Nov 5, 2018 | cards, Christmas, online class, Seasonal Catalogue, specials, Stampin' Up!
I’m sharing this easy die cut snowflake card with you today that features the Snowfall Thinlits Dies that are available during November. I love how simple it is to create something so intricate! The most work is rolling it through the Big Shot, I think!
The larger snowflake is die cut from a Silver Foil sheet, and the smaller snowflake is die cut from Sparkle Glimmer Paper. I love how the new Glimmer Papers really hold their glimmer well – no shedding of glitter or glimmer! The snowflakes are mounted onto a piece of Joyous Noel Specialty Designer Series Paper and backed by a piece of Tranquil Tide Cardstock.

I do really like this die cut snowflake card so will be pulling it out for a few classes this month, I think! We did this card in Carolanne’s Private Card Class this past weekend. She got a large group of family and friends together to craft – so much fun! (Thanks for asking me to do this one, Carolanne!).
That Joyous Noel Paper has been very popular – so popular that it’s now unavailable to order! Any backorders already in the system will be honoured, but no more orders can be placed for this item – as there’s no way that the product would arrive before the holidays. Sad but true. Two embellishments have also oversold their projected numbers – Farmhouse Elements and Santa’s Workshop Enamel Accents. Funny how all THREE of these items have been featured in my monthly Christmas Card Classes! So – if you are wanting to join the November 28th Christmas Card Class that uses the Farmhouse Elements, be sure to register with me asap so I can set aside a set of the elements for you. (Don’t worry, I have enough for class registrants).
I do have some good news though, if you were hoping to enroll in the Joyous Noel Online Christmas Card Class. I’ve added a cardstock/paper supplies option to this class! For $30 I will mail you the precut cardstock/Designer Series Paper you’ll need for the cards from the class. You’ll still need to supply your own stamps, ink and adhesives, but if you really want to reproduce the exact cards, you still have that opportunity. Supplies are limited, though, so if you want to choose this option, please don’t wait too long. The Online Class only option (the “regular” option) is still available as well. You could easily substitute other Designer Series Papers for the ones we used – use the card designs as a template and use your own cardstocks and papers. You can get more information on the Joyous Noel Online Card Class here (the live video portions will be done in our group next week). You can get information on all the currently available YamStampsMore Online Classes here. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Hope to see you in class – either in person or online, soon!
Nov 1, 2018 | cards, Christmas, Limited Time, specials, Stampin' Up!
Happy November! Hope you don’t have too much of a sugar hangover today. We may have the aftereffects of too much sugar around our household for the next while….too much candy bought, not enough trick or treaters….the dreary weather didn’t help that either, I’m sure. I think that when my son was young enough to go out trick or treating, it rained every single Halloween. At least that’s what it felt like!!
ANYWAY. If you were at the Joyous Noel Christmas Card Class, you got a sneak peek at this suite – and for everyone – here it is! Stampin’ Up! is offering the Snowflake Showcase Suite for November – ONLY! So grab it while you can. While it features snowflakes, there are definitely some other elements in there, including some more floral-looking shapes that mean you can use it for more than just the winter season.

Isn’t it beautiful? This suite offers two stamp sets (one winter, one not), coordinating framelits, snowflake embellishments and white flocked/velvet paper. So much fun. You can see the products in the YamStamps Stampin’ Up! Canada online store here, or download the flyer here. Please let me know if you need assistance placing your order. (note that online ordering is not available in Quebec at this time, but you can contact me with your order and I will have it shipped directly to you).
Also – the Joyous Noel Online Christmas Card Class is now available for purchase! You’ll get lifetime access to the materials through access to the exclusive group. All four cards feature the Joyous Noel Designer Series paper – but as with many of my classes, you could easily substitute a different decorative paper or stamps to get a whole new look with the same card designs. You can get access to the class here. I’ll be doing live videos for the projects this weekend, so you can watch live (or watch later when the time suits you). Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
In the meantime, I’m counting down to Stampin’ Up!’s Demonstrator Only Event, On Stage – celebrating 30 years of Stampin’ Up! Can’t wait – and I’ll be posting on the YamStamps Facebook Page and YamStamps Instagram too. If all goes well, I hope to be able to do a Facebook Live from Epcot on Wednesday – so stay tuned!
Oct 29, 2018 | Big Shot, cards, Manic Monday, Stampin' Up!
Sharing a simple handmade sympathy card idea with you. Sympathy cards are often ones we need to have on hand but not ones that we are often inspired to create. This card could be used for any number of purposes by just changing the featured sentiment and/or colour scheme, perfect for a “Manic Monday” project – a project you can create even if you don’t have a lot of time.

