Happy Birthday to a Michigander

This unique birthday card was made for a gentleman who winters in Arizona but has his heart in Michigan, which is kind of hard to believe this week in particular with the frigid weather we have been experiencing, but in general, I get it! Once a Yooper, always a Yooper! Deb combined this Michigan themed card with a fishing theme, and that is a perfect combination for this beautiful state surrounded by and filled with the most beautiful fresh water bodies in the world!

The tiny die cut heart denotes the birthday boy's home town.

You've got to love all the map markers that come with the Lower Peninsula set.

Upper Peninsula of Michigan (upper peninsula)

Lower Peninsula of Michigan (lower peninsula & heart)

Birthday Blessings (birthday greeting)

Fishtail Sentiment Banners (to cut greeting)

Ombre (blue designer paper)

A closer look at the Lower Peninsula map.

Both peninsulas were colored with Copic markers.

Here we have the Upper Peninsula and the greeting.

And here's the lovely inside!

Birthday Blessings (birthday greeting)

Michigan Facts (fish)

Here's a nice close look at that jumping fish.

Deb added some sparkle for a life-like feel.

Love this project - thanks, Deb!

Find Deb's post here.

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Our Michigan Series

Our fully coordinated Michigan Series.

Whether you are from Michigan, visit Michigan, have a friend in Michigan, or just love Michigan, this is a super fun series of coordinated sets with many sentiments and images that can transition over to other projects as well.

Find more sets with a Michigan/water theme here - lighthouses, bridge and ship.

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Our Product of the Week

Our Birthday Series is featured this week.

20% OFF as marked - no code needed.

These 2 companion sets mix and match so well, allowing you to make cards for young and old, near or far, with ease and beautiful results. These will become fast favorites in short order.

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Our original blog is available to scan with years of card samples.

Shop Stamp Simply here.

A Tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald

Today, November 10, is the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Great Lakes freighter, The Edmund Fitzgerald. Living on the shores of Lake Superior where this ore carrier made its last and fateful journey, the memory of that day is still so clear and vivid, almost like it was yesterday. This post pays tribute to the 29 brave souls who lost their lives that day with a card from Deb Felts and other images and links further down to commemorate this ship and those who lost their lives.

Read all the way to the end of this post for a video and lyrics to Gordon Lightfoot's song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

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Card Sample 

Created in honor of the 50 year anniversary of the sinking of 

The Edmund Fitzgerald.

A Great Lakes Freighter - The Edmund Fitzgerald

Countdown dies (numbers)

Fishtail Sentiment Banners (sentiment tag)

Over the Rainbow paper by Craft Consortium

Bakers Twine - Kraft

This is an interesting, but simple, fold.

Find instructions on how to cut and score this fold here.

And this is the card opened up, using very appropriate paper and sentiment.

Metal Textures paper by Craft Consortium

Patriotic Sentiments

Thanks, Deb, for this wonderful card of tribute, so beautifully done.

Find Deb's post her.

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Our Great Lakes Series

The Great Lakes Series

These sets contain a myriad of verses and sentiments to span the occasions.

They are perfect for so many masculine and all occasion cards.

Find our full Michigan Series here.

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Thank you so much for stopping in!

We hope you enjoy our New Blog Home.

Not a subscriber? We'd love for you to subscribe at the upper right sidebar.

Our original blog is available to scan with years of card samples.

Shop Stamp Simply here.

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The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore, twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feeling?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
'Twas the witch of November come stealing
The dawn came late, and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came, it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At seven p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put 15 more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

Happy Plaidurday

Happy Plaidurday to all. If you are a Yooper, you surely know what Plaidurday is. It is a celebration of warm and cozy PLAID that takes place on the 1st Friday of October each year. Started in 2011 by a local young man, Bugsy Sailor, originally from our county in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it has grown into a worldwide celebration where gatherings occur to take photos of large (very large) groups of people wearing their beloved plaid clothing. Super fun!

What goes together better that The Yoop and Plaid! Nothing!!!

The Upper Peninsula die is from our

Michigan Series.

Tartan Plaid paper pad by Craft Consortium

The letter dies used are retired, but we do have these

letter/number dies in stock - 50% OFF!

So much fun! Thanks, Deb.

Find Deb's post here.

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Paper Pad Used

Tartan Plaid by Craft Consortium

Find more wonderful pads by Craft Consortium here.

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Our Michigan Series

Our Michigan Series by Stamp Simply Clear Stamps

Click the above link to see the full series which includes lighthouses, the Mackinac Bridge and the Edmund Fitzgerald.

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Our Welcome October Sale

Get 20% OFF all

Stamp Simply Stamps & Dies

thru Sunday 10/05 only!

Use code: OCTOBER at checkout.

Shop our Stamps & Dies here.

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Thank you so much for stopping in!

We hope you enjoy our New Blog Home.

Not a subscriber? We'd love for you to subscribe at the upper right sidebar.

Our original blog is available to scan with years of card samples.

Shop Stamp Simply here.

