Timeless Elegance Designer Paper Makes a Beautiful Card

2 Replies

This beautiful Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper can be used to make all kinds of different kinds of cards. This paper was so popular it was on backorder for awhile and I only got mine recently. The coordinating colors are Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Sahara Sand so you can tell how neutral the colors are, but very dramatic. Of course the papers are double-sided so while one side has a bold pattern, the other side is very subdued.

On this card, I loved the tiny flower pattern and decided to try coloring in the little flowers with my Aqua Painter and some Melon Mambo ink. I didn’t try to carefully color in each little flower, I didn’t even have my reading glasses on! Watercoloring does not have to be exact so I just put down some color inside each little flower. Then I added a few Cucumber Crush green stems here and there, you can see I didn’t do every little line and I didn’t worry if they were exact either. I just had fun!

The greeting is from A Dozen Thoughts and the ribbon is Melon Mambo Cotton Ribbon.

Here are the patterns of the Timeless Elegance Paper:

I love the beautiful lace patterns printed right onto the paper!

If you would like your package of Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper for making beautiful and elegant cards and projects, then visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store and place your order! I’m also happy to do it for you, if you prefer! Be sure to check the Weekly Deals and the Clearance Rack with newly added items today!

Deals Going On at Stampin’ Up!

Leave a reply

Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for August 4 – Monday, August 10. Be sure to check them out! Not too many this week, though. If you don’t have the 1/16″ and 1/8″ Circle Punches, you might be interested in those. Good for making tags and other projects, The In Color Blossom Accents are brand new in the new catalog and very cute! Not so good for mailing on a normal card, but if you are enclosing a card in a package or giving the card in person, it makes a cute accent. Just attach with a glue dot. I love the Venetian Crochet Trim, it makes a pretty embellishment on certain projects. And of course, if you need more items to add to your ribbon collection, any color of Baker’s Twine is always handy and we all love the Seam Binding Ribbon. Remember, these products are only available at these discounted prices while quantities last, then they go back to regular price.

Also, Stampin’ Up! has announced they will add more items to the Clearance Rack tomorrow!

Today is the big day for Demonstrators! We can start ordering from the Holiday Catalog which comes out for customers September 1st. But if YOU want to preorder from the Holiday Catalog right away, just sign up to be a Demonstrator! To become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, you just need to purchase the Starter Kit, $99 for $125 worth of products plus business supplies to get you started in your new business! Beginning today you can even choose Holiday Catalog pre-order products for your Starter Kit! It’s fun having your own business selling Stampin’ Up! products and can be very rewarding if you work hard at it, like any business endeavor.

Want to join the Stampin’ Up! family? Just click HERE for information and to sign up!

Email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com if you have questions or want more information!

Paper Pumpkin 50 off July 2015

Don’t forget about trying out Paper Pumpkin, the papercrafting kit that comes in your mailbox once a month from Stampin’ Up! Right now new subscribers can sign up and get the first two months for 50% off, using the Promo Code HALFOFF. After the first two months, your subscription will continue at the regular price of $19.95 per month which includes shipping. But no obligation! If Paper Pumpkin is not for you, you can just cancel before the 10th of the month after you receive your two kits. If one month isn’t good for you, just “Pause” your subscription and then activate it again when you are ready! No obligation, no risk, just FUN!

Join Paper Pumpkin HERE!

If you are not familiar with Stampin’ Up! products because you do not have a Demonstrator, I would love to be yours! Please sign up for my Mailing List to get a monthly newsletter in your inbox with the latest Stampin’ Up! news and offers plus many project ideas! Email me if you do not have a Stampin’ Up! Catalog and are interested in our products, because you are missing some great reading and inspiration!

