Apr 17, 2018 | cards, Retired List, Stampin' Up!
I love this simple and elegant dragonfly card – but one of the products we used for it is retiring…..do you know which item? It’s the beautiful ombré paper – from the Colo(u)r Theory Designer Series Paper stack. Thankfully we will have the dragonflies for at least another year! The sentiment from the Dragonfly Dreams set is stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink onto the paper. The small linked dragonflies are from the Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits and die cut from the Basic Black cardstock which also backs the Designer Series Paper. This card is trimmed a little narrower than usual, only because I liked having a thinner card and thinner borders on either side of the main image area. Don’t forget that while retiring stamp sets are guaranteed until May 25th, all tools, accessories and papers are available while supplies last.
This was a featured card this month in both the Monthly Card Class and Stampers Club. Stampers Club happens the third Monday of each month, and it still happened yesterday, even with the school snow day! I was hoping that the snow would have melted by Club time, but no such luck, so I spent some time chipping away at the lovely ridge of icy snow that was at the bottom of my driveway after the road was cleared. I keep hearing that the weather is going to improve, and that the weekend is going to be nice….but then I also saw periods of snow flurries today while I was out and about. Let’s hope we get real dragonflies in the neighbourhood in the near future, not just a dragonfly card!
We are always welcoming new members to the Stampers Club here in Burlington ON. Members join for a 6 month period, during which time they attend a special Club Card Class. There is no class fee for this class, but each member placing a minimum $33 product order at each class. Once during their 6 month cycle, each member will receive the host benefits from the orders placed that month – a minimum of $20 free product of their choice! Plus there’s the camaraderie of seeing other crafters on a regular basis. The next Club session will be the FOURTH Monday of May, due to the Victoria Day holiday. Contact me if you’d like to join us! Look forward to seeing you at club soon, or check the YamStamps Events page for upcoming classes and special events, like the Annual New Catalogue Open House and Retired Product Sale!.
Apr 3, 2018 | cards, Stampin' Up!
This quick and easy floral card is great to make in bulk and have on hand “just because”. I’m going to be using this as a customer thank you card I think! It features the Stampin’ Up! set Garden in Bloom, which is one of my “go to” sets when I need to make something pretty and quick. It’s got great watercolour-ish images, coordinating line art and sentiments that can cover a variety of occasions. My fingers are crossed that this set is NOT on the retiring list which will be made public April 9th. Each year, Stampin’ Up! retires some catalogue product in order to make room for new items. While I’m often sad to see items leave, at the same time, I’m excited to see what will be coming up next!
This card is created with Marina Mist and Pear Pizzazz as the main colours. The ribbon is actually the Lemon Lime Twist 3/8″ Mini Striped Ribbon, which I first discovered when I was given the Tutti Frutti suite to present at the last Stampin’ Up! On Stage Demonstrator Event in November. It is close enough to the Pear Pizzazz (and I think there might be a hnt of it in the strips, anyway), that it can pass.
I’ve been busy behind the scenes getting ready for the next On Stage Demonstrator Event! We are lucky to have an On Stage Local Event being held in London, ON this weekend, so I’m looking forward to seeing friends there. As part of the Events Council, I’ve been privy to a look behind the scenes at all the preparation that goes into these huge company wide events. The amount of preparation and rehearsal is incredible! I also present a suite of products at the event, which means I get to play with new stuff!! I will get to share what I’ve created after the event is over, so come back to visit the YamStamps blog and you’ll see what I have been up to! The other bonus about going to this demonstrator-only event – we get a peek at the NEW catalogue!!
If you’d like to get a copy of the new catalogue when it’s released – you can complete this form to get on my mailing list. OR….if you purchase a Demonstrator Starter kit, you’ll be able to check out the new catalogue online in a week’s time!! You can get more information about the starter kit here.
