Stampin' Up! news

I'm sure many of you have heard the news that Stampin' Up! has changed the demonstrator contract and I'm heartbroken to announce that I'll be hanging up my demonstrator hat today. I have been in love with Stampin' Up! products from the day I went to my first workshop and only a few months after that I became a demonstrator. I had the great privilege to attend convention in 2005 with my upline and sister stampers and it was one of the best experiences I've had. {Hi girls! - Do any of you have the picture of all of us in front of the VW Bus???} I have wanted to attend others and was so upset that I couldn't attend the convention in Denver (hello - that's my backyard!!), but I was big and prego and penny pinching... anyway...


I've had an amazing stamping journey and it has led me to be on an amazing design team for Taylored Expressions. What a dream come true! And then last month to be added to the Dirty Dozen was beyond thrilling! I'm a hobby demonstrator and I can't justify boxing myself into a corner with one company - not able to spread my wings and fly when I'm not actively selling Stampin' Up! products. As I find more fabulous stamping products, I want to be able to share them with all of you {smile}!


I know many of you who visit my blog are Stampin' Up! demonstrators and I do hope you will continue to stop by and say hello because I sure do value your kind words and encouragement. You can bet I'll continue to use Stampin' Up! products here on my blog - I love them too much not to and one lucky demonstrator will make some $$ off of my addiction, lol!


Thank you so much for listening to my ramblings.


Happy stamping!
Karen

sweet sunday sketch challenge #37

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use Mr. Linky down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked in the Mr. Linky box by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC37 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

The team got me thinking about Christmas last week and now I'm starting to get some Christmas cards done. I pulled out my old set, City of David for this one. It's one of my all-time favorite Christmas sets, so I don't see myself selling it anytime soon. I stamped the city in Not Quite Navy craft ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I cut out an oval template with the oval Coluzzle and then sponged Not Quite Navy ink over the top of the image.

The Sweet Sunday Stampers also have samples to show you today, so don't forget to stop on by to see:

Jennifer Tapler
Karen Motz
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Nancy Riley
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick

Now it's your turn! Have fun!
Karen


recipe -
stamps: city of david, linen background
paper: kraft, not quite navy, bravo burgundy, naturals vanilla card stock
ink: not quite navy craft, creamy caramel
accessories: coluzzle, clear embossing powder, elementary ribbon originals, stampin' dimensionals

sweet sunday sketch winner

Greetings from Nashville - where the tea is sweet and so are all the people. I'm travelling this week for the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) convention and having a blast! I just found out that the pastor from my old church near Denver is speaking and I'm so excited to hear him talk.

Ok, so without furter ado...... This week's SSSC winner is lucky #13!

Martha - Congrats to you Martha! Please email me with your snail mail and I'll get your goodies out to you soon. Please stop on by Martha's gallery and check out her marvelous treats!

See you back soon!
Karen

key ingredients challenge

Hello again! It's the 20th and that means it's time for another Key Ingredients Challenge from Taylored Expressions. You are absolutely going to fall in love with the September Key Ingredients - Taylor has yet again picked out some amazing papers and embellishments for you! This month's patterned paper is Kitchen Spice from Bo Bunny and all I can say about it is YUMM-OH!!

Our challenge this month is to get inspired by the name of the Kitchen Spice paper and the required element is distressing. Fun, no?

So I've been pondering all week, what to make, what to make... hmmm. You see, I'm not in my kitchen a whole bunch - my amazing husband does all the cooking, so I pretty much have clean up duty. Then it dawned on me - I have candles in my kitchen. The yummy spice kind of candles, mmmmmm! So I ran out and got a new candle called Macintosh Spice and there you have it, my spice theme. This year my family is travelling to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving and I thought it would be nice to take a little thank you gift to our family who is hosting. I decorated this little tag for the candle with chipboard and buttons {included in the Key Ingredients} and inked the edges with Tea Dye Distressing Ink. I used some ribbon from the kit to tie the tag around the neck of the candle. I used the same elements to make a coordinating card and added some of this adorable vine ribbon - cute!

You can sign up to receive the monthly Key Ingredients Kit for as low as $14.95 a month, plus shipping, so you can't beat that incredible deal!

