The sad story of the un-Christmas

Hello Stamping Friends!
Welcome back to The Classic Card and thanks for stopping by this fine Monday!  I hope you all enjoyed a very happy and cozy Christmas with those you love.

Later today I'll be joining some of my customers for a fun afternoon of stamping at Symposium Coffee in Old Town Sherwood.  We'll be making two cute Valentines, chatting, and enjoying a delicious latte or other yummy drink.  Wish you could join us!

Before we get to the card, let me relate the sad story of the un-Christmas.  Oh, I guess it's not really THAT sad. Suffice it to say that the Awtreys, who were supposed to come down from Seattle for Christmas on the 22nd were not able to travel to Portland until the 28th.  One by one, they all came down with the very nasty norovirus bug.  Then once that was over, Emma succumbed to a secondary viral infection and had a very high fever for several days.  Ugh!  It was the first Christmas John and I had spent without children since 1976, the year before Amy was born.  We were definitely at loose ends that day!  No presents were opened, although I did cook a nice dinner.  It was just a very strange day.  We finally opened gifts yesterday.  With three children in the family, I guess a sick Christmas had to happen sooner or later.  We are hoping for a germ-free Christmas next year.

I'm sure I already mentioned that demonstrators get to pre-order stamp sets and goodies from the new catalogs before the catalog goes "live."  This is so we can experiment with the new sets, designer papers, and accessories. So since the Awtreys were a whole week late in arriving, I've been doing quite a bit of playing around with some of the new products.  I'm also in the process of making about 50 swap cards to take with me on my upcoming trip to Stampin'Up!'s Leadership meeting in Houston on Jan 8th-12th.

Here's one of my Leadership swaps.  I hope you'll find it inspiring!

                  
Let's see... there are three new products that I used to create this Spring-y card:

the new Decorative Dots embossing folder and two new stamp sets, Petal Parade ( a free Sale-a-bration set) and Happy Watercolor on page 22 of the Occasions catalog.
The colors are Calypso Coral, Pool Party, and So Saffron.

You can get this pretty new flowery set free with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-bration (Jan. 28th to
March 31st, 2014.

I'm off to pack the car for SOS (Stamp out Stress) now!  Enjoy your day!
Susan

Clean and simple

Hello Stampin' Friends!

Can you believe that it's December 20th??? Where did this month go?  I guess the busier we get, the faster the time flies!  And I think it speeds up the older we get as well.  Remember how it seemed to take forever for Christmas to arrive when you were a kid?  Remember how a summer could stretch on and on with seemingly no end in sight?  Ah, those were the days!  Remember how a birthday was something you looked forward to with great excitement and anticipation?  I think those feelings stop sometime in our twenties, when we no longer look forward to being older.  But like it or not, if we're lucky enough to be alive, we're going to have birthdays.  And of course our friends will have them as well.  So we might as well be prepared with some birthday cards that are ready to send.

Today's card is perfect for a friend of a certain age... someone who might not be too thrilled to be another year older.  This aging stuff gets scary after a while!  I love the sentiment, which reads "I don't believe that it's your birthday.  You don't look any older than you did last year."   A teenager certainly wouldn't appreciate that thought, but all of my friends would adore a card like this.  Here, let me show you the card...

The sentiment is from a fun stamp set called See Ya Later and you can get it FREE with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-bration (Jan. 28-March 31st).  The other items you can earn with a $50 purchase are the new dotted embossing folder called Decorative Dots and the Sweet Sorbet designer paper.  The striped paper in the background is part of the Sweet Sorbet collection as well.

I'd like to interrupt this blog post for a couple of important announcements....
First, I'm going to be taking a week off from blogging, so I won't be here on Dec. 23, 25, or 27th and you shouldn't be either.  You need a break too!   I plan to be back on Monday, Dec. 30 with another classic card for your stamping inspiration.
Secondly, please mark your calendars for a big Sale-a-bration Open House on Saturday, January 25th from 11-3 at my house.  There'll be displays, make-and-takes, lots of door prizes and yummy food. You'll be receiving an evite after the first of the year.  If you don't have your Sale-a-bration party booked, why not do that soon, while there are good dates open?  Please drop me a quick email at sjrstamps@gmail.com and we'll find a date that works for you.
Lastly, thank you for journeying with me throughout 2013!  Thank you for being my faithful readers and keeping me company here at The Classic Card.  I appreciate each one of you and I look forward to sharing more stamping ideas with you in 2014.
Have a very Merry Christmas!
Susan

A Fun Gift

Hello Stampers and Happy Wednesday to all!

