If you’re looking to purchase a gift for the paper crafter in your life, or you’re a paper crafter looking to drop hints to your friends and family, look no further! I present my 2020 Paper Crafter’s Gift Guide! I’ve compiled this list with some of my favourite Stampin’ Up! tools to make your gift giving (and receiving) a little easier. I’m not including stamps, inks or papers…that’s a whole other list in itself! LOL.
I tend to call this my craft mat, so pardon my inaccuracies in using its proper name…but whatever it’s called, I think it’s one of the most useful tools to have on hand!! WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – it’s inexpensive (you could get multiples!) – projects won’t stick to it when applying adhesive (even if it’s a bit messy) – it rinses clean and is ready for the next project quickly – it can act as an extra layer to help get better stamped images – either with clear blocks or Stamparatus – protects the crafter’s work surface – from adhesives or ink
NEXT Paper Crafter’s Gift Guide Suggestion: The Stamparatus
Stamparatus
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – makes stamping easy, and makes image alignment easier – great for crafters who are particular about straight stamping or who do a lot of repetitive stamping – perfect for those who have trouble holding the blocks or holding blocks steady for stamping – one tool for all your stamping needs – no figuring out which blocks will fit which stamps – removable plate means you can move the stamped image for some neat techniques or change them out quickly – comes with 2 plates, additional plates available
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – folds for easy storage/portability – opening is slightly wider than the included cutting plates and platform so it’s easy to run projects through the opening – allows use of dies and embossing folders (sold separately) for easy, expert looking crafting and “stepped up” projects – perfect for someone who has been crafting for a little while and wants to make their crafting more polished looking
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – interchangeable ends mean you have scoring tools, a spatula and putty tip easily accessible – time and sanity saver: easily pick up and apply small pieces and embellishments – Brush Tip is great add on – and perfect for removing small pieces from intricate dies/die cuts – inexpensive multipurpose tool
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – Makes straight cuts and score lines easily – so projects are neat and expert looking – Great for scrapbooking or cardmaking – manages 12″ x 12″ sized sheets – slightly raised edge makes it easy to ensure that the paper is in the cutter straight – every paper crafter needs a good cutter for their projects
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A PAPER CRAFTER: – easily score multiple lines on a project to make folds crisper and cleaner – great for crafters who like to make more intricate projects with multiple scores/folds – great for crafters who make multiples of a project – easy to change out the cardstock pieces quickly – large base easily accommodates 12″ x 12″ sheets for scrapbookers or 3D project makers
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Gift Certificate
WHY IT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR PAPER CRAFTERS: – can be emailed and printed off – perfect for when you aren’t sure what they want – can be in any denomination – can be used for Stampin’ Up! product or classes (online/in person once they start up again) Gift certificates are only valid in Canada and are only redeemable for purchases and classes with me. Please contact me to arrange purchase.
I hope that you had a good weekend! I spent some time crafting, so that always qualifies as a good weekend in my books. Today I’m sharing a Happy Celebration Card – because I really like this So Much Happy bundle…and because it’s going to be on sale tomorrow, Tuesday November 24th as part of the Merry & Bright Online Sale!
The Merry & Bright Online Sale is going to feature select products from the Annual Catalogue at a 10% discount – but only for 24 hours! It starts at 1201 AM and runs until 1159 PM Mountain Time. So if you’re in Ontario like me, it starts at 201AM Eastern Time and runs until 159AM on the 25th, in case you have insomnia and need to online shop in the middle of the night. No August-December catalogue product will be involved in this sale, and this is the list of exceptions from the Annual Catalogue – you can download a pdf or spreadsheet version, or check out the picture below.
Merry & Bright Sale – Excluded Items
So pretty much if it’s in the Annual Catalogue (the big book) and NOT on this list – it’s included! I think the best deals will be any of the stamp and tool bundles (like the So Much Happy Bundle used for the Happy Celebration Card above) – because they’re already discounted, so you’ll earn a discount on the already discounted price!
So start making your list – and be ready to go shopping tomorrow – Tuesday 24 November! Click here to go shopping in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store – shortcut is yamstamps.com/shop. Or – you can email me with your order and I can place it for you – and have it delivered directly to you (Canadian residents only due to Stampin’ Up! regulations). Happy Shopping!
