Give Thanks!

Just a quick post today. I seem to have a headache that just won't go away! Not even with meds!

I thought I would share a couple of cards made with another of my favorite sets that is retiring forever on Sunday! The set is called "Give Thanks". I like this set because it is super simple to watercolor. On both of these cards I used aqua painters, inks and markers. Aren't the pumpkins below just "gojus"? ( Thanks for the word Jan Tinklenberg! ) The sunflower card also has a couple of other stamp sets used on it that are also retiring. One is the "Thanks You" greeting which can be found in the "Much Appreciated" 4 piece set and the "stitching" around the sunflower image can be made with the "All In A Row" set. ( I learned the "faux" stitching technique from the famous Beate Johns!)

Both of these sets I will also miss using a lot! I like the font of the "Thank You" and I love doing the "faux" stitching too. All three of these sets are only available until Sunday so if you would like to add them to your collection make sure you order them by Sunday! Contact me via email to place your order! It won't be too long and you will be able to place your orders online through me! I can't wait until Stampin' Up! starts making online purchasing available for you!

Speaking of Sunday, not only will that be the last day to get your orders in from the current catalog, but that is the day that I will announce the winner of my blog candy! Be sure to read my previous post and leave a comment there for your chance to win! Thanks for stopping by today!

Have you stamped anything today? Go stamp something for someone special!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Nugget Box Tutorial and Blog Candy!

So here is the post for the nugget candy box. The items shown to the left are what I used to create the box. I hope that you will be able to understand my tutorial. Refer to the pictures as you read the directions. Hopefully that will help you.

Box Base:

Begin with a piece of card stock cut to 3 3/4" x 5 1/4". Score it at 1/2" on all four sides and then score it again at 1 1/8" on all four sides. Cut in to the score marks on the two longer sides leaving tabs as shown in the picture below. Be sure to trim tabs at an angle because this makes them easier to work with. You will have four tabs, two short ends and two longer ends when you are finished trimming your box base. To assemble it, apply Sticky Strip to the base as shown in the picture below. Fold tabs in and attach to the longer sides of the box base and fold all sides down on scored lines to be stuck on the sticky strip pieces. This will complete your box base.

Slider Cover:

Cut a piece of card stock to 3 1/8" x 5 1/8". I used textured card stock for mine. Score this piece at 2 1/4" and then 4 1/2". Turn card stock piece around 180 degrees and score again at 2 1/4" and then 4 1/2". Adhere the designer paper piece that is cut 1 1/2" by 5 1/8" to the scored card stock piece. Using sticky strip, adhere one side flap to the other to create a rectangle shape open ended slider for your box base.

Cover nugget candy with a piece of designer paper that measures 1" x 3 1/4". This box size will hold 3 nugget candies. Place the candies inside the box and slide the slider cover onto the box. To finish it tie with a piece of grosgrain ribbon. What a nice gift this is to make! It makes even simple chocolates seem so very special!

Now onto more candy! I want to announce my very first blog candy give away! In honor of my site reaching 1000 hits and to thank you for your support, I want to have a very special drawing! To be entered into the drawing, please leave a comment on this post telling me what you like to use stamps for the best. Is it for making cards, scrapbooking or making 3-D items like the nugget box I just showed you. In order to be considered in the drawing you must leave your complete name, where you are from and your email address on your comment. Please leave your comment by the deadline date of this Saturday August 9th. I will pick a lucky winner through random .org on Sunday afternoon, August 10th and will announce the winner in a post so be sure to check back. Below is a picture of the blog candy that you could win! This is over $50.00 worth of Stampin' Up! products! Can you say Whoo Hoo? Don't forget to leave your comment by Saturday night at midnight! Let me know what you thin about my first tutorial too!

Good Luck! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Hostess Appreciation!

My annual hostess appreciation event was so much fun on Saturday! I did a "Fiesta"theme! We had delicious food, played lots of games, there were tons of door prizes, of course stamping but it wouldn't have been complete without a pinata full of treats! Right? Everyone scrambled to fill their bag with goodies when the pinata was opened! It was such a fun day! Everyone enjoyed the projects we made as well! "Thank you ladies for making the day so special for me!" "I love and appreciate you all so much!": )

I have a customer and dear friend named Cherith who is going to be moving away soon and I'm really going to miss seeing her. She is the lady in the very first picture at the top of this post wearing the white blouse! She has been my customer from the very beginning, when I first signed up to be a demonstrator. She was a guest at my very first workshop! Cherith teaches Spanish and since she will be leaving me soon, I presented her with a small gift. Included in the gift, I gave her a new stamp set called "Wow Flowers" but gave her the Spanish version of it! She loved it! It is so neat that Stampin Up is now going to have a whole catalog in Spanish!

These are the projects that we made!

I love the 4 x 4 sized cards now so we made a couple of those and we even made a candy nugget treat box to go with one of the cards. I wanted to use stamp sets that would soon be retiring so I chose the wonderful "Polka Dots & Paisley" set and I chose the "For a Friend" hostess set too. The decorative papers are also going to be retired. I used the "Berry Bliss". It is one of my favorites!
I can't wait to see the new catalog and all of the new papers they have for us! I should have the new catalogs by this weekend...I hope anyway! Remember that you have until August 10th to order any of the things that are retiring from the current catalog! Contact me to get your order in soon!
We also made a card using the stamp set "Friendly Flowers" which was in the last mini catalog we had. I had ordered the set and realized that I never used it! Not even once...how sad is that? So I decided to use it even though no one could order it. Maybe it will show up in the new catalog! I'm not going to post a card recipe for these cards but I am going to post the directions for the nugget box and include pictures on where to cut it and where to glue it. I'll try to post that later today! I also have reached over 1000 hits on my blog so I'll post info about that on my next post as well! I have a great hostess stamp set bundle to give away! How Fun!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope these samples have inspired you to go stamp something!
Don't forget to stop by later today for directions on the nugget box and to find out how to win my blog candy give away!
Happy Stampin'
Karen

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Hi all,
I'm busy this week getting ready for my annual "Hostess Appreciation" event! I have lots of neat surprises in store for my hostesses this year! We always have
a super fun day! I'll share what we make sometime next week!
Today I want to share these four cards with you. All of them use the soon to be retired set "Be Happy"! I also used some On Board pieces as well as some Hodge Podge hardware, buttons and ribbons for embellishments.

We made these cards at the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" Class that I had a couple of weeks ago. I really like this set and I have had it for quite a while and I'm sad to say that I rarely used it. Now it is to be retired! That is a sad thing! It is a fun set to use too. It would be a great set to add to your collection but remember that you only have until August 10th to get it! Email me if you are interested in getting it! I hope these cards inspire you to go stamp something! Enjoy!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Circle Of Friendship Notes Gift Set

Happy Monday to you!

Today I wanted to share with you these wonderful little 3x3 note cards and a gift box to put them in! Wouldn't these make a neat gift for someone? They are so super easy to make too. I used a combination of papers on mine. Mainly the Cutie Pie paper but also a little bit of the Afternoon Tea paper because it went so well with the Soft Sky card stock and the Blue Bayou that I used too. The Afternoon Tea paper is no longer available because it was in our last mini catalog.



The Cutie Pie paper and the two blue colors of card stocks are all going to be retired as of August 10th. The stamp set that I used will also be retired then too. It is called "Circle of Friendship". If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, send me an email and I would be happy to order them for you!

There are 6 mini 3x3 cards and envelopes and the box is just made out of card stock. The box bottom is made by cutting a 6 3/4 inch square piece of card stock and then scoring it at 1 3/4 inches on all four sides. Then you cut to the score line on the scored lines twice on only two sides. Making sure the two sides you choose are opposite one another. Once that is done, you can fold it and adhere the sides with sticky strip to themselves. You do the same thing to create the box lid only cut your card stock piece smaller. The lid dimensions are 4 3/4 inches square. Then you score it at 3/4 of an inch on all four sides. Follow the instructions for the box bottom for assembly. Does it sound confusing? Once you make one you will see how very easy it is to make.

3 x 3 Card Recipes:

• Stamp Set - Circle of Friendship
• Inks - Blue Bayou and Rose Red
• Papers - Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Rose Red and Very Vanilla card stocks. Cutie Pie and Afternoon Tea Designer Series papers
• Embellishments - Soft Sky and Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Grosgrain ribbons ( Both of these are no longer in stock now. They have completely sold out!)
• Tools - 1 inch, 1 1/4 inch and 1 3/8 inch Circle punches and dimensionals.

These little gift card sets would be a great way to use up those designer paper scraps that I'm sure we all have too! You could substitute any little stamp set with greetings or quotes or just use one with little flowers or something! I think these would be neat little gifts. I might make one for my kids teachers at the beginning of the school year. I can't believe that school is going to start for us in about 3 weeks! My how the summer has flown by!

I plan to share some things I've made using sets that are on the discontinued list with you this week. I've also noticed that I am getting close to 1000 hits on my blog! Yay! When I get to 1000, I will have a drawing online for some blog candy!! Whoo Hoo! Be sure to check back and leave a comment on the post when I announce the drawing! It will probably be sometime this week!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope that you were inspired to go stamp something!

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Discontinued Accessories List - NOT!

Hello,
I have been trying all week to post a list of the discontinued accessories and to no avail I can't make it work!! I have spent hours upon hours and I don't know what I am doing wrong! It is so frustrating to me! All I want to do is cry! I can however, make a copy of it an send it in an email format to you. So if you are interested in receiving a copy of it just let me know. Other demonstrators have a copy of it on their blog site and they saved it as a pdf file. I just can't seem to do so! Others also have copied and pasted it onto their blog but when I try it just becomes a jumbled mess!
(All of the Hodge Podge Hardware kits have sold out as well as some of the "In Color" Double Stitched Ribbons.)

Some of these items on the list are also on sale for 25% off the catalog price. You can view that list over on the left side of my blog. Remember to contact me quickly to place your orders because as in past, certain things can run out VERY quickly and we never know what those items might be.


Items on this discontinued accessories list will be available while supplies last or through August 10, whichever comes first. If an item is unavailable, our supply is exhausted and the item can no longer be ordered. This list will be updated every afternoon through August 10. Keep in mind that the status of any product may change quickly based on demand.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to contact me if you would like to receive an email with the complete listing of discontinued items on it.

Happy Stampin'

Karen

Fresh Cuts For You

Hi! I'm finally back to blogging! I can't believe that the week flew by so fast. I've been busy getting ready for a couple of parties that I had this past weekend and I have also had some pretty bad headaches lately. I did take some pictures of the things we made at the parties so I could share them with you. I will do that later this week.

This card is one that I have wanted to show you since last week. It was made using the Fresh Cuts stamp set on white glossy paper. This card is a 4x4 card. I just love this size card. I found out how to make an envelope for it as well. The card with envelope is pictured above. I really like how this card turned out.


Card Recipe:

• Stamp Set - Fresh Cuts
• Papers - Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Creamy Caramel and Glossy White card stock
• Inks - Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel and More Mustard Classic Ink Pads
• Embellishments - Black grosgrain ribbon and Antique Brass Hodge Podge Hardware piece
• Tools - Large and Small Oval punches, Stampin' Sponges, Dimensionals and a Brayer

Instructions for the envelope:

To create the envelope for this size card you use a regular medium size envelope from Stampin" Up! I'm not sure if that is the standard A-2 size or not. If you know, let me know. Anyway, you seal the envelope closed. Then using your paper trimmer, trim off 1 1/2" from one of the sides of the envelope. You are left with a sort of pocket envelope. Cut a piece of decorative paper to make your envelope flap with. Cut it to 3" x 4 3/8" and then "lightly" score it at 1 inch. The smaller flap you adhere to the front side of your pocket envelope and the longer flap is what you wold use to seal your card in the envelope with. I rounded the two corners on that longer flap too. I thought it gave it a nice touch. Try to make your own envelope for a 4 x 4 card and let me know how it turns out.

Happy Stampin'

Karen

More Fresh Cut Notes

Here are two more samples that I have to share using the Fresh Cut Notes and Fresh Cuts stamp set. These were also made at my "eScape" event. I really do like these note cards and I love this size too. They both are very simple to re-create. Here is what I used on this first card.
Card Recipe:

• Stamp set - Fresh Cuts


• Papers - Fresh Cuts notes, Soft Sky Designer Series paper, Groovy Guava and Blue Bayou card stocks


• Inks - Blue Bayou Classic Ink pad and Brocade Blue Stampin' Write marker


• Embellishments - Groovy Guava Double Stitched Grosgrain ribbon and Soft Subtle Brad


• Tools - Color Spritzer tool and 1/16" hole punch, 5 Petal Flower punch and Boho Blossoms punch and Stampin' Sponges

I think that I like this card better than the first one. Which one do you like best? These note cards will not be available again until the new catalog comes out! I can't wait to see all of the fun new things that will be in the upcoming 2008 Fall & Winter Idea Book & Catalog! If you would like to get a copy of the new catalog please email me. I would be happy to share with you how you can get a copy of your very own.

This is what I used to make this card.

Card Recipe:

• Stamp Set - Fresh Cuts
• Papers - Fresh Cut notes, Blue Bayou Textured card stock, Whisper White, Old Olive and Groovy Guava card stocks
• Inks - Old Olive and Blue Bayou Classic Ink Pads and Brocade Blue Stampin' Write marker
• Embellishments - Groovy Guava Double Stitched Grosgrain ribbon and Rich Regal Brads
• Tools - 5 Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch and 1/16" hole punch, Stampin' Sponges and Color Spritzer Tool

I have another sample to share with you using the Fresh Cuts stamp set but this time I'm not using the Fresh Cut Notes. I'll post that sample tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy Stampin' !

