My husband Tim & I just returned from the fabulous 2023 Stampin’ Up!® incentive trip* – a Norwegian Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas! What a wonderful time we had with fellow achieving demonstrators, their guests, and those from the home office of Stampin’ Up!
(We got sick just after arriving home on Sunday evening and have been quite tired these past couple days, so my apologies for the delay in posts. Because of this I won’t be doing a live video today. AND…I just opened my May 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit that arrived while we were away, so my apologies for the delay with posting about that as well.)
I shared the Scotland half our trip on May 21st. You can click here to read and see what we did in that week prior to the Norway Cruise. Today’s post shares the cruise-half of our 2 week European vacation.
5/20/23 Saturday
We left Edinburgh early and arrived back in London around 9 AM Saturday morning. The six of us (Jennifer, David, Sherry, Donna, Tim and I) took The Tube, London’s underground train to get to within walking distance of the Hilton Metropole where we would stay that night along with many other trip achievers. We couldn’t check in yet, so we dropped our bags off and joined Jennifer and David for lunch at The Heron, a restaurant with an English pub AND a Thai restaurant. We ate out in their back garden and the Thai food was very good!
Then we got adventurous. We took The Tube to Tower Bridge, which was quite impressive.
And then we hopped on the trains again and went to the Camden Market in Camden Town. There were popup shopping stands and TONS of people everywhere. It was colorful, diverse and loud. We didn’t stay too long, because we were quite tired by now and wanted to get back and check into our hotel rooms. But it was an adventure getting back to the hotel, as the train stations were very crowded, which tired us out even more.
That evening after getting settled into our rooms and resting, we joined Jennifer and David again and ended up at Al Balad, a Lebanese restaurant recommended to us by a hotel employee. The food was amazing!
We went back to the hotel and visited with some fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators before calling it a night.
5/21/23 Sunday
We had breakfast with Jennifer, David, Michelle Litwiller, Michelle’s husband Ryan, and Kylie and Bruno Bertucci that next morning.
I had “fried” my flat iron when we were in Scotland. So it didn’t work anymore. And I assumed going forward that I would be wearing my hair topper or going without with flat hair. But Anne Oshiro overheard me asking at the front desk for a hair care store that might be open on a Sunday morning. And so she loaned me hers and told me I could use it the remainder of the trip! ❤️
After curling my hair & packing up, we checked out and met up with Stampin’ Up! achievers downstairs while waiting for transportation to the pier. We were on the last bus to arrive, and quite hungry again by the time we got on the ship. So after checking out our room and grabbing the SeaPass cards,…
…we found food at the Windjammer (the all you can eat buffet) around 3:30 PM. Then it was time to explore and visit. Silvia Werner and her daughter Carolin showed us how to get our beverage cups. We also visited with a few other demonstrators from Germany including Alexandra Grape and Irene Wendlandt. We took off for dinner because we were assigned to the 5:30 time slot. You can guess we weren’t that hungry after just eating a couple hours ago. But we were curious who our table mates would be. Our actual table mates never showed up. But we were near Mary Deathridge, her husband, Amy Koenders, and her husband. So they included us in their conversation and we had a great evening sharing & learning about their Ireland adventures the week before.
Stampin’ Up!’s Welcome Reception started at 7:00 PM. Lots of people were there but it was hard to hear because the music was very loud. We chatted with Sam Hammond and her husband Chris.
We also met up and chatted with Anne Oshiro again and her two daughters.
Tim and I then found a quieter place over by the food and sat down, We were stuffed from eating so much already, but we managed to taste a few of the desserts.
We then joined Alanna, Ryan and Ethan Wharf at their table, with Karen Duke and her husband Robin, and Evelyn Wood and her husband Brent. We closed it down and had to be kicked out. Hahaha!
After chatting a bit more outside the reception area with Alanna’s family, we headed back to our room to retire for the night.
5/22/23 Monday
We moved forward into another time zone overnight. But the time didn’t change on our phones. So we woke up late and rushed off to get to Stampin’ Up!’s General Session. Anne Oshiro, her oldest daughter, Jackie Williams, and Elaine Shader joined us.
We saw sneak peeks of new products and heard the latest Stampin’ Up! news. It was also announced at the end that our 2025 incentive trip would be Disney World and we were handed Mickey Mouse rice crispy treats as gifts as we left. Too fun!!
Tim took off but I stayed and visited afterwards and then went to Stampin’ Up!’s Hospitality Room. (The Hospitality Room is where demonstrators go each day to visit with others, spin for prizes, and see stamped samples.) I turned in my swap cards. And after spinning for a prize…
…and visiting for a bit, Tim met me there, grabbed a few treats,…
…and we went to the Windjammer to eat lunch with Elaine Schader, her husband Adam, and Laurie LaRose. Afterwards I met and connected with Paper Pumpkin Advisors Alumni.
(This was an “At Sea” day, so it was filled it with a lot of Stampin’ Up! activities.)
After the alumni gathering, I left to go back to the room but got sidetracked and visited with Connie Stewart for quite awhile.
Tim napped and was there in the room when I returned.
It was formal night tonight in the dining room. So we got dressed up the best we could and joined Amy, Mary, and their husbands again in the dining room. (The risotto was fabulous!)
5/23/23 Tuesday – Haugesund, Norway
We woke up early, had breakfast in the Windjammer, then we met our tour group and set off for our Scenic Skudeneshavn excursion. The drive from Haugesund to Skudeneshavn was very pretty, and the tour guide was very talkative and animated.
We arrived at the fishing village of Skudeneshavn and took a walking tour of the town. It was a very quaint town right on the waterfront. The town seemed empty of people, though. We were told they were probably at school and work.
We toured their small museum…
…and then explored a little bit on our own. We were hoping to shop, but we couldn’t find any stores open.
