I did an unboxing video where I was as surprised as anyone watching…
Please tell me I’m not the only one – you know when you have those moments that you walk into a room and can’t remember why you are there…and you only remember when you leave that room?! Anyway, I filmed an Unboxing Video when my first order from the 2022-2023 Stampin’ Up! Canada Annual Catalogue arrived. I knew I’d liked everything that I’d ordered, I just couldn’t remember what exactly that was, so I was as surprised and excited as everyone else!
Check out the video below. I posted it on the YamStamps Youtube Channel and Facebook Page as well. I was going to try going live, but it’s been a while since I did that, so I thought it would be safer to shoot a video. I’ll figure out the live stuff again later…
Unboxing Video
I have already used a bunch of items from this order – including the Masking Paper which I was most excited to try!
Don’t forget that during May, when you purchase a Demonstrator Starter kit, you get a bonus! As usual, you’ll get to select $165 worth of product for $135, get a free past Paper Pumpkin Kit and get all the basic business supplies you’ll need to get started. You pay no shipping, and Provincial Sales Tax only (if you’re in a province with blended tax, you pay NO tax at all!). Until 31 May 2022, you’ll also receive an In Colo(u)r Product Bundle worth $95! It includes 5 full sized ink pads; cardstock, Designer Series Paper and special In Colo(u)r Grid Paper! Check out the details on this page. If you want more specifics or have questions, feel free to contact me. I’m happy to chat by email or Zoom or phone – whatever preference you have, and would love to welcome you to my group of demonstrators known as the “Eh” Team!
I hope you liked the Unboxing Video peek into my first catalogue order. What other types of videos do you want to see? Let me know – you can message me or leave a comment below.
Check out this Slimline Birthday Card with a fun die cut background!
Stampin’ Up! makes it easy to make and send slimline cards – with appropriately sized dies and envelopes!
Slimline Birthday Card
We made this fun slimline birthday card in Stampers Club this month. It features new In Colours and a fun die from the January-June 2022 Mini Catalogue. The cardbase is Tahitian Tide, and the accent die cut is Starry Sky. I used the Slim Card Dies to die cut the Starry Sky cardstock – but not before I added strips of Adhesive Sheets to the back of the cardstock. For this sample (which was my prototype) I just added smaller strips of the sheet at the borders of the die – so you may be able to see that the centre details aren’t totally adhered to the card. When I prepped for club, I put the adhesive all over the back of the cardstock so everything could be totally flat and stuck down. Some of the die cut shapes were added back in place as a design element – Stampin’ Dimensionals help them stand out. This card fits in the Slimline Envelopes from Stampin’ Up! so you don’t have to worry about how to send them!
I decided to make a slimline birthday card, so I made a tag from the Tailor Made Tags. I die cut the reinforcement from one of the shaped discard pieces so that it had adhesive on the back already – which made it easy to adhere in place on the tag. The sentiment is from the Biggest Wish stamp set. I love layering the two fonts on top of each other! I try to stamp the script word in the darker ink (in this case, Starry Sky) so it stands out against the bolder, larger font (stamped in Tahitian Tide).
A tip if you’re planning on recreating the slimline birthday card…I removed adhesive from one portion of the die cut first – along the top edge. I placed the die cut where I wanted it before removing the rest of the liner strips and adhering the rest of the die cut. Since this creates a rather fine/lacy die cut, you just have to watch that it doesn’t get stuck to itself when you’re peeling off the liner.
If you need a regular crafty “fix”, consider joining the Stampers Club! We are meeting virtually each month right now and participants receive their package of supplies for the cards before club so we can craft together. If members can’t make it to the “live” Zoom class, they have access to the recording after the fact in our private membership area, so they can craft at their leisure. See more information here on the YamStamps Event Page, and then contact me to join us! New members can start each month. Our next Club meeting is Monday 13 June at 6:30pm Eastern. Open to anyone across Canada since we are meeting virtually right now!
I love clean and simple type cards and this layered monochromatic card fits the bill!
One Colour Card with Dimension
Easy and effective paper crafting is my motto – and this card fits the bill. This layered monochromatic card is not difficult to make, and by using Stampin’ Dimensionals to lift the die cuts on the cardfront, it creates a really stunning effect I think!
This card features the Floral Squares Dies – which are sadly already sold out, but I couldn’t resist sharing this design with you. If you missed out on these dies, try it with dies that you have in your craft room (I’m sure you have some….). Stampin’ Up! has a number of ways to help you “elevate” your paper crafting: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals, (both available in the Black Stampin’ Dimensionals Combo Pack for your darker coloured projects), Foam Adhesive Sheets(great for putting on cardstock before you die cut) and Foam Strips – great for shaker cards or along thin edges like the frames of these die cuts. Any of these items can help you to create your own layered monochromatic card easily!
My go to product to pop up anything on my projects tends to be the Stampin’ Dimensionals. Using Foam Adhesive Sheets is fantastic when I know I’m going to want to pop up a die cut…but I don’t always know this when I’m designing on the fly! My thrifty tip for Dimensionals – after using up all the hexagons from the sheet, there’s a frame around the outside that’s left over – use your scissors to snip that up for more Dimensionals – though they’re not as pretty, they’re still functional! (Besides, who is going to see the underside of those popped up images?!).
