some of the kit materials to give you a hint of what is to come. The pictures did not turn out great (I need to retake them for the site) but they work okay for this I suppose. Some KI paper, American Crafts "Thickers" (super cute foam stickers) and felt flowers (I am already addicted to these) and some new white Basic Grey border stickers. I really love these - they are done in a funky "lacey" style. Also a new Journaling Bits Overlay from Hambley Studios and a new set of 6 exclusive JBS journaling cards (holiday themed). This is just a hint . . . several other things included in a fresh fall color scheme (without it being a "leaf" theme for our friends across the country and the world who don't experience a leaf changing fall)!



I have been busy getting the new site and the junque boxes ready to go. Once I get the site up next week I will start doing some teasers for the future of JBS!! I am so excited - I hope you are too!

Tourists . . .

That is what we were this weekend. Jared's uncle, cousin and his fiancee were in from Ohio so we hit all of the Nashville tourist attractions we could cram into two days. On Friday we visited the new Country Music Hall of Fame and I absolutely loved it! If you are local you must go - it is so creatively done. I have such an appreciation for music (good music, whatever style that may be). Even though I am not a huge country music fan I enjoyed reading about it's rich history. I particularly enjoyed seeing all of the Hatch Show Prints made for advertising over the years. We were going to go by their shop by didn't make it. I told Jared I wanted him to commission something for my studio for Christmas. We shall see! We went by the Ryman and had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory to finish off the day. On Saturday we did the Opryland thing and then headed to The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home) Saturday night. I took some photos for Leaf and Ashley - this one was my favorite! The trees were in full color and just glowed right before sundown.

Still recovering today from being "out of it" for three days. Looking forward to sharing some sneak peaks this week for November's kit!

Mid Month Newsletter . . .

(in case your junk mail folder ate it up)!

Have you been keeping up with my blog? (better than I have? – ha!). If not you have been missing out on some really cool stuff like my obsession with John Mayer, new product announcements, and did I mention, my obsession with John Mayer?

In all seriousness, I have been very busy getting our new site ready to roll. It will be a top notch, state-of-the-art flash site. The only downside is that those with older PC’s or dial-up will have to wait a few moments for it to load. But it is worth the wait – the opening animation is pretty cool. I am really excited! I should have a sneak peak for you in about a week or so.

We will continue to have to sell the kits on a one month basis for November (the new site will not be ready in time). So, you will have to go to the site, just like you did this month to order the kits. Come December 1st, the new site should be ready and you will be able to sign up for membership again when you place your order. Lots more on all of this to come.

Kits were mailed out on the 10th, so (at least domestically) everyone should have them in their hands by now. We still have the October Papercrafting Kits available for sale at http://www.jennibowlin.com/.

I will send out a reminder about the upcoming kits just before the 1st!

In the meantime, be sure to check out my blog regularly. I have been “teasing” about a new product that I will be rolling out with the new site and plan to post more details on this in the next couple of days.

We will have a place to sign up for the newsletter at the new site. More info coming soon on the Junque boxes!!!!!

JBS Junque Boxes - Coming Soon . . .

As if I needed another reason. . .

Seems my man John is doing a commercial for the Convertible Volkswagen C. I wonder if he knew that I have dreamed of that car since I first held a set of keys (in baby blue no less)? Ah, but time has a way of changing you and somewhere along the way I turned into a practical mother who would like to avoid the occasional flying rock from injuring my children. There will be a time and a place for the convertible. . .

And if you made it through one more story about my little school girl obsession with JM, you now know that tomorrow I will be doing a little sneak preview of a new product that I will launch with the new site! Stay tuned!!!!!

A little more on John Mayer. . .

I found his blog the other day. Very cool that he does this but very bad for me. It's NKTB all over again (and for those of you who didn't have posters of John, Danny, Jordan, Donnie and Joey all over your room, that would be New Kids on the Block). On second thought, something is very wrong with mentioning John Mayer and Jordan Knight in the same sentence (must avoid that in the future).

Anyhow. . .

I read something today that stuck with me: He said "Tone is the intent of a voice". Of course he referenced this as it applied to songwriting, but I immediately related to it as it applies to what I do (what we do) everyday and why journaling is so important to me. Everyone has a voice when they take pen to paper, but the power lies in the tone of that voice (the emotion). There is so much more to be said then "We went to the zoo today. We saw a bear and had some ice cream". Learning to listen to what your heart is telling you everytime you pick up the pen and look at a photo is key. And if you want a tutorial on how to do it, pick up any book by Rebecca Sower. . .

By the way, the gallery is up now, but the Project Kit instructions will be delayed for a short time. I will post here when they are ready to go. For now, when you click on it, nothing happens.

Now back to John Mayer, did you know that there is a 72% chance that he is actually Jessica Lange. . .?? A little inside joke from his blog. Have a great night - write something down!

A little inspiration to hold you over. . .

the cool rubber stamp along the bottom is from Fontwerks (Karen Russell)!

And here is a sneak peak at the guest designer. Any ideas??? Her son has a very cool (and unique) name!

Ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. . .

The Ice Cream - we snuck away last week and took a small vacation. We literally went out the door a week ago Sunday headed to Destin, calling on the way down for reservations! It was soooooo nice! Upper 80's and nobody there to fight over pool chairs with. We laid on the beach, swam in the ocean, antiqued and visited Seaside. Here are a couple of photos we took there:

The Whipped Cream - we then headed to the mountains (and high in the 60's!) for the weekend. This was only my second time to the Smokey Mountains since I have lived here. The leaves were just starting to change and we even saw a momma bear with two cubs while hiking on Saturday. Here is a photo of my guys all decked out and ready to go:

The cherry on top - my husband surprised me last week with tickets to the John Mayer concert (last night). So we drove back into town, and then headed to Starwood for the concert. So nice of him to do this since he knows I'm so in love with this guy! Really an amazing concert - "Gravity" live is really something you don't want to miss if the tour comes to you. I am patiently waiting for him to come back to Nashville. . . Look for my "Ode to John" in the gallery this month - you will notice more than one layout inspired by his lyrics!

Speaking of the site, kits go out tomorrow! Remember, we did not perform any billing this month. You have to go to the site and purchase these kits if you would like to have them. The Gallery will be up on the 12th by the end of the day. I am down to only a couple of the past Project Kits available (March, April and July) so if you would still like one of these, we can send you an invoice. Scroll down the blog to see the entry with the prices. I have so few left that these will not be going up for sale on the new site. Get them while they last! Just use the contact link at the site to request an invoice.

Have a great night!

Safari Users. . .

If you are using Safari on your Mac, you will not be able to check out. The good news is, you will be able to on our new site! If you have any troubles at all, just switch to another browser or use a PC or send a note to Ruth through the contact link and we will get you an invoice.


Happy Sunday!! Jenni

New October Kits - 8:00 central time tonight!!!

New kits will go on sale tonight at 8:00 - see some sneak peeks below for those who can't handle the suspense! My girls who were here packing the other night agreed this could be their most favorite kit yet! Not only will this kit have the exclusive Journaling Cards, but I have also brought back the exclusive scalloped cards from August - this time in red and black, and just the large ovals (you get 6)!

And the Project Kit this month is to "die" for (ha)!

Please Remember: EVERYONE who would like either/both kits must go directly to the site and purchase it. We will not be billing anyone this month and are unable to honor any current memberships, even those that were just re-upped last month. You will also be unable to purchase a new membership currently. We are sorry for the inconvenience. I have lowered the price of the one-time purchase of the Papercrafting Kit temporarily for this reason.

Now on to the "peeks". . .

Crumbling under the pressure- here's a sneak peak!

These sweet little journaling cards have been in my "head" for a while! You get these 6 in this month's kit:

And guess what? You get another set of 6 in the November kit!! I can't tell you how happy these make me! And they are currently only available in the kits. . .

More hints to come this week. . .

If you are still wanting to purchase any of the back kits, we still have all that were listed in the post (just scroll down to see).

Have a great night!

The Present and The Future - Please Read!

Okay, so I know that I may get long winded (at least I can admit it!) so I have bolded the text in the post that is most important if you would like to skip to it!

A lot of you, if not most of you, have watched the evolution of our site over the past 8 months. Actually, as I type this I realize that evolution is kind of an ironic word to choose. There really has been a lack of evolution. Where I wanted to be at this point is so far from where I actually am. Many things, some that have been out of my control, have stifled my progression into what I wanted this to be. However, it is said that experience is the best teacher. I wonder if you can hear me shout "Amen"!?!? I wholeheartedly believe that my experiences have prepared me for the future and given me a clearer idea of what I want to do with this site and how I want to do it. So on to the future. . .

I am so excited about the vision in my head and what the site will become. And it will be soon (as in before the end of the year)! My goal has never been to just throw together some paper and stickers, shove it in a bag, and add a price tag. It has been far more than that. I wanted to create projects and kits and classes that stimulate the creative mind. I wanted to build a community (i.e. the "site") that promotes and fosters this spirit. A place to come for inspiration and to share inspiration. It has always been part of the "big picture" and it is finally going to come to fruition. I plan to share sneak peaks and updates as we go along. We are going to totally revolutionize the way we do memberships. It will be painless, easy and accurate and we will be overcoming some of the challenges we have had with safari and other browsers (yeah for Mac users)! I am very excited about what we are going to offer. . . but, in the interim, it means some temporary changes to the way we currently do business so read on!

Beginning on October 1st, the kits will all be sold as one time purchases through the cart at the site. We will not be able to honor current memberships nor begin new ones and will not be doing any automated billing. So, just to put it in simple terms, whether you are in the middle of a membership, just re-upped last month, etc., you will have to go to the website on October the 1st or later and actually purchase the kit(s) for that month. I understand that many of you enjoy your membership because you don't want to have to worry about buying the kit online - and chance it being sold out. While I understand that in the beginning the Papercrafting Kits were selling out in the middle of the night, this has not happened in months. In fact, I can guarantee you that we will not sell out overnight, if even during the entire month. There will be Papercrafting Kits for anyone who wants one. The Project Kits have been a little more unpredictable, but we have upped our quantities of these for the coming months as well. Other than the inconvenience of actually having to go to the site and make a purchase, the kits will come to you after the 10th just as you have enjoyed each month. We are hoping to only have to do it this way for one month, but we will obviously keep everyone posted on that.

