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Eight years ago today I wrote and published a post honoring a dear stamping friend, Steffi Sidney-Splaver, who had passed away shortly before. As I’ve been
And our stamping group had also created the brochures distributed at Steffi’s Whidbey Island memorial service. I’d shared some of that design and assembly process here, as well.
For additional articles in which our stamping friend Steffi was mentioned, just type her first name into the search bar on this page.
November's exclusive "Snowflake Showcase" has certainly been an amazing collection, hasn't it? So many beautiful snowflakes and versatile images – in both stamp sets and dies; I'm super-sad to see it coming to an end. But yep, today's its last day of availability; the curtain falls in just a few more hours.
In the meantime however, I thought I'd share some of the thank you cards I've been sending out recently. Featuring… well, what else, lol?!? Not only some of my favorite winter-time images, but some of my very favorite winter colors, too!
Besides the "Snow is Glistening" and "Kindness & Compassion" stamp sets, these cards feature "Layering Ovals" dies; Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Coastal Cabana inks; Frost White Shimmer Paint; Clear Rhinestone Jewels; and Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, and Whisper White cardstocks (WW in both regular and thick). And of course, the Stamparatus helped place that "Thank you" image exactly where I wanted it… nice and bright!
There are still a few remaining hours to claim all or part of this collection for yourself. If you're still debating, let me help. The answer is "Yes!" – because snowflakes of this classic art style will never look dated, they can be used solo or in conjunction with other images on almost any winter project, and look fabulous in pretty much any color. (Well, maybe not so much Real Red or Cajun Craze, come to think of it….. but YOU know what I mean, lol!)
See what's still available from the Snowflake Showcase here!
Yesterday was my 5th consecutive year hosting a booth at the Post Falls High School Craft Fair. And the first year that I really began to feel like a veteran there. You see, it's a little bit of a challenge to break into a new event such as this. I still remember breaking in to local booth events back on Whidbey Island (WA): at first a series of several single-day, small holiday-focused fairs, then the weekend-long Uniquely Whidbey Business Expo (before the event was sadly discontinued), and eventually the 4-day Island County Fair. Always feeling like the "new kid on the block" for the first several years… until eventually, you come to understand the "vibe", develop a following, and feel at ease. I guess this was that year for me. And it feels pretty cool.
While I've done several other holiday-ish events since moving here to North Idaho several years ago, this has turned out to be the only one I've participated in for these 5 consecutive years. Why? Well first off, it's technically within walking distance of my home. (Not while hauling 3 carloads of "stuff", but you know what I mean by "walking distance", lol.) And I think given it's practically in my backyard, it would feel pretty odd NOT to be represented there as a local crafter! So there's that little thing…
But beyond that, this event is established and well-organized, with a good following and reputation. And believe me, I've been doing these gigs for enough decades to understand the critical importance of THOSE elements, too.
As usual for this event, yesterday was SLAMMED first thing in the morning. Doors often open a few minutes ahead of schedule (which, granted, creates a bit of a challenge for those of us still tending to the final fussy details of set-up), but within only moments of the doors opening, the aisles are filled nearly to capacity and buzzing with excitement. This first wave of shoppers are serious. Almost all my financial transactions for the day occur during this first hour. It's exhilarating, and the time FLIES by! But I always feel a little bit wistful by the end of that hour that there's just not been quite enough of me to go around during the frenzy. Questions have come from all directions, and there's hardly been time to share the focus points I'd prepared, nor (especially) to actually relate to people on a human level as I'd like to. It's like "all hands on deck"… except I've only got two hands! And for that first hour, two are hardly enough.
And then the next couple of hours are a bit more relaxed and fun. There's still fairly strong interest from the crowd, and I get a chance to chat a bit more with guests, and showcase my planned featured products. Thankfully, the past couple of years I've had several people from the initial crowd drop back by during this timeframe, so I get a chance to reconnect a little more personally with them before the crowd thins to a trickle of casual strollers just past noon. (This is the point in an event of this type where we start chatting with our neighboring vendors, discovering their crafty talents and products, and sharing ideas to consider implementing in future years.)
This year I had chosen the magical Stamparatus for my demonstration product, and as I'd expected, it did indeed charm a whole LOTTA folk…. including those who at first weren't all that interested because they already owned a "M****" (which is a competing brand of stamp positioner, although retailing at a higher price for a more limited range of features). So it was really fun to show what THIS positioner could do… even though I kept it pretty basic and never even ventured into some of its fancier tricks.
