My 500th Post!!!

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Today is a pretty exciting day here at the blog! This is my 500th post!!!! I started my blog in October 2008 so it only took me five years to get to 500. :)  I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in June 2006. After a few months, I stumbled on to an online stamping community called Splitcoast Stampers. At the time, it was strictly Stampin' Up! stampers and through them I discovered a ton of stamping techniques and also found out about blogging!! 

Here is the first card that I ever posted to my blog (not the first card I ever stamped, just the first card on my blog):

Even though this card is 5 years old, I still like it!! I used to be involved in lots of online challenges, which I loved doing and "met" so many wonderful stampers through. But I discovered as my kids got older (and busier!) that I just didn't have the time to invest in participating in challenges. Now I usually only use my blog to share things we've made at my monthly hostess club meetings. Maybe someday I'll get back into the social aspect of blogging, but right now I'm just happy if I post once a month!!

I do have something new to share with you today as well. I made these "bow angels" for my club gals. I wanted to show them soemthing fun they could make with the Gift Bow die. I love that thing!!

Stamps: None

Paper: Shimmery White, Silver Glimmer, Blush Blossom (retired)

Accessories: Gift Bow die, Beautifully Baroque EF, Rhinestone Jewels, Round and Scallop punches

I've seen various versions of this cute "bow angel" around the internet and had to try one for myself. I love how it turned out!! I've seen it used as an ornament, as a package decoration, or on the front of cards. So fun!!

I also want to take a minute to thank all of you who have encouraged me along my stamping journey by your kind comments over the years. They are deeply appreciated!! Not sure how gals did it before the rise of the internet, but I'm glad I've had the support, encouragement, and advice from so many amazing stampers throughout the whole world!! 

Thanks also to all of you who stop by to see what I've been up to lately.

And most of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of my faithful Stampin' Up! customers. Without each and every one of you, there would be no need for this blog and no way I would still be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator after seven years!!! You guys are AWESOME!!!

Here's to the next seven years wth Stampin' Up! and the next 500 blog posts!!! :)

Happy Stamping!! 

Krystal

Festive Flurry Circle Card

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

Today's card is one we made at my monthy hostess stamping club way back in November. It uses the "new" Cicrle Card Thinlit. I say "new" with parentheses, because the Thinlits are not super new, but fairly new. They have been out for a few months, but I did not buy them when the first came out, so they are new to me and my stampers. The bummer thing about the Thinlits is they do not appear in any of our current catalogs. So if your demonstrators has not shown them to you, that's probably why you have not seen them. There is also a Label Card Thinlit that Mr. Brown should be delivering to my door sometime this week. :)


Outside:

 Inside:

Stamps: Festive Flurry, Tags 4 You

Paper, Whisper White, Winter Frost DSP Paper Stack, Silver Foil Paper

Accessories: Label Bracket Punch, Circle Card Thinlit, Circle Framelits, Circle Punch, Festive Flurry Framelits, Northern Flurry EF, Silver Ink, Rhinestone Jewel

I can't believe Christmas is only a week away!! How are your Christmas "chores" coming along? Have you sent out Christmas cards? How is the present buying coming? My cards are sent and I only have a few presents left to buy.

If you still need to buy that special something for the crafter in your life (or for yourself!) be sure to visit my Stampin' Up! website and take advantage of the amazing deals going on during our Clearance Rack Blitz. There are some great products at super low discounted prices. But you need to hurry!! The sale is only while supplie last.

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Mosaic Madness Christmas Tree

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Wow!! Can you believe I'm posting again?!! Blogging is like that for me. Sometimes I have the time to post everyday and sometimes I don't. Actually, the real secret as to why I've been posting more is because I have been skipping my morning walk and blogging instead. I should be tying up my tennies right now but truthfully? IT'S TOO COLD!!! Instead I'm snuggled under a cozy blanket, sipping hot coffee and enjoying my warm house. :) Once I realize that my thighs don't take kindly to a sedentary lifestyle, you probably won't see me on the web as much. 

But since I'm here, I might as well show you another card that we created at my December stamp club. This card, like all my cards, was CASEd (inspired by) from various cards I saw on the internet. Thanks goes to the original designer(s) for sharing their mad stamping skills with the world!!

