Jul 30, 2015 | cards, Christmas, Stampin' Up!
Yes, we have started Christmas Card preparation at YamStamps! I threw in a Christmas card at our last Class & Club just to get people ready for the biggest card sending occasion! If this card throws you into a bit of a tizzy, I did just post details of the Christmas Card Class series I’ll be doing starting in August. Each class will include a bundle of product that you will use to create your cards that evening, and you’ll have plenty remaining to take home as well to continue your crafting (holiday projects and non-holiday projects alike).
This card uses Stampin’ Up!’s new set Lots of Joy (available in wood or clear mount, also in French); and the new In Colour Cucumber Crush – a bright green colour that combines with Real Red to scream CHRISTMAS! The Lucky Stars (am I the only one who starts singing Madonna when I see that embossing folder’s name?!) Embossing Folder adds texture to the background, contrasting with the faux velvet technique on the Real Red banner.
Please check the YamStamps Event page for all the information on the upcoming Christmas Classes, or consider doing the online Holiday Punch Art Class if you’re looking to get a jump on your holiday cards!
Jul 27, 2015 | cards, Events, Stampin' Up!
One of the reasons I love going to Stampin’ Up!’s Convention is to see my friends from across Canada and the USA! We get creative, get inspired and get tired….LOL. I flew in a day early and spent it learning a bunch of new techniques with my friend Lydia (Understand Blue). You can be sure I’ll be using these in upcoming classes! Here’s a sneak peek you may have seen on my Twitter account:
While at convention, we get creative ideas and inspiration plus business tips. We were able to see and play with a lot of the product from Stampin’ Up!’s upcoming Holiday Catalogue. Unfortunately, right now it’s for Demonstrator eyes only, so I can’t share it here – YET. (HINT: become a demonstrator now and get to see the product AND order it before the catalogue goes live in September….just saying….here’s the page for more information) teehee…
This year, I ended up running a 10km race on Friday morning (after finding out about it and signing up on Wednesday…LOL). In Utah, it’s Pioneer Day (a state holiday) and they have a big parade into the centre of Salt Lake. The 10km race finishes along the parade route, so that was kind of fun! My new friend Michelle (Suitably Stamped) and I ran the 10km. Here’s a before shot from my Instagram account:
As a footnote, I did actually get a PB (“personal best”) although not officially through the race timing system. If you want to get technical, the gun time (when they say “start”) and chip time (when YOU actually cross the start/finish lines) are typically not the same, the gun time being longer than the chip time since there’s a number of people to get across the start line. In this race, it says the gun time and my chip time were the same….which they weren’t, so I’m going to go by the time that was on my Garmin.
Turns out that run was a good warmup for my return home. The flight from Salt Lake City was early arriving at LAX but we had no gate to go to, so sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes, which ate up half of my time between flights. I sprinted through LAX to catch a shuttle bus to the proper terminal, cut in line at security (THANK YOU to all the people who let me do that as they saw my panicked face) while they were paging me overhead, and sprinted again to the gate, to JUST make it on the plane. (sorry to those who didn’t make the connection, I told them there were people still coming through but I guess they couldn’t hold the flight). So I made it, but my bag arrived later. Crossing my fingers that everything arrives safely on my doorstep in the next little while. Of course all my goodies are in the suitcase, so you will have to come back to see some of the swaps I received. I can however, a photo of my friend Bev (Texas Rubber and Ink)’s swap card that I took on my phone:
Anyway….I wait in suspense to get my bag delivered (it’s due to arrive in the next few hours so I’m told) and start the laundry cycle. Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ll be posting pictures of that.
Jul 23, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
http://www.yamstamps.com
I have a weakness for butterflies I think! I love the Watercolo(u)r Wings set from Stampin’ Up! and the coordinating framelits dies. I used the grid-like background set from You’ve Got This to add some texture to the background. I based the colour scheme on the Blue Morpho butterfly
I created a version of this card for a demonstrator card swap that I’m participating in this week at Stampin’ Up!’s Inspire, Create, Share 2015 convention. I made 45 of these cards and will trade with others so I end up with 45 different cards at the end. It’s a great way to get new ideas and inspiration. I know, you thought that I came up with ALL my ideas by myself. The truth is out – while there are ideas that we come up with on our own, there are also cards that are based on great cards we see others produce. (This defeats argument #45 of “Why I can’t be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator” – “I can’t come up with all these ideas by myself” LOL).
I’m looking forward to coming home with lots of new ideas and inspiration, and hopefully not a lot of extra pounds either! I get together with a group of friends from across Canada and the US and while we definitely share creative and business ideas, we also like to EAT! I am going to combat this by running a 10km race tomorrow if all goes according to plan. Found out about the Deseret Classic Race yesterday, signed up, have to get my race kit today at some time and will run the race early tomorrow morning (should have plenty of time to get back to the hotel, shower and change and get to the Opening Session of Convention Day 2….)! I hope to have other posts and updates either here, on facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I think it will just depend on what kind of internet connection I have at the time!!
Jul 18, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
Spotlighting is a great technique to use on detailed or large outline images. This card features Stampin’ Up!’s Corner Garden stamp – which is quite beautiful on its own simply embossed in Gold Embossing Powder. I picked one portion of the image to highlight, and used the aquapainter and Wisteria Wonder reinker to watercolour the one large flower and complimented that with the sentiment from And Many More stamped in Wisteria Wonder. This technique also makes colouring a large image less time consuming – by selectively colouring one area, you can add a detail and draw attention to one portion of the image without having to colour the entire image if you’re a little pressed for time, or just want to get it done.
My upcoming classes are listed on the YamStamps Events Page – attend a class or join Stampers Club it’s a great way to learn new techniques, get ideas and build up your card stash!
Jul 10, 2015 | cards, TV/Video/Web/Tech
I love the coordination of Stampin’ Up!’s stamps and punches. This card features the Sprinkles of Life set (proceeds towards Ronald McDonald House Charities too!!) and the coordinating Tree Builder punch. We used it for a fun birthday card and coordinated the circular punch outs with the circles on the Polka Dot Embossing Folder dry embossed background. Of late, I really like having elements of the main image hanging over the border of the background – I think it adds more interest to the main feature.
I’ve also posted a Quick Q&A video on the YamStamps YouTube Channel – so check it out! If you have a question about Stampin’ Up! products or papercrafting, please either email me or leave a comment on the blog or on the YouTube channel, and I may use it for a future Quick Q&A video!
Jun 26, 2015 | cards, Stampin' Up!
This expression makes me laugh, and I thought it was great for a fun birthday card. The sentiment is from the Stampin’ Up! set Oh My Goodies and when you have a monochromatic card, adding a hit of colour makes the one element really stand out. In this case, the new In Colour Cucumber Crush adds the pop. At the Monthly Card Classes and Stamp Clubs, there is always at least one card that is more masculine or “gender neutral” as my customers (as well as I) always have a need for those – and tend to be the most scan in my stash of cards.
If you are looking to build up your stash of cards, there’s a bunch of options open to you! Monthly Card Classes, Stampers Club and upcoming Christmas Card and Tin of Card Classes! I will have the schedule finalized shortly and will post it – and it will be for sure in the July YamStamps Monthly Paper Crafting Newsletter for subscribers. School is out, the schedule is slowing down (slightly) and I’ve got big plans to be crafty!!
