What to Make With Yellow and Black?

 Hey Everybody,

Nancy's challenge is to use yellow and black. You can find it here. 

I immediately thought of bees. I dry embossed the white cardstock with the Stampin' Up!-Hexagons Dynamic Textured embossing folder, then pulled the yellow and mango inks across the de-bossed side to make it look like a hive. I stamped using Bee My Valentine stamps and punched out the bee parts with Stampin' Up!-Bee builder punch.  I used the scalloped heart punch for the sentiment. The bees and heart were added to the background with dimensionals.   This will go to a local nursing home for their use.

Stamps: Stampin' Up!-Bee My Valentine

Paper: white, daffodil delight, basic black, strawberry slush

Ink: daffodil delight, mango melody, versafine black

Accessories: Stampin' Up!-Bee builder punch, Stampin' Up!-Hexagons Dynamic Textured embossing folder, yellow gems, Stampin' Up!-scallop heart punch, dimensionals

Techniques: direct to paper, two-step stamping

When I do stamping that has a punch, I sometimes don't use the stamps for the color of the object, but use a cardstock color.  Look at the bees. There is a stamp for the body, and a stamp for the stripes. Then there are two more stamps for the wings. 

For this card I used daffodil delight cardstock for the body and punched it out with the punch. Then I stamped the black stripes onto the daffodil delight paper. I used pretty in pink paper for the wings and stamped the black wings on top of the pink paper.

This type of stamping is a time-saver if you are limited for time, and who isn't?  Sometimes I look for little time savers like these when I'm stamping, so I can pass them along at classes or here.

Do you ever go looking for a stamp, and you can't find it? I had that problem when I was thinking of doing this card. A friend gave me these adorable bumble bees with the cutest eyes and faces. Each one was different and cute in its own way. Do you think I could find that set?

I looked in places that I knew it couldn't be, but couldn't find it in the places it was supposed to be!  LOL  I never did find that set. 

Do you find yourself asking, Now where is a logical place to put this set?  Maybe it's in the animals in the B section for Bees, behind bears and in front of birds.  Nope, Okay, how about in the food section since bees make honey?   Nope, How about the Humor section since they have a funny sentiment with them?  Nope, nope, nope. I went through all of my stamp drawers several times and didn't find that set.  I don't think I would have given it away.

I wonder if it got lost when I moved into my new studio in January. There were so many boxes with lots and lots of stuff to put away.

Oh well, one good thing is that my friend has the same set, so if I want to use it I can just ask her.

When you see the challenge of using black and yellow, what do you think of? 

What kinds of stamps do you have to go with your idea?

Well, that's a look at my thinking to make my cards and how I organize my stamps so I can find them. LOL

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

 

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