I always think that a single colour scheme is very elegant (and very easy). This card features Tranquil Tide (a 2017-2019 In Colour) and Very Vanilla. The splatters are from the Swirly Bird Set, and the die cut is from the coordinating Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies. The splatters are stamped in first, second and third generation images to give a variation and depth. A first generation image is where the stamp is inked and then stamped onto the cardstock. Second generation = the next image stamped by the stamp WITHOUT reinking in between. It’s often best to ink the stamp and then stamp onto scrap paper and THEN onto your project if you want a second generation image. I’ve often found that when I am stamping images off the edge of the cardstock and re-stamp right away that my second generation image can be uneven because the ink didn’t get used up evenly on the rubber surface. For this simple sympathy card, the swirl was die cut from Tranquil Tide cardstock and then fed over the sentiment strip. Bonus points if you can figure out what motivated this design choice….
If you guessed (or inspected closely) that it was because I got an ink smudge on my sentiment strip, you are correct!! Somehow, I managed to smudge a spot on the sentiment, and I found that the die cut swirl could be positioned to distract/cover up that little error. In the end, I think it’s much more interesting than if I had used it behind the sentiment strip (which is where I originally thought I would place it…). Simple Fix for a Mistake on a Simple Handmade Sympathy Card! The sentiment is from the Better Together set, which is available in wood mount or red rubber clear mount. That set has a number of different sentiments so you could change out the sentiment and colours on this card design for an easy variation.
Are you a YamStamps Mailing List subscriber? A special exclusive for subscribers is the Annual Twelve Weeks of Christmas. This week brings Week FIVE (can you believe it?!), and the last week of card ideas. We move on next week to gift ideas. Like the “regular” YamStamps emails, each project has a picture, supply list (with links for easy reference), and complete instructions. You can jump in and get the remainder of the project ideas by subscribing now! You can subscribe in the sign up box on the YamStamps site itself, or click here to be on the list. You’ll also get access to a subscribers only free video tutorial. See you in your inbox soon!
Oct 22, 2018 | specials, Stampin' Up!, Uncategorized

Stampin’ Up! is celebrating 30 years by having a FLASH SALE – twenty four hours only, Tuesday, October 23rd. Sale starts at 1201AM Mountain Time (so convert accordingly – e.g. Eastern time equivalent is 201 AM). Selected stamp sets will be offered at 15% off!
Here’s the list in alphabetical order – the ones with a STAR * beside the DISCOUNT PRICE are the ones that are also currently available in a BUNDLE with either framelits or a punch. In these situations, the BUNDLE is still the best price if you are going to be purchasing both the stamps and the accessory. If you have any questions or need assistance placing your order, please contact me. Feel free to do so today – because I can keep track and then enter the orders tomorrow as need be. Otherwise, you can always shop 24/7 in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store!
Happy Birthday, Stampin’ Up! Happy Shopping!
Oct 19, 2018 | cards, Stampin' Up!, TV/Video/Web/Tech
Why, hello there! I’m happy to report that I survived Scrapfest and have more or less recovered…LOL. All that lugging stuff around and standing on a hard concrete floor…and I’m not as young as I used to be… Sharing this hello card that you may recognize if you were at Scrapfest and stopped by the YamStamps booth! The make and take we did using the Stamparatus created the main feature of this fun card.

The main element on this hello card uses the Ready to Layer stamp set. I absolutely love this four stamp set that combines to create the above image. For the colour palette, I copied the one in the Stampin’ Up! Catalogue! (why work too hard, I say…). So – Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Twist. The Detailed Trio punch adds some interest to the corners. To turn this make and take tag from scrapfest into a card, I simply mounted it onto a piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock, and then onto a piece of Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock that had been embossed with the Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I thought the wavy lines in the embossing folder went well with the line art of the image.
I’ll share a Facebook Live this weekend on the YamStamps Facebook page showing how the tag portion was created with the Stamparatus. It’s a fantastic tool for this set! I love this hello card so much you may see it show up in a few upcoming classes…
On a completely different note….

…if you’re in Canada, please tune in to the CBC tonight (Friday, October 19th) at 9pm to watch “Band Geeks”. You can also stream it online at the CBC website. This documentary film follows the Burlington Teen Tour Band in preparation for their Rose Parade appearance. I was a member of this band, and my son just finished his time with the band as well. I’m lucky enough to volunteer as a photographer and chaperone with the band, so was with them during the filming of this show. I think that Suddenly SeeMore Productions did a great job of capturing the incredible work ethic of these teens (and staff) but also the fun and camaraderie that is had when you’re a “band geek”. So take a bit of time out of your crafting (or colour a few images while you watch?!). It’s nice to see a positive story about youth! (End of plug…hahaha). In the meantime, I’m looking forward to getting back into routine around here and sharing some more crafting inspiration. See you online!