Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

They Say It Is Fall

Doesn't feel much like it here in Houston, TX! The temperatures, however, are a bit cooler than they have been, and I'm sure the colored leaves will be at peak in December!! It might get down into the 80's over the weekend. Probably due to rain!

So to get myself in the fall mood, I decided to do another digital scrapbook page from our trip to New England last fall. These colored leaves and gorgeous scenery sure say fall to me!

Read more about My Digital Studio HERE. Maybe you will want to have as much fun as I am having using My Digital Studio!

Using a Crop-A-Dile

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Would you rather punch these tags 100 times with a small hand punch or would you rather punch these tags 25 times (four at a time) with ease with a Stampin' Up! Crop-A-Dile (#108362)? Maybe you aren't going to have 100 tags to punch at a time very often, but every now and then something might come up where you do have a quantity or even just a thicker paper to punch through. The Crop-A-Dile has two sizes of holes and does it so smoothly and easily! It's not just for setting eyelets! It's a great tool to have on hand! Just made my task easier!

Stamp set: Felicidades Siempre (Spanish Catalog) #115722

Paper: Concord Crush, Whisper White card stock

Ink: Concord Crush Classic Ink Pad

New My Digital Studio Downloads!!

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They just keep coming!! Whether you have (or want to purchase!) My Digital Studio by Stampin' Up!, a digital papercrafting solution, or you have another digital program, here are the latest new downloads from Stampin' Up!

Item Description Image Price

123200

To the Nines Designer Series Paper

$4.95

121434

Typewriter Numbers Stamp Brush Set

$5.95 121435 Timeless Stamp Brush Set $3.95 122161 Word Window Punch $0.95 121436 Favorite Thoughts Stamp Brush Set $1.95 121437 In a Word Stamp Brush Set $3.95

Just go to my Demonstrator Website and click on the Shop Now button! Then click on "Digital Crafting" on the left and then "Newest Downloads".

You don't have to be a big digital scrapbooker to get lots of use from My Digital Studio! Need some designer paper? Just print some out! Need a sentiment you don't have in a stamp? Print it out from My Digital Studio! Need a card? Just make one in My Digital Studio! Send it digitally to share if you don't want to print and mail!

Get My Digital Studio software #118108 by ordering at my website HERE and clicking the Shop Now button!

New Stampin’ Up! Recruits Get Free Craft Tote!

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Don't forget this special offer for recruiting during September 2010 and until October 18, 2010 (or while supplies last!). Buy your Starter Kit, become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, and you will receive this fantastic craft tote we demos were able to purchase at Convention this summer. Everyone was CRAZY about it! You can pack so many stamping and scrapbooking supplies in it!

Your life can be so enriched by being a part of Stampin' Up! whether you want to work diligently and build a highly successful business or whether you need some extra money in this economy to pay your expenses or those extras we all want. And of course besides the financial aspects, there is the joy of meeting new customers, meeting other demonstrators, working at a job that is so much FUN, and being a part of a company as wonderful and well-respected as Stampin' Up!

If you say you're not creative, just click HERE! Stampin' Up! will not leave you hanging!

Stampin’ Up! Glass Glitter

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I wanted a tiny little something with the new Silver Glass Glitter #120995 in the Holiday Mini so this is what I came up with…..just a quick, easy little thing!

I used my Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker to ink up just the "Merry" part of the stamp in Bright Christmas, page 22 in the Holiday Mini, then punched out with the Oval Extra-Large Punch #119859. I also punched out an oval from some scrap card stock to adhere later to the back. To adhere the Glass Glitter I applied Tombow Multipurpose Glue around the edge of the oval and sprinkled on the glitter like usual. A little Tinsel Trim #120994 in the Holiday Mini makes a cute little loop for hanging.

To see any of our Stampin' Up! catalogs, just click HERE.

Now go make yourself a simple little Christmas ornament or tag!

Scallop Baby Carriage Card

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After seeing these cards around, I finally tried making one! Just use your Big Shot and Scallop Circle Die #113468! Use a piece of card stock or designer paper (I used a retired paper). Actually I used Whisper White for the card base and also the designer paper so I would have a white inside. Cut your paper twice as large as the scallop on the die and fold in half. Place the fold just inside the scallop edge, omitting about 4 scallops. When you do it, you'll see. After the scallop is cut, you will need to make your own template, but basically you are just going to cut into the middle of the scallop from the open edge and cut out a section to make it look like a baby carriage. Then decorate away!

My Digital Studio Photo Page

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In continuing to work on digital scrapbook pages of our recent Colorado trip with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! I decided to try something I had seen demonstrated. I used one of my photos as the background paper for the page! You just put a photo box over the entire page and insert your photo! Then I changed the opacity to 80% to make it look lighter so I could add a couple photos on top. Where I placed the text is an element from "Write Stuff" in the program….I sized it how I wanted it and then placed a text box over it with my journaling.

There are new videos that I mentioned last week from Stampin' Up! to introduce you to using My Digital Studio. Just click HERE to go to the page to learn more about My Digital Studio. If you would like to see the videos, just click on the link on that page in the left column.

