Monthly Archives: March 2011

Stamp Space Makeover Contest for Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators!

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Stamp Space Makeover

Do you need a stamp space makeover?  Don't we all?!  Here's a good reason, actually two, to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!  If you are a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and register to go to and attend Convention (the most fun event in the world!) in Salt Lake City in July, you may submit a video to enter a contest on why you deserve a makeover of your stamping space.  And the prize is:  Shelli Gardner herself, Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!, will come to the winner's home and work her magic to redesign the winner's stamping space!  The winner will be announced at Convention!  How COOL would that be??!!  And how cool of a company is Stampin' Up! to offer something so fun! Wouldn't you like to be a part of a company like that?

While you can join Stampin' Up! any day, today is the last day of Sale-a-Bration and the last day to get 15% off the Starter Kits (you may choose between the standard kit and the digital kit) AND receive an extra bonus bundle worth $50 in free products!  Registration for Convention will begin soon so you will be just in time!  Then you can start thinking about the video you are going to make to try to win a stamping space makeover by Shelli!!

Just click HERE to learn more about joining Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator…..then click on the "Join Now" button on the left on that page and you'll be signed up in a matter of minutes!  I'd love to have you on my team!

Free Products! Sale-a-Bration 2011 Coming to an End!

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Free products!  Who doesn't like to hear that phrase?!  Time is running out for the greatest Stampin' Up! promotion of the year….and the oldest! Stampin' Up! has been promoting Sale-a-Bration since the early days of the company (back then, called Sell-a-Bration), so you know it is a good thing!  But today and tomorrow are the last days.  Sale-a-Bration 2011 ends tomorrow, March 31.

With a purchase of just $50, you get to choose one free product from the Sale-a-Bration Mini Catalog.  With a $100 purchase, choose two free products…and so on!  No limit!

You may have seen some of the new SAB stamp sets in the mini, but did you know there are MANY stamp sets from the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog that are also available?  They are listed on page 11 in the Sale-A-Bration Mini.

Here's one of them…Elizabeth!  It's a single "a la carte" stamp.  I was asked to make some simple invitations for a school event thanking some volunteers.  This was one of the samples I made.  The Elizabeth stamp is very elegant!

Gracias Invitation

 

It's time to stock up on card stock, adhesives or those stamp sets you've always wanted because with your $50 purchase you will receive the Sale-A-Bration benefits.  Check it out HERE.  And then click on the "Shop Now" button on my website to place your order!  Have fun!

Card Making Made Easy

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Sweet Summer 4x4

Card making is so easy when you use Stampin' Up! products.  When inks, paper and accessories coordinate, all you have to do is choose a few colors or a main color to work with and everything else will fall into place. This 4"x4" card base is Melon Mambo which coordinates with the Sale-A-Bration Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents Pack #122242.  I knew I could also use the Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon with the buttons included in the Ribbon & Button Pack #123529.  The stamp set in the Sale-A-Bration Catalog "Sweet Summer" has a little stamp of stems and leaves that I easily colored with Stampin' Write Markers and then adhered the little buttons.

You can choose any of the Sale-A-Bration products FREE with a $50 purchase, but only until Thursday, March 31!!  The last day is fast approaching and I'd hate for you to miss the fun of choosing your free product from the amazing catalog this year!  There are stamp sets, accessories, a Decor Element, and digital content for digital papercrafting with My Digital Studio.

Just think how special it would be for someone you know to receive a handmade card!  There are plenty of Stampin' Up! ideas on my blog and in the Stampin' Up! catalogs that are easy for you to be inspired and to duplicate.  And copying is allowed!!

Avoid the crowds!! Place your Sale-A-Bration order today!!  

How to Gift Wrap with Stampin’ Up!

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How to Gift Wrap

We all need ideas on how to gift wrap presents sometimes!  I was late getting my friend's gifts mailed to her, but this gift wrap idea came to me when I saw these Big Shot Flower Folds die cuts (#115970) laying on the table.  They were cut from both the Real Red Patterns Designer Series Paper #117155 and the First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper #121878 in the Occasions Mini.  I put them together, liked what I saw, and added a Filigree Designer Brad #112577 with a Clear Rhinestone Brad #113144 to hold it together.  I wrapped a band of card stock around the boxes and adhered the flowers to it!  You might recognize that the brown boxes are from the Stampin' Up! Simply Adorned line of jewelry.  For being so spontaneous, this gift wrapping idea turned out to be very cute and my friend liked it!