Make a Tea Light Birthday Cake

Leave a reply

When I needed a fun little gift for a friend, I thought of this cute tea light birthday cake! It’s so easy to just wrap a piece of designer paper or washi tape around the side of the tea light and then decorate the top with a 1 3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch. Poke a hole in the center of the scallop piece, cut some little slits so the scallop will slip over the light bulb, then decorate to your heart’s content! I punched the little flowers with some retired punches, but you can use whatever you have in your stash or perhaps stamp a design on the top. I also added some Candy Dots and Rhinestone Jewels, plus a little doodle dot on each scallop edge with my White Signo Uni-Ball Gel Pen. There are lots of fun ways to decorate these little tea light cakes! You just have to purchase some tea lights at the craft store and play with them!

I also made some kind of box to package the cake in, but I failed to take a photo so we’re out of luck on that one!

The only tricky part of this project is the little switch on the bottom of the tea light. If you want to set the tea light on some kind of base, perhaps resembling a plate, then you have to cut or punch a hole to allow access to that switch (and if yours has it, don’t forget to pull out the little piece of plastic protecting the connection so that it won’t get accidentally turned on before you buy it!).

I added a Metallic Foil Doily in Gold for the presentation! I think I adhered the Watermelon Wonder card stock to the base of the tea light but then just added a tidbit of adhesive for the doily to hold the cake in place in the box.

Here you see what it looks like with the tea light lit. I also happened to photograph it from the backside in my rush, but at least you can see how I adhered the piece of paper from the Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack.

This is a really fun project to make, quick and easy really. Just keep a few cheap tea lights on hand and you’ll be ready to go! It’s always good to have things on hand that you can make an easy gift or card with and impress your friends and family!

For the best in papercrafting supplies, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Or contact me if you need assistance or would like me to put your order in for you. Try this Tea Light Birthday Cake project soon!

Sign Up For My Mailing List! Get a Free Gift!

Leave a reply

Have you signed up for my Stamping With Karen Mailing List yet? If you like visiting my blog or if this is your first time here, please join us by signing up in the Mailing List Sign Up Box! You won’t get tons of emails from me! But you will receive a main monthly email newsletter around the beginning of each month with the latest Stampin’ Up! news and any special offers, plus several tutorials for cards and other projects. I also usually send out a mid-month email to update everyone on any new offers or to remind you of ongoing ones. Even though I try to keep it very short, I often include another project or two. So that is two emails a month. On some rare occasions, I may send out a special one if there is a big announcement or offer I want you to know about right away!

If you like getting new ideas for stamping, then this is for you! These projects are exclusive to my newsletter – you won’t find them anywhere else. As a special gift for signing up, you will receive a PDF called “A Dozen Creative Gift Wrap Ideas”. Who doesn’t need some quick and easy way to wrap a gift at the last minute?! This might save you a trip to the store for gift wrap!

Once you sign up, you will receive a confirmation email very shortly, which you do need to open and click the link inside to confirm that you do indeed mean to subscribe. Yes, this is an extra step and many people don’t take it, but it helps to keep everyone compliant with email and helps keep you from receiving emails you really didn’t want. When you click that confirmation link in the email, it means you really did sign yourself up for this mailing list. And after that, you will get another email with a link to your FREE GIFT!

And one of the best parts of being on my mailing list is something that will be coming up soon! This may be hard to believe, but we are inching ever closer to Christmas, even as we are suffocating in the August heat! Something very popular with my subscribers is my “12 Weeks of Christmas” newsletter. Each week leading up to Christmas, I send out a special email with an exclusive project in it. We start with cards, move on to gift ideas, and end up with tags and bags! This makes it handy for my subscribers to get ideas or just be inspired to create something of their own. Get some cards made, make a few simple gifts, and then be ready with some wrap ideas and cute tags for gifts! It’s all fun! Only my subscribers receive these newsletters each week leading up to the holidays so make sure YOU are signed up! And tell your friends!

No obligation, of course! As with any email, just unsubscribe it if it is not for you.

You can also “Be a Fan” on my Stamping With Karen Facebook page HERE and follow me on Instagram @stampingwithkaren.

