A Pleasin' Pink Parade!!

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


NewsBitz:

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

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

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TuTu Cute!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spooktacular Fun!!

Happy Spooky Hallow's Eve & Friday to ya!! Thank goodness for weekends--we all need a bit of a break I think, hee hee! So happy to hear from alot of you that battle with their spouses over the lights & temperature too---I knew I couldn't be alone, LOL! I have just resigned myself to the fact that we will always AGREE to DISAGREE and things won't change--I will always like to be warm and have lots of light and my hubby is obviously a cold-blooded bat, bwahahahahha-perfect for Halloween! My kids are super excited about Halloween tomorrow--this is my daughter's last year to trick-or-treat so her and her friends are having a spooky sleepover after treating to celebrate. But it's supposed to rain here (1st time it's ever rained on Halloween since my kids have been born)-so I'm really crossing my fingers that it doesn't! And we have to turn the clocks back---ugh--my least favorite time of the year--I hate the dark!! Well today, I have a few spooky cards for ya--my last for this season and then we'll move on to the next holiday.........

NewsBitz:

-My Charity Blog Candy ends on Sunday--so if you haven't entered you can go HERE to read all the details! I appreciate all the donations so far--it means a ton to me :o)

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Spooky Magnolia Collection

I got my cutie-pie Magnolia Spooky Collection stamps in yesterday from Diana of Magnolia-licious, so I had to hurry and ink some up for ya! I used yesterday's SCS Sketch #252 for both of my layouts today--it's a fun one! This is "Witch Tilda" with her friend "Owl"--I just love them, so cute together (and they're both on sale too)! The papers are all by Basic Grey's "Eerie"--some of the papers make awesome backgrounds for your spooky scenes like what I've used here. The sentiment is from MFT, buttons by PTI and Martha Stewart Cobweb punch for the corners.
Witch & Owl were colored with copics and then Tilda got stardust stickles on her dress and hat band, diamond glaze on her boots and Owl's eyes. Spooky Boo to You!!

Second card uses a fun stamp called "Haunted House" from I Brake For Stamps--I love coloring spooky houses and this would make a great background stamp as well. Remember if you order from I Brake For Stamps, use the Coupon Code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order! I used the BG "Eerie" papers again and the same sketch just turned on it's side. I colored with Copics & my Spica pens and the ghosts got stickles added to them--so it's really sparkly IRL. I used a fabulous large bat punch out (thanks to my pal Cheryl Rowley for sending me them) to stamp my sentiment on & inked the edges w/ silver ink. A few more smaller bats and some black rhinestones finished this Halloween card off. I adore it :o)

Have a fabulous Friday & I'll see ya back here tomorrow with 2 more projects!

Hanukah and some Christmas!!

Happy Thursday to you all! Wow--I got so many responses on my new blog!! I'm glad you all like it as much as I do :o)--it certainly represents me well! And it was so much fun working with Veronica--if you have the chance to do your blog with her--you'll love her!!

So while I was sitting here uploading and editing my photo's I got into a mock/serious argument with my hubby and thought I'd share (he'll love this, LOL)! Do any of you argue over the thermostat and the lights in your house? OMGoodness this is an ongoing battle in our house, hee hee. I like the house warm which means when I'm at home during the day I want to be comfortable, not freezin' my tail feathers off ya know and NO I don't wanna wear extra clothes like an eskimo (said to hubby everyday in the winter)---and sometimes I have to sneak the fireplace on & turn it off before hubby gets home--LMBO! He's such a stickler for the temperature in the house and we have programmable thermostats, but I'm always overriding the program :o) which hubby doesn't like (now granted I don't waste electricity or gas, but a gal's gotta be warm & our bills have never been outta hand)! I KEEP reminding him that natural gas is half the cost it was last year, so you know what that means??!!! MORE FIRES in the fireplace, LOL!

