Shake It Up!!

Hiya Friends & Happy Wednesday to ya!!  Is your week going by fast like mine or are you just aching for the weekend to get here, hee hee?  I'm working in my craft room all day today to get my projects finished up for the week and to finish my Christmas cards---eek, gotta get them out in the mail tomorrow!  I swear December 1st comes and all of sudden, you blink and December 24th is here & you're STILL NOT finished with everything, LOL--at least it's that way for me every year!  Last night I had a lil' wine & cocktail party for a few of my best buddies and it was nice to just take a break from everything, eat some yummy food and chat for a bit!  And now the crazies set in today---my to do list before Friday: laundry, packing, mailing, wrapping, driving, working, cooking & possibly some sleep thrown in there somewhere, LOL!  So I'll get on with my post for today so you can go get your crazies out too :o)

NewsBitz:

-Starting in January/February I will be offering Copic Classes online---yes, you heard me correctly, hee hee!  It will be done by a very hightech videocam I got for my laptop & I can have 6 people at a time---you will see and hear me and everything I do & I can see & hear you!  It should be fun!  Once I have it set up & tried out, I will put a schedule up but I will probably do 2 classes a month by computer & 1 "LIVE" in my home class a month  :o)

-Today is the 4th Day of Christmas over at 7 Kids College Fund and today's special is 15% OFF ALL CUTTLEBUG ITEMS!!  Go HERE to see the fabulous selection!!  Use Coupon Code XMASDAY4--only good for today though!!

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Lockhart Notecards & Shaker Tags

Today I've got a fun project for you today using some of my fave Lockhart Stamp Co. Itty Bitty stamps!  I created a fun set of 3 notecards and 3 matching tags that are shaker tags! The tags could be re-used or put on the tree for Christmas--fun to give & recieve.  All of the patterned paper is by SU and my images are colored with Copics.  I kept the layout simple, simple embossing on the white (different with each card) and a fun touch like stickles or snow added.  Quick & easy to make up and a fun set to give!  The tags are made with my Nestabilities shapes (the circles fit the sweet cups perfectly) and SU's "sweet treat cups"(order them HERE for only $2.95 for 12)--I've been wanting to use these for awhile now!

Frosty mitten notecard set---isn't it fun & so wintry, perfect for the holidays or just a hello/birthday card in the winter!  This set uses the Lockhart Stamp "IB Mittens" and inside the shaker box I added MS snow glitter & some blue tinsel glitter as well.  I used my nestability shapes to create the circles and a cuttlebug embossing folder for the background.  The SU sweet treat cups come in packs of 12 & already have adhesive on them--just peel the paper layer off & adhere!

This set uses the Lockhart Stamp "Daisy Cupcake" and I added yellow & pink Doodlebug glitter to the shaker tag!  Some stickles on the cupcake and my Swiss Dots CB embossing folder (on sale here)!  I purposefully left off sentiments from these cards so they could be used for many occasions.

This set uses the Lockhart Stamp "IB Cape Cod House"--perfect for a new neighbor, new home or just a hello card. I added some fun green MS microbeads to the shaker tag and used my Textile Texture CB folder (on sale here) for the background.  I love that lil' mini house and I added some stickles to the house & around the circle!!  These Itty Bitty stamps are so fun to use & quick and easy to color up!

On the back of each shaker tag I stamped the To/From sentiment using my PTI "Holiday Tags" set!  You could whip up a batch of these in a flash I tell ya!

Hope you enjoyed my projects today!  I'll be back tomorrow with a fun Mo's Digital Pencil Blog Hop for ya--we're featuring Pop-Up Cards!!

A Pleasin' Pink Parade!!

Happy Saturday & Happy Halloween!! Are you celebrating today or getting ready for a spooky evening, hee hee? I'm still prayin' that the rain holds off---kinda messes with the walking around the neighborhood with everyone ya know. Hubby is off to the store to buy our candy--we're late doing it, but hopefully we'll get it 50% off today, LOL! If it rains I'll be setting my cauldron full of candy out on my porch, snuggle up with my fireplace & watch my favorite Halloween movie "Hocus Pocus" (yes, I really do love it & watch it at least twice in October, hee hee). Both the kids will be gone, so hubby & I will eat our homemade sloppy joes & dig into some of that bad, bad candy that's entering the house :o) (I get dibs on all the tootsie rolls--my fave) Since I had Halloween cards up yesterday, I decided to totally go opposite today with girly pink cards, LOL!


NewsBitz:

-My Charity Blog Candy ends tomorrow at midnite, so if you want a chance to enter--you can read all the details HERE! Winner will be announced on Monday morning!!

-Have you seen the new Prima "Say It With Pearls" jewelry for your cards--they are beautiful & great to use on your cards (I like to put them in the center of my bows)! Check them out HERE!

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TuTu Cute!

