Where in the World Has Susan Been?!

It has been over 3 months since my last blog post.  Wowza...time does pass when one is having fun...it also just passes when one is extremely busy...and it does also pass when one needs to get some mojo back! HAHA!

So...what has been happening with me?  Well, the biggest thing that took me away from blogging was an AROUND THE WORLD trip my husband and I went on mid June.  It was a 6 week trip that literally took us around the world. It was an absolutely amazing experience...definitely once in a lifetime sort of thing.

I blogged my entire trip on a nifty little travel app and it is available for you to view HERE.  Lots of fun stories and pictures.  If you do any traveling I certainly recommend the app, too...it's called Travel Pod and is free through iTunes...I'm not sure if there is a droid version but most likely there is.

We left Atlanta mid June 17 and headed towards Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
Then to Paris, France.
On to Bangkok Thailand.
A few days in Singapore.
More time in Hong Kong.
Back to Bangkok, Thailand.
To Seoul, Korea.
Over to Tokyo, Japan.
And lastly to Sydney, Australia before heading to Los Angeles (a 14 hour flight) and ultimately back to Atlanta.

Not including North America....we made 4 continents and 8 major cities.  What a trip!

Amazing trip...

We got back home and not long after we went to the beach for a week for our annual family vacation. It was also wonderful...kids and grandkids...it was a fun time to all be together.

So needless to say...my craft room has been a bit neglected.  I just didn't make the time to do much crafting! But I've started working on a few things since I got back. so thought I'd share a few simple cards today.

Here we go both done with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for the Month for July:

I stamped the little wave onto Vellum with Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with white powder and then cut it out.  I did the same with the little sailboat and colored it in with some Tim Holtz Distress Markers.  Simple and easy...and flat! LOL!

The second card was done with the same stamp set which is so darned cute! I love the sailing theme!
So very summery!

I distressed the edges of the background paper.  I also stamped the life saver image and then scanned it and cut it out with my Silhouette. More on the PixScan cuts later.
The mat was done with a Simon Says Stamp stitched metal die.

So....I am BACK! Hoping all is well for you...and thanks to those of you who encouraged me to get back on the blogging wagon!

Happy Crafting!

Another Happy Birthday Card!

My daughter celebrated her birthday this week.  I'm not even going to mention how old she is! It's scary....but I do keep reminding myself I had her when I was 12 so I can't be as old as it must look to others! LOL!

Anyway, I made this card with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for June which I adore! It has the really coolest little metal die with it that says "Smile" and is inside a circle.  So very wonderful!  I used it to make a little shaker element.  The stitched circle is also from Simon Says Stamp.

Here is the card kit which, of course, is already sold out...but individual elements like the cute die and stamp set are still available:
I also love the pretty and cheerful Doodlebug papers.

Here is my card:

 Such a fun and happy card, I think.  I love those bright colors!

Here is a closer look to the shaker part:

And that's it for today!
Hope everyone enjoys beautiful sunshine today...can take time to SMILE and keep on crafting!

And a Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday...I turned a big ol' 6-oh.  I am no ashamed at all.  My mother grew up in the era where "ladies" did not discuss their ages. Not me...I'm proud I can start getting senior citizen discounts at various places! No shame in that!

I had a wonderful day including a 5 1/2 mile hike at Stone Mountain Park.  The weather was perfect...bright sunshine, warm weather...low HUMIDITY! Perfect for a wonderful walk with my #1 daughter.

Here we are at the beginning of the trail:

We had a great time...I love hiking and the Cherokee Trail at Stone Mountain is a wonderful trail that makes you think you are out in the wilderness at some parts.
Some of the views were quite lovely:

This photo was straight out of the iPhone...could be edited for some improvements, I'm sure....but isn't that reflection just wonderful?

After our big walk we went out to lunch where my son surprised me:

It was such a special treat to spend an hour or two with these two. They decided it would be fun to just have some time to Mom themselves and I loved the idea.  We will have a big get together with the spouses in another week or two. :)
Lastly I did go to my daughter's in the evening for a steak dinner.  She also prepared my favorite cake...German Chocolate and I had a little help blowing out the candles!

