Trying not to make New Year's Resolutions. (They bite the dust so fast it's discouraging!)
But we do like (or need?) to assign "Target Areas" to place our attention and energy.
One, of course, is this blog. Someone asked if we were going to continue. Triggered more soul searching that we were prepared for.
The answer, yes, at least for a while. (The honest answer is that we need to do it more than you need for it to be done!)
Our original purpose was an attempt to create a "community." At this point we'd settle for a village or a wide spot in the cyberworld highway.
Toward that end........
the new livefyre commenting system
So, for those who cannot "see" the comments or do not wish to use livefyre for your own personal reasons, we have created a separate page with "screen shots" of the conversations on this page.
If you wish to comment outside the livefyre program, just email us and we will share your insights (with your permission.)1/3/23 livefyre update: Apparently most of the problems folks were having with accessing the new software have been resolved.
If you do have any further problems, contact lifefyre.....they are very helpful and the system has encouraged much conversation this last week so it is our hope to be able to continue on with it.
One unanticipated problem (for us) still remains. The system automatically posts up to 50 comments before "hiding" some of them. Fifty comments make the page impossibly l o n g ! A feature which will allow control of the number of posts is currently in progress but at the moment there is no estimated date for its availability.
We have a solution (we think)...and though it's not perfect (what ever is?) it may tide us over until the ability to maintain a sensible size page is in place.
We will set up a separate page for comments. Not ideal but, if you open a second browser page you will be able to view the blog and the comments simultaneously..........and it won't really matter how long the comments page gets.
We are working on this possibility now and will let you know when it is "up and running" and fairly reliable.
This is just an "idea," not linked to a page just yet.
Meanwhile.......thank you for your patience while we try to work with this Comments System. We like it as well as any we've seen so want to put in a bit more effort to find a "work around" which will "save" it for us.
Re: Community
We, like many of you, came to active Internet participation through Cyberstampers, one of the only sites designed for rubber stamp crafters available for a considerable length of time. They are no longer active but are still actively missed! Janet (Detter-Margul, owner, coordinator and huge creative force behind Cyberstampers), where are you--we need you?
In any case, our hope was to create a space for free exchange of creative ideas and techniques.
The simplest way is to sign up with
They are also very responsive and helpful if you are having trouble. Just send them an email.
As an example of how the ease of response would help.......here is an exchange you missed, because we were unable to make clear how simple using the new system could be.A LINK TO THIS BLOG WAS POSTED ON RUBBERSTAMPMADNESS and the African Queen responded. (Because this exchange was quite lengthly, it has been liberally edited...not something we will be making a practice of. Appologies AQ!)
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. . . As far as crafting plans go, it's to get back into writing letters. I've learned SO very much since I become an RSCer, [we hope for that outcome for the Gazette as well] that to keep it just within the 'ranks' seems quite selfish.
My first order of business to finish making buttons for my friend and cohort in craftinesses, Janni of N. Vancouver.
My secord order to business is to complete priming a board book for my dear friend, Denise, who will soon be visiting our mutual friend, Antoinetta, in the south of Africa along with her dearest of husbands, Phil . . . I am priming this board book for!
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This was posted at Rubberstampmadness and all went well until we asked African Queen to post to this blog...........
She had a terrible time......says "the thing is arguing with me something terrible!"
More attempts....re: facebook--too close to having one's face posted on the back of a milk carton. Twitter? I'm already twitterpated, so don't really need that one either! :))
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After several other attempts, she finally completed the post with an email (an option available to anyone who wishes to post.)
. . .Third order of business is to make an ACNB for my DS. She lives with her husband and four children in MT. We spent this past Thanksgiving with them and it was just what we needed. She's always gracious and very kind and always there to help me unwind as I am for her.
Lastly, but not leastly, there are my three nephews and one niece that live in the Midwest. I have a paper boot and a paper heeled sandal for two of them. Their eldest brother was born with spina bifida some 16 years ago. As he is quite conscientious about his feet and he's quite mature for his age, I'm sending him a card with a poem. The more difficult of decisions here is whether to send them all in one package but wrapped separately or to send them each individually. The latter is being preferred. The last of my concerns here is to somehow go about creating a ferris wheel using a stamp of a chef as the base as this particular nephew is planning on attending culinary school after he graduates this year from high school.
As you can see (and every pun intended here) I have more than a few things up my sleeve for this coming year!
Then, it's onto writing letters...!
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LOL, 'gg'! I'm totally lost with this, but nothing new about that! There's a reason I'm a curmudgeon (craft & other).
Anyhoo! I expect 2013 to continue to find me doing what I enjoy most with my stamps--exploring 'new' ways to explore using them as valuable tools for creativity without being concerned about using them as adjuncts in such categories as cardmaking or scrapping (to name only two). To explore stamps' potentional with an even wider variety of materials--hot glue, tape, craftfoam, metal, fabric, botanicals, etc. To boldly go... (How 'Star Trek' can you get?!
).While I have no disdain for the continued emphasis on 'paper crafts', I simply find it too limiting.
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This last comment spurred more discussion on Rubberstampmadness.
African Queen, also writing as Craft Curmududgeon clarified her comments and made a plea:
gg asked what our plans were for 2013. Mine continue to be urging stampers to explore stamping in (currently) non-traditional ways. And to urge stamp companies like ggd to offer goods & services that invite & encourage all of us to learn that we share a common spark--we need to create.
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• Are you interested in "other than" or "in addition to" stamping/crafting ideas? While not abandoning paper as our main emphasis, how would you like to incorporate other projects? Any you've already done that you are willing to share? Any you'd like to try if you had the support and some instruction?
• Letter writing--Do you still do it? If not, why not? African Queen mentioned letter writing and ggd received several "traditional Holiday handwritten letters" from friends. Would be disappointed, sad, if these were not forthcoming each holiday season. Though ggd sends an inordinate number of emails and spends considerable time editing and formatting them, we do not fool ourselves. They are a poor substitute for the arrival of a handwritten letter in your mail box. Even the computer generated ones we use, telling ourselves they are more legible, attractive and spelled correctly (thank you spell check!) the "by hand" versions are
still much more personal, somehow, loving.
Is there a way, using this blog, to encourage more hand written communication?
Didn't mean to write VOLUMES to start the year. Subsequent postings will be more succinct and with your help, feature you and your interests.
Happy New Year!
gg designs
Charlotte