Moving onto lights--I like light and the sun. If there is no sun, then there MUST be ALOT of light in my house! If I'm on the main floor in the great room (which is our family room, kitchen, eating area & foyer) I want those lights on, not just in the family room but the ENTIRE room and/or any room I can see from there must be lit in some way, hee hee! And yes we have those energy efficient (yuck I hate them cuz' they have to warm up before they light all the way) bulbs in every room thanks to the hubster! I will leave the kitchen (no lie, ask my mom--she's seen him in action) to use the powder room for a minute & come back & he'll have turned the darn lights off in the kitchen--omg! Like he saved 1/2 cent on electricity for that one minute--UMMM NOOOOO! He follows me around when he's home & we have a "War of the Light Switches" whenever he's home!! LOL! The kids just laugh & I do too MOST of the time, but it can get seriously annoying!! So just curious if this happens in your house as well--here at ScrapBitz you can tell ME all about it :o)!! (And NOTE to hubby--NO, you do not get to speak your side of the story on MY BLOG--ha--LOL)


NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund is getting some cute new lines of stamps in for the holiday season. In 2 Stamps preorders can be seen HERE. And Tab has Ladybug & Friends stamps coming soon as well!

-Don't forget to stop by the Pink Cat Studio blog HERE to join in on the fun Betty Bio/DT Contest! The DT make their own Betty's (in their likeness) and you have to match them up with the DT gal (mine is so easy, come on, just look at this blog & you'll know which is mine, hee hee)

-Today Mo's Challenge DT has a fun challenge for you up on their blog HERE! Stop by & join in on the fun!

-Still time to enter for my Charity Blog Candy--all the details are HERE!

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Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamp Release

So today Melissa (owner & designer extraordinaire) of Pink Cat Studio has more holiday lovely Digi Stamps for ya (she's been busy) over at the Digi Store HERE!! I will tell you now, that I don't celebrate Hanukkah--we celebrate Christmas but I have always been very open about all religions and belief's with my children--I believe in a little bit of everything. So I had to do a little research on this Jewish holiday to make sure I didn't muck it up any (sorry if I did). I couldn't help but want to use this cute image of "Lily Dreidel". I used the traditional colors of blues, whites, silver & gold for my entire card. Lily was colored with Copics and then I added silver Smooch to her flowers and belt--the dreidel got touches of gold Spica pen on it. I used my Shimmery Silver cs from PTI and embossed it for the back panel along with my favorite Dovecraft holiday paper. I made my own hatpin using some beads I had on hand, made a double bow w/ my Bow Easy and some Primas stacked up & topped with silver glitter dots. Isn't she lovely!!?

Second card is another CAS card (Clean & Simple)--I'm just loving coming up with ideas for these, hee hee! I wanted something that was elegant, made a statement but was easy to mass produce! So I embossed my white cards with the CB embossing folder "Morocco"(a new fave) and printed out this lovely digi stamp "Bird Star of David". Simple but lovely! I colored with Copics and then added some gold Inspiration Paint on top with some stickles on top of that so it's super sparkly! I wrapped some pretty & sparkly PTI gold ribbon around the corners to finish it off!

Last project is a gift within a card--a one-stop shop! I picked up these fab BoBunny Favor Circles from Taylored Expressions (she's out, but I found some HERE)--I also got the heart ones, I have so many ideas for these, hee hee! So I decided to create the card around the favor box! These two cuties are "Lily & Billy Hot Cocoa"--aren't they adorable & drinking my favorite winter beverage (well next to the Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider-yummo)! I filled my Favor Circle with yummy marshmallows and then on the inside of the card are 2 Hot Cocoa packets--1 for the recipient and 1 to share!. The papers are from Imaginisce Polar Expressions--perfect with these images and I added a bunch of snowflakes to the top; sentiment is from PTI(Tea for Two) bent up in the middle w/ dimensionals--too cute.


Both of these images were colored with Copics, then I added white Sparkly Fluff to Lily's fur trim and blue Sparkly Fluff to Billy's trim! Some diamond glaze on their mugs and then I used Liquid Applique to make the marshmallows in their cocoa puff up--too cute! These would be perfect for a friend or a child for the holidays--I'd love to get one of these myself, hee hee!

Hope you liked the projects today! Now make sure & hop around to the other PCS Digi DT's blogs to see all their fab projects for today (Maria, Tori, Vicki, Inge, Alicia, Kerry, Emily, Mackenzie, Tracey, Kristen)! And of course you can buy all of these HERE at the store!

See ya tomorrow!

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

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

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

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NewsBitz:

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

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

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

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

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60's Candy Girl

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

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

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

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RBW Notecards--CAS

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

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

I'm Still Here!!