 Life is grand, isn't it?

And now on to my card share for today...a simple watercolor card involving the smooshing technique which Laura Bassen describes so well in her video HERE.  It is a highly technical and difficult technique. (not...)

The sentiment at the bottom is from a rub on set that was included with the Simon Says Stamp Kit for April.  Perfect for the my highly technical and difficult watercoloring.  True (the part about the sentiment, anyway.).

The striped tape is Washi....love it.

Her is a closer look at the sentiment:

It really is all lovely in person than on this dream like website.  LOL!

And that's it for today...hope you all are having a tremendous day...don't forget to stop and smell the flowers...and spend a little time daydreaming, too!

Happy Crafting!

Birthdays Keep Rolling!

I got into a "thing" making birthday cards the other day using the stamp set included with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for April.  I make a lot of cards but don't seem to have enough birthday cards on hand and am always struggling to make a card at the last minute. So now I have a bit of a stash! :) I like having a stash. Really.  Now I just need to remember to go to my stash and actually USE them!

And not hoard them.

Anyway, here is the card I wanted to share today:

This was inspired (ok, copied) by a card from Shari Carroll.  Mine is a bit different.  I used different colored inks. LOL! 
I did use the incredible MISTI to line up my stamps so that I could easily duplicate the card and yes, 3 were whipped up in no time at all.
The blue and yellow inks are Memento Luxe.  The Make a Wish sentiment was stamped with VersaMark and embossed with Zing gold embossing powder.
I love the Bazzill kraft cardstock with the gold foil on it.

Fabulous card kit.  It's a keeper!

Happy Crafting!

More Birthday Cards with SSS

This is a shameless copy of a card by Laura Basson for Simon Says Stamp using the stamp set from the April Simon Says Stamp Card Kit.  I love how she slits her cards to reveal something fun or interesting underneath. 
Here is my version:

I used Memento Luxe pigment inks...oooh la la...so bright and fun.....and the sentiment was inked with VersaFine onyx ink and embossed with clear embossing powder to make it a bit shiny.

I used MISTI to stamp the sentiment since I made several cards.

Easy and fun!

And that's it for today...a quick post here!
Happy Crafting!!!

A Very Ombre' Birthday!

I treated myself to some time in my craft room yesterday after doing some much needed housework! Yep, I let it slide... LOL! But yesterday was dreary here...not a great day to be outside so a perfect day (not!...is there ever a perfect day) to do housework! Dusting, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning...ugh.  Actually, it's not really ugh to me.  Once I get going the OCD in me kicks in and I actually enjoy it (to a certain extent).  I plug in my iPod...and since I was home alone I could sing at the top of my lungs...Tom Petty, the Beatles, Katy Perry, OutKast, the Eagles, Usher, ...LOL...yep, my music tastes are eclectic!
Anyway, I lucked into finding the new Hero Arts Ombre' inks at Hobby Lobby.  Yay for that and yay for 40% off coupons. So many of my favorite online vendors have been sold out of them so this was a huge find for me as I'd been eying them since they came out.

I used the stamp set from the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for April.    

What a great birthday set!
I used the Ombre' inks to stamp the balloons...added some string with a black pen and some washi tape.  And that big bold sentiment was embossed with Zing gold embossing powder.  And no...I did not burn anything!

 You can see the embossing better here:

I enjoyed using the inks and I think they are a little more vibrant than they show up in the photos.  I like the variations and gradients you get with them.  Fun to use!

I added a little washi tape that was included with the kit and used a Corner Chomper to add a little more interest to the corners...and that was it!

Happy Crafting!

Long Time, No See!

I may have used this title before...it is reserved for when I am AWOL for extended periods.  Well, life just got in the way... you know?

I got back from my 6 weeks at the beach.  The last few days were not very pretty sun-wise but I love the beach in any type of weather...I even love when it rains there!  But, before I left I had the chance to see a sunset that was like none other.  The mother of all sunsets....it was so incredibly gorgeous...

