Bazzana and Songs

 Hey Everybody,

It's another Monday Morning here in Cleveland, Ohio. We had a sports-filled weekend here. Our Guardians got a win but two losses. Our newest rookie, Travis Bazzana hit his first home run over the weekend too! Yes, he was given the baseball as is the tradition with the first one.

The iconic opening notes of "Down Under" by Men at Work echoed over the crowd at Progressive Field on April 28, 2026, as Australian rookie Travis Bazzana walked up for his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians. The song, which was a 1981 global hit, served as a nod to his home country. 

• Context: Travis Bazzana, a second baseman from Sydney, chose the 1980s Australian anthem as his walk-up music for his first official MLB at-bat.
• Significance: The choice of "Down Under" instantly energized fans, highlighting Bazzana's pride in his Australian roots.
• The Song: "Down Under" by Men at Work is renowned for its flute riff and lyrics celebrating Australia. 

The moment was described as a memorable, "instantly iconic" debut for the young player. 

 Our Cavaliers won a game and played more like the team we are used to. We'll see if that continues tonight.

How about a card today?

Our challenge comes from Sabrina which you can find here.  We're to make a card referencing a song. Here's my song. It's called, Change My Heart, Oh God.

I used a background painted by my 4 year old granddaughter. I dry embossed the pretty in pink and cut an opening to make it look like a doorway. I added the pots with dimensionals. I stamped my sentiment in blackberry bliss. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital with a praying for you sentiment inside.

Keywords: WT1102 Change My Heart Oh God

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Soul Restoration, Verve-Potter's Clay

Paper: white, pretty in pink, watercolor paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: boho blue, marina mist, blackberry bliss

Accessories: arch die, Verve pottery dies, SU Sunflower 3D embossing folder, prang watercolors, paint brush

Techniques: watercolor background, dry embossing, die cutting

I loved this idea for a card challenge. Do you have a song that you could represent with stamps?

I've done this before and made a sunflower card. I sang  this song to Mia Lou when I'd change her diaper and when I'd rock her to calm her. It still brings tears to my eyes to sing this song.  Now I'm singing it to my Silas Buddy when I change his diaper.

I have a busy week ahead with classes.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

Mother's Day 2026

 Hey Everybody,

It's Mother's Day 2026 and with it there are very mixed feelings. I pray that God meets you where you are today and holds you close and gives you what you need. For some this brings happiness and dreams come true. For others it brings heartache and tears. Some of us still have our mothers and some don't. Females are emotional beings whether they are moms or not. I pray that if your mom is no longer with you, that you find some wonderful memories that make you smile today. If your mom is still here, celebrate with her any way you can. It might not be a visit or a phone call or a traditional card or gift. Do what you need to do to make it through this day. Take care of yourself, you are worth it and loved.

Our challenge was to make a monochromatic card for the letter M. You can find the challenge here.   Keywords: ABC24M13 quilt card Stamps: More Messages Paper: white, secret sea, Stampin' Up-True Blue designer series paper Paper Size: A2 Ink: basic black Accessories: 1 1/4" square punch, More Messages dies, Stampin' Up-Lace Brocade embossing folder Techniques: quilting, dry embossing I used a 1 1/4" square punch to punch out squares from Stampin' Up! True Blue designer series paper and balmy blue cardstock. I started with a white piece of cardstock measuring 4" x 5 1/4". I lined up the first square with the left side and top of the card base. I added the navy square then added the next light blue square lining up the top with the edge of the cardstock and the point of the navy square. I continued until I got to the bottom. I added two navy squares to the side then flipped it over and trimmed off the excess paper. I used a retired embossing folder from Stampin' Up called, Lacy Brocade to add texture to the quilt squares. I added it to a secret sea card base and added my sentiment. This is a great way to use up scraps of paper whether it's cardstock or designer series paper. If you don't have a punch, cut strips of paper 1 1/4" and then cut those into 1 1/4" squares. You can make your quilt with matching squares or make a crazy quilt with different colors and shapes. These are material quilts but show how they've mixed different colors and patterns together. I have to tell you this make me a bit twitchy! LOL I think I'd do better with this type of quilt. I could take a square and fill it with paper shapes then cut it down to a square again. Anyway, You can use any shape you'd like to make a quilt. Take a look at your punches and dies. You'll be surprised what you can make with a little bit of imagination and paper scraps. Thanks for stopping by today. Blessings, Sue

Double Vision or Eclipse Card Sketch Challenge

Hey Everybody, 

Kim's sketch challenge can be found here.  

