Q Designs

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family and friends! We sure did! Everything was yummy and went very smoothly. Dave and I make a good team. Here are a few shots from our dinner. Let me just say the Jack Daniels Chocolate Pecan Pie was amazing! I'm usually a pumpkin purist, but this is our new fave! To see all the photos check out my Facebook post. www.facebook.susanmarieporter.com

Got a few wedding photos for you as well. Jake and Ashton got married on October 29, 2011. It was a beautiful wedding at the Peppermill in Reno, NV. The kids are moving into an apartment in the next month or so. I am so excited for them to have their own place again. Baby Riley needs her own room! Can't wait!

In the crafting news.....

I am working on new classes for the store. I have my ideas together, now I am trying to get my samples done and work out the kinks. There are some new products at the store that I am incorporating into classes. I hope you come and try them out! I am most excited about the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists! They are so cool! I have been playing with them for awhile, but we finally have them in the store! Yay! The Frantage chunky embossing powder and mica flakes are also something I am dying to get my hands on! It looks like fun! I have always loved German Glass Glitter too. I love the chunky look it gives your projects. Those are just a few of the new things I want to play with, but there are more! We have tons of new toys from Viva Decor, new markers from Marvy that are more affordable alcohol based ink pens, watercolor pencils sold individually, and some of the most beautiful paper lines out there!

I have two classes left til the end of the year and they are both on Saturday, December 3rd. I have Cards to Die for, and Color Your World - Winter. I believe that there is still space in both classes so call The Stamp Art Shoppe on Tuesday and sign up! (916) 773-4378 See you there!

Susan

Copics Certification... Finally!

2011-09-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to inform you all that I have been accepted to the Copics Certification Class offered in Sacramento on October 17th! I am so excited! As most of my students know, I have been teaching basic Copic Marker classes at The Stamp Art Shoppe for the last year and a half or so, but I have never had any formal training. Certification is expensive and usually far away. Sandy and Richele had just passed on what they had learned here and there. (Thanks, ladies!) I picked it up fairly quickly with a few minor struggles in the beginning. But, I am a colorer (is that really a word?) from way back and I have the fancy coloring books to prove it! Now, I am ready to learn more. Mostly because I want to be able to teach my students more, and partly so that I can challenge myself. I will learn what I can from this class and then hopefully be able to take the Intermediate class next time it is offered in the area. Yay!

I have really noticed a lot of improvement in my students work and I recently opened a new class this session called Advanced Copic Marker Techniques. If you have had my Copic Marker Workshop and are looking for the next step, the advanced class may be for you. My students had a blast in the first class and learned so much.

One of the great perks of teaching the classes is that they have allowed me to know what colors I want to work with and what colors students are wanting to work with and therefore we can order new colors accordingly. One of the constant requests is for skin tones. They can be a bit elusive at time and require a little more practice. We have added close to 30 new colors since I began teaching the classes and the customers and I are always pushing for more!

This photo is of one of the cards from my Color Your World - Winter class. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Coloring!

Susan

A Little Distracted...

2011-09-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

I can't lie. I have been just a little distracted lately. I found out in mid-June that my oldest son was going to be a father! With that news came frenzied planning sessions with his bride-to-be and her mother about bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, and a whole host of other wonderful things.

With that being said, I cut back slightly on my classes at The Stamp Art Shoppe this session for a few different reasons, but one being so I had time for wedding preparations. I still have several to choose from and I hope I see you in class soon! I am also helping Sandy and Linda with The 12 Tags of Christmas Series during the month of December. If you haven't signed up, check it out! It should a fun holiday treat!

Most of my classes are filling up quickly, but there is still some room in some especially evening classes. I will tease you with a picture of my Spooky Greetings 2011 class and my Color Your World - Autumn class. Hope you can make it to one! www.thestampartshoppe.com

Susan

Goodbye for now....

2011-08-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say goodbye to a few classes that are near and dear to my heart. They have had a good run, but their time has come to an end. I am putting my Mastering the Basics series of classes on the back burner for now. The next session of classes has so many new classes and special holiday classes that there just wasn't room for them on the schedule. Also, I have taught most of them for over a year and most of our customers have taken them. If you happened to miss them just gather four friends together and let us know and we can find an open time on the schedule to do a special request class. Thank you all for your support with classes!

Be sure to be checking your email towards the end of this month to get first crack at the new classes when they come out! The teachers have been working hard once again to bring you the latest ideas, techniques, and products!

We have had lots of new customers in the store and taking classes so when you meet them in class I hope you will give them the ol' Stamp Art Shoppe welcome and make them feel at home. We were all newbies at one time!

Thanks again for support and love! See you in class!

Susan

What's New?

2011-07-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hello My Lovelies!

Thanks to all of you who came in to take class with me last week! We had a ton of fun on Thursday night in Mastering the Basics #4. Friday we got down to the business of blending with those snappy little Copic Markers. It is one of my favorite classes to teach because I really see how much you guys improve by the end of class! Cool! I hope you are all practicing your blending techniques! I want to see your progress so bring your finished projects into the store!

I know most of you ladies who take regular card classes at The Stamp Art Shoppe have had my Mastering the Basics #2 class, but in case you missed it, I am offering it twice next week. Pictures are to the right. Thursday Morning at 10 and Thursday evening at 6. There are spaces available if you are interested please call the shoppe at (916) 773-4378 to sign up. We will be using four different products in class, color wash, pan pastels, alcohol inks, and perfect pearls. It is a nice way to try these products and see if you like them. I will demonstrate two techniques with each product and we will make a card with each product. This class has been a sell-out for over a year and it will be retiring for awhile when this session is over. :-(

Don't worry though! I have lots more ideas up my sleeve for next session! Watch for my yearly favorite, "Spooky Greetings". Both Frightful and delightful! As well as more technique classes and product introduction classes. I am always so excited to plan new classes and I usually can't wait til the new ones start to see how you all like them! I know it's a little crazy, but I love it! I hope to see you in class soon!

Susan

2011-07-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I was checking my class lists for the next few weeks and I noticed there are lots of spaces available! It's probably due to vacations and such, but check your schedules if you are in town, there may be classes that you want to sign up for! This Thursday evening my Mastering the Basics #4 at 6:30pm is only half full. If that is one you would like to take give us a call at The Stamp Art Shoppe! (916) 773-4378 We will be working on cards using stamp kissing, layered emboss resists, water-ink stamping, and acrylic block backgrounds. As always I have a full class for you guys full of tecnique and ending with four beautiful cards. I hope to see you there!

Susan

2011-06-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hellooo! Just wanted to share a Father's Day Card I made for my sweet man last weekend. He is such a good dad and wonderful husband. He has been into cooking lately and the boys got him a meat cleaver! He wanted one to chop things up with! I am not complaining as long as he wants to cook!

The other pictures are from my Embossed Canvas Cards class last week. We had a blast creating our little embossed masterpieces! I hope you join us for another class soon!

Susan

Class pics from Embossed Canvas Cards

2011-06-20T22:08:00.001-07:00

Hello there! Just wanted to share some pics from class last week. Everyone had a blast making their embossed canvas pieces! A new world has opened up! Thanks, Ladies! It was fun!

Susan

Dads

2011-06-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

Grad Party Favors and Cards

2011-06-13T15:40:00.001-07:00

Good Afternoon, Bloggers! I just wanted to share some graduation cards I made and little cupcake picks my girlfriends and I came up with for the grad party. For the cards I used a Hero Arts clear stamp set called, Many Dots. I just stamped the dots in different colors along a winding path. I love small images like this for making quick cards. Try it at home and remember to use at least 3 colors and stamp your images in odd numbers like 1,3, and 5.

Good luck!

Susan

2011-06-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a student/friend brought it to my attention yesterday that I hadn't updated my blog in awhile. So I signed in to check it out and relized that my last post was Christmas! Whoopsie! I will try to be better! I meant to update when the new class schedule came out in May and I never did. I made a promise to update tonight so here I am!

There are some really cool classes at The Stamp Art Shoppe this session. Patty outdid herself with two awesome nature themed projects, some wonderful steampunk themed projects, and her "Going Green" series is going strong. Betsy is trying her hand at tranferring her wonderfully creative talents to some really unique card projects this time around. I highly encourage you to try their classes. You will not be disappointed in the creativity these gals will pass along. Evelyn is up to her usual greatness with a trio of fabulous classes, she never disappoints! Lovely Linda has her usual favorites, Stencil of the Month, Pergamano Card of the Month, Glitter classes, and Basic Cards with Basic Grey. Miss Karen Brooks is teaching Contemporary Art Journal and she also has some cool collage 3-D projects too! Our fearless leader, Sandy has a few classes this session as well. I am continuing with the Mastering the Basics series and I added a new one this time. It is Mastering the Basics #4. All the Mastering the Basics classes are great for both beginners and those who need a gentle refresher on some basic to intermediate techniques and they do not have to be taken in order. I also have some classes using Sticky Back Canvas. You can't believe how many things I have discovered we can do with this stuff! One of the classes is Embossed Canvas Cards and I still have space available in this class! The first one is next week! You may have missed Alcohol Ink Bootcamp. It was back in May, but I probably will be repeating it next session so keep your eyes open for that one. Perfectly Pearlicious and Shabby Chic Style are two classes that have been popular this time around. I think they are both full, but check in at the Shoppe to be sure. Also, be sure to put yourself on the wait list. If we decide we can fit another one on the schedule, we will know who to call! I brought back Macho Cards for the third year in the row and it was accompanied by Color His World, a class designed for those of us who just want to color! It had a masculine theme this time, but it will probably be kind of seasonal in the future. Those classes are passed as well, but the samples are still on display on the website and at the store for ideas. Check them out at the Website in the classes gallery! http://www.thestampartshoppe.com/

It's Dadas & Grads Season!

2011-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday season! Our Christmas was wonderful and we are looking forward to the new year. Here are a few pics from Christmas morning. G-ma came over and made her signature Eggs Benedict (with a twist). We use Cheez Whiz instead of Hollandaise sauce! Very white-trashy, I know! It started when the kids were little and they didn't like the Hollandaise sauce, so we improvised! Now it is tradition and we wouldn't have it any other way! The boys look forward to having G-ma come over and make breakfast on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas dinner was amazing and we had a house full of family! I was so busy cooking and getting everything ready that I didn't snap one picture in the evening. Bummer. The prime rib was gorgeous! I guess you have to take my word for it tho!

I hope your holidays were amazing and that you are thankful for your blessings in life! More crafty stuff to come soon! Take care!

Susan

New Classes for the New Year!

2010-12-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the time is coming for our new class schedule at the Stamp Art Shoppe to come out! Sandy is working hard on the newsletter and website this week and it should be ready for the last week of December. Yay! It is so much fun to work in the store and see the beautiful samples that our teachers have worked so hard on. It always blows me away with the amount of creativity and talent we have in our teachers! I hope that you try classes from everyone and sample their talented work.

We have a guest teacher returning this March so be sure to watch for the sign-ups. And with CHA the end of January, I am sure Sandy will be bringing back treasures from the show! It should be an exciting time for classes and shopping at the store!

I am excited for my classes as well. I have a few returning classes, The Mastering the Basics Series I, II, and III, but I have revamped the Copic Marker classes into one workshop with a workbook that we will use to practice many techniques. I kept the price low so that you can take it over and over again if you want! Look for my Foiled Love class if you enjoyed the Foil Cards from ArtBytes. Cards from the heart returns again with some quick and fun cards that can be used for Valentine's Day or just for greetings. If you are looking for technique-rich classes you might want to try my Artsy Canvas Cards or Shabby French Plaque classes. More pictures to come soon!

Thanks for stoping by!

Susan

A Cre8tive Affair!

2010-11-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

Well, today wrapped up the last day of Anniversary celebrations at The Stamp Art Shoppe! I just wanted to share some pics I took with my phone just as the festivities were beginning. These were the decorated lampshades and baskets that Sandy has been working on for months! She outdid herself with her decorations and every little detail. Art bytes went off without a hitch and lots of fun projects were created! Sandy saved the newest products for the weekend so that customers were inundated with new stuff! I personally can't wait to try the Chip Art kits from Meloday Ross. Really cool!

Later!

