Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

Back from the Stampin’ Up! 2010 Convention!

Leave a reply

Oh my gosh, where should I start???!!!  My internet wasn't working this morning which allowed for a couple hours of napping on the sofa!  You just get so tired at Convention from all the excitement all of the time, (and maybe the travel and time change and altitude has something to do with it, too!) but you force yourself to keep going every minute so you don't miss anything and because you know it will end in a few days.  I'm not sure my brain is fully back to real life yet because I just ate lunch staring at a little yellow toy car taxi on my kitchen table and not even wondering why we have a toy taxi on the kitchen table!  The boys are in their twenties now so we don't have toy cars around the house anymore!  I guess my husband got it at the run he did on Saturday.  My mind was spinning while I was eating lunch trying to decide what to tell you first!  When I downloaded my photos last night I had over 2000!!

So here they are, one by one!  (just kidding!)

The Bags, Oh the Bags!

Stampin' Up! Convention Bags

Once I arrived on Wednesday, the first thing to do was check-in over at the Salt Palace and get my bag and loot!  The bright orange bag is the one Stampin' Up! gave everyone which held out convention booklet, pin, pen, meal tickets, stamp sets for make & takes, etc. etc.  Easy way to identify another Stampin' Up! demonstrator all around town!

Next was straight to shopping at Memento Mall where we had already had a Sneak Peek beforehand of the Craft Tote, the bag you see already filled with stuff from traveling (it came empty!).  Lo and behold if they weren't also selling a matching laptop bag…..not that I have a laptop!….but you got $7 off if you bought both and who wouldn't want a matching set?!!  Maybe I can put paper or catalogs in that!  And then there were the cute brown bags, like the ones they had last year made of recycled material or something.  At first I only bought the one with the flowers….until the next day when I saw ladies carrying the one that matches the Play Date Designer Series Paper that looked so cute in use!  Aren't the owl tags on the bags the cutest things?!!

And, of course, at Memento Mall there were other things to buy!  Had to get a new charm, new pens, STAMPIN' UP! RULERS!, Stampin' Up! pop-up trash cans, tee shirt, salt water taffy with Stampin' Up! wrappers, Stampin' Up! Christmas ornament, a pack of sample pages of all the designer paper, probably more things, too!

Flower Power Party

Later that evening was the Flower Power Party!  Most everyone dressed up at least just a little bit in the 60's Flower Child style!  Some really went all out!

FlowerPowerPartyMarkJ2
 

Here is my friend Nona and I with Mark Jessen, Stampin' Up! Senior Curriculum Developer.  Mark has really dressed the part!  You can't see my original mood ring I found in my drawer!  Stampin' Up! also passed out some beads to wear!

Here are some random pictures of the party!

FlowerPowerParty 

In the Gathering Place

Flower Power Party  

A crazy costume!

Shelli Gardner at the Stampin' Up! Flower Power Party 

Shelli Gardner with a group of demonstrators!

Shelli at the FlowerPowerParty 

Another photo of Shelli Gardner at the Flower Power Party!
 
 
Flower Power Party 

Demonstrators having fun at the Flower Power Party!
Flower Power Party  

The Gathering Place

FlowerPowerParty5 


Flower Power Party  

I don't know who this demonstrator is, but we loved her costume!

Flower Power Party 

Don't know who these demos are either, but wow, did they have great outfits!  I'm sure I had  a dress like the black and white one, plus white boots!!  Such a fun night!

Besides the tryouts for the Stampin' Up! game show, the face painting, the hula-hooping, the prizes, etc. going on, there were also several demonstrators giving fabulous demonstrations of projects from birthday party to wedding to baby to easy workshop projects to vintage…..all wonderful!

Birthday Bash Suite Demo
Elegant Occasions Suite Demo 

Family Organization Display 

Family Organization Suite Demo
I think my computer is tired from uploading photos so I will stop here!  More tomorrow!
 
 


 

 
   
 


Convention Notebook

Leave a reply

I always like to have my own notebook at Convention to take notes.  I purchased a rather small notebook at the store and then added my own card stock and stamping to decorate it.  In this case, I tried to copy the notebook on the front of the new Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.  I used the Artistic Etchings stamp set as well as the Tiny Tags stamp set.  The tag on the front with my name is the Two Tags die cut.  My name is stamped with the new Broadsheet Alphabet!  I can't wait to play with it some more! The flowers are partly made with the new Newsprint Designer Series Paper.

