***Happy 4th of July!***

Happy 4th of July to all my visitors who celebrate this day!

We had friends over yesterday for a nice summer meal eaten outside, followed by a bike ride to a nearby beach to watch the fireworks over the lake! So fun!

Usually we are always traveling this time of the year and I rarely get around to make a card for this holiday. This year we are home but I still left it till the last minute and only had time to make a few cards for my Thursday night friends. So I kept it fairly simple.

Stamps: STAMPloration (brush strokes), Winnie & Walter (sentiment)
Dies: mymomenta (star), Avery Elle (zig zag border)
Other: embossing folder (Darice), star gem (Recollections)


Challenges:

Inkspirational #112 "Anything Goes with Red"







STAMPloration CAS Challenge June
(my card even has some navy blue in it)
ETA: It's already July, so ,of course, this one has closed already, duh!






Just Us Girls #350 "Summer"







Just Add Ink #318 "Just add S"







And welcome to my new follower who shares my first name

Susanne of Susanne's Hingucker

Why don't you go and visit her blog?


Be well,

Keep Smiling...

First of all, let me welcome my new follower

Christine of Stempel-Wahn

Check out her blog, you will be inspired by her beautiful cards!

Today I am showing you a card I made with one of my first stamps. I bought it in the children's section of a bookstore on my first trip to the US. I just love grinning faces and was immediately charmed by Sandra Boynton's greeting cards. So when I found a stamp featuring her grinning cats I had to have it. Looking at them cheer sme up. I grinned the whole time I was making that card. To be honest, though, I haven't used the stamp much. Especially lately. But I wanted to make a card for a cat-loving person with a great sense of humor.

Inside sentiment: "Sunshine is good for your teeth"

Used some Distress Inks with a Tim Holtz stencil, then clear embossing paste over that, sprinkled with gold glitter. The rest is self-explanatory, I think. Let me know if you have any questions.

Stamps: Sandra Boynton (cats with sentiment),  Hero Arts (background)
Other: Stencil (Tim Holtz)


Challenges:


Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday "Sunshine"


 


That's it from me for today. My bed is calling me...

Be well,

Birthday Card with Frog

It has been quiet again on my blog because we were away camping!

But now I am back with a birthday card for Melba, one of the Cardologists whose birthday we celebrated last Thursday with a yummy Oreo Ice Cream Cake and much laughter! Melba loves frogs so I stamped and watercolored a NBUS stamp. I really thought he needed googly eyes and searched everywhere but it seems I don't have any. Is that even possible? Since I didn't have time to go out and buy some I ended up using small clear dew drops for the eyes. And I even used PP!

Stamps: SSS (sentiment), VAP! scrap (frog)


Challenges:


Shop Your Stash  #216 "Splish Splash - Use a wet medium"








Seize the Birthday "No Topping"







You should check out Dora's blog and see what a pretty card she made for Melba!

Please help me to warmly welcome my new follower

Kathy from KT Krafts

by stopping by her inspiriring blog and saying hello!
Thank you, Kathy, for finding me and hitting the follow button!

Your welcoming quote is from William Jennes:

Wherever you are,
it is your friends who make your world.

Hope to "see" you all soon,
Susanne

Muse Challenge #92

Happy Sunday to you all! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

I made a card inspired by the Muse this week "Vicky Dutcher". This is her card

and here is my take on it

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp (birthday)
Dies: PTI (Headline Alphabet)
Other: Cuttlebug (embossing folder), Marco's Paper (silver cardstock), Distress Inks

I still love to use embossing folders as background stamps with distress inks spritzed with water! Cut out the HAPPY with my NBUS dies from PTI from matte silver cardstock, embossed the birthday in silver, mounted the panels on foam tape and really liked the result! Hope you do, too! It's always good to have some guy cards ready, right? (Although if someone would send me a similar card I would be delighted. Even though I love flowers, butterflies, bling, etc. I also like this type of cards.)

