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

A Birthday Bonanza Blog Candy!

Happy Thursday Friends! Decided to take the day off yesterday just hangin' around with the kids and bein' lazy, hee hee! I realized that there is only 5 more weeks left of summer vacation for them so I've gotta plan some day trips. We're gonna head down to Alexandria this weekend and do the "National Treasure Movie" tour of Mt. Vernon (George Washington's plantation home)--we have annual passes there & we just love it. If you're ever in the area it's a must see for sure--and plan to spend a whole day there! The kids are headed off to my mom's next week for 4 days too--my dad will take Riley fishing & sailing I'm sure, lol! So hubby & I will actually have a few days to ourselves, yippee!! Not sure what we're doing but at least a few dinners out by ourselves for sure!


BLOG CANDY!! I'm giving away the cute Whiff of Joy Stamp below "Bruno Bear w/ Present" and a $20 Gift Certificate to All That Scraps to celebrate my last week as a Guest Designer for them!!

To enter just leave a comment on this post ONLY answering the following question "What is your dream vacation destination & why?" by Sunday, August 2nd at midnite EST!! Winner will be announced Monday morning!! (one comment per person please)
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So today I've got a couple of birthday cards to share with you featuring the new Whiff of Joy "Party Animal" stamps! I love these lil' animals--so many perfect occasions to use them for, any celebration really. This card uses cutie "Bruno Bear w/ Present" --except I'm invisioning him as a "she" today for my card, hee hee. (These stamps are also available for pre-order at 7 Kids College Fund right HERE if you want to order them locally here in the states!)

I followed this week's SCS sketch #239 and fun dp from DCWV's "Pocket Full of Posies"--love the bright colors for a celebration card. The flowers are all Primas w/ Doodlebug glittered brad centers and the sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages" ( a MUST have set IMO)!! I added some diamond stickles to the present and on top of the sentiment for lots of shimmer.

Second card uses "Lou Celebrating Monkey" and I paired him up with some fun dp from Memory Box "Rhubarb Tart"--I liked the fun colors together & kinda jungly looking dp. I created jungle leaves with green Prima flowers that I cut--the green flowers work perfectly for doing this (another fun tip from me, hee hee)!! Just a few stickles on the present & the leaves--the sentiment is from Hero Arts "Thoughtful Messages" (I've had this set forever & use it ALOT)! So there ya have it--2 fun birthday cards to add to the stash (actually they're both for sale on my Etsy site, hee hee)!

Don't forget that Whiff of Joy is having pre-orders for their Fall Stamp Kit featuring 10 Elisabeth Bell images for $36 until August 7th right HERE! It's a fabulous deal!!

I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

hugz,

Suzanne

Perfectly Plummy Petals!!

Hello again & happy Tuesday! I'm off and running again today--my goodness! Riley has another dr's appt today & then goes to see a pediatric pulmonologist on Thursday--ack! Poor kid! Hopefully we will get this resolved real soon---thanks to everyone for their well wishes, they're very much appreciated! On a cheerier note, I finished an awesome book last night called "American Wife" (loosely based on Laura Bush) so now I've started the "Jackie & Bobby" novel and my book club selection "The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society"--I'll let you know how they are, hee hee!

NewsBitz:
-Copic Class Schedule is as follows: Sunday, August 23rd and Sunday, September 20th at 1:00-4:30 at my house! Email me for all the details!

-PDF file for the below totebag template is right HERE (will also be on my sidebar under pdf files)

-Whiff of Joy is now accepting pre-orders for their fabulous Fall Kit until August 7th--order your's HERE! (10 Elisabeth Bell stamps for $36)
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So today is Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and I've challenged the DT to create a gift of any kind using one of the *NEW* Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps! I decided to use this cutie-patootilicious fairy called "Spunkette"--isn't she adorable?! I paired her up with this fabulous plummy dp by Cloud9Design and used my totebag template to create my gift and matching card!

I've made a totebag template/directions for you right HERE if you're interested. After coloring "Spunkette" with Copics twice & cutting her out--I added her to this fun flower for the front of my bag. The top flowers are all Primas--the mini roses were white & then I added iced lavender Shimmerz to the tops of the petals and then threaded the stem thru 2 more Prima flowers. The circle has a transparency front that I stamped with PTI's "Fancy Flourishes" stamps in white Palette Ink.
This is what the inside holds--some fun & pretty fairy goodies!! I forget where I picked these up, but I knew I could use them for something fun, lol! So the gift holds a body butter lotion, 2 lipgloss lollipops, & Body Splash in Raspberry Swirl--smells YUM!

