Good Tuesday to all and I will say that it feels great to be back in the saddle BUT….I wish that I physically felt better! It is July and I have a cold like people get in the heart of Winter…YUCK! I am excited to share with you some of the “fun” John and I had in Thailand and I decided to add a drop down box at the top of my blog so I am not clogging up blog space! (they should be up this afternoon….I need to talk to my dear helper, Brian Watt as you know me….technical difficulties with the computer)
I will continue to add some fun times and pictures as time warrants throughout the week but I can say…we arrived home late on Friday and we are both still out of wack with the time thing and then Sunday it happened….a cold from nowhere and I feel like a bowling ball!
Enough of the saga….let’s get to this sweet card…..a total “Susan kinda card” and while I was away I came to “truths with myself” and that is – I really do not care for the whole concept of Christmas in July.
While we were away…it was July…there was no push for the Christmas in July concept that the media loves to do, the stores and even “us, your bloggers” seem to do. I already made this sweet card up before I left and I do adore it so naturally I want to share it with you…but I am going to try to embrace the rest of July.
I was lucky enough to see the NEW Holiday Catalog and Stampin’ Up! spoiled us with many of the new products on the trip…(super de-de duper cute) but they will have their place in time…..just let the calendar go forward a bit more. The preorder does start for demonstrators on August 1st (and that is exciting) and of course…I will place my order but until then….I want to enjoy the goodies in the Annual Catalog.
This stamp set, Watts of Occasions is so much fun! I encourage you to pull that catalog out and turn to page 63. Isn’t it adorable? I am sure at first glance that it was breezed by but I do hope that you can see the fun it brings – to me, it is a smile maker stamp.
Click here to see another post that I did with this stamp. 😀
You all know that I adore square cards and yep, I do enjoy making custom envelopes for them using the envelope punch board but please remember, a 4 1/4″ square card (like this is) could easily fit into one of our regular envelopes therefore there would be no need for additional postage.
It’s a personal thing for me….I just love to jazz up an envelope and the custom size always makes someone feel special when they open their mailbox.
Once again, I am using the basics….WHAT??? Well where do I start….the trimmer, the big shot, the square framelits yada…yada – you see – these good old basics always help you create a clean and crisp card!
On this card I think that I have really, really allowed the simple stamp and the classic houndstooth print of the DSP be the star of the show! I adore the classic feel and simplicity of this DSP….if they sold it in single sheets….darn, I would STOCK UP!
You can see that I am trying to use this print sparingly but I just had to add it to the envelope to pull it all together! (I guess you could say that I am being frugal about it) but it works…actually like a charm! The gold foil paper and then the embossed piece adds soooooo much!
How about the gold heat embossing….super cute – right????? That always is a smile factor each and every time and you know how I adore my Bakers Twine…you can NEVER have enough of that!!!
After I had heat set the sentiment, I simply cut it into sections to make it a bit more whimsical over the card. This is something that I do not do a bunch but I will say that I like the look and feel!
I am just giddy over this card and I honestly think that it might be in the running for a Christmas Card that I would make in the masses to send out this year…..we have LOTS of time for that decision and we have many AMAZING new kids on the block coming our way very soon but there is the quirkiness of this card that tickles my fancy!
What do you do? Do you just make up 1 card and make multiples of it or do you make up several different cards? This is what I do…..I make up several different cards and then make up a dozen or more of the style…..I adore making up in the masses as it is sooooo rewarding and heck – I am used to it with my card kits….but there are times that I like to switch it up…..how about YOU?
Now let’s chat about Blog Candy! I shared with you that it is my turn to be the “Candy Man” for your amazing support to my Stampin’ Up! fun as without your support and inspiration that you give to me each and everyday….this amazing Thailand trip would not have been possible!
Everyday this week I am going to be the “sweetest person on earth with Blog Candy” and before we get to and am also “Sweetening the deal” with orders places with me.
I have updated the Hostess Code and if your order is $75.00 or more with me….you can GO TO THE VAULT and pick out any stamp your heart desires. I did this last year and it was a huge hit….but now….it is STOCKED TO THE MAX….as it is up to date from the Catalog that ended on May 31st.