I flipped the sketch and narrowed the strips but raised up 4 of the strips to match the sketch. This made such an easy masculine birthday card.

I followed Susan Campfield's video to make my card. You can find that here.

Keywords: SC1111 double vision card, Eclipse Card

Stamps: More Messages

Paper: very vanilla, SU Beautiful Gallery designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: soft suede

Accessories: foam tape, more messages dies

Techniques: double vision card, Eclipse Card

This type of card seems to be all the rage right now. I liked how Susan did this card as a paper saver. Instead of using  two exact pieces of designer series paper, she used one and placed the strips next to each other and raised every other strip up with dimensionals.

What do you think? Have you made a card like this? I found Susan's video easy to follow.  Next week in class, we will be making one of these types of cards. I am using different designer series paper. Have you see the new designer series paper with the sunsets on the water?  That's what we're going to use along with a lighthouse.

Thanks for stopping by today. It is truly appreciated. 

Don't forget, I have catalogs available and several spaces in classes left. If you need a catalog or want to sign up for a class, let me know. 

Class Availability

Monday May 11th at 10 a.m.

Tuesday May 12th at 10 a.m.

Thursday May 14th at 10 a.m.

Friday May 15th at 7 p.m.

Blessings,

Sue

The Color Challenge is -Lost in the wild moonlight

Hey Everybody,

Our color challenge today was to use Lost Lagoon, Misty Moonlight and Wild Wheat. Dessert is to add another color. You can find the challenge here. Are you ready for this week's challenge? Lost in the wild moonlight Wild Wheat Misty Moonlight Lost Logoon Dessert will be to add another color. I checked out my SU Color Lab online and saw that moody mauve went well with these colors. I also found designer series paper that had moody mauve and wild wheat together. Woohoo! I searched online to find designer series packs of paper that had these colors in them. When you are making the 4 squares, you make them exactly the same. You turn them different ways as you place them on your card. The video was easy to follow and this didn't take very long to make. I think it took longer to find the paper than it did to make the card. LOL.   When the quilt was made I stamped my sentiment in Misty Moonlight on my plaid designer paper and added it to my card.  Keywords: CC1101 quilt pinwheel Stamps: Help Me Grow Paper: basic black, moody mauve, SU-Fresh As A Daisy designer series paper, Timeless Plaid, Regal Winter dsp Ink: misty moonlight Accessories: SU-All In A Row embossing folder, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, paper trimmer Techniques: quilt making, dry embossing I followed this video to make my card.  So what are you thinking you can use to do this challenge? I found my paper first then tried to decide what to do with it. This video has more than this quilt card. You could make several of the cards and give them as a gift. I hope you give this challenge a try.  Thanks for stopping by today. Blessings, Sue

