It's Not Too Early!

Happy Friday to all of my stampin' friends!  
Are you ready for the weekend?   I've got a lot of stamping going on, so that is a happy thing!  This weekend is just going to be party, party, party!  I hope you've got some fun things planned too!

A while back I purchased the new Berry Basket Bigz Die because I thought it was so cute and it was a nice size as well. It's big enough to hold a reasonable amount of treats, but not so big that you have to break the bank filling it. It is a great size for cookies, a single cupcake, candy, nuts... all sorts of goodies.  You could also cut it out in lightweight cardboard and use it as a real berry basket for your home-grown strawberries or blueberries.  

I had a different idea for the berry basket, and it's not too early to start working on these so you'll be ready on April 5th when the Easter bunny comes hopping down the bunny trail.  

Wouldn't your Easter table look cute with one of these little guys at each place?  You could add a little banner with each guest's name so that they could serve as a favor and a place card all rolled into one.  Or you could make some for the neighborhood kiddos, your grandchildren, and even your adult children.  Everyone loves a sweet treat at Easter... even grandmas and grandpas!  

I'm happy to report that putting the berry basket together is a breeze.  It comes out all cut and scored, so all you have to do is fold, glue, and staple.  You can see it on page 21 of the Occasions catalog.
I used Pool Party card stock for the basket.  One sheet of card stock makes one basket, so you won't go broke making these.  I used two 2 3/8 inch scallop circles for the bunny's face.  The ears are two of the large ovals.  I sandwiched the ears between the face circles, so Mr. Bunny would look good from the back as well.  I sponged all around his face and ears with Pink Pirouette ink, then used the small heart from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack with 3 glue dots on the back of it to hold his whiskers in place.  I punched his eyes out with an ordinary hand-held hole punch and added a little "gleam" to them with my White Chalk Marker. Last, I drew on a mouth. Be sure to use a couple of pieces of Sticky Strip to adhere the handle to the basket.  You don't want the handle to come loose under the weight of all those Cadbury Eggs and Jelly Bellies!

Give me a call or send me an email message... I'd love to order a Berry Basket Die for you.  I've seen them decorated for all sorts of holidays... Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day... the possibilities are endless.  They also make a perfect holder for some cute little 3x3 gift cards... the kind you attach to a shower, wedding, or birthday gift. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog today.  I hope your Friday goes smoothly and that the weekend ahead will find you relaxing and having fun!
Hugs to all,
Susan

How Tweet!

Hi again and thanks for coming back!

As I promised on Monday, I've got another spring-like card for you today.  Is there anything that says "spring" more than birds nesting?  While most of us think the idea of baby birds in a nest is so sweet, in reality it's really not all that pretty.  I know this because last year a momma bird built her nest on top of one of our outdoor speakers.  Since we didn't want to disturb her or the babies, we endured a lot of bird droppings and falling debris... not a pretty sight.  So, while not that nice in reality, nesting birds on a card can be pretty.  Check out my card and you'll see...

That beautiful golden color is Hello Honey, one of the In-Colors for 2014-2016.  I'm so glad it's going to be around for another year.
Here's a quick list of what I used:

Stamps--World of Dreams, p. 127 of the annual catalog
Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento, Hello Honey
Paper:  Flower Pot DSP, page 186 of the annual catalog, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Accessories:  Striped Satin Ribbon in Hello Honey, 2 inch Circle Punch, 2 3/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, sponge, dimensionals.  

I encourage you to do what I did here, and try embossing some printed designer paper.  It is best to use an embossing folder with a fairly small pattern and try it on designer paper that also has a fairly small all-over pattern.  Experiment a little and I think you'll find some fun combinations. And if your experiment doesn't "float your boat," so what!  It's just a piece of paper.  Toss it in the recycle bin and try again.  That's part of the fun of paper-crafting... you're not wasting expensive materials if you make a mistake or don't like the way something turns out.

Thanks for reading my blog today!  I've got something pretty cute to show you on Friday, so don't forget to come back and see what it is!
Happy Wednesday!
Susan

Warm Up!

Hey there stamping fans!  
Doesn't the sun make Mondays so much better?  I think everyone would be much happier if every Monday was a sunny day!  Although yesterday was a pretty day, the wind had a real bite to it!  I 'd planned to sit on the porch in the sun for a treat, but it was just too cold to be enjoyable.  But milder days are on their way... we just need to be patient. While we're waiting, I've got a card that will warm you up with its bright warm colors.

This is one of the cards that we'll be making today at our SOS (Stamp Out Stress) gathering at Symposium Coffee in Old Town Sherwood.  You really should join us sometime!  We make 2 cards, envelopes included, for a $5 fee and we drink delicious coffee, chat, and just generally have a good time.  We meet at Symposium on the last Monday of every month at 1 pm.  We gather in the upstairs conference room, so we have a space all to ourselves.  To thank them for allowing us to use the room without charge, we purchase a beverage... coffee, tea, hot chocolate, Italian soda, etc.  

