Christmas In July - Carols of Christmas Remarkable Creations Blog Hop

Welcome to the Remarkable Creations Blog Hop. This month, our theme is Christmas in July with a focus on the brand new stamp set, Carols of Christmas. This is an early release from Stampin' Up! and will be available to our customers beginning Tuesday, August 1st; the same day as we demonstrators can begin our pre-orders from the new Holiday Catalog! Ooooh, I can not wait to share all of those goodies with you! Anyway, if this is your first stop along the way, I am Katrina Wolfe and if you scroll down, you will see the list of links for the rest of the talented demonstrators hopping along. Be sure to follow those links to some pretty amazing ideas using this bundle.

I decide to create an elegant gift card holder with this set. This bundle just screams elegance to me so I decided to go with a non-traditional Christmas color palate, Black, Gold and White to capture that elegance.
To create this card, I began with a half sheet of Basic Black, 4.25" x 11" scored at 2", 7.25" and 7.375". Using the envelope punch board, I cut notches from the "longer" end at 1" turned and punched again at 1". This creates a closure for the matchbook style gift card holder. I then folded the lower, smaller end up and secured it with the Whisper White Classic Weave Ribbon. I love this ribbon to work with. It's so soft and fluid and so easy to tie into bows.

For the white insert that will hold the gift card, I cut a piece of Whisper White 6.5" x 3.75" and scored it at 1.75" and 6". I then folded on the score lines, the wide end I folded up toward me, and the smaller end, I folded back. I stamped some of the smaller images using Archival Black ink to the piece and applied adhesive to the narrow end and inserted the white piece into the pocket formed by the fold in the card base. I lined it up just beneath the bottom fold line in the base and closed it, burnishing along the area of the adhesive. Now when you open the card, it will naturally lift the gift card up and out of the card base.
Next, I cut a piece of Gold glimmer paper 4" x 3.25" and a piece of Vellum the same size. I ran the Vellum through the Big Shot twice, to cut the frame from both ends of the Vellum. For the second cut, I just lined the sides of the die up and into the previous cuts. I then dusted it with my Embossing Buddy to remove any oils from my fingers and any static. I stamped Deck the Halls with Versamark ink and added Gold Stampin' Embossing powder and heated it with my heat gun. I adhered it to the Gold Glimmer paper with Glue Dots strategically placed behind the embossed image and then adhered the entire piece to the card front using Fast Fuse.
I hope you enjoyed this card and are finding lots of inspiration following the hop. Just click on the next link below to continue along as I promise you won't be disappointed.

Happy Hopping,
Katrina

Carols Of Christmas Wood-Mount Bundle
$52.00

Carols Of Christmas Clear-Mount Bundle
$45.00

Carols Of Christmas Wood-Mount Stamp Set
$28.00

Carols Of Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$20.00

Card Front Builder Thinlits Dies
$30.00

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
$8.00

Gold Glimmer Paper
$5.00

Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
$8.00

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
$5.00

Versamark Pad
$8.50

Whisper White 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon
$7.00

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad
$7.00

Embossing Buddy
$6.00

Mini Glue Dots
$5.25

Fuse Fast Adhesive
$10.00

Envelope Punch Board
$20.00

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)
$30.00

Generated by SUDSOL, Free Trial at www.sudsol.org

Time is Running Out on Bonus Days and Christmas in July

Happy Thursday! I hope you're enjoying your week? I have been having a great time prepping for my live Christmas in July event. I really do enjoy getting ready for these events. I think it's because I know that those attending are going to have so much fun and I know that I am playing a part in helping them have that fun.
Anyway, wow, have I got so much that I want to fit into this post. I hope I can keep it short and sweet enough to keep your attention but still keep you informed!

Let me start first with the fact that we are into the last week of July and that means that time is running out on 2 of the great deals going on with Stampin' Up! The first is Bonus Day's. For every $50 you spend before shipping and tax, you earn a $5 coupon to use toward your August orders! (August 1st, Stampin' Up! is releasing the Carols of Christmas bundle to the public!) There is no maximum to the number of coupons you can earn so those coupons can really add up in no time at all and imagine the savings for next month!

