Oct 9, 2014 | cards, Stampin' Up!
My taste in cards tends to run toward the clean and simple end of things – at least when I’m MAKING them! LOL I do appreciate the over the top works of artistry, but for me, I often end up at the other end of the spectrum. Here’s a perfect example…
This was a sample for the Blendabilities Class I held a while back – I wanted the image and colouring to be the focus of the card – hence a simple backdrop without a lot of distractions. I love how the Blendabilities…blend! No streaky lines, lots of colour coordination… Don’t get me wrong, I also love my Copics – but Stampin’ Up! Blendabilities come in sets of 3 – light, medium and dark tones of the same colour, so I don’t have to think about what markers might blend together well. *phew* This Vivid Vases image did take a little longer to colour because of the number of vases and flowers…but colouring can be very zen and relaxing. I did a bit of a “cheat” on these images – the highlight on the vase (you can see this quite well on the second vase from the left) was created after the fact by using the Colour Lifter, which just pushes some of the colour out of the way to create that little highlight.
If you missed out on the first Blendabilities Class, have no fear – I am going to offer more classes! The next one is scheduled for November 12th – and this time I will be specifying which markers will be included in the class price. If you already have these markers, you can substitute other colours on your wish list, and then just bring the specific Blendabilities with you to class that night. There’s always more to learn and practice time is important!! Sign ups will start end of the week, and I’ll post more information at that time.
LAST but not least – there’s still a couple of spots available for both the Hallowe’en Wreath Class AND the FREE Paper Pumpkin Introduction Class October 16th – so contact me to register ASAP!!
Oct 4, 2014 | cards, Events, Stampin' Up!, YamStampsMore
Happy World Cardmaking Day! I hope you get to celebrate by doing something fun and creative….like making cards? I’m spending the day getting business tips and inspiration with fellow demonstrators at a Stampin’ Up! Canada event.
Here I am with Leanne and Mary, two demonstrators in my group called the “Eh” team.
…and because it’s World Cardmaking Day, I do feel the obligation to share a card with you all!! This is fun card I used at last month’s classes. The flower (from Flower Fair framelits) was die cut from the top layer first, before embossing with the Perfect Polka Dots folder. The top layer is applied to the Melon Mambo layer with Stampin’ Dimensionals and then the smaller flower was adhered in the centre of the die cut.
Don’t forget that if you want more card ideas, one of the best way is to come to a class and make them! Monthly card classes happen the first Wednesday of each month, or Stampers Club meets every 3rd Monday of the month – and there’s a new option to attend during the daytime instead of the evening if that works better for you. Please contact me if you need more information or want to register! If you aren’t able to make these times there are options – get a group together and we can set a date just for you – or try an online class from the comfort of your own home!
Now – go be creative!!
Oct 3, 2014 | cards, Christmas, specials, Stampin' Up!
Two step stamping is what first drew me to Stampin’ Up! – I loved that I could have different colours on the same image without a lot of fuss. Recently, Stampin’ Up! has started producing more photopolymer sets which makes it easier to line up the components, and on the set on this card, Wonderous Wreath, there’s actually a “tab” on each stamp and the coordinating framelits! All I have to do is line the tab up the same way each time and it’s pretty no fuss – plus photopolymer is see through so it also helps to line things up. I personally put the tab at “6 o’clock” each time to make it easier to remember (as long as I don’t rotate my paper LOL). These items are available together at a discount – I love this bundle!
This is a fun card that I put together – I used it for Stampers Club and then added a bit more “bling” to it with Dazzling Details and used it for a card swap. If I was really clever (and really did have every item in the catalogue) – I should have used the CHERRY COBBLER Dazzling Details. Ah well, the cards are done now, so I will leave that little extra detail to YOU when you recreate this card! (Please send me a photo!). I used Pear Pizzazz as the base, with Garden Green on top for the darker leaves, and Cherry Cobbler for the berries and bow.
Don’t forget about the Stamp Stock and Save sale going on until Monday – and use the hostess code KEH4WRUB so it will flag me to send you a set of instructions for 3 fun projects! I will be sending them all out via email next week. Happy Friday!!
Sep 21, 2014 | Announcements, cards, Events, Stampin' Up!
Hmmm not sure if I ever shared this photo or not?! This is another one of the projects I created using Flower Patch and Flower Fair Framelits (available as a bundle). I know, you’re thinking “ummmm where are the die cuts??” I used the framelits to die cut post it notes (being sure to have some of the sticky portion on the die cut) to use as masks for the stamping – this way you get the effect that some of the flowers are behind each other… a fantastically easy thing to do that gives such a great effect! Smoky Slate and Encore Silver Metallic ink pair together to give a beautiful monochromatic look. I love this pairing!
This is a card that stamp club members made a few months back as well. I have BIG NEWS if you’ve been wanting to join in Stampers Club and are able to get to Burlington ON! I’ve decided to open an afternoon session for Club members! Club sessions remain on the 3rd Monday of the month, and now members have the option of attending from either 12:30 – 2:30 OR 7-9 pm. This is great if you’re not working on Mondays, have a flexible schedule, or needed a daytime slot because of childcare! New members can start their 6 month membership at any club meeting (well, you have to give me notice and register, but you know what I mean…) Contact me if you’d like more information or want to reserve your spot.
Sep 8, 2014 | cards
And before you know it, it’s Monday again…and you haven’t shared anything fun on your blog recently because you’re busy digging through boxes and still trying to sort and organize. I have moved across the country before, and I must say that I think I was FAR more efficient then! There’s something about being able to say to yourself “Do I want to pay $xxx to move this across Canada?” and being able to say “NO!!” that helps to lighten the load. Moving up the street, well that’s another story entirely. I have boxes of “stuff” that I wasn’t sure what to do with before…and they have migrated with me. The smart thing to do, I think, would be to just keep the boxes sealed, close my eyes and send them to the curb…but that hasn’t happened so far. In the meantime, the odyssey continues.
Also in the meantime, here’s another card to share with you! One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! products is the coordination. As you may be able to tell by my little story above, I don’t like to think too hard or for too long LOL – so when you have things that naturally go together, it’s my kind of crafting project. In this case, the stamps and framelits go together…and then I realized that there were numbers all over this particular sheet of Designer Series Paper, et voila! A card is born. If you’re like some people I know…you may wish to skip the distressing and tearing, and have a neater/cleaner card. Personally I think the crumpled look is perfect for the sentiment on this birthday card!!
So off I go now, to dig into more boxes and pull out some holiday items to prep for my upcoming classes and the Christmas Stamp a Stack. Hope that I get to see you soon! If you’re coming to the Stamp a Stack, my goal is to have the downstairs area (well at least where the class is being held) as a box-free zone. Wish me luck!!
Aug 29, 2014 | cards, Stampin' Up!
This is a fun card we did at Stampers Club earlier this month. Arlene, who was host for the month (which means she got all the free goodies LOL), needed some new home / moving cards – so this one fit the bill. It uses the hostess set Life’s Adventure which has a nuymber of images in it to celebrate different events, and is fun to colour – so that’s what we did! We used the Blendablities on this card. This one wasn’t so much about shading and tricky stuff, it was just to experience the alcohol based markers and how fun they are to use. I love that you don’t get any streaks in the coloured images, and they do blend nicely (there’s a teeny bit of shading going on, but again, nothing too dramatic). I have Copic markers as well (I’ve done a certification course in them way back when) and the one advantage I will note to the Stampin’ Blendabilities markers is the no-thought process involved. I think that’s why I enjoy SU products so much – there’s a lot of coordination and they really do work to make it easy. In this case, each colour set includes 3 shades – a light one, a medium one and a dark one. So you can use the light one as a main colour and use the other 1-2 to add shading and depth. With Copics, it can sometimes be a bit of a trick to figure out which ones work really well together (well, at least for me LOL!!).
I figured it was also appropriate to post this card today as the sale of my house is official today! We are in the new home (new to us, and just up the street from our old place!), but still in the midst of renovations…but I do see the light at the end of the construction tunnel….I think…
If you are local to Burlington, please consider attending my upcoming Blendabilities class on Wednesday, September 24 at 7pm. Your $50 class fee includes TWO sets of Blendabilities in your choice of colour plus instructions and supplies to create 4 projects using your new markers. Since the fee includes product, you must register and pay for this class by September 10th. Late registrations will be accepted up to September 18th if space allows, but will be subject to a $25 surcharge to cover express shipping in order for product to arrive in time for class. See my Events page HERE. You can register & pay via PayPal on the Events page, or you can contact me directly to register.
