The Mighty Oak

Hey there, stampers!
Happy Wednesday!

As I mentioned on Monday, I'm going to show you a masculine card today to balance out the girly card I showed you on Monday.  This is one of the cards we made at our SOS gathering on Monday at Symposium Coffee in Old Town Sherwood.  If you've never been there before, you really should join us sometime.  Symposium Coffee is Sherwood's gathering spot.  It is in an old two-story house and we meet in the largest room upstairs, which was probably the master bedroom originally, but now it's called the conference room.
They serve Stumptown Coffee and they have some very interesting beverages, including a Lavender Latte.  I haven't tried one yet, but it's on my list.

Wednesday's card du jour showcases the mighty oak from the ever-popular Lovely As a Tree stamp set, by far the oldest stamp set in the Stampin'Up!catalog.  If you don't already own this classic set, be sure to get it before it retires, which it is bound to do someday.  Here's the card...

While the sentiment on this card says Happy Thanksgiving, you could use almost any sentiment from
Teeny Tiny Wishes (they all fit in the Word Window punch I used here).  It could be a birthday card, a congratulations card, a sympathy card... really, just about anything you'd like it to be EXCEPT a card to welcome a sweet little girl.
Here's a quick list of the products:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (p 78), Teeny Tiny Wishes (p. 44)
Ink:  Early Espresso for the tree and sentiment, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, and So Saffron for the sponged background
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Early Espresso
Accessories:  Sponges, Dimensionals, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Stitched Grosgrain ribbon in Early Espresso

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to read my blog!  Please share it with a friend, as I'm in need of more readers. May your Wednesday fly by quickly, leaving you only two more days 'til the weekend.  Hope you'll find some time to stamp something pretty today!
Susan

Sugar and spice and everything nice...

Hello stamping friends!

The big new at our house is that Lindsay Ruth Boxeth arrived yesterday... right on her due date.  What a prompt little girl!  She is 7 lbs. and 1 oz. of sugar and spice and everything nice.  Mother and baby are doing just fine. Katie and Tim arrived at the hospital at 5:15 am and Lindsay was born at 5:30.  We are so thankful that they got to the hospital in time for the birth!

I had planned to show you the second card that we'll be making today at SOS (Stamp Out Stress) at 1 pm at Symposium Coffee in Sherwood, but in honor of Lindsay's arrival I think a pink card would be appropriate, don't you?  So here it is...

This feminine card uses a lot of my favorite things, including the wonderful set Betsy's Blossoms.  By the way, it is one of the stamp sets that's on sale for 25% off, through 11 pm tonight.  You can see this fun set on page 87 of the annual catalog.  It normally sells for 21.95 in clear mount, but the sale price is 16.46.  I used my Oval Framelit Dies (page 186) to cut the two sizes of ovals.  The ink colors are Blushing Bride, So Saffron, and Pistachio Pudding. The card stock colors are Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Pistachio Pudding, and So Saffron. The sentiment is from the set Million & One, page 63 of the annual catalog.  I stamped it in Basic Gray.  The three-dimensional  flower is made with the Pansy Punch, page 183 of the annual catalog and the Boho Blossoms Punch, also on page 183.  The Whisper White panel is embossed with the Fancy Fan embossing folder and some of the gorgeous Chevron Ribbon in Blushing Bride completes the card.  I don't know about you, but I just love the look of a sentiment stamped over a background of flowers.  Do you have a special friend who'd love to receive a card telling her she's fabulous?  Really, what woman wouldn't like a card like this?

Thanks for stopping in and reading my blog today.  I appreciate each one of you, my faithful readers!  Be sure to come back on Wednesday, when I'll keep everything in balance by showing you a masculine card.
May your work week be off to a smooth start!

If you would like to order anything from the 25% off sale, be sure to email me your list.  I will get right back to you with your total and you can either send me a check or give me your credit card info over the phone.

Hugs,
Susan

Finally Friday!

