A Sample of Spring

Hi there stampers!  Welcome to Friday at The Classic Card. We made it through another week... hurray!  Wouldn't it be nice to have a few days of sunny and spring-like weather?  Who couldn't use a break?  I keep my body running on a whole alphabet of vitamins, but wouldn't some natural vitamin D in the form of sunshine be welcome right about now?

If you are feeling starved for warmer and sunnier days, I've got a little sample of spring for you today, in this card made with the new stamp set Spring Sampler.  This fun set has 24 images that are perfect for spring cards. There are rain boots and an umbrella, bunnies and eggs, birdies and nests, butterflies and bees, bugs and frogs... all the best of spring in one stamp set.  These images are sized perfectly to make "inchie" cards... cards made by punching out an image with a one-inch punch.

Check out my "inchie" card and see what you think.

I like my Easter cards on the pastel side, as you can tell.  Some people like brighter colors like hot pink, purple, and school-bus yellow, but I don't think anything says "spring" and "Easter" like the Soft Subtles color family from Stampin'Up!   I used some DSP from the Soft Subtles paper stack ( page 162 at the top of the page).  This particular sheet is in Pink Pirouette, the palest pink.  I stamped four of the images from Spring Sampler... the jelly beans in Pretty in Pink, the bunny in Bashful Blue, the egg in Certainly Celery, and the basket in So Saffron.  I then punched each image out with the 1 inch square punch.  I then punched card stock to match each image with the Scallop Square punch.  The sentiment is from the set Delightful Dozen on page 140 of the Annual catalog.  I punched it out with the Scallop Oval punch on page 184 of the Annual catalog.  Some pretty taffeta ribbon in So Saffron (our palest yellow) finishes of this "breath of springtime" card.  I love how this card turned out and hope you like it too!

Here's a little challenge for you this weekend.  Look through your stamp sets and find one with small images. Using that set, create your own "inchie" card.  I think you'll find that it is fun, easy, and fast!  Have a great weekend, everyone, and don't forget to come back on Monday for another classic card.
Hugs,
Susan

Oh, Hello!

Hello to all of my readers out there !  Thanks for stopping by this gray-ish Wednesday!
Wednesday marks an important point in the lives of working people... once it's over, it's a nice downhill slide into the weekend.  So relax, people.  The uphill climb to Wednesday is over and by the end of today, you'll have just two quick days left until the weekend.  Isn't that a cheering thought?

I have a fun card for you today that some of you made at Stephanie's party this past weekend.  I was going for a vintage look again, Stephanie's favorite style and I think I achieved it with a little sanding and a lot of sponging.   What do you think?

This card is just loaded with new products from the Spring catalog!  First of all, there's the new Honeycomb embossing folder, the new Core-dinations card stock in Primrose Petals, the Oh, Hello stamp set, the Tea for Two Designer Series paper, the Collage Curios stamp set, the new Oval Framelits, and last but not least, the amazingly cute silver soda bottle tops, which you can squish like this in your Big Shot.  Right now these nifty little embellishments are on back order, but will begin shipping on February 25th.  I can see why they ran out... they are just the perfect finishing touch on all sorts of cards, not just vintage-y cards.

I used crumb cake ink for the chevron background stamp and stamped it off on scratch paper before stamping my image.  After I ran it through the Big Shot with one of the oval framelits, I stamped the rose over the background, coloring the rose stamp with Primrose Petals and Lucky Limeaid markers.  The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso, then punched out with the Extra-Large oval punch.  I sponged it in Crumb cake.  The center of the bottle top was stamped on Very Vanilla card stock using the Collage Curios set, then sponged in Crumb Cake before adhering it inside the bottle top.

To squish a bottle cap, follow these easy instructions.  First, fold all the tabs on your multi-purpose platform back out of the way.  Place one cutting plate on the platform.  Then place the bottle caps on the cutting plate with the pointy-side up.  Cover with another cutting plate and crank through the Big Shot.  You can do more than one bottle top at a time.  Try it!

That's it for Wednesday!  Hope you'll have a great day!
Hugs,
Susan

Bunny Love

Hello there stampers and welcome back to The Classic Card!

How was your weekend?  I hope that you had a chance to relax and regroup after a busy week and that you are now ready to face another Monday!   I was a busy bee this past weekend.... stamping, stamping, and more stamping filled my Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  So while the rest of you are ready to go back to work, I'm ready to rest.

With the gray and gloomy weather we've been having lately, it is difficult to believe that spring is just around the corner, but it is!  With Easter coming early this year (March 31st), it is time to show the bunny stamps some love. The fun little diorama card I have for you does just that.  Take a peek inside...

