Scrapcreations Happy New Year!

The challenge this week at Scrapcreations was to make a card to celebrate the New Year. I made a CAS one with my new CB folder that cuts and embosses. I used sparkly silver paper and layered over burgandy paper, added some gems and turned the center circle over to stamp the wish on! Happy New Year to you and yours!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Party Time Tuesday Birthday Card

The challenge at Party Time Tuesday was Anything Birthday and so I am posting this card I made using my new Martha Stewart birthday border punch for the first time. I also used a new diecut from Marianne Design Creatables, some shiny foil paper, some flowers and gems and a funny saying from Hambo. Fun but easy- that's my style...

Stamping smiles, Karen

FTTC98 Pretty in Pearls

The challenge this week at Flourishes Timeless Tuesday was to use pearls in our cards. I made this card a while ago as part of a present for my BFF (but never posted before), so am not sure about the stamp and paper credits... I know I used kraft paper as the base and cut off the bottom inch of the front and rounded the edges. I laid down a floral mask (Heidi Swapp) and sponged around it with white ink. I punched out several size flowers, attached, added a pearl and sprayed with glimmer mist. I made a trail of pearls on the patterned paper and added the sentiment to finish the card.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Playing in Paradise Sketch #3

The sketch this week from Scrapbookers Paradise Ponderings could be used for either a card or scrapbook page and with all these great wedding and shower pictures I have, I have gotten the scrapbook bug again. This page is called "Ring Dude" because that is what they called my grandson who brought the rings up the aisle in my son's recent wedding. I stamped some wedding rings on the background piece and on the journaling piece. Wasn't Nate sweet in his vest and pink bowtie?

Stamping and scrapping smiles, Karen

Repeat Impressions D22 Case Challenge

I hope you are not too tired of holiday cards - the stamps I have from Raisin Boat were perfect for this Case Challenge from Repeat Impressions so I did one more at the last minute. It is now past "Santa Time" but he did pretty good by our home:) We had an awesome Christmas weekend with my family and hope you did too! For this card I created the background with repeated stamping of the two sentiments in red and green. I punched out the calendar and compass and cut out the Santa clock and added some gems.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Critter Sketch #45 Challenge

"Anything Christmas" was the challenge at Critter Sketch this week and I just happen to have one more holiday card for Christmas Eve. I got this idea from a stamping magazine recently- use sponged masking tape to make a Christmas tree with a few buttons and a star to decorate it. The background stamp and sentiment are from Inkadinkado. My wonderful family is coming to celebrate Christmas so I will be happily busy the next few days. So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours:)

Stamping and Holiday smiles, Karen

Wee Memories #36 & OWH Stars & Stripes Challenge

The challenge this week at Wee Memories was to use the colors of the season and at OWH Stars and Stripes to "make it shine" without loose glitter (dangerous for our soldiers.) This card qualifies for both as is shiny with the green and gold foil paper and sparkly stickers, but no loose glitter was added. I embossed the green foil paper, added a border sticker, cut out the gold foil paper with Marianne Design Creatables diecut, layered a raised snowflake sticker on top and added some pearls. Easy but fun holiday card.

Stamping smiles, Karen

SCIC#32 Holiday Card

Stampin' Celebration had a beautiful holiday picture to draw inspiration from and this is what I came up with. The lovely tree is from Penny Black- I stamped in green and added colored sparkle balls, a trunk and a star. I love the CB embossing folders that only do part of the cardstock leaving room to stamp. Rounded corners and layered on green and red and the CAS card is done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

CYDA#10 Challenge

The challenge this week at Craft Your Day Away was to use our punches and diecuts in a holiday card. If you know me, you know I use punches and diecuts in just about every card I do:) Along with embossing folders... In this case, I embossed the base card that had a edge sticker, added a diecut fancy oval from Marianne Design Creatables, popped up a candy cane sticker, and added two punched snowflakes and some gems. So easy but still fun.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Ellephantastic Challenge

