Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I have an adorable Milk Carton Gift Box for you. This project will be part of my Cross-Country Cookie Exchange Party With a Heart event and will thus be in the huge pdf tutorial that is a part of this class. Everyone who purchases the tutorial is welcome to send me a recipe card that I will include in my recipe book for Christmas. I am hoping that everyone will also purchase the Strong of Heart stamp set (the heart part of this event) as it is a Stampin’Up! fundraiser for heart health.
Milk Carton Gift Box
Here is the adorable Milk Carton Gift Box. No worries, all the dimensions and directions will be in the pdf for you which is chock full of great Christmas ideas. I will also be doing some videos of these projects on YouTube in November.
PDF Tutorial
I am thrilled to say that I am over half way with this massive pdf tutorial. This will be a classic that you turn to again and again I think. Print it off and put it in clear folders and in a binder so you can reuse it without wearing it out! The promise was to have the tutorial done by November 1 but I am working hard to get it finished before I fly home to Canada on Thursday. Thank you to everyone who has already purchased it sight unseen. I am ever so grateful.
Joining in on the Fun
There are several ways that you can join in on the fun.
You can simply purchase the tutorial. This option is especially for those who are not in the Canadian market so they can’t buy SU products from me. With this option you can still send me a recipe card and I will share it on my blog and in my book. You also get to join in on the Zoom party on November 27 at noon EST.
2.You can get the tutorial and the Strong of Heart stamp set for $55 using the PayPal button. This is meant for people who don’t like online ordering but can manage this option. I will send you your stamp set in the mail. You get all the perks of option one.
3. You can place an online order for $55 and you will get the pdf tutorial for FREE. This is actually the most bang for your buck and is meant for those who can order online with ease. Please do remember to use the current host code which is always on the right hand side of my blog’s home page.
Exclusive Baking Class Option
4. This option comes with a very special bonus. If you purchase the Strong of Heart stamp set and other products for $100 or more you get to join me for an exclusive baking class in my kitchen (either in person or via Zoom) This will be on Monday November 28 at 10am EST. You can also choose option three in the PayPal button.
Flying Home on Thursday
It’s hard to believe that my time here is almost up again. Thursday I fly home to my family and that is wonderful too. Needless to say, I am going to miss Gerard a lot.
Thank you!
I am always so grateful when I see who comes by and reads my blog. Thank you for pinning my projects to Pinterest and taking the time to comment here. Blogging is meant to be a social activity, a community thing, not a solitary endeavour. It is more rewarding than you will ever know when you reach out to me with your own stories or experiences. I hope you have a super day. As always, the links are listed below if you want to purchase any of the supplies that I used today.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. My Strong of Heart stamp set came in and I immediately made a card with it that fits with the colour scheme of the Cross-Country Christmas Cookie Exchange with a Heart class. First we’ll take a look at the card and then I will talk some more about this epic class.
Strong of Heart for Christmas
When you first take a look at the Strong of Heart stamp set you may think of Valentine’s Day, but not Christmas. With the colour scheme I chose, this would be a perfect card to send to someone at Christmas, especially to someone who has had some struggles in life and may not want a traditional Christmas card. I made two versions. One is sparkly, the other is slightly more masculine or rustic. Which one is your favourite?
Here is the one that is more rustic. The only difference is that the Be Dazzled paper is taken away. Small but significant detail.
Part of the pdf Tutorial
The purpose of my Cross Country Christmas Cookie Exchange Party with a Heart is three fold. First I want to unite stampers across the country with a recipe swap. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Second, I want to give you LOTS of great ideas for Christmas cards and projects. Third, I want to raise money for heart health as a fellow demonstrator in Ontario lost her husband to a congenital heart defect. The hospital that tried to save his life is now conducting research to try and prevent more tragedies like this. Stampin’Up! has designated this specific hospital for the funds raised in Canada!! That makes my heart sing.
This card will also be a part of the pdf tutorial that is included in the class/event. You will get the Strong of Heart stamp set as well as the tutorial and there will be a Zoom party on November 26. More details are in this blog post. If you live in the States you can simply purchase the tutorial.
