Monday, December 30, 2019

I Get Cards!


One of the side benefits of sending out Christmas cards is that you get them back, and when you send out hand-stamped Christmas cards, you often get beautiful hand stamped cards back again.

Now I love and appreciate all the Christmas cards I receive and I look forward to hearing from all my friends, but as a stamper and crafter, I really admire the hand-crafted Christmas cards that I receive and understand the time and effort that went into all the ones that come my way! So I wanted to share them with you today. Hopefully, you will get the same inspiration from them that I did! 

In no particular order, here are the hand crafted cards I received! I really hope that I am not leaving one out, one that somehow didn't get displayed by accident as I was on the run somewhere or other. Let me know if I forgot yours and I will go a separate post just for yours!!


The one on the left was created by my friend, hair stylist and fellow demonstrator, Susanne Netz of Sunn Stamping! Speaking of "Unique", this card is simple but so effective with the stamped snowflakes and highlighted centers on kraft paper! The one on the right is from a good friend, Gail Peters! She used the Beautiful Boughs dies, Peaceful Boughs stamp set and some heat embossing to create a layered look in white, silver and navy that is beautiful and effective!


The next two are both from my downline members. The lovely card on the left is from Doreen Austgarden, who made great use of the Frosted Foliage stamp set and the Frosted Frames dies to create that beautiful frosty composition in Smoky Slate, Balmy Blue and Silver. The little skate box is a clever 3D craft by Susan Martin using the Detailed Skate dies and the Brightly Gleaming Specialty DSP.


On the left is a card from one of my customers, Eunice Stoneman, with beautiful workmanship using ribbon, DSP of different patterns that I recognize and loved from a couple of years ago, and beautiful embellishments. The card on the right travelled a long way from New Zealand, from one of my fellow As You See It Challenges Design Team Members, Jan Clothier. I love all the texture in her card from the Hammered Metal embossed background to the Brightly Gleaming Specialty DSP to the heat embossed holly! It's all just gorgeous!


The next card showcases the Feels Like Frost DSP and the Frosted Foliage Bundle. I love the little tuck of metallic-edge ribbon behind the sprig of Seaside Spray foliage.


The lovely, antique look of the card on the left was created by my downline, Dianne Gough and I love the way she's combined the Christmastime is Here Designer Series Paper (you can still get this suite, by the way) with the Heirloom Frames dies and 3D Embossing Folders in Gold Foil Sheets! So elegant. The card on the right was sent to me by a fellow BC demonstrator, Laura Buechler. This is a great layout and uses the Brightly Gleaming Suite of products, including the Hammered Metal 3D embossing folder.


The last card I have to share with you, I only received yesterday morning from  a friend of mine, Marlene Beagle. I don't recognize all the images, so I'm not sure if they are all Stampin' Up!, but I do recognize the skill and artistry that has gone into the making of this card! Beautiful!

Thanks for everyone, for sending me these lovely cards. My eyes feast on them every time I go into my livingroom!


Only 4 more days to get what you want from the retiring list from the Holiday Catalogue until it's gone for good! Get your orders to me ASAP, or order online at my Online Store! Last day to order is Jan. 2.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Announcing Mini Catalogue Suite Shares

Mini Catalogue Suite Shares

SUITE SHARES


With Suite Shares, I offer you a half share of all the paper, ribbon and embellishments that are part of one particular suite in the new 2020 Jan/June Mini Catalogue. That way you get enough to work with, all the products coordinate, you only choose the suites you really like and you have the option of adding the stamp set and tool bundle to your share and earning Sale-A-Bration rewards and a special treat from me, if you do. The shares themselves are very affordable, so you can afford to do more than one if you would like to. Here is what I'm offering:



A. From My Heart Suite Share (pg. 9)  $29 + shipping to your location in Canada
From My Heart Specialty Designer Series Paper - six  12" x 12" sheets,  1 each of 6 double sided designs
Real Red 3/8" Double Stitched Satin Ribbon - 5 yds each 
From My Heart Faceted Gems - 90 pieces in 3 colours and 3 sizes: 3mm, 4mm, 6mm
Heart Doilies - 10 each of 2 colours (colour on front, white on back): Flirty Flamingo, Real Red

Add on: Heartfelt Bundle ( Heartfelt stamp set & Heart Punch Pack)
 $105 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the Heart Foil Tins as a free gift from me.

