Surprise Toot

Don't fall out of your chairs I'm updating my blog AGAIN TODAY... no I'm not going to be one of those people who blog multi times a day - most times you're lucky if I share a couple times a week.... but I had to toot about this.

I was going thru the email attached to my blog & deleting things.  I opened an email from Scrapbook Trends to read about the new Cricut Magazine when what do I see huge staring at me but my sister dressed as a bee - they put my layout that was in the October issue in the spotlight of their email!  It sure brought a smile to my face.

BUZZ-WORTHY HALLOWEEN LAYOUT

find more great ideas in Scrapbook Trends Magazine »

BOO NOT BUZZ by Suz Gray Patterned paper, rub ons (dotted line, stamp): Pink Paislee; Stickpin: Maya Road; Ribbon: Making Memories (thick), May Arts (thin); Thread: Coats & Clark; String: Craft supply; Letter stickers: American Crafts (foam), Jenni Bowlin Studio (round); Pearl flourishes: Prima; Bingo card: Jenni Bowlin Studio; Pen: American Crafts; Scalloped circle punch: Martha Stewart Crafts.

thanks for letting me share - have a great day

Journaling Challenges

Thanksgiving and the holidays are fast approaching and it's easy to get caught up in all the "hoopla" that goes along with it,   I'm usually guilty of  not taking time to appreciate the everyday & take time for myself,  I stumbled on 2 daily challenges that I was interested in focusing on.

The first one Scarlet Namvong challenged us to focus on the things we are thankful for this month.  When I take the time to look at what I am thankful for no matter how bad things get I seem to feel differently about things because I can clearly see how trivial the bad is & the good far outweighs the bad.

I like how Scarlet leaves it open how elaborate each person wants to get with the challenge.  I will be making an altered book journal for mine so it will be something I can encourage myself with if I get down.

Here's what Scarlet wrote on her blog about joining in.

how you can participate :: 

write a sentence, tell a story, take a photo...

blog it, tweet it, facebook it, journal it, scrapbook it...
share your gratitude daily or summarize it weekly...

The second challenge is...

Rhonna Farrer is hosting a 21 day challenge coaching us to make or break a habit.  She is an absolute delight and full of energy.  I'm looking forward to reading her blog posts & watching the Wednesday live show for inspiration to achieve this.  Focusing on a specific thing makes it do-able.  Here's the details from her blog...

1. Choose 1 habit you want to make or break in the 21 days.

*we'll end on Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S.*

2. Choose an art journal of some kind. old book, notebook, scrapbook, sketch book...something! 

OR you can make the little book  out of the NEW House of 3 21 Challenge kit. There's a tiny book that you can make 5x 2.5. I love it. I've found that sometimes you don't have the time to do a full blown art journal, but you do need 5 min. of creative time....a small canvas is much more do-able at times.  But, you may choose to have a larger book..whatever inspires you!

3. Meet back here on Friday, November 5th for your daily motivational coaching!  I'll have art from the kit plus quotes, motivation & a kick in the can for you! *and me*. LOL. 

*note: this week's Wednesday Web Show will be an intro to The {21} Challenge. I'll share some of my past journals with you, my experiences & my tips for your successful 21 day journey!

Scrappers Give Back

I stumbled upon a post one day when I was lost in blog land (you know when you start clicking on links and favorites from one blog to another) about creating mini book pages for kids in the hospital.  I knew that was something I wanted to participate in.

The 2nd annual Scrappers Give Thanks project has a goal of assembling 2000 participant-created 4×6 pages into 100 ten page (double-sided) mini albums to be delivered to 10 children’s hospitals across the country. Submitted pages should be scrapbook-style mini artworks containing positive words, happy images, jokes etc. and may be in digital or tangible formats.

Specifications

The Scrappers Give Thanks mini albums will be assembled with 4×6 page protectors and o-rings. To ensure a consistent look and feel, participants must adhere to the following specifications:

• Single-sided 4×6 pages
• Vertical orientation only (4″ wide by 6″ tall)
• Include age-appropriate positive messages and/or images
• No glitter, embellishments greater than 1/4″ thick or copyrighted images

I think this will be a blessing to the kids & brighten their day in a little way.  I hope you join & help us reach the goal of 2000 pages.

Paperclipping September Challenge Winner

I wanted to congratulate the winner of the Paperclipping Challenge last month... Angie Ladeau & share her   beautiful serene nature layout she created for our challenge.

