Lovely Amazing You Letters Sending Wishes Card

Lovely Amazing You Letters Card

Not in the Stampin’ Up! Catalog but under “New Arrivals” in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store, you will find this new photopolymer stamp set Lovely Amazing You. It’s a simple stamp set with just two images, an envelope and a feather, plus a tiny little heart and some great greetings!

On this card my idea was to stamp a bunch of the envelopes. I ended up just stamping them in different colors, in Soft Subtles, going across the card. I stamped “off” each time before stamping on the Whisper White card front and masking the envelope before the one I was stamping with an envelope I had stamped on computer paper and cut out. You can watch the Stampin’ Up! video below to see how to do “masking”.  It is very easy except perhaps for cutting out the image! Then for a little emphasis I stamped one envelope full-strength in Blushing Bride and cut it out. It is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. The greeting is stamped in Memento Black Ink (still available even though the Blendabilities are not). And for a little fun pop I added a strip of Stacked With Love Designer Washi Tape.  Washi Tape is so fun!

Enjoy this video!

Hi There Hey There Card

Hi There Hey There Card

Who would have thought the Hi There Stamp Set could be so interesting?! I love this card and also the one I made in THIS post, both just using one word stamp. I even got lucky and was able to “eyeball” the stamping and got the words lined up pretty well. After stamping the “hey!” on this card I could have left it plain but decided to add some pops of color – but no stamp I had was quite going to do the job the way I envisioned.  So I thought of a pencil eraser!! Make sure it is in fairly new flat shape and dip it on to your ink pad, just like a stamp. Then stamp on the card.  It worked great! I got single dots just where I wanted them on this card. Then I added a little bit of the Melon Mambo 1/4″ Cotton Ribbon.

Sometimes you just feel like the card needs something else, so finally, even though I had stamped “hey there!” from the Just Sayin’ Stamp Set inside the card, I decided to also add it to the front of the card. It is cut out with the Word Bubbles Framelitswhich I think adds a lot to use the look of a word bubble.

Here’s how I stamped with the pencil eraser!

Pencil Eraser Stamping

If you want to add this fun stamp set to your Stampin’ Up! order, just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. If you reach $50 on your order, you will earn a free Sale-A-Bration product to add to your order!  Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals, the New Arrivals, and the Clearance Rack before you finalize your order!

 

New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals Mar 3 2015

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Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for March 3 – Monday, March 9. You have a digital download for My Digital Studio or any design software on your computer to help you make some St. Patrick’s Day decorations! Did you know you can purchase the software download for My Digital Studio, receive it immediately since it is a download (no shipping!) and you get a ton of content to use with it? You don’t have to be a knowledgeable digital scrapbooker to use it, it’s very easy to use and learn and there are plenty of videos to help you at www.mydigitalstudio.net.

The other products on the Weekly Deals can be used for packaging treats or gifts.  The Filter Paper can be used to make those tissue flowers we used to make in school or cut it in strips and moosh up to make Easter grass or paper shred in a box or package. Stampin’ Up! products are usually so versatile you can use them for things other than what they obviously are intended.

Remember we have four extra products to choose from for your FREE Sale-A-Bration product with a $50!

New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

Just visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store and you will see all your choices!

Best Day Ever Polka Dot Bow Punch Card

Best Day Ever Polka Dot Bow Punch Card

This is the last month for Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration 2015! Can you believe it?? One of the free stamp sets you can earn with a $50 purchase is this one on this card, Best Day Ever, on page 3 of the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. I stamped the polka dots in three colors on the card front and made a little banner for the greeting.

The fun thing on this card is the little bow! I recently got my Bow Builder Punch and you will love it! You punch it twice to make all the pieces for the bow, just throw away the one extra center wrap piece. Stick it together with Glue Dots and you’ve got yourself a darn cute little bow! The actual bow is only about 1 3/4″ long and just under an inch wide and then the little tails add about another half inch on each side.  You could also have them hang down rather than to the side. I’m sure the bow will get flattened if you mail it but the recipient can just foof it back up to restore it’s rounded shape.

