Yippie! I have a card for you today!

Hi there stampers!

Once again, we've made it to Friday and the weekend is just ahead! 
Yay for Fridays!

I haven't checked to see what the weather was in Portland yesterday, but here we enjoyed a gorgeous fall day with blue skies and temps in the high 70's.  It was just perfect.... not too hot, not too cold.  Hope all my Northwest friends are having a few "blue sky" days as well!

How do you feel about Halloween?  Are you an adult who despises this holiday?  Or do you love dressing up and eating candy?  I'm one of those adults who doesn't have a strong feeling either way.  I do remember how much fun it was when I was a child.  The excitement was almost equal to that of Christmas.  So for that reason, I try to get into the spirit of Halloween... no pun intended.  To me, it's a fun minor holiday for children.  I hope they have as much fun as I did dressing up and going Trick or Treating around the neighborhood.  It doesn't have to be about evil, ghosts, goblins, spiders, skeletons, or other scary things.  Let' just let the kiddos have some fun and maybe eat a little too much candy.

Here's a cute and non-scary Halloween card for you.  I'll be sending a card something like this to my grandchildren in Seattle.  I will miss seeing them in their costumes this year.

Isn't the little scarecrow cute?  I started out with a half sheet of Whisper White card stock, folded into a card.  The next layer is a panel of Crumb Cake that measures 5 1/4 by 4 inches.  I embossed it with the Brick Wall embossing folder and stamped the sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) in Archival Black ink.  The Polka Dotted layers are from the Brights DSP stack... Tangerine Tango and Rich Razzleberry.  The Rich Razzleberry strip is 2 by 5 inches and the Tangerine Tango strip is 1 1/2 by 5 inches.  I wrapped a piece of Delightful Dijon ribbon (page 47 of the Holiday catalog) around the polka dotted panels before gluing them to the Crumb Cake panel.  I stamped the scarecrow from the stamp set Cookie Cutter Halloween (page 53 of the holiday catalog) in Archival Black ink on Delightful Dijon card stock, then colored in parts of the image with some Tangerine Tango ink and a blender pen.  I used the 2 1/2 inch Circle Punch to punch him out, then layered him on top of a Whisper White circle that I cut with one of the Layering Circle Framelit Dies on page 193 of the annual catalog.  I tied a tiny bow with two strands of Linen Thread and added it to the scarecrow with a mini glue dot.

I don't see how anyone... even the most ardent Halloween Hater... could object to this card.  If you are sending it to a grandchild or other youngster who's far away, don't forget to add a few dollars for a treat, such as frozen yogurt, an ice cream cone, or a Top Pot donut, the favorite of my Seattle grands.

Hope you all have something fun planned for the weekend!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

It was "one of those days...

Hey there, stampers!

It's Wednesday and although I intended to be ready with a new card for you today, it just didn't happen because my Tuesday was just a little too crazy for me to get any stamping done.

So... my apologies for the lack of a card in today's post.  The good news is that our backyard landscaping project is finally underway,  We have been not-so-patiently waiting for them to get started.  With so many new homes in the area, the wait time for landscaping projects is pretty long.  We've been waiting since late August!

Tonight was family dinner night at our house.  This is a once-a-week event where I cook dinner and Kate, Tim, and the girls come over to complete a project for us.  Tonight Kate and Tim hung the blinds on our patio door.  Finally!  We were a little tired of the big cardboard sheets propped over our sliding patio door.  While they work on the project "du jour," I give the girls their bath and get them into their jammies.   So after cooking dinner, cleaning up, and then giving two very energetic little girls a bath, complete with lots of splashing and other shenanigans,  I'm a pretty tired grandmother!

Thought you might like to check out the pumpkins by our front door...

Thanks for reading and please come back on Friday, when I'm planning on having an actual card to inspire you to stamp!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Stormy Weather

Happy Monday, girlfriends!

I trust that you all stayed cozy and dry whilst the storm raged outside!  I hope you had some hot cocoa or tea or, because it's the Northwest... some strong hot coffee!  Can you believe that we actually got some rain too?  Not nearly the amount that fell in the Portland area, but it was still very welcome!

