by Jackie Bultje | Apr 8, 2020 | masculine cards, Parisian Blossoms |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I will be talking some more about making cards for me as we continue the sharing of the happy mail for Gerard contest. If you don’t have an image appropriate for your man and his interests, you can make a very nice card using patterns and textures. That is exactly what Joanne Foster from Australia did.
Joanne Foster’s Card
Joanne was very thoughtful and included a note with her card telling me exactly what she used to make it. While we use Stampin’Up! products all the time, sometimes it takes a little digging to remember what stamp set a certain saying is from or which patterned paper was used. The colour scheme is tranquil tide, very vanilla and night of navy. For beautiful texture, the Tin Tile embossing folder and the tranquil tide velvet ribbon was used. Two different patterned paper groups were used, True Gentleman from last year and a tranquil tide muted paper from Classic Garage. The words are from a saleabration set called Sending You Thoughts. In the inside of the card Joanne used Timeless Textures stamped off for a subtle effect.
Jo is from Grovedale, Victoria, Australia. She also participated in my happy mail in Holland contest. You can read more about her hometown and see that card in this blog post.
When I looked back at that post I see that I really didn’t write much at all about her hometown, so let me give you some more details here. Grovedale is a suburb of Geelong and has German roots. The area used to be known for its vineyards but it seems the vines were wiped out by a nasty aphid in the 1870’s. What a shame! This town is located on the Surfcoast Highway which sounds like a lovely roadtrip to me.
Peggy Dotson’s card
Peggy used one of my favourite sets in the mini catalog and the same one that I was chosen to present on at OnStage in Toronto in November. Did you know that I have made a tutorial on all those great cards so that you can recreate them with ease? Just click here to find it.
Peggy was the lucky winner of the Happy Mail for Gerard contest and she chose the stamp set Pedal to the Metal for her prize. I think Peggy must be a romantic at heart. Paris is definitely on my bucket list to visit with Gerard. I was there for my fiftieth birthday with my daughter Rachel and I loved this city. At the time I was hoping that someday I would be able to return with someone who truly loved me, I think it will happen sooner than later! The grey script in behind the Eiffel tower is a lovely vintage touch. Thanks for participating Peg!
Fancy Folds Contest
Are you enjoying seeing all the cards that were a part of the Happy Mail for Gerard contest? I love checking my mailbox for happy mail and then blogging about the cards later. It is a wonderful way to connect with you my readers. That is why I have decided to host another contest. This one will feature fancy folds cards which basically means anything but your standard card. I know that there is a lot of hidden talent out there and I would love to be inspired by you and feature your cards on my blog. The prize for this contest will be Little Ladybug OR a stamp set of your choice up to $30 in value. Anyone can participate. The contest ends May 30. 2020. You can mail your cards to Jackie Bultje, 81 Delaware Avenue, Chatham, Ontario N7L 2W3.
Coffee and a Card Monthly Subscription
Do you enjoy watching my weekly coffee and a card live videos on Tuesdays? I hope you will consider subscribing to my coffee and a card monthly subscription. This is my solution for keeping my business viable during COVID19. For $60 a month I will mail your card kits to you and you will get a $20 coupon towards Stampin’Up! products. If you do not live in Canada then you can use this coupon for my tutorials or for retired product including Paper Pumpkin stamps. Please message me with your email address if you are interested so that I can send you a PayPal invoice. Instead of a live video there will be an exclusive Zoom meeting so you can see the cards being made. I will also share a recipe each week to inspire you with great treats at home. All my other videos will remain accessible to all.
Zoom Only Option
If you do not wish to subscribe to the monthly coffee and a card class, you can still join in on the Zoom meeting for a nominal fee of $5. I am hoping that this will help keep me in business! I will send you the link for the meeting after I receive your payment. If it makes it easier for you, you can also choose to do this monthly.
Here are the first cards included in this subscription:
I cannot include stamped images in the kits, but for this first kit I did include the “I miss your face” label as it is so very appropriate for the COVID19 situation and it is from a stamp set that you can not buy as it was a free saleabration set called Tags in Bloom.
