Two Scoops Please!!

Happy September 17th my friends!! I want to run a poll and ask everyone "how much sleep to do you usually get a night" and "at what age do you start sleeping again?", LOL! I swear I could go on vacation and sleep for the ENTIRE week & not feel guilty about it either! No LIE! I'm such a poor sleeper anyhow (chronic insomniac) and then having a child with asthma/breathing issues does not help. I sleep with one ear to the door most nights making sure he's sleeping, hearing every cough & wheeze--I feel like I have an infant again (oh lordy no, two kids is enuff for me, hee hee)! I average 4-5 hours a night if I'm lucky & it's just not enuff' anymore--my ole' body is feeling it for sure and I'm not able to get as much done which is a BIG PROBLEM! My engine needs some gas I tell ya, lol! And I've started my new Dan Brown book which kept me up beyond a reasonable bedtime as well :o) Who can resist the draw of a fabulous book--not me!! Anywho, here's to wishing me and you a good nite's sleep tonight!

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Today I have a fabulously fun project to share with you that I just ADORE (YILM)! I love the colors, layout & image, so fun! This is a new stamp sold by CC Designs in a set or singly called "Kiki LaRue's" that you can buy HERE and I think they are just too cute! (Christine keeps making them cuter & cuter I tell ya)! The card layout is from yesterday's SCS sketch #246 and the papers are by Memory Box's Sugar Collection(I don't think it's available for sale anymore, bummer). I love the patterns & colors in these papers! The cute ice-cream is bubbles--aren't they fab? I picked a few up at Michaels or AC Moore awhile back knowing that a stamp would come along that would be perfect to use with them! I made a band around the middle w/ paper and then added some fun May Arts ribbon (double sided) and a fun tag made w/ my nesties! This would be such a great gift for a young girl's birthday or party favors!!

The SCS layout is so fun & perfect for so many cards--I will be using it again for sure! I added some diamond stickles to her headband, cherry & bowtie; diamond glaze to her shoes, eyes & chocolate ice cream scoop. The ribbon is from PTI and the bow was made w/ my fabulous Bow Easy--flowers are small Primas with Bella Bauble centers! The heart charm is from my stash but find similar ones right HERE. If you love this it's for sale on my Etsy shop which is sadly mostly empty so I gotta get around to fillin' it back up, hee hee! (I have the supplies to make one more, so if you REALLY want one & it's already sold, just email me--1st come)


hugz,
Suzanne

Trick-or-Treat Sweeties!!

Happy Monday my favorite stampin' friends! Did ya have a terrific weekend? Our's was pretty darn good even if we did end up getting more rain, hee hee! On Saturday, hubby took our son to the Open House at our local airport to see old bombers & war planes--they had a blast & got to go on many of them. Hubby called and asked if he & Riley could go on an actual flight on one of the bombers for $800--LMBO--I said "no way Jose"! Are you kiddin' me--we could all fly to the West Coast for that much money! Once they got home, we all went and finished up all the school shopping (hurray) including school supplies--only thing left is to get Alexa one more pair of flats for school. Yesterday we just hung around the house and enjoyed the almost fall-like weather (gasp--not ready to say goodbye to summer yet)! The kids have eye exams, dental appts & school orientations this week---nothin' like good ole' mom cramming everything in the week before school, LOL! Gotta fit in haircuts somewhere too--although my son says he's growing his hair out "a la surfer style", not sure about that but we'll see!


NewsBitz:

-my new demo video on using the "Bow Easy" can be found on my sidebar or HERE! Such an easy, quick way to make perfect bows everytime (including multiple loop bows) & they're only $5! I made the video because the info out there was less than adequate & I was confused when I got mine, so I was sure I wasn't the only one who needed better visual instructions, LOL! You can buy your Bow Easy right HERE!

-Susana's Store has all Shimmerz Products on SALE at 30% off--that's a good deal! Go HERE to buy yours!!

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So today I have 2 Trick-or-Treat cuties for ya! I just ADORE & LOVE these new Fall SugarPlum stamps by CC Designs (available HERE on September 7th)--each one is just too cute for words! On this lil' pumpkin card I used the girl Sugarplum and made her costume a "giraffe", but she would be cute as a lil' "cow" as well!

