Beautiful Bunch and Flower Shop Stampin'Up!

Golly!  It's Friday again already and also the last day of July!  Where did this month go, anyway??  

For the next several weeks I'll be showing you some great cards I received as swaps at the Stampin'Up! convention.  I've been home for a week, so I think it's time I got started on showing off some convention swaps.  Of course, I'm not going to show you everything I received as swaps.  That would take forever, so I'm just going to be showing you my favorites.  I'll be putting all of the swaps on my display boards and you'll have plenty of time over the next year to look at them and photograph the ones you like best.  

The card I'm showing you today is one that I swapped with my friends from the Kansas City area.  I met these fun ladies at the Hotel Monaco and we've reconnected each year at convention.  We always do a "wow" card swap with each other.  What makes a "wow" card?  It is difficult to define, but to me a "wow" card is something a bit out of the ordinary.  Maybe it has a special fold, more embellishments, or is unusual in some way.   Here's one of my "wow" cards for the Monaco swap...

This three panel card isn't at all difficult to make, but it would be really difficult to describe how it is made.  I would love to show you how easy this is at your very own stamping party, where YOU will get the hostess freebies!  The large flowers (from Beautiful Bunch) are stamped on Whisper White card stock in Calypso Coral ink and punched out with the Fun Flower Punch. The center of the flowers is Early Espresso ink, as is the sentiment.  The base of the card is Daffodil Delight and the smaller flowers are stamped with the Flower Shop set in Daffodil Delight on Whisper White card stock and then punched out with the Pansy Punch.  The leaves are punched from Mossy Meadow card stock with the Bird Builder Punch.  That cute scrolly sentiment is from the Cottage Greetings stamp set. 

Flower Shop Stampin'Up!

Hey there!  Thank you for coming back to see what I've got for you today!  

On Monday I shared a card by Janet Jones that featured the new English Garden designer paper, one the prettiest designer papers we've had in a long time!  The patterns are just wonderful, so it's no surprise that it has been super-popular.  

Today I want to share another card that uses this wonderful designer paper.  Take a peek...

This cute card was designed by Kathy Milano and was a "make and take" at our demonstrator meeting.  The card base is Hello Honey, with two different patterns from the English Garden collection layered on top.  A piece of the naturally rustic Burlap Ribbon brings the two patterns together.  Kathy stamped one of the flowers from the stamp set Birthday Blossoms (page 8) in Soft Suede on Hello Honey card stock, then punched it out with the Pansy Punch. Some linen thread accents the flower. The greeting is also from the Birthday Blossoms set.  This card was quick and easy to make and it would be fun to use this layout with other designer papers.  

Hope your week is going well!  
Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Hugs,
Susan

Garden in Bloom Stampin'Up!

Hi everyone!
Hope all is well in your world this fine Monday!  I'm back from the Stampin'Up! convention and I'm planning to R-E-S-T for the next couple of days.  Convention is always a ton of fun and there's so much to see and do.  The Salt Palace is a huge venue and I think I walked about 5 miles a day, just going to and from classes, meeting rooms, exhibit halls, and the hotel.  I definitely got a workout, that's for sure!

I mentioned last week that I was going to concentrate on the beautiful birthday cards I received from demonstrators who are part of our Stamp2gether group.  Today I'll be winding that up with this great birthday card by Janet Jones.  

Doesn't this card have a "fresh from the garden" look? The combination of beautiful Mossy Meadow with Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White add up to a very pretty card!
Janet used the new stamp set Garden in Bloom (page 119) and then added some of the gorgeous new English Garden designer paper (page 142).  I love her layout as well.  Thank you for this very pretty card, Janet! And thank you for allowing me to share it on my blog!

The sentiment is from the very versatile stamp set And Many More (page 105).  This stamp set has 23 greetings that cover every occasion from Christmas to Easter, to Valentine's Day,to Halloween, Thanksgiving, weddings, new babies, get well, Mother's Day, Father's Day... well, I think you get the picture.  You probably NEED this set!  Another good thing... all of the sayings will fit the new Washi Label Punch (page 166).