Happy Tuesday to you all! I'm here, I'm here--LOL! Nothing major going on just alot of STUFF ya know so I wasn't able to get a post up for yesterday. Dumb blogger wasn't letting me upload pics on Sunday night and by 11:30 pm I'd had enough so I just went to bed! We had a good weekend, Riley is much better and we managed to get to the Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. The weather was absolutely perfect for the pumpkin patch and we had a great time, nice to see the sun again after days & days of rain! I will have pics for ya tomorrow of our fall adventure!

I'm so thrilled & touched by all the donations to the Lost Dog & Cat Foundation that have been pouring in from you all--I made my first goal and had to set another, hee hee!! It makes my heart sing to know this wonderful animal rescue will be getting much needed funds to keep helping all those abandoned & at risk animals this year!! So a big thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this along with me, I really appreciate it and the animals will benefit greatly! You still have until November 1st to enter for the Charity Blog Candy and all the details are HERE! If you do donate, please make sure & come back to my blog and leave a comment on that post so you're entered for that HUGE BLOG CANDY!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

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NewsBitz:

-New Blog is coming this week---so stay tuned--I'm so excited for you to see it, it's very ME!! Can you guess what it might look like?

-Charity Blog Candy Post HERE for all the details!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #41

So since it's Tuesday that means it's another Try It Out Tuesday Challenge #41 for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design! This week I challenged the DT to use metal elements on their cards--could be charms, metallic paints, metallic papers, etc.! I chose to use a new Victoria Case for SCACD stamp called "Kringlet"--isn't she just a lil' cutie!! This sketch is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #110--really liked this sketch this week!

My papers are by 3 Bugs In A Rug--aren't they fun?! I added some mini jingle bells to the bow and also one to end of her elf cap (I cut off the paper bell)! A few felt SU snowflakes and I stamped a sentiment from PTI onto my cutout hearts (heart nestabilities) and I used my Gold DecoColor pen to create a border around the white heart & add dots to!

I colored her with Copics and then added stardust Stickles to her dress, diamond glaze to her heart and eyes, and Gold Smooch paint to her dress trim and bell on her booties! Such a cutie don't ya think!

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

Second project uses a favorite Lockhart stamp called "Snowlady" (there are a few in this snowman line)--I just adore snowpeople!! For this card I kept it simple--white & navy blue and lots of texture. I couldn't help but make a set of cute earring to match--I used shrinky dink paper to create them, added color with my Prisma pencils and some stickles for sparkle. The bottom of the earrings have small snowflakes attached that I made with my shrinky dink paper as well.

I embossed the white card with a Cuttlebug Folder and added a fun sentiment from the new PTI set "Vintage Ornaments". The snowflakes were all made with my punches and I added my fave Martha Stewart Snow Glitter to the white ones. The dark blue paper is actually royal blue mirrored cardstock--really shiny & pretty. The snowlady is colored with copics and then she got some Stickles on her for lots of sparkle! Just a fun holiday set!

Hope you enjoyed my projects today--and I promise to be back tomorrow with more :o)

Charity Saturday & BLOG CANDY TOO!!

Happy Saturday Friends! I'm taking the weekend off so my next post for ya will be on Monday!! I just need some down time & some sleep, hee hee! But thought I'd remind you of a few things around blog-land and give you some info on some of my favorite charities and how you can win some fabulous BLOG CANDY!

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**If you haven't entered the "Find-It Holiday Lockhart Blog Hop" yet, you have until tonight at midnite EST to hop along, count the hearts and leave a comment on the store blog (all details HERE)! Winner will be notified on Sunday!

**Also, the Magnolia-licious DT hopes you decide to join in with us on our Clean & Simple Card Challenge! You can find out all the details on the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog HERE!

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As you know I'm a huge animal lover and would spend most of my waking time taking care of them if I could and have a household full of animals much to my hubby's chagrin--oh wait I do have a houseful, LOL! My dream is to own some property one day to foster animals that are in need of a home for awhile and give them a safe & love-filled home! So I wanted to let you know of 2 charities that I participate in and would love if you took the time to check them out as well! Especially in this time of recession, charities and especially animal charities are taking a hurting!

The first one is a simple & fun way to donate by going to this web site FreeKibble.com HERE! You simply answer a trivia question about dogs & there is another site for cats everyday--no matter what your answer they donate 10 pieces of kibble (dog/cat food) to rescue shelters. You can sign up for their email reminder and they'll send a reminder to your email everyday--this is what I do. Such an easy way to donate & fun too!!

