Click To Shop!
New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for the week of August 26 – September 1! Some ribbon, framelits, a punch and embellishments, plus a cute My Digital Studio Digital Download! Check them all out HERE at my Online Store!
Click to Shop! Last Day!
Click for Details!
Want to be a part of Stampin’ Up! and start your own business? You become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator by purchasing the Starter Kit! The Stampin’ Up! Starter Kit is only $99 and you get to choose $150 worth of products, only until August 28 this week! Normally you get to choose $125 in product so you will get $25 extra if you sign up by August 28. It’s quick to do online; you’ll be a demonstrator in minutes! Choose your own products or click on suggestions from Stampin’ Up! Enjoy the perks of being a Demonstrator – a discount when you order, income when you sell to others, early preview of new products and catalogs, and more. Set your own goals and run your stamping business in a way that works for you.
Click to Shop!
Don’t miss out if you don’t own a Big Shot! Buy a Big Shot, Get a Bundle Free! And then buy more Bundles if you like for a 15% discount! I use my Big Shot all the time, don’t know what I did without one! You’ll enjoy having one, too! Buy a Big Shot, get a Bundle FREE, purchase another Bundle or other accessories to reach $150, then choose $25 in free product with Hostess Dollars!
It’s time to join my “Stamping With Karen” Newsletter mailing list! Don’t wait another minute! The holidays will soon be upon us, believe it or not, and receiving my monthly stamping newsletter plus my mid-month reminder is the best way for you to stay on top of the latest news and offerings from Stampin’ Up! plus get project ideas and inspiration with full supply lists and instructions. One of the best parts is (besides the FREE GIFT!) the upcoming 12 Weeks of Christmas emails you will receive from me, free of charge, if you are on my mailing list! Once we get to that point (I know, it CAN’T be time!!), I will send you a weekly email with a new project to make or use for inspiration, from cards to gift ideas to packaging ideas!
I know you don’t want to miss a single thing from Stampin’ Up! – and you know they have had more news, new products, specials recently than ever before! It’s hard to keep up!
Just fill out the Mailing List Sign-Up Box you see here on my blog, BE SURE to look for another email to confirm your subscription (be sure to click the link inside that email) and then you will receive the link to your FREE GIFT. That’s the way of the internet world so we are in compliance with sending you emails you have requested and not being a nuisance! It should arrive most likely within a few minutes, but if you don’t see it, try again or let me know. Be sure to check your spam folder or your other Gmail tabs just in case.
I’ll look forward to visiting with you with each email and sharing stamping ideas and news and tips!
Click to Find Out More!
It may be “Short & Sweet”, but you will love being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for a long time! Any day is a good day to sign up with Stampin’ Up!, but this short time, until Thursday, August 28, is your golden opportunity! To become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and start your own business, all it takes is purchasing the Starter Kit for only $99. Normally, for that $99 you will choose $125 in products, which is a good deal in itself! But this week, until August 28th, for that $99 you will choose $150 in products! You will also receive a business supply pack valued at $65.
Stampin’ Up! offers loads of resources to get you started with your business and I have over ten years experience as a demonstrator as well to help you. You don’t even have to be “creative” to run a profitable stamping business. Where else can you start your own business for only $99 and have so many options in how you want to go about it? Whether you just need a little extra cash or have a bigger goal in mind, there are opportunities for everyone in Stampin’ Up!
I suggest clicking the link below, visit the Stampin’ Up! website and click all the links to find out as much as you can. Then email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com with any questions you may have or if you want more information.
It only takes minutes to join online, and Stampin’ Up! will email you a password to enter the Demonstrator website where you will find all kinds of training and ideas and information!
The Festival of Trees Stamp Set is coming soon in the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog beginning Thursday, August 28. That’s less than a week away! Here is a simple card I made with the cute tree stamps in the set and the really cool Tree Punch! All will be revealed in the Holiday Catalog soon! It’s a Bundle so you’ll be able to save 15%! After kind of laying out the basic card, Soft Sky and Whisper White card stock on a Pear Pizzazz card base, I thought maybe it needed snow in the background. And I’m not usually the one who thinks up alternate uses for things, but today I thought of using the tree stamp that has just dots on it to make snow flakes randomly across the front of the card! I stamped with Versamark, turning the dotted tree stamp this way and that so each bunch wouldn’t look like a triangle. Then I embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder using the Heat Tool. It’s handy to use the Embossing Buddy to rub across your paper before applying the ink so that stray flakes of embossing powder don’t stick where you don’t want them.
This what the card looked like after I stamped with Versamark. The torn strips of Whisper White representing snow are sponged with Soft Sky ink.
The stamp sets in the Holiday Catalog often have good sentiments to put on the front AND on the inside of the card, so after stamping the greeting on the front of the card that comes in the stamp set, I also adhered a Whisper White layer inside the card and stamped the rest of the greeting inside the card. Then for a little extra decoration, I punched another tree out of the beautiful All Is Calm Designer Series Paper.
The Holiday Catalogs are arriving in mailboxes of customers this week, it seems! If you do not have a demonstrator and would like me to mail you a catalog, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com. The Festival of Trees stamp set is going to be a fun one to use on Christmas cards this holiday season!
Visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store any time, and especially beginning August 28 to see the online Holiday Catalog!
Only a week and a day until the Stampin’ Up! 2014 Holiday Catalog goes live and you’ll be able to make this Festival of Trees Christmas Tag yourself! If you are a customer of mine, your catalog is on its way or maybe you have already received it! The one I sent to myself came yesterday in the mail so yours shouldn’t be far behind. (Unless your mail carrier is reading it in the back room of the post office before she delivers it!)
Since I left on vacation right after my Holiday Catalog preorder arrived (a perk for Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators!), I haven’t had a chance to play with my new goodies – and didn’t want to tempt you too much when it wasn’t time for you to order anyway! So here is a little Christmas tag I made with the new Festival of Trees stamp set (#135059) and the new Tree Punch (#135856) (both available in a Bundle #137640 and you save 15%!). I started out planning to make a card, but came up with this tag instead, getting an idea from a tag in the Holiday Catalog.
The Kraft 12″ x 12″ Card Stock was punched first with the Tag Topper Scalloped Punch and then with the Tree Punch and a piece of the new All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper #135823 is adhered behind the punched tree area. I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to put the paper a little more behind the punched image. The greeting is stamped in Real Red from the Festival of Trees Stamp Set. The “To and From” is also in the stamp set! To jazz it up, I added some Rhinestone Jewels (and I could have colored them with my Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities Marker if I had thought of it beforehand!) Since I couldn’t find my new container of Frosted Sequins #135835, I used a star sequin from the In Color Sequin Assortment to top the tree. And for a finishing touch, I stamped a redbird from the same Festival of Trees stamp set, cut it out, and popped it up with a Dimensional scrap right on the side of the tree, The tag is tied with the new Gold 1/8″ Ribbon in the main catalog.
Enjoy the last days of summer because the holiday are upon us! But it is fun to have new holiday products with which to make easy and personalized tags, cards and more such as my Festival of Trees Christmas Tag.
Just had to share a beautiful handmade birthday card I received last week in St. Louis from my friend Jan using the stamp set Another Great Year. I almost always forget this stamp set is retired – I really like it and it seems like it should be current! She used some pieces of Back To Black Designer Series Paper on each side, non-SU baker’s twine around the top and glitter and glimmer for bling on the cupcakes. The main image is embossed with Black Stampin’ Emboss Powder. The little heart at the bottom is punched out with the word “friend” stamped on a paper behind it. Also, I love how she decorated the envelope with some stamping and coloring! We always say you shouldn’t send a naked envelope,although I have to admit sometimes I don’t take that extra second to do it or maybe I don’t think about it until the card is sealed in the envelope and sometimes that makes it too bulky to stamp on it and have the image come out clearly. Such a happy card, I think! Maybe you already own the stamp set or you can get an idea with some other current set we have.
Don’t forget: Last day for Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for August 12-18
If you don’t already own a Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, now is the time to get one with the August Big Shot & Bundles Offer. Buy a Big Shot and choose one of the select bundles free! And with this week’s Weekly Deals, you can purchase several items at a discount for the Big Shot and you’ll have lots to work with! Be sure to take advantage of it before you run out of time. Offer ends August 31.
Click to Shop!
Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for all your stamping needs!
This isn’t your usual stamping post, but I’m sure you creative types could take some artistic inspiration from Hello, Dolly! if you would like! While in St. Louis to visit family last week, we made pretty much a last minute decision to go to the Muny, an outdoor theater in Forest Park, to see Hello, Dolly! The Muny Opera is a summer treat for everyone in St. Louis. When I was in high school, I would meet a friend at a mall close to my house and we would ride the special Muny bus and watch a show. The last time I went was when I was dating my husband and thought an ultimate date would be to dress up to go to the Muny! I probably insisted he wear a suit and I know I wore a long dress I had made myself, back in the day when my friends and I sewed a lot of our own clothes. I remember it being so stifling hot and the fans only ran before and after the show and during intermission! Not a good night to be “dressed up” at the Muny! They even have free seats way in the back, if you want to get there early enough to snag one and have a good pair of binoculars!
My husband, his sister and her husband decided we would all go, especially after talking to my cousin who said it was one of the best shows she had seen. We bought tickets, stopped for dinner on the way, and arrived at the Muny with a couple of umbrellas and jackets “just in case” (although everyone knows that the best way to prevent rain is to take an umbrella!). It was cloudy and the temperature almost cool with the fans blowing and, the show started. After a little while, a few stray raindrops started falling and then more, and I pulled my jacket up over my head. Finally they stopped the show, saying they needed to dry the stage so the dancers would not get injured. In a few minutes, the rain stopped, we walked back to our seats from the side under a roof and the show restarted. It wasn’t too long until the sprinkles started again, and again they stopped the show, announced that the Weather Service said the rain would be out of the area in 10 minutes, they dried the stage and we took our seats again. My sister-in-law kept grabbing paper towels to dry off our seats each time we returned. As it turned out, it was nearly time for intermission, so again the show stopped because they had to “reset the stage” for the second half but they cut intermission short.
Great! Now we could finally watch the rest of the show! Just as they got to the big number where Dolly walks down the grand staircase during the “Hello, Dolly!” song, a few little raindrops began falling. Nobody moved,even as the rain continued to fall and the cast kept singing and dancing! I think they were determined to get through that big number no matter what and sang and danced their hearts out, even walking out on this narrow portion of the stage closer to the audience. By then it was pouring, but the audience stayed to watch and cheered them on and applauded. This time they had to call the show, but I think everyone in attendance had enjoyed the show so much up to that point and appreciated the effort of all the performers (there were umbrellas up in the orchestra pit!) that no one was upset that we didn’t get to see the rest of the show. I don’t think I’d ever been to the Muny when it got rained out so this was a first for me! I read later that the local marching band in the show, the O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers, stayed and played for the people exiting out the front of the theater, but we were parked in back. I was glad I had gotten to see them in the show earlier, though. It also got rained out the next night, so hopefully they will get in the last show of the season tonight!
I’m sure I will remember the rainy night at the Muny seeing Hello, Dolly! for a long time! You can even go to THIS LINK to view the Muny website and scroll down to see the audience full of umbrellas. If you are in St. Louis in the summer time, you might like to put seeing a show at The Muny on your itinerary! It’s a St. Louis institution!
It has been awhile since I used my Circle Card Thinlits Die and this birthday baseball card presented the perfect opportunity. This card copies a couple ideas I saw online in making a baseball card and I thought using the Thinlits Die so that it would open like this made it extra special. The Circle Card Thinlits Die makes it easy to make a card base as it does all the work for you! Then just decorate up a storm to make it into the card you want.
Here is what the card looks like on the inside when it is unfolded. The hardest part of this card is photographing it, not making it!
Here are some of the supplies you will need to make this card. You can find any of them in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!
With this card, I was still playing with the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack! I just need a small strip of it on the end of the card and choose to accent it with two narrow strips of card stock, Daffodil Delight and Island Indigo. I stamped the greeting on the front of the card using one of my favorite stamp sets, Four You. The flower is Daffodil Delight, stamped with the Mixed Bunch Stamp Set. The flower is stamped twice, this time in a different color, Lost Lagoon, so I could punch out the center portion with the 7/8″ Circle Scallop Punch and accented with a small Pearl Jewel. The leaves were just cut by hand from some scraps! Easy, sweet card to make!
Here are the new Weekly Stampin’ Up! Deals! Check them out in my Online Store!
These Weekly Deals are good through Monday, August 18. Don’t miss out!
Here is a new photopolymer stamp set, Yee-Haw, that was introduced at Stampin’ Up!’s convention, Inspire.Create.Share and I believe was a quite a hit! Now you can own it and go to town making some cute cards, scrapbook pages, gifts and other projects! What a great set for a child’s birthday party, an adult party, rodeo time, many occasions! I just remembered the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquets where we would have a theme and I shopped for weeks looking for party decorations, favors, invitations, etc. for that particular theme. That was before I was into stamping, and boy do I wish I have known about Stampin’ Up! back then! I could have had a ball stamping things for all the kids’ parties, school parties, invitations, Scouts, sports and more. I believe all young mommies should know what is available through Stampin’ Up! and all the creative ideas that are out there to use. So grab this new stamp set, Yee-Haw, while it is available and start enjoying making things with it!
Shop any time at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE! Check the “New Arrivals” for this Yee-Haw Stamp Set.
If you keep a package of these Chevron Tag a Bag Gift Bags on hand, you’ll always have something cute you can use for a small gift or even a gift card. Just put your gift or treat inside and decorate the front in any one of thousands of ways! On this gift bag I just made a tag and tied some Coastal Cabana Thick Baker’s Twine around the bag to keep it closed. The tag was cut with the Banners Framelits Dies. I added some strips of Retro Fresh This and That Washi Tape. The greeting is stamped with the Yippee-Skippee Stamp Set. I absolutely love that saying “You can never have too much happy”! Just makes you happy to read it! It is punched out with the 2″ Circle Punch and then layered on the 2 3/8″ Circle Scallop Punch. I love the Glimmer Paper so I punched out a little star from the Gold Glimmer Paper with the star in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.
The Chevron Tag a Bag Gift Bags are fun to have and use! You could even use them as an envelope or an envelope in a scrapbook. You can even turn this little flat sack into a little 3D bag! You can check my Facebook page to see how I made a bagalope out of a regular envelope. The same basic principles would apply! You can find them in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!
Check out these new digital downloads for My Digital Studio! You might notice you can get the Love Story Digital Project Life Cards and print out as many as you need! Instead of weekly, new downloads will come out monthly.
Today is the last day for Weekly Deals! Great day to buy some ink pads!!
Click on the link above or the photo for more information about the products. Let me know if you have any questions!
And of course, don’t forget about the Big Shot & Bundles opportunity! Buy a Big Shot, choose a free Bundle. Or if you have a Big Shot, purchase a Bundle (or more than one!) for 15% off. Check the Bundles and prices HERE in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.
It’s fun to just flip through the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack and choose a pattern that speaks to you! I had already found, in the package of In Color card stock, an already started card with some very bad stamping on it! “Somebody” was trying to stamp a pattern on the bottom of this card and didn’t get it lined up correctly at all! Since there are no mistakes in stamping, I found this pattern that coordinated with the Lost Lagoon card stock and covered the whole messed up area at the bottom of the card! No one will ever know, except you and me! Before adhering the patterned paper, I wrapped a piece of Lost Lagoon 3/8″ Satin Stitched Ribbon around the top of the piece and then tied the bow with a separate piece of ribbon. So much easier. It is attached with a couple of Glue Dots. Then what to do with the empty top area?? I decided on a flower from the Mixed Bunch Stamp Set, and thought this patterned flower went the best with the paper on the bottom. I used another stamp for the center, punched with the 3/4″ Circle Punch, popped up on a Stampin’ Dimensional, with a Rhinestone Jewel in the center for a little accent. The greeting is from the Something To Say Stamp Set. It is punched out with the Modern Label Punch and has two Rhinestones on it. I decided just a simple plain greeting was fine.
