Stamping with Karen

"I Heart Hearts" Valentine Treat Bag

Splitcoaststampers puts out a tutorial every week and this treat bag cover was from last week.  It's very easy and you could vary the dimensions according to whatever your own treat is.  I cut the Real Red card stock at 3 3/8" x 10 1/2" and scored at 4", 4 1/2", 5", and 9".  Then just accordion-fold what will be the base of the treat holder and fold the top flap over.  Fill your cello bag with your treat, attach with a little SNAIL to the inside, punch some holes for some ribbon to tie through if you want, decorate the front and you are done!

 

To decorate the front of my Treat Bag I used the I "Heart" Hearts Stamp Set in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  If you want to know you are doing some good while you are stamping, purchase this stamp set and Stampin' Up! will donate $2.00 to the American Red Cross for Haitian Relief. Already 6694 stamp sets have been sold as of a couple days ago.

Red Mini Milk Carton

Here's the first mini milk carton I made.  So cute for Valentine's Day in red or any time!  You can add any kind of decorations to them that you like!  I used the beautiful Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, the Butterfly Punch, some flower stems from the Pretties Kit for its antennae and a Library Clip to hold the box closed.  Check out the Mini Milk Carton Die (#117310) in the Occasions Mini Catalog!

 

Thanksgiving Nugget Turkeys

Aren't these the cutest guys for Thanksgiving?!  The idea was in our Stampin' Up! demonstrator magazine (I've mentioned before how we all can't WAIT to get it in the mail every month!), Stampin' Success, last October.  I added the Hershey's Nugget candy wrapped in our Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper.  First I thought I would put the turkey feathers at the back of the nugget but I like them right behind the turkey.  Then the nugget makes a good stand for the turkey and would great at each place setting of your Thanksgiving table!  See directions below.

 

Here are the easy directions for the turkey feathers.  You can use either Designer Series Paper (DSP) or card stock.  The DSP is easier to fold since it is thinner.

• Punch three scallop circles with the Scallop Circle Punch.
• On each scallop circle, count five scallops and fold that area down. (Count 5 scallops, draw a real or imaginary line from the edge of scallop 1 to the edge of scallop 5 and fold down on that line.)
• Now fold the scallop in half to form a crease in the middle for reference, then unfold.
• Fold the flat edge of the scallop circle down from each side so the folded edges line up with the middle crease on the scallop circle. (You're bringing the flat ends up to the center fold line to get the shape you see on the turkey below.)

To complete the turkey, you'll need some punches.

• 1 3/8" circle for the body
• 3/4" circle for the head
• Two 1/4" circles for the buttons (punch is retired)
• Boho Blossoms Punch for the feet, cutting off one petal from one of the flowers for his little beak!

Color in two black dots for the eyes.

Cut a 3/4" square for the hat.  Trim off a little strip for the hat brim.  Perhaps trim a bit more to make the hat the right size.

 

It's really very easy and you can put your own custom touch to the project.  Or just make the turkey without the nugget and adhere him to the front of a Thanksgiving card or bag!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Serene Snowflakes Peppermint Patty

Always love these quick and easy Peppermint Patties made with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch and the ever-popular Scallop Circle Punch!  Stamp a Serene Snowflake (in the Holiday Mini) on Whisper White with Bashful Blue ink.  Punch out with the Circle Punch.  Punch two Bashful Blue Scallop Circles for the top and bottom of the Peppermint Patty.  Adhere the snowflake to one Scallop Circle.  Attach to the candy with Mini Glue Dots.  Cute!!

 

A Nugget Purse

It's been awhile since I have made one of these, but they sure are fun little things to make for party favors or little gifts.  You can use card stock or stamped card stock or designer series paper.  You might want to use the heavier weight designer series paper, but I think this one will be fine.  I used the Thoroughly Modern DSP, but of course you could use anything.  A Hershey's Nugget is what I used for the candy on the inside, hence the name, Nugget Purse!

Cut a 1 1/4" x 3" piece of Designer Series Paper (DSP) to wrap around the nugget. Just put adhesive on both ends of the "wrong side" of the DSP, sticking one end to the bottom of the nugget and wrapping the other around.

For the purse:  DSP  1 3/8" x 4 1/4"

Score at 3/4", 1", 2 1/4", 3 1/4"  Put a piece of Sticky Strip in between the 3/4 and 1" score lines.  Fold on all the score lines and see how the purse will go together.  If you want, use your Tag Corner Punch or your Corner Rounder Punch on what will be the front flap of the purse to cut off the corners.  Take a 4 1/4" piece of grosgrain ribbon to match or just a strip of card stock for the purse handle.  Remove the red liner of the Sticky Strip and attach the ends of the ribbon (or card stock) together over the Sticky Strip, forming the handle of the purse.  

