Hello again!
Sale-a-bration is coming to a close very shortly! Make sure you've stocked up on adhesives, card stock, and ink refills while you can still get something free. After Thursday, March 31st, you'll no longer get a freebie with your $50 purchase. How sad! I wish Sale-a-bration could go on all year, don't you? I'm offering free shipping on online orders of $50 or more. I'll send you a check via snail mail to reimburse you for your shipping charges.
Are you lucky enough to have a friend who would do almost anything for you? One you could call at 3 am and she'd rush right over to help? If you are blessed with such a friend, count yourself as lucky indeed!
The card I'm going to show you today would be perfect to send in appreciation for such a marvelous friend. I used the Apple of My Eye stamp set that's on page 47 of the Occasions catalog. I've had the set for quite a while, but somehow I never took it out of the box and inked it up until just the other day when I needed a quick but cute card for my annual Bunco Night.
By the way, Bunco Night was a big success! I gave away $150 in hostess dollars that the lucky Bunco winners got to spend. I also gave away $70 in merchandise to those who didn't win at Bunco. It was a fun and prize-filled night!
OK... guess it's time to get to the card, isn't it?
This super-simple card is a snap to put together. The base is Whisper White, folded so it opens at the top. The Real Red layer is 5 by 3 3/4 and the black & white DSP, from the Everyday Chic package, is 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. The tag was punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch (page 165 of the annual catalog). I used Old Olive and Real Red to stamp the cherries and the sentiment is stamped in Basic Black Archival ink. I tied a sweet little bow with some Real Red 1/4 inch Cotton Ribbon and adhered it with a glue dot. What a quick and easy card! You could easily turn out a bunch of these in no time.
That's it for today, stampers!
I hope you'll come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hi everyone!
Did you have a lovely Easter? I hope so!
Now that spring is here, it's time to start thinking about the garden. What are you going to plant this year.... veggies? flowers? Or maybe some of both? Here's a fun card with a little gift included that would be perfect to send or hand to friends for May Day.
To make this pocket card, I started with a Crumb Cake envelope, and cut off a thin strip across one end. Then I sealed the envelope to make a pocket. I stamped the front of the envelope using the Hardwood background stamp and Early Espresso ink to give the look of a rustic garden fence. I used a round punch to cut a half-circle in the open edge. Inside the pocket is a panel of Crumb Cake card stock with a seed packet attached. I punched a hole in the panel and used some Linen Thread so that you can easily pull out the seeds.
I stamped the Cosmos from the Helping Me Grow stamp set (on page 20 of the Occasions catalog) in the new Basic Black Archival ink on watercolor paper. Then I used my aqua painter and stamp pads in Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, and Old Olive to color the flowers. More Linen Thread wrapped around the stamped panel adds the look of garden twine to the card.
This would be a fun surprise to place in a co-worker's mailbox or to leave on their desk. Or, you could slip it into a larger envelope and send it off to a friend or relative who'd be delighted to receive some real mail for a change.
Hope your week is off to a trouble-free start!
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hi! It's me again with another card for you!
Wouldn't it be nice if you always had a stash of birthday cards ready to send? Well, you can accomplish this task very easily if you have this stamp set handy. It's called Balloon Celebration and you can see it on page 12 of the Occasions Catalog.
Here's the card we made with this set at a stamping party last Sunday...
Balloons make a great birthday card for anyone and everyone! You can make the card look feminine if you use Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, and other soft colors. For a child, use colors from the Brights Collection of colors, such as Real Red, Daffodil Delight, and Bermuda Bay. For a more masculine look, use a few colors from the Regals Collection, such as Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, and Cherry Cobbler. You can't go wrong if you use colors from one collection, as each color collection features colors that look good together. For this fun card, I used the background from You've Got This (page 113 of the annual catalog). I stamped it in Soft Sky, then added the balloon strings in Basic Black. Then it was super easy to place a balloon at the end of each string. I tied some ribbon in a knot and added it to the balloon strings with a glue dot. The sentiments in this set are done in a very fun font, which just adds to the appeal of the card.
