Elephant and mouse before/after

Okay, so here's a lesson in why you should NOT use cheap cardstock when coloring with Copic markers! :)  I took some before/after pictures of this card I made for my mom's birthday last month.  In the first photo, I used some flimsy cardstock that I should have known would soak up the ink, but I went ahead and used it anyway.  After the ink spread, (duh!) I tried to cover it up with my colorless blender.  When that didn't work, I tried to use a white colored pencil, but you can see the bleeding, especially where the balloon is.  Since my mom deserves the best, I knew I had to color the image over again.  This time, I think I used cardstock by Stampin' Up!, which has a very smooth feel to it.  Much better for stamping and coloring.  I also nixed the aqua stars which ended up looking messy.  I like the elephant's shadow better on the first card, but overall, the second card looks MUCH cleaner and more professional.  


The images are all Hero Arts, mixed and matched to create my little birthday parade, and the patterned papers are by SEI.  I used some yummy aqua buttons by Denami Design, and I believe the ribbon is from Target's dollar spot.  I've gotten some more markers since Christmas (best boyfriend ever!) and I'm getting better at coloring since I have more dark/light options.  This Copic marker thing is really addictive- not only do I want to collect all of the 334 colors, but I want to color everything with them! :)


   Today I'm going to spend time finishing up my Christmas thank you cards, and work on getting some New Year's cards out.  I have a small stash of New Years papers/embellishments that I never seem to use because I'm always burnt out from making Christmas cards, so  this year, I want to clear out my stash and make some cards for my close friends.   


My cousin's daughter is going to be marching in the Rose Bowl Parade today, so I'm hoping to see her on tv, even if it's only for a split second!  I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year's Eve!


-Suzanne :O )

a Norman Rockwell Christmas...

Hi there!  Just wanted to share some cards I made for my dad to send out.  Over the summer, I had picked up a post card book at a yard sale for 50 cents- it featured Norman Rockwell paintings of kids/childhood.  My dad loves Norman Rockwell's art, so I picked up the post card book with him in mind, and so for his Christmas cards, I picked out all the post cards that had a Christmas/winter theme.  I used SEI's Alpine Frost kit and simple embellishments like buttons, brads and twine to make up these 6 cards quickly.  Hope you enjoy, and Happy New Year to all!


-Suzanne :O )

The spirit of the season

Hi friends!  Just a quick post today to share a set of Christmas cards I made.  I won this Darcie's stamp set a few months ago and couldn't wait to ink it up.  Since the frame and sentiment had a vintage feel, I thought I'd pull out my vintage sheet music and buttons and try something besides my usual cute-and-colorful style.  The paper is DCWV- a couple more sheets I wanted to use up, but I think it works well here.  :)  I tore the sheet music in strips, added some fabric flowers (by Darice, I think?) and inked the entire piece with some Moss Green ColorBox ink.  To fill the space, I wrapped some floss around the card.. it was kind of time consuming, so I'm not sure I'd do it again, but it adds interest, I hope. I loooove the vintage buttons!  I've had them since the summer and haven't really used them yet, so this stamp set was the perfect way to show them off.  I hope you enjoy these vintage-y cards, and thanks to Darcie for being so generous! :D


-Suzanne :O ) 


PS-  Sorry for the dark pictures, I don't think I had my flash on! :(

Card gifts for co-workers

Hi friends!  I'm back to show you the cards I made for my co-workers.  I needed to make 18 sets- here are all 72 cards stacked up in neat little piles, waiting to be packaged!  I tried to make an assortment of common occasion cards, so I have a thank you, a birthday, a baby and a sympathy card in each pack.  My plan was to make each card pretty simple, but I'm not sure they ended up that way.. they were a lot of work, but I'm happy with how they turned out.  :)

First up is the thank you card: I've had this K&Co paper pad FOREVER (it was seriously one of the first paper pads I ever bought) so I've been trying to go back to my oldest papers and use them up.  It's not that I don't like them, it's just I have newer stuff I like better, and I have this tendency to not use the new stuff because I have so many other papers that need to be used first (or so I tell myself).  For whatever reason, I can't bear to just give away my older stuff- I feel like I paid for it, I have to use it! :)  Anyway, so here's some of that paper being used and it feels good to have it gone!  I cut a simple strip of paper and added a Nestabilities die-cut, stamped with a Melissa Frances sentiment.

