Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Cheer Corner. That is the name of a weekly video I am doing on my personal Facebook page. My goal is to reach non-stampers and to show them that you really CAN change the world one card at a time. I have done Cheer Corner off and on for a couple of years. What I used to do is post a card and then ask people to nominate who I should send it to. Now I am taking it a step further.
Cheer Corner
Never underestimate the power of a hand made, handwritten card. People are touched when they get happy mail and even more so when the card was made from scratch. It is such an easy way to make a difference in someone’s life. Here is the video that I made this morning.
Anyone Can Do It
The other purpose of my newly revised #cheercorner is to show people how easy it is to make a card. With a few key tools you are all set. You don’t have to have everything but the kitchen sink. Ink, paper, stamps and a paper trimmer will get you a long ways. True, the other stuff is nice to have but it is not essential.
Speaking of the Basics
Speaking of the basics, tomorrow is an incredible day. It is the start of a really fantastic sale. This one makes sense and it is a reason to celebrate. Stock up on your cardstock, ink pads and dies. Ok, the dies aren’t essential but at 20% it’s a great deal.
Here is the host code that you can use when you place your order. Only use the host code if your order is less than $200. If it is more than that then you qualify for host benefits. How awesome is that??
Lousy Picture, Great Cards
Here is a photo of my #cheercorner cards. I shouldn’t have put them on the buffalo plaid table runner, it is too distracting. Now it is dark so I cannot take a better picture. I just noticed that there is even a shadow in the picture, but if you want to get a better look, check out the video.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me. This is going to be an epic week. I am going wedding dress shopping with my sister on Wednesday and on Friday Pap will turn 95 Lord willing! Wow. So much to celebrate. I hope you have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Starting all over! That is what it feels like and there is a joy in this journey and I want to share the lessons that I learn along the way. Starting all over? What am I talking about? Let’s find out.
Starting All Over!
Did you know that I have been a demonstrator in Canada now for 16 years? I’m officially an old-timer in the Stampin’Up! world and I am proud of it. Now that I am spending more time in the Netherlands as well and running my business almost entirely online in Canada I have also become a demonstrator in the Netherlands. Yes, that is possible!
As a brand new demonstrator in the Netherlands I have decided to start all over here and teach beginner classes. Starting all over I decided it would be best to get back to basics. I think every demonstrator’s true joy is teaching people who have never held a stamp in their hands and inked it up. The joy of discovering creativity is contagious. Last night I taught my first beginner class and it was so much fun. We laughed so much and I actually stamped my sentiment upside down while demonstrating the Stamparatus!
This card was made using the Dutch stamp set Plantenpost which is `Plentiful Plants in English. You can find it on page 81 of the annual catalog. It does come with adorable dies which include to macramé plant hangers, but you can make gorgeous cards without the dies too. That being said, the dies also cut out many images from the designer series paper.
We took the party to the inside and stamped another potted plant and the sentiment using Cinnamon Cider and Just Jade. The stamparatus made positioning the words so simple. I love this tool so much and highly recommend it to all levels of stampers. Truth be told, when it first came out I resisted it thinking it was only for beginners. Now it stays on top of my desk within reach because I use it all the time.
Stepping It Up a Little
Beginner cards don’t have to be ugly or uninspiring. By adding some Bloom Where You’re Planted paper to the envelope flap and a little linen thread to the card we now have a really pretty creation don’t you think?
If you want to see another post featuring the Plentiful Plants bundle, check out this blog post.
One of the Most Beautiful Perks
Do you know why I wanted to start all over here? Besides the fact that I love introducing people to the joy of stamping, I also love, love, love meeting new people. Everyone has a story to tell and my life is enriched by their stories and their souls. Yesterday I had the deep joy of meeting Barbara. She brought me a gift (which was totally unnecessary as I really don’t expect that). The gift had so much thought behind it. Barbara made a cute little box to put it in and we laughed together because we discovered that both of us actually struggle with making boxes!! Inside the box was a bottle of blackberry syrup made by the people that Barbara works with.
You see, this lovely woman works with people who have learning disabilities (in Dutch they say verstandelijk beperkt) It is one of the things that I love so much about Holland is how they deal with their unique populations. Barbara works at the Nooitgedacht Werkboerderij (Never Would Have Thought working farm) and in this beautiful environment people are given meaningful work, some of which I enjoyed with my pancakes this morning!
You can read more about this wonderful place here. Rest assured I will be making a visit and will be telling you more about it!
More Beginner Classes
I am super excited to announce that I will be hosting beginner classes each Friday for the next four weeks at Bloemenlaan 6, -s’Gravenzande 2691 JC at 9:30am. We’ll start with coffee and treats and then make a card at 10am. Cost is only 10 euros. I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing YOUR story.
Don’t Forget!
There are only 6 days left of saleabration, so don’t forget to place your order and get some bonus free items. If you have been sitting on the fence about getting the starter kit, take a leap of faith. You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain. Your kit has no shipping or tax, you pay only $135 and you get to choose $165 in product (perfect way to get your new die cutting machine!) You also get to choose a bonus Christmas bundle worth up to $80 AND you get to be a part of my amazing team. Together we’ll have more stories to tell.
Thanks for joining me today, have a super day and a great weekend.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. I am thrilled to present to you an online and in person class called À la Carte Christmas Class. This class will take place online on Thursday October 28 at 7pm EST and in person on Saturday October 30 at 10am. You will make ten gorgeous cards regardless of which option you choose. You will receive a class kit that will include more items than you will need to complete your cards so that will be a LOT of fun. Let me explain how it works.
À la Carte Christmas Options
I called this class À la Carte Christmas Class because you have three options to choose from as to which format you choose and then at the class you can also choose which cards you want to make with your kit. Lots of options for you to personalize your experience. You can even choose to join in on the online event on Thursday and then come in person on Saturday as well.
All options include ten cards, a kraft gift box and a package of Gingerbread & Peppermint acrylic shapes. The base price for this is $35 plus $5 shipping anywhere in Canada.
The regular class also includes a stamp set of your choice. You can choose between For Unto Us OR Holly Jolly Wishes. For this option you will also receive 6 iridescent snowflakes. The price for the regular option is $55 plus $5 shipping if you need it shipped.
Lastly there is the deluxe option at $120. You get all the things that are offered in option one and two PLUS the Frosted Peppermint bundle as well as a 6″ by 12″ piece of white velvet and red velvet paper.
Video Tour of this Class
There are so many cute details on these cards and they are finished beautifully on the inside and even on the back!! You can check it out in this video tour as well. Seeing is believing!!
Here is a closeup of one of the cards so you can see just how lovely they are up close.
Here is another look at all the cards. Remember, you will be making ten cards in any combination that you like. Included in your class is a half a package of the Gingerbread & Peppermint Memories & More collection which means ten large cards and envelopes, two sticker sheets, three “baking racks”, 18 3″ by 4″ cards and 9 4″ by 6″ cards.
Ready to Join This Fun Class?
I have tried to make it really easy for you to join this À la Carte Christmas Class. You can just click on the button below and choose your option. I am looking forward to crafting with you either in person or online!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you! Today I am sharing with you my Flowering Cactus small Memories and More cards. Did you know that you can buy an assorted Memories and More card pack that includes large cards and small cards? I used the large cards for my February Virtual Coffee and a Card class on YouTube but I a wanted to show you some alternative ideas using the small cards that are included in the pack.
Flowering Cactus Small Memories and More Cards
Using the small cards is a totally different experience, it is literally working with a smaller canvas. I am thrilled with how my cards turned out. Simply Succulents is the perfect partner to the Flowering Cactus Product Medley. That is where that cute flowerpot is from in case you were wondering.
A few things to note about this card. The flower pot was stamped on watercolour paper and coloured with a water painter. That beautiful cactus is made with three cactus die cuts and the grey foliage is actually the real deal. It is dried algae or some sort of plant material that you put in potted plants or arrangements. I thought it looked really neat in this pot.
Follow me on YouTube
If you would like to see how these cards were made, you can check it out on my YouTube channel. I am still working on making this channel more visible and learning how to use it with maximum results. Let me know what you think!
If you want to subscribe to my channel just click here.
Gerard is Back in Holland
My heart is a little sad today as my favourite man is back in Holland. We had a wonderful 16 days together with the last two of them being out of quarantine. He was able to spend time with the kids and grandkids and that was priceless. We also got a nice visit in with my parents and it was touching to see how happy they were to see him. I was thrilled that Gerard could ask Pap’s blessing on our relationship.
Thank you for your patience while I took a bit of a step back from my business. There is a bunch of stuff going into the mail today and I still have to figure out next month’s coffee and a card class.
We hardly took any pictures of the two of us together but we certainly made beautiful memories. Gerard has one on his phone that he has to send me but his phone is a little the worse for wear after an incident at the airport so you will have to wait a few days until it is repaired.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Paper, ribbon and ink. It really is amazing what you can do when you combine some coordinating paper, ribbon and ink. I like it even better when the combination is a surprising one. Today we will see when we combine some Flowers for Every Season Memories & More cards and envelopes with in colour inks and ribbon AND the beautiful Flower & Field designer series paper that is free with a $60 saleabration purchase.
Paper, Ribbon and Ink
Did you notice that I didn’t mention cardstock? That’s right. No cardstock needed because the Memories & More cards are already the perfect card base for you. This is instant gratification at its best. Just cut your Field & Flower paper to 3″ by 4″ and mix and match them how you like. Huge thanks to Michele Jutrisa for her inspiration for these cards. You can see her blog post here.
For the sentiment I used the new double oval punch, the hostess set Punch Party and the everyday label punch. The oval punches were layered over top of a vellum everyday label punched out. A loop of in colour ribbon was adhered under the vellum and popped up with dimensionals.
Here are a few closeups so you can see the detail in the punches. They are very unforgiving!! You can see the little ink smears but do keep in mind that I made these cards during a Facebook live with a camera between me and my work! They still look great I think.
For the last two I used the Rectangular Postage Stamp punch which also coordinates with the Punch Party stamp set. This stamp set is free when you have a $375 workshop or order. Here is another favourite of mine using the Flower & Field paper.
Field & Flower Card Kit by Mail
I forgot to add in here that you can get a five card kit by mail in Canada for only $15 including postage. Let me know if you want one!
Parcels in the Post
My next Parcel in the Post is ready. There are still two left over from January which featured the Love You Always suite. This month the theme is Art Gallery. The parcels are $32 which includes shipping anywhere in Canada. They contain an assortment of products that will save you money and jump start your creativity. The pictures tell the story!
Here is the photo of the January/February Parcel in the Post, there are two left of this one.
My preferred payment for the Parcels in the Post is etransfer to jackiebultje@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work for you, message me and we will figure something out.
Thanks!
You may have noticed that there was no blog post on Wednesday. I spent a couple of days with my parents again and they are my priority then. I did get some stamping time in with my mom and it is gratifying how much she loves it. She made some cards for the grandkids and great grandkids as well as some cute boxes with the Paper Pumpkin addon. The snails were right up her alley. “Deze slakjes zijn zo leuk” is what she said. Translation: those snails are so cute!
If you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin I am going to make a shocking suggestion. Stop or suspend your subscription. You can choose to skip a few months if you like. Then you can purchase a three month prepaid subscription and get a free saleabration item, the Flower and Field paper or the Darling Donkeys set. After the three months are up you can resume your subscription. Anyways, I digress. I was trying to say thank you for joining me today. I hope you have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I am using Flowers for Every Season Memories & More Cards. I wanted to show you how very easy it is to make stunning cards using the Memories & More collection. The cards and envelopes come in all the new in colours and they are white in the inside. Once again Stampin’Up! coordination makes it so simple to create and be successful. No stress, no fuss.
Memories & More Cards
I thought it would be a good idea to show you a card in each of the new in colours: Misty Moonlight, Just Jade, Bumblebee, Magenta Madness and Cinnamon Cider.
Simple Supplies
When everything coordinates it makes it really easy to create stunning cards. I simply used the Memories & More Flowers for every Season card pack and the coordinating In Colour Memories & More cards. I added the new In Colour 1/4″ ribbon and the new In Colour Enamel Dots. The stickers from the Memories & More pack are the icing on the cake. I chose to use the Tasteful Touches bundle for the sayings and the dies. These products will be available from the new catalog on June 3.
The Envelopes
In this picture you can see the envelopes and also how I used a larger Memories & More card for the inside of this card. I purposely didn’t stamp anything inside as I am not sure who the card is going to yet. It’s so nice that the insides of the cards are white!
Stepping It Up
You could easily step up these cards by using the new jar punch and the Jar of Flowers stamp set but I will save that for another day. I can promise you that you are going to LOVE the new catalog. Don’t worry though; if your wish list is long, just get the starter kit and join my team. You will get your very own discount, you can participate in my online training group and you might even build yourself a stellar and fun business doing what you love.
Just in case you want instant gratification, the items I used today are ALL available in our preorder. That means you can put them in your starter kit RIGHT NOW! Here is the link if you need a little COVID cure.
A Personal Note
Today I got two emails from KLM and it looks like I really will be flying out on Tuesday to be reconnected with the love of my life. I haven’t seen Gerard since January 29!! My plane will land on Wednesday morning at Schiphol in Amsterdam, so I know you will forgive me if there isn’t a blog post that day. I will be blogging again on Friday but I hope to connect with you by video on Facebook on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day.
