Red, White & Blue Rah-Rahs!!

Hi & Happy Tuesday to Ya! Today is Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design so check out all the details below!


This week is "Try It Out Tuesday" #25 and I challenged the DT to make a creation using Red, White & Blue since July 4th is just around the corner! Do you have some awesome plans to celebrate the 4th? We'll still be in Hilton Head Island whooping it up until the 5th, hee hee! I used one of the cutie-patooties "Julia" from Anki's Sweethearts for SCACD-Series 2! I decided to have her cheer on the "4th" very patrioctically! The dp is from Melissa Frances "Lil' Man" and I used my Stampin Up star punches for the accents & topped some off with glitterdots! The sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages". The entire card got a nice big spritz of Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz!

To make her lil' pom-poms pop more I added some fun Sparkle Fluff in blue & red--so fuzzy soft & very sparkly IRL! Such a fun & easy product to use--check it out HERE! Now make sure & hop over to Susana's store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's red,white & blue creations!!

hugz,

Suzanne

Fresh & Fun!!

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

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

hugz,

Suzanne

My First Publication!!

Hi everyone! We're having a wonderful time down here in Hilton Head Island, SC! The weather has been perfect and we've hung out at the beach alot, done lots of bike riding & kayaking in the lagoons. Seems we have a couple pet alligators that float up to our dock/deck whenever we're out and we've named them Charlie & Big Bob, LOL! Riley's been doing alot of fishing but no luck yet--although him & James are going deep sea fishing on Monday! I've been watching what I eat (everything in moderation including some yummo desserts, hee hee) and working out with Jillian everyday too & running on the beach! I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with you today & some news!!

My first publication project is now out in the PaperCrafts Magazine "Card Creations--Volume 7"--Wahoooooo! One of the editors talks about some of the projects (including mine) on her Moxie Fab blog right HERE and gives tips on how to get submitted too! I'm soooo excited & ran out yesterday to 2 different stores to find the magazine (since mine are sitting at home waiting for me I guess)!! The inside of my card is a fun pop-up but you'll have to buy the magazine to see or wait until I can publish it here on my blog :o) I can't tell you what a thrill it was to buy a magazine & know I was in it, hee hee--it's truly a dream come true for me & will be framed in a memory box in my craft room. See, dreams can come true.....

Click to make slideshow larger!!

See ya later!

hugz,
Suzanne

Perfect Love!!

Happy, happy Wednesday to you all!! Do you miss me at all? LOL! I'm sure to be resting, relaxing & reading ALOT! Gettin' my mojo juices restocked! So here's another quick post for ya! Don't forget to stop by next week cuz I have more posts & challenges going up for ya even though I'm not here, hee hee!

This card uses 3 new Whiff of Joy stamps from the wonderful "Women's Delight" collection available here & at 7kids College Fund! I stamped the bride & groom together & colored them with Copics to match the Amy Butler dp I used. You know the saying "something borrowed, something blue" so I had to add some blue to the flowers & grooms vest/bowtie! Her dress has a nice coat of Pixie Dust Shimmerz on it & the veil was coated with diamond Stickles! I added the lovely sentiment also by WOJ and some elegant pearls! A perfet wedding card me thinks! Hope you likee!

hugz,
Suzanne

HI & Happy Monday! While you're reading this I should be relaxing at the beach getting my vacation "on", lol! I'll keep these posts pretty short for you while I'm gone & if I get a chance I'll post some pictures for ya!! Have a goodie!

First up is a fun doggie card I made using a stamp set from H&M Stamps--remember they're still having a HUGE SALE on all of the stamps ($8 or under) so stop on by & grab some up! I used last week's SCS sketch #233 for the layout & some fun dp from . I added some fun dog bone buttons to the corners & laced some red scrapper's floss thru the brown buttons! I absolutely love this sentiment---don't we all wanna be dreaming about that kinda day, LOL!

Second card uses the fun Lockhart Stamp Co. stamp "Itty Bitty Umbrella"! I used the stamp & a PTI sentiment to create a fun background for my card base & then just layered some nestability card shapes to the image & popped it up on dimensionals. Then I added some Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz to the whole card for a nice shimmer!

See ya back here on Wednesday!

hugz,

Suzanne

Antique Willow!

Hi friends & welcome to another Thursday!! This is my last post for this week--I gotta save some stuff to post while I'm gone for ya, hee hee! Today my son graduates from 5th grade--wow--where does the time go to. I still remember his lil' chubby baby cheeks & sitting on the floor happily playing with his dinos for hours--he was such a happy & easy baby & he's turned into a wonderful young man! Wish I could keep 'em little for just a little longer ya know--next year he's off to middle school & the hugs/kisses will start becoming few & far between & "other girls" will start taking precedence over Mom, LOL! But he's a good boy & I love him to bitz!

