24 Hours to Go…
Before you get to open the first gift! Last call to sign up now to be sure to get all twelve of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas exclusive project emails!
Don’t Miss Out!
I’ve got it set and scheduled – the first of my Twelve Weeks of Christmas emails is in the chute! This exclusive free gift is a thank you for my subscribers. If you are signed up to my list before 1pm on Wednesday, October 2nd, you’ll receive all twelve of the emails…and if you sign up before 1pm on Tuesday, October 1st, you’ll also receive my monthly newsletter, featuring techniques and projects that won’t be seen outside your inbox! Sign up HERE if you aren’t already on my list!
Weekend Reminders
Did you know this is International Coffee Day? (Neither did I….) but thought I’d share this fun coffee themed card with you. I received it in a swap at the past Stampin’ Up! convention from Rose Marie Coleman. Check out the YamStamps facebook page for another coffee-themed card!
While you’re enjoying your cup of coffee, why not check your calendar? Be sure to check my events page to see all my upcoming classes and events. This Wednesday, October 2nd is my monthly card class – would love for you to join us to create 4 cards using a variety of techniques and tools. We’ll be using the Envelope Punch Board for a fun card – and if you’re keen on getting your hands on one of these, contact me ASAP or place your order online as we’ve been notified that supplies are running low and the next shipment isn’t until October…not to panic you or anything! Also coming up – the next installment in my monthly Christmas Card Classes – Friday October 4th.
As always, if you aren’t able to make my class dates, get a group of friends together and I will come to you! Private classes are a great way to have a “Girls Night” – catch up on the news AND try something fun and craft at the same time! Contact me to discuss potential party dates!
Bite Me….
I’m not being rude…that’s the name of the latest photopolymer set from Stampin’ Up! Bite Me, a Hallowe’en themed set is out in time for your spooky crafting needs. Stampin’ Up! is offering a limited amount of photopolymer stamp sets as an option for your stamping collection. These stamps work with clear mount blocks (in this case, block sizes A, G, H and E), so make sure you have the right size blocks so you can get started right away!
I’m looking forward to some spooky crafting myself – the Hallowe’en Banner Class is happening one week today, so I’ll have some seasonal decor for my home. You’ll also want to check out my upcoming email newsletter because there’s a quick and fun home decor idea included inside it’s scheduled to arrive in your inbox on Tuesday, October 1st, just before the 12 Weeks of Christmas mailings start – so lots of fun and inspirational ideas coming to your email soon!
One Week til Twelve Weeks!!
One week today, my annual “Twelve Weeks of Christmas” mailings will begin – yes, you read that correctly – 12 weeks til Christmas!! Each week, you’ll receive an email featuring a different holiday card, gift idea or packaging idea, complete with photo and instructions – BUT ONLY IF YOU’RE ON MY MAILING LIST! This is a gift for all my email subscribers. What are you waiting for? Sign up now! You have your choice of locations – the home page of YamStamps.com, the box at the top right of the blog page, the link HERE, or that mysterious box that may pop up every once in a while during your visits here. Lots of options! Lots of great ideas will be coming your way, and will not be repeated!
New Digital Downloads and Latest Freebie!
Did you know that every Tuesday, Stampin’ Up! releases new digital downloads for use in MDS or other photo editing software? Today is no exception – and because it’s also the last Tuesday of the month (eek!), the latest FREE download is here – the October desktop wallpaper! If you’re into astrology, you’ll want to grab the Starlight October kit used for this calendar, but it also contains sentiments pertaining to astrology and astronomy, including “Love you to the moon and back” (any other moms out there get a bit teary at that one??!!). Think I might have to get the kit just for that saying alone. Other downloads include the Christmas Banner Simply Created Kit – which has some realistic/3D images that I love. If you need to see these in real life, consider signing up for my Christmas Banner class – you’ll get one of these real kits to help you create your festive banner! Registration deadline is October 28th, so don’t miss out!
Happy Digital Download Day 🙂
Christmas Card….and Expressions Thinlits Hints
Never too early to start prepping those holiday cards. We created this card during Stampers Club this month. The large snowflake from Stampin’ Up!’s Festive Flurry set is heat embossed in white on Smoky Slate cardstock (love this new colour), and the Expressions Thinlit “Merry” adds the sentiment. An Island Indigo Candy Dot ties it together. I really like this card, but I have to admit that initially during Club it was driving me crazy…until I figured out a hint – and I’ll share it here.
