An Easy Butterfly Card

An Easy Butterfly Card

If you’re looking for an easy but elegant card to make, perhaps a card for Mother’s Day, this is a good one. I used Regal Rose card stock, which is being discontinued with the Stampin’ Up! Color Refresh. It’s a pretty color, but I didn’t really use it a lot. I embossed just a strip of Whisper White with the Stripes Embossing Folder, wrapped a bit of 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon around it, and glued it down to the Whisper White layer. The butterflies were made with the Elegant Butterfly Punch, one butterfly punched out of Regal Rose card stock and one out of Vellum Card Stock which was them embossed with the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder and decorated with the few Basic Pearls.

I love cards like this that you can use for many occasions.This could be for Mother’s Day, a birthday, a wedding, a “thinking of you”, even graduation.

Don’t forget about the stamps and accessories that are retiring the end of this month from Stampin’ Up! Check the retiring stamp list here and the retiring accessories list here.  

You can also see all the retiring products HERE in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Some are even discounted!

Get them while they are still available!

Make an Easy Gift for Mom

Mother's Day Votive Candle Decorated

What can be easier to make for a little gift for Mother's Day or for your favorite teacher for Teacher Appreciation than decorating a little votive?  Just wrap some Delicate Details Lace Tape #130966 around a clean glass votive holder (it's even repositionable which helps to get the ends lined up where they meet!). It's self-adhesive so easy to apply!  I made a quick and easy paper flower out of the Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series Paper #126922 using the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch #119854 (what did we ever do without this punch??!).  Just punch several scallops (I punched four) and either glue together after some crumpling, if you like that look, or use a small brad to insert through the center to hold all the layers together.  I used the brad and then glued on a small Vintage Faceted Designer Button #127555.  You could easily decorate this votive holder in lots of different ways!  Just a simple little gift when you want a little something or an extra little something to go with a bigger gift! Try it!

For any of these supplies to make your last-minute gift-giving easier, just check out my Stampin' Up! Online Store here.

Don't forget….Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12!

 

Paper Pumpkin Stampin’ Up! Subscription Kit “Seriously” Cards

Paper Pumpkin April 2013 Seriously

Honestly, when I saw the greetings with this April Paper Pumpkin monthly subscription kit from Stampin' Up!, I wasn't too enthused. Not my style.  BUT when I made the cards, I loved the cards themselves and had fun making them! I think the first one on the bottom row on the left is the example for the kit….the other three I just did other things with…and even had a few pieces from the kit leftover! The background layer is glued down but the other pieces are self-adhesive pieces (and you can move them around and restick!)

Paper Pumpkin isn't for everyone….if you like elaborate papercrafting with lots of layers and embellishments, this is not meant for you. If you have tons of supplies to use, you probably don't need to order a simple kit.

But if you're looking for a quick little treat for yourself each month, want to dip your toes in papercrafting and card making, if you don't have the right supplies to actually make a decent card or project, if you've never even made a card before….then the monthly subscription program from Stampin' Up! called Paper Pumpkin just might be for you! You can sign up with no obligation to continue for any certain length of time…you can pause for a month or two if you want and then continue on.

You can start with a kit for a few months to get the hang of it, then just launch into your own stamping and projects choosing your own supplies from Stampin' Up! It won't always be cards.  Each month is a surprise!

And it doesn't have to be for YOU….maybe you have a daughter, niece, friend, granddaughter, sister who might enjoy a surprise kit in the mail every month! Especially when it is from Stampin' Up!…and you!

Check out Paper Pumpkin from Stampin' Up!

and see what you think!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Celebrando Creatividad 2012-13

Did you know Stampin' Up! has a special Spanish-language supplement to the Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog?  It's called Celebrando Creatividad! You can find many of the same stamp sets, but with the greetings in Spanish. There are even a few unique stamp sets in this catalog.

After looking through the samples and projects in this catalog, here are the list of supplies you need for the projects:  Materiales para estampar Celebrando Creatividad

If you would like to order any products from Celebrando Creatividad, please visit my Stampin' Up! Online Store here!

 

Brides & Babies–Best of 25 Years!

Best of 25 Years_May Brides and Babies

Click to Enlarge

In continuing to celebrate their 25th anniversary, Stampin' Up! has released this new collection of stamps for May 2013! One stamp in the set is a new image and the rest are favorites from the last 25 years! Although a new set is being released each month, they will all be available until March 31, 2014.