Susan

2010-11-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Art Bytes are in full swing at the Stamp Art Shoppe! We have one more day of mini classes and anniversary celebrations before we wrap up year 8! The Shoppe has been bustling with students and shoppers all coming to join the festivites. Of course there is always Sandy's gorgeous decorations to behold! The woman is amazing! Come by for a look-see tomorrow and put your name in for a door prize! Check out the beautiful foil cards we made in class today! So easy and so much fun!

Well, I have some fabulous news! My Rocklin Thunder Varsity Football Boys are in the play-offs again! Good job boys! This year has been considerably tougher, but we have still managed to make to the first round! So, football season continues for us! Woohoo! Go Thunder!

Our Halloween Open House went well this year. We enjoyed our delicious soups and passed out candy to some of the cutest little monsters around! My favorite time of the year.

Gotta go to bed and rest up for the busy day tomorrow!

Susan

Halloween is almost here!

2010-10-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to get spooky? I love Halloween and I love Halloween crafts even more! Here is a picture from my Vintage Halloween Printer's Tray class. This was probably the most fun I have had putting a class together! I used the 7Gypsies printer's tray and lots of fun techniques and products. Ranger's Distress Crackle Paint made my metal embellishments look old and worn. Just the effect I wanted for this project! And of course, Distress Ink always is must for grunging-up your projects! For backgrounds I used patterned paper and plain cardstock embossed with various cuttlebug and sizzix embossing folders. They added interesting texture and dimension to the finished piece. I encourage you to make one of your own! My students made some awesome trays in class!

Happy Crafting!

Susan

2010-10-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile, I know! Life is busy. That's the only excuse I have! I am trying to fit everything in! What can I say, I love life and I enjoy everything that I do, so what would I cut out? Cleaning, bills, laundry, etc... You get the picture, right!

On to better things... This is a pic I took of a card I made. I used techniques I learned in Kelly Rae Roberts book, Taking Flight. It is so much fun to do! Thank you for sharing, Kelly Rae!

Gotta go for now! Have a great day!

Susan

2010-03-11T22:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so clearly I am lame at posting latey. Since I have started working 2 days a week at The Stamp Art Shoppe, my life has gotten alot busier. I know it is only 2 days, but it is really a big change in schedule for me. I am now working 5-6 days a week and trying to keep up with things at home and Nick's sports activities, etc.... Thank goodness I have a very supportive hubby who helps out a lot! Thanks, Babe!

So... enough about my crazy schedule. One of the many things I have been doing is finishing up classes for this quarter (so late, I know!) and experimenting with techniques for my classes next quarter. I think you all will really enjoy them. I am posting some pics of my "Made with Love" recipe keepsake book, and my "Color Blending with Copic Markers" classes that are coming up in the next few weeks.

For next quarter I am planning some techniqued filled classes that may be new to you or review for some, but either way they will exand your creativity and push you to really use your tools, products, and your imagination! I will also be teaching an all new "Macho Cards" class this summer. It was such a success last year that I thought I would teach it again. I will be passing on my vast knowledge of making manly cards. I should have enough experience with my 3 men at home! I am also working on an ongoing class that would be teaching techniques that are a little beyond the basics. It will give you a chance to really play with some of the products in our store and perfect your techniques as well. My other classes are TBA so check back here to see what I come up with or at The Stamp Art Shoppe website after May 1st. If you have any suggestions for future clases I would love to hear about them! Just stop by the Shoppe on Thursday or Friday, or leave a comment for me here. I hope you join me for some paperfun soon!

See you soon!

Susan

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

Boy, I have a lot of catching up to do! The holidays were a little bit different for us this year. Different, but still great. We were busy with football until the week before Christmas! Our boys kept winning until they made it to the State Championships! They did lose there, but only barely. They are still number one in our hearts!
Because of all the football activities and last minute trip to southern California to see the game, we had no Christmas decorations up! So rather than buy a tree to have for a week, we put up our mini trees and the stockings and a few special decorations. We did our shopping, decorating, grocery shopping, and cooking all on Christmas Eve! I can't believe we pulled it off! We also stayed home on Christmas Day. That was also a first for us. We had a really nice, peaceful day. I highly recommend it.
I have been busy trying to get my classes together for the new session at The Stamp Art Shoppe. It is always hard to pull this one off around the holidays, but it was especially trying this year with our football activities. I am almost done! I will post pictures soon! I have been enjoying working at the store two days a week. It is great to be able to get to know the customers a little better. I am looking forward to getting back to teaching soon though!
Well, I am calling it a night. Happy New Year!

Susan

2009-11-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been busy around here! I didn't realize so much time had gone by since I last blogged! Here's a little football update for y'all. Our Rocklin Thunder boys have been winning every game! They won against Roseville a week ago and that finished our regular season with a perfect 10-0! Last Friday night was the first game in the playoff series and we beat Elk Grove 35-7! We move on to the next round and face Atwater at home next Friday night. We would then move on to Grant the following week provided they win this week too. (Of course! They are Grant!) Looking forward to the game!

Okay enough of that football stuff! I started working at The Stamp Art Shoppe 2 days a week! It has been great so far. I love to see the customers in the store and I am learning so much hanging out with Sandy. She is amazing! So if you are in the area on a Thursday or Friday, stop by and say hi!

I am working on new classes! They will be Valentine, Spring/Easter, Mother's Day, and maybe another surprise or two in there! If you have enjoyed my Inchiewonderland classes and the Paper Love Quilt, keep your eyes open for the new calendar coming out the first of the year! There might be an Inchie Valentine project you will want make! I hope to see you in class!

Today I went to Apple Hill with my girlfriends. It was a lovely day of estrogen therapy! We started out with wine tasting, and moved right on to lunch! My kind of day! Took a few photos that turned out pretty good. They might seem like weird things to take pictures of, but they caught my eye. Enjoy!

Susan

Great Inchie Gift Idea

2009-11-12T22:58:00.000-08:00

Good evening!

I just wanted to share a great idea for Christmas gifts. In my Inchiewonderland class we made this framed Christmas Art piece. It was very easy to make and I think it came out really cute. I wanted to use my 1" punch to make a pattern of paper for the background, and it just grew from there. I embossed ans stamped on most of the papers and added little Christmas images here and there. Once you get the hang of it you could whip out quite a few with no time at all. I used a lot of images from Art Warehouse stamps and the papers are from everywhere. I just tried to keep the colors somewhat matching. Mounting the squares on parchment and then the brown paper really made the colors pop. Who would have thought brown would be the color to do that? It always surprises me how that works! They looked really nice in the black frames. Let me know if you make some of these Inchie art pieces!

My Rocklin Thunder boys play Roseville tomorrow night! Last game of the regular season and we are expected to win easily. I am still looking forward to it tho! Hopefully my son will get some playing time if they are ahead by a few points. It's been so hard to be second fiddle this year. :( We will find out Saturday night or Sunday who we play first in the playoffs. I heard we may have home field advantage for one or both games. That would be cool.

Well, gotta get to bed!

Susan

Sierra Foothill League Champs!

2009-11-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Whewww! My football boys are 9-0! We beat Del Oro for the very first time last night! We are SFL Champions for the first time! When we Win next week against Roseville, we will have a perfect record for the first time! I am so excited that my son is a part of such a talented team! Go Thunder! I am exhausted today from cheering for hours and and jumping up and down! I get so excited I can't sit or stand still! I will have a perma-grin for the next week at least! On to Roseville and then District play-offs. I have a feeling we could do some serious damage this year! I am clearing my calendar for the games!

Got a couple pictures of my Christmas cards from my classes. I wanted to do a class where we focused on embossing and Christmas Cards are great for that because it makes them so elegant. We did a couple of fun techniques like layering over clear embossed images and using Versamark and glitter embossing powders. Not to mention some of the traditional colors and techniques. The classes were fun and I am now done for the year! I am looking forward to focusing on classes for the new year! I have some really cool stuff planned for my students!

Speaking of my students... I have to give a shout out to all my wonderful Stamp Art Students! You gals rock! I can't tell you how much I enjoy teaching and creating classes for you all. You are so positive and supportive! Mwhah! ;*

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend at the anniversary party for The Stamp Art Shoppe! Lots of fun and new treasures there this weekend! Make sure to come down and check it out! Starting next week I will be working there on Friday and after that on Thursdays and Fridays. So, hopefully I will see you in the store as well as in classes!

Have a great day!

Susan

2009-11-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

Good Evening!

I have a couple of pictures tonight of a tag I made recently layering Christmas related stamps. I especially like the way his eyes and glasses turned out! Here's a quick description of what I did. I first stamped the Santa image (Santa Collage, Rubber Stampede) on a manila shipping tag in brown ink. I then layered Christmas themed stamps all around him being careful not to stamp on his face. I used some classic colors like red and green, and I added blue, gold, and black here and there for variety. When the inks dried thoroughly I colored the face of the Santa with a a couple of shades of peach and flesh toned colored pencils. I colored his eyes light blue. Ok, here is one of my favorite parts! I took a white pencil and shaded over the lenses of the glasses ever so slightly so that they appear to have a little glare. I then used a gold gel pen to color in the frames. When dry I used the clear glaze pen on the lenses to add a bit of clear sheen to them. I then used Waterfall Stickles - the tiniest amount - to add a sparkle in Santa's eye. I also added Frosted Lace Stickles to his beard and snowflakes. I love the way he turned out! I encourage you to try some of these techniques at home! It made a flat image come to life!

Football note:
My boys are 8-0! They are just steamrolling the competition! We play Del Oro this week and they will be tough, but we will be tougher! Go Thunder!

Hoping to see some of you at the Shoppe this week!

Susan

2009-10-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Helloooo!

Wheww! Lots to share tonight! First here is a couple pics for you. The pics are of my project for Art Bytes at The Stamp Art Shoppe. Sandy is celebrating her anniversary of the store by hosting these fun mini classes. Mine is an accordion card for the holidays. You can put at least 3 pictures in it and write a little note or two to special family and friends. It is great for families to share pics and catch up. It will fit in a regular A2 envelope although you might need extra postage to mail it. I will be teaching two classes on Saturday November 7th one at 2 and one at 3. I hope you can join me for one! The classes are under $15 and will be 45 minutes or less.

Call Sandy at Stamp Art to sign up (916) 773-4378. You can also check out the website for more info on other classes. There are so many to choose from! They are filling up really fast so don't delay if you think you are interested.

Okay, enough business. My Varsity football guys are undefeated! 7-0 and they were televised on Comcast Sportsnet last week! It was a nail-biter! Tomorrow we play Oakmont at home and it should be a good game as well. Go Thunder! Our dinner went well last week. I think the boys enjoyed the enchiladas and the treats we made for them. I couldn't resist making a little candy holder to cheer them on to beat one of their rivals! They really appreciate those little things. My son told me that he had an awesome dinner this week as well - lasagne and garlic bread! Mmmm! Wish I was there!

Well, I must say goodnight. It has been a long hard week and I must rest so I can be at my cheering best for tomorrow's game!

Susan

Pretty Papillon

2009-10-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

Fall is most certainly here today! We have been hit with a huge storm! Unusual for us this time of year to have one so big! We have received over 2" of rain in our area! It has been a wee bit chilly at night and in the morning, but nice during the day until yesterday. The house felt sooo dark today while it was storming. It makes me want to turn on all the lights!

Okay so my dear friend, hosts a "Paper Play" group at her house once a month where my friends and I go to make cards and other projects. Last month she gave us a beautiful napkin and challenged us to use it on a card. The colors were so neutral and beautiful! I love how mine came out! I started out with a general idea of where I might put the napkin down and that was it. I was sure it would turn out lame. But I have to say once I got the papers down something kicks in and ideas just came to me! Note to self: Trust yourself! I love the new Rock Candy Distress Stickles that I used on the butterfly. So yummy! Enjoy the photo!

On a more personal note... We are heading in to week #6 of football season and we start our league games this week. I am very excited because we are 5-0 and our offense looks unstoppable! We have scored over 40 points every game! Go Thunder! Next week we host all 65 players and coaches at our home and with the help of four other families we will feed this brood! We are playing one of our rivals - Granite Bay. Wish me luck! I may be a bit quiet until that is behind me!

Well it is time to hit the hay and catch up on some missed sleep. I hope your week is filled with lots of stamping and paper crafting! I know mine will be!

Susan

2009-10-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hello? Anyone there? I don't know if you are there, but I'm finally back! I have missed you so! I just got back from Cambria - Artsea 2 - and I have beautiful projects to share with you all. I am still adding finishing touches to them so give me a day or two! Here are couple of photos from the Halloween card class I just finished teaching. I have a couple of kits available if you are interested leave me a comment and your email address and we can work out the details. Enjoy!

