Category Archives: Cards

You Plus Me Confetti Hearts Valentine Card

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You Plus Me Confetti Hearts Valentine Card

As I paged through the Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack this black and white pattern caught my eye, and that was the start of this card.  And just because I wanted to use the Stacked with Love Designer Washi Tape I put a strip of it across the bottom of the card and I think it looks okay! The sentiment is from the You Plus Me Stamp Set in the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog. It is punched out with the 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, layered on Gold Foil die cut from the Starburst Framelits Die and then layered again on the 2″ Circle Punch.

I suppose I was influenced by the star confetti in the shaker cards I was making with my December Paper Pumpkin Kit, so I punched a few hearts from Real Red and Gold Foil with the heart punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  I dosubt you can have too many hearts on a Valentine!

If you need any Valentine supplies, remember with every $50 purchase you get to choose a FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure!

Shop for everything right HERE at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

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.

Cheerful Critters Happy Day Card

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Cheerful Critters Happy Day Card

The Cheerful Critters Stamp Set is a cute set in the new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog! The critters are cute and there are choices of what to stamp on their signs – or I suppose you could write in your own saying! This critter I stamped with Memento Ink so I could color him in with the Blendabilities Markers. There’s not a lot of room for blending shades and all that but I just like coloring with those markers!  Did you know there are new colors of Blendabilities in the Occasions Catalog as well as the chance to get a set free in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure?!

Since it was an ice cold day yesterday and today for so many people I wanted to make a happy card, so I added some little hearts from the You Plus Me Stamp Set, also in the Occasions Catalog. For a little something at the bottom I just chose a small strip of the new Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper and added a bit of Gold Baker’s Twine.  The card is 4″ x 4″ so it is a little different size but still fits in the standard Whisper White Envelopes.

The Cheerful Critters is a stamp set that you might initially overlook when looking at all the gorgeous things in the new catalog, but it’s cute and a little bit different and I think we’ll have lots of fun playing with!

Shop for all these fun Stampin’ Up! products at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

Don’t forget the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! They are especially good ones this week, I think!

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Jan 6 2015

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New Catalogs! New Products! Free Stuff! at Stampin Up!

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You Plus Me Card

The stamp set, You Plus Me, to make this card is now available in the new Stampin’ Up! 2015 Occasions Catalog, which is live today! Yes, you can view it and order from it until June 2, 2015.  If my card above looks a little like the one from yesterday, it is very similar!  The same designer paper I used on yesterday’s card from the Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack is just turned over to the other side, the black and white chevron pattern. To jazz it up a little I added some Silver Glimmer Paper to each side. The background on the Whisper White layer is stamped in Real Red Ink with a stamp in the set. I thought that was very cute! The hearts are die cut with the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies even the little ones.

Click on the Occasions Catalog photo below to view.

Stampin' Up! Occasions 2015 Catalog

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And the biggest Stampin’ Up! promotion of the year begins today as well!  Sale-A-Bration! 

During Sale-A-Bration, purchase $50 in Stampin’ Up! products (before shipping and tax) and choose a free Sale-A-Bration product from the Sale-A-Bration Catalog!

Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration 2015 Catalog

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As if all that wasn’t enough, here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Really, really great items discounted this week!

Weekly Deal Jan 6 2015

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For all your shopping needs, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store today!

You Plus Me Heart Card

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You Plus Me Heart Card

This is a sneak peek of the new stamp set You Plus Me, available tomorrow in the new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog, plus the new Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack. You can actually purchase the stamp set and paper stack in a Bundle and save 15%! It all starts tomorrow, January 6, 2015! And Sale-A-Bration also begins, so with every $50 purchase, you get to choose a free Sale-A-Bration item. Catalogs will be available online tomorrow! If you need hard copies, please just ask. I have some extras at the moment. On this card I also used the Big Shot and the Hearts Collection Framelits Die.

That’s why I am off to a slow start stamping today!  I haven’t taken down my Christmas tree or put away all the Christmas decorations yet. In order to put up the tree we have to move a desk that is normally by my kitchen table and heaped with my current stamping stuff! So that’s in the other room and so are a lot of my stamping products. Since we actually ate Christmas dinner at the formal dining room table, I had to move my Big Shot and mess off of that. I did find my Big Shot under a chair today and the container with my dies and framelits and embossing folders underneath something else! So now, at least, I am back in business with my Big Shot and accessories!

If you wonder why I used a black heart, it’s because I was influenced by the opposite side of the heart paper, which is a black and white chevron design. Maybe I will make a similar card with the other side of the paper! I had also intended to use some of the coordinating Stacked with Love Designer Washi Tape but I forgot! Next time!

It’s so fun to have new stamping products to play with, especially after everything being about Christmas and the holidays! If you place your spring time order tomorrow, in just a few days YOU will have your new products as well!

But before you think about tomorrow, go through the Holiday Catalog another time and also check the Year-End Closeouts in the Stampin’ Up! Store and see if there is anything you want as these will end tomorrow. Go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store now and check through the categories on the left sidebar to make sure you don’t miss a thing! Remember, even if you looked at the Closeouts early on, they added more items at some point and reduced some prices even more! Really, you should check it, just in case!