I've got a lot to accomplish, so I've got to run. May you have a wonderful Easter with family and friends and I'll hope to see you back here at The Classic Card on Monday.
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hello out there in stamping land!
The week is rolling right along and here we are at Wednesday already. After today, we are "over the hump" and on the downhill side of the week! Are you ready for Easter? Got the baskets? The candy? The little toys and treats for the kiddos? I still need to get my act together! But before I do that, I want to show you a beautiful card that features some colors that are sadly going away.
Isn't this a lovely card? Thanks go to Stephanie Perry, one of my amazing downline members who gave me this card in one of our recent swaps. I'd like to point out that the card base (Lost Lagoon) and the green strips (Mossy Meadow) are two of the retiring In-Colors that will be gone on May 31st. I love the look of these two colors together and of course look how well they coordinate with the gorgeous Birthday Bouquet designer paper on page 9 of the Occasions catalog.
Stephanie stamped the rose and "for you" in Basic Black Archival ink on watercolor paper, then added color with her aqua painter and stamp pads. I love the girly bling she added with the sequins and the Pool Party Glitter Ribbon (#140561, page 9 of the Occasions catalog). You might think this ribbon would be stiff and difficult to tie, but you'll be pleasantly surprised that it is quite soft, pliable, and very easy to tie.
I cannot stress this enough....if you have the stamp pads in the retiring In-Colors (Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, and Tangelo Twist), then please get the ink refills ordered asap. They will run out before the end of the annual catalog (May 31st) and then you'll be one sad stamper indeed. People have been known to buy them up in bulk, then re-sell them on eBay for two or three times what they normally sell for, which is a very reasonable $3.25. I'd also suggest getting a couple of packages of the assorted card stock in those colors as well. The assorted card stock packages are on page 137 of the annual catalog and cost a measly $7. You will get 4 sheets of each of the 5 colors, for a total of 20 sheets per package. The item # is 133681.
Thanks for stopping in today. I'll be back on Friday with another card to inspire you!
Hugs all around!
Susan
Hello stampers!
Are you one of the lucky people who is on Spring Break this week? I can remember how much I looked forward to this much-needed break. Now that I'm retired, I guess every week is like Spring Break, except when it's Sale-a-bration. Then I work like a little bee... buzzing all the time! Thank you to each and every customer who attended a Sale-a-bration stamping party. This has been my best Sale-a-bration ever, and it's not over until March 31st.
FREE SHIPPING and a FREE Sale-a-bration stamp set!
Are there some Sale-a-bration stamp sets that you'd still like to get? I can help you with that. Here's my Spring Break Special...
FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50 or more when you order online. I will send you a check for the amount you paid for shipping when you place an online order of $50 or more from today, Monday March 21st until Monday March 28th at 10:59 pm. Just click on the "order now" button at the top of this blog and you'll be taken to my online ordering site.
Now let's move on to the cute Easter treat, shall we?
This fun carrot can be filled with almost anything... chocolate eggs, jelly beans, M & M's in Easter colors, money, goldfish crackers... whatever! And it is so simple to make. You make a long tube from DSP, then seal the bottom one way and seal the top perpendicular to the bottom. Then glue on some DSP that you've cut with the fringing scissors and add the "Happy Easter" sentiment. If you would like to have the measurements and the instructions, please send me a quick email to sjrstamps@gmail.com
and I'll send them to you. You could make one for each person at your Easter table and fill it with a treat appropriate for their age. Instead of the "Happy Easter" sentiment, you could write their name on the little tag, so it would be a place card and treat all rolled into one.
Well, my friends, that wraps up my post for Monday. I hope your week is off to a happy start, Spring Break or no Spring Break!
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hello again to all of my stamping friends!
If you are a teacher, a student, or have any connection to schools, today is an exciting day for you... the last day of school before a well-deserved and much-anticipated Spring Break! I can remember the feeling of the last day before a vacation period very well. The atmosphere is super-charged with excitement and anticipation. Everyone's in a great mood and energy abounds.
I'm enjoying a different kind of excitement today.... tonight is my annual Bunco Night and I'm gearing up to serve pizza and salad to 12 stampers, make 2 fun cards, and then enjoy playing Bunco for tons of prizes. If you aren't playing with us tonight, you should definitely try to join us next year. Everyone goes home with a nice prize!
