Hello stampers. Unexpected kindness is always such a lovely surprise. People who are prepared in advance to be ready for such opportunities inspire me. Kay used Butterfly Wishes to make this lovely card and she had it ready just in case it would be needed! Let me tell you a story about what happened one evening on the ship.
Every evening we would go to the formal dining room at 8:30 for our assigned seating. We had a lovely group of people to sit with and we looked forward to sharing stories of the days adventures. I had also noticed that the ship’s crew would often sing with great enthusiasm at different tables for someone’s birthday. All the tables around us were also populated by Stampin’Up! people. About four or five tables away I saw someone being celebrated one night, so after supper was over and I saw this group of people congregated outside the dining room I also offered my congratulations. There was an eruption of mirth! It turns out that it really wasn’t anyone’s birthday at all,but there was a fun American prankster who thought it would add some life to the party to just celebrate someone each night. He came up to me on the pool deck the following day and suggested that we should celebrate my daughter Rachel that night. Why not?
Sure enough, he talked to our head waiter, and at the end of another lovely meal, there came a piece of chocolate cake with a candle burning brightly and a group of ship staff from many different countries all singing happy birthday with their adorable accents. Rachel was shocked but she went along with it. The song was barely over and there comes the lovely Kay Smith from Newfoundland who was sitting at the table next to us with a birthday card for Rachel!!! Rachel whispered that it wasn’t really her birthday that day but the card was already signed, sealed and delivered. I thought it deserved it’s very own blog post! Thanks Kay for being such a wonderful inspiration! I always want to be that person who has cards at the ready to hand out to people but most often that is not the case. This is a habit I want to cultivate because spreading joy is contagious. Here is Kay’s card:
I love how Kay used basic gray for the branch and because Butterfly Wishes is a DistINKtive stamp it comes out two-toned! This card was a blessing to Rachel, but also for me since it gave me the raw material for a blog post! I have been struggling with chronic nose bleeds so my energy level is down and my stress level is up, so this was a real God send. Yes, I have a doctor’s appointment and I picked up a new bottle of liquid iron so I am doing what I can to stay healthy. It is a genetic thing for sure, my Pap had terrible nose bleeds as a child and also as a senior. We used to think it would kill him in his eighties, but he is still alive and well at 92 and doesn’t have them very often any more.
What do you think about the unusual combination of Terracotta Tile and Seaside Spray on this card? I really like it a lot. Like I said in my blog post on Saturday, the easiest source of inspiration for colour combinations is looking at the list of colours that are found in our designer series paper. You really can’t go wrong!
Would you like the dimensions of this fun card? I know I always appreciate when I get the dimensions and don’t have to struggle to figure it out. The card base is 11″ by 4 1/4″ scored at 2 1/2″ and 5 1/2″. The smaller “Z” is 3″ by 9″ scored at 3″ and 6″. Kay’s card actually looks amazing considering it traveled across the ocean for 10 hours by plane, several hours on a train and also in a cab and then our own car! Only the front panel was run through the embossing folder. On the inside back panel Kay used a piece of patterned paper from Woven Threads that is 4″ by 5 1/4″. Hopefully I will have time some time this week to do a video showing you how to put this card together. If I run out of time which is entirely possible, then I will feature it in my Facebook live next week Tuesday at 7pm. Every Tuesday starting tomorrow I am committed to doing a Facebook live with the theme “Coffee and a Card Revisited”. I hope you tune in!
Now my goal is to have in my purse at all time a thank you card, a birthday card and a thinking of you card. That should cover the basics don’t you think? I think I will keep them in a clear stamp case so that they don’t get dinged up too badly. If you have any random acts of kindness stories to share that involve cards, I would love for you to share in the comments below. I will choose one lucky winner to get a Paper Pumpkin stamp set from me. Thanks so much for dropping by, I appreciate each and every one of you. If you need any of the supplies below and you live in Canada, then please do click on the images and you will go straight to my online store. Please use the current host code as it helps me keep my costs down and be able to offer blog candy now and then. Host code: XBTQ47UR
Hello stampers and welcome to a rare Saturday blog post. Since I had an “oma” day yesterday, I thought I would do a blog post today. I am featuring Pressed Petals specialty designer series paper for my Tuesday coffee and a card class so this post will showcase those cards. My main point is that when you have beautiful paper like this, it needs to be the star of the show. You start with the beautiful paper, then you choose a coordinating cardstock, which is very easy to do just by looking at the description of the paper in the catalog. Right there it will tell you which colours are in the paper and that makes it simple to choose which colour you want to accentuate in the paper. Add a little texture with ribbon or embellishments, choose how you want to frame your sentiment and you are all set!
