Just a few fun days left!

Hi Stamping Friends!!

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? I love me some good stuffing with a little gravy on it. YUM!!

Just want to remind you of all the fun happenings that are continuing at Stampin' Up!

Enjoy our Online Extravaganza with flash deals on select items and bundles at a 20%-50% discount! But quantities are limited, and this great opportunity only lasts from November 24 through December2, so get yours before they're gone.

Join Stampin’ Up! This Week to Save and Earn!

Get a 25 percent discount on the Starter Kit when you join Stampin’ Up! between November 24  and December 2 . You’ll receive all the same great products AND get five percent cash back on all commissionable orders placed in December.

Paper Pumpkin Prepaid Subscriptions are the perfect gift this holiday season-for friends, family, and yourself! A fully designed project kit will arrive each month with stamps, ink, and paper so anyone can skip to the fun.

It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Visit the Promotions page on my website to find out more details and to place your orders:

KRYSTAL'S CARDS WEBSITE

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Festival of Trees Club Kit - Part 2

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Today is Part 2 of the Festival of Trees Club card kit instructions. There were so many amazing ideas out on the web using this stamp set it was difficult to choose which ones to create for the kit. I also wasn't prepared to have 14 people join the club so I had to work around what supplies I had on hand. I was pleased with how everything came out and I hope my customers are too!!

OLD OLIVE CARD #1

Supplies:

Whisper White card base

Old Olive card stock layer

Whisper White card stock layer embossed with Large Polka Dot EF

Designer Series Paper 2 1/2 inch Circle (DSP patterns may vary)

Silver Glimmer 1 3/4 inch Circle

Real Red Modern Label piece

Whisper White card stock for stamping

Red Taffeta Ribbon (retired)

Rhinestone Jewels

Festival of Trees stamp set

Tree Punch

Old Olive ink

Real Red ink

Word Window punch (not shown)

Adhere Old Olive layer on to Whisper White card base. Attach Whisper White embossed layer on to Old Olive card stock. Glue Silver Glimmer circle on to DSP circle. Attach larger circle on to Whisper White layer using Stampin' Dimensionals. Stamp tree using any red ink you have. Punch out with tree punch. Adhere using Dimensionals. Stamp portion of sentiment and punch out. Adhere to Real Red Modern Label piece and attach to card using Dimensionals. Add rhinestones to tree. They have adhesive on the back. Just be careful when you lift them off the sheet. Tie taffeta ribbon to card.

**TIPS ON STAMPING A PARTIAL SENTIMENT**

When stamping only part of a sentiment, it is best to use markers. Color only the words you want to stamp and then "huff" (kind of like a small cough) on the stamp to add some moisture back to the ink. Make sure your stamp is completely clean before you attempt this technique or you might get some old ink where you don't want it. When stamping with markers on photopolymer stamps (like the Festival of Trees set) you need to be careful when you lift the stamp off the paper. Photopolymer stamps are extra sticky. That's what makes them stick to the clear blocks so well. But that extra stickiness also sticks to card stock, unless the stamp is covered in ink. When partial stamping, some of the words will not have ink on them, so they may stick to your paper. I found that the best way to avoid torn paper is to kind of "roll" the stamp off the paper instead of lifting it straight up. Practice a few times on some extra card stock to get the feel of it.

OLD OLIVE CARD #2

Supplies:

Whisper White card base

Old Olive card stock layer embossed with Large Polka Dot EF

Designer Series Paper 2 1/2 inch Circle (DSP patterns may vary)

Real Red 1 3/4 inch Circle

Whisper White 1 inch Circle

Whisper White card stock for stamping

Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

3 Designer Series Paper trees

Silver Glimmer star

Festival of Trees stamp set

Tree Punch

Real Red ink

Adhere Old Olive layer on to Whisper White card base. Glue Real Reds circle on to DSP circle. Attach larger circle on to Old Olive layer. Fold trees in half vertically. Glue three trees together.Attach to card using Stampin' Dimensionals.  Stamp portion of sentiment on 1" Whisper White circle. Adhere to card using Dimensionals. Add Glimmer star to top of tree using Dimensionals. Tie grosgrain ribbon to card.

Be sure to check out my Festival of Trees pin board for more fabulous ideas:

FESTIVAL OF TREES

Don't forget about the absolutely amazing Stampin' Up! sale going on all week long!! Visit my website to place your order ASAP. All items are only available while supplies last.