One last note – the YamStamps Monthly Projects newsletter goes out today at 1pm Eastern to subscribers! The name of the winner of my Birthday Celebration will be in there, too! Subscribe here to get weekly updates, information and inspiration! See you in your inbox later today…
Mar 29, 2018 | cards, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
This Lots of Lavender Card is easy to recreate – but you’ll have to grab the stamp set before March 31st! Lots of Lavender is one of the Stampin’ Up! Canada Sale-a-Bration choices with each $60 in product order before the end of March. It’s two step stamping, which means that the outline is one stamp and the coloured portions are another. Technically is this 3 or 4 step stamping?? I placed the leaves on the same block, but did the flowers, ribbon and stems individually. I love how the colour isn’t perfectly lined up with the outlines – it makes it more artistic…and quite frankly, easier to stamp!!
The background is embossed with one of the Petal Pair Embossing Folders – and these two folders are now available as a Sale-a-Bration choice! When Sale-a-Bration is over, they will continue to be available for purchase, as they are featured in the “Occasions” Catalogue.
There are just 3 days left to take advantage of the great offers during Sale-a-Bration – free product with your purchase, and free stamp sets with a Demonstrator Starter Kit purchase. PLUS – become a demonstrator and get a sneak peek at the new Annual Catalogue in APRIL! Don’t forget my special offers for the end of Sale-a-Bration and my birthday week: Place an online order and use Host Code CS2YEX9S to receive a tutorial bundle via email at the end of the month. Everyone placing orders by March 31st will receive a little extra “biing” from me (under separate cover), PLUS be entered into a draw for a Big Shot or a set of Stampin’ Write Markers! If you purchase a starter kit through me, you’ll get two entries into the draw! If you want more information about becoming a demonstrator in my group, click here. If you have any questions, or need assistance placing an order, please feel free to contact me! Happy End of Sale-a-Bration!
Mar 26, 2018 | birthday, Business Opportunity, cards, contest, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
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Isn’t this a great card? It was sent to me by one of my demonstrator team members, Arlene. Arlene was a longtime Stampers Club member who took the plunge just over a year ago and joined my team of demonstrators (we’re called the “Eh” Team!) – and her business is going great! Not bad for someone who was just looking to do something extra during the off season from golf…LOL. This gorgeous card features the Sale-a-Bration set Beautiful Peacock, and combined with a little Eastern Palace Designer Series Paper and Eastern Medallions Thinlits Dies for this gorgeous result. (Check the YamStamps Facebook Page a little later to see another card using these products from another friend!).
I’m looking to celebrate all this week – well, at least until the end of the month, so you get the presents! Here’s how to get in on the birthday gifting….
1) Place an order before the end of the month, and receive a little extra “bling” from me (under separate cover, in most cases…) AND an entry to a draw for either a Big Shot or set of Stampin’ Write Markers!
2) If you place your order ONLINE HERE and either use host code CS2YEX9S OR place an order of $200 or more (which qualifies for Stampin’ Rewards), I’ll also send you a tutorial bundle at the end of the month via email
3) Join my group of demonstrators by the end of the month – receive the bling and tutorials AND an extra draw entry! More information on joining my group here.
Just a word of warning – PLEASE don’t leave it to the last minute! Traditionally the Stampin’ Up! site gets bogged down on the last day of Sale-a-Bration (this year – March 31st) – because everyone is trying to get in before the deadline! (Fine print – promotion valid only through me, and offer open to Canadians only due to Stampin’ Up! regulations)
If you have any questions, or need assistance signing up or placing an order, please feel free to contact me.
Mar 20, 2018 | birthday, cards, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
When my friends and I get together to celebrate a birthday, there’s always lots of laughter. This Birthday Wit Card – using Stampin’ Up!’s Birthday Wit set (available in wood mount or clear mount) is perfect for my birthday card needs. It’s got a number of funny sentiments perfect for birthday cards – this is just one of them. Plus, you can get one of the items on this card for FREE as part of the last batch of Sale-a-Bration choices – do you know which one?
