What Do Windows and Sheets Have in Common?

Well, not much in the card world, except that they're not really windows but they do come in sheets? Confused? So am I. I never was good at being clever, so let me just cut to the chase.

SU! has a new product called Clearly Thanks Printed Window Sheets. They are 8.5"x11" sheets of acetate with designs printed on them in white. These can be quartered to create 4 card fronts for quick, easy cards. Today's post highlights two of the four designs. These are available as part of the current Occasions Mini Catalog, and I don't know if they'll be carried after the catalog sales period ends next month. So, if you like these, either shop online by clicking on the shop 24/7 button in the upper right corner of my blog, or go directly to the link provided and choose me, Jenn Nahrstadt, as your demonstrator and have them delivered to your door!

This card highlights why the set of sheets (there are 2 sheets to a pack for $5.95) is called Clearly Thanks. What a quick way to get a thank you card made and mailed! This one starts with a base of Baja Breeze and has a mat of striped Kraft from the Taste of Textiles paper pack. It's 10 sheets of 12"x12" square heavyweight patterned and textured card stock. The butterfly is from Great Friend, another Occasions Mini offering. The button is from a package of a variety of sizes of corduroy buttons in Baja Breeze. These too are an Occasions Mini offering. Can you tell there's a lot of great stuff in this catalog? The ribbon is 5/8" BB striped ribbon. The button is actually a brad, so I attached it through the acetate and the Kraft layer, then mounted the whole thing with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's another card using the Clearly Thanks Window Sheets. This image of dandelions so speaks "summer", and I embellished these with small BB corduroy brad buttons. I used the butterfly again, as well as the sentiment and label image from Great Friend, since these cards are two for this month's Stamp-A-Stack tomorrow.

There's still plenty of time to order from the Occasions Mini. You can even host a class at your house or mine or some neutral (i.e. no one has to clean!) location and see other products from this fabulous catalog. Leave me a comment if you're interested in setting something up!

Celebrating Great Friends

I'm sure that someone's name came to mind when you read my blog post title today. I'd love for you to share with me who that person is and what he or she means to you. My great friend is my husband, Bob. For me, it's always awkward to try to articulate what someone means to me and why. Part of the reason is because when I share what is special about him, I end up describing what he does for me. Is someone a great friend because of what he or she does to make me feel good, or are there innate qualities of that person that come out in our interactions? Perhaps I'm getting too deep.

All that said, here's why Bob is a great friend. He's steady...he almost always thinks the best of me, even when (and especially when) I'm not seeing myself clearly. He's constantly cheering me on, encouraging me in my work, my stamping and my musical pursuits. He's also funny. I need to laugh, and he makes me do that, or at least smile, every day.

Before you become concerned about my card color choices, let me provide a disclaimer: this card is not for Bob! The reason I told you about Bob's great relational qualities, however, is because the stamp set used here is called Great Friend. It's in the current Occasions Mini Catalog, which means it's available through the end of June. One of the things that convinced me to purchase this set was the mix of images and sentiments this set has. The butterfly is beautiful, and the leaf stamp coordinates so perfectly with it, but what really sold me were the other stamps.

Who wouldn't want to receive a card that says, "You're a friend who makes good times great."? That label stamp will nicely frame that sentiment, and the "for you" phrase coupled with the label stamp also makes this set useful for creating small gift tags for Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and graduation presents. Sets that serve multiple functions are fantastic, aren't they?

A few quick words about the card: it's on Cameo Coral, and it's a skinny, long note card created by cutting a 2.75" strip of 8.5"x11" and scoring it at 5.5". The DSP is also from the Occasions Mini and is called A Walk in the Park. It coordinates CC, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, and Basic Gray. I would never have thought to add that last one, but it really works. The ribbon is KK striped. I didn't use the Great Friend sentiment with this card because it was part of a mini SAS I did 2 weeks ago, and I was using it on another card.

Really, do take a few minutes and share with me about your great friend. Then, take a few minutes and do something to communicate your appreciation for that person. A phone call, a flower, some cookies, a CARD. These people need to be acknowledged, and there's no time like the present.