Hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas and now will celebrate the first day of this 2022 New Year! Hopefully, it will be a better year than the past two years!! Surely!!!
Happy New Year! 2022!
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Category Archives: Cards
Sign Up Today For My Stamping With Karen Mailing List
It’s time to be a part of the Stamping With Karen Mailing List since we will have the new January-June 2022 Mini Catalog very soon (I call it the Spring Mini!) plus it will be Sale-A-Bration, the big Stampin’ Up! promotion during which you can earn free products with every $50 or $100 purchase! These catalogs, along with the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, give you lots of products you will be excited about, want to learn about, and want to see all the ideas for cards and projects possible!
Keep up with news about the new Paper Pumpkin Kit every month and subscribe if you want to join in the fun of having a project already planned and prepped for you in the cute Paper Pumpkin box! Always sign up or skip a month if you want by the 10th of any month.
If you are on my blog, you will see a red sign-up box in the top right corner where you can simply put your name (or first name) and best email. If you are on your phone, you probably need to scroll way down to get to the sidebar things. OR you can go to my sign-up page HERE.
You will receive an email with a link to your free gift from me.
I send out a weekly email every Tuesday afternoon with the latest Stampin’ Up! news and offers plus stamping ideas with a supply list and directions. Even if you never make the project, maybe just seeing ideas will do your crafty heart good! I know it does mine! I’m all about the ideas!!
Let’s stay connected and in touch with each other over our favorite thing to talk about…..stamping with Stampin’ Up!
Whimsy & Wonder Christmas Thank You Cards
Christmas is over and now it is time to write those thank you notes like these Whimsy & Wonder Christmas Thank You Cards. It may be an old-fashioned thing and email or texting is faster, but a real thank you note is always best! Here are three quick examples!
To keep it simple, I chose the Basic White Note Cards but you could use a regular size card as well. Then I just decorated the cards using the Whimsy & Wonder Specialty Designer Series Paper. This is your chance to use the “other side” of the fancy paper, although I still cut out some images from the fancy side! You could even just use a strip of the designer paper if you wanted to use up your tiny scraps.
These note cards are 3 1/2″ x 5″, which is a mailable size and they come with envelopes. Therefore, I cut my layer of designer paper at 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″. The “Thank You” is in the Peaceful Moments Stamp Set. I stamped it with Polished Pink ink just to keep it simple. Then I used different punches for the sentiment.
The first note card uses a pink “other side” of the paper. I cut out some of the packages on another pattern and adhered those to the front of the card, some popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals, some flat on the card. Then the “Thank You” was stamped and punched out using the Lovely Labels Pick A Punch.
The middle note card is the simplest of all! I just used the striped pattern in the Whimsy & Wonder DSP and added a stamped “Thank You”, punched out with the Tailored Tag Punch. I added a couple of jewels just for a little extra something.
The note card on the right uses a light green layer, plus a few cut out trees from the paper. The Thank You is stamped in Polished Pink and punched out with the Everyday Label Punch. I do have the dies for the trees, but since I had to clean up and put away my die-cutting machine, dies, and mess for Christmas dinner, it was easier to just cut the trees out by hand! Your recipient won’t know, “Gee, she could have die cut these and she didn’t!!” I added a little White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon behind the sentiment, just the back and forth underneath the label.
Since these Basic White Note Cards are smaller, they are not necessarily meant to be super-fussy cards so you can go a lot simpler and quicker with these! If you made just one style of Christmas card, it might be fun to use that same paper, even if you only used a strip, to continue with the theme of your Christmas cards! Whatever you do, the gift-giver will appreciate a little note (and the handmade note card!) from you! Or just write a note to those who know your family or couldn’t be with you and tell them about your Christmas, just a post-holiday note! It will ease the withdrawal from Christmas cards in the mail and no Amazon packages at the door! LOL!
And if you used up every bit of your paper and embellishments from the Holiday Mini Catalog, be sure to check out the Last Chance List, ending January 3rd, and the Clearance Rack where you might find some bargains to use now or to save for next year! Be old-fashioned and send a few thank you notes like these easy Whimsy & Wonder Christmas Thank You Cards with whatever paper you have left!
SHOP THE HOLIDAY MINI LAST CHANCE PRODUCTS!
It’s Christmas!
I wish you a very Merry Christmas with your family!
A Stamper’s Christmas Card Poem
The Week Before Christmas (In a Stamper’s House)
‘Twas the week before Christmas, and the house was a hush
Save the stamping of rubber in a last-minute rush.
The cardstock was cut with precision and care
In hopes that a greeting would soon be stamped there.
The children were tucked in their beds around eight,
But now it’s ten-thirty… How’d it get so late?
And I in my PJs with bleary red eyes
Had finally arranged all the stamping supplies.
It started out simple. (It does every year.)
Just make a few cards for friends who are dear.
I pressed ink to paper. (It looked crisp and clean.)
A sprinkle of powder, heat to a sheen.
When what on my green Christmas card should appear?
Why, a tiny gold Santa with sleigh and reindeer.
On pigment! On powder! On heat from a gun!
Now ribbon and glitter! Can I make eighty-one?
“I can do it!” I said with all of my might
And looked at the clock – ’twas well past midnight.
I went straight to stamping out card after card.
“This might take all night, but at least it’s not hard.”
But after I finished, they looked a bit lame.
I didn’t want fancy, but these were too plain.
And then in a twinkling, a thought came to mind.
“I’ll just dress them up, and then they’ll be fine.”
So I went to my craft room and looked all around,
Then back to the table with all that I’d found.
My Fiskars I brandished (I wasn’t a quitter),
And soon I was covered in EP and glitter.
The cap of a marker I held in my teeth.
I’d lay in some color or maybe gold leaf.
My broad little face was all beaded with sweat,
But I wouldn’t give up – well, not at least yet.
There was glue on the table and ink on the floor.
I laughed at the sight though my fingers were sore.
I did not complain, just kept up my work.
When more things went wrong, I did not go berserk.
When finally finished, one card about six,
It looked pretty good after all of my tricks.
I’m keeping this one. My work on it shows.”
So clutching my card, up the stairs I arose.
I crawled into bed at the crack of dawn,
Creativity all spent motivation all gone.
But make no mistake, I promise one thing:
You’ll all get your cards, but not ’til next spring!
–Author Unknown
Quick & Easy Snowman Season Gift Tags
Here are some Quick & Easy Snowman Season Gift Tags that you can make here at the last minute if you run out of gift tags (as we often do!). I suddenly realized I hadn’t made anything with a snowman this season and this Snowman Season Stamp Set is so cute! It’s been around a little bit so I thought I better use it before it retires, although I hope it stays a little longer! And perhaps you already have this in your inventory so it would be easy for you to copy. You’ll find it in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog on page 93. And notice the round tag on page 92, which, without seeing this page first, I was thinking of making a round tag like that one but I ran out of time to make one more!
The tag punch I used is retired but is very similar to the two tag punches Stampin’ Up! does carry right now, the Delightful Tag Topper Punch and the Fancy Tag Topper Punch. This type of punch is so handy to have so I recommend you have one kind or another in your supplies.
I just layered a piece of Basic White cardstock on the Balmy Blue and the Crumb Cake tag bases. The snowmen fit perfectly on this narrow piece. If you stamp with Memento Ink you can color in with Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. Or you can stamp with Stazon and color in with Stampin’ Write Markers or some other coloring product, like Watercolor pencils or ink.
The first tag in the photo was the last tag I made. That’s where I was going to make the circle gift tag with dies but I already had this scalloped rectangle in the bag with Basic White cardstock so I just grabbed it and stamped on that piece, then layered it on Balmy Blue cardstock. Also, since I was short on time, I didn’t have any more time for coloring so I stamped the snowman and greeting in Balmy Blue ink and let it be monochromatic! Easy enough and looks just as good! I just punched a hole in the corner and tied on the ribbon.
The beautiful ribbon I used and went well with the snowmen I thought is the White 3/8″ Glittered Organdy Ribbon. It is a white sheer ribbon with a little glitter and glimmer in it! Really pretty!
Now that it is officially winter, I think the snowman gift tags are just perfect. For more ideas, check out the Snowman Season tags I made last year HERE.
