by Susan Itell | Apr 6, 2017 | Thinking of you, Uncategorized |
Plan B for today’s post and many of you will laugh….as I was going to share with you some bunny fun….but the human bunnies over the weekend ate and/or took my stash when they left! I wish you would have seen my face as I was excited to stuff my goodies….and only to find (4) small Reese’s Eggs! Oh well…to the store I go!
Here is a super card for those “hard to send cards” that we need to send from time to time. This sentiment is from the super Stamp Set called, Sending Thoughts. This is the stamp set that I am using for my April kit. ( the offering for that will be out soon if there are any spots left)
I truly feel that it is important to have a great stamp set like this in out stash as face it, in life we need to send cards out for all different reasons and this one is so unique.
Breaking this card down, it is easy – actually it is super easy but it has such a meaningful message. This is the type of card that you send and when people look at it they say – WOW…..how did you do that.
We both know the secret….it’s all about the basics…the key tools that will make your products shine!
Now you might be wondering where those tone on tone dots came from – LOOK BELOW…..this is a fantastic set and I have blog sooooo many times over this catalog year with this stamp set….you see – having several stamps that truly GO THE MILE makes crafting so easy and also so rewarding!
This card is FILLED with keepers…..did you see the stitched framelits? Yep, another keeper….a must have in your stash. You all love when I do my dashes and dots with a white gel pen~ well this is kind of the same thing – timeless and FUN!
This weekend I will be attending the Richmond On Stage Event that the NEW catalog will be unveiled….and you better bet that I am hoping that Stampin’ Up! is keeping the DSP Paper Stacks – YES ….I do use them often as I think they are a perfect go to but at the same time I realize that they are expensive.
I will be offering them in an upcoming product share (if they are carried over, fingers and toes crossed) and if I were you – I would HOP ON IT as it gives you a taste of all collections to then see if you want to make the investment in a whole pack!
So there you go…a little sunshine for your Thursday! I will go to the store and re-stock on some yummies so you can see my bunnies tomorrow…..heck- while I am there I will pick up some peppermint patties…..YUM – I adore dark chocolate!
Now go have a GREAT day and bring some sunshine to someone…it will be a win-win for both of you!
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by Susan Itell | Apr 5, 2017 | Just Because..., Tips and Tricks!!!, Uncategorized |
Good Morning…Happy HUMP DAY and I have a funny for you to make your day start with a chuckle. I will get to that at the end of this sweet card…. if you have the time – read it as you will understand why I am late today!
I loved reading the comments from the post yesterday….about Mr. Elmer (I think Elmer would be a good animal name….just sayin’) and I wanted to share this card today and some thoughts about using Elmer with this type of project. (I am envisioning that a bunch of you went out and bought Elmer and are ready to SPRAY AWAY….but I want to share more thoughts/tips with you so you do not get frustrated.)
Today’s card is a note card size, 5″ X 3 1/2″ and I cut my own card stock because I wanted a vertical card. I I envisioned that covering the whole front panel with Pacific Blue would be perfect for this sweet card but I also knew that it needed something a bit more.
In the picture below you will see the faint white lines….where did that come from???? Well, 2 products – the whisper white craft ink and the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.
Before I adhered the blue to the front panel I stamped it. Please remember that the craft ink takes a bit longer to dry so you will have to be patient or use your heat tool to set it up but the end result is fun.
I sponged the outer edges of the clouds in soft sky and popped some up and then adhered some flat. I think be doing both it gives more interest to your project.
Now HERE are the thoughts I have about Elmer on this kind of card….SIMPLE – be careful and know that the “stick factor for your fingers” is there are spaces on the outside of the cardstock that you are placing.
Darn, I love this bundle and I love that the framelits fit this perfectly with no worries of fussy cutting but you can see that there is an edge of white – no worries if you start with the 2nd piece first (the green one)….
WHEW…..I hope that this all made sense and at the end of the day that you can say – THIS IS ONE CUTE CARD. In my eyes it is…but the reality of it is…..it is all about this amazing bundle and the dies are so well thought out.
This weekend I will be able to see the NEW Catalog and I am really, really hoping that this is carried over…but remember, if it is – it probably will not be at the bundled price (saving 10%)….trust me, when I know and see….I will communicate as IF this is carried over…..I would HOP on it to get the 10% discount!
There you go…..I hope that this card “LIFTED” your day and this sentiment…..priceless and one that I think we all would use over and over because in life – we always have people that “lift us up”
Now to my saga……if you wish to skip it….I get it but you will find the products used at the way bottom to help you navigate. Thanks for your time and GO LIFT SOMEONE UP TODAY….as you all always lift me up!
