Fun for the Fourth

Hey there stampers!

It's Wednesday already and with the 4th of July on the horizon, I thought you might like to see a card that you could adapt for the holiday.  This bright and cheerful card is the work of Sharon McNeely and it's another swap card that I received on the recent Mediterranean Cruise.


Sharon's card is done in Night of Navy and Watermelon Wonder.  If you'd like a more traditional color scheme, just switch out the Watermelon Wonder and use Real Red instead.

This is a shaker card... made simple by the use of the new Foam Adhesive Strips on page 182 of the new catalog.  The strips bend easily, making it very easy to outline a circle or other shape with them.  To make a shaker card, you'll also need some Window Sheets (page 175) and some pretty sparkly things to add inside the window.  You can use the Sequin Trim on page 178 and just remove the sequins from the thread, or you can use the sequin assortments found on page 177.  Of course you can always create your own sparkles by punching Glimmer Paper ( page 175) with the new "Sprinkles" punch found on page 187.  I don't advise trying to punch Glimmer paper with either the Confetti Hearts Border Punch or the Confetti Stars Border Punch.  Both of these punch very small pieces and I think you might just break your punch if you try it on Glimmer paper.

The Hooray sentiment is from the Confetti Celebration stamp set on page 12, while the tail of the balloon is found in the Celebrate Today set on page 18.  You could replace the "it's your day" sentiment with a simple "celebrate" from the Celebrate Today set. 

The thick white baker's twine adds some dimension, but you could also use some of the great new Night of Navy baker's twine that's shown on pages 77 and 179 of the new catalog.

That's it for today, stamping friends! I know this has been a short post, but if you saw my list of things that need to be packed, you'd wonder why I'm taking the time to post anything at all.  I hope I've inspired you to try your hand at making a shaker card.  And now I'm off to pack more dishes!

Hugs and happiness,
Susan

A change of pace

Hellooo stampers!  Welcome to the last week of June! 

There's some good news... our house is sold!  We passed the air quality test, the sewer scope test, and the crawl-space test!  Officially, houses aren't truly sold until escrow closes, which is scheduled for August 4th.  That's also the day we have to be out of the house.  So we're in packing mode now and making fairly good progress.  I hope to finish a week ahead of time to give us a breather before the movers come and the loading starts.  

While we are getting excited about our new life back in California, we're also a bit apprehensive about such a big change.  Every once in a while we think "What have we done?"  We are convinced that we are making the right move, while we're still able, but it's still a little scary.  Please send some good thoughts and positive energy our way.   OK... enough about that!  I know you want to see a pretty card, so here's one I hope you'll like...

and here's the inside...

This is another swap that I received on the cruise.  This one is by Nancy Thompson, a Stampin'Up! demonstrator from Skaneateles, NY.  

Her card is just loaded with new product!  The stamp set is one of the new host sets on page 201.  It's called Gift of Love and is a two-step stamp set.  She used Basic Black Archival Ink for the flower outline, then filled in with Peekaboo Peach and Emerald Envy for the flowers and leaves.  The card front features the new Playful Palette DSP stack and the new Ruched Ribbon (p. 178) in Peekaboo Peach.

The sentiment also comes with the Gift of Love set and she used the new Duet Banner Punch on page 186 to cut the fun double-layered banner.  What you cannot see so well in my photo is that she glammed up the flowers by applying a Wink of Stella to give the flowers an iridescent look.  So pretty!  I love the inside of the card as well.  Again, the inside sentiment comes with the stamp set.  Doesn't that vertical stripe of Playful Palette Washi Tape (p. 179) add a nice touch?  I don't know about you, but I tend to buy washi tape and then have trouble figuring out where to use it.  Why not start using a strip of coordinating washi tape on the inside of your cards?  

I've got tons of new products myself, but sadly, no time to use them.  I hope you'll understand that I'm going to be showing you card ideas, but mostly they aren't cards that I've created because packing up and moving out have to be my priorities right now.  
Still, I hope to keep you entertained and inspired to stamp by showing you some of the awesome cards I've received as swaps!