While these three cards all look very different, they all use the same collection of Pressed Petals specialty designer series paper. Each card just focuses on a different colour found in the paper. Which one is your favourite? I don’t have the Path of Petals stamp set yet that goes with this suite because the coordinating framelits were backordered. I also wasn’t sure if I needed another stamp set with flowers. After a second look at this set, I realize that I really do love the sayings in it, so it will be on my next order! I chose to use the Woven Heirlooms stamp set instead which I think is a very good fit too. Here are some close-ups of the cards.
It is a bit difficult to see in the picture that I used the Scripty embossing folder in the background on the Blueberry Bushel cardstock. It mimics the script of the sentiment from Woven Heirlooms. It may be a bit bright for a sympathy card but I feel that it is entirely appropriate if it is indeed a “celebration of life” event for someone who has lived a good, long life. Sympathy cards don’t always have to be dull and gloomy.
For this card I pulled the burlap theme from the background of the Pressed Petals patterned paper. I also distressed the background on the sentiment panel by stamping off with Rococo Rose and Woven Heirlooms. The sentiment was stamped in Merry Merlot. Both of these colours can be found in the Pressed Petals patterned paper. Layering the lace over the burlap ribbon evokes a lovely vintage feeling. You could also add some pearls if you wanted to.
This last card uses my favourite washi tape ever! It is called Pressed Petals specialty washi tape because one of the rolls actually uses individual flower petals that you can easily combine into different flowers. How awesome is that? The card also uses two of the coordinating sheets of the Pressed Petals designer series paper. I once again used the Scripty embossing folder for the background of this very vanilla card.
I am very excited to announce that I am going to start doing regularly scheduled weekly live Facebook sessions every Tuesday evening at 7pm called Coffee and a Card Revisited. It will feature the cards we made that morning at coffee and a card as well as any special insights that may have arisen during the class or cards evolved from it. Of course, given my squirrely nature, there also be random Facebook lives and other videos posted both on YouTube and on my Pampered Stamper Facebook page.
If you are a demonstrator needing or desiring more training and inside tips on how I work my business, you may want to join the Pampered Stamper Training Group. It is only $5 month just to slightly compensate me for my time. I am very excited to see how my trainees achieve greater success through their participation in this group.
Today is July 20, so there are only 11 days left for Bonus Days. If you spend $60 in July, you will get a $6 bonus coupon to spend in August. I thought I would end this post with a photo of yours truly on one of the formal nights of the cruise. I am on our own private balcony on the ship. Stampin’Up! spoils us with the best rooms. I had some truly relaxing moments on this balcony with a very full heart of gratitude.
After a hot week in Rome it was so nice to enjoy the cool breezes off the sea. Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Hello stampers! I’ve missed you! I am finally home from the Greek Isles Incentive trip and ready to share my inspiration with you again. It is honestly one of the highlights of my year to go on the incentive trip and get spoiled by Stampin’Up! as well as reconnect with all my demonstrator friends around the world. I never take enough pictures of myself with other demos. I promise that will change next year when Gerard comes with me to Maui. This was also the first time I did not participate in the organized swap on the cruise. I did take pictures of some of the swap cards so that I could share them with you but the lighting in the Hospitality Suite on the ship was less than ideal. I think you would agree though that a lousy picture is better than no picture.
One of my favourite cards was this one that used the Pretty Pavilion bundle to make a Greek church that is so iconic on the islands. How creative is that! I don’t know who made it but if any of you readers do, please let me know in the comments. I just found out who made this card! It is Susan Smith from the USA. I also saw in her much better photo that the roof of the “church” is made from the Pretty Peacock foil run through the Subtle embossing folder. It just looks like glimmer paper in my photo.
