When life gives you lemons...

My friend just told me things aren't going well at her job... some of her co-workers got laid off and she's on furlow with a 20% pay cut :( I lost my job a year and a half ago, so I know what a bummer it is. I thought this card might cheer her up :)

The lime green paper is K&Co and the lemonade paper is DCWV (Summer Stack). The giant lemon I bought at Target on clearance (they're place cards) for a recipe swap and I had a couple left over. The orange ribbon tape is Martha Stewart, but I'm not sure who made the pink ribbon or the yellow ribbon knotted in the button (I got them from swaps). The flower is Prima and the alphabet letters are Making Memories. I don't know what it is about those tiny alphas, but I just adore them! I normally have no use for alphabet stickers, but these are proportioned for cards so you can write a whole sentiment without taking up much room. Also, they're all funky looking, so I don't have to worry about lining them up. Yay! :)

I hope I don't offend anyone by telling you the inside of the card says "throw them back and say f!?& you!" I know she'll get a laugh out of that instead of the expected "make lemonade". Hopefully it will be even more unexpected since I used lemonade paper on the front of the card ;) ;) Thanks for popping by, I'm off to Target to see if they've reduced their scrapbooking clearance yet! :D :D :D

-Suzanne :O )

Mojo Monday #75

Hi friends! This is my entry for this week's Mojo Monday sketch. There was a lot of layering here- time consuming but I love the end result :) I've been using the same papers as my previous St. Pat's posts, lots of DCWV, K&Co and a bit of Provo Craft and Me & My Big Ideas. I used a scalloped square punch by EK Success and my Fiskars Treading Water punch for the scalloped border. The pot of gold brad is Recollections, the white brad is Hot off the Press and the rhinestone circles are Me & My Big Ideas. The "luck" rub-on on the brad is Joann's and the gems are Darice. My faaaaavorite part about this card are my new clear journaling stickers but American Crafts. I thought it would be fun to jazz up the pot of gold and add a little bit of black to my card. I think I've listed all of my "ingredients"... hope you like my take on the sketch and you have a great weekend! Thanks for checking in!

-Suzanne :O )

Basic Grey: Eva

A big shout out to Kim Kesti for this post. I won one of her challenges a while ago, and she sent me some goodies- Making Memories Tiny Alphas, a 6x6 pad of Basic Grey Eva papers and a special issue of a PaperCrafts magazine. Naturally, I had to use some of the papers she sent me to make the thank you card! :) Everything except the grey Big Lots cardstock is from the Eva line. The sentiment piece and the swirly chipboard are both Melissa Frances and the clear glitter flowers are Making Memories. I covered the chipboard with some Fun Flock for some fun texture, and also because the chipboard had a small blemish (I'm a sneaky pete!) :)

I took this picture early one morning in a spot where the sunlight came streaming in, but the card still doesn't look bright (I lightened it up a bit on my computer)! I don't know what I'm doing wrong- please let me know if you have any tips! :) Hope you enjoy this card and thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

Sketches #83! {by tamara}

Hi friends! I just came across another sketch blog, Sketches! {by tamara}. This site seems to have something different every day (except Sundays) so I'm definitely on board! Card sketches are posted on Thursday, but I'm sure I'll check this blog out way more than that :D Above is sketch #83 and my take on it. My friend John wasn't feeling well the other day, so (I hope) I made a masculine card that will cheer him up. I used my Friendly Forest stamps by Colorbok and my new copper chalk ink by Colorbox/Clearsnap to make the deer. This picture doesn't show how well the Making Memories brads match the color of the chalk ink, but hopefully John appreciates it! ;) The bookplate is Joann's, the dark gray cardstock is more of the unknown pack bought at Big Lots and the sentiment is Hero Arts. Everything else, including the die-cut, is K&Co (Amy Butler Lotus). I'm really loving the fabric tape... it gives a nice texture to the card :)

I hope you're having a good start to the week, thanks for checking in!

-Suzanne :O )

CardPatterns Sketch #3: Luck o' the Irish!

Hi everyone! Here's yet another St. Patty's Day card, which uses CardPatterns Sketch #3. I'm really loving their sketches, it makes laying the card out so much easier :)

I used lots of supplies on this card, so I'll start off with the paper. The orange background is K&Co (I bought one of those boxes at Michael's- LOVE IT!), the yellow is Me & My Big Ideas, and the one with the pots of gold and plaid are DCWV. The other two green papers I got in a swap, so I don't know who made those.

The flowers are Petaloo, the brad is Queen & Co. and the "good luck" sentiment is a white Basic Grey rub-on. The "luck o' the Irish!" sentiment is a clear sticker by Reminisce. The stitching, or rather "stitching" is a rub-on by Creative Imaginations- how sneaky am I!?! :D I don't know how to sew, so this is a super easy and fool-proof way for me to add stitching to my cards- yay! I have a Sew Craft Mini but I really don't know how to use it, so it's just sitting on my desk collecting dust.

