Hello September! I often think of September much like January – the start of a new year or phase. This September is definitely different than previous Septembers, and one of the things I missed most this year was the Back to School shopping excitement. I am totally one of those geeks who loves new pens, pencils, paper, notebooks….so perhaps it’s a good thing I missed out on most of that shopping because I’m sure I saved some money along the way – well at least in that section of my budget.
Here’s a card to sayhello – whether it’s to a month or to a friend. It’s part of a previous Class to Go and Stampers Club. I love how simple shapes can be manipulated to make a more complex effect!
I love the Playful Alphabet Dies – and I love that there are multiples of many letters, meaning it’s easy to die cut whole words at one time (without having to go back and re-cut a single letter). The other feature on this card is circles (or semi-circles) – so I used the Layering Circles dies, plus the smallest Mango Melody Circle on the background is actually the centre of the “o”. Can you see the “trick” to make the colours line up on the larger semi-circles to emphasize the swooping motion? You need extra circles to do it – two of the largest and second smallest circles, one of each of the colours (in this case, Cajun Craze and Daffodil Delight). You only need one of the second largest circle in one colour (Mango Melody in the sample). We were laughing in Stampers Club at the colours – they’re a little “retro” – and someone mentioned that we just needed an Avocado Green shade (hmm I guess the closest Stampin’ Up! shade might be Old Olive – or maybe Mossy Meadow??) to go with the “Harvest Gold” like theme and we would have a totally 70’s card.
One of the challenges I face with doing club virtually is figuring out the projects. Normally when we meet in person, I have the stamps and inks required for the different projects on the table, and each person uses them for that card. Right now participants are picking up (or receiving their card kits in the mail) – and Stampin’ Up! prohibits us from including any pre-stamped images in our kits, so the cards we do in Stampers Club these days are tending to be based on techniques, papers, die cuts or punched images (because I can include those). If a card could use a sentiment on it that is stamped, I usually will include a die cut or punched label or tag, but then each person can add their own sentiment from the craft supplies they have in their stash. Class to Go operates under the same format – you get all pre-cut cardstock/embellishments or pre-die cut/ punched elements for each card, plus an envelope. You supply the adhesive (or let me know if you need some and you can purchase some to be included in your kit) and have the option to add stamped sentiments of your choice.
I’ll be adding a few Bundle Classes in the next while that will focus on a particular stamp & tool combination. While the supplies will be still be precut, the projects may require further stamping or die cutting for completion as per the samples. If you’re interested in joining us, drop me a message and I’ll get you set up! Club is a 6 month commitment, Class to Go is a stand alone (i.e. no ongoing commitment), and Bundle Classes will also be stand alone (though you’ll want the featured bundle to complete the projects as per the class samples).
In the meantime, I will continue to create cards that also require stamping in addition to die cutting and punches – because that’s what I do…LOL! Wishing everyone a safe and smooth return to routine – recognizing that our routine may be a new and unfamiliar one – at least to start.
Now available to order – the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine!Stampin’ Up!’s standard sized machine is available for customer order starting today. This machine has a wide 6″ (15.2 cm) platform that works with all Stampin’ Up! dies and embossing folders. It comes with 1 Base Plate (Plate 1), 1 Die Plate (Plate 2), 2 Cutting Plates (Plate 3), and 1 Specialty Plate (Plate 4). All the plates are numbered so you know exactly which one goes where (and which one to use when, thanks to the printed instructions on the base plate!)
The machine platforms fold up so it’s compact for storage or portability. Also available today – the Magnetic Cutting Plate. While Demonstrators were able to order the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine in August, the Magnetic Cutting Plate was not available until now – so you can be sure that will be on my order today! Much as we loved the Magnetic Platform for the Big Shot – the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Magnetic Cutting Plate will replace one of the plates in the sandwich. Once I get my Magnetic Platform in hand, I’ll be sure to do a video to show it off! You can place your order in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada Store here, or contact me for assistance.
The Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine(Standard Size) is $163 CAD – so the other news is that you could select it in your Demonstrator Starter kit and pay just $135. During September, there’s a Get & Go promotion as well – new demonstrators will receive two stamp sets (Queen Anne’s Lace and So Much Love), a package of rhinestones and 16 precut card packages to create 8 cards of 2 different designs – or use to come up with your own creations! The kits are designed for you to either make cards to send to friends and family, or to help you share the fun of cardmaking with others in a class (virtual or socially distanced). Check out this FAQ about becoming a demonstrator with my group, or if you can go here or contact me if you’re ready to start the process!
I promise to move on to other shapes and forms next….but I am sharing this rainbow wreath card before I do!! This is a variation on the original wreath card I did in this post. My friend Gloria saw the Facebook Live that I did, and then used the Rainbow Glimmer Paper in her card variation – so I used her take on it when I created the latest Class to Go/Stampers Club Class.
For Stampers Club we are doing Zoom meetings, and I’m starting to get the hang of it – getting the packages all done up for pick up/mailing, and then creating together online….except that I have forgotten to hit “record” a few times now… My Stampers Club members have access to an online site where the project photos and video are shared, so I had to re-shoot the “how to” video for the last club! My tech error means that I had a video that I could edit down to focus on one project at a time and post it elsewhere as well – so I uploaded my first IGTV video on the YamStamps Instagram Page, and uploaded to the YamStamps YouTube as well. I edited out all my talking, and just used written captions to give the instructions/highlights during the video. Let me know what you think – do you prefer listening to verbal instructions or like the quick read version instead?
Here’s the video (click on the above links if you can’t see it here for some reason). I added music just so it had something for sound…
OK now that you’ve seen the video of the Rainbow Wreath Card, I’ll be off to see what else I can create that doesn’t have a circular wreath as the main focus….the pressure…
If you’re interested in joining Stampers Club – please contact me or check out the YamStamps Events Page for more information! We welcome new members at any time. We meet once a month – our next date is Monday September 21st, and members commit to a 6 month cycle. Since we are meeting virtually for the next while, you’ll be able to join us from wherever you are in Canada! Also – with access to the members only site, technically if you can’t make it at the get together (though it is more fun if you do) – you’d be able to access the information afterwards anyway. If you don’t want to commit to club membership, you can always grab a Card Class to Go. You can either pick up or have your class packet mailed to you with the photo/instructions for the projects. You supply your own adhesive and stamps/ink (I’ll make suggestions as to the sets/ink colours in the instructions) and create the projects on your own time.
Much like last week’s papercrafting representation of my weekend – here’s this week’s version of how I spent my Saturday.
f you recognize this logo, you’ll probably have spent a few hours like me binge watching the second season of the Umbrella Academy on Netflix. In all honesty, I watched the first season initially because I was looking for local landmarks since it was filmed next door in Hamilton, Ontario (well, also Toronto). I did recognize a number of locations that they used for filming, which is fun. I got hooked on the storyline (though I did close my eyes for some of the gorier portions, something I learned to do a long time ago LOL). After spending a number of hours burning through the episodes, I was feeling a bit guilty for neglecting some other tasks (just a bit, though – it is a holiday weekend, after all), so I whipped up this super fast card to share on the blog. Really easy with Stampin’ Up!’s Umbrella Builder Punch and Layering Circles Dies, and since the logo is black and white themed, the colour choices were also really easy LOL.
Just a heads up – you may want to spend a moment or two this weekend to check that you actually know your Stampin’ Up! site password if you shop online. On Tuesday, Stampin’ Up! is rolling out a new website/platform, so your browser will likely not recognize the site as one you’ve visited before, and won’t automatically fill in your username/password (if you use your browser settings for that). So make sure you know your password because you will probably have to enter it yourself (at least the first time! Fingers crossed for a smooth transition. The August-December Mini Catalogue will also be live on Tuesday, so lots of excitement happening that day!
If you are a fan or know a fan of the Umbrella Academy, leave me a comment and I’ll randomly pick someone and send this card to them! (This way I can also test if comments are working on my site…) When I send out thank you cards in my business, I use post-it notes for my notes inside the card – that way, the recipient can remove the post-it and mail it to someone else!
My favourite kind of paper crafting is easy but impressive, so when I say this is an ornate thanks card, it’s because it uses the Ornate Thanks stamp set…and theOrnate Layers dies!
The layout for this card is fairly straightforward – three pieces of the Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper [DSP] onto a backing piece of Early Espresso cardstock. The centre piece of DSP is the flip side of the other pattern (the papers have double sided designs) – so no thinking involved LOL. The ornate frame is die cut from Early Espresso Cardstock and the sentiment from Ornate Thanks is stamped onto the Very Vanilla label in Early Espresso and Terracotta Tile. I selected the ink and backing cardstock colours by checking out what colours were featured in the DSP so they would match. Stampin’ Up! does a really nice job of having coordinating colour products that make my paper crafting a little easier.
When you order these dies, I would also recommend investing in the Brush Tip for the Take Your Pick tool as it makes it easier to get all the little bits out of the detailed die cuts, so you’ll be able to make your own Ornate Thanks Card even more quickly. After you run the die through your die cutting machine, place the die and or the die cut (sometimes the detailed ones need a bit of coaxing to release) on the foam mat that comes with the Brush Tip, and then run the Brush Tip over to release the die cut and bits.
If you are looking for other crafting ideas and inspiration, the YamStamps Newsletter goes out every Tuesday with information, and tutorials that aren’t featured anywhere else in the YamStamps world. You can sign up for the newsletter here to keep in touch. The multi-project monthly newsletter will be out on August 4th showcasing some August-December Mini Catalogue products so be sure to get on the list before then! In the meantime, happy crafting!
While these are crazy and new Pandemic times that we are living through, there are some positives to be found. I’ve actually enjoyed spending lots of family time over the last few months, with members of the family under the same roof for a while. One thing that my university aged son and I have done recently is played Pokemon Go. He loved Pokemon when he was younger and we spent a lot of time getting Pokemon cards and watching the show and movies. A few years ago when Pokemon Go came out, we played it on our phones, and recently have renewed our interest in playing the game for fun. I thought I’d pull out this older Pokemon Punch Art piece that I did a number of years ago.
All you need are a number of circle dies (like Stampin’ Up!’s Layering Circles Dies) or punches, Whisper White, Basic Black and Real Red Cardstock and you’re good to go! Cut 3 large circles (same size) of each of the colours for the body of the ball, cutting the white one just less than half way and the black one just more. Cut 3 progressively smaller circles in black and white and adhere everything together – it’s a Pokeball!
This project is from four years ago – but it’s amazing how this Pokemon craze lives on and is constantly being rediscovered by kids (of all ages) all the time.
For me this weekend, I’m getting August-December Mini Catalogues into envelopes for mailing [fill out this form if you don’t have a Stampin’ Up! Canada Demonstrator and need a copy!], working on some designs for the Holidays (yes, it’s true) and running outside every once in a while with my son to catch Pokemon during the Pokemon Go Fest. So if you’re passing through my neighbourhood and see me out and about staring at my phone instead of enjoying the scenery, you’ll know why.
Don’t forget that until August 3rd you’ll earn a $6 coupon code when you place an order for $60 (before shipping/taxes). You’ll be able to use the coupon August 4-31 – so you can grab some new products from the August-December Mini Catalogue! In the meantime, when you need a break from the sun – why not create some Pokemon Punch Art? Great gift tags or fun cards for the Pokemon fan in your life. Happy crafting!