Hello there stamping friends!

Woot woot!  Friday has arrived and I know all of you "worker bees" are rejoicing.  Even though I'm officially retired, I'm still buzzing around like a little worker bee myself.    The thing to think about when considering retirement is that you can say "yes" to all of the things that you used to say "no" to.  Then what happens is that you suddenly find yourself busier than ever... sigh!  No rocking on the front porch for me! I don't think I'm going to take up knitting anytime soon and reading is done between 11pm and midnight when the book falls from my hands.  I'm not complaining, though.  I'm having lots of fun as your happy and busy Stampin'Up! demonstrator!

Continuing on with our Christmas theme, I'm going to be showing you another frosty Christmas card today.
Here it is...

We're going to be making this at our Stamp Out Stress (SOS) group meeting on Monday, Oct. 28th at 1pm at Symposium Coffee in Old Town Sherwood.  If you are free, we'd love to have you join us for coffee, cards, and creativity!  The cost is just $5 for two cards and envelopes.  We meet upstairs in the conference room.
The stamp set I used for this card is called Lovely as a Tree and it has been in the catalog as long as I've been a demonstrator... almost 13 years!  It continues to be a best-seller and I can see why.  The images are just wonderful... especially these bare trees.  The sentiment is from a set in last year's holiday catalog, called More Merry Messages.  It is not in the current catalog, but can still be ordered, so let me know if you'd like to add a great set of 10 holiday greetings to your collection.

Here's a quick list of the products I used to make this card.

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree and More Merry Messages
Ink:  Marina Mist, Pool Party, and Soft Sky in for the sponged background behind the trees, Jet Black Staz-On ink for the trees, Basic Gray ink for the sentiment.
Paper: Whisper White for the card base, Soft Sky for the embossed panel
Accessories:  Pretty Print embossing folder, page 24 of the holiday catalog, 1/8 inch silver ribbon, page 28 of the holiday catalog.

May you all enjoy a wonderful fall weekend... isn't this weather just the best ever? I hope you can relax. recharge, and maybe even squeeze in a little time to stamp.
Don't forget to come back on Monday, when I'll have more stamping inspiration for you!
Hugs,
Susan

Not so traditional...

Hi there!
So glad you came back on this beautiful Wednesday to see the classic card I have for you today!  While everyone will agree that red, green, and white are the traditional colors of Christmas, there are quite a few folks out there who are more inspired by the cool and frosty blues of a winter landscape.  Stampin'Up! has made a lot of people very happy with their new Winter Frost Designer Series Paper, which features the gorgeous blues of Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, and Pool Party.  While the names sound tropical, these colors combined with silver accents and snowflake patterns just make me say "Brrrr!"  So for those of you who are into the blues...

Here's a quick list of what I used to create this frosty card:

Stamps:  Festive Flurry (p. 30 of the holiday catalog)
              More Merry Messages (a carry-over stamp set that is still available, even though it's not in the current catalog)
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Soft Sky, Smoky Slate (for the snowflake layers), Bermuda Bay (for the sentiment)
Paper:  Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana
Accessories:  Frosted Finishes Embellishments, p. 28 of the holiday catalog), Festive Flurry Framelits (p. 30 of the holiday catalog), Winter Frost Paper Stack, page 29 of the holiday catalog, Fancy Fan embossing folder, page 191 of the annual catalog.

I love, love, love how the Magnetic Platform for the Big Shot holds the framelits right over the stamped snowflakes!  No more post-it notes needed to hold them in place!  The Magnetic Platform is now in stock, so order soon if you don't already have yours... item number 130658, 39.95 and worth every penny!

Thanks for stopping in for a visit.  I'll look forward to seeing you again on Friday!
Only 2 more days 'til the weekend!
Susan

A Calm Christmas???

Hello stampers!
I'm glad you came back for a visit this wonderful Monday!
Hasn't our weather just been the best?  You know me... I love the sunshine and this lovely Indian Summer weather really makes me happy!

