Giggle....it's almost Spring!!!

I'm loving my new stamp set, Awash with Flowers (120549 Clear Mount)! Hostesses will earn this NEW set for FREE during the month of April with a $350 workshop or personal order! This set will be in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog which comes out in July! I recommend using block size 'H' (for the stems) and 'C' (for the flowers and leaves). With these two blocks, I was able to stamp the images and it worked great!

Two-Step Stampin' is probably one of my favorite stamping techniques simply because it's so forgiving and doesn't HAVE to be perfectly in place! It can be 'off' a little and still maintain a whimsical look and feel to it! With 18 images in this new set - it'll be perfect for many different occasions! I'm looking forward to sharing several more Sneak Peeks with you later this week!

My card layout today was inspired by the Clean & Simple Stamping blog, with their sketch #82.
My colors were inspired by the Color Throwdown's challenge this week to use: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi and Marigold Morning! I swaped out Old Olive for Wild Wasabi and So Saffron for Marigold Morning (since I didn't have those two colors). I thought Old Olive and So Saffron were very similiar and kept with the fun combination of these colors!

The Pink Elephant blog has a Spring challenge this week and with these bright, fun colors and pretty, whimsical flowers - I thought this card was just right!

To shop for Stampin' Up! On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Stamps: Awash with Flowers (120549 - Clear Mount), Warm Words (115108)

Ink: Basic Black (101179), Melon Mambo (115656), Bermuda Bay (115655), Old Olive (102277), So Saffron (105213)

Card Stock: Melon Mambo (115320), Bermuda Bay (115317), Whisper White (100730)

Paper: Sweet Pea DSP Stack (117161)

Embellishments: 1/2" Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Ribbon (115611), Earth Elements Brads (106955), Rich Regals Brads (106953)

Punches: 3/16" Corner Rounder (109047), Scallop Trim Border (118402 - FREE during SAB)

Stampin' Essentials: Block H (118490), Block C (118486)

Finished Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"


Have a marvelous Monday,

~Kari

A Trio of Red and Kraft!

Hello friends! I wanted to share with you three cards I made using the awesome Clean & Simple card sketch! So quick and easy - I love it and with the swirls, it's just too much fun!!!

Stacey has another great color challenge at the Curtain Call! I REALLY wanted to use my Ruby Red DSP so I swaped out Real Red for Ruby Red! Kraft card stock really works great with all kinds of colors! I used Sahara Sand classic ink for a tone on tone look with my swirls in the corner!

There's still plenty of time to earn free stamps during the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration (SAB) promotion! For more information, click here! My 'thanks' sentiment (card #3) came from the Thank You Kindly stamp set (120248) one of the 80 additional catalog sets you can earn for free during Sale-A-Bration. These extra stamp sets are listed on page 11 of the brochure!

To start shopping for Stampin' Up! online, CLICK HERE!

Stamps: Well Scripted (117072), Thank You Kindly (120248 - SAB), Warm Words (115108), Wings of Friendship (114308 - Hostess Level 2 set)

Ink: Sahara Sand (105328), Ruby Red (102259)

Card Stock: Kraft (107070)

Paper: Patterns Pack III (116234 - Hostess Level 1)

Embellishments: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon (109068), Button Latte (114333), Linen Thread (104199), 5/16" Jumbo Brads (112534)

Punches: Photo Corners (109042)
Stampin' Essentials: Kraft Envelopes (107297)

Shimmery Be Merry Christmas Card!

Love the simplicity and versatility of this card! This shimmer of the card is made with the Champagne Mist Shimmer paint featured on page 27 of the Holiday Mini Catalog! Tip: These fabulous paints make any paper look shimmery! Comes in three colors: Champagne Mist, Frost White, and Platinum - all acid free and nontoxic! These popular paints will still be available even after the Holiday Mini sales period is over!

With the beautiful Medallion background stamp, you can easily swap out the 'be merry' sentiment with another cute greeting from the Warm Words stamp set featured below!

To shop for Stampin' Up! products online 24/7, please CLICK HERE!

Stamps: Medallion (115223), Warm Words (115108)

Ink: Real Red (103133), Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806)

Card Stock: Kraft (102125), Real Red (102482), Whisper White (100730)

Embellishments: Gold Brads (104337)

Finished Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

Please feel free to EMAIL me anytime if you have questions about ordering SU products or booking a Stampin' Up! workshop with me!!!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

~Kari

Serene Snowflakes with Champagne Mist Paint!