The tutorial will be finished at the latest by November 1, hopefully sooner. I now have all the projects completed, now I need to write it all up and take and edit the photos. Usually it takes at least a full day to write a tutorial, sometimes two! You can order yours here below by clicking on the PayPal button. When it is finished I will add it to my tutorial store on this blog.
Recipe Swap
To participate in the recipe swap you need to preregister for the class which includes the stamp set. Deadline to send out the recipes is November 13. That way we will get them in time to share and talk about at the Zoom party. Please use as your base either 4″ by 6″ kraft paper or crumb cake cardstock. Here is a picture of my recipe card.
To make it less daunting to write out so many recipe cards I am suggesting that you handwrite the front of the card and then print out the instructions and adhere them to the back of the card. Best of both worlds!! During the Zoom party I will demonstrate three of the projects from the pdf tutorial. I hope YOU can join me for this fun class. Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you have a super weekend. Hugs from Holland!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I have an adorable Post-It Note Holder for you. I love cute creations that have a useful purpose. Do you often write little notes on Post-It notes? This project will be part of the Cross-Country Christmas Cookie Exchange Party With a Heart and it will be included in my pdf tutorial as well. Let’s take a look!
My Favourite Part
My favourite part of this project was that I transformed a hideous neon Post-It Note pad into something really beautiful. I had no neutral sticky notepads in the house, only varying shades of neon! What did I do? I first started by sponging on some early espresso ink but this affect was too feeble. Instead I rubbed it directly on the ink pad with fabulous results. Then I cut out a piece of white cardstock the same size as the note pad and adhered it to the top.
Christmas Gifts
It’s the little things that count, and this pretty project could be a lovely gift for friends and coworkers. It folds down flat so you could even mail it! I have long been a fan of useful and pretty handmade gifts, and this Post-It Note Holder fits the bill. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and you won’t miss out on the Christmas videos that I will start posting after the pdf goes live on November 1.
Happy Thanksgiving Canadians
I am still in Holland and there are no brilliant fall colours here, so I decided to make a card using the Gorgeous Leaves bundle. You can see the video below. Due to some technical challenges I didn’t get good photos of the card today but I will share on Wednesday. I do share the Blends and alcohol technique which is easy to do if you use the right materials.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today. If you would like to purchase any of the materials I used, the supply list is linked below. Just click on the images and you will be in my online store! Have a super day!
Well, hello stampers and happy Friday to you! I am super excited to announce my Cross-Country Christmas Cookie Exchange Party With a Heart. Isn’t that a mouthful? There is a reason for the long name, so I will explain it to you.
Cross-Country
This part was super important to me because I love connecting people. We live in a large, beautiful and diverse country. In the past it was a lot of fun to have pen-pals, and now it will be fun to exchange favourite Christmas recipes. Wait…I thought you said cookie exchange Jackie?!
Cookie Exchange
Well, cookie exchange sounds a lot better than recipe swap which is what it will actually be. But….you can then use the recipes that you get and then do a real cookie swap with your local people. I have totally fallen in love with the Gingerbread & Peppermint suite and even though I am using it for a class at the end of October, I have decided to feature it for this event as well. You will see that I am planning to do a whole video series on this suite in November and there will be a pdf tutorial to go along with it.
Party With a Heart
This is where it gets super special. You see, not only are we going to have a wonderful time together, we are also going to contribute to heart health. How are we going to do that? Stampin’Up! has designed a special stamp set where they are giving $4 of each stamp set to heart health. It gets even better! Stampin’Up! Canada has chosen to donate to the London Health Sciences Centre which is just one hour away from me. The reason is very personal.
There is a fellow Canadian demonstrator, Anne Granger, who lives near London and she lost her husband at a very young age due to a rare heart disease. How touching that SU is now donating to the hospital that tried to save his life. With research, perhaps other people will not have to go through such a tragic loss.
Class Options
There are several options for participating in this class. Option one includes participation in the recipe card swap, the Strong of Heart stamp set and a pdf for all the Christmas projects. This is $55 including shipping.
Option two includes all of option one plus the What’s Cookin’ bundle. This is $110 including shipping.
The third option is pdf only but this does not include the recipe card swap. It is $20.
