Happy Mother’s Day!
Leave a reply
Join the Stamping With Karen Mailing List!
Join the Stamping With Karen Mailing List today!
We’d love to have you!
-
Keep up with the latest Stampin’ Up! news and offers.
-
Get FREE card and project ideas and directions with every newsletter.
-
Get a FREE WELCOME GIFT when you sign up.
-
Be part of the “12 Weeks of Christmas” emails for holiday papercrafting ideas!
-
Keep up with news and offers about Paper Pumpkin.
-
And more!
Just sign up HERE for the Stamping With Karen Mailing List ……or in the red box in the top right-hand corner of my blog!
Quick and Easy Gift Bag Idea For Mother’s Day
If you need a quick and easy gift bag idea for Mother’s Day or any occasion, this is my favorite project! Just grab one of those shopping bags you probably have from a store and decorate it! Even if it has the store’s or business’s name printed on it, you likely will be able to cover it up. This is a great way to recycle these shopping bags we usually save!
Depending on the size of your bag, you will adjust the paper sizes. I just grabbed one sheet of designer paper, cut it the proper width and length, and then cut it into two pieces. In this case, the designer paper is the retiring Fresh Florals (I think it’s sold out!) in the current 2017-2019 In Colors. The colors are staying but the paper is retiring. To cover the paper seam, I cut a narrow strip of Powder Pink Cardstock. Before I adhered it, however, it looked like it needed something, so I added some Silver 3/8″ Metallic-Edge Ribbon and tied a bow. It’s easiest to tie a bow separately and stick on with Mini Glue Dots.
For a little more on the bag, I stamped the retiring You’ve Got This flower just in Powder Pink ink (because I didn’t want to color it in!) and die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelit Die. Then to match the ribbon, I layered the die cut shape on a piece of Silver Foil die cut with one of the scalloped dies in the Layering Circle Framelit DIes. I was planning to put the flower in the bottom corner of the bag, but I then I placed it on the ribbon and liked it better there. So just play around!
Even though this paper is sold out, you can use any designer paper or cardstock appropriate for the occasion. This is a great way to recycle bags like this. If you don’t have any, you can purchase them at a craft store! Click HERE To see another gift bag I made like this one!
Whenever you need a pretty gift bag, think of this Quick and Easy Gift Bag Idea For Mother’s Day or any occasion!
A Great Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Paper Pumpkin Kits at 50% Off First Two Months!
Want an idea for a great Mother’s Day gift idea? Give the gift of Paper Pumpkin, and save 50% off your first two kits! If you give it as a gift, you save money on the gift! And of course, it’s perfectly okay for you to order it for yourself and save also!!
Today is the last day to get this great offer – 50% off the May and June kits! You must join Paper Pumpkin TODAY to take advantage of this special price! Such a great way for you to try Paper Pumpkin with no obligation.
Each kit contains an exclusive stamp set you can use over and over, an ink spot (great to collect and use with the Stamparatus!), all the supplies for the cards or project, a video to watch, and a special acrylic block with your first kit on which to mount your stamps! All this for only $10 plus tax, which includes shipping (or normally $19.95/month). No risk, no obligation to continue for any length of time after your two months…..although you probably will want to!
Once you sign up for Paper Pumpkin, you are eligible to go to the Online Store and purchase any past kits or refills that are still available that you might like.
Take a look at the most recent kit from April!
Doesn’t that look like fun to get that red box in your mailbox and then open it like a special gift?! Each kit is a surprise, but usually is cards. We have gotten many fun kits so you never know what is inside! No need to design a project or worry if you have all the right materials, everything is in your box! Just sit down and start crafting! If you want to change it up, go ahead! It’s perfectly fine!
I think we all deserve a little extra special care, especially around Mother’s Day! Give the gift of Paper Pumpkin to someone you care about or give it to yourself….or both!
JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY! LAST DAY FOR THE 50% OFFER!
Use Promo Code: SAVEFIFTY0418
Make an Easy Mother’s Day Card With Fresh Florals Designer Paper
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th and almost everyone has someone to send a Mother’s Day card to, so here is a way to Make an Easy Mother’s Day Card With Fresh Florals Designer Paper or really any designer paper. Not only can you make a card of this design for Mother’s Day but for any occasion really. All you have to do is change the greeting!
This is one of the simplest ways to make a beautiful card quickly and easily and with a minimum of supplies. Since this beautiful Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper is retiring the end of May (even though the colors are not), I thought I would use this paper. It’s many pretty patterns can be used for almost everything!
