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!
May 27, 2016 | cards, Occasions


Here are two variations on a card design! Inspired by a card by Jenny Peterson, this is a fun and easy design that you can change up to suit the colours and occasion! The first card is a Father’s Day card, using the Go Wild Designer Series Paper Stack* and the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder* (which doesn’t really show up in the photo, sorry – it’s on the Basic Black Cardstock). The second card uses the Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack* and the Lucky Stars Embossing Folder. Both cards use the Washi Label Punch* (already sold out!) and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set which is available in wood mount or clear mount. All the products with the * are retiring – and available until May 31 or while supplies last. As you can see, the punch is already gone! You could replace it in this sample with banners from the Bitty Banners* framelits set or simply cut the papers to the desired size.
Grab your retiring products while you can! You can shop online 24/7 in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, or contact me for assistance placing your order. Don’t forget to RSVP for the New Catalogue Open House & Retired Product Sale! Saturday June 4 from 9am til noon. See you soon!
May 23, 2016 | cards, Stampin' Up!

If you send a card, why not make it a thank you card. It’s such a welcome treat to get a formal thank you, and any mail other than bills is always a bonus! This card was featured in the recent masculine cards class. We used the Go Wild Designer Series Paper Stack and the set BYOP for the sentiment. The chevron punch adds detail along the bottom edge of the card and a strip of the DSP on the inside edge of the card lets the design peek through. Arrows/chevrons feature everywhere on this one! Just a note: The punch and Paper are both retiring at the end of May, so if you’d like to get them, the sooner the better for placing your order! The links take you directly to that item in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store. The stamp set is NOT retiring, but it’s currently available in a discounted bundle with the Gift Card Envelope & Trims Dies – while the individual items will be available, the bundle will NOT – so grab these great items at a good discount while you can!
A class is a great way to try out some different tools and get card ideas – plus build up your stash of cards to send! I’ve added a fun class to the June calendar – Christmas!! June 24th at 7pm come and make some Christmas cards! After all, it will be 6 months until Christmas, and no time like the present to build up your stash?! Space is limited. Cost is $20 and will include all supplies required for your four cards. Please contact me to register – payment due at time of registration. Alternatively you can click on the PayPal link below to pay by credit card or with your PayPal account.
May 15, 2016 | cards, Events, Stampin' Up!

I recently celebrated fourteen years with Stampin’ Up! Hard to believe that time has flown so quickly and that my business has grown as much as it has. I bought the starter kit simply to get easy access to my own paper crafting supplies (at the time I lived a ferry ride and a good car drive away from any sort of craft store whatsoever!). These days I enjoy having classes, clubs and working online as well. Of late though, my online work has been suffering a bit because my computer has been ailing….and as we speak it is in the shop getting an overhaul. Fingers crossed it happens quickly. Thankfully, I do have other options to get online access, though it’s making me think a bit harder, adapting to different devices….though apparently that’s good for fighting off aging. Must look on the bright side.
In any case, this is the lovely card that was sent to me by the Stampin’ Up! Canada home office. Dale and Carrie do their best for the Canadian demonstrators, and I know they have a group of crafty helpers who create anniversary cards for Dale to sign and send out!
In the meantime, a reminder that my New Catalogue Open House will be held Saturday, June 4 from 9am til noon in Burlington. Please RSVP to have a copy of the catalogue set aside for you, and so that I can give you directions. You’ll be able to pick up the catalogue and have a shop at the Retired Product sale! I look forward to seeing you.
Apr 26, 2016 | cards, Stampin' Up!

You may have heard about the #Imbringingbirthdaysback movement. Celebrating birthdays by sending real cards in the mail, not just a cyber greeting! There’s even a stamp that’s been based on the hand carved original by Shannon West (who started this!) it’s item 143573 and costs $15 CAD. The card above is inspired by a card I received from Shannon. It’s a fun, easy card that you can whip up to get in the mail quickly! The sentiment is from Big News – available in clear mount or wood mount and at a discounted price while it’s still available – the set has been retired so will not be available after the end of May (or when supplies are exhausted). The swooshes are from Work of Art (clear mount or wood mount) and the splatters, because I couldn’t resist are from the set Gorgeous Grunge (clear mount or wood mount). The colours used are Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Island Indigo.
The theme of this post is timely as I just spent a “Girls Weekend” away in Montreal to celebrate a friend’s “significant number” birthday.
What I realized on this trip:
1) It’s good to have a bit of a break every now and then – makes me appreciate home once I’m back!
2) I do tourist eating – planning my day around what specialty foods I want to eat – and thankfully my friends are the same. We hit all the biggies – croissants, crepes, Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches, poutine, macarons and bagels. (I need to be sure I go for a few runs this week now….)
3) I don’t remember as much of my high school French as I thought I did. (Thankfully everyone spoke better English than I spoke French).
If you’d like to get some cards made that you can share with friends, the Monthly Card Class is coming up on Wednesday, May 4th. I’ve added a 1pm afternoon option for the Monthly Classes – and the May one is almost at capacity! There’s still space in the 7pm evening class as well. Contact me to register. Check out the YamStamps Events page for other upcoming classes, and don’t forget the Online Classes via YamStampsMore!
Apr 21, 2016 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Retired List, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!

I love Stampin’ Up!’s English Garden Designer Series Paper, and will miss it when it’s gone at the end of the month! I know that Stampin’ Up! has some AMAZING new things for us in the upcoming Annual Catalogue, but still…parting is such sweet sorrow. It’s featured on this card, and makes a beautiful backdrop for the gorgeous butterfly (from the Butterflies Thinlits Dies) cut from the Gold Foil sheet. I experimented with this die cut, and tried cutting with the gold surface away from the die – so the edges of the die cut curl towards you slightly. I just wanted to see how it looked, and how the foil sheets tolerated going through the Big Shot this way. I think it almost looks more like thin metal than when the edge is rolled away from you – what do you think? The Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder used on the Blushing Bride cardstock in the background is also retiring at the end of the month (and is one of the items being offered at a discounted price!). Don’t forget that retired product is available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST – so again, don’t hesitate if there’s something on that retired list that you’ve been coveting.
Here’s the links to see all the Retired Stamps and Retired Accessories and Tools in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store. Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance placing your order. Happy Shopping!