KRYSTAL'S ONLINE STAMPIN' STORE

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Festival Of Trees Club Kit- Part 1

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Whoop!! Whoop!! So excited for this post!! I tried out something new with my Stampin' Up! business and I'm so happy with the results. I call it my $25 Club and for the month of November I featured the Festival of Trees stamp set and matching Tree punch. Anyone who made a minimum $25 online purchase using a designated Hostess Code received a FREE card kit in the mail from me with supplies for four unique cards in each kit.

Here are the first two cards from the kit...

CHERRY COBBLER CARD #1

Supplies:

Whisper White card base

Cherry Cobbler card stock embossed with Perfect Polka Dots EF

Designer Series Paper (DSP patterns may vary)

Whisper White card stock for stamping

Burlap Ribbon

Champagne Glimmer Paper tree

Festival of Trees stamp set

Cherry Cobbler ink (any red will work)

Garden Green ink (any green will work)

Tree punch

Word Window punch (not shown)

Adhere Cherry Cobbler card stock on to Whisper White card base. Glue Designer Series paper on top of Cherry Cobbler piece. Attach Burlap ribbon. Stamp trees on to Whisper White card stock and then punch out using matching punch. Adhere trees using Stampin' Dimensionals. Stamp sentiment on to Whisper White card stock and punch out using Word Window punch or any punch you may have that will work. You can also cut out the sentiment by hand of you do not have a punch that will work. Attach with Dimensionals. If you do not have Stampin' Dimensionals, you can just glue down all your pieces flat on top of each other.

CHERRY COBBLER CARD #2

Supplies:

Whisper White card base

Cherry Cobbler card stock embossed with Perfect Polka Dots EF

Designer Series Paper (DSP patterns may vary)

Whisper White card stock embossed with Fun Frame

Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon (retired)

Champagne Glimmer Paper tree

Champagne Glimmer Paper star

Whisper White card stock for stamping

Festival of Trees stamp set

Cherry Cobbler ink (any red will work)

Garden Green ink (any green will work)

Tree punch

Word Window punch (not shown)

Adhere Cherry Cobbler card stock on to Whisper White card base. Glue Designer Series paper on top of Cherry Cobbler piece. Use a small paper snips to cut out the embossed Frame and attach it to the DSP layer. Stamp tree on to Whisper White card stock and then punch out using matching punch. Adhere trees and Glimmer star using Stampin' Dimensionals. Stamp sentiment on to Whisper White card stock and punch out using Word Window punch. Attach with Dimensionals. If you do not have Stampin' Dimensionals, you can just glue down all your pieces flat on top of each other. Tie Taffeta Ribbon to the top of your card. 

All month long I've been pinning tons of fabulous ideas using the Festival of Trees stamp set and matching Tree punch. You can see my board here:

FESTIVAL OF TREES

Don't forget about the absolutely amazing Stampin' Up! sale going on all week long!! Visit my website to place your order ASAP. All items are only available while supplies last.

KRYSTAL'S ONLINE STAMPIN' STORE

I'll be back tomorrow to share the other two cards in the card kit. Until then...

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Adhesive Tip and Tricks

Hi Stamping Friends!!

As I was taking pictures for my Festival of Trees Card Kits Tutorial, I realized gals may ask what kind of adhesive I used while making the cards. So here is a little run down on the adhesives I personally like the best and what I use them for.

CARD STOCK

When I adhere layers of card stock, my favorite adhesive is the multi-purpose glue. It's fast, easy to use, and you have a little bit of time to adjust the layers to get them straight before it completely adheres. It also works great on card stock that has been embossed. I love that it has two different sized tips. The small one is great for gluing punch art pieces together and the larger one is perfect for adhering large layers of card stock together.

The most common card stock adhesive is Snail. Inexpensive, double-sided tape that also works great. Our newest adhesive, Fast Fuse works just like the Snail dispenser, but it is a much stronger adhesive and their is no forgiveness in it. Once you put two pieces of card stock together with Fast Fuse, they are stuck forever or until you rip them apart.

RIBBON

There are three different adhesives I like to use to adhere ribbon to my projects. I use all three intermittently, however the mood strikes. They all work great. Fast Fuse is probably the easiest, Sticky Strip is the strongest, and Glue Dots are the most convenient. Another way to add ribbon to your project without tying it on, is to use brads.

Glue Dots can also be used to adhere other embellishments to your projects like buttons, small punch art, rhinestones, silk flowers, etc. It is my go-to embellishment adhesive.

DIMENSIONALS

Probably my most favorite adhesive of all time is Stampin' Dimensionals. These are puffy, little hexagons that are sticky on both sides. You use them to lift your elements up off of your card base.

