"Take Out" Card Buffet !

Hi Stampers!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did! We had a family gathering (included some negative Covid Tests and Covid recovery people) at our home and even the dogs were welcome! It was fun to gather together and mostly just eat and laugh- very good for the soul!

I'm back to my Stampin'Up! world and trying to figure out what would make December special. I'm guessing a few of you could use a boost with some holiday card production so I have the perfect idea for you. Normally, I would have been hosting Holiday card buffets in October, November and early December but with our current circumstances, that isn't practical or safe to do so. Sooooo, here's an idea! Instead of a card buffet where you come to my house and make as many cards as you want, how about a "take out" card buffet! For the next 3 weeks, I'm offering a "to go" card kit that includes 10 cards, 2 each of 5 designs, that will include the card base, all the precut paper and embellishments to make the cards below. All you add is a sentiment from you stash! The cost is $25 for the 10 card kit plus any shipping. Locals can pick the kit up directly from me or we can coordinate delivery.  Here's a pick of the cards included in the kit (remember you'll be able to make 2 of each):

And here are some close up photos of the cards. I've used tons of Designer Series Paper, ribbons, dies and more to make these unique and special!

You can let me know if you'd like a kit via email, text or phone and I'll try to get it out as soon as possible. I'm asking for 48 hours notice so it gives me a little time to do the cutting and prep. I do not have these assembled ahead of time and will make them to order. I also have some ideas if you would like to purchase some sentiment stamps and of course, you could add any other current SU products to your list!

I hope this will be an answer to the pause in my "In person" classes and boy do I hope we are back up and running again soon. I sure miss my stampin' peeps!

I happen to know that any time I include a dog pic in a post, it's automatically more popular so here are some Thanksgiving pups! We had 6 in all and they were adorable!

Thanks for stopping by and let's do some stamping soon!

Sarah

Sweetest Time Bundle

 Hey Friends!

I have a fun bundle to share with you today including "not a card" !! I spend so much time making cards I sometimes forget to use my stamping skills and stash to make other things, but I did today. Stay tuned!

The "Sweetest Time" bundle is indeed sweet! It features some big chunky candles and lovely sentiments in the stamp set and two awesome border dies along with extra parts and pieces. It's a great bargain when you consider all the possibilities!  Before I share my cards, I'd love to show you how I used these products to decorate a Christmas candle.  Here's a picture of it:

That was fun!  I bought a 7" candle and first stamped on it with Stazon Saddle Tan ink and the "Birch" background stamp. It's easy! I show you how in the video below and it involves inking up the background stamp and then rolling the candle across it!  I then put some Adhesive paper on Mossy Meadow card stock and then cut out the bough die from our featured bundle. I added some ribbon, burlap, sequins and rhinestones. I've already put this out amidst all my Christmas Decor!

I also made some cards with this set:

This card features the large candles stamp and a couple of the bough dies. This was a very easy card to make, requiring the only addition of the Stampin'Cut & Emboss for the does. My main colors are Merry Merlot and Mossy Meadow.

Here's a special card, featuring the candy cane die cut out of our specialty Red Velvet paper! Boy was that easy to cut. I adhered it with our multipurpose glue but you could easily add adhesive paper to the back of the velvet paper before you die cut it. I made some cute peppermints with additional dies and finished this off with some ribbon. By the way, my background paper is a piece from the "Wonder of the Season" Designer Series Paper, a lovely paper with red foil print!

Here's a great color combo with Just Jade, Real Red and Cherry Cobbler! I cut the bough die out and backed it with some white glimmer paper. I wanted to the candles to really pop so I heat embossed them with white powder and gold powder for the flames. The checked background is from the "Tis The Season" DSP. 

Finally, here's a complete How-to video explaining how I made the candle and general instructions for the cards. I'm a firm believer it's really helpful to watch how someone made something, so take a look!

Thanks for stopping by! It's fun to share some ideas with you and hopefully inspire you! Hope you have a great weekend as you approach Thanksgiving next week! 

Blessings,

Sarah 

Yuletide Pasture

 Hey Stampin' Friends!

Just like that it's another Monday coming at us! We decided to put up Christmas decorations this weekend and I feel I need to offer an explanation. Here's my thinking, A) We are still extremely grateful and Thankful for all things including friends, family and all that our life encompasses, B) 2020 has really been a year and it seems nothing is the way it was before, C) We definitely need some Christmas cheer and starting early won't hurt this year!

Usually I start stamping and playing with Christmas related products in July, when I first receive the new holiday products in a preorder. If you consider that, I've been dealing with Christmas for quite awhile already! Today's featured stamp set is a winner if you love animals, which I do. This set features a cute kitten, peaceful sheep and shaggy cow. Ready to see some samples?

