Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Happy Mail Works!! It;s true. Happy mail really does make everyone in the house happy. It is such fun to see those special envelopes in the mail in between the flyers, bills and newspapers. You right away know that someone has thought of you and made something just for you. This makes you happy!!! And happiness is contagious. Thank you!!
Happy Mail in Holland Contest
Did you know that if you send me happy mail in Holland you will go into a draw to get a Friendly Hello stamp set and paper sampler? You can see the mailing address here. I am including Christmas cards sent here as well even if they weren’t expressly sent to be a part of the contest. Who knows?
We got lots of happy mail today, there were three cards just today!! I am still catching up. Today I have a card to share from Elfie Kron and from Hannie VanderZanden. Would you like to see them?
Hannie’s Card
Hannie made an adorable card with mini ornaments and a bejeweled garland from which they all hang. My brain is scrambled to let you know which stamp set this is from, but maybe one of you can help me out in the comments? Then I can edit my post to include this important information.
Hannie immigrated to Canada about 15 years ago. She has a twin brother and most of her family still lives in Holland. Hannie is an inspiration to me. She is a hard working pig farmer, a talented card maker as well as a dedicated mom and oma. Before COVID she flew to Holland more often than I do!! Hannie lives with her family just outside of Morpeth, Ontario. Hannie (it is NOT pronounced “honey” more of an “awe” sound is short for Johanna)
Elfie’s Card
I met Elfie at a Stampin’Up! event. Elfie is a delight. She has a huge personality and an even bigger heart. Elfie lives in Guelph, Ontario just a short drive from my parents’ place so she has had the joy of meeting my parents too. She even made a lavender sachet for my mom out of lavender from her own garden!!
Elfie’s card features the Poinsettia Petals stamp set and our beautiful shimmer vellum paper which I have but have never used!! Thanks for this lovely card Elfie; you even decorated the envelope so beautifully!
I have no idea why my photo turned out so small!!! Now it is too late to make changes, it is dark outside and not a good time to take photos.
I think my phone is playing tricks on me. It is time to check the settings because this is highly unusual. This card is so lovely it deserves a full size photo!!
Want to Win Free Stuff?
If you want a chance to win the Poinsettia Petals stamp set and dies, then head on over to my YouTube channel and subscribe. After that be sure to leave a comment on your favourite video and share it to Facebook. That will get you entered into the draw that will take place when I get to 4100 subscribers.
Another way to win is to place an order with me in December. You then have a chance to win the Amaryllis Abloom stamp set. Of course you always get a free pdf tutorial with a $60 order. These tutorials are chock full of great ideas and 15 projects!! Can’t order from me? No worries, you can purchase these tutorials as well right here.
Thanks!!
Thanks so much for being a part of my stamping community. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. You brighten my days with your comments, with your happy mail and with your purchases both small and large. I will do one more blog post on Friday to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you! Today I am featuring Happy Mail in Holland: Whimsical Trees. It’s a perfect day for happy mail because your squirrel is under the weather. As Gerard likes to stay “my tail is hanging low” but of course he says in adorably in Dutch. “Je staartje hang laag vandaag!”. Thanks to Karen Silvester for this beautiful card.
Karen’s Card
The blessing of this card is manifold. First of all it made me happy to open happy mail. Second it gave me a bit of a break for my blog post. No need to create a card, a beautiful one was given! Third, this card can now inspire you. What a wonderful hobby.
I purposely included the envelope so you can see my address here in the Netherlands. If you want to participate in the Happy Mail in Holland contest, then please send me a card before January 15. I am here until January 29 so that will give enough time to get in here. If you send me a card, I will blog about it AND your name will go into a draw for the Friendly Hello stamp set and paper sampler. This stamp set is free with a $120 purchase during saleabration, but you can get it for FREE with happy mail if you are the lucky winner.
Non-Traditional Colours
Wouldn’t you agree that Karen really rocked the non-traditional Christmas colours by choosing Fresh Freesia? It wouldn’t have occurred to me, but I love it! Karen Silvester is a fellow Stampin’Up! demonstrator from Chaplin, Saskatchewan. I hope to someday go and visit her together with Gerard. Our dream is to travel from coast to coast in a camper some day and when that happens I hope to visit some great stamping friends along the way!
