Blog Posts - Hand Stamped by Cheryl

Going, Going...

3/29/2021

Get these retiring products...while supplies last! The first spreadsheet is for the Annual Catalog (ends May 3) and the second is for the January-June Mini Catalog (ends June 30). Shop here and make sure to use the April monthly host code KTKY9P7R for a free gift!

Starting a Home Business? MAKE SURE YOUR HOME CAN ACCOMMODATE IT

3/11/2021

by Tina Martin
Ideaspired.com + tina@ideaspired.com

Home businesses are a way of life for millions of Americans. Surveys indicate that today, somewhere around 15 million Americans own a home business, representing approximately half of the country’s small businesses. When your home doubles as your company headquarters, however, you have special considerations. Cheryl Piotrowski, owner of Hand Stamped by Cheryl, knows what a challenge this situation can be, so read on for their professional tips!

Evaluating Your Home for Business Purposes
Not all homes are suitable for both living and business purposes. Consequently, before realizing your dream about having your own home business, ask yourself the following questions about your current home:

Does it have sufficient space to accommodate both your family’s living needs and your business needs?
Does it have at least one room you can turn into a dedicated office?
Does it have enough space for the supplies, tools and other business necessities you’ll need?
Does it have a separate entrance so your clients or customers can come and go without disturbing your family?
Can your driveway and entryway accommodate disabled customers or clients who need mobility help from a wheelchair, a walker, a cane or crutches?
Does your neighborhood have any zoning restrictions?

If you discover that your current home doesn’t measure up, you may need to consider making renovations or else buying or building a new one that will not only allow your family to live in comfort but also allow you to run your home business in comfort.

Buying a New Home
Fortunately for you, Fox Business reports that mortgage rates recently sunk to all-time lows. Interest rates, however, are not the only thing you need to consider when buying a new home. Before you take the leap, remember the home buying process has quite a few important steps, namely knowing how much you can afford (keeping in mind that the current median price for Indianapolis homes is $181K) and getting pre-approved for a mortgage.

Forming Your Business
Before going too far, one major decision you’ll need to make is what kind of business structure you want. Here you have numerous choices:

Sole proprietorship
Partnership (several different types)
Corporation (several different types)
Limited liability company (LLC)

If you’re unfamiliar with LLCs, Cornell Law School suggests thinking of them as a hybrid between a partnership and a corporation that gives you the advantages of both. Forming an LLC for your business has several benefits (e.g., limited liability, tax advantages, less paperwork, flexibility). States have different regulations around forming an LLC, so check the rules in your state before moving ahead. If you'd rather not do the legwork on your own, you can avoid hefty lawyer fees by using an online formation service that knows the process to register LLC Indiana companies.

The Bottom Line
Once you have your housing needs squared away, you can then join the millions of other Americans who own and operate successful home businesses.

Once your business is up and running, showing your appreciation to clients will be crucial. A great way to do this is to say thank you with gorgeously-crafted cards made with love by Cheryl Piotrowski, the creator of Hand Stamped by Cheryl! Or you can learn to make your own by taking a class with her. Check out her upcoming events to start making projects that will show your new customers just how much you value their business!

Guilded Leafing in VIP

3/8/2021

We finally got to play around with Guilded Leafing, a new product in the January-June Mini Catalog! It comes in a little jar, but be careful when you open it; it expands and is crammed tight into the jar, so I recommend using a separate tupperware container to keep it in. So how does it work, you ask? Basically, you just need an adhesive! So in VIP this month, I tried to use every kind of adhesive Stampin' Up! offers to apply it, to see which one we liked best. If you want an overview of all the adhesives, make sure to check out this video on my YouTube Channel.

The first card uses a Pool Party Base, Pretty Peacock mat embossed with the Painted Texture embossing folder. The flower and sentiment are from the Art Gallery Bundle with the Golden Garden Specialty Acetate behind for accent. And if you haven't used acetate before, make sure to check out this video with a helpful tip. The streak of gold was made using the thick tip of the Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue. You knew there were two ends to that glue, right? Some ladies didn't realize that! Let the glue dry to the point of being tacky before applying the gilded leafing. Don't forget to add some gems!