What's on your agenda for the week ahead?  Whatever you've got planned, I hope you'll be able to schedule in some time just for you.  We all need "me time" and if you take a little time out from your job and chores at home, you'll be a happier person, I promise.  So plan ahead and give yourself an hour or two to be creative in the coming week.  Pull out your stamps and stamp some cards to send to friends and family.  You will be relaxed and refreshed and your hand-stamped works of art will bring happiness to others.  Everyone wins!  
Hugs,
Susan

Sprinkles of Life Stampin'Up!

Hey there, stampin' peeps!  It's Friday and that means it's almost the weekend.  Hope you've got something fun planned!  We've got to take advantage of summer while it's here, so get out there and enjoy the beautiful Northwest that we are lucky to call home.

As I mentioned on Monday, I'm sharing the great birthday cards I received from my fellow demonstrators.  Today's cute card is the work of Kathy Milano.  

Doesn't this make you want to go get an ice cream cone?  I don't think I'd order a triple though... maybe a double.   Kathy used Crumb Cake for the card base, then added a strip of the English Garden DSP for a vertical accent.  The circle was cut with the Circles Collection Framelits. The Sprinkles of Life stamp set that she used for the ice cream scoops and cone can be found on the inside back cover of the annual catalog. The scoops of ice cream were stamped on watercolor paper, then the color was spread around with an aqua painter. I'm guessing that the colors are So Saffron, Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo, but you could use your favorite "flavors..." maybe Soft Suede for Chocolate, Mint Macaron for Mint Chip, and Blushing Bride for Peach.  There's no right or wrong when it comes to colors or ice cream... it's all personal preference.  The coordinating punch is called the Tree Builder Punch and it has a variety of shapes that it punches.  The ice cream cone is not one of the shapes, but it is very easily cut out by hand.

One of the things I like best about this set is its versatility.  It can be used for men or women, boys or girls.  Those scoops of ice cream can also be clouds, leaves for the tree, or a mound of flowers.   In addition to all the great images, there are tons of great sentiments in this set as well.  Am I trying to sell you on this set?  Yes, I am!  And when you purchase it, $3 will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides a home away from home for families whose seriously ill children are undergoing medical treatments far away from home. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  I hope you'll get outside and enjoy some relaxing times and fun adventures while summer is still with us.  

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Happy Birthday, Everyone Stampin'Up!

Hi stampers and welcome to Wednesday!

Today's an exciting day for me.  As you are reading this, I may already be in the air, on my way to Salt Lake City where I'll be attending the annual Stampin'Up! Convention.  But no worries... I've got blog posts all lined up for you while I'm gone, so you'll have plenty of stamping inspiration.

Today's card is by Stephanie Perry.  She has her own blog at www.stefperry.blogspot.com and she makes the most beautiful cards.  Take a look at my birthday card and you'll see what I mean...

My photograph doesn't do this elegant card justice.  The stamp set is a discontinued hostess set from last year's catalog, called I Like You.  The sentiment is from a new hostess set in this year's catalog called Happy Birthday Everyone.  
The base of the card is Basic Gray.  The next layer is Calypso Coral.  The top layer is watercolor paper.  The flowers were stamped in Jet Black Staz-On , then very skillfully watercolored.  
The sentiment was stamped in Versamark ink, then embossed with Black Embossing Powder.  Last, Stephanie added a very light wash of Soft Sky ink to the entire focal panel.  The results are just lovely!
Thank you, Stephanie, for allowing me to share your card on my blog!
I'd love it if you'd consider hosting a stamping party at my house.  Then you could get this great birthday set as part of your hostess freebies.   It's a very versatile set, in that it has the following phrases that you can add to the basic  "happy birthday" sentiment:  love, to you , to my darling, to a good friend, to a wonderful man, to an amazing woman.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope your Wednesday is going well!
Hugs,
Susan

Petite Petals Stampin'Up!

