Talk to the Ham

Green Eggs and ..... Hambo!! - - Blog Hop

2012-01-27T08:00:00.117-05:00

Today we're thrilled to bring you "Green Eggs and ..... Hambo!" -- a customer-inclusive Hambo blog hop. As you might guess from the title, our inspiration for this hop is books -- any kind of books. Who needs Oprah's book club, when you've got Hambo here to introduce you to, or reacquaint you with, some literary classics (and maybe a few not-so-classics)?!

One lucky hopper who leaves a comment on every blog along the way will win a prize -- a $15 shopping spree in the Hambo digi store. We love comments anytime, of course, but the comment deadline for prize entries is Tuesday, January 31 at 5 PM CST. Our current design team will be retiring that day, and we will be welcoming our new Bacon Bits AND celebrating the Hambo Hoedown’s ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY on February 1st. Blog Hop winners will be announced at the Hoedown on the 1st.

So grab your reading glasses, and let's get started!

I actually have two book-inspired cards to show you, as well as a couple of manuscripts that are still being edited. First up, a topical book:

"The Squirrel with the Dragon Tattoo" -- which is actually the lesser-known precursor to the Lisbeth Salander series. For some reason, audiences didn't warm to a rebellious squirrel who lived a lonely life hoarding acorns, so a few of the details were changed for the now-popular books by Stieg Larsson.

For this simple card, I used Hambo's Squirrel image, along with a dragon sticker. The jump-rings were added as a nod to the multiple piercings that the Lisbeth Salander character sports.

Moving on....

When compiling a reading list, one mustn't overlook the classics, such as "The Grapes of Wrath":

Here, I used the Grapes Kid digi image (with a slight adjustment to the facial features), along with the retiring "Snits Happen" rubber stamp. Who would I send this to? I don't know -- I'll guess I'll have to pick a fight with someone first so I'll have a reason. ;)

And now quickly some unfinished works. See if you can figure out which fairly well-known book titles the following images represent, and leave your guesses in the comments section: (you can click each image for a better look)

3.

Now it's time to click over to Jennifer S's library to see what she's been reading. And if you get lost anywhere along the way, the complete book tour appearances are listed below.

Talk to the Ham <-- You are here.
Jennifer S
Melissa
Karin
Pat
Laura
Stephanie
Sherry
Leslie
Judy
Sandy
Michele
Allison
Jessica
Jen N
Andrea
Libby

Thanks for hopping with us!

Send a Smile 4 Kids

2012-01-22T15:49:00.000-05:00

This week Hambo Stamps is sponsoring "Send a Smile 4 Kids" on the Hoedown challenge blog. "Send a Smile 4 Kids" is a charitable blog created for the purpose of collecting donated handmade cards to be distributed to children while they are inpatient at Children's Hospitals.

For this week's Hoedown challenge, you are asked to use a Hambo image to create a kid-worthy card (and bonus points if you then SEND that card, along with any other kids' cards, to SAS4K for distribution!). The Hoedown challenge cut-off is tomorrow night (Monday), but no worries if you can't have your card ready in time, because SAS4K is hosting their own challenge thru Feb. 3. Link up your card appropriate for a child, and possibly win one of several great prizes from multiple sponsors, including a $15 shopping spree in the Hambo digi store! When making your cards, please be sure to follow the SAS4K's guidelines, which you can see HERE.

All hands were on deck at the Hoedown, including some special guests, in creating cards with this week's featured Hambo image "Bailey":

This image is inspired by our very own "Bailey" -- the newest addition to the Hunter family -- a blonde labrador retriever. And just like the name suggests, Bailey LOVES to retrieve, and will play fetch ALL DAY if I had the same energy level that he does! There are some really cute pictures of him posted on the Hoedown blog, so you can check him out there if you want a heavy dose of cuteness! :)

Upcoming Hambo events:

Wed., Jan. 25 - a super new Hoedown challenge will be revealed.
Fri., Jan. 27 - tune in right here for the start of our customer-inclusive blog hop "Green Eggs and ..... Hambo! We'll be using Hambo images to pay homage to some of our very favorite books, old & new!
Sat., Jan. 28 - The newest "Bacon Bits" have been chosen, and we'll begin revealing them to you on Saturday. I promise, it's not as kinky as it sounds ... but please stop by anyway! LOL
Wed., Feb. 1 - It's a Hoedown birthday party, featuring the new Bacon Bits!
Thurs., Feb. 2 - A Hambo newsletter will be sent out, with a big announcement. What's the news? Sign up for the newsletter and be the first to know!
Fri., Feb. 3 - Sun., Feb 5 - Super Bowl weekend! (Just sayin'...)

Have a great week everyone!

Hambo Stamps - Design Team Call!

2012-01-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Hambo Stamps is accepting applications from now until January 18, 2012 for new Design Team Members.

We are looking for designers for the next four-month term: February 1 - May 31, 2012. The new Hambo Team will be announced beginning January 26.

All designers must be comfortable working with rubber and digital images. Three designers will be chosen to work with the rubber line and three with digital images, although all designers may be asked to work with both at some point.

Please e-mail your application to:
hambodesignteam@gmail.com by January 18, 2011.
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 18, 2011, 10:00 PM CST. We are looking for designers that can work with deadlines. :)

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 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.

Year in Review - Blog Hop

2011-12-29T10:21:00.000-05:00

Karin, one of our sweet Bacon Bits, is hosting a "Year in Review" blog hop, which starts today. To participate, you simply link to your favorite projects of the year -- and there's some blog candy for lucky participants. The details for the hop can be found HERE ... and then you can go to Karin's home page to add your link. What a fun way to get some great inspiration!

In with the Newt!

2011-12-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted -- which is always a sign that life's been busy. I bet you've all had one or two things to do lately as well. :)

I hope you all enjoyed a very happy Christmas, including the whole holiday season leading up to it! If you're a dancer in our Hoedown, then you know that we took a week off last week so that everyone could spend more time with their families and friends. But, we're up and running again today with a new challenge using our "Reptile" image:

We had to give him the multi-purpose name of "Reptile" because our sentiments can help him become either a chameleon or a newt. Perhaps you can think of sentiments of your own that help him transform into something else? You can try that if you'd like, but you'll be happy to know that that's NOT the challenge this week. No, instead the challenge is something VERY easy -- use something NEW on your Hoedown project. The Reptile image doesn't count though -- you need to use some other craft supply that you've recently acquired. And if you haven't gotten any new craft items... then you have a perfectly good excuse to go shopping!! Woohoo!! (Here's a great new place to shop, with a special sale going on thru Jan. 3. Just sayin'...)

The current Hoedown challenge will run for 2 weeks (projects due Jan. 9), so you have extra time to play along. This will get us past the New Year holiday, and on into January, where we'll get back to the normal weekly challenge at that point. And we have some special stuff coming up early in the year that you'll want to stick around for. I won't give specifics yet, but upcoming will be a card drive, a Super Bowl (hint, hint), a birthday celebration AND an anniversary ... all in the first few months of 2012. What an exciting start to the year!

Also important to note: Our stamp prices will be going up at the first of the year. The price of rubber has gone up steadily over the last couple of years, but our stamp prices have remained the same. However, we can't continue to absorb the extra costs. I'm currently working on the 2012 Hambo catalog, so this is a good time to adjust the prices as needed. If there's anything you've had your eye on ordering, now might be a good time -- especially in light of the upcoming postage increase as well.

Thank you all for your support throughout 2011. We look forward to another year of crafting and fun with you!

Be Our Guest - Sarah Moerman!!

2011-11-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

Today our special Hambo guest designer is Sarah Moerman!! She's created such a darling card, so perfect for Christmas -- and here's a little peek:

As you can see from this peek, sometimes you can really highlight an image without even having to color it, and Sarah demonstrates this perfectly with her charming, rustic card. I do hope you'll click on over to her Just Visiting blog and be inspired by her technique. Be sure to scroll through her other creations while you're there -- she does amazing work!

Thanks so much for guesting for us today Sarah!! :)

Be Our Guest - Lucy Abrams!!

2011-11-21T09:00:00.031-05:00

Our very special guest designer today is Lucy Abrams! I don't think I've ever seen a card that Lucy has made that I didn't absolutely LOVE, and today's Hambo card that she made is certainly no exception. Here's a little peek:

Now I assure you, this little picture doesn't do justice to the adorable card that Lucy has made, so I do hope you'll click on over to her blog, Lucy's Cards, and see this CAS Love Bug card with its sweet sentiment. If you're not already following her blog, please take a few minutes to scroll through her work and I promise you'll be inspired!

Thanks so much for guesting for us today Lucy!!

Blog Hop Winner!

2011-11-18T10:07:00.000-05:00

Y'all are either as forgetful as I am, or a very patient crowd in waiting for the winner of Timbo's Birthday Bash blog hop to be announced. However, I didn't totally forget about it ... it just took me a while to remember it. :)

The blog hop winner, chosen from among those who left a comment on each blog in the hop, is IDA!! As winner, Ida was gifted with the whole collection of digi images featured throughout the hop! Congratulations to her, and a special thanks to each of you who participated in the hop, for helping to make Tim's birthday extra special!

We're closing up shop for the week while we enjoy Thanksgiving with our friends and family, but while the rubber stamp side of the store will be closed, the digi store is automated so you can continue to shop there at will! :) In addition, the Hoedown challenge will continue as normal, so we hope you'll take some time away from the turkey gobblin' to play along with us.

Have a safe & happy holiday!

Vacation Closing

2011-11-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

Hambo Stamps will be closed all of Thanksgiving week -- from this Saturday, November 19, through Saturday, November 26. Any open orders will need to be paid before 2:00 PM on Friday the 18th, for shipment before we close. Otherwise, shipments will start up again when we re-open.

If you need any of the new winter designs for your Christmas/holiday cards, please get your orders in as soon as possible so that we can get the stamps out to you right away.

Our Hoedown Challenge will continue without interruption. And speaking of the Hoedown, you still have some hours left to enter this week's challenge. Next week's freebie image for participants will be a fun one for Thanksgiving, so hurry and join in the fun.

Have a great week!

Tim's Birthday Bash: Let Them Eat Cake!!

2011-11-08T08:00:00.118-05:00

Welcome to the last stop on Tim's birthday blog hop! If you've arrived here from Judy's blog, then you've made it to the party intact. But if you just happened by, then you've missed some details of how this party came to be, so go back to the beginning before you continue on here. There will be a birthday prize for one lucky party participant who leaves a comment at every blog on the hop. Comments should be made by hoppers by Friday, November 11, at 10 PM to be in the random drawing for the birthday prize:

Karin -- Let's get this party started!

Stephanie
Jessica
Michele
Libby
Melissa
Andrea
Judy
Talk to the Ham -- The party destination!

Now the story concludes:

All the barnyard guests arrived at Timbo's party, anxious to celebrate and share some delicious birthday cake. But when they arrived, they discovered the cake was GONE ... eaten entirely by the pigs who'd already arrived! The pigs were a bit ashamed of themselves for hogging it all, and started to apologize to the rest of the guests...

BUT WAIT! What was that behind the chicken's back? ANOTHER cake?

YES! This was not the first time the others had come to a party with the pigs -- and the other animals knew it wasn't in the pigs' nature to share anything but the crumbs -- and so they planned ahead: they brought another cake! This one is big enough for EVERYONE to share (the pigs might even get seconds!), so grab a slice (the cow has milk if you want some!) and join the rest of the barnyard in wishing Tim a very happy birthday celebration!!

Thanks for hopping with us today! :)

HOGtoberfest continues...

2011-10-27T08:00:00.011-04:00

... with a new rubber stamp release!!

Our newest release, available now, features designs and sayings geared towards winter & spring, but also some things that can be used all year round, including our new "Teacup" and "My Cup of Tea" saying:

I wanted my card to look like a little table all set for tea, so I used a paper doily to set the teacup on, and then made a little teabag to frame the sentiment. The DP is from Miss Elizabeth's "Pastel Doodles" pack.

I've missed playing along with the Clean & Simple blog's layout challenges, and last week's layout (#163) was just perfect for the Snowflake, along with the "I Flaked" sentiment:

It doesn't get much easier than an embossed CAS layout ... and just look at the shine on those flakes! Since I have the capability of flaking out on things -- like remembering birthdays! -- I think this card will come in handy!

**To help celebrate HOGtoberfest and this new rubber release, we have a little goodie for you: Include any of the new rubber designs or sayings on your Hambo order -- thru Oct. 31 -- and a free stamp will be included in your order. The free stamp will be one of our current designs - no retirees here! **

Today the Bacon Bits have some fun new projects to share that showcase more of the new images:

Judy (and did you see her sneak peek card yesterday?)

Andrea

Karin

Michele

Stephanie

Melissa

Libby

We promise a fun time will be had by all! :)

Be Our Guest - Emily Leiphart!!

2011-10-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

We have a terrific Guest Designer -- Emily Leiphart -- who helps us start off the week with two fabulous cards! Here is a peek at one of them:

Can you guess the image? Well, you don't have to guess -- you can go to Emily's blog "Art From the Heart" and see it for yourself! Emily was so sweet, she used her Hambos to play along with one of the "Hope You Can Cling To" challenges, part of the event which Hambo is helping to sponsor. Have you tried any of the challenges yet? Last week I mentioned that Judy was hosting one, but I failed to tell you that Libby -- our Guest DT Coordinator -- has also hosted one. And the great thing is you can play along at any time, all the way thru Nov. 7 -- so there's still time to join in the fun, and possibly win a prize, all while helping a great cause.

Thanks so much Emily for guesting for us today, and for supporting the HYCCT cause! You're the best!!

Before you run off to Emily's blog to leave her some love, remember that the HOGtoberfest celebration continues -- 30% off ALL regular-priced, in-stock items in the Hambo store. Click HERE for all the sale details. The sale runs through Wed., 26th, and then come back here on Thursday to find out what the rest of the celebration holds!