To be honest, this doesn't look anything like cows in Montana, but I thought he was pretty cute! He seems a little underwhelmed by the holidays but perfectly willing to go with the flow. While the cow is the star of this card, I loved using some of the "Tis the Season" Designer Series Paper and my Buffalo Plaid background stamp on Real Red card stock. I colored him with Stampin' Blends which is always my favorite!

Our August Paper Pumpkin kit was full of beautiful sky backgrounds and so I saved some for Christmas cards. I die cut a circle out of the background and stamped this sweet sheep on Pool Party card stock with Night of Navy ink. The stars are cut out of silver foil paper with the Stitched Stars dies. 

Here's a perfect idea for you cat lovers! He's already for Christmas and planning on staying warm with his scarf! When I saw the "Joy to the World" sentiment, I immediately thought of the "World of Good " dies featuring a globe. I've used it for several Christmas ideas so far and this is one of my favorites. It never hurts to add some texture with an embossing folder and I used the Hammered Metal one here.  My sentiment is die cut with a few dies from the "Tasteful Labels" set. 

And here's one more with the sweet sheep, colored with Blends after stamping on some "In Good Taste" Designer Series Paper. I also used an embossing folder from the "Wrapped in Texture" set and some tree stamps and dies from the "In the Pines" bundle. It's fun to combine what you have on hand to expand the versatility of your stash. 

Believe it or not, it's not too late to put in an order for some holiday products and make some cards or other fun creations. The holidays are a perfect time to set your table with some fun party favors, name cards, tags or other decor that you've created yourself. I keep telling people it's as much about the process of creating (stamping, quilting, knitting, etc) as it is about the end product. Crafty people love to craft! Add stamping to your list of impressive crafty skills - you won't regret it!

I hope you are healthy and safe as we venture into some more uncharted waters with holidays in a pandemic year. We never saw this coming, did we? I always sorta half kiddingly joked that stamping is therapy. Now I mean it! Contact me and we will chat about where to start!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Sale-A-Bration 2021 is coming soon! Want to sneak a peek?

Hi Friends,

There are plenty of perks for Stampin'Up! demonstrators and one of my favorites is getting my hands on new products early! They are eager to have us buy the new stuff, try the new stuff and share the new stuff! That makes perfect sense to me. I received two shipments this week of products that will be featured in the upcoming Jan-June Mini Catalog 2021 and the Sale-A-Bration brochure. I won't go into all the details this early but believe me, you'll love the start of the new year!

I almost didn't know where to start but the Flower and Field Designer Series paper really caught my eye because of the black background which is fairly unusual. It makes the flowers and foliage really pop! I paired this paper with two stamp sets, one called "Approaching Perfection" which is all birthday related stamps and another called "Corner Bouquet" which is a clever corner stamp design set.  I can't share the product details because they aren't available yet so you will see all of this again, but I can share a sneak peek!  How cute are these?!!

I also did a video showing some tips and stamping techniques featuring these cards. There is a brand new product called a "Blender Brush" that will blow your mind ;) Also, please note in the final card, I ended up taking off the Bumblebee enamel dots and substituted the "Wonderful Gems" from the Aug-Dec Mini catalog. The yellow was bugging me and I decided to go with more of a cream color! 

I hope you are excited! We will enjoy the upcoming holidays with family and friends, great food and all the traditions and then roar into 2021 ready to go - at least that is my plan!

Happy Stampin',

Sarah

Dandy Garden Collection - new in the Jan-June Mini Catalog coming in 2021!

 Hey Friends!

I have a quick video tutorial featuring the new Dandy Garden collection of stamps and punch. It's so fun to play with and if you are intrigued by dragonflies, you will love it!  Here are the cards that I made in the video for a closer look and the video is posted below!

Watch for more from this fun set! I've only just begun 😁😁😁

Happy Stampin',

Sarah 

In the Pines bundle

Hey Friends!

How's your week going so far? It's snowy and cold here in Montana so mustering up some holiday spirit isn't too hard! I would guess there are a lot of tree lovers out there so I decided to feature the "In the Pines" bundle today. I remember thinking "I already have lots of tree stamps and dies, why would I need more?" Fair question. There are a couple of responses...A) Yeah but I don't have this bundle, b) You can never have enough trees, C) Trees? What trees? I'm looking at a forest, or D) Hmmmm, I do love a good pine tree.  I hope you can identify with one of those haha!

I played with this set back in August and recently dug it out again to have some more fun. Here are some ideas I came up with in no time flat!

My first card was an experiment that worked!  The above die that was used on these trees normally cuts out all the branch definition. I wanted to see if I could let the die make the impressions but not cut so I tweaked how I layered the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. I used the standard base platform #2, one clear acrylic plate, my die and foil paper and then the solid gray plate on top of that. I DID NOT use the cutting plate that normally you need to cut dies. My overall goal was to make my sandwich thinner so the die would emboss rather than cut. IT WORKED! It was so fun to try and I was really happy with the results. I hope you noticed the Winter Snow embossing folder in the background. I used Shimmery White card stock for this card for extra sparkle!

