by Jackie Bultje | Nov 7, 2019 | Come to Gather, Cup of Christmas |
Hello stampers. We are having our first snowfall so it is very fitting that we are playing with Cup of Christmas today. What a fun set. So many possibilities. If you read my blog yesterday you will already know that this is going to be my stamp of the month for December.
How it works
How does the stamp of the month work? If you live locally then you will get a free coffee and a card class on the first Tuesday of the month if you purchase Cup of Christmas. When you order online, then you will get the card pieces and you will be able to create the cards with me when I do my weekly Facebook live, coffee and a card revisited. If you don’t live in Canada and already have the stamp set you can purchase a set of three cards already made for $15.
A card from Holland
When I was in Holland last month I was invited to join Caroline VanderStraaten’s team for an afternoon of card making. Her blog is called Caro’s Kaartjes. There is a Google translate option so you can read it in English. Not sure who made this card, but I think it was our host Annette Koolmees. I was hoping to recreate her card but I left all my Come to Gather paper in Holland! That just means I will share her card as well as a link to her blog and I will create more cards later today.
I was so inspired by Annette’s work that I did take a few more pictures. If you want to check out this lovely lady’s work, here is her blog. This next card is also a fall card using a Christmas set. It just shows you how versatile this set is! Would you like to know what this Dutch saying means? Loosely translated it means “wishing you much warmth and love in these cold days”. Our English saying is “wishing you a Christmas filled with love & happiness”. I think I like the Dutch one more!!
Annette had one more card with this set that really shows how you can use it for any occasion. The saying on the cup says “chock full of love”.
Don’t you just love Annette’s cards using Cup of Christmas? This card begs to be cased. I just have to figure out where that cute heart is from. I know I could substitute but I am real sucker for making the card exactly like the one I love!! Do you think the MMMM! comes in the Dutch set? I like it better than YUM!
Exciting News
Be sure to set up an online shopping account with me! Coming very soon, just in time for you to spoil yourself for Christmas, is my first ever BOGO online sale. I am not a big fan of acronyms, BOGO means buy one get one free.
The way it works is that you will see my retired stamp sets and bundles with a price sticker on them. If you want it for free you simply place an online order using the host code for the same amount of money. For example, if I have Lovely as a Tree for $25, then you will get it for free if you place a $25 online order. I will do a blog post on just this and I will also create a Facebook event which you will join before the sale. There will be very specific details for you to follow to make sure it goes smoothly.
Once you order from me, you also get to be a part of the exclusive Pampered Stamper Elite group on Facebook. Only customers and training group members get to be there. I have exclusive Facebook live videos there every week as well.
Thanks!
I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of love and affirmation with the news of my Global 100 achievement- #49 in the world and #4 in Canada. You mean so much to me. It is such a blessing to have such a supportive community. Thank you.
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by Jackie Bultje | Oct 3, 2019 | Come to Gather, fancy fold, Nature's Beauty |
Hello stampers. A few weeks ago I came across a super cute fancy fold card that I like to call a criss cross fancy fold. That card was made to look like either a basket full of apples or pumpkins and was made by Whispers in Ink. I had none of the supplies with me here in Holland to make that card so I decided to improvise. The important thing is that this is wonderful fancy fold, now called criss cross AND it is really easy to make.
The Card
I made this criss cross card for my Facebook live and the original was in Dutch to honour the country that I am visiting. I made a second one using some English stamps. Here they are.
Here is the inside of the card. I used the stamparatus and the silicone mat to make a reversible rabbit; it’s such fun to have him looking the other way!
The framelit from Feels Like Frost was used for the sentiment and I used it twice to cut it down to the right size.
If you want to see how this fold was made you can see it in my Facebook live video here. Here is the Dutch card.
The Measurements
The card base is 4 1/4″by 11″. You score it from corner to corner diagonally and then fold along the long score line. While it is still folded you measure to 5 7/8″ and score again. Fold in half along that score line and then you have your card. That is why I call this fold criss cross! Take a piece of patterned paper also cut to 4 1/4″ by 11″ and also scored it from corner to corner diagonally. Cut along the score lines and you will get all the odd shapes. If you trim the shapes down on two sides by about an 1/8″ then they will fit on the various panels. If this is not clear, then the best option is to watch the Facebook live. You can also check out the link that I shared at the top of the page to the original card that caught my eye. Whispers in Ink also has a video!
How to Shop
Just in case you didn’t know, you can shop with me online if you live in Canada. Simply click on the images below and you will land in my online store. If you have never shopped online with me before then you need to create an account. You only need to do this once, after that you can simply log into your account whenever you need anything. If you are ordering less than $200 I would appreciate it if you use the current host code. If your order is $200 or more then you qualify for host rewards and please no NOT use a host code. I made a video to show you how to create an online account, you can see it here.