Hi there, stampers!

As some of you know, I recently had a birthday and so for this week (and part of next week) I'm going to be sharing the amazing cards I received from my fellow demonstrators at our July Stamp2gether.  I know you will find each of the cards inspiring. 

Here's the first one I'd like to share with you, by Mary Peterson...

Isn't this just the best card ever?  I'm totally impressed and will be using this design soon!  Let me tell you a bit about how she made this darling flower pot card.

The colors of card stock are:  Whisper White, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Cajun Craze.  The flower pot is embossed with the new Boho Chic embossing folder.  The flowers are from the Petite Petals stamp set and were stamped in Cajun Craze ink on Daffodil Delight card stock and then punched out with the Petite Petals Punch.  The centers of the flowers were punched from Early Espresso card stock with the 1/4 inch hand-held punch.  The leaves were punched from Old Olive card stock, using the Bird Builder Punch.  

To make the flower pot, I would just sketch it out on a scrap of light weight cardboard, like the kind that comes in each package of designer paper.  Once you like your sketch, cut it out and use it to trace onto Cajun Craze card stock.  Then cut it out and run it through the Big Shot with the Boho Chic embossing folder.   Although there are lots of little flowers, they'd be fairly quick to stamp and punch out.  Now gluing everything... that will take a while!  Thank you again, Mary, for this great card!  And thank you for allowing me to share it on my blog. 

Well, stampers, that about does it for today.  Hope your week is off to a happy start!  Please come back on Wednesday when I'll share another birthday card with you.  You're going to love it!
Hugs, 
Susan

More English Garden!

Hurray for Friday!

I've been working like the proverbial beaver, getting ready for my annual Birthday Bash tomorrow.  The class is full and I'm excited!

We are making FIVE birthday cards, and here's one of them...

Just for something a bit different, this card is a 4 1/4 inch square card.  It still fits in a standard envelope, so there's no extra postage involved.

I'm using that great English Garden DSP again!  It is my hands-down favorite DSP in the new catalog.  Check it out at the bottom of page 142.  As usual, the tiny picture of the rolled pages just does not do justice to the beautiful designs.  The colors I used are taken directly from the paper.... Hello Honey, Soft Suede, and for the flower, Rose Red.   I used the Fun Flower punch to punch out two  flowers then layered them one on top of the other. I used the 7/8 inch Scallop Circle punch and the 3/4 inch Circle Punch (both on page 165) for the flower center.  Again, I used the small sentiments from Banner Banter (page 101).  I love how their small size lets them be used as flower centers.  With a quick change of sentiment, this could become a thank you card, a Valentine, a gift card, or a baby card.  

Well, my friends, I need to wind this up and go put the finishing touches on tomorrow's class.  I hope the weekend ahead will be a great one!

Hugs to all!

Susan

English Garden Stampin'Up!

Hey there stampin' peeps! Welcome to Wednesday!

Today's going to be a busy day.   First, Coffee and Cards at 10 am and then a Stamp2gether (demonstrator meeting) tonight.  So it will be all stampin' all the time today!

Did you remember to take a look at the Weekly Deals yesterday?  If not, better go check them out!  Weekly Deals are posted each Tuesday morning and they're a great way to save money on some great Stampin'Up! merchandise. You can click on the Weekly Deals button at the top of my blog, which is the easiest way to get there.  Please let me know if you'd like just a couple of things and don't wish to pay the $6.95 minimum shipping charge.  I can add your goodies to my order on Saturday.  If you choose to save $$ this way, please remember that you'll need to pick up your order at my house.

Without further ado, here's the Wednesday card...

