Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

Stampin’ Up! Deals For You!

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Basic Black 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon
$6.75
Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Quantities at these prices are limited so don’t delay if you see something you want to order!  Lots of ribbon, for sure!  Think about the black for Halloween coming up, not to mention just some elegant looks with black on your projects! All of the Stitched Satin ribbons are beautiful!
Also, be sure to check the Clearance Rack for more bargains!
And don’t forget Paper Pumpkin!!  Take advantage of this special deal now through September 10th!
Paper Pumpkin 50 off July 2015

Click Here!

Offer Dates: July 23-September 10, 2015

Offer Details: Use the code HALFOFF to join Paper Pumpkin before September 10, 2015, and get 50% off the first two months! After that, keep the creativity coming for only $19.95 + tax per month (shipping included).

What Is Paper Pumpkin??  Each month a papercrafting kit arrives in your mailbox! Everything is included – stamps, ink, and paper – and is ready for you to put together. Follow the directions or do your own thing! Each month is a surprise! And once you are a subscriber, you can order any available past kits or refills. No obligation. Pause your subscription for a month or two if you want, and cancel any time if Paper Pumpkin is not for you. You can even order extra kits any month for gifts or for friends and family.

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.
  • Enter the Promo Code, HALFOFF when you sign up.
  • New subscribers must join by Thursday, September 10, 2015; 11:50 PM (MT).

Just contact me if you have any questions!  I love getting my Paper Pumpkin Kit each month!

Check out the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals and the other wonderful Stampin’ Up! products in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! 2015 Convention Highlights

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I’m back from ten days of vacation, but don’t quite have my feet back on the ground yet! After spending several days in St. Louis visiting family and a couple friends and eating some of our favorite foods, we went to beautiful Michigan for several days visiting very kind friends who invited us to experience summer there and stay at their lake house. This was our second visit because we loved it so much the first time! Besides the beautiful, relaxing views of their smaller lake, Lake Michigan was stunning, having colors of blues just like the ocean! The scenery was beautiful, lots of interesting wineries, cute small towns along the way, and water everywhere!

While I was away, though, Stampin’ Up! was holding their convention in Salt Lake City. Obviously I wasn’t there this year, but I have attended many previous years and always thought it was one of the most fun things I have ever experienced! What could be more fun than to be with thousands of people who enjoy the same craft you do and be inspired by the presentations on stage of new products, creative ideas, displays of phenomenal projects by Stampin’ Up! employees and Demonstrators!

While I catch up on life again and recent Stampin’ Up! news, I am posting this video of Stampin’  Up! Convention 2015 highlights! It opens with Demonstrators visiting the Home Office in Riverton, Utah. You can get a taste throughout the video of the culture of Stampin’ Up! and the fun of being a Demonstrator! And maybe you will decide to join the Stampin’ Up! family and be a Demonstrator, too!

This was a unique year, with Shelli Gardner, Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!, not in attendance as she and her husband are serving a mission in Hawaii for a year. But her daughter Sara Douglass, from accounts I have seen, served admirably in her place. So that is who you see on stage rather than Shelli!

Click HERE to read about joining the fun and then let me know if you have any questions!

Great Deals for Papercrafters!

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Paper Pumpkin 50 off July 2015

A great deal is back for Paper Pumpkin, the Stampin’ Up! papercrafting kit that comes to you in the mail once a month! New subscribers can sign up for 50% off the first two months.  Use Promo Code:  HALFOFF .

Join Paper Pumpkin and receive a kit in the mail.  Follow the directions and watch the video to see how to make your project!  If you want to make something completely different or even just a little bit different, you can!  With your first kit, you will receive a clear block to use with your stamps. New stamps included and an ink spot. Everything you need except maybe adhesive.

No obligation!  You can try it and pause your subscription any month or cancel if you must.  But it is a treat to receive that bright box in the mail, just for you!  Or give as a gift to someone! Call some friends and get together to make your kits!

To join Paper Pumpkin, just click HERE to go to my Paper Pumpkin site.  Read more about it and sign up! Let me know if you have any questions. The kits are not always cards, it’s always a surprise!