Year-End Closeouts Banner

New Year’s Eve Party Hats Card

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New Year's Eve Party Hats Card

It’s New Year’s Eve, December 31!  Can you believe it??  What happened to Christmas?  For that matter, what happened to April or October?!  Time flies when you are having fun I guess!  Are you celebrating tonight?  Having a party at your house or going out?  My mother always wished she could be at Times Square on New Years Eve, so I always think of her when I see that crowd. I wish I could be there too, just without the hassle! I’m sure it is the experience of a lifetime! But instead we will be taking kids to the airport earlier in the evening (sad!) and then watching whatever New Year’s Eve shows are on TV and having a little toast and snacks at midnight.

One of my fondest New Year’s Eve memories was when I was about 16 and my mother started calling up people and inviting them over to her parents’ house. It turned out no one had plans and everyone came over for a very impromptu party! My grandma always had plenty of food in the house, I suppose we took some things over, and we always loved being at her house! There were kids and my parents’ friends and probably my grandparents neighbors. Just spur of the moment and a really good time. I think we always assume “everybody else” is out having a fantastic time at a big party but it probably isn’t always true.

So for my New Year’s Eve card, I thought of two party top hats made with Basic Black squares and a strip for the hat brim on top of a layer of Whisper White criss-crossed with Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape.  I used strips of Gold Sequin Trim on the hat bands because what says New Year’s Eve more than sequins! The greeting is from Good Greetings (no longer available). Of course I added as much bling as possible with the Frosted Sequins (and a few snowflake sequins just in case it is cold and snowy where you are!) and the In Color Sequin Assortment.

I hope you will have a fun New Year’s Eve whether you are out and about or enjoying a quiet evening at home!  If you are staying in, maybe tonight will be a good time to scrap some of those holiday photos, especially with Project Life! Or at least get things prepared to start when Sale-A-Bration arrives January 6th!

Bright & Beautiful Christmas Card for Christmas Eve

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Bright & Beautiful Christmas Card

 

Isn’t this Christmas card perfect for Christmas Eve with the Bright & Beautiful Stamp Set stars and the beautiful Glimmer Paper to add sparkle?! The coordinating Stars Framelits Dies are great to use rather than cutting out the star shapes yourself. She also has washi tape going across the card diagonally.

This card was made by my friend from years and years ago when I was dating my husband and when we were first married and lived in Oklahoma. We haven’t seen each other in over thirty years, yet we have always kept in touch with Christmas cards every year. A few years ago she mentioned she was interested in stamping so we re-connected with Stampin’ Up! on a “stamping level”. Even though we had kept in touch all those years, it’s been even more fun to do so with our common interest in stamping and cardmaking through phone calls, emails, and cards! Never underestimate the power of stamping which goes beyond paper, ink and stamps!

If you want to do some shopping for YOURSELF today or in the days after Christmas, remember that Stampin’ Up! added more items, even from the Holiday Catalog, to the Year-End Closeout Clearance Rack.

Do you open Christmas presents tonight or on Christmas Day? Growing up my family and grandparents always opened presents on Christmas Eve – basically the presents that were at our house we opened Christmas Eve. Christmas morning Santa had come and left presents, unwrapped, and a stocking (too bad my parents were so “poor” that they could only give us one little package to open on Christmas Eve!  Ha! Ha!). In the afternoon we would go to my grandparents’ house and open the presents at their house (from them). So we spread it out and I still like it best that way but nowadays we just open presents on Christmas Day, with a pretty late start!

I hope all of your family members who are traveling today have a safe journey as you look forward to their visit, or that you have a safe trip as you travel.

However you are celebrating Christmas, I hope you have a very merry one!!  And I hope that Santa is very good to you!

Lovely As a Tree Classic Christmas Card

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Lovely As a Tree Classic Christmas Card

Here is a Stampin’ Up! Christmas card we received from my husband’s cousin! She used the stamp set Lovely As a Tree, a classic stamp set that I can’t imagine ever doing without! Notice how she stamped the center tree fully inked and then stamped each tree on the sides without reinking. For some pretty sparkle, she added a little glitter and a Silver Glimmer Star. She also added a little strip of Nordic Noel Designer Series Paper.

The Lovely As a Tree Stamp Set can be used for Christmas, for masculine cards, for many occasions. It’s just one of those stamp sets that your collection should not be without! It is timeless!

If you are interested in any of the Weekly Deals, remember tonight will be the deadline for ordering. New ones tomorrow! Don’t forget the Year-End Closeouts in the Clearance Rack. You can order the Christmas products on there and save them for next year!