This is the season for brides and babies, so if you need to be making cards for new babies or weddings, you might want to invest in this set!

Just shop at my Online Store and check out this stamp set!

Best of Brides & Babies   #133482   Clear-mount



 

 

Spring Sampler Flower Card

Spring Sampler Flower Card

It's funny how I don't always end up making what I thought I was going to make!  Since I had fun with the Spring Sampler stamp set in yesterday's post, I decided to make another card with it.  I was going to select an image for a baby card and just stamp it in one color on the Whisper White layer, maybe put a ribbon or strip of designer paper down the side.  Simple, simple.

I got out the Bashful Blue pack of paper and in there was a piece already cut but the front was narrower than the back. Either I cut it wrong the first time or I didn't end up using it. Since I had already pulled out the Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series Paper to possibly use, I decided to adhere a strip of it to the inside edge which would make it show on the front.  I love the colors in the striped pattern of the paper!! That changed the theme of the card from baby to flowers, choosing colors that coordinated with the paper….Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist.  On the Color Coach Marina Mist is the "Dynamic Duo" match with Bashful Blue, if you were doing a monochromatic color scheme.

And since I didn't stamp a couple of the flowers perfectly and since "there are no mistakes in stamping" I decided to stamp some extra flowers, cut them out, and pop them up with Stampin' Dimensionals over the "boo-boo" flowers.  No one would know I didn't plan it this way!

Although it is pretty cool outside today, the sun is out and the weather is gorgeous!  So I think this flowery, spring card is just perfect!

Spring Sampler Flower Card Front

Scallop Square Spring Sampler Card

Spring Sampler Scallop Card
One of the many things that is on the Stampin' Up! Retirement List is the Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die, so when I found one already die-cut in my stash, I decided to make a spring card with it!  I attached a 4" x 8" card base (folded in half) to the back of the scallop square. The scallop square is Melon Mambo with a Daffodil Delight layer. The Spring Sampler Stamp Set seemed like the perfect set to use for this card. So many cute little images to choose from!
Since it is snowing in some parts of the country, raining and flooding in others, and here we have a cold front on its way to drop the temperature from near 80 this morning down to 44 by tomorrow morning, I thought a card that reminds us of spring was a good idea! Although I will be miserable in the cold the next two days, I'm hoping it will cool down the upcoming summer!!  Any cooler weather we can get here in Houston, especially from this month on, I am all in favor of it!
A card like this with nine little stamped squares is a little tedious to make, but once I colored on the stamps with markers and stamped on Whisper White card stock, it was easy to punch them out with the 1" Square Punch and then the layers with the Postage Stamp Punch.

You'll find the Spring Sampler Stamp Set in the Spring Catalog…and by the way, that catalog is only good until May 31st so don't forget to order what you want out of it this month!
If you have nasty weather where you live, why not make a card to cheer yourself up!

New Bloomin’ Bouquet Project Kit from Stampin’ Up!

It's not quite May, but if April showers bring May flowers, the rain and flooding we had in Houston on Saturday have brought a nice flower surprise from Stampin' Up! a little early this morning!  It's a new flower kit! The Bloomin' Bouquet Project Kit #134542 $12.95 will be available starting at 3:00 pm MT this afternoon (that's 4:00 pm Central Time)…while supplies last!

Kit contents:

  • 2 sheets of preprinted and precut flowers on 12" X 12" cardstock; makes 13 flowers using Pool Party, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry
  • 13 Vintage Faceted Buttons
  • 13 green floral wire stems

Adhesive not included. (Glue gun recommended.)

You actually get a "baker's dozen" of flowers….that means you have one extra to give away!  That means the number 13 is a lucky one here! Lucky for the person you share your handmade flower with!

Just add this kit to your order of retired and current items!  Just remember, it's not available until later this afternoon! The link is not available yet, but here is the link to my Stampin' Up! Online Store.

Here again is the Stampin' Up! retired stamps list.

Here is the current retired list of Stampin' Up! accessories.

Zoom in to the page so you can read it!

 

 

Stampin’ Up! Offers Coming to an End

You may be as surprised as I am to realize that April is soon coming to an end! What happens to these months??  And now with all the hoopla over the Stampin' Up! retirement lists, I thought we could use a reminder about some things ending on Tuesday, April 30.  You can add them to the same order with retiring items!

