Friday is here! I'm always happy to see the weekend roll around again, aren't you?
I've got more new goodies to show you today, so let's get right to it, shall we?
This is my shoebox swap from our demonstrator meeting on Wednesday. I used Tip Top Taupe, one of the new In-colors for my background panel. I love this new neutral and I think you will too. We've never had a nice taupe before, and it's one of my favorite colors. One of our homes in California was painted taupe with crisp white trim. It's a great color for a house or a card! I guess the best way to describe taupe would be to say that it's a grayed-out beige. It's just a classic color that looks good with so many colors. It's wonderful with Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, and it's great with blues like Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, and Pacific Point. Actually Tip Top Taupe "plays nicely with others..." almost any color! I can't wait for you to try it and when you do, you'll be a fan!
I used more of the Cherry on Top Designer Paper stack on this card, The cake pedestal is stamped in Tip Top Taupe and the cake layers are stamped in Watermelon Wonder and Crushed Curry. Those cake layers can also be turned on end, and with the little flame image stamped at the top, they become candles! So fun! The sentiment is from Tag Talk, a set that carried over from last year. It was stamped in Watermelon Wonder and then punched out with the Label Bracket Punch. Voila! It's a quick and easy card that would be great for anyone, as it is not age or gender specific.
I've got lots to do today, so I must go! Thanks for being my readers! I appreciate each one of you and hope you'll share my blog with other stampers. I'll hope to "see" you back here at The Classic Card on Monday, but meanwhile, may you have a weekend that is just what you need... calming and relaxing or busy and adventurous! Enjoy!
Susan
Hey, there stamping friends! Happy "hump day!" If you work Monday through Friday, I'm sure you know that Wednesday is "hump day..." the day that you are "over the hump" and coasting downhill toward the weekend.
Since I introduced the new In-colors to you on Monday, I thought I should show you a card made with some of them today. Actually, I used several new products to create this card.
First of all, I used the new Ronald McDonald stamp set. If you have your new catalog, you can see it on the inside of the back cover. Three dollars is donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities for each set that is sold. Stampin'Up! has donated over a million dollars to this worthy cause. The colors I chose were pulled from the new Designer Paper Stack called Cherry on Top.
That pretty pinky-red is the fabulous new Watermelon Wonder. The yellow is Crushed Curry, and the cupcake icing is Pool Party. See that pretty green in the designer paper?? That's the bright and happy Cucumber Crush. I think you're going to love this green! The fun sentiment says "You are the sprinkles on the cupcake of life." I don't know about you, but I'd rather be the icing on the cupcake of life, as I like icing way more than I like sprinkles! I punched that little tiny cherry using the Cupcake Builder punch, which carried over into the new catalog.
Thanks for coming by today! Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs,
Susan
Hello there Stampers!
Thank you for coming to "see" me this Memorial Day 2015! Whatever you've got planned today... a family gathering, working in the garden, getting caught up on chores, or just relaxing around the house, please take a little "time out" at 3 pm for the National Moment of Remembrance. Wherever you are at 3 o'clock local time, pause for 1 minute to honor those who've died in service to our country.
I guess it's no secret that I love quotations and enjoy collecting them. I've got a fun one today that focuses on the creativity inside each of us. Here it is...
"Everyone is born creative. Everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty, they take the crayons away and replace them with dry uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the "creative bug" is just a wee voice telling you "I'd like my crayons back, please."
Hugh McLeod
Well, I'm here to say that those of us who've been hit by the "stamping bug" not only have our crayons back, but we have the BIG box of colors, plus paper, ribbon, buttons, twine, stamp sets and many other products to feed our creative souls. And how fun that we get 5 brand new colors every year to play with. Today I'm going to show you a card I got from my super upline, Barbara Brimhall. Her card perfectly showcases the new Stampin'Up! In-Colors for 2015-2017. Check it out...
Although my camera didn't capture the colors perfectly, these are close except for the color on the far right, Cucumber Crush. It isn't nearly that neon-y (I know, there's no such word). The colors, from left to right are Watermelon Wonder, Mint Macaron (the French sandwich cookie, not the coconut one... that's macaroon... a completely different cookie), Delightful Dijon, Tip Top Taupe, and Cucumber Crush. The background panel is Delightful Dijon and it's been embossed with the new Boho Chic embossing folder. I'm so excited for you to see these new colors up close. I think you'll love them as much as I do! Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush will be fun to use for bright and happy summer cards. Delightful Dijon and Tip Top Taupe will be wonderful for creating fall cards. And Mint Macaron will pair beautifully with so many of our colors, such as Blushing Bride, So Saffron, and Crumb Cake.