But the #1 attention-getter out of the entire day was far and away this card…
…featuring elements of the Snowflake Showcase, of course. Photography doesn't do it justice, but it features such a beautiful die, simply partnered with classic blue and silver, and the pop and sparkle of glimmer paper. (BTW, this is one of the tutorials I'll send you by email around mid-November when you purchase *any* of the Snowflake Showcase products through me by then.)
Finally, I was blessed to have had my brother and my son (and even grandson) help with the muscle power of setup and take-down this year, so that went amazingly smoothly and left me far less physically exhausted than I usually am. I am SO grateful to all 3 of my guys for that!
Uh-Oh. Warning: approaching personal side jaunt for a couple of paragraphs…
Some of you may know that several months ago I decided it was high time to put some serious attention towards my health – which, due to other obligations in life, had kinda been relegated to the back burner in recent years. So the time had come that I was ready to not only shed some of the heft that had accumulated in places that I realized were particularly unhealthy, but to also make the types of changes that could address other facets of health as I plow into my "more senior" years as well. So after much studying, I headed towards low-carb, and specifically the ketogenic way of eating. Almost 3 months later, in spite of some minor bumps along the way, it's proven to be exactly what I needed. And the more I learn and observe how my body has responded, the more I grow convinced of that… and the more I yearn to learn even more. So I read, and listen to podcasts and YouTube interviews with amazing experts in the field – as often as I possibly can.
This morning I was watching a recent video interview with Dr. Dominic D'Agostino, and as the interview was coming to a close, he was asked for his "#1 thing" that would make the biggest positive change on someone's health, and his answer evolved around relationships. "Get your relationships right", he advised. And schedule in "creative downtime" with people who matter to you. Further, he advised being passionate about something that can help or serve others.
BINGO!
That comment reminded me instantly about why I've been with Stampin' Up! for this many years! I, like so many other long-time demonstrators, came into Stampin' Up! because of the products. Because of the fun, creative outlet. But we've stayed because of the people. The tribes we've built while we've been doing this. And I *particularly* count among my "peeps" – my team members and customers. People I interact with on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. People who sit around the stamp table with me, or those who WOULD still be sitting around the stamp table with me if I hadn't moved away from them – or they away from me. People who show up to class in a rotten mood and leave with a smile on their faces. People who follow me on the web, and comment or "like" whatever I share, even when their own lives are busy and they don't need to. And those team members from across the country who participate in our online events and activities – and generously share ideas with the rest of us. These are people I've come to know personally at least at some level, and they've woven themselves into the fabric of my life… and I'd like to think it's mutual.
So back to my craft fair booth of yesterday…
Yesterday I heard several stories that, interestingly, I hadn't heard before. Stories told in different words, but with the same basic theme. From ladies who lamented that they'd sold or given away the stamp supplies they'd collected and used sometime in the past. Because NOW they were recognizing that that part of their lives had really been about more than stamps, ink and paper – it was about friendships they'd developed along the way. And now that they'd separated themselves from that activity (and those people), they realized they were seriously missing that part of their lives.
And I totally understand that.
So while I can't help them regain those exact same connections, I'd love to help them create new ones. So of course I invited them to join us at OUR monthly classes, and I hope they will.
If you're reading this and you were one who shared a similar story with me yesterday, please DO come hang with us on the 4th Tuesday of most every month (except December, which will be on the 11th). We'd love to welcome you back. Come sit around the stampin' table again and become part of our stampin' tribe!
I've been having a lot of fun recently with various forms of paper inlays. That is, embedding one paper image (usually cut with a die) into another piece of paper or cardstock so that the two (or more) elements work together as a unit. There are a number of forms of this technique, but today I'd like to share where multiple colors can be used within a single die-cut image to offer up variations of color.
The card just above was my first attempt at this, and yes, if you're thinking these dies were recently retired, you would be correct. But these images are a perfect size to practice inlay if you're new to this technique because they're mostly large enough to handle reasonably easily. And I do recommend that if this is your first attempt, try to find an image with pieces large enough to handle. Don't make this harder on yourself than it needs to be, 'cuz it's supposed to be fun!
On this next card, I used this inlay technique on the lower left leaf to get the two shades of green…
And on this next example, I'll walk though the steps and tips for doing the two-toned inlay on the square element at the top…
The colors of cardstock I have used on this square section are Pool Party and Tranquil Tide, and the dies are from the "Tropical Chic" bundle. I started by cutting out the same die shape from a scrap of each of those colors, and basically followed the same procedure with each one.
