Twelve Days of Christmas Cards: Day Three

Tonight's post is actually not Christmas cards, but a Christmas gift (or anytime gift) idea.

I really like to give handmade cards as a gift.  I have lots of people in my life, as I'm sure you do too,  that enjoy giving handmade cards but don't make them themselves.  So, I like to provide them cards as gifts.

But actually MAKING a bunch of cards to give as a gift is sometimes a challenge for me.

Life is busy....work, kids, housework, church commitments, Stampin' Up! commitments.....

....procrastinating!

So THIS year I decided to try out some of Stampin' Up!'s kits for Christmas gifts.

I. AM. BRILLIANT!

Well, okay.....Stampin' Up! is brilliant!

I chose the "Cottage Greetings Card Kits"  to give as a gift to each of my children's teachers:

There are enough supplies in the kit for 15 cards.

FIFTEEN!!!

I normally can only get around to making 6 or so!

I made all 15 in one kit in less than an hour tonight, in front of the television!!

AND....it cost $19.95!  When you include tax and shipping, that's what I would spend on them if I was buying a gift!!!!

Awesome!!!

So instead of scrambling teacher-gifts together this year.  I'll be done before the end of November!

AWESOME!!!!!

Right now, I'm offering 15% off this kit, stamp set, and one ink pad when you place your order with me (online orders do not qualify) by December 1st.

Here's what you'll get for $40 plus tax and shipping (one kit, one stamp set, one ink pad)

One kit alone is $16.95 plus tax and shipping:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy Stampin'!

Twelve Days of Christmas Cards 2015: Day 2

Today I've got another uber-simple card for you to make.  I'm currently all about simplifying and cutting down the clutter in my house and I'm finding my cards are also reflecting that for the most part.

Start with mono-chromatic layers then add a couple of "pops" of colour and "bam" you've got a card (thanks to Rich Jutkins at Stampin' Up! head office for the card-making sound effects!)

Create the snowflake with Whisper White craft ink or by embossing

See what I mean?!

This card will come together in seconds if you use the Whisper White craft ink.  Or "step-it-up" a little by embossing with White Embossing powder and adding some glitter or rhinestones.

Again, I've used one retired stamp set but you can create this card with the following products:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy Stampin'!

Twelve Days of Christmas Cards 2015: Day One

For those of you looking for this on the 12th, my apologies.  I was knee-deep in exam marking, report cards and hosting out-of-town family.   I should have looked at my calendar before I made my announcement :/

I spent yesterday with my dear friend, Julia, at Stampin' Up's first OnStage event!  It was SO much fun.  I met with old friends and new friends and got to stamp with BRAND NEW product from the 2016 Occasions Catalogue!

You are going to LOVE it!

But for now, because I'm not allowed to show you anything yet, I'll be showcasing some of the work I've been doing in preparation for Christmas with new stamps, retired stamps, kits and My Paper Pumpkin in my second annual "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards" blog posts.

Be sure to check back every day or two to see what's new and to be inspired.  

I've been planning towards my latest class, a Stamp-a-Stack of 16 cards, and have been working on some simple Christmas cards to include.

Here's one that I'm really liking:

Use a small snowflake to create a wreath

Isn't it pretty?  I stamped the wreath using Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Silver ink.  To create the "fourth" colour I simply stamped again in the Island Indigo before re-inking.

Super simple!

Here's a closer look at the wreath:

Use coordinating colours or stamp a few times before re-inking to create this look.

I realize that I've used mainly retired products to create this card; the "Endless Wishes" photopolymer stamp set, the "Good Greetings" hostess stamp set and a retired TIEF that I can't remember the name of.  

Don't have any of these products?

Have no fear!

You, too, can create this card.   Consider using these products to create a similar look;

Flurry of Wishes

Holly Jolly Greetings

Woodland TIEF

You can purchase any of these products from my website at  http://lauragardiner.stampinup.net  or by clicking on any of the images.

