Oct 3, 2018 | Announcements, cards, Christmas, Seasonal Catalogue, specials, Stampin' Up!
It’s that time of year again! Pumpkin spice! Just kidding (well, I guess not really….) but I was actually referring to the YamStamps Twelve Weeks of Christmas Mailings! Christmas Project Inspiration directly to your inbox! This special “Thank You” goes out to all subscribers on the YamStamps List – and it starts today – around 1pm Eastern. You can sign up at yamstamps.com/signup or enter your information at the top right of the blog.
Subscribers receive a weekly email with various projects, ideas, information and tips – and at this time of year, it’s double the fun. On Tuesdays, the “regular” YamStamps emails go out, and then on Wednesdays, the Twelve Weeks Christmas Project mailings are delivered. We start with cards, move to gifts and then to packaging and tag ideas. I hope you can join in the fun! These mailings will not be resent so if you want to start at the beginning, you’ll need to be on the list TODAY (like, NOW…).
Here’s a holiday card that I can share. It’s one that I created for a demonstrator swap – and I loved this design. However, I messed up when I created this particular card (and I’m really hoping it was only this card…) – but you can’t see the mistake in this photo.
I discovered my mistake when I went to open the card to take a photo (which is why the card is flat in this picture!)….I stuck the front of the card elements on upside down!!! To see how I easily fixed this – check out the Facebook Live I did on Monday. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but thought I’d wing it…and thankfully it did work beautifully, especially since it was a live video so no re-dos! I can guarantee that the Christmas Project ideas you’ll receive in your email inbox will not feature such errors…or if they do, you won’t be able to see them?! hahaha.
One last thing – World Cardmaking Day is coming up on Saturday, October 6th – and to celebrate, Stampin’ Up! is offering selected product at a discount until October 7th! You can check out the products in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, or click here to see the flyer. In the meantime, I hope that you are able to join the YamStamps mailing list for the extra Christmas Project mailings starting today!
Sep 30, 2018 | Big Shot, birthday, cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Happy Sunday to you! Can you believe it’s the end of September already?! Today’s Sunday Swap Share is a gorgeous fall birthday card – but you could easily switch out the sentiment to suit your purposes for any card you’d like to send out this autumn. Today was a bit of a rude awakening for me – I spent the last few days in New Orleans at a business retreat/mastermind. It was great to see my fellow stamping business owners, mahy who have become such good friends. The weather was very humid and warm, and the food was great….and now I’m back to reality in Ontario where it’s autumn weather and I have to cook for myself LOL!!!
A couple of touristy shots from the trip including the NOLA equivalent of stopping at the doughnut shop?! You can see some other photos from my trip on the YamStamps Instagram account and Facebook page.
So back to that Sunday Swap Share…being at the retreat/mastermind these past few days have reinforced to me that stampers really are some great people! Lots of ideas, inspiration and sharing occurred as we focused on running and growing our businesses. Another aspect of this line of work is of course the creative side. I often will participate in smaller, organized card swaps to get creative inspiration for myself (and thus for my cusomters!) – and I love seeing samples with sets that I might not own myself (yet?!).
This card was created by Lesley Poper. I love the effect of the Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on the Copper Foil Sheet.The depth from the dynamic folders really is quite stunning! The main image on this card is from the Country Home stamp set. I believe that she used Stampin’ Blends to add colour to the image. The sentiment is from the set Detailed With Love, which is available in red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount. The colours and sentiment make this a fall birthday card, but as I mentioned, you could change out the sentiment and even the bouquet )the stamp set has options) and/or colours to suit whatever card giving occasion you have!
If you are looking for seasonal cards, the October Christmas Class is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24. The 1pm class is already full! There are still some spots in the 7pm class though! Please contact me to register by October 9th – there are some options for this class – $20 version for card supplies only – $30 includes 1/2 package of Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper and $40 includes a full package of Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper. For the paper included options I will cut your card supplies from your portion of the paper, and you will have the remainder to take with you, which will be more than enough to recreate those designs or use them for other projects. If you register after October 9th please note there will be an additional fee to ensure that your class supplies will arrive in time for your class. Again – please contact me to register or if you have any questions. Upcoming events can be seen on the YamStamps Events Page. Hope to see you at a class or event soon!
Sep 25, 2018 | cards, rubber stamping, Stampin' Up!
If you’ve been following the YamStamps Blog, Facebook Page or Instagram – first of all, thank you, and next of all – you’ll know there’s nothing I like better (well, not too much) than an easy card design! I used this card design recently and liked it so much, I did a variation of it as well (keep reading to see both).
One of the things that makes this an easy card design is the use of Designer Series Paper. Using a patterned paper makes a card design interesting, without having to fuss much. In this case, I used two strips from the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. I happen to have a fair bit of this paper around, in part because I love it and in part because it’s the paper used for the Scrapbook in a Box Class! In this case, you could use scraps of it to stretch your investment even further. Using two patterns from the same package of paper means they will coordinate in colours too. I used two designs that featured a fair bit of Tranquil Tide and Mint Macaron. I used images from the Petal Palette stamp set, which is available in red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount. I cut the oval of Tranquil Tide out of the back layer of cardstock – one of my favourite frugal crafting tricks! If you wanted to step up this design a bit more, you could always use an embossing folder to add texture to the Very Vanilla cardstock in the background.
So when you like a design, and as a bonus, it’s an easy card design, the only appropriate thing to do is make a variation!! In this case, I used the Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper, and just one main colour – Rich Razzleberry. The images are from the Perennial Birthday stamp set – available in red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount. As you can see, the possibilities are endless – just change out the Designer Series Paper used, pick out the coordinating colour and add a sentiment of your choice!
