Fast & Fabulous Friday Sneak Peek #1 and Graceful Glass Kit Offer

Hello My Friends!

It's Fast and Fabulous Friday time and I have an extra-special offer that you won't want to miss!

First though - let's take a look at the gorgeous Fast & Fabulous installments for today (don't forget to read further to find out about the special deal!)

First up is this super-fast, super gorgeous card that makes me realize how happy I am that Blackberry Bliss is returning!

Quite simply, does it get any easier?  Just some versamark and white embossing powder and the beautiful rose image from the Painted Glass stamp set (available June 1 in the upcoming Stampin' Up! catalogue) and there you have it.  Fast. Fabulous. And Fun!

Or try my other, equally fabulous card: versamark ink, white embossing powder, and the butterfly image from the totally gorgeous Painted Glass stamp set.  You can create this beauty in the blink of an eye. Isn't the elegant font of the sentiment just perfect for this card?

Since I stamped on paler Pool Party cardstock for this second card, I decided to make, the embossed images pop by sponging lightly with Pool Party ink. Add a few well-placed pearls and Ta da!  A very quick and utterly gorgeous card. 
Fast.  And.  Fabulous!

Now for the very special deal I mentioned above.

Every Friday during the month of May I will present TWO new Fast & Fabulous cards. And each Friday I'll highlight something different from the Graceful Glass product suite (Painted Glass stamp set, Stained Glass thinlits, Graceful Glass Designer Vellum) available in the new Annual Catalogue that goes live on June 1). Today I focused on stamped images!  Butterflies, roses and sentiments.  It doesn't get any easier, right?  Come back next Friday where I'll showcase the thinlits. Week 3 will highlight the designer vellum, and week 4 will show you what you can achieve when you use them all together. 

You are going to want this product suite. 
You are going to want to recreate the cards I show you. 
And I am going to make it easy for you....here's how:

Pre-order your Graceful Glass suite with me (*here) by June 1 and you will receive:

• The Painted Glass stamp set, Stained Glass thinlit dies, Graceful Glass Designer Vellum, and Tinted Faceted Buttons, delivered right to your door (order will be placed on June 1). Be one of the first to get your hands on this suite!
• The Graceful Glass Fast & Fabulous Card Kit.  This kit contains full instructions plus the cardstock pieces you'll need to create all 8 Fast & Fabulous Graceful Glass cards (from the 4 Fridays in May), using the Painted Glass stamp set, Stained Glass thinlits and Graceful Glass Vellum and buttons that you receive in your order.  I will also supply any extra embellishments needed for you to create the 8 gorgeous Fast & Fabulous Friday cards.
• Added bonus - FREE - two 6x6" pieces of our Adhesive sheets (= one full 6"x12" sheet) to make assembling your cards easier.  (Hint: you are going to LOVE the adhesive sheets!)
• Added bonus - receive an extra, completed, Graceful Glass card to use as inspiration.

Just think, you will be able to use your Graceful Glass suite and the pieces from the F&F card kit to instantly re-create the Fast & Fabulous cards I post during the month of May. And you will have the tools to recreate all sorts of gorgeous Graceful Glass cards and projects that I just might be tempted to showcase on other days.

If you want to pre-order your Suite and Card Kit, or even if you just want more information, fill in the form HERE and I will get back to you. 

The products alone would cost you $103 (clear-mount stamp Suite) or $113 (wood-mount stamp Suite) but the Suite kit that includes the product plus ALL pre-cut and prepared cardstock and instructions to make the EIGHT Fast & Fabulous cards is just $110 (clear-mount) or $120 (wood-mount).

Don't forget to check back in a week to see the next Fabulous cards you will be able to create (Fast) using the kit I supply, and the Graceful Glass product suite that I'll order for you on June 1!

Hope you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend!   God Bless,   Cynthia  <><

  Product List

White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122924]

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]

Versamark Pad [102283]

Sponge Daubers [133773]

Pearl Basic Jewels [144219]

Thailand Achievers Blog Hop - Last Call For Sale-A-Bration!

Hello Friends

There are only 10 more days for you to get your Sale-A-Bration freebies so this is your LAST CALL.  And of all the items available, the Avant Garden stamp set is my favourite by far.....

Sweet Sugarplum and Mint Macaron

You may be starting at my blog - Cynthia Millan - or perhaps you've already hopped around?  Either way, make sure you check the list at the bottom of this post and visit all of the blogs.  

And if you live ANYWHERE in Canada and want to order to get your FREE Sale-A-Bration goodies, then contact me or visit my online store.  I would love to help you get your hands on these fabulous goodies!

Place a Sale-A-Bration order with me before March 31 and you'll get your choice of any one of these cards!!  E-mail me to tell me which colour you prefer!  