After returning from our excursion, we had a late lunch at the Windjammer. We then went to the Hospitality Room so I could spin for a prize. I connected with Cindy Baughman. And while Tim went back to the room to take a nap, Cindy and I chatted for quite some time. For dinner, we were back at the Windjammer. We ate and visited with Hattie Walker Nelson. And a bit later Danny Hikade joined us.
We went back to the room, relaxed a bit, and then met David and Jennifer, Hattie and her husband Steve, and Michelle and Ryan for drinks. It was a pleasant and relaxing evening.
5/24/23 Wednesday – Geiranger, Norway
We woke up around 7:00 am and went up to the ship’s windy upper decks where we could be outside for 360 degree views of the beautiful Geiranger Fjord. We saw towering hills and cliffs, cascading waterfalls and gorgeous greenery and granite. Even though it was early, the sun had been up for hours and it would stay light out until well after 10 pm.
After taking photos of the Fjord we joined Silvia and Carolin for breakfast, then went out for more photos of the Fjord where we ran into David and Jennifer again, and Sarah Schuler and her family.
After photos and visiting we returned to the room. I left for the hospitality room and Tim stayed in the room. We had intended to go ashore to Geiringer to shop (we had no excursion booked), but the crew couldn’t get the gangway in place because of mechanical failures and high winds. The Tender boats weren’t handling the rough waters well, either. So by 2:30 we were told were wouldn’t be able to go off the boat at this port. Bummer! The Fjord was beautiful though, and we were able to take photos of the town from the boat. I visited with several demonstrators during that wait while in the Hospitality room and Tim got a good long nap.
Alanna and Ryan Wharf and their son Ethan joined us in the Windjammer for a late lunch. We visited for quite some time before returning to the room to get ready for dinner. Silvia and Carolin joined us for dinner in the dining room.
It was so nice to visit and catch up. We then went to the SeaPlex where Carolin was going to do the iFly Ripcord. We were unable to watch though. So we turned in early as we had to wake early for our Glacier excursion the next day.
5/25/23 Thursday – Olden, Norway
We woke early, skipped breakfast and showering, and went to the Royal Theatre for our excursion to the Briksdal Glacier. I found that demonstrators weren’t together and convinced the cruise staff to let us all be on one bus. We then boarded bus 4 with Lynn Feldkamp, her daughter Grace, Scot Strehlow, his wife McCall, and Mary Ann (a friend of another demonstrator). How fun it was to spend this excursion with all of them!
When we arrived, we hiked to the glacier taking several photos of the amazing scenery along the way.
Many in our group got back about 10 minutes late even though we were pretty efficient in our hiking. So there wasn’t time to shop the gift shop. But the tour also included an extra stop on the way back at a coffee house where we enjoyed coffee and desserts on fancy plates.
And outside we saw several buildings with living plants/grass on their roofs. We were told these are very insulating.
When we returned to port we shopped a bit at the gift shops near the cruise ship.
Then we got back on the boat and joined Jenni Pauli, Susie Wood and her husband, and Lorri and Dan Heiling for lunch. It was great catching up.
I went to the Hospitality Room to pick up swaps, spin for a prize, an take photos of all the swap boards.
I also visited with lots of people.
Tim joined me a little later.
That evening we had dinner in the Windjammer with Alanna and Ryan Wharf, Susan and Mike Campfield, and Brenda Nelson. The waters were rough and the ship rocked back and forth. It was fun to experience! That evening I finished up a blog post. Tim went to Vintages to join the Wharfs. And I joined them a bit later.
5/26/23 Friday– Stavanger, Norway
We awoke around 8 AM because we had no plans until 2:30 that afternoon (or so we thought). We had breakfast in the Windjammer, talked to Karen and Tim Titus,…
…and then met up with Jennifer and David Hill. We went into Stavanger with Jennifer & David and bought Hop On/Hop Off bus tickets to see the town.
After completing a loop of the town, which was very pretty, we got off the bus and hit some of the shops. We then split up and Jennifer and I continued shopping while Tim and David hit a few of the pubs.
After shopping, Jennifer led us into some interesting nooks and crannies of the town following her phone directions to get back to the boys. I was nervous because I didn’t want to be late for the lunch, but it was oh so fun to see those back streets. We found the boys at a pub not far away.
When it was time for our restaurant lunch at Tango, we said our goodbyes and proceeded to the restaurant. When we arrived, we discovered we showed up at the wrong time. We were supposed to be at the 11:30 time slot rather than the 2:30 one. Eek! But the staff was kind and fit us in. We sat with Janet & Doug Wakeland, Susan & Lance Nygaard, and Marcie Rhoades Besecker & her husband Rick.
The restaurant was fancy and the food was introduced in detail as each course was served.
We got back on the boat and Tim took a short nap while I went to the Hospitality Room.
We had dinner in the Windjammer with Alanna, Ryan, Susan and Mike. Us girls then returned to our room to do a live video sharing swap cards. Then it was off to the Stampin Up!’s Farewell Reception.
It was nice to visit with people but sad to say goodbyes knowing we only had one more day on the boat.
Elaine brought a card game and many of us played until we were kicked out. Hahaha!
5/27/23Saturday
Today was an “At Sea” day again. We met up with Natalie Travis and Jackie VanderSar-Boot and had breakfast in the dining room. Elaine and Adam Schader, and David, a new SU board member also joined us.
It was so nice to get a fancy gluten-free breakfast: Eggs Benedict and French Toast!
It was great conversation and it was so good to catch up a bit with Natalie and Jackie, too!
After breakfast Tim went to explore the ship and I headed over to the Hospitality Room with Elaine to spin for a prize. We visited with others and also played the card game again with Monika Davis.
We took a few photos. And then I went back and packed a bit.
Tim was still off exploring so I went to visit with Tami White, Selene Kempton, Sam Hammond, and others in the Cafe70. It was at this time that Selene performed in the finals for the Karaoke contest. She did a great job!
