Bike Party!

Happy Happy Tuesday & February 4th to you all!  Did anyone watch the Superbowl on Sunday?  We watched...thought it was kind of a snooze-fest unless you were a Seahawks fan. We were rooting for the Broncos because we like Peyton but I like Russell Wilson too :)  I like a closer and more competitive game like last year's SB personally...makes it more fun and exciting!  And the food I made was yummy...in fact we had leftovers last night...some of the recipes are at my other blog here if you are interested.

However I love Bruno Mars and I thought he knocked it out of the park...wish he'd played longer. He's just a talented dancer, choreographer, musician and singer. Would love to see him in concert but looks like we will be over in Europe when he's hear near DC...maybe next year!

Now I'm getting excited for baseball season...only 59 more days till opening day!  We have season tix for the Washington Nationals..our home team.  Hubby and I will be at Opening Day in DC...the teens will be in school hahaha and they can't miss for it (shhhh they don't know yet hehehe). I just love baseball and there is nothing better than hanging out at the ballpark on a beautiful day...one of our favorite things to do as a family.

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Bike Party!

Today I'm sharing a special birthday card for my mom...shhhhhh...her birthday is on the 13th this year.   So my son's birthday is the 12th, my mom's the 13th and Valentine's Day the 14th... a very busy week!  She will be 71 and my Gram is 92 and they BOTH can still run circles around me...its craziness ..I always feel like I'm lagging behind them :)  But growing up one of the things my mom and I always did after dinner was go on long bike rides. We'd bike everywhere and I miss that...we all have bikes here but I definitely don't ride it as much as I should...gonna try to do that more this year!  And since February's birthstone is the amethyst and violet is one of my mom's favorite colors...that decided my color palette for this card.   Hope she likes it!!  

This card is for the Magnolia-licious Tuesday Challenge "Anything Goes"...hop on over to the Challenge Blog to see all the DT gal's beautiful projects and join in on the fun too!

I used this super sweet "On the Road Tilda"(mini version here) because I think she's adorable and I loved the flowers in her bike basket. I'm so ready for spring so I think I'm craving spring colors and flowers in my projects lately.  All my papers are by MemoryBox "Viola" that I've had for awhile but was waiting for the right project. The first thing I choose after my image is my papers...the papers have to move and inspire me..otherwise I don't feel it...its just the way I operate ;)  I used some dies from Spellbinders, PTI and MemoryBox for the image mat, the middle border and the small tag.  I used my MS butterfly punch on some of the papers and inked them...always need some beautiful butterflies on a gorgeous spring day.

The lined paper was scrap paper that I had and then I stamped some script from PTI in violet ink.

A few bits of burlap that I inked under the flowers and behind the image.

I like a vintage, distressed look so I inked and distressed all the papers and accents..and my fingers are lovely shades of brown and violet..hehe..the issues of a stamper/papercrafter yes?

This cutie was colored with Copics:  BV17,BV11,BV02,BV00 / C9,C5,C3,C1 / E11,E00 / E43,E42,E40 / YG67,YG03,G20 / background: YG93,YG91,E41,W0

I added some Stickles dotted around the image too...always have to have a little sparkle ;)

I haven't used Flower Soft in AGES...OMGosh...and I have every color ever made LOL...crafter's prerogative ya know!  So I used two different mixes on the flowers in her basket. I didn't want it to overwhelm the image so after it dried I picked off some of it so you could see the leaves and space in between.

I like to layer different elements together with flowers...here I used some burlap, a punched butterfly, pearls, a tag and different flowers.  I add my embellies with Scor-Tape in either 1/2" or 1/4"...my fave thing to use on my cards.

Hope you enjoyed & have a fabulous week!

All Buttoned Up!!

