Monthly Archives: June 2013

Quotes and Sayings About Fathers for Father’s Day

A Saying about a DadFather’s Day is this weekend and I thought you might enjoy or be inspired by some sayings and quotes I found about fathers. I hope you will take some time to make a card for your father, grandfather, or husband and/or help your children make something special for their dad.  Make a scrapbook page or a mini album.  Decorate a picture frame. Make a gift bag for Dad. This is why we all have our stamps, ink and paper!  Let’s take the time to use them.  It’s faster than going to the card shop!

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Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. — Anne Geddes

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” — Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

The greatest gift I ever had came from God; I call him Dad! — Author Unknown

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. — Unknown

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. — Author Unknown

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~ Mark Twain

A good father is one of the most unsung, upraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. ~ Billy Graham

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. – Bill Cosby

“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” – William Shakespeare

Lovely As a Tree Father’s Day Card

Lovely As a Tree Father's Day Card

Father’s Day is Sunday so time is running out to make that special man in your life a handmade Father’s Day card. As I looked over my current stamp sets, I remembered that Lovely As A Tree is ALWAYS a good set to use for a masculine card. I decided to keep this card extremely simple, and you probably have this stamp set in your collection (and if you don’t, you need to order Lovely As a Tree right away!).  The card base is Soft Suede and the Whisper White strip is layered over a piece of Pear Pizzazz.  I had planned on the ribbon being lower on the card, but when I accidentally place it right at the base of the Whisper White, I liked it very well right there. This is the 7/16″ Natural Trim Ribbon and it has a burlap look to it. I really like it and thought it was perfect on this card. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (another big favorite of mine!), punched out with the Word Window Punch and layered on the Modern Label Punch (should I say again, all favorites of mine?!)

Thumping Technique

To color in the trees, I decided to use the Thumping Technique. I selected three green Stampin’ Write Markers and colored in the leafy part of the trees and the grass on the stamp with the lightest color green. Then I picked up the next darker marker and held it so I could just “thump” the markers in spots on the trees…here, there and everywhere.  Do the same with the darkest green.  Then I took the Soft Suede marker and colored in the trunks of the trees and some of the branches.  It doesn’t matter that you are going over the green because the brown is darker. When I thought I had the stamp covered enough in the marker, I breathed on it real well or re-moisten the ink and stamped.  That’s how you get that variegated look to the leaves!

Have fun making a nice Father’s Day card for your father, your husband, your uncle, maybe your son….whoever in your life deserves a handmade card from you!

 

New My Digitial Studio Downloads

Yesterday Stampin’ Up! released several new downloads for My Digital Studio.  It’s always fun to check on Tuesdays and see what they have come up with! Click HERE to see the PDF with all the details about these new downloads or click on each image to view them in my Online Store.

Hash It Out Greeting Card Digital Kit

Hash It Out Greeting Card Digital Kit

Summer Possibilities Digital Download

Summer Possibilities Digital Download

Label It Stamp Brush Set

Label It Stamp Brush Set

Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper

Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper

Don’t forget!  There is a download and printing sale going on with less than a week remaining! Check it out HERE!   Click one of the buttons below to share!

A Father’s Day Card Idea

Chalk Talk Father's Day Card

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16th so we should all be thinking about making a Father’s Day card. Here is a Father’s Day card idea I came up with using a greeting from the new Chalk Talk Stamp Set.  And you won’t believe the designer paper I used for the background! It’s a pattern from Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper!!  Who would think you would find a suitable male pattern in a pack of Gingham Garden paper?! But the backs of the flowery papers have patterns like this one to use for a variety of projects!

The card base is Crumb Cake.  The darker brown is Soft Suede. The banner is cut out with the Apothecary Accents Framelits Die.  If you don’t own that die, you could use a rectangle and two small circles adhered to the sides. The cute little buttons, which I think just “make” this card are from the Naturals Designer Buttons and tied with a little bit of Linen Thread.

The greeting is from the new stamp set Chalk Talk. It’s a generic greeting that can be used in so many ways so I think it can be used for a Father’s Day card from a child, a step-child, a wife to her husband, maybe even a niece or nephew to a favorite uncle; anyone special in your life.

