OK Remember when I mentioned having some technical difficulties at Christmas? Well….they’ve been resolved, so THIS is what you were supposed to see on Christmas Day….better late than never??!!! Belated holiday greetings from me, with help from the musical group Pentatonix!
and a holiday throwback musical interlude to enjoy when you are crafting….I LOVE their version of this song!
You may know that I sing in a choir, and we do a lot of a cappella singing (unaccompanied), so I love this group, and what better gift than to share greetings with all of you?! Better late than never? (much like some of the Christmas cards I’m still sending LOL).
Here’s a holiday card to complete the belated greeting…a shaker card featuring the Detailed Santa Thinlits that are still available, even though the Holiday Catalogue is finished. Ho Ho Ho!
OK back to crafting – more samples to come later this week!
It’s that most wonderful time of the year…..Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Sale-a-Bration!
What is Sale-a-Bration? It’s a time when you can earn FREE product from Stampin’ Up! Here are the details:
CUSTOMERS: For each $60 in merchandise ordered in a single transaction, earn 1 free Sale-a-Bration product of your choice!
HOSTS: Earn more with sales at your in home party:
NEW DEMONSTRATORS: Get an extra TWO stamp sets for free with your Starter Kit!
Don’t forget that the OCCASIONS Catalogue is also here – there’s TONS of new, exciting product to be had – including Watercolour Pencils in Stampin’ Up! colours (this one had all the demonstrators squealing at our last Stampin’ Up! demonstrator only event in November!!)
DOWNLOAD THE CATALOGUES (click on the image)
If you’d like a hardcopy, please complete this form and I will follow up with you! (Canadian residents only due to Stampin’ Up! regulations).
Sharing a card from a month or two ago as I think it suits a new year! I always like fresh starts – January is definitely one of those times.
If you’ve been to a class with me, you know I tend to avoid fussy cutting. Not that I don’t like it, I actually don’t mind it at times, but if there’s a faster, easier way of getting there, I’ll take it!! Die cutting is right up my alley! This card features the Stampin’ Up! Outdoor Adventures framelits, that I cut with my Big Shot. The framelits also come in a discounted bundle with the set Always an Adventure, available in clear mount or wood mount, which I used to stamp the clouds in the sky (which you can just barely see….) The tag with the sentiment is from the Project Life Cards & Labels framelits dies, and the sentiment itself (because I couldn’t resist it) is from the Places You’ll Go stamp set. I love the fonts in that set, and I do love this sentiment.
If you’re looking for adventure or new challenges in 2017 (see what I did there), why not look at building a hobby? Come to one of my classes and make some cards to send to friends and keep in touch with them in ways other than online! Or purchase the Stampin’ Up! starter kit – on Wednesday (when Sale-a-Bration starts), you’ll be able to get an additional 2 stamp sets of your choice, in addition to the $165 worth of product you can select! The YamStamps newsletter is going out tomorrow and will have some more information, and I’ll also post here as well. If you can’t wait, you can always contact me to get the scoop! I’ve also updated the YamStamps Events Page for the next few months.
Now that I’ve recovered from watching the first episode of season four of Sherlock (!!!! no spoilers here, though!!) I am looking forward to a relaxing day of watching the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV (can’t wait for the Burlington Teen Tour Band to appear in it next year!) and doing some Christmas clean up. OK so maybe not looking forward to the clean up bit….LOL. I’m also spending some time planning out my year ahead. I have a few goals that I will work to achieve in 2017, and a few that will be longer term. I have travel goals, business goals, and personal goals – including my eternal goal of organization and decluttering….(please tell me I am not the only one?!). Close on the horizon is the launch of my latest online class “Clever Cards”, and even closer is the start of Sale-a-Bration! So definitely, after I finish watching the parade, I’ll get back to work…. Happy New Year everyone!
The Irresistible Designer Series Papers make it easy to create emboss resist backgrounds quickly! The paper is already embossed, so all you do is add colour! The card featured here uses the Irresistibly Floral Designer Series Paper from the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue. If you are shopping before the end of the year, the Fancy Frost Designer Series Paper from the Holiday Catalogue is part of the Year End Closeout sale, as is the Colour Me Irresistible Paper. For the featured card, colour was added using the Sponge Brayers with Night of Navy and Perfect Plum inks – which are also the colours of cardstock used for the card. Why make things difficult? Stick to a couple of colours that work together well and don’t complicate it too much!! The Perfect Plum was concentrated in the centre of the paper, and the Night of Navy was concentrated more on the edges. Add a tag with a sentiment (in this case, a sympathy saying from the set Better Together, in clear or wood mount) and you have a card ready to send.
