Starlight, Starbright!!

Happy Wednesday to you all today!  Today my BFF Anary (owner/illustrator of Gilli Stamps) is coming to visit me for awhile—yay!  I love her and she only lives 3 hours away but we are both crazy busy so much that we don’t spend enuff time together LOL. But we do have conversations via texting everyday, all day until early morning hee hee---we will start a convo in the morning and chat all day when we can.  We are both busy so I know if she doesn’t answer me right away she will get back to me when she can and vice-versa.  One thing I love about what I do, the internet and blogging is I have made so many friends—great friends that I love, I know they have my back and I have theirs.  I’m so thankful for them all!  But I did warn her that my house is a tad messy at the moment—clean but disorganized in some areas LOL.  I hope to get it all sorted out and put away by the time Dec 1st rolls around as its driving me NUTS!!  I don’t do clutter and I’m moving my craftroom downstairs over the holidays—I won’t even go into what a JOB & a 1/2 that’s gonna be (anyone wanna come help me)!  But I need more space, more cabinets and a walk-in closet for my STUFF!  You know what I’m talking about right?  Here is my hubby (a man who doesn’t craft ok)—he says “why don’t you just put all your “extra stuff” in the back basement on shelves to clear out your room”.  Ummmm yeah NO!  He doesn’t understand that when I want a button, foil paper, or some twine I don’t want to run down two stories to get it---I want it in the room with me.  That’s like saying “well why don’t we put all your tools in the basement to clear out the garage”—duhhh cuz that’s not how you work!  I need my stuff nearby cuz’ I NEVER know what I might need to use day to day.  Geezzzz---Men I tell ya LOL!

Funny Travel Story for you that will give you a giggle and make my daughter grimace (hee hee)—When we arrived at our hotel Friday night in Chicago we wanted to order pizza.  I got in the shower and then was working—had my jammies on and my hair in a ponytail, no makeup.  Alexa got out of the shower and had her jammies and t-shirt on and wet hair.  Well they called up from the lobby that the pizza was there and we had to come get it—I was on a phone call so Alexa had to go (not very willingly I will say). She goes down in her jammie pants, t-shirt, wet hair and socks LOL!  She comes back up banging on the door and her face bright red. Apparently a visiting high school football team was staying at the hotel and they were down in the lobby and some of them got on the elevator with her.  She was MORTIFIED but I had to laugh—it was too funny.  I told her not to worry she would never see them again but it made a good story LOL!

Color Me Creative Classroom NEWS: 

-Class 5 will be done by Nov.29th—I had to move the date back by 4 days and I apologize but the videos are taking longer to edit since they are soooo long LOL.  So if you have pre-registered look for your invite on the 29th!  Thanks!

-If you ordered DVDs from CMC do not panic---the new batch *and hopefully perfect & correct* will be here this week and I will ship them out as quickly as I can!

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Starlight, Starbright!!

Today I’m sharing 1 of 3 fabulous releases this week—yikes—grab your checkbooks cuz’ you are gonna want to spend some money LOL!  Today I Brake For Stamps is premiering & now selling some super-cute Wee Stamps being released from the Whimsy Stamp Line (see Whimsy here).  I am big fan of Sylvia Zet and her work is fabulous and always super sweet.  This stamp is called “Let It Snow" and you can get it at I Brake For Stamps HERE!

I chose to go with a soft-shabby-chic palette for this one and I didn’t use holiday papers.  I actually used the sweet My Minds Eye paper pad called Lost & Found: Portobello (20% off).  I liked the soft mix of creams, blues and browns—any paper can be made into a project for a certain occasion as long as you use appropriate embellies! I used my Zutter Distress machine and then inked all the edges.  The snowflake-like dies are all from Spellbinders “Ironworks Motifs”.  I used the larger and smaller dies, cut them in half ad added then around the image.  Then I added some MS Snow Glitter and pearls to them to finish them off.  The embelly in the center of the bow is from Prima Say It In Pearls line.

I'm entering this cutie into the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps (non-traditional holiday colors)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Forever Friends (Christmas is Coming/w-animals)

Hooked on Craft Challenge (punches/die-cuts)

The Shabby Tea Room (shabby pastel holiday)

2 Sisters Challenge (anything goes)

She and her furry friends are colored with Copics – BG72,BG11,BG10 / E44,E43,E42,E41,E40 / E25,E31,E50 / C3,C1,C00.  Some stickles on the fur trim of her snow outfit and more MS Snow Glitter.

Alrighty that’s all from me today---hope you’ll stop back by tomorrow to see some more new projects!

Forest Gatherings!

Happy Wednesday to you all!  Hope you all are having a fabulous week!  Guess WHAT??  My daughter finally settled on a dress for homecoming—OMGoodness what a horrendous experience it has been LOL.  She had wanted this dress that was quite “inappropriate” (that’s a kind way to say it) and I was adamant that it would NOT be happening.  SO many tears and much screaming & slamming on her part we came to a conclusion.  I would order a few more dresses and if she didn’t pick one then she wouldn’t be going—I offer quick and easy ultimatums in my house (hey that’s how I am, lol).  While I was spending quite a bit of time in airports between Kansas, Chicago & Tampa I perused the internet and ordered her 5 more dresses that were in her “style” but appropriate for a 10th grader NOT a street walker KWIM!  I had a guy at the airport (cuz I always do) lean over and look at what I was doing on my laptop—gosh peeps are nosy huh—and ask me if I was buying a Homecoming dress for myself.  UMMM NO CREEPER LOL!!  So while I was in Ohio the dresses came and Alexa actually liked them all (pat on the back for good ‘ole mom here) but narrowed it down to 2 of them and then a final selection.  Its classy, pretty and age appropriate so Momma is a a happy girl and so is Alexa.  Now the battle for the shoes and jewelry will commence this weekend, so please send prayers my way---this could get ugly LOL.  NO really I hope this part will be easy but we always get into the conversation of pretty vs practical and I really cannot say much because I will sometimes suffer for a pair of great looking shoes So we will seeeee….!  For those of you SUFFERING thru the same thing, I understand, you can vent to me and we can cyberly share a glass of wine and WHINE a bit ok!!  Next weekend is homecoming and my mom is coming up—so far the after party location has NOT been decided upon. But I have a feeling it will be here again like last year, lord help me and pray the weather is good so they can stay in the backyard, hee hee!

