1 Sketch, 2 Ways!!

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Are you celebrating tonight or keeping it lowkey? My daughter is going to a sleepover and my hubby, me and son are going to a neighbor's home for a low-key dinner party. I'm a nightowl anyway so staying up past midnite is a "non-event" for me, LOL! Our hotel room in NYC overlooked where the ball drops on New Year's Eve so the kids thought that was cool! I'm wishing each and everyone of you a Happy New Year and I hope it brings you all you wish for and more!!!

Both of my cards today use Julee's (Vervegirl) Mojo Monday sketch #67 which is so versatile and easy to use. For this particular card I used my favorite fairy stamp "Willow" from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. This yummy dp is by Dovecraft called "Aquamarine" and I just lovee the soft colors and patterns in it---you can only buy it here in the US at Susana's store if you're interested! I used my new favorite product, Scrappers Floss, to make the curly-q around the ribbon and the sentiment is from PTI's "Heartfelt Basics"(trully a super versatile set).

This is a closeup so you can see the shimmer from using Shimmerz in "iced lavender & angel wings". I color with Copics first and then paint over it w/ the Shimmerz---they're very sheer and dry very quickly, just love 'em!

The second card made with this sketch uses H&M Stamp's "Miracle From Above" set--which has the greatest images and sentiments for baby/new parent cards. I intentionally used neutral colors on this card so that it would be appropriate for a girl or boy! This lovely dp is by Basic Grey "Lily Kate"--so soft and pretty. I colored with Copics and gave this new Mom some "sassiness" by adding some sparkles to her shirt w/ Stickles. We all know new mom's need some extra bling :o) Don't forget H&M Stamps is having a HUGE SALE on Jan.6th & 7th and all stamp sets will be $5 (I have alot on my list to buy at this great price)! If you wondering why I keep reminding you, well its such an AWESOME deal on all their sets that I don't want ya to forget, LOL!

Ok, if you've been anxious to see some sneak peeks of the new Whiff of Joy stamps--make sure and check out Katarina's blog! I haven't gotten mine yet (whine) but can't wait to get 'em cuz' they are all super cute & you WILL adore them!

Have a safe and Happy New Year's tonight! I'll be back tomorrow with a TON of projects for you including the Whiff of Joy "Project of the Month"!

hugz,
Suzanne

Teddy Bear Time!!

Hiya everyone! Is everyone still clinging on to the last days of 2008 or itching for the New Year? I for one am ready for 2009--Bring It On, LOL! I have a bunch of New Year's resolutions but we'll see next year at this time if I manage to do any, hee hee! Anybody have any great resolutions they'd like to share. I for one, need to lose 15 lbs and get fit and start eating better (will NOT give up my Cherry Coke, NO WAY-NO HOW!):o) I have lots to do this year so I'm hopeful for a wonderful and healthy New Year for me, my family and all of you too!

Isn't this just the cutest lil' bear you evah' saw? (YILM, no not really, hee hee) These lil' guys are called "Shy Bears" and you can see the whole collection HERE. I had ordered some Xmas ones and then never got to use 'em--December seems to be a blur to me, LOL! I based my colors on this yummo-licious dp by My Minds Eye--I'm really lovin' using these bright, springy colors right now! I colored w/ Copics and then I used my brown Doodlebug Flock (in bon-bon) on the bear--I attached it w/ diamond glaze (2 coats of flock for extra fuzziness). The sentiment is from PTI's "Heartfelt Basics"--love this new set!

This closeup shows the Shimmerz I used on the flower petals (love this stuff--dries super quick & is super shimmery)--I used it in "pink poinsettia" on top of the Copics. I also used the new Distress Stickles in "scattered straw" in the flower centers. I hadn't used the Distress Stickles before and I really like them--they're more of a subtle sparkle but they leave a nice texture, kinda bumpy which is really cool! I also added diamond glaze to his eyes. So whatcha' think? Do you love him? All the products I used on this image you can find at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. The Copic colors are all listed at the bottom of the post and you can buy them all at 7 Kids College Fund!

This last card is another sneak peek of 2 new sets being released by Clear Dollar Stamps on Jan.1st called "Spring Critters" and "Critter Messages". I decided to put my chick in part of the egg shell (included in set as 2) along with the cute lil ladybug. I love, love my new Pinking Circle Nesties--just a fun alternative to the plain circles! The dp is from My Minds Eye again and I colored with Copics and added lotsa stickles. The ribbon and cs are from PTI. A fun spring or Easter card for a great friend! Visit all my DT sistah's blogs to see more peeks (list on side bar)!

Also, my SUINK DT sistah's (Amber, Leigh & Laura) all have sneak peeks on their blogs today--so make sure and stop by and leave 'em some love :o)

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SALES---

H&M Stamp Co. will have all stamp sets for $5 on Jan.6th-7th

The Stampin' Place is having a sale Now thru Jan.4th

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New Karen Lockhart stamps will be released on Jan.5th also--check out our PCP site "Fans of Karen Lockhart" for our Countdown of challenges and prizes and sneak peeks! Susana's store will have them all in stock & ready to go on Jan.5th and they are sooo lovely (lots of new Itty Bitty's and other wonderful images)!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Suzanne

Copics Used on "Shy Bear" card: BG15,BG11,R27,R24,R22,R20,E27,YR21,G99,G85,G20,C2

Springtime in Winter!!

Happy last Monday of the Year everyone! I'm welcoming 2009 and hoping its a great year! We're enjoying a fairly low-key week and I'm taking full advantage of it, LOL! The weather this weekend was crazy, mid sixties at the end of December. Oh how I wish winter was like that ALL the time, but it definitely makes me look forward to spring. And speaking of Spring, I have a couple of spring-like projects for ya today...