So my first pink-a-licious card today use one of the cutest lil' ballerina Digi images from Mo's Digital Pencil called "Two TuTu's"! Since my daughter danced ballet up until last year (sob) I had to have this--I love their lil' chubby legs, hee hee! I used all My Minds Eye papers along with PTI's shimmery gold cs. And I used some sheer pink ribbon to create a tutu ruffle around the main image WITHOUT SEWING (ya know I don't sew, hee hee)--so how did I do it? I created a frame on the back of the image with Scor-Tape then pleated my ribbon around the frame tacking it to the tape as I went--a perfect ruffle w/o needle and thread!! I distressed the edges with my Tonic Distress Tool and added a sentiment from Verve Stamps "Beautiful You"(I only stamped part of the sentiment).

Their lil' tutus got a coat of my Quickie Glue Pen and then MS crystal glitter and the star wands got gold glitter. (I find that I CANNOT use my Stickles on my Digi images--it smears the ink & makes it muddy for some reason even after letting it sit for 24 hours so I have to use regular glitter--wahhhh) The stars on the sentiment were crystal, but I sprayed them with adhesive & sprinkled gold glitter on top to match their wands. The edges of my image got a spritz of Gold Smooch Spritz (new & available HERE)--the sentiment got a spritz of the Vanilla Smooch Spritz--very soft & shimmery! Aren't they just tutu cute (couldn't help meself, hee hee)?!

Second card is my non-traditional Christmas card which uses a fab image from the Whiff of Joy Henry Christmas Mouse Collection called "Henry Mouse with Christmas Bauble" sold HERE! I think these mice are super adorable & I had to color this one up first since I love Xmas ornaments so much! I love to use non-traditional colors on holiday cards--makes such a statement! I embossed my black cs with a limited edition (only available last year, sorry) ornament folder and added a strip of DCWV Xmas paper with all the colors in it. I added a bow made with my Bow Easy and some punched snowflakes with lots of glitter dots--love those things!

Here's this cutie up close! I added diamond glaze to his ornament, stickles to the ornament top & berries and sparkly fluff to his fur trim on his cap! I think he's just adorable!

Last card in this pinky pleasing parade is another CAS (clean & simple) card I made (I made a set of 2) using the Lockhart stamp "Rose of Sharon"! I'm having a blast making sets of CAS notecards I tell ya and Lockhart stamps make it so easy to do--so many to choose from too! The image was colored with Copics and then I added some stickles to the flower centers. The dp is My Minds Eye that I cut into strips and added to white glossy cs. Wrapped it with sheer pink ribbon (same that I used above) and topped it off with a double bow. Easy peasy, notecards whipped up in a jiff!

Hope you enjoyed the Pink Parade today! If you're celebrating this evening I hope you have a blast & stay safe! I'll be back tomorrow with my Copic Creations Challenge Card since it will be the 1st of November (gasp-already)!!

What's Black, Red & White??!!

Hello Stamping Friends--it's the middle of the week already!! Are you all set for Halloween (for those that celebrate)? I still have to go get candy and candles so I'm a bit behind--but hopefully the candy will be on sale when I pick it up on Friday, LOL! Alexa is going trick-or-treating with a group of girlfriends and then she'll be at a sleepover with them all (thankfully not at my house--oh teen girls hyped up on candy--not fun for me, hee hee)! Riley is trick-or-treating with friends and then going to a party at a friends house afterwards until 11 pm! Hubby and I will be eating our usual after the festivities--homemade sloppy joes toasted with mozzarella cheese melted on top and fried potatoes--YUM!

So do you like my new blog look? I AM IN LOVE with my blog, hee hee---I just adore it and think it is totally a great expression of ME!! Veronica of VKDesign Co. is MAH-VELOUS to work with--she runs with an idea, is fast and comes up with the best stuff. If you're thinking about a blog reno--you should check her site out--I HIGHLY recommend her! Not only did she do my blog, but she added the pages at the top (tutorials & all about me pages), my signature, a watermark, my Etsy Shop banner and a business card pdf file! LOVE IT--that's me sitting in my favorite chair (wish mine was zebra, hee hee) with my laptop with dogs & cats sitting with me. I had her add some copics and papers since those are my main tools :o) and if ya know me you know how much I LOVE my zebra print!!! Perfecto job Veronica---thank you so very much! (If you drop by her site, let her know you love the work she did here!!)

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NewsBitz:

-My Charity Blog Candy is running thru November 1st--stop by HERE to see all the details!

-Check out my Pumpkin Patch Pictures on my "All About Me" page (tab above)

-Pink Cat Studio Digi stamp release tomorrow--more holiday loveliness!

-Pink Cat Studio is starting a fun CONTEST today HERE!! Melissa asked the PCS Digi DT to create a Betty that best represented themselves! If you can figure out which DT team gal matches each Betty Bio picture, you can win FREE DIGI STAMPS! FUN!!

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60's Candy Girl

First project up today--all with the theme of my favorite colors red, black & white--is a fun Magnolia card I made especially for the lovely Diana Crick who is of course the owner of Magnolia-licious & a great lady to boot! So I set out to re-create a 60's Soda Shop!