This  is what Angie had so say about her layout:

I am experimenting with layouts that have less “stuff” on them and more photos and words. I love the idea of a big photo used as a background to draw the viewer immediately into the action of this story. It seems to say, “Let’s go explore!” As we entered the field that evening the sun was just starting to set and the light was waning fast. I loved the texture of the mushrooms and saw my daughter walking out of the frame as I crouched down to capture its remarkable texture. Again, the photo says, “Hey, wait for me!”

My second goal with this layout was to make it look like I printed the photos on canvas, then laid it out on some cardstock, added the butterfly and took a picture of it. I played a lot with the placement of objects and the painting on the edges of the background photo to create a frame. Although I was trying to keep it simple, I couldn’t help but try to see how a visual triangle would fit in. As I added the finishing touches to the title I realized that the buttons, the butterfly, and the scripted text in the title create a visual triangle, directing the viewer into the story. I just love this design stuff!!

{Melissa Bennett buttons and background papers from “Autumn Memories” (TDF21; thedailydigi.com)}

What the judges had to say:

Our goal is to identify the layouts that do a great job telling the story. Angie accomplished that with this page. The haziness she gave her photo adds to the almost surreal beauty. Light from the sunset burns through the haze to catch your attention. It emphasize the horizon and places you immediately into the narrative. The child at the front of the background (main) photo adds to the feeling that you’re included in this experience. A part of it. Both she and the diagonal horizon line give a sense of movement to the page and photo.

We love that she chose to journal directly onto the photo so that she could use it as the backdrop of the entire page, enveloping you in her story. The handwritten font lends to a personal feel — that this photo isn’t just a mystery photographer’s nice shot; this was Angie’s personal experience. The title is subtle, so it doesn’t distract from the beauty of the picture.

And Angie was right. There is no need for a third yellow accent to create a visual triangle. She had already created a triangular shape with her title and the other elements. Her restraint keeps the focus on the best story-telling element of this layout — the photo.

Find Angie Ladeau

You can find her in our community, The Crop Circle. She also has a blog.

It's Monday... Already

The weekends sure aren't long enough.  It was beautiful weather this weekend (a tad hot but I'm not complaining... much - I'm just ready for some cooler fall weather it shouldn't be in the mid 80's).  We got some much needed rain today & looks like it will continue for a couple days.

In honor of halloween coming up I thought I would share a layout (which I thought I already posted here  but I guess it was just in the Paperclipping forum for the monthly challenge.  If you haven't already submitted your page you've got until midnight pacific time on the 31st.  Click here for all the details - all are welcome.

This is my son (on left he looks a bit too good as a girl scary lol) and his friend. At 21 he still loves to dress up each halloween.

Enabling...

I thought I would share a few things I'm loving right now...

I used my survey taking rewards last week to purchase SCAL for my Cricut Expression.  I have to say I can't believe I waited this long to jump on this bandwagon....  The program is really easy to use yet can do so much.  There are a lot of free svg files out there and it gives me so many more images without buying cartridges all the time.  It's on sale for $59 right now

Another thing that I resisted buying for a long time was an ATG gun.  With arthritis in my hands I didn't think I would like how big it was.  I HAVE LITERALLY TRIED ALL THE SMALL RUNNERS AVAILABLE.   When I could no longer get my Kokuyo dot rollers I was on a search for an adhesive I really liked & with all the layouts/cards I make it had to be affordable too.  I do like the American Crafts runner but at $5 it can get a bit pricey & I don't know if it will longterm last on my projects.  So when Michaels started carrying the pink breast cancer model that with a coupon was less than $17 with adhesive I couldn't resist trying it.  I have to say the weight and size don't bother me since it's so easy to pull the trigger & apply.  This model only uses the quarter inch tape which is what I like anyway.  I am a believer & an ATG girl now..

Speaking of adhesive my favorite liquid adhesive right now is Crafter's Pick The Ultimate.  It's a very versatile glue & dries fast, strong, and clear.  I am using it all the time on my mini albums.  It even holds metal securely so I don't have to get out the Glossy Accents/Diamond Glaze and dries clearer/less shiny than those making it more invisible.  A little goes a long way.

Pink Paislee products are always a favorite of mine... I love all 4 of the lines they released recently.  Parisian Anthology designed by the House of 3 is so elegant & innovative.  I love the subtle resist print that makes it perfect for inking and spritzing.  These tickets are so versatile & affordable.

Unity Stamp Company has a new website.  They have been growing by leaps & bounds and no have a website that can keep up with them.  It's absolutely fantastic.  I love that I can create a wish list & everything is so easy to find now.  You all know how much I love my Kit of the Month...

