Wednesday, 30 May 2018

My Stampin' Up! Artisan Dream!πŸ’–


Well hello again, I hope that you are all having a lovely day. Today's post is a wee bit different than my usual. Why you ask? Well it's kind of extra special. I have done my best to amalgamate my crafty blogging creations from this past year into one post. Why would I want to do that? Well I am openly admitting to the world that I am applying for a spot on the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design team for the 2018-2019 year. Have I applied before? Why yes. Have I ever announced it to the world? Gosh no! Why? Well whom on earth would ever want to openly admit defeat when one is not selected for the role? Truth is... I am not defeated. I have grown so much throughout this journey, and I have been blessed in so many ways. I am thankful for this hobby and what it has brought to my life.


Want to know some fun facts? Well I am laying it out there. I know some can relate.πŸ˜‰

Fact #1 - I started papercrafting in 2004.
Fact #2 - Shortly after my blogging journey began in 2015, I started to dream of being on the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design team.
Fact # 3 - I have now (including this time) applied 4 times.
Fact # 4 - There is so much A-M-A-Z-I-N-G talent out there. I truly don't know how Stampin' Up! chooses their Artisans every year. That would not be an easy task.
Fact #5 - I admire the Artisans and the non-Artisans alike. We are all unique and have our own strengths and gifts to share with the world. These gifts can't always be the same (or that would be boring).
Fact #6 - I tell my kids this all the time, and sometimes the advice we give our children is also great advice for ourselves.
Fact #7 - Although I have yet to reach that Artisan goal, I did enjoy the privilege of being a display stamper at the Stampin' Up! Onstage Live event in Salt Lake City last November. I had never been to Salt Lake City, nor had I ever attended a Stampin' Up! convention or Onstage Live event in my 10 years with Stampin' Up! This was an experience of a lifetime for me.
Fact #8 - I have worked as a nurse in the pediatric intensive care for almost 18 years. Although I love my job, it has at times throughout my past sent me into periods of depression. My crafting and blogging journey has been so very therapeutic for me. When I sit down to craft, I am in my own peaceful space (for many many hours).
Fact #9 - I have accepted that I may never be a Stampin' Up! Artisan. But I am okay with that. I have made some very close friendships along this journey. These connections bring me more joy than any award or recognition can bring.
Fact #10 - It might sound cheesy, but it truly is about the Stampin' Up! statement of the heart. "To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments ... in this we make a difference." Through this journey we make a difference not just for others, but also for ourselves.

On that note here are some of my favourite projects from this past year...
















I hope that you have enjoyed this flashback of my fave creations from this past year! If you want to see more feel free to take the liberty to click through my blog & visit my other social media links. I also love comments, so feel free to leave a comment below. And, if you are from the Stampin' Up! headquarters... PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE! WITH GLITTER ON TOP! PICK ME! & Thank you from the bottom of my great big heart!πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–

If you are from Canada and you are interested in purchasing Stampin' Up! products, I would love to have you visit my Stampin' Up! online shop! Just click on the shop button below if you wish! Or, if you are from Canada and you are interested in being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, click HERE for more info.

Again, thank you so much! In this we make a difference!πŸ’–

Cheers & Happy Stamping!

CarolynnπŸ’–



Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop - Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop! You are currently visiting Carolynn Sander in Calgary, Alberta, Canada! If you have been hopping along, you most likely arrived here via my wonderfully talented friend Maike Beimler! I love Maike's style! Make sure to click on the next button at the end of this post so that you catch all of the fabulous projects our team has to share with you! It's an incredible line up!



The theme for this month's blog hop is "Masculine" projects! Manly hand made crafts seem to be more of a challenge for most of us to create. I'm hoping that today's hop helps to inspire you to create something special for that man in your life. I decided to reach for my Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree stamp set when thinking up today's card. This set has been around F-O-R-E-V-E-R! & Can you believe that I just purchased it? I finally caved, and I can say that I love it as much as all of the other Stampin' Up! fanatics out there! When this set is paired with some of my favourite products from the Stampin' Up! True Gentleman Product Suite, creating a masculine project becomes easy oh peasy!


If you are loving the way the Designer Series Paper (DSP) is arranged on today's card, well this is called the "Sunburst Technique". A quick google search will find you the instructions. There are lots of resources out there. This technique is a great way to use up those bits of DSP! 
  
Well I hope that you enjoyed today's project. Up next is the fabulous Brian King!I can't wait to see what he has to share with us today!


Blog Hop Line Up
Louise Sharp
Janneke de Jong
Jenny Hall
Tanja Kolar
Monica Gale
Maike Beimler
Carolynn Sander (You Are Here)
Brian King

Thank you so much for visiting today! If you have any questions in regards to today's project feel free to contact me! As well, if you are in Canada and you are interested in purchasing Stampin' Up! products, I would love to have you visit my Stampin' Up! online shop! Just click on the shop button below if you wish!

Cheers & Happy Stamping!

Carolynn πŸ’–






Friday, 25 May 2018

Reflections Technique With Stampin' Up! Pop of Paradise - #TGIFC161

Hi everyone! Welcome to another fun Friday with the TGIF Challenges team! My name is Carolynn Sander. I am a Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Today we are playing around with the "Reflections Technique"! This was a 1st for me, but I think I am hooked now! I can't wait to create more "Reflection" cards. Check out the TGIF Challenges site today for more reflective inspiration. You won't regret it! As well, we would love to have you join in with us this week! Have fun creating your masterpiece and upload it to your blog or favourite social media site. Then share it to our page! It's a ton of fun!



Until this week, this reflections technique was an uncharted area for me. I am not sure why I had yet to give it a go. Sometimes one wonders. Saying that, I will for sure be playing with this technique again in the future. When pondering over today's theme I decided to go with a solid stamp. I wanted to create a silhouette against a sunrise, so a solid stamp was best. This flamingo from the soon to be retired "Pop of Paradise" stamp set was perfectly suited for the task. I decided to have the flamingo standing in the water today with her reflection cast by the sun onto these purple waters. After a lot of brainstorming, then masking, sponging, and deliberation, my thoughts came to life here. I am truly pleased with how this card turned out! What do you think? I kinda want to disappear to this pretty place that I have created now. It's so very dreamy!   


Above is a close up of these purple waters I speak of. After all of that careful sponging, and masking, and stamping, I decided to add even more detail to these waters by putting my fine tip glue pen to work. I actually had a pen from a previous project that was coloured with Wisteria Wonder Ink. It worked perfectly! Now my reflective card has even more reflective detail!

I hope that you enjoyed today's project! Thank you so much for visiting today! Remember to stop by the TGIF Challenges site and join in the fun this week! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. As well, if you are from Canada check out my online 24/7 Stampin' Up! supply shop below! 

Cheers & Happy Stamping!

Carolynn πŸ’–

https://www.stampinup.com/ecweb/default.aspx?dbwsdemoid=2120365