Well stampers, that's all for today! I've got to get back to pricing the goodies I'll have for you this coming weekend at my BIG garage sale. Remember, hostesses attend on Friday night at 6:30 and customers can attend on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:30.
Please bring cash or your checkbook, as I cannot accept credit cards for this sale.
Hugs,
Susan
Oh, my! That week went by quickly, didn't it? And now the Memorial Day weekend is upon us. While the newspapers are full of advertising about summer, picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor activities, we should all take time to reflect on the meaning of this holiday. To learn more about Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it was originally called), just google "memorial day history." You're never too old to learn something new!
OK, stampers, let's get to the card!
While this isn't strictly a masculine card, it certainly is appropriate for a guy, or a girl, or a child's birthday, or anyone's birthday! I love cards like this and I'll bet you could use a few of this type of card in your stash as well. This bright, happy card is the work of Kathy Milano, another talented downline member. We made this card at a recent get-together.
The colors Kathy used are pulled directly from the Birthday Bash DSP (DSP can stand for Double Sided Paper, or Designer Series Paper... the same thing in "Stampin'Up! Speak"). You can see all the fun patterns in this DSP collection on page 12 of the Occasions Catalog. The colors she used are Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, and Night of Navy, along with Whisper White. The balloons were cut from card stock, and then the dots were stamped over them in the matching ink. We used White Baker's Twine for the strings on the balloons and attached the bow with a glue dot. The card base is Calypso Coral, one of my very favorite Stampin'Up! colors, because it is warn, bright, and happy.
Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone!
Susan
Thanks for stopping by today, stamping friends!
I'm glad you took a little time out of your busy day to check out my blog. Continuing with the masculine theme, I've got something fun for you today. Scroll down and you'll see what I mean...
This great card is the work of Mary Peterson. I'm lucky to have her in my downline! Not only is she a great friend, she's also a great stamper with an eye for a good card layout and pleasing color combinations.
If you are looking for a versatile set, you cannot go wrong with Gorgeous Grunge. I'm so happy this fabulous set made it into the new catalog which will be here shortly (June 2nd). Every image on this card comes from Gorgeous Grunge, with the exception of the sentiment, which is part of the Petite Pairs set, also carrying over into the new catalog.
Mary used Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla card stock for this card. You are probably wondering about what appears to be netting on the card. Amazingly enough, that is drywall tape! It comes on a roll and you can pick it up at Home Depot. It is sticky on one side, so all you do is apply it to your card and trim off the excess.
Mary used the Ticket Duo Punch to punch out the sentiment. If you don't have this fun punch, now's the time to get it, because once June 2nd arrives, it will be gone for good. She used some Linen Thread under the sentiment, just to give it a little more importance. Otherwise, that small ticket might have looked a bit lost. Thanks, Mary, for letting me show off your manly card! I love it!
How is your week going so far? I'm busily engaged in preparing for a new Stampin'Up! catalog. There's so much to do to get ready for my annual garage sale, plus I'm trying to get my act together for the New Catalog Kick Off, coming up on Saturday June 6th. I'm going to have two sessions... one in the morning from 10-noon and another session from 1-3 so that as many people as possible can attend. I hope to see your smiling face!
Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration. Meanwhile, choose happiness and spread some smiles and love around while you can.
Hugs to all,
Susan
Hi there, stampers!
Welcome back to The Classic Card on this May Monday!
With Father's Day coming up in about a month, it's time to turn our attention to some masculine cards. Oh, I hear you out there, saying that you don't need a Father's Day card because your father's not around anymore. Well, I'm here to remind you that there are still fathers in your life who deserve some love and recognition on Father's Day. If you've got a husband who's a father, he needs a card AND a gift. If you've got sons who are fathers, they also need a nice hand-stamped card, at the very least. And in my case, I've got two wonderful sons-in-law who'll be getting a hand-stamped card from me. Don't forget those who have mentored you and been a father figure for you... those people deserve your love and attention as well. See... you DO need some Father's Day cards after all!
Check this out... it's a card and a gift all in one!
Now I'll show you the inside, where you can stash some cash or a gift card...
In case you are having trouble reading the fine print, it says "Something to use for whatever you choose."