B. Parisian Blossoms Suite Share (pg. 15) $24 + shipping to your location in Canada
Parisian Blossoms Specialty Designer Series Paper - six 12" x 12" sheets
Petal Pink 1/4" Metallic Edge Ribbon - 5 yds 
Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels  - 70 pieces in 3 sizes: 3 mm, 4mm, 5mm.
Add on: Parisian Beauty Bundle( Parisian Beauty stamp set & Parisian Dies)
 $97 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush as a free gift from me.



C. Peaceful Poppies Suite Share (pg. 25)  $22 + shipping to your location in Canada
Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper - six 12" x 12" sheets,  1 each of 6 double sided images
Whisper White 1/4" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon - 5 yds of this sweet dyeable ribbon.
Peaceful Poppies Sequins - 375 pieces in 5 colours. 5 mm.
Add on: 1. Painted Poppies Bundle ( Painted Poppies stamp set & Painted Labels Dies)  OR
                      2. Peaceful Moments Bundle (Peaceful Moments stamp set & Poppy Moments Dies)
 $109.47 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the Peaceful Poppies Elements as a free gift from me.
D. Birthday Bonanza Suite Share (pg. 33)  $21 + shipping to your location in Canada
Birthday Bonanza Designer Series Paper -six 12" x 12" sheets,  1 each of 6 double sided images
Daffodil Delight 1/4" Ruched Ribbon - 5 yds of the lustrous ribbon gathered on both sides
Assorted Pom Poms - 50 pieces - 12 or 13 each of 4 colours
Add on: Bonanza Buddies Bundle (Bonanza Buddies stamp set & Bonanza Dies)
 $84.14 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the 3" x 9" Printed Gusseted Cellophane Bags as a free gift from me.
E. Tropical Oasis Suite Share (pg. 39)  $23 + shipping to your location in Canada
Tropical Oasis Designer Series Paper - six 12" x 12" sheets,  1 each of 6 double-sided designs
5/16" Braided Burlap Trim - 5 yds of the textured, tropical trim
Tropical Oasis Trinkets - 12 pieces in total; 3 each of 4 designs
Add on: Timeless Tropical Bundle ( Timeless Tropical stamp set & In The Tropics Dies)
 $110.47 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the Coastal Weave 3D Embossing Folder as a free gift from me.
F. Country Club Suite Share (pg. 47)  $18 + shipping to your location in Canada
Country Club Designer Series Paper - six 12" x 12" sheets,  1 each of 6 double sided images
Country Club Twine Combo Pack -10 yds - 2.5 yds of each of 4 colours Basic Black, Garden Green, Night of Navy and Poppy Parade
Add on: Clubhouse Bundle ( Clubhouse stamp set & Golf Club Dies)
 $87.61 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and Country Club Elements as a free gift from me.
G. Best Dressed Suite Share (pg. 55)  $22 + shipping to your location in Canada
Best Dressed Designer Series Paper - twenty-four 6" x 6" sheets,  2 each of 12 double-sided designs
Mint Macaron Sheer Linen Ribbon - 5 yds of the 1/8" sheer ribbon 
Best Dressed Tassels - 9 pieces: 3 each of 3 colours: Petal Pink; Pretty Peacock; Whisper White
Add on: Dressed to Impress Bundle ( Dressed to Impress stamp set & All Dressed Up Dies)
 $100.54 + shipping to your location in Canada 
Includes one $60 Sale-A-Bration Reward and the Best Dressed 3" x 3" Note Cards & Envelopes as a free gift from me.



To sign up, fill out the form below.  You will not have to pay anything until the share is filled. (Until I have the 2 people the share requires.)  I will then send you a PayPal invoice, which you can pay on-line in a very secure way using a credit card, or you can mail me a cheque or send me an etransfer.  Once you have paid, I will place the order and when it comes, I will divide up all the products and get them to you.  Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom and fill out all the information. *Sorry, but I can only ship to locations in Canada.*

Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the response form below and complete all fields before submitting.  Filling out this form does not constitute a full commitment.  You will only be billed when the share is filled with enough people.  I will not order until I have received payment from all share members.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Merry Christmas from Playing with Papercrafting


Today, on Christmas Eve, I just want to wish all my readers and customers, friends and family a wonderful Christmas and thank you for all your support in this past year. I wish all of you the best for the New Year and I wanted to mention that I'm very proud of my company, Stampin' Up! for the way that it is supporting a cause that is near and dear to my heart.