Tomorrow is the day for the next YamStamps newsletter – subscribers will get to see what exclusive project I have in store for them when it goes out around 1pm Eastern. Are you signed up? Use the box here on the YamStamps site or click here to register – you’ll get access to an exclusive video tutorial as well!
This easy fun fold card has a floral theme and is sure to brighten someone’s day!
Easy Fun Fold Floral Card
I am always on the hunt for effective card designs that aren’t too difficult to create and this one fits the bill! It’s an easy fun fold card – and I used some of my favourite retiring products. I used the Expressions in Ink Specialty Designer Series Paper as the main focal element for the card, and then used Magenta Madness (retiring 2020-2022 In Colour) for the card base. I always choose my colours for cardstock and ink from the colours used in the Designer Series Paper – Stampin’ Up! coordinating colours make it so easy! The sentiment is stamped in Garden Green, and I added the flower in the background for interest – but after I inked the stamp in Magenta Madness, I stamped it onto scrap paper a couple of times first so that the image was a faint background for the words.
Easy Fun Fold Card – Partially Opened
The Magenta Madness cardstock is cut to 4.25″ x 11″ and folded in half, and then the front of the card is cut to leave a strip along the bottom. The inner card is Basic White cardstock folded in half. One piece of Designer Series Paper is cut so there’s a smaller strip along the bottom that gets adhered to the Magenta Madness cardfront strip, and the rest goes onto the Basic White card – so that the pattern is continuous. I think that’s the big thing to take away when you’re using patterned paper and you cut it into smaller strips or pieces to use – try to keep the pattern in the right order so that when you put it down, the pattern is continuous across the pieces. It makes this easy fun fold card look more impressive!
If you’re interested in other fun fold or fancy fold cards, I currently have two online classes with this theme (and more to come!). They are some of the most popular online classes I have – there’s the Fancy Folds Class and the More Fancy Folds Class. Not sure what I’ll call the next one in this theme…LOL. Once you purchase access to the class, you’ll have lifetime access! If you have any questions, you can always contact me.
In the meantime, this weekend has an intersection of holidays – so whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, Ramadan, or just celebrating spring, I hope that it is meaningful for you and you are able to spend it with those you love.
Waves of the Ocean is a Limited Time offering from Stampin’ Up! – available while supplies last or until 2 May 2022. It features the Waves of Inspiration Stamp Set and coordinating Waves Dies (also available together in a discounted bundle). These items are a sneak peek from the 2022-2023 Annual Catalogue. Other items available in this collection during the Promotion Period are the Waves of the Ocean Designer Series Paper featured on the side panels of this bridge card. They are actual images from acrylic pours that one of the Stampin’ Up! Concept Artists created – and they’re gorgeous. I die cut the wave images from the Blue Foils that were available in this collection and I love the effect. Unfortunately, the Foil sheets are sold out and no longer available. Also no longer available – the Rhinestone Wave Basic Jewels. So if you like the look of this Designer Series Paper – don’t hesitate, because you may miss out!
What I like about this Bridge Card design is that it fits into a regular Medium Stampin’ Up! envelope (the “usual” card sized envelope) but it’s a little fancier than your average card! We made this card in Stampers Club last month, and one tip when you’re making this card in advance – if you only stick down one side of the bridge strip, you can still easily write or decorate the middle panel, then stick the other side down when you’re ready to send it.
Our Stampers Club continues to meet virtually at this point in time, and the bonus to this is that out of towners can easily join in on the fun! The other bonus is that if any club member has to miss our usual get together, the recordings are available in our member site so can be watched later. We will likely meet in person again in the future, but may try to figure out a way to do a hybrid version so that there’s an option for those who can’t travel easily to Burlington! If you’d like to join Stampers Club, or have any questions, please contact me. You can find more information on club on the YamStamps Events Page as well. New members can start during any month –though if you want to join us starting in April, you’ll need to contact me ASAP so that I can prepare your class package in time!
Cut up your Designer Series Paper to make this Simple Patterned Paper Card!
I’ve always been of the belief that paper crafting doesn’t have to be difficult. So much of the rest of life can be hard, so why not do something that is fun and easy?
Simple Patterned Paper Card
This is just a section of a piece of the New Horizons Designer Series Paper, cut into thirds and then mounted onto cardstocks. Super quick, super simple. You can add some bling or ribbon if you want, but honestly, if you just need a quick card to send a note to someone, or to accompany a gift, whip up a simple patterned paper card like this one! I pulled the cardstock colours from those used in the Designer Series Paper – Evening Evergreen and I cheated and used Pear Pizzazz – it’s not listed as one of the colours, but I think when the colour gets diluted in the watercolour image, it’s a comparable tone.
Variations on a theme – cut the paper into different widths – they don’t all have to be the same – make one section wider than the others! Cut into squares or blocks, cut on the diagonal….whatever works for you! (Just keep them in the same order when you stick them in place so that the pattern is intact).
That’s my quick and easy take today – a simple patterned paper card. There are times when we may want to do a more challenging project, but there are times when we just need a nice card right away. Tuck this idea away (or pin it on Pinterest!) for when you need instant results, and come back to visit the YamStamps site for more crafting inspiration!