As you know,  a few posts ago I promised to concentrate on Christmas cards for a while, then I promptly turned around and we viewed a couple of Thanksgiving projects.  But today, we're back on track with Christmas cards.  I'm planning to continue with Christmas the rest of the week, then we'll probably take a little break as I've got some non-holiday cards I'd like you to see.

So, here we go again,  onward toward Christmas!  Before I show you the card, which was made with a great new stamp set in the holiday catalog called "Calm Christmas" I just want to pose the question.... is there such a thing as a calm Christmas??  I'm not sure I've celebrated one of those, ever.  But I'd like to someday! Christmas, for most of us, is anything but calm.  There's so much to do, and the days fly by and before we know it, Christmas arrives and we count ourselves lucky if we managed to get the gifts wrapped before midnight!

The first card I'm going to show you is one we made today at my "Head Start on the Holidays" class.
Here it is...

I used Very Vanilla card stock for the base of the card and the focal panel.  Then Crumb Cake and Midnight Muse is layered on top.  The Midnight Muse panel is embossed with the Pretty Print embossing folder on page 24 of the holiday catalog.  The dove is stamped in Midnight Muse ink over a background made with the World Map background stamp on page 23 of the annual catalog.  The sentiment comes with the Calm Christmas set.  It is stamped on Very Vanilla with Midnight Muse ink and then punched out with the Large Oval punch.  Some Crumb Cake seam binding ( page 173 of the annual catalog) makes a nice finishing touch.  I sponged everything with the Crumb Cake ink to give the card a more vintage feel.

Since I used this card at two different events this past weekend, for many of you this is "old hat."  So here's another card using this same set so you'll have something new to inspire you.

This great card is the work of Janet Jones, one of the talented stampers in my group.  Here's a quick list of what she used:
Stamps:  Calm Christmas
Ink:  Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo, Old Olive
Paper:  Island Indigo, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, In-Color Designer Series Paper Stack, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Apothecary Accents Framelits, p. 187 of the annual catalog, silver 1/8 inch ribbon, page 28 of the holiday catalog, Northern Flurry embossing folder (p. 191 of the annual catalog)

I hope you agree... Calm Christmas is a wonderful stamp set  and at just $14.95, it's a great bargain as well.

I hope your new week is off to a great start!  The forecast says we're going to continue with the sunny weather for a bit longer, so that's a happy thing to look forward to!

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday for another Classic Card.
Hugs,
Susan

Gratitude

Hello there, stamping enthusiasts!  Please excuse me while I give a loud  Yippie... it's Friday!  
OK, I feel better now.   What are your plans for the weekend?  I'm excited to say that I'll be a stampin' fool this weekend, with a stamping party at my house on Saturday and my fun "Head Start on the Holidays" Christmas card class on Sunday.  I've baked some yummy Christmas cookies and I've got some holiday tunes ready to go on the CD player, the paper is cut and the stamps are ready!  Now for the fun!

Did you remember that on Wednesday we put our stampin' sedan in reverse and backtracked to Thanksgiving for a while?  Today we're going to put it in park and talk a little more about Thanksgiving.  To set the scene, I've got a little quotation on gratitude that I'd like to share.  I'm sure you've probably run across this quote at some point...
   
      "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."  Melody Beattie

To those thoughts, I'd just like to add that when you are feeling grateful, you are noticing and thinking about all that is right in your life.  When you focus on what is right, what is going well, you just naturally feel happiness.  So, if you'd like to be happier, practice gratitude.  Oh, and maybe stamp more too.  Stamping always makes me happy.... how about you???

Here's a fun project for Thanksgiving that would be a great addition to each place at your Thanksgiving table.  This is called a treat tent and you can fill it with all sorts of goodies, from spicy glazed nuts, to mints, chocolate kisses, or whatever you'd like.  Just fill a small cello bag and stuff it inside the tent and you're good to go. You could also add a small tag at the top so it could serve as both a take-away favor and a place card.