Alright, well I hope everyone is having a swell weekend! I went shopping today because my local scrapbook store is closing and everything in the store is 50% off. I feel awful for the owner, and I'm really going to miss going there every now and then to get the things I can't find in Michael's, AC Moore or Joann's. It seems like the chain stores are starting to carry more up-to-date merchandise though, and lord knows I have plenty of stash to hold me over! :D Thanks for popping in, hope you like my take on the sketch!

-Suzanne :O )

A very belated 2S4U Bonus Sketch by Rae Barthel

Hi everyone! This is one of my Valentine's Day cards with a very literal take on the amazingly talented Rae Barthel's bonus sketch :) All papers are K&Co with a Hero Arts stamp. I used some Prisma glitter for the heart and some gems by Darice. The scalloped circle was run through my Cuttlebug and inked with Colorbox chalk ink. I also used a corner rounder and circle punch, both by EK Success. Hope you all like my card and thanks for a fabulous sketch, Rae!

-Suzanne :O )

Birthday Wishes

Hi all! A quick post tonight- this is a card I made for my grandmother to send to my uncle for his birthday. The maroon paper is part of another pack I bought at Big Lots and there was no label, so I don't know the manufacturer, but the patterned paper I bought at the dollar store (Miss Elizabeth). I don't know who made the stamp because I got the image in a swap, but I cut it out, colored it with watercolor pencils and added some yummy Doodlebug glitter :) All of the brads are by Making Memories and the sentiment is by Scrappy Cat. Hope you like, thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

Mojo Monday #74

Hi friends! I've been a blogging machine lately and I love it! I wish I always posted this often! :D Here's the card I made for Mojo Monday sketch #74... I think there's a lot going on but hopefully it doesn't look too busy. My boyfriend's grandmother is having a party this weekend for her 75th birthday and and this is the card my boyfriend and I will give her. :)

I started this card off knowing I wanted to put a "75" on the circle part of the sketch. I remembered I had some glitter stickers I'd never used, and the rest of the card came together based on the color of the glittler stickers. Don't you love it when a plan comes together!? :)

I used lots of Heidi Swapp here- the papers, the ribbon and the flocked scalloped square. The tan cardstock is WorldWin and the light purple background for the charm is actually computer paper, but I don't know which brand. The glitter "75" are Making Memories stickers (I find it to be a big accomplishment when I actually use my alphabet stickers. I really don't have any use for them but I seem to have a ton!) The cupcake stamp is Inkadinkado, which I stamped twice on scrap paper and pieced together. I guess that's about it; hopefully Chris's grandmother will like it! :D Thanks for popping in!

-Suzanne :O )

another new home!

Hi everyone! This card is not my usual style, but I was inspired by Heidi (check out her gorgeous card HERE) to make a fun tree, and it lent itself well to a "new home" card for my friend Charles who just moved in with his boyfriend :) I wanted to keep the card funky looking, so I purposely put the roof on askew and tore the edge of the "grass"-- hopefully it looks like I did that on purpose and not because I messed up! lol

Okay, so the dark blue paper is Gartner, the green flocked floral is DMD and the light blue is K&Co. I bought the gray paper at Big Lots, but I don't think the pack of paper had a label on it (suspicious, right?!), and the pink dotted paper came from a swap, so I don't know that manufacturer either. The "new home" sentiment is by Inkadinkado and the green chipboard sticker is Heidi Grace. The door stamp is Hero Arts and the tree stamp is Colorbok- finally got to play with my Friendly Forest supplies! Yesssssss! :D

When I first set out to make the tree, I didn't know how I was going to decorate it, and then it came to me (I swear a lightbulb went on lol) that I have tons of Doodlebug sequins to use, so I attached them all over the tree with yellow brads from The Eyelet Outlet. I cut out the clouds free-hand and added some of my Fun Flock by Stampendous to give it a fuzzy feel. I ran the roof through my Cuttlebug, and 8 hours later I was finished! :P Well, maybe not 8 hours, but this card definitely took me a while, especially since I felt out of my comfort zone. But anyway, I hope you like it and thanks to Heidi for the inspiration! Thanks for checking in!

-Suzanne :O )

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #55

Hi everyone! Here's another challenge-inspired St. Patty's Day card- sorry the picture is a little blurry. I really have a tough time photographing my cards, I really don't have a knack for it. Anyway, this is TECC55- I didn't use a cupcake, but I really like how this card came out. This was a tough challenge for me, trying to line up all the pieces of patterned paper. I don't know that I'll do another layout like this, but I'm glad I tried it once! :) All of the patterned papers are DCWV and the orange paper is KI Memories (same papers as the previous post). The papers in the rainbow are all scraps, but the orange paper is the flip side of the one I used for the background :) The giant brad is another one by Recollections and the gems are Darice. The ribbon I got on *super-duper* clearance a couple of years ago at Walmart: I paid 10 cents for 15 feet!! :D I looooove finding bargains like that!

Anyway, I think that covers it for my supplies, I hope you're having a wonderful start to your week and thanks for checking in!