I have one more picture showing all the great detail in this monochromatic card.
To see all the wonderful products used to make this stunning card, check out the product list below. If you want to add any of them to your own personal collection, just click on the photos and you will be in my online store. Happy shopping! Remember, Whimsical Trees will no longer be available after January 4, 2022.
Chaplin, Saskatchewan
Just where is Chaplin, Saskatchewan? Well, first of all, it is in Canada, but Canada is a very large country. I have never been to Saskatchewan which is one of the prairie provinces west of Ontario. You can read more about Chaplin in this blog post but I also want to share some details here today.
Chaplin is famous for its salt flats. It looks like there is snow in summer except it isn’t snow, it’s salt! I have seen this when flying into Salt Lake City, Utah but I imagine it is similar in Chaplin. Did you know that they also mine for salt?
From what I have read it sounds like Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals is doing an excellent job with sustainability and the environment. You can read all about it here.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today! I am placing an order today, there are still some great deals on the clearance rack and on the Last Chance List. You can check them out here yourself and place your own order online. Any orders placed in December will be in a draw for the Amaryllis Blooms host set. I will be doing a video with that set today for my Cheer Corner card. Please use the current host code when you order. Your business is much appreciated! Have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. I love you to the moon and back! Have you ever said that? If so, this card might really resonate with you. I just love the big moon in this stamp set, or is it the earth? Doesn’t matter, it is open to creative interpretation! Either way this is a fantastic card and I am so glad that I came across it online. Thanks so much to Julie Petrie for the fabulous inspiration! I made some minor adjustments but the idea certainly wasn’t mine. Does it remind you of E.T. Comes Home?
A Funny Story
If you look carefully you might notice that my bear looks a little different than the bear in the stamp set. Do you know why? I cut off his back leg!! For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what this was until I did a video showing this stamp set and asked people to help me out. I thought it was something in his pocket, or a big seat, I had no idea! Now of course it looks obvious! Here is the original card and link to Julie’s blog.
A Few Instructions
I first stamped the dots from Time of Giving (I forgot to add that one to the supply list at the end of the blog post!) The dots were stamped in versamark and clear-embossed. After that I sponged on Misty Moonlight with blending brushes over the entire white panel which measures 4 1/8″ by 5 3/8″. The trees are from Mountain Air and I used the Stamparatus to stamp them in Memento black to make sure they were nice and dark.
The moon was stamped in Smoky Slate and cut using the layering circles dies.
The bear was stamped on shimmery white cardstock and coloured with a waterpainter. See the colours in the supply list below. Don’t forget to cut off his leg!!
The sentiment was die cut using a die from the Seasonal Labels dies in the holiday catalog. Remember, if you want to purchase any of these things, just click on the images in my supply list! I’ve made it so easy for you.
Love You To The Moon
This is not the only wonderful saying in this set. I also love “Always reach for the stars” and “more thanks than stars in the sky”. There is a row of images of the moon in its different phases with the saying underneath “enjoy this new phase of life”. Lastly there is a beautiful “congraulations” in a gorgeous handwritten font.
I absolutely love books and have been addicted to reading ever since I could put two letters together. When I see this stamp set I am reminded of these two classic children’s books. Do you love to read?
Time to Evaluate
Be sure to have a good look through the holiday catalog. Many sets, accessories and paper are retiring. It’s so much easier to order them before they disappear rather than search for them on Facebook sites later. With a $60 purchase you will also get a free pdf tutorial from me. If you have a preference as to whether it be a Demo Design Dream Team tutorial or an International Create With Us tutorial, just let me know!
I hope that you have a super day and a good weekend. Christmas is almost here! It looks like it will be a subdued celebration again this year with COVID numbers and the variant alive and well and governments raising the alarm bells. I know that I am thankful for this hobby, this business and all of YOU!!
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing with you Joyful Life which really does bring joy. This was one of the first stamp sets that I bought from the holiday catalog. The reason that it appealed to me so much is that it was different. The bear on a bike and cute little hedgehog carrying a bowl of apples just warmed my heart and brought me joy. I am hoping that these cards will also bring someone else joy!
Joyful Life Card
Here is the first card that I am going to share with you. The second one is almost identical but I switched up the sentiment. I would love to hear which one you like better! Brownie points if you can tell me where the patterned paper is from!
Do you recognize the die that was used for the hedgehog image? I splurged and bought it when the dies were 20% off. It’s the Hippo Dies. I don’t have the hippo stamp set but I love the dies! At 20% it was worth getting the dies even though I didn’t need them all. I gave all the ones that coordinated with the hippo stamp set to a team member who had the set. Here is the second card. Note the different sentiment. Both were embossed in white on basic black cardstock.
Prime Time With The Pampered Stamper
I will be making this card in my Prime Time group tomorrow at 10am EST. This is a private group that you can join for only $10 a month. It includes and exclusive video each week, a monthly draw and a monthly 15 project pdf tutorial. A steal of a deal that you might just be missing out right now! My Prime Time people tell me that this group really keeps their creativity flowing. If you want to join, just click here.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. It’s a short post today as I had a short night! No, it’s not what you think! There were a LOT of flowers to harvest and pack yesterday and we were in the greenhouse late last night with last minute things to do and waiting for the trucker to load up several truckloads of flowers. I helped load the carts of flowers and saved them a lot of time. It feels so good to pitch in, but I am a little bleary-eyed. Have a super day and don’t forget to check out my new tutorials that are available for you to buy (or get for free with a $60 online order).
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you! Today I am sharing with you Penguin Playmates. Discover your inner child when you play with this fun paper and make cheerful cards. Penguin Playmates is going to be the focus of my January Parcels in the Post. Today I made one of these cards for my Cheer Corner. Would you like to see it?
Penguin Playmates Cards
I actually took a picture of both cards. One features a sentiment from the Penguin Place bundle and the other one has a sentiment from Joyful Life. How fitting!
I have always loved winter. Perhaps it has to do with growing up on a farm. Winters on the farm were cozy. It was snug in the barn with all the animals and it was magical to play upstairs in the barn in the haymow and to build tunnels and forts there. The very best part is that our farm house was built on a hill that was great for tobogganing. When I see fantastical creatures in snow clothes, that makes my inner child very happy indeed. What about you? Do you have winter stories to tell?
The Inside of the Card
This was the first time that I had used this stamp set and I had forgotten that it has some Christmas elements to it. The adorable hedgehog is carrying a bowl of something yummy and the bowl has a sprig of holly in it. I’m not sure if the bowl is full of apples or donuts or cookies. What does it look like to you? There is also a saying that says Season’s Greetings. The happy pig in this stamp set appears to be holding a takeaway cup of hot chocolate or coffee, either that or a weirdly shaped microphone!
Video Tutorial
Do you love to see how a card is made, step by step? Then you are in luck! Just click on the link or image below and you can watch my Cheer Corner video. It would make me super happy is you would also click on the red subscribe button on the bottom corner of the video. When I get to 4100 subscribers I am doing a draw for Poinsettia Petals bundle. All you need to do is comment on one of my videos, subscribe and share a video on social media.
Parcels in the Post
Tomorrow at 10am EST I will be doing my second video for the Winter Parcels in the Post featuring the Peaceful Deer bundle. You can get your very own Parcel in the Post by clicking here. Porch pickup is $25 and mailed anywhere in Canada is $32. My next Parcel in the Post will feature this cute Penguin Place paper with coordinating cardstock, snowflakes, ribbon and perhaps some shimmer paper. I haven’t quite finalized the details yet. Stay tuned!!
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today. I think I am just about over my jet lag so I will soon be sharing what is happening here in Holland. Yesterday many many Dutch people were celebrating as a Dutchman, Max Verstappen won the world Formula 1 Racing Cup. The best part for me? It was a Canadian who helped make that happen! Have a super day!