Hi Everyone & Happy Tuesday to ya!  I'm back--sorry I needed an extra day off!  Sunday was my hubby's birthday & we spent the day as a family bowling, making a special dinner & watching a movie---so no time to get anything crafty done!  But it was a good day & he had a nice day me thinks---I fixed a gourmet dinner of Maple Glazed Ham, Cheesy Scalloped potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms w/ Brie and Spinach Salad w/ Warm Bacon Dressing (the spinach salad recipe & mushroom recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman, Ree, my favorite new obsession, LOL--and they were both yummy)!  Glad to hear that I've got some of you all hooked on Pioneer Woman as well, LOL--I loved some of your emails & messages--she's a bit addicting, huh?  The kids even got in on the kitchen action this weekend with Riley making jalapeno poppers for appetizers and Alexa made Hot Fudge Lava cake--so it was a family affair (well hubby was on the couch watching the Redskins lose again--argghhhhhh, maybe next year they'll be actually win again, hee hee)!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some awesome NEW products in store now that you might want to check out!! NEW Sakura Jelly Roll pens (awesome for embellishing images & writing--I love 'em), NEW Shimmerz colors (love the antique lace) and NEW Sizzix Texturz Plates (fun alternative to CB folders--lots of cool patterns)!

-I will be posting a NEW Copic Tutorial Video very soon (as soon as it's sunny again here in VA, hee hee) showing how I color "GOLD" like I did on this car image HERE!

-I will be having a Crafter's Holiday Open House on December 5th at my home from noon until 5 pm!! If you are in the area & would like to come I'd love to have you---just a fun way to meet other crafters nearby, chat & have some holiday sweets! I will be having a Mitten/Hat Giving Tree, so if you'd like to bring a hat and/or mittens for a child under age 12 that would be fab! I will be donating all of them to the local Shelter for Domestic Violence Sufferer's Children! If you think you'd like to come just email me and let me know, and I can send you my addy!! It's sure to be a fun time--so just drop by for an hour or three!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #45--All Buttoned Up!!

Okay, so today is another "Try It Out Tuesday #45" and this week I challenged the DT to use buttons on their projects.  You know I love buttons--am a bit button obsessed, hee hee and these fabulous NEW GLITTER BUTTONs that Susana has in her store are YUMMO-licious!  What could be better than glitter & buttons combined together--fabulous I say!!  For this tri-fold card I used one of my most used & beloved Lockhart stamps called "Hydrangea & Berries"--I made this stamp mulitple colors but I love the soft aquas & creams that I used this time!  The dp is by Stampin Up (brown's) and PTI (aqua's).  And oh those fabulous Glitter Buttons in yummy chocolate brown--love them!  The corner's were made by cutting triangles out & then punching the edge with my new MS border punch--love to make fun corners!!

Close-up of the image shows the Ivory Flower Soft on the hydrangeas and stickles on the berry leaves and jar front--gotta have some bling!!  Now make sure and hop over to the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects using buttons today!!

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A Scottie Holiday!

My second card uses a super cute image from I Brake For Stamps called "Bold Scottie"--I adore Scottie Dog images since they remind me so much of my beloved mini schnauzer Trinket who I lost 2 years ago!  I decided to dress this scottie up for the holidays using the Mojo Monday Sketch #114 for my layout.  And I pulled out some more of my fab holiday Graphic 45 papers--loved the tartan plaid, perfect for my scottie, lol!  The image was embossed with black embossing powder & then I gave him a matching lil' bowtie; the sentiment is from PTI's "Vintage Ornaments" set.  A double bow made with my Bow Easy and another fabulous Glitter Button (in black this time) finishes it all off!  So here's wishing you a Very Merry Scottie Holiday, hee hee!  (Remember if you decide to order yourself some goodies from I Brake For Stamps--make sure and use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!)

Hope you all have a fabulous day & I'll see you back here tomorrow with a Magnolia Holiday Project!!

Peek-a-Pilgrim!!

