Spring is in the air! It's kind of nice. It's kind of sad that Sale-A-Bration is almost over, though. Have you taken advantage of it yet?
You have just 4 more days after today to place an order and get to choose free products from the Sale-A-Bration brochure or the Sale-A-Bration Bonus Products Flyer . With every $60 you spend you get to choose a free item in the brochure or flyer, and there are some really nice things there.
Of course you've already heard me rant about my favourite stamp set in the Sale-A-Bration flyer - the Lotus Blossom stamp set.
I love card challenges, and I love seeing if I can make one card fit more than one challenge. I managed to make this card fit three challenges, so I'm pretty happy. I'll tell you more about the challenges in a bit.
I have a son and a daughter getting married this summer two weeks apart, so weddings have been on my mind a bit. In light of that, my sister decided that I needed a wedding themed stamp set and ordered the Your Perfect Day stamp set. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of that set on my blog in the days to come.
The birds on this card are from the A Happy Thing stamp set. You only have til the end of the month to get this stamp set, as it is a part of the Sale-A-Bration product and after March 31 it will no longer be available.
I have a friend who thinks the bird in this set is ugly. Actually, she didn't like anything about this set, until she got it this week, and now she kind of likes the lemon. I'm on a mission to make her like the bird too. :-) To be perfectly honest, I wasn't crazy about the bird or this set either at first and it was the last item I ordered from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue, but the bird is starting to grow on me.
SplitcoastStampers posts new challenges in their forum every day. If you scroll down on their main page you can see a list of the challenges for each day of the week and there are links beside the days to the actual challenges.
This card was inspired by three challenges posted at SplitCoastStampers this week.
The Try a New Technique Challenge this week was titled Mirror, Mirror and the challenge was to stamp a mirror image of one of your stamps. I was thrilled to learn this technique because there have been a number of times when I wished I could stamp a mirror image of one of my stamps, and now I know how to do it. I found a Mirror Image Stamping Technique YouTube Video for you to check out to see how easy it is.
The Colour Combination Challenge this week was titled Whispers of Smokey Wisteria and the challenge was to use Whisper White, Smokey Slate, and Wisteria Wonder, with a touch of green. I coloured my birds' heads, tails, and wings with Smokey slate. I also stamped the greetings and inked the edges of the Whisper White card stock with Smokey Slate. The card base is Wisteria Wonder. I coloured the birds bellies with Pistachio Pudding, using a blender pen to pick up ink from an ink pad, and put a strip of Pistachio Pudding behind the Whisper White.
The Clean and Simple Challenge this week was to not use any patterned paper. That's actually not much of a challenge for me because I hardly ever use pattern paper.
The funky slant to the Whisper White card stock was a happy accident. I stamped the images on a little slanted and then I decided to just go with it and make the slant part of the design. I really like how it turned out.
The quality of the picture is not that great because I took it at night. I may have to take a new one in the morning and update the picture. We'll see.
If you're interested in trying out any of these stamp sets, let me know. We can arrange a time for you and your friends to come to my house and play, or I can bring my stamps to your house. If you're interested in purchasing any of these stamps, let me know and I'll help you place an order so that you can earn some of my Jac's Stampin' Points.
Just added it all up to see how much it would be - $61.57 - That means I could pick a free item from the Sale-a-Bration Brochure or Sale-a-Bration Second Release Flyer. Hmmm...must see if I can sweet talk my way into making an order for my birthday, which is coming up soon. :-) One of my customer's had her husband place a surprise order for her last week. Maybe I can get him to plant the idea into my husband's head. :)
What is your favourite thing in the weekly sales this week? Would you like to have the new stamp set?
The Lotus Blossom stamp set is one of my favourite in the Sale-A-Bration brochure. Time is running out to get this beautiful stamp set. It is only available until March 31 and it can only be earned, not bought. You earn it by buying $60 worth of any Stampin' Up! merchandise and then choose it as your free item.
I have put together a bundle that would be great for a beginning stamper and I've designed these cards so that they are fast and easy to do with the items I suggest you purchase. You can check out the bundle below, but first here's a closer look at the cards:
This is the easiest and fastest card. It, and the one next, can be made with just the supplies I suggest.
This one is a little more complicated, but not that tough. It involves masking, which I can show you how to do.
This is another fast, easy one. For this one and the next three, you need a little extra paper that is not suggested in your bundle, but if you order from me I will supply you with the extra you need to make these three cards. For this one, and the next one, all you need is the coloured card stock to make a mat.
For the card below I simply rubbed the green ink pad down the strip of Irresistibly Yours DSP. Very easy to do. Order from me and I will supply you with the strip of paper and the small mat needed for this one.
And here's the bundle of supplies I am suggesting for you beginning stampers:
- a green ink pad of your choice for the stem
- another colour ink pad of your choice for the flower
for a total order of $60.85 (taxes and shipping and handling are extra)
Then you can choose the Lotus Blossom stamp set as your free item and you have what you need to create 20 cards similar to the ones above.
The envelopes come in a bundle of 40, while the cards come in a bundle of 20 so if you want to make more cards all you have to do is purchase another set of card bases for $5.95 and you can make 20 more!
If you live near me and order through me you can come to my house to create the cards and use some of my extra supplies. If you don't live near enough to come to my place to make the cards, I can send you the extra paper needed, along with what you ordered, to make cards similar to the ones above.
If you'd like to make the cards, but you're not interested in purchasing the supplies to do card making at home, you can still attend the Lotus Blossom Card Class that I will be hosting sometime in April. You will get to make 15 cards for $30. Just let me know what colours you're interested in so I can be sure I have the supplies needed on hand. There is a limit of 6 people to class so reserve your seat ASAP.
Remember, the Lotus Blossom Stamp set is only available until March 31 so get your order in A.S.A.P. If you use my March Hostess code on your order you will also get Jac's Stampin' Points - one point for every $25 you spend, before taxes, shipping and handling. Collect 20 points to get $25 worth of product free.
Apparently this is not a normal happening, but Stampin' Up! has introduced four new product items this month for the Sale-A-Bration promotion. You can check out the new products by downloading this PDF or check the showcase below. I love them! I already have some of them ordered. Don't miss your chance to get them. All you have to do is order $60 worth of merchandise to earn one of these products. The problem you have then is deciding which one you want. :-)
There's just one month left for you to earn the great products that are only available during Sale-A-Bration. You seriously don't want to miss out on this stuff, and the only way to get it is to earn it.
How do you earn it? For every $60 worth of product you order during Sale-A-Bration you get to choose a product in the Sale-a-bration brochure for free. It would be worth it to get your friends together and decide to order $60 worth of product each and have each of you choose a different product as your free product and then share the product around between all of you.
My favourite product in the Sale-A-Bration Catalogue is the Lotus Blossom Stamp set. I used it to make this card -
I decided to make a reference sheet for myself of different colour combinations available to me with the ink pads that I have -
This stamp set is so much fun to play with!
The Lotus Blossom Stamp set is not the only Sale-A-Bration Product I have been enjoying. I've made great use of the Best Year Every Accessory Pack and the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper. I will be sharing more about other products in the Sale-A-Bration brochure in the following days. Here are the Sale-A-Bration Products I have earned so far:
You can download a copy of the Celebration Brochure by clicking on the Sale-A-Bration graphic at the top of this post or by clicking on the words in this sentence. I'd love to chat with you about what you could order to be able to earn one of these great products before they disappear.
I learned about this technique on our Newfoundland Stampin' Up! demonstrators FaceBook page. The group in St. John's had someone show them how to do it at a team meeting. As I'm on the other side of the island I don't get to go to these team meetings so I hit google to find out what it was all about. After watching a number of different videos of different ways to do the technique I finally decided to give it a try.
For my first attempt, shown on the right, I used re-inkers and water in a Stampin' Spritzer. I wasn't thrilled with the result but I probably will try it again. For my second attempt, shown on the left, I used sponging. It was so much fun and I love how it turned out. I will definitely be trying it again. I loved both even more when I used them to create cards.
This card was made with the paper on the left. I'll share the card made with the other paper soon.
For this card I cut a 5 1/4 x 4 piece of whisper white card stock.
I gathered my Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Canteloupe, and Hello Honey ink pads. I prepared a small piece of sponge for each one.
Starting with one of the colours, I dabbed the sponge on the ink pad a few times to ink it up before using the sponge to apply ink to the card stock in a circular motion. I did this in random places all over the card. I repeated this with each colour and continued adding circles of colour, overlapping in places, until all the white was covered and I was happy with the result.
It is important to let this ink dry for a bit before proceeding to the next step.
Using a piece of paper with circles punched out as a stencil and placing it randomly over the card, I used Stampin' Up!s Whisper White Craft ink pad to sponge circles. Using the stencil gave these circles a more defined edge. Finally I used the eraser part of a pencil as a stamp to make the tiny dots.
I let this dry for a long time before stamping the sentiment in the corner.
The sentiment on this card is from the Simply Wonderful stamp set, which is one of the Sale-A-Bration items that can be earned for free when you spend $60 during Sale-A-Bration. I stamped it with Memento Ink.
Next I prepared a card base by cutting a 4 1/4 x 11 piece of Calypso Coral card stock.
I cut a 5 inch piece of the Calypso Coral ribbon from the Best Day Ever Accessory Pack, another item in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. I taped it around the background piece before attaching it to the card front.
With the help of my 9 year old, I created this video demonstrating how to do the bokeh technique with sponging.
I will show you what I did with the paper I created in the video in a coming post.
(Update: Check my Birthday Bokehs blog post to see what I did with the paper)
If you are interested in trying out the Bokeh technique, let me know by filling in the contact form at the right and I'll try to arrange a class.
If you place an order with me for
- three ink pads of your choice
- card stock to match at least one of your ink pads
- ribbon to match at least one of your ink pads
- whisper white card stock
- whisper white craft ink
- sponges (pack of 3)
you will have an order totally just over $60 which, will make you eligible to pick a free product from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. If you pick the stamp set I used you would be able to make 48 or more cards similar to the one I made here.
If you live out of town you can have the order shipped directly to you and I can teach you the technique via Skype or FaceTime.
Today is the last day to subscribe in time to receive this month's Paper Pumpkin kit. You can still subscribe after today but you will not receive this month's kit if you sign up after the 10th.
I love Paper Pumpkin! I think it's a great way to get started stampin'.
Paper Pumpkin is Stampin' Up!s monthly subscription kit. A kit arrives at your door every month that you subscribe for. It could be anything but always includes an ink spot, an exclusive stamp set, and all the materials you need to complete a project. It costs $24.95 per month, plus taxes (shipping is included) for a one month subscription. You can purchase 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month subscriptions.
During Sale-A-Bration, which runs until March 31, there is a special on the 3-month subscription. You can get a 3-month subscription for $68.85, saving you $2 per month. Also, because your order is more than $60 it means you are eligible for one of the free products in the Sale-A-Bration brochure.
One of my favourite stamps in the Sale-A-Bration brochure is the Lotus Blossom stamp set, which I used to make this card:
In the video linked above they show you how to do the flower using two colours, but I did mine using just one colour. I'd love to show you how to do it.
If you order a 3-month subscription, add a couple of ink pads (one a shade of green of your preference for stamping the stem) and another a colour of your preference for the flower, I will send you a card kit with instructions and the papers needed to make a similar card, and I will even do a Facebook or Skype session with you to demonstrate how to do it.
I cut an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of whisper white card stock in half long ways to get a peice that was 4 1/4 x 11. I then scored that at 5 1/2. I cut three 1 5/8 x 4 pieces of Lullaby Designer Series Paper and adhered them to the front of the card. I cut a 1 x 5 1/2 piece of Baked Brown Sugar card stock and a 1 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of Calypso Coral card stock and adhered the two together before adhering them to the card front. I tied a piece of ribbon into a bow around the card and adhered three buttons with glue dots. the ribbon and the buttons are part of the Best Year Ever Accessory pack that is one of the products available for free from the Sale-a-Bration Brochure.
A little while go I watched this technique where someone spritzed water on a stamped image right after stamping it to make the ink run a bit and give it a watercolour effect. I had to give it a try.
I stamped my image on whisper white card stock with Strawberry Slush and then spritzed it with water right away. After a few minutes a tapped off the access water with a paper towel. I loved the effect! I needed to trim the strip to use it on a card but it was still a bit damp when I went to cut it and I ended up with a tear and wrinkles. I was about to throw it out when I had a brain storm - I could make it a grunge look card! I crumbled the card stock up a bit and made a few more tears in it. I loved the result. Then I decided to spritz it with some daffodil delight mixed with alcohol, adding a little more colour. I matted the image with a piece of strawberry slush cardstock and scraped all along the edge with my finger nails a few times to give the mat a bit of a grunge look. I took a strip of hello honey and did the same with that. I wish I had some daffodil delight card stock to use but I didn't so I made use of what I had. I also scraped my fingernail along the edge of the whisper card base I had cut. I decided to very lightly spritz the right edge of the card base with the daffodil delight before attaching the other pieces to the base. The lighting is not great in the picture above but the end result is a very cool card!