-Suzanne :O )

Card Patterns Challenge #2: Luck

I know I'm getting my Saints mixed up, but I promise to post my Valentine's Day cards soon; I'm always behind! This is a card I made for a new sketch blog called Card Patterns. This was a versatile sketch, so I thought I'd play around with my St. Patrick's Day goodies and get a head start on those cards. The yellow paper is Me & My Big Ideas, the orange paper is KI Memories and the other two papers are DCWV (Spring Stack). The orange and yellow polka dot flowers are by Petaloo and the clear sticker is by Reminisce. I found the giant shamrock brad at Michael's a week or two ago and I couldn't resist snatching them up. They had a whole display of their Recollections line, which made me drool a little bit, but they were totally worth buying- I adore them (the pack comes with 12 brads, 3 dark green shamrocks, 3 of the ones I used on the card, 3 rainbows and 3 pots of gold, I think I paid $2.99)! :D I also used a corner rounder to finish off my layout.

I hope you like my layout, I'm off to go link this post up to the Card Patterns blog! Thanks for checking in :D

-Suzanne :O )

new home <3

Hi everyone! This is a card I made for my friend Nicole who just bought her first house :) The layout is borrowed from CPS because it was a good way to show the patterned papers. The pink swirly paper is by Sandy Lion- Disney Princess and the tan cardstock is from WorldWin. The other 2 patterned papers and the image are from swaps, so I don't know who makes them, but if you do, let me know! :) The antique-looking brads are by Michaels, the chipboard piece is Heidi Grace and the sentiment is Inkadinkado. I colored the image with my watercolor pencils and added a light pink polka dot ribbon for the finishing touch. I forgot to take a picture of the inside greeting, but I used a stamp by Hero Arts that says "may your home be filled with lots of love." I really like how this card turned out and I hope you do too! Thanks for popping by :D

-Suzanne :O )

metal THANKS

Hi friends! A quick post tonight- my friend Tamara sent me these Precious Metal Alphabets from We R Memory Keepers for Christmas so of course I had to make her thank you card with them! The papers are K&Co and the pink thread is from my stash. I wasn't sure if the card needed something else, but I wanted the letters to stand out, so I decided to keep the rest of the card low key. I hope you like it and had a good weekend! Thanks for popping in :D

-Suzanne :O )

tagaroni and cheese

Hi chums! I got tagged by my friend Jen to post the 6th picture in my 6th album. I cheated a little bit because my albums are in order of month, not year, so I went to the 6th oldest album. This is Christmas 2007, I believe. I think he's opening the Blue Planet DVD I gave him. That's my mom in the background :) Not a very exciting picture, but that takes care of that tag.

The next tag is from my friend Patti who gave me this award:

Thanks, Patti! Now I'm supposed to list 5 of my obsessions, so let's see what I can come up with...

1. Sara Bareilles. I can't say this about too many people, but I love EVERY song on her album Little Voice. My friend turned me on to "Love Song" and I've been hooked ever since (about a year, I guess?) I'm a sucker for piano rock, for sure.
2. Candles. I burn them in our fireplace for a comfy-cozy effect.
   
3. Blogs. I have a whole list of blogs I stalk right after checking my email when I get in from work every day.
   
4. 80's/90's TV shows on DVD. I've got My So-Called Life, Doogie Howser, Charles in Charge, Saved by the Bell, Party of Five, 90210, Growing Pains, Family Ties, and my favorite of course is Blossom. :)
5. Reading. I read for at least 45 minutes every week day during my lunch break. I try to read more when I'm home, but that doesn't always happen. Right now, I'm reading The Little Women- not to be confused with Little Women. This is a modern twist loosely based off the classic.. I haven't decided if I love it yet.

Okay, I *think* that catches me up on my tags. I would continue the tagging, but I'm pretty sure at this point anyone I would tag has already played. I may post a card later, I'll see how my night goes. Hope you all have a great start to your weekend!

-Suzanne :O )

Christmas thank-yous

Hi friends! These are the thank you cards I mass-produced for all the Christmas gifts I received. I had 16 thank yous to send out, so I settled on two different cards, 8 of each.

On the first card I used some DCWV cardstock that I bought a year or two ago and have been meaning to use. The red, blue plaid, and white grid papers are Martha Stewart and the snowflake brad I believe is by Hot off the Press. I got the little blue flowers in a swap, but they're made of fabric, not paper :) I used my (then) new Fiskars treading water punch and my Marvy Uchida scalloped circle (2") punch. The sentiment and heart are Fiskars stamps, and I clear embossed the heart for fun (I hope it shows up). I think that's everything for that card. I played around with the layout because I've been reeeeeally trying to show off my patterned papers :)

The second card is one of my favorites. I love its simplicity and color scheme :D The patterned papers are also DCWV; the sea foam green is KI Memories and the tan circle is K&Co. I used my Cuttlebug for texture, an EK Success corner rounder, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts. This card was super easy to mass produce and didn't take nearly as long to put together as the first card.

I've been tagged by a few different people, so I hope to play along tomorrow. My super-talented friend Annette is hosting a giveaway on her blog, Annette's Paper Bistro, so be sure to check that out! You only have until tonight to enter, sorry for the late notice!

I hope you're all having a happy Monday, thanks for popping in!

-Suzanne :O )