I don't know if you remember this, but on Monday I said I'd have a great gift idea for you today.  This fun gift is fairly inexpensive to make, yet it is something that most women would love to have.  These are all over Pinterest... they are very popular right now.

Here's the photo for you so you can see what I'm talking about...

This display board would look great over a desk, in the kitchen, or just about anywhere.  You can use it to display cards, notes, invitations, photos, artwork... you get the idea!  Here are the steps to making a display board.  First purchase a wood frame with an open back.  All you need is the frame... no matting, no glass.   I got this one at Michael's and then sprayed it black.You could also use an old frame that you already have or shop for one at a thrift store.  Next, I cut some chicken wire (purchased in a small roll at Home Depot) using a pair of sturdy scissors to fit inside the frame.  The next step was stapling the chicken wire to the frame.  That's all there is to it!  Of course I had fun embellishing it with some pretty cards, a three-dimensional flower, and a cute tag.  I made this as a gift for one of the stampers in our Stamp2gether group, a group of StampinUp! demonstrators who get together monthly for dinner, stamping, and sharing ideas.

Here's a close-up of the two cards...

What stamper wouldn't love to have a board like this for displaying their cards?  Now that I have one display board under my belt, I think I'd like to make a few more. Wouldn't it be a great Mother's Day gift, complete with some sweet photos of the kiddos?  If you start right after Christmas, I'm sure you could finish by Mother's Day :)

OK, my friends!  That's it for today. Thanks for stopping in to check out my blog.  I know you are busy this very crazy time of year.   Please come back on Friday when I'll have another gift item to show you.  Meanwhile, try to "keep calm and carry on."  The world won't come to an end if you don't finish every last task on your list!

Hugs to all!
Susan

More new goodies, as promised

Hello stampers!
Oh my goodness... here we are at Monday again.  The days are going by too quickly.  Christmas is only 10 days away now.  Hopefully you are steaming ahead with all of your preparations and you'll arrive at Christmas with the most important things checked off.  I had a busy weekend, but it wasn't busy work, it was busy fun, which was a nice change!  I hope you had a great weekend as well, full of Christmas spirit .I know I mentioned on Friday that I would have more new stampin' stuff to show you, so let's get right to it, shall we?

There are several new products here, so let me list them for you.  All of the products I'm showing you today were featured in a Valentine flyer with the title "a whole lot of love."  I sent it out to my customers a couple of weeks ago.

First, there's the new single stamp, Flowerfull Heart.  It only comes in wood mount and sells for $9.95  I stamped it on Whisper White card stock in Real Red and then cut it out with one of the hearts from the Heart Collection Framelit Dies.  I stamped the sentiment "Love you more" (from the Love you More stamp set which is $16.95 in clear mount) onto one of the Sweet Sayings cards.  I then stretched some stitched grosgrain ribbon in real red around the card.  The ends are glued down under the heart and then the heart is popped up on some dimensionals.  These cute pre-printed cards and color coordinated envelopes are $5.95 for 12 cards and 12 envelopes.  You get 4 Pool Party envelopes, 4 Real Red, and 4 Crisp Cantaloupe).  These are notecard size ( 3 1/2 by 5), so they can be mailed.  What a quick, easy, and fun way to make some great Valentines for friends and relatives!  If you'd like to see the flyer again, send me a quick email at sjrstamps@gmail.com and I'll re-mail it to you.

Thanks for checking in with me today.  Please come back on Wednesday when I'll have a neat gift idea for you.  I hope Monday will go smoothly and quickly and get your week off to a great start!
Susan

Life doesn't have to be perfect...

Hello Stamping People!

Oh boy!  The weekend is almost here!  I've got lots of Christmas-y Holiday events on my calendar and I hope you do too.  There are so many ways to make the most of this season... going out to a party, meeting friends for dinner, shopping and wrapping, or just staying home in a cozy house to bake cookies. Whatever you do is special, because it's Christmastime!  Put on some holiday tunes, wear red, hang some mistletoe and kick up your heels!

OK... enough holly-jollying... let's get back to the reason you're here... THE CARD!

The minute I saw this stamp set, called Perfect Pennants,I knew that I had to have it.  It is in the new Occasions catalog ( page 27) and it has a set of framelits to go with it called Banners Framelit Dies.
I heartily agree with this thought.  Life is pretty wonderful, even ordinary everyday life of the non-holiday variety.  Let's not wait until life is perfect to start enjoying it!  Life will never be perfect, but it is wonderful nonetheless.

This jolt of hot color is just what I needed to remind me that warmer weather lies ahead.  OK, waaayyy ahead, but still it's coming.  This fun paper is called Retro Fresh and the colors in the collection are Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, So Saffron, and Tangerine Tango.  I punched the flowers out with the Pansy Punch.  A new flower punch, the Petite Petals Punch, was used to punch out the next layer and then the center of the flower was done with the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (page 180 of the annual catalog).
I stamped the sentiment in Baked Brown Sugar.  The fun new washi tape is called Retro Fresh This and That Washi Tape and it's on the same page (p. 19) as the Retro Fresh designer paper.

I'm hoping that you can hardly wait to see the new Occasions catalog, now that I've shown you some of the pretty products that you'll soon be able to play with.  Have a great weekend, everyone!  I'll see you back here on Monday, when I'll have more new goodies to inspire you.
Susan

A Breath of Fresh Air

Hi there stampers!  Happy Wednesday!

The days are just rolling by and it is somewhat daunting to note that there are only 14 days left until Christmas!  Does that strike fear into your heart like it does mine??  My job for today... right after I complete this post... is to address a whole lot of envelopes for Christmas cards that should have gone out at least a week ago.  I'm ruining my reputation for early Christmas cards, but sometimes other things get in the way.

Anyway, let me stop lamenting all the things that need checking off of my list and get to the card.  I know you didn't come here to hear me whine. In case you missed it, we are now officially finished with Christmas. After several months of  focusing on the holidays, it is so refreshing to use some of the new products that you can earn with every $50 you spend during Sale-a-bration (Jan. 28th-March 31st).  So, my friends, check out this card, which I think is like a breath of fresh springtime air...

Let me list the products that I used here...
The stamp set is called Happy Watercolor and you'll be able to find this on page 22 of the new Occasions catalog, which should be showing up in your mailbox in the next week or so.  I used some of the Sale-a-bration  designer paper called Sweet Sorbet for the banner and butterflies. I just love the light and pretty colors in this collection!  I used the new Decorative Dots embossing folder to give some cute texture to the Pool Party background. This is another one of the Sale-a-bration items you can earn with a $50 purchase.

Isn't it nice to know that you have some fun new products to look forward to after the holidays are over?
January, February, and March can be pretty dreary here in the Northwest, but with all kinds of Sale-a-bration events on the horizon, it doesn't need to be that way.  My plan is to keep you so busy with stamping fun that you won't even notice the weather!

Before I leave you today, I want to remind you to check the Clearance Rack.  Stampin'Up! did a big re-load and there are tons of new goodies that you need!  Some have already sold out, but most of it is still available.  Go to www.susanrodgers.stampinup.net and click on the shop button.  Then choose Clearance Rack Blitz from the menu to see all of the amazing products on sale for up to 80% off!

Thanks for stopping by and please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs,
Susan

Shiny New Toys

Hello stampers and a happy Monday to all!

Thanks for stopping in at The Classic Card to see what I have for you today.  As promised last Friday, we are moving on from Christmas and holiday cards, as I have shown you a boatload the last few weeks.  To be honest, I'm kind of tired of Christmas cards.  I've been making them since October and it's now nearly mid-December so I hope you can understand why I want to have a change of scenery, so to speak.

No, Santa did not come early and bring me lots of shiny new toys.  However, I'm sure you remember the extreme excitement you felt as a child when Christmas drew near and you were so excited for Santa to arrive that you were nearly beside yourself with wild anticipation.  Well, it's sort of like that with me when I'm waiting for an order of new stamping goodies to arrive.  And arrive they did!  Last Thursday to be exact.  As demonstrators, we're allowed to pre-order from the new Occasions catalog that will be available on January 3rd.  We were also able to earn some of the Sale-a-bration items with our order from the Occasions catalog.  Because I was so busy this weekend with a class and a party, I haven't had much time to really get into the groove with these new products, but I will be working on that later this week.

Today's card is a little sneaky-peeky of some of the new products you can earn when you make a $50 purchase during Sale-a-bration (January 28th-March 31st).  First, I'll show you the card and then I'll tell you a bit about the products.

Isn't this card just like a breath of spring?  We could use a little bit of springtime warmth right now, couldn't we??  This Designer Series Paper is called Sweet Sorbet and the colors in the collection are Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Summer Starfruit, and a touch here and there of Basic Black.  You are going to love this paper!
The sentiment  "You make me happy when skies are gray" is from a fun set called See Ya Later that  you'll want to add to your collection.  It is also free with a $50 purchase.

I'm already taking reservations for Sale-a-bration stamping parties, so if you'd like to be a hostess and get more freebies than ever, Sale-a-bration is the best time of year to host.  There are a finite number of Saturday and Sundays between January 28th and March 31st, so please book your party early to avoid disappointment.

Hope your weekend was fun and busy!  There's so much to do at this festive time of year that it is easy to become overwhelmed with all that needs to be accomplished.  Pace yourself and make time for the really important things.  I've learned the hard way that simple is better than over-the-top.   Your decorations don't have to rival those in Martha Stewart Living and it won't be the end of the world if you don't have 8 different kinds of home-made cookies.  Instead of a long list of chores, make a list of fun things you want to do, like going out for breakfast, meeting a friend for coffee, exploring the shops in a new area of town, or maybe just  settling down to watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel (my favorite!).  OK, I'll let you get busy planning some fun things!  Don't forget to come back on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.
Happy Stamping!
Susan

Yippee! It's Friday!

Welcome once again to The Classic Card!

We've survived the first week of December and now the weekend is here!  I'm going to be stampin' like crazy this weekend, first at my class on Saturday and then at Lisa's party on Sunday afternoon.  Then I'll be finished with stamping until January 25th, 2014 when I'll be hosting my annual Sale-a-bration Open House.  Mark your calendars for this fun event!

So at last we come to the end of the Christmas projects I wanted to show you.  On Monday, we'll be moving on and I'm hoping to be able to show you some birthday, thank you, and thinking of you cards... the kinds of cards we need for everyday occasions.  I'll be receiving my new goodies from the new Occasions catalog soon and I'm planning on squeezing in some creative time so I can show you some of the great products that are in store for you once the Occasions catalog goes "live" on January 3rd.

Here's the fifth and final Santa's Workshop project...

This great box is called the Tag a Bag Gift Box and can be found on page 158 of the Annual Catalog.  It is 6 7/8 inches long,  2 1/2 inches wide and 2 1/8 inches tall.  This versatile box would be great for all sorts of occasions, which is why it is in the Annual Catalog and not in the Holiday Catalog.  Of course here I've gussied it up for the holidays, but it would be equally pretty decorated for Valentine's Day (with yummy Dove chocolates), or for Easter filled with Cadbury Eggs, marshmallow peeps, or jelly beans.  The Annual Catalog shows it filled with golf balls and tees and another photo shows it as a baby gift with a rolled up onesie inside.  Again, let your imagination and your bank account be your guide (keys to a new car?  Airline tickets to Paris?  A diamond bracelet?)  Or, more realistically, how about a row of yummy cookies?
Once again, I used some of the Season of Style Designer Paper (page 23 of the Holiday Catalog to wrap around the clear sleeve that slides over the box.  I added a Cherry Cobbler bow made with the Gift Bow Die on page 37 of the Holiday Catalog.

