Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

85 comments:

  1. LMAO at the previous "made them with her feet" comment!

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  2. She has been gunning hard for a DT gig at PTI for a long time now, I thought that was pretty clear? Good for her if she is added, but I rarely feel inspired by her designs and usually, and I know it's horrible, but if I see her name attached to anything I roll my eyes and move on, she is _everywhere_

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  3. Also, did anyone else have to re-read the line Nichole wrote about Debbie Olsen leaving "step away from her responsibilities with us", curious choice of words, step away from her "responsibilities", I think they should count themselves lucky that she stayed as long as she did, I personally feel that any PTI DT member is aware of the damage the association could have on their reputation when the next inevitable shit storm hits.

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  4. I'll miss Debbie's cards. She could definitely rock the Copics!

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  5. People predicted here for a long time that Debbie would leave the company - suggesting that she was smart enough to bail back when the %(#& was hitting the fan on a regular basis. But she stayed until things have sort of leveled off as far as drama goes - but I think it's really coincidence. She has a lot of stuff going on and PTI has to be getting old for her by now. I loved her cards but it's kind of like Lizzie showing 3 or 4 photos of the same thing -- I don't really need to see a step by step coloring tutorial for every single card.

    I noticed the other day that the order of the photos in the sidebar changed - Ashley used to be at the top. Wondered if that meant she was out.

    I don't really get the mini-DT - who is it?... Lexi, Lizzie, Tiffany? I mean, just be straightforward - they're on the DT or they're not. When I saw the 2014 DT members photos, I thought - oh, that makes sense, no more Lizzie or Lexi...

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  6. It's a little weird to be getting all of these emails from Papertrey, especially since I rarely visit the forum. They are definitely sending to all registered users of the forum, not just the frequent visitors.

    I think this is actually a pretty good idea if they follow through on the prizes. Active fans who are familiar with the products and, for the next contest, those who make a lot of PTI cards should do well. It's a fun way to encourage more participation and reward loyal customers.

    I'm thinking there will be a 7% off sale and even though that isn't a huge deal, I may just pick up a few sets this time around.

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  7. I am registered and haven't gotten a single email.

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  8. Check your spam folder? Or ask on the forum - tell them you heard people are getting email with a heads up as to the next day's contest and ask them to get you on the email list.

    I remember last night's email -- apparently it would have been a race this a.m. to be the first to give the correct answer, so if you want to play along it's an advantage to get the email.

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  9. Lizzie, Lexi, and Tiffany are just stamp designers who join releases that are showcasing their new sets. I wouldn't call them a mini DT...

    And I think those forum contests are way too fussy to be bothered with. I guess if you have nothing better to do... Especially the one with the 21 stamp sets. Who has time to go through all of their projects and figure out if it uses that stamp set?!

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  10. Really, are personal attacks necessary or even valuable by any means? That comment wasn't the least bit amusing, in my opinion, just completely mean spirited.

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  11. Um, which comment?

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  12. the forum contests are quite time consuming and meant to reward the big time PTI buyer and someone with time to post links to their own cards. I'm not that person but PTI can reward anyone they want. the forum is very very important to them because it generated most of their sales in the past or so i was told. i say more power to them thye are working hard to improve sales. that is the way it is supposed to work. let's see if all the forum activitiy lasts after the anniversary stuff is over.

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  13. The idea of offering older stamp sets as made-to-order at a higher price seems a bit strange. When I saw the prices as doubled, I had to read it a few times more carefully. Seems highly unlikely anyone would ever order those. It's a good idea not to carry inventory for older sets, but why not retire the sets and sell out remaining stock?

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  14. Wow. Most companies just retire the old stuff. But no, PTI wants to find a way to make even MOAR money from it! Who is going to be that desperate, to pay double? Oh wait, I forgot about fools on ebay, hahaha. I guess the folks running PTI have a pretty high opinion of those stamps, to think they will fetch ebay-style omgimusthaveit prices, instead of just quietly fading into oblivion because nobody will be dumb enough to pay double. Or they just don't care if nobody ever orders them again...

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  15. Bravo to them for the idea! I think it's a great compromise.

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  16. I'd rather see them retire them than do this money-grab custom option. That's about the dumbest thing ever.

    On the upside, I'm happy to see Betsy get a chance to design! I think she's the most creative of the bunch. And Maile is not on the designer list? I think I've only bought Nichole or Maile sets. Never any Erin, Lizzie, Lexi, or Tiffany for sure. I know Maile is busy with her new baby, but that's a big hole in their catalog. I don't think anyone on their current list can fill that hole.

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  17. In true PTI style it is again about the $$$$$$$. The Vault is the most stupid thing ever.