Susan

2009-07-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! Sorry it has been so long since I blogged! I can't use my usual excuse of being crazy busy. Hmmm.... Things have actually been kinda slow around here. Everyone is on vacation and putting off hair appointments and classes. So, I have been home a LOT! I have been cleaning and catching up on things that have been pushed aside for waaaay to long. We have had our share of drama too, which I won't bore you with right now. I think it is being handled now so I feel I can concentrate on something else a little bit. My son has had a little problem with his blood. His counts aren't right and he has to be tested every week to see if they have improved. So far, they have not. The numbers are not alarming off, so the doc feels it is something benign like a virus or something. Hopefully it resolves soon. It doesn't appear to be affecting him in any way physically tho, so that's good.

The only pics I have to post are of Nick and Dave's trip up to see his dad in Oregon. A nice little getaway for them. Nick came home with new wheels to drive! Grandpa and Dad worked a trade for some work Dad did to Grandpa's truck for an old Jeep Cherokee. It has a few problems they will have to fix, but it is pretty nice! Dad is the Jeep Guru, you know! They don't call him Diamond Dave for nothing!

The mountain in the photo is Mt. Shasta. It is so beautiful. I don't ever get tired of seeing it. Nature is a wonderful thing.

There is one little picture of Baby Molly. She is Michele, Nick's girlfriend's new puppy. Isn't she cute? We had her over the other night. She is still so tiny that she sits in your lap the whole time! She is going to be fun!

I am sorry I don't have anything crafty to post about. I have not been in a crafty frame of mind with all our drama here. Now things have settled down I am getting back in to the groove. I will post something soon! Have a great day!

Susan

2009-06-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

More cards for you to see!

My trip to the Bay Area was nice. It was good to see my Aunt and Uncle. My uncle has been sick with shingles for several weeks and he is on the mend now and trying to regain his strength. Poor Guy. He had them bad! We had a nice visit with them though.

I went through old pictures with my Aunt and I learned so much about my family. I got some great pictures of my great grandparents and my grandmother when she was a child. So much history! It inspired me to make a heritage album. I don't have hardly any pictures of my mom's family. I wish I did.

Have a good evening!

Susan

More Stampin' Up Cards!

2009-06-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more cards to look at! As you can tell I go for a simple look! Multi-layered cards are gorgeous, but I just can't seem to move away from the simple styles! Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

I had a great class out at the Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville, today. It was my last Macho Card class. Everyone was so sweet and patient. Thanks, ladies! A special thank you to Miss Kendal, who helped with passing out supplies.

I am making a trip to the Bay Area tomorrow with my mom. My favorite Auntie is moving to Tennessee! Boohoo! I love her to pieces. She has always been my guardian angel and I don't know what I would do without her! Thank goodness for cell phones and the Internet. At least we will be able to stay in contact. I will have save my money for a plane ticket to Tennessee at least once a year.

Well, I better go. I have to get up early!

Goodnight!

Susan

2009-06-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Blogging World!

I wanted to add a few more cards for you all to see! I have not completed any challenges yet this week, so I thought I would show you all what I have been working on instead. There are a couple more baby cards and some simple cards that I made with my Stampin' Up sets. I just wanted to crank a few out and use up some supplies! I hope you enjoy them!

Susan

2009-06-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some more cards to look at! I hope they inspire you! These are some baby cards I made for a friend. Enjoy!

Susan

This and That...

2009-06-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Good Evening!

I hope this evening finds you all happy and well. I am a little bit sad tonight. I just found out that my cousin passed away yesterday. He was a year older than me and had been close when we were kids. He has been pretty tortured by his demons as an adult and his off and on addiction to drugs finally took him. So sad. I hope he finds the peace he deserves now.

Okay, enough sad stuff. No disrespect, but I just can't dwell there for too long. Yesterday and today I have been on a cardmaking craze! They are all pretty simple, you know me! But they are cute nonetheless! One card is a graduation card for the friend whose daughter graduated last weekend. I took her announcement and photocopied the mascot and then colored it with Copic Markers. I am still learning how to use them, but I think it turned out pretty good. There is one baby girl card that I made for a friend of my mom's. She has a lot of friends who are expecting grandchildren so she asked me to make her a bunch. I will be showing them over the next few posts. There is one Mother's Day card in the bunch too. It is the one from my sweet little Michele. My son's girlfriend has decided that she likes to make cards too! She does extremely well! I have hardly shown her anything and she just gets in here and goes to town!

Enjoy the cards and I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who left comments about my little cupcake card! You are all so sweet! Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Susan

Laura's Sketch #27

2009-06-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be participating in the Ultimate Card Showdown over at 2 sketches 4 you! Happy one year anniversary, Ladies!

I made some boo-boos last night on my post and I changed them, but... the permalink is still wrong. I don't know how to change it -I am no computer wiz, so I decided to try again. So, bear with me as I repost my pics from yesterday!

I used Magenta patterned paper for this card, and Hero Arts stamps. I colored my images with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol (for blending pencils), and Stickles from Ranger. I also used an American Crafts glitter pen for the brackets on the sentiment. My border punch is a Martha Stewart. The ribbon is from Michael's

I don't have anything wonderful to say tonight except that I saw my adorable grand-nephew tonight and he is such a joy! We had dinner for my brother's 49th birthday. So thankful my bro is here with the family now soaking up all the love he has missed over the years.

Here is a little more detailed photo:

Goodnight!

Susan

Laura's Sketch 27

2009-06-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I love this sketch! I had several ideas for it, but this was the first one that I created. As soon as I saw the sketch I knew I wanted to use the Whimsical Frames set from Hero Arts! Thanks Laura for the wonderful inspiration! I hope I have time to make more from this one!

If you are inspired by this post to make a card using this sketch from 2sketches4U, please leave me a comment or send me an email with your photo! I'd love to see what you have done with it! Please give credit to Laura and 2sketches4U if you post it publicly. We have to give credit where credit is due! Be sure to check out their blog. http://www.2sketches4you.blogspot.com/

I made it through last week! A little bit tired, but I survived. I had a great time with my girlfriends in Reno, made it to my son's award ceremony, got to visit with Dad a bit, and shipped out 6 Etsy orders on Friday! This week is still a little busy with school wrapping up this Thursday, but nothing compared to last week! I am looking forward to summer just to have a little break!

It was fun to get away with the girls even if it was just for one day. I forgot my camera like a dork. So I have no pictures of anything. I guess that can be a good thing! We spent a lot of time in the room in our PJ's! I didn't even get a pic with my phone! Lame! Oh well.

Well, I better say goodnight. I am falling asleep at the keyboard!

Talk to you soon!

Susan

CPS117 and a few other things....

2009-05-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Bloggers!

Here is my card for the sketch from Card Positioning System this week. (CPS117)

Here is what I used:

Basic Grey's Granola paper pack

Inkadinkado's Circle and Dot clear stamp set

Faded Jeans Distress Ink from Ranger

Adirondack Jet Black archival ink from Ranger

Technique Tuesday's Small Talk stamp set

Star embellishment from Darice (? Not positive about that one!)

I was not all that pleased with it and I wanted to start over and make another one, but time would not allow it this week. I have not even had time to do the sketch from 2 sketches 4 you this week! So here it is! I wished I had chosen a different flourish, it did not show up well. I wanted to take some more time and add embellishment and such, but no time.

Why so busy you ask? Well, let's see... I guess we can start with the 4 part-time jobs and 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 husband (TG) etc... but you all have that to deal with I am sure. This week we had a little health scare with my youngest son, Nick. He seems to be okay, but there are a few things we still need to investigate. So a little worried about him. My oldest Jake, is finishing his ROP program for automotive technology. They have a big awards ceremony for the kids tomorrow. Jake also started a new job and that has been really physically demanding because he is working 10 hours a day between ROP and his new job. You know teenagers, when they are stressed everything flies out the window, so we have been trying to be supportive and yet still get him to PICK YOUR CLOTHES OFF THE FLOOR! Oooops, sorry did I scream that? My bad. A little stressed and trying to work on that patience thing. Hmmm... lets see what else? Oh! I had 2 classes in the last week and had to "kit" for them and teach them. Both were evening classes which is always more stressful for me, because I know my family is home waiting for me to get home. Busy week at the salon this week, too. Not complaining, just more to do. Etsy has been soooo busy this week too. Again, not complaining, just a lot to do. Dave's dad is coming down today from Oregon for the weekend, my girlfriends have a weekend away in Reno planned, there is a graduation party for another friend, and the list goes on, but I can't even remember all of them! So I have had to scale back a bit and limit what I am doing so that I can get the important things in. I wish I could do it all, but I just can't. I think that is as stressful as trying to do it all! I worry about disappointing people. I am lucky to have friends that understand and love me no matter what. Thanks, Girls!

I wanted to have more pictures to post, but I just have not had time to create this week. I probably will next week. My friends and I are working on the Cards 4 Soldiers 25 + 2 challenge. I already have more than 30 to send, so I am working on trying to get to 50! I will share as soon as I have something finished!

2sketches4you Card

2009-05-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Another post! Can you believe it? I had to try another sketch! This is addictive! This one is from 2sketches4you. There is a link in my blog list to the right. Enjoy and be inspired! I used My Mind's Eye paper, Autumn Leaves and Hero Arts Stamps, Adirondack and Color Box inks, Prima flowers, American Crafts buttons, and Kaiser Craft crystals.

Catch ya later!

Susan

P.S. I am so happy for Kris Allen winning American Idol last night! I feel a little bad for Adam, but not too much! He will be just fine! He has had enough exposure to make it big! I can't wait to hear what Kris does!

CPS sketch 116

2009-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Okay, so I lectured you all on making and giving cards last time, right? So, I figured I had better follow my own advice and do the same!

The picture on the bottom is my take on the sketch on the top from Card Positioning Systems. I used Bazzill cardstock, Magenta patterned paper, a Penny Back stamp (flowers) and two Hero Arts stamps (message and the flourish at the top of the page), a Magenta stamp (ivy border),Hero Arts crystals, and Distress Stickles from Ranger in Worn Lipstick and Peeled Paint. I used my Copic markers to color the flowers in.

There are some really cool websites and blogs that offer challenges that you can enter your cards in. I have added some of the links to the right as well. Hero Arts usually has a theme that they work with each week. This week is recycling something and using it on your card. www.heroarts.com/blogs/club Card Positioning Systems has a sketch to inspire you every week. http://www.cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/ Caardvarks has a new challenge every 2 weeks and their new challenge starts today! I haven't been over there to check it out yet, but can you guess where I am going next? http://www.caardvarks.blogspot.com/ Kristina Werner has a color challenge and I believe it is weekly, but don't quote me on that one. http://www.kwernerdesign.com/ There are tons of others out there! If you keep clicking on interesting links you will find lots of fun and talented people.

A quick note about classes. I have spaces available in my Macho Cards class Thursday 5/21, and Mighty Minis on Tuesday 5/26 if you are local and interested in joining. They are both evening classes. I'd love to see you there! Call Sandy to reserve your spot. The Stamp Art Shoppe - (916) 773-4378

Thanks for the recent comments on my blog! I love to get them! If you would like to be on my email list for classes please leave your email address and I will add you to my list. I promise not to abuse it or sell it to anyone.

Have fun searching and creating today!

Susan

Make some cards!

2009-05-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hello! Today was one of those days where it is noon before you know it and you are still in your jammies! A friend stopped by for a cup of coffee, and needless to say, it was noon and I hadn't even eaten breakfast! So my whole day was a little off! It was worth it to visit with a good friend though. Thanks! I don't get that kind of opportunity everyday, so I'll take it!

I have been making a lot of cards lately. It feels really good to be making them. I was holding back a little bit and trying to make stuff for Etsy and classes and gifts and things. I really missed making cards. It is always nice to have a few "just in case cards". I find I always need a "Thinking of You", a sympathy, friendship, and a few birthdays in my stash. Especially teenager birthday cards! They take a little more thought. I have been trying to challenge myself to create more and more elaborate cards, but I find that they just are not my style. I am such a simple girl. I do put a lot of detail in my cards, but the overall design is quite simple. That is what my heart creates, so I need to go with that. As my son's kindergarten teacher always used to say, "You can't get blood from a turnip!" So, I guess I will stick with turnip juice!