Another paper line that I have been using up every last scrap of is Crate's Restoration.  I love the colors & texture.

Helmar Adhesive is hosting a great blog hop this weekend filled with loads of inspiration.  Start on there blog here.

Hope you had a relaxing weekend.

TGIF

This has been a week... thank goodness it's finally Friday.

I've been really busy moving stuff around in the house... the moving of the scrap room has turned into moving a bunch of rooms around.  I used to always move furniture around myself when the boys were young.  The running joke in our house was that when my hubby was out of town for work he would tread lightly as he entered the house since he never knew if I had moved something into his path (yes it was from experience where he almost broke a toe on an ottoman as I created a "conversation area").  These days I can't move the big stuff without help but that's what I have grown sons for right lol.  The trouble with that is that I have to wait on "their time" instead of when I get that moving around hair up my you know what.

I thought I would share a layout using some cute My Mind's Eye goodies.

This is an 8x8 layout.  I love Debbie Tehrani's style & she always does that size.

I'm having an Ippity Stamp Sale click the tab above or here.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend - it's getting cooler here again so I can't wait to do something outdoor in the faller air.

Inspiration

I'm loving so many of the lines that have been recently released.  Yep I am so one of those people who is inspired by products almost as much as I am the photos and stories I want to scrap.

I thought I would share a page that I made recently - my friend Lori & her cat Koko using some Basic Grey

Thanks for visiting.

Winner

The winner of the weekend giveaway is

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Robin said...

Happy World Cardmaking Day!
I just returned home from getting together with a few friends to make some cards! My favorite card was when someone showed us how to use used dryer sheets on your cards .. way cute!
I've seen a couple of the giveaways that you mentioned, nothing else yet .. but I plan to keep looking!

October 2, 2010 3:40 PM

Congrats Robin - email me your snail mail address to sgray110 at gmail dot com

========================================================

Thanks to everyone who left a comment & visited.

Hope you are having beautiful weather in your area.  Here in Georgia fall is the best time of the year.  Except for the ragweed (which is really bad this year( & yellow jackets (the bug not the college team - so don't get your panties in a wad those of you who love GA Tech - the bugs seem to know they aren't long for the world & want to take anyone down with them who gets in their paths)  it would be perfect... but you can't have everything.  We get cool nights and days in the 60's or 70's which after tis super hot summer is so welcome.  I love to watch the dogs first thing in the morning go out and that chill in air causes them to tuck the tail & just be a bit more frisky running around the yard.

It's also the time for festivals.  Every weekend there is something fun to do close by the house.  We went to the Lawrenceville Rockin' Rib Festival on Saturday.  It was the first time we attended this one but thought it was worth checking out since there was live music, good food, & very close to the house.  Charley rushed me and I forgot the camera so thank goodness for the iphone.

The music was a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover band & they were very good.  

I love that the old town of Lawrenceville has live music on the lawns outside the old courthouse.  

While enjoying the mellow music out of the corner of our eye we both saw at the same time this crazy guy who was dancing like a maniac.  

We were dying laughing.  Come to find out he was recording HIMSELF....

Here are some You Tube links of him dancing to some of the other bands later in the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa9Et_5vbLI

Looks like he even got on the stage with this band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeStTa6YxYo

We were pleasantly surprised you could buy beer (if you stayed on 2 of the 4 blocked off streets surrounding the courthouse square?)

$4 a little cup was a bit high but that didn't stop you know who

I seemed to have the kiss of death for every line I stood in....

First Rita's to get an italian ice... they were out of everything after a 10 minute wait

Then how about a funnel cake.... waited another 10 minutes only to get within 2 people of front of the line and something happened to their power....

So we walked around a bit & saw Hawaiian ice & I stood in line yet again...

20 minutes later I got this

Finally!  A delicious & refreshing cherry delight...

I think I enjoyed it even more because I finally got something to eat.

===========================================================

Well that's all for today... have a great day.

Happy World Card Making Day & a Giveaway!

So what are you up to today?  It's a beautiful Saturday here with lots of festivals going on.  I have 2 bags full of mini album kits that need to go to the LSS for sale & I'm not able to drive (dang medicine)... so sweet talking hubby to come along for a "puttsing" day where we don't get much accomplished by enjoy ourselves.

Happy World Card Making Day!  There's lots going on the web today in honor of this event.  

Unity Stamps is giving away their Kit of the Month for a YEAR.

