Fall Cards for the October Stamp-a-Stack

Here are the Fall Cards we did for the October Stamp-a-Stack. I tried to make cards with images and colors for the fall, but I see there's one "stray" in the bunch.

We used some different products this time. Sometimes I find my self stuck in a rut and just using the same product time and again. I've been trying to stretch myself lately and use different products, so I wanted to give my stampers a chance to play with other products too.

Most recently I've been playing with the Treat Cups. If you've been following this blog then you may be aware of seeing several other posts about the Treat Cups. There are 2 shapes available: round and heart. They match a 1-3/4" circle punch and Stampin'UP!'s Full Heart Punch. We used the Round Treat Cup on the Sunflower Card. (upper left in the photo) The card we did at the Stamp-a-Stack is very similar to this card I made for a trade. I also used the sunflower on this card posted with the sunflowers from my daughter's wedding.

Two other new products we used are Stampin'UP!'s new Glitter Glass and the new Shaker Frames.

The Shaker Frames come as 6 sets of 6 different sized foam adhesive rings. That's 36 different rings total. We used them to make the penguin shaker card.

This card sparkles for several reasons: The Glitter Glass in the shaker window, the Self-Stick Rhinestones on the snowflakes and the paper itself is Shimmery White paper. 

The card itself is easy to make. 

• Emboss the Shimmery White piece using the Northern Flurry embossing folder
• Stamp the image - I used the penguin from Zoo Review
• Place a foam ring around the image
• Add some Glitter Glass to the ring
• Add the "LID" to the ring to keep the glitter in.
• Put the layer on the card base - I used Pool Party
• Add a few Self-Adhesive Rhinestones and voila!

Making the lid involves several layers. The bottom layer, closest to the foam ring, is a 2" acetate circle to keep the glitter contained. The next layer must have a hole so you can see the image. For the scallop we used the 1-3/8" circle punch for the actual window and the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch around it. I added a top ring to frame the window using the 1-3/8" circle punch for the hole in the middle and the 1-3/4" circle punch for the ring.  CAUTION: punch the inner hole (ie the window hole) first and then center the larger punch around the hole. 

Would you like to make a Window Card?  Get all the supplies to make this card HERE .  I appreciate your business and am ALWAYS willing to answer your questions about how to make projects.

101910 . . . Shimmery White Paper
120902 . . . Northern Flurry Embossing Folder
120995 . . . Silver Glitter Glass
124155 . . . Shaker Rings
114323 . . . Acetate Window Sheets
122924 . . . Pool Party CardStock
119850 . . . 1-3/4" Circle Punch
119860 . . . 1-3/8" Circle Punch
118874 . . . 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch
119960 . . . 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
119246 . . . Self-Adhesive Rhinestones
113439 . . . Big Shot Machine

Don't have a Big Shot?  Want one for FREE?! Read more about Stampin'UP!'s October only promotion. Do the math for yourself. $175 = $345+$99.99 . . . . WOW! Almost $500 worth of product for less than $200. Unbelievable numbers. Love the math. Buy the Starter Kit Now

wait a minute: Can it get any better?  Yes it can!  Buying that Starter Kit means you've "joined the Stampin'UP! family" and you automatically get an additional 20% off your purchases. 

Great! Can it get any better? Yes it Can! Once you "join" you have access to a company sponsored support website. This website has all kinds of ideas for both business minded demos and for hobbyists. There is also a monthly magazine. And you can attend national and regional stamping events.

Amazing, can it get any better? Yes it can! Your first qualifying purchase after buying the Starter Kit is actually a 30% discount.

Wow, can it get any better? Yes it Can! If you join with me you also get access to an exclusive website that I maintain for my downline. It has additional images of card ideas and business ideas. Including ideas for how to start your own clubs and classes for your friends and neighbors and how to meet new customers. This is a wonderful perk for people in my downline and a perfect way for me to support people who are not local to my area of Wisconsin. By joining me you will also be joining a larger group of locally active demonstrators and have access to our monthly and quarterly meetings. For people who are not local, my website allows you to benefit from all the business and project information that comes from being part of our group.

• For the hobbyist: It is an excellent way to build your skills and knowledge about the craft. 
• For a business builder: You have a strong support team 
  

Rest assured, there is no obligation to run a business or to become an active demonstrator.. . .You are just getting a whole lot of product (granted in one lump sum) for a really amazing price. You can also be confident that when and if you're ready for it,  the business support is there too.  And for me, this has been a really, really fun way to start a business.

