Starting All Over!

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!

 

Planten Post or Plentiful Plants

 

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.

 

Inside of Plantenpost card.

 

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?

 

Plantenpost card with coordinating envelope with a decorated flap and linen thread to finish it all off.

 

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.

 

Free Bonus Bundle with Starter kit

Thanks for joining me today, have a super day and a great weekend.

 


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When Everything Grinds to a Halt

Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Truth be told it has not been a very happy Monday for me. When I woke up this morning I felt like a squashed bug. If you could have seen me attempting to get out of bed you would have cringed. When I managed that incredible feat, I gingerly put one foot in front of the other praying that I would make it to the toilet, and that once there I would be able to sit down, wipe and get up again!!! I’m sure you can guess what happened? A bad back!!

 

Commitments

 

I have commited to blogging once a week now, but this morning I didn’t think it would happen. It is now almost 8 pm and I am able to stand at my desk and type. I have put my keyboard on a stack of Paper Pumpkin boxes and that is working just fine. Sadly I had to cancel my first in person class in almost a year!! Sometimes you just have to accept reality and know that you can’t do it all. Today I want to share a card that I made with my Prime Time group last Thursday.

 

Plentiful Plants

 

Plentiful Plants is one of my favourite bundles in the new catalog. It is on trend featuring macrame plant hangers, house plants and some great sayings. I simply cased the catalog to make this card and to show that you can use the catalog for inspiration, not just for ordering things.

 

Plentiful Plants

 

Here you can see a closeup of the pot and the hanger.

 

Plentiful Plants

 

In the stamping community we learn from each other and I was thrilled when my brand new Prime Time member shared her card with us. She made one small change that made such a difference. She chose to mat the focal image. Thanks so much for sharing with us all Ethel Wegner! I decided to try it too, and I think Ethel has a point. What do you think?

 

 

When Everything Grinds to a Halt

 

When everything grinds to a halt, it is amazing how grateful you feel when things start improving just the tiniest little bit. I am over the moon happy that I was able to sit and stand long enough to share this post with you. After this, I will ice my back and rest again. Hopefully tomorrow morning at 10am I will be up to doing my weekly YouTube and Facebook live video showing you the fourth card in my Sweet as a Peach series. I have two kits left that can be mailed to two lucky people! They are only $25 including postage.

 

Thank You!

 

Thank you for joining me today. This past week I had a very successful BOGO sale, but there is still LOTS of product left. I have decided to extend the sale and you are welcome to join if you live in Canada. Please read the “about” section so you understand how it works. You are welcome to wait until saleabration starts on August 3 if you want to get more bang for your buck. With every $60 you spend you will also earn a free saleabration item AND a free pdf tutorial of your choice. Here is the link. Happy shopping!


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