More Inspiration

Hey there!  Happy Friday to my stampin' friends!

That darn weatherman changed our forecast yet again!  On Wednesday, he said it would be 81 on Friday... now he's saying 77 and partly cloudy for Friday and it's going to be partly cloudy again on Saturday.  It looks like we'll have to wait until Tuesday to hit the 80's.  Oh well, I can be patient.  All I want to do is to sit in the sun for a few minutes.  Is that too much to ask?

I'm busy playing with a couple of new stamp sets and some new colors, getting ready for my New Catalog Kick-Off next Saturday, June 7th.  I've got two sessions available.  The morning session is from 10 am to about noon and the afternoon session starts at 1 pm and goes until about 3pm.  I've got 1 spot left in the morning and two in the afternoon, so if you'd like to come over and play with new goodies, just let me know and I'll save you a spot!  This event is free and you'll go home with two great cards.  You can also pick up your new catalog that day, if you don't already have one.

OK, I know you came here to see some cards, so let's get to it, shall we?  Here are more fun cards from the recent Stampin'Up! Grand Vacation.

This cute card was made by Susie Wood from Sigourney, Iowa.  The colors are Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Slate,and Whisper White.  The stamp set is called Work of Art and it is one set that you'll be seeing a lot.  This was the set that all demonstrators across the US and Canada received at the new catalog premiere that was held at movie theaters in 39 different cities.  Since over 700 demonstrators attended this event,  there are many, many sample made with this fun new set.

I just love this great chalkboard image that's in the new catalog.  It is a single stamp called Friends Who Know.  In case you can't read all the words, it says "We'll be friends forever, because you already know too much."  I'm sure we all have a few friends like that, if we're lucky.  Friends who know us too well, but love us, warts and all.  This is another card with no name on it, but I believe it was made by Genevieve Ko, a fun and friendly Canadian demonstrator.

What a great design for a note card, made by Dina Rekow.  I love how she used a piece of burlap ribbon as a square element behind the punched flowers.  I have often used a stamped square as a background for a stamped image, but this adds texture and dimension to the design.  The little punched flowers are made with the Petite Petals stamp set and matching punch and the smaller flower in the center is made with a new punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack that you can see on page 222 of your new catalog, if you have one.

Well, stampers, that's it for today.  I hope you're in a Friday mood.... relaxed and ready for the weekend!
And may you find a few minutes of "me time" when you'll be able to create something pretty.  There's nothing like a little creative time to restore your sanity and perspective.  Remember the Mary Engelbreit saying..."Arts and crafts keep you sane."
And believe me, in this crazy, crazy world we need all the sane people we can get!
Happy weekending, everyone!
Susan

Cruise Favorites

Hi there, stampers!

I promised on Monday that I'd show you some of the swaps I received on the recent Stampin'Up!Grand Vacation and since it's Wednesday, I guess I'd better make good on my promise.  This was a different type of swap, because we didn't know who we'd be swapping with and we didn't have any idea what the cards would look like... totally random swapping.  But since I was swapping with the top 300+ demonstrators, I figured that I would get some pretty amazing cards.  I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed!
Of course I'm not going to show you all 25 cards... just my favorites.  I was surprised that there was no name on some of the cards, which I think is a little odd, since we were requested to put our name and demonstrator ID number on them.  I guess there are always a few who don't get the message.  Anyway, here are a few fun cards that I hope will inspire you to get out your stamps...

This fun card is by Angie Juda and features the same new stamp set I've shown in my last two posts... So Very Happy.  Isn't that little owl cute?   The sentiment is from Remembering Your Birthday, a great set that carried over into the new catalog.  The color combination of Soft Sky and Whisper White would be great for a baby card as well... so fresh and clean!  And aren't we all happy that the Decorative Dots embossing folder from Sale-a-bration carried over as well??

Here's another card for you...

We've got the Decorative Dots folder again, with the great saying "cheer up, buttercup" from the Geometrical stamp set that was in the Occasions catalog.  The triangle shapes are also party of the set and make a perfect little pennant banner.  Stamp sets with both images and sayings are the best!  The colors here are Crushed Curry and Bermuda Bay.  I'd love to be able to give credit to the demonstrator who created this, but this is one of those "no name" cards.  I'm happy that this set carried over into the new catalog too!

