Take a Peek!

Hello Stampers and welcome back to The Classic Card!

Wow... what a busy Christmas we had here on Pinehurst Drive!  Ten people, 6 days, countless hours spent in the kitchen, tons of laundry done, scores of toys strewn about the house, 2 sick children on antibiotics, a train set up on the entry hall rug, a jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table, play-dough on the kitchen table... it was truly a zoo!  A fun time was enjoyed by all, but now it is Monday.  The house is once again clean and quiet. Christmas is over.  It is time for a bit of reflecting on how grateful we are for the blessings of family and home.  I hope you enjoyed a blessed Christmas as well.

The new year is just ahead, so I think it is time to move forward and focus on the new and exciting things in the Spring catalog, which becomes active on Thursday, January 3rd.  I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for fresh inspiration.  As a demonstrator, I've had the opportunity to place a pre-order from the new Spring catalog, so I've had some new products to play with for the past several weeks, although I haven't had much time to spend stamping.  But I do have a card for you today that features some fun new products.  Take a peek...

Let's count the new products I used as I briefly tell you about them:

1.  The new Honeycomb embossing folder (page 6)
2.  New Core-dinations paper in Primrose Petals (page 12)
3.  The sentiment, from the new Feel Goods set ( page 21) Best sentiments ever in this set!
4. Chevron background for the sentiment from the Oh, Hello stamp set (page 4)
5. Two sizes of ovals from the Ovals Collection of Framelits (p. 4)
6. Tea for Two DSP (page 3)
7. Rose from the Collage Curios stamp set (page 24)

I also used Crumb Cake and Lucky Limeaid ink as well as Whisper White and Lucky Limeaid card stock.  Other products are the 1 1/4 inch scallop circle punch from the Holiday catalog that has been carried over into the Spring catalog.  Products from the annual catalog include the Ruffled Ribbon in Lucky Limeaid, the 1 3/8 inch circle punch, and markers in Lucky Limeaid and Primrose Petals to color the rose.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to make yourself a cup of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee and sit down with your new Spring catalog and enjoy the beautiful new products and projects that you'll find there.
Oh, and don't forget to come back here on Wednesday, when I'll have another classic card for you, featuring more new products from the Spring catalog!

Enjoy a safe and happy New Year's Eve and I'll see you back here on January 2, 2013 for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs,
Susan

Joyful Thoughts of You

Hello stampers!
Oh my goodness!  We are getting close to Christmas now.  How are you doing with your "to-do" list?
Time is running out, so I hope you are almost finished.  Yesterday I crossed another item off my list--- I made two batches of rolled cookies, the most time-consuming kind to make. First I made some sugar cookies which I cut out in shapes (stars, bells, trees, reindeer, etc.) that the kiddos love to decorate with icing and then I also made a huge batch of gingerbread men that will be simpler to decorate with some piped-on icing and raisins and red-hots.  This afternoon I'll use my Cookie King to make some Spritz cookies.  Then I'll be finished with cookies for another year.... yay!

In keeping with my earlier promise to stop showing you Christmas cards, I have another non-Christmas card today.  I made this some time ago, but realized I'd never shown it to you, so here it is

 

 

This design is called a Joy fold card.  I'm not sure why, unless you think it brings joy to open the top card from the left-hand side instead of the right-hand side.  It's a pretty silly name for a pretty cool card!  The Whisper White card on the top opens from the left, with the fold on the right.  Then the next layer opens from the right, with the fold on the left.  It's just a little something different, but it adds interest to a simple card design.

Here's a very quick list of the products I used.

 

Stamps:  French Script, Betsey's Blossoms, Loving Thoughts

 

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso

 

Paper: Pink Pirouette card stock, Early Espresso card stock, Whisper White card stock

 

Accessories:

Fancy Fan embossing folder, basic pearls, stampin' sponge, Boho Blossom punch.

 

Must run now, friends!  And when I say "run" I'm talking about the COSTCO run.  I will go to the Wilsonville location in hopes of missing the horrendous crowds at the Tigard Costco.  I wish you could see the supply of groceries we unloaded here yesterday from Winco and Trader Joe's.  But when you're feeding 10 people for 5 days, you need a lot of food.  I think I'm going to be the little red hen that cooks all of those groceries up into actual meals, although I'm sure my daughters will offer their help.    With all that will be going on here, I don't think I'll be blogging again until after Christmas. May all of you have a Christmas blessed with the love of family and friends and I'll see you after the big day!  Merry Christmas to all!

Hugs, Susan









She believed she could, so she did!

Hello fellow stampers!

