Musical Greetings!
A musical holiday greeting for you! One of my favourite groups, Pentatonix with an uplifting, joyful version of O Come All Ye Faithful!
Holiday Greetings – With Gratitude
Well, another year has come and almost gone, and once again I find that I’m behind on my holiday greetings! However, these lovely cards have arrived over the past while to brighten my home. Thanks to those creative and organized people, and once again I make a resolution to get more organized!! LOL
The first card – tailored, classic and clean, with a bit of bling, is from Annette; the second card – so elegant, is from Arlene (so lucky to have her in my group of demonstrators!!); the third card is from Donna – love the silhouette effect and netting! The beautiful non-traditional pink toned card is from Cheryl, and the classic door and wreath card is from Lori – and I know she did a number of different variations on this theme as well; last but not least, a peaceful card from Merle. Thank you everyone!
I hope that you are able to spend time with friends and family over these days. Thank you for being a reader, thank you for supporting my business, and may you have a happy, healthy and creative new year!
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Coming Up For Air….Wrapped in Warmth for the Holidays!
I apologize that it’s been a little quiet here on the YamStamps Blog! I have been posting on social media (the Facebook page and instagram) a bit but not as much here as I thought I was…LOL. How have you all been? Somehow I feel that I’m not the only one who is feeling the need to come up for air!! Much as I love the holiday season, it brings a lot of busy-ness with it….add to it the busy-ness of being a volunteer with a marching band of 200 teenagers getting ready to go to the Rose Parade, and that’s the whirlwind in which I’ve found myself of late!
So here’s a fun and easy card to make that is also good for a Manic Monday (because it still is Monday right now, right?!). I still love this Cable Knit Embossing folder. Reminds me of the heavy wool sweater that my grandmother knit for me decades ago! I thought this sentiment from Snowflake Sentiments (available in wood mount or clear mount) was a perfect match for the folder! The set also coordinates with the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies, and is available in a wood mount bundle or clear mount bundle at a discounted price! Added a bit of bling with some of the Red tinsel from the Mini Tinsel Trim Combo Pack, which is currently on sale as part of the Year End Sales Event.
When you’re mass producing cards, it’s always good to be able to die cut or punch out your sentiment. Stamp first, then cut/punch. That way, you can “adjust” the angle of the framelit or punch so that your sentiment is perfectly straight every time! That little step saves a LOT of grief – at least for me! Of course, in the future, I’ll be able to use my Stamparatus (as long as it’s a clear mount or photopolymer stamp) to make sure that my sentiment is straight every time – so I may be a little bit more inclined to stamp my sentiment directly onto the card….we shall see. Have you reserved your Stamparatus yet? You have until December 30th to reserve your Stamparatus for delivery in the spring (you won’t get charged until it ships). If you don’t reserve one now, you’ll be able to purchase one when the next Annual Catalogue comes out (June, 2018). You can go to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store now and reserve your Stamparatus!
In the meantime, the LAST of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas mailings goes out this week to mailing list subscribers! Plus the regular weekly dose of inspiration and information….are you on the list?
See you in your inbox soon!
Manic Monday – Christmas Card Edition
This time of year can certainly be hectic, so I thought it was a good time for a Manic Monday – Christmas Card Edition! Some of the items featured on this card are going to be retiring – so you’ll want to grab them while you can. Read more about the Year End Sale Event here – including links to the lists.
You may notice that this is a black card. I liked the way the black made the gold and white “pop” more – but black is a hard colour to write on….so what you can’t see is that there is an additional piece of Whisper White cardstock on the inside of the card so that the personal greeting is readable.
The gold plaid background is one of the sheets from the Year of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper. This has been my FAVOURITE paper from the Holiday Catalogue. I love the weight of it, and I love the “wow” of the metallic. It adds glamour to the project without effort! The gold foil snowflake is another way to add “bling” without too much effort. Both the DSP & the foil snowflake will be unavailable after the end of the Holiday Catalogue – and current supplies are available while they last (so if you really like these items, you’ll want to order them ASAP!). The JOY sentiment is from Cheers to the Year, which is available in wood mount or clear mount until the end of the Holiday Catalogue sales period. It’s heat embossed with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder, and punched out with the Starburst Punch. Good news…LOL…both of those are from the Annual Catalogue, so will be around for a while still!