The card base is the pretty Berry Burst In Color. Then I just cut a piece of the designer paper to match and cut it into two pieces so that I could turn one small piece over for the contrasting bottom piece. If you cut this one piece of designer paper longer than you need, then you will have a bit extra to overlap in adhering them together. If you adhere a strip of ribbon, around the designer paper, the seam where the two papers join will not show.
The ribbon I used is the Berry Burst 1/2″ Finely Woven Ribbon, also on the Last-Chance List. It is usually easiest to adhere the ends of a strip of ribbon on the back of the paper rather than tying the ribbon around the whole thing. Then I just like to make a separate bow and adhere it with a couple of Glue Dots. It’s a secret of cardmaking!
Now that the basic card is made, just choose a greeting and a shape you want it to be. In keeping this a very simple card, I stamped the Mother’s Day greeting on a piece of Whisper White cardstock with Berry Burst ink and punched it out with the Classic Label Punch. For a little embellishment, I added a couple of Pearls on the greeting.
If you would like to see another simple card made with a layer of designer paper and a die cut butterfly for a focal point, check out this card for Mother’s Day.
Obviously, this Fresh Florals card can be made much fancier, the greeting could be larger and put on the top section of the card and more layers and embellishing could be done. But if you are looking for a simple, easy, and quick Mother’s Day card, using designer paper, such as this Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper, this style of card is one to make!
Discounts on Select Last Chance Products!
What a fun surprise to wake up this morning and find out that Stampin’ Up! has discounted some of the Last-Chance retiring products!
Look through the Stampin’ Up! Online Store under Last Chance products, especially under “Everything Else” to find the discounted items. If anything is sold out, it won’t be there any longer, so checking the store is better than a list!
Here is a PDF list of the discounted products if you’d like to check the entire list. Remember, everything is “while supplies last” except for stamps which will be available until May 25 at least.
Last-Chance Discounted Products List
Have fun shopping and finding some bargains!
Petal Passion Just a Note Card
I have to admit, the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper was not at the top of my list when the last catalog came out, but I have loved using it as you see on this Petal Passion Just a Note Card. You can use it as it comes, in plain black and white, or you can do so coloring in, particularly on certain patterns of the paper.
For this card, I started with a card base of Basic Black and layered a piece of Whisper White underneath the designer paper with just a thin margin to help the DSP stand out a bit. From another sheet of the paper, I chose this one with the small flowers and colored them in with my Stampin’ Blends markers. And then I just cut out around the design with my Paper Snips. I didn’t try to cut exactly on the lines but left a tiny margin and made sure I didn’t cut a section off. Then I layered the colored flowers on die cut circles cut from the Layering Circles Framelits Dies out of Whisper White and the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper. The greeting is from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set.
This is basically an easy card once you know what you are going to make. However, the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper is retiring as is the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper so don’t delay if you want some! Check out the Last-Chance section in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store! You know the rest of May is going to fly by!
SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE TODAY!
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With a Handmade Margarita Card
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a handmade Margarita card like this one! Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, is historically a celebration of the Mexican victory over France in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. (Who says you don’t learn history while you are stamping?!) In the United States, however, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. And what better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a Margarita…….at least a card!
It’s very easy to make a Margarita glass! Vellum Cardstock is great for this because it’s kind of sturdy and yet kind of see through to it will look for glass. For the top of the glass, just die cut or punch a circle, depending on what size you want. I used the largest circle die in the Layering Circle Framelits Dies. Then cut the circle in half. Color on the backside of the half circle with green ink (or whatever color your beverage is) with a Sponge Dauber or whatever you like. For the stem of the glass, just cut a strip of the Vellum Cardstock. Then punch or die cut a small oval for the base of the glass. I used the smallest oval in the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies. It’s almost impossible to hide adhesive underneath vellum so do the best you can!
The card base is the retiring Tempting Turquoise with a layer of Lemon Lime Twist. I thought those colors would be bright and festive for this Cinco de Mayo card.
Once I had the vellum glass set on the front of the Whisper White card front, I stamped some confetti from the We Must Celebrate Stamp Set as well as the greeting from the same set. Who would think this animal stamp set would be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo card?! This cute stamp set is retiring May 31, while supplies last, so if you love little animals, be sure to order it. I colored in the bits of confetti with my Stampin’ Blends markers. So fun! And for just a little fun embellishment, I added a little bow to the glass made of the Lemon Lime Twist 1/4″ Ombre Ribbon.
Here is another Margarita glass card I made last year.
