It’s fun to just flip through the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack and choose a pattern that speaks to you!  I had already found, in the package of In Color card stock, an already started card with some very bad stamping on it! “Somebody” was trying to stamp a pattern on the bottom of this card and didn’t get it lined up correctly at all! Since there are no mistakes in stamping, I found this pattern that coordinated with the Lost Lagoon card stock and covered the whole messed up area at the bottom of the card! No one will ever know, except you and me! Before adhering the patterned paper, I wrapped a piece of Lost Lagoon 3/8″ Satin Stitched Ribbon around the top of the piece and then tied the bow with a separate piece of ribbon.  So much easier.  It is attached with a couple of Glue Dots. Then what to do with the empty top area?? I decided on a flower from the Mixed Bunch Stamp Set, and thought this patterned flower went the best with the paper on the bottom. I used another stamp for the center, punched with the 3/4″ Circle Punch, popped up on a Stampin’ Dimensional, with a Rhinestone Jewel in the center for a little accent.  The greeting is from the Something To Say Stamp Set. It is punched out with the Modern Label Punch and has two Rhinestones on it. I decided just a simple plain greeting was fine.

To find any of these supplies, just click HERE to go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!

Remember, if you are in Texas, today is the last day for the Sales Tax Holiday. Check my previous post about the items that are included in the holiday that you can order from Stampin’ Up!

Also, if you are interested in purchasing a Paper Pumpkin subscription, the kit that comes in the mail to you with a cute project inside, sign up today, August 10th, in order to receive the August kit! Use the promo code HALFOFF2 in order to get a discount of 50% for the first two months!! Regular price is $19.95, which includes shipping! This offer is for new subscribers only.

Click HERE for Paper Pumpkin!

There’s not an easier birthday card to make than this one using the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack. I have to admit, I’ve had this All Abloom Paper Stack since it came out, but hadn’t used it. It actually got lost under all the “stuff” on my desk! To make this card, all I had to do was flip through the stack and see which pattern caught my eye or inspired me. This one just looked so pretty, and I liked the opportunity to use my Strawberry Slush card stock! The greeting is from Four You, a stamp set I find myself using a LOT! I thought the paper was pretty enough itself so the card didn’t need much else.  I added just a little flower punched with the flower punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack  with a little Candy Dot in the center! I probably would have added a little flower or something-something somewhere on the card, but honestly, I stamped the greeting just a tad too far to the left so the flower filled in the space perfectly and added just a little accent!  See, there ARE no mistakes in stamping!

The All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack gives you a ton of paper choices very inexpensively. Not every pattern is a flower so no worries there! You can view them all and purchase in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store. Just think of the tons of cards you could make easily with this small stack of paper!

(c) Stampin’ Up! 2014

As I looked through the Flashback Designer Series Paper, the Real Red and Pool Party colors on this pattern really caught my eye. I love red! I wondered if I could use it some way with the Cupcake Party stamp set and the Cupcake Builder Punch, on sale this week in the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals. The Cupcake Punch is used for the top and bottom of the cupcake, but I handcut the little Happy Birthday flag for the top. With the punch, I could have punched out a little cherry for the top! You wouldn’t believe how many circles and scallop circles I punched in various colors and tried different combinations to see which one worked best behind the cupcake. Finally I just decided on this one! I also put a little strip of Real Red 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon across the card, even though you don’t see much of it.

This card is cut lengthwise, meaning the Pool Party is cut 11″ x 4 1/4″ and then folded in half. Just a little change!

Don’t judge a pack of designer paper by the first sheet in the package! This one has retro cameras, but there are other pretty patterned papers in the pack. And don’t forget that the Buy 3 DSP Get 1 Free Offer from Stampin’ Up! during July! Much to my surprise, July is almost over! Tomorrow is the last day you can take advantage of this special deal to stock up on designer paper.  Specialty papers are not included. Choose from the patterns on pages 186-7 in the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.

One more day to order 3 designer series packs and then get the 4th one free!  Add some of the Weekly Deals to your order as well!

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

Flashback Designer Series Paper

$10.95

Cupcake Party Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

Cupcake Builder Punch

$16.95

Real Red 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon

$5.95

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$4.95

Real Red 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock

$6.95

Pool Party 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock

$6.95

2-3/8″ Circle Scallop Punch

$16.95

2″ Circle Punch

$16.95

1-3/4″ Circle Punch

$16.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

I’m finally taking the time to play with the new Back To Black Designer Series Paper to make a birthday card with a touch of gold. I learned a long time ago in my stamping that black and white could be very stunning – and really all you need sometimes to make a card. That’s all I was going to use on this card, but somehow a little bit of gold snuck in! Once I made the flower using the Blossom Punch, I decided the Gold Baker’s Twine would look good with the Vintage Faceted Button. I thought little strips of the Gold Foil Sheets would look great against the black and while. If you could see this card in person, you would see that the extra glimmer really looks nice. Once I had the gold foil accent, I had to emboss the greeting from the Four You stamp set with my Heat Tool and Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Remember, before you emboss, rub the Embossing Buddy on the card stock to try to keep stray flecks of the embossing powder from sticking. Then stamp with Versamark.

I also have another technique I saw recently that I will share with you soon using this paper!  With the July special offer on Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up!, now is the time to stock up on paper! Get all the new ones in the catalog while you can get one free!

Be sure the Back To Black Designer Series Paper is on your Wish List!

Back To Black Designer Series Paper

$10.95

Gold Baker’s Twine

$3.50

Vintage Faceted Buttons

$5.95

Gold Foil Sheets

$3.95

Four You Wood Stamp Set

$14.95

Heat Tool

$29.95

Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder

$4.95

Embossing Buddy

$5.95

Versamark Pad

$7.50

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

For a fun birthday card, how about making one with the stamp set Cupcake Party?!  Add some punched dots confetti and In Color Sequins for some bling and pizzazz! You can also use the Cupcake Builder Punch to punch out the cupcake! No snipping required! If you already have the Cupcake Punch, you might as well get this stamp set to go with it!  I like the saying on this card, and it was a good opportunity to try out the new sequins! The Silver 1/8″ Ribbon really adds a special touch. It’s so sleek and shiny!

Be sure to sign up for my mailing list in the box in the right sidebar.  My July Stamping With Karen Newsletter will be coming out next week with projects to make and the latest Stampin’ Up! news. And get a free gift when you sign up and confirm!  Watch for that confirmation email and be sure to click on the link inside!

Cupcake Party Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment

$4.95

Cupcake Builder Punch

$16.95

Silver 1/8″ Ribbon

$4.95

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$4.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

I’ve been making a lot of these popular pop-up box cards lately! They’re not difficult and are quite cute to make. If you make them the right size, they will fit in a regular size envelope when folded flat. There are two little folded strips inside the box to which you attach whatever stamped images you want to be part of your card. I used several different stamp sets and greetings on this card. You can leave the back piece of the box unfolded and put a long layer on the back if you want to write a greeting.  But you don’t have to. Put more layers of designer paper on the box or not.  It’s all up to. you.

These cards are really fun to make! Remember, it folds flat and fits inside an envelope as long as you are careful where you place your popping up images.  Lay the card on your envelope so you see how much space you have.

Start with half a sheet of cardstock like always.  Lay sideways in your Simply Scored Tool.  Score at 2″, 4″, 6″, and 8″. Turn the other way and score at 2″ for box flaps. Then cut those scored sections up to the score line.  The little 1/2″ piece on one end will be the part you attach to the inside of the box. Use Sticky Strip or Tombow Multi Glue.  The little braces that go inside are two 1″ x 3″ pieces, each scored at 1/2″ and 2 1/2″. Those fit inside, the trickiest part! Then attach whatever decorations you want for your card!

Remember, Sale-A-Bration ends March 31.  That’s a week from today!  Just enough time to make your list and get your order in!  Don’t procrastinate until the very last minute!

Shop anytime at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! If you prefer not to order online, please contact me, email Karen@KarenStamps.com, and I will be happy to make arrangements with you and put the order in for you.

Also the special with subscribing to Paper Pumpkin ends March 31st also! Get a pack of FREE MARKERS with your Welcome Kit!  Your also receive a free clear block for your stamps with the Welcome Kit to use on future kits!  It’s a papercrafting kit in a box, easy to do, quick and simple, unique, exclusive to Paper Pumpkin, and a surprise in your mailbox for only $19.95 which includes shipping!  Just keeps getting better!

This monochromatic birthday card uses Soft Sky card stock and flowers from the Secret Garden stamp set. I think a monochromatic card looks calming, not that a birthday card should be calming, it has a simple elegance to it.  I found this Soft Sky piece already embossed with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder and decided I wanted to just layer it on a card base of Soft Sky as well. I stamped the birthday greeting and made it like a banner and stamped the flowers, also in Soft Sky ink. I just cut the flowers out by hand but there are coordinating Secret Garden Framelits to make that job easier.

Now that spring is here we can start using the Soft Subtles family of colors!

Don’t forget about the Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals and Sale-A-Bration!

Enjoy your first weekend of spring!