May 22, 2015 | scrapbooking, Uncategorized
I did go away for the beginning of May – but worked hard to get some blog posts scheduled ahead of time so hopefully you didn’t notice (well, maybe you noticed how consistent I was in posting for a change?! LOL). One of the joys of having a business like a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator-ship is that you can step back at times but often the business can keep going with a little maintenance.
Anyway – I am privileged to be one of the photographers for the Burlington Teen Tour Band. I get to travel with these talented teenagers and take photos of them doing their thing – socializing, having fun, entertaining people and making parents and citizens of the city (and country!) proud. The band recently completed a tour of the Netherlands, after being invited to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the country – in which Canadian forces played a major role. It was such a fantastic experience! The BTTB played in front of mayors of Burlington & Apeldoorn (Burlington’s twin city in the Netherlands), the Canadian Prime Minister, and Dutch royalty (Princess Margriet of the Netherlands), as well as thousands of appreciative Canadians and Dutch citizens along the parade routes. Most significant of all, they played for Canadian and Dutch veterans, and had an opportunity to speak with vets who shared stories of their service. It was such an honour to be there with them. This is one of my favourite photos, taken from the Silent March in Apeldoorn – band members lined the route where dignitaries and citizens walked from the church to the park.
This is a photo from the parade in Apeldoorn that was televised on CBC – big crowds (this is actually one of the less crowded sections!) and people rushing into the street in front of the band to take photos and get a better look.
Now that we’re home again, getting over the jet lag and caught up on laundry (though I realize it’s a never-ending process), I’m looking forward to getting some of my favourite shots printed and into a scrapbook. I think I’ll likely end up doing mostly pocket scrapbook pages (Project Life by Stampin’ Up!) because it’s less “thinking” than traditional layouts – though I may throw a few of those in as well for good measure! For me, it’s the importance of getting the photos printed and stories shared that motivates my scrapbooking attempts, and so pocket pages are a good fit. Come to my next Memory Keeping free intro night (Weds July 15th) to see how I’m progressing!!
May 19, 2015 | specials, Stampin' Up!
Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Weekly Deals May 19 – 25 feature items from the Occasions Catalogue, a carryover from the Holiday Catalogue (the Bright & Beautiful set) and a DSP from the current Annual Catalogue. My favourite this week – the Bright and Beautiful set for sure. I loved this set when it first appeared in the Holiday Catalogue. It coordinates with the Stars framelits and you know how much I love coordinating stamps and dies! Please contact me if you have any questions, otherwise, Happy Shopping!!
May 18, 2015 | cards, Retired List, Stampin' Up!
Happy Victoria Day! Here in Ontario it seems we are celebrating in the traditional way – fireworks and a sudden entry to summer with heat and humidity (I know, the weather was like this before, but I actually wasn’t here so I missed it). (more on why I wasn’t here later this week…)
Today’s Missing You Monday
features Mosaic Madness (available in wood or clear mount). I originally shared this card on the YamStamps blog here. This is one of those sets that is “gender neutral” so is a good all purpose design set – plus it has a coordinating punch which is still available as I write this. Remember that retiring accessories are available while supplies last only, and retiring stamps have a guaranteed availability until May 26th, after which time they are also available while supplies last. At time of writing, all retiring In Colour refills are sold out, as are the 12″ x 12″ and 8.5″ x 11″ In Colour Cardstock assortments, and Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana and Crisp Canteloupe cardstocks. So definitely if there’s something you have your eye on, best to place your retiring product order online ASAP! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Happy Shopping.
May 13, 2015 | specials, Stampin' Up!
Here are Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Weekly Deals that started yesterday and run until Monday (sorry for the slight delay in the post). One of the items that I have actually used the most on this list is the Lullaby Designer Series Paper – while it may sound like it’s for babies, it’s a paper that doesn’t scream “BABIES” and has been ultra versatile in my paper crafting! I also love the hexagon punch – I will share a cute sample using this punch before the weekly deals are over.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Happy Shopping!
May 11, 2015 | cards, Retired List, Stampin' Up!
This week featuring three retiring items – Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Label Love stamp set (available in wood mount or clear mount), Artisan Label Punch (available on its own or as part of a bundle with the Label Love set – wood or clear) and Fancy Fan Embossing Folder. Please note once again that the stamp set has guaranteed availability until May 26th, after which it’s as supplies last, and the punch and folder are definitely only while supplies last. I’m not sure if I ever shared this card here on the YamStamps blog, but I do believe it made an appearance on either Instagram or Facebook… I made it for a friend who was going to a shower and giving a themed gift in a Hudson’s Bay bag….so I recreated the iconic Bay stripes onto a card. That is one of the definite joys of creating your own cards – they’re totally customized and personal!!