This card uses another new stamp set to be released from Clear Dollar Stamps called "Spring Critters". There is also an add-on set to this called "Critter Messages" and both will be released on Jan.1st! I used the bunny & chick stamps from the set to create a "friends scene" for spring. The Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" dp has the perfect colors/patterns for spring & Easter cards. I used my Copics to color the image and and drew in more grass w/ my mulitliner pen (0.8) to blend the images together(some stickles too, lol). I used my SU corner punch to make all the corner brackets and the ribbon is from PTI.

Here's another card I did using the new "Charliene Cowgirl" stamp set from Clear Dollar Stamps that also releases on Jan. 1st. I knew my SU "Outlaw" dp would be perfect to use with this image! One of our DT challenges was to use these colors and include a charm somewhere on our cards and I happened to have some Karen Foster cowboy charms stashed away! I tied the charm on with one of my new favorite products--Karen Foster Scrapper's Floss! Its so fun to use and if you wrap it tightly around a pencil it will take on this wonderful curl, so so fun & comes in tons of colors and is cheap to boot! This card also uses a great sketch issued by our DT leader Laurie Wilson--lovee this sketch. I colored w/ Copics and added some diamond stickles to her cowgirl hat and saddle so she's a "Sassy Cowgirl"!

Hope you liked my sneak peeks today! Make sure and visit the CDS DT blogs today for more of their sneak peeks (list on sidebar)!

Also, three more of my SUINK DT sistah's have more sneak peeks of the two new sets on their blogs today--so make sure and stop by (Kristen, Tori, & Carolina)'s blogs for their awesome creations!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more peeks and a Magnolia project for ya too!
Hugz,Suzanne

Sneakie Peekie Time!

Happy Sunday everyone! Have you all recovered from your holiday festivities yet? I'm trying to catch up on ALOT of lost sleep and get some crafting time in, since I haven't made anything in a week (GASP)!! We had a wonderful Christmas and I loved every minute but I have to say I'm looking forward to the semi-calmness of January, LOL! We're going to a friend's house for a New Year's Eve get together, but it will be low-key just how I like it :o) Anyone of you have any exciting New Year's plans? Ok, onto 2 sneakie peekies for ya....

This first card uses one of two new sets being released by Storage Units, Ink & More on Jan. 1st! Both sets involve love & sweet things great for Valentine's Day :o) I really love SUINK stamps because the sets include so many separate stamps for you to use together or separately---and I love to make scenes with them! I used 5 stamps from the "Will You Be My Valentine" set for this card. The dp is from K&Co's "Smitten" line which I lovee! I colored with Copics and added some stardust stickles to the image. The hearts are from my new Heart Nestabilities that I got just in time for Valentine projects. You likee? Make sure and visit my fellow DT sistah's blogs today for their sneak peekies too (Mary Jo & Colleen)! I'll list the DT sistahs who will have sneak peeks this week everyday for ya!

This next card uses a new stamp set from Clear Dollar Stamps (to be released Jan.1st) called "Charliene Cowgirl"--if you're familiar with their cute Charlie Cowhorse stamps then you'll lovee this set too. For this card I only used part of the horse image in my circle and I didn't make her look too girly so that this card would work for both a boy or a girl. I colored with Copics and used this yummy "Men of Life" dp from PTI which is so fun! I stamped out separately the horseshoe & boots and used my Nesties to cut them all out. The stars are from my SU star punch and I used Stampendous GeoSparklers on the ends to make them look like sheriff's stars. The sentiment is from CDS's "Casual Curls Sentiments" set which works perfectly for that cowboy font look! Make sure and visit the DT's (list on my sidebar) blogs all this week for their beautiful & fun creations using all the new sets. I will have sneak peeks of a few different sets here on my blog this week too!

If you've been waiting to get some Shimmerz, Scrapper's Floss and Doodlebug Flocks/Glitters---Susana's Custom Art & Card Design has them all in now in lots of scrumptious colors, so check 'em out!

H&M Stamps will be having a HUGE BLOWOUT Garage Sale on Jan.6th-7th--ALL stamp sets will be $5!! So if you got some Xmas money, that's a great deal and great way to spend it, LOL!!

See ya back here tomorrow,

Suzanne

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I wish everyone the happiest of holidays and here's to a wonderful New Year! Thanks for taking the time to visit me this year, I appreciate each and everyone of you more than you'll ever know!

This is a slideshow of our trip to NYC this past weekend--it was fabulous but brrrrrrrrr....cold! Enjoy! (double click to make larger)



Holiday Hugz,
Suzanne

Sparkly New Year!!

Happy Friday everyone--Yahoo! I cannot wait to leave for NYC for some good Christmas fun this weekend! And can you believe only 6 days until Christmas. I still have to wrap a bajillion presents tonight and pack for our trip. We'll be back late on Tuesday just in time for Santa to come and visit our house! This post will be kinda short cuz' I know we're all running around crazy right now trying to finish up our to-do lists :o)

(Edited to add--Copics used for face E11, E00,E000, R21/clothes are C2,C5,C7,C9/hair is E35,Y21)


I couldn't wait to ink up my New Year's Magnolia stamps any longer and I also got some of these fun Alota Stamps to use with them. This is "New Year Tilda" from Magnolia-licious and the Alota Stamps can be bought here. These stamps will be useful for so many other celebrations for this coming year too---they're definitely not holiday specific which I love!

She's colored with copics and I used Shimmerz (in angel wings) on her shirt & tights. I also used my gold liquid pen for all the gold accents. The champagne glass has diamond glaze coated on it for that glassy shine and I used my Spica Markers on the confetti. That super sparkly cs is Doodlebug's Sugar Coated cs in Bumblebee--lovee this stuff, it is soooo sparkly in real life! The sentiment I made on my computer cuz' I didn't have any New Year's sentiments to use (gasp--how the heck did that happen, lol)! I used the same SCS sketch #207 for this card which I really love since this is the second time I've used it, LOL!

