Simple Stamping - Forever Fern

 I cannot tell you how many times I have sat staring at my crafting supplies not knowing what to do, then eventually giving up.  Last night I vowed to complete something and settled on something very simple.

All you’ll need to make this card is the “Forever Fern” stamp set, Whisper White cardstock, 4 colours and adhesive. Simple!

Add some dimensional for more depth.

Head over to LauraGardiner.stampinup.net to place your order.  $Orders over $60 currently qualify for Sale-a-gratin rewards..

Happy Stampin!

Corner Bouquet from Sale-a-bration 2021

 

We recently reorganized our office to make space for a teaching from home.  My husband and I both needed a more functional space to teach from...and a more attractive background for our students to look at!  In the process of doing this, my crafting area got a little smaller, but it also prompted me to sit down and try crafting again.  I am so glad I did!

In a time when everyone in our household has been doing school at home it has become increasingly clear to me that I have to draw a line so that I don’t work all the time.  It is always hard for educators to stop...at least for me it is.  I just can’t leave work at work at the best times let alone when my work and home life collide.

Returning to stamping has helped me to draw this line.   Returning to stamping has reminded me (again) that I need to use my brain differently from time to time so that I can be a better mom and teacher.  

Over the next few days, I hope to post photos of some of the projects I have been working on.  Maybe you’ll be inspired to rediscover a hobby or start a new one!

This project uses a great stamp set that I earned through Sale-a-bration by purchasing $60 of product.  Sale-a-bration has always been my favourite Stampin’Up! promotion.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like to earn this stamp set yourself.

Happy Stampin!

 

Merry Christmas for FMS362

Hi to all those who are still out there!  Thanks for sticking with me after all this time.  I had a very hard year professionally last year and my stampin' really fell off, but as part of my commitment to my own self-care I have begun stampin' again with the help of some dear friends.  A big thanks to them (you know who you are!) for crafting with me this week and inspiring me.

I also spent some time today looking through blogs...which I haven't done in a while either.  The sketch at Freshly Made Sketches really caught my eye and was my incentive to get some marking done (report cards are due this week....ugh)!

Here's what I came up with:

Here is the sketch that I worked from:



I have been playing around with the Tin Tile Dynamic TIEF from the 2018-2019 Holiday catalogue and LOVING it!  While it's hard to see here, I embossed a piece of Crumb Cake card stock and then sponged Craft White ink and Frost White Shimmer paint (also back in this year's Holiday catalogue!!!) onto it.

It really does create that vintage tile look.  I paired it with the Merry Merlot and Tranquil Tide colours which really pop against the crumb cake background (at least they do in person....I'll need to work on my photography).   I'm hoping to play around with more throughout the week and will continue sharing with you.

Here is a list of some of the supplies I used:

Crumb Cake card stock

Merry Merlot card stock

Tranquil Tide card stock

Whisper White card stock

Merry Merlot and Tranquil Tide Stampin' Write markers

White Craft ink

Snowflake Sentiments clear-mount stamps

Merry Merlot 5/8" copper ribbon

Tin Tile Dynamic TIEF

Pretty Pines Thinlet Dies

Happy Stampin'!

Thanks Grandma!

So here I am again apologizing for my absence from the blogging world.   And yet again I'll say something about "trying to do better"....especially for those of you, my faithful friends, who have expressed that you miss stamping with me and seeing what I'm up to.   I will do my best.

I have been absent because, honestly, I haven't been stamping!   The winter and spring were crazy busy...my husband, who is head of Music at his school, was helping to run a musical....my kids were busy....I was busy....

Excuses.  I know!

In any case, after months away from stamping I started again this week.  A lot of the stuff I've made, I've already passed along to others before taking a picture.  But I captured today's card before it gets put in the mail.

My daughter and I just spent a lovely day with my mother-in-law while the boys were away doing their thing.  A neighbour of ours was selling a little pink bike and, very generously, "grandma" bought the bike for L.  She LOVES it and spent the afternoon going up and down in front of the house.

Almost immediately, an idea began to form in my mind for a thank you card.  I remembered that "Sheltering Trees" has a bicycle stamp in it and the tree itself works so well because the leaves are gorgeous here right now.