Thanks for stopping in to read my ramblings!  Enjoy the sunny week ahead!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

More from the Playful Palette Suite

Oh my goodness!  Here we are at Friday again!  How do the days go by so very quickly???

Hope your week has been a happy one and that you are looking forward to some weekend rest and relaxation.

I've got a card for you today that highlights some of the products from the Playful Palette Suite that I showed you on Wednesday.  In case you need a little memory refresh, you can see this suite on pages 118 and 119 of the new annual catalog.

Here's the card...

This card is by Anna Wheaton of Burleigh Waters, Queensland, Australia and I received it as a swap on the Mediterranean Cruise.
Anna used the new In-color Emerald Envy for her card base, then added Very Vanilla card stock and various patterns from the Playful Palette DSP Stack to create the banners.  The solid butterfly in Sweet Sugarplum was cut with the Butterflies Thinlits, while the lacy butterfly was cut from Silver Glimmer paper using the Bold Butterfly framelits.  The sentiment is from the Painter's Palette stamp set, stamped in Emerald Envy,  She used a  horizontal stripe of the matching washi tape across the top of her banners.   

This is a great layout to try with any of the pretty new DSPs in the new catalog.   Instead of the butterfly accent you could add a flower, a heart, or a stamped image.  I'll be using this layout soon and I think you should give it a try as well!  In fact, you might want to sketch out this layout with paper and pencil and add it to your "bag of tricks."  Then when you need a card in a hurry, you can use this layout, several different prints from the same pack of DSP, add a sentiment, and you'll have a great card in just a matter of minutes!

That's it for today, stampers!  I'll be back on Monday with another classic card.  Meanwhile, have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs and happiness!
Susan

Painter's Palette

Hey there Stampin' Peeps!

How's your Wednesday going so far?  We are still "up in the air" regarding our home sale.  We've had every test known to man.  Yesterday was stressful with an air-quality test and a sewer scope.
We will get the results on Thursday, so we'll soon know if we have to "pull the plug" on this sale and start over again.  

Meanwhile, I've got another product suite that I'd like to show you.  It's called Playful Palette and you can see all the goodies in the suite on pages 118 and 119 of the new catalog.  There's a stamp set, called Painter's Palette, plus a DSP stack, washi tape, thick Baker's Twine, and black metallic thread.  

Oh, and here's a card made with some of the things in this suite...

The colors used here are some of  the new In-Colors...  Emerald Envy, Peekaboo Peach, and Sweet Sugarplum, along with a little Basic Black.  I wish I could tell you who made this card.  It was on a display board at a demonstrator event and didn't have a name on it.  The saying is from the Painter's Palette stamp set, and it is stamped on an acrylic sheet with Staz-On ink.  If you click on the card, you'll see a larger version of it and you'll be able to see that this is a shaker card, with lots of little sparkles under the acrylic sheet.  

If you've never made a shaker card before, it's now super easy, since Stampin'Up! came out with the new Foam Adhesive strips (page 182 of the new catalog).  You just place this bendable foam strip around the perimeter of the area, then fill with your sparkles, sequins, or confetti, then add the clear acrylic "lid" and you're good to go.  No more cutting up dimensionals and piecing them together!


I sincerely hope your week is going better than mine, with a lot less stress and a lot more fun!

Please come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.  

Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Happy Summer, everyone!

Well, people... it's officially summer!  Yippee!  The temperature should be a little better for the next few days, before we go into rain again for the weekend.  Ugh!  Who needs rain on a weekend?  


I know you came here wanting to see a card that will inspire you to stamp, so here you go...

