Vintage Vogue - Take Two

Hello Friends,

Here is another card that we made at my club party last weekend. This one is made using the rich tones of the Rich Razzleberry In Color from Stampin' Up! This card is a very pretty one too! My hostess for a club party likes this card and the card in my last post so much that she wants to make both of these at her party too! This card's greeting can easliy be changed to fit any occassion. I think for the party this weekend I will suggest the Happy Easter stamp out of this same set.
Card Recipe:

• Stamp sets- Vintage Vogue and Well Scripted


• Papers- Rich Razzleberry textured card stock, Old Olive, Whisper White and Soft Suede card stocks


• Inks- Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive Classic ink pads, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Markers


• Accessories- Rich Regal Brads and Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon


• Tools- Scallop edge punch and Polka Dots embossing folder for the Big Shot

I don't know if you can see it from the picture, but the soft suede strip was embossed using the polka dot embossing folder. The stamp sets can be found in the Occassion Mini catalog and the Scallop Edge punch is only available now in the Sell-a-Bration catalog for FREE when you spend $50.00 in Stampin' Up! merchandise! Contact me to place your ordersoon because the special Sell-a-bration promotion ends on March 31st!

I hope you enjoyed this card today!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Vintage Vogue

Hello Friends!
This is a pretty card that we are making at a club party tomorrow. This sample features the Vintage Vogue stamp set that can be found in the Occasions mini catalog and the matching wheel. The colors I chose are Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Old Olive and Soft Suede. The center of my card was made using one of those cute"HUGS" love notes that is in the Occasions mini as well. Be sure to notice the beutiful 5/8" Satin ribbon going through the Jumbo grommet. The new DSP "Shades of Spring" matches this card so nicely!

This card makes me wish spring was here now. We have had some very unusually cold weather here in Florida this winter. Cold nights and cold days. I'm surprised we haven't had any snow flurries. I don't envy those with long cold winters at all! I'm ready for spring to come!


Card Recipe:

• Stamp set-Vintage Vogue and Jumbo Wheel Very Vintage
• Papers- Regal Rose, Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White card stock. "Hugs" love note and DSP "Shades of Spring"
• Inks- Regal Rose and Old Olive Classic Ink, Pretty in Pink jumbo ink cartridge and Soft Suede Stampin marker
• Accessories- Whisper White Jumbo Grommet, 5/8" Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon and Dazzling Diamonds for the center of the flowers.

The flowers, leaves and the "F" were cut out using my paper snips. Then I mounted them with Stampin' Dimensionals. The ribbon was tied together using crochet thread.

I hope you enjoyed this card my friends. Leave me a comment to let me know. Thanks!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Surprised To Hear From Me?

Well I thought it is about time to try and begin posting again. It has been over a year since my last post. A lot has happened in this past year starting with my new career. Last February I passed my Florida Insurance exam and got my insurance license to begin my career as an agent for Aflac, you know the company with the duck for their sponsor. Anyway it seems I hit the ground running but was quickly let down by things that I had to do that I wasn't prepared for. I have learned so much as far as lines of insurance and how they work and have made some very good friends in the process. I still have so much to learn but I am taking it one day at a time. I also found out that I have diabetes last year and that has been another thing to learn about. Each person's body that has diabetes uses foods differently and you have to learn what works best for you. What works for one person may not work for another. I'm on medication and I'm trying different supplements to see if I can get my blood sugar under control. My husband has diabetes as well and he is struggling with his blood pressure running extremely high. He found himself in the ER and had to spend the night at the hospital a few weeks ago due to his blood pressure being so high that he was very dizzy and couldn't walk. He was out of work for the 2 weeks after that but is now back at work and on new medication that is bringing his blood pressure down but very slowly. My 19 year old experienced a severe 2nd degree burn accident in the fall of last year while cooking spaghetti dinner for me. She lost control of the pot of boiling noodles and poured it all on herself. She had to drop out of college for a semester and couldn't work for about six weeks. She is healing up very nicely now and is back to work and taking her classes for this semester at our Junior college. My son started middle school this year and it is an adjustment to say the least. He has a hard time staying on task and never seems to know what his homework is. He played football for his school in the fall and is planning to do it again this fall. My 6 year old is in kindergarten now and she is reading everything she can get her little hands on. She loves to read and has a very vivid imagination. She also loves arts and crafts and is very creative. She definitely keeps my life interesting. She is enrolled in tap and ballet classes as well as gymnastics. She really prefers gymnastics though. I think that is something that she will continue to do for a long time.

