Stamping with Karen

The Holiday Mini Catalog Is Still Here!

I know Christmas is over but the Holiday Mini Catalog is NOT!  You have a few more days to order from the Holiday Mini in case there is anything you still want.    Please take one more look through the Holiday Mini and see if there is anything else you want, maybe for a head start on the holidays for next year!  The "Charming" stamp set (#116519) will still be available into January as will the Shimmer Paints (as a write-in).  Exciting new products are coming Jan. 5th in the new Occasions Mini and Sale-a-Bration but I wanted to remind you your days are numbered for ordering from the Holiday Mini, one of the greatest minis Stampin' Up! has ever put out!

Please contact me if you want to make another Holiday Mini order by Jan. 4th or you can order online yourself at my website HERE.

Click on the catalog below to take one more look!

Christmas Cards Galore!

The last few weeks have been extremely busy and now that the kids are all home plus one girlfriend the days have REALLY been extremely busy!!  It's been go, go, go and keeping things running at home.....no time for leisurely addressing of Christmas cards!  I did manage to finish these cards, with the help of my son's girlfriend, and when I get off the computer I hope to address them and get them in the mail.....at least they would be sent out before Christmas even if they won't arrive until after!  But if I get distracted with fixing breakfast or lunch or one more shopping errand..and did anyone make reservations for dinner tonight?  NO!.... if I don't get the cards in the mail, that's okay.  They'll either be late or I'll be ready early for next year!! 

 I always remember one Christmas party the kids and I were invited to at a neighbor's when they were very little on a Saturday morning and I REALLY had other Christmas things to be doing but I HAD to go to this party.  Another mother arrived and said that if going to this party meant her Christmas cards didn't get sent out, then so be it.  The party was SO lovely and fun and a time to share with the kids we knew and the other mothers, more important than the Christmas rat race we thought we had to keep up with.  Now we probably all raced even harder after the party, but at least we enjoyed the calm for a couple of hours!

So here is an assortment of Christmas cards, mostly copied from other cards I've seen here and there on all my sources.  If you need a last minute idea, I hope you can use one of these!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 

PS:  If you live in the Houston TX area and want to see some Christmas lights be sure to go out to Pecan Grove in Richmond where nearly every house is decorated, some spectacularly!  Eric's girlfriend and I (the only Christmas-light-lovers in the family!) drove out there last night and really enjoyed it!  Wish I'd had my camera, but take my word for it, it is magical to see a whole streetful of lights!
 

Shimmer Paints Still Available!

Exciting news!!  The Shimmer Paint in the current Holiday Mini Catalog has been so popular that even though the Holiday Mini ends on January 4, 2010 the Shimmer Paint will still be available as a write-in after that!

116806	Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint	$5.95
116854	Frost White Shimmer Paint	$5.95
116807	Platinum Shimmer Paint	$5.95

If you haven't already tried the new Shimmer Paint you will want to in the New Year!  There are lots of ways to use it and a little goes a long way!

Here's an easy card I made stamping the snowflakes in the background with the Shimmer Paint.  They're very light and yet they add some beautiful interest to the card.  I think they show up pretty well in this photo for you to see!

Just use your sponge dauber to apply the Shimmer Paint lightly directly to your stamp! 

Quick Christmas Notes

 

Need some quick little note cards or gift cards for Christmas?  These are so fun to make! Just cut some card stock 3" x 6", fold in half and then decorate with a few stamps, scraps, or punches!  Once you start you will hardly be able to stop!  Have fun!

 

Shelli Gardner's Christmas Ideas Using the Big Shot on TV in Utah!

Shelli Gardner, Cofounder and CEO of Stampin' Up! recently appeared on a local news TV show in Salt Lake City to demonstrate the Big Shot and Basket and Blooms die.  Wait until you see the clever way she used the Basket shape of the die and also incorporated the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit in the project.  The Simply Scrappin' Kits aren't just for scrapbooking anymore!  Enjoy!  I love watching these videos!

Don't forget......there is a Big Shot Gift Pack in the Holiday Gift-Giving Guide, which would also give you several FREE Decor Element pieces (each up to a $16.95 value) as a special.  AND in the 12 Days of Holiday Sales, from Dec. 11-22 only, you can purchase the Basket and Blooms Die on sale....as well as many other dies (you gotta have the Matchbox Die!).  You can even expedite your order for an extra charge!