I prefer some salt on the rim of my frozen Margarita, so to make that on this card I just used a strip of Tear & Tape and added some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the adhesive. You could also add Glimmer Paper if you had that. Or take your Margarita without salt!
Here in Houston, Texas we have a lot of great Mexican restaurants, so my husband and I celebrated early last weekend to beat the crowds this weekend on Cinco de Mayo! Whether you have a real Margarita or make one on a card, have a fun Cinco de Mayo!
Maybe to celebrate Cinco de Mayo you want to just shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!
Make a Card For a Star Wars Friend! It’s Star Wars Day!
Made in Stampin’ Up! My Digital Studio
Why not make a card for a Star Wars friend since today is Star Wars Day! May 4th! May the 4th be with you?? Get it?? I didn’t at first, when my husband was wishing it was a work day a few years ago so he could repeat this Star Wars phrase to everyone! I’ve been to a few Star Wars movies through the years, but not the most recent one. My husband, sons, and son-in-law are fans (but not over-the-top crazy ones!) so I’ve had opportunities to make some Star Wars cards for them, especially my son-in-law! He even has them on display on shelves in a spare bedroom!
These are some of the cards I have made through the years. I wouldn’t be able to think them up myself, but you can find ideas on the internet, of course! You don’t even need stamps mostly paper and punches and maybe a scissors!
The picture above I made when Stampin’ Up! had My Digital Studio. Our family went to Death Valley a few years ago (Fantastic trip and scenery! If you haven’t been there, you need to put it on your list!) and although we didn’t know it at the time I don’t think, there was at least one hike we were on that my guys commented looked like something out of Star Wars. When we got home and researched it, it turned out that some scenes were filmed in this area! So I had a photo of my son on this hike and with My Digital Studio added a light saber!
But here are some other Star Wars cards I have made that you can keep on file!
This is a punch art R2D2 card, a little bit involved with all the small pieces! You can see it in my blog post HERE.
This might have been my first Star Wars card I made with Darth Vader and Yoda! I know I found some kind of “Yoda Language Generator” site where you could type in your message and they would translate it into how Yoda would say it! You can Google that term. Here is the blog post about this card.
This card was fun with the BB8 character! You can read about the making of this card HERE.
I like this Yoda card, maybe because of the colors! You can read about this card on this blog post HERE.
Even if you don’t send out any Star Wars cards today, it would be a good day to get into the spirit of Star Wars Day 2018 and try your hand at making some Star Wars cards to keep on hand! You know you must have some Star Wars friends or relatives you’ll be able to send the cards to for birthdays or other occasions! And look up that Yoda Language Generator! It really is fun to play with!
As Yoda would say, “For your Star Wars friends, make cards. Hmmmmmm.”
Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th Be With You while you make Star Wars cards (or any other cards)!
Embossed Floral Monochromatic Card
After I received my Share What You Love “Gotta Have It All” Bundle, this Embossed Floral Monochromatic Card was one of the first cards I made because I wanted to try out this new embossing folder. How easy can it get to make a beautiful card with just an embossing folder and Big Shot?
The embossing folder comes in the largest Bundle, available now to customers as an early release before the new Stampin’ Up! goes live in June. It is called the Lovely Floral Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, which means it is one of the heavy, thick embossing folders that really leaves an outstanding impression on your cardstock. It’s a good idea to spritz the cardstock first with water (very fine mist) to loosen the fibers so the embossing folder can do its work.
The paper is the new Grapefruit Grove color, one of the new In Colors for 2018-2020. After embossing the card layer, all you have to do is add a greeting. I didn’t add one yet as I was just trying out the embossing folder, but now all I have to do is choose what greeting I want to use when I send the card!
Start looking forward to the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog going live June 1st! If you are chomping at the bit to buy some Stampin’ Up! products and you do not have a Demonstrator you are working with, please email me and I’d be happy to mail you a complimentary catalog….when I get them! They are ordered so we just have to wait for them to ship out and get to me!
Check out all the products at Stampin’ Up! including the Share What You Love Bundle, the Last-Chance List, and the bargains on the Clearance Rack! Soon you will be making cards like my Embossed Floral Monochromatic Card!
SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE TODAY!
Elegant Floral Share What You Love Thank You Card
Make an Elegant Floral Share What You Love Thank You Card with this BEAUTIFUL Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. It is available now in the Share What You Love Suite in the Gotta Have It All Bundle. Even if you do not purchase this largest Bundle during this Early Release offer, you will want to order the paper as soon as possible in June! The paper is double-sided, heavyweight, and on one side has pearlized accents! You might be able to see the gleam a little bit on these blue flowers. Really pretty in person!
To make this card, I began with a card base of Mint Macaron. If you have been a Stampin’ Up! customer for awhile, you might already have this cardstock in your stash! If not, you will receive it in a cardstock pack that comes in the two larger Bundles. From the beautiful designer paper, I cut a strip and then the piece to fit the front of the card. But I cut this piece into two and just flipped it over to the backside for the bottom half of the card layer. I think it just adds a little interest to have the two different patterns, and they coordinate so beautifully. I used a piece of the 1/4″ Copper Trim ribbon to apply over the seam. I think it matches pretty well with that bottom piece of designer paper.
For an embellishment I chose one of the Pearlized Doilies that come in the larger Bundles. These have a pearlized surface on one side and white on the other side that could be colored if you wanted. I had no planned idea of how I was designing this card, but I just played around until I was happy with it…..and that didn’t take long! I punched a circle of Mint Macaron with the 2 1/4″ Circle Punch to adhere behind the doily. Then I needed “something” to decorate the front of the doily. I thought about adhering the greeting across it, but after playing around, I just added some cut out flowers from the designer paper on top of the doily, some pieces popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals (or the Mini Dimensionals). Even though it’s a bit of effort to cut out these flowers by hand, I bet you can’t cut just one! This paper is so beautiful you can enjoy the close-up cutting and get a better appreciation for the art that is this paper!
The greeting is stamped in Mint Macaron ink on a piece of Whisper White with an image from the Love What You Do Stamp Set in all three bundles.
Check back on THIS POST yesterday on my blog to find out about all the Share What You Love Bundles available for you to order NOW!
I really liked this card when I finished it! And I enjoyed making it! That’s a win-win! While you are waiting on your new products, you can try making a design much like this Elegant Floral Share What You Love Thank You Card using whatever designer paper you have and embellishments.
Customer Preorder: Share What You Love Bundle & New Ink Pads!
The Share What You Love Suite is in the new upcoming Stampin’ Up! Catalog, but you don’t have to wait until June to get it!
Beginning today, May 1st, customers can pre-order products from the Suite in a choice of Share What You Love Bundles of your choosing…..and get a free gift besides!
Watch the video above with Brandi from the Home Office and then review the Bundles below!
Here are the details:
- Bundles may be included as part of a new demonstrator’s Starter Kit (free items will be included).
- Bundles (with free items) are exclusive to the suite early release and will no longer be available after May 31, 2018. Individual items from the Share What You Love suite will be available when the 2018–2019 annual catalog is released on June 1, 2018.
- There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
- There are no purchase limits in place during the customer sales period.
- If items in the bundles become unavailable during the sales period, available items will ship, and backordered items will ship separately when available.
- Customer Sales Period: May 1–31, 2018 until May 31, 2018; 11:59 PM (MT)
You can add any other items to your order just like usual. Check out the Last-Chance List and the Clearance Rack.
If your order reaches $150 or more, you earn Stampin’ Rewards as usual.
Download the Share What You Love Flyer with all the Bundles HERE and print it out if you like!
As Brandi said in the video, if you would like to get those new In Color Ink pads and try out the new style, you can order the group of 5 for 10% off.
Time to go check out these new Share What You Love Bundles &
In Color Ink Pads because we all like to share what we love when it
comes to stamping and Stampin’ Up!
Just Add Color Paper For Adult Coloring
Something you may have passed up on the Last-Chance retiring list of Stampin’ Up! products is the Just Add Color Paper which is great for “adult coloring”. This paper is heavyweight, perfect for whatever style of coloring you prefer. You get 2 pages each of 6 designs. Color them in or leave them as the outline images for a simplistic card or project. Whatever you like!
Stampin’ Up! offers many coloring options! On these cards I used my Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers, which, hopefully will be back in stock in time for the new catalog! You could also color with the Aqua Painter and ink refills, like watercoloring, or a watercolor paintbrush. Use the Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pens. Use the Stampin’ Write markers – usually the lighter colors work best as the dark would be a bit heavy for this kind of coloring.
On these two cards, I colored a whole section of the paper and then cut into the paper to fit on a card. The underwater card was not as hard it might appear! I didn’t color inside the lines on every bit of the seaweed, just kind of colored most of it green without staying in the lines. Then I usesd my Pool Party marker to kind of fill in empty spaces to look like water, since it is under the water after all! Then I colored kind of all over the area with the Light Pool Party to give it the watery look. Just play and see what you come up with!
