Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Today I am sharing a Beautiful World card all the way from Hawaii. Thanks so much to Ramona Lee for this great card. It is so appropriate, especially at this time. We do live in a beautiful world and with all the travel restrictions, it is even more special to be able to appreciate it. Let’s take a look at Ramona’s card.
Ramona Lee’s Card
Ramona used the beautiful World of Good paper as the focal point for her card. There are three strips of patterned paper 1 5/8″ by 3 1/2″ and they are mounted on a piece of early espresso cardstock that is 5 1/4 x 3 7/8″. Her card is accented with Faux Suede trim and a brass foil globe. Great layout for an all occasion card that is suited for both genders.
I took a closeup so that you could see how nice this paper is. This layout is perfect when you want to show the fantastic coordination of our great paper. If you want to see another card that I made using this suite, you can check out this blog post.
Kahului, Maui
This is where Ramona is from and this is where I should have gone in July for the Stampin’Up! incentive trip. Kahului is the city that locals refer to when they say they are “going to town”. This is where the locals shop and eat and do all the normal things that people do. It is also where the airport and the harbour are. Here is an interesting little article about Kahului.
Ramona and I have connected via Facebook and she is also a member of my Pampered Stamper Training group. I receive so many requests from fellow demonstrators about how I run my business that I decided to create a super affordable training group as a place to answer those questions. Every Friday I do a live video on this group and there is also a free pdf tutorial once a month. Let me know if you want to join too!
Some Photos from Holland
This week was mostly little trips from home and visiting family. Here are some of my photos.
I finally got to go to La Vie en Rose a local greenhouse that grows only roses for local consumption. My roses lasted for three full weeks and Gerard’s sister Mirjam had a different variety that lasted for almost five weeks!
On Saturday we went to the Mauritshuis art gallery which is known for several Rembrandt paintings as well as this famous painting The Bull by Paulus Potter. I didn’t realize how huge this painting is or how beautiful. The following picture is a close up so that you can see the detail. Potter was only 22 when he painted this and he was 29 when he died.
Here is the description. Sorry, the photo is a little blurry but better than me describing it. Maurits was the name of one of the Dutch princes and this gallery is in The Hague.
Girl With the Pearl Earring
The most famous painting in this gallery is The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer as well at View of Delft. Here they are!
It is awe-inspiring to see such beautiful works of art that are almost four hundred years old. Many of these people did not become famous until after their deaths and they never saw wealth either. What a blessing to be able to enjoy these masterpieces. We had to reserve a ticket with a timeslot online and even then there were strict regulations inside to maintain social distancing. In the entrance to each room was a sign on the floor telling you the maximum number of people allowed. Museum employees were onhand to deal with those who felt that the rules did not apply to them!
After our visit to the gallery we strolled through a lovely Saturday market. The highlight for me were these two vintage foodtrucks. One sold coffee, the other chorizo sausages on a bun. Both were the best I’ve ever had in my life!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. A special thanks to Ramona for her beautiful card. This afternoon I hope to do a video showing you some Christmas products that I am borrowing from Caroline van der Straaten who is my Dutch upline. Don’t forget that if you place an online order in August you will receive a paper sampler from the Holiday catalog for FREE from me in September. I hope you have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing some cheerful crushed curry cards. For those of you who are not familiar with Stampin’Up! our colours for ink pads and card stock are often two words starting with the same letter and also seem to refer to food! Crushed Curry is a deep shade of yellow and one which all of my grandchildren seem to wear beautifully. Unfortunately this colour looks like death on me!
Laura Lowe’s Card
Laura just happens to be engaged to my son and will soon be my daughter-in-law. She is a very lovely and very creative girl and I am thrilled that she loves stamping as much as I do! Laura was a big help to me in creating the #kitsforkids. Her favourite colour just happens to be yellow, so she made this monochromatic card for me. Laura comes from Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia but she lives in London where she and Oliver just got the keys to their new house!
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
This beautiful village has a claim to fame as the cradle of our country. It was first inhabited by European settlers in 1605. You can read all about it on this website and see some awesome videos as well. We were hoping to celebrate Oliver and Laura’s wedding there on September 26 and are still hoping that this can happen!
This last picture is the Queen Anne Inn where I was hoping to stay with Gerard at the end of September. It’s nice to dream isn’t it?
Linda Atkin’s Card
Linda comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she found me on YouTube. That makes me so happy! It is wonderful to connect with people all over the world through social media. My presence on YouTube is amateur at best. I just thought I would share my Facebook live videos there so that I could reach a different audience and it looks like it is working. I’m so happy that you sent me this cheerful crushed curry card!
I am not sure which stamp set this is but I can see that Linda used the stitched shape dies and crushed curry blends. If you know which stamp sets they are, feel free to leave a comment below. Here is another blog post that features the beautiful colour, crushed curry. This blog post also has a link to another post that tells you the story of Gerard and me!
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is known as the Steel City and also as the City of Bridges and is now also known as a leader in the health care sector. It was named in 1758 in honour of British statesman William Pitt. Interesting trivial tidbit, we had a William Pitt hotel in Chatham last century as well! Here is their tourism website if you want to see what there is to do in this beautiful city.
Free Paper Sampler with August Online Order
Thanks so much for joining me today and for sending me happy mail! The holiday catalogs have arrived and if you live in Chatham, you can pick one up from the tote on my front porch. You can also see the catalog online on my website here, just click on the image on the right hand side of my blog on the home page. By today the new online store should be up and running and you should have a much easier shopping experience. I would love to get your feedback! In fact, EVERYONE who places an online order in August will get a free pdf tutorial from me AND a paper sampler from the holiday catalog. Have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you! Today I am sharing a split front card with you created by Bianca Rebel. Bianca is a Dutch demonstrator who lives in the beautiful city of Dordrecht. I am just as excited to show you her card as I am to share some information about her city.
Bianca’s Split Front Card
I really have no idea if I am giving the proper name to this type of card, but it seems logical to me. When you see the video that I did showing how I do this card, I think you will agree that it is actually quite simple. The split front card is a great way to showcase your patterned paper. Let’s take a look!
Here is a close up so you can see how nice the layers look. I am very impressed with how perfectly straight Bianca stamped her sentiment. This paper was part of the Saleabration Coordination products last year and I believe it was called Painted Seasons, but I could very well be wrong.
My Version of the Split Front Card
I thought it would be nice to see this style of card with current products. The paper is called World of Good and the saying comes from Here’s A Card.
Video Tutorial
The best way to learn how to make this card is to watch my video. There is always a bit of chit chat since it is my Facebook live video, but you can fast forward to the parts you like!
Dordrecht, the Netherlands
Now I get to tell you a little bit about the city of Dordrecht. Bianca was so very helpful as to give me some information too. Bianca tells me that the door to her apartment building is right beside this amazing poffertje place. A poffertje is kind of like a mini pancake that is puffed up and hollow inside similar to a sweet pita but then resembling a crêpe. They are really delicious. I want to tell you more about Dordrecht, but I have an “afspraak” to meet my cousin Robert in a half hour, so I will edit my post later to add this information. That way I can cross at least one thing off my list of things to do!! I hope you have a super day and thank you to Bianca for this great card.
I’m back! Here is a great website that tells a fun story about Dordrecht. Just get past the first paragraph where there seems to be a technological issue. Here are a few photos as well that I found. I really want to go back and do a walking tour of this great city which is celebrating its 800th birthday this year. Here is just one picture that you might enjoy!
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you! Today’s card features Cinnamon Cider and Just Jade and is made by Carol Koroleski from Conklin Michigan. Thanks so much Carol for your beautiful card! Before we take a look at your card, let’s find out where Conklin, Michigan is.
Conklin, Michigan
Michigan is actually a neighbour state to Ontario but with COVID19 it feels very far away. The oft traveled border in Windsor and Detroit remains closed. It used to be so easy to cross over into “the States” for a fun day of shopping or sight seeing. Hopefully this sad state of affairs will end soon and will not become the new normal.
Conklin is three hours and forty minutes from Chatham and lies between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven. Grand Haven is only twenty miles away and is on the shore of Lake Michigan which in my opinion is the most beautiful of the Great Lakes. The sand is like brown sugar and the water is super clear. Conklin is also known for its cherries. Michigan cherries are so, so good! Great for baking and for eating fresh. The orange “1” is where Conklin is.
In my search for images of Conklin I came across this page and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The first “castle” featured is a place that I stayed at years ago for my birthday getaway. How much fun is that? Who knows, I might even have driven right through Conklin. Pictured below is Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Carol’s Card
Carol used the colours Just Jade and Cinnamon Cider on this card as well as the stamp set Forever Fern. It was so very helpful that Carol included a note explaining what she did and what she used. Carol definitely stepped it up by sponing the linen ribbon with Cinnamon Cider ink and the vellum was also coloured with Cinnamon Cider. If you look in the product list below you will see all the other products used. If you live in Canada you can order online through me and if you do so and you use the host code, you can be entered into a Mystery Host draw. Contest ends August 3.
Thanks so much for joining in on my Happy Mail in Holland contest, it really is so much fun getting mail and reading your stories. I hope you also enjoy participating in this fun project. If you want to see another card made with Cinnamon Cider, just click here.
Off to the Beach Soon
Today is 27C and it might get even hotter. Yes, this is considered a very hot day in Holland! The crazy thing is that the locals who live so close to the beach often choose not to. Either the sand is too hot or the sea is too cold. Crazy Dutch people! On the other hand, the traffic reports say that the roads are clogged with people trying to get to the beach. Isn’t that ironic?