Could this be the right thing for you right now? Call me and let me answer your questions. 608-220-3450

More coming soon with details on other individual cards.

Happy Stamping
--Katie

Treat Cups: How to Get at the Contents

Do you like to send treats for Halloween? Stampin'UP!'s Treat Cups make a great container for a few goodies. They have an adhesive ring base to hold them to the card, but that can also make it difficult to get at the contents. Keep reading to see one solution.

First: a few words about the Treat Cups. They are available in both round and heart shape and they are designed to work with the 1-3/4" circle punch and Stampin'UP!'s Full Heart Punch. Stampin'UP! does a nice job of supporting their punch designs with coordinating stamp sets.

Something Sweet

Sweet Centers

Sweet Snowglobe

Sweetheart

These sets do a nice job of covering the Holidays. Aren't they just the cutest? Look at all the different shapes you can make: a hot air balloon, gum ball machine, flowers, a snow globe and a baby rattle. Ok, now the creative juices are flowing, I'm thinking porthole on a ship, a bug's head . . .

Now, imagine what you could put in these shapes. The snow globe could hold glitter or mica flakes. The Baby rattle could hold beads. And the Hot Air Balloon and Hearts could hold all kids of goodies! Check out this cute SnowMan and SunFlower. At $2.95 for a box of 12 this has definite possibilities! And speaking of possibilities, I have a list of over 50 different things you can use for fillers and ideas for ways to use them. Send me an email if you'd like the list - just ask for the Treat Cup Fillers List. StampLadyKatie@aol.com

Now lets talk about using them. The simplest, easiest way is to:

• stamp the image on a card 
• fill the Treat Cup with the goodies
• peel off the protective ring from the adhesive
• stick the ring to the card.

Imagine getting this in the mail from your friend. "Sweet!, Looks good enough to eat", you say. But . . . you can't access the goodies without destroying the card.


Here is one solution to getting at the contents: make a secret trap door on the back of the card. This will involve making layers on the card. This series of photos shows you a card made with the Delicate Doilies Stamp Set. I found a package of erasers whose colors seemed to coordinate with Stampin'UP!'s Melon Mambo, Concord Grape and Daffodil Delight. ( I love how well Stampin'UP!'s colors coordinate with today's fashion colors! - just like the colors of the M&M's here)

Anyway, one eraser fit just perfectly inside a round Treat Cup. The easy access is with an extra piece on the back, held on with a brad, that rotates out of the way to allow access to the contents. Now I didn't want the brad legs to show through on the front of the card so thats where the layers come in, they hide the brad legs.

I'm glad there were lots of erasers in the package because I have 4 little nieces that would just love to get this card. Actually I'll bet they'd love to actually MAKE the cards too!

Cooking and crafting with kids is a great adult child bonding experience. And Stampin'UP! offers many products to support strengthening family relationships

• The Treat Cups are one Example
• If you like to give home made cookies, be sure to check out the new Cookie Press Stamps.
• Also be sure to check out the new Long Cellophane Bags found on page 11 in the Holiday Mini Catalog
• And there are lots of stamp sets that kids just love: we have some great Halloween Stamps as well as stamps sets with ponies, and monsters and bulldozers . . .

You can see them all on the on-line catalog or contact me for a your own catalog.

You can shop for these and any other Stampin'UP! product HERE
I appreciate your business, be sure to let me know if you have any questions about any product OR how to use the product.

Happy Stamping
--Katie

Mom and Me Projects: Treat Cups, Glitter and Candy

Stamping together is a great way to spend some quality time with the children in your life. *There is a joy in creating things together. *You gain new insight into your children's thinking process as you help them think through the steps to a project. *You strengthen your relationship as you help your child succeed at a task they perceived as being hard.  These events are designed to help build the relationship: parent/child, grandparent/child, aunt, uncle, cousin, big sister . . . what ever the relationship is, the Mom and Me Stamp Camps will help create common memories.

Stampin'UP! has many products that are well suited to Kids Projects. This picture shows the 3 projects we did at the October Mom and Me. Would the children in your life enjoy making these projects? We usually do 2 cards and 1 3D item often with candy. Leave a comment below and let me know of any great Kid Projects you've made.

For the candy bag we used the new long cellophane bags introduced in the Holiday Mini Catalog on page 11.  The flowers are made with the 1-3/4" scallop circle punch for the Daffodil and the 2-1/2" scallop circle punch for the Tangerine. We used the Blossom Builder Punch for the leaves. And our 3/4" circle punch is just the right size for the center of the flower. And can you tell from the photo that the petals are turned up?  We used the bone folder to curl the petals. I always try to include at least one punch art project. Check out this punch art car we made at the August Mom and Me event.