NewsBitz:


-The October CMC Newsletter went out yesterday—if you didn’t receive it you can always find it at the CMC Site in the CMC News Tab HERE!  Lots of goodies & events to read about!

-The Outlawz Challenge Group is celebrating its 1000+ members with a HUGE party and $800 worth of prizes.  So go help my pal Colleen and her girls celebrate!

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Forest Fairy!!

Today I’m sharing a project with you that just might be one of my faves this year.  Did I tell you I have a slight “obsession” with forest fairies LOL?  Ever since I was little I believed they lived in the woods and would make fairy houses for them—so when I saw this image I knew I had to have it!  Della, my good friend & owner of I Brake For Stamps asked me to be a guest artist for their new line of stamps they are carrying and I can never tell a friend NO LOL!   This stamp is NOW available at I Brake For Stamps along with some other cute ones by the artist Sylvia Zet so you MUST go check them out.  This one is called “Silver Fairy” but I reinterpreted her as a forest fairy—isn’t she a beauty?  I cannot even tell you how much fun I had coloring her with my Copics—I might do her again but in different colors   And I video-taped how I colored her too---yes I darn well did, can you believe it LOL—I haven’t done a video in ages!  I don’t mind shooting them but I HATE editing them LOL!  It will up this weekend for y’all!

I'm entering this into the following challenges as well:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog (punches/dies)

Papertake Weekly Challenge (anything goes)

Crafty Cardmakers (anything goes)

There's Magic in the Air (go green)

Paper Sundaes (lots of layers)

**Also check out the I Brake For Challenges Blog--the new challenge is "Girl Power"**

So I decided to keep my colors fairly monochromatic—just creams and dk greens, very forestry eh? The papers are all by PTI and they are what really gave me my inspiration—I always pick my papers first before I start coloring!  The swirls are dies by Cherry Lynn Designs and the flowers are a mix of Primas and WOC Flowers—and guess what?  I Brake For Stamps carries the Wild Orchid flowers here in the US so you can get them faster, LOL—I love FAST!!  I added a few pearls to finish it off.  The image was dramatic enough that I didn’t want to overwhelm it KWIM.



She’s colored with Copics of course and I used YG97,YG95,YG93,YG91 / E43,E42,E40 / E25,E31,E50 / E11,E00.  Then I added stickles to some parts of her wings and flowers and arm/leg cuffs for sparkle.  I drew in a bit of grass with my Copics as well and then used my Inkssentials Blending tool to soften the edges of my image with SU ink.




Ok so I’m off to visit with my pal Marti for a bit (yep she still loves me even after the Ohio trip LOL) and then work on some projects and edit video (e-yuck)!  See you on Friday!!  Make sure to check out the stamps at I Brake For Stamps too!!

Christmas Memories!!

Howdy friends and a Happy Thursday to you all!  WARNING--this is a long post of yaketty-yak from me and a long post of a holiday project!  But if you make it to the end there could be a sweet treat for you in it!!! LOL!

For some reason lately I've had more emails from folks asking me how I got started in this crafty business and blog world, lol! I don't know if its a coincidence or if someone might be gathering info to write a book or a tell-all tale about me----ha ha ha, not much to tell!!  Not that I mind sharing because most of it was just happen-chance KWIM?  I had started scrapbooking over 14 years ago when my daughter was first born as a way to pass time while she was napping and to document her young life.  Of course back then there weren't too many products available to us scrapbookers and Creating Keepsakes magazine was just starting out as well.  But I persevered and created many pages that today I'm embarrassed to show because they LACK embellishment, lol!  But they are important because they have so much info on those pages that I might have forgotten about.  A few years after my son was born I was introduced to Stampin' Up by a friend and I was hooked (don't most of us get introduced to stamping by SU?).  I loved all the stamps and matching inks and papers so much that I became a demo myself for a few years (more for myself than anything, lol).  When we moved to our house here in VA I kinda fell into card making since I had moved on to digital scrapbooking.  While I love to scrapbook I AGONIZED over each page, each memory and each picture so it could take me a week to do one page.  Digital scrapbooking allowed me the ability to change things around and if I didn't like it, one click of my mouse and it was fixed--ta da! LOL!