I think Dimensionals are what gives a handmade card that extra "WOW" factor. It lifts the pieces right off the page giving you that extra dimension that a flat store bought card just doesn't have.

The adhesives are found on page 204 of the Stampin' Up! catalog. 

Hope this helps you out!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Online Extravaganza 2014!!!

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

Super exciting news!! The Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza starts on Monday, November 24 with select items (including Paper Pumpkin Kits!) and bundles at discounted prices. 

Plus there will be limited time door-busters on November 24 and December 1. 

You don't want to miss them!! 

This sale lasts from November 24 through December 2, or while supplies last. 

Great time to shop for all the crafters on your Christmas list!!

Here is what will be on sale...

Door Buster Sale on November 24 ONLY

While supplies last:

Items at 20% off

While supplies last:

Items 30% off

While supplies last:

Items 40% off

While supplies last:

Items 50% off:

While supplies last:

Door Buster Sale on December 1 ONLY

While supplies last:

I can't believe how many great items are on sale!! I definitely plan on buying the Blendabilities Bundle. Merry Christmas to me!!!

Visit my website on Monday to place your order: 

KRYSTAL DE LEEUW

Happy Shopping!!

and

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Give thanks for all things

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Each month I create and mail out between 20 to 30 thank you cards to send to the generous folks who have donated to our crazy church planting endeavor. But this month my little paper creations just did not seem like enough. If you want to read my thoughts on that subject, visit my blog post on our family blog: We R Livin' Crazy.


If you want to see one of the cards I mailed this month, continue on. :)

Stamps: For All Things

Paper: Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Hello Honey, Cajun Craze

Accessories: Banner Framelits, Woodgrain EF, Burlap Ribbon, and Early Espresso Stitched Grosgrain (retired). The leaf was cut by hand.

I love the fall look of this set. So pretty. And very easy to use with the solid images. 

True confession. I did not send out 30 of this exact card. I had made and mailed this card to some of my stamping customers and had a few leftovers. The other cards I made were a simpler version of this. And I try and use up as much retired products on my monthly thank you's as possible. Whereas with my stamping customers I always try and use the latest and greatest Stampin' Up! products possible!!

I've been working on getting all of my November $25 Club Festival of Trees card kits ready and mailed. So stay tuned to find out what is included in the kits.

Also, Stampin' Up! announced that they will be having an amazing sale starting THIS Monday!! So come back here for details on how you can save BIG on some of your favorite stamping products.

And I'm planning my December $25 Club. So be sure to check in on Dec. 1st to find out what set I will be featuring.

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Festival of Trees on Girl's Night

Hi Stamping Friends!!!

Last night I had my first stamping Girl's Night Out in Oceanside. Man I missed stamping with a group of girls!! I had five new friends come stamp with me and we had a blast. None of them had stamped before so that was even more exciting!!

We used the Festival of Trees stamp set and matching Tree Punch for all of our creations. I wanted to keep things simple because they were all beginners, so we only used Real Red and Garden Green ink. Here are the projects we made...

Stamps: Festival of Trees, Petite Pairs

Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, Retired DSP

Accessories: Decorative Dots EF, Misc. Circle Punches, Tree Punch, Large Rhinestone Jewels, Silver Ribbon

This one is my favorite out of the set. I love the Garden Green and White color combo with just a hint of silver sparkle. I saw a similar layout on "the net" and switched it up to my style.

Stamps: Festival of Trees

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Silver Glimmer

Accessories: Large Polka Dots EF, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Tree Punch, Word Window Punch, Star Punch (retired), Silver Brads, Red Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

Another card layout I found online and changed up a bit. I goofed on the stamping on this one, but decided to leave it instead of fixing it. Handmade does not need to be perfect.

Stamps: Festival of Trees

Paper: Whisper White, Retired DSP

Accessories: Tree Punch, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Red Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Baker's Twine

After stamping we enjoyed Taco Soup and desserts. Tina brought a delicious almond kringle (My first one and it was wonderful!) and Miranda brought a yummy purple Filipino cake. I had so much fun getting ready for our Girl's Night Out. I can't wait to do it again!

In fact, I would love to do more stamping with groups. So if you are in the Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Diego Counties and want something fun to do with friends, coworkers, mommy groups, women's Bible study, or whatever, give me a call. I'd love to stamp with you!!! 559.303.2633

And don't forget about the November $25 Club. Only a few more days to qualify and receive your FREE Festival of Trees Card Kit in the mail.

