Hambo Stamps - Design Team Call

Hambo Stamps is accepting applications from now until May 15, 2013 for new Design Team Members.

We are looking for designers for the next four-month term: June 1 - September 30, 2013. The new Hambo Team will be chosen by May 22.

All designers must be comfortable working with digital images and rubber or clear photopolymer stamps, though mostly digital.

Please e-mail your application to:
hambodesignteam@gmail.com by May 15, 2013.
Put Hambo DT Application in the subject line.

Application Information:
Your contact info (full name, address, phone number and email)
Blog or Website Address
SCS Gallery Link
Current/Past Design Teams (You do not need DT experience)

In addition to your blog & gallery links, please attach jpeg photos of three of your best stamped projects. All application items are due by May 15, 10:00 PM CST. We are looking for designers that can work with deadlines. We are also looking for designers who can follow directions, so please be sure your application contains all requested information.

Design Team Requirements:

* An active, established blog with several postings each week.

* One project and posting per week on your blog and SCS Gallery, as well as the Hambo Yahoo Group Photo file.

* Participate in Hambo challenges, blog activities and new release Sneak Peeks/Blog Hops, as well as the Yahoo group for Design Team members.

* Participate in at least one SCS challenge per month.

* Submit one project per month to print magazines for publication consideration (online magazines or Ezines excluded).

What you'll receive:

* Hambo Stamps digital stamps, (and/or red rubber or clear stamps if there are any new releases during your term), for each month of your term ~ some will be assigned but you will also be able to select some of your own choices too.

* The Hambo Stamps Design Team badge for your blog.

* Announcements & features on the Hambo blog (Talk to the Ham) and website as a Design Team Member, as well as our Facebook page.

* Consideration for extended contracts as they become available.

 

If you have any questions, please email Judy at hambodesignteam@gmail.com.

Sizzix Video Tags

Brainstorm!! These video tags would be a great way to demonstrate science fair experiments. Just record your experiment, then place the QR sticker on your display. Anyone with a smartphone (and free app download) can view the experiment as it happened. 

Can you tell that I'm helping the kids with their science fair projects on this snow day? :)

Free Order Winner...

Congratulations to Lori K. of Neenah, WI who was the winner of a FREE order from our Super Bowl sale this past weekend. Lori guessed a final point total of 55 points, which was 10 points. away from the actual 65 points scored. The next closest guess was 77 points, which was 12 points away.

I hope you'll enjoy your FREE goodies Lori!!

And thanks to everyone who placed orders during our annual sale. We hope you had fun playing along with us, and taking advantage of some great deals too.

Remember that our new Bacon Bits will make their official debut this Wednesday at the Hoedown. We've got another cute image for you this week, so come play along with us!

Introducing Our Bacon Bits - Day 6

Rounding out our team, and the final member of "Team Squeal" -- Deborah Anton!!

Deborah is a VERY familiar face here in the Hambo world, as this is her 4th straight term with us. We love her, and thankfully the feeling is mutual, so that we can keep her around a bit longer.

 Here is a little reminder of how Deborah's stampin' career began:

HI! My name is Deborah Anton and I am a stay at home engineer to 10 year old twin boys and a wife of 11 years to an awesome Army Officer.  I am originally from California but currently live in Tennessee.  I keep pretty busy just on the home-front with my active boys, moving every few years, and volunteering with the Army.  But in the little "me" time I get, I love to do anything crafty!! I started out 11 years ago designing and creating jewelry, which led me to having my own business and having some large corporate accounts.  Then about 6 years ago, I really starting getting into paper crafts.  I began to divide my time between jewelry and paper-crafting, thus my blog and SCS name of Beadn&Stampn! I am so excited to be part of the Hambo Design Team and work alongside these talented ladies!! In my other spare time, (who am I kidding?) I enjoy music, singing, dancing, and of course Beadn&Stampn!

Here's a photo of the two of us when Deborah stopped by for a visit last year:

Today is the final day of our Super Bowl sale, where we offer EVERYTHING on our website at 30% off. PLUS -- if you submit your order before kick-off time, along with your guess as to the final total of points scored by both teams, you have a chance to win your entire order free if you come closest to the correct point total. However, even if you miss that deadline, you can still receive 30% off your order right up until 3:00 AM. Shop NOW!!

Tune in to the Hambo Hoedown on Wednesday to see all of our new Bacon Bits in action, showing off yet another fun digi image. Until then, have a great week! 