First, I set up my usual die-cutting sandwich stack and ran the stack through the Big Shot. But then when it came out of the machine, I didn't rip into the stack in my normal way; instead, I removed the entire stack from the machine and flipped the whole thing upside-down. Now I carefully removed layer by layer until I revealed the underside of the newly die-cut cardstock.
Next, I laid a sheet of contrasting paper (white, in this case) over what remained of the stack and held it in place tightly while I flipped the remainder of the stack back over, and laid it onto my table. So now I could carefully remove the cutting pad (which was once again on top), and ended up with this:
(Note that going forward I'll be illustrating the process with the contrasting color of cardstock. But I did exactly the same process to each of the two colors I worked with, which ultimately gave me two completed squares – to make two cards.)
Next, using my die brush along with a wooden skewer VERY carefully, I poked out the cut pieces and let them fall into place onto the white paper. Yeah, I did have to make a few adjustments because this step never works exactly perfectly, but the point of this was to try to keep all the little pieces in relative order so I could work with them easily later. These will eventually become pieces in a miniature jig-saw puzzle!
Each time I have made one of these embedded examples I have found it helpful to adhere a "base" layer of cardstock underneath the main layer. This ensures the die cut images with all the holes in it doesn't stretch out of shape, and it also prevents drawing attention to any imperfections where one piece might not match up perfectly with another. For this latter reason, I usually make the base layer from the same color of cardstock as the pieces which will eventually be inlaid.
For the 2 examples shown at the top of this article, I die-cut just the outer shape of the image when a die was available, and traced and cut out a base when there was no die of that shape. (That rose does not have a solid shape, so it required tracing and cutting by hand.) Then I carefully glued the detailed shape onto its base. For my third card, I used a couple of square dies to trim up the final image, as well as to create a base layer for underneath. Here's the bottom view of the base layer…. just a little smaller than the finished piece, as you can see:
Now with all the preliminary steps complete, it's time for the fun part….. to start adhering and embedding all the little pieces into their proper spaces. Begin with the piece right-side-up, and insert a teeny-weeny bit of glue onto the base layer in a few open spaces. (Tip: I like to use a half-and-half mixture of Fine Tip Glue and Multipurpose Liquid Glue, dispensed from a Fine-Tip Glue Pen. I shake this up before using it, but then tap the bottom of the bottle on the table to reduce numbers of potential bubbles. This mixture maintains a little more "body" as it's dispensed, and doesn't take as long to dry as pure Fine Tip Glue does because it's not as liquid.)
Don't put glue in too many places at once; you don't want it drying up on you as you're still inserting pieces into place. A little experience will tell you how far ahead you can work with the glue. And don't forget that when I refer to a "teeny-weeny bit of glue", that's EXACTLY what I mean. ONLY enough glue to anchor the punched-out piece, and NO MORE!
This next picture shows pieces that have already been adhered in place along the left and lower areas. Can you see why it's important to keep the unplaced pieces in relative order for purposes of preserving one's sanity?
Most of the time I find I can pick up these pieces with my fingers (and fingernails), but ultimately there are will be a few pieces that are just too small for that. So I have found that if I quickly lick the tip of my pinky finger, touch it lightly to my other hand, and then touch it to the itsy-bitsy little piece, that little challenge piece will usually adhere to my pinky just long enough to set it right down in its appropriate place. Whew!
And don't forget that if you need reading glasses for close-up work, WEAR THEM! And have adequate working light, and go stare across the street when you're done. It doesn't take my eyes very long to remind me that this kind of minute task isn't very friendly to the eyes. Ah, but the finished result is certainly worth it!
FINALLY (!) – My long-awaited Coasters Gift Set Class is ready for its debut – and ready to schedule! If you'd like to host one of these classes (yes, you'll get valuable hostess gifts based on the volume of supplies ordered for your guests' kits) let's reserve your date now. Or if you'd just prefer to attend one of these classes hosted by someone else, please let me know so I can put you on a wait list to contact you again when I might have one in your area. The basic info is below, but for further details don't hesitate to contact me and ask!
To print your own (PDF) copy of the flyer below, click here Download Flyer – Coasters Gift Set
To print the supplies (and pricing) sheet (PDF), click here Download Coasters Class Order Form
To view the color and patterns choices, look in your 2011/2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (and Holiday Mini Catalog) if you have them; otherwise, head over to my online store and search by the product codes shown on the above supplies/pricing sheet.
The main Annual Catalog & Idea Book. Click to view online.
Spring Mini Catalog & Idea Book. Latest releases. Click to view online!