I would recommend you put this Bow Punch on your next order.  I think you will have fun playing with it and it is simple to assemble!

Shop at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Once you have $50 on your order in merchandise, you can add a free Sale-A-Bration product! (I think it will prompt you if you forget!)  Remember, there are four new products to choose from this month for Sale-A-Bration!  Check them out!

Does March Come In Like a Lion? Sale-A-Bration Does with New Products!

March Lion and Lamb

Today is the first day of March! Weather lore suggests that if March comes in like a lion then it goes out like a lamb. I think most parts of the country would say the weather has already been like a lion for quite awhile now with so much snow and ice.  One day I read that there was snow in 48 states! Some parts of Texas can be wintry but not here at my house, except for feeling really cold, and that usually means temperatures in the 40’s! So if March is coming in like a lion at your house, I hope it will soon settle down and act like a lamb!

Stampin’ Up! has been like a lion since January when Sale-A-Bration began, their biggest promotion of the year. When you purchase $50 in Stampin’ Up! merchandise you earn a FREE Stampin’ Up! product from the special Sale-A-Bration Brochure. And no limits, so for every $50 you spend, you earn a free product! Unfortunately, Stampin’ Up! has had quality issues with the Blendabilities Markers so those numbers are turned off in ordering as well as the ones available in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. No Blendabilities Markers are available at this time and we will all have to wait for further announcements from Stampin’ Up! about this problem.

Also, if you have any difficulty ordering certain accessory items (not stamps), it could be that those numbers were turned off due to backorder problems which stem from the west coast port situation. As you may have heard on the news, the west coast ports have reached a tentative agreement and operations should return to normal, but there is such a backlog that it will take awhile to recover. Some Stampin’ Up! products may be affected and their numbers may have been turned off to keep customers from having to wait an undetermined amount of time. If you have any questions about backordered products, just ask. Stampin’ Up! manufactures their own stamps in Utah so those are not involved.

The good news is that four new products are available today from which to choose during Sale-A-Bration!  That is only until March 31 and then Sale-A-Bration is over!

Sale-A-Bration Brochure 2015

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New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

Click to view!

You can begin Sale-A-Bration shopping today with these new products as choices with every $50 purchase! Also, remember to check the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals, the New Arrivals, and the Clearance Rack!

Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store to order!

 

 

The Bokeh Technique in Card-Making

Bokeh Technique Happy Card

Bokeh is a photography term meaning the way the camera lens renders out of focus points of light, but we can produce a similar look of bokeh on the background of a card using our Stampin’ Up! inks and accessories. You might think about bokeh if you see a Christmas photo with a clear close-up of one ornament on the tree and the tree and lights in the background have a blur to them.

Here is an example of bokeh in photography:

Bokeh Background

The bokeh technique is really popular right now in cardmaking!  And so fun to do! There’s almost no right or wrong (as in most stamping techniques) and there are several ways to do it. You can use watercolor paper and the Aqua Painter to spread around drops of ink. Or you can sponge ink in various colors on Whisper White card stock. Then you take circle stencils and sponge White Craft Ink inside the circles, overlapping, wherever you would like them.  That softens the colors in the background and gives you the spots of light look.  You can make it as soft or as bold as you like.

To see my little Flipogram video of the Bokeh technique, go to my Facebook Business Page right HERE and watch!  It was fun to make! There’s even music! You may have to scroll down depending on when you are reading this!

Or Follow me on Instagram:  @Stampingwithkaren

 Important Stampin’ Up! Update:

We are experiencing a quality issue with our Blendabilities product line. Except for the Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (item #132708) and the Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad Refill (item #133456), all item numbers have been turned off; this includes Blendabilities Sale-A-Bration item numbers.

At this time, backorders for Blendabilities will not be fulfilled.

We thank you for your patience and will update you as soon as we have more information.

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I love my Blendabilities and use them quite often, although I had to call the other day about a dry one in one set. Maybe I won’t get a replacement now.  I do know Stampin’ Up! has excellent customer service so I feel sure they are working on this problem and will update us further as soon as they know something else to tell us. In the meantime, please look at the other fun items you can choose for your free Sale-A-Bration item with a $50 order!