Expressions Thinlits Hints
1) Use the Magnetic Platform. I looooooove this tool. You don’t need to have brand new, pristine cutting plates, but you do need to have ones that are fairly straight – not warped, in order for the magnet to be able to hold the metal framelit or thinlit in place.
2) Use a layer (or two) of waxed paper between your cardstock and thinlit if you’re having trouble getting the cardstock to “release”.
3) Use your paper piercer tool to poke gently through the little holes in the thinlit to push your diecut out if you’re having trouble getting the cardstock to “release”
4) Use an extra piece of cardstock on top of the cutting plate as a “shim” to add extra pressure along the thinlit
5) Run the thinlit through lengthwise rather than widthwise!!! This is the hint we discovered at Club night. If you run the word through horizontally, you may have uneven pressure across the thinlit. In my case, the centre of the thinlit wasn’t cutting as cleanly as the edges. It may be that my cutting plates were slightly warped or perhaps because my Big Shot has been used and abused since I got it…LOL. Anyway, check out the photo below for the visual as to the set up (the top cutting plate is missing in the photo just so you can see it better). Obviously with some of the longer words (i.e. “thankful”) it’s a given, but with the word “merry” or “love”…not so much!
If you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share about using the thinlits or Big Shot, please leave a comment below, or on my facebook page so we can all learn!
Last Chance – take advantage of this!
So in all the craziness of the past little while, including the largest club gathering to date, I forgot to shut down registration to the Thankful Mini Scrapbook and Hallowe’en Banners classes!! SOOOOOOO….I will take registrations until the end of tomorrow (THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH) and then close down the registrations for these events. You will still be able to register for the October Card Class, October Christmas Card Class and Christmas Banner offerings for a while, but you can bet I will be paying a bit better attention to my calendar!! LOL.
Visit the YamStamps Events page to register and use your credit card to pay, or contact me if you have questions or would like to pay by cheque or cash.
A Special Card for a Special Person
There are times when you need an extra special card. One of the great things about making cards is that you can customize it for the recipient – this comes in handy especially on special occasions! In this case, my grandmother turned 95…so instead of having to run around to 4-5 different stores to find a card that had “95” on it, I was able to make one myself and save myself some time!
Guess what my grandmother’s favourite colour is….LOL. Anyway, I had fun creating this 3D card and it wasn’t too difficult at all. I used Stampin’ Up!’s Label Pop ‘n Cuts and Card Base Dies in my Big Shot to create the 3D card and just had to choose how to embellish it! I used the Flower Shop set with coordinating Pansy Punch and Apothecary Art to decorate the outside of the card.
I used the Morning Post Numbers set and the Deco Labels framelits to customize the inside of the card.
And it seems only appropriate to finish this post with a picture of my grandmother herself…
We were blessed to be able to celebrate with four generations on her special day and are looking forward to another gathering with extended family in the near future. Happy 95th Birthday, Nan!!
Kick off the Christmas Cards!
The first of my monthly Christmas Card classes was held this past week, and the attendees got a good jump on their card needs for the holidays! Then over the weekend, while some people were watching football….others were not….LOL. I spent some much needed time sorting out things in my craft room. It seems I create chaos at the same time I create cards…and then tend to wander off and be distracted by some other shiny object…I decided it was time to have more than a few square inches of that larger desk surface to work within. So between prepping, holding classes and cleaning up I fell behind on keeping up here – apologies!
Anyway – we used the Chalk Talk set for the background image and the Warmth and Wonder hostess set from the Holiday Catalogue in the foreground. The strip on the bottom is embossed with one of the Delicate Designs border embossing folders.
I’m working with some new lights for photography & video and am still playing with positioning etc but I am also working with the motto “Done is better than perfect”. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that I’m just going to throw things together for www.yamstamps.com or for my classes (online or in person), but it’s me pushing myself to complete things rather than having projects get stalled part waybecause I keep fussing with something until it’s “perfect”. I’m finding once I get things “done” sometimes I do have the time and ability then to turn around and work on it a bit more to make myself even happier with the end results. Are you like that? (Please say I’m not the only one!! LOL).
In the meantime, I’m getting ready for my Stampers Club get together next week. Stampers club is always open to new members, and the current length of commitment is 6 consecutive months. It’s a great way to do some regular crafting, have fun, budget your craft dollars and earn Stampin’ Up! hostess benefits without thinking! Contact me if you’re able to join us in Burlington or want more information!