Let me tell you a bit about the card.  I used the Lotus Blossom stamp set, which is one of the sets you can get during Sale-a-bration with a $50 purchase.  It is a three-step stamp set, and each of the images has a number on it, so you won't ever get confused about which one to use first, second, and third.  To make these pretty flowers I stamped image number 1 in Real Red.  For image number 2, I used Real Red again, but stamped it on a scrap before stamping over image number 1.  This is called "stamping off."  Then for image number 3, I used Daffodil Delight.  The stems are stamped in Old Olive. Because this is a perfectly clear photopolymer stamp set, it is very easy to line the images up precisely.  
The sentiment is stamped in Real Red and punched out with the Artisan Label punch, then popped up on a dimensional dot.  Some of the soft cotton ribbon in Real Red adds another element of red to the card.  You can't go wrong with the classic Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to add some texture to the Daffodil Delight background.  
This simple and pretty card would brighten up anyone's day.  Why not make a bunch of these in different colors with a variety of sentiments and you'll be ready the next time you need a card in a hurry!  
I'll have another spring-y card for you on Wednesday, so be sure and come back then.  Hope your week is off to a great start!
Susan

Seeing Spots

WooHoo!  Friday is here and the weekend starts tonight!

Hi there stampers and a happy Friday to all!   
How did your week go?  In a perfect world you would have had a wonderful week full of many accomplishments and loads of fun.   We are reminded daily that this world is very imperfect, but that doesn't mean that we can't be thankful for all of the things that are right with the world.  As the saying goes, "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."  So as I look back over my week, here are just a few of the things for which I'm truly grateful:  many card designs completed and lots of paper cut and ready to go, Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies (delivered on Valentine's Day!), sunshine, fresh air, blue sky, new stamps to try out, my Avian Artistry class designs finished, and too many other blessings to mention in a blog post.
I hope your week was filled with good things too!  

Shall we take a look at today's card now?  I think you'll find it interesting.

I had fun creating the background for this one.  I used my sponge daubers and two different colors of ink (Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry) and I randomly dotted the colors onto Whisper White card stock.  Then I ran the stamped panel through the Big Shot with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder, which added a lot of texture and interest to the background.
Next I stamped the sentiment (from the Balloon Bash stamp set on page 13 of the Occasions catalog) in Bermuda Bay and then cut it out by hand.  If you are "fussy cutting," be sure to leave a little margin of white around your cut-out image.  It just looks better that way!  Then I stamped the same sentiment again in Crushed Curry and just cut out the banner that says "just for you,"  I added that on top of the Bermuda Bay image, popped up on dimensionals.  The result?  A perfect card for anyone... man, woman, boy, girl... it doesn't matter as this card is not gender or age-specific.  I'm planning to make more of this card so I'll be ready the next time I need a birthday card.  

May your Friday go by smoothly and without drama and may the weekend ahead bring you relaxation, rest, and refreshment.  Oh, and maybe a little stamping fun too!  

Stamp up some happiness today!
Susan

Get out the Sunglasses!

Hi stampers!  How are you this fine Wednesday?  

I've got a very bright and happy card for you today, but I don't think you'll really need your sunglasses.  I've been having fun experimenting with the new Birthday Bash designer paper that's in the Occasions catalog.  It's got loads of cheerful colors like Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, and Crushed Curry that when combined make you think of a tropical vacation.  And who couldn't use one of those about now?

Here's the card du jour for Wednesday...

And here's a quick list of what I used:
Stamps:  Petal Potpourri, page 23 of the Occasions catalog
               Four You (sentiment) page 19 of the annual catalog
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Birthday Bash, p. 12 of the Occasions catalog, Crushed 
            Curry, Whisper White
Accessories:  2 1/2 inch Circle Punch, Flower Medallion Punch,
             7/8 inch Scalloped Circle Punch, Crushed Curry Chevron 
             Ribbon, Crushed Curry Baker's twine, Calypso Coral 
             Candy Dot, Dimensionals

What a fun, quick, and easy card to make!  Why not use several different patterns from this paper collection and make a whole slew of cards at once? Then you'll be birthday-ready and feel so organized!

Thank you for checking in with me today.  I hope you'll come back on Friday for more stamping ideas!  
Stamp up some happiness today!  
Susan

Hello Sunshine!

Hello Stampers !  Happy sunny Monday to all!

If Monday finds you going off to work, waking up to a sunny day sure does seem to help with the motivation to get out of bed!  I can remember many rainy Mondays back in the day when I was still working and most of the time I just wanted to pull the covers back over my head.  But sunshine?  That I can do!  If the forecast is correct, we have a couple of days after today that we'll be seeing the sun.  So, to coordinate with the weather, here's a sunny card for you...

