We are now in the last issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter -- and it makes me sad. I feel the need to share my Technique Junkie journey with you, so please bear with me. I well remember when my hubby and I retired. We moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to family and have better winter weather than we had in Upstate New York State near Albany. My entire collection of stamping friends (and many other friends) and a great stamp store were left behind. I had purchased or had subscribed to a number of stamping magazines. I was desperate to find a nitch in the stamping world to fit my needs here in Pennsylvania. I already knew there was a good stamp store in this area but I needed new stamping friends and new stamping inspiration. Every woman I met in our new neighborhood, I asked if they rubber stamped or scrapbooked. I only found one.
Pat Huntoon knows full well how much I have loved the Technique Junkie newsletter. But she doesn't know how I found my wonderful circle of friends here in my little town.
I had googled stamping magazines or stamping techniques from my totally unfinished computer office. Our ONLY computer was a desk top model back in 2003 so it was BIG. It was on my "desk" -- an unpacked box in our office. Somehow, up popped the website for Technique Junkie newsletter. I poked around a bit, but could not see any real tutorials but could see the gallery of cards. I could not figure out the "how" to create what I saw, and that frustrated me. At that time Pat Huntoon had a Six Month option for subscribing to the newsletter. So I tried it, and was hooked. I loved how the techniques were written clearly, how there were several samples for every technique, and how people shared their work so willing in their emails to the group. This was very exciting to me!
Then one day, some one posted a beautiful card using a technique I had never heard of. It was the Acetate and Tissue technique in one of the first two newsletters back in 2002. I posted a question -- "how do I do this?" The artist of the card did not answer. I had not even yet received my first newsletter so I didn't know you are not supposed to share the techniques in writing . But one lady, Carol Taggart, replied to me asking where I lived in Pennsylvania. When she learned I lived relatively close to her, she invited me to her home and she taught me how to do this. How wonderful to have a new friend and she stamped!! Afterwards, she invited me to come on over to another lady's home for a Stamping Wednesday session. These ladies stamped every Wednesday -- for hours and hours! How fun. And still today a group of stamping friends is active on Wednesdays. Most of the ladies have changed due to life's circumstances, but Carol and I are still going strong for our Wednesday Stamping adventures. So the Technique Junkie newsletter helped me in our new area to find a group of friends to stamp with. I am very grateful for the Technique Junkie newsletter for many reasons. I have found stamping friends are the best!
My own stamping skills have also greatly improved over the years. Isn't it illuminating to look back at the cards we made when we first started stamping? Growth is wonderful!
And now I will share with you about the card at the top of the post. I created a stencil with a snow flake punch and I worked a way at it. The verse at the bottom is a Palettini stamp from Technique Junkie Stamps on this web page - http://www.stampcamp.com/palettinistamps1.html.
Only a few more posts from newsletter techniques to go. I hope the Technique Junkie newsletter has inspired you at least as half as much as it has me over the years. I understand Pat's reasons for the end, but I will sure miss it. I would be interested to know how you found the Technique Junkie newsletter and what has it meant to you over the years.
Have a great stamping day!
Judy Jackson