Have a great week!

Celebrate "HOGtoberfest" with a great sale!!

2011-10-20T06:00:00.034-04:00

Celebrate "HOGtoberfest" with Hambo Stamps!

Enjoy 30% off ALL regular-priced items site-wide for one week - Thursday, October 20 through Wednesday, October 26.

"HOGtoberfest" Sale Rules

The discount applies only to orders placed between 12:01am (EST) on Thursday, October 20, to midnight Wednesday, October 26.
The discount applies only to in-stock items, with no back-orders available. Items marked "Temporarily Unavailable" means they are out of stock. As the sale begins, EVERYTHING is in stock!
Orders will be filled in the same order in which they were received.
Please include all necessary information with your order: name, mailing address, product name AND item number if applicable, and mounting preference -- wood-mounted (M), cling-mounted (UMC) or bare rubber (B). If we have to email you back to ask for missing information, you might lose your order priority.
The 30% discount will be applied only to regular-priced items. Stamp designs on the "Seconds" page or "Retiring" pages have already been reduced by at least 50%, so no further discount will be applied to those, nor will it be applied to our May Arts ribbon that is already discounted by 60%.
There is a limit of one of each stamp design per customer, with the exception of stamps on the "Seconds" or "Retiring" pages.
There is a limit of 10 discounted sheets of cling cushion per customer.
Digital stamps are also eligible for the discount with code "HOGTOBERFEST" which you'll need to enter into the appropriate field during checkout. When the code is entered, the prices should reflect the discount. Please note we can NOT go back and apply the discount if you fail to use the code during checkout.
The free shipping offer does NOT apply during this sale event, but all orders will be figured at actual postage rates.
Payments for orders not received within 10 days will negate the discount.

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!

Zombies & Festivities!

2011-10-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

The new Hoedown challenge is underway, and this one involves a sketch, and some hare-raising fun:

You've got to be careful when you make rabbit stew, because the rabbit might come back for you! (Or at least for some treats!) Come join the Hoedown fun this week, and receive a nifty new digi image for free for participating.

Tomorrow kicks off our HOGtoberfest celebration, with store-wide savings of at least 30% off regular-priced items. However, YOU can start shopping our digi store early: use code "HOGTOBERFEST" today thru Wed., Oct. 26 to receive 30% off your digi purchases. (Tell your friends!) Then check out our Sale page tomorrow for all the sale rules and details. (You can start making your wish-lists in the meantime!) And if you're on our newsletter list, check your inbox later today. :)

Happy Haunting!

Hope You Can Cling To!

2011-10-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Hambo Stamps is honored to be a sponsor for Splitcoaststampers' 2nd annual "Hope You Can Cling To" campaign, running the whole month of October. Have you heard of it? Here is a little introduction to the event, from Splitcoast:

Splitcoaststampers is proud to partner with the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center for our second annual month long card drive to benefit those affected by breast cancer.

Whether your stamps cling to acrylic, wood, or to your hard drive, they hold the power to convey hope and lift the spirits of anyone who sees what you create with them. That is the inspiration for our “Hope You Can Cling To” stamping campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We are kicking this campaign off on World Card Making Day - a day of celebration of the power of a handmade card. We encourage papercrafters across the globe to put their talents to work creating beautiful handmade cards to send to patients and their families at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and, in the process, turn our gallery pink!

Hope is powerful medicine. Here is part of a letter from MD Anderson after last year's event:

“On behalf of the breast cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas I’d like to say thank you for the beautiful handmade cards that you sent to us! The “Hope You Can Cling To” month long campaign was very much appreciated. The volunteers in our Breast Center enjoyed filling baskets with these special cards. As they made their visits each day and introduced themselves to patients, they encouraged each to select one of your handmade cards. These special cards truly offered hope and lifted the spirits of everyone during Breast Cancer Awareness month! I personally have had the pleasure of opening each envelope. What beautiful work you all have done for our patients.” - Maggi Suttles, Assistant Director, Volunteer Services, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

Many in our community have been affected by breast cancer, directly or indirectly. We would love for each of the patients at the UT MD Anderson cancer center and their families to feel this same encouragement and inspiration and we know this community always rises to a challenge.

There will be special challenges in our Splitcoaststampers Hope You Can Cling To Challenge Forum to inspire you throughout the month, and we will have some fun giveaways, including of course, some pink!

As a sponsor, Hambo has offered up three terrific prizes, which will be awarded thru SCS for challenge participants: One $50 site-wide shopping spree; one $25 site-wide shopping spree; one $25 digi store shopping spree.

The challenges are varied and hosted by some well-known designers in the industry, including our own Judy Rozema, who runs our Hoedown challenge each week. Judy's challenge will be posted soon in the HYCCT challenge forum, so we hope you'll play along with hers, as well as all of the other great challenges that have already begun, as well as all of those still to come this month. So much inspiration, so many prizes, so much fun! Be a part of this great benefit! :)

Forts Happen.

2011-10-12T11:28:00.000-04:00

The new Hambo Hoedown kicked off today, so you've got plenty of time to play along with us! This week's featured image is Mummy:

As always, you don't HAVE to use the featured image to participate -- any ol' Hambo will do. The challenge this week is to use the colors Orange, Black, Purple & Green, so this is a great time to use up some of your Halloween paper stash. (It's okay -- this gives you an excuse to buy more! Of course, the same theory applies to Halloween candy.)

So... speaking of orange, black, purple, green, and every other color you can think of -- the kids are out of school for a teacher's conference, and this is what I get:

It's a fort. Anyone want to come play with me?

Have a great day!

Introducing .... New Bacon Bit #6

2011-10-04T07:00:00.029-04:00

And now for the final Bacon Bit to round out our team ... Andrea Vernagus!

All about Andrea, in her words:

My name is Andrea Vernagus and I am wife to my wonderful husband, Kevin, of almost 13 years (but we have been together for over 19 years...almost half of my life!) and mother to two pretty cute (if I do say so myself) kids, Elijah (currently a 1st Grader) and Adilane (3 years old). I am a stamper, scrapbooker (well I am suppose to be, but I haven't actually done anything since January), crafter in general, housekeeper, chef of the house (which isn't saying much!), chauffeur for my children, Praise Band singer for my church, photographer of my family (hence I am rarely in the pictures), cake decorator extraordinaire, and landscaper (whom should probably be fired based on the number of weeds in my yard!). I have been stamping since around 1997 when I took a class at a local craft store with a friend and started making my own Christmas cards, but I didn't get fully addicted until I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in 2002. Since then, I have enjoyed making mostly cards, but also some scrapbook pages and various other projects and teaching classes. I decided to leave Stampin' Up! in 2010 (couldn't keep up anymore) and have enjoyed the freedom to explore different product lines and awesome stamp companies. I am technically a Mechanical Engineer by trade (graduated from University of Michigan), although I traded in my HP calculator for diapers when my daughter was born, but it is hard to shake some of those engineering tendencies! Come and check out my kind of engineering on my blog Crafty Engineering.

Please click over to Andrea's blog and help us welcome her today!

Tomorrow the Bacon Bits will debut their first official DT projects on the Hoedown blog. Join us for another great digi image, and lots of fun - guaranteed! :)

Introducing .... New Bacon Bit #5

2011-10-03T07:00:00.020-04:00

We're all the way up to our 5th new Bacon Bit, and the second one who will serve on our "rubber" design team. We are excited to introduce and welcome Stephanie Herbert!

Here's a short bio of Stephanie, in her words:

Steph Herbert here from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I'm so excited to be joining the Hambo design team! I am a busy mom to 4 fun and fabulous little ones ranging in age from 6 years to 4 months. It's never boring around here! Crafting is my playground and I try to play everyday! I love card making but, also enjoy scrapbooking, altering, mixed media collage art, knitting, and baking. Honestly I haven't met a craft I didn't love, and I have the stash to prove it! ;) I also love reading, gardening, and an occasional road trip. When I was younger I collected pigs so joining Hambo Stamps seems like kismet! I'm thrilled to be part of such a talented design team! I can't wait to create some amazing projects to share with you!

Stephanie’s blog is Sherbert Ink and she just celebrated her third blogaversary! Hop over and say hello and welcome her to the Bacon Bits!

And please join us tomorrow for the final introduction before the new members show off their first Hambo projects at the new Hoedown challenge on Wednesday. Have a great week! :)

Introducing.... New Bacon Bit #4

2011-10-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

You've met the ladies who will make up our "digi" team. Now it's time to meet the ladies who will work primarily with our rubber line.

First up is Michele Greenwood of Whimsical Creations:

Here's how Michele describes herself:

I have been married for 19 years to Jim; we have 3 children, two girls and one boy. We live in a very small community – 700 people; count our dogs and we’re up to 704! We stay very busy with sports – baseball, basketball, football, volleyball – you name it, our kids are in it. I had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom for 2 years and my neighbor introduced me to scrapbooking. It was fun, but when I discovered the immediate gratification of stamping a card -- well, I was hooked; haven’t looked back since…um, haven’t touched those scrapbooks either!

When I get the chance I like to read, listen to music, watch the kids in whatever they are doing, spend time alone with hubby or have a girl’s night out (the last 2 rarely happen, but I sure enjoy them when they do). And something that might surprise you about me: I’m less than 5’ tall!

She looks like such a natural with that pig, I'm sure she's going to fit in with the Hambo gang just perfectly! :) Hop on over to Michele’s blog, and give her a warm Hambo welcome!

Introducing .... New Bacon Bit #3

2011-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

We're up to day #3 of the Hambo Stamps new Design Team "reveal", which brings us the final member of our DIGI team.

Please help me welcome Jessica Davis of The Paper Parade!

This is how Jessica introduces herself:

I'm Jessica, married to my high school sweetheart with 3 adopted
furbabies (2 dogs and a cat). I'm a full time activity director for seniors at
an assisted living community. I LOVE stamping and making cards. I also like to
knit, read on my Kindle, play board games, watch Netflix, go camping in our new
camper, and my newest hobby, canning. I grew up in FL, but I now live in MA and
love it. I live in a house in the historic district in town (it was built in
1885) and we've had a lot of fun redoing the inside since we moved in almost 3
years ago (it was redone in the 70s...plaid wallpaper, green shag carpet...not
exactly my style ;) I had my first nephew born this year and a niece to be born
in 12 days :) I'm really excited to be a Bacon Bit!

We are so excited to see Jessica's upcoming projects (she'll debut her first Hoedown project on Wed.!), and hope you'll click on over to her blog and help her feel welcomed.

Come back tomorrow to see the first new member of our Rubber team!

Introducing.... New Bacon Bit #2

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

It’s Day 2 of “reveal” week, and we have a wonderful new designer to announce today for our Bacon Bits Design Team!

Please help me welcome MELISSA OETERS of Needful Things!

We are thrilled Melissa is joining us on the digital team for the next four months, and hope you will hop on over to her blog and welcome her!

Here's a little about her, in her words:

Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm from a very small town located in the cornfields of Illinois. I've been married for 24 years and we have 4 beautiful kids, plus 6 dogs and 1 fatty cat. My love for arty things started when I was a little girl and continued, eventually moving into paper arts about 17 years ago. My interest has become an addiction and I spend as much time as possible every day doing something arty. The rest of my day is spent with my kids, goofing around with the dogs, volunteering / fostering for an animal rescue, and doing mounds of laundry. I'm am over the moon excited to be on Hambo Stamps design team and I hope to inspire you with some of my Hambo creations. Oink!!

Tomorrow is Day 3 of the reveal, and you won’t want to miss it! See you then!

Introducing.... New Bacon Bit #1

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the day when we celebrate a week-long announcement of the new Bacon Bits! The new design team is eager to begin and share their amazing artwork with you and we are tickled pink to have six brand new designers for the next four months!

Day 1 brings us KARIN MARTIN from With An “I” For Paper!

In her own words, Karin says:

My name is Karin Martin and I live in a suburb of Cleveland Ohio with my sweet husband of 21 years. While I have enjoyed making crafts my entire life, I feel like I really found my niche in the crafty world when I discovered stamping and making cards. I have very little patience, so being able to sit down and complete something in a short period of time, brings me great satisfaction and joy. (No afghans or quilt making in my future! I don't know much, but this I know for sure.) Also, I love that they leave my home and bring happiness to whoever receives them. When I'm not stamping, I love to cook, entertain, read and travel. I'm thrilled to be working with the cute and funny digis from Hambo Stamps. Oh, and Go Browns!

Now I'm going to send you over to visit Karin and leave her some love! Please let her know how excited you are that she'll be here to inspire you with our digital images!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope to see you tomorrow when we introduce you to another new member of the Bacon Bits!

Support our Troops!

2011-09-21T12:41:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's "Sing Your Art Out" blog hop -- whether as a card-maker or a hopper! I had so much fun, and I hope you did too! As promised, we've got some prizes to hand out. First up is the prize to the random hopper who commented on each of the blogs along the way ... and that prize goes to Yolanda! She wins a gift certificate to our digi shop for her efforts. Email me, Yolanda, to claim your prize. :)

The second prize goes to one of our stampers who showcased a song-inspired card or project ... and while ALL of the entries were great (and so funny!), Dawn is our winner, with her over-achieving "Monster Mash" Halloween wall-hanger! Congratulations to Dawn, who wins a Hambo store-wide gift certificate.

There's a new Hambo Hoedown challenge posted, and today's challenge is extra-special because we're partnering with Operation Write Home. They are celebrating a birthday with tons of great challenges and prizes. Of course, their overall goal is to collect cards to send to our troops, so that the troops have access to cards to send home to families and friends. You know, when you think about the times you would send someone a card, especially for birthdays, or to let them know you love/miss them ... well, the soldiers have all the same sentiments to express too, but it's harder for them to get to a card store. So that's what OWH's mission is all about.

For this week's Hoedown, you're to use this cute new "Pig Sub" digi (or ANY other Hambo design)...