You will most likely still see your membership information in "My Account" come the 1st, but you should also see a red note there at that time that tells you that that information is void and you must purchase a kit(s) through the secure check out.

We will be sending out this same information in a newsletter tomorrow as well (as many members are not blog readers). I will also post a reminder (and send a reminder e-mail) just before the first in order to hopefully reach everyone.

I appreciate so much the support I have received since I started this. I have many mailed letters and printed e-mails posted in my office and on my fridge that remind why I do this and who I do it for. I promise you- if it was just for the money I would have given it up a long time ago. It is not my motivation. It has really become much more than that. . .

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. We have spent much time with the kids this weekend- school festivals, parks and the "Jumpy Place"! They even experienced their first Hibachi grill dinner last night and loved the "Volcano". Wish I took my camera. Seems I have been forgetting that a lot lately (sigh). . .

Past Kits For Sale Here!!!!

If you found the site later than sooner or just wanted to grab an extra of your favorite kit, I have some available for different months. My plan was to have this up at the site long ago, but plans don't work out always and I'm tired of waiting. So. . .

I will list below the different months that are available. If you go to the site (link to the right) and click on Monthly Inspiration you will see the archives for the past month's listed. You can view the contents here to get a good idea of what you will get. The Project Kits are shown as the last gallery on the bottom right of the page. Use the contact link at the site to send an e-mail with your order. Please include exactly what you would like in the e-mail and include your shipping address. Ruth will send you out a Paypal invoice (you can still pay by credit card this way without setting up an account though). So here are the "rules" (for lack of a better term):

1. - we are only accepting Paypal payments for these (as I mentioned, you can use your credit card to pay the invoice though). Ruth will send an invoice to you that includes actual shipping.

2. - we cannot hold these kits to ship with your October kit(s). These must be packed and shipped separately before the 1st.

3.- we will ship out your order within 1 -2 business days after receiving payment.

4. first come, first serve. I will post here if/when something sells out.

Okay- so here are the kits available:

- June 2006 Papercrafting Kit -$28.00 (reduced rate - this was the one with the exclusive JBS rubber stamp)!

- July 2006 Papercrafting Kit - $28.00 (reduced rate)

- March 2006 Project Kit - $16 (house accordion book)

- April 2006 Project Kit - $16 (star coasters)

July 2006 Project Kit - $18 (seashell book- previously sold out, I ordered a few more)

Many of you have e-mailed us over the past month about this. Sorry for the delay.

I have some exciting news to share about the future in the next couple of days. . .!

Enough's enough. . .

I just breezed through Tara Whitney's blog and I am bound and determined to get my camera out today (and sad that I haven't made it to CA for pictures). It seems I have only used it lately to take photos of layouts and that is making me very sad. Which brings me to this. . .

Had to laugh (and cringe) when I saw the latest comment on my last post! I wish it was as simple as getting a new programmer (which we are working on). I will post more about this in a couple of days and the evolution JBS will be going through. . . and I will leave you with this:

Does anyone else find their children asleep in mysterious places (and positions) in their house??

The story of my life. . .

The gallery is a mess. I have let my programmer know. Hopefully everything will look correctly again and all the new will be up by tomorrow night. In the meantime, here is a little something to hold you over!

Slight Delay. . .

Seems to be the story of my life this month. A slight delay in billing (the membership re-up portion of my automated billing took much longer than expected) and now a slight delay in shipping. Because the 10th falls on a Sunday this month, we of course planned to ship on Monday. However, kits will be going out on Tuesday instead. I still do not have my notebooks for the kit. The binding machine broke last week apparently and you know the rest of the story. Anyhow, if I wasn't promised them on Monday I would ship them out separate, but I'm hoping everyone will be understanding about 1 day. Honestly, the only people that would even notice would be the local girls who get their kits the next day! But I didn't want anyone to see the post date and think I was trying to slip one by them. . .

Also, to 75% of you, your accounts will look correct at the site. To the other 25%, it will not. I had to do alot of manual processing this month which is not reflected in the accounts yet, nor is it if I had to make a change to your order. At this point, everyone has been billed and we are set to go.

I am utterly exhausted. I have to come up with a better plan. I'm working on it.

So sorry I haven't posted lately. We finally finished our patio and had our first smore's roast last weekend with the neighbors (hubby built a fire pit). Here are a few photos:

That is Emily and Andrew with Christian at the top (they belong to Ruth and Rich). Rich wanted to make it on my blog but I couldn't get rid of the red eye in the photo I had of him and Emily! Noah dug out these goggles to keep the smoke out of his eyes. He has never been too concerned about his looks, which is highly evident here!

