Much to be done~

There is soooo much to be done in Santa's workshop!!! I better get to it. I hope you all enjoy this amazing season with family and friends! Have a wonderful December & watch for upcoming classes and projects very soon!!!! Have a HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS! Love, Suzette~

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TAGS~

It is the beginning of the greatest time of year!~ My Halls are Decked and I am loving it~ But also....it is the fab time of year that Tim Holtz does his 12 days of Christmas tags. I have to say I really look forward to this every year. I love his techniques, the way he uses his product, and the found objects he uses on his tags. He posts every night at midnight for that days posting for 12 days. So, if you haven't checked it out before check it out. I have to say.....he is amazing! Have fun Decking your halls, Christmas shopping, baking, and creating!!!

Fun Gift Idea~

Connie and I are doing a Santa's workshop in Payson on December 5th. 2 projects for $25 come anytime you can between 10 and 2. But I know going up to Payson isn't an option for most of you so I wanted to show you the project I will be teaching and give you some instruction on how to do it incase you are looking for a quick inexpensive gift idea.

 1. Take scraps of papers that will work together they don't have to be matchy matchy. I started with some Christmas scraps I had and then added a few random pieces. Tear and size them to fit on any size clipboard. Mine is a 6x9 Using Matt Medium or Mod Podge apply your papers to clip board using a brayer to adhere tightly. Once all your papers are on ink your edges as much as desired with Distress Vintage Photo and apply another layer of Matt Medium. This will give a cool glazing effect. Allow to dry.

2. Cut 2 pieces of crate paper about 16" long. Sew a gathering stitch at the top of each one. Gather and adhere with a wet glue or hot glue. Add a piece of tinsel, ribbon, or lace to the top one to cover the row of stitching. Add die cuts, embellishments, photos, etc. I just punch your holes for adding the wire with the small punch on your cropodile. It works great!

3. If you love the look of the scrunched up seam binding it is so quick and simple to do. You simply take some starch spray it and scrunch it up in the palm of your hand then allow to dry. If I am in a hurry I will use my heat gun to speed it up. It is so darn cute all scrunched up. Enjoy!

Home For Christmas~

So I am a Christmas Freak which has already been established!!! Have you seen this new Teresa Collins line Christmas Home???? OMG! I just had to create an album using it! I found all of this great tinsel, ribbon, and fringe to go with it. OH and some really great found objects inside! It's super fun! I will be teaching this one at The Scrapbook Barn and at Scrap Happy Sisters. I am updating my schedule today. It will have all my classes from now until the end of the year! Lots of fun going on!!!!

Believe in the Magic~

I love Christmas! I think almost everyone does! I collect Santa's in every shape and size and have them in every corner of my house at Christmas time. So this year I wanted to create a very unique Christmas album. This album is an altered vintage (probably more like antique) Record Album.
They are pretty cool. I have been saving and collecting for a long time until I finally had enough to do a couple of classes. This album is full of Christmas memorabilia and some fun found objects and of course Santa's. It is a large album and is created to be more of a coffee table album with ribbons, bling, and a vintage English Skeleton key hanging from the bottom. This will be an amazing addition to anyones Christmas Decor. I will be teaching this at Paper & Metal Scrappers on November 19th and Craftfusion on December 10th. You can get ahold of the stores to sign up.

"Haunted"

The two classes I have taught for the Haunted Mini Album were so much fun! This album is so full of black & orange goodness!!! I just love the two colors together this time of year!!! I have been completely sold out twice but I can get a little more paper & product to do a few more if anyone is interested....I hate to not give my bloggers a chance to order this great kit. So...if you are interested just order in the next few days. I am only making kits up for this one....one more time... Happy Haunting!!!!

a touch of fall~

I love fall! Since I have moved to AZ I think I love decorating for fall more than any season or Holiday. Because usually that is the only way it seems like fall. The weather is still usually pretty warm & there are blue skies & no changing leaves. Although today is chilly, lastnight rainy I am loving it. We have a ballgame tonight and it actually feels like football season. So Cool!!! I had to hurry and get my decorating out of the way. We had the spaghetti dinner here for the football team lastnight. Game day today! Go Toros!!! and I have a class on Sat., a class on Tues. night, and a class next Saturday. So....the witch will be in....kitting for classes!!!! ha ha Stay tuned if you are interested in the Haunted Kit...I may have a few left that I will put up for sale next week. If you are interested in classes my schedule is to the right along with the stores I am at. HAPPY FALL!!!!~

The MotherLoad~

I get excited about old stuff! and I hit the Motherload the other day! Just on a whim I stopped by a thrift store on my way somewhere else.....OMG!!!! #stencils 8" & 10", that cool lamp that I am dying to paint red, vintage stapler, crown dominoes, sheet music (christmas too) velvet pieced quilt squares with hand stitching, and a viewmaster that one of my friends has been looking for!!!! SCORE!!!!

