Starting today, there are more ways to Sale-a-Brate! Stampin’ Up! has released a new set of options for your Sale-a-Bration Rewards. This second release of products will be available to select with a qualifying order until March 31 or while supplies last.
This fun card was made using the second release stamp set Rise and Shine. It’s a Level 2 Reward so a $120 product order will qualify you to choose this for free! (and yes, there’s a “tea” stamp as well, so you can customize it!). Check out another fun sample in today’s YamStamps Newsletter (going out at 1pm Eastern) – it’s the big monthly projects newsletter with 4 different project tutorials! Click here to sign up if you’re not already subscribed.
If you’re looking for more ways to Sale-a-Brate, please note that there’s a few date changes on the YamStamps Events calendar this month due to March Break, so check out the YamStamps Events Page to keep up with those! Contact me if you’d like to join us at Monthly Card Class or Stampers Club this month or next. We’d love to have you join us!
Hey! Happy to say that I will have a booth at Kitchener Scrapfest 2020! Friday April 17 and Saturday April 18 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. If you’ll be attending the crop or will be coming to browse the vendor booths, I hope that you will stop in and say hello. There will be a free make and take and a door prize draw, plus you can shop my retired products table. I’ll have adhesives on hand if you need to stock up for your time at the crop as well. If you are going to be attending, you can also place an order with me ahead of time and pick it up at the booth! Please place your order by March 31 to be sure that it will arrive in time. (BONUS: This means you can get a Sale-a-Bration reward with each $60 product order too!)
Today I’m sharing this inlaid die cut card…with a twist. Literally. I think I’ve shared other examples of inlaid die cuts – where you die cut a word or shape, and then inlay the same die cut in a contrasting colour. This time, I die cut the Designer Series Paper and gave it a quarter turn (or maybe it was a half turn….) before adhering it into place. I love how it gives a little more interest to the background but doesn’t totally draw your eye away from the cute taco image!
True confession – I didn’t think I actually “needed” the Witty-cisms stamp set from the Jan-June Mini Catalogue that’s featured in this card, but it’s been one of my favourites! I think part of what I like is that the images aren’t super huge, so they’re quick and fun to colour. This image was coloured with Stampin’ Blends and I always feel artistic when I colour with the alcohol markers. I love how there’s no streaks or lines, and the shading blends in so well. I have used other alcohol markers in the past as well (still have a few in my craft room) but what I love about the Stampin’ Blends is the easy coordination. There’s a light and dark version of the same colour, and it’s matched with the Stampin’ Up! colour families. If I recall correctly, it’s light and dark Mango Melody on the taco shell (which coordinates with the backing cardstock) and Light Granny Apple Green for the lettuce portion, which coordinates with the Granny Apple Green Cardstock around the image. The Designer Series Paper is the ever so cute Birthday Bonanza.
So I die cut a Layering Circle out of the Designer Series Paper, and adhered the piece with the hole onto the cardstock. I adhered the die cut circle back into that hole, but turned it so the pattern did not line up. I think this technique works best with a stripe or more plain directional image. Easy Peasy!
Come to a card class or join Stampers Club if you want to pick up other fun crafting tips and techniques just like this Inlaid Die Cut Card! See the upcoming dates on the YamStamps Events Page, and contact me to reserve a spot or to ask questions.
PS I am totally realizing now that I should have saved this card for a Tuesday post. *sigh* (well, maybe I’ll share it to the YamStamps Facebook Page on Tuesday!)
This Birthday Cake Card is today’s clean and simple card. Quick and easy to help someone celebrate!
This card is made even easier by lining everything up with the Stamparatus. If you’ve been following this YamStamps Blog for a while or have attended a class with me, you’ll realize that the larger oval is cut from the centre of the backing Night of Navy Cardstock. I used the Country Club Designer Series Paper for the background – using the argyle side rather than the obvious golf side. The main image on this card is actually three different stamps – the cake stand and outline of candles were stamped in Smoky Slate, and the cake was stamped in Early Espresso. I lined everything up on the Stamparatus so that it was easy to reproduce.