Just a few more days until Christmas so make a few of these Quick & Easy Snowman Season Gift Tags just in case you need a few more gift tags at the last minute!
Paper Pumpkin Gifts Galore Kit Snowman in Window
I admit to almost completely copying this Paper Pumpkin Gifts Galore Kit Snowman In Window card from someone on Pinterest, Bonnie Friday. I don’t know if she was the original person or not, but this was a card I saw “somewhere” online and then could not find it ANYWHERE later when I wanted it – until I found hers on Pinterest finally. The first time I saw this card, I believe the creator said she wondered if it looked a little “creepy” with the large snowman head peering in the window at the Christmas tree! Then there were more comments agreeing or disagreeing or laughing about that idea! That really caught my eye and made me giggle because I knew the perfect person to send a “creepy” Christmas card to just for fun!
This card is made from the contents of the November 2021 Paper Pumpkin Kit, Gifts Galore. This kit, in my opinion, is one of the best Paper Pumpkin kits! It contained very large die-cut images of this snowman, a Christmas tree, and packages. The design plan was to use two of the same images, front and back, on a small open box that would hold some kind of treats. Here is my post of the first treat holders I made as designed.
As always, stampers come up with alternative ideas for the materials in their kit. If they don’t need treat holders, they would rather make cards with the supplies or scrapbook pages or some other projects. And you can do that with your Paper Pumpkin Kit!
This card starts with a Basic White card base and a layer of Basic Black. The Christmas tree is cut a tiny bit more than in half. If you look at this sample, you can figure out where to cut it. I popped it up on Dimensionals and Foam Strips.
The snowman head is trimmed as shown so that it fits behind this “window”. This is a little tricky to figure out (maybe it won’t be for you, though!). I used a piece of Basic White and die cut two stitched rectangles out of it. You just have to make the sides wide enough so you can glue the snowman image behind it. I put a piece of Balmy Blue behind the snowman to look like the sky. Just fiddle with it and you’ll get it. The packages are cut from the piece in the kit. Most are pretty large. In fact, the top package I cut down from a larger package. Then I added a bit of the twine in the kit for a bow just for an embellishment even though there is a printed bow. In my retired stash, I had some stick-on bows and snowflakes so I added those just for fun! You could also add rhinestones or jewels to the tree. Do what you like!
I hope you get a kick out of the creepy snowman card made with the November 2021 Paper Pumpkin Kit Gifts Galore! If you still need cards or little projects, maybe you still have some pieces left in your Gifts Galore kit you can use!
3″x 3″ Gift Tags
If you are wrapping gifts right about now and you don’t have much time to stamp, for lots of fun I suggest making these 3″ x 3″ Gift Tags! On some presents, the hanging tags aren’t quite right or you’d like to write a little note, so make some of the gift tags or gift cards to enclose with your gift. You may even already have some 3″ x 3″ envelopes to put them in.
These are simply made with a 3″ x 6″ piece of any cardstock, scored at 3″ in the middle and folded to make the 3″ x 3″ card. Then embellish to your heart’s desire! I barely had to go to any work on these because I had some scraps, some greetings, some die cuts that I had made but hadn’t used just sitting on my table. All I had to do was make the card base and add some scraps of 2 3/4″ square designer paper or maybe just a strip, pieces from other designer paper that had already been cut out by hand or die-cut, and maybe a greeting or two! Add a few jewels if you like for some sparkle!
No need to go into the exact details of how I decorated these! I’m sure you also have scraps and pieces you can use or you can quickly stamp or cut some out! For sure these are super fun to make! I think you could make a ton of them in just half an hour or so!! If you want just a tag, just cut a 3″ x 3″ square of cardstock and write the “To: and From:” on the back of that. Punch a hole in the corner of these cards and put some ribbon or twine through to tie on your package unless you are using an envelope. Bet you can’t make just one!!
Kisses and Hugs for the January Paper Pumpkin Kit
We all know that roses are red and violets are blue—it’s time that love-themed cards got an upgrade! The Kisses & Hugs Paper Pumpkin Kit will help you express that forever kind of love with heart-shaped cards that would make Cupid jealous.