Just had to share! Love, Suzette~

in the PALM of MY HAND~

I can't even tell you how long we have been looking for a Desert Tortouis.....so I tell everyone that we are looking and my fellow artist friend Connie texts me the other day...she has a friend getting rid of some turtles for his mom!!!! YIPPEE!!!! Then she called and said we could have 2~ WAHOO!!!! THANKS CONNIE!!!! As you can see they both literally fit in the palm of my hand! They are just little babies...1 month old!!! They eat a little, very little and they sleep ALOT!!! My boys named them Rocky and Ali!~ I am just in love with them but you ought to see my boys!!! especially Austin the Big Dog #72! They make him melt!!! Speaking of the Big Dog his football team beat WestWood this weekend for West Woods 50th year Homecoming. Mt. View put up 50 points in their honor the score was 50-12. The Big Dog is getting healthy he got to start in the game and played the whole thing until they put the 2nd string in at the end!!! So glad he is getting back to normal!!! (well still 20 lbs lighter but atleast not 30 anymore) & of course I forgot my camera!!! GRRR I was not happy! Luckily 5 more regular games to go until playoffs! (cross your fingers on that)

I had a fab class in Payson this weekend! Busy Busy but very Fun! It was my " TIME IN A BOTTLE" album. It is really pretty! Some fun techniques and a lot of layering and collaging it's just yummy! Thanks Ladies!!! One day I will remember to take pics at class....One day!!!! Hope everyone else had a great weekend! Fall is coming...I can feel it if I wake up early enough in the morning! We have to wait a long time for "Fall" hear in Mesa!!!! But when it gets here it is sooo worth it! We are in for some amazingly gorgeous months of beautiful weather!!!! I am just a "little" excited about it!

Have a great week! Thanks for checking my blog! Love, Suzette~

Enter If you Dare.....

Do you love Halloween??? I am getting sooo excited to get out my decorations and round up past years pics for this fun album! OMG this was a fun one to do. Aren't Holidays a BLAST!!!!! I love breaking away from the same ole'! I will be teaching my "HAUNTED" album at The Scrapbook Barn on October 11th from 5-9 and October 15 at Paper & Metal Scrappers from 10-2. Don't be scared!!!!~

Football, spaghetti dinners, Senior year....

Oh Boy!!!! It has been busy lately! Besides trying to get Austin back on his feet from his ruptured, infected appendix we have had the Varsity football team at our house every Thursday night for the past 4 weeks for spaghetti dinners. (only 6 more to go...depending on playoffs*&%#) It has been crazy busy but very fun! What a great group of boys! The senior boys have been a little full of themselves making the Jrs. have their time getting anitiated...pool tossing etc. But I have to say when it is as hot as it is here...the jrs. haven't been too upset about taking their turn in the pool. In fact the Srs. were kind of bummed when the Jrs. were having more fun than them!!!!I am lucky enough to have a bunch of great moms helping out too. Many hands make light work for sure!!!! Fun pics...cute boys!!!

What time would you save in a Bottle...if you could????

I am selling a few kits for my "Time in a Bottle" Album. I have taught my first class & have some upcoming classes scheduled. But I have received a lot of interest on this one... so I want to make it available to some of you that watch my blog & that don't live locally. If you don't live here be glad...it is still sooo darn hot!!! I am really ready for a break in the weather. This is my homesick time of  year. I can already feel it starting. Thanks for checking I am working on some great stuff & I have learned a couple of simple tricks I want to share too. So keep checking...

thankful~

I am so thankful for modern medicine and living in this day and age. Austin's appendix ruptured & perferated about 2 and a half weeks ago. He was an extremely sick boy! The past couple of weeks he never seemed to be really getting better. He had drainage bags on his sides and when those were removed and he was still pretty sick the Dr. told me the things to watch for incase he was getting an abcess. So, sure enough last Sunday night he started having more pain and started a fever. His tummy was bulging out like a 5 month pregnant lady. Just BAM all of a sudden!!! We got him painfully in the car and back to the hospital. Where they discovered a 7 centimeter abcess right where his appendix would have been. Thank heaven for morphine because once they gave him that his pain decreased. The next morning they did another procedure to remove the abcess. The next couple of days he started improving. His color started coming back, he could move around a lot easier by himself and about an hour ago I got to bring him back home. On the way home he said, "My Life Really Sucks Lately!!!"  and yes ok even though for a 17 year old football player it does suck!!! I can't believe on Wed. by noon we would be packing up to leave the hospital with a boy doing so well when Sunday night things were looking extremely scary. So.....as the 17 year old's mom....I am very thankful to live right now with modern medicine and very thankful to be bringing my BIG BOY home!!!!~

If I Could Save Time~

"If I Could Save Time"....It would be now....I know other times in my life I would have loved to save the time & capture it...but right now the past year. Life is Good~ It is all about to change rapidly though & if I could save time right now & stop it I would. My girls are grown & have started families & don't need me so much anymore which I have gotten pretty used to. But my boys are here under my roof and still love their mom & they aren't afraid to let me know they need me. Austin is going to be a Senior this year...and like I said things will be changing rapidly!!!! We are really looking forward to his football season this year & a lot of other things. But none of us are looking forward to him graduating & moving on. Sooooo my "If I Could Save Time" album will have a lot of fun photos I will be adding to it about this amazing time in our life. Also, speaking of changes....I will be teaching this fun "If I Could Save Time" album at The Scrapbook Barn in Mesa, AZ on August 27th 10-3:30 It has a real working clock on the front, some fun technique, and some really cool embellishments in it. So stop by the store soon & check it out~

Lazy Summer Daze~

We just got back from Utah~ We saw so many cousins, relatives, and friends! It was a great time! Time goes waaaaay too fast especially on vacation. I taught a class last Friday right after we got home in Payson. I am flying out to North Dakota to return my 2 neices I stole...and then I have a class on Saturday July 30 out at Creative Quest. Busy, Crazy, Would like a little more Lazy......lol~