Ok, this is the last post from me until next week. I hope your holiday celebrations are splendid and wonderful this weekend! Don't forget that H&M Stamps is having a HUGE blowout sale Jan. 6 & 7th---all stamps sets are $5!!! So if ya get some Xmas money make sure and put it to good use, LOL :o)

holiday hugz,
Suzanne

Teacher Appreciation!!

Hiya everyone! I know I said I would post every other day, but what can I say---I can't stay away, LOL!! Actually I wasn't able to get this project up yesterday in time so I'm doin' it today. I also wanted to share some exciting news with you--

When I started my blog back in March of this year, I had 5 Goals set for myself (I'm a big believer in writing down your goals and seeing them everyday) and as of this month I have achieved them all. When I wrote my first blog post, my actual goal was to have 5,000 hits in my first year---well, I must say that as of this month I will be at 80,000 hits and I'm expecting to hit over 125,000 on my 1st blogaversary in March! I still can't believe that you all visit me, encourage me and like what I do---I appreciate each & everyone of you and I read every single comment you leave me!! So thank you for helping me over-achieve my goal and thank you so much for your friendship, support & kindness!!

But onto my news---I am happy to say that I will be published in a craft book next June for a project that I did. I was sooooo excited when I was notified that I almost passed out, LOL! I can't wait to share the details with you, but sadly I can't until June! Being published was one of my goals for this year too and I'm so happy to cross this last goal off of my list. But enuff about me and onto my project for today!!

This project was made for this week's Whatchadoin' Wednesday #19 over on the Storage Units, Ink & More blog. This week's challenge was to create a "holder or package" for a gift. Well, I used this cute set "A Touch of Class" to make a Teacher Appreciation card that has a gift card pocket inside. Teacher Appreciation isn't until May but you could also use this as a teacher thankyou or birthday gift too. The backpack was stamped and cut out and then I cut a small piece of the straps out & then attached it so it would look like she was holding the backpack. My colors were all based on this fun dp by Making Memories (Cheeky Collection-Emery) which I thought matched this lil' gal perfectly. This front layout is also this week's SCS sketch #207--I like this sketch alot so I'll probably be using it again :o)

On the inside of the card I made a gift card pocket with thin foam tape and stamped more images from this set randomly for a fun & colorful look. I left the front of the pocket blank so that it could be stamped with a teacher's name at a later date. So if you'd like to see more ideas for this challenge make sure & visit SUINK's blog! If you want to join in, and we'd love to have you, upload to SCS using the keyword "SUINKWWC19".

I will be back tomorrow with another project for ya, cuz' like I said I can't stay away---LOL! I'm leaving this weekend for NYC but I will have a project up on Christmas Eve as a treat for ya & there will be sneak peeks here on Dec. 28th too!

holiday hugz,
Suzanne

Copics Used: R24, R22, YR23, YR21, E35, Y21, B95, B91, C2

Christmas Blessings!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! How is everyone doin'? I'm in work overload as I'm sure most of you are and my to-do list doesn't seem to be getting any shorter--how is that, LOL! I'm drinking double the caffeine but it doesn't seem to be helping much!

I'm letting you all know that I will be posting only every other day until the new year (but next week I will only post once) so that I can get some more things done & some time off too---don't miss me, hee hee! Do make sure and visit on the 28th for 2 Sneak Peeks from two wonderful companies!!

I have soooo many holiday Magnolia stamps that are still uninked that I feel ashamed....ok, not really but I do feel a lil' guilty,lol! I guess that will just give me more Xmas stamps to play with next year! Isn't this Tilda holding her big candycane the cutest--you can get her still from Magnolia-licious!! I had to use up some more of this yummy dp by SU (altho' I have another pack to save for next year cuz' I'm a hoarder ya know) and colored Tilda to match with Copics. The corners were made by punching my cs with SU's scalloped edge punch & then cutting in 90 degree triangles--I also paper pierced them to jazz 'em up a bit! The sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms "Mona Lisa Moments--Christmas Expressions".

I'm showing you this close-up so you can see the sparkle & shimmer of the white areas! It's Angel Wings Shimmerz--lovee this stuff & Susana's Custom Art & Card Design will have it in by the end of the week. I'll show you more samples with different colors on Friday! Great stuff!

BTW, if you're in the market for Copics or "your Santa" wants to get you some--make sure and check out 7 Kids College Fund! I picked out all the Copic colors that you should start out with, so they all work together beautifully--so if you need to add a few to your collection check 'em out! She also has a great price on the Airbrush System that might find its way into MY stocking :o)

Alright, I'm off to bake, wrap & craft and maybe fit in some laundry too, LOL! See ya!

hugz,
Suzanne

Copics Used: R24,R22,R20, E49,E47,E44,E43,E35,Y21,G82,G20,E00,E11,E000

Gone Fishin' for Christmas!!

Happy December 15th everyone!! Ten more days to go until the "big guy" comes and visits--seems like December has flown by, lol! Hope you all got some of your to-do list done this weekend--I checked off a few things but my list doesn't appear to be any shorter, LOL!!

THE BLOG CANDY WINNER FOR MY RUBBER ROMANCE PACKAGE IS.......
Here are your random numbers:
18
Timestamp: 2008-12-15 20:30:34 UTC

Katarina of Kama Design

Congrats Katarina on winning--email me your address and I will get the goodies out to you this week! Thanks everyone for playing!!
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We went and decorated our Gingerbread Houses (see slide show for pictures-click to make larger too) at our Club for the very first time! To be honest w/ ya though, I do not like "messes" and to have icing everywhere and drying on my hands~ICKY, not my thing. I also don't like alot of sugar, it literally makes me gag, so to see all the candies laid out & gobs of icing was almost too much for my stomach. But the kids loved it and had a blast so that was TOTALLY worth it to me :o) They are now recovering from their "sugar high" cuz' I couldn't tell ya how much they ate, but it was probably more than they have had in a whole year!