Oh - and here is a hint about this month's guest designer. You may know her as "Mary Grace", "Maria Grace", or just "Grace". Her style is truly one of a kind and she gives the best hugs!

Have a good weekend! Jenni

Kits are back up for sale!

So sorry about that. . .

Kits are NOT sold out!!

Give me a little while to get a hold of my programmers. I will post here when they are back up. For some reason they are showing as sold out at the site and the photos are missing. We will get them back up ASAP! Have I mentioned that my nice thick hair is slowly but surely thinning out?? I really have a love/hate relationship with computers!

Just as I predicted. . .

My programmer had the site working within 10 minutes when I posted- oh well!! Everything is cool now, as most of you already know!

I am actually hoping to get a newsletter out today -completely missed last month!

Thanks for the comments on the kit!! I can't wait to play with it myself.

The stencils I used to cut out the word "September" are from the C-Thru Ruler Company. It is the Helvetica 2.5" size. You can find these at Hobby Lobby and most major office supply stores. If you want to get it on the internet, try Dick Blick (or another fine arts supply store). I have had mine from back in the day when all we did was cut out letters!!! I have been using them again to trace titles directly on my background. . . hmm, maybe that would make a good technique for the month!

Working on it. . .

New kits are up at the site (it is midnight) but I was getting "page can't be displayed" errors all over the site. My programmer knows and is working on it (and it will probably be fixed as soon as I finish typing this), but just in case, I wanted to post here. I will update in the morning (oh wait - it is morning!)

Okay, Okay - you have been more than patient!!

So sorry for the delay in this post - I was scrambling last week to change Christian's preschool. Both of my boys went to a local 2 day-a-week preschool since they were almost two. Since I held Noah back from starting Kindergarten until he was actually 6, 2 days a week was fine for him. Christian on the other hand, I decided (last minute) was really going to need at least a 3 day, all day program to help him transition into Kindergarten next year. He is just a totally different ball game (in more ways then one). So, after calling, driving, touring (and writing checks!) last week, I finally got him in a great school (Friendship Christian if you are local) and he started today. Only bad thing is it is an hour round trip to get him there and pick him up each day. He is worth it though and I think this will be a great thing for him!

So, on to the preview:

Just a little glimpse, but it is one of my favorite things in the kit. New newspaper flowers from Junkitz (Teresa Collins). Funny thing is - this is about as feminine as the kit gets with it's blacks and reds (and a few arrows thrown in)!

Also have to add this picture - I saw my little nephew again this weekend (oh, and my mom, sister and brother but who cares about them)! He is getting way too big too fast! Has that red hair just like I did at this age - and a fresh scratch on the forehead. . .

Membership Renewal

Boy, its been almost a week! It didn't seem like it had been that long since I posted. I have been trying to get a grip on other aspects of my life this past week. Even made a list today (so not like me) and have almost crossed everything off!

I had hoped to get the membership renewal e-mail out to everyone by now. I want it to be completely automated and super simple for you guys, but that seems to be what makes it more complicated behind the scenes. So, I have been testing, and going through the details (and keep finding things to fix), so bear with me! These will go out by the end of the week, but I am hoping for tomorrow. If you want to re-up, you click the link in the e-mail. If you don't, you do nothing and your membership will automatically end. It's pretty simple. I will keep you posted (and I plan to send out a newsletter at the same time).

I promise (yes, I promise this time) to do a preview this week as well of the September kit. It's quite the contrast to the August kit - red, black and cream with a little bit of newsprint! Some more Scenic Route and a little Sassafrass Lass paper. Did I mention there will be a custom product included from JBS called "Studio Notes"?. . .

I'm back. . . quick post

Just wanted to post to say I'm back from my weekend in Phoenix (loved meeting all of the students there) and hanging out with Margie, Michelle, Emily and all of the SA girls. I tell you though, I spent 5 hours in the airport on Sunday and 3.5 hours on the plane to get back. I was SOOOOO glad to be home.

Trying to spend some quality time with the family this week. Our county fair begins Friday and we are so excited to go. Also trying to finish up some house projects that have been weighing on me. Finally got the playroom cleaned up today!! Tomorrow I tackle Christian's room - he is coming home after spending a couple of days with Grandma and Grandpa. We have enjoyed showering Noah with some one on one attention, but we really miss him.

In fact, Noah said yesterday on the way home from school, "Isn't it a lot easier without Christian?" I paused for a second and replied back. . . "It may be alot easier, but it certainly isn't better". He agreed.

Thank you

While I know it is a little corny, I really wanted to use this post (and this layout) to thank everyone for the patience, understanding, enthusiasm and friendship you have extended to me the past several months. Challenges have been overcome and new challenges have arisen, but at the end of the day I enjoy what I do and have become a better person because of it. I have said it before, but I really have the best customers in the world. Please know that I am thankful. . .

I am headed to bed- off in the morning to Phoenix for the Scrapbook Answers Retreat. Not looking forward to the airport and long plane ride (particularly to turn back around the next day) but ready to go!

