During the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference, one of the popular activities we could choose to do was to carve our own stamp using the Undefined Stamp Carving Kit. I waited until the very end and took the easy way of creating, by just tracing the crown emblem on our Leadership program, as a lot of other demonstrators were doing. It was the first time I tried the stamp carving so my skill was not perfect, but it wasn’t too hard for a beginner either! And judging by how many people are coming up with creative ideas for carving their own stamps, it can’t be difficult!

My beloved carved stamp has been sitting on my baker’s rack as a decoration, a home decor item, but today I decided to make a card with it! I stamped the crown with Versamark ink and embossed it with gold embossing powder and the Stampin’ Up! Heat Tool. I was actually able to “clean up” my image a little bit by taking a small paintbrush and smoothing some of the edges of the embossing powder better than I did on the stamp!

After embossing my crown, I had to add some bling! I added lots of different sizes of Basic Rhinestone Jewel Accents and Basic Pearls Jewel Accents. They’re self-adhesive so easy to put on your project. I added a little bit of Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape at the top and bottom of the top card layer. Then this was layered on a piece of the Gold Foil Sheet. The greeting is from the stamp set Really Good Greetings.

I’m not sure carving my own stamps is going to be my “thing”, but it might be for you! Or it might be for just one occasion when Stampin’ Up! doesn’t have the exact right stamp you need for a certain purpose. How handy is it that now you could make up your own stamp without any special ordering?  Just get the Undefined Stamp Carving Kit and carve your stamp! You can even get refills! Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for all your stamping supplies – and don’t forget with a $50 order you can earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration product!

During the Olympics, everyone is going for the gold and now you can, too, with the Good As Gold Card Kit, available FREE to you during Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration when you make a $50 purchase in current Stampin’ Up! products! Its one of eleven items you can choose for FREE during Sale-A-Bration, the biggest promotion of the year from Stampin’ Up! Just shop online at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store or contact me with your order and for every $50 you spend you get to choose one free Sale-A-Bration product, no limits!  Spend $100, get two free items.  Spend $150, the magic number, and get three free SAB products PLUS Hostess Rewards! There are so many great Stampin’ Up! products to choose from, including some that are not even in the catalog. So be sure to check out ALL the categories in the left sidebar of my Online Store so you won’t miss a thing and get to choose your “gold” in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure!

Today is Tuesday and that means new Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! So many things going on at Stampin’ Up! these days! Add some of these discounted products to your order, reach $50 or more and earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration product (for EVERY $50 you spend!)!

Paper Pumpkin

Don’t forget about Paper Pumpkin! Sign up and start getting your fun papercrafting kit in the mail every month! Not every kit is cards either! Be surprised!!  If you sign up by Feb. 10th, you will receive a FREE pack of 2012-2014 In Color Markers! The 10th of every month is the magic date to sign up by or change your order so that you receive the next kit. The first kit every new subscriber receives is called the Welcome Kit.

In the Welcome Kit you receive all the materials (except adhesive) to make four cards PLUS a free clear block on which to mount your stamps to use with future kits! I have to say, when I received my Welcome Kit I thought the cards were cuter in person than I thought they were going to be. You can follow the directions from Stampin’ Up! for making your cards or you can strike out on your own! It’s up to you! No rules!

At Leadership we were treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming kits and EVERYONE agreed that Stampin’ Up! had stepped up the kits to make them even better. They are good for new crafters, non-crafters, young, old, friends, family, kids, college students, etc. Order two and make one kit with your friend every month! It’s just fun to get a package in the mail once a month in a cute red box and have a surprise about what is inside!

The cost is $19.95 per month, which includes shipping! You can be flexible in the monthly orders – order an extra kit, pause your subscription, cancel your subscription if you must. Just make any changes by the 10th of the month.

Go to my Paper Pumpkin page NOW and get signed up so you won’t forget! Then your Welcome Kit will be in the mail on its way to you around the 15th of the month.  You won’t be charged until your kit ships! And you’ll get the cutest email letting you know Paper Pumpkin is on its way!

Paper Pumpkin, the monthly subscription kit from Stampin’ Up! for new and ANY papercrafters, arrived in my mailbox! The box itself is so cute (see previous post)!  I wonder what the post office thinks when they see a bunch of these bright boxes going through the system! And the wrapping inside just gets you more excited to see what is in the box! In the picture above, you can see the contents of my August Paper Pumpkin kit. This month had two stamps included, which you punch out of the die-cut rubber, remove the white covering and mount on the label if you like.  You will already have a clear block from your first kit, the Welcome Kit.

Here is the card I stamped and assembled exactly as the instructions indicated.

The card base just had to be folded in half and already had the blue polka dots printed on them.  I applied the strips across the card and the little banners (all had adhesive on the back) and then stamped the bicycle and the “thanks” banner.  Done!

Then if you want, you can play around and make your own designs! Or you can make the cards all the same.  It’s your time to be creative!  Do what you want!

If you would like to receive Paper Pumpkin in YOUR mailbox in September, hurry and subscribe. Right now, until next Saturday, August 31, you can subscribe for only $10 a month for the first two months with the special promo code of PUMPKINDEAL!  You will receive the Welcome Kit first which contains your complimentary clear block (worth the price of admission right there!). I have to say I think the Welcome Kit is cuter in person than in the photos.  I enjoyed it.

Then in October, you will receive whatever surprise kit everyone else is receiving. Yes, it’s a surprise! You’ll find out what the kit is when you open your box! That’s part of the fun!

After two months of the special price, the price will go to the regular price of $19.95 a month, which does include shipping. You can cancel at any time or just skip a month a two if you like and then resume your subscription.  The 10th of the month is the magic date to remember if you want your choice to apply for that month’s kit.

For example, subscribe by Sept. 10th, receive the September Kit.  Subscribe after Sept. 10th and receive the October Kit.  The same applies for cancelling or pausing your subscription.

Go to my Paper Pumpkin page and subscribe right now so you won’t miss out on that $10 offer!  It’s too good to be true!  Try it for two months and see how you like it!  No obligation, no commitment, just enjoy!  Just be sure to click on “Add Promo Code” and type in PUMPKINDEAL. On the next page you’ll see your Order Summary at the top and you can see that your discount was applied.

Email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com if you have any questions!