I think Stampin’ Up! Canada’s Friends for Life bundle is one of my favourites right now. I used it along with the Country Woods Designer Series Paper to create this Friends For Life Card – and it’s easy to re-create! I’ll share a couple of tips that might make this card a bit easier as well.
First off, the Country Woods Paper has some gorgeous wood grain / painted wood grain images including this multicoloured/striped one. That makes for an easy background for my Friends For Life Card! I used Early Espresso Cardstock for the backdrop, but before I stuck everything down, I cut the backing die for the word “friend” from the centre of that cardstock. I love that thrifty trick. The hole was then covered by the patterned paper and noone’s the wiser. I chose to die cut the detailed text and the heart from another sheet of the paper that had the lighter blue toned “paint”.
The trickiest part about this Friends for Life card is not losing the dot for the “i” when you pop everything out of the die!! If I am sending out die cut pieces like this to my Card Club Members, I fold some Press ‘n Seal in half around the pieces to encase everything safely. The other thing that the Press ‘n Seal can do is to hold the die cut in the original shape. Sometimes when I pull a thinner die cut word out of the die, it will stretch/spread, so I have to smush it back into the original orientation to fit onto the background. I hold the die horizontally, close to my work surface (covered in a bit of Press n’ Seal), use the brush tip for my Take Your Pick tool, and run it over the die to push out the die cut shape and drop it directly onto the Press ‘n Seal (or with as little handling as possible) to keep it in the original ratio/shape.
One other thing to make it easier with thinner or more detailed die cuts – I often will use an Adhesive Sheet on the backside of the paper – so that I just have to peel off the liner and it’s ready to attach. The other option is to use Multipurpose Liquid Glue – small dots, and it’s good to let it dry just a bit so that it doesn’t “smoosh” out everywhere.
To tie everything together and add a finishing touch to my Friends for Life Card, I took the brush end of my Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker (part of the Neutrals Stampin’ Write Markers set) and ran it around the edge of the heart so that it matched the word “friend” and the general design of the card. Put everything onto a Crumb Cake Card and it’s done!
Starting today and running until the end of July, it’s Stampin’ Up!’s BONUS DAYS! For each $60CAD in product that you order, you’ll earn a $6CAD coupon that you can spend in August! Product total must be before shipping/taxes and after any discounts or codes are applied. It’s a great way to get an extra reward for making sure you’ve got crafty supplies on hand! Shortcut to shop in Canada is YamStamps.com/shop or you can message me with your order if you’d like to pay by etransfer or if you need assistance placing your order. Happy Shopping, and Happy Bonus Days!!
An eye catching element for this celebrate you card!
A “celebrate you card” is a perfect one to have in your card stash – because it can cover so many occasions – or non-occasions! This one has an eye catching design element that is easy – and an efficient way to use your patterned papers!
It’s apparently spring here (*cough*)….so I thought this was a good floral-spring themed celebrate you card to share! The patterned paper is from the Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper which has four times the sheets that are in the typical DSP packages. I die cut the paper with one of the Patchwork Pieces Dies, and then used half of the die cut on this card – meaning I can use the other half on another card! The sentiment is from the Sentimental Park Stamp Set and the label and flowers from the coordinating Sentimental Park Dies.
This is the time of year when we start getting ready to say goodbye to products from the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue and the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue. Happily, the Sentimental Park stamp set and dies will be around for another year….but the Patchwork Pieces Dies and Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper will be retiring at the end of the month, so are available only while supplies last/end of April – whichever comes first. Starting 9 April (next Tuesday), the Last Chance Sale starts – and the Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper will be half price! So you may want to take your chances and wait until 9 April to get all that paper for less…. HOWEVER…
Here’s a little peek at some of the new product that will be available Wednesday!
The September-December 2023 Mini Catalogue will be in effect as of Wednesday, 6 September – here’s a peek at new product that you’ll find in it!
Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators get advance ordering privileges for new catalogue product – one of the very fun perks of being a Demonstrator. It’s so we can prepare samples and classes ahead of time, theoretically, but really, half the time we are just ooohing and aaahing over the product. (Or maybe that’s just me?! ha!). One of the other things I enjoy about being a Demonstrator is being part of Demonstrator only card swaps – where we make multiples of a single design and share with others who have done the same thing – so we end up with a variety of cards in terms of designs and products used. It’s a great way to kick start my own creativity plus get samples of products that I might not (yet) own!
I love the colours used in the Snowflake Magic Specialty Designer Series Paper. I always love things that are shiny or sparkly….and blues/greens are some of my favourite tones, so this paper was part of my first preorder from the catalogue. I combined it with the Magical Meadow stamps and coordinating dies (available in a discounted bundle) and stamped the sentiment in Pretty Peacock, which partners so well with Lost Lagoon. A little bit of bling from the Faceted Gems Trio pack completes the card. All of these links will work properly after 6 September, so you can come back then to follow the trail down the rabbit hole… (plus I’ll post a link to the actual catalogue as well, so there’s that).
Here’s a speedy video of my mass production process (less the part where I cut out the vellum circles because apparently I sometimes get the start/stop process messed up and just record me getting ready to record….not the actual part that I wanted to show!!). It’s from the YamStamps TikTok (speaking of rabbit holes…)
When I mass produce, I tend to do all (or most) of the same task at the same time before moving on to the next. Less switching of tasks means less brain work for me….and when you get into a rhythm it’s easier – plus it’s the only time I can usually craft and watch/listen to something at the same time without getting too distracted!
Did you enjoy this peek at new product?! I’ll be sure to post more – especially after the catalogue is live on Wednesday, so be sure to come back to the YamStamps blog to check it out!
Sharing this Leafy Die Cut Card using one of my favourite die sets.
Similar but different….here’s another leafy die cut card for you today! The Artistic Dies are still one of my favourite sets of dies – and this leaf spray is a big reason. I love how this spray is big enough to be the main feature if you’d like it to be…and can be used for cards for anyone and any occasion.
For this card, I die cut the leaf spray from a sheet of the Dry Brushed Metallic Specialty Designer Series Paper. Before I die cut it though, I did add some Adhesive Sheet to the back – so it was super easy to add to the cardfront. I used the sheet that had Soft Succulent shades in it, so I stuck to blue-green tones for the background. The ombre patterned Lost Lagoon paper is from the Bright & Beautiful Designer Series Paper. I placed it onto a piece of Lost Lagoon Cardstock before adhering to the front of a Crumb Cake card, which I think echoes to gold tones in the Specialty DSP. So matchy matchy, but not perfectly so for this Leafy Die Cut Card.
I have confessed how I tend to automatically reach for Basic White as my go-to neutral background for a card, but this was a good reminder of how nice Crumb Cake can be! Light enough that you don’t have to add any extra cardstock inside to be able to write a message but a deeper, more calming shade than a bright white. It also feels a little more “artsy” to me. Or maybe “kraftsy” – because it’s the shade we used to call “kraft” cardstock… (Sorry, I’m a little punchy as I’m writing this post…)
So – the crafty challenge for the next week or so (for all of us who are willing to take it on…) – create a card and use a different neutral shade than you usually use for your cardbase! If you post it on social media – tag me – @yamstamps across all platforms – including Threads which I have joined and am still trying to figure it out!
Don’t forget that if you are stocking up on Stampin’ Up! supplies – you’ll want to do so in multiples of $60! Each $60CAD product order (before shipping/taxes, after any discounts) for the rest of July will earn you a $6CAD coupon code that you can redeem in August! You can shop online at https://yamstamps.com/shop or message me if you’d like to pay by etransfer or need assistance placing your order.
This Layered Leaves Background Card is easier than you might think…
Really! This layered leaves background card uses die cut labels that make it easy to add a lot of delicate details to this card.
I used a number of the newer/returning Stampin’ Up! colours for this layered leaves background card – and I think it might almost look a little autumnal…but I couldn’t wait until then to share it! Using Wild Wheat as the backdrop, with foliage die cut from Pretty Peacock, Moody Mauve and Mossy Meadow. I also used Very Vanilla for the sentiment label and card, as I felt it went better with the tones of the colours I ended up choosing. I tend to automatically reach for Basic White – so every once in a while I have to remind myself that there are other options!! [What about you – are you a Very Vanilla or Basic White kind of crafter??]