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deal Dec 16 2014

Quick and Easy Tiny Christmas Tags

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Tiny Christmas Tags

We’re all rushed for time, but if you find yourself short on tags for wrapping presents, just make some quick and easy tiny Christmas tags like these! The Soft Sky card base is cut at 2″ x 4″ and scored at 2″. The Whisper White layer is cut at 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″. Just find some small images to stamp easily. The first one is from the stamp set Many Merry Stars and the other two are from the Project Life stamp set December Wonder. The monochromatic look is easy and you don’t even have to think about colors!  Add a tiny rhinestone or pearl for a little something on your tag or gift card! Super simple to make!  At most it took five minutes!  And it was fun!  You won’t be able to buy such cute gift tags at the store!

How close are you to finishing your Christmas shopping and preparations?!

In all the holiday hubbub, don’t forget the Year-End Closeout on the Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack! Everything is available while supplies last so products can change at any time. There are several Christmas products you could use now or put away for next year!

 

New Stamin’ Up! Weekly Deals

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Weekly Deal Dec 16 2014

Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for Tuesday, Dec. 16 through Monday, Dec. 22.

Don’t forget about the new photopolymer stamp set that came out last week, Snuggles and Smooches! You might want to put one on your order and get a head start on Valentine’s Day!  Not that it is just for Valentine’s Day!

Snuggles and Smooches Stamp Set

Stampin’ Up! suggests you order by tomorrow, Dec. 17th for delivery (hopefully) by Christmas!

Don’t forget, if you need, or SOMEONE needs a gift for YOU, I can make up a gift certificate for Stampin’ Up! merchandise in any amount, which might be especially useful starting January 6th when the new Occasions Catalog goes live and Sale-A-Bration begins!

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

More Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit Christmas Cards

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Watercolor Winter Merry Tree

Besides the designed cards in the Watercolor Winter Simply Created Card Kit, I was able to make lots of other designs with the materials in the kit.  Some I copied and some I made up as I went along! That’s the beauty of stamping! The Watercolor Winter Kit is still on the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout Clearance Rack, but is only available while supplies last! There are other holiday products on there that you might like to grab right away so you can use them this year – or save them for next year!

Here are some of the other cards I made from the kit and maybe with a few extra pieces from my stash.

Watercolor Winter Joy Sled Card

Watercolor Winter Card Sled Joy Snowflake

Watercolor Winter Card Bermuda Bay Snowflake

Festival of Trees 4″ x 4″ Card

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Festival of Trees 4x4 Card

Sometimes it is fun to make a different size card, so this one is a Festival of Trees  4″ x 4″ Christmas card.  It fits in the envelope perfectly. The Festival of Trees Stamp Set offers so many possibilities for Christmas cards, Christmas treats, Christmas favors and projects! And who doesn’t love the Silver Glimmer Paper to set off the tree! If you purchase the Festival of Trees Photopolymer Bundle then you save 15% and also receive the Tree Punch which makes cutting out the tree so easy. I stamped the star from the set with Real Red and punched out with the star in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack. I use these punches all the time. While I had planned to decorate the tree with Rhinestones perhaps colored with a Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities Marker, I opted instead for the Brights Candy Dots. Originally I was only going to use the red ones, but then decided why not use several colors?! This way for mailing the front of the card is flatter since I already have the tree popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. The Silver Glimmer Paper circle is punched with the 2 1/2″ Circle Punch. The Real Red background layer is embossed with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder. The greeting comes in the stamp set and has another part that does on the inside of the card. Great stamp set!

If you would like any stamping supplies under your Christmas tree, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! You will find many great deals there including the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals, the Year-End Closeout Clearance Rack, the Holiday Catalog and the Holiday Supplement.

 

Making Watercolor Winter Cards from a Kit

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Watercolor Winter Snowflake Trees CardYesterday I followed my own advice and just sat at the kitchen table and made Christmas cards! I used the Watercolor Winter Simply Created Kit, which made the card-making easier because the pieces were all there!  All I had to do was assemble!  Ok, I did do some watercoloring with ink refills (the trees, the letters, the sleds) but that was super simple with my Aqua Painter (even though a brush is included in the kit). No watercoloring skill required – just wet your brush, dip it into the ink refill puddle which can be in the lid of your ink pad, and brush over whatever piece you are coloring.  It helps to color the pieces before punching out because you can just color right across. Since the “ombre” look is so in style, it doesn’t matter if you get one part darker or lighter than the other.

There is also a coordinating stamp set that goes with this set, available separately. It is the Watercolor Winter Too Stamp Set. You can also use any greeting set you already have.

Since I have already made some of the cards exactly how the directions in the kit showed, I barely looked at the directions this time and just made my own designs or copied ones I liked on the internet. So in some cases, you will see I used a few other materials that did not come in the kit. But if you didn’t have any other paper scraps or materials to use, you would still be able to make the cards in the kit and even have leeway on how you wanted to make the designs.

This Watercolor  Winter Simply Created Kit, as I write this, is still available on the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout Sale (Clearance Rack), but only while supplies last!

Here’s another card I made.  Love the sleds!!!! The striped card base comes in the kit, the woodgrain white layer, the snowflake, the glittery word, and the banner on which to stamp the greeting.

Watercolor Winter Card Kit

 

Shop anytime at the Stampin’ Up! Online Store!