Thought you might enjoy this Dance Party at the Stampin’ Up! home office! You get to see some of the behind-the scenes!
Happy November! Enjoy a Dance Party at Stampin’ Up!
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Category Archives: Items of Interest
Are You On My “Stamping With Karen” Newsletter Mailing List?
It’s time to join my “Stamping With Karen” Newsletter mailing list! Don’t wait another minute! The holidays will soon be upon us, believe it or not, and receiving my monthly stamping newsletter plus my mid-month reminder is the best way for you to stay on top of the latest news and offerings from Stampin’ Up! plus get project ideas and inspiration with full supply lists and instructions. One of the best parts is (besides the FREE GIFT!) the upcoming 12 Weeks of Christmas emails you will receive from me, free of charge, if you are on my mailing list! Once we get to that point (I know, it CAN’T be time!!), I will send you a weekly email with a new project to make or use for inspiration, from cards to gift ideas to packaging ideas!
I know you don’t want to miss a single thing from Stampin’ Up! – and you know they have had more news, new products, specials recently than ever before! It’s hard to keep up!
Just fill out the Mailing List Sign-Up Box you see here on my blog, BE SURE to look for another email to confirm your subscription (be sure to click the link inside that email) and then you will receive the link to your FREE GIFT. That’s the way of the internet world so we are in compliance with sending you emails you have requested and not being a nuisance! It should arrive most likely within a few minutes, but if you don’t see it, try again or let me know. Be sure to check your spam folder or your other Gmail tabs just in case.
I’ll look forward to visiting with you with each email and sharing stamping ideas and news and tips!
Hello Dolly! at The Muny!
This isn’t your usual stamping post, but I’m sure you creative types could take some artistic inspiration from Hello, Dolly! if you would like! While in St. Louis to visit family last week, we made pretty much a last minute decision to go to the Muny, an outdoor theater in Forest Park, to see Hello, Dolly! The Muny Opera is a summer treat for everyone in St. Louis. When I was in high school, I would meet a friend at a mall close to my house and we would ride the special Muny bus and watch a show. The last time I went was when I was dating my husband and thought an ultimate date would be to dress up to go to the Muny! I probably insisted he wear a suit and I know I wore a long dress I had made myself, back in the day when my friends and I sewed a lot of our own clothes. I remember it being so stifling hot and the fans only ran before and after the show and during intermission! Not a good night to be “dressed up” at the Muny! They even have free seats way in the back, if you want to get there early enough to snag one and have a good pair of binoculars!
My husband, his sister and her husband decided we would all go, especially after talking to my cousin who said it was one of the best shows she had seen. We bought tickets, stopped for dinner on the way, and arrived at the Muny with a couple of umbrellas and jackets “just in case” (although everyone knows that the best way to prevent rain is to take an umbrella!). It was cloudy and the temperature almost cool with the fans blowing and, the show started. After a little while, a few stray raindrops started falling and then more, and I pulled my jacket up over my head. Finally they stopped the show, saying they needed to dry the stage so the dancers would not get injured. In a few minutes, the rain stopped, we walked back to our seats from the side under a roof and the show restarted. It wasn’t too long until the sprinkles started again, and again they stopped the show, announced that the Weather Service said the rain would be out of the area in 10 minutes, they dried the stage and we took our seats again. My sister-in-law kept grabbing paper towels to dry off our seats each time we returned. As it turned out, it was nearly time for intermission, so again the show stopped because they had to “reset the stage” for the second half but they cut intermission short.
