Hello Friend, Stampin'Up!

Hello Fall and Goodbye September!

Whoa!  Where did September go?  Wasn't the first of September just a few days ago?  I keep wishing that time would slow down, but instead it seems to just keep speeding up.  

I hope that all of my Portland friends have been enjoying the cooler weather and some rain, but it looks like the week ahead is going to bring you some sunny fall weather and a little more warmth.  We're going to be up in the 90's again by the end of the week and almost everyone I talk to is ready to be DONE with summery weather.

I have quite a few stamp sets sitting on my desk that haven't seen the light of day, let alone any ink, so today I've got a card which uses one of those neglected stamp sets... Hello Friend, (#144059, $21.00, p. 17 of the annual catalog).

My upline gives us a weekly color challenge and this week I decided to play along.  The colors she challenges us to use are out-of-the-ordinary color combinations that I wouldn't come up with on my own.  It is good to stretch out of my comfort zone and try something new.  This week's colors were Smoky Slate, Soft Sky, and one of the new In-colors
Tranquil Tide, which is a fairly dark green with a blue tint.  

Here's my card...

I used Whisper White as my card base, then a layer of Tranquil Tide and a layer of Soft Sky which I embossed with the Petal Burst embossing folder.
I stamped the background pattern in Smoky Slate (a soft gray), then stamped "hello" over it in the strong Tranquil Tide.  A daisy, stamped in Soft Sky on Soft Sky card stock  (stamped with the Daisy Delight stamp set #143669, $17.00, p. 127)and punched out with the new daisy punch (143713, $18.00 p. 206) adds a nice accent at the top of the card, as does the Tranquil Tide ribbon at the bottom. (#144136, $7.00, p. 198 of the annual catalog). 

I hope you know by now that I don't endorse all Stampin'Up! products indiscriminately.  But I do recommend those that I truly love and that are good values.  One of those products is the ribbon I used on this card, the new 1/2 inch Finely Woven Ribbon on page 198 of the annual catalog.  This is great stuff!  It comes in all of the new In-colors and it is soft, pliable, and easy to tie.   If you try it, I know you'll love it as much as I do!

Well, my friends, it's time to bring this post to a close.  I've got a very busy week ahead and I'll bet you do too!  Don't forget that there are just a few days left to use the September Host Code
2S7KBFCF.  I will close this code out at noon on September 29th.  You can use this code for any size order, except if your order is $150 or more before shipping, then please don't use the code.  Then YOU will get the host benefits!

I'm wishing you all a productive week ahead filled with good things!  Positive thoughts are winging their way to you right this minute!
Hugs,
Susan

Basket of Wishes

Hello stamping friends!

How was your weekend?  I'm so sorry that my Portland friends were still suffering over the weekend with heavy smoke from the horrific fire in the Columbia Gorge.  Forest fires are always sickening, but this one in Oregon's most beautiful scenic area is just heartbreaking.  I hear that rain may be on the way and perhaps by the time you read this on Monday morning the rains will have helped with the fire.  

My parade of fall cards continues today, this time with a stamp set from the annual catalog, Basket of Wishes, which you can find on page 125. (#142200, $17.00).  This is one of those all-season stamp sets, which gives you lots of options for cards all year long.  

Let me show you the card, then I'll share the details...

The card base is Very Vanilla card stock and layered on top of that is a panel of Tangerine Tango, which is darker and more orange-y than Pumpkin Pie.  Some Painted Autumn DSP (#144613, $11.00, p. 49 of the holiday catalog) matted with a panel of Crushed Curry card stock adds a nice resting spot for the circle of watercolor paper (#122959, $5.00, p. 194 of the annual catalog) that was cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits (#145372, $30.00, p. 214 of the annual catalog).

I stamped the bushel basket in Archival Basic Black ink (#140931, $7.00, p. 201 of the annual catalog).  You'll want to use this permanent ink when water coloring, as it won't run when water hits it.  I used an aqua painter to color the veggies and the basket.  I've always had a bit of difficulty when water coloring images, but I've discovered that leaving a bit of white showing through here and there really improves the finished work.

That little bow (added with a glue dot) is made from some of the new Crushed Curry Baker's Twine (#144354, $3.00, p. 199 of the annual catalog).  I just felt that the basket needed a little something and that baker's twine filled the bill!

The sentiment, which I love, is from the Orange Blossom stamp set on page 175 of the annual catalog (#143765, $17.00).  I agree that if we look closely enough, there IS always something to be thankful for, but sometimes it is an almost overwhelming challenge to find something good amid extremely trying circumstances.  

My wish for you in the week ahead is that you will be surrounded by many blessings and that you will recognize each and every one that comes your way... smiles from healthy children, good food to cook for your family, the roof over your head, I could go on and on... all of the everyday blessings that, most of the time, we don't even think about.  

Of course I would love it if you'd place an order and use this September host code   2S7KBFCF  Please don't use the code if your order is $150 or above, then YOU will get the host rewards.

Sending virtual hugs and happy thoughts your way!
Susan

Finally, Fall is in the Air!

Hello, it's me, wishing you a happy Monday!

I'm happy to say that we are getting some weather that is cooler than we've had for ages.  We were able to open the house and turn off the a/c last night around 8:30 pm.  That hasn't happened since I don't remember when!

