Sep 22, 2013 | Big Shot, cards, Christmas, Stampin' Up!, Tutorial
Never too early to start prepping those holiday cards. We created this card during Stampers Club this month. The large snowflake from Stampin’ Up!’s Festive Flurry set is heat embossed in white on Smoky Slate cardstock (love this new colour), and the Expressions Thinlit “Merry” adds the sentiment. An Island Indigo Candy Dot ties it together. I really like this card, but I have to admit that initially during Club it was driving me crazy…until I figured out a hint – and I’ll share it here.
Expressions Thinlits Hints
1) Use the Magnetic Platform. I looooooove this tool. You don’t need to have brand new, pristine cutting plates, but you do need to have ones that are fairly straight – not warped, in order for the magnet to be able to hold the metal framelit or thinlit in place.
2) Use a layer (or two) of waxed paper between your cardstock and thinlit if you’re having trouble getting the cardstock to “release”.
3) Use your paper piercer tool to poke gently through the little holes in the thinlit to push your diecut out if you’re having trouble getting the cardstock to “release”
4) Use an extra piece of cardstock on top of the cutting plate as a “shim” to add extra pressure along the thinlit
5) Run the thinlit through lengthwise rather than widthwise!!! This is the hint we discovered at Club night. If you run the word through horizontally, you may have uneven pressure across the thinlit. In my case, the centre of the thinlit wasn’t cutting as cleanly as the edges. It may be that my cutting plates were slightly warped or perhaps because my Big Shot has been used and abused since I got it…LOL. Anyway, check out the photo below for the visual as to the set up (the top cutting plate is missing in the photo just so you can see it better). Obviously with some of the longer words (i.e. “thankful”) it’s a given, but with the word “merry” or “love”…not so much!
If you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share about using the thinlits or Big Shot, please leave a comment below, or on my facebook page so we can all learn!
Sep 15, 2013 | 3D samples, cards, rubber stamping, Stampin' Up!
There are times when you need an extra special card. One of the great things about making cards is that you can customize it for the recipient – this comes in handy especially on special occasions! In this case, my grandmother turned 95…so instead of having to run around to 4-5 different stores to find a card that had “95” on it, I was able to make one myself and save myself some time!
Guess what my grandmother’s favourite colour is….LOL. Anyway, I had fun creating this 3D card and it wasn’t too difficult at all. I used Stampin’ Up!’s Label Pop ‘n Cuts and Card Base Dies in my Big Shot to create the 3D card and just had to choose how to embellish it! I used the Flower Shop set with coordinating Pansy Punch and Apothecary Art to decorate the outside of the card.
I used the Morning Post Numbers set and the Deco Labels framelits to customize the inside of the card.
And it seems only appropriate to finish this post with a picture of my grandmother herself…
We were blessed to be able to celebrate with four generations on her special day and are looking forward to another gathering with extended family in the near future. Happy 95th Birthday, Nan!!
Sep 9, 2013 | cards, Christmas, Stampin' Up!
The first of my monthly Christmas Card classes was held this past week, and the attendees got a good jump on their card needs for the holidays! Then over the weekend, while some people were watching football….others were not….LOL. I spent some much needed time sorting out things in my craft room. It seems I create chaos at the same time I create cards…and then tend to wander off and be distracted by some other shiny object…I decided it was time to have more than a few square inches of that larger desk surface to work within. So between prepping, holding classes and cleaning up I fell behind on keeping up here – apologies!
Anyway – we used the Chalk Talk set for the background image and the Warmth and Wonder hostess set from the Holiday Catalogue in the foreground. The strip on the bottom is embossed with one of the Delicate Designs border embossing folders.
I’m working with some new lights for photography & video and am still playing with positioning etc but I am also working with the motto “Done is better than perfect”. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that I’m just going to throw things together for www.yamstamps.com or for my classes (online or in person), but it’s me pushing myself to complete things rather than having projects get stalled part waybecause I keep fussing with something until it’s “perfect”. I’m finding once I get things “done” sometimes I do have the time and ability then to turn around and work on it a bit more to make myself even happier with the end results. Are you like that? (Please say I’m not the only one!! LOL).
