Here comes the bunny!

Hello stampers!

Is it a spring-y day where you are?  Our rain is gone for now, and the week ahead will see us in the high 70's by the end of the week.  The forecast for Easter is 80 degrees and sunny, so we'll definitely be hunting for eggs outside this year!

Do you have a good supply of chocolate bunnies ready for the big day, along with jelly beans and Cadbury eggs?  I guess a box of See's chocolates wouldn't be a bad idea either.  Easter is only one day... you can go back to healthy eating on Monday.

In celebration of Easter, I've got a sweet card for you...

This "good-enough-to-eat" chocolate bunny card was made with the Hello Easter set on page 39 of the Occasions catalog.  I stamped the egg with Powder Pink ink, then added the bunny in Soft Suede ink.  The small flowers are stamped in Flirty Flamingo and the leaves are stamped in Old Olive.  I added a teeny tiny pearl to the bunny's eye and then added some slightly larger pearls to the center of each of the flowers.  The ribbon is the 1/2 inch Finely Woven Ribbon in Powder Pink at the bottom of page 198 of the annual catalog.  

I must confess that the embossing folder is now discontinued, but I've kept it because it is such a classic "dotted swiss" look. I'm sure some of you out there are old enough to remember twirly Easter dresses made of dotted swiss fabric.  I believe I had several of them as a child and if my memory serves me well, I recall that the raised dots could be a bit scratchy.  If you didn't purchase this folder when it was available,  a good substitute would be the Polka Dot Basics embossing folder on page 210 of the annual catalog.

Please don't forget that Sale-a-bration is drawing to a close.  It will be O.V.E.R. on March 31st at 10:59 pm our time, so if you'd like to get a Sale-a-bration freebie, now is the time to submit your order.
If you place an online order of $50 or more using the March Host Code 2X9DKBDC, I will send you a 17% refund check via snail mail.  This is my special for March in celebration of my 17th anniversary with Stampin'Up!  You will also have your name placed on my 50-50 Board and be entered into my March Host Code drawing.  

May you all have a wonderful Easter celebration and may all your bunnies be solid chocolate!
Hugs to all,
Susan

It's Officially Spring... Tomorrow!

Hey there, stamping enthusiasts!

Happy Monday!  May the week ahead be a great one as we celebrate the official arrival of the Spring Equinox... tomorrow, March 20th.  

In honor of Spring's arrival, I've got a special card for you, which would be perfect to send to anyone who is D.O.N.E. with winter!

Unfortunately, I don't think spring-like weather is on our horizon, though, as it is supposed to be quite cold and rainy here this week.  But we'll take the rain, as it is desperately needed.

I don't use Wisteria Wonder card stock or ink very much, but I thought it was the perfect color for this card that features the Lots of Lavender stamp set, which is one of the free Sale-a-bration sets you can choose with a $50 purchase.

I used the beautiful Layered Leaves embossing folder (143704, $9.00, p. 211 of the annual catalog) to emboss the front panel of the card.  The lavender bouquet is stamped on a Whisper White panel that I cut out with the Lots of Labels Framelits (138281, $27.00. p. 214).  I stamped the outline image with Basic Gray Archival Ink, then filled in the color with Wisteria Wonder and Lemon Lime Twist ink pads.  I colored the bow with a Pink Pirouette Stampin' Write marker.

The saying "hello spring" is from the Hello Easter stamp set on page 39 of the Occasions catalog.  I stamped it in Basic Gray Archival ink and used the Duet Banner Punch (141483, $18.00, p. 206)  to punch it out.  

I'm sorry to say that the ribbon I used is now discontinued, but some of the Metallic Edge Ribbon in white (144213, $7.00, p. 199) would look beautiful as well. 

Don't forget to add some color and fun to the inside of the card as well.  It makes a nice surprise when the card is opened!

For those of you who may be wondering.... our daughter has had her second surgery and is now at a rehab center in Sacramento where she will be working to gain mobility.  She can now get out of bed on her own... a big milestone!  Next she'll need to learn how to hop on one leg while holding on to a walker.  She'll also be using crutches. She cannot put weight on her injured leg for 8 weeks... ugh!

Have a great week everyone!  And if you should be lucky enough to see the sun... enjoy every minute of it!

Hugs to all,

Susan

The cards we'd rather not make...

Hello stamping friends!