Letter L Challenge Card

 Hey Everybody,

Our letter challenge this week is L-lavender or lime.  I stamped the lavender in 3 different colors of purple. The stamp set I used is a retired set called, Painted Lavender.  I used highland heather, fresh freesia and blackberry bliss for the flowers, then added shaded spruce leaves to accent the flowers. I stamped the sentiment and fussy cut around it then added it to a highland heather piece of cardstock. The sentiment is from Unity Stamps called, Soul Restoration. I used a blending brush to add highland heather ink to the butterfly. The butterfly is from a Stampin' Up! pack called Butterfly Accents. This set has three different sizes of butterflies which easily can be colored. Lastly, I added purple gems to the butterfly as well as clear Wink of Stella.  That verse is one of my favorites.  What I liked about using multiple shades of purple was, I could easily stamp just about anywhere to fill in the flowers. I also chose to stamp in two opposite corners as opposed to a straight line right across the bottom which is what I would typically do. You can see how your eye goes to the corners and is funneled to the center where you see the image and sentiment. There is a natural line of movement. Think about what kind of  stamp you might have that you could stamp in the corners. Then find an image and sentiment to place in the center of your card.  This is another example of stepping out of my comfort zone to try something new or different.  Was it comfortable to do? No, but it makes doing it again, easier next time. Stamps: Stampin' Up!-Painted Lavender, Unity Stamps-Soul Restoration Paper: white, highland heather Paper Size: A2 Ink: highland heather, blackberry bliss, shaded spruce, fresh freesia Accessories: Stampin' Up!-Butterfly Accents, Clear Wink of Stella, Purple Fine Shimmer Gems, blending brush Techniques: two-step stamping, color blending I used lavender ink and a lavender stamp for this challenge. I wonder what I could use for the lavender challenge if I just used lavender colors and no plants or flowers?  Here are some samples from others who participated in this challenge. Well, there you have it, a variety of samples of how to use lavender. What will you do for this challenge? Maybe you'll see a layout you like and use it for your card. Maybe you have a stamp that is similar to one used that you could add to a card. Whatever you do, it's always good to challenge yourself to grow in your hobby of card making and stamping. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings, Sue

There's More-Online Exclusives and 2 New Kits

 Hey Everybody,

Along with a new catalog of items Stampin' Up! has new Online Exclusives and two new kits. Click the link or image to see what's new for Online Exclusives.

One popular suite is the Sweet Old Friends. It has Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends. There are stamps, dies, designer series paper, an embossing folder.

Online Exclusives

167618

SWEET OLD FRIENDS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET

$25.00

167619

SWEET OLD FRIENDS DIES

$33.00

167616

SILLY OLD BEAR 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

$13.00

167631

HUNDRED ACRE WOODS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER

$13.00

167634

SILLY OLD BEAR SUITE COLLECTION

$130.00

The Suite Collection includes another set of dies that will cut out the words and images. Both sets of dies will cut out images from the designer series paper.

167998

PRETTY PARTY KIT (ENGLISH)

$25.00

 

Product detail

Make your celebrations feel extra special with the Pretty Party Kit! This kit comes with everything you need to create nine cheerful handmade cards. The large coral, pink, and purple balloon designs—accented with sparkling gold foil confetti for a party-ready finish—are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrations of all kinds.

DETAILS

- Makes 9 cards: 3 each of 3 designs

- Folded card size: 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" (14 x 10.8 cm)

- Colors: Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral, Flirty Flamingo, Fresh Freesia, Peach Pie, Very Vanilla

- Also available in French

- Includes gold foil

Kit includes one of each item listed below.

- Pretty Party Photopolymer Stamp Set

- Clear stamp block

- Cajun Craze Classic Stampin’ Spot

- Step-by-step instructions

- 9 printed envelopes

- Adhesive

167995

SERENE SCENES KIT (ENGLISH)

$25.00

Product detail

Have a card ready when an occasion comes up, whether it’s for Father’s Day, a quick congrats, or a simple thank-you. The Serene Scenes Kit includes coordinating card making materials and a stamp set with sentiments for both the inside and outside, making it easy to pull together something heartfelt. Create clean, simple cards that feature inviting watercolor-feel landscape scenes.

DETAILS

- Makes 9 cards: 3 each of 3 designs

- Folded card size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (10.8 x 14 cm)

- Colors: Cloud Cover, Fresh Freesia, Gray Granite, Misty Moonlight, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Petal Pink, Secret Sea

- Also available in French

Kit includes one of each item listed below.

- Serene Scenes Stamp Set

- Clear stamp block

- Gray Granite Classic Stampin’ Spot

- Step-by-step instructions

- 9 printed envelopes

- Precut paper pieces

- Adhesive

So there you have it, Online Exclusives and 2 new Kits. If you have any questions, let me know.

Last Chance Products

Browse our selection of Last Chance paper crafting products. Additional items are added every other month. These products are available only while supplies last so be sure to buy them before they are discontinued! Discounts vary and are subject to change.

If you haven't check out the Last Chance section in a while, here's a link to do that. These are retiring products. Once they are gone, they are gone.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue