Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I am sharing a Triple Cube card and more happy mail from Holland. There was SO much mail on Friday that my heart was very happy indeed. There are three great cards that I will be blogging about today, one from the Netherlands, one from the United States and one from Canada. What fun!
Triple Cube Card from Debby Kainu
This first card comes from Debby Kainu from the United States. I met Debby a long time ago at a Stampin’Up! Convention in Utah. Debby often sends me happy mail for no reason at all and as such is an inspiration to me. I feel that I lack in this regard but she inspires me to do better! Debby has also inspired me to try this “fancy fold” again. It looks intimidating but step by step it really isn’t as hard as it looks.
Debby comes from Middletown, New York which looks like it is situated in the most picturesque area with mountains in the distance and the forested foothills in the foreground.
Here is a close-up of Debby’s card so you can see all the lovely details. Thanks so much for your gorgeous creation, I knew as soon as I felt how thick the envelope was that it was a special one!
I made a triple cube card last year, you can see it in this blog post.
Caroline van den Neste’s Card
Caroline not only sent me a beautiful Christmas card, but also a long handwritten letter. That is truly the best of both worlds. Caroline lives in Terneuzen the Netherlands which is in the province of Zeeland where my Pap comes from. I really do have to come and visit you Caroline!
You can check out Caroline’s blog post here. She made a different version of this card for a colleague that includes a tractor!
Peaceful Cabin is going to be retiring on January 4, 2022 so be sure to order yours if you haven’t already. I love this stamp set so much and it pairs well with lots of other stamp sets AND it really isn’t limited to Christmas time.
Hannie’s Second Card!
Hannie really is a woman after my own heart. I smiled a very big smile when I opened her second card as this is exactly the sort of thing that I would do and have done. Better two cards than none at all!! I love this cute little mouse. Thank you so much Hannie for the overflowing of love in your happy mail.
Last Week!
Just a friendly reminder that it is the last week to order from the Holiday Catalog. There are some good deals to be had, so be sure to check them out and place your order. I am also offering some special incentives for you to place an order yet in December. There were in my newsletter, but I will copy and paste so you can read it here too.
1. If you order anything at all from me online no matter how small he amount you will get the pdf tutorial from the Demo Design Dream Team that has the accordion fold card in it as well as fourteen other terrific projects.
2. If you order $50 you will get a package of Heart & Home Doilies and the DDDT tutorial above.
3. If you order $75 you will get the brand new Butterflies and Flowers Layering Decorative Masks, the above tutorial as well as the latest International Create With Us Tutorial.
4. If you place a $100 order you will get a $25 gift certificate to use in January. (this gift certificate will not cover any shipping or tax)
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me again today, I hope you have a wonderful day. If you are looking to pamper yourself just because, then check out my pdf tutorial selection. You will be pleased that you did!!
Hello stampers and happy Christmas Eve to you all. Today I am sharing some adorable Seasons of Fun cards that I made during my weekly Stamping Through My Stash videos. This host set is a real gem. I am hoping that in the coming year we can do some fun parties together. We need some more fun and we need to get creative in the way that we do it don’t you think??
First, Happy Mail
The first thing I want to do is share the happy mail that arrived this week. We have a bit of a black and white theme going and I love it. The third card is the new black- red!!!
Brighton, Ontario
This lovely card uses the Delivering Cheer stamp set which is totally appropriate for a Happy Mail in Holland card don’t you think? I love the classic and elegant black and white colour scheme with some silver embossing to make it pop. Thank you so much Cheryl Ann Pulver for this lovely card. Cheryl Ann is a talented team member of mine who lives in Brighton Ontario. She is also a florist in her spare time!
I looked up Brighton, Ontario and it looks like a fantastic place to visit. Presqu’Ile Provincial Park is here and I used to visit there when I had a summer job in Cobourg. Small world! Check out this restaurant, would you like to join me there some day for a lovely lunch?
Maasluis, the Netherlands
The second card is also from a team member, but she is my very first team member in the Netherlands!! How awesome is that? Thank you so much Barbara van den Berg-Zeegers for this beautiful card. I absolutely love the clean and crisp feel of Peaceful Cabin in black and white. Barbara comes from Maasluis which is a town about 15 minutes away from where Gerard lives. I have a cousin living in Maasluis and I used to visit my aunt and uncle there. Mom’s oldest sister lived in Maasluis until she died a few years ago. This city was founded around 1340; what a history!
Listowel, Ontario
The last card was sent to my by Karen Gerretsen. I have only met Karen via Zoom for Bingo events and other online card making. Karen has supported my virtual coffee and a card classes and my Parcels in the Post. I am so grateful for loyal customers like Karen. Thank you so much for this cheerful and classic card. The Merry Melody embossing folder is the star of the show. Well done!!
Karen lives on a farm just outside of Listowel, Ontario. I know from my daughter Stefanie that Listowel is in the “snow belt”. Stefanie used to have to drive through Listowel when she worked for the Huron-Perth Centre in Stratford. Listowel is beautiful farming country with rolling hills and lovely farms. It became a village in 1866 and was named after Listowel in Ireland.
Seasons of Fun Cards
Normally I would not add any more cards to this blog post, but next week it will be after Christmas and then it will be too late to share Christmas cards don’t you think? These cards turned out so well in my Stamping Through My Stash video on Wednesday. If you missed that video, I will include it here for you. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and to comment on a video and share it so you can have a chance to win the Poinsettia Petals bundle!
These are both fun and easy Z-Fold cards. Just take a piece of thick basic white cardstock measuring 4 1/4″ by 11″ and score at 2 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. Fold in half and then fold the front flap back towards yourself.
I used Whimsy & Wonder paper to finish off the Seasons of Fun cards and the images were stamped on shimmery white cardstock and coloured with Blends.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks for joining me today and I hope that you have a very merry Christmas with the people that you love. Perhaps like me, you will only be able to be with some of the people that you love, and you will be missing the rest. Thankfully we have technology to help us stay in touch. God bless and keep you!! Big hugs from Holland from both myself and Gerard.
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!!