Yesterday I was having some computer problems that my You Tube was not working correctly and I was super frustrated as I needed to get some links out for videos of my kits…..now picture this – it was about 5 pm my time and I am on the phone with fellow PAL, friend and my blog gu-ru Nicloe Watt.
We did a screen share and she was saying “they are working fine on my end – I can see them”.….they still were buffering…buffering on my end and while figuring it all out (REMEMBER – it is ME….the one that says that she is computer challenged) Nicole says, let’s update your browsers to Google Chrome…..I thought sounds good to me – (she’s the pro)…
Naturally I was all ears as we were doing a screen share and I believe anything that Nicole and her dear hubby tell me to do…..so I was clicking away and having a good old time…..then she said – let’s update this….now we’ll do this…..and I was feeling like an assistant to an Apple Executive and inside laughing because I thought – this is kind of like how we believe what a GPS tells us….turn here – you have reached your destination.
While we were waiting for chrome to download Nicole said, let’s remove this….then the question was, “When was the last time you cleaned your cookies?” – Well….well – I said: that is what you do at 350 for 10-12 minutes 😀 …then I said – Nicole – I have no clue how to do that…..well we did that and then removed some more…..then PRESTO CHROME was installed and it was time to get ride of the FOX… FIREFOX that I have used for years…..this was making me sad as I liked that little fox.
Nicole then said, to keep all of your familiar places that you go to regularly….we will click this before we delete the whole thing. THAT IS THE PART THAT IS ALWAYS SCARY…..it is that finale that scares me. WHEW…..we did it BUT one thing happened….and this is why I was LATE today…..
When I went to log in to type up my blog post for you…..I couldn’t remember my PASSWORD – I had 4 attempts….I tried, nope…I tried…nope – finally I was blocked out and had to reset it. When I went through that whole thing it said that I needed to wait 20 minutes before attempting to log back into the site….
Being impatient and really testing it…..it said I had 11 minutes left and I thought – this is crazy, I am just going to try again…..NOPE – it reset the damn thing to 20 minutes….so I thought – GOOD NIGHT COMPUTER.
I was able to go in and type responses from the post yesterday and I will say…..Chris R. from Iowa’s made me go to sleep with a smile on my face….it you did not see/read it – and you need a pick me up…..please go back and do so as I can just see her face with the guy waving to her and then I bet after he drove past she told Teddy something funny!
The moral of the story is LIFE HAPPENS….it is about how we deal with it that counts. I adore Integrant Services and they keep me up and running for you…..I know that I drive them nuts and they probably laugh at my silly questions…..and I have been known to call them back after 5 minutes of hanging up and saying…..ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME…..they really are the best and I am grateful for their help!
So that’s my SAGA for the tardiness of your inbox fix….I sure hope that you still had your coffee without my post and that you have a FABULOUS day….see you tomorrow…..Mr Bunny is in the house!!!
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by Susan Itell | Apr 4, 2017 | Uncategorized |
Good Tuesday to you! I have a tip for you that I am sure that many of you are going to CLICK ME OFF 🙁 but I ask you….please read and take in in before you click me off! Heck…another reason for you to read on is I will share with you the end result of the move of dumb-dumb (the donkey) and Arnold (dear sweet, old Arnold) to the front field!
I am one that adores sharing with you tips and ideas that make life easier…it is as easy as that because one thing that I think we all have that uphill climb with is the 4 letter word that gets the best of us….
🙂 TIME 🙁
When I can find a way to shave off some time but still get the result that I am going for….I do a happy dance and that is what we are chatting about today. You know that I have blogged many times that I love using Stick It – a product that we do not sell but one that you can find at Amazon and who knows – maybe where you live…you have a great store that sells it . (Our Michael’s, Hobby Lobby etc….do NOT carry it)
Let me go back 3 or 4 years ago……I made some Christmas Cards for a customer and remember this was before we had fast fuse and I had no clue what Stick It was (it might not have been around) and I resorted to using a spray adhesive. Not only did it smell terrible….I actually went into the garage to use it….IT WAS A STICKY MESS.
The other day I was trying to finish up my kits and I knew that I needed to get a bunch of the flowers adhered (I was out of stick it)…..PLAN B – I was driving past a JoAnn Fabrics and thought – I’ll see if anything new has come out with adhesives….and WOW – there was a HUGE shelf of all different ones (some I remembered from the past) and then I saw good old Elmer….
