Karen Stamps a Lot

Summer Smooches, a fun project and free tutorial

Here is information on the Summer Smooches Sneek Peek available from now until April 30.

PLUS Here is a fun project that you can make!

Download Bookmark Project Here

One Sheet Wonder class

I got a chance to do some stamping, or rather card creating, this weekend. This set of cards will be one of the choices for my next class - One Sheet Wonder. There are nine cards (plus envelopes) and a tote to hold the cards. I have not completed the embellishment on the front of the tote, but there will be some ribbon and a stamped and punched medallion.

 This particular pattern is one from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper in the Holiday Mini. I really love the colors in this paper. It is so fallish! I am using More Mustard, Soft Suede and River Rock for my colors. The choices for the class will be from the Spice Cake or Well Worn papers. I will provide the additional card materials you see here, if your choice is Spice Cake, but you can choose which ever paper from that pack that you want to use. I am working on the Well Worn set and will post the picture for that one, when I finish - hopefully tomorrow night. 
Using a One Sheet Wonder template is the perfect way to get a large number of cards made up, using a basic pattern. Sign up right here to get in on this technique.

Envelopes included, please bring your favorite adhesive.

WHEN:

Fri, Oct 14, 6:00-9:00 pm & Sat Oct 15, 9:00 am-noon

WHERE:

Community Bank North

COST: $25 (Register and pay by October 11 you can pay only $20)

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September Newsletter

I came across this card and realized that I have not shown it to you yet...this is a card we did at my last card class. I used the Best of Everything stamp set and colored the images with Stampin' Up! markers. I also used the clear mounting system to its best advantage - I mounted all three images on one acrylic block so I could stamp them all at once. You might notice that for the embossed background, the dots are "inneys" rather than "outies". it is a great way to just change up the look. I also like that the background goes with the dotted paper. The strawberry image on the inside was also markered and thelighter image is just the second generation ink...I did not re-color the stamps before stamping it a second time. I love that technique and do it all the time. You could add some ribbon to the card front if you wanted to, but I don't think it is really needed. I also like that I had a strip of matching paper to add to the inside of the card. Another scrap would look great on the envelope, too. The colors here, are Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron.

 

I hope you have a great rest of the week!

 

Punch Flower element

Here are some photos explaning how I did the flower on the card I posted yesterday. The punch that I used is the 1-3/4" Scallop Circle (119854).
I punched the flower 4 times, from designer series paper - it is lighter weight than cardstock, so it is easier to scrunch. if you use cardstock, you might want to spritx the punched flowers with a little water, to loosen the fibers of the paper and allow you to more easily scrunch it up.

I stacked the 4 punched flowers on top of each other, alternating the pattern. I used some cork coasters as padding for when I poke the hole in the center.

 

Now you can crush the flowers in between your fingers. Like I said, paper is easier to scrunch than cardstock. Once you have all four wrinkled up, you can unfold them and flatten them enough that you can find the hole you punched. Put a brad through the hole, lining up the flowers. Fix the brad on the back. Re-scrunch the top flower then the second, then the others, until they are nice and layered.

 

Let's see what you can do with this new trick!

Build a Blossom punch trick

I did not get this tip posted as soon as I wanted to...I am fairly sure this stamp set might be in the upcoming catalog, but even if it is not, the idea can be used with any set that have stamps that coordinate with a specific punch. You will need to use the clear mount version of the stamp set and probably a "D" size clear block.

Here is what you will do:

Use the punch with a scrap of cardstock to get a template of the shape arrangement. Then use the template as a guide to place the stamps on the block in the correct place. Once they are placed on the block, you can ink and stamp all the images at one time. Once they are stamped, you can turn the punch over and the images line right up with the corresponding space on the punch. For this card I did it five times, to make the card that is shown completed below.So handy to be able to punch all of the images at one time!

       

 

 

Sweet Summer? not here in Kansas yet, anyway!