This is another card I received as a swap on the recent cruise... this one is by Kim Vogel.  If you look on pages 44 and 45 of the new catalog, you can see all the new products in this product suite, called Affectionately Yours.  The colors in this DSP are Crumb Cake, Cucumber Crush, Daffodil Delight, Mint Macaron, Night of Navy, and Watermelon Wonder.  There's also a touch of metallic copper in this DSP.  To bring out the copper in the paper, there's  some copper embossing powder and Copper Metallic Thread.  There's also a great stamp set (Love & Affection), some coordinating embossing folders, and some fun washi tape. 

 Stampin'Up!'s coordination of products is one of its true strengths.  Where else can you go to purchase stamp sets, card stock, ribbon, printed paper, washi tape, and embossing folders, dies, and punches that all go together perfectly?  Yes, you can shop at M's and get bargain card stock that's pretty flimsy and accessories that don't match,  so your cards are not going to have that professional look like you get with Stampin'Up! products.  

While I'm in the transition phase between homes, of course I won't be holding classes and events. But you can always order Stampin'Up! products through me.  Just send me your order via email and I'll get back to you promptly with your shipping charges and total.  
Thanks for checking in with me today!  I hope that Monday is going along well for you!  Please come back on Wednesday for another classic card!
Hugs and summer happiness,
Susan

Another "Touch of Texture"

Hello Stamping Friends!

Yippee!  It's Friday!  Although I'm happy the weekend is here, I'm also pretty sad because we won't be seeing our Seattle gang like we planned.  John and I both have a cold that we got on our 16+ hour flight home from Europe.  So, not wanting to risk catching our awful coughs, they are staying put in Seattle.  Ugh!

To make matters worse, we've run into some snags with our home sale.  We are still holding onto hope that the sale will go through, but we are feeling quite uncertain about the whole thing. Double Ugh!

When the going gets tough, the tough start stamping!  So let's concentrate on the happiness and joy that creating pretty cards brings to our lives, shall we?  I mentioned on Wednesday that I'd show you another make-and-take card from the cruise, so here it is...

This card actually has a big mistake, front and center.  I was having so much fun chatting with the demos at my table that I  really messed up my card.  The blue petals on the flower were supposed to be "stamped off."  That is, inked up, stamped on a piece of scrap paper, and then stamped on the card front.  The envelope is done correctly.  See what a nice light blue it is when it is stamped off?   The flower on the card front is just a little too dark.  That gorgeous blue is the new Dapper Denim, an In-color that has already proven to be a big favorite.

Before I go, I need to remind you that Sunday is Father's Day.  Be sure to remember the men in your life with a hand-stamped card.  It won't take long and you'll have such a good feeling when you are finished.  I've mailed off my cards to my sons-in-law.  Now I need to make one for John.

The weather will be warming up over the weekend, so hopefully it will seem a little more like summer!  
Wishing everyone a happy weekend of relaxation and fun,
Susan

A change of pace for Wednesday

Hey there, stampers!  

Hope I haven't made you dizzy the last few days with all of those swirly, twirly cards! 

I thought I'd take you in a different direction today by showing you a card I made on the cruise.  On Friday of the cruise, John and I decided to take a break from the constant excursions and just stay on board the ship.  It was a relaxing day and we really needed the rest.  That was also the day that we did "make-and-takes" so I got to meet up with other demonstrators and actually sit down and stamp.  

Here's one of the cards I made, using the new stamp set Touches of Texture, which you can see on page 141 of the new catalog.  This stamp set is just my style... flowers, a bee, texture-y lace, some splatters... just a great set for people like me who love the collage style of stamping.  I haven't had time to take this set out of the box since I've returned home, but it's one set that I can't wait to play with.  There are just so many possibilities for great cards with this set.

Here's the card...

That pretty blue is the fabulous new In-color, Dapper Denim.  We also used Very Vanilla card stock, along with the new Moroccan DSP.  The thank you sentiment is from the One Big Meaning stamp set ( page 41 of the new catalog).   We also used the new Moroccan Washi Tape (p. 179) along with some Linen Thread and some Basic Pearls.   I love how the envelope turned out, with the lace stamped in Dapper Denim, the splatters stamped in Delightful Dijon and the bee stamped in Early Espresso.

