Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Yes, it is Valentine’s Day today so Fluffiest Friends to melt your heart is entirely appropriate. I have only scratched the surface of this lovely bundle with these two cards, and already I am smitten. Let’s take a look at the bear and the bunny!
The Bear and the Honey Pot
Many thanks to Patty Bennett for her inspiration for this card. I definitely learned a few colouring tips from her.
I altered Patty’s card by adding a strip of acetate at the bottom, which you can see better in the photo below.
How to keep it all clear!
Can you relate to this? You come across a card that you have made and you want to recreate it but you forget the details? I LOVE how the colours of this bear turned out, so I made a swatch card of the colours and tucked it into the stamp case. Next time I go to colour a bear, I have my little “cheat sheet”.
Some Bunny Loves Me card
I just came up with that saying because I think it’s cute, but this bunny truly is adorable!!
Here’s the closeup of this adorable card. Isn’t the Delightful Floral paper just perfect for this card?
Check out the product list….
Check out the product list at the bottom of this blog post to see what I used to make these cards. You see, the Fluffiest Friends bundle is only available as an online exclusive, so these links are very helpful. They save you from having to look everywhere for what was used to make the projects. Of course they serve another purpose. If you are a Canadian, you can also use them to shop with me. If you choose to do so, you will make this squirrel very happy indeed. I will send you at least one free pdf tutorial bundle as a thank you!!!
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day. (remember the Valentine’s Day special, buy one tutorial get one free, details are in yesterday’s blog post)
Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. Time has once again slipped through my fingers when it comes to blogging. I hope that you missed me!! Perhaps you have been a part of my Fourteen Days of Love video series. These gorgeous cards were a part of that, and I now also have a complete tutorial bundle for you to either get for free with a purchase OR if you are a part of my team. Otherwise you can purchase it on my blog here.
One Design, Two Outcomes
I love it when you can make one design and use it for two completely different purposes. This started out as an adorable framed art project. I thought it would be perfect to give to a loved one so they can put it in their work space and be reminded that they are loved. What do you think?
It can also be made into a card which you can then mail anywhere in the world!! We often forget to tell our people how much we love them.
Of course, I am all about options. The card also has two choices: black mat or sweet sorbet mat?? Both have their charms as you will see.
Fun Little Bee Mine Tip
While the Bee My Valentine stamp set is adorable, the Bee Mine paper is over the top!!! You can cut myriad images out of this paper. Some of it is a little busy for my taste, so use it in small doses, OR cut out the adorable bees and use them as fun accents. For these cards I also fussy cut the jars and the honey pot. It really isn’t difficult and it makes for very affordable crafting.
The other great tip is to use white embossing on black cardstock for your sentiments. It really pops in contrast to the yellow and red backgrounds and it coordinates with the gingham ribbon. Repetition is a great design technique!
Valentine’s Day Present
For one day only, I am offering buy one get one free for pdf tutorials. This is how it works. Purchase one tutorial from me on my blog, then message me to let me know which tutorial you would like for free and I will send it to you. Valid on February 14, 2024 only.
Of course the very best present you can give yourself as a papercrafter is the starter kit. You can get the beautiful glass plate, silicone palette and gray shammy as a free bonus OR you can an extra $41 in product which is enough for you to be able to put the die cutting machine in your kit!!! Here is the link if you want to join my Canadian team. If you live in Europe, join my team here. Either way, I can promise you that we will have a LOT of fun together, plus I have 18 years of expertise as a demonstrator that I can share with you.
Bee Mine Video Tutorial
Seeing is believing, so here is a video tutorial for you. See first hand how I made these cards. You can pause and fast forward as often as you like, you are the boss!!! Thanks so much for joining me today. Hugs from Holland, Jackie
Hello stampers and welcome to my blog! Today I am sharing what I call a bright vintage Queen Bee card. The feel is definitely vintage but the pop of Crushed Curry does make it a bit brighter than traditional vintage. This design is from Laura Milligan who also designed this stamp set as a Million Dollar Achiever. I loved making it!
Queen Bee Video Tutorial
A Few More Queen Bee Cards
I really do love the word “beloved” in this stamp set. I’ve used it in the background for my sympathy cards and that really tugs at my heartstrings.
For this square vintage card (it measures 4 1/4″ by 4 1/4″) I layered it with vellum cardstock, smoky slate and crushed curry cardstock. The details in the background come from Ranunculus Romance.
Colour Refresh
Today is the day that we find out about the colour refresh. My advice would be to order the ink refills and cardstock of the colours that you love that are leaving and do so as soon as possible. I am sure that some will sell out very quickly, so this is a time when you do not want to procrastinate!