If you’re making multiples – and die cutting the stamped image, the easy technique is to line your stamps up on your Stamparatus. Place your cardstock in the corner of the Stamparatus, and stamp it. Remove the cardstock from the Stamparatus, then die cut with a Layering Oval die. Place the piece of cardstock (the one with the hole in it) back into the corner of the Stamparatus, and use that as your template/guide. For the next images, die cut the oval first, then place it in the hole in the cardstock in the Stamparatus so that your images will be in the right spot. Clear as mud? Check out this video I have on the YamStamps Facebook Page to see this technique in action. Oh – and don’t be like me in the video – place the magnet over a corner of the die cut shape so it doesn’t move…LOL.
Quick and Easy, Clean and Simple – this birthday cake card will be sure to please the recipient, and you’ll be able to whip one up at the last minute and still have time and energy to enjoy the celebration!
I am calling this a Die Cut Double Time Stamping Card….only because I don’t know how else to describe it. Many years ago I did a triple time card – you can see that old post here which is where you layer pieces of card stock and stamp on them at the same time to make a continuous pattern. (You can see a super old video tutorial I did here).
This is a variation on that technique – and it’s even easier!
This card uses the Positive Thoughts stamp set – I love this sentiment. It’s perfect for so many card-sending occasions (including non-occasions!). On this card it’s combined with the Stitched Nested Labels Dies. The sentiment and images are stamped first, then the centre area cut out with the smaller Stitched Nested Label Die first, then again with the larger nested label. The Mossy Meadow cardstock is cut with the same larger nested label die – this way, when the card is assembled, the additional row of stitching around the edge of the stamped cardstock shows around centre portion.
I’m planning on doing a Facebook Live showing the construction of this card, so be sure to “like” and “follow all notifications” for the YamStamps Facebook Page to be notified when I go live.
I love the effect of this technique, so call it a Die Cut Double Time Stamping Card, or call it what you will, it’s a great way to add interest quickly and easily to your handmade creations!
This is another take on a musical note card – like the birthday card I shared here, it has the same black/white/red theme, because why mess with something that works?!
I often think that the amount of thought that goes into creating a clean and simple design can be underrated. I know that as a cardmakers, we often think that “more is better” and that we need to be over the top in order for people to appreciate the hand-made-ness of the effort. Looking at some of the higher priced cards available in the stores, though, I have realized that a lot of them are of the clean and simple type, or featuring one main image, so as cardmakers, we need to be comfortable and confident when we choose not to overload our cardfronts.
Plus, lets be honest, once you’ve got the design, it’s easy to create/re-create a clean and simple card in a pinch! (#lazycrafter rules).
This Musical Note Card is great for any occasion (I’ve used it as a thank you card) but it could also be used for Valentine’s Day! Join us at Stampers Club/Monthly Card Class if you are local to Burlington ON and want to build up your card stash – or watch for my next Online Class Offering (I’m putting the finishing touches on it now) for ideas and inspiration wherever you are.
Love this colour combination! This congratYOUlations card features some of the Sale-a-Bration product you can choose for free with qualifying orders!
Love the clean feel of this grey and pink combo – it may pull me out of my “blue” project phase….at least for a while! Basic Gray (using Stampin’ Up! spelling there LOL), Blushing Bride and Melon Mambo are the shades used for this card. It uses one stamp set – Thoughtful Blooms (also available in a French Version, Fleurs Attentionnées)- which you can select for free with a $60 CAD product order, and the coordinating Small Bloom Punch, which you can select for free with a $120 CAD product order. I love the Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals to pop up smaller shapes – like these flowers.
My hint for this card? Stamp the sentiment first. That way, if it’s not “perfect” you can flip the cardstock over. Once the sentiment is in place, it’s also easier to place the rest of the elements! The leaf sprays were stamped next, then the dots, then the little pink flowers. (OK maybe the flowers and dots were in reverse order, I can’t exactly remember now…). Stamp the flowers on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock, punch out with the punch (use it upside down so you can centre the image in the punch) and adhere with the Mini Dimensionals.
Demonstrators are able to preorder product before it’s available to the “general public”. For Sale-a-Bration items, demonstrators can actually purchase the items ahead of time, so to get a “jump” on creating with the products. (it’s the one period that these items can be purchased). It’s one of the fun perks of being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator (see more here!shameless plug haha). I personally like to pre-order a few items and then get the rest for free once they are available with a qualifying purchase!
I think I’m going to make a few extra of these CongratYOUlations cards to send to some of my demonstrator team to celebrate their accomplishments over the past month, and keep some on hand in my card stash for future celebrations!
