some swaps!!

Hi!!  Happy Monday to you!!!  It's going to be a great week here in St. Louis!!  Looking forward to temperatures in the high 70's!!  Can you believe it?  I think Mother Nature has been a bit mixed up lately!!

Here are a couple of swaps that I received at a local Demonstrator event earlier this month.  This first one is from my dear friend and sideline, Rita.  I just love her cards!!!  I am so grateful to Stampin' Up for bringing Rita into my life!!  She is so much fun!!

And this next card is from my Upline, Lynn!!  Lynn moved out of state last year, and it was so nice to see her at this event!!

A little inspiration for you to start off your week!!  Hope it's a good one!

Karen

Swap card - Just Believe

Hi!  Here is another card that is very similar to the card shown in my previous post.  I created this card to swap at a local Demonstrator event that I attended last weekend!

Colors are Marina Mist, Always Artichoke and Whisper White.  The DSP is Paisley Petals from the current catalog.  Punched flowers are punched from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  Sentiment is from On Your Birthday and it is punched out with the Modern Label Punch.

Pretty, huh??

Take care and have a nice Sunday!!  Did you turn your clock up??

Karen

Inspired by Pinterest!

Hi!!  Hope you all had a great weekend!!  I sure did, especially since there was stamping involved!!!  My downline, Sally, hosted a stampin' event on Saturday.  It was so much fun to see everyone!!  We have made many friendships through Stampin' Up! and I am grateful for all of them!!  I'll have more about the meeting later, but let's get to a card that was inspired from Pinterest!!  Ok, this is the most addicting website!!  It is truly wonderful!  I wish I was the person to come up with the Pinterest concept!  Who thinks of these things??

Also, this is a card that my Tuesday morning stampers created in February.

The actual card that inspired me to create this card was created by Maile Belles.  You can see her card HERE!  I changed my card to be Stampin' Up! style!!

Colors are Baja Breeze, Whisper White, and Pear Pizzazz.  DSP is Twitterpated from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  Stamp sets are Just Believe and Teeny Tiny Wishes.  The little punched flowers are punched from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  And the pretty little butterfly is from the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die.

I have another version of this card that I will share with you in a day or two.

If you are in or nearby the St. Louis. MO area and would like to know more about Stampin' Up or any of  my upcoming classes, please don't hesitate to contact me at stampwithkaren@aol.com.

Take care and have a great week!

Karen

For a rocker!

Good Monday morning to you!!!!  Here is another card using the Aluminum Foil Emboss technique.  I am just loving this!!!  This card was created for my Tuesday morning stampers to stamp at our class last week.

Colors are Riding Hood Red and Basic Black.  Images were stamped in Basic Gray and Riding Hood Red.  Stamp set is Grunge Rock.  First time I used this set!  I like it!  Great card for the rocker in your life!

You can see some instructions for this technique in my previous post.  But basically I used an Anywhere Glue Stick to adhere the aluminum foil to a piece of cardstock, making sure you get the edges of the cardstock really good before laying the foil on the cardstock.  Smooth the foil out, and then cut off the excess aluminum foil with Paper Snips.  Run your aluminum foil/cardstock with your embossing folder through your Big Shot.  It's that simple!!  Give it a try!

Have a great week!!

Karen

Aluminum Foil!

Hi!!  Who would have thought???  Embossing aluminum foil????  It's alot of fun!!!  I created the following cards for my Friday Night Stamp Club.

Using an Anywhere Glue Stick, adhere the aluminum foil (I used "heavy duty foil", but I think regular foil will work too) to a piece of cardstock.  This will help give it a bit more support.  Make sure you get all the edges good with the glue sticks.  Trim off the excess foil, then run it through the Big Shot with your Embossing Folder.  Easy!

Now what are you waiting for??  Give it a try!!  I'll be back with another idea!

Karen

for my Tuesday Morning Stampers!

Hi!  Here is a card that I created for my Tuesday Morning Stampers to create.   This card is very similiar to one that I showed you in my previous post.  Again, I saw this adorable card on display at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference, and it inspired me to create this card.

Colors are Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, and Whisper White.  Punches include the new Blossom Punch (Occasions Mini Catalog), Boho Blossom Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack.  The Blushing Bride flower is a die-cut from the Blossom Party Die.  Sentiment is from In Loving Thoughts (Occasions Mini Catalog), but there are several that will work for this card.  DSP is Twitterpated (Occasions Mini Catalog).

