Halloween Mini Card Kits!!! – SOLD OUT!!!

by Susan Itell | Oct 10, 2020 | Uncategorized | 6 comments

It’s MINI KIT TIME…sorry – they are SOLD OUT!

by Susan Itell | Sep 18, 2020 | Uncategorized | 4 comments

Happy Friday and  3 CHEERS to the weekend!

All KITS are SOLD OUT!!!

Today I am sharing an offering of (3) different mini kits for you to grab and have fun with! Many of you know that one of my loves is making kits that you can snatch up and have some “me time” and complete the kits and then do the next fun part…sitting down and reaching out to someone and write them a note to make them smile!

I look at it as a win/win all the way around as you will feel great about yourself being able to sit down and complete projects without getting a ton of product out as I have that all covered for you and then you will be able to touch someone by sending a card to them! Anyone loves HAPPY MAIL,heck your mailman will even smile with the fun envelope! 😛

I have limited quantities available as here is the way that I handle my Mini Kits….I first offer my offerings to the people that purchased a kit from the previous month and then what I have left over….I will put it on my blog so here you go  – see if something “sparks joy” to your creative heart!

All cards are just $4.00 each and I have done all of the stamping and cutting of paper for you. This month…actually all 3 cards have heat embossing done on them and yep, I have done that for you and a card from me would not be the same without a fun envelope!

I will provide for you directions and tips as you will need to do some minimal coloring (if that’s your jam) and possibly some trimming, and then adhering …to make your finished card!

Card #1 – Thank You     SOLD OUT – Do you all remember this sweet image from Stampin’ Up!? I loved it the first time I saw it and this is one stamp that will always have a home with me!

I did heat emboss the “thanks” image in case you wanted to watercolor in the letters but as you can see below….no need to if that is not your thing! I did some super quick coloring of the leaves and bee….but again, this is your card so you make it how you want it!

This card also will inspire you to score on your cards (again, if that is what you want) but in the instructions I will share with you the how to’s! I have left this card blank in the inside!

Card #2 – Hang in There  SOLD OUT– OK  – I am just putting this out there…I love this card! I love the layout and I love the message that it sends! The arms are actual die-cuts so you will be able to color the arms in any flesh color you choose or you can keep it simple as shown and leave them white – again, it will be your card so do as you please! In the instructions you will learn and see how you can cut paper, layer it on your card with other simple/basic shapes and come out with a Blue Ribbon Winner of a layout and card!

The inside message is:        That’s as close as I can get to hugging you right now

Card #3 – Ice Cream   SOLD OUT  – Is this the sweetest or what! Again, another great and classic layout that will inspire you to use patterned paper to make clean and simple cards! You will get a HUGE smile when you create this sweetie….and this could also be a great birthday, thank you…..or even tuck a gift certificate inside! You could easily stamp a sup sentiment under the inside sentiment!

The inside message is:         You’re the sweetest!

Well….there you go! If you want to snag any of these sweet cards please email me and put in the subject line – Mini Card Kits and then let me know the card #’s (1,2 or 3) that you want and also the amount of each card….along with your name and address to where I will be shipping them to and if you wish to pay by check or Pay Pal.

I have them all ready to go so they will ship tomorrow and please remember, there is just a limited amount of them so when they are gone, they are gone and this time I will try to remember to pop back on the blog and let you know if they were sold out!

Again, the price for each card kit is $4.00 and the shipping is as follows….(basically) – $1.00 per card)

1 card – $1.00        2 cards = $2.00        3 cards = $3.00        4 cards = $4.00      5 or more cards = flat fee of $5.00

For those of you that have already received these kits or even other kits from me from the past…I would love it if you would chime in and let people know how you like them…etc! I do take great pride in my workmanship and kits to make sure that you are fulfilled with your purchase!

I am working on the next batch of kits and I think that there is a great assortment of ideas….I am going to hit fall, breast cancer, halloween and other things up my sleeve!

I love creating and I love inspiring! Have a great weekend and please do not forget that all you have to do is CLICK HERE to email me with what your little crafty heart desires!

