Sassy Studio Designs Design Team

Hello, and happy Thursday to ya. I'm having a happy day because....

I'm proud to announce that I've been selected to join the SSD Design Team! I'll be sharing more of my cards with Lindsay's wonderful art over the next few months. I have a responsibility to dear Lindsay and SSD, plus I work much better under a deadline! Yay!

I hope you take a little time to wander over to the SSD shop and check out her offerings. New releases happen on the 1st and 15th of each month, beginning January 15th (everyone gets New Year's Day off - what a way to start a new "job"!). There will be Release Parties with fun, games and perhaps prizes!

Important web sites to know and click on often! :)

Sassy Studio Designs Shop
Sassy Studio Designs Blog
Sassy Studio Designs Gallery and Chat at Paper Craft Planet
Sassy Studio Designs Gallery at Splitcoast Stampers

Happy day to you.Susan

[Edited to fix the posting date... I might have jumped the gun in my announcement, but I was so darned excited!]

Snow Goddess

Hiya, here is the final version of this art card (I know, I know - very late!). I thought about adding lace and such, but once I straightened the fairy it was better balanced. I used a Michelle Perkett digital stamp, colored with Prismacolor pencils and Stickles, and used Flower Soft for the muffler and collar. Cricut Storybook helped out with the leaf shapes (love Storybook!)

I really like this card, and to hold it and see it in person is to love it! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
Susan

Where Has The Time Gone?

Hello! Wow, I can't believe it's already the 28th! The New Year is upon us, and I am itching to get back in the studio. I found 2 fun Die Cuts With A View (DCWV) paper stacks a week or three ago: a Michaels-exclusive stack called "Berry Street Farmers Market", and a Joann's find called "Be Mine".  This second stack is pinks, blues, and greens - all with a romantic, vintage-y feel. And gee, Valentines is coming up, right? How convenient! *grin*

By the way, US and Canada residents can go to this DCWV web page, watch a short video on the stacks, and at the end enter to win your choice of the 4 Michaels-exclusives. Belle Cafe is my choice!

Finnegan got a Snuggie from Aunt Courtney. How funny is this?

He made out like a bandit - new collar, bed, water bowl mat (ok, that was more for me and my kitchen floor) tons of toys and treats. He suffered excitement overdose and basically passed out for a few days. We've put some new toys away for later. Grammydog and Grampydog got him a huge plush dog and it's wayyy too adorable to see him carry it around. Even better than the teddy bear, I think!

Today I'm waiting for the HVAC guy to see what's up with the 2nd floor heat pump. It might have burned up a bit on Christmas day... there was smoke and that nasty burning electrical smell... luckily the first floor is heated by a furnace *and* it's been in the 50's. We didn't freeze out my wonderful in-laws during their visit. Outside temps have dropped significantly, though, so a fix can't come soon enough. *grin*

After the HVAC diagnosis, I'm off to see what is left at Michael's. I haven't done any post-Christmas shopping yet, and I have a gift card burning a hole in the wallet. (Thanks Courtney!) I'm hoping they still have the Cosmo Cricket boy stack (can't remember the formal name) I saw a few weeks ago. I think it was on a clearance, so I'm not getting hopes up too high. I'll also look at the jewelry findings, although I don't think that store sells the kind of wires and tools I need.  Open stock papers are 30% off, which makes their too-high prices a little more palatable.

(Hey! Where did all this chattiness come from?! Oh, right, my resolve to give a little bit of the "Susan" in Killam Creative. I just didn't expect *this*... Haha)

I'm very excited to be jumping feet first into the chainmaille and wirework jewelry world. In the coming months you'll see some wild stuff coming out of Killam Creative! Loads of research going on now, including finding a good Argentium and sterling silver wire supplier. On the photographic front, Santa brought me a new macro Speedlight system, so my macro work will be out of this world. I've fired off a few test shots and I'm gobsmacked! In addition, I'll be attending Nikon School in March. Sitting here right now, I can't even imagine who I will be in one year. It's very exciting! I couldn't do it without the incredible support of my husband. Heh, I can almost feel his shoe on my butt and hear his words as I fly out the door, "Go forth and photograph!"

AND I got Copics. I can finally stop agonizing over pencil lines. Yay! Thanks Lori!

So, how was *your* Christmas? Any new projects on the horizon? I'd love to hear about them!

