Jan 10, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
One of my issues with Valentine’s Day Cards is that they tend to be all flowery, frilly and over the top, and that’s not really my style. Most of my class attendees are females, and most of them are giving these cards to males, so I thought I’d come up with a more Masculine Valentine’s Day Card design to use in my January classes. More gender neutral or suitable for someone who appreciates more streamlined designs without too much fuss. Sorry. Likely a bad description for a good card, so perhaps I should just go ahead and share it?!
So this masculine Valentine’s Day Card uses the Stamparatus – which makes the ombré pattern sooooooo easy. I wanted the darkest heart at the bottom of the card, so I actually stamped the cardfront upside down – that is, I positioned the heart upside down so that when I did the hinge technique, the hearts faded out so the palest heart was at the top. The hinge technique is where you stamp the image, and then move the Stamparatus plate down one (or more) hinge spots, and restamp the image. You can see how this works in this YamStamps Facebook Live I did in November.
I used the Occasions Catalogue Meant to Be Bundle for this card. The bundle includes the Be Mine Stitched Framelits Dies, and the Meant to Be stamp set, which is one of the new CLING stamp sets from Stampin’ Up! These red rubber stamps have a new and improved sticker system which means your stamps will really cling to your clear blocks or Stamparatus. Some of the images and framelits are the traditional more flowery type of images, and scallop border edges, but for a Masculine Valentine’s Day Card, I stuck to the more linear look image, the stitched edge heart, and the deeper colour of Merry Merlot.
We made this card at the Monthly Card Class, and I’ll bring it out again for Stamper’s Club, because I like it so much! If you’d like to make this masculine Valentine’s Day card, you can join the Stamper’s Club, or host a card making party with friends before Valentine’s Day (we could do all valentines, or a mix of occasions)! This is a GREAT time to host a card class – because it’s Sale-a-Bration! If you place a $60 product order, you can select a Sale-a-Bration item for free – and hosts can earn more free product with qualifying total party sales. Contact me to book a date! You can host your friends and family class at your place or mine – whichever is easier. Please contact me as soon as possible so you have the best choice of available dates. Looking forward to hearing from you!!
Jan 3, 2019 | Occasions, Sale-A-Bration, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Happy New Catalogue! Today is the first day for Sale-a-Bration and the Occasions Catalogue! So before we do anything else, here is the link for the Occasions Catalogue and here is the link for the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue. I did use the mailing service from Stampin’ Up! to send out a whole whack of the catalogues (so if you purchased something from me in the last year, you were likely on that list…), but I do know that it seems that they are still en route…so patience (and worst case scenario, we try again….)…I will be following up in the next week or so. Before I forget, here is the link to the Holiday Catalogue carryover list for items that are still available to order.
If Sale-a-Bration is new to you, or you want a refresher on what all the fuss is about – here’s the lowdown. Sale-a-Bration runs from January 3 to March 31, 2019, and during that time period you can select free items with qualifying orders!
How to Get Free Stuff:
1) Order $60 of product in a single order, receive a Level 1 Item of your choice from the Sale-a-Bration catalogue for FREE. If you order $120 of product in a single order, you can select ONE Level 2 item or TWO Level 1 items! (and so on, and so on). You can shop online at yamstamps.com/shop or contact me for assistance.
2) Host a party with $300 CAD product sales or more and receive an ADDITIONAL $30 in host dollars to spend, on top of what you would regularly earn (minimum $20). A reminder that you can host at yours, mine or somewhere in between, including online. Contact me to book a date before my calendar is full!
3) Purchase a Demonstrator Starter kit. This year, you have TWO choices – select $225 of product of your choice and pay only $135, OR select $225 of product PLUS get the exclusive Craft & Carry Tote Bag ($68 value) for just $175! (see images below, product not included blah blah blah). Your starter kit will also contain basic business supplies like catalogues and order forms, so you’re ready to go! Plus you’ll get the support of being part of my “Eh” Team of Stampers!
If you’d like more information about the Demonstrator Starter kit and what is involved in having your own Stampin’ Up! business, you can check out this page for some quick FAQs, (shortcut is yamstamps.com/join) and come to my free Information Evening, next Thursday, January 10th at 7pm. RSVP for directions.
In the meantime, you can shop online or contact me if you need assistance placing your order. Happy Sale-a-Bration!