There's more to stamping than Stampin' Up! cards!  Next time you need to gift wrap something, think of Stampin' Up! ideas, using your stamping supplies and maybe the Stampin' Up! catalog for inspiration!  It's a great source for ideas for all sorts of things.

Need anything from Stampin' Up!?  Just shop at my Online Store HERE!  Sale-a-Bration is still on until March 31!  Don't miss out!

So Much to Sale-A-Brate CD

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The "So Much to Sale-A-Brate CD" is one of the free products you can earn from the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration Promotion……but only if you place your order by March 31!  It's so much fun to play with My Digital Studio and now you can have all the digital content of the Sale-A-Bration catalog FREE with any $50 purchase from Stampin' Up!

I began by choosing a card in the Designer collection….meaning, it is already made up for you.  

My Digital Studio Designer Card

And then I changed almost everything about it!  I changed the Old Olive background paper to a pattern in the Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper; changed the color of the Scallop Border Punch; and added Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon, Bows, and Buttons.  You could make this same card with your real supplies or you can make this digital version.

So Much to Sale-A-Brate CD Card

If you want to get all this free digital content to use with My Digital Studio or your own digital program, please place your order with me or at my Online Store before Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31st!

 

Stampin’ Up! MDS Digital Downloads

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Click to Watch MDS Video!

Stampin' Up! has outdone themselves this month with so many new MDS digital downloads! Once you have the My Digital Studio software, you can continue to update your digital program with new downloads.  You can also run them with other digital software.

One new MDS download that I am excited about is the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper!  What beautiful paper in real life and now we can use it on our computers as well!  There are "patterns" designer paper, stamp brush sets, digital buttons, the Nursery Alphabet images and letters….just to name a few!  You can check out the newest downloads and all the digital products HERE.

Don't forget about Sale-a-Bration only until March 31.  My Digital Studio purchases count!  And for your free SAB reward, you might want to pick the CD filled with digital images of the SAB rewards!

Click on the photo above to go to the page with the video and more information about Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio!

To learn A LOT about the papercrafting software, join the website dedicated to My Digital Studio, www.mydigitalstudio.net.  You will find all kinds of inspiration, tutorials, samples, and up-to-date information as well as a forum to talk to other digital crafters.  You will love it!

Let me know if you have any questions!  Just email me at karen@karenstamps.com.

Stampin’ Up!: Baby Shower Gift

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Another baby shower gift idea might be something like this:   A decorative tin, notebook and pen.  It is decorated for the nursery and is a handy way for the new parents to write quick notes about the baby and later add them to the baby book.  We parents know how harried the first weeks (and years!) are, and yet you want to remember all those special, fun, and funny moments.  I've also used new paint cans wrapped with designer paper or cardstock in a similar fashion.

Baby Tin

On this tin, I used designer paper from Nursery Suite Specialty Paper #117165 (the bunny paper in this package is SOOO CUTE!), some Eyelet Border #119853 punched Melon Mambo cardstock for trim, Ice Cream Parlor Buttons #123529 from the Sale-a-Bration catalog, a little stamped medallion on top and ribbon tied on the handle.  I've always had good luck with our Stampin' Up! Anywhere Glue Sticks #104045 on projects like this.  I apply the glue to the paper as well as to the tin.

And here is the cute little notebook, just covered with some matching paper and ribbon.  The pen is an RSVP Pen….just unscrew the top, pull out the ink cartridge, wrap a 1"x3" piece of designer paper tightly and stuff down into the barrel of the pen.  You'll have to shove it the last little bit but you can get it in there.  Insert the ink cartridge into the center of the wrapped paper and replace the top.  Very cute!