So I discovered Paper Crafts magazine and thought it would suit my "instant gratification" self better and I was off.  Someone gave me a Stamping Bella stamp and I was like "What the heck is that piece of rubber & what do I do with it?", lol!  So I turned to my loyal friend called "GOOGLE" and found the website which led me to a blog (my first) which led me to another blog, which led me to another web store!  And before you know it the UPS man was delivering packages to me EVERY DAY--Christmas at Suzanne's house, LMBO!  And hubby wanted to know what the heck I was doing?  But he never questioned me, has always been super supportive!  A few months later I was in my chair and said to hubby "I think I'll start a blog!" and he was like "Ok--but why?" and I said "I have no idea, but I feel compelled to", lol!  I figured it was a way for to document my journey, my crafts, and my life so I found Blogger and dutifully built my blog by trial and error, lol!  A month after that I realized that some crafters were using Copics which I had used in college and I was "AHA"--I know them and I LOVE to color so I set out to buy me some of course!  There is no enabler greater than myself TO myself, lmbo!  That was trial and error as well but I had the knowledge and the know how to teach myself---there was NO info out there on Copics for crafters 3 years ago--NONE I tell ya!  So I felt compelled again to help via my blog.  So my blog became not only a journal for me but a way to help and teach others how to make, create and color with Copics and other paper crafts.  It truly is a passion for me and I love it in so many different ways.  And of course along the way I picked up DT opportunities, got published a few times, started teaching classes and make my way thru the large maze of shops, blogs and crafters.  I've met lots of wonderful crafters and got to make a whole heck of a lot of friends along the way and for that I will always be grateful.  But for those who think they might, or want to follow in my path I will be honest with you---it's hard work! When you take your hobby and turn it into work, it changes and you have to make sure you are comfortable with that change or you will start hating it!  You also have to treat it as a job 24 hrs/a day and market yourself, participate in lots of challenges. improve your work each day and MOST OF ALL be honest, hardworking and loyal and kind---and you will create the job you love!  And a top secret that I tell everyone---I FLY BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS most days, lol!  NO lie--I think of an idea and I just go with it no matter what but I'm not good at planning.  If I did plan things out more I think I would talk myself out of it.  That's how the Online Copic Classroom was born and the On the Road Classes--one minute it was a tiny see of a thought and the next day I was working on it, LOL!  Sometimes you just GOTTA ROLL WITH IT KWIM!!  And that is the shortened version of my crafting life!!!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund keeps getting more good stuff's in I tell ya--its a problem, lol!  Cuz I WANT it all!  New stamps by Crafter's Companion called "Cute Companions" and NEW holiday Popcorn Bears (so cute)!!

-Winner of the "Peppermint Kisses" Blog Candy is VICKY of Sticky with Icky (luv that blog name, lol)!!  Please email with your address information and email so I can get the gift certificates to you! Congrats and thanks to everyone--it was so enjoyable to read about your holiday traditions!

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Christmas Memories

So awhile back my friend Della who is the fabulous owner of I Brake For Stamps asked me if I'd be interested in creating a circle album!  I'm always up for trying something new so I checked out the video and liked it enough to say YES!  Della sells these Circle Album kits in her store HERE and they come with the whole kit and caboodle--so you get everything you need to make the actual album.  **IF you decide you MUST have one or NEED one then use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!**

I decided to make my album into a Christmas Album that I could display during the holidays each year.  We always have so many pictures and this is such a beautiful way to have them out on a table for everyone to view!  I used the paper kit by My Minds Eye called "Holly Jolly" (I got mine from Emma's Paperie which is my absolute FAVORITE place to order my papers and paper kits from--super fast shipping and free gifts) which comes with all the papers and die cuts I used in my album---a great way to simplify your choices and create faster!  After I add my pictures I will go in and use some of my holiday stamped images as well but I'm going to emboss them in gold to go with the holiday theme (make sure to check out the holiday stamps HERE at I Brake For Stamps, I adore those old Santas)!

The front page & back page have pull-out panels as well but I'm going to write up all our favorite memories after Christmas comes and goes and add that to the panels.  The scrolls I used throughout are by Marianne Designs and I added some buttons and holly cut outs as well---the holly punch is a jumbo punch by Martha Stewart that I am in LOVE with--love it I tell ya, LOL!  I added some fun rhinestone bling courtesy of ZVA and I pulled my decorations right over onto the pull-out panels--this creates more symmetry and cohesion.  Just make sure you cut them apart or add in pieces so when the side panel is pulled out it doesn't yank it off the whole book KWIM!

(the slide out panel paper looks white but it's actually cream with music written on it--dumb camera,lol)

The cool thing about this Circle Album is that it has side panels that pull out creating space for all those extra pictures or memories you want to write about!  I haven't added pictures to my album yet as I want to use this year's holiday pics in it but that will be the easy part!!  Now don't get SCARED--this album is super easy to put together and my good friend Mary Giemza did one as well and created a pictorial tutorial that will help you HERE (and check out her beautiful version while you are there).

A few tips that you need to keep in mind though:  1) Use a strong adhesive to hold your pages together--I used both the strong Scor-tape and my fave Scotch Quick Dry Glue (I use it on all my cards, love it and have used it for 3 years--a nice combo with the Scor tape)!  2) trace your shapes and cut out all your cardstock/papers first and then adhere them to the album pages FIRST including the pull out panels  3) Once you've added all your papers to the different parts THEN glue/adhere it all together--trust me this will save you time and headache later!

After I was done I took my Tsukineko Shimmer Spray in Sheer (love the super sparkle of this stuff, and no smell either) and sprayed each page including the front & back and all the panels so it has a beautiful, subtle sparkle to it.  Holiday Magic is what I call it!  I can already envision this album sitting on our coffee table in the living room just waiting for everyone to take a look!

But wouldn't it also be a FABULOUS gift for someone special?  You can CREATE THIS IN A DAY--no lie cuz I did (well minus the ribbons and sparkle, lol)!  Who wouldn't love to receive one of these for any occasion filled with pictures/memories or without so they can add their own?  OR--you could buy the kit and give it to a crafty friend to make their own AND if you wanted to make it extra special you could include a paper kit as well! Lots & lots of ideas for this fun album and it is SUPER easy to create!