Hello & Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Our's was busy, busy finishing up errands & chores around the house. Alexa had a sleepover Friday night and I'm sure she's goin' to come home from school grumpy today since I let her stay up until 11 last night to watch the VMA's (Video Music Awards)! Which of course will make me grumpy too, lol! I did finish up a book, made 2 batches of soup to freeze and got some projects done so that's good. Anywho, I'm keeping this short today as I have lots more errands to run & then have to get my son over to the X-ray place so he can get another chest x-ray! He has his 2nd visit w/ the pediatric pulmonologist tomorrow and I hope all is well (crossing fingers)! I haven't had a chance to pick a winner for the 300,000 Hits Blog Candy yet (sorry, sorry) but I PROMISE I will have the winner up tomorrow for you. And let's just say a big "WOW" for all the fabulous replies & lovely comments I've gotten on that--almost 400 of ya stopped in for a chance, the most I've evah' had for a contest--wowza!! Thanks to you all & I loved reading everyone's favorite book selections--so fun!

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Today I just have one project card for ya to share but isn't he just a lil' pilgrim cutie? This is "Harvest Shy Bear" and he's available at I Brake For Stamps right HERE! (if you decide to order use my coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE " to get 10% off your order 'kay) I just love these lil bears & sometimes I use my flock to make their fur furry but this time I did not. This is such a fun Thanksgiving/Fall card to send out--I really love the cheerful feel of this!! I colored the image with Copics and then made a frame around the image using that wonderful NEW "Autumn" Flower Soft--so pretty! The paper's are a mish-mash of scraps I had laying around, so not sure of the company names! I added some velvety lovely Prima leaves and a crocheted flower (from my friend Wynneth who so kindly made me bunches of these) and a few Robin's Nest dew drops.

Here's a close-up of this cutie & you can see I used diamond glaze on his nose and the apples. I used my gold Spica pen to add soft glitter accents to the wheat, hat buckle & leaves. Isn't that flower soft awesome--I just love it, looks like scattered leaves for sure!

Alrighty, I hope you have a great one & see ya back here tomorrow!
hugz,
Suzanne

A Lil' Elli!!

Hi friends & yay it's Friday!! We had the most beautiful weather yesterday here in Virginia--almost fall-ike (gasp) but I did enjoy it! Hubby and I had a fabulous dinner outside at one of our favorite restaurants and then took the doggies for a late nite walk--I even had to wear a fleece cuz' I was chilly--that NEVER happens in August. Hubby is playing golf today with work people & then we're headed out at 3 pm to do some shopping & dinner! Maybe I can twist his arm that I NEED to go to Michaels, hee hee---if he only knew what I bought online this week, omgoodness! Emma's Paperie got in all the new CHA goodies including all the new My Mind's Eye papers & of course I had to have them ALL along with some containers & 2 Martha Stewart punches, LOL! It was definitely a need in Suzanne's "book" :o)


I just have one pretty project for ya today! I used one of the fabulous new Whiff of Joy "Party Animals" to make a feminine baby card. This is "Fred Celebrating Elephant" but I've made her a girl that I'm calling "Elli", hee hee! As soon as I saw "her" I knew I'd use her for a baby's card--these stamps are so versatile for so many different occasions (invites, baby cards, birthdays, graduations, etc.)!! I colored her with Copics a lil' differently than usual--I left it a little dotty & not blended as well for a water-colored effect so it stayed soft. The layout is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #98 and all the dp is from Stampin' Up.

I added some swirls that were made with the Spellbinder's "Shapeabilities-Flourish Accents" and accented them with pearls. The sentiment is in another Spellbinders set (that I use a ton) called "Double Ended Tags"--I added pearls to the ends instead of ribbon or brads. The roses are Prima mini roses which I just adore and I added some flower soft to her lil' bouquet. And what girl elephant can go w/o a lil' pink bow around their neck? Too cute!! Hope you like her!!

See ya back here Monday! Have a great weekend!


hugz,

Suzanne

Through the Window!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

hugz,
Suzanne

Some Contemplation & Happy Pinks!!

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

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


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

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

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


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


hugz,

Suzanne

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

May Flower Power!!