The pumpkin was made using my largest oval nestability to make 3 ovals & then I shaded the edges. The middle oval is attached with dimensionals so it pops just a bit. The vines were made with my scroll punch (love this punch--buy yours HERE) and then I free-hand cut out the stem. She's colored with copics & then I added stickles to her tummy and the stem, the pumpkin bag got a coat of diamond glaze & then stickles on top! The sentiment is from PTI's "Spooky Sweets" set--perfect for this lil' image! Isn't she cute--I just love how this one turned out!

Side view of my pumpkin card--I simply scored a 1" scor-line across my cardstock using my Scor-Pal & folded & attached to the pumpkin with Scor-Tape to make the card. Easy Peasy!


Second fun card uses the lil' Sugarplum "mummy" image (available HERE on Sept. 7th)--too cute I tell ya! I used my Nestabilities Mega Labels 8 to make the cool shaped card! I forget who the bat dp is by (from last year's scraps) but I created a faux "mummy wrap" by cutting strips of PTI's shimmery silver cs & attaching to the dp. I added some actual medical gauze behind the image for fun & texture & the bats are from a Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is from PTI's "09' Halloween Tags" and I used my smaller pinking circle nestabilities as a back mat.
Even though he's a cute mummy he had to have a lil' bit of shimmer a la Suzanne style, hee hee! So I gave him a good coat of Pixie Dust Shimmerz on top for just a soft shimmer. Spooktacular I say!


Have a Boo-tastic Day!!
hugz,
Suzanne

Pumkins, Pumkins!

Happy Monday everyone! Did ya have an awesome weekend? Ours was pretty good minus the hurricane drenching rains & storms we got Friday & Saturday! Wow--we got 4 inches of rain here, we needed rain but NOT that much, LOL! Even with the rain we braved it & headed to Tyson's Corner Mall (our big, gigantic) mall with hubby, son, duaghter & daughter's friend! ACK! We figured everyone would stay away due to the awful weather, but OH NO--they were ALL there at the mall with me! ARGHHHHHH--I HATE CROWDS OF PEOPLE!! We did manage to get about half of our shoppin' done but I still gotta go again---lord help me & provide me with lots of ADVIL!! LOL--I hate school shoppin! So to recover the Dean Family had jammie day yesterday, hee hee---my favorite activity in the whole world :o) But I did manage to sell the majority of my SU sets (yay) & work on some new projects for this week! I've gots lots to share with ya this week that's for sure!

NewsBitz:

-A Happy, Stampendous Birthday Shout-Out to Diana Crick today!! She's a wonderful boss, stamp store owner, super talented (she invented the Scor-Pal ya know), kind & amazingly generous lady I tell ya! I had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch with her at CHA last year & she is EVEN nicer in person :o) Happy Birthday Diana--I hope it's a "Magnolia-Fabulous Day"!! Drop her a line at the Magnolia Store & give her a bday wish 'kay!!

-If you haven't gotten any of the NEW Victoria Case for SCACD stamps yet--whaddya waitin' for! These cuties are a steal at $7 a piece or the whole sheet of 8 stamps for $40 (that's $5 a piece--a total deal)!! They're a must have I tell ya!! Get yours HERE!

-And I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those of you who buy from my Etsy shop!! Some of you are my "regulars" hee hee & I just really want to let you know how much I appreciate you buying my projects! I hope they give you as much joy as I have making them! It's great to have supporters buying handmade projects--if you haven't checked out Etsy you really should! They have so many fabulous goodies of all kinds (cards, shoes, fashion, housewares, etc.) & they're all handmade, which makes them even more special. You can see them all HERE!

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So today I have a fun project for ya! A bit ago, Christine of All That Scraps (& fabulous illustrator of the CC Designs Sugarplums stamps) had an early pre-order of their Fall Sugarplum Stamps & of course I HAD to have them, hee hee! Now these stamps will be available on Sept. 7th right HERE if you want them! I will have a couple more cards done with them this week--they are stop-ur-heart CUTE I tell ya! The dp on this card is new from PTI along with a sentiment from CC Designs Fall Sugarplum stamps their new set "Fall Elegance". I say "pumkin's" (not misspelled, hee hee) cuz that's what my son called them when he was little & it always cracked us up--so to tease him now every fall we always say we're goin' to get lotsa pumkins!! LOL

I used quite a few stamps on my card today & below is a slideshow w/ instructions showing how I paper pieced this cutie in case you don't understand or know how to do it!! I paper pieced her apron & headband and colored the rest of the images (girl & wagon, pumpkin & fence). Remember to color your image FIRST before adding the paperpieces--much easier & you can still add shading to the paper piecing with your copics so it doesn't look flat!