Wanna hear another wild story about my wildlife in my backyard? Yesterday I was standing outside in the rain with the dogs (cuz' my one dog thinks that she is too "good" for the rain, lol) when something darted out of the woods towards our fence. My lil' Baylee was standing near there & started barking her fool head off cuz' there was a HUGE FOX trying to jump over the fence & growling--yikes! Course Baylee thinks she's a BIG DOG, hee hee so I had to run & get her while having my freakin' second heart attack of the month!! I mean the wildlife has gone nuts it seems--that fox has been around sniffin' in yards for a few months but has never gone after the dogs! And he wasn't scared of me at all, wondering if he was rabid--called animal control so we'll see....and this is why I need a vacation, too much excitement for me!! LOL! Anywho....

First up is my Whiff of Joy card using an image from the Summer Kit & this is "Willow with Strawberry Basket". I used some more that yummy Graphic 45 dp on my card--I wanted her to look like a cameo on an antique brooch so I cut her out with my oval nestabilities, outlined it with my black multi-liner pen & then applied a GENEROUS amount of diamond glaze to the entire image for a nice thick enamel look! I also laced my ribbon so it would look more like a ribbon choker on the card & accented with red Primas. Totally elegant--love the way it turned out!

Second card is a fun one using the Lockhart stamp "Gumball Machine" and sentiment to match! I found some fun polka-dot dp by My Minds Eye & colored the image to match. I added diamond glaze to the glass on the machine & then dotted one gumball with siren red Smooch to match the sentiment "the only one"!! The whole card got a generous spritzing of Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz--just a fun, cute card to give to someone you love!!

See ya back here on Monday & have a fabulous weekend--I know I sure will be!

hugz,
Suzanne

Red Rain Boots!!

Happy Wednesday everyone--or otherwise known as HumpDay, hee hee! I'm in a better mood today me thinks--(you're sighing w/ relief I know, giggle)! I got about 5 projects done yesterday, 3 loads of laundry & a workout in too--hope to get about 5 more projects done today. I have a Guest Designer spot coming up in July so I've had to work on those projects too--shhhh....can't tell you who with yet!! So my tally so far is I've lost 13 lbs (11 lbs more to go) and am back in my size 4 pants & shirts--YAY ME!! It's so wonderful to fit in your regular clothes ya know--and they're a little loose too--WOO HOO!! Gonna pack my weights & Jillian Michaels DVD's with me to take to the beach--no way am I gonna backslide. We're also taking our bikes with us since on the island you can bike everywhere & its such a great workout too! I'm so excited to just get gone, LOL! Anywhooo, moving on to my project today!

NewsBitz: If you read my blog regularly you know how much I LOVE Paper Trey Ink's products (just ordered all the new goodies too, hee hee)! I use the stamps, papers & ribbons (and buttons, & inkpads) almost everyday on my projects! So after many entries (9 to be exact) & 4 honorable mentions I finally won the Guest Star Stamper Contest for them---WOOHOOOOO! I won for best Summer Themed project for my "Beachy Totebag" that you can see HERE! So excited, hee hee--it says I used the "Lollipop Along" template but its actually my own template design that is quite different from the other one, mine is alot bigger & open, but who cares right!! My template will be up soon for you all!
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So if you came to my Copics class this past Sunday, then this image will look familiar to you since it was one we colored & added some fun products too! I colored this fabulously cute lil' "Tilda in Spring Rain" which you can buy at Magnolia-licious! I just wanna squish her she's so cute & wearing my favorite color in the whole wide world! I just had to do a monochromatic card with her! I added some fun white polka dots to her boots to match my dp & then put a nice coat of diamond glaze on top so her boots are nice & slick lookin'! The raindrops & puddle have diamond stickles on them for more shimmer!

When you add more texture & products to your stamped images you really make your card POP & much more dynamic & it's not hard to do at all! All the dp is by Stampin' Up & little "smile" sentiment is from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages" set (I swear this is a MUST HAVE set)!! The white border was done with a new Martha Stewart border punch I picked up at Michaels (just new to me). For those who have asked how I get the soft backgrounds around my images--here's the secret--I use Ranger's Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool dipped in SU inkpads. If you watch my "Card Making Process Video" (on sidebar) you will see how I use this! I absolutely ADORE this tool, use it everyday and if you get it, make sure & buy extra sponges HERE so you can have one for each color!

Alright off to do more work & see ya back here tomorrow!

hugz,

Suzanne

Fairytales & A Sketch!!