I was playing around with Copic markers and some grunge paper. Not together! I might try that in the future though! I went a little Stickles crazy too. They add a little dimension to the flowers and bring them to life a bit. Well, I hope you enjoy my eye-candy. More to come soon!

At the price of cards these days, it is worth it to know how to wield the mighty stamp! It is my goal to inspire others to create their own cards. I often browse down the card aisle at Target or Walmart just to see what my competition is. I have to say, there are some cute cards out there. The big card companies are even getting wise to complaints about prices and the they are offering simpler cards for 99 cents. They are also not playing fair by laser cutting beautiful patterns. Whatever. Those are the expensive ones anyway. You can't beat the love that goes into a handmade card! No one says you can't buy a card and embellish it up either! Why not? The card police are not going to come and take you away to paper jail! Have you ever seen those sets from Michael's in the $1 section? They usually have a nice paper base and you can embellish them up with sentiments, rhinestones, etc... You can even give them as a gift!

I met a sweet lady last week who said that she has all of her cards in a box! I was a bit shocked! Okay, some of my cards are in a box too, but I do use them! I just make them faster than I can use them! Come on people! We need to give them away so that we can make more! That's the fun of cards! They are not works of art, they are just cards. Let them fly and be free! Make room for the new cards on the block! If you are looking for inspiration, check out the Hero Arts blog and join the flickr group pool. So many amazing cards!

Now, go and get yourself some inspiration! Make me a card!

Susan

Mother's Day Cards and Pics

2009-05-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been a busy week and a half! No shortage of drama here at the Porter house! Let me recap:

Nick had his last track meet for the year and was not happy how he finished. (I thought he did very well.) He had a little meltdown.

Jake started a new job (finally!) and had schedule mix-ups with ROP. It all worked out fine. He did have a little meltdown tho.

Chrysler announced they were closing over 700 hundred dealerships across America. We had 2 days to stress and see if Dave's dealership was going to be one of them. Thankfully it is not, but the place he used to work is one that will no longer be A chrysler store. They have other car companies there still tho. I wonder how his old buddies are holding up.

Ok, this one barely counts, but Danny was sent home on American Idol. Wah. We liked Danny Gokey. He was a phenominal singer, but I didn't really know what he would record as an artist, so maybe thats why he went home?? I'm sure we will find out. I'm sure he will have an album. I was so glad Kris is still there. I know everyone is gaga over Adam, but I like Kris much better.

I guess that is about it, but there were a few more personal items I can't share with ya. It's been a week! I did want to post some Mother's Day cards I made. My favorite is the one for my neice-in-law. It's the green one with the birdies. I hope everyone had a great Mother's day and I wish you all a wonderful week!

Susan

American Idol - Top Three

2009-05-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

Okay. I have never really cried before when an American Idol contestant is sent home. I always figure it was their time to leave and they will be fine, right? Well tonight I actually cried when Allison was singing! Maybe it is because a friend of mine was sad about a death in her family and she is about the same age as Allison and I was sad about that. Maybe it is because I have teenagers and I know how they process things and I could see how emotional she was and I felt bad for her. But honestly, she sang so well with no holding back for that final song that I thought, "Yeah! You go Girl!" I was so proud of her! She will do well and I'm sure she will hear from her real soon. I am so glad that Kris Allen was safe. I know he is not as good a singer as Allison, but I always loved whatever he sang and I would certainly buy an album that he made. He will probably go home next week, but he is such a cutie he deserves one more week. Okay real quick. Wasn't Chris Daughtry hot?

I have no pics to post today. I have made some cute Mother's Day cards, but I can't post them yet! I'll be sure to post them next week.

I am taking a Magenta class tomorrow at The Stamp Art Shoppe. I am really excited because I love to color and they do a lot of coloring. I expect to learn some new techniques and polish up some old ones. I will have to post my projects!

Well, it is late, and I am tired. So, goodnight!

Susan

New Classes!

2009-05-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Bloggers!

The new class calendar is out! Finally! I have not posted all my photos on flickr yet, so they will not be on my slideshow yet, but they are coming! I do have a couple new photos on there of some cards I submitted for a weekly contest on the Hero Arts blog. Let me know what you think! If you are looking for card ideas, the Hero Arts Blog is a great place to find them. They have archives of ideas to search through and fresh inspiration everyday. Just go to Hero Arts website and click on "blog". Have fun!

Okay, back to the new classes. Classes are filling up nicely - especially the Macho Cards. The first class of the calendar is this Friday, May 8th at 10am. If you are available, call and put yourself in! Call The Stamp Art Shoppe to sign up! (916)773-4378 It is the Sizzling Summer Cards class where we will be making 4 summer themed cards. Here are some pics. Enjoy!

I hope I will see some of you in class!

Susan

2009-04-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to be a bragging mom for a moment, indulge me. My 15 year-old, Nick made dinner Monday night. He is so adorable. He made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and country gravy. Jake is usually our fried chicken-maker, but he wasn't home so Nick and I came up with this simple little recipe. I think it turned out great so we took some pictures! The dogs could smell the yumminess and would not leave the kitchen!

Just a quick post today because I have work to finish up. Here is a card I made for a friend who has a friend who lost her dog. So sad. I hate that we have to lose our precious doggies. I love mine to pieces and I would be so devastated if I lost them.

If you want the recipe for the chicken or info on the card, post a comment for me and I will email you!

Have a great day!

Susan

2009-04-25T00:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggers!

I know I have not been good at posting lately and I apologize! Late winter/early spring is just not the best time of year for me! I get so spooled up about taxes and the chore of doing them with 3 businesses that I become kind of a hermit! It is also the birthday extravaganza in my family - which means 90% of my family members have a birthday in January, February, March, or April! I get a little overwhelmed, okay!

The post from yesterday with the Hero Arts Blog link was me attempting to do computer-y stuff. My friend Richele Christensen, a very talented artist, teacher, and designer was a guest on the Hero Blog today! Yay, Richele! When I grow up I want to be just like her! Check out the link and see what she has done. One day soon she will be a name every stamper/paper artist will know! You just wait and see! You go, Girl!

I just wanted to say thanks to my students from my Take 5 class last Tuesday night! You guys, rock! I was having a creative block trying to design for my next round of classes and your feedback and generous spirits and wonderful compliments really gave me the boost I needed to finish up my classes! Thanks so much for your feedback!

I have to share a couple of cute cards I made in the last few days. The first one is for a friend that is fighting the fight of her life against cancer. She is a wonderful artist and mentor , not to mention just a really interesting and intriguing person. She was a little down yesterday and I wanted to let her know I was thinking of her. I used the Hero Arts clear design Printed Flowers set and stamped on patterned paper and cream cardstock with matching ink colors. The paper is a set from K&Co.

The second card is one I made tonight for my friend's daughter. She is turning one tomorrow! I was there when she was born and she has become a special little someone in my life! Her whole nursery is decorated in pink and brown with polka dots so that's where I started with this card and it grew from there! I have never seen this child in anything but pink!

Just one quick Hankie story and then I'm off to bed. Okay, so I have been working hard trying to get my classes ready for the next session, right? I know I have posted about it a million times. Anyway - I had a brand new baggie of art flowers sitting out and Hank was having a moment, and he came in and took a mouthful of flowers and ran off! Of course he took the two colors I had just picked out to embellish a card with! Needless to say, they were quite ruined when I recovered them from the back of his throat! Hankie, Hankie, Hankie! So here is a pic of my flower eating pup!

He looks so innocent, but don't fall for it! He loves paper! And like every other 2-year-old I know, he puts everything in his mouth! Unless my craft cave is really clean, he is not allowed in! Sorry, Buddy!

Okay, I'm off to bed. Sooo tired!

Goodnight!

Susan

The Hero Club Blog

2009-04-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

The Hero Club Blog

A Touch of Summer

2009-04-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh.... I love the warmth of summer sun! I am such a California Girl! I hate the cold! I am so happy that the sun has been out and it has actually been warm! I am wearing shorts right now! I just need to get my lily white self out in the sun to get a little color!

I posted my new classes for the next session over to the right today! Pictures coming soon! Registration will begin at the end of this month, or as soon as you get your newsletter if you are on The Stamp Art Shoppe mailing list. I look forward to seeing you in my classes!

I feel so honored! Two different people featured my work on their blogs! Here are the links to their blogs so you can check them out!
www.onthedotcreations.typepad.com and
www.theartisticblogger.blogspot.com

Thanks for the features, ladies!

Have a great day!

The Easter Bunny is Coming!

2009-04-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hello out there! I found a cute stamp the other day that gave me inspiration! I love when that happens! I decided to try and stamp it twice, once on a plain background and once on patterned paper. I cut out the main images from the patterned paper and adhered them to the plain background. The results were great! I think I will be looking for more stamps to do this way! I was sharing my idea with my students last Thursday and I just wanted to share the picture so you all can see the result! Let me know what you think!

I also tried my hand at coloring with Copic markers this week. New love! So much fun to shade and blend! They are just incredible colors as well. I have always loved art supplies. As a kid I had every kind of marker and I hoarded them and doodled my brains out! I guess nothing has really changed! At least I am consistent! Here is an image that I had fun coloring.

The pastels are so soft and pretty! These two sets of tags are for sale on Etsy as well as one more set with chicks. It is getting a little late to sell Easter stuff, but I thought maybe someone would like them.

My kids are off school this week for spring break. We don't have any plans to go anywhere, but Dave is out of school as well and I am hoping to have some family time that is so much needed around here. We are going to a family reunion on Saturday so that should be fun. We are taking Nick's girlfriend Michele is going with us. I am excited for her to meet Dave's sister and family. The cousins love each other so much!

I have to figure out what to bring for the potluck. Hot food is out because we will not have the boathouse to heat things up. Cold food is an obvious solution, except my hubby and kids don't like much cold potluck food. I try to bring something that my family will eat, but my choices are very limited! I have to try and make it low cal too. Don't want to screw up the diet! I'm gonna call Dave's cousin tomorrow and find out if there is something he recommends and also if we should be bringing toys and candy for the kids for the egg hunt. Dave and I went a little crazy at Walmart today buying stuff for our kids! It is so much fun! I am looking forward to dyeing eggs this week and maybe making cookies or cupcakes to decorate! I am getting excited already! I have to make some special tags from the Easter bunny as well!

Well I am pooping out. I better get to bed. I have been staying up way too late getting samples made for my classes! I am not even halfway done! I am going to get more done tomorrow tho. I don't have too many things going on. The kids will be home and that always means more interruptions, but I think I will be okay if I don't get too distracted! Okay, I'm saying goodnight! My allergy medicine is kicking in! Take care!

Susan

2009-03-29T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Bloggers! How's it going? Just a quick Sunday night post to catch up! I am totally pooped out from working all day yesterday at the snack bar for the "Thunder Invitational" track meet at the high school. I didn't even get to see my own son in his event! I was immersed in snack bar duties. It is hard work but it is fun. I met some really nice parents and kids that were there to help out. I adore the head coach, Matt Eckman too. He has such a wonderful way with the kids and the other coaches. He had a huge smile on his face the whole day no matter what was going on! The kids and other coaches really seem to respect him and he seems to bring out the best in everyone. That is a special person right there. There was a young man running the snack bar who was exceptional as well. He is a senior I believe. I don't know his real name, but everyone called him "Big Red". He managed both parents and kids with ease. That is not a simple task between kids with their attitudes and parents with wanting to run the show. Three cheers for Red! He handled everyone with grace and poise that I don't even have! I am glad that my son is around such incredible people everyday!

Hey just a quick note about my classes this month. My class on April 21st is full, but I have a class this Thursday, April 2nd at 10 that has several spaces open if you are local and interested. The cost of the class is $25 and you will make 4 beautiful cards plus learn some really cool techniques. These are the last classes of this schedule.

I am currently working on my samples for the next schedule. They should be really fun! I am always excited when I am creating new classes! I am teaching a Macho Cards class, an inchie class, a mini card class, and a summer-themed card class. I tried to put a little bit of everything in these clases, wedding, birthday, graduation, father's day, friendship, etc... I try to pack as many fun techniques in the classes as I can so that my students are exposed both to different techniques and products as well. It keeps everything fresh and fun! I also try and give people lots of ideas for using things they have or things they want to buy. Especially in times like these, we have to consider the many uses of an item and try to get the most use out of everything. I think that was what really hooked me on stamping, the versatility and multiple uses of the images.