I used 3 new stamps from the Yummy for your Tummy line (love these stamps) to create this fun 50's scene! I used these stamps "60's Tilda", "Kitchen"(which I used as a soda & candy shop counter) and "60's Table" (which I used as a stool for Tilda and they're all available at Magnolia-licious!! The dp is by Paper Trey Ink and the white cs was embossed with a new CB embossing folder "Morrocan". I added black pearls for knobs to all the drawers and added diamond glaze to the jars, lollipop and door windows. I drew in some candy in the one jar with my sparkly Spica pens--gotta have some goodies :o) Bow was made with my Bow Easy & then I added a new Say It With Pearls by Prima center jewel (love these--see them here)!

Isn't she just a doll--I adore her? I cut out all the elements & popped them up on dimensionals for lots of POP! And she got some fab stardust Stickles to her dress and hair bows--gotta have bling! So this card will be off in the mail to Diana this week--she asked the DT to make her some red, black & white cards to go in her new kitchen & I was happy to oblige!!

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RBW Notecards--CAS

And I had to continue on my quest to try & make more Clean and Simple cards (CAS) and since I had these papers & markers out already--I decided to use the same color scheme! I pulled out my Lockhart Itty Bitty stamps "Apple" and "Cherry" and created a fun & cheery notecard set in minutes--4 of them too (GASP)! Colored these images quickly, mounted them onto cs and added stickles to the border edge. The sentiments are from the PTI set "Everyday Button Bits" and then I added a few red rhinestones to finish it off! I even stamped some cute lil' images on the matching envies--this set is for sale in my Etsy shop too! Clean & simple, Easy Peasy!

Hope you enjoyed the projects & the NEW LOOK today! See ya back here tomorrow with some Pink Cat Digi Stamp releases!

Shoemaker, Shoemaker!!

Hello everyone & Happy Columbus Day (those in the States) and Happy Thanksgiving (those in Canada)!! Hope you all have had a good weekend so far! Our's was busy, but good busy and we got quite a bit done. My copic class was fun (waving hi) and we got 80% of my hubby's office moved upstairs into my old study which was alot of work! Today the kids are home from school for the holiday, so I'm HOPING to get some work done but we'll see....they tend to like to whine alot when they're home that they're bored, arghhhhh!

I titled my post "Shoemaker, Shoemaker" because I was working on the notecards for today's post & chuckling to myself about how I'm always needing notecards, but I NEVER send any. I'm terrible at sending cards & here I am a cardmaker, LOL! Just like the shoemaker's children never had shoes, hee hee---it's not that I don't want to, it's just that I forget or get so behind that they just don't go out. It's like some weird cardmaker sickness, hee hee---I get birthday cards out and I always send Christmas cards & participate in a monthly mingle but that's about all I get sent! This is why I sell most of my things on Etsy!! Do any of you have the same "Shoemaker" syndrome? LOL--come on you can confess---I did :o)


NewsBitz:

-I discovered a brand new store called A2Z Scrapbooking Supplies & they have a ton of goodies (including hard to find Martha Stewart punches) & are having a Grand Opening Sale this week (Copics for $3.19 each--RUN)!! They also are unique in the fact that their store supports a couple of great causes that you can read about HERE (Celiac Disease & Behcet's Disease and they support Women's Domestic Violence Survivors) and offer products that support Women's Breast Cancer Research HERE for sale. So lots of great things over there, so make sure & stop by and check them out!!

-7 Kids College Fund now has Mo's Digital Pencil STAMPS up for Pre-Order now HERE--for those of you who prefer rubber to Digi, this is a great way to get her fabulous images! Also, Cosmo Cricket paper pads & craft kits will be coming and are up for pre-order HERE (love these)!

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So today I'm showcasing 2 sets of notecards I put together! I always like to challenge myself to make notecards that are fun & beautiful but with limited layers & supplies, so that they're quick & easy to put together. Lockhart Stamp Co.'s Itty Bitty stamps are perfect for notecards (I also stamp the itty bitty on the envelope for the cards so they match)--for these 2 notecards I used "IB Mushrooms" and this Cosmo Cricket "Earth Love" paper matches PERFECTLY!! Simple to put together with 2 colors of cs and 2 different patterned papers--I added some pearls to the bottom & wrapped the center with SU ribbon along w/ a small bow & tag (PTI's Mega Mixed Messages).

The image was colored with Copics, then the layers were cut out with my circle Nestabilities--to make the soft background I used my favorite Inkssentials Blending Tool (love, love this tool)! Some diamond glaze on the mushrooms & a few diamond stickles & it's done! Cute little notecards for your stash!

Second set of notecards uses a fabulous image from I Brake For Stamps called "Small Snowman Post" (there is also a large size of this stamp)--isn't it cute! If you place an order, remember to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!

