Jan 14, 2019 | Occasions, product share, Stampin' Up!
If you like to craft with patterned paper but don’t find you always need a full package – or like to “try before you buy”, consider buying into the YamStamps Occasions Catalogue Designer Series Paper Share! For $30 Candian, you’ll receive 6 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of each of the four regular Designer Series Papers in the Occasions Catalogue, 22 sheets total of the two 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper stacks, and as a bonus, you’ll get 6 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of the Botanical Butterfly Sale-a-Bration Designer Series Paper as well!
This is what one share looks like. For those who are not local to Burlington ON, we can arrange to have the papers mailed to you for $5 – it will come in an envelope with a bit of extra cardboard to minimize trauma during shipping! You’ll also get a “cheat sheet” of what the papers are called and what Stampin’ Up! colours are featured so you can easily coordinate your paper crafting. Please note that the two Specialty Designer Series Papers are NOT included in the Occasions Catalogue Designer Series Paper share (it’s too hard to divide them up equally). You can see the Facebook Live video I did on the share here.
Each of the sheets is double sided, and because it’s a 6″ x 12″ piece, you can easily use it for scrapbooking or for card making – or whatever paper crafting project is on the books! If you’d like to get in on the Paper Share, please contact me directly, or use the link below. Please note that the paper share cannot be used as part of the Stampers Club minimum order.
Jan 13, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Sale-A-Bration, Stampin' Up!
This week’s Sunday Swap Share is this calming thank you card. It was created by Dana Hancock, using the Level One Sale-a-Bration stamp set, By the Bay. You could choose this for free when you place a $60 Stampin’ Up! product order until March 31st.

For this thank you card, Dana also used some of the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack, plus the Balmy Blue ribbon from the Sale-a-Bration Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack, which of course, coordinates with the Balmy Blue Cardstock. When you have a line art image like this one, it may feel like you need to add colour to the whole thing – but you can spotlight just one area of the image, as is done here – a bit of blue and brown added to the building only. You can recreate this by adding colour with either an Aquapainter or Blender pen, and picking up some colour from either a reinker or the inside cover of an ink pad. If you look closely, you’ll also see the detail added by using the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies, one of my new favourite products in the Occasions Catalogue.
When you book a private card class through me, you can request the themes of the four cards we will create – so if you are in need of a thank you card, birthday cards, or thinking of you cards, be sure to contact me to book a date! Sale-a-Bration runs until March 31st, so if you want to take advantage of the freebies, you’ll want to get a date in before then. Hope to speak to you soon!
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 6, 2019 | Big Shot, cards, Occasions, Stampin' Up!
The new Occasions Catalogue has some great new items! Today’s Sunday Swap Share is this die cut butterfly card that I created for a recent demonstrator card swap. I apparently have a thing for butterflies…so check out the YamStamps Instagram feed to see another Butterfly Card that I did for a different demonstrator card swap, using Occasions Catalogue product plus Sale-a-Bration product that you can select as your freebie with a $60 product order.

The butterflies are made up of two layers of die cuts, and they’re each one piece (all the butterflies are attached to each other). They really are the centre showpiece for this die cut butterfly card. I used the Beauty Abounds Bundle from the Occasions Catalogue. The Beauty Abounds Stamp Set is one of the new “Cling” stamp sets. It’s red rubber, with a new, improved super sticky label that will really cling to your clear block or Stamparatus. It’s available in a discounted bundle with the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies. For this card, I used one of my favourite colours, Blueberry Bushel, for the back layer of butterflies, and used Basic Black for the top layer. The background uses Lemon Lime Twist to give it a bit of “pop”, and some Rhinestone Basic Jewels for a bit of bling.
One of the perks of being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator is getting first looks and first access to upcoming catalogues and products! If you’re interested in having your own Stampin’ Up! business, now is a GREAT time to join. During Sale-a-Bration (that is…now until March 31st), you can get an additional $60 in free product! For $175, you can get $225 worth of product of your choice, PLUS the exclusive Craft & Carry Tote. This is the ONLY way to get this craft tote bag at this time. If, by some crazy chance, you don’t feel you need another bag….(I’m not sure how that feels…LOL), you can get the Starter Kit without the Tote for just $135. You get all that Stampin’ Up! product and all the basic business supplies to get your business off the ground running. Plus you’ll get my support when you sign up as part of my “Eh” Team of stampers. If you’d like more information or need help selecting your Starter Kit products, you can contact me, and RSVP to attend the no charge Information Evening, this Thursday, January 10th at 7pm. If you prefer to read about it… you can check out this FAQ page…or if you prefer to just take action, you can join my team here.
A reminder that January’s Monthly Card Class is THIS Wednesday, January 9th at 1pm or 7pm. If you want to get your year off to a creative start, please contact me to reserve your spot! Spaces are limited. Cost is $20 and includes all supplies required. Hope to see you soon!
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!
Dec 31, 2018 | cards, Stampin' Up!
Just a quick note to say “Thank You” for reading the YamStamps blog! This is the time of year when we tend to look back on the past year and make plans for the upcoming year. For me, this past year has been full of family, friends, travel and creativity – for which I am grateful! It’s also been a year of change, loss and development, for which I am also grateful, because I know that growth can come out of the challenges (though I may not be very happy about those challenges when they come about).
In review, one of the most popular projects that I shared here was this Springtime Foils Sale-a-Bration card. I’m looking forward to sharing more card ideas and Sale-a-Bration projects with you in the upcoming months! January 3rd is the date when the Occasions Catalogue is active and Sale-a-Bration starts! My goal is to be more regular in posting to all platforms, and I’m looking forward to posting some creative challenges in the Paper Crafting with YamStamps Facebook Group in the new year – and hope you’ll participate with me!

Here’s a virtual thank you card and hug from me! Using the Hand Delivered Host Only stamp set, and Stampin’ Up! Whisper White Notecards. It’s #simplestamping with a “step up” – a bit of colour from Watercolour Pencils – but no water added! I did use a Blender Pen to make a mix of Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso for a skin tone colour on the legs/fingers. I just scribbled onto some scrap cardstock and blended/picked up the colour with the Blender Pen! The hint is to not scribble too much when applying the colour to the image so that the paper won’t pill.
In short – thank you for your support! I hope that 2019 brings happiness and creativity into your world. Wishing you all the best – and “see” you again soon!!