Be safe, be kind and always find something to smile about!

I am MAD about this PLAID DIE!

by Susan Itell | Sep 17, 2020 | Uncategorized | 10 comments

Good Morning stampers….I hope that this finds you well and in great health! I have been doing the happy fall dance this week as it as been soooo much cooler in Maryland and the kind of weather that the air conditioning has been off and the windows are open!

What are we going to do with 2020!

Just when you think that something else cannot happen, it does. My heart and prayers continue to go out to the West Coast with the fires and now Florida and many other states have been slammed with Hurricane Sally. My brother lives in Pensacola and although he is fine…his office was downtown and he said that it is a flood zone! Such scary times for so many.

As much as we all know that 2020 is like no other…I hope that you stop and see that there are some “good things” that people are doing…I am one that tries to stay away from the news as it just brings me down but here and there I see and hear of some absolutely great things that people are doing in risking their lives, showing kindness and compassion…we all can do little things to make a difference!

Today I have a card for you that I hope will make you smile! When I saw the new Stampin’ Up! catalog I knew that that this die set would be coming to live with me! It is the Best Plaid Builder and wow – that is properly named as it is a blue ribbon! I always have and always will love plaids – WHY? Easy = Plaids are just a classic and we all know that a great classic is timeless and will never be out of style!

My sweet friend, Michelle Gleeson sent this to me after Wes was born and I just beamed! If you do not know of Michelle’s work, you need to and you can find her here at Stampin’ Mojo! This card that she sent to me is such a “Susan Card” and I have it in my work area and smile!

Today I am giving you another twist to my favorite color of navy and I am sure that you are going to smile as well! I just love the combination of Navy and White and then when you put in a POP of a fun color, I ask you, How could you go wrong!

We all know that I am rather type A in my card mechanics to always have a clean and crisp result…here is a tip that helped me make this layout picture perfect as I made up many of this card to send to family and friends. It is using this low tack spray called Pixie Spray.

I sprayed a light mist over the white cut out piece that allowed me to position it over the pink plaid piece to give it a temporary hold so I would have perfect placement to add the liquid adhesive before I flipped it over the navy front panel. I hope that this makes sense and helps you as at first I thought….how can I be assured of a perfect placement as I want to to be against the navy front!

Let’s chat about this heart and sentiment….I just LOVE it, especially for the times that we are going through and I heat embossed the sentiment and then the arms were diecut to give this heart a hug! You could easily color the arms in whichever shin tones that you would like…but I just kept it super clean and crisp (just how I like my cards) and then the inside of the card….it says  –

“that’s as close as I can get to hugging you right now”

This stamp/bundle is from Honey Bee Stamps and it is called Paper Hugs. It is filled with great sentiments and I sure have used the heck out of it! If you like this heart/hug….please check back tomorrow as this is showcased in a card kit that I have made up and it sure has been a hit!

The sentiment that I stamped and heart embossed on the back of the envelope (you know that I love my envelopes) is also from the same stamp set! When Michelle sent me my card, she did an adorable plaid and I had to give it a whirl myself – what do you think? I think that it is just PERFECT to pair up with this fun die set. It is from Concord & 9th!

Yep, I am back to doing monthly card kits and I am calling them mini card kits but I am sure that they will make you smile! Here is the scoop….I share my offerings first to  the people that bought kits from me the previous month and then I offer them on my blog but they are in limited quantities so if you want one…..GRAB THEM QUICK!

I have 3 offerings and this theme of the heart hug is one one of them and I know that you will smile! Please check back tomorrow and you will see the (3) keeper of offerings that I have for you!

Have a great day and please continue to be safe. One thing that we all can do is be patient and also to be kind. Many of us have been home bound and it is a great thing that we love crafting…..so make someone’s day and send a card to them….it’s what I call a double whammy – you will be happy and smiling and so will the recipient!

I just have to share some Wes pictures….I am still in the clouds with my little bundle of joy and the kids came down about 2 weeks ago and I hope that you smile! He continues to make my heart skip beats!