Aren't those frolicking bunnies just the cutest?  They are part of a new stamp set called "A Little Bit of Spring," (page 22 of the Spring catalog).  This fun set has 18 different stamps in it:  bugs, a frog, a flower, an Easter egg tree and eggs to decorate it with, an Easter basket, and of course these two cute bunnies.  I stamped the bunnies in Jet Black Staz-On ink, so that when I colored the images with markers, the black ink wouldn't run.  The Daffodil Delight card stock for the front is cut at 5 1/2 by 4 1/4.  I scored it at 1/2 inch and 1 inch from each end, then folded on the score lines so that the front pops out.  After scoring, I cut the oval hole with one of the new Oval Framelits (page 4 of the Spring catalog).  Then I sent it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  The clouds were sponged on using a scallop circle I cut with my Scallop Circle punch and some Pool Party ink.  The grass is just sponged on with Lucky Limeaid ink.  I popped the bunnies up on some dimensionals.   The sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen stamp set.
I just stamped it on a narrow strip, flagged the ends, and then curled it with my bone folder.  A bow of stitched grosgrain ribbon in "Pretty in Pink" add a Spring-y touch, but a yellow or blue bow would work well too.

Maybe the best thing about this card, besides its obvious charm is that when you slide it into an envelope, it folds flat.  If you'd like to make this card, send me a quick email to sign up for my Easter class on Friday, March 1st at 7pm at my house in Sherwood.  The cost to attend is $10 or free with a $50 purchase. Your check holds your spot. I'll share some of the other projects soon.

Go out there and make it a great Monday, and may your week glide by without any drama or trauma!  Thanks for stopping by today.
Happy Stamping!
Susan

A Heart-y Hello

Hello and Happy Friday, everyone!

So glad the weekend is finally here (I consider Friday the un-official start of the weekend!), because that means I get to stamp, stamp, stamp!   Are you ready to join me?  With Valentine's Day creeping ever closer, it is past time to pull out your stamps, ink, and paper and create some hand-stamped love for those near and dear to you.  I can really get behind a day to show and tell people that you love them.... not just your sweetie but your mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, grandmas and grandpas, neighbors, and friends.  I know it is terribly trite, but in the words of the old song "what the world needs now is love, sweet love," and I don't mean the romantic kind.  So let's all spread a little of that love around this old world, which is so desperately in need of it.

The card I'm about to show you was stamped by a very talented member of my downline, Sara Miller.  Sara's cards show a high degree of artistry and skill in layout and color choice.  Her cards are always among the most popular at our monthly Stamp2gethers, when demonstrators gather to share ideas and swap cards with each other.  Check out Sara's card and see if  you don't agree with me....

Here are some of the products that Sara used to create this fun card:

Stamps:  Pretty Petites ( free Sale-a-bration  set), Itty Bitty Bits ( p.25 of the Spring Catalog)
Ink:  Basic Gray, Real Red, Primrose Petals
Paper:  Real Red, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla card stock, More Amore DSP, In Color DSP in  Pool Party
Accessories:  Curly Label Punch, Petite Curly Label Punch ( free Sale-a-bration item), Vanilla Smooch 
Spray

This card would be perfect for just about anyone on Valentine's Day.  I hope I've inspired you to get going on some cards of your own.  In fact, why not have a little Valentine-making party with some of your friends?
Make some heart-shaped cookies, put the tea kettle on, and spend a fun "crafternoon" with your girlfriends! I guarantee that it will lift your spirits and theirs as well!  And when you are finished, you'll have some lovely cards to send.  

I must run now... I'm getting ready for Connie's party tonight.  Have a great Friday and a sunny weekend (unless that weather man was misleading us once again!).

Hugs to you, my friends!
Susan

Very Vintage

Welcome to Wednesday at The Classic Card!

How is your week going?  Smoothly I hope!  Things have been a bit crazy and stressful around here as we've been helping our daughter and son-in-law prepare for their move to California.  We finished packing the house yesterday and today is truck-loading day.  On Thursday, they'll be off to new adventures in Davis, California. We are sad to see them go, of course, but happy that they are finally able to make the move they've been wanting to make for a long time.

Are you a fan of the vintage look?  Although I favor the clean and simple look when it comes to card-making, I have to admit that there is an element of elegance to the antique-y, vintage cards that are so popular right now.  The Sale-a-bration set called "Feeling Sentimental" features three images that definitely fall into the vintage category and I thought I'd try making a card with a vintage feel to it.  Please take a look and tell me if you think I succeeded in capturing the vintage look and feel...

