Yippee, It's Friday!

Hello again and a happy "Black Friday" to all!
Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that you have some yummy leftovers that will make you feel thankful all over again today!  

I hope you've taken advantage of Stampin'Up!'s big Online Extravaganza sale by now.  If you haven't, there's still time.  It's not over until Dec. 2nd and don't forget that there are some awesome Monday "doorbusters" to come on Monday, Dec. 1st.

Are you one of the intrepid shoppers that got up at o'dark-thirty this  morning to hit the sales?  That is so not me!  My strategy is to shop  during the dinner hour, when most people are home having their evening meal.  I don't enjoy shopping in combat zones.  I'm thankful that my daughters post gift lists for their children on Amazon.  I sit down at the computer, check the lists, click here and click there, and before I know it, the items are delivered to my door.  No stress, no carrying heavy bags and boxes in the rain... I love online shopping!

As I mentioned on Wednesday, I've  got yet another gift package from my Santa's Workshop class to show you today.  

Who wouldn't love to find this on their desk at work some morning in December? Nothing peps up a workday like some chocolate! You'll get one of these cute bottles with a silver lid to decorate at the class.  Then you'll fill it with "whatever" and present it to a friend.  I'm sorry that the Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper isn't visible here, but in real life, it adds a lot of sparkle to the label.  First, there's a band of Nordic Noel Designer Paper that goes around the bottle.  Then a scalloped circle holds the two ends together.  On top of that is an oval of Whisper White, stamped with the Oh My Goodies stamp set on page 9 of the annual catalog.  I added a tag to the neck of the bottle with some of the very festive Real Red Satin Woven Ribbon on page 15 of the holiday catalog.  

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Please come back on Monday when it will be December first!  Yikes!  I think we all need to buckle down and get some of those holiday "to-do's" under control!
Hugs to all,
Susan

Sweet Ol' Santa

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

Did you find a great bargain or two or three at the Online Extravaganza?  There's still time to add some goodies to your stampin' stash at bargain prices!  Check out this amazing sale by going to my business site www.susanrodgers.stampinup.net and click on the shop button.  Or you can just click on the "shop" button under the red blog heading at the top of this post.

I've got another project from my Santa's Workshop class to show you today.  You know that Santa has a sweet tooth, because he's got that rounded shape.  Here's a Santa-approved box to deliver to the neighbors filled with some freshly baked cookies or perhaps some yummy home-made candy...

This is the new Takeout Box that's on page 10 of the holiday catalog.  It's not so huge that you need a large quantity of goodies to fill it.  As Goldilocks would say, it's juuuust right!  I stamped it all over with small snowflakes in Early Espresso.  The tag is made with the new Under the Tree Specialty Designer Paper on page 5 of the holiday catalog. I cut out the shape with the Apothecary Accents framelit, then added a circle of Gold Glimmer paper.  The fun tag is from the Merry Everything stamp set on page 13 of the holiday catalog.  I stamped it in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White card stock and then punched it out with the Note Tag Punch, also on page 13. And isn't that Cherry Cobbler Striped Grosgrain just perfect?  You can find it on page 207 of the big annual catalog.  

Let's go over the details for this "Santa's Workshop" class once more.  It all happens on Saturday, Dec. 6th. The fun starts at 10:30 am with some brunch goodies, so come hungry! You'll make 5 projects for $15, or the class is free with a $40 purchase.  I will be giving away merchandise prizes that day... another reason you won't want to miss this!  The tree will be up, the house will be decorated, the Christmas tunes will be playing, and I'll have a pot of hot cider for you too!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!  May your Thanksgiving Day tomorrow be filled with the blessings of home, friends, family, and of course we can't forget the food. I hope you took the opportunity to share your bounty with those in need.  Please come back on Friday when I'll show you another project that we'll be making at Santa's Workshop.
Susan

Bring Out Your Inner Santa

Hi Stampers!
Instead of reading this blog post, you really should hop on over to my Stampin'Up business site at www.susanrodgers.stampinup.net and check out the big Online Extravaganza sale that started today, November 24th.  There are some great one day "doorbusters" today and there'll be more "doorbusters" on Monday, Dec. 1st as well. In addition, there are items 50% off, 40% off, 30% off, and 20% off.  Be advised, though, that a certain quantity of each item has been set aside for this sale.  Once that quantity has been reached, the item will be listed as "sold out."  So if you see something you'd like to add to your collection, purchase it before it sells out.

