How to Make an Accordion Card

 Hey Everybody,

Today I have a video that will show you how to make an accordion card. We will be making this card this week in classes.

In this video I'll show you how to make a simple accordion fold card. Supplies: blackberry bliss card base 4 1/4" x 11" score at 5 1/2" white 2 1/4" x 4" (inside) white 1" x 4" (inside sentiment) white-small heart punch used for sentiment outside real red scallop heart punch Adhesive backed hearts Cute as a Bug designer series paper 4" x 12" Cut 2" off and use it for the front behind the heart. red ribbon-bow Hearts of Love 3D embossing folder Stamps: Hope Love & Joy Sweet Jar Ink-real red and blackberry bliss

Here is a photo of the front of the card. In the video I put this card together without the designer series paper behind it.

Here is a photo of the inside of the card.

I have listed some of the supplies that I used in the video. I can't wait to do more cards with the Cute as a Bug designer series paper.

Cute as a Bug Designer Series Paper

Made With Love Designer paper

Splash of Sparkles Designer paper-This paper has silver holographic like paper on one side which is just gorgeous.

Hope Love & Joy stamp set-So many possibilities with this set.

Sweet Jar stamps

Hearts of Love 3D embossing folder-Not just for Valentine's Day.

Well, there you have it. A video to show you how to make this card and some of the supplies I used to make the cards.

Take care and thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

The Simple Woman's Daybook for Thursday January 8, 2026

Hey Everybody, 

For Today, Thursday January 8, 2026

 

Looking out my window-It's now dark outside. It's been a dreary, drizzly day. Inside however, it's been a fun day with Mia. I picked her up this morning and brought her here. She hasn't been here for a few weeks so things were different enough that it wasn't the same old, same old thing.

I am thinking it will be good to sleep in tomorrow and get some of my things done for next week. 

I am thankful that I can have time alone with Mia. Yesterday we went to her local library so she could play with their toys.  While there a little girl about 4 came by and said hi and asked Mia is she wanted to play with her.

I've never seen Mia play with other kids and it brought tears to my eyes. She shared blocks with her new friend, she took turns and they both made up games to play that the other one wanted to play.

I really wanted to video it so her parents could see it, but I didn't want to video someone else's child. If I would have moved to just see Mia it would have been very obvious what I was doing and she'd probably stop playing.

I've only seen Mia playing here alone or with me. When we play together she likes to run the show. She is learning to compromise with ideas and playing. She'll say we'll do my idea first, then your idea Grandma.

One of my favorite things is now my new studio. I will be able to teach my classes here next week.  Woohoo!  Right now I'm working with the new set up and making adjustments as I go along.  I will do a tour of my studio sometime when I get things settled.

 

I am creating a new afghan which will be donated to a local nursing home. I finished an afghan for Silas which is very soft. I used the Moss stitch to make it.

I am wearing a purple turtle neck sweater, jeans, fuzzy blue socks and shoes.  I am also wearing a really fun necklace I got for Christmas. This necklace has a picture of Mia inside. You can also project the picture if you want. I haven't done that but I love that my Mia is with me.

I am reading The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury.  Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite Christian authors so I can't wait to start reading this book. My husband just brought it home from the library.

 

I am learning that helping my son and daughter-in-law is a wonderful feeling and tiring at the same time. It's a 35 minute drive there and the same amount of time coming home.  I don't mind that because it feels good to help and who doesn't want to be near their grandkids?

I've spent three days in a row helping them. Now I have time off to finish cutting paper for my classes next week.  

One thing I saw at Christmas was I'd rather spend time with my kids and grandkids than have gifts. I want the gift of time with them.  My son realized that and last year took me to a basketball game for my birthday. It was our 'G' league team here in town and was a lot of fun plus it was time with him! 

In my kitchen, this morning Mia and I made mini buckwheat pancakes. She loves to bake or cook. She is getting pretty good at measuring things. She uses a big tablespoon to measure the pancake mix.  She learned how to measure baking powder and how to scrape the spoon under the lip of the container to get an even teaspoon.  She's learning to count.

I think she was having too much fun because she wanted to keep going with adding more amounts than were needed for our pancakes.  She cracks the eggs but doesn't like the goo on her fingers! LOL  (Not many bakers do like goo on their fingers.)

I made mini pancakes for Mia to eat and some to take home.  Sometimes it's fun to have something different than the usual fare at home, especially if you've made it.