Here is the matching card I made to go along with the gift--I purposely left off a sentiment so it could be given for any occasion. I added a fun ribbon treatment to the corners and some lavender glitter dots to the bottom!

And of course no fairy is complete without lots of shimmer, hee hee! I used both diamond stickles and iced lavender Shimmerz on her skirt petals, wings & flower! Her hair was colored with the SJD Copic Bundle "Blonde Hair 2" and the purples were done with the "Lavenders Bundle" along with the new V0000 copic color.

Now head on over to the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects!!

Second project today (staying in the same pleasing plum color scheme, lol) is a set of notecards I made using one of my absolute favorite Lockhart Stamp Co. stamps "Tulips" since they are my favoritest flower! I made 4 of these A2 sized notecards lickety-split using PTI's dotted dp and cs. Tulips were colored with Copics (same lavenders as above) and then a coat of iced lavender Shimmerz on top of the petals. Fun & pretty notecards to send out to a friend dontcha' think? Both of my projects today are for sale in my Etsy shop--on sidebar if you're interested!

Hope you enjoyed my projects today! Below are a couple of informative photos/directions that I was asked to share:

To create a shaped card like the one's I made HERE with your Nestabilities all you need to do is crease your cardstock and place onto your die cutting machine (mine is a Cuttlebug--love it). Then take your shaped die (this is a Scalloped Circle Nestability) and place on top of cs positioning the die just a "tad bit" over the edge of the crease so it creates a fold for the card.
And this is what it looks like when you're done--a nice shaped card that's ready to decorate!

To create a decorative edge using Nestability dies like on this card HERE; just pick your die that you want to use (I'm using Labels 1) & slide your cs thru the die (needs to be cut to size of the die) so only the edge of the cardstock is underneath the die. Then roll thru your machine--this leaves you with a beautiful edge for your cards.

Hope that was enuff' info for you today & I didn't lose you along the way, LOL!! See ya back here tomorrow!


hugz,

Suzanne

Christmas in July!!

Happy Monday friends--I'm home again!!! It's always so wonderful to get away but just as great to get home to your own bed & comforts ya know!! We had a wonderful time in NY visiting family & hanging out but now it's back to real life for me, hee hee! I was supposed to be leaving for CHA this week (boohoo), but had to cancel my trip just because of time constraints & Riley will be having some cysts removed from his throat this Friday :o( He has 2 doctors appts tomorrow and we'll hopefully get some more answers & see if he has improved at all---his cough is better but he's still short of breath so fingers crossed please! I'll be going to CHA this January so if you decide to come make sure & say "hi" if ya see me, lol!

Alrighty, I have a slideshow at the bottom of this post with all my NY pictures and my cool antiquing finds if you're interested! Now onto my projects........

NewsBitz: Check out my last project for my Guest Designer position for All That Scraps today right HERE. It has been such an honor & sooooo much fun to design for them this month--hope you've liked all my projects too!

So today my post is all about Christmas in July, lol---thank goodness its not winter yet but we'll just pretend 'kay!? The Magnolia-licious DT has a special treat for you all today---a Magnolia themed Christmas Challenge! All the details and fabulous DT cards are over on the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog--if you decide to join in on the challenge there could be prizes involved!!

I decided to use one of my favorite Christmas colors and fave holiday dp by Heidi Grace. This Magnolia is "Tilda w/ Candle" and is available at Magnolia-licious--she's so elegant and peaceful looking! The large star/snowflake cutout was done on my Cricut and the other snowflakes were done with punches & small buttons.

I added LOTS of diamond stickles to the snowflakes, her head crown & her sash for lots of shimmer! If you only own or want ONE stickles it should be diamond--it's the best! A few yellow stickles to her candle too. (Her dress was colored with BG11, BG10, BG0000 Copics) Isn't she just lovely? Now hop over the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog to join in on the fun!!

