Fancy Folding

Add a bit of fancy folding to your next card!

This fancy folding technique isn’t too difficult and can be used with any of your patterned paper for any occasion!

fancy folding

I used some of the Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper for this card. This fancy folding is perfect for Stampin’ Up!’s two sided patterned papers because you get a peek at the pattern on the other side too! The Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper is going to be retiring at the end of April. It’s one of the best deals in the catalogue especially if you like to have a “set” of cards or scrapbook pages with the same patterns, because this package has 48 sheets – 4 each of 12 different double sided patterns – that’s FOUR times as many sheets as a regular package of Designer Series Paper!

I added a sentiment from the Dainty Delight stamp set (also retiring at the end of April) in Misty Moonlight, and die cut the labels with the Everyday Details Dies (which will continue to be available as an Online Exclusive Product – available to order, but not appearing in the printed catalogue).

I shared a sped up video that I actually took during our last Online Card Club session, as we made this card during March’s club. Key Measurements: Designer Series Paper is 5″ x 11″, scored in a pattern – 1/2″ then 1″, starting at 1-1/2″ – so 1-1/2″, 2″, 3″, 3-1/2″, 4-1/2″, 5″, 6″, 6-1/2″, 7-1/2″, 8″, 9″, 9-1/2″. In portrait orientation, marked at 2-1/2″ at the top & bottom. Fold the centre score lines (they will be on either side of the wide section), and cut from the closer score line to the mark to create a point at each end, then accordian fold! It’s a fun backdrop for your sentiment or image. You can find the video on the YamStamps Instagram Account or YamStamps Tik Tok Account.

If you’re interested in joining my Online Card Club, you can message me for more details on the 6 month program. At this point time time, I’ll only be allowing new members to join in the next couple of months, as the way it runs will be changing in the future. Open to Canadian residents only due to Stampin’ Up! regulations.

Now that the tech glitches I was having with the YamStamps.com site are sorted, I should be able to post more regularly again!

Retiring Lists April 2024

Stampin’ Up! has released the retiring lists for April 2024!

Happy first day of spring! So of course, around here it’s cold and snowy/rainy….because last week it was in the double digits for temperature… Anyway – here are the Retiring Lists for April 2024 – separate lists for the Annual Catalogue and the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue. There is a “last chance” sale happening IN APRIL for the Mini Catalogue- starting on the 9th. Strategy: mark your list with the items you want to grab before they retire…. if they are going on sale – shop on 9 April. If they aren’t, shop now in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada storehttps://yamstamps.com/shop is the shortcut! All items are available while supplies last! Also: PDF versions tend to have super small print…

January – April 2024 Mini Catalogue
Retiring List – PDF version
Retiring List – sortable Excel version

2023-2024 Annual Catalogue
Retiring List – PDF version
Retiring List – sortable Excel version

Tri-Fold Triple Threat

New Online Class Coming – Tri-Fold Triple Threat! Pre-Launch Sale on Now!

My next online class launches this Thursday, 14 March at 7pm Eastern and the Pre-Launch Sale is on now!

Tri-Fold Triple Threat features four projects (plus a bonus tutorial) that focus on cards that have three sections and are 1) Impressive to Receive 2) Quick and Easy to Make and 3) Don’t Require Fancy Tools! (That’s a paper crafting Triple Threat in my books!). You will require a Paper Trimmer and Scoring Tool, which I consider to be a basic Paper Crafting Tool.

Pre-recorded and edited step by step videos mean that you can get crafting faster. Lifetime access means you can watch/pause/rewatch as needed, as many times as you’d like. Pre-launch pricing means that you will save $10CAD and pay just $20CAD for lifetime access if you register before 7pm Eastern on Thursday 14 March. After the class launches, you’ll still be able to register for class, but you’ll pay full price of $30CAD for lifetime access. This class is available internationally, since there is no physical product included. If you are located outside of Canada, you will be charged in CAD and your card company will convert the cost for you.

trifold triple threat

This class is hosted on my Online Classes site, so you don’t need to have a Facebook Account to access it. You’ll be taken to the registration page after you complete your payment. I’ll send out a reminder and link once the class opens on Thursday, so you’ll be first to access it!

Four different Tri-Fold Card Designs, plus a bonus custom envelope tutorial! Remember – even though I put a linked supply list for my samples on the class site, you can use whatever you already have in your crafting stash! These designs are not dependent on using exactly the same items that I use. Register for Tri-Fold Triple Threat before 7pm Eastern (Daylight Savings Time) on Thursday 14 March to save $10CAD! If you are located in Canada and would prefer to use etransfer, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Happy Mario Day!