This warm sunny card uses the gorgeous designer paper called English Garden, which just happens to coordinate with the Garden in Bloom set I showed you on Monday,  I took my color scheme directly from the paper... Hello Honey, Soft Suede, and Whisper White.  I stamped the single stamp Bloom for You (page 78) in Hello Honey on Whisper White card stock, then punched it out with the Fun Flower punch (page 167).  I placed it over a scalloped circle of Soft Suede, punched with the 2 3/8 in Scallop Circle Punch (page 165).  The smaller scallop circles are punched with the  1 1/4 inch Scallop Circle Punch while the flower center is the 7/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch.
The cute little bee is punched out of the paper, not stamped. The sentiment "Happy Day" is from the Banner Banter stamp set on page 101.  I love these little sentiments because their small size makes them easy to fit on almost any card. 

This layout would look great with all sorts of designer papers and stamp sets.  Why not break out some of that DSP you've been saving (or maybe hoarding is a better word!) and find a flower set and get busy making some great cards that you can file away for the day when you need a card in a hurry?  You'll feel a great sense of accomplishment and have fun along the way!  There's not a day that can't be improved with a little stamp-y creativity!  

Hugs and happiness to you!
Susan 

Garden in Bloom Stampin'Up!

Hi there stampers!    Welcome to a new week at The Classic Card.

Well, what did you think of our weekend weather?  I have to say that I loved the cooling trend!  It was much easier to work upstairs in my stamp room, which tends to get too warm in the afternoons and evenings when the weather is super-hot. I'm thankful that I was able to get a lot of work done!  July is one of my busiest times as a demonstrator, as I'm working to get a new stamping year off to a good start and preparing for the big Stampin'Up! convention (July 23-25th).  I hope your weekend was fun, or relaxing, or productive...whatever you needed it to be!

Here's my Monday card...

 Isn't this a fun card?  This is one of my swap cards for convention.  I made about 40 of them... some in Calypso Coral and some in Bermuda Bay.  This version, in Cherry Cobbler, is one of the cards we'll be making at Coffee and Cards on Wednesday, July 15th at 10 am at my house.  This cute stamp set is called Garden in Bloom  (page 119 of the annual catalog).  It's a two-step stamping set, but I opted to use just the solid flower image, not the outline image.  Normally, you'd stamp the flower outline in black or a darker color, then fill in with the solid stamp.  However, I loved how the solid image looked on its own, minus the darker outline.  The sentiment says "hope you're feeling special today..." and then for the inside, the sentiment says "because that's just what you are!" 
The flower is stamped in Cherry Cobbler, the leaves in Old Olive and the flower center in Crushed Curry.  The bee and sentiment are stamped in Early Espresso and the be is colored with Crushed Curry marker.  Some Thick Baker's Twine in Cherry Cobbler adds the finishing touch.  This card is quick, easy, and fun!

Thanks for paying me a visit!  I know how busy Mondays can be... lots of catching up to do after a weekend.... so I appreciate your time today!  Please come back on Wednesday for more stamping inspiration.
Choose happiness!
Susan

Birthday Blossoms Stampin'Up!

I'm back!  And so are you!
Thanks for coming over to check out Friday's card!

This is just one of the FIVE cards we'll be making at my annual Birthday Bash, which is happening on Saturday, July 18th.  It's going to be a fun afternoon of stamping, cake, ice cream, and prizes!  Everyone who attends will get a party bag as well, so you won't want to miss this!  Unfortunately, I've got just one spot left, and two people who are "maybe's," so if you'd like to attend, please let me know asap.

OK, onward to the card!

The stamp set I chose is called Birthday Blossoms and when I saw it in the new catalog, I knew it was a "must-have" set.  I loved the flower, and when I saw that I could use my Pansy Punch to punch it out, I ordered it right away!   I was going for a warm, summery look, so I used Delightful Dijon for my background and textured it with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  The flowers were stamped in Jet Black Staz-on ink on watercolor paper and then colored with Delightful Dijon and Pumpkin Pie ink and an aqua-  After the paper was dry, I punched out the flowers with my Pansy Punch.  The leaves were colored with Mossy Meadow ink and cut out by hand.  I used dimensionals to pop up the flowers and leaves from the surface of the card.  

