by Jackie Bultje | Oct 27, 2021 | aqua painters, Arctic Bears, Christmas, technique cards, virtual coffee and a card class, watercolouring |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing my new Arctic Bears card series with you. I will be making one of these cards each Tuesday in November at 10am on YouTube and Facebook. You can purchase the card kit including shipping for only $25. If you order the bundle from me then you get the card kit for only $10 plus shipping. Let’s take a look.
Arctic Bears Card Series
What I love about these cards is that they are “all occasion”. They can be used as Christmas cards but they don’t have to be. Polar bears evoke a sense of calm and peace and of caring which is sort of ironic because you certainly wouldn’t want to cross their path in the wild!
Arctic Bears Watercolour
We made the watercolour card that I cased from the catalog at my in person coffee and a card class today. With the shimmery white cardstock base and a water painter, the results were so lovely! I hope you can join me as I make this card in my Virtual Coffee and a Card series next Tuesday at 10am on YouTube. You can check out my playlist here.
Creating a scene with the stamp set is so gratifying. The watercolour technique on shimmery white cardstock is quite simple with a few tips and tricks that I will share on Tuesday. I hope to see you there too!
Have You Chosen Your Christmas Card Design Yet?
I am curious. When you make your Christmas cards, do you choose a single design or a single stamp set or suite? Do you send cards only to very special people or do you have a long mailing list? I do not like making multiples of cards so I have a broad assortment of Christmas cards. This can get me into a bit of a sticky wicket. Sometimes I am plagued by indecision. Who should get which card? So many choices. The most important thing is that you enjoy the process, so be sure to start on time. I hope that I have been inspiring you. As always, the product list is at the bottom of the blog. Simply click on the photos and you will be in my online store. Wonderful, isn’t it?
Thank you for joining me today and have a super day.
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by Jackie Bultje | Sep 22, 2021 | Christmas, Peaceful Cabin, virtual coffee and a card class |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. My Peaceful Cabin Virtual Coffee and a Card class is all ready to go! I love this stamp set so very much! The cabin stamp is simply stunning and the dies to go with it are fantastic. I must say, you do need the bundle in order to be able to make these cards. Even though I used a lot of designer series paper and die cuts, the cabin stamp is quite essential.
Peaceful Cabin Cards
Here is the selection of cards that I am offering for my virtual coffee and a card class in October. If you order the bundle from me you can get the card kit for only $10. Already have the bundle? Then the card kit is $25 including postage. You can join me every Tuesday at 10am EST on YouTube and I will also post to Facebook.
Some Simple Tips
I made this graphic to share some simple tips for using this bundle more effectively. Perhaps you will find it helpful!
A Personal Note
Today is just a short blog post. I had a wonderful morning and part of the afternoon with my cousin Machteld. What a blessing to connect with family in such a deep and meaningful way. I just love the fact that her mother was so close to mine. Sadly her mom died from cancer at 42. My mom is so touched that her daughter and her niece have such a close connection.
A Difficult Transition
Truthfully I still struggle a bit with letting my business go. It seems that without in person classes people do not buy in the same way. While I love teaching, at heart I am a salesperson. I am hoping that through consistent videos and blog posts my followers will shop with me online. If you have any doubt about whether your business would mean anything to me, doubt no more!
Tonight I am off to IKEA with Gerard to buy a sit/stand desk that should be a big help to my back. Stay tuned as the makeover of my stamp room starts.
Thanks so much for joining me! Happy stamping and happy shopping. Remember, saleabration ends in just 8 days.
On a side note, Peaceful Cabin bundle is one of the free bonus bundles that you can get if you buy the starter kit. You can do so here.
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by Jackie Bultje | Jul 19, 2021 | Measure of Love, tutorial, virtual coffee and a card class |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I want to talk to you about joy in the journey. I realize that it has been more than two weeks since I have blogged and an absence like that hasn’t happened for a long time! A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Let me tell you about it, perhaps you can relate.
The Many Hats of a Woman
Now I am not talking about real hats, although I have quite a few of those as well, not only because I love hats, but because I really need to keep the sun off my face. Vitilago and sun are not good companions. I’m talking about all the roles and commitments that we have to juggle. For me it’s mom, oma, daughter, sister and fiancée as well as friend and upline.
Traveling during COVID is a privilege but it also means lots of quarantining. On June 24 I was out of quarantine. That meant I could finally visit my parents and I could hold my grandchildren. We squeezed in an “oma day” and I had a lovely overnight visit with my oldest daughter. At the beginning of July Rachel my youngest, was finally able to move back to Ottawa. We packed up the car (actually she did that all on her own) and we stopped by for a goodbye visit to my parents and made the long drive to our capital city. Sadly there were no fireworks on Parliament Hill largely due to the residential school tragedies that have come to light. I was supposed to go on to Montreal to visit my second oldest daughter, but that ended up not working out. The bonus to that is that I was able to have a longer visit with my parents and I could tackle some gardening projects for my mom.
The Challenges
In the background I was trying to figure out a way that I could travel to North Carolina and avoid the mandatory hotel quarantine. This meant flying out of Toronto and flying back into Detroit. I looked into an airport shuttle service as well as the train but neither option could get me to the airport on time and I had a mid-afternoon flight!! My daughter-in-law ended up accompanying me in my vehicle which she drove back to her place. I arranged for a cab ride back to the border on the way home and had friends ready to pick me up in Windsor. It was enough to make your head spin!!
At the end of this journey I discovered that I could have arranged a cab from Detroit to pick me up in Chatham so I could have flown out of Detroit all along. So much for the myth that the borders are closed. Suffice it to say that there wasn’t much joy in this journey, but there was lots of joy in the stay in North Carolina!
Joy in the Journey
So what am I talking about if there wasn’t much joy in the journey? Well, thankfully I am talking about the bigger picture, the joy in the journey of life. I came across a great quote by Joanna Gaines:
“Consider the way we begin a new year, thinking about the goals we want to achieve, asking ourselves where we want to be at the end of that year, at the end of five years, at the end of 10 years. The last scene of a movie, the final page of a book the finished meal on the table – we judge a lot of things by how they turn out.
And through all of this it seems like we’ve learned to glorify the outcome of something far more than the defining moment that got us there: the spark that caught our heart’s interest in the first place or even the beauty of all that happened in between – the courage and belief and intention it took to pick up our brush and paint, only to repaint the very next day. I can see how I’ve judged my own commitments this way, forgetting that all things are shaped during the journey. That is the essential part.”
Type A
I am a bit of a Type A personality. I can be driven and competitive and that means that sometimes I do lose the joy in the journey and that makes me sad. These past few weeks have allowed me to refocus, to re-energize and to take a step back. Sometimes you have to let something go in order to find it. Covid has been a challenge for small business owners including me. I have tried new technology and am pleased with what I have learned. What I am not pleased with is the numbers and the reason is that I simply can’t understand them. I am going to be super vulnerable and transparent here so please be kind. By doing this I hope you can shed some light on this topic for me and perhaps even point me in the right direction.
YouTube Mystery
For the past year or so I have been posting regularly on my YouTube channel. I have 3690 subscribers which makes me very happy. The part that mystifies me is that I often have less than 100 views. I would love so much to change that but I have no idea how but I need to let it go because it is robbing me of my joy in creating and sharing. The mystery is that when I was just starting on Youtube I had more viewers per video than I do now. The only thing I can think of is that there are a lot more people now using this platform and maybe it is just saturated. Who knows? All I know is that I need to let it go!
On Saturday I was in my stamp room all day making beautiful cards and I would like to share them with you today. These cards will be the feature of my August virtual coffee and a card class as well as an in person class on Tuesday August 17.
Measure of Love Cards
I was so pleased with these cards and then I realized that there are five Tuesdays in August and I made one card for each Tuesday so I can do a video tutorial for each card on YouTube! Here is card number five.
This card was inspired by The Kitchen Table Stamper. I didn’t have the tags dies so I used a punch instead and drew around the hole with a Black Blends! Here is her blog.
This card was inspired by Cheri Stojcovich. Here is her blog post.
This last card was inspired by fellow Canadian demonstrator Tina Zinck. Here is her blog post.
How to Get these Cards
I am excited to now be able to offer you three options for these cards.
- $25 for just the card kit including postage.
- $50 for the card kit and the stamp set including postage.
- In person class on Tuesday August 16 with both of these options.
Please remember that my card kits cannot include any stamped images so you will need the stamp set to complete them as shown.
More Joy in the Journey
In order to have more joy in my journey, I will only be blogging once a week for the foreseeable future. I do love writing but I love stamping more and I am hoping to do more spontaneous videos. As always I treasure your feedback. If you want to add a little joy to your journey, check out my tutorials page for some instant gratification. You can also choose a free tutorial with a $60 purchase. I hope you have a super day and I wish you joy in your journey.
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by Jackie Bultje | Jun 16, 2021 | Sweet as a Peach, virtual coffee and a card class |
Hello stampers and belated and late happy Wednesday to you! I wanted to explain my recent absence. You know it is not like me at all to not be consistent. I thought it would make me feel a lot better to just write a quick note to you all!!
Recent Absence
Tomorrow it will be a week since I got home from the Netherlands. It is always a bit of an adjustment to go from being with the person you love so much to being apart. Once again I have to do a mandatory 14 day quarantine. Usually I go crazy in my stamp room, but this time I ventured into the garden instead. It felt so good to attack all the weeds and to create some new flower beds as well. Truthfully, I lost myself in nature and I decided that was ok. It must have been what I needed.
I also spent a lot of time on the phone with my siblings, with my mom and with my kids. This too was a wonderful thing. Sometimes work has to take the back burner. For an independent business owner this is not an easy thing to do. Quite truthfully, I have also noticed that my sales are down a fair bit and that doesn’t feel good at all.
Nonetheless, I know that God is in control and that He is leading me to make the decisions that I am making and I have peace. I am no longer going to scramble like a mad woman trying to offer more classes and deals just to get people to buy. My customers will buy when and if they need to do so. I trust that my needs will also be met and I will find joy in sharing what I love.
Book and a Bath
For now I am going to run a nice deep, hot bath and read a good book. I made LOTS of beautiful cards today using the Sweet as a Peach suite which will be the focus for next month’s virtual coffee and a card class. If you want to sign up for that, I would be very pleased. You can do so here. On Friday I will be back in the saddle with lots of card pictures for you and hopefully there will be some videos tomorrow. In my Prime Time group I will be teaching a magic slider card. It took me about three hours to finally figure it all out (with some distractions of course). For the video tomorrow it will be much quicker I promise. If you want to join this great group you can! Here is the link.
Sweet Peach Cards
Just a heads up that I cannot include stamped images in the kit, so you will definitely want to order this bundle to be able to finish off your cards in style!
I hope you have a super day and I will see you again tomorrow. Big hugs from Jackie.
by Jackie Bultje | May 12, 2021 | easel-fold card, fancy fold, Pansy Patch, thank you, virtual coffee and a card class |
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I have a Pansy Patch Easel-Fold card for you. Do you want to hear the story of how this card came to be? Maybe you already know because you joined me for my YouTube and Facebook live at 10am yesterday. Let me tell you the story.
When Bad Things Happen
Here is a glimpse behind the scenes. Yesterday was my youngest daughter Rachel’s birthday. I am in Holland and she is in Canada and there is a 6 hour time difference. She misses Mama Bear so of course she called me when she woke up at 9am. That means it was 3pm here, one hour before my live video. We chatted for 45 minutes and then I said, I have to go, to get ready for my live video.
Upstairs I go, quite confident in my ManyCam abilities now. I already had my card materials ready, so it was just a matter of setting up the live stream. This all went really well and I could see that my microphone was working. I had my laptop off to the side so that I could see your comments. That didn’t work so well this time but since I could see my microphone working just fine, I thought I would catch up with the comments later. Big mistake.
Apparently the sound conked out after you were treated to the sound of the frogs copulating in the pond outside!! You should have heard me when I saw the first comments after the video had ended!! I said something like this: “You mean they could hear those blasted frogs and not me!! Arggghhhh!!” Then my screen also froze. Gerard did a speed test and apparently the internet connection was fine. Must have been the technology gremlins having fun.
The Response
The reason I was so upset that it didn’t work is that I was in such a good flow. While the card was being made ever so nicely I had a great dialogue going, telling you all about how the virtual coffee and a card class started and how a demo’s brain works when they are planning events. Then it was all for nought!!!
Gerard says, don’t give up, just make it again. I moaned, I can’t!! I don’t have any more Sweet Ice Cream supplies. You see, I only took the card kits with me just like the ones my subscribers get. Deep breaths. There must be a solution. There was. I cased my own card using different stamps and paper and this was the result.
Why Does This Make Me Happy?
The biggest win in this situation is that people can see that they can participate in my video tutorials even if they don’t have any of the supplies that I am using. As long as you have some basic cardstock and patterned paper and some stamps you CAN create along with me. My advice is to first watch the video and then watch again with your supplies ready to go. You can pause me whenever you want and catch up with your own card making. I would love to see what you make!!
A Few More Pictures
Pansy Patch is really a lovely suite. The patterned paper has both florals and gingham as well as some leaves and pansy bouquets that you can cut out. I used the dies to cut out the individual pansies. Gorgeous!! The new in colour gems are a perfect match too. They are currently on back order so you will have to wait a while to get them.
If you want to subscribe to my virtual coffee and a card class, you can do so here.
The Original Card
Do you want to see what the original card was from my Sweet Ice Cream Virtual Coffee and a Card class? I had to steal the ribbon from it to finish the pansy card! That reminds me of what I sometimes had to do when I was first a demonstrator and did workshops in people’s homes! No matter how hard I tried to be organized I would always forget some product. To improvise and make the class possible I sometimes had to take apart my card samples to glean enough supplies!!
Unfortunately the Sweet Ice Cream bundle is back ordered until the end of May. I would strongly advise getting the paper before it is gone. The mini catalog is supposed to be “live” until the end of June but supplies are only available while supplies last. We can be upset about that, but it happens all the time in the real world. I had found an amazing pair of shoes but alas, no longer available in my size.
Thank You!!!
Once again I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement. What a wonderful stamping community we have. Just like the card says, I truly appreciate all the little things you do.
Join My Team!
My heart is with my Beyond Pampered Team. What a wonderful group of stampers we have and it is growing across the country. There has never been a better time to join. From now until the end of May there is significant added value to the starter kit and by getting the kit you also get your own personal 20% discount.
The kit is $135 with no shipping or tax. You can put any products you want in it except for host sets. The best part is that you get to choose a whopping $208 worth of products. I have to admit, I got the starter kit myself in the Netherlands so that I could get the ink pads and the in colour ribbon that I didn’t have here. If you want to join, just click here.
I hope you have a super day!!
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by Jackie Bultje | May 3, 2021 | Sweet Strawberry, virtual coffee and a card class |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you all! Today I am sharing with you my Sweet Strawberry Virtual Coffee and a Card class for June. Are you impressed? I am way ahead of the game which is totally unusual for me. Tomorrow we start with the May Virtual Coffee and a Card Class. Are you planning to join me?
Sweet Strawberry Virtual Coffee and a Card Class
I wanted to introduce this class early to give you lots of time to sign up for it. There will be limited space available because I am using the beautiful Berry Blessings paper that was only available during saleabration and I only have limited supplies of it.
June has five Tuesdays so this virtual coffee and a card class has a little more bang for your buck. What is even nicer is that it coincides with the brand new Create With Us International Tutorial bundle which also features the Sweet Strawberry bundle. I just love it when you get a lot of inspiration for your stamping supplies. It just feels better when you get lots of use from what you buy.
If you order the Sweet Strawberry bundle and you order the Virtual Coffee and a Card class that will get you the Create With Us International tutorial bundle for FREE! That means 14 tutorials all featuring this bundle.
Sweet Strawberry Cards
Here is a photo of all the cards that you will be making with me in June. Four of the five cards are fancy folds: a waterfall card, a pocket card, a joy fold card and a z-fold card.
If you want to join in on the June Virtual Coffee and a Card Class you can click here to pay with PayPal OR you can etransfer to jackiebultje@gmail.com. I am so excited to make these cards with you.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day. Hugs from Holland!
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