What a sad time we're going through... and of course violence seems even worse at Christmas.  I'm sure your heart is hurting as mine is when we think of those parents and families in Connecticut, not to mention the families here in the Portland area who will be missing their loved ones this Christmas and every other day as well.  I don't know how you feel about guns, but I firmly believe that assault rifles have no place in our country.  They are for use in war and that's their only legitimate use.  But this kind of senseless killing will go on and on, until we decide that we will no longer tolerate it and take measures to stop the sale of such weapons.  Believing that something is possible is the first step in moving toward it... let's keep that in mind.  Problems can be solved if people are willing to work together for the common good.

The new stamp set called "Feel Goods" that is featured in the new Spring catalog is one you are going to want to get.  By the way, you should have received your copy of the new catalog in the mail yesterday.  If you didn't, you'll probably get it today (Wednesday, Dec. 19th),  or soon after.   This set has some great sayings, but my very favorite one is "She believed she could, so she did."  As I mentioned, believing that something is possible is a way of moving toward it.  What challenge will you meet with this attitude of belief?  It could be anything from overcoming a disease to losing weight or even organizing your home.  Once you believe, you can achieve!  I'm going to keep this quote in mind as we move into 2013... might as well start the year on a positive note! 

In an earlier post I mentioned that I would be showing you some of the great handmade gifts that were exchanged at our annual Stamp2gether Christmas Potluck.  Today I'll show you the magnetic display board that I made for one of my demonstrator friends.  Check it out...

 You'll see the "She believed she could, so she did" sentiment at the top center of the board.  This was made with a 12 x 12 shadowbox frame with the glass removed.  I covered a sheet of galvanized metal purchased at a crafts store with some DSP, then made several magnets to use to display cards, photos, or mementos.  It was fairly easy to make and I think almost anyone would love to have a board like this in their craft room or kitchen.  This one was made with Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White to coordinate with my friend's stamp room, but a more neutral board framed in black or dark brown would look crisp and contemporary in a kitchen or home office. 

That's it for today, my friends!  I've got about a ka-jillion things to do and I'm sure you do too!  When the holiday stress gets to be too much, don't forget that you have the best stress-buster there is... stamping.  I know we can't pound on the new stamp pads the way we could on the old ones, but you can still bring that stamp down on your paper with a resounding thud.  So pound away... it's healthy and harmless.  Thank you for stopping by to read my rambling thoughts... I appreciate each one of you!  Have a happy Wednesday and meet me back here on Friday for more stamping inspiration.

Hugs,
Susan

Let's Move On!

Hello stamping friends and welcome to Monday!

Was the weekend wet enough for you?  Windy enough?  Last night I thought the wind was going to blow right through my stamp room window. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was sheeting down the windows, so if we ever have sun again, I'm pretty sure my windows will look a bit cleaner!
A free window washing courtsey of mother nature... sweet! 

Are there any stampers out there who haven't finished their hand-stamped Christmas cards?  I really think that most of you have finished and sent your cards and I'd be willing to bet that there are very few, if any, people looking for Christmas card ideas at this late date.  So shall we agree to move on to other types of cards? 

I have a fun card from you that I received as a swap. Unfortunately, I cannot give proper credit to the demo who created it because there's no name on the back of the card.    I think you'll love the technique that it features, although I don't know the exact name for it.  Or maybe it doesn't have an exact name.  I think we've actually done this technique at one of my classes a few years back.  It is easy and something I hope you'll try.    Here's the card---
 

 

Isn't it great to see a non-Christmas card?  I guess I'm just very easily bored, but I think I've been showing Christmas cards for too long, so it is refreshing to move on to something else.  I have to say right now that I'm not a big fan of the layout on this card, but that's not why I'm showing it to you.  I wanted you to see this technique using vellum card stock, which is sold on page 160 of the annual catalog. 

 

Here's what you do:  First, stamp on the white vellum card stock with Versamark ink.  Then sprinkle with white embossing powder and heat with your heat gun until the embossing is shiny and raised.  Then, using markers, color on the back of the vellum, staying within the lines that show through from the front.  Then add the vellum to a white background panel so that the colors "pop." Adhesive will show through the vellum, so it is a good idea to add the sentiment on a punched piece and perhaps add a bit of ribbon too, because you need something to hide the adhesive behind. 

 

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Bordering on Romance

 

Card Stock: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White, Calypso Coral and White Vellum card stock.

  

Markers: used to color the back are Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Wisteria Wonder.

 

Accessories:  Fancy Fan embossing folder, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch.

                                              

I hope I've inspired you to get out your stamps and try reverse coloring on vellum.  It is easy to do and the results are quite impressive!

