Goodbye September!

Hello stampers!  Happy Friday and farewell to September.  I can't believe that September passed so quickly.

I'm excited to report that I'm almost well.  I still have an occasional coughing spell, but they are becoming few and far between.  I have been coughing since Sept. 8th, so this is a big deal! Thanks to all of you who sent healing thoughts my way.

Thanks to our daughter and son-in-law, the house is coming along.  The countertop in my stamping room is done, the ironing board has been installed in the laundry room, and some of the pictures have been hung.  We still have quite a bit of work to do, though.

Since they have helped us so much, now it's our turn to help them.  So this afternoon, the "clean team" will descend on their house where we'll vacuum, scrub bathrooms, and just generally spiff up the place.  It's the least we can do after all they've done for us.

John may even mow the lawn!

Well, enough about us.  How are you doing these days?  Hope all is going well in your corner of the world!  Send me a quick note when you get a chance.  I'd love to hear from you!

Oh, you say you want to see a card? OK, I guess I could show you one.  I still haven't really jumped back into stamping, but I do have a card I can show you that some of my customers in Portland will be making at Anita's party on Sunday. 

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I used the Christmas Pines stamp set and the coordinating Pretty Pines Thinlit dies in the new holiday catalog.  The card base is Whisper White, then I added a layer of Cherry Cobbler and topped that with a Whisper White panel.  I stamped the pine branches with

Old Olive, Soft Sky and Garden Green.  I cut three different sizes of pine boughs from Old Olive and Garden Green card stock and added them on top of the stamped branches.  I cut one pinecone from Soft Suede card stock and added it with a dimensional.  The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler and is on page 20 of the holiday catalog.  I tied it into a knot and adhered it over the pinecone with a glue dot.  The sentiment is stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink.

  Don't forget... Saturday October 1st is World Card-Making Day.  Stampin'Up! has a selection of card-making basics on sale from October 1st to 5th in honor of this world-wide celebration.  They are also having their annual DSP promotion the entire month of October.... buy 3 packages of DSP (the 11.00 kind) and get the 4th one free.  This includes the DSP in both the annual and holiday catalogs.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

  

World Card-Making Day... coming right up!

Hello stampers!
Can you believe that we've arrived at the last week of September?  The time is just flying by, isn't it?  The first Saturday of October is always World Card-Making Day.  On this day, all over the world, card-makers join in this special observance of their craft.  I'm going to miss my annual event that I've held for the past 7 or 8 years... my Souper Saturday, where I serve a soup lunch to mark this world-wide celebration.  I will definitely set aside some time this Saturday to make a few cards.  I hope that you will too!

Stampin'Up! is offering a couple of specials that you need to know about. I don't want you to miss out on anything!  So... the first "special" is in honor of World Card-Making Day.  I'll be sending this flyer to all of my customers, so look for it in your inbox.  The second special starts on October first and goes through 11 pm on October 31st.  This is the annual sale on Designer Series Paper.. the buy 3 and get the 4th package FREE special offer.  This sale applies to the DSP in both the annual catalog and the holiday catalog that is $11 per package, but does not apply to the specialty papers that sell for $13, nor does it apply to paper stacks.

I'm excited about both of these "specials,"  as it is always great to get a deal on something that you'll be purchasing anyway.

OK, now that those details are taken care of, let's get to the card!

I cased this card from a fellow demonstrator's blog.  Her name is Susan Itell and her blog is called Simple Stampin.  Here's the link...

www.simplestampin.com.  I used the same layout, the same DSP and ribbon, but instead of one tree, I added two more, because things just look better in threes.  To get the multi-colored leaves on the tree on the left, I first inked up the leaf stamp in Crushed Curry, then dabbed a couple of areas of the stamp on Cajun Craze.

The stamp set is called Totally Trees and can be seen on page 48 of the holiday catalog.  I knew it was going to be one of my favorites the minute I laid eyes on it!  It has a pine tree that you could use for
Christmas, as well as a palm tree that would be perfect for creating summery tropical beach cards.  Plus there are several other trees, such as the one I used on this card.  You cannot go wrong with this stamp set! 