The Kisses & Hugs kit is not bound to just Valentine’s Day, it works for all love occasions year-round like anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, or those “just because” days.
ABOUT THE KIT
Name: Kisses & Hugs (160148)
Details:
- Kit contains enough supplies to create 10 cards—5 each of 2 designs—and 10 coordinating envelopes
- Kit features an exclusive Two-Step photopolymer stamp set
- Kit includes a Gray Granite Classic Stampin’ Spot
- Card size: 4-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ (11.4 x 10.8 cm) heart-shaped cards; folded
- Coordinating colors: Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Gray Granite, Very Vanilla
ADD-ON
Name: Kisses & Hugs Mini Treat Boxes (160147) $10.00 USD
Details:
- Contains 20 mini treat boxes and 20 heart tags
- Gold cord: 10-1/2″ yards (9.6 m)
- Finished size: 1-3/4″ x 1-3/4″ x 1-3/4″ (4.4 x 4.4 x 4.4 cm)
- Printed with gold foil
- These coordinated treat boxes are not included in this month’s kit and are only available for purchase separately as an add-on online starting 25 January. You must be a Paper Pumpkin subscriber to purchase and they are only available while supplies last.
Using the Stamparatus at Christmas
If you don’t own a Stamparatus yet, you need one! When you are making a lot of Christmas cards, you definitely need a Stamparatus! I keep mine handy and use it often but using it at Christmas is really the big time!
I like to make many different card designs and make several cards of that design, maybe five, maybe 10, whatever I feel like at the time. When you are stamping the same greeting over and over again for the inside of the card, if you spend a moment getting it straight and centered or however you want it on the inside of the card, then the stamp stays in the same place and you get perfect stamping every time.
As you can see in the photo, up above the Stamparatus, you can see I stamped at least six inside card layers. Next, I worked on stamping on die cuts I had made for the front of the card. Instead of hoping I stamped the greeting on the die cut centered and straight, I used the Stamparatus PLUS the negative of the die cut. I placed the negative in the corner of the Stamparatus and then made sure the stamp was in the right place to stamp right in the center of that die cut. Then leaving the negative in place, I could place a new die cut into that negative and then stamp. That made it quicker and easier to stamp the die cuts rather than stamping all over the cardstock and trying to line up the die to fit the stamped greeting properly. It worked great!
In my messy, real-life stamping photo above, you can see the used Grid Paper inside the open Stamparatus and the messy stamped large Grid Paper on my kitchen table. You can see the Merry Christmas stamp stuck on the plastic plate of the Stamparatus, ready to be inked up on the right.
Usually, when I am trying to make sure I have the stamp lined up exactly where I want it, I place a window sheet over the card stock and stamp on that first to make sure the words are straight and everything is centered. That way I can alter the stamp position and just wipe off the window sheet until I have it just right and THEN I’m ready to stamp right on the cardstock.
The Stampin’ Up! Stamparatus has a lot of features that I don’t think others on the market have. If you mess up and your image doesn’t stamp as well as you want, just reink and stamp again because the paper hasn’t moved. Use one of the magnets to hold your paper in place. Just be careful not to get those two magnets anywhere near each other!! I found that out the first time I used my Stamparatus!
It might be a good gift to ask Santa for this year to use next year! But if you want it right away, use the Expedited 2-day shipping for an extra $20 and hopefully, that will do it!
Last Day! Get the Lots of Pun Paper Pumpkin Kit!
Today, Friday, December 10th is the last day to sign up for Paper Pumpkin to get the new Paper Pumpkin Kit, Lots of Fun, coming mid-December to your mailbox! And don’t you think in this busy season you deserve a treat for yourself in your mailbox?!
What’s not to “loaf” about a punny joke? It never hurts to have a little laughter, light-heartedness, and humor sprinkled into your schedule. If you’re a fan of fun, get a kick out of clever crafts, and can’t keep it together when you hear a classic knee-slapper, you’ll go bananas over this month’s cute ‘n’ quirky kit!