 

In the school room Mia and I were rolling marbles over dots that had letters from her name and shapes on them. They were in the lid of a box. She would tell me or point to the sticker my marble had to roll over.  Then we'd switch.  She can recognize her name and can spell it.  It's amazing to listen to what she's learning in preschool.  She's 3 and telling me the name of some letters and their sounds.  

 In my garden the snow is gone and I can see the green of the strawberry plants and the brown of the rest of the garden which is asleep for the winter.

Today I saw a blue jay, a robin and a new bird at our feeder. I'll have to get a picture an look up what type of bird it is. It's just beautiful. 

Shared Quote-This isn't a quote but I came across this mug and thought it was funny.

A moment from my day-This is one of Mia and my favorite books right now. I love the story and the fun and funny illustrations. I'll be reading this story to her class at the end of the month. You're supposed to bring a special book to share with the class.  This is one where I stop at different parts and Mia fills in the words and does it dramatically!

 

 

Closing Thoughts-There's nothing like a blessed gift from Heaven. Thanking God for this little guy; Silas Timothy. He opened his eyes so I quickly got a picture of him.  Usually he's sleeping.

I can't thank God enough for all of the blessings he allows. I know how lucky I am. I am truly blessed.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

 

New Stampin' Up Products! Happy Stampin' Up New Year!

Hey Everybody, 

There is so much going on with Stampin' Up starting today. Check it out here.

January Specials; Bonus Days are here! Get rewards for your purchases

It’s time for one of our favorite promotions—BONUS DAYS!

Getting rewarded for the crafting supplies you buy is THE BEST!

When you shop between January 6 and February 2 and spend $50, you will earn a $5 coupon!
Make sure you save all your coupons because you can redeem them (and we mean ALL of them) between February 3 and 28. And don’t forget—each purchase earns you Stampin’ Rewards, so that’s even more bang for your buck!

There’s no limit to how many coupons you can earn! They are emailed to you from Stampin’ Up! Go here to shop.

 

There’s also a new product of the month starting today! Redeem it for just $5 once your order is over $75.

It’s called Fabulous Sayings – a 10 piece photopolymer stamp set with awesome greetings in a unique font.

Be sure to add it to your order before you check out!

Check out the new Mini Catalog online here.

Check out these new kits! Click on the links.

167256

ADOPT A PET KIT

$15.00

167266

BUTTERFLY GARDEN KIT (ENGLISH)

$24.00

New Online Exclusives are available too! Click here to see them.

This Paper Pumpkin is available until January 10th.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Blessings,

Sue

Studio Almost Done

 Hey Everybody,

Thank you for the comments on my studio. I am just about finished with putting things away. Then I'll be fine tuning things to see if how I've set it up will continue to work.  I am excited to hold classes in here this month. A big thank you to Tim for all of his love and help putting this together. Not only did he make everything wood in this room, he helped pack and unpack with me. He also did the computer set up and most of the electrical plug ins.

I was able to make two cards this evening after a full day of unpacking, crocheting and watching the Cleveland Browns Win today!  I also loved seeing Miles Garrett beat the record for the most sacks in a season. 

 Not only is Miles Garrett a great football player but he was raised by parents who believe you need to be well rounded. Miles himself says this is his job and what he does, it is not who he is.  He is a man with intelligence that does for others. He cares about the little guy. Do you know that when he was young and coming up in football, he used to eat at a diner and if he couldn't pay for his meals, the owner gave them free to him.

When that owner went to sell her diner years later, guess who bought it? Yup, Miles Garrett. He didn't turn it into a regular diner again. He opened it as a place people could get a meal free if they couldn't afford food. What does that tell you about this man?

Here is the first card which was called a napkin fold. It was part of today's Technique Challenge on Splitcoast today. You can find it here along with the directions.

This card is for the Clean and Simple challenge today. The challenge was to make something that shows what Quiet Reflection means to you. Check it out here.  This is one of my favorite stamps from Unity Stamp Company called, Gretchen Girl. Unity has some wonderful sentiments as well as stamp sets. They are perfect for my Card Ministry cards.

This card was colored with soft Copic Markers that matched the designer paper. I also used a glitter glaze on the snow. I've been adding the glaze with a palette knife but today I tried a small paintbrush and liked that better because it gave me more control.

Well, it's late so I better get to sleep. I take my granddaughter to preschool tomorrow. Then I'll go back to her house to help the new mama with things around the house, then pick Mia up from school and help her get lunch and settle into some quiet play in her room after lunch.

