Category Archives: Cards

Vivid Vases for a Dark and Stormy Morning!

Vivid Vases NotecardIt was a dark and stormy morning, lots of lightning and thunder here in Houston, so I decided to make an easy, bright card with the Vivid Vases stamp in contrast to the rainy weather! With our recent history of power going off pretty easily, I wanted to stamp something very quick with all the lightning and thunder before the electricity could possibly go off.  (So far it has stayed on!) I also wanted something happy and bright.  The Vivid Vases Wood-Mount Stamp jumped out at me from my shelf!

Coming in the new Holiday Catalog is a new Basic Black Archival Ink Pad so I tried it out on this card.  It stamped beautifully! Then I colored in the vases and flowers with my Stampin’ Write Markers and Blender Pen. Using a Blender Pen to pick up the colors rather than coloring directly with the markers gives a lighter look.  I just scribbled some marker on the stamp case itself and picked up the ink from there.  You could also touch the corner of your ink pad or use ink refills for the color.  So many ways to do things in stamping!

You might notice I drew in some stems since I made the vases look like they were clear with water inside.  If you colored the vases as solid containers, then you wouldn’t need to do that.

To make this card even simpler, I just grabbed a  Whisper White Note Card.  No cutting, no fuss, just stamp!  Just the right size.

I hope your day is bright and sunny, but if it is dark and rainy stamp something to brighten up your life!

Home For Christmas Christmas Wishes Card

Home For Christmas Christmas Wishes Card

With my big box of new goodies from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog, I’ve copied some samples in the catalog itself. Here is one on page 8, a Christmas card using the stamp set Cozy Christmas for the greeting and the stamped bells on the card. There is a strip of the fabulous Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper going across the card, accented with a strip of the new Red Foil. And you will love the cute Home For Christmas Designer Buttons, 10 each of 3 designs!

The Holiday Catalog goes live September 1st! If you are interested in Stampin’ Up! products, especially for the upcoming holidays, and would like a catalog, just contact me.

If you are real anxious to get your hands on the new Holiday Catalog products, you can join Stampin’ Up! and either choose some of the products to go in your Starter Kit, or join and get your Demo number, then go ahead and place a Pre-order since you will be a demo! Start your own stamping business and take advantage of the perks of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator! Let me know if I can answer any questions or provide you with more information.

All the details are here, if you are interested in being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator:

JOIN STAMPIN’ UP! HERE

Make an Easy Cozy Christmas Tag

Cozy Christmas Tag

Yes, my Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog pre-order arrived and I have quickly made this easy Christmas tag, my first of this upcoming holiday season!  I haven’t had time to really sit down and take in all my holiday goodies yet in my order, so I just grabbed the Holiday Catalog and a couple of items in the box.

The new Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper was one of the things I was anxious to get in my order!  If you like vintage (or you ARE vintage, like me!) this paper will just take you back to your childhood or that nostalgic look! I copied this tag in the catalog on page 8 where the whole Home For Christmas Suite of products is shown. To make this tag, all it took was to punch a Christmas tree from the paper with the 2 1/2″ Circle PunchGrab a small piece from the edge of the paper you punched, turn it over and make the little light blue banner you see sticking out the side. I also added a scrap piece of Old Olive for another banner. Glue that down on to a  3″ x 3″ tag (or have it be a 3″ x 3″ card with a 6″ x 3″ card base). Stamp a greeting from the Cozy Christmas Stamp Set and adhere with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The pièce de résistance is the Home for Christmas Designer Button on the top threaded with the Gold Cording Trim. So cute!

Easy to make tag, takes just a minute or two, you could sit down and make a stack of them with one sheet of Home For Christmas Designer Paper and a container of buttons!

Holiday Catalogs should be arriving in the mail pretty soon if you are a regular customer of mine!  If you are not a regular customer of mine and want to be, just email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com and request a catalog. I have some extras I can mail to you! You will also find the catalog live online beginning September 1st!

In the meantime, if you want to stock up on some basic Stampin’ Up! supplies, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE!  Be sure to check the Weekly Deals and the Clearance Rack always. You might find a bargain!

