I Won!

I am all atwitter right now - I won a Molly Lee giveaway on the Etsy Greetings blog! Molly makes incredible interactive cards and some pretty amazing pop-ups. There are two spinning "3 Reasons" cards where I write in the blanks 3 of the many reason the recipient is fabulous, and an amazing flying pig pop-up. *That* card is going on my inspiration shelf (when the awesome Husband puts it up *hint hint*).

My Winnings:

Check out Molly's Etsy site - she's got the funniest interactive beer buddy, too. And our Etsy Greetings blog is jam packed with spectacular card artists with a weekly giveaway. Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Susan

My First Sketch Challenge!

This is my first attempt at a sketch challenge! The challenge is from Chelsea at Crafting Life's Pieces and the image is from Mo's Digital Pencil Too. Running over to enter it in the challenge before it's too late - more details in a bit!

Ok, that's done. Now for my thoughts on this card full of "firsts".

I've really wanted to work with my Prismacolor pencils and found this fabulous stamp from Mo. Oh my - if you haven't checked her art out yet, RUN don't walk, over there! There are so many fabulous images that are different and unique. I know I'll be buying a ton more!

With this challenge we were allowed to move the elements around a bit, so I did.

The fairy is triple layered, with 1/8" pop dots between the layers. The wand is my almost-exact replica of the original stamp's drawn lines, and the star is from the original drawing. Her wings, shawl, sash, lips and nails are painted with Lumiere paint, and the rest is colored in with Prismacolor pencils. (I need a lot more practice!) I heat set the printed image since early attempts smeared even with a dry pencil (before the OMS came into it).

The circle is blue vellum that was embossed, inked on the edges and then spritzed with Glimmer Mist. It's very different in person than in these photos, though. I like the overall subtle effect but need to work more on a finished edge. Most of the flowers were spritzed with Glimmer Mist and some have Swarovski crystal centers.

Don't forget to pop on over to Chelsea's and see the other great entries - I'm in fabulous company!

Thanks for stopping in!

Susan

On eBay Right Now!

Hello dear readers! I have this scrapbook layout and a matching card on eBay - I'd be forever grateful if you took a minute to check them out! Thanks!

And here's the card:

Cheers, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Susan

Playing in Leaves Card

Here's a sneak at my next card *and* next layout. I wanted to show a boy bear playing in a pile of leaves whilst mom/dad is raking. I remember doing that as a child! The card inside isn't completed yet, but it will be layers and leaves and such. The layout probably won't be up for two weeks due to a long weekend away.

I'll add another leaf or two near his left paw, I think. How do *you* like it?

Shopping, On- and "Off"-line.

We made the 2-hour drive to Joann's and Costco yesterday. Joann's is a Superstore and a real treat when I can get up there.Loose papers (regularly 59¢) were on sale 5/$1. I picked an armful, including Core'dinations. I've never used them and am always in search of solid core cardstocks, so this will be fun.

I spend a lot of time poking around online shops and, as a result, am really shocked at the high prices in my local Michaels. What are they thinking? I *had* to have Imaginisce's Twitterpated "Hey Foxy" paper, so I bought one at $1.99... (and never used it). Now that I have an idea for it I found it online for half the price. *sigh* What *is* Michael's thinking?

Speaking of online buying, I want to give a shout-out to a few favorite shops.

The Beary Scrap is where I get mulberry paper. Kimm is a very sweet lady and offered tons of great advice when I started making bears. I am indebted to her. She currently has a ton of new papers in the shop, and is having great sales in her eBay store.

I found a great selection of great quality metal findings at Accent Factory on eBay. I compared a few sellers and found that Accent Factory has the best quality *and* the best pricing.They are great to work with!

Lunagirl Images has a mouth-watering selection of Victorian and Vintage images.

So, where do *you* find the best deals? Do you have a favorite for metal embellishments? I'm always on the lookout for shops with a wide selection of charms and such, and would appreciate your share!

Oh, and Costco was dangerous as always. Husband and I have fun shopping Costco together, but we do get in trouble while we're there! :)

Off to play. Have a great Sunday!

New Layout - On Ebay Tomorrow!

Here's my newest layout. I wanted to create a backyard feel, and I think I succeeded! Everything except the birdhouse and leaves on flowers are hand made. The fence is shadowed with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. The tree is layered and edges are inked. I shaded in the tree trunk with Prismacolor, too.

The birdhouse is from the Cricut "Stretch Your Imagination" cartridge, and the leaves are a Martha Stewart punch and another cartridge (I can't remember at the moment). The bird is hand cut, but is inspired by a Cricut cartridge I don't have... yet. :)

The auction goes "live" tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Birthday Card for Courtney

My dear sister-in-law had a birthday last week. Here is the card I sent: