24 Hour Sale Today!

Hello stampers and  happy Tuesday to you. Today there is a 24 hour sale with ten percent off almost everything that Stampin’Up! sells. This is the perfect time to stock up on your cardstock and inks as they rarely go on sale. It’s also a great time to get the Heartwarming Hugs suite so that you can play along with me on December 15 for my #itsallaboutthetreats event.

I am going to make this sale a little bit more memorable in two ways. First of all you will get two, yes TWO free pdf tutorials with your online purchase if you use the host code. Second, you will receive a package of All The Trimmings embellishments if you place a $50 online order provided you use the host code which is SS6VVFCF.

 

Free All The Trimmings Embellishments for 24 Hour Sale

 

 

Free embellishments with purchase today

 

 

Card Samples using Embellishments

 

 

It is always nice to see actual examples of a product being used. I used these for my Cozy Christmas online retreat and they are  also great with the Gnome set. It is amazing what a cute little star does or those adorable red and white enamel circles. Check out these Coming Home cards with Trimming the Town paper. Yes, these products are also ten percent off during the 24 hour sale.

 

24 hour sale

 

24 hour sale also on Trimming the Town suite

 

The Best Deal Ever

 

If you have been following my blog for a while, you probably know what is going to come next. Yup. The very best deal in the catalog is the starter kit. If you combine it with this ten percent off sale, you will be able to get even more stuff in your starter kit. Did you know that you get to choose what goes in the kit? In Canada you get to pick out $165 in product but you pay only $135. NO shipping and no tax. You will also get a free Paper Pumpkin kit and 8 catalogs and mini catalogs to hand out to your friends. Once you have the kit you are entitled to your own 20% off discount for up to six months.

A nice little extra surprise? You will get to preorder from the new Occasions catalog on December 1 AND you get to already earn free saleabration sets with your purchase. I love this perk!! If you want to indulge in this amazing opportunity and you live in Canada, then you can by clicking here. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Happy Mail in Holland Contest

 

I am thrilled to share another happy mail in Holland contest card to you today. This one is from Jennifer Plaat from St. Louis Missouri. Jennifer made a beautiful clean and simple card using whisper white and blueberry bushel. She used a contraband die and strategically placed some dimensionals to give it just the right feel. Let’s take a look.

 

Happy Mail in Holland contest card

 

If you look carefully you can se that the basket and the chain box have been popped up with dimensionals. When you have a clean and simple card it is those little details that make all the difference. Thanks Jennifer for this very Dutch card, I love it.

 

St. Louis, Missouri

 

I have to confess that I have never been to Missouri so I am about to learn something as well. This is one of the things I like so much about this happy mail in Holland contest. This city named after Louis 15th from France has a population of close to three million people! It was based on the fur trade with the Osage and was first called the City of Mounds because of the mounds of earth built by the Osage on either side of the MIssissipi River where St. Louis is located. St. Louis is famous for its Gateway Arch and for its medical research facilities as well as several major sports teams.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks again for joining me today. I hope that you take the time to leave a comment. Lately I have been surprising people who comment with a free tutorial, so you might get lucky too! I hope you have a super day. Christmas music is playing in my stamp room in Holland and I am overlooking an overcast sky above the greenhouses. What is your view?

 


Product List

 

Lessons from Nature

Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Yesterday was a day that left me in a funk and so I knew that I needed some lessons from nature. I needed to get out of the house, out of my stamp room and into the quiet to spend some time with God and his creation. It was time to gain some focus, to remember what I am thankful for and what is truly important. I thought I would share my lessons from nature and some pictures that I took with my phone so that you can share my journey.

 

God brings beauty out of everything

 

As I was walking through the woods along the edge of the city I was calmed by the still beauty around me. Gazing at all the beautiful leaves on the ground I was struck that the beauty that I was looking at was all dead! God uses dead leaves to give us a gorgeous fall world. Those dead leaves also turn into compost and better soil. How much more can he not use me to better the world one small way at a time?

 

 

These leaves are not particularly gorgeous but when you stop and take a look at all the different colours and shapes and textures it is truly beautiful. On the fallen, rotting tree trunk is some astounding yellow mold or fungus. Again, beauty from death.

 

Different is beautiful

 

 

What struck me about this leaf is the odd colouring. It remained mostly green with just a touch of vivid colour. It is uniquely beautiful. Why is it that we strive so hard to fit in? Why can we not accept our own uniqueness? I need to learn to own my imperfections too.

 

 

Do you see anything different about this leaf? I sure did! It is a very odd shape for a maple leaf. It is much longer than usual and also skinnier in the middle and yet….it is beautiful! Another lesson from nature to accept each other just the way we are, all different shapes and sizes, all beautifully unique.

 

He leads me beside quiet waters

 

We live in a hurried world and often forget to take time away from the busyness of life. That is what happened to me yesterday. I felt the need to just stop what I was doing (all of it important of course) and just get out into the stillness of nature. I slowed down and just absorbed the beauty around me. When something struck me, I took a picture so I could reflect on it later and share with you. Water and trees are calming. They restore your soul. So does time with God.

 

 

Darkness

 

Sometime we can get overwhelmed and things can look dark. That is when we need to remember to look up, to see the big picture and to remember that we are loved with an everlasting love. God has promised to never leave or forsake us. In the woods the light can be blocked as well. When I looked up I saw this one tall tree beginning to change colours ahead of the other ones. It really stood out. Remember to look up and see the light!

 

 

Perspective

 

The following pictures show the perspective when you look down, when you look back and when you look away. I purposely included my boot in this picture to give you some perspective as to how huge this leaf was. I am pretty sure it was as big as my head!

 

 

When life gets tough, find joy in the little things. The colour and texture of the leaves as they contrast with the dark earth and even the reflection of the water on one of the leaves. Again you will notice that none of these leaves are particularly beautiful but together it is simply breathtaking.

 

 

This picture isn’t a great one, it is a little blurry but I wanted to include it anyways because of the feeling it evokes. The wide open space, the fresh green trees, the crunchy leaves on the ground, all of it just makes you want to breathe deeply.

A little further on my walk I could peek through the trees and see a farm in the distance. The colours were a little brighter and it was just neat the way the trees framed this little vista.

 

 

A Quiet Gift

 

Nearing the end of my walk my eye was drawn up the trunk of this tall tree and I had a surprise! There was this beautiful carving of a heron or some other bird. Obviously someone had taken a lot of time to make this and then to share it with everyone in this public park. There is no plaque announcing this gift but it there to surprise and delight people. Sometimes we can find extraordinary things in the ordinary if only we take the time to look.

 

 

 

Seemingly Insignificant

 

On the edge of this park is a small isolated field. It is difficult to get to with farm equipment and it seems that the harvest will not be impressive. The weeds had a good year! Yet there is beauty here and value. It will be amazing how much squash will be harvested from this small field. Sometimes in our lives we may feel small and insignificant, but you never know how much you impact others. Small deeds can have huge consequences. Be open to the possibilities that cross your path. Plant the seeds of kindness and don’t worry about the harvest.

 

 

Thank you

 

I hope that you enjoyed this little diversion from the regular card making. Maybe if I needed a break you did too. Take some time to just enjoy the little things in life, to regain your perspective and to just breathe. Thanks so much to each one of you who takes the time to leave a comment, who pins my cards to Pinterest and who follows me on YouTube and Instagram.

 

Don’t forget about the 24 hour sale today. I made a little video walking you through the catalog and showing which sets are on sale and what the reduced price is. You can see it here. If you order online using the host code then I will send you a free pack of holiday rhinestones.

 

 

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