Keep on top of all things Stampin’ Up! and learn ways to use those great products in your papercrafting! Sign up in the Mailing List sign up box in the upper right corner of my blog or in the pop-up box if you are lucky enough to get one! 🙂

Sales Tax Holiday Coming!

Leave a reply

Happy August!! Is today really the first day of August?! What happened to July?? At least it is almost my birthday!

Since it is August, thoughts turn to the start of school! And with that, some states have a Sales Tax Holiday to help families with back to school expenses. Twelve states are having a sales-tax holiday for school supplies on certain dates in August. The states typically define school supplies as “any items normally used by students in a standard classroom for educational purposes.” Stampin’ Up! is, therefore, limiting our exemptions per the state statute based on item description and price.

Here is a chart Stampin’ Up! provided with the states and dates and links to more information. Check and see if your state is listed. Some products that Stampin’ Up! sells can be considered school supplies and therefore, you may be able to save the sales tax. Even though a state is listed, not all communities may be participating. The dates are very limited to be sure to order during that time if you are able to take advantage of your state’s sales tax holiday.

Each state has specific rules they consider to be school supplies–this may be by description or by price. The table below shows the items that are included per state statute definitions. The list of items below will be state tax-free during the holiday period. Please note that you must place your order with Stampin’ Up!^® during the tax holiday period (which is midnight on the first day to midnight on the last day of the tax holiday) in order to receive these items tax-free . Also, keep in mind that this is a state sales-tax holiday and may not apply to additional county, city, and special-jurisdiction taxes.

Here’s a specific chart of which Stampin’ Up! items apply in each state. You’ll have to click to enlarge.

Click to View

Many of my crafting supplies through the years when my kids were in school often came in handy for school projects, even the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby! So make sure you are stocked up with your papercrafting supplies before school starts!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online for all your papercrafting and school supply needs!

Sprinkles of Life Cherry on Top Birthday Card

Leave a reply

Do you like this birthday card made with the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set, Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack, and the Cherry on Top Designer Series Washi Tape? I really wanted to use all three products, and I love all three products, but I think the card turned out a little busy. I think I could have done something better. But, on the other hand, maybe somebody out there will like it and it will be just the card design they are looking for! You never know! We are all different!

I also used the Tree Builder Punch to punch out the pieces for the cupcake. But if you don’t have the punch, the pieces are not that hard to cut out yourself, at least if you have the Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips.

Washi Tape is always fun to use. Just tear off a few strips and stick them on your card or project. Washi Tape is repositionable and can be used in oh so many ways. The Cherry on Top Washi Tape has such cute designs and matches the Cherry on Top Paper Stack. I used a pattern from the Paper Stack for a layer on the Pool Party card base.

The Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set comes with a special bonus! While you are stamping beautiful cards and projects with it, you will know that you are contributing to the Ronald McDonald House Charities® by purchasing this stamp set. With every set sold, Stampin’ Up! donates $3 to this worthy charity, plus makes an annual contribution.

You can find this Sprinkles of Life Stamp set and all the products I used to make this card in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

You’ve Got This Flower Card with Glitter Splatter

Leave a reply

I’m still trying to catch up after vacation, but I watched some of the livestreaming recordings from the Stampin’ Up! Convention and saw this neat technique, splattering with Multipurpose Liquid Glue and adhering Gold Glitter. I used the You’ve Got This Stamp Set to stamp and watercolor the beautiful flower and add a little pizzazz with splatters of gold glitter! I can still add a greeting to this card and I forgot to color the center flower parts, so maybe it is not completely finished!

Someone from the Stampin’ Up! Home Office at Convention demonstrated this glittering technique. You need an Aqua Painter (or a small paintbrush) (but you really should own an Aqua Painter! I love mine!) and some Multipurpose LIquid Glue. Squeeze out a little glue, you don’t need much. Then dilute it with some water from your Aqua Painter. You don’t want it too thin and not too thick, but different consistencies will give you different size splatters. Then with the diluted glue on the Aqua Painter, splatter it on the card, however little or much you want. Sprinkle the card with Gold Stampin’ Glitter and dump off the excess. The glitter, of course, will stick to the glue splatters!