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The second charity is a local rescue here in Virginia that I volunteer with called Lost Dog & Cat Rescue! All of my cats but 1 have come from them and I've fostered animals for them as well as donated much needed items. Right now they're having a charity drive to try and raise money as they are a NO-KILL shelter and have a lot of animals they're taking care of right now. They are based here in VA but they travel up and down the East Coast to take in animals--but without help from us they cannot take in as many animals especially with winter coming so soon and so many in need!

I would be so thrilled and honored if all my blog readers would donate just $2-$5 each (more if you'd like, but not necessary) to this charity! If I could raise $200 that would be a fabulous gift for my heart and all those animals in need. Go HERE to see the donation page!!

So if you can spare 8 or 20 quarters I would be so happy and if you do, please leave a comment back on this post and I will enter you for some very special Holiday Blog Candy just for all the donaters as a thankyou! The deadline for this is November 1st!!

Blog Candy will Include:

--new Holiday Martha Stewart punches and Hydrangea punches to make your own flowers
--MS snow glitter
-- Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses" paper pad, sparkle fluff, diamond glaze,2 stamps by Victoria Case donated by Susana of Susana's Custom Art & Card Design
--2 Stampavie stamps of your choice, 2 Cuttlebug Holiday Embossing Folders and a $15 gift certificate to 7 Kids College Fund
--2 Magnolia stamps & 2 accessory stamps
--Your choice of 2 digi stamps from Pink Cat Studio Digi Store
--some Whiff of Joy stamps, a Lockhart stamp and MFT stamp set
--ribbon, pearls, stickles, Primas & more

The animals & I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

hugz to you all & have a fabulous weekend,
Suzanne

Clean & Simple!!

Oh Thank Goodness it's Friday, whewwww! I swear this has been the longest-never-ending week of my entire life, LOL! I'm so thankful for the weekend, Riley is feeling better & getting stronger so that's good. The weather is supposed to be nice so we're going to try and get to the pumpkin patch on Sunday if he's doing well! Saturday we have a date with friends of ours at my favorite Japanese restaurant so that will surely be fun and nice to get out of the house! We have to get last minute stuff for Halloween as well like candy, candles and some miscellaneous stuff for the kids costumes but nothing major to get done which I like :o) Anyone have any exciting plans for this weekend (that is if you're not a sickie-poo like 1/2 of America, lol)!?

Okay, moving on today I have another Blog Hop for you featuring the Magnolia-licious DT and the theme this time is "Clean & Simple" cards--I struggled with this, but it was a fun challenge (you know how I like my layers & embellies, hee hee)


NewsBitz:

-Don't forget to participate in the "Find-It Lockhart Holiday" Blog Hop!! You can start here on my blog (post below this one) and hop along to count all the hidden hearts and leave your comment on the store blog HERE to win a fabulous prize!!

-If you've ordered from my Etsy shop--all the orders will be put in the mail to this morning! Sorry that I've gotten behind on that this week, but you'll get them ASAP!

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Magnolia-licious DT BLOG HOP
"Clean & Simple"

Welcome to the Magnolia-licious DT Blog Hop--today the DT has created some fabulous "Clean & Simple" cards for you! All of these fabulous stamps can be found at the fabulous Magnolia-licious store HERE! This was a hard one for me since I'm so used to using lots of layers and embellies but the fact is, is that you can create beautiful & lovely cards with not alot of materials (hmmm...who woulda thunk it, hee hee). I think I found the key to this challenge for me anyhow, was to pick materials that I could add texture to & use one bold color to really make it pop!

For this card I paired up kraft cs with white & red--a little bit country and all cute!! This cutie pie is "Waiting Tilda" & she is probably my most favorite & most-used winter Magnolia stamp--I really just love her!! To create texture I created a diamond pattern on my kraft cs using my Scor-Pal and then where the diamonds met I paper pieced a hole each time. The white cs got embossed with a Cuttlebug snowflake folder as well and the entire card got a good spritz of Shimmerz Spritz (in baby's breath)! The fabulous gingham ribbon I got from Michaels & made my bow with my Bow Easy, and the sentiment is from the PTI that I stamped with my glue pad & added red glitter to. Easy peasy :o)

