Mar 3, 2016 | cards, Stampin' Up!
I thought we could use a little floral feel on the blog today…after having a big snow dump around here, I need a little reminder that spring will eventually arrive! I love the Rose Garden Thinlits Dies, and the coordinating Rose Wonder Stamp Set – and love the bundle that’s discounted by 15% even more! For this card, rose/leaves were die cut from watercolour paper, then we used the aquapainter with some Rose Red and Always Artichoke reinker to colour the die cut image. The Fine-Tip Glue Pen came in very handy to adhere this die cut onto the card front. The other tool that was useful was the Big Shot Die Brush to remove all the little bits and pieces, and help ease the die cut out of the thinlit. This bundle and the Brush tool have been popular choices from the Occasions Catalogue!
I sent out my monthly paper crafting newsletter yesterday (if you sign up for the newsletter now, you’ll get a copy of the last one that went out as well!). In that newsletter was a link to a quick survey about paper crafting – to help me tailor my online and in person classes to what your needs are! Please complete the survey, and if you include your information (it’s optional), I will make a draw from everyone who completed the survey to win a $20 gift certificate from me! Thank you in advance for your help.
Don’t forget about the upcoming Birthday Card Class for March – you get a Wink of Stella pen included in your $25 class fee! Click on the button to register – deadline is Thursday, March 10th so that the supplies can arrive in time for the class!
See the YamStamps Events Page for other upcoming classes and events. I look forward to seeing you in class soon!
Mar 1, 2016 | specials, Stampin' Up!
Around here, March is coming in like a lion, with a winter storm watch in effect! So batten down the hatches and check out Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Weekly Deals! I think that the best deal this week is the Tin of Cards Project Kit! We did a class with this kit last year and it was so easy getting a lot of cards done! You make a variety of cards, in about 4 different styles, and you can make each style exactly the same, or mix and match. At the end, you have a tin full of cards, with organized dividers! It’s a great gift to someone special (either the kit itself, or the completed tin) – and this includes yourself! Click on the image or here to shop in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store – take advantage of the Weekly Deals, and remember that for each $60 in product that you order, you can pick one free Sale-a-Bration item….but only until the end of March!
Feb 29, 2016 | Business Opportunity, Sale-A-Bration, specials, Stampin' Up!
Happy Leap Day! I’m actually amazed at how many Leap Day Birthday People I know….or maybe that it’s a big deal when they actually get their actual day on which to celebrate?! I chose a rabbit image, because they kind of leap…and I didn’t have any frog samples right now. Sorry. Sample uses the Friends & Flowers Stamp set which is available in clear or wood mount. I love the bow paper clip used as an accent, too!
So on this bonus day this year, what are you planning on doing? Perhaps you’d like to “leap” into a new venture? The Stampin’ Up! starter kit is a great deal, made even greater during the Sale-a-Bration season! You can select $195 product for just $125, plus you receive ALL business supplies you need to get started! If you need ideas on what to get for your $195 in product choices – here’s a flyer showing some options.
I’d love for you to join the “Eh” Team (my group of demonstrators). Buying the Stampin’ Up! Starter Kit is a fantastic way to turn something you love into something that can be self supporting (and then some!). More information is here, or at my Information Evening Wednesday, March 9th at 730. Please RSVP for the Information Evening. There’s no cost to this event, and it’s no commitment (other than your RSVP), but it’s a great way to get your questions answered. If you can’t make it that evening, please contact me and we can set up another time to chat. Take the Leap! We’ll be there to catch you!
Feb 25, 2016 | cards, Paper Pumpkin, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
So I have committed myself to sending forty cards over forty days….because I realize that I have limitations! LOL. Some in the Stampin’ Up! world are mailing out birthday cards to any and all takers…and I know that’s just beyond me. So forty cards and forty days….ish….it is! Thankfully, I have a Paper Pumpkin subscription to help me out! Each month, I get a fun kit full items to help me create a project quickly and easily (and who doesn’t want that?!). Even better – it’s ON SALE right now! You can get a three month subscription for $69, plus you’ll qualify for one free Sale-a-Bration item! This month’s kit includes a birthday stamp (among others), so I decided to use it to help me get a few bithday cards out and in the mail. I did choose to modify this design slightly – by adding some of the glitter tape that you can select as your free Sale-a-Bration item! This is one of the new limited time offerings for the last part of Sale-a-Bration – there’s gold, white and silver. LOVE the bling without the mess or fuss. On the card above, I snipped the ends of the gold washi tape to match the banner that is pre-cut in the kit. I stamped “happy birthday” with the Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Spot (mini travel ink pad), added the adhesive die cuts and now it’s ready to send! It _may_ even get to the recipient on the intended day!! (This is shocking, in my world….sad but true).
Speaking of washi tape, did you see the photo I shared on Instagram and Facebook? This idea was shared by one of the artists at Stampin’ Up! and I LOVED it – so had to copy it.
I think I like this even better than my previous washi tape storage (which was to tie them on a ribbon).
If you would like to join the handmade card revolution, come to March’s Monthly Card Making Class! It’s a great way to get some new ideas and have some creative time. See the YamStamps Events page for other classes and events, or contact me if you have any questions!
Feb 23, 2016 | specials, Stampin' Up!
The latest group of Stampin’ Up! Canada Weekly Deals is here! These specially priced items are available for a limited time in limited amounts, so don’t miss out! My favourite this week, which you may have guessed based on the title for the post, is the Stars Framelits Dies. I think this is mostly because I can’t freehand cut a star to save my life! In general, I love framelits sets like this because it’s so easy to cut out a main shape and a background layer, or to save paper by cutting out the centre of a layer that would be hidden anyway. (I love this technique!). To grab your weekly deal, click on the image or on this link to start shopping in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada Store, and have your items delivered to you! If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
March is coming soon, and with that, another Monthly Card Class. It’s a great way to get creative! Registration closes February 29 for the March 2nd class. At every monthly class, we create 4 different cards for a variety of occasions using a variety of stamps, tools and techniques. Projects are suitable for all levels of crafters, from novice to expert, and your class fee of $20 includes all supplies required, including adhesive and envelopes. See the YamStamps Events page or contact me to register. Classes are held in north Burlington, but if you can’t attend at this time, consider holding your own card class with friends!
In the meantime, Happy Shopping! Go get your Weekly Deal before it’s gone!
Feb 16, 2016 | specials, Stampin' Up!
The latest edition of Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Weekly Deals is here, with some great tools at sale prices! I think my favourite this week is the Envelope Punch Board – I love how easy it is to make custom sized envelopes that coordinate with my cards! I’m planning on stocking up on some Fast Fuse Refills as well. I’ve started using Fast Fuse more as my personal choice of adhesive. I admit, it took a bit of getting used to, since it’s so much more sticky than SNAIL, but once I adjusted, I quite like it.
There are some NEW items available for Sale-a-Bration! Click here to download the flyer. A cute bicycle built for two, a birthday set and some glitter tape. These are available to choose for free with each $60 in product that you order.
Click on the image or here to shop all the weekly deals while supplies last. Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance placing your order.
Feb 14, 2016 | 3D samples, Big Shot, Sale-A-Bration, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
I hope you’re able to spend some time with people you love and/or doing something you love! Here in Burlington, we’re focusing on staying warm….because it’s COLD outside this weekend! So cold that my running friends and I deferred our usual early Saturday AM run (ummmm -23C not counting windchill? no thank you!) and are planning on running tomorrow, when temperatures are due to be a balmy -8C.
This is a fun box created using the Baker’s Box Thinlits Dies (one of the Weekly Deals), Rose Garden Thinlits, Love Blossom Designer Series Paper and What I Love Stamp Set – which is a Sale-a-Bration item that can be selected for FREE with each $60 merchandise order.
Tomorrow is the last day for guaranteed supply of the limited time Sale-a-Bration items featured on the last few pages of the Sale-a-Bration catalogue – so if you really wanted some of that fantastic Perfectly Artistic Watercolour/Marble Designer Series Paper, the Hello stamp set, or the Sky is the Limit biplane stamp set, get your order in now! If supply allows, there MAY be the opportunity to pick up these items after today, but no guarantee. Place your order online in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, or contact me if you need assistance placing your order. Happy Shopping!
Feb 11, 2016 | cards, Sale-A-Bration, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Doesn’t this have a lovely, serene, beachy feel? This is made with Stampin’ Up!’s Picture Perfect set, and the watercolour wash effect paper on the bottom is the limited edition Sale-a-Bration Perfectly Artistic Designer Series Paper. The flip side of this paper is a marbled look – it’s truly gorgeous and difficult to pick which side to use!! The paper will be available for free with a $60 product order until February 15th. There _may_ be an opportunity to get it after that date, depending on inventory, but it’s not guaranteed – so grab it now before you miss it. The other colours on this card are Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip.
I’ve decided that I’m going to make an effort to send out more cards by mail. During the next 40 days, I’m going to mail out 40 cards – a card a day. I’m not going to count my “Thank You” customer cards in that total, because I want to challenge myself! This ties in nicely with a movement happening in the Stampin’ Up! world. One of the corporate team members is starting a trend to send out birthday cards – celebrating the handmade, mailed card as opposed to electronic messages (even though those are nice, too!). Shannon bravely put out a facebook post welcoming all to indicate their birthdays to receive a card. I think she has over 1000 birthdays to keep on top of, at last count?! I am being a little more realistic in my abilities and time allotment, so I’m going to do 1 random card per day over 40 days. I posted my first card for this challenge on the YamStamps facebook page yesterday.
If you’d like to bring back the art of the handmade, mailed greeting card, you can register for the Birthday Card Class!! February’s class will be Thursday, February 25th at 7pm in Burlington. The registration deadline is TOMORROW so don’t miss it. You receive a package of the Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper included in your class fee, so you’ll have plenty to take home after completing four different birthday cards in class. Please contact me if you have any questions, or use the registration link below.
Feb 9, 2016 | specials, Stampin' Up!
Here are the latest Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! Canada – limited quantities, limited time, special pricing. My favourite this week? The Butterfly Basics set. This is a beautiful set, and can be used for cards for either gender. I know that when we see butterflies and flowers we automatically think of a more feminine card, but the fern leaf is great for a more masculine card, and there are some great elements that can be used for a more collage-type layout. (That being said, my eye is always caught by shiny objects, so the first thing I saw when I looked at the deals this morning was the sequin trim!! LOL). The second thing that caught my eye is that Stampin’ Up! must have gone alphabetical with the deals this week: Build a Baker’s Box, decorate it with Butterfly Basics, Bermuda Bay Trim & Blossoms, tied up with Baker’s Twine, all specially priced for one week!
Don’t forget that you get a package of the Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper with your registration to the next Birthday Card Class! The class date is Thursday, February 25 at 7pm here in Burlington, and the REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11. (sorrry to shout, just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss that!). We will be using portions of the Designer Series Paper to create our cards in class, and you’ll take the rest home to use on your other projects. Cost is $25 and as always, includes all the supplies required for the class projects. Click on the Paypal button to register now, or contact me if you have any questions or wish to pay by cash or cheque. Come build up your card stash!
Feb 6, 2016 | cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Sympathy cards – the ones you tend not to have on hand when you need one, and the ones you are least likely to feel very creative about at the time you need one. These are the kind of cards that it can be good to have an easy model to whip up, or have one or two in your stash of cards. This is a monochromatic card, using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder (which in my world often gets called the Gently Falling Folder….but I digress) and die cuts from the Rose Garden Thinlits Dies. The sentiment is from the Rose Wonder Stamp Set, and you can get the dies and stamps together in a discounted bundle. I love the coordinating stamps and dies or punches that Stampin’ Up! sells – the less brain work for me, the better and easier it is for my crafting!!
If you look closely at this card you may catch something here – the colours used were Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke….and Mellow Moss. The Mellow Moss leaves were a fluke that I discovered after the fact…I thought I had grabbed a piece of Always Artichoke – that’s what happens when I sort scraps too quickly I guess. Thankfully they do coordinate and are kind of tonal versions of each other. (sorry, for the artsy type out there that are cringing at my description….).
If you want to build up your stash of cards, please consider joining a class here in Burlington. The monthly card class is the first Wednesday of each month, open to all, and my Stampers Club meets the third Monday of the month (afternoon and evening options) – well, except this month, when we meet the second Monday so that we can relax with our families on Family Day. If an in person class is not an option for you, consider one of my online classes to learn from the comfort of your own home. See the YamStamps Events page for upcoming classes, or contact me if you have any questions.