Moxie is giving away a boat load of Hero Arts stamps to 2 lucky winners... I'm going to be one (positive thinking) so which one of you will be the second   : ).   

Hero Arts has some goodies for those who accept the challenge.

Papercrafts has a huge grand prize - enter by sending in a card.

Operation Write Home (organization that sends cards to our deployed service members) has Kimber McGray's (one of THE sweetest people in the world) book to a lucky winner.

Studio Calico has lots of their goodies to a few lucky winners.

Jennifer McGuire has Tim Holtz Sizzix dies (love those edges)

That's all I've found so far... 

I wanted to offer a giveaway too.  Open to international readers too - I couldn't exclude since it's "WORLD" card making day

I've misplaced my camera cord (yes again) so no photo of the prize so I'm finding pictures online (overcoming obstacles)

Includes:  4 Retired Quickutz Halloween dies (they work in any die cutting machine), 

(couldn't find the 4th online but it's a cute one)

card makers 6x6 paper assortment, 

Ippity Stamp A Bit of Burlap,

and some surprise goodies *trust me they are good goodies*.

Enter by midnight est Monday, October 4th, 2010

Leave me a comment telling me what you're doing today & if you've found any WCMD giveaways I haven't listed do share.... 

Do you love those little gems that we all use to decorate your pages & cards?  I always run out or don't have the right color... my friend Lesley did a video on how to create your own gems so we never have that problem again.... check it out here.

Also I posted the Paperclipping Monthly Challenge yesterday.  I hope you join us here.

Same photo two different layouts....

I just can't believe it's almost October & *gasp* the holidays are right around the corner.....

A friend sent me a picture message of a Halloween layout that is in the October Scrapbook Trends.  (sorry poor quality I'll have to get another when I see her magazine).  I'll get my copy when they return my layout.  It's one of the best scrapping magazines out there - such beautiful big photos of all the projects let you really see all the details.

But I used the same photo of my sister for a EMI Scrapbooking LSS design team layout recently....  I love the whimsy of My Mind's Eye Boo To You & it fit this photo of Karen even though she is an adult when Halloween comes she is a child at heart.

I'm busy today making mini album kits for sale & designing a new one.  I love creative days when I make a mess with my supplies and have so much fun.

Today is the last day to enter your work in the Paperclipping Monthly Challenge.  The winner is in the spotlight on 3 websites (internationally read Paperclipping, Lesley a.k.a Hungry Heffy, & here on my blog).  I was a past winner before becoming a judge & boy did it increase the traffic on my blog so if that is your goal it's a great prize.  We don't offer tangible prizes due to international limits and laws but I know I just like a bit of love & an acknowledgement.  Go here to enter you work.  I'm working on the topics for October as we speak.

Enabling alert... Unity Stamp Co is having a great last big sale & freebies with orders today in honor of moving to a bigger and better website in the coming weeks.  Go give the current website a workout lol... you will not want to miss these scrapbook sets.   Also chat it up at the SCS message board thread here & maybe win some great stamps & do the blog hop for inspiration/prizes it starts here...  I'm hoping my homeschool books sell on ebay so I can buy some....

Have a great day & thanks for visiting/reading

Hugs, Suz

What's with Blogger or is it my computer?

Blogger has been giving me grief the last 2 days trying to post... is it just me?  I did see another friend say on Facebook she was having trouble too... anyway here I try again

I went to my LSS yesterday to drop off my mini kits for sale & to help with some make and takes for Scrap Pink on Saturday.  One of my medicines was not making me the sharpest tack on the block & my hubby kept calling & bothering me with nonsense (doesn't he know that I'm in my shan-gri- la when I'm up at EMI?  Well I had the kiss of death with tools yesterday... first I jammed up a circle punch (not my fault). Then I was using a long  full alpha quickutz die in a Big Shot (I'm a Cuttlebug gal so not used to that tool) & dummy me while messing with all the "pages" to sandwich in forgot to put an extra cover plate on top... yep you guessed it I warped the die big time!  I was so embarrassed & was full expecting Susan to kick me out right then and there - those things are so pricey so I tried to bend it back as best I could....

While I was there Basic Grey Wander came in.  It is just fabulous!  I love this line so much.  See the slideshow here.  I never do it but I bought the entire paper pack.  You should see the doily paper.

I love them when they are an entire sheet of loveliness but this one his even better with so many different strips of lacy color.  It's a must buy multi for my stash for sure.

Well off to do Unity Hip Hop & hang out a bit in the Unity forum for chatting & maybe winning some new rubbery goodies.....