Now that it is Pumpkin Spice Everything Season, I was pining away for some sugar-free pumpkin spice coffee creamer, but I've never been able to find any.  So I decided to make my own.  I used fat-free half and half (or if you'd like it to be really yummy, use regular half and half).  I added a tiny bit of agave syrup and some Truvia (stevia), and then added pumpkin pie spice to taste.  I whisked it all together and voila!  It was heavenly in my coffee this morning.  Are you a pumpkin-spice kind of girl?  Sorry if this is turning you green around the gills, Jody Maki!  I know how you hate anything pumpkin-y.

Have you noticed that the Christmas season is sneaking up on us?  Slowly and quietly, while we aren't paying attention, it is getting closer and closer.  Soon it will pounce on us and we'll be caught unprepared, unless we start preparing soon.  Maybe sooner than "soon."  Maybe today????

Here's a very clean and classic card that you could start making right away. 

Note: the green paper is not part of the card... I just used it as a background.

I started with a half sheet of Very Vanilla card stock, cut lengthwise at 4 1/4 inches, scored at 5 1/2.  The second layer is Cherry Cobbler, measuring 5 1/4 by 4 inches.  Then the striped layer, from the This Christmas DSP collection (page 172 of the annual catalog) measures 5 by 3 3/4 inches.  The stamped panel is 4 by 2 3/4 inches, backed with a Cherry Cobbler panel that measures 4 1/4 by 3 inches. 

The large greeting is from the Wonderful Year stamp set at the top of page 28 in the holiday catalog.  There are two great greetings in this set, each with its own coordinating greeting for the inside of the card.  The sentiment inside this cards says "May your Christmas be merry and bright."

This is just about as simple as card-making gets.  If you wanted you could add some Cherry Cobbler ribbon, but I honestly think it looks great without any embellishing.  The  fancy font of the greeting adds enough interest to the card, making further embellishment unnecessary.  Of course, if you are a lover of glitter, you could always add some! 

May the week ahead be kind to you.  May the days go by smoothly and uneventfully.  May you enjoy some laughter with friends and may you be grateful and happy!

Hugs to all,

Susan

Rain? In Woodland?

Hello stampers! 
Whoop-de-do!  It's Friday and I hope all of you Oregonians haven't been washed out to sea with the big storm that is hitting the area.  I'm writing this on Thursday night, after watching the weather forecast on KGW and it seems that ya'll are in for some torrential rains and high winds.  Be smart!  Stay home where you'll be safe and dry and stamp.  That's what rainy days are for.... unless you have to go to work :(

The forecast for Woodland and the Sacramento area is for possible rain tonight and tomorrow.  We haven't had any significant rainfall since we arrived on August 3rd, so we could really use some heavy drenching rain like you are getting in Oregon.  But I'm really doubtful that it will happen.  Time will tell.

Here's my card for Friday... hope you like it!

This is a Z-fold card... so easy to make!  I used the Pretty Pines Thinlit Dies (page 19 of the holiday catalog) to cut out the evergreen branches, the mistletoe, and the pinecone.  The greeting is from the coordinating stamp set, Christmas Pines, also shown on page 19.  I stamped it in Cherry Cobbler ink on Very Vanilla card stock, then cut it out with one of the Layering Oval Framelits (page 193 of the annual catalog).  I used on the scalloped Oval Framelits to cut the Cherry Cobbler mat for the greeting.  Last, I used some of the Cherry Cobbler Taffeta Ribbon at the top of page 20 in the Holiday catalog, tied it into a knot, and adhered it to the card with a glue dot. 

Here's a side view of the card, showing the Z fold...

Be sure to crease the folds well with your bone folder, as this step will help the card lie much flatter.  OK stampin' people, that's my post for Friday, October 14th.   May the weekend ahead offer you many chances to be creative.  Be safe and stay dry!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Feeling thankful....

Hi there, stampers!  It's Wednesday already and time to write another post.  I hope some of my Oregon customers and friends are reading this!   We had another sunny day yesterday... not too hot, not too cold.  Fall here in Woodland is really just about perfect! We are definitely feeling thankful for the cooler weather.

Speaking of being thankful, have you started to make a few Thanksgiving cards yet?  I don't send out many Thanksgiving cards, but it is nice to remember friends and relatives that you won't be gathering with on that special day.  I thought I didn't need the Basket of Wishes stamp set ( page 49 of the holiday catalog), but when I started seeing the great Thanksgiving cards that can be made with this set, not to mention the fun birthday cards and thinking-of-you cards, I decided it was something I needed to add to my collection.  Here's the first card I made with that set...

