Hello dear stampers. I am ever so grateful that you are here reading my blog. Stamping is my passion and I love to share card tutorials with you with my videos. This was a big switch for me when COVID started and when I knew that I would be moving temporarily to the Netherlands. Truth be told, I do miss my in person classes. Nothing beats the laughter and connection that happens when you gather around a stamp room table. This connection can be found in a different way as a YouTube channel member. You can find my channel here.
Recently I have offered a new way to connect with me and it is in the form of YouTube Channel platform membership. This was NOT my idea. YouTube asked me if I would be interested. The only guidelines they gave me is that I needed to offer at least three levels of perks for a potential YouTube channel member. You know me! Of course I was all in once I figured out what I could offer my members. Would you like to know more?
Nothing Crazy Will Happen!!
Don’t worry about clicking join. It doesn’t happen automatically. What WILL happen is that a box pops up with your three options as well as the monthly fee.
Here are the options:
Video Buff- for this level you get an exclusive video every Thursday. Every Wednesday I post the supply list and the dimensions of what we will be making.
Creative Queen- for this level you get the Video Buff perks plus you get a monthly pdf tutorial bundle.
Creative Business Builder- for this level you get the perks from Video Buff and Creative Queen as well as a weekly training video every Friday. In this group you also get to make special requests if you have any questions about running your Stampin’Up! business.
Good for you and also wonderful for me!!
There is a LOT of free content out there, but creative content creators like me pour their heart and soul into creating for others. Of course we hope to generate sales through our videos, reels and blog posts but this doesn’t always happen. One of the reasons for this is that a lot of our followers are fellow demonstrators. Channel membership is a great way to support your favourite creators! I hope that I am one of them and I hope that you consider this option.
There is definitely a wonderful community feeling to the membership platform. Did you know that there is a special community tab on YouTube where I interact with my members?
Video Explanation
Of course, I made a video explaining how you can become a YouTube channel member. Seeing is believing!!
Yikes, I look a little manic in this photo!!! I AM super excited that I can offer channel membership and let’s just pretend that is the look on my face.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog, I really do appreciate you. Maybe YOU will be my next YouTube channel member. Have a wonderful weekend, and happy stamping.
Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. Just a short post today to remind you that you have three days to save and stock up on the basics. How wonderful is that?
Seasonal Sale
This sale is basic. Save 10% on cardstock 15% on ink pads and 20% on dies from the annual catalog. I have included a list of my favourite dies at the end of this blog post. It is super easy to shop with me if you live in Canada! Just click on the links and start saving!
Save Even More!
If you decide to put these sale items into a starter kit you will save even more. The savings don’t stop with your kit. You will also get to join Prime Time for FREE as well as my international Training Group. Our team is one of the best in Canada and I would love to have YOU join as well. No need to do what I do. Just let me know what you want with this opportunity and I will help you with that. There is never any pressure from me to do or become something that is not totally in tune with your vision. Here is the link to help you join and save. Pay only $100 and pick out $165 in products.
If you need a suggestion, here is one that I made to coordinate with my Parcels in the Post program in December.
I made this suggestion before I knew about the sale, so the Encircled in Beauty dies are now 20% off which will lower your total.
Happy Shopping!
I hope you have a lot of fun shopping this great sale and that it also jumpstarts you into some amazing creativity. Please join me on my YouTube channel. I have a contest going right now. When I get to 4000 subscribers I am going to do a giveaway of the Cabin dies. If you already have them I will let you choose a different prize of equal value. All you need to do is subscribe and comment on one of my videos. Good luck and thanks for joining me today!
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. Today I am sharing my Sweet Ice Cream Class in the Mail. This is also known as my Virtual Coffee and a Card class but this sounds a little more user friendly. I am thrilled that this bundle is once again orderable. The punch had been unavailable for ordering for the last month or so.
How Does It Work?
How does my virtual coffee and a card class work? Every month I offer a different focus for my class in the mail and next month it is the Sweet Ice Cream Bundle. It costs $25 per month which includes postage anywhere in Canada. The challenge is that I cannot include stamped images so I try very hard to design cards that focus on our pretty paper, punches and die cuts. You can order the bundle that I am using online if you like or you can substitute with stamps that you already have.
The other option is to subscribe and then you receive a gift from me after 6 months as a special thank you for committing to this program. It is really nice to know ahead of time how many kits to make! Deadline to sign up is April 21. You can subscribe here.
If you do not like to use PayPal you can also pay with cash, cheque or etransfer.
Sweet Ice Cream Cards
Here are the cards that I will be making with you for the month of May. Every Tuesday at 10am I go live on both YouTube and Facebook to make one of the cards with you. You are welcome to play along with me even if you don’t get my kits. The beauty of the kits is in the instant gratification!
You may notice that I do not have any of those cute Ice Cream Corner sprinkles embellishments. I forgot to order them!! They would make a super cute addition to these cards no doubt. Perhaps I will write a tutorial for these cards as that would give people an alternative to subscribing to this class. If you would be interested in that option, let me know.
Thanks!
Thanks for much for joining me today, I always appreciate it. It’s a gorgeous spring day so I am going to get outside, mow the lawn and plant some daffodils. You are probably thinking, plant daffodils? Don’t you have to do that in the fall? Well, yes. Funny story. One of my dear customers gave me some bags full of bulbs and I ran out of time to plant them so they were still laying beside my garage. Two days ago I noticed daffodils blooming there! They bloomed right from the bags without being planted in the ground. I figured such determination deserves a reward, so they are going to be planted today.
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Stamping together by mail has a bit of an old-fashioned ring to it doesn’t it? To me it sounds a little bit like pen pals with a twist. Is COVID distancing affecting you? Do you wish you could stamp with other people? Every month I send out a card kit so that you can stamp with me each Tuesday on YouTube live. I am very close to figuring out how to stream to both YouTube and Facebook at the same time so that will make it even more fun and accessible. This month the theme is Hydrangea Hill.
Stamping Together By Mail
Last week I shared the first card in this series and you can see it here. Today I am sharing the second card. I used the Quite Curvy bundle with the Hydrangea Hill paper peeking out from underneath. This card was inspired by an example from the Occasions catalog. The base for this card is Purple Posy, be sure to stock up before it is sold out as it is one of the retiring colours this year.
Update on Pap
This past weekend I drove up to Ottawa to help my youngest daughter Rachel move her things out of her old apartment into storage. If in person classes resume in September she will move back to Ottawa. On the way home we stopped for a visit with my parents. Pap finally had a haircut and he looked much better. He is 94 and the last year especially has been a rollercoaster ride. His decline in health started with a severe bout of shingles on his 93rd birthday. He was hospitalized several times and since then he has had pneumonia several times and a heart attack. Pap has COPD and is on oxygen but he is home with my mom who will be 89 on Sunday! He was happy to see Rachel.
Now maybe it is just me, but in real life he looked much better. It is hard to get a good photo of Pap under normal circumstances, but when we all need to squeeze into a corner around a bulky lazy boy and oxygen tubing it gets a little dicey. We are thankful for every new day and are amazed that Lord willing, he will be able to celebrate Mom’s 89th birthday on Sunday. When we were talking about it he looked at her and said, you don’t look that old! How sweet.
News That You Should Know
Be sure to take advantage of the great deals on the Last Chance list but also stock up on your favourite retiring colours. You can shop here.
If there are any bundles in either the annual or the Occasions catalog, get them before April 30 or you will not get the discounted price. Apparently even the bundles that are in the Occasions catalog which is supposed to go until June 30 will no longer be available as a bundle price if they have carried over into the annual catalog. Don’t ask me to explain because it doesn’t make any sense to me either. I’m just giving you a heads up to avoid disappointment.
The new Parcels in the Post will be released this week and it features the Friends are Like Seashells suite.
There are some Virtual Coffee and a Card kits still available. They are being mailed out today. You can subscribe to this kit here.
Here is my YouTube channel if you want to subscribe and follow me on Tuesdays. The latest video for Parcels in the Post is also up for viewing with four great new cards to see.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I want to talk to you about the Joy of Kits. I know it sounds like other “joys” but kits are great fun. The biggest perk is of course the instant gratification. With little thought and no prep work you can make beautiful cards. I find that when you use a kit it can also jump start your own creativity. The kit I want to feature today is Gorgeous Posies.
The Joy of Kits: Gorgeous Posies
If you have been following me on my business Facebook page you will know that I have been busy traveling to my parents a lot in the last few months. Pap is 94 and in declining health. It really is a miracle that he is still with us, having survived a heart attack and several bouts of pneumonia. I am so very thankful to be able to spend this time with them. We reminisce over the many blessings in his life and make
sure he knows how much he is loved. With an uncertain future I thought it would be a safe bet to focus on a kit for this months virtual coffee and a card class.
Every Tuesday at 10am I do a live video on YouTube with one of the cards for the month. If you choose to order the Gorgeous Posies kit and coordinating stamp set through me I will send you a bonus four card kit to give you more creative fun and inspiration. Please do use the current host code: 4T7A64MU. If you want to check out my YouTube channel, just click here. If you subscribe and then also click the bell icon that pops up when you do that, then you will be notified every time I post or go live. It’s easier to find videos on YouTube than it is on Facebook so it really is a wonderful resource.
Private Classes
I know what you are thinking. Private classes? With Covid still going strong? No worries, I was thinking virtual classes. They can be a LOT of fun too. If you would like to gather with a group of your friends and have me teach some card making , let me know. The easiest way to do that is around your favourite kit. It can be a Paper Pumpkin kit or one of the many great kits in either of our catalogs. My favourites include Hello, Dear Friend and Simply Citrus. I have ten Bouquet of Hope Paper Pumpkins in stock so we could also do a class around that.
Thanks for joining me today, I hope you have a super day. The countdown is on!! Gerard flies to Canada on Thursday and I am ever so happy to quarantine with him.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. As a child I was enthralled with reindeer and Santa’s sleigh, so these images still tug at my heartstrings. This reindeer and sleigh is no exception. Both images are from the beautiful bundle Wishes & Wonder that I will be featuring for all of my virtual Coffee and a Card classes in December. You can get all the cards for only $25 and participate in the weekly YouTube live videos.
Remembrance Day
Today is also Remembrance Day and I hope that we all remember to take a minute of silence at 11am to remember the sacrifices that were made on our behalf for our freedom. I am reading a book right now about World War 1 and it unthinkably awful what so many people had to endure. May we never forget!
Reindeer and Sleigh Card
Here is my reindeer and sleigh card, it will be the second card that we make in the month of December. I’m not thrilled with my colouring job on the sleigh but I decided to share it anyways just to show you that I’m not perfect in case you didn’t already know that!
Virtual Coffee and a Card Class
Each Tuesday at 10am EST I will go live on YouTube with one of the cards in your kit. All the cards feature the Wishes & Wonder bundle. The kit will include the die cuts but I cannot include the stamped images. You can use what you have on hand or you can order the stamp set or bundle online using the host code. I am quite pleased with the graphic I made to promote my new class. You may think that as demonstrators we just naturally know how to do these things, but trust me, this old dog is always trying to learn new tricks so that I look more professional.
If you want to see the first card we will be making in my virtual coffee and a card class you can check out this blog post.
YouTube Channel
I have had a YouTube channel for quite a while now but I have never been consistent with posting videos there. That is about to change!! Every Tuesday at 10am I will be doing a live video there and I am looking forward to seeing you there too. You might want to check out my YouTube channel before December 1 so you know how to find me. There are a lot of old videos there that have some great content if I do say so myself. You can check it out by clicking here.
Happy Mail in Holland Contest
I got a message from Gerard today that the first Happy Mail in Holland contest card has arrived! You wouldn’t believe how happy that makes me. When I get there I will have happy mail waiting for me. Oh the love!!! Thanks to Kim Fiore from Ohio. If you want to participate you can send a card to Jackie Bultje, Bloemenlaan 6, 2691 JC, ‘s-Gravenzande, the Netherlands. I will blog about your card and your hometown and you will be entered into a draw for a stamp set.
Thanks so much for joining me today! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you are doing. I hope you have a super day, I will be with the littles again today.