Hello & Happy Tuesday fellow stampers!! I have a funny story to tell ya' that I think you'll get a giggle out of!! On Sunday morning I was in the shower and I was washin' my back and felt something round & hard. Well here on the East Coast (especially here in VA & MD) we have a tick problem every year which is nothing new to me, because I grew up here & know they're a regular occurrence when the weather gets warm. But now with worries about Scarlet Fever & Lyme Disease I'm much more careful about watching out for them on the kids & myself (doggies get Lyme shots & flea/tick meds). So I thought, "oh no, I have a tick"--so I jumped outta the shower and looked in the mirror expecting to find a nasty ole tick in my back! Well, no not a tick(thank goodness) but an adhesive rhinestone stuck to my back, LMBO--musta been stuck on there since the night before when I was crafting, giggle!! You just nevah' know where your crafting goodies might end up, LOL!! So now that I got you to laugh, onto my projects for the day.....

**BTW--if you're interested in taking a Copic Techniques class with me, my next class is June 14th (1-4:30 pm)! We'll cover all Copic techniques & really focus on coloring & choosing colors. Also some fun products we'll use, like flower soft, Smooch & Shimmerz! So if you're near the Northern VA area & would like to come, just email me!! The cost is $60 ($20 deposit required)


Today is Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design--and I challenged the DT to a "May Flowers" challenge. So they had to use stamped images with flowers and/or flower embellies! I pulled out my new Lockhart "Patio Pots" stamps to use on a set of notecards--2 of each (6 total) with envies in a decorated card box is available at my Etsy store!
I kept the layout simple and stamped my images on PTI's kraft cs--coloring on kraft cs with your Copics gives such a neat effect. The kraft soaks up more of the ink & gives a more subtle coloring, really nice! The kraft was embossed with my CB swiss dots folder and the colored cs is all by PTI too.
This image is Lockhart's "Patio Pot--English Daisy"--I just love these images, elegant & so many occasions to use them for! I colored with Copics and then added flower soft (in lemon & sunshine yellow) to the flowers. The flower centers are done with my white sharpie poster paint pen (extra fine tip, the best white pen on the market, I swear)!!

This image is Lockhart's "Patio Pots--Lavender" and I added flower soft to this image also.

The last image is "Patio Pots--Petunias" and I colored the flowers with pink poinsettia Shimmerz on top of the Copics!

Boxed them up in a clear box and made a tag with my Labels 4 Nestabilities--the sentiment is from PTI's "Spring Tag Collection" set. I just wrapped with ribbon & then threaded my tag & button with Scrappers Floss and tied off! Just a lovely set to give someone--Whatcha' think?

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

Hope you have a wonderful day & see ya here tomorrow!

hugz,

Suzanne

Nutty for You!!

Hiya friends & Happy Monday to ya!! We're off to another busy week here in VA, but at least the weather is supposed to be beautiful all week long. My son has a chorus concert at our mall today after school and he's excited about performing--he really loves chorus but says he's not going to do it next year in middle school. He wants to take guitar lessons instead, hee hee, at least its not the drums :o)!! I had my Copic Class yesterday which was fun & went well me thinks--we really focused on coloring with the copics & different techniques with them & the Colorless blender & also made 2 cards. If you're interested in taking a Copic Class with me, I have one coming up on June 14th (1-4 pm)--just email and let me know!!

This card today is one we made in my Copics Class yesterday--lots of coloring techniques on this image & lots of fun products too! I love to introduce people to new & fun products that you can use on your cards to bring them up a notch!! So this lil' cutie is another new stamp from Victoria Case for SCACD and she's called "Nuts for You"! Isn't that squirrel the cutest! The image is colored with Copics and then we added flower soft (sunshine yellow) to the flowers and diamond stickles to her sandals & hairbands. That yummy dp is from My Minds Eye and I love the cheerful colors of it.

We also used diamond glaze on her eyes for a nice, realistic shine & the flower centers are done with Smooch metallic paint in Siren. Her hair was done with E35, YR23 & Y23 (this bundle of Copics available HERE). And to finish it off I used one of the sentiments from the "Susanaments" set. Just a fun cheerful card!

Alrighty I'm off to get some work done and I'm shooting some more Copic videos for you (yay) including one on fun techniques you can do with your Colorless Blender! Have a fabulous day!

hugz,
Suzanne

Bling It On!!

