My name is Jini Merck and I'm a Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator. I love being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, not only do I get to be creative every day, I also get to be a creative coach, offering fresh project ideas and encouragement to my customers and friends.
For me, helping someone create that perfect project for a special occasion is the best feeling in the entire world. After all, creating cards, scrapbook pages, and gift items is about more than just stamps and ink—it’s about sharing a part of yourself with the people in your life.
I live in Clarkesville which is in the North Georgia Mountains with my husband and two children. Although my family keeps me busy I enjoy the creativity of stamping and crafts and the fellowship stamping brings into my life. Spending time creativing cards and gifts for friends and family has been one of my favorite hobbies over the years.
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $25 order and receive a FREE gift from me!
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter My Newsletters include stamping tips, ideas and updates on what is happening with me! You’ll also receive a FREE Class Tutorial using the 2017-2019 In Colors when you sign up!
Today’s project is a quick one I whipped up for two of my daughter’s friends who just graduated with their Music Therapy degrees. Are you noticing a theme in my house? This note books are quick and easy to make with just a few supplies.
I really like the way they turned out and hope they will too.
How did I make them? First I chose the Designer Series Paper I wanted. You need two sheets to do these composition note books.
I measured and cut my Designer Series Paper, added my favorite adhesive, Tear & Tape and adhered. Yep – It’s just that quick and easy to do! Then I finished decorating as desired.
Supplies:
Paper: Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper (144623), Basic Black (121045), Real Red (102482), Bermuda Bay (13197) and Whisper White Card Stock (100730)
Accessories: Layering Ovals Framelits Dies (141706) and Large Letter Framelits Dies (141712), and Bermuda Ab Mini Chevron Ribbon (144198)
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $25 order and receive a FREE gift from me!
Click Here to learn more about using the Hostess Code If you order Online make sure your profile information is up to date and you’ve allowed me to contact you so I can mail you your FREE gift!
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter My Newsletters include stamping tips, ideas and updates on what is happening with me! You’ll also receive a FREE Class Tutorial using the 2017-2019 In Colors when you sign up!
This tree was calling me when I saw it – after all there is nothing like a evergreen this time of year. And I have some wonderful memories of planting hundreds of blue spruce saplings with my father as a small child on our piece of property in Wisconsin. I was a very proud 3 year old helping him! He’d drop the tree in the hold, pour the water and put the dirt back and it was my job to stomp that dirt down tightly. He was putting them in so we could have a tree farm, unfortunately that never came to pass. The last time I saw my childhood home there is a woods where that once empty field – and seemed the trees touched the sky!
So this card was inspired by that time with my father and I really like the way it turned out.
What do you think? Want to know how I created the soft forest of trees for the front of this card?
I took a couple of pictures for you to show you how I did it. I used a simple masking technique for this project.
Take some large post it notes and create a frame on the card front. I used my grid paper to make sure the lines were straight. I simply laid my card stock down on the grid paper, used a ruler at the measurement I wanted and then stuck the sticky note down. The grid lines make lining things up easy and keeps everything straight for you – LOVE my grid paper!
2. I used my Stampin’ Sponge and Soft Sky Classic Ink to lightly sponged the area inside the sticky notes on the card front.
3. Next I stamped the tree image using the Soft Sky Classic Ink. To create the softer trees in the background I didn’t reink in between, but instead stamped multiple times before reinking.
4. I then removed my sticky notes and stamped the tree in Wild Wasabi and Garden Green Classic Ink.
5. Added the trunk and the sentiment and then put it onto the card front.
The Season Like Christmas stamp set is part of the Retirement List for the Holiday Catalog. So if you love this set too and would like one you’ll want to get yours soon. They are guaranteed to order through today and then after today they are while supplies last!
And last but not least here are some more wonderful cards that I’ve been wanting to share with you.
All these wonderful sets can be found in our Holiday Catalog that ends on January 2nd.
Supplies:
Stamp Set: Season Like Christmas (144860)
Inks: Soft Sky (131181), Wild Wasabi (126959), Garden Green (126973), Chocolate Chip (126979), and Real Red Classic Ink (126949)
Paper: Whisper White Thick Card stock (144237), Real Red (102482), Whisper White Card stock (100730)
Accessories: Stampin’ Sponges (141337) and Grid Paper (130148)
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $25 order and receive a FREE gift from me!
Click Here to learn more about using the Hostess Code If you order Online make sure your profile information is up to date and you’ve allowed me to contact you so I can mail you your FREE gift!