The sky was ablaze, as they say. By the way...the photo above was taken with my trusty iPhone.  They do say the best camera is the one you have with you...and I am not complaining about the iPhone camera one bit!
Pretty picture.

On to crafty stuff.  I finally got all of my stuff unpacked and put away so was in the mood to make a card (or two) this evening. 
But wait...in the past few weeks I have learned about the MISTI which stands for (Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented).  I was hesitant.  I. Was. Skeptical.   But. I. Bought.
I ordered straight from the manufacture which is www.MySweetPetunia.com. Within 4 days that baby was in in my hands.  Great and very fast shipping. Simon Says Stamp also carries it but their price is much higher and then you have to pay shipping on top of that so why not go with the manufacture to begin with.  Makes sense to me.

This is what the MISTI looks like:

It is mostly acrylic which is hinged...their are rulers and guides to help you with your positioning.
It is so easy to use...and makes the accurate positioning of stamps so easy and so fast! I love it!

Here are a few cards I very quickly duplicated tonight:

It was so easy to place things and make sure the sentiment was perfectly straight.

I loved my new friend, MISTI.  I think she will become a really close friend, indeed.

The cards were made with Stampin' Up inks and papers.  The white cardstock is the thick cardstock from Hobby Lobby which works pretty well for most stamping, I think.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.  The flower stamp set are by SSS.

If you do a lot of stamping and like positioners then you would most likely find this an invaluable tool. 

Happy Crafting!

MIA!

Well...my goodness...I've been MIA.  Missing. In. Action.
Like many of you I've had lots of things going on! All good...all good but they've kept me away from posting.
I am at the beach for my "annual winter sabbatical".  This is the third year I've headed south to be near the water during the month of February...I love being here this time of year.

I love a winter sunset....and one over the water is just spectacular to me.

I've been here two weeks but just a couple of days after getting here my daughter and grandkids came down for a nice long stay.  It was so much fun (and so busy and noisy) having them here and we enjoyed some nice days with moderate temperatures and some fun on the beach.  You can see 2 of the kids in the photo above.

I did bring a few cardmaking things to work on and managed to get a few cards done.  Before coming here I went through my old Simon Says Stamp cardkits and picked a few to "finish out".  What I mean by "finish out" is that I try to use up as many supplies as I can that were included in the kits.

 The cards above were inspired by a card from Kathy Racoosin.  I love the fun shelves and books on them.  And I love the little parts like the file boxes and alarm clock and apple that can be used to build the scene.  I used Ranger distress inks and Hero Arts inks for my cards.
Here is another card with the same set:

Again, it is was great fun to build my little scene!  This card was inspired by one created by Nichol Maguourk.

Fun set!

Happy Crafting!

Let's Celebrate!

Today is my son's 28th birthday.  I am happy for him that he is having a birthday...but I'm sad for me because it just means one thing.  I'm old! HaHa!  And Lord knows...through his teenage years he aged me prematurely! ;)

I do love that "kid", though. We met him and his bride of nearly 9 months on Saturday for a lovely dinner at a fabulous Atlanta restaurant called Ray's on the River. It is a wonderful location with fabulous food and great service and lots of $$$$.  You think a kid who survived on McDonalds for about 10 years of his life so that he could get the danged Happy Meal toy would be happy to eat at McDonald's now.  Nope...his tastes have changed! LOL! Just kidding...I actually picked the restaurant...he had never been there but really enjoyed it.

Here is my son with his wife:

 

 And I made this card for him which was mailed so he'd get a little surprise in the mail, too...since I won't see him today. 

 

It was inspired by copied from Lucy Abrams and you can see her card HERE if you want to see how closely I copied it.  Oh, c'mon...you went and peeked, didn't you?  LOL! Actually I did change mine a (teensy) bit...I used a postage stamp mat cut with a Simon Says Stamp die and also used twine on my card.  I used that wonderful Ranger Ink Platinum embossing powder that I ooohed and ahhhed over in an earlier post.  Cool stuff.

Anyway, my son won't know that I copied shamelessly.  He won't even much notice the card...he will mostly just look to see if there is money in it! Ha!