PLUS:  Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 21 – 27. Supplies at this price are limited and will go back to regular price. See something you want?  Order it soon!

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal July 21 2015

Click on the link or photo above to go to my store and see the Weekly Deals page in regular size!

Have fun shopping for Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals and try out the Paper Pumpkin 50% off deal if you are a new subscriber!

Watercolor Words Watercolor Wash Card

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Watercolor Words Watercolor Wash Card

On this super simple card, it’s all about the watercolor! Watercolor Wash for the background and Watercolor Words for the stamping and greeting! Use the new Whisper White Thick Cardstock and you don’t even need any layers of cardstock.  The new thick Whisper White is great just by itself for the card base!

The Watercolor Wash is a background stamp. Lay the stamp face up on the table and ink up with the ink pad. Then place the card you are going to stamp on top of the Watercolor Wash (certainly doesn’t have to be exact with this design). Best to place a scrap piece of computer paper over the card and then rub to make sure you are getting the impression of the stamp on the card. Putting the scrap paper over it will keep your fingers clean!

Then choose some colors that will stand out from the background to stamp some flowers, hearts, or stars from the Watercolor Words Stamp Set and a greeting. Couldn’t be easier! It’s fun to just do some basic stamping and turn out a masterpiece!

To embellish the card more if you wanted, you could tie a ribbon around, or twine, to match. Add some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Stamp the flowers on Whisper White scrap, cut out and adhere with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  But if you want to keep it simple, it will be a nice card to send as is!

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals that end tonight!

Watercolor is in right now, so choose some watercolor stamps and you’ll look like an artist in minutes!  Try the Watercolor Wash background and the Watercolor Words Stamp Set for a simple handmade card!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Crystal Effects Water Drops

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Crystal Effects Water Drops

This is a portion of a card I made with the Gift From the Garden Stamp Set. The sprinkling can and the flower stems come from this stamp set but the water drops are a stamp from the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set. In order to make the water drops look real, I put dabs of Crystal Effects on the water drops. They are wet in this photo and I tried to draw them out a little bit to look more like a drop of water.  Then dry, the Crystal Effects will be clear.

Crystal Effects can be used as an adhesive or as a glossy, lacquer finish to objects. It gives a raised, embossed look to stamped images. There are actually many techniques you can use with Crystal Effects.

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals!  These are good through Monday night, July 20.

Weekly Deal July 14

For fun papercrafting shopping, just visit the Stampin’ Up! Online Store this weekend!

Pink Marker Colored Dahlia Card

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Pink Marker Colored Dahlia Card

The Definitely Dahlia Stamp is almost as big as the card front, which makes for very simple cardmaking!  Just stamp it and add a greeting or embellishment and you’re done. I tried this before on another dahlia card but this time I made the colors really different, like Pink Pirouette and Rose Red. Instead of stamping on an ink pad, I colored rather randomly with Stampin’ Write Markers to try to get a shaded look with this stamp. I actually missed some spots on the flower and then tried to color in (not a good idea), but overall I think it still looks pretty good. The greeting is from the new stamp set Watercolor Words. For a little embellishment I added some Venetian Crochet Trim tied around the front of the card.

If you want to  try the Definitely Dahlia Stamp, available in wood- or clear-mount, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

June Paper Pumpkin Card From a Friend

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June Paper Pumpkin Card

Today we got a pile of mail, maybe they have been hoarding it at the post office! You may recognize this as a Stampin’ Up! Paper Pumpkin card from the June 2015 kit.  Can you imagine how pleased I was to find a personal card in the stack and not just bills and credit card applications and solicitations of all sorts?! This card was from my college friend Sally, who lived across the hall in my dorm. By our fourth year we were roommates in an apartment and have remained in touch all these years. Sally has always been good about sending cards in the mail, but I think she has stepped up her game recently to help keep the post office going! We all need to be doing that because there is nothing like a note from a friend, especially these days when we mostly communicate by email and text messages.

