Monthly Archives: November 2014

Christmas Candy Bar Wrapper Ideas

Christmas Candy Bar Wrapper Ideas

For a fun and delicious Christmas craft project, get some candy bars (regular size) and wrap them in paper and decorate. If you are looking for Candy Bar Wrapper Christmas ideas, here are three for you!  I swear I only bought these Hershey Bars with Almonds for the purpose of crafting and creating! You will have to measure your own candy bars, but for mine, I cut the card stock at 6″ x 4 1/2″ to wrap around the candy bar. You could also use designer paper. Then just decorate! It’s a good way to use up some of your scraps!

For the snowman, I just used three circle punches in different sizes for his body, a scrap of designer paper for his scarf and the 1″ Square Punch and Word Window Punch for his hat!  Plus a little flower punched out with the Boho Blossom Punch with a little Rhinestone for an accent.  I just drew on his face with markers.

For the Santa candy bar, just tear a strip of  Whisper White on both sides after wrapping the candy bar in Real Red card stock. Punch some black buttons with the 1/2″ Circle PunchThe belt buckle is Gold Foil punched with the Curly Label Punch and a square of Basic Black in the center to make it look like a belt! And of course the belt itself is a 1″ strip of Basic Black.

The elf legs are made with strips of designer paper from Nordic Noel Designer Series Paper. The shoes are fashioned out of the Curly Label Punch trimmed down to look like shoes. The wrapper still needed something so I glued on a strip of Real Red around to look like shorts and a belt around the middle.  See, you can just play around and see what you come up with!

Remember the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza is still going on through Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. Be sure to double-check the Doorbusters on Monday! Are the Blendabilities calling your name??!

And any orders placed through Tuesday, I will send you a free PDF of some Christmas treat projects you might find easy to do!

Bonus Gift with Purchase

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Turkey Centerpiece and Flowers

This is my favorite Thanksgiving decoration, my turkey from years ago.  I bought a floral arrangement in this turkey one year at the grocery store and really loved the turkey.  Every year I would take it back to the grocery store to have them put flowers in it for Thanksgiving. More recently I have just been buying a bouquet of fresh flowers and making my own arrangement.  Flower arranging is not one of my skills, but I do love my turkey and I love having fresh flowers to look at.

Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving Day!

 

Thanksgiving Wine Bottle Tag

Thanksgiving Wine Bottle Tag

If you are going out for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and want a little something for your hosts, make a quick and easy tag for a wine bottle you are taking to them or some other beverage of choice! Or just make the tag portion to accompany some other hostess gift.

The tag is made with a base of Brown Sugar card stock, cut at 2 7/8″ x 8 1/2″ and scored at 2 3/8″. Punch a hole to fit over the bottle (sample uses 1 3/8″ Circle Punch) and if you like, also punch out a 1 3/4″ Scallop Circle to fit around the punched hole.  Layer the tag with a piece of the beautiful Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper. I also love the stamp set  For All Things and stamped the images on the Deco Labels Framelits die cut piece and the greeting just on a scrap of Very Vanilla which I hand-trimmed in a banner shape and sponged with some Cajun Craze ink. The leaves are just cut out of some of the Color Me Autumn DSP!

Keep the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza in mind that will be going on this whole holiday weekend and on through Tuesday, Dec. 2.  Don’t forget the Doorbusters on Monday, Dec. 1st!

Click HERE to see the Extravanza PDF.

And for any order placed during the Online Extravaganza, I will be sending you a Bonus Gift,  a PDF for some easy Christmas projects you will enjoy making!

Bonus

You can also add a Paper Pumpkin subscription to your order!  Just click HERE to see the Paper Pumpkin options that you can add to an order for varying lengths of time!

