Bright Birthdays

Hello Stampers and a happy Monday to all!

Today is a very big day in Stamping Land!  First of all, the new annual catalog will be posted at noon Pacific Daylight Savings Time.  I wish you could all get a peek at it, but unfortunately, you have to be a demonstrator to see it this early.  Being the first to see new catalogs and products is one of the perks of being a demonstrator.    Another reason for excitement is that the retiring list will be posted today as well.  I will send it along later today in a group email to all of my customers, so be looking for it sometime this afternoon.  I will not be sending it out as soon as it is posted, as I will have a house-full of company at that time.  You can probably find it on the Stampin'Up! web site if you are in a hurry to see it, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

I've got a birthday card for you today that you could make in quantity and have on hand for any birthday that comes along.  I love having some general birthday cards in my stash that don't look too feminine or too masculine or too much like a card for a small child.

Check out this card and you'll see what I mean... it would be perfect for just about anyone!

If I was thinking of sending this to a guy, I might tie a knot in the ribbon, instead of a bow, but other than that, I wouldn't make any changes.  I used products from the Picture Perfect Party suite on pages 4 and 5 of the Occasions catalog.  The stamp set is called Picture Perfect Birthday and the printed DSP is called Picture Perfect Party.  I stamped the candles in Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party (stamped off once) and Berry Burst (also stamped off once).

The sentiment is stamped over the candles in Berry Burst.  

The base of the card is Whisper White, with a layer of Bermuda Bay over it.  The sentiment is stamped on a Whisper White oval, cut with one of the Stitched Shapes dies.  

Why not get out some of your favorite birthday stamps and create a stack of birthday cards for all of the upcoming birthdays on your calendar??  You'll be ahead of the game and you can feel a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you are ready for any birthdays on the horizon.

Hope the week ahead will be a good one for you!

Hugs to all,

Susan

Coming right up... April Showers!

Hello Stampers!

I hope you all had a nice Easter yesterday and that you are ready for a fresh new month!  March turned out to be super-challenging as our daughter broke her leg in a fall.  Two surgeries later, she is now on the road to recovery, but she cannot put weight on her leg for another 6 weeks.  We took over the care of our granddaughters so that their dad doesn't have to miss work. We are thankful that we are here and able to help with whatever needs doing, but we are looking forward to the day when she can be the mom again.  We're a little too old for this parenting gig!

It is time to bid a fond farewell to Sale-a-bration, but there are still 2 months left before the Occasions catalog is history.  So today I have a fun card that uses a set from the Occasions catalog called Sunshine and Rainbows.  You can check it out on page 33.  This set has matching Rainbow Builder framelits for easy cutting of rainbows, clouds, a sun and even a lightning bolt.

This card was one I received in a swap at the OnStage event in Salt Lake City last November.  I'm sorry I can't give the proper credit, but this card did not have a name attached.  

I love the saying "you can't have a rainbow without a little rain,"

This stamp set is perfect for rainy Oregon!  The card base is Daffodil Delight, the dark clouds at the top are Tempting Turquoise and Pacific Point.

Don't forget that some awesome In-Colors are being discontinued at the end of May.  Usually the stamp pads, refills, and card stock sell out fairly quickly, so if you are needing any of the 2016-2018 In-colors, order them now.  The colors that are going away are:

Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Sweet Sugarplum, Peekaboo Peach, and Flirty Flamingo.  

Please check your email later today (Monday) for the April Host Code.  May the month of April bring you a few rainbows along with the rain!

Happy stamping!

Susan

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

Bubbling Over

Hey there stampers!

Happy Monday and welcome to a new post.  Hope you all had a fun and/or productive weekend. Sometimes it is good to dig in and get tasks done!  I don't know about you, but I don't like things hanging over my head.  I would just rather jump in and get things done and that's exactly what I did this weekend.  Now I can say that my business taxes are finished!  Yay!  It is such a feeling of accomplishment to have tackled that task and to have it done!

Today I have a bright and fun card for you that just says "summer" to me.  I apologize for the way it looks a little washed out, thanks to the flash on my camera.  I really need to take a photography class or something.  In reality, the card is quite a bit more vivid.  Take a look.

This set is perfect for "guy" cards, especially if the guy in question enjoys a beer every now and then.  Of course this card features a soda bottle, as I've never seen beer in that particular shade of green, have you? So if you use the soda bottle option, then this make a great set for teens as well. You can see the Bubble Over stamp set on page 32 of the Occasions catalog and the matching framelits are also on the same page.  

What makes this set even more fun is that there is matching Designer Series Paper that you can earn for FREE with a $50 purchase.  Check page 13 of the Sale-a-bration brochure to see this bright paper.  There's not a flower in sight... just bubbles, dots, stripes, bottles, and other patterns that are not the least bit feminine.

I know we all struggle sometimes with cards for men and cards for teenagers, so this set might work when you need such a card.

Make the week ahead a great one!  February will be over before you know it!  The February Host Code is H4E4W9HY.  Of course it goes without saying that I would love for you to place an order.

I appreciate you, my wonderful customers more than you know!  

Blessings,

Susan