This was her first Paper Pumpkin kit and she said she enjoyed it. Unlike some of us (me!) she said she has already sent out half her cards. I’m sure those recipients enjoyed finding a real card in the mailbox as much as I did!

With Paper Pumpkin you can make the card exactly as suggested by Stampin’ Up! in the directions or you can branch out and do whatever you want with the supplies. Each kit includes a stamp set and Stampin’ Spot for ink.

If you join Paper Pumpkin now through August 10th you will be signed up in time to receive the August kit in the mail. It is always a surprise what papercrafting project we will receive!

Just click HERE to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and see how much fun it is to get that red box in your mail! You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. Hopefully you will enjoy some crafting time when your kit arrives and feel like you have given yourself a gift!

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deal July 14 2015

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Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal July 14 2015
Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 14 – Monday July 20. Click the link or photo above to view in the Store.  If you see something you really want, better grab it because once a quantity sells out, that deal is gone. Also check the Clearance Rack for any new things they might add. Honestly, I can’t remember what was on there before each time I look at it, so just remember to check when you are ordering to see if there are any bargains on there that you want!

The Color Me Irresistible Designer Paper is on the Weekly Deals.  This is similar to the embossed paper that was free during Sale-A-Bration but BETTER because you also get paper that is already colored. Use the white paper plain or color it with sponging or spritzing or whatever method you like!  You also might really like the other designer papers available on the “deals” as well as the new pearls, washi tape and sequins, plus twine for embellishing.  And if you like an easy way to make gift boxes, then the discounted Gift Box Punch Board is for you!

The Watercolor Wishes Card Kit was not available until this month, and now it is so popular that it is nearly on backorder. If you are thinking about ordering this kit, I would do it today! More kits are on the way but there might be a backorder situation for a little while,   unfortunately. It really is a cute kit and easy to make some beautiful cards! AND a very nice stamp set comes with it! What a deal! You can see it displayed on page 80 of the Stampin’ Up! Catalog. Order several kits (if they are available) and get your friends together for a cardmaking day or evening! And the stamp set is one you will be able to use a lot!

Have fun choosing or get it all!! Check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for the Weekly Deals, the Clearance Rack, the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit, and all the other Stampin’ Up! goodies!

Mini Muslin Gift Bag Stamped

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Muslin Gift Bag

Talk about a quick and easy stamping project! You can’t beat this Mini Muslin Stamped Gift Bag!  Keep some of these Mini Muslin Gift Bags on hand and when you have a small gift that will fit inside, make a unique packaging by stamping or otherwise decorating the front of the muslin bag.

You never know where inspiration will come from, and in this case, it came from a Christmas magazine I was about to throw out! I saw some little bags that looked like this one that held dark chocolate pecans (Yum!) and the printing on the front reminded me of our stamp set Big News. So I got out my Mini Muslin Gift Bags, slipped a piece of cardboard inside to give a stiffer surface on which to stamp and to prevent the ink from going through, just in case. I chose this sentiment from Big News and stamped using Stazon Ink. I also added the little heart in the stamp set.  I thought about coloring it in, but decided I liked the look of just the ink and no color. Then just add your gift inside! If it is food, I would put it in a cello bag first. There could not be a faster way to decorate a gift bag!!!

There are even more packaging supplies and ideas in the Stampin’ Up! Catalog! Check them out! And if you don’t have a Demonstrator and need a catalog, please contact me and I will send you a catalog.

Today is the last day for the current Weekly Deals!  Check them out as well as the Clearance Rack to add to your order.

Shop HERE at the Stampin’ Up! Online Store if you need  the Mini Muslin Gift Bags to keep in your stash! They do come in handy!

Cottage Greetings Card Kit

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One of the new Stampin’ Up! Card Kits is called Cottage Greetings. You can make 15 cards, 5 each of 3 designs, with the kit. You’ll want to add the stamp set Cottage Greetings available in wood- or clear-mount. It’s a lovely stamp set, whether or not you buy the kit.  You can use it easily without the kit so don’t worry you won’t get your money’s worth out of it! I love the font and the sayings.