Thanks for joining me, I hope you have a super day. See you live at 1pm on my Pampered Stamper Facebook page. You can also see these videos on my YouTube channel. Subscribe here so you never miss another video!
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by Jackie Bultje | Apr 6, 2020 | masculine cards, Sea of textures, shells |
Happy Monday stampers. Today’s card features Sea of Textures which is a fantastic stamp set on page 153 of the annual catalog. Now that saleabration is over it will be nice to take a look at the annual catalog again, it needs a little love don’t you think?
Happy Mail from Sandra Allman
This beautiful card was made by Sandra Allman from Prince George British Columbia. Sandy used lots of extra details to make this card stand out. What she might not have known is that Gerard is an avid scuba diver! He loves to scuba dive when he goes on holidays, so he is really excited about our upcoming trip to Maui. This is the first Stampin’Up! trip that he is going to experience. Hopefully it will be the first of many. Let’s take a look at this bright and happy card.
Here is the inside of the card. The coordinating Under the Sea dies make is easy to add those special extra touches such as sand dollars, sea grass, anemones and an octopus of course. Sandy added a whimsical fun touch with the little googly eyes which made me smile.
I searched my older blog posts and found one from 2018 where I also used Sea of Textures. The best part is that this blog posts also had some super cool pictures from my trip to Alaska with my son Oliver. Isn’t it wonderful how pictures can bring back a flood of great memories? You can see them too right here!
Prince George, British Columbia
It’s always interesting to know a little bit more about the place a person comes from. Prince George is the largest city in Northern British Columbia and it was named after King George lll. It started as a fur trading outpost but really became established when the railway came. Doesn’t it look beautiful?
Coffee and a Card subscriptions
I am super excited to share with you a new program that was suggested by a customer who lives out of town. She requested a coffee and a card monthly subscription. This is how it works. You pay $60 a month and you get a packet mailed to you every week. As a bonus you will get a $20 gift certificate towards Stampin’Up! product. If you order online from me, I will etransfer you the $20 after you place your order. In the event that you do not live in Canada, you can use this $20 towards other card kits or pdf tutorials.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today, I am so happy you are here. Please leave a comment if you were inspired by Sandy’s card. The sun is shining today and I am already looking forward to spending time outside. With all the social isolation it is so good for the soul to commune with nature. It is God’s balm for the weary and the worn. Breathe deeply and know that you are loved with an everlasting love.
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Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [144245] $11.50 |
by Jackie Bultje | Apr 3, 2020 | Geared up Garage, Happy Mail in Holland, masculine cards, Timeless Tulips |
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Oceans apart. It sounds like the title of a movie or a book, but it is my reality right now. Truth is, you might even feel oceans apart from your loved one who live right here in Canada. Not being able to see your family and friends is tough, so how do you cope? Many people are discovering new hobbies, new recipes and new places to discover in their own neighbourhood. What are you doing?
Oceans Apart but Close at Heart
That sounds really cheesy, but it’s true. It’s true, not only for me and Gerard, but true for all of us. So many of you sent happy mail for Gerard and I am going to share a few more cards now as well as this video with all of them. Whether intentionally or coincidentally, your cards made Gerard feel like your really know him. In a minute I will tell you a little bit more about this wonderful man. In the meantime, here are some masculine cards that will also inspire you to create and share.
You’re a Classic
This is Debby Kainu’s car. I love everything about his card, the colours, the layout and the background stamping with the toolbox. The Garage Gears dies make it easy to add those great gear details and they cut out the car. Gerard has two classic cars that he has had for a very long time. One of them is his everyday car, a 1980s Toyota Supra, I think 1986 but I’m not the classic car fan. Close enough, right?
I was looking to see if I had another blog post about cars, but apparently not. Instead I came across this one that shows the Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin kit. I just happen to have three refills if anyone wants one. Message me!!
