Jan 31, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, rubber stamping, Stampin' Up!
January 31 is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day! Who knew that there was an “official” day for this?! I think that technically this is any day when I get to craft, but it’s nice to mark it this way.
Here’s a card I created to commemorate Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. I was a little literal….so it has a heart on it…
I used the Meant to Be cling bundle – which has the Meant to Be stamp set and the Be Mine Stitched Framelits dies together at a discounted price. I love being able to tie elements together on a project, so I also used the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies to die cut the backing layers for the front of the card. Last but not least, I embossed the heart with the Tufted Dynamic Embossing Folder for extra texture and detail.
I hope that you are able to take a moment or two today to Inspire Your Heart With Art. Crafting is a great creative outlet for me. I also find inspiration in other art forms, especially music. I often listen to music while I craft – usually something I can sing along to. Are you a “craft in silence” or “craft with distractions” kind of person? For me it often depends on if I’m working to a deadline or not…and how close that deadline is looming!
If you are looking for a creative outlet, don’t forget the YamStamps Monthly Card Classes! Next class is this upcoming Wednesday, February 6th at 1pm or 7pm in Burlington, ON. Please contact me to register (or use the link on the YamStamps Events Page). If you aren’t able to make it on a class date, consider getting a group of friends together and booking a private class!
In the meantime, I’m looking to Theatre Night tonight – a group of friends and I have a subscription to attend shows in Toronto. It’s always fun to get together and enjoy a night out. I am definitely taking the “Inspire Your Heart With Art” theme seriously!
Jan 30, 2019 | Stampin' Up!, Subscribe
Did you get the video tutorial? Every new YamStamps newsletter subscriber gets a link to a free video tutorial sharing an easy but impressive paper crafting technique (it’s one of my favourites). Each week, I send out a new email featuring paper crafting projects (complete instructions, supply list and photo), ideas, inspiration and tips and tricks. The first week of each month brings the big projects newsletter – featuring a whole bunch of different types of paper crafting projects (cards, scrapbook pages, techniques etc), and following weeks tend to feature an individual project, or spotlighting different social media content you might have missed.
You can sign up by using the box here on the YamStamps website, or by clicking on the image below or this link. I look forward to sharing lots of inspiration with you! As always – please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Jan 28, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Stampin' Up!
A simple handmade sympathy card is what is called for at a time that you may not feel very creative, and there’s often more of a time pressure element involved. This monochromatic card is perfect in that situation, though the sentiment could easily be changed out for another occasion, since this graphic is not occasion specific. It’s also good for a “Manic Monday” share – a quick card to make when life is hectic.
This card features the Flourishing Phrases Stampin’ Up! stamp set (red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount), which also has coordinating framelits. The only framelit used on this card, though, is from the Stitched Labels Framelits dies – for the sentiment. I think it adds something to this otherwise simple sympathy handmade card, but it’s also added with a purpose. A slightly crooked image for this card is not going to be noticeable (and could be an artistic choice), but a crooked sentiment will likely be more noticeable (especially by the person making the card LOL)….so by adding it with a die cut afterwards, you avoid that grief! I stamped the sentiment on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, then used the framelit with the Magnetic Platform on the Big Shot to cut out the sentiment, saving myself a bit of stress in the meantime. Simply position the framelit around the sentiment so the sentiment is straight and you’re good to go.
Stampin’ Up! has announced that they’re going to be moving to all photopolymer (the see-through stamps) or red rubber cling mount stamps. The only stamps that will still be available in red rubber wood mount will be the large background stamps. (Check out this quick comparison of the types of stamps). I personally have always loved the wood mount option, primarily because I am a bit of a lazy crafter, and the less steps involved in crafting the better for me. I liked being able to grab a stamp set and be ready to stamp right away – no looking for blocks etc. I do have to admit, though, that with the arrival of the new cling mount labels and the Stamparatus, I’m not missing the wood mount option so much! Who’d a thunk it? The new cling mount labels are super sticky and there’s no shifting of the rubber stamp when I clean it, and the Stamparatus is my favourite tool for multi-step stamping. A little work to get the images positioned correctly initially and I’m ready to go, and encouraged to make multiples of cards at the same time – good for my card stash, and for my card sending efforts for sure! My set for this simple handmade sympathy card is a wood mount set, but I am starting to choose the non-wood mount option more often. Plus, Sale-a-Bration is a great time to pick up a Stamparatus, or Stamparatii (if you are getting more than one…isn’t that the proper plural form?). One Stamparatus will get you a Level 1 Sale-a-Bration reward, two Stamparatii will get you a Level 2 Sale-a-Bration reward (or two Level 1 Sale-a-Bration rewards!), and so on…and so on…
I’m planning on doing a quick Facebook Live today on the YamStamps Facebook Page (once all my technology is properly charged up), so be sure to like and follow the page to get notified when I go live! In the meantime, if you need assistance placing your order or have any questions, please contact me! See you online.