I figured if Elmers glue worked for so many years as we were growing up in school – this might work out….so I had a 50% coupon and it worked out to be around $2.35. I still was skeptical but thought….if it doesn’t work – I’ll give it to my son Will that is a teacher.
It worked and WOW – it was a huge time-saver. I am one that is AGAINST aerosols because of the fumes etc….but this was soooooo minimal that I did it right in my work area with no mess. Would I use this all the time??? – NO…but it sure is a dream machine for intrigue pieces. Enjoy the parade of pictures and if I were you…..stop and give Elmer a try….he might help you out when you are working on a project!
There you go…..a tip to make life a bit easier. Again, I would not go through this all the time but it sure is a handy trick to have up your sleeve when you are wanting to get a bunch accomplished and still have a super clean and professional look.
Several weeks ago Jeanie, Rosanne and I went to a workshop (and had a blast) but they had some spray adhesive. It was a mess on your fingers and I am sure if they are reading this post – they are shaking their heads that I am blogging about it. Maybe Elmer did the trick.
SPEAKING OF TRICKS…
The darn donkey got the best of me…AGAIN – It was CLEAR TO ME that there was NO WAY he was going to let me clip him as he kept running under Arnold’s stomach and I was getting frustrated trying to catch him….and Arnold was getting upset that his donkey was stressed so all we did was move from A to B….
James and his girlfriend helped and we made it for about 10 yards before that little thing pulled the lead shank right through our hands….HE WON….we laughed as when he does this he really, REALLY thinks he has one up on you.
Well Ashleigh and I were laughing and James was saying MOM……I need help – Poor Arnold was getting “very large” as he was worrying about where is donkey is…..(we do call him Arnold’s seeing eye buddy) and when they get separated – Arnold worries. I took Arnold and we made the trek to the front field and every one is happy. 😀
Enjoy the pictures….see you tomorrow for HUMP day!
He made the escape…..
Then he has the nerve to look back to see if I am chasing him or if he is really free…
He now runs down the fence line and gets Oscar all upset …
I’m FREE…..
He gets half way down towards the front field and stops and looks to see where we are….I swear he does this to torment me….
FINALLY – life is good, Arnold is happy and dumb-dumb had an adventure (His big Sunday outing)
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by Susan Itell | Apr 2, 2017 | Step it up Sunday! |
Happy Sunday and WOW – I had a great day yesterday…getting lots accomplished but the BEST part…a PEEP was home! I just love it when the PEEPS are home! Still no news on the new Itell critter but if it is nice enough today….I am going to try to catch the dumb donkey and clip him!
I have to tell you – they are not the smartest of animals and you would think after having him for 12 years – he would like me…but nope, he doesn’t! He is awfully cute and he does do a good job being a babysitter to Arnold but other than that – he is a lawn ornament.
Here is you weekend fun of seeing how I take a card, make some simple changes to show you that there are always ways to make things “just a bit different” We are working with the Special Reasons Bundle.
This is the picture that you all seem to enjoy, being able to see them side by side and then YOU decide. The main differences are:
- Instead of fussy cutting the smaller flower on yesterdays card…..today I just used the smaller flower stamp in the bundle (I really should have done
- that yesterday….Silly Susan) and i will say I much prefer the one today because I like the shape and I like the white space around the edge of the flower – to me, it makes it pop!
- I added some linen thread loops – this always gives a soft look and feel.
- I changed up the sentiment….I made today’s into a banner and then used the bone folder to curl the banner
- I added some clear droplets. These are not Stampin’ Up! but I will say that I love them. They are a simple yet FUN accent to add to a card to make it special. You can click here to see the product.
I have some great close ups for you today and I am sooooo happy that I was gently nudged by you all to use the Tip Top Taupe color and you are soooooo right~ it is a great neutral.
Enjoy the pictures to see up close the changes that I did. Please do not forget to use your bone folder to soften the fibers in the paper with your flowers. This gives them an instant softness and depth to the card.
I love these clear Droplets, a perfect little accent. I have a confession….and I probably should have re-done it but I didn’t. I bumped the droplet that is in the center of the flower and the green glue bled into ink. They usually dry clear (like you can see the other ones) but I thought that I should do as I say……this is handmade, not Hallmark! 😀
Let’s chat about the banner…..I forget to do this and I will say that when I do I once again say, Silly Susan, this is a fun way to add a sentiment. After I stamped and adhered it to the cardstock, I took the bone folder back and forth to create a “wave like feel” and then POP a GLUE DOT into place…PRESTO ~ so cute!