Hope you enjoyed my LONG post and just for making it to the end I'm going to give someone a treat!!  If you leave a comment on my blog on this post only by Sunday telling me--

"What your favorite storage or organization tip is for your crafty supplies?" 

you could win a $15 gift certificate to Emma's Paperie to get your own paper kit and a $15 gift certificate to I Brake For Stamps to buy yourself a Circle Album too (or some other stamp goodies)!! Whoo hoooo---whatcha' waiting for ladies, give me some ideas, lol!!  You never know I might use them in my room and in the Through the Craftroom Door magazine soon (of course you will get full credit, lol)!

See you back here tomorrow for the NEW ARTIST RELEASE from SCACD---it's a BLOG HOP full of fun!!

Happy 4th of July!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE! Hope you have a great celebration surrounded by family & friends! I'm still on vacation here in beautiful South Carolina until next Monday--yippee!  The kids spent most of the day yesterday in the pool here at our house and then we grilled out and walked on the beach--a nice Saturday indeed.  And a cool-front moved thru and it was 78 degrees & no humidity, amazing weather for down here and it's going to be low humidity and 80's all week!  We are spending the day doing some fun activities in Sea Pines and then see the fireworks off the beach--low key and fun!  Sorry so short, but I'm in vacation mode now and don't want to spend too much time on my computer, lol!  Have a great 4th!

NewsBitz:

-I have the Copic Summer Special still going on at the Color Me Creative Classroom thru the end of JULY!  Get $10 off your total if you sign up for 2 classes and get $20 if you sign up for all 4 classes---only Copic classes, not Cricut. Once you sign up & pay your monies will be refunded to you in 48 hours. This will not happen again until 2011, so if you want to learn how to use those Copics over the summer--it's a great deal! (if you need to pay by check/money order please email me separately so we can arrange that)

-ICopic is having a fabulous 4th of July Sale too---check out all the details HERE if you want to add to your Copic supplies!

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This cute lil' image is from I Brake For Stamps called "Mouse with Flag"--isn't he a cutie?  The flag is blank so you can stamp or color it how you please, but I colored it to look like the good ole' American Flag!  Simple red, white & blue colors---a big white bow done with my Bow Easy and the background is a Tim Holtz CB embossing folder (woodgrain--so cool)!  And yes that flag got some bling via stardust Stickles!!  **REMEMBER to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order at IBFS!!**

My second celebratory red, white & blue card uses a fabulous image from Lockhart Stamp Co called "Adirondack Chair" from SCACD--I LOVE this image!  It reminds me of summers growing up and the Adirondack chairs my dad made for our deck and sitting out around the fire--good times!  Such a wonderful summer scene to me!  I used my Scor-Pal to create a basket-weave embossed texture on the white cardstock, added some strips of scrap papers and some fun buttons!  The image was colored with Copics and then I used diamond glaze on the pot and stickles on the grass for some pretty sparkle!

Hope you liked today's projects and hope you're off to a wonderful start of Summer! 

Sunny-Flower!

Happy Wednesday everyone--hope you're staying cool! It's been in the 90's here in VA and while I like it warm, it is definitely HOT here and humid, lol! The air conditioning vent in my craftroom is NOT working, no air is coming out and I have a fan in there but it is really unbearable. I've been working on projects with sweat dripping down my face & neck--ewww--not fun!  Hope to get that fixed when we get back cuz' I can't stand it.  I'm finishing up projects so make sure to check in on my blog while I'm gone, I will have projects up almost every day for ya including releases!  I have lots of laundry to do today, lists to make and start packing and get some errands done cuz' Friday is almost here--yikes!  I so cannot wait to see the beach,sun and ocean--I'm very excited can ya tell?  LOL!

NewsBitz:

-I loaded up 45 projects to my Etsy Store (see here) so if you're interested in anything I've made the past 6 months a lot of it is up for sale.  If you purchase anything before Friday I will make sure it gets in the mail to you before I leave, purchases from Friday on will be shipped out on July 12th since I will be away.


-I have the Copic Summer Special still going on at the Color Me Creative Classroom thru June 28th!

**EXTENDED 7 more days!!  Due to a few that asked for an extension on this for 1 more week, I'm offering it until June 28th!  That is the last day to qualify for the savings--I will not have this special again until next year!!**   

Get $10 off your total if you sign up for 2 classes and get $20 if you sign up for all 4 classes---only Copic classes, not Cricut. Once you sign up & pay your monies will be refunded to you in 48 hours. This will not happen again until 2011, so if you want to learn how to use those Copics over the summer--it's a great deal! (if you need to pay by check/money order please email me separately so we can arrange that) 

-Do you love those "Humorous Senior" stamps from I Brake For Stamps as much as I do, LOL?  Well Della (owner extraordinaire) is having a FUN CONTEST to name the new release of Senior Stamp--have some fun naming them on the store blog HERE and you could win the stamp and have it named by you too!  FUN huh?!

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Sunny-Flower Days!!

I used another beautiful flower image from I Brake For Stamps--this sunflower stamp is from the "Rare Image Garden Sheet" (so many beautiful images on this sheet)!  I paired this image up with some pretty papers from Paper Trey Ink (polka-dot dp) and My Mind's Eye (brown dp).  I wanted to give the image a feeling of a vintage seed packet but prettier of course :)--sunflowers just make you smile don't they?

Remember if you purchase any stamps (or digi stamps) from I Brake For Stamps or I Brake For Digi's use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!

The curve on the cream cardstock was done using the edge of one of my SB Nestabilities (Mega Labels 8)--using them as borders is a cool way to use them.  The image's corner pieces were done using a corner punch and then cut into 90 degree corner pieces.  The double bow was made using my fab Bow Easy tool and the sentiment is from Paper Trey Ink.