Baby Notebook and Pen


Baby Shower Gift

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Baby Scrapbook Page

Want to incorporate scrapbooking and Stampin' Up! in a nice gift for a new mother?  Instead of an entire baby scrapbook, how about just one scrapbook page….and put it in a frame to hang on the wall!  It can be both art for the nursery as well as documentation of a new baby's early days. Photos and journaling can be put in the blank spaces or journaling box and the rest can fit the theme of the nursery.  On this 12×12 page I used animals from various stamp sets as well as other embellishments just to decorate the page.  You can find scrapbooking ideas right in the Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog as well as plenty of supplies and embellishments to make one page or an entire scrapbook.

You can see some other baby scrapbook pages I made for framed gifts HERE and HERE.  It's a unique gift idea for a new baby and something the mother will appreciate.

Stampin’ Up! First Day of Spring Card

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The first day of spring was yesterday, and I took pictures of our beautiful azaleas that have really burst into bloom this past week.  The weather was a perfect spring day as well….and you won't normally hear people raving about how good the weather is here in Houston…except for this time of year when other cities are still experiencing snow and we are looking at beautiful spring flowers and digging short pants out of the closet.

Here is a Stampin' Up! card to commemorate the first day of spring.

Spring Flower Card

I just grabbed a Note Card #107311 (did you know you can buy a pack of 20 note cards 5"x 3 1/2" including envelopes?!) to make a simple card with the stamp set Bold Blossom in the Occasions Mini (page 31).  I assumed I would put a little greeting on the card or embellish the flowers with some kind of center layer, but in the end I decided to just go with simple!  When I looked in the drawer to possibly use my glitter, I spied the Basic Rhinestones #119246 and decided just a little bling was what the flowers needed….and that was enough!

Here are some photos of our azaleas!  You should be able to click on each photo to enlarge it.

Azaleas

Neighbor's view of Azalea Bush

Azaleas

Pink Azaleas

  Pink Azaleas

Purple Azalea

Red Ruffle Azaleas

If you need any stamping supplies to make some beautiful spring cards, please contact me or shop online at my store HERE.

 

Stampin’ Up! Cards: St. Patrick’s Day

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Stampin up cards St Patricks Day

 

Stampin' Up! cards are so easy to make, even for holidays like St. Patrick's Day!  Without buying a special St. Patrick's Day stamp set, I found this shamrock in the Got Treats stamp set.  And if I wouldn't have had a shamrock stamp, I could have used hearts to make a shamrock!  Or I could have just used our great colors of green to make a generic St. Patrick's Day card.  I found the greeting in the fabulous stamp set Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370…..or you could have used something simple like "Celebrate" or "Thinking of You".  Maybe add some ribbon, some brads, a punch or our new Fabric Designer Brads #121880 and you've got some easy embellishments to jazz up your card!

For some other St. Patrick's Day ideas from last year, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

My Online Store is always open for shopping!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Stampin’ Up! Houndstooth Matchbox

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Stampin' Up! Houndstooth Matchbox

Use the Stampin' Up! Matchbox Die #114890 with your Big Shot #113439 to make this cute little box!  The Love Letter Designer Series Paper #117162 with the black and white houndstooth pattern really makes this box up-to-date!  Just the other day I read how trendy houndstooth is and that gave me the idea to make something with this paper.  I LOVE the Real Red, Basic Black and Very Vanilla colors in this paper and have seen many cute projects using it.

To top off my matchbox, I used the Scallop Circle Punch #119854 to punch two scallops in the same pattern. Fold each scallop in half, making sure that you aren't folding any scallops on the ends in half…..you want to just fold in the lines between the scallops. Fold in half, open, fold in half in another spot.  I found that if you just go around the circle to each scallop you will probably get them all and get them folded correctly. After you have made all the folds (so that it looks like spokes on a wheel), take your Paper Snips #103579 and cut on just one of those lines into the center.

Scallop Punch Folds

Then starting with the slit, accordion-fold the scallops back and forth all the way around.

Scallop Punch Accordion-Folded

Take the two folded scallops and adhere them together do you have one whole flower…..you can even use three scallops if you want!  On my matchbox, I actually used two scallop flowers, one with a different pattern on the bottom.  Then I attached a linen-threaded Real Red button from the Candy Cane Big Designer Buttons which were in the Holiday Mini.