OK, I'll show you one more today and then we'll continue with a few more the next couple of days

Here's another pretty blue and yellow card!  This time the colors are Pool Party and So Saffron and instead of the Decorative Dots embossing folder, we have the first dotted folder ever... the classic Perfect Polka Dots.  The flowers are from the Polka Dot Pieces stamp set, which has been with us for several years.  I hope it will be around for a few more!  This great card is the work of Connie Heisey.

Enjoy a wonderful Wednesday and once today comes to an end, you're "over the hump" and it's all coasting downhill to the weekend!
Please come back and visit with me again on Friday and I'll show you more card ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Another Peek!

Hi there, stampers!

Even though today is a holiday and most people are taking a break from their usual activities, I've decided to stick to my blogging schedule.  I try to be consistent with my blogging and I hope that someone out there in cyber-land appreciates my faithful adherence to my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule.

As you might guess, I have another card for you that features new stampin' stuff.  After all, I think we're all pretty much done with the old catalog. At least that's the way I feel.  I just can't wait to order some new stamps on June 2nd when the new catalog goes "live" at noon.  Right now I just have a couple of new sets, but soon I'll have a lot more to play with and a lot of great new cards to show you.

But until I can get my hands on some of the stamps on my huge wish-list, I've got another card for you featuring the So Very Happy set.  Check out the great DSP on this one, called Back to Black!  I just love the patterns in this collection and I think you will too.

Once again I stamped the flower on Hello Honey card stock, this time in black.  I used the 1 3/8 inch square punch to punch out 4 different patterns from the Back to Black DSP, then mounted the squares on a 3 1/8 inch square of Basic Black card stock.  I stamped two flowers and curled the petals on the top flower to give a bit more dimension to the card.  I added a Very Vintage Designer button to the center, threaded with some 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon in Basic Black.  This card came together quickly, perfect for those times when you need a quick birthday card that should have been mailed yesterday!  I think we've all been in that spot!

Enjoy the rest of your day and please come back on Wednesday when I'm going to show you a few of the amazing cards I received from other demonstrators on the Stampin'Up! Grand Vacation.

Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Happy Friday everyone!

Do you have plans for this Memorial Day weekend?  I know it is supposed to be the start of the summer season (you can get out your white shoes now, folks!) and lots of people plan camping trips, beach trips, etc., but honestly... we all know that summer doesn't arrive in Oregon until July 4th at the earliest.  Whether you are camping, hiking, biking, or just staying home for a backyard barbecue, be sure to take a few minutes to reflect on the meaning of the day and to remember the men and women who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.

The Seattle gang will be here for the weekend, so we're looking forward to hearing the pitter-patter of little feet and reading bedtime stories to freshly bathed sweet grandchildren.  But before they arrive, I'm working on designing some cards using new stamps, paper, and accessories.  While I cannot show you any photos of new stamp sets, I can show you projects I've made with these new products.  So that's just what I'm going to do, right now!

Here are some of the new goodies that I used to put this card together:

The flower and the happy birthday sentiment is from a fun new stamp set called So Very Happy that we received at the Leadership conference in Houston this past January.  I stamped the flower in the new In-Color called Hello Honey on Hello Honey card stock and then punched it out with the Blossom punch.  The designer paper is called Lullaby and is one of the prettiest papers in the new catalog.  This pattern features Hello Honey, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, and Whisper White.

I can't wait to hand out the new catalogs to my customers!  You can get your FREE catalog by attending my garage sale or by coming to my New Catalog Kick-Off on Saturday, June 7th.

Enjoy the weekend and may you have a bit of time to be creative and stamp something pretty!
Hugs,
Susan

Tea and Roses

Hello Stampin' Peeps!  Hope this sunny Wednesday finds you in a sunny mood!

I'm so happy we'll be seeing our friend, Mr. Golden Sun for a couple of days before he hides his face behind clouds on Sunday and Monday.  Is there an unwritten rule that it MUST rain in Oregon on Memorial Day? I'm hoping the weather guy will change his mind and forecast some sun for Monday, but that is probably too much to hope for.  Hang on, July is coming!

I'm going to show you some photos from my Tea and Roses event, where we enjoyed afternoon tea and made cards with a tea and roses theme.  Wish you could have been here!

We enjoyed some Lemon-Lavender shortbread, some French Macarons, Chicken sandwiches, lemon-raspberry tarts, and chocolate dipped strawberries.

And here are some very happy stampers who spent the afternoon making pretty cards.

And here's the third card we made that day

I love dreaming up events to keep my customers entertained and having fun!  Next time I hope you'll be able to join in the creativity!
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Stampin'Up! Cruise pics

Hello and Happy Monday!

I'm going to take a little break from cards for today and show you a few pictures from the recent Stampin'Up! cruise.  Thank yous go out to my wonderful downline and all of my wonderful customers for helping me earn this cruise.  It really was an amazing trip on a truly amazing ship... Allure of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.

This photo was taken the day we docked in Haiti at a private beach owned by Royal Caribbean.  The area was fenced and guarded, so there we no worries about pick-pockets and the like.  Hopefully this gives you an idea of the size of this ship.... 4 football fields long, I believe they said.  Our room was on deck 10, starboard.

It seemed like everyone on the ship wanted to have their photo taken next to this classic Mercedes which was on display in the Promenade, a large open area filled with shops and restaurants  Usually there was a professional photographer from the ship taking photos, which you'd then have to pay a pretty penny for.  We happened to find a time when he wasn't there to snap this.

The Aqua-Theater at the stern of the ship where we saw an amazing show of diving and acrobatics the first night of the cruise.

Another shot of the Aqua Theater

Docked in Jamaica with our ship in the background.

On deck 16, overlooking the pools which were on deck 15.  

Formal night photo taken in Central Park, an open area with winding paths through a lovely garden with restaurants on either side.  

John on formal night

At dinner on the last night of the cruise with our waiter, Robin, from Mumbai, India.  He was great... wish he could serve us those elegant dinners every night!

OK... hope you weren't too bored with the photos.  Have a great Monday everyone and I'll be back to card-making ideas on Wednesday.

Hugs and Happy Stamping!

Susan

You're My Cup of Tea!

Hey there, stampers!  Happy Friday!  I hope you've all had a great week and that you've enjoyed the wonderful weather.  Before we go any further, I'd like to say thank you  for coming back to see what's new at The Classic Card.

I've had a busy week getting ready for the biggest Stampin'Up! garage sale ever!  I still have a LOT of work to do before the sale gets underway.  I've got so many stamp sets, so much paper, and so many accessories to price that it boggles my mind!  This year I've decided to purge with a capital P, so you won't want to miss my sale!  I sure don't want to show up on an episode of "Hoarders," so I'm clearing the decks.

I'm still recruiting for my Tea and Roses class on Sunday, so if you'd like to join us, you are more than welcome!  I thought I'd show you another card that we'll be making on Sunday...

I thought it would be fun to make a different size of card and I knew I wanted to use the largest scalloped heart from the Heart Framelits, so the card ended up being a 6 by 6 inch square.  I used Blushing Bride for the card base, then added Wisteria Wonder as it coordinated so well with the tea bags.  The sentiment is from Tea Party ( page 35 of the annual catalog).  I'm happy to say that this is another set that is carrying over into the new catalog.  I inked the stamp in Blushing Bride, then I went over "you're just my cup of tea" with my Wisteria Wonder marker to make that part of the image stand out more.

I hope you have some friends who are just your cup of tea who'd love getting a card like this from you.
Due to the bulk of the tea bag and the pearls, it would probably be best to mail this in a bubble mailer, which you can purchase at the dollar store in a two-pack.

I'd love to stay and chat more with you, but I've got to get back to work on the big garage sale.  Please have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Roses are Blue!

Hello Stampers and a happy sunny Wednesday to you!

Yes, I know how the saying goes... roses are red, violets are blue.... etc. but today I've got some blue roses for you!  I'm pretty sure there aren't any truly blue roses, but as artists we can make roses any old color we'd like!

The card I'm going to show you in just a minute is one of the cards we'll be making at my Tea and Roses tea party on Sunday.  This is an easel card which stands up when you tuck the focal panel behind the raised strip on the base of the card.  I'll send everyone home with the instructions so you'll know how to make more of this fun type of card when you get home.

OK... here it is...

I'm very happy that this Stippled Blossoms stamp set  (page 69 of the big catalog) is not on the discontinued list, as it is fun to use to make some very feminine and flowery cards.  And isn't that what we're looking for when making cards for our girlfriends, moms, aunts, nieces, daughters, and granddaughters... not to mention daughters-in-law?  You just cannot go wrong with this set!  I used the fun Remembering Your Birthday stamp set (page 16 of the big catalog) for the sentiment.