I am loving the new stamp set Crazy About You that's on page 31 of the Occasions catalog.  With the matching thinlets that say "hello" "happy" "thanks" and "you,"  along with the 30 words in the stamp set there are many wonderful combinations of sentiments that can be created (and some pretty silly ones as well!).

Here's what I used to create this fun card:
Stamps:  Crazy About You
Ink:  Hello Honey
Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Sky, Hello Honey, and the Sweet Dreams DSP on page 39 of the Occasions catalog.
Accessories:  Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon, Hello You Thinlet Dies, 1 3/4 Scallop Circle Punch, 7/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch, Basic Pearl colored with Blendabilities Marker, Dimensionals.

OK stampin' peeps... enough sitting in front of the computer.  It's time to get out there are soak up some of that sun!  Thanks for stopping by and please come back on Wednesday because I've got a lot more cards to show you!

Stamp up some happiness today!
Susan

More Painted Petals

Yippee... Friday is here!  And some fun times are ahead... Valentine's Day on Saturday and it's the long President's Day weekend too.  If you haven't pruned your roses yet, that little chore is supposed to be done by President's Day.  Just remember, prune at an angle above an outside bud, which encourages outward growth.   It's hard to believe, but our roses do have new buds already.  

The card I'm going to share today started out looking quite different.  It was a shoebox swap at our recent demo meeting and I took a few liberties with the design.  I turned the Painted Petals designer paper over, omitted some things, added others and came up with this...

I guess I've got a thing going with stripes lately, but I love the hand-painted look of these fresh green stripes.  This paper is part of the Painted Blooms Designer paper that's on page 19 of the Occasions catalog.  This paper is designed to coordinate with the Painted Petals stamp set on the same page, which it does beautifully.  

The flowers and stems are stamped in Rose Red and Wild Wasabi, while the sentiment is stamped in Blackberry Bliss. Some silky Blackberry Bliss ribbon and a couple of rhinestones complete this simple but pretty card.  

May your Friday be a good day, and may the weekend ahead be just what you need... filled with activity and fun events, or low-key and relaxing.  Either way, enjoy!  

Thanks for visiting me this week and please come back on Monday for more stamping ideas.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Susan

Pretty Painted Petals

Hey there stamping friends!

I hope you're ready to be inspired, because I've got another fun card for you that I'm sure you're going to love.  As I mentioned on Monday, this week I'm focusing on swap cards that I received at our monthly demonstrator meeting.

Today's card is the work of another one of my great downline members, Mary Peterson.  Check out this fresh and pretty card...

The stamp set that Mary used is called Painted Petals and is on page 19 of the Occasions catalog.  I love how she took the image of the three stripes and created a frame for the flowers.  I was wondering what to do with those stripes and now I know!  Thanks, Mary!  The base of the card is Strawberry Slush and layered on top of that is a panel of Crushed Curry.  The stripes and leaves are stamped in Pear Pizzazz and the flowers and sentiment are stamped in Strawberry Slush. 
 Mary punched out the sentiment with the Artisan Label Punch, then adhered it to a mat she created by punching a piece of Crushed Curry card stock with the same Artisan Label Punch, cutting the punched piece in half and adhering the pieces to the edges of the sentiment panel.
I just love the fresh, crisp look of this card and I think it's the stripes that do the trick!  Why not use this design and try it with some other color combinations?  Stampin'Up! has so many great colors that the possibilities are almost endless!  

I hope your week and your Wednesday are going smoothly.  However, if it's been a rocky ride this week, take comfort in the fact that after today, this week is more than half done.  Friday and the weekend will be here before you know it!

Thank you for being one of my readers!  Please share my blog with other stampers.  
Happy Stamping!
Susan

Bright and Happy

Hi there, stampers!  Happy (stormy) Monday!

How did your weekend go?  I loved the great "stamping weather" we had... lots of rain and some wind to splatter it onto the windows.  There's nothing like a good storm to give us an excuse to stay inside and stamp the day away!  

This week I'm going to focus on some swap cards that I received at our last Stamp2gether, a gathering of demonstrators that I attend monthly.  I thought that with all the stormy weather we've been having, that perhaps some bright and happy cards would be welcome.  

Take a peek at this pretty card...

This fun card is the work of one of my talented downline members, Lynnette Mathisen.  Didn't she do a great job of designing?    The colors she chose just shout "happy" don't they?  The base of the card is Strawberry Slush, and the blue panel that is embossed with the new Happy Heart embossing folder is Tempting Turquoise.   The flower, from the new set Petal Potpourri is stamped in Strawberry Slush and then punched out with the new Flower Medallion Punch.  She stamped the flower center in Daffodil Delight and then punched it out with the 7/8 inch scallop  circle punch.  The completed flower is popped up on a dimensional (foam dot).
The happy birthday sentiment is from the gorgeous new Butterfly Basics stamp set that's in the new Occasions catalog.  Some silky seam binding in Daffodil Delight repeats the yellow of the flower center and a pearl in the center of the flower finishes this bright card off perfectly!  Thanks, Lynnette for letting me share your card on my blog.

