Hi Stampers! I mentioned in my last post that I recently attended Stampin' Up!'s convention and participated in a huge organized swap. As if 80 cards wasn't enough, at the last minute I decided that I wanted to make some cards for my special friends and general swapping. So, I cut all the supplies I needed and got them ready to stamp on the drive to convention! Stamping is a great way to pass a 12 hour car ride...well, stamping and a lot of laughing and good times with a great friend!
I stamped, sponged and assembled away as we traveled south to Salt Lake City. It was quite the adventure making swaps cards while driving through the winding mountain highway and through a nasty storm (we seem to get caught in a storm every year)!
Stampin on the road somewhere between Montana and Idaho!
I'm happy to say I completed all the cards I wanted to on the drive and they were ready for swapping when convention started!
I think Watercolor Wings is one of my favorite sets in the catalog and is the only set I used for this card. You have so many options to give the butterflies details with this stamp set...two step stamp it, or three step stamp it for even more detail! Because it's a photopolymer set, you can easily see through the stamps to line them up perfectly (even if you're stamping on the road!). I chose to three step stamp it and used Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise and Island Indigo to stamp the butterfly. The body and antenna were done with Soft Sky as well as the sentiment.
TIP: Best adhesive for sticking the Burlap to your projects....Tear & Tape Adhesive! It's super easy to use and super sticky for the burlap.
If you are in Canada and need a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I would love to help you out! You can find everything you need to create this card in my online store. Place your order there or contact me to place the order for you!
Have an inspired day!
Hi Stampers! It's been a while, hasn't it? To say things have been challenging around my house would be an understatement! We've experienced a health scare with our youngest son, a busy end of the school year and big changes with my husband and his back injury. Family is number one for me and while I still continued my clubs and some classes, the good 'ole blog took a seat on the back burner for a while.
I'm happy to say that our youngest son is fine and after a lot of testing and doctor visits we found out we are dealing with something not as serious as we first thought. Phew! And, while my husband's back is not better and he is still not back at work, there is hope! He's participating in an intense back to work program where they are helping him learn how to manage his pain without the help of narcotics and strengthen his muscles so that he will be able to go back to work....although it will be much different that it was before he was injured. The down side is that he is away from us for the summer, but there is a silver lining! He's in the beautiful rocky mountains and we get to go visit him often! And, so we begin adjusting to our new normal yet again.
Another wonderful thing that happened was that I was able to attend Stampin' Up!'s annual convention. I saw my friends from all over North America, learned some new techniques, played with new products and had my bucket filled by my buddies. I came home feeling inspired and ready to hit the ground running! One of the things I did while at Convention was participate in an organized swap! I had to make 80 cards for this swap and I'm thrilled with the 80 cards I got in return...so many beautiful cards and so much inspiration from a group of uber talented ladies! So, this is the journey of a swap card with a video on the technique at the end!
So what does it take to make 80 swap cards? 80 sheets of cardstock (Blushing Bride, Basic Black & Whisper White), a roll of Everyday Chic washi tape, a package of Old Olive Baker's Twine, 240 gold sequins, 160 inches of Blushing Bride ribbon, and a roll and a half of the new Tear & Tape adhesive!
All the parts and pieces ready to assemble!
Adding Washi Tape! I had just enough of the design I chose from the Everyday Chic washi tape!
That's a lot of Tear & Tape backing! After making 80 cards, I can say I LOVE this new adhesive!
Phew....80 cards done and ready to swap!
I was surprised that after 80+ cards I wasn't sick of this card. I love the way it turned out and I love that each one was a little different because of the technique I did.
As promised, I have a video for you showing how to do the technique.
Here's another close up of the technique as well as another card I did with my stamp clubs using the same technique.
Well, that's all for today! Thanks for hanging in there with me for this looooong post. I hope that I've inspired you to do this fun technique on a card of your own. If you do try it, I would love it if you linked to your card in the comments so I can see your creation.
As always, if you are in Canada and need a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I would be happy to help you out! Contact me for more info or just head on over to my online store to order the supplies you need to recreate the cards I've shown today!
Hi Stampers! Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to start thinking Halloween! Have you made up some cute little Halloween treats for the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood yet? Or maybe for your kid's classmates at school?
At the Fall Conference I attended we did Halloween themed make & takes.
The upper left project is a fun box made with the new Gift Box Punch Board! It's a great new tool that everyone needs in their craft rooms...quick and easy boxes! This box is finished off with a belly band made with the Motley Monsters DSP, some ribbon and a tag.
The upper right project is an altered Tag-a-Bag. It's quick and easy to alter these little bags for any occasion! This one uses a doily, some Motley Monsters DSP and check out that fabulous ghost! It's cut out of Glimmer Paper with the new Fun Fall Framelits! The eyes are pearls colored with Blendabilities. So fun!
The card is super quick and easy. My favorite part is the embossed eyes!!! They are also from the Freaky Friends stamp set and were embossed with the Crushed Curry embossing powder. Spooky and fun!
Everything you need to create these projects and more can be found in my online store. Head on over there and place an order today so you can get started on some super fun projects! Or, if you would prefer, you can contact me to place your order.
If you like what you see and are Canadian I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Contact me today and I can get a catalog in the mail to you ASAP!
Hi Stampers! Mason Jars are all the rage right now and there are so many ways you can use them. In August, at my Stamp & Share with my downline, we decorated some mason jars in a super fun way!
Step 1: You want your jar to be CLEAN! Because we were decorating the inside of our jars, we swirled some rubbing alcohol around the inside of the jar and then poured it out.
Step 2: Pour some Mod Podge and some ink refill into the bottom of the jar. You need about a toonie sized blob of Mod Podge. The amount of ink refill you use depends on how saturated you want your color...lots of ink results in a darker color, a little ink results in lighter color.
Step3: Set your jar upside down to drain out the excess Mod Podge/Ink Refill. Here's what ours looked like draining.
We covered a sheet pan with some parchment paper, paper towel and then set the jars on popsicle sticks to drain.
Step 4: After all the excess stuff has drained out of your jars, you need to bake them. Put your oven on warm (or a low temperature) and bake upside down for about 10-15 minutes. We took them off the popsicle sticks and removed the paper towel for baking so they just sat on the parchment.
Step 5: Turn them right side up and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until all the streaks are gone. This is what ours looked like just out of the oven.
Step 6: Embellish!
We had some pooling of the Mod Podge/Ink Refill mixture around the tops of the jars which resulted in some goobers around the tops of the jars. After they cooled, we put the rings on the jars and embellished which covered up the goobers at the top!
These jars are not washable (other than wiping the outside with a damp cloth) and also not suitable to hold food because of the way we altered them on the inside.
You can find the products we used to embellish our jars in my online store. Head on over there and place your order for some great fall stuff today! And, if you like what you see, are Canadian and need a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator please contact me. I would love to send you a catalog and help you unleash your inner creativity!
Hi Stampers! It's officially fall and I LOVE IT!!!! This past weekend I attended a Stampin' Up! conference in Calgary. My day started waaaay early, but it was a beautiful, clear drive up to Calgary. It was so clear we could see the mountains the whole way! And, my chauffeur got me there just in time for breakfast with some of my fellow demonstrators, Dale (the manager of Stampin' Up! Canada) and two other staff members from Stampin' Up! (who made the trek from Salt Lake City!). I had a wonderful time chatting with friends and making new ones over a delicious breakfast! After breakfast we headed to the conference room for a business session which was very informative and I even got to speak! More on that in an upcoming post!
Whenever there's a Stampin' Up! event that my downline is attending, I like to make a little something for each of them. Five of my downline attended the conference with me this weekend and this is what I made them!
I can't even remember where I learned how to make this fun little box, but I do know it was a loooong time ago!!! It's a super easy box made with a half sheet of cardstock.
Cardstock: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
Score at 1 3/4, 3 1/2, 5 & 6 3/4
Turn and score at 1 1/2 & 4
Cut out the four corner pieces and make some cuts along the 3 1/2 & 5 score lines to make the box flaps
Fold up, glue the flaps and you have a super cute little box!
I also made up a video for you to see how it all came together!
Don't you just love that plaid look made with the Work of Art set?
During the afternoon session it was a demonstrator party with make & takes, games, loads of prizes and lots of fun! For one of the sessions I was a volunteer and was in charge of the embossing station for one of the make & takes.
It was so much fun to meet new friends and chat with demonstrators I've known for a long time! We also got a pic of me and my downline (except for one...I'm not sure where she was when we took this pic!).
And, here's one final look at that cute little box I made for them!
You can find everything you need to make these little boxes in my online store (except for the chocolate I put inside them!). Head on over there with the shopping list and place your order today! And, finally, if you like what you see and don't already have a demonstrator, I would love to send you a catalog! If you are in Canada, please contact me to get a catalog or place an order!
Shopping List
Stamps: Work of Art, For All Things
Ink: Crumb Cake, ,Cajun Craze
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Old Olive
DSP: Color Me Autumn
Accessories: Hello Honey Ribbon, Autumn Wooden Accents, Linen Thread, Color Me Autumn Washi Tape, Regals Buttons
Tools: Banner Punch, Small Oval Punch, Paper Trimmer (with scoring blade), Stampin' Sponges, Scallop Tag Topper Punch
At Convention each year I like to have a little something to give to my downline, and this year was no different! In fact, I think this year was my favorite downline gifts!
I found some really pretty fabric at one of my local fabric stores. It had Costal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar and Early Espresso colors in it and I fell in love!!!! So, I designed and stamped a note book around the fabric and also made everyone a lanyard for their name tags.
And, I had a cup made for each member of my downline attending convention. It had an ink splatter with our team name and then their names on the back. Everyone's ink splatter was in a different color. It was so fun to give them out!
You can't tell in the picture, but the black that the names were done in had some sparkle to it!
And, I will leave you with some photos of convention this year. It was almost 6000 demonstrators around the world under one roof celebrating Stampin' Up!'s 25th anniversary, making friends, catching up with old friends and learning about stamping. It was a blast...and exhausting...but super fun!
Some of the highlights were:
being part of an official world record
participating in the service project...making birthday kits for sick kids who spend their birthday in the hospital
the thought bubbles in the recognition room (I could have played with those all day!)
talking with Shelli (and she commented on my cute shoes that day!)
sliding down the railing after my team's group picture...cause that's how we roll!
dropping off dozens of cards in the RMHC basket to donate to families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses in Canada and the US...and meeting Ronald!
seeing my stamping friends
my travel buddies (we had a blast on our road trip and laughed so hard I cried waaay too many times).
walking across the stage for being a demonstrator for 10 years
seeing not 1, but 2 of my cards on the display boards
It was an inspiring, rewarding and fun week. Join my team and you can come with us to Convention next year! I can't wait to go to Leadership conference in Houston in January!
That's all for today. I will be back tomorrow with some stamping to share. Have an inspired day!
Canning...'tis the season!!! Do you can? For some people the word canning sends shivers down their spine (like spiders do for me!). In reality, canning isn't that hard, it's just time consuming. I know how to can some stuff and if you've been reading my blog for any length of time you know I can make jam...lots of jam...we still have lots of jam...from last year!!!!
This past weekend I went to the We CAN Stamp Mini Convention in Millet. I love going to these events for a few reasons. First, I get to spend the day with my stamping friends I don't get to see often. Second, I always get inspired. And, three, I usually get to demonstrate something and share with and inspire my stamping friends! This time, because I really wasn't healed enough to stamp, I did a presentation on vendor fairs and setting up displays with my friend and downline member Sherri!
Right about now, you're probably wondering how this relates to canning...right? Hang in there...I'm getting to that!!!
At these events, my upline Christy always has a little something for the people who demo. I love the little things she has for us and I really loved what she had this weekend. You see, she did some canning for us!
Isn't it fantastic? She "canned" fuzzy peaches for us!!!!! YUM!!! I love this kind of canning! Mason jars are fantastic for all kinds of things and Stampin' Up! product can help you decorate you jars for any occasion!
A little fabric over the part of the lid that seals is a fantastic way to jazz up the jar. And while you're at it, tie a piece of ribbon around it and add a fun tag. It's the little things, right! Christy used products from the Orchard Harvest Product Suite in the Holiday Catalog for this project. You can find all the Stampin' Up! products she used in my online store. So go ahead and place your order and in no time you too will be canning the easy way!
Sadly, as I was working on an MDS project yesterday, my fuzzy peaches vanished from my jar...I'm not sure how that happened!!!!!
I have yet another Christmas card to share with you this week! On the weekend I did a shoebox swap with my downline members. This is a fun event that we do whenever a new catalog comes out. Each of us participating chooses 2 stamp sets and designs a project for each of the sets. Then we prep the projects enough that they can be completed in 10-15 minutes, make up a package of supplies for each person participating and meet on a day to make up all the projects. It is so fun!
Here is one of my projects...
I used a few fun new products from the Holiday Catalog...new snowman stamp set, snowflake die, cotton ribbon and snowflake wheel.
One of my favorite parts is the ribbon...I stamped on it!!!! I also love the circle that I embossed with the new Chevron embossing folder. And, of course, the icicles! Here's a closer look.
And, I have a little surprise for you...another video! Today my video will show you how to make some frosty and sparkly icicles to accent your winter and Christmas projects.
A couple weeks ago I had my Group Gathering with my downline. We had a fabulous evening of stamping and fun...I will share pictures another day! I did something different with them this time. I had a table set up with some supplies and challenged them to make a stocking. The had to use the new Stocking die and could only use the supplies that were on the table. And, here's where you come in. I told them that I would be posting pictures of their stockings on my blog and get my readers to vote for their favorite. The winning one YOU choose gets a prize! Each one has a number associated with it and to vote for your favorite, please leave a comment with the number of the one you like best. This contest will be open for 1 week and the winner will be announced next Monday.
That's all of them! Now for the fun part. Remember, you can vote by leaving a comment with the number of the stocking that's your favorite. Please make sure you leave your name with your comment! Voting will be open for one week.
If you would like to learn more about this fabulous new die, you may want to consider attending my To Die For Class on October 13. If you have a Big Shot, the class is FREE (please RSVP so I know how many to prep for) and if you don't have a Big Shot, the class is $5. Please contact me for more info or to RSVP.
I've gone on a road trip with my kids two weekends in a row to Edmonton! Both were for me to attend Stampin' Up! events...I'm lucky enough to have my mom and dad living in Wetaskiwin (just south of Edmonton) and they take care of my kids for me while I go to stampin' stuff!!!
The first weekend I was at the We CAN Stamp Mini Convention. This is a mini convention organized by my upline and it's for her group. It's a day JAM PACKED with stampin' stuff and it's loads of fun! This last weekend I was at a Stampin' Up! Regional Event. I got to see lots of my stampin' friends from all over Western Canada, and I had a BLAST!!!!
One of the hilights of any Stampin' Up! event is swapping. I didn't make any swaps this time...I've been so busy and I didn't really feel like it. Funny thing is even though I didn't make any, I still came home with 5!!! My stampin' friends are the best and I will be sure to share the 5 cards I came home with later this week so you can see how talented my friends are.
Stampin' Up! always has make & takes for us and this year we had two...I LOVE them both. Here's the first one, complete with a stamped envelope (because Shelli, the co-founder of Stampin' Up!, says you should never send a naked envelope!).
I love the colors and the layout of the card. The sentiment is perfect..."Hope today finds you feeling as loved as you really are"...perfect because I was feelin' the love on Saturday! Here's a closer look at the main image.
When I showed my mom she commented how much she liked the three little pearls and the ribbon loop. Coincidentally, that's my favorite part too!!! It's the perfect little finishing touch for the card.
The stamp set used for this card is the You Are Loved set which you can find in the Holiday Mini Catalogue. If you don't have a copy of the Holiday Mini yet, please let me know! I would love to send you one!
I'll be back tomorrow afternoon with a digital project to share and then later this week with the other make & take from Edmonton.
Well, it looks like a week and a half of little sleep and no appetite has caught up with both Kevin and I. We BOTH have managed to catch a cold, just in time for the last long weekend of the summer...awesome (that was a very, very sarcastic awesome!!!). I usually catch a cold in September, but it typically happens a couple of weeks after the kids have gone back to school. Maybe this means that I won't be sick later this month? Cross your fingers for me!!!
The blog posts that I wrote in the last week and a half have been written in a state of numbness and overwhelming emotions...I know that kind of sounds like an oxymoron, but that's how it's been! I went back last night and read what I wrote and wow! I wrote some pretty emotional and deep stuff didn't I? I know that's not the norm here at LA Stamper...I try to keep it pretty light hearted and fun. So, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you that kept coming back and offered prayers and words of support and hung in there with me as I tried (and continue to try) to make sense of and move past this situation. With that said, lets move on to some fun stuff!
September really is the most wonderful time of the year! Fall is coming...the air gets crisper, the leaves start changing color. Fall is my favorite season by far! The kids go back to school...don't get me wrong, I love my kids dearly, but I crave the routine of the school year...and the HOLIDAY MINI starts!!!!
The Holiday Mini is always FULL of fun stuff and this year is no exception! New ribbon, gorgeous stamps, fabulous new DSP, mini jingle bells, holiday stitched felt, and so much more! I can't wait to show you some fun projects using some of these new products. I know you're going to love them as much as I do!
When any of our catalogues start, I do a HUGE swap with my downline members. We have a blast stamping ALL day getting loads of samples ready to share with everyone. We did our Holiday Mini Swap last weekend and it was so fun! Here is a card made by Heather that showcases the new stocking stamp set and coordinating punch.
Isn't it so cute how she made the Christmas stocking into baby booties just by using pink and doing some creative and easy trimming? I know that this stocking set and coordinating punch are going to become one of your favorites too!!!
One last thing! Since my celebration was kind of de-railed, I have decided to offer you a sweet deal! Since it's my 9th stampaversary, I'm offering a No Shipping, No GST sale for 9 days! So, anyone placing an order from me between Sept 1 & 9 will NOT be charged shipping or GST!!! Woohoo!!! This special only applies to Canadians ordering through me and does not apply to online orders (you must call or email your orders to me).