70 degrees earlier in the week and snow today! Sounds like spring in Kansas...here is a card that everyone did at a recent workshop. I think it was the favorite out of the three we did. It is Sweet Summer and only available until next Thursday - for Free with a $50 order. Thursday is when Sale-a-Bration ends. 
For the card on the left, we used the Tulip Frame embossing folder, run though the Big Shot. For the card on the right I used one of the stamps in the Sweet Summer stamp set and just inked it with Baja Breeze and stamped randomly around the outside of the card front. For the flowers, we stamped them using Staz-on then used markers (Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz) to color the image in. Here is another view of the inside of the card and the envelope. Cute, huh?

Have a good rest of the weekend and stay warm, wherever you are!

 

Pastel techniques

Here are 2 cards that use Stampin Pastels(120962) in different ways.. Our chalk pastels come in ALL of the regular colors(40 total) in the color families...not the In-colors, however. There is also a "new" color assortment(120963) that you can get to update the previous pastels with the colors that came out with this past catalog. Pastels are a great value and an economical way to have all of our colors.

The first card shows the easiest was to use pastels. It is simply an image from Elements of Style(120045), stamped in Versamark with pastels applied over it using a sponge dauber. I used Robin Hood Red and Pretty in Pink for the flowers and Soft Suede for the leaves and stems. The secret of applying the pastels without smearing the versamark is to let it dry slightly then "dab" them on, without doing a lot of rubbing. After a few minutes, the excess can be rubbed off. They can be "fixed"  with something like hairspray or other fixative, but I don't usually bother. 
For cardstock, I used Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette and Whisper White for the layer I stamped. I used Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon and three of my favorite punches - large oval(119855), 1-3/8" circle(118860) and designer label(119862). I punched the oval after I stamped the sentiment...much easier then trying to stamp it onto a small piece.

The next card is using Upsy Daisy(111710) and the chalkboard technique. I really like this because it is a striking look - light image on a dark background...pretty cool, huh?  I first stamped the image with White Craft ink then applied the pastels over it. I used some More Mustard, Cajun Craze and although it doesn't show up well here, there is Riding Hood Red, I think. In real life, it does not look quite as light. The cardstock colors are Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake and Cajun Craze.

Have a great weekend!

Here are 2 cards that use Stampin Pastels(120962) in different ways..

A Beautiful Yellow Rose

This is a card I am considering doing at an event where a yellow rose is their "symbol". I saw something similar that another demo had on her blog, a beautiful card but all the wrong colors and I did not have the embellishments she used. I love how it turned out! Here it is...

I used a technique dubbed "floating reinkers" to color the rose. It uses our Shimmery White specialty paper(101910). You cannot tell, but the rose has a very slight shimmer to the surface, almost like satin.

 I used the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set(113734) and Curly Cute(120510) for the sentiment, the Decorative Label punch(120907 in the Ocassions mini), the Square Lattice embossing folder(119976) and Old Olive satin ribbon(117292). The colors are More Mustard, So Saffron, Whisper White, Basic Gray. What do you think?

March class - Techniques you've asked for!

I will be on Spring Break beginning the weekend of March 18-19, so I will be having a class. It will be a card class that will focus on some techniques I get a lot of questions about. I will cover these four techniques...Faux Wood Inlay (this is the cone flower card, below, that everyone loves), Cracked Glass, a card using the Build-a-cupcake stamp set and punch and a fourth project using our chalk pastels. We will make two cards of each design - 8 cards total for $20.

 

WHEN: Friday March 18 6:00pm-9:00pm and Saturday March 19 9:30am-12:30pm

WHERE: Community Bank North Branch on Hwy 24 and Rochester Road

COST: $20 Registration due no later than March 10

Sign up by going to "my Events" tab above - you can register and pay right there or register and send me a check. Just be sure to do it by March 10.

Decor Elements overview...

I have used a few Decor Elements and have a few more that I am going to use before long...they are really nifty. So far I have applied them to my laptop, some framed art, a fabric scrapbook and I have a cute image that I am going to add to my grandson's toybox. When I am done with trimming out my craft room, I am going to add some to the wall. There is a separate brochure for the Decor Element items and they are also available as a choice for a Hostess gift and even for Sale-a-bration. You can start small with a framed image. If you want to learn more about them, give me a call today!