Thank you for sticking with me through the 5 days of Santa's Workshop.  Please come back on Monday for a breath of fresh air as we take a look at a non-holiday project.  Meanwhile, have a holly jolly weekend filled with Christmas season fun (shopping, wrapping, baking, and tree-decorating)!
Susan

Give Santa a Hand...

Hi there Stampers!
Thanks for coming here this fine Wednesday to read my blog.  I appreciate each and every one of you!

Only a couple of days 'til the weekend and that means my Santa's Workshop class is almost here.  I'll be showing you one more project today and then winding things up on Friday with the last of the 5 projects.  After that, I think I might give you a break from Christmas projects and show you some non-Christmas cards.  After all, life goes on in December and people have babies and birthdays and anniversaries and weddings and all sorts of other life events.  Besides, I'm beginning to think ahead to Sale-a-bration (have  you booked your party yet?) and the new Occasions catalog that will be coming out soon.  I've ordered lots of new paper, stamp sets, and accessories and while I cannot show you the products, I can show you things I've made with the new products.  So as soon as I receive my order, I'll start creating some fun new projects.... I can't wait!

OK, let's get to today's project.  Here it is...

This Decorative Window Gift Box can be found on page 36 of the Holiday Catalog.  It is 1 1/2 inches high and is 4 inches by 4 inches square. You get 6 of these for $4.95. The clear window reveals the contents of the box, or not.  I've opted to partially cover the circular window with a belly band of the Season of Style Designer Paper and a Cherry Cobbler bow cut with the Gift Bow Bigz L Die on page 37 of the Holiday Catalog.  This size box would be great for some homemade fudge, divinity, or other decadent candy.  I also thought it would be fun to fill it with some gift tags.  Wouldn't this make a nice hostess gift?  Who wouldn't love to get some nice gift tags?  The band slides off easily, allowing the box to be re-used by the recipient.
If you come to my Santa's Workshop class, you'll get this cute box and three gift tags.  If you were giving this as a gift, you'd probably want to make at least 6 tags.

I hope you're not sick of these class projects yet.  If you are, take heart.  I've only got one more to show you on Friday and then we're done!  I hope that seeing what we're going to be making has inspired you to sign up for the class.  Thanks for hanging out with me today!
Susan

Making a list, checking it twice!

Wow... November passed in a blur, didn't it?  And now, ready or not, we've arrived at December, the month of list-making!  I'm really into making lists, so in December I'm happy because there are so many lists to make!  There's the Christmas card list, the gift list, the endless grocery lists, the list of cookies to make, the menus to plan, the "to-do" list of household chores that need to be done...the lists just go on and on! Should I make a list of my lists?  Luckily, I've armed myself with so many list pads that I will never run out and I can go on making lists for years, if not eternity.

I hope you've checked your email for the Cyber Monday specials and I'm hoping that you'll see something you just have to order!  Now let's get down to business, shall we?  Here's another project that you'll be making at my Santa's workshop class this coming Saturday, Dec. 7th...

Canning jars are so "in" right now.  If you don't believe me, check Pinterest and you'll see hundreds of ideas for canning jars.  This jar is so much nicer than the run-of-the-mill Mason jars.  It has a nice rubber gasket and a strong clamping  mechanism so that the contents of the jar will stay super-fresh. I decorated the top of the jar with a large circle cut from Old Olive card stock with one of the Circle Framelit Dies (page 186 of the Annual Catalog).  I then topped it with a window frame cut from Cherry Cobbler card stock with one of the Window Frame Framelit dies (also on page 186 of the Annual Catalog).  Last, I stamped "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" from the Tags 4 You stamp set (page 37 of the Holiday Catalog) and punched it out with the new Artisan Label Punch (also on page 37).  I added some Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon (page 173 of the Annual Catalog) for an extra pretty touch.

This fun jar could hold all sorts of goodies, from mulling spices, to tea, a special coffee blend, candy of all kinds, cookies, home-made toffee, hot cocoa mix, nuts, dried fruit... the possibilities are endless.  You could also fill it with non-edibles such as money, cosmetics, jewelry,concert tickets, gift certificates... whatever you can dream up.  

Well friends, I've got to run!  I've got lists to make!  

Thanks for reading my blog!  

Susan