Hello stampers and happy Friday…actually, almost Happy New Year!! Today I want to show you a way to save your sanity. We can put so much pressure on ourselves to create beautifully stunning and intricate cards. While that can be a fun challenge and very rewarding, this is a gentle reminder to also enjoy easy simplicity once in a while. Yesterday I was feeling overwhelmed and a bit stressed and these simple cards brought me joy and peace.
Save Your Sanity with Some Simple Cards
I have always loved words. Words are very important and convey so much meaning and feeling, so choosing the right ones for your card is a big deal. Especially when the card is simple and the focus is mainly on the words and on the paper you want to make sure that your words are the right font, the right size and the. right thoughts! My cards use In The Moment for the images and Flowering Tulips for the words. The gorgeous paper is Expressions in Ink.
Here is a little video telling you the story of how these cards came about.
My last card is not shown in this picture because I make it at the end of the video. Curious? Be sure to watch AND subscribe. I am aiming for 4100 subscribers and to help make that happen I am doing a draw for the Poinsettia Petals bundle. All you need to do to enter is to subscribe to my channel, comment on your favourite video and share one to social media such as Facebook.
Simple Cards Bring Joy
These cards brought me joy yesterday and today as I see them laying on my desk they are bringing me more joy. I am going to offer a class where we can make these cards. People can choose their own colour scheme and stamps. It will be so much fun to see what they come up with!
Here is a closeup of one of the cards so you can see just how gorgeous this paper is and how well it combines with these stamp sets, In the Moment and Flowering Tulips.
Sometimes cards look a little different seen from another angle, so here they are against the backdrop of our fabulous Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. If you don’t have this beauty yet, January is your month! You can put it in a starter kit and pay no tax or shipping AND get to pick two bonus stamp sets to put into your kit. Perhaps you could choose the two I have used today!! How much fun is that??
Prime Time Group
Did you know that I have a private Facebook group called Prime Time With The Pampered Stamper? Each Wednesday I post the supply list and measurements and on Thursday I do an exclusive video. Once a month there is a prize drawing and each month there is a free 15 project pdf tutorial for this group. It costs only $10 a month to join. If you are interested, just click here.
This is the card we made yesterday, another exercise is simplicity and beauty. Next week will do something a lot more challenging.
More Happy Mail Next Week
Next week I will share some more happy mail in Holland cards including a gorgeous hand painted one from my cousin. I hope that you have a fun celebration today and a very happy and blessed New Year. Thanks for joining me on my stamping journey. I’m so glad you’re here.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. My team means everything to me!
It is already super late but I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! Last night was the “Stampin’Up! Oscars” where top performers in the industry get recognized. I received several awards but the one that touches my heart the most was ranking #3 in Canada out of more than 5700 demonstrators for Team Building. This means that I am training my team properly so that they will stay with Stampin’Up! and keep their own discount.
Many of my team members were first my customers, but the best deal out there is the one where you get your own discount. Therefore it is a natural progression to move from customer to team member. I like to compare it to moving from being an acquaintance to being a friend. If my friends want more than a discount and want to build a thriving business, then I become their champion and mentor to make that happen. Their dreams are my dreams!
It has become my mission to make no difference on my team between those who are there for their own discount and those who are there to build a business. They are all valuable to me, to each other and to the stamping community. EVERYONE brings something to the table and that is beautiful. Never, ever doubt getting the starter kit because you think you will be cheating me in any way. I want what is best for you and what happens after you get the starter kit is not an issue. Every day that you are on my team is a good day!
That’s it. No long post today. It is 9:59 pm and this squirrel is going to bed. Thanks ever so much for being here. I hope that if you read my blog and you live in Canada that you will feel inspired to join my team. It’s a pretty awesome place to be.
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Card ministry? That is the subject of my blog post today and it is ever so fitting that I am at my parents’ while I am writing this. You see another card from this “card ministry” by Sonja arrived in the mail for them today. Let me tell you a little about Sonja and her card ministry.
Sonja and her Card Ministry
I met Sonja many years ago when I did a fundraiser called Hearts for Haiti. That was the beginning of a long friendship. I found out later that Sonja was part of a card ministry at her church. Every month she would send a card to the people on her list, mostly elderly and shut-in people. She also sends cards to as many veterans as she can, not just in November, but every single month! Sonja has taken her hobby and turned it into a ministry and my family is also now on her list.