Introducing Our Bacon Bits - Day 5

We are very excited to welcome another new face to the Hambo fold, and the second member of "Team Squeal" ..... Kendra Wietstock!!!

As an example of how crafty & clever Kendra is, she didn't have a pig to take a photo with, so she made one! How cute is that??

Here's how Kendra describes herself:

I work as a full time designer from my home and I have been teaching paper crafting classes for the past 7 years in my home and at local scrapbook stores.  I love working on all types of crafting projects, but spend most of my time making layouts and cards.   I live in Northern Indiana with my amazing husband t and two fabulous teenagers.   Outside of crafting ~ our family loves to travel all over the place and I enjoy reading, volunteering at our church as the library director, and at our school's music department as a marching band mom.
You can see my work on my blog called Kendra's Card Company or on my crafty Facebook Page called Kendra's Paper Creations.

She's showing off a fun Hambo creation on her blog today, and will make her official Hambo debut at the Hoedown on Wednesday. 

And before I go, just a reminder that our annual Super Bowl sale is in progress right now! Save 30% on everything on our website! You can find all of the details HERE.

Please come back tomorrow to meet the final member of Team Squeal.  

Introducing Our Bacon Bits - Day 4

The final member of "Team Oink" is another familiar face. Please welcome Jane Elizabeth France back to our team:

Hello, My name is Jane Elizabeth France, I live in Yorkshire, England. I am a 47 year old hairdresser and have two boys (well, men now, aged 22 and 23) and I have a wonderful fiance, (we got engaged on New Years Eve). I started making cards about 8 years ago when I decided to make my Mum a handmade birthday card. Who knew that just buying a topper and sticking it on a folded piece of card would lead to the humongous ever growing pile of craft things that I have come to acquire!!!! I have a whole craft room for myself so I consider myself a very lucky girl. I made the little piggy bank in the picture with me at a pottery class that I attended about 20 years ago. I'm SQUEEEEEEALING with delight at being asked to do another term on the design team!
 
Have you seen her work? Jane excels at interactive & shaped cards (girl can work with a circle!) and all of the elements she includes on her cards are so fun. You've got to see the clever card she's made today for her "reveal"!  We're so happy you've stayed with us for another term Jane!

Today we kick off our annual Super Bowl sale - with 30% off everything on our website, plus a chance to win your entire order FREE! You can find all the details HERE or on the previous post. Happy shopping .... and come back tomorrow to see another of the new faces joining our team. :)

Hambo's 5th Annual Super Bowl Sale is Here!!

Because Hambo Stamps has a special fondness for PIGskin, we're celebrating Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 3) by offering 30% off everything currently in-stock in our store!

PLUS - We're offering a chance to win your entire order FREE (up to $100)! When you place your order, give us your best guess as to the FINAL point total of the game -- that is, the total of points that both teams have scored, added together. If more than one person correctly guesses the exact final point total, a random draw will determine the winner of those with the correct guess. If no one correctly guesses the final point total, it will go to the CLOSEST guess (over or under) -- again with a random drawing if there's more than one. Please note that while the 30% off sale runs for three entire days, only orders received prior to kick-off will be in the running for the free stamps. You must submit your point total guess with your order to be eligible.
 

Other very important details to be aware of:

• The sale will run from 12:00 AM Friday (2/1) to midnight Sunday (2/3). Though we are closed on Saturdays, orders will still be received, and will be tended to on Sunday.
• Only in-stock stamps & supplies are eligible for the discount -- no back-orders available. 
• Items on our "Retiring" and "Last Call - Wood-Mounts" pages are eligible for the discount as well. :) 
• Digital stamps are also eligible for the discount, though you MUST use code "super13" during the checkout for the discount to be applied. Unfortunately, we will not be able to issue a refund if you forget to use the code. If you're ordering anything besides digital stamps, please do a separate order for the digis so that you can check out automatically.
• Free shipping does NOT apply during this sale, but all orders will be figured at actual postage rates.
• To be eligible for the free stamps, your guess as to final point total MUST be received prior to the kick-off of the game (which will be approximately 6:30 pm on the East Coast; 5:30 pm Central; 4:30 pm Mountain; and 3:30 pm Pacific.)
• Please be sure to include your name & mailing address with your order (even if you've ordered from us before), as well as proper item names & numbers. Include mounting preference (cling or bare rubber) if ordering stamps.
• Payments for orders not received within 10 days will negate the discount.
• The winner of the free stamps will be notified on Monday, Feb. 4. If the winner has already paid, the payment will be promptly refunded.