Paper Pumpkin Subscription Flyer Nov 2014

Click to Shop!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Top Note Thanksgiving Cello Bag Treat

Top Note Thanksgiving Cello Bag Treat

If you haven’t had time yet to make some kind of Thanksgiving treat or table favor, here is something easy. Put your candy or treat into a cello bag and decorate with a topper made with the always popular Top Note Die and Big Shot. Just fold it in half and decorate! I stamped some leaves from the Fall Fest Photopolymer Bundle and cut out with the matching framelits, both of which come in a Bundle so you can save 15% if you buy the stamps and framelits together. The words are from a stamp in the For All Things Stamp Set, only the words I wanted colored in with an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker and punched out with the Extra-Large Oval Punch.

Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for November 25 – December 1:

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Nov 25 2014

Don’t forget, the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza is ongoing! And more Doorbusters coming Monday, December 1st!

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza 2014

Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza Starts Today! Doorbusters!

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza Holiday Sale

 

The Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza begins today! For the first day, Nov. 24, there are special Doorbusters!  These are available at the sale price only while supplies last! The Doorbuster Sale lasts today until 11:59 pm MT tonight! Of course you can add any of the other sale items to the Doorbusters as well as any current catalog items.

Shop HERE for all the specials!

BONUS from me! Place an order during the Online Extravaganza and I will send you a special PDF with some fun and easy Christmas craft ideas!

Bonus

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Join Stampin' Up!

Join Stampin’ Up! This Week to Save and Earn!

Get a 25 percent discount on the Starter Kit when you join Stampin’ Up! between November 24  and December 2 . You’ll receive all the same great products AND get five percent cash back on all commissionable orders placed in December. Choose $125 worth of Stampin’ Up! products and only pay $74.25 + tax (no shipping). Regular price is already a great deal at $99.

Trying to remember the last time we had a cash back offer? Here’s a tip: NEVER!

It’s a first-time-ever deal that you absolutely cannot miss!

More details on this limited-time offer are listed below. Can’t wait to get in on the fun? Get started here .  Click the Join Now Button, check off the agreements, and on the next page you will see the special price on the Starter Kit and can get started on your Kit order!

Details:

All orders must be finalized in the month of December to qualify for the five percent cash back offer.

  • A demonstrator must remain active to receive the five percent cash back.
  • The five percent cash back will be awarded in January.
  • Deadlines:
    • Mail: All Starter Kit orders must be received by the end of the business day onDecember 2 .
    • Online: All Starter Kit orders must be finalized on December 2  by 11:50 PM (MT).

Let me know if you have any questions about the Online Extravaganza or the Recruit Special!

 

Sneak Peek!! Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza 2014 – Starts Monday!

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza 2014

Get your Wish List ready because the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza begins on Monday! Get Hot Deals Monday, November 24 through Tuesday, December 2, 2014. There will be discounts on select products and bundles, Plus DOORBUSTERS on the first day and again on Monday, Dec. 1st! You don’t want to miss them!

Click HERE to print out or view the Online Extravaganza List!

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza page 1

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza page 2

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza page 3

Don’t let the term “Online Extravaganza” scare you off if you don’t like putting your order in online. Just contact me and I can put it in for you!

Print out your list, think about it over the weekend and be ready to get your deals on Monday! Let me know if you have any questions that I can answer for you!

Click Here:  Karen’s Stampin’ Up! Online Store

Thanksgiving Turkey Candy Favor

Thanksgiving Turkey Candy Favor

If you are looking for a Thanksgiving favor with a candy treat for your dinner table or maybe a little gift for someone, here is a bag of M&M’s made into a Thanksgiving turkey! I filled a Stampin’ Up! Cellophane 4″ x 6″ Bag with candy and tied the top with the Tangelo Twist 3/8″ Satin Stitched Ribbon. I cut off about one inch of the top of the bag and then adhered the turkey head (1 3/4″ Circle Punch) with SNAIL Adhesive. Make the turkey facial features however you like, but I used the Owl Punch for the eyes and just colored with a black marker. The beak is the tip of the Triangle Punch and the wattle is made with the wing on the Bird Punch but trimmed down a little more evenly. You don’t need punches for any of these pieces, just cut them yourself. For the turkey feathers, I just punched with the Scallop Oval Punch. You could also use Oval Punches, and you could emboss the feathers with an embossing folder.  You could also use designer paper for a little more interest and varied colors. So many options!