Thanks for joining me today. As always, the products that I have used are listed below. A simple click on them, and you will be in my online store in Canada. If you live in Europe you can shop with me here or join my team.
Hello stampers and happy Saturday to you. Today I am going to be telling you about my Save Your Sanity Stamp Camp. Now you might be wondering, and rightfully so, how did I come up with that name? Well, we all know how busy December can get. Busy, busy, busy. Often busy with doing things for other people. I thought it might be a very good idea to carve out some time to simply have some fun with friends. A creative oasis to save your sanity! Together with four demonstrators on my team I am offering you just that!
Save Your Sanity Stamp Camp
Meet the four other demonstrators who are teaching at this Save Your Sanity Stamp Camp. The first instructor is my most “senior” team member in terms of having been on my team for the longest time. Yvonne Macfadyen is just lovely and you are going to enjoy hearing her English accent as she instructs you. Yvonne has very capably taken over my weekly Coffee and a Card class together with friend and team member Liz Fields. Here is her card:
The next instructor I would like you to meet is Alison Reid. Alison is my second most senior team member and she is full of great ideas! When she retires from her full time job she is going to be one heck of a demonstrator! Can’t wait to go on incentive trips with her!! Here is Alison’s card.
The next instructor is one of my newest team members and I am absolutely thrilled that she has agreed to teach! Meet Claudette Meriano. I am blown away by her work time and time again. She is super creative and often thinks out of the box. Here is Claudette’s card.
The fourth instructor is technically not on my team, but she is what we call an “orphan” demonstrator. The person that she signed up under is no longer a demonstrator, so she has been welcomed to be a part of our team. Meet Holly Snow. She is just so down to earth and approachable! You will feel totally at home at her stamping station. Holly will be sure to go that extra mile to make sure that you are happy with your card! Here is her cheerful card!
My Stack and Shuffle Card
I thought it would be fun to use the Stack and Shuffle technique to make some simple but beautiful Christmas Cards. My card uses the brand new Fabulous Florets Collection. It isn’t technically available until November 1 but you can put it in your starter kit now!
Kits by Mail or Attend in Person!
You have two options: a kit by mail or come in person either from 1-4pm or 6-9pm. I am so super proud that I am getting more organized. Here is the Google Form that you can fill out so that I know your preferences. Payment can be done with etransfer to jackiebultje@gmail.com. I know that I have to change my email address but that is also such a hassle! There is a new email now which is thepamperedstamper1@gmail.com but I still have to link it with my bank account and then I need to change it on all my platforms. No worries, it will happen!!
My hope is that you will attend this fun class and have a break from the Christmas busyness. Thanks for joining me. If you want any of the supplies that have been used for these cards, then just click on the links below. Have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Thursday to you. Today I want to share with you the Easter Promise with blends cards that I did for my coffee and a card class. Easter Promise is a gorgeous stamp set that has beautiful crocuses that are just so lovely to colour, especially with our blends. Anyone else a believer in colouring therapy?
Easter Promise with Blends
Blends are simply a wonderful colouring tool, whether you choose to use them individually or in combination. You see, they come in a light and a dark shade and you can blend them together to make even more beautiful and realistic colour. This can sound intimidating, but it really isn’t at all. Just take a look at my video and you will see how easy it is. The colour is just so smooth and vibrant that it will make you happy to colour the beautiful flowers in the Easter Promise stamp set.
Have you ever had it when you are making a card that you get ink on your fingers? No!! Hmmmmm. Well, believe it or not, this happened to a lady at class and she got a smudge on her circle with the crocuses, but she had a solution. Why not add a pretty bee from the Honey Bee bundle? What a difference this cute little bee makes, especially with a touch of Wink of Stella on its wings.
A Little Trick
I have found it to be quite effective to leave some of the flowers white. If you add Wink of Stella, a glitter brush, to the white flowers they look stunning. This effect is difficult to capture in a picture, but in real life it is quite captivating. Card makers are sometimes afraid of white space, but it is actually a good thing so embrace it and see what happens!
The other trick is to emboss your patterned paper. I used the Leaves embossing folder on Perennial Essence designer series paper and it is quite striking. I was hoping to share an older post with you with another card using this technique but I found this one instead. It features a totally different kind of embossing, but I think you will like it. If we ever do get quarantined because of this Corona virus I will not have a shortage of things to do in my house, that is for sure.
A Video With Three Easter Cards
This video is actually my Facebook live that I do every Tuesday at 7pm. This time might change to one with better light. I am thinking about 1pm but it might take a bit of time to make the switch.
