Stamping with Karen

One Good Thing About Stamping....

.......You don't have to have electricity!!  Some storms finally came through our area today, and after they were gone THEN the power went off for over an hour.  Fortunately, I was still able to work on my swaps for Convention!  Unfortunately, the power came on just in time to cook dinner!

This is the new Lattice Die for the Big Shot, the new Crushed Curry card stock and the new Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper.  I think the Lattice Die has a lot of potential for creativity!

Baby Wipe Stamping

I'm working on swaps for Convention and trying to find the fastest way to get the look I want for a certain card.  It's one thing to make one card or several cards with one technique, but if you are making a stack of 25 or 50 card fronts certain techniques can be slow going.  Today I happened to think of the Baby Wipe Technique.....you use a baby wipe as an ink pad and place drops of ink on the pad.  Then you ink up your stamp on the colored baby wipe pad.  It produces kind of a tie-dye multi-color look.  Very easy and rather fun to see what look you will get!

Making a Swap Card

Finally cut out the paper for a swap card for Convention yesterday!  And last night I used the Big Shot Texturz Plate to make the texture on the Whisper White cardstock and stamped the giraffe from the new set "Animal Stories".  A week from today I will be on the plane to Salt Lake City to the great Stampin' Up! Convention!  If you want to be going next year, you should consider signing up to be a demo, especially right now with the great sign up deal!  Swapping is a big part of Convention.....usually we make just a card front and then trade with all the other demos!  I'll make several different designs (hopefully, anyway!) so I don't get tired of making the same thing over and over.  Sometimes I think bigger deals are being struck between demos and their swaps, especially the 3-D ones (like little gifts and things) than you find on the floor of the stock market!  If you want to see what this card will look like, you should be following me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/karenstamps!  Go to www.twitter.com to sign up!

Playing with the Heart to Heart Punch

Just a fun card, a Pink Passion card base studded with hearts from the Deal of the Week, the Heart to Heart Punch!  I just reached into my basket of scraps and punched out lots of hearts.  Love the Tombow Multi Glue for easy adhering!  The sentiment is from the "Oval All" stamp set, colored with Stampin' Write Markers, punched out with the Scallop Oval Punch and a layer from the Wide Oval Punch.

Deal of the Week: Heart to Heart Punch sale $10.99

You'll love this last Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week.....lots of hearts!  For this week only, July 27-31 buy the Heart to Heart Punch, regular price $15.95, for only $10.99!  You can use these hearts anytime but with Valentine's Day right around the corner......okay, Valentine's Day isn't right around the corner but you know it will get here!!  It's really a cute punch and I'm sure you will enjoy it!  Just be sure to order it by Friday, July 31 to get the sale price.  I love all our punches!

Start Your Own Stamping Business...and Love Your Job!

**When is a good time to start your own business?  Anytime, if you want to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!  But if you want some extra-special deals, then from now until August 31 is a really good time!  Want some extra cash to pay a few bills or want to take your own stamping and scrapbooking business to the top levels?  Start off with either of these kits and start enjoying the world of Stampin' Up!

Already have a lot of stamping supplies or just want to get started at a minimum price?  Then the Mini Starter Kit is for you......only $85!

For All You Do stamp set

In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)

Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")

In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")

Business forms and tools 

  

   Want a whole slew of supplies that are a great value PLUS the In Colors for free?  Then the $199 Starter Kit is for you!

Five stamp sets 

A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge

Stampin' Pastels

Card stock

Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool

Five Classic Stampin' Pads

VersaMark Pad

Stampin' Scrub and Mist

Blender pens

SNAIL 

Business forms and tools 

  

PLUS all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value! Click HERE to read more about becoming a Demonstrator and then contact me if you would like to sign up or have any questions.  

Razzleberry Lemonade Notebook

 

This is what you can do with a little notebook in the Dollar Bin!  I covered it with the new Stampin' Up! In Colors.....Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo, then some Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper.  Of course the Lovely Letters Alphabet is perfect for a monogram.  For the butterfly, I finally tried out my Big Shot Die "Beautiful Butterflies" with a layered butterfly on top punched out of Sticky Pages with the new Butterfly Punch  and covered with Chunky Sprinkles Glitter plus two little half pearls from the Pretties Kit.  I love the new In Colors Polka Dot ribbon and the Organza Ribbon.