Have a special day…we all have so much to be grateful for!

Mini Card Kits….they will make you happy!

by Susan Itell | Jul 21, 2020 | Uncategorized | 1 comment

Hello and Happy Tuesday! As promised yesterday I am offering (3) new Mini Card Kits for you! I am still in the groove of making “happy/smile cards” as I think that we all can use these types of cards to send to family and friends!

If you are new to my Mini Card Kits…here’s the scoop! Each card is $4.00 each and everything that you need is included in the mini kit…all you need to do is find some well deserved “me time” – put them together and then grab yourself something to drink and write to a friend and make their day!

Many of you know that my kits were always a huge part of my love when I was with Stampin’ Up! I still feel the same as I totally “get it” – and that is that I realize what a super rewarding feeling it is to be able to sit down and be creative and finish a project in one sitting!

I am the very first to admit…that we all are so darn hard on ourselves…but trust me, you will love my kits!

Please email me ASAP if you are interested in a kit. There are a first come basis and I would REALLY APPRECIATE when you EMAIL ME BACK to put in the subject line MINI KITS so I can spot your request! I am more than happy to have you send a check or I can pay pal you…..please make sure in your request that you let me know your prefered payment method!

If the cards sell out….I will come back on this post and make note of a specific card being sold out! I hope that you enjoy my happy and uplifting cards that I created for this months offerings…please make sure that I have your mailing address and also the quantity of each card that you wish to reserve!

Please do not forget to EMAIL ME with your Card Requests (Please put the CARD # and the quantity) and put in the subject line MINI CARD KITS so I can SPOT IT….and of course, your address!

SHIPPING SCOOP!!! ( I am totally fine with accepting checks and if that is the way you would like to pay….please send your check to me at: Susan Itell     P.O.Box 76     Oxford, MD 21654) or I can Pay Pal you! When you respond to me with your Kit Requests, Please let me know how you would like to pay for your kits!

As for the shipping….I am always so fair and super picky/type A  about how I ship goodies as again, I get it and I know how excited you are to get happy mail so I do take great pride in my shipping and handling of your precious “goods”…

Each Card is $4.00 each and shipping as follows: (basically $1.00 a kit 🙂 )

(1) card kit  = shipping is $1.00  •  (2) card kits = $2.00  • (3) card kits = $3.00  • (4) card kits = $4.00  • (5 – 7) card kits – $5.00 …anymore than 7…we’ll talk!

To end this post…how about a couple of super cute dog pictures as we all know that these 4 legged loves of ours…make our hearts go pitter-patter! All of our dogs are rescues….and they love and sooooo appreciate a great home!

Great news…GREAT news….& more GREAT NEWS!

by Susan Itell | Jul 20, 2020 | Uncategorized | 18 comments

Well HELLO…Happy summer and happy HEAT (well I guess, it is summer!!!)

I surely hope that this post finds you well and healthy! We all know this…but I will say it again, this is a strange and crazy/scary time that we are all experiencing over the country. Our state of Maryland, is doing well with the virus but I will say that we have a very proactive Governor.

Many of you have asked me….(and wow – you have a GREAT MEMORY)…but I was expecting my 1st grandchild on July 4th! (well….technically Ashleigh(my daughter-in-law) and James (my son)….and I am OVER THE MOON HAPPY TO SHARE….that ….

Wesley Merlin Itell entered this world on July 7th at 6:29 p.m. weighing in at 8 lbs. 12 ozs and 21 1/2″ long….and I just have to say I am still on A GRANDMOTHERS CLOUD! He is just adorable!

When I say that I do not know what end is up….I really and truly thought….wow – we have been busy!!! I truly feel bad saying that as let’s face it…we all are busy and we all have STUFF going on in our lives! I know that, I get it and when you sum it up it is called the Game of LIFE!

All is good, it is actually GREAT and I wanted to pop in and share my excitement and also let you know that I have more super fun and cute card kits ready to rumble!