In my painting days, I learned to splatter by tapping the splattering brush onto another brush handle or pencil or Aqua Painter held in your other hand over the project. It gives you a little more control.

You could also splatter some color on to your card with a matching ink if you wanted.

I love watercoloring with my Aqua Painter! To color in this flower, stamped with Stazon Ink, I just put a dab of reinker in the lid of the ink pad and picked some of that up, diluted with a little water with my Aqua Painter. If you want a darker shade, either pick up a bit of reinker that hasn’t been diluted OR touch your Aqua Painter to the corner of the ink pad itself to pick up ink.

Experiment with this splattering technique using Multipurpose Liquid Glue, the Aqua Painter, and some glitter!

If you need any supplies for your cardmaking and other papercrafting or scrapbooking projects, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! Deals For You!

Leave a reply

Basic Black 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon
$6.75

Happy Patterns Decorative Masks
$4.20

Hearts Border Punch
$11.20

Lost Lagoon 5/8″ Striped Cotton Ribbon
$5.25

Melon Mambo 1/4″ Cotton Ribbon
$4.50

Melon Mambo 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon
$6.75

Metallic Foil Doilies
$2.80

Pacific Point 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon
$6.75

Sweet Li’l Things Designer Washi Tape
$3.75

Very Vanilla Thick Baker’S Twine
$2.63

Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Quantities at these prices are limited so don’t delay if you see something you want to order! Lots of ribbon, for sure! Think about the black for Halloween coming up, not to mention just some elegant looks with black on your projects! All of the Stitched Satin ribbons are beautiful!

Also, be sure to check the Clearance Rack for more bargains!

And don’t forget Paper Pumpkin!! Take advantage of this special deal now through September 10th!

Click Here!

Offer Dates: July 23-September 10, 2015

Offer Details: Use the code HALFOFF to join Paper Pumpkin before September 10, 2015, and get 50% off the first two months! After that, keep the creativity coming for only $19.95 + tax per month (shipping included).

What Is Paper Pumpkin?? Each month a papercrafting kit arrives in your mailbox! Everything is included – stamps, ink, and paper – and is ready for you to put together. Follow the directions or do your own thing! Each month is a surprise! And once you are a subscriber, you can order any available past kits or refills. No obligation. Pause your subscription for a month or two if you want, and cancel any time if Paper Pumpkin is not for you. You can even order extra kits any month for gifts or for friends and family.

The Fine Print:

For new subscribers only.
Available for month-to-month subscriptions, not prepaid subscriptions.
Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month’s kit will go to the regular price: $19.95.
Enter the Promo Code, HALFOFF when you sign up.
New subscribers must join by Thursday, September 10, 2015; 11:50 PM (MT).

Just contact me if you have any questions! I love getting my Paper Pumpkin Kit each month!

Check out the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals and the other wonderful Stampin’ Up! products in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! 2015 Convention Highlights

Leave a reply

I’m back from ten days of vacation, but don’t quite have my feet back on the ground yet! After spending several days in St. Louis visiting family and a couple friends and eating some of our favorite foods, we went to beautiful Michigan for several days visiting very kind friends who invited us to experience summer there and stay at their lake house. This was our second visit because we loved it so much the first time! Besides the beautiful, relaxing views of their smaller lake, Lake Michigan was stunning, having colors of blues just like the ocean! The scenery was beautiful, lots of interesting wineries, cute small towns along the way, and water everywhere!

While I was away, though, Stampin’ Up! was holding their convention in Salt Lake City. Obviously I wasn’t there this year, but I have attended many previous years and always thought it was one of the most fun things I have ever experienced! What could be more fun than to be with thousands of people who enjoy the same craft you do and be inspired by the presentations on stage of new products, creative ideas, displays of phenomenal projects by Stampin’ Up! employees and Demonstrators!