In the meantime, I’m getting ready for my Stampers Club get together next week. Stampers club is always open to new members, and the current length of commitment is 6 consecutive months. It’s a great way to do some regular crafting, have fun, budget your craft dollars and earn Stampin’ Up! hostess benefits without thinking! Contact me if you’re able to join us in Burlington or want more information!
Aug 31, 2013 | Announcements, cards, rubber stamping
A little eye candy for your weekend….sometimes I take the photos on my back deck, and this was taken on a lovely, sunny day. One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! product is the coordination – the stamp set that coordinates with the punch that coordinates with the embossing folder. Love not having to think too hard when I craft!!
Hope that you are enjoying the long weekend! A reminder that my September email newsletter will be coming out soon – so if you haven’t yet signed up, there’s still time – use the sign up box on the site or click here to register.
As well, the yamstamps app has been updated, so please be sure to download the update – you can admire the new graphics and the twitter feed will work again 🙂
Hope you are able to catch your breath for a bit before we get back into the swing of things – maybe relaxing on your back deck?!
Aug 30, 2013 | cards, Christmas, Events
This is a card from my friend Sue – she sent it to me as part of the Guinness Record efforts by Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators that I wrote about here. It’s inspiring me as I’m in the midst of planning out the projects for the first of my Christmas Card Classes on September 6th. After the frenzy of the first week of school, I’ll be looking forward to relaxing and crafting – so I hope that you can join me?!!
Check out my schedule of classes here – you can register via the paypal button or by emailing me. If you register by September 4th for all four classes, you’ll get to make an extra, exclusive card at each of the classes – so it’s like getting an extra class for FREE (without attending an additional evening!). If you can’t make it to class, the next month will feature different cards…or you can schedule a private Christmas Card Class with your friends – contact me to see about available dates. Back to classes, everyone!!! LOL.
Aug 28, 2013 | Business Opportunity, cards, rubber stamping, specials, TV/Video/Web/Tech
So I thought since it’s still Wednesday here…I would share one of the projects I created for my appearance on the Morning Live TV show. This was a gatefold wedding invitation, with the invitation information printed on Whisper White cardstock and adhered inside the Marina Mist card. On air, we finished the creation of the belly band. This ensemble features the Summer Silhouettes set, one of my new favourites. It takes me back to two step stamping, where two stamps are used to create a single image. The flower stem is one stamp, and the flowers are another. This was what drew me to Stampin’ Up!’s products over 11 years ago – before Stampin’ Up! even came to Canada! (The joys of having American friends, or friends with American addresses!). When the opportunity came to Canada shortly afterwards, you can bet it was a no-brainer for me to become a demonstrator – and I was one of the first ones to do so, and still going strong!
So a couple of reminders, along that line – if you’re interested in becoming a demonstrator, the Pick a Kit promotion is on until August 31st. You only have a few days left! You can get a project kit for free along with the $155 worth of merchandise that you select. See the details here or contact me for more information…or go here to start the online sign up process! My group of demonstrators includes people from all over Ontario and out to British Columbia and we’d love to have you join us.
So…I’ve posted about this almost everywhere else – twitter, facebook…so sharing the joy here as well…after my spot on Morning Live, I ran into Adam van Koeverden, who was on his way in! I am pretty sure I babbled, but managed to get a photo taken with him. It was such a thrill to meet him – after having watched him compete in the Olympics and win medals in kayaking…hoping some of that athletic greatness rubs off on me during my half marathon this weekend!!!
And as I said on my facebook page….kind of glad this happened AFTER my appearance, because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been all too coherent otherwise LOL!
Never too early to start prepping those holiday cards. We created this card during Stampers Club this month. The large snowflake from Stampin’ Up!’s Festive Flurry set is heat embossed in white on Smoky Slate cardstock (love this new colour), and the Expressions Thinlit “Merry” adds the sentiment. An Island Indigo Candy Dot ties it together. I really like this card, but I have to admit that initially during Club it was driving me crazy…until I figured out a hint – and I’ll share it here.
