All done for my first year of markets

Hi there,

So I've finished with my Christmas markets for this year.  A huge thank you to all of the people (whether I knew you before or met you at the market) who supported me.  It was very encouraging and I'm already thinking ahead to a spring market as well as next Christmas!

If you bought some cards and now would like more, just send me an email and I'll be happy to oblige.  We can even change them around a bit.  I am posting some pics of some of the Christmas cards that I did change around just a bit for a customer.  These were two of the more popular ones at both of the markets!  I have to give credit to Tesia who gave me the idea for the card on the right!

In other news, I will shortly be putting together my class list for the new year.  The Christmas season gets so busy, so I like to calm it down a bit for everyone!  January will be bringing new catalogue supplies as well as Stampin' Up's biggest sale of the year (yes, even bigger than the extravaganza that ends tomorrow!).  Sale-A-Bration runs for the first few months of the new year.  The deal (in Canada) is that for every $60 you spend, you get to choose an item from the Sale-A-Bration (SAB) catalogue.  Having had a chance to get a sneek peak at the catalogue, I've got my items picked and cannot wait!!!  I will share the new catalogue as well as the SAB one as soon as possible!

I hope this quick post finds you all well.  

K8

PS - I know the picture is rubbish.  I will try to do better next time!

I still owe you a picture from my trip

So I noticed that I promised a picture from my trip.  It has taken me a while to get my pictures loaded onto my computer, but I have finally done it.  Need to get started with the digital scrapbooking after all. So here goes!

This is the view from Victoria Peak looking down at Central (or a little west of it).

And this is the beautiful and peaceful giant buddha on Lantau island.  I would highly recommend a visit.  We opted for the gondola/cable car, but there are also hiking trails!!

So neglectful...

Hi All,

I am so sorry.  No excuses.  I still don't have a new card for you, but I thought I would show you some pictures from my booth at the craft fair I recently participated in.  To all of those who were able to stop by, thank you so much!  Your support has been so encouraging.

If you didn't get to stop by, fear not.  I am participating in another fair at Sir Robert Borden on Greenbank Road, on the 24th and 25th of November.  The show is open from 10-4 each of the days so come down and say hello!

I hope this quick post finds you all well.  I do promise to get back into it soon!!  Even I'm missing my cards at the moment!!!

Take care,
K8

One week hiatus

Hi there!

Another break??  What gives?  Here's the story.  I went to Hong Kong last week and it was amazing!  But I didn't bring my crafting supplies with me to HK!  Now I do have some cards ready to show you, but, they are for a class that I am hosting next week.  I do now try to hold back showing you cards before my guests get to make them.  I don't want to ruin the surprise.  

All the cards that were posted while I was away were from a class I had previously done.  Wasn't that good of me?!  I made cards for a class and also made extra for the artisan fair.

So I will try to post a little picture for you this week of one of the highlights of my trip.

I hope you are all keeping well!

Another baby card

Here is the masculine version of the last card I posted!  I love this stamp set and really like using it for baby cards.  I do have another set that I really like and I will show you a card for that in an upcoming post!

Hope you've had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend!

Baby card

Hey there!

Are any of these cards helping to get your creative juices flowing?  I sure hope so!!!  Here's another one I worked on recently.  I actually have yet to tell you about a creative retreat that I went on.  I will get to that soon enough.  But at the retreat I was so lucky to be on my A-Game for getting things done. I made a ton of cards and managed to prep for some others.  I was tired at the end.  But it was such a great time and so useful to commit that time to card making, especially with the upcoming artisan market that I'm participating in!

Hi there!

Are you glad I'm back to my old blogging self (well almost).  It's been pretty busy lately, but here's another card that I wanted to share with you! 

This is another card that I will be including in the packs of cards that I sell at the upcoming craft fair!

Take care!

Thank you card

Here is a thank you card that I made some time ago.  I am finally getting around to sharing it!  I have included this card in one of the sets that I am making for the upcoming craft fair!!!

I hope you are all well!

