Category Archives: Cards

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!

Cat-in-hat

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) was born on this day in 1904 and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the children's books he wrote. Either you read them as a child or you read them TO your children..or both! As I remember, one of our kids' favorites was Fox in Socks.

In honor of Dr. Seuss, here is a stamping poem I made up myself!

Stamps.

Ink.

Paper.

Blocks.


Paper and such.

You can't have too much.


Paper and ink and blocks and stamps.

Ink on stamps and stamps on blocks.

Stampers with stamps come.

Stampers with ink come.

Stampers with stamps and ink and blocks come.


Look, ma'am.  Look ma'am. Sally Stamper ma'am.

Let's make cards with inks and stamps ma'am.

Let's make cards with stamps and blocks ma'am.


First, I'll make a quick trick card fold.

Then I'll make a card punch look old.


You can make a quick trick scrapbook.

You can bling out a fancy note book.


And here's a new trick, Sally Stamper….You can make a paper sampler.

Sprinkle on glitter on cards and pages.

Put ribbon and bows on boxes in stages.


Stamps and ink and paper and blocks.

So much fun, you can even stamp socks!


Stamps on blocks and ink on stamps.

Everyone can stamp and look like champs.

 

Here's a fun website about Dr. Seuss! http://www.seussville.com/

Sale-a-Bration Everyday Enchantment Celebrate Card

Sale-A-Bration Everyday Enchantment Celebrate Card

Are you looking for some beautiful designer series paper for your projects? A lot of us think the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper in the Sale-a-Bration brochure is some of the prettiest paper Stampin' Up! has ever carried.  Here is a small piece on this card I had for a project at my stamp camp yesterday. Along with the greeting from Perfectly Penned, it makes a great all-occasion card.  

And how cute and easy is the little stamped butterfly?! Just stamp the flower from Mixed Bunch and cut out two petals on opposite sides.  I also have a Poppy Parade card stock butterfly right underneath, not quite visible in this photo. Just add a brad in the center, or a row of pearls or rhinestones would do as well. The other colors of card stock you see are Pool Party, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla.

If you are in the Houston area and would like to stamp with us, please email me at Karen@Karenstamps.com or sign up for my Mailing List in the upper left corner of my blog and get notifications of when we are having a stamp camp!

Stampin’ Up! Build-A-Bear Cards at Leadership

Let's not forget about the fun Build-A-Bear products Stampin' Up! offers!  My kids aren't little any more, although when the Build-A-Bear store opened in Houston at the Galleria they were just young enough I guess that we were able to experience the Build-A-Bear fun with each of them making a bear.

At Stampin' Up! Leadership last month there was a nice display of Build-A-Bears in various costumes on cards….really great creativity!  I'm sure you will enjoy seeing these photos!

Build-A-Bear Astronaut
Build-A-Bear Birthday Girl
Build-A-Bear Boy
Build-A-Bear Hawaii
Build-A-Bear Indian
Build-A-Bear Luau
Build-A-Bear Pirate
Build-A-Bear Shopper
Build-a-Bear Surfer

Check out the great Build-A-Bear Workshop Suite of products in my Stampin' Up! Online Store HERE. I know you can have lots of fun with Build-A-Bear, whether you have little children or not!

Stampin’ Up! Attic Boutique Side Notes Birthday Card

Attic Boutique Side Notes

You may have missed the Stampin' Up! Attic Boutique Side Notes #125413 in the Occasions Mini Catalog on page 24. It is a collection of die cut tags and accents that you can use any number of ways….on cards, scrapbook pages, gifts!  I hadn't played with mine yet but here they are all spread out on the table.  Next I got out my Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper #125407 and came up with this birthday card:

Attic Boutique Side Note Birthday Card

You can see that I stamped the birthday greeting on the Attic Boutique Side Note die cut with my stamp set Sincere Salutations and added a few little pearls.  Very easy, and with the Stampin' Up! coordinating products it turns out beautiful every time!

To order any Stampin' Up! products, please visit my Online Store HERE.

Stampin’ Up! Hispanic Opportunity Call

Quinceanera Card

Stampin' Up! has a growing Hispanic market.  Here are couple of cards on display at Stampin' Up! Leadership using stamps from the Hispanic catalog Celebrando Creatividad.