Now since I was in a holly jolly Xmas mood yesterday (LOL) I decided to make a second Christmas card too! This one uses the fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. image "Trumpet Angel" --this is just one angel in the series (there are actually 7). The dp is from last years Stampin' Up which is some of favorite evah' too! (Yes I have ALOT of favorites, lol) I cut her out using the Nestabilities Labels 4 and then traced the inside of the die with my gold Sharpie poster paint pen (extra fine tip). Her trumpet was done with Smooch in Gold (all new Smooch colors HERE) and her wings with diamond stickles. I added some Prima poinsettias & leaves and sprayed the entire card with Shimmerz Spritz in baby's breath. I finished it off by stamping a Xmas sentiment from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages". Two Christmas cards down and only a million more to go, hee hee! Hope this gave you a lil' inspiration for the upcoming holiday season :o)

My New York trip pics!!

I'll see ya back here tomorrow with some more fun projects!!

hugz,

Suzanne

Honey Bee Bear!!

Happy TGIFriday everyone!!! This is my last day in NY visiting with the family (sob) and I've had a fabulous time! We've had a ton of laughs that's for sure--last night we made homemade taffy and while we were all (me, my mom, my cousin Jarrod & my grandma & Riley) were all giggling cuz' it was everywhere!! NO lie---it was on everything, hee hee---but it sure tasted good! Had a few rowdy games of gin rummy too with my cheatin' relatives (not cheating really, but I was convinced they were, hee hee)! My doggies have had a blast here too (of course they always travel with me, lol) running around being free on the acres of vineyards. Today after it finished raining my cousin & I (Jarrod is my age & we've been best friends forever)took them for a walk down to the pond which was overfilled & Baylee fell in, LMBO--she actually swam really well & was full of muck! Just like a "country dog", hee hee! I'll be back home on Saturday evening and then home for the rest of what's left of the summer :o) Hubby & Alexa are probably missin' us by now!!

My tomato plants have gone nutso (you should see the 5 ft creatures they've become) and I have over 1,000 tomatoes right now waiting to be picked--they're coming out my ears, lol! And no I do not "can" anything--but I do have a cheese/tomato sandwich everyday & will make some salsa too! Speaking of homecooked goodies---

NewsBitz:

- Whiff of Joy is having their 1 year anniversary BLOG HOP tomorrow and showing off the new release of cute stamps by Elisabeth Bell (they're grrrrrrrrrreat)! Sadly I won't be able to participate because I won't be home in time to get something made but there is sure to be lots of fabulous projects to see!!

-Monday, the Magnolia-licious DT will have a fun challenge up on the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog too! Make sure & stop by!

I made this gift basket and card filled with homemade bread & honey for a friend of mine who watched our cats for 2 weeks while we were in South Carolina. The basket I got at Michaels for about $4 and I weaved aqua mist ribbon thru it & attached w/ scor-tape to dress it up a bit. The fun stamp set is by CC Designs "Bumble B Bear" available at All That Scraps and it's such a cutie-pop set to have on hand.

Isn't that the cutest lil' honey bear on this card? He's colored w/ copics and then I added diamond stickles to his wings and a yellow rhinestone to the flower's center. The dp is by My Mind's Eye and then PTI's cs (aqua mist/summer sunrise). I stacked some Prima flowers together and added some fun PTI buttons for the centers.

I had to make a matching label for the "bear jar" of honey using the smaller image of the bear! I just cut out oval shapes with my nestabilities and attached with scor-tape. To finish it off I wrapped some more ribbon around the top. Such a fun gift to make & to give!! (I looovvveee hot bread from the oven with butter & honey on top--can you say "lovin' from the oven", hee hee)!!

I'll see you back here on Monday with some new projects!!


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

Pink Lemonade!!

Hi friends & welcome to Tuesday, hee hee!! Hope your week has started off swell--I'm having fun with my relatives eating good (re: fattening, lol) homecooked meals like pie & biscuits, oh my! Today we're off antiquing and I'm hopeful to find some good stuff--I collect depression glass & any kind of pitchers so cross your fingers for me!! I also bought the new "Jackie & Bobby" book about the affair between Jackie (Kennedy)Onassis and Bobby Kennedy--wooheee is this a doozy of a book, very interesting. I've always had a weird fascination with that family (who knows why, hee hee) and this book is very telling & juicy!! LOL

NewsBitz: The brand NEW SMOOCH (metallic paints) are now IN at Susana's store right HERE--awesome new colors I must say! And if you buy them as a set you get the 8 for the price of 7!!

