by Jackie Bultje | Mar 20, 2020 | kids cards, kits, Paper Pumpkin |
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Before this whole COVID-19 pandemic I created a new class called The Littles and Me. It was to be held every other Saturday and it was to be a fun, easy class for any adult and child combo. Now with responsible social distancing I had to get creative. Paper Pumpkin to the rescue!
Keeping Your Family Entertained
People are keenly feeling the stress of social isolation. There are few distractions available to help spend time with your children and so it is time to get creative and I would love to help with that. I am a huge believer in meaningful creativity. When a crafting experience can also serve a good purpose, it is a winner in my eyes. For my Littles and Me class tomorrow at 10am I am using the No Matter the Weather Paper Pumpkin kit. This is definitely a God thing. Who would have thought that I would order 30 Paper Pumpkins with the hope that I would have enough people sponsor a kit for the Cancer Campaign?
Stampin’Up! does not permit us to included stamped images in our kits. There is a good reason for that! Pre-stamped images would negatively impact the sales of our stamp sets. The purpose of Stampin’Up! is for people to experience the joy and thrill of inking a stamp and putting it on paper. When I had to cancel my in person Littles and Me class, I needed to find an alternative that would allow the kids to be able to stamp along with me at home. Yay for Paper Pumpkin.
The Bonus Set
Since March was the sixth anniversary of Paper Pumpkin, there was a bonus stamp set in this month’s kit. I took those bonus stamps out so that I could build another class around it and have enough stamps so that the littles would still be able to stamp along with me. Today I am going to share the cards I made with this set. I would highly recommend that you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin if you haven’t already done so, your kids and grandkids and maybe even your partner will thank you for it!
No Matter The Weather
These cards definitely coordinate with the stamp set in the No Matter the Weather Paper Pumpkin kit, but they can also be used alone. I did use the cloud stamp and the brick stamp from the Paper Pumpkin stamp set, but I know that kids can easily draw their own clouds and bricks as well. Here is a closeup of one of the cards and the stamp set that you get with this class. If you would like to see the cards from the first class, click on this link.
The Littles and Me To Go Online Class
What is included with this class? How does it work and how much does it cost? It is $35, you get 20 notecards and envelopes, two ink spots OR a full sized used ink pad (I am clearing out my extras) and the stamp set. You pick up the kit from my front porch after you have prepaid and I will do a live video on Saturday March 28 at 10am. I am hoping to be able to do a weekly kids class so that they have something to look forward to. This is something that the whole family can participate in and then you can take more time to write notes and letters inside the cards you have made and mail them to your relatives and friends who need some happy mail.
Stay Safe
Social distancing will definitely slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and will keep the vulnerable population safer. To help with this I encourage you to order your kits online directly through my online store. I can recommend the following kits and the links to them will be in the supply list below if you live in Canada, if you live in the States you can shop with my cross border buddy Julie Gilson.
- Paper Pumpkin, a monthly subscription or get one, three, six or twelve month prepaid subscriptions so you can get free host benefits and saleabration freebies (until March 31)
- Three Cheers for You Card Kit.
- Botanical Prints Product Medley (you get a free pdf tutorial from me to make 12 cards)
- Seriously the Best kit (stamp set sold separately) Here is my blog post on that one.
- Looking Up Card Kit
- Notes of Kindness Kit
- Lots of Happy card kit
- For the Love of Felt project kit (stamp set sold separately)
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today, please do pin and share as much as you can to help spread the word about paper crafting and meaningful activities to do with families and to connect families that are apart. I hope you are doing well and staying hopeful. Here is the recipe for my delicious banana muffins. The muffins take 20 minutes at 350F. I did substitute half the flour with oat flour (just put oatmeal in the blender and grind it to powder). I did not add the glaze to the muffins but that would have been delicious!
You can see this is a well-seasoned page. If I remember correctly it made 2 dozen muffins. Happy stamping and happy baking. #itsallaboutthetreats #thepamperedstamper
Have a super day!
