Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. Today I am finally going to share with you some beautiful Centre-Step cards. A special thanks to Caroline Van Roestel-Seward for sending me a beautiful centre-step card for my Happy Mail in Holland contest. Let’s take a look at Caroline’s card.
Caroline’s Centre-Step Card
Caroline used the Tasteful Touches bundle to make this beautiful card. I took pictures from two different angles to capture the essence of this card, but truthfully, photos do not do it justice at all.
Centre-Step Card dimensions
If you would like to recreate this card yourself, I have created a diagram with the measurements and the cut and score lines. Caroline also thoughtfully included a sketch for me with her card!
A Little More about Caroline
I first met Caroline at one of my in person classes. It seems strange that I even need to indicate what type of class it was! It has been so long since we have been able to have such a class and truthfully I rather miss it.
Anyway, I found out that Caroline is a very talented card maker and a natural teacher. This turned out to be quite a natural thing when I found out that Caroline is a retired English teacher. She has also been a hobby demonstrator before, so no wonder we hit it off so well. English was my favourite subject and we both love stamping and teaching. Needless to say, Caroline is now on my team and I am thrilled about that. Caroline lives just down the road from me in Chatham, Ontario.
A Winter Centre-Step Card
Of course I had to have a play with this type of card, and my friend in Holland, another Caroline, gave me some paper from the Holiday catalog to play with.
Video Tutorial
Here is a video tutorial so you can make the card with me step by step. Just pause the video when you need to do your own cutting, scoring or adhering. I love making new cards this way. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and then you will never miss out when I post a new one. When I get home I plan to buy a new phone that allows me to do my live videos in landscape mode and then i will be sharing even more on YouTube.
A Personal Victory
I shared with you last week how my daily walks on the beach, especially during the heat wave inspired me to be more accepting of my own body. It is refreshing to see women of all ages in the Netherlands being very accepting of their bodies. This was especially noticeable on the beach where I saw women of all ages and shapes in two piece bathing suits. There were no tankinis and very few one pieces. Gradually the thought started seeping into my consciousness that I could also join them. I felt confident that if I tried I would find a two piece suit that would fit me and make me feel comfortable showing a little more skin.
I know that many, many women share my issues with body shame, or put more lightly, body confidence. That is why I decided to share a few pictures with you here on my blog. I didn’t want to share on Facebook as that is a LOT of exposure, but my blog is a little more private, so here goes.
I was thrilled to find a bikini bottom that actually covered my behind! It seems that in Europe they make bathing suits for real women. I almost didn’t share the last picture. The old me would have zoomed in on the flaws right away, but the new me says, look at that happy smile! It really isn’t about how perfect or imperfect my body is. Everyone on the beach is just having fun and enjoying the sun, the sand and the waves. This body has been strong for me during COVID and has allowed to me to taste many amazing things over the past two months. That makes me happy.
What’s the lesson? Every body is a beautiful body. Be kind to yourself. Life is short, don’t get hung up on stuff that doesn’t really matter. Do your best, try to be active and eat healthy most of the time, but above all, enjoy yourself. Take joy in the little things. I am ever so thankful for Gerard who is so kind, encouraging and accepting. He is a big reason for that smile on my face!
Christmas Bingo
I have planned an online Christmas Bingo for the end of September. Right now it is scheduled for the 17th but that might need to be postponed by a bit. Here is the event on my Facebook page. Click on “discussion” if you want to see more there. You will get the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set, three make and takes and a chance to win one of six great prizes. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Thursday. Yesterday was a strange day with some crazy blog issues, but today I can finally share with you the gorgeous Bumblebee, one of the five new in colours from Stampin’Up! On this fun card you see Bumblebee cardstock in the background run through the Old World Paper embossing folder, Bumblebee ribbon on the tag and Bumblebee ink for the saying. It pairs really well with Misty Moonlight don’t you think?
Tasteful Touches
There are so many wonderful new products in our new annual catalog and I sometimes get a couple of them mixed up. Tasteful Touches (page 124) and Beautiful World (page 26) both have a similar font and they have a feather stamp. I have found that I am often using these two suites together. Needless to say, the saying and the feather are both from Tasteful Touches and the patterned paper and the embossing folder are both from the World of Good suite.
Out and About
Yesterday we went to Delft which is about 25 minutes from Gerard’s house. Our trip was not as tourists but to find some things for the kitchen. I was amazed at how big this store was! It is a wholesale store for the hospitality industry and you can find all kinds of food, cooking and baking supplies, display merchandise, accessories and furniture for restaurants. Gerard was keenly aware that I could have spent all day there just browsing through. Just a little bit dangerous. The wine selection alone was vast!!
The Joy of the Beach
Every day we take Bailey for a walk on the beach which is just across the road from one of the greenhouses. It is amazing how every day it is still somehow different. There are different beautiful things washed up on the beach. The tide is different; the wind; the sun or the rain and the other people with or without their dogs. Sometimes you can even encounter a horse!! Or his rather large droppings. Apparently there are no rules against horse poop on the beach! Dog poop is another story. Either way, what a blessing to be together on such a beautiful beach. God is good!
Happy Mail in Holland contest
Please don’t forget about sending me a card in Holland! Please use current Stampi’Up! products and then I will feature you on my blog as well as enter you into a contest for the stamp set of your choice worth up to $30. I will ship it anywhere in the world if you win. If you mail it by July 31 I should get it in time. Hopefully I will be in Holland until August 29. Jackie Bultje, Bloemenlaan 6, 2691 JC ‘s-Gravenzande, The Netherlands.
Ways to Support Me
Thanks so much for joining me today, and thanks for your patience. I just read online about some Dutch demos who had to go back to their regular jobs and stop doing Stampin’Up! fulltime. This was largely due to COVID19 and the loss of income from not being able to do in person classes. That is why I am asking for what I need!
If you live in Canada, you can shop with me online, just click the links below in the product list. Anyone can buy my tutorials which will give you instant stamping gratification and help you get the most out of your stamping supplies. Are you a fellow demonstrator and want to learn from someone who has been around for a while and has received awards in every category? Join my training group!! It’s only $5 a month and I would love to help you grow your own business. I appreciate each and every one of you and I hope you feel the love!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I am going to share with you a gorgeous swap card featuring a brand new set called Tasteful Touches. I think this will be set that I reach for again and again. The paper that goes with this stamp set, In Good Taste is stunning! Before we delve into the card I want to share a little bit about what has happened since I last blogged here.
The Past Week
If you follow me here on my blog or on my Facebook page, you may know that I was supposed to fly to Holland on Tuesday to be reunited with my love, Gerard. We haven’t seen each other since January 29! My trip has been canceled and postponed twice, but this time I really thought it was a go. KLM sent me reminder emails that my flight was on time, I could check in a day early and get my boarding pass sent to me electronically. When I got to the airport I went to the kiosk with my passport and this enabled me to print my luggage tag but not my boarding pass. I needed to speak to an attendant. Well. The attendant when seeing my Canadian passport said that it was impossible for me to fly. The only way to get in was with some sort of official letter stating a legitimate exception. This I did not have. There were maybe ten other people checking in and no line ups for anything. A very weird feeling!
Changing My Mindset
Of course it was a terrible disappointment to not be able to fly, but I knew that in order to make the best of my time, I needed to switch my mindset. My son had given me a ride to the airport after a visit to my parents, and he and his fiancée were going to go up to Owen Sound for a few days of hiking and biking. They were using my vehicle, so that meant I was staying with my parents for three days. That turned out to be such a blessing. Thursday was their 62nd anniversary and I was able to make it special for them. I picked up egg McMuffins for them for breakfast, a Too Tall lemon cake from M & M and then fish and chips from a little take out place in Elora for lunch. In the afternoon we went for a visit to the old farmstead and we enjoyed a lovely lawn visit with my brothers overlooking the hills and the valley where the cows used to graze and where we tobogganed and skated as children.
While we were sitting here a bald eagle flew right overhead, so low that I heard it before I saw it. At first I thought it was a drone!! How majestic and another highlight of a very special day.
There used to be a deck under the big window, but it had deteriorated and my brother just finished removing it. The back of the house is now a work in progress. The small door leads to the basement where my mom made hot cocoa for about 100 elementary school kids every year on the last day of school before the Christmas break. The whole school would come for a tobogganing party! There was also a coal bin down there as they used to burn coal to heat the house. I used the coal for my snowmen. So many good memories.
Pap and Mom enjoying their morning coffee and cake on the front porch. Pap is on oxygen now even though he doesn’t think he needs it. We are just so thankful that they can still be together in their own home.
Unexpected Blessing
When you go through difficult times, it can be really helpful to change the spotlight. By focusing my energy and attention on my parents, it gave meaning and purpose to not being able to travel. When they had their afternoon nap I was able to deep clean and declutter the kitchen. When you are 88 and 93 the daily vicissitudes of life are enough and there is no time or energy to do the extra things. Mom was so happy to see her kitchen restored to a neat and tidy space. I should have taken a picture!
Beautiful Weather
Together we were also able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and get a ton of dahlia bulbs planted. This is the one thing in their garden that they still do and they were both so happy to have this job done. It also gave us a chance to come together as a family to work together, my sister, my nephew, mom and me. Social distancing outside, each with our own gardening tool and some of us with gloves!
Mom was also so pleased with her tulips. She doesn’t believe in fences, that way the neighbours and the passersby can also enjoy the garden! These too are tasteful touches.
Tasteful Touches Card
Today’s card is a gorgeous swap card that I received from my team member Jessica Bégin. She used Tasteful Touches from the In Good Taste Suite. What a great suite this is! The paper is to die for, I know you are all going to want it as well as this stamp set. Let’s take a look at her card.
Jessica also decorated her envelope. I love the pop of colour with the washi tape and the saying is perfect for this COVID-19 time. The feathers were stamped in Basic Gray on the patterned paper “In Good Taste”. Do you see the details in the dies? They are also a part of this bundle. The saying on the envelope comes from Well Said. Don’t you just love the look of texture in this paper?!
If you want to see another post about patterned paper, check this one out. This paper is also retiring, so if you love it, get more of it now or at least before June 3.
More On Wednesday
I am trying to pace myself, so I will show you more of this suite on Wednesday. There will be some pictures of the stamp set and of the paper so you can see how awesome it is. Remember, you don’t have to wait to get these great products, they are part of the preorder that all demonstrators can take advantage of. That means YOU can put it in your starter kit as well. Here is the link to do just that, message me and I will send you the pdf of what is all included in the new catalog preorder.
Thanks so much for joining me today, I am looking forward to doing videos with you again every day this week. More #kitsforkids will be distributed as well and I think I will start another online auction of retired stamps. No need for boredom at 81 Delaware! Have a super day.
HInt: you can see the new products if you click on the images below in the product list.