Epic Day This and That Bundle…15% off thru April 30.  Items available only separately after that.

This and That Products
(Clips not included in bundle.)

131268

Epic Day This and That Journal

$10.95

130814

Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper

$10.95

130133

Remember This and That Rotary Stamp

$5.95

131271

Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers

$4.95

131269

Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape

$4.95

133350

Epic Day This and That Bundle
Includes the five This and That products listed above. Only available in a bundle until April 30.

$32.08 
15% Off Retail Value!

Sent With Love Special Offer …. Buy stamp set or designer paper…or buy the bundle and save 20%.

Sent with Love Image

131847

Sent with Love Stamp Set (clear-mount; English only)

$17.95

132182

Sent with Love Designer Series Paper

$10.95

132851

Pretty Bundle
Includes the Sent with Love Stamp Set, Sent with Love Designer Series Paper, and Calypso Coral Baker's Twine

$25.50
20% off retail value!

The Sent with Love Stamp Set and Sent with Love Designer Series Paper are only available during this special offer. After April 30, they'll both fly away!

In addition, you may purchase the Sent with Love Digital Kit (item 132914; $9.95). Please note that the digital kit is not included in the bundle.

For all your Stampin' Up! needs, please shop at my Stampin' Up! Online Store here.


Make an Easy Card with the Print Poetry Paper Stack

Print Poetry Easy Card

Today I found the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack on my desk underneath a bunch of stamping stuff, so I thought why not use this somehow? I realized I hadn't used it much, but gee, the paper inside is beautiful! This green print on the bottom of my card is from the other side of the top design!  So easy to coordinate!

If you want to make an easy card, this layout is the simplest ever! The card base is made with a  5.5" x 4.25" piece of Very Vanilla card stock folded in half. Next I cut two pieces of the Print Poetry paper and adhered together.  At that point, I should have wrapped a strip of the ribbon around just the designer paper….but I forgot and glued it down to the card base! Since there are no mistakes in stamping(!), I just wrapped the 3/8" Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon around the front of the card and attached a separate bow.

For a little greeting, I stamped the word "friends" from the stamp set Sweet Essentials and layered it on the Ticket Duo Punch #126883.  You could use any greeting and any coordinating punch and you have an easy to make card for any occasion!

For these great Stampin' Up! products, visit my Online Store here!

Stay Tuned!!  RETIRED LISTS coming this Wednesday,

April 24!

If you are new, what does that mean?  Each year around this time, Stampin' Up! retires stamp sets and accessories in order to make room for NEW products in the NEW catalog coming out soon! It's an exciting time and a time to stay in touch with me so you can purchase any retiring products you really want but haven't gotten yet. This won't be the time to procrastinate! In fact, I would suggest not waiting for the list, but getting the products you really want NOW before there is a run on them.  No one can predict what will be retired and what won't…or what will sell fast and what won't.  Just fair warning!  

If you have any questions, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com…..and make sure you are on my Mailing List here!

Using Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape

My camera is broken at the moment so I thought I would just post some ideas I have seen or had for using the great new Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape. You can order this tape as a separate item #131269 from my Stampin' Up! store….but the better idea would be to purchase the entire Epic Day This and That Bundle before the end of April so you can get a 15% discount on the whole package.

Of course the obvious use for Washi Tape is to adhere, decoratively, your photos and memorabilia to your album or journal or whatever. But you can also use the tape itself as a decorative item. Here are a few ideas:

  • Wrap washi tape around a tea light base (use a battery-operated one).
  • Decorate plastic cups, straws, plasticware for a party with washi tape.
  • Wrap washi tape around a gift box or gift bag as decorative borders.
  • Use washi tape on a card or scrapbook page just placing it as lines of tape on the project, as borders or stripes or small banners.
  • Wrap washi tape around a glass jar as a decoration or even as a identifier of the contents.
  • Before making a rosette, place a long strip of washi tape on the strip of paper and you'll have a design on your rosette after you fold it!
  • Tape pieces of washi tape in long or short strips down or across a notebook cover to add color and design.
  • Adhere washi tape around a glass votive holder to decorate your candle.
  • Adhere washi tape on clip clothespins to decorate.  Add a magnet to the back.
  • Decorate a plain file folder with washi tape.

So there you have a FEW ideas to get started!

