New Stamps coming to the {JOFY} Xmas Collection

Well you all know how deeply opposed I am to tackling Christmas too early. I regularly tell magazines and others to shut up on twitter when they start going on and on about Xmas releases in August

For me, it is something we don't need to read about in magazines until mid-October at the soonest, and yet I have already had magazines cover to cover full of Christmas projects come across my desk in recent weeks, which actually annoys me beyond belief. Christmas becomes less of a special family time, and more of a commercial head ache. I object!

We have also observed on the TV shopping channels already exploit the theme in recent months to boost up the summer sales which is generally considered to be a slow time in the Northern Hemisphere calendar for our industry. ummm guys....It's SUMMER!

Surely it makes far more sense to come up with summer relevant products that actually fit the weather, time of year and outdoors vibe in May/ June/ July/ August ??? .... but then, as you know... I am one for stating the obvious! And obviously I am reaching that cynical, middle aged, grumpy phase where stating the  obvious is my professional duty and responsibility ! *slaps forehead*

To me Christmas is a special, enjoyable family time. I must say, after years of hot Christmases in New Zealand (which are kind of odd - but have their own magical up-side...boxing day on the beach is never to be scoffed at!) ....but I admit it.... I really love the freeezing cold, dark Christmases of the Northern Hemisphere where we snuggle up, hunker down, jammies-on-all-day in front of the fire with a belly ho amazeballs dinner, a bit of a panto, spot of singing at a carol service, warm, spiced wine, mince pies and I'm happy as larry. That is the essence of Christmas to me.

 

Xmas hanging sign by Jo Firth-Young

So I for one do not want to be sucked into its commercialism, spending more than necessary on stuff we don't really need. Yes, give gifts and say hello to friends with simple, cards but we can do all this wisely, and in a considered fashion, and in meaningful ways without having to re-mortgage the house for it.  There can be a real pressure on families to 'keep up with the Jones-es' at Christmas time, and I say lets rebel ! 

Simple, effective Xmas cards by Jo Firth-Young

There are ways to do special Christmas things for special folk without spending a fortune, and without losing a month or two's salary in the process! For example,. look at this fantastic wreath below, made by Jo last year. Its not massive, and a few dies cuts, all painted white, with stars embellished with old buttons, and its gorgeous! I'm sure she picked up the wreath itself for a couple of pounds, and then painted and decorated it.

Elegant wreath by Jo Firth-Young

For me, I would just like families and friends to enjoy each others company. The chance to get together with friends of old, have a lot of good times, plenty of laughs, some good food, and a bit of Christmas tellybox is the magic of Christmas.

Same dies as above, this time with gold accents, and an unusual pennant design By Jo

So as a manufacturer of stamps, we are constantly being asked from June onwards by the shops selling our brand, when are your new Chrtistmas designs coming out? I try not to groan, as I know they are going to need stuff to plan classes, stock levels and so on from early September but in June-August, my grumpy reply, is 'we are not talking about it until  school goes back in the Autumn sometime' ...or... 'when I'm ready' !! LOL

So that time has arrived, where I am slipping in an informational blog post, mainly for our shops, that is Christmas relevant.....

I know many of you adore getting ready early for Chritmas too, and if you are on a budget, then certainly to start some preparation now certainly eases the financial pressure. Take the sample below. The 4x6" canvases are only £2.20 and I bet you have the bits to do the rest and an appropriate Christmas image. As our canvases are chunky, they can stand alone on a mantlepiece, and make a great display to decorate a table, room or hallway. But also these would make great teacher gifts too!

Kraft card, painted, stamped, and simply embellished on a white canvas, By Jo F-Y

I'm thinking our little 4x4" chunky canvases would be perfect decorated this way for table place-name settings too, and the 'people' can take theirs home. You can see all the existing Xmas stamps that Jo released this time last year here, there are 8 large plates (JOFY01-JOFY08), and 8 minis (JM01-JM08).

But of course, the point of this blog post is to announce what is new for 2013 Christmas, so our shops can start ordering, and stock up, and plan their Xmas classes. So I am sure no matter what your opinion of mentioning seasonal 'stuff' at this time of the year, that perhaps you might like a little nosey sneaky peeky of what is coming up??? 

Please note that Jo deliberately designs some images that could be used for other times of the year (presents, hearts, cupcakes etc)

We have 8 new minis (JM25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)

 

 and 4 large A5 plates (JOFY17, 18, 19, 20) 
 

Please, take a moment to leave a comment for Jo, the last 2 days on the blog have been a well deserved tribute to her and her gorgeous unique design-style. She loves to see what you do with her images, and getting all your feedback is also a real buzz.

From Mark and I, a big congratulations with this new release Jo, its our absolute pleasure to work with you and bring your designs to the world. xx

Mark and Leandra

{PS. I know you are all going to immediately ask when, when, when can we get them??? We are commencing manufacture this week. 

As usual, our priority is to supply our trade only customers first over the next few weeks, so please, google for a supplier of JOFY stamps near you.  We ship them all over the world to numerous countries. Ask your local stamp store to contact us, and we will determine if they are eligible to be a JOFY stockist. 

Please note: we only supply VAT/GST registered businesses (or the equivalent of a sales-tax registered company in any given international territory), and we prefer that our stockists have online AND bricks and mortar presence, AND that they teach classes regularly}