Here's what came of the idea:

Cute, eh!

I hope (but won't promise) that I'll be back again soon!

Keep stamping!!!!

Party Wishes for a Friend

My son is going to his best friend's 7th birthday party in a matter of minutes.  With the gift wrapped all that was needed was a card to go with it.

And because it's me....it has to be handmade....

My son is always incredibly excited when I let him use "my stuff".  Probably because I'm so strict about them not touching it.  EVER.

They have their own stamping bin....but this is a special friend....so I pulled out my BRAND NEW "Party Wishes" set.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

Party Wishes for a Friend

My son stamping candles

The glue isn't quite dry here....but I wanted to show you the fun little candles that he punched out and the cool balloon Washi Tape!

I love this suite of products and I can't wait to feature them at my Birthday Card Stamp Camp (see "Upcoming Events" for more details).  It is such a versatile suite and easy to use.....clearly....my son is only 6!

Happy Stampin'!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Hello to Sale-a-bration

Hello!  Welcome to Sale-a-bration 2016!

Sale-a-bration is, hand's down, my FAVOURITE Stampin' Up! promotion!  Before I was a demonstrator I used to save up my purchases until this time so I could get more for my money....who am I kidding....I still do!   Some of my favourite Stampin' Up! stamp sets are Sale-a-bration sets!

Here's one of the best of this year's Sale-a-bration sets...."Hello":

There are so many possibilities!   Here is one design that I used for 2 different cards:

Hello Birthday Day Girl!

Hello My Friend!

 I heat-embossed the "Hello" image using White Emboss Powder and then, using my AquaPainters, watercoloured over top of it.  Then I used paper from the "It's My Party" DSP package (which is HUGE by the way....48 sheets!) for the background.   There is a good mix of really "Birthday-ish" themes and more neutral ones.

Using the "flip" side of the DSP allowed me to make 2 cards, with different messages, really quickly!

Want in on the fun?   Here's how:

Purchase $60 in Stampin' Up! product from the Annual or Occasions Catalogue and you can earn the "Hello" stamp set FREE!   If you purchased the "It's My Party" DSP pack, the Aqua Painters, and some cardstock, you'll have $60 and will be all set to go.

But HURRY....because this set is ONLY available until February 15th!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy Stampin'!

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'!

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'!

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!

Day 12: Wonderful Wreath

When I saw the "Wondrous Wreath" stamp set in Stampin' Up's Holiday catalogue I knew it was one I was going to "have" to have!  When it arrived I realized it was even better than I imagined.  It's a "2-step" stamping set.  Usually that means I've got to pull out my stamp-a-ma-jig and try to line things up.  Generally getting frustrated in the process.  Because "Wondrous Wreath" is a photopolymer set it is TOTALLY clear AND it has nifty little tabs on it to aid in lining up the layered stamping!

I stamped 3 layers on this wreath....the Old Olive "base", Mossy Meadow darker leaves, and Cherry Cobbler holly berries.   All without my Stamp-a-ma-jig!  Yay!

To add a little more texture and "step-up" my card, I coloured some Pearl Basic Jewels with my Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities and then put them on some of the stamped holly berries.

Colour your Pearl Basic Jewels with Blendabilities to "step-up" your card

Click here to see Day 11 of the "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards".

Happy Stampin'

P.S. Place an order with me before November 30th and receive FREE shipping on your entire order :)

Day 11: Happy Winter (FMS 164)

It's hard to believe that December is only days away.  I'm left wondering where November went and realizing I'd better get going on getting the rest of my Christmas cards made and sent out.  Not to mention decorating the house, baking cookies, and all of the other fun things to do before Christmas actually arrives!

For today's "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards" card I used this week's sketch from the lovely designers over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I love the simplicity of the sketch and the endless possibilities it conjures up.

Here's what I did with it (this time):

I love this colour combination; Cool Cabana and Real Red.  Using the Cool Cabana Blendabilities markers allows you to explore the different "saturations" within that colour.

Consider "stepping up" this card by using the Filigree Frame TIEF or by adding some sparkle through Rhinestone Basic Jewels or Dazzling Details.