The invites are finished

I finished the invites within my deadline.  I was quite pleased with them actually.  If I did them again I might change a few things, but overall I think they were a hit.

On top of that, I have been accepted into a local artisan guild and will be participating in my first craft show in November.  So my posting will continue to be limited because I'm beavering away with cards and wreaths.  Nevertheless, I have some exciting cards to share with you over the next little while.  I'm going to forego the products list, but know it's all from Stampin' Up!  If you can't figure out the products, then just ping me an email!

Here goes!

This was a birthday card for a friend.

And thanks for being so patient!

Happy crafting!

Alive and well

Hello there!

I am alive and well, and I hope each of you are as well.  I have been wrapped up in my invitation project and I do apologize for the lack of posts.  I will just post quickly here to show you an invitation I did recently for a surprise party that my sister threw for my Mom!  She was very surprised to say the least!!!

As you can see, I used the Patio Party suite (DSP and stamp set) for these invitations.  The other version of it uses the cupcake paper!!  I also used the current in colours for my card stock.  How did I make the 3 layer cake you ask?  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig which has become a bit of a must for me lately!  It is so good and it helps you ensure that your stamped image is exactly where you want it.  No more guess work!  If you look closely at the pictures, you will see that I used the small white brad to help keep the front closed!

I hope you are all keeping well.  I will be working on the invites for about another 10 days, but after that I promise to get back into a good blogging routine!

Take care,
K8

Birthday card

Hi All,

So September is an incredibly busy birthday month for me!  I have my dad, Mom, cousin, uncle, a good friend's twins, and about 4 other friends.  Luckily for me, they don't all expect cards or I don't know how I'd fit in my day job!!  The card below is one I made for my Mom.  There is a story that goes with that, but that will have to wait for another day.  I believe this type of card is called a gate fold card.  I use it at birthdays, especially when I want to put a type written message on the inside.  This time I just hand wrote on the inside.

*Primrose petals card stock (126841)
*Patio party DSP (126916)
*Summer starfruit card stock (126839)
*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Make a cake stamp set (W126740 / C126742)
*1/8" mini brad in silver (122941) - this is what is holding it closed!
*Stamp a ma jig (101049) - how have I lived without this for so long???

I hope you are all enjoying this short week.  For those who had to go back to work/school this week, hopefully it is all going well!  The first week back is always the hardest!

K8

Mojo Monday Challenge 257

Well I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend!  It normally feels like the end of summer after Labour Day, but with the heat we've had, I'm sure it must still be summer!!!  Anything to delay the snow!

I followed along with the Mojo Monday challenge this week.  Holy moly there was a lot to this card.  Can you spot all of the layers?  It's not as clean as I normally like it, but I did try to stay true to my style with it!  I love the use of the mittens instead of an embellishment!

*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Snow Festival DSP (126908)
*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Penant parade stamp set (W122740 / C122742)
*1 3/4" scallop circle punch (119854)
*1 3/8" punch (119860)
*1/8" mini brad in silver (122941)
*Word window punch (119857) 
*Make a mitten stamp set (W127940 / C127943)
*Mitten builder punch (127824) I used my paper snips to cut out the right hand side mitten (this must have been developed by a leftie ;) !)

Have a great week everyone!

k8

Mojo Monday Challenge 256

Hey there!

I followed along with the Mojo Monday challenge this week...kind of.  See, I wasn't in front of a computer when I created this card, so I decided to work from memory.  I almost got all the elements right!!!

Now I think I need to share what I think is a funny story (my warped sense of humour may be off putting...).  I went shopping last week with some friends.  As we sat down for lunch, my one friend asked me to lean over. She wiped at my face and told me I had crafters herpes as I was covered in glitter.  This isn't an expression I had heard before but boy did I laugh!!!!  Lucky the glitter (and crafter's herpes!) seems to finally have washed off!!!!  Thank goodness for good friends is all I can say!  What must people have thoughts ;p

The products used for this card are as follows:

*Very vanilla card stock (101650)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Be of good cheer DSP (126896)
*3/16" neutrals brads (I pulled out the ver vanilla but these come in a multi pack) (119736)
*retired stamp set for the ornament
*fancy fan embossing folder (127751)
*Merry Christmas greeting is from Delightful decorations (W116517 / C127787)

Have a great long weekend for everyone who is off on Monday!