If you'd like to attend my Stamp-a-Stack of cards on December 1st, please contact me for more information.

Happy Stampin'!

Back in the saddle again....

Well, true to form, I've neglected my online presence for a little too long.  No.  Far too long.

 If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I stamp in fits and starts and therefore post that way too :)   Thank you for sticking with me!

In truth, my crafting space has been collecting dust since the spring and I've finally gotten back at it.

One of the reasons for this neglect is because I started back to work this fall.  I am a public high school teacher but had been on an extended parental leave for the past 6 1/2 years.  Returning to the classroom part-time this fall has certainly been an adjustment.....but not an unwelcome one.  While I enjoyed my time at home with my children (and was blessed to have an employer who would let me do it), I have been wonderfully surprised at how much I'm LOVING being back in the work world.

I feel like myself again!

Now that I've gotten into more of a routine and things are starting to settle, I sat down to do some stamping!   Two words...

Paper.

Pumpkin.

Wow!  What a wonderful little treat every month.  My October kit had enough materials to make 9 cards....and a little more!   And I did NOT have to design them myself!

Or cut anything!

It was all done for me!  Yay!

Once they were put together....this was the end result:

AND I got 13 stamps with the kit!

I'm looking forward to using them again soon!

If you haven't already tried Paper Pumpkin out or you want to try it out again, click HERE to link to my Paper Pumpkin website.   It's really worth trying out or giving as a gift to someone who is crafty.
I've been receiving my Paper Pumpkin monthly for over a year and have LOVED what I've seen!

Happy Stampin'!

Retiring in 2015

Well, the time has come again to say goodbye to some of our favourite Stampin' Up! products!  Some of my favourite punches and stamp sets are going.  And, of course, the 2013-2015 In Colours are leaving too....sigh.



There is a silver lining to this.  Many of these products are now available at discount prices.  But, be warned.....they do not last long....and once they are gone.  They're gone!  So order early at http://lauragardiner.stampinup.net or by sending me an email with your requests.

Check out a full list of 2015 retiring products here.

Simple Thanks (SSSC265)

Spring has sprung so I decided to use "springy" colours for this simple card.  I'm in need of a whole bunch of thank you cards and I wanted to create something that I could reproduce many times without a lot of effort.

I started with a sketch from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and some left overs from other projects to come up with this card.

Here's my version:

I started with a Crisp Cantaloupe card base and layered Sahara Sand with "Best Day Ever" DSP...which was a Sale-a-bration freebie but is STILL AVAILABLE until April 30th if you order the new Butterfly Thinlets on sale.  Finally, I added a strip of Coastal Cabana.

The stamps I used are from the "Work of Art", "Papillon Potpourri" and "Layers of Gratitude" (a Paper Pumpkin set) stamp sets.

Stay tuned for the Retired Lists...coming out tomorrow.  

Happy Stamping!

Today's the Big Day!!!

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a lovely holiday season!  Stampin' Up! knows how to keep the good feelings flowing.....the 2015 Occasions Catalogue launched today and the annual Sale-a-bration promotion started too!!!   It's almost too much to handle :)

One of the perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that we have an opportunity to pre-order from the Occasions Catalogue and pre-earn from Sale-a-bration!  Today's card features my favourite Sale-a-bration set, "Big Day".

The front of the card features 2 stamps from the set...."celebrate your Big Day with cake" and the "and perhaps a little ice cream" sentiments are 2 separate stamps!

Use Blendabilities markers to colour Rhinestones and Pearls!

I used the other 2 stamps from the set on the inside of the card.

I had fun using my Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight assortment Blendabilities to colour in the text.

You can earn this stamp set and/or Blendabilities markers during Sale-a-bration!  There are 3 ways to earn:

1. Shop
2. Host
3. Join

Click here to see the Sale-a-bration brochure and learn how you can earn!

Happy Stamping!

Click the image below to see the Occasions Catalogue!