I might not have had internet while we were flying and sitting at airports but I did have “Word” that I could work and get everything in order and I am a PROUD MAMA that the list is as good as it will ever get!
If you had already placed an order with me of $75.00+ this month, no worries….I will reach out to you and share the link for you to get your goodie. I know that you will be happy but also overwhelmed because it is a bunch and I am thrilled to have it in order.
Now for the Blog Candy…..leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about the Christmas in July media push…..does it get you excited????….does it get you sad/stressed????? but also, PLEASE let me know how you like this sweet card! (ha-ha)!!!
One lucky winner will win this stamp Set….
Watts of Occasions….just leave a comment and GOOD LUCK!
Now HERE IS SOMETHING to take heart of and I will say that you really should view this as a great marketing strategy…..for every $50.00 you spend in July, you will receive a $5.00 coupon to use in August!
I LOVE this promotion and have taken advantage of it personally but if I were you……I would add that extra $25.00 to be able to pick a free stamp from my fault…..(just saying as there are 100’s of stamp sets needing a new home)
Your card is adorable…..but I am not ready to start thinking of Christmas just yet…to much heat and humidity. Welcome back.
This is a cute card. I like this set a lot and was wondering whether to order it. Your card seems to sway to the side of getting it. I am not a fan of Christmas in July. We should take the time and enjoy each season as it comes. Glad you are safely home.
I have to admit that at first glance in the SU catalog the DSP you used on this card was my least favorite design. Boy, did you change my mind!
The only thing I like about the “Christmas Push” is that it gets me to thinking about making my Christmas cards NOW instead of early December when everything gets SO busy.
Sorry you don’t feel well. Hope your trip was wonderful. Really cute card. I can’t get into Christmas in July – it’s way to hot in Georgia and I’m gearing up to go back to work (education – administrative assistant) so I’m not thinking about Christmas at this time.
This is the first Christmas card I have seen which uses the Watts stamp set – nicely done! I hadn’t noticed the houndstooth pattern in the DSP – I would also hoard it.
Good morning, Susan. So sorry to hear you have a bad cold. I hope you feel better soon. This is such a cute card with the houndstooth DSP, etc. A great design for the masses. I don’t like seeing Christmas decorations in stores this early. All of you will laugh because the most cards I make of one design is six before I get bored. I like to try different designs but usually make 2 or 4 of each to be able to use my stash. I made 100 last year, which was the most ever. I’m behind now, so I may not have time to get all of them done. We have a 24-day trip to Australia/New Zealand in November. Thanks for offering blog candy, Susan.I’d love to have this set. That’s very thoughtful of you. Get well soon.
Hi Susan. I Love the placement of your sentiment and the gold embossing; it is so appropriate for Christmas! The houndstooth dp surrounding your image is so pretty, classic and would be perfect for guy or gal! I can go either way with the whole Christmas in July. I like getting a head start with cards, but I definitely do not shop this early for anyone. When my children were young, they would ultimately change their wish lists and make me sigh, so I learned quickly to just wait it out and shop with everyone else. I love warm weather, so I want to enjoy every bit of it and not think about snow. Thanks for a chance to win some goodies~
Hi Susan! Great card…I love this stamp set! Hope you’ll soon be feeling back to yourself, just take good care and get lots of rest! Christmas in July??? Well, I do think about my Christmas cards but can’t bring myself to start making them, just yet. The summer goes by so fast so I just want to enjoy it! Thanks for the chance to win!
Such a cute card, and as always, drooling over your envelope! Hope you feel better soon.
Welcome home, friend! Can’t wait to see your pictures. What a fun Christmas card…although I’m totally with you about the Christmas in July business. I don’t subscribe to it at all. Not thinking Christmas until at least September…summer is short enough! Hope you shed that cold quickly.
“Watt” a perfect card! Love the square, the houndstooth, the green and gold together! But I agree with you! I can not deal with the Christmas in July thing. I have basically been ignoring it. As for how one does Christmas cards, I do many different ones. The only problem is then I have to figure out who gets which card and that makes the process way to long! Feel better soon! It is a beautiful morning here!!! finally!!!