This card features some great two-step stamping, once for the tree outline and trunk and another for the greenery, filling in the tree. I was pleased to remember I had some pine cone Designer Series Paper in the Poinsettia Place pack and loved using a bit of that at the top. Are you wondering about my tree toppers? Those are the brass page corners that are part of the "World of Good" suite - perfect accessory!

I wanted to make a card that wasn't necessarily Christmas so I grabbed some DSP from the Trimming the Town suite and then the cabin stamp from the Rustic Retreat stamp set. I had to fussy cut it after I colored it but that was actually pretty easy. I think this would be a perfect card for a nature-loving friend!

This card features more of the tree dies and the two-step stamping. It's fun to experiment a little. I cut my trees out of Shaded Spruce and then used an Early Espresso Stampin'Write marker to color the trunks. This card has a Christmas color theme but really could be for any occasion. 

I loved this bundle so much I'm offering it as a special class opportunity. Here are the details I recently sent out in an email:

IN THE PINES BUNDLE 

For the entire month of November, if you order the "In The Pines" bundle ( pg 43, #155182 of the Aug-Dec Mini Catalog) and the "Winter Snow" embossing folder (pg 37, #153577), I will send you all the paper and embellishments you need to complete 6 cards, two each of three different designs FOR FREE!  You will also receive via email a PDF tutorial of instructions and a link to a YouTube video tutorial. I have attached pictures of the three cards you will be making. If you are local, you can come and pick up your card supplies at my house. Additional supplies you will need to provide and hopefully have include ink pads of green and brown shades , adhesives, acrylic blocks for mounting stamps and a Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine or similar for die cutting and embossing. Please use Hostess Code:   G376FXBC

Note, for this class, you will be making cards one, two and four. Let me know if you have any questions! I'd love some of you to give it a try and incorporate these lovely trees into your crafting collection. 

In case you want to see it in action, via the magic of video, here you go!

I'm in the process of transitioning to a more online business model as opposed to face-to-face classes for the time being. I'd love to connect with you via social media and can be found on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Look for Big Sky Stampin' and/or Sarah Cade and you'll find me! You can also contact me with any questions. While I love the relationships and connections fostered in person, we are in a difficult time to accomplish that safely. Please let me know you are out there! I'd love to hear from you and we can chat over a virtual cup of coffee or diet soda!

Thanks for stopping by! It's a privilege to share my projects and I'm grateful you're here!

Happy Stampin',

Sarah 

Curvy Celebrations for the Holidays and Any Days!

 Hi Stampin' Friends,

What an amazing couple of days the last two days have been. I've been savoring every minute of Stampin'Up!'s OnStage 2020 virtual event from the comfort of my home including comfy clothes and way too many snacks! Normally, I attend a fun annual "convention" type event in Salt Lake City every year but, well, you know... Covid. I'm grateful they were able to pivot to an online format that has been engaging, inspiring and so informative. I've gotten some great looks at new products coming up in the January-June Mini Catalog 2021, learned some amazing techniques that stretch a product beyond its intended use and picked up so many social media and business tips to expand my reach. I love what stamping has brought into my life, including new friends far and near, a creative outlet for my very crafty soul and kept me current with some technology ventures such as a blog, Facebook groups and pages, Instagram and Pinterest. I'm never too old to learn and I hope I never tire of being inspired!

Stampin'Up! decided to share the fun with customers in November! They are releasing an upcoming bundle early! It's called Quite Curvy Variety Bundle and it rocks! I have several samples to show you and all the details of what this bundle can do! There are also special add-on stamps with a Christmas theme and gorgeous Designer Series Paper for the holidays! I'll show you the cards first and then I have a Youtube tutorial showing some of my techniques and how-tos!

As you can see, there is a wide variety of curvy stamped images and dies that lend themselves well to any card design. I used a combination of both in these cards and plenty of paper layers and ribbon trim to dress them up a bit.  I also added in some other branches and birds to show that these sets coordinate well with products you already have in your stash!

Here's my video which will explain much of what I did and what I used!

I hope you'll consider adding some or all of the Curvy Celebrations products to your inventory! You won't be sorry. Here's a link for easy online shopping:

Quite Curvy Variety Bundle

There's a lot there to love!  Please note the Christmas products are only available in this bundle now while the rest of the bundle will be in the upcoming January-June catalog!  Get yours today!

Thanks for stopping by! I love sharing what I do and would love to show you how easy it is to make stamping your new hobby and go-to therapy ;). Contact me today!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah