Fun with the Tag Topper Punch

Hello stampers and happy Friday!


Can you believe that the Labor Day weekend is just around the corner?  How in the world did that happen?
It seems like it was just the 4th of July and summer was just getting started.  Ugh!  I hate how quickly time is going by.  It must be another thing to dislike about getting older.

I'm hoping to motivate you to start thinking about the upcoming holidays by showing you Christmas card ideas using new goodies from the Holiday Catalog, which went "live" yesterday at noon.  Check out this card with a bit of a different use for the Tag Topper Punch and then I'll give you a few measurements so you can make a card like this too.

The base of the card is Mossy Meadow, the newest green in the Stampin'Up! palette.  The Tag Topper punch was used to cut an extra-long tag.  I started with a piece of Crumb Cake card stock 2 inches wide by 10 inches long.  I punched one end of the tag and then scored the tag 5 inches from the flat end.  The tag is glued inside the card and then the decorated portion of the tag swings open like an arm so that the card can then be opened.  I cut a circle of Cherry Cobbler with one of the Circle Collection Framelits, then punched out the tree with the new Tree Punch on page 24 of the Holiday Catalog.  I added a piece of dotted DSP in Mossy Meadow underneath the cut-out, then backed the whole thing with another circle of Crumb Cake.  You want to make sure that when the "arm" swings open to allow access to the inside of the card that the back of the circle looks just as nice as the front.  I added the sentiment "A Merry Little Wish" on a little banner of Crumb Cake card stock, and then the rest of the sentiment "for lots of joy at Christmas" is stamped on the inside.

Here's what the inside looks like when the card is opened.   I hope you'll give this idea a try.  It would work with all sorts of stamp sets, for all sorts of occasions.  You could use any shape to decorate the front of the tag, such as the Deco Label Collection Framelits, the Apothecary Accents Framelits, the Labels Collection Framelits, the Ovals Collection Framelits, or even the Stars Collection Framelits.  All of these shapes would work as the base for some stamping and a sentiment on the "arm" of the tag.

Thanks for stopping by today! Now go and have an awesome Labor Day weekend!  Grill something, eat some watermelon, fresh peaches, or corn while these amazing things are still available.  Go outside and read a book in the shade and while you're out there, have a glass of chilled wine or iced tea, because before you know it, we'll be dressed in sweaters, hunkering down over bowls of soup and wondering where summer went. Wring out every last bit of summer that you can!

Oh, and by the way, I'm taking Labor Day off as a holiday from blogging.  I'll be working on my September newsletter that day, so I won't really be goofing off.  I'll be back on Wednesday the 3rd with more stamping ideas.
Happy camping, beaching, hiking, golfing, or whatever-ing!
Susan

Oops! There go your socks!

Hello again my stamping buddies!

Thanks for stopping by this hot Wednesday!  Maybe if we think about Christmas, it'll make us feel a bit cooler.  On Monday I said that I'd have a fun Christmas card for you today that will knock your socks off, so hopefully when you take a look at this, you'll feel your socks (if you're wearing any) start to take flight.  Here it is...

This cute door card is not difficult to make, but there are quite a few steps.  I made the base of the card a bit narrower than usual at 4 inches wide instead of 4 1/4. The square panels at the top of the door are 1 3/8 inches and then the rectangular panels are 1 3/8 by 3 1/4.  I used Cherry Cobbler card stock for the door and sponged around all of the panels with Cherry Cobbler ink to give them a bit more dimension.  The doorknob is one of the Glimmer Brads that were on the Clearance Rack.  Unfortunately, they are gone now, but you could also use one of the smaller Antique Brads on page 209 for a pretty doorknob.
The wreath was stamped on Whisper White in Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler.  For the first layer, I stamped off the Old Olive to get a lighter tone.  Then the second layer I stamped with full strength Old Olive.  Last, I stamped the berries in Cherry Cobbler.  Then I lined up the matching framelits on the inside and outside of the wreath and cut both the outer and inner circles at the same time.  The bow is also stamped in Cherry Cobbler and cut out with the matching framelit.
I have to say that this photo doesn't really capture how cute this card is.  It is so much better "in real life."
If you didn't look at the Weekly Deals yesterday (Tuesday), be sure to click on the Weekly Deals button at the top of my blog while you're here today.  You just never know what you'll find on sale!
Have a great Wednesday and be sure to come back on Friday for another classic card.
Oh, and don't forget... the new Holiday Catalog goes live at noon on Thursday, August 28th, so if there's something you need right away, click on the "shop now" button after noon on Thursday.
Happy stamping, everyone!
Susan

121 days

Hi there stampin' peeps!

Well, we made it through another weekend... hope yours was relaxing and that you did something interesting, relaxing, or fun, or maybe all three!  I enjoyed a weekend to just "chill."  But of course now that Monday has arrived, I'm back in the saddle again and working on cards for upcoming events.  Did you know that there are only 121 days left until Christmas?  And you know how the time flies, whether we're having fun or not!
Why not make this the year that you surprise everyone, yourself included, and get your Christmas cards out early?  You can easily do it if you start planning now and start stamping soon.
Speaking of getting an early start reminds me to tell you about my Holiday Catalog Kick-Off that is coming up on Saturday Sept. 6th at 10 am.  This Saturday morning session is already full and overflowing, so I'm adding a second session on Sunday, Sept. 7th at 1:30 in the afternoon and I'm encouraging you to join me for this fun annual event.  You'll get to make 2 great Christmas cards with stamps and accessories from the new Holiday Catalog, which will go "live" on August 28th.  There's a lot of excitement surrounding this catalog, and for good reason.  There's a LOT to love in those 51 pages!  If you are signed up for the morning session on Saturday, you won't be receiving the evite about the Sunday afternoon session.  The rest of you should be getting the evite, so RSVP quickly if you want to come to this popular event.  It's free, it's fun, and you'll get to use new products!
Here's one of the cards we'll be making on Sept. 6th and Sept. 7th.  It is done in the clean and simple style and I just love how crisp this looks.  Check it out for yourself...

It is difficult to see, but I used the new On Point embossing folder (page 22 of the Holiday catalog)  on the white panel, which looks like little triangular trees.  I used the Festival of Trees stamp set (page 24) and the matching punch to punch out the trees.  The tree-topper stars were punched out of Gold Glimmer paper (page 192) with the small star punch that's part of the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  The sentiment is from another great Christmas stamp set called Wondrous Wreath (page 9 of the Holiday catalog).

I hope you'll sign up for the Sunday session of my Holiday Catalog Kick-Off!  Meanwhile, thanks for stopping in today.... I appreciate each and every reader!  Please come back on Wednesday for another holiday card that will knock your socks off!
Susan

Grateful for you....

Hi there stampers!
Yes, I am grateful for you... and grateful that it's Friday too!  I don't have any special plans for the weekend, but that's kind of nice because now I can do whatever I want.  I can do something spontaneous, or not.  I enjoy an unstructured weekend once in a while and I hope you'll get to enjoy some unstructured time too.  I think most of us lead over-scheduled lives. We're so busy doing all the time that we forget how to just "be."

Here's the fall card that I promised you on Wednesday.  I love how it turned out and I hope you will too!

The stamp set is called For All Things (as in "give thanks for all things.") You can see it on page 41 of the holiday catalog.  I stamped the artsy rectangle in So Saffron, then stamped the leaves over it in Early Espresso.  I matted the focal panel on some Cajun Craze card stock.  The base of my card is Very Vanilla, topped with a wood-grain textured panel of Early Espresso.  The burlap ribbon adds more texture.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and is stamped in Early Espresso and then punched out with the Wide Oval punch.  An Early Espresso button threaded with Linen Thread adds a bit more interest.  Wouldn't this be a perfect card to send to friends and family in November, when we're counting our blessings?  It would be suitable for a man or woman, boy or girl.
Whatever you end up doing this weekend, remember to take a few minutes of your time to create something beautiful.  You'll feel refreshed and renewed!
Happy weekend to all!
Susan

Did you receive it???

Hi there and happy Wednesday, stampers!

The big question for today is... did you receive your new Holiday Catalog in the mail yet?  Quite a few of my customers received theirs last Friday and Saturday, but some of my customers haven't been so lucky.  Of course in an ideal world, we'd all get them at the same time.  But I guess none of us need reminding that we don't live in an ideal world.

When you finally get it in your hands, I think you're going to agree with me that it is worth the wait. There are so so so many products that I need! Demonstrators have had a chance to pre-order, but customers cannot order from this new catalog until August 28th, so there's still plenty of time before it goes "live."  I've ordered a few things to get started on fall and holiday cards and that's what I want to show you today... a pretty fall card made with one of the stamp sets in the Holiday Catalog.  Take a peek...

I guess I'm really stuck on square cards, huh?  The stamp set I used for this cute fall card is called Wondrous Wreath and it is actually shown as a Christmas set.  If you have your new Holiday Catalog, you can check it out on page 9.  But I thought it would make a nice fall wreath done in fall tones and I love how it turned out.  I stamped the first layer of leaves in Crushed Curry, the second layer in Pumpkin Pie, and then the last layer, the little berries, I stamped in Early Espresso.  The sentiment is from a different set, called For All Things on page 41 of the new Holiday Catalog.  I used Very Vanilla card stock and layered it onto Early Espresso.
Fall is sneaking up on us as I write, so it's not too early to start thinking about fall occasions.  On Friday I'll show you another card which would be perfect to give at Thanksgiving, made with another new set from the Holiday Catalog.

While you're here, why not click on "Weekly Deals" button on the navigation bar just under my blog header? Then you can take a peek at some great products that are discounted through next Monday.  Thanks for reading, everyone!  I hope you'll come back on Friday!
Hugs and Happiness,
Susan

Savoring the last bit....

Hi there stampers and happy Monday!
Hope your week is off to a great start!  I hate to be the one to remind you of this, but summer is drawing to a close.  We're past the midway point of August and in just about 2 weeks time, Labor Day will have come and gone and the kiddos will be back in school.  How did summer go by so quickly?  I'm not sure, but it seems to happen every year.  So while there are a few weeks of summer remaining, be sure to savor every last little bit of it!  I'm going to sit outside every chance I get... eat breakfast on the back patio, drink my morning coffee in the shade of my front porch, and attend as many outdoor concerts in the park as I can. Yes, I know that summer is not technically over until Sept 22, as the first day of fall is Sept. 23rd.  But once school starts, that signals the end of summer for me.  So from now until Labor Day, we'll be grilling chicken and eating corn on the cob and watermelon, sliced ripe tomatoes and juicy peaches that drip down our chins.
Summer 2014 will soon be just a memory!

While I'm contemplating the joys of late summer, I've got a card for you that says "late summer" to me.  Here, take a look and maybe you'll see what I mean

This is the card that we made a Shirley's party yesterday afternoon.  I wanted a card that looked a little summery and a little like fall, so I chose some warm colors and added a hint of fall with the Pumpkin Pie and Baked Brown Sugar butterflies.  The stamps set is Papillon Potpourri... a great stamp set that I find myself using over and over.  The sentiment is from the Fabulous Four set and is stamped in Early Espresso.  This card was super-quick to create and everyone at the party had great success with it.

My last Technique Geeks class of the summer is happening this coming Thursday night, August 21st at 7pm at my house.  The theme for this class is "paper torture" and that's just what we are going to do!  We're going to rip, cut, punch, mask, brayer, spritz, scrunch, pierce, sew, emboss, bleach, and heat-emboss our way through 3 fun cards.  You'll learn some new card-making techniques and have a relaxing evening.  Don't you deserve to get out of the house for a night? Come and enjoy the company of other stampers and give yourself a little break from your ordinary routine.  Just send me a quick email  sjrstamps@gmail.com and I'll add your name to the list.  Cost for the class is $10, or the class is free with a $30 purchase.

Have a great day and an even better week ahead!
Susan

Here we are... 44 years later!

Hey there stampers!  Happy Friday!

You know how I love sunshine, but lately I've been loving the slightly cooler temperatures--- so nice to go to sleep in the cool.  I hate having to keep the house closed up and the a/c running all night, so I'm definitely a happy camper since I can open up the house and let the cool breezes in.  Hope you are enjoying the cool too!

Forty-four years ago today, August 15th, 1970 John and I were married at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Rosa, California.  I was 23 and John was 26 and we thought we were quite mature.  Looking back, it is laughable because I don't think either of us were anything approaching mature.  Oh well, life has a way of taking care of that, doesn't it?  Today we are off to Eugene to visit the King Estate Winery.  We've been wanting to make the trip for a couple of years and have just never found the time, so today we are making the time.  We'll take a tour, taste, and then treat ourselves to a delicious lunch in their dining room.

On Saturday, the twins turn 5, which seems unbelievable.  It seems like they were born just a couple of years ago.  They are growing by leaps and bounds and they certainly keep their parents and grandparents on their toes.  Here are the cards I made to celebrate their 5th birthdays

Luke William gets the green version, white Benjamin Isaac gets the blue card.  Hope their mom will save the cards I make!  The colors are Old Olive and Pacific Point.  The smiley octopus is from the Sea Street stamp set.  The sentiment is from Remembering Your Birthday.  I like this set because it has a greeting for the outside and then a saying for the inside as well. I used the Tiny Triangles embossing folder to give a little texture.

I'm excited for my Flower Fiesta event that is coming up on Saturday, August 16th at 1 o'clock at my house. It's going to be a fun afternoon of stamping, fun, friendship, and food.  And then on Sunday I'll be traveling to Northeast Portland to Shirley's house for her annual lunch and card party.  It is always fun to reconnect with her and her family, friends, and neighbors!  I designed a pretty card for her party that says "late summer" to me.  I'll be showing it to you on Monday, so please come back then for more stamping inspiration.
Have a relaxing weekend, everyone!
Susan

It's Hip to be Square...

Hello stampers and welcome back!

Did you ever rock out to Huey Lewis' great song  It's Hip to be Square?  I still play my Huey Lewis CDs and still love that song.  But what, you ask, does that have to do with card-making??  Well, it means that I have another square card for you today, of course!

Check it out...

This was a quick and easy card to create using the new Choose Happiness set on page 118.  Both the flower and the bird image are from this set, but for the sentiment, I used the hostess set called Hello Love on page 239 of the catalog.
Here's the inside

So it says... A little birdie told me  it's your birthday!  The other sentiments that go with "a little birdie told me" are:  "you're getting married!" and "you're having a baby!"   All I can say is that little birdie is working overtime and he'd better watch it!  Sounds to me like that birdie is a bit of a gossip.

I used two of the new In-colors that look so great together... Hello Honey and Blackberry Bliss.  You could easily put this card together in under 10 minutes... if you're quick you could probably make it in under 5 minutes.  There's no Big Shot required for this card, just some quick stamping and punching and assembling and DONE!

I've got one more quick thing to show you before I go.  I made this great storage thing-y for my Blendabilities markers (remember, they need to be stored flat, just like our regular markers so that all of the ink doesn't run to one end).  All you need are some Crystal Light containers and a hot glue gun and you can make one just like this in no time.

If Stampin'Up! comes out with more colors later on, I can always add another container to the bottom row, one more to the second row and an additional one to the top row.  The best thing is that it doesn't take up a lot of room on my desk and it keeps my Blendabilities out where I can see them and remember to use them!

I'm working like a little beaver on my next techniques class... the Paper Torture class.  We are going to tear, mask, sponge, spritz, wrinkle, squish, cut, brayer, pierce, emboss, bleach, and punch our way through three great cards on Thursday, August 21st at 7 pm at my house.  Oh, and of course there'll be some stamping in there too! Come and learn some fun new ways to "torture" paper!  You'll have fun and go home with some new ideas.  The cost is just $10, or the class is free with a $30 purchase.

Please come and visit with me again on Friday, when I'll have more stamping inspiration for you!
Hugs and Happiness!
Susan

Hello, Monday!

Hi there, stampin' peeps!