This card can be easily created en masse so great for those that are still finishing their holiday cards (guilty party here….LOL). Have you finished your cards yet? Once again, like the cobbler’s children who have no shoes, I am the cardmaker who is scrambling to get Christmas Cards together to send out for herself!! On the YamStamps Facebook page, I shared a great article about the importance of still mailing a Christmas Card. I truly believe that a handmade card increases the value and significance even more! So on that note…I’m off to see what I can do about my Christmas Card list!
Year End Sale – Starts Now!
Happy December! Celebrate by shopping the Year End Sale from Stampin’ Up! Canada! While supplies last, grab some retiring product and specially priced items. If you place an order by December 7th, you’ll be sure to receive it in time for Christmas, too!
Here is a list of items included in this event. Download the pdf file here or the sortable spreadsheet here. For the most up to date availability, be sure simply to go to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store. You’ll also be able to see what is retiring from the Holiday Catalogue. You may notice that the Hearts Come Home Wood Mount and Clear Mount Bundles are included on the retiring list, but that the individual items are NOT. This just indicates that the discounted bundle will not be available to order in the future, though the separate stamp set and framelits may well be. Also included in the sale is the Mini Tinsel Trim that I featured on the Sparkly Nosed Reindeer card from yesterday.
If you have been contemplating the Demonstrator Starter Kit, you are able to order any of the year end sale items in your kit….or you could include pre-orderable items from the upcoming Occasions Catalogue! Please contact me for more information if you are interested!
Mini Tinsel Trim Reindeer Card
Isn’t this fun? This is a Mini Tinsel Trim Reindeer Card – one of the projects from the last Christmas Card Class. There’s a lot of components to this card, even though it’s not overly complicated, and it all adds up to fun, The reindeer is from Stampin’ Up!’s Cookie Cutter Christmas and punched out with the coordinating Cookie Cutter Builder Punch. He’s stamped in Soft Suede and then mounted onto a Cherry Cobbler Stitched Shape Framelits square, which, if you know me, you’ll know that the square was cut from the backing layer of Cherry Cobbler Cardstock – because it never hurts to be a little thrifty! The Soft Suede cardstock is embossed with the Woodlands Embossing Folder, and the Pretty Label features a sentiment from the Hearts Come Home stamp set (available in wood mount, clear mount or bundled with coordinating Framelits – wood bundle / clear mount bundle). I normally try not to mix & match too many stamp sets, but couldn’t resist how the Merry & Bright sentiment tied in so well with the Rudolph theme. The red Mini Tinsel Trim is featured on this card – holding the label in place, and on the reindeer’s nose! For the nose, I applied some Multipurpose Liquid Glue to the nose and then worked over top of the area and snipped bits of the red tinsel trim – to create red, sparkly shavings that stuck in place.
I love the versatility of the Cookie Cutter set – and this was the most popular make & take that we did at the YamStamps booth at the recent Scrapfest / CreativFest. Attendees who stopped by got to choose either a reindeer or a gingerbread man tag – both from the same set and using the same punch! We did different make & takes each day of the event, so those who were attending the crop could stop by each day to make a different mini project. If you are still looking for inspiration, I hope that you are on my mailing list! We are in the final stretch of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas – each week featuring a different holiday project. We are focusing the last few weeks on tags, bags and wrapping ideas. You won’t see this Mini Tinsel Trim Reindeer Card in there, since we’re already past the card section, and since the ideas shared in the Twelve Weeks emails are ONLY in the emails – not on the YamStamps blog nor any of the social media feeds.
December means we are getting into the busier time of the season! I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at a calendar full of Christmas concerts, gatherings and events. If you need a little creative “time out”, the Monthly Card Class is still happening – December’s class is this upcoming Wednesday, December 6th, at 1pm or 7pm. If you’d like to join us, please contact me to register. Please note, that looking ahead, January’s Card Class will be the SECOND Wednesday of the month, not the first.
I hope that you’ll come back tomorrow – because there’s going to be more details about a SALE happening during the month of December! Plus I’ll update in the next few days about the next Stamparatus Reservation window. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Wallpaper Craft – Use Those Remnants!
I was recently asked to participate in a fun project for the Wayfair blog – making a wallpaper craft! The idea was to showcase how to use leftover remnants of wallpaper. I got to pick whatever wallpaper I liked from the online store (that was a chore in itself, narrowing it down!) and then use it to create or re-create a craft project.