We used the 2 Tag Punches and the Linen Thread to create a little label. The words on the label say "sweet treats" and are from the Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Isn't it great how well the M&M colors match the Stampin'UP! colors: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso. I'd love to be able to tell you this was all part of a grand plan, but I'm sure its just a happy accident. And some lucky person gets to eat them! As we make our projects we always discuss WHO we are going to give them to. I think its important to for kids to grow up thinking about sharing themselves and thinking about their relationships with others.

The bottom project uses the Treat Cups. These come in either round or heart shape and match our 1-3/4" circle punch and the Full Heart Punch. More details on this card in a future post.

The card in the upper right uses scrap Designer Paper for the candles. The flame was stamped with two of the petal images from the Build a Blossom Stamp Set. We used the 2-way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make the flame sparkle. A little 1/4" White Grosgrain ribbon sets off the Concord Grape card base very nicely.

This is a fairly new class with a growing list of participants. We usually have them the 2nd Saturday of the month. These projects went together quickly - the whole event is under 90 minutes. I like to design the projects so that each one is only about 20-30 minutes. If you'd like to share in this adult/child stamping experience then be sure to check the calendar for future dates. Also be sure you are on my Newsletter List so you'll get emails about class projects.

I've also done private in-home parties for your child and their friends. Contact me (608-220-3450) to see how I can help with your Birthday Party, Girl Scout Project or just friends getting together. Its all about making memories and building relationships. 

 And, speaking of relationships - feel free to contact me with any questions
--Katie

Snowman Sweet Treat Cup Trade Card

Yesterday you saw one of my Sweet Treat Cup Trades - the Sunflower Card. Here is another of my trades, this one is a snowman. I had so much fun making these cards.

The background on this card uses the snowflakes from Simply Swirled. They are clear embossed on Whisper White card stock with Night of Navy sponged on top.

The Hat uses the Modern Label Punch and the Large Tag Punch. The flower is from the Boho Blossom Punch with a silver brad in the center.

His scarf and the band on the hat are both made with the new 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon in Cherry Cobbler (found in the new Holiday Mini Catalog). This was the first time I'd used that ribbon and I really like the texture and how well it keeps its shape. The scarf clasp is one of the Designer Filigree Brads (item #112577)

The googly eyes are adhered to the cup with Mini Glue Dots. The nose is just cut free hand from Cajun Craze.

And his face is filled with a cotton ball. Now, I know these Sweet Treat Cups are supposed to contain something "sweet" (i.e. candy!). But oh my goodness, the possibilities for filler material are endless. Think rice, popcorn, cookie sprinkles, money, tinsel,marshmallows, glitter, birdseed, cat food, dog food, peppermint patty, paper confetti . . . Email me with your suggestions and I'll compile and post a list.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. And if you are local, then plan to attend the Stamp-a-Stack this weekend. We will be making one of my trade cards as part of the class.

Contact me with any questions
Happy Stamping
--Katie

Sunflower Sweet Treat Cup Card

Yikes its the end of September and time to start thinking about Halloween treats. I participated in a Sweet Treat Cup trade with some fellow demos and boy did I get some great ideas. Here is one of my trade cards, made using the Sunflower Background Stamp.

The idea of the trade was to stock up on samples for the upcoming holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas . . . But having just made this sunflower card as a thank-you for a friend I was struck by how perfectly the Sweet Treat Cups would fit into the center of the Sunflower image. And then of course, the perfect filler was sunflower seeds.

The sentiment on this card is from a stamp set called Oval All. Its hard to see in the photo but there is one tiny Self-Stick Pearl in on the decorative swirls beneath the words. The perfect accent to draw a little attention to the sentiment piece without competing for attention with the sunflower seeds in the Sweet Treat Cup.

Over the next week or so I'll post some of the other cards from the trade so you should definitely be checking back. There were some really creative projects that you'll want to see.

The Sweet Treat Cups are available in 2 shapes: a circle shape - for use with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch, or a Heart Shape, for use with the Full Heart Punch (#119882). StampinUP! also carries a padded envelope perfect for mailing your Sweet Treat Cup projects. 
Click here to order the Treat Cups, envelopes or punches 24/7 online.

item #116802 $2.95/ pkg of 12	item #120435 $2.95/ pkg of 12	padded envelopes item #116911
item #119850 - $16.95	item #119883 - $16.95

Contact me with any questions
Happy Stamping
--Katie