Check out the video and find out all about the Cottage Greetings Card Kit. If you want to order it and the stamp set, just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. It’s a fun and easy way to get a stack of cards made!

Gift From the Garden Card

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Gift From the Garden Card

This is the first card I’ve made with the new stamp set Gift From the Garden. I saw a gift set of cards and things that Stampin’ Up! posted one day by a UK demonstrator and decided to get the stamp set. So cute! I haven’t started on the gift set yet but here’s my first card.  Very easy! Use the marker technique to color the flower pots and the plants separately, breathe on the stamp to remoisten and then stamp. I layered with matching colors, Cajun Craze and Wild Wasabi and adhered to the Sahara Sand card base. The greeting is stamped in Cajun Craze ink and comes in the set, of course.  I think the flower pot stamp is cute in itself so I placed it in the photo!
SU Gift From the Garden Gift Box

I love this cute gift set!  Maybe it is the colors! If you have a gardener in your life, maybe you need this Gift From the Garden stamp set!  Place your order today!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Give Yourself the Gift of Paper Pumpkin! Why not?!

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Paper Pumpkin EscapeIf you are interested in a Stampin’ Up! papercrafting kit that comes to you in the mail once a month, just click here on my Paper Pumpkin page for more information and to join!  Paper Pumpkin would love to have you, and if you join by tomorrow your first kit will go out in another week! Join by July 10th!

Your first kit comes with a clear block to use with the included stamps.  You also receive an ink spot to use in the kit and sometimes even adhesive. Each month the kit is a surprise so it is not always cards, for better or worse. We have also had kits that made gift bags, albums, a framed picture, and other projects. Each kit comes with instructions and a link to a video to see how to assemble the kit. After that you are free to do what you want with the kit! Make everything exactly how Stampin’ Up! shows you or put your own spin on it and use extra materials if you like. Whatever you want to do! After a few days of everyone getting their kits, there will most likely be alternate ideas online that you can copy if you want.

No risk, no obligation.  Try it for a month and if it doesn’t suit you, just cancel.  Too busy or going on vacation?  Just “pause” your subscription that month. You can go into your account any time and set it how it works for you. Just let them know by the 10th of any month if you want to “pause” or “cancel”. That’s why I suggest you sign up today because everyone signed up by July 10th will receive the July kit that goes out around the 15th.

Once you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you can go check out the past kits and whichever ones are available you can purchase along with your regular Stampin’ Up! order.

Paper Pumpkin kits make great gifts as well!  Order more than one and gift one or sit down with your friend or loved one and make your kits together!

If you go to www.paperpumpkin.com please choose me as your Demonstrator or just click HERE to go directly to my personal Paper Pumpkin page.

OR if you prefer, if you are placing a Stampin’ Up! order and want to add to it, just order the prepaid Paper Pumpkin Subscriptions for any length you prefer. Order a subscription for a gift and you will get an email from Stampin’ Up! with a code to pass on to the gift recipient for them to use to activate their account.

Paper Pumpkin Box

Definitely Dahlia Thank You Card

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Definitely Dahlia Thank You Card

If you want to make a simple, easy handmade card, then try this Definitely Dahlia Thank You Card. Stamp the card, stamp the greeting, done and beautiful!  The beautiful Definitely Dahlia single stamp will do all the work for you! It is one big stamp, as you can see, and I am sure there are lots of possibilities for colors and creativity. Apparently dahlias come in lots of colors so there is lots of leeway in stamping your flower!

The Definitely Dahlia stamp comes in clear-mount or wood-mount.  My personal preference is wood-mount for large stamps like these and also background stamps. I like having that large stamp already mounted on the wood and I think it is sturdier for stamping a large area like that. Plus the stamp itself, this one, is decorative just as a stamp to set on your shelf!

The card base is Daffodil Delight card stock and the dahlia is stamped on Whisper White with Daffodil Delight ink.  The greeting is from the new stamp set One Big Meaning.  This stamp set contains all kinds of “Thank You’s” and we can all make use of those! The greeting is stamped with Memento Ink.