.... and following OWH's card guidelines, create a card that would be appropriate for a soldier to send. It's very important that you DO follow their guidelines (A2 sized card, no glitter, no handwritten messages, etc.) because there is a very specific reason behind each of their requirements. Once you make a card following these guidelines, link it to our Hoedown blog and email us your photo so you can receive next week's digi image free. BUT WAIT! There's more! This is optional, but because we want to help OWH out and collect cards for the troops, if you'll MAIL your card(s) to us, with your name & email address inside the envelope, we'll reward you with an extra free digi image for your efforts. The cards sent to us (Hambo Stamps) should be postmarked by Sept. 28. The address is:

Hambo Stamps

OWH Challenge

4907 W. Grace Street

Richmond, VA 23230-3609

Once all the cards are received, I'll forward them to OWH myself ... and I'd love it if I'm able to send them a BUNCH!

We hope you'll play along with us this week, and not only have fun with the challenge, but also help out a great cause in the process. It's win/win!

And a special thank you to all of the people who operate OWH, from the shippers to the bloggers to the card-makers! We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to our troops! From the depths of our hearts... THANK YOU!!

Sing Your Art Out! - Hambo Customer Blog Hop

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I hope you're ready to rock & roll, twist & twirl, and shake & gyrate, because you're about to embark on the "Sing Your Art Out" Hambo Customer Blog Hop! Our hop will be featuring cards inspired by song titles, and we've got some great songs to share with you! Consider the hop like your own little jukebox and see how many of these songs you can sing by heart. And you don't even have to win a dance-off to get a prize! One lucky hopper who leaves a comment at every blog in this hop will win a Hambo shopping spree, so make sure you let us know that you danced on by! We'll also be awarding one of the card-creators who played along, so if there is one stop that especially gets you up off your chair, let us know they have your vote! Winners will be announced here, as well as on our Hoedown blog on Wed., Sept. 21.

I'll start the hop off with a card that does double duty, because it represents two songs that I know got a lot of airplay in the 80s:

"Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel .... and "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. Yep, both of these songs were hits when I was in high school, and I know I've belted 'em out in the shower more than once! My card features the "Dress Up" kids, as well as a portion of the "Sty-lish" pig sentiment. These kids aren't pigs at all (nor is that silk purse!) so I masked off the lower portion of the sentiment and hand-wrote "Stylish". I was hoping that tag looked a little like a price tag, because these designer, paper-pieced duds don't come cheap!

I couldn't stop at just one -- especially when I thought of a card that would tie in with this week's Hoedown challenge:

Can you guess this one? It's "Burning Down the House" by the Talking Heads! The Hoedown challenge this week was to use this House 2 digi image (or any other Hambo image) plus a household item. I chose a candle. I also used a real match to burn the edges of the computer-generated sentiment, so there's a chance I really WILL burn down my house if it wasn't snuffed well enough before I tossed it in the trash.

The complete "playlist" is below, so if you lose step at any point, you can come back here to catch the beat again:

Talk to the Ham - (You're here!)
Gloria
Karin
Debbie
Dawn A.
Bonnie
Jen
Lynn
NoraAnne
Lindsay
Karen
Libby
Carla
Dawn M.
Paula
Mary
Jenn
Paige
Marcie
Leslie
Pat
Beverly
Yolanda
Judy

And before you head off, remember that Hambo has a design team call open now. Details can be found HERE.
Now I think the next record is dropping, so hop on over to Gloria's blog to "hear" the next song!

Be Our Guest -- Jen Del Muro!!

2011-09-15T09:41:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to introduce today's very special Guest Designer - Jen Del Muro!! I'm sure you're all familiar with Jen; she's a Splitcoast "Dirty Dozen" alum, which speaks volumes for her talent, as does all of her design team work.

Today, Jen is showcasing autumn, with an awesome seasonal creation. Here's just a peek:

I hope you'll click on over to her "i-{heart}-2stamp" blog and see the rest of the wonderful card she made!

Thanks so much for guesting for us today Jen!

And don't forget to come back tomorrow for our "Sing Your Art Out" customer blog hop! The hop will be like a sort of jukebox, playing a fun medley of songs, so we hope you'll join us so we don't have to dance alone. :)

Big Happenings!

2011-09-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

There are some big things going on in Hamboland that I want to share with you, but first, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Jacki Jones!! Actually, Jacki's birthday celebration can be included in the Hamboland fun, because she has been one of our most loyal friends/customer/supporters through the years that we've been in business.

If you know anything about Jacki, you know she loves the color purple, so a card in her honor MUST include it! This particular card also features the Party Chicks -- one of my all-time favorite images -- along with the new "Good Party" Fractured Funny that ends like this:

I'm hoping this card made it to her in time, so that this blog post doesn't spoil the surprise. But then again, maybe the card has money inside, in which case it will be a big surprise to BOTH of us!! LOL Happy Birthday Jacki!!

While we're waiting for her to share the cake (we might be waiting a while...), let's continue. The new Hoedown challenge has been posted, with this week's featured image ... House 2:

In keeping with a "house" theme, the challenge this week is to use a household item somewhere on your card. As for me, I'm trying to figure out how to attach the dust bunnies, so once I've got 'em nailed down, I'll share. In the meantime, hop on over to the Hoedown blog and see what our clever designers have come up with, including challenge guest designer Dawn Majerus' paper clip fence! SO clever!

Tomorrow we have another special guest designer working with our rubber stamps, so we hope you'll stop by to see who she is, and what's she's made. I've seen it, and trust me -- it's awesome! :)

Friday is our "Sing Your Art Out" Customer Blog Hop, starting right here on the Talk to the Ham blog. All of the cards in the hop will be inspired by a song title, and I'm expecting songs from lots of genres, so there should be something for everyone. AND there will be prizes handed out for some lucky hoppers, so that's just icing on the cake!

Speaking of cake, ~~how's~~ when's it coming Jacki?

Finally, I want to remind you that we have a Design Team Call going on NOW! All the details are on the previous blog post, as well as HERE. We'd love to add you to the "Bacon Bit" team -- even if you're a vegetarian! :)

Have a great day everyone!

Hambo Stamps - Design Team Call!

2011-09-08T11:46:00.000-04:00

Hambo Stamps is accepting applications from now until September 23, 2011 for new Design Team Members.

We are looking for designers for the next four-month term: October 1, 2011 - January 31, 2012. The new Hambo Team will be chosen and announced on or about September 28.

All designers must be comfortable working with rubber and digital images. Three designers will be chosen to work with the rubber line and three with digital images, although all designers may be asked to work with both at some point.

Please e-mail your application to:
hambodesignteam@gmail.com by September 23, 2011.
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)

Once we receive your application, you will be emailed two Hambo digital images with which to make your two required projects for the application. Projects are due by September 23, 2011, 10:00 PM CST. We are looking for designers that can work with deadlines. :)

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.

* 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 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.

* Consideration for extended contracts as they become available.

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

Be Our Guest - Savannah O'Gwynne!!

2011-08-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Our power is still out on our side of the street, but the neighbors across the street have power. It would be easy to be jealous, except that they're all nice people -- especially the one who allowed us to run an extension cord to his house and "borrow" some power. Of course, we're limited on what we can plug in, so I opted for the computer & the refrigerator. I can live without lights, but I NEED my internet access!!

And the timing of getting back online was perfect because today we feature another Hambo "Guest" Designer .... Savannah O'Gwynne! Here is just a peek at one of her two projects:

Please click on over to her Savannahland 2 blog to see these projects in full, because they're both adorable! And while you're there, scroll through some of her other CUTE blog projects; Savannah is NOT afraid of color, and her cards seem to emit their own energy! If only there was a way to hook up to her cards, we might be able to power up the rest of the house!

Thanks so much for guesting for us today Savannah!! :)

Hurricanes Blow.

2011-08-26T10:03:00.000-04:00

I lived in FL for 30+ years and was never really even inconvenienced by a hurricane. Now, living in VA, we face our second one. The first was a doozie, and taught us that you HAVE to take these things seriously, even if you're not sure if it will come straight for you or not. When we experienced Hurricane Isabel in 2003, our power was out for an entire week, but at least we were one of the lucky ones who didn't have a tree fall on our house!

Hurricane Irene is heading up the coast, and we may or may not have damage from it, but we're going to be prepared this time. I've got the lanterns, weather radio, batteries, non-electric phone, candles, etc. set out. The bathtub will be filled with water. I've got the water-purifier running so I can fill every bottle we have. I know that if I'm thoroughly prepared, then the storm will completely avoid us, with nary a drop of rain or flutter of the electricity! :)

However, in the event that we DO suffer storm damage, then of course the stamp business is not our highest priority. If you submit an order, or email us and don't hear back, please be assured that we'll be in touch with you as soon as we can. If you're having a stamping emergency and can't wait, then please consider our digi images, which can be downloaded automatically.

If you're in that path of the storm, I do hope you're taking steps to prepare as well! Everyone stay safe out there!

If it's not one thing...

2011-08-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick CAS card I made that uses two of the just-released stamps, the Otter and "It's An Otter" sentiment. I scored a few lines on the card, to make it eligible for this week's Hoedown challenge.

Have YOU entered a card in the challenge this week? There's still a little more time to play, and then tomorrow will kick off a new challenge, with different requirements. Come join the fun! (Right after you go take a look at the new stamp release!)

Oh, one more thing: Hambo Stamps is now on Twitter! (@HamboStamps) There's a button over on the right that you can click to easily follow us. ---> There's a good chance some coupon codes could be tweeted from time to time, as well as other fun stuff, so come be one of my "tweeps"!

Have a great day! :)

Know When to Fold 'Em...

2011-08-22T06:00:00.050-04:00

Guess what UPS delivered on Friday: that's right - new Hambo stamps!! I know I'm not the only one who LOVES getting new rubber in the mail, but as a stamp manufacturer, it's extra exciting, because there are so many great, never-before-imagined uses for the stamps, waiting to be discovered by customers and a creative design team!

The new release offers 5 new sets of Fractured Funnies, including this one:

and the inside....

My own origami skills leave much to be desired. I can make a boat, a balloon ... and that's about it. But origami is defined as the art of folded paper, and since no one said anything about how many folds are required, I think folding a stamped card in half ought to qualify!

We've also added a couple more fun signature stamps to our arsenal, as well as some cute animals, a Davy Crockett-type guy and of course more puns and sayings to pair 'em all with. Do you see a new favorite? Let us know which ones you like best! I have an idea of which one everyone will like best; I wonder if I'm right?

We also restocked our other designs, so if you've been waiting for the Party Sheep, or some of the other Fractured Funnies to be available again, now they are.

Isn't that a fun way to start the week?

Another fun way is to have a terrific birthday celebration, and that's exactly what I wish for Mrs. Hickson! Happy Birthday Libby!!!

What's the Score?

2011-08-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

First, I want to thank all of you for the sweet birthday wishes! I hope you had a chance to hop through all the birthday cards the Bacon Bits and friends surprised me with. If not, go see 'em now -- they're awesome!

There's a new Hoedown challenge posted, and this week you have to use scoring somewhere on your card, along with a Hambo image. Here is the Geranium digi image that last week's participants received free:

If you didn't receive it free, you can still purchase it HERE. I think the Bacon Bits made some stunning cards for examples, and the entries that have already been posted are knock-outs as well.

Don't forget that we still have May Arts ribbons marked down 60%, while supplies last. This is an inventory close-out, so if you see something you want, you'd better order it quick, because we won't be restocking it.

Another thing we won't be restocking are our Retiring stamp designs. Several designs are down to the last one or two before they're officially retired, and all are marked down at least 50%. However, if you use code "August10" to order any of the retiring stamps through the weekend, you'll save an additional 10%. That means some of our stamps will be less than 25¢!

I've got some exciting news coming, so I hope you'll stay tuned.

Have a great day! :)

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

2011-08-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

(Said in my best Gomer Pyle voice)

The first thing I do when I turn on the computer in the morning is to check my email. This morning, after first deleting all the spam messages, a subject line in all caps caught my eye "IMPORTANT READ ASAP". It was from Judy, our fearless DT coordinator. I clicked on the message which read:

"WOW - you better go check this out:
http://www.jaxbeanstalks.blogspot.com"

I recognized that the link was for Jenn Cochran's blog, and my heart began racing. If she'd just made a really cool project, Judy would have said something like "Did you see Jenn's card? (link to blog) Isn't it awesome?" -- and since she didn't say that, I figured it MUST be something bad. Was Jenn sick? injured? leaving stamping?

I clicked over to her blog to see .... "Happy Birthday" sung in Pig Latin, and the revelation that this was a surprise birthday blog hop ... for ME! Tomorrow is my birthday, and the ladies of the design team, in addition to other wonderful stamping friends, put together this blog hop of fun, witty, hilarious Hambo cards in honor of my special day. In addition, they're handing out a special birthday present to one of the happy hoppers, so I hope you'll join the celebration and come hop along with us!

Thanks SO MUCH to all of you awesome ladies who wowed and humbled me with this wonderful surprise!!!

Details are Sketchy...

2011-08-10T08:52:00.000-04:00

Today's new Hoedown challenge features a sketch:

Challenge participants are to use this sketch - either as is, or turned or flipped - plus at least one Hambo stamp on their entries. Those who participated in last week's challenge have the new Hedgehog digi image to use if they wish:

I, however, daring to be different, went with some older rubber designs on my card:

I was very loyal to the sketch, mostly because I don't have the imagination to turn it. (Had I invented the wheel, I would have found it to be a major disappointment as it lay flat on the ground doing nothing.) I think my Garden Snail and "Happy Trails" sentiment fit well with this sketch, and I had fun mixing & matching my BasicGrey "Cupcake Collection" papers.