The current host code is UWHQR3YM. When everyone uses the host code then host benefits don’t go to waste. I use these host benefits to keep my operating costs down and I pass these savings on to you. I am hoping that with more regular blogging and with a regularly scheduled Facebook live video that more people will be exposed to my business and will then also order online from me. That is why I need help from my tribe! Every time you share something I post whether from pinning my creations to Pinterest or sharing things on Facebook, it all helps to grow my business. The challenge is to keep my business thriving even when I spend time in Holland deepening my relationship with Gerard and figuring out my life!
by Jackie Bultje | Sep 30, 2019 | Come to Gather, community, fall, fancy fold, harvest hellos, leaves |
Hello stampers! Many of you know that I am in the Netherlands for four weeks. Today I wanted to share some insights with you that I have gleaned over the weekend. It all comes down to the power of community. I had four totally different experience of gathering but all showed the need for and power of community.
A Funeral
On Saturday morning I had a family funeral. Of course it was a sad event, but in this case there was more joy than sadness. My Tante Irene had lived much longer than expected and she died both pain free and with the full assurance of salvation. She knew she was going to heaven! The beautiful thing for me was gathering with family members, some of whom I had not seen since I was a young teenager. One of my cousins is battling cancer, one of my aunts is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, many more are dealing the regular vicissitudes of life, but all together there was just such a beautiful power of community. Together we are strong. Together we are weak, together we are sad or joyful. I was so thankful that I could be a part of this. To be in such a big group of my mom’s family in the “old country” was meaningful and powerful for this immigrant’s daughter. Our extended family in Canada was small. I had one uncle on my dad’s side and one aunt on my mom’s side, that’s it. Eight cousins in all. When you have so much family so far away it really is beyond words to finally be part of this tribe in a very real way.
A Community Race
On Saturday afternoon Gerard had a community race. There were two options, either a 5km or a “ten English miles” which is 16km. Normally he runs a 10k but that was not an option. He wasn’t feeling great and a 5km is not a real challenge for him so I was curious as to why he would still want to run. Turns out it was all about community, about gathering with all the runners before the race and after the race and with running together in a big group. It was the energy of the group that was the big factor. It was not running a 5km. It was being connected with the power of community. How awesome is that?
A Retirement Party
Saturday night there was a retirement party for two brothers who are in the same business as Gerard; they are amaryllis growers. They sold their business and they wanted to celebrate with all their colleagues, friends and family. The amazing thing is that I met total strangers who had unknown connections to me. One man told me that his mother and my oldest aunt were best friends. Another man told me that his oma was a good friend of my mother’s!! Another man asked me where I was from so I said southern Ontario. Where he persisted. Somewhat impatiently I said Chatham. He then tells me that he has nephews there. Do I know the VanderEndes? Well, yes I do. Crazy small world. Even though the music was so loud that we had to shout in each other’s ears (boy was I feeling old!!) it was still wonderful to connect with all these people and to feel the power of community. Together we could celebrate with these two amaryllis growers and be happy for their success and also for the coming time where they can enjoy the fruits of their labour. With the power of community our joys are doubled and our sorrows are made less.
The Connection
Now what on earth does this all have to do with card making? Well, now I am going to tell you about the fourth event. I was invited to go to a good friend’s team gathering on Sunday afternoon. What a delightful group of women. I learned from them that also here in Holland, they get great satisfaction of gathering together as a team. They just love to meet in person once in a while and create together, to touch base and catch up with each other’s lives. Inspiration and energy is derived from these gatherings. I know that I certainly left inspired by their creativity and enthusiasm! Once again I was witness to the power of community. My friend told me that without these gatherings she would have stopped with Stampin’Up! when the going got tough. It was the power of community that kept her strong and motivated. Wondering who this friend is? It is the lovely and talented Caroline van der Straaten. You can check out her blog here.
How very fitting that the cards I am going to share today are made with the Come to Gather suite of products. Gathering with these ladies was so lovely. Even though I was still feeling under the weather with a bad cold, I am so very glad that I went. Believe it or not for the first five or ten minutes I was feeling a little overwhelmed and almost decided not to make a card. I was just going to take all the pieces back home and make them quietly alone later. It is a very enlightening experience for me to be on the other side of the creative experience. Does this surprise you?
I absolutely love this card that Annette Koolmees designed. While I love the Come to Gather paper, I have to admit that this particular sheet didn’t at first appeal to me. After seeing and making this card, I changed my mind. The tipping point was that Annette chose to stamp the pumpkin and the leaf on crumb cake card stock and then use an aqua painter to colour it. The result is an entirely different effect. My cajun craze leaf didn’t quite turn out the way it should have because I was using a brand new Wink of Stella and I squeezed a little too aggressively!! This led to a little heavier application of what should have been a subtle touch of bling.