I used my PTI cs in "Enchanted Evening" which I just love--not quite navy & not quite true blue, so pretty! I embossed the cs with my snowflake Cuttlebug folder and then added a few rhinestones to bling it up a bit. I tied my sheer ribbon into a bow, using my Bow Easy & attached a lil' snowflake charm from my friend Nikki's store HERE!

Isn't this just the cutest lil' stamp?!! I colored him up with Copics, added diamond glaze to his hat & eyes & some stickles to the snowflakes! Cute! If you love either set of these notecards, they are for sale in my Etsy store, link on my sidebar (which is sadly low on inventory, hee hee)!!


See ya back here tomorrow & have a good one!
hugz,
Suzanne

Denim--1 Sketch, 2 Ways!!

Hello everyone & Happy Thursday to ya! Wahh--it's not Friday yet? I'm sooo ready for the weekend I tell ya! Tomorrow I'm off to lunch with some girlfriends so that will be fun & get me outta the house for a bit w/o kiddos! And then me & the fam have movie nite planned for tomorrow night. We're ordering Bertucci's pizza (my ultimate favorite--with prosciutto, carmelized onions & mushrooms--YUM) and watching the "Wizards of Waverly Place" movie that's premiering on Nickolodeon Friday nite. Yes, I admit I do love that show--that & George Lopez reruns make me laugh I tell ya, hee hee! And I LOVE animated movies too--can't help meself--all that innocent fun!! We all need some good laughs--I love to laugh & if you ask my dear daughter, I laugh WAY too loud for her liking, hee hee---that makes me laugh LOUDER, lol!

NewsBitz: I still have some SU stamps available HERE if you're interested!!

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2 Cards & 1 Sketch

So today I've done 2 cards using different images but all the same elements & same sketch--I love to do that! Since you already have the supplies out, you might as well make another project right?LOL! The layout for both was yesterday's SCS Sketch #243 & all the papers are from Stampin Up! (the tan cs is Coredinations)

This first card uses a fabulous Sarah Kay image called "Elodie in her Garden"--available here! I LOVE Sarah Kay images & I haven't inked one up in forevah'-isn't she a cutie!! I colored her with Copics and then added some stickles for sparkle! The doily border was done w/ a Martha Stewart punch and the charm was from a gift pack I got--but find similar ones HERE! And that FABULOUS BOW?? Done with a wonderful new tool called "Bow Easy"--you can get yours at Susana's store HERE & it is super easy to use (you can even make double & triple bows, and different sizes). I'm doing a up-close YouTube video to show how to do it for ya tomorrow--you will lovee it & it's only $5!

Up close shows the diamond stickles on the water & bees and some "new paint" on the watering can that is (soon-to-come to Susana's store, stay tuned for details--you will lovee it)! I just love her cute lil' self!!

Second card has all the same elements except this time I used the fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. image "Delphiniums & Peony" available HERE! (I love this image--it's one of my faves that Karen drew) The image was colored w/ copics & the watering can has a coat of diamond glaze on it, the flowers have diamond stickles (my 2 fave products, hee hee)! The buttons are all from Paper Trey Ink and the bow was made w/ the Bow Easy too! So the next time you have your supplies out, make 2 different cards that are similar--it's fun!


See ya tomorrow!
hugz,
Suzanne

Some Sunshine for You!!

Happy Saturday friends! Hope you're enjoying the weekend so far! We've had lots of rain(which we needed) & storms yesterday & today! I want to state that I HATE "Murphy's Law"--who came up with it & why does it even exist? LOL! I swear, I left the house yesterday afternoon & it was bright AND SUNNY! No sooner did I get to my 1st destination & it started pouring & thundering (the kinda rain you cannot see thru) & I got drenched! I get home & no later than a half-hour, the sky clears up & the friggin' sun came out! What gives, LOL? It couldn't have waited for me to run my 2 lil' errands, oh no--so I had to get new clothes on & re-do my hair & makeup for date nite w/ hubby, hee hee! And then what does it start to do AGAIN when we're getting ready to leave for dinner---yeah, you guessed it, it POURED AGAIN!! I was ready to just have a drive-thru dinner, lmbo! It was like a rain cloud was followin' me, I swear! Anywho, that's enuff about my exciting events yesterday, LOL!


NewsBitz:

-Don't forget to enter for my Halloween Blog Candy on THIS POST with all the details! You have until August 24th at midnite (EST) to do so!

-If you haven't checked out the NEW Victoria Case for SCACD stamps at Susana's Store HERE--you need to I tell ya! They are C-U-T-E!!

-I also wanted to share that I got 2 more projects published--wahooo! And one of them made the COVER!! They'll be out early next year--I'm soooo excited, still dancin' around the room!!

