Hello and happy April Fool's Day!
Oh, and happy Friday too!
I don't know where the expression "fresh as a daisy" came from, but I could probably google it and find out. Why not "fresh as a daffodil" or "fresh as a tulip"? My card today is yellow and white and has a fresh springy look to it, so I think the expression fits this card perfectly.
When you want to create a card with a fresh, clean feeling, you cannot go wrong with white. Add a pastel color or two and you are home free. I used the Grateful Bunch stamp set, along with a couple of the images from Timeless Textures. Both stamp sets are in the Occasions catalog. For the collage background I used Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, and Crumb Cake. I stamped the flowers in Crumb Cake on So Saffron card stock, then punched them out with the Blossom Bunch Punch, which you can get in a bundle with the stamp set for just $33.00 (item # 140801).
I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso. The Elegant Dots embossing folder adds a pretty touch of texture to the folded-back panel.
If you would like the directions and measurements for this card, where the front of the card folds back on itself and the focal panel hangs over the fold, just email me..... sjrstamps@gmail.com and I'll send them along to you.
Are you busy thinking up an April Fool's trick to play on someone? Honestly, I wish I had time for such silliness, but I'm busy designing my One-Sheet Wonder class that's coming up on April 9th at 1 pm. I still have four open spots, so let me know if you'd like to attend.
I hope the weekend ahead is just what you need... quiet and relaxing or brimming with activity and fun.
Hugs and happiness!
Susan
Hello again!
Sale-a-bration is coming to a close very shortly! Make sure you've stocked up on adhesives, card stock, and ink refills while you can still get something free. After Thursday, March 31st, you'll no longer get a freebie with your $50 purchase. How sad! I wish Sale-a-bration could go on all year, don't you? I'm offering free shipping on online orders of $50 or more. I'll send you a check via snail mail to reimburse you for your shipping charges.
Are you lucky enough to have a friend who would do almost anything for you? One you could call at 3 am and she'd rush right over to help? If you are blessed with such a friend, count yourself as lucky indeed!
The card I'm going to show you today would be perfect to send in appreciation for such a marvelous friend. I used the Apple of My Eye stamp set that's on page 47 of the Occasions catalog. I've had the set for quite a while, but somehow I never took it out of the box and inked it up until just the other day when I needed a quick but cute card for my annual Bunco Night.
By the way, Bunco Night was a big success! I gave away $150 in hostess dollars that the lucky Bunco winners got to spend. I also gave away $70 in merchandise to those who didn't win at Bunco. It was a fun and prize-filled night!
OK... guess it's time to get to the card, isn't it?
This super-simple card is a snap to put together. The base is Whisper White, folded so it opens at the top. The Real Red layer is 5 by 3 3/4 and the black & white DSP, from the Everyday Chic package, is 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. The tag was punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch (page 165 of the annual catalog). I used Old Olive and Real Red to stamp the cherries and the sentiment is stamped in Basic Black Archival ink. I tied a sweet little bow with some Real Red 1/4 inch Cotton Ribbon and adhered it with a glue dot. What a quick and easy card! You could easily turn out a bunch of these in no time.
That's it for today, stampers!
I hope you'll come back on Friday for more stamping inspiration.
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hi everyone!
Did you have a lovely Easter? I hope so!
Now that spring is here, it's time to start thinking about the garden. What are you going to plant this year.... veggies? flowers? Or maybe some of both? Here's a fun card with a little gift included that would be perfect to send or hand to friends for May Day.
To make this pocket card, I started with a Crumb Cake envelope, and cut off a thin strip across one end. Then I sealed the envelope to make a pocket. I stamped the front of the envelope using the Hardwood background stamp and Early Espresso ink to give the look of a rustic garden fence. I used a round punch to cut a half-circle in the open edge. Inside the pocket is a panel of Crumb Cake card stock with a seed packet attached. I punched a hole in the panel and used some Linen Thread so that you can easily pull out the seeds.
I stamped the Cosmos from the Helping Me Grow stamp set (on page 20 of the Occasions catalog) in the new Basic Black Archival ink on watercolor paper. Then I used my aqua painter and stamp pads in Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, and Old Olive to color the flowers. More Linen Thread wrapped around the stamped panel adds the look of garden twine to the card.
This would be a fun surprise to place in a co-worker's mailbox or to leave on their desk. Or, you could slip it into a larger envelope and send it off to a friend or relative who'd be delighted to receive some real mail for a change.
Hope your week is off to a trouble-free start!
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hi! It's me again with another card for you!
Wouldn't it be nice if you always had a stash of birthday cards ready to send? Well, you can accomplish this task very easily if you have this stamp set handy. It's called Balloon Celebration and you can see it on page 12 of the Occasions Catalog.
Here's the card we made with this set at a stamping party last Sunday...
Balloons make a great birthday card for anyone and everyone! You can make the card look feminine if you use Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, and other soft colors. For a child, use colors from the Brights Collection of colors, such as Real Red, Daffodil Delight, and Bermuda Bay. For a more masculine look, use a few colors from the Regals Collection, such as Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, and Cherry Cobbler. You can't go wrong if you use colors from one collection, as each color collection features colors that look good together. For this fun card, I used the background from You've Got This (page 113 of the annual catalog). I stamped it in Soft Sky, then added the balloon strings in Basic Black. Then it was super easy to place a balloon at the end of each string. I tied some ribbon in a knot and added it to the balloon strings with a glue dot. The sentiments in this set are done in a very fun font, which just adds to the appeal of the card.