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  18. The Vault. What a dumb ass pretentious name. I guess it's appropriate though because it only opens for $$$$$$$.

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  19. I don't have a problem with the Vault. PTI doesn't have to carry the stock of something that doesn't sell at high volume, but it's still available if someone just has to have it. Everyone will have freedom of choice as to whether they want to pay for it or not.

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  20. But the point is that doing it at all just reinforces the idea that they are clueless about their image.

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  21. Stupid like foxes. This is a marketing technique taught in every basic marketing class. If you have something no one wants, make them think it is going away AND that it is worth more money than they thought. Then the company makes a bunch of them at regular price, but charges the consumer double. It is done all the time.

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  22. I'm sure they are not going to just make a lot at the regular price. Stamps have an initial fee for setup and are then priced by volume. Yes, they've got that initial fee covered now - and have had for years - but made-to-order is going to cost a lot more to produce.

    This speaks more to their ego than money grubbing. They have a lot of sets that are not selling (c'mon, we all could've predicted what a lot of them were going to be), so the odds of anyone wanting to special order it is extremely rare, especially at a premium. (And for those in the know, the odds of having confidence in PTI to even remember to fulfill and ship a special order are even slimmer.)

    I do suspect that they will clear out a lot of inventory by giving these sets a retiring deadline. But have you EVER seen a stamp company effectively retiring stamps and NOT put them on sale?! Of course, you see, here is the other logic to the decision. By putting them in the "Vault" and saying that they can be purchased special order in the future, they can justify not putting them on sale. Then, if any don't sell, they will still get the premium price for those even if they are already sitting in their warehouse. This is game-playing and we all know they've got that down pat.

    And this was laughable: "...we have well over 700 stamp sets in inventory..." Yes, well over, indeed. A few months ago, I was curious about some of the older sets so did the old put-a-large-quantity-in-your-cart trick. Many sets with hundreds remaining in stock. She must have pulled that number out of thin air (or *wink, wink* their 7th year - jeesh).

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  23. Oh I think *they* think they're pulling one over on us, but no one wants that old stuff! As said above, they are not marking up the price when the current stock runs out, they are do it on a certain date. That means sets that they paid regular price for are going to sell for 2X as much. It would have been better business to 1) put them on sale until sold out and 2) put the new prices up only when they have sold out. Now they just look like jerks.

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  24. Ummm - the "over 700 stamp sets in inventory" refers to the number of different stamp sets for sale in the store which they have to stock at the warehouse. According to their website, they currently have 746 different stamp sets for sale.

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  25. Once again, some people are never happy. PTI had stated long ago that they didn't intend to retire any sets. So now that the number has gotten quite large, they have a way to manage it without retiring any sets.

    The choice is entirely up to the consumer on whether or not to buy a Vaulted item. If these sets had gotten retired, people on here would have been screaming about that, too. Sheesh!

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  26. I would not have any problems with them retiring sets. It makes good business sense to do so. Some of those sets now look dated and others, well, let's just say that I, even in my most PTI-obsessed days, wouldn't buy some of that "artwork'.

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  27. 1:14 - I'm 12:59, and agree with you. But, since it's out there that no sets are retiring, if they then changed and retired sets, some people would scream at the top of their lungs about deception and lies. For those particular people, PTI is in a no-win situation, damned if they do and damned if they don't.

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  28. PTI is not damned if they do, damned if they don't. They intentionally make bone head business moves and people call them out on it.

    I don't care if they retire the sets and never offered them again. It's totally reasonable. Just let everyone know they are being retired and when they sell out, they are gone.

    I do have issue with them choosing a specific date for retirement. If a retired set does not sell out by the 15th, will you still have to pay the double price after that date (even though PTI paid the regular price)? That's bad business.

    Personally, I think they have chosen this arbitrary retirement date so they can artificially boost sales until that date and they can make more $ after that date. I think they don't want to just say "we will sell until it sells out" because then everyone will see how s-l-o-w those sets are selling. All smoke and mirrors I tell you.

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  29. I think it's actually quite smart of them to go "the vault" route. First, they initially said they would never retire a set. It was their "thing". They aren't going back on their work even though they have a crazy amount of sets now. Second, since it is technically still available, designers can get away with using those sets for publications and such. Third, by warning of the price INCREASE rather than a pending sale, they are all but guaranteeing that their current stock will sell out. Say what you will, there really is some marketing genius involved. There is something to be said about arrogance when it comes to successfully running a business. I don't think any other craft company could have weathered the shit storm that PTI has gone through.

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  30. Some of the sets aren't that old... like Baby Face. I wonder what the stamp designers think of this new way of selling sets?