The image was colored with copics and then accented with Stickles for some sparkle.  That fun center of the sunflower got a coat of nut brown Flower Soft so it pops and is full of texture--love it!  The edges of the image got ink distressed using my Inkssentials Foam Blending tool (use it everyday)!

Hope you enjoyed today's project and it cheered ya some!  Make sure to stop by on Friday to see the new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD release from Susana's Custom Art & Card Design--they are fabulous!

A Summer Float!!

It's Tuesday and and a beautiful day here in Virginia again!  I have had the windows open for two days not and it's fabulous--no humidity and a nice breeze, perfect I say!!  This morning I'm off with hubby to meet with our landscaper about our backyard makeover---hallejuah Suzanne says!!  After 4 years of living with "NOTHING" in our backyard 'cept grass, a garden and our fence we our having a makeover my friends.   So be prepared for before and after pictures on my blog this summer as it comes to fruition!  What will be out there---a cabana with a bar (not the drinking kind, but eating kind so don't get the wrong idea people, lol) so like a screen porch w/o the screens set away from our house, an outside tv, stone fireplace, heaters and flagstone patio with landscaping and lighting!  Supposedly it will be done in 30 days from start to finish and I can't wait!  We love to be outside so we will be spending a ton of time in this space I do forsee!

Do you all have any fabulous outdoor projects planned for the summer---if you do, let me know and one of you will win a $20 gift certificate to spend at I Brake For Stamps!!!


And I've mentioned before how much I love music and with teens in the house we always have to watch the MTV Awards and last night was hilarious with Betty White, Sandra Bullock and a HILARIOUS dance performance by Tom Cruise as his alter ego from the Tropic Thunder movie (crude, but funny and yes demonstrates my sick humor, lol).  So if you dare, watch the video below from the MTV awards--I betcha' will laugh out loud!!  (I'm still giggling)

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Summer Float!!

My project for you today is a fun one and should give you a lil' giggle!  I LOVE, LOVE working with these Humorous Seniors stamps from I Brake For Stamps!!  If you follow my blog you've probably seen bunches of these senior projects along the way!  This one is called "Floating Wilma" and isn't she just dah-ling!!?  I created a fun lil' gift card holder to match as well!  If you buy any stamps from I Brake For Stamps make sure to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to save 10% off your entire order!!

The papers that I've used on this card are from Cosmo Cricket's "DeLovely" and I lovee them--in fact I'm ordering a second pad of it, 'cuz I've used most of it already here & there!  The colors are so cheery and fun!  The sentiment is from PTI's "A Day at the Beach" along with a starfish stamped next to it from the same set.

I quite like the layout on this card---it came together kinda by accident but I like and think it's fun!  I added some pearls along the edges for some extra bling, but the papers provide most of the embellishment for the card.

And here is a close up of "Floating Wilma"--hee hee!  She is of course colored with Copics and then I've coated her float-ee with a thick coat of diamond glaze.  The water got sprinkles of stardust stickles to make it shimmer.  If you look closely you'll see her lips and toe-nails are all the lovely shade of RV14, LOL!  I mixed in some W3 gray into her brunette hair to make it a bit gray too!

Here are some close-ups of the gift card holder---I whip these up regularly because they're quick, fun and you can very your designs.  I originally found the tutorial HERE and then I change up how it closes--this one I've made to look like a mini-wallet with a tab closure.  A Basic Grey dual magnet keeps it closed.  It's hard to see here but I used the same PTI set on the inside and it says "You Deserve It".  On the outside of the tab that's a Prima jeweled flower center (love those).

Hope you enjoyed today's projects and I hope to see you back here either tomorrow or Thursday--depends on if I get my butt in gear, LOL!  Have a good one!

Bubbly Fun!!

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy--Happy Friday to ya! Wahoooooooo--can you tell I'm thrilled the weekend is here, lol?!  Tonight is date night for hubby and I since both the kids will be at sleepovers for the evening. Dinner and a movie is in the plans--although I'm wanting to see "Letters to Juliet" and hubby is resisting the chick-flickdom, LOL!  We'll see who wins, hmmmmmmmm???  Tomorrow we're working in the yard some more, planting our tomato plants and getting flower pots for the front porch.  Then we have dinner to go to with our friends in the evening (sans kids again--wow)!  Sunday I'm taking my daughter to the mall to shop for her 8th grade semi-formal dance--yikes--hope that goes well and she doesn't drive me nuts, hee hee.  We tend to NOT always like the same things, LOL so we'll see---she has to get a sundress for graduation as well and then we'll get a bite to eat--just the girls!  So a pretty busy weekend but it will be fun and I'm liking the sun and warm weather we're having--the gray rain has gone away for the moment!  I hope you have a fun weekend ahead of you!!

NewsBitz:

-My friend Della who is the owner of I Brake For Stamps has just opened her new digi store HERE called I Brake for Digis :)  Lots of great images to be found there including some freebies for you to try out.  If you haven't tried out a digi stamp you don't know what you're missing--they're easy, quick and you can resize & flip them to your needs.  I have a digi tip sheet HERE if you have any questions about the digi stamps.

- Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is gearing up for a NEW Victoria Case release next Friday on the 28th--lots of cute summertime images!  But starting on Sunday there will be BLOG CANDY on the store blog HERE and there will be 4 lucky winners this time--so make sure to stop by and enter!

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Wrapped in a Bow!!

This is my card featuring a super cute digi stamp from the new store "I Brake For Digis"--this image is called "Baby Bear in Bow".  Isn't this the cutest lil' bear? I love it and you could of course color this for a baby boy or girl.  The papers I used are from The Girls Paperie called "the girl" and were perfect to use with this cute baby image. 

