Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

Easter Bonnet with Lace Trim

Easter Parade

In your easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the easter parade.
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow in the easter parade.
On the avenue, fifth avenue, the photographers will snap us,
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your easter bonnet,
And of the girl I'm taking to the easter parade.

—Irving Berlin

Doesn't that song just take you back to another time? When I was a little girl ladies always wore hats to church. I always had a new hat, white gloves, dress, shoes, and maybe a coat for Easter Sunday. I still remember getting into my grandma's closet and looking at her boxes of hats. Now some of them are in my closet as a keepsake.

To make your own representation of an Easter bonnet with lace trim, just find or make your own template for the hat and cut on folded cardstock. Just place your template a little above the folded line so you won't cut it. I ran this hat through the Lattice embossing folder to give it the look of a spring straw hat. Originally I planned on some Melon Mambo flowers, but then I went for a simpler look with some Crochet Trim lace, a Vanilla Rosette, some leaves punched with the Bird Punch and a few pearls along the band! Make yourself an Easter bonnet and see what you come up with!

Paisley Petals Birthday Card

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Birthday card, anniversary card, sympathy card, thinking of you card…..I think you could use this little card for any occasion just by changing the sentiment. The Baja Breeze card base is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" and layered with Cherry Cobbler and Tangerine Tango. I was a little concerned how those colors would look together, but I like them with this paper! The paper, of course, is the new sneak peek Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper available now during the Spring Is Blossoming Promotion. The Four Frames stamp set and the Paisley Petals DSP will be available in the new Stampin' Up! catalog in July, but you can purchase it now, only during April….or you'll have to wait until July! This paper is too pretty to wait THAT long!

The Baja Breeze card is actually photographed on top of another sheet of the Paisley Petals paper so you can see more.

Shop my Online Store today to take advantage of this offer! And be sure to check out the Clearance Rack for some great deals!

Robots on a Birthday Card

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Robots make a great birthday card….at least these robots do in the stamp set Lots of Bots #115293! There they are, ready with their gifts, balloons and party hats! Although I no longer had little boys in the house when this stamp set came out, my big boy was working on a robotics project at college so I had to purchase this set! I'm glad I did because it has always been fun to make a card with it! I also added some "metal" pieces, punched with the Cog Punch #118873 out of Brushed Silver and Basic Black card stock. I'm sure some of those pieces were used to make the robots!! The metal Hodgepodge Hardware adds a nice metallic touch to the card as well. And the fun Spiral Border Punch #119872 adds some interest. Perhaps it was laziness or lack of time, but after I stamped the robots, I decided to leave them blank with the thought that whatever child received this might like to color them in himself!

I got the idea for this card from another demonstrator named Taunya on our Stampin' Up! website called "Stampin' Connection". It's a place for demonstrators to share samples and have discussions in forums and exchange ideas. So if you would like to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, don't think you have to have natural-born creativity! Stampin' Up! provides plenty of ideas and resources for projects and running your business! If you are interested in finding out about the business opportunity with Stampin' Up!, please click HERE to get some information. And then email me if you want additional information or have questions. You can sign up online in minutes to start your business and all the fun you will have as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

If Only You Could Smell These…

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Confederate Star Jasmine! We have this area in our front yard next to the driveway and they are in full bloom right now! Funny thing is, you don't really smell their fragrance when you are standing right by them! But walk down the driveway to the back of the house and wow, what a beautiful smell! It must get caught in a pocket or something in between our house, our neighbor's and our garage! I wish you could scratch and sniff these photos!!

I hope you are having as beautiful a spring day as we are here in Houston! It doesn't get much nicer than this!

Papercrafting: A Paper Purse

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Isn't this paper purse cute from the outside using the Top Note die #113463 on top and the Love Letter Designer Series Paper #117162 plus a big red button from the Candy Cane buttons that were in the Holiday Mini Catalog. I hope they put all these new Big Designer Buttons in the next catalog!

And when you open the purse, you'll see this:

It's cute as is, but when you open it you have a small explosion album! You can add photos and embellishments inside or package a small gift inside. The purse is made with a 12"x12" piece of card stock.

If you need any of our wonderful Stampin' Up! paper and supplies, please order from my Online Store or email me. Remember, the Spring Is Blossoming special sneak peek is going on! After you spend $20, you can add this sneak peek to your order….only until April 30th! Don't miss it! You'll LOVE both the Four Frames Stamp Set and the Paisley Petals designer paper!

Beveled Windowpane Necklace

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These beveled windowpane necklaces are so much fun to make! The Beveled Windowpanes are acrylic frames to layer over your creation, whether project like this or to highlight a stamped image on a card or scrapbook page. All you need are a package of the Stampin' Up! Beveled Windowpanes #121881 in the Occasions Mini, some designer paper or stamps, ribbon and whatever embellishments you want to add. Here is one I made for a gift, although since it had a "K" on it and my favorite color red, it was kind of hard to let it go!