Karen

Fresh Cuts Note Cards

This card was one that we made at my "eScape the Ordinary"event back in June. The cards are the 4x4 Fresh Cut Note cards that will be in the upcoming 2008 Fall & Winter Idea Book! The stamp set is also called Fresh Cuts and will be in the new catalog! I can't wait till it comes out! There are going to be some great things in it! The center of these note cards "pop" put to reveal a negative flower shape while leaving a small flower shape in the center. The designer series papers look really pretty behind it. The stamp set is all one piece other than the greeting of course. To create the scalloped edge I used my corner rounder. All you need to do to create a scallop edge is to remove the plastic guide from around your corner rounder and put your card stock straight in and punch. I usually start in the center of the edge that I'm scalloping. Then punch and move the punch over to the edge where you did your last punch and punch again. Repeat doing that until you reach the end of your card stock. Be sure to do the other side of your first punch too. It is very simple to do but can be a bit tedious. The more you practice this the better you get. However, in the upcoming catalog there is going to be a punch that will give you a scalloped edge by punching all at once! I can't wait to get my hands on that! I hope that it will be easy to use! I hope it will be easy scalloping!
I got the idea from this card on the SU demonstrator web site. The original was designed by a demonstrator named Marie McClellan. I like the color combination of the Celery and the Blue Bayou and the "pop" of Pomegranate. It is sad to see those two colors soon retiring.
Card Recipe:

• Stamp Set - Fresh Cuts
• Papers - Whisper White Fresh Cut Notes, Certainly Celery Designer Series Papers, Blue Bayou and Purely Pomegranate card stocks and Vellum Card Stock
• Inks - Blue Bayou Classic ink pad
• Embellishments - Rhinestone Brad
• Tools - 5 Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch and 1/16" hole punch

This card was really easy to whip together. It saves time having the notes already cut and ready to go and they also come with an envelope. I also love using the decorative papers. They can make any project look well put together because they coordinate with our SU colors. I hope you liked the card today. Thanks for stopping by! Go stamp something!

Happy Stampin' !

Karen

I've Been Tagged!!!

How fun is this! I've been tagged by fellow Tallahassee demonstrator Dena Griffin! Thanks Dena! You should check out her new site over at Dena's Stamping Spot! Leave a comment to wish her well! I can't wait to see all of the neat and creative things she has to share!

Here are 7 random and weird facts that I will share about myself:

1. My favorite snack of all time is chips & salsa! I especially love the ones from Chili's Restaurant. I always ask for extra to bring home when I go there to eat!



2. I am extremely obsessed with the Pirate's of the Caribbean movies and can quote every line from all of the scenes from the second movie..."Dead Man's Chest". I can't watch it without quoting every ones' lines...sometimes even before they do in the movie! It is quite annoying to those that dare watch the movie with me! Weird isn't it?



3. Not only am I "Pirate's" obsessed, I totally love "Captain Jack Sparrow". I think that is who Johnny Depp truly is. He is "Captain Jack Sparrow". I even have a hand signed autograph picture of Johnny Depp as "Captain Jack Sparrow". It is awesome! It sits here above my computer! It was a Christmas gift from my best friend Marcia...(and I must say that it has got to be like the best gift EVER!)



4. I absolutely love Walt Disney World. I really love just about everything "Disney" period. But I do love going to the parks. Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) and Animal Kingdom all here in Florida. We used to go several times a year. The Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center are my favorites though. Have you ever been?



5. I love Mariachi music! I grew up in Texas and my father managed several restaurants in Dallas and I can remember when I was little hearing the music that his employees would play in the "kitchen". It was that wonderful "mariachi" music. I guess I have loved it ever since then. I love the costumes that the mariachi bands wear too...complete with those BIG sombreros. My favorite Mariachi band is the "Mariachi Cobre" which happens to perform almost daily at Epcot Center. Go figure, right?



6. I collect Disney Salt & Pepper shakers. I have for years. My first set was Pluto and his Doghouse! Pluto is my favorite Disney character so I bought it because of that, not because I wanted to collect salt & pepper shakers. I got it when my daughter Meagan was 1. She is now 18. My collection has grown quite a lot...most of the ones I have were gifts. The ones that I collect all come from...you guessed it "Walt Disney World"!



7. Way before I collected salt & pepper shakers, I collected "cow" things. I used to love cows. It was another childhood thing. My grandparents had a farm where there were cows and I loved them. In my early twenties, my whole kitchen was nothing but cows. I had cow everything! Cookie Jars, Dishes, Glasses, Pitchers, Figurines, Towels, Mugs, Salt & Peppers, Butter Dishes, Sugar & Creamers, Pictures...it goes on and on and on. I'm happy to say that I have gotten rid of most cow things and only kept a few things that I truly love.

