Category Archives: Christmas

Holiday Packaging Bundles Video from Stampin’ Up!

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Here's a cute video for you from Stampin' Up!  Just the other day they put out these special bundles of bags and tags and ties for you to help with your holiday wrapping at at a 20% savings. There are two bundles to choose from!
SU Petite Treats Bundle
Petite Treats Bundle  #132770   Price:  $13.50   Value:  $16.85
SU Trimmings and Tags Bundle
Trimmings and Tags Bundle  #132769    Price:  $13.50   Value:  $16.85
If you would like to place an order for these items or any other products, please do so at my Online Store HERE.  And you're always welcome to have me put your order in for you if you prefer.

Watch Sara Douglass on the Today Show Donating to the Holiday Toy & Gift Drive

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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Here's the clip of Sara Douglass, Shelli Gardner's daughter, appearing on the Today Show presenting the Stampin' Up! donation of $300,000 in paper crafting supplies to their Holiday Toy & Gift Drive.  This is the fourth year in a row that Stampin' Up! has participated. Sara was on with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. She did a great job….but surely the Today Show realizes they should have Sara or Shelli on for a longer segment to do some stamping! I hope someday we will get to see what projects Sara had in her hands that she didn't have time to show!

Sara Douglass for Stampin’ Up! on the Today Show Today!!

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IMG_9943

Sara Douglass, daughter of Stampin' Up! CEO and cofounder Shelli Gardner, will be delivering Stampin' Up!'s donation of $300,000 in paper crafting supplies to the 19th Annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy & Gift Drive today, November 29, 2012. Here is a photo I took last January at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference of Shelli and Sara on stage. I'm sure Sara will do a great job representing Stampin' Up! I only wish they would give her more than about two seconds to talk about Stampin' Up!  They don't know what they are missing!!

Sara will be featured during the fourth hour of the TODAY Show with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford (generally 10 AM [EST]). Be sure to check your local listings, however, as the fourth hour airs at various times depending on the market.

Shelli is with Sara in New York for the show but says she is relieved that Sara will be the one on TV! I can't wait to watch!

Donations will be distributed to the following organizations:

  • Action for Boston Community Development Inc., Boston, MA
  • Arizona Helping Hands, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
  • Boys & Girls Clubs Harford County, Belcamp, MD
  • Cathedral Community Cares, New York, NY
  • Children's Toy Closet, New Haven, CT
  • Harlem Children's Zone, New York, NY
  • Help USA, Brooklyn, NY
  • Hispanic Federation, New York, NY
  • Making a Difference Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Churches, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Operation Homefront, San Antonio, TX
  • Phipps Houses, Bronx, NY
  • Project Sunshine, New York, NY
  • South Central Los Angeles Regional Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • The Christmas Box Intl., Salt Lake City, UT
  • St. Margaret's Center, Lennox, CA

Stampin' Up! invites those demonstrators who live in the New York City area, to come join them on the plaza outside the TODAY Show studios!

Hope you can watch this morning!!

 

 

Making a Christmas Wreath Card with Paper Scraps

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Wreath Card
I saw this idea in a papercrafting magazine although that one was made with washi tape and I used paper scraps! It just caught my eye! I'm not sure I would make a bunch of these cards, but to make one or a few it would be fun.
First I cut some strips 3/4" wide from the pack of paper in the Holiday Catalog called Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack.  This is a fun pad of designer papers to have since they all coordinate and are small to use on lots of projects! I made the first ones 1" long and the red polka dot batch 3/4" long for the top layer. I suggest playing around with your wreath pieces until you see how they fit together, how big of a wreath you want, what will fit on your card layer or project. In the end I used 9 of the longer pieces and "scootched" them closer together. The red ones probably the same number.  At first I was going to do the same green print but it didn't show up well enough on top although I might have tried dimensionals.
Once I had it all laid out on the card layer, I realized I didn't want to take it all apart to glue it (or even put it on Very Vanilla card stock like I intended to do!) so I left the pieces where they were and just slipped a dot of Multipurpose Glue underneath each piece. That would be enough to hold them and if I wanted, I could ruffle up the tips of the pieces.
Wreath pieces
Wreath glue

I just added a  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding bow and stamped a greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. This would also make a nice embellishment on a scrapbook page, too, if you just made the wreath!
Don't forget the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza continues tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday….thru Nov. 28th.  Be sure to do a little shopping and get your bargains. You may add any other merchandise on to your order as well, including Clearance Rack and MDS Downloads.