Great! Now we could finally watch the rest of the show! Just as they got to the big number where Dolly walks down the grand staircase during the “Hello, Dolly!” song, a few little raindrops began falling. Nobody moved,even as the rain continued to fall and the cast kept singing and dancing! I think they were determined to get through that big number no matter what and sang and danced their hearts out, even walking out on this narrow portion of the stage closer to the audience. By then it was pouring, but the audience stayed to watch and cheered them on and applauded. This time they had to call the show, but I think everyone in attendance had enjoyed the show so much up to that point and appreciated the effort of all the performers (there were umbrellas up in the orchestra pit!) that no one was upset that we didn’t get to see the rest of the show. I don’t think I’d ever been to the Muny when it got rained out so this was a first for me! I read later that the local marching band in the show, the O’Fallon Township High School Marching Panthers, stayed and played for the people exiting out the front of the theater, but we were parked in back. I was glad I had gotten to see them in the show earlier, though. It also got rained out the next night, so hopefully they will get in the last show of the season tonight!
I’m sure I will remember the rainy night at the Muny seeing Hello, Dolly! for a long time! You can even go to THIS LINK to view the Muny website and scroll down to see the audience full of umbrellas. If you are in St. Louis in the summer time, you might like to put seeing a show at The Muny on your itinerary! It’s a St. Louis institution!
Be Patriotic! Fly the Flag on Flag Day 2014!
Be patriotic! Fly a flag on Flag Day today! I love to put out my flag, although it often blows and catches on the roof or gets all wrapped up in itself. But today it looks really nice along with the blooming crepe myrtle.
Flag Day is when the flag was first issued by the Continental Congress in 1777. This day also marks the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the USA, which Francis Scott Key was inspired to write upon seeing the flag flying over Ft. McHenry after a battle with the British.
It wasn’t long ago, but you can view my post HERE from D-Day when I made a flag card with the new Work of Art stamp set in the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog.
Happy Flag Day! Celebrate by flying your flag!
Memorial Day 2014
On Memorial Day we honor those men and women in the service who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. In the midst of our picnics and barbecues and shopping this weekend, we all need to consider the real reason for this holiday.
Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators Have It Good!
At this exciting time of year, when the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog is about to go live in a few weeks and everyone is anticipating the new products, Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators have it good because we get to place a pre-order of just certain products in the new catalog. If we get some new products early, we can make samples for our customers and get acquainted with some of the new things! Here’s my treasured box of goodies that came late yesterday!
Here’s the inside! Love that bubble wrap, don’t you?!
Here’s what we’ve all REALLY been waiting for! The brand-spanking new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog for 2014-15! If you look carefully at this cover, you will see some sneak peeks of what is inside and new! Shelli Gardner said she especially loved the photos of the hands, creating together, which shows one of the most important things about Stampin’ Up!, the relationships, the fun of stamping together.
Here is the new Spanish language catalog, Celebrando Creatividad! If you are looking for a catalog in Spanish in the USA, please contact me and I can have one sent to you.
The new Stampin’ Up! catalogs will go LIVE on Monday, June 2, 2014 at Noon Mountain Time! That’s Stampin’ Up! time in Utah!
If you want to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and start your own stamping and scrapbooking business, just contact me with any questions or if you want more information. You, too, can get in on these perks, fun, and a business of your own. Click HERE for some information online. It only takes minutes to sign up online when you are ready.
And now I’ve got to go play with the new things in that box!!
Stay on Top of All the Latest with Stampin’ Up! Sign Up For My Mailing List!
Have you signed up for my Mailing List yet? Every month I send out an email chock full of papercrafting projects and the latest news from Stampin’ Up! My next one comes out next week so be sure you are on my list! This is an exciting time of the Stampin’ Up! year with the new Annual Catalog coming out June 2nd and stamps and accessories retiring from the current catalog. Project Life is a system of scrapbooking developed by Becky Higgins who Stampin’ Up! is partnering with now to provide this quick and easy method of preserving memories in Stampin’ Up! colors and designs. New alcohol markers are coming out soon from Stampin’ Up! called Blendabilities!
Don’t miss a thing! Sign up today in the Mailing List Sign Up Box in the upper right corner of my blog (or the pop-up box you may see!) and start receiving my monthly newsletter with stamping tips, project ideas with complete instructions, specials and offers from Stampin’ Up! and more! I also send out a mid-month email telling you the latest news or a reminder about some other special or product.
