Best Friends

The challenge over at The Paper Variety is to use polka dots. It may be hard to see but the light paper has dots on it. The flower border I just got today from Scrapbucks.com. I ordered it yesterday and got it today!! Great service. And it was on sale - you know I love a sale.




Keep your heart open and let your creativity change someone's life. Thanks for stopping by, Susan

TPV Challenge

challenge for this week is something with numbers. I just finished this layout this weekend (since it is less than 2 weeks old, I can use it - Thanks)



I did fix the "gccn" to be "gccs" - GCCN is our church and GCCS is the school :P

Learning to love page maps so my layouts look good rather than cluttered and all over the place!

Moxie Fab World Challenge

Isn't this beautiful. Love the colors ... so summery. I'm definitely ready for Spring to be here. Our weather forecast is rain, rain and then some more rain - for the next MONTH. Our gardens should be beautiful (if April showers bring May flowers).

The Play Date Cafe Challenge

This is the challenge over at The Play Date Cafe - My card below uses these colors.

Lots of cards

I got lots of cards done over the weekend. I took Thurs, Fri and Mon off - scrappy weekend. And on Saturday I spent the day making cards with some really great women at GC Naz.



I didn't like this paper whole but cut down to card size it looks neat.




This is my favorite of the weekend.


This is for a challenge on OWH - scallops (but I may have missed posting)!














I'll have to find my notes to give credit on the cards I cased. Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your heart open and you may change a life. Susan

Cards 3-15-11

It's Tuesday night and NCIS and NCIS LA are on - we watch them as a family. But tonight they were reruns - what to do?? The guys were watching Blue Jackets hockey so I headed to my scrap room.

I am using up more scraps. These letters were given to me and I decided I was going to use them somehow on cards. Had to play with spelling and making some letters into others but I like they way they came out.




Isn't this mom card pretty?




This heart has glitter on it and I debated using it. I rubbed it on my sleeve to see if the glitter would come off. It didn't but I decided to use Diamond Glaze over it anyway. Better safe than sorry :)


These cards are for a challenge over at OWH Stars & Stripes.


Thanks for stopping by, Susan

Another challenge card - 3-9-11

I've decided to try some more challenges - just because they are so much fun and make me think outside the box.

This challenge is the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World. Isn't this just the sweetest picture!


So all day I've been thinking about this card and it was gorgeous! Then I get home to put it on paper and .... well, not so. I've decided that I'm just not a tear-er. I can never get it to look nice like I've seen on some many other cards.


The the flowers gave me fits - my hands are just too big for such delicate work. I started with beautiful button flowers from Stampin Up but they were too big for the bench. Then I punched them with a Stampin Up mini flower punch - still too big. Then I remembered my flower hole punch - perfect size.

I may retry this card without the tearing - maybe cut a border around the edges with the Cricut.


I got the background stamp out and thought to myself, "self, why did you buy this stamp" but then I see it under the flowers and I really like it. It is stamped on vellum and then attached to the pink cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by. Keep your heart open, you may change a life with your creativity, Susan

Challenge cards

Back in the scrap room! I was rushing to get my challenge cards done so I could watch CSI NY with my husband. He worked late so we didn't get to eat together and I went upstairs right when he got home, so I wanted to spend some time before I went to bed!

This card is for Stars & Stamps blog - use red, white, blue and kraft.


For the Jingle Belles challenge, we were to make a Christmas card using NO RED. This card is purple (even though it looks blue). Most of my embellies that I wanted to use on this card had a little of red in them. Ladies, you weren't kidding when you said red is the most popular Christmas card.


For my final card tonight, The Paper Variety challenged us to make a card (or layout) using a cupcake.

I copied this idea from StacysFire at ArtFire.com

I hope to spend more time in my room tomorrow after book club, cleaning, and laundry.

Jingle Belles & CraftHazelNut's Christmas Card challenge

Here is my card for this week's challenge on both Jingle Belles & CraftHazelNut's Christmas Card challenge blogs. The sketch came from Jingle Belles and using a santa from Hazel.

Christmas card challenge

light pink, dark pink, and lime green -- not your typical Christmas colors but I think it came out alright! This is for both my Christmas card challenges - Jingle Belles and Hazel's (her's was to use bling - the 3 crystals and the tree lights!)

Busy weekend - but got some stuff done!

This has been a crazy, emotional weekend. Spent yesterday at an all-day crop with my sister and had a good time. I got three pages done and a couple of sets of cards.

Here are the cards. I'll post again with the layouts - I have to retake those pictures.

This card I CASEd from The Crooked Stamper. I liked the way she scored the top part of the card so I thought I'd try it (and copy her card while I was copying her technique).


Did these too at the crop. Like these papers together so I wanted to put them together.