This birthday card is so ME- I love the bright, happy, rainbow colors. :)  I used papers from Hobby Lobby, and while the card itself looks pretty simple, paper piecing 18 of those Studio G presents took me a LONG time.  I love how it looks like wrapping paper though, so I'm glad I took the time to cut and paste, rather than color in a stamped image.  I added a bit of orange ribbon to finish off the card- I don't love that loopy business, but I had a really tough time finding thin orange ribbon at Michaels and I was in a pinch.  I'm sure I'm the only one who cares about that though! :)  Onto the next card...

This card uses some Martha Stewart paper, some purple cardstock, and this awful ribbon I picked up at the thrift store.  Well I shouldn't say *awful*, but it's got the texture of burlap, and I have probably 25 yards, so I'm not sure how I'll ever use it up.  I was hoping to use up quite a bit with this project, but it hardly made a dent.  Again, I can't just give it away- I have to actually use it.  I'm such a weirdo!  lol  :)  Anyway, I stamped the flower pot (by Unity), colored the images in with my Copics and added a My Sentiments Exactly sentiment.  Sympathy cards are usually hard for me, but this one turned out alright.

Last up was this super simple baby card.  I was running out of steam by this time, but I knew I wanted to use this Melissa Frances onesie image, so I stamped it on yellow cardstock (gender neutral!) and used yellow ink for the sentiment.  The paper is K&Co.. a pretty simple layout because I didn't want to add buttons or anything bulky.  I guess you could call this one "clean and simple".  

I was pretty excited about the packaging- I know it's nothing new, but I finally picked up some clear boxes from Denami Designs when I was at a stamp convention last year.  Normally my cards are 5x6 1/2", but these cards are only 4x5 1/2" so they fit perfectly in the boxes.  I wanted the cards to peek through, so instead of wrapping them, I tied on some Christmas-y ribbons, added some shipping tags (stamped with an Inkadinkado tag) and a couple of jingle bells.  As I was driving to work, my boxes would tinkle whenever I drove over cracks in the road or potholes.  Hehe.  

These cards were apparently a big hit- I had a few people comment to me that they were hoping I'd give out more cards again this year, because they had already used the ones I gave last year!  It was such a cheap thing to make, too- I bought 75 cards/envelopes for $5, and I believe the boxes were $6 for 10.  Of course I already had the paper and embellishments in my stash, but I would say each box of cards cost less than $2 to make.  It was a great way to make sure each of my co-workers got a little something but it didn't cost me big!  I hope you enjoyed my post today.. I'm off to shovel my car out of the foot and a half of snow we got last night!  Then I'll make myself cozy with white hot chocolate and a day of making cards! :D  Thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

A gift for you

Merry belated Christmas!  I had a lovely Christmas yesterday surrounded by family.  We ate way too much and had lots of laughs.  Except for not having any snow, it was the perfect day.  (I even got a delightful pack of Echo Park Christmas paper and a bunch of Copic markers- Santa was gooood to me! <3)  Anyway, just wanted to pop in with a quick project I made to house a check.  This envelope was in my stash of "things to alter at some point" and luckily the check juuuust fit inside by a hair.  I covered it with DCWV paper, and embellished with a Woodware penguin stamp and a sentiment by Hampton Arts.  I added some buttons from my stash and that was it.  It came together pretty quickly, but I think it jazzed up the check's presentation quite a bit!  :)

Today we're getting pelted with wind and snow, and I'll probably have to call out of work tomorrow- we could be getting up to a foot!  Love it!  I've been working on using my Christmas paper scraps to make my thank you cards.  I have about 50 to make (my dad needs about 20 for his students, and I got a ton of little gifts at work, so I'll be a busy bee!) and I've only made about 10 so far.  Tomorrow would be the perfect day to catch up!  Anyway, I hope you all had a cozy Christmas!  Stay tuned for pictures of my co-workers' Christmas gifts- I used clear boxes to house my cards and they came out really cute!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

Purrfect birthday

Hi friends!  Just a quick post before I decorate my tree today..  I used lots of layering here and wound up using a rainbow effect.  The patterned papers are by K&Co and the ribbon is Bobbin Ribbon (those little spools found at Michaels).  I used my Copics to color the Inky Antics kitty, and I think he turned out okay.  I paper pieced the balloons using little scraps of paper and that was it!  I really like how this card turned out.. it pays to put extra effort in sometimes!  Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.. unfortunately it's rainy and dreary here, and I have a wake to go to later, but I'm enjoying the indoor time this morning.  Thanks for stopping by!