Pssst!  There’s a Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza coming next week!  Be sure to keep in touch! Better yet, make sure you are signed up for my Mailing List as I will probably send out an email with these specials! Sign up in the red box at the top of this page on my blog!

Christmas Mailbox

Shop anytime at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for all the best in stamping supplies!

Glass Jar with Burlap and Paper Flowers

Glass Jar with Burlap and Paper Flowers

I found this glass jar in my craft stash and decided to add some Stampin’ Up! Burlap Ribbon and paper flowers made with the Originals Flower Spiral Bigz DieThe Burlap Ribbon also has a piece of Venetian Crochet Trim adhered to the bottom of the ribbon. I made the paper flowers with the Flower Spiral Die using the Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper. It’s the same sheet of paper, just using the other side for one flower.  The center of the big flower is made with a strip of Old Olive card stock, cut with the Fringe Scissors and rolled up and glued to the inside of the flower. For some extra embellishments I snipped a piece of Gold Sequin Trim and attached it with a Glue Dot. Then I took another piece of Burlap Ribbon, pulled off the bound edge and pulled several threads off to fray the edge of the ribbon.  Then I just circled those burlap threads and adhered them behind the flowers with Glue Dots.

There is a white candle inside the jar although it can’t be seen very well in this photo. You could add some candy corn to the bottom of the jar and set the candle on top of that, or add some coffee beans or whatever you can think of to make the bottom of the jar more interesting.  I bet if you look around your cabinets or craft supplies, you can find something like this jar to make into a bit of fall home decor and use it for Thanksgiving! If you don’t own the Flower Spiral Die, just make flowers with punches or simply tearing some circles out of paper, crumpling them up and distressing them a bit and putting them together into flowers. Or attach some paper or real colored leaves, perhaps even a Thanksgiving greeting.  So many choices!

Burlap is so trendy right now.  I was surprised walking around a craft store the other day how they have burlap on just about everything! And mason jars and similar are very popular right now as well.

See what you can find to make a piece of home decor for the Thanksgiving holiday….before it is time for all Christmas decor!

Seasonally Scattered Thanks Fall Thanksgiving Card

rsz_seasonally_scattered_thanks_cardFinally I played with my Seasonally Scattered Stamp SetFunny how some sets can get a little lost in the shuffle sometimes, but then it’s a thrill to “find” that new set one day and play! I stamped the “Thanks” in Versamark Ink and embossed with the Crystal Clear Embossing Powder and the Heat Tool. After the image was embossed, I sponged on various fall colors of ink and rubbed it right over the embossing (which is really fun in itself!). Then to clean it up a bit and make sure the embossed images shows through, I rubbed a tissue over the image to get off any excess ink. That’s it!

I die cut the stamped image and the back layer with the Labels Collection Framelits.
The card base is Always Artichoke and embossed with the Big Shot and the Chevron Textured Embossing Folder. If you are embossing a full card base, you probably need to tuck the back flap under the folder or it won’t fit through the Big Shot.

You might think the Fall Fest Stamp Set is only for Halloween, but the leaves and pumpkins can be used any time. I stamped the leaves and then used the Fun Fall Framelits to cut them out. You can buy the stamp set and the framelits in a Bundle and save 15%!

Make a pretty Thanksgiving card (or several!) and send them out this week to your friends and family!

New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Great Accessories To Own!

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Nov 18 2014

Click to Shop!

Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for November 18 -14, 2014. These deals are available until midnight Monday Nov. 24 so be sure to put them on your order this week!

And don’t forget about this beautiful new stamp set, Banner Blessings Photopolymer Stamp Set, just released last week!

Banner Blessings Photopolymer Stamp Set

Click to Shop!

Banner Blessings Thanks Card

Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store any time it is handy for you!  Or I can always put your order in for you!

