Stamping with Karen

This Teddy Bear is Ready for Easter!

Here's my Stampin' Up! teddy bear all ready for Easter! She has on her Easter bunny headband ears, a big flower decorating her headband, and her Easter basket in hand! And when she wants to stop hunting eggs and start stamping, she has her wooden stamp in her hand ready to go!

This is the teddy bear we were able to purchase at the Stampin' Up! Convention two years ago, when Stampin' Up! was introducing the Build-A-Bear product line. The bears were too cute to pass up!  Stampin' Up! always seems to know what we will love!

If you've been considering becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, sign up right away and join us at Convention this summer in Salt Lake City for the time of your stamping life! I'd be happy to help you get your rubber stamping and scrapbooking business started! Just think what you could do when YOU are the boss!!

Shop 24/7 for stamping supplies and accessories at my

Online Store, even over the Easter weekend!

Favorite Stampin' Up! Convention Photos

Let me see if I can possibly find and pick out some favorite things from Convention that I haven't shown yet!

 

     

Whew!  That's not nearly all there is to show but I guess that is enough for now!  You should be able to click on any photo to enlarge.  Isn't it amazing the things you can make with Stampin' Up! products??!  And the creative talent of Stampin' Up! artists and demonstrators??!  The display area you see above is just one small part of what they had for us....and this was late afternoon when it was easy to get close to the display boards to get good photos...usually demonstrators were clustered around in crowds trying to get their shots at busy times, like lunch!  I've always said it is the ideas that I love the most, even if I never got to stamp!  

Want to be a part of all this??!  You wouldn't be disappointed!  Look into joining Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator!  I'd be happy to talk to you about it! It's a fantastic way to start your own business and have fun at the same time!

BUILD-A-BEAR Paint Can

The other day I showed you some Build-A-Bear gals I had made.  Well, they were going on the sides of gallon paint cans that I decorated as a gift container.  It is so much fun to use the Big Shot (#113439) and an assortment of dies to do projects like this!  Be sure to check pages 194-202 in the current Stampin' UP! Idea Book & Catalog for information on all the Big Shot products as well as in the mini catalogs.

Some of the Designer Series Paper is Tea Party from the current catalog and some may be retired.  The ribbons are assorted ones I had on hand.

 

 

 

It is easy to do these paint cans.  I used Stampin' Up! Glue Sticks on both the can and paper to adhere.  The rest of the decorations were adhered with whatever was appropriate, either Tombow Multi, Mini Glue Dots or Stampin' Dimensionals.  You do need two sheets of paper, preferably Designer Series Paper since it is thinner than card stock.  You can make your own pattern by using copy paper first, just fitting around and really indenting where the handle things are on the paper.  Then use a hole punch of the appropriate size to punch where you see the "indentation" in the paper.  Cut a slit to slip over the handle.  Easier than it sounds.

This really is a fun project, once you get the paper on the can VERY SIMPLE to decorate to any theme, and plenty of room for a gift inside.  Try it!!  Let me know if you have questions!

  

 

Fun with Build-A-Bear!

Yesterday I played around with Build-A-Bear.....and I mean "played"!  It was so much fun, just like being a little girl and playing with paper dolls!  You can just cut out the bears with the Big Shot (Stampin' Up! Bear Bigz Die #117977) and then make any kinds of outfits and embellishments you want, either from the additional dies (see Occasions Mini pages 38-40) or using your own creativity!  Here are my two bears, and in a few days I will post the finished projects!

 

This bear uses some rhinestones from the Eggscellent Eggs Kit in the Occasions Mini (but no longer available), a half pearl from the Pretties Kit (#109114), some Soft Subtles Brads (#106954), the cake from Bitty Birthday (#114934), and her chic hat is made from two oval punches, an idea I got from another demo, Mary Fish.

 

This bear has a total rhinestone necklace and matching bracelet!  The cupcake is from the stamp set "Sock Monkey" (#111550).

REMEMBER.....the Occasions Mini is only good one more day!  The last day to order is April 30!  A few items will carry over!  Ask me!
 
 

Olympic Figure Skating 2010 Build-A-Bear

I'm not sure that they showed the Build-a-Bear Olympics Figure Skating competition last night on TV, but this bear surely was the winner!  I've had this idea in my head since the Olympics started, and once I finally made my Build-A-Bear with my Big Shot Die-Cut Machine and Stampin' Up! Bigz Dies I was thrilled with how she turned out!  The "skating outfit" is just the Build-A-Bear skirt and top, with a little "altering" on the neckline and sleeves...and lots of bling added with Tombow Multi glue and Stampin' Up! Chunky Essentials Glitter!  To make the  ice skates, I just traced the bear's foot onto Whisper White and cut it at the height I wanted.  For the skating blades I traced the bottom of the shoe and just added the little attachments, all cut out of Brushed Silver card stock.  I hope you've been enjoying the  2010 Olympic Games!

 

It All Started with Teddy Roosevelt and a Bear!

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was born on this date in 1858.  In 1902, Roosevelt was helping settle a border dispute between Louisiana and Mississippi and during his free time he went hunting with his aides and some reporters.  As he was not having any luck in hunting, his aides found him a bear, but he refused to shoot it.  A cartoonist for the Washington Post drew a cartoon of the incident, first drawing a fierce bear but later changing it to a cuddly bear.  A store owner in Brooklyn, Morris Michtom, sent a toy bear that his wife had made to Roosevelt, asking if he could name it "Teddy's Bear".  The new toys became very popular and the teddy bear craze began.

If you want to celebrate the teddy bear, you need to shop at Stampin' Up! for the Build-A-Bear Workshop Collection!  You'll have so much fun creating your own Build-A-Bear projects, cards, and scrapbook pages!  In fact, you can create your own bear right on this link!  You can click and drag on various clothing and accessories on the bear, even dress him for Halloween!  Go check it out!