This card has a LOT of layers... 5 to be exact.  I started with a Crumb Cake card base, then added an Early Espresso panel, then a Delightful Dijon panel, topped with a square of Early Espresso and then a smaller square panel of water color paper.  I stamped in the new Archival Black ink, allowed it to dry for a couple of minutes, then water colored the basket and fall produce with my aqua painter and these stamp pads:  Soft Suede for the basket, Old Olive for the bands on the basket, and then Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, and Delightful Dijon for the pumpkins and gourds.  I embossed the Delightful Dijon panel with the Petal Burst embossing folder (p. 195 of the annual catalog).  I know the shapes are supposed to be petals, but they also look like leaves, which I thought would be perfect for a fall card. I used three strands of Linen Thread, and treated them as if they were one strand, tied into a small bow which I attached with a glue dot.  The 5/8 inch burlap ribbon adds a fall-ish touch as well.  The inside greeting is just a simple  "Happy Thanksgiving" from Teeny Tiny Wishes, page 90 pf the annual catalog. 

I found it very relaxing to color the basket/fruit image and it didn't take long at all.  I just squeezed the stamp pads to transfer a bit of color to the lid, then opened the stamp pad and used the little pool of color on the inside of the lid. 

Hope the week is moving along smoothly for you!  Thanks for reading and please come back on Friday for another classic card.

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Serene Scenery Suite

Hey there, stampers!  Hello and happy Monday. 

Believe it or not, we had temps in the 90's yesterday!  There's a big cooling trend happening this week, though, with a bit of rain in the forecast on Saturday and Sunday.  Hope the rain reaches us... we could use a good rinsing off, especially out here in the construction zone where everything is super-dusty. 

On Friday I showed you a super simple, super quick card I made using the Serene Scenery DSP Stack. Today's card features the same DSP stack, but this time I combined it with a stamp set from the Holiday catalog, the Suite Seasons set on page 43.  Creating cards with these products are as easy as... pick a paper, stamp on it, add the stamped piece to a card base, along with an embellishment or two... Linen Thread, some ribbon, maybe a doily... and your card is ready to be mailed. I love the fonts and the assortment of sentiments in this set.  It has sayings for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then the one I used on the card for today, "sending you thoughts of comfort."   Here's the card...

I made this card using the quick steps I mentioned... picked a paper, stamped the sentiment, embellished it, adhered it to a card base and I was finished in no time!  While sometimes it's fun to pull out all the stops (and all my stamping supplies),   at other times the objective is to get a card in the mail quickly.  When someone you know is grieving the loss of a dear one, it's more important to share your love and support with them quickly, rather than attempting to wow them with an amazing card.  Chances are, they are not going to notice your mad card-making skills at a time like that anyway.   

It seems like I need a sympathy card quite often these days, so it's nice to be prepared with a few sympathy cards stashed away that can be pulled out and mailed off quickly when the need arises. Why not order some of this gorgeous paper, get out a versatile set of sayings, and get busy making some sympathy cards?  And while you're at it, why not stamp some birthday and thank you cards as well?  You'll have a good feeling inside, knowing that you'll just have to write a loving and supportive note, add a stamp, and your card will be on its way to give comfort when it's needed most.

Have a great week, everyone! 

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Super Simple

Hey there stampin' peeps!  Are you excited that Friday is finally here?

I hate to admit to being so old, but most of my friends are retired, so they don't give a hoot about what day it is!  Every day is a Friday when you're retired! 

As promised, I have some photos of the stamp room.  Of course one of them turned out horribly blurry, and now it's so late in the evening that I'm just going to go ahead and show it to you anyway.  I'll post a few more pictures later, but really, you're not missing out on much because this room is really nothing fabulous. Don't get me wrong, though.  I'm very thankful to have a stamping space at all!  Countertop material from IKEA spans one wall and that holds my computer on one end and my stamping space on the other.  I'm so grateful to my daughter Katie for installing this for me.  I'm amazed at all the things she can do

Then on one of the other walls I have my file cabinet where I store all of my card stock.

To the right of the closed door (you can just see the doorknob) is the island that holds my paper cutter.

Here's the main storage unit for my stamps (so sorry it turned out blurry, but you'll get the idea). 

The one area I haven't shown you is the walk-in closet that is PACKED with cards, envelopes, card stock, and all sorts of stampin' stuff.  I may show it to you later, but a warning is in order.... it's not pretty in there!  Organized? Yes! But pretty?  No!

