When I first saw the Desert Details stamp set I was quite honestly underwhelmed. I thought to myself, now that is one set that I don’t need to buy. Well! Then I went on my team retreat and my friend Pat had made a card with this set. I was so impressed with the long narrow graphic stamps that I just had to have it. Now that I have inked it up, it has not disappointed!!
Not only are those geometric stamps very impressive, the flowers are also stunning. They are distINKtive stamps which mean they naturally stamp in different shades of the same colour. Let’s take a look at two cards that I have made with this set.
Two Fun Cards
My first card was inspired by Sara Douglass and Shelli Gardner at OnStage in Vienna. With some simple masking you get an amazing geometric design on your card front. Want to know how I did it? Just watch the video tutorial below.
Cajun Craze and Soft Succulent look great together don’t they? That linen thread and those enamel dots essentials finish it off perfectly. The enamel dots come in night of navy, crumb cake and white. Here is a closeup.
The second card will be shared next week when my video tutorial is also available.
Video Tutorial
There is actually a part two to this video. In the first part you see me showing all the stamps and dies and also how to do the masking technique. In the second video you see me making the actual card.
Thanks for joining me today, happy stamping, and don’t forget, the links to shop with me are below for Canadians, or you can shop in Europe with me here.
If your wish list is long, please remember that the very best deal of all is the starter kit, especially from now until February 28, 2023. Message me if you are interested or have any questions.
Hello everyone and happy Friday to you! I am super excited to announce this very special collaboration with Sam Hammond Donald, also known as Pootles. She is the number one Stampin’Up! demonstrator in the UK! After a chance conversation at OnStage Vienna, we decided to do something special together. Are you curious what it is?
Country Lane Floral Special Class
Together Sam and I have designed a virtual class with four projects and three videos that you can have for FREE with a saleabration purchase. That means $60 in Canada or 60€ in Europe or £45 in the UK. This class also includes three exclusive videos. All projects use the adorable Country Lane Floral suite.
If you live in another market you can get this class for only $4US if you purchase it by February 1. After that it goes up to $5US. Here is the link to do just that. No worries, it will automatically convert to your currency. You can also purchase it from Sam for £3, or £4 after February 1.
You will get access to a private page complete with photos, instructions and three exclusive videos. We hope you love the projects as much as we do!!
Perhaps you are concerned because you know that the punch is backordered. No worries, we know that too. You can simply fussy cut the hearts. The paper is gorgeous as is the stamp set!! Happy stamping and thanks so much for shopping with us.
If you have any questions at all, you can contact me here.
The links below to shop with me are for my Canadian customers. If you live in Europe, please click here.
If you live in Australia or the United States and cannot shop with me, then you can simply click the Buy Now link to get your online class for $4US. I’ll put it right below again for your convenience. Thanks so much and happy stamping!!
Hello stampers and happy Saturday. Today I am going to share my favourite new suite from the January to April mini catalog. It’s called Legendary Ride. What I love about it is the fantastic motorcycles in two sizes and the detailed dies that go with it. The paper is also incredible. I know several customers of mine who either ride themselves or they ride with their husbands. If you know anyone who rides or loves motorcycles, please share my blog post with them.
My First Legendary Ride Card
This card was cased straight from the catalog. I often use the catalog as an idea book. The card may look nice in the catalog, but it always looks even nicer in person. One of the sheets of paper in the Ready To RIde paper has gorgeous images in various rectangle or tag shapes that make it very easy to make a stunning card.
Do you know where the die is from? It comes from the fantastic He’s the Man bundle. Between these two bundles you will have a LOT of inspiration for masculine cards. I almost hesitate to use that phrase because truth be told, these cards would also be great for women!!
Upcoming Class!
Legendary Ride is so compelling to me, that I have used this suite to create my first class with four options.
A Very Transparent Plea
This week I did something that I never thought I would do and it caused me some great soul-searching. After seeing the devastation in Gerard’s greenhouse firsthand, I created a GoFundMe page for Gerard as well as its European counterpart. I hadn’t been in the greenhouse for a while and I was shocked to see so many bulbs and flowers in big heaps in one complete half of the greenhouse. They were all awaiting the chopping machine and the composting bin. Why??
Well, last April Gerard found out that his Royal Velvet amaryllis bulbs had a deadly virus. There is no crop insurance for this. At first he thought he could contain it. Then he was told that 35% of his bulbs would have to be destroyed. In the end, it was 50% of his bulbs that had to go. This is devastating because bulbs usually last at least a lifetime.