I connected with Tim back in the room where we rested, packed more, checked emails, and got showered and ready for dinner. Then we headed to the Windjammer around 7:30 to get coffee for Tim and say our goodbyes to the Wharfs. Alanna and Ethan decided to come with us though when we left for the dining room. (Janet Wakeland and Kylie Bertucci had invited us the evening before to dine with them and Ethan wanted their signatures.) Janet and Doug Wakeland weren’t able to make it. But we enjoyed the company of Kylie, Bruno, Marcie and Rick. Then we talked Alanna & Ethan into staying and taking Janet & Doug’s chairs. And Ryan joined us as well.
We left with the Wharfs and caught a bit of Lennon singing Karaoke. It was a fun evening. And it was sad to say our goodbyes. We went back to the room, finished packing, and set out our luggage by 10:30 PM.
5/28/23 Sunday
We woke at 5:15 thinking we were getting up at 6:15 because our clocks once again didn’t change. So we had about 5-1/2 hours of sleep total. We got some food at the Windjammer. Then we grabbed our carry-ons and left the ship by 7:15. After claiming our luggage we got on the bus and made our way to the London Heathrow airport.
The wait was quite a few hours, and coincidentally, we saw Chad Williams.
Chad works for Stampin’ Up! but he we just here in London on vacation.
The flight to JFK airport got us in an hour early. We claimed our luggage again and then went off to the next gate to rest and wait for our connecting flight to Minneapolis.
I was exhausted when we finally landed. And after an Uber ride, we made it home by about 11 PM (about 5 AM London time). We didn’t unpack much, and went straight to bed. With only 5-1/2 hours of sleep the night before and staying awake for nearly 24 hours, we fell asleep quickly.
Here are photos of the gifts I received from Stampin’ Up!
And here is a photo of a few gifts I received from others during this trip.
Here are a few more photos of me with fellow SU demonstrators.
What an amazing trip it was!
Thanks for visiting and reading!
* Earning the incentive trip is something very few Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve—less than 1%, in fact! I’m so excited to be among the 305 that attended this Norwegian cruise with family and friends.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
MORE ONLINE EXCLUSIVES COMING IN JULY New products are coming to the online store* July 6, 2023! You won’t find these products in any catalog, but you can download this flyer which gives you a peek at a few of the new ones. *this link will reveal the newer products on 7/6/23
JUNE 2023 STARTER KIT SPECIAL June a fabulous time to join Stampin’ Up! Those who sign up/purchase the Starter Kit between June 1 and June 30 can get $125 USD $155 USD worth of products for only $99 USD + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up!
LAYERING LEAVES CLASS THROUGH THE MAIL My Layering Leaves Class To Go sold out in less than 3 days with over 300 registrants! Thank you. I was blown away. And I still have many asking. So I will offer this class again with signups starting June 9th. Watch for that announcement. And thank you for the wonderful response and the kind words that have been sent my way. Visit my 4/22/23 blog post for details on the class.
JUNE 2023 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SALE This June you can enjoy a 15% discount on select Designer Series Paper packs from our new 2023–2024 Annual Catalog and Online Exclusives! This is a great time to stock up and save on gorgeous paper so you have artistic and versatile paper designs on hand for your next projects! Click here for more details.
KITS COLLECTION: CONFETTI BIRTHDAY KIT ADDED Shake up someone’s special day with a happy, handcrafted shaker card! The Confetti Birthday Kit comes with everything you need to quickly create confetti shaker cards—a total of 9 cards in 3 lively designs. This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT JUNE’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Show hospitality to all your guests with June’s Welcome Inn Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit includes supplies to make nine elegant and detailed cards—3 of 3 designs. Whether you’re hosting friends and family, want to invite someone over, or want to stand out as a gracious guest, this kit has what you need to create inviting and welcoming cards that any loved one is sure to appreciate. The kit perfectly coordinates with the Countryside Inn Suite Collection (item number 161474) from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalog! You can also pair this kit with a coordinating die add-on(163192)! (Available now & while supplies last. Dies, suite products & Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine sold separately). Coordinating Stampin’ Up! colors: Boho Blue, Copper Clay (also the kit’s ink color), Daffodil Delight, Moody Mauve, Mossy Meadow, Pebbled Path, Wild Wheat If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by June 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our May 2023 Countryside Inn Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Fresh As A Daisy Suite from the 2023-34 Annual Catalog will be available June 1st.
I’m having a fabulous time with my husband on Stampin’ Up!’s 2023 incentive trip* aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas visiting ports of Norway. It’s so beautiful here!!! I’ll share photos soon. (Click here to see some glimpses of the adventures we had in Europe the week before.)
*Disclaimer: Earning the incentive trip is something less than 1% of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve.
Swap cards are usually identical, but the die-cutting would have taken four or five times as long and I would’ve had to throw out tons of paper afterwards had I refrained from these variations. When I created these particular cards, I started with the die-cuts that I had leftover from my cards that I created and shared on May 3rd. I didn’t want these swap cards to be as colorful though. So I paired the two pinker colors with the greens and the two bluer colors with the greens just by cutting a few more extras of the greens.
Here are some details if you wish to make one or more of these cards yourself.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements…
Basic White Thick Cardstock for the card base
5-1/2” x 8-1/2″ scored parallel to short side at 2-1/8″ and 4-1/4”
4-1/4” x 5-1/2″
Misty Moonlight or Old Olive Cardstock for the inside layer and the stamped/punched leaves
4” x 5-1/4”
Scrap for stamping and punching leaves
Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock
1/2” x 5-1/4”
Scrap for punching leaves
Vellum Cardstock
5/8″ x 5-1/4″
Scrap for punching leaves
Cardstock for the layering dies: a combination of Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Twist OR a combination of Berry Burst, Fresh Freesia, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Twist
4-1/4” x 5-1/2″ of each
Colored cardstock for the middle front sentiment: Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, or Fresh Freesia
Small scrap to stamp and die-cut middle front sentiment
Directions…
Punch the Vellum Cardstock leaves, the Lemon Lime Twist leaves, and then stamp and punch the Misty Moonlight or Old Olive leaves.