Stampin' Up! Houndstooth Matchbox

If you need any supplies to make cute little projects like this, please visit my Online Store HERE.

Pi Day–March 14th

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Today is “Pi Day“, and, if you are mathematically inclined, a day to celebrate!  I’m sure it’s something we all learned in school way back when, but I couldn’t really tell you much about it anymore!  Here is what the site www.piday.org has to say:

“Pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. Pi = 3.1415926535…

With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational and transcendental number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating.”

I wouldn’t be so interested, since as far as I know it has nothing to do with stamping, but when my son was in high school, in calculus (I guess) he was able to recite over 500 digits of pi and held the record for awhile for his class!  He has a “pi” t-shirt and everything.  So today he is home on spring break and sat down at some website and typed out 110 digits of pi. It’s called Pi Trainer, just in case you want to try it out yourself!  He typed the numbers out real fast, just hesitating for a moment, like it was nothing.  He said it’s muscle-memory!  


 

Daylight Savings Time Starts Tonight/Tomorrow!

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Daylight Savings Time My Digital Studio Card

Daylight Savings Time starts tonight when you go to bed, if you remember to change your clocks!  Technically, it is probably 2 am tomorrow, which is tonight as far as I am concerned! Spring is coming, so SPRING ahead….. change your clocks an hour ahead….so you lose an hour! That's not good for me this weekend because I happen to have all three children home this weekend (or should I say "four" now that I have a new son-in-law!)

To commemorate Daylight Savings Time, I quickly made this card in My Digital Studio!  It is fairly plain and simple, but today I liked it that way!  I did add a digital brass brad in the center of the clock hands! You've really got to try My Digital Studio…..it's not just for digital scrapbooking!  You can order it HERE in my online store.  The software will be shipped to you, and after that you can order the latest downloads and have them appear instantly to begin using!

Don't forget…..when you go to bed at 11 PM set your clocks for midnight! Check your smoke detector batteries, too! (maybe not at midnight, but tomorrow!)  Watch all the news stories on TV of the clock shops that have to reset the hundreds of clocks and watches they have!  And then order My Digital Studio so you can join in the fun!  (And choose your FREE Sale-a-Bration product too!)


Stampin’ Up! Ornament Punch is Available!

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The Extra-Large Ornament Punch #119847 is available for order again! The problems with this punch  have now been resolved and it is ready to go!  You can see a Christmas card I made with the Ornament Punch HERE.  But there are lots of other creative ideas you can do with this punch!  Can you imagine a vase or a fish with this punch??!  You will want to add this punch to your collection!  It has been very popular!

Ornament Punch - by Stampin' Up!Ordering some of the punches you have been dying to have and maybe a pack of paper or a stamp set will get you to $50 for your Sale-a-Bration reward!  Be sure to check it out!  Just click the Online Ordering button in the corner to go to my store and place your order any time you want to!

Fat Tuesday

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Happy Mardi Gras!  Today is the big day, especially in New Orleans, although Mardi Gras isn't limited to only one day…..and not even to one city.  You've got to have beads! Here you see some of mine in a bowl, gathered from several years of Mardi Gras parties we attended.  The colors of Mardi Gras are purple (for justice), green (for faith), and yellow (for power).  Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" which is the last day of eating rich foods before Ash Wednesday, when the fasting of Lent begins.  Here's a card I made for Mardi Gras using the colors of purple, green and yellow.  In the background you can see the little favor bag I made last year in this post.

Mardi Gras 2011

Mardi Gras 2011 Card

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings (p. 125), Something to Celebrate (Occasions Mini)

Ink:  Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green

Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Whisper White

Accessories:  Scallop Trim Border Punch #118402, Scallop Oval Punch #119856, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval Large Punch #119855, Trinket Crowns #121891, 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon Daffodil Delight #119254

Just stamp the medallions and crown from Artistic Etchings randomly all over the Whisper White cardstock.  I just LOVED the stamped crowns! Then I also added a "real" crown from the Occasions Mini tied with a taffeta ribbon right above the oval greeting.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!