If you would like an easier way to make a card with this paper, consider cutting out the exact image(s) you want to use and color those, not the whole area!
Check out THIS BLOG POST to see the card I made with just a teapot that I colored and cut out and mounted on a card!
They say adult coloring is really good therapy for all of us! Did you like to color as a kid? Well, it’s time to stop and enjoy it again with the fun adult coloring techniques! Forget your problems for awhile as you concentrate on your artistic coloring, staying in the lines (or not!), and enjoying the pretty colors!
Grab this fun paper if you are the coloring type before it is gone! Put the Just Add Color Specialty Designer Series Paper on your next Stampin’ Up! order so you can do some adult coloring!
Stampin’ Up! Last-Chance Retiring List While Supplies Last!
Easy Birthday Memories Birthday Card
Here’s an Easy Birthday Memories Birthday Card that you could make with the delightful Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper if you get it before it retires! I love red so I was particularly drawn to this pattern in the package! There also is a coordinating framelits set that goes with this paper.
The Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper is unique because there are some framelit dies that fit some of the images in the paper so you can die cut those. These Birthday Friends Framelits Dies also coordinate with the Birthday Delivery Stamp Set. And the best part is that if you like all three of these items – the paper, the stamp set, and the dies – you can purchase them all in a Bundle and save 10%. It’s the Birthday Delivery Photopolymer Bundle. It’s almost always a good idea to go ahead and buy the bundle so you have everything you need! Stampin’ Up! does such a good job of coordinating lots of products with images and colors.
To make this card, I started with a Real Red card base. If you are following the new Color Revamp, Real Red is not retiring, it is being moved to the Regals color family! Kind of surprising to me, but we’ll see how it works! As long as they aren’t getting rid of Real Red!
Real Red is actually what taught me the quality of Stampin’ Up! products way back when I was a new customer. I saw no need to purchase the Stampin’ Up! cardstock and went to a craft store to buy paper at a discount. I was thrilled to find a whole package of red cardstock AND envelopes! What a deal! But when I learned how that “red” compared to the Stampin’ Up! Real Red I could tell there was NO comparison! Stampin’ Up! had the better red by far! Even more than “by far”! In my opinion, it is the BEST red anywhere!
I chose this red piece of designer paper for the card front and layered it on a piece of Whisper White with a thin margin, just to help it stand out against the Real Red card base. Then I die cut a cake from the designer paper with a framelit. Next I needed something to make the cake stand out a bit, so I layered it on a Stitched Shapes Circle Framelit and even layered it lower on the circle rather than in the center. I don’t know why, but I liked it better in that position.
For some bling, I added the Silver 3/8″ Metallic-Edge Ribbon just adhered back and forth behind the circle piece. Then this whole focal piece is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.
For the greeting, which didn’t fit on the circle as I had originally planned, I chose one from the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set. I also stamped “It’s Your Day” and “Happy Birthday” on a piece of Whisper White inside the card. I could have used a greeting from the coordinating Birthday Delivery Stamp Set, but I happened to have this other stamp set handy.
So all in all, this is an easy birthday card to make, and easy enough to use the layout and just change up the theme and greeting by changing the paper and the sentiment.
This Bundle and all the separate pieces are on the Last Chance List of retiring products, so these will only be available until May 31 at the latest, while supplies last!
SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! FOR ANY PRODUCTS YOU HAVE HAD ON YOUR WISH LIST!
Coming May 1st For You: Share What You Love Bundle
Images © Stampin’ Up! 2018
Coming May 1st for you, the Share What You Love Bundle, your chance to get your hands on some new product before the Stampin’ Up! Catalog comes out!
Stampin’ Up! wants to share the love with every crafter with the upcoming Share What You Love Suite and as a tribute to those who have made the company what it is today! And during May, CUSTOMERS get the chance to preorder products from this suite.
Stampin’ Up! is offering Bundles, suited to different kinds of crafters, only during this Preorder Early Release period. The products will be available in the new catalog, but not in Bundles.
Click HERE to download the flyer describing all the Bundles available to you and the a la carte products!
You can also purchase the new In Color ink pads for 2018-2020.
Pretty exciting, right?!! Be sure to check out the FREE products you get with each Bundle. Order more than one Bundle if you like.
More details later! Stay tuned! Get ready for Tuesday, May 1st!
Remember, this Pre-Release is FOR YOU, beginning May 1st through May 31, for the Share What You Love Bundle!