If you wanted to jazz up this simple card, you could certainly do that with ribbon, with a little bit of glitter and maybe the greeting on a banner or other die-cut shape. Stamp the dahlia on another paper and cut it out and make it a pop up on the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Lots of possibilities!

Shop Online at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals July 7 2015

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Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal July 7 2015

Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 7 through Monday, July 13. Remember, these products will only be available at these prices while supplies last.  Last week two of the items sold out the first day. There are more items so it is harder to get one big picture to post here!  Just click the link or the photo to go to the store page where you can see each product and get the information!

Also check the Clearance Rack before you finalize your order, just in case you find a bargain you want!

Something new on the Online Store:  Project Ideas from Stampin’ Up! in the left sidebar!  Click on that link when you are in the store (or the photo below!) to see some of the catalog projects and the materials you need for them.

Online Store Home Page Screenshot

Today is July 7th so if you would like to join Paper Pumpkin and get the July kit in your mailbox in just a little over a week, be sure to subscribe HERE on my page! If you would like to add a month or more to your regular Stampin’ Up! order, you can get a prepaid subscription HERE.

Paper Pumpkin Box

Red Mailbox for Mailing List Sign UpAre you on my Mailing List??  If you are reading this blog post, or any of my other ones, I would love to have you sign up for my Mailing List to receive my monthly newsletter plus one other mid-month with the latest Stampin’ Up! news and offers plus exclusive projects you won’t find on my blog or Facebook Page. Occasionally I send out an extra email if there is BIG NEWS or something urgent I wouldn’t want you to miss.  But you won’t be bombarded by emails from me! Just sign up in the box in the top right or the pop up box and you will receive a FREE gift! Do it today so you will be set to get my July newsletter soon!

Coloring For Adults – “You’ve Got This” Flower Card

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You've Got This Flower Card

In the Sunday paper, I read an article about how coloring for adults is really a craze right now. Apparently there are all kinds of coloring books for grown-ups out there. The author described coloring as “transporting” because she was just concentrating on the page and what she was doing, not her worries and problems. While that is nice, we stampers have known that for a long time! When we sit down and stamp a card or project or get together in a class with other stampers, life tends to take a backseat and we can relax and just enjoy the creative experience. We often call it stamping therapy or say that all our stamping supplies are “cheaper than therapy”! We don’t even need to spend money on coloring books for grown-ups because we can just stamp an outline image, such as this flower from the You’ve Got This Stamp Set, and be “transported” while we color away!

The only trick to this card is masking.  Stamp the flower on the Whisper White card stock with black Stazon or Memento Ink (I didn’t have any trouble with the Memento ink even though it is not waterproof like Stazon). Then stamp it again on computer paper and cut out with Paper Snips (believe me, they make “fussy cutting” so much easier than other scissors). This cut out flower becomes the “mask”.  Lay it over the stamped image (good to apply dots of 2-Way Glue and let dry so it will be like a post-it note to hold it in place) and then stamp that background right over the mask and the flower! The mask will protect the flower image from the background ink. Remove the mask and then color in! If you are still using your Blendabilities, this flower is perfect for them.  Otherwise, use the Stampin’ Write Markers, in different shades if you like. Use Watercolor Paper and you can really work the coloring without making the paper pill.

You've Got This Flower Card Unmasked

The card base on this sample is Melon Mambo, the layer Blushing Bride. To color in the flower I used Pink PIrouette as the lightest color, Blushing Bride and thought I was using Melon Mambo for a few dark accents but it turned out to be Rose Red!  All Stampin’ Write Markers. The flower stem colors are a couple of greens, Wild Wasabi and Old Olive. The background ink color is Blushing Bride.

If you prefer not to color in, stamp the flower image, then stamp right over it without a mask, with the background image and your flower will automatically be colored in! Looks great that way also!

So if you would like to join the adult coloring craze, just stamp the “You’ve Got This” flower and color! Use Stampin’ Write Markers or use Blender Pens or the Aqua Painter. You have all kinds of choices. Just relax and enjoy the process! In the end you’ll have a lovely work of art!

To get your stamp set and coloring mediums, just shop online at Stampin’ Up! Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals, too!