Category Archives: Birthday

Paper Pumpkin Dec 2014 Kit Birthday Shaker Card

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Paper Pumpkin Kit Confetti Birthday Card

It may be cold, dark and rainy outside today, but inside it’s fun and happy making the cards in the December Paper Pumpkin Kit! The colors are cheery and the cards just brighten up the afternoon! All this star confetti plus turquoise-colored sequins make a shaker card using a window sheet adhered in a frame using long dimensionals provided in the kit so the confetti has room to move around inside. You get to make 3 Thank You cards, 3 Happy Birthday cards , and 3 Hello cards! What a helpful and happy kit to have to start off the New Year!  All supplies are included, even the toothpick!! In other kits you may need to provide your own adhesive.

Paper Pumpkin is the papercrafting kit from Stampin’ Up! that shows up in your mailbox once a month with a surprise project inside. While it is past time to receive this particular kit, there is a new one every month and all you have to do is sign up.  Once you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you do have access to any past kits that you missed based on availability. Sometimes there are extra entire kits and sometimes just the supplies but no stamps.

Here is my finished Happy Birthday card with the confetti and sequins inside the shaker window!Paper Pumpkin Dec 2014 Kit Birthday Shaker Card

Right now during Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration you can purchase a prepaid 3-month Paper Pumpkin subscription and save $5 . Not only is that a little bit of a special deal, but since that subscription on your Stampin’ Up! order will cost $54.85, that will qualify you to earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration item from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure!  You can order other Stampin’ Up! products along with it, or give an extra Paper Pumpkin subscription to a deserving recipient for a gift, and for every $50 in merchandise you spend, you will receive a free Sale-A-Bration product!

Browse through the Sale-A-Bration Brochure right now, find the items marked FREE, and choose what you would like to receive as a bonus for every $50 purchase!

Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like copies of the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog, Annual Catalog, or Sale-A-Bration Brochure! Email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com.

Stampin’ Up! Bargains! Get Them Today!

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Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Dec 30 2014

The bargains aren’t just at the mall, you can find bargains at Stampin’ Up! in the Weekly Deals and the Year-End Closeouts! And you don’t even have to get out in the traffic or the crowds! In the Weekly Deals this week, until next Monday night, you have a very cute birthday stamp set, several accessories for the Big Shot, a punch, embellishments and a photobook download for My Digital Studio (or whatever design software you own). Click the picture above or the link HERE.

Don’t forget the Year-End Closeouts, good through January 5, 2015.
Year-End Closeouts Banner

 

Shop for anything you want at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Top Note Package Chalkboard Tag

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Top Note Package Tag

I got this idea from one of the many store ads I have gotten in the mail recently, and I thought it was so cute! The chalkboard style is still “in”, which I love, so I made a package tag with the Top Note Die to look like a chalkboard! Hasn’t the Top Note Die been just about the most versatile die to ever use?! I wrapped the package in the Stampin’ Up! Festive Designer Kraft Paper Roll (on the Clearance Rack!) and tied the Cherry Cobbler 1″ Sheer Linen Ribbon around. Then I die cut the Top Note tag and wrote on it with my White Stampin’ Chalk Marker. Easy, fun, and works for anybody.  If you don’t own the Top Note Die, just use a piece of Basic Black Card Stock that’s not die cut! The kraft wrapping paper you can use any time.

This morning Stampin’ Up! added new items to the Year-End Closeout Clearance Rack so be sure to check those out!

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack Year End Closeouts

And here are the new Stampin’ Up Weekly Deals for this week Dec. 23 – 29, 2014.

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Dec 23 2014

 GIFT CERTIFICATES

If you need last-minute help with your Christmas shopping (or better yet, your husband or family does for you!) I offer gift certificates that I can email and they can print out, wrap up beautifully for you, and you’ll be all set to order from the new Occasions Catalog coming January 6th!

Make Your Own Gift Bag

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Sweater Weather Fall Gift Bag

Make your own personally designed gift bag by decorating a regular shopping bag you probably received at the store yourself, or you can buy plain sacks at the craft store. For this bag, I used the retired designer paper Sweater Weather from last year because it matched the gift that was going inside. If you want to see the Thanksgiving banner I made that went in this bag, look back at this post. I even used a couple embellishments leftover from a Paper Pumpkin kit. I added some Neutrals Designer Buttons tied with some Linen Thread and adhered with Mini Glue Dots.

Here’s a tip dealing with buttons like this – put the thread through and then adhere the button to the bag with the Glue Dot.  THEN tie the bow or the knot because now it is stuck on to something and won’t be flipping all over the place while you try to tie it!

I tied a piece of Natural 5/8″ Chevron Ribbon on to the handle of the bag. It seemed to match perfectly. The leaves and pumpkin were stamped and adhered to the bag.

Stamp some tissue paper that will go inside, too!

It’s so much fun to be able to make a personalized gift and gift bag with just your stamping supplies!