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Petite Pairs (sentiment)

Paper: Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Season of Style DSP

Accessories: Mosaic punch, Oval punch (retired), Itty Bitty Shapes punch (circle), Cupcake punch (tree base), Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Rhinestone Jewels

I know Christmas is still 2 weeks away, but last week I received my Stampin' Up! Occasions and Sale-A-Bration pre-order and now I have Valentine cards on the brain!! I'm also trying to plan some classes for February and March. And even possibly something in January. We shall see. I'm always super excited when I get new stampin' stuff and then I realize I have this thing called a family and for some reason they think they need food to eat and clean clothes to wear. Every. Single. Day. I don't know what's up with that?! :)

Don't forget to stop by my Stampin' Up! website and place your Clearance Rack order. Items are disappearing quickly!!

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Hope you are enjoying a warm and cozy day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Rudolph Treat Bag

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Here's a little treat bag we made at our stampin' club last week...

Paper: Season of Style DSP

Accessories: Tag A Bag Gift Bags, Gift Bow Die, Autumn Accents Die, Woodgrain EF, Oval Framelits, Circle Punches, Corduroy Button (retired), Black Polka Dot Ribbon (retired)

I CASEd this cutie from Julie Pitta at Thoughts That Stick. I changed it up a bit by using a leaf from the Autumn Accents die for his antlers. I also didn't have enough red buttons so I looked through my retired stash and found these Corduroy Buttons that worked perfectly!!

Speaking of retired... have you checked out the Clearance Rack yet?! So many great items at drastically reduced prices. Last time I looked, that Black Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon was available.

Here is a link to my Stampin' Up! website:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Cute story about the Rudolph bag. One of my club stampers has young children and they have Jingle the Elf that visits their house during the month of December. One morning Jingle brought back a gift from the North Pole that the kids could open after school. Her 7 year old son looked around and asked, "Where is the present?". She replied, "I guess it's that bag right there." To which he responded, "Oh. I just thought that was something you made." Oops!! Mom almost got caught by her mad stamping skills!!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Christmas Cards from 2012

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

After looking back through my card pictures, I realized that I never blogged about the Christmas cards I created last year. Not sure why, but it seems like a shame not to share them with you. Some of these stamp sets are already retired. But on the upside of waiting so long, some of the products I used on these cards are now available on the Clearance Rack!  :)

The sentiment on most of these cards comes from the stamp set Greetings For the Season. Which I think is still available, even though it is not featured in the main catalog. 

Items you can purchase at my online store that are on the Clearance Rack include Be of Good Cheer DSP, Candlelight DSP, and the Snowflake die. Visit my Stampin' Up! store today as these items are only available while supplies last!!

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Just click on the SHOP button on the top right and then when you get to the shopping page, look on the left sidebar for the Clearance Rack button.

I will have more current Christmas cards coming soon. Stay tuned!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Top Note Santa

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

Today I have another card from Sunday's stamp club. This card is not a "new" idea, but it was new to me and my stampers, since we've never made one. It's a Top Note Santa and he's adorable!! I took a bunch of ideas I saw on the internet and combines them to come up with this:

Stamps: none

Paper: Gumball Green, Real Red, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, Blush Blossom (retired), Be of Good Cheer DSP (retired)

Accessories: Top Note Die, Small Oval Punch (nose), 1/2" Circle Punch, (eyes), Bird Builder Punch (mustache), Adorning Accents (scallop edge on hat), Real Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Manhattan Flower EF (retired)

I usually don't like to use retired products on cards I make for my club gals, but this time it worked to my advantage because some of the retired products I used on this card are now on the Clearance Rack!!!!

Today Stampin' Up! added TONS of products to the Clearance Rack!!! And some of them are as low as only 99 cents!!! 

Be of Good Cheer DSP #126896  ONLY $4.39

Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder #114517  ONLY $4.79

Don't wait to visit my online store because these items are only available while supplies last!! http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Be sure to click on the SHOP button in the top right corner. Then you can click on the Clearance Rack Blitz link on the left sidebar.

One of my favorite retired products that I may just have to get an extra of is the Table Top Cutter:

Tabletop Paper Cutter #106959  ONLY $27.59

Such great deals!!! So go shop today and put your own present under the tree this year!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Festive Flurry

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I had a wonderful day yesterday stamping with my club gals!!! They are so fun to hang out with. And what's even better is that they put up with me and my crazy schedule. They are so easy and flexible. I'm looking forward to stamping another 6 months with them starting in January!!