Get your Stampin' Up! Washi Tape here at my Online Store!

 

New Dolled Up Birthday Kit from Stampin’ Up!

Dolled Up Birthday Kit

Images copyright Stampin' Up! 2013

If you like kits, I'm sure you will love this brand new Dolled Up Birthday Kit Stampin' Up! just released today! It was designed by another demonstrator and then Stampin' Up! made it into a kit! You know anything with the Vanilla Flower Trim is going to be gorgeous!

The Dolled-Up Birthday kit includes the following:

  • Dolled-Up Birthday Clear-Mount Stamp (1)
  • 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" Crumb Cake Cardstock (6 pieces)
  • 2" x 4-1/4" Very Vanilla Cardstock (6 pieces)
  • Very Vanilla Medium Envelopes (6)
  • Tea Lace Paper Doilies (6)
  • Dress Up die-cuts (6)
  • Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Spot (1)
  • Vanilla 5/8" Flower Trim (6 pieces)
  • Sponge Dauber (1)

Get everything you need to make six cards for only $15.95 (item 133913)!*

*Adhesive not included.

To assemble one card, follow these simple instructions:
1. Place the stamp rubber side up and ink with the Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Spot.
2. Stamp “Happy Birthday” at the bottom of the card front.
3. Ink the Sponge Dauber with Soft Suede ink and gently antique the doily and the edges of the dress form.
4. Adhere the pieces to the card front in this order:
1. Doily
2. Very Vanilla Cardstock
3. Dress form
4. Flower

I think this one is a winner if you like kits and a "girlie" one at that! And nothing says you can't change it up a bit to follow your own creativity!

Find the Dolled Up Birthday Kit in my Stampin' Up! Online Store.

 


De-Stress on Tax Day—Make a Pop-Up Posies Card!

Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit Pieces

Today is Tax Day, so if you have paid your taxes, maybe it is time to de-stress by making a card! Or in my case, maybe I will make another card to de-stress from having my post I just wrote disappear! Anyway….the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit can make it easy for you! You get all the materials pictured above in your kit PLUS a "Just for You" stamp. Add some card stock and put something together and you will have a beautiful card!

After I took the photo above, my camera decided to act up….maybe it's going to be "one of those days"!! Here is a photo of the card I made, although it's not very good. Maybe I just need new batteries.

Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit Card

To get this Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit in your hands, just go to my Stampin' Up! Online Store and order! It is #131395 and you might like some Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Summer Starfruit card stock to coordinate with your flowers and kit!  You can find the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit in the Stampin' Up! Spring Catalog!

Sign Up for My Mailing List!

Email_clipart_computer

It's already mid-April and that means my mid-month Stamping With Karen newsletter will be coming out this week with up-to-the-minute Stampin' Up! news. This year is Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary and boy, are they celebrating! There has been one new offer or product or news item after the other! In order not to miss anything, please check my blog often AND subscribe to my newsletter! Not only will you receive my free gift (once you confirm your subscription), but you will be on my list to receive my monthly and mid-monthly newsletters plus some extras as warranted.  You don't want to miss a thing from Stampin' Up! THIS year!!  And with the new Stampin' Up! Annual catalog coming out soon (and the current one going out!) you will want to be in the know!

Click HERE to sign up for my Mailing List!

Once you fill out the Mailing List form with your name and email, you will almost immediately receive an email with the subject line "Confirm Your Stamping With Karen Subscription". Open and read it, then click on the link inside.This makes sure we have your permission to send emails to you. After you click on that link, you will receive a "Welcome" email that will contain the link to your free gift.

Sign up NOW for my Newsletter Mailing List!  Use this link or the Mailing List Sign-Up Box at the top of my blog!

 

New Products to Organize Your Stamps and Craft Storage!

Stampin' Up! is introducing their new storage cases for the wood-mount stamp sets that will be available in the new catalog!  Not only will the wood-mount stamp sets be packaged in these, but empty ones will be available for purchase for your other crafting storage needs!  They will fit with the stamp cases used for the clear-mount stamps. The stamp images and stamp set name will be on the spine, just like the clear-mount cases. If you like everything to match, you can purchase the new empty cases and transfer your current wood-mount stamps into those.  But Stampin' Up! has made a video with all kinds of uses for these new stamp cases!  Enjoy!

*Translated stamp sets are only available in clear-mount.