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  31. Think they will receive double commissions? Watch them start promoting them heavily on their blogs. (I don't know whether they earn commissions on every sale of their sets or not.)

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  32. I don't, either. I find this whole "vault" thing weird. PTI shoots themselves in the foot by making statements that they can't get out of, like "we won't every retire anything". Just retire them! They. Aren't. Selling.

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  33. I bet they'll sell now.

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  34. Lol, you are probably right. They are tricky little buggers, by not putting *anything* on sale EVER! They just raise the price of their stamps that don't sell!

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  35. It doesn't matter if customers are threatened with a price increase. No one wants those sets. If people didn't buy then when the sale was on, why would they buy them now? PTI would give up a $ to earn a nickel. Makes no sense.

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  36. Forget the vault, double price increase, etc.

    I am upset that:
    (1) they did not include the links to the vault sets!
    (2) the prices increase at 9:59 pm on the 15th.

    So if you want any, you can't add them to your order on release night. You will have to pay shipping twice. I definitely can't do that with PTI's international shipping rates.

    But maybe I will go and look up a few. Sounds like these sets were never good sellers to begin with.

    PTI never ceases to amaze me with their bad business decisions and/or crappy communications to customers.

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  37. PTI,
    You are not Disney. Enough said.

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  38. LOL at the Disney comment!

    The fact that people didn't buy them to begin with makes me think that it's all ego -- oh, look at us, we never "retire" a set.

    I do think they should have said that once they are GONE, then it would be a special order and not set a specific date. Absolutely, they will have some leftover that they can then sell at double the price (if they remember to dig them up and sell them 4 to 6 weeks later to keep up appearances).

    If I had time on my hands, I'd check some of the quantities just to satisfy my curiosity..... but I'm not THAT curious, lol!

    Thanks to whoever clarified that they have a LIST of over 700 stamp sets that they sell. I read it wrong, too - as if they were saying they had to clear out over 700 individual stamp sets. At least THAT statement makes more sense now.

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  39. There is a link in the website where all of the vault sets are so you can see them all. If you click on stamps you can search by release, by category, etc....There is now a Vault link too.

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  40. It's the "9:59 p.m. on the 15th" that irritates me. Why not at least let people add these sets to their release night order before putting the price up? I doubt that many will sell in the next few days. Those sets are not pretty.

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  41. The latest data from the FDIC show banks taking in net income of $34.5 billion in the second quarter of 2012, that’s up $5.9 billion from from the second quarter of 2011.

    More notably, banks have been reporting net income in the $25 to $35 billion range consistently every quarter since 2011–levels not seen since 2007. In the third quarter last year net income passed the $35 billion mark reaching $35.2 billion. The last time banks reported levels like that was in the second quarter of 2007.

    You want something to complain about? Complain about your taxes bailing out, funding, and lending money interest-free to an industry that makes 34.5 Billion dollars a year in profit.

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  42. The good ones were not bailed out. The bad ones should not have been bailed out.
    Bet you had money in those ones!

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  43. They were all owned by the same people.

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  44. One nice thing about the Vault - the resale value of those sets just went up. Anyone who owns them should be able to sell them on the forum for more than what they paid.

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  45. I had a few of those sets .. .... they are long gone. Sold cheap or wouldn't sell so I donated them.

    Now, I do agree that down the road - maybe a year or two? - someone new is going to spot those Vault sets and go looking for them used. But used will still devalue it a bit. I'm guessing that you may be able to sell an originally $24 set for $24 or $30 if someone really wants it.

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  46. I think I will have a yard sale this weekend and mark all my stuff double what I paid retail. Yeah, that would be smart.

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  47. She said "the good ones" when talking about banks.

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  48. Has there been any sign of the chick that begged all the stamping supplies for the middle school kids for an "art" class?

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  49. ribbon share girl?

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  50. I completely forgot about this! The Stamping Getaway

    http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2012/02/stamping-getaway-with-tracey-cuccia.html

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  51. Yes, Ribbon Share Girl. I forgot her other alias,

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  52. 7:08 & 10:19 are the morons.

    "Good ones" = well managed with ethical business practices
    "Bad ones" = bad managers and unethical business practices

    It is the "bad ones" that are owned by the same people.

    In any case, if these posters had any money in the "bad ones", they would not have been against the bailouts. Or they would lose all their own money. They obviously had no dog in that race.

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  53. 5:34 am, what was your point? Nichole did something nice as a prize. Not a fan, but the woman can't seem do anything without someone criticizing her.

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  54. Without going in to specifics, I just have to say that Claire Brennan is a truly good person.

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  55. I have made fun of SAF in the past but I have to say that I like the theme. I wonder if they will manage a cool set to go with it.