My pretty Little Girl canvas sold! I also sold another one that was more wedding-ish. Both to the same person! They were only up for a couple of days! I have put a few new items up on Etsy this last week, but it seems to be a slow week. I have to get busy with some new stuff this week. I have several listings that will expire next week so I think I will let them expire for now. They have not received a lot of interest and I think I could probably sell them at work. They are on the plain side for the Etsy crowd and I have learned a lot about how to take better photos since I originally listed those. I could also repackage them a little bit more attractively and try to relist them with new photos.

My photos tonight are of our doggie Hank, a robin in our pear tree a couple of weeks ago, and the wedding-ish canvas that I sold last week. Thanks for checking in on me!

Oh dear, I just looked at the clock! I am going to turn into a pumpkin! I was going to go to bed early tonight! Oh well. What else is new? I will be fine. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!

Susan

Feelin' a Spring in My Step!

2009-03-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

Helloooo out there! This beautiful weather out here has me in a great mood! I am inspired to create things with bright colors and vibrancy! I just created this little canvas collage last night. I was inspired by a similar piece a friend created and I decided it was time for me to put some of those dabbers to good use! I actually used some regular acrylic paints as well. I used a paper towel to distribute the ink in a ragging sort of technique. I stamped the little girl on polka dot paper and cut her out and attached her to the canvas as well as some butterflies and the "authentic" stamp. I bought this little girl stamp a year or more ago because she reminded me of pictures of my mom and my aunt when the were little girls. Isn't she cute? In my mind she is exuding little-girlness and sweetness, hence the flowers, circles and butterflies! I may have to make her into a card for one my classes too! She is currently for sale on Etsy if you have fallen in love with her as I have!

I have just added some other new items that are perfect for Easter and spring. Go and check them out! I am always open to custom orders as well if you don't see what you like or want. I am trying to get my classes ready for the next session, so my free time is being spent creating for them these days. I am going to be teaching an inchie class (yay!), a mini card class, macho card class, and a summer-themed card class. All cards this time, but I think there might be a few surprises in the mighty mini class! I am looking forward to sharing all these things with my students! This last round of classes was so much fun! I really try to teach as many techniques as I can fit into a class so that my students are getting the most for their time and money. I just love the variations on my design that people make! I feel like I am doing my job if I have inspired you to try something new, or do something different, or just make something in general! My work here is done! Well, not really, but it makes me so proud of my students!

Well, I am heading off to bed. Days are long and hard lately. Wishing you all the best!

Susan

A Wonderful Birthday!

2009-03-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hello! I had a great birthday WEEK celebration! It was wonderful to spend time with family and friends over the last week. Friday some friends came and met me for lunch at work, Saturday my mom planned a wonderful day while we participated in Destination Art, organized by the Stamp Art Shoppe. We had a great lunch downtown at Cafe Bernardo's, and spent the day travelling to different art supply stores in the area. Monday I went to lunch at a Persian restaurant in Rancho Cordova with some friends from work. So yummy! On Tuesday, my actual birthday, my friends took me to lunch at my favorite sushi spot, Mikuni's or McCooney's since it was St. Patrick's Day! To top it all off I took my kids and my mom, brother, and sister to BJ's for dinner that evening! Whewww! That was a lot of eating out! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone! It was a great week! I feel so loved! One of my Auntie's even came up from the Bay Area for a surprise visit! Thanks!

Between Etsy getting busier, and it being time to plan new classes for SAS, life is a little crazy right now. Not to mention work, which surprisingly enough, is getting busier right now. Nick is doing track as well and that is very time consuming. Track meets are torture! Thank goodness I have friends there to talk to! I am feeling pretty exhausted right now and trying to figure out how to plan out my next few months so I have a little down-time! I expected work to be slow right now because it usually is this time of year, and with the economy, well you know what I thought. But, I guess I was wrong! I am busier now than I was at Christmas! Go figure! I am thankful tho, because it means that people are doing better. I planned to teach more classes because I expected work to be slow, and I did not imagine Etsy would be this busy, so now I am a little nuts! I am looking forward to a somewhat quiet weekend. My house desperately needs to be cleaned, and I have some work to catch up on, but we have no plans to go out, or have people over, or have to be anywhere. Thank goodness!

I seem to be able to relax more when my house is clean! So that is definitely a priority! After that, all bets are off!

Posting some pics of some cute items I have on Etsy for spring. Tags seem to be the big sellers on Etsy. I was hoping to sell cards, but they really don't move well. Tags seem to be my biggest sellers, and also supplies like heart punches, eggs, etc... I am planning to make a display at work for my cards to try and sell some of them. I have way too many!

Well, gotta go for now. Have a wonderful day!

Susan

2009-03-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

Good Evening! I hope this Friday night finds you all well and good!

Almost Spring!

2009-02-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

It was a gorgeous day here today! It was supposed to rain, but i guess it rained during the night and that was it! It was beautiful! I can really feel the temperature getting warmer too. No need for slippers or heavy sweatshirts during the day. All bets are off at night tho! Still a bit chilly!

I cooked for my friends big mardi gras/50th birthday party this weekend. That was quite a job! I had fun tho. It was a lot of work, but it turned out well and everyone was happy! We had barely enough food tho! That is the hardest part of planning for a large crowd. I even went to some websites that help you figure out the food and they were way off for Jake's grad party. I actually went with I thought would be good and I did better on my own! I made Cajun/Creole food for this party and they were recipes that I have never made before - a no-no, but I always do it anyway! It is a bit more nerve-wracking! I am going to include one of the recipes I used because it was sooooo good! It was pretty easy too.

Shrimp Etouffe

2 lbs shrimp
1 c. olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
juice of one lemon
one can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
salt
cayenne pepper
parsley, chopped
green onion tops, chopped

Saute veggies and spices for 30 minutes, Add shrimp, cover and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add parsley and onion tops. Let stand for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

*Note*
You might be able to cut back on the oil to lighten this recipe up. It is the only high calorie item in the dish! So Yummy! Send me a comment if you try this recipe!

Have a great day!

Susan

Ideas for bunnies and eggs...

2009-02-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, Bloggers! It's been awhile since I have blogged, sorry! I have just been busy with getting ready for classes and trying to keep up with orders from Etsy. I haven't been that busy, but busy enough to keep me packing, shipping and filling orders every couple of days. Life is good!

Have you ever seen something really cute and thought, "What would I use that for?" and then passed it up because you couldn't really justify the purchase? I'm always kicking myself later when that product is sold out or back ordered because other people got a clue what to do with it before I did! I do try and list ideas to use my products, but I thought I would post some pictures here so everyone could see (for all you visual learners!) what I was thinking.

There is a picture of a treat bag with little chocolate eggs, and some of my little punched eggs that are for sale on Etsy. The little eggs are small enough to be confetti in the bag! They come in a cute little tin tied with a ribbon and a little metal-rimmed tag stamped with an egg. I used the ribbon and tag on the bag. You could easily write someone's name on the tag. I also made a cute little tag with a bunny and eggs. My good friend, Crystal showed me this one. So, I can't really take credit for it, but I thought it was a cute way to use your bunnies and eggs. I cut a long strip off a piece of green cardstock using the "grass" paper edgers. I then cut it into lengths that were roughly the size of my tag. I glue them down and slipped the bunny and eggs in before I layed them down. Now it looks like a bunny searching for eggs in the grass! teeny tiny flowers would also be cute here too, but I don't have that punch - imagine that a punch I don't have!

Well enjoy the ideas and I will talk to you soon!

Susan

New Banner, New Shop

2009-02-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I just had to do a quick post this morning to show off my new banner for my Etsy store! A fabulous artist on Etsy made a banner for me that could not be more perfect! If you are looking for a banner or something similar, you HAVE to check out her shop! http://www.decafjnr.etsy.com/ She has beautiful premade banners (the best I saw!) and she went above and beyond to create something custom for me. Thanks, Jan! If you want to see a full-sized version of my banner check out my Etsy shop. http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com/

I have also found a few new places to shop/sell on the internet. One is called ShopHandmade. I opened a store there last week to see if it was worth a try and I sold a card! It definitely does not get the volume of people that Etsy does, but they claim to have a different audience so I thought I would give it a try. I have the same name so my store is www.qdesigns.shophandmade.com. I'll post a better link when I have a chance to put a few more items in my shop.

It is interesting to me how you can get such a connection with someone over the Internet. I have had a few people that I have made custom orders for or who have done work for me, and I have to say that crafters are the best! I have met some really cool people! The skeptic in me says, "well how do you really know if you have never met them face to face?" Gut feeling. It has never let me down before! I have to say that I really feel a person's personality come through in an email, or blog. Perhaps one day I will connect up with some of the really interesting people I have cyber-met!

Gotta Run! Busy day ahead! Have a fabulous day!

Susan

2009-01-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Hello! I was contacted the other day by a woman, I am assuming! Anyway, I was contacted by someone from Japan who asked about black and white tags. That sent me into a fury of tag making! I made the flowered ones that I had on my last post, and then after some conversations I decided to make some with an Asian theme and they turned out really beautiful! I kept with a similar theme and just changed around the stamps and paper. I have quite a few stamps and paper with an Asian theme so it was good to bring them out and get some good use out of them! I love the Asian images and also the simple, earthy, style of Asian design. I would like to make a few more, or maybe some cards... With deadlines looming for other projects, I kinda doubt I will have anytime to play in the next few weeks. Thats okay. They will be waiting for me when I do have the time!

My grand-nephew (or is it great-nephew?) is turning one this weekend! I can't believe he is already one! Oh my gosh he is so adorable! I can't wait to spend the day with him and his family! His mommy and I are working on aproject for his party that will be a memorable keepsake for all of them. I will post pictures when we are through.

Valentine's Day is getting close and I have been working on projects, but nothing for my own family! So, this weekend I will try and design some things for them. I might have a few ideas! I have one major client project that I have to get done this weekend tho. I have trying to work out the details and it has been a little challenging. It is almost complete now, and it will be good to get it to my client who has been patiently waiting! I also have classes to kit for, and new ones to conjure up, but no worries! It is a blessing to be busy! I am happy to have 2 or 3 careers to jump back and forth between! You never know these days what tomorrow will bring.

The photos I posted are of the Asian tags, and two little thank you cards I made for my Etsy shop. I used little inchie stamps for the thank you cards. They were fun to make! There are two other designs in my Etsy shop if you are interested. Check out the link to the right.

Have a great day!

Susan

Tag Crazy!

2009-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Wow! I have been making tags like crazy for my Etsy Shoppe! I have even had some more custom orders! I have been in the cave for hours and hours everyday! So much fun! I have sent orders out to many states in the US and to Canada, Hawaii, and Australia! Pretty amazing!

I have added a new feature to my blog. I added a slide show from flickr. I hope you enjoy it! I will load more photos soon. For those of you who are blog-savvy, please be patient with my slow learning! I still can't figure out how to load my pictures on my page where I want them! Ahhh! It says"layout", but they never seem to go where I want them! They screw up my paragraphs too! If you are reading this and can help me, please comment and give me a clue!

Enjoy the new photos of some of my Etsy items and a cute photo of some conversation hearts. Check out my shop: http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com/ I try to post new things every day or two.

Well, guess what? I am tired again! I have to start posting earlier when I have not fried every brain cell!

Good Night!

Susan

Busy, busy, busy!

2009-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! I pushed myself the last few weeks while getting ready for classes, working at the salon, and normal mom duties, to make up a few items to sell on Etsy. It is Valentine season you know! Well, it has really paid off! I have sold and resold things until I had to buy more paper and supplies! I was kinda disappointed at my Christmas offerings and I wanted to do more. I guess I can say that I did!

Classes have started again at the Stamp Art Shoppe and I have taught 2 of my 4 classes. Everything went well. I posted a couple of pics of the first class. There are also a couple of pics of some of the items for sale on Etsy. Click the link to the right to see more! Well, I am exhausted and I have to go to bed! Goodnight!

Susan

First January post!

2009-01-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's a new year and I am lagging already! I've been busy kitting for my upcoming classes, and finishing projects. I have also been trying to put some new items on Etsy. My store was pretty low in volume! I had grand plans of getting a lot of Christmas stuff on there, but it never happened. I got a few things up and we actually sold 3 items last week! One of the items that sold was Jake's cool Christmas card he made! Yay, Jake! I posted quite a few Valentine items today so check it out! http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com/ or click on the link to the right.