Here is this lil' cutie up close & personal--I set her on the ribbon and then her sweater dress & cap trim got a good dose of stardust stickles for some extra bling! Whatcha' think?? I like her alot and of course red is my fave color, hee hee! :o)

Second card uses another cute Magnolia stamp called "Tilda w/ Huge Bunch of Roses" and that's a whole lotta roses, hee hee! I used some Basic Grey dp as my starting point for this card and colored Tilda to match with Copics. If you click on the above picture to make it larger you'll see that the background white cs was stamped lightly in pink with a birthday sentiment over & over from the PTI set "Around & About Sentiments"--so obviously this is a bday card, LOL! I embossed the white cs behind Tilda with my CB Swiss Dots embossing folder for more texture and added a few pearls. I really like that the small frame of dp is bold & bright--grabs your attention paired with the white!

Here's this cutie close-up--I had to add some stickles to the leaves & you can't see it here but the roses have Shimmerz on them in Pixie Dust for a subtle sparkle. I had to use a bit of sheer ribbon to make a 3-D bow for these flowers--so cute!

Well, I hope you liked my Clean & Simple Magnolia cards for ya today---I think I spent more time figuring out these than I do my multi-layered cards, LMBO! But I like 'em!!

Now if you're coming here from Sharon's blog then I'm the end of the road for the hop, but if you're starting with me, make sure and start the hop with Kerry! And make sure and hop over to the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog to get all the details on how you can join in on the fun as well!!

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Clean & Simple Holiday Cards

Since I was working on some Clean & Simple cards, I decided to try and create my "mass" holiday card that I will send out to my friends for the holidays. I wanted something that was elegant, simple & of course easy to make lots of but have a nice impact as well. So I pulled out a few of my favorite holiday Lockhart Itty Bitty stamps "Wreath" & "Ornaments"! I embossed the background (3/4's of it) with a new Cuttlebug embossing folder called "Victoria", spritzed it with Shimmerz Spritz in baby's breath & stamped the bottom with sentiments from the PTI set "Signature Christmas".
I cut out my images with my Nestabilities Labels 1 and used the FABULOUS PTI set "Vintage Labels"to stamp the red lined label inside--these stamps fit within the Labels 1, how cool is that!!

Both of the images got Flower Soft (shamrock green) on the greenery, the ornaments have gold spica pen accents as well! Easy to make & put together! So if you're on my holiday list for Christmas cards, this is what will be in your mailbox, LOL (minus my mom, sister, bosses, & grandma--they get multi-layered goodness, hee hee)!

Well hope you enjoyed the blog hop & my clean and simple cards for ya today. And I hope I inspired you to try to make some as well! See ya back here tomorrow with just ONE (GASP) project for ya!

hugz,
Suzanne

A Packin' Post!!

Hiya & Happy Thursday friends!! This is a jam packed post for you today, including a BLOG HOP & a NEW RELEASE, so I will keep my chitter chatter to a minimum & the supplies will be in recipe form for ya! Glad to know that I'm not the only paper and craft supply hoarder, hee hee---I knew it was a widespread sickness!! Some of you buy megapacks of paper (never even heard of those thank goodness) and some of you buy 4-5 sheets of each---whoa nelly!! You all gave me a good giggle--yesterday was a very long day so it was fun to read all your comments as they came in!! The sad thing is, if there is a 12 step plan I think we'd all FAIL!! LMBO!

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So today we have a fun "Find-It Lockhart Stamp" BLOG HOP from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design DT for ya! The "Find-It" part means that you have to find something in all the DT's projects that are hidden and the hidden picture is a PINK HEART!! Each DT gal has a different number of hearts hidden in their projects so you have to keep track as you hop along. When you're done hopping, hop over to the store blog HERE to leave a comment for a chance at a fabulous prize AND if you are picked randomly and have left the right # of hearts in your comment, you can win an ADDITIONAL PRIZE!! All details are on the store blog as well, 'kay!

(Hint: all the hearts are in my first project picture below)

Well, Mr. Brown (UPS) came just in time yesterday bringing all my new PTI goodies so I quickly switched up my plan for what I was going to do. I decided to make holiday notepad planners using two of the fabulous Lockhart Stamp Co. Christmas Trees "Cranberry & Popcorn Tree" & "Della Robia Tree" that you can find HERE! Karen Lockhart makes the best holiday stamps as you will see when you hop around to the DT's blogs!! And ALL of my projects today fit in the Paper Play Challenge this week to use your favorite embellishment--well duh, mine is all about BLING, hee hee (rhinestones, pearls, glitter, stickles)!!!