Check out this blog post for more info:  NOVEMBER $25 CLUB

For more ideas, visit my Festival of Trees Pinterest Board

And don't forget to become a fan of my Facebook page:

KRYSTAL'S CARDS STAMPIN UP

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Krystal

Festival of Trees Girl's Night Out Invite

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Throughout my Stampin' Up! career, I have done many things to help promote my business. I've done craft fairs, stamp-a-stacks, crops, workshops, etc. But by far, my favorite class I've ever done is when I had my monthly hostess club.  

I had six gals commit to purchasing $25 of Stampin' Up! per month for six months. During that time, they had the opportunity to "be the hostess" and receive all the Host Benefits for their designated month. We would meet once a month at my house to stamp together and place our orders.

The hostess club went on for about three years. Many gals were members for all three years. Others coming and going and new friendships formed.

These sweet gals are some of my very best stamping friends ever. We laughed and cried and complained together. We went through babies and cancer and teenagers together. And of course we stamped together. It goes without saying that I miss our monthly get-togethers immensely.

Our last time meeting together was in June and "the stamp ladies" (as my family always loving referred to them as) presented me with a going-away gift. Needless to say I was more than a little emotional.

Since I finally have started stamping again, I want to find more gals to stamp with me. So I'm hosting a Christmas Cards and Crafts Girl's Night Out. This is not a workshop. There will be no Stampin' Up! sales pitch. I don't even plan on handing out catalogs (unless they ask of course!). I just want to enjoy the fun of sitting around a table with a group of women, laughing because they can't open the stamp pad. Or they made their card upside-down. Or all the other crazy stuff that happens when women and ink and paper get together. :)

Here is my invite:

Stamps: Festival of Trees, Sassy Salutations

Ink: Garden Green, Real Red

Paper: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer

Accessories: Filigree Frame EF, Tree Punch, Star Punch (retired... I need to order the new Itty Bitty one!), Silver Ribbon

If you are in the North County San Diego area and want to join us on Sunday, November 16th, call or text me. We would love for you to join us!!

Some of my non-online stamping friends will be receiving this same card inviting them to join my November $25 Club.

For more info on how the club works, visit this blog post...

NOVEMBER $25 CLUB FESTIVAL OF TREES

I set up a Festival of Trees board on Pinterest with lots of great stamping ideas:

FESTIVAL OF TREES

Visit my website between now and November 20th to place your $25 order and receive your FREE Festival of Trees card kit in the mail:

KRYSTAL'S CARDS

And don't forget to follow my Facebook page for up-to-date Stampin' Up! info, ideas, and just plain fun!!

KRYSTAL'S CARDS STAMPIN' UP

If you have any questions, you can call or text me: 559.303.2633

Or email me at krystalscards(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Happy Stamping!!

Krystal

November 2014 $25 Club: Festival of Trees

Hi Stamping Friends!!

Long time no blog!!!! I'd make excuses and all for being MIA, but I don't have enough time to explain all that has happened since I blogged last. In a nut shell, we moved 4 hours south and are now living in North County San Diego and we love it!!!!

Since I had to leave all my amazing and awesome stamping friends in Tulare County, I am trying to find a way to stay connected with them. So I am starting the "$25 Club".

Here's how it works...

Go to my website between November 1st through November 20th and place a minimum order of $25 using the Hostess Code:

2DVW4FS2

On November 25th I will mail a FREE card kit featuring the Festival of Trees stamp set and matching Tree Punch to everyone who has placed a $25 order with me. 

It is very important that you use the Hostess Code when placing your order. 

The card kits will contain all the necessary supplies to make four cards. Two cards of 2 different designs. You just need adhesive. Per Stampin' Up! regulations, I can not stamp anything for you. All stamping must be done by YOU!! :)

You do not need to purchase the Festival of Trees stamp set in order to be eligible for the FREE card kit, but since the kit will be based on this set, it might be a great idea. :)

The Festival of Trees stamp set and matching Tree Punch are featured on page 24 of the Holiday Catalog. You can purchase them as a bundle with a 15% savings for only $27.95. The bundle product number is 137640.

Another way to receive a FREE card kit in the mail is to place your own $150 order without using the Hostess Code. By placing your own $150 order you are eligible for Hostess Benefits and can earn Host Dollars to purchase any Stampin' Up! item in the catalog.

I set up a Festival of Trees board on Pinterest with lots of great stamping ideas:

FESTIVAL OF TREES

Visit my website between now and November 20th to place your $25 order and receive your FREE Festival of Trees card kit in the mail:

KRYSTAL'S CARDS

If you have any questions, you can call or text me: 559.303.2633

Or email me at krystalscards(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Happy Stamping!

Krystal