To find any of these supplies, just click HERE to go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!
Remember, if you are in Texas, today is the last day for the Sales Tax Holiday. Check my previous post about the items that are included in the holiday that you can order from Stampin’ Up!
Also, if you are interested in purchasing a Paper Pumpkin subscription, the kit that comes in the mail to you with a cute project inside, sign up today, August 10th, in order to receive the August kit! Use the promo code HALFOFF2 in order to get a discount of 50% for the first two months!! Regular price is $19.95, which includes shipping! This offer is for new subscribers only.
I’m glad the Texas state flag is easy to make with just red, white, and blue and a white star! Starting today, August 8, the Texas Sales Tax holiday will be in effect through August 10 to help parents save a few pennies with all the before-school-starts purchases! And when you are buying a lot of things, those 8 pennies on every dollar do add up.
To save a few shopping minutes, there are some items you can order directly from Stampin’ Up! that count as school supplies, as long as each item is priced under $100. You can spend more than $100 total but any item (like the full set of markers in a case) that costs more than $100 would not be eligible. You don’t have to have children in school in order to take advantage of the school supplies! Stock up on general items like adhesives, scissors, markers and pens while you can save a little bit of money, if you live in Texas! Even if you don’t have children in school, you never know. Some night your neighbor may call and ask if you have any glue for her child’s science fair project or report she just found out about!
Stampin’ Up! sent out a letter to Texas demonstrators to pass on to their customers:
“The state of Texas is having a sales tax holiday for school supplies up to $100 per item from August 8-10. States typically define School Supply as “any item normally used by students in a standard classroom for educational purposes.” Because school supply items are included in this sales tax holiday, the list of items below will be state tax-free during the holiday period. Please note that you must place your order with Stampin’ Up!® during the tax holiday period in order to receive these items tax-free. Also, keep in mind that this is a state sales tax holiday and may not apply to additional county, city and special jurisdiction taxes.”
The following items are tax-exempt during the Texas sales tax holiday:
· 2-Way Glue Pen (item 100425) $4.50
· Snail Adhesive (item 104332) $6.95
· Snail Adhesive Refill (item 104331) $4.50
· Sticky Strip (item 104294) $6.95
· Stampin’ Dimensionals (item 104430) $3.95
· Mini Glue Dots (item 103683) $4.95
· Paper Snips (item 103579) $9.95
· Craft & Paper Scissors (item 108360) $29.95
· Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen (item 105021) $3.95
· Blender Pens (item 102845) $9.95
· Stampin’ Write Markers (various item numbers) $3.50
· Subtles Stampin’ Write Markers (item 131263) $28.95
· Regals Stampin’ Write Markers (item 131262) $28.95
· Brights Stampin’ Write Markers (item 131259) $28.95
· Neutrals Stampin’ Write Markers (item 131261) $22.95
· Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive (item 110755) $3.95
· Anywhere Glue Sticks (item 104045) $3.95
· 2013-2015 In Color Stampin’ Write Markers (item 131260) $14.95
· 2014-2016 In Colors Stampin’ Write Markers (item 133654) $14.95
· · Project Life Journaling Pens (item 135304) $4.95
· Stampin” Dazzle markers gold and silver (item 133634 & 128978) $3.50 ea
· White Stampin’ Chalk Marker (Item 132133) $3.50
· Blendabilities Markers (Item all) $11.95 ea
· Blendabilities Skin Tone Assortment Markers (item 129370) $22.95
· Fringe Scissors (133325), $9.95
Note that the Blendabilities Markers are listed! Lots of good, basic supplies in this list that you will use all the time.
Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store this weekend during the Texas Sales Tax Holiday!