Would you like to participate in this month's theme challenge? Hop on over to Taylor's blog and check out all the details.

You can see more fantastic samples for our Kitchen Spice challenge from Charmaine Ikach, Sharon Harnist, Taylor VanBruggen, Laura Fredrickson, Jodi Collins, and Donna Baker.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen


recipe -
stamps: lots of thoughts (stampin' up!)
paper: prism frosted teal, prism suede brown dark, choice buttercream card stock, kitchen spice patterned paper (bo bunny)
ink: chocolate chip, tea dye distressing ink (ranger)
accessories: ribbon, chipboard, buttons - from the september key ingredients; rectangle/scallop & oval/scallop nestabilities (spellbinders), sponge daubers, stampin' dimensionals

sweet sunday sketch challenge #36

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use Mr. Linky down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked in the Mr. Linky box by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC36 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

I'll be honest with you - I was having a very difficult time with this sketch! To get my creative juices flowing, I decided to pull out my old favorite paper, Maine Blueberries, and start from there. I remembered I had the Sizzlits Little Leaves and put that on one of the tilted panels. Now I needed to find a square sentiment and this little Many Thanks from Lots of Thoughts saved me!

I have an exciting announcement - starting this week, you will have lots more inspiration! I'd like to introduce the Sweet Sunday Stampers:

Jennifer Tapler

Karen Motz

Laura Fredrickson

Lynn Put

Nancy Riley

Sarah-Jane Kale'

Vicki Burdick

So in honor of this fantastic addition to the SSSC, I would like to give away a little candy. Up for grabs is an assortment of coordinating 12x12 paper and embellishments to suit all of your autumn papercrafting needs!

Have fun and good luck!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: lots of thoughts

paper: bashful blue, not quite navy, whisper white card stock, maine blueberries dsp

ink: chocolate chip

accessories: 1/2" library clips, flower brads, 5-petal punch, sizzlits little leaves, circle & circle scallop nestabilities, stampin' dimensionals

sweet sunday sketch winner

I have really loved looking at all of your cards this week - you all have amazing talent and it was such a treat to see them! Are you ready to see who has won new treats from Clear & Simple Stamps???

It's Teneale Williams!!! I was just blown away by Teneale's baby card - LOVED the background stamped at an angle and had a complete "Why didn't I think of that?" moment.


Congratulations, Teneale! Please e-mail me and I'll get you set up.

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you back Sunday for the next challenge.
Karen

party princess

It seems like my daughter is invited to birthday parties every week these days and the majority of them are princess parties. Seems the be the popular theme with first graders this year, lol! When I saw this little ballerina in Trick or Sweet II, I just knew I could use it for all things fairy princess! I stamped this cute little cuppie in Memento Rich Cocoa and then colored it with Copic Markers and cut it out with a circle Nestabilities die. To add that special fairy princess charm, I used Diamond & Cotton Candy Stickles on the tutu and wand. I lightly sponged the birthday sentiment with Pretty In Pink ink and popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day -
Karen



recipe -
stamps: trick or sweet 2, sweet celebration
ink: memento rich cocoa
paper: pretty in pink, whisper white cardstock, retired su dsp
accessories: copic markers, circle/scallop nestabilities, diamond/cotton candy stickles, regal rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, sponge daubers, stampin' dimensionals

fan club gallery

Hiya! September's Splitcoaststampers fan club Gallery is now online. Not a fan club member? Click here to find out how you can join the club and have access to exclusive tutorials and projects.

Here's a little peek at one of my projects :)

sweet sunday sketch challenge #35

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use Mr. Linky down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked in the Mr. Linky box by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC35 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

I have some EXCITING news for you! This week, the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge has been sponsored by Clear & Simple Stamps!! What does this mean? Well, you have a chance to win the stamp set of your choice from September's Clear & Simple Stamps release! All you need to do to enter is follow the instructions above and I'll choose one random winner on Thursday night. Do you need to use Clear & Simple Stamps to win? No, but if you have them, why not ink them up for this fun occasion?