If you would be interested in being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in the Hispanic market and would like more information, please join the Opportunity call every Wednesday.  Here is the information:

The calls are held every Wednesday in both English and Spanish:

  • 11:00 AM (MT) for English
  • 4:00 PM (MT) for Spanish

To participate, simply call 877-787-7226 (toll free) at the appropriate time.

Someone from the Home Office will speak about Stampin' Up!, the products, and the opportunity to be a demonstrator. There will be a question & answer session and a special incentive.

There is no obligation so even if you are just a little bit interested, take advantage of this call to get more information and see what you think!

Hispanic Card

Call today!!!

Funny Valentine Cards for Wushu Fans

If you are looking for a funny valentine card for the wushu fan in your life, here are some my son made for his friends in the Texas Wushu Club! Apparently I am not the only card-maker in the family!  

Wushu Valentine Cards

Wushu Valentines

 

Steven explained the funny meaning behind each of these but of course I don't remember.  Obviously there is some wushu humor involved here and inside jokes!  He just made them on his computer and printed on photo paper. One of the girls who was here showed me some he gave her and they were very cute!  So there is art and creativity in wushu martial arts besides the physical effort!

A Mixed Bunch Card

Mixed Bunch

We received this Mixed Bunch stamp set free at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference.  I admit I wasn't crazy about it in the Occasions Mini Catalog, but as soon as we did some Make & Takes with it and saw other samples on display I loved it!

Steven is home this weekend with several friends to participate in a wushu competition today and Carolina thought she'd like to try some stamping. After all she was staying in my craft room, which can be a scary proposition with all that is in there!  So we sat down at the kitchen table and made this card so she could try out some stamps and ink and add some embellishments with the seam binding, a punched out flower with the Blossom Punch #125603 and even a little rhinestone!  We had a great time!

And then so she could try out a little bit of coloring, we stamped with Easy Events and just made a little 3×3 card…and had to add a little Dazzling Diamonds!

Easy Events 3x3 Card

It's so much fun to stamp with someone else….especially someone new who enjoys it!

You’re My Type Valentine Card

You're My Type Valentine Card

I love this "You're My Type" stamp set and thought it would make a good Valentine card for my husband.  Then I saw a sample online where someone used the Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper along with the typewriter since it looks a little like typewriter keys!  I thought it was brilliant and wondered why I didn't think of that!  So here is the paper as a background for my card, plus bits of the "notebook" paper also in that pack, plus the First Edition Specialty Paper.

Here's the inside….just going crazy with my valentine stamps!

You're My Type Valentine Card inside

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

A Valentine Card

Valentine Card

You may be looking for more valentine card ideas this weekend so here is a valentine I made while ago and don't think I ever posted. You could make the card base Whisper White as I did or you could just make it Real Red.  I embossed some scraps of paper and cut into squares for the focal point, plus stamped a heart and added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Everything is better with a little Dazzling Diamonds, isn't it?! The cupid stamped on the background is from the Occasions Mini Catalog stamp set P.S. I Love You. Just stamp the cupid with either Versamark ink for that watermark look or the same color ink, Real Red, to provide that same light monochromatic look.

Just get out some colored paper and your stamping accessories and see what you come up with!

Fashionable Hearts Valentine Card

I noticed I had a few stacks of die cut hearts from the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die #125596 in the Occasions Mini just sitting on my table….

Fashionable Hearts Sizzlit

so of course I thought "I should make something with those!"

Fashionable Hearts Card

So here's a simple card you could make for Valentine's Day or really any occasion!  This is a 4 1/4"x 4 1/4" card and I just glued on some of the smallest and next size up hearts on to the card.  At the end I had to use a little bling by putting on some basic Rhinestones.  This would even be cute as a very small 3"x 3" gift card or note card. So here is one!

Fashionable Hearts 3x3 Gift Card

Isn't that fun??!  You could do the same with a heart punch….but what a versatile idea!

Check my Online Store and place your order so you, too, can make hearts!


New My Digital Studio Downloads—and Free 30-Day Trial! Try It!