You can see on this necklace that I used the Love Letter Designer Series Paper #117162 and stamped the initial with the Lovely Letters Alphabet (a must have!) #115030. One layer of paper is punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch #118402 and the red flower is made with one of the punches in the Itty Bitty Punch Pack #118309. The only difficult part of this project is inserting a Hobby Blade #102449 through the little side slits in the windowpane in order to slice through the paper underneath if you want to put some ribbon through. The ribbon is our gorgeous Stampin' Up! 3/8" Taffeta Very Vanilla #109071. For a finishing touch you can adhere a little Vanilla Rosette #118774.

Be sure to check out the Occasions Mini Catalog because it ends April 30! And amazingly April is half over already! You won't want to miss any of the great products in this catalog!

Space: Past and Present

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Space….just the word conjures up all kinds of images in our mind. It might be the infinity of outer space or the adventure of space travel or the heroism of our astronauts.

Today, as it turns out, is a big day in space history. You may have noticed the Google image today is designed to commemorate the first man in space back in 1961, Yuri Gagarin. He was from Russia and made an orbit around the earth in his Vostok 1 spacecraft fifty years ago today.

We also celebrate the space shuttle today. Thirty years ago today John Young and Robert Crippen went up for the first time in the space shuttle Columbia, orbited the earth for 54 hours and returned to earth April 14th.

But here in Houston, Texas today we were more than disappointed to learn that we would not be receiving one of the four retired space shuttles. Houston has been at the forefront of the space program since NASA's Johnson Space Center was built. It houses Mission Control and is where the astronauts train. After all, weren't the most famous words uttered from space "Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed," when men first landed on the moon?

So to acknowledge the anniversaries celebrated today, I made this easel card with the spacecraft from Pun Fun #115054. You can find a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers here to make an easel card. I chose to use the Big Shot Scallop Circle die #113468. The inner circle layers I cut out with my Circle Scissors Plus #112530 and the Glass Mat #112531. The Circle Scissors Plus is wonderful because you can cut any size circle you need.

Try the Easel card! It's easy and yet very showy!

Shop my Online Store for your stamping and papercrafting supplies!

Easter Eggs the Stampin’ Up! Paper Way!

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Easter eggs are fun to make, especially when you use beautiful Stampin' Up! paper! These eggs are very simple to make and a great way to use up some paper scraps. I used the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper #121782 for this one and some 1/8" Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon #119257. Get out your Extra-Large Oval Punch #119859 and some adhesive and you're ready to go!

I simply punched lots of ovals from the Springtime Vintage paper and folded in hang lengthwise with my bone folder. Then you just glue one side of an oval to the side of the next oval. I put about nine ovals together. You can do whatever number you like. Before you glue the last sides together, insert your ribbon as far to the center as you can so you will have something to hang the egg by….if that is what you want. They would also look cute as a bunch of eggs all sitting in a bowl or basket.

Have fun making some cute Easter decorations with these paper eggs! If you have any questions, just ask!

Shop for your papercrafting supplies at my Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! Spring Is Blossoming Sample Card

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Here is a sample card made by Stampin' Up! with the new Four Frames stamp set and the new Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper. This stamp set and paper are sneak peeks of new products that will be in the next new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog when it comes out in July. During April is your chance to have these brand new products before everyone else (well, almost everyone else!!). After April 30th you will have to wait until July 1st when the catalog comes out. This paper is so beautiful you won't want to wait that long! And isn't it exciting to have something new ahead of time?!

Check here to see how to get these new products! If you hostess a workshop, you may even earn them for free! Contact me soon!

When you are ready to place your order (and don't forget to check the Clearance Rack!!!), just click HERE to go to my Online Store.

Promotion details: Spring is Blossoming with Sneak Peek products from the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. You can get these brand-new products in one of two ways:

Spend $20* on any Stampin' Up! products and become eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.
Host a $350* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE!

*Net sales before tax and shipping

Item	Description	Price
125735	Four Frames Wood-Mount Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper	FREE with qualifying workshop!
125736	Four Frames Clear-Mount Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper	FREE with qualifying workshop!

A Paper Bag Easter Basket

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This is a fun and easy project, maybe even a fun craft idea for kids. Just take a regular paper bag, a lunch bag, and cut as you see in the photo below. Decorate the front and back of the remaining bottom of the bag however you like.

I adhered a piece of the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper #121782 to the front and back of the basket, and cut out a flower pattern from the paper and adhered that for an embellishment. Add a little glitter as I did! You could also cover the handle with paper before glueing together.

Use your basket for an Easter basket, Easter decoration or just a spring decoration! Just have fun making it!

Let me know if you have any questions or need help ordering supplies.

Easter: Fun Handmade Card

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Easter is fast approaching, especially if you want to make some homemade cards to send to friends and family. Here is one I had SO much fun making! In fact, maybe I had too much fun…sometimes you have to know when to stop! But I love this Easter card!