The August Gallery is up but the Project Kit instructions will be delayed for a day (I am hoping just a day). My programmer is having an issue with our hosting company that we are working on now. Also - see my note at the site about the Studio Inspiration pictures - these will be updated as well (hope hubby gets some darn good pictures this weekend after stealing my memory card)!

Have a great weekend!

Drumroll please. . .

and the winners are: Stephanie Howell (number35) Jennifer H (number 67) Sheila Hardie (number 112) and Amanda Westerbeck (number 201). I think Ruth was able to contact Stephanie and Amanda, but Jennifer and Sheila - if you could send a note through the contact link at the website with your address, we can get your boxes out to you!

Thanks for playing - I had to laugh at some of the responses. I will try to do this more often.

And. . .for those of you who tried to purchase a Papercrafting Kit on the website yesterday, it was showing as sold out for most of the day (it's not, but getting close) so you will see that you are able to purchase today.

Have a great Tuesday!

Let the games begin. . .

Okay, so those of you who missed the yard sale have been patiently waiting for the blog giveaways. I packed up 4 boxes and have those all ready to go to 4 lucky winners! If you want to be in the running, all you have to do is post! You can say "me, me, me!" or whatever you would like! I will have Ruth pick 4 numbers from the total number of postings I have by the end of the weekend (lets say 9:00 us central time). Photos of the first 3 boxes are shown below. The fourth box is a mystery (filled with various things):

And. . .on a business note. We really are all sold out of the Project Kits for this month. For those of you who were wanting it mostly for the exclusive chipboard shapes, I have some good news (some big news) on that front! I will let you know about it in the near future. . . (I know you love when I do that)!

Scratch that. . .

looks like the site is ready (still missing a photo or two from the home page but that hasn't stopped some of you)!! August kits are up! I will try and fix the blurry photo on the Project Kit page this week.

Thanks so much for your patience as usual!!

August Kits. . .

still coming, I promise! They should be up sometime tonight (the 1st). My programmer is working on it now.

Noah's first day of school is tomorrow (can you believe that), so I am headed to bed as he starts at 7:15 (insane!!!). I will post here in the morning if everything looks good at the site.

And thanks for all of the kind words about the journaling cards!!!!! You will be seeing those more in the kits - I plan to use them over and over. I have a few other things up my sleeve too . . .!

August Kits - coming sometime on the 1st. . .

I have been trying most of the night to get the site ready for the new month. I ran into an error as I was working and have been unable to get a hold of my programmer, so the site will not go up at midnight (or during the night). It will be sometime tomorrow, but I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, here is a little preview of some of the journaling cards I had made exclusively for this kit!!! I am in love with them. You will get 18 of them total - all perfectly coordinated to the paper (pink and orange)!

Yard Sale

**Updated - if you are local and would like directions just send a note through the contact link at the site. Ruth is hooking you up! And. . .for those of you not local, in the spirit of my friend Donna Downey, I will be giving away a box or two on the blog next week!**

Do you ever just get to the point where you can't take the clutter anymore? Even though my attic is shut off, in the dark, away from everything else, I KNOW that you can't walk in there. It makes me sick to my stomach every time I open the door. Add to that the fact that I have been working on and off for over a month cleaning out my studio (and doing a little redecorating)! I didn't have the heart to even take the stuff upstairs. I just piled it in the guest bedroom contemplating what to do with it. So, in a final act of desperation, I placed an ad today for a sale Friday and Saturday. If you are local, I have tons of organizers and containers that I couldn't find room for in my office plus LOADS of supplies (rubber stamps, idea books, never opened embellishments, etc.). I was in one of those moods toward the end and started throwing everything in the box!

And speaking of my newly cleaned, re-organized studio, here are some photos. Notice I fixed my Welcome sign!

I got the cool scale on the center desk, the window over the door and the window along the back wall from Scarlet Scales in Franklin. Finally took the time to get them integrated. I will try to take some more close ups soon. . .

Back from CHA

I'm back from Chicago - home to a quiet house. My in-laws took the kids to Ohio to visit great-grandma and play on Uncle Joe's farm for the weekend. They are having so much fun that they don't want to come home. IN FACT. . . my mother-in-law called to tell me they were leaving tomorrow, then called me back 15 minutes later to say that they threw a fit (Christian cried) and talked them into staying an extra day.

Seriously, does this mean I'm a bad mother? I am getting a serious complex. They don't even want to talk to me (either of us)! I think I'm going to have to plan a Toys R Us trip just to win them back on Wednesday. Christian rode on a huge, air-conditioned John Deere yesterday - I just can't compete with that. He used to think the entertainment system in the new Pilot was cool. Nana comes in on Wednesday night for 10 days so my name will officially be mud for a while longer. . .

CHA was fun! So many cool new products. I think my two favorite paper lines were Scenic Route (no secret) and Fancy Pants - very cool stuff! Loved the Heidi Swapp and 7gypsies booths - but that is no secret either. Heidi has some new journaling spots - seriously one of my favorite products! And. . .my girl Teresa Collins had some very cool things with Junkitz, one very unique item in particular that I picked up for the September kit. Awesome new stamps from Fontwerks (will be picking up one for the Sept. kit as well) and from Autumn Leaves. Nunn Design also had some great new trinkets - very classic stuff that I use over and over again. I am even having a custom item made for the September kit with her - so excited about this! Still trying to get settled and finish orders.