Hello Friends! I'm feeling a bit under the weather today so I'm going to keep my monologue super short-so no chit-chat from me today :o( Hope your week is going awesome for ya so far!

Just a quick FYI: I have a new PDF file to share with everyone if you're interested! It's a list of starter colors of Copics that I recommend to anyone starting their collection. Each color family has a light, medium & dark tone recommended for it so they easily work together/blend & are great to build on!! It's listed on my sidebar under "PDF Files--Copic Starter List"!

So today is Try It Out Tuesday #15 for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store! This week I've challenged the DT to "Bling It On" their projects--use lots of bling-y embellishments that they could! Check out the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's blingy projects & we'd love to have you join in too!

My first card for the challenge uses Lockhart's "Hydrangea & Berries"!--if you're interested in seeing how I created the main image using Flower Soft, Smooch & glitter-you can check out my video tutorial under "Other Video Tutorials--Using Flower Soft in Fun Ways"! The dp is from Dream Street Papers (thanks Susana) & I kept the layout simple & fresh! Very patriotic me thinks! The pearls in the corners are Kaiser & the ribbon is from PTI. I also used my new Labels 3 Nestabilities--love the shape!!
**When using Smooch on Flower Soft--it takes 24 hours to dry depending on how much you use!!

Up Close shot of the Flower Soft with glitter applied while wet and then Azure Smooch metallic paint on top! The berries were done with Liquid Pearls & I also used Diamond Glaze on the jar!
Susana has a deal right now on the Smooch paints--buy 7 & get the 8th one free!

Second card uses a cute fairy named "Poppy" from Eat Cake Graphics--Susana has quite a few of these stamps that are super cute & in stock at the store. I cut my Dovecraft dp in strips for a different & fun look. My image was cut out with Peony Nestabilities & the sentiment on my tag is from PTI's "Limitless Labels".

I blinged this fairy alot--she has stickles on her outfit/wings, Shimmerz on the panel (angel wingz) and then I added Kaiser rhinestones in Lavender around the outside panel. I also added some stickles to the dp in a few spots to make it sparkly too! Bling-a-licious! Such a cute birthday card for a girl in your life!!

Make sure & stop by the "Follow Your Heart" blog to see the rest of the DT's fab projects! I'll see ya back here tomorrow--hopefully feeling better than I do today, LOL!

hugz,

Suzanne

A Tisket, A Tasket....!!!

Happy, Happy Friday everyone! It's still dreary and gray here in VA (has been all week)--hoping that the weekend brings some sun and warmth :o) We're going to mulch the flower gardens and go shopping for some new rugs for our family room--nothing too exciting! Hope you have some happy plans for the weekend!!

For today I made a Mother's Day project for ya! Of course this could be used for any special occasion but I made it w/ Mom's Day in mind :o) I used my brand-spankin' new "Peony" Shapeabilities dies by Spellbinders--love, love them! I decided to create this cute Peony shaped basket that can hold a gift card, jewelry, candy or other small gifts!

I used the Lockhart stamp "Hydrangea & Berries" and added lemon yellow Flower Soft and baby blue Liquid Pearls (are 15% off at Susana's store) to the image. I adore this yummy Anna Griffin dp--based all my colors around it, so soft & pretty.
I finished off the sides of my basket with some more dp (gotta have all sides pretty ya know) and a fun button on top of another peony cut-out! I created a little basket handle from my cs and all parts of this project were adhered w/ the super strong Scor-Tape! I just love how it turned out! (If you love it, its up for sale on my Etsy site)

And make sure to check out all the NEW Spellbinders dies---Labels 4 are a must have, hee hee!

hugz and see ya back here tomorrow,

Suzanne

Monday, Monday!!