The DSP is from the Petals and Paisleys specialty DSP that's on page 47 of the holiday catalog.  The great ribbon is the new 5/8 inch burlap ribbon on page 178 of the annual catalog.  The card base is Cajun Craze and the green accents are in Old Olive. 

Well, stampers, I think I've rambled on enough for one day.  It was a scorching 99 degrees on Tuesday, but today is supposed to be the  beginning of a slight cooling trend.  We are hoping that the cooler temperatures and rain that is forecast for next Monday and Tuesday will actually materialize.  This part of California could really use some rain.

Have a great Wednesday and be sure to come back on Friday for more stamping ideas!

Hugs and happiness,
Susan


 

Back to blogging...

Hello stamping friends!

So sorry that I've been silent for so long.  I've been fighting bronchitis since Sept 14th and so far the bronchitis is winning.  I'm hoping that I will "turn the corner" soon and be on the road to recovery.  Once I get a cough, it hangs on and on and on.  Ugh!

Well, enough about me. How have you been? Are you enjoying some pretty fall weather in Oregon? I know it's rained several times, but hopefully you are having some "blue sky days" as well! I'd love to hear from you, if you have time.  You can drop me a quick email at sjrstamps@gmail.com  We are enjoying our family immensely.  Kate and Tim have been helping us with so many projects and my stamping room is almost complete.  Then I hope to be able to stamp a bit so I'll have some cards to show you, because I know you come here for stamping inspiration.

Here's a pretty card that you are sure to love, created by Janet Jones who is in my downline.  Take a peek, and then I'll list some of the products Janet used to create this beauty.

I'm sure you all know that if you click on the photo, you'll be able to see a larger image, but "just in case" I thought I'd mention that.

The stamp set is called Flourishing Phrases (page 49 of the annual catalog) and the matching thinlits can be seen on page 194 of the annual catalog. 

The DSP she used is from the Fruit Stand collection (on page 173 of the annual catalog.  The beautiful flourish was cut from Pumpkin Pie Glimmer Paper (page 55 of the holiday catalog).  While this glimmer paper appears with the Halloween products,  Janet was clever enough to see beyond sparkling pumpkins and use it on a card that has nothing to do with spooks, ghosts, and goblins. Thank you, Janet, for allowing me to share your card!

I'd  also like to point out that this is a card layout that you might want to file away for future use.  It's simple and classic and could be used for many types of cards.  So why not sketch it out and add it to your card sketch book?  Then when you are stuck and cannot come up with a layout that you like, you can turn to this one and get "un-stuck."

Before I go, here's a fun photo... Opa reading to the granddaughters before bed.  While Kate and Tim work on projects to help us get settled, Oma (that's me) and Opa (John) bathe the girls, get them in their jammies, and read the bedtime stories. 

Thanks for being my readers!  I miss you all and hope you are all well, happy, and doing lots of stamping!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

"Pumpkin Season" is starting...

Hello stampers and a happy Monday to all!

It's only September 12th, but already, "pumpkin season" is here!  How do I know this?  Well, yesterday afternoon I went shopping for a few groceries at Trader Joe's and I noticed that the pumpkin merchandise is starting to filter into the store.  I picked up a box of Pumpkin Spice Jo-Jo's... like an Oreo, only the cookie part is pumpkin spice cookie and the filling is pumpkin.  Of course Starbuck's has had their PSL --Pumpkin Spice Latte --for a couple of weeks now.  At the height of pumpkin season Trader Joe's will have tons of pumpkin products.  If you like pumpkin bread, you need to try Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Mix.  Even if you aren't someone who needs to stay away from gluten, give it a try.  It is more moist and more tender than their regular pumpkin bread.

Have you guessed by now that I'm going to show you a pumpkin card?  Here it is...

