So Suzy Stamps Friendship Hop

Good morning, everyone! Are you enjoying our So Suzy Friendship Hop?? Hard to believe we've only known each other for a year now...seems like it was just yesterday these ladies were hearing for the first time that I was going to mail them my Jasper cat. LOL

As a special 'thank you' to everyone who has been on the team, followed our blog and made new friends, we are doing a Friendship Blog Hop with some of our past and present Design Team members. Be sure to leave a comment on everyone's blogs for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to So Suzy Stamps! Woohoo!

You should be arriving from sweet Martha's beautiful blog - I just love that gal. One day I'll get to hug her in person!

For my card, I broke out the Distress Inks and water to do some water coloring. The first time I saw that lovely rose hanging in Suzy's shop, I knew what I wanted to do with it!

Distress Inks - Wild Honey, Abandoned Coral, Twisted Citrus

I hear some of you giggling...you know already what stamp I used for the sentiment, don't you? It was just so fitting for my teammate loves!

Stamps - Rose, Open Sketch Heart, Weird Stalker

Hehehehehe, I truly do love them all in a non-stalker way. Ok, off you go to my dear Monica's blog to continue on the hop! You have until December 4th to leave us some love for a chance at that gift certificate to the shop.

Happy Crafting!

Happy Birthday, Pink by Design!

Tomorrow Pink by Design stamp company turns 2 years old! The celebration has already begun on Pinterest where we're all Inking it Pink!

In celebration I unearthed a couple photos of projects I made with their stamps that I never posted. (Sadly, I have a whole stack of their lovely items that still haven't seen ink...)

Sentiment from 'Here Comes the Bride'

Some of you may remember this one from my shop last Valentine's Day. I salvaged some puzzle pieces and gave them new life with a coat of red paint. The sentiment was a perfect match (ooo, I kill myself!) so I stamped it in black VersaMark ink and then topped it off with some clear embossing powder for added texture and shine. They're easy to make quickly, but each one is still unique thanks to the puzzle pieces.

Sentiment from 'Here Comes the Bride'

This one was fun to make. I started with a big square card base, 6"x6" (oh yes, extra postage would be required) and added a layer of the pretty black & cream damask print. I think it was from a pad of...oh boy...no, it could have just been a single sheet from my stash. Have I mentioned lately that I love hoarding scrapbook paper? Anyway, I punched out and embossed two black 2" circles with my Big Shot then layered them on the card. I glued the first down right to the card, then popped up the second one to give it some dimension. On top of that went the wedding cake. I admit, that one isn't from PbD - it's one from the dollar bid. I stamped it on white card stock then fussy cut it out before decorating. Gel pens and Stickles made excellent 'frosting', don't you think? The sentiment is from the same PbD set I used on the puzzle card - it's really perfect for all things lovey-dovey. :) The edges got inked up and small red pearls added to compliment the colors on the cake. I popped that one up with foam squared, too. I went pretty dimension crazy that day, but it turned out really pretty. Sheer ribbon wrapped around the side was the final touch and I sold it at a craft show to a mother of the bride. She wanted something really unique for her daughter, and when I mentioned that it was OOAK she was sold! I love the thought that a happy bride & groom received this on their wedding day. <3

Oof...I'm being tackled by a toddler demanding food! LOL I'd better feed him something before he starts gnawing on the furniture...tomorrow I'm off to an all-day scrap crop! Yay for uninterrupted crafting time!!

Happy Crafting!

Say it with Conversation Hearts!

I was inspired by the Crafty Steals blog to try to make a card from a sketch...I think it came out rather cute:

After all, who says that conversation hearts are only for kids? A little paper punching, some ribbon, add a smattering of embossing, ink everything...tada! I simply used my own handwriting for the sentiments, in classic conversation heart red. What do you think? If you really, really must have one of you own I've got it up in my Etsy shop.

Ok, now I'm off to play with all the fun 'toys' I bought today...yay! The one nice thing about having a husband glued to the PS3 is that I get plenty of craft room time...mwahahahaha...

Happy Crafting!

Freebie Monday - Weddings & Love

Three years ago today I married my best friend. This has made me slightly sentimental, so today's freebie is a little group of word art perfect for wedding pages, anniversary, and love in general. 

The download includes all four phrases saved as high quality .jpg files ready to decorate your layouts!  Just add the download to your cart and proceed with checkout. After that you will be emailed the link to download your free word art. It's that simple!

Don't forget, should you need cards or gifts for any upcoming weddings and anniversaries be sure to check out our store.  See you next week!

Twenty-one Minutes

I slide the quarters into the machine and with a 'click, woosh' the washer comes to life. The water starts pouring in and the timer begins counting down the length of the cycle: 21 minutes. I settle into the chair in the laundry room, pull out my phone, and wait.

This is not my laundry in the machine, it is my grandmother's. Grammy, as she is known to her five grandchildren, is a young 86 and lives in an apartment that is part of an assisted living complex. She lives on her own and needs no nursing help but enjoys not having to worry about taking care of a house and all the amenities they have to offer here. However, the laundry room is down two flights of stairs which she has no desire to maneuver. That's where I come in.

Ever since my career divorced me (at least, that's how I like to explain it) I come over to Gram's once a week to clean and run the laundry for her. What do we get out of it? Well Gram gets time with her granddaughter and great-grandson, clean laundry and floors, and a chauffeur to any errands she wants to do. Kieran, the one and only great-grandchild to date, gets to play with his Great-Grammy, eat french fries, and usually baby food from Target...or a toy...or both. Not that he's spoiled or anything. ;)

What do I get? Time. Time with my one remaining grandparent, time to watch my son radiate love for his Great-Grammy, time to etch these moments into my heart and snap as many candid shots as I can of him sprawled in her lap asleep or the two of them sitting on the floor together while she feeds him vanilla ice cream. Time to have her reminisce about her life and relatives I never knew. Time to talk and laugh about our family and the latest 'thing' going on.

I also get twenty-one minutes while the washer does its thing all to myself. I can read a magazine, catch up on correspondence, browse the internet, or blog. The time always goes by so fast but is always enjoyed. While I sit in the laundry room my Grammy is in her apartment with my son. I don't know exactly what they do for their twenty-one minutes together but I know they enjoying every second they spend together.

I hope and pray that Grammy will live long enough that Kieran can have memories of her, but if not I will happily show him photos of the two of them together and tell him the stories I've collected from her of our family. Most importantly I will tell him of our Wednesdays together and those special twenty-one minutes.