To create the rainbow effect on the sentiment, I used the brush end of the Stampin’ Write markers to colour directly onto the ruber portion of the stamp. Top to bottom, colours are Early Espresso, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Pacific Point, Night of Navy…and I think Rich Razzleberry….and then Early Espresso again. “Huff” on the stamp (breathe like Darth Vadar) to make sure the ink is moist and then stamp onto your cardstock. Here’s a cheater tip for you – if you adhere your image on an angle, noone will be able to tell if your image isn’t perfectly aligned on the cardstock itself. (Now you are all looking at the image to figure out if it’s straight or not, aren’t you….) I did that on purpose, really. The Tutti-Frutti Adhesive Backed Sequins easily add a little bling to the card as does the Gold 1/8″ Ribbon, (regular item / Sale-a-Bration item) which is included in the latest list of options for Sale-a-Bration freebies! Please note that there are DIFFERENT item codes for the non-exclusive Sale-a-Bration items (that is, items that you can also purchase individually) so be sure to use the correct code if you are placing an online order (otherwise you will end up buying it rather than getting it for free!). The background paper is one of the patterns from the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Catalogue. I think the black and white is a great background for the colourful main image.
Don’t forget that Sale-a-Bration ends at the end of March, and you don’t want to miss out on grabbing some freebies! Place an online order of $200 or more OR using the host code CS2YEX9S and you’ll receive a bundle of exclusive tutorials via email! Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance placing your order.
Mar 9, 2018 | cards, Frugal Friday, Occasions, Retired List, Stampin' Up!
Every once in a while I like to do a “Frugal Friday” post – so today’s post features a Daisy Punch Out Card. This card is in the frugal category because the negative space is the part featured on this card – so that you can use the flower for another project – or to decorate the envelope or a package.
This card uses Flirty Flamingo cardstock as the backdrop. Flirty Flamingo is one of Stampin’ Up!’s 2016-2018 In Colours which will be retiring at the end of May. If you love one of these colours, you will want to stock up ASAP – including a reinker for that ink pad. That way, you’ll be able to use the colour for quite a while! I would recommend grabbing your supplies sooner rather than later, because retiring product like cardstock, accessories and ink pads are available while supplies last once they’re officially on the retiring list – as opposed to most of the stamp sets which usually have guaranteed availability to closer to the end date of the catalogue. The Daisy Punch is used on a piece of Thick Whisper White cardstock which is accented with a stripe of Tutti Frutti washi tape. The cardbase itself is actually one of Stampin’ Up!’s notecards. You can get a set of 20 Whisper White Notecards and Envelopes which are 5″ x 3.5″ – a little smaller than the half sheet cards that we traditionally make, but still within Canada Post mailing requirements. The centre of the flower is a large Gold Faceted Gem, which doesn’t stick out too much because the punched out cardstock is mounted with Stampin’ Dimensionals. The sentiment, stamped in Lemon Lime Twist is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (available in wood mount or clear mount) – one of the most functional stamp sets because it covers SO many different occasions! We made this card in the Monthly Card Class the other day and other options chosen included “Just For You” and “Happy Birthday”.
If you live in the Halton region, you may have been able to catch me on YourTV’s Halton News TV Program earlier in the week. I’m working on getting a copy of the short segment so I can post it to the YamStamps YouTube channel. It was a very quick card (actually using the Daisy Punch!) since it was a quick spot – mentioning the fact that it’s International Craft Month! Thanks to Jessica and everyone who works on the show for having me. It’s always a fun experience! In the meantime, I hope that you will celebrate Craft Month by spending a bit of time crafting – obviously I’m biased towards paper crafting….but anything creative is good! If you need a little help kick starting your creativity and crafting, consider joining me at one of my Monthly Card Classes, or join the Stampers Club for some regular craft time (and freebies)! See the YamStamps Events page for details. Please contact me if you have any questions or to register for an upcoming event!
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