Jan 27, 2019 | cards, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
It’s great to send a card for no reason other than to say hi or offer some encouragement. Stampin’ Up!’s stamp set, Part of My Story is perfect for that! It’s got some great friendship quotes that are perfect for your handmade cards. Bonus – it’s a Level 1 Sale-a-Bration reward! That means that you can select this set for FREE with a $60 product order! This week’s Sunday’s Swap share is a gorgeous sample using this set, created by Andrea Eagleton.
Love it! There’s a number of freebies featured on this card, actually! One of the great friendship quotes from the Part of My Story stamp set, the black and white butterfly print paper is from the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper (Level 1 Sale-a-Bration reward), and yet another freebie is on the bottom of the card – part of a Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheet – you get a package of 4 Lovely Lipstick and 4 Grapefruit Grove sheets in a package! She’s embossed the foil with the Dot to Dot Embossing Folder for some awesome texture. More “bling” factor from a Rhinestone Basic Jewel, the Black Shimmer Ribbon and Silver Glimmer Paper, and the overall effect is WOW.
The small butterfly is from the Butterfly Duet Punch – which has been SO popular that it’s sold out for now! Stampin’ Up! is currently awaiting shipment of more product, but anticipating delays in receiving due to shipping port congestion and Eastern shut downs for Chinese New Year…but I will be sure to let you know when it’s available to order again! In the meantime, there are a number of pretty smaller size butterflies in the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies (which is available in a discounted bundle with the Beauty Abounds stamp set).
A great way to grab some of these freebies is by hosting a cardmaking party for your friends. It’s so much fun to get together and do something creative while spending some quality time together. The most popular choice is the standard cardmaking class – each person pays a class fee of $20, and I bring all the supplies and tools needed for each person to create 4 different cards. Contact me to book a date, or discuss other class options! I’m off to do a private class this afternoon for Susan and her friends – will share some of the projects here on the YamStamps Blog in the coming days!
Jan 23, 2019 | cards, Sale-A-Bration, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
I always have great intentions of sending out a lot of cards…and then end up having to be happy I sent out “some”. I just did a bit of a catch up on mailing a little while ago, and so I’m keen to get back on track with my card sending! This is a great thinking of you card – perfect for someone like me! You’ve been on my mind is the ideal sentiment for a lot of the cards I want to send to friends and family – because they HAVE been on my mind – but I haven’t always been able to reach out and let them know that personally. If you’re like me, you’ll want this set so you can do a bit of card catchup too!
Do you remember that I mentioned that I apparently have a thing for butterflies?! More proof here… This thinking of you card features the Butterfly Gala photopolymer stamp set, which pairs perfectly with the Butterfly Duet punch. You can purchase the items separately, or together in a discounted bundle. I used the Artisan Textures stamp set to create the background – the smoosh and splatter images are great to add texture and interest to any background or image. The set is available in red rubber wood mount and red rubber clear mount. Since I figure I’ll be sending this to someone I feel like I’ve “owed” a card to, I wanted to add some more detail to this thinking of you card! The Whisper White cardstock piece is cut with a Rectangle Stitched Framelit. I used the same framelit to cut the middle out of a piece of the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper as well. The framelit adds a stitched effect on BOTH sides of the cut line. So the centre piece of the DSP gets saved for another project later on, and the outer piece is used to frame the Whisper White piece. You can get this DSP for free as a Level 1 Sale-a-Bration reward with a $60 product order until March 31, or you’ll get a half sheet of each of the double sided designs as part of the YamStamps Occasions Catalogue Designer Series Paper share.