Die-cut the 4-1/4” x 5-1/2″ Basic White with the largest die from Countryside Corners Dies. Die-cut the middle front sentiment piece from the extra colored cardstock.
Use Post It® Tape to connect all the layering dies from the Countryside Corners Dies together (as I shared how to do in the instructional video from May 3rd). Then die-cut the many “rings” of the various colors remembering to keep them all positioned the same way so you can reassemble the rings later.
Either cut the sentiment stamp into two pieces OR mask to stamp “sending” onto the middle front sentiment piece and the “hugs” onto the center of the Lemon Lime Twist strip.
Choose the combination of rings you like best. Add adhesive all over the large white die-cut base piece. And add the rings starting with the largest and working your way in.
Add adhesive onto the smallest center piece. Add the punched leaves. Then add the stamped middle front sentiment piece with Dimensionals.
Fold the card base. Add the layered front panel making sure adhesive is only on the bottom of the back side of this layered panel so the card can fold into an easel as shown below.
Stamp leaves (and a few speckles) on the Misty Moonlight or Old Olive inside 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer.
Add the Lemon Lime Twist strip to the Vellum strip. Then attach this through the center of the 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer using Dimensionals.
Finish off by embellishing with a few Iridescent Pearls.
These were so much fun to make!
And here are the swap cards I received in return. 😃
Thanks for stopping by to see what I had to share today.
Disclaimer: Earning the incentive trip is something less than 1% of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve.
Memorial Day Sale will start Friday, May 26 and run through Monday, May 29
Everything at Stampnstorage.com will be 15% OFF
Standard shipping rates will apply
The sale ends at Midnight, 5/29/23
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
LAYERING LEAVES CLASS THROUGH THE MAIL My Layering Leaves Class To Go sold out in less than 3 days with over 300 registrants! Thank you. I was blown away. And I still have many asking. So I will offer this class again with signups starting June 9th. Watch for that announcement. And thank you for the wonderful response and the kind words that have been sent my way. Visit my 4/22/23 blog post for details on the class.
JUNE 2023 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SALE This June you can enjoy a 15% discount on select Designer Series Paper packs from our new 2023–2024 Annual Catalog and Online Exclusives! This is a great time to stock up and save on gorgeous paper so you have artistic and versatile paper designs on hand for your next projects! Click here for more details.
KITS COLLECTION: CONFETTI BIRTHDAY KIT ADDED Shake up someone’s special day with a happy, handcrafted shaker card! The Confetti Birthday Kit comes with everything you need to quickly create confetti shaker cards—a total of 9 cards in 3 lively designs. This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT JUNE’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Show hospitality to all your guests with June’s Welcome Inn Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit includes supplies to make nine elegant and detailed cards—3 of 3 designs. Whether you’re hosting friends and family, want to invite someone over, or want to stand out as a gracious guest, this kit has what you need to create inviting and welcoming cards that any loved one is sure to appreciate. The kit perfectly coordinates with the Countryside Inn Suite Collection (item number 161474) from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalog! You can also pair this kit with a coordinating die add-on(163192)! (Available now & while supplies last. Dies, suite products & Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine sold separately). Coordinating Stampin’ Up! colors: Boho Blue, Copper Clay (also the kit’s ink color), Daffodil Delight, Moody Mauve, Mossy Meadow, Pebbled Path, Wild Wheat If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by June 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our May 2023 Countryside Inn Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Fresh As A Daisy Suite from the 2023-34 Annual Catalog will be available June 1st.
My husband Tim and I are on vacation! We spent the past week in the beautiful country of Scotland (specifically seeing Outlander sites 😃), a place we’d love to return to in the future for sure. In fact we are already planning a bit of that trip. Hahaha!
We left Minnesota on a red-eye flight Saturday, May 13 and landed in London Sunday morning.
The goal then was to stay awake as long as possible. So that’s what we did.
5/14/23 Sunday
We eventually found our way to our hotel near the airport, dropped off our bags since it was early morning, had an English breakfast in the hotel and then made our way using the tube (London’s underground train) to Green Park so we could see some sites. We followed the crowd that led us to Buckingham Palace where we witnessed “the changing of the guard.”
We were lucky to be right on time. We followed the crowd and the guard down The Mall, the road that leads from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. It was regal and formal and amazing to watch.
We explored Trafalgar Square here for a while. We then headed to Westminster and saw Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, and Westminster Abbey.
On our way back we stopped for a late lunch and then took the Tube back to our hotel, resting our eyes quite a bit on the way. We were exhausted but we kept pushing ourselves. We checked in, unpacked, and fell asleep quickly.
5/15/23 Monday
We got up early the next morning for our flight to Edinburgh, Scotland and made it to the gate just in time. Here we met up with Sherry Roth and her mom Donna – two of the four others joining us on our special Outlander Tour for the next several days.
We all landed in Edinburgh and took the tram to the center of town, and walked several blocks with our luggage to our hotel where we dropped off our bags and took off to explore the city.
We explored the Royal Mile, seeking out Outlander locations. Our first stop was Bakehouse Close where the stairs to Jamie’s print shop was located.
Then it was on to Tweedale Court where Claire’s reunion with Fergus took place. We stopped for lunch, explored the shops (like this place where they make fudge),…
and saw Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles cathedral,…
and the Signet Library where they shot the Governor’s mansion in Jamaica. We took a tour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse…
and then met up with Jennifer Hill and her husband David who would also take part on our Outlander 4-day tour, and the six of us had dinner and drinks to end the day.
5/16/23 Tuesday
Our 4-day tour began, and our tour guide James from Braw Tours picked us up at 9:00 AM and we were off!