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps…Easy Cookie Baking!

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Sweet Pressed Cookies

It may be Black Friday, but if you are not into that shopping craziness it would be a good day to stay home and read over the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza shopping list! There are so many great bargains on there, discounts from 20% – 50% off regular price! You'll notice that one set…Special Events…. of the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps is on the list at 30% off!

It's been over a year now that Stampin' Up! came out with these Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps! I'm not an experienced dough baker…..I can mix up some cookie dough and then drop globs on a cookie sheet and bake, but I've never been good with cookie cutters and rolling pins and all that. But the Stampin' Up! Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps are easy to use! I had a friend coming from out of town and of course I was making these at the last minute in between trying to finish cleaning the house….so I was under a lot of pressure!  Normally that would guarantee the 'fancy" cookies not turning out at all. But, honestly, I whipped these out with no trouble and they tasted great!  I'm not saying I took time to make them look REALLY nice (like trimming the edges if I didn't get the stamp centered properly), but they turned out! That's all I cared about….having some home-baked cookies that tasted good!

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp one

These still basically met my "drop cookie" method of baking….just take a glob of dough, roll it in a ball, put it on the cookie sheet and stamp! The main tip is to ALWAYS dip the stamp into a bowl of sugar (or maybe flour) EACH TIME before you stamp and you won't have much trouble with dough sticking to the stamp.

I didn't take much time for decorating either which would have been nice!  I might even have some special cookie glitter (not to be confused with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter!!), but there was no time for that.  I just sprinkled on some cinnamon sugar and some sprinkles and called it good!

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp with Sugar

              Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp with Sprinkles

The recipe comes in the box with the stamps, and the cookies are delicious.  My friend even commented that they lasted well over a couple of days (since we really didn't eat them all the first night!)

Before you start your holiday cookie baking, consider these Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps from Stampin' Up! While all the designs are fun, it is the Special Events set that is on sale right now during the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza 30% off! Add them to your Online Order HERE.

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Holidays Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps #125152

Special Events Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Special Events #126903

Occasions Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Occasions #127081

Get on My Mailing List for the 12 Weeks of Christmas!

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Winter Mail Box
As my gift to my mailing list subscribers and customers, I have been sending out a weekly email with a Christmas idea to make. We are now on Week 7 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas campaign.  You've already missed the first 6 weeks, but you can still sign up and get the remaining six weeks of emails! Just subscribe to my mailing list at the top of the column to the right!  It's that easy! We are on gift ideas now and next will be tags and gift-wrap ideas. Each is a project you can do with a supply list and complete instructions.  If you need any supplies, you can order from my Stampin' Up! Online Store. Mainly I hope the ideas inspire you to create some projects yourself as cards and gifts for those on your list. You can copy or you can follow your own creative thoughts!
Sign up now for my Mailing List to receive the 12 Weeks of Christmas emails plus my monthly email with the latest Stampin' Up! news and project ideas!

Heart of Christmas Gift Box

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Image copyright Stampin' Up! 2012

I have loved this single stamp, Heart of Christmas, in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog since I first saw it! I love the sentiment! This is a project from Stampin' Up! They made a box with Crumb Cake card stock, decorated with some Snow Festival Designer Series Paper and 1/8" Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon. To display the Heart of Christmas sentiment, they made it very decoratived with the Apothecary Accents Framelits Dies. Notice the cute little heart punched out of the bottom of the label and backed with Glimmer Paper!  What a great project!  You could also use the Kraft Gift Boxes as well for something similar. Wouldn't this be a cute gift box under the Christmas tree?!

To shop for any stamping supplies for so many projects, just shop online at my Stampin' Up! Store here.

Here is the supply list Stampin' Up! provided:

Stamps
• Heart of Christmas*

Paper
• Crumb Cake Cardstock
• Very Vanilla Cardstock
• Snow Festival Designer Series Paper
• Champagne Glimmer Paper*

Ink
• Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write® Marker
• Old Olive Stampin’ Write Marker

Stampin’ Up! Accessories
• Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®
• Owl Punch
• 1/16" Circle Punch
• Big Shot™
• Fancy Favor Bigz™ XL Die
• Apothecary Accents Framelits™ Dies

Candlelight Christmas Flocked Clear Strip Christmas Ornament

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Candlelight Christmas Strip Ornament

I had to play again with the design of the ornaments on the cover of our Stampin' Up! Demonstrator magazine called Stampin' Success. You can make these Christmas ornaments with just strips of paper! This time I decided I wanted a fancier one…I only intended to add some ribbon and maybe some rhinestones.  But once I pulled out the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, I noticed the beautiful flocked clear window sheet "paper"! I thought that would make something pretty! So here it is!