Hello & Happy Monday to ya! Did ya have a good weekend--I sure hope so!! I had a wonderful weekend, the weather was sunny and nice and my mom came to visit (waving "hi" mom)! We went to see "A Chorus Line" and I really enjoyed it--I just love Broadway shows and musicals, wish I could afford to see them every month :o) Yesterday it was in the high 60's and we were able to get outside and go for a long walk with the doggies and eat lunch outside--I just love spring weather. And I'm happy to say that hubby bought me a brand-spankin' new Flash Drive video camer---yahoooo. He even got me a mini tripod for my desk so I was able to shoot 6 videos for ya yesterday! (see below for links)

I am working on some big projects to share with you this week and my BLOG CANDY to celebrate my 1 year Blogaversary coming on Wednesday--you won't want to miss it!

Today my card uses another image from The Greeting Farm's "Miss Anya Collection"--I just love these girls. I paired this one up with some beautiful dp from Basic Grey's "Porcelain" stack, so soft and pretty. I made another hat pin (which I love to do) and added some pink Kaiser pearls to accent. I love how this one turned out! Whatcha' think?


Okay, so I was able to reshoot my Copic videos for you from the left side so you could see my coloring better and zoomed in more too. So make sure and check these out:

This tutorial is just some Copic tips for ya (cardstock, inks, marker info)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlF5a_Je1-A

This one is coloring of clothing (light source, shading & highlighting info)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRSVMJs9r7M

This tutorial shows coloring of hair-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyyxGFy0XQo

This tutorial shows coloring of skin (skin tones and highlighting)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16og3M9dSXM

Tomorrow I will have a tutorial on coloring 2 Lockhart images (fruit & flowers) and a tutorial on how to use Flower Soft on your images too!

All of these tutorials will be linked on my sidebar for ya!! Please let me know if they were helpful and if ya liked 'em--and let me know what else you'd like to see for tutorials, 'kay!!!

hugz,
Suzanne

Smooches to Ya!!

Hi & Happy Tuesday! I have to tell you that for a few days, I actually enjoyed not having my laptop attached to my hip, LOl! It was kind of a breather for me and I got some spring cleaning done, watched a TV show from beginning to end & even read a whole book--WOW! But yesterday after getting my laptop back I was all set to catch up and get back to business, ya know! Well the universe had other plans for me I guess---my email wasn't working and it just turned into an all day nightmare and I didn't get much done at all, ARGGHHHHH! But I think I fixed it and so I'm off and running (so to speak).....


I pulled out a new Lockhart image that I recieved from my friend Susana--this is "Cottage Flowers" and you can get it at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design. This sketch is actually one that I created for the "Fans of Karen Lockhart" site on PaperCraft Planet for the month of March. Create a card using this sketch and make it monochromatic, upload it at PCP and you could win a prize at the end of the month--details HERE!! I love monochromatic cards--so very elegant! This dp, ribbon & cs is all from Paper Trey Ink.

And I'm happy to announce that Susana is now carrying the single pots of Flower Soft--yahooo! I colored my image with Copics first and then added my flower soft in "lavender" and "summer mix". The great thing about the single colors is that you can create your own "mixes" so keep that in mind! I keep all my colors in small plastic (tupperware-like) containers--its easier to use that way instead of trying to smoosh it back into the pot! I have a tutorial on my sidebar on how to use it if you're interested in checking it out! And if you're worried about mailing it, don't be---it dries hard & doesn't rub off :o) And those are Bella Baubles in Merlot in the corners--love them, because they come in lots of different shapes and color variations in one bottle!

This close-up shows the flower soft, the Diamond Glaze on the jar and also a *NEW* product called "SMOOCH" (at Susana's Custom Art) which I used lightly on the leaves in green apple. This is a fun metallic paint that comes in cool nailpolish like bottles. I got to use this at CHA & LOVED it! You can use it on everything---the end of the cap has a pointed sponge tip which makes it super easy to apply to your stamped images! Make sure and check out all the fun colors HERE!