Here’s a Curvy Christmas Card that we made the other evening in Stampers Club. It’s also available as part of the current Card Class to Go(message me for purchase information). I think that 2020 is going to be the year of the resurgence of the mailed holiday card! With that in mind, I’m trying to get going on producing more cards right now – how about you?
Curvy Christmas Card
For this card, I used the Quite Curvy Variety Bundle, which is available until January 4, 2021. It includes the Quite Curvy Bundle (Quite Curvy stamp set and Curvy Dies), the Curvy Christmas stamp set and the Classic Christmas Designer Series Paper. The Quite Curvy Bundle (and the individual components of the bundle) will be available in the January-June Mini Catalogue, but the Curvy Christmas set and paper will not be available after January 5th.
The colours in the Classic Christmas Designer Series Paper are Sahara Sand, Shaded Spruce and Cherry Cobbler. For this card, I die cut the Cherry Cobbler and Shaded Spruce pieces of patterned paper with the Curvy Dies. From the Curvy Christmas stamp set, the evergreen boughs are stamped in Shaded Spruce and the sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso, which is also the backing cardstock. I used Crumb Cake cardstock for the cardbase itself because that was what was closest to hand LOL.
For Stampers Club and Card Class to Go, all the pieces are precut, and participants adhere them together and add their own stamps and ink (since we’re assembling in the comfort of our own separate homes). For this card, if people didn’t have the Curvy Christmas stamp set, another holiday themed stamp set would do. If it’s a photopolymer (clear) stamp set, you can also manipulate the stamp when you adhere it to the clear block to get a curved sentiment as well!
If you are making a bunch of cards, and have extras, you might consider sending some on to others – like those in Retirement or Long Term Care Homes, or Armed Forces members – as noted in this tweet:
Armed Forces Request
Any Canadian Armed Forces Member PO Box 5004 Stn Forces Belleville ON K8N 5W6
Cards will require appropriate postage (to Canada). It was mentioned by a friend that glitter and other sparkly embellishments are best avoided – they can set off the security detectors for one thing, and we all know how glitter spreads and sticks and would not help someone trying to be camoflauged.
I have a couple of these Curvy Christmas Card samples, so I think I’ll be sending a few on to share the holiday spirit. Join me in this mailing effort?! Happy Crafting.
While I know that I’ve been doing the Twelve Weeks of Christmas Projects for YamStamps subscribers, I’m still caught off guard with the fact that Christmas is a month and a half away! Today’s snowflake card for a friend was one that I created for a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator only swap featuring products from the August-December 2020 Mini Catalogue. Snowflakes are one of my favourite “themes” for seasonal and holiday cards.
I adhered the Vellum to the cardfront with Glue Dots and tried to place them behind snowflakes so they weren’t quite as visible. I hid a couple of them with the gems, and now that I look at this photo, could have added a few more gems?!
I love the fact that this snowflake card for a friendcould be a holiday card but could also be a birthday card, friendship card or just because card during this season. Burlington is entering “Red Zone Status” for the pandemic as of Monday, so I think it’s an important time to keep in touch with people while keeping socially distanced.
If you’re looking for ways to keep busy, consider purchasing one of my Card Classes to Go – the “regular” versions feature a variety of projects, and the Holiday Card Class to Go focuses on holiday cards only. Each class has the precut materials for four different cards, plus a printout with a photo of the completed project and step by step instructions. You can add sentiments from your own stash or shop the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store (shortcut:YamStamps.com/shop) for the ones I use in the samples. Contact me for payment links and more information. Each class cost is $20 and includes postage within Canada.
Lest We Forget – sharing a scrapbook page from my trip last year to Normandy. I travelled with the Burlington Teen Tour Band to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of DDay. It was a truly memorable experience, and the highlight for me was watching the incredible band members represent Canadian youth so well.
Lest We Forget
I am typically more of a cardmaker than a scrapbooker, but I do like making a few pages now and then. Since I don’t make a lot of pages, I tend to do more “highlights” pages or pages where I gather similarly themed shots together – and this is one of them. I put a photo from the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian war cemetary together with photos from the band at the Juno Beach Centre. Added a few die cut poppies with the Poppy Moments dies, and put a stamped image from the Painted Poppies stamp set behind the title/text box. I coloured the poppies with the Watercolour Pencils and used the blender pen to smooth the colour.
My hint for tone on tone die cuts is to sponge some of the same ink colour onto the top layer detail die cuts. For this page, I die cut the poppies from Poppy Parade cardstock, and used a portion of a Stampin’ Sponge (or you could use a Sponge Dauber) to dab Poppy Parade ink onto the detailed poppy die cut. It deepens the colour without changing it so makes it stand out a bit more without distracting from the overall look. Stampin’ Up!’s colour coordination makes my crafting efforts so much easier.
I will be taking time from my day to watch the Burlington Remembrance Day ceremonies virtually, and look forward to the time when we can gather together in person again to do the same. Lest We Forget.
I love that the curved edges are 6″ long – so you can cut a 6″ x 6″ piece of Designer Series Paper easily so it will fit across a “landscape” oriented card or a 6″ x 6″ scrapbook page. Next week I’ll be sure to share a card that I designed with this bundle – after Stampers Club members have had a chance to make it! (I need to keep some things a surprise from them LOL).
So instead I’ll share this sample created by the Stampin’ Up! designers…
Curvy Celebrations
I love this card – and I really like the non-traditional colours! I may have to recreate this myself…
How are your holiday cards coming along?! I have a suspicion that we will need to get them in the mail earlier than usual because the workload might be higher than usual this year. Since we can’t easily get together in person, holiday cards will play a bigger role in how I celebrate and reach out to family and friends this year. If you’re looking for help with your holiday cards, contact me to get the Holiday Cards Class to Go! It’s like the Card Class to Go…but only holiday themed cards. It’s the same cost as the regular class to go ($20CAD for 4 different designs and envelopes), but there’s also a bulk card option ($35 for 8 cards, 2 of each design). All the cards will have precut elements, and you assemble them, with the option of adding your own greetings with stamps and inks you have on hand.
If you need a few supplies, or want to grab the Curvy Celebrations Bundle, you can head to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store (shortcut is yamstamps.com/shop), or contact me if you prefer to pay by etransfer, or need assistance placing an order. Don’t forget that if you place an order for $50 product during November, you’ll receive an exclusive tutorial bundle as my thanks! Happy Shopping!
The past few days I’ve been “at” a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator event virtually. They called it On Stage at Home. Normally at this time of year we’d be gathering together in various locations around the world to learn, share ideas and meet with friends old and new. This year, we were sat in front of our various devices, but more demonstrators than ever were able to attend, world wide, so I guess there’s a silver lining. It did make me realize, though, that the thing I like most about these events is hugging my friends. So in lieu of that, here’s a fun fold friendship card. Cards are like hugs in the mail – and will have to do until we can gather together again.
Fun Fold Friendship Card
This is an easy fun fold design, with two pieces of cardstock that are cut lengthwise (the base is 4.25″ x 11″). Trim a section off the front flap and then add another piece that is narrower as an opposite fold. I based the colour scheme off the Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper and added an Ornate Layer behind the sentiment from the Peaceful Moments stamp set.
It’s a pretty straightforward layout of a card – background, layer with patterned paper, layer with sentiment – but by changing up the design of the card itself and playing with the folds it makes it more interesting.
fun fold friendship card – open
If you liked this fun fold friendship card and you’re looking for more inspiration for your card making and paper crafting, be sure to be signed up for the YamStamps mailing list. You can find more details about the YamStamps list here – or if you’re ready to sign up and get your free video tutorial link, you can go directly here. Subscribers receive weekly information and ideas – and right now, it’s also the (almost) mid point of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas. In addition to the regularly scheduled emails, subscribers receive a new holiday paper crafting project tutorial in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Click on the links for more information or to subscribe – or if you have any questions, you can always contact me. Until then, enjoy the balmy weather (if you’re in southern Ontario) and happy crafting!
Happy November! What did you do with your extra hour? (Assuming you live somewhere where the clocks did change…). Me? My internal clock had me wake up at the same weird hours through the night (it particularly likes 4am for some reason) and then I eventually fell asleep again so that I could wake up and be totally disoriented LOL. It’s all good. So today, I have to keep checking the date, and then double checking the time because I’m not sure if the clock I’m looking at is one of the ones I’ve changed already or not…
Thought I’d share this monochromatic wintery card with you today. One colour design schemes are a favourite of mine (I created a whole online class based on monochromatic schemes a few years ago!). This could be a holiday card, or a “just because card”. Often when doing cards for Club or Class, I don’t assign specific sentiments – doing designs that could be used for a multitude of occasions is often more useful and then the card maker can just stamp an appropriate sentiment for the card giving occasion.