Oh, I guess I'd better show you what it looks like...

Sorry I didn't take a photo showing the side view, but this is just a strip of Early Espresso card stock that measures 3 1/2 inches wide by 8 1/2 inches long.  It is scored crosswise at 3 1/2 and 5 inches.  I embossed both the front and the back of the tent with the Square Lattice embossing folder, but left the bottom plain.  The stamps are from the Harvest of Thanks stamp set on page 19 of the holiday catalog.  I stamped Mr. Turk in Cajun Craze and then stamped again in  Early Espresso.  I stamped the word "gratitude" in Crushed Curry, to match the Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon on page 173 of the annual catalog.  I punched out the turkey with the 1 3/8 inch circle punch.  The tag shape was cut with the Deco Labels framelits and the gratitude banner was cut with the Bitty Banner Framelits.  Of course the turkey and the little banner are popped up on dimensionals.

Have a great Friday and an even better weekend!  I encourage you to set some of your weekend chores aside and spend a few minutes stamping.  I promise it will make you happier.  See you on Monday!
Happy week-ending, relaxing, and recharging everyone!
Susan

Shifting Gears...

Hi there, stampers!
Thanks for stopping by for some Wednesday stamping inspiration!

As you know, lately we've been traveling toward Christmas, but I think it might be time to stop, shift into reverse, and focus on Thanksgiving for a few days.  As many of you know, I'm a "magazine-a-holic" and in my reading recently, I've discovered that Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of many women.  At first I thought to myself    "Hmmm, I wonder why women would pick a holiday that requires them to cook all day," but as I read their reasons, it began to make a lot of sense.  First of all, you don't have to decorate the entire house (inside AND out) for Thanksgiving.  There are no exhausting lists of gifts to be purchased, wrapped, and mailed, nor does anyone really expect to receive a Thanksgiving card.  Thanksgiving is limited to one day, so there's no Thanksgiving season where you are expected to entertain friends, neighbors, and relatives with parties, brunches, or other festive gatherings.  No baking endless piles of cookies, (pick up one of those mammoth pumpkin pies from COSTCO and you're set!), no fudge for the neighbors... I'm thinking Thanksgiving just might be my new favorite holiday as well!

While we're contemplating the joys of Thanksgiving, here's an idea that might appeal to some of you.... instead of sending Christmas cards this year, send Thanksgiving cards!  Most people are pretty much expecting a Christmas card, but think of how special it would be to get an unexpected hand-stamped card in the mail for Thanksgiving, when people have time to look at it and appreciate it instead of tossing it in a basket along with tons of other cards.  Have I convinced you?  If so, here's an easy card that still has a bit of a "wow" factor....

I apologize for the neon-yellow look in this photo.  The cardstock is actually Summer Starfruit, which matches the stitched satin ribbon.  Some colors just don't photograph well, I guess.
Here's a product list for you.
Stamps:  Harvest of Thanks, page 19 of the holiday catalog
Ink:  Early Espresso marker, Cajun Craze Marker
Paper:  Very Vanilla card stock for card base.  Early Espresso, Summer Starfruit
Accessories:  Woodgrain embossing folder, Beautifully Baroque embossing folder, Apothecary Accents framelits (page 187 of the annual catalog), Stitched Satin ribbon in Summer Starfruit, and of course, the ever- popular Dimensionals. I cannot make a card without Dimensionals and I bet you can't either!

OK, stampers!  That's a wrap for my Wednesday post!  Thanks for reading and please come back on Friday for more stamping fun.
Hugs to all,
Susan

You're So Handsome, Deer!

Hellooooo Stampers!

How did it get to be Monday again already??  Didn't the weekend just start??  Whatever you did on Saturday and Sunday, I hope it was relaxing, fun, and hopefully there was a dash of creativity thrown in, just to add a little extra interest!  My weekends are always more fun when there's some stamping going on, and that's just what happened.  Ana's stamping party was on Saturday and we had loads of fun stamping a cute Halloween card and then a sparkly snowflake card.  You've seen both of them in earlier blog posts, so now it's time to move on to something new.