Help me give a warm welcome to my new follower Karren J. from "Karren J - Stamping Stuff"
Why don't you visit her blog, let yourself be inspired by her wonderful cards and leave her some love?
Karren, my welcome quote for you is from Wassily Kandinsky:

Color is a power which directly influences the soul.

Thank you for becoming a follower! I also want to thank everybody who has signed up to get my posts through email and all of you visitors! Hope you continue to like what you see here!

Hugs,
Susanne

CAS(E) this sketch #96

Here is a card I made for the CAS(E) this sketch #96. Once I started to look at my stamps, dies, punches I had so many ideas for this sketch! If I find the time maybe I will make another card...

First the sketch:

Stamps: Hero Arts (Star background and sentiment)

Dies: Impression Obsession (city scape), Momenta (star)

Inks: Distress (Broken China), Marvy (#3 blue)

Hope you can still see the sketch even though I flipped it. This card makes me really happy because, as you probably know by now, I love stars, buildings and sparkle! I was so excited about it that I brought everything to our "7 Cardologists" meeting last night and showed the girls how to make it. They all loved it and it gave my dies and stamps a good work out which is much better than collecting dust. 

Did you notice that I have three more followers? Let's give a warm welcome to

Lyndal of Ideas and Paper

Sandie of London Days

Rachel of Inky Fingers Are Me

Get comfortable and go visit their blogs full of great inspirations! 

My welcoming quote for you Lyndal, Sandie, and Rachel is by Mother Teresa:

It is not how much you do,

but how much love you put into the doing 

that matters. 

I am so glad that you decided to join me, ladies!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hugs,

Susanne

SSS Wednesday Challenge "Tag It"

Happy first day of Fall! It's also our anniversary!

My card today (is not an anniversary card) but features fall colors, more precisely the new colors from Stampin' Up (thanks to my friends). I started it one recent Thursday stamping night. We set out to CASE a card but then I went in a completely different direction. I wanted to use an embossing folder with dies from Cuttlebug that L had given us that night. The EF comes with the tag die and different border dies.

Stamps: Stampin' Up (flower), Hero Arts (sentiment)
Paper: Stampin' Up
Other: Cuttlebug (EF and dies)


Since it features a tag I am entering it in the current Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Tag It".

Now please help me welcome two new followers:

Kristie from Kreative Kristie
Sarah from Funky Fossil Design

Click on the links to visit their blogs. They are full of inspiration!

I always welcome my new followers with a quote and because both are mothers I picked one that I have to remind myself regularly:

There is no way to be a perfect mother...
but a million ways to be a good one!

Thanks for following my little blog. Hope you like what you see here.

Hugs,
Susanne

Muse Challenge #82 / AAA Cards #18 / SSS Wednesday Challenge

Just a quick post to show you the card I made for the Muse Challenge #82 which closes soon. The dotted swirls and colors on Bobby's gorgeous card really spoke to me. Look at it

Mine didn't quite come out as I envisioned it...

Stamps: Inkadinkado (Swirls), Stampin' Up (flower circle), Lockhart Stamp Co. (dotted dream)


I made a watercolor background with my watercolor pencils (IRL it doesn't look as streaky but more like a watercolor wash - don't know why my camera has changed it like that) and will therefore also send it to AAA Cards, a new challenge for me. I added some splatters and a yellow gem in the flower center.

Also entering the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge "Anything Goes".

I am very happy to welcome a new follower. Her name is Maarit and her blog name is "Violets Corner". She has been blogging for a long time so if you need some inspiration hop on over and check out her wonderful creations!
My welcome quote for you is especially fitting for us crafters with so many new products coming out all the time. At least I should repeat it to myself every day because my wish list gets longer and longer...

Never let the things you want
make you forget the things you have!

Hope you all have a good week! Thank you for your visit and if you feel like leaving a comment you would make me very happy!

Hugs,
Susanne