The challenge this week at Ellephantastic was to share our Christmas/Winter cards. This is my actual card that I shared with family and friends (made 45 of them.) It is a side stairway card so stands up to show the peace and love ornaments even better. I used many different companies: Stampin' Up, TAC, Cuttlebug, Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart. And these are the wishes I wish for you too: Joy, Peace and Love now and in the New Year.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Repeat Impressions Sketch D1510

I used the sketch at Repeat Impressions this week to inspire me for this holiday card using the latest rented set of stamps I got from Raisin Boat. The background is two pieces of foil cardstock put together and embossed. I punched out the corners and added matching gems. I cut, embossed and sponged a Nestie label and then stamped the beautiful clock and sentiment inside. It IS almost Santa time- are you ready??

Stamping smiles, Karen

Critter Sketch #44 & Totally Stampalicious Challenges

The challenge this week at Critter Sketch was not to use any patterned designer paper and at Totally Stampalicious was to make a Clean and Simple card. That's easy enough:) This CAS card uses a CB embossed background, a Nestie cut circle, a couple of beautiful stamps (tree by Penny Black and sentiment by CTMH) and a little added bling. Easily made but still fun. The inside says:
..."it's greatest gifts are family and friends." SOOO True!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Repeat Impressions D8 Case Challenge

I cased the card at Repeat Impressions D8 Case Challenge and came up with this fun winter card. I flipped the sketch and made a snow globe instead of just a circle, but the sketch was the starting inspiration. The bottom blue pieces are embossed foil. The button snowman and the sentiment are from Papertrey and I paperpieced the scarf and hat. Then added some snowflakes and gems and the card was done.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Creative Card Crew Wedding Card (and PIX!)

This is the card I made for my son and his new wife for their wedding this weekend. The challenge at
Creative Card Crew was "Anything Goes", so I thought I would share this one along with some pictures. The grey part of this card was embossed and cut with one of the CB folders that do both. I put an acetate pix of a bridal couple in the frame and added bridal flowers and pearls to complete the card.

Two pix of the happy couple- one at the reception and one at the rehearsal dinner.

And this is my grandson, the ring dude- too cute in his vest and pink bowtie.

Stamping (and wedding) smiles, Karen

Fellow Stampers- can you help?

Please see the request below from a friend and fellow stamper:

Hi friends!

I need your help. I have a dear friend and fellow demonstrator (Bonnie Resch from Wittenberg) 6 weeks ago Bonnie's 19 year old son Braydin, fell out of his tree stand and was injured badly and may never walk again. He is paralyzed from the waist down and currently has use of just one finger. He is in the hospital in Milwaukee where he will undergo physical therapy 4 hours every day for the next 12 - 18 months. There is no guarantee he will ever walk again but Braydin is determined and will not quit trying.
I just got off the phone with Bonnie as she was driving home from Milwaukee. She has 3 other children at home to tend to so her and her husband take turns staying with Braydin in Milwaukee.
When you hear stuff like this - we sure have a lot to be thankful for!

Here is where I need your help (and I think I've come to the right source!) While talking to Bonnie I asked if there was anything I could do to help her out and she told me that Braydin loves getting mail. When you are sitting in a hospital room all day, everyday sometimes it's the little things that you look forward to and in Braydin's case he now lives for the mail.

So..... if you are up for doing a good deed, would you please send Braydin a card.

His address is:
Braydin Resch
5SE-Room 13
Froedtert Hospital
9200 West Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53226

Thanks for helping if you can- and remember he will be there a long time so maybe after the holidays and every so often you could send another one too. And share this with as many stamping friends as you can. Stampers are the most caring people I know so like my friend Connie said, I know I have asked the right people to help out!!