And for those of you in the Nashville area, there is a local annual event in September that I will be teaching at, The Simply Southern Scrapbook Convention. The link is www.simplysouthernscrapbook.com. It is being held September 7th - 9th in Franklin, TN. There are still openings for the class if you are interested.

Have a great night!

A little preview. . .

What if I told you I had been keeping alot of secrets?

Most of you by now have seen many of the new product releases for CHA (so many really, really cool products coming out)! But you know what the worst part about seeing these great products is. . .? - THE WAIT! It seems like it takes forever to get everything in your hands to play with. I used to tell my local girls (who were always jealous that I was going to show) that it really was a very frustrating thing - to see so many cool products but then have to wait weeks to use them (kind of a buzz kill, you know)? I have, however, noticed that in the past year or so, manufacturers are getting much better at this (a plus), but I decided that you deserved better than having to wait a month or more after show. So I did something sneaky . . .

How does August 10th sound for getting your hands on some new Scenic Route paper (you can see this at the site - I will leave the actual ones I choose a secret for now) and some new "Bling" from Heidi Swapp (I believe you will have only seen this if you work at an LSS who would share it with you). I loved this product so much, I ordered not 1, but 2 skews!! And. . . I am having a product made personally (keeping my fingers crossed it is ready in time) for this kit that I am SUPER excited about. Very simple and classic - perfect for your own interpretation (which is how I like it)! I will post pictures of things just before the 1st.

And, for those of you who have been asking about more chipboard shapes, at least for now, these will be available in the August Project Kit again (the small scalloped frames, hearts, and both sizes of flowers).

So that is my little sneak peak for now! We have spent the day at the water park with the neighbors and I am beat (I think the kids are both sacked out on the couch right now themselves)! Have a great night!

Yo Ho, Mateys, Yo ho. . .

I'm running out today and buying 10 do-rags for this kid. He needs to wear one everyday (and humor me with a photo).

Noah had his last swim meet today. Jared was not able to go to the first two, so I had him take Noah this morning (so I could sleep in a little). I got a phone call within 10 minutes of his arrival to please come and relive him. Jared doesn't do well with masses of people and chaos (if you do swim team, then you know what I mean) so I was off to the pool, unshowered and hungry!

I was able to catch Noah's first heat just as I got there. He took off down the pool and was digging harder than I had ever seen him (still last, but not by much -big accomplishment)! The kid does not have a competitive bone in his body so swim team has been interesting. He loves to swim, but he goes at his on pace and gets there when he gets there. Anyway, I went to help him out of the pool and he immediately said to his daddy behind me, "So, do I get the scooter"?

Ah-ha!!

So now I know what the rush was all about! Funny how a little motivation pushed him towards that finish line. Interesting predicament he is in however: On one hand he gets a new scooter, on the other hand we now know what he is capable of (and will hold him to it).

So I'm off to Target for scooter shopping - and an slushee, some milk, two swords (because you always need more of those in your house) and maybe a little something for me. . .

And the July Gallery is up! And Kelli Crowe is my awesome guest designer. And, the Project Kit Instructions will take a minute to load (so beware)!

Pirates 2 and Inspiration

So I bought my tickets a couple days ago. I am a HUGE Pirates of the Caribbean fan. It was always my favorite ride at Disneyworld and to see it come to life in a movie was awesome! Noah LOVES it too! He was so wanting to go with us tonight, but I told him we had to see it first (and he will NOT be seeing it on the big screen- a little too intense). Very cool - worth the $8 just for the make-up and special effects. I won't give too much away, but be prepared for the fact that there is going to be a Pirates 3!

Sorry I have been so absent here. Summer keeps us so busy. I have been so involved with the site (behind the scenes stuff) that I barely have time otherwise. I am really hoping to get some things cleaned up at the site for next month (visually). Many things are bothering me but I haven't been able to focus on the "aesthetics" if you know what I mean! All in time I suppose!

The Monthly Inspiration Gallery will go live on the 12th this month and moving forward. My goal was always to have this up when you receive your kits and the 12th should satisfy that. Having it as the 10th in the past just kills me as we are so busy getting the kits out the door. This will take off the pressure a little.

Here is a quick hint for the guest designer this month: I met up with her this weekend in Atlanta and the boys took a ride on her zip line! Any ideas???

Both of the July kits are still available for sale!!

I guess something happened when I pulled billing today, but the kits were showing up as sold out for most of the day. I still have plenty of both left and I just corrected it at the site. You will notice that they are both available to add to your cart now!

More later (sorry so short)!

July Kits are up for sale!!

About an hour after I wanted, but they are there! So sorry I missed the previews this month - summer is a crazy time for us. We are headed out of town again for a long weekend. So hard to do this and keep up with everything, but I'm trying!

