by Jackie Bultje | Nov 3, 2021 | Christmas, Paper Pumpkin, Peaceful Cabin |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today my post is about the Peaceful Christmas Paper Pumpkin. Like the name suggests it coordinates with our Peaceful Cabin suite in the holiday catalog. I am going to show you a way to get a LOT more bang for your buck with this kit and also why Paper Pumpkin is such a wonderful product to have on hand. Let me tell you a story.
Overheated Paper Pumpkin
I just spent a few days at my parents place and I am so very blessed to still have them with me and in their own home. However….staying with them requires that I have a summer wardrobe available ALL the time. They live in their kitchen and as they are elderly, they like the temperature to be very warm. Even in a lightweight summer dress with bare legs the sweat trickles down my neck. Menopause is not an easy taskmaster. Even my Paper Pumpkin was breaking out in a sweat!!
Seriously though, when I go visit my parents and I know that it will be more than 24 hours, I take a Paper Pumpkin with me. At the very least it gives me a creative escape to help take my focus away from the hot kitchen. At the best, I get creative time with my mom. This visit Pap was very sick and in a lot of pain and we spent a lot of time helping him. When this happens we play a lot of dice games that mom is super familiar with so that we can chat and catch up at the same time. I did bring out the Paper Pumpkin but she just watched me make the two sample cards and she asked some questions about what I would stamp in the inside. It was still a nice diversion for her and took her mind off the serious state of her husband’s health.
The Best Way
The best way to get your Paper Pumpkin is to start your subscription, unless you have a bunch of friends that also want to try it. If that is the case and you can get 7 coworkers or friends together THEN you should each get a one month subscription and some adhesive then you will also get some host benefits so you can get a free stamp set. Alternatively with only 3 people getting a 3 month pre-paid subscription you will also get host benefits. Check out your options here. I always get extra kits which you can purchase from me if you are local, but when you subscribe yourself you get a free clear block in your first kit and that is quite wonderful.
Paper Pumpkin is portable so you can take it with you whenever you know you are either going to have a long wait OR you can have some “me” time anywhere you go. It’s also a great way to share your hobby with your friends. So often I hear people moaning about wanting to lose weight and I am sometimes one of them. My theory? Keep your hands busy and your mind occupied and you will eat less!! Paper Pumpkin can be a dietary aid, who would have thought?
Lots of Inspiration!
Another great thing about Paper Pumpkin is that there is a huge group of people who share their ideas on Facebook in a group called Paper Pumpkin Fan Club. Here are a few ideas that I found there to help me have more fun with my kit. Sometimes I contribute my ideas there too, but this has been a month where I take rather than give creatively and that is ok.
I love these alternatives and you can read all about them here.
Here is a wonderful tag kit and holder.
Cindy made a beautiful little holder to go with it and you can read all about it here and watch her video so you can make your own.
Finally here is a great card that is made using the gorgeous envelopes in this Paper Pumpkin kit. You can find Sharon on Instagram here.
The Actual Cards in the Kit
Finally here are the cards in the kit that I made in my mother’s hot kitchen. Want to double your beautiful cards? Simply cut the cards in half, they have those gorgeous trees printed on both sides! Then you can simply mount them on a thick basic white card base.
As always, the cards are even nicer in person. On the green card you can’t even see that the trees are stamped behind the vellum trees for a lovely landscape effect. It’s also hard to see that the circle behind the tag is also a gorgeous plaid. Seeing is believing!
Another great benefit of Paper Pumpkin is that after you have completed your kit you still have the amazing stamp set, ink spot and extra accessories. You can start your subscription today by clicking here and remember, you can skip a month at any time with no penalty OR you can increase the number of kits that you get each month in case you need some for gifts or for an event such as a kids birthday party. What a great craft and activity idea!
Thanks for joining me today! Happy stamping and have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 1, 2021 | blessings, Honour and Remember, Painted Poppies, Peaceful Poppies, remembrance day |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Card ministry? That is the subject of my blog post today and it is ever so fitting that I am at my parents’ while I am writing this. You see another card from this “card ministry” by Sonja arrived in the mail for them today. Let me tell you a little about Sonja and her card ministry.
Sonja and her Card Ministry
I met Sonja many years ago when I did a fundraiser called Hearts for Haiti. That was the beginning of a long friendship. I found out later that Sonja was part of a card ministry at her church. Every month she would send a card to the people on her list, mostly elderly and shut-in people. She also sends cards to as many veterans as she can, not just in November, but every single month! Sonja has taken her hobby and turned it into a ministry and my family is also now on her list.
My parents and even my brother Oliver now feel like they know Sonja. You see, she doesn’t just send a card, she writes a lovely, newsy letter in her beautiful handwriting in each letter. My mother was touched that Oliver is now also included in the salutation. What a wonderful example you are to all of us Sonja. To make it even more significant, you should know that Sonja is also a long term caregiver to not one, but two people!
Sonja’s Card for Veteran Fred
What an amazing idea for a Remembrance Day card. You see, Fred’s family is so grateful for Sonja’s monthly cards that they send her a picture of their father with his card every month. Sonja asked if she could share his story and his photo with her card ministry people and this is the result. I am so blessed to have met people like Sonja in my business. We really can change the world one card at a time, this is proof of that.
Card for my Family
Here is Sonja’s October card for my family. I had to include a snippet showing her beautiful handwriting and how she included my brother Oliver because she knows that he is the primary caregiver for my parents. What a blessing!!
What Can We Do?
I would love to shower Sonja with cards of encouragement. Share you stories with her and show her some love. Here is her mailing address (she has no idea that I am doing this and I hope it will be a wonderful surprise!) Sonja Russchen 388 Talbot Street West Blenheim, ON N0P1A0, Canada
You could also do what Sonja does. Start gathering names of people who could use monthly encouragement. Word will spread and you will be asked by family members to send their loved one a card.
Thank You!
Thank you for joining me today on my blog. I hope you were inspired. The latest International Create With Us Tutorial has just been released and it features the Painted Christmas Suite. You can get it for free with a $60 purchase or you can buy it for $20US. Just click here and it’s almost yours!! If you want any of the supplies that were used in today’s cards, just click on the links below to shop in my online store. I appreciate it!! Have a super day.
Here is our talented team!
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by Jackie Bultje | Oct 29, 2021 | Christmas, Framelits, gifts |
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Today I am sharing with you some absolutely adorable tea light holders using the Time of Giving bundle. Actually I only used the dies which are called Giving Gifts Dies. I am not going to write out the instructions because I shared those with my private Prime Time group. You are most welcome to join this group as well. It is only $10 a month and you get exclusive weekly video tutorials as well as a monthly pdf which is worth $15-20. The link to do that is here.
Let’s take a look at these adorable, easy to make tea light holders.
Tea Light Holders
I got the idea for these tea light holders from UK demonstrator Claire Ottaway. Her measurements are using A4 cardstock but at least you will get the idea of how it all works. If you choose to use 12 x 12 paper then you will be fine.
You can buy battery operated tea lights at the dollar store and with the vellum inserts, the glow is just beautiful. My best tip: be sure to add your vellum inserts BEFORE you put the holder together. It’s really tricky to do afterwards, trust me. The problem is that you get so excited that you want to put it together and then you realize after that you forgot the vellum. You really DO need the vellum though, it makes for a really nice glow. Good luck!
Here is the video from Claire. Thanks Claire for the fabulous inspiration.
More Inspiration
I originally bought this bundle because of the die with the Santa and his reindeer. Take a look at Cindy Brumbaugh’s lovely card. I don’t have time to case it today, so I thought I would just share her card and her blog address so she gets more traffic to her blog as well. Thanks so much Cindy for your lovely card idea.
Baking Gingerbread Cookies Today
Today I am trying a new recipe for gingerbread cookies. Tomorrow is my in person À la Carte Christmas class. I might have a few extra kits so message me if you want one. Ten card kit and a box for $35 plus shipping. Here is the link for the cookies. If the recipe is a good one I will share it in my Cross Country Christmas Cookie Exchange with a Heart.
I really hope that you check out this very fun class. You can send me your homemade recipe card to be included in my cookbook and you will support the Stampin’Up! effort to raise money for heart health with the Strong of Heart stamp set. I am hoping to meet lots of you in the Zoom gathering on November 27th at noon. You an also simply purchase the pdf for all the projects here.