Hiya Friends & Happy Tuesday! I'm not gonna lie to you today, but I am overworked & overstressed right now :o( I have so many projects to complete for deadlines & challenges that occur while I'm gone & so much of "life stuff" to do this week too. I have a dentist appt. tomorrow, getting haircuts for everyone, and all of my son's 5th grade graduation events (awards ceremony, "Amazing Race" themed party & nighttime graduation) and getting packed & finishing laundry all has to fit in my schedule too! And my laptop being down is really sucking the life outta me, and everything is taking twice as long to get done---sigh--I'm gonna need this vacation more than you could ever know. But I want to apologize to everyone for not stopping by blogs & leaving comments this week & being slow to answer emails---I will hopefully be back up & running real soon so don't think I forgot about any of you, cuz' I didn't!! And thanks to all the Mac users who emailed me--once we get back from our vacay I think a Macbook Pro is in my future! Hubby just might have a nervous breakdown with all the money we've spent since the beginning of the year on software, new camera, new video camera & now a new laptop--ugh!! NOT GOOD! Anywhoo, moving on--I'm not usually this dreary, LOL!

So today is Try It Out Tuesday #23 for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and I challenged the DT to make a card using the above sketch I designed! If you 'd like to join in on the sketch, email me with your creation or link it here on this post or the store blog so we can see!!

I used this beautiful Victoria Case for SCACD stamp called "Dear Diary"--isn't she a doll? I prefer to think she's reading a wonderful tale of princesses & knights though, hee hee! I used some of my favorite Basic Grey "Sultry" dp (have to order more, used it all--gasp) because I love the colors & its so "fairy woodland" looking to me! I used diamond glaze on her eyes for shine & glittered up that book of hers! The sentiment is from Verve Stamps--perfect for this card me thinks!

This was also done for the Copic Creations Challenge Blog (yes, I'm late, but couldn't help it) which this week is how to color wood--make sure to join in on the challenge for some wonderful prizes from Unity Stamps! So for my tree stump I used E29, E25,E33,& E53.

Hope you like this little beauty & make sure and stop by the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's interpretations of my sketch!

hugz & see ya tomorrow,

Suzanne

Back for More!!

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

NewsBitz:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

hugz,

Suzanne

RELEASE DAY!!

Happy, happy Friday to you all!! This has been like the longest week of my life, LOL--or so it seems! Only 7 more days until we leave for Hilton Head Island for 2 weeks---woohoo--I cannot wait! But I've got sooo much to get done before we leave--work projects, lotsa errands, and 5th grade graduation events for my son! Tomorrow my son sings at the Frederick Key's game (minor league baseball) with his chorus so that should be lots of fun & on Sunday I have my next Copics class. If you're around the area & would like to take a Copics Class with me, my next class will be July 26th (1-4:30)--email me if you're interested--you'll learn alot & have a good time I promise!!

**If you haven't entered for my 200,000 Blog Hits BLOG CANDY, you still have until tonight at midnight to do so right HERE! Winner will be announced on tomorrow's blog post!!
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Want this badge?"

So today is RELEASE DAY for Anki's Sweethearts for SCACD-series 2--YAY! All stamps are now available at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design! Anki did a wonderful job on these images--they're all fabulous! Today I've used "Emilia" so sweet with flowers in her hair & her lil' basket ready for a picnic. I created a fun stair-step card for her using Basic Grey's "Wisteria" dp--I wanted it to look like she was in a field of wildflowers! The sentiment is from a Heidi Grace set (from AC Moore)--love it! The whole card was spritzed with Shimmerz Spritz (baby's breath). The DT (on sidebar) has more projects using these sweet stamps on their blogs today, so hop around to see them all! So don't delay...hurry & get your own Anki's Sweethearts to play with!


My second cards for ya today are some fun beachy notecards I made using Lockhart Stamp Co.'s "IB Sand Bucket"-available at Susana's store! I just love these colors together, so peaceful & beachy (my rec room is painted in these soothing colors)! I embossed the baby blue panel--so pretty; image is colored w/ Copics & popped w/ dimensionals. Then I spritzed the entire card with my fave Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz (a must-have)--nice and shimmery! I made 4 of these notecards using sentiments from PTI's "Mega Mixed Messages"--2 thankyou's, 1 hello, & 1 birthday! If you love these they are available for sale (I have 2 sets for sale) in my Etsy shop, link on sidebar! I just love 'em, might have to make me some too--LOL!

Alrighty, I'm outta here--I have lots to do! I'll see you all back here tomorrow! Oh and thanks for all the uplifting & funny stories you've left me--I've had some great laughs, LOL!

hugz,

Suzanne

Double Time!!

Welcome back friends & Happy Thursday! I have to tell you all a BIG secret...shhhh....now promise not to tell okay? I have taken my hubby's toolbox and I am building an ARK!!! LMBO-- No lie, we here in VA need an ark to survive this summer I do believe. We've had over 6 inches of rain in a matter of days & more storms & rain on its way. I have NEVER seen soooo much rain & flooding in my entire life--hideous people, just hideous I tell ya...hmpfffff!! I'm gonna float away in my ark to somewhere sunny 300 days a year--so if you happen to live there you will see me floating by real soon, 'kay!!! LOL! Floating on.....both projects today use the SCS Sketch so it's Double Time!!

**If you haven't entered my 200,000 BLOG HITS BLOG CANDY, you have until tomorrow nite at midnite (EST) to do so right HERE!**

**If you entered to win my Patriotic Tilda project & your name is...........

Kelly L of Wishin' I Was Stampin'

Then you have won my Tilda project, so email me your addy so I can get it out to you before the floods come forth in my house, hee hee! Congratulations & thanks everyone for entering & leaving me so many sweet comments--makes me so very happy!! The Magnolia-licious DT will have another blog hop coming in July for you too!
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So today I have another fun sneak peek of the NEW Anki's Sweethearts for SCACD that will be available to buy at Susana's store tomorrow!! You can enter to win a whole set & a signed print over on the store blog "Follow Your Heart"--but the deadline is 11 pm(EST) tonight to enter, so hurry on over there!!

Today I've used "Soccer Isac" for my card and the SCS sketch #232--love this sketch which is why I used it twice (giggle). I colored him up with Copics to match this fun dp from DCWV's "Grade School Stack" and added some diamond glaze to his soccer ball for shine. The back panel was embossed w/ my Cuttlebug folder, I added some fun glitterdots and the sentiment is from Gina K's "Kindred Greetings for Kids". Susana has also come out with a set of Susanaments (sentiments) for Anki's new stamps that match up well too, and those will be available tomorrow also. Don't forget to hop around the DT blogs today to see some more sneakie peekies (list on sidebar) and stop by the store blog to enter for the yummy blog candy!

Second card today uses the same sketch but this time I used a new stamp from the "Graduation Collection" available at Magnolia-licious. Isn't this "Graduation Tilda" so cute in her cap & gown--they have "Graduation Edwin" too which I'll be making a card with next week to give to my son for his 5th grade graduation! I embossed my shimmery silver cs from PTI--such a fun look! The dp is from DCWV "Alphabet Stack"--I love the shimmer in the letters and so much fun to use for a graduation card! After coloring Tilda with Copics I added some Pixie Dust Shimmerz to her cap & gown--gotta have some bling on graduation day ya know. I also added some blue to her gown & in the cardstock so it wasn't all b&w--break up the colors a bit. That is a metal plaque that say's "Congrats" that I put on cs & added stars to the side--fun!

Hope you liked both of my projects today & don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for the Anki's Sweetheart release & another sneakie peekie of the new Whiff of Joy stamps "Women's Delight"!


hugz,

Suzanne

New Sweetheart Release!!

Hi friends & Happy Wednesday--halfway thru the week we are!! Glad you all liked my grumpy "Poncho" pictures yesterday--that cat is such a lil' diva I tell ya. When he's unhappy with me for whatever reason he follows me around the house screeching--especially when we leave for vacations, oh boy--he is not happy. Sits in my suitcase screeching & then screeches more at me when I get home, hee hee--I love him to bitz though!! Guess he's gonna be really mad cuz come next Saturday we're leaving for the beach for 2 weeks, LOL--luckily I have a good friend/neighbor who comes everyday and checks on them & feeds them. Whoever said cats like to be left at home never met my 5 cats--they hate it, they're all pretty social which I like!! Anywho, I've got some sneakie peekies for ya today so make sure and scroll all the way to the bottom!

**If you haven't entered for my 200,000 Hits BLOG CANDY you have until Friday, June 12th to do so right HERE!**

So first up is the new "Anki's Sweethearts for SCACD-Series 2" sneak peek for ya. These new stamps will be available at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design on Friday, June 12th! The entire DT (on my sidebar) has sneak peeks of the stamps today & tomorrow so make sure & hop around to see all of them (we all used a different stamp). There is also some YUMMY BLOG CANDY up at the store blog HERE if you'd like to enter!

I used "Cathrine" for my sneak today and isn't she a cutie with her lil' kitty friends--speaks right to my heart! I paired her up with this soft & lovely dp from Melissa Frances--love the colors, so pretty. She's colored with Copics and then I put a nice coat of Shimmerz (pixie dust) on top of her dress, stickles on the flowers and then my fave' Kaiser pearls. The fun ball trim was given to me by my friend Katharina (WOJ) for my birthday & I loved it paired with this image--kinda like the ball of yarn the kitty is chasing! I also spritzed the whole card with my fave "Baby's Breath" Shimmerz Spritz. Now make sure and hop around the DT blogs to see their fabulous sneakie peekies! Lots of fab & cute stamps to be seen!

Second sneak peek for you today are some more fabulous stamps from the new Whiff of Joy "Women's Delight Collection" by Elisabeth Bell--all of the images are fantastically beautiful I tell ya! (these stamps will be available for purchase on June 14th) I stamped the beautiful swing and colored with copics & cut out w/ my oval nestabilities, then after coloring Willow the Bride with Copics, I cut her out & popped her up on the swing with dimensionals. Her dress got a nice coat of Shimmerz (pixie dust) and the veil was done with diamond Stickles--so she's nice & shimmery & beautiful! The sentiment is from Whiff of Joy too--lots of good sentiments to use. The dp is some of my fave from Anna Griffin & roses are Prima. Whatcha' think? Now don't forget to hop around the DT blogs to see their ultimately beautiful creations with these stamps--their blogs HERE.

See ya back here tomorrow--
hugz,

Suzanne

Goin' Off to Work!!

Hiya friends & welcome to another Tuesday! I have had sooooo much fun reading everyone's humorous & exciting stories on my post below--gave me some great laughs yesterday. So thanks bigtime for that--I appreciate it. Nothing exciting happened yesterday thank goodness--unless you consider greasing the pole that our huge birdfeeder is on w/ vaseline & watching the squirrels trying to climb it--now that would make ya laugh, LOL! The wildlife has run amuck at the Dean house I say, hee hee! Anywhoo, onto the projects of the day!

**Don't forget to enter for 2 Blog Candies I'm having!**

(1) See this post for details on how to win my Patriotic Tilda project (you have until tonite at midnite to enter)!!
(2) See this post for details on how to win my 200,000 Blog Hits Candy (you have until Friday, June 12th at midnite) to enter!
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Today is Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and I've challenged the DT to create a project for Father's Day (which is right around the corner on the 21st)! I've had an idea brewing in my head for a bit and couldn't wait to make it!

I made an origami tie card and a briefcase-looking gift card holder for my hubster--he goes to work most days in a suit/tie & always has his briefcase so I know he'll get a kick out of these. You can find the directions to make the origami tie HERE (I used an 8x8" square of paper). Directions for the gift card holder can be found HERE--I paper pieced the front to make it into a briefcase using nestabilities to cut the handles out, a buckle punch for the buckle and embossed the front flap with my CB folder & then distressed all the edges. The dp and cs is all from Paper Trey Ink (Men of Life dp, spring rain & poppy red cs).

Here are the views of the inside of the gift card holder & the backside of the origami tie card. I used Pink Cat Studio's (available now at Susana's store) "QT Hooty" stamp set which has this great guy-inspired owl, so cute! I colored him up with Copics, added some diamond glaze to his eyes & matted him with cs. The "Whoo's #1" sentiment is from the same set, the other sentiment is from Gina K's "Kindred Greetings for Him". The origami tie isn't hard to make at all--considering I'm a origami dummy at times, LOL!
These gift card holders are so much fun to make & easy peasy too--you can make bunches in no time at all. I added a Basic Grey magnet under the cs on the front & one on the back so that it stays closed real nice. Hope you liked my Father's Day gifts! Don't forget to stop by the "Follow Your Heart Blog" to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects--might give you some ideas for your own hubbies or dads :o)
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In other news, thought you might like to see one of my cat's all dressed up & ready to go to work, LMBO!!
This is my Poncho--my grumpy baby that only loves me, hee hee. I do whatever I can to give myself a good laugh during the day, sometimes at my pet's expense, LOL (hey I've got 7 of them so there's always some fun goin' on)! So I bought this lil' cat tie at Target for like $2 and had to put it on Poncho--he was so thrilled but suffered thru since I was dishing out his dinner--ha ha!
Here he is giving me his "grumpy stare" like he's saying "hey, dumb women take the picture & give me my dinner!" LOL!! Ahhh, what a good laugh I had!

Have a wonderful day & see you back here tomorrow with another Whiff of Joy sneak peek & a peek of some new Anki's Sweethearts for SCACD that will be coming out this Friday--so make sure to check back!

hugz,
Suzanne

Sweet Baby of Mine!! & BLOG CANDY TOO!!

Hello friends & Happy Monday to ya! Hope you had a fabulous weekend! The weather was perfect & warm all weekend which was wonderful! But I tell ya, yesterday about killed me for sure. We spent the day at the pool and my back got fried which I can't figure out cuz' I was sitting in my pool chair the whole time, lol! When we got home I figured I'd just do my (30 Day Shred--Level 3--with Jillian Michaels) since I was already yucky & sweaty, right? WRONG--do NOT attempt to do high level workouts after being out in the sun for hours, YOU WILL PASS OUT!! I sure did anyway & bopped my head real good so now I have a big ole goose egg on my head, scared poor hubby to death, LOL! Then we headed out to dinner & Target later in the evening & came back home when it was dark. I let my doggies out in the backyard & stayed with them to make sure they did their business (so thankful I did) and Baylee (my younger cairn) kept barking & foolin' around. I figured she'd cornered another toad(of which we have many) so I went over to scare it away so she'd leave it along. But lo & behold it WAS A BIG OLE' Copperhead SNAKE--ackkkkkk! I literally almost pooped my pants & had a heart attack at the same time, by this time my other cairn had come over & if you know terriers they'll go after anything! And this snake was MAD--hissing & lurching towards the dogs which wouldn't come to me--so I went over & literally grabbed them both by their scruffs & almost got bit myself & ran. Then I fell & think I might have sprained my left arm/shoulder--its killing me! In my whole life I have never seen a snake in the dark in the middle of our yard, evah--they usually go & sleep when it gets cooler at night. Well this snake chased me across the lawn & it was about 5 ft long--I really think I coulda had a heart attack, cuz' I HATE SNAKES!! What the heck---I mean could my day be anymore dramatic or exciting--I think not!

This is my life folks--stuff like this happens to me ALL THE TIME, just ask any of my family or friends! No calmness for me I guess, hee hee. Well hope I entertained or horrified ya a bit for the day, I'm going off to rest some & probably go get an x-ray of my arm too. Please have a better day than me, hee hee! (And BTW, we never found the snake when we went back out w/ our snake shovel--it musta slithered back into the woods--yucky ole' thing)

**Don't forget to scroll down to the end of this post to see & enter my 200,000 hits BLOG CANDY--it's YUMMY**

So today I have a sneak peek of the new Whiff of Joy stamps that are coming out on June 14th! This is the "Women's Delight Collection" illustrated by the fabulous Elisabeth Bell--this collection is full of beautiful images that will be perfect for weddings, engagements, new babies and pregnancy! This image above was my favorite because it reminds me of my beautiful Precious Moments figurine that hubby bought me after the birth of our daughter.

I used some of the fabulous "Lullaby" dp by Dream Street Papers & I just adore these colors. The image is colored with Copics (BG10,BG11,BG32,G21,G20,C2,skin tones,E99,Y21) and then I added some Pixie Dust Shimmerz to her dress and the edges of the frame. I cut the image & mat layer out with my Curved Rectangle Nestabilities and added some lovely corner treatments using a corner punch & pearls. I made my own hatpin (love to make these) and tied a bow with some matching aqua ribbon. Isn't this image just a beauty? I love it!
A close-up to show you the Pixie Dust Shimmerz in action--so pretty & soft! I will be having more sneak peeks for you this week, but don't forget to hop around the Whiff of Joy DT's blogs for more fabulous sneak peeks!
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Now onto my BLOG CANDY & a huge thankyou for putting me over 200,000 Blog Hits! I can't even believe it--was only a few months ago that I had my 100,000 blog hits candy & here I am again--woohoo! So big thanks for stopping by daily, leaving comments & always being supportive--it touches my heart in many ways & lifts my spirits everyday!! I couldn't have done this without all of you, my fabulous friends!!


So what can you win!! Well let's see:
-1 pack of 8x8 Dovecraft "Hint of Pink" papers
-the ENTIRE NEW Collection of Victoria Case for SCACD stamps (donated by my pal Susana)
-1 Paper Trey Ink Anniversary Collection stamp set (limited edition for '09, not for sale--only given to those who buy 12 PTI sets in a year--and I got 3 of these free sets this year so you know how much I shop at PTI, lol)
-1 Whiff of Joy "Oakley as Groom" stamp
-1 Studio G stamp set
-1 roll of pink polka dot ribbon
-1 package of chipboard buttons & shapes
-1 package of Imaginisce Rub-On's
-1 bottle Diamond Stickles
-1 pack of decorative brads

How Can You Win:
-Answer the following question; since I had such an exciting (NOT) day yesterday "Tell me what your most exciting and humorous day has been in your life?"--I need a good laugh I tell ya'!!

-You have until Friday, June 12th(by midnight EST) to enter this blog candy by answering the above question in the comment section on this post only!! Winner will be picked by random.org

Have a fabulous day!
hugz,

Suzanne

Bottom's Up!!