Cheers,
Susan

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great holiday, and my very best wishes for a wonderful New Year. Thanks so much for reading my blog and buying my cards and layouts. I have great plans for Killam Creative in 2010, so keep an eye out!

Cheers,
Susan

Etsy Greetings Team Giveaway

Hello dear friends! I have a giveaway going on thru Friday at the Etsy Greetings Team blog. This card was a neat experiment for me, and I want to share the fun with you! If you are interested in winning, hike on over and throw me a little love. *wink* You've got a great chance of winning!

Cheers,
Susan

[Edit] Congratulations to Nat of Adore by Nat for winning this card! Thanks to everyone who played along.  -Susan

CLP #12

Hiya! Here's a quick post for Chelsea's sketch challenge. More info about the card, the challenge and the illustrator (Michelle Perkett!) in a bit. (Better photos with less green, too...)  *grin*

Thanks for stopping in!

Susan

Chesapeake East Fine Art Event

I want to send a very big THANK YOU to everyone who came to the show this weekend. I made new friends, gained wonderful customers, and came away feeling the glow of Community.

Cheers to each and every one of you!

Susan

Happy Happy and CLP 11

Happy Thanksgiving!

My "show" is tomorrow and Saturday. I'm exhausted beyond belief and really proud of what I've accomplished. I've missed reading your blogs! I did manage to kick out a killer Thanksgiving dinner (if I do say so myself!) - I refused to let this show get in the way, especially it would just be the two of us this year. Loads of last-minute things to do tonight.

I have a card to share, made for Chelsea's Crafting Life's Pieces Sketch Challenge #11. I'm determined to win for the month of November, plus she makes cool sketches. *grin*

 

This is a Sassy Studio Designs digital stamp colored with Prismacolor pencils and Stickles; Cricut Storybook die cut swirly things, Prima flowers, Bazzill shimmer card stock and K & Co Peppermint Twist and Christmas Cheer patterned card stock. Oh, and venise lace, pearls and charms I put together.

Cheers!

Susan

Quixotic Paperie Challenge #3

Hello! Thanks for stopping in today. This week's Quixotic Challenge theme is 'kraft and red", and I used kraft paper color rather than the paper itself. This is my first collage-type card, and I'm pleased with the result. Hope you like it!

Cheers!
Susan

Home for the Holidays

Hello! Today's card is -once again- inspired by a Crafting Life's Pieces sketch challenge. This is for challenge #10, and here's the sketch:

Here is my card:

 

 

 

 

The image is a Mo Manning stunner. (Check out Digital Pencil Too for more of her great art!)

Another challenge blog entered is the Cupcake Craft Challenge 66, which was to "Go Digital."

I also entered this card into The Color Throwdown #69 challenge:

Papers: Waussau White, Bazzill, MME, Recollections Brown Shimmer

Medium: Prismacolor pencils

Embellishments: K&Co (border adhesive), grosgrain ribbon, MS punch branches, MM metals

Thanks for stopping by!

Susan

Birdie Calendar

Here's one of the calendars made for the Thanksgiving weekend craft show.

Etsy Greetings Team Holiday Event!

Hello! Happy Friday to all.

My fabulous cohorts at Etsy Greetings Team are having a Holiday Event this weekend. Each participating artist has a special offer on a holiday item this weekend only! It could be free shipping or extra goodies included in the sale. Please take a few minutes at our EGT blog and check us out. You'll see me on the top right corner!

Thanks for stopping by!
Susan

CLP Challenge #9 - Winter Fairy (Updated!)

Hello! This lovely Winter Fairy card is modeled after the CLP Sketch Challenge #9. I'm also entering it over at this week's Totally Gorjuss Bling Bling challenge - she's all bling'd out! And -believe it or not- I am entering it at Quixotic Paperie's 2nd Challenge (Stitching). Yay!

I had a lot of fun with this card. The Gorjuss Girl stamp was colored weeks ago, waiting in the wings for her moment to shine. And shine she does! If you look carefully, you'll notice I masked out her hair on the 3D wings. I knew I wanted the raised effect, but those few tendrils of hair over the wings looked weird and disconnected. Much better now!

Now, the deets:
Paper: K&Co DP, Bazzill, Co'ordinations, Wassau
Medium: Stickles, Ranger GA, Prismacolor pencils
Embellishments: MS Punch, brads, MM pins, my own beadwork, metal disc from my stash, ribbon

Thanks for taking a look!

Cheers,
Susan

Vintage Boy Christmas Card

(I can't seem to get the color right - either with the point -n- shoot or the DSLR. Oy! I guess that's what happens when you rush around like a chicken with it's head cut off.)

Originally for Chelsea's challenge, this little boy kicked my butt into the night last night. (Procrastinate much, Susan?) I didn't make the deadline, but that's OK. Chels does great sketches, and I'll work on the next one.
 [Edit: I *did* make it! I am doing a happy dance right now!]

Ok, here's the story: One of Matthew's co-workers requested Christmas cards for her teen sons to give their Godparents and a card she can give to her 13 year old Goddaughter. Apparently there aren't enough age-appropriate cards out there, so she thought of me. How cool is this? *Very* cool.

The girl card is going to be easy, but the boy cards present an interesting challenge. Right now I'm enjoying my Prismacolor pencils and stamps, so off I go to find teen boy images... and after loads of searching I really only found 2 that might work out. This "Vintage Boy" card is made with a Ladybug & Friends stamp, and is one possibility for the 16 year old. In the original stamp the boy is holding a bouquet of flowers behind his back (I masked them out).

The other stamp set is from The Greeting Farm, called My Guy Ian. I haven't ordered the set yet since I'm still on the fence and waiting for the lovely Lindsay over at Sassy Studio Designs. I really like her digital stamps, and she's going to try her best to make a boy to add to her Teen Scene series. It would be part of her November 15th Winter Release, and I won't find out until then. I have my fingers crossed!

Anyway, about this particular card:

Papers: Bazzill, Canson Mi-Tiente, Basic Grey and Webster's Pages
Embellishments: Repro vintage garland, grosgrain ribbon, MM Findings, Cricut "snowflake".
Boy: Elisabeth Bell's "For Someone Special" stamp, Prismacolor pencils

Admittedly, I thought the end result was odd, but he has grown on me and I love him now. *wink*

Cheers!
Susan

Etsy and the Tooth Fairy

Hello!

So, my first Etsy uploads are starting to expire. It's surprising to me that I jumped into that world *only* 4 months ago. I'm 'thinking' or 'doing' constantly to further my efforts that I'm taken aback at my short little timeline. Card-making started years before this, of course, but I never put myself out there until this summer. I have been in excellent company from the first day! I love reading your blogs and I'm gobsmacked daily by your talents. Thanks to you, I've learned so many new techniques and have broadened my design horizons. After all, Kleenex turned into a pretty good ruffle, didn't it?

I'll renew some of those expired listings over the next day or two. It's another 20¢ per card for another 4 months. Staggering the renewal keeps me close to the quickly-changing first page on a Handmade Card search. Phew, that's a place a card could stay on for hours "back in the day", now it's relegated to deeper pages within minutes. I'm not sure what I'll do with the cards I don't renew. My style has changed so much that I feel they don't really represent me anymore. Maybe I'll do a Sale basket at my Thanksgiving show and see what happens. Or donate to a church bazaar. Suggestions?

Here's a special-order Tooth Fairy card, made for an adorable little boy called Jack.

 

 

The airplane paper is Cosmo Cricket - Oh, how I love Cosmo Cricket! The vintage airplane charm is Blue Moon and the chain is a vintage bit passed down from Grandma's stash. The star paper is actually a pocket for Official Tooth Fairy Business. *wink* I really hope Mom likes it!

Cheers, and thanks for visiting today!
Susan

eBay Halloween Scrapbook Layout

Hellooo! So I got down to business and finished my Halloween "tear bear" layout. Phew! This one took a long time and I'm glad it's complete. It's not a particularly complicated layout, but I was stumped over and over when I looked at the house on the original background paper. It was dark, gloomy and uninviting to work on. (It was a dark gray paper with subtle lighter gray flourishes.) I just happened to lay this orange paper near the house and the house popped! After that I *wanted* to work on it, and it all came together in a few days.

I tried a new technique on the bears and found it easier, with better results. Instead of wet-tearing the bear parts, I "drew" bear parts on the back of the paper with an embossing tool (which is not new for me) and then tore the parts from dry paper. I then used the softer brush in my brush set to fluff and stuff, with better results that my wet-tearing efforts. It was faster, too.