Second card today is for the "Try It Out Tuesday" Challenge for Susana's store blog, Follow Your Heart! I challenged the DT to a sketch challenge (my favorite) again---you can see the sketch over on the store blog! I used one of the "Anki's Sweetheart" stamps "Young Julia with Purse"--isn't she just a cutie-pie--she's my fave out of them all! I paired her up with a Whiff of Joy background stamp that you can find here. I colored her with Copics, cut her out & popped her up on dimensionals---I also paper pieced her lil' shirt! The dp is by K&Company--

The white beads are new Metallic Dew Drops---they come in multiple colors and I just love them! The sentiment is from PTI's "Around & About Sentiments" set--I cut it out with my scalloped nestabilities and then punched the center out too so I could add some more of the dp to the middle of my circle!

I used Flower Soft again in "shamrock green" for the grass and the same Apple Green Smooch on some of the leaves. Of course there is some Diamond Stickles too--on her purse, hairbands & some of the flowers!

Make sure and stop by the store blog, Follow Your Heart to see the DT's take on my sketch challenge---fab projects for you to see! And if you haven't gotten some Flower Soft, head over to Susana's to check it out!

And help me welcome Aud Nordheim as a permanent member of Susana's DT! She wowed us with all her beautiful projects & promotion of the store during her Guest DT spot, so we just had to keep her on!

Also, if you haven't entered for a chance at becoming a Guest Designer for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design, you only have until March 12th to do so!! You can see all the details HERE.

hugz,

Suzanne

Girls with Flowers!

Happy Monday everyone! I'm typing this up the night before and its just starting to snow here, so I'm not sure if I'll wake up to the 6+ inches they're calling for or not. Kids are hoping for a day off of school---eekkkk, for mom, lol! Anywhoo, I'm pretty tired so I'll keep this kinda short for ya today :o)

Above is a sketch I created for the Magnolia-licious DT March sketch---each DT member comes up with a sketch for everyone once a month and it was my turn. This sketch might be familiar because I have used it before and I just really love it--showcases the Magnolia stamps very nicely. This is a new Magnolia from the Love Collection called "Loving Tilda w/ Hat"--she's just a doll and I adore her lil' hat!! The dp is from SU and I used another hatpin that I made (love them) along with the beaded flower that came in the Love Bundle from Magnolia-licious. Her rose was colored twice, cut out & popped up, paper-tole style (and glittered up w/ stickles)! Hope you get a chance to try out my sketch!!

Here's a second card that I had done a few weeks ago for my Flower Soft tutorial (on sidebar) using my sketch again--see I told ya I lovee it! This is my favorite Sarah Kay image called "Roses Garden" and its available along with the flower soft and dp right HERE. The dp is Basic Grey's "Urban Prairie". I used my Labels 1 Nestability die to create my frames and those are Bella Baubles in pomegranate.
If you click on this pic to make it larger you'll see the mult-colored flower soft I used. While the glue was still wet I sprinkled ultra-fine glitter by Martha Stewart over the top of it for a subtle sparkle---nice effect!

Alright, I'm outta here! Hope you enjoy your Monday--looks like mine will be a snowy mess! Do you hear me Spring---I NEED YOU!!! LOL

hugz,

Suzanne

PS--if you're reading this Jacque the pics of the zebra goodies on my head are coming---LOL!

Lovin' Lockhart!!

Yayyyy---Happy Friday everyone! Hooray for the weekend!! Hope you have some relaxin' in your plans for the weekend cuz' I know I do, LOL! I'm taking my daughter and her friend to see "Confessions of a Shopaholic" on Sunday; I read the book a few years ago & it made me laugh so I'm anxious to see if the movie is any good (books are always better ya know)! But other than that we don't have any big plans (love that) except running to the grocery store, oh not fun! But whatever you do this weekend I hope its a great one for ya!

It's no surprise that I really love my Lockhart Stamp Co. stamps---simple, elegant & so many to choose from--how can you not love 'em, lol!! For this card I used the Lockhart stamp "Hydrangea" and I lovee hydrangeas; second only to my love of tulips. I made my hydrangeas fluffy white with Flower Soft--I used to have a beautiful Snowbell White Hydrangea at my old house, it was soooo beautiful & I miss it (I heard the new owners ripped it out, dumb people, lol)! To make the berries pop I added Liquid Pearls in ruby red too.

