Aug 24, 2016 | cards, Stampin' Up!
I love the fun retro feel of Stampin’ Up!’s Marquee Messages set. Paired here with one of the 2016-2018 In Colours, Dapper Denim, it makes for a great card – I like this especially for a teenager because it’s not too cutesy and not too serious. There’s a bit of colouring (love the brush tip end of the Stampin’ Write markers for that) and a bit of *gasp* fussy cutting – but it’s straight lines so it’s not too complicated, really! A bit of bling with the Gold Glitz Dazzling Details and it’s done. Just be sure to allow for drying time for the Dazzling Details, especially if you get a bit heavy handed at times…like me…LOL.
OK I’m totally getting back on track with my blogging….this month so far I’ve taken some time to be with friends and family, and I spent the past two weeks with the TV on a LOT, watching the Olympics, so now it’s back to the “real world”, and getting my son ready to go back to the “real world” as well (aka BACK TO SCHOOL!). I’m going to have a give away in the next while as well, so I’m getting myself all organized for that as well! In the meantime, later today is the August Christmas Card Class! I should dig out my Christmas music and play it while we create our cards with the “This Christmas” Designer Series Paper, don’t you think?! Ho ho ho four months until Christmas Eve!!
Aug 10, 2016 | cards, specials, Stampin' Up!
This card uses the Thoughtful Branches bundle – which has the Thoughtful Branches photopolymer stamp set and the Beautiful Branches thinlits dies. YamStamps Newsletter Subscribers will have seen some different samples with this bundle in the August newsletter. (If you’re not already subscribed, if you subscribe now, you’ll get a copy of the latest newsletter plus a free video tutorial!). I love the coordination of the stamp set and dies, because I often don’t have the time or patience to fussy cut detailed images. For this card, I did cut the hills by hand (*gasp*). The sentiment is on a framelit from the Tags & Labels framelits die set. I usually find it easiest (and safest?) to put the sentiment on a tag or label and add it to the card front to be sure that it is exactly where I want it (and straight as well!). You also have the flexibility to leave the tag off until you know what sentiment you need for that particular card – making your card stash (and dollar) stretch even further.
Don’t forget that if you purchase the bundle through me, you’ll get a free set of instructions to create 5 different projects! If you want to make it even easier on yourself, purchase a complete kit for $95 and you’ll get precut supplies to create those projects – you supply the ink and adhesive and you’re ready to go. Contact me for more information! Grab the bundle before it goes away – and you know you’ll want something to do once the Olympics are over!!!
Jul 24, 2016 | cards, Stampin' Up!
Hello! I’m still here…thanks for your patience! It was a whirlwind of travel for me in the last while, but that’s often what summer is like, I suppose?! I spent some time in the Austin, Texas area (because it’s just not hot & humid enough in Southern Ontario for me….*sarcastic laugh*). I was officially there to participate in my friend Lydia’s “Ublue Unwind” Crafting Retreat, but really, I was there to visit with old friends, make new friends and eat. I did however manage to learn a thing or two while I was there, outside of “why is it so hard to get a PokemonGo account in the first few days of release”. The card above is proof! A fun technique that creates an interesting card and is not over the top difficult to reproduce. We used “inchies” at the retreat, but I used Whisper White Thick Cardstock cut into 1″ squares here at home, because that’s what I had. The sponged colours are Crushed Curry and Flirty Flamingo, the images on the squares and splatters are from Timeless Textures (available in clear mount or wood mount)and the cardbase is Tip Top Taupe. The words are from the Thoughtful Banners set and some Bitty Butterflies add extra interest.
If you’re interested in learning new techniques and building up your card stash, consider attending August’s Monthly Card Class. Held August 3 at 1pm or 7pm, cost is $20 and includes all supplies to make four different cards (this will be one of them…). Registration and payment due by August 1 – contact me to reserve your spot!
Jul 11, 2016 | cards, Manic Monday, Stampin' Up!
I love the set Places You’ll Go from Stampin’ Up! It’s a great set that works for cards or memory keeping, and themes of travel or graduation and more masculine cards. This is a pretty straightforward card, but I think that the layout gives a bit of interest – perfect for a Manic Monday card – quick but still impressive. If you wanted to “step it up” a bit more, you could add texture with an embossing folder to one or both of the cardstock accent strips. The colour theme of this card gives it a more masculine feel – it’s the combination of Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip and Island Indigo. The set is photopolymer, so you can see through your stamp to where you want to position it on the cardstock. (or you could use a cool tool that I will talk about more in later posts….)