Here is a little information from Clear & Simple Stamps in case you are new to this company:

We discovered the art of stamping over 20 years ago and have loved the craft ever since...
Clear and Simple Stamps is a clear polymer stamp company based out of Maryland. Our stamps are designed to produce fun and inspiring stamp images that give you the creative freedom to be a true stamping diva! Our signature line - Simple Darlings™ is dedicated to represent all types of fabulous women doing those everyday things we all love to do. Whether it is traveling, shopping, gardening or just spending time with friends, each Simple Darling is truly a masterpiece and you will want to stamp with them all. We provide high-quality, repositionable, clear polymer stamps. Our concept, pardon the pun, is clear and simple stamping.
We have a growing collection of fun stamps that we hope you will find unique and inspiring to work with. We design all of our stamps in-house, and cannot wait to see your fabulous creations – or what we like to call your “divalicious style” shine through when creating with Clear and Simple Stamps!

For my sample today I'm using the set, Gratitude. I love this little flower set and jumped at the chance to use it today. I stamped the stems in Old Olive ink and then I colored the flowers in with Copic markers, added a little Crystal Effects to the centers, and popped them up with stampin' dimensionals.

Now it is your turn! Have fun and good luck!
Karen


recipe -
stamps: gratitude (clear & simple stamps)
paper: bashful blue, not quite navy, and whisper white card stock, maine blueberries dsp
ink: old olive, not quite navy
accessories: old olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, circle/scallop nestabilities, crystal effects, copic markers, stampin' dimensionals

Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash Winners

Hello everyone! If you participated in the Birthday Bash for Taylored Expressions, the winners have been announced at Stamp a Sweet Impression. Hop on over there and check it out - lots of winners!

Karen

sweet sunday sketch winner

Hello! I'm back to announce the Sweet Sunday Sketch winner - Random.org has chosen..........

#35! Nicki Turner!



Nicki is so smart and getting a jump on her Christmas cards with this adorable little Santa. I just love all the background stamping she has on her card - so fun! Congrats Nicki! Please stop by Nicki's blog, Nicki's Blogspot and see her sweet creations.

Thanks to everyone for participating again this week! You don't want to miss out this Sunday, so be sure to stop back by and check it out!

Karen

flower power

Hello! I've been shoveling out my craft area and getting rid of lots and lots of stuff. I have got to get organized! In my cleaning, I found an idea folder and inside was this cute little scrapbook page from a magazine (probably Simple Scrapbooks) with this adorable hardware flower on it. So true to form, I copied it for a card. Isn't this a fun way to use those oblong clips in the SU hodgepodge kits that were retired? Love this!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: to risk (verve stamps)

ink: chocolate chip

paper: sahara sand, soft sky, old olive, very vanilla card stock, fall flowers dsp

accessories: circle nestabilities (spellbinders), pewter & antique brass hodgepodge hardware, stylized vanilla hodgepodge hardware, scallop edge punch, stampin' dimensionals, paper piercing tool

totally creepy!

Have you all enjoyed the fantastic challenges over at Stamp a Sweet Impression this week? You still have time to enter and win fab prizes - the deadline is Wednesday night at midnight Pacific time.

I made another Taylored Expressions card using the new set, Spooky Expressions. I stamped the tree, moon, and owl in Chocolate Chip craft ink and then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. To make my paper look totally creepy, I used some Tea Dye Distress Ink and rubbed it all over the papers and ribbon. I love the look this created and I wonder why I don't do this more? Well, because it really freaks me out to dirty up my paper, that's why! LOL! It's very fun though, so I'll get over my fear and try it out again.

Thanks so much for visiting today!
Karen



recipe -
stamps: spooky expressions (taylored expressions)
ink: chocolate chip, chocolate chip craft, tea dye distress ink (ranger)
paper: old olive, vintage violet card stock, halloween night dsp
accessories: old olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, jumbo brads, clear embossing powder, rectangle/scallop nestabilities (spellbinders), embossed curve edger punch (ek success), stampin' dimensionals

sweet sunday sketch challenge #34

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use Mr. Linky down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked in the Mr. Linky box by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC34 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

I'm keeping this sketch easy breezy today - I hope you all join in! I used some retired Afternoon Tea paper along with my new A Cup of Life set from Verve. To add some dimension, I paper-pierced the scallops and the border above the little panel. No ribbon today - instead, I added 4 neutrals brads.

OK, it's your turn! And don't forget to try my challenge at Stamp a Sweet Impression - see all the details in the post below.

Good luck!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: a cup of life (verve stamps)

ink: groovy guava, chocolate chip, sahara sand

paper: soft sky, chocolate chip, whisper white card stock, afternoon tea dsp

accessories: 5/16" neutrals brads, scallop edge punch, paper-piercing tool, square & labels 1 nestabilities (spellbinders), stampin' dimensionals

Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash!

Create avatar

Hey everyone - I'm back with a quick post. Hop on over to Stamp A Sweet Impression and join in on the fun! My sketch challenge is up and running along with the other 9 challenges open so far today. There are more to come, so be sure to check back every hour on the hour for each new challenge and qualify for fantastic TE prizes, including my sample I made for my challenge!

Here's a little peek for you....

Taylored Expressions Release Party!

Today is THE day to see all the new Taylored Expressions stamp sets, Key Ingredients, and stamp set bundles! I have had the most fun creating samples for you this week and one of my absolute favorite projects is this little potion bottle set with matching card. Aren't these bottles fun? Punchy Potions is the final new set from Taylored Expressions this month - all 4 sets are available right now! Punchy Potions is designed to fit these cute little potion bottles perfectly, even the cork toppers! Wouldn't these potion bottles be perfect for teacher gifts or Halloween parties? They are so easy to assemble. I stamped the oval and cork topper images on a sticker sheet and colored them with Copic Markers and then stuck them right onto the bottles and cork toppers - SO easy! The bottles are filled with Halloween M&M's and I had to fight off my kids because they were attacking me for these M&M treats! You would think I never feed them! LOL!!

This set also has it's own Punchy Potions Bundle:

• Punchy Potions stamp set
• 3 Potion Bottles
• 5 sheets of sticker paper
• Spellbinders Classic Ovals large

Yes - that IS right - you get Nestabilities with this bundle!! One of my all time favorite tools I use.


On to my card - I'm using the Halloween Key Ingredients again for this card, and why not - it's perfect for the season! I started of by once again stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloring it in with those simply marvelous Copic Markers. This image reminds me of the book, Wicked. Have you read it? I loved it - is she a good witch or a bad witch? Or just misunderstood and forced to make a tough decision? Hmmm.... that is the question. I added some rhinestones around the edge of the oval and then added one of the brads included in the Halloween Key Ingredients to the top corner of the card. Everything on this card is from the Halloween KI except for the rhinestones. Pretty fun, no?

Alright, that's all I have for you today, but be sure to pop on by Stamp A Sweet Impression soon - the challenges have begun and you can enter to win big! Today is the big Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash!!

The rest of the Baker's Dozen has lots more eye candy for you today - be sure to say Trick or Treat!

Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Motz
Laura Fredrickson
Laurie Schmidlin
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Harnist
and Taylor VanBruggen.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen


recipe -
stamps: punchy potions
ink: memento tuxedo black
paper: intense orange, black prism card stock, choice snow white card stock, eerie by basic grey
accessories: copic markers, small oval and oval scallop nestabilities (spellbinders), polka-dot ribbon, halloween brad, border bling (heidi swapp), scallop edge punch, stampin' dimensionals

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Day 2

Are you ready to see another peek from another Taylored Expressions set? Today is the day to feature Spooky Expressions, another set in the Whimsical Wishes line and it will also be available for purchase tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM Pacific time, sweet! The night air is getting cool and crisp here in Colorado and soon we'll be smelling the harvest air, mmmm! That means that Halloween is right around the corner! I just love this image of the frog on the cauldron, just sitting there wondering what's brewing. I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copic Markers and then for a little unexpected punch, I added a spider brad to the cauldron, just creeping about there, or maybe he'll be dinner for that frog? The brads are part of the Spooky Expressions bundle {more about that in just a sec}. The paper and ribbon are from the Halloween Key Ingredients kit, which is super fun and includes the Eerie line of paper from Basic Grey (who can resist Basic Grey??) along with all the coordinating ribbon and embellishments!
Spooky Expressions is included in its very own bundle this month and the bundle includes:

• Spooky Expressions stamp set
• Halloween Key Ingredients
• Mesh Ribbon Bundle (4 yards)
• Bat, Spider, and Frog Brads (12)
• Black Sparkly Fluff
• Orange Glittered Chipboard Letters

The rest of the Baker's Dozen is showcasing both Spooky Expressions as well as another new set to be released tomorrow called Trick or Sweet II. Stop on by and check out all the fun!

Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Motz
Laura Fredrickson
Laurie Schmidlin
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Harnist
and of course, Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Karen



recipe -
Stamps: Spooky Expressions
Paper: Choice Snow White, Frosted Kiwi, Wizard Medium, Black Prism card stock, Eerie by Basic Grey
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic Markers, D'Vine Swirls embossing folder (Provo Craft), Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilites (Spellbinders), Paper Piercing Tool, Ribbon from the Halloween Key Ingredients, Bat & Spider brads, Stampin' Dimensionals

sweet sunday sketch winner

Thank you all so much for partcipating in this week's SSSC! I loved looking at all the wonderful creations - so much fun!

The winner of this week's random.org drawing is..............

#21, Jonia!

Jonia created such a cute pregnancy card with this wonderful image and fantastic coloring! Congrats Jonia! You can see more of her wonderful cards on her blog, Stampin For Me, so hop on over and say hello.

See you back tomorrow :)

Karen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Day 1

Do you even know how excited I am to show you a small sliver of the new set, The Places You’ll Go, today?!!! OMGoodness, this set is just so stinkin' cute and I can see myself using it for birthdays, summer parties, graduations, babies, lunch box notes, support, scrapbook pages, congratulations, talk like a pirate day... OK, I think you are catching on - it is such a versatile set! You'll be able to purchase this set, along with the entire September release on September 5th at 8:00 AM Pacific time.

The Places You'll Go is the next set in the Taylored Expressions Giving Tree series of special stamp sets to support different charities every quarter. For the months of September, October and November when you purchase this set you'll be helping to support the Books for Kids Foundation. Their mission is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life. For each The Places You'll Go stamp set sold during the quarter, Taylored Expressions will donate $7.00 to the Books for Kids Foundation.

As a mom of young children, I have loved the opportunity to read to them every night before bedtime. My husband really gets into it and makes all the voices and can really dress up the ABC's, let me tell you! It's that bedtime routine that helped my oldest learn to read with incredible ease in school last year. Giving every child an opportunity to learn to read is so very important and that is why I'm so excited to help promote the Books for Kids Foundation.

When I recieved the coordinating Key Ingredients to this set, I instantly fell in love with all of the elements! Let me tell you what you'll get in this incredible kit:

• 2 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of Prism card stock in each of these fabulous colors: Intense Kiwi, Papaya Puree Dark, Desert Coral Dark, Island Mist Medium, Candleglow Medium and also 2 sheets of Choice Buttercream card stock.
  
• The patterned paper is My Mind’s Eye - a combination of the Stomp and Round & Round from the new Abbey Road collection.
• 5 yards of coordinating ribbon.
• Matching buttons (lots of them!).
• 1 Maya Road chipboard book.

I used these elements in my card today and I'm using the layout from MOJOMARY. I stamped the rocket ship image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored it in with Copic Markers. The ribbon tag is sewed on with Ecru embroidery floss (not included in the kit) through a button. I added Dew Drops (not included in the kit) to the corner of the card. All of the squares are cut out with Nestabilities.

The Baker's Dozen has some fabulous eye candy for you to see today, so hop on over to each blog and see more from The Places You'll Go!

Charmaine Ikach
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Motz
Laura Fredrickson
Laurie Schmidlin
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Harnist
and Taylor VanBruggen.

Thank you so much for hanging in there with my super long post today -
Karen


recipe -
stamps: the places you'll go (taylored expressions)
ink: memento rich cocoa, copic markers
paper: prism papaya puree dark, prism island mist medium, prism candleglow medium, choice buttercream card stock, patterned paper from the key ingredients listed above
accessories: buttons & ribbon from the key ingredients listed above, dew drops, embroidery thread, stampin' dimensionals