As I mentioned on Monday, this is Grateful Bunch week, so of course I've got another card for you that showcases this great set. Here it is again, "in-the-pink," thanks to Mary Peterson, who's one of the talented stampers in my downline.
Didn't Mary do a wonderful job with this card? The colors she used are Blushing Bride, and Wild Wasabi on the panel of Whisper White. The white panel is layered over Pink Pirouette and Wild Wasabi panels. The flowers are stamped in Blushing Bride on Pink Pirouette card stock, then punched out with the coordinating Blossom Bunch Punch. What makes these flowers really stand out is the way Mary layered three of them in the three different sizes, then popped them up on dimensionals. The tiny pearls give a sweet feminine accent to the flower centers. Thanks, Mary, for such a beautiful swap card!
If you are heading off for a spring break adventure, safe travels!
Hugs and happiness!
Susan
Hi there, stampin' peeps!
Here we are, back at The Classic Card for another look at the fabulous Grateful Bunch stamp set. This time, instead of a super-springy card, I've set a whole different mood with this collage style card.
This card has half of the card front folded back on itself, with the focal panel adhered on the folded-back portion. The colors I used are Lost Lagoon, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand,
Soft Sky, and Very Vanilla. I stamped the flowers in Soft Suede on Lost Lagoon card stock. After punching them out with the Blossom Bunch punch, I painted them with a clear Wink of Stella pen. I'm sorry that the photo doesn't show the pretty iridescent sheen that Wink of Stella adds. In addition to the Grateful Bunch stamp set, I also used Timeless Textures which you can find on page 29 of the Occasions catalog. At first glance, you might think that this is a set you can do without, but if you are a lover of collage-style stamping like I am, you will quickly see that this set is a "must-have." Here's another look at the card, showing it opened.
I love how this card turned out and I hope you do too. To try your hand at collage stamping, gather some colors that work well together, some assorted images, and just start stamping. If you don't like the collage you make the first time, get a fresh piece of paper and try it again. You'll soon fall in love with some of your creations and realize that although collages look difficult, they're really quite easy and fun to create. Like everything else, creating collages gets easier with practice.
I hope I've been able to inspire you to stamp today! Even if it's just for a few minutes, stamping can give you a refreshing break from your ordinary routine. Please come back on Friday for yet another pretty card using Grateful Bunch.
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hellooo stampers!
Can you believe that we already did the "spring forward" thing and that spring is truly just around the corner? In keeping with our quickly approaching spring, I'm going to focus on one stamp set all week... Grateful Bunch, which is full of blossoms. leaves, and even a butterfly. But before I do that, let me remind you of what spring is like here in Oregon, just in case you forgot. Spring in Oregon is not characterized by blue skies, puffy white clouds, blossoming trees, and lots of sunshine. Spring in Oregon means tons and tons of rain, gray skies, water standing on lawns and flower beds because the ground is already saturated, and moss growing wildly on trees, roofs, and lawns. So since our northwest spring will most likely be lacking in the sunshine department, I'm bringing some sunshine into your life with this bright and beautiful card by Janet Jones.
This almost requires sunglasses, doesn't it? The stamp set is Grateful Bunch, shown on page 22 of the Occasions catalog.
Janet stamped the leaf stamp in Basic Black on a panel of Daffodil Delight card stock, which she first embossed with the Confetti embossing folder on page 5 of the Occasions catalog Then she added the flowers, stamped in Daffodil Delight on Whisper White card stock and punched out with the matching Blossom Bunch Punch. The sweet greeting is from the Circle of Spring stamp set which you can find on page 77 of the annual catalog. What a quick, easy, and oh-so-springy card. This would be a lovely day brightener for a friend, so go ahead and get out your stamps, ink, and paper and stamp up a little sunshine!
I hope your Monday is off to a wonderful start! I'll be back on Wednesday with another card made with this great stamp set.
Hugs and happy stamping!
Susan
Yippee! It's Friday!