On Saturday, Dec. 6th, I'm holding my last class of 2014... my annual Santa's Workshop class, where we make fun gift packaging  projects.  You'll make a total of 5 projects for $15 or the class is free with a $40 purchase.  Here's one of the projects...

This little snowman tea light in a window box would make a fun little gift for co-workers, grandchildren, neighbors... just about anyone.  Wouldn't these be cute table favors too?  You could add a small banner with the person's name on it and use them as a combination decoration/ place card for Christmas dinner.   If you'd like to sign up for the class, just drop me a quick note at sjrstamps@gmail.com.
I'm off to shop the Online Extravaganza now!  
Hope your week is off to a great start!
Susan                                                                                                  

Tree times Three

Hi there!  Thanks for stopping by this fine Friday!

I'm excited for my Crazy for Christmas class that is coming up on Saturday at 1 o'clock!  Yesterday was cleaning day and today is baking day!  I'm getting ready to bake some mini-brownies which will be one of the yummy treats I'm serving on Saturday.  I've got the merchandise prizes all wrapped and ready to give out to the lucky door prize winners.  It's going to be a fun afternoon!

My last SOS (Stamp Out Stress) gathering at Symposium Coffee for 2014 will be on Monday, November 24th at 1 o'clock.   Here's just one of the cute cards we'll be making...

I used the new On Point embossing folder (page 22 of the Holiday catalog)  to emboss the trees on the Crumb Cake panel.  I stamped three trees on Mossy Meadow card stock with the Festival of Trees stamp set, puched all three out with the matching Tree Punch and then trimmed one of them down to a smaller size.  Each tree has a glittery gold star punched from Gold Glimmer Paper with the star from  the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (page 222 of the annual catalog). I added some gold sequins to the smaller tree just to give it a bit more bling. The saying is from the super-popular Endless Wishes stamp set (page 32 of the Holiday catalog).  The final touch is some Mossy Meadow Stitched Satin Ribbon.  As with all the cards I post here, this one looks better "in real life."

Even if you aren't an SOS "regular," you are more than welcome to join us.  The cost for 2 cards plus envelopes is just $5.00. We always have a good time chatting, stamping, and enjoying a cup of coffee.
If you'd like to attend, please email me at sjrstamps@gmail.com so I can be sure to have enough paper cut for you.  We're usually finished by 2:15 or 2:30, so it won't take your whole afternoon.

Hope you've got some fun plans for the weekend!  
Please come back on Monday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs,
Susan

The Man in the Red Suit

Hey there, stampin' people!  
How did it get to be Wednesday already?  One thing is for sure... the time is flying by more quickly than ever, just like it always does around this time of year.  One minute you are making your grocery list for the Thanksgiving feast and before you know it you are taking down the Christmas tree!
If only there was some way to slow things down.  No matter how we might try to drag our feet, that chubby guy in the red suit is going to show up before most of us are ready for him.

Take a look at today's card and you can see that he's already out practicing landings with his trusty reindeer.  

I just love the little houses in the Holiday Home set combined with the trees in the White Christmas set.  They go together just perfectly!  I masked off a circular area with a circle punched from Post-it paper, then sponged in the sky in Soft Sky.  Santa and his reindeer look so cool silhouetted against the moon!  The house was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Cherry Cobbler card stock, then cut out with the matching framelit.  Even if you don't know me very well, you probably know that I don't like glitter, as I don't even try to hide my dislike of the stuff! Once you open that little jar, watch out! It ends up on my forehead, on my clothing, on my upper lip, on my floors, in my hair, etc. etc. etc.  Ugh! However, I think this card would be a whole lot more festive if those bare wintry trees had some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (page 213 of the annual catalog) coating their branches.  