Today is Tuesday which of course means its also Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. I challenged the DT to create a thankyou card using one of the new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD images! I've used sweet lil' "Emma" for my card and paired her with this yummy BoBunny dp--love the summery colors, they remind me of pink lemonade! The border was made using the NEW Lattice Borderability--lovee it! The sentiment is from PTI's "Vintage Picnic Sentiments" and those gorgeous crocheted flowers were a wonderful gift from my friend Wynneth over in the UK (she made them for me & aren't they beautiful). They were white & then I spritzed them with Shimmerz Spritz (terracotta & tuscan yellow)--lightly spritzed so they stayed soft in color. I think she's just precious!

Now make sure & hop over to the "Follow Your Heart" store blog to see the rest of the DT's fabulous creations today!!


hugz,

Suzanne

Butterfly, Fly, Fly Away!!

Hi everyone & Happy Monday! I am here outside of Buffalo, NY visiting my relatives & relaxing a bit for a week with my mom, son, grandma & cousins! I can't believe how cool the weather is up here in the middle of July--mid 60's & 70's! I think I prefer the 80's at home cuz' ya know how I like it warm! I brought my Jillian exercise videos with me since my grandma makes the best pies & biscuits you've ever had & I don't need my butt to grow, hee hee! Anyhow, I've got a few projects for you today!

NewsBitz:
**My guest designing post for All That Scraps is up today right HERE if you'd like to check it out!
**Don't forget to stop by and check out those awesome new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps right HERE!

Both of my projects today feature the fabulous stamp set by Amy Rysavy for called "All That Scraps "Amy's Butterfly"! These butterfly images are simply gorgeous & so realistic--great sentiments too! The dp I used for this one is Cosmo Cricket's "Everafter"; fiskar's border punch for the elegant edge and black pearls in the corners.
I double stamped the butterfly and cut one out to pop up so it looks like its fluttering off the card. I painted shimmerz (angel wingz) on top & then applied Stickles in black for lots of sparkle!

Second card I used softer colors on to match the sentiment. The dp is from Basic Grey's "Lemonade" and then I embossed the black cs with a floral Cuttlebug folder. I stamped the sentiment and then boxed it in using my multiliner pen & a ruler--then added small black pearls to the corners. The entire card got spritzed with Shimmerz Spritz for a soft shimmer.

The butterflies were stamped & cut out then got a thick coat of diamond stickles. They were attached with glue dots in the center so they look fluttery! So pretty--I lovee how they turned out!

Alrighty, I'm outta here & off to Lake Erie for a bit today! I'll see you back here tomorrow!

hugz,
Suzanne

Friday Fun!!

Hello everyone & Yay--Happy Friday too!! Dontcha' just love the weekends? I leave tomorrow for NY for a week but will be posting everyday so please make sure & visit--got alot of projects to share with ya while I'm gone!! I'll keep this monologue short for ya today since I've got alot going on here in craft land & at home. My mom comes today and then we all leave for NY tomorow so I've got lots to finish up including projects, laundry & packing. Riley is doing okay but still struggling so that is taking up alot of my time just making sure he's okay & resting--thanks for your sweet thoughts, it means alot to us!! (Make sure and scroll down to see both projects today including for the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop today!!)

So today is the big day--yay---you can now purchase the NEW Elisabeth Bell for SCACD today at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design & they are ALL gorgeous--right HERE! Today I'm featuring "Susan" and isn't she just a sweetheart & named after our sweetie DT sistah' Susan Dube (lovee her so much)!! I paired her up with this yummy dp from K&Co. for a vintage look--love all these colors together! The corner punch is from Stampin' Up and I added some goldilocks "Bella Baubles" too-her shirt also got diamond stickles & some gold Smooch paint on her buttons. I think she's fabulously beautiful--perfect for any occasion which is why I left off a sentiment so this card can be sent for any sweet reason! So if ya love them, head over to SCACD to order yours now!!

Next up is a fun project for the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop by the DT today!! If you're headed here from Suzy's blog make sure & start at the beginning at Jacque's blog to see everyone's fun projects! The DT decided to create only "Edwin" (boy) cards/projects for you today since most of us struggle to create manly/boy cards most of the time. I apologize for not finishing my entire project--I had wanted to create a gift box to go along with this card but due to my son being ill I just wasn't able to finish in time (sorry, sorry--I feel awful about it)!