Get a FREE GIFT when you sign up in the box AND CONFIRM that you signed up. That is a way to assure you did intend to sign up and give permission to receive my Stamping With Karen emails. It’s a typical thing to do when you sign up with a reliable company. Just watch for the Confirmation email and be sure you open it and click on the link inside; otherwise I won’t have permission to send you my business emails. If you don’t see it in a reasonable amount of time, check your spam folder or the extra Gmail folders. If you never receive it, just let me know and I’ll check on it.
Looking forward to “visiting” with you next week to talk about all the exciting new developments in Stampin’ Up! and send you some fun projects to inspire you in your papercrafting!
Sign up for my Stamping With Karen Mailing List to start receiving your email newsletters!
March and Stampin’ Up! Specials Coming To An End Quickly!!
Can you even believe that Sale-A-Bration, the biggest promotion of the Stampin’ Up! year, is coming to an end Monday, March 31?! I can’t believe March is ending already, much less Sale-A-Bration! It began in January and seemed like it would go on forever! But if you don’t get your order in by Monday, you will miss out on your free gift with a $50 purchase! Back in the day, there were just a few free stamp sets to choose from for your free gift! Now you have many choices for whatever suits you! You’re not restricted to the Bundles in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure; you can purchase any $50 in current Stampin’ Up! products and earn your FREE Sale-A-Bration gift! Just ask me if you have any questions or need any help in your choices!
It’s not just about one free gift with a $50 purchase!
- Join Stampin’ Up! by purchasing the Starter Kit for only $99 and get $150 worth of Stampin’ Up! products! Start your OWN BUSINESS with Stampin’ Up! for only $99 and see what you can do with it! I can help you!
- Earn a FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT with EVERY $50 you spend! Spend $150, get three free gifts PLUS Hostess Benefits!! That means choose an extra $25 in Stampin’ Up! products FREE!
- Digital products to buy and free digital product gifts to use with My Digital Studio!
- Gather some orders from your friends! You be the Hostess! Even non-stampers can use ribbon, scissors, personalized stamps, adhesives, envelopes, gift boxes and bags and more!
Paper Pumpkin will continue, but if you want to get a FREE set of In Color Stampin’ Write Markers – a $14.95 value – you NEED to sign up by Monday, March 31!
- Go HERE and click the SUBSCRIBE button at the top of that page! Put Quantity 1 in the box. No Promo Code required or needed. Click “Continue” at the bottom of the page. Fill in your account information on the next page!
- Mid-April you will receive the pictured Welcome Kit in the mail with your free clear-block on which to mount these and future stamps. Everything for the project is included in the kit except adhesive.
- Mid-May you will receive the next kit that goes out to everyone! (as long as you don’t cancel!) I can tell you that since January 2014 the kits have been getting even better! It’s just fun to receive a gift in the mail! This is the cutest package and something special just for you! Get a couple month’s worth of kits and see how you like them! No obligation, you can always cancel or even just PAUSE your subscription and come back to it. You can even order extra kits in a month. Just make any changes in your subscription before the 10th of any month to take effect that month!
- Ask me if you have any trouble signing up or questions! You’re worth a special gift for yourself!!
TRY Paper Pumpkin Today!
Even though Stampin’ Up! released these special Best of 25 Years stamp sets to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Stampin’ Up! of past images (plus one new!) over the past year, they have still been available all this time – but now only until MONDAY, MARCH 31! Purchase six stamp sets altogether and send in your proof of purchase Collector’s Card and get a free stamp set! If not six, at least make sure you have the images you want before they are gone!
***As a special incentive to collect the Best of stamps, we’re including a collector’s card and 25-year proof of purchase sticker with every Best of set. Collect six stickers, and send it in to redeem a FREE set of your choice valued up to $14.95! Free sets must be redeemed no later than April 30, 2014.***
Whew! Lots of information, but you just have this weekend and MONDAY, MARCH 31 to get in on these deals! Don’t want you to miss out because you forgot or weren’t sure! Don’t wait until the last minute if you can do it sooner! Email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com if you have any questions or need any help with ordering or anything!