Who knew? March 10th is Mario Day!

If you follow YamStamps on Facebook, you’ll know that I love sharing “Days” on the page – like today, which is Mario Day! MAR-1-0 – get it? Someone very clever (presuming someone at Nintendo) came up with that one! It inspired me to create a quick and easy Mario themed card!

mario day card

I cut the Azure Afternoon Cardstock to resemble overalls, added a Poppy Parade inner card and used the cut outs from a number 8 from the Alphabet A La Mode Dies for the overall buttons. I found a free font on the web that resembled the Mario lettering and used that to create a sentiment that I stuck on the inside of the card – and it’s a SUPER card for a Nintendo lover!

mario day birthday card

I thought the overalls theme would be the easiest to use for a card – and going with this, you could also easily make a matching Luigi card by using a green inner card rather than a red one!

Did you play a lot of Mario games in the past – or are you still playing them? I played more when my son was younger since we would play together….and I do remember playing Super Mario Universe on my own after he’d gone to bed because I really wanted to beat certain levels. (I can be a little goal oriented that way I guess!!). We also played Mario Kart and Mario Party with a group, which was fun (though our family can get a little competitive at times!!). Must be a genetic thing.

Check out the quick Mario Day card video I did of the card making process – I shared it pretty much everywhere….YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook….and now here on YamStamps.com as well! I like being able to create quick videos and then find some appropriate and fun music to use with them….though a bunch of my TikToks are now quiet (they even removed MY voice in some of the voice overs) because they’ve stopped allowing Universal Music for Tik Toks (and apparently I used a bunch of their songs). I might get around to picking new music for them at some point (or maybe the music will be allowed again at some point in the future??). Anyway, for now, at least, the Mario Day video has sound!!

Save this so you can remember to make a Mario themed card for the game lover in your life!

Super Simple Fancy Fold Card

Check out this Super Simple Fancy Fold Card! (Does it still count as a fancy fold when it’s this easy?)

You may know that I love quick and easy crafting. This super simple fancy fold card is definitely in that category – to the point where I almost wondered if I could call it a fancy fold?! I decided that I could, since anything other than a standard “cut the cardstock and fold it in half” seems fancy to me.

It’s a simple extra fold with a “closure” card.

super simple fancy fold card

I love that we can still order the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper – because it’s definitely still winter here. (Now we even have snow and sub-zero temperatures to boot, not like that freaky warm weather last week!!). This was one of my favourite papers from the September-December Mini Catalogue, so I’m happy that it’s still available! I featured it on this card, using two sides of the same piece which makes it even easier to create!!

super simple fancy fold card

It’s a standard sized card to start – so cut to 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″, but there’s an extra score line at 1″ – so scored at 1″, then 5-1/4″. The 1″ score line is folded, and then stuck in place, leaving a shorter front portion of the card that meets up. Add a die cut shape and sentiment to the flap (making sure to ONLY stick it to the flap) and then you have a closure piece! Tada! A super simple fancy fold card! The sentiment is from Timeless Arrangements, and my go to dies for sentiments for card fronts are the Stylish Shapes Dies – so I used the squares for this card. I used Blueberry Bushel ink, Blueberry Bushel cardstock for the backing square, and Very Vanilla Cardstock for the base.

We made this super simple fancy fold card during Monthly Card Club, and my prototype was actually in Basic White Cardstock, which worked, but the more I looked at it, I felt like the Vanilla cardstock was a better match – a little “softer” look. What do you think?? Here’s the Basic White version:

super simple fancy fold card

The white version is definitely brighter, and I do think either one works…but went with the Vanilla version for club. I tend to use white a lot for my cards, so it’s good to force myself to remember that there’s other options for cardbases!!

If you’re interested in joining Monthly Card Club, it’s open to anyone in Canada! We meet virtually by Zoom the third Monday of each month. Participants place a minimum order, and once during their 6 month membership will receive the Stampin’ Rewards generated by club members’ orders. New members can start their 6 month membership at any time! Please contact me if you’re interested in joining us starting in March.

Sale-a-Brate Valentine’s Day!

Let’s Sale-a-Brate Valentine’s Day with this clean and simple card!