Flower Boy
This is Gerard’s nickname from one of my kids, can’t divulge which one. Holland is of course known for its tulips and Gerard is a flower grower. He grows amaryllis as a cut flower. In North America we know this flower mosty as a boxed bulb we buy in the stores around Christmas time and it flowers a month or so later. Jessica Bègin made this beauty. I really love how she used the punch in a unique way to make these fantastic tulips that pop. The saying she chose is also completely perfect for the occasion. Very impressive Jessica!!
Now I’m not sure if Jessica is a genius or I am an idiot, but I never realized that you can use the leaf punch from the tulip punch to also make petals for the tulip. I just saw them as leaves. The way they fit so perfectly makes me think that perhaps they were intended to be used as both. I’m so thankful for this inspiration Jessica! Flipping through the catalog I see that the patterned paper you used is from Follow Your Art. Thanks for a great card my friend.
It’s in the Details
I had to smile when I turned Jessica’s card over to open it. Not only did she decorate the flap of her envelope, she used a squirrel sticker to seal it. How cute is that? What do you do to personalize your envelopes? I have to admit that sometimes I leave them plain and boring, so this is challenging me to take the time to add that extra special touch. Even her handwriting is art.
See You Monday
On Monday I will blog again with some more cards from the Happy Mail for Gerard contest. Peg Dotson was the winner of the masculine stamp set. I wonder what my next contest should be? I love getting happy mail and blogging about the cards that get sent to me. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. The idea that just crossed my mind is fancy folds. Some people are really great at doing these and they have more time than I do to research the best ones. That might be a super fun idea to do, it is already growing on me but I am also excited to see what ideas you might have for me.
Please Order Online from me
I have read that sometimes we don’t get what we need because we don’t ask for it, so I am asking. Because of COVID-19 I can no longer do in person classes so this is seriously affecting my business. Online sales are more important than ever, so I am asking that if you follow me online and you live in Canada, please consider ordering from me. Every little bit helps! If you don’t live in Canada, then you can buy my tutorials, the page for that is in my blog header at the top. When I get finished with my kits for kids I hope to take time to write a new tutorial. Here is the host code if you plan to order online: CWD9ZZ2H
Thanks so much for joining me today and also for your feedback on Wednesday’s post. If you haven’t discovered it yet, I am also on Instagram as The Pampered Stamper and my YouTube channel is here. If you are a fellow demonstrator and you would like some training in an intimate group setting for a very reasonable price, you can also join my Pampered Stamper Training Group for only $5 a month. Just etransfer me or PayPal family and friends to [email protected] and I will add you to the group. Payment is done in six month instalments to make it easier to keep track of. Yay!! We have so much fun together and we learn a lot along the way. Have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Apr 1, 2020 | masculine cards, Perfectly Plaid |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. I finally get to blog about the happy mail for Gerard that fourteen of you sent to for him. Sadly, he could not be here because of COVID-19, so I will send them to him in Holland because he could really use happy mail. How wonderful that technology allowed me to share these cards with him on video. Zoom is great! If you missed it, you can see it here.
The Scotch and the Dutch
There is a story that copper wire was invented when a Dutchman and a Scotsman were fighting over a penny. This makes me laugh and it also reminds me of two lovely customers of mine who have become like family. They are proud of their Scottish roots and their frugality. So am I. Jean and Debbie both sent cards for Gerard, and I don’t know if they knew it from each other, but they also both used plaid paper. Let’s take a look.
Jean’s Card
Jean made a card that looks like a man’s shirt. How cool is that? Jean is super talented, she sews, knits, crochets, paints, tole paints, and makes amazing cards. She is also a pretty mean cook and baker. I want to be Jean when I grow up!! If you want to see more cards made with the Perfectly Plaid paper, check out this blog post.
Debbie’s Card
Debbie is Jean’s daughter and she has the biggest heart ever! She has seen a lot of Canada, especially the very remote north as she has often been posted up there as a nurse. Debbie has made a huge difference in the lives of her patients up there and she always brings lots of treats for the kids that they can’t get up there as well as crafting supplies. I love the Canadian theme of Debbie’s card and of course the plaid! Debbie was supposed to go to Holland as well at the end of April for the World War 2 anniversary remembrance celebrations. Debbie’s uncle was a POW and helped build the bridge over the river Kwai in Thailand.