I'm still actively holding stamp clubs and classes each month as a Stampin Up! demonstrator and have made some really neat cards over this past year. I wish I had shared them with you but I've had numerous issues with the computers that I have owned this past year and really couldn't face trying to post pictures on my blog. It was very hard to find a balance in my life with everything that I had going on. It seemed like one thing after another and selling insurance is harder work than I thought it would be. I found myself so very tired that I couldn't take on anything else but I have really missed my blog. So here I am again, looking forward to blogging and sharing the cards that I make at my classes this year...we will see how it goes. As I have time I will try to change the looks of my site as well. Thanks you for being so patient with me.

Happy Stamping!

Karen

New 2009 Summer & Spring Idea Book & Catalog!

Can you believe that it is already time for another wonderful catalog from Stampin' Up! ? Here it is! The New 2009 Summer & Spring Idea Book & Catalog! Isn't it pretty? I think that it is one of my favorites so far. This catalog is full of beautiful new & exciting things! Ribbons, accessories, Designer Series Papers, exclusive "Big Shot" dies, lots of new stamp sets and much more! Contact me now to find out how to get your FREE copy of this catalog! Watch out for news of my upcoming "New Catalog Open House!" You won't want to miss it!

Happy Stampin'
Karen

Happy Thanksgiving To You!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day full of family & friends. Enjoy your day of making special memories and don't eat too much turkey & pumpkin pie!

This is a little turkey card made using punches that I thought would be perfect to share with you today! I had hoped to do this card in a punch class but just simply ran out of time to do it. Card Recipe:

• Inks - Chocolate Chip for greeting
• Papers - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Twist, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Real Red, Basic Black and Confetti Cream card stocks
• Embellishments - Earth Elements brads and 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon
• Tools - Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Boho Blossoms, 3/4" Circle, 1/4" Circle, 3/4" Square, Spiral, Wide Oval, Large Oval, 1/8" Hole and Double Circle. Paper cutter with scoring blade and Dimensionals.

The turkeys feathers are made out of a circle scallop folded in a couple of directions. The turkey's waddle is just made out of a little scrap of red card stock. This is a fun little turkey to make. I just love using my punches to create special cards!

I know that it has been a while since I've posted. I hope to do better and at least post a few times before Christmas! It always seems that it is easy to let life get in the way of doing things that you enjoy doing. Be sure to check out my Stampin' Up! web site for the many sale specials that are going on right now. Just click on the "Shop Now" icon on the top right to place your order online and have it shipped directly to you.

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Okay...You Can Believe Me This Time!

Hello again everyone! This time I am back to blogging, I promise! I have my photo program on my computer now so I can add pictures again to my posts. I just don't like posting things without pictures it just doesn't seem right to me! I wanted to take this time again to say "thanks a bunch" for being patient with me and my computer woes. Not only have I had all of the difficulties with my computer but there has been so much going on this month in my personal life. My husband was in the hospital for a few days due to a pain in his arm. The doctors thought he might be having a heart attack due to an abnormal EKG they did. Fortunately, he did not have a heart attack. His blood pressure was very high so they got that under control and of course they did a whole battery of tests and blood work while he was there. We found out that he has Diabetes, although he seems to be in denial about that right now and they found out that the pain in his arm is due to a bulging disc in his back. He will be going to see a a specialist about his back and also will be visiting the Diabetes Center here in Tallahassee for classes to learn about how to control his diabetes. He has been put on medicine for that and he is to monitor his blood for right now. Prayer for him to have total understanding about his situation would be much appreciated!
Okay, now let me tell you about this card I have posted. This is one that we did at a recent club party. My friend Judy was the hostess and she just loves that Sock Monkey stamp set so we had to use it! I got the idea for this card from several places but it mainly came from a card that I saw on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site. I just changed it up a little.
Card Recipe:

• Stamp Set - Sock Monkey
• Papers - Kraft, So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun and Whisper White card stocks. Bella Rose Designer Series paper
• Inks - Basic Brown ink pad, Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel and Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write markers
• Tools - 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scallop punch, 5 Petal Flower punch and Scallop Edge punch. Stylus tool, Paper Piercing tool from the Crafter's Tool Kit and dimensionals.

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Finally Bloggin' Again!

Hi, remember me? It has been a long time since I've posted but I am finally able to post here on my blog. My computer woes are not fixed 100% yet but at least I can check email and access this blog and the Stampin' Up! site! I hope to have my photo program back sometime today! Thanks for being patient with me! I can't wait to share with you some of the neat cards that I have been working on.


I would like to share a couple of exciting announcements from Stampin' Up!

First, I now have ONLINE SHOPPING available on my web site! You can purchase all of the Stampin' Up! products that you want in the comfort of your own home 24 hours a day! How cool is that! Prices are the same as in the catalog and you can earn the same Hostess rewards as in the catalog too for orders of $150.00 or more! Just go to my web site HERE and click on the yellow SHOP NOW link then click on the small green CUSTOMER LOGIN ( upper right ) to set up your own personal account to shop with me. Be sure to save your login information ( email address and password ) for your future purchases with me as well! The credit or debit cards that are accepted are Visa, Mastercard and Discover. A neat feature on the online ordering site is a BROWSE PROJECTS link that allows you to see a project of your choice and shows you exactly what you need to purchase to recreate the project. All you have to do is click on it to pull it up.
Please CONTACT ME to ask me any questions you might have!

The other thing that I wanted to announce is that Stampin' Up! is now carrying the Sizzix Big Shot! and dies which some are exclusive to Stampin' Up! Click HERE to learn all about it! We also are carrying raw materials to cut such as chip board and vinyl like our Decor Elements are made from! This product line is so exciting to me! I can't wait to use this die cut machine in my classes! There are so many, many cute things to be made using this! My first "Big Shot" class is going to be held on Saturday, September 27th from 2:00 to 5:00! The cost is $15.00 to attend. I am also starting a "Big Shot" club where you can purchase the "Big Shot Starter Kit" ( at a $10.00 savings than if purchased seperately ) over a period of time and earn Hostess Benefits while doing it too...much like my Card Stock and Marker Clubs. If you decide to join my "Big Shot" club, your class fee will be waived! Contact me for more info!

I have some fun and exciting fall and winter classes ahead! Be sure to check out my calendar on my SU web site for all the details! Many classes are "pre-pay" and most will be offered as classes through the mail!
I hope that you have been stamping in my absence!
Glad to be back posting!
Happy Stampin'
Karen

Thanks So Much!

Hello! I wanted to let you know that I may not be blogging for a little bit. My computer seems to have been taken over by some type of virus. Not Good! It has disabled my updates and my antiviral software.I am going to have to get someone to fix the problem because it seems to be more than I know how to do. I am at my mother's house using her computer to post this. I have been very busy making new samples from the catalog and can't wait to share them with you but I don't have access to the photos I've taken of them. They are on my computer at home!Hopefully I will have my computer up and running again by this weekend but I'm making no promises! I just want to say "Thanks So Much" for being patient with me and my computer!Here is a card that I can share with you that I has saved on my blogger site. It is one of my favorites because all you have to do is change the greeting and it can be for any occasion!

Card Recipe:

• Stamp sets- Baroque Motifs and Sincere Salutations


• Papers - Certainly Celery, Regal Rose and Whisper White card stocks


• Inks - Regal Rose and Certainly Celery Classic Ink Pads and Regal Rose Stampin' Write marker


• Embellishments - Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon


• Tools - Color Spritzer Tool and dimensionals
  

I hope that I am back to posting again very very soon!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

New 2008 Fall & Winter Idea Book & Catalog!

Well here is the much awaited new Fall & Winter Idea Book & Catalog! Isn't the cover just so beautiful? You can click here to download a copy of the catalog or click the catalog icon on the left side of my blog. As of right now Stampin' Up! has decided not to have an on-line link to the catalog as they have in the past. I'm not sure why they have decided to do this but it might have something to do with the fact that they will have FULLY AUTOMATED ON-LINE ORDERING COMING SOON. Whoo Hoo! From what I have heard, Stampin' Up! will be transitioning to a fully automated one-step on-line order (shopping cart style) in the near future which will make your ordering process incredibly easy. How cool will that be? I will have the feature available on my blog as soon as it's released. In the mean time, you can either download your copy and save it to a CD or your computer. If you would prefer a copy of the catalog you can hold in your hands there are several ways to obtain one. You can host a party and earn one FREE or you can join a stamp club and earn one FREE or you can purchase one from me for $9,95. Contact me for more information or to purchase your copy!


Stampin' Up! has several wonderful promotions going on right now that I want to share with you. First of all they have new sets from the catalog priced at a 15% discount!! Can you believe it? Click here
to view the details! Contact me to place your order now through September 30th!


Then Stampin' Up! is offering NEW $99 MINI STARTER KITS!! For a limited time (Aug. 11 through October 11), Stampin' Up! has made becoming a demonstrator even more attractive by introducing three new $99 starter kit options. Click here to see the $99 Starter Kit contents and details. Stampin' Up! is also offering a FREE STAMP SET of your choice with the FULL SIZE STARTER KIT that is $199. Sign up for the full size kit by October 11 and receive a Free Stamp Set of your choice as a bonus (up to a $47.95 value). You can sign up online here but be sure to email me first to get my special password that allows you to sign up online!

What are some of the benefits of becoming a demonstrator? Here are just a few:

• You will receive 30% off your first order that you place!
• Get 20% off all orders (and potentially more based on sales totals)
• Receive Stampin' Up!'s monthly exclusive demonstrator magazine, Stampin' Success!
• Earn free stamp sets through a bonus program called Stampin' Start
• Have exclusive access to the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site
• Get online training through teleconferences
• Earn products and even VISA gift cards through a rewards program called Great Rewards!
• Be able to pre-order select Stampin' Up!'s stamps, tools and embellishments!
• Be part of my great demonstrator downline team and attend monthly meetings!
• Attend fantastic demonstrator only events through Stampin' Up!
• Be inspired by video tutorials and project ideas on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site
• Have your own business web site to list your events and classes for only $12.95 per month
• Best of all, meet new people and make lasting friendships through customers and fellow demonstrators

There is no obligation to hold workshops/parties or even sell Stampin' Up! products at all with the purchase of the starter kit. It's yours to use and enjoy. If you do decide you want to remain an active demonstrator and be a part of my team, just a minimum of $300 in product sales per quarter is all you need to do. Please contact me for more info! I'd love to have you as a part of my team!!

Finally I want to share with you a card that I have made using new colors, papers, stamps and tools! I just love new set of paper! The paper is called Bella Rose and the set is Dreams Du Jour! The scallop edge on this card is made by the new scallop punch pictured below!

Card Recipe:

• Stamp Set: Dreams Du Jour
• Papers: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White card stocks and Bella Rose Designer Series Paper
• Inks: Basic Black ink pad, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette ink refills
• Embellishments: Vintage Brads and Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon
• Tools: Scallop Edge Punch, 1/8" hole punch, Aqua Painters and dimensionals

What do you think of this card? I do just love it! The punch is so very easy to use too! I love it so much! We will be trying it out this weekend at my NEW CATALOG Open House! Can't wait for you to get you hands on it!

Here is all you have to do to use the new punch. Punch the card stock once then move it down and line it up with the scallops that are printed on he punch itself. Continue to punch until you have the desired length of the card stock finished. It also punches off a skinny strip of card stock that can be used as embellishment too.

I have seen so many neat ideas made using the punch. If I can remember where I've seen them, I'll post links to them to share with you!