I'm sooooooo excited about this month's kits. The paper from 7gypsies was my favorite from CHA by far and I had been waiting specifically for this month to use it. I also love the Project Kit - just go to the site and you will see why! It will be displayed in my office exactly how I show it photographed at the site. - I think I need to make 20 of these!!!!

I am getting ready to send out the July newsletter, but just in case you miss it, I am posting it below:

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer! We have spent much of ours by the neighborhood pool warding off the sometimes unbearable Tennessee humidity.

In between your vacations and trips to the pool, I hope you stop by to check out our new and improved website (www.jennibowlin.com) . Although we will continue to work on enhancements over the summer, we have spent a lot of time over the past two months fine tuning our checkout processes and launching our new membership section. We are so thankful for all of you have stuck with us since the beginning!

There are a few changes I wanted to make you aware of. I have hired a new customer service manager. Her name is Ruth and she is just a joy to work with! She does this and sooooo much more for me - helping to free up my time a little bit and get me back to concentrating on the creative side of things.

Also, in the past, if you were a member, but wanted to purchase a Project Kit (or anything else offered at the site) for the new month, you were charged a flat rate add-on fee at checkout if you purchased before the 5th. For now on, you will be charged full shipping at checkout, but if you purchase before the 5th, your shipping will be discounted or waived altogether when your membership is billed (based on your total purchases). After the 5th, no adjustments will be made for shipping as billing will have already taken place. Many of you took advantage of the Project Kit Membership we are now offering, which means you won’t have to go to the site each month at all to purchase. You will be billed automatically for both kits (yeah)!

If you have any questions at all about your current membership, you can log into “My Account” at the website and it will show you all of your account information (the memberships you have set up and when they expire). We also have the option here for an indefinite membership now! If you check this box, you will have a membership until you decide to discontinue it. All you need to do is go back in, uncheck the box, and finish a 3 month cycle to end your membership when ready.

And finally, if you try to purchase another membership while your current one is still active, the cart will warn you of this and ask you if you are sure you would like to do this (helping out with the many accidentally duplicate memberships created in the past).

Have a great July 4th weekend! Thanks to all of our military families out there – we are so appreciative of the sacrifices you have made to preserve our freedom!

Jenni

An Extra 5 Pounds

. . . that's what I will bring home with me tomorrow. Why is it that my trips home to Maryland always seem centered around what's for dinner? Of course there were the regulars I had to fit in: crabs with Old Bay and melted butter, crab bisque from Mama Lucia's, pepperoni Pizza from Ledo's and a mozzarella and pepperoni salad from Gallo's (missed that this time around). And new on this trip - I have developed an obsession with milkshakes from Wawa. (I hope these migrate down south soon). Couple all of this with the fact that my mother has more pantrys and freezers than Safeway (stocked full with the things I can't get in TN like Ellio's frozen pizza and Utz tortilla chips) and I'm lucky I only came back with 5 pounds!

Looks like I need to make it to the tennis court with hubby a couple more times this week!

June Gallery and other stuff. . .

Since the stars have not aligned and allowed me to have everything working perfectly at once, here are the June layouts from my gallery! I know they aren't much bigger, but they are better! For next month, I will make sure that when you click on a layout it doesn't just show it to you again at the same size!






I have hired someone to take over alot of the day to day tasks I have been bogged down with. My kid's call her Mrs. Rich (her husband's name), but you will know her as Ruth. She will be answering most of the e-mails for now on (although you can always get to me through her)!

I am hoping that this will help me to focus on some of the site changes I want to make - fun stuff, like a member gallery and classes. I also need to get up all of the Project Kits from past months (except June) as I still have these to sell. AND. . . I have big plans for more exclusive products for the kits!

We are now off to the airport- headed to Maryland to visit the family, meet the new family dog (Brewster, a toy yorkie) and eat some Crabs by the pool. Will be back next Tuesday!

(oh - and I will be taking some pics for the July gallery. Theme Hint: "U R Here" )

Gallery Glitch

Just wanted to let you guys know (as most of you do already) that when you click on any layout in the gallery to enlarge it, it shows you a layout from last month (I bet you have that one memorized by now - it haunts you in your sleep)! ha! It should be something simple (but what do I know) and I have let my programmer know. It will be fixed sometime this weekend.

I was e-mailing Karen tonight and told her that all I want to do is set up a little wooden stand in my front yard and sell kits! How did I ever end up on the internet? Of course, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to connect with so many cool people all over the world! It's just ironic when I think about how little I know about this "box" in front of me. I used to sell handmade greeting cards in my front yard growing up. . .but that didn't go so well. In the grand scheme of things, this is going much better!

And. . .because Michelle and Sherri said you can't post without a picture (sorry- I didn't know that rule!) here is one for you. . .

Yes, he is wearing pink swimmies. We were in Destin and picked them up at the super Walmart. They were in a cardboard box and we didn't know. Of course he had no idea. . .but someday he will. So PLEASE buy a June kit - I have lots of therapy to pay for. Ha!

Have a great weekend!

So very patient!!