And now in a totally unrelated project, LOL, here is my lil' fishin' fella! I will have more Xmas projects this week, but I needed a break from all things Christmas for a bit! This lil' guy reminds me of my son and one of his favorite pasttimes--fishing! This stamp set "Look What I Caught" from SUINK is just the cutest & comes with lots of stamps to make different scenes (I used 4 stamps). He's colored w/ Copics and then I cut his hat & cattails out and attached them separately. The sky was done by sponging ink w/ a makeup sponge over a scalloped circle cut-out and the water has stickles on it for shimmer. The dp is by SU and I love these patterns for masculine cards. Just a fun lil' card that my son can send his Pop-Pop or Great Uncle (who share his love of fishing)! I also entered this in this past week's SCS "Ways to Use It" WT196 which was half-baked or stampin' only part of an image & imagining what the other end is. Mine would be his fishing line and you can "imagine" the fish or bobble buoy on the other end, LOL!

Holiday Hugz~Suzanne

Happy Hoo-Lidays!!

Happy Saturday everyone! It's a quick post for ya today cuz' we are busy running errands and then I have lots of projects to finish before Monday! If you have holiday plans this weekend, hope you have a roarin' good time!

Another Christmas card done with my Pink Cat Studio stamps--I've had this QT Hooty Owl set for awhile and never inked this one up (GASP)! I think this image w/ his lil' scarf on is just adorable. The dp is Imaginisce's "Snowy Jo" (lovee it) so I colored him w/ Copics to match. I added diamond glaze to his eyes and some liquid applique to his cap. The sentiment is from the same set but I shortened it and didn't stamp out the "happy" part.

The ribbon & buttons are from SU and that red stuff is scrappers floss---oh boy how I love this new find!! It works great for tying thru buttons, but the best part is it keeps its form--I twirled mine around a pencil and it keeps its curls--so fun!!! Susana's Custom Art & Card Design will have this in next week in lots of yummy colors, so make sure and check it out--you'll love it for sure! The lil sparkly jewels in the corner are Stampendous GeoSparklers and they are so fun to use--they come in brilliant colors, tons on a sheet in all different shapes & sizes. I will say that I learned a lesson tho' (LOL)--apply your GeoSparklers AFTER heating anything on your card or they will MELT & curl up--let's just say I learned the hard way, LOL!!

Newsies for ya:

-Spiral Whisper has new stamps coming out and there's yummy blog candy to win, so go here to enter!

-January 3rd the new releases from Whiff of Joy will be out, so stay tuned for sneaky peekies!

-7 Kids College Fund has Copics for sale now at their store that were handpicked by me!!

Alright, I'm off to do errands! Remember you have until tomorrow night to enter for my Rubber Romance blog candy on THIS POST!! No post for me tomorrow, as we're off to Gingerbread Land, lol, to decorate our gingerbread houses!

hugz~Suzanne

Copics Used: G85,G20,R24,R22,E33,E34,E53

Pink Girl Power!!

Happy, happy Friday everyone! I'm looking forward to the weekend and I'm feeling more myself now thank goodness (thanks for all the well wishes). Our club here in our neighborhood has a huge Gingerbread House Decorating event every year and we're going on Sunday. My daughter and I are making one (and they're huge) and my son & hubby are doing one--I'll share pics with you all on Monday, should be tons of fun! I'm sure my kiddos will be on a sugar high, lucky me--LOL!!

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Remember you have until Sunday evening at 11 pm to enter for my Rubber Romance Blog Candy on THIS POST!!!
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My two cards today feature Pink ladies, lol! This card features another Rubber Romance stamp, but this one is super special!! Her name is "Jane" and everytime someone purchases her a $1 is donated to Breast Cancer Research & Education by the gals at Rubber Romance. Even better, when you buy this stamp from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design, Susana will donate another $1 to the cause--so $2 will go to this most worthy cause. I'm sure we all know someone who has suffered from this horrible disease and what a great way to support and honor them!

I paired my Jane with this yummy dp from Dovecraft called "A Hint of Pink" (oh my how I love this dp). The sentiment (which I love too) is from Verve Stamp's "Fairy Tales". Another set Verve has that is great for supporting your loved ones w/ just the right sentiment is "Here for You" & its 20% off right now--I'm ordering one for sure. So if you love this gal and you want to donate to this great cause that really helps all of us women, be sure and visit Susana's store & purchase one. The DT for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design (on my sidebar) all used this stamp today for a project, so make sure and blog hop around to see their versions :0)

My second card is pink too--do you feel a theme goin' on, lol! This is one of the very first stamp sets I bought from Pink Cat Studio (Lily & Tweet) and I instantly fell in love with them all! I was lucky to be chosen by the fabulous Melissa (owner & illustrator) to guest design for her in the New Year and I'm sooo honored! I've been neglecting my Pink Cat stamps so I've pulled them out & been inkin' them up, so look out for more of these cuties here on my blog! I colored w/ Copics and the snowflakes were punched and then I added my favorite Martha Stewart snow glitter to them. I love using these non-traditional colors for the holidays--so much fun!

I hope you all have a fun weekend ahead of you and remember only 13 DAYS until Christmas---are you excited or stressed, lol?? I'm happy to say my shopping is DONE and all I have to do is wrap. My biggest stress is getting out all my Xmas cards---I need to sign & address them all--eekkk!

see ya back here tomorrow,

Suzanne

Shabby Chic Winter!!