Nov 5, 2018 | cards, Christmas, online class, Seasonal Catalogue, specials, Stampin' Up!
I’m sharing this easy die cut snowflake card with you today that features the Snowfall Thinlits Dies that are available during November. I love how simple it is to create something so intricate! The most work is rolling it through the Big Shot, I think!
The larger snowflake is die cut from a Silver Foil sheet, and the smaller snowflake is die cut from Sparkle Glimmer Paper. I love how the new Glimmer Papers really hold their glimmer well – no shedding of glitter or glimmer! The snowflakes are mounted onto a piece of Joyous Noel Specialty Designer Series Paper and backed by a piece of Tranquil Tide Cardstock.
I do really like this die cut snowflake card so will be pulling it out for a few classes this month, I think! We did this card in Carolanne’s Private Card Class this past weekend. She got a large group of family and friends together to craft – so much fun! (Thanks for asking me to do this one, Carolanne!).
That Joyous Noel Paper has been very popular – so popular that it’s now unavailable to order! Any backorders already in the system will be honoured, but no more orders can be placed for this item – as there’s no way that the product would arrive before the holidays. Sad but true. Two embellishments have also oversold their projected numbers – Farmhouse Elements and Santa’s Workshop Enamel Accents. Funny how all THREE of these items have been featured in my monthly Christmas Card Classes! So – if you are wanting to join the November 28th Christmas Card Class that uses the Farmhouse Elements, be sure to register with me asap so I can set aside a set of the elements for you. (Don’t worry, I have enough for class registrants).
I do have some good news though, if you were hoping to enroll in the Joyous Noel Online Christmas Card Class. I’ve added a cardstock/paper supplies option to this class! For $30 I will mail you the precut cardstock/Designer Series Paper you’ll need for the cards from the class. You’ll still need to supply your own stamps, ink and adhesives, but if you really want to reproduce the exact cards, you still have that opportunity. Supplies are limited, though, so if you want to choose this option, please don’t wait too long. The Online Class only option (the “regular” option) is still available as well. You could easily substitute other Designer Series Papers for the ones we used – use the card designs as a template and use your own cardstocks and papers. You can get more information on the Joyous Noel Online Card Class here (the live video portions will be done in our group next week). You can get information on all the currently available YamStampsMore Online Classes here. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Hope to see you in class – either in person or online, soon!
Oct 11, 2018 | cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
If you are following the YamStamps Instagram or Facebook Page feeds, you’ll know that I have a booth at Scrapfest/CreativFestival right now! I survived day one….and realized I hadn’t shared a post on here in a little while – so I am apologizing with this fun penguin card. I will also amaze you with some fun penguin facts, courtesy of web searches. *ahem* While you may know that a group of penguins is commonly called a colony, it can also be called a rookery, huddle, or a waddle. (Guess which one is my favourite?!). These terms, however, only apply if the group of penguins is on land. If they’re in the water, they’re called a raft of penguins. Who says you can only learn some paper crafting tricks here. Look at me, helping you to increase your vocabulary and trivia. (Let’s see if that shows up as a question on HQ, maybe I’ll win more than $0.30?!)
So with that knowledge in your hands now, I present to you a card featuring a waddle of penguins!!
How cute is this penguin card?! And of course, how easy! The penguins are from the Making Every Day Bright photopolymer stamp set. This set features a number of images that can be punched out with the Christmas Bulb Builder Punch, and i love that there’s some non-winter/non-Christmas images that you can use with the punch! The punch itself can also be bought in a discounted bundle with the Making Christmas Bright photopolymer set (which is definitely all about the holidays). For this card, the penguins were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and then punched out. The snow slopes were cut by hand (that’s about as close as I try to get to “fussy cutting”). The penguins were tucked in behind the slopes and then some snowflakes from the Santa’s Workshop Enamel Shapes were added for a little extra interest.
I’m not sure what a group of Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators is called, though. A gaggle? A hoard? hmmm. Well, I know that _my_ group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators is called the “Eh” Team! I invite you to join us, in any case! On Thursday, October 25, I’m hosting my next Information Evening here in Burlington, where you can find out more about having your own home based business, and how you can work on your own terms and schedule. The only commitment I ask that you make for that evening is that you RSVP to attend! If you can’t attend that evening, or don’t live close enough to Burlington, please contact me anyway, and you can either join us “virtually” online or at a different time, either online or in person. The more the merrier!