We headed to Craigmillar Castle (Ardsmuir Prison in the TV series). The scenery was pretty and we explored every part of the old castle.
We took a side trip to Hopetoun House (the residence of Lord Sandringham). It was closed for event preparations, but James got us through the front gate and even around back so we could get photos of the beautiful place.
Then we headed to Blackness Castle which doubles as Fort William. Again, we were able to explore the entire castle.
We took a bonus side trip to see the Kelpies, gigantic horsehead structures made out of metal.
We then drove to Culross Village which doubles as Cranesmuir. The streets were quite narrow. James did some impressive driving! We saw where Jamie saves a boy who was being punished for stealing, and the window of Geillis Duncan’s home.
We also ate lunch at the Red Lion Inn. Our last stop was Linlithgow Palace (the location of Wentworth Prison).
5/17/23 Wednesday
The next morning we loaded the van with our luggage…
and headed off for the second day of our tour. Our first stop was Midhope Castle (Lallybroch).
The inside of Midhope is in ruins and in the process of being restored. But we were able to peek inside the windows. We took many photos at this location. It was one of my favorite stops!
Other scenes of the TV series were filmed at the wooded path nearby – Fergus running from the Redcoats and Ian finishing off Horrocks when Jamie was trying to get the man and his friends off his property.
Besides the regular tourists, there were people there in period attire from the group called The Sons of Scotland. They were there with a couple that had just done a handfasting ceremony. Everyone was kind enough to take a photo with our group!
We then continued on the tour and drove to Falkland. This is the city that replicates Inverness back in the 1940s in Outlander. Just like the city of Culross, the buildings were painted for the times and then repainted after filming was completed. We recognized the fountain in the center of the town, and Mrs. Baird’s hotel which is called the Covenanter Hotel in real life.
We also were able to take photos of the shop that Claire stood outside of in the first scene of the series, when she was longing for a vase. It’s a gift shop but unfortunately was closed for the day with a sign on the door that read, “We’re closed every Wednesday until we’re not.”
Next we toured the nearby Falkland Palace. The kitchen downstairs was where they filmed Castle Leoch’s apothecary. but it seemed very small.
After our tour, and a bit of shopping in the gift shop, we went back to the Covenanter Hotel…
and had a wonderful lunch.
We then drove to the Highland Folk Museum. Here we saw the thatched roof buildings representing the poorest Highlander homes from the 1700s. These homes were in the episode where Dougal collects rent, and Claire helps to make the colored cloth.
Two items used by filming crew were still there: a stool that Jamie sat on, and some items hanging from a tripod over a fire shown here by James.
We also saw Highland cows and sheep up close.
Our last stop was Clava Cairns where we saw some real standing stones and large cairns which are burial mounds. Standing stones still mystify historians, but in Outlander these are the places that allow time travel.
We arrived at our Airbnb in Inverness around seven and made it to our dinner reservations at the Mustard Seed. The food was wonderful! And it was a very comfortable, warm setting.
Thursday May 18th 2023
Thanks to Jennifer, who went out and got eggs this morning and added in her pastries she picked up the day before, we had breakfast at our Airbnb.
Our third day of the tour started with Culloden Battlefield.
After the guided tour, we walked the loop ourselves and took photos of the gravestone markers and paid our respects.
James then drove us to the Culloden House (a hotel) where Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed prior to the battle. We weren’t supposed to drive onto the property if we weren’t guests, but we did and took pics of it from the outside (shhh).
We then went to Loch Ness. It was cloudy, windy and chilly, but we went down to the water’s edge, took photos, stacked a few stones, and touched the water.
We ate lunch near the Loch Ness gift shop then set off for Urquhart Castle which was once one of Scotland’s largest castles. Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle were not in the TV series but were mentioned in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels.
We also visited Beauly Priory (where Claire meets and speaks to Lord Lovat’s seer, Maisri)…
and sneeked onto the property to see the outside of Castle Leod in Stratpeffer, which was the inspiration for Castle Leoch.
After returning to our Airbnb we set off to find a place to eat for dinner. It was a struggle because our group was large and places wanted reservations. We ended up splitting into two groups: three of us went to the grocery store and ate at the Airbnb, and three of us ate at Hootenanny. We had to finish our laundry, and pack as this was our last night in Inverness.
Friday, May 19th 2023
Our last and fourth day of the tour started out with breakfast at a restaurant that reminded us of a casino. The food was cheap and quick. We packed our suitcases into the van, checked out of the Airbnb, and took off to Cairngorms National Park. Here we took a train up the mountain to see a beautiful view of the Highlands.
Our second step was Tibbermore Church which doubles as Crainsmuir’s church, the scene for the witch trials of Claire and Geillis. It looked just like it did on TV!
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant and greenhouse/gift shop nearby called Gloagburn. We were seated at an outdoor “hut” that protected us from the wind and sun while we enjoyed our meals.
We ate quickly and then headed to Drummond Castle to see the beautiful gardens which doubled as the King’s garden at Versailles in France on the show. The drive in was long and under a canopy of trees the whole way… beautiful!
We took several photos here as this was one of our absolute favorite places on the tour.
Our last stop of the day (after capturing photos of more cows and lambs)…
was a visit to Doune Castle which was the backdrop for the show’s Castle Leoch. It wasn’t open to the public, but we were happy just to see the outside.
James drove us back to Edinburgh and dropped us off at our hotels near the airport. It was sad to say goodbye because it was like saying goodbye to a friend. He really was amazing, and we were grateful for all he did to make it a wonderful Outlander Tour experience. (A side note… he stepped in last minute because our original tour guide had to cancel the week before because of a family emergency. We were in a bit of a panic the week prior to flying, but it all came out great for us in the end.)
We will miss this beautiful country.
Yesterday marked the start of the second half of our European vacation – Stampin’ Up!’s incentive trip*, a Norwegian Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas!! I’ll share more from that in about a week or so.