-Suzanne :O )

Do I Smell Cake?

Hi there!  Just wanted to pop in with a quick birthday I made a while ago.  I absolutely ADORE these penguins from The Cat's Pajamas!  They remind me of the penguins from Madagascar- always in cahoots!  :) I played around a bit with my Copics and matted the image with a Nestabilities die-cut.   I used some patterned paper by SEI, some yellow and purple cardstock, and some pink polka dot ribbon.  I stamped the sentiment onto half of another Nestabilities die-cut and I think that covers everything!  


I'm dreading going back to work but I had a great Thanksgiving break.  Now that my craft fairs are done for the year, I should have more time for blogging. :)  Thanks for stopping by!


-Suzanne :O )

Thanksgiving Treat Bags

Hi blog friends!  Just want to share a quick post this Black Friday morning! :)  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving- mine was one of the best ever!  Just a small gathering of family, but we played games  and ate to our hearts' content.  A nearly perfect day.  :)  


I made some treat bags for my co-workers using Cricut's Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge.  I believe this cut is called "shopping bag".  I used some patterned paper by DCWV and filled them with a note pad and some Hershey's kisses.  To embellish, I used some Target tags and added orange flower eyelets (the tags didin't come with holes).  I added a bit of Making Memories twine and closed the bags with orange curling ribbon.  I just wanted to do a little something, and I was pleased with how festive the bags turned out, considering I made them the night before I gave them out! :)  


Today I'm going to stay in and finish up my Christmas cards.  I had 2 craft fairs last weekend and did pretty well, so I don't have enough left over cards to use for myself!  :D  I'm looking forward to a loooong and crafty weekend.  Hope you're all enjoying your turkey hangover!


-Suzanne :O )

Thanksgiving Placecards

Hi there!  Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  I just baked up a batch of pumpkin spice bars and I'm excited to spend time with my family tomorrow.  I'd been toying with the idea of making placecards just for fun (we're a small group, so we don't *need* them).  When I read Michelle Wooderson's blog post asking us to show her some Cosmo Cricket creations, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I've had this Everafter paper for a while, and always knew that I would use the orange paper below for a Thanksgiving project and not for a wedding card.  I cut some brown cardstock into 4x4 squares, scored and folded them to make the base.  Then I cut the CC paper with my Nestabilities and layered that on top of the brown cardstock.  Using another Nestabilities shape, I die-cut the top layer and added the design with a Pink Paisley stamp and some amber ColorBox ink. I added the names of our guests with a brown Sharpie to finish them off.  Super simple and quick, but I think it makes for a nice touch!  I'm so glad I made them. :)  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in Blogland! :)

-Suzanne :O )

Clean and Simple Trees

Hi friends- I've been really pressed for time lately, so of course my little blog has been neglected.  I only posted once in October- yikes!  I'm getting ready for two craft fairs next weekend, so things should slow down a little bit after they're over.  Here's a simple card I made to finish up these 3D stickers I had (I believe they are K&Co).  I embossed the craft cardstock, matted it with maroon cardstock, and placed the stickers down- all done in about five minutes!  :)


I missed posting my Halloween cards, but I will get my Thanksgiving cards on here this year to compensate. ;)  I hope to be back to blogging regularly very soon!


-Suzanne :O )

Creepy thank you

Life has been super busy for me lately (and will be for the whole month of October) but I wanted to show you a quick card I made.  I used some DCWV spiderweb paper and Target spider paper.  The ribbon is also Target (it's actually Christmas ribbon I got on clearance!) and the button is Doodlebug, I believe.  The spider web frame is Hampton Arts, and the messy looking sentiment is  by Scrappy Cat.  (I thought they went well together, like the spider had written that message) :)  I finished the card off with some glittery brads by Karen Foster.  Since I'm pressed for time this month, I'm really hoping my Halloween cards go out on time.  I have a TONNNN of Halloween supplies though, so I really need to dig in and use up my stash.  I love the craziness of the holiday season, but I'm also looking forward to January when it's all over! lol  Thanks for stopping by!