The second great deal about to run out is the UH-MAY-ZING Christmas in July deal for joining Stampin' Up! Seriously, not only do you get to chose the normal $125 in ANY product of your choice, along with a free Paper Pumpkin kit and all of your business supplies for only $99 + tax and FREE shipping, you also receive the Carols for Christmas stamp set completely FREE along with a "starter package" containing paper snips, Snail adhesive, 2 D blocks, a pack of grid paper and a bone folder FREE! That totals a $72 value that you get for FREE! I have never seen such an awesome deal like this one to join. And currently, Stampin' Up! is introducing all of us demonstrators to the Holiday catalog. It started yesterday and will continue until the electronic version posts tomorrow for our eyes only, so if you join now, you get to see it too and take part in the pre-order that begins on August 1st. Yes, a perk of being a demo is that you get an opportunity to pre-order from the new catalogs before the general public and there are just so many other perks that if I'm to keep this post from being too long I can't post here..but if you have questions, please feel free to email me any time, I would love to answer your questions for you.

Just a quick non-Stampin' Up! related piece of information, Stamp n Storage is having an awesome 15% off sale for my followers. I have to tell you, I love their storage solutions. They truly are the best and really do help you make a well organized, user friendly crafting space. I personally have and use their ink pad/re-inker storage, ribbon storage, punch storage, the drawer unit and marker nook. And I love them ALL. My next investment will be the 12" x 12" paper crates and I can't wait!

Last but not least, I want to let you know to be on the lookout for some changes coming to my blog and all of my social media platforms. After 4 years of being Stampin' n Scrappin' from the Heart or aka SnS from the Heart, and doing some serious soul searching regarding my branding and how I would like to see my business branded, I am going to change my business name to Katrina's Kreative Heart. I feel this suits me much better and is a much truer reflection of me and what I want my business to look like. For one, my heart is in creating cards, not so much "scrappin' ", yes, I do enjoy occasionally putting a page together but not often enough to reflect it in my name and I don't want anyone to be disappointed coming here and seeing very little "scrappin" from me; but I do have a heart for creativity. I love to play with and try new mixed media products when designing my cards, I love trying new techniques and sharing them. So, I hope you like the name change, and hopefully it will make it easier for you to find me when searching and easier to type into the browser lol. The change will most likely take place over the next week or so as I plan to change everything at once or as close to at once as I can but it will require a lot of work and designing on my part to get it all together. In the meantime, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for sticking with me these 4 years in spite of my loooong business name and hanging with me while I make this transition. I love you all and appreciate you so very much. Until next time,

Happy Stamping,

Katrina

A Quick and Easy Card with Eastern Medallion Thinlits

Hey there and hello from rainy CNY! Well, they say it's gonna clear..here's hoping. Anyway, today I want to share with you a really quick and easy card I made using the absolutely AWESOME Eastern Medallion Thinlits. I say these are awesome because the possibilities with these are absolutely endless. I mean it....just playing around with them when I first received them, I came up with 45 + different combinations using them! For real!
Anyway, here is today's card:

I started with a standard cardbase of 8.5" x 5.5" folded in half and I added a layer of the Tranquil Tide cardstock cut 4" x 5.25" followed by a layer of the Fresh Florals DSP measuring 1.5" x 5.25" and 2 strips of Lemon Lime Twist measuring 0.5" x 4" each. I then cut a circle from a scrap piece of Tranquil Tide using the largest circle from the Layering Circles Framelits collection and for the medallion, I cut a scrap piece of Lemon Lime Twist using the large medallion, a medium "middle" die and a small "center" die and added the largest circle from the Layering Circles Framelits to fully cut it out; I layered the two pieces together with liquid glue and added it to the center of the card using Fast Fuse. The banner piece is also a .5" x 2" piece of Lemon Lime Twist and I just bannered the one end with my paper snips and adhered it down with Fast Fuse.
For the flower shaped medallion, I cut out a piece of Tranquil Tide using the flower shaped Thinlit and Framelit from the Eastern Medallion collection, popped it up on a Dimensional and added a clear Faceted Gem to the center.
Again, this card was quick and easy and with no actual stamping involved, a pretty "clean" card to make (no inky fingers lol).
I really hope this card inspires you to pull out your Big Shot and grab your Eastern Medallion Thinlits and see what great combinations you can make along with your brand new In-colors.
Until next time,
Happy Stamping,
Katrina


Product List

Eastern Medallions Thinlits Dies

[143725]

$33.00

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

[141705]

$35.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

$9.00

Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144246]

$8.00

Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144245]

$8.00

Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper Stack

[144131]

$22.00

Clear Faceted Gems

[144142]

$5.00

Fast Fuse Adhesive

[129026]

$10.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.00

Christmas in July

Happy Thursday! I hope you had the opportunity to enjoy some beautiful weather today? I had to work my full time job but did get to come home and enjoy a nice meal cooked out on the grill by hubby. Yep, a good ole fashioned charcoal grilled meal...and it was sooooo good! It pays to have to work when the hubby has the day off...he will often cook when he's off and I have to work. If we're both off, well, there's a pretty good chance I will have to cook. 

