Santa's Coming to Town!!

Happy Tuesday to you all! Well the wrist still hurts & is swollen but I'm doing ok---I have a high tolerance to pain so this is okay, won't stop me from doing what I want, hee hee! Got some projects done so that was good--just took me a little longer than usual :o) Hubby & I had a fabulous mini Anniversary vacation and it was nice to just be alone with no chores or kids around, lol! We had some awesome dinners, went to Great Falls National Park & hiked a bit in the beautiful fall weather we've had (in the 70's which I LOVE)! Below I have just a couple of pics for ya--I always forget to take pics when it's just us, lol!

NewsBitz:

-I will continue to keep this up everyday, but I am having a Holiday Crafter's Open House on Saturday, December 5th from noon til' 5 pm (come for an hour or three, but drop by if you can) I will have my 10 (yes 10 this year) Xmas trees up, house decorated, mulled cider brewing & lots of sweets to eat along with lots of fun chatting & meeting other crafters from this area! (I live in Leesburg, VA right off of Rte. 7 in the Lansdowne on the Potomac neighborhood)

-Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is having some delicious BLOG CANDY to celebrate a new upcoming release of Elisabeth Bell stamps on Nov. 12th!! They are beyond fabulous & you will WANT them all, hee hee! So stop by the store blog HERE to enter for the yummy blog candy!

-A new NewsBitz I'm starting is to spotlight some awesome Etsy stores (besides my own, hee hee) for the holidays that I've ordered from & think have fabulous products. There are so many great handcrafted items on Etsy--so I thought I'd spotlight some for ya!!
First up today is Bare Bumm Bath soaps--super cute bath cakes, smell totally awesome & make great gifts for yourself & friends. They are all vegan, paraben & chemical free--my daughter and I tried them out already & they're fabulous, love them! Check them all out HERE (and they look cute too & come in cute lil' glassine bags w/ twine & tag)!

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Try It Out Tuesday #43--Make A Scene!!

So today is Try It Out Tuesday #43 for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design and I challenged the DT to use a stamp from the store and create a scene for it! I decided to use this cute Victoria Case for SCACD stamp "Santa & Friends"--isn't he the cutest!!? I chose to use a background stamp I've had from The Stampin' Place "Wintry Lamp Scene" to create my scene (this scene works fab with Magnolia stamps too)! The dp is by Imaginisce paired w/ PTI cs--sentiment is from PTI's "Tree Trimming Trio" set, triple ribbon bow was made with my Bow Easy & is SU ribbon, Bella Baubles accent the card.

Here's a close-up cuz' there's alot of details goin' on with this card, hee hee! I added MS Snow Glitter (my fave) to the entire snowy background and white Sparkly Fluff to all fur trim on Santa & squirrel. Diamond glaze on the house windows and lamp lights, stardust stickles on presents and other accents. Spica pens on Santa's belt, boot-laces and ribbons (gold & silver). I just lovee this card--Santa in his village, I mean how can you go wrong?!! Now make sure & stop by the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see the rest of the DT's Scene Cards!!

Second card uses a cutie-patootie new stamp by Lockhart Stamp Co. "Mitten Kitten Star"--kitties & Christmas, a great combo me thinks (and there are 3 of these cuties to choose from HERE)!! The layout is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #113 which is a fun one for sure! I used some new PTI holiday papers paired with PTI's Ocean Tides cs. Image was colored w/ Copics, both backgrounds was embossed with CB embossing folder and I added some fun flat snowflake buttons & glitter dots to the top. I also added a mini red button to the center of kitty's bow and stickles to the stars! Just a fun, cute holiday card!

Some Anniversary Pics:

Hope you enjoyed my projects for today! I'll be back tomorrow with some fun Magnolia Christmas gift ideas!

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)

A Skating Wonderland Pop-Up!!

Happy Saturday friends & stampers!! I am hopefully still sleeping in when you read this, hee hee---but it's supposed to be another cold & dreary day so a good day to stay in bed! We might take the kids & their friend bowling & out to Fuddruckers later though (I've a hankering for a good cheeseburger & chocolate shake)! Had the fireplace on last night while watching Star Wars "New Hope" (the very 1st movie--oldie but goodie, love me Chewbacca & R2D2 hee hee) and finishing my book "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton! Oh my was that a great read---her books are just so beautifully written and you can so imagine yourself in the story, I really enjoyed it! Can't wait till her next one comes out (her other one, "House at Riverton" was just as good too)! What are you all up to this weekend!!?

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So today I have a special project for ya and a major labor of love on my part, lol--this pop-up card took me over 4 hours to create, but I adore how it turned out! I had thought about it the night before (again while I should HAVE been sleeping) and am so happy it turned out even better than I imagined (yes, I REALLY LOVE it, LOL)! All the papers are from My Mind's Eye "Colorful Christmas"--I adore these holiday papers/colors--they make the best stuff I tell ya! The front of the card is decorated w/a tag that was included in the paper kit and I stamped the "Winter Wonderland" sentiment with Paper Trey Ink's set "SnowFall" and some snowflakes on it. The border punch is by Martha Stewart and the snowflake punches can be found HERE--I added some Martha Stewart Snow Glitter to them to make them frosty and some of my favorite buttons which I love to add!

And this is the inside--TA DA!!! I think of it like the jewelry boxes that open w/ the lil' dancers inside :o) This cutie-pie is from the new Victoria Case for SCACD Winter Wonderland release & she's called "Skater"--isn't she lovely! I cut my own snowy drifts from glossy cs to the background & behind her and added more Snow Glitter to them--they are popped up on different levels w/ dimensionals for a 3-D effect. I also hand-cut the trees out of the dp and added them to the hills with dimensionals as well. (click on pictures to see close-ups) I added more frosty snowflakes and the sentiment is from the PTI set "Holiday Wishes". The pond was created with silver mirrored cs and then I piled on Polar White Flower Soft around it for a snowy feel!

Here's a closer look at the background with it's snowy hills & trees! I added some snow glitter to the snowflakes in the dp as well--so it's super sparkly & frosty IRL!

I think she's just a sweetie--don't you? I colored her with Copics and added stardust stickles to her mittens, hat trim & skirt. All her lil' pom-poms got candy pink Sparkle Fluff added to them--so they're soft & fuzzy! Doesn't it look like she's skating on a smooth pond? This card closes up flat (well kinda flat due to all the layers & texture, hee hee) and then she pop's up nicely everytime! Just a thick piece of cs or chipboard folded & attached behind her with Scor-Tape (this is the best for super strong holds) and then attached to the background--easy peasy to do! Do you likee? She's gonna sit on my shelf so I can admire her for a bit and then she'll be my dear friend Susana's Xmas card this year :o)

Now, if you haven't checked out these new "Winter Wonderland" stamps you can see them all HERE--they are super cute! (and if you order the whole set you get 25% off)

I hope you & yours have a fabulous weekend and I'll see ya back here on Monday!

hugz,

Suzanne