As the year draws to a close, you’re probably spending a bit of time (when you can find it….) reflecting on the year that has passed, and looking forward to the year to come. Thank you for being a YamStamps reader in the past year, and I look forward to bringing you more ideas and information in the coming year. I hope that you have a happy, healthy and creative new year, and selfishly hope that YamStamps will be part of that!! Please join me in a class – either online or in person – in 2017!!
Happy Boxing Day! In the new year, I’ll be launching another YamStampsMore Online Class – this one will be “Clever Cards”! It will focus on card designs and techniques, rather than a particular stamp set or product. This way, you can use the class to learn how to make a variety of “not your basic half fold cards”, and add your own creative touch by using whatever stamps, ink and embellishments you have on hand. Think more 3D type card projects or movement based cards – like pop up cards. The projected cost of this online class is $20 Canadian, but during the Preorder, you can purchase the class in advance for just $10 Canadian! If you purchase your class before the end of the year, you’ll also receive access to an exclusive additional project.
Please note that this is a PREORDER. You will be notified when the class goes live and you will be able to access the class materials and bonus project at that time. Much like my other online classes, it will feature full instructions and video for each individual project, lifetime access, and is open to students from around the world. At time of this post, there are a minimum of four different projects to be featured.
Please click on the button to complete your payment – you will be taken to a registration page to record your name and best email so that you can receive notification once the class is open. Please note that this preorder button will be deleted December 31, 2016.
So my personal preference for cards tends to run towards clean & simple….if you can’t tell. I had a couple of designs for Christmas cardst this year that I thought I’d share here, especially since most of the recipients won’t get theirs by Christmas Day…..LOL!
I loved the clean look of this design….though it may not look as impressive in the photo LOL. I used Thick Whisper White cardstock (I _love_ that cardstock, especially for a card without additioinal layers on it) and embossed the words in Silver. It features the Pine Bough Embossing Folder (on sale as part of the Year End Closeout), and the sentiment is from Merriest Wishes – which is available in wood mount, clear mount (on sale) or as part of a bundle with the Merry Tags Framelits (framelits on sale)- again, either in wood or clear. **If you like clear mount, your best deal is to buy the set and framelits SEPARATELY because with the sale pricing it ends up being LESS than the discounted bundle. If you like wood mount, your best deal is the bundle.**
So here are some of my tips for bulk card making…..or “Linda’s Learn From My Mistakes List”. (I will post this here as a reminder for myself….and perhaps repost it early next Christmas Card Season?!)
Figure out how many cards you need in advance and figure out how much you will need in terms of supplies. (Hence two designs for me as I ran out of Very Vanilla cardstock.) (This has sadly reinforced my stockpiling paranoia).
You can score an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock at 4.25″ lengthwise BEFORE cutting the sheet crosswise in half at 5.5″ to create two scored cards of 5.5″ x 8.5″. (I cut, then scored twice as many times as I needed to.)
Do “batch” processing. I actually DID do this… Cut all the cardstock at one time, dry emboss all the cardstock at one time, stamp all the cardstock etc. rather than creating each card in individual steps. The only thing you can’t batch do? Heat embossing. Get that done before the ink dries! Since my Pine Boughs card didn’t have much else to be done on it, it wasn’t too much of a chore to heat emboss the outside & inside sentiments one card at a time.
One last tip – think about thickness and bulk if you’re going to be mailing your cards – don’t want to get dinged for extra postage or risk cards getting caught in the processing machines, so think about how many layers and how many dimensionals you want to use on your design!
I am hoping to have a Christmas message for you up on the blog here tomorrow but there are some behind the scenes glitches that may interfere…so fingers crossed. Otherwise, I hope that you are able to spend some time with friends and family over the next few days. Thank you for being a YamStamps reader, and Merry Christmas!
Shaker cards are so much fun and really catch the eye of the recipient! Stampin’ Up!’s Foam Adhesive Strips make it easy to make dynamic cards like this. The strips can be cut to custom lengths, and have adhesive on two sides, automatically creating a 3D effect. They’re used on this card behind the frame that was cut with the Layering Squares Framelits – this allows room for the enclosed items to move about. There’s a square of Window Sheet to contain the Mica Flakes, and a little of the flakes goes a long way! Right now the Mica Flakes Trio Pack from the Holiday Catalogue is on sale as part of the Year End Clear Out, while supplies last, so you can stock up! Don’t know if you can tell in these images, but I was a little too enthusiastic with the amount of flakes I put into my window…so the words get buried in snow. Kind of like my driveway these days…. The images and sentiment on this card are from the Flurry of Wishes stamp set.
I hope that things aren’t too crazy for you in the lead up to Christmas Day! School is continuing until tomorrow so it really feels like it’s full out until the weekend for everyone. I will be posting on the blog over the holidays, so please come back to see what’s new. I’ll have a fun post on Christmas Day and a Boxing Day special as well. In the meantime, keep warm, keep crafting (I’m STILL working on my cards….don’t judge!!) and keep the spirit!
I love the sentiment Be Joyful…and I do love the script of this stamp as well! It’s from the Stampin’ Up! set Merriest Wishes – available in Wood Mount or Clear Mount- special pricing as part of the Year End Closeout right now! Of course, you could also get a discount by purchasing the set as part of a wood mount or clear mount bundle, packaged with the Merry Tags Framelits Dies (special pricing). OK when I tax my brain and do the math, if you like clear mount, your best deal is to buy the stamps & framelits separately and take advantage of the Year End Closeout pricing. If you like woodmount, your best deal is the buy the bundle. *phew* I’m exhausted now.
Anyway! This is an easy card to whip up if you’re still in the midst of creating cards to send. (*guilty*). The silver ribbon is from the Glitter Ribbon Combo (special pricing) and the Night of Navy cardstock is embossed with the Softly Falling Embossing Folder, which is one of my favourite background folders right now.
If you placed an order with me in the last few months, you should be receiving your Occasions and Sale-a-Bration catalogues in the mail anyday now! I will check in with you to be sure they arrived. If they didn’t, or you want to be sure you don’t miss out, please add your information on this form – I will follow up with you and get you hardcopies of these lovelies!!
I love the Stampin’ Up! set Twinkle Trees – and have used it a number of times this season, including some non-holiday cards. This is definitely a holiday card LOL! This set will be retiring at the end of the Holiday Catalogue period (January 3, 2017) so grab it before it’s gone. This card uses the Lucky Stars Embossing Folder to add some dimension to the background layer and add a bit of “wow” to the card. It doesn’t have to be difficult to send handmade greetings!
If you’re in the Halton region, tune in to Halton Insider on the Cogeco network (channel 700 on Cogeco cable) – all this week I’ll be sharing different holiday paper crafting projects! I will see if I can somehow get a video to share here….
Don’t forget that if you’re still looking for Christmas gifts (or gift ideas for those who are buying for you!) – YamStamps gift certificates are available in any amount, and are good for purchasing Stampin’ Up! product or class fees through me! Available right up until the last minute – they can be printed out in the convenience of your own home!! Contact me for more details.
I thought I’d share a non-holiday card with you! Well, I guess this could be a holiday card if you’re going away somewhere warm….I mean non-Christmas. This card uses Stampin’ Up!’s Blooms and Wishes set, and one of my current favourite colours – Sweet Sugarplum. Other colours used here: Rich Razzleberry, Soft Sky and Mint Macaron. This simple, one layer card is great for letting someone know you’re thinking about them – whatever occasion, or non-occasion it might be!
I guess I’m also in a more tropical state of mind (aka JETLAG) since I’ve recently returned from time away in Hawaii!! I was fortunate enough to travel once again with the Burlington Teen Tour Band. These talented teenagers were invited as the only non-American group to participate in the 75th Commemoration of the Pearl Harbour attacks, as well as the Waikiki Holiday Parade. I went along as one of the chaperones and photographers. It truly was a wonderful experience, especially as we were accompanied by a survivor of Pearl Harbour, Bernie Comito, and his wife Jackie. Having them present really made the whole experience so much more meaningful for all of us.
I am so grateful to have been part of this trip! You can find out more about the Burlington Teen Tour Band at their website. As a former member, I love that my child is now part of this organization, and that so many of my fellow alumni have children involved these days as well! I think that speaks volumes for the organization and the memories we have of taking part.
In the meantime, I think I have caught up on laundry, and working my way through my “to do” list of things that might have been on the backburner for a bit! It’s back at it full speed – Card Class this week, Stampers Club and Tin of Tags Class next week, and one more Private Class to go before I focus on online projects for the rest of the month! Oh – and I’m looking for someone to host my first Sale-a-Bration class in the new year – will it be you? Contact me to book a date – there may be a bonus if you’re the first one!!! (hint hint!)
