by Jackie Bultje | Nov 22, 2019 | Framelits, home decor, Parisian Blossoms, scrapbooking |
Hello stampers! The romance of Parisian Blossoms is inspiring to me. This beautiful suite makes it so easy to celebrate the love in your life, also with a scrapbook page or with a beautiful framed piece. We all know that the Eiffel tower has long been an icon for romance. I also decided to celebrate the love in my life with two different projects.
My Parents
Lately I have been sharing a lot about my parents. They got married quite late in life according to the standards of the day. Mom was 26 and Pap was 31! As they have been blessed with good health and long life, they have now been married 61 1/2 years. Even though they have never been to Paris, they have such a deep and abiding love that I knew their wedding picture would be perfect accentuated by this suite. This paper looks so good with a black and white picture. Keep in mind that Mom made and designed her own wedding dress!
My Own Love
As many of you already know who follow me, I have also found new love. It would be more accurate to say that I have rediscovered my old love! I first met Gerard when I was 17 years old at my cousin’s birthday party while on vacation in Holland. We wrote letters for a year and then he came to Canada to visit me for my 18th birthday. The ocean was too large and we parted ways. Largely due to the family connection, we found each other again two years ago. I shared a bit of the story on this scrapbook page.
I used both sets in the Parisian Blossoms suite to make this page as well as the very versatile Hand-Lettered Prose dies to make the title.
A Personal Note
I know that I promised you a pdf tutorial today, but things transpired yesterday to prevent that from happening. Pap is now in the hospital, the pain from shingles became unbearable. Family comes first, but please know that I will get this done as soon as possible. Thanks for joining me, I do so appreciate your support, both personally and in my business. Today is the last day of the sale, so remember to stock up on your neutrals and regals card stock and ink pads, they are all 15% off! Eight selected bundles are also an additional 5% off, they are featured at the end of the product list if you are interested.
Edited: pdf now available
If you want to make all these projects with no guesswork, I have made a comprehensive pdf for you and it is only $15. Just click on the buy it now button below and I will get it sent to you. Thanks so much for your support, it really does mean the world to me.
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by Jackie Bultje | Oct 25, 2019 | business opportunity, Paper Pumpkin, scrapbooking |
Hello stampers. I thought you might be interested in hearing my story, about how The Pampered Stamper came to be! Sometimes lives can be changed by someone’s story and eyes are opened to new possibilities!
A Scrapbooker at Heart
When I was growing up I thought it would be amazing to write a book. I have loved reading ever since I first learned how and I just love words. Scrapbooking was therefore a great fit for me and I was an avid journaller. It really is all about the story! I started scrapbooking when Rachel was a baby. By this time Stefanie was 11 and Katrina was 9. The reason I tell you that is because I only made scrapbooks for the three youngest. The two oldest already had baby books with lots of photos and stories and I encouraged them to start their own scrapbooks, which they did!
How does Stampin’Up! fit into this picture? In three ways.
- At my first workshop I realized right away that I was the type of person who would want it ALL! So I got nothing as this would be way too expensive seeing that I had five kids in a private Christian school. I didn’t even get a catalog. I was outraged that they were charging $7 for it.
- I also saw great possibilities. Stamps can be used over and over and would be a lot cheaper than using stickers in my scrapbook pages. I started buying stamps that could be used for both card making and scrapbooking. I loved the coordination of the ink, cardstock and patterned paper.
- Hosting workshops was the best way to get my supplies in a more economical way. I would host one workshop in the fall so I could get Christmas stamps and one in the winter to take advantage of sale-a-bration. I would invite a lot of people so I could maximize the amount of free stuff. I loved my scrapbook pages, they were so beautifully coordinated and making Christmas cards with the family was also a fantastic bonus.
My First Scrapbook Pages
The Switch from Customer to Demonstrator
The big question is, why did I switch from being a great customer to being a demonstrator? Oddly no one asked me to join their team. Either they didn’t want to be an upline or they didn’t want to to lose their best customer. I say “they” because over a number of years I had different demonstrators. That is why I always offer the opportunity to all my customers. They deserve the discount and the opportunity to do so very much more if they want to.
My biggest motivation for becoming a demonstrator is that I wanted to share what I love and I wanted to teach people how to make beautiful things. Stampin’Up! opened a whole new world of creativity for me. The last time I had felt truly creative was when I learned to paint in kindergarten. After that I developed an inferiority complex when it came to art. My only artistic outlet that I felt totally competent in as a youngster was colouring. I love colouring and that also fits in well with Stampin’Up!.
The Most Amazing Surprises with Stampin’Up!
What I did not expect with the purchase of my starter kit is the success that would become of this business adventure. I did want to make some money at this, but my goals were not big. To have my own supplies for free was the first goal. After three years of slow but steady growth I decided that if other people could go on this fantastic incentive trip then I was going to give it a shot too. Well!!! My first incentive trip was a dream and the beginning of an amazing adventure. A whole new world opened up to me.
- I met inspiring people from all over the world.
- Stampin’Up! rolled out the red carpet and treated me like a rock star.
- I received training that helped me become an even better business person.
- I was able to travel to places I might not have gone to. Every year I was able to take one of my family members on an unforgettable trip. The Caribbean several times, Alaska twice, Greece, the Mediterranean including Italy, Spain, and France. Thailand. Washington DC, Hilton Head Island not to mention all the Leadership Convention places. My favourite one was San Antonio.
- A once in a lifetime opportunity to attend Founder’s Circle in St. George Utah. What a posh weekend where each one of was treated like a movie star with our own personal hotel room. No one to share with! I got to meet all the “big names” in the Stampin’Up! world and I was pinching myself that other people were now seeing me as a “big name” too. Of course we are all just normal people but it is so very nice to be recognized for your hard work and achievements.
The reason I share this is that I really, really want you to know what can happen with the small investment of the starter kit. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Your enjoyable hobby can now be called your job! How wonderful is that? You can make it into whatever you want and regardless of the level of your commitment you have the opportunity to meet so many great people at Stampin’Up! events. My Beyond Pampered team has become a wonderful community of friends that support each other throughout the challenges and joys of life.
Making A Difference
What I almost forgot to tell you is that I now have the privilege of using my business to make a real difference in the lives of people in my city. I have partnered with Chatham-Kent Hospice to make cards for the one year anniversary of the loved ones death. I was already volunteering there and at my annual “performance review” my regular job came up in conversation and I was presented with this opportunity. What a joy to do something so meaningful. Of course there have been many other ways to make a difference. One year our team did a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald house and I have done many more fundraisers throughout the year.
A Card
I still love what I do and often find myself making just one more card at ten o’clock at night. Just because I want to. This happened last night so I am going to share it with you to thank you for dropping by and reading my story.
I used a piece of the beautiful Feels Like Frost paper, the dies from Merry Christmas and from Detailed Deer. The card measures 5 1/4 by 6 1/2. I used the stitched rectangle framelits to cut a window in the card front just a bit smaller than the birch tree element.
I am late for a birthday lunch so I am going to say goodbye now! Thanks for joining me today and have a super day.
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