First I used the Big Shot to cut a basket with the Baskets & Blooms Die #113484. It really cuts two and you can put them together to make a 3D basket…but I just wanted a flat one for this card. I also embossed the die cut with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder #119976 to make it look more like a basket-weave. To fit on my card a little better, I cut off the flap on one side of the basket and then scored 1/2" on both sides to fold back. That way I could attach the basket to the card with Sticky Strip and still have an opening at the top. To make the chick and the eggs in the basket I used my cute set "A Good Egg" #114974. The eggs are first punched out with the Extra-Large Oval Punch #119859. The small eggs in the grass are just punched out of designer paper and card stock with the smallest Oval Punch #119863, some cut in half to make then shorter.

Let me know if you have any questions…..and if you need any supplies for Easter cards, just put in your order at my Online Store! And don't forget to check the Clearance Rack while you are there!

Stampin’ Up! Opportunity Calls

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Interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in the Hispanic market? Join Sandra from the home office on any Wednesday for a 15-minute phone call to discuss Stampin' Up!'s history and philosophy, our products, and the unique opportunities that exist for demonstrators in the Hispanic market. You'll be able to ask questions, and there might even be a special incentive offer made to call participants!

The calls are held every Wednesday in both English and Spanish:

11:00 AM (MT) for English
4:00 PM (MT) for Spanish

To participate, simply call 877-787-7226 (toll free) at the appropriate time.

Notice the times are Mountain Time (MT), which is Stampin' Up! time in Utah, so please make adjustments for your time zone!

It's always a great time to start your own Stampin' Up! business!! Check here for more information before or after the call!

Grab Yourself a Grab Bag!

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Wow! The Grab Bags are going fast! Here is an update from Stampin' Up!:

As announced on April 1, for a limited time we are offering $5, $10, and $15 grab bags on Demonstrator and Online orders. So far, many people have taken advantage of this offer–so many in fact that the $15 grab bags are already sold out. In order to keep a $15 option available, we’re now kitting together a $10 and a $5 grab bag to fulfill $15 grab bag orders. The value of the products you will receive is unchanged.

Whether you are interested in a Grab Bag or not, you should definitely check the Clearance Rack for some great deals!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Gift Wrapping with Stampin’ Up!

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Here are some more examples of easy ways to gift wrap with Stampin' Up! All these Big Shot flower dies are quite addicting! Just die cut a bunch of flowers, emboss some of them for extra pizzazz, and you've got the makings of a lovely gift wrap idea!

Here are some vanilla flowers cut with the Fun Flowers Die #121812 in the Occasions Mini and embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder #120175.

I very lightly sponged some ink on each layer of the flower and adhered them together with dimensionals. It looked okay but I wondered if I should not have done the sponging….but THEN I curled the tips of the flower petals with my bone folder and that was just the WOW it needed! There's often just one more little thing to do that really makes you satisfied with your project! And of course I added a little pearl to the center.

And as I did the other day in THIS post, I made a simple belly band around the gift box and adhered my flower to the top! Can't you just imagine making these flowers for a wedding gift or on a wedding gift bag…or a wedding card?! I think it would be beautiful!!

Here's a Daffodil Delight flower embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder #117335 with a button in the center!

And one more flower gift wrap decoration made with the Daisies #2 Flower Die #114520.

You don't even need gift wrap for packages. Just use tissue paper and decorate with your Stampin' Up! flower dies! This is a great gift wrap idea and will save you a last minute trip to the store for wrapping paper and ribbon!

If you need any of these wonderful flower dies for your Big Shot, please check them out at my Online Store.

Ice Cream Sundae Birthday

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Apparently, April 3 is the 119th Anniversary of the first documented Ice Cream Sundae, according to Google. Who would have guessed there is such controversy over the history of the ice cream sundae, as several different cities claim to be the first to have invented it! Whether you want to believe that it was because the selling of soda water was prohibited on Sunday so just the remaining ice cream and syrup led to the invention of the ice cream sundae, or whether a customer asked for some syrup on top of the ice cream and perhaps a cherry, or any of the other versions out there led to the naming and birth of the ice cream sundae, I think we can all agree it is certainly a tasty treat!

In honor of the Ice Cream Sundae, here is my digital version, made with My Digital Studio! I assure you, all the scoops are made with Blue Bell Ice Cream, my favorite!

If you already own My Digital Studio (good for you!) there is a new update from Stampin' Up! you will want to take advantage of! Open the program, click the "Help" button and then select "Check for Updates". This is a free update and it is the best one yet! It does take awhile to download because there is lots of new content! And did I say it is FREE?!

For more information about My Digital Studio, click HERE! Really! Do it now! There is so much to check out!

Stamping With Karen

Having Fun With Paper, Ink, and Stamps

Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

Easter Bonnet with Lace Trim

Paisley Petals Birthday Card

Robots on a Birthday Card

If Only You Could Smell These…

Papercrafting: A Paper Purse

Beveled Windowpane Necklace

Space: Past and Present

Easter Eggs the Stampin’ Up! Paper Way!

Stampin’ Up! Spring Is Blossoming Sample Card

A Paper Bag Easter Basket

Easter: Fun Handmade Card

Stampin’ Up! Opportunity Calls

Grab Yourself a Grab Bag!

Gift Wrapping with Stampin’ Up!

Ice Cream Sundae Birthday