Sometimes you need an extra special or “WOW” card, and you don’t feel like making it from scratch. (If you do feel like making it from scratch, may I suggest the Clever Cards Online Class ?! You’ll get five different WOW card designs!) Here’s an easy pop up birthday card made using Stampin’ Up!’s Balloon Adventures set and Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits Dies. They’re available together in a discounted bundle…which I recommend because I love easy coordination (and who doesn’t like saving a bit of money?!). Real Red, Island Indigo and Crushed Curry combine to make a bright, fun card that’s sure to impress.
The interior pop up portion is made using a die! You score your cardstock, align the die along the score line and run it through your Big Shot. Fold along the score lines and you’re ready to complete your card! (I told you it was an easy pop up birthday card!) I like to use Tear & Tape to adhere the pop up insert securely in place (just don’t adhere the middle, otherwise the pop up won’t work!). Originally, I had stamped “Happy Birthday” directly onto the banner, but truth be told, I messed it up….so I cut another banner from a scrap of Crushed Curry Cardstock, restamped the sentiment and adhered it over top of the messed up one. It looks good either way. Well, maybe not with a messed up sentiment, but with a white banner rather than a yellow one. I added two additional die cut balloons that were adhered in place on the pop up portion, and the middle balloon is simply stamped in Real Red. The set is photopolymer, so you can re-stamp the balloon image on top again if you need more ink coverage – sometimes the score line doesn’t take the ink very well. (ask me how I know this…).
This card does take a little longer than a non-3D or non-moving part card might take to construct, but it’s just more steps, not that much more difficulty, really! A bit more time to construct a still quite easy pop up birthday card, thanks to coordinating stamps and dies, but the smile on the recipient’s face is sure to be worth it in the end! This is the kind of card that can be a gift in itself. We actually tackled this card in Stampers Club and the March Card Class! I liked this card so much I included it in both classes! If you’re needing an outing during the day or evening, consider joining us next time! See the YamStamps Events Page for upcoming events, or contact me to register for the April Card Class or to find out more about Stampers Club. Hope to see you in class soon!
Do you prefer Glimmer Paper or Glitter? While I love glitter, I don’t always love the mess it leaves – which is why I really love Stampin’ Up!’s Glimmer Paper. It’s an easy way to add all the glitter and shine with less fuss and mess.
This project showcases an easy way to use Glimmer Paper. Glimmer Paper is perfect for adding shine to your paper crafting with less mess than loose glitter. While you will still likely find some stray glitter here & there after you use it, it’s not nearly as invasive! The paper is a little heavier than regular cardstock and has a slightly waxy backing on it, so I like to use Tear & Tape to adhere it in place. If you’re more patient than me, you may choose to use the Multipurpose Liquid Glue. I’m more of a get it done and get going type of crafter, not to mention somewhat messy, so dry adhesives tend to work better in my crafting corner.
This fun card features two of the second release Sale-a-Bration products. Reverse Words has two negative image words, and the 12 pack of 6″ x 6″ Glimmer Paper is perfect for cardmaking or scrapbook page accents. Some other samples were seen in this post. I used the sample from the Second Release Sale-a-Bration flyer as a jumping off point for this card. If you’re attending one of my events this week, you’ll get a chance to make this card as well! The image is stamped in Bermuda Bay, and then strips of the Glimmer Paper are woven at the edge of the card as an accent. Not only is this an easy way to use glimmer paper, it’s an easy way to build up your card stash! You could make a stack of these cards with different main images for a variety of occasions.
The Sale-a-Bration Glimmer Paper comes in a package of 12 sheets of 6″ x 6″ in 3 colours – Bermuda Bay, Mint Macaron and Sweet Sugarplum, and is available as a free choice with each $60 product order until March 31. Stampin’ Up! also offers packages of two 12″ x 12″ sheets in Dazzling Diamonds, Real Red, Blushing Bride, Gold, and Silver. With so many options, and so many easy ways to use Glimmer Paper, there’s no excuse not to add a little glitter to your projects! If you need to build up your supply of shiny objects, head to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store to stock up!
So what’s your preference – glimmer paper or glitter?(HINT – I’m going to be randomly rewarding people for “class participation”….aka commenting on the YamStamps Blog Posts….).
Happy Sale-a-Bration Second Release Day! Stampin’ Up! has some new freebies for you until the end of March with each $60 merchandise order! You can download the flyer here. My personal favourites are seen in the samples above from the flyer. I love the Reverse Words stamp set (item 143316 wood or 143319 clear), and of course, the Glimmer Paper (item 143831)! You get 12 sheets – 4 of 3 different colours, in 6″ x 6″ sheets. Bermuda Bay, Mint Macaron and Sweet Sugarplum – they coordinate with a number of suites (coordinating products) from the Occasions Catalogue (Cupcakes & Carousels, Falling in Love and Succulent Garden) – but for me, they also scream “SPRING” and “EASTER”.
Don’t you agree? I need to build up my stash of these…and I’m sure they’re going to be very popular! Don’t forget that Sale-a-Bration only runs until March 31st, so now is the time to grab your freebies while you can. Purchase the starter kit (more info here), and on top of everything ($165 product of your choice for $135, business supplies and a Paper Pumpkin kit) – you get an additional TWO stamp sets of your choice for free! Just FYI…when you go to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, did you know that you can select “Stamps” and the format of your choice (wood mount, clear mount or photopolymer), and then sort by “> price” ? That way….you can get the most bang for your buck!!
So far, the most popular item during Sale-a-Bration has been the “Hey Chick” set (item 143328 wood or 143331 clear). I used that for my Year of The Rooster card…I kind of cheated I think, and turned a chicken into a rooster by adding the little red “beard”. (Can you tell I don’t own chickens? Unlike some of my friends who proudly show off their egg hauls!). The original Sale-a-Bration catalogue is here.
There is still some space in the March Monthly Card Class if you want to get out to do some crafting and grab a free Sale-a-Bration item with your $60 product order (that’s multi-tasking that I can handle!). Please contact me to register, or if you have any questions. Otherwise – see you in class soon!
If you’re in Ontario – Happy Family Day! If you’re not – Happy Monday! On this Family Day, I find myself reflecting on family….and trying to keep a work – life balance (if there is such a thing!).
That’s me and my son in 2002 – when we were living in British Columbia. This is about the time when I started with Stampin’ Up! Canada as a demonstrator. The company was expanding into Canada from the US and I jumped on board. Crafting gave me a creative outlet and helped me carve out some me time to get some life balance. At the time, I lived in an area where I had to take a ferry to get to Vancouver (and area), and we had no craft store locally. It wasn’t unusual for me to spend a day to travel into the city, drive to a stamp store or craft store (plus hit the big box stores and maybe a mall LOL), then turn around and head home again (usually with toddler in tow, so it wasn’t always the most efficient trip either haha). This would happen maybe once a month at the most? (My memory grows foggy). Anyway. I realized that signing up to be a demonstrator would be the easy way to get my own paper crafting supplies delivered right to my door! The other bonus was that it gave me an opportunity to socialize with other adults. While I did enjoy being the parent of a young child, there’s only so much conversation you can have with a toddler…so this definitely came at the right point in my life! I often do card classes with moms who are enjoying a chance to get together with their friends and have some “me” time, so I know I was not an anomaly!
Fast forward a few years….LOL. I continued with my Stampin’ Up! business, which survived a cross country move (back to Ontario to be closer to my extended family), and managed to grow my business while keeping a “regular day job” in health care as well. Around 2014 I was getting burned out with my day job, though. My job was flexible, but I was finding that the flexible component often had to be me! Demands were growing higher, as was my caseload, despite my efforts to set limits. This, on top of parenting was a lot to manage, and life balance was definitely out of whack! So I made the decision to reduce my day job hours – officially becoming a part time employee. This allowed me to continue with client care, but gave me the opportunity to enforce some boundaries so that I would not get so burned out again. My Stampin’ Up! business was able to fill some of the income gap, while continuing to give me a much needed creative outlet and socialization (at this time, I was the parent of a young teenager, and once again, conversation with a teen boy can be limited…)!
These days, I enjoy that I can change my schedule to choose to spend time with my teen, as I am realizing that he’s not going to be in the family home for much longer! (selfie photo is from a family trip to England a few years ago). My Stampin’ Up! job is flexible, but I’m the boss, so I’m in control of the schedule and workload!
I am going to spend this Family Day enjoying a little down time and hanging out with my teen (well, as much as he’ll let me haha!). Maybe I’ll also get a little crafting in there as well….we’ll see what the boss says….!
I love Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Lift Me Up stamp set & the coordinating Up & Away Thinlits Dies for easy handmade cards! The set is available in clear mount or wood mount, as well as a clear mount bundle or wood mount bundle with the dies at a discounted price. Hot air balloons are great images for all purpose cards, masculine cards, and all age ranges. The coordination of the stamp set and die always makes it easy to produce great images for the cardfront. I particularly love the irregular long cloud and the intricate hot air balloon dies in this set. For this card, the background is simply sponged with Marina Mist ink, and then the die cut balloons and clouds are adhered in place. During Sale-a-Bration (until March 31) there’s a coordinating Designer Series Paper availble for free with each $60 merchandise order as well – lots of coordinating images to go with the hot air balloon theme! (talk about making handmade cards even easier!). I did use this bundle and the Carried Away free Designer Series Paper (item 143608) for one of the projects in the Clever Cards Online Class. I couldn’t resist! When you spend a bit more time on the construction of the card itself, anything you can do to make the rest faster is always good, in my books.
