Crop & Create Sep 2024

Yes, wierd email from MFT. Such a great company at one time.

I will say, after watching some of the Meet and Greets.....one of my biggest "complaints" has been color combos, and the colors look much nicer in the videos than in the book or from the sneaks.

Taylor's cards look almost like totally different cards at least to me anyways. And the LDRS ones do too.

My Favorite Things is still the MFT you know and love, but we've taken a giant step back, almost to our beginnings to build into an even better MFT.

Sometimes, you have to go back to move forward, and that quote is very apropos for us right now.

It may take some time to work out the kinks, but you know we will, AND we will soon be having a small release as well!

We are sure you have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them and let you know our path forward. If you have questions not covered in this newsletter, please email hello@mftstamps.com.

After the pandemic, starting in 2021, we all know our industry started to slide a bit as we had supplier issues, and the world began to navigate a new way forward. We did as well, banking on our industry popping back in place fairly quickly, but it didn't. By that point, MFT was a relatively sizeable small business with many bills and a heavy payroll. In the years following the pandemic, we couldn't continue to support everything the way we wanted. It seemed I couldn't make cuts as quickly as the industry was, and in fairness to all the amazing MFT staff, it was me who faltered most. I sank into a deep depression, rarely leaving my bedroom. I've been open about my mental health struggles on my social media pages, and every word was true. My staff picked up the balls I dropped as best they could, but the damage was done. The stress of feeling responsible for so many families was more than I could bear, mentally and emotionally.

We have tried to play catch up the past couple of years, making cuts where we thought we could, but not seeming to ever get to a place where we could easily run things, easily afford things, and the joy of MFT and what it represented was lost.

Now, MFT is a microcosm of what it once was, but yet it feels like freedom to me. I've loved packing your orders (I know there have been some orders I've forgotten jellybeans, and I'm so sorry!), blasting the new Taylor Swift album as loud as I want. I've loved answering your customer service emails, although I'm woefully behind (I will catch up, though, I promise). I'm learning more each day and feeling relaxed more each day as the only people we are responsible to are YOU.

So what's in store? We have a mini-release coming within the next few weeks. I don't have a date yet but I will communicate it as soon as I do. :-)

Why haven't I gotten a return email and why is my order taking longer to ship? That's an easy question to answer, and the answer is that it's my fault. I'm learning software I'm not accustomed to and learning tasks I've not done in years and to put it mildly am not totally excelling at it right away. Sigh.

I do, however, have a slippery grip on them and by the end of next week will have everything caught up. I'll do a live or reel next week so you can see our cool but complex order packing system at work. You can virtually spend some time with me at the warehouse!

Will you be restocking sold-out products? Absolutely! That's apriority. We do have a small release and then a fall release but my priority will be restocking over releases. Our warehouse is looking very sad right now.

Why are you sharing this with me? Because YOU are MFT. And I'd like you to help me carve out our new MFT. It's my intention not to be so release crazy, not so sales crazy (we will still have occasional sales though) not so crazy in general. Back to the days of MFT that I got to feel all of your hearts and you got to feel mine. Not a back-to-business approach but a back-to-happy crafting approach.

Life has been plenty stressful for the whole world these last few years, right? For all of us. How about we get back to the thing that brought us all here together in the first place; crafting. MFT was built on the construct that we are family. THAT is what has been missing for me and what I intend to bring back for all of us. The love of people and products that bring us JOY.

I hope you'll join me in creating this new yet long-ago specialness that made MFT the magical place it is: the joy, the kindness, and all the LOVE your crafty heart can hold.

Are you ready for it?

I had to. IYKYK for all my TS fans out there. <3

I've been watching the Meet and greets and they are very helpful for the homework. I agree, Taylor's cards look so much prettier in the videos.

I am glad Libby is working at Pink & Main now though not at this event. Pink and Main was quite generous with their class kit.

Yeah the MFT email is a bit much. I used to purchase their card making kits. The sentiments they have are pretty unique.

I hopefully plan to finish the homework before the event starts. Anyone finish their homework yet?

I'm thinking the same thing. I really like the Honeybee card with the cabinet but after cutting out all those pieces I doubt I would make another one.

Sounds like they're having a one-day event February 8th with Jennifer McGuire - something about "sharing handmade kindness." And the two big card events - they'll be three days, less classes and hopefully cost less too.

I don't mind the 4 day events because it's fun but once a year is plenty for me. I really love the one day events too because they are easy to prepare and finish.

I finally finished the homework and it wasn't too bad. I forgot who posted it but thanks for the idea of putting all the dies on magnetic sheets first. It makes everything run more smoothly. The Honeybee stamps kit I thought would take longer but it didn't. The set is so cute and easy to put together. I appreciate the guides and video.

However, I am not really a fan of the Spellbinders kit, maybe I'll like it once I complete it. I couldn't find a window die for the Picket Fence cards, so I'll think of something. I am also still kind of annoyed that they have 2 elements as their focal point in their card and they didn't include any of it.

I will attempt to make every card this year. Last year, I was sick and didn't have time to prepare and never got around to finishing about 5 classes. I should go back and finish them up.

A pedicure that matches the teal logo.

Because the stencils are part of a suite that will be released at the end of the LDRS class. They want us to purchase. Which I get is a strategy for praticipating in this type of event. Fustrating though. Adding the gilding paste was irritating too.  The thought of coloring the whole background of that card black with a marker is killing me as well.  Can't we swipe black ink on the embossing folder to get the same thing?

Working through the homework, and changing up all the colors is wearing me out.

The Lawn Fawn, I just cannot even do Christmas with the color pallete on her cards.  Cute.  Not for me. Not a mice fan either.  Or a coloring fan, LOL.  Trying to decide whether to change to Christmas colors and papers, or keep colors as-is and change the stamps and die cuts out to non-Christmas.

Totally swapped out the Pink and Main colors and designs.  Still doing shakers, just totally different color.  

Reworked the Scrapbook dot com cards too.   ETA: Those dies are so so tedious!!!!  I am still jet lagged from being out of the country, so insomnia is my life at the moment.  Worked on those bear toes at about 1:30 am Saturday night.  TE-DI-OUS.  But so cute.  And I was able to successfully edit the die cuts to eliminate the party hats and clothing accessories. 

Still excited, though, becuase even with all the changes, I am in my craft space working and playing, and my creative juices are flowing.  Bad timing for me, as I have ended up with a crap-ton of non craft things to do this week and will prob not be able to do all the classes live.  But that's Ok.

I did the SB.com homework today. So many itty bitty pieces. I left the muzzle off the bear and the tiny paw pads. I couldn't be bothered with it and it is still looks fine. I'll probably tackle another one or two classes tomorrow. My goal is to complete at least one class per day during the event and then get straight to work on the PF Holiday event. Three events back to back is a little insane.

I rarely get to do the classes live and I think I am an event or two behind. someday! sigh!

Im on a cruise those dates so it wont work for me.  I skipped this one so I could maybe do the next.