Every week in November I will be doing a video showing several different projects. On November 27 at noon EST we will celebrate with a Zoom party. I will demonstrate three projects from the pdf that day.
Please note that the projects that will be made with Strong of Heart are not yet designed as I am waiting for my stamp set here in the Netherlands. Here is a closeup of some of the projects.
The Second Best Part
The best part is perhaps the fact that we can have so much fun together while raising money for heart health. I really value the fact that SU chooses a local charity to support rather than all the funds raised going to the States.
The second best part is that included in this class is a swap. Not exactly a card swap but a recipe card swap. I will show you an example so that you can make your own beautiful 4″ by 6″ recipe card. If they are all the same size then we can make or find a beautiful box to put them all in. This is still under construction! Recipe cards need to mailed out no later than November 13.
Recipe Card
There are only two recipe cards in the Gingerbread & Peppermint memories and more cards so I thought it would be super simple and cute to make my own. Simply take a 4″ by 6″ piece of our new kraft paper and decorate it with a narrow strip of designer series paper and some stamped off stamps. That way they won’t cover up your writing!
This is one of my favourite Christmas cookie recipes. All of my grown children also make these cookies. I only bake them in December and that way they stay special.
Check out this post with some great Gingerbread cards.
Excited and Ready to Sign Up?
Of course you are!! Last year we had so much fun at my #itsallaboutthetreats event and this one is going to be bigger and better!! I am already excited about getting your recipe cards in the mail. What fun! This event combines the things that I love most about my life: people (aka you!), Stampin’Up! and baking.
Choose your option here but please remember that the pdf will not be available until November 1.
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you! Today I have the most adorable gingerbread & peppermint house to show you. My fellow Dutch team member Mardette Krosse made this cute creation and she graciously allowed me to borrow it so I could recreate it. One of the things I love so very much about being a part of the Stampin’Up! family is the creativity and generosity of my fellow demonstrators.
Gingerbread & Peppermint House
Good things come in small packages and this house is one example of that. Mardette is another! She is such a wonderful person who loves to spoil the elderly people that she works with. It is not unusual for her to make gift packages for them complete with intricate handmade packaging. I love her heart! People like her restore my faith in the human race.
A Mystery
There is one mystery about this cute little house that I have not yet solved. I am not sure what Mardette used to make the Nordic looking decorations along the edges of the house front. I am going to make an alternative which you can see in the graphic below that also shows you the measurements and components.
Edited: we found out what the mystery component is! It is the So Many Snowflakes Dies! I can’t wait to make this at home and I will be doing a video on it in November as well.
À La Carte Class
Did you know that I am offering a really lovely class featuring the Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite? There are three different tiers of pricing so you will be sure to find the one that suits you best. I really should write a tutorial for this class don’t you think? You can read all about this class here. Please don’t procrastinate too long! You have until October 1 to sign up so I can get all the supplies ordered and the kits sent to you.
Bonus Paper
I forgot to mention that you get some bonus paper with your class so you can finish off the inside of your cards as beautifully as the outside! Some of you will be joining me for an in person class on Saturday October 30 at 10am and I am hoping that people all over with join me virtually on Thursday October 28 at 7pm EST.
Share What You Love!
This class and this box, in fact this entire suite is just perfect for sharing with those that you love of all ages. I can just picture all the laughter and joy around kitchen tables all over the country as these elements are used to make adorable cards and houses and boxes and surprises for loved ones. Be sure to send me a photo if you end up doing just this!
I am going to keep encouraging you all to share this wonderful hobby. People need to tap into their innate creativity. Creating things really makes for a joyful soul. Giving away your creations results in even deeper joy. Do you see the beautiful flow that is being created here?
You Belong and I Have a Place Waiting For You!
There is a wonderful place waiting just for you on my team. Join with others who love creating with paper and ink and be inspired and warmly welcomed. If you love card making or want to get started, the starter kit is just fantastic and it will score you your very own discount every time you place an order for yourself or for your friends. I would love to help YOU get started too.
Have a super day and thanks so much for joining me. It’s time for a cup of coffee and a dessert. I have saved one pavlova from the weekend! Whooohooo. #itsallaboutthetreats