Elegant Eggplant and Calypso Coral

The Avant Garden stamp set is gorgeous any way you look at it and makes beautiful cards.  But I think it is particularly lovely (and pretty easy too) when you use the "Emboss-resist" technique.  It's a fast and easy technique - just stamp your image with versamark then apply embossing powder over the image (I used white).  

Soft Sky and Smoky Slate

Once you have heated the powder to melt it, you can sponge over top of it using the same colour of ink as the cardstock.   The embossed image seems to absolutely pop off the card when you sponge just a bit of tone-on-tone ink around it.  Aren't the results absolutely gorgeous?!?

Crumb Cake and So Saffron

Whether its Sweet Sugarplum ink sponged on Sweet Sugarplum cardstock,  Calypso Coral ink on Calypso Coral cardstock, Slate on Slate, Indigo on Indigo, Saffron on Saffron or ....well.... you get the idea....it doesn't matter what colour you use.  Whether bright or subtle, colourful or neutral, thay all turn out absolutely gorgeous!  don't you think so?

They're all beautiful, but tell me, which one is your favourite??

Island Indigo and Melon Mambo

I'm not certain how easy it is for you to see, but the stamped piece of cardstock (whose edges have all been sponged with the same colour of ink) has been layered onto a card base that has been embossed with one of various patterns.  For today's cards I used any one of Petal Burst, Boho Chic or the Elegant Dots embossing folders.  And, fun fact, I used the debossed side in all cases.  That means the raised pattern is facing AWAY from the front of the card.  I thought it gave them all a "softer" look.

Pool Party and Wisteria Wonder

 
You really don't want to miss out on all the wonderful Sale-A-Bration items that you could get for FREE.  One item for every $60 you spend.  You only have until March 31 so contact me today and place your order (or visit my online store HERE, and if your order is less than $200, please use this hostess code at Checkout   YKYHPPFD)

Thanks for stopping by. Have an absolutely fantastic rest-of-the-week.   Enjoy all the great projects you see as you hop through our blog hop.  And remember - you need to place your order by March 31 in order to get a FREE Sale-A-Bration item.  Hurry!!  You don't want to miss out!
 
 God Bless you all, ~Cynthia <>< 

List of blog hop participants:

So Very Much and Delicate Details

Hi Friends - glad you came back for another visit.  

I love all of the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets that are available right now.  Here's a quick card using one. 

1)  I used versamark ink to stamp the So Very Much image onto the top portion of a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, then stamped the Delicate Details lace images across the bottom of the same piece.  

2)  I sprinkled white embossing powder onto the images, then heated to set the powder.

3) Use a sponge dauber to discreetly add crumb cake ink to selected portions of the embossed lace images and sponge around the entire piece, then mount this to a Crumb Cake card.  

And there you go.  As easy as 1, 2, 3 done.  

Do you want to reproduce this quick and beautiful card?  Place your orders online by visiting HERE (at check out, please use the hostess code VP7YFXQ9) or contact me to place your order for you.  

And if you want a LOT of stuff (why wouldn't you?), you can save a TON of money - up to $200 - by making your purchase into a fully customizeable Starter Kit purchase.  See the details HERE or contact me to ask how we can save you lots of money while getting you everything you want.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy Thank You card.    Enjoy the rest of your day and God Bless,      Cynthia   <>< 

Product List

So Very Much Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143343]	Delicate Details Photopolymer Stamp Set [143314]	Versamark Pad [102283]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]
Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975]	Sponge Daubers [133773]	Heat Tool [129053]

Hop Along With a Holiday Catalogue Sneak Peek

Hello my Friends.

The Holiday catalogue is SPECTACULAR and if you have seen it then you already KNOW what I am talking about.

Naturally for this month's Grand Vacation Achiever's Blog Hop we wanted to highlight some of the terrific products that will be available to order from this catalogue in just ONE SHORT WEEK! 

Gorgeous Emboss Resist Card using white embossing powder

(You may be starting at my blog  - Cynthia Millan - or maybe you've already been hopping?  Whichever is the case, make certain you check the list at the bottom and visit everyone else's blog too.  There are some phenomenal projects and you don't want to miss any of them!)

Now, about my project.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a Christmas junkie.  And heaven knows there are some brilliant and exciting Christmas sets in this new catalogue.  But we are still in the middle of a hot and humid August so I wanted to show you how useful and versatile one of my favourite "non-Christmas" stamp sets from this new catalogue is.  Not Christmas.  Not even Thanksgiving.  Just a couple of every day "WOW" Thank you cards.

Gorgeous Emboss Resist Card using copper embossing powder

The Paisleys & Posies stamp set that is featured in our new catalogue lends itself wonderfully to the "Emboss Resist" technique where you stamp the images onto Whisper White cardstock using versamark ink, then sprinkle on embossing powder (I used white embossing powder for one card, and copper embossing powder for its twin).  Once the powder is melted with a heat tool, you can sponge on colour(s) of your choice.  I used Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette and the new 2016-17 In Color, Flirty Flamingo.  You sponge colour on, wipe off any residual that sits on top of the embossed lines (the melted embossing powder resists the ink), and voila, absolutely gorgeous works of art!

The cards were mounted onto two successive mats, then onto a card base, so that all 3 colours (Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette and Flirty Flamingo) were also present in the "cardstock frame" around the image piece.  LOVE how these turned out.

In addition to 15 beautiful images the Paisleys & Posies set includes 3 wonderful sentiments.  This one of course (Thankful - Grateful, BLESSED) defines my life to a "T" and I think I will get to use it on a LOT of cards in the coming months.

I am really pleased with how both of these cards turned out!  I have a ton of Christmas goodies that I am playing with now since I have my 20-Card Class to launch the Holiday catalogue, coming up soon.  And I'll just bet that my friends and fellow blog-hoppers have created some extraordinary holiday projects for you using these goodies.  I can't wait to hop to the blogs of everyone else on the list to see what they've created. 

You should too!

Hope you enjoyed today's Blog Hop.  And I hope you are getting ideas and inspiration for what you want to order from the Holiday catalogue!  If you are anywhere in Canada, you can contact me HERE and I will be happy to place your orders for you beginning September 1 (or you can place your own order online HERE.  If your order is less than $200, please use the hostess code QBAYWFJF when you check out).

Thanks for stopping by.  
Have an absolutely fantastic rest-of-your-week and God Bless,    ~Cynthia   <><

List of blog hop participants: 

An Important Anniversary

Good Morning My Friends

On Saturday it will be two years since Ottawa was blessed to witness the ordination of our newest Bishop (an Auxiliary Bishop, to be precise).  Surprisingly, he is quite a young man (as Bishops go).  Unsurprisingly, he is kind and gentle, with a gracious and loving heart.  He serves us well as our shepherd.

And would you believe that his name is Christian!?!

Honestly my friends!  With a given name like that, how could you not expect him to be wonderful?

In any event, I wanted to make a card to mark the occasion for him, so here it is.  The image of the cross comes from the stamp set, Blessed By God, and is perfect for the occasion.  The sentiment comes from a retired set (Graceful Words) that I will never, ever part with!

The card is quite simple in design.  I used the emboss resist technique (just stamp and heat emboss the images, then sponge to create a shadow-effect) to create a 'simple' card that contains a whole lot of love and appreciation.  It is understated and refined.  Just like the man himself.

It'll do quite nicely.

Hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful weekend.  And I hope Bishop Christian enjoys his Anniversary - and knows just how very much we appreciate his service.

God Bless,    ~Cynthia   <><  

Product List

Blessed By God Clear-Mount Stamp Set [134300]	Versamark Pad [102283]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]	Stamping Sponges [141337]
Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975]	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]

More Happy Birthdays (and a Birthday Special)

Hello Friends

It's official.  My sister (the other half of the twins whose birthday was last week) let me know that she received her card.  So I can post it now.

I stamped En Francais as a background, then used Versamark and clear powder to stamp the maple leaf from Gently Falling.  Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze were sponged carefully around the leaf (I *love* the emboss resist technique!) and the layers were matter.  Don't you love the Beautifully Baroque embossed layer?  The Crushed Curry was just a little too stark so I sponged Cajun Craze across the raised embossed edges to give it that punch.  Love how it turned out!

And the ticket punch came in handy - used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to perfectly place the happy Birthday from Petite Pairs inside the That's the Ticket image and punched 3 images out and adhered them using a vintage trinket.  Just the sort of card I was certainmy sister would appreciate (and she did).  And just the sort of card that embodies Autumn, don't you think?

And of course the inside of the card and the envelope had to be spruced up too,  That's one of the benefits of making your own cards.  You can coordinate everything to give them *wow* factor!

And speaking of *wow* - don't forget that tomorrow is the first day of my one-week personal birthday special. 

This is a personal special available only through me, but available to ANYONE in Canada.  From Oct 1 - Oct 7, on any order of $60 or more, I will pay the shipping and handling fees* as my birthday gift to all of you.  (*regular HST fees still apply).

Until tomorrow then --- I hope you enjoy a wonderful day!   God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><

Emboss Resist Intense Butterflies

I've realized that my butterfly offerings over the last few days have been soft and pastel-like and although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I thought you might like to see something bold, vibrant and intense.

Presenting.....Intense emboss-resist butterflies for your viewing pleasure!

Just a bit of versamark and the Papillon Potpourri stamp set (and clear embossing powder), followed by heavy sponging with Island Indigo and Elegant Eggplant makes this a stand-out 'Wow' sort of card.  Don't the butterflies pop right up off the page at you?

I have always loved the emboss resist technique, and this card is a fast but sure-fire reason to demonstrate why.

