Wishing you all the best for 2023 – let’s Celebrate You this year!
Happy New Year! I hope that it brings good things for all of us. I also hope that you had time to enjoy the holiday season! I was fortunate enough to have some time off from my “other” job after Christmas so I was able to relax a bit, and also was able to see extended family – some of whom I hadn’t seen in person for a few years!!!
As I write this though, I’m trying to gear myself up to get going again – but it’s hard since every day has felt like a Sunday for the past week!! It’s not a bad thing, but it’s definitely disorienting, and I have trouble knowing the day/date on a regular basis anyway…
I had the luxury of time to be able to do things like…clean up my office (long overdue, and how many pens do I actually have??!!!) though it’s already starting to get a little messy again. I did also do a bit of craft room clean up, but honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming sometimes so I do a bit, and then make some cards and make a mess again….LOL. However I did get some things done there – like these “Celebrate You” Cards!
These are some cards that I bulk produced over the break – for members of my Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator group known as the “Eh” Team! I did a bit of “catch up” over my break and sent out my “Eh” Team Rewards inside these cards. (If you want to find out more about joining my group of demonstrators, you can check out the information at yamstamps.com/join or message me). I definitely wanted to send a “celebrate you” message to them at the start of the year!
Celebrate You!
This celebrate you sentiment is great – and it’s made by combining partial sentiments in the stamp set Sentimental Park that’s in the January-April Mini Catalogue. I used Coastal Cabana and Fresh Freesia ink (pulled from the Designer Series Paper colours). This card’s colour scheme just makes me happy – I’m a blues/greens kind of girl, so this is my colour palette! The patterned paper is the Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper that is available as a Sale-a-Bration freebie – you can select it for free with a $120 CAD product order. Both the Mini Catalogue and Sale-a-Bration are in effect as of THURSDAY, 5 JANUARY 2023. I put it in caps because I want to highlight that it’s not yet available. Just a few more days! (I’ll come back and update this post with links once the catalogues are live).
I love clean and simple designs, and this is definitely in that category, but I think because of the busy paper and details on the stamped sentiment, it distracts you from the fact that the design is quite straightforward. Not that there’s anything wrong with straightforward designs! They are my go-to! I like having a pattern that I know works, and then I can just change it up with whatever I have on hand for whatever occasion! I like my crafting to be easy and effective.
Something’s Coming…
If having a blueprint for your crafting is something that sounds helpful for you, you’ll want to check back on Wednesday – or better yet, be on my mailing list, because I’ll be sharing details for a new program I’m offering – designed to make your crafting easier and more fun. No More Crafting Brain Strain!!
In the meantime, I’m off to see if I can find a clear tabletop area in my craft room to come up with a few more cards that I will need in the next little while…
I hope that you are staying safe and warm with this crazy winter weather!
Hoping that you are able to spend some time with family and friends – whether in person or virtually. We’ll be video calling with my brother on the west coast later today….and perhaps we’ll venture out to see if we can clear the driveway (my excuse is that it’s been too windy so far – what’s the point of clearing it when it will all get covered again by blowing snow?!).
Hope you’re able to get in a bit of crafting, too! Thank you for being part of the YamStamps community!
I chose the piece that has a Blushing Bride tone to it (though it doesn’t look so Blushing Bride-ish in the photo…LOL). The DSP is 12″ x 12″, so I cut it down for the cardfront. The pattern on this particular piece is a border – on opposite sides, so the middle section is not printed. When it was cut down, then, I was able to use the scrap pieces to die cut a few leafy shapes from the Forever Flourishing Dies to add to the long label from the Labels Aglow DIes. The sentiment is from the True Beauty stamp set. I really just mixed and matched the products I had in my craft room to suit the design I wanted for this clean and simple shiny card!
Just a reminder that the July-December Mini Catalogue products are available until the end of the sales period (4 January 2023) OR while supplies last – whichever comes first. We don’t yet know what will be retired/carried over, but I will definitely share that information once we get it. That being said, if there’s something in this mini catalogue that you have your eye on, you may want to purchase it sooner rather than later to avoid any disappointment. For example, the cute Witch Hat Builder Punch is already on the “No Longer Available” List. You can shop online 24/7 in Canada at the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store – shortcut is https://yamstamps.com/shop You can message me with your order if you’d rather pay by etransfer, or if you’d like assistance placing your order.
Just Add Ink Online Class goes live 3 November 2022! Save $10 if you register today!
Today (Wednesday 2 November 2022) is the last chance to save $10 on the Just Add Ink Online Class! My latest online class will teach you four different ink techniques to create beautiful backdrops for your cards using ink pads and refills! This is a great class to take to stretch your crafting dollar since it shows you more ways to use your existing craft supplies!