Shimmer paint - oh how fun! It's new and in the Holiday Mini Catalog on page 27! Comes in three fantastic colors: Champagne Mist, Frost White, and Platinum! You can make any paper look shimmery with this paint! It's acid-free and perfect for porous surfaces such as paper, fabric, and wood! Apply the paint to any stamp with a spinge dauber to create frosted, stamped images like in the card featurd above. It's nontoxic and comes in a .5 oz. container!
Tip: The images in the Serene Snowflakes stamp set coordinate beautifully with the Icicle Rub-Ons. Enjoy the results you get by using these pretty products together!

To buy Stampin' Up! products online, please CLICK HERE!

Stamps: Warm Words (115108), Serene Snowflakes (115438, page 26 of Holiday Mini Catalog)

Ink: Real Red (103133), Sahara Sand (105208), Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806)

Card Stock: Real Red (102482), Whisper White (100730)

Paper: Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (116770)

Embellishments: Soft Suede Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115612)

Punches: Scallop Oval (114889), Large Oval (107305)

Tools: Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (113439), Top Note Die (113463)
Finished Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

Be Merry Christmas Page Corner Bookmark

Here's another fun & easy project using the Stampin' Up! Holiday Lounge Designer Series paper: it's a page corner bookmark! Perfect for a stocking stuffer or gift for a friend!

Here's how you make it:
1) Cut a 6" or 8" square out of a piece of cardstock or Designer Series paper (I chose to cut a 8" square out of Taken with Teal Cardstock to create a 4" bookmark
2) Score and fold your square in half once vertically and once horizontally to divide it into fourths
3) Cut away on-fourth of the paper (see picture below)

4) Fold the two remaining 'arms' down and adhere them together creating a pocket that will fit over the corner of a page
5) Decorate your corner bookmark using stamped accents or any accessories you want!

To decorate my bookmark, I chose to cut a 3-3/4" square piece of Holiday Lounge DSP to layer on top of the Taken with Teal card stock, then I made my star ornament for the focal point in the center!

Here's how I made it:
1) Cut a 3" square out of Ruby Red card stock
2) Using the 5-Petal Flower Punch, punch out the flower in the center of the square (see picture below)

3) Then I punched the flower out again, but rotated the punch to get in-between the petals (see picture below)

Here's out it comes out!

4) Then I layered a piece of Holday Lounge DSP behind the star to and stamped the corner with the Patterned Pines set from the Holiday Mini Catalog! I didn't add extra embellishments such as buttons or ribbon since I wanted my bookmark to lay flat in my bible!

Here's what it looks like:

Here's the supplies to create this project, to shop online 24/7 from my Stampin' Up! website, click here!

Stamps: Warm Words (115108), Patterned Pines (116525, Level 1 Hostess set from the Holiday Mini Catalog)

Ink: Ruby Red (102259)

Card Stock: Taken with Teal (101584), Ruby Red (102030)
Paper: Holiday Lounge DSP (115676)

Tools: 5-Petal Flower Punch (109041), Scoring Blade (104154)

SASSC39 Sketch Challenge: be merry card

I love card sketches and layouts! It makes crafting so much fun! Our Creative Corner posted this great sketch challenge on their blog! Anyone can play along - so I decided to join in the fun! In keeping with my theme for the week: Holiday Lounge Designer Series Paper, here is project #3 using this great paper! Check back later this week for more fun projects using this beautiful, double-sided paper!
The tree stamp (yes it's one stamp with all three trees together!) is from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog - it's a Level 1 Hostess set called Patterned Pines! You can earn this set for free with a $150 order! The Patterned Pines set comes with four great stamps which are perfect for the holiday card making season! You can shop the Holiday Mini Catalog by clicking here, or send me an email if you'd like me to mail you a copy (US only). Hope you enjoyed this clean and simple Christmas card! I always love your comments and feedback!

Stamps: Warm Words (115108), Patterned Pines (116525, Holiday Mini Catalog Level 1 Hostess Set)

Ink: Taken with Teal (103257)

Card Stock: Taken with Teal (101584)

Paper: Holiday Lounge (115676)

Accessories: Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144)

Tools: Round Tab Punch (108340), Paper-Piercing tool (116631), Mat Pack (105826, the template that comes with the pack is what I used to punch the holes for the corner border!)

Finished Size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"