Once I made the ornament, I attached a bow at the top with some mini glue dots and added just a few Rhinestone Jewels here and there.

Candlelight Christmas Paper Strip Ornament

My strips this time were 4 3/4" for the center one, two strips 6" each and 2 strips 7 1/4".  I think you just need to play with the lengths of the strips to get the size of ornament that you want. These strips are only 1/2" wide. You can read my directions for how I put the ornament together on my post the other day here. I think you can see in this photo above that I put rhinestones near the top, middle and bottom of the outside strips and one on each side of the center strip. I used Baker's Twine for the hanging thread.  Just feed it in through the center of the ornament and pull tightly for it to come up to the top in between the strips.

I might not be done yet!  I think the next one I will try will have another set or two of strips!

If you want a pack of the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, you know where to go!  While you are there, check out the Merry Christmas special which includes the Candlelight Christmas paper, and also the Clearance Rack! New items were just added on Friday!  Although some products sold out the first day, there still are great bargains to be had, so don't miss out!

Candlelight Christmas Paper Strip Christmas Ornament

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Paper Strip Christmas Ornament
I'm playing with some more paper strips to make a Christmas ornament again, this time using the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. I cut twelve strips, each 1/2" wide and 6" long. I punched a  circle with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch on which to glue the strips.
Paper Strip Christmas Ornament inside
Yes, I have hot glue all over the place!  Thank goodness for the Silicone Craft Sheet! There should be twelve strips glued in there but one got lost….when I found it I was able to stick it in the slightly empty space with some Tombow Multi Glue. I used more hot glue to add scallops and circle punches to decorate the outside.
Paper Strip Christmas Ornament Back
The little reindeer and the greeting are from the Joyous Celebrations stamp set. I love the Champagne Glimmer Paper scallop behind the reindeer on the front of the ornament.
Time is getting closer and closer to start thinking about making some things for Christmas! If you need any supplies for crafting, you will find what you need at my Stampin' Up! Online Store!  Be sure to check the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack for some great bargains!  New items just added yesterday!

Ornament Keepsakes Paper Christmas Ornament

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Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog Cover Ornament

I know you have seen this ornament before…it's on the cover of the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog and a lot of people have been making them! I finally stopped the world and made the hanging ornament myself! It really is beautiful in person and the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter around the edges of each little ornament really makes it look fantastic.  This is made with the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set and the Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies. The only difficult part is cutting out your stamped images of the ornaments with the Framelits as it just takes awhile to do twenty of each!  But once you have that part done (you can also just cut out designer paper, not stamped images) the rest is fairly easy to assemble and glue. Mine has Linen Thread loops in each of the large ornaments, but I think something more sparkly would be better. The Scalloped Tulle Ribbon was fun to work with and insert and twist between some of the ornaments. The rosette in the center is made with the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper.  Then a Vintage Faceted Designer Button is hot-glued into the center of the rosette with a Large Pearl Basic Jewel adhered to the center of the button.

I hope you will take some time to make something special for Christmas, just because! Just to relax and enjoy the creative side of yourself! Sometimes we all have to do that!

If you need any stamping or scrapbooking supplies, please visit my Stampin' Up! Online Store or email with your order. Don't forget to check the Merry Christmas October Promotion by Stampin' Up! which is only good until the end of October….which is sure sneaking up on all of us!

Ornament Keepsakes Christmas Ornament

Ornament Keepsakes Christmas Ornament Front

Have fun making your ornament!  You'll be glad you did!

Ornament Keepsakes Paper-Pierced Christmas Card

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Ornament Keepsakes Paper Piercing Card
Stampin’ Up! gives us so many options for designing our handmade Christmas cards and other projects. One of the big trends right now is paper-piercing. If you look closely at my card, stamped with the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set, you can see three different styles of paper-piercing.  On the Gumball Green ornament, I went around the outside. On the Cherry Cobbler ornament I made a circle inside the ornament, and on the Baja Breeze ornament the piercing is on the center design. Then I free-handed piercing for the ornament strings up to the top of the card.
The Paper Piercing Tool is very handy to have!
Feel free to email me with any questions at Karen@KarenStamps.com.