If you’re interested in trying your hand at creating cards, consider attending one of my Monthly Card Making Classes! They’re usually on the first Wednesday of each month, but for May, we’re trying out a different day to see how it goes – it will be FRIDAY, MAY 22nd at 7pm, here in Burlington. A fun way to end a week (and if you like, there will be still time to head out afterwards….or, if you’re like me, head to bed early LOL!!) so grab a friend and come on out! Registration is required by Wednesday, May 20th. Cost is $20 and includes all supplies (and instruction!) required to make 4 cards.
May 8, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
A little hard to see some of the background details in this shot, but this card uses the Stampin’ Up! set Big News (which is in wood or clear mount) over the watercolour/bokeh background technique. An interesting background is a perfect backdrop to a large sentiment or image. I did a video showing how I did the background on the YamStamps YouTube channel yesterday. You’ll also see another sample of the background (if all goes according to plan LOL) that I did on the Scrapbooks & Cards Today Blog tomorrow in their Stampin’ Up! Saturday post. I added Metallic Baker’s Twine in Gold, and a Night of Navy backdrop embossed with the Large Polka Dot folder.
I used this card for a demonstrator only swap that I’m in. It’s a great way to exchange ideas with other Stampin’ Up! demos and it’s really nice to get “fun” mail for a change! If you’re interested in finding out more about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator with my team, my next information night will be Wednesday, June 10th at 7:30 pm. Please RSVP for directions and details. If you can’t make it that evening, please touch base with me and we can make alternate arrangements!
May 5, 2015 | specials, Stampin' Up!
Here are this week’s Stampin’ Up! Canada Weekly Deals. You can shop online here. Please contact me if you have any questions!
May 4, 2015 | cards, Retired List, Stampin' Up!
Highlighting Stampin’ Up! stamp sets that are retiring as of June 2nd. This week’s highlighted set (well, two of them, actually) is Mixed Bunch (the flowers) and Petite Pairs, both featured on this card, originally featured in this YamStamps blog post. They’re available in wood mount or clear mount, with guaranteed availability until May 26th (after which it’s as supplies last). The large images in Mixed Bunch coordinate with the retiring Blossom Punch (available as supplies last). I love me a coordinating stamp and punch. (I have been known to call myself the Lazy Stamper…but hey – work smarter, not harder, right?!). You should always have a good sentiment set in your stash, and Petite Pairs is great because it has 2 sentiments – so you can place one on the outside of the card, and one on the inside, should you choose.
While I’m sad to see some of these fave sets going, I do have a growing sense of excitement to see what’s in the upcoming catalogue! Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators get a first peek and preorder, so if you’re chomping at the bit, perhaps this is the time to join my “Eh” Team of demonstrators? (nudge, nudge, wink, wink…)
May 3, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
This is a great card to use for Mother’s Day or for any other time you want to celebrate someone in your life! It uses Stampin’ Up!’s Painted Petals stamp set, which is available in your choice of wood mount, clear mount, or photopolymer, and is available until June 2nd in the Occasions Catalogue. Two step stamping – where two stamps make up the completed image – is the reason I first fell in love with Stampin’ Up! images. I used Garden Green and Elegant Eggplant cardstocks (love the combo), Shimmery White cardstock, one of my faves because it has a subtle sheen to it, and the Gold Ribbon, which has quickly become a staple in my cardmaking stash for adding an elegant touch to my projects.
We made this card in last month’s Stampers Club – we make four projects each time we meet. If you’re in the Burlington ON area, you should join us! It’s definitely a good thing to have a regular event that is just for you and just for fun, or if you feel it must be a more “worthy” thing…consider it part of your “lifelong learning”?!
Apr 30, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
I sure do…and most of my friends do as well…so this was a PERFECT card for my friend who is close to claiming that she is going to stop counting after this year (next year is a milestone year for her…). My friends are used to getting handmade cards from me, but they’re usually “nice” cards…so this one caught her attention even more than usual! Stampin’ Up!’s Just Kidding is one of the special release photopolymer sets that isn’t featured in the catalogue. Each month they’ve been releasing a new one, and initially it was a trial to see the response to the photopolymer format. It’s been a huge success, and it looks like you’ll be seeing more and more of this as an option in the Stampin’ Up! Catalogues! (Yay!) I stamped this set on watercolour paper and coloured it with Stampin’ Write markers (I love brush tip markers). I wasn’t too worried about making the colouring “perfect” because of the cartoon-y nature of the images. The best part about this set? There’s a bunch of other paired up sarcastic sentiments as well!
