Your birthday popped up!

Hi everyone!  Just a quick and simple card to share with you today.  A while back I had hosted a swap for making focal pieces and this popcorn image was my submission (with the black mat).  I used a stamp set by Clear & Simple Stamps called Bucket-o-Popcorn fun which I love because you can fill in the oval with whatever sentiment fits the theme of your card!  :)  There's also a coordinating set called Popcorn Extras:

Fun, right??  :)  I colored the image with my Copics and used ColorBox mint ink for the sentiments.  


Since my focal piece had been made already, all I had to do to make this card was emboss some red cardstock and mat it on a piece of black cardstock.  It was so fast and easy- this card took less than five minutes!  Now I just need to find time to make more focal pieces!  ;)  I used this card for my cousin, who just turned 21.  It's hard for me to make cards for men around that age- I try to stay from anything too cutesy, but I can't help using puns!  :)  I hope you enjoy my calorie-free card, thanks for stopping by!


-Suzanne :O )

Fourth of July Parade

Hi everyone!  Here's my take on the Woodware USA Red, White, and Blue challenge!  I think I'm actually on time with my Fourth of July cards this year and this one is the last of 'em!  I just got my Clowning Around set in the mail last week and I couldn't wait to get it inky!  I knew I wanted to use a clown wearing patriotic colors, but when I went through my Hobby Lobby chipboard and saw the "Fourth of July parade" sentiment, the card just came together!    Don't you love when that happens?!  :)  I used lots of scraps and this sketch for my layout:

Of course I colored my clown friend with my Copics and then I added a punched star and a  chipboard star to finish the layout.  I really hope you'll have some time to play along with our challenge, and if not, just to take a look at the DT samples!  There's a lot you can do with Red, White and Blue!  :D

Woodware USA Challenge #33

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Suzanne :O )

Land of the Free

Hi there!  Sorry it's been a while since my last post- we had graduation at school so it's been a very hectic week!  Glad that's over- I hate those days where I have to leave work, go home with just enough time to change, grab something to eat, and then head back to work (graduation, open house, scholarship ceremony, etc)!  Anyway, onto my card for today... I made this last week but didn't have time to post it for the Sweet Sunday sketch:

I turned the sketch on its side so I could use my new admission tickets!  I've sold a few but still have plenty left in my Etsy shop if you're interested!  

I matted the tickets with some glittered polka dot red patterned paper from Target and cut it into a banner shape.  The chipboard sentiment piece is from Hobby Lobby- love that subtle design with the polka dots and stars!  I cut out the red patterned paper (K & Co.) and white cardstock with my Nestabilities and added some sparkly gem brads from my stash.  Here's a different angle of the card where you can see the different colored blue gems and a better view of the glitter on the polka dots behind the tickets:

The light blue cardstock was embossed and sanded, and matted on dark blue cardstock. I like how this card turned out, although it doesn't have any images.  I love using up my stash too, like those gem brads! :D  I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!  Not sure what I'm doing with myself yet, but I hope to enjoy the sun after several crummy, gloomy, rainy days!  Thanks for stopping by!


-Suzanne :O )

Enjoy the little things

Happy Monday, friends!  Our Woodware assignment this week was to use the following sketch designed by our very talented Kerry!:

My card is pretty simple- I used lots of cardstock and patterned paper scraps and my Fiskars border punch to match Kerry's layout.  I stamped the flower pot from Garden Greetings three times and stamped the sentiment right below them.  I added the bee to keep things from being too symmetrical (plus he's cute!).  I colored the image with my Copics and added a shadow to ground the flower pots.  I wish I had used my normal white cardstock instead of a scrap because my colors bled a little bit (you can see it in the bee, especially) but I don't think it's too noticeable.  

I hope you'll have some time to play along with Kerry's sketch, we'd love to see your interpretation!  Link up here:

Woodware Challenge #32

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

-Suzanne :O )

You are too kind

Hi everyone!  I hope you're all having a great weekend!  The weather has been sunny and mid-80's- just really summery the past couple of days!  Yesterday I chaperoned a class trip for the freshmen and sophomores to Six Flags Great Adventure and we had a really fun time!  It was so nice to walk around the park, go on a couple of (water) rides, hang out with the other chaperones and eat lots of junk food!  :)  Today starts the first day I'm cat-sitting for my friend (I brought Napoleon back to my house) and he has been such a hoot!  He's a very entertaining little guy, so I'm sure I'll enjoy having him here this week.  Needless to say it's been a busy weekend, but I wanted to share this card with you before my family and I take my dad out for Father's Day dinner!  


Clear and Simple Stamps is hosting a challenge this month based on this collage:

I was inspired by the color combination in the bottom middle photo, so I pulled out various inks and my C&SS "Best Bunnies" set and got down to stamping.  I used the sketch from last week's Clean and Simple blog:

I used my Fiskars border punch, some red and kraft cardstock and a few gems to finish off my card.  There's a white border around the kraft, but it's hard to tell in the photo.  This card was so much fun to make- I don't usually stamp my own patterned paper, but I love the clean and bold look of this card.  I hope you do too, thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

Love Always

Hi friends!  I made this card for my aunt & uncle's anniversary and to get myself started I thought I'd try my hand at Embellish Magazine's Color Trends Challenge.  Background stamping was also part of the challenge:

I knew I wanted to use that cute little image from Crafty Secrets, and since the image itself is vintage-y, I let that lead the rest of my card.  I used a Glitz background image on some taupe cardstock and stamped the script several times with Versamark ink.  I heat embossed it with clear powder for a tone-on-tone look.  I layered that piece on some blue cardstock (not exactly the shade in the challenge, but it was the closest I could come).  Next up I cut some green cardstock and actual vintage piano music for the next panel.  I roughed up the edges of the paper which started to look worn with hardly any effort!  :)  My image was colored with Copics and cut out with my Nestabilities; I traced the Nestie shape on orange cardstock and cut it out with my scissors.  I'm really loving the matting with this technique.  I've always been using the next size shape to mat my images, but they're too big and not always proportional.  The tracing technique makes me very happy.  :)  

Speaking of, I did the same thing for my sentiment treatment.  I threaded some vintage lace through my ribbon slider and stamped it with a Hero Arts sentiment.  Blue cardstock was added behind the slider to pull the card together and differentiate the slider from the similar tones in the image and sheet music.  To finish off my card, I added some orange buttons by Basic Grey.  I should mention that the layout is courtesy of this week's Sweet Stop Sketch:

This card isn't my usual "cutesy" style, but I'm pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.  :)  Thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )

You take the cake!

Hi friends!  Just a quick post today.. here's another card using MME's Quite Contrary papers.  I paired them up with some turquoise (trust me it's not the blue it looks like!) cardstock and an image by Sweet n Sassy stamps.  I colored Cocoa and the piece of cake he's just "guarding" with my copics and cut him out with my Nesties.  The sentiment is also Sweet n Sassy and the sketch was from an old sketch challenge:

I hope you enjoy this card, thanks for stopping by!

-Suzanne :O )