Thanks for taking a look!

Karen

Card for Stamp Club

Hi!  At Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in January, I saw a darling card on display that I knew I wanted to recreate when I got home.  I didn't have the DSP that Stampin' Up used, so I used the new Sale-A-Bration DSP called Everyday Enchantment.  Love this DSP!!!  We created this card at my February stamp club.

Colors are Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, and Very Vanilla.  Flowers are punched using the Blossom Punch and Boho Blossoms Punch.  The Pool Party flower is a die cut from the Blossom Party Originals Die.  And I used the Stripes Embossing Folder for the Very Vanilla cardstock, which is popped up with Dimensionals to add some dimension.  The sentiment is one from the Loved Ones stamp set, which is in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

I have a similar card that we created at my Tuesday Morning Stampin' Class.  I changed up the colors for that one though.  I'll share it with you next time.

Have a good one!

Karen

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hi!  I have a few little Valentines to share with you today!!  Happy Valentine's Day!!

This first little treat holder came from Heidi Boos' blog.  You can read her post HERE!  I changed my design up a bit and used some retired DSP that I had on hand.  I made about a dozen of these to hand out to my stamp club friends.  It's created from 2 Scallop Envelopes die-cuts.  Colors are Pink Pirouette and Real Red.

This next Valentine's card is one that I created for my husband.  I was inspired by a card I saw on Stampin' Connection (online community for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators), created by Catherine Sanders.

The big heart is from the Filled With Love stamp set, then punched out with the Heart Punch.  And the small hearts are die-cut from the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, which is in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  And those little embossed hearts???  Aren't they cute???  It's an Embossing Folder and can also be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  Sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

XOXOXO

Karen

A Simple Card

Hi!  I have a very clean and simple card for you today!  You can't see it too well, but the tiny little pearls add a nice little touch on each side of the sentiment.

The framed image is from Four Frames and the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  I used the Decorative Label Punch to punch out the frame.  Colors are Soft Suede, Pool Party, and Very Vanilla.

I am looking forward to my stamp club gathering tonight!!  I'll have some new stuff to share soon.

Enjoy your weekend!

Karen

a total CASE!

Hi!!  My cards today were totally inspired by Beth McAlexander.  You can see her cards HERE!  As you will see, I did not mess too much with this card.  I liked it just the way it was.  Thanks Beth!!

I created 2 versions of this card...

I used Sincere Salutations for my sentiments.  Colors are Early Espresso, More Mustard and Pool Party.  DSP is Spice Cake which was in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  If you have any other questions, please just let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

a Patterned Party Birthday card!

Hi!!  I think we created this card at my Tuesday morning stamp class in December.  LOL!!  Honestly, I can't remember, but I think this is where this card came from.  It was during my blogging hiatus, so everything seems a little fuzzy back then.  Anyway, I wanted to share it with you because I don't think you have seen this one before on my blog.

The stamp set is Patterned Party.  Colors are Real Red, Tangerine Tango, and Tempting Turquoise.  The little rhinestones on the gifts add a nice little touch.

Have fun!

Karen

Shadow Box Frame with metal sheets!

I really couldn't get a decent picture of this shadow box.  This picture just doesn't show it's elegance!!  We created this shadow box at my Friday Night Stamp Club in January.  I had 4 different colors of metal sheets for the girls to choose from.  They all turned out so very nice!!

I ordered the metal sheets from Monica's website, Add a Little Dazzle.  The inspiration for my shadow box frame also came from Monica's website.  I just changed mine up a little and simplified it a bit.

After running the metal sheets threw the Big Shot in the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, I lightly sanded the raised images with a sanding block.

Like I said, the picture does not do it justice.  It's really pretty in person.

Have a great weekend!
Karen

some exciting new products!

Hi!!  How is everyone today??  I hope it's a good day for you!!  I have a card to share with you.  We stamped this card at my Friday night stamp club in January.  It's a fairly simple card, but uses a few new Stampin' Up! products!!