If you love the collage style, this is one set you need to add to your stamp collection!  Have a great Wednesday and please come back on Friday when I'll show you another card made with this this set.

Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Still More Swirly Cards

Hello Stampers and Happy Monday to all!

Did you enjoy your weekend?  I hope so!   I finally got started on  packing, after thinking about it for days.  As I went through several storage cabinets in the garage, I realized that I still have a lot of downsizing to do.  Ugh!  I was hoping that phase of the move was done.  Once I have the large items packed, it will be a breeze to pack plates, cups, and saucers.  I'm sure I'll be working on packing from now until our moving date, which is August 1st.  

I've got two more cards for you today which feature the Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating framelits.  Then I'll give swirly cards a rest for a while and focus on some other new stamp sets.

Here's the first one... so summery!

This is a swap card that I received on the cruise. It's by Irene Wendlandt, a demonstrator from Germany.  I love the "water" she created with the framelits.  That cute sailboat and swirly sun are part of the Swirly Bird stamp set.  I'm not sure where that tiny anchor came from.  Perhaps it's something that's in the German catalog, but not in ours???

And here's another card I received in the cruise swap...

I just love the fresh, clean look of this mostly white card.  Nothing looks as crisp and clean as Whisper White!  This pretty card is the work of Debra Burgin.   The swirls are in Soft Suede and she used the new In-Color Flirty Flamingo for the card base, ribbon, and some of the small flowers, which are from the Grateful Bunch stamp set (a carry-over set from the Occasions catalog).  She punched out the flowers with the Blossom Bunch Punch.  The makings for the banner can be seen on page 73 of the new catalog.
The stamp set is called Thoughtful Banners and there's a coordinating punch called the Duet Banner Punch (page 186 of the new catalog).  This stamp set is on my wish list, as it has tons of sayings.  Since it's a photopolymer set, you can bend the sayings to fit on the curved banner.  Then it's just a quick punch and you're done... no Big Shot needed.  I hate to admit it, but I'm just that lazy!  I would rather just grab a punch any day, instead of getting up, going to the cupboard, searching for a framelit, then using the Big Shot to cut something out.  

Hope your week is off to a happy start!  Be sure to come back on Wednesday when I'll have more stamping inspiration for you!

Hugs all around,
Susan

Swirly and Girly!

Hey there, stamping friends!  Happy Friday!

Here's some good news from the home front... our house is officially in "pending."  Inspection is next Wednesday (even though we've already had our own pre-listing inspection), an escrow account has been opened, and things are moving forward!  Thanks to all who sent positive thoughts and prayers our way.  All that good energy is appreciated more than you know. Soon the packing will begin.  We've got a ton of boxes stockpiled in the garage, so there's no reason to delay.  The sooner we start, the sooner we'll finish!

Now to move forward to today's cards. The new Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating framelits have proven to be super popular.  I haven't received mine yet, so I haven't had a chance to create with them.  However I did get several swirly cards in my bag of swaps on the cruise, so I'll be sharing those with you.  

Here's swirly girly card #1...

Not only is this swirly and girly... it's also full of sparkle since the swirl is cut from Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper (p. 175 of the new catalog).  This great card is the work of Jill Olsen.  

Now for card #2...

This ultra-feminine card is by Denise Jorgensen.  Both of these cards use Blushing Bride card stock and both use the beautiful 5/8" Organza Ribbon (p. 178 of the new catalog).  The greeting on this card is from the Love and Affection stamp set on page 45 of the new catalog.  

If you placed an order with me for new goodies, the good news is that the order shipped yesterday (Thursday) and is scheduled for delivery on Monday June 13th.  The other amazing news is that NOTHING is on backorder... not even these very popular swirly stamps/thinlits!  I'm very surprised that they haven't hit backorder status yet!