So I've shown you mine .... let's see YOURS! Just link up your entry (and remember to email your picture to Judy!) on the Hoedown blog by next Tues. night. OH -- and there's a new feature on the challenge. Besides the random winner that is chosen from the entries each week, Judy & I will also be selecting a "Best in Show" winner, starting this week. If your project is chosen, you'll receive a nifty badge to display on your blog so everyone will know just what a winner you are!

Have a great day!

Be Our Guest - Amy Sheffer!!

2011-08-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to announce today's Hambo "Guest" Designer - the uber-talented (and over-achieving!) Amy Sheffer!! I can't say enough nice things about Amy or her work -- this girl just ROCKS it, consistently. And today, she has created a card that might as well be TWO awesome cards, because the inside of the card is just as detailed and amazing as the outside. Here is just a peek, but you'll have to click over to her "Pickled Paper Designs" blog to see the complete card -- and trust me, you won't want to miss it!

You know, I always think our guest designers are "amazing" (that's why we invite them, duh!) - but I can't help but feel like "The Bachelorette" when I describe them this way! LOL So now come along with me, if you will, on this "journey," as we take a magical (and of course "per-feckt") stamping date with Amy, to see if there's a real "connection" between us. Gosh, I just hope she's in it for all the "right reasons"! It promises to be the "most dramatic [card] ceremony EVER!" (Yeah, I crack myself up!)

Thanks so much for guesting for us Amy! I hope you'll accept this ~~rose~~ stamp... :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Be Our Guest - Debbie Olson!!

2011-07-29T10:40:00.001-04:00

I'm thrilled to introduce today's Guest Designer -- Debbie Olson! I think though, if I'd have just said Debbie, you would have known who I was talking about. :) I'm a huge fan of hers, as I think most stampers are!

Debbie was so sweet to not only feature the Hambo stamps in her project (Sand Castle Boy & Hugs Sand Kisses), but she also shares a coloring tutorial with tips on doing shadows. I wonder if you'll be as surprised as I was to learn this technique? One way to find out -- click over to her Thinking Inking blog and see for yourself. Please leave her some love while you're there!

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend! :)

Girl's Night Out

2011-07-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I was thrilled to be included in Beverly's "Girl's Night Out" this past Sat. night. Beverly, who is one of our Bacon Bits, is a fellow Virginian, though I'd never met her before this weekend. When she said she had a bunch of crazy friends, and asked if I'd like to come stamp with them, of course my answer was "YES, please!!"

Beverly has already posted a bunch of pictures of our night, including a picture of the two of us together. I'm kicking myself because I didn't get anyone to take one on MY camera. In any event, here are a few pictures that I DID take:

Beverly designed all of the cards herself, featuring only Hambo stamps. She put together card kits, like the one pictured above, so that just about everything we needed was in the box of supplies.

She'd pre-cut the papers (and in some cases pre-embossed them as well), so we mostly just had to stamp, color and assemble. There was a separate station for wet embossing too.

This card featuring the "Sand Castle Boy" was colored with an aqua-painter, so this was the one we wet-embossed first before coloring in.

There were 13 ladies stamping, including myself (the really nice clean placemat shown above was my area, before I got to work. I should have taken an "after" picture, because it wasn't nearly as pretty and white when I was finished! LOL), so Beverly had two tables set up to accommodate us. Each table had kits for two cards, so since all the card ingredients were boxed up, when we'd completed our first two cards, then we merely traded the boxes with the other table. It was a really efficient system!

Here are the four cards I made that night:

Sand Castle Boy & Piled High sentiment

Jelly Fish & Jelly Good Fellow

Beach 'Brellas & Stay Cool sentiment

Flip-Flops

This last card was actually a lot jazzier the way Beverly made it, with little dots following the curves of the scallop. However, I forgot to do that before I mounted that panel on dimensionals, and once I did that, I was afraid of ruining the whole card if I went back and tried adding the dots. Also, this was my first time using Goo-Gone & colored pencils, so I didn't color mine as pretty as everyone else did. All that said, I still think it turned out really cute!

Thanks so much to Beverly and all her friends for including me in the fun! At the end of the night, my cheeks hurt SO bad from laughing and smiling so much! :)

Please come back tomorrow for a very special guest designer! I'm betting it's someone you ALL know!

A Jelly Sundae?

2011-07-27T16:20:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I had the wonderful privilege of being invited to Beverly Cole's house for a girl's night out. I've got stamping projects and pictures to share later in the week, but first, I wanted to show you a funny thing that came about from that night:

Does this look like a jellyfish to anyone? One of the ladies at the party picked up our "Sundae" stamp, which was mounted on cling, and upon seeing it upside-down, she said "Oh great, we have our own Jellyfish stamp!" She was quickly corrected, but when I looked at it myself, I could see the jellyfish -- or at least a Portuguese Man o' War -- especially if you mask off the cherry. So there you go ... another way our stamps can be used in a way perhaps not originally intended. :)

The new Hambo Hoedown challenge kicks off today! This week's challenge is to use the image below with faux stitching:

Hmm... I wonder if there is any "undiscovered" use for THIS image?? Let me know if you come up with something! :)

My Roots are Showing!

2011-07-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

I've got some stamping news below, but first I want to share something totally OT, because I'm so pleased with myself:

Tim & I have been composting for the past year or so. It's been great, because not only have we cut down on the trash we have to bag, but we now have really nice soil when we need it -- like when I planted my container garden this summer.

Around the same time I was planting the tomatoes & peppers & herbs, I discovered a "volunteer" growing in the compost pile -- a plant that had sprung up on its own. I wasn't sure what kind of plant it was, but I used the shovel and dug down deep so that I could save any roots that were attached, and then I dropped it in an extra pot.

Well, my tomatoes started producing, as did my various peppers and herbs and eggplants, but this plant did NOTHING. It just sat there in the pot, looking leafy. Finally, I told Tim he could pitch it when he was heading out to the pile. He pulled on the plant .... and out popped a potato! AHA - mystery solved! He quickly put the plant back down into the pot and rearranged the soil around the roots.

The other day when my parents were visiting, I went to show my dad my potato plant, and in re-enacting the scene of Tim pulling it out, I did the same, and there was another potato! I started laughing, and reached down again, and pulled out yet ANOTHER potato. The pot was only about 12-15" diameter, so I didn't think there could be more, but I was wrong. I ended up with 8 more potatoes, in addition to the two we'd dug out previously.

So that one old russet potato that I'd thrown out a while back because it had grown "eyes" has so far yielded 10 more potatoes. The plant is still growing, so maybe there will be more?

That night, I boiled the potatoes, added a little butter to them along with fresh cut parsley from the garden, and they were DEE-LICIOUS!

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

In other news, today starts a new Hambo Hoedown. This week's challenge is to make a gate-fold card, using the Steamroller digi, or any other Hambo image, rubber or digi.

The saying that goes along with the image is perfect when the card IS the gift ... or even if you want to include a gift card. I hope you'll click over to the Hoedown blog and see the awesome samples the Bacon Bits have made!

Normally I'd have the digi image already added to the store, so that anyone who didn't receive it free for participating in last week's challenge could purchase it. However, we're in the middle of having our website transferred to a larger, faster server. Although the change is mostly complete, I was instructed to wait 48 hrs. before making ANY changes to the site. The waiting period ends tomorrow morning, so the image will be available for purchase then, and you can find it HERE once it is. And thru this Sat., July 16, use the code JULY30 to save 30% on your digi purchase! You can use the code as many times as you'd like until it expires on Saturday. Just enter it into the appropriate field during checkout for the discount to be applied to your purchase.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! :)

Be Our Guest - Niki Estes!!

2011-07-08T13:42:00.001-04:00

Today, one of my favorite stampers is the Hambo "Guest" Designer .... Niki Estes! Niki can do it all, from layers and layers, to CAS; from awesome Copic coloring to sewing, and everything in between. If you've looked through a stamping magazine in the last few years, you've no doubt seen her work.

Here is just a little tease of the project she made for us today:

This tease doesn't do justice to her lovely card, so I hope you'll click over to her blog "My Paper Creations" and see it in full, and leave her some love while you're there.

Thanks so much for "guesting" for us today Niki! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Copic Coloring Guide

2011-07-07T09:59:00.000-04:00

I was so excited to receive my new "Copic Coloring Guide" in the mail last week!

Have you bought your copy yet? Wow, what great inspiration to whip out the Copic markers and try some of these fun techniques! Written by former Hambo Design Team member Colleen Schaan and Marianne Walker, the book features step-by-step tutorials and awesome photos demonstrating coloring and blending techniques by some of your favorite Copic instructors.

Imagine my delight in seeing this Hambo beauty featured in the book, colored by Colleen herself:

This example of on-paper blending, transfer blending, flicking & feathering uses Hambo's "Chief Hambooli" and "Me Love You" rubber stamps, as well as our "Jungle" digi background. There are also some Hambo sentiments paired perfectly with images from other companies too -- but you'll have to look through the book to find those. Kinda like a little scavenger hunt! :)

To celebrate the release of the book, there is a blog hop going on thru Sat. 9th, with stops at the blogs of each of the book's contributing designers, beginning with Jennie Black. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to be entered into a prize drawing. And if you don't WIN the book, you can purchase your own copy HERE.

Tomorrow we'll have another guest designer showing off HER Hambo work, so come on back! :)

Be Our Guest - Carole Burrage!!

2011-07-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Today is an exciting day in the Hambo world, because we have another stamping superstar guest designing for us today -- Carole Burrage!! Carole has such a wonderful sense of humor, she's the perfect person to showcase our stamps, and she does just that with a great creation today. Here's a little peek:

Hop on over to her Mother's Little Helper blog to see the card in its entirety, inside and out! It's a hoot!!
Thanks so much for guesting for us Carole - you ROCK!!

And don't forget we have a special deal going on with our digi stamps! The first 30 people to use the code "JUNE30" will save 30% off on any of the digis on our site.

Speaking of guests, we have some house-guests who arrived last night, so I'm back to the entertaining. I hope you all have a safe & happy holiday weekend! :)

Special Offer!!

2011-06-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

The first 30 people to use the code "JUNE30" in our digi shop will save 30% on their purchases! When you enter the code in the checkout box, the discount will be applied. This applies to ALL digi images in our store, including the new "Doghouse Blues" image that the Hoedowners are using this week:

Be sure you enter your "JUNE30" code in the appropriate box during checkout. If the prices don't reflect a discount after doing this, you're not one of the first 30 people. So shop fast!! :)

Also, remember that all of our May Arts ribbon has been discounted 50% while we close out our inventory. Plenty of colors/types still remain, but remaining quantity is limited. Once it's gone, it's gone -- we will not be re-ordering.

Have a great day shopping & saving! :)

Happy Summer!

2011-06-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I've posted here, due mostly to typical "School's Out!" fever. Even though I'm not the one who got out of school, I just feel like such a burden has been lifted off of me and I'm FREE! I've been just as excited as the kids, and every bit as anxious to do ANYTHING besides work!

But I wanted to pop in today in case you missed the latest Hoedown challenge unveiling. This week's image is the Pig Inmate:

Once again, the Bacon Bits have rocked the challenge of using fibers on their cards. Click on over to the Hoedown Challenge blog to see their fun(ny) creations!

Besides the "Pig Inmate" digi, I also just added another new image to the store, one that, along with the sentiment, makes me laugh:

You might have noticed that we've begun to add sentiments to go with the digi images -- in this case a perfectly ~~crass~~ good Fractured Funny. This adds even more versatility to the digis, because you can use them without a sentiment, with a sentiment provided, or something you come up with yourself.

And now for some reason, I just want to go sit and read! LOL Have a great day!

Be Our Guest - Jimmi Mayo!!

2011-06-06T11:44:00.000-04:00

"Guest" designing for us today is the uber-talented Jimmi Mayo!! Jimmi lives just a couple of hours from here, so we're practically neighbors... which I think means it would only be neighborly for her to share her stamping goodies with me, huh? Forget borrowing a cup o' sugar. How about a steaming hot cup of her stamping mojo??

Above is just a little taste of what Jimmi's made to share with you today, but pop on over to her "Stamping with Jimmi" blog to see the fun and unexpected sentiment she's paired with the Hambo Flamingo. Be sure to leave her some love in the comments while you're there!

Thanks so much Jimmi! Drop by any time! :)

What's Your Sign??

2011-06-02T12:43:00.000-04:00

If you saw all of the new "fruit kid" digis that the Bacon Bits featured on this week's Hoedown, then you know that Tim's been busy drawing. But he didn't stop there! With his latest efforts, we were able to add a couple more background digi images, a beaver, an Indian, and these sign posts -- all of which you can see on our "New Additions" page.

As you know, one of the fun things about digi images is that they can be re-sized. That means that pretty much ANY sentiment you have can be made to work with these signs. And though I don't gamble much, I'd be willing to bet that you can come up with some GREAT ways to use these! So what do you think -- are you up for the challenge??

Have a great day!

Announcing the NEW Bacon Bits!!

2011-06-01T08:00:00.087-04:00

Happy June everyone! This month kicks off in an exciting way for Hambo, because we have a brand new group of ladies on our Design Team making their debuts today. Of course we're sad to see the original "Bacon Bits" go; they were a great bunch, and could always be counted on for fabulous Hambo projects each week! Thanks again SO MUCH to Christy, Joy, Karin, Hannah, Melissa & Silke for all of the fun and inspiration you've shared with us!

However, while the original group moves on, I have no doubt that we'll be saying the same things about the following awesome ladies. Please help me welcome the newest 'Bits' to join us:

On the "rubber" stamp team we have:


Beverly Cole

Jenn Cochran

Nora Anne Robinson

And on our "digi" stamp team:

Bonnie Sharp

Marcie Sharp

Paula Riley

Rounding out team, Judy Rozema continues as our DT Coordinator, and Libby Hickson remains the coordinator of our "Guest" Designers.

You might notice that Bonnie & Marcie have the same last name; it wasn't until the new team had been picked that Judy & I realized that they are mother (Bonnie) and daughter (Marcie)! How fun is that??