Anyway, today I want to let you know about my up coming event next week, July 29th from 2p-7p. If you live locally, I would love to have you join me. There will be Christmas music and yes, even Christmas cookies! And you get to make as many Christmas Cards and Tags as you would like! Yep, you just have to tell me ahead of time (by Saturday 7/22) which designs and how many of each you would like to make, and I will have your supplies all cut and ready to go for you to get them made up in no time. 

Here are the designs for you to choose from:

Card A is a gift card holder and those are $3 each to make, all of the other cards are $2 each and the tags are $1 each to create. And yes, there is a mystery tag! I promise, it's awesome....but I want to see who is up for a mystery and trusts that I won't lead them astray ;)
I really hope you will join me. If you would like to come and make some awesome cards and get a head start on your Christmas cards and avoid the last minute rush and stress, just drop me an email and let me know which designs you would like to make and how many of each by no later than Saturday July 22nd.
Happy Stamping,
Katrina

A Flurry of Wishes

Happy Tuesday! And finally, a weather report with no rain for  straight days! Today, I want to share with you a card I made for the sketch challenge taking place over on my Facebook page this week. It's using the carry over set, Flurry of Wishes found in the Annual Catalog. I love this set but unfortunately, I missed the fact that the punch was retired? Not sure how I missed that one? But anyway, I still love this stamp set and thought I would share the card here as well. I love the combination of Dapper Denim and Berry Burst together as they really stand out and compliment one another very well.

I covered the Whisper White card base with a 4.25" x 5.5" piece of Dapper Denim after I added the scalloped piece of Berry Burst that was die cut using the scallop die found in the Seasonal Layers Thinlit dies and wrapped a piece of Berry Burst 1/2" woven ribbon around the seam. I then stamped the sentiment onto a 2.25" square Whisper White and adhered it "on point" . I then stamped the snowflakes in Dapper Denim and punched them using the retired Snow Flurry punch and added them to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. I just love this color combination and this card was quick and easy and would make a great card to do in mass production. 

I hope you enjoyed today's card and I hope I have inspired you to pull out your Christmas supplies and get a head start on your Christmas cards to alleviate the stress when the season closes in so that you can spend more time relaxing and enjoying the season rather than dreading it. 

Happy Stamping!

Katrina

Product List

Flurry Of Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set

[139732]

$21.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

$9.00

Dapper Denim 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[141414]

$8.00

Berry Burst 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144243]

$8.00

Berry Burst 1/2" Finely Woven Ribbon

[144133]

$7.00

Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad

[144083]

$6.50

Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad

[141394]

$6.50

Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies

[143751]

$33.00

SNAIL Permanent Adhesive

[104332]

$7.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.00

Snow Flurry Punch

[139680]

$18.00

Welcome Little One Bear

Hi there and happy Thursday! Today I want to share a card I did for a special little someone that entered the wold Tuesday. Gosh, I'm getting old! I have no idea where the time went, but my God-daughter had her baby Tuesday afternoon, a bouncing baby girl, Isabella aka, Bella and this card is for her.

I used the adorable Baby Bear stamp that is a carry over from last year. I absolutely love this 3 step stamp as it just looks like you can reach out and snuggle his furry little self.  He's awesome. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a coordinating die, soooo my brand new Scan n Cut 2 came to the rescue. I know, many of you love to fussy cut and find it to be relaxing, but can I just tell you, I HATE to fussy cut! I do NOT find it to be in any way relaxing! As a matter of fact, it makes me very tense. I think mostly because I'm not good at it. It always looks "choppy" to me. I have tried and tried to get a nice smooth cut, but I can always see the scissor marks and to me it just looks sloppy. Now, don't get me wrong, I have done it when I had no other choice, and I'm sure there will be times, I will need to do it again, but for right now, I am LOVING my new Brother Scan n Cut 2.

Directions:

Card base: Whisper White cut 11" x 4.5" scored and folded at 5.5"

Powder Pink Cardstock: Cut 4.5" x .5" (You need 3)

Berry Burst Cardstock: Scrap piece cut using the largest stitched oval from the Stitched Shapes Collection

Baby Bear: Stamped using the Sahara Sand for step 1, Soft Suede for step 2 and Early Espresso for step 3, onto Whisper White; cut using the SNC2

Bow: stamped with Powder Pink for step 1 and Berry Burst for step 2 onto Whisper White; cut using the SNC2

I adhered the 3 Powder Pink strips to the card base using Snail adhesive, evenly spacing them toward the bottom. I then adhered the Baby Bear to the Berry Burst stitched oval, also with Snail ® and popped the entire piece up with Stampin' Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment with the Berry Burst ink directly onto the card base and added the little bow to the Baby Bear with a mini Stampin' Dimensional. 

