Monthly Archives: September 2014

Only 24 Hours Left! Get On My List For The “12 Weeks of Christmas”!

12 Weeks of Christmas

Only 24 hours until my first “12 Weeks of Christmas” email goes out! What is the “12 Weeks of Christmas”? It’s an email every week, from me, with a holiday project that I hope you will like to give you ideas, complete instructions, and hopefully inspiration! Can you believe Christmas is only about 12 weeks away??! It’s my gift to my loyal mailing list subscribers!

The only thing is, if you are not on my Stamping With Karen Mailing List, you will not receive this special weekly email! Please don’t miss out!  If you are reading this blog post, then you must be attracted to my style and choice of projects, so I hope you will join my list. I send out a main email at the beginning of the month with the current Stampin’ Up! news and specials (and there are a few today!) and usually another mid-month as a reminder or update with any important news. Not only will you get the “12 Weeks of Christmas” emails as a special gift, you will receive a gift right away for joining my mailing list!  Be sure to watch for the Confirmation email that will come in moments and be sure to click the link inside or you won’t really be signed up.  That’s just good email practice so that my service provider knows that you really want the emails delivered to you.

You can sign up in the red box at the right top of my blog. Please do it now so you won’t miss a thing!!  Thanks for joining us!  Be sure to share with your friends.

Deals & Steals From Stampin’ Up!

Stamp Stock & Save Flyer

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World Card Making Day is October 4, 2014 and to celebrate, Stampin’ Up! is offering a ridiculous 15% off sale on certain products! From October 1-6, you will be able to purchase select ink paper, envelopes, and adhesive – all at a 15% discount!  Select stamps are 20% off! Check the flyer above!

Time to stock up, especially for the holidays!  How many envelopes do you need?  You know there is not another envelope like the Stampin’ Up! Whisper White ones! You can feel it when you get one in the mail!

Click the flyer above to read more clearly. Online orders must be placed by 11:50 pm MT on Monday, October 6. Get your order in tomorrow, October 1st, so you don’t forget and to avoid backorders hopefully!

Details:

  • Color families and Whisper White in the 8-1/2 X 11, along with Medium envelopes, will be offered at a 15% discount
  • Fast Fuse Adhesive and refill component will be offered at a 15% discount
  • All individual ink pads will be offered at a 15% discount
  • Limited offering in stamps will be available at a 20% discount

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals

New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals out today!  These deals are good September 30 – October 6.

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals Sept 30 2014

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Fun things on the deals this week!  Check them out!

Get any of these specials and other products at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE! Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

 

September Paper Pumpkin Kit

September Paper Pumpkin Kit Bags and Tags

I think this September Paper Pumpkin Kit has to be one of my favorites, maybe because I like Halloween so much! It’s fun to get the Paper Pumpkin red box in the mailbox and then see what is inside! And the kits have just gotten better and better over time!

Here’s what came in the box!

September Paper Pumpkin Kit

I love the Halloween photopolymer stamps that came in the kit!

And here is what all was wrapped up with the instructions!

September Paper Pumpkin Kit Contents

Plenty of stuff to make the kit as designed and a few extra tags and materials left over to make something else!

If you would like to get a Paper Pumpkin Kit in the mail every month, please sign up HERE at my Paper Pumpkin website!

And if you would like to add a subscription to your regular Stampin’ Up! order, you can choose from these options HERE.

Order your Paper Pumpkin Kit by October 10th – do it today so you will be on the list already!  No obligation, no risk. Cancel or pause you subscription any time, just make your choice by the 10th of any month!

The “12 Weeks of Christmas” Is Coming! Sign Up Today!

Festival of Trees Christmas Card

It’s time for my 12 Weeks of Christmas! What is the 12 Weeks of Christmas?? It’s a free gift for my Mailing List Subscribers! Each Wednesday, starting next week, October 1st, subscribers will receive an email containing a project idea for a holiday card, gift, tag or wrapping, along with all the directions to make it! These emails are ONLY for my Mailing List Subscribers so if you haven’t signed up to be on my list, please do it today! If you are already on my mailing list, no worries!  You are IN! You don’t need to do anything! But if you have a friend who also might enjoy weekly holiday projects, just have them sign up too!






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Getting these 12 Weeks of Christmas emails is really fun, so I hope you will join us! I choose projects that I think you will enjoy and can make easily. We’ll start with ideas for Christmas cards, then progress to gift ideas, and finally something to wrap them in, box them up in, or cute tags to make for your gifts.

These projects will NOT be on my blog or my Facebook page, so the only way you can get them is via my email list! I appreciate those who sign up for my mailing list and this is something special only for them. So if you have been visiting my blog, please sign up in the Mailing List Sign-Up Box in the upper right corner of my blog or in this post above! You get a free gift just for signing up!