I know I have missed previewing so many fun things this month (and all of you have been soooooo patient about it)! One of those is the guest designer for the month. I admire this girl a ton (the fact that she agreed to do this with a one month old is one reason)! Also, in the midst of it, she organized a huge fundraiser that I was so proud to be a part of (and so proud of her for taking the initiative to do it). I believe she raised clear over $10,000! Who is she??

Isn't this the cutest picture ever! And just because you are waiting so patiently, here is a preview of the June gallery. I have really enjoyed this month's kit - mostly because, although everything coordinates, all of my pages look so different. Karen's paper is so cool - so many great uses when you cut off small pieces. And the Basic Grey rub-ons were the start for almost all of my page ideas (hence why they became my journaling jumpstart for the month).

Everything above comes with the June kit (except the Postmodern Design large rubber stamp I used under the quotes) including one small surprise (not shown in the kit contents). Janice at Paper Valise was able to get me some gold and silver puff stars and I threw them into all of the tins. They are the cutest little things and I have become addicted (you will too)!!

The gallery will go live on Wednesday night at some point! I will post here when its all uploaded.

Oh - and all orders placed for June product on or before the afternoon of June 11th (yesterday) went out today!! So happy Monday!

Most glitches fixed . . .

We think we got the bulk of the remaining glitches fixed last night! The error people were getting after hitting the "agree" button on the Papercrafting Kit membership page should not be happening anymore. Also, the "state" issue the international ladies were getting is fixed as well (incidentally, if you put in a "fake" state just to get the order through, it is okay. This will not affect your shipping as that did not save against the shipping address you entered before that to create your account).

We also think we got the "my account" issue straightened out. Some of you were seeing incorrect information here (even though your order was received correctly on our end). This was due to some broken links. We think we got it all fixed. Keep in mind when you are looking at it, that under "purchases" it will show you every line item that you have purchased. "your memberships" will then show you any of those items that are memberships. This really is a great addition to the site for membership maintenance and confirmation. Remember, you will NOT see your billing information listed unless you are a member. You will see it if you are a member so that you can make changes to it as needed (and note that it shows your cc info here for this reason, but it is completely secure).

I also just received notice that the Project Kit sold out. I have yet to sell out of a Project Kit each month (in fact, I am putting them back up on the site soon) so I was really surprised about this. In 30 days time I have yet to sell out one, but this one sells out in 2 days (same quantity I have always had). I could not have begun to predict this. Please don't send me hate mail! I really don't have anymore and I'm really sorry.

But, we have LOADS of Papercrafting Kits still available and you should have an easier time purchasing it now if you have been waiting.

Also, we will begin shipping the kits out on Monday the 12th (just two days delayed for this month). The gallery will also be a little delayed (until the 14th or 15th), but I will let you know for sure and will post about this again.

Some helpful information . . .

Thanks to my blog friends who have posted some hints on here last night and today! We are working on a few things, but for the most part, it is working for most people. yeah! Here are some hints:

- paticularly if you had been to the site when it was down (and/or on the first) you will need to open up a new browser and go to the site. You may even have to erase your cookies. This is why some of you are having the error after you hit the "agree" button on the membership page. We are working on a fix for this, but for now, to get around this error, go to the My Account page and sign in as a new user (bottom left). This will prompt you to create a new account (which you need to do) and you can proceed from there.

- international users are being promted to add a "state" even though you don't have one at checkout. We will fix this too, but to get around it, just put "AB" in the state box and it should let you check out. I don't know why this happens to some and not others (love the computer)! Don't worry about it messing up your shipping, you have already put in your shipping address as part of your account at this point (so you will see that in "My Account" is shows the correct shipping address).

- if you purchased a membership of any kind, you will notice that your billing info. is not showing up in "My Account". We disabled this (just a mis-communication) and you will see it there again soon (completely secure of course). That way you will be able to see this and make changes in the future as needed.

- we are having some other small glitches in My Account (so you might now see your orders correctly right now) but this will get fixed shortly as well.

I had to laugh (okay, granted it was the kind of laugh you make just before they take you to the looney bin, but a laugh nonetheless). I have had a really hard time communicating to the programmers I have worked with since the beginning that there will be a "few" (ha!) people waiting when we turn the cart on - even if its midnight. They think I'm crazy. Then the next day comes and they are shaking their heads in amazement (and disbelief). Most people who start a web business turn a new cart on and get to play out their glitches (NOBODY doesn't have them - its impossible for it to be perfect, even after testing) with just a few people trickling in over time. I, on the otherhand, get an e-mail about an error and get 40 more behind it before I have a chance to let the programmer know! Not a bad problem to have (I'm not complaining!) but it takes awhile to catch up to everything.

So, if you have e-mailed me about something above and I haven't already gotten back to you, I am working on it now and will send you the information I have listed above to see if that helps.

Or, we should have much of this figured out between tonight and tomorrow, so if you want to just wait and try again in a day or two, that may work as well. We have TONS of kits left and will still be selling them for several days I am certain.

Thanks for everyone's patience!!