OK – we will get to the card kits in a bit….as I decided that I would be fair and give everyone a HEAD’S UP to when they would be available….Enough on that – let’s get to Wes’s pictures!

 Wes at the hospital on his 1st night…just look at those sweet lips!

Below was his 1st picture after he was born…so darn cute!

James and Ashleigh brought Wes over to see us after they went for the

1st doctor’s check …. fortunately his doctors office is close by!

Why not use the Dining Room table as a changing table…..

this works for me!

He makes my heart pitter-patter and I am just so grateful that he is here and Ashleigh is well…Having a child is truly a miracle and one that I always am in awe of and so grateful for. By nature I am not one that gets overly nervous but I can say…I was on “pins and needles” awaiting his arrival to this world!

Now to bring you into more “life stuff”  – we are in the trenches of doing the ugly grunt work of cleaning out the farm as it was to go to closing (months ago)…and yep – the virus has not helped with the process of loans, appraisals etc…..and it was to be (July 15th ) and once again…a delay!

All I can say is OH WELL…..it will happen when it is meant to be and my heart tells me that it is meant to be as the family that is purchasing it….is a carbon copy of what we were 15 years ago when we bought it and I know that they will love it like we did! There is not a doubt in my mind and my heart is so excited for them as their 3 children are about the same age as ours were when we bought it. It certainly was a memory maker for us and it will do the same for them….I just feel it!

I continue to love living on the Eastern Shore and my Dad pops up daily (he lives just 3 miles away) and that gives him a sense of purpose and also a dinner mate for me when John is not here! I have been doing more gardening these past months than I have done in years….the flowers are over the top beautiful and abundant! My  “room above the garage – aka studio” is coming along and the bones of it are ready to rumble, its just the finishing touches of “pretty” aren’t quite there yet, but you will see it when it is finished!

Below is a cute project that I made for James and Ashleigh….We all know that having thank you notes ready is a lifesaver and since they are nuts about everything nautical I thought that these would be appropriate! I decided to put a fun sentiment on the front instead of thank you so they could use them other notes.

Do you remember that I blogged about these super cute boxes for Stampin’ Up! Notecards and Envelopes….I truly love that size as they make a quick note a cinch…Please try to make one of these boxes…they are the “icing on the cake” and there is no doubt, they are a great finishing touch!

Here is the Blog Post that shows you how to make them…..and please do not hesitate to email me if you are stuck and/or have any questions….I do not think that you will as they are super east and the directions are very straight forward!

Here is the quick bullet points on the how to’s but again, check out my old post to see more details and pictures!

• Old Olive Cardstock – 8″ X 11″
• Score on the 8″side (shorter) at 2″ & 6″ I do use and suggest the Simply Scored Tool….I always think that leave a deeper impression than the trimmer…again, it is a basic tool that we all need and will use!
• Turn Paper to the 11″ side (longer) and score at 4 1/2″ & 6 1/2″
• Fold In and use Bone Folder to give a great crease
• Cut in the scored lines (look at picture) and it really does help to taper in as shown (makes a much cleaner final product)
• Use Tear & Tape as shown and fold in sides

The cute little sailboat came from Lawn Fawn and the set is called Smooth Sailing. I did the paper piecing technique and that is stamping onto the patterned paper and then cutting out the “sails and boats” and then adhering them into the boat! This is such a fun technique and one that I forget about doing but to me, this simple touch just made the POP of this sweet card!

THE MINI CARD KITS – SCOOP BELOW!

Now – FINALLY to the Mini card kits…..To make it fair for everyone as when they are sold out…they are sold out but have no fear…I am lovin’ my new studio and I will continue to make more kits….making kits it totally my jam and I know that many of you like being able to sit down and put them together!

I will post the 3 new Mini Cards kits tomorrow, Tuesday the 21st at 11 a.m. so hopefully that will hit all time zones in a fair way. Set a timer or just pop on and see what I created – I think that they will make you smile!

Until tomorrow….have a wonderful day and let’s all have a GREAT week! I plan to as I am heading back up to Hagerstown tomorrow to see my sweet little grandson and to stock their refrigerator/freezer with some homemade love!