 

Thanks so much for coming to my blog each day!  I appreciate each one of you!

Hugs and Happy Monday!

Susan                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                



A cup o' cozy

Hello Stampers and happy Friday!

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit today!  Did you notice how c-c-c-cold it was yesterday?  Ooooh, and that chilly fog didn't help anything did it?  Well, you're in luck, because today I have just the antidote for all of that cold gray gloom--- something that will warm your innards while lifting your mood and giving you a shot of energy, and it's all perfectly legal!  Take a look...

Yes, it's one of my favorite cure-alls, hot cocoa!  A steaming hot mug of this chocolately goodness will restore your spirit, especially if some partially melted, gooey sweet marshmallows are floating on top.  I like to call this card my "sweet surprise" card, because you could also slide a couple of Ghirardelli Squares inside, instead of the cocoa.  This fun card was shamelessly "cased" (copy and share everything) from Dawn Olchefske.  I'm not sure if the card was her original idea, or whether she cased it from someone else, but I've given her credit, so now we can move on.

The card is made from a half-sheet of Early Espresso card stock.  The corner is scored and folded down so that the cocoa packet will show.  Two holes are punched on the side of the card so that the ribbon can be threaded through to hold the candy cane in place. There's a bit of Sticky Strip holding the card together at the bottom, so that the cocoa packet will not slide out the bottom.   The DSP is from Candlelight Christmas (page 4 of the Holiday catalog).  The mug, candy cane, and steam were stamped with the Scentsational Season stamp set and then cut out with the Holiday Collection Framelit dies (page 16 of the Holiday catalog).  I used the 2 1/2 inch circle punch to cut the Crumb Cake circle, then I used the 1 3/8 inch Scallop Circle punch to punch out the Real Red circle.  This is a super-easy project that just about anyone would like to find in their mailbox at the office.  And once Christmas is over, you could change out the focal image and use a heart theme for a Valentines' Day treat!

May you all enjoy a relaxing, chocolate-enhanced weekend!  Don't forget to come back on Monday, when I'll start showing you some of the amazing hand-made gifts that were exchanged at our Demonstrator potluck on Wednesday evening.  Until then, happy stamping!
Hugs,
Susan

Tag, You're It!

Whoops, it's Wednesday!  How did that happen so quickly?

 And oh, my goodness, it is also 12-12-12!    I feel like I should be doing something momentous on this day, but realisitically I know I probably won't be doing anything more important or memorable than mopping my kitchen floor and cleaning the bathrooms.  Whoa!  Let's not get carried away with the excitement of it all.  Hopefully none of my grandchildren will ever ask me "What did you do on 12-12-12 Oma?" 

I've been as busy as a little bee getting ready for a gathering of demonstrators at my house tonight.  We get together each month for dinner, stamping, swapping, and sharing business ideas.  Then once a year at Christmas we gather for a potluck dinner and the exhange of handmade gifts.  This meeting is always one the highlights of the year and I'll be sharing photos of the gifts in future posts, just to show you what a talented bunch of demos I have in my group.

Have you ever thought you might like to join us in the Stampin'Up! adventure?  I've been a demonstrator for 12 years now... and what fun years they've been!  If you'd like to explore the possibility, please send me an email and we'll get together to chat.  Then perhaps next year you'll be joining in this fun dinner and gift exchange!

Today I'm going to show you the little gift tag holder that we made at my annual Santa's Workshop on December 1st.  I do this gift packaging class every year and I try to have a nice variety of projects.  This year we made five different projects and this was one of them...

This folder holds 8 gift tags and was designed to be given as a small gift to a co-worker, holiday hostess, or neighbor. The tags inside were cut with the Two Tags Die for the Big Shot.  The colors here are Real Red, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla and the Designer Paper is from the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack (page 20 of the Holiday catalog).  The focal panel was stamped with Early Espresso ink using the Tags 'Til Christmas stamp set and punched with the Designer Label Punch.  If you would like to have the directions on cutting and scoring this little folder, please let me know and I'll send it along.  This would also be a fun project for children to make as a gift for their teacher, piano teacher, or scout leader. 

Of course, you could also slide a few $20s in there, or maybe a $50 or two.  That would make a great gift for someone very special.  Another thing you could do would be to print up some coupons to put into the folder for things like "your favorite meal," four hours of babysitting," "washing and vacuuming your car," etc.--- you can be as creative as you wish with your coupons and make them really funny, or silly, or whatever fits the recipient. 

Well, my friends, I'm off to set the table and make the final preparations for tonight's dinner.  Don't forget to come back on Friday for more creative inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs,
Susan

A Monday Treat

Hello everyone and thanks for checking in with me today!

 Isn't it amazing how Mondays roll around so quickly.  I was just getting into the weekend groove and, oops!  Here it is Monday again!  I'm slowly but surely crossing things off my very lengthy "to do" list and I hope you are making progress on yours as well.  There's so much to accomplish during the holidays, but let's try to remember that the world won't come to an end if we don't make all  8 varieties of our traditional Christmas cookies, decorate our house so it looks like Martha was here, or wrap all of our gifts in coordinated paper from The Container Store.  I've quizzed my girls several times over the past few years and as a result, I now make only the three kinds of cookies which they think are an absolute necessity... spritz cookies, rolled sugar cookies, and gingerbread men.  If we have those 3 types, then it seems like Christmas, and that's just fine with me.  I do miss some of the yummier, more adult cookies, but think of the hours and calories I save by not baking them! 

Golly, I sure wish I had a card with a cookie on it to go along with this post!  Sorry, but I'm fresh out of cookie cards.  But a do have a card that's a real treat.  Check it out...

Isn't this a great card?  It was made by Krista Thomas of Roseburg and I received it in a swap on the Hilton Head trip.    Let me give you a quick list of what Krista used to create this gorgeous card.

Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories:  White, Black, and Silver embossing powders, heat gun, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Bitty Banners Framelits, Basic Gray Stitched grosgrain. 

I hope that this card has inspired you to pull out your heat gun and some embossing powder and make something pretty!   Thanks for visiting and please come back on Wednesday for more stamping fun.

Oh, and by the way, be watching your snail mail box, because your new Spring catalog should be arriving in the next week or so!  It's a great catalog filled with so many wonderful new products.  I think you're going to love it!

Happy stamping!
Susan

Fresh Air Friday

Hello there, stampers!  Happy Friday!

I hope everyone is looking forward to a relaxing weekend... maybe one that includes a few holiday activities such as tree decorating, cookie baking, or perhaps party-going.  On Saturday, I have my last class of 2012, Holiday Ornament Class #2.  After that, I'm taking a break from classes and events until mid-January.  However, I won't be taking a break from stamping.   Just yesterday the UPS man brought me a big box of NEW goodies to play with!  I have new stamps and papers from the new Spring catalog as well as new Sale-a-bration goodies.  I wish I could show you some of these fantastic products, but I can't.  I'm going to try to find a few spare minutes here and there to make some cards with the new stuff, as it is OK if you see items made with the new products... just not the new products themselves.  I'm sorry, but I don't make the rules. I just live by them.  The good news is that you should be receiving your new Spring catalog in the mail very soon!

I've got something a bit different to show you today... a card that is like a breath of fresh air.  I feel like I've shown you too many Christmas cards and I'm beginning to think that if I see another card with a Christmas theme, I might break out in a red (and green) rash.  So check this out and see if you like this breath of fresh air.

 I don't know about you, but looking at this card reminds me that spring is on its way!   I know that we haven't even entered winter officially, but we can dream of blossoms and birdies can't we?  I saw a three panel card on a blog somewhere a while back and I thought that Betsy's Blossoms would be a fun set to use with this layout. 

Here's a quick list of the supplies I used:
Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Curly Cute
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Pool Party, Basic Black
Paper:  Whisper White, So Saffron
Accessories:  Fancy Fan embossing folder, Dimensionals, Basic Pearls, Old Olive 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
               
I can think of a number of sets that would look great with the three-panel layout and I'll bet you can too!  I hope I've inspired you to get out some flowery stamps and create your own breath of fresh air.
Enjoy your Friday and your weekend too!  I hope you'll come back on Monday for another classic card!
Hugs,
Susan

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Hello Stamping Buddies!

Do you have your Christmas tree up and decorated yet?  Are you a devotee of fresh trees, or do you go the artificial route?  We picked out a tree on Monday and got it into the house, into the stand, and John put the lights on it.  Next, he'll start hanging ornaments and wrapping garland.  Since I take care of the majority of the Christmas-related tasks (shopping, wrapping, cards, baking, and decorating), the tree has become John's job.  Now that John has fallen off the ladder twice when hanging the outdoor lights, our adult children have taken over that job.  So the tree has become his sole responsibilty.  I can get away with making a few suggestions, but not many.  He gets a bit touchy if I offer too many observations on the placement of lights/ornaments/garland, so mostly I just keep my remarks to myself.  I'm so happy to have one less thing to do, that if it's not perfect, it's still OK with me.  Over 42 years of marriage there have been more than a few "Charlie Brown" trees, but I've learned that almost any tree, once decorated with lights and ornaments, looks pretty good. 