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by Jackie Bultje | Mar 19, 2020 | kids cards, kits, Paper Pumpkin, subscription |
No matter the weather we’re in this together. Wow! That is the saying in the latest Paper Pumpkin kit which is also called No Matter the Weather. Eerily prophetic isn’t it? What a perfect kit to have this month. Honestly, there has never been a better time to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin. What is Paper Pumpkin anyways?
Paper Pumpkin
Paper Pumpkin is a paper crafting kit subscription that is even better than a magazine subscription. Is is almost always cards, but sometimes it can be gift bags or boxes or a home decor piece. The cute red box comes filled with everything you need to make the project that is in it. If you subscribe, your first kit also comes with a free acrylic block. Every month you will find in the box a mini ink pad, a stamp set and all the paper supplies and embellishments to make the cards or other project. Specialty adhesives like glue dots and diimensionals are also included. Dimensionals are little foam hexagons that are sticky on both sides that pop up your paper shape to give your card more dimension. All you need of your own is scissors and a tape runner or glue stick.
No Matter the Weather
Every March Paper Pumpkin has a very special Paper Pumpkin in a unique box because it is the anniversary of Paper Pumpkin. This year marks the 6th anniversary of this great subscription service. What makes this subscription special is that you can choose to skip a month whenever you want with no penalty. You can purchase your subscription in different ways. You can subscribe so that you pay monthly, or you can buy a prepaid one month, three month, six month or twelve month subscription. With those subscriptions you pay the whole amount at once, but you can also get free saleabration items or host items when you do it this way.
Your Choices
I took some pictures of the pricing options for Paper Pumpkin. With the social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this kit is a fantastic way to have a fun crafting distraction with the whole family that is also very meaningful. You can send cards to your friends and relatives that you can’t see and that you worry about. The most important thing to remember is that with the pay as you go option shipping is INCLUDED, you only pay tax. The prepaid subscriptions will have 10% shipping and whatever your provincial tax is. Until March 31 a three month prepaid will also give you a free saleabration item, you can check out your options here.
If you think this would be great for you or your family and you live in Canada, simply click here to get the fun started. If you want to see what another kit looked like, check out this blog post for a winter kit.
A Closer Look at the Cards
I made these cards just the way it said in the instructions with no alterations. There are twelve cards in this kit and I will be doing a live video on Saturday morning at 10am so that you and your kids can do it with me. If you live locally in the Chatham, Ontario area, I still have two kits available.
More Kits Coming
Besides the many wonderful kits in both the annual and the mini catalog, I am hoping to kit up extra products that I have at home for local people. This is taking a lot longer than I would like but I am guessing that this whole COVID-19 thing is going to take longer than we’d like as well. I hope that you are doing well physically, mentally and emotionally. Remember to take time to destress. It is so important to turn the television off, and the radio. Limit the amount of news you watch. Go outside and enjoy nature. Breathe deeply. Pray. Meditate. Bake your favourite treat. Cook your favourite meal with the ingredients you have on hand.
Boterkoek Recipe
This is a classic Dutch treat that you would enjoy with your coffee. I hesitate to call it a dessert because that is like calling a muffin dessert. It translates to “butter cake”.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me and please remember to share as many people could use some creative distraction these days. Take good care of each other, it is times like this that remind us of what is really important. Have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Mar 9, 2020 | kids cards, making a difference, Memories & More cards, Paper Pumpkin |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Stamping with littles has been on my mind lately. Have you ever stamped with “littles”? It is my pet word for children and it is an inclusive and endearing term. I think it is super important to do meaningful activities in intergenerational groups. This used to happen in the distant past with quilting bees and baking events, but it is quite rare today.
Let Me Tell You About Stamping with Littles
This past Saturday I had a “Littles and Me” class and I really had no idea what to expect as I did not set any age specifications. It was the first of two classes and the second class was full with four adults and eight littles. This one was only one adult and two littles, but then one more adult and one more little came for a well rounded class. The youngest little was four and the oldest was twelve. One of the adults was a young mom, the other an oma. It was lovely to see everyone interact! Like all stamping events, it was about so much more than just making cards! It warmed my heart to see the quality time and the relationships that were strengthened through doing a meaningful and fun activity together.
Cheerful Chick
One of the cards that we made at my “Littles and Me” class was this cheerful chick card. It is perfect for all ages and everyone was delighted to see the chick take shape as we added eyes, beak and feet. Oh the joys of two step stamping!
Even the four year old was able to make this card with a bit of help. She stamped her background flowers all by herself and then chose to put the sentiment on her egg since she didn’t want to cover any of her flowers. Perfectly adorable!
Dino Days
The second card for my Littles and Me class featured the dinosaur set. The reason for that is because the die for the egg in the chick card comes from the Dino Days bundle! I also thought the littles could personalize their card by choosing which dinosaur to put on their card. This is a super fun set with adorable coordinating paper.
The littles were true to my expectations. They switched around the patterned paper, the placement of the hearts, their choice of dinosaurs, it was great! Children love to do their own thing much more than adults. They have confidence in what they like and are not at all worried about doing it “right”. We can learn from them. My next Littles and Me class is Saturday March 21 at 10am.
Memories and More cards with the Littles
If you want to create with the littles in your life, I highly recommend our Memories and More line of products. There are ready to go whisper white Memories & More cards and envelopes so that you do not need to cut and score them yourself. Match them up with the Memories & More card pack of your choice and you will have hours of easy fun with your littles. In the card pack there are also stickers and special cards. They are also perfectly suited for pocket card style scrapbooking, where you slip either photos or these cards into the various sized pockets. There are journaling cards included as well.
Tropical Oasis Memories & More tutorial
I have made a tutorial that includes 15 cards made using Memories & More cards. There are five “normal” cards included as well. If you love the Memories & More cards but need a help getting your creative juices flowing, then this tutorial is for you. Cheaper than a class and you can stay home in your pajamas to do it! Here is a photo of all the cards. You can examine them closely and probably figure it out on your own and that is fine too. The tutorial is there for instant gratification! Sometimes we need that. This will last longer than a bouquet of flowers, so indulge yourself.
If you want to purchase the tutorial, just click on the buy now below and when I get the PayPal notification I will send you the pdf.
Paper Pumpkin for Cancer Campaign
This blog post is all over the place today! There is just so much that I want to share with you. As you may know, Paper Pumpkin for March will have a bonus stamp set in it. What you might not know is that I was inspired by a fellow team member who is battling her second cancer right now. First she conquered breast cancer, now she is dealing with brain cancer. She is in the hospital right now and when I was chatting with her I found out that as she is pain free she has hours in the hospital spend sleeping and reading. What she needed was some paper crafting distraction! Paper Pumpkin to the rescue. It didn’t take much time to gather a few Paper Pumpkins, some extra ink spots from previous Paper Pumpkins, some scissors and some adhesive.
This made me think that it would be great to distribute more Paper Pumpkins to the cancer ward. Cancer patients and their families could benefit from having a fun and meaningful distraction. With March having a bonus stamp set I thought I would ask people to sponsor a Paper Pumpkin. The bonus stamp set would be mailed to them and that way people from all over the world could participate. You can too!! You have until tomorrow to do it! Time is of the essence. After the tenth there will be no more bonus stamp set. You could still sponsor a Paper Pumpkin but there would be no perk for you besides the joy of doing something special for someone.
I love it when I can use my business for the greater good and can mobilize other people to join me.
Thanks so Much!
Thanks so very much for joining me today and also for participating in fun ventures with me. I really hope that this impulsive, last minute idea to spread joy to cancer patients with Paper Pumpkin gets a lot of involvement, together we really can make a difference. On a personal note, keep those cards coming for Gerard and you will be in a draw for a masculine stamp set. Read more about it in this blog post. There is also the Honour and Remember event happening for our veteran community. You can read about that here.
Only three weeks left in saleabration so be sure to take advantage of the free products or the starter kit opportunity. More info on that in this post, OR if you are ready for the best deal in the catalog, simply click this link to get started.
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by Jackie Bultje | Feb 5, 2020 | I'll Bee Yours, Paper Pumpkin, Wonderful Moments |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Wonderful Moments is an amazing stamp set in the annual catalog that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. It has gorgeous line images that are perfect for colouring but also for clean and simple stamping. This stamp set also has a ton of great sentiments in a beautiful font. A great combination for sure!
Wonderful Moments
This Saturday their will be many wonderful moments as we gather with our community at our local church for a vintage fashion show of wedding dresses through the decades. It is a fundraiser for our refugee committee so it will not only be a fun afternoon but it will also be for a very good cause. On Sunday I was asked if I could make fifteen thank you cards for the people who donated dresses for this event. I took a deep breath and said yes, not knowing how I would fit this extra task into my week.
Paper Pumpkin to the Rescue
You may be wondering why I would subscribe to Paper Pumpkin. I design most of my own cards so why would I want to get a kit to make cards? Purely for convenience! Not to mention the great stamp sets that last forever and the very useful mini ink pads that are simply superb for using with the Stamparatus. Paper Pumpkin is also very portable and I have often taken it to my parents where I have a fun morning crafting with my 88 year old mom. This time Paper Pumpkin saved my butt because it was so easy to make thank you cards for this fundraiser. It was just what I needed. Do you want to see what I made?
Simple Thank You Cards
All I did was stamp the bride image on the front of these 3″ square cards with the pretty little thank you from the I’ll Bee Yours Paper Pumpkin stamp set. I then stamped the envelope with those stamps as well. I am particularly pleased with the stamped image on the envelope flap!
These days I’m not sure if the photo is a little blurry or if it is my eyes!! If you think it is blurry, be sure to leave me a comment since that might mean I need to clean the lens of my camera or get my eyes checked or both!
If you want to see some other cards that I have made with Wonderful Moments, check out this blog post.
Paper Pumpkin Possibilities
Here you can see the great stamp set that came with the January Paper Pumpkin. I just placed an order for a customer for a twelve month Paper Pumpkin subscription so I have all the facts at my fingertips. With her prepaid subscription she also got five saleabration items and $30 in free host merchandise. It really is the best time to order your Paper Pumpkin. This deal is on until March 31, 2020. The possibilities are amazing.
Your other option, one which someone else in my circle chose, is to get the starter kit which will give you so many freebies and save you shipping and tax. Then you order your own Paper Pumpkin subscription, get all the aforementioned benefits AND save 20%. Do I have a lot of great suggestions today or what? You know I have your very best interests at heart. The Dutch blood in me makes me passionate to save you as much money as possible.
Here is a closeup of the stamp set in January’s Paper Pumpkin kit. The great thing is that it coordinates with the heart punches in the mini catalog as well as with the Honey Bee stamp set. I think this gives Paper Pumpkin even greater value because coordination is priceless. Here is the link to the YouTube video that shows you this month’s projects.
If you would like to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and get this great kit delivered straight to your door every month simply click here to get started. This link will only work if you live in Canada.
A Big Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow is going to be an epically exciting day for the Beyond Pampered team. We have the head of Stampin’Up! Canada coming to our team gathering and we are thrilled. That may mean no blog post tomorrow, but I will be sure to share pictures of our event on Friday’s post.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Dec 2, 2019 | card kits, Christmas, Paper Pumpkin, vulnerability |
Hello stampers! Have you heard about the power of vulnerability? I stumbled across this Ted talk by Brené Brown a few years ago and it really made a lot of sense to me. Brene is actually a shame researcher and this talk was just a happy accident that went viral. If you haven’t heard it, you can check it out here.
One of the basic premises is that in order to truly connect with people you need to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Be real. Take the mask off and get rid of shame. I find that the older I get the easier that gets as well. Once again, this has nothing to do with card making but it does have a lot to do with life so I thought I would share it with you.
Sharing What I Love
Stampin’Up! is all about sharing what we love and loving what we do and in that making a difference. That is why I share not only my love of card making, but my love of life, my love of God and my love for people. How awesome is that? It sure makes me happy and I hope some of that rubs off on you. Happiness is not something that you wait for, it is something you create. Something you choose. Today I also want to share more about Paper Pumpkin.
Vulnerability and Blogging
When I finally sat down to blog today I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about and show you. I wasn’t sure if I would bore you by sharing more Paper Pumpkin creations. As a blogger there can be pressure to create THE post that is just going to be so amazing that everyone will share it and you will get a record number of visitors to your blog. In short, your blog could become your idol. Not a good thing.
By telling you what was going through my mind before writing this, I am being vulnerable! The bottom line is though that these cards are pretty awesome and it was a lot of fun to make them AND it shows how well the last two Paper Pumpkin kits can work together as they were intended to.
The Cards
If you are on Facebook and on the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club, then maybe you have already seen that I shared these cards there. You see, I wanted some feedback as to whether there should be a bow or no bow. Now I am curious as to what you think. I will show the final version that I was most happy with. It really is interesting to see how a card can change dramatically just by changing one small detail.
For these cards I used the tree die cut and the deer die cut from the November Winter Gifts tag kit and the card base and birch tree layer from the October Winter Woods kit. I simply cut off one of the sets of birch trees to make room for the other tree and the deer. So lovely to have this easy option for card making at this busy time of the year.
The saying is from Itty Bitty Christmas and I used the Stamparatus to stamp it several times on the glimmer paper so it would be crisp, bright and clear. What a great tool the Stamparatus is!!
I wanted to add a pop of red so I tied a knot with the curly red ribbon from the Let it Snow suite. This ribbon is more like yarn, so I fluffed it up and cut it at an angle. Reviews on Facebook were mixed, some loved it, others not so much.
This final card was my compromise. Still has a small pop of red but the linen thread bow tones it down a little and has more finesse as well. Which one is your favourite?
Another little detail: I turned the deer over so that it is white and not silver. Both are nice and give you lots of options. I also think this deer would look great with our Wrapped in Plaid paper. Here is one more card using the Winter Gifts Paper Pumpkin tags.
The paper behind the tag is from Pressed Petals specialty designer series paper. I love the woodsy feel of this card. I used a few glue dots to adhere the red cardinal to some black cardstock and then I fussy cut him. This little trick makes him stand out a little more and gives him a little attitude, just like in real life!
The Gift of Paper Pumpkin
Paper Pumpkin is truly a great gift. It is a paper crafting subscription that comes in the mail once a month right to your door. Why not make it a new family tradition? With Paper Pumpkin you can spend time together at least once a month with no social media or devices and get creative. After the blessing of quality family time together you can then bless other people with what you have made. When all the creating is done you will still have a stamp set and a mini ink pad left to begin your own collection of craft items for the family to use over and over.
If you want the easiest way to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin, just click here.
Thank You
Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you have been inspired to create and to share. Be sure to take a listen to the Ted Talk about vulnerability by Brene Brown as well, I know you won’t regret it and I would love to hear what you think.
Year-End Sale
Tomorrow there is supposed to be an epic sale, so be sure to tune in to my Facebook page here. That is the first place I share the latest and greatest about Stampin’Up! I do not know ahead of time what will be on sale or by how much, but I do know that sometimes things sell out very quickly, so if you really want it shop online using the current host code 6KVMESQ6. If your order is more than $200 then please do NOT use this code, you will be entitled to your own host benefits.
This is what I was told on the SU website:
Stampin’ Up!’s Year-End Closeout is almost here! Beginning December 3 and while supplies last, you and your customers can save big on a selection of retiring and surplus items including holiday catalog items, stamp sets, and Paper Pumpkin past kits. Remind your customers to shop early to avoid missing out! Supplies are limited and popular items will sell out quickly. This amazing sale ends on January 2. Visit the promotion page on December 3 to learn more.
Have a super day!! Only two more coffee and a card classes until I leave to go to Holland again.
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by Jackie Bultje | Nov 28, 2019 | Christmas, Paper Pumpkin, tags |
Hello stampers! Oh the Paper Pumpkin possibilities! I think you may know by now that I am a rather big Paper Pumpkin advocate. That is saying a LOT. You would think that having a stamp room full of stamps, ink and paper that I would never get Paper Pumpkin for myself. Do you want to know why I do?
Treating Yourself
The main reason that I get Paper Pumpkin for myself is that it is an instant gratification treat. For once I get to papercraft without having to think and that feels pretty darn good once in a while. I have often compared it to ordering take out food even though you are a great cook and enjoy cooking. Once in a while it is just so nice to be able to indulge without any muss or fuss. Paper Pumpkin lets that happen. The Dutch in me also repurposes the beautiful box that it comes in.
Portability
The other thing that I love about Paper Pumpkin is that it is so easy to grab and take with me when I go somewhere. I always have one with me when I go and visit my parents. Mom is 87 and she loves to do this with me, especially when she realized that there is a lot of product in the box so it is ok if she messes up and needs another piece. I love watching her decide what to do with what she has as she loves to change things and make it her own. Paper Pumpkin gives us quality time that we might not otherwise have. There are only so many dice games I can play in a row!!
Possibilities
Every once in a while a Paper Pumpkin comes along that you think you might not like. No worries! You can either choose to skip a month or wait a while and see what everyone else makes with it. That’s right! There is a huge stamping community that subscribes to Paper Pumpkin and shares their creations on social media. Check out the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club on Facebook. This month the kit was Christmas tags and I heard at least one customer saying, I don’t do tags. Well, take a look what I made with this kit!
My Card with the Tag Kit
Even though this month’s kit was 24 tags, you don’t have to be limited by the suggested use. Debbie Henderson showed us this great card and I just recreated it myself. I didn’t change a thing because her card was beautiful! I did add a piece of patterned paper from the Wrapped in Plaid pack just like she did.
Here is a close up. I cut two strips of silver foil paper, 3/4″ by 5 1/4″ and 1 1/4″ by 5 1/4″ and embossed them with the Hammered 3D embossing folder. The strip of paper is from Wrapped in Plaid and it is 3″ by 5 1/4″ which means you can get two pieces out of each 6×6 piece of paper.
The deer in the kit are actually silver foil but Debbie turned them around so they would be white. This simple adjustment changes the look entirely! The other subtle change is that she cut up the sentiment and switched the order. I will show you a picture of the tag and you will see what I mean.
A Personal Note on Fear
As many of you already know my 93 year old Pap has been dealing with some nasty health issues. His bout with shingles landed him in the hospital and this evolved into fluid around his lungs, bowel issues and overall failing health. It was starting to look rather grim, but Mom had some wise words. She said that sometimes the things we fear are worse than what is actually going to happen and through this needless fear we make our lives more difficult than they need to be!
I live two and a half hours away from my parents and I have spend many hours on the road visiting them. Of course I am prepared to go again at the drop of a hat but sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and follow your head and not your heart. I got some advice from my own doctor and now I am calling the nurse’s station every day to get an update on my dad. Then I can make an informed decision instead of driving back and forth like a crazy squirrel on steroids. My absence for a few days also gives my siblings the opportunity to step up to the plate.
I have no fear for my Pap. He loves the Lord like his best friend and when he dies he will be in heaven and how awesome is that? He also has no fear, but only the regret that he is leaving the love of his life behind. This too is assuaged by the fact that God also loves my mom very much and she will be taken care of too. What a precious gift!!
Another gift
It seems a little frivolous after talking about the precious gift of salvation to be talking about the gift of Paper Pumpkin!! However….Paper Pumpkin is a wonderful gift for yourself, a friend or a teacher. You have many options to choose from. You can get a subscription where you pay monthly. You can also get pre-paid subscriptions for one, three, six or twelve months. No matter which option you choose, you can always choose to skip a month when you want. Click this link to find out more. I will also have icons at the bottom of this post with the product list. You can click on those as well and go straight to my store.
Product List