Very cute card. Love the hound’s tooth with the gold. Christmas in July? I use to do needlework and totally got the needed time thing, 6 months to complete a project. But when some of our department stores start to put Christmas inventory out now, it seems just too early.
Hi Susan, Sorry you are under the weather… This card is adorable and I love square cards..Houndstooth paper is fantastic…Christmas in July well.. I feel like you do… pushing the season a bit too soon for me…
Hi Susan! Well, I’m with you on the Christmas in July thing. I worked in retail for 9 years, and was always the one dragging my feet & whining about “why can’t we just enjoy THIS season?!” Glad you’re home from your amazing adventure & hope you feel better soon!
Get well soon Susan! Glad you’re back and that you had a great time. I like the card. Although I’m not a fan of small ones I really like yours, and enjoy the fancy envelopes.
Like everyone else so far I’m ignoring the Christmas in July thing. I don’t like it when Christmas stuff is pushed in October, and I REALLY don’t like it in July. I don’t send handmade cards to everyone on my list, only a special few, so I’m not stressing about getting them made. About 18 is all I need.
Hope you feel better soon. It had to be all those nasty germs from the recycled air in the planes and the crowds of the airports. Another reason not to fly!
Christmas in July is fun for me as I have time to do things, plan things, and best of all surprise a few people! No decorations in the stores yet, please. But, to hum a little jingle bells well maybe? It also makes me feel a bit cooler when it is hot and muggy. Most of all I can relax with a holiday book and just enjoy the story whether it be a holiday mystery or whatever, it is just fun for me. Also, think about ideas while I have the time for cards, decorations, etc. Trust me when it gets to November I start panicking about the upcoming holidays and getting everything right which never ever happens. Now for Christmas cards, winter themed cards etc. I like to do a multitude of designs. I may make 6 of the same. I have already been knee deep in Halloween, Thanksgiving, Fall, Winter, and Christmas cards for charity and I am loving every minute as I have the time now etc.
Now, your card, I love it a watt! Brilliant use of the gold and then splitting up the sentiment! Houndstooth is a favorite pattern of mine and the fact that it is green is a doubly fun! I have seen a few cards made with this set for the holidays and trust me, yours is definitely the brightest bulb in the light! Others have been just putting Merry Christmas which needs to be inside and the “merry and bright” right on the front glowing with light! Love it! About that blog candy – well just send me this card and I will be dashing through the dead grass pulled by a basset hound.
I love your clean cards and feel they are a symbol of how to enjoy life. Like you, I also do not enjoy thinking about winter and Christmas until the fall and I certainly don’t appreciate how we speed up our lives by being pushed to think of the future all the time instead of enjoying the now (like Christmas in July and the holiday catalogue).
Welcome back!!! Breathing that canned air in the airplane(s) is so unhealthy!! Feel better soon.
Love your card! It is time to start making my Christmas cards too. I will usually make 3 different designs in multiples. This is the first year I got excited for the Christmas in July even though SU calls it bonus days……I definitely took advantage of this sale and now I am excited to spend my bonus dollars in August!! Thank you very much SU!!!!
Please let us know how your fur babies greeted you!
Glad your travels brought you safely home. Be well. ?
Hi All . . . I can’t do Christmas in July at all. I guess I work better under a little pressure. I try to wait until November at least, but usually get going the first week in December with regard to making Christmas Cards.
Also, I seem to be able to make only one type of a card at a time. Once in a while, to use up DSP, I’ll make up four, but boy would I love to make up a dozen or so.
Susan, I’m so sorry you have a summer cold, bummer. I hope it is a quick one. Take care of yourself.
🙂
So happy to hear that I’m not the only one not excited about Christmas in July! It’s just way too early! I do love your card though!
I don’t do Christmas in July… way too early for me. I start thinking about my Christmas cards in October, but will not make them till November. I make all of mine with just one design and then do a variety of tags or small enclosure cards.
Loved your card, especially the DSP. Get well soon. Long trips take some recovery time.