And speaking of Sale-A-Bration, remember tomorrow, March 1st, there will be four new free items to earn with a $50 purchase. Click the photo below for a close-up!

New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

Click to view flyer!

Remember, March will be the last month for Sale-A-Bration, the biggest promotion from Stampin’ Up! Choose from the FREE products you can earn in this Sale-A-Bration Brochure. Look for the products marked “FREE” as there are other products available for purchase to coordinate with the free products.

Shop here at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

And go visit my Stamping With Karen Facebook Page!  Click the LIKE button while you are there!

 

 

A Foxy Birthday Card

A Foxy Birthday Card

There’s a lot behind this foxy birthday card using the stamp set Life in the Forest. I got the idea from a couple of samples I found online and I was pleased when it all came together. I made it for my sister-in-law who had a little problem with several sightings of a fox on the playground last summer at the preschool where she works. She set a trap for it but never caught anything, and the fox must have wandered off into the woods from whence he came and was never seen again, at least not at preschool! So of course we’ve had to tease her a little bit about the fox!

I stamped the fox with Memento Black Ink and colored with Blendabilities Markers and cut out with my Paper Snips. The “grass” is made from torn Old Olive card stock with some grass cut with the Fringe Scissors. I stamped the trees on designer paper and cut them out so I could adhere them around on the card. Some cutting but no coloring involved! The quote from the fox is from the stamp set Just Sayin’The saying at the top of the card I wrote on the computer and printed out. Too bad there wasn’t a stamp! The background of the card layer is Soft Sky with some clouds sponged in with White Craft Ink. Just punch out a scallop circle and use that to sponge the edges to get the puffy cloud look. And the fox has a little Rhinestone Jewel for his nose.

Here is the inside of the card:

Fox Birthday Card inside

Since the Blendabilities Markers would bleed through the Whisper White card stock I made a layer for inside the card and stamped and colored on that.  And sponged a little Soft Sky ink in the background for a sky.

It was a fun card to make! I love how we can make almost anything one way or another with Stampin’ Up! products!

To shop during Sale-A-Bration and earn a free product with EVERY $50 purchase, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

Blended Bloom Hello Card

Blended Bloom Hello Card

Sometimes you get an idea for a card in a second from something you saw online and you have to jump right up and make that card! That’s how this Blended Bloom Hello card came to be! It’s actually very simple. I used the “Hello” stamp from the set Hi There and just stamped the word diagonally across the front of the Whisper White card. I could have used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to position it perfectly, but I got lucky and did pretty well just eye-balling it!  You probably want to place the stamp so the words aren’t in the exact same line, one right underneath each other.

After I stamped the word Hello on the front of the card, I wanted to add some flowers or something to the front.  I stamped and punched out some other flowers but they didn’t seem to work.  Then I stamped the Blended Bloom stamp with Memento Ink and colored in with Melon Mambo Blendabilities and Daffodil Delight Blendabilities (on backorder right now) for the flower center. I cut out the flower with my Paper Snips (excellent to have for a cutting job like this!) and adhered it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

This was a fun card to make and I kind of like the look of the words filling up the front.Try it yourself with this stamp set or another one. You could make a smaller card with smaller word stamps if that is what you have.

This is why I love stamping!  You can make art without being an artist!

To choose your “art” supplies from Stampin’ Up!, just go to my Online Store! It’s open 24/7!

New Sale-A-Bration Free Products Coming!

New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

New Sale-A-Bration Products March 2015

Stampin’ Up! is spicing things up with some new FREE products you can earn during Sale-A-Bration beginning in March! Starting March 1st you will also have these products to choose as your free item with every $50 purchase!  You can choose from two stamp sets, printed vellum paper, and a combination of beautiful colorful twine and buttons!! You’re going to want to have some Blendabilities for the coloring opportunities with these new products! Click each photo below for an up-close look at the products and samples.  Then go make your Stampin’ Up! list to be ready to order March 1st! Remember, this is one month only, the final month of Sale-A-Bration!

Reminder:  Today is the last day for these Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals!

Weekly Deal Feb 17 2015

 Shop any time at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Stampin’ Up! Berry Basket Cuteness!

Berry Basket Card HolderI recently ordered the Stampin’ Up! Berry Basket Bigz L Dieand I think it holds lots of potential for cuteness in our papercrafting! Maybe even true usefulness as it can be used to hold some of our stamping supplies! Think about cute little Easter baskets or spring baskets coming up (if it ever stops snowing in some parts of the country!). Just add a handle and some “grass” and you’ve got it. You can even use up your paper scraps along with your Fringe Scissors or Paper Trimmer to cut narrow strips of paper than can be wadded up and crinkled to look like that grass or paper shred you can buy in the store.

Use the Berry Basket Die to cut two sheets of card stock and fold on the score lines. The basket itself goes together easily, and then you can choose the straight edge trim or the scalloped edge trim. Stamp or embellish as you like! So many possibilities! The top of the basket is wider than the inside so as you can see from my top photo, the 3″ x 3″ cards fit perfectly inside, larger cards fit turned on a slight diagonal. But there are lots of possibilities for what will fit inside!

Berry Basket Card Holder 3x3

To keep this first Berry Basket simple, I just made the basket with Crumb Cake card stock and embellished it with the Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim and the Venetian Crochet TrimEveryone seems to like using the Stampin’ Up! Handheld Stapler on the basket to attach the trim edge. It just goes well with baskets!

I know I’m going to have fun trying out various kinds of baskets!  To get your Berry Basket Die, just place your online order on my Stampin’ Up! site!  Or you can always contact me to put the order in for you! Remember, with a $50 purchase you will also earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration product!

 

 

 

Better Than E-Mail Stamps

Better Than Email Stamps

This is the new stamp set from Stampin’ Up! called Better Than E-Mail Photopolymer Stamp Set. It is designed to help all of us comply with the Stampin’ Up! Angel Policy. Since Stampin’ Up! images are copyrighted, you must stamp anything created for sale using their images with one of the Stampin’ Up! copyright stamps, which have always been available in the catalog.  This is a new set that serves the purpose and I think has the most versatile and fun images.  You can read about the Stampin’ Up! Angel Policy HERE.

I think even if you are not selling your cards, it is fun to put a stamp of one kind or another on the back of the card.  Don’t we all automatically turn any card over and see who made it, even one of the big card companies?! If you made the card, why not have a way for you to take credit and apply your personalization to the back of the card?!  Stamp one of these stamps on the back of your handmade cards and people will see you used Stampin’ Up! stamps and materials, plus you can express your own personal message with the little saying.  Often I add my name or initials and maybe the year in my own handwriting somewhere around the angel stamp on the back of the card.

Give your cards that professional finished look by adding an angel stamp to the back from the set Better Than E-Mail and consider personalizing it further by signing your name and putting the date by the stamp.

Order your stamp set today at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.

Better Than Email Stamp Set

 

 

Colorful Butterflies Thinlits Dies

Work of Art Butterfly Thinlits CardYou never know what you will come out with when you start making a card, or any creative project! I decided to combine some “swaths” of color from the Work of Art Stamp Set with the Butterflies Thinlits DieI tried using some Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper, the ombre turquoise pattern, and both sides of the butterfly I thought turned out beautiful! It was too hard to fit on three butterflies, so I ended up with just two and used the same pattern of the designer paper on both butterflies since I already had a colorful background. I thought the butterflies needed something to stand out a bit, so I drew in the antennae with a retired (I think) journaling pen and colored some Basic Pearls with my Blendabilities Markers and stuck those on along the body. Do you love it because it is so colorful and the butterflies so pretty or do you hate it because it is too busy??

The butterflies, made with the Butterflies Thinlits Dies are incredible embellishments to put on a project or card! Of course you need the Big Shot for the die-cutting.  I use mine almost every day for something. If you would like a Big Shot, think about purchasing it during Sale-A-Bration. Get the Big Shot, some accessories (dies, framelits, thinlits or embossing folders), maybe some card stock and if you reach $150 you will get all that plus 3 free Sale-A-Bration items, plus $25 in free Hostess dollars to spend! Best way to get more bang for your buck!

Visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store now and choose your $50 bundles to earn a free Sale-A-Bration product!

Best Day Ever Happy Card

Best Day Ever Happy Card

Use the Best Day Ever Stamp Set, available as a free product you can earn during Sale-A-Bration, and the Hello You Thinlits Dies in the Occasions Catalog, you can make a simple card in bright, happy colors to cheer someone for whatever reason.

To make this card I just grabbed the stamp set and the little flower-looking stamp, and stamped it in Melon Mambo to match the card base, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango randomly on the Whisper White card front. Then I die cut the “Happy” from Gold Foil. To make it show up better, I decided to adhere it to Whisper White layered on Melon Mambo. That layer is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. And I stamped a few hearts from the Best Day Ever Stamp Set. The Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon adds a nice, bright embellishment to the card.

Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration is at the halfway mark, ending March 31. To see all the items available with every $50 purchase, browse through the Sale-A-Bration brochure at this link! Look for the items marked “FREE”!

Flower Pot Designer Series Paper On Trend!

Flower Pot Orange and Blue Pansy Punch Flower Card

The other day I was actually reading one of my new magazines (as opposed to catching up on Christmas issues in June!) and saw a lot of orange and blue used together in home decorating. I decided to make a card using dark blue and orange and was reminded that our Flower Pot Designer Series Paper already had those colors in it!

Flower Pot Designer Series Paper

I know we have been making Christmas cards, holiday cards, and Valentine cards for months now, so it’s time to remind ourselves of some other papers and supplies we have as we page through the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog again. As cold as it is in many parts of the country right now (even in Houston!), spring will arrive eventually. Maybe just working with bright colors and flowered paper will get your mind out of the winter funk! We always say stamping is therapeutic!

This is a very simple card, but that doesn’t mean it was simple for me to make! For some reason I couldn’t get my original idea to come together, as simple as it was! All it took was turning the Flower Pot DSP over and using the other side, the orange print, which was less busy that the other flowered side. I cut it down to fit just on the bottom portion of the card. Now maybe today I could make something with the dark blue side easily, but the other day it wasn’t working. That’s how creativity is!

The flower is made with the Pansy Punch (discounted this week on the Weekly Deals!!) and sponged with a little bit of Tangelo Twist ink. Since I originally planned to use the Flower Patch Photopolymer Stamp Set I stamped the flower center with one of the stamps and punched out with the 7/8″ Circle Scallop Punch. The little Hello Honey circle underneath is the 1″ Circle Punch. The ribbon is the beautiful Tangelo Twist 3/8″ Satin Stitched Ribbon. The greeting is from the Fabulous Four Stamp Set.

With all the excitement around the Occasions Catalog, don’t forget to check out the wonderful products in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. Click this link now or grab your own catalog and take a few minutes to page through it. For Sale-A-Bration, you can add any current Stampin’ Up! products to your order to earn a free product with every $50 purchase. Don’t miss it!

 

New Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals

Weekly Deal Feb 17 2015

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Here are the new Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals for Tuesday February 17 through Monday February 23. Be sure to check them out when you place an order. With every $50 purchase from now through March 31 you can earn a FREE product from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure! No limit! And I’d sure like to see you get free Stampin’ Up! products!!

Speaking of Sale-A-Bration, here is one of the stamp sets you can earn with a $50 purchase.

You Brighten My Day Stamp Set

The You Brighten My Day Stamp Set (Item 139103 [w]) is very versatile. Think about how many days you can brighten with the You Brighten My Day Stamp Set! No need to spend precious time cutting out all the adorable images; this set coordinates with three different punches: the Banner and What’s Up Punches, and the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack. Plus, the triple star and triple heart images fit right on the little house, making it ever so easy to customize your creation. And with four different sentiments, this stamp set works for just about any occasion.

You Brighten My Day SAB

 

Please check out all the great Stampin’ Up! products available to you to make your stamping and crafting projects look beautiful and professional!

Visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE today!

Be sure to check your merchandise total to make sure you reach $50 – or $100 – or $150 – and so on to earn your free Sale-A-Bration products!