I love easy crafting, and I also love clean and simple cards, so I am ready to Sale-a-Brate Valentine’s Day with this card that ticks all of those boxes!

sale-a-brate valentine's day

The Sale-a-Brating part comes from the background – Most Adored Designer Series Paper – which is one of the Level 1 choices. You can select it as your free product with a $60CAD product order. IT’S SHINY!! I love shiny things 🙂 I also love the gradient on it – more hearts at one end than the other.

I used the Bee Builder punch to quickly punch out some hearts – the large one is Cherry Cobbler Cardstock, and the smaller one is from a different sheet of the Most Adored DSP.

sale-a-brate valentine's day closeup

A sweet and simple way to sale-a-brate Valentine’s Day!

In any case, you have a couple of weeks left to Sale-a-Brate! The Bee Builder punch is from the January-April Mini Catalogue, so is available until the end of April/while supplies last, but the Most Adored Designer Series Paper is only around until the end of February (when Sale-a-Bration ends) or while supplies last!! Shortcut to shopping in Canada is YamStamps.com/shop or you can message me if you’d like to pay by etransfer or would like assistance placing your order.

Dynamic Designs

Pre-Launch sale for Dynamic Designs Online Class happening NOW!

My next online class is Dynamic Designs and I think I say this about every class, but I love these cards! They spin, slide, arch and wobble – and because it’s MY class, you know that they won’t be over the top in difficulty!! Pre-launch sale is on until 15 February at 7pm Eastern (when the class launches) – you can save $10 off the regular price if you register before then!

Check out this fun video sharing the projects in action! (I’ve uploaded it everywhere – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube….and now here as well!) (click here to watch it on YouTube if you can’t see it below)

Fun, right? I walk you through the construction (trust me, I made MANY prototypes while working some of them out) and once you know how to make them (and how easy they actually are), you’ll be able to use whatever you have in your craft room to create your own versions! The videos are pre-recorded, and edited for clarity and brevity. Since it is an online class and there’s no physical product involved, this class is available internationally! You’ll pay in Canadian dollars (your bank or credit card company will convert to your local currency). If you live in Canada and would like to pay by etransfer, you can contact me for more details on how to do so.

Dynamic Designs

Check out the class information page if you want to learn more about the class, and to register. There’s also the option to purchase an add on printable PDF with step by step instructions and pictures. (Only available as an add-on, not as a stand alone at this point in time).

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I hope that you’ll join this fun class!

Thinking of You

Use the Perennial Lavender Suite to create a lovely Thinking of You Card.

I always try to have a stash of “thinking of you” cards because they cover so many reasons you might send someone a card. I created this one for a recent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator only card swap featuring products from the January-April Mini Catalogue. I chose to use elements from the Perennial Lavender Suite as well as the Thoughtful Moments Hybrid Embossing Folder.

Since the background of the floral print is beige, I chose to use Crumb Cake Cardstock for the cardbase to tie things together, plus I chose to use Very Vanilla Cardstock as I felt like Basic White Cardstock might be too stark a contrast. I stamped the leaves along the side in Shaded Spruce Ink (I think….I can’t quite remember and I didn’t write it down….oops)

thinking of you perennial lavender thoughtful moments

I die cut circles with the Stylish Shapes dies from the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper. The horizontal strip is also from the same DSP package – since the designs are two sided, there’s twice as many options to choose from! When you use a card design like this one, your DSP stretches a long way.

The “thinking of you” sentiment is from the Thoughtful Moments hybrid embossing folder – when you purchase it, you receive both a 3D embossing folder plus a coordinating die set. I inked up the portion that included the “Thinking of You” sentiment, “locked” the die in place (it fits around all the embossed/debossed areas) and then closed it on some Very Vanilla Cardstock before running it through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.

thinking of you perennial lavender thoughtful moments

I like how adding just a bit of ink to the embossing folder makes the words stand out a little bit more – plus using Highland Heather Ink ties it into the colour scheme of the card. I finished off the card with a bit of bling with the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems.

stampin' glass mat studio
Stampin’ Glass Mat Studio – includes glass mat, grey cleaning cloth and white silicone mat

Being a Stampin’ Up! Canada Demonstrator means I get to dedicate time to paper crafting and learning new skills….and call it “work”! Or as some of the Demonstrators in my group call it – a “jobby” (job / hobby)! If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Stampin’ Up! Canada Demonstrator with my group, known as the “Eh” Team, you can click here to read more, or contact me if you have questions. We’d love to have you join us – and during Sale-a-Bration, you can get more in your Demonstrator Starter kit – your choice of the Stampin’ Glass Mat studio, or an additional $41CAD worth of product of your choice. Sale-a-Bration runs until 29 February this year, and there’s ALWAYS a rush at the last minute – so don’t wait until the system gets bogged down with all the Last Minute Lucys – the sooner the better!