One last little detail for the butterflies. I stamped the butterfly image in Bermuda Bay ink onto Bermuda Bay cardstock, and after they were punched out, added some Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to the wings (which may not be totally visible in the picture…). That’s one of my most favourite card making hacks – add some Wink of Stella to add some “wow” to the project quickly and easily!
I’m off to finish up prep for Susan’s private cardmaking class this weekend – we’ll be doing a variety of cards with her friends and family. It’s a great way to spend a wintery weekend afternoon! If you are looking to get some quality time in with friends, contact me to book a private cardmaking class! I bring ALL the crafting supplies you’ll need for the projects we’ll be making. It’s a great way to get together, catch up and maybe learn something new – plus you’ll end up with four handmade cards that you’ll have ready to give to someone special!
Jan 20, 2019 | cards, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
Today’s Sunday Swap share is this elegant Lasting Lily Card, created by Emilie Poncelet. I love this colour combination and the clean card design. Emilie used the Level 2 Sale-a-Bration stamp set, Lasting Lily. (or in this case, Calla Eternale). During Sale-a-Bration, until March 31, you can select this stamp set with a qualifying purchase. A $60 product order will entitle you to a Level 1 reward, and a $120 product order will entitle you to your choice of either 2 Level 1 rewards, or 1 Level 2 reward.
Accents on this lily card include the Gorgeous Grape ribbon, and it looks like Emilie used Highland Heather Stampin’ Blends to colour the clear Frosted Flower Embellishments, and die cuts from the Stitched Shape Framelits and Layering Ovals for the sentiment. The Lovely Lily stamp set is a Distinktive stamp by Stampin’ Up, meaning it has a more “photorealistic” look to it. If you have a really juicy ink pad, you may find that the detail of the image gets obscured. With the new Stampin’ Up! ink pads, you may want to take either an old bone folder or the back of a plastic spoon and run it over the surface of the ink pad to redistribute the ink evenly and away from the top surface a bit.
Sale-a-Bration runs until March 31, and you can can receive rewards for shopping, hosting and signing up as a demonstrator! You can see more information in this past blog post. As always, if you have any questions, or need assistance ordering a starter kit or placing an order, you can contact me.
Jan 19, 2019 | Business Opportunity, cards, rubber stamping, Stampin' Up!
Love what you do and share what you love – that’s part of the sentiment (if not the exact wording) of Stampin’ Up!’s Statement of the Heart, which features on the card that I’m sending to my “Eh” Team members this month. The “Eh” Team is the name of the group of demonstrators who have signed up with me or one of my team members. I know a lot of demonstrators put a lot of though into what to call their group, and truthfully I think I must have put some thought into it (this was a while ago…) but in the end, I think this name does reflect me, and my team! We are Canadian, hence the “eh”, and we are a team, and I am a child of the 80s…plus it’s tongue in cheek, which is how I approach most of life I think! So despite the team name, the cards are not goofy! (well, at least not these ones).
I used products from the Share What You Love suite from the Annual Catalogue. The Statement of the Heart stamp was available for a limited time a while ago, and I combined it with the background stamp from the Love What You Do stamp set and the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. I used some of the Rich Razzleberry 1/4″ Velvet Ribbon on the corners to soften the hard lines of the design a little. The colour scheme is Mint Macaron and Tranquil Tide, taken from colours in the patterned paper.
The Stamparatus is great for creating a number of similar cards – the stamps stay on the plates, and then you change out the cardstock, ending up with images in the same position. If the inking was uneven, I was able to restamp and know it was in the exactly same spot.
If you’d like to become part of my “Eh” Team, you can get more information here: yamstamps.com/join or you can contact me directly with specific questions. My next Information Evening is scheduled for Thursday, February 7th at 7pm – you can RSVP for directions for this free event. In the meantime, I still have some cards to write and address!
Jan 14, 2019 | Occasions, product share, Stampin' Up!
If you like to craft with patterned paper but don’t find you always need a full package – or like to “try before you buy”, consider buying into the YamStamps Occasions Catalogue Designer Series Paper Share! For $30 Candian, you’ll receive 6 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of each of the four regular Designer Series Papers in the Occasions Catalogue, 22 sheets total of the two 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper stacks, and as a bonus, you’ll get 6 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of the Botanical Butterfly Sale-a-Bration Designer Series Paper as well!