If you are interested in the Chalk Talk stamp set, be sure to notice you can purchase the stamp set (wood or clear) and the matching Chalk Talk Framelits DIes as a Bundle and save 15%!! You use the Framelits with the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine to cut out those shapes.

And for the inside of the card, I added a Whisper White layer and a little designer paper. The Father’s Day greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (a must-have set, if you ask me!) By the way, a stamp set like this, with small stamps, I prefer to own in the wood-mount. Just a little easier to handle and clean.

Chalk Talk Father's Day Card Idea

For all of your stamping needs, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store here.

 

Sign Up Day for Stampin’ Up!’s Monthly Kit

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin Kit

Click image above to sign up for Paper Pumpkin!

Today is June 10th and the 10th of the month is the day you want to be sure you are signed up if you would like to participate in the monthly subscription kit in the mail from Stampin’ Up! called Paper Pumpkin. Sign up today to start your subscription and receive your first kit when kits are mailed around June 15th. Once you are signed up, you don’t have to sign up again.  You can sign up anytime (or modify or cancel your subscription) but if you want it to take effect in this current month, you always need to do it by the 10th of the month….otherwise you have to wait until the next month!  And who wants to do that?!

Paper Pumpkin probably is not designed for the super-stamper/super-crafter (unless you just like to receive a surprise in the mail!). Each month Stampin’ Up! sends a surprise project with all the supplies included except adhesive.  The projects are designed to be quick and easy and a beginner or inexperienced stamper can do them! You can see the very first kit on the website which comes with a free clear block that you will use with future kits for stamping. After that, each kit is a surprise!  I can’t wait to get the next one!

There is no risk, no obligation.  You can cancel, or just pause, your subscription at any time.  Just remember to make that change by the 10th of any month.

If you would like to order a Paper Pumpkin monthly subscription starting this month, go to this link right away and put in your information.  The price of $19.95 includes shipping the kit to you. It’s all very cute!  I’m sure you will love it!

Join Paper Pumpkin today!

 

Gift-Wrapping with Stampin’ Up! Washi Tape

Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape Birthday Tag and Gift

Now that Stampin’ Up! sells washi tape, we will find lots of ways to use it. You can easily decorate a Kraft Gift Box with strips of our new Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape. It’s even repositionable, so I was able to lift one part up and put one strip underneath on the top of the box. You could also wrap the tape around the sides of the box or add matching designer paper.

The birthday tag is made by just snipping off the top corners of a scrap of Whisper White card stock.  I added some strips of Gingham Garden Washi Tape to the bottom of the tag.  Since you usually just tear washi tape, I let the lengths be longer than the tag by just a bit and then trimmed off the excess with my Paper Snips on each side.  Washi tape is translucent so keep that in mind when you are deciding on what colors of paper to use.  The surface you stick the tape to will show through somewhat.

To decorate the hole of the tag, I just punched a small scallop with the 7/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, adhered it to the tag, and then used a regular hole punch to punch the hole for the tag. To tie on the tag, I used the Daffodil Delight 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain RibbonYou could hand write your greeting or your “To” and “From” on the tag or stamp something, or both!  I stamped a birthday greeting from Bring on the Cake in Island Indigo, one of the coordinating colors of the Gingham Garden Washi Tape.

If you want to try out some of the new Stamping’ Up! Washi Tape, just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store here.

Mixed Bunch Flower Birthday Card

Mixed Bunch Flower Birthday Card

There are many places to get inspiration for our stamping, and for Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators, one of them is our Stampin’ Up! publication called Stampin’ Success. This card I made is pretty much like one in my magazine. I changed the center of the flower because I didn’t have the same stamp set they used, and I used a different color of Baker’s Twine to wrap around the card layer.

The base of the card is made with one of our new In Colors, Coastal Cabana, and the front layer is Whisper White. The sizes are different than our usual cards. The card base starts at 6 1/2″ x 6 1/4″ and folded in half to become 6 1/4″ long by 3 1/4″ wide. (If you want to make it a little easier for yourself without remembering all those numbers, cut a 6″ x 6″ square of card stock for the card base and fold in half!) Before adhering the Whisper White layer, I adhered three separate strings of Baker’s Twine (I used retired Pool Party) to the card stock on the back to save those extra inches I would have used wrapping around.  You can do it either way.  Then I just tied the bow to the center string.

The flowers are stamped with the Mixed Bunch stamp set and Coastal Cabana ink and punched out with the Blossom Punch.  I punched out two flowers so I could layer them and slightly curled the top flower with my Bone Folder to give it some dimension. For the flower center, I stamped the “For You” image from A Round Array twice–once in Coastal Cabana and once in Crisp Cantaloupe.  I used the 1/2″ Circle Punch to punch out the words in Crisp Cantaloupe and used the new 7/8″ Scallop Circle Punch to punch out the whole image in Coastal Cabana. Then I just layered the words on top of the scallop with a tiny Stampin’ Dimensional (part of one). You can layer whichever parts you want with dimensionals or just adhere them together in a flat fashion. The scallop is layered on top of a 1″ Delightful Daffodil circle. I made two little strips of Crisp Cantaloupe card stock and cut the ends like flags and stuck them underneath the flower for a little contrast.  The greeting is from Bring On the Cake but of course, you could use any number of greetings.  For the center of the flower you could place a button or other embellishment instead of the words.

This is a good basic card that you can modify for any number of occasions!

Here are some other ideas you could do:

  • Use ribbon instead of the Baker’s Twine.
  • Turn the card sideways, putting the flower on one side and stamp a greeting on the other side.
  • Stamp a flower or other image and wrap the Baker’s Twine or ribbon around the base of the layer.

If you need any stamping supplies to make cards like this one, please shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store here.

2013-14 Stampin’ Up! Catalog Now Available on Google Catalogs

Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog 2013-14

Click on catalog image above

The 2013-2014 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog is available now on Google Catalogs! It’s interactive, it’s easy—and it’s compatible with both iPad and Android tablets in the US.

Here are the directions from Stampin’ Up! for accessing the catalog:

  • Download the Google Catalog app (available through iTunes and Google Play).
  • Sign in using your Google or Gmail account. If you don’t have a Google account, you can create one by tapping the sign up button in the app.
  • After you have signed in, search for “Stampin’ Up!”by tapping the small magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen.
  • Open the catalog by tapping the cover.
  • Add the 2013-2014 catalog to your favorites by tapping the small heart icon at the top of the screen. You can also favorite specific pages by tapping the heart icon on that page.
  • Subscribe to Stampin’ Up! By tapping the small postage stamp icon next to “Stampin’ Up!” at the top of the screen. Once you’ve subscribed, Google Catalogs will notify you every time we publish a new catalog!

Cool Features:

  • Browse the catalog with ease on your tablet.
  • Get more information, see additional images (beyond what is available in the catalog), and zoom in on your favorite products.
  • Watch videos from our YouTube channel and link to more information on our website right inside the app!

To shop for any Stampin’ Up! products, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

If you don’t have a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and would like a copy of the catalog to hold in your hands, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com with your contact information. Sometimes online is handy and sometimes looking at a catalog in person is better!  Let me know!

 

Dress Up Birthday Card

Dress Up Birthday Card

Now that my daughter has received her birthday card, I can post it here.  The paper is retired now, but most things are current for you to make your own card like this. The Dress Up Framelits are so fun to use! Just cut out a dress in whatever paper you like, maybe cut two and then have a different top and bottom to your dress, or even a jacket! Almost like playing with paper dolls!

Use the Oval Collection Framelits to die cut a background.  I used the birthday stamp from Petite Pairs for the greeting.  This stamp set is on sale now in the Grab Your Greetings offer for 25% off.  Be sure to check it out because it is a good sentiment stamp set to own.  The other two choices are good ones, also.

The Real Red border at the top and bottom of the retired designer paper is punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.  What I love about this punch is you can show just the tiny scallops on the edge or you can show the dotted part, so versatile!

If you would like to own the Dress Up Framelits and make oh so many cute projects with them, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store here to place your order.

Gingham Garden All-Occasion Card

Out of the selection of designer series paper I was allowed to purchase during my demonstrator preorder from the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog, the Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper was my favorite! I’m so glad to be finished with the retirement lists and just start working on new stuff! Plus I have a new camera for taking pictures of my cards and projects for my blog so I am having to learn how to use it and get the photos off!  Always a learning curve!

Here is my new card made with Melon Mambo card stock and two patterns from Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper.