It’s Family Day weekend in Ontario, so I hope that you are able to enjoy some time with your family – whether they be relations by genetics or by choice! I have a teenaged boy at home, so here’s hoping we get a few moments together at some point or another….LOL. It’s unusually warm out there too, which was a nice change when I was out for my early morning run today – not quite as many layer required (and not as much mental convincing to get out the door, to be truthful too!).
In any case, I’m also going to take advantage of a little extra down time to get caught up on some handmade cards! I’m owing a few thank you for your order cards….so if you’ve placed an order with me in the last while, you can definitely count on some “happy mail” in the next while. If you are needing to build up your stash of cards on hand, and are close to Burlington ON, join the Monthly Card Class – next one is Wednesday, March 1 at 1pm or 7pm. Cost is $20 and includes all supplies required to create 4 different cards using a variety of supplies and techniques Registration and payment required in advance. Can’t make that time? Get a group of friends together, and I’ll come to you! (well, within driving distance of Burlington…LOL). Not local to Burlington? Grab an Online Class and do some crafting when you have the time! No excuses not to get a little crafty soon!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you are able to spend time with those you love, and/or spend time doing something you love! My gift to you is a video of Valentine’s Day crafts! I thought I’d share one of the videos from my appearance on Halton Insider last week. I was fortunate to be invited to TV Cogeco to film some segments to air! I managed to load a few of the appearances on the YamStamps YouTube channel, so you can catch them there, but I thought I’d share one here on the YamStamps blog as well. (If you can’t see the video below, click on the link to go to YouTube to see them).
In this segment, I show a couple of really quick and easy paper crafting decorations you can make – fun for adults or children! You don’t need fancy equipment to make these decorations (though it does make it more fun…haha). You could whip up a few of these right now and still have lots of time to enjoy them!
So you’ll need something to cut the paper with, something to attach the paper with (tape, stapler) and something to hang the decoration – ribbon, string, twine….. You could make them fancier by using different papers, by decorating the papers – stamp on them, colour them, draw on them, emboss them…. I love that you can totally customise these Valentine’s Day crafts to your taste!
(Warning, shameless plug coming up) The same concept goes for the projects in the Clever Cards Online Class! You will learn the concepts of how to make some tricky looking cards (which actually aren’t all that tricky to make once you know how!) and then you can decorate them to your personal taste (or the taste of the recipient) once you have the basics. You may be able to pick up that I tend to go for the more clean and simple look, but you can definitely make more complex and complicated looks if that’s what you’re going for!
Thanks again for reading the YamStamps blog. I feel quite lucky that I am able to spend time doing something I love, and being able to share it with others! Happy Valentine’s Day! Now go make some “love”ly cards and decorations!
LAUNCHING TODAY! The latest YamStamps online class! Clever Cards shows you five different card patterns that you can use in your crafting. If you feel the need to step up your cardmaking, or want to move on from making simple cards to simply amazing cards, this is the class for you! The class covers how to create these cards: Double Z Fold, Curved Strips, Secret Message, Rotating Image and Twisting Pop Up. Each card has a photo, at least one video showing the construction & decoration of the card, supply list (featuring Stampin’ Up! supplies), and written, downloadable instructions. Lifetime access means you can return to class materials over and over again, when you need them. Online class means as long as you have internet access, you can watch and learn wherever you are, whenever you have the time! You can find out more information about this class, and register HERE. To see more about some of the other online classes that I have available, you can visit the YamStampsMore page.
I can promise that THIS will not happen in class videos….
because this was edited out! I think editing out my goof ups and slip of the lips took longer than anything else….
I hope that you will join me in this online class. I enjoy clean and simple cardmaking, but sometimes, by changing up a few folds and adding some elements, you can turn a simply stamped card into something even more impressive! These are the cards that will impress the friends and family who don’t usually appreciate your handmade cards as much as they should…..I’m sure we all know a few of those people, don’t we?! LOL. If you’re a auditory or visual person (like me), you’ll appreciate the video to listen to and watch what’s going on. If you’re a reader, the written instructions will come in handy (plus they’re downloadable so you can print them out to refresh your memory as you are making your own versions!
Anyway! I am already at work at the next online class focusing on watercolouring on cards. I’ll have to come up with some snappy name for that I guess. Suggestions welcome 🙂
In the meantime, I am working on a few last minute Valentine’s Day giftables (did you catch any of my segments on Cogeco TV’s Halton Insider last week?! Lots of little crafty ideas there!) Hey – you could purchase the Clever Cards online class and whip up one of the fancy cards in time to give to someone tomorrow?! Happy Crafting.