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!!!

Happy Crafting!

I don't know what got into me but I was on a card making frenzy today! I made over a dozen cards.  Yep, they were all pretty simple...but that is probably a world's record for me!!! It was so fun and I had a great time playing in my happy space.

The two cards I'm sharing today were made with the December card kit from Simon Says Stamp.  How much I loved these colors and the fun paper patterns and die cuts that were included!

Here was a snowman popped up on some foam tape.

Kind of a whacky looking snowman but I loved him! and the Geotag was just a fun touch, you know?

And here is another one:

 I thought the "slides" were so cute!.  I took a few patterned papers and made a few banners and embossed thanks on one of them

Lots of layers but easy to do!

Happy Crafting!

It's Your Day!

This card was inspired by a card made by Kathy Racoosin with the December, 2014 card kit from Simon Says Stamp.
Here is the kit with the items it came with:

Oh, how I loved this kit.  It came with two really fabulous embossing powders....my favorite is the Ranger Liquid Platinum.  What a great embossing powder this is! And my friends know that I LOVE to fire (heheheheh) up that heat gun and EMBOSS! My nickname with some of my friends is "Crispy Chick" because I have been know to crisp (read: burn) some things up in the past with said heat gun! :)
I figured this kit was a great deal...the embossing powders retail for $4.99 a piece and the Distress Embossing Ink retails for $2.99.  that's nearly $13 right there....but with the stamp set and the papers and sequins I only paid $19.99.  Such a great value, I think!
The bad news is that this kit is no longer in stock and kits beginning in January saw a price increase.  I think they are still a great value, though and I am one happy customer!  And my grandkids like the lollipops they always include! 
LOL!
Anyway, the Liquid Platinum embossing powder is very fine and goes on beautifully...and has just the right amount of sheen to it.
Here is my card:

I used my Silhouette to cut the 1 1/2-ish inch circle in the navy cardstock after I'd embossed it with those messy and stitched circles.  None of the assorted punch circles I had were the right size or went in deep enough into my paper...I didn't want the circle right on the edge. 
Here is a closer-up look:

I made this for my son (I always talk about how difficult man-ish cards are for me but I thought this fit the bill!).  His birthday is in the next few days.

I also made another gift box with some papers I had on hand.  Same box as in yesterday's post but instead of cutting out some flower petals which would have been decidedly NON-Man-ish I opted for some other embellishments I had on hand.

I just love these little gift card boxes.   Here it is opened with a gift card...or two.

And that's it for today...I do hope you all are finding a little time for some creativity of your own!

Happy Crafting!

Zipping By...!

I just don't know where the time goes.  I must waste a lot of it!  I just don't feel like I have had much extra time the last 4 or 5 days....it's crazy!  But I certainly don't have much to show for how "busy" I've been! LOL!
I did get a new phone and that, seriously, took 2 days and lots of waiting around.  Shouldn't have been that way but it was! But that finally all got taken care of and I'm loving a phone with more than an hour of battery life! ;)
So here are two more cards with the Simon Says Stamp Card kit of the month for January, 2014.  Love those purples and blues....

Lots of little layers here....you can see a little closer here:

I love the little tickets and the snowflakes.
Simple card....just the bonus diecuts and some foam tape.

And here is another one done with lots of embossing.

I did the embossing around the edges to look like snow on a window.  Yeah, right.  I inked the edges with pigment ink so when I went to emboss the sentiment the powder stuck to it.  LOL...so I just added more ink and more powder.  It was fun. What can I say?
I finished it off with a couple of sequins.  This card is one of those that looks better in real life....trust me.

I'm entering the top one in the Simon Says Stamp 

First Cards of the Year!

I finally made myself a bit of time to go in my craft room to work on a few cards last night.  I had such a good time and cranked out a half dozen in NO time at all.

I skipped over the December, 2014 Simon Says Stamp Card Kit which still sits in its box downstairs...love that kit but wanted to make some thank you cards and the January Card kit for 2015 has a very nice little thank you theme going.

