Hello, Crafters.
I often tell you that I spent my day making my customer thank you cards but I never share them with you! About five months ago I decided to start keeping one spare card plus list of ingredients and the recipe. I haven’t had 100% success yet but I’m working on it! Going forward, I’m planning to share three at a time which means once each quarter. Each month I send my customers Happy Mail which consists of a hand made (by me) unused thank you card with envelope, and a hand made thank you gift. I also run a VIP Hostess Club. Every month I provide a Hostess Code and when customers add this code to their online order, I send them free product with their Happy Mail!
I also send out a thank you card when someone buys any of my retired Stampin’ Up! products, my hand made cards and also when I send out catalogues. To make sure I always have a good supply of thank you cards on hand, each month I make more thank you cards than I have customers. Today I have four cards to share with you with number four being a rogue card! I call it this because I found it at the bottom of the box and I have no idea how long it’s been. Equally, I don’t know which products I used to make it – you may recognise the images or sentiment? – but I decided to at least let you see it!
By the way, I always use our Notecards & Envelopes which come in packs of 20 in Basic White Cardstock (CS) (159232) and Very Vanilla CS (144236). The first card I’m sharing is my December 2021 customers’ card. Using our Stamparatus helps me make my cards precisely, efficiently and quickly. In my opinion, the Stampin’ Up! Stamparatus blows all other stamp positioners right out of the water! It has design features that other positioners just don’t have! After I have designed each card I arrange my stamps on one or two plates as necessary. Next I practice stamping on recycled computer paper that I cut to the size of a Notecard. This allows me space to get each stamp positioned correctly – and straight! – before I start stamping on actual cards.
For my December 2021 card I used the background stamp from the Natural Textures Stamp Set (SS), the flower from the Dahlia Days SS and the sentiment from the Inspired Thoughts SS. To use my Stamparatus for this card I put the background stamp on the plate to the right hand side of the hinge corner and the flower and sentiment stamps on the plate on the left hand side of the hinge corner. I wanted to stamp the background stamp off once to create a lighter colour of Gorgeous Grape than I was going to be using for the dahlia and the sentiment.
After inking up the background stamp I placed some scrap paper in the position where the stamp would land, stamped onto the scrap paper, lifted the plate, removed the scrap paper and stamped down a second time without re-inking. It worked a treat each and every time! Next I inked the dahlia and sentiment stamps which were on the second plate and stamped them down. Perfect results every time. I finished each card by adding three Burnished Brass Butterflies.
The second card I’m sharing is the July 2021 card. The only stamping – hand stamped – I did on this card was the sentiment – which was from Nature’s Harvest SS. I used various designs from the Blackberry Beauty Designer Series Paper (DSP). It was die-cut with the no. 4 die from the Scalloped Contours Dies. After die-cutting one of the flowers from the Meadow Dies using Thick Basic White Cardstock (CS) I adhered it onto the DSP Panel. Using other dies from this set, I die-cut a centre for the flower using a matching colour cardstock and also the sentiment. The sentiment was adhered across the lower part of the die-cut flower and finally I adhered the whole panel to the Notecard.
The squirrel card was my August 2021 card and was one of my favourites! I used my Stamparatus to stamp the squirrel which is from the Nuts About Squirrels SS and the sentiment, which is from the Plentiful Plants SS. The squirrel stamp set is a two-step stamping set and I did the colour stamping by hand. Colours used are Sahara Sand for the squirrel, the top of the acorn is Soft Suede and the lower part of the acorn is Cinnamon Cider. As you probably know, I have a thing about eyes on images! It winds me up when images show critters with closed eyes – there is so much character in eyes which just isn’t there if they are closed!
My final card is the rogue card! As I said earlier, I don’t remember which products or colours I used. I did check through my stamp set reference book to see if I could see the images and sentiment but no joy! Therefore, I assume they are retired now! I will make a conscious effort to keep one of each thank you card. I’ll also see if I can save one each of my hand made thank you gifts! At the moment, I don’t even think about photographing my thank you gifts until I’m in the process of putting together Happy Mail parcels by which time it’s too late because I don’t have the space to get setup for photographing! Let’s see if I can do this!
Before I go, there is a new kit available as from today! I’m not one for kits but I’m definitely getting this one! It’s a home décor kit and creates a 12″ x 12″ Magnet Board. Id you’d like to know more, please watch this short video by Sara Douglas, Stampin’ Up! CEO
That’s it from me today. I look forward to being back soon. In the meantime, take care and stay safe! Happy crafting.
JanB. xx
PRODUCTS USED for this project: please click on any of the links to be taken to my 24/7 online Stampin’ Up! shop. The Hostess Code for FEBRUARY 2022 is 2TWMEFUF Thank you. xx
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Love these cards & your ideas!
Many thanks, Marilyn. xx