Hope your week is looking bright.  All 4 of my kids left for school this morning for the first time since June and I have yet to get much accomplished at home.  Guess it's time for me to buckle down and get to it, so I'll keep this short.

Have a wonderful day and God Bless,      ~Cynthia     <><

Butterfly Bonanza Class

Hello friends. 

Super quick today since I am running my Butterfly Bonanza Class in a few hours and there are still some little things left to do - so let me just show you another of the cards we'll be making at the class.  My upline, Deb, did a birthday rendition of this card at a recent club of hers, and as soon as I saw it I knew it had to be part of the Bonanza offerings!

Once again Swallowtail is stamped using Versamark but this time it is embossed with white embossing powder.  Some Crumb Cake ink sponged on after heating to provide more contrast, and there you have it, another stunning card.

Gotta run.  But if you are local and interested in making this card, I have had people who missed this session asking if I will re-run this class.  Let me know if you are interested too and we can find a mutually agreeable date and time for everyone's schedule.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend.
God Bless,        ~Cynthia        <><

Fast and Fabulous Inspired By Nature

Happy first-long-weekend-of-the-summer to all my Canadian friends!!  Here in Ottawa our weather is slated to be gorgeous so no one wants to be inside stamping for most of the day.  Instead, let's make some Fast and Fabulous cards so we can get outside and enjoy the weekend!

Inspired By Nature is retiring but I wanted one more chance to play with the set.  And this quickie card is just the ticket to showcase just how gorgeous this flower image is.


The sentiment was stamped at the bottom of the card and then a hill was "masked" using post-it notes.  Stampin' Write markers were used to colour directly on the flower stamp, then it was 'huffed on' (to re-activate any drying ink) and stamped.  The hill at the bottom was sponged in and clouds were sponged lightly using a scallop circle mask.  Simple and quick.  Do you know I think it took me longer to type out these directions than to make the card!  But for a quick card it is pretty effective, don't you think?


Supply List
Stamps - Inspired By Nature (retiring), Heard From the Heart (retiring)
Paper - Whisper White
Ink - Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso and Old Olive markers. Early Espresso, Old Olive and Bashful Blue ink pads
Accessories - 1 3/4" Scallop Circle (to mask the clouds), sponges, Post-it notes







I have a second card to show you too.  This was one of May's monthly club cards and it was inspired by Catherine Pooler's card here.  And believe it or not, this card actually goes together rather quickly too!  Just emboss the image and sponge around it with bright sunset colours (I took the 'brightness' off of the lace by sponging a faint bit of black ink on it).  Easy Peasy!

Supply List
Stamps - Inspired By Nature (retiring)
Paper - Whisper White, Basic Black, Crumb Cake
Ink - Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry Classic inks, Black Craft Ink.
Accessories - Clear embossing powder, heat gun, sponges, Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim


Trust me - this card has WOW-factor but it does not take a long time to create!   And you can change up the background colours quite easily to achieve a variety of different effects.

So how about it?  Now that you've seen these quick cards, are you "inspired" by nature too?!?

Hope everyone has a chance to enjoy their weekend.  I know I will!!

God Bless,     ~Cynthia    <><

Vanilla Doily

At Card Club last month I treated "my ladies" to a wonderful new product that Stampin' Up! is carrying.  SU! came out with 3 scented embossing powders; vanilla, melon and cherry.  And I've got to tell you, the vanilla one is subtle -- yet smells good enough to eat!

We started by stamping the Hello Doily image onto a piece of vanilla cardstock with Versamark, then applied the vanilla-scented embossing powder and heat embossed it.  Soft Suede ink was sponged onto the embossed image (Emboss Resist) and the vanilla piece and a Soft Suede piece were cut simultaneoulsy, using the new Edgelit dies from SU!  Yes friends, you CAN cut 2 pieces of cardstock at the same time with the edgelits.  And use a post-it note (or several) to hold down your cardstock and the edgelits so they don't move while running them through the Big Shot.

We used the corresponding Adorning Accent embossing folder to emboss a matching line on the vanilla/doily piece, then adhered it and the suede piece to a vanilla card base.  The corners were rounded using the SU! Corner Rounder punch, then the card edges were sponged with Soft Suede.  Finally, the Colour Spritzer Tool (a sadly under-used device) and a Soft Suede marker were used to add a splash of dots randomly over the card front

This card is gorgeous to look at, but even more impressive in real life.  And it smells heavenly!  The vanilla embossing powder is very subtle and positively delightful.  And -- cards that I made in December using this product still retain the scent!

My neice may use this card as a wedding card for her friends.  One of my friends will use this as a birthday card for her mother.  And yet another is using it as an anniversary card for her parents.  I just love when the same card design can be used for so many occasions!  Don't you?

Enjoy your weekend.  I know I certainly will!  God Bless,    ~Cynthia    <><