Gerard’s house is about one kilometre to the beach and his dad’s place is just across the road from the beach. Mind you, there is a big dunes area in between so you cannot see the sea from his house but you can hear the waves on a clear day.
This is the walk way to the beach that we use every day. I have walked it, biked it and sat on the back of a scooter. I have seen horses on this path as well!
Even though I know that seagulls can be a pest, they are beautiful to watch. There is some other type of waterfowl here as well, perhaps from the sandpiper family. I wish I had my “good” camera with me!
I hope to go live on Facebook in fifteen minutes. Most days I am live at 3pm in the Netherlands or 9am in Ontario, Eastern Standard Time but not on weekends.
Mystery Host Contest
If you order online using the host code you can be a part of the mystery host contest and win the host benefits! Contest ends August 3. You also get free bonus bucks. $6 with every $60 purchase, so that is also a great perk.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing a gorgeous Dutch Door card from Karen Silvester. There are several variations of the Dutch Door card but this one is the most simple and easy to make. I love it so much and yet I rarely make this style of card. Thanks for the inspiration Karen!
Chaplin, Saskatchewan
Karen wrote me the most lovely letter in her beautiful cursive script: “Sending you a card from Chaplin, Saskatchewan, July 17 on the prairies. A hot, blue sky relaxing at the lake”. Karen tells me that her favourite Stampin’Up! product is the amazing patterned paper and that shows on this card. She also loves stamping on patterned paper and I agree; that look is so wonderful. Where is Chaplin, Saskatchewan? It is a niny town of less than 300 inhabitants quite far north, between Moose Jaw and Swift Current. There are lots of lakes including Lake Chaplin. I have never been to the prairies, but I have heard that the expanse of sky and the vast prairie landscape is quite breathtaking.
Karen’s Card
Karen’s beautiful Dutch Door card features the stamp set Tasteful Touches which does NOT have a die for the flowers just so you know. They are relatively easy to fussy cut but we sure do get addicted to our dies don’t we? Karen cut the leaves with the Forever Flourising dies and then cut them apart. She purposely chose to make a card with these flowers to make it more meaningful for Gerard and I because he works in the flower industry and we are surrounded by so many flowers here in the Westland region of the Netherlands. Petal Pink Blends were used to colour these pretty flowers and Karen also used the wooden leaves as a beautiful accent.
How to Make a Dutch Door Card
It’s quite simple really. You just cut away the top part of the card front! The easiest way to see how it is done is to simply watch my YouTube video. When your card is cut at 4 1/4″ by 11″ and scored at 5 1/2″, you simply put it in the paper trimmer with the short edge along the top. Place your card at the two inch mark and cut until you get to the score line. Then rotate the card and cut along the score line to the top of the card so that piece is cut away completely.
My Version of the Dutch Door Card
I don’t have the supplies on hand to recreate Karen’s card, but I do have the Playful Pets paper and coordinating ribbon. It was so nice to have a great card as an inspiration for mine. Next time I will definitely take the time to glue the patterned paper to a solid cardstock, either white or black before cutting out the animals.
When you open the card you can see the pattern on the back of the dogs and I think it would look better if it was a solid colour. Isn’t it great though that you can create a fun card with just paper and cardstock? I guess that isn’t completely true; I did use stamps in the inside for the sayings.
I have been wanting to use the saying from Here’s a Card ever since I saw it! Isn’t it just perfect with that dog with the funky hair? I know that when I have a bad hair day I just put it up in a messy bun. Easy to do with curly hair!! What a beautiful mess you are!! That is what I need to say to myself more often. You too?
Friends Across the Ocean
One of the wonderful things about being a Stampin’Up! demonstrator is that you make friends all over the world. My path crossed with Minke Brattinga when I saw her beautiful “Dutch Touch” cards on the Demonstrator Planning Place Facebook group. I asked to copy them and built a fun class around her wonderful work. We stayed in contact and when I came to Holland three years ago I stayed at her place, went to a neighbourhood party and taught a workshop at her studio the next day. What a whirlwind of fun. Yesterday we met for coffee and she had made me a great card using her very own product line! She’s an amazing person. Minke had watched my Facebook live video and then made a Dutch Door card too. Here it is for you to see too.
If you want to check out MInke’s blog you can do so by clicking here. Her entire business was built to honour her sister.
Mystery Host Contest
Did you know that there are only a few days left to earn Bonus Days coupons? Until August 3 you can earn a $6 Bonus Bucks coupon with every $60 that you spend. If you place an online order using the current host code 3TUB7Q2V then you will be entered into a contest to win the free host benefits. There is also some time to send in a card for my Happy Mail in Holland contest. Not only will I blog about your card and where you are from, you will be entered into a draw for a stamp set of your choice up to $30. I will send it to you anywhere in the world. Yes, this contest is open to everyone!!
Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you. It helps me so very much if you take the time to pin my cards or share on Facebook. Of course I always love reading your comments too. Have a super day!!