Hearts Treat Bag Envelope

Hearts Treat Bag Envelope

I wanted to make a special little note card of some kind for a little girl, and this Hearts Treat Bag Envelope is what I happened to come up with! As usual, it wasn’t at all what I planned to make! I was looking in my “stash” for some 3″ x 3″ envelopes that I already had, and I spied this retired package of Sweetheart Treat Bags and that inspired me. It probably was out for Valentine’s Day in a past Stampin’ Up! catalog, but really, when you look at it, there is no reason not to use it for other occasions.  Hearts are good any time!  To fit inside, I cut a little 3 1/4″ square piece of Whisper White card stock and trimmed it with a Real Red border punched with the Hearts Border Punch.

This retired kit contained the treat bag, little die cut banners and the baker’s twine. I wrote my note and put it inside, then folded the top of the treat bag over. I thought it would be cute to staple the banner piece on to the bag, but I was afraid it would make it difficult for a little girl to open or would cause her to rip open the envelope. So the trick was to put a staple with the Handheld Stapler in the banner but not attached to anything!  Then I adhered the banner to the top of the bag with a few Glue Dots.

For a little more decoration, I stamped the heart in Perfect Pennants and cut it out with Paper Snips.  I also stamped the “Hello” banner and cut that out.  I used Dimensionals to pop up the heart on the banner and wrapped the Baker’s Twine around.

So easy and I used something in my stash! Even if you do not have this kit, all you have to do is copy the idea! Use any little bag you have! Stampin’ Up! sells two kinds you could use:  The Kraft Tag a Bag Gift Bags and the  Sketched Dots Tag a Bag Gift Bags or even make your own with the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies (as you know, one of my favorite products!). Use them as treat bags or gift card holders or envelopes!  It’s all fun!

Today is the last day for the current Weekly Deals:

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Aug 4 2015

And while the Paper Pumpkin special offer does not expire for another month, if you would like to receive the August Kit (which I have heard is very cute from people who saw it at Convention), you do need to subscribe today. The 10th of any month is the magic date for anything concerning that current month’s kit. If you subscribe later on, you will receive the September Kit as your first kit, followed by the October Kit.

So what is this special offer??  It’s a good one!  For new subscribers, join Paper Pumpkin at 50% off your first two months!  Paper Pumpkin is the papercrafting kit that comes in your mailbox once a month from Stampin’ Up! with a creative opportunity inside! It’s a creative project in a box, all supplies included except for maybe some extra adhesive.  Your very first kit comes with a clear block to use with your stamps.  New stamps and ink spot inside every kit. It’s win-win for non-crafters, new crafters and stampers, experienced stampers and crafters. You can always order extra kits if you want to share them with someone.  And once you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you can order any past kits or refills as they are available. Use the Promo Code HALFOFF.

JOIN Paper Pumpkin TODAY!

For all your other Stampin’ Up! shopping, just visit my Online Store HERE or contact me!

Catching Up With My July Paper Pumpkin Kit

July 2015 Paper Pumpkin

My July Paper Pumpkin Kit came while we were on vacation so I’m still playing catch up.  But sometimes you just have to stop “life” and sit down and stamp! And an easy way to do that is to just open up a Paper Pumpkin Kit because the decisions are all made for you! The project is decided, the materials are all there, cut and ready to go. Mostly I just needed to fold the card base, adhere the gray designer paper, adhere the colored sticker strips to the bottom of the “notepaper” piece, stamp the cups and plants, adhere everything and slide on the paper clip and bow!  And the bow came already tied on the paper clip!

I had planned to make some of the cards as they were designed and then make some alternate ideas, but in the end I just made all of them! Really cute cards, I think, and I mostly made the thank you cards because I need some of those. I have a few extra cups left over and I might eventually make something else with them. The envelopes are cute that come in the kit.  You just fold and use the adhesive strips provided in the kit to stick the sides together.

And now I still have the cute stamps in the kit to use again and the ink spots! Two colors came in this kit!

If you would like to have a Paper Pumpkin Kit coming to you in the mail each month, take advantage of the special offer from Stampin’ Up! for your first two months 50% off!  This is for new subscribers only to try out Paper Pumpkin. No risk, no obligation if Paper Pumpkin isn’t for you. Use the Promo Code HALFOFF to get your special price.