MDS Downloads_Feb_07_2012

 

More new My Digital Studio downloads for this week! To see them, click HERE or on the image above. My Digital Studio is the Stampin' Up! digital papercrafting program that you can learn to use easily to make digital scrapbook pages, albums, calendars, cards, gifts…anything you can come up with!  Use either a predesigned template that you only have to add a photo to or print out as is or delete and change anything you want to and make it your own!

Don't worry that you've never done digital scrapbooking or cardmaking before…or didn't have success with it.  This program is intuitive and easy to learn.  For additional help and ideas, check out www.mydigitalstudio.net, a website for both customers and Stampin' Up! demonstrators alike.

Try the My Digital Studio Express FREE 30-Day Trial right now!

Here's a little bit of information about it:

  • At the end of the 30-day trial period, you can purchase either My Digital Studio or My Digital Studio Express to continue using the software. You will not need to re-download the program, but will simply enter the product key you receive after purchasing the software. (If you purchase the disc version you'll find it along with the shipped software, and if you purchase the downloadable My Digital Studio Express, you'll receive the product key via e-mail.)
  • You will be able to keep any downloads you purchase during the 30-day trial period. 
  • To get the free trial version, add My Digital Studio Express Trial (item 129600) to your online shopping cart, and then download and install it from your Download Manager.

One of the best parts of My Digital Studio….no charge for shipping for My Digital Studio Express or the extra downloads!  And you can download and install right away!

Click HERE to go to my Online Store and order the Free Trial today!



Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration Everyday Enchantment Card

Everyday Enchantment Card

One of my two favorite products you can earn for free during the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration promotion is the beautiful Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  With just a $50 Stampin' Up! purchase, you can choose one free product in the special Sale-A-Bration Catalog…spend more, earn more! For more details about Sale-A-Bration, click HERE.

I originally planned to make a valentine, but I think it turned into more of an all-occasion card…..not that it can't BE a valentine!

Here is the inside of the card.

Everyday Enchantment Card inside

And if you noticed, I used the new Adorning Accents Edgelit Die #125595 to cut the beautiful edge on the front of the card.  The Big Shot does make a little bit of a horrible noise as it goes over that die, but don't worry. I already had my designer paper attached to the Very Vanilla card base.  

AFTER cutting, I then embossed with the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folder #125601 that matches the Edgelit Die.  This is a regular embossing folder but narrow to place exactly where you want it.  

Remember to cut first, emboss second! This keeps the embossing from getting smooshed when you cut.

The greeting inside my card was stamped with the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Elementary Elegance stamp set.

If you need some valentine card ideas, just get out your paper, ink and stamps and play….you'll come up with something, perhaps unexpected!

View-Master Stampin’ Up! Regional Card

View-Master Card Stampin' Up! Regional

I'm not sure but I think I've heard this kind of card called a "View-Master" card because it has this circle that you turn to see various images.  It was a Make & Take at the Stampin' Up! San Antonio Regional.  This card was made with the very cute stamp set Send Me Soaring in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I think we fell in love with this stamp set after making this card!

Here's another image when you turn the circle to see another kite!

View-Master Card

If you need any stamping supplies, you can purchase them easily at my Online Store!

A Handmade Thanks Card for Ronald McDonald House Charities

Daffodil Delight Thanks Card for Ronald McDonald House Charities

This handmade thanks card was one of our Make & Takes at Stampin' Up! Leadership….but we got to make two…one to keep and one to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities®. Even though, as I have said before, I am not good at doing Make & Takes, I decided to at least make this card so I could turn one in for Ronald McDonald House. Did you know Stampin' Up! is a supporter of this charity? You can read about it HERE on the Stampin' Up! page.

The flower is punched with the new Blossom Punch #125603 in the Occasions Mini Catalog. There are more creative things you can do with this punch, too!  On this flower, we cut into the petals with our Paper Snips just to add some interest and texture. The little die-cut flower on top is from the Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit #125410.  The "designer paper" on the card is actually handmade with stamping!  And the little squiggle we learned to do with the Scallop Edge Border Punch #119882 by offsetting on the other side.

Nice bright simple card for a dreary cloudy day! Daffodil Delight card stock sure brightens up a day, doesn't it?