by Jackie Bultje | Feb 5, 2020 | I'll Bee Yours, Paper Pumpkin, Wonderful Moments |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Wonderful Moments is an amazing stamp set in the annual catalog that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. It has gorgeous line images that are perfect for colouring but also for clean and simple stamping. This stamp set also has a ton of great sentiments in a beautiful font. A great combination for sure!
Wonderful Moments
This Saturday their will be many wonderful moments as we gather with our community at our local church for a vintage fashion show of wedding dresses through the decades. It is a fundraiser for our refugee committee so it will not only be a fun afternoon but it will also be for a very good cause. On Sunday I was asked if I could make fifteen thank you cards for the people who donated dresses for this event. I took a deep breath and said yes, not knowing how I would fit this extra task into my week.
Paper Pumpkin to the Rescue
You may be wondering why I would subscribe to Paper Pumpkin. I design most of my own cards so why would I want to get a kit to make cards? Purely for convenience! Not to mention the great stamp sets that last forever and the very useful mini ink pads that are simply superb for using with the Stamparatus. Paper Pumpkin is also very portable and I have often taken it to my parents where I have a fun morning crafting with my 88 year old mom. This time Paper Pumpkin saved my butt because it was so easy to make thank you cards for this fundraiser. It was just what I needed. Do you want to see what I made?
Simple Thank You Cards
All I did was stamp the bride image on the front of these 3″ square cards with the pretty little thank you from the I’ll Bee Yours Paper Pumpkin stamp set. I then stamped the envelope with those stamps as well. I am particularly pleased with the stamped image on the envelope flap!
These days I’m not sure if the photo is a little blurry or if it is my eyes!! If you think it is blurry, be sure to leave me a comment since that might mean I need to clean the lens of my camera or get my eyes checked or both!
If you want to see some other cards that I have made with Wonderful Moments, check out this blog post.
Paper Pumpkin Possibilities
Here you can see the great stamp set that came with the January Paper Pumpkin. I just placed an order for a customer for a twelve month Paper Pumpkin subscription so I have all the facts at my fingertips. With her prepaid subscription she also got five saleabration items and $30 in free host merchandise. It really is the best time to order your Paper Pumpkin. This deal is on until March 31, 2020. The possibilities are amazing.
Your other option, one which someone else in my circle chose, is to get the starter kit which will give you so many freebies and save you shipping and tax. Then you order your own Paper Pumpkin subscription, get all the aforementioned benefits AND save 20%. Do I have a lot of great suggestions today or what? You know I have your very best interests at heart. The Dutch blood in me makes me passionate to save you as much money as possible.
Here is a closeup of the stamp set in January’s Paper Pumpkin kit. The great thing is that it coordinates with the heart punches in the mini catalog as well as with the Honey Bee stamp set. I think this gives Paper Pumpkin even greater value because coordination is priceless. Here is the link to the YouTube video that shows you this month’s projects.
If you would like to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and get this great kit delivered straight to your door every month simply click here to get started. This link will only work if you live in Canada.
A Big Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow is going to be an epically exciting day for the Beyond Pampered team. We have the head of Stampin’Up! Canada coming to our team gathering and we are thrilled. That may mean no blog post tomorrow, but I will be sure to share pictures of our event on Friday’s post.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Feb 4, 2020 | embossing, Framelits, Golden Honey paper, Honey Bee |
Hello stampers, happy Tuesday to you. The day has flown by and here I am starting my blog post after 4pm!! I am missing the six hour head start that I had on you when I was in Holland. I can’t trick you any more into thinking that I am on top of my game. So what is the buzz about bees? They sure are trendy right now. Not only are they cute, they make great honey and they pollinate our flowers and crops.
We have made such a mess of our environment that we have endangered our bee population, and in response many people have taken up backyard beekeeping. I think it is a great hobby, not as wonderful as card making, but I am willing to swap cards for honey!