I'm busy getting all my ducks in a row for this coming Saturday's Crazy for Christmas class (Nov. 22nd at 1 pm).You'll be making 4 Christmas cards, sipping some hot spiced cider, enjoying some holiday treats AND winning some fun merchandise instead of the usual door prizes!  I'd love it if you join our friendly group of stampers!  Just send me a quick email and I'll add your name to the list.  The cost is a very reasonable $10, or the class is free with a $35 purchase.  Oh, and don't forget that I'll be announcing a "special" good on Saturday only.

Hope your Wednesday is wonderful!
Hugs,
Susan                      

Red+Green=Christmas

Hey there stamping friends!

Thanks for coming back to The Classic Card and a happy Monday to all!

I don't know how you feel about this cold windy weather, but I think I'm ready to get back to our usual Oregon weather.... rainy and temps in the 40's and 50's.  As much as I love the sun, if it has to come with biting cold and wind, then I'm not much of a fan. OK, that was my negative comment for the day.  And now moving on to more positive thoughts, let's get to the card.

For several weeks I've been showing you all sorts of Christmas cards, but I've realized that very few of them featured the good old traditional colors of red and green.  There's been lots of Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow, Soft Sky and Pear Pizzazz, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay, but I don't think I've shown a single card in the tried and true Christmas colors of Real Red and Garden Green.  So here you go... a card with traditional colors...

If you attended my Fun and Free Friday event, then you made this card.  The designer paper is called Nordic Noel, the green panel is Garden Green embossed with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder.
The tree is stamped in Garden Green ink on Garden Green card stock with one of the images from the Festival of Trees set, then punched out with the Tree Punch.  The sentiment is from the Wondrous Wreath set, stamped in Real Red ink and cut out with one of the Oval Framelits.  Some of the soft cotton ribbon in Real Red adds the finishing touch, along with the little gold sparkly star, which was punched from gold glimmer paper with the small star punch in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack on page 222 of the annual catalog.  This card came together quickly and I love its bright and happy look.  

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend and are ready for the new week ahead.  I'll look forward to "seeing" you again on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.

Hugs to all,
Susan

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrrr!  Is it cold enough for you??  

I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get the snow that was predicted for yesterday.  After a long, warm fall the weather forecast of 4-6 inches of snow caught us off guard.  The Mr. spent 3 hours waiting in line at Les Schwab on Wednesday afternoon to get our snow tires put on.  Then Wednesday night about 11 pm I suddenly remembered that we hadn't closed the vents under the house and put the styrofoam blocks in place, so we bundled up, got a flashlight, and took care of the job.  I don't recommend doing this job in the dark on a cold, cold night... not fun!

In observance of the cold snap, I've got a cool (and contemporary) card for you today.  

Some Soft Sky card stock combines with All is Calm Designer Washi Tape (p. 22 of the Holiday catalog), some punched trees in Lost Lagoon and Pear Pizzazz, and a touch of Gorgeous Grunge speckles in Crumb Cake to make this clean, crisp, and cool card.  The greeting is from the Project Life Holiday Cheer set.  Although I'm not a Project Life scrapbooker, I do love the small images and sayings in this set.  They are the perfect size for gift tags and small cards.  Check out this versatile set on page 35 of the Holiday catalog.  I added some Linen Thread and some silvery sequins to give the card a bit more dimension.  I really love how this turned out and hope you do too! 

Today's forecast looks much better than Thursday's, so hopefully the threat of snow, sleet, and other freezy things is over for the time being and we can get back to our regularly scheduled lives.
Have a great weekend and please come back on Monday for more stamping ideas.
Happy weekending, everyone!
Susan

Tag, You're It!

Hi stampers! 
Thanks for coming to visit on this windy Wednesday!   

Our long family weekend came to an end yesterday, as today the children headed back to school. It was great having them here!  The sunny weather was perfect because it meant that the grands got a lot of time outside riding in their little yellow Corvette, cruising on the sidewalks with their scooters, and playing at the Pinehurst playground.  After all that fresh air and exercise, they slept soundly, which makes for happy parents and grandparents.

I'm busy working on some fun projects for my Santa's Workshop class that's coming up on December 6th.  Of course I can't show you those yet, but I do have some fun tags that I'd like for you to take a look at today.

I used quite a few punches to create these.  I used both the Scalloped Tag Topper and the Angled Tag Topper Punches (page 221 of the annual catalog).  The oval base of the second tag was cut using one of the Oval Framelits and then I used the new Note Tag Punch on page 13 of the Holiday catalog to layer over the oval. The Tree Punch was used on two of the tags.  The words and images on the tags are all from the Cheerful Tags stamp set on page 5 of the Holiday catalog.  I used the new thicker cardstock-weight Under the Tree DSP (page 5 of the Holiday catalog).  The sparkly stars were punched from Gold Glimmer paper using the small star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (page 222 of the annual catalog).  The white snowflake sequins on the last tag are found on the top of page 22 of the Holiday catalog.

I like to make an assortment of tags, package them up in a pretty bag, and use them for holiday hostess gifts.  Everyone can use some fun tags during the holidays, and these are much nicer than the cheap-o stick on tags you get at the dollar store!  

After today, you can start coasting toward the weekend, so if your week hasn't been the best, the weekend will soon be here!  
Oh and please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Today's card forecast...cool and frosty

Hi there stampers!  Here we are at Monday again and the beginning of a new work week.  I'm sure there are plenty of you who are working today, but hopefully most of you will have Tuesday off for Veteran's Day to contemplate the sacrifices made on our behalf by our brave veterans.  It's not just a day for sales at the mall!  

As the title suggests, I've got a cool and frosty Christmas card for you today.  Check it out and then I'll tell you a bit about it...

Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and Whisper White, along with snowflake images and some sparkly sequins make for a cool card!  
I started out with snowflakes from the Letterpress Winter set stamped randomly in Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay.  Next I embossed the stamped panel with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  I wrapped the panel with some Thick Baker's Twine in Coastal Cabana.  I stamped the greeting from the Cheerful Tags set in Bermuda Bay over a snowflake in Coastal Cabana.  I punched it out with the 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle and adhered it to a larger circle of Coastal Cabana punched with the  2 1/2 inch Circle Punch.  Some sequins from the In-Color Sequin Assortment (top of page 208 in the annual catalog) add a little sparkle to the card.  I adhered them with mini glue dots... so quick and easy and they'll stay stuck!  Those glue dots are strong!  And there you have it... a quick and easy card in under 5 minutes... 6 or 7 if you are a bit slower.  
Using the assembly line method, you could easily make 30-40 of these in an evening while watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.

Are you by any chance a Hallmark Christmas movie junkie like me?  I know the movies are schmaltzy and some are pretty sappy, but sometimes sappy is good.  Life can get all too real and sometimes we need a little escape!

Hope your week is off to a smooth start!  
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Fun and Free Friday, coming right up!

Hello stampers and a happy Friday to you all!

I know it's hard to believe, but I'm actually taking an entire weekend off from stamping events.  On Saturday, instead of having a house-full of stampers, I'll have a house-full of family.  Our daughter Amy, her husband Eli, and the three grands (Emma, Luke, and Ben) will be arriving on Saturday and staying through the weekend, as the children are out of school until Wednesday.  

Since November is the season of giving thanks, I'm giving thanks for my wonderful customers with a customer appreciation event "Fun and Free Friday," next Friday, November 14th at 6:30 at my house. I'm going to serve you some hot, delicious Papa Murphy's pizza and a fresh green salad (no limp bagged stuff here!) starting at 6:30.  If you can't join us for dinner, come when you can.  We'll start stamping at 7 pm and then at 8 pm we'll start playing Bunco for merchandise prizes.  There is NO COST to attend, but of course orders are encouraged and very much appreciated.  You'll get to make 2 great Christmas cards and of course I'll also serve you dessert.  You don't want to miss this evening!  

Here's one of the cards you'll be making.... actually, it's a gift card holder. 

This cute card features the bright and festive Nordic Noel DSP that's on page 15 of the annual catalog.  Inside there's a little pocket that you can stuff with cash or a gift card.  I'll give you the easy scoring directions for this card so you can go home and make lots more for Christmas gifts.  You'll also make a coordinating envelope to go with this card, using the Envelope Punch Board.  