Have fun Sale-A-Bration shopping HERE at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!
Giant Stamping Party at Stampin’ Up! Leadership!
It was a giant stamping party last night at the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference! This was after a full day of a speaker and various classes plus a most delicious dessert at lunch!
The Stampin’ Up! employees greeted us as we walked in the room! After we picked up one of our stamp sets we found a place to sit at the lovely tables decorated with little Stampin’ Up! bags with our Make & Takes and another stamp set. Some of our favorite Stampin’ Up! people did stamping demonstrations on stage. Love that part!! And there’s a new product coming if you don’t have the Big Shot but want to do some embossing! Not to mention the new Blendabilities alcohol markers. And there’s a new Paper Pumpkin special for signing up!
And if you are in the Houston area today, come to the George R. Brown Convention Center this afternoon to preview Stampin’ Up! and you probably get to stamp something too! It’s from 2:00 – 7:00 and open to everybody. Dad and the kids can go see the Train Show there and Mom can go stamp!
Blurry but cute being greeted as we walked in! We love the Stampin’ Up! staff!
Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference 2014 in Houston
It was a fun day at the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference yesterday in downtown Houston! After some drizzle in the morning I saw two sides of a rainbow on the way to downtown so I knew it was going to be a good day! And I’m sure I found the pot of gold just being at the Leadership Conference!
Shelli Gardner came on stage and I don’t think even said a word when she got emotional after we gave her a standing ovation Everyone was thrilled to see her because, well, it’s Shelli, and because she was in a terrible horse-back riding accident a few months ago and yet she recovered so quickly and looks great!
Shelli’s daughter, Sara Douglass, is full of personality like her mother and always does a fun presentation on stage! That’s Tom the cameraman who films everything for the big screens.
Sara used the Blessed Easter stamp from the Occasions Catalog to show us masking off the greeting and demonstrated some new alcohol markers! that will be coming out.
Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2014
Sara also showed us a new photopolymer stamp set on a card. Stampin’ Up! will start manufacturing their own photopolymer stamps and packaging them in a case like the clear-mount stamps.
Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2014
Got to try the new Fringe Scissors in the Occasions Catalog. They are regular size scissors, larger than I expected. They are not little toy scissors, very nice! You can make flowers and all kinds of designs with them!
It’s fun to see the props and projects from the catalogs in person! You may remember seeing this table in the Occasions Catalog. Everything was really cute!
Here’s a Peachy Keen sample up on the display boards.
Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 2014
And now I’m off to a second day of Leadership! Can’t wait to hear if they have more exciting announcements for us!
Free Stampin’ Up! Open House in Houston Saturday, Jan. 11th!
From the Stampin’ Up! Facebook Page!
“In the Houston area? Join the folks from the Stampin’ Up! home office on January 11 from 2:00-7:00 PM for a FREE open house at the George R. Brown Convention Center. We’re planning a lot of demonstrations and giving away some great prizes. No need for tickets or registration—just show up and have fun!”
The Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference is next week January 9-11 so I guess while they are in town, they decided to have an extra event, a free Open House for anyone to come and get acquainted with Stampin’ Up! Let me know if you think you might go! Sounds like fun!!
Learn more about Stampin’ Up! product lines HERE, if you are not familiar with all that Stampin’ Up! has to offer!
And for more about the Stampin’ Up! Business Opportunity, HERE is some information. You’re always welcome to ask me for more information or to answer your questions, too!
New Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog 2014 Is Here!
Click Image for Catalog PDF
The new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog is here as promised on January 3, 2014! Let’s put the holidays behind us and get in gear for spring! You’ll find all kinds of new products inside, from stamps, paper, ribbon, punches to a wreath kit, card kit, mini album kit, fun scissors, watercoloring, lots of gold color – – well, just check it out for yourself! The format is mostly the same as the Holiday Catalog with the project ideas in the front and actual product listings in the back. But you will find the page numbers for the products along with the projects! You’ll find party ideas, gift-wrapping ideas, geometrical designs, flowers, animals, new accessories.