***Remember, when you sign up you DO have to CONFIRM your subscription (just good email practice) so watch your email for a few minutes and see if that comes through.  Open and click on the link inside to confirm your subscription which gives us permission to send emails to you.  Be sure to complete this step so you will officially be on my list!

Go ahead! Sign up now! Less than a week until the first email goes out!

Please share this news with your friends! Hover over and click on the Facebook icon below or any of the social sharing buttons. Invite them to sign up for my mailing list so they receive every issue of the 12 Weeks of Christmas!

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals Banner

Be sure to check out the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for today, September 23 through Monday, September 29.Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Sept 23 2014

Also, check the Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack and see if there is something new you haven’t noticed before.  They added some new things last week.

And some new specials coming in October!  Stay tuned! Sign up for my Mailing List!

You can shop any time at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Work of Art Thank You Card

Work of Art Thank You Card

One of the favorite new stamp sets in the Stampin’ Up! catalog was Work Of Art, and here I used it for a thank you card for some of my customers. I chose an orange, a green, and a yellow color to make it more of a “fall” card! It’s so easy to stamp really any of the designs in the stamp set on your card, add a greeting of any kind and maybe an embellishment or two and you have a classy card made in a minute or two! The “Just For You” greeting comes in the stamp set. Just think of all of the occasions or reasons you could use that for in your card-making!

For a little pizzazz, I added some star sequins from the 2013-15 In Color Sequin AssortmentEven though they aren’t technically matching colors, they still work on the card, probably because of the shine.

This is a smaller square card (I probably made it 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″) with the Whisper White top layer popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals to make it look a little more elegant.

If you still need the Work of Art Stamp Set, you can choose Clear-mount or Wood-mount in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

Don’t forget, today is the last day to purchase any of the Weekly Deals that came out last Tuesday, Be sure to check everything in the left sidebar on the Shopping site so you won’t miss a thing!

Fall Wondrous Wreath Card

Fall Wondrous Wreath Card

We might all think the Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set is only for making Christmas cards, but that is absolutely not the only use we would have for it!  As you can see, the Wondrous Wreath can be made into a fall wreath card just as easily as a Christmas wreath. Simply stamp the wreath in a light fall color and then stamp the overlay leaf stamp in a darker fall color.

The greeting I took from the For All Things Stamp Set, but you could also use a Thanksgiving greeting. The bow I tied for the top of the wreath is the beautiful Tangelo Twist 3/8″ Satin Stitched Ribbon.

You could even stamp this wreath in light spring colors and have a spring wreath!

And if you want the matching framelits so you can cut out the wreath easily, be sure to order the Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Bundle.

All this and more you can find online at my Stampin’ Up! Store!

The Amazing Birthday Card – For A Husband

Amazing Birthday Card

I’m not bragging, this is the Amazing Birthday card!  It’s made with the Amazing Birthday Stamp set by Stampin’ Up! and it is going to my husband. This stamp set is so versatile, you can make it for anyone, you can use the stamps to decorate birthday party favors and make decorations like cupcake toppers.  I happened to choose Soft Suede and Pool Party, along with Whisper White, with a touch of Chocolate Chip thrown in. The background paper is from the In Color stack. Stamp the large greeting stamp a couple of times, cut out some of the words and then mount them with Stampin’ Dimensionals to make them pop on the card over the same greeting. The little star I just punched to put a little something in that space.  Notice I even stamped the corner of the envelope!

For this stamp set and more, check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Easy to Make Fall Grateful Card

Easy to Make Fall Grateful Card

If you are looking for an easy to make card for fall or Thanksgiving, this one fits the bill. I just grabbed a 4″ x 8″ piece of Soft Suede card stock, folded it in half to make a 4″ x 4″ card base, and stamped on a Whisper White layer. I used the For All Things Stamp Setwhich I just love! I inked up the little background stamp with Soft Suede but stamped it off on scrap paper before stamping on the card. That way I could stamp the bouquet of greenery right over it. I stamped it in Old Olive ink but then used a Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Write Marker to color the little ribbon on it. You could also adhere a little linen or Baker’s Twine bow if you like. The word “Grateful” comes from part of a stamp that I just colored the one word with the Old Olive Marker. Handy things, those Stampin’ Write Markers!

You could jazz up this card a little bit more – or I was thinking you could make it a little smaller and make place cards for your Thanksgiving table with it. I used to always love to make placecards for a nice dinner!

You can find the For All Things Stamp Set, paper, ink, markers, and coordinating paper all in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Be sure to check out all the categories in the left sidebar of the store! You don’t want to miss a thing!

To view the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog, just click HERE.

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals Sept. 16 – 22

Here are the new Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up!, good from September 16 through 22.

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Sept 16 2014

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Great things on the deals today! I’ve used my Gold 1/8″ Ribbon a lot already and it is not even Christmas yet – not that it is just for Christmas.  Gold is IN! Such a great accent for any project! Very cute updated heart punch in the Sweetheart Punch! Love the sayings in the Yippee-Skippee Stamp Set, (note that it is the wood-mount set on special) especially the first one “You Can Never Have Too Much Happy”. I’ve used this set often. The Label Card Thinlits Die – I have the Circle Card one but I use it a lot and love it. It easily makes a fancy fold card with your Big Shot.

Everything else is great, too, on the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Check them out!

Check out the New Arrivals also! These include the Yee-haw Photopolymer Stamp Set and the beautiful new You’re Wonderful Photopolymer Stamp Set.

And while you are ordering, check the Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack! There is Halloween designer paper and washi tape on there, plus numerous other products that can be used for all the upcoming holidays.

Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

Freaky Friends Halloween Treat Box

Freaky Friends Halloween Treat BoxIf you were wondering what I did with the Back To Black Designer Series Paper that I colored in with Blendabilities Markers yesterday, I made this Freaky Friends Halloween Treat Box! You can see the designer paper wrapped around the box which was originally just black and white until I colored in random dots with the markers. It was so much fun!

First of all, I had fun making the box itself with the new Gift Box Punch Board, now available in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. The top pieces lock together with the little slits you can punch in them with the Gift Box Punch Board, but they won’t stand up to a lot of wear and tear so try to put your gift or treat in there before hooking those together! You can make different sizes of boxes with the punch board. Be sure to watch the video below if you haven’t seen it yet or if you want a refresher, The board may seem confusing at first, but once you see the video and make a box, you won’t have any trouble.

The Frankenstein guy is stamped in Black Stazon from the Freaky Friends Stamp Set, also available in the Holiday Catalog. I colored in his face and legs with a green Stampin’ Write Marker.  I used the Labels Collection Framelits to cut him out and also the Tangelo Twist layer behind. I thought the layer needed something, so I just used one of my Project Life Journaling Pens to draw some squiggles and dots around the border. The little banner is stamped with a “Happy Halloween” greeting from the And Many More Stamp Set. This is a stamp set like the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set that is so useful making cards and other projects when you want just the right greeting.

And to finish off the cute little Freaky Friends Halloween Treat Box I just tied the Tangelo Twist 3/8″ Satin Ribbon around it!

Need any stamping or papercrafting supplies?  Just visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Don’t forget the Weekly Deals!!  Today is the last day for these!

Coloring In Back To Black Designer Series Paper

Coloring In Back To Black

You never know when just looking at a pack of paper might inspire a project, like with this Back To Black Designer Series Paper that I colored in with Blendabilities Markers. Funny how an idea can just jump out at you! I decided to use Halloween colors so I chose the Pumpkin PieDaffodil Delight, and Old Olive Blendabiltiies Markers. It’s just kind of fun to color in random dots here and there on the paper with various Blendabilties markers.  I had no pattern or system, just colored in here and there and then switched markers.  I wanted to leave some dots white also. You don’t even have to stay inside the lines because the background is black so it won’t show if you get outside the white shape!

Colored Back To Black

Coloring in the white designs on the Back To Black Designer Series Paper is fun and expands the ways you can use the paper. Besides, it is just fun!  Especially with Blendabilties Markers!

More Watercolor Winter Kit Christmas Cards

Watercolor Winter Kit Merry Christmas Card

The Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog really appealed to me after seeing some photos of the cards Demonstrators made at the Stampin’ Up! Convention. They are cute cards, but I found them a little bit more difficult to make than I expected. I think Stampin’ Up! could have done a little better job with the directions and they could have included color photos of  all the finished cards.  But you can look online or in the Holiday Catalog on page 37 to see the cards. The cards are not difficult to make, really, probably a little more detailed and tedious what with tiny pieces and waiting for the watercoloring to dry. If you are looking for super simple and quick, this kit is probably not for you. If you can handle taking some time and handling some small pieces and looking at another source to see what the cards are supposed to look like, then you might like making these cards just fine. You do get PLENTY of pieces of “stuff” in this kit so you can follow some or none of the directions and do your own thing. Or make some of the cards according to the kit directions and then branch out with your own ideas! Don’t forget the coordinating stamp set, also on page 37 of the Holiday Catalog, called Watercolor Winter Too.

As per the title of the kit, there is watercoloring involved with these cards!  A watercolor is even included. It’s best if you have some reinkers that match the cards so that you can add the reinker to a bit of water or use your Aqua Painter instead of the brush, to color the items in the kit, such as the letters on this card.  For these letters I chose to do the “ombre effect”.  Notice the gradation of shades from light to dark. Well, now that I look at the photo, I’m not sure the medium shade shows up, but however you want to do it, or however it turns out, is fine! It is easiest to color the letters while they are still attached and then you can pop them out when they are dry.