Gingham Garden All-Occasions Card

I did a lot of fun things on this card!  The button (Very Vintage Buttons) in the middle of the flower started out plain.  Since I already had some Melon Mambo Embossing Powder, I decided to try embossing the button!  I put some Glue Dots on the back of the button so I could hold it from the back with my long tweezers.  You could use anything you had.  I dipped it onto a Versamark Ink Pad and then embossed with the embossing powder and Heat Tool!  I like the way it turned out!The very center didn’t pick up any Versamark but that is covered with the Baker’s Twine bow.

Embossing Button

Melon Mambo Embossed Button

Melon Mambo Embossed Button

To make the flower (since I couldn’t find my Paper Daisies!), I punched three Whisper White flowers with the Blossom Punch and snipped the petals with my Paper Snips. The layers are glued together and the flower adhere with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  There is half of a Tea Lace Paper Doily stuck in behind the flower.

The greeting is stamped on Whisper White and also on Melon Mambo card stock and punched out with the new Artisan Punch. Then I used my Paper Snips again to cut out just the greeting portion and adhered that to the Melon Mambo piece with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

If you need any of these or other stamping supplies,please shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

Last Day To Get Your Favorite Retiring Stampin’ Up! Products!

Today is the LAST DAY to order any of the retiring stamps or accessories from Stampin’ Up! This is the first time we’ve had the overlap of being able to order retiring Stampin’ Up! products and brand new catalog products at the same time!  So if you have procrastinated through the whole retirement period or if you have one more thought about something you have to have, today is the day!  Today is your last chance!  Don’t wait until the last minute tonight!

RETIRING STAMPS

RETIRING ACCESSORIES

Some retiring accessories are offered at big discounts!  Available while supplies last!

Please place your order before 11:50 pm MT today! Or email me with your order at Karen@KarenStamps.com and I can put it in for you.

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online right here!

Take a look at the new Stampin’ Up! 2013-14 Annual Catalog!

Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog 2013-14

You can combine retiring and brand new products all on the same order! Just visit my Online Store and you’ll be able to easily place your order and get these great products on the way to you!

New Stampin’ Up! Magnetic Platform

What’s the first thing I wanted to put on my first order out of the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog? The Magnetic Platform!  It is used with the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine to hold the framelits and edgelits when cutting those shapes.  No need for Post-It Notes to hold the framelits in place so they don’t move while going through the Big Shot!  I think it will be especially useful for the edgelits which cut beautiful edges but are very difficult to line up, even with Post-Its.

I know you will enjoy this video from Stampin’ Up! about the Magnetic Platform, and if you own the Big Shot you will definitely want to put this on your list!

http://youtu.be/WJyA37sYkQc

If you haven’t already glanced at the new Stampin’ Up! Annual 2013-14 Catalog, you can view it here!  If you don’t have a demonstrator and would like your own copy to hold in your hands, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com with your contact information and I will be happy to mail one to you.

Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog 2013-14

 View it as a Flipbook

View it as a PDF

Stampin’ Supplies for the Samples

Order Today from my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!  Get your new products as soon as possible!

If you would like to share the news of the new Stampin’ Up! catalog with your friends, just hover over the Facebook button below and when it pops up, just click on it!

The Day After the New Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog

Was yesterday an exciting day or what with the release of the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog?!  And unusual in that we could still order retiring products and from the Spring Catalog even with the new catalog being out!  I’m sorry to say the Spring Catalog is now over with, but you can finish up any ordering over the weekend and through Monday of any retiring products and stamp sets, while supplies last. So you can have old and new on the same order! Don’t forget the Clearance Rack, too, if you are placing an online order.

The new Spanish-language catalog is also available!  It’s Celebrando Creatividad!

Celebrando Creatividad

Click the catalog above to view!

There is a new photopolymer stamp set (the completely clear stamps) available called Wanderlust.

Wanderlust_photopolymer_June0113_US

Click to view PDF

Click HERE to order this stamp set online.

And one more thing:  If you have My Digital Studio, the next time you connect to the internet, you will get all seven new colors for MDS!

  • Baked Brown Sugar
  • Coastal Cabana
  • Crisp Cantaloupe
  • Pistachio Pudding
  • Smoky Slate
  • Soft Sky
  • Strawberry Slush

Want to shop the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog?  Just go to my Online Store HERE to see all the merchandise OR go HERE to view the new catalog.