Vanilla Beans: Eight Days a Week
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We’re past Memorial Day here in the US which means no matter what the calendar or the weatherman says, it’s officially summer.
Please be sure to read the announcement below for an important summer message.
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
Some of you are new to me in the past few weeks or months.
Some of y’all have been hanging with me every Saturday for years.
But what you may not know is that I’m basically a one woman show.
I’ve had official assistants and helpers in the past but not since late 2022. Now, I do everything myself with just a little help from Lynne who sweetly moderates the forums, Audrey does the color palettes, Katie answers email once a week, and Avery edits the YouTube videos.
Other than that, it’s just me, myself, and I.
And I quite literally work 7 days a week.
Because I don’t have the option of adding an 8th day to the week, when it comes time to work on big projects, something’s gotta give.
I have FOUR major projects in the works and I need time to push each one through development and launch. To find both mental space and daylight hours for these very important projects, some of which could save my business AND my sanity… I’ve got to set a few of my regular tasks on the backburner.
Beans Newsletter will be on hiatus for the summer.
No YouTube Livestreams in June, but I will post regular videos.
For Beans, starting next week, I’ll run refreshed versions of previous color related articles— stuff you either missed the first time or probably want to read and think about again. Fresh Color Theory articles will resume in September.
Look for the Amy Updates at the top to confirm I’m not dead.
And hang tight because there’s some truly amazing stuff coming your way soon!
NEW VIDEO
If clicking above does not begin the video, click here to watch it at YouTube.
IF YOU LIKED TODAY’S BEANS & VIDEOS, SUPPORT FUTURE FREE LESSONS:
UPCOMING EVENTS
THE BLEND: NEW 6 MONTH SCHEDULE
I’ll be launching a new 12 week course this summer. The plan is to run the one for six months, then close and open the other for six months. Always one on, one off.
THE BLEND WILL CLOSE ON JUNE 31
And if you’re paying attention, this kinda tells you when the new course is set to launch.
The Blend will RE-OPEN for enrollment on January 1, 2025
Current Blend Students: Nothing changes.
If you’re currently working through The Blend now, nothing changes. You will ALWAYS have complete access to all lessons and the forum.
I’m only halting new purchases.
MY ADVICE:
If you definitely want to do The Blend this summer, go ahead and sign up. You can work the lessons at your own pace, as usual.
If you’re currently working Blend lessons but want to take a break, consider starting up again in January with the new cohort. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.
If you know you’ll do better with maximum peer interaction, wait to enroll until January.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK:
SUPER WIPES + SUPER WIPE DISPENSER
An eagle eyed person spotted this in the background of a video and wondered what it was.
We all keep diaper wipes in our crafting spaces for handy hand cleanups but my wipes are boosted for use with markers. I add 1/2 cup of 70% rubbing alcohol to the package. This helps lift Copic stains from my desk and fingers.
I used to just add alcohol to whatever disposable container of wipes I had on hand. The problem is, the alcohol encourages extra evaporation, so I’d keep refreshing with more alcohol until it was time for a new package.
Then I spotted this wipe container at a friend’s house. There’s a soft silicone gasket running around edge of the lid which prevents evaporation. I’m wasting less alcohol now.
There’s also a weighted dispenser thingie which keeps you from pulling 92 wipes at once. The magic is that the weight prevents even more evaporation by limiting the amount of airflow over the top of the wipes.
Remember, when you shop using my link above, any Amazon purchase over the next 24 hours supports the free content here and at YouTube.
THIS WEEK IN COLOR
CURRENT PASSWORD: RubberDuckie
SPRING, SPRING, SPRING
click for more info
JUNE DISCOUNT
Use code MACKINAC at checkout to save 15% on the Sweet Lilac artistic coloring kit. Special discount ends 05/31/2024.