While I love the summery look of these colors, this card could also be beautiful in any one of a number of colors.  How about trying it in Watermelon Wonder or Calypso Coral or even Rich Razzleberry?  With all of the fabulous colors in the Stampin'Up! palette, there are dozens of colors that would make a gorgeous card.  And of course you could vary the sentiment and make it into almost any type of card you'd like, except for a masculine card.  I'm sure there are some males out there who might be gardeners who might love flowers, but it is one of my rules never to use flowers on a card for a guy.  

May the weekend ahead be relaxing, or exciting, or refreshing, or whatever you want it to be.  Enjoy, because summer won't be here forever!
Hugs to all,
Susan

Butterfly Basics Stampin'Up!

Hello again!  

Thanks for coming back to visit on this warm Wednesday.  I'm hoping that we're going to be cooling down, as the weather forecast indicated earlier this week.  Wouldn't a cooling breeze be invigorating?  As many of you know, I'm somewhat of a "worker bee" and I work more energetically when I'm not too hot.  Once I get overheated, I tend to slow down.  I can see why people in hot climates take an afternoon siesta.  I've been known to give up and snooze now and again when it is super hot.

But enough about me! Let's get to the card, shall we?

Here's another card with a nature theme... this time showing off the great set Butterfly Basics. The funny thing is, though, that there's not a butterfly in sight!   This pretty monochromatic card is the work of Shannon Carrier, one of the stampers in our Stamp2gether group.  She used the new In-color Tip Top Taupe for the ink, card stock, and the lace trim.  It might be a little difficult to see, but she twisted the lace trim to coordinate with the distressed edges and sponging, which give the card a vintage vibe.  

If you'd like to distress the edges of your card stock, simply run the blade of some fairly sharp scissors along the edge, being careful not to cut yourself.  The paper will be roughed up and you'll achieve a nice rustic look. Of course if you own a Stampin'Up! distressing tool, you are good to go.  Unfortunately, those were discontinued a few years ago.  

Thanks, Shannon, for allowing me to share your pretty card!

I love this card in Tip Top Taupe, but it would also be beautiful in Pear Pizzazz or Wisteria Wonder, or even Elegant Eggplant or Night of Navy.  What color would you choose?  

Big thanks to everyone who reads my blog.  If you'd share it with another stamper or two or three, that would be great.  I'm always looking for new readers and new customers.  

I'll look forward to seeing you back here on Friday!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Awesomely Artistic Stampin'Up!

Hi there, stamping friends!

Hope your weekend was just what you needed... lots of active fun times or quiet and restful days.  I hope you spent part of your day on the 4th contemplating the blessings of liberty and feeling thankful for our amazing country.  Even with all of our problems, we are still blessed to live here.  

Here's the card du jour... using my new favorite stamp set Awesomely Artistic.

I had planned to use this for Coffee and Cards, but then decided on another card instead, so I don't think anyone has made this one yet. 
If you are a fan of "clean and simple" cards like I am, then this will float your boat!

The colors of card stock are Very Vanilla and Soft Suede.  For ink I used Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso. I stamped the fern fronds in the Mint Macaron, and the grungy dots and burlap texture were stamped in Crumb Cake.  The dragonfly was stamped in Early Espresso, then cut out by hand and adorned with a single pearl.  Some Linen Thread adds a nice bit of natural texture to this nature-themed card.  

You, too, can be awesomely artistic with the help of this great new stamp set, which you can see on page 125 of the new catalog.  Every stamped image on this card comes in the set, including the dots, the burlap texture, the word "friend," two different sizes of fern fronds, and the dragonfly. In fact, I didn't use two of the images, so you can see that with a total of 9 stamps, this really is a workhorse of a set that you will use over and over.  With a simple substitution of a different sentiment, this could be a beautiful sympathy card, a birthday card, a thinking of you card, or a thank you card.  