And a Happy Saturday to ya!! Hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start! It's actually nice here today (finally) & supposed to be sunny & in the 80's all weekend (yippee)! Great weather for a pool party tonite me thinks! Lots of outside time--gotta do some grillin' too, love grilled veggies! My weight update so far is I've lost 9 lbs, 2" from my hips & waist, 1 inch from each thigh & .5 inch from my arms!! 13 lbs left to go--but I'm seeing a difference for sure, my arms & legs look more toned--Jillian Michaels "Shreddin'" me for sure, hee hee! Only have 2 more weeks before I leave for our beach vacation so gotta kick it in high gear (more than I was already doin'--ack)! Alrighty onto my projects for the day!

NewsBitz: Don't forget to check out my Magnolia-licious DT project for our Blog Hop on the post below if you haven't already. You can join in the fun & if you leave a comment on the below post you can win my Patriotic Project as well!!

If you stopped by looking for my "200,000" hits (now over that--wowzers) Blog Candy I've delayed it until Monday--sorry! I had to pick up a few more things for it cuz' I want it to be magnificent for ya!!
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Okie Dokie--this was a fun project for me to make yesterday even though I felt glum & foggy (probably due to the lack of sunlight on my body), hee hee! This will cheer ya up for sure. I got these fabulous body products from the Target $1 in yummy flavors like Mango Colada, Limeade & Strawberry Sangria & they smell delish!! So of course I bought a ton (hee hee) so I could make gift sets with them.

I designed my own template for the body products using only 1 sheet of 12x12 cs to make this cute tote/bag--I hate lots of cs cuts & such! (If you'd like me to do a tutorial/instructions for the template let me know--if I get enough requests I will) It's super easy to make & can be adjusted for size easily! And where did I get my idea from you ask--its kinda funny--but I was throwing away an empty orange juice carton in the recyclin' bin on Wed. & thought I could use this, hee hee. But it didn't wash out very well & I figured I could make my own version--which I did & eliminated the sides which makes it easier to build. So ya never know where inspiration might come from--LOL--obviously I need to go thru the recyclin' bin more often!

**If you love this it's for sale in my Etsy shop (link on sidebar) & there will be more**

I used my fabulous new set from PTI called "A Day at the Beach"--lovee it!! I paired it with this fun & fabulous dp from Flair Designs--isn't it perfect for these stamps? I cut out a circle from the front w/ my circle Nesties and then put a transparency over the backside as a lil' window and embossed the top panel only.
Side view of the tote--I made a lil' band for each side so the bottles inside wouldn't fall over & attached them (on their bottoms) with Scor-Tape to the bottom of the tote. I attached everything with Scor-Tape cuz' I lovee that stuff--I swear you could build a house w/ it & it would withstand hurricane winds, LOL! And the fact that you can just rip it w/ your hands & not have to gunk up your scissors--fabulous I say! The tote also ties together with a PTI ribbon bow--2 small holes punched at the top--easy peasy!

Close up of the front images--how fun are these drinks? I stamped them & then colored with Copics. The straw/icecube is a separate stamp that you can stamp over the image--fun! I put some coarse glitter on the edge of the margarita glass & stickles on the ice cubes! (yes I see I went out of the lines twice, but it's now fixed, lol). I bent the sentiment on my block so that it followed the curve of the oval--great thing about acrylic stamps!

Of course I had to do a matching card! That yummy lookin' drink has stickles on top to make it shimmery! This time I added a drink umbrella and some fun Flower Petal embellies!

Inside of box & what the yummy Mango Colada products look like!
If you're looking for them in Target--here's a pic of the Strawberry Sangria products. I also picked up body lotions, lip gloss & nail kits to match!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my summer projects today! If you want instructions on how to make this tote please let me know--and I will post them soon for ya! Don't forget to enter for my project prize on the post below if you lovee it!

Have a fabulous weekend & I'll see ya back here on Monday with some yummo BLOG CANDY!

hugz,
Suzanne

Summer Notes Blog Hop!! Oh My Stars!!

Hello & Happy Friday friends!! Yay--its the weekend again! The weather is actually supposed to clear up & be sunny & in the 80's this weekend---great weather for a Pool Party & Pig Roast! I'm going to try & be outside as much as I can, but I've got sooo much work & sooo many projects to get done before I go away on the 20th, so that there will be some posts up while I'm gone for ya! Alrighty then let's move on to the Magnolia-licious DT BLOG HOP!!

Welcome to the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop which is called "Summer Notes"! I am the START of the blog hop and at the end of this post is the link to the next DT gal on the HOP--so make sure and hop all the way to the end! All Blog Hop Details and info on how you can play along & win prizes are on the Magnolia-licious HighLites blog!

So the DT was challenged to make a "Post-It Note Holder & Gift Box" in a summertime theme. You can find a tutorial and instructions (by Bridgett Owens ) on the Mag Highlites blog HERE.