Two Adorable Bee Cards
Today I am going to share with you two adorable bee cards, neither of which I designed. I received them as swaps and in typical squirrel fashion, I no longer have any idea who made them. The cards went in one stack and the business cards that were supposed to be attached to them went into a separate pile. There is no time to go and watch my own video to see which one belongs to whom. To add to the drama, there is no also one missing bee die and it has yet to be found. I have cleaned and tidied and swept. No die and a late blog post!
If you look closely you can see that the white cardstock in the background was embossed with the Subtle embossing folder. The honeycomb element is cut with a die using gold foil paper and the rhinestones are from the Parisian Blossoms suite. You could choose to colour the stripes on the bee with a daffodil delight marker or blend for a pop of colour. The daffodil delight mini ruched ribbon is actually from the Birthday Bonanza suite on the next page of the mini catalog. Aren’t the bees adorable? I love the DistINKtive effect of the stamps making them ever so realistic. The bees are either stamps or dies, and together they are simply wonderful.
This second card oozes gold. The sentiment and the hive are embossed in gold and the honeycomb element and the big intricate bee is gold foil paper. Doesn’t it pari wonderfully with the Golden Honey paper that you can get for free with Saleabration? I have to say, I LOVE this sale and I LOVE this paper. I know I am going to get lots of it so I can create with abandon. Funny thing is, I’m not even a “gold” girl, I much prefer silver. I do however love coordination and since the Golden Honey paper has lots of gold in it, you just have to pair it with our gold foil paper.
Golden Honey Paper
This is the beautiful paper that is available for FREE with a $60 purchase during saleabration which goes until March 31 2020. I am not a fan of high pressure sales, but I do need to tell you that these free items are only available while supplies last. If you have your eye on something, please don’t delay. I would hate for you to be disappointed.
Spread the Word
One thing that comes naturally to some people is to share what they love. Other people need to be reminded to do this. When you are making cards and thinking to yourself what an awesome hobby you have and how much joy it brings to your life, think, who else could use this joy? The best way to bring this happiness to other people is to invite them to stamp with you. They simply don’t know what they are missing! One of the people at my coffee and a card class said to me this morning, “I think everyone was made to want to create something” and I think she is right. She was a first timer and she was thrilled at how friendly everyone was and how warmly they welcomed her into the group.
Last night I hosted a private class which was in fact a birthday party for the girl who invited all her friends to celebrate with her by making cards together. What a joy it was for me to see them relaxing, creating and having fun together. They were all in their late twenties and early thirties and I know that they are busy with careers and young families. It felt so good for them to do this and I was happy to provide the space and materials for them to do so.
Book a Class
If you are looking for some meaningful fun in your life and quality time with your friends, book a class with me. Engaging in a fun activity together while socializing is so meaningful and fun. I do all the prep work, you just come with your friends and have fun.
Get the Starter Kit
Better yet, get the starter kit and get a jump start on your own creativity. This is the best deal in the catalog by far and it really has NO strings attached. No pressure from me or from Stampin’Up! It is simply the most economical way to get started on this fabulous hobby.
Now that you know what a wonderful opportunity is available to you, what are you waiting for? What is making you hesitate? Most importantly, what do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing; and so, so much to gain. I would love to help you get started. If you have questions, message me. Otherwise, make your list of what you want plus add in one more stamp set that you get absolutely free. Your list can total $165 but cannot go over. You will only pay $135. That’s right, no shipping and no tax. That always feels good.
In addition to your list of goodies you will also get an adorable mini paper trimmer and an assorted pack of 6×6″ paper. And a Paper Pumpkin, plus a bunch of catalogs to hand out to your friends so that they can be inspired as well. Yay!!! Click here to get started.
Thanks!
I’m so glad you stopped by today, it makes me happy when I hear from you. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you feel loved. Don’t forget about the Happy Mail in Canada contest. Make a masculine card for Gerard by March 29 and you will be entered into a contest for the masculine stamp set of your choice. Mail your cards to me at 81 Delaware Avenue, Chatham, Ontario N7L 2W3. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees all the cards waiting for him. I will do a video so you can see it too!