I love your cards and check your blog every day, even when I know it’s not a regular posting day for you, just in case! And this card is no exception, it is so sweet and cute! I love the gold and green together and the baker’s twine is a perfect finishing touch. I think this set is adorable and is on my wish list. But since my husband is an electrician, I’m always drawn to cute bulb stamps! He “lights” up my life!
I’m not a Christmas in July gal and avoid those rows at the stores in the summer, but I did work on some Christmas cards last week. I had last November’s blue Paper Pumpkin cards that still needed to be put together so I started with those during a impromptu stamping “play date” with a friend. (I try to have my Christmas cards done before Thanksgiving every year, so I didn’t need more Christmas cards when that blue box arrived.) Then they put me enough in the Christmas card spirit to make a few more with the Merriest Wishes that I scooped off the retiring list last year. Most years I make all of my Christmas cards the same, anywhere from 50-75, but every once in a while I make masses of different cards and this appears to be one of those years! 21 down, another 40 or so to go…and over three months til Thanksgiving, so I’ve got a good start!
I really love the Christmas in July promo. I am involved in a huge Nativity Festival where we display thousands of Nativity sets. I am thinking Christmas all year round! I adore your card and the cute stamp set you used. I can’t wait to see the new catalog!
Welcome back, Susan. Loved seeing you and your card today is bright and beautiful! Don’t pick me 🙂 Fearless Leader
Love your card. It is simple, classic and perfect for Christmas. This stamp set is really cute and I would never have given it a second look without seeing your card today. I am not a fan of having “Christmas in July” either. Let summer have summer and autumn have autumn. Enjoy this beautiful summer day, Susan!
I, too, love a 4×4 card. I usually emboss the envelope flap but lately have been covering with paper. It doesn’t take much and adds that wow.
I understand retail but Christmas in July is too soon for me.
Nope, I don’t like or do Christmas in July. Too soon, people. Your card is adorable, though, and so is the set. Thanks for offering some candy.
I don’t like Christmas in July it belongs in December but I have to confess I have been making Christmas cards for a charity and thinking of winter and coloring snowmen makes me cooler when it is 95 out!
LOL! I don’t like Christmas in December, so I’m definitely not a fan of it in July. That said, I know other people find it a pleasant holiday. I like colored lights and cards and that’s it. Oh, in December please. I know if you want to make cards or projects starting early is the best thing to do so I have no problem with craft and hobby stores being way off season. I even made 6 Christmas cards myself this month and am looking forward to seeing what the new holiday catty will bring.
As far as the media push for Christmas in July, I haven’t seen it, but I’m not one to ask given how little I watch TV or shop in public places. I’ve only heard one person complaining about it and they were griping about Hobby Lobby having Xmas stuff. I’m all “that’s a craft store you need to start your Christmas crafts now.” That person is a heathen who doesn’t believe in homemade crafts so no telling why they were in a Hobby Lobby in the first place.
Sorry to hear you got a wicked cold. I’m sure it is the airplane and that recycled air. Plus all the running around. The cold is nature’s way of telling you to settle down and snuggle with the furry kids for a few days. Get gooder soon!
Super fun card Susan! I love the playful combination of the large houndstooth with the fun light bulb image. I love the Christmas season, but prefer to live in the moment and enjoy summer and the fall holidays. From a crafting perspective, I do appreciate having Christmas themed products available to get a jump start on holiday projects. But, I prefer September or later. Products available but not in your face.
This is a very cute card. I love getting ideas in July. I can get a head start on my Christmas cards.
You seem to come up with the coolest ideas. Keep them coming I love it.
First of all, sorry that you have a cold…….not fun to get sick in the summer! I love the card……the color & DSP is fantastic.
As for Christmas in July…….not such a fan! It does get me thinking of what design I want to make but, I think we should all enjoy each & every season at the moment. Time goes by so quickly as it is. The stores drive me crazy…..there are Christmas decos out already in some stores. UGH!!
Oh no!! Hopefully the cold does not last long. Please take care of yourself and get better quick. Easiest question!! I do not care for Christmas in July. I don’t like thinking of cold and snow in the summer. Maybe Id feel different if I lived in the south. Yesterday and today we have had a cool down and I miss the sun and warmth!! The early evening was quite chilly and I wanted to cry. As a whole, I don’t like when holidays pop up off season and are rushed by retail.