Here is a card we made yesterday using the Festive Flurry stamp set and matching Framelits.

Stamps: Festive Flurries, Teeny Tiny Wishes (one of my favorites!!)

Paper: Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Winter Frost DSP Stack, Silver Foil, Silver Glimmer, Whisper White

Accessories: Festive Flurry Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Beautifully Baroque EF, Organza Ribbon, Silver Ribbon, Frosted Finishes Embellishments

I LOVE how this card turned out!! It's a mixture of cards that I saw floating around on the internet. There are so many talented stampers out there who are always willing to share and I appreciate their inspiration!! I hope stampers never stop sharing. What will I do?! I am the Major CASEr!! I pretty much "copy" at least one element on every card I make, if not the entire card!! :)

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!

Looking forward to sharing the rest of our Christmas stamping creations soon!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Prince of Peace

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I've got another card we made at last months stamp club. And it also uses some great products that are on sale RIGHT NOW!!

PRINCE OF PEACE

Stamps: Prince of Peace

Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Winter Frost DSP Stack, Silver Foil Sheet

Accessories: Deco Labels Framelits, Adorning Accents Edgelit, Delicate Designs EF, Adorning Accents EF, Silver Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels

I had been avoiding using my Edgleits, but with the Magnetic Platform, they are so easy to use now!! Three of my club gals ordered the Magnetic Platform after last months club. It just makes using all the Edgelits and Framelits so simple. No more slipping and sliding paper. No more taping stuff down. Whoever invented it is a genius!

Don't forget to do all your Christmas shopping for your crafty friends and family at our super Stampin' Up! Holiday Sale!

Here is a link to the HOLIDAY FLYER

And here is a link to my Stampin' Up! website so you can place your orders:

KRYSTALS CARDS

You can click on the HOLIDAY SALE button to see all the great savings. And don't forget to check out the Weekly Sales and the Clearance Rack. So many great bargains!!!

The Holiday Sale items I used on this card are:

#134811 Prince of Peace

#130102 Deco Labels Framelits

The sale ends on December 2nd so don't wait!! Place your order today!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Wonderful Blessing

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving week!! And Christmas is right around the corner!! I seriously haven't even thought about it yet. I don't even know what dishes I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner. Christmas is barely on my radar. But we did stamp some fun Christmas cards at my last stamping club. We have one more club time this year and then we start another 6 month go-round in January. My once-a-month stamp time with my "stamp ladies" is always a treat for me. Love those gals!!

WONDERFUL BLESSING

Stamps: Wonderful Blessing

Paper: Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer

Accessories: Paper Doilies, Rhinestone Jewels, Polka Dot EF

This card has a fun feature. It is a different fold than usual. It's called a tri-fold. 

The day I took these pics it was overcast and rainy so I did not have very good light. I wish they had turned out better. This card is really fun and sparkly with all the Rhinestones and Glimmer Paper. So just imagine it all pretty and shiny. :)

Don't forget to take advatage of the amazing Stampin' Up! Holiday Sale going on right now!!! 

Here is the link to the Holiday Sale Flyer

And here is a link to my Stampin' Up! Website

Here are the sale items that I used on this card:

#134779 Wonderful Blessing

#130911 Circle Framelits

#124005 Silver Glimmer Paper

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Gift Bow Christmas

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I've been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for over 7 years now. And everytime a new catalog comes out I "fall in love" all over again! There are so many products that I love, but some of my favorites are the accessories. Specifically the Big Shot accessories!! I can never say no to them! When the Holiday Catalog came I out I told myself I was not going to buy every new Big Shot item in it. I held off purchasing the Gift Bow die... for a while. But then I saw all of the amazing things other stampers were creating with it and I just HAD to have it!!

Stamps: Tags 4 You

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Silver Glimmer, Season of Style DSP

Accessories: Gift Bow Big Shot die, Label Bracket Punch, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Vintage Faceted Button, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

I saw this card online and CASEd it. So many talented stampers out there!! And I appreciate them all sharing with all of us "uncreative" sorts. :)  I love how it turned out. But the really fun part of this card is the inside...