Stamparatus Reservation – December 5th – 30th
Reserve yours today – pay for it when it arrives in spring of 2018!
Want a 2018 Occasions Catalog?
Are you a frequent customer of mine? You’ll be the first to get one! If you live locally you can pick up one at my December events. Not local or live out of State? No worries – I’ll be mailing one to you soon.
Haven’t ordered from me in a while or are new? Place an order with me during the month of December. (Make sure your Online Profile information is up to date so I can get it to you!)
I have been limited with my shopping radius lately – so the Dollar Tree has been a favorite spot to stop and I’ve found sound fun items such as the lemon candy canes and these mints.
The tin is Cherry Cobbler so it was perfect to make these little treats that were inspired by the chap stick holders I shared with you HERE.
Here’s what I came up with
I simply cut the Be Merry Designer Series Paper 3″ x 7″ added a bit of Fast Fuse to each end and wrapped it around the tin. I stamped the sentiment in Garden Green Classic Ink and cut it out using the Stitched Oval Framelits Die. Then I layered the sentiment using a couple of Stampin’ Dimensionals onto a Cherry Cobbler Scallop Circle and adhered it to the center of the wrap. Finally I grabbed my Garden Green 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon, wrapped it around the tin and tied a bow. I just LOVE the way this ribbon ties!
Voila! finished in under 5 minutes too!!!
While I used these little treats the tin is about the same as an Altoids tin – I just loved the color of the tin. LOL!
And how about some more cards? These stamp sets can all be found in our Annual Catalog
Supplies:
Stamp Set: Snowflake Sentiments (144817/144820)
Inks: Garden Green classic Ink (126973)
Paper: Be Merry Designer Series Paper (144111), Cherry Cobbler (119685) and Whisper White Card stock (100730)
Accessories: Garden Green 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon (144181), Layering Ovals Framelits Dies (14176) and Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies (145372)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love to pamper my team! So for this month’s team meeting we had our Annual Holiday luncheon and enjoyed some time together where we laughed, shared, played and stamped.
Want to see some of the wonderful items they’ve been making since the last meeting?
Fantastic projects, right? I can’t pick a favorite – I’ve got such a great team of folks who just love to paper craft!
We had fun playing the dice game too. Have you ever played this game?
Fun, and fast paced! And of course when the clock runs out – the goodies are yours!
I made these fun Lots of Lavender Bags. The stamp set is one of our Sale-a-bration options and I couldn’t resist the yummy new ribbon from the Occasions Catalog.
Each bag was filled with a little something special from the NEW Occasions Catalog! Everyone was a winner!
And of course we made a couple of projects too- So we did some stamping too! I had so much fun designing for my Santa’s Workshop Class that I had too many projects for just one class. LOL! You know me I love gift items and 3ds!!! So we made some candle holders and learned a fun new technique while we were at it!
I found these yummy lemon candy canes at the Dollar Tree and couldn’t resist putting them with a lemon scented candle and using the Lemon Zest stamp set (143805/143808). This bundle has very quickly become one of my go to favorites! Lemons, oranges, and limes – oh, my!
I thought you might enjoy making some of these for yourself. With all the crazy flavored candy canes out there right now the options are endless, but of course I can’t resist anything lemon!
Here is my Blue Mountain Stampers’ Lemon Zest Candle Tutorial (printable PDF)
I’ve taken it a bit slower this past week and forgot I had this fun video to share with you from my OnStage Product Purchase Premiere – no worries tho, because I can share it with you today and you can see some of our wonderful new items in the Occasions Catalog.
OnStage Live – Product Purchase Premiere Sneak Peek Video
So what do you think? Love the new items too? It’s just a peek of what’s inside the 2018 Occasions Catalog! And as I am sure you can guess, being the first to see this new catalog or any of our new catalogs is a very exciting AND a huge perk of being a Demonstrator – after all who wouldn’t want to be first? Right!
Add the fact that you’ll receive a discount on all these products and you can’t loose! If you feel this is a good time to join Stampin’ Up! and my team, the Blue Mountain Stampers, you too can be first too! And of course, Sale-a-bration is the biggest time of the year for Stampin’ Up! A Starter kit special is fast approaching and it’s going to be the best time to join this amazing company! (Starting January 3rd)
I’d LOVE for you to join our Blue Mountain Stampers family and enjoy all our team perks too in addition to the wonderful perks that Stampin’ Up! offers. We welcome everyone!
The Starter kit is a real sweet deal, especially if you have a long wish list – you simply pick out your choice of $125 of product for just $99 – and pay no shipping! And if you join during Sale-a-bration (January 3rd – March 31st) you can pick out ANY two stamp sets for free! That’s an additional $100+ value!!!
What are the Blue Mountain Stampers?
That’s the name of our stamping community. We enjoy welcoming new members to our group. We’re from all over. So if you’re considering joining Stampin’ Up!, you may have questions about how I would support you as part of my team. I do offer a variety of ways to learn, grow and to have FUN as a Blue Mountain Stamper!
We have a very activity group that share and answer each other’s questions on our Exclusive face book group. If you’re looking for fun, a place to grow and share with others…You’ll fit right in!
Hobbyists are welcome!
Did you know? 90% of my Blue Mountain Stampers’ areHappy Shoppers – purchasing for themselves, (along with their family and friends.) That’s right…you can just get a discount on products you love!
We welcome the hobbyist who’s looking to be a “happy shopper” (and save money), as well as those of you that want to build a business (and make money).
Everyone is welcome, after all there’s room for both and everyone in between.
There are so many perks to being part of Stampin’ Up:
An ongoing 20% discount off all of your orders (and the ability to increase that to 5%)
Additional income of up to another 18% of your sales if you choose to earn more
Pre-ordering NEW product releases before they go live
Special Events such as OnStage Live & Local where you can be inspired and connect with other Paper Crafters from around the world!
FREE stamps with various promotions
Qualify for cash bonuses, product rewards, incentive trips and more
Quarterly Stampin’ Success magazine with lots of inspiration and projects
Weekly Newsletter emailed with tip, projects and ideas
And as part of the Blue Mountain Stampers I provide the following additional Perks:
Exclusive Team Resource Page – videos, PDFs and more
Exclusive Face book Group – A great way to share and connect with other team members and share
Monthly Creative Challenges
Swapping Opportunities
Team Retreats
Meetings – both local and online/virtual
Monthly Crafting Day
Recognition & Incentives
Training available for workshops, clubs, classes and more!
Additional support and business coaching available
And there is NO Obligation when you purchase your starter kit – Join the Blue Mountain Stampers and see what it’s all about!
If you have any questions at all…don’t hesitate to ask me! I’m here to help you have fun, create, learn and inspire each other!
I couldn’t not share these two wonderful cards using the Musial Season stamp set and coordinating dies with you. I just think they are lovely,
but then I’m biased since my daughter is a music teacher. LOL! I just love the look of all these products together – the black and white Merry Musical Specialty Designer Series Paper is a lot of fun to work with too. I’ve got tons on projects over the holiday break with this pack of paper!
And here is a wonderful card make using some punch art – can you name the punch that was used for the fur on Santa’s hat?
It’s the Ticket Tear Board Punch (143718)!
And here are a couple of fancy folds sure to bring a smile to someone’s face. this first one uses the Oh, What Fun stamp set (140386).
And here is a great gift card holder using the Hang Your Stocking stamp set (142114) and Christmas Stocking Thinlits Dies (141841).
Supplies:
Stamp Set: Musical Season (*144814/144811)
Paper: Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper (144623) and Champagne Foil Sheets (144748)
Accessories: Musical Instruments Framelits Dies (*144677)
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $25 order and receive a FREE gift from me!
Stamparatus Reservation – December 5th – 30th
Want a 2018 Occasions Catalog?
Are you a frequent customer of mine? You’ll be the first to get one! If you live locally you can pick up one at my December events. Not local or live out of State? No worries – I’ll be mailing one to you soon.
Haven’t ordered from me in a while or are new? Place an Online Order with me and I’ll be happy to mail you one (Make sure your online profile information is up to date and you have allowed me to contact you or and I won’t be able send you one.).
Don’t have a Demonstrator? Email me at [email protected] include your name, address, and phone number and I’ll be happy to mail you one.
Click Here to learn more about using the Hostess Code If you order Online make sure your profile information is up to date and you’ve allowed me to contact you so I can mail you your FREE gift!
Sign up for my FREE Newsletter My Newsletters include stamping tips, ideas and updates on what is happening with me! You’ll also receive a FREE Class Tutorial using the 2017-2019 In Colors when you sign up!
I love quilts and on days like today there isn’t anything better than snuggling under one! Here are some wonderful cards made with the Christmas Quilt stamp set (144793) and it’s coordinating Quilt Builder Framelits Dies (144673).
While this set has some wonderful greetings for Christmas I think it would make a wonderful set for year round use too. After all we all know someone who likes to sew or is a quilter, right?
And here are a couple of quick and easy cards using the Holly Berry Happiness stamp set (142061) from the Annual Catalog.
And this one uses the Merry Mistletoe stamp set (143650/143655) and Timeless Textures Stamp set (140514).
Supplies:
Stamp Set: Christmas Quilt (*144793)
Paper: Quilted Christmas Designer Series Paper Stack (144617)
Accessories: Quilt Builder Framelits Dies (*144673)
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $25 order and receive a FREE gift from me!
Want a 2018 Occasions Catalog?
Are you a frequent customer of mine? You’ll be the first to get one! If you live locally you can pick up one at my December events. Not local or live out of State? No worries – I’ll be mailing one to you soon.
Haven’t ordered from me in a while or are new? Place an order with me during the month of December. (Make sure your Online Profile information is up to date so I can get it to you!)
Need a little coffee to get you through the day? As you know I love anything coffee. LOL! So check out these wonderful cards made with the Merry Cafe Stamp set (144965) that is on our Holiday Retirement List and the coordinating Coffee Cup Framelits Dies (143745).
And how about this cute cup of hot chocolate decorated with the Santa’s Suit stamp set (144827) and a big dallop of whip cream for a bit more holiday cheer?
Remember our Holiday Catalog Stamp Sets that are part of the retirement list are guaranteed until December 21st after that they are while supplies last, just like the accessories.
And here are a few more cards made with the Carols of Christmas Bundle (146036/146037).
I’ve got so many wonderful cards I’ve been wanting to share with you, so as I rest and do my PT over the next week or so I’ll be sharing them with you.
Today’s cards use the Nature Sings stamp set, It is a holiday sets that you can find in our Annual Catalog on page 115 – it contains some wonderful images that I not only will use for my holiday cards, but also masculine cards when I need them.
Check out these cards I’ve received made with this set.
I love the sequin trim and ribbon on this first card – And I’ve included the supply list for it below for you.
The Be Merry Designer Series Paper (144111) makes this next card quick and easy!
And I love this Step up card using the Be Merry Designer Series Paper (144111) and fun Boxwood Wreaths Embellishments (144176).
What do you think? Have a favorite? Why not leave me a comment and let me know which one you like?
Supplies:
Stamp Set: Nature Sings (143653/144406)
Inks: Early Espresso (126974) and Garden Green Classic Ink (126973)
Paper: Early Espresso (119686), Soft Suede (115318) and Very Vanilla Card stock (101650)
Accessories: Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder (142708), Lots of labels Framelits Dies (138281), Gold 3/8″ Metallic Edge Ribbon (144146), Gold Mini Sequin Trim (144128) and Metallic Enamel Shapes (141678)
Today I’m sharing some wonderful cards made with the Carols of Christmas stamp set (144801/144804) and coordinating Card Front Builder Dies (144674) which are part of our Holiday Catalog Retirement List.
All three have very different feels to them even tho they are made with the same stamp set. Isn’t that part of what is cool about stamping? Creating and putting our own spin and style on things?
Here is a cute 3d treat that uses another set on our Retirement List from the Holiday Catalog. The Santa’s Suit Stamp set (144827), Quilted Christmas Designer Series Paper Stack (144617) and our Treat Tubes (144612). They are just adorable!
And good news! Stampin’ Up! is giving us a full 24 Hours of FREE Shipping!!!
So today not only can you get some last minute items you may need to create your holiday projects. You can also find a little something for you or even a gift for that someone special!
We have some great options for everyone –
Love Today Planner Kit #144257 is perfect for those who lead a busy life and would love a agenda that they can personalize or even use as a journal to document life’s adventures!
All inclusive kits for quick and easy crafting –
Soft Sayings Card Kit #145466
Oh Happy Day Card Kit #142725
Just add adhesive.
And of course Paper Pumpkin is a great choice with our 1, 3, 6 or 12 month options that get delivered right to mailbox and contain everything a crafter needs to make wonderful projects though out the year!!!
These kits are wonderful for the young and young at heart!
Shop at my Online Store in December and use Hostess Code ANN4HBHX place a $50 order and receive a FREE gift from me! Choose from our Pearls, Rhinestones, Perfect White Accents or Metal Rimmed Pearls