Hello and happy Thursday friends!! I am still under the weather and did not get ANYTHING done yesterday, so I'm hoping to work on a few things today (fingers crossed)! Only 2 weeks until Xmas--ahhhhh--so much left to do!! I'm working on a couple of tutorials for ya too, hopefully I will have one up for ya next week.

I love these snowman images from Whiff of Joy--this Herb kissing his snowgirl is too cute! The sentiments from Whiff of Joy are perfect with all of their new stamps too. (I will tell ya that my lovely son said it looked like decapitation to him--oh boys, LOL) I wanted to make this card vintage shabby chic and this Cosmo Cricket dp helped with that! Lots goin' on in this card--it took me awhile to put together too, lol! I colored w/ Copics and then rubbed 2 different Memento inks around the image to shab it up. These new Nestabilities (labels 1) are just brilliant--I layered 2 here. The round corners and border was done with a Fiskars border punch. The snowflakes are actually stickers from SandyLion that I coated with my Martha Stewart snow glitter and then added SU buttons on top. Used more of the snow glitter around the image--I just applied my diamond glaze around the edges to apply the snow glitter, super easy!

Hope your preparations for the holiday are going well! I'm leaving you with this cute holiday crafter's poem that's been going around:

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls
should be in their beds."
"I know I should Santa,
and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited
To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look
in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly,
And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim
as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap,
I'll see you next year!"

hugz~Suzanne

Toile Skating!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Oh boy am I sickie-poo again with a stomach virus this time--YUCK! I guess I should be happy I'm getting it done with before Christmas and not during--I guess, LOL! I'm definitely draggin' today, so we'll see what I get done. I really need to start packing up my Xmas cards and addressing them so I can get them out by Saturday...we'll see how it goes!
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Don't forget to to enter for my Rubber Romance BLOG CANDY on THIS POST!! You have until Sunday to do so!!
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Can I just say again how much I LUV my Magnolia stamps--they really are just the cutest & sooo fun to color!! This is another Christmas card that I will have a hard time parting with, lol! This features a new Magnolia stamp called "Edwin & Tilda Skating" from the New Year's collection that you can get from Magnolia-licious---I adore this image, its one of my favorites(yeah, yeah I know I say that alot, lol), but really it is!!

I used my Bo Bunny toile dp that I've been hoarding since last year and paired it with this lovely green brocade dp by Anna Griffin. This layout was so much fun that you'll probably see me use it again--it's this week's sketch over at Our Creative Corner. I added some stickles to the "ice" and to Edwin's hat & Tilda's pockets. The felt snowflake is from SU that I added that fun Martha Stewart snow glitter to the ends of and then embellished with this gorgeous ribbon & a silver snowflake charm.

I outlined the frames with my silver liquid pen for some shine and the fur trim on their clothes was flocked with that wonderful Doodlebug Crushed Velvet flock (omg how I lovee this stuff)--Susana will have it in stock by the end of this week & you can get it in the variety pack so you can play w/all the colors!!

BTW, do you like my new watermark? I figured out how to make them and now I have bunches in all different colors & fonts, hee hee!

In other news, I wanted to let you know that H&M Stamps will be having a HUGE BLOWOUT GARAGE SALE on January 6th & 7th!!! All stamp sets will be $5 & under---Mark your calendars now cuz' that is an awesome sale for sure! I'll be placing my HUGE order too, so don't forget and to help you out I'll have the sale star on my sidebar until then!!

Hopefully feeling better soon--I'll see ya tomorrow!!

Suzanne

Copics Used: R89, R85, R83, R81, G99, G94, G20 (clothes)/E11, E00, E000 (skin)/E47, E44, E43 (his hair & her skates)/E35, E33 (his skates)/E35 & Y21(her hair)/silver spica pen for blades on skates

Snow Birds!!

Hiya everybody! Only 16 more days until Christmas---eEEEEEKKKK! So much to do....and not enough time, dontcha' wish there was just one more week in December! I know I'll get everything done but wheww, it's gonna be close!! We're going to New York City the weekend before Christmas for 3 days with the kids. I love the city at Xmastime and seeing the store windows all done up, ice-skating in Central Park & we're going to see the Christmas Show w/ the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall---I can't wait!! This will be my son's first trip to NYC so he's super excited!


I'm also sooooooooo excited to announce that I WILL be at CHA in January--yippee!! I've booked my flight and hotel out in California and this will be my first time out to the West Coast. I will be taking a few hours while I'm there to visit the beach just to touch the Pacific Ocean for the first time (who knows when I'll ever get out there again, lol)! I'm flying in with my friend Marti on Friday & leaving on Wednesday---ahhh, no kids or hubby, just stamping friends & lotsa goodies!! Not to mention that my hotel is across the street from Disneyland (might have to visit Mickey)!! I'll be blogging about it while I'm away so you'll get to see all the goodies too!

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If you haven't entered for my Rubber Romance blog candy you have until Sunday, December 14th to do so---you can read all the details on THIS POST!!
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Onto my card for the day! This uses one of the Christmas Trees from Karen Lockhart called "Snow Tree with Birds"--all of her trees are so elegant and fun to color! I paired it up with some of the yummy holiday dp & cs from SU. I colored the tree with Copics and then added liquid applique to the snow with a nice coating of diamond stickles on top. I'm not sure what company the brad elements are from (threw out the packaging) but I just love their vintage look along with the ghost snowflake from Making Memories (FaLaLa). If you're looking for more Lockhart stamps, make sure and stop by Susana's Custom Art & Card Design for a great selection.

I'm also running a contest on the Paper Craft Planet "Fans of Karen Lockhart" site this week--the theme is ornaments. Stop by to find out all the details and see what you can win!!