Shopping for Shoes

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I've been absent from posting for a few days because I have been busy shopping for shoes for the wedding…mainly so that I can go get my dress hemmed, if necessary. It's not an easy task and one I have always hated. Even though I might like new shoes just fine, my foot is a lousy fit. It's rare that I try on a pair of shoes and think, "Wow! These feel great!" And now, to be shopping for dress shoes, especially FANCY dress shoes, well, it has just been miserable!!

So in honor of the endless shoe shopping, here is a card with shoes on it!

This stamp set, Things I Love, was one we received a year ago at the Stampin' Up! Convention. There is also a stamp of a piece of chocolate in the set, but I didn't think a black piece of chocolate would look that good…even though I probably love chocolate more than I love shoes!

The lighting isn't very good, but there is some bling on this card! I added some black glitter to the shopping bag with Tombow Multipurpose Glue (just push the teeny sprinkles back in to the image with your fingernail to make sharper edges) and the shoes each have a Rhinestone on them as well as the heart. And it is so fun to punch out a little heart with the Small Heart Punch!

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Stamps: Things I Love #115229

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Basic Black, Regal Rose

Ink: Black Stazon

Accessories: Small Heart Punch #117193, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates #114512, Scallop Trim Border Punch #118402, Black Chunky Essentials Glitter #108797, 1/8" Black Taffeta Ribbon #119261, Basic Rhinestones #119246

Yes, I did buy a pair of silver shoes that look lovely and hopefully I can wear them long enough to get through the ceremony and get photos taken….now if I can just convince my feet of that!

Wrap Your Packages with Fabric!

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I just gave myself another idea as I wrote the title….but we'll stick with my original idea first! After seeing wrapped packages at Convention with fabric trim, I decided to try my own sample. Stampin' Up! at one time sold a roll of plain white heavyweight wrapping paper and it was great! They also sold a striped and polka dot wrapping paper, also great. So if you ever see Stampin' Up! selling wrapping paper again, grab some because it is good quality! I think it is useful to have plain white wrapping paper on hand because you can stamp on it or decorate with ribbons and trim anyway you want, and then you don't have to have multiple rolls of wrapping paper taking up space for every occasion. And now with the new Stampin' Up! fabric, you can add an additional trim to your arsenal…..or even wrap the whole box in a piece of fabric (which is what I thought of as I was writing the title!)…..by using fabric.

In this sample, I cut a strip of the new Candy Cane Christmas Fabric #121715 in the Holiday Mini and die cut it with the new Tasteful Trim Die #120893 on the Big Shot #113439. If you had lots of packages to wrap, you could cut multiples of this trim at one time on the Big Shot, making your task quicker and easier. Just wrap your package with white paper and trim with the new Stampin' Up! fabric!

And then I tried making a little ribbon flower out of one of the other fabrics in the set to decorate and added a little Glimmer Brad #119740 to the center.

You could even put a pin back on the back of the flower so the gift recipient could remove it and wear it!

Be sure to check out the Holiday Mini Catalog for these beautiful new fabrics!

More Halloween from Convention!

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Here are a few more photos from Halloween projects presented on stage at the Stampin' Up! Convention this summer! Hover your mouse over the photo to see the main materials used. Click on the photo to enlarge! Enjoy!

Spray paint the house and sprinkle on glitter! Also, notice the tablerunner under the house made with the Wicked Fun Designer Series Paper….stitch together on your sewing machine or just glue!

Assorted Halloween decorations! Purchase a tree to display or make your own with a tree branch!

These skeletons are outlined with Crystal Effects and sprinkled with Silver Glass Glitter. You can also put a black skeleton behind for a shadow effect.

Use the Spooky Things Decor Elements to decorate pumpkins and add some of the new Black Flourish Designer Jewels! So cute!

The house even comes with the door knob! Use the Bat Punch and some Wicked Cool Designer Series Paper to make a wire garland of bats!

On the inside edge of the luminary, you can see some black waffle paper peeking out!

You can make six luminaries with the package of Decor Elements.

You can find these supplies in the new Holiday Mini Catalog! Do your online shopping this weekend and you'll be all decorated in time for Halloween!

Halloween Products on Display at Convention

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Here are some more photos from the fabulous display at the Stampin' Up! Convention! You'll find most of these new products in the Holiday Mini. Hold your mouse over the photos to find the names of some of the products. Click on the photos to enlarge. Enjoy!

Do these fantastic projects put you in a Halloween mood yet?? Be sure to check out the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog for some great products and projects for not only Halloween, but the fall season as well as Thanksgiving!

Wicked Cool Treat Sack

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My Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini order arrived, and it just happened that the first thing I decided to try was a Halloween bag. I love the Wicked Cool stamp set in the Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog. You can order the Mini Lunch Sacks #121031 from the Holiday Mini. Let me tell you, when I opened the package of ten mini lunch sacks, I was amazed! Right away you could tell these weren't your ordinary flimsy thin little paper sacks! As with everything Stampin' Up!, these little bags are a nice quality and come already scalloped on top! They measure 3 1/2" x 6 5/8" so they are a very good size.