I'll give you a sneak peek of what's going on in my world of paper crafting. Fresh from the cave! The pink and green cards are for my "It's all in the Details" class at the Stamp Art Shop in Roseville. Click on the link to the right for class dates and phone numbers. The red and kraft cards are Valentines card that I have for sale on Etsy. I hit a creative groove last night! I also realized something about myself. I used to make a giant mess and then I decided that I should try and be neater. So I've been trying to be neater when I create, but I think I am more creative in the mess! I was frenzied trying to make all the things that were running thru my head! Well, enjoy the pictures and sign up for classes if you can!

Susan

2008-12-29T23:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope you all had a merry Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or Winter Solstice, or whatever wintry holiday you celebrate! I certainly hope it was happy! We had a nice Christmas this year. Kinda quiet, but not too quiet. Time to put it all away for next year! It starts to get to me by this point. It feels cluttery and claustrophobic! (sp?) I am ready for things to go back to normal as much as I enjoy seeing all my Christmas's things in the beginning of December. I vowed that I am going to start decorating before Thanksgiving next year. I have beautiful decorations that I just don't have time to put out anymore. I want to see them, but it is a 2 week process of decorating to get it all done. Not worth it if you start too late. Somebody leave me a comment next November and remind me to do that, okay!

I posted pictures of our beautiful tree, Sierra helping Jake open his presents, Nick's awesome peppermint bark (recipe below), and the aftermath! Ahhh, memories!

I am yearning to get back to teaching. It has been more than a month and I miss my students! I have done a few private lessons for my mom, but no real classes at the store. I am excited about my new classes coming up. They are so me. It can be hard to find your voice in classes and create a class that is teachable and yet represents something you want to share that is original. I am teaching 4 different classes this round. Two classes are about exploring detail, one is a piece of art/home decor, and one is about using 5 stamps in a variety of ways to create original cards. Fun stuff. I would like to take a can opener and peel back the tops of people's heads to let the inspiration in and the ideas out! Okay, okay. I know that was kinda graphic, but you got the point, right? I just want people to open themselves up to new things.

Play is essential to creativity. If you don't play with your supplies, you can't hear that little muse speak to you! I think it is important to expose yourself to lots of art too. I can look at an ad on tv and create something from that if I am inspired by it. It's not that I am special. I have just unlocked a door in my head that most people keep locked. Unlock your door! Let creativity and inspiration in!

Okay, enough ranting and raving at you, here is the recipe:

Nick's Peppermint Bark

1 pkg semisweet chocolate chips

1 pkg white chocolate chips

6-8 candy canes, crushed

Melt chocolate in microwave or over double boiler slowly and poor into a greased 9 x 12 pan. Immediately do the same with the white chocolate (careful not to scorch!).

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes before it cools. Cool in fridge for an hour or so. Once cool, use the tip of a steak knife to begin breaking into irregular chunks. Enjoy!

Have a good night!

Susan

Merry, merry, merry!

2008-12-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

We are in the home stretch! I am done shopping, and the wrapping will be really easy this year. I think I might actually be ready for Christmas! Shhhh! Don't tell anyone yet tho! I might need the "shopping" excuse for another day or so! I had my meltdown last week and got that out of the way, so I think I am in really good shape! I am back in the spirit! (I had a few bad days there...)

I am looking forward to spending some time with my family and friends and taking lots of pictures! I have been lagging in that department the last few weeks! With deadlines looming and the holiday activities, things get a little crazy around here! What am I saying, they get crazy everywhere! I have to say, I get better and better at scaling down my commitments to what we really want to do. I still have an ambitious nature, hence the meltdown last week, but I'm better now!

The pictures above are from the last week. There are two cards I made, a couple of pics of Christmas coffee (the table setting and the hersheys kisses), and a couple more from the cookie exchange party. Those would be the people ones! Both parties were lots of fun! It has a been a busy week tho!

Time for me to go! I am fighting a cold and I need to get my rest!

Enjoy these next few days!

Susan

Phewwww!

2008-12-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

I just finished two projects and shipped them off to The Stamp Art Shoppe to be displayed for January classes. That is a weight off my shoulders! It is so hard to get any personal stuff done when it is this time of year! The framed Paper Heart Quilt is one class and the card will be another where we make 4 Valentine's Day themed cards. I have 2 other classes as well, but they will be towards the end of the quarter. The new calendar comes out the end of this month so check out the Stamp Art Store website for dates and times. You can always leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you the dates.

I have a couple of weeks to finish other projects and get things in order for the holiday. I am hoping to get a few things up on Etsy as well, but I think I have kinda missed the window for Christmas and I need to move on to Valentine's Day! I do have a few cute things I just need to put the final touches on that I can put up in the next few days.

*CRAFT TIPS*

I was making some Christmas cards (for me!) and I was thinking about Stickles. You know the little teeny bottles of wonderfully colored glitter glue? I love those darned things, especially this time of year. Since I have used them so much lately I realized that they require some instruction for the newbie. So if you are a Stickle newbie, listen up.

The regular Stickles have a nice fine tip to write with, but honestly they look better if you put just a thin coat and smush it around with the tip. The new Distress Stickles have a fatter tip, but you can do all the same things with them I promise, and not as many clogs in the tip. All of them take FOREVER to dry if you glop it on thick. My advice is to do a really thin coat and add more if needed. If you are covering a large area I like to use my finger to spread them out. Like I said, you can always add more.

If you are covering something like lettering where you want a fine line, it works well if you do a practice run on some scratch paper just to get the feel of how fast they come out and how much to squeeze. Then, work kind of fast, don't hesitate. Kind of like writing frosting on a cake. If you slow down the frosting gets thick and gloppy.

If you happen to get too much-it happens-keep toothpicks handy. They are invaluable to remove extra stickles and spread them out along a line or shape. If I am going along and I get a blob and then a skip, I just go back over it with my toothpick and smooth it down and spread it along the line. It is also a good idea to have a pin lying around to unclear clogs. I don't get too many, but every once in awhile... I hope this helps and make sure to use them ALOT so you get lots of practice! Just a little advice from your friendly neighborhood crafter!

We got a huge Christmas tree last weekend. We started decorating it, but we will finish tomorrow. Nick's girlfriend came with us and helped decorate and put up the lights. What a sweetie! Finally someone besides me who wants to decorate! We had fun tromping around the tree farm arguing about the trees, bossing each other around about how the tree goes in the stand, fighting over how the lights go on the tree. Good times! We even took both dogs, and packed a picnic lunch to eat up there! The weather was beautiful! Seriously, it was a fun day.

Well, I am about to turn into a pumpkin, so I'm callin' it a night.

Joy to the World!

Susan

It's confirmed. I'm now a techie.

2008-12-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well, sort of. I got a new phone today and I went big. I went fancy. I went technology. Sort of. I got the new LG Dare touch screen! It is so cool! I can email and finally text more easily. I don't have my kids dexterity for texting and the eyes are going too, so reading the letters on the phone was really difficult. Now I can read the screen without my glasses and it seems fairly easy to use. I am so excited! I also have a better camera with a flash and all sorts of settings, and I can see my photos better on this screen as well. And you know how I love me some photos!

I have taken so many photos recently. Just since October, I have taken well over 1000 photos! It all started back in October when I went to Cambria. My friends inspired me to take the photos I want to and not the ones I think other people want to see. I took around 300 or so there, almost 200 at the pumpkin patch, 120 or so at Apple Hill, and I have no idea how many in Oregon. Thats alotta pictures! Its so much fun tho!

So all this talk about photos and I didn't even post one! Maybe next time!

Peace out dogs!

Susan

The Unveiling......

2008-12-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

As some of you know I did a custom order for Villainess Soaps (http://www.villainess.net/) a month or so ago. The photos are now on her website with the gift package under "featured products" on the 2nd row. You can see the tag hanging from the packaging. Cool, huh! I can now "unveil" the tags here on my site... da dada daaaa!

Brooke was awesome to work with and I suggest you visit her site ASAP to check out her stuff! I love the whole philosophy behind her products, and everything looks awesome! I plan to order some for myself! Thanks, Brooke!

Custom orders are always welcomed through my Etsy store http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com/ .

While you are surfing around today, check out Tim Holtz's blog. http://www.timholtz.com/ He is doin' the 12 tags of Christmas again. He is freakin' amazing! Today and yesterdays are my favorites, but check them out for yourself! Thanks for all the tips and inspiration, Tim!

Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mommy! I'll see you later!

Take care and have a fabulous day!

Susan

Home, Sweet Home

2008-12-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

Oh, so glad to be home! A little piece of my heart is still in Coos Bay with Grandma and Grandpa, tho. Miss you guys already! Come for Christmas! We had a fabulous time with them and the cousins! We are so blessed to have our family. Happy 70th Birthday to Dad today! We love you! Thanks for puttin' up with our shenanigans this weekend!

G & G are great tour guides as well. I wanted to share some cool photos we took on our way there, while we were there, and on the way home. Good times. I'm too tired tonight to say too much more. I'll do a longer post soon, I promise!

Enjoy!

Susan

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thankful for family today. Spending the day with my inlaws (and a few outlaws!) in Oregon. Here are a few photos.

Watch out for mad dogs!

Greetings from Oregon!

2008-11-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

We made it! We're here! We had a great ride up! No rain, but lots of laughs and family bonding. Shot a few cool photos from the road that we wanted to share! Enjoy and Happy Turkey Day!

Susan

Over the river and through the woods....

2008-11-25T23:17:00.000-08:00

To Grandma and Grandpa's house we go! Looking forward to our little adventure this weekend! I just had to do a quick post because we will be gone 4 days and I have been trying to do at least one per week. So... I decided to post a pic of my beautiful apple pies! LOL They came out so pretty! Apple Hill eat your heart out! My mile high looks and tastes good! My pumpkins looked beautiful too, but I wrapped them up and put them away before I thought of doing a pic.

Everyone went to bed already as we are leaving before the crack of dawn at dark-thirty something or other. Crafting is on hold for a couple of days while we tour Oregon and celebrate Thanksgiving and Grandpa's 70th birthday. I am excited to shove off and spend some time with the fam! I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday this year. Times might be tough but you always have those you love. Hold them close this holiday!

Take Care!

Susan

A Few More...

2008-11-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

I have been a busy little crafter lately! I am in the narrow window of time where I have finished classes for this year and I need to start making samples for next quarter. So.... I have been taking advantage of the time and experimenting with some of the new (and old!) products form Tim Holtz and other companies as well. I would like to get my own Christmas projects done this year too! I have gotten a lot faster, so I think I will be okay for that. My Craft Cave is much more efficient the way I have it arranged - although I still can't find some things! No big deal. I know they will turn up sooner or later! Probably right after I buy a new one!

The photos tonight are of a little book I made with the photos we took at Bishop's Pumpkin Farm back in October. I know they are not the best photos of the project, sorry. The lighting in the Cave is not good at night and I was getting weird shadows and flash reflections. I hope that you can see the stamping - that's my favorite part next to the pictures! I think I took over 190 pictures that day, and out of that I printed 80! I didn't use them all, but I did use about 75 or so! Not bad, I think for a little book!

I am really excited about the classes I will be teaching next quarter. I tried to listen to all the feedback I received from my students and put those ideas into play. I so appreciate feedback! These classes are for you and I want to be sure that I meet your needs as well as share some cool ideas with you! One of the things I heard over and over again was how students liked all the detail and creative ways to use stamps and materials. I did have one class where I had a little too much detail and the class ran way over time! I have tried to remedy that by keeping the detail, but limiting the projects so that we can complete them in 2 hours. If the project requires more time we will probably hold the class during the day or on the weekend. I am listening to you guys! I have a million ideas for classes, but not that much time to plan, prep, and teach them! So please be patient and keep checking back to see what I'm up to! I am trying to get it all in!

I have a few new items up on Etsy as well. I told you I have been busy! Actually, some of them were completed from last year and the year before and just waiting around for the holiday season again. There are a couple of cards and tags right now, but there will be more very soon! I am just putting the finishing touches on a few things. They are not photo ready yet! I am excited because it is something I have not really done before! You'll have to check back soon and see what I did... (What a tease!)

Okay, I am running out of steam, so I'm calling it a night! Have a fabulous day and do something creative today!

Susan

Projects!