Today is also the start of a brand new Hambo Hoedown, and each of these ladies has jumped right in with a cool project to share. Come on over to the Hoedown blog and see the surprise we've got for you this week! :)

Be Our Guest - Sankari Wegman!!

2011-05-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

Today we are very excited to have Sankari Wegman as our guest designer! Most of you probably know Sankari from all of her design team work for different companies (she's popular for a reason!), as well as the "Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge" (a weekly movie-as-inspiration challenge) which she co-hosts. The challenge is SO fun, and though it's currently on hiatus, when it starts up again, you MUST give it a try if you haven't before.

Sankari was in a party mood when she broke out her Hambo stamps! Here's a little 'sheep' peek at her project:

I hope you'll click over to her "Sunshine Corner" and see the full card -- it's AMAZING!! Please be sure to leave her some love in the comments too.

Thanks so much for guesting for us today Sankari! 'Ewe' are special!! :)

Blog Hop Winners!!

2011-05-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

As promised, we have winners from last week's "Hammin' it up at the Movies" blog hop to announce today. But first, our thanks to EVERYONE who participated for making it so much fun -- including those who created fabulous movie-themed projects to share with us, as well as everyone who hopped along and left such nice comments. It's fun creating, but somehow, it kicks it up a notch to receive feedback on the things you make, so I know we all appreciate the time you took to leave a little note.

We have two winners today ... well, actually you're ALL winners, blah blah blah... but the two winners who get prizes today are:

Heather for her awesome "Jim Carrey Movie Marathon" project which completely blew away most of us who were voting. For her efforts, Heather wins a $20 Hambo gift certificate, which she can use for anything in the Hambo store -- stamps (rubber or digital), cling cushion or May Arts ribbon. Congratulations Heather -- well-deserved!

The second prize awarded to a random hopper who left a comment on every blog along the hop goes to... Misty! Misty's prize is her choice of any 3 digital images from our digi shop. Congratulations Misty! Just email me with your digi picks. :)

And speaking of digis, today we have another awesome (IMHO) digi background that Tim has drawn, which is the digi featured in this week's Hambo Hoedown challenge:

I think this Moonscape digi really inspired the Bacon Bits, who made some "out-of-this-world" projects this week! While the background combines perfectly with our Space Boy digi set, you'd be surprised at what OTHER kinds of things can end up on the moon! If we were to look through YOUR telescope, what would we see? Play along with us this week and give us a peek!

Have a great day!

Hamming it up at the Movies!! - Hambo Customer Blog Hop

2011-05-20T08:00:00.107-04:00

Welcome to the "Hamming it up at the Movies" customer blog hop!! Since nearly everyone (I'm guessing) enjoys a good movie from time to time, we thought it would be fun to try to recreate some movie classics using our Hambo stamps. This time, the Bacon Bits have invited customers to join us as destinations on the hop, so we'd better get right to it so you don't fall asleep before the movies start! I don't think we have an intermission planned, so make sure you've got your snacks handy as we begin with our first feature:

This one should be pretty easy to figure out. If you're guessing this is "Citizen Kane," then you probably should head back to bed. If the "Toy Chest" digi image doesn't give it away, then the sentiment should help -- it's the theme song from "Toy Story"! There are a couple of additional clues too: notice the toy chest belongs to "Andy" and one of the toys is "Hamm," (appropriate, eh?) who of course was voiced by John Ratzenberger -- a Disney/Pixar regular. Neither of these things is part of the original digi design. Since I had Photoshop open to size my digi image, I went ahead and added "Andy" to the toy chest; Hamm is a 3-D sticker, which I fortuitously stumbled upon while helping clean my son's closet the other day. (And sadly, just like in the movie "Toy Story 3," Sam had to say goodbye to some of his old toys.)

With the movie poster in mind, I thought I'd better stick with bright primary colors for this card. The sentiment was also computer-generated, and while I tried to make a font similar to the "Toy Story" one, it's not a perfect match. But you get the idea.

And now I can't wait to see which movie is next on the schedule! It's important to note that we WILL be giving away a prize by random draw of all hoppers who leave a comment on each one of the blogs on the hop. That winner will be announced here on the blog on Wed., May 25.

Now we're off to SHERRY'S blog. Can you guess her movie before she tells you what it is??

And in case you get lost along the way or run into a bad link, you can rejoin the hop at the appropriate link below:

Talk to the Ham - (YOU ARE HERE)
Sherry
Karin
Yolanda
Melissa
Dawn
Silke
Paula
Libby
Heather
Leslie
Hannah
Alice
Christy
Pat
Joy
Mary
Ree
Judy

One final thing (if you're still with me) -- remember that Hambo Stamps is participating in the RSC "Virtual Convention" going on now - thru Monday, May 23. See yesterday's blog post for the sale details.

Happy hopping, and happy shopping! :)

Spring Virtual Convention!

2011-05-19T07:18:00.001-04:00

Starting today, Rubber Stamp Chat is hosting a "Virtual Convention," of which Hambo Stamps is a part! If you're not familiar with virtual conventions, don't worry -- they're easy to attend. All you have to do is go to the Convention Hall where a bunch of rubber stamp companies have "booths" -- which are message-board posts announcing their specials.

I can't give you all of our sale details here -- we need you to stop by our booth for that info -- but let me just say that we have discounts up to 50% off, plus bonus gifts included with eligible purchases!!

The convention will continue thru Monday, May 23. LOTS of great deals to be had, so you should head straight over and get started! Be sure to follow the proper instructions for discounts to be applied.

And don't forget to come back here tomorrow for our "Hamming it up at the Movies" blog hop!

Happy shopping! :)

Guessing Games

2011-05-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

There's a little game going on over at the Hoedown blog, with a fun prize awarded to the winner! This week's digi is the "Sumo" seen above. As usual, the Bacon Bits made some fabulous samples with this guy and other Hambo images (and also using chipboard -- a challenge requirement this week), only THIS week, we don't know who made which card. That's where the game comes in. The cards are numbered, and you just have to figure out which Bacon Bit made which card -- and submit your guess in the "comments" of this week's Hoedown challenge post. You could win a selection of these awesome cards from the designers! All this is in addition to the usual free digi giveaway when you participate in the challenge itself. Fun, fun!!

But that's not the end of the fun this week! Come back tomorrow for details about a "Virtual Convention" that Hambo Stamps is participating in -- starting tomorrow and continuing thru Monday of next week. There will be lots of other vendors with sales and special offers, so you won't want to miss this!

And there's MORE! Friday, the Hambo "Hamming it up at the Movies!" customer blog hop will kick off right here from this blog. All the hop stops will feature cards that use Hambo stamps to depict a movie. I wonder if you'll be able to guess the movies? I've gotta say, the hardest part of this was narrowing down which movie I wanted to tackle, because I had so many fun ideas. I can't wait to see what everyone else made -- maybe they had the same ideas? We hope you'll come hop along with all of us on Friday, starting at 8 AM Eastern!

Until then, don't forget to go submit your guess at the Hoedown! Have a great day. :)

Be Our Guest - Beate Johns!!

2011-05-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

We're so excited to have Beate Johns as our Guest Designer today!! Most of you are probably familiar with her work and her awesome tutorials. (HERE is one she shared for making "easel" cards.) She makes everything look so easy, you can't help but try it!

Tim & I were lucky enough to meet Beate when we took the Copic certification course. We had a large group, so Beate came to give Colleen a hand and help keep order. Besides having the chance to see her coloring skills in action, she also gave us a demonstration for using the Copic reinkers to color ornaments. So fun!

Today, Beate shares a hybrid card she made -- hybrid in that it uses both a digi stamp (Silly Birds with Hats) and a rubber stamp ("Birthdays Happen"). I hope you'll click over to her "Fresh & Fun" blog and see the CUTE Hambo card that she made. And if you've ever benefited from one of her tutorials, I hope you'll leave her some love and let her know you appreciate her work. Maybe that will encourage her to do more and more! :)

Thanks so much for designing for us Beate!!

Flying High

2011-05-12T12:07:00.000-04:00

Here is this week's Hambo Hoedown digi image. This week's challenge is to use bold, bright colors, as well as paper-piecing, along with this digi image or any other Hambo image. Where can YOU make this girl fly? Over the ocean? Over a mountain? Hanging from a crane? LOL If you didn't earn this "Balloon Girl" digi already, you can purchase it HERE.

Three quick reminders: There are only a few days left (deadline is midnight, May 15) to complete your application if you'd like to be one of our next Bacon Bits! Details can be found HERE.

We're having a fun customer blog hop (theme: the movies!) on May 20, starting here on this blog. If you'd like YOUR movie project to be one of our stops on the hop, please email Judy (hambodesignteam@gmail.com) right away so she can add you to the list. All the blog hop details are HERE.

Finally, we've still got lots of great stamps available on our Sale page - marked 25% off. These are all current designs, but you can find even greater discounts on our Retiring pages as well. I can't think of a better way to spend your tax refunds! LOL

Have a great day!

Funky Chicken

2011-05-05T13:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we kicked off the new Hambo Hoedown challenge, using this Farm Chicken image:

As always, you can purchase this image if you didn't already receive it free for participating in last week's challenge. But why stop there? You can have this entire farm menagerie for just a few bucks more:

You can pair any or all of these critters with your favorite barnyard jokes. My favorite is this one:

"Knock, Knock..."
"Who's there?"
"Interrupting cow."
"Interrupting c..."
"MOOOOOOOOOO!"

I first heard that joke from the movie "Half Nelson" -- which was a really depressing movie, but DID feature Ryan Gosling!

Anyway... speaking of movies .... we have a customer blog hop scheduled for May 20, and the theme is “Hamming it Up At the Movies.” Using any Hambo image, either rubber or digital, create a project that represents and depicts a movie title! Maybe it’s your favorite movie, or maybe it’s one that you don’t even like! Whatever it is, we want to see your movie creations!

The hop is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 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 movie-themed creation tickles the Bacon Bits’ fancy in a hammin’ jammin’ way! The winner will be announced on the Hoedown blog, as well as right here on this blog on Wednesday, May 25.

If you are interested in participating, please email Judy at hambodesignteam@gmail.com by 11:00 PM CST on Wednesday, May 11. The blog hop order will be emailed to all participants on May 16. Come to the movies with us!

And don't forget we have a Design Team call going on right now. Applications are due on May 15, so you still have plenty of time to apply!

Have a great day!

Hambo Stamps - Design Team Call!

2011-05-01T08:00:00.022-04:00

Hambo Stamps is accepting applications from now until May 15, 2011 for new Design Team Members.

We are looking for designers for the next four-month term: June 1 - September 30, 2011. The new Hambo Team will be chosen and announced on or about May 20.

All designers must be comfortable working with rubber and digital images. Three designers will be chosen to work with the rubber line and three with digital images, although all designers may be asked to work with both at some point.

Please e-mail your application to:
hambodesignteam@gmail.com by May 15, 2011.
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)

Once we receive your application, you will be emailed two Hambo digital images with which to make your two required projects for the application. Projects are due by May 15, 2011, Midnight CST. We are looking for designers that can work with deadlines. :)

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 (with projects and commenting), blog activities and new release Sneak Peeks/Blog Hops.

* 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 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.

* Consideration for extended contracts as they become available.

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

Smooth Sailing with Joan Bardee

2011-04-29T08:51:00.001-04:00

A big day today! Not only is the royal wedding going on but Joan Bardee is our special guest designer today! Joan chose our Sailboat Frame and our "Hope you day is smooth sailing!" sentiment and created this card...

Love the coloring on this! Drop by Joan's Blog and give her a little love today! Have a great weekend everyone!

A Basket Case

2011-04-27T12:32:00.000-04:00

Wow - the 13th Hambo Hoedown has just begun! The weeks are flying by! This week's image is the "Heart Basket" seen below:

The challenge this week is to use this image (or any other Hambo stamp) along with flowers & lace to make a feminine card. The timing is great, because Mother's Day is just around the corner. Whether you play along in the challenge or not (but, why wouldn't you??), you can find the Heart Basket in our digi shop HERE.

If you missed yesterday's announcement, we currently have a SALE going on, with 25% off selected designs & sayings -- over 50 total! There is a good mixture of seasonal things and funny sayings -- something for everyone.

And finally, I hope you'll come back by on Friday, when we'll have a very special Guest Designer! I would tell you who it is, but I might get sued. (Does that give you a hint?)

Have a great day! (Go Lightning!!)

Speaking of Announcements...

2011-04-25T18:53:00.000-04:00

I've just updated our SALE page! All rubber designs and sayings listed on the sale page are 25% off regular prices, while sale quantities last. Now that's something to toot your horn about!

That's MY announcement. Do you have one? If so, enter it into the current Hoedown challenge, but hurry - this one ends tomorrow night!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!!

2011-04-20T08:21:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Timbo here! It's Wednesday so that means a new Hambo Hoedown Challenge has begun! With the royal wedding coming up Monica thought some sort of royal image would be appropriate. So with pen in hand I came up this King image....

I left a a big space in the flag for you to put your own special message or announcement which is what the challenge is about this week. It would also be good for 'tooting your own horn' sayings.

Please drop by the Hambo Hoedown to see the lovely cards created by the Bacon Bits and by Paula, this week's guest designer.

To purchase the King Digi just click Hear Hear !

Thanks for dropping by!

Distressed Ogre this Challenge!

2011-04-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

This Ogre is the digi design featured in this week's Hambo Hoedown challenge! This week, the challenge is to use this image + one of the sentiments (or any other Hambo stamp), and add distressing of some sort: tear some edges, smudge your ink, stomp on it, etc. As you know, ogre's aren't delicate, so neither should your project be. A little dirt behind the ears (and between the toes!) is what's called for here. (I'm speaking metaphorically. If you've got this going on in real life, add soap, lather, repeat.)

The Bacon Bits have made some fabulous inspirational samples, plus don't miss our Hoedown Guest Designer this week, Gloria Clark!