This is what one share looks like. For those who are not local to Burlington ON, we can arrange to have the papers mailed to you for $5 – it will come in an envelope with a bit of extra cardboard to minimize trauma during shipping! You’ll also get a “cheat sheet” of what the papers are called and what Stampin’ Up! colours are featured so you can easily coordinate your paper crafting. Please note that the two Specialty Designer Series Papers are NOT included in the Occasions Catalogue Designer Series Paper share (it’s too hard to divide them up equally). You can see the Facebook Live video I did on the share here.
Each of the sheets is double sided, and because it’s a 6″ x 12″ piece, you can easily use it for scrapbooking or for card making – or whatever paper crafting project is on the books! If you’d like to get in on the Paper Share, please contact me directly, or use the link below. Please note that the paper share cannot be used as part of the Stampers Club minimum order.
Jan 13, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
This week’s Sunday Swap Share is this calming thank you card. It was created by Dana Hancock, using the Level One Sale-a-Bration stamp set, By the Bay. You could choose this for free when you place a $60 Stampin’ Up! product order until March 31st.
For this thank you card, Dana also used some of the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack, plus the Balmy Blue ribbon from the Sale-a-Bration Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack, which of course, coordinates with the Balmy Blue Cardstock. When you have a line art image like this one, it may feel like you need to add colour to the whole thing – but you can spotlight just one area of the image, as is done here – a bit of blue and brown added to the building only. You can recreate this by adding colour with either an Aquapainter or Blender pen, and picking up some colour from either a reinker or the inside cover of an ink pad. If you look closely, you’ll also see the detail added by using the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies, one of my new favourite products in the Occasions Catalogue.
When you book a private card class through me, you can request the themes of the four cards we will create – so if you are in need of a thank you card, birthday cards, or thinking of you cards, be sure to contact me to book a date! Sale-a-Bration runs until March 31st, so if you want to take advantage of the freebies, you’ll want to get a date in before then. Hope to speak to you soon!
Jan 10, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
One of my issues with Valentine’s Day Cards is that they tend to be all flowery, frilly and over the top, and that’s not really my style. Most of my class attendees are females, and most of them are giving these cards to males, so I thought I’d come up with a more Masculine Valentine’s Day Card design to use in my January classes. More gender neutral or suitable for someone who appreciates more streamlined designs without too much fuss. Sorry. Likely a bad description for a good card, so perhaps I should just go ahead and share it?!
So this masculine Valentine’s Day Card uses the Stamparatus – which makes the ombré pattern sooooooo easy. I wanted the darkest heart at the bottom of the card, so I actually stamped the cardfront upside down – that is, I positioned the heart upside down so that when I did the hinge technique, the hearts faded out so the palest heart was at the top. The hinge technique is where you stamp the image, and then move the Stamparatus plate down one (or more) hinge spots, and restamp the image. You can see how this works in this YamStamps Facebook Live I did in November.
I used the Occasions Catalogue Meant to Be Bundle for this card. The bundle includes the Be Mine Stitched Framelits Dies, and the Meant to Be stamp set, which is one of the new CLING stamp sets from Stampin’ Up! These red rubber stamps have a new and improved sticker system which means your stamps will really cling to your clear blocks or Stamparatus. Some of the images and framelits are the traditional more flowery type of images, and scallop border edges, but for a Masculine Valentine’s Day Card, I stuck to the more linear look image, the stitched edge heart, and the deeper colour of Merry Merlot.
We made this card at the Monthly Card Class, and I’ll bring it out again for Stamper’s Club, because I like it so much! If you’d like to make this masculine Valentine’s Day card, you can join the Stamper’s Club, or host a card making party with friends before Valentine’s Day (we could do all valentines, or a mix of occasions)! This is a GREAT time to host a card class – because it’s Sale-a-Bration! If you place a $60 product order, you can select a Sale-a-Bration item for free – and hosts can earn more free product with qualifying total party sales. Contact me to book a date! You can host your friends and family class at your place or mine – whichever is easier. Please contact me as soon as possible so you have the best choice of available dates. Looking forward to hearing from you!!