Click here to see Day 10 of my Twelve Days of Christmas Cards posts.

Happy Stampin'!

Day 10: That's shiny ;)

So, I got side-tracked off my Twelve Days of Christmas Cards postings.   I got distracted on Friday by taking one kid to the doctor because of an endless cough and a little bout of stomach flu.  No worries, I'd have the weekend to catch up, right?

I was SO excited to have a weekend with "nothing" going on.  No parties, no places to go, no big errands to run.  I had a breakfast date with my son and then my lovely father-in-law arrived.  He not only brought us winter tires and put them on the car (THANK YOU, THANK YOU!), he took the kids away for a few hours!

Yay!

That's shiny!

Okay, so put aside stamping for a bit...let's go Christmas shopping for the kids and out for lunch.  It was great, we went to our favourite Indian place, then across the street to our favourite toy store and topped it off with a yummy holiday drink before heading home.

I fully planned on capping off my wonderful day by spending the late afternoon and evening stamping and watching a movie with my husband.

Cue the stomach flu!

Yuck!

I'm beginning to feel myself again and got stamping again this evening.   I turned to CAS -- Colours and Sketches and The Paper Players for colour and sketch inspiration for today's Christmas card:

I LOVE this colour combination and the sketch is so versatile.

That's shiny!

 The Metallic Silver (Encore) ink adds a little bit of "shininess" to the tree in the forefront as well as the Letterpress Winter snowflakes in the background.  Here's a better look at it:

Use Encore Silver ink to add some texture to your Christmas trees

Happy Stampin'!

Click here to see Day Nine of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cards.

Day Ten: A Merry Little Wish

A number of weeks ago Stampin' Up! held an event for demonstrators in my city.  I always enjoy getting together with other stampers and crafting, especially when I don't have to do the prep :)   It's also fun because I always learn something new.

At this particular event, we used the Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities markers to colour Basic Pearls!  I wanted to use that technique again and found that using them to decorate a tree from the Festival of Trees stamp set was perfect.

Use Blendabilities markers to colour your pearls

Here's what the whole card looks like.

Here's another tip:  Did you know that you can curve the Photopolymer stamps?  That's what I did here to make them "hug" the circle.  They are "bendy" stamps and you just have to adhere them to your clear blocks with a little curve and you're all set to go.

Try stepping up this card by using the "On Point" TIEF to emboss the circle.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Nine: Seasonally Scattered

Scattered.....that's a great word for today!

Wednesday is my busy day!  You know that day of the week when you feel like you have to do everything.

You know that one when you've got dishes EVERYWHERE and there are toys EVERYWHERE and you'll be lucky to have breakfast cleaned up before supper starts because you're just running from one thing to the next?   That's today!

Of course, it doesn't help that I don't organize myself ahead of time and I self-indulge by lying in my warm bed in the morning instead of getting up.

You'd think I'd learn right?

Nope!

I do it EVERY week!

What's the definition of insanity again?

....better not go there :)

So I needed to make a quick card for today's post because I didn't have one ready ahead of time (of course).   The Seasonally Scattered stamp set is PERFECT for a quick (and pretty) card!

Add a little "All is Calm" DSP and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punched border and you've got a pretty little card.

I can't wait to play with this stamp set more.  There are so many possibilities!

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Eight: Work of Art Wreath

Today was a great day to hole up inside and do some stamping.  It was really blustery here and very cold!  I'm not sure how I feel about -21C with windchill but I am loving the snow.  

For today's card I turned to an "everyday" stamp set, "Work of Art".  By alternating the small "smudge" using Mossy Meadow and Old Olive you can create a really pretty wreath.  

Add some holly berries by using Candy dots (I used the Cherry Cobbler from the Regals set).

Again, a super-easy card that doesn't use any punches or the Big Shot.

Click here to check out yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Seven: Variations on a Theme

Happy Monday!  It's another snowy morning here in my corner of the world and the kids are loving it!  There's not quite enough here to build a snow fort yet but I think some snowmen will be built after school : )  Isn't it pretty?!