In that time I'm sure little Silas will wake and need to be held by someone! LOL

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

We Have a Studio!

Hey Everybody,

I know I've missed a day or two because I've been busy being a grandma and I've also been putting my studio together after Tim got it ready for my craft things.

For the grandma part, I've been back and forth to my son's  house to help out. My daughter-in-law dressed Silas in the same outfit that Mia came home in. I labeled them so I'd be able to tell who was who. At that age, you'd never know.

The next picture is of Mia putting paper wrappers into a muffin tin so we could make chocolate covered nut and raisins.  When the chocolate was melted, I gave her one of her baby spoons so she could fill the cups easier. Little did I know that she'd put a dab of chocolate in the cup and move on to the next one. LOL 

We made two trays of Christmas molds with bells, trees, etc. 

I have a cabinet in the living room where I keep my placemats, yarn and Mia's games and toys.  Each time I open that cabinet I have to check before I close it to make sure Phoebe isn't in there. I've only closed her in once! LOL She loves to be 'in' things. It makes her feel safe.

This is a card for the Free 4 All challenge this week. The challenge was to make a cupcake on your  card.  This is one of my favorite old digital images that I printed then colored with Copic Markers.

The background is made with the Cast away embossing folder by dragging ink across the debossed side. I used pretty peacock and mossy meadow inks. I used a dauber to soften the white paper around the edges and on the paper around the turtle. This will go to a local nursing home to be use by residents.

My studio is almost finished being filled. Tim has cords to organize and tie up then he's done. I still have a few boxes to unload but for the most part I'm done. You can see here I still had a box of paper to put in the file drawer and some larger items that needed to be organized and given a new home in my studio.  I just have to figure out where.

I have a corner cabinet that looks very similar to the table tops that I use to store items also. That's where the flat and long things will go.

The table space closest to you is where I'll hold classes. I can't believe how many great ideas Tim had for this area. He found LED lights to place on this area so ladies would have plenty of good light to stamp and work by.

Once again, I know I am truly blessed. Tim spent a year planning and making all of the wood furniture in here. He said he's proud of the work he did and he's glad it's done. Now he can go on to other things.

I thought this would be a cute way to end this blog post. It gives me a chuckle every time I see it. 
 

Thanks for taking time to stop by today.

Blessings,

Sue

January 2026 Sampin' Up Newsletter and Calendar of Classes

 Hey Everybody,

Starting Tuesday, January 6

• New Spring Mini Catalog launches • New Online Exclusives (products you won’t find in a catalog) click link to see Online Exclusives before Jan 6th. • New Card Kits for easy, no-stress crafting • NEW Product of the Month – Just $5 with a $75 purchase

 Earn a $5 Coupon For Every $50 You Spend Jan 6 - Feb 2

• This Is In Addition To Your 10% Stampin' Rewards
• Redeem Your Coupons February 3-28

Spring Mini Catalogs are here. Let me know if you need one. They will also be available at classes this month.

Print the classes out for the year. Mark your calendar so you don't miss a class!

Classes for 2026

Monday at 10

Tuesday at 1

Thursday at 10

Friday at 7

January 12, 13, 15, 16  We will be making our calendar this month.

February 9,  10, 12, 13

March 9, 10, 12, 13

April  13, 14, 16, 17

May 11, 12, 14, 15

June  8, 9, 11, 12

July 13, 14, 16, 17

August 19, 11, 13, 14

September 14, 15, 17, 18

October 12, 13, 15, 16

November 9, 10, 12, 13

December 11, 14, 15, 17

Tim's been working on my new studio. My son helped him do part of the installation today.

The first picture shows the table where my classes will be held. There will be drawers for storing supplies below.

 The second picture shows three drawers where my desk begins. The desk is L-shaped and will hold ribbon, Copic markers and refills, as well as 6" x 6" designer series paper and current Stampin' up and Card Ministry stamps.

The last picture shows the long storage area for my scoring tool and paper cutters. Next to that will be drawers for punches.  On the last wall there will be cardstock storage and 12" x 12" designer paper storage as well as other stamping supplies.

Tomorrow the drawers will go in. There is some electrical that needs to be finished. There is a small table for the corner that needs legs added to it and my computer will be set up.

I know I'm blessed, I truly do. I told Tim that it was far more than I could have ever imagined.  He said, "You worked with a pieced-together craft room for 20 years, it's about time you had something nice."

Who am I to argue with that?

He said he's learned so much by doing these cabinets, drawers and cabinets. When he finishes this he will be making a holder for my ink pads, matching marker and refills.  Then he said he'll make another ink refill holder for my Copic Marker refills. Those will be far easier than anything he's done in the last year I can tell you that!

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Blessings,

Sue

Happy New Year 2026

  Happy New Year my friends! 

As we get ready to turn the page to a brand-new year, I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am for you. Whether you came to classes or purchased supplies from me, I consider it a privilege to be your friend and teacher.

 

I hope this new year brings you fresh inspiration, creative confidence, and plenty of time to play with stamps, ink, and paper. May your cardstock be smooth, your ink pads juicy, and your craft space filled with joy (and maybe a little giggle.

As I was going through images from today on my computer, I came across this image of a gumdrop tree. We grew up with one. It didn't stand a chance with 7 kids, LOL. My mom put spiced gumdrops on it. I love those things. I don't think I've had once since my kids moved out.

I think I owe it to myself to see if I can find some spiced gumdrops. This image brought back such sweet memories of Christmas for me. Do you have any images that bring back memories for you?

Here is the baby blanket I made for Silas Timothy. I used very soft yarn and crocheted using the moss stitch. It is a very easy stitch. You single crochet, chain one then skip a loop. It goes quickly because you don't have to count stitches like with a ripple afghan.

I got to hold Silas the day he came home. You forget how small 6 pounds is you know? I love all of the noises and faces babies make. They wiggle a lot too.

My craft room is coming along. Here you can see the upper cabinets have lighting underneath. Tim also cleaned the floor and applied something to help the floor hold up with lots of people walking on it as this will hopefully be where I'll hold classes.

Today, Tim brought up the bottom cabinets. Tomorrow my son will help Tim bring the countertops and drawers up.

   Here is the card I made for today's sketch challenge. Here's the sketch. As you can see I turned the sketch to make it horizontal instead of vertical.

I cut the stenciled paper apart after I die cut it. I layered two snowflakes on the red circle then added my image. The red circle was placed on the designer series paper with dimensionals. The designer series paper was added to a white card base. I stamped the sentiment and cut it out. It was added with a dimensional. Lastly, I added the faceted snowflakes. This will go on a patient dinner tray at a local hospital.

This is one panel from the Waffle Flower stencil set. I've never cut up and used just one image from the stenciled image panel. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone here. LOL  

I was creating on the fly. I looked at things I had in my Winter stash to add to the image. It's a good way to use up things you've made for other cards but never used.

Keywords: SC1075 Winter Cardinals snowflakes

Stamps: Waffle Flower-Postage Collage Snowy Stencil, Unity-Winter Blessings

Paper: white, SU-Traditions of Christmas designer series paper, real red

Paper Size: A2

Ink: distress inks-broken china, salty ocean, SU-real red

Accessories: SU-retired snowflakes, SU-Peaceful Greenery 3D embossing folder, Faceted Snowflakes, scissors, SU-Spotlight on Nature Die, Waffle Flower-Postage Collage Die

Techniques: dry embossing, stenciling

Waffle Flower has layered stencils that they make using the same layout but different images. It's really amazing the number of different stencils and stamps they have that go together. Here's a sample of one of the cards you'd get stenciling with the set I used for today's card. You can use it whole or cut it up and use the pieces.  When you cut between the images, it makes the images look like postage stamps.

 A friend and I were talking today about what we do with images or die cuts we've made but not used for seasonal cards. We've just filed Christmas stamps and paper away and have taken out snowmen, snowflakes and Winter things.

I told her I put my extras in a clear envelope and store them with my designer series paper that is 6" x 6".  That way when I come to that time of year again, I have extras with the paper I'll use. I don't have to remember where I put the images and cut out things, then find the paper and embellishments, etc.

How do you store your extra items?

I told my friend another way is to just give them to me and I'll put them out at classes and see if anyone would like them.  I think it's fun to get new images to work with.

Years ago I told a friend I wanted to start a business where people could rent stamps. Many people buy a set and use it a few times, then it sits in a cupboard or on a shelf. 

If you had a place where you could borrow stamps like a library, you could use the stamps for a fee then return them for something else.  Obviously that idea never went anywhere! LOL

It would be fun however to have a stamp trading day. People could bring a stamp set they want to trade for one someone else has brought. Give it some thought. Maybe we could do that sometime.

Well have a happy and safe New Year.

Blessings,

Sue