The background layer is textured with one of the Basics 3D Embossing Folders. I love these folders that are part of the Online Exclusives. Stampin’ Up! Online Exclusive Products are items that are available for purchase, either through the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, or by contacting me and having me place the order for you. You just won’t find them in a catalogue. Stampin’ Up! is able to offer different items and will replenish stock as able, and add new offerings every few months – in fact, there’s a new set of products added to the selection as of 6 July!
To add these layers, I basically cut one of the leafy frames from the Timeless Arrangements dies twice from each of the cardstocks. I added adhesive to the back of the die cut sentiment, and then arranged the different leaf die cuts – one showing out the top, and one showing out the bottom. I trimmed the rectangular base of the die cut as needed so it didn’t overhang the sentiment. The sentiment is from the Timeless Arrangements stamp set, and I stamped it in Pretty Peacock ink (the rectangular die is also from the Timeless Arrangements dies). You can get the Timeless Arrangements stamp set and dies together in a discounted bundle during the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue sales period. (They may be available after that if they are not retired, but as individual items only. Stampin’ Up! tends to offer the discounted bundles only for one catalogue sales period).
The small sentiments actually can fit on the little rectangular bar too! To make it simpler for me, I stuck to using just the one die cut with the leafy sprays on it. The finishing touch for this layered leaves background card was a few Flat Adhesive-Backed Pearls because everything is more fun when there’s bling.
You can shop for any of these products 24/7 in Canada at https://yamstamps.com/shop or contact me for assistance placing your order or if you’d like to pay by etransfer.
A slight change in a card fold – and what a difference!
My cards are not usually over complicated, and I do always like a nice, clean layout. For Stampers Club in May, I designed a card that showcased some of the new Stampin’ Up! Colours, and used some Rose Gold Foil for a die cut because shiny is always good in my books!! I liked the first version I came up with, but a little tweak and what a difference!
So this was the first version…
Showing off the Artistic Dies and Rose Gold Specialty Paper, on a background of Moody Mauve and Pebbled Path, on a Crumb Cake cardbase. I do love the effect, and putting an Adhesive Sheet on the back of the Rose Gold Specialty Paper before diecutting makes adding the intricate die cut to the cardfront so much easier. I didn’t add a sentiment to this, but was thinking I could add something in Pebbled Path ink at the right corner below the focal piece.
I did think it was a bit “ordinary” though, so using the exact same cardstock pieces, I just created a gatefold card rather than a side fold card, and added two strips of Rose Gold Specialty Paper to the edge of the cardstock and LOOK – what a difference! I think it makes it look so much more special and interesting!
Also an unfair advantage perhaps – what a difference lighting makes! The angle that I had to photograph the card really emphasized the shininess of the foil which you can’t see as much in the other card photo. HOWEVER, I do think that the gatefold card for this kind of a layout makes a much more striking impression, don’t you?
So there’s an idea for you for if you think your card design is “okay” but you want to give it a bit of a lift – try changing up the fold! Instead of scoring your 8.5″ x 5.5″ cardstock at 4.25″ for a side or top fold card, score 2.125″ (2-1/8″) in from each edge of the card, and make a gatefold card instead! (Just make sure you only adhere the focal piece only on one side of the card….otherwise you stick your card shut).
My Stampers Club is meeting online via Zoom, and members have access to the recording so they can make their cards at their own leisure. The advantage of “virtual” club is that club members don’t have to be local to Burlington! Club members join for a 6 month period. Club requirements are a minimum product order each month using either the club host code or by emailing me with their order. We meet online once a month to assemble that month’s club cards (project kits are either picked up or mailed via Canada Post); once during each membership period, club members will earn the host benefits from that month’s club orders (aka FREE product! Guaranteed minimum $20). Check out the YamStamps Events Page for dates and more information, and message me if you’re interested in joining us or want more information!