Sometimes with sales of this nature, there is the possibility of a large volume of orders. Rest assured that we will respond to your order as quickly as possible; your patience is appreciated! Because of the limited supplies of some items, orders will be processed on a first come, first served basis.

You can kick-off your shopping spree here: Hambo Stamps  Note that we've added stamping supplies to our store in addition to the stamps, so check it all out!

Enjoy your weekend, and enjoy the big game! Here's hoping everyone scores big! :)

Introducing Our Bacon Bits - Day 3

Today we introduce another wonderfully talented designer joining the Bacon Bits. Please help me welcome... Lori McAree!!

Hi!! My name is Lori McAree and I am so excited to be joining the Hambo team!! 

 

I am a very lucky lady to have a wonderful husband and 3 grown sons who are all very supportive of my hobby and aren’t afraid to give me honest feedback!! I also have a stepson, stepdaughter and a granddaughter. Not too long ago we became empty nesters so we are both able to pursue our hobbies a bit more now!

I try to make at least a card a day and love participating in challenges!! I donate most of my cards to Operation Write Home so I have our troops in mind most of the time I am creating. When I’m not stamping I also enjoy traveling, NASCAR racing and cross stitching.

Lori will be on Team Squeal - who will begin the term working with our digital images, so you'll get a chance to know her through our Hoedown challenge each week.

And before I go, I want to give you a heads-up: if you're on our newsletter list, check your mailbox because we have some big news today! Not on our mailing list? Email us with "newsletter" in the subject line and we'll be sure you're added.

See you tomorrow for another DT "reveal."  

Introducing our Bacon Bits - Day 2

The second designer joining our "pig pen" this term is one that you're already familiar with. Welcome back .... Lyn Tomlin!
 

I am a Georgia girl. I’m not married and have no children except my 14 year old Black lab Beau (short for Beauregard – I am from the South after all.) Beau and I are avid Georgia Bulldog fans! 

By day I work in corporate America but by night I like to do something more creative. I am a person that loves to learn new crafts so I have tried a lot of them from knitting, to jewelry making, to scrapbooking/card making, etc… Jewelry and card making are my passions.

 

I have loved doing the Hambo Challenges and am so excited to continue on the design team. When I started thinking of my pig pic, I looked at all my piggy banks and thought maybe, but then I decided it would be fun to make a pair of pig earrings from polymer clay. So I now I have two of them whispering in my ear - hopefully they will provide some great inspiration for me to share!

Lyn will also be a part of "Team Oink" along with Isha (introduced yesterday), and one other.

If you're on our newsletter list, we've got some big news coming out tomorrow. If you're not on our newsletter list, it's easy to join -- just email us with "Newsletter" in the subject line  -- it's just that easy!

Come back tomorrow to meet the next Bacon Bit! 

Introducing Our Bacon Bits - Day 1

February brings the start of a new 'Bacon Bits' design term, and as always, we've got an outstanding cast of characters! Today thru Sunday we'll be introducing the team members one by one. We kick off the introductions with the first member of our "rubber" team, meet..... Isha Gupta!!!

Here is a little about Isha, in her own words:

My name is Isha and I live in Switzerland. I studied biology and chemistry in University, then I studied graphic design and worked in advertising and media for two years. Now I'm a full-time mom to my two daughters.  My husband of 17 years is very supportive of my work in the paper crafting industry. 

I've always been creative but got hooked on stamping about two years ago.  I've been published in Paper Crafts, CARDS, Parchment Craft and Design To Color magazines.  My style is constantly changing since I like to explore new techniques.  I love to colour and usually lean towards fun yet clean layouts for my projects.

I am so happy and excited about being part of the Hambo family.

We're so happy you've joined us Isha, and can't wait to get dirty in the pig pen with ya!

Come back tomorrow to see another member of "Team Oink" -- our team of 3 who will be featuring our rubber stamp images throughout February and March.

Winner Winner!!

We had so much fun with our "Name That Toon" blog hop this past weekend, and we hope that you did too. Don't worry if you missed out, because you can still see all of our creations. Use the links from THIS blog post to see what everyone made.

As promised, we have some winners to announce. First up is the $15 Hambo digi shopping spree, awarded to a random hopper who left a comment at each blog along the way. That prize goes to ..... Blue Kube! Congratulations!! Please email me the list of digi images you'd like to have.