A Personal Note
I am going to save the other two cards for later since I have limited time today. Fun and exciting things are happening. Child number four is getting married and his fiancé and her mother are at my house. Tomorrow we go wedding dress shopping and today I am going to show them a bit of Chatham and then we are going to stamp together! Laura wants to make her own wedding invitations and table “things”. You can tell that I am not into the particulars, but I am thrilled to have her join the family and also super excited to stamp with her mom who is a “newbie”! Yay!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you consider giving out Easter cards randomly to people in your neighbourhood and spread true joy. Don’t forget to take advantage of saleabration either to order or to join my amazing team. You already know that I have a special place waiting just for you. Click here if you want to get the starter kit, and have fun filling it with whatever you want or need. Have a super day.
Hello stampers! Happy Friday to you. Have you noticed the buzz about bees? Lately bees have been very popular and also a bit controversial. People are worried about the environment and the dwindling bee population. One of the happy results about that is that there are a lot of backyard beekeepers. My niece Jennifer and her husband Joash are also novice beekeepers. Check out their Facebook page, they live one street over from me! Today I am also incorporating bees into my cards and you will see how adorable they are!
Copper Bees
Have you seen the pretty copper bees that are included in the Botanical Prints Product Medley? They are so pretty and they really make such a beautiful accent on a card. I am happy that so many are included in this product medley, that way I don’t have to hoard them. Every time I create with them I look forward to sharing them with everyone who is coming to my winter retreat in beautiful Muskoka. How does relaxing in a cozy cabin with a woodstove sound to you? Making cards, eating warm biscuits fresh from the oven with homemade raspberry preserves and whipping cream? Hot chocolate and a movie? Skating in the woods?
Oops. I got distracted! I am supposed to be talking about bees! Would you like to see the card?
The Card
I had started making this card during my Facebook live on Tuesday where I showed you how I had cut out the two triangle framelits side by side in the mossy meadow piece. This left a very narrow strip between the two openings. I decided to utilize that and filled the space with two crushed curry detailed triangles.
Unfortunately I had taken no embossing folders with me but I wanted to add interest to the background. What to do? Why, tone on tone stamping of course. This look reminds me of toile. I used the same technique on the crushed curry strip on the bottom and added some foliage to the sentiment to add depth and richness to the card. My original card had only one bee, but I decided to live lavishly and add three bees to my card. The recipient will hopefully feel the love!
Up Close and Personal
Since I have been crowing about these bees, I thought I should give you a nice closeup shot so you can see how pretty they are. I am really loving how all the elements from the Botanical Prints Product Medley work together. I find that playing extensively with one group of products really unleashes your creativity. That is one thing that my presentation at #OnStage2019 taught me.
Just so you know, there are 12 copper bees in the Botanical Prints Product Medley. I am getting excited for the pdf I am going to make with all the beautiful cards you can make with this medley. I hope to get it done before Christmas. Here’s hoping!! It is good to set goals. I think I will make a card using the free bee paper that you can get during saleabration, that can be a part of my goal.
Travel Notes
I thought you might enjoy a few personal notes on my time in Holland. You can see lots more pictures on my Instagram account and on my Pampered Stamper Facebook page but I thought I would share a little here as well. You may know that my boyfriend Gerard is an amaryllis grower. He works all year tending the bulbs and fighting the bugs and it all comes to a climax in December when the bulk of his flowers are sold on the flower auctions in Holland. It is quite an amazing thing to witness and be a part of.
I have helped stack the boxes of cut flowers on the carts that are to be picked up by the trucker and taken to the auction. Several nights it was after midnight before we were done! I also stapled identification tags on the flower boxes and marked the different batches. It felt good to contribute in a practical way other than emotional support. All his hard work is then dependent on supply and demand and the market prices. Almost a million stems are produced in his greenhouses. We were very thankful that the last few days finally had great prices. That sure makes it easier to get up early in the morning and go to work.
Last night we were finally able to get away for a bit of together time and we headed to den Haag to the Royal Winter Fair which is their Christmas Market. It was so magical. I loved all the live music, a gospel choir, an old fashioned caroling group dressed up in olde English garb and a small choir singing in German. There were also lots of treats to sample and of course hot mulled wine and pretty lights and baubles everywhere. The city itself is also stunning. Here are a few photos. I also forgot to tell you that den Haag is The Hague in English. If you are interested in learning more about this city of international peace, here is a link for you!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you are enjoying the days leading up to Christmas as well. If you have had loss in your life, my prayers are with you and I hope that you will be surrounded with people who love and support you. Never forget that you are loved with an everlasting love by the One who made you and knows you by name.