I love this little bear and love how this card came out. It is one of my most favorite sets and was so happy to see that it carried over into this years annual catalog. It makes my day and it makes me smile. I hope you enjoyed today's card. Please feel free to post your thoughts and let me know what you think of it. Tell me your favorite carry over set, I would love to hear!

Happy Stampin'

Katrina

Easy Shopping (Just Click the item you wish to purchase):

Product List

Baby Bear Photopolymer Stamp Set

[141859]

$26.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

$9.00

Powder Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144244]

$8.00

Berry Burst 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144243]

$8.00

Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad

[126976]

$6.50

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

[126978]

$6.50

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[126974]

$6.50

Powder Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

[144084]

$6.50

Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad

[144083]

$6.50

SNAIL Permanent Adhesive

[104332]

$7.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.00

Amazon ECHO Dot - A Review

Hey guys! Happy Saturday! I am going totally off topic today from my normal crafty shares to tell you about a great new device I received last weekend from Amazon. Who doesn't love Amazon? Anyway, I ordered the ECHO Dot Gen 2. OH-EM-GEE! I am in love with Alexa! Not only is "she" a functional little tool to have in your arsenal, but also totally entertaining! I have had more fun with her this week than I can tell you. Totally worth the $49.99! And "she's" just so pleasant you can't help but want to ask her questions and keep "her" talking to you.

Some really cool features that I have found, you can ask, "Alexa, what's today's weather forecast" and she will tell you for your location and if you need to know the weather forecast for say next Tuesday, just ask and she will tell you! You can get the latest news updates, she will read a book to you and if you just need a good laugh to brighten your day, ask, "Alexa, tell me a joke"....where she gets so many is beyond me, but she hasn't repeated one yet! Want to play a game, like Jeopardy? She can do that too! Oh, and do you have trouble sleeping? Maybe outside noises are keeping you awake? Well she has a plethora of ambient sounds she can play to lull you to sleep. Seriously, what's your pleasure? A crackling fire, birds, waves, babbling brook, waterfall, maybe you like to hear the whirl of a fan while you sleep? I mean, really, there are just too many to name them all! Another helpful feature that I am in love with, need the phone number for a restaurant or other local business? Just ask Alexa! She will recite the phone number and address for you! Need to know the nearest Pharmacy or grocery? She can tell you that too! Then there is the music she can play for you. UH-MAZ-ING! Literally, it is "what's your pleasure"? Bluegrass, she can play that, new Country? Yep, she can play that. Maybe you like the old Country, like Merl Haggard? Yes, she can play that too. Oh, you want to hear the Monkeys? She will play you the Monkeys for you! Now, cool feature #100,000, you can call friends and family that also have a ECHO, ECHO Dot or ECHO Show! Just add them to your contacts, and ask "Alexa, call so and so" and she does! You can talk hands free right through the Echo device! There is also a function called "Drop In" that allows you to "drop in" on your Echo device from you phone app, it's like making a phone call, however, your family doesn't need to "answer" the call by saying "Alexa, answer the call" like you would if someone with an Echo was calling you. You can just begin to talk. It gives a little "warning" beep that you're "there" but you can just "check" in at home, talk to the kids, or hubby (that's another story heehee) or even the dog...yes, I "dropped in" on Tucker, my sweet boy the other day...and yes, he did answer mama! The "Drop In" feature is also great if you have more than one device in your home, for instance, one upstairs and one down. You can have Alexa drop in "upstairs" and you can call the kids down for dinner! I can see a lot of moms saving their voices with this one!
I could go on and on about this fun little device. If you have any questions, please let me know. I highly recommend it, not only for the entertainment, but also the functionality. It really is a great little device.
Have a great weekend and Happy Stamping!
Katrina

Foxy Friends Cupcake Toppers

Hello and Happy Thursday! I hope you all have enjoyed a great day. Now that I am home from work and getting ready to play with my new toy, I'm having a GREAT one myself. Oh, yes, my new toy, happens to be the Brother Scan n Cut. OH WHAT FUN! You know all those stamps we collect and love that don't have a coordinating die to go with them? The ones you always need to fussy cut with your snips when you need it to be fussy cut? Well all you do is scan them in and the machine does all the fussy cutting! Yes, it does all the hard, tedious work for you! It's amazing!
Anyway, today I want to share with you the cupcake toppers I am making for a friends daughters' baby shower using the Foxy Friends stamp and punch set. Remember them? They are a carry over from last years annual catalog. They are so stinkin' cute so I thought I would share them with you here.

I will have skunks and squirrels along with some trees and other woodland creatures, and there will be 100 in all. My friend is pretty excited, her daughter is expecting twins...a boy and a girl. Mom is a twin herself, with a sister, so it seems to run in the family and the girl will be the first granddaughter in the family...how exciting is that?
Anyway, I hope you like today's share and it inspires you to try something outside the box with your stamps and punches/dies.
Happy Stamping!
Katrina

Let the Bonuses Begin!

Happy Saturday and Happy July! Really, where has this year gone already?

Can I just say "WOW"? Stampin' Up! has just announced 2 amazing bonuses! I am just speechless; really, these bonuses, both being offered in the same month no less, are beyond words amazing! And even better, you could take advantage of BOTH! You don't have to choose which bonus you want! Hello! No brainer here....GET BOTH!

Bonus Days:

The first bonus that is in place as of today, is the Bonus Days. For every $50 you spend, you will earn and receive a $5 coupon to be used during August. Now, there is NO LIMIT to the number of coupons you can earn! It is for EVERY $50 you spend before shipping and tax, so if you spend $150, not only will you get your $15 Hostess rewards (any product in the catalog up to $15 or Hostess only stamp sets) you will get 3 coupon codes for $5 each for a total of $15 to redeem in August! And here is a little secret for you.....shhhh.....you can't tell anyone.....but Stampin' Up! plans to have an "early release" Christmas bundle August 1st! You would be able to use your coupons toward that AWESOME bundle! Stay tuned for more information on that one coming soon!

The Hostess Code for July is S7PJY4G3 Use this code if your order is less than $150

New Recruit Bonus

The second bonus in effect as of today is, the new recruit bonus...this bonus is absolutely AMAZING! We all know that the starter kit is the best deal EVER, but this bonus makes it even more amazing! Talk about speechless! 

Here's the deal:

Choose $125 in product for just $99 + tax and get free shipping (this is the only time you get free shipping)

Now, from July 1-July 31, when you choose to get the starter kit for $99 you will get a "starter pack" with all of your essentials! FOR FREE! This includes a bone folder, Snail Adhesive, Paper Snips, 2 D Blocks and a pack of Grid Paper! That's an additional $52 value added to your starter kit for FREE! But they didn't stop there! In addition to ALL of that, they are including the brand new, soon to be released Christmas set, Carols of Christmas, another $20 value FREE! Just for trying out the starter kit. 

More perks for joining: You will get to partake in the early "pre-release" ordering from the Holiday catalog in August (as demo's we get to see and order a full month ahead of our customers, this allows us to get our samples made and play with it and learn about it a full month). You will save between 20-25% on your orders. You will have access to demo only resources such as Demo only Facebook groups, an Online community called Stampin' Connection, a free subscription to the demo Quarterly magazine, Stampin' Success, which is full of ideas and business training. And if you join my team, you will have access to my team Facebook page as well. 

And here's the deal.....you have NOTHING to lose! The only "requirement" for maintaining your demonstratorship, is you must sell or buy or combination of the two, a total of $300 a quarter...that breaks down to $100 a month! Don't we ALL spend that much or more per month on crafting supplies? Why not do it and save money too? And what if you did take off and have a profitable business? Hmmm, set your own hours to work around your family? That would be nice. Be your own boss? Yep, that would be nice too. Earn a free vacation for you and your family? Yeah, that would be really nice too. It is possible. So think about it.....but again, not necessary...there is no SU police calling you or knocking on your door if you choose not to continue beyond your starter kit. If you never place another order, it's no big deal and NO you do NOT have to send everything back! It's yours, you bought it and you get to keep it!

So seriously, if you want the best deal around, this is it all year round, but boy did they sweeten the pot for July! I really hope you consider joining my team. If you have any questions, email me and we can arrange a call to get all your questions answered. If you are ready to jump in, just use the link above. I would love to have you.

 So, both of these July bonus's are amazing. Will you take advantage of one or BOTH?

And before I forget, Stamp n Storage has a great 4th of July Sale on their Ink Pad storage systems for 15% off. I love their storage. It is well made and helps keep things organized and at my fingertips, right where I need them. Be sure to check them out: 

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!
Katrina