Until tomorrow....

Suzanne

Copics Used: G99, G94, R29, R22, BG10, BG72, BG75

Breakfast With Tiffaney!!

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Ours was restful and relaxing thankfully. We got most of our Christmas shopping done and now I gotta wrap 'em all up! Hubby and I always have a marathon movie night w/ snacks and wrap up all the presents--we've done that since both of our kids were born, always fun! Speaking of gifts.....

Well I've got a gift for you today! This is my last BLOG CANDY of 2008 for ya and it's YUMMY! These Rubber Romance stamps that Susana of Susana's Custom Art & Card Design got for me to give away are awesome & they're signed by the illustrator/owner Robin Ireland to boot! Check out Susana's store for more Rubber Romance goodies!

You can enter for my BLOG CANDY until Sunday (12/14) at 11 pm (EST) by leaving an answer to this question on THIS POST ONLY--"What was your favorite Christmas gift & why?". You will recieve these 2 stamps and a card made by Robin Ireland herself and maybe I'll wrap it in my FAVORITE zebra print tissue paper for ya, lol!

Susana also has some yummy Rubber Romance WEB CANDY over on her store site too so make sure to check it out and enter for hers too!

In honor of my yummy blog candy I decided to use one of my most favorite Rubber Romance stamps with Audrey Hepburn on it called "Colazionne da-Tiffaney". Rubber Romance makes a great selection of Paris themed movie poster stamps & I lovee them!! Not too difficult of a card to put together, just lotsa layers! The image was stamped on Vintage Cream cs from Paper Trey Ink and I lightly colored some areas with my Copics. On her dress I used black stickles for both shine & sparkle. The dp is from Imaginisce and cs is SU. I also used white opal liquid pearls on her pearl necklace for dimension. Do you likee?

I also wanted to introduce the new Design Team members who are joining me for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store--Congratulations ladies! Make sure and visit them to see their lovely creations too today!

-Lynn Put of The Queen's Scene
-Susan Dube (guest designer) of Stamping Tink
-Danni Bindel (guest designer) of Danni's Dreams
-Christine Riley (guest designer) Stampyn Wife's Space
-Anki Bargman of Kortfralst

And if you're not in the Christmas spirit yet, you will be when you watch this video!! I first saw it on Cindy Lawrence's blog and had to put it up--make sure and watch to the end! Enjoy!

Have a great day everyone & I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

Hugz~Suzanne

A Blue Christmas!!

Happy Saturday everyone! Let me tell ya it is BRRRRRRRRRRRRR Freezing here today--in the low 20's this morning. I guess I'm gonna have to fly south soon (I wish), LOL! I think we're in store for a crazy winter my friends.
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OK...
My Whiff of Joy BLOG CANDY winner is....................

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
127
Timestamp: 2008-12-06 04:44:52 UTC

NANCY of FancyCrafty{ME}

Congrats on winning these yummy WOJ goodies--just in time for Christmas too! Email me your addy asap so I can get them to ya!
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Don't despair if you didn't win this time, cuz' "GUESS WHAT?".....I'll be having my very last BLOG CANDY giveaway of the YEAR on Monday, so don't miss it!

I'm happy to hear everyone's hopeful for the New Year and I hope everyone's wishes come true and everyone has a wonderful, safe, healthy & prosperous New Year! I will have my New Year's wishes up for ya come the end of the month!

I have to say that this Christmas card might be staying in Suzanne's office,LOL! I just love how it turned out and I don't think I can give it away, hee hee. This is some more of that yummy dp from Dovecraft's Winter Wonderland pack---if you really, really want some of this you need to email Susana by 8 pm (EST) tonight cuz' she will be more ordering more(susana@susanascustomartandcarddesign ). Check out the other lovely Dovecraft dp and Laura Ashley dp HERE.

This lovely Magnolia stamp is "Tilda wearing Stockings" from Magnolia-licious--I love her long hair & footie socks (she reminds me of my dd). I made an ornament for her to sit in with my circle nestability and my SU tag punch (cut one side off) and then outlined with my Silver Liquid Pen. The white shimmery cs is from PTI and the sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms "Mona Lisa Moments". I threw some stickles on too cuz' ya know its not finished until I have some sparkles on there :o) I've had a few requests to list the Copics I use and I promise I WILL TRY hard to remember to do that---I always forget and put all my Copics back and never list 'em for ya, but I'll try harder (they will be at the end of each post).

Hope ya like it as much as me! I'll see ya later!

Suzanne

Copics Used: Hair--E59,E25,E31 Clothes--B91,B93,B95,B97,B41 Skin--E000,E00,E11,R20

Snow Girl!!

Yeahhhhh! It's Friday my friends! I am sooooo ready for the weekend so I can get some much needed rest. My son and I are both sickie-poo with nasty head colds, YUCKY, especially at this time of year. We don't really have any plans this weekend other than doing some more Christmas shopping--I'd like to be finished up with all of that by next week (we'll see, fingers crosses)! How are you doin' with your holiday cards & shopping?
Ok, onto my projects today, of which I have 2 for ya since I didn't post any yesterday!

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Today is the last day to enter my Whiff of Joy Blog Candy--you have until 11 pm (EST) tonight to leave a comment on this post!! I'll announce the winner tomorrow--Good Luck!
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This card uses some of my favorite things--cute image, snowflakes & yummy dp! I think this lil' Lizzie from Whiff of Joy is just the cutest dollbaby evah' and my friend Summer has them in stock here in the states at her store! I paired her up with this most yummo-licious dp from Dovecraft. Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is the ONLY store right now here in the states to carry Dovecraft and she has it in 8x8 paper packs. If you lovee this dp called "Winter Wonderland" you can email Susana at susana@susanascustomartandcarddesign.com and she will be taking pre-orders until 5 pm (PST) tomorrow becuz' she sold out of the first batch of this design. I will have another card with this dp up tomorrow & it's even yummier, lol! Make sure and check out the other designs too---they're all sooooo pretty!