And the winners are…..and Envelope 411

by Susan Itell | May 15, 2020 | Uncategorized | 9 comments

Happy Wednesday, Thursday…well it is now FRIDAY and I hope that everyone is have a great week so far! It has been a fun yet busy week with lots of roller coaster rides….

My Dad fell on Mothers Day (well… as he said, I just lost my balance) and took the skin off of his leg and now I am putting a nurse cap on for that and also we had a DEMOLITION DAY to a wall in my teeny tiny Laundry Room….and the work on my craft area has been in full swing…

It was super exciting to see and this will not only make my Laundry bigger…we had a punched a door opening to another wall to give me access to sneak upstairs to my craft area! It had an entrance in from the garage but I thought…wouldn’t it be nice to just walk through…and PRESTO it can work (with a lot of imagination and persistence)

I have learned many lessons from this remodeling thing….PATIENCE and KINDNESS goes a LONG WAY with working together with the people that “really know” what they are doing….most of the time they just look at me and and scratch their head and say….well….IT CAN BE DONE BUT….(it’s that BUT WORD that always makes me a bit nervous)

The reality and moral of the story is….when Dad (John) is away…MOM (me!) and the PUPS (Rosie, Jack and Milo) can play! With me being here during the week…I am getting LOTS accomplished and when John rolls down with the truck and trailer…he just smiles and shakes his head!

It has just been exciting around here but one thing for sure it….it is DUSTY and I had to laugh the other day as someone walked into the house and I turned around and said – “Hi – who are you?” ….now meanwhile he had a mask on and I had a mask on…and he said “I’m the Cable Guy” and with that I busted out laughing as I thought I was in a reality sitcom show!!!

We need to get to the winners of those little pieces of gold to  “us papercrafters”…these are all 1/4″ strips of all of the cardstock that Stampin’ Up! has as remember when I made the “OH SO HANDY CARDSTOCK SWATCHES?”…well these are the leftover pieces from the cuts…and I can remember when I went into the printshop that did all of this massive cutting for me, the guy said….“we kept these for you in case you wanted them and if not we can throw them away for you!”

I thought…throw them away….HECK NO – these are like GOLD….so I am giving (2) of them away but trust me…I have probably about 4 more to give away and I will still have a stockpile for me!

I loved reading the comments and also the emails I received from people about how they have been passing the at home time….for me, I will say at the beginning I went on a Great British Bake Off bing watch as I sat an needlepointed (I have stitched 3 dog collars during this timeframe – getting a jump on Christmas gifts)…and then I also found myself getting hooked on old Andy Griffith Shows, Leave it to Beaver and MASH…

OK STAMPERS…..drum roll…..drum roll…….get ready to push back that chair and do that dance cause if you are JOYCE LODGE and MILLIE CRUM….you will be getting some Happy Mail from me!!!

Heck even if you are not these ladies…stand up and do a big stretch …..turn some music on and do a dance! I do this often but then I catch myself watching the dogs faces and I feel like they are saying, “MOM – what the heck are you doing?”

LET’S HAVE A LESSON ON THE EASE OF ENVELOPES!!!

I have ALWAYS made my envelopes fun…WHY??? easy = My Mom always used to say that it is all about the 1st impressions and the 1st impression does not have to be expensive…it just needs to be genuine.

With that said I thought…I can make the envelope a HAPPY 1st impression for not only the sweet mail person that has to touch the mail…but for the recipient as well!

When Stampin’ Up! had the envelope liner dies I was ALL OVER THEM and when they discontinued them I thought – WHY??? That just seems silly (and I still feel that way) so I never parted with them but I had to develop some alternatives and hence the birth of my envelope love!

I get asked more about this SUPER SIMPLE METHOD than just about anything…and this is how I do it and I never have sticky fingers from the glue (as that just makes me grumpy)

As you have always heard me preach to that Stampin’ Choir…it’s all about the supplies and tools that you have to make this crafting process a fun and rewarding one and this is true for this process!