If you are reading my blog, are you on my Mailing List??  If  not, sign up in the top right of my blog and receive my next “12 Weeks of Christmas” email tomorrow with another holiday idea you can make!

Christmas Mailbox

Snowflake Shaker Christmas Card

Snowflake Shaker Card

Stampin’ Up! sells these little sticky circles in lots of sizes called Shaker Frames, and here is a Christmas card I finally made using snowflakes and a Shaker Frame! Shaker Frames use punches and window sheets to make a dimensional shaker. (If you don’t have window sheets, you can use a scrap of plastic packaging you might have or a transparency.) They’re really fun to play with after you get the hang of it. And it’s also fun to fill them with something to shake around! In this case, I had a stack of tiny little Glimmer Paper stars from the Confetti Stars Punch that I wanted to use in a Shaker Frame.  I also added some snowflakes and sequins from the Frosted Sequins package. I probably could have added a bit more “stuff” in my Shaker Frame, but you can also add too much so I wanted to avoid that. The snowflake stamped in the background is from the Many Merry Stars Photopolymer Stamp Set. The scalloped Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper frame around the Shaker Frame is die cut with the framelit in the Circle Card Thinlits Die. The Soft Sky card layer is embossed with the Northern Flurry Embossing Folder and a hole was punched in the card stock to accomodate the shaker. Since I was going to pop up the Soft Sky layer, I decided to push the shaker frame into that layer. I tied some Silver 1/8″ Ribbon around the Soft Sky layer and added some of the Frosted Sequins and Rhinestones to the front of the card for some pizzazz.

Shaker Frame and Window Sheet

Shaker Frame

Shaker Frame Snowflake

Shaker Frame Closeup

This Shaker Frame started out to be a snowman! That’s what I was going to make when I began making this card.  So you don’t always know what you will end up with when you start your stamping project! And it’s good to let your creativity flow wherever it takes you!  Just have fun!

Reminders!

Last Day Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals

Don’t forget the 2014 Holiday Supplement!  (while supplies last)

Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog

Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack (add on to your order!)

Hello December Project Life® Card Collection by Stampin’ Up!

Be sure to check out the Stampin’ Up! 2014 Holiday Supplement! I’d especially recommend the new Project Life by Stampin’ Up! products! You can use these cards and accessories to make scrapbook pages using the Project Life pocket pages system OR use them on traditional scrapbook pages. The products are not limited to scrapbooking and memory-keeping!  Use them on cards or other projects for the holidays.  You will be so inspired just to hold the cards in your hands and play!  Watch the video below for some real inspiration! It shows the Hello December Project Life Card Collection and the Hello December Project Life Accessory Pack  I know it will make you want to get out some photos and make some pages and projects!

Find the Holiday Supplement Products here in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

Wedding Anniversary Card with Heart Framelits

Wedding Anniversary Card with Heart Framelits

This is the wedding anniversary card I made for my daughter and son-in-law using the Heart Framelits and a technique I saw online by Deb Valder. To make the card special for them, I used the same color card stock (Concord Crush), and embossing folder (Vintage Wallpaper) I used to make their wedding invitations four years ago. (The Concord Crush color is retired now as is the beautiful Vintage Wallpaper folder.) I also used Brushed Silver Card Stock as I did on their wedding invitations, plus, of course, Whisper White.

Here is the inside of the card.

Wedding Anniversary Card withHeart Framelits Inside

The idea is that the front of the card is cut out in the shape of the framelit so that the die cut on the inside of the card decorates the front of the card!  And it is not that hard to make!