This is the project that was shared on the Wayfair blog. – I did a version of the metallic birthday card with remnants of the wallpaper, plus made an envelope. I was pleased at how easy the wallpaper was to work with – I was worried it either wouldn’t cooperate or would crack or not fold as I wanted, but it is wallPAPER after all…. The wallpaper featured in this is Silver Shimmer – it’s a heavier, almost fabric-like feel. Okay, maybe not fabric. Lightweight pleather?? Anyway – it cut and scored easily enough for me to use the Envelope Punch Board to create the envelope. I added portions of it behind the Year of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper rather than the Silver Foil I used on the original card. The one caution – it will add some heft to your project, so you may end up paying a bit more postage to send it – depending on how much wallpaper you use. The Silver Shimmer wallpaper is as advertised – it has silver tones and it does shimmer, so the whole package together is WOW. This is a wallpaper craft project that will have you wanting to have surplus wallpaper so you can make multiples!
This is a variation on the theme – showing off the wallpaper a bit more. Love the texture it gives. I used Tear & Tape to adhere the wallpaper to the project (and to adhere the other layers to the wallpaper) – just to ensure it was really “stuck”. I find the Tear & Tape very good for 3D projects or things with a bit more texture or heft. The Multipurpose Liquid Glue would likely work well for a wallpaper craft….but I don’t always work well with liquid adhesives, being the slightly messy crafter that I am….
Here’s a better look at the wallpaper envelope.
You can see the score line, and the corner rounder on the Envelope Punch Board worked with the wallpaper as well!
So thank you to Sarah at Wayfair for inviting me to participate in this really fun project. I still have some wallpaper here….so you may very well see it pop up again in future projects. Or maybe I’ll actually use some on a wall…..(who am I kidding….wallpaper crafting for the win!). What’s the most recent non-crafting item that you’ve used in your crafts lately?? My enquiring mind wants to know…
FREE SHIPPING! One Day Only!
Monday, November 27th, 12am til 1159pm Mountain Time, get free shipping on your Stampin’ Up! Canada order! While the Online Extravaganza special pricing will end Sunday, November 26th, for “Cyber Monday” you can order anything from the current catalogue and pay no shipping costs! PLUS if you shop through the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada Store and use the host code JCHBY73X, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a brand new Merry Patterns stamp set! If your order is less than $200, use the host code when shopping online with me and you’ll be entered in the draw. If your order is $200 or more, DO NOT use the host code. You’ll get Stampin’ Rewards (read: free product of your choice) AND you will be entered to win the draw.
Merry Patterns is the stamp set that was available for free a little while ago with a qualifying workshop order – and I happen to have an extra one on hand, so I’m sharing the wealth. Plus of course, free shipping – what’s not to like?
Don’t forget, though – the Online Extravaganza special pricing will END November 25th so if you want to take advantage of those discounts, you’ll need to shop before that part of the sale ends.
If you need assistance placing your order, please feel free to contact me. Otherwise – get your wish list ready, and get set to shop!
Online Extravaganza – Save For A Limited Time!
Starting Monday – Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Online Extravaganza sale is BACK! November 20 – 26th – save 10-50% on selected Stampin’ Up! products! It starts off with a bang – selected stamp sets are on sale for 20% off on Monday ONLY, and ends with a flash – a flash sale (more info to follow) on November 27th.
Here’s the list of stamps on sale Monday – from 12AM to 1159PM Mountain Time:
| Item # | Description | Discount Price | |
| 139891 | Remarkable You Wood | $47.20 CAD | |
| 139894 | Remarkable You Clear | $35.20 CAD | |
| 140643 | Bloomin Love | $16.80 CAD | |
| 141054 | Éclosion d’amour | $16.80 CAD | |
| 143775 | Celebrate You Wood | $26.40 CAD | |
| 143778 | Celebrate You Clear | $19.20 CAD | |
| 142982 | Cool Treats | $26.40 CAD | |
| 143440 | Souhaits frais | $26.40 CAD | |
| 138682 | You’re so Sweet Wood | $28.00 CAD | |
| 139440 | You’re so Sweet Clear | $20.00 CAD | |
| 140180 | Juste comme ça | $20.00 CAD | |
| 143949 | Garden Girl Wood | $28.00 CAD | |
| 143952 | Garden Girl Clear | $20.00 CAD | |
| 143740 | Good Vibes Wood | $28.00 CAD | |
| 145080 | Good Vibes Clear | $20.00 CAD | |
| 142871 | Super Duper Wood | $28.80 CAD | |
| 142874 | Super Duper Clear | $20.00 CAD | |
| 138764 | Heartfelt Sympathy | $16.80 CAD | |
| 140098 | Des adieux du fond du cœur | $16.80 CAD | |
| 144865 | Every Good Wish Clear | $19.20 CAD | |
| 144862 | Every Good Wish | $26.40 CAD | |
| 145103 | Que de bons vœux | $19.20 CAD | |
| 144870 | Good Tidings | $20.80 CAD | |
| 145124 | Bouquet de houx | $20.80 CAD | |
| 142954 | Milestone Moments | $20.80 CAD | |
| 143426 | À souligner | $20.80 CAD | |
| 143689 | More than Chocolate | $16.80 CAD | |
| 140653 | Number of Years | $26.40 CAD | |
| 141091 | Au fil des ans | $26.40 CAD | |
| 140386 | Oh What Fun | $20.80 CAD | |
| 140469 | Hourra pour Noel | $20.80 CAD | |
| 141934 | Touches of Texture Wood | $55.20 CAD | |
| 143251 | Touches of Texture Clear | $35.20 CAD |
You can download the full list of sales items here. A lot of the stamp sets on sale on Monday coordinate with other items on sale the full week – for example, Bloomin’ Hearts Thinlits which coordinates with the Bloomin’ Love set; plus Watercolour Pencils are on sale which are great for sets like Garden Girl.
Any Paper Pumpkin Items on the sale list are while supplies last. Your best bet to make sure you don’t miss out on anything is to place your order online at the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada Store. If you have any questions or need assistance placing your order, please feel free to contact me. I will have an order or two going in this week, but if you’re going for a limited supply item (e.g. Paper Pumpkin kit or refill) just know that I can’t guarantee it will be available until the order is finalized.
Get Your Stamparatus!
Stampin’ Up! is introducing the Stamparatus – a new stamp positioner/tool! Demonstrators at last week’s On Stage event got their first look at this new tool in action – and there was a lot of “oohing and ahhing” happening in the crowd! See the animated gif above for a quick peek at how it works – or watch the video on the YamStamps Facebook page. You can get your Stamparatus by reserving one starting TODAY – Thursday 16 November, at 2pm Mountain Time (that’s 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific).
Stampin’ Up! is trying a reservation system for this launch. There will be a number of periods that you can reserve a Stamparatus. Each window has a set number of Stamparatii (that’s the plural, right?!), so once that number’s exhausted, you won’t be able to reserve one until the next reservation window.
| Reservation Windows | Available to Ship |
|---|---|
| November 16–30, 2017 | Approx. February 1, 2018 |
| December 5–30, 2017 | Approx. March 19, 2018 |
| January 15–30, 2018 | Approx. April 15, 2018 |
How to reserve
1) Have an online account set up for the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada Store – you can do this ahead of time so that you’ll be ready to go right off the mark! In the top left corner of the page, you’ll see a link to create your account if you don’t already have one.
2) When the time hits, visit the store, and there will be a link to the Stamparatus Reservation Page. Complete the page (you’ll need to enter your credit card payment information). Your credit card will NOT be charged until your Stamparatus is shipped, but you will need one to complete your reservation. If the supply is exhausted, you will not be able to reserve one, and will get a message indicating that there are no products available to reserve. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen to you!!
3) When your Stamparatus is ready to ship, you will get an email, and you can go into your online store account where it will be in your shopping bag. At that time, you can add other items to your bag (you’ll qualify for a free Sale-a-Bration item if you get in on the first two reservation windows). You can also update your address & credit card information before you finalize your order. Once the Stamparatus is in your shopping bag, DO NOT DELETE IT – we are being told that if that should happen, Stampin’ Up! can’t add it back to your bag and you will lose your reservation 🙁
This is going to be a HOT item, so be ready to reserve! Limited to one per customer….but if you miss out on the first reservation window, there’s 2 more chances….and this tool WILL be available in the upcoming 2018-2019 Annual Catalogue, so don’t despair! Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