2008-11-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Finally! I have some project photos for you! The tags will be for sale in my Etsy shop (http://www.qdesigns.etsy.com/) and the little pink seaside book was a project we did at Artsea Escape back in October. We could decorate the inside any way we wanted, and I just wanted to share what I did. More pictures are in the shop. I had fun with the tags using Distress crackle paint, Distress stickles, and Distress inks and fragments. So much fun to play! I haven't had time to do that in awhile. Enjoy the pics!

Last night was the last football game of the season and we beat the #1 team! Well Varsity beat them, JV tied, but we'll take it! It was a good game for JV. They played their hearts out. Good job, boys!

Have a great day!

Susan

2008-11-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

A few new pics for you, but no project pics today! They are coming, I promise! I have a few completed and just need to photograph and post. I have been sharing the camera with the kids lately and the battery is endlessly dead!

Nick and Michele and I went to Apple Hill this weekend. We had a fabulous time running around. Lots of laughs and giggles, ahhh young love...

I was watching the CMA awards tonight and I was so emotional! Music, art, and dance do that to me sometimes, I'm not sure why. It made me think of all kinds of art and creativity. I am definitely an artsy person because it stimulates something in brain that is unlike anything else. I don't know how to describe it, but I know not everyone shares the feeling. I can see it when you get that blank stare when you show someone something that really gets you going and they say, "uh huh" without even looking at it! I feel so thankful and blessed to have the ability to be open to those beautiful things that touch my soul. I also feel so blessed to have 2 creative jobs, and many friends that share my love for all things beautiful. I am truly a lucky girl.

Gosh I am so sappy tonight! Listening to all that country music has fried my brain! Just kidding! I really do enjoy it sometimes, (sometimes it is too much!) but I can relate to a lot of the lyrics of everyday life and love stories. Our family life and our love story is so ordinary in a wonderful sort of way. ( okay, I don't know what is wrong with me tonight, feel free to barf at this sappy nonsense at any time!)

Okay, moving on... I taught my last class for the year at The Stamp Art Shoppe last night. It is sad to be through for the year. I love teaching and sharing with my students what I have learned, but I know my own projects are waiting patiently in the wings for my attention. I also have the next round of classes to prepare for. The students at the Shoppe are amazing and so supportive. I will definitely miss them for a few weeks! I never did get a picture of my students. Next round, maybe?

Okay last word... I encourage you to find something in your life that touches you deep in your soul. Whether it is art, music, or family, friends, or your career, your dog, a charity, whatever. I challenge you to open the door to your soul and let something wonderful in! Send me a comment when you find it!

My sappy self says goodnight!

Susan

Busy Doing Nothing

2008-11-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend at The Stamp Art Shoppe was fabulous! Tim Holtz was there teaching classes all weekend and Sandy's Anniversary party was Friday night. I took 2 classes from Tim (awesome!). I wish I could have taken more. Every class is so layered with technique and learning to use his products and just great Tim tips. I was trying to absorb it all in! I also try and pay attention to teaching ideas and styles. He is so good at all those things and seems like a genuinely great person too.

I have been waiting to post until I had a project to show, but I just haven't had time to start anything new of my own, so I guess you'll have to wait! I have been working on a few things, but nothing is finished yet! Thanks for checking in!

Susan

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

2008-10-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm out in Wheatland. We joined Michele (Nick's girlfriend) and her family and had a great day. It was sunny and warm, just beautiful! I love photos from the pumpkin patch. The blue sky against the bright green and orange of the pumpkins is gorgeous! So I had to take lots of photos-193 to be exact!

These are a few of my favorites. I loved the photos of the flowers too. They had mums and roses and sunflowers all over the grounds. I took lots of photos of the kids too. They had so much fun. Michele's dad mentioned how funny it is that last year the Pumpkin Patch was "lame" but this year it is cool! The little lovebirds will do anything to spend time together now! I benefited from this bargain! I love the pumpkin patch!

Just had to show a picture of the little tag at the top of the page that I made one night. I was just playing around and it turned out cute. Hope you like it!

Gotta go for now! Have a good week!

Susan

Fall is definitely here!

2008-10-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

It seems as though summer hangs on by it's fingernails as long as it can and then boom! Overnight almost fall has settled in. We still have the wonderfully sunny days, but there is a crispness to the air. This is one of my most favorite times of the year. I especially love a windy day where the leaves are blowing from the trees and the colors are magnificent in oranges, yellows and reds. I walked around my neighborhood today and took these photos of the beautiful fall colors. Enjoy!

Susan

Blogging about my Journal?

2008-10-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, how self-absorbed does that seem? Oh well. I wanted to post pictures of my journal that I am working on from the Cambria trip. I have to say that it isn't working out exactly like I wanted, but I still like it because I love my photos! Richele hand painted the inside pages and the outside as well, I think. I love the inside pages, but I am covering them up with my writing! I'll have to recreate them for something else. I am not above framing paper! I learn so much hanging around these creative gals.

I have also posted some pics of my doggies because they are so cute! And some of the kids as well. Nick and his girlfriend Michele just went to Homecoming last weekend. Aren't they adorable! The picture at the top is the moon behind some clouds from my backyard. Jake took it. He has quite the eye for composition. I keep trying to push him towards photography and graphic arts.

I'm kinda tired tonight so I'm cuttin' it short. I have to get a decent nights sleep for a change!

Enjoy!

Susan

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's good to be home! I missed my hubby, my kids and my doggies! Dave was a great Mr. Mom while I was gone and the boys stepped up and did their share as well. Thanks guys!

Cambria and SanSimeon were beautiful! We lucked out and had the best weather of theyear. It was sunny and in the 70's everyday with that lovely ocean breeze. My allergies totally cleared up while we were there!

The Stamp Art Shoppe delivered as expected! Sandy and Richele are so awesome! They did so much work to get this trip together. We made 7 projects and had goodie bags, baskets, surprise gifts, and door prizes throughout the weekend. Not to mention we went home with a ton of product left over from our projects. Mind blowing! If they ever do this again, you have to go!

The photos are a few of my favorite shots from the trip. The statues are from Hearst Castle. We visited there on Tuesday. Definitely a must see if you are in the area. It is beautiful! The beach photos are from the beach outside our hotel. The rest of the photos were shops in downtown Cambria that had cute displays and storefronts. I took so many photos! I am so thankful to have a good camera! After looking at my friend's pictures I spent the rest of the time on a photo hunt looking for things to photograph. I thought I lost my last group of photos because my memory card got accidentally erased! Action Cameras near SAS was able to recover them tho. Pheww! I wanted to cry when I thought they were gone. I spent a whole day cropping, printing and cutting out the photos! I am making my journal now, but I am not done yet. I'll post pictures soon.

I better get going! Have a lovely day!

Susan

I'm feeling the love!

2008-10-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who posted comments! I feel the love! I have decided to give you all a little treat, so I will be contacting you by email. I just couldn't cut it off at five. I hope that you all will keep checking back often to see what I've been up to.

We just left the football stadium and we won! Yay! Both varsity and JV won, and my baby got to play a little bit more this week. Go Nick! You make Mom and Dad sooo proud!

On Sunday I leave for Cambria for the Artsea Escape that The Stamp Art Shoppe has put together. I am so excited I can hardly wait! Sandy and Richele are so creative and they think of everything! I have to do laundry and packing and all that fun stuff tomorrow. So, the blog will be quiet for a few days while I am gone. I thought about bringing the laptop, but I kinda doubt I will have time for it. So I promise lots of pics when I get back. I hope to come back to lots of comments! Just kidding! No, really.

Here is a visual for you, it's raining and cold outside, my bed is all cozy and warm upstairs waiting for me to come and get in it. The first cool night in a long time. it smell so good outside right now. I might have to sleep with the windows open just so i can her the rain. Mmmm... I better go, I think my bed is calling me....

Goodnight,

Susan

Can I get a comment here?

2008-09-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you read this blog and you haven't posted a comment on it, SHAME ON YOU! I am offering free goodies that you don't want to miss! Just say "hi" or something, you don't have to write a novel or anything, geez.

I am a busy little bee trying to kit for my next 2 classes at The Stamp Art Shoppe. I took some photos of my supplies because it is kind of amazing to me how much stuff you need for a fun class. If you are signed up for a class, here is your sneak peek at the goodies! I have decided to call them "treasures from the craft cave". My hubby and kids have named my craft room the craft cave because I go in there and get lost for weeks! Besides I just can't bring myself to call it a studio. For one, it's always too messy. Also, it sounds too serious. I am proud of my creations, but... No offense to others who call their craft rooms a studio, but it just doesn't fit me. I love my craft cave!

I have also been working like mad on Etsy items as well. Sales have really slowed down with the bad news from Wall St. As soon as the stocks went down, things slowed down. It's okay tho. I know people will be looking again soon. These are not lavish items, just cute little things you would have to buy somewhere else anyway, so why not from Etsy? I challenge everyone to take a look on Etsy for your Christmas gifts this year, not only will you find unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade items and art, but you will be supporting someone trying to make a living instead of some giant corporation that would squash you like a bug in a blink of an eye. I suppose I should be more PC. Naaaah! Seriously, there is everything from pet supplies to paintings, to handmade soaps, knitted and sewn items, I mean if you can think of something to make at home it is on here. Oh and the jewelry! Beautiful stuff. I know, I now I sound like a broken record, but it's true. Okay shutting up now. Going to bed now. Too tired to think anymore.

Have a fabulous day, Darling!

Susan

2008-09-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sooooo... Work has been slow due to the slump in the economy. So, I have been busy crafting away! I now have 24 items for sale on Etsy! Idle hands are the devil's playthings, right? I have taken that quote very seriously lately! I have posted a few pics of my latest additions for you here to see.

Oh! And can we have a moment here for the Cuttlebug embossing folders? Oh yeah! I am loving these little guys! I was a little slow to jump on board, but my crafty friends have been talking them up sooo much, I had to try them. I had bought some little ones awhile back, but I am loving the large ones for card backgrounds. The cards that I posted here are examples of my embossing folders! So much fun!

These pics are my latest additions to Etsy. Please shop my store and buy them! www.qdesigns.etsy.com Okay, enough of the shameless promoting of my wares...

So in other news... I have kinda finished my room. Finished enough to work in it anyway. (Hence, the flurry of activity!) I still have some issues to resolve, but it is good for the moment. I am so glad that I decided to go back to my old paper storage. It is soooo much better! I feel at piece when I am working and I can actually use my Cricut and Big Shot! Before I could hardly get to them.

Well, I am all outta fun tonight. I bid you goodbye!

Can you smell the coffee?

2008-09-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I host "coffee" for my girlfriends at my house. That means I make breakfast, coffee, and lately, mimosas, for my best friends. I always say that I love with food, so this is my chance to show them some LOVE! It will be good to have some girl time with everyone.

Still working on my room. It is soooooo close to being done. I just need one full day to finish and I probably won't get that until Monday. Oh well. I'll keep picking away at it until then. The important stuff is all in place, I just have to sort thru the junky stuff. Maybe I'll get done before Monday. (I hope!)

I had wanted to post pics of my class last week at the Stamp Art Shoppe, but I didn't have my memory card in my camera at the time and I don't know how to get the photos off the camera's hard drive! Well, I will figure it out and post them sometime soon. So, keep checking back! The picture on the left above is of the cards we are making in the Spooky Greetings class. The pic on the right is for Traditional Holiday Cards and Boxes. The Spooky Greetings class was fun and I have had really good feedback from students and customers. Thanks everyone! There is still space in a few classes, but some of them are full already. Check out the link to The Stamp Art Shoppe on the left and click on the calendar for class times and phone numbers. You can always post a comment for me to read and I can email you back.

Okay, I gotta get some sleep so I can wake up at the actual crack of dawn to make a quiche or two. Breakfast is at 9:30, wanna come?

The rumors are true, I'm addicted....

2008-09-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

To Rock Band, of course! What were you thinking? We bought Nick Rock Band for a belated birthday present, and we started a band and rocked the world! I'm no good at guitar or drums, but I can sing! All those years in choir were good for something! Jake and I trade off at lead singer, and Nick rocks on drums or guitar or bass! Dad is our manager for now, but we're gonna get him in the band. Good times!