I continue to work on getting the cards out and IN THE MAIL! So when I come upon an easy card design, I will use it as much as possible – but because you can change out elements, it means that it’s not always “the same card”. A bunch of cards just hit the mail (fingers crossed they arrive at their destinations soon…amid rumours of pending Canada Post strike action…) so I’m feeling almost accomplished! If you are looking for ways to build your card stash – I can help!! There are spots in the Monthly Card Class – October’s date is Wednesday, October 3 at 1pm or 7pm. You can contact me to register, or register online through the YamStamps Events page. If you’re not local to Burlington, consider one of my online classes – ideas and inspiration with lifetime access! Check out the list at YamStampsMore. As always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sep 23, 2018 | cards, Stampin' Up!
Happy Sunday – and happy Autumn! Sharing this easel style card that I received in a demonstrator swap for the Annual Catalogue. Easel Cards are impressive – and also impressively easy! This card features the Stampin’ Up! set Peaceful Place – available in clear mount or wood mount. The colours used for this card bring an autumn feel.
This card is cut to 4.25″ x 11″ and then folded in half. The front of an easel card is scored in the centre, and the top layer is attached on the bottom portion only. This way, the card can be mailed flat in a regular envelope, but propped up once opened. In this card, Jackie used the Leaves Trinkets as accents and to act as the anchor to hold the bottom of the front of the card in place.
If you’re interested in other fancy fold or movement-type cards, you might want to join the Clever Cards Online Class. This class features 5 different card styles that are interactive and definitely a step up from the regular half sheet folded card. While the particular examples use certain dies or stamps, you could easily substitute other stamps and either other punches/dies or just a paper cutter! You can find out more about this online class at http://yamstampsmore.com/clever-cards-class-info/ If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Like all my online classes, you’ll have lifetime access to the class materials. I hope to see you in class soon!
Sep 19, 2018 | cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Stampin’ Up!’s Holiday Catalogue has some great sets and bundles. The Winter Woods stamp set is a lovely one that could be used for holiday or non-holiday cards. It’s available in red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount stamps, and is also available in a discounted bundle with the coordinating In the Woods framelits (red rubber clear mount bundle / red rubber wood mount bundle). This vellum card shows off the elegance of the images. I love using vellum on cards – it instantly makes it seem more artistic! You do have to be sure to allow a bit of time for it to dry, and there are some sneaky tips for adhering it, but it’s worth it!
I used some of the new colours on this one – Grey (or Gray if you must LOL) Granite and Merry Merlot. I realize that the picture lighting makes the cardstock look a little ombré-ish…but it’s not. The layer under the vellum is Very Vanilla cardstock. The tree image was stamped a number of times in Grey Granite, and once on the vellum. The sentiment is stamped in Merry Merlot. I love these new colours – and they’re part of the Neutrals Colour Group. Once the vellum was completely dry, I used two Mini Glue dots to adhere the vellum over the Very Vanilla cardstock, then used two Pearl Basic Jewels to mask the adhesive. I made a number of these as my contribution for a demonstrator card swap, and actually let the vellum dry overnight to be absolutely sure there would be no smudging or bleeding. I had vellum spread out all over my craft room!
We had a small get together of my demonstrator group tonight, and I had this as a “make and take” for the local people who were able to attend in person. Next month we will attempt to do a make and take in person and online….wish me luck with the prep for that! (If you want to see it in person and laugh at me yourself, you’ll have to join my demonstrator team first!). In the meantime, holiday cards abound around here – this afternoon was the September Christmas Card Class featuring the fun Santa’s Workshop Enamel Shapes – and tomorrow is the evening version – I had to move the dates and times around slightly to accomodate some travel! Next month, the Christmas Card Class is back on the fourth Wednesday – and you won’t want to miss it! It is going to focus on the GORGEOUS Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper. Check out the YamStamps Events Page for all the upcoming classes! Hope you can join me soon – either in person or online!
Sep 16, 2018 | cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Today’s Sunday Swap Card Share is a best wishes card, created by Helen Hansen-Henderson. Though it’s a simple layout (love those), the details make it even more interesting. The card uses the First Frost stamp set, which is available in red rubber wood mount or red rubber clear mount, or with the Frosted Bouquet Framelits in a discounted wood mount bundle or clear mount bundle. I love the window cut out of the cardstock textured with the Corrugated Embossing Folder that reveals the images from the stamp set, and the layers of die cut images over the stamped image. These items are in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalogue which is now in effect. This set has a few sentiments in it – not just for the Christmas season, and the images could be used year round as well.
I hope you have a great Sunday, and a great run day if you’re participating in one of the Terry Fox Runs being held around Canada. I know that they were up really early getting things set up for the runners along the waterfront here in Burlington, and it was humid early on, so hopefully everyone takes it easy and stays well hydrated!
I’m finishing up final prep – it’s a busy week here – Stampers Club on Monday, and then Christmas Card Classes on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening. I split the times this week because the evening of the third Wednesday of the month is my demonstrator group meeting. This month will be more of a “hybrid” type meeting as some people will be here in Burlington in person, and some will be joining us online. Maybe I should be asking for best wishes for my prep this week?! LOL Upcoming events are listed on the YamStamps Events Page, so you can check out what’s happening locally, but I also have some online class options as well. Please contact me if you have any questions or want to register for an upcoming event.