Here is the kit:

Now, 100 lucky subscribers were randomly selected to receive this in lieu of the little stamps above:

Well, guess who was lucky enough to get this? Moi, of course!
So, I got to work making some fun and simple cards with this fun stamp set and the pretty Bo Bunny papers and dies included.
Here is the first one I made:

 Very simple with a little embossing of the "winter wishes" sentiment.  I also used a Paper Smooches shadow stamp at the bottom just to give the cups a little "grounding".

I stamped a simple thank you sentiment for the inside.

I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Something New) HERE.  The Bo Bunny papers, dies and the new SSS stamp set were new to me!

Happy Crafting!

It's Beginning to Look...

...a lot like I"m getting more and more behind! LOL!!! I actually do not stress about the holidays any longer. What will be will be. I used to love all the decorating and baking, etc. But now I throw a tree up and barely bake...although my daughter does insist on some fudge each year! My family just tries to stay away from the sweets and since I have the biggest sweet tooth of all I just don't do all the baking any longer because I am the one who least needs to eat it! But I do love it. So I burn a pumpkin spice candle in my kitchen and pretend...while I get out an apple to eat! HA!

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day which we have always celebrated.  The children put out their shoes at night and then St. Nick comes and fills them with treats if they've been good...or switches and coal if they've been bad. I think I heard through the grapevine, though, that St. Nick may not come until tomorrow night to my grandkids as St. Nick's helper has not finished getting treats for the kids! LOL!

Well, here is the first Christmas card I have made this year.  At this rate I will have 2 done by December 31! LOL! But life is good, isn't it? No complaints! I've been doing other necessary things...like napping...and drinking coffee...and important stuff like that.

Here is the card I made with the Simon Says Stamp card kit for...what was it? November?

I used printed paper that came with the kit...and just cut a piece down to make a scene.  And NO...this was not my idea.  It was Shari Carroll's of course.  That woman always provides me with some AWESOME inspiration. Yep, she does.
The sentiment is included with the stamp set in the kit and has such a cute and fun look to it.

I added a little clear Wink of Stella shine to the tree:

And that is it for today!

Happy Crafting!

Coffee Chick!

I love coffee.  Just gotta have one, two, three four cups each morning.  OK, so I drink lite coffee so really it's just like drinking 2 cups. Just explaining myself!

For my card today I used the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for October which included a really cute coffee/tea themed stamp set which is called "Friendship Has Its Perks". 

I got inspiration from Stephanie Klauck's card HERE.  I made a few changes to make it my own, of course, although I am not above totally copying people either! LOL!

Here is my version:

I made this card with my friend, Cyndi, in mind.  She loves coffee and  lattes from Starbucks even more than I! She is the original Coffee Chick! 
I colored the coffee mug with Copics.  And see that little shadow below the mug?  Well, that's from a stamp set which is über cool from Paper Smooches called "Shadows" which you can see below:

I think it is a very cool set!
Here is a little closer up of the cute mug:

Time to finish that second cup of coffee...or is it my third???!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

You're the Best!

Today I am sharing another card I made with the Simon Says Stamp October Card kit. Being a big coffee lover....I just adored the coffee/tea themed set. It came with the cutest little metal die of a cup with the sweetest little heart cut out.
Vickie of Clips N Cuts was my inspiration for this card...she made her cups look like they had a tea bag in one of them but I decided I wanted to cut out the "steam" coming out of the cups instead. But I did use her idea of making the cups into little shakers filled with sequins.
So cute!

The paper is Basic Grey....I loved those little foxes.  I heat embossed the sentiment with some white embossing powder and used a sentiment from the stamp set that came with the kit: "What's Brewing".  I stamped the "steam with" some dark brown ink and the put some clear embossing powder over it to give it a little more gloss.
Here is a bit of a closeup:

 

Aren't those cups adorable?

I am off to a friend's house today for a crafty play-date.  I am thinking I will just take my laptop and work on digital crafting, though.  Less to pack, you know?  Then again it might be fun to cut, paste and get a bit inky.  Decisions...decisions!!!

But first....another cup of coffee!!!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!