A better surprise with this card is in the inside when you open it. It is a fancy fold with a tea light inside! The picture definitely doesn’t do it justice. Do go on over and check out Annette’s blog here. I see that she has already blogged about our wonderful afternoon together!
I used this card to participate in a tic-tac-toe challenge with The Joy Of Sets. You can check that out here!
Annette had more cards using this suite of products but I will share just one more with you. I might share some more of them tomorrow if I run out of time to create myself!
Here is a closeup of this fantastic card. the leaves have been blinged up with a bit of wink of stella.
The Power of Community for You
If you are feeling like you could use a little more “power of community” you may want to consider coming to a card making class. Maybe you are not into cards and scrapbooking is your thing. Perhaps neither of those things make your heart sing, but you really do love home decor. Well, paper, stamps and ink can be used to make some pretty amazing things and making them together with other people is simply wonderful. No classes offered in your area? Then I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone, get the starter kit and start playing. There is so much information on this hobby online, so many videos and tutorials to watch that you will have no problem figuring out how to do it. Once you get a feel for it you will be ready to share the love of your new hobby with other people and YOU can create the power of community and bring joy to the world through paper crafting. Click here to get the starter kit. You can put anything you want into this kit. You pay only $135 but you get $165 worth of product with no shipping or tax. It really is wonderful thing. I’m happy for you. I’m hazarding a guess that if you are here you are already either hooked into this lovely hobby or intrigued by it. Happy stamping and thanks for dropping by!
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by Jackie Bultje | Sep 25, 2019 | Come to Gather, fall, framed art sampler, Thanksgiving |
Hello stampers. It was quite a stamping and teaching frenzy before I left for Holland last week so I didn’t have a chance to blog about my alternative cards using Come to Gather from last week’s Facebook live. I was actually quite pleased with how they turned out so I would love to share them with you. It seems that every week something crazy happens during my weekly Facebook live, so maybe you should check it out. For the next three weeks they will be on Tuesday morning 9am EST or 3pm European summer time. I would love for you to come to gather with me during these Facebook live events. We have so much fun together!
Come to Gather designer series paper
When the paper is this gorgeous it is easy to create beautiful cards. My original card was a swap card that I had received and was not allowed to share just yet, so I changed it up and made this one instead. I really like the white ghost pumpkins so I used Harvest Hellos to stamp one on shimmery white cardstock and one on the Come to Gather designer series paper.The sentiment is from a Paper Pumpkin stamp set and is stamped in Pretty Peacock.
There is a sheet of paper in the Come to Gather collection that reminds me of the printing books we had when I was in grade one, so I made a school inspired card with it.This was actually cased from a swap card that I received earlier in the month.
I love how you can make two totally different cards with the same set of paper. One is vintage and the other is clean and fresh.This last one uses the September Paper Pumpkin stamp set for the saying. Where you see the leaf at the bottom? That was an embellishment opportunity as I had smudged some ink there! It looks even better now. Embrace the imperfections!
More than Cards
This gorgeous framed art piece was made by Lisa Lange, one of the display artists at the Holiday Hoopla event I spoke at in Illinois the weekend before I left for Holland. One of the things you will need to create this beauty is the Hand-lettered Prose dies. I am not sure about the size of the frame but I am guessing either 5 x 7 or 8 x 10. Isn’t the Come to Gather paper just spectacular?
The Purpose
If you have never put ink to paper then you are in for a very pleasant surprise. You will truly be amazed at the creativity that this simple act unleashes.With creativity comes joy, and joy begs to be shared. I would love to help you start on this journey of discovery. Please comment below and we will connect! I post videos on my Facebook page which you can find here. I also share a bit on YouTube. If you want to follow me there, just click here. If you click on subscribe then you will never miss another video!
The purpose of making cards is double. You get the joy and satisfaction out of making something special with your own two hands. Someone else will then get the pleasure of receiving what you have made.I am a firm believer that every card makes the world a better place, as long as you take the time to send it.
Thank You
Thanks so much for joining me today. I really do get a lot of joy from seeing you come on over and reading my blog. You are noticed and appreciated! This is just another place to come to gather!
You can help me by pinning my creations to Pinterest. If you hover your mouse over the pictures on this blog a red Pinterest button shows up, just click on that and away you go! Your comments are also very encouraging. Lastly, if you live in Canada you can order from me through the shop now button or by clicking on any of the supply items below. Of course, there is always room on my team for you as well! The best deal in the catalog is always the starter kit. Click here if you want to save a LOT of money and get exactly what you want, not just what’s on sale. Every day is a sale day with the starter kit.
I hope you have a wonderful day. I am coming down with the first cold I have had in over a year, so I am going to take some more oil of oregano and am going to go for a walk along the sea with Gerard.
Product List