As you might have guessed, the card I'm showing you today has a Christmas tree on it... a very beautiful tree I might add.  This beautiful image comes from the set Christmas Lodge. I just love the detail on this tree.  It has a very old-world look.  Check it out!

This was the second card that we made at the SOS group on November 26th.  Sorry, SOSers!  I'll have a card that is new to you on Friday.  But meanwhile I wanted to show everyone both of the masculine cards we made at our last get-together. 

This card also features the great Festival of Prints DSP stack (item # 126904, p. 20 of the Holiday catalog $6.95.  This paper is a favorite of mine and will be gone for good when the Holiday catalog expires on Jan. 2nd.  Get yours before it's discontinued!

Stamps: Christmas Lodge, Mixed Medley
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Paper:  Festival of Prints DSP Stack, Cherry Cobbler card stock, Very Vanilla card stock, Crumb Cake card stock.
Accessories:  1 1/4 inch Scallop Circle punch ( p. 7 of Holiday catalog), 3/4 inch Circle Punch (p. 184 of the Annual catalog), Dimensionals, sponge.


Thanks for stopping by The Classic Card today!  I hope that this year's tree will be one of your best ever... straight trunk, full branches, no bare spots, and just the right height!  Have a great Wednesday and I hope you'll join me on Friday for another classic card.

Hugs,
Susan

Ahoy, Matey!

Hello Stamping friends and happy Monday!

The weeks are just rolling by, aren't they?  I can hardly believe that we're into December.  It seems like just a few days ago that we were enjoying warm September days.  I hate how time seems to keep speeding up.  It means I'm getting older faster and faster.  Ugh!  Not a good thing!

I hope you had a chance to go to my Facebook page (TheClassicCard) and answer the question that I posted and while you're there "like" my page by hitting the "like" button.  If you'll do that, I will enter your name into my drawing for a free stamp set.  Who wouldn't like free stamps???  I will draw the winner at the end of the day, so you have until 5pm tomorrow to comment on my post.

If you attended my last SOS (Stamp Out Stress) meeting on November 26th, you've already made this card.  My apologies to the stampers who attended, as I'm sure they'd like to see a brand new card today.  But since 99% of you haven't seen this card, I thought I'd show it to you.  It's the one type of card I usually have trouble making... a "guy card," sometimes known as a "manly" card.

There are several things that one should NEVER EVER put on a card for a man!  First of all, I'll mention ribbon.  You can use twine, linen thread, wire, or other wrap that looks like it came from the hardware store, but never even think of using any kind of ribbon, even if it is dark brown or black.  Ribbon is so not manly!  Another thing you should never add to a manly card is pearls or rhinestones.  I know there's a song about a rhinestone cowboy, but seriously,  just avoid them like the plague.  Stampin'Up! has a cute guy set on page 27 of the annual catalog called Best Dad Ever, that has a row of neckties as one of the images.  You might be tempted to add a rhinestone as a tie tack, but resist the temptation !  Your guy will not appreciate a rhinestone!  Other things to avoid are the colors Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Melon Mambo, or anything that is remotely related to pink (I'm sure there's someone out there that thinks you can get away with pink on a Valentine for a guy, but that is not true).  Valentines for guys should be red and black or Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso... that's it... only those two combinations.  Anything else will look girly.  OK, enough rambling.  Here is the card...

  Here are a few more hints for manly cards: Use a plain font for your sentiment.  Guys don't like curly, swirly anything on their cards, including the font.  DSP should be bold and graphic (like the stripes used here).  Plaids and geometrics are also good, but avoid any small cutesy prints... especially anything that would remind them of flowers.  Fussy coloring is also best avoided.  Just stamp the image in a bold dark color and be done with it.  Guys likely won't even notice your coloring skills, let alone appreciate them.  I used linen thread on this card, but note that it is simply wrapped around.  If you must, tie a knot around it, but never, never, never a bow.  Some sponging ups the rustic and manly look you're going for.  I guess one of the best things about making a manly card is that they are pretty simple and quick to put together... no fussing required!

 

Here's a listing of what we used to make this card:

 

Stamp sets:  The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper:  Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Festival of Prints Designer Paper Stack (in Holiday catalog)

Ink:  Early Espresso

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Extra Large Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch.

Don't forget, the Holiday catalog expires on January 2nd, so if you want to get that great Festival of Prints DSP stack (#126904, 6.95), better get it now before it is gone for good!

 

Well friends, we're off to wrestle with a fir today.  I'm sure we'll be using some manly twine to tie it to the top of the car and you can be sure that it will be secured with some knots, not bows. 

Happy stamping!

Susan