Shop HERE directly for the Occasions Catalog in my Online Store!
Stampin’ Supplies PDF for the sample projects in the catalog
If you are a regular customer of mine, you probably already received this catalog in the mail. Make sure it is not mixed up in your Christmas cards you got in the mail! You won’t want to miss a new Stampin’ Up! Catalog! You will be able to view the catalog online, but if you would like your own copy and do not have a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, just email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com and I will get a copy to you. You will also want to be ready for Sale-A-Bration, Stampin’ Up!’s biggest promotion of the year, beginning January 28.
I hope you enjoy the new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog! Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store when you are ready to place your order or contact me and I’ll be happy to put your order in for you!
Last Day for Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog
Click to Shop!
Today is the last day for the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog! I always kind of hate to say goodbye to a Stampin’ Up! Catalog that I have enjoyed (and I think I have enjoyed every one!) but I guess it is time to move on from the holidays and think about the new year and upcoming spring with the Occasions Catalog that will begin tomorrow, January 3, 2014.
You might want to check one more time to see if you have everything you want out of this Holiday Catalog before it is gone for good. However, here is a list of a few Carryover Items that Stampin’ Up! will still have available to order even though the catalog has ended! You can click on these links and also check this PDF with pictures.
- Joyful Christmas Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Joyful Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Evergreen Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Evergreen Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Greetings Of The Season Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Greetings Of The Season Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Christmas Ornament Punch
- Christmas Collectibles Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Christmas Collectibles Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Very Merry Tags Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Very Merry Tags Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Tags 4 You Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Tags 4 You Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Oh Goodie! Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Oh Goodie! Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Festive Flurry Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Festive Flurry Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Festive Flurry Framelits Dies
- Festive Flurry Wood-Mount Bundle
- Festive Flurry Clear-Mount Bundle
- Jewish Celebrations Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Jewish Celebrations Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Christmas Messages Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Christmas Messages Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Ornament Keepsakes Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Ornament Keepsakes Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies
- Merry Minis Punch Pack
- Snowflake Soiree Clear-Mount Stamp Set
- Snowflake Soiree Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- More Merry Messages Wood-Mount Stamp Set
- More Merry Messages Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for all your post-holiday shopping!!
Countless Sayings 1 & 2 New Photopolymer Stamp Sets from Stampin’ Up!
Click to enlarge flyer.
Stampin’ Up! has just released TWO new photopolymer stamp sets. They are named Countless Sayings 1 & 2. Lots of words to use for all kinds of projects, cards, scrapbook pages and more! Both these sets will be great for Valentines Day projects as well as many other occasions. These photopolymer stamp sets are only available while supplies last, and two sets have sold out already, so they aren’t kidding! Click on the stamps image above to see the flyer. Click HERE to go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store to shop for these sets and other photopolymer stamp sets. Don’t forget to check out the Weekly Deals and also the Clearance Rack that had new items added to it the other day.
See Stampin’ Up!’s Donation to the Today Show Toy Drive 2013
Two days ago I happened to change the TV channel to NBC and the end of the Today Show was on and here was Sara Douglass, daughter of Shelli Gardner, Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up! Every year Stampin’ Up! donates to the Today Show Toy Drive. Sara says in the video that the company is donating $650,000 in papercrafting products to the Toy Drive! This year, though, Stampin’ Up! didn’t tell us in advance that they would be on the show so it came as a complete surprise! Shelli wasn’t there herself as she is still recuperating from her horse accident a few months ago (quite well, I believe!) and Sara has had experience doing it in the past anyway. It’s great to know Stampin’ Up! is making such a generous donation and getting national exposure to the company. And I love the scrapbook pages Sara is holding up! Sara always does great presentations on stage at Convention and she does a good job in her television appearance as well representing Stampin’ Up!