This is a card I created a while back using Stampin' Up!'s All In the Family stamp set. This is a fun set that has interchangeable heads, bodies and limbs so that you can create your own characters that resemble your own real-life characters! This set will be retiring at the end of the month, so don't miss out if it's been on your wish list. It makes a fun activity card – you can stamp out images and the recipient (or creator!) can colour them in. This was a Father's Day card from last year.
Here in Canada we are enjoying a long weekend. We celebrated our Victoria Day weekend by hanging out with some friends, making S'mores (yum!!) and watching the fireworks. Oh – and I also spent some time cleaning out my craft room. It was a long neglected duty and while I know it's still an ongoing process, I'm thrilled with the results so far (I tweeted an instagram photo of it earlier in the day – did you see it?! Not sure how (or if) I can get an instagram photo embedded here…). I can't wait until my new catalogue open house & retired product garage sale – should be fun! Saturday, June 2nd – RSVP to get your copy of the catalogue that day!!
They say that one of the best ways to keep sharp is to keep learning new things. At Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference, there were lots of choices in classes to attend to hear about different topics to help demonstrators in their businesses. (Don't worry, there's also a crafty sample at end of this blog post!)
One class I attended was "Why Women Buy" presented by Carrie Cudney who highlighted habits and trends amongst female purchasers vs. male purchasers. A slide she used to show some differences cracked me up:
The theory is that the female is looking for "the" perfect pair of pants, while often men will settle for "a" pair of pants; the female is often also shopping for other things and other people at the same time, therefore needs to look around at more stores!
Now, for those of you who have attended workshops or classes with me previously, there's no need to fear that I'll become a hard sell, marketing machine now – I'll just be working harder to help you find "the" solution for your crafting needs (vs. "a" solution!!).
I also attended a class on "Coaching For Performance" by Natalie White and Jim Pitt, which concentrated on how to help others come up with goals and plans to meet them. I do try to do this with demonstrators who are signed up with me, but this was a more organized/formal way of approaching it. I will also be doing this for myself to help me focus on my goals and the plans to reach those goals!
"Retaining and Engaging Your Downline" by Donna Griffith and Patsy Waggoner (a US Stampin' Up! demonstrator) provided some practical tips to keep my team of demonstrators active and acknowledged, so that they can continue to reap the benefits of having a source of income plus a creative outlet. I plan on using some of these ideas at my upcoming demonstrator meetings and throughout the year!
Of course, we also receive lots of crafty inspiration and ideas too! Here's more samples using the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit (guess what was on my order that just went in for Sale-a-Bration?! LOL). I love the framed artwork – so simple but so effective and perfect for any time of year – not just Valentine's Day.
My next card class is on Wednesday, February 1st at 7pm here in Burlington and the theme is "Love"-ly cards. We'll be doing a card suitable for Valentine's Day, but all four cards will be designed to be given to someone you care about at any time of year! Cost is $20 and includes all supplies including adhesive and envelopes. Please contact me to register. Space is limited.
I am so lucky to be able to work with the fantastic people at CH Morning Live on a fairly regular basis! I was invited to appear to share ideas about saving those holiday memories.
Thanks once again to my friend and tech guy Tom for capturing the video for me! If you can't see the link above view the video on youtube HERE.
Hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus… I've had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends, and taking a few moments to catch my breath!
I thought I'd share my Christmas card design with you. If you've been following my blog at all, you'll know that I like to do cards that look great but aren't too finicky. This one suited me to a T! I used the Simply Scored tool to create a few score lines around the edge of the card, and then used my Big Shot to die cut a snowflake from Brushed Silver metallic paper. I silver embossed my greeting to create a tone on tone effect, which I really like!
I then had a brainwave as I had stocked up on some of the fantastic silver Glimmer Paper carried in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalogue – and this is the "bling" version of my card…not so much subtle elegance but more in your face! (still love it, perhaps even more…).
If you LOOOOOVE the glimmer paper like I do, you may want to stock up on a few sheets before they go – they don't appear in the Occasions Mini Catalogue (though fingers crossed they may make a future appearance in a mini catalogue or the next Idea Book?? No guarantees though!). One thing that I _know_ will NOT be carried over (because Stampin' Up! has warned demonstrators already!) – the cute stocking builder punch! So if you fell in love with that punch, you may want to consider getting one before they disappear!! The Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalogue sales period ends January 3rd – so place your online order HERE (take a look at the Clearance Rack while you're at it…) or contact me.
It's the season of gift giving, which can also translate to the season of thank you cards!
This was a fun, easy thank you card that I put together for my dentist :) Yes, I thank my dentist….actually, B&N Dental had a client event where we all got to go and watch Happy Feet 2 in a private, early morning screening! (and yes, my son had popcorn…I couldn't quite manage that though!)
I love the combination of Stampin' Up!'s Pacific Point and Tempting Turquoise colours. The Petite Pennants Builder Punch coordinates with the Pennant Parade stamp set and the Big Shot Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder make this card fun (and easy!). Hemp twine and stampin' dimensionals add an extra element to the card.
I'm looking forward to getting together with a few of my demonstrator team this weekend! It's always fun to get together and share ideas and inspiration. I'm also going to be getting some work done for my Inbox Inspiration program that I'll be starting in the new year – be sure to check back here at www.yamstamps.com for more information as it is revealed!
OK, so maybe not so spooky, more cute, but whatever. This quick and easy card uses the Halloween Hang Ups jumbo wheel (from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalogue) as the main image. The patterned paper is from the Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper package. Card is Cajun Craze cardtock and Basic Black cardstock accent. I took the colours straight from the DSP – no thinking required – just my type of crafting! LOL.
I'll be sharing another Hallowe'en type crafty project tomorrow so be sure to check back for your treat!
This is a card I created a while back using Stampin' Up!'s All In the Family stamp set. This is a fun set that has interchangeable heads, bodies and limbs so that you can create your own characters that resemble your own real-life characters! This set will be retiring at the end of the month, so don't miss out if it's been on your wish list. It makes a fun activity card – you can stamp out images and the recipient (or creator!) can colour them in. This was a Father's Day card from last year.