As you probably know I am a manic list maker and no time more than the holidays--we've all got lots of lists to keep, so these can come in super handy. They're thin & easy to store in your tote or purse. The lil' notepads are from PTI and I just made a simple cover for each planner, very easy to do (PTI has a downloadable template HERE, but I just made my own since I had issues downloading it).

This tree was embossed in Gold Zing embossing powder & then I lightly colored w/ my Copics in a few areas. I also added some stardust stickles to some areas for sparkle.

This shows the inside; on the left I took one sheet of the notepad and drew lines with my Gold Spica pen to create a section that can list names and a small box that can be checked off. The right side holds the actual notepad so you can make lots of to-do & to-buy lists! I love these!

RECIPE: Zing embossing pwdr, gold spica pen, Graphic 45 holiday papers, PTI cardstock, PTI "Take Note" stamp set, Lockhart "Cranberry & Popcorn Tree" stamp, copics, PTI Vintage Cream notepads, PTI ribbon, Fiskars border punch, Bella Baubles in Goldilocks, Nestabilities, Scor-Tape

Since my first planner was very traditional I decided to switch it up and make this one very trendy & sassy! Nothing says that bettah' to me than hot pink & black for Christmas!! I colored this tree with pink and gray Copics, then added stickles and diamond glaze to some of the ornaments. All of the patterned papers & cardstock are from Paper Trey Ink as is the ribbon.


This one I made the inside a bit different--I put the notepad on the right and made a small pocket on the left so you could slip receipts or notes in. Easy to do with some leftover cs & dp and a little bit of Scor-Tape.

RECIPE: Lockhart "Della Robia Tree" stamp, PTI papers & ribbon, stardust stickles, diamond glaze, spica pen in black, scor-tape, rhinestones, Inkssentials blending tool, PTI white notepads

Well hope you liked my holiday planners that I made for the HOP today!!
**Now to hop along on this BLOG HOP you're next stop is DIANNE!! **
If you get lost along the way, the blog hop list is on the store blog HERE!

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Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamp Release

So another fun Digi Stamp release from Pink Cat Studio today as well--so much eye candy!! These new images are just holiday fabulous I tell ya! This card I did above uses "Snowflake Fairy Lily" & I think she's just a beauty! I wanted to keep all my colors limited to white & soft aqua (SU soft sky) to match some of my favorite Heidi Grace papers (yes, that I hoard) for an icy, frosty feel! I printed her out and colored her with copics (don't ya love her frosty hair, hee hee) and cut her out so I could pop her up. I cut a circle with my Nestabilities from the center of the card and replaced it with a transparency that I stamped snowflakes on with Staz-On ink. My snowflakes are a mix of punches and SU's felt snowflakes that I glittered up with my Martha Stewart Snow Glitter (love, love that stuff)! I added lots of clear rhinestones and pearls to everything for lots of sparkly bling and of course some stickles. The sentiment is from PTI that I added more frosty Snow Glitter too! A fun & frosty holiday card for ya!

Second card uses the new digi stamp "Lily Winter Coat"--I love that Melissa is making some Lily's for all the digi stamp lovers out there! Isn't she just a doll dressed up in her wintry finery?! I used some of my favorite Basic Grey "Wassail" papers to make a traditional holiday card. I distressed the edges of my cardstock and layered Lily using my oval nestability shapes. Lily has sparkle fluff on her muff and hat trim--so fuzzy & sparkly and the cute birdies got diamond glaze on them! I made a double bow with my Bow Easy and added a mix of flowers that I had in my stash. The lil' "JOY" sentiment is from a PTI set as well. Now make sure & stop by the Pink Cat Studio Digi Store HERE to see all the fabulous digi stamps and projects by the DT!

Would you like to try digital stamping for free? Melissa has created an informative tutorial to show you how easy it is to download and print digital stamps. In the tutorial there is a free digi stamp that you can download and try out.

Here is a link to the tutorial if you would like to give it a try: http://www.pinkcatstudio.com/Digital/Tutorials/DigiStamps_TestItOut.htm

Melissa also has a fun CONTEST going on at her blog HERE--so make sure & stop by to enter!!