For the little decoration on the purse flap, in a coordinating color of card stock, use the 1/16" punch to punch a hole and then punch out with the Trio Flower Punch (or the 1/2" Circle Punch).  (It is pretty hard to punch the flower first and then add the hole, unless you use your paper piercer....so punch the little hole first, then center in your flower punch).  Hold your purse together (without the flower decoration) as if it were assembled and use the 1/16" punch to punch through both the flap and the purse.  Now insert a brad into your punched flower and then into the purse to hold together.  Reach inside to spread the legs of the brad.  You could always use a little piece of velcro or even just glue the flap down with a mini glue dot.  Now insert your wrapped Nugget into the purse, perhaps using a bit of SNAIL or a mini glue dot on the bottom to hold it in the purse.

All of these supplies can be purchased at my Stampin' Up! Online Store of course!

 

 

I wish I had more Hershey's Nuggets!  I'm in a Nugget Purse kind of mood!

Stampin' Up! Graveyard Gala Treat Holder

Looking for a cute Halloween candy holder project?  Click on the image below to go to my Stampin' Up! website HERE and see what supplies you need!

                                              

                                                      Image copyright Stampin' Up! 2009

Halloween Sweet Treat

I decided to get into the Halloween mood today with my new Sweet Centers stamp set and the new Sweet Treat Cups from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini.  I found bags of Halloween colored M&Ms at the store yesterday!  This is just a 4"x4" card layered with some "Cast a Spell" Designer Series Paper.  I used the Sweet Centers stamp set and punched a hole with the 1 3/4"circle punch to insert the new Sweet Treat plastic cup filled with candy!  The circle I punched out I layered and stuck up in the corner of the card!  So many fun things to do with these Treat Cups!  You'll love them!  And you get 12 in a box!  

Shop online at my store 24/7 right HERE!  Then click the "Shop Now" button and you're there!

Stamping Fun with the Girl Scout Hobby Badge

On Saturday I had the pleasure of working with a group of thirteen Girl Scouts from a troop in Sugarland, TX to earn their "Doing Hobbies" badge.  It was a fun day, and all of the girls did an excellent job on their projects!  It's a great testament to how easy stamping is, even for beginners.  In no time, these girls were putting their own touches on their projects.

***If you are in the Houston/Sugarland area and need help doing your Hobby Badge for Scouts, please contact me at KSFontinelle@gmail.com .  I can personalize projects for your group and ages!

We started with an easy little gift for someone....Peppermint Patties decorated with stamping and the Scallop Circle punch.

 

Next we tried a technique of coloring directly on the stamp with markers to get multi-colors on one stamp.  This was a fun and easy card to make and most girls immediately started writing a note inside to send to someone.  They really had fun decorating the envelope!

 

The mother hosting the event presented an interesting history of the hobby of scrapbooking.  Did you know Mark Twain was a scrapbooker?!  Here is the scrapbook page the girls made:

 

As part of the badge requirements, we talked about how stamping and scrapbooking could fit into a person's life.

And for one last project, all the girls decorated this composition notebook.

 

It was a fun day and I hope the girls enjoyed learning a new hobby!

Big Shot Basket and Blooms Easter Basket

We all know we can use the Basket and Blooms die to make round baskets and very cute ones.  Naturally, some creative demos saw that you can also make rectangular baskets with this Basket and Blooms die!  Here is my project using the basket part attached to some strips of cardstock.  I think you can vary the size to suit your project purpose. 

 

To decorate the front, I cut another basket shape out of Baja Blue, trimmed the bottom, and then used my new Eyelet Border Punch to punch the bottom border.  The flowers are from "Flower Fusion Too", a fun collection of three colors of felt flowers.  I used the Rhinestone brads to hold the flowers together and glue dots to attach to the basket.

 

Here is the back side.

And filled with Easter treats!

Easter Big Shot Pillow Box

Love the Big Shot and all the cute things you can make with it!  Last night I used the Pillow Box die to make this little candy holder.  I made one with the new Medium Weight Window Sheets and it did work, but I felt that this particular project which needs a  little "mooshing" of the ends to close properly works a little better using a thinner transparency sheet.  Paper would really be easier than any window sheets, but the clear sure is cute when you get it made!  I used Mini Glue Dots and hid them with the belly band and the ribbon.  That's the secret to using adhesives on Window Sheets....just use something else to cover.  This bunny stamp is from the new set in the Occasions Mini "Eight Great Greetings" and it really is a versatile set!  I just colored in the bunny with our Stampin' Write Markers and used the circle punches plus the fabulous Scallop Circle Punch.

 

If you can't go another day without these great stamping supplies, just go to my website HERE and click on the "Shop Now" button in the upper right.