K8

Sunday Stamps Challenge 12

Hello!

I want to apologize for the lack of posts by the end of last week.  I got quite busy, and then sick, and then busy again.  No excuse.  But unfortunately, this is also how I am introducing another difficult topic.  Until the end of September, I am going to reduce the amount of posts I make each week.  I am going to be concentrating on making wedding invitations and will be working to a tight deadline.  So between that, my full time day job, and life in general, I knew something had to be cut back.  What I am hoping though, is that I will be able to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So please bear with me and keep checking back!  I will also post pictures of the invitations as well as different project that I recently had to work on at the last minute.

Today's card was inspired by the sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps.  As I put the final pieces together I came to the conclusion that I should have opted for silver glimmer paper instead of champagne.  But alas, I was in a champagne type of mood!  If I make more of these cards, I will opt for the silver!

The products used in this card are as follows:

*Very vanilla card stock (101650)
*Midnight muse card stock (126843)
*Snow festival DSP (126908)
*Discontinued ribbon in baja breeze
*Midnight muse 3/8" stitched ribbon (126847)
*1 1/4" scallop circle punch (127811)
*Champagne glimmer paper (127885)
*Scallop edge border punch (119882)
*Merry minis stamp set (W127916 / C127919)
*Merry minis punch pack (126882)
*Illuminate glimmer watermark Stampin' pad (126857) - I know it's hard to tell, but I stamped over each of the merry mini images with this to give a bit more depth

Have a great week!

K8

Mojo Monday Challenge 255

Hey there!

I decided to follow along with the Mojo Monday challenge this week.  Although my mind is very much still on Christmas, I've also had to think about thank you cards lately as I need to make some for a very special friend (details later!).  I don't think I'll use the one below as it doesn't reflect my friend's style or colours, but it was outside the box for me and I used the colours mainly to try and use up some retired DSP that I love but can't use in my classes.

The products used are as follows:

*Whisper white card stock (100730)

*So saffron card stock (105118)

*Perfect plum card stock (101889)

*Wild wasabi card stock (108641)

*Retired DSP

*Retired so saffron ribbon

*Pearl basic jewels (119247)

*Decorative label punch (120907)

*Dotted scallop ribbon border (119275)
*Modern label punch (119849)

*Curly cute stampe set (W117014 / C120510)

Get out there and stamp!

Mojo Monday Challenge 253

Hello there!

So I've returned from holiday now, albeit a bit jet lagged!  I hope you have had a chance to craft over the past couple of weeks!

I was excited to get back to the Stampin' dungeon though!

My parents celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary last week.  Unbelievable!!  I made them the card below using one of my favourite suits from the new catalogue (recipe below).

Products used for this card were:

*whisper white card stock (100730)

*primrose petals card stock (126841)

*island indigo card stock (122923)

*birds of a feather DSP (126899)

*Flock together stamp set (W126730 / C126732)

*Basic rhinestone jewels (199246)

*island indigo 3/8" ruffled ribbon (122974)

*teeny tiny wishes (W115370 /C127802)

Have a great week and as ever, if you have any questions about this card or any others, or if you'd like to order products through me, please feel free to drop me an email.

Happy stampin'!

K8

Last card in the Christmas set

Don't worry, this isn't my last Christmas card.  Far from it in fact.  But it is the last one in this set.  For this one, I decided to go away from the other sketch and came up with this on my own!

The products used are:


*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Snow festival DSP (126908)
*Hemp twine - retired
*Mittens - retired
*Curly cute stamp set (W117014 / 120510)
*Whisper white card stock (100730)


The felt mittens are retired, but there is no reason why you couldn't use the mittens in Make a mitten (W127940 / C127943) as well as the builder punch (127824) instead!!