As always, if you didn't receive this image free but you realize you can't live without it, you can buy him HERE, along with lots of other fun images!

Just Sew-Sew

2011-04-11T12:12:00.000-04:00

Here's a card design that was completely ~~stolen from~~ inspired by THIS "Little Birdie Secrets" blog post. This is one of the cards we made at the last card ministry workshop, because we needed something simple that we could mass-produce. However, on that day, a couple of the stampers had ink on their hands, and without realizing it, managed to smudge ink across nearly every one of these sewn cards we'd made. I was really disappointed, because I thought the cards had been SO cute!

As luck would have it though, my parents gave my daughter a "starter" sewing machine for her birthday, and my daughter was nice enough to let me use it last night to make more of the cards, to replace the ones I'd had to toss out.

Here are just a few that I made, once I figured out how to USE the sewing machine! LOL These were so fun to make! I copied the same idea from the Little Birdie Secrets blog post: punched out 3 hearts in coordinating colors, arranged them in a stack, then sewed a line right down the center. Once sewn, the hearts could be "fluffed up" a bit to give a 3-D look. Though I haven't tried it yet, I think it would be fun to turn these hearts into "balloons" ... with a sewn string dangling down. I also have cards with blue & green stars, because I thought the stars might yield a more "masculine" look, for the mens' birthdays.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!!

Be Our Guest - Lori Craig!!

2011-04-06T09:03:00.000-04:00

Anyone wishing for summer to hurry and get here? I can't say that I'm ready for the heat, but I'm definitely ready for the FUN!! Today, we have a Hambo "Guest" Designer with a project that will help get you in the mood for summer festivities... LORI CRAIG!!

Lori, as I'm sure you're all aware, is an awesome card-maker, and even more, she's a real sweetheart! Her "Make a Difference" blog was one of the first that I added to my Google reader list, because I don't want to miss a single thing she makes. I hope you'll visit her blog today not just to see her faboo Hambo card (just a tiny piece of which you can see above), but to scroll through for all of her work -- you can't help but be inspired! And be sure to leave her some love while you're there. :)

Thanks so much for being our guest today Lori!!

And one more thing - a brand new Hoedown challenge started today. Come play along with us!

And the Blog Hop Winner is....

2011-04-05T09:37:00.008-04:00

This past weekend we had the "Go Ahead - Laugh at Us!" blog hop, with prizes promised at each of the stops along the way. In addition to those individual prizes, we are awarding a grand prize -- a $15 gift certificate to spend on ANYTHNG in the Hambo store -- rubber stamps, digi stamps, cling cushion and/or ribbon. To be eligible, all you had to do is leave a comment at EVERY blog stop along the trail. I'm pleased to announce that the winning name has been drawn ..... and the Grand Prize winner is ...... Linda Weber!!!! Linda, please email me for details for claiming your prize.

In addition, I'm offering a free digi to one random commenter on my blog hop post. That winner of that free digi is "kurlygirl"! Kurlygirl, if you'll email me with your free digi choice, I'll send it right out to you!

Below are the links to the other Bacon Bits blogs. Some of them have already announced their winners (if so, they're listed below), and the others will be announcing winners soon. Be sure to stop back by each of them to see if YOU won!

Melissa -- winner: Donna Ells!

Christy -- winner: Laura W.!

Silke -- winner: Carol L!

Karin -- winner: Donna Ells! (Wow Donna, I need to take you to Vegas!)

Hannah -- winner: Sincerely, Ree!

Joy -- winner: Andy Jay!

Libby -- winner: Ayana!

Judy -- winner: AllisonG!

Congratulations to all of the winners! We hope everyone who participated in the hop had as much fun as we did creating special projects for you!!

"Go Ahead - Laugh at Us!" -- Hambo Blog Hop!

2011-04-01T08:00:00.111-04:00

Today is April Fools Day - but it's no joke that we have a fun blog hop for you today, starting right here! If you're familiar with Hambo Stamps, you know we're all about making you laugh, and that's the theme for our hop. You should expect to see some silly/witty/crazy/twisted things at each of our Bacon Bits stops along the hop. (And speaking of silly bacon... Do you know where northern pigs sleep in the winter?? In Pigloos!!)

PLUS, there are prizes to be won! All hoppers who leave a comment at each blog along the way will be entered into a drawing for a $15 gift certificate to the Hambo store, which can be used for anything we sell -- rubber stamps, digi stamps, ribbon or cling cushion! In addition, each of our designers will also be awarding separate prizes, so there are multiple chances to WIN! While we love receiving comments ANY time, to be eligible for the prizes, you'll need to leave your comments before Tuesday, April 5.

Here is a list, in order, of our blog stops:

Monica (that's me!)

Melissa

Christy

Silke

Karin

Hannah

Joy

Libby

Judy

So let's get this party started with my project:

Remember, this is all in fun; I'm NOT advocating frying ants (though if you do, I recommend adding a little olive oil to the sidewalk so they don't stick!) so if you work for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Ants) please don't come a callin'.

For this silly card, I paired our Magnifying Glass image, with the Ant and "Sizzlin' Summer" sentiment. As you can see, I trimmed out the magnifying glass so that it removed the caterpillar portion of the original image. This wasn't as hard to do as I'd imagined. Then I added a piece of clear acetate to give the glass a realistic shine:

I wanted to add a punch of color to the (mostly) black & white card, and I accomplished this with the May Arts burgundy double-faced satin ribbon. I'm not the best at tying ribbons, so the double-faced ribbon is a good choice for me because I don't have to worry about the "wrong" side showing when I make a bow or knot.

The next stop on our hop is MELISSA -- who never disappoints when it comes to funny combinations.

Enjoy your hop and have a great weekend!! (Go VCU!)

As the Rack Turns...

2011-03-31T09:46:00.000-04:00

I've been teasing all my stamping friends about my mystery stamp-related purchase while we were on vacation, and now it's time for the big reveal:

(The cap on top of the rack has a slit, so you can add a sign. I haven't made my sign yet.)

I've been looking for a spinning card rack like this for a while now, but couldn't justify the expense because, after all, I don't own a card store. But last week on vacation, we went to a Borders book store that was going out of business (many of them are, you know!). We went there looking for a fun party game that we'd just been introduced to the night before, and though it had already sold out, I spied this baby sitting in a room with a bunch of other fixtures. Score! Though everything in the store was marked at least 40% off (at that time -- it might be a bigger discount now), the fixtures had a set price, but this one was clearly priced to sell, so I jumped at the opportunity.

So what will I do with it now that I have it? Sell cards! The kids' school has carnivals once or twice a year, and vendors can set up booths. In the past we took our stamps to sell, but not many of the people who came by were stampers, though they all loved the cards that I'd taken to show as samples, and suggested that I sell cards the next time. In addition, my card ministry group has suggested we start selling any surplus cards we make to help fund some of the other church ministries, such as our youth programs. This will be such a convenient way to display and sell our cards!

In other less-silly news, we are expecting our re-stocking shipment of stamps later today. Anything on our website currently marked as "Temporarily Unavailable" will be back in stock, so if you've been waiting, wait no longer! :)

I can't wait to show you my "twisted" project for tomorrow's April Fools blog hop, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the design team has come up with either! The hop will start right here from this blog, so we hope you'll join us, where you'll have a chance to win a prize at every stop along the way. No Foolin'!

Have a great day!

CAS - Thinking of You

2011-03-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Just before Spring Break, I hosted another card ministry workshop, and the card above is one of the ones we made. In truth, I'd kind of put all of my eggs in one basket with another card design - a birthday design - which I'd planned to mass produce during the workshop. (There are a lot of people in our church, so a lot of birthdays!) However, that card involved sewing, and I worried that 1) the ONE sewing machine we had might break, and then what? or 2) no one would show up who actually knew how to use it! LOL So at the last minute, I decided I'd better hurry and design another card just in case everyone was standing around looking at the sewing machine and scratching their heads.

The card above is my favorite kind -- clean and SIMPLE! The flower stamp ("Agapanthus Long") is by Stampendous, and the sentiment is from a clear Hero Arts sentiment set "Everyday Messages." Both were stamped using a Tim Holtz distress pad called "Dusty Concord". I think purple is one of those colors like green or pink... you can have several different ink shades in those colors, but you never have the "right" one to match the project you have in mind. Luckily, I didn't have to try to match any DP here, so any color purple, as long as it was dark enough to see, would work. Why purple? Why not?? :)

Hey... speaking of pink & green (wow, that was a coincidence I hadn't intended!), a new Hambo Hoedown challenge kicked off today, and the challenge this week is to use the colors pink & green, and the image below:

As I always remind you, if you didn't participate in the challenge last week and receive this image free, then you can purchase it HERE... or else use another Hambo design (rubber or digi) with a pink & green color scheme.

When we were on vacation last week, I stumbled upon something craft-related that I've been wanting for a long time. I consider it kind of a silly purchase, and yet I have a feeling you're ALL going to be SO jealous of me!! LOL Don't be haters! Maybe you can find one too? Anyway, tune in tomorrow to see what I found.

And don't forget our April Fools blog hop starts right here on this blog on Friday! See you soon!

Be Our Guest - AJ Otto!!

2011-03-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

The blog's been quiet because we were closed for vacation all of last week, and have been trying to catch up with everything we missed while we were away. But I'm glad we returned just in time for today's Hambo Guest Designer.... AJ Otto!! Here is a little snippet of her card:

I hope you'll visit her blog - The Willow Garden - to see the CUTE spring card she made with a couple of our stamps, and leave her some love while you're there. Thanks so much for "guesting" for us AJ!! :)

I also want to give a shout-out to Dina, who has also been a guest designer for us this month. She posted a second (and third!) project last week while we were away, and I didn't want you to miss her adorable creations.

You can see this card and the other fab project at her blog Mama Dini's Stamperia.

We have more fun in store for you this week! Our newest Hoedown challenge will begin tomorrow. If you haven't played this week, you still have a few hours remaining to get in on the fun, AND earn a free digi image. I think you'll love the image we have for you to work with this week! Then on Friday - April Fools Day! - the Hambo Design Team is having a fun blog hop, with prizes to be won at each stop of the the hop. Who doesn't love prizes??

Hope your week is off to a great start!

New Challenge is Up!

2011-03-16T08:23:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Timbo here! The new Hambo Hoedown challenge is up and running! This week's featured image is our Party Elephant Digi....

The Hambo Bacon Bits made some awesome cards. Mosey on over and check them out! There's a lot of bling this week on the challenge as well. Come on over and join us! If you play you will receive a free digi to use in next week's challenge and if you play again you'll get another free digi! Sounds good right? One entrant will be picked at random and they will receive yet another free digi!! This week's winner is Cheryl B.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

What Goes Up Must Come Down!

2011-03-14T08:06:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! Timbo here! You HAVE to check this out! Dina Kowal is our guest designer this week and she made a fabulous card using our Elevator Digi Set.

I can't put into words what she did , you just have to see it for yourself. Her blog is Mama Dini's Stamperia. I must warn you she uses a lot of puns in her post!!! Maybe that's why I liked it so much.

There's still time to post to this week's Hambo Hoedown!! We've had some awesome cards this week. If you can't make it for this one try again on Wednesday and get in on the fun.

Thanks for dropping by and get on over to the Stamperia!!

Updates

2011-03-11T12:32:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting this week - things have been hectic! I did want to stop in real quick for a couple of announcements though. First off, above is the digital image that the Hambo Hoedown participants are working with this week. If you didn't participate in the lion challenge last week and get this image for free already, you can purchase him HERE -- just in time for some quick St. Pat's cards! Please remember though, you are free to use any other Hambo stamps (rubber or digital) in the challenge, as long as you meet the other challenge criteria -- in this week's case, to use GOLD on your card.

We will be closing for our week of spring break, starting next Friday, March 18 - 27. No orders will be processed or shipped during this time, so if there's anything you have to have before the end of the month, please get your orders in right away so that we have time to ship them out before we close. Judy will keep the Hoedown challenge running while we're closed, so don't worry -- your dancin' shoes won't rust!

We currently have a lot of rubber stamps that are sold out, but those designs and sayings should all be restocked soon after we re-open. The Bacon Bits also have a fun blog hop planned for April 1 -- April Fool's Day -- so please be sure to come by then. Who knows - you might win something for hoppin'??

Have a great weekend!

Operation: Bunny Hop!

2011-03-05T10:00:00.122-05:00

Welcome bunny hoppers! If you're hopping in a straight line, then you should have arrived here from Yolanda's awesome project. If you got here without hopping, then why not head back to the beginning so you don't miss a thing!

Now before I continue, I have to explain: sometimes even bunnies step in poo, which is exactly what I did in preparing for today's hop. See, I was so wrapped up in surprising you with a goodie, I somehow missed the part about making "spring" cards, so I'm going to need you to use your imagination on this one:

Pretend the brown paper represents the delicious chocolate found in any good Easter basket, and the green represents the meadows where the little lambs and bunnies frolic. (Is it working for you??) And then imagine a bear, dressed in camouflage, emerging from the trees... but don't worry - he's just looking for a hug!

The image I used for this card is a digi image that was made especially to share with you today -- one that would work perfectly for your OWH cards. Go ahead and grab the image below, by right-clicking and saving to your computer:

This digital set is no longer free, but can be purchased HERE.

This digi set will be free for you to grab through the weekend, and we'd love to see any cards you make using it. Just be sure to take pictures before you mail them off to OWH! (Please note: This digi is just for YOU, so please do not share or swap it!)

The cards being received for upcoming holidays are due in soon, so please be sure to send your Easter cards no later than March 18, and Mother's Day cards by March 31st. And, of course, any other types of cards can be sent too! Need some inspiration, or a least some warm fuzzies? Check out this awesome slide show which shows what a great cause this is!

And now it's time to send you to your next stop. Here they come Dixie!

Tune in Tomorrow...