Stampin' Up! Convention Notebook 

Whoops!  Guess I took this photo before I added various ribbons tied on the spiral on the side!!

 If you wish you were at the Stampin' Up! Convention, you should sign up to be a Demonstrator and start your own stamping business!  For more information, just click HERE.  The Starter Kit is fabulous!

Another Swap Card for Convention!

Leave a reply

This one I actually copied from the anniversary card my husband gave me!  I made a smaller version, but a similar idea.  This card is 4" x 4", with the front flap cut a little shorter so that I could add a strip of green designer series paper on the inside layer that would look like grass from the front.  And then it adds a little design on the inside of the card as well.

SwapCardFlowers

The flowers are stamped with Petal Pizzazz. I drew in the stem and the little leaves are Pocket Silhouettes.  Hard to see in the photo but there is a little bling on the flowers from Dazzling Diamonds Glitter! 

This was a fun, simple card to make!  If you'd like to make one, you can look at the stamping supplies HERE.

A Convention Swap Card

Leave a reply

One of the best parts of going to any Stampin' Up! event is to swap card fronts with other demos.  It's a great way to talk to other demos and maybe recognize a name you've see online somewhere.  And of course swapping provides many ideas for our customers to see!  Here is one of my swap cards!

SwapCardGingerbreadMen

This card used two stamp sets……one is brand new, called "Got Treats" and when you see it in the catalog, you will see that it is great to use with the Milk Carton Die!  I actually cut off the words from below the gingerbread man so that I could stamp just the gingerbread man.  But especially with the clear mount stamps, I can add on the word any time.  The sentiment comes from the set we got free last year at Convention, Sweet Season.  And the heart is punched with the new little heart punch! 

Just check out these items at my Online Store!

Simply Adorned Charms

Leave a reply

Here's a necklace I just made with the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper to wear to the Stampin' Up! Convention.  I was hoping to add pearls and rhinestones but not enough space for those!  Fun to use little bits of Crochet Trim!  All you need is a Simply Adorned necklace and Charm and you can design your own inserts!  Shop right here for your jewelry!

SimplyAdorned
SimplyAdornedBack
  

A Giant Moth!

Leave a reply

A Mother Nature post again today!  This is what we woke up to this morning……this giant moth outside our family room window!  And he's still there at least two hours later!  It's wing span is at least six inches across!  I've never seen a moth this big!!!

Giant Moth
Giant Moth
Giant Moth

If you would like to stamp a prettier moth, you should check out page 31 in the Summer Mini, the single "All a Flutter" stamp #118284.   Don't forget the Summer Mini in all the excitement of the new Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.  The Summer Mini is good through August!  Click HERE to shop 24/7!

Prettier Than The Corpse Flower!

Leave a reply

Have you ever heard of a Corpse Flower?  It is the big news here in Houston right now while we wait to see if the Corpse Flower blooms at the Houston  Museum of Natural Science.  The museum has had a live web feed on the plant 24/7 and the museum has been open late and sometimes all night to give visitors a chance to see this unusual plant.  The plant even has a name….Lois!  Only 28 other bloomings have been observed in the US of this kind of plant….that's partly why it is so unusual.  The other attraction is that when the plant blooms it will have a powerful stench of rotting flesh. Apparently the smell is for the plant to attract certain kinds of flies and beetles.  You can see a picture and read more about it here.

So I thought I would make a prettier flower, only similar to what the Corpse Flower might look like in colors.  I chose Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz. Right now the real Corpse Flower looks like a stalk of some sort.

Corpse Flower 

 

If you would like to keep an eye on the Corpse Flower at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, you can watch the live web feed HERE.

And if you want to stamp your own pretty flowers with the Petal Pizzazz stamp set #113417, you can go shop right now at my Online Stampin' Up! Store!  Don't forget the 1 3/4 Inch Scallop Circle Punch #119854 which will make it easy to punch out one of the flowers.

 

 

Why Is This Turtle In Our Yard??

Leave a reply

A little bit of nature for my post today!  It reminds me of an old Stampin' Up! set with a turtle stamp in it and a phenomenal card another demo friend make years ago.  I'm sure I saved it, and if I can put my hands on it I will post it later.  The other night my husband called me outside to say there was a big turtle in the driveway!  I guess he came from the yard next door, mozied across our driveway and now was in the grass.  As we approached, he of course stuck his head in his shell, but after awhile he poked it out a few times!  I know you can't tell the size, but he was probably at least six inches across!