Until next time!

Christmas card - part three

I don't know if I mentioned, but this card bundle has 4 cards to it!!!  So we are on part 3 today!  The sketch is still the one from Try Stampin' on a Tuesday.

The products used are:


*Tempting turquoise card stock (102067)
*Brushed silver paper (100712)
*Silver glimmer paper (124005)
*Vellum card stock (101856)
*Northern flurry embossing folder (120902)
*Curly cute stamp set (W117014 / C120510)
*Whisper white card stock (10073)
*Dotted scallop ribbon border (119275)


Have a great week all!

Christmas card - part deux

Here is the next card in the set I created using the Try Stampin' on a Tuesday sketch:

The products used were as follows:


*Tempting turquoise card stock (102067)
*Brushed silver card stock (100712)
*Silver glimmer paper (124005)
*Vellum card stock (101856)
*2 3/8" scallop circle punch (118874)
*Tiny tags (W118091 / C118592)


All of the other products, such as the stamp set, and the snowflake, are retired products.


Happy stampin'!


K8

Christmas card

I decided that I needed to use up some retired embellishments that I had from last year.  So I used the sketch at Try Stampin' on a Tuesday as the inspiration for the next few cards that I will post.

The products used in this card are:


*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Tempting turquoise card stock (102067)
*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Retired ribbon
*Retired wreath and holly embellishment
*Chocolate chip card stock (102128)
*Woodgrain emboss folder (127821)
*Tiny tags stamp set ('merry') (W118091 / C118592)


As a tip, to get the even banner tips, use your square punch!  It takes some getting used to in order to ensure it is centered, but once you get the hang of it, it's great!


Until next time!

Dynamic Duo Challenge

Hopefully you've all now had a chance to pour through the new holiday catalogue and are getting your order ready!

I used a challenge from the Dynamic Duos challenge site as inspiration for this card (black and poppy parade).  This site puts together great challenges!!!

The products used in this card are as follows:


*Basic black card stock (121045)
*Poppy parade card stock (this was one of the 2010-2012 in colours and is no longer available *tear*)
*Poppy parade ribbon
*Teeny tiny wishes (W115370 / C127802)
*Merry minis stamp set (W127916 / C127919)
*Merry minis punch pack (126882)
*Lacy brocade embossing folder (127819)
*Pearl basic jewels (119247)
*Word window punch (119857)
*Modern label punch (119849)
*3/4" circle punch (119873)


I hope you've all had a chance to stamp this week!  Until next time,
K8

Holiday catalogue kick off party card 2

Hi folks!  Here is the other card that we made last week at my kick off party.  I'm afraid that I've forgotten what the inspiration was for this sketch, but I suspect it was a Mojo Monday one!

The products used were:

*Gumball green card stock (126840)

*Be of good cheer DSP (126896)

*Primrose petals 3/8" stitched satin ribbon (126844)

*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)

*Champagne glimmer paper (127885)

*2 3/8" scallop circle punch (118874)

*1 3/4" circle punch (119850)

*Very vanilla card stock (101650)

*Ornament keepsakes bundle (W129949 / 129950)

*Open sleigh stamp set (W126460 / C126462)

Have a great week and make sure to get out and grab an opportunity to stamp!

K8

Holiday Catalogue kick off party card

As I promised earlier, here is the first of the two cards we made at my kick off party on Wednesday.  The inspiration came from a Mojo Monday challenge a couple of weeks ago.  I unfortunately didn't enter the card in the challenge as I didn't want to ruin the surprise for the wonderful guests I had.  I used this same sketch but with different products as my entry in a recent swap as well!  Although it was a bit fiddly with the embossing, I thought it showcased some new products well and also had the "step it up" factor because you could choose not to do the embossing.