 

With the children back in school, everyone back in their regular routines,  and fall just around the corner, it's time to turn our thoughts toward making cards that feature beautiful fall images and colors.  When I think of fall, I think of gorgeous fall leaves and pumpkins and I suspect that if asked, most people would name one or the other as the iconic image of fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

To celebrate the coming season of cooler days and pretty leaves I've got a leafy card for you today...

I love the colors traditionally used for fall leaves, such as Crushed Curry, a nice warm gold and Cajun Craze, a rusty orange, but I sometimes get tired of those very conventional colors and start thinking of other color combinations.  For this card I used Fresh Fig card stock, ink, and ribbon and added in some Soft Suede and Old Olive leaves as well.

The stamp set I used is Vintage Leaves (# 138802, $26.00), a great set that's available on page 125 of the annual catalog.  There's also a coordinating set of Framelits (#138283, $27.00) that you can find on page 213 of the annual catalog.  So if you'd like to cut out some of the leaves and give them a 3-D look with some dimensionals (foam dots), you won't be forced to cut all of those little jagged edges by hand. 

The ribbon is the new Finely Woven Ribbon in Fresh Fig (#144132, 7.00, p. 198 of the annual catalog).  It's soft, very flexible, and easy to tie.  I tied it into a loose knot on this card, which will allow the card to be easily mailed.  

To give the card a bit more of a vintage look, I added some speckles in Sahara Sand using the speckles from the Touches of Texture stamp set (#143251, $33.00, p. 152 of the annual catalog).

If you have the set Gorgeous Grunge, there are some good speckles in that set as well, but Gorgeous Grunge is now discontinued.

The sentiment is from So Many Shells, (#143695, $26.00, p. 38 of the annual catalog), stamped in Early Espresso.  Aside from the fabulous images of seashells, this set has some nice sentiments that are quite different.  I bought this set as much for the sentiments as I did for the images.  Then to add a little interest, I added a Very Vanilla panel on the inside of the card and stamped a few more leaves and speckles to give a little surprise when the card is opened.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy week to read my blog.  If you have this stamp set, or another one featuring leaves, I hope I've inspired you to get it out and make a few cards for the fall season.  With an appropriate sentiment added, this card could be a sympathy card, a thank you, a birthday card, or a thinking of you card.  With a few cards like this tucked away, you'll be ready for any occasion... no last-minute run to the store for a card!

 

With so much devastation... fires, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes... we are forced to admit that much is beyond our control.  And yet we can all work toward making the world a better place.  Send a card with heartfelt love inside, share a smile with someone who needs a smile, offer a helping hand to a stranger, cook a good meal for your family, make a donation to disaster relief.  Every positive act creates a ripple and that ripple goes on and on and may inspire others to act positively.  

May the week ahead find you being grateful for all of the good in your life and remember... life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

Stamp on!

Susan

The September Host Code is 2S7KBFCF. Please use this code when placing an online order that is less than $150.  If your order is over $150, please don't use the host code... then YOU will get the host rewards!

 

Merry Cafe Stampin'Up!

Helloooo stampers!  Happy Labor Day!

It has been another weekend in the blast furnace and today, thankfully it is going to be a little cooler... right around 98 or 99.  I know that doesn't sound very cool to most of you, but after 109 and 107, we are happy to see something under the 100 mark.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for cooler weather and "pumpkin season,"  you know... that time of year when everything is suddenly pumpkin.  (My apologies to Jodi, a friend who hates pumpkin with a passion).  I checked with the customer service desk at Trader Joe's the other day and was told that pumpkin season would begin mid-September.  There'll be pumpkin bread mix, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin-cinnamon breakfast rolls, pumpkin ice cream... about 40 products in all.  And then to top off all of that pumpkin-y goodness,  Starbucks will be whipping up Pumpkin Spice Lattes by the millions... which brings me to today's card.

If your eyes are not the best at reading fine print, the sleeve on the cup says "Hello Fall, it's pumpkin spice latte season."  The inside of the card has a little pocket where you can slide in a Starbuck's card.

This is one of the cards we made at my stamping class last week.  I thought it would be a perfect way to welcome in the change of seasons.  My daughters both love coffee, so they'll be getting one of these cards once Fall officially arrives on Sept. 22nd.

That pretty DSP is called Painted Autumn (#144613, $11.00, p. 49 of the holiday catalog).  The stamp set is Merry Café (#144965, $17.00, p. 46 of the holiday catalog).  That lovely ribbon is my new favorite, Crinkled Seam Binding (#144192, Peekaboo Peach, $8.00, p. 199 of the annual catalog).  The card base is Early Espresso, the cup is Crumb Cake, the lid is Very Vanilla, and the sleeve on the cup is Peekaboo Peach.

Surely you've got some friends or family members that are fans of the fall season and love everything pumpkin.  Why not make a few of these to send out?  That crinkled seam binding is so silky and ties without a lump or a bump, making this card easy to mail.  Finding one of these in the mailbox would give anyone a lift!  

The host code for September is 

2S7KBFCF

if you'd like to place an online order.  You can place your order by clicking on the shop now button at the top of this blog. And please feel free to call with any questions or problems.  My cell phone is 503-539-1572 and my home number is 530-402-1041.

Thanks for reading!  Make the week ahead a good one!

Hugs and happiness are coming your way,

Susan