The view from my window this morning

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I get to decide my work hours and schedule.  Sweet!  I really enjoy running what I call "Make and Takes" for my friends and customers.  A group of ladies come by house to make cards and take them home.    It's very fun!

Sometimes people have to cancel last minute and I'm left with a whole bunch of pre-cut card templates to use up.  I was cleaning some of these up a few weeks ago and created two different Christmas cards to use up the supplies I cut in the spring.

Card 1:

I used Festival of Trees and some Frosted Sequins for this card.   

Card 2:

Use different colours on the Wondrous Wreath stamps to create pretty wreaths.

Personally I like Card 1 better.  I used a lot more textures on it using my TIEFs and the Frosted Sequins.   But I do like the colours (Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow) for card 2.  

Tip:  Sponge a little colour onto Tea Lace Doilies to help them stand out again Whisper White card stock.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Six: Wintery Wishes

The snow has started falling here...yay!!!  I admit that I LOVE the snow and I'm excited it's here early this year!  Bring on the wintery fun....snow forts, snowball fights, skating, and most importantly, an excuse to have hot chocolate!  Yay!

Today's card reminds me of the dusting of snow we've got right now.  I was inspired by a beautiful card I saw on Pinterest that used the same colour scheme and stamps.

I love the look that the Tea Lace doily brings to the whole card and the subtleness of the stamping.

To create the look, use White Craft ink to stamp onto the Crumb Cake paper and also to sponge some on to create the "frosted" look.  Bling the whole thing up with some Basic Rhinestone jewels.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Five: Endless (wishes) Possibilities

I'm a musician by training.  More specifically, a music teacher.  Last weekend I was able to attend the Ontario Music Educator's Association conference for the first time in many years (I've been on parental leave).  It is a FABULOUS conference with HUNDREDS (close to 1000) music educators converging on a city for 2 days of learning, reconnecting and having fun!  It was so exciting to be back and reaffirmed in me my love of teaching and desire to return to the schools.

One thing (of many) that I took away from last weekend's conference that my job as a music educator is to unlock the "Master Builder" in all my students so they can see the millions of possibilities when creating and performing music.  

Awesome!

Daunting!!!!!

That concept, of course, is easily transferable across all art forms, including paper crafting and stamping!  

So exciting!

And SO daunting!

I cannot count the number of times I've sat down at my desk and been so overwhelmed by all the possibilities I am paralyzed....

....so for these cards I chose one colour scheme (Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss and Sahara Sand) and one stamp set (Endless Wishes).

The second is variation on the theme:

Again, they are simple cards that can be used as a template to create a bunch to send out to your friends and family.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Four: Ornamental Pine

It's hard to remember a time before I had a Big Shot or very many punches.  But it did exist, and yes, I did manage to make some pretty decent looking cards!

Keeping in mind that many of my friends don't own Big Shots I designed a card for my Christmas Cards Make and Take that deliberately didn't use one!

No Big Shot.  No punches.

 Not bad, eh?  By using a variety of textures (card stock vs. linen ribbon vs. Dazzling details) and depths (Thank You Stampin' Dimensionals!) you can create an interesting card very quickly!   No punching! No embossing!  Just stamps, ink and scissors!

Use different textures to create interest.

Attention dear reader:

You CAN create a beautiful card WITHOUT a Big Shot!

but it's REALLY, REALLY fun to have one too :)

Click here to see Day Three of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cards!

Happy Stampin'!

Day Three: Celebrate the Season

This is a card that we did last week at my Christmas Cards Make and Take.  Remember the theme?

Simple yet pretty!

For Christmas cards you want to be able to get out as many as possible is as little time as possible because, really?  Who has time?!

Use Washi Tape in different combinations to create different looks

Washi Tape and Gorgeous Grunge are a perfect combination for any card!  Add a little Christmas tree and some Frosted Sequins and you're all set!

The great thing about the All is Calm Washi Tape is that there are 5 (yes FIVE!) rolls to choose from!  The possibilities are endless.  So for all you who like to have a little variety in your cards, you can have the same template and supplies yet they can all be slightly different!

Yay!

Click here to see Day Two of Twelve Days of Christmas Cards.

Happy Stampin'!