The Lots of Pun Paper Pumpkin Kit includes enough egg-citing elements to create nine cards and coordinating envelopes. From giddy gingham to splatters and stripes, this playful Paper Pumpkin kit features a fun and fresh look with one-of-a-kind patterns and designs! “Egg-cellent” for any occasion, reason, or season throughout the year, the kit’s pun-packed stamp set provides completely customizable characters for a very versatile crafting experience. Pair each stamp with its matching die-cut snack, then mix up the faces and accessories for an absolutely adorable accent! Pick up your friends and family with pun-filled projects. December’s delightful kit is sure to make ‘em smile!
ABOUT THE KIT
Name: Lots of Pun
Details: The kit contains enough elements to create 9 cards—3 each of 3 designs—and 9 coordinating envelopes. This all-inclusive kit includes printed card bases, die-cut paper pieces, embellishments, adhesive, and more!
The Lots of Pun Stamp Set is a builder stamp set! This means the included images can be mixed and matched to build a variety of unique characters with different looks and features.
Card size: 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″
Envelope size: 4-1/2″ x 5-3/4″
Coordinating colors: Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Poppy Parade
Includes a Classic Stampin’ Spot and exclusive stamp set.
If you’re too busy in December to make this kit, just wait until January and pull it out when you’re ready to enjoy something new and fresh!
Subscribe to Paper Pumpkin HERE at my link! Last Day Dec. 10th!
You Will Need Gift Card Holders!
You know you will need at least a few gift card holders for holiday gifts, so here is one version you can easily make! It is basically a strip of cardstock, folded in the middle with a slit so that a gift card can be inserted, and then decorate and personalize for the occasion. You will need gift card holders throughout the year so keep in mind how easy it is to make your own rather than just using an envelope.
Start with a strip of cardstock that is 4 1/4″ x 11″. That is basically cutting a piece of cardstock in half, vertically. Score at 4 1/2″, 5 1/2″, and 6 1/2″. As you crease these score lines and use your Bone Folder on those folds, the center score line will be popped up (mountain fold) as you see in the photo above. This is where the gift card will eventually be held. It will be like a card opening on the side with this center fold inside the card.
The next step is to cut a slit in that center fold to hold the gift card. I used my retired Classic Label Punch which was so perfect for a project like this. If you do not have the Label Punch, use your scissors to cut your own opening or use something like a craft knife. The opening does not go all the way across, of course. You just need it to be wide enough to hold the gift card, so have your gift card or any card or credit card handy so you can measure correctly.
In this photo above, you can clearly see the opening I punched right on that center score line. It doesn’t have to be that wide and you can use scissors or die or whatever you have available. To hold that pocket closed, place a piece of Tear & Tape as close to the side score line away from the slit. You can insert the gift card so that you can see how the gift card fits in the slot. Then remove it, remove the liner from the Tear & Tape and fold back on the score line to adhere.
The gift card will fit in there far enough but not all the way down because of the tape. In this way, it can pop up when the card is opened!
Now the fun part of decorating the inside. I cut Basic White layers of 4″ x 3 3/4″ for each side and stamped the left side with the stocking and leaves in the Tidings and Trimmings Stamp Set in Real Red and Evening Evergreen. On the right side, I already had a stamped and die-cut greeting in my scraps so I just adhered that to the center, plus a little strip of the Tidings of Christmas 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper on the right side that matches the front of the card.
In the photo above you can see how the gift card pops up when the card is opened. That makes it a special treat for the recipient!
For the front of the gift card holder, which is essentially a card, I used a base of Evening Evergreen and a layer of Tidings of Christmas Designer Series Paper. The greeting is stamped in Real Red ink from the Tidings and Trimmings Stamp Set and die cut with one of the Tasteful Labels Dies. If you want to add ribbon to tie the card shut, when the greeting is adhered, just place the Stampin’ Dimensionals in the four corners of the die cut and not in the center. That way the ribbon can be slid underneath the popped-up greeting and tied on the side.
There are other designs for making gift card holders but this is one you can try! It looks very nice but keep in mind that it IS easy to make! Don’t let the pop-up slot in the middle scare you! For other occasions, just change the colors, paper, greeting and you are good to go!
Stampin’ Up! FREE SHIPPING Dec. 8th!