What a fun way to give a gift card!! The card IS the gift! I love it! Of course I had no gift cards in my wallet. Just an old hotel "key". I CASEd this card from Linda Pittman who CASEd it from a card from convention. And I hope you will want to CASE it too!! After all, Stampin' Up!'s motto is: LOVE what you do and SHARE what you LOVE!!

UPDATE!!! I found the link to the card I CASEd from Linda Pittman at Stamp and Scrapper.

She lists the dimensions of the card. I used her dimensions. Funny thing. She also CASEd her card from one she saw at convention! I just love all the sharing going on!! :)

Don't forget about the AWESOME sale going on right now!! You can check out what is on sale HERE: 

http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/docs/holiday_sale/Holiday_Sale_Flyer_US.pdf

After you figured out your entire Christmas list, you can go to my website and shop to your hearts content HERE: 

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Items that I used on this card that are currently on sale:

127555   Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons   $4.17

124005   Silver Glimmer Paper   $3.47

And for the record, I don't own every Big Shot item in the catalog. But the Square Framelits are on sale, so you know I will be buying those!!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Stampin' Up! Holiday Sale!!!

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

So much excitement over in the Stampin' Up! world!!!! We are having a HUGE Holiday Sale!!! With tons of savings on your favorite products!!! For TODAY ONLY you can purchase the Stampin' Trimmer, Many Marvelous Markers, and Simply Scored Diagonal Plate for 30% OFF!!!

One of the stamp sets that is on sale through December 2nd is Sassy Salutations for only $12.57! It just so happens that we created the cutest card last month at my monthly stamp club and we used Sassy Salutations:

Stamps: Sassy Salutations, Perfect Blend, Sentsational Season (retired)

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Season of Style DSP

Accessories: Seaason of Style Washi Tape, Early Espresso Ribbon

I love how this card turned out!! I CASEd a few cards I saw on the online and sort of lumped them into. Love getting inspiration from other talented stampers!! The extra fun part about this card is the inside:

We created an envelope with the Envelope Punch Board so you can put a gift card inside!! I know all my friends appreciate gift cards to their favorite coffee shops.

So make sure you stop by my website TODAY and take advantage of this amazing sale!!

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/krystalscards/

Here is a pdf link to the Holiday Sale flier:

http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/docs/holiday_sale/Holiday_Sale_Flyer_US.pdf

Have fun shopping!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Krystal

Being Thankful

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Seems like every other person on Facebook is posting their daily "thankfulness" report this month. I think it is a great idea. I just think we should find something to be thankful for every day. Not just in the month of November. :) I absolutely love Ann Voskamp's book 1000 Gifts. If you haven't read it yet, you need to. She makes the point of how if we can be thankful in any and all situations, we will have more joy in our daily lives. I love this idea. It's easy to be thankful for the "big stuff", health, family, home, etc. But we need to remember to be thankful for the small stuff too. Those leaves that are falling off your trees and "messing up" your landscape? Be thankul for the cool shade they provided you this summer. That mess your daughter left on the table from her school project? Be thankful she is studious and worked so hard to complete her homework on time.

One thing I'm always thankful for is my awesome and amazing Stampin' Up! customers!! They definitely bring much joy to my life. Without my stamp club gals being excited every month to see something "new", I probably would have hung up my paper snips eons ago. :) I'm also super thankful for all my online customers. It is always a pleasant surprise to receive an email telling me I had an online order. It always makes my day!!

Here are a few cards we made at our September club:

Stamps: Tags 4 You, Gently Falling

Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Crushed Curry Paper Stack

Accessories: Chevron Ribbon, Label Bracket Punch, Square Lattice EF, Blossom Party die

Stamps: Gently Falling, Banner Greetings (hostess)

Paper:  Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Woodgrain EF, Burlap Trim

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Trust God, Everything Eleanor

Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Black, Modern Medley DSP, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Butterfly Punches, Modern Label Punch, Crochet Lace Trim, Ruffled Trim

All these cards were inspired (and maybe even outright copied!) from cards I spotted surfing around the internet. My favorite place to find gorgeous Stampin' Up! inspiration is on Stampin' Connection, a SU! demo only website. I also finds lots to admore on Pinterest. If you enjoy seeing all kinds of pinnable goodness, come follow me!! Search for Krystal's Cards Stampin Up! And you should be able to find me. :)

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!! This weekend we will be enjoying the beginning of water polo plat-offs. Plus it's time for another Stampin' Up! club. Looking forward to stamping with "the girls"!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

 

Backwards Trick or Treating

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I've never been a big Halloween fan. As a kid I hated dressing up. I was always shy and insecure and I never liked being "looked at". And when you don a costume and ring someone's doorbell, they are going to look at you!! :) But I tolerated the costume humility for the reward of getting some candy.