Have a great day

Winner & More

First off without delay.... The winner of the Ippity stamps is #22

patty w said...

You do lovely work ! Love the sisters page alot !
Just now getting here, it kept saying service unavailable earlier !
signing up to follow ..
patty 2832

Well Patty I guess it was lucky that the service was unavailable earlier since it made you the winner lol.  Send me your snail mail address at sgray110 at gmail dot com & I'll get your stamps out right away.

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who left such sweet comments over the weekend.  It sure was a great hop with so much inspiration that I'm dying to get to my table and start creating.  I really enjoyed visiting all of your blogs - Fiskateers rock creativity.

Next I thought I would share some things I'm excited about in the scrappy world....

If you haven't already I hope you will join us for the Paperclipping.com Monthly Challenge.  Winner will be spotlighted in the internationally read newsletter that Noell publishes.  See all details in the community forum here.

I love all things Teresa Collins - she is one of the sweetest people in the world.  She is going to be interviewed on Sudie TV tonight.  If you don't know Sudie she is a Fiskateer who has a weekly live web scrapbooking show.  See details here & tune in at 9:30 pm eastern time to hear what's going on with Teresa.

Who doesn't love Prima.... I saw a post about a Prima Idea Book & had to share.  They are having a giveaway on their blog for a copy.  Check it out here.

And finally I wanted to a sneak peak of the School Time mini album I designed & kits will be sold at EMI Scrapbooking in Cumming GA or order & will be shipped to you.  Crate Paper knocked it out of the park with all their lines that are available.  I loved this School Spirit line.  Thanks Susan for the opportunity to create for you.  I love your store, you are such a great friend & have a wonderful family.  (sorry gushing but it's true)

That's it for today... thanks for stopping by & remember do something creative.

Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop

Welcome to our weekend blog hop.  If you've come to my blog from Fiskateer  Marianne then have been hopping along with us.  But I'm sure you will like to start from the beginning so head on over to the Fiskateers blog. Take your time thru the weekend & visit all the blogs.  There are some amazing projects showcased on them.  I'm sure you will be bookmarking or following many blogs along the hop to come back again and again.  Thanks to Debby Lewis for organizing the hop.  So have you been inspired so far.  There are so many creative gals in the Fiskateers group.  I've met so many great people in the Fiskateers group.  


For those of you who don't know me... My name is Suz Gray & I'm known on the web as "craftysuz".  I got that name at age 8 because I would ask for craft kits from the Sears Catalog at Christmas & was always making something.  I'm Fiskateer number 6135.   I'm a longtime scrapbooker.  I have many albums created before there was an industry.  I love anything paper and have enjoyed evolving; developing my style.  I also love to make cards & enjoy sending some of them to Operation Write Home which is an organization that supplies blank handmade cards to our deployed military.  Making cards has caused me to have a "stamp addiction".  To fund my "habit" I sell {ippity} by Unity Stamps here.  All of them are on sale with free shipping.


Sorry for the quality of the photos my so took my DSLR to work so I was stuck with the little old point & shoot at the my LSS & I wasn't used to the lighting there so there are some shadows.  


This is new Fancy Pants Lilac House.  I use my micro point Fiskars scissors to fussy cut images from paper & of course my Fiskars Trimmer..  I'm always using the decorative border punches (I can't believe I didn't use them on any of these pages lol).

No girly layout is complete without some Prima Flowers.

I like stamping on inexpensive canvas from the fabric store.

Echo Park Paper is a new scrapbook company that is stirring up quite the buzz right now.  Here's a page about my best friend Lori & her kitty using their products.

I love the bright colors & banner

The last page I would like to share is a heritage page using an old photo of my grandmother.  She loved fashion.  The new My Mind's Eye is just gorgeous & oh so elegant.  It was perfect for this page.

The flower was made with vintage 1920's hand dyed silk ribbon that I've been saving for just the right story to tell.  It's a perfect match for the MME papers..

**** Woops I forgot to post my giveaway when I was working on this at 1 AM lol... leave a comment & I'll use random number generator to pick a winner.  Prize is Ippity stamp set A Little Buggy MSRP $18.  Comments posted prior to 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, September 12th will be in the drawing.  Follow me & leave another comment for an extra chance..  All comments made before 11 am will auto get 2 entries since I lost my mind and didn't have this posted lol

Well I've kept you long enough.  I hope you will come back & visit again. Now off you go to Jennifer Priest's blog.  She has some beautiful inspiration for you.


Thanks so much for hopping along with us.  Have a wonderful weekend & remember to do something creative....