So, if you mess up while creating, don't fret, just adjust your thinking and create a masterpiece. :-)
This card is stamped with one of my favourite stamp sets in the Sale-a-Bration brochure - the Lotus Blossom set. It cannot be bought, but can be earned by ordering $60 worth of merchandise. It is only available until March 31. You seriously don't want to miss the chance to get this stamp set. It is so much fun! I'd love to help you plan a $60 order so that you can get a Lotus Blossom stamp set for yourself. If you want to come to my place and try out the stamp set, just let me know by filling in the contact form to the right.
Two simple cards I made with stamps from the January 2015: Filled With Love Paper Pumpkin kit.
Paper Pumpkin is Stampin' Up!s monthly subscription kit. Every month a surprise package arrives at your door with all the supplies you need to complete that month's project. Sometimes the projects are cards, but sometimes they're not. You can read all about it at MyPaperPumpkin.com . I love Paper Pumpkin!
This particular month's project was cute little treat bags. You can see the supplies and the project in Stampin' Up!s video of the kit:
I just used the stamps from the kit for these cards, nothing else from the kit. That's the great thing that I love about Paper Pumpkin - you get a different stamp set in every kit. You also get a different ink spot in the kit each month. It's a great way to build up your stamps and inks if you're just starting out stamping.
This card I made to fit a standard letter size envelope. I cut a 6 1/4 x 7 piece of whisper white card stock and scored it at 3 1/2. I stamped the red hearts with Real red. I stamped the gold with gold embossing ink and sprinkled with gold embossing powder before heat embossing.
This card I made the standard card size I cut an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of card stock in half to make an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece and scored it at 4 1/4. I stamped the big hearts in Blushing Bride and used the wrong side of one of the big stamping up hearts in the kit. I used the wrong side because the right side of these stamps had words on it and I didn't want just plain hearts so I could stamp the other sentiments on them. I stamped the sentiments in the hearts with with Real Red. I stamped the little hearts with Melon Mambo and Strawberry Slush.
Here's a funny for you - I put the front of the card together and was so proud of how it looked. When I picked it up for a closer look I discovered the card was upside down! I had to take everything off and reposition and re-stamp. So remember to check and make sure your card is the right way before you start adhering and stamping. :-)
I love the papers in the Best Year Ever Designer Series paper pack. You get 12 beautiful double sided 12x12 sheets. When I started gathering my materials to make the card I was disappointed to discover that while I had card stock in most of the colours listed to match the papers, I only had one of the ink pads listed, but to my delight I discovered that some of the colours I did have matched just fine.
I knew that the Best Day Ever Stamp set coordinated with the Best Year Ever Designer Series paper but I didn't realize how well until I went to stamp this card. I love how closely they match and can't wait to do another card with another of the papers and stamps to show case just how well they match. Both of these products, along with the Simply Wonderful stamp set that I also used in this project are not available for purchase but may be earned for free simply by purchasing other merchandise. They are featured in the Sale-a-Bration brochure and are only available until March 31. If you would like to know more, let me know.
I started by cutting an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of whisper white card stock in half so that I had an 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 piece to make my card base. I scored and folded this at 4 1/4.
I cut a 5 1/4 x 3 piece of patterned paper and stuck that to the card base.
I used a 2 x 2 1/2 piece of whisper white card stock to stamp my image on. It just so happened that I had this piece, already sponged around the edges with a mixture of crisp cantaloupe and blushing bride, in with my scraps from working on other projects. I love when I get to make use of my scraps! I stamped the images using crisp cantaloupe, hello honey, coastal cabana, and wild wasabi with stamps from the Best Day Ever stamp set.
I cut a 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 piece of soft suede card stock as a mat for the stamped image and adhered the two together before adhering them to the card. I stamped the greeting directly onto the whisper white card base in baked brown sugar using a stamp from the Simply Wonderful stamp set.
The inside of the card is stamped with the same colours as the front with stamps from the Best Day Ever Stamp set.
I'd love to see any creations you might make inspired by these cards.