Masculine Strength

 Today's card by Esther Asbury is a perfect example of how keeping it simple can be absolutely stunning, whether you are creating a feminine or a masculine card. She used black and kraft cardstock, black ink and simply stamped images requiring no coloring. Being a masculine themed card, Esther chose perfect images to portray both strength and masculinity to perfectly complement the sentiment she chose. A bit of torn newsprint and a little washi tape were the only embellishments added.

The Mackinac Bridge (bridge and sentiment)

He is the Light (lighthouses)

A perfectly wonderful masculine card that also works for either gender - everyone loves a nautical theme.

Thanks so much, Esther! Find Esther's post here.

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Products Used

The Mackinac Bridge was used today,

a part of The Great Lakes Series.

These sets contain a myriad of verses and sentiments to span the occasions.

He is the Light was used today.

Filled with wonderful words from scripture.

The companion set to this is He Stilled the Storm.

These are all a part of our Michigan Series.

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Thank you so much for stopping in!

We hope you enjoy our New Blog Home.

Not a subscriber? We'd love for you to do so at the upper right sidebar.

Our original blog is available to scan with years of card samples.

Shop Stamp Simply here.

Let's Stay Connected

Staying connected with friends and family seems to be more important now than ever in this technologically crazy world we live in. Let us not forget the value of a personal visit over coffee, a lingering phone call, a handwritten letter or even better, a handmade card with a message inside, showing just how much you care. These little gestures often mean more to the recipient than we realize. Let us not lose them in the hustle, bustle and shuffle of modern everyday life.

Deb Saaranen is sharing a perfect card today using a bridge image to exemplify that feeling of staying connected.

The Mackinac Bridge

Ink Drops Monochrome paper pad by Craft Consortium

Simply made and simply beautiful!

All stamping is silver embossed, which shows up quite well in this photo.

Thanks so much, Deb! Find Deb's post here.

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Products Used

The Mackinac Bridge was used today,

a part of The Great Lakes Series.

These sets contain a myriad of verses and sentiments to span the occasions.

These are a part of our Michigan Series.

Ink Drops Monochrome by Craft Consortium

Find all pads in the gorgeous Ink Drops line here.

View all pads in stock by Craft Consortium here.

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Thank you so much for stopping in!

We hope you enjoy our New Blog Home.

If you are not a subscriber, we'd love to have you subscribe at the upper right sidebar.

Our original blog is still available for you to scan years worth of card samples.

Hope to see you again real soon.

Shop Stamp Simply here.

A New Blog Home for Stamp Simply

Welcome to Stamp Simply's brand new blog home.

Our previous blog encountered some issues and with those technical challenges we just decided to start anew. Everyone likes and needs a fresh start on occasion, including our blog!

We welcome you here and want to let you know that our store and all social media locations are the same as always and we urge you to keep in touch in whatever ways you prefer.

We'll start with a bit of card inspiration in a watery theme using images that encompass life on the Great Lakes. Michigan is our home so I thought it fitting to incorporate cards of our home state with our new blog home.

This card from Deb Felts beautifully showcases The Mackinac Bridge. Crossing this 5 mile bridge connecting the Upper Peninsula to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is always an event calling for those cameras to come out! Love the torn paper feature on this card!

The Mackinac Bridge

All papers by Craft Consortium:

Grunge Light, Beach Hut, Test of Time

Seam Binding and Pearls

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Here's another card featuring torn paper by Esther Asbury. How fun is this take on one of the lighthouses on the Keweenaw Waterway. This is the North Entry Lighthouse.

Our Lighthouse Series

Ombre paper by Craft Consortium

Cheesecloth and Baker's Twine

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This card from Esther Asbury pays tribute to our Great Lakes freighters, this being the Edmund Fitzgerald who was sadly lost in November of 1975. Masculine card designs don't require a lot of fuss on the part of the maker. Simply stamped images with a bit of designer paper to add color and interest usually do the trick!

The Edmund Fitzgerald

Scripty Background Minis Set 1

Faith Sentiments

All papers by Craft Consortium:

Beach Hut,  Patina

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This scripture card is from Karen Letchworth and it showcases another of the lighthouses on the Keweenaw Waterway. This is the South Entry Lighthouse. Interestingly, this lighthouse is currently for sale by the federal government. Love the vintage feel Karen incorporated into this card.

Our Lighthouse Series

Scorched Wood by Craft Consortium (& misc. paper scraps)

Burlap Jute Cord and Cheesecloth

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Stamp Sets Used

The Great Lakes Series

These sets contain a myriad of verses and sentiments to span the occasions.

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Lighthouse Series

These lovely lighthouse sets contain a wonderful selection of scripture verses that you'll find so much use for over and over again.

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The above sets are all part of our

Michigan Series

Michigan Series

Whether you are from Michigan, visit Michigan or know someone in Michigan, these sets are so much fun to play with.

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Paper Pads Used

All paper pads used today are by Craft Consortium.

We here at Stamp Simply love their beautiful selection of papers.

Grunge Light

Beach Hut

Test of Time

Ombre

Patina

Scorched Wood

View all paper pads in stock by Craft Consortium here.

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Thank you so much for stopping in!

We hope you enjoy our New Blog Home.

If you are not a subscriber, please do so at the upper right sidebar.

Yes, our original blog is still there for you to scan years worth of card samples.

Hope to see you again real soon.

Shop Stamp Simply here.