Forgot to add that Walmart has the cutest foam stamps for 27 cents each. Things like footballs, scoccer balls, images of a little girl and boy, flowers, stars, hearts, moons, pets, animals, etc. They look to be just the right size for scrapbooks and are a LOT cheaper than rubber ones. They are located in clear canister type bins in the fabric dept. Penny

Had to change the rules on this a little to help accomodate some of the players. The only change is that you send in as many images as you want swapped out, they do not have to all be on one piece of paper, you can cut them apart, but the paper should still be white, and the image should still not be colored in, this way if more people join as the swap goes on, images can still be swapped out. This will let many of you use smaller sizes of scrap paper and if you don't have many stamps then you can still play. Love Penny

Sorry it's a little long, but-- You can draw directly onto your stamp to get specific colors where you want them, just be sure to use pens that are safe for scrapbooking and aren't permanent, you'll stain your stamp - start by drawing in the light colors first and working with the darkest color last. If your stamp dries out before you get to use it, breathe onto the rubber part of the stamp - the humidity in your breath will reinvigorate the ink. If you're going to be doing a lot of stamping at a time, get a clean sponge and wet it down with window cleaner, set it in a rubber container so you don't wet your work surface, then just stamp on your sponge when you're done making the image. If your sponge gets really saturated with color, run it through the dishwasher with your dishes the next time you run it. I have a spiral notebook with stamped images of every stamp that I own so that I can see if I have something that will work before I dig through my drawer of stamps since they aren't organized very well. Stamp in black or another solid color and you can fill it in later with colored pencil.

WOW! Great question!! Up until about a year ago I went to Crops quite regularly. The things that I really liked were: ~the expensive items were there for us to use, so that we didn't have to put out the money for something that we would use infrequently ~at each class the hostess would teach a new skill..stencilling, embossing, etc or she would hand out a instruction/idea sheet for layouts ~she had all the other supplies right there for us to buy as we worked, so if we needed just one sticker or a die cut etc, they were right there to purchase ~she charges $15 for a 6 hour crop (6-midnite) or 12 if paid three days in advance ~because of the hours, no one brings children..which is kinda nice, as we look at it as a moms time out. ~we always get a break half way thru for goodies and coffee The things that I would be looking for would be: PLENTY of room to work..sometimes her crops get a bit crowded and that can be frustrating ~music that keeps you moving, not fighting off sleep!! ~the hostess that I go to has TONS of supplies for us to use, and there is no extra charge for using these things..she has punches, stamps, stencils, large paper cutters, crimpers, ( I can't even think of all that she has there!!) Its just really convenient to know that we don't have to purchase all these things, as she will have them there. I think somewhere I may still have all my CM class information...maybe it will help you with some ideas..I'll see if I can find it if you think it might help. Good Luck!!!! ~Mar~