Not only did the creator of this card use Pretty Pavilion to make the church, he or she also made the sea using High Tide. I love the addition of the copper trim in the background to mimic fishing nets. Did you know that this ribbon pulls apart to make it look like this? The blue glimmer paper was made using either silver or sparkle glimmer paper coloured with blends or reinkers. Very clever indeed and I knew you would want to see it. Do you know why the building on the Greek Isles are all blue and white? Our tour guide told us that during the several hundred years that Greece was occupied by Turkey they were forbidden to fly their own flags. They instead painted their houses in the colours of the flag: blue and white!
This photo was taken in Santorini. It is one of those moments when you want to pinch yourself to make sure that it is real. It is simply stunningly beautiful.
I have one other project that I would like to share with you. The picture quality is a little blurry but you will get the gist. I hope to recreate it in a class for you.
Isn’t that just the cutest thing? Great home decor item that would also make a perfect gift for someone. It uses the Come Sail Away suite as well as the Under the Seas framelits and Hand-Lettered prose dies. Here is the backside of it:
Do you see that the creator of this great art piece used our chipboard packaging that comes with our specialty designer series paper? The black circles that you see are just velcro circles used to adhere this project to the display board.
I’m so glad you stopped by today and I hope that you were inspired by these projects even if I didn’t make them myself! That is another reason the incentive trip is so much fun and so beneficial. We are surrounded by greatness and by inspiration and we learn so much from each other that makes it exciting to get back to work. Don’t forget about the amazing deal on the starter kit. Not only do you get $210 worth of product and pay only $135, you also get a $14 coupon to use on your order the month after you sign up.
I would absolutely love to have you join my team. They say that if you really love something, you want to share it. If you only get a very small part out of this starter kit than what I did it will be totally worth it. The possibilities are endless starting with your own discount but including finding new friends in your own town but also all over the world and creating a fun business if you want. I would love to show you how. My dream is to have a team that has representation from every province and territory in Canada. What are you waiting for? Here is the link if you are ready to start this amazing adventure.
July is also the month for Bonus Days. That means for every $60 you spend in July before shipping and tax you get a $6 coupon code to use in August. Every little bit helps!
That’s all for now! I hope to have more fun things to share with you tomorrow and I also know that I promised you some pdfs. One thing at a time, but I haven’t forgotten and I am looking forward to doing it. Have a super day and stay cool.
Hello stampers! Are you ready to hear about a great tip to use with watercolour pencils and Free as a Bird? Sometimes all you need is a little inside information to make a product that much better and more fun to use. I have told you many times that I never considered myself to be an artist. That is slowly changing for me, and it can for you as well. This little tip will bring us both a little closer to that amazing reality. Actually, so much of what we do can be considered art. The way we arrange our food on a plate, the way we put some flowers in a vase or pick just the right shoes with an outfit. You might be amazing at applying eye shadow or nail polish. Perhaps you are a genius at arranging furniture. It’s all art.
Let’s take a look at the card first. This is actually Alison Reid’s card for our Fab Four event in August. She had us stamp the bird image in Memento black ink on crumb cake cardstock. Before we did that we stamped various images from Gallery Grunge around the edges to give a nice vintage look. When I say “we” I mean the other team members that constitute the Fab Four. We had to postpone our event due to bad timing and low numbers so we decided to get together anyways and teach each other our cards. It was actually a brilliant idea that also gave us a chance to critique our cards and also get our creative juices flowing. Making a card for yourself and teaching a card at a class are two very different things. Some cards are not well suited to teaching in a group setting and that is what was helpful about our time together.
Isn’t this just a lovely card? This colour combination of pretty peacock, soft suede and crumb cake is spectacular. The stamped leaf was fussy cut but the vellum leaf is actually a punch. Do you see how the stitched rectangles framelits were used for both the sentiment and the frame around the birds? It really is a wonderful tool. Here is a close up of the birds.