The picture that makes my heart happy….the one with the envelope! The icing on the cake each and every day. I think that I have hooked many of you to always give your envelopes some love……now a super easy way to do so is also to USE UP THAT WASHI TAPE that I know you all have.
There are always ways to use products that you have. Can you imagine if all of us put ALL OF OUR STUFF in one place – we would be “SET FOR LIFE” – now I call that one great party! I still think that we need to have a creative island for us to get away to – we would have a blast but if there was a section for knitting – I just can’t go there – I tried to learn to knit and let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty! 😉
Enjoy your day and I wish that you could see me talking…dealing with the dumb donkey – my goal is to get him in his “Sunday best” and then take him and Arnold down to the front field as the grass is coming in so nicely and sweet Arnold loves if down there.
It takes 2 of us to do this because if Arnold feels that his donkey is not near him….he panics and I will you could see me with a lead shank around dumb-dumbs neck as he drags me down (actually he thinks he is going somewhere special…..little does he know he is at the same place – different field! (he really is not the brightest) but he does do his job well in helping Arnold.
You all have a GREAT Monday and I will see you on Tuesday – I have an A HA MOMENT for you that your are going to say – now that was easy!
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by Susan Itell | Apr 1, 2017 | Simple Saturday |
April 1st! It’s cold.The trees are blooming, the daffodils are confused and again, it is cold. (well to me it is) When I hear the word April I do a happy dance gig because in my pea brain I say – WINTER IS OVER….and then I ask myself – why is it cold?!?! This will all change in a snap but using the words snap – this card comes together in a SNAP….
This is the way that I like my cards…this is the way I roll with my stampin’ – I am super happy to say that I did finish the kit using this stamp set and one would think I would be sick and tired of it because I have used it soooooooo many times working on the kits that I just couldn’t help myself to use it for you this weekend as I do love this bundle.
For those of you that purchased the kit…here is another great way to use this stamp set and amazing bundles. Let’s chat about this bundle.There are (2) things that I really like about this bundle…
- The framelits are amazing and oh so unique. There are so many things that you can do with them because it cuts out the shape like out framelits usually do, but it also cuts out the detailed part without cutting it into a small shape (just watch this short video and you wil get it – it is very unique and versatile – WAY TO GO SU for the design.
- You know that I am the “clean gal” – well I admit – I like these stamps as they have a rustic, distressed feel to them as you can see that they are not perfectly smooth images. To me, this gives a feeling of warmth and comfort.
I am trying to take your advice and use the Tip Top Taupe color more before it is retired. You all are right – it is a fabulous neutral. I hav a trio of great close up pictures for you to gander at.
In the background you can see how I used the die actually cutting it twice and the end result a beautiful, lacy looking flower that I anchored down with some tear and tape hidden under the other flower. (I just love to find ways to hide adhesives and still let the natural curve of the flower do its thing!)
Below you can see that I used something that I rarely do – use a decorative ribbon as a focal point on a card. This is a ribbon that I have not seen for a while but here is a heads up….IF and WHEN this ribbon goes to clearance because it is a retiring in color item….I would snatch it up if the price is right!
WHY??? It is so easy to work with and it makes gifts and boxes look great. You can make a simple flat knot bow and it looks like a dream! Today I simply anchored it across the card and ran a strip of Tear & Tape across.
Look at the picture and you can see how nice and flat it lays. I think we forget about using ribbon like this (well I know I forget) but when I see the whole picture together – I love it!
Below you will see that I did a quick fussy cut on the flower (top one) and adhered that to the larger one below. Doing this is easy but more importantly, it gives depth and feel – this is what adds that special touch.
I sure am hoping that Stampin’ Up! continues to carry the paper in all of the collections of paper stacks. I just think that it is great that when you need a certain color to work with a project – PRESTO….you will have it!
If they get carried over in the next catalog, you know that I will offer them – I just love them.
Well, there you go! Still no word about the potential NEW Itell….I am hoping that we get a call today – it really has mad me sad but as long as the animal has a great home….that is all that matters.
So glad that you enjoyed Milo’s picture…the band-aids are still on and he is “milking the attention” – animals are so funny.
Many thanks for a wonderful and fun SAB. The 3 months zoomed by. It brings me happiness and joy to see so many of you get excited. I hope that you have a fantastic day and I look forward to stepping it up for YOU tomorrow!
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