Here are the colors and supplies I used for this card:
Card base: Soft Sky
Printed paper:  Designer Series Paper stack in Soft Sky
Focal Panel: Very Vanilla
Ink:  Soft Sky and Coastal Cabana for the flowers, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive for the leaves, and Early Espresso for the sentiment
Embellishments:  Victoria Crochet trim (discontinued, but there's a similar crocheted trim in the new catalog)
Basic Pearls, Dimensionals
If you'd like to have the directions for making an easel card, please drop me a quick email at sjrstamps@gmail.com and I'll send them to you.  Or better yet, come to my class on Sunday May 18th!
If you'd like me to save you  a spot at the stamping table, please send me a quick email and I'll add your name to the list. Thanks for stopping in today!  I appreciate all of my readers!
Enjoy the sunshine,
Susan

Sweet Sorbet, anyone???

Hello to my friends out there in Stampin' Land!

Here we are again at Monday! The time is just flying by but that's OK because soon it will be time for my annual garage sale and, more importantly, the NEW Stampin'Up! catalog.  As I mentioned in my May newsletter, you are going to love the new catalog!  There are so many wonderful new images, plus new products such as the Blendabilities Alcohol Markers, that make coloring like a professional so easy and fun!  There's tons of new ribbon, gorgeous new Designer Paper, fabulous new In-Colors, and lots more to fall in love with!

While I'm excited about all the new stamps and products on the horizon, let's not forget the great stuff we have that we can play with right now... no waiting for the new catalog required!  I received today's card in a swap at one of our monthly demonstrator meetings and it reminded my that many of you have this Sweet Sorbet paper which you got as a freebie with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-bration.  This card, by Joyce Dixon, another one of my talented downline members, shows a very nice use of the Sweet Sorbet designer paper.  Here, have a look and you'll see what I mean...

Let me give you the measurements for the panels on this clean and simple (but beautiful!) card.
Each of the three DSP panels measures 1 1/2 by 3 3/4.  The printed paper is matted on Pool Party panels measuring 1 3/4 by 4.  The center panel of Whisper White is a 2 3/4 inch square, matted on a Pool Party panel that is 3 inches square.  All are adhered to a standard size folded white card,  5 1/2 inches by 4 1/4 inches. What a great layout for a card!  If you wanted to, you could "bling it up" with some pearls in the center of the flower, or perhaps add some ribbon across the middle of the card, running under the center panel, but really, it is lovely just the way it is!  So if you have an un-opened package of Sweet Sorbet paper that you've stored away to use "someday,"  let this card inspire you to get it out and start creating!

The flower in the center is from the Peaceful Petals set on page 20 of the Occasions catalog, but there are many other flowers that would fit on the panel as well.  The sentiment is from Wetlands (page 69 of the annual catalog), but again, there are many, many sentiments that would fit.  Why not make a set of cards like with with different sentiments (Thinking of You, Thank You, Get Well, Congratulations)?  Then when you need a card in a hurry, you'll have one to just sign and pop in the mail!  I'm just trying to make your life easier!

Thanks for stopping in today and I hope you'll come back again on Wednesday, because I'm going to have more great cards to inspire you!
Hugs and Happy Stamping,
Susan

Guy Greetings

Hi there stamping friends!  Just let me say Yippee!  It's almost the weekend!  OK, now I feel better.

Does your "to-do" list say that you need a birthday card for your dad, brother, husband, uncle, grandfather, nephew, male co-worker, or other guy in your life??  If so, you came to the right place because that's just what I have to share with you today.... a nice masculine birthday card.  We made this clean and simple card at SOS on Tuesday.  If you haven't been to our monthly SOS (Stamp Out Stress) meeting, you should give it a try.  We gather at Symposium Coffee in old town Sherwood for coffee, card-making, and camaraderie.  We always have a good time! We usually meet the last Monday of the month, except that I had a conflict this month and so we met on Tuesday instead.

Here's the card...

I got my inspiration for this card from a similar one done by Janet Jones, one of the talented demonstrators in my downline.  I changed the colors and added in the Hardwood background, but the layout and stamp sets
used are the same.
Here's a quick list of the products I used:
Stamps:  Look up to Father (page 37 of the Occasions catalog)
              Sentiment is from Wetlands, page 69 of the Annual catalog)
              Hardwood background stamp (page 37 of the Occasions catalog)
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and 2012-2014 In-Color DSP stack
Accessories:  Starburst Framelits, 2 1/2 inch Circle Punch, Natural 5/8 inch Chevron Ribbon (page 18 of the Occasions catalog), sponge, dimensionals.

This layout would work for a feminine birthday as well.  Just change the background, replace the tree with a flower, add some girly ribbon and some pastel DSP for the bottom of the card and you'd have a lovely card for your sister, mom, grandma, aunt, daughter, niece, etc.

Have a wonderfully relaxing weekend and I hope you'll be able to find some time "just for you" to be creative.  We're all so busy that we have to make time for creativity.  If we wait to find  time, it will never happen.  Engaging in artistic pursuits is important.  When we are creative, we feel refreshed.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."  Pablo Picasso

Thank you again for being my readers!  I'll hope to see you back here on Monday for more card-making inspiration!
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Nautical and Nice!

Ahoy there, stampers!
Welcome to Wednesday at the Classic Card.

Today I've got a "guy card" for you... no ribbons, bows, pastels, or pearls in sight!  I made this card as a swap for the Stampin'Up! cruise.  The swap works like this:  you make 26 cards and turn them in at the Stampin'Up! hospitality desk.  The cards are swapped with those of other demos and you get 26 cards back in a day or two. So I have no idea of who I'm swapping with or what cards I will get in return.  Hopefully, they'll all be great cards and you can be sure that I will share "the best of the best" with you.  Who knows? I might also share the "worst of the worst" with you, just for fun... of course with no names attached.

OK... enough blathering... here's the card

I think the most difficult part of creating 26 of these was cutting all 78 (26 x 3) of the label shapes, using the
Apothecary Accents Framelits.  My cranking arm definitely got a workout! By the way, you can cut two pieces of card stock at a time with a framelit, so that helped a bit!  After cutting all of the shapes, I taped them together temporarily using some blue painter's tape.  Then after stamping the collage, I carefully removed the tape, re-taped another set of the label shapes and continued.  So this is not a quick and easy card, but I do like the way they turned out.  Here's a quick list of the Stampin'Up! products I used:

Stamps:  By the Tide, page 77 of the annual catalog, Gorgeous Grunge (for the little spots), page 109
Ink:  Real Red, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake
Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red, Night of Navy
Accessories:  Starburst Framelits,  3/4 inch circle punch, 1 1/4 inch circle punch, Linen Thread, Dimensionals,  Chevron Embossing Folder.

I hope your week is going along smoothly, but even if it isn't, today is "hump" day, so it's all downhill from here to the weekend.  Hang in there!  And thanks for coming to visit.  I hope you'll come back on Friday when I'll have another card to share with you.
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan


             

Bright Blossoms for a Monday

Hi there friends!

Hope you had a relaxing weekend and that you are rested and ready for another week.  I think today will probably be the last day I feature retiring stamp sets.  Sometimes too much of a good thing isn't wonderful, despite what Mae West said.  Sometimes it is simply too much. So before I drive this thing into the ground, I think we'll wind up the retiring sets today and move on to something else on Wednesday.

So for our last farewell, let's take a look at Bright Blossoms.  This set was first introduced in the 2012-2013 catalog and it had its own matching designer paper called Summer Smooches.  Here are some cards made with this cute set...

This last card was designed by Joyce Keefe and we made it as a make-and-take at one of our demonstrator meetings in 2012. I love that Square Lattice embossing folder... too bad it is retiring as well!

You can see Bright Blossoms on page 89 of the current catalog.  This very versatile set is only $12.95 and there is so much you can do with it.  If you already own this set, I hope these cards will inspire you to get it out and use it again.  And if you don't already have it, why not order it before it is gone forever.  I just checked on eBay... this one is listed for sale in new condition for $89.95.  Crazy, huh?  Why not order it on my shopping site at www.susanrodgers.stampinup.net. for only 12.95???

Please come back on Wednesday, when we'll switch gears and move on to something new.
Hugs and Happy Stamping!
Susan

Where Have all the Flowers Gone?

Hey there, stamping friends!  It's Friday! And it is May! Is anyone out there happy about that besides me?

Here we are again, talking about great stamp sets that are retiring and today's set is Field Flowers.  This was the very first stamp set I purchased from the new catalog back in 2012, so it has been around for two catalog years.  You can see this great set on page 67 of the current annual catalog.

This last card also shows two more retiring items... the Framed Tulip embossing folder and the background stamp "Hello Doily."  I just love the curving stems and the blossoms in this stamp set and the fact that it is a two-step set so you can choose to use two colors of ink and come up with super-detailed blossoms if you want to take the trouble.

I've got a lot on my list today, so I'm off and running!  Enjoy your Friday. everyone!  Oh, and have a great weekend as well.  I'll hope I'll  see you back here on Monday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs and Happy Stamping,
Susan