This fun card was made by fellow demonstrator Shannon Carrier.  She used the very popular Swirly Scribbles Thinlit Dies ( page 194 of the annual catalog) to create the pumpkins. The leaves are cut with dies from the same set, but the stems were cut free-hand.    It is amazing what you can create with these very versatile dies, which also coordinate with the Swirly Bird stamp set on page 152 of the annual catalog.  This stamp set and dies have been two of the most popular products in the annual catalog.  The saying is from Greatest Greetings, a set of 14 sayings, all done in that cute font.  Check out this must-have set of sayings on page 78 of the annual catalog.  Thank you, Shannon, for allowing me to show your cute card on my blog!

May the week ahead be full of sunny days and happy times!

Hugs,

Susan

It's Friday already???

Hey there stamping friends!

How did it get to be Friday already?  I guess that's what happens when you are super-busy, trying to get everything unpacked and in its proper place.    Yesterday was another hot day (94 degrees) and today it's supposed to be 94 again.  Then after that the temps drop into the 80's for a few days.  The evenings really cool off nicely, so that makes us happy.  Summer is still in full swing here. 

I finally got my laptop working correctly, so today I can show you a card.  I wish I could say that I've been able to start stamping in my new space, but nothing could be further from the truth.  I've got to go back to IKEA and buy another storage unit before I can finish unpacking in there. 

Here's a card that I hope you'll find inspiring...

This cute card was made by Janet Jones, one of the great demonstrators in my downline.  Let me list some of the products she used to make this adorable Christmas card...

The stamp set is called Fa-la-la-la Friends (page 30 of the holiday catalog).  The little bear and the saying are both in the set.  The designer paper is called Presents and Pinecones and you can see it at the bottom of page 18 of the holiday catalog.  Janet used the Layering Oval Framelit Dies to cut the white oval and the scalloped oval that serve as a mat for the cute little bear. 

The Layering Oval Framelits, along with the square and circle layering framelits are an investment that you'll be glad you made.  You can use them forever and have every size of circle, square, or oval you'll ever need.  These layering dies give you a lot of value for your dollar.  Just think of how much a set of 15, 16, or 19 punches would cost and you'll see that purchasing dies is much cheaper than purchasing punches, if punches these sizes were even available.

I hope you'll all have a relaxing and happy weekend, filled with whatever you love, whether it's time with friends or family,  taking a day trip, or just staying home and relaxing.  I encourage you to carve out a few minutes to be creative with stamps, ink, and paper because stamping is always a happy thing!

Thanks for being one of my readers! 

Hugs,

Susan 

Happy Labor Day!

Hello stamping friends!

Happy September and happy Labor Day!  Do you have something fun planned for today?  A barbecue, a trip to the coast, or maybe you're being smart and staying off the roads?  We'll be staying home for sure, because we are still in the process of unpacking and organizing.  My stamp room still looks awful, but I'm hoping to have things better organized in a couple of weeks.

I  had big plans to post a card today, as some of my downline members were kind enough to send me some cards they made for a card swap.  I photographed the cards, loaded them onto my computer, and then my computer started acting up.  Now when I boot up my computer, there's no blinking cursor in the password box, so I can't unlock my computer.    My computer tech guy (aka, Eli, my son-in-law) is on a camping trip right now, so I'm sorry I won't be able to post a card today.  I'm using John's computer to write this post.

John and I spent Sunday unpacking and I would say that we are about 75 % finished.  The worst room in the house right now is my stamp room.  I have just about maxed out the storage areas I have available, and I've still got boxes to unpack.  I may be making another trip to IKEA (only about 20 minutes away in West Sacramento) to buy another storage unit.  

I hope all is well with all of you in the Portland area.  I just checked the weather there and found that it has been cool, cloudy, and rainy lately.  Then I checked the forecast for Woodland and we're headed into a week of temps in the 90's.  It really is a different world down here.  Yesterday was one of the coolest days we've had... highs in the low 80's.  

We are looking forward to being finished with the house so we can get out and explore a bit.  We have plans to go see my sister in Sonoma County and we'd sure like to spend a day in the Napa Valley.  A trip to Carmel is on our agenda too.  Nothing too exciting, but we'll enjoy it as we haven't visited Carmel in over 30 years!

The next time I post, I'm hoping to show you a fun card or two.  
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Susan