I believe that we need to have (3) widths of double sided tape. Stampin’ Up! Tear N Tape is a 1/4″ wide and that is great but for years I have also bought my tape in 1/2″ and also 1/8″ width. You can get it on Amazon or go right to the Scor Pal website and see the offerings. It is considerably less than the tear n tape and I always make sure that I have a full back up roll of each as this is a necessity to me!

I used to cut my DSP to 2″ X 6″ widths and then add a 1/4″ strip of complimentary cardstock and when I do this – I use the 1/8″ scor tape and then adhere the DSP with Green Glue…(This would yield 12 envelopes from 1 sheet of 12 X 12 paper!

Now….I have been finding myself cutting the DSP to 1 1/2″ X 6′ and then a 1/2″ strip and also a 1/4″ strip like you will see in the pictures below! Using this cutting method I can get 16 envelopes from 1 sheet of 12 X 12 paper!

When I was doing kits as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator I was always thinking about how I can get the most use out of a pack of DSP and also this 1 1/2″ X 6″ method helps even more when you are working with a 6″ X 6″ paper pack!

Below is the final end result and the reason that I like my method is simple – it works for me and also when you hold the envelope you do not see any glue lines and all 3 pieces hold flat/together as 1! I sure hope that this all makes sense to you as I am trying my best to explain!

Below you will see the 3 sizes that I talked about above….the one in the middle is the tear n tape (1/4″) …all of these tapes have the same properties and ease of use….just figure out what you need and tear away! A roll will last you a LONG time but to me, it is just super important to have them on hand!

Below you will see that I put (2) pieces of the 1/2″ width before I add stripe #1 and stripe #2….you might be thinking…..SUSAN, WHY WOULDN’T YOU USE THE 1/2″ & the 1/4″ as that would fit the 2 pieces perfectly….well….YEP IT WOULD ….BUT (there’s that word again)

I like that extra tape to ANCHOR the top of the DSP DOWN (now who likes STICKY FINGERS…not me) and this way it also supports all of the foundation to have a beautiful and professional end product. To the remainder of this naked envelo

STOP and take a deep breath as I know this all sounds like a lot of work but it is not at all….to me, it has simply become part of the process of card making for me!

The Mini Kits that went out this week all had the paper pre cut for them to do this….and all future mini kits that I offer will be the same! I just love ENVELOPE LOVE!

Now to my SECRET WEAPON with Envelope Love….

Again, a firm believer of having the right tools to get the job done…and these scissors below are my “go-to’s” for cutting away the excess after I adhere the DSP….They are Tim Holtz scissors and they have a teflon coating on the inside which makes it a breeze to cut way the excess….and if there is any stickiness from the glue…NO BIGGIE because they are teflon.

You can find them at many of the big stores and also you can use a coupons for them…they come in 3 sizes and I like the largest ones for the job of envelopes as the blades are 9.5″ and you can do a clean sweep at one cut!

Below you can see the flip side and there is a wee bit of excess DSP hanging off…this is great as all you need to do is cut around and presto – DONE!

You can see that I always cut into the envelope…this way I know that the seal from the glue is all the way to the end…a perfect envelope!

Thanks for hanging in there with me…I just get so many people ask me how do I do my envelopes and so many of you do them a super hard way…..(tracing a pattern and then trying to cut it out)….or getting a bunch of glue at the top…

In closing I just had to share a cute picture and story of Rosie…she absolutely ADORES John and she has had a tough transition to him leaving during the week and now that there are “strangers wearing masks”…she is just beside herself with a hole in the wall…she finally was brave enough to put her top paws on it!

The next picture I adore as she is teeny tiny but oh so mighty around her brothers…she is sitting in her bed while she eats…always keeping an eye open for a brother to snitch her food!

I guess you could say that this is BREAKFAST IN BED!

Have a FABULOUS weekend and be safe and make a memory or two! In Maryland they are lifting many restrictions starting at 5 pm tonight…and I hope and pray that people are wise and continue to use good judgement!

I will pop back next week and hopefully make you smile….