Today I'm going to show you a card with a handsome, manly deer.  You might remember Stampin'Up!'s Dasher, the reindeer with the curly, curvy, sparkly antlers.  He was a pretty deer, not a manly deer.  If you missed the original Dasher, you can find him again in the "Best of Christmas" stamp set.  This guy, found in the Hostess-Only stamp set Warmth and Wonder, makes a great focal image for a card, but he's also small enough to fit on a gift tag, gift card holder, or other small project.  Here, let me show you...

Like the card I showed on Friday, this one also features Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake.
This is one of my all-time favorite color combinations.  I love it with a little green thrown in at Christmas, but it is also a luscious color combination for Valentine's Day (without the green, of course), when it reminds me of a raspberry truffle or other chocolate treat.  I hope I'm not the only one who mentally pairs Valentine's Day with chocolate!

Here's a quick list of the products I used.
Stamps: Warmth and Wonder, page 39 of the holiday catalog. The "joy" sentiment is from Joyful Christmas, page 27 of the holiday catalog.  I just colored in "JOY" with a Cherry Cobbler marker and then stamped it on a scrap and used the small oval punch, page 182 of the annual catalog to punch it out.
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Whisper White for the card base, Cherry Cobbler for the card front, Crumb Cake for the scalloped circle, and Early Espresso for the solid circle.  The chevron patterned DSP is from the Season of Style collection, page 23 of the holiday catalog.
Accessories:  Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, linen thread, Vintage Trinket safety pin( page 170 of the annual catalog), 1 3/4 circle punch, 1 2/8 scallop circle punch, and 2 1/2 inch circle punch

If you would like to add this handsome deer to your stamp collection, all you need to do is host a stamping party and you can "adopt" him absolutely FREE.  He'll be happy to come live in your stamp room!  Don't forget, you can have your party at my house and save yourself a lot of work.  Just bring your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and a snack and I'll do the rest.  And when the party's over, YOU get the freebies!  What could be more fun than that?
I hope your week is off to a smooth start.... no missing car keys, no tank on empty as you start the car, no traffic jams... just smooth sailing!  Enjoy the day and don't forget to come back on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Warmth and Wonder

Hello again and yay for Friday!  I so appreciate your taking time from your busy day to check out the latest card I have for you here at The Classic Card.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, we are headed into a whole flock of holiday cards, so fasten your seat belts as I whirl you through my collection of Christmas cards.  Today's card is a clean and classic Christmas card.  This one would be fairly quick to stamp and there's a nice amount of detail but nothing terribly fussy or labor-intensive.  Let me know what you think...

I don't think I need to go into a lot of detail on how I created this card, as it is pretty straightforward.  I'll give you the usual list in case there's some product shown here that you don't readily recognize.

Stamps:  Warmth and Wonder (hostess stamp set on page 39 of the holiday catalog).
               The sentiment is from More Merry Messages, a carry-over set from last year's holiday catalog.

Ink:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler

Paper:  Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Season of Style Designer Series Paper Stack, page 22 of the holiday catalog

Accessories:  Oval Framelit Dies, Modern Label Punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Early Espresso Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, sponge, dimensionals.

Note:  the trees are stamped in a two-step process.  First the trees are stamped, then the decorations are added with a second stamp that is easily lined up on the trees.  There's really no need for the Stamp-a- ma-jig for this step.  I sponged around both ovals and the sentiment with some Early Espresso ink.  I guess you could call me Sponge-Sue ( sorta like Sponge-Bob) because I sure do love sponging!

Thanks for spending time with me today.  May your weekend be everything that you'd like it to be!
Our trip into holiday land continues on Monday, so I'll hope to see you back here then.
Hugs all around,
Susan

Moving right along...