Shelli Gardner on TODAY today!!

It was way too brief, but at least she was on there!!  Shelli Gardner, Cofounder and CEO of Stampin' Up!, appeared on the TODAY Show this morning for Stampin' Up!'s donation of stamping and papercrafting supplies to the Holiday Toy and Gift Drive.  Unfortunately, she had to share the spot with another contributor, and obviously the TODAY Show did not appreciate the talent and star power of Shelli Gardner!!  They really need to invite her back for a papercrafting segment on the show and find out what a spectacular person and company they had in their midst with Shelli and Stampin' Up!

Here is a link in case you missed it!  WATCH IT  

It's REALLY Snowing in Houston, TX!!!

The weather forecast was right!  The morning started out with rain and in a few hours you could see some snowflakes mixed in!  In another little while it was really coming down but not sticking.  About five minutes later after taking photos outside, it was sticking to the ground!  Just snowing to beat the band, as they used to say!!  And big flakes!  My son and I went out to do a couple of errands and everyone was so excited about the snow!  This may not seem like much but it is a BIG DEAL here in Houston!  Supposedly it will get even colder tonight with possibly more snow!  Here are some photos:

Just starting!

 

Hey, this is EXCITING!

 

Coming down a little more!

 

Starting to accumulate!!

 

 

 

 

Snow on the Razzleberry bushes!  So pretty!

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 

Good day to stay in, drink hot chocolate, and stamp a card!
 
 
 
 

 
 

Shelli Gardner on the TODAY SHOW....Fri. Dec.4th!!! Be Sure to Watch!!

Shelli Gardner will appear on NBC's TODAY Show on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009!  They say she will be on during the fourth hour of the show (the 10 AM hour on the East Coast).  Just to be safe, you probably better watch the whole show!!  :)   Stampin' Up! contributes to many charitable organizations worldwide, and since 2005 has been participating in the TODAY Show's Annual Holiday Toy and Gift Drive.  This year Stampin' Up! will be donating over $150,000 worth of stamping and paper crafting products.  You can read about Stampin' Up!'s charitable efforts HERE.

You can see the boxes of stamping supplies being packed for the donation HERE on Shelli's blog! She's planning to make gifts to take to the TODAY Show cast as well!  I wonder if they will appreciate how special they are!

This will be a very exciting event for all of Stampin' Up! and we can't wait to see Shelli on the TODAY Show tomorrow!  Hope you can watch!

It Might Snow....in Houston, TX!!!

Amazingly, the forecast for Houston tomorrow is for SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!  Now it might not ACTUALLY snow, but to even have mention of snow in Houston is beyond spectacular!  It even has been pretty chilly here the last couple of days, jacket weather if you're going to be outside for more than a few minutes, so it makes a forecast of snow a little bit believable.  Today the sun is shining but yesterday it was very cloudy at times, which made me feel like it could snow. Now the snow might not be any more than a few flakes falling as the rain changes to snow....or it might even be a couple of inches, some computer models say!  But two flakes would be exciting down here in the tropics!  Thus, I was inspired to make this card with one of my favorite stamp sets, Big on Christmas (#116578).  I used Soft Suede for the card base, Real Red for layers, and the beautiful Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (#116770) in the Holiday Mini.  The snowflake is made with the Jumbo Snowflake Punch (#116628) with a very small Clear Rhinestone Brad (#113144) in the center.  For a little extra dazzle I drew on some icicles with the Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive and then sprinkled with the White Chunky Essentials Stampin' Glitter (#108797).

 

CHRISTMAS DECOR ELEMENTS BLOCKS

These were so fun to make!  I was surprised how large these blocks were...3" x 3" x 3".  Just order the Decor Elements Blocks (Set of 4) #116829 in the Holiday Mini.  Yes, I ordered two sets so I could decorate five blocks!  I'll use the extras for another project!  I used Tombow Multipurpose Glue to cover the blocks with Designer Paper from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit #115696.  Then you just decorate all 4 sides (not the tops or bottoms, unless you make them very flat!) with other elements in the kit or anything else you want to put on them!  Once you get started you will find you become very creative!  You could do less decorating and attach photos to the blocks as well.  Wouldn't these make terrific Christmas gifts?!

And after the holidays, decorate more for any season or home decor!