by Jackie Bultje | Dec 2, 2019 | card kits, Christmas, Paper Pumpkin, vulnerability |
Hello stampers! Have you heard about the power of vulnerability? I stumbled across this Ted talk by Brené Brown a few years ago and it really made a lot of sense to me. Brene is actually a shame researcher and this talk was just a happy accident that went viral. If you haven’t heard it, you can check it out here.
One of the basic premises is that in order to truly connect with people you need to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Be real. Take the mask off and get rid of shame. I find that the older I get the easier that gets as well. Once again, this has nothing to do with card making but it does have a lot to do with life so I thought I would share it with you.
Sharing What I Love
Stampin’Up! is all about sharing what we love and loving what we do and in that making a difference. That is why I share not only my love of card making, but my love of life, my love of God and my love for people. How awesome is that? It sure makes me happy and I hope some of that rubs off on you. Happiness is not something that you wait for, it is something you create. Something you choose. Today I also want to share more about Paper Pumpkin.
Vulnerability and Blogging
When I finally sat down to blog today I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about and show you. I wasn’t sure if I would bore you by sharing more Paper Pumpkin creations. As a blogger there can be pressure to create THE post that is just going to be so amazing that everyone will share it and you will get a record number of visitors to your blog. In short, your blog could become your idol. Not a good thing.
By telling you what was going through my mind before writing this, I am being vulnerable! The bottom line is though that these cards are pretty awesome and it was a lot of fun to make them AND it shows how well the last two Paper Pumpkin kits can work together as they were intended to.
The Cards
If you are on Facebook and on the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club, then maybe you have already seen that I shared these cards there. You see, I wanted some feedback as to whether there should be a bow or no bow. Now I am curious as to what you think. I will show the final version that I was most happy with. It really is interesting to see how a card can change dramatically just by changing one small detail.
For these cards I used the tree die cut and the deer die cut from the November Winter Gifts tag kit and the card base and birch tree layer from the October Winter Woods kit. I simply cut off one of the sets of birch trees to make room for the other tree and the deer. So lovely to have this easy option for card making at this busy time of the year.
The saying is from Itty Bitty Christmas and I used the Stamparatus to stamp it several times on the glimmer paper so it would be crisp, bright and clear. What a great tool the Stamparatus is!!
I wanted to add a pop of red so I tied a knot with the curly red ribbon from the Let it Snow suite. This ribbon is more like yarn, so I fluffed it up and cut it at an angle. Reviews on Facebook were mixed, some loved it, others not so much.
This final card was my compromise. Still has a small pop of red but the linen thread bow tones it down a little and has more finesse as well. Which one is your favourite?
Another little detail: I turned the deer over so that it is white and not silver. Both are nice and give you lots of options. I also think this deer would look great with our Wrapped in Plaid paper. Here is one more card using the Winter Gifts Paper Pumpkin tags.
The paper behind the tag is from Pressed Petals specialty designer series paper. I love the woodsy feel of this card. I used a few glue dots to adhere the red cardinal to some black cardstock and then I fussy cut him. This little trick makes him stand out a little more and gives him a little attitude, just like in real life!
The Gift of Paper Pumpkin
Paper Pumpkin is truly a great gift. It is a paper crafting subscription that comes in the mail once a month right to your door. Why not make it a new family tradition? With Paper Pumpkin you can spend time together at least once a month with no social media or devices and get creative. After the blessing of quality family time together you can then bless other people with what you have made. When all the creating is done you will still have a stamp set and a mini ink pad left to begin your own collection of craft items for the family to use over and over.
If you want the easiest way to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin, just click here.
Thank You
Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you have been inspired to create and to share. Be sure to take a listen to the Ted Talk about vulnerability by Brene Brown as well, I know you won’t regret it and I would love to hear what you think.
Year-End Sale
Tomorrow there is supposed to be an epic sale, so be sure to tune in to my Facebook page here. That is the first place I share the latest and greatest about Stampin’Up! I do not know ahead of time what will be on sale or by how much, but I do know that sometimes things sell out very quickly, so if you really want it shop online using the current host code 6KVMESQ6. If your order is more than $200 then please do NOT use this code, you will be entitled to your own host benefits.
This is what I was told on the SU website:
Stampin’ Up!’s Year-End Closeout is almost here! Beginning December 3 and while supplies last, you and your customers can save big on a selection of retiring and surplus items including holiday catalog items, stamp sets, and Paper Pumpkin past kits. Remind your customers to shop early to avoid missing out! Supplies are limited and popular items will sell out quickly. This amazing sale ends on January 2. Visit the promotion page on December 3 to learn more.
Have a super day!! Only two more coffee and a card classes until I leave to go to Holland again.