* Earning the incentive trip is something very few Stampin’ Up! demonstrators achieve—less than 1%, in fact! I’m so excited to be among the 305 attending spending the next week in Norway celebrating this extremely rare accomplishment.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
LAYERING LEAVES CLASS THROUGH THE MAIL My Layering Leaves Class To Go sold out in less than 3 days with over 300 registrants! Thank you. I was blown away. And I still have many asking. So I will offer this class again with signups starting June 9th. Watch for that announcement. And thank you for the wonderful response and the kind words that have been sent my way. Visit my 4/22/23 blog post for details on the class.
PRODUCT SHARES, SAMPLERS, & COLOR CLUBS The new 2023-24 Annual Catalog debuts May 2nd. I have an amazing team of demonstrators with a few who offer great ways to get your hands on “tastes” of the new products. Click here for details and links.
KITS COLLECTION: CONFETTI BIRTHDAY KIT ADDED Shake up someone’s special day with a happy, handcrafted shaker card! The Confetti Birthday Kit comes with everything you need to quickly create confetti shaker cards—a total of 9 cards in 3 lively designs. This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT JUNE’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Show hospitality to all your guests with June’s Welcome Inn Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit includes supplies to make nine elegant and detailed cards—3 of 3 designs. Whether you’re hosting friends and family, want to invite someone over, or want to stand out as a gracious guest, this kit has what you need to create inviting and welcoming cards that any loved one is sure to appreciate. The kit perfectly coordinates with the Countryside Inn Suite Collection (item number 161474) from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalog! You can also pair this kit with a coordinating die add-on(163192)! (Available now & while supplies last. Dies, suite products & Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine sold separately). Coordinating Stampin’ Up! colors: Boho Blue, Copper Clay (also the kit’s ink color), Daffodil Delight, Moody Mauve, Mossy Meadow, Pebbled Path, Wild Wheat If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by June 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our May 2023 Countryside Inn Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Fresh As A Daisy Suite from the 2023-34 Annual Catalog will be available June 1st.
Today I’ve got for you a fun fold card idea that is new to me. I got the idea from my friend and fellow demonstrator, Susan Campfield (my upline). She calls this fold the “flying seagull” fold which makes total sense, because it looks like a bird with its wings outstretched when open. I’ve also got some Sponge Dauber techniques to share.
A few hours ago I was live on YouTube and on Facebook and went through step-by-step directions for how to make this fold and do these techniques in four eye-catching cards that feature the By the Bay Designer Paper, the Seaside Bay Stamp Set, Fine Shimmer Paper, Sponge Daubers, Masking Paper, the Seashells Embossing Folder, and the Splatters Embossing Folder.
And now I’m sharing that video here in my blog post. Be sure to watch the video by clicking here (or you can just click on this image below if you are already on my blog post), scroll through the close-up photos that follow, check out the measurements & products list below, and then let me know if you have any questions.
This is just one of the many great and affordable crafting supply storage bins/organizers Ashley and James carry. Click here to shop.
Did you get your hands on this month’s bundle of video classes featuring products in the By the Bay Suite? Each month’s Video Class Bundle includes photos, imperial and metric measurements, complete product lists, and links to instructional videos for twelve projects designed by our team of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around the world. And they are exclusive to those who earn them or purchase them.
Here are peeks of the amazing projects in this March 2023 bundle. (Click here and scroll down to find information for how to get your hands on this month’s bundle.)
I hope you enjoyed what I shared!
Winners: After live winners from last week’s live… Shirley Eckenrode & Susan Rushton This week’s live winners…Darlene Gabriel & Sue Palmer
Congratulations to these individuals!! If your name is above, be sure to reach out to me at stampyourartout@comcast.net to claim your prize.
Tune into my events on my Facebook Page to see notices of my upcoming Lives. Or subscribe to my YouTube channel. And then click on the bell next to the subscribe button and set notifications to “all” so you can get updates when I share and when I go live. My next Live will be on Wednesday, March 15th at 11 AM Central Time. I hope you can join me!
Now be sure to scroll down and click on the names of other hop participants in our team to follow the hop and see other creative project ideas featuring the Regency Park Suite. (If you are receiving this blog post by email, click HERE to see links and follow the hop.) I hope our ideas in this hop inspire your creativity!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
COLORFUL KALEIDOSCOPE KIT ADDED This latest kit contains everything you need to make a unique card for any occasion. Every card is filled with geometric shapes and unique kaleidoscopic patterns. This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT MARCH’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT It’s Paper Pumpkin’s 10-year anniversary and we want to celebrate how much we’ve grown with the Ten Years of Growth kit! This month’s kit is all about happy greetings, organic and botanical designs digitally painted by our in-house artists, along with all-occasion sentiments to celebrate the happy moments in life and recognize the people around you who help you grow! This kit includes all the supplies you need to create 9 cards: 3 each of 3 designs, a Polished Pink Classic Stampin’ Spot, and a FREE bonus stamp set featuring a plant and pot builder to make all your projects plant-astic! Coordinating colors: Shaded Spruce, Garden Green, Coastal Cabana, Orchid Oasis, Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink, Crumb Cake If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by March 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our March 2023 By the Bay Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Regency Park Suite will be available April 1st.
I was looking around on Pinterest and found a fun fold card by Barb Pfeffer that I just had to share with all of you. It’s similar to many that are out there, but I loved the way the center of it popped out on display and was held by the cardstock above and below it. I’m sure this fold has another name. But I didn’t have the time to search around. So I’m calling it the “center of attention” fold for today’s post.
A few hours ago I shared live on YouTube and on Facebook step-by-step directions for how to make a “Center of Attention” fold card with the Country Floral Lane Suite of products from the January-April 2023 Mini Catalog: the Country Bouquet Stamp Set, Country Bouquet Punch, Country Gingham Designer Paper, and the Pastel Adhesive-Backed Sequins.