I just began stamping the little bats on the bag with Black Stazon ink and as an afterthought stamped the "have a Wicked halloween" on there with Concord Crush….but on this bag, the dark purple looks more like black. I added a strip of Pumpkin Pie (3 1/2" x 1") and Wild Wasabi card stock (3 1/2" x 3/4") across the front. I also stamped the witches hat in Stazon Black on Whisper White and punched it out with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch, sponged it a little with Concord Crush ink, then adhered to a Concord Crush Scallop Circle Punch #119854. I colored in the band on the witches hat with Stampin' Write Markers and added some White Gel Pen dots to the scallops. It still needed something, and once I added a strip of the 1/2" Raven Lace Trim #120988 in the Holiday Mini I loved it! Adhere the scallop circle with a couple of Stampin' Dimensionals.

After filling your bag with treats, you can just punch two holes in the top with the Crop-a-Dile and thread some grosgrain ribbon through. For a little more pizzazz, I added the "Spooky" sentiment from the Wicked Cool stamp set (page 23 IB&C), stamped in Black Stazon and sponged with some Concord Crush and Pumpkin Pie ink. I loved adding the orange with the purple! I also loved the shape of the rubber image, so I just put that back down over the stamped word and traced around it and then cut out with my scissors! All you need then is to punch a little hole and use some linen thread to make a little hanging tag to tie onto the grosgrain ribbon. I even added a dimensional under the tag just to hold it where I wanted it.

So there you have it! An easy little Halloween treat bag with the great new Mini Lunch Sacks!

If you need a copy of the Holiday Mini and you don't have your own demonstrator, please contact me and I can send you one!

Haunted House Milk Carton

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I started off in a Halloween mood today, but my official Halloween stamping supplies won't be delivered until tomorrow night from Stampin' Up!….the new ones, from the Holiday Mini Catalog! I saw this orangish designer series paper nearby, Sunny Garden #119831, and wondered if I could do something with that. I distressed it by sponging on Early Espresso Classic Ink #119670. Now you wouldn't think you could use this pretty, bright paper to make a Halloween house, would you?! I had no plan, but just played around.

Here is my Bigz Mini Milk Carton die #117310 that I scored and sponged.

For the roof I just cut pieces of Basic Black card stock to fit over the top and for the rows and punched the edges with the Scallop Edge Border Punch #119882 and then sponged with Whisper White Craft Ink #101731. The door and windows are just scraps, and I used my white Signo Gel Pen #105021 to draw in window panes, spider webs, cracked glass and a couple ghosts! The door has a little brad for the door knob.

I know the ghost is a little out of scale probably for the size of the house (unless it is a really big bad ghost!), but I couldn't resist making this that I saw online one day! Can you guess what the ghost is made out of?? It is punched from the Two-Step Owl Extra-Large Punch #118074. The ghost is actually the owl upside down with his feet cut off! Then I just colored in his eyes with a black marker and sponged a little with gray ink.

Just a fun little project to get in some stamping today! I decided to stop while I was ahead, although I could have added some more details probably!

Now if you have seen the Holiday Mini Catalog, you may have noticed that there is an actual house you can purchase and decorate however you like! It is called Design-a-House #120911. I thought the decorated ones I saw at Convention were fabulous and can't wait to play with that!

If you want to see the Holiday Mini, just click on any of the links. To purchase any stamping supplies, please go to my Online Store and click the Shop Now button!

Do You Love This Stampin’ Up! Craft Tote??!

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Do you love this Stampin' Up! Craft Tote designed after the Greenhouse Gala Designer Paper?! This is the same one Stampin' Up! demonstrators were able to purchase at the convention this summer and "everyone" bought one! We loved it!! It will hold tons of your stamping supplies, even 12×12 paper and your Paper Cutter, ink pads and punches. If you love Stampin' Up! and you love this Craft Tote, then sign up to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and you will get this tote for FREE!!!!!!!!!!! This offer is good September 1, 2010 until October 18, 2010 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! To read more about this tote, click HERE.

Why should you sign up to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator just to get a free craft tote? Well, you will love the beautiful tote and who doesn't love free?! Seriously, though, if you would like your own flexible business to work around your family time, your full-time job, or even the free time you desire, this is the opportunity for you!

Now that school has started, do you need extra money for:

dance lessons, music lessons or sports for your children?
Do you want to start saving some extra money for Christmas presents?
Do you want money for those monthly bills or to save for a trip?

Stampin' Up! might be the right opportunity for you, business-wise and money-wise while being a wonderful creative and social outlet for you and your friends (and all the new friends you will make!). We have two Starter Kits you can purchase, whether you are interested in standard stamping and scrapbooking or lean more toward digital with My Digital Studio. Just click HERE to read about both of them. Then email me at KSFontinelle@gmail.com with your questions and we can even arrange to talk about Stampin' Up! and if this business opportunity would be right for you. It's easy to sign up online and you can be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator within minutes! Let me know what you think!

Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010 Swaps

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Finally got photos of some of my swaps I got at the Stampin' Up! Convention! You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them and get a closer view. If you have a question about something you like, just contact me and I'll try to answer it. Enjoy!