Here is the other card in the kit:

Watercolor Winter Kit Merry and Bright Card

On this card, I actually painted on those gray stripes going across the card front! They don’t have to be perfect (and aren’t!) because you are watercoloring!  Lots of room for imperfection and it still looks good!  Then you just stick on one of the vellum snowflakes that comes in the kit and add a few sequins. The small letters are watercolored on their sheet, but here is a twist!  Turn the piece containing the letters and other card die-cuts over to glue the linen thread to the back of the letters. Directions on that ARE included in the kit. Again, a little tedious, if you are not into that kind of thing, but it does work! I used Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue. You could also color the letters, punch them out and then just glue them onto the card. But they are small!

So if you are interested in this Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit, here is where you get it!

Be sure to watch this video so you can see what other supplies you need and see how they cards go together – and all the supplies you get in the kit! And let me know if you have any questions!

Lovely As A Tree Easy Fall Card

Lovely As a Tree Easy Fall Card

Using the classic stamp set Lovely As A Tree, I made this quick and easy fall card in just a couple of minutes with some stamping, watercoloring and sponging. Yesterday at the grocery store, the pumpkins were piled on display outside the door. I know fall is on its way, so this card is very timely!

If you don’t already own Lovely As A Tree, it should be on your next order. It’s just a go-to stamp set for many occasions and has been around for as long as I’ve been doing Stampin’ Up! I suspect there will be quite the uproar if it is ever retired someday. Everyone loves it.

I stamped the trees in Early Espresso ink and the leaves are colored with an Aqua Painter and fall colors like Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, and Tangerine Tango. Just squeeze the lid of the ink pad before you open it to get a pool of ink in the lid. Or put a drop or two of ink refill in the lid or on the plastic stamp case and pick up the ink from there with the Aqua Painter or a watercolor brush. Just randomly color in the trees and the grass with the ink. It’s fun and easy, no perfection required! You could also color in the sky the same way, but I took just a small piece of a Stamping Sponge and sponged on some Soft Sky ink and a little Basic Gray very lightly. The greeting is stamped from the set For All Things in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. Then it is just layered on Cajun Craze and Soft Sky card stock on the Old Olive card base.

This is an easy card to make, just change the greeting for a different occasion or color the leaves with greens if it is not fall. Lovely As A Tree is a must-have stamp set in your collection!

For any stamping supplies, just check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

 

Wondrous Wreath Joy Card

Wondrous Wreath Joy Card

The other day I stamped a Christmas card using the Wondrous Wreath stamp set just simply and easily. This card, however, is stepped up cutting out the Wondrous Wreath with the Wonderful Wreath Framelits Diesadding drops of Crystal Effects on the berries, some fancy 1/8″ Gold Ribbon for a bow, and die cut the word “Joy” (and the wreath hanger piece) from the Gold Foil Sheets. The greeting is stamped from the free set Good Greetings you can earn by placing your own order or having a party and gathering orders amounting to $300.

You can see the simpler Wondrous Wreath easy card HERE. You can see that whichever way you like to stamp, easy or fancier, you can make a beautiful card!

Watch this video from Stampin’ Up! for LOTS of tips about using the Wondrous Wreath stamp set and Wonderful Wreath Framelits.  Be sure to catch the one about cutting out the center of the wreath first!

For a better deal, if you want both the stamp set and framelits, purchase the Wondrous Wreath Bundle and save 15%. Place your order at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

DON’T FORGET!!!  Today, September 10th, is the last day to take advantage of the Paper Pumpkin promotion!  Get the first two months of Paper Pumpkin at 50% off (regular price $19.95 per month) when you sign up today and use the Promo Code HALFOFF2. This offer is for new subscribers only.

What is Paper Pumpkin anyway? It’s the monthly papercrafting kit (not just cards,not just projects) that comes to you in the mail in the fancy red box! Everything for the project is included, except adhesive. No need to design your own project (unless you want to!), get out supplies, HAVE supplies, spend all day making something (unless you want to!). It’s your treat, your creative escape! I think that is worth $10 a month for two months to TRY Paper Pumpkin. Be surprised! Have some fun! If it is not for you, just cancel, no obligation.  If you like it, but don’t want it every month, just “pause” your subscription whenever you like and then start up again.  Just make any changes for that month by the 10th of the month! That’s why you MUST SIGN UP TODAY because it is Sept.10th and the new kits will go out in a few days for this month!! Email me if you have any questions.

The Fine Print:

  • For new subscribers only.
  • Available for month-to-month subscriptions, not prepaid subscriptions.
  • Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month’s kit will go to the regular price: $19.95.
  • New subscribers must join by Wednesday, September 10, 2014; 11:50 PM (MT).

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY FOR 50% USING

PROMO CODE HALFOFF2. Click HERE!