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So today I've got some sunshiney projects for ya to chase away that rain-cloud, hee hee! Both of my cards were based around this fabulous wire ribbon I found at Michaels--I just lovee it! First up is this fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. "Peaches" image! I even googled a peach pic to make sure I colored it correctly, hee hee--I love fresh peaches but not as much as my MOM, she has bowls of them every summer! I used PTI's fabulous "summer sunrise" cs & dp cuz' it matched the peaches so perfectly. I added some diamond stickles to that fun lettuce bowl & a few Bella Baubles in "oyster" to finish it up! The scalloped border is done w/ my SU border punch! Summer Fabulous!

Next card uses a fabulous new image from Stampavie done by artist Tina Wenke--she has such cute images--see them all HERE! And that sunflower is so much fun & matches my ribbon of course :o) I used some nut brown Flower Soft on the center of it for lots of texture. Some diamond stickles got in there too after I colored it up with my Copics! And can you believe it--I used NO PATTERNED PAPER on this card, lol! I just used cs from PTI & embossed the blue cs with my Cuttlebug "Perfect Paisley" embossing folder!

The sentiment is from a new PTI set "Autumn Abundance"--great set! Those fabulous sunflowers are from my friend Nikki's store HERE! Just 2 fun & fabulous summer invoking cards for ya!!
Aren't they cute? Love 'em!!


Alrighty I'm off for the rest of the weekend, hee hee---gotta get some rest! Have a great one!
hugz,
Suzanne

Let's Make Lemonade!!

Hi friends & Happy Tuesday!! Sorry no postie yesterday from me, but I spent the day at my mom's and picked up the kids--it was a good time w/o the kids, lots of hubby time, hee hee! We had some great dinners & some shopping sprees of course, LOL--I got new furniture for my NEW craft room (more details to come--me sooo excited), scrappin' goodies and new bedding for our bedroom :o) And that's sayin' alot cuz' my hubby HATES to shop but he indulged me this weekend & we also didn't have any kids whining that they were bored which helped, giggle!! I also finished up my daughter's bedroom so it is now a beachy-teen hangout--we just have to spray paint her lamp & some shadow boxes this week & it will be done--I'll share pics soon! So a very fun & productive 5 days!! And lemme' tell ya it is HOT here in VA--supposed to be 105 degrees today--wowza! I'm stayin' inside & craftin' all day long--kids will play with friends & stay cool inside! Speakin' of stayin' cool....let's move on to my project for today!

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NewsBitz:

-Susana's Store now has the BRAND NEW Spellbinders in (all new labels that I love & ordered all of, shhh...don't tell, lol), new Pink Cat Studio Stamps in and fabulous beautiful Tear Drop Dew Drops!! So make sure and stop by to check them out!!
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So it's Tuesday, which means it's Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and today I've challenged the DT to use pink, black & yellow on their projects!! I adore these colors together and I was lucky enough to use this fabulous Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" dp!! My layout was semi-CASED from this card HERE by Laurie of Just Give Me Stamps (who does just beautiful work & I'm always in awe)--I loved the elegance of all the elements!

I used the fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. stamp "Lemons & Bayleaves" and colored w/ copics to match the dp--the lemons have diamond glaze on top and stickles on the leaves. The buttons, ribbon & sentiment are all from Paper Trey Ink and the black cs was embossed w/ a Cuttlebug Folder. I half circled my main image with Kaiser Pearls in black to finish it off! Just a simple & elegant notecard for someone special!!

Now make sure & stop by Susana's store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects today!

See ya back here tomorrow!


hugz,
Suzanne

Lavender Blues!!

Hallelujah it's Friday Friends!! This has seemed like the longest week evah'!! I went to an early movie with friends last night to see "The Ugly Truth" & OMGoodness did I laugh---that has to be one of the crassest movies I've evah' seen, LMBO!! There were things said in that movie that I had never heard before, hee hee (course that's not surprising cuz' I am somewhat naive, LOL)! I'm still gigglin' just thinkin' about it!!

BTW, I finished the "Bobby & Jackie--A Love Story" novel (about Jackie Kennedy's affair w/ Bobby Kennedy) & what a page-turner it was, really enlightening & good. Oh my the things that have gone on with that family--I'm so happy to be a "boring" person, hee hee! Anywho, I hope you all have a fabulous summer weekend planned for yourselves!


**BLOG CANDY--If you haven't entered for my blog candy yet, you have until August 2nd to do so right HERE!! Just a mid-summer thankyou to all my stampin' friends :o)
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Today's card uses another one of my favorite flower stamps from Lockhart Stamp Co. "Cottage Flowers" (starting Monday there's gonna be an awesome Lockhart challenge/prizes sponsored by Susana's store too--so stay tuned). I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #97 for my layout and this fabulously yummy dp from Melissa Frances. Love the soft & vintage feel of this paper--reminds me of Shabby Chic sheets that have gone thru the wash many times & are now downy soft! The corner cut-outs were done with a punch I've had forevah' & the lovely charm is by Blue Moon that you can buy HERE.

I colored with Copics (what else right?hee hee) and then added a few diamond stickles to the flowers--the jar got a coat of my fave diamond glaze too. Just a soft & lovely card--I really like how this one turned out :o) Hope you do too!

I'll be posting tomorrow with my Whiff of Joy Project of the Month & a card for the Copic Creations Challenge Blog--so make sure & drop by! Have a good one!


hugz,

Suzanne

Sunshine Coloring!!

Wednesday, Wednesday is here my friends!! What's everyone up to this summer? I found lots of goodies on my antiquing trip yesterday--I'll have to share pictures soon. I got a beautiful old antique lunch pail that has faded/painted strawberries on it--its awesome!! I also got some depression glass bowls, an old map book from the 1800's, a huge old trunk for my family room & a beautiful gray-blue scale that has great curves for my kitchen! Fun day even if it did rain, hee hee! Today we're off to Lake Erie for the afternoon & then to my cousin's for dinner--so beautiful & peaceful here out in the country.

Today I just have a quick & fun project for ya!! I made a set of 4 of these notecards (up for sale on my Etsy shop if you're interested) using the fabulous Lockhart Co. stamp "Daisy Cupcake". The dp is Basic Grey's "Lemonade" and I used my scalloped circle nestabilities to make my card shapes--I adore making these shaped cards. The lil' "hello" sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages" and I added some diamond stickles to the flowers for sparkle! Always good to have a stash of pretty notecards on hand!

Thought I'd share a picture of one of my 5 cats--this is Snowbell and we rescued her off the streets last October. She is a beautiful & sweet cat and she looks NOTHING like what she used too--she was so scrawny & mangey looking when we got her. She's such a sweetie & weighs only 7 lbs--although her puffy fur makes her look bigger, LOL!

I'll see ya back here tomorrow! Have a fabulous Wednesday!

hugz,
Suzanne

Fresh & Fun!!

Hi and Happy TGIF!! Hope you had a great week & have a wonderful weekend ahead of ya!! I have to just a bit of reflecting today on lives that have been lost this week--with both Michael Jackson & Farrah Fawcett passing on it's made me both reflective & melancholy! Both icons of my youth (for those in our 30's & 40's) especially Michael Jackson. I can relate so many of my life moments to his albums, songs & videos. And yes he did look strange & act weird but I loved his music & always felt a little sad for him--a lonely & sad man it seems in private but so very talented in public! I remember getting his Thriller album in 5th grade & playing it over & over again--I still love to listen to his music on my Ipod, especially "Billie Jean" which has always been my favorite. Very sad indeed & I feel for his children & his family today. And Farrah fought the brave fight against a terrible disease that affects more and more people these days--you can't live your life in this world w/o knowing someone with cancer. She's in a peaceful place now and painfree---so many lives lost everyday I know, but these 2 really affected me for some reason--guess I'm feeling old! Anywho, you don't want to listen to my melancholy rambling....so I've got a fresh & fun project for ya!!

I made 4 of these fun notecards in under 30 minutes--it's a record for me I tell ya! I just love these notecard and how fresh looking they are. I used PTI's cs in Poppy Red & New Leaf and cut the card base out with my Nestabilities Labels 1--such a fun shape for notecards! The lovely image is a Lockhart Stamp Co. stamp "Geraniums" & perfect to add flower soft too--they were made for each other I tell ya! I colored with Copics & then added red flower soft on top! The white polka dots are from PTI's "Polka Dot Basics" set stamped in Palette Ink in Fresh Snow! Hope you like 'em & give them a try for yourself--if not this set is for sale in my Etsy shop on sidebar (they will not be shipped until July 6th due to my vacation)!

hugz,

Suzanne

Back for More!!

Hi & Happy Monday to ya!! I'm backkkkk---sorry about missing some posts, but as you probably know from my sidebar chatter, my laptop has crashed again (second time in 4 mos.)--I'm so fed up with it! So I'm using our desktop downstairs which is hard because not everything I need is down here & just makes it all that more difficult for me. For those of you that use Mac books, leave me a comment & let me know why you love them--cuz' I'm seriously thinking of switching over! ugh.... Anywho, I've got a super busy week but I've still got alot to share with you before I leave for (a much needed) 2 week vacation in Hilton Head Island. And don't forget to check my blog while I'm gone because I will still have posts going up at least 3-4 times a week (so you don't miss me, hee hee)! I've got lots to share with you today, so let's get a move on!!

NewsBitz:

**I had a great time at my Copic class yesterday (thanks ladies & hope you all had fun too)! My next class is July 26th (1-4:30) so if you're interested in coming, please let me know (email me). Two ladies yesterday came from Pennsylvania & Delaware to see lil' ole me, LOL! I am also thinking of traveling, so if you have a few friends that would like to have a class at your house & it's reasonable driving distance for me, I will consider it :o) Just let me know!

**Secondly, Whiff of Joy's new "Women's Collection" stamps are NOW available at the Whiff of Joy store (and soon to be in stock at 7Kidscollegefund.com too)!! They're beauties!

**Thirdly, yes I didn't forget.....the winner of my 200,000 hits blog candy is #71 (counting out my WOJ blog team members that left comments, hee hee)

Katie of "Both Sides of the Paper" & hails from Texas!!

So Katie email me your addy so I can get your goodies in the mail to you before I leave you lucky gal!!

And thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit me, leave me such kind-hearted, lovely & wonderful comments & is so supportive of me--I really do appreciate you all so much! And thank you for the "HILARIOUS" & totally uplifting stories you all left me--I seriously got some great laughs! So much fun!! Thanks for that!!
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First up is vintage-y kind of card using the Lockhart Stamp Co.'s "Sunflower" which I paired up with (I can't get enuff of right now, giggle) PTI's kraft cs. I stamped PTI's "Text Style-Background Basics" stamp onto the kraft cs with brown ink, and I actually wiped off some of the ink before stamping so it would appear to be more aged & faded once it was stamped. The stamped image was colored with Copics and then I just layered some Coredinations cs (love the texture) under the image and on the card. The yummy brown silk ribbon is from PTI as well. Love these Lockhart flower stamps--so much fun to use!
Just a close-up to show you the Smooch paint (gold) I used on the sunflowers for a little extra pop--I didn't want to add too much to this card, because I'm making a set of them so they had to be easy to reproduce, but the Metallic Smooch adds just enough me thinks! (fun product to use, if you need more info I have a video on my sidebar--Susana has a deal where you get all 8 for the price of 7 too)! And more new colors are coming soon--can't wait!

Second card today uses an H&M Stamp Co. stamp "Fairy Tale Wedding", but I chose to make a more versatile card with this fun picnic basket image. All stamps are still on sale for $8 or less for the month of June so don't miss out on this sale!! I thought this would be a fun card for an engagement, birthday or other special event in someone's lives! The dp is from Memory Box (Rhubarb Tart) paired w/ PTI kraft cs (yes again)! I tied off with SU ribbon & attached a fun little wine glass charm from my stash and added some Robin's Nest dew drops to finish it off. And of course there is some of my favorite Diamond Glaze on the bottle & gold Smooch on the label for more shimmer/bling!

And don't forget to stop by the Copic Creations blog to learn some fun techniques on coloring wood! I didn't participate because of my computer issues & had no way to edit my photos (above photos were done previously)--but hubby loaded Photoshop on his computer for me,so I will be able to edit tonight!

Alrighty, I'm outta here for the day--off to go get my hair cut, work on more projects & as always do more laundry (the never-ending chore)!! Have a good one!

hugz,

Suzanne

Smirk-a-licious!!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope you're having a swell week so far. Sorry no posting yesterday--hadn't been feeling well and was trying to get a bunch of things done yesterday. My son's birthday is Thursday so I'm trying to plan his "paintball" excursion with friends and finish shopping for his presents. We've had some awesome, awesome weather here in VA since Saturday--its been in the 60's everyday in February, unbelievable!! I've had my windows open and have been enjoying the fresh air (which u know is my favorite thing next to stamping, lol). Unfortunately I know it isn't going to last and is supposed to get cold again later this week, but I'm takin' advantage for sure!!

PICTURES REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION--SORRY!!

Today is "Try It Out Tuesday--Challenge #5" over at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store blog, Follow Your Heart. This week I challenged the DT to a sketch challenge cuz' I love 'em---nothing like a good sketch to get your mojo flowin'(see sketch above)!! If you want to participate in the challenge all the details are over on the store blog for ya!

I decided to use these new, fun stamps called Smirks that Susana is now carrying. I love, love them so much that I've gotta order more and they're only $3.95 so how can you not collect them all, lol :o) I decided to use the sketch to make a few notecards (2 of each design) as a gift for a friend. All the cs and dp is from Paper Trey Ink (new raspberry fizz/black & white designs).

This first notecard uses the Smirk "Fashion Gal"--isn't she a cutie with her lil doggie! The sentiment is from a Sweet 'n' Sassy set I've had and worked perfectly! I used Diamond Glaze on her purse and shoes and of course some stickles on her bows :o)

The second notecard uses "Party Gal"and she just cracks me up with her drink in each hand--zoom in to see her lil' olive in her martini, lol! I added Diamond Glaze to her glasses and some fun stickles to her purse! The sentiment is from Stamping Bella and the lil rhinestones you can get HERE.

Please head over to the store blog to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects & join in on the challenge too! Don't forget to stop by Susana's store site on PaperCraft Planet to enter for some yummy new WebCandy and see sneak peeks of a NEW STAMP by a NEW ILLUSTRATOR--you will love 'em!

hugz,

Suzanne

Quick Gifts!

Happy Saturday everyone! My post will be short today as my mom and sister are in town for the weekend (no post tomorrow, sorry, but will return on Monday)!! We had a ton of fun last night at Comedy Night--I laughed my butt off!! And the best part was my kids didn't call us at all to complain about each other---ahhhh, peace reigns at the Dean household for a few hours, ROFL!!! (If you know how my 2 children fight, you would TOTALLY understand)

Make sure and head over to Jen's I{heart}2stamp blog today for her Sketch For You to Try. My sample as her guest designer this month is all about "giving thanks". Check it out and try the sketch if you can and let me know what you think of my card too!!

Anywhoo, I made these notecard sets for a good friend of mine and another set for my mom (3 of each design w/ matching stamped envies). I wanted something that was elegant but quick to put together cuz' I don't like making multiples of anything, I'm kinda ADD like that--I like to move on to the next project, lol! All of these stamps are from Inkadinkado (Autumn Foliage and Winter Birds)--I got mine at Michael's but my friend Marti sells them at her shop Pez-a-doodles and you can also get them at 7 Kids College Fund.

The dp used for all of them is from SU's new designer prints--I'm especially loving Baja Blue (since they got rid of soft sky, sigh....)! I used my Fiskars threading water border punch to make the scalloped edges. I colored the fall notecards with my Copics and added some stickles. The blue one has diamond stickles and the red notecard has stickles and I used a gold Krylon pen in the flower centers. The sentiments are from PTI's "Holiday Wishes" and "First Fruits"(note: the fall cards have a thankyou and a happy autumn greeting). I also stamped the envies w/ a matching stamp to dress them up a bit.

Just an elegant set of holiday notecards that are not hard to put together for someone. I know my mom and friend will love them and hope you do too.

Hope ya have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday (gasp...I'm taking the day off tomorrow)!! BTW, I got all my new PTI goodies yesterday so I can't wait to play, hee hee!

hugz,

Suzanne

PS--The new winner of the blog candy is Julie Temple, please contact me asap so I can get your goodies out to you!!

PSS--If you haven't already entered my WOJ DT sistah Bev's Blog Candy--get on over there and do it already, lol!!

More Fall Fun!

Good Tuesday morning everyone! Hope your week has started off well. The weather has been beautiful here the past week, but we could really use some rain. Everything is so dry here and the leaves are already starting to fall off the trees due to the lack of rain. Fall will be here very soon, me thinks!

***BLOG CANDY ALERT*** If you haven't entered for my blog candy yet, you have until Thursday 8/21 at 11 pm EST to do so. You can enter for it here.

I'm continuing on my "fall" theme today (maybe the whole week, we'll see)--I'm having so much fun using my new fall stamps and paper. The first project is a notecard gift set that I made for a friend/neighbor who always takes care of our 4 kitties while we're away (and I take care of her 2 kitties when they're away too)--works out well. I wanted to make her a little gift to say thanks, and I thought some notecards would be a great gift. These are pretty straight forward, I make them all the time for different seasons & reasons. The stamps are Lockhart "itty bitty's" from Ellen Hutson's store (1 pumpkin stamp and the square border is a separate stamp). I used my Copics to color them in and punched them out with my scalloped square punch. I paper pierced around the rust squares for an added pop. The cream cs is from PTI, the rust cs is from SU, the dp from Fiskars (I think, I cut off the label, oopsie) . Pretty easy to see how to put together, just layering of the elements. I added a strip of dp to the cream envelopes and then put them in a clear box from Clearbags.com (love their boxes). I made a matching tag and added a sentiment from PTI's stamp set "mixed messages"--a great, versatile sentiment set; then I wrapped this bee-u-tiful sheer ribbon (Michaels $1 spot) around and tied a bow, wrapped some rafia around and attached to the tag. A simple, but elegant gift that anyone would love to recieve.

The second project is a card I made with my new stamps from C.C. Designs that you can purchase from All That Scraps. These stamp sets are just absolutely adorable--so cute you want to reach out and squeeze 'em!! This set is called " Bear Hugs" and I used the sitting bear and side bee from it. Are they not the cutest evah'?? They're colored w/ Copics and highlighted with my Inkssentials pen; I also added some diamond stickles to the bee's wings for lotsa sparkle. The light gold cs and ribbon are from PTI (lemon tart), the dp is K&Co. "johnny yanok--fall harvest" pad. I cut out the bear and bee and popped them up on the ovals (cut w/ my nesties) w/ dimensionals. The leaves are a stamp from Inkadinkado that I stamped in various colors around the border. The grass is another stamp from C.C. Designs called "SugarPlums Scenery"--lots of fun, useful images in that set too. And finally the sentiment is from Inkadinkado's "Autumn Foliage" set. The leaves were punches and I just bunched a few together and popped on dimensionals for the corners. So cute, lovin' it.

Hope ya like 'em all! From reading everyone's comments on my blog candy post, it seems everyone wants some tutorials on using Copics and/or watercoloring. I am planning on doing at least 2 tutorials, step by step on coloring images with Copics for ya--I'll do watercoloring later! Maybe towards the end of the week--we'll see how my week works out. I have lots more school clothes/shoes shopping to do for my kids (ugh...not fun at all...my kids are super-picky).

Until tomorrow...

Suzanne