But I really love this "Loving Edwin" from Magnolia-licious because he is so very versatile for so many celebrations! I decided to create a friend birthday card for my son's friend that would be appropriate but not baby-ish! My dp is from my very favorite Basic Grey "Cupcake" stack paired with SU cs. I actually cut the balloon out of his hand then re-attached with embroidery floss for a more realistic look. I added diamond glaze to the balloon & his buttons for shine and then buttons with glitterdots on top to embellish. I didn't want to gussy up the card too much since it's for a young boy & wanted the dp to really shine. I embossed the red panel with a Cuttlebug folder & then spritzed the entire card with Shimmerz Spritz in "baby's breath"! The sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages".

So to continue on the blog hop, now head to JACQUE's BLOG to see her fabulous Edwin card!! Now if you'd like to play along with us there are 2 fabulous gift certificates up for grabs on the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog--go HERE for details!!

I'll see you back here on Monday--until then I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

hugz,
Suzanne

NEW Elisabeth Bell Images!!

Happy Thursday to ya friends!! I've got alot of things to get done today & tomorrow to get ready to leave for my trip to NY for a week. Looking forward to some time off but went and bought myself an AT&T wi-fi connect card for my laptop so I can do some work while I'm there (my grandma does not have nor does she know what wi-fi is, hee hee)! Now my favorite accessory (my laptop baby) can accompany me everywhere, bwahahhhahhahhh!!

Riley had a follow-up dr's appt yesterday & got on some new meds & inhalers so hopefully he's breathing clear real soon--we've been very worried! While he didn't have pneumonia (thank goodness) he does have some growths in his esophagus that are suspicious so they will need to be removed when we get back from NY--hopefully a simple procedure & no other issues after that (keep your fingers crossed) except dealing with his asthma. We both need to get some restful sleep that's for sure!
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Now onto the fun...............!
If you haven't entered for that yummo-licious Elisabeth Bell BLOG CANDY yet, you have until 3 pm (EST) today to do so--details on how to enter right HERE!!

Wow, today has been a loooonnnng time in the making it seems for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and Elisabeth Bell collaboration! Today the SCACD DT is having a fun BLOG HOP for ya to show off all the NEW images! So follow along with the link at the end to hop along!! (These stamps will be available for purchase tomorrow, Friday 7/17 at Susana's Store)

Today I'm showcasing my very favorite image "Young Alexa" which was named for my daughter (by Susana) because when I saw this image I was reminded of my daughter when she was younger. She had a cute bob and her favorite thing (still is actually) was to sit and read for hours---wish I had a picture to share to show ya! I paired her up with this yummy dp by Dream Street Papers (HeartSong) and PTI cs. The white cs behind her was stamped with PTI's "Background Basics-Text Style" in pink ink--love how it coordinates so well with this image! I added a few Prima Mini Roses to the bow and attached a lovely charm by Blue Moon available HERE.

Of course the image had to get some diamond stickles for shimmer & her buttons & the bear's bow has diamond glaze on them for shine! Once done, the entire card got a couple spritzes of Shimmerz Spritz in "baby's breath". I have to say that I adore this card & this image---turned out exactly like I wanted (dontcha' love that when it happens)!

Now make sure and follow along the BLOG HOP to see the rest of the fabulous Elisabeth Bell for SCACD images by hopping on over to Lorelie's blog to see her wonderful project! All stamps available for purchase tomorrow right HERE! The DT will also have more inspiration with these fabulous stamps for ya tomorrow too!

In case you get lost on the blog hop (hee hee) here is the line-up for ya!!
-ME :o)
-Lorelie
-Aud
-Jennifer
-Maria
-Jami
-Teri
-Danni
-Susan
-Anki

Have fun & see ya back here tomorrow!

hugz,
Suzanne

Red Rosey Beauties!!

Happy Hump Day friends!! Hope you're having a fabulous week so far! I'm off to lunch with a friend today w/o the kiddoes so it's a nice break away from work & home for me today! Then I've got lots to do when I get home of course, hee hee--never really get a break do we? LOL Well I've got a couple of projects to share with you today, so I'll keep my chatter short here for ya!

**Don't forget to stop by Susana's Store Blog "Follow Your Heart" to enter for that yummy Elisabeth Bell BLOG CANDY--it's fabulous!!