I've got a lot to accomplish, so I've got to run. May you have a wonderful Easter with family and friends and I'll hope to see you back here at The Classic Card on Monday.
Hugs and happiness,
Susan
Hello out there in stamping land!
The week is rolling right along and here we are at Wednesday already. After today, we are "over the hump" and on the downhill side of the week! Are you ready for Easter? Got the baskets? The candy? The little toys and treats for the kiddos? I still need to get my act together! But before I do that, I want to show you a beautiful card that features some colors that are sadly going away.
Isn't this a lovely card? Thanks go to Stephanie Perry, one of my amazing downline members who gave me this card in one of our recent swaps. I'd like to point out that the card base (Lost Lagoon) and the green strips (Mossy Meadow) are two of the retiring In-Colors that will be gone on May 31st. I love the look of these two colors together and of course look how well they coordinate with the gorgeous Birthday Bouquet designer paper on page 9 of the Occasions catalog.
Stephanie stamped the rose and "for you" in Basic Black Archival ink on watercolor paper, then added color with her aqua painter and stamp pads. I love the girly bling she added with the sequins and the Pool Party Glitter Ribbon (#140561, page 9 of the Occasions catalog). You might think this ribbon would be stiff and difficult to tie, but you'll be pleasantly surprised that it is quite soft, pliable, and very easy to tie.
I cannot stress this enough....if you have the stamp pads in the retiring In-Colors (Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, and Tangelo Twist), then please get the ink refills ordered asap. They will run out before the end of the annual catalog (May 31st) and then you'll be one sad stamper indeed. People have been known to buy them up in bulk, then re-sell them on eBay for two or three times what they normally sell for, which is a very reasonable $3.25. I'd also suggest getting a couple of packages of the assorted card stock in those colors as well. The assorted card stock packages are on page 137 of the annual catalog and cost a measly $7. You will get 4 sheets of each of the 5 colors, for a total of 20 sheets per package. The item # is 133681.
Thanks for stopping in today. I'll be back on Friday with another card to inspire you!
Hugs all around!
Susan
Hello stampers!
Are you one of the lucky people who is on Spring Break this week? I can remember how much I looked forward to this much-needed break. Now that I'm retired, I guess every week is like Spring Break, except when it's Sale-a-bration. Then I work like a little bee... buzzing all the time! Thank you to each and every customer who attended a Sale-a-bration stamping party. This has been my best Sale-a-bration ever, and it's not over until March 31st.
FREE SHIPPING and a FREE Sale-a-bration stamp set!
Are there some Sale-a-bration stamp sets that you'd still like to get? I can help you with that. Here's my Spring Break Special...
FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50 or more when you order online. I will send you a check for the amount you paid for shipping when you place an online order of $50 or more from today, Monday March 21st until Monday March 28th at 10:59 pm. Just click on the "order now" button at the top of this blog and you'll be taken to my online ordering site.
Now let's move on to the cute Easter treat, shall we?
This fun carrot can be filled with almost anything... chocolate eggs, jelly beans, M & M's in Easter colors, money, goldfish crackers... whatever! And it is so simple to make. You make a long tube from DSP, then seal the bottom one way and seal the top perpendicular to the bottom. Then glue on some DSP that you've cut with the fringing scissors and add the "Happy Easter" sentiment. If you would like to have the measurements and the instructions, please send me a quick email to sjrstamps@gmail.com
and I'll send them to you. You could make one for each person at your Easter table and fill it with a treat appropriate for their age. Instead of the "Happy Easter" sentiment, you could write their name on the little tag, so it would be a place card and treat all rolled into one.
Well, my friends, that wraps up my post for Monday. I hope your week is off to a happy start, Spring Break or no Spring Break!
Happy Stamping!
Susan
Hello again to all of my stamping friends!
If you are a teacher, a student, or have any connection to schools, today is an exciting day for you... the last day of school before a well-deserved and much-anticipated Spring Break! I can remember the feeling of the last day before a vacation period very well. The atmosphere is super-charged with excitement and anticipation. Everyone's in a great mood and energy abounds.
I'm enjoying a different kind of excitement today.... tonight is my annual Bunco Night and I'm gearing up to serve pizza and salad to 12 stampers, make 2 fun cards, and then enjoy playing Bunco for tons of prizes. If you aren't playing with us tonight, you should definitely try to join us next year. Everyone goes home with a nice prize!
As I mentioned on Monday, this is Grateful Bunch week, so of course I've got another card for you that showcases this great set. Here it is again, "in-the-pink," thanks to Mary Peterson, who's one of the talented stampers in my downline.
Didn't Mary do a wonderful job with this card? The colors she used are Blushing Bride, and Wild Wasabi on the panel of Whisper White. The white panel is layered over Pink Pirouette and Wild Wasabi panels. The flowers are stamped in Blushing Bride on Pink Pirouette card stock, then punched out with the coordinating Blossom Bunch Punch. What makes these flowers really stand out is the way Mary layered three of them in the three different sizes, then popped them up on dimensionals. The tiny pearls give a sweet feminine accent to the flower centers. Thanks, Mary, for such a beautiful swap card!
If you are heading off for a spring break adventure, safe travels!
Hugs and happiness!
Susan