**If you decide to buy any of the digi's or rubber stamps from I Brake For Stamps or I Brake for Digi's remember to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!! **

I colored the image with copics and then inked softly with my Inkssentials Blending Tool to create a soft sky.  The stamped sentiment (is hard to see in this photo) says "Cute & Cuddly" and is from the PTI set "Baby Button Bits".  I added a faux non-sewing ruffle under the image layer with scor-tape and just ruffled it and attached it by hand.  The pearl swirls are from Prima and topped off with a bow!

I traced the blanket with my stardust stickles and added them to the bib and bee wings as well.  I just love this bears cute face.  Perfect for any baby project you might have---you could resize this image to be larger or smaller for gift tags, favors whatever your heart desires.  That's what makes digis so much fun---and no storage issues either, LOL!

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Bubbles!!

Okay, this started off as my TIOT Challenge Card for Susana's Store, LOL--but quickly strayed from the sketch design, hee hee.  So I just decided to go with it instead of forcing it into something it wasn't going to be KWIM!  But if you get a chance, hop over to the store blog HERE to see the TIOT Challenge Sketch and DT projects!

For this project I used a new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamp called "Bubbles"--isn't she just delish?!  I created a partial acrylic-see through card to go along with the Bubble theme.

To create this partial acrylic card, I created a card base with a transparency sheet cut to size.  Then I added a layer of dp (the bubbles dp is from Magnolia) to the back inside of the card so it would show thru the transparency in the front.  On the front I added a few strips of dp from PTI and used my MS border punch on the bottom layer.  The ribbon bow was tied with my Bow Easy and then I added some Bella Baubles along the top layer.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Wishing You" set that I stamped right onto the dp--around the sentiment layer I used my Viva Transparent gloss gel pen to create bubbles around it and then sprinkled them with Glamour Dust to make them glittery.

She's colored with Copics (BG11,BG10,BG0000,V15,V12,V000) and then I added some fun stardust stickles to her cuffs and shirt stripes.  The bubbles got a fat coat of diamond glaze so they're shiny & raised.  Just a cute card for someone special!!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I'll see ya back here on Sunday night with Gina K previews!

A Pansy-Rose!!

Hello everyone and Happy Tuesday to you all! I hope you had a fabulous weekend--the weather here was beautiful and I took the day off on Sunday to really enjoy it. I took a book and magazine outside, sat in the sun and just read the day away--it was FABULOUS!! Today and yesterday though--the weather is kinda icky, gray and raining but the weekend is supposed to be good. The grayness affects my mojo I think, I don't get as much done when it's yucky out--it sucks the energy outta me, lol!

I did do some organizing in my craft room which is always good--after I work for days & hours on end my room tends to look like a major hurricane has struck it, lol!  I ordered these fabulous glass penny candy jars online to hold and organize all my paper flowers---I got eight of them, but I need 2 more cuz' I have some overflow, lol!  You can see the photos below, but I got them for $10 a pc online and I love them!  They sit on my black hutch that sits across from my desk--I love the organization and the pretty colors staring back at me!  Also below is a pic of my new flatscreen tv and printer which were Mom's Day Gifts that I'm loving--I love that they are black and match my room, lol!

My Pics:

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some new goodies in stock that you might want to see!  New Penny Black cutie-pie stamps here, NEW Cosmo Cricket paper pads here (Delovely is sooo mine) and NEW Sizzix Impression Plates here.

 -Thanks to everyone who pre-registered for Class 4 at the Color Me Creative Classroom--$3 from every Class 4 pre-registration went to the Unicef fund, along with my contribution and Susana's contribution.  So the total was $340 which I'm very thrilled with and the receipt for the donation is below!  If you want to take Class 4 it is up and ready and ongoing--see the deets here!

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A Love Rose--err Pansy!!

Today I'm sharing an elegant card that literally took me 15 mins to make--it's a small miracle I tell ya, lol!  That never happens very often, but when you take a beautiful image that is easy to color up, some high impact colors, beautiful trims and papers it's not hard.  This image is from I Brake For Stamps!

This image is called "Small Love Rose Post" but I think it looks more like a pansy so that's the way I colored it, lol! (this comes in a larger image as well)  Remember if you buy anything from I Brake For Stamps use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to receive 10% off your entire order!!   I love that pansy have cute faces and the purple and yellow ones are my fave, so I colored this up to match (V17,V15,V12,Y000,Y11,Y23).  The dp is from Kaisercraft's "Lilac Avenue" paired with PTI cs.  I used a beautiful die from Marianne D (I get mine HERE from Bunny-Zoe's store overseas)--these dies are so detailed and lovley, you use them just like a nestie.  I took two of them and stacked them on top to create this lovely pendant look in black behind the image.

It's hard to tell here, but I put diamond glaze on top of the petals and then stickles around the stamp image and in the center for some bling!  Maybe next time I'll color it up like a rose, maybe not, hee hee!

See ya back here tomorrow!

Thinking....

Hello everyone!  Today I have a card for you from I Brake For Stamps below---but first I'm going to have a monologue for you about some thoughts I had.  If you don't want to read this, that's fine with me as well!  But this will be the last time I ever comment on any of these things ever again.  There are reasons I'm writing this but I won't go into that and what I write below does not apply to the majority of you---the people that this is directed towards know who they are!

First let me start by saying I started this blog for myself as a way to meet others and share my work.  I CONTINUE to do this blog for MYSELF and for the enjoyment of others who WANT to visit.  This is MY blog, my time and I'm allowed to write whatever I feel like whenever I like--if I want to cuss all day long here on my blog, I'm allowed to do that!  If you write your own blog then more power to you and GUESS WHAT??? You can write whatever you darn well please and I'm fine with that too, because it's YOUR BLOG!  You don't like what I have on my blog, don't stop by--EASY AS PIE!  What a concept this is---you don't have to read anyone's blog you don't want to--get it!