Another "Suzanne Tip of the Day"(LOL) is my nestability shapes--I used the largest Scalloped Square Nestability (7 Kids has these nesties HERE & others for sale for $16.99--a deal for sure) to go behind my image but I still wanted a darker color behind that but didn't have a larger nestie. So I cut the same size scalloped square out of my darker cs & then cut all 4 sides off in strips & adhered them to my scalloped square so they peeked out just a bit!! Now I have a 2-toned scalloped square!! This makes all of your flat-edged nesties much more versatile for ya!

I cut the main part of my image out & popped it with dimensionals in front of the fence and then added another cute pumkin! The pumkin's & her shoes got diamond glaze on them & her dress has diamond stickles for some sparkle! So cute!

Paper Piecing Slideshow Below w/ Instructions:

See ya back here tomorrow!

hugz,
Suzanne

Bumble Bee Day!!

Yay it's Friday & a Happy One to you friends!! I am in painting pergatory right now, hee hee---oh how I hate to paint! When we moved in our house we had the entire house painted professionally cuz' I hate it soooo much--but I didn't want to wait for anyone to come this time so I've tackled it myself, YUCK! I know some people love to paint (crazies, lol) but I don't know why--it's messy, boring & takes too long. I just wanna move everything in & be done already ya know--and my hubby is SO the OPPOSITE of me. He's slow & steady & I'm ADD super-fast & want it all done right now, LOL--so getting him to hang shelves & bring up the furniture in "my time frame" is gonna be a struggle for sure! I'm makin' him a big pot of his favorite chili tomorrow to sweeten him up a bit, hee hee---oh the powers of sweet-talk & good food :o) After 14 years together I know how to "work him", shhhh don't tell him that though, bwahahahhh! But "MY" plan is to be done by Sunday evening so we'll see....!

NewsBitz:
- I still have Stampin' Up stamps for sale HERE! They're bargain priced I tell ya-gotta make room for new stuff, hee hee!

-If you haven't hopped along on the Blog Hop for Susana's store from yesterday, then get to it! You have until Aug.15th at midnite EST to leave your comments to win some fabulous prizes. Go HERE to get started!!

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Today I'm sharing a project that I hadn't previously shown that I did during my guest stint for All That Scraps last month. This 3x3 Notecard Gift Set uses the fabulously cute "Bumble B Bear" stamp set! I just love all the fun images that come in this set--had to use them all on one gift!! All of the cardstock & dp is from Paper Trey Ink.

All of the notecards are 3x3" and use similar elements. The honeypot got a thick coat of diamond glaze on it and the bee's & bear's wings have diamond stickles on them. On the bear card there are 3 Bella Baubles in copper.
For this card I cut the bee out & perched him on top of 2 stacked Primas--so cute!
I love, love to make these fun 4x4" boxes--you can find the directions to it right HERE. Very easy to make & quick too! I just decorated the box with the same materials, wrapped the lid w/ ribbon & added a fun charm! Just a great gift to make for someone special in your life (great teacher gifts too)!

Hope you have a fabulous Friday & I'll see ya back here with a "surprise" sneakie peekie & project for the Copic Creations Challenge Blog, so stop back by 'kay!!

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

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

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

Under the Sea!!

Hello & here's to another Wednesday--halfway thru the week already!! Before you know it summer will be over--yuck--I love summertime! This weekend hubby and I going to the Elton John/Billy Joel concert in DC and I cannot wait! Hubby bought me the tickets for my birthday & its sure to be an awesome show--hopefully it doesn't rain since it's outside (fingers crossed). Speaking of awesome musicians--did you watch Michael Jackson's Memorial yesterday. I watched & TRIED to get work done (not much) and didn't think I would cry but Brooke Shields talk teared me up & then how could you not be moved when his daughter got up to the mike. Oh boy, I was boo-hooing & I'm not even a crier--so tragic & so sad!


I had my own MJ tribute yesterday by playing all his music on my Ipod while I worked which I never do cuz' I like the quiet, hee hee--my favorite songs are "Billie Jean" & "Will You Be There" which Jennifer Hudson did a beautiful job singing yesterday (You Are Not Alone runs a close third--see video below, just haunting). No matter what people may think of him I love his music & think he was a wonderful humanitarian & entertainer & am sad to see him pass on!!