Have you seen Stampin’ Up!’s Falling In Love Designer Series Paper? This is a gorgeous set of papers, double sided, with lots of bokeh effects and images. It’s hard to pick which side to use! (Good thing there’s duplicates!). They make a great background for a simple card.
This is a version of the card that I showed on Cogeco’s Halton Insider the other day. I realize that you have to be within the Cogeco Halton viewing area to catch the show (6pm, repeated the next day at 630). I am working on a way to get the recordings into a format I can share! The other night I actually did a facebook live video on the YamStamps page where I showed my TV screen!! (The recording is posted if you wanted to check it out). Much like at Christmas time, we recorded 5 segments in a row, featuring different projects, that will be aired during the shows this week.
Essentially, you heat emboss the graphic and word of your choice from the Love Sparkles set (available in clear or wood mount) with Gold Embossing Powder. I did an extra thin border for the matting piece in Soft Sky (rather than using a traditional 1/4″ larger piece of cardstock, I did 1/8″ larger), and then wrapped it with some of the gorgeous Metallic Woven Ribbon in Gold. You can get the ribbon for free with a $60 product order until the end of March for Sale-a-Bration! (Download the Sale-a-Bration catalogue here and the upcoming new releases here!). This makes a clean, simple and elegant card – perfect for Valentine’s Day, wedding, anniversary or “just because” kind of card!
I am putting the finishing touches on the Clever Cards Online Class and it will be open for registration in the next couple of days. It’s a great class (if I say so myself LOL) that will break down the construction of a few “fancy folds” type cards that you will be able to decorate for the occasions when you want to give a card that will really WOW the recipient! I’ll post the official release here on the YamStamps Blog so please be sure to come back to the site!
Manic Mondays feature projects that can be done quickly – and Paper Pumpkin kits are a great way to get crafting! During Sale-a-Bration (until March 31st), you can also get a DEAL. The three month prepaid subscription is on sale for $74 CAD and you also qualify for a free Sale-a-Bration item! Each month, you’ll receive a box delivered to your door, full of everything that you need to create that month’s project! Past Paper Pumpkins have been kits to create cards, packaging, memory keeping projects, 3D items such as framed artwork….each month it’s a surprise! The great thing – everything you need is there. It comes with a small ink spot (great for travelling to crops, taking on trips or taking with you while you wait for others to finish practice/work/lesson/you name it), a stamp set, and the consumable product (paper, vellum, whatever!).
Here’s a peek at what the January kit was – just in time to create some fun Valentine’s Day packaging, but you can use the items in the kit to create other variations of the packaging or cards!
Paper Pumpkin subscribers can also purchase past kits and refills to replenish their supplies as available, so if you really like a certain project, you can create even more. Kits usually contain supplies to make multiple cards or smaller items; the larger projects are often limited to single items, but again, refill kits can be purchased to create more.
These kits are great if you want to craft, but don’t always have the “mental mojo” to come up with projects, or, like me, never know what’s going to happen, or what supplies you will need. In the past, I’ve had customers order them for their children or grandchildren – they can get together and make the project together! I did have one set of family members who each had their own subscription, and even though they were long distance from one another, could still craft “together” in their own homes.
The local newspaper, the Hamilton Spectator, recently highlighted a story that caught my eye. There was a study that was recently published in JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) Neurology that showed that crafting may help reduce the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment in later life! (Read the summary here if you like). Mentally stimulating activities tend to ward off dementia – and they found that crafting, playing games, computer use and social activities all made a difference. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for one of my card making classes now! It’s good for you! The in-person classes will provide you with crafting and social activities, and an online class will get you using your computer and crafting as well. (My latest online class, Clever Cards launches next week!)
This is a recent class and club card – using one of the most popular sets from the Occasions Catalogue, Dragonfly Dreams. I do really like this set, and I used it for one of my swaps at the recent Canadian Business Conference (see this recent post). I used the same technique – reinkers on a baby wipe to create a custom multicoloured “ink pad” for the wings, and coated the finished image’s wings with some Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush. This is an example of a great card to have in your stash! You can pull it out, write whatever appropriate message on the inside, and send it off!
If you need a regular crafting “fix” and are within driving distance of Burlington ON, consider joining my Stampers Club. We meet for a monthly card class, and instead of paying a class fee, members place a $33 merchandise order. Members sign up for a 6 month session, and during that time will have a chance to build up their stash of cards (and crafting necessities), plus receive free product as the “host” one during that 6 month period. All that and keeping your brain sharp too! See the YamStamps events page for upcoming dates, or contact me to book a private cardmaking class with your friends!