Stenciled Picture Frames

Since I loved doing the picture frame in THIS post, I had to run back to Hobby Lobby and get more frames.  This time I got the light-colored frame.  It gives a whole different look, which of course you can control depending on how much glaze you apply or wipe off.  Here are some photos of the process and the end result. The first stencil is "Kind Thoughts Brocade" and the second stencil is portions of the "Brocade Flourish" stencil.  You can find these in the Definitely Decorative Catalog.

• Just place the Stampin' Up! Decor Stencil where you want it. 
• Lightly tape it down to hold it in place. 
• Smear the embossing paste over the stencil to cover. 
• Place post-it notes over areas where you don't want the paste to go. 
• Then wipe off the paste with your palette knife. 
• Carefully life the stencil up. 
• Clean off your stencil right away.

Let me know which design and look you like the best!

 

 

 

 

 

Tip: Designer Series Paper Coordinating Colors

This is something I have been doing for awhile but just realized it might be a tip worth sharing.  When I go to work with my Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers (DSP), I like to know what colors coordinate with each pack.  Stampin' Up! now provides that information under each DSP item in the catalog (did you notice that?).  Usually I also have a list that another demo somewhere has compiled of all the papers and colors that I try to keep handy.  But sometimes you want it even handier!  So I write the coordinating colors on the back cardboard of the DSP pack, right above the name of the paper.  That way the information is right at hand!

This photo shows the selections for the new "Tall Tales" Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the stamp set "Animal Stories".

 

And when the paper retires, I still have that information handy, as long as I have that cardboard in the back of the package and still have some paper left......and we all know we wouldn't want to use up ALL of our paper!  :)  Better to hoard extras just in case we need it!!

If you need some of the NEW Designer Series papers, please contact me at KSFontinelle@gmail.com or order online at my store at www.karenfontinelle.stampinup.net.  Click the "Shop Now" button!  You KNOW you need it all!

Friends 24-7

 

Here is an easy card using the Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware and the "Friends 24-7" stamp set.  You could add lots of different embellishments to cards and scrapbook pages with the pieces in this kit.  Get it while it is on sale!

Deal of the Week: Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware $18.99

 Our Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware adds class to any project. Get them for just $18.99 (over 30% off the regular price of $29.95)—only July 20-26!

Here's a fancy bookmark I made for a gift.  Although it is made with the Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, all you have to do is substitute with a Vanilla piece if you like.  With this special offer you will have lots of hardware pieces to play with on your cards and scrapbook pages!

 

The Moon Landing: 40 Years Ago Today

When you are a child, you never really think you are going to be old enough to say "Forty years ago..."..... but here I am!  Forty years ago today my whole family watched the first man, Neil Armstrong, walk on the moon, at my grandmother's apartment, probably celebrating my dad's birthday.  I remember having a fit that I had to leave the TV at my house, afraid I would miss something significant, while we drove the fifteen minutes or so over to my grandmother's.....and again when it was time to go back home.  I remember my parents being just amazed, repeating over and over again how this accomplishment was only considered science fiction to them in their lifetime, and now it was really happening right before their eyes....men landing on the moon...and this was something my brother and I would be reading about in the history books!  Even now I think it is pretty amazing that we would have pictures of the moon landing and the men walking on the moon live that many years ago.  My parents wondered what accomplishments like this my brother and I would see in our lifetime.

Since Stampin' Up! doesn't have a stamp of a lunar module or an astronaut I had to be a little creative with this card!  But just a circle punch and some sponging made do for the moon (plus a little touch of "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" for those craters!) and the earth and a retired wheel created the stars in outer space! (I really think you cannot do without some stars in your stamping collection.  They are so versatile!)  Of course the rocket is from the great set "Pun Fun", not exactly Apollo 11 but it will do!

 

Little did I know then that forty years later I would be living in Houston, TX where we have visited the Johnson Space Center many times over the years and always find it fascinating.  There we can see the actual moon rocks and how they are stored very carefully and precisely that we watched on TV as the astronauts picked up on their missions to bring back to earth.

It's been interesting to hear the local media coverage of this anniversary here in Houston.  The great Astrodome, opened in 1965, had groundskeepers called "Earthmen" dressed in faux-spacesuits and the ushers were called "Spacettes".  The baseball team was renamed "Astros".  And of course the first word spoken from the moon was, "Houston, Tranquility Base here."

Easy Baby Card

Here's an easy baby card to make with the new stamp set "Animal Stories".  You can change the color combinations easily and make it for either a boy or a girl, a shower card or a card for the birth.  I used Bashful Blue and Gable Green.  Not sure what color combination to pick?  Use Stampin' Up!'s Color Coach wheel!

 

To jazz the background up a bit, I used the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds Texturz plate with the dots.  For the sentiment I used the new set "Teeny Tiny Wishes", the Word Window punch and the new Modern Label Punch plus a couple of Bashful Blue brads.

If you need any or all of these supplies to make this card, just go to my online ordering store and place your order this weekend!

Two Anniversaries Today.....Mine and Apollo 11!

Thirty two years ago today (I have to do the math, I can't believe it has been that long!) I awoke to an 8 am call from an out-of-town well-wisher on my wedding day and the phone never stopped ringing all day!  Friends called from as far away as Hawaii who couldn't come for the wedding, my bridesmaids and other girlfriends called to see how things were going, it's a given I talked to both of my grandmothers, and even the groom called (although things were a bit quieter at his house).  It was about 100 degrees outside and the air conditioner wasn't working very well, so my dad would have to go down in the basement and pound on something every little while to make it cool better.  The best man (who was moving) brought his dog over to stay in the yard next door, but while we were all trying to get dressed, the dog got loose and my dad had to go out and find him, making my mother frantic that he was going to have a heart attack in the heat, but fortunately the dog really was still in the side yard.  The limo came and we really did all make it to the church on time!  My dad asked me teasingly before he walked me down the aisle if I was sure and I happily said I was indeed SURE!  I think you have to be "sure" if you want to stay married this long!

So after all that reminiscing, here is the anniversary card I made for my husband....who will look at it, put it down, and then I will confiscate it for my samples!

 

Another Movers and Shapers card with the new Soft Suede.

Using the Stamp a Ma Jig to get the birds centered inside the cut out heart (or you can eyeball it through the heart).

 

A little "Happy Anniversary" from the new "Teeny Tiny Wishes".

 

And another anniversary today is the launch of Apollo 11 forty years ago, the first manned mission to land on the moon.  I was quite interested in the space program, having grown up with it, and remember getting up very early in order to watch this launch from the very beginning because I knew it was historic.  I even used a reel-to-reel tape recorder to record the audio from the TV to save "for posterity"!  Who knew forty years later the tape recorder wouldn't work anymore and that style wouldn't even exist!  And I sure didn't know that in another eight years I would be getting married!

Fun with In Color Cards

 

It's so nice to get an assortment of cards made at one time!  I got the idea for making the Melon Mambo card in the lower right of the photo from Linda Heller on Stamping School.  I also "needed" to play with my Movers and Shapers dies that go with my Big Shot so decided to try them all out using the new In Colors and various stamp sets.  The Movers and Shapers dies cut out the shape wherever you want it on your card and score your card as well.  Very fun!  The design on each card is stamped in Versamark and them embossed with Clear Embossing Powder for the monochromatic look.  I don't have all the new polka dot In Color ribbons yet, so I used what I had plus the beautiful Whisper White Organza Ribbon.  It was so much fun playing with all these colors and stamps and dies!

If you want to see how to make a card like this at your workshop, let's schedule a date!

 

 

 

NEW DEAL OF THE WEEK: SQUARE FIRE RHINESTONE BRADS $6.99

It's Monday so here is the new Deal of the Week from Stampin' Up!

 

Want to put some Square Fire Rhinestone Brads on your order??

Kind Thoughts Brocade Stencil Photo Frame

Last week I saw this project on Kimberly Van Diepen's blog  and I loved it so much I ran right out to Hobby Lobby to find the same frame!  In case you do the same, I'll save you a few steps and tell you it is back in the Crafts section, not in with the picture frames or home decor.  I didn't realize she had made hers with the light colored frame so I bought a dark frame.  Next time (and I can't wait to go back and get another one or two!) I'll choose the light colored one, I think you get a better contrast.  But it's neat either way, I think!

So let's back up.....I bought the metal frame, called "Craft Photo Frame" "Time to Decorate!" 4x6 inch.  I had already purchased the Stampin' Up! "Kind Thoughts Brocade Stencil" in the Decor Elements line.  Mine is the "Small" size but I think it worked just fine.  I already had some "Dreamweaver Stencil Embossing Paste" (you can see it in the corner of the photo) from my pre-Stampin' Up! days and a palette knife.  I placed the stencil where I wanted it on the frame, taped down two sides, and slathered on the embossing paste with the palette knife....just like frosting.  Then I turned the palette knife on its side to scrape off the excess paste.  Just lift the stencil up and you have your design on your project.  Now be very sure not to let the paste dry on your stencil, so be ready to wash it off right away.

 

 

I let mine dry overnight since it was late anyway, but a couple hours should do it.  This morning  I used a foam brush to apply the "DecoArt Elegant Finish Metallic Glaze".  Mine is the Renaissance Brown color.  This step was SOOO easy.  Just brush the glaze on rather lightly.  You can go over it a little bit if you get too much on or not enough.  You could probably even do a little wiping with a soft cloth if you want, but I wouldn't rub on the embossing too much.

  

 

 

That's all there is to it!  Now you can see stencils aren't just for walls!!  If you want to see the Decor Elements Catalog so you can order your stencil, click HERE.  Contact me if you have any questions or want your own copy of the catalog.

Flower Frame Project with Spencer Willis

I came across this video this morning of Spencer Willis of Stampin' Up! doing a project on a TV show.  It is essentially a scrapbook page but put in a photo frame.  I've seen Spencer demonstrate at Stampin' Up! conventions, and he is great! (a good singer, too, although unfortunately he doesn't break out in song after this demo!).  The project is done with a retired set, Big Blossoms, so you will have to change the flowers a little bit.  Enjoy!

Idea from Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog

I was looking through the new Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog  the other day (well, almost everyday!) and just saw lots of things I wanted to make.  This card was inspired by the scrapbook page on page 16 of the catalog.  That particular day I just liked the colors shown on that page and decided to make a card with the hostess set, "Kind and Caring Thoughts".

 

The colors are Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, So Saffron and Ruby Red.  I seldom use Ruby Red unless maybe in the fall, but I love it with these colors!

This hostess set is great.....the flowers and leaves are nice and lots of great sentiments.  If you'd like to possibly earn this set for free having a private stamping class with your friends, just contact me!

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4th of July Fireworks Scrapbook Page

 

Just made this 6x6 scrapbook page....very quick and easy!  You wouldn't think you could use a flower stamp to make fireworks, but I did!  I stamped the top of the flower from the stamp set "Kind and Caring Thoughts", a Level 3 Hostess Set from the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog.  I just used Versamark ink for both the watermarked (bluish) fireworks and also to emboss with the gold embossing powder.  That provided the background.  Then I wanted to use the Sizzlit Die "Sparkle" with my Big Shot to make the 3-D fireworks!  The center needed something, so I punched some of the flowers from the Boho Blossoms Punch and inserted a large rhinestone brad in each.  Now if only I had taken pictures!!

The fireworks were great, as they are every year!  We go to the display put on by Stafford, TX which is always quite good, especially considering they are a small community in the Houston area.  We like the smaller crowds and enjoy meeting our friends there in "our spot" every year.  Traffic usually isn't too bad getting out....and we can even spot fireworks from other areas like Sugarland too!  Hope you had a happy 4th!

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