Stampin’ Up! has many packaging supplies available now for purchase in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store or you can probably find boxes and things around your house.  Use some of your older papers and scraps to decorate and embellish!

 

Calling All Heroes Birthday Card

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Calling All Heroes Birthday Card

This was a pretty easy birthday card to make for my son with the Circle Card Thinlits Die and the Calling All Heroes Photopolymer Stamp Set. I love that stamp set. You might think I didn’t get the buildings stamped very well on the front of the card and you might possibly be right – except for the fact that I read where another demo didn’t get her stamp on the block right and stamped something similar to what I did here.  But instead of calling it a mistake, she thought it made the buildings look rather hazy so she just called it a new technique! My “new technique” goes even farther, as you can see almost all of the buildings look as if they are in a haze or mist, which often happens around here in Houston. It almost gives a romantic look to the city skyscrapers! So I just have another look to my city skyline stamping!  Ha!

And with the Calling All Heroes Stamp Set, you can customize your characters!  You can stamp different heads and disguises to make them heroes or villains! I think it is a fun stamp set to play with! Great for girls or boys, children or adults!

Here is the inside of the card, stamped with a greeting from the Hey You Stamp Set. The stars are punched with the star punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.

Calling All Heroes Birthday Card Inside

Today is the last day for these Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals!

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Oct 28 2014

Click to Shop!

The Amazing Birthday Card – For A Husband

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Amazing Birthday Card

I’m not bragging, this is the Amazing Birthday card!  It’s made with the Amazing Birthday Stamp set by Stampin’ Up! and it is going to my husband. This stamp set is so versatile, you can make it for anyone, you can use the stamps to decorate birthday party favors and make decorations like cupcake toppers.  I happened to choose Soft Suede and Pool Party, along with Whisper White, with a touch of Chocolate Chip thrown in. The background paper is from the In Color stack. Stamp the large greeting stamp a couple of times, cut out some of the words and then mount them with Stampin’ Dimensionals to make them pop on the card over the same greeting. The little star I just punched to put a little something in that space.  Notice I even stamped the corner of the envelope!

For this stamp set and more, check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Another Great Year Happy Birthday Card

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Another Great Year Happy Birthday Card

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

Weekly Deal Aug 12

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.

Big Shot Bundle Promo Ad

Click to Shop!

Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for all your stamping needs!

Baseball Circle Thinlits Birthday Card

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Baseball Circle Thinlits Birthday Card

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!

Baseball Birthday Card Inside Inside

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!

Mixed Bunch Lost Lagoon Monochromatic Birthday Card

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Mixed Bunch Lost Lagoon Monochromatic Card

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.

Click HERE for Paper Pumpkin!

Easy Birthday Card to Make With All Abloom Paper Stack

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All Abloom Birthday Card

There’s not an easier birthday card to make than this one using the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack. I have to admit, I’ve had this All Abloom Paper Stack since it came out, but hadn’t used it. It actually got lost under all the “stuff” on my desk! To make this card, all I had to do was flip through the stack and see which pattern caught my eye or inspired me. This one just looked so pretty, and I liked the opportunity to use my Strawberry Slush card stock! The greeting is from Four You, a stamp set I find myself using a LOT! I thought the paper was pretty enough itself so the card didn’t need much else.  I added just a little flower punched with the flower punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack  with a little Candy Dot in the center! I probably would have added a little flower or something-something somewhere on the card, but honestly, I stamped the greeting just a tad too far to the left so the flower filled in the space perfectly and added just a little accent!  See, there ARE no mistakes in stamping!

The All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack gives you a ton of paper choices very inexpensively. Not every pattern is a flower so no worries there! You can view them all and purchase in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. Just think of the tons of cards you could make easily with this small stack of paper!

All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack

(c) Stampin’ Up! 2014

Make a Cupcake Party Card With Flashback Paper

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Cupcake Party Card with Flashback Paper

As I looked through the Flashback Designer Series Paper, the Real Red and Pool Party colors on this pattern really caught my eye. I love red! I wondered if I could use it some way with the Cupcake Party stamp set and the Cupcake Builder Punch, on sale this week in the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals. The Cupcake Punch is used for the top and bottom of the cupcake, but I handcut the little Happy Birthday flag for the top. With the punch, I could have punched out a little cherry for the top! You wouldn’t believe how many circles and scallop circles I punched in various colors and tried different combinations to see which one worked best behind the cupcake. Finally I just decided on this one! I also put a little strip of Real Red 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon across the card, even though you don’t see much of it.

This card is cut lengthwise, meaning the Pool Party is cut 11″ x 4 1/4″ and then folded in half. Just a little change!

Don’t judge a pack of designer paper by the first sheet in the package! This one has retro cameras, but there are other pretty patterned papers in the pack. And don’t forget that the Buy 3 DSP Get 1 Free Offer from Stampin’ Up! during July! Much to my surprise, July is almost over! Tomorrow is the last day you can take advantage of this special deal to stock up on designer paper.  Specialty papers are not included. Choose from the patterns on pages 186-7 in the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.