This is one of the cards I made after filming one of the technique videos. (Check out a variation that I shared on the YamStamps Instagram feed).
I love how it turned out! The leaf image is from my current “go to” stamp set it seems – Season of Chic, though the sentiment is from a different stamp set – Forever Fern. If you’d like to learn how to do this technique, and see the full supply list, register for the Just Add Ink Class! Class launches Thursday 3 November 2022 and the regular price will be $30CAD for lifetime access, but if you register before midnight (eastern) today, Wednesday 2 November 2022, you’ll save $10!
If you have any questions, or have ideas for what you’d like to see as a topic of a future online class, please contact me!
You know that I’m all about easy crafting that looks more difficult than it is….the layers and details can elevate a simple design – and this is an example of that, I think!
Autumn Card
The other fun thing about this card design is that it could be a horizontal top fold card, or a tall side fold card like in the picture – just change the orientation of the tag!
This autumn card features the Seasons of Chic discounted bundle, which includes the Seasons of Chic stamp set and the coordinating Chic dies. This is the perfect bundle for easy crafting because it covers all the seasons! Here it is with a fall theme. I used the leaf dies on the Distressed Gold Paper and Early Espresso Cardstock, and then adhered them onto a Very VanillaTailor Made Tag die cut. I love that the Tailor Made Tag dies include a die for the reinforcement – I think it’s the finishing touch! The small sentiment fits perfectly on the tag as well.
If you couldn’t tell, the Texture Chic Suite Collection is one of my favourites, and one of my “go-to” set of products when designing these days. At time of writing, the Distressed Gold Sheets are unavailable to order, so that means you can’t hit the “easy” button and order almost everything that I used to create this autumn cardwith the one number. However, you can order everything in the suite otherwise (the bundle and the Specialty DSP) in the meantime, and then pick up the Distressed Gold Sheets when they’re back in stock (looks to be in a couple of weeks).
I’ve been working a lot on producing online classes, but one of the “hybrid” classes I’m running right now is my Stampers Club. It’s a mix of “real” crafting and “online” crafting – club members get a packet of supplies and we use those to craft the projects together in our monthly online Zoom. It’s a fun way to see some new product in real life, and still craft and socialize from the comfort of your own home. If you’re in Canada, you’re welcome to join us – just contact me for more information! It’s a six month membership in club, and you can start at any time.
Information about my online classes can be found at yamstampsmore.com or by being on my email list. Subscribers always get notified about the Early Bird specials for online class registration. Since these classes do not include product, they are available to crafters world wide! You just need internet access. Hope to see you in class soon!
Warming up for the Twelve Weeks of Christmas with this easy fun fold Christmas Card!
The Twelve Weeks of Christmas project tutorials start today at 1pm Eastern, so be on my mailing list before that time to get all twelve projects! (Click on the link, or use the sign up box at the top right of the site). In the meantime, I’m warming up with this easy fun fold Christmas Card!
Easy Fun Fold Christmas Card
This is a fantastic card design because it’s so easy but impressive (my kind of project). The card front is cut in half and then rotated to make the “flap” portion. The other thing that I like is that is has a dark cardbase, but with lighter panels built into the design, so you can still write on the card easily (and the person receiving it can read it easily too!).
I did call this an easy fun fold Christmas card, but I hope that it’s obvious that you can switch it up to whatever occasion you might like, just by changing the sentiment and papers….though the papers on this card could be for any celebration! I used the Lights Aglow Designer Series Paper for the accent pieces, and I used the one design that is on a vanilla background – I like that there’s a pattern that doesn’t have white as the base, as a change. The gorgeous sentiment is from the Brightest Glow stamp set (love that font!!), stamped onto a die cut from the Labels Aglow dies. The stamps and dies are available together in the Brightest Glow discounted bundle (July-December 2022 Mini Catalogue availability). I pulled the Merry Merlot colour from the paper background to use for the cardstock and ink.
As we get closer to the card sending/gift giving season, a reminder that Stampin’ Up!, like pretty much all companies, is dealing with “supply chain issues” that may affect product availability. Products may be unorderable for a period of time until stock hits the warehouses. One of the easiest ways to see if current catalogue product is available or not is to check the online store. The shortcut to the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store is https://yamstamps.com/shop. If you look up an item in the store, it usually says “unorderable” if a product is unavailable at that time, so you’ll know right away.
If you’re on my list, look forward to seeing the first project tutorial at 1pm eastern today! See you in your inbox!