These past few days I’ve been hanging out in Texas, visiting with friends old and new, and learning some fun techniques. My friend Lydia hosted the Understand Blue Unwind Retreat, and I flew down to take part (because it wasn’t hot and humid enough in Ontario so far this summer for me….*sarcasm*). It’s been a lot of fun, and I will have more photos to share here once I find my USB cable….or you can see some of my posts on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook – though I admit there weren’t that many so far because the wifi was rather iffy (not a bad thing, made us focus on being present). Hence the slight later in the day post because of my out of routine confusion (“What day is it?”).
While I’m getting some creative ideas and inspiration, I’m also looking forward to getting home in the next while and Stampers Club on Monday! Nothing like hitting the ground running. Don’t forget that until the end of July, you’ll earn a $6 coupon code with each $60 in product that you order….PLUS if you attended the YamStamps Open House / Retired Product sale you’ll have a coupon to use this month – so lots of opportunity to get more bang for your buck. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and don’t forget that to take advantage of the YamStamps July coupon, you’ll need to contact me with your order so that I can properly adjust your total. Happy Shopping!
Jul 5, 2016 | Announcements, cards, specials, Stampin' Up!
If you placed an order with me in May, consider this your virtual thank you card? These are the cards that were set to be mailed out…and then I got delayed….and then I didn’t mail them because I had heard there might be Canada Post job action starting yesterday….which now sounds like it will happen at the end of the week. So if I had sent them when I first finished everything up we would have been fine. ANYWAY. They are in a little pile here and will be sent promptly once we know what is going on with the postal situation. The cards were inspired by Ilina Crouse who shared this design in a demonstrator group. It uses the Swirly Bird stamp set (and not a bird to be seen on the card LOL) Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies (the set and dies are available as a discounted bundle) and the sentiment is from Watercolour Wings. I used three of the 2016-2018 In Colours – Emerald Envy, Peekaboo Peach and Flirty Flamingo.
So…consider yourself thanked. I’ll be working on my June thank you cards in the meantime and adding them to the pile! Lots of happy mail to come.
Meanwhile, this month, there’s a new special from Stampin’ Up! Until the end of the month, for each $60 in product order (placed at one time), you’ll receive a code that is worth $6 off an order in August! You can take advantage of this by placing an order through my online store or through me via email, phone or in person at an event. I’ll make sure that I have your best email address on your file and you’ll get your code that way. (if you place your order online, it’s part of the process of creating your account). AND if you attended my Open House in June, don’t forget that you have a coupon to spend during JULY through me (contact me directly to redeem) – so even more ways to save! If you have any questions, please be sure to contact me! Otherwise, Happy Shopping!!
Jun 27, 2016 | cards, Manic Monday, specials, Stampin' Up!
I love this simple but effective design! I apologize to purists though, I had to drop the “Y” from the “ROYGBV” format because I didn’t quite have enough room….and yes, I did do some reinking of my ink pads after I did this card and realized that a few of the colours were a little faded – though it helps to show off the punched butterflies a bit more, right? I used the colours Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green, Night of Navy and Perfect Plum. The “splat” is from Gorgeous Grunge (available in wood mount or clear mount), and the butterflies are punched with the Bitty Butterfly punch. One of the best things about Stampin’ Up! products is that you don’t have to worry if the cardstock and ink will match. If products have the same name, they will coordinate! (no more searching for a red ribbon or ink that’s a little more blue based than orange based so it matches the cardstock you have….you know what I mean!). A little rhinestone bling helps the butterflies stand out a bit more. Easy, quick and effective – a perfect card to make on a Manic Monday!
I copied the design from one of the cards that Shannon West received for her birthday (sorry, cardmaker unknown). The #imbringingbirthdaysback handmade / mailed card movement has been embraced by cardmakers and Stampin’ Up! lovers! This is a great design that could be used for all sorts of occasions – like Thank You Teacher?!
Don’t forget that you only have 3 days left to take advantage of the Stampin’ Up! Starter Kit special – get an extra two stamp sets of your choice (above the $165 worth of product you can choose for $135) until June 30! Don’t wait until the evening of June 30….because you don’t have to be a psychic to know that the system is going to get bogged down with everyone rushing to beat the deadline! You can find more information here, or contact me for more information!