Okay, so that was probably way more than anyone ever cared to know about me! Right?

So here are the 7 very talented ladies that I am tagging. Please be sure to check out their sites. You will find so many great ideas from their sites. Even though I have never met any of these ladies they have all been great inspirations to me.

1. April Carroll at 123 Go Stamp . April is in my upline and I have found wonderful card samples on her site. Thanks for the inspiration April!



2. Sarah Gough at thINKing stamps . Sarah does the most beautiful cards. Her pictures are always so clear and so are her instructions.



3. Diane Noble at Diane's Designs. Diane is so very talented. Not only has she been a wonderful source of creative inspiration for me she has also been a source of faith inspiration for me. Thanks you Diane and God Bless you.



4. Rhonda Beadell at Stamp Tramp Creations. Rhonda does beautiful work. I have found some great ideas on her site. I know that you will too.



5. Becky Roberts at Inking Idaho. Becky's cards and gift set ideas are just gorgeous. She does amazing things. She's so very creative.



6. Lindsey Blackhurst at Stamp with Linz. Lindsey has adorable samples and does great scrapbook pages too. Her presentation of her samples is just awesome. I just love what she does. She is very talented.



7. Julie Edmonds at Inkredible Stamping with Julie. Julie has a wonderful eye for color. I love all of her work. I have found inspiration at her site many times and even for my Mother's Day gift to my Mom!

Thank you ladies for all your inspiration and your commitment to share it with others!

Have fun being tagged!

Happy Stampin' !

Karen

What a Beautiful Day!

My kids and I went over to St. Augustine last week with my Dad and we spent a beautiful day out on the beach. The kids really enjoyed it. Matthew loved getting in the ocean and being knocked down by the huge waves and Manda had her sand bucket and was eagerly searching for seashells. It was a wonderful day.

We also ate dinner at a local restaurant called "The Reef". It was very delicious! The picture below is one that I took from the outside of the restaurant. What a pretty view and so relaxing!

In honor of my beach trip, I thought I would share this card with you today. It's a Flip Flop!We made this one at the Mystery Hostess party a couple of weeks ago. I cased the one that I found from Lorri Heiling over at Confessions of a Stampin Addict. You should check out her site. She has so many great ideas! You can click here to view her version of the flip flop card. She does not have instructions or anything for it so I just tried to copy her picture on how she folded it and cut it out. I think it is really cute because it has "straps"!

Card Recipe:

• Stamp Sets - Its Beautiful Jumbo Wheel and A Beautiful Thing stamp set
• Papers - Pink Passion, Whisper White, Lovely Lilac and Tempting Turquoise card stock
• Inks - Lovely Lilac and Pink Passion Ink pad, More Mustard Jumbo ink cartridge
• Embellishments - Silver Eyelets, Vintage Brads and Tempting Turquoise ribbon
• Tools - Crop-a-dile, 5-Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch and 1/16" hole punch

Hope you're having a great day! Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy Stampin' !

Karen

Yummy!

This is an adorable card and so very easy to make! It looks like those yummy orange creamsicles that I always enjoyed eating as a kid. Brings back good memories! You could make this same card in other "ice cream flavors" as well. Imagine a fudge bar or strawberry bar. Oooh yummy!
I've seen a lot of these ice cream bar cards around but I cased my version of this card from Patty Bennett. She has a great tutorial on the card size and how exactly to make it here.

Card Recipe:

• Stamp Sets - Tart & Tangy and Sweet Hello


• Papers - Only Orange, Yo Yo Yellow and Whisper White card stocks


• Inks - Only Orange Ink Pad and Yo Yo Yellow Stampin' Write marker


• Embellishments - Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain ribbon


• Tools - Horizontal Slot punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scallop punch, Corner Rounder, Dimensionals and a Craft/Popsicle Stick

It is a little hard to tell from my picture, but the top right corner of the card is suppose to look like a bite has been taken out of it.

Also the inside white card stock piece is mounted on the inside with dimensionals.

The yellow strip on the ribbon was colored with the Yo Yo Yellow Stampin' Write marker. A simple but nice touch, don't ya think?

This is another one of the cards that we made at the Mystery Hostess party a couple of weeks ago. I've got one more card to show you that we made at that party...it is a card in the shape of a flip flop. Maybe I''ll post that tomorrow along with some of the beautiful pictures from the beach from my "mini" beach trip!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! Did you fit any stamping in?

Happy Stampin'

Karen