The products used were as follows:


*Baja breeze card stock (111352)
*Snow festival DSP (126908)
*Primrose petals card stock (126841)
*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Ornament Keepsakes stamp set (W128048 / C128051)
*Holiday Ornaments framelits (127816) - REMEMBER: your can bundle these products in the holiday catalogue and enjoy a discount on the cost (W129949 / C129950 for the bundling codes)
*Iridescent ice emboss powder (101930)
*Heat tool (129053)
*Chock Full of Cheer (greeting) (W126715 / C126717)


I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend (and that you get a chance to stamp!!).


K8

Mojo Monday Challenge 253

So today is the first day that you can order from the new holiday catalogue!  Hoorah!  I am hosting a catalogue kick off party this evening and will be showcasing some of the new holiday products that you can get from Stampin' Up!  If you are interested in joining, please email me asap!

I drew inspiration from this week's Mojo Monday challenge.  I did go off course (quite a bit when I look at it now!!!), but nonetheless, it's another Christmas card to add to the pile!

The products that were used to make this card are as follows:


*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Baja breeze card stock (111352)
*Snow festival DSP (126908)
*Silver glimmer paper (124005)
*Brushed silver card stock (100712)
*Velum card stock (101856) - this is what the large ornament is stamped on!
*Merry minis punch pack (126882)
*Ornament keepsakes bundle (W129949 / C129950)
*Staz On Ink pad in white (106960) - make sure that if you order this you also order the cleaner (109196)


If you are interested in ordering any products, including those that are featured on this card, please feel free to contact me.


Take care,
K8

Sunday Stamps Sketch Challenge - SSC10

I hope everyone enjoyed a good weekend!

I decided to play along with the Sunday Stamps sketch challenge this week:

I used products from the new holiday catalogue which is going live on Wednesday!  How exciting is that?  I am hosting a catalogue kick off party and we will be making two cards and I'll be showing some of the products to my guests.  I'll be sure to post the cards later on!  If you are in the Ottawa area and would be interested in attending, please contact me.


The products used on this card are as follows:


*Very vanilla card stock (101650)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Be of good cheer DSP (126896)
*Ornament keepsakes stamp set (stamped in gumball green and raspberry ripple) (W128048 / C128051)
*Holiday ornaments framelits (127816)
*Wacky wishes hostess set (W126410 / C126412)
*retired ribbon


I have mentioned in the past, but will do so again, that in the upcoming holiday catalogue, Stampin' Up! is offering customers a change to bundle certain products together and enjoy a discount on them.  For example, I bought the stamp set and framelits dies as a bundle!


If you like the greeting that I used let me know!  I can give you information on how you can earn this greeting set by hosting your own Stampin' Up! workshop or party.


Have a great week everyone!


K8

Retired items

I'm a little groggy today as I went to Montreal yesterday for the Coldplay concert and drove back overnight!  All I can say is WOW!  If you get a chance to see them, go for it!

Despite being a bit tired, I still thought a card was in order! I was really disappointed when the Season of Friendship stamp set was retired. It was one that I had had my eye on for quite some time and finally purchased.  I still use it though because I love all the pieces!!!!

I won't go through all of the products used as they are retired, except for the greeting which is from Tiny Tags (W118091 / C118592).


I hope you've had a great week!


K8

Mojo Monday 251

I hope everyone is enjoying a great week!  We've finally had rain here in Ottawa and the temperature has gone down a bit as well!


I decided to participate in the Mojo Monday challenge for this week.  I am on a Christmas card kick at the moment.  This is partially for the new catalogue kick off event I am hosting on August 1st, but also to get my stash of Christmas cards ready now!

For this card, I used three different pieces of paper from the Snow Festival DSP which will be available from the new holiday catalogue beginning August 1st.  I thought that the trees added a bit of fun to what was otherwise fairly traditional paper!  The other products used are as follows:


*Whisper white card stock (100730)
*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Raspberry ripple card stock (126842)
*Retired ribbon
*3/16" metallic brads (119741)
*Open sleigh stamp set (W126460 / C126462)


I hope you are getting a chance to stamp!  Until next time.


K8

One Minute card

I cannot believe how quickly the summer is racing by!