Here's a quick list of the products I used to make this card:

Stamps:  Feeling Sentimental (free Sale-a-bration set)
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, First Edition Specialty paper (page 162, Annual catalog)
Accessories:  Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Label Framelit, Decorative Label punch, 5/8"Flower Trim (page 5 of the Spring catalog), Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Stampin' Sponge, Dimensionals.

I don't know why, but this isn't a very flattering photo of this card.   I need to take a photography class, but when would I have time to do that?  I think one of the keys to making a good vintage card is to sponge, sponge, sponge.  Sponging gives a nice time-worn appearance to a card, without making it look like it was sent through the wringer.  I just can't get excited by a card that is wrinkled and torn in an effort to make it look old.  Let's let mangled cards be the specialty of the US Postal Service.  They seem to be very good at that sort of thing.

If you'd like to make this pretty card, join us this Saturday at 10:30 at my house.  I'm sure Stephanie would be delighted to have an extra stamper or two at her party.  Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to come back on Friday for another classic card.
Hugs,
Susan

Pink-a-licious!

Hello stampers and happy Monday!

Pinkalicious is one of my granddaughter Emma's favorite books!  It's all about a little girl who adores the color pink.  Her love of pink even extends to food, and when she eats nothing but pink foods, her skin turns pink, which sounds perfectly logical to me.  I'm a fan of pink as well, as you can see by the card I have for you today.  Check it out...

I just love the way this card turned out... so bright and pretty and PINK!  Almost everything I used to make this card is in the new Spring catalog...the Cloudy Day embossing folder (page 28), the Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP (also page 28), the Rain or Shine stamp set (page 30) and the Ovals Collection Framelit Dies (page 4).  I used Melon Mambo ink for the umbrella and the handle is stamped in Lucky Limeaid.  I colored a rhinestone with a Sharpie marker before adhering it to the top of the umbrella.  The sentiment comes in the Rain or Shine set and was stamped with Pacific Point ink.  Some Scallop Dots Ribbon ribbon in Melon Mambo ( page 172 of the Annual catalog) adds the perfect touch.

If you'd like to make this cute card, just send me a quick email and I'll add you to the list for Connie's party, which is coming up this Friday night, Feb. 8th at 7 pm at my house in Sherwood.  You'll enjoy a coffee bar with lots of different flavored syrups, whipped cream, and other toppings as well as a decadent dessert.
Don't miss the fun!

I must run now, but please come back on Wednesday for another classic card!

Hugs,
Susan

Fresh and Clean

Hello stampers and thank you for stopping by The Classic Card today, the first day of February!

I'm not sad to see January gone!  For me it's a month of "too's..."  too cold, too dark, too dreary, too gray... well, I guess you get the idea.  I'm just not a fan!    But in February, things start to look up... primroses appear at the stores, Valentine's Day (think chocolate and flowers) looms on the horizon and the days get longer. Daffodils show their sunny faces at Trader Joe's and I start thinking of what new plants I'll get for the garden. While it's not spring, in February you can sense the stirrings of spring.

The card I want to show you today is as fresh and clean as a breath of spring.  There's nothing overdone about it... just a simple card with clear colors and crisp images.  Here, take a look for yourself...

I've long been a fan of the shadow-stamped card and although these were really "hot" when I first started stamping, I haven't seen a lot of this technique in recent years.  Then I picked up a stamping magazine and there was an article on shadow stamping.  While not at all "new," shadow stamping seems to be enjoying a comeback, so I thought I'd give it a try with some of our new stamps.   Back in the day, Stampin'Up! had a set of stamps that were just smooth rubber in different shapes... square, rectangle, triangle, and circle.  Now that they don't carry shadow stamps anymore, there are a couple of easy ways to do shadow stamping.

If you own some clear acrylic blocks, just press the flat side against a stamp pad and stamp.  The acrylic block will give you a somewhat mottled block of color, which you can then overstamp with your chosen image.  To achieve the smooth look of a rubber stamp, I simply cut up some of the excess rubber that is left over after assembling stamps.  I used my Craft and Rubber Scissors (p. 180 of the Annual catalog) to take little "nips" of  rubber off the edge of each shape, giving an irregularity that is much more interesting.
The colors I used are Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, and Bashful Blue.  The flower images are from the new set Secret Garden (page 17 of the Spring catalog) and the sentiment is from the Bloomin' Marvelous set (free with a $50 purchase... check it out in the Sale-a-bration brochure).  I stamped the flower images and the sentiment in Early Espresso.  Some Early Espresso and Bashful Blue card stock help the white panel "pop" and the thin taffeta ribbon adds another touch of Early Espresso.

OK, my friends,  I must mosey along now.  I'm going downstairs to make a luscious ganache to pour over Leslie's birthday cake for tonight.  I wish you could join us!

Have a fab Friday and a wonderful weekend!
Susan