Hello there stampin' people!  Time is moving right along and here we are at Wednesday again!

Thank you very much for stopping in to The Classic Card today.  I appreciate each and every reader I have and if you enjoy my blog, I'm hoping you'll let other people know about it.  Yesterday (Tuesday Oct. 8th) Stampin'Up! announced a Weekly Deal.  I'm not sure how long the Weekly Deals will last,but for now they'll be announced every Tuesday.  Here are the deals for this week, and be sure to check my business site www.susanrodgers.stampinup.net next Tuesday for the new specials.  As I mentioned in an email, the discount shows up when you go to checkout.

Yes, time is marching ever onward and Christmas is only about ten weeks away.  So even though we haven't passed Halloween, it still might be a good idea to start thinking about Christmas. especially if you are planning to send hand-stamped cards this year.  So over the next several weeks, it will probably be safe to say that you'll be seeing primarily Christmas cards on my blog.  Oh, I might toss in the occasional fall birthday or Thanksgiving card but I've got a lot of pretty Christmas cards to share with you so I need to get started.

The card I'm going to show you today is a square card.  I don't make too many of these because they call for extra postage and because I never seem to have the right envelope for a square card.  With the new Envelope Punch Board I can make any size of envelope I need to fit any size of card I can dream up.  You can order this fabulous new tool right now, and you'll get it mid-October.  They have proven to be so very popular that a large supply was exhausted in just a few weeks.  Never fear... you'll get your very own Envelope Punch Board as soon as Stampin'Up! receives a new shipment.

OK... I guess it is time to show you the card.  By the way, you can make this pretty card on Saturday at Ana's party at 1 pm at my house. Just send me a quick email to let me know you'd like to attend and I'll save you a spot. By the way, you'll make a matching envelope in a soft blue parchment paper that will coordinate beautifully with the card.

Here's a quick product list for you:

Stamps:  Festive Flurry stamp set, page 30 of the holiday catalog
              Greetings of the Season stamp set ( a carry-over item from last year's holiday catalog)
Ink:  Pool Party, Basic Gray
Paper:  Silver Glimmer Paper, Winter Frost Designer Series Paper Stack, page 29 of the holiday catalog
            Soft Sky card stock, Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Festive Flurry Framelit dies, Soft Sky Seam Binding, page 173 of the annual catalog, Basic                            Rhinestones, Dimensionals.

If you haven't picked out your design for your 2013 Christmas cards, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you choose a card to match your skills and your budget.  Perhaps you'd like a super simple but still pretty design, or maybe you're going for something a little more elegant but still easy and quick.  Whatever you're looking for, I can help!  Whimsical, cute, traditional, or religious... Stampin'Up! has stamps for everyone!
Hugs to all,
Susan

A Witchy Monday...

Hello stampers and a happy Monday to all!

Wasn't the weather this past weekend just glorious?  Oh, if only we could figure out a way to bottle that balmy air, that blue sky, that sunshine... and then bring it out when we are in need of some warmth and cheer.  Whatever you had going on this weekend, I hope that you got outside to enjoy the fabulous weather.

Mondays have a way of bringing an abrupt halt to all of our fun weekend activities, leaving us all just a bit let down. So if you're feeling rather "witchy" today, I've got the perfect card for you.  Check it out...

This fun card is one we'll be making this coming Saturday, October 12th at Ana's stamping party.  The stamping starts at 1 pm at my house and I'd love for you to join us. There's no cost to attend and I can promise that you'll have a stampin' good time!   Here's a quick list of the ingredients for this non-scary Halloween card:
 
     Stamps:  Bootiful Occasions ( page 24 of the annual catalog)
     Ink:  Jet Black Staz-On (page 165 of the annual catalog)
     Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, and Pumpkin Pie card stock,  Witches' Brew DSP ( page 21 of          the holiday catalog)
     Accessories:  Pumpkin Pie marker, Extra-Large Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch, 2 1/2 inch Circle Punch. Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 1/8 inch Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon.