Well, my friends, I'd like to stay and chat longer, but I'm off and running today.  I'm busily preparing for my Techniques on Tuesday class that's on July 7th at 7 pm at my house.  I've got just one spot left if anyone is interested.  This time we're doing Fun Folds.

Thanks for stopping in today and please come back on Wednesday for another classic card.
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

More Watercolor Wings!

Hey there, stampers!

It's finally Friday and tomorrow is the Fabulous Fourth!  I hope that you've got something fun planned that doesn't include guns and illegal fireworks! I don't know what it is about "Sureweird" (aka Sherwood) but there seem to be quite a few folks who are really into blasting away with weapons and pyrotechnics.  It can make for a very exciting 4th... maybe a little too exciting!     
Well, putting all of that excess testosterone aside, I think it's time
to bring the Week of the Butterflies to a close, don't you?  So here's the final card...

Yes, it's another odd-sized card.  The back panel, cut from Pool Party card stock, measures 4 1/4 by 4 1/4.  The folded card on the front measures 4 by 4.  To create the background, we used the texture-y stamp from You've Got This ( page 113).  It is stamped in Soft Sky.  

Here's how we made the watercolor-y butterflies.  We color-washed some watercolor paper with ink refills and water, applied with a brush.  For the purple butterfly we used Elegant Eggplant.  The smaller blue butterfly was made by color-washing with Pool Party and Bermuda Bay.  Once the paper was dry, it was cut out with the butterfly dies (again, the top of page 172).  

To define the body of the butterfly, we added some Bermuda Bay sequins (page 158).  

The sentiment is from You've Got This and is one of my very favorite sayings.  Saying "good things are going to happen" and believing it to be true is a way to counteract all of the bad things that happen in this sad old world on a daily basis.  If we dwell on the bad, it saps our energy, our optimism, and suddenly the world seems a darker place.  So let's have "good things are going to happen" as our mantra and spread some love, joy and happiness!  

Hugs to all,

Susan 

Watercolor Wings Stampin'Up!

Woo Hoo!  It's Wednesday and the first day of a new Stampin'Up! year and the first day of July.  Thank you to all of my wonderful customers!  I look forward to a new year of creativity and friendship with all of you!

This week it's all about the cards we made at the Watercolor Wings class last Saturday.  Here's the second one in the lineup...

Because I grow tired of the same-old, same-old... the cards for this class were all an "odd" size.  It's good to be odd now and then.  It keeps us from falling into a rut!  So I thought it would be fun to make a tall, skinny card for a change.  This one measures 3 3/4 by 7 inches.  The front panel of the card measures 3 1/2 by 6 3/4 and is cut from watercolor paper. 
 The subtle watercolor wash was done with drops of ink refills mixed with water and "washed" onto the paper with a brush.  Of course you could also use an aqua-painter and ink from the lid of your stamp pad. I used Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride and blended them together for a soft wash of color which serves as a background for the butterflies.  
The pretty little butterflies were stamped in the three-step sequence I talked about in Monday's post.  First, the solid butterfly was stamped in the lightest color.  Then the second layer was added with a darker color, stamped off once.  The final layer was stamped in the darkest color.  We used the Bold Butterfly dies and the Butterflies thinlets (both sets are shown at the top of page 172) to cut them out, then added them over the washed background with some sturdy glue dots.  
The scrolly sentiment is from A Dozen Thoughts on page 107.
The new Striped Satin ribbon in Crumb Cake adds a bit of elegance to this pretty card and a row of pearls on the lacy Crumb Cake butterfly provides the finishing touch.  

Don't forget, I will be happy to do "Watercolor Wings" as a private class for you and your friends/neighbors/co-workers and relatives.  
You gather the people, bring them to my house, and I'll do the class.  It's a great way to catch up on classes you may have missed and YOU will get the hostess benefits!  
May today be the start of a great month for you!
Susan