Oct 3, 2018 | Announcements, cards, Christmas, Seasonal Catalogue, specials, Stampin' Up!
It’s that time of year again! Pumpkin spice! Just kidding (well, I guess not really….) but I was actually referring to the YamStamps Twelve Weeks of Christmas Mailings! Christmas Project Inspiration directly to your inbox! This special “Thank You” goes out to all subscribers on the YamStamps List – and it starts today – around 1pm Eastern. You can sign up at yamstamps.com/signup or enter your information at the top right of the blog.
Subscribers receive a weekly email with various projects, ideas, information and tips – and at this time of year, it’s double the fun. On Tuesdays, the “regular” YamStamps emails go out, and then on Wednesdays, the Twelve Weeks Christmas Project mailings are delivered. We start with cards, move to gifts and then to packaging and tag ideas. I hope you can join in the fun! These mailings will not be resent so if you want to start at the beginning, you’ll need to be on the list TODAY (like, NOW…).
Here’s a holiday card that I can share. It’s one that I created for a demonstrator swap – and I loved this design. However, I messed up when I created this particular card (and I’m really hoping it was only this card…) – but you can’t see the mistake in this photo.
I discovered my mistake when I went to open the card to take a photo (which is why the card is flat in this picture!)….I stuck the front of the card elements on upside down!!! To see how I easily fixed this – check out the Facebook Live I did on Monday. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but thought I’d wing it…and thankfully it did work beautifully, especially since it was a live video so no re-dos! I can guarantee that the Christmas Project ideas you’ll receive in your email inbox will not feature such errors…or if they do, you won’t be able to see them?! hahaha.
One last thing – World Cardmaking Day is coming up on Saturday, October 6th – and to celebrate, Stampin’ Up! is offering selected product at a discount until October 7th! You can check out the products in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store, or click here to see the flyer. In the meantime, I hope that you are able to join the YamStamps mailing list for the extra Christmas Project mailings starting today!
Sep 30, 2018 | Big Shot, birthday, cards, Seasonal Catalogue, Stampin' Up!
Happy Sunday to you! Can you believe it’s the end of September already?! Today’s Sunday Swap Share is a gorgeous fall birthday card – but you could easily switch out the sentiment to suit your purposes for any card you’d like to send out this autumn. Today was a bit of a rude awakening for me – I spent the last few days in New Orleans at a business retreat/mastermind. It was great to see my fellow stamping business owners, mahy who have become such good friends. The weather was very humid and warm, and the food was great….and now I’m back to reality in Ontario where it’s autumn weather and I have to cook for myself LOL!!!
A couple of touristy shots from the trip including the NOLA equivalent of stopping at the doughnut shop?! You can see some other photos from my trip on the YamStamps Instagram account and Facebook page.
So back to that Sunday Swap Share…being at the retreat/mastermind these past few days have reinforced to me that stampers really are some great people! Lots of ideas, inspiration and sharing occurred as we focused on running and growing our businesses. Another aspect of this line of work is of course the creative side. I often will participate in smaller, organized card swaps to get creative inspiration for myself (and thus for my cusomters!) – and I love seeing samples with sets that I might not own myself (yet?!).
This card was created by Lesley Poper. I love the effect of the Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on the Copper Foil Sheet.The depth from the dynamic folders really is quite stunning! The main image on this card is from the Country Home stamp set. I believe that she used Stampin’ Blends to add colour to the image. The sentiment is from the set Detailed With Love, which is available in red rubber clear mount or red rubber wood mount. The colours and sentiment make this a fall birthday card, but as I mentioned, you could change out the sentiment and even the bouquet )the stamp set has options) and/or colours to suit whatever card giving occasion you have!
If you are looking for seasonal cards, the October Christmas Class is scheduled for Wednesday, October 24. The 1pm class is already full! There are still some spots in the 7pm class though! Please contact me to register by October 9th – there are some options for this class – $20 version for card supplies only – $30 includes 1/2 package of Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper and $40 includes a full package of Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper. For the paper included options I will cut your card supplies from your portion of the paper, and you will have the remainder to take with you, which will be more than enough to recreate those designs or use them for other projects. If you register after October 9th please note there will be an additional fee to ensure that your class supplies will arrive in time for your class. Again – please contact me to register or if you have any questions. Upcoming events can be seen on the YamStamps Events Page. Hope to see you at a class or event soon!