Stamping smiles, Karen 

ABC Christmas Challenge

Y is for Yuletide over at ABC Christmas Challenges and today I am sharing a Ghirardelli candy holder I made and shared with some friends recently. I found a similar pattern on line and adusted it for the candy I happened to have. The inside is just a mountain fold with a circle cut out for the candy to slip in. The front has a CB folder and a MS punch, and the top piece slips under a nestie label piece with another MS snowflake punch.

We are off to the windy city to celebrate my son's wedding. Here is the lovely couple with my grandson (the ring bearer) in a picture taken recently at their shower here. The wedding with all their friends and relatives there will be so much fun- can't wait to celebrate with everyone. I will share a pix or two when I get back next week.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Repeat Impressions Sketch D110

I used the sketch from Repeat Impressions to inspire this holiday card. It includes my first attempt at a poinsettia using punches from McGill. I am taking a class next week to learn more about how to make the flowers, but I think this turned out pretty good for a rookie. I also used a couple CB folders and the dove punch from Martha Stewart.

Thanks for all your votes for OWH in the JoAnn's contest- they ended up in 2nd so received $25,000 for all their mailing and other expenses so our soldiers can continue to receive handmade cards to send to their loved ones.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Lexi's Creations Challenge

The challenge this week at Lexi's Creations was to use blue and silver in our cards. I came upon some snowflake "ghost shapes" from Heidi Swapp and decided it was the season to play with them right now. I simply held them down on white cardstock and sponged blue around them and came up with this cool background. I had been wanting to use the angel from Inkadinkado ever since it was given to me, and it worked great as the focal point. I embossed the silver card and added silver gems and I love how it turned out. Probably can't see, but I also highlighted some of the blue snowflakes with a silver pen.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stamps R Us Challenge

The challenge this week at Stamps R Us was to create a holiday card. I made something similar to this at our local Stamp Shoppe (click on button on side of my blog to see more of Heidi's neat stuff) and loved it, so cased it for my card. The base is light green paper embossed with a CB embossing folder with the cardinal and branch and snowflakes. I sponged the cardinal red, added the sentiment (Inkadinkado) through a hole cut with a nestie, added the ribbon and pearls and layered on red and then on the light green card.

Stamping smiles, Karen

LPSC96 Funky Edge Card

The challenge this week at Little Paper Shop was to create a funky edge on our cards. Considering I am addicted to punches and in particular, border punches, this was pretty easy for me. I used a deep Martha Stewart floral border punch, a SU embossing folder, my Scor-Pal, a Denami stamp and a flower and gem to make this CAS but elegant card.

Going to visit my daughter and her family this weekend to celebrate her birthday- Happy Birthday Marie!! Will be back blogging for a few days next week, then off to my son's wedding!!

Stamping smiles, Karen

Craft Your Days Away Challenge

The challenge this week at Craft Your Days Away was to use texture in our cards. I love to use embossing folders to do just that in many of my cards. I made this card using the UU chalice symbol for a craft fair at my daughter's fellowship this weekend. I used a SU embossing folder on the card base front and also on the piece raised with mounting tape and layered on the front. The Core'dinations paper was sanded after embossing. I added a ribbon and some pearls for the finishing touch.

Stamping smiles, Karen

Stampin' For the Weekend & Totally Gorjus Challenges

The challenge this week at Stampin' for the Weekend was to use a winter theme and at Totally Gorjus was to use trees in our cards. I love this Tim Holtz embossing folder and in person it looks even prettier with the glitter on the two inside trees. The snowflake in the corner is also by Tim and the rest are stickers and a button. I woke up in the middle of the night with the idea of turning up the corner and adding a large Tim snowflake under the fold... I think it did turn out "totally gorjus":)

Stamping smiles, Karen

Cardvaarks Gift Card Holder

The challenge this week at Cardvaarks was to create a gift card holder. I saw one similar to this on-line and had to give it a try. The stamps are from Papertrey and I also used a Sizzix die, a CB embossing folder, nesties and a border punch from Martha Stewart. The top half circle opens and a gift card slides in a pocket under the "happy holidays" piece.


Stamping smiles, Karen