Wicked is playing at the National Art Centre here in Ottawa and I went to see it yesterday after a few days at a cottage!  Given that I didn't have a lot of time, it struck me that it would be useful for all of you (who no doubt have busier schedules than me) if I started to show you some "one minute cards".  Admittedly, I did spend some time thinking about this card, but the process of actually making it took about a minute.  I will try and feature these types of cards on a more regular basis!

The products used for this card were:

*Certainly celery card stock (101650)

*Very vanilla card stock (105125)

*So saffron card stock (105118)

*Perfect plum card stock (101889)

*5/8" crochet trim ribbon (Victoria) (118481)

*Boho blossoms punch (119858)

*Large pearl basic jewels (125577)

*Pearl basic jewels (119247)

*Flowering flourishes stamp set (W126365 / C126367)

Feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you would like to order any of the products.

Have a great week!

K8

Mojo Monday (but a little late!)

So I was a little late with the card below.  It is actually for the Mojo Monday challenge from last week.  I still thought I would share it with you though!!!  I'll try and be better about doing these challenges on time (LOL!).

Are you wondering where the dark brown wood grain paper is from?  It's a Stampin' Up! product believe it or not!  As a demonstrator, I am very lucky to get a chance to pre-order products from catalogues in advance of their release.   The new Holiday Catalogue will be going live on August 1, 2012 (mark your calendars!).  Now this is actually a textured impressions embossing folder for your Big Shot!  It screams owl card to me and I will try and create one at some point.  But this is just one of the many fabulous items that you can get come August 1st!  Remember, the Holiday Catalogue items are only available until the end of December 2012, so be sure to get your favourites asap!

The other items used in this card are:

*Crumb cake card stock (120953)

*Early espresso card stock (119686)

Primrose petals card stock (126841)

*Whisper white card stock (100730)

*Birds of a feather DSP (126899)

*Flock together stamp set (W126730 / C126732)

*Lovely little labels stamp set (W126260 / C126262)

*Rhinestone basic jewels (119246)

*retired ribbon

Hope everyone is having a great week!

K8

Mojo Monday Challenge 250

Really quick post as I am trying to do this before work!!!!  I decided to participate in the Mojo Monday challenge.  I have been so excited to use the particular piece of DSP below!  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out - although I might try a different colour for the banners at the bottom next time!

Products used in this card:


*Another sneak peak from the Holiday catalogue (you actually get to bundle stamp sets and framelits in the new catalogue and get a discount on it - thanks SU! This is Ornament Keepsakes (W128048 / C128051)
*Very vanilla card stock (101650)
*Baja breeze card stock (111352)
*Gumball green card stock (126840)
*Primrose petals card stock (126841)
*Brushed silver card stock (100712)
*Be of good cheer DSP (126896)
*Delightful decorations stamp set (W116517 / C122787)
*1 1/4" square punch (119865) to make the chevron in the big banner
*bitty banners framelits (for the little banners) (129267)


And done - off to the bus now (literally!!).  I hope you are all having a great week and enjoying a chance to stamp and create!


K8

Blank card

Well, it's been very hot here in Ottawa this weekend, so I took the time to do some stamping!  I thought this gave me the perfect opportunity to get some cards made in advance in case life gets too busy in the next few weeks!  I went over some of the old sketches at some of my favourite sites (Clean & Simple, Mojo Monday, Sunday Stamps, etc).   Unfortunately, my memory has failed me and I can't remember where I got the sketch below from - must be the heat!

The products I used for this card are as follows:

*Daffodil delight card stock (119683)

*Floral district DSP (126919)

*Baja breeze card stock (for the 3" circle) (111352)

*Whisper white card stock (100730)

*Rich razzleberry card stock (115316)

*Retired daffodil delight ribbon

*Betsy's Blossoms stamp set (W126004 / C126006)

*Rhinestone basic jewels (119246)

*2 1/2" circle punch 120906

*3" circle originals (for the Big Shot) 122125

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and have a great week!

If you have any questions about the card or would like to order any of the products, feel free to email me!

K8