I made this card using the Guy Greetings set that's in the Occasions catalog. I'm happy to say that this versatile masculine set made it into the new annual catalog that's coming out on June 2nd.
The inside sentiment is part of the BYOP (buy your own present) set that is also in the Occasions catalog and it, too, will be carrying over into the new catalog.
The card stock I used is Early Espresso, as is the ink. The blue DSP is from the Adventure Bound Paper Stack that is in the Occasions catalog. It is not carrying over into the new catalog, but you could always substitute a piece of Lost Lagoon card stock in its place. I made this gift card holder 4 1/4 inch square, so that it will fit into a regular envelope. That way you won't have to pay extra to mail a square envelope. The ribbon is the 5/8" Chevron Ribbon, which I turned over to the plain side. Thankfully, this nice neutral ribbon also carried over into the new annual catalog.
Gift card holders such as this one are a great way to personalize what can often seem a bit impersonal... the gift of cash or a gift card. I can understand how gift cards have become so popular. It's so much easier to give a gift card and it allows the recipient to pick out "just what they always wanted."
May the days ahead find you being busy, happy, and productive as you go about your weekly routine. Don't forget to squeeze in a little time to be creative. Your week will go better if you give yourself the gift of time just for you!
Hugs to all,
Susan
Yahoo! It's Friday again... my very favorite day of the week!
I'm excited to have two stamping events this weekend! First I have Nanci and Anita's private class here on Saturday morning and then I'll be doing a party for Kristine and her friends here at my house on Sunday afternoon. So it will be "all stampin', all the time" this weekend.
I mentioned on Monday that I'd be bidding a fond farewell to some of my favorite retiring sets this week and today's the final goodbye. I don't know about you, but I'm at that age when I've started needing sympathy cards more and more. It's kind of scary, but I guess that's what happens if you're lucky enough to be alive in your "golden years." Sure don't know why that term was ever coined (no pun intended!), because we sure don't have much gold... except maybe in our teeth.
So today I thought I'd remind you of what a great set Love and Sympathy is. You can see it on page 122 of the annual catalog. It's just a clean and classic set. The iris image is beautifully simple and the sentiment is spot on. Check out this pretty card I made with this wonderful stamp set...
I cut an oval shape from glossy card stock, then swiped on several colors with a sponge. Once that was done, I stamped over the colors with Jet Black Staz-On ink. A mat of black behind the stamped and sponged oval gives it weight and the black border and ribbon give the card a clean and classic look.
If you're like me and seem to be finding yourself in need of sympathy cards, you can't go wrong with this set. Please give me a call or email me and I'll be happy to add it to my next order for you. I suggest making up a few in advance, because we seldom get advance warning that we're going to need to send a sympathy card.
OK, stampers! Get out there and enjoy the weekend! And thanks for stopping by today. Please come back on Monday for more stamping inspiration.
Happy weekend to all!
Susan
Howdy stampin' friends!
This is the week that I'm giving a little good-bye wave to some of my favorite retiring stamp sets. I have a love-hate feeling about this time of year. I hate that I'm losing so many stamp sets to retirement, but of course I love the prospect of new stamps, colors, and accessories just over the horizon.
The stamp set du jour is Regarding Dahlias. If you don't own this classic set, you might want to consider adding it to your stamp collection before it is gone forever. This beautiful floral stamp lends itself to a combination of embossing and watercoloring.
Check out this photo and you'll see what I mean.
For this technique, you need to use watercolor paper, as you'll be adding quite a bit of moisture to the paper. Stamp the dahlia in Versamark ink and heat emboss with white powder. Then using a aqua painter and the ink pool on the inside of your stamp pad lid (give your pad a squeeze to deposit ink inside the lid), paint the petals. The embossed lines act like a barrier to keep the color inside the lines. It's really quite easy and when you're finished, it looks quite impressive.
I've placed my order for new catalogs and I can't wait to get them! I'm also anxious to get my pre-order goodies (new stamps, ink, and paper) so I can start showing you some of the fun new cards you'll be able to make, once the catalog goes "live" on June 2nd at noon.
I'll have another retiring set to show off on Friday, so please come back for a visit then.
Happy "hump" day! (After today, we're over the "hump" and it's all downhill to the weekend!
Susan
Welcome back! How was your weekend? I hope you were able to relax, recharge, and refresh so that you are ready to take on another week. If you're a mom, I hope you enjoyed some pampering yesterday!