Monochromatic pine bough card
For this monochromatic card, I used a Very Vanilla base and textured layer (it’s my current go to Embossing Folder – Tasteful Textile). The pine bough and cones are die cut with the Beautiful Boughs dies and are from Whisper White Cardstock. You’ll want either the Multipurpose Liquid Glue or Adhesive Sheets for the detailed pinecone die cut to make it easy to adhere the layers together. If you’re using the sheets, adhering it to the cardstock before you die cut will make it even faster! I also like to have my Take Your Pick tool on hand – with the Brush Tip on one end, and the spatula tip on the other end.
I will be including this design in my Holiday Card Class to Go, which will be available in the next week or so…precut designs ready for you to assemble and add your personal touch. Stay tuned for the official launch!Better yet – be on my mailing list so that you’ll get the notification!
In the meantime, I will continue to figure out what time it is, and ponder whether Daylight Savings Time has started or ended. Seriously. I can never figure that one out. Maybe now you understand why I like clean and simple card designs and monochromatic card themes?! The less complicated for my brain, the better!!
I’ve revisited the inked embossing folder technique for my demonstrator team and customer cards this month. If you’ve been reading the YamStamps blog for a while, you’ll know I like easy techniques that make big impressions – and this definitely fits the bill. I did a video as well!
Here’s the card I will be sending out to those who have made purchases with me in the last few months. I was reminded what a good technique this is – in part due to the popularity of this pin on the YamStamps Pinterest Account.
Inked Embossing Folder Technique Card
This card uses the Parisian Flourish 3D Embossing Folder. I find that the 3D Embossing Folders are really good for this technique because of the depth of the impressions – it makes it a bit easier to keep the ink in the right place…(a bit…you can see there’s some ink on the raised surfaces, but doesn’t ruin the overall effect, in my opinion!)
The Inked Embossing Folder Technique is timeless! I look forward to sharing other tips and techniques with you – I’m working on some classes and offerings that I’ll be rolling out in the next few months. if you’re on the YamStamps list you’ll be sure to be notified. In the meantime, there’s always the Stampers Club (Virtual meetings!) or the Card Class to Go if you’re needing a crafting inspiration injection! (note: limited to Canadian residents only due to Stampin’ Up! regulations). Check out the YamStamps Events Page for more information – or contact me. In the meantime – happy crafting!
So apologies if that song is now stuck in your head…but I thought it was appropriate for this balloon card! It’s a fun and easy card to send to cheer someone up or celebrate an occasion.
Up, up and away with my beautiful balloon card
I love doing rainbow colours because they’re cheery and easy to figure out. ROYGBV! In this case, RYGB since there wasn’t quite enough room on the cardfront. Real Red, Mango Melody, Garden Green and Pacific Point to be precise. Once I cut the strips of cardstock, I texturized them using the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder. I used the Balloon Bouquet Punch on scraps of the same cardstocks, and then assembled my card. I decided to pop up the balloons using Stampin’ Dimensionals to make them stand out a little more. Adding dimension is the easiest way I know to give a card a little more “wow” factor.
In the meantime, I’m finishing up some customer thank you cards (which I’ve sadly fallen a bit behind on…) and also the Tutorial Bundles. Don’t forget that when you place a $50 order with me, you’ll (eventually?! LOL) get an exclusive tutorial bundle – different ones each month! You can place an order online at the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store (shortcut yamstamps.com/shop) or contact me. I can accept etransfers or credit cards for payment. If you’re looking for an easy way to get crafting, consider grabbing a Card Class to Go! This Balloon Card was in a previous card class. Contact me to purchase – $20 includes precut supplies to create 4 different cards. Just add adhesive! You can customize with whatever stamps and ink you have on hand or use the suggested inks/stamps listed on the supply list. Due to Stampin’ Up! regulations, open to Canadian residents only.
OK back to crafting for me – it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it, right?!