Christmas Porcelain Ornaments….A Blast from the Past!

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Christmas Porcelain Ornaments

Anybody remember these Christmas porcelain ornaments Stampin' Up! used to sell? I'm thinking it was back in the beginning days of my association with Stampin' Up! And that's now been over ten years ago if you count from the time I first heard about Stampin' Up! from my friend I was visiting. If you've been around Stampin' Up! that long, I'm sure you will recognize the stamp set, too!

As I was cleaning out my craft closet recently, I knew I was going to find a bag of plain porcelain ornaments….but I didn't remember that I had already stamped them! What a nice surprise to find something stashed that was actually used, so now I am happy to bring them out of the darkness and hang them on the tree this year! They would also make a cute Christmas tag on a package! Just remember that a handmade Christmas ornament can be very special.

I believe these were stamped with Stazon and then colored in with markers. For the sparkly finish they probably were stamped with VersaMark ink and embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder #101930.

Find something in your stash that you've been putting off or forgot you even had and make something with it today! You might find some Christmas gift ideas that you didn't know you had!

Snow Festival Designer Tag Reindeer Christmas Card

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Snow Festival Designer Tag Reindeer Christmas Card
These Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags are so cute and easy to add to Christmas cards!  This card took just minutes to make. I used Cherry Cobbler for the card base, punched a strip of Gumball Green card stock with the Scallop Trim Border Punch, and used a strip of the Snow Festival Designer Series Paper.  And for a little extra razzle-dazzle, I added some Rhinestone Jewels to the ornaments on the reindeer antlers, plus a little dot of Dazzling Details on his red nose!
Order yourself a pack or two of these Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags! You'll be glad you did!
Shop at my Stampin' Up! Online Store or email me!

Petite Pocket Die Pouch with Snow Festival Designer Printed Tag

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Pocket Die with Snow Festival Tag

You will find the Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog on page 17, and look how you can pair one with the Petite Pocket Die and make a cute little gift! Honestly, I passed these up when I saw them in the Holiday Catalog because I didn't know why I would want to buy tags for packages from Stampin' Up! Well, of course they were cute, but when I wanted so many other things, why would I spend money on these? But since then, I have seen so many cute ideas for using these for more than tags, that I ordered two packages of them!

The Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags come in a little pad so you just tear off the one you want to use. Each of the 25 tags is double-sided with five different holiday designs on each side, so that makes ten different designs to use in your projects!

Here is one cute project…..it was in the magazine that Stampin' Up! Demonstrators receive with craft ideas, business tips and news. Just use the Petite Pocket Die cut out with the Big Shot and adhere the sides to make the pouch. Then take a tag of your choice and adhere just the center on the front of the pouch.

Pocket Die Snow Festival Tag

Wrap the sides around to the back and adhere. Stamp a greeting or embellish with some ribbon.  I used Baker's Twine and stamped the greeting from Chock-Full of Cheer (best to stamp the greeting before you attach the tag!)

Pocket Die Snow Festival Tag Back

If you want to add on these Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags to your order, just go to my Stampin' Up! Online Store and shop!  It's not too early to get started on your Christmas projects!

And if you want to see a creative Christmas idea every week, be sure you are on my newsletter mailing list!  My next "12 Weeks of Christmas" newsletter comes out tomorrow!!  Don't miss another one! Sign up at the top of my blog today!

 

Snow Festival Ornament Christmas Card

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Snow Festival Ornament Christmas Card

You can take advantage of the Stampin' Up! Merry Christmas special by purchasing the beautiful Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper and the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set…or even adding the Holiday Ornaments Framleits Dies.  But today I was creatively inspired by the other holiday paper in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog, Snow Festival!  I like the Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler and Gumball Green color scheme. The greeting is from the Chock-Full of Cheer Stamp Set (another cute set!) in the regular Stampin' Up! Catalog.

Remember, that if you want to purchase one of the Merry Christmas Bundles, you MUST use the numbers in the special in order to receive your FREE Festive Paper-Piercing Pack.