I made this Halloween card to show you how to make ghosts out of hearts because it reminds me of when I signed up to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.

I was first introduced to Stampin’ Up! when I went to my friend’s house, probably over fifteen years ago, to go to a wedding shower for a mutual friend. She only had time to tell me she had signed up to be a Demonstrator and showed me some projects she had made at a stamp camp. I didn’t really know much at all about rubber stamping but I was surprised how cute her little projects were! Later on that summer we were back in town for the wedding and I got to spend several days with my friend, and all I wanted to do was stamp with her and look at all her samples! I was mesmerized! Sometime later she suggested I sign up so we could go to the Stampin’ Up! Convention together. It took me awhile to be convinced, even though I did think it would be great to go to the next convention with her. I think it was yet another visit that I went with her to a group meeting of Demonstrators in her upline and sideline that I saw so many cute ideas on display of cards and other projects. One that I really fell in love with was a card something like the one I made above. The person made a ghost by cutting a punched heart in half, and I thought it was one of the most clever ideas I’d ever seen!

It has now been fourteen years since I bought my Starter Kit (don’t think we had any choice of products back then!) and I have loved every minute of it! Customers couldn’t even order online themselves back then, only through a Demonstrator and I don’t think any (or certainly not many) people had blogs or social media. Our Demonstrator websites were new sometime after I joined.  Lots of changes in catalogs, products, ink pads, types of stamps over the years!

If you would like to be a part of this great company, Stampin’ Up!, now is a great time to join! Someday you might be saying “I joined Stampin’ Up! 14 years ago!” I love that Stampin’ Up! values all Demonstrators, whether you want to work hard and turn this into a big business or whether you want to just get the discount and benefits for yourself, or something in between.

For an introduction, click HERE to find out about joining Stampin’ Up! All you need to do is purchase a “Starter Kit”, which means you choose $125 worth of current products (your choice) and only pay $99.  You also get about $50 in catalogs and business supplies to get your business started. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you have. When you feel ready to join, just read the Demonstrator Agreement, enter your information, choose your Starter Kit and submit.  Within minutes you will be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and have your Demo ID# and can start looking around on the Demo side of the website.

JOIN STAMPIN’ UP! HERE!

As for the Halloween card, I used Pumpkin Pie Cardstock for the card base and layered with a piece of paper from the Halloween Night Specialty Designer Series Paper. For the ghosts I just die cut some hearts of different sizes with the Sweet & Sassy Framelits Dies out of Whisper White Cardstock. Then I cut each heart in half with a scissors and adhered them to the card front. Use a black marker or Sharpie to draw in some eyes on each ghost. The greeting is from the Spooky Fun Photopolymer Stamp Set and I added just one Halloween Night Enamel Dot. I love these enamel dots because they are cute and flat enough for mailing! For a little extra pizzazz I die cut a strip of stars from Gold Glimmer Paper with the stars die in the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies. Adhere a few of the stars with a tiny drop of Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

Maybe this card will inspire you to join the Stampin’ Up! family for lots more creative ideas! Look over the information on the Stampin’ Up! website and then email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com  if you would like more information or answers about your particular situation.

I’ve been playing with the pile of extra stamped or cut out pieces on my table and this Swirly Bird Pumpkins Halloween Card is one card I’ve come up with! Sometimes when I am die-cutting pieces with my Big Shot, I cut extra pieces while I am at it and/or sometimes I just change my mind about what I am doing and don’t use the pieces I cut out.  Instead of throwing them all out, save the decent ones (in a pile on your table!) and if they don’t collect too much dust, get them out one day and see what you can make with them!

On this card, I had extra Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies pieces plus used the Swirly Bird Stamp Set to stamp the solid pumpkin image in Peekaboo Peach, one of the new In Colors and the little vines on the pumpkins. The pumpkin stems are pieces cut from leaves made with the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.  The colorful moon is a Swirly Scribbles die cut sponged with some Pumpkin Pie ink.  The tiny little bats are die cuts from the Home Sweet Home Thinlits Dies. I was trying out those new dies and since I had black cardstock I just cut a bunch of bats! They are perfect on this card!

For the background sky of the card, I used my Aqua Painter and various ink colors to make a colorful, spooky night sky! You could also sponge colors on with Stamping Sponges or Sponge Daubers.

While I don’t necessarily think this is my best card ever, it was fun playing with the pieces and coming up with a Halloween card! Even though the sky isn’t the best I’ve ever done, it’s okay because it is for Halloween and why couldn’t a fall sky look like this?! Not everything has to be a masterpiece! (I should use that for a quote!)

Look at your scraps (I know you have them!!) and see what you can make! We need to use up those scraps every now and then. They don’t do anyone any good just being in a pile or bag or box.  Use them!  Create something! Mail the card!

Need more cardstock to make more scraps??!  Order some today from

Stampin’ Up! Online!