One more day to order 3 designer series packs and then get the 4th one free!  Add some of the Weekly Deals to your order as well!

Shop any time at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Back to Black with Gold Birthday Card

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Back to Black with Gold Birthday Card

I’m finally taking the time to play with the new Back To Black Designer Series Paper to make a birthday card with a touch of gold. I learned a long time ago in my stamping that black and white could be very stunning – and really all you need sometimes to make a card. That’s all I was going to use on this card, but somehow a little bit of gold snuck in! Once I made the flower using the Blossom Punch, I decided the Gold Baker’s Twine would look good with the Vintage Faceted Button. I thought little strips of the Gold Foil Sheets would look great against the black and while. If you could see this card in person, you would see that the extra glimmer really looks nice. Once I had the gold foil accent, I had to emboss the greeting from the Four You stamp set with my Heat Tool and Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Remember, before you emboss, rub the Embossing Buddy on the card stock to try to keep stray flecks of the embossing powder from sticking. Then stamp with Versamark.

I also have another technique I saw recently that I will share with you soon using this paper!  With the July special offer on Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up!, now is the time to stock up on paper! Get all the new ones in the catalog while you can get one free!

Be sure the Back To Black Designer Series Paper is on your Wish List!

Pop Up Box 60th Birthday Card

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Pop Up Box Card 60th Birthday

When I needed a birthday card for a special friend for her 60th birthday (a special birthday for sure!), I wanted to make a “pop up box” card. Yes, the designer paper, Birthday Basics, is retired, but I love it so I used it for this personal card. The base (box) is Crisp Cantaloupe. You can see a photo of the front down below.

Even though the designer paper is retired, the stamp sets are new and current! The banner on the front flap is stamped with the Banner Banter stamp set and punched out with the Banner Punch. I added some Candy Dots to make it look like it was strung across the flap.  I LOVE the Candy Dots! They come in the color families and only cost $5.95. Just a cute touch to your cards and projects! Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker’s Twine is tied around the front flap.

The cupcakes are from the new stamp set Cupcake Party and punched out with the Cupcake Builder Punch. (See some more Candy Dots on the cupcakes?!) The “60” is from the Memorable Moments Stamp Set. The greeting in the back is from Chalk Talk and cut out with the coordinating framelits. You can buy the Chalk Talk Bundle and save 15%! The “Celebrate You” greeting is also from the Cupcake Party stamp set.

Here is the front of the pop up box birthday card:

Pop Up Box Card 60th Birthday Front

For all your Stampin’ Up! shopping, please visit my

Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

A few new things added to the Clearance Rack!

July Offer:  Buy 3 Designer Series Papers, Get 1 FREE!

Christmas in July: New Christmas stamp sets out early! (Beauty of the Season and Christmas Bliss)

New Photopolymer “Boy” Stamps:  Dear Heart

A Cupcake Party Birthday Card

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Cupcake Party Birthday Card

For a fun birthday card, how about making one with the stamp set Cupcake Party?!  Add some punched dots confetti and In Color Sequins for some bling and pizzazz! You can also use the Cupcake Builder Punch to punch out the cupcake! No snipping required! If you already have the Cupcake Punch, you might as well get this stamp set to go with it!  I like the saying on this card, and it was a good opportunity to try out the new sequins! The Silver 1/8″ Ribbon really adds a special touch. It’s so sleek and shiny!

Be sure to sign up for my mailing list in the box in the right sidebar.  My July Stamping With Karen Newsletter will be coming out next week with projects to make and the latest Stampin’ Up! news. And get a free gift when you sign up and confirm!  Watch for that confirmation email and be sure to click on the link inside!

Flower Patch Birthday Card

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Flower Patch Birthday Card

It was time to play with the Flower Patch stamp set and the Flower Fair Framelits Dies to make a birthday card. You can also purchase this stamp set and framelits in a bundle, the Flower Patch Photopolymer Bundle, and save 15%! Now that summer is officially here, you are bound to be inspired by lots of beautiful flowers blooming and this set will be perfect to use in your projects. The framelits make it easy to cut out most of the stamped images. The greeting I used comes with the set, but to cut it out I used a framelit from the Apothecary Accents Framelits. I stamped the greeting on a narrow strip of Whisper White and centered the framelit over it so I could have a narrow piece but fancy ends. Rather than try to layer it, I lightly sponged the edges in Real Red just to make it stand out a bit from the Whisper White layer. The large Daffodil Delight and Real Red flowers are popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals and the Rich Razzleberry flower just adhered right on the paper.

If you wanted, you could “bling up” this card, but for today I kept it simple except for the Candy Dot on the Rich Razzleberry flower!

For any of these stamps and stamping supplies, check out all the new products available in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store. Today is the last day for the current Weekly Deals, too!