I prefer to enjoy one season at a time. The only concession I make is that if I see a gift idea in August I may consider it as a possible Christmas gift! Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday!
Christmas in July overwhelms me. Hard to get into Christmas when it is in the 90’s outside. Love your new card. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs!
I really like the design of your card, so that you can use anything as your focal point. I am in no big rush to think about designing our
Christmas card, yet!
Thank you for inspiration.
Nina
Welcome back Susan. Sorry to hear that you are under the weather. Feel better soon. I’m not a fan of Christmas in July. It’s too hot and too soon for me to start thinking of it. Love the Christmas card though!
WATT ? You are sick ? Bummer ! I agree w/ everyone else that it was a combo of plane air and crowds !!
Cute card and I love this dsp ….thank goodness for SHARES !! That Hounds Tooth is another favorite of mine along w/ gingham / plaids /polka dots. This card theme and colors are so cute !!
I like a little bit of Christmas in July…. a little !
But I really am a TRUE SEASON gal.
Hi! I don’t like to rush holidays at all and in the case of stampin up, I still want time with “new” catalog before I can think of Christmas! Anyway love your card! Thank you!
Adorable card. The heat embossing sets it off. It’s hard to get in the Christmas mood when it is so hot and humid. It will be here soon enough, why rush it. Thanks for the chance to win some blog candy.
Great card; especially since you embossed it. I love the mad rush for Christmas in July. We leave for 5 weeks vacation next week and I have my Christmas cards all planned – taking supplies with me to assemble our cards – I made several and then mass product them, just like you. Thanks for a chance to win this “Watt” stamp set.
Super card and I love Christmas ALL year long so this July push doesn’t bother me. Ho! Ho! Ho!
I don’t really mind a bit of Christmas in July but I’d be fine without it. Sometimes it seems they start pushing it as soon as one Christmas is done!
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling so well 🙁
I’m sure your farm friends were glad to have you home!
Happy Stamping!
Not really ready for Christmas yet, still enjoying summer. Also I have the same cold as you but I’m much better than last week. Enjoy your blog and thanks for the chance to win blog candy.
Christmas inJuly media push ? However I do try to have a Christmas card class in July or August because you turn around and it’s time to get the cards in the mail(where does time fly?).
I like to be reminded that it’s time to start thinking about gifts but do not like to see the decorations before late fall. It’s hard enough seeing school supplies in early July! I love this stamp set and your square card is adorable. I hope you feel better soon, Susan!
Very cute card!!
I do not like the Christmas in July idea either. Just like to enjoy summer while it is still here.
Feel better soon!
I think July is a little too soon for Christmas. I do like getting the new supplemental catalog in September to start thinking about what kind of Christmas card I want to make. Thanks for the chance to win.
Well, I have to say when I hear the words Christmas in July, it gets me thinking about my Christmas cards! Then I get in the mood to get them done! Last year I worked on my Christmas cards off and on in July and August. By the end of August I had them addressed and in the envelopes! I was thrilled when November and December came and they were all finished!? Believe me I had plenty of other things to do leading up to Christmas ! But I do not like seeing Christmas items in stores in July!? Get better, Susan, we have missed you!
I think that Christmas in July is just a media thing. Christmas comes soon enough and we all want to just enjoy our summer weather and not think of the cold that will come…
Now your card is absolutely a winner! I am also loving the hounds tooth paper and wish it was in a number of colors.
July is too early to be thinking about Christmas …..gotta worry about the star of the new school year. I love this stamp set and it has been in my list since the catty arrived. Beautiful card …love the square…
Watt a cute stamp set and great card!
Busy day yesterday but always want to check your blog! Cute cute card. I love your colors and the gold embossiing sets it off perfectly! I’m not a Christmas in July person. I didn’t buy a thing on Prime Day, nor did I pin a single Christmas card, cute as some have been. Maybe the Holiday catalog will start the spirit bubbling!