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by Jackie Bultje | Feb 3, 2020 | Honey Bee, sale-a-bration, saleabration |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I have a Honey Bee Valentine’s card for you. This is the first blog post that I am writing back in Canada at my own very messy desk. Everything else is fairly tidy, but the desk is the last fortress.
As expected, I came home to a whirlwind of activity. What I did not expect was to find my Pap in such a state of mental deterioration! I was in such utter shock that I totally forgot about my team meeting the next day. What heartbreak. We were all hoping and praying that it was only a temporary side effect of the Shingles or of all the medication he was on, but we also didn’t want to delude ourselves with false hope.
Imagine my utter surprise, delight and gratitude when I heard from my Mom that Pap was completely clear-headed by Saturday already. On Sunday he was doing so well that he was able to attend two church services! He hadn’t been in church for almost three months. Praise God!!
Honey Bee Valentine’s Card
Okay, now on to actual card making. I just had to share this happy personal news with you. The Honey Bee stamp set with coordinating dies is just such a happy set. The bees are stunning. The free saleabration paper that coordinates perfectly with this bundle just makes it even sweeter to work with. Here is my simple card that capitalizes on the beautiful paper.
I was inspired to make this card by the cute box I designed for the Valentine’s class on Saturday. Thankfully I had a stack of happy mail waiting for me when I came home from Holland since I had participated in a swap. Two of those cards used this bundle, so I only had to make one more card to be ready for my coffee and a card class tomorrow. You will see the other two cards in my blog post tomorrow.
Honey Bee Box
Here is the honey bee box we made at the Valentine’s class on Saturday. This was an easy project since it uses the gold mini pizza boxes in the annual catalog.
The die that comes in the detailed bees dies not only cuts out the stamped bee image, it also cuts out the bees from the patterned paper. I used a dark daffodil delight Blend to colour the stripes of the bee. A dark fine tip basic black Blend was used to add an extra “e” to the Bee Mine. The sentiment is from the Be Mine set from the annual Catalog.
Happy Mail in Holland Winner
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the happy mail in Holland contest. It was a lot of fun receiving happy mail from so many different places. In total I received 31 cards! The winner of the contest is Karen Silvester from Saskatchewan, Canada. She won the Painted Labels dies which is part of the Painted Poppies bundle. If you love this bundle you might be interested in my Peaceful Poppies pdf tutorial. Here are the cards included in it, ten in all.
New Contest
I have a great idea for a new contest and this one has to be kept hush-hush since I want it to be a surprise. Gerard is coming to Canada to visit me on March 29. I think it would be so amazing to show him some love from all of you when he comes. This will be a Happy Mail in Canada contest and the winner will receive a masculine stamp set of their choice. The only stipulation is that the card has to use current stamps and it has to be a masculine card.
Your card will be featured on my blog during the time that he is here. My mailing address is Jackie Bultje, 81 Delaware Ave, Chatham, Ontario N7l 2W3. Cards must be received between now and March 29. Yay!! I am so excited about this. It will be priceless to see his face when he sees all your beautiful cards for him.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. Remember, Dale Hampshire from Stampin’Up! Canada is coming to my twin teams meeting on Thursday. It’s not too late for you to join my team so you can also be at this epic meeting. We are going to have SO much fun together. You also get to come to Diva Day at the end of March. Scoop up the great deal and the extra freebies and your very own 20% discount by getting the starter kit. Get started on this fun journey here.
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by Jackie Bultje | Jan 31, 2020 | Inspiring Iris, washi tape, watercolouring |
Hello stampers and happy Friday. Today I want to talk to you about making the most of your investment. If you are reading my blog, chances are quite good that your hobby is stamping and cardmaking. Like most hobbies, this is not a cheap venture. There is no need to apologize for that. Stamping brings you joy and what you create brings others joy and that is more than you can say for some hobbies.
Making the Most of Your Investment
You may be asking, how DO I make the most of my investment in stamps? First of all, use them! Second, send them. Yes, don’t hoard all your cards, send them to people and spread the love and the joy. I used to make two cards every time I stamped, that way I would be able to send away one of my creations. Use your paper, don’t hoard it. When it’s all gone you can buy more! I have found that when you attend classes and learn new ways of using your stamps you are far more likely to ink up your stamps at home.
Take time to play. Lay out all your coordinating products, the stamps, the dies, the ink, the paper and the cardstock. Just enjoy them for a minute and absorb the colours, the textures and the shapes. Ink up all the stamps and stamp them on scrap paper just to get a feel for what they look like in real life.
It’s ok to find inspiration online. Just type the name of the stamp set along with Stampin’Up in the Google search box and then click on Images at the top of the screen. You will get SO many ideas. Then make at least three cards using your stamp set. You will feel much better about your purchases if you take the time to get to know them and to use them.
Find a Stamping Buddy
Don’t assume that you already know who will like to stamp and who won’t. I never thought I would!! Invite some of your friends for a girls’ night out. People go to paint nights, or sign painting nights or pottery nights. Why not a card making night? The best part is that if you have friends who stamp, then you will have another reason to get together and have fun. You can also pool supplies. The possibilities are endless. I would love to host you and your friends for a fun time of stamping.
Hate to Host?
I can understand that hosting an event can be stressful. Many people are not very good at committing and when you host an event and not many people come, then you might feel unpopular or unreliable. No worries. Just come to one of my classes and invite a friend or two to come along. Once people know how much fun it is they won’t want to miss out the next time you invite them.
More Inspiring Iris
Just to prove my point, here are some more great cards using Inspiring Iris. I showed you my simple creation a few days ago. If you missed it, you can find it here.
If you make at least three different things with your stamp set, you will find that it really gets your creative flow going. It sure is a good feeling to have a good card stash on hand for many occasions. Do you see how everything changes when you use the thistle instead of the iris? When you change the colour scheme? Look at the addition of the washi tape and the linen thread. You get a country feel to your card.
This card uses the watercolour technique with our lovely watercolour paper. Do you see the vellum accents underneath? The sentiment has been embossed in gold. Be sure to use your stamparatus for that because watercolour paper is “bumpy” and you need to stamp several times to get good coverage.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today, I hope I have inspired you to get the most out of your investment. Enjoy your hobby and spread joy. Remember, the best deal is the starter kit and there is room for you on my team wherever you live in Canada! Here is the link to get you started on this amazing journey. Don’t forget, our very own Dale Hampshire is joining us at the next team meeting on February 6!
I hope you have a super day and happy stamping.
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by Jackie Bultje | Jan 30, 2020 | Heartfelt, technique cards, Valentine's |
Hello stampers and happy Thursday. Today I am sharing with you my Floating Heart Card that I made for the Design Dream Team Tutorial. If you order from me in February you will get this sixteen project tutorial for free! I made this card while in Holland and had to make do with what I had. Ideally you would use rectangle stitched framelits for the opening, but I had to use a square die twice instead.
Floating Heart Card
I promise that I will do a video on how to make this card when I am back home in my studio. As you are reading this I am probably having coffee with my parents. It will be so, so good to see Mom and Pap after a seven week absence, especially with how sick Pap has been. He is slowly improving, but this shingles disease has really knocked the starch out of him.
Here you can see the card open with the floating heart in the middle. I must admit, I was pleased as punch with this design as it was entirely my own idea and it came together so quickly in the first try!
Facebook Live Next Week
Just a heads up that my Facebook live videos will once again be at 7pmEST now that I am back in Canada. We’ll see how well this time does for me. If I find that something different will work better, I will let you know. As always, your feedback is appreciated and essential. I do this for YOU, so let me know what you like and don’t like.
I’m not going to go into all the details of how I made this card, they are in the tutorial that you get for free if you are on my team, in my training group or order from me. I will however show you how it is done in a video. Have a super day and happy stamping!
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