My picture of your card is a little blurry Debbie, I’m sorry. Either that or my eyes are going bad! I know you can relate and this will bring a smile to your face. It’s too bad you won’t be visiting Holland in April and May, but I am looking forward to spending time there with you some day and showing you a few of my favourite places. We will go to my favourite bakery, Bakkerij Vreugdenhil and we will have high tea at the Bosrand.
Thanks!
Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest, I will be featuring more cards over the next two weeks. The winner of the stamp set is Peg Dotson from Great Falls, Montana.
Big Celebrations
Even though Gerard could not come, I have reason to celebrate. Yesterday I reached a career sales milestone of a half million dollars! That is a great big pile of stamps, ink and paper. I am really thrilled and I couldn’t have done it without you.
Thanks for joining me today. I have been questioning whether or not I should keep blogging every day or to start doing it Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your feedback would be helpful and appreciated. Please continue to share my posts and cards on Pinterest, that is the lifeblood of a paper crafting business. It is great to be an inspiration to your fellow demonstrators, but that does not put food on the table. Sales do. I need to put my time into what helps me to do that. I know you understand and I am so happy you are here with me! Have a super day and stay safe and sane.
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by Jackie Bultje | Feb 26, 2020 | aqua painters, Birthday, colour wash, masculine cards, Tropical Oasis |
Hello stampers and happy Thursday to you. Today I want to share with you a very simple colouring technique, colour washing with aqua painters. I used this technique yesterday on one of my Tropical Oasis cards and I will share with you a few valuable tips and tricks to enhance this technique.
Tips and Tricks for Colour Washing with Aqua Painters
Totally by accident I found a very important tip for colour washing with aqua painters, but I will share a few more here with you as well.
- Use thick whisper white cardstock instead of regular cardstock. The thickness of the cardstock will allow deeper grooves from the embossing with the dies and this allows for lovely variation of colour.
- Use an acrylic block pressed into your ink pad of choice as your “ink pad” for picking up the colour for your aqua painter.
- Hold the aqua painter on a bit of an angle as you brush the colour on to get better and more consistent colour coverage.
- Play with different colours or even use more than one colour on your die cut cardstock. You might be surprised that the colour you first chose is not the best one. That is what happened to me with my pineapple topper. Originally I used granny apple green because I loved the pop of fresh colour. Turns out that garden green looked a LOT better.
- If you are colour washing a background then your best choice is either shimmery white cardstock or Fluid 100 Watercolour paper.
Compare the Difference
Last night during my Facebook Live I didn’t have the pineapple topper that I needed on hand, so I had to improvise. Caroline had accidentally cut a white topper in the morning at coffee ad a card so I used that and did a colour wash with it using garden green. It looked fabulous, so I thought I would share it with you here.
Do you see how the granny apple green topper now seems to lack depth and reality when you compare it to the garden green colour washed one? Great things happen when you are forced to improvise and experiment. This is also a great trick to remember when you are all out of a certain colour of cardstock.
Palm Trees and Tropical Prints
These last two cards really don’t have anything to do with colour washing but I wanted to share them with you anyways. Again, it is interesting to see the change in the card that happens simply by switching up the patterned paper. It is the same sheet of paper, just turned over!
You would choose which paper to use based on your recipient. Does he or she wear subdued, classic Hawaiian shirts or vibrant and boisterous ones?
Clean Vintage Card
There were lot of improvising opportunities last night! I was missing a pineapple topper in garden green that was supposed to be the bush under my palm trees so this is the card that ended up being created! I loved the clean and simple vintage look and it also shows you how to use a partial label die with the woodie. This was also the only sentiment that I had not yet used in the Tropical Oasis stamp set.
Answering Your Questions
I just wanted to address something here since I know that many of my readers are fellow demonstrators. As most of you know, I love to share what I do freely, however I do have only so many hours in a day. So please don’t be offended if I cannot take the time to explain to you how I run my classes or events. About a year ago I started a private Facebook group just to address those needs. It is available to anyone in the world and it is super affordable, only $5 a month in your own currency payable through PayPal or etransfer. I do weekly live videos and also share other files and great information there. We have a wonderful tribe of people on this group and that is where you can go if you want to learn business tips and training from me. Thanks for understanding!