This offer is good until September 10, but if you sign up by August 10th you will receive the August Paper Pumpkin Kit. After August 10th your first kit will be in mid-September, which is fine too! Whatever works for you!  Once you are a subscriber, if any past kits or refills are still available that interest you, you can purchase those, so if you missed out on something you liked, you can go back and get them.

Paper Pumpkin Kit Contents July 2015

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY!

It’s a gift you give yourself – and others, if you like!

Take Advantage of the Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend!

Timeless Elegance Small Flowers Card

The other day in this post, I used the Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper to make some cards and was inspired to color the designs on some of the cards. On this card I am showing you, I just used the paper as is. I didn’t even add a greeting, because at the time I liked it as is, maybe just a note card that doesn’t need a greeting on the front. I think this paper can stand on it’s own for most of the designs.  And if you don’t care for the bolder designs, there are smaller and more subtle papers as well.

You can get an idea of the designs in this photo. Visit my Stampin’ Up! Store page and click on the photo slideshow to see all the patterns in larger views.

If you need some Stampin’ Up! products and if you live in one of the states and communities with a Sales Tax Holiday this weekend, place your order for these specific products and save the sales tax! It’s not a huge savings, depending on your tax, but it’s a little bit! Check the information below.

Note:  Stampin’ Up! did make a correction on those states that they initially stated the entire catalog was on the tax holiday list, but now it looks like only Louisiana is.  Be sure to pay attention to the dates given! These products can and will be used as school supplies by your children if you have them on hand, so you might as well have some extras!

Sales Tax Holiday 2015

Sales Tax Holiday Chart 2015

Click to View!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online for Crafting Products and School Supplies!

Timeless Elegance Designer Paper Makes a Beautiful Card

Timeless Elegance Painted Small Flowers Just Because Card

This beautiful Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper can be used to make all kinds of different kinds of cards. This paper was so popular it was on backorder for awhile and I only got mine recently. The coordinating colors are Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Sahara Sand so you can tell how neutral the colors are, but very dramatic. Of course the papers are double-sided so while one side has a bold pattern, the other side is very subdued.

On this card, I loved the tiny flower pattern and decided to try coloring in the little flowers with my Aqua Painter and some Melon Mambo ink. I didn’t try to carefully color in each little flower, I didn’t even have my reading glasses on! Watercoloring does not have to be exact so I just put down some color inside each little flower. Then I added a few Cucumber Crush green stems here and there, you can see I didn’t do every little line and I didn’t worry if they were exact either. I just had fun!

The greeting is from A Dozen Thoughts and the ribbon is Melon Mambo Cotton Ribbon.

Here are the patterns of the Timeless Elegance Paper:

Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper

Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper Patterns

I love the beautiful lace patterns printed right onto the paper!

If you would like your package of Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper for making beautiful and elegant cards and projects, then visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store and place your order! I’m also happy to do it for you, if you prefer!  Be sure to check the Weekly Deals and the Clearance Rack with newly added items today!

Sprinkles of Life Cherry on Top Birthday Card

Sprinkles of Life Cherry on Top Birthday Card

Do you like this birthday card made with the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set, Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack, and the Cherry on Top Designer Series Washi Tape?  I really wanted to use all three products, and I love all three products, but I think the card turned out a little busy.  I think I could have done something better.  But, on the other hand, maybe somebody out there will like it and it will be just the card design they are looking for!  You never know!  We are all different!

I also used the Tree Builder Punch to punch out the pieces for the cupcake. But if you don’t have the punch, the pieces are not that hard to cut out yourself, at least if you have the Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips.

Washi Tape is always fun to use.  Just tear off a few strips and stick them on your card or project. Washi Tape is repositionable and can be used in oh so many ways.  The Cherry on Top Washi Tape has such cute designs and matches the Cherry on Top Paper Stack. I used a pattern from the Paper Stack for a layer on the Pool Party card base.

The Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set comes with a special bonus!  While you are stamping beautiful cards and projects with it, you will know that you are contributing to the Ronald McDonald House Charities® by purchasing this stamp set.  With every set sold, Stampin’ Up! donates $3 to this worthy charity, plus makes an annual contribution.

Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set RMHC

You can find this Sprinkles of Life Stamp set and all the products I used to make this card in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

You’ve Got This Flower Card with Glitter Splatter

You've Got This Flower Card with Glitter

I’m still trying to catch up after vacation, but I watched some of the livestreaming recordings from the Stampin’ Up! Convention and saw this neat technique, splattering with Multipurpose Liquid Glue and adhering Gold Glitter. I used the You’ve Got This Stamp Set to stamp and watercolor the beautiful flower and add a little pizzazz with splatters of gold glitter! I can still add a greeting to this card and I forgot to color the center flower parts, so maybe it is not completely finished!

Someone from the Stampin’ Up! Home Office at Convention demonstrated this glittering technique. You need an Aqua Painter (or a small paintbrush) (but you really should own an Aqua Painter!  I love mine!) and some Multipurpose LIquid Glue. Squeeze out a little glue, you don’t need much.  Then dilute it with some water from your Aqua Painter. You don’t want it too thin and not too thick, but different consistencies will give you different size splatters.  Then with the diluted glue on the Aqua Painter, splatter it on the card, however little or much you want.  Sprinkle the card with Gold Stampin’ Glitter and dump off the excess.  The glitter, of course, will stick to the glue splatters!

You've Got This Flower Card Gold Glitter Splatter Technique

In my painting days, I learned to splatter by tapping the splattering brush onto another brush handle or pencil or Aqua Painter held in your other hand over the project.  It gives you a little more control.

You could also splatter some color on to your card with a matching ink if you wanted.

I love watercoloring with my Aqua Painter!  To color in this flower, stamped with Stazon Ink, I just put a dab of reinker in the lid of the ink pad and picked some of that up, diluted with a little water with my Aqua Painter. If you want a darker shade, either pick up a bit of reinker that hasn’t been diluted OR touch your Aqua Painter to the corner of the ink pad itself to pick up ink.

Experiment with this splattering technique using Multipurpose Liquid Glue, the Aqua Painter, and some glitter!

You've Got This Flower Card Glitter Splatter

If you need any supplies for your cardmaking and other papercrafting or scrapbooking projects, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Watercolor Words Watercolor Wash Card

Watercolor Words Watercolor Wash Card

On this super simple card, it’s all about the watercolor! Watercolor Wash for the background and Watercolor Words for the stamping and greeting! Use the new Whisper White Thick Cardstock and you don’t even need any layers of cardstock.  The new thick Whisper White is great just by itself for the card base!

The Watercolor Wash is a background stamp. Lay the stamp face up on the table and ink up with the ink pad. Then place the card you are going to stamp on top of the Watercolor Wash (certainly doesn’t have to be exact with this design). Best to place a scrap piece of computer paper over the card and then rub to make sure you are getting the impression of the stamp on the card. Putting the scrap paper over it will keep your fingers clean!

Then choose some colors that will stand out from the background to stamp some flowers, hearts, or stars from the Watercolor Words Stamp Set and a greeting. Couldn’t be easier! It’s fun to just do some basic stamping and turn out a masterpiece!

To embellish the card more if you wanted, you could tie a ribbon around, or twine, to match. Add some Dazzling Diamonds GlitterStamp the flowers on Whisper White scrap, cut out and adhere with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  But if you want to keep it simple, it will be a nice card to send as is!

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals that end tonight!

Watercolor is in right now, so choose some watercolor stamps and you’ll look like an artist in minutes!  Try the Watercolor Wash background and the Watercolor Words Stamp Set for a simple handmade card!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Crystal Effects Water Drops

Crystal Effects Water Drops

This is a portion of a card I made with the Gift From the Garden Stamp SetThe sprinkling can and the flower stems come from this stamp set but the water drops are a stamp from the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set. In order to make the water drops look real, I put dabs of Crystal Effects on the water drops. They are wet in this photo and I tried to draw them out a little bit to look more like a drop of water.  Then dry, the Crystal Effects will be clear.

Crystal Effects can be used as an adhesive or as a glossy, lacquer finish to objects. It gives a raised, embossed look to stamped images. There are actually many techniques you can use with Crystal Effects.

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals!  These are good through Monday night, July 20.

Weekly Deal July 14

For fun papercrafting shopping, just visit the Stampin’ Up! Online Store this weekend!