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Whew, I'm tired now--how 'bout you? LOL! I'll see ya back here tomorrow with ANOTHER BLOG HOP from the Magnolia-licious DT, so come back tomorrow 'kay and get some rest, LOL!!


hugz,
Suzanne

Need a Lift??

Happy Wednesday everyone!! How are you all doing? Seems everyone in cyberland is sick with something, including here in our house--blech! Wonder if germs can spread thru the wires, LOL! Sending everyone out there get well wishes & lots of cyber chicken noodle soup for ya all (or tomato soup if you're like me and can't stand chicken noodle soup, LOL)!

I'm just gonna blurb quickly about something I was thinking yesterday & laughing over (at myself of course) and wanted to know who else out there is LIKE ME!! I was working on one of these cards and using some paper I've had forever and I was being so careful to not use too much, LOL, thinking omgoodness I need to save some for another time. Now, when I get paper I always buy 2 of each sheet or paper pad (seriously) so that I always have extra--yes I admit it I am a PAPER HOARDER, hee hee! I almost never use the 2nd piece and/or have lots of scraps letf--this has left me with a TON of paper but I cannot STOP myself from doing it. The thought of running out of that paper while I'm working on a project or wanting to use it again (which almost NEVER happens, lol) kills me and so I keep ordering 2 of each. The craft stores LOVE me for sure :o) Anyone have a 12-step plan for paper hoarding--cuz' I need help badly?? I've gone on many paper-buying hiatuses but to no avail--I think I'm a hopeless cause! So that being said, "who else is just like this, so I know I'm not alone, hee hee?"!!


NewsBitz:

-Celtic Woman of "Paper Trail" was the lucky winner of a new Quickie Glue Pen!! Email me your addy so I can get it out to ya!! Congrats!

-Due to sickies in my house right now, I didn't get to participate in yesterday's "Try It Out Tuesday" but the DT did a fabulous job creating Table Setting projects & decorations. Make sure & check them all out on the store blog "Follow Your Heart" for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design Store!!

-New Digi stamps coming on Thursday from Pink Cat Studio--stay tuned!

-A fun & prize-filled "Find-It" Lockhart Stamp Blog Hop on Thursday starting here at my blog and hopping along the DT's blogs for Susana's Store!!

-Another fun BLOG HOP on Friday that the Magnolia-licious DT will be bringing you featuring "Clean & Simple" Magnolia cards!!

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"Got Patience?"

My first card for ya today uses a new digi image from Mo's Digital Pencil called "Patience"--as soon as I saw this I HAD to have it (good thing digi images are instant gratification, hee hee)! Being the mom to 5 cats, this just brought a huge smile to my face. We've only had cats for 4 years, but I can so imagine my kids doing this if they were smaller, LOL! I used the Friday Sketcher's Challenge sketch #74 from last week for my layout and my dp is from DCWV "Kitchen Stack". I colored her with Copics, added a few stickles & some diamond glaze on her bottle. The scrolls are from this punch here and flowers are all by Prima. This sentiment from PTI's "Everyday Button Bits" was just too perfect and I had to use it along with alot of my fave pearls!

Just another quick view of this lil' cutie. Copic colors on the cat were done w/ both the warm & cool grays. Her pants were done with B04,B02,B00,B0000 and reds were R08,R05, R02. Dontcha' just love her? Too cute--Mo has a way with her pencil that's for sure!

Second card uses a fabulously cute image from I Brake For Stamps called "Noah's Ark" and I just adore it! (if you order from them please use this coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order, 'kay)

When my son was born I painted an entire wall mural with a whimsical Noah's Ark (when my scanner is working again, I will load a picture of my mural) in his room. It was heartbreaking to leave it when we moved, but so fun to do. So of course I had to make a baby card with this image and I paired it with this cute dp by K&Co "Itsy Bitsy Baby Boy". The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday Challenge #109--such a fun sketch to use. The lil' sentiment is a rub-on from SU and then layered it with my oval nestabilities. I used my Bow Easy to create my bow and I HAD to add some fun matching buttons and some stickles on the image :o)

Here's a close-up of this cute image that I colored with Copics. I added stickles to the water & roof! So cute & perfect for a baby me thinks. Both of these cards today are for sale in my Etsy shop!!

Hope you enjoyed my projects for today! I'll be back here tomorrow with Blog Hop & some new releases for ya!!

hugz,
Suzanne