HOT OFF THE PRESS! FREE SHIPPING ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8th from STAMPIN’ UP!
Your order must be $50.00 USD before tax to get free shipping!
Save your order until Wednesday if you can (unless it is under $50!).
Free shipping 24 hours only, beginning at 12:00 AM and ending at 11:59 PM (MT). (Stampin’ Up! Time!) Don’t start your order ahead of time, you must put it in during those hours to be eligible for FREE SHIPPING.
Remember, due to the global shipping crisis, nothing is guaranteed to arrive by Christmas!
Rainbow Glimmer Christmas Trees Card
This Rainbow Glimmer Christmas Trees Card was sort of in my head, but then I started on two other projects first before deciding to give this idea a try! I thought it would be fun to use the Rainbow Glimmer Paper and try to get the ombre shades of the green color. The middle tree shows a different color at the base but the other two have slight variations in the green that doesn’t show up in the photo. I think it would be fun if this paper had narrower bands of colors so you could get more of an ombre effect on any projects. But, it is still really pretty and fun paper to use!
The card base is Mint Macaron with a layer of Shimmery White Cardstock. After cutting out and temporarily placing the trees on the card, I decided to try stamping the word “Joy” in the Whimsical Trees Stamp Set around in the background. There wasn’t a lot of empty space on which to do a little stamping so I’m not sure I like what I did. Maybe I do. What do you think??
The greeting is also in the Whimsical Trees Stamp Set and stamped with Mint Macaron. I layered it on a narrow piece of the Rainbow Glimmer Paper. I almost didn’t add a greeting since the card is a little busy already but I did! I really do like the Rainbow Glimmer Paper trees!
If you own the Christmas Trees Dies or will be purchasing them soon on the Last Chance Sale or the Whimsical Trees Bundle, note that there are two “pages” of dies in your package! I guess somehow I was only using what I saw when I pulled the dies out of the package and either forgot or never saw the rest of them! I wondered what happened to the trees that I used on this card that I had seen on other samples! So now I have lots more dies than I thought I had! Duh!
Remember the way these retirements work is that even if Bundles are carried over in the future to another catalog, they won’t still be Bundles. You might still be able to buy the stamp set and dies or whatever the individual components of the Bundle are, but you won’t get the 10% off discounted price. Be sure to check out the Last Chance Sale and the updated Clearance Rack to get the best chance of getting what you want lest anything sell out!
It was a rough morning because my website was not working so I couldn’t post my card until I went through two different Help Chats! Ugh! And even then they said it might work in a few minutes or it could take 24-48 hours globally! Thankfully it started working again after lunch!
Do some Christmas stamping this weekend! I hope to do that AND put up my tree! Wish me luck!
Gingerbread & Peppermint Ornament Trio Card
The Gingerbread & Peppermint Designer Paper has so many fun designs besides the gingerbread images! As it turned out, I had already used this pattern of the paper on another card earlier on, but since I love red, it was a natural draw for me to use it on this Gingerbread & Peppermint Ornament Trio Card.
The card base is Real Red, one of the coordinating colors of the Gingerbread & Peppermint 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. After I got the idea to use the three ornaments, die-cut from the paper with the Gingerbread Dies, I thought they needed a white background to help them stand out from the red and white paper. I happened to find this die-cut from the Scalloped Contours Dies so I just used that. Since I was using that, I tipped the side ornaments in so they would fit better on that small background piece of Basic White.
The middle red ornament is glued straight on the card front, with the side ornaments popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals®. I also tied small white bows with the Whisper White 1/4″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon to put on each ornament. And then I had to add some Rhinestone Basic Jewels to each ornament in the center!
For the greeting, I used a sentiment in the Frosted Gingerbread Stamp Set. I wanted something small and simple since the rest of the card is pretty busy. I stamped the greeting on Basic White cardstock with Real Red Ink and then die cut it with a small Stitched Rectangle Die. I didn’t even layer it on anything, I just wanted it to be simple.
This Frosted Gingerbread Bundle (stamp set and dies) will be on the Last Chance List tomorrow along with the designer paper, so check out the promotion tomorrow, December 1st in the Online Store!