Pink Marker Colored Dahlia Card

Pink Marker Colored Dahlia Card

The Definitely Dahlia Stamp is almost as big as the card front, which makes for very simple cardmaking!  Just stamp it and add a greeting or embellishment and you’re done. I tried this before on another dahlia card but this time I made the colors really different, like Pink Pirouette and Rose Red. Instead of stamping on an ink pad, I colored rather randomly with Stampin’ Write Markers to try to get a shaded look with this stamp. I actually missed some spots on the flower and then tried to color in (not a good idea), but overall I think it still looks pretty good. The greeting is from the new stamp set Watercolor Words. For a little embellishment I added some Venetian Crochet Trim tied around the front of the card.

If you want to  try the Definitely Dahlia Stamp, available in wood- or clear-mount, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

June Paper Pumpkin Card From a Friend

June Paper Pumpkin Card

Today we got a pile of mail, maybe they have been hoarding it at the post office! You may recognize this as a Stampin’ Up! Paper Pumpkin card from the June 2015 kit.  Can you imagine how pleased I was to find a personal card in the stack and not just bills and credit card applications and solicitations of all sorts?! This card was from my college friend Sally, who lived across the hall in my dorm. By our fourth year we were roommates in an apartment and have remained in touch all these years. Sally has always been good about sending cards in the mail, but I think she has stepped up her game recently to help keep the post office going! We all need to be doing that because there is nothing like a note from a friend, especially these days when we mostly communicate by email and text messages.

This was her first Paper Pumpkin kit and she said she enjoyed it. Unlike some of us (me!) she said she has already sent out half her cards. I’m sure those recipients enjoyed finding a real card in the mailbox as much as I did!

With Paper Pumpkin you can make the card exactly as suggested by Stampin’ Up! in the directions or you can branch out and do whatever you want with the supplies. Each kit includes a stamp set and Stampin’ Spot for ink.

If you join Paper Pumpkin now through August 10th you will be signed up in time to receive the August kit in the mail. It is always a surprise what papercrafting project we will receive!

Just click HERE to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and see how much fun it is to get that red box in your mail! You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. Hopefully you will enjoy some crafting time when your kit arrives and feel like you have given yourself a gift!

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deal July 14 2015

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal July 14 2015
Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 14 – Monday July 20. Click the link or photo above to view in the Store.  If you see something you really want, better grab it because once a quantity sells out, that deal is gone. Also check the Clearance Rack for any new things they might add. Honestly, I can’t remember what was on there before each time I look at it, so just remember to check when you are ordering to see if there are any bargains on there that you want!

The Color Me Irresistible Designer Paper is on the Weekly Deals.  This is similar to the embossed paper that was free during Sale-A-Bration but BETTER because you also get paper that is already colored. Use the white paper plain or color it with sponging or spritzing or whatever method you like!  You also might really like the other designer papers available on the “deals” as well as the new pearls, washi tape and sequins, plus twine for embellishing.  And if you like an easy way to make gift boxes, then the discounted Gift Box Punch Board is for you!

The Watercolor Wishes Card Kit was not available until this month, and now it is so popular that it is nearly on backorder. If you are thinking about ordering this kit, I would do it today! More kits are on the way but there might be a backorder situation for a little while,   unfortunately. It really is a cute kit and easy to make some beautiful cards! AND a very nice stamp set comes with it! What a deal! You can see it displayed on page 80 of the Stampin’ Up! Catalog. Order several kits (if they are available) and get your friends together for a cardmaking day or evening! And the stamp set is one you will be able to use a lot!

Have fun choosing or get it all!! Check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for the Weekly Deals, the Clearance Rack, the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit, and all the other Stampin’ Up! goodies!

Cottage Greetings Card Kit


One of the new Stampin’ Up! Card Kits is called Cottage Greetings. You can make 15 cards, 5 each of 3 designs, with the kit. You’ll want to add the stamp set Cottage Greetings available in wood- or clear-mount. It’s a lovely stamp set, whether or not you buy the kit.  You can use it easily without the kit so don’t worry you won’t get your money’s worth out of it! I love the font and the sayings.

Check out the video and find out all about the Cottage Greetings Card Kit. If you want to order it and the stamp set, just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. It’s a fun and easy way to get a stack of cards made!