Take your usual half sheet of card stock, but to make the flaps, score 2 1/8″ from each end and fold.  Make sure the center meets. Layer a piece of card stock or designer paper inside the card, 4″ x 5 1/4″. On the two outer “flaps”, decorate however you like, perhaps with designer series paper, remembering that you are going to cut through those layers with a framelit so you don’t want it too thick. I made this card over a month ago so I don’t remember exactly, but I made have had to do some extra trimming to cut through entirely that the framelit couldn’t do. But you need to have the front done before you cut with the framelit. Lay the framelit cutting edge UP inside the card, centered and exactly where you want it, knowing that it is going to cut the front flaps of the card. Close the flaps over the framelit and cut out with the Big Shot. Now you want to cut the same framelit shape to go on the inside of the card, keeping in mind it needs to fit exactly in the shape you just cut out on the front of the card.  This didn’t matter with the heart, but if you did another shape you need to make sure it is going in the same direction and perhaps cut with the framelit cutting edge “up” again. When you have your shape, pop it up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhere inside the card so that it fits perfectly with the front cut-out. Hopefully you can kind of tuck the front flaps underneath that die-cut a bit to hold them closed.

This is a neat idea to experiment with and make an elegant card.  You just have to think about what you are doing and which way things are going to make it all work! But we paper engineers are pretty good at doing that!

If you don’t already own a Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, I heartily recommend one.  I use mine almost everyday.

Make Your Own Gift Bag

Sweater Weather Fall Gift Bag

Make your own personally designed gift bag by decorating a regular shopping bag you probably received at the store yourself, or you can buy plain sacks at the craft store. For this bag, I used the retired designer paper Sweater Weather from last year because it matched the gift that was going inside. If you want to see the Thanksgiving banner I made that went in this bag, look back at this post. I even used a couple embellishments leftover from a Paper Pumpkin kit. I added some Neutrals Designer Buttons tied with some Linen Thread and adhered with Mini Glue Dots.

Here’s a tip dealing with buttons like this – put the thread through and then adhere the button to the bag with the Glue Dot.  THEN tie the bow or the knot because now it is stuck on to something and won’t be flipping all over the place while you try to tie it!

I tied a piece of Natural 5/8″ Chevron Ribbon on to the handle of the bag. It seemed to match perfectly. The leaves and pumpkin were stamped and adhered to the bag.

Stamp some tissue paper that will go inside, too!

It’s so much fun to be able to make a personalized gift and gift bag with just your stamping supplies!

Stampin’ Up! has many packaging supplies available now for purchase in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store or you can probably find boxes and things around your house.  Use some of your older papers and scraps to decorate and embellish!

 

Simply Created Thankful Banner

Simply Created Thankful Banner

The Simply Created Banner KIt was a new product in last year’s Holiday Catalog, but it is still available in the current Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. This is a “Thankful” Banner I made with the Simply Created Banner Kit for a birthday gift for a friend since she had been over recently and admired my “Spooky” Halloween Banner in THIS POST! The Simply Created Banner Kit comes with the stencils to decorate the banners as you see here,even the alphabet letters.  You can spritz the ink on lightly (lightly is all it takes) but for me I preferred sponging on the ink.  You can use a piece of a Stamping Sponge (I cut mine into 4-6 pieces) or Sponge Daubers.  I think I used Sponge Daubers!

For the leaves (since I do not have the Autumn Accents Die, which would have made this SO much easier!), I simply stamped some leaves to cut out with my Paper Snips and then used some of those “negative spaces” as stencils and sponged in several colors of ink on the banner pieces to make my fall leaves. The Designer Series Paper I used on the in between strips is retired, I believe from last year, but of course you could substitute anything you like. Of course I was using some samples I saw online to make my banner and liked the idea of using chalkboard style pieces to write names with my White Stampin’ Chalk Marker. As a long-time lover of chalk, this marker is the next best thing! You should have one on hand to use when the mood strikes you in a project! My friend can clip on some photos of her family if she likes on the extra strips in between the banners or just leave them plain for decoration.

When this Simply Created Banner Kit first came out, I did not see it as anything I would have a need for.  But after seeing it demonstrated at the previous Convention, it looked like so much fun that I ordered it right away. You can also still order refill banners for the kit, Simply Created Banner and it also comes with the jute twine you can use to hang the banner.  You can use these banners for any holidays, for weddings, for birthdays, just any kind of decoration you like.  And banners are IN!

Check them out at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Thankful Banner close-up

 

Thankful Banner middle closeup

 

Thankful Banner end