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Life is Full of Healing

by | Jul 31, 2017 | acrylic block stamping, masculine cards, shells, stamping off | 4 comments

Well hello stampers! It has been way too long since I have posted and I am truly sorry about that. However, “Life is full of healing and people who are there to help you find it.” This is an apt title for my blog post, not only because it is one of the sayings in the beautiful stamp set that I will be featuring, but it also really applies to my life right now.

Big Changes Up Ahead for Me

One of my favourite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11 where God says “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Some of you may know that besides being a mom to five kids, a mother-in-law to two and an oma to one, I have also been married to Jeff for 29 years. The sad truth is that my marriage is now ending. The good news is that the decision is mutual and that we are supported by our children. There is no denying that this will be a tough chapter in my life with many difficult decisions to make.

The one thing that will most likely change is that I will be moving away from Chatham next year when Rachel is done high school. I am trusting that doors will open and that my path will be led as to where I should live. My Stampin’Up! business will be even more important to me than it already is because I will be the only one “bringing home the bacon”. I want to be able to provide good service to my current customers but I also want to build up my online business as well as my team.

 

I would love to have YOU join my team

That being said, today is the last day to get in on an amazing deal on the starter kit. It is called Christmas in July and basically you get a bonus kit worth $94 if you join. The good news is that if you join now you have until January to get your business going! Wow!! Fall is the best time of year for sales because everyone is gearing up for Christmas. Deciding to get the starter kit can seem like a really big deal. It took me a long time to take the plunge and that is most likely because no one told me that it is risk free. Not only is it an amazing deal, it also comes with no strings attached. If you decide that you cannot afford to keep up the minimum requirement of $400 every three month just for your own discount, or that the business you had hoped would take off just isn’t, it really doesn’t matter. You will not get a nasty phone call or email from me or from Stampin’Up! They just want to give you an opportunity to use the kit in the way you want to, either to fund your own hobby or to build a thriving business or anything in between. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that my Stampin’Up! family has been such a blessing to me, especially in the last few weeks when they were among the first to know about my family situation. I hope that if this resonates with you, that you will have the courage to take this step and just go for it. I would LOVE to help you succeed.

Great $94 bonus kit offered until July 31 (today!) on the Canadian starter kit

 

Today is also the last day to earn “bonus bucks”. With every $60 purchase you will receive 6 bonus bucks to use in August. With the new catalog still very fresh in our minds, it should be easy to decide what to get!

 

Let’s take a look now at the beautiful stamp set So Many Shells. Especially with what I am going through right now, this set really speaks to me with its many lovely and heartfelt sayings. Shells are also a timeless and comforting image that work well not only for many different types of cards, but also for both men and women. The shell images are two step stamps but they also work well on their own. Since it is a photopolymer set it is easy to line the images up for a beautiful detailed and artistic look.

 

So many shells is a great versatile set with beautiful shell images but even nicer sayings.

 

One of things I like most about these cards is the copper trim that can be made to look like netting. A huge thanks to Jini Merck whose card I cased (the one on the far right) and who featured this ribbon trick. So clever. Here is the link to her blog post:  http://stampwithjini.com/so-many-shells-tutorial/

 

 

We now have a background stamp called Marbled. I don’t have it yet, but I still had some designer series paper from two years ago that was a sale-a-bration freebie. I just had to use it even though it is no longer available. I just love the look but am super happy that there is now a background stamp that you can use over and over and not worry about running out of just the right paper. I used a different background stamp, Watercolor Wash (yes, it is killing me to spell it the American way rather than the Canadian way “watercolour”) on this next card along with the gorgeous saying “Life is full of healing and people who are there to help you find it.” I am finding that to be so true with my church family, my Stampin’Up! family, my Beyond Pampered Team, my friends and my family. It is always true that when we make ourselves vulnerable and share truth it opens the door to more meaningful conversations and relationships.

 

So Many Shells and Watercolor Wash combine to make this great card.

 

I used crumb cake and powder pink on the shells as well as marina mist for the background and early espresso for the words.

 

Acrylic block stamping works great with So Many Shells as well.

 

I try to get into the habit of finishing my cards in the inside as well. Taking that extra step really finishes it off beautifully and if you don’t do it right away you just know you are going to have to dig out that stamp set, figure out the coordinating ink pads and make a mess all over again before you can give the card away. Not my idea of fun stamping. Too much like work.

 

Did you know that there are ten sayings included with So Many Shells. Totally awesome!!

 

I just love the simplicity of this next card. No fussy cutting, just inking up an acrylic block, stamping off, misting and then stamping some shells and a saying on top. I got this particular idea from my good friend and mentor Lisa Pretto. Check out her blog post:  https://inkbigacademystamps.com/2017/06/5-way-friday-many-shells-stamp-set.html

I just wound some copper thread around the bottom of the top panel multiple times to give it a nautical look. Colours are bermuda bay for the background and island indigo for the shells. The long skinny shell has an overlay of crumb cake.

 

Acrylic block stamping in shades of blue.

 

Well, I hope I have inspired you with So Many Shells, and do remember that whatever you are going through, life is full of healing and people who are there to help you find it. I wish you the courage to make tough choices and also the bravery to have vulnerable and honest conversations with your loved ones.

 

18 piece stamp set for $32 Canadian

 

On a brighter note, it feels really good to be back here again. Stamping is great therapy and I am so glad to have you in my life.

 

Warm hugs, Jackie aka The Pampered Stamper

So in Love Bundle Inspired by Floral Boutique

by | Mar 1, 2017 | Framelits, stamping off | 2 comments

Hello stampers! When I first saw the So In Love bundle, it was really the framelits that I fell in love with, not the stamp set so much. Then I saw the happy anniversary saying in there and I knew that was exactly what I had been asking for. We do not have many happy anniversary sayings in our Stampin’Up! lineup, so that was very exciting. For some reason I was also inspired to use it with night of navy and whisper white. That led me to want to play with the Floral Boutique paper as well.

 

I have been spending a week at a friend’s cottage so that I could spoil my team members and new recruits with some retreat days. Those days were a big hit, everyone had a great time and it was wonderful to have fun together and relax as a team. I also planned for a personal retreat and of course I wanted to spend some time stamping. So in one container I had put my stash of Floral Boutique paper, some night of navy and whisper white cardstock and several shades of blue ink pads. Last night I decided to play! This is what happened.

 

This set of cards was inspired by Floral Boutique designer series paper. Hence the navy and white. I used the So In Love bundle, as well as Beautiful You.

 

The framelits from the So In Love bundle are an absolute delight to work with. Combined with the Big Shot die brush, all the little bits fall out easily. The one framelit is designed to be used as a belly band, but I prefer to use it simply as a card accent. Less fuss, less muss.

 

This happy anniversary card uses strips of paper from Floral Boutique and a few pearl accents.

 

I just love how the framelits make this card look like a very fancy laser cut card that you would pay big bucks for in a store. Everyone will be so impressed that you made this card!! If only they knew how easy it was.

 

This card uses the So In Love bundle and the flower image is just stamped repeatedly in night of navy, only re-inking every third stamp so you get at least three different shades of navy to make what looks like patterned paper.

 

This card was made by repeatedly stamping the flower image from So In Love with night of navy. You get the different shades of blue by re-inking your stamp only after stamping three times. So, stamp, stamp, stamp, then ink up again. Stamp, stamp, stamp, then ink up. A good mantra to remember for making a beautiful monochrome card. I used stitched framelits for the “just for you”.

 

Monochromatic cards are classic and timeless. Beautiful You combines here with So in Love to make a stunning card in about five minutes!

 

I thought Beautiful You was a good partner with the framelits from So In Love. With the bold pattern of the lace, the stamping can be kept to a minimum and no embellishments are needed. The result is a card that you can make in about five minutes! Of course you do need a Big Shot, a precision plate and the new platform is best. If you still have the old Big Shot (more than a year old) then you should definitely invest in the new platform, it really does make a big difference. Good tools are always a great investment. The starter kit is the most economical way to get a Big Shot. Message me if you have questions about that.

 

This happy anniversary card was made using So In Love and Floral Boutique designer series paper. The "patterned paper" at the bottom was made by stamping the smaller images in night of navy and then stamping off to get lighter images.

 

I love words, so I love the repeated words on this card. I also love that when you stamp multiple times before inking up your stamp again you get all these lovely shades of colour. So the “paper” at the bottom of this card is really just white card stock that I have stamped with the small leaf images in So In Love. It coordinates perfectly with the Floral Boutique paper in the annual catalog.

 

Life does look beautiful on you with this gorgeous lace detail from the So In Love framelits.

 

I made up these six cards in about two hours last night and the inspiration was totally just from the Floral Boutique paper. It is amazing what can happen when you just have some lovely paper spread out over your desk and some time on your hands. It felt great to create without copying anyone. I hope you enjoy these simple cards. Here is the last one:

 

Pearls to the rescue with this Floral Boutique card with So In Love accents.

 

The designer series paper was added to a navy base measuring 3 3/4″ by 5″. Then I thought it needed a pop of navy so I mounted it on a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of night of navy and then I had a dilemma! The white lacy piece now looked like it was floating on the navy, so I added a string of pearls on either side. Be sure to use the tiny pearls that are all attached to each other. It makes for a quick and easy accent.

 

Happy stamping everyone, it is time for me to have some supper with my husband. I haven’t seen him in a few days. Yes, I was at the cottage all by myself. Quite nice for a change to slow down. I really enjoyed nature, I even saw an eagle yesterday and four deer including a fawn. This morning I saw several flocks of tundra swans. We live in a beautiful world. God is good.

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