I used PTI's shimmery white cs on this card (lovee that too) along with my Marvy Snowflake punches, glitter dots from Gina K and the snowflake brads are from The Stampin ' Place and of course she's colored w/ Copics!

This is a close up of the most wonderful flock out there (& I've tried 'em all). I used this Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock in lily white on all of Lizzie's fur trims--its nice and fine & adheres wonderfully. Susana will have it in her shop next week in variety packs (gotta love that) & single bottles! If you like to flock or wanna try it, you MUST get this stuff, I seriously recommend it (and no I don't get any $$ for saying that, LOL).

You might wanna click on this pic to make it larger, cuz' since its a wideshot I couldn't get it any bigger here for ya! I made a set of notecards (2 each) as a gift using H&M Stamp Co's "A Lil' Behind" stamp set. Oh how I lovee this "hiney" set--it suits my personality so well (if you know me well you know my quirky sense of humor & sarcasm well). Their are many other images in this set and soooo many cute sayings too! I decided on a black/white scheme w/ a punch of 1 other color and dry embossing on each. (Cow has swiss dots embossed on black, bear has scored criss-cross on white bg, chickie has a scored square around) All colored w/ Copics and accented with my favorite diamond stickles. Do they make ya' laugh? ME TOO--ROFL!!

I'll be back here tomorrow with the winner of my blog candy and another project for ya!

hugz,

Suzanne

Sickie-Poo!

Hi everyone! No projects today because I am sickie-poo :o( I've run my engines dry I guess and I'm taking a day of rest so it doesn't get worse--too much to do over the next few weeks, ya know! So, I thought I'd share a few more holiday pictures with you of my family at the Christmas Tree farm this past weekend.


If you haven't entered for my WOJ blog candy yet and wanna see more Christmas pics---go to this post!
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Me, my daughter Alexa & son Riley at Snickers Gap Tree Farm in Bluemont, VA. We're standing in front of the tree that now graces our family room--all 11 feet of it! This farm has acres & acres of the best trees evah'--we go every year & finish it off with hot cider in the barn! It was a beautiful sunny day in the low 40's--perfect for "tree hunting" as we call it, lol!

My daughter, son & hubby with our first cut-down--the blue spruce that is now beautifying our rec room. My son actually hauled this all the way across the farm to the barn where we check out--I still remember chasing him around as a toddler trying not to lose him in all the trees, lol! How time does fly! (of course he got sick the next day, so now I feel guilty about him tuggin' the tree, lol)

Oh, my silly kids! My daughter always decorates the tree in her Santa hat & we have Xmas music blaring the whole time! That of course is my son making faces behind her back--typical! And yes we have to use a ladder to decorate the tree, but not till Mom (me) strings all the lights--which in this case we ran out of (GASP)! I thought I had extra but didn't, so we had to pack up & run to Lowes to buy a cart full of white lights (can't run out again)! Typical for the Dean family, LOL!

I hope your December is starting off Merry & Bright! I'll be back tomorrow with some more projects for ya!

hugz,

Suzanne

Winter White!!

Hi again! This is POST #2 for today, so make sure you scroll down to enter for my Whiff of Joy BLOG CANDY & to see all my Christmas pics on the last post, okay!!



Today is Whatchadoin' Wednesday over at Storage Units, Ink & More and the theme is "Winter White"--show us your creations using 90% white on them w/ one other color! I cheated a bit (cheater, cheater I hear you chant, LOL), but I had to use a lil' green for the trees and yellow on the windows ya know!

I think mostly white cards with a nice pop of color are so elegant. I used the house & trees from the "Deer Ol Santa" set for this card. I added some of my favorite DecoArt SnowWriter snow to the image and then coated it with a layer of diamond stickles. I cuttlebugged 2 layers of white cs with my swiss dots & snowflake folders and then used my MS snowflake punch to make the edge border (w/ some more stickles of course). I wrapped with this lovely sheer white ribbon and added some felt snowflakes from SU (added more stickles, hee hee)!!! A quick holiday card to make for those of you who are still working on your Xmas cards (like me, lol)! If you want to join us in this challenge just upload to SCS using the keyword "SUINKWWC17"--we'd love to see whatcha' make!

Ok, I'm off to finish some projects maybe. I have a lingering migraine today that is not going away so we'll see...

hugz,
Suzanne

Christmas Pics & Blog Candy!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! 22 Days & counting my friends!! I had a wonderful time with my friends at my holiday luncheon yesterday. Lots of yummy food and fun talk! Thanks guys for kicking off the holiday season w/ me :o) I'm sharing some pictures with you today of my house decked out for the holidays--I haven't finished the outside yet so those pics will come later this week!

***THIS IS POST #1 FOR TODAY--I WILL BE BACK LATER WITH MY WHATCHADOIN' WEDNESDAY CARD FOR SUINK!!!***********
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This is the yummo-licious blog candy that I'm offering up for a lucky someone! Katharina of Whiff of Joy gave me (so generously & kindly) 2 awesome holiday stamps, Snowman Herb & Charlie 007 for ya! I'm including this wonderful glittery dp by DCWV and 2 spools of holiday ribbon too (including a wide gold Offray ribbon that is from my favorite stash)! So if you've been wanting some of these fun holiday WOJ stamps, now's the time to enter.

You will be able to enter until Friday (12/5) at 11 pm (EST) and I will announce the winner picked by Random.org on my Saturday blog post. Just leave a comment at the bottom of today's post answering this question, "What's your biggest wish for the New Year?".

