A Warm Hello and New Label Tulip Features!

Hello Label Tulip fans! Wow, I cannot believe the day has finally arrived, my dream career has come true! It seems like only yesterday that I was having my first conversation with Cathy about owning Label Tulip and now here I am! I cannot tell you what an honor and privilege it is to be here to serve all of you; I really mean that, it truly is a privilege to continue providing the level of quality and service you have come to love each month in Label Tulip and our kits. I feel like the luckiest pink-haired girl in the world! I have spent the last several weeks training with Cathy, Label Tulip's previous owner, so that I can continue to run Label Tulip as amazingly as she has for the past two years. Cathy has been a teacher, confidant, and friend these past several weeks and I cannot thank her enough for the exquisite training she has provided to me. Cathy, THANK YOU and I know all of the fans will miss you; I hope you will come say hi every now and then!

Many of you are probably wondering who I am and what I plan to do with Label Tulip; good questions! As for who I am, I'll tell you a little bit about me now, and I know that as you spend time with me here at the Blog and on the Label Tulip forum, you will get to to know me very well. I believe that Scrapbooking is from the very heart and soul of each one of us, and there's just now way I can run a Scrapbooking kit club without sharing my heart and soul with all of you. I look forward to getting to know all of you and I know that I'm destined to make lots of great life-long friends.

About Me

I grew up in Atlanta, GA as an only child with divorced parents. Having a large amount of "solitude" seemed to nurture a creative mind; I spent a lot of time participating in theater both on stage and off as a young person and throughout my teenage years. I spent the latter part of my high school years in the darkroom where I grew to love the art of Photography and everything to do with it (this was in the days before digital!). I graduated from college with a BA in Film and Television and was all set to work in the film production industry when I discovered that I really didn't have the heart for the "cut-throat" personality the industry seems to demand. So, I went to work in the IT industry, following in the footsteps of my computer-geeky Dad. I worked for IBM for a number of years, during which time I met my future husband; he was living here in Austin, and as I worked my way up the company, I traveled out here more and more to meet with my managers and teams. I finally decided to leave the city I had lived in for over twenty years and took a leap of faith and moved out here to Austin in September of 2000, exactly 9 years ago! My husband proposed shortly thereafter, and the rest is history. I continued to work in the IT industry and found Scrapbooking about 3 years ago after I burned out on my jewelry-making hobby. I fell in love instantly; the beautiful papers, the sparkly embellishments, and the appreciation for a wonderful and memorable photograph all instantly made me realize that this was more than a hobby, and it was here to stay. Last year I lost my job two weeks after returning from maternity leave; my second child, Izzie, was born with severe reflux and was still in the NICU because she wasn't eating; it was a terrible time. During my unemployed days I created paper art more and more until one day, late last year, I realized I have to be in this industry. I knew that with my background in photography and film, internet technology, and my love for the craft would be a perfect fit for this business. And now here I am! I currently live in Austin, TX with my husband, 2 beautiful daughters Sophie (almost 6) and Izzie (19 months), and...get ready...5 cats, 3 dogs, and too many fish to count!

What's New for Label Tulip (including some important news!) **Giveaway**!!

As for Label Tulip, we have some amazing new services coming your way! This month I am introducing the "Etsy Extra"; each month we will feature an Etsy Artist right alongside our Guest Designer and each main kit will contain the artist's one-of-a-kind handmade item exclusively for the Label Tulip kit! It's hard to keep September's beautiful Etsy Extra a secret much longer, so I know I'm going to have to post a Sneak Peek soon! Additionally, starting in October, we will be carrying on with Danielle's card kits that she used to make for another kit club that is now closed -- this is exciting news for our Label Tulip card-making customers! Each month, in addition to our main kit and any add-on kits, we will feature a card kit that contains all the supplies to make several cards; as a bonus, each card kit will also come with a link to Danielle's beautiful cards and complete directions on how to make them. Stay tuned in September for more information on the card kits, we're so excited to be able to being this feature with Danielle! Also, although we will forever be first and foremost a Scrapbooking club, our Design Team will begin to feature a few projects that are atypical of your basic layout; after all, it's not just Scrapbooking, but Paper Art! Look for some amazing new designs in September, October, and every month -- I hope they bring you oodles of inspiration! And speaking of the Design Team...stay tuned! There might just be an announcement in the next few days about a Design Team Call...check back here to the Blog for all the details this week!

Also, please look for Label Tulip to be featured this week on Amy's Paper Life! We are so honored and excited to be highlighted on Amy's blog; she has such a passion and talent for everything paper, and holds many of the same beliefs and values that I do regarding the art of papercrafting. And don't be surprised if you find a Label Tulip giveaway lurking around her Blog (wink!).

In closing, I just like to say thank you for the amazing warm welcome so many have you have already sent my way. I am so blessed and lucky to be able to have this opportunity, I cannot wait to get to know each and every one of you! I encourage you all to join us in the Message Boards if you haven't already; we have a great online community at Label Tulip and it's growing by the day. I'd like to think we have the best, most talented, and sweetest group around! Please feel free to share your comments below as I always welcome any communication whether it be a hello or a friendly suggestion. I will be back to the Blog soon, so don't forget to check here tomorrow or Thursday for a VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT...'til then, HUGS!

Jennifer

Winners

Thank you all for posting and I'm so happy with your comments; you are going to be very happy with September's kit !

Cathy's Farewell contest winners are:

Nichole wrote: you will be miss cathy... but enjoy the next phase of life.
and welcome jennifer! i would love to see more sassafrass and my favorite part of the kits is always the non-traditional stuff... not necessarily for scrapbooking.

Shannon Hatfield wrote: I'm sad to see you go but I wish you all the luck in the world Cathy! I would love to see the new Jillibean Soup in future kits!

Please email me at info@labeltulip.com with your mailing addresses! I will notify Cathy to send you your kits!