My projects today use the fabulous new "Underwater Adventures" stamps by CC Designs available at All That Scraps! I'm delighted to be a guest designer for them this month & was so thrilled with the new stamps I recieved. These stamps are available in a set or by themselves--aren't they gorgeous? I knew as soon as I got these that I finally had an idea for an unfinished jewelry box that's been sitting in my drawer for eons! So I decided to make a mermaid jewelry box & matching birthday card!

For both projects the dp I used is by Paper Adventures "Island Lagoon" and SU cs in groovy guava & soft sky. I embossed the soft sky cs with a CB folder and wrapped it with brown Scrapper's Floss--the sentiment tag was strung to it also. The entire card was spritzed with Shimmerz Spritz in baby's breath and the fish & her tail has diamond stickles. You can't tell from the picture but her jewels have a thick/bubble coating of diamond glaze for more texture.

This jewelry box was unfinished (got mine at Michaels a bit ago) and I painted it with acrylic paints in a pale aqua with a white-washed finish on top. I added dew drops & shells to the top & sides--lovee that if I do say so myself, lol! I added dp to the top & modgepodged the whole box and then spritzed Baby's Breath Shimmerz Spritz to the box for lots of pretty shimmer! I added some fishermen's net on top & some more fun shells.

I really love how this turned out & if you love it too, it's up for sale on my Etsy shop!! (on sidebar) Make sure and stop by All That Scraps to check out all of their fabulous stamps & products (gonna order me some new paper & goodies too)!!

Talk with ya tomorrow!

hugz,

Suzanne

Guest Designer News!!

Happy Friday everyone! Sadly tomorrow I will be on my way home after a fabulously wonderful vacation in Hilton Head Island! Although coming home is always nice & I've been feeling the itch to get back to my craft room--2 weeks of no creating oh my! But my mojo juices have definitely been recharged so first thing Monday I'll be back creating for you all!! I'll also have a vacation picture slideshow for ya too!

So today I wanted to share some exciting news with you all! I am this month's guest designer for All That Scraps--WOOOHOOOO!!! If you're a regular reader here you know how much I adore their stamps (CC Designs)so this was a fabulous opportunity for me & I'm super grateful they asked me (thanks Amy & Christine)!! You can check out the announcement right HERE and every Monday on the All That Scraps Blog you will find some more fun info & projects from me this month of July!


First up is this fabulous animal set called "Chasing Butterflies" by designer Diem Pascarella for CC Designs(all new stamps available on Monday)! Isn't this kitty the cutest (ya know how I lovee me my kitties)! These new animal stamps by Diem will be available in a set or individually--how cool is that! Kitty is colored with copics and I used this fun dp (Imaginisce?-can't recall, have vacation memory fog, lol) along with PTI's poppy red cs & twill ribbon. I added some stacked butterfly punchouts on top of the fun yellow button and the border was done with my new Fiskars border punch! Such a fun & happy card me thinks! Make sure and stop by the All That Scraps blog to see the rest of the DT's fun samples!

Have a fabulous weekend & lots of fun & safe Fourth of July activities to my fellow Americans! See ya back here on Monday!

hugz,
Suzanne

Spooky, Spooky!

Happy TGIF---wow what a long week and I'm soooo happy the weekend is here!! I'm looking forward to a night out w/ my hubby and friends and lots of laughs too! Hope you've had a great week and the "sickies" haven't visited your house yet--seems everyone in my house and my neighbor's houses have been sick, yucky! So I'm sending out hugs and good wishes to all my stampin' pals who are feeling sicky-poo too, no fun!!

Only one card for ya today, I have lots of things to run around and get done before tonight. Seems those naggy chores must get done (ya know laundry, vacuuming and picking up "kid" clutter)--ugh... And of course I have to figure out what to wear tonight---whatever makes me look thin will win, lol!!

This card uses all 3 new Halloween sets by CC Designs--I had to make a spooky scene with them (they insisted I swear)! Is this lil' doggie all scared not the cutest? The ghost isn't really spooky either, but certainly cute!! Basic card for ya, I layered everything on gray cs (most of the images were cut out except the bat and cat) and then I sponged a spooky "fog" before I attached my images. Everything was colored w/ Copics and I added some stickles here and there. On the moon I used my new Shimmerz paint (I ordered like 10 colors--I'm a sicko or something & can't stop ordering, ROFL). Love this stuff--I used it on a couple of other cards that I'll share w/ you soon too. It's very translucent and shimmery--easy to apply and quick drying too. The dp is from MFT and the glitterdots are from Gina K (lovee these dots).