I chose to make a Patriotic 4th of July themed project with this fabulous "Sailor Tilda"--this was in stock at Magnolia-licious but I can't find it now, so if you love it & want it let Diana know & perhaps she can get more in! But there are a ton of cute summertime stamps IN STOCK at Magnolia-licious for you to choose from! My dp is by Melissa Frances and the cs is PTI's "pure poppy". The actual post-it notes are inside a little covered chipboard cover--I decorated with a frame & some more stars. (If you don't have chipboard, use coasters or an med. density cardboard like what comes in the SU dp packs)

Close-up of the Post-It Note holder box which I decorated with some fun elements including a fun star tag tied on with Scrappers Floss. Because this Tilda has her hands in a position to hold something--I printed out the "Notes" sentiment & made a lil' sign for her to hold. I love the way the stars peek out the top of the box from the actual post-it notes. I wrapped this fabulous Offray ribbon around the sides of the box to make a fun handle too!

I made a coordinating card so this would be a fabulous gift for someone! I just love it--will be hard to part with, LOL! But you could actually win this project along with some of the DT's projects if you hop along & then head over to the Magnolia-licious HighLites blog to see how!! To WIN this project by me, just leave a comment by Tuesday, June 9th on this post, and I will pick a random winner to win this set!!

A close-up of cutie Sailor Tilda--I used Diamond Glaze to make her shoes shiny and added some stickles to her outfit. And yes, I spritzed the ENTIRE card (not the image) and the Post-It Note Holder & box with my new fave Shimmerz Spritz (baby's breath)--gives it such a fun & soft shimmer!

Okay so now you need to HOP on over to Suzy's blog HERE to follow along on the Blog Hop!! And when you're done hopping, make sure to stop by the Magnolia-licious HighLites blog to get all the details on how to join in & WIN!! Have fun & be inspired!

**Don't forget to stop by tomorrow to enter for my 200,000 hits BLOG CANDY too--its a good one!!**

hugz & have a great Friday,

Suzanne


Project Recipe: Melissa Frances dp, Paper Trey Ink cs and "Mixed Messages" sentiment, Copics, Offray ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Glitter Dots, Diamond Glaze, Stampin' Up star punches, Scrappers Floss, chipboard, nestabilities, dimensionals, Shimmerz Spritz

It's a 2fer!!

Hello friends & Happy Thursday to ya!! I am keeping this post to a minimum today, cuz' I am sooo tuckered out! So many end of year activities with the kids, my son's 5th grade graduation events, projects galore & working out---I'm exhausted, LOL! Plus I'm working on not much sleep because we here in VA have had major thunderstorms 2 nites in a row & I'm a very light sleeper! Plus my one dog is terrified of thunder & feels the need to shake & tremble ON TOP OF MY HEAD until its over--yeah--no sleep YKWIM? LOL!! Anyhow, I've got another 2 projects I like to call "Variations on a Sketch"--using the same sketch on both!

This time I'm using SCS's sketch #231 from yesterday for both of my cards--a really fun sketch to use! My first card uses "Seeds of Kindness" from H&M Stamps--such a pretty set! Remember H&M Stamps is having a HUGE BLOW-OUT SALE--all stamps under $8 & most are $3--so hurry to get yours NOW!! The dp, cs & ribbon is from PTI--one of my favorite color combos! I used the "thumping" technique to stamp my image--inked w/ 2 PTI Palette Inkpads & then thumped 2 of my SU markers on top, huffed on it & then stamped it! Gives a nice watercolored effect, so pretty! The butterfly is 2 different Martha Stewart punches that I stacked together!
The image has stickles on top of it for shimmer & YES I spritzed the entire card with my FAVORITE "baby's breath" Shimmerz Spritz! I'm a spritzing freak-its so fun & addicting, LOL--I've been spritzing everything! I even spritzed some fabric flip flops I have & they look bee-u-tiful, hee hee. Can't wait to get more colors from Susana's Store.

Second card I did using the same sketch, this time with one of my favorite Lockhart stamps "Cherries in Colander"--perfect for this sketch. The dp is from SU, cs from PTI. I colored the image with my Copics (R27,R22,R20 & C1,C3,C5) and then put a nice coat of Diamond Glaze on top of the cherries--almost good enuff' to eat! The corners were decorated with "string of pearls" Bella Baubles.

Alrighty ladies--I'm outta here to do more work & try to slim down my ever long to-do list (does that ever really happen?)! See ya back here tomorrow & oh yeah--BLOG CANDY coming on Saturday for my "almost" 200,000 hits! You won't wanna miss it!

hugz,

Suzanne