So today is the 15th which means another challenge for the Copic Creations Challenge Blog--this week our challenge was "botanicals/floral" images! This week's sponsor is the fabulous "Flourishes" and they so generously provided each of the DT members with a fabulous stamp set to use. My wonderful stamp set was "I Love Roses" and the set includes these luscious rose images & beautiful sentiments.

For my roses I used Copic Colors "R89,R29,R27,R24,R22, R20" and then I cut them out & added them to my card with dimensionals. I love the stark contrast of an all black & white card with a great pop of red---so elegant! The dp & cs are both from PTI; the sentiment was embossed in black for extra shine and I stickled the edges of the roses for some more shimmer!

Make sure and stop by the Copic Creations Challenge Blog to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects & to join in too---a fabulous prize is up for grabs from Flourishes!

Second project uses a fabulous Whiff of Joy stamp from the Summer Kit Collection "Shy Willow". The dp is by My Mind's Eye and I love the brocade & colors of it--right up my alley, hee hee! I used the new Spellbinder's "Kaleidoscope" Pendant die for my card--I actually cut it in half & adhered half to the top/bottom of the card. I added some Kaiser pearls to it and the sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages". And of course some fabulous diamond stickles were added to her dress & I applied Shimmerz Spritz in "baby's breath" to the entire card! The Whiff of Joy "Fall Kit" will be available for pre-order HERE on Friday!!

Alrighty, I'm outta here for the day! Don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for the SCACD Blog Hop featuring all the new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps that come out this Friday!


hugz,

Suzanne

Happy Everything!

Hello Everyone! How is your week goin' for ya? Busy, busy for me this week--lots of projects to get done, new stamp releases, and some fun stuff with friends! I'm leaving on Saturday for a week in New York (Buffalo area) with my son & mom to visit my grandma! A week of just visiting & nothing else--definitely a bit of downtime for sure. My uncle will take Riley fishing & out on his 4-wheeler, so that will keep him occupied. My son loves the slow pace of country life--he could definitely be a farm boy!! So anywho, I've got lots to finish up before I leave including finishing laundry & other errands so my hubby can survive a whole week w/o me, LOL!

NewsBitz:
**Yummy Elisabeth Bell BLOG CANDY details are up on the store blog!! Check it out!
**The NEW Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps will be available for purchase this FRIDAY!!
**The DT (Susana's Custom Art & Card Design) will be having a BLOG HOP on Thursday to reveal the new Elisabeth Bell stamps!!


Today is Try It Out Tuesday #27 for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design (SCACD) and I challenged the DT with a sketch this week! Make sure & stop by the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to check out the sketch & join in and to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects!

For my card I used Pink Cat Studio's "Lily at the Beach"(Susana has most of Pink Cat stamps in stock)--I just adore this cute image of Lily on top of the turtle! The speckled background behind Lily was done by spraying 2 colors of Shimmerz Spritz (olive branch & cotton candy) onto white cs--a fun & easy technique. The turtle shell has diamond glaze on it and I stacked buttons on top of Primas & tied them off with some lavendar Scrapper's Floss. The sentiment is from a Melissa Frances sentiment set and the dp is My Mind's Eye "Penny Lane". Isn't she a cutie-pie?

Second card uses a brand-spankin' new stamp from Lockhart Stamp Co. called "Rocking Chair"--this has to be my favorite in this line of her "chair" stamps. I love the summertime feel & quilt thrown over the back--so country & vintage! I paired it up with this fabulous dp from Basic Grey's "June Bug"--love the vintage feel of these papers. I cut the ends of my cs with my Nestabilities Labels 1 for a different look. I added some diamond glaze to the apples & just a few diamond stickles to the quilt blocks. The sentiment is also from Lockhart. Just a fun summery notecard!!

So make sure and stop by Susana's store blog today to get details on the yummy Elisabeth Bell candy & to see the DT's fabulous projects today!

See ya tomorrow!

hugz,
Suzanne

Hello Hearts!!

Hiya Happy Monday Stampers!! Hope you all had a brilliant & fabulous weekend! The weather has been perfect here although we could use a bit of rain, grass is starting to dry out. I've got about 3,000 tomatoes out in my garden due to the size of my 5 tomato plants (over 4 feet tall they are)!! I've been having a tomato, mayo & swiss cheese sandwich everyday--yummy! Made some fresh salsa yesterday too & delivered tomatoess to all the neighbors since they're coming out of our ears, hee hee! And the Billy Joel/Elton John concert on Saturday nite was FANTASTIC!! They really rocked the house & everyone was up outta their seats dancin'! They are fantastic singers & piano players for sure--they sound fabulous live I tell ya. It was really alot of fun!