My parents and even my brother Oliver now feel like they know Sonja. You see, she doesn’t just send a card, she writes a lovely, newsy letter in her beautiful handwriting in each letter. My mother was touched that Oliver is now also included in the salutation. What a wonderful example you are to all of us Sonja. To make it even more significant, you should know that Sonja is also a long term caregiver to not one, but two people!
Sonja’s Card for Veteran Fred
What an amazing idea for a Remembrance Day card. You see, Fred’s family is so grateful for Sonja’s monthly cards that they send her a picture of their father with his card every month. Sonja asked if she could share his story and his photo with her card ministry people and this is the result. I am so blessed to have met people like Sonja in my business. We really can change the world one card at a time, this is proof of that.
Card for my Family
Here is Sonja’s October card for my family. I had to include a snippet showing her beautiful handwriting and how she included my brother Oliver because she knows that he is the primary caregiver for my parents. What a blessing!!
What Can We Do?
I would love to shower Sonja with cards of encouragement. Share you stories with her and show her some love. Here is her mailing address (she has no idea that I am doing this and I hope it will be a wonderful surprise!) Sonja Russchen 388 Talbot Street West Blenheim, ON N0P1A0, Canada
You could also do what Sonja does. Start gathering names of people who could use monthly encouragement. Word will spread and you will be asked by family members to send their loved one a card.
Thank You!
Thank you for joining me today on my blog. I hope you were inspired. The latest International Create With Us Tutorial has just been released and it features the Painted Christmas Suite. You can get it for free with a $60 purchase or you can buy it for $20US. Just click here and it’s almost yours!! If you want any of the supplies that were used in today’s cards, just click on the links below to shop in my online store. I appreciate it!! Have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today’s post is not about cards. It’s about blessings new every morning. As you may know, I am in the Netherlands right now with Gerard for five weeks. Did you know that this was a very difficult decision for me? Why should you even care?
Leap of Faith
The reason it was so difficult for me to leave is that my Pap is 94 and in failing health. What kind of a daughter goes on an international flight during COVID in such a situation? Thankfully both Pap and Mom said, go, you cannot put your life on hold. I had to have faith that Pap was in God’s hands and that there is nothing I can do to change the number of his days. We have said everything that there needs to be said. I have peace because he is at perfect peace. He is ready to meet his heavenly Father. How amazing is that?
Blessings New Every Morning
I am one of four children. What I have seen now that I am gone is that my older sister is filling the void. She has stepped up what she does and how often she does it. She is finding her niche and it a beautiful to see. As you know, every child has a unique relationship with their parents. When one child leaves for university, it can really change the dynamics in the family. Same thing when an adult child leaves for another country. My sister is no longer in my shadow and it is wonderful to see that relationship flourish!
I have seen the same thing happen in church ministries. When you have certain gifts, you feel called to use them but sometimes life happens and you have to cut back on your commitments. What I have found though, is that when you step back it gives someone else an opportunity to step forward and that is a beautiful thing.
Update on Pap
Prayers are being answered and Pap is doing amazingly well. He still sleeps a lot, but in the morning he is in the kitchen before mom and even sets the table and makes the tea! He has a head start because she has first helped him with his toiletries, and then she has to take care of herself.
On Mother’s Day Pap went for a car ride and visited my sister for outdoor coffee and drinks and then stopped by the farm to see my brother and his wife. At the farm it was just a “drive by” visit but how wonderful for him to get out of the house and see all his kids. Imagine my joy when mom told me that Pap was able to get in and out of the tub all by himself! Mind you, this does change from day to day. The next day it was such an ordeal that Mom finally conceded that she should get help. Another blessing!!
Why did I share this?
The reason I shared these details with you is to encourage you to also step out in faith. If there is something that you wanted to do but you were holding back on because you felt like you couldn’t “let down” or disappoint the people around you, think again. It might be just what they need for their own personal growth.
I am going with Gerard to Friesland today. Friesland is the Dutch equivalent of Quebec. The Fries people are fiercely independent and have their own language that is so different from Dutch that I cannot understand it. Friesland is in the north of Holland, about a two hour drive. I will be sure to post pictures. Here is the quaint B&B we will be going to.
Thanks for joining me, I hope you have a super day!
