Want to keep up with all the news? There's a few options to hear what's up in the world of Stampin' Up! and www.yamstamps.com in particular…
1) Subscribe to this blog by a feeder – there's links on the left of the blog – subscribe in a reader (e.g. Google Reader) where all the blog feeds you subscribe to are shown…or subscribe by email, and posts will be emailed directly to your inbox!
2) Become a "fan" – you can "like" any post on the blog (click on "like" in the line below the post), you can "like" the blog itself (see on the left "Become a fan") or you can "like" the Yamstamps facebook fan page. I'm setting a goal of 100 likers on the facebook fan page….then I can "claim" a permanent weblink for it. (I know, I sound like such a cyber geek when I say things like that…)
4) Last (at least for now) and definitely not least – subscribe to my email newsletter! Link is at top left of the blog. My monthly newsletter goes out tomorrow and there's some fun projects featured in it, if I say so myself. New subscribers also get a "thank you" of a card tutorial as well. We're also at week 5 of the 12 weeks of Christmas – a different holiday idea each week leading up to Christmas!
I'm working on some fun new ways to keep in touch in cyberspace…hoping to unveil in the very near future…yes, that's a teaser…(is that enough to get you to subscribe or like?! LOL)
I have been a life-long non-runner. Aside from running the bases in 3 pitch (not pretty) and enforced runs back in middle school (also not pretty), I have essentially avoided this activity. Until now.
A few months ago, I decided that I needed to up my activity level in order to boost my weight loss/weight maintenance efforts. I ended up trying the "Couch to 5K" program which essentially starts off interval training – run for a short period, then walk for a period. Eventually, the running periods become longer, and the walking periods become shorter or non-existent, until at the end of the program I was running for 30 minutes straight.
I realized that I needed another program or goal to work towards, and mentioned this to a friend of mine. Before I knew it, we were signed up for the 10km running clinic at a local running store, plus we've registered for a 10km and a 5km race. The 10km race is before the 5km race. Not sure where the logic is there…anyway. My friend Amber has also already signed up for the Around the Bay Race – which is 30km long!! I am still dragging my feet (literally and figuratively) on that one…but it is definitely a goal to shoot for, I suppose!!
So here's Amber and I in the glamorous pre-run shot…
no, we did not coordinate our outfits, it just happened that way, really.
now – for the really scary part….be warned…
BOO! SCARY!!! this is me stretching post-run (a few weeks later). Note how I kept the photo small so you can't see quite as much sweaty detail LOL!!
Photo was taken by Amber who finished waaaay ahead of me so had plenty of time to hang out and take a photo afterwards.
This has definitely been a fun, challenging experience, though!! I'm planning on making a scrapbook layout of my adventures in running – will share them here when they're done (think I'll wait until after the races so I can include stories about them…).
If you have photos or stories you would like to scrapbook, consider joining my next Stampers and Scrappers club – starting in January – contact me for details! It's a great way to get some "me" time in, plus get some scrapbooking (or cardmaking, depending on which group you choose) done, and budget out your crafting purchases (along with earning hostess benefits easily!).
Happy Hallowe'en! Hope all the trick-or-treaters have a safe and fun time tonight.
(A technical aside – even scarier, this is a re-write of this entry…I completed one and thought I'd saved and scheduled it…but it's nowhere to be found on the site…)
My next themed class is Vintage Christmas. You'll create four cards with a coordinating box. This would be fantastic to give as a gift, or to get a head start on your cards and gift packaging!
Cost is $25 and includes all supplies. I've scheduled this one for Monday, November 29th at 7pm here in Burlington. The Autumn Spice class is the week before, but I thought it would be good to get this class in before December hits! If there's demand, though, I can offer this class again in December….LET ME KNOW if this is the case for you!
There's still a few spots available for November's Card Class – this Wednesday, November 3rd at 7pm here in Burlington. Cost is $15, we'll be doing all Christmas cards to get your holiday preparations off to a roaring start. Contact me to grab a spot before they're all gone!
I realized that we didn't have any pumpkin decoration for this weekend….so I stopped by the farmer's market and picked up these 3 little pumpkins which were all about the same size.
I used my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials Alphabet Dies to cut the letters BOO from a white Decor Elements sheet. Since the letters were small enough to manage easily (and since these are admittedly not permanent decorations!), I simply peeled the backing off the letters and stuck them onto the pumpkins (which I'd wiped down with a damp towel & dried). Normally, and especially with larger elements, I would use the transfer sheet to avoid getting my fingers all over the adhesive and lessen the tackiness, but hey, it's a quick holiday decoration. It was a little fiddly since the surface is not flat, but I was happy with the result. This literally took me about 5 minutes – not counting the time to purchase the pumpkins. I think I took longer choosing the pumpkins than decorating them. (and YES I took this photo myself; used my 50mm f1.4 Nikon lens. I LOOOOOVE this lens and should use it more than I do).