Hope ya liked to be "spooked" today! Gotta run, I'll try and post for ya tomorrow. Don't forget to check out Jen's I{heart}2Stamp blog tomorrow for her Sketch For You to Try. My card sample as her guest designer is all about "giving thanks" so check it out when you get a chance!

Hugz,

Suzanne

PS- I have still not heard from Linda Deline so I will be back later with a new winner of the blog candy. Theresa, your blog candy will be sent out tomorrow--hugz!

Last Days of Summer!!

Happy Saturday to everyone! I will keep my monologue short for you today. I am still sick and laying low today again, hopefully I will be up and running soon. My sister-in-law's father died yesterday, so we have a funeral to go to on Sunday, so I'm resting up today. Although he'd been sick for awhile it's always hard to lose someone you love.

Since I did so many fall and winter cards this week, I wanted to end the week with a summery project. Since we're in the last days of summer, sadly. I'm gonna miss it, that's for sure--I love the warm weather!

All of these projects use the new stamps from CC Designs--these two are called "Olivia's Birdies" and "Scenery Set". Isn't this little girl and her bird friends just adorable? The first card uses Crate Paper (Kaitlyn Collection) dp and PTI's plum pudding cs. I paper pieced her shirt and the rest of the images are colored with Copics. I used the ATS Wednesday Challenge Sketch #14 for this layout. The girl, birds and flowers were cut out and popped up with dimensionals. I added a few stickles to the leaves, her barettes and flowers. The ribbon is Martha Stewart and I used some purple Robin's Nest dew drops.

The second project is a thankyou card and gift. I wanted to do a square scalloped card using my scallop nestabilities (if you don't have these, they are a definite must have--I use them all everyday). I based this entire set on this yummy dp from Autumn Leaves called "MOD"--lovee the colors! I paired it up with SU cs. Everthing in this circle image was cut out and popped up with dimensionals (birds, flowers and birdbath). Aren't these birdies the cutest--I just am lovin' them (I know, I love MANY things). All colored with Copics again and some stickles on there for more sparkle. I sponged blue ink around this image and the first card to make a soft, blue sky.

The little gift is a "Ghiradelli" chocolate holder--I got this idea from my SU upline Kristin Knapper (do not know the original inventor--whoever you are, thanks for the great idea)! The dimensions for this are:

-1 pc of cs sized 2.5 x 8.25"

-score this cs at 2.25, 2.75, 5.5 and 5.75" (use that Scor-Pal if you have it)

-on the square that measures 2.5" you will need to make a slit for the candy (I used my SU word window punch for a nice long oval opening)--you will punch .75 from end of cs

-use a strong glue or tacky tape to tape this end down (see above photo) to make a pocket for the candy

-decorate outside however you'd like; mine closes with the ribbon band

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Wouldn't this make a great party favor or small gift? I think its just precious. The ribbon is SU's groovy guava and the sentiment is from PTI's "Remember" set by Lisa Johnson.

Ok, I'm going to lay back down on the couch and watch some more Olympics and rest up!! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Suzanne

PS--If you liked my earlier project this week that you can see HERE, you can vote for me over on the JustRite Stampers blog (You can vote thru Monday). I made it into the top 6--yippee!! I was totally surprised and had entered on a whim, never thinking I'd make it to the finals. If you voted for me already--thanks so much, I really appreciate all of your support!!!

Sunglasses People!!

Good TGIF everyone!! Yeahhhhhh, its the weekend!! We have absolutely no plans this weekend & ya know what that means? Stampin' time for me, oh yeah!! We are going to dinner tonight with friends w/o the kids which is a rare treat for us, so that will be fun. But other than that, we have no plans...how often does that happen--nevah!!

Ok, today is a 2 card day for ya, but ya bettah put your sunglasses on cuz' they're BRIGHT!! My first card I made using some of my new goodies from All That Scraps that came the other day (remember my happy mail). This stamp set is by CC Designs & is called "Sweet Treats"--too stinkin' cute I think!! I used the weekly sketch #186 over on SCS for this card. This dp by Doodlebug Designs (birthday girl party time) I adore and it fits right in w/ this stamp, dontcha' think? The limey green cs is by Coredinations, the hot pink by SU. I colored my lil' bear w/ Copics and then added some diamond stickles to the edges of the ice cream. I also paper pierced around her for some added detail. The strip of hot pink cs w/ embossed buttons was made with one of the new CB embossing folders (Just My Type borders)--it comes with 5 cute edge borders that I got from CutatHome but you can also get it here. I used one of the sentiments and added stickles to the "SWEET" and layered it. For final touches I added some pink pearls from Ellen Hutson and the cute lil' library clip (thanks to my bella sistah Cathy for these) is by MM.

The second card I made actually won me a prize this week. I had made this last week and added it to the Inque Boutique gallery--they pick a card from the gallery every week to win $50 worth of their stamps. This was the first time I had entered and I actually won--can ya' believe it!! I had my list of stamps I wanted all ready for them--ha ha!! Anyhow, this card was made with one of their mini sets called "Memoirs" that you can get here. If you haven't tried out their stamps, they are really great & stamp beautifully (not to mention easy on the wallet)! I used 3 of the stamps together to make a mini scene (the tree is 2 stamps). I added diamond glaze to the tree foliage for shine and outlined the house w/ black marker to make it pop. This dp is from Cosmo Cricket's "Hello Sunshine" paper pad--pretty mod I think. I used my largest scalloped circle nestie to make the card base--I like these round cards and this is my first time making one. I used some more nesties to cut out the rest of the layers including the sentiment. I added some ribbon from the Michaels $1 bin and made a loop at the top and tied it. I thought this would make a great housewarming gift card to attach to a bottle of wine or a goodie basket and it was quick & easy to make. It's a winner (ha ha)!!

Ok, I hope you all have a great Friday evening and I will post at least once this weekend for ya!! Until then...

Suzanne

PS--I've won a couple of awards from some sweet blogging friends--I will upload them this weekend (I haven't forgotten) & thanks!!!

Girl Fun

Good morning everyone! It surely was a late evening for me--I went to bed around 1 am and got up at 6:30 am (definitely not enough sleep for me). I will be dragging butt today. This will probably be my last post until Monday because we have friends coming in from California tomorrow for the weekend- so no craft room for me :( .

I hope you like these cards I made yesterday. They were really fun to make. These stamps are from Pink Cat Studio and the girl's name is Lily, her bird friend is Tweet. I think she is so cute! The first one took me the longest to make. I had bought this purple floral paper awhile ago, and really wanted to use it (from Die Cuts With a View). I love the color combo of lilac and soft sky. I watercolored with my aqua painter using the tops of my SU inkpads. I wanted Lily to be soft and pastel. Of course both cards have lots of bling (stickles)--I love cards with sparkle--so fun!

And what fun I had coloring glamorous Lily and making her dress leopard print w/ my SU markers. I love animal print, especially zebra & leopard (but only the fake stuff)! I think she's just fab-u-lush!!! This card was fairly quick to put together. The hardest part was making the belt, not really hard but time consuming I guess. The leopard paper is from Making Memories. I'm going to have to search out more animal print paper soon--love it!

Don't forget to check out All That Scraps today for the new stamps by CC Designs--so cute. I already ordered my new sets--can't wait to play with those. Make sure you check out the design teams projects made with the new stamps--excellent--especially Laura Meader's.

That's all for me today--lots to get done. I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Stamping!!

Suzanne

SU Solid papers & markers, stickles

Card Creations

Good afternoon everyone! I stayed up too late playing in my craft room last night and now I'm paying the price with a lovely migraine :( I had gotten a new shipment of stamps from SU and I had to get them mounted so I could ink them up and play! I would love it if all their stamps were already cut and ready to go--it would make it alot easier!

I have really been into making cards lately that don't fit the standard card size lately. I made the dog in the washtub and that inspired me to make today's card. I think I will use this in my class I'm having to make Mother's Day cards--I have an adults class once a month and a kids class ( 7 & up) and we make 4 projects pertaining to that month or holiday coming up. I thought that this would be a fun card to make. I created my own flowerpot template and cut it from SU cardstock and inked it up with the choc. chip inkpad. I used Prima's flowers and sprites (I love their flowers & All That Scraps has a great selection), including cutting up a green flower for the leaves. I embellished the flowers with buttons and brads and some stickles in the centers--gotta love those stickles, I use them in everything :D The ribbon is from Michael's and the stamp is from SU's Taggers Dozen. It was a pretty quick card to make thankfully. This will probably be my only creation today. I need to get out of my pjs and do some chores!

Thanks for stopping by.