Have you signed up for my Flower Fiesta, coming up this Saturday at 1 pm at my house?  If not, I've still got some spots left.  Why not send me a quick email to sjrstamps@gmail.com and let me know that I should save a spot for you?
Why would you want to come over and stamp with me on Saturday??  Well, let me list a few reasons for you:
 First of all, it's a free event.  Of course orders are encouraged and appreciated, but there's no fee for attending.
If it's hot, I'll have the a/c going, so you're assured of spending a cool afternoon.
There will be some fun and friendly people here.  Have you ever noticed that most stampers are really nice and helpful too?  If you are having any kind of difficulty, they'll help you out!
There will be tasty snacks.  I always try to have good food, because it's not a party without yummies. Because this is a fiesta, you are going to be enjoying some delicious South-of-the-border treats.
You'll make three great, flowery cards and get the envelopes to go with them too!
Door prizes!

Here's the third card you'll make on Saturday

Isn't this a cutie?  It measures 4 1/4  by 4 1/4 so it will fit into a regular envelope (no extra postage required)!
I love square cards...but then I love anything that is just the slightest bit different than the usual 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 card.  I'm loving these colors together too... Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, and Mossy Meadow, plus Whisper White.  These colors look so clean and fresh together.  The DSP is from the new paper stack called All Abloom ( page 185).  I used the new Tiny Triangles embossing folder (page 227).  The flower and leaves are cut with the new Flower Frenzy Bigz die (page 232) and then I ran the flower through the Big Shot with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  The sentiment is from Four You (page 19) and is stamped in Mossy Meadow (love this new color!).
Now that you've seen all three cards that you'll make at the Flower Fiesta, please join us for this fun afternoon!
Have a wonderful Monday and above all, keep cool!  It is going to be a scorcher today so stay in the shade and drink lots of water if you have to be outside.  My thought is that today would be a fabulous day to stay inside and stamp.  Please plan on coming back on Wednesday, because I have another fun square card to show you.
Hugs and Happiness,
Susan

Flowery Friday

A happy hello to all of my stamping friends on this beautiful summer Friday!

 I can hardly believe that the first week of August has come and gone.  I'm loving this gorgeous weather, now that things have cooled off just a bit!  I'm hoping our sunny warm weather will last well into October!  Well, a girl can dream, can't she??

Today I want to show you the second card that you'll make if you come to my Flower Fiesta event on Saturday, August 16th at 1 pm at my house.  I love how this turned out!

 

This fabulous black and white Designer paper is called Back to Black ( page 187 of the annual catalog).  I love the very graphic patterns in this paper!  It makes it so easy to create a very clean and classic card when using the classic color combination of black and white.  Add one bright color, such as the Rose Red I used here, and you've got a great color scheme for a card, an outfit, or a room.  You just can't go wrong with black and white!

The beautiful three-dimensional rose was made using the Spiral Flower Originals die on page 233 of the annual catalog.  Just run the card stock through the Big Shot with this die and then roll the spiral-cut paper up.  The center of the flower was made by cutting almost through a strip of Crushed Curry card stock with the Fringe Scissors and then rolling it up tightly.  The sentiment is from the stamp set Oh My Goodies on page 9 of the annual catalog.  I cut it out using the Deco Labels Collection Framelits on page 231.  I used the same framelits to cut a larger label shape in Rose Red to place behind the sentiment, which helps it pop off the Back to Black designer paper.

Have a great Friday and an even better weekend, stampers! I'll be back here on Monday with another card to inspire you to pull out your stamps, ink, and paper and create something beautiful.

Hugs and Happiness,
Susan

Be You (tiful)

Hello stampin' peeps!  Hope everyone is feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this fineWednesday morning.

Thanks for coming back to see what I've got to show you today. I hope you've signed up for my Flower Fiesta that is coming up on Saturday August 16th at 1 o'clock in the afternoon at my house.  If your name is not on the list, send me a quick email and I'll make sure to save a spot for you.

Here's just one of the pretty flowery cards you'll make that day...

With the summer just flying by, I thought we should be stamping in bright summery colors, because soon fall will arrive and we're going to want to switch our color palette to the richer, warmer tones of autumn.  So this card is my nod to summer.  Let's stamp with these light and bright colors as much as possible while summer lasts.  The colors I used are Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Blushing Bride, and Daffodil Delight.  The flower was made with two different punches... the Blossom Punch and the Fun Flower Punch.
The stamps are from the Flower Patch photopolymer stamp set on page 158.  If you haven't tried this type of stamp yet, give them a try.  They stick to the blocks amazingly well.  There's no chance of them falling off at all.  When doing two-step stamping like this, the completely clear stamps make it so easy to line up the images... no Stamp-a-ma-jig needed!

For those of you who are hard at work today, take comfort in the fact that you're over the hump and on the downhill slide into another fun summer weekend.  Have a great Wednesday and don't forget to come back on Friday for another pretty Flower Fiesta card.
Do something creative today!
Susan

Calling All Technique Geeks...

Hi stampers!  Happy Monday to all!  I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing summer weekend.

Today I'm featuring the last project that we'll be making this coming Friday at Technique Geeks.  I saw a demonstrator make this card in one of my classes at convention and I thought it was a fun and different design.  I'm always on the lookout for something a bit different to share with you, and I thought you'd like it too.  Of course I changed the colors...I'm not one who likes to copy exactly.  Here you go... please take a peek and see if you like it.

For my card stock colors I chose Crisp Cantaloupe, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White.  The ink colors are Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding and Memento Tuxedo Black.  I used the Oval Accents Bigz Clear die for the Big Shot, then ran it through again with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  The stamps are from Kinda Eclectic and I used some of the Thick Baker's Twine in Crisp Cantaloupe as an accent behind the flower.  The oval was cut with one of the Ovals Collection Framelits.  This card will need a larger envelope, but that is easily accomplished with the Envelope Punch Board.  Check the bottom of page 194 to see this wonderful tool.  You can easily make 66 sizes of envelopes with this ingenious product.  It is a must-have for any card-maker.

May the week ahead be a happy one, as we continue to enjoy our fabulous Northwest summer.
Don't forget to come back here tomorrow and click on the Weekly Deals button to see what goodies Stampin'Up! has on sale this week.  There's sure to be something you need (or want)!
Do something creative today!
Susan

Hurrah for August 1st!

Helloooo stampers!

I'm so excited today... for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I can now place my order from the new Holiday catalog.  I've been waiting for this day ever since I first laid eyes on the catalog at convention.  There are so many wonderful stamps and accessories that I cannot wait to get my hands on!

The second reason I'm excited is that today my customers  (that's YOU!) can order all of the colors of the new Blendabilities alcohol markers.  Stampin'Up! phased these in slowly to make sure they had enough product to meet the demand and avoid back orders on this very popular new product.  Now you can order the final 6 sets:  Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Night of Navy, Smoky Slate, and Wisteria Wonder.

Oh, and I'll have to admit that I'm excited that the weekend is almost here as well.... gotta love these summer weekends!  Hope you have some fun plans!  My Seattle daughter and grandchildren will be arriving on Saturday afternoon.  Then my California daughter and her two daughters will be arriving on Monday, so we'll have both daughters and all 5 grandchildren here.  It will be crazy, but in a good way!

Here's a fun project that we'll be making at the Technique Geeks class next Friday night at 7 pm at my house.  It's made with the cute new French Fry box die for the Big Shot.

I used a sponge dauber to make large polka dots both inside and out.  Sorry, but the Hershey's nuggets are hiding the dots.  Here's another photo without the candy...

I used Coastal Cabana card stock for the box, then stamped flowers from the Flower Patch set and cut them out with the Flower Fair Framelits... so quick and easy, and cute to boot!  I'll give you a cello bag and some of the Coastal Cabana Thick Baker's Twine, and you'll be able to bag up a treat when you get home.
Wouldn't these be fun favors for almost any gathering?  Little containers like this are perfect for packaging all sorts of favors for baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties, weddings,--- just about any occasion you can think of.  It would also make a cute birthday gift with a gift card tucked inside along with the candy.  Or go all out with airline tickets to Paris or keys to a new car (just kidding, folks!)  If you were giving a new car as a birthday gift, the least you could do would be to place them in a Coach purse!

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!  Please come back on Monday when I'll attempt to entice you into coming to my class with another pretty card.
Hugs and Happiness!
Susan