I hope lots of you will join me for this evening of fun.  If you've never played Bunco before... no worries!  It's a game of chance and there's absolutely NO SKILL involved.  Best of all, it's a lot of laughs and we all know how healthy laughter is!  

May your weekend find you doing something you enjoy, something that is relaxing, something that brings joy into your life!  

Hugs and happiness!
Susan

Little House in the Big Woods

Hi there stampers and a happy Wednesday to all!

Were you a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan when you were young?  Did you read all the "Little House" books as fast as you could?  I loved them and so did my girls.  You might be wondering why I'm mentioning these books and what possible connection there could be with stamping.  Well, just take a look at today's card and you'll see...

There it is... the little house in the big woods!  I used two different stamp sets to make this card.  The house is from Holiday Home and the trees are from White Christmas.... both sets are in the holiday catalog.  The greeting is from the ever-popular Teeny Tiny Wishes, which can be found on page 18 of the annual catalog.  I stamped the house in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Hello Honey card stock and then cut it out with the matching framelit die.  The leaves are stamped in Hello Honey, Tangerine Tango, and Crushed Curry.
The Early Espresso panel was textured with the Woodgrain embossing folder.  The Hello Honey ribbon is accented with a wooden leaf from the Autumn Wooden Elements set on page 46 of the holiday catalog.  
Don't you have some far-away friends and relatives who'd love getting a card like this from you, letting you know that you're thinking of them on Thanksgiving?  Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reach out with a loving and thoughtful gesture.  In fact, every day is the perfect time to reach out with a loving and thoughtful gesture... no need to wait for a holiday!  Let's all resolve to send more cards.  We can make the world a happier place, one card at a time!
Hope your week is going well!  Around here we're excited for a visit from the Seattle gang!  Haven't seen those grandchildren for a while and we are looking forward to a fun weekend!  Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Grateful for You!

Hi stampers!  Happy Monday!

Well, here we are in November, but how did we get here so quickly?   It seems like it was summer just a couple of weeks ago and I was wearing my sandals and capris and enjoying lots of sunshine. I know that it had to come to an end, Now that the rainy season is here to stay for a while, I'm planning to focus my attention and energy on the upcoming holidays that are quickly approaching.  When I'm busy getting ready for Christmas, I won't be noticing the gloom outside my window quite so much.

For many people, November is all about working on becoming more grateful.  I'm going to try the "30 days of gratitude"exercise too and write down what I'm grateful for each day of the month of November.  The small everyday blessings that we take for granted ... a hot shower, a steaming cup of coffee, a drink of cold refreshing water, a warm home, a good meal, time spent with a friend... all are amazing blessings.  When we stop our hurrying and busy-ness and take time to reflect on our blessings both great and small, our lives are refocused on what we have, not what we lack.

"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, and a stranger into a friend."  Melody Beattie

OK... enough philosophising...let's get to the card.  Only today, it's not a card.  Here, let me show you,

I made these little treat holders with my Envelope Punch Board (page 194 of the annual catalog).  They are 3 by 4 envelopes with one side left unglued.  These would be so fun to put by each plate on Thanksgiving, filled with some nice chocolates (Ghirardelli squares or Dove chocolates would slip into these easily).  Who wouldn't love some yummy chocolate to take home after the Thanksgiving feast?

I used some of the beautiful Color Me Autumn Designer Paper for the envelopes, then used the "Grateful for You" stamp from the Merry Everything stamp set on page 13 of the holiday catalog.  I stamped in Cajun Craze on Very Vanilla card stock,then punched it out with the matching Note Tag Punch (also on page 13). I then punched a mat in Cajun Craze using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch on page 221 of the annual catalog.  Some of the 1 1/4 inch Burlap Ribbon (page 207 of the annual catalog) adds a nice fall texture to these fun little holders.  You could also slip in a gift card or cash.
Oh, and let's dream a little, shall we?  Airline tickets to Paris, or keys to a new car could also be slipped inside.

Before I go, I'd like to mention another blessing that I'm very grateful for, and not just in the month of November.  I'm grateful for you, my wonderful customers.  Without you, I would not have a business.  Thank you, thank you for allowing me to be your Stampin'Up! demonstrator... a job I truly love!

Please come back on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.
Stamping Hugs,
Susan