Here is a card I did for the Stars & Stamp blog challenge #53.

More Challenge Cards

woot woot...I got my cricut working. I had to download the new firmware for my cricut via Design Studio. Now I have to find my Design Studio registration number and transfer it over so I can use it beyond the trial period (for the rare occasions when I'm not using SCAL.

Then, I had to select the correct firmware edition. I kept choosing 2.1 and it wouldn't work. Finally emailed CraftEdge. Got back into the program and ACTUALLY READ the directions (there were no pictures - that's where I got hung up)...I found that my cricut is on 2.3. I put that in, and viola, it works. Shot off another email to CraftEdge to admit my mistake.

This first card is the midweek challenge at S&S blog. White on White with a splash of Color. I'm actually liking it. I think I'll make more for OWH this weekend at the all-day crop at church.


Since I finally got Cricut working, I was able to cut out this frame for the Christmas Tree Card for CraftyHazelNut's challenge. I'm not happy with it. I have to figure out how I changed the direction of my mat, etc. I love this tree stamp and that was the challenge - use a tree image.


Still feeling under the weather. Had to follow my son to the garage to get his truck fixed this morning so I went into work. I stayed off the phone but didn't feel so good. I think I had a fever in and out. So I left around noon and came home. I still have some work to do -- tonight while I watch Blue Bloods!

Keep your heart open and let your creativity change someone's life. Thanks for stopping by...Susan

Challenge Cards

I'm home sick today. Had a tickle in my throat yesterday and by bedtime it was a cough and my whole body ache. Today I feel tired and achy. But I did force :) myself into the studio and worked on a few challenges. I have one more card to make but my Cricut is not working with my new laptop - I'm updating firmware as I type so I hope that is all that is needed.

This first card is challenge 34 on OWH Stars & Stamps blog. It's a little on the plain side - I wished I had embossed that bottom strip of paper but I think it is prettier in real life.


This is for OWH Stars & Stamps too. It is challenge number 52.


This one is for The Paper Variety challenge - use pink and black or white. The ribbon is white (even though it looks cream).


I've got one more to finish tonight (if my cricut will cooperate) and then I'll go back to resting.

Stay crafty, Susan

Christmas Card challenges

Two card challenges. This first one is for the challenge at Jingle Belles - Have A Merry LITTLE Christmas. We were to use inchies on our card. I've learned something about inchies: when you have as large as fingers as me, inchies are hard to work with...but I did it. This is the second go round; I did not like the first one.



This card is for the challenge at CraftyHazelNut. We were to use a free item or recycled item. The stamp "Merry & Bright" came in the mail today (yes, today...how great is that) from JilliBean Soup. I'd won a contest in November and missed seeing the announcement! The other freebie is the round poinsettia embellishment above the words. I won that last year from another group I was in (I can't remember the name right now).


I could probably use both cards on both challenges. The frame on the top card is from the freebie prizes; and the circle on the bottom card is an inch!

Alrighty, I've got 3 cards done for next year. I'm loving these challenges!

Keep crafting and thanks for stopping by, Susan

So far so good - when it comes to resolutions

I've completed two more challenges tonight. Part of my resolution is to spend time in the craft room AWAY from the TV but I had it on tonight. Those dancers on Live to Dance are amazing.

This card is cased from Me, My Stamps & I. Love the light blue and brown together. The flowers need a little more oomph. I should have inked the edges - you can't really see the brushed ink on the petals.


This card was CASEd from Jillibean's blog, thanks Christy Saeger. This is for a challenge on the OWH Stars & Stamps blog because they are low on "thinking of you" cards.


This card was done using scraps from yesterday's creation. I got my sewing machine out again - it helps that it sits right by my feet under the scrap table.


This card is response to a challenge at The Paper Variety blog. We were to use a snowflake. Love this embossing folder.


Did good on my diet today. I haven't counted my points from dinner but I think it is all good.

Keep your heart open and let your creativity change someone's life. Thanks for stopping by...Susan

New Years Resolutions .... really??

Okay, I'm going to try! I want to participate in challenges so I spend more evenings in my scrap room (instead of in front of the TV). So my NYR is to stay faithful to the challenges....and to lose weight (for the 20th year in a row).

Jingle Belles blog is challenging us to create a Christmas card each week. By the end of November, I should have over 40 cards...now I just need to make more friends so I can have someone to send them to :)

The challenge was to use something old and something new. The red velvet ribbon is from my Mom's house so it is old...and the stamps were in a Christmas card sent to me from a client so they are new (to me, at least). And, YES, I notice the red one is crooked....hopefully I'll remember to straighten it before I mail it next Christmas.

Here is the weekly challenge from the Stars & Stamps blog for OWH


Keep your heart open and let your creativity change someone's life. Thanks for stopping by...Susan