Looking Back
Do you ever look back on your work from the past? I love to go back to some of my old blog posts to see what I made a year or two ago. If you are like me, your cards are kind of like your babies. You really, really get attached to them and they hold special memories. Check out this blog post for some lovely cards and a heartwarming story too. Don’t let the attachment and affection you have for your cards prevent you from giving them away! Just take a picture of them and know that they will be going to a very good home and spreading love around the world.
Facebook Live
Every Tuesday I do a Facebook live video showing the three cards that we made at coffee and a card that morning. If you missed the one from yesterday you can see it here. If you like it, please share so your friends can see it too. Thanks so much for joining me today and have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Jan 16, 2020 | masculine cards, Mountain Air, My Meadow, The LIbrary Challenge |
Hello stampers and happy Thursday. Today I am participating in The Library Challenge and the book we are using for inspiration is Where the Wild Fern Grows. I loved this book so much when I was a child, so I was thrilled to see that it was the featured book for the library challenge.
The Importance of Books
I have loved books for as long as I can remember. One of my most vivid childhood memories is on grade one when I went to the school library for the first time. Oh, the wealth of books! I remember one book in particular because it was a different shape than all the others. It was about frogs I think and it was taller than the rest. Even now I always have at least one book on the go. Books are the only way I truly relax and do nothing. Ask my kids and they will tell you that I get so lost in my book that I hear nothing! I think they finally believe me when I say that I am not purposely ignoring them, I truly don’t hear them! My book transports me into another world.
Sometimes this time travel into another book is not a good thing. I feel so deeply that the book I am reading can really affect my mood. Where the Wild Fern Grows reduced me to a torrent of tears. I was a stoic child who would never cry in public or even in front of my family; I would go and hide to cry. At 52 I am finally learning to be vulnerable and let my tears show. Go figure.
Books are vital to mental health, to being more well-rounded as a person and therefore more open to other people’s ideas. Books help us to understand other people and other cultures. They can be a bridge to peace.
Where the Wild Fern Grows
If you have never read this book and you would like to know about the story line, you can check out the link here. The Library Challenge encourages us to make a card inspired either by the cover of the book, the title or the story. I chose my inspiration to be the story. Billy grows up in the Ozark mountains and trains two hunting dogs that are the love of his life. While several tragedies occur, I like to focus on the big picture. I know that there are many money that BIlly looked back on with joy. His heart will always be in the mountains and he will never forget his beautiful and loyal dogs Old Dan and LIttle Ann. Do yourself a favour and read this classic. If you have kids or grandkids or even elderly parents, read this book aloud to them. People love being read to, it is so calming and we could all use more of that in our lives!
My Card
I chose to use the stamp set Mountain AIr. This great nature set is a pleasure to work with! With mountains, tree lines and individual trees, birds, rocks and a moon you have all you need to create a gorgeous scene. I also used the water stamp from the new set My Meadow. The frame and the saying are from the Painted Poppies Bundle.
The card itself is quite simple so I added interest by adding texture and dimension. Simply winding the linen thread around at angles and tying at the back makes for a more interesting focal point and adds texture. The white panel is adhered to the mossy meadow panel which is popped up on the grey granite card. The sentiment is also popped up as is the smaller pine tree.
Only three colours were used on this card: mossy meadow, grey granite and balmy blue. By stamping off, also known as generational stamping, you get more colours for a more in depth effect. If you want to see another project I made that uses generational stamping, check out this blog post.
The Library Challenge
If you want to read more about The LIbrary Challenge, or if you want to take part yourself, you can find them here. I know you will be inspired as I was to combine my love of reading with my love of card making. What book are you reading right now? What was your favourite book as a child? I would love to hear from you in the comments. Thanks so much for joining me today, have a super day!
I just realized that I promised to tell you the story about my afternoon with my Tante Nel but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Enough stories for today.
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