While I catch up on life again and recent Stampin’ Up! news, I am posting this video of Stampin’ Up! Convention 2015 highlights! It opens with Demonstrators visiting the Home Office in Riverton, Utah. You can get a taste throughout the video of the culture of Stampin’ Up! and the fun of being a Demonstrator! And maybe you will decide to join the Stampin’ Up! family and be a Demonstrator, too!

This was a unique year, with Shelli Gardner, Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!, not in attendance as she and her husband are serving a mission in Hawaii for a year. But her daughter Sara Douglass, from accounts I have seen, served admirably in her place. So that is who you see on stage rather than Shelli!

Click HERE to read about joining the fun and then let me know if you have any questions!

Great Deals for Papercrafters!

Leave a reply

Paper Pumpkin 50 off July 2015

A great deal is back for Paper Pumpkin, the Stampin’ Up! papercrafting kit that comes to you in the mail once a month! New subscribers can sign up for 50% off the first two months. Use Promo Code: HALFOFF .

Join Paper Pumpkin and receive a kit in the mail. Follow the directions and watch the video to see how to make your project! If you want to make something completely different or even just a little bit different, you can! With your first kit, you will receive a clear block to use with your stamps. New stamps included and an ink spot. Everything you need except maybe adhesive.

No obligation! You can try it and pause your subscription any month or cancel if you must. But it is a treat to receive that bright box in the mail, just for you! Or give as a gift to someone! Call some friends and get together to make your kits!

To join Paper Pumpkin, just click HERE to go to my Paper Pumpkin site. Read more about it and sign up! Let me know if you have any questions. The kits are not always cards, it’s always a surprise!

PLUS: Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 21 – 27. Supplies at this price are limited and will go back to regular price. See something you want? Order it soon!

Click on the link or photo above to go to my store and see the Weekly Deals page in regular size!

Have fun shopping for Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals and try out the Paper Pumpkin 50% off deal if you are a new subscriber!

Watercolor Words Watercolor Wash Card

Leave a reply

On this super simple card, it’s all about the watercolor! Watercolor Wash for the background and Watercolor Words for the stamping and greeting! Use the new Whisper White Thick Cardstock and you don’t even need any layers of cardstock. The new thick Whisper White is great just by itself for the card base!

The Watercolor Wash is a background stamp. Lay the stamp face up on the table and ink up with the ink pad. Then place the card you are going to stamp on top of the Watercolor Wash (certainly doesn’t have to be exact with this design). Best to place a scrap piece of computer paper over the card and then rub to make sure you are getting the impression of the stamp on the card. Putting the scrap paper over it will keep your fingers clean!

Then choose some colors that will stand out from the background to stamp some flowers, hearts, or stars from the Watercolor Words Stamp Set and a greeting. Couldn’t be easier! It’s fun to just do some basic stamping and turn out a masterpiece!

To embellish the card more if you wanted, you could tie a ribbon around, or twine, to match. Add some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Stamp the flowers on Whisper White scrap, cut out and adhere with Stampin’ Dimensionals. But if you want to keep it simple, it will be a nice card to send as is!

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals that end tonight!

Watercolor is in right now, so choose some watercolor stamps and you’ll look like an artist in minutes! Try the Watercolor Wash background and the Watercolor Words Stamp Set for a simple handmade card!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Crystal Effects Water Drops

Leave a reply

This is a portion of a card I made with the Gift From the Garden Stamp Set. The sprinkling can and the flower stems come from this stamp set but the water drops are a stamp from the Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set. In order to make the water drops look real, I put dabs of Crystal Effects on the water drops. They are wet in this photo and I tried to draw them out a little bit to look more like a drop of water. Then dry, the Crystal Effects will be clear.

Crystal Effects can be used as an adhesive or as a glossy, lacquer finish to objects. It gives a raised, embossed look to stamped images. There are actually many techniques you can use with Crystal Effects.

Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals! These are good through Monday night, July 20.

For fun papercrafting shopping, just visit the Stampin’ Up! Online Store this weekend!

Pink Marker Colored Dahlia Card

Leave a reply

The Definitely Dahlia Stamp is almost as big as the card front, which makes for very simple cardmaking! Just stamp it and add a greeting or embellishment and you’re done. I tried this before on another dahlia card but this time I made the colors really different, like Pink Pirouette and Rose Red. Instead of stamping on an ink pad, I colored rather randomly with Stampin’ Write Markers to try to get a shaded look with this stamp. I actually missed some spots on the flower and then tried to color in (not a good idea), but overall I think it still looks pretty good. The greeting is from the new stamp set Watercolor Words. For a little embellishment I added some Venetian Crochet Trim tied around the front of the card.

If you want to try the Definitely Dahlia Stamp, available in wood- or clear-mount, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

June Paper Pumpkin Card From a Friend

Leave a reply

Today we got a pile of mail, maybe they have been hoarding it at the post office! You may recognize this as a Stampin’ Up! Paper Pumpkin card from the June 2015 kit. Can you imagine how pleased I was to find a personal card in the stack and not just bills and credit card applications and solicitations of all sorts?! This card was from my college friend Sally, who lived across the hall in my dorm. By our fourth year we were roommates in an apartment and have remained in touch all these years. Sally has always been good about sending cards in the mail, but I think she has stepped up her game recently to help keep the post office going! We all need to be doing that because there is nothing like a note from a friend, especially these days when we mostly communicate by email and text messages.

This was her first Paper Pumpkin kit and she said she enjoyed it. Unlike some of us (me!) she said she has already sent out half her cards. I’m sure those recipients enjoyed finding a real card in the mailbox as much as I did!

With Paper Pumpkin you can make the card exactly as suggested by Stampin’ Up! in the directions or you can branch out and do whatever you want with the supplies. Each kit includes a stamp set and Stampin’ Spot for ink.

If you join Paper Pumpkin now through August 10th you will be signed up in time to receive the August kit in the mail. It is always a surprise what papercrafting project we will receive!

Just click HERE to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and see how much fun it is to get that red box in your mail! You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. Hopefully you will enjoy some crafting time when your kit arrives and feel like you have given yourself a gift!

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deal July 14 2015

Leave a reply

Here are the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for July 14 – Monday July 20. Click the link or photo above to view in the Store. If you see something you really want, better grab it because once a quantity sells out, that deal is gone. Also check the Clearance Rack for any new things they might add. Honestly, I can’t remember what was on there before each time I look at it, so just remember to check when you are ordering to see if there are any bargains on there that you want!

The Color Me Irresistible Designer Paper is on the Weekly Deals. This is similar to the embossed paper that was free during Sale-A-Bration but BETTER because you also get paper that is already colored. Use the white paper plain or color it with sponging or spritzing or whatever method you like! You also might really like the other designer papers available on the “deals” as well as the new pearls, washi tape and sequins, plus twine for embellishing. And if you like an easy way to make gift boxes, then the discounted Gift Box Punch Board is for you!

The Watercolor Wishes Card Kit was not available until this month, and now it is so popular that it is nearly on backorder. If you are thinking about ordering this kit, I would do it today! More kits are on the way but there might be a backorder situation for a little while, unfortunately. It really is a cute kit and easy to make some beautiful cards! AND a very nice stamp set comes with it! What a deal! You can see it displayed on page 80 of the Stampin’ Up! Catalog. Order several kits (if they are available) and get your friends together for a cardmaking day or evening! And the stamp set is one you will be able to use a lot!

Have fun choosing or get it all!! Check my Stampin’ Up! Online Store for the Weekly Deals, the Clearance Rack, the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit, and all the other Stampin’ Up! goodies!