Thanks for stopping in today.  I trust that your Monday will go smoothly, right along with the rest of  your week!  And if doesn't go smoothly???  I know just what to do....get out your stamps and stamp something.  Stampin is one of the best stress-relievers and mood-lifters ever!
Hugs to each and all!
Susan
   

Sweet Times Ahead

Hello Stampers!  Yay... it's Friday again!
I'm hoping today will be the start of a very nice weekend... nothing like the wild and wooly one we had last week!
Yes, it's true... there are sweet times ahead... VERY sweet times!  You don't need me to tell you that every store is stocked to the rafters with candy, candy, candy!  Halloween just might be the invention of a group of evil dentists.  It has got to be one of the most unhealthy holidays ever!  Just thinking of the staggering amount of sugar that is going to be consumed is enough to make your teeth hurt!  Add to that all of the loose fillings that will be pulled out by Laffy Taffy, Big Hunks, and other chewy confections and I'm sure dentists everywhere are rubbing their hands together in undisguised glee.

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday, but I'm told that spending on Halloween is only eclipsed by the spending on Christmas.  So there must be a lot of people out there who go "all out" on Halloween.  I'm just not one of them.  I guess, though, if you have to choose between the scary, icky, creepy Halloween and the sweet and happy Halloween, then I definitely land on the side that says "It's all about the candy."  Today's card reflects the sweet and happy side of Halloween... no bats, poison potions, or witches allowed.

I enjoyed making this super-simple card and I think you would too!  I started with a base of Very Vanilla, then added some Witches' Brew DSP  (page 21 of the holiday catalog).  I inked the single stamp Halloween Happiness (page 20 of the holiday catalog) with Pumpkin Pie ink, then before stamping I colored in the sentiment and the pumpkin stems and leaves with a Basic Black marker, then stamped on Very Vanilla.  I cut out the image with one of the oval framelits and matted it on the next size oval cut from Basic Black card stock.  Some narrow taffeta ribbon in Basic Black ties the card together.  It's quick, easy, and sweet!

Thanks for stopping by today and may your weekend be relaxing and enjoyable.  Oh, and be sure to stay out of the Halloween candy!
Happy Stamping!
Susan

Swirling Leaves

Hey there stampers!  Happy Wednesday and Happy October!

Fall is definitely here and our lawn is very colorful with red and yellow leaves.  The leaves on the giant red maples on either side of the driveway are still mostly green.  Only the leaves on the very top of the trees are red and they are starting to fall.  The wind has brought quite a few of them down... no surprise there.  It also brought down a sweet little nest, a leftover from last spring, no doubt.

I thought I'd show you an autumn leaf-y card today to go along with the swirling leaves I see outside my window.  I apologize for the weird colors in this photo... not sure what happened !  The colors are Baked Brown Sugar, Rich Razzleberry, and Crushed Curry.

I promise you, this card look a whole lot better IRL (in real life)!  I started out with a panel of Very Vanilla and I stamped the Dictionary background stamp on it in Crumb Cake.  Then I just started layering on the leaves from the Gently Falling stamp set (page 65 of the annual catalog).  The colors for the leaves are Rich Razzleberry (it turned out looking like neon purple in this photo... so sorry!) Crushed Curry, and Baked Brown Sugar.  I might have stamped too many leaves.  It is easy to get carried away!  The sentiment is from Chalk Talk ( page 12 of the annual catalog).  It reads "I'm so grateful there's you in the world."  I sponged around the sentiment and the stamped panel with Soft Suede.  I tried sponging with Crumb Cake, but it was just too light.  The panel behind the oval sentiment was cut with one of the Chalk Talk Framelits.  

That's my Wednesday card, peeps!  Hope your week has been going well and that from here you'll coast downhill into a great weekend!  Please come back on Friday to see the stamping inspiration I'll have for you then.  

Hugs and Happy Stamping!

Susan