With only a few days left before stamps retire forever, I thought I'd focus on some of my favorite retiring sets this week. So to start things off, I'm featuring a lovely set called Painted Petals (page 19 of the Occasions catalog). This has been one of the most popular sets in the Occasions catalog, and has the most gorgeous designer paper to go along with it. I'm sorry to see that it hasn't been included in the new 2015-2016 Annual catalog that is coming out on June 2nd. So if you like this stamp set, now's the time to purchase it. This card, done in classic blue and white, is the work of Mary Peterson, one of my very creative downline members.
Mary used some of the Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper for the background, then stamped the flowers in Pacific Point and the leaves in Wild Wasabi. A thin mat of Wild Wasabi card stock sets off the background and the stamped image. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (thank goodness that set is not being retired!) and it is punched out with the Word Window Punch. If you don't already own Teeny Tiny Wishes (page 18), I would suggest you purchase it, as it is the most all-inclusive greeting set that Stampin'Up! has ever offered. It covers every occasion imaginable. From baby to retirement and everything in between, this set's got you covered! It even has a St. Patrick's Day stamp! Thank you, Mary, for letting me show off your beautiful card.
Hope your Monday is off to a smooth start (no coffee spilled on your blouse during the morning commute), and that the week ahead will proceed smoothly with no bumps in the road and very little drama or trauma. Please come back on Wednesday when I'll have more stamping inspiration for you.
Hugs,
Susan
Hi again! How did it get to be Friday already?
What does your weekend look like? Are you planning on getting together with family for Mother's Day? If you're a mom, you deserve to be celebrated on this special day. I don't think there's any job on earth that is more demanding than being a mom. Unlike any other job, it is a 24/7 gig, and it goes on forever. I once thought that my mothering years would be over once the girls flew the nest. What was I thinking? Of course, I'll admit that being a mom has its fun moments and its proud moments too. It's not all hard work, although there's a lot of that. Why am I telling you this? If you're a mom, you know these things already, and if you're not a mom, you're probably bored about now, so why don't we just cut to the card, shall we?
I'm really sad that this stamp is going away. It is one of the large background stamps (page 175) and I love that you just ink it up, stamp once, and your whole card is finished. How easy is that? To make this stamp even more fun, there's a matching embossing folder to go with it (page 227). For this card, I used a piece of designer paper from the Subtles Collection (page 185) in Blushing Bride. I stamped over the patterned paper in Early Espresso ink, then added some pearls to the centers of the flowers. I was tempted to give the hummingbird a tiny pearl eye, but thought a beady-eyed hummingbird might be a bit scary. I used some of my favorite ribbon, the 1/4 inch Cotton Ribbon (page 207) in Blushing Bride and Early Espresso to add some extra zing to the card. You could make a card like this in under 10 minutes, depending on how quickly you can cut card stock. In fact, while you have the stamp out, why not stamp several different colors of designer paper at the same time?
Whatever the weekend ahead holds, I hope there's some time for fun, some time for relaxation, some time for doing just what you want to do, and of course, some time for being creative. Enjoy!
Hugs to all,
Susan
Hello everyone and welcome to my Wednesday post!
I've got another bright and sunny card for you today that I hope you'll like. It's a bit different than anything I've tried, but I like how it turned out and hope you do too!
Take a look and then I'll tell you how I made it...
I started out with a sheet of the Irresistibly Yours paper that was available as a Sale-a-bration freebie. It is white card stock with glossy white patterns printed on it. When you stamp on it or sponge color on it, the glossy pattern resists the ink. Then when you're finished stamping, you just wipe over the sheet with a piece of tissue or paper towel and the white glossy pattern really pops out. This technique works best if you use a rather large or bold image. For this card I used the Beautiful Bunch stamp set on page 158 of the annual catalog. I'm happy to say that this set made it into the new catalog that's coming out in June, so I'll be able to continue using it for another year. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the set I used for the greeting. Yippee Skippee (page 12 of the annual catalog) is being retired. I love the sayings in this set. They are somewhat unusual, but fun. This is one set that might find its way into my collection of "keepers."
The colors I used are Calypso Coral (love that color!) and Daffodil Delight. I used some of the fun Polka Dotted designer paper from the Subtles Collection Paper Stack (page 185), also in Calypso Coral. If you didn't get some of this "resist" paper during Sale-a-bration, you'll be happy to know that there's some in the new catalog.
Thanks for visiting The Classic Card today!
Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Have a great day!
Susan
Hey there, stampers!
Happy Sunny Monday to all of you out there in Stamping Land!
Wow! Wasn't yesterday amazing? I could go for an indefinite string of days like that! Today should get up to 70 degrees, so I'll take that too!
How about a bright and pretty card to go along with a bright and pretty day? I've got just the thing for you...
This is one of the cards we made at our monthly Stamp Out Stress gathering at Symposium Coffee on April 27th. That bright and tropical blue is Coastal Cabana, which is going away very soon. In fact, I think that the ink and card stock are already gone. That's what happens with retiring In-colors.... they just evaporate once the retired list is posted.
If you want to make a card like this, just substitute some Pool Party card stock and designer paper and you'll be "good to go." The other retiring color on this card is Strawberry Slush. I hate to see that color go as well. I'm hoping that in an upcoming "color revision," we might get that color back. We'll just have to wait and see. You could substitute some Melon Mambo for a similar look. The yellow is Daffodil Delight, which is part of the Brights color family.
While you won't be able to get products in those retiring colors (Coastal Cabana and Strawberry Slush), you WILL be be able to purchase the retiring stamp set, Petal Potpourri. I was shocked that this set didn't make it into the new annual catalog that is coming out June 2nd. It has been a great seller and there's a punch to go along with it. Retiring stamps are guaranteed to be available through May 26th, so if you'd like to add this pretty flower set to your stamp collection, you still have time. Thankfully, the greeting set I used, Sassy Salutations, did make it into the new catalog.
Well, enough chatting for today, friends! I'm going to get out there and seize the sunshine and I hope you do the same. Natural vitamin D is far superior to the kind you get from pills!
Hope your day and week are off to a great start!
Hugs to all,
Susan
Hey there, stampers! Happy sunny Friday and Happy May First!
The weather forecast looks pretty good for the next several days and I'm excited for "mostly sunny" weather. I can handle a passing cloud now and then, can't you? I'm just super-grateful that there's more sun than rain in our immediate future!
Know what else I'm excited about? Yes! The new Stampin'Up! catalog. Demonstrators got a peek at it today and although I can't share any pictures of stamp sets, I can tell you that there are lots of beautiful new stamps to make your stamper's heart go "boom, boom, boom!" And of course there are some great new designer papers, ribbons, and other embellishments, not to mention the new In-Colors! Oh, and of course there are new embossing folders and framelits as well as some great new punches, like a Tree Builder Punch! And the set that benefits the Ronald McDonald Houses is awesome this year and you are going to not only want it, but NEED it! It's on my list of things to buy asap. You are not going to be disappointed in this year's annual catalog, I promise! There is something for everyone, no matter what your stampin' style is!
OK... enough raving about the new catalog! You probably want to know how to get one, right? You'll be able to pick up your new catalog at my big garage sale, just like last year (and the year before that and the year before that!). I'll be sending you an email invite for that big event, which will be at the very end of May. Start saving your pennies, because I have a serious amount of goodies to unload this year and YOU will get the savings.
Let's look at a card now...
Actually this is more than a card. It's a card PLUS a gift card holder. (This is just one of the 7 projects you'll be making at my Gifts of Spring class this coming Saturday, May 2nd at 1 pm at my house. I have room for you if you'd like to attend!) Here, let me show you the inside and you'll see what I mean
The inside of the card has a white panel where you can stamp a sentiment and then there's a little pocket in which to stash some cash, a check, or a gift card. Who wouldn't like to get a birthday gift like this??
The front of the card is embellished with the Oval Accent Bigz Clear Die on page 232 of the annual catalog. Once I cut it out, I embossed it with the Fancy Fan embossing folder. The flowers are from Mixed Bunch and Flower Shoppe. They were stamped in Calypso Coral ink on Calypso Coral card stock, then cut out with their matching punches. The card base is Pool Party and the shape at the top is cut from Daffodil Delight card stock. By the way, stampers, both the Oval Accents Clear die and the Mixed Bunch stamp set are going away forever at the end of May, as is the coordinating Blossom punch.
I'm sad to see these favorites go, but the old must go to make room for the new! The sentiments on this fun card are from the BYOP (buy your own present) set, which is made specifically for gifts of cash, check, or gift cards. You can find this great set on page 33 of the Occasions catalog.
Well, I think I've rambled on enough for one day, don't you? I've got lots to do today, so I'm going to get started. Hope your Friday is a good one and that your weekend is happy through and through!
Hugs,
Susan