Custom Thank You Card

One of the best ways to show your appreciation – custom thank you cards!

One of the things that I love about making my own cards is that I can customize them! I recently made a custom thank you card for some Burlington Teen Tour Band members.

BTTB uniforms

I volunteer as a photographer for our city’s marching band – the Burlington Teen Tour Band, and recently wanted to give a custom thank you card – so this is the card I made! Quick and easy (you know, the projects that I prefer) but I added details particular to the band. I chose the colours based on the band uniforms and added a vertical stripe because their navy pants have a red stripe down the outside of the leg. Added the sentiment and had an extra embossed heart on my craft table so added that as well!

custom thank you card

I chose to use Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler as my colours. The sentiment is from Artistically Inked (one of my favourite ones to use for a thank you card), and it’s on a Stylish Shape die cut pennant piece. The heart was created with the Adoring Hearts Hybrid Embossing Folder – so I could emboss AND die cut the heart at the same time. Bonus – if you’re making cards in bulk, you can emboss and die cut 9 hearts at the same time!

Making a custom card thank you card doesn’t have to be difficult! Choose appropriate colours for the person receiving it – do they have a favourite colour? Or if you’re making a card for a person who has affiliations with a team or organization – pick those colours, or a detail from their uniforms – like this card, with the stripe like the band pants!

I send out a weekly email newsletter with paper crafting ideas and information – so if you’d like to get project tutorials and notifications of upcoming sales and specials, please sign up for the YamStamps Newsletter! You can sign up through the box on the YamStamps site, or click here. Weekly newsletters go out each Tuesday!

How Will YOU Sale-a-Brate 2024?

How will you Sale-a-Brate in 2024?!

We are already over halfway through January! How will you Sale-a-Brate 2024? For every $60CAD product order, you can select a Level 1 Sale-a-Bration item for free – at $120CAD, you could select either two Level 1 items, or one Level 2 item for free……and so on, and so on, and so on…. As long as the amount is at least $60CAD in a single order (before shipping/taxes. after any discounts), you’ll qualify to get something for free!

Softly Stippled Designer Series Paper is a Level 1 Sale-a-Bration item and I used it on this card.

how will you sale-a-brate 2024? Softly Stippled Designer Series Paper and Softly Sophisticated bundle

I also used the Level 2 Sale-a-Bration Softly Sophisticated bundle – the sentiment is from the stamp set, and I used the embossing folder on the blue DSP. I like the “debossed” effect of this one – it almost looks like stitching! I did this card for the Demonstrator Only Sale-a-Bration swap, and some of the panels I debossed and others were embossed (bumpy side showing). FYI – it’s a little easier to adhere when the bumpy side is showing! Either way, I still like the effect. I used the Double Oval Punch to make the sentiment stand out.

close up sale-a-brate 2024 softly stippled softly sophisticated

How will you Sale-a-Brate 2024? So far, the Designer Series Paper choices have been the favourites for Sale-a-Bration – both with my customers and with the general Stampin’ Up! customer base! That being said, if you have your eye on one of the DSP choices for your Sale-a-Bration freebie, you will want to make sure you get your $60CAD product order in sooner rather than later. Sale-a-Bration items are available while supplies last / 29 February (one extra day to Sale-a-Brate this year!) – whichever comes first.

If you want to see some of the swap cards I received, be sure to check out the Sunday Swaps Page here on the YamStamps blog – I also highlight a card each Sunday on the YamStamps Facebook Page.

Demonstrator Only Swaps are one of the many fun activities that you can participate in if you’re a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator – and it’s more fun to join during Sale-a-Bration! How will you Sale-a-Brate 2024?! You could purchase a Demonstrator starter kit and get the exclusive Stampin’ Glass Mat Studio, currently available only to new Demonstrators in the starter kit! You have to make a choice, though – the Glass Mat Studio OR you could select $41CAD more product in your starter kit. More information on joining my group of Stampin’ Up! Canada Demonstrators known as the “Eh” Team!

stampin' glass mat studio

The Stampin’ Glass Mat Studio includes the glass mat, the grey cleaning cloth and the white silicone tray (i.e. the stencil/blending brush/water painter/ink pad/spots and reinker are not part of the studio).

How will YOU choose to Sale-a-Brate 2024?!

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