This stamp set, Nature's Beauty, was featured on the inside back cover of the Holiday Catalogue this year, and from every sale of this set, $4 is donated by Stampin' Up! toward Mental Health Organizations in each country.

My husband and I have battled issues of anxiety, depression and OCD between us and have been very grateful for the treatment that has been available to us. We have been very lucky to have found enough success with our treatment to live mostly happy, productive lives, but many others have not had access to that treatment or have not had the knowledge or support to seek it. Often, treatment is not as successful, but new advances are being made all the time, thanks to research. 

If you haven't purchased this set yet, this is a great way to give back and still get a beautiful gift for yourself or someone else, and it is still available until Jan. 2 or while supplies last.

Enjoy the holiday with your family and may you all find peace and love all year long! Merry Christmas!

Heather Cooper
Playing with Papercrafting

Monday, December 23, 2019

Poppy Moment Layering Dies - At Last


One thing I have been waiting for from Stampin' Up! is those beautiful layering dies, especially the floral ones, and I was so excited to finally see them in the Jan/Jun Mini Catalogue, with the new *Poppy Moments Dies. They are bundled with a sentiment set called *Peaceful Moments, which I haven't purchased yet, but they really need no stamp set to go with them. They create beautiful images all on their own.

It is a little confusing because there is another poppy stamp set called *Painted Poppies, but it has its own coordinating set of dies called *Painted Labels Dies.

*These products are from the upcoming 2020 Stampin' Up! Jan. - Jun. Mini Catalogue and won't be available for customer purchase until Jan. 3/20.

Anyway, each flower has a background, an outline layer and a center, and the leaves also have two layers. You can see it better in the close up:

  • For the background on these poppies, it may look like I've sponged or smooshed, or used the Pigment Sprinkles, but it was really much easier than that. I used the See a Silhouette Designer Series Paper. Two of the designs have perfect colours for the poppies.
  • The outlines for the flowers are Real Red and Poppy Parade. The leaves are Old Olive for the background and Mossy Meadow for the shadows.
  • The white background was die cut with the Stitched Rectangles Dies.
  • The sentiment came from the *Forever Blossoms stamp set that is part of the *Parisian Blossoms Suite. I kept everything else very simple because the flowers and foliage are so bold and detailed.
*These products are from the upcoming 2020 Stampin' Up! Jan. - Jun. Mini Catalogue and won't be available for customer purchase until Jan. 3/20.

I hope you are getting good and excited about the products that will be available to you in only 11 days! I have only scratched the surface here and I'm overflowing with ideas for them! And with Sale-A-Bration as well, it's enough fun to get us through the dreary winter months ahead.


Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.   


Product List

*These products are from the upcoming 2020 Stampin' Up! Jan. - Jun. Mini Catalogue and won't be available for customer purchase until Jan. 3/20.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Peaceful Boughs for Customer Thank Yous


At this time of year, I like to send out customer thank you cards with orders that convey a holiday greeting as well as a thank you for the order. I have used the Beautiful Boughs Dies a lot over the course of the Holiday Catalogue, but I haven't used the coordinating stamp set, Peaceful Boughs a whole lot. I decided to use them today.

I was inspired, actually, by the palette of the Christmas decor and house design of one of the celebrities on Love It or List It Vancouver, Jillian Harris, who just so happens to live in my city of Kelowna. Her house has beautiful tones of creams, and peach and whites and her Christmas decor is the same, but adds gold as well. You can see the photo if you click on her name above!





Here's a closer look:



  • I started by taking sheets of Shimmery White cardstock and watercolouring them with Petal Pink ink and water. I then cut up each sheet into four        4 3/4" x 3 1/4" pieces. 
  • I used Versamark to stamp on the two largest pine boughs and the Season's Greetings sentiment. I then covered the images with Gold Stampin' Emboss powder and heat set the images. Most of them I left like this before adding the Snowflake Sequins and gluing to the card front.
  • On a few, I also embossed 2 pinecones in Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and die cut them and the large and medium pine boughs from Whisper White cardstock.                                                                    
  • These I added to the card front using Glue Dots. Then a few Snowflake Sequins were added as well.
I hope my customers like these, and I hope you do too!


Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.  


Product List