Stampin' Up!'s Definitely Decorative catalogue features wonderful Decor Elements designs for your home or crafting projects. I love the fact that I can buy the Decor Elements sheets, and with the help of my Big Shot, quickly create decorative elements for any occasion or surface!!! You can see the online version of the catalogue HERE. Contact me if you have questions about how to use Decor Elements, or if you'd like a hard copy of the catalogue.
This is my son's costume this year. I love how easy it was….he wanted to be a ninja. He already had the black "gi" from karate camp – yay! I have started running & am preparing for running outside as long as possible so purchased a black running hat and a bandana / lower face scarf, and running gloves, all of which were worn by my son first! LOL. We googled throwing stars, and created some from a cereal box (We used a Stampin' Up! punch for the centre of the stars!), covered in tin foil. We were both thrilled with how well the costume turned out!
Happy to say the costume is done and I think he'll be warm enough on Hallowe'en night here in Ontario… where we make sure the kids can wear layers under their costumes!!
This was also a reminder to me about photo tips – look at the background – I would have preferred a more plain backdrop…I think the door handle/lock is a bit distracting (and now I'm drawing all of your attention to it LOL)… I also cropped off the bottom of the photo because our ratty door mat was NOT a good addition to the photo either! While it's not a technically perfect photo, at the same time, it's preserving a memory, so it's still a good photo in my book!!! Oh, and plus I get a "re-do"!! This photo is from the other evening when my son was headed to a Hallowe'en party. I can re-take this photo on the actual day and make sure I take into account the background and foreground of the photo!!
Next step – scrapbook this!! If you're looking for a way to get started in scrapbooking, consider joining the next edition of my Stampers & Scrappers Club – starting in January. Start off the year creatively!! More details on my events page – or contact me if you're ready to reserve your spot!
Here's a video showing Stampin' Up!'s letterpress dies for the Big Shot. (I'm not sure that it always works if you're reading this by email/reader, so if not – click here to come to the blog post)
I got my issue of Creating Keepsakes in the mail today. One of my favourite features is the section where they show a crafter's scrapbooking/craft room. I always drool over these pages….anyway, the latest issue features the craft room of Stampin' Up!'s CEO/co-founder, Shelli Gardner!
Meanwhile, in my much smaller, much messier craft room, I'm finalizing prep for my upcoming workshops and Christmas Card Clinics. There's still space in my November card class (featuring Christmas cards), and in many of the Card Clinic dates. Please see my event page for dates and details, or contact me for more information! Hope to see you soon!
I know, I keep coming back to the topic of the holidays… Today's post is about my Holiday Wish List Service! Once again, I'm offering a Wish List service to all my Canadian blog readers and customers. It makes gift givers and gift recipients happy – gift givers don't have to guess at what you'd like, and gift recipients will receive the Stampin' Up! items that they NEED, and WANT!
3) You go through the Stampin' Up! catalogues (Idea Book & Catalogue, Holiday Mini Catalogue, Definitely Decorative Catalogue – all found online here), and write down everything your heart desires….plus the names & contact info for your gift givers.
4) Email me your completed list by NOVEMBER 25TH. (The elves need time to get their job done).
5) You sit back & relax, and anticipate opening your gifts! {In the meantime, I will contact your gift givers with your list and help them with their shopping. The order will arrive in plenty of time for the holiday!}
This is also a great thing to suggest to the "crafty types" on YOUR gift list – why not make YOUR gift buying easier?!
If you own a copy of Stampin' Up!'s Digital Crafting software, My Digital Studio, it's time to flex those creative pixels! Stampin' Up! has a design contest – open until November 15th. Create 1 digital card and 2 single page scrapbook layouts and you could be one of 5 winners! Winners will receive $500 in downloads from Stampin' Up! See HERE for all the contest details & rules. Then, if you haven't already, download the just released MDS update 1.0.5.665 (release date 19 Oct 2010). Once you've got your scrapbook pages and card designed, download the entry form HERE and the photo release form HERE and then email everything to MDScontest@stampinup.com – and good luck!! There's a category for Stampin' Up! customers and a category for demonstrators as well.
Once you've created those great designs, you can also choose to have your projects professionally printed – and the great news is that prices for printing have dropped! Here's an updated pricing list. Last year, I designed my Christmas cards with My Digital Studio and had them printed through Stampin' Up! – I love how professional they looked and how I was able to customize them with many family photos from the year! If you have any questions about My Digital Studio, please feel free to contact me. I am enjoying working in with digital media and creating hybrid (a combination of digital and "traditional" paper crafting) projects.
Due to the popularity of this great punch, plus the fact that it's in a holiday bundle, the Decorative Label Punch is on a slight backorder. It's still available in the bundle but will ship as supplies allow. Currently, Stampin' Up! is expecting shipments at the end of October, first week of November and mid November, so hopefully there won't be too much of a lag.
As an alternative, if you'd like your bundle NOW…LOL…Stampin' Up! is also offering the Tags 'til Christmas bundle with the great Ornament punch. The price is the same but the punch is different (and not on backorder right now!). Wood block bundle is $49.52 (CA) item 124478; clear mount bundle is $41.52 (CA), item 124477. Please contact me if you're ready to place an order or have any questions. You can also place your order online HERE – click on SHOP NOW.