-Suzanne :O )

Happy Fall, Friend!

Hi there!  Just wanted to share these cutie pies I made for a 3x3 swap on ISC.  The theme was fall, and I knew I wanted to use this adorable squirrel from my Cricut Build-a-Critter cartridge.  Love how simple it is to layer pieces of cardstock and call it a day!

I used my Nestabilities to make the square and scalloped square base, stamped a Unity sentiment, and added punched leaves to make him look like he just dove into a big ol' pile. :)  Here's a close-up shot:

I also added a little bit of Doodlebug flock to his nose, but I'm not sure you can really tell from the picture.  Anyway, hope you like, thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

Fun Fall Wishes!

Hi friends!  Just wanted to share the 8 fall-themed cards I made for some of my friends, just because!  These cards came together naturally- for years I've had this chipboard sticker set from Doodlebug (love!) which I was hesitant to use because it was just so fun to look at.  You know what I'm talkin' about, hoarders!  lol   But I've been trying to work on my stash, so I thought I should use what I love, right?  Well I had picked up some Doodlebug paper by Cricut a few months ago, and realized that the fall-themed papers in that set matched my chipboard.  I love that about Doodlebug- all of their products match. :)  Then... I went to a stamp show Saturday and came across more (but different) Doodlebug patterned paper, sold in a little pre-cut kit for $6, so of course I had to have it.  The only paper that's not Doodlebug is the brown cardstock.  

Anyway, at the stamp show, I spent way too much money at the Darcie's and Inky Antics booths.  I just LOVE their stuff, and since I can't find anything like that in Michaels or AC Moore, and since my LSS closed a few years ago, I tend to go nutty when I find a vendor that I really love at these stamp/scrapbooking conventions. I went gaga over these 2 Darcie's sets, and had to use them right away:

I tried to be lazy and stamp the stack of pumpkins instead of stamping a whole bunch of single pumpkins to make a wagon-load, but I ended up doing a ton of work anyhow.  :)  First, I colored them sloppily with my watercolor pencils and then actually added water to blend the colors.  I really like how they turned out- I think I'm getting a teensy bit (I said teensy, not much! lol) better at my coloring/shading.  Then I cut out each stack of pumpkins so I could put them in the wagon (I had previously stamped the wagon right on top of the pumpkin stack so I would know exactly where to cut).  I also cut out my teddy bear guy- isn't he adorable?!  Just marchin' along, delivering his wagon full of pumpkins!  hehe :)  After I assembled all of the paper pieces, I stamped the sentiment on various pieces of chipboard, and added brads or ribbon as necessary.  The inside of the cards read "... by the wagonload".

I figured I'd post all 8 cards so you could see how each one is just a tiny bit different.  These cards literally took me all day, but I loved every single minute of it!  These cards are so ME, I just can't even stand it.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy them too, thanks for stopping by!!

-Suzanne :O )

Oh, nuts!

Hi everyone!  Here's the other Starving Artistamps card I said I would post!  I made this for my friend John, whose birthday I wasn't prepared for, as you probably assumed from the message on the card. ;)  I tried to keep the colors masculine and earthy, so I used some patterned papers by K&Co (brown) and DCWV (stripes), along with some light blue and tan cardstock.  I colored the nutty-looking squirrel with my watercolor pencils, but I was in a rush, so I didn't work on my shading this time.  :(  To add interest, I punched the blue paper with my EK Success scalloped border punch.  I added some cut-out acorns and a bit of brown bling to finish off the card- hopefully the brown color doesn't make the bling look girlie (???)!  My regret about this card is that I stamped the sentiment directly onto the stripes, and realized afterwards that it's a little hard to read, but at least I'll know not to make that mistake again.  I've only played with my SA stamps a little bit, but you can see I've been having fun with them!  They're a hoot!  I have a Christmas set I'm anxious to ink up, but that will have to be put on hold for a while as I still need to get started on my Halloween cards.  I also want to make autumn cards to use up the piles of fall-themed papers I have, so I really need to get busy.  I LOOOOOOVE this time of year as I work better under pressure.  It's just one holiday after another, and it really helps me use up my stash.  Now  if only I could figure out a way to keep my Etsy shop maintained, I'd be golden.  lol! :)  Alrighty, enough rambling for tonight.. hope you like my card, and thanks for popping in!


-Suzanne :O )