March is flying by and Sale-a-bration will soon be over!  Now's the time to stock up on card stock, ribbon, DSP, and other consumable supplies like adhesives.  Get a freebie for purchasing things you'll need in the months ahead.  The March Host Code is 2X9DKBDC.

If you use this code when placing an online order of $50 or more (before tax and shipping)  not only will you get a free Sale-a-bration item, but you'll also get a refund check from me for 17% off your merchandise total, in celebration of my 17th anniversary as a Stampin'Up! demonstrator.

Today I've got a sympathy card for you.  These are the cards we are never excited about making, and yet sympathy cards are probably the most important cards we send.  They convey our love and care to grieving people, and that matters.

This is a gatefold card which opens in the center.  It is held closed with a band that wraps around the card.  To open the card, just slide off the band.

We made this card at a recent class that I teach for an organization I'm a member of.  Since I'm not allowed to sell product at these classes, I often use discontinued products.  Everything I used for this card is current, except for the stamp set.  The stamp set is called So Sorry.  I'm sorry I don't know the year of the catalog it was in.  I'm pretty sure there are some of these sets for sale on ebay, should you want to purchase one.  

The DSP panels on the front of the card are from the Whole Lot of Lovely Designer Series Paper at the top of page 188 of the annual catalog.  The card stock base of the card is Peekaboo Peach  The ink colors are Peekaboo Peach, Pear Pizzazz, and Basic Black.  I used the Layering Circles Framelit Dies (top of page 214) to cut the Whisper White circle and the scalloped circle mat for the sentiment.  Be sure to use a strong adhesive such as Tear & Tape (p. 202) to hold the band and sentiment together.  You wouldn't want the band to fall apart as it is being slid off the card.

Hope all is well with all of you!  Things are crazy here, as our daughter broke her leg and is in the hospital.  One surgery has been completed, but in about a week she'll have a second surgery to put her leg and knee back together again with metal plates and screws.
Meanwhile, Oma and Opa are caring for the girls (ages 4 and 6) so their dad can go to work.  It's quite a challenge, to say the least.

May the week ahead be a good one for you!
Hugs to all,
Susan

Spring is Just Around the Corner!

Hey there, stampers!

It is almost spring... just 14 more days after today and it will arrive.

Are you ready?  We've had some nice rain the last several days, but today is bright and sunny.  The daffodils have long since bloomed, the almond orchards have popped with white blossoms and the flowering plums are covered in pink, so it seems like spring has sprung here, but probably not in the colder Northwest where many of you live.  If you are still having cold rainy days, hang on because spring and warmer temperatures are on their way!

Here's my "Ode to Spring" in card form.  This is one of the projects we made at a recent event and I think it would be perfect for a spring birthday...

The top photo shows the card closed and the bottom one shows the card opened.  This is a very fun and easy type of card to make... a Z-fold card.  

You start with half of an  8 1/2 by 11 piece of card stock (cut it at 5 1/2).  Score it at 2  1/8 and 4 1/4.  The focal panel that you stamp on is 3 inches by 4 inches and the colored mat behind it is 3 1/4 by 4 1/4.

The skinny panel under the stamped panel (it is yellow in this example) measures 1 7/8 by 5 1/4.

The inside panel is 3 inches by 4 inches.  

Now that we have the measurement out of the way, here are the details on the supplies I used:

Stamp set, including the sentiment, Paint Play, p. 161 of the annual catalog

Card base, Powder Pink card stock

Contrasting skinny panel, So Saffron card stock, embossed with the new Petal Pair embossing folder on page 23 of the Occasions catalog.

Mat for stamped panel, Flirty Flamingo

Ink colors:  Powder Pink, Flirty Flamingo, So Saffron, Soft Suede, and Old Olive

Ribbon, Powder Pink 1/2 inch Finely Woven Ribbon (bottom of page 198 in the annual catalog)

Scalloped Oval, Layering Oval Dies, top of page 214 in the annual catalog.

Punched piece for sentiment is the Pretty Label Punch on page 207 of the annual catalog.

I'm hoping that you'll get out some stamps, ink, and paper and make a few bright and springy birthday cards for those upcoming March, April, and May birthdays.  And even if the weather isn't spring-like, a card like this can bring a breath of springtime to a winter-weary soul.  

Make the week ahead a good one by setting aside some time to be creative.  You'll be happier if you take a "time-out" to play!

Don't forget my March Special.... 17% off your online order of $50 or more when using this Host Code 2X9DKBDC.

Hugs to all,

Susan