Card is Baja Breeze and the DSP is Twitterpated (have you ordered yours yet??).  The decorative edge is created with the new Edgelits Dies!  The coordinating dotted image is from the Bordering on Romance stamp set.  And the sentiment is from Sincere Salutations.  (What would I do without Sincere Salutations?!!).  And how about the nice frame around the sentiment?  Love it!!  Those little frames are created with the new Framelit Dies!!   Thank you Stampin' Up!

Would you like to place an order?  You can always contact me at stampwithkaren@aol.com, or you can place an order on-line at Karen's Stampin' Up! website 24/7.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Have a happy day!
Karen

Cute & Simple Butterfly!

Hi!!  Today's card is the 3rd card that we created at my morning class this month.  There was so much inspiration at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference and Regional Seminar this month!!  And the inspiration for this card is no exception.  One of the Main Stage presenters was Dawn Olchefske.  She is a very talented stamper. Make sure you stop by her blog for a visit.  I changed up my card a bit, but it's very similar to Dawn's card that she presented.

The sentiment is from Happiest Birthday Wishes and the DSP is from the Twitterpated DSP Pack (Love it!!).  I used the Postage Punch (Love it too!!) to punch out my squares.  Colors are Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, and Crumb Cake.

Have a great week!
Karen

Wish big!

Hi!!  Here is the second card that we stamped at my morning 3-card class this month.  If I had to do this card over again, I would probably add a bit of texture to the Whisper White Cardstock in the background.  I might use the Argyle pattern from Stampin' Up!'s texture plates.  This card just feels a little flat to me.  I don't know.  I do like it though for that masculine card that we struggle to create at times!  My inspiration for this card came from a card that I saw in San Antonio last week on one of the display boards.  Their sample was created in the brown color group though.  I kind of like the gray/black look for my card.

Stamp set is Need for Speed and the sentiment came from the Pennant Parade stamp set.  Colors are Basic Gray and Black.  Images are stamped in Basic Gray.  DSP is from the Neutrals DSP Paper Pack.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Karen

Oh so clever Balloons!!

Hi!  My Tuesday Morning Stampin' was held today.  Yes, I know it's Friday, but my January was a little chaotic with work and such, and things needed to be shifted around.  So I thank my stampin' friends who were able to stamp with me this morning.  We stamped 3 different cards, and here is one of them!  When I attended Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference and Regional Seminar last week, I saw a card with these balloons, and I thought "Brilliant!!!  Who thinks of these things???".  I used a 1" Circle Punch for the balloon and the feet from the Owl Punch for the tail!  I used the Clean & Simple Sketch #174 for my card.  I love how this turned out!!  We will definitely be creating this card at my next stamp club too!!

Colors are Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango.  Sentiment is from Petite Pairs (LOVE THIS SET!).

Don't forget... Sale-A-Bration is in full swing.  Contact me if you would like to place an order to earn SAB rewards.  Or you can always go to my website to place an order on-line 24/7!

Have a good weekend!  I'll try to be back some time this weekend to share one of the other cards we stamped this morning!

Karen

Sale-A-Bration is here!!

Hi!!  I have 2 quick cards to share with you today.  We stamped this card at my Tuesday morning stamping in December and again at my Friday night Stamp Club this month.  I did change the colors for each card and I will show you both below.  The first one uses some Designer Series Paper from Sale-A-Bration!!  Did you know that SAB started today??  Yes, you can earn this gorgeous paper pack for FREE with a $50 order.  I love this paper!!  One of my favorites!!  It's called Everyday Enchantment.

This next card uses the Beyond the Garden DSP.

The bow is separate from the ribbon, attached with Mini Glue Dots.  And the tag is attached with Dimensionals and tucked under the bow.  So easy!!

This is a great card to slip a gift card in for that special someone.  I actually made this same card with some retired Christmas DSP for someone who bought a gift certificate from me at Christmas.  I left it blank so that she could use it to put the gift certificate in for her friend.  It turned out really cute!!  Sorry I didn't get a picture of it!

Don't forget to place your Sale-A-Bration order!!!  For every $50, you can choose one SAB reward!  Such cute stuff!  I know you will have fun picking something out for yourself!  And if your order is $150, you will get an adorable tote bag, plus 3 SAB rewards!

See you soon!
Karen

Great experience at Leadership!

Hi!!  What a great time and experience at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference and Regional Seminar!!!  These events are full of excitement and inspiration!  Stampin' Up! really knows how to put on a great event!  It seems like they think of everything!

This year's theme for Leadership is "My Way".  What a great theme!  Shelli Gardner talked about how each demonstratorship is unique and different.  She focused on how Stampin' Up! offers flexibility so that we can each build and lead our business our own way.  





Rita (on the left) and me at the Opening Morning Session.  Rita was my roommate too!

L to R: Sarah, Rita, Sally & Mary...my stampin' friends!!  Sally & Mary are in my downline and Sarah, Rita, and myself all have the same upline (we are stampin' sisters!!).  We had such a great time together!  It was so much fun to go to San Antonio with these girls!!  Have you ever played Pass the Pigs???  Fun!

I received an invitation to go to the Manager's Reception!  We were treated to hor dourves and drinks before the entertainment that Stampin' Up! had planned for us.

The entertainment this year included an amazing show put on by the Chinese Acrobats!  They were all phenominal!  There were times that I had to tell myself to breathe!!

 Sally won the first prize from the Prize Patrol!  She was thrilled...we were all thrilled for her!  Her prize was the NEW diagonal plate to go with Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scored Tool!!!  Customers can begin ordering this accessory on March 1st.  Demonstrators can preorder one beginning on February 20th!!

It's great to be a Demonstrator!

Look at ALL of this stuff!!  Stampin' Up! was very generous with their give-aways!!!  They just kept giving us more and more products, including stamp sets, DSP (full pack), buttons, ribbon...well just look at the picture!!  You can see everything that we received!

I'm so glad I brought 2 suitcases with me so I could get all of this product home with me!! 

This cute little box was waiting for each of us at our Make & Take session.  The yummy treat inside is 3 different kinds of chocolate bark homemade by one of Stampin' Up! employees.

What a nice personal touch!...and yummy too!

This cute fabric portfolio was another gift from Stampin' Up! during our Make & Take session.  Each tag was personally signed by Shelli!  The fabric will be in the new Catalog starting June 1st.  Yes, you heard that correctly.  The new catalog will start on June 1st, instead of July 1st.  Stampin' Up! introduced a new Catalog Schedule.  I will share more on that soon.

Well, there you have it!!  I have more pictures on my Stampin' Up! Facebook page.  Just search for Karen Graff-Povis, Independent Demonstrator for Stampin' Up!

Hope you are doing well!  See you soon!

Karen

Well hello!!

Wow, I almost forgot how to login to add a post.  Well, obviously its been awhile since I have visited you all here on my blog!  For those of you who have come back, I thank you.  I promise not to be gone for so long without warning.  I have continued to stamp since I have last posted, so don't worry, I am still  Demonstrator.  I was a bit ill starting in August and through September, but all is better now.  Blogging was not a priority at the end of the year.  I had to let something go for awhile.  But now I hope to visit a few times a week with you.  So how about if I share my Holiday Stamp-A-Stack cards with you?  I know...the Holidays are long gone, but maybe, just maybe I will bring a bit of stamping inspiration to you!  I'm not going to go into details for these cards, so if you have any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to answer any of your questions.

 Colors are Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler.

 Dazzling Diamond Glitter Glue on the berries.  Dawn Olchefske inspiration.

 Colors are Real Red and Pear Pizzaz.

 Tree is embossed with Pewter Embossing Powder.  This stamp set just screams for embossing!!

Red and Silver Glimmer Paper!

Ok, there you have it!!  Hope your Holidays were good!!

I'll be in San Antonio next week for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference.  If you happen to see me, stop and say Hi!

Karen



Happy Birthday gifts!!

Hi!!  I have 2 cute cards for you today!!  Both are the same design, but different colors!!  These were fun cards to create!!!  I'm thinking this might be a good card for my Tuesday morning ladies next month!!  :)  What do you think???

I am loving the Happy Birthday sentiment!!  Isn't it cool?

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Poppy Parade
Paper: So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Just Add Cake DSP
Accessories: Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Big Shot, 1-1/4" & 1-3/8" Square Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Dimensionals

Supplies:
Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Markers - Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Just Add Cake DSP
Accessories: Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Big Shot, 1-1/4" & 1-3/8" Square Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Dimensionals

So what do you think???  You like that Happy Birthday sentiment, don't you???  Schedule your workshop with me to get your hands on it for free!!!  It's on page 10 of the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog.

Have some fun today and stamp!!

Karen