*EDIT – this has been a popular pin on the YamStamps Pinterest Board! If you’ve come here from Pinterest – thanks for visiting! Please consider signing up for the YamStamps Newsletter to get paper crafting ideas and information directly to your inbox each week!
Available TODAY! Stampin’ Up!’s Coordination Product Release – check out these items that you can purchase to make your paper crafting easier. These products tie in to current Catalogue Product and Sale-a-Bration rewards!
Stampin’ Up! Coordination Product Release February 2020
There are times when you want to send a card of encouragement to someone – like this DIY Get Well Soon Card. I love the sentiment because it is suitable for someone recovering from a physical ailment or an emotional event.
This sentiment is from the So Sentimental stamp set, and it’s paired here with the Stitched So Sweetly Dies that I used to create the sentiment and backing pieces. You can purchase them together in a discounted bundle. I love how these particular die shapes are coordinated but not identical.
For this card, I paired the sentiment with an image from the Painted Poppies stamp set, and added a splash of colour with the splatter stamp from the set using Highland Heather and Balmy Blue ink pads. (Check out the colour I started with and then rejected in the post in the Paper Crafting with YamStamps Facebook Group!). The beautiful Gold Shimmer Ribbon is a non-catalogue item available while supplies last – it was introduced as part of the Christmastime is Here Suite – which you can purchase as part of the entire bundle or on its own.
The great thing about DIY cards – you can change out the sentiment to suit whatever occasion for which you need a card! I actually have a number of people who come to Card Class or Stampers Club and choose to leave the sentiment portion blank so they can fill it in with an appropriate sentiment from their stamps at home when the need arises.
If you are looking to build up your card stash, or needing a little creative / “me” time – join us at the next Monthly Card Class! Wednesday, February 5th – at 1pm or 7pm here in Burlington Ontario. Your $20 class fee covers all supplies required (including adhesive and envelopes) to create 4 different card projects. See the YamStamps Events Page for upcoming events, or contact me for more information or to register! We did this DIY Get Well Soon Card last month – but each month has a variety of cards covering many occasions (especially if you choose to leave the sentiment area blank!!). Hope to see you in a class soon.
A semi-regular feature here…maybe more semi than regular?! Anyway – thought I’d dust this category off again! Today’s featured tool is the Simply Scored Tool! Scoring your paper crafting projects means that your folds will be crisp and professional looking, especially if you’re using the Thick Whisper White or Thick Very Vanilla Cardstocks, or doing fancy fold type cards (like in my online Clever Cards Class!).
Simply Scored Tool – Item 122334
Stampin’ Up!’s Simply Scored is a grooved board that you can use to create precise scorelines in your paper crafting projects. It comes with a two headed scoring tool, and a set of place markers to mark your spot if you’re doing multiples with the same scorelines. It can accommodate 12″ x 12″ sheets of cardstock and is marked in 1/8″ increments.
Along the top there is also a centre zero line (that’s what I call it, I’m sure there’s a proper name for it but I don’t know what it is…) – so you can score/mark 1″ from the centre on either side (less math to do…).
Helpful Hints
Apply gentle pressure, and draw the scoring tool along the channel (vs trying to push down very hard)
I find it easier to hold my wrist still and move my whole arm
If you are having trouble keeping the scoring tool in the channel, try using the pointy end of a bone folder. Some of my customers prefer this method. I think because the bone folder is flat, there’s less chance of going off track?
I used a metallic marker (Stampin’ Up! used to sell them – you could also try the White Stampin’ Chalk Marker?) and drew along one of the channel lines. I find it helpful for if I’m doing a diagonal point-to-point score line – I line the points up along the marked channel.
If you misplace the scoring tool, the Take Your Pick Tool has a double sided scoring head. (Ask me why I know this….)
Even though you score, you may find that your edges don’t line up perfectly – for example, if you’re scoring your cardstock to create a card. Align the edges of your card, and then run the side of your bone folder along the fold where the score line is. You can kind of “cheat” the fold to be sure that it’s sharp but also so that the edges of your cardstock are aligned. (again, ask me how I know this…)
I really do value my Simply Scored Tool for my paper crafting. One of my favourite crafting tools for sure! Click on the link to see it in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store.