Turtle in our yard 

Turtle with his head out
Turtle Shell
  

 

Getting Ready for Convention!

Leave a reply

The time is getting really close now for the fantastic Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City, and as usual, I am rushing to get some swaps made.  It seems like this year they are giving us hints of what new, extra things might be going on at Convention so it is getting very exciting!  You can't imagine how much fun it is to be there until you actually get to attend a Stampin' Up! Convention….so if you want to be in on the fun, you should sign up to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator so you can attend next year!

Here are some pieces for one of my swaps!  I decided to CASE (copy) myself for this one although I am making it a little plainer for swapping…and to save myself time!  But you can always take a simple card and jazz it up a little if you want, especially now that Stampin' Up! has some BLING!  Be sure to check out the half-back rhinestones and pearls with adhesive on the back.  They are on page 188 of the Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.

Swappieces 

If you need some cool stamping supplies, be sure to check out the Stampin' Up! Store!

 

My Digital Studio Owl Card

Leave a reply

Naturally I wanted to play with my new My Digital Studio downloads, especially the new Two Step Owl Punch:

Two Step Owl Punch My Digital Studio Download 

copyright Stampin' Up! 2010

Isn't it cute, even as a digital download, and it's only $.95!

I started in My Digital Studio with a template already designed for me and then changed a couple of elements or colors.  It was easy and fun to do!

Owl Card-001 

I could also design the inside of my card as well, even the inside left-hand page, which normally is blank in most cards.  But with My Digital Studio I could place whatever paper or stamp or accessory on it and have it look like a very fancy card!

The more you use My Digital Studio, the more you learn and the more you like it!

 

 

New Colors on My Digital Studio!

Leave a reply

If you already own My Digital Studio, it's time to get your new colors!  All you have to do is update My Digital Studio to the current version and you get the new digital card stock, ink colors, and Patterns Designer Series Paper FREE! Click HERE to read about it on the Stampin' Up! website.  There have also been new downloads to purchase recently, and you can go to my Online Stampin' Up! Store to see the newest ones and purchase what you would like.

These are the very latest ones:

The latest group of digital downloads for My Digital Studio are now available!

Always Elegant Digital Kit

Wedding Sweet Stamp Brush Set

Paper Daisies Kit

Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper

Item         Description         Price
119839 Always Elegant Digital Kit $9.95
121431 Wedding Sweet stamp brush set $3.95
121432 Paper Daisies Kit $3.95
121433 Elegant Soireé Designer Series Paper $4.95


There are also new punches available for download including the new Two Step Owl Punch!


If you don't own My Digital Studio, wouldn't you like to get in on the fun?! Watch the video and learn more about it!

The Circus Is In Town

Leave a reply

The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus is in Houston, TX this week! I saw a story on the local news the other day about the elephants, and that plus this new Designer Series Paper Sunny Garden #119831 inspired me to make this card.  I used the Bigz Scallop Circle Die #113468 and cut a portion out to make the "bigtop" roof and then just a small square for the sides, cut a slit and turned back the "tent flaps" with a piece of Basic Black card stock #121045 behind it.  The elephants from Animal Stories #116716 are stamped with Basic Gray #109120 and one is cut out and adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals #104430 to pop up.  The words are from the stamp set Oval All #113790, punched out with the Scallop Oval Extra-Large Punch #119856 and mounted on the 2" x 1-3/8" Oval Extra-Large Punch #119859.

Circus Card 


On the bottom I sponged a little bit of Soft Suede ink #115657 and for the sky I used Pacific Point ink #111837.  I just grabbed a scrap of the Scallop Circle, put that down on my Whisper White background and sponged the edges, moving it around to make it look like clouds.  Nothing scientific about it, I just did it!  You can too!  

Card stock I used:  

Whisper White #100730

Crumb Cake #120953

Poppy Parade #119793


You can get all your stamping supplies for this project and more at my Online Store!  Shop anytime!


Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch

Leave a reply

Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch 

In my box of new goodies from Stampin' Up! last night was this new Designer Series Paper, Sunny Garden #119831 and the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch #119275.  I wasn't quite sure how I would use that punch, but after playing around today, this is what I came up with and decided to do the three strips layered.  I really like it!  The flowers are stamped with Watercolor Trio (Summer Mini p. 16), colored with the Stampin' Write Markers.  The colors I used were Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, and Concord Crush.

Do you have your new colors yet??  You can email or call me with your order or you can shop at my Online Store.