I was moved to make a video which I shared on YouTube. Please consider watching it and sharing it. If you want to donate (please feel no obligation) just click on the blue links above.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today and thanks for being a part of my stamping community. These days I am not blogging quite as often as before but I am very active on YouTube so I would be absolutely thrilled if you subscribed to my channel and joined me there for creative inspiration!! Have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy new year to you all! Today I am going to show you how to save money with this quick and easy hack. All over the world inflation is record high, so any way to save money to extend the life of your products will be welcome I am sure. What you will need to use this simple trick is 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol. This product is readily available in drugstores or in large supermarkets. You can also get it on Amazon here and hav some little bottles to share with your friends.
Video Tutorial on How to Save Money
Simply watch this short video and you will see how I refilled both my Wink of Stella and my Blends. It is handy to have either a pipette or a little bottle like this one that I used to do my Blown Alcohol Technique that you can see here.
A Note of Caution
If your Blends are too far gone then they are beyond repair. The thing is, you won’t know until you use your tweezers to remove the tip. After you have removed the tip, lay it aside. Add three drops of reinker and then three drops of isopropyl alcohol. At this point you carefully put the tip back into your Blends alcohol marker using either your tweezers or your bare fingers. If the tip is still in good shape then this happens easily. If it is light and frayed and “squishy” then it will not work. See the photo below comparing a “bad” tip with a good one.
Saleabration Begins on Thursday!!
Did you know that saleabration begins on Thursday? This year it is only for January and February. As always you can choose free items with either a $60 purchase or a $120 purchase. There is also a fantastic deal on the starter kit. This year there are three options. One of them includes a Boho Blue mini Stampin’ Cut’n’Emboss Machine. Check out the photo below! I hope that if you live either in Europe or in Canada that you will consider joining my team. Let the fun (and the training!) begin. Whatever your goals and dreams, there is a warm and welcome space waiting just for YOU>
If you live in Europe, here are the prices for you, both in pounds and in euros.
A Personal Note
First of all, thanks for joining me again today. I know it has been a long time since I have written a blog post. I flew home to Canada on December 1 to spend four weeks with my family, friends, team and customers. It was jam-packed with lots of fun and meaningful and precious moments. I am so very thankful that I can travel back and forth to be with them. The snuggles with all my grandchildren at their first Christmas concert swelled my heart to bursting with gratitude. Hugging my little mama in her kitchen was also so beautiful. We played lots of games together, I made her favourite cream of broccoli soup and brought her Christmas baking including nanaimo bars that I make with her recipe. We had three customer events and a memorable team retreat, Wow!
Christmas Day brought with it unexpected grief with the sudden death of my beloved Oom Stoffel. He died while having an angiogram done. The blessing in this is that he died a relatively pain-free death and was able to live in his own home until the very end. I would never have thought that he would go home to heaven in the same year as his dear brother, Pap. I was able to fly back in time to be a pallbearer for his funeral and to give a eulogy on behalf of the Canadian branch of the Boot family. A bittersweet joy. Pap now has one brother left, Oom Johan who is 91. He looks just like Pap, except with blue eyes!
Hug your loved ones, make time for them and never take them for granted! Have a super day and hope to see you again soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out my YouTube channel and subscribe if you haven’t already done so. That is where all the action is!!
Hello stampers and happy Thursday to you. Free shipping today is the big news. Stampin’Up! has also issued a kit challenge to us so I am trying to sell 6 kits to 6 different people and I hope that you will be a part of it. If you read my newsletter you will know why I think this is such a good idea. To encourage you even more I am offering a free draw for the Sweet Gingerbread Bundle which is sold out. See the photos below for some inspiration that I found online.
Here is the link for Martin’s blog so you can read how he made this card. I’m sad that it is no longer available but I am thrilled to offer the bundle as a prize to someone who orders a kit from me. You can find all the kit offerings here.
The Golden Reason Behind a Kit Purchase
Have you ever thought about what “your people” want the very most for Christmas? Most often it is time with you. So many people are lonely and so many people could also use a meaningful hobby that allows them to connect with other people. The answer? A gift of a kit along with a note that says that you will come and craft with them. Today you get free shipping with orders of $100 or more. If that is beyond your budget and you are local, then you can message me your order and I will add it to mine and you can do a porch pickup.
Free Tutorial
When you place an order of $60 you always get a free tutorial bundle from me. This month there are two to choose from, but you can always request an older one. You can see all my tutorials here. I am also part of a Bundle Focus tutorial group and that tutorial is free with a $35 purchase since it is a simpler format.
Free Shipping!
I’ll end this blog post with a reminder that the free shipping is for today only, Thursday December 15, 2022 on orders of $100 or more. As a thank you you will also get a free embellishment of your choice, so let me know what you would like and I’ll pop it in the mail for you with a card. Thanks for joining me today and have a super day.
A Personal Note
Yesterday I drove to my mom’s with my oldest daughter Stefanie and her baby August. What a precious day. Mom was such a trooper, filled with joy and not one word of remorse that Pap was not there to celebrate this moment with her. She just focuses on her blessings and has deep joy and peace. What an example she is to me and to all of us!