And don't forget to visit Katharina's blog for the Whiff of Joy Advent Calendar Event. Every day until Christmas a new window opens up to reveal the "surprise gift" you can win each day. So hurry over there and see what's up!
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I had to share a picture of one of the wonderful gifts I got yesterday (thanks & hugz to you all) from my friend Alex. She's a wonderful & talented sewer and she made me this decorative pillow matching up my blog header and colors to perfection. Isn't this the prettiest "blog pillow" you've evah seen? It's going on a shelf in my craft room. You can see more of her projects on her blog Sew Cute by Alex!

Below is the slideshow of my trees and inside of my home. I wish you could see my trees IRL becuz' they don't show up as pretty & sparkly in pictures~ I will upload pics of the outside when we finish it up. (CLICK on slideshow to make LARGER & see captions)

That's all for now folks, I'll see ya back here later today with my SUINK card. While you're waiting make sure and visit the SUINK blog to see more inspiration for this Wed's Challenge--"White Christmas"! My card is done, but I wasn't able to get good picture of it yet--no sun :(

hugz~~Suzanne

Fantasy!!

Happy December 2nd (ack only 23 days till Christmas) everyone! I have my ladies luncheon today so I will TRY & keep this short, lol! I've got lots to do yet so let's get to it!! BTW, I changed up my blog--whatcha' think?

Both of my cards today feature new faeries from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. I love this fairy "Natasha"--she reminds me of the Bellas but more fantastical & graceful! I colored her w/ Copics to match up with this yummy dp from SU called "Urban Garden". I inked SU inks around the edges of her with my Ranger Inkssentials Blending Tool to make a woodland bg for her. I used my fern punch to create the greenery from the dp. Around the edges of the cs pieces and her wings I used my Liquid Silver pen for some extra sparkle & lots of stickles on her wings too. The sentiment is from Verve Stamps "Beautiful You"--lovee this set!

The second card uses the pixie "Sassafrass" and I wanted to make her a Snowflake pixie! The yummy dp is from Heidi Grace's new holiday line (omgoodness how I lovee this paper)! She's colored w/ Copics and stickles on her wings. The felt snowflakes are from Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from The Stampin Place, so cute!

Please stop by the SUINK blog today, as it is our fearless leader & owner Denise's birthday today! Happy Birthday Denise! My card will be up this afternoon for ya :o)

Also, tomorrow I will have Whiff of Joy Blog Candy to giveaway and its super yummy! Two stamps and some goodies to match, so make sure and check back for it!

Off I go--have a great day,

Suzanne

2 PINK Blog Hops for Ya!!

Hello & Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a wonderful holiday (for my friends here in the States) and a wonderful weekend no matter where ya are :o) I of course am outrageously busy as I'm sure most of you are too. I'm having my ladie's holiday luncheon tomorrow so there's lots of stuff left to do (mainly cleaning after a weekend of messes, lol) and presents to make. I always do a potluck so everyone brings a dish and this year we're having an ornament exchange too! I'm also asking everyone to bring a pet item(s) & then I will drop them off at the local animal rescue I work with--the animals they take care of & rescue are always in need so they will love this! So let's get it started today cuz' I have 2 Blog Hop projects for ya so ya need to fasten your stampin' seatbelts, lol...

My first blog hop is for H&M Stamps and the DT's challenge put forth by Heather was "Gift Wrapping"--interpretation up to us, hee hee! I really wanted to use this cute angel stamp set called "Calling All Angels" to make a Valentine's gift for my daughter. I needed a lil' break from all the Christmas projects and its never too early to start thinking about the next holiday coming up, LOL! In our house on Valentine's Day, Cupid comes and drops off some small presents at my kid's bedroom doors for when they get up! My daughter (pre-teen angst, aghhhh) is just lovin' gift cards right now so I wanted to make a fun gift-card holder and candy treat for her. This is the same gift card holder (tutorial seen here) I made in the last post except I changed the way it opens and added a ribbon "hanger" so it can hang on her doorknob. The yummy dp is from K&Co.'s "Smitten" line paired with PTI cs. I colored with Copics with a few stickles thrown in for sparkle! I picked up these cute lil' jars at Michaels, covered with dp and ribbon and filled it with Hershey Kisses--I see many uses for these jars in my future (bwahhhh)!

Just a quick view of the inside of my gift card holder w/ some more dp inside to dress it up. I didn't stamp on the solid cs because I always write a lil note inside! Now make sure and jump over to all my DT sistah's blogs today to see their fabby projects:-Heather-Carolina-Debbie-Emma-Julia-Nancy-Neva-Shannon-Kimberly-Julie-Tracy-Dawn-Cindy

The second blog hop for ya is for our wonderful Magnolia-licious group. Diana has decided to do a sketch challenge once a month for everyone to participate in and this month's sketch came from the wonderfully talented Claudia Rose. I used "Tilda wearing Overall" which in Suzanne speak means Tilda wearing a cute snowsuit, LOL, and the "Large Sled"! This cutie was colored with Copics and then I cut her and the sled out and layered together with dimensionals. The dp is from My Minds Eye, pink(s) cs and ribbon is PTI. I used my snowflake CB embossing folder on the aqua Coredinations cs and then lightly sanded the top to reveal the white underneath. I applied a light layer of diamond glaze around the edge of my white circle and then sprinkled MS snow on top for some texture & sparkle (lovee this stuff)!

So if ya have some Magnolia's why don't you try out our sketch for ya this month! If you need some more creative ideas visit my DT sistah's blogs for their fabby versions: Claudia, Cheryl and Suzy.

Today you can also see/buy all the new releases from Clear Dollar Stamps--so go check 'em out!

I'll see ya back here tomorrow!
hugz,Suzanne