Bown Family 2013 Christmas Card

Our Christmas Card this year turned out fantastic! I absolutely LOVE it! Sometimes I wonder how I am going to top my card from last year and well I always do.

As always the card has a tree on it. I just have to have a Christmas Tree on my Christmas card each year.

I wanted it to look like the kids were looking from behind the tree and I think I accomplished that very well.

CBK Tutorials

I am so excited! I finally managed to get all of my tutorials posted here on the blog!

Please feel free to use them at your will.

Stopping my SU! Demonstratorship

Unfortunately I have had to stop my SU! Demonstratorship. If you are one of my customers I have sent you a new catalog and a letter explaining why I needed to end my Demonstratorship. I will continue to stamp but need to change my focus in life. I hope you all understand. I have included the name of a new SU! Demo that is in Mays Landing.

As I make new cards I will continue to post them on my blog as well as all of my other projects and life's events.

I will also continue to post directions (especially several from the past that I haven't had a chance to post).

I wish you all the best! Please feel free to contact me at any time if you need help with your stamping or would just like to chat!

Surgery

Well I am not healed and the doc has to redo my surgery. BUMMER!

I am not looking forward to having the surgery again. But she said it has to be done. They tried to get me in today but the Surgical Center didn't have any openings. I am waiting to hear from them to see when they can fit me in. Hopefully it will be this week!

I'm in pain and am trying not to pay attention to it but it is hard not to.

Needless to say I will not be having a stamp camp this month. I will need time to recoop.

Stamp Classes

I am in the process of posting my stamp classes for the year. Please be patient as it will take the rest of the weekend to get everything on here.

FYI: I may have to have breast surgery again this month so the January class may not happen. I should know by Monday morning. Wish me luck!

Card Tutorials

SOrry I'm behind on getting the tutorials posted. I will try my best to get them all on this week. If there is something specific you need please feel free to drop me an email and I will get it to you.

Something I'm trying

Something that I am trying to accomplish is to get my website (cards-by-karen.com) and my blog into one. It is going to take me some time but that is the goal.

One of things that will happen is I will post all cards and projects I make on my website. In each entry there will be a picture of the item, the directions on how to make it, the supplies if you want to buy them, and the cost of purchasing a finished card if you don't want to make it yourself.

This will allow me to keep one site instead of two, three, four.....how many do I have. I'm in trouble!

Today's Stamp Camp

This afternoon I held the September Stamp Camp. Here is a link to all of the tutorials. These can also be found in the column to the right.

Milk Carton Favor Box, Backpack Favor Box, Card 305, Card 306, Card 307, Card 308, Card 309, Card 310

Stamp Camp - Welcome back Mary

Everyone had a great time at today's stamp camp. I really enjoyed chatting with the ladies.

It was wonderful to see Mary again. I am glad she is feeling better.

I have changed the date of the next stamp camp since I mistakenly made it for Father's day. The class has been rescheduled for the 29th of June. Please see "Events" off to the right to sign up for the class.

Posting new classes

I'll be posting new classes, hopefully tonight, for the rest of the year. Please note I need everyone to abide by the RSVP date. This is to ensure that I have time to design and get any supplies for everyone. Preparing for the class takes a long time and if I don't know who is coming until a few days before the class there isn't enough time to be prepared. Thanks for your understanding.

My Bunny!

Jesse's first Easter and his first Easter Bunny picture. I doubt I will ever get another picture like this so it had to be preserved in a scrapbook page.

Technique: Digital Scrapbooking
Software: fxFoto
Digi Scrapbooking kits: Renew, Blissful, Pretty Primavera, Refresh
(I can't remember where I got these kits, usually I purchase from scrapgirls.)

Tutorials

I have added several new tutorials to the "CBK Tutorials" list in the right column. I will be adding several more later tonight. Happy Stamping!

Tutorials will be posted tonight

YEAHH! The tutorials are ready. I will be posting them when I get home from work tonight.

Tutorials aren't ready

I apologize but the tutorials aren't ready. It was a very busy weekend and I didn't get a chance to finish them.

With the holiday weekend coming up everyone had to cancel for today's class so the tutorials weren't first on my list to get done.

I should have them done within the next few days.

Thanks for being patient.

Birthday Flourishes

This is a preview of one of the cards I am teaching during this Sunday's class. My goal for the class was to use neutrals and the bold brights color family. This card is using pixie pink, whisper white, and basic black.

I will be posting tutorials for all the cards on the blog soon!

Wedding Thank yous?

While I have been working on my cousin's wedding invitations I have gotten in the mood to make wedding cards. As I was creating cards for my next class this afternoon I came up with this. I love the way it turned out.

The class is going to be based on one color family and this is my card for Lovely Lilac. I think it would make a great wedding thank you card.

All products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated.
Stamps: To Have and To Hold
Card stock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Lovely Lilac, Lovely Lilac DS.
Ink/markers: Basic Black, Lovely Lilac
Accessories: Ticket punch, stampin' dimensionals, snail adhesive

All measurements will be posted in a tutorial after my class on March 16th.

Cousin's Wedding Invitation

My cousin Stephanie is getting married in October and she asked me to make her wedding invitations for her. Here is one of the mock ups I am mailing her tomorrow. I love the way this came out.

It's hard to see BUT the bride and groom were stamped on tissue paper with StazOn ink and then I water colored them. The tissue paper was crumbled and then layered onto Very Vanilla CS using a xyron.

The background on the front of the card is using Baroque Motifs. I stamped the large image several times using Elegant Eggplant ink and then again twice using Vanilla craft ink and clear embossing powder.

I did a second invitation that is very similar to this one only the bride and groom aren't on tissue paper and I embossed images onto her gown.

SU! Stamps: To Have and To Hold, Baroque Motifs
SU! Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla
Ribbon: Ivory organdy
Techniques: Faux Silk, Embossing

Here's a link to all five invites I have posted on SCS: Invite 1, Invite 2, Invite 3, Invite 4, and Invite 5.

Faux Silk

You can find so many great techniques on SCS. I saw the technique to do Faux Silk and just had to try it. It was so easy and the results are fabulous. It is hard to see in this picture but the flower is stamped and painted on tissue paper. It does look like silk!

Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Lovely Lilac, Lavender Lace, Lovely Lilac DS, Whisper White.
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Sage Shadow, Lovely Lilac, Lavender Lace
Technique: Faux Silk

I used several SCS challenges for this card: Sketch Challenge 97 and Technique Challenge 40.

See my tutorial down on the right for all the specifics to make this card.

Paper Quilting

The ladies in my stamp classes asked if I would show them another quilted card. I love the way this has turned out. The layout of the card came from tankergypsie (I think that's who it was) on SCS.

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, DS Papers, Whisper White, and anything to quilt on.
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon

This card isn't that difficult but it does take time to cut out all the little pieces of DS paper for the quilt.

For all the specifics on this card check out my tutorials at the bottom right.

Sneak Peek

This Sunday's class is a hodge podge of upcoming holidays: Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.

This is a sneak peek at one of the cards we will be making this Sunday.

All items SU! unless otherwise stated.
Stamps: Bronc Buster, Starstruck
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Western Sky DS
Accessories: Cricut, Large Star Punch, Small Star Punch, sponge
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou

The hardest part of this card was figuring out where to put the star punch outs. Everything else is pretty simple. I am having a great time getting to use to my new Cricut Expressions.