OK... enough about the stamp room and on to today's card...

I was looking through my 6 x 6 paper stacks, searching for inspiration and I ran across the Serene Scenery DSP Stack ( page 174 of the annual catalog).  I realized that I hadn't even opened the package.  When I did, I was wowed by the beautiful scenic papers in this collection.  I especially love the design I'm showing you today.  It's a soft, blurry scene that I interpreted to be the ocean and a sandy beach.  I stamped a simple sentiment from the Bunch of Blossom stamp set  (page 69 of the annual catalog) in Early Espresso.  I added a mat of Soft Sky behind the ocean scene, then adhered it to a panel of Crumb Cake that I embossed with the Gently Falling embossing folder and wrapped with some of the 5/8 inch burlap ribbon.    The tiny dots on the Crumb Cake panel reinforce the feeling of a sandy beach, while the burlap ribbon adds more texture.  With the addition of a "happy birthday" sentiment on the inside of the card, this would be a perfect birthday card for a guy or even for a beach-loving girlfriend. 

Well, my friends, it's pretty late and I need to head off to bed right after I schedule this to post at 6 am on Friday morning.  Hope your Friday is fun and your weekend is delightful!

Hugs and happiness!

Susan

Wednesday Inspiration

Hello everyone!  Hope your Wednesday is off to a great start!  If it isn't going so well, you can console yourself with the thought that, after today, there are only 2 more days until the weekend.

I've got great news to share!  My stamp room is 99% complete!  I will share some pictures of my new stamping space on Friday so you can see where I'll be stamping from now on.  For today I've got a cute card to show you... another one from Janet Jones, one of my downline members who really knows how to put together a great card!

I wasn't planning on purchasing this set (Basket of Wishes, page 49 of the holiday catalog), but after seeing lots of pretty cards on the internet and then receiving this one from Janet, I've added it to my list.  It's a bit difficult to see, but Janet used the new Sparkle embossing folder on the Crumb Cake panel.  It's one of the new embossing folders in the annual catalog (page 195). The berry basket image is stamped on watercolor paper, then colored with ink and an aqua painter, or perhaps she used a blender pen.  Either one would work just great! The cute sentiment is also in the Basket of Wishes set.  I just love it when a stamp set has both images and sentiments that coordinate.  It makes creating a card so much easier!

The polka dotted Real Red DSP is from the Brights DSP paper stack (bottom of page 174 in the annual catalog).  And there's that great new 5/8 " Burlap ribbon (bottom of page 178) that I've been using a lot.  

Thanks, Janet, for sending me this clean and simple, but "berry cute" card.  I can't wait to get my own set and have fun water coloring!

Thank you for coming to The Classic Card today!  I'll have another classic card for you on Friday, so please come back then.

Hugs and happiness,

Susan

Sweet Friends

Hello stampers! 

We are starting a brand new month off right in Woodland, as yesterday (Sunday) was in the 70's and the sky even had a few clouds... something we haven't seen much of since we arrived here on August 3rd.  Today's forecast calls for rain, but I'll believe it when I see it!  It's definitely starting to feel like fall and that's a happy thing indeed.  I'm hoping by the time next summer rolls around, we'll be better acclimated to the heat.

I finally sat down in my stamp room yesterday evening and actually created a card!  It's not the best card I've ever made, but I'm just happy I remembered how to stamp.... just kidding!

Here's the card I came up with...

I used my Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set for the first time, along with its matching punch.  I stamped the little gingerbread men in Soft Suede, then quickly punched them out.  I added pearls for their eyes and buttons, then popped them up on dimensionals.

The Designer paper I used is called Candy Cane Lane.  My favorite part of this card is the sentiment.  It says "wishing you a season as sweet and joyful as the friendship we share."  What a great wish to send to a sweet friend!  The card base is Whisper White, topped with an Early Espresso panel, then a Real Red panel.  With the candy canes, peppermints, gumdrops, and cookies on the DSP, this card is almost good enough to eat!

Don't forget that all of the 11.00 Designer Papers are buy 3, get one free for the entire month of October.  This includes the Designer Paper in the big catalog as well as the paper in the holiday catalog.

Paper stacks and specialty papers are not included in this offer.

Thank you for checking in with me today and thanks for reading!

I wish all of you a happy week ahead, with plenty of time to stamp and be creative!

Hugs and happiness,

Susan