    And I've also criticized PTI's product releases and even mentioned awhile back that I thought they should stick to cardstock and ink (but will it ever be great?) -- and that's what they're doing with the addition of the pattern packs which I think are really popular. And then a very good idea to add more products for popular colors.

    As a faithful naysayer, I have to admit that PTI is getting something right here.

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  56. I was only thinking about Ribbon Share girl (Kathie?) the other day, I'd love to know what happened there.

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  57. The are adding pattern packs in what colors?

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  58. ^^Are you unable to read?^^

    "We will be initially introducing just the cardstock, pattern packs and ink in the new hues, with the possibility of other coordinating products coming in the future after the popularity of the color is established. This will give us the opportunity to release more colors in the three basic products you use most."

    They have only announced Tropical Teal so far.

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  59. I am sorry. Can you direct me to the post on this blog that I missed with that announcement? I honestly did not see it.

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  60. 6:42 You can find it on Nichole's blog.

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  61. Remember 6:42 'Google is my friend'...

    http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/

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  62. I don't read Nichole's blog. Her grammar, spelling, etc. annoy me too much.

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  63. Then don't be surprised if you don't always know what's going on in pti land.

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  64. So to post on this blog and wonder about things you are required to read Nichole and the DT's blogs, every post on the forum, and what else?

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  65. I would also 3:08. I can't remember if she ever acknowledged even one package.

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  66. I think RSG is long gone.

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  67. Or has a new identity on the boards.

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  68. 7:23 pm,
    Given that the new release is being discussed, you could have at least checked and read the release posts yourself. We don't have time to spoonfeed you.

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  69. What does everything think of the new color, Tropical Teal?

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  70. I love SU's old Taken With Teal. I wonder how this compares to that.

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  71. No one ask any questions here. I repeat there will be a quiz on whether you read the blogs,forums, etc. If you miss something after all those hours of reading it is on you, you irresponsible person.

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  72. Yeah, I kind of think that since it is release time and people here are going to be referencing things on the blog, it would make a lot of sense to read it. Or if you see a comment here that piques your interest, then at least go there to see what people are talking about. It's not rocket science.

    And besides, sometimes people misread what's on the blog - you should really just read it yourself rather than rely on secondhand information. I've been guilty of misreading something and then commenting on it here - and been (gladly) corrected by other smackers. Like the "more than 700" sets... and I misunderstood things about the DT too. So if you read my comments here and not the blog, you'd have had the wrong info.

    I don't especially enjoy reading her blog either - misspellings, misuse of words, improper grammar, and I think today there was even a word left out of a sentence. It's really irritating. But I do want to know what's going on so I'll just shake my head and muddle through it.

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  73. Everyone's been saying that PTI needs blues and greens, so I guess this fits both categories. And isn't this teal the Pantone color of the year or something? (Please tell me we are not going to be reliving the '80s?!?!)

    I think it looks like a nice color but I don't buy PTI colors anymore.

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  74. 10:29 - I think the new Pantone color of the year is a yucky (in my opinion) purple-orchid color, and I'm seeing it everywhere. And I do like the new teal color.

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  75. I'd like to see a comparison next to Memento's Teal Zeal.

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  76. Oh, that's right - last year was some kind of emerald green. Thanks for the correction. I checked out the purple color. Not big on purple in general but I like it better than last year's!

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  77. 10:43 again - I loved 2013's emerald green! But I tend to like jewel colors - emerald, brilliant blue, red, etc - at least in clothing. Maybe not as much for cards.

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  78. Pantone color is magenta. Ick!

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  79. ^^^ It's not magenta. It's Radiant Orchid (a medium purple-pink).
    http://www.pantone.com/pages/index.aspx?pg=21129

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  80. I haven't been into the pocket pages yet but I'm going to - I think Heather's kits will be a lot of fun. I can easily work this into my monthly budget. Wouldn't get albums or pocket pages from them - I bet they don't keep a lot of it in stock and it's pretty easy to find that stuff.

    But Nichole did rub me the wrong way with her "old ATC" comment. Um... hey, Nichole... people are still really active with ATCs - they just aren't YOUR people. I thought her little remark was really rude.

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  81. $8 journaling die? Too lazy to cut a square and round the corners?

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  82. Oh yeah - I like the stamp sets and journaling cards but not into stupid dies. So it will cost me even less!

    I think it's kind of funny how she makes a big deal about being able to buy the kit when it doesn't save you any money. If the kit was even a few dollars less, I'd buy it and maybe use the dies after all. Kwim?

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  83. WTH? Any other company would have taken a few dollars off the kit price.
    PTI just adds all the individual prices together. Because they are saving you a few clicks at release time.
    SMH

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