Are you ready for the big secret trick? You first colour the entire image with your white watercolour pencil! This not only creates a neutral background, it also allows for better blending. The bird was coloured using basic grey for the top of his head, pumpkin pie for his beak and then bermuda bay, pacific point and daffodil delight for the body. The branch is early espresso, the leaves old olive and the flowers daffodil delight. I will show you how to do it in the video that follows. After all the colouring and stamping was complete the crumb cake panel was run through the die cutting machine using the Subtle embossing folder to give it just a little more texture.
I did a little playing while I was waiting for my YouTube video to upload, I was curious to see how this technique would work on black cardstock. I rather like it! I added a little wink of stella to some of the birds.
Before I share the video with you I just want to share with you the amazing starter kit opportunity that is happening right now. It is called Extra, Extra because first you get an extra $40 in your starter kit and second, you get an extra $14 coupon code that you can use on your order the month after you join. I am adding one more extra, a special day or evening stamping with me using new products and answering all your questions. It is going to be called Diva Day, and it will be on Thursday August 22 at 1pm and 7pm. Our new catalog is amazing and I have heard from many people that they have a long wish list. Don’t deny yourself, but spend wisely. If your list has more than $110 on it, then get the starter kit. You can choose $205 worth of product and you pay only $135. Do you know how much money you are saving? $205 worth of product with shipping and tax comes to $252.15!!! That means you are saving $117.15. You also get a free Paper Pumpkin in your starter kit and 8 catalogs to share with your friends. Wow, wow, wow.
I can already sense a little anxiety, perhaps even despair. “I don’t want to teach classes.” “I don’t want to be a crazy demonstrator person like you Jackie.” “I don’t want to commit to anything.” “I feel like I’m stealing from Stampin’Up!”. No worries at all. This starter kit is an opportunity given to you by Stampin’Up! with the full realization that you might very well do nothing with it except enjoy the savings. That is totally ok. Of course I would have to say that you would be just a little crazy not to take advantage of your 20% discount afterwards, so I will encourage you to place another order to use your $14 coupon code and get your 20% discount. Here is the link to get this awesome deal. I will connect with you when I get back from the Greek Isles incentive trip to see if you want to come to DIva Day on August 22. If you are not local then I will connect with you with a Facebook or Skype call if you like.
The supply list below includes the products from Saturday’s post and it was too much of a time investment to fix it. Sorry!
Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate each and every one of you. If you want to do me a big favour, please pin one of these cards, that really helps give me more exposure and grows my business.
Hello stampers. It is a Friday afternoon here in southern Ontario and it is officially summer and it feels like it too! Can’t complain about the heat after such a long wet and cold spring! (I didn’t get the post finished, so it is now almost noon on Saturday!!) I have just discovered the Pressed Petals paper and the coordinating washi tape. Both are just so lovely!! I did a quick Facebook Live video on my page, I am hoping that you can access it here. Pressed Petals has a very vintage feel to it and the washi flowers look so real you want to touch them! I am very, very impressed. I think you will have a LOT of fun with this product. As adults we definitely need to play as well and I think that is something that is seriously lacking in most people’s lives. When is the last time that you played?
The best part of this card is the amazing washi tape flower! It looks like a roll of washi tape but it is actually individual petals with which to make very realistic flowers. They are beautiful to look at and touch and the delightful surprise is that they are so very easy to make.
The best tool for making these pressed petals washi tape flowers is the silicone mat. After you have made your flower, use the embossing buddy and tap the back of the flower to take the stickiness away. That way your flower will sit naturally on the card and not get stuck to it and lose the dimension.
Here is the paper in this beautiful suite of products.
Let’s take a look at the inside of the card. I used the other spool of washi tape which is absolutely beautiful and also has a great vintage feel to it. I used Woven Heirlooms for the sentiment.
Here is a closeup of the pretty flower! The Perennial Essence floral centres are perfect for the Pressed Petals washi tape flowers.
Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you like the card. As always, if you want to order anything, and you live in Canada, just click on the images below and you will go straight to my online store. If you live in the USA, click on the shop with Julie link and she will help you out! Have a super day.