Fast forward to my own kids. Our church has had a "Harvest Party" for a hundred million years, so my older kids never had to do the trick or treat thing. But last year the church Trunk or Treat got cancelled and you know what happens then... nothing. It never comes back. The church Halloween party ship has sailed. So this is only the 2nd year ever in the last 20 years that I didn't have somewhere to go on Halloween. And since my 8yo is allergic to almost all candy known to man, there is no reason to go out and trick or treat.

So we thought we would do something different this year... Backwards Trick or Treating!! Instead of getting treats from our neighbors, we would give them some treats!! We decided to bake snickerdoodle cookies. We went out early, about 5:30 and knocked on all our neighbors doors. They were surprised when we handed them cookies and told them that we were not trick or treating. We wanted to give them a treat instead. It was very fun!!!

Of course I had to make them Stampin' Up! cute!!. Each Stampin' Up! cello bag has 6 cookies in it. I used some retired Baker's Twine and Ribbon to tie them closed. I used the Modern Label Punch and the Label Bracket Punch to make the tags. I love that the Tags 4 You stamp set coordinates with the Label Bracket Punch!! It makes it so quick and easy to make tags like this. The tags took hardly no time at all to make. We made 12 bags and gave all but 2 away. Some neighbors weren't home yet and I think some thought we were trick or treaters and didn't want to open the door. ;)

So if you want to try something new next year, go Backwards Trick or Treating and give a treat to your neighbors!! You could even make it more fun by dressing bakwards. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Halloween Haunts

Hi Stamping Friends!!

It' been awhile hasn't it? What can I say... It's water polo season!!!! :)  And now that we have two varsity players (man-child and sophomore daughter) I have NO time for stamping or blogging. And since man-child is a senior, we have a whole knew set of "stuff" to do. College visits, college applications, appointments with school counselors, senior pictures, school transcripts to send, essays to write, cap and gown to purchase, SATs, ACTs, FAFSA, etc., etc,. ect.!!! It's overwhelming!! But also very exciting!! Can't wait for him to experience the "next chapter" in his life.

I am so glad that I have my monthly stamping club to keep my head in the crafting world. If it wasn't for this great group of gals, I'm afraid my stamping skills would wither up and die! Here are the Halloween cards we made way back in August:

HALLOWEEN HAPPINESS

Stamps: Halloween Happiness

Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango DSP

Accessories: Bloack Polka Dot Ribbon (retired), Orange Stampin' Glitter, Dimensionals, Framelits

TAGS 4 YOU 

Stamps: Tags 4 You, Everything Eleanor

Paper: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain (retired), Balck Stampin' Glitter, Rhinestones, Framelits, Versamark Ink, Heat and Stick EP

THAT'S THE TICKET

Stamps: That's The Ticket

Paper:  Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango DSP

Accessories: Tasteful Trim die, Ticket Punch, Scoring Board, Clear Vintage Buttons, Striped EF

As you can tell, I really like the Stampin' Glitter!!! On the Halloween Happiness cards, we just used some Multipurpose Liquid Glue on our pumpkin and sprinkled some glitter right on the glue (it is best to do this AFTER your entire card is assembled or you will have to wait until the glue is completely dry to assemble your card). On the "Trick or Treat" card, we stamp our image using Versamark ink and then embossed it using Heat and Stick powder. Then we poured the Black Stampin' Glitter over the image. I love how they both turned out!!

On our "ticket" card, we rosettes using the scoring board. They are super easy. You just cut a strip of 12x12 paper (I think this was 1" wide). Score every 1/4" inch and then do a fan fold. You adhere both ends together and then glue it to a circle disc to hold it all in place.

I really LOVE our Multipurpose Liquid Glue. It is my "go to" adhesive. I use it on every card I make. It's really awesome to use when adhering embossed paper.

So glad I had a free weekend to finally write a blog post!! I probably won't be back for another month. There are two weeks left in our regular water polo season and then we head to play-offs!!! 

Have a fun and safe Halloween!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Krystal