What are your plans for the weekend??  A graduation open house or two?  Is it too early for wedding season to start?  Whatever you've got planned, I hope your weekend will be enjoyable.  You can always add to the enjoyment by giving yourself an hour or two to stamp something pretty.  

Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Feelin' Swirly!

Hello Stampers and happy Wednesday!

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to all of you who attended my Stampin'Up! Garage sale either Friday night or Saturday morning!  It was the most successful sale I've had in 15 years of being a demonstrator!!  Wow... you really cleaned off those tables and for that I'm very grateful! Also, thank you to those who placed orders from the new catalog!  You're the best! 

Now onward to the card for today.  Everyone seems captivated by the new Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating thinlits

Here's a fun card made with the Swirly Scribbles thinlit dies (bottom of page 194).  This one was posted on a display board in the hospitality room onboard the Epic.  I didn't want to rip if off the board to see who the creator was, so that will remain a mystery.
Isn't it fun?

  

The saying is from the Watercolor Wishes Card Kit (page 9 of the new catalog.  The stamp set comes as part of the kit... you cannot buy it separately.  Here's another cute card using the same supplies...

This card uses some of the small images from the Swirly Bird set, the little flowers and leaves. The saying on this card is from the stamp set Tin of Cards, page 86 of the new catalog. After seeing these two cards, are you getting into the swirl of things?  Maybe feeling a little swirly yourself?  I hope so!

Please come back on Friday, when I'll have some more sweet and swirly cards for you!
Hugs and happiness,
Susan

Market Day in Marseille, Provence

Hello again, Stampers!

Happy Monday!  Wow... what a scorcher this weekend was!  We are definitely looking forward to the cooler temperatures forecast for today, aren't you?

I've got some pretty photos of the last excursion of the cruise.  They are from May 28th when we docked in Marseille, France.  Our tour took us to the town of Sanary du mer.  It was market day (Saturday) and there was not only a farmer's market, but also a large flea market where vendors were selling antique linens, silver, and all sorts of odds and ends.  That part of the market reminded me a little too much of what I was trying to sell at my own garage sale back home!

Gorgeous vegetables and fruit. Check out those beautiful radishes!

The prettiest heirloom tomatoes... so perfect!

Golden honey in the golden sunlight of Provence.

This picturesque harbor was just a few feet away from the market.  The area where they were selling fresh fish was just a little too fishy for us, but the rest of it was beautiful!  

I'll be back on Wednesday with some card ideas for you.  Stay cool!

Hugs and happiness,
Susan

What an Amazing Trip!

Hello Stampers and happy Friday to all!

Since arriving home late Sunday night, I've been putting all of my energies into getting ready for the big Stampin'Up! garage sale that starts tonight at 6:30 pm for hostesses only.  If you were a hostess this past year, then you got a special invitation to attend.  Saturday at 9 am, the sale is open to everyone.  Bring cash or your checkbook, as I cannot accept credit cards for the garage sale.  It might be a good idea to bring your own reusable shopping bag to haul away all of the great bargains you are going to find.

The cruise was truly the trip of a lifetime, but it was physically challenging as well.  We scheduled a shore excursion every day since we wanted to see the sights.... not just the inside of the ship.  Each day we were in a different port, so we really wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see each city.  We got up at 6 am each morning, were ready for breakfast at 7 am, and at 8 it was time to meet up with our group for the tour de jour.  By day four of this routine we decided to take a break.  So we missed 1 day of Provence... the day we were scheduled to visit a perfume factory in the countryside.  I was sorry to miss it, but we needed a day of resting and just doing nothing.

Here are a few photos of Le Castellet, a medieval walled village on top of a hill in Provence.  What a picturesque place and the shops there were great!

I'll share more photos of this fabulous trip later.  I hope to see you at my garage sale on Friday or Saturday.  Don't forget.... you'll get to pick up your brand new copy of the Stampin'Up! catalog!
Hugs and happiness!
Susan