Next week I hope to make the Gingerbread House in a live Facebook video, stay tuned for details. That project is not pictured in the photo but it IS included in the tutorial. Thanks for joining me and have a super day!!
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by Jackie Bultje | Oct 27, 2021 | aqua painters, Arctic Bears, Christmas, technique cards, virtual coffee and a card class, watercolouring |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing my new Arctic Bears card series with you. I will be making one of these cards each Tuesday in November at 10am on YouTube and Facebook. You can purchase the card kit including shipping for only $25. If you order the bundle from me then you get the card kit for only $10 plus shipping. Let’s take a look.
Arctic Bears Card Series
What I love about these cards is that they are “all occasion”. They can be used as Christmas cards but they don’t have to be. Polar bears evoke a sense of calm and peace and of caring which is sort of ironic because you certainly wouldn’t want to cross their path in the wild!
Arctic Bears Watercolour
We made the watercolour card that I cased from the catalog at my in person coffee and a card class today. With the shimmery white cardstock base and a water painter, the results were so lovely! I hope you can join me as I make this card in my Virtual Coffee and a Card series next Tuesday at 10am on YouTube. You can check out my playlist here.
Creating a scene with the stamp set is so gratifying. The watercolour technique on shimmery white cardstock is quite simple with a few tips and tricks that I will share on Tuesday. I hope to see you there too!
Have You Chosen Your Christmas Card Design Yet?
I am curious. When you make your Christmas cards, do you choose a single design or a single stamp set or suite? Do you send cards only to very special people or do you have a long mailing list? I do not like making multiples of cards so I have a broad assortment of Christmas cards. This can get me into a bit of a sticky wicket. Sometimes I am plagued by indecision. Who should get which card? So many choices. The most important thing is that you enjoy the process, so be sure to start on time. I hope that I have been inspiring you. As always, the product list is at the bottom of the blog. Simply click on the photos and you will be in my online store. Wonderful, isn’t it?
Thank you for joining me today and have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Oct 25, 2021 | fall, Gorgeous Leaves, stitched rectangles |
Hello stampers and happy Monday. Right before I left Holland I got happy mail with Gorgeous Leaves. I was so happy! Crazy thing is, I was just thinking, this is the first time I have been in Holland where I didn’t get any happy mail. Thanks to Bianca Rebel for this beautiful card. Let’s take a look at it shall we?
Gorgeous Leaves Happy Mail
Bianca used a stitched rectangle 3 1/8″ by 3 1/2″. This was matted on a piece of Old Olive cardstock 3 3/8″ by 3 3/4″. I just love the colours she used. That touch of Highland Heather is perfect and I wouldn’t have thought of it myself.
I thought I had written another blog post about this stamp set but it appears that is not the case. It is true that I did make another card and a tag with this set but it never made it into a blog post! Go figure, crazy squirrel. Let’s see if I at least have a photo of it.
Home Again!
This part was written late Friday evening but then my youngest daughter Rachel arrived home and I decided family time was more important and this blog post could wait.
(I just got home late this afternoon after spending a night at my parents’ place. It was so wonderful to see their joy at my return. Both of them were upbeat and I felt so blessed. The drive home was also sublime as the fall colours were still surprisingly vibrant this late in October. I thought this post was fitting! Gorgeous Leaves really is a lovely bundle and a great addition to any stampers stash. Have a super weekend and thanks for joining me today!)
And Now It’s Monday!
I don’t know about you, but far too often you hear stories about people dying suddenly and far too young. This serves as a reminder to really make your days and your time count. Enjoy your loved ones, savour and treasure their company. Indulge in the hobby that makes your heart sing. Send that card or buy that small gift that you know will surprise and delight someone. Sponsor a kit for a healthcare worker or teacher and restore their faith in the world. It really is the little things that matter so much.
I am looking out of my window as I am writing this blog post and I am enjoying the colourful leaves that brighten this cold and rainy day. My cup of tea is going to taste that much better and it is going to warm my hands and my heart. Thank YOU for stopping by today and reading my words.
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