Anyway, here are photos of the layout:








Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,

Susan

Swine Sniffles in Detail

This is a Mo Manning digital image called "Swine Flu". How fabulous is Mo?! The background paper is so sweet and grandmotherly that I can't help but think a cup of tea is on it's way. Believe it or not, the white ruffle is compliments of Kleenex!

 

 

 

Stamp: Digital Pencil, Too

Paper: MMBI, Bazzill, Wassau for stamp

Etc: Prismacolor pencils, Prima flowers, Making Memories metal tag, Kleenex, MS leaf punch

Thanks for stopping by!
Susan 

World Card Making Day!

In honor of WCM Day I'd like to share a little bit of my current projects. None are finished yet, of course. This morning I did finish my CLP Challenge entry, so even if the day doesn't let me in the studio, I've done my part to celebrate. *grin*

This is a Mo Manning digital image called "Swine Flu". How fabulous is Mo?! I originally wanted to use this for the challenge, but he's too big for the required elements. The background paper is so sweet and grandmotherly that I can't help but think a cup of tea is on it's way. Believe it or not, the white ruffle is compliments of Kleenex!

The next teaser is from a set of Christmas cards. I used Martha Stewart's incredibly versatile branch punch over and over and over and over until I had enough for about 5 trees. Then my hand cramped up  - conveniently in the shape of a wine glass, whose contents made the cramping disappear. See how that works?

These cards still need to be "blinged out", but I'm really pleased with the combination of branch punch and Pearl Glimmer Mist. The finished card will be relatively simple - silver star on top and a combination of sheer ribbon and "s" shaped findings. I'll show more when all the "mail order" parts come in.

My last project teaser isn't a card, but a glimpse of my one and only pre-made Halloween layout. I've worked on this house off and on for about a week, partly just staring at it for the next clue as to what it needs. :) I really enjoy paper piecing, and this one challenged me with its little bitty parts. The door is Cricut-cut, but everything else is hand cut.

There will be costumed tear bears, of course. It should be up by the 10th or so;  it's getting late in the season and I'm sure my mind isn't the only that's moved on the more "festive" holiday projects!

I hope your day is productive!

Susan

Tooth Fairy and CLP #4 - Updated

Meet Tooth Fairy Cynthia, from InStyle Stamps. Isn't she a sweetheart? I made this using Chelsea's sketch at Crafting Life's Pieces. Chelsea's Gurlee Girl line of stamps is absolutely adorable - check them out here!

 There is a pocket to tuck tooth fairy money (OK, parents don't really give $5 for a tooth, do they? I couldn't find a $1...). If you choose to leave it empty, that's OK, too!

 

Stamp: In Style Stamps 
Paper: Bo Bunny, Bazzill, KI Memories
Medium: Prismacolor pencils, Color Box Chalk, Pearl Glimmer Mist
Embellishments: Prima, Swarovski crystals, beads, charm, lace 

She's on Etsy - check her out. :)


Thanks for stopping by!

Susan

Do You Know Craftgawker?

Craftgawker came about from Foodgawker fans who wanted to see, well, handmade crafts. Both sites feature beautiful photography and are inspiring for my tummy *and* my creativity!


I joined (it's free) and submitted my two latest cards. They pondered and thought and thought and pondered until they finally decided my Chubby Fairy was worthy. Hear that? I'm worthy! *grin*

Clicky here to go directly to the "Paper Goods" page, where you will see my lovely! She's image #5590 and can also be found on the front page.


Cheers!

Susan

Fabulous Chubby Fairy Card!

Remember the fairy card I did for my first sketch challenge? I was never completely happy with her, so I made a few changes. My original version felt heavy on the flowers and didn't focus on the fairy - just not balanced. So, I pondered it for a while and chatted up my design assistant (heh - also know as Matthew, The Husband) and this is the end result. I am *much* happier with this card.

Behind her wand follows a trail of tiny flowers (with Swarovski crystals centers)

 

 

The Fairy is a Mo Manning design, colored with Prismacolor pencils;

Flowers are Prima with Swarovski centers;

Paper is... pretty. I can't remember the manufacturer!

The envelope box is my own design, although there are a million templates out there.

She's up on Etsy - take a look!

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great day!

Susan