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 29, 2019 | Christmas, sketch challenge cards, Snowman Season |
Hello stampers! I’m curious. Where do you find your inspiration? Today I’m talking about finding inspiration, mainly for card making but perhaps on a grander, deeper scale as well. A very simple way for finding inspiration for your card making if you want to create your own design without copying someone else’s work is a card sketch.
A Card Sketch
What is a card sketch? It is simply a line drawing of a layout for a card, a guideline of what shapes to use and how to place them. I find it rewarding to participate in a sketch challenge so that I can see how other people have created their cards. The reality is that I don’t participate in these nearly enough , but I am working on making this a regular habit. This week I participated in the Splitcoaststampers weekly sketch challenge: SC777
My Card
Here is the card that I made using this sketch. As soon as I saw the sketch I knew that I wanted to use the Snowman Season bundle. I love snowmen and it was time to use some of the snowman found on the coordinating paper as well as the cute embellishment kit. What do you think?
I cut apart the sentiment to create three mini banners to comply with the sketch challenge. Doesn’t this card just make you smile? All the snowmen come from the paper that coordinates with this suite, the bottom snowman is punched out and adorned with the embellishment kit felt pieces. The top snowman has a carrot nose from the embellishment kit.
Deeper Inspiration
I find my greatest inspiration in nature. God’s creation speaks to me deeply and inspires worship and gratitude. As a Christian I know I should be spending more time in the Word, but to be truthful, this waxes and wanes. For months I read my Bible faithfully and then I go through a drought. This makes me so thankful for Sunday worship which grounds me and feeds my faith.
Other people also inspire me through their words, their actions and their creativity. I am so thankful for everyone in my life. We do not walk through this life alone and it is truly incredible how small actions, words and deeds and touch us deeply and can really change our lives.
Take some time to get outside, breathe deeply and think about everything that you are grateful for. I am always amazed at how much better I feel when I do this. Small things, small things. Have a wonderful day and know that you are loved. Thanks for dropping by.
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 28, 2019 | Christmas, Paper Pumpkin, tags |
Hello stampers! Oh the Paper Pumpkin possibilities! I think you may know by now that I am a rather big Paper Pumpkin advocate. That is saying a LOT. You would think that having a stamp room full of stamps, ink and paper that I would never get Paper Pumpkin for myself. Do you want to know why I do?
Treating Yourself
The main reason that I get Paper Pumpkin for myself is that it is an instant gratification treat. For once I get to papercraft without having to think and that feels pretty darn good once in a while. I have often compared it to ordering take out food even though you are a great cook and enjoy cooking. Once in a while it is just so nice to be able to indulge without any muss or fuss. Paper Pumpkin lets that happen. The Dutch in me also repurposes the beautiful box that it comes in.
Portability
The other thing that I love about Paper Pumpkin is that it is so easy to grab and take with me when I go somewhere. I always have one with me when I go and visit my parents. Mom is 87 and she loves to do this with me, especially when she realized that there is a lot of product in the box so it is ok if she messes up and needs another piece. I love watching her decide what to do with what she has as she loves to change things and make it her own. Paper Pumpkin gives us quality time that we might not otherwise have. There are only so many dice games I can play in a row!!
Possibilities
Every once in a while a Paper Pumpkin comes along that you think you might not like. No worries! You can either choose to skip a month or wait a while and see what everyone else makes with it. That’s right! There is a huge stamping community that subscribes to Paper Pumpkin and shares their creations on social media. Check out the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club on Facebook. This month the kit was Christmas tags and I heard at least one customer saying, I don’t do tags. Well, take a look what I made with this kit!
My Card with the Tag Kit
Even though this month’s kit was 24 tags, you don’t have to be limited by the suggested use. Debbie Henderson showed us this great card and I just recreated it myself. I didn’t change a thing because her card was beautiful! I did add a piece of patterned paper from the Wrapped in Plaid pack just like she did.
Here is a close up. I cut two strips of silver foil paper, 3/4″ by 5 1/4″ and 1 1/4″ by 5 1/4″ and embossed them with the Hammered 3D embossing folder. The strip of paper is from Wrapped in Plaid and it is 3″ by 5 1/4″ which means you can get two pieces out of each 6×6 piece of paper.
The deer in the kit are actually silver foil but Debbie turned them around so they would be white. This simple adjustment changes the look entirely! The other subtle change is that she cut up the sentiment and switched the order. I will show you a picture of the tag and you will see what I mean.
A Personal Note on Fear
As many of you already know my 93 year old Pap has been dealing with some nasty health issues. His bout with shingles landed him in the hospital and this evolved into fluid around his lungs, bowel issues and overall failing health. It was starting to look rather grim, but Mom had some wise words. She said that sometimes the things we fear are worse than what is actually going to happen and through this needless fear we make our lives more difficult than they need to be!
I live two and a half hours away from my parents and I have spend many hours on the road visiting them. Of course I am prepared to go again at the drop of a hat but sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and follow your head and not your heart. I got some advice from my own doctor and now I am calling the nurse’s station every day to get an update on my dad. Then I can make an informed decision instead of driving back and forth like a crazy squirrel on steroids. My absence for a few days also gives my siblings the opportunity to step up to the plate.
I have no fear for my Pap. He loves the Lord like his best friend and when he dies he will be in heaven and how awesome is that? He also has no fear, but only the regret that he is leaving the love of his life behind. This too is assuaged by the fact that God also loves my mom very much and she will be taken care of too. What a precious gift!!
Another gift
It seems a little frivolous after talking about the precious gift of salvation to be talking about the gift of Paper Pumpkin!! However….Paper Pumpkin is a wonderful gift for yourself, a friend or a teacher. You have many options to choose from. You can get a subscription where you pay monthly. You can also get pre-paid subscriptions for one, three, six or twelve months. No matter which option you choose, you can always choose to skip a month when you want. Click this link to find out more. I will also have icons at the bottom of this post with the product list. You can click on those as well and go straight to my store.
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 27, 2019 | Christmas, double tri-fold shutter card, fancy fold, Snowman Season, Uncategorized |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I have a tri-fold shutter card to show you. I made it two weeks ago for my Upon Request Club. Trust me, this is NOT the card to make if you are pressed for time. That will take all the fun out of it. You want to make this card when you have time to fuss a little.
The Inspiration
Normally I would not make a card like this for a class since it is just too much cutting and scoring, not to mention all the little pieces and layers, however…. For my Upon Request Club the host gets to request what we do so I could hardly say no! I’m glad we made the card since it really is lovely. The important thing is that you need to have the time to actually enjoy the process. Be sure to make a bunch of bases right away while you’re in the groove and then you will be all set to make more when you need them. Teri Pocock from the UK was the original creator of this card and her tutorial was super helpful. You can find it here.
My Card
When you see it all closed up like this with the cute belly band it looks like a pretty box.
It is a gray, rainy November day here so the conditions were not great for taking pictures. Please excuse the shadows! You still get a good idea of what the card looks like. This paper is so, so cute! The combinations are endless. I followed Teri’s tutorial but I balked at adding more little layers in the tiny squares that you see are just pure red. Follow your heart as to how much layering you do!
Here you can see a close-up of the middle part of the card. The felt hat and scarf and other embellishments are from the Let it Snow Embellishment kit which is so much fun to use! I used some Snowfall Accents puff paint and ice stampin’ glitter as well.
In the picture above you can see how the fold actually looks. If you go about it slowly and breathe deeply AND follow Teri’s tutorial, you will have no problem at all. This beauty definitely deserves a place of honour among your Christmas decorations this year.
A Reminder
I just want to gently urge you to order any Christmas items from the holiday catalog as soon as possible as things are beginning to sell out! I hate to see you disappointed. Be sure to tell your loved ones that I offer gift certificates that can be redeemed for product or classes. Have a super day!
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 26, 2019 | Uncategorized |
Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. Today I am going to show you how to make a free-standing pop-up card. How is that for a mouth full? It sounds complicated but when you make it step by step without worrying about what is next, you’re all good. I love the way this card looks and the way it folds up to fit into an envelope. Sometimes it just feels really good to make something a little different.
My Card
My inspiration came from my friend and fellow demonstrator Elizabeth Green. We met at the Canadian Business conference a few years ago over a glass or two of wine! What fun. Anyways, I received a beautiful swap card from her which inspired me to finally make one of these beauties. Two years ago I had another swap card using the same technique from Rachel Tessman. That’s how long it took me to finally do it myself!
I made another one of these using the smaller banner so that more of that gorgeous paper would be seen.
Here is the back side of the card. I used the detailed trip punch to do the corner rounding and the detail in the corner. It really adds a special touch and is so easy to do.
Finally here is the card that Rachel Tessman gave me all those years ago! I held on to it even though I didn’t actually recreate it. She used a window sheet for the pop-up piece and she embossed the base piece. Do you see all the possibilities?
How to do it
Would you like to know how to make this free-standing pop-up card? Sometimes there is no need to reinvent the wheel, so I am going to share this great tutorial from Splitcoaststampers. You can find it here. If you find it difficult to follow then of course I will do a video! Just let me know.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for popping by today! If you do end up making this card or one like it, be sure to send me a picture, I would love to see your work. On a personal note, my Pap is still in the hospital. They are going to keep him for a few more days and run more tests to make sure all is in working order. Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. I know some of you are sending him a card. If you want to do that too, here is his address: Kees Boot 0534 South River Road, Elora, Ontario N0B 1S0
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