Our second prize is for the "Best in Show" creation -- awarded to the participant who made our favorite project, as voted on by the Bacon Bits. The winner of the $20 Hambo site-wide shopping spree is .... Paula .... for her fabulous homage to Dick Tracy!! Congratulations Paula! If you'll please email me as well, I'll give you the details for claiming your prize.

Did YOU want a prize too? Our new Hoedown challenge kicks off today. Come play along with us, and you'll receive a FREE digi image for participating! 

Also, plan to come back next week as we start introducing our Bacon Bits team for the spring term. There will be some other news next week as well that you won't want to miss.

Until then, have a great week! 

Name That Toon! - Hambo Blog Hop

Welcome to the "Name That Toon!" Hambo Blog Hop! Today, the Bacon Bits, along with some Hambo friends, share with you our versions of some of our favorite comic-strips, past or present. Whether you know them as comics, cartoons, or funny pages, we're sure you'll be reminded of at least ONE that you've read and loved through the years.

And besides the fun that we know is in store for you, there will also be some prizes handed out for laughing along with us: a $15 shopping spree in our digi store will be awarded to a randomly-drawn hopper who leaves a comment at each of the "panels" along the way, and a $20 Hambo site-wide shopping spree will go to the "stripper" (comic stripper, that is!) chosen by the Bacon Bits as our "Best in Show" participant. Though we appreciate comments any time, the deadline for prize-consideration comments is Sunday, January 20 at 5:00PM CST. We'll reveal the winners on this blog on Wednesday, January 23 ... so don't forget to check back!

I've had my share of favorites through the years: as a kid, I loved the Peanuts characters. In high school, I was obsessed with Bloom County, and Opus in particular. When that strip retired, I moved on to Calvin & Hobbes, and these days, my favorites are Pearls Before Swine, and Rhymes With Orange. 

But my absolute favorite of all time...  The Far Side, by Gary Larson!  Here is MY take one of his single-panel comics, which I renamed "The FUR Side"...

When I think of The Far Side, my mind goes straight to cows...

... so I instantly knew which image I wanted to use. Both the "Happy Cow" and the "House 2" are digi images, to which I added the sidewalk and grass to complete the scene. It must be noted that I did adjust the cow a bit; I removed his smile, and instead gave him the round "oooh" lips like Gary Larson is also fond of. Though I felt like I was cheating, I went ahead and colored the scene on the computer before I printed it out -- because I wanted it to have the "flat" look of the colors in comic strips. Do you forgive me??

Now it's time to turn the page to the next comic in the line-up ... Lyn!   The complete funny pages layout is listed below, in case you get lost, or find a broken link:


Talk to the Ham (that's me!)

Lyn

Libby

Carolyn

Deborah

Dawn

Jan

Jane

Kecia

Paula

Judy 



  
Happy Hopping!!

Hambo New Year!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Here in the Hambo world, we've been bursting with excitement to kick off 2013 with some big news, so let me get right to it:

New Products:

CLEAR STAMP SETS are now available! These sets feature some of our most popular images, along with a matching sentiment (or two, or three!). Let me tell a quick story: I was NOT a fan of clear stamps before; I'd tried some in the past, and got very frustrated that the ink would bead up on top of the stamp, which invariably led to a less-than-perfect stamped image. However, I've since realized that not all clear stamps are created equal, and while there are still some lousy ones out there, the photopolymer stamps we now stock are amazing! Paired with a good quality ink, you can count on crisply stamped images every time.

And speaking of good quality INK, we now offer arguably the best ink currently available on the market - Versafine & Memento inks. The Versafine ink is the one I reach for to ink up any stamp with a large surface area (such as the trendy silhouette stamps) or any finely detailed image. You can watercolor over the Versafine ink and it will not bleed. If you color with Copic markers, then the Memento inks are a must have, as they hold their lines with the alcohol-based markers. We have the entire Memento color collection, available in the Dew Drop inkpads. These small pads are easy to handle, easy to use for "isolation" inking on a design ... and the low cost enables you to try out the colors before you make a larger investment. 

We've also stocked some great stamping accessories, including ACRYLIC BLOCKS (which, of course, pair perfectly with the clear stamps -- or even the cling-mounted ones -- so you can see exactly where you're stamping your image for perfect alignment), ACTION WOBBLES, and a new TALKING TAG gadget which allows you to add your own voice recordings to your projects! (How fun it would be to add a recording of your children singing "Happy Birthday" to a grandparent's card, for example.) Stay tuned as we continue to add more stamping supplies to our store, including adhesives and papers!