2011-03-04T12:57:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick note to let you know that we'll be participating in a HUGE Operation Write Home "Bunny Hop" tomorrow!

I say HUGE because there will be 135 blogs participating, and some of those blogs, including this one, will be offering something special just for stopping by. Please join us in the hop tomorrow, Sat., March 5, starting at 10am EST (7am PST). The hop will commence from the Operation Write Home website, so we'll see you here in just a few short hops after you begin.

If you're not familiar with OWH, it's a wonderful organization that sends cards to our troops overseas -- only the cards are for the troops to send HOME for their friends and loved ones. Because they can't just walk down the street to a Hallmark store, cards of all types are provided for them: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc. So whenever you make a card, why not make TWO of them so you have an extra to donate for this great cause?

See you tomorrow! :)

In Like a Lion...

2011-03-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

There's a new Hambo Hoedown challenge underway, featuring the digi set below.

Again, if you participated in the challenge last week, then you received this image free to use for this week's challenge. If you DIDN'T participate last week, don't sweat it - you can still play along this week. You just have to use any Hambo stamp, rubber or digital, and make a masculine card using stripes. If you want to join the rest of the pride who is using this lion set, you can purchase it HERE.

We also have a new digi background available, a Storefront, which can be used to make a street scene. Not by coincidence, it also pairs nicely with our SALE Fractured Funny. Just sayin'...

Speaking of our digital backgrounds, one of our customers emailed me today to alert me to an awesome card (my words, not hers!) that she'd made with our Stage digi image:

I hope you'll hop on over to Dawn's blog - Always Crafting - and see the details of this card a little closer, and leave her some love while you're there. Thanks so much for sharing your work with us Dawn! :)

March News!

2011-03-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

We're happy to announce that as of today, ALL of Hambo's CURRENT rubber stamp designs are now available wood-mounted, cling-mounted or bare. If you've been a previous Hambo customer, you might be aware that we have been phasing in the different mounting options as our stock allowed, but we're now to a point that we can offer these three options across the board. The website pages have been updated to show this availability.

Please be aware, however, that the stamps on our Retiring pages can still be ordered only in the formats listed beneath each one, and none of these will be available on cling cushion. If you see a UM option under a retiring stamp, that will mean the rubber will sit atop STICKY cushion, the kind normally used with wood mounts. If you'd like to use these with acrylic blocks, we have the sheets of cling cushion for sale, which you can use to adapt them.

Now that availability is uniform, you can state your mounting choice at the top of your order, rather than having to list it after every stamp. We hope this will make the ordering process a little easier for you!

Don't forget tonight is the deadline for linking your Hambo Hoedown challenge cards! A new challenge will be posted tomorrow, so if you've played along with us and met all the challenge requirements, you should find the next free digital image in your email inbox shortly. By the way, have you noticed the pig jokes just under the Hoedown banner that change each week? Judy keeps surprising me with new ones. Just one more fun thing to add to your week. :)

Best wishes for a great March!

As If I Needed a Reason...

2011-02-28T06:00:00.026-05:00

I had a really busy weekend (aren't they all??) and didn't have much time to stamp, so I wanted to make a card that was quick. Or, at least in theory. These are the times that I turn to the layouts from the Clean & Simple blog. This week's layout, #129, is perfect for featuring special sentiments, like this "Sending Because" sentiment from Hambo. This particular saying is versatile, in that it can be used for birthdays (check the last box!), "thinking of you" (as this one is intended), or even bill-collecting! LOL

If this layout doesn't inspire you, have you tried the sketch at the Hambo Hoedown this week? Still time to play along, and if you read through the directions carefully, you might even pick up a code to save 50% off the fabulous May Arts ribbons in the Hambo store, including the lovely purple satin one I used for my bow.

Thanks for stopping in. Have a great week! :)

The Glamorous Life...

2011-02-23T08:00:00.048-05:00

Great! I wrote the title of this post, and immediately flashed back to the 80s and the Sheila E. song, which will now be stuck in my head all day! ... Without love, it ain't much!

So now that I shared that earbug with you, on to the card. This week's Hoedown challenge features this sketch. It's funny how a simple sketch can be interpreted in so many ways. Even though all the Bacon Bits followed the sketch, the cards look so different from one another! Mine looks especially different because I didn't use the "Bird Hero" - this week's featured digi image, which all of last week's participants received free. (If you missed out getting it free, you can purchase it now on in our Digi store.)

For my card, I wanted to try out this stamp combo that I thought of a while back. The girl is part of Hambo's Dress Up image; it also features a boy dressed up as well, but I simply cut him out of the picture -- as sometimes happens with guys! I liked the idea of pairing the girl with this "Glamorous Me" Fractured Funny, because I'm sure she's pretending she's pretty glamorous, with the pearls and all! Her dress is paper-pieced from the same DP that the sentiment is stamped on. The background paper is from a Miss Elizabeth's pack.

Here's the inside of the card:

The card also uses a couple of May Arts ribbons -- the ivory "webbed weave" and some iridescent string that is tied through the button. The iridescent string is SO pretty, and I like that you can fray the ends of it to add even more glimmer.

And now I'm off to work on taxes. Nothin' glamorous about that! Have a great day!

New Digi Images

2011-02-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

Tim has some new digital images available now! With the rising popularity in "goth" styles, here is his interpretation of a "Goth Girl" ...

.... though without pupils, I think she's part zombie too.

He also drew a lady who is very, very excited about something...

I think it's up to you to interpret the cause. A birthday? A divorce? A sale?

Both of these images can now be found in the Hambo Digital store.

Happy President's Day!

Be Our Guest - Julie Ebersole!!

2011-02-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

Today I feel as though the Queen herself came to town, and asked to stay at my house! That's because our Guest Designer today is none other than Julie Ebersole!! Julie HRR (Her Royal Rubberness), as most know her, is another of my stamping heroes, and I just LOVE her clean & simple designs, and her always clever ideas for stamp pairings. And, she's one of those people that you just KNOW that if you met in real life, you'd be best friends!

Can you tell which of our stamps Julie used for her project today? Well don't hang around here guessin' -- buzz on over to her blog and check out her awesome card -- a card fit for a Queen .... BEE!!

Thanks so much for the thrill Julie!!

Here's the Scoop...

2011-02-16T08:00:00.025-05:00

Did you join in the Hoedown last week? If so, then you know this pelican is the image we have to play with THIS week!

I love this guy and couldn't wait to play with him, though I'm sad that the ideas in my head didn't materialize on paper. However, I AM patting myself on the back for thinking of the "Here's The Scoop" sentiment to pair him with!

As you can see, I flipped the image so he'd be facing the sentiment. I love being able to do that with digi images -- it just makes them so much more versatile!

My card pales in comparison to the spectacular cards the Bacon Bits made for the challenge this week, so please fly on over and take a peek. And if you want to play along with us but didn't receive this image free, he can be purchased now in the Hambo digital store.

Have a great day!

Le Painter of Zee Hearts

2011-02-14T05:27:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! Timbo here. Monica got her Skittles and I'm doing the post today so she's a happy girl.

Wanted to let everyone know that you have until Tuesday night to join in on the Hambo Hoedown Challenge! Easy one this week, use any Hambo image (if you played last week you were emailed the FREE Eye Monster image to use) and use a heart somewhere in the design. Oh, you also need a sentiment. That's where I went wrong. Which leads to this post.

Monica suggested I use the Painter Digi and paint a heart on the canvas for my entry. Great idea!

So this is what I came up with......

I was very pleased with it until Monica said I can't use it in the Hoedown because I don't have a sentiment. I was going to put a sentiment inside but that doesn't count. I was going to write "You Inspire Me." Which would go nicely with this in my opinon.

I printed this image out on Fabriano Artistico hot press watercolor paper. I need to do a demo of this but here's what I do to print it . I create a file for the size paper I have... 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" and I arrange the digitals to how I want them. Around the image I put a temporary box for indexing purposes then I print it on regular paper. I then lightly glue the water color paper to the printed paper, positioning it right on top of the printed image. So what I have is a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of watercolor paper glued onto an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper with a printed image on it. Then I remove the box from around the image on my computer since I don't want that to print on the good paper. Then I run the two papers through the printer! It prints where I need it to print every time. This works great if you have scraps you want to use that won't go through the printer by themselves.

Note! When I do this I run it through the special slot on the printer that runs it straight through to the back.

I used my Inktense Pencils to get started on this and a little Copic on the wall then a bunch of Prismacolor pencil. Some with OMS and some not. What I've started doing with my ATC's is putting a gloss medium on top of it. I did that with this card and it really looks cool, to me anyway. I usually do two coats with a brush to put it on and a foam roller to even it out. It makes everything nice and shiny and gives it an even finish.

Card Cupids

2011-02-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

There's a blog hop going on over a "Card Cupids" today. This is an organization that collects card for children facing difficult challenges. Christy, one of the Hambo "Bacon Bits," is participating in the hop. In addition to raising awareness for their organization, the hop is also an opportunity to see some cute Valentine's projects and perhaps win some prizes along the way. So hop on over and get started! :)

Be Our Guest - Lisa Spangler!

2011-02-10T07:44:00.001-05:00

I know all of you out there probably have stamping "heroes" -- stampers whose work you really admire. You might think "If only I had her great ideas!" or "I'd give anything to be able to color like she does!" etc. Well today I'm THRILLED that one of MY heroes is guest designing for us today -- Lisa Spangler!

Lisa is the stamper behind some of the AWESOME projects you see in the Hero Arts catalog. One thing I love about her is her photography skills, whether she's "staging" the perfect photo of an art project (see above), or taking pictures of the wild Texas prairie grasses, or sharing her sight-seeing pics from Japan. This girl can do no wrong in my eyes. :)

Wait until you see THIS clever Valentine's project on her blog, featuring a couple of our stamps, "Nutrition Facts" and the Solid Heart. While you're there, scroll through her blog posts and see why she's the cat's meow.

Thanks so much Lisa for sharing your talent with us, today and always!!

For your eyes only... all of them!

2011-02-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Wow - what a fantastic response to the very first Hambo Hoedown challenge! It was so much fun reading the blog posts with all the entries, hearing about how football was or wasn't a big deal in the stampers' households. Even those who don't consider themselves "into" football found some really creative ways to use last week's "Football Girl" image. As explained previously, that image was given out for free to EVERYONE who wanted it last week, and now is available for sale to anyone who missed out and still wants it.

Likewise, this week's image -- the "Eye Monster" seen above -- is available for purchase on the website. All who participated in last week's Hoedown were emailed this image for free to use this week. If you didn't get a chance to play along last week and therefore didn't receive this one, it's okay -- you can still participate. This week's challenge is to use a Hambo stamp ... the "Eye Monster" or ANY other Hambo stamp... plus a heart somewhere on your project. If you complete a project satisfying these requirements, be sure to link it on the Hoedown blog AND email us a picture of your project so you'll receive NEXT week's digi image completely free. It's important that you email us your project photo, because then we have your email address to send out the free digis. Some people don't have their email addresses on their blogs, so we'd have no way of delivering the free image to you, so that's why we need you to do this.

I've been busy getting orders from last weekend's Super Bowl sale in the mail, but I'm all caught up now and am ready to work on my own challenge card. I'll show you mine if you show me yours! LOL

Have a great day!

We Have a Winner!!

2011-02-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

During our weekend Super Bowl sale, we were also running a contest for someone to win his/her order FREE. Orders were submitted along with a guess as to the final point total of the game -- that is, both teams' scores added together. We had some people who either really know their football, or are very lucky guessers, because there were guesses all around the final point total of the Super Bowl.

The actual final point total was 56. We had two people guess 55, and one person guess 57. Since these three were all within one point, we had to have a random pick. The winner of the FREE order is ..... Kelley J.!! Congratulations Kelley! I've already refunded your order payment, and the stamps are in the mail.

Tim felt like we should reward the other two people who came so close to winning, so Colleen M. who guessed 55, and Kathleen W. who guessed 57 will each win their pick of 2 free digi images. See ... you never know when we might throw in additional prizes, so it pays to play! :)

Thanks to everyone who participated in our sale and contest! Have a great week!

Hambo's 3rd Annual Super Bowl Sale!!

2011-02-04T00:01:00.010-05:00

Because Hambo Stamps has a special fondness for PIGskin, we're celebrating Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 6) by offering 30% off ALL in-stock regular-priced stamps (rubber & digital), ribbon and cling cushion! (The discount will not apply to stamps on our "Retiring" or "Seconds" pages which are already discounted a minimum of 50%) Because of the limited quantities of some designs, all orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

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 -- 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.

Other very important details to be aware of:

The sale will run from 12:01 AM Friday (2/4) to midnight Sunday (2/6). Though we are closed on Saturdays, orders will still be received, and will be tended to on Sunday.

Only in-stock stamps, ribbon & cling cushion are eligible for the discount -- no back-orders available.

Digital stamps are also eligible for the discount, though please note: if purchasing digital stamps, please DO NOT use the Paypal checkout, as it will NOT apply the discount. Instead, email us your list of digital stamps and we'll issue a discounted Paypal invoice.

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), and specify whether you want mounted (M) or unmounted (UM) stamps. If stamps are available on cling cushion (UMC) or bare (B), it will be noted in the item details beneath each design.

Payments for orders not received within 10 days will negate the discount.

The winner of the free stamps will be notified on Monday, Feb. 7. 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!

You can kick-off your shopping spree here: Hambo Stamps

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

Keepin' it Clean...

2011-02-03T06:00:00.029-05:00

Of course one of the great things about digital images is that you can resize them. Here, I blew up the "Football Girl" image really big so that it takes up most of a 6.5" x 5" card. That didn't leave enough room for much else (including the DP that I used for the color scheme, which was supposed to have been on this card!), so I went with the clean white-on-white look. I quite like it!

The sentiment is the lower portion of our "I Made This" signature stamp.

And since I'd never just send a card like this braggin' on myself, I finished it off with a computer-generated sentiment inside:

Have you made a card for the challenge yet? If you do, then YOU can be awesome too!

If you're on the Hambo newsletter list, look for an email announcement later today. :)

Challenge Kick-Off!

2011-02-02T08:00:00.054-05:00

Today is the kick-off of our brand spankin' new Hambo challenge -- the "Hambo Hoedown" -- and what better way to celebrate a "kick-off" but with a football-themed challenge. Pretty timely with this weekend's Super Bowl too, right?!

I'm using the free digital image for this week's challenge called "Football Girl." If you're awake enough to notice that the image is not a girl, that's because there are two parts to the image, and I chose to focus on just the teddy bear portion. (Hop on over to the challenge blog where you can not only SEE the complete image, but you can grab it to keep & use for this week's theme!) I computer-generated this sentiment, which cracks me up. Imagine if the words "huddle" and "cuddle" really WERE interchangeable; you might hear the football announcer say something like ... "The quarterback is calling the team into a quick cuddle..." or "The Packers are going with a "No-Cuddle" offense." Funny, huh?

The Bacon Bits have come up with some SUPER cards to help get your imagination going, and then we want to see how YOU use this image. Be sure to leave a link to your challenge project this week, because ALL who participate in this week's challenge will receive another free digi for NEXT week's challenge, and so on. In addition, one random entrant will win a free digi of his/her choice. Each challenge will run for one week, with the challenge parameters changing each time, so while this week's challenge is a theme, next week's will be something totally different. We promise not to let you get bored!

There's more exciting news coming up this week, so please stick around -- we don't want you to miss a score! :)

Rabbit, Rabbit

2011-02-01T06:00:00.041-05:00

No, it's not a rabbit, but isn't that something you're supposed to say on the first day of the month? In any event, happy February!

I was playing around with some paper scraps last night, and came up with this "Valenswine's" Day card, which features our Sweetheart Pig and sentiment. The cool DP is called "Love Me Tender" by The Paper Studio. I'd say this pig is lookin' pretty sure of himself that he's going to get lucky tonight! I guess "lucky" for a pig is a good roll in the mud??

I'm really excited, because tomorrow is the day that our new challenge - the Hambo Hoedown - begins! I hope you'll join us for the challenge kick-off over on that blog. The Bacon Bits have come up with some awesome projects featuring the first free challenge digi, all of which will be featured on the challenge blog tomorrow, and then come back here for MY challenge-inspired card. Remember, today is the last day to earn a free digi image for posting the challenge button on your blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

ATC's and ACEO's... ASAP!

2011-01-31T08:38:00.002-05:00

Good Monday everyone! Timbo here! I thought I would take time today and do a post about ATC's and ACEO's and also shamelessly plug my Etsy Shop. Lately I've gotten the itch again to do some drawings other than stamp designs and ATCs are a great way to scratch that itch.

If you don't know, ATC's are Artist Trading Cards. As implied it's artwork that's meant to be traded. I sometimes participate in one on Scribble Talk and I've received some great artwork from around the country and Canada and England. ACEO's stand for Art Cards, Editions and Originals and I have to look that up every time. ATC's you trade and ACEO's you sell. The only requirement is they have to measure 2.5" x 3.5". I like using illustration board because it's heavier and has the feel of a trading card. Also it really doesn't need a frame if you just want to prop it up somewhere.

Here's a few I've done recently that are in my Etsy Shop. For...*cough*.. sale..*cough*.. in my Etsy Shop.

I start out with a light pencil drawing then I use Inktense pencils and do a wash. Next I use Prismacolors and some odorless mineral spirits with stumps, then more colored pencil and pencil and some Copic markers and whatever else I have laying around. For the big finish I spray it with a fixative then I put two or three good coats of a latex gloss varnish on them. At first I brushed the varnish on but it leaves brush marks so I bought a cheap foam roller which gives it a nice consistent finish.

Thanks for dropping by today!! I'll have some new digi's up soon! Some good ones are making their way to the scanner.

Introducing... The Bacon Bits!!

2011-01-28T06:00:00.087-05:00

We're so excited to announce the brand new Hambo Stamps Design Team, newly dubbed "The Bacon Bits." The team is divided into two groups -- the ladies who will work primarily with our rubber stamps and the ladies who will concentrate on the digital stamps -- though we'll all be working together regardless of that distinction.

We got off to a very fun start when Judy came up with the idea of all of us taking our pictures with pigs. For some this was no problem, but others had to scramble to find a pig to pose with! LOL So here now are all of our pictures, starting with the ladies you already know, Judy & Libby:

And now, introducing our the ladies on the rubber stamp design team:

Christy Lindeman

Joy Stagg

Karin Martin

And on the digital team:

Hannah Clark

Silke Kittmann

Melissa Edwards

(I think Silke is still running around looking for pigs, and asking someone to take her picture! LOL)

Judy didn't want me to be left out, so here's mine:

And finally.... Tim:

The ladies will make their Hambo debuts when the Hambo Hoedown challenge gets started next Wed. (Feb. 2), and they've already got some super projects to show you! I hope you'll help to welcome each of them!!

And a HUGE thank you to everyone else who applied for the team! We've avoided having open "calls" to this point because we didn't want to disappoint anyone who wasn't chosen, and it was as hard as we'd imagined having to do that. If you were one who didn't make the team this round, we truly hope you'll consider applying when we do the next call (in May?) so please keep your eyes open for that announcement when the time comes.

Have a great weekend! :)

Be Our Guest!

2011-01-26T11:28:00.002-05:00

As I announced last week, Libby Hickson is the new "Guest Designer" Coordinator for Hambo Stamps. What that means is that she scours the internet -- or at least stamp galleries! -- to find stampers who she thinks could do something especially fun with our stamps. We expect to feature 2 of these esteemed guest designers each month.

We kick it off today with Lydia Fiedler, who is well-known to a lot of you as a moderator and "Dirty Girl" at Splitcoast Stampers. Lydia's handle is "Understand Blue," which is also the name of her blog. Here, Lydia features our Monster stamp, along with our "Bump in the Night" Fractured Funny:

What a cool idea to "spotlight" the monster, and if you click over to her blog, she'll show you how that's accomplished, and you'll also see the fun inside of the card! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us Lydia!

We always LOVE seeing how stampers use our stamps; it's amazing some of the directions people take them that we'd never considered! And we want to see what YOU make with our stamps. We're going to keep our eyes open for projects in online galleries (such as the Splitcoast gallery) that showcase our stamps, and plan to start featuring some of those stampers here on this blog. We might even find some of our upcoming "guest" designers this way. So remember if you upload any of your Hambo projects, please be sure to use "Hambo" or "Hambo Stamps" as a keyword, so we can find those projects easily!

We've selected our new Design Team, and they're already hard at work (play?) making samples to share for the brand new Hambo Hoedown challenge that debuts a week from today. Come back on Friday for the fun announcement of the new team, and remember to put Feb. 2 on your calendar as the day we give you the FIRST free challenge digi image to create with. We hope you'll join us then!

Have a great day!

Not exactly the Easter bunny...

2011-01-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

Tim's on a kick drawing hamsters, apparently. Here is an Easter version, just added to our digital images today. We also added a cool chess set, which might be just the thing for a masculine birthday card ... or perhaps a Valentine's card, with a "Make your move!" sentiment? LOL I'm sure you can come up with some great ideas -- and if you do, we'd love to see/hear them!

Have a great day!

Too Drool for School!

2011-01-21T11:14:00.000-05:00

Here's another new digi set that I think will be fun for kids' Valentines.

If your kids are like mine, anything "romantic" is just gross, and they'd NEVER want to give a classmate anything with the word "love" on it. Oh, the horror! "Grossness," however, is completely acceptable, and what could be grosser than some sloppy dog drool? Perfect Valentine-card fodder for kids! LOL

Though I haven't had the time to play with this image myself, I can see adding some Crystal Effects to the drool to make it nice and glossy. Package the card with some toy slime and your child will be the class hero!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Spy Who Loved Me

2011-01-20T06:00:00.034-05:00

When I saw this Spy on Tim's drawing table, a couple of fun sayings popped into my head. One was G-rated, the other one probably wasn't. So... I figured we'd offer a set with BOTH of the sayings, to make the spy even more versatile! Now, you can use him to make a card for your sweetie OR to make Valentines for the kids to take to school.

However, just before Tim put the finishing touches on the drawing, I thought of a third saying, which you can see above. Another fun one for a kid's Valentine cards, dontcha think? I layered the picture with the sentiment here, but it could just as easily be printed onto postcards or at least single-layer cards for some quickies.

Here is the complete set:

Look for more fun digital images to come!

Also, tomorrow is the deadline for the Design Team applications. Have you sent yours in?

Have a great day!

They Just Keep Comin'!

2011-01-19T14:23:00.001-05:00

Tim's still drawing, so there are even more new digi images to choose from today. Hope you see something just perfect for your next project! :)

More digital images available!

2011-01-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

Tim's added some new digital designs, including this hamster that would make a fun Valentine card if used by himself, or a birthday card if paired up to hold the cupcake and/or the present. I think the inspiration for this image comes from our two pet hamsters: "Cloudy" no doubt inspired the roundness of figure, and the toothy smile is all "Snowy"! Click HERE to see what else Tim's added.

Also, there's still time to apply for the new Hambo Design Team! Applications and completed sample projects need to be received by Friday night (21st). We've had some really good entries, but no decisions have been made yet, so there's still time to give it a shot. You never know if you'll have that special something that we're looking for unless you try!

Finally, we've gotten a good response to the new Hambo Hoedown challenge, but we want to be sure that YOU'RE planning to be part of the fun. We're making a list of all the people who have free digital images coming to them, so sign up to follow the challenge, and/or add the challenge button to your blog sidebar so we can add YOU to the list of freebie recipients.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a SUPER day!

Grab your dancin' shoes!

2011-01-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! I'm here today with a fun announcement, and if you stick with me to the end, I'll tell you how you can win some free digi images.

We're excited to announce that we'll soon be starting up a new Hambo challenge, called the Hambo Hoedown. The kick-off of the challenge will be on Feb. 2, but we wanted to give you some advance notice so you can add it to your calendar. The way the challenge will work is this: Starting that first week, we're going to give EVERYONE a free digi image. There will be a theme for the challenge (you'll have to wait for the announcement of the first theme, but it will be timely!), and you can either use the free digi image we give you (which will be theme-appropriate), or any other Hambo stamps to make a card that fits the challenge theme. The challenge will run for one week. At the end of the week, one winner will be chosen from a random drawing of all the participants, and that person will win his/her pick of a free digi image from our digital store.

But wait - there's more! EVERY person who played in the challenge will be emailed another new digi image, which can be used for the week 2 challenge. The image will be offered free to all who participated the previous week, and then put on the website for sale once the free ones are distributed. Again, you'll be able to use that new image for the week 2 challenge, OR you can use any other Hambo stamp (rubber or digital).

This cycle will continue each week, so as long as you continue to participate in the challenges, the more free digis you'll rack up. If you miss a week, you can either purchase that week's digi image to get back into the loop, or you can work with another Hambo stamp, as long as you are loyal to that week's theme.

The challenges will change weekly, so one week might be a "theme" (i.e. "wildlife), one week might be a color combination, or a sketch, or have an embellishment requirement, etc. so there should be something to interest everyone at some point.

AND, there will also be extra prizes and incentives thrown in from time to time. For example, one week we might offer a sales code that will ONLY be publicized on the challenge blog, so if you don't drop by the challenge that week, you'll miss it.

So... to get things going, we're going to start handing out free digis NOW. All you have to do to be eligible for one is to grab the "I Hoedown with Hambo" button displayed above. Post it on the sidebar of your blog with a link back to the challenge blog (not this one). Leave a comment on the current post on the challenge blog with the link to your blog where we can see the challenge button, and sometime between now and the start of the challenge, we'll be coming through and handing out a freebie to all who have this button displayed.

While you're at the Hambo Hoedown blog, you can sign up to "follow" the blog over on the left sidebar. This will help you ensure you don't miss any of the challenge fun that we have planned. AND, we'll also be randomly choosing some followers to give more freebies to, so you could already have a couple of digi images in your pocket before the challenge even starts! Tell all your friends, because we want them to win some too!

So what are you waiting for? Grab your dancin' shoes, and I'll get my fiddle and we'll get this thing on its way!

New digi image ... and more to come!

2011-01-14T10:39:00.000-05:00

Tim's had some time to draw, and he's preparing some really fun stuff to add to the Hambo digital collection. The "Blind Mice" is the first new image now available for purchase, with more to come soon.

As you know, you can manipulate digital images, so it will be really easy to make the sign say anything else you'd need it to say. I just can't guarantee that the mice will hold the sign correctly! With them being blind, I guess it's a 50/50 chance that the sentiment would even end up on the FRONT side of the sign! LOL

Don't forget about our Design Team Call -- there's still plenty of time to apply (and be accepted!)

There's more fun stuff in store next week. I hope you'll come back and be a part of it! Until then, have a great weekend! :)

Getting Coordinated!

2011-01-13T08:59:00.001-05:00

We've been so fortunate to have a couple of our favorite people take on exciting new roles with Hambo Stamps:

Meet Judy Rozema, who is our brand new Design Team Coordinator! You might have noticed that the recent design team call mentions contacting Judy with questions regarding your application, and that's because Judy is running the show in choosing our new design team. She's the one you need to butter up, folks!

Also stepping into a new role is Libby Hickson ...

.... who is the new Hambo "Guest Designer" Coordinator! Libby will be lining up some awesome stampers to create special projects using our stamps. We'll soon have a featured gallery on the Hambo website to spotlight their work.

Welcome ladies! We're so excited to have you both back on our team!

We're also putting the final touches on the next big announcement which will involve YOU + free stamps. Doesn't that sound like a fun combo? Stay tuned for that...

Happy Thursday everyone! :)