The second card uses two more kinds of adhesive! The border was made with Tear & Tape. Just peel up and press into the flakes and use a sponge to brush off. The gold die cut was made by cutting out the shape from the Wild Rose Dies on white cardstock, then applying a coating of Versamark, covering in Heat & Stick Powder, heat setting with the Heat Tool, and then pressing the gold flakes into the tacky surface. And don't you love that Fine Art Floral Designer Series Paper!

The last card uses 3 more kinds of adhesive! I applied adhesive sheets to cardstock and then punched out balloons with the Balloon Bouquet Punch before pressing into the gold foiling. The word "celebrate" is a retired die that was cut out on Foam Adhesive Sheets before pressing into the gold foiling. Try using a paint brush to get off the excess gold flakes. And lastly, the polka dots are glue dots with gold applied! Overall, I love this new product and I think Tear & Tape is my favorite method for applying. Cleaning up the gold flakes was a breeze with my handheld vacuum. See this video below!

Embellish with Ease

2/14/2021

Several years ago I bought one of these storage drawers off Amazon to organize my embellishments. As my crafting has evolved, I just bought another one to store leftovers from my Paper Pumpkin kits. The hardest part was determining what categories to create. So after making several piles, I used my label maker to label each drawer. I love how the drawers can come entirely out, so I can move the order of drawers around, or carry one drawer over to my work space. Each one consists of 24 drawers, 4 rows across and 6 down. Here are the categories I created, in case it is helpful to get you started:

flowers
balloons
houses
Halloween
snowflakes
bells

leaves
cakes & candles
vellum
Valentine's Day
foil snowflakes
holiday accents

trees
animals
hearts
stars
snow globes
wreaths

feathers
butterflies
beach
coffee/tea
mica flakes
holiday bows

metal
sequins
bows
wood accents
tags
die cut words

binder clips
sequin trim
gift bows
wood words
sentiments
die cut letters

tabs
buttons
tassels
scrabble
shapes
die cut numbers

miscellaneous
doilies
pompoms
clothespins
German/French
banners

Tealight Easel Cards

2/3/2021

This month in VIP Club we made tealight easel cards.
The first one is my favorite using the Blossoms in Bloom bundle and vellum for the light to shine through.
I bought the tea lights on Amazon. The sentiment came from the Butterfly Wishes stamp set.
Just make sure to pop up with dimensionals so the easel can prop up.

The next two cards were made using retired products from the last Holiday Catalog, but aren't they cute!
I found yellow flickering tea lights, perfect for a fireplace, at the the Dollar Store.

Want to join us for the next VIP Club?
We have one spot open in the Sunday Club if you want to join as a guest!

The new Mini Boss is Here!

1/5/2021

Stuck on Adhesives?

12/4/2020

Stuck on Adhesives? Not sure which one to use when? Here's an overview of all the adhesives Stampin' Up! has to offer. Get yours here: www.handstampedbycheryl.stampinup.net

Also, would love you to subscribe to my channel! Still trying to reach 100 subscribers!

Fun Folds in VIP

11/1/2020

This month in VIP Club, we made some fun fold cards: a cube card, a center step card, and a table card. See below for some ideas, templates, and videos to make these cards.

Cube Card

I have been seeing these cards all over Facebook lately, and had to give it a try using this video as my tutorial. They are actually much easier to make than expected, and they use very little paper, just a lot of gluing, so make sure to have Liquid Glue ready! After you have your base scored and cut into the three cubes, choose some DSP (the patterns in Plaid Tidings were perfect!) Cut 8 squares, 1.5 x 1.5". Then choose the coordinating color of cardstock and cut 12 of those in 1.75 x 1.75". Add your greeting and embellish!

CenterStep Card

This card was CASEd from this blog, but I followed a different template which I posted here below in case you want to make your own. As we have been adjusting to life with a new dog, I have also been making a lot of cards using the Playful Pets suite. Isn't this card just the cutest? I changed mine up a bit to use the paw print die along the bottom and then added a strip of white cardstock behind to make it pop. The dog was colored using Smoky Slate Blends, plus Real Red for the collar and hearts.

Table Card

I saw a cute card made with this fold using the Playful Pets suite, but since I already used it this class, I needed to change the design up a bit. So I asked myself, what best goes on a table...drinks! And better yet, drinks on the beach! So I cut my Early Espresso cardstock to 5.25 x 6", scored it at 1, 2, 4, and 5", folded it to be a table, then added some In Good Taste DSP to add the wood look. Make sure to use Multipurpose Liquid Glue to adhere the table, and fold up right away to make sure it lays flat and will fit in an envelope. For the drinks, I used the Nothing's Better Than bundle, snipped off the base, and colored them with Blends. The palm trees and sign are stamped using the Timeless Tropical stamp set, and the pineapple and flowers are cut out using the In the Tropics dies. The birds came from the Looking Up Card Kit, but you could easily draw them yourself. Then I just snipped some blue DSP to look like waves, and tore a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock to look like an island. The leaves are stickers left over from an old Paper Pumpkin kit. Lastly, use Window Sheets and Glue Dots to adhere the drinks to the table, making sure they will also lay flat when the card gets folded. Now, who's ready to go to Florida? Or maybe the next incentive trip on an Eastern Caribbean cruise? Meeeeee please!

VIP Club takes off the busy months of November and December, but we'll be ready to start up again in January, just in time for Sale-A-Bration! If you are in Indy and want to join us, we have 2 spots open for guest VIPs in the Sunday group from 2-4pm.
See Eventbrite to register as a guest VIP!

Designer Series Paper Share!

10/1/2020

Stampin' Up! is having a sale on select packs of Designer Series Paper during October!
Save 15% off 15 packs! Order online: www.handstampedbycheryl.stampinup.net
And don't forget to use the October Host Code (NRP6AH9H) and get some happy mail!

Or...if you want them ALL, sign up for my DSP Share! You'll get a 6x6 piece of every sheet in all 15 packs for only $28.50! That's 120 sheets of 6x6 paper! See the images below for which packs are included in the sale and share.

Send your $28.50 by 10/15 to:
- Venmo: HandStampedbyCheryl
- Paypal Friends & Family: cherylstamps@hotmail.com

Pick up your DSP starting 10/31!
Live out of Indianapolis? Add $4 for shipping and I'll mail them to you!

Jar of Flower Shaker Cards

9/29/2020

This month in the VIP Club we used the Jar of Flowers bundle paired with the Mason Jar Shaker Domes. The Sunday Club has two open spots, so will be open to guest VIPs. The Club meets on the last Sunday of the month from 2-4 pm. At each Club we make three cards using the same technique, free in exchange with a $25+ order on the day of the Club. If you are in the Indy area, contact me to join in! Here are the 3 cards we made this month...

We started with this card because it involves painting the shaker dome, so you will want to give it time to dry. Thanks to this video for the inspiration! The flowers were stamped in Memento ink, which you want to use before using alcohol markers. We used Mint Macaron, Old Olive and Ivory Blends to color and fussy cut out using snips. The DSP we used is retired, added to a thick Whisper White card base. The twine was added and a sentiment stamped using the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set. Love the look of milk glass!

This card uses hand sanitizer to add liquid to the jar, inspired by this video! The card base is Bumblebee and the mat in Just Jade, two of the newest In Colors. The front of the card is Whisper White but embossed with the Tasteful Textile folder. The sunflowers were colored with Mango Melody, Crumb Cake, and Just Jade Blends. When you turn the shaker dome over, add the Flowers for Every Season Gems before adding the hand sanitizer. We used about 4-5 squirts. Then take the sticker off the dome and add a piece of Window Sheets behind to trap in the hand sanitizer. Then, add some Bumblebee Ribbon and you have a fun card, perfect for fall!

How cute is this card! It was CASEd from The Creative Teacup. I don't even like pop, but I am sure someone who drinks it will love it! The stamps used are from Nothing's Better Than and the rays and hearts are from Press On. The Playful Alphabet letters were used to die cut out the word COLA after coloring a strip of Whisper White cardstock with the Real Red, Crumb Cake and the Early Espresso Stampin Write marker. Just punch a hole in the top of the jar using a standard hole punch. The straw fits perfectly to prevent the Sequins for Everything from falling out.