This post was very long today but I have so much to share with you! I'm so glad that you stopped by! I'll be showing more samples that I have made using other sets this week. I'm going to go get busy stamping some more now!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

My Christmas In July Samples!

I wanted to share these 4 cards that we made at my "Christmas In July" Stamp-a-Stack last month. This will be my last post of retiring stamp sets since you can't purchase them from the catalog anymore.
Each of these cards featured retiring Christmas sets.
The card above with the snowflakes uses a couple of the sets that retired. They are "Snow Flurries" which I love and "Block Party".

This card features "Festive Favorites" which was always a fun set to use.

This card uses "The Snowflake Spot". It is sad to say but this is a set that I had for a while and this was the first time I inked it up. Shame on me because it is a very pretty snowflake set!

This card uses the "Peaceful Wishes" stamp set. This was one of my favorites and I am sad to see this one retire. It was nice because it was simple stamping but gave you an elegant look.

Hopefully these cards will give you some ideas on layouts for other Christmas sets to use if you don't happen to have any of these sets.

Okay, so now it is time to get the new catalog posted on my blog and I hope to get a few samples for you to see later today or tonight. Stampin' Up! is also having some great specials right now that I will post later too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

It is time to announce the winner of my blog candy which was picked by random.org
....are you ready? The winner will receive all of the items that are pictured here. Okay..so here we go...the winner of my first blog candy is...

Cindy Rutledge! Whoo Hoo!


Congratulations Cindy!


On my nugget tutorial post I asked that everyone tell me what they liked to use their stamps for the best...cards, scrapbooks or 3-D items.


This is what Cindy had to say in her comment:

I like stamping it all! But I think scrapbook pages are my favorite.



Thanks Cindy for leaving a comment and participating in my first blog candy give away! It was Cindy's birthday on August 4th so she has earned a little extra gift! How fun! I will have your items for you to pick up at my "New Catalog Open House" this weekend! See you there if not before! wink wink! : )


Okay, so I didn't get to post this afternoon like I had hoped to because we were out school clothes shopping! What a nightmare it was! We were out ALL afternoon and evening. Some stores were opened later today even though it was Sunday! But the good news is...I think that we are all set for school to start. There might be a few things here and there to get but for the most part WE ARE DONE!



Here is one last card to share with you using another of my favorite sets that is retiring!The set is called "Touch of Nature". I have had it for a few years and used it pretty frequently. I know we used it for a couple of Stamp-a-Stacks that I did and I have used it often myself for cards that I have sent out. It is another one that I am sad to see go!

I had intended to share my cards with you that were from my latest Christmas Stamp-a-Stack that were all retiring Christmas sets. I might do that before I post samples tomorrow from the new catalog! My little one has an early morning dental appointment so we will see how it goes!
Remember that the new catalog goes live tomorrow and demonstrators can begin placing orders from it at 11:00MT which would be 1:00pm here in Tallahassee!
Whoo Hoo! Contact me to place an order or purchase a new copy of the catalog!
Thanks for stopping by today! Congratulations again Cindy!
Happy Stampin'
Karen

My Favorite Stamp Set!

Stampin' Up recently did a demonstrator survey that asked what our favorite stamp set was of all times. So what is mine? This stamp set is my most favorite set from Stampin' Up! It is called "Bud Basics" and the wheel that matches it is called "Basics Outline".
These are my favorites because they are so easy to make a card with it. All you have to do is roll the wheel on a strip of light card stock and then using the stamp set, stamp in the images of the flowers to fill in the outline wheel. I love this set because it doesn't have to be perfect to look great. This set is very forgiving of little imperfections! : )
The "Happy Birthday"stamp comes from the "It's Your Birthday" set. Both the sets and the wheel is going to be retired tomorrow forever! This is your last chance to order any of these. I will be sending in my last order from the current catalog on Sunday evening. Contact me to order.
The colors that I used on the samples above are Groovy Guava and Blue Bayou which are also being discontinued and replaced with new "In Colors" . Stampin' Up has almost run out of their supply of the current "In Color" items.
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stampin'
Karen