I don't ask anyone to come to my blog--EVER!!  If you come visit me, it is by your choice only.  I don't ask you to jump through hoops, ask you to "follow" me, subscribe to me to enter for blog candy or to get you to read my blog.  It is your personal choice to stop by my blog--while I'm happy that I have many of you stop by, I don't influence anyone to come here.  If only 3 of you stopped by each day, I would continue to write my blog for ME, to share my work with those that actually enjoy it!  If you come here because you do not like me (for whatever bizarre reason you might have since I don't personally know most of you) and want to be nosy or gather info on me, then that's just fine--my blog is public so I cannot stop anyone from visiting.  If you stop by because you enjoy my work and what I have to say, then I'm thrilled and happy to have you.

This part of my blog is like a journal for me, so I write whatever I might be feeling that day.  If I'm tired, I'm sick, stressed, happy, excited, busy, celebrating, etc--this is where I will do it.  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ IT---no where does it state "hey, read all of this before you proceed".  I have no idea why anyone would complain about what I write on MY BLOG about MY LIFE when no one said you had to stop by and read it.  I don't understand why people invest so much of their time "hating" on other people and concerning themselves with other people's lives.  Really, do you hate yourself so much that you have to spew that hatred onto others---are you that unhappy in your life and what you do that you have to involve yourself into someone's life that you don't know and be vicious.  (and you know exactly who I'm talking about because I know you're reading this and I know who you are)  Guess WHAT?? I don't care!! LOL--I don't give a rat's ass what you think about how I live or manage my life and work--YOU DON'T HAVE A SAY IN MY LIFE!  Just like I don't have a say in yours!

Want to know why?

I have a beautiful, loving family and I KNOW that I am a damn good mom---I have dedicated the past 14 years of my life making sure my kids are well taken care of and am involved in every aspect of their lives.  And if you asked them they'd tell you the same (minus I'm too strict sometime or hover too much, but hey that's teens right).  I'm also a pretty darn good wife and have an AWESOME relationship with my best friend who just happens to be my hubby--I wouldn't change a thing and he would tell you the same. 

Know what else???  I like who I see in the mirror!  I know when I see that person it's someone to be proud of, acknowledges her accomplishments thru HARD WORK(nothing has EVER been given to me that I haven't worked my ass off for) and knows that she's a kind, generous and sympathetic friend, mother and person.  I never look in the mirror and feel bad about myself or something I might have said or done to others.  I have never been nasty to anyone, never written a nasty email or note or started forums to spread vicious lies to make myself feel better.  At the end of the day I may be tired and/or stressed but I am VERY HAPPY with myself and even better--I LIKE MYSELF!  I have great friends, great family and lots of love and support in my life which makes ME HAPPY!

Does this mean I never am tired, sick or stressed?  I'd be lying if I said no--of course, cuz' that's just life.  I started 2 businesses in one month--crazy?--maybe, but so worth it.  If you know me well you know that I NEVER do anything I don't want to--I'm a stubborn mule so to say, it's the Taurus in me.  If I didn't want to be on DT's then I wouldn't--I'm honored to have been asked (and yes, all the DTs I'm on, I was asked to be) and thrilled to work on projects each day for fantastic women and store owners.  And you know WHAT?  If those businesses thought I wasn't doing a good job then they would let me go--no DT has ever let me go!!  Those owners also know what kind of work I do, how hard I work and the 110% I put into everything and they wouldn't ask me if they didn't want to!!  I have NEVER complained about being on DTs--I know I'm lucky to even be asked.  Am I sometimes overwhelmed by work, YES--aren't we all!!?  If I didn't want to start my businesses, then I wouldn't have done that either but I did and I work hard on both everyday!  And who the heck isn't overwhelmed when they first start a business--if they say they aren't, then they're lying!  I'm lucky enough to NOT have to work, I work because I choose to not because our lives depend on it!  If I didn't want to type my blog each night then I wouldn't do that either.  It's all done by CHOICE!  Yes, sometimes dinner is late or laundry piles up but I don't know many people who work and have families that don't have something pile up occasionally.  I am by no means a supermom, superwife or superwoman--I don't want to be nor do I strive for that because it's impossible.  I am who I am and I try my best every day I wake up no matter what and I NEVER GIVE UP!  And not that it is really anyone's business, but I work all morning and afternoon while my kids are at school and while my hubby is at work---that gives me a lot of time to get things done during the day.  When they are home, I'm not working--I never craft at night.  And yes I do my computer work in the evening, sitting beside my husband, conversing with him & watching our favorite TV shows--that's how I get my work done!

So if you think I'm a quitter--YOU ARE SO WRONG!  If you think I'll change what and who I am--SO SORRY!  If you don't like it---then don't stop by--cuz' I don't CARE!  But by all means, take a look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are and how you treat others, and if you're happy with what looks back at you then I wish you a happy life.  I believe that life gives you what you give to it and so far what I'm gettin' is pretty darn good.  How 'bout you?

Now in no way does this apply to all of you that stop by and in no way am I trying to offend anyone--I'm just being honest about myself, my work and my intentions.  There are a lot of unhappy people out there who try to bring others down and this is my way of letting them know that they don't BOTHER ME!  I never understood vicious people who attack others for no reason and ya know what---I don't want to understand them, because if you start understanding them you might become them.  No one can make you happy but yourself--no one can make you change but yourself and for those of you (you know who you are) I just feel really sorry for you, you're missing out on the one life you've been given by wasting time on things that just don't matter.  Too bad for you!