Thanks for stopping in on this stormy Monday.  Please come back on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.  Hope the week ahead is a good one for you!
Stamp something pretty!
Susan

Sunny Hello Honey

Happy Friday, stampers!

As promised on Wednesday, I've got a sunny card for you today, using sunshiny images and a very sunny color... Hello Honey.  This color was introduced in 2014 and will be sticking around until 2016, so there's still plenty of time to enjoy it. 

Here's my card for today...

The starburst image is from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set (p. 164 of the annual catalog) and the saying is from Ray of Sunshine on page 159.  The saying "Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you." by Walt Whitman is one of my favorites.  I stamped on a pennant shape from the Party Pennants Bigz Die (page 232).  The sunny designer paper is in the new Occasions catalog... Sweet Dreams (page 19).  Also on page 19 is the new ribbon I used, Hello Honey Quilted Cotton Ribbon.  The Tiny Triangles embossing folder adds some needed texture to the Hello Honey panel.  

Click on the card to enlarge it and then absorb all of that golden goodness, because it's pretty likely that it's the only sunshine you're going to see today.  

I'm wishing you a very happy Friday and may the weekend ahead hold some of your favorite things, like relaxing, spending time with family and friends, and maybe even a little time for stamping and being creative.

Stamp something pretty,

Susan

New x 5

Hi there and welcome to Wednesday's post!

I thought I'd show you five new products today, all on one card!
Are you ready?  OK, here we go!

How's this for a springy card?  Let me list the new products I used for this one, all from the Occasions catalog and the Sale-a-bration brochure.
First of all, I used the new Petal Potpourri stamp set that's on page 23 of the Occasions catalog.  Then I punched out the flowers with the new Flower Medallion Punch that's on the same page.  The paper I used is the new Best Year Ever paper that is one of the free Sale-a-bration items you can earn with a $50 purchase. The next new product I used is the new Spring Flowers Embossing Folder on page 19 of the Occasions catalog.  And finally, the sentiment is from the Lotus Blossom stamp set that is on page 7 of the Sale-a-bration brochure.  I punched it out with the Artisan Label Punch, which is not a new product.  Some of the beautiful Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in Blushing Bride adds a nice accent.
I used my bone folder to curl the petals of the flowers back, which gives them a nice three-dimensional look.  I popped the flowers up on foam dots, for even more dimension.  
If  you are wanting a fresh, clean look for a card, nothing works better than a white background.  It seems like the majority of card- makers favor colorful backgrounds.  If you are in the habit of using 
colored card stock for your cards, take a break and try white for a change.  I think you'll find it makes a clean, crisp card that is a nice change.
Thanks for coming by today and please come back on Friday when I'll have a sunny card for you.  After the rain we've had this week, I think you'll be ready for a little sunshine on Friday, even if it's only on a card!
Hugs,
Susan

Welcome, February!

Howdy Stampers!
Thanks for checking in with me on this first Monday of February!

Well, how was your weekend?  I'm not a big football fan and luckily I have some stampers who aren't big fans either.  So while most people were glued to their televisions, I was out at Yoko's house having a stamping good time yesterday! 

So, as I promised on Friday, we are leaving Valentine's Day behind and focusing on some everyday occasions like birthday, thinking-of-you, and thank you cards... those cards we send most frequently.  
Check out this very crisp and contemporary card, stamped by Stephanie Perry, one of my talented downline members.  She used the Stacked with Love paper in the Occasions catalog.  One side is Valentine-y and the other side is all black and white prints that can be used for other occasions, which makes this paper stack very versatile.

And speaking of versatile, check out the great stamp set on page 31 of the Occasions catalog, the Crazy About You set.  With tons of sayings plus two flowers and leaves, you could use this set over and over and never tire of it.  I know someone out there is working on a list of sayings that are possible with this set.  The words can be combined in so many fun ways, such as " Hello Miss Sunshine"
or "Just Sayin' You Rock" or how about "You Make All of Us Crazy?"  Maybe that last one is a little over the top!  But you get the idea.  I'm sure you can come up with some better combinations.
The colors Stephanie used are Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Basic Black, and Whisper White.  The pearls add just the right finishing touch!

Well, friends, that's it for today.  I've got lots of cutting to do to get ready for the Beautiful Butterfly class that's coming up next Sunday.  Hope your week is off to a smooth start!
Hugs,
Susan