Well, it's that time of year again... Time to organize the craft room. Ugh. I figured I better get it into shape with the holidays coming up. I'm already thinking about starting my projects. I went back to my original floorplan. I think it will work better. I try to be organized, but it never stays that way! My last floorplan never really gelled(sp?). The main problem was getting to my paper. Gotta have paper or the whole "paper craft" thing doesn't really work! Wish me luck!

I have 15 items posted on Etsy now! I'm trying to build it up, but things keep selling! Yay! I shipped a bunch of stuff out yesterday. Thanks to Aunti Dale and Vicki for your orders! Thanks also to Kim for her comment! I have a little treat for you! I'll drop it by this week. Drop by my shop and check out the newest items. www.qdesigns.etsy.com

Well, I'm gonna go. I'm tired from cleaning and organizing all day!

Susan

Woohoo! Another sale!

2008-09-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

Look what sold today on Etsy! Thanks to all of you that have been checking out my Etsy store! I had another sale today! It was actually 2 to the same person! Thanks Auntie Dale! I added a few more items today so make sure to check them out!

Happy Day,

In the presence of greatness

2008-09-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all! I spent all day down at The Stamp Art Shoppe today. First I got up at the actual crack of dawn to go down and sign up for the Tim Holtz classes that they will have there in November. I got in! I think they are pretty much full now tho. Then I took an awesome class called Collage Masterpiece from Joanne Burkett. Wow! It was worth staying up until 3 to get my photos printed! Check out her blog! http://www.burkiworks.blogspot.com/ These photos are of some of my collage pieces and you can kinda see the canvas underneath.

Seroiusly tho, I felt as though I was in the presence of a great artist. I tried to be a sponge and absorb all her tips and advice! I especially like the part when we got to get our hands all mucky and dirty to glue the papers down! My canvas turned out great with Joanne's helpful advice and I am still working on my collage pieces. I know I need to relax a little more with it, but I am working on it!

I love the discovery of art, whether you are learning something new or just discovering "happy accidents". I love that feeling when you know it is right and that wonderful kind of "Aha" moment. My mind usually is overrun with about a million ideas at that moment that were inspired by my discovery. It's quite a rush! Who needs drugs!

I know I have said this before, but I encourage you to play with your supplies more. You will discover things and create things that you never imagined. Another tip from Ms. Joanne was to give yourself a deadline and just throw some stuff together as quickly as you can. You may be surprised at how much you can overthink something into boring. I guess what I am trying to say is take risks! What the hell, its only paper, right?

Okay, I am going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes.

"Believing in our hearts that who we are is enough, is the key to a more satisfying and well balanced life." Ellen Sue Stern

I have to remind myself of that every now and then!

Have great day!

Susan

My first sale and my first comment!

2008-09-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

Life is good today! I got my first 2 sales today on Etsy! I also got my first comment here! So Denise, you are getting and extra little goodie along with your Etsy order! Thanks for your support! Thanks to Monica and Denise for my first orders on Etsy. They are being packaged as I type, sort of. I have 4 more little surprises for the next 4 people to comment, so don't wait around!

Okay, I have to take care of some business here. I always promise pictures of what I have worked on so, here goes... The first one is Jake's graduation party invitation and some of the decorations we used for his party. He was such a good sport to let Mom do what she wanted! I love you, Bud! The second and third photos are of the little Thank you cards with pictures we gave out at the party. What a handsome kid!

More pics coming soon! I gotta go to bed now!

Susan

It isn't fall until football starts....

2008-09-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Hellooo! I encourage everyone to check out my etsy store! I now have 5 items listed there! Ooooh, aaaah! One of them is this adorable little Halloween mini book. It is so cute! Check me out at www. qdesigns.etsy.com.

Okay, this Friday is going to be very exciting! Check it out, I have my first class of the quarter in the morning. It is a Halloween card class at Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville, CA. The cards are so cute, I can't wait for the students to make them! Then I have a couple of hours before going to Nick's first football game. I am really excited about that! I love watching my kids do their stuff! I am so proud of Nick's accomplishments. He is a solid player and such a great kid. I will be exhausted by the end of the day!

Hey if you are reading this post, send me a comment and I will send the first 5 people a little thank you gift! Talk to you soon!

Have a great day!

Susan

Getting back into the groove

2008-09-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! Long time no post! I have been busy preparing my samples for classes this fall at the Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville. I have also posted 2 items for sale at Etsy.com. I have so many cards and mini books to sell I am sure you will see a lot of my stuff on there really soon.

Life has been very interesting this summer. We lost two friends, one of ours and one of our son's. It was a tragic start to the summer. School has started back now and everyone seems to be getting back into the groove. Jake will be interning at Toyota this year, and Nick is a sophomore at Rocklin High and playing JV Football.

We do have some good news, though. We adopted a one-year old puppy from a friend. His name is Hank and he is a sweetheart. Nothing like a puppy to heal hearts. Well, that's it for now. I'll be in touch!

Susan

2008-05-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! How's it goin'? Here are those pictures for the baby album. The album is cute, but the baby is beautiful! I can't wait to see her pictures in it!

Senoir Ball is behind us and graduation is almost here so things are buzzing around the house! I am busy working on party invites and a few other projects for the grad party. I'll post those soon.

Here are a couple of pics I promised from Christmas! This was a Christmas album I made for my favorite Auntie. This paper reminded me of her. Classy, beautiful, and stylish. I love you, Auntie!

Okay, gotta go!

Stay cool Fools!

Susan

Twice in a Week!

2008-04-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Twice in one week! I think I peed a little! Just kidding. I got to play a little recently and I made a cute album for a coworker who is having a baby. The baby is a girl and her name will be Jolie. I used the Jolie Chocolat paper from SEI. So cute! As it turns out, the baby's room is pink and chocolate too. I'll post a picture soon.

Got a big birthday celebration this weekend. Jake turns eighteen tomorrow. Saturday we will have a BBQ here and celebrate with family and friends. Hard to believe I was going into labor in a couple hours 18 years ago. Time flies.

I'll try to catch up again on Monday.

Peace out, Dogs.

Susan

Wishing....

2008-04-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Remember me? I'm the retard who keeps promising to post... Well, here I am! Better late than never!

Ok, so here's what's new. I left my teaching job at GT. It was time. It just wasn't a good fit for me and the way I work. I wish Kelly and Paula their best in the business.

My grand-nephew was born in January! Sweet and perfect little Jovani Luke! I've already scrapped 2 pages for him!

My boys are happy and healthy right now. Jake is gearing up for graduation. We just received senior pictures, bought senior ball tickets, and are planning his eighteenth birthday party. (sniff, sniff) Nick has a girlfriend, and has been to a dance or two himself, and working hard at weights after school, and gearing up for football season. (I can't wait!) Dave is the wonderful and loyal husband as always. He's my rock.

Recently, I was extremely flattered to be asked to join the fabulous teachers at The Stamp Art Shoppe in Roseville. I will be teaching a card class over the summer there. I'm so excited! Wish me luck! Come and see me!

The picture above is a "heart quilt" that I made with the "Hey Sugar" paper collection from Cosmo Cricket, and some Grunge Board from Ranger, as well as some bits and pieces from other companies. I got the idea from the Jan/Feb issue of Scrapbooks Etc. It was fun to make and I learned that it works better if you keep the squares simple because it gets busy when they are all together.

I am wishing for some free time to play. It's just been busy, busy, busy. Work, kids, chores. No time to play! I can keep wishing...

Talk to you soon! (I promise!)

Susan

Love is in the air!

2008-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not doing so good at posting once a week am I? It has been a busy couple of weeks and I have just resigned myself to the fact that my life is busy! If I am not busy doing, I am busy putting time into my relationships with friends and family. I am so thankful for the friends and family that I share my life with. Thank you!

My baby grand-nephew was born last Wednesday! Welcome to the family, Jovani Luke! He is precious and adorable and Mom and Dad are doing fine too!

In honor of Valentine's Day coming up I am posting some photos of the "Love Book" that I had designed for my hubby, David. It's a little girlie for a guy, but he's man enough to handle it! I just loved the bright paper from Scenic Route and I had to do something with it! I used some chipboard letter outlines in between the pages to spell out the word "love". I also used the Interactive Love Circles from Danell Johnson's Art Warehouse, Rusty Pickle's Love definitions, and Truly, Madly, Deeply from Technique Tuesday. They are all really cool acrylic stamp sets. It was really fun to create. I have also been working on some Valentine cards and decorations. I'll post them as soon as they are completed.

I am still working on the house, getting cleaned up and organized. I did as much as I can do in the craft room until I buy new furniture. Priorities! Everything else is coming along though. I am hoping for a quiet weekend to pull the rest together. Well, speaking of cleaning, I have a couple of hours before I have to go to work today, soooo...... Can you guess what I am gonna do?

I hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods, cuz I have blue skies today! Go out and enjoy your day!

Susan

2008-01-15T00:41:00.000-08:00

What is it about January that drives us to want to clean, organize, redecorate, and redo? I guess it is the "clean slate" or "new beginning" feeling that we get when start the calendar over again, I don't know. I know for me I really want to get my house clean and organized because well, it needs it. But seriously, I am thinking along the lines of my 2008 goals, and I want to start working on some ideas I have had for artwork for my house. Also, my cool new Christmas toys required me to reorg my craftroom/office. (They didn't fit!) So here I sit, in my craftroom sans office, (the office part got itself reorg'ed to the kitchen) feeling prety excited about my new digs. Life is good.

The photos posted today are of some tags I made for the Halloween submissions call. I have been having fun with some of the techniques Tim Holtz uses on his 12 tags of Christmas. Check out his website and be inspired! I certainly am! I love Halloween it is one of my favorite holidays. I also have a photo of some angel tags I made for someone special. I love playing with different stamps and colors and combining them all to make my own images. It makes me happy.

Have an awesome day!

Susan

2008-01-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year! Christmas came and went with a blur! It was a low key and memorable holiday though. I did not get all my projects done, but since my whole family has a birthday sometime in the next 2 months, they will be birthday gifts! Enjoy these photos of our Christmas!

Sorry that it has been so long! I promise to blog more in the new year! Right now I am playing around with some of the techniques Tim used for his 12 Tags of Christmas, creating some cute Hallowen designs to submit, and trying to learn all I can about my new cricut! Santa was good to me this year and I have lots of new toys to play with in my craft room. It brings me so much joy to create!

This year I have some definite goals that I would like to acheive in the world of paper arts. I encourage you to set at least one goal for yourself, no matter how small it seems and stick to it this year. Even if it is something as simple as take 5 photos a week, or journal about something once a week, or complete one project you started by the end of the month. Try to pick something achievable and not overwhelming, but still a challenge for yourself.

Here are a few of my goals for this year:

create art for my home

beef up my card stash

submit to more publications

work on my scrapbooks

take more photos

take a photo class

take more art classes

learn more techniques

trust my crazy ideas!

Those ought to keep me busy this year! I'll keep you posted on how I am doing with my progress.

Susan

Hello & Welcome!

2007-12-17T23:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, and welcome to my first post! This is such a fun way to keep in touch with friends and family and show you what I have been working on. I look forward to hearing from you all, so let me know what you think, okay!

In the Porter household we are trying to get the boys through finals week and finish up our Christmas preparations. We got our tree a little late this year, so we are behind in the decorations department. No worries! Christmas happens whether the house is decorated or not, right! That's what I keep telling myself so that I can sleep at night anyway!

I have been working hard on Christmas gifts and some classes at Green Tangerines for January. You'll have to wait for pictures of the gifts until after the 25th! Don't want to give away the surprise! I'll post the pictures of the class samples ASAP though. I made some darling cards for Valentine's Day using the new K&Co "Smitten" line. I know, I know, Christmas isn't even over yet. Shame on me for even bringing Valentine's Day up, but... You know we crafters have to be one step ahead if we want to get the cute stuff!

I have been so inspired by classes I have taken this last year and it really has helped me to let go and create what I like. I love when we can get together and build on one another's ideas!

Oh! Another scrapbooker has been born! My girlfriends and I were making an album for a friend who is going through a tough time, and we converted his wife! She sat down to help and she was awesome right from the get go! I love it! She has been out foraging for supplies at the LSS (Green Tangerines!) every other day!

Okay, one more piece of juicy news and I will have to go. Check out the Stamper's Sampler Take Ten Winter 2008 issue, because.... I got published! Pages 26 & 42. I was so surprised! I thought time was up long ago and I didn't make it in. Yay!

Have a fabulous day and I'll chat with you soon!

Susan