Fuzzy little guy....

Happy Halloween!  I've been so good, I think I may cave in and go purchase a very small package of "fun-size" Milky Ways.  They are my favorite Halloween treat. Have you been munching on the goodies for the kiddos?? 

 I'm happy to be back in business with blogging.  Sorry for the little glitch in my posts, but thanks to my tech-savvy son-in-law Eli, I'm able to blog again.  Hope your week went smoothly and that you are getting back in rainy-weather mode after our fabulous summer and early fall.  Even I have given up on sandals and capris, but I think I was one of the last hold-outs.  I just don't enjoy closed-in shoes and long pants all that much, but when the rains start, I'm forced to knuckle under. 

I've got an "interesting" card for you today... interesting because I've never seen a hairy bird like this.  Yes, I know we don't have cardinals here in Oregon, and I must confess that I don't get out much, so I've never seen a cardinal up close.  But I'm pretty sure they don't have little hairy things sticking out of their feathers. I don't know what the artist who drew this image was thinking.
Maybe this little guy is a baby bird and he still has his downy fuzz.  Or maybe he's cold and his feathers are fluffed up.  Whatever the reason, check out the card and you'll see what I mean.

I used the Beauty of the Season stamp set from the holiday catalog and stamped it in Staz-On ink on watercolor paper.  I colored the bird with an aqua-painter and Cherry Cobbler ink.  The branch is colored in Soft Suede and the berries are done in Cherry Cobbler.  
The strip of printed card stock along the side is from the Under the Tree collection of extra-heavy card stock (page 5 of the holiday catalog).  The greeting was stamped on watercolor paper with Jet Black Staz-On ink.  Mossy Meadow goes so nicely with Cherry Cobbler that it's my new favorite for Christmas.  

Thanks for stopping in today!  You might want to make a last-minute trip to the store and get yourself some goodies that you actually like.  It's a lot of work running back and forth to answer the doorbell and you're going to need the energy to keep up.  So I've just given you the excuse you need to purchase and consume your favorite Halloween treat.  I think I hear a chorus of "thank you's" out there and I want you to know that you are entirely welcome.  
Enjoy!
Hugs to all,
Susan

Clean and Simple Christmas

Hi there stampers!

Wow... what I busy weekend I had!  But it was all fun... first at my Gifted Stamper class on Saturday and then at Charlotte's party on Sunday.  It's always fun to get together with my stamping customers.  They are the nicest people and so much fun too!  When we get together, I'm 100% sure that I'm going to laugh and since laughter is healthy, then it just stands to reason that stamping is healthy too because the two always seem to go together.  

After a short break of non-holiday cards, today we return to Christmas cards.  I received this card at a recent meeting of demonstrators and I just love it.  This clean and simple card is the work of Shannon Carrier. Everyone at the meeting loved it too.  
Check it out...

I don't think this photo really does justice to this card, but hopefully you can see it well enough to appreciate it. I know I need to get a better camera, but let's not go into that right now.  The folded card base is is Crumb Cake, with a thin border of Early Espresso setting off the focal panel of more Crumb Cake.  The stamps are all from the Endless Wishes stamp set (page 32 of the Holiday Catalog).  The snowflakes are stamped in Soft Suede, while the words "a little dash of cheer" are stamped in Early Espresso.  The word Christmas is stamped in Cherry Cobbler.  Adding the rhinestones to the snowflake centers proves to be the perfect finishing touch.  Nice work, Shannon!

I'm excited to be meeting with my SOS (Stamp Out Stress) friends today at Symposium Coffee in Old Town Sherwood.  We took a break from our get-togethers over the summer, and then I was on a trip on the last Monday of September, so this is the first time we've met in ages.  It will be good to get back to our regular routine of stamping on the last Monday of each month at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.  We talk, stamp, drink coffee, stamp, laugh, and stamp some more.  If you like coffee, stamping, talking, and laughing, you really should join us sometime.  I promise that your stress level will drop dramatically!

Thanks for stopping by this last Monday of October.  Didn't this month just fly by?   Please come back on Wednesday for another classic card.
Hugs to all,
Susan

Yippe, it's Friday!

Hi and happy Friday, everyone!

Are you feeling a little soggy around the edges yet?  There are parts of the country that are flooding, while others, like California, are experiencing a terrible drought.  So I guess we really have nothing to complain about.  This is just our typical fall weather and as I watch the rain, I'm thankful that we are not drought-stricken like they are in California.  

As promised, I'm bringing you another non-holiday card today.  I will probably get back to showing you Christmas cards on Monday, but for today we'll take a look at another one of the cards that will be made at The Gifted Stamper this Saturday.  I'm excited that I have a full house for this class.  We're going to have a busy afternoon of stamping, as everyone will be making 6 cards plus a 
folder to store them in.  This will make a great gift for friends this holiday season.

I'm hoping I haven't shown you this card yet... I'm having a bit of trouble with my computer and I can't access all of my recent posts.  If this is a repeat, I apologize.

This is a gatefold card that opens in the center, just for something a little bit different.  The stamp set is Kinda Eclectic and the colors are Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, and Mossy Meadow... all stamped on Very Vanilla card stock.  The greeting is from the Hostess Set "Hello There," on page 237 of the annual catalog.  The Vanilla and Blackberry panels are cut with the Label Collection Framelits on page 231 of the annual catalog.  The butterflies were punches with the Elegant Butterfly and Bitty Butterfly punches on page 219 of the annual catalog.  

With all the rain in the forecast, I'm hoping that you'll use that as an excuse to stay inside this weekend and stamp.  You can even stay in your jammies if you want to, drink tea, coffee, or hot chocolate and just generally goof off.  That's what weekends are for, unless you're a Stampin'Up! demonstrator.  I'll be stamping all weekend too, but definitely not in my pj's!

Have a relaxing weekend, and please come back on Monday for another classic card.
Susan 

A Holiday Break

Hi there and happy Wednesday!

I've been showing you fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas cards for quite a while now and I think it's time for a little break.  After all, life goes on and we need all sorts of everyday cards, such as birthday, get well, thinking of you, and sympathy cards.  

Today's pretty card was made by one of my team members, Mary Peterson.  Check it out below and then I'll give you a run-down of all of products she used to create this beauty.

The colors Mary used are Soft Sky, Whisper White, and Early Espresso.  Those pretty little vines in the background are from the Bordering Blooms set on page 162 of the annual catalog.  They're stamped in Early Espresso.  The larger flowers come from the Flower Shop stamp set on page 67 of the annual catalog and are punched out with the Pansy Punch. The smaller flowers in the center are from the Petite Petals stamp set and they are punched out with the matching Petite Petals punch.  
The sentiment is from the Perfect Pennants set on page 16 of the annual catalog.  The Early Espresso Cotton ribbon is the perfect finishing touch.  As pretty as this is done in Soft Sky, I can imagine this same design done in So Saffron or Blushing Bride, with the same Early Espresso ink.  

If you've got a bit of time today to stamp, why not pull out some flower stamps, a nice sentiment, and stamp up a pretty card?  You must know someone who could use a bit of encouragement.  You'll feel good just by sending it and your friend will be so appreciative.

If you are at work today, just think... it's "hump day" and you're officially over the hump and it's all downhill to the weekend!  


Thank you, my faithful readers, for stopping in today. Please come back on Friday when I'll have another non-holiday card to inspire your stamping.  

Choose happiness,
Susan
Susan

Oh boy... Halloween!

Whoa!  It's Monday again!  The days are zipping by too quickly for me.  Don't you wish we could slow things down?  Wasn't Sunday the most glorious autumn day?  I'm sorry I didn't get a chance for an afternoon walk in the sunshine, but I did go to the grand opening of the new Home Goods store in Tualatin, along with about half the population of Portland.  My goodness... what a mob!  

I just checked the 7 day forecast for Portland and it's not looking so good, unless you are a stamper. For those of us who are addicted to stamping, the weather is looking pretty perfect.... rain, rain, and rain... with a 100% chance of rain on Wednesday.  

Last Friday I showed you the Halloween card I made for my granddaughters, so today I'm going to show you the cards I made for my grandsons.  Being typical boys, both Luke and Ben think monsters are pretty cool.  And they know "the count" (Count Dracula) from Sesame Street, so I'm hoping they'll like their Halloween cards.  Of course being typical boys they'll probably fling the cards onto the floor.  I'm pretty sure they'll be happy about the cash that's in the card, though. I'm asking Amy to take them to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt in the U Village or to Top Pot Donuts, a Seattle favorite, for their annual Halloween treat from Oma and Opa.

Here are their fun Halloween cards...

These cute cards are made with the Motley Monsters designer paper on page 45 of the Holiday catalog.  I simply cut out a strip of the monsters and glued the strip onto some Tangerine Tango card stock which I embossed with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder.

For the sayings, I used the Just Sayin' stamp set (page 109 of the annual catalog) and cut them out with the matching Word Bubbles Framelit Dies.  

I would like to have tied some of the new Tangerine Tango extra thick Twine on these, but we all know that lumps and bumps in an envelope are not appreciated by the US Postal Service.  I'm pretty sure the boys wouldn't notice anyway.  

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hope your week is off to a smooth start and that you'll find some time during the week ahead to do a little stamping.  When we take time out for creativity, it makes life so much happier!  

Susan

Sweet Halloween

Hi there stampers and may I just add a small "yippee" for the weekend that is just around the corner?
I've got a couple of events that I'm looking forward to... a party this afternoon with Sandy and her friends, and then another one on Saturday afternoon with Yoko and her friends.  There's going to be a whole lotta stampin; going on!

If you've checked your calendar lately, you'll see that October is just flying by and that soon, Halloween is going to be here.  Do you have your candy stash ready for the little ghosts and goblins?? I know that many of you have heard me say that, when it comes to candy,  if it's not chocolate, it's not worth eating.  Actually, I think many adult women feel that way.  Let the kiddos eat the Skittles, Jelly Bellies, Red Vines, and other non-chocolate schtuff, but give us the Dark Milky Ways, the Snickers bars, yummy Twix bars, and all of those other chocolate-y goodies.  Today's card, though, reminds me that I do love one Halloweeny thing that isn't chocolate, and that is candy corn! I don't know what it is about candy corn that I love.  Maybe it's just the association with childhood that make it so satisfying.  Of course I'd like it better if it was dipped in chocolate!

Here's one of the sweet Halloween cards I made for my granddaughters.  

Doesn't that candy corn make you wish you had some right now?  I used the Motley Monsters Designer Paper on page 45 of the Holiday Catalog and paired it with some Tangerine Tango card stock.  I love how the triangular shapes created with the Tiny Triangles Embossing Folder (page 227 of the annual catalog) echo the triangular candy corn.  I didn't want anything remotely scary on this card, so I chose the single stamp Halloween Street (page 47 of the Holiday Catalog) for my greeting.  
I stamped the pumpkin from the Fall Fest stamp set ( page 46 of the Holiday Catalog) in Tangerine Tango and added the carved face with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (page 212 of the annual catalog). This is, by far, my favorite black ink.  I think if you give it a try, you'll agree that it is awesome. It stamps nice and dark and doesn't smear. It's also the type of ink you must use when coloring with the new Blendabilities alcohol markers. I cut out the pumpkin with the matching Fun Fall Framelit Dies. If you've got some small children or grandchildren to remember on Halloween, this could be the perfect card. 

Thanks for stopping by on this very busy Friday.  I know I'm not the only one with a lot on my list today, so I appreciate you taking some of your valuable time to read my blog.  
Have a relaxing and restorative weekend, everyone!

Susan

Blossoming in Blackberry Bliss

Helloooo Stamping Weather!

Just checked today's forecast and it is definitely looking like you'll have a really good excuse to stay in your jammies longer than usual and stamp away a few hours.  Since I spent the entire day yesterday in my stamp room, prepping for upcoming parties and classes, I need to get out of the house today to run errands, shop, and go to Curves.  Sometimes it's necessary to pay attention to things other than stamping.  Sad, I know, but necessary.  So while I'm out braving the rain today, I give you permission (in case you need it) to stay inside, keep warm and dry, and stamp to your heart's content.

I have another card from my next class, The Gifted Stamper, to show you today.  This class is at my house on Saturday, October 25th at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.  You're going to create your own designer paper, and then cut it up to make 6 great cards.  You'll also make a quick and easy portfolio to store the cards and envelopes, making this a perfect holiday gift for friends.

Here's the card

The stamp set is Kinda Eclectic (page 164 of the annual catalog) and the sentiment is from Another Thank You (page 148 of the annual catalog).  The flower was punched using 4 different punches:
the Blossom Punch, the Pansy Punch, the 7/8 inch Scallop Circle Punch and the flower from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  The flower was textured with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, as was the Hello Honey panel behind the stamped panel.  The colors are Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow, and Very Vanilla.  These new In-Colors look so gorgeous together!

We'll I'm off to run my errands.  Hope you'll have a wonderful Wednesday and even if you have to be out and about in the rain, I hope that at some point you'll have a few spare minutes to stamp something pretty.  There's nothing like a little stamping therapy to make a day happier!
Thanks for coming by to read my ramblings and I hope you'll come back on Friday for more stamping ideas.
Susan