***If you buy 4 regular Lockharts from Susana's store you get a free Itty Bitty stamp of your choice---more to play with, lol!!**8

This card was done for yesterday's SCS "Ways to Use It" challenge which was to use stripes on your card. I decided on subtle stripes by embossing the background with my Scor-Pal--simple but elegant! Love the bright pop of red against the bright white too! That fabby ribbon is from I gift I got at Christmas on a present & of course I saved it, who wouldn't right, its gorgeous!!

Okay, I don't know if anyone has made these before but I came up with this thank-you card idea in bed the other night when I shoulda been sleeping, lol! (best ideas come to me at nite) I needed to make some fun thank-you cards for my son to send out for his birthday gifts and came up with these. I call them my Swivel Round Abouts, hee hee, and I made (4 of them) using the Lockhart stamps "Chinese Checkers", "Checkers" & "Gumball Machine".

Easy peasy to make---I just used my circle Nestabilities to cut all my shapes out and then attached the two largest together at the top with a brad so they swivel open--cool, huh? I can see making these as fun invitations or cards for someone---I'm sure you'll see me make these again soon :o)

Just a little close-up of the cute gumball machine--it was a ton of fun to color in! I gave the glass part a nice thick coat of my favorite Diamond Glaze.

Make sure and check back tomorrow and Sunday cuz' I'm a Guest Designer for Pink Cat Studio this month---yay! And I'll have sneak peeks all weekend of the new stamps for you to see--they are darling and super cute!!

hugz,

Suzanne

Spring Flowers bring....!!

Happy Thursday already! Seems like this week has sped by pretty fast which is always a good thing---the faster the weekend comes the better, right? Wish spring would speed up too! I've had a superbly busy week (what else is new right) but I've had just an absolute blast making projects this week, just a really fun time! Nothing makes me happier than spending a few productive hours in my craftroom and I feel so blessed to be able to do this as a hobby, a business and a way to share my crafts with all of you. So thank you for that!! Anywhoo, onto my spring projects cuz' you know Easter is soon to be here :o)

All of the Elisabeth Bell images in this new Spring Collection for Whiff of Joy are super gorgeous but this is probably my most favorite of them all. Such a peacefully, sweet and innocent image! I paired her up with one of my new Alota stamps that I bought a bit ago---this is a flower oval that fits in my oval nestabilities, and there are quite a few different ones on the sheet---love them & you can see them here & there are circle ones too (just in case you'd like to buy them, hee hee).

I used this lovely, soft dp from Basic Grey's "Lily Kate" --so pretty & springlike. Of course I colored w/ Copics and I also used my Inkssentials blending tool on the edges of the image to rub in some soft blue. The sentiment is from the NEW PTI set (got all my new PTI goodies yesterday, wahoooo) "Tags for Spring". And those are Bella Baubles in Merlot too.

I had to add some sparkle of course, so there are some Diamond Stickles on the flowers too! (Click to make larger)

My second card uses another stamp from the Whiff of Joy Spring Collection too! Such a lil' cutie! I paper pieced her shirt (hadn't done that in awhile it seems) to match the fun dp's from Paper Trey Ink. This layout is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch #74. The sentiment is also from PTI and its their "Around & About Sentiment" set--so many cool sentiments in this set---I also stamped a small flower image included in the set in the center and added an Oyster Bella Bauble to match the ones at the top.

I also used some Flower Soft on her basket of flowers---adds such a fun & beautiful element to your cards & is so easy to use. If you haven't seen my tutorial that I did on using Flower Soft you can find it HERE. (it's also on my sidebar under tutorials) And to make her headband & bow glossy I used my favorite Diamond Glaze!

Hope you liked everything today & if you didn't order the kit the Spring stamps are now available for individual sale on the Whiff of Joy site. If you're interested in becoming a Guest Designer for Whiff of Joy all the details for that are here---deadline is March 4th!!

**Tutorial Alert** My DT sistah Danni has a tutorial up on Susana's store blog today that is all about "Spotlighting"--make sure and stop the blog HERE to check it out!!

hugz,

Suzanne