And here's a quote that a great friend, mentor, wonderful lady and a boss of mine shared with me:

"I LOVE BEING ME!!  It pisses off all the right people!!"    I Love it!!

And for the rest of you, thank you for stopping by and letting me know you care, you like what I do or that maybe I made you laugh or you liked the book I suggested!  I have made many a friend thru my blog and I appreciate all of you more than you can know.  And for you I do care about how you're doing, how life is treating you and helping you whenever I can--I have always made myself accessible to everyone and that will continue. There are so many wonderful people out there and I am so thrilled to know you, talk with you, help you and befriend you.  For that I thank you very much!  Oh and for those that care, my life is great, I'm doing great, I manage myself and my businesses just fine and I live my life with no regrets nor does my family!  I like myself, my life and my family--nothing could ever compare!!

And that's the last you'll ever hear on that!

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Thinking of You!

I was in a solitary mood yesterday so I chose this beautiful tree image from I Brake For Stamps. I brayered the background with various SU inkpads onto glossy cs to create a lovely sunset for my tree to sit in front of.  After brayering the background I stamped the tree from the "Rare Image Garden Sheet" (so many beautiful stamps in this sheet) with memento ink and added a bit of color with my Copics.  If you order something from I Brake For Stamps make sure to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order :o)

The sentiment is from PTI and the background cs was embossed with the CB "Asian" embossing folder.  I love the sunset colors, kinda reminds me of the movie "The Lion King", hee hee--I love to see a great sunset!  The corner brackets were made using a MS border punch and the sentiment sits on a die cut from my Spellbinder's "Ribbon Tag Trio".   To finish this off I spritzed the whole card with Vanilla Smooch Spritz.  This would make a nice sympathy card or just simply to tell someone you're thinking of them.

I wish you all a fabulous day and hope you'll stop by again tomorrow because YOU want to!!

Sunny & Sassy!

Hello everyone--How ya doing today!?  We're expecting severe thunderstorms today so I'm praying the power doesn't go out cuz' I've got some videos to get done--yikes!  Plus my one dog, Casey HATES storms and literally hides on my lap all day which means getting anything done is impossible, lol!  I'm hoping to have Class 4 for the Color Me Creative Classroom done by the end of next week, but with everything else I have to get done for my DT's, the next issue of the magazine and the Dirty Dozen projects done it's a tough one I tell ya! (BTW, stop by the Classroom Site HERE to see the new & awesome design that Veronica of VKDesign Co. created for me--you can grab the new blinkie too if you'd like on my sidebar)!!

For those of you that would like an update on my resident ghostie--well it hasn't been back for a bit.  The last appearance was a few weeks ago when I think my stress limits were the highest--I was vacuuming when the lights flicked off and on, my vacuum died out of nowhere and my kitchen clock fell off the wall & shattered.  It was so freaky that even my hubby was a lil' bit freaked out---the vacuum never did recover so we had to buy a new one.  But some people have said that ghost energy is attracted to negative energy and I certainly had a lot of it the past month & a half--but since we took our trip to NY I haven't had any weird occurrences or visits.

And thought I'd share a pic of my daughter with you since she wasn't in the Cherry Blossom slideshow, hee hee!  She'll love this :o) (NOT, but I love to get her riled up just for fun every now & then, hee hee)

NewsBitz:

-In order to take care of my 2 businesses and my other work more completely I had to (very sadly I might add) drop out of two of my DT's.  So I'm no longer with Mo's Digital Pencil or Pink Cat Studio---although you will still see me using plenty of their images.  It was hard to step down, but I had to make the decision for my own peace of mind and stress level but I'll miss them both a lot, both Melissa & Mo are wonderful ladies and I'm happy to call them my friends as well!  But Pink Cat Studio is looking for new designers HERE and Mo's Dream Team is looking for a guest designer HERE for the month of May--so go apply and show 'em whatcha' got!

-7 Kids College Fund is having a SALE on all (IN-STOCK) Tim Holtz products--10% off all of them which you can see HERE!  Check out the new dies he has, yummers!  Use CODE: TIMHOLTZ10

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Sunning Ladie Sadie!!

I've got a fun project for ya today--at least it was a lot of fun for me to make!  You know how I love those Humorous Seniors from I Brake For Stamps and I had to pull one out to use today!  I wanted to make a lil' gift pack of cards since it's been awhile since I've done that--so I used a fun and easy tutorial from the Scor-Pal site called "Sassy Stationary Stand" HERE (except I added some fun handles to mine so it looks like a beach tote)!!

This stamp is called "Sunning Sadie" and isn't this ole gal a barrel of fun--love her--you can find a bunch of these fun seniors HERE at I Brake For Stamps (don't forget to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" for 10% off your whole order).  The papers I used are from Basic Grey's "June Bug" line--they're so bright & cheery, perfect for summer!  The sentiment is from PTI's set "A Day at the Beach" and then I've added a few fun buttons to match.  This holder holds 4 cards, 2 of each design & the matching envies.

Sunning Sadie is colored with Copics--love that bathing suit, it's her version of "itty bitty polka dot bikini", lol!  I added some diamond glaze to her drink (lemonade or maybe a cocktail ya think?) and glasse and stickles to her hat and chair!  The background navy cs got embossed with the CB folder "swiss dots".

I made 4 cards (4.25.5.5")--2 of each design including this one and the one below.  I just used more June Bug papers and some more stamps from the PTI set.  These are great for any occasion and make a great gift set!

That's all for me today--hope to see ya back tomorrow!