NewsBitz:
**New Copic Videos & Creating Sky/Clouds videos now up on sidebar (links below too)
** Whiff of Joy--pre-orders for the new Fall Stamp Kit by Elisabeth Bell will be up for order this Friday, July 17th! (click on link to see sneak-peek)
** 7 Kids College Fund has pre-orders up for the new Christmas Sarah Kay stamps--they are really gorgeous!
** Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps will be available this Friday, July 17th

***And don't forget to stop by the All That Scraps blog today to see the projects I made over there too!! **

Today I have a happy hello card for you using Magnolia stamps from Magnolia-licious (I don't see then on the store site, but if you lovee them ask Diana to order them for you)! I colored this tree (you can see the copic video on how to color tree & do sky backgrounds on sidebar) and cutie-pie Fall Tilda who I think looks summery dressed in such soft colors! The dp is from the new Basic Grey "Lemonade"(colored her bandana & pocket to match the dp) and I added lime green stickles to the tree leaves. The sentiment is from PTI's "Vintage Picnic Sentiments" that I bent on my acrylic block to follow the curves of the tree. I added some fun Prima flowers & a little butterfly punch-out that I embellished to finish it off. I love the happy vibe this card gives--whaddda 'bout you?

The links to my new Copic Tutorial Video's are up on my sidebar & below:

--Copic Tutorial #15 on Coloring Wood
--Copic Tutorial #14 on Coloring/Blending Reds
--Tutorial on Creating Sky/Cloud Backgrounds (on sidebar under other video tut's)

The template instructions for my totebag HERE will be up tomorrow as a pdf file for you! Have a fantabulous day!

hugz,
Suzanne

NewsBitz!

Happy Saturday everyone! No projects today just some newsies for ya!

**Tote template & directions will be up on my blog tomorrow or Monday for ya!

**Some new Copic Tutorial Videos will be up also (coloring w/ reds; coloring wood)
**Also a fun video tutorial on using Shimmerz Spritz!

Now are you ready?

The new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps will be available for purchase next Friday, July 17th---woooohoooo!

Blog candy details for the release will be up on the store blog "Follow Your Heart" on Tuesday, so make sure & check it out. It's gonna be some awesome yummo-licious candy!

The DT will also be having a sneak preview BLOG HOP on Thursday, July 16th so you can see all the stamps in action too! So make sure and mark your calendars--they are bee-u-tiful!!!

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Coming July 17th to Susana's Custom Art & Card Design

Through the Window!!

Oh thank goodness it's Friday--hallejuah!! I'm SOOOO over this week I tell ya--onto the weekend please, lol! Vowed to myself that yesterday would be a GREAT day which it started off & then quickly went downhill. Seems my daughter has gotten herself into some "texting" trouble--egads. Nothing law-breaking (thank god) but she's learned that some things that are meant to be private should NEVER be written down and don't say things you'll later regret! Hopefully she learns a great lesson from this & she HAS to fix this one herself, not mom or dad this time (being a grown-up sucks sometimes, hee hee). I swear I'm gonna be a gray-haired momma soon and she's only 13--how will I make it to 18? So much easier when they were small me thinks--but I keep repeating to myself "tomorrow is another day & you will get thru this" over & over. Think the lady in the grocery store thought I was a nut job while I was repeating this over & over to myself, lmbo---bwahhahahhh--maybe I am goin' crazy!! Anywho, moving on.....and here's to a great weekend. I'm off to see Elton John & Billy Joel tomorrow with hubby & am goin' to fully enjoy myself!

And thanks to everyone who has sent me encouraging notes & words of comfort--that means alot to me!! Hugz to you all!

**Also stop by my friend Eve's new blog and say hello! She's new to blog-land (addicting as it is) and I know she'd love a little love on her beautiful projects! Her blog is Creative Card Designs!! ***

My card today uses a brand-spankin' new stamp from the Lockhart Stamp Co.--isn't it fabulous? This new release has 2 beautiful "window" stamps and lots of other cuties too--they're all available at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. This one is called "Pie in the Window" & I lovee it, makes me wanna have some yummy apple pie!! The sketch layout is from this week's SCS sketch #236 and the fabby dp is by Melissa Frances. That sentiment is also a Lockhart stamp--love the swirlies!

Close up for ya, hee hee! I actually stamped & colored the shutters twice & they are popped up on dimensionals for added dimension to the image. I used lots of my favorite products on this image including some lemon yellow Flower Soft, Diamond Glaze on the window, stickles on the shutters & yellow Liquid Pearls on the flower centers. This image was really fun to play with!

I'll see ya back here on Monday with some BIG NEWS!! Have a fabulous weekend!

hugz,
Suzanne

Some Contemplation & Happy Pinks!!

Hello friends! Ever have one of those days where you just wanna closet yourself away from the world and take a break? Yeah, I'm having one of them--yesterday was a little emotionally draining for me & I was contemplating on what makes a really great friend. I can count on one hand my really, really close girlfriends that I trust ya know--isn't funny how as you get older you get more "choosy" about who you spend your precious time & life with?

I think that as women in general one of our downfalls is that we're too judgemental of other women and too quick to cash in with nastiness & snipes. I think if we were more supportive of each other the world would change ya know---now don't get me wrong cuz' I'm not speaking about every woman (so don't be offended), but you know men never critique another man's weight, shoes or hair or successes. They're more judgemental on the character & personality of a person & I think that's great to see a person as they are & not as they "seem" because we're caught up in jealousy, envy or perverse unhappiness with ourselves that we have to react badly to others--its never good & always hurtful. Anyhow, the "Freud" in me is done contemplating with it & I've decided to clear the "garbage" that surrounds me---life's too short to deal with negativity. I choose happiness & positivity always, I'm an optimist at heart & sometimes am too naive to people's outward gestures w/o seeing what's trully behind it and then hurt when it turns out opposite of what I think. Taking a step up in life & changing that! So enuff on that & back to happy stuff, hee hee.....


NewsBitz:
-Have you heard that Flower Soft is coming out with a sparkly Polar White--I'm super excited!
-Magnolia-licious also has a fabulous deal on the ENTIRE set of new Copic colors (all extra light colors), all 12 colors for $69 (savings of almost $10)--I ordered mine already & can't wait!
-Paper Trey Inks (PTI) new releases come out on the 15th---have you seen the sneakie peekies HERE! Awesome!

So I've got too happy projects to share with you today! The first uses this lovely new Magnolia stamp available at Magnolia-licious called "Tilda Picking Lilacs" from the Chasing Butterflies Collection. The lovely old-fashioned dp is by Melissa Frances. I cut her out with my Nestabilities Labels 4 & matted her on top of 2 more Labels 4 cut-outs. The border of the white cs & corners were done with my favorite MS Doily Lace border punch (buy here)--I will warn you though that her border punches do not punch thru thick cs like PTI's (bummer). The charm can be bought in a package right HERE and the flowers are white Petaloo Mulberry's that I sprayed with Shimmerz Spritz (in Bed of Roses)-then I added a small Prima rose to the center. Love to spray things with my spritz, hee hee--too much fun!
I had to add some flower soft (baby pink) to her flowers, stickles to her shoes/hairbands and then Shimmerz Spritz (baby's breath) to the entire card! Pink pearls(blush) finish the corners off! (Copics used were dress/G00, G02,G07; pinks R20/R21; hair Y21, YR20, YR23)

Second card is a fun kinda rock-n-roll, teeny-bopper card I made for my daughter's friend! I had won this stamp from my super talented friend Katie Cotton who is the owner of Paper Makeup Stamps--fabulously cute fairy stamps that you should check out! This one is my fave and it's named after "Katie" (she's a make-up artist to boot, the real live Katie that is, giggle). I colored her with Copics to match this fun dp from Dovecraft "Glamour Prints" and of course added baby's breath Shimmerz Spritz to the entire card--love me that shimmer! I added lots of black to make it more teen-cool & some fun black rhinestones too. Alexa's friend loved it, so I guess I did good! Make sure and check out the whole line of fairies & others at Paper Makeup Stamps, you're sure to find one or two (or four, hee hee) that touch your heart! (Thanks Katie!!)


That's all for me today--I'll see ya back here tomorrow!


hugz,

Suzanne