Another reason to be happy... I'm not showing you another Easter card today. Isn't that a cause for celebration?
Today we are shifting gears and going back to birthday cards for a while. I don't know about you, but making "guy cards" is not my favorite thing to do. But every once in a while, I force myself to make one, because guys have birthdays too. I prefer flowers, doilies, lace, pearls, sparkly ribbon, and girly stuff like that. I can't help it! I'm still a girl at heart, even though my mirror tells me differently. Isn't it strange how you always feel the same age inside? I'm not sure exactly what that age is, but I'm thinking it's somewhere between 12 and 16. What is your internal age?
Oh, I guess I'd better show you the card...
First of all, I hope you are blessed by having a wonderful man in your life... a husband, father, son, uncle, grandfather, son-in-law, or maybe just a helpful neighbor. Whoever your wonderful man is, you can make this card for him for his birthday. The inside says "happy birthday."
I started out with a folded card of Crumb Cake card stock. On top of that I added a panel that's 5 1/4 by 4. I embossed it with the
Woodgrain embossing folder after I stamped it with the sentiment.
The DSP is from the Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack on page 39 of the Occasions catalog. I stamped the compass from the Going Global stamp set (also on page 39) in Archival Black ink on a scrap of Crumb Cake card stock, then punched it out with my 2 inch circle punch. I added a circle in Basic Black Card stock behind it, using my 2 1/2 inch circle punch. Some Linen Thread wrapped around 3 times adds some manly texture. A candy dot in Basic Black or Crumb Cake added to the center of the compass would be a nice accent, but if you're mailing the card, you might want to avoid the bump so that your envelope isn't shredded or torn by the postal people.
Well, my friends, that wraps up another week at The Classic Card.
I'm grateful that you come here to read my ramblings and I hope that you sometimes feel inspired to make a card! May your weekend be just what you'd like it to be!
Hugs and happiness!
Susan
Hello again, stampers!
Does it seem like I'm over-doing Easter just a bit? I'm sorry if you are sick of Easter cards, but I promise that they'll soon come to an end. At some point, it will be too late to be thinking about making Easter cards. You'll either have them stamped, or not.
I saw quite a few cards similar to mine on the internet, so I'm not sure who had the idea first. I made a few changes, so this one is not exactly like the ones I saw online. Take a peek at my big egg...
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have thought of using the curved brushstroke stamp from Work of Art (page 118 of the annual catalog) to create an Easter egg, so I'm very grateful for the creativity and originality of other stampers. I stamped that brushstroke in Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, and Wisteria Wonder on a panel of Whisper White card stock. Then I placed one of the oval framelits over my stamping and ran it through the Big Shot. Voila!... a pretty Easter egg! I used the small flower from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack to add flowers in Soft Sky, So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder, and Pink Pirouette. A tiny pearl accents the center of each flower. The sentiment is from Circle of Spring ( page 77 of the annual catalog). Before I added my egg to the card, I embossed the white background with the ever-popular Softly Falling embossing folder. Can you tell that this is my new favorite??? I think I've used it on just about every card I've made in the last few weeks.
Are you having a wonderful Wednesday? I sure hope so! If things aren't going so well, you can always make your day better by stamping. It will distract you from your troubles and before you know it, you'll be feeling happier and more relaxed. As the saying goes "Stamping... it's cheaper than therapy."
I'll see you on Friday for another classic card!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hi there, stamping friends!
Welcome to Monday and another week at The Classic Card!
How was your weekend? Relaxing and fun, I hope. I certainly had fun, with stamping events both Saturday and Sunday. This week I will be meeting with my Coffee and Cards friends on Wednesday at 10:30 at my house in Sherwood. If you're not working, we'd love to have you join us for coffee, delicious morning snacks and two fun cards/envelopes. There's room for you at the stamping table! The cost is $10, or the class is free with a $35 purchase.
Today's card is a religious card for Easter. Up until now we've had bunnies, chicks, lambs, and ducks... all cute and Easter-ish. Today's card is missing all the "cute," and might be more appropriate to send to an adult friend. Here it is...
This card uses three different stamp sets:
Blessed by God for the cross (page 24 of the annual catalog)
Kinda Eclectic for the sunburst (page 127 of the annual catalog)
Suite Saying for the sentiment ( page 41 of the Occasions catalog)
I started by stamping the sunburst in So Saffron on a white panel. Next I stamped the cross right over it in Rich Razzleberry. The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray Archival ink. Once I finished stamping, I ran the panel through the Big Shot with the Softly Falling embossing folder (page 9 of the Occasions catalog). The stamped panel was added to a panel of Rich Razzleberry, which was then adhered to a So Saffron folded card. A small flower (punched with the flower from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack on page 166 of the annual catalog) and a pearl finish off this pretty card.
I must run now! I'm off to cut paper for some swap cards I'm making. I hope your Monday has been a good one so far. If it's not so good, take a cup of tea and a good book and get back in bed.
Sorry this won't work for you "worker bees!"
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hey there, stampers!
Friday has rolled around once again and that means it's time for me to share another card with you. I thought I'd show you something fun in hopes that you like it as much as I do.
This card would be a perfect Easter card for anyone, but I think it would be especially fun for the kids in your life since it features baby farm animals. The images are from the Barnyard Babies set on page 33 of the annual catalog. This is a great stamp set as it has a lamb, a goat, a pig, and a horse as well as a duck, chick, and cow. It's Old MacDonald's Farm all rolled into one stamp set!
Here's the card...
Did you ever have one of those fancy Easter eggs with a little scene inside? That was the look I was going for with this card. I thought it would be fun to use the animals and grass to create a little springtime scene. The rays of the sun in the upper left-hand corner were made with the sun from Kinda Eclectic, stamped in So Saffron ink. The front panel of the card is Soft Sky. Stamp the "happy Easter" greeting before sending it through the Big Shot with the Decorative Dots folder. I stamped the grass in Pear Pizzazz then colored the ducks and chick with my So Saffron marker. Their beaks and feet are colored with a Tangerine Tango marker. Little Lambie-Pie's ears were given just a touch of pink with a Pink Pirouette marker. I sponged some Soft Sky ink to show that it's a blue sky kind of day in my little barnyard.
I bet you know someone who would love to get a card like this in the mail. Around here we seem to receive only junk mail.... day after day. It's red-letter day when we get real mail and I'm sure you feel the same way. So stamp up some Easter cards and you'll be ready to brighten someone's day when Easter comes around at the end of the month.
May the weekend bring you relaxation and rest, with a little fun thrown in to renew your spirit!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hello to my wonderful blog readers!
How's your Wednesday so far? Hope you're having a great day and that all is sunny in your world, despite the rain.
Today I've got a fun birthday card for you, but before I show it to you I wanted to share a quote I ran across the other day. It gave me a little wake-up call and maybe you need to see it too.
"None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself as an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you're carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There's no time for anything else." Richard Gere
Are you like me and waiting for "someday?" Someday I'll set the table with the good china and silver. We'll take that trip someday. Someday I'll _______________ (fill in the blank with whatever you've been putting off). Why not make "someday" into today? What are we waiting for? So I'm encouraging you to take yourself out of the afterthought category and treat yourself like the amazing, spectacular, and fantastic person that you are! OK... now you're ready to see the card...
Do you have a birthday coming up? Then really celebrate it! Don't wait for someday to have a party! Have a "pull out all the stops" celebration now!
Let me tell you a little bit about this card. First of all, I used a couple of stamp sets... the new Balloon Celebration set that's in the Occasions catalog, along with the Fabulous Four set from the annual catalog. I got the idea to attach the balloon strings to the sentiment from Brian King's blog Stamp with Brian. I stamped the balloons with the outline stamp in the set, then punched them out with the coordinating punch. The colors are So Saffron, Calypso Coral, and Pool Party. I used the star stamp from Balloon Celebrations to stamp all of the little stars in the background, then added some sparkle with some stars punched from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (p. 149 of the annual catalog).
I hope I've inspired you to do something you've been wanting to do.
Don't put if off! Treat yourself like the special person you are. Be kind. Be silly. Be weird. As Richard says "There's no time for anything else."
Have a great day!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