 

Design Team Call:

 

We're looking to fill some spots on our Bacon Bits' team! Would you like to be part of the Hambo fun? Application details can be found HERE, with January 19th the deadline for consideration.

 

Applications are for the February - May 2013 term. 

Customer-Inclusive Blog Hop:

 This time our theme is “Name That Toon.” Using any Hambo image (rubber/clear/digi), create a project that represents and depicts a comic strip! Maybe it’s your favorite one you read as a kid, or maybe it’s one that you don’t even like! Whatever it is, we want to see your comic strip creations!

 

The hop is scheduled for Friday, January 18, and is set to go live at 7:00 AM CST.  All blog hop posts must stay at the top of the page for that whole day.  A prize will be awarded to the customer whose comic strip-themed creation tickles the Bacon Bits’ fancy in a hammin’ jammin’ way!  The winner will be announced on the Hoedown blog, as well as on the Hambo blog on Wednesday, January 23.

 

If you are interested in participating, please email Judy at hambodesignteam@gmail.com by 11:00 PM CST on Wednesday, January 14. The blog hop order will be emailed to you on January 16. Sample blog copy for the hop will be available after you sign up, if you desire to use it.

 

Last Call:

We will no longer offer our stamps in a wood-mounted format. Demand for them has dropped considerably, so it's no longer feasible for us to keep wood stocked for the occasional order. However, we have a small supply of wood-mounted stamps remaining, which are discounted by 30% while supplies last. Get 'em while you still can! You can find them on our SALE page.

 

Also, be sure to check out our "Retiring" page for the last of those images. Use code "Farewell" to receive an additional 30% off the already low-low prices.

 

Hoedown Challenge:

Although our stamps are fun to look at, they're even more fun to use! Join us each week at our Hoedown where we dare you to follow a specific challenge (layout, color scheme, technique, etc.). Every participant who meets the posting requirements will be given a digi image free, so if you play each week, you can accumulate a LOT of free digital images. Your participation could also win you the coveted "Queen of the Hoedown" title (and a bonus free digi), or bragging rights as "Best in Show" for the week.

 

****************

 

And finally, the football season is coming to an end. No more pigskin? Don't worry, we'll once again celebrate the end of the season in style -- and if you've been around for a while, you know what that means! (wink, wink)

 

Best wishes for a healthy & happy 2013!

 

 

Hambo Stamps Design Team Call

Hambo Stamps is accepting applications from now until January 19, 2013 for new Design Team Members.

We are looking for designers for the next four-month term: February 1 - May 31, 2013. The new Hambo Team will be chosen by January 21.

All designers must be comfortable working with rubber or clear photopolymer stamps and digital images, as each designer will work with rubber/clear for 2 months of their term, and digital images for the other two months of their term.

Please e-mail your application to:
hambodesignteam@gmail.com by January 19, 2013.
Put Hambo DT Application in the subject line.

Application Information:
Your contact info (full name, address, phone number and email)
Blog or Website Address
SCS Gallery Link
Current/Past Design Teams (You do not need DT experience)

In addition to your blog & gallery links, please attach jpeg photos of three of your best stamped projects. All application items are due by January 19, 10:00 PM CST. We are looking for designers that can work with deadlines. We are also looking for designers who can follow directions, so please be sure your application contains all requested information.

Design Team Requirements:

*  An active, established blog with several postings each week.

* One project and posting per week on your blog and SCS Gallery, as well as the Hambo Yahoo Group Photo file.

* Participate in Hambo challenges, blog activities and new release Sneak Peeks/Blog Hops,as well as the Yahoo group for Design Team members.

 

* Participate in at least one SCS challenge per month.

* Submit one project per month to print magazines for publication consideration (online magazines or Ezines excluded).

What you'll receive:

* Hambo Stamps red rubber or clear stamps and/or digital stamps each month of your term ~ some could be assigned but you will also be able to select some of your own choices too.

* The Hambo Stamps Design Team badge for your blog.

* Announcements & features on the Hambo blog (Talk to the Ham) and website as a Design Team Member, as well as our Facebook page.

* Consideration for extended contracts as they become available.

 

If you have any questions, please email Judy at hambodesignteam@gmail.com.