And now I’m sharing that video here in my blog post. Be sure to watch the video by clicking here (or you can just click on this image below if you are already on my blog post), scroll through the close-up photos that follow, check out the measurements & products list below, and then let me know if you have any questions.
Products I used… a complete list of products I used is shown below, and everything is linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Click here to access and download a printable “measurements & supplies” sheet.
Measurements …
Basic White Thick Cardstock
5-1/2” x 8” scored parallel to the short side at 2” and 6” and then scored and cut further according to the directions in the video
Scraps for all the hearts
Gingham Garden Designer Paper
(2) 1-7/8” x 5-3/8”
(8) 1-7/8” x 1-1/8”
Shaded Spruce Cardstock
1-7/8” x 2-7/8”
Mint Macaron Cardstock
1-3/4” x 2-3/4”
White Glittered Organdy Ribbon
8”
Here are photos of the finished card.
These next three photos show how to fold it to put it in an envelope. The top and bottom sections can both be flattened to the right, to the left,…
or in opposite directions.
Or you can just take the outer two sections that you would normally see on the back side and fold them inward on top of the middle front like this.
(This is a view from the back when open.)
Today is my 23rd anniversary as a demonstrator with Stampin’ Up! It’s been fun reflecting on all the fun times, the people I’ve met and friends I’ve made, the various events I’ve held, the places I’ve traveled for conventions and earned trips, and the growth I’ve made in my business and as an individual. I pulled out a few of my albums and took photos of photos…
These first two are when I’m just 6 months in at the Minneapolis Convention in July 2000. Swapping “trading cards” (2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ size) was super popular at that time. Email addresses were only just becoming popular. I remember physically mailing newsletters each month that I had printed, copied at Kinko’s, and then hand-stamped to add color. And I remember this Convention was so inspiring and motivating for me.
This was my second convention in 2001 held in Las Vegas. There were no iPhones yet as you can see by the cameras we have on our laps.
And these two are from the Las Vegas Convention in 2003.
Nothing like an anniversary to make you look back on the memories. I also realized how many scrapbooks I have not completed! Hahahaa!
Did you get your hands on this month’s bundle of video classes featuring products in the Country Floral Lane Suite? Each month’s Video Class Bundle includes photos, imperial and metric measurements, complete product lists, and links to instructional videos for twelve projects designed by our team of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around the world. And they are exclusive to those who earn them or purchase them.
Here are peeks of the amazing projects in this February 2023 bundle. (Click here and scroll down to find information for how to get your hands on this month’s bundle.)
I hope you enjoyed what I shared!
Winners: After live winners from last week’s live… Patti Sharkey & Karen K This week’s live winners… Polly Libby & Barbie Serna
Congratulations to these individuals!! If your name is above, be sure to reach out to me at stampyourartout@comcast.net to claim your prize.
Tune into my events on my Facebook Page to see notices of my upcoming Lives. Or subscribe to my YouTube channel. And then click on the bell next to the subscribe button and set notifications to “all” so you can get updates when I share and when I go live. My next Live will be on Wednesday, February 15th at 11 AM Central Time. I hope you can join me!
Now be sure to scroll down and click on the names of other hop participants in our team to follow the hop and see other creative project ideas featuring the Country Floral Lane Suite.(If you are receiving this blog post by email, click HERE to see links and follow the hop.) I hope our ideas in this hop inspire your creativity!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
SALE-A-BRATION 2023! The Sale-a-Bration promotion is here and runs January 5th through February 28th! Click here for main the details. Click here to view the online version of the publication. Click here to access new level one and level two products that were added 2/1/23.Click here to see these products online.
WREATH OF BLOOMS KIT ADDED The Wreath of Blooms Kit gives you everything you need to make your own home decor piece. Roll and shape the precut pieces and put your wreath on display! This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT FEBRUARY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Make cloudy days a little brighter with the Sunshine & Smiles Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit includes nine sweet and sunny cards (3 each of 3 designs), a fun peek-through window scene on each card, cute pre-cut critters and labels, raindrop embellishments, a Mango Melody Stampin’ Spot, and more! If someone you know is weathering a storm, this kit is just what you’ll need to create cards that are sure to brighten their day! Coordinating colors: Balmy Blue, Cajun Craze, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Old Olive, Shaded Spruce This kit perfectly coordinates with the Rain or Shine Suite Collection #160556. FYI…the coordinating die add-on: Sunshine & Smiles Dies #162486 are now sold out. If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by February 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our February 2023 Country Floral Lane Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the By the Bay Suite will be available March 1st.
I just returned from a wonderful weekend up north celebrating my Silver Elite team members, Cheryl Lee and Nancy Forsberg! After the last two years were held elsewhere (online and at an Airbnb in St. Paul, MN), this year’s Silver Elite Retreat was back at my parents’ place in northern Minnesota at their beautiful cabin/home in the woods. My mom and dad once again made it feel like a Bed & Breakfast experience and helped me to really make this get-away something special.
We left the Twin Cities at around 9:30 AM on Friday morning, stopped at Forest Lake Restaurant in Grand Rapids for lunch (yum),…
and arrived at the cabin around 3:00. Normally we would’ve gotten there a bit sooner since it’s less than a 4 hour drive, but it was very windy and snowy for the first part of the trip. And we did what the other drivers around us did and took it very slow.
When we arrived, it was the perfect winter day…beautiful blue sky with temps in the teens.
The forecast for the coming days called for a big drop in temperature though. So after we unpacked, settled in, and visited for a bit, my dad and I went sledding for about 20 minutes or so. I was craving this!! Hahaha! They have an awesome hill up there, but we couldn’t convince anyone else to go with us.
After a tasty taco dinner, we did some paper crafting and finished nearly half the planned make-n-take projects I brought up – we had the energy!
The next day (after a great night’s sleep), we had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs, bagels, yogurt, bacon and fruit…
…and then got going on the rest of the projects completing them by early afternoon.
We had so much fun relaxing and crafting. And it made me giggle when I had them try to guess how their pieces would go together for one of their cards before I actually showed it to them. And of course I had to take photos of their guesses.
20 cards from the Enjoy the Adventure Memories & More card pack.
A fun fold card featuring the Easter Bunny stamp set and Day at the Farm Designer Paper.
And cards from the Saying Thanks kit.
I’ll be sharing these last three projects in the near future, so be sure you are subscribed to my blog posts so you don’t miss out.
These are the variations of the waffle cone cards we each made. I even did another version because I didn’t feel my original had enough ice cream. And I added it to my original blog post if you want to check out a larger version of the photo. (Sorry for the lighting in the first 3 images. Photographing at the cabin was challenging me a bit.)
After our chef salad lunch on Saturday with no more planned stamping projects, Cheryl and Nancy got out their wine tumblers (one of the gifts I gave them) and enjoyed a beverage.
We all spent the rest of the weekend talking and laughing, eating more good food (chicken salad, breads, steamed broccoli, and pie for dinner), and enjoying a bit of TV watching Emeril Lagasse cook.
It was too cold to go on a long walk (it was close to 0 degrees F), but we DID venture outdoors to see the “garage room” – another area to stay on their property that is only heated by a wood stove since it sits away from the main house. This is another view of the cabin/house from the deck of the garage room.
And this was the sunset we saw from the cabin on Saturday evening. (Thanks for the photo, Dad!)
Mom and dad, thank you for hosting, having everything so comfortable and welcoming, helping me with the meals, and more! Nancy & Cheryl, thank you for spending this time with me and letting me spoil you a bit! You are both SOOooo amazing.
It was a wonderful weekend with memories to treasure.
Here are the invitations I sent Nancy and Cheryl for this event. I used the new Regency Park Suite of products (paper, ribbon, stamps and dies) accented with the Loose Daisy Embellishments.
The color combination I chose mimicked the Stampin’ Up! floral graphics which you can see on some of the gift items below. I also used my computer to print out the inside invitation and agenda.
Measurements…
Shaded Spruce Cardstock
5-1/2” x 6″ scored parallel to short side at 4-1/4”
Balmy Blue Cardstock
4″ x 5-1/4″ (inside layer)
Scrap for die-cutting frame
Night of Navy Cardstock
Scrap for die-cutting frame
Basic White Cardstock
Scrap for stamping and die-cutting sentiment layer
Regency Park Designer Paper
3″ x 5-1/2″
Night of Navy Bordered Ribbon
16″
Directions…
Add the designer Paper so it’s connected on the front (not the inside) of the Shaded Spruce folded card base.
Die-cut both the Balmy Blue and Night of Navy. Stamp and die-cut the white sentiment layer. Insert the stamped layer into the Balmy Blue corners. Then layer and adhere (with a slight offset to create a “shadow”) the Balmy Blue to the Night of Navy.
Tie on the ribbon with the knot to the right.
Add the sentiment piece with Dimensionals.
Embellish with the Loose Daisies and a few Rhinestones.
And add the Balmy Blue layer to the inside. (I had first printed my invite onto the cardstock and trimmed to size. You’ll need a printer that doesn’t curve the paper much coming through. I own an Epson ET-2750.)
I also made a matching bag tag and a wrap for the recognition block I gave each of them. Basic directions for the wrap can be found here in my 1/9/23 post. The tag is just made of a 3″ x 6″ piece of designer paper, a 2″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Balmy Blue that I stamped and embellished, and a strand each of the navy ribbon and silver twine.
Products I used… See below for a general list of products I used for my card, tag and wrap linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Here are the gifts I gave. This is Nancy’s stash…
This is Cheryl’s.
I also gave a bag to my mom.
The bags each included all these make-n-take materials.
And then I also included these personalized wine tumblers purchased through and etched by Tamra Davis from TaDa Moments.
She always does such a great job! Last year she embroidered blankets. And in years past, she has personalized various bags. (Let me know if you have any ideas for me for next year’s personalized gifts.)
Thanks for visiting. I had lots to share. But it was a fun-filled weekend, and I wanted to bring as much of it to you as I could. I hope you enjoyed.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
THE NEW JAN-APRIL 2023 MINI CATALOG! The new Jan-April 2023 Mini Catalog featuring lots of new products is here! Click here for all the details. Click here to view the online version of this new publication. Click here to shop these new products online.
SALE-A-BRATION 2023! The Sale-a-Bration promotion is here and runs January 5th through February 28th! Click here for all the details. Click here to view the online version of this new publication.Click here to see these new products online.
SAYING THANKS KIT ADDED This month’s Saying Thanks Kit has everything you need to show appreciation to family and friends who light up your life! Make nine bright, colorful cards in no time to say thank you, recognize friends, and share your gratitude with a bright watercolor wash that won’t go unnoticed! This new kit is part of the Kits Collection and is now available. Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT FEBRUARY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Make cloudy days a little brighter with the Sunshine & Smiles Paper Pumpkin Kit! This kit includes nine sweet and sunny cards (3 each of 3 designs), a fun peek-through window scene on each card, cute pre-cut critters and labels, raindrop embellishments, a Mango Melody Stampin’ Spot, and more! If someone you know is weathering a storm, this kit is just what you’ll need to create cards that are sure to brighten their day! Coordinating colors: Balmy Blue, Cajun Craze, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Old Olive, Shaded Spruce This kit perfectly coordinates with the Rain or Shine Suite Collection #160556. AND for the first time ever, we’ve got a coordinating die add-on: Sunshine & Smiles Dies #162486 available for purchase while supplies last! (Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine sold separately). If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by February 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our January 2023 Fancy Flora Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Country Floral Lane Suite will be available February 1st.
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Rachel Tessman
Independent Demonstrator 763-502-6813
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