The Red Haired Stamper

I feel like one ofthe Seven Dwarfs...

..and should be singing Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go...what a day of prep I have had. This is what supplies for a class of 81 looks like...

Thank goodness for the Carl Cutter is all I have to say about this one.

Thank goodness for a good sharp scissors!

Thats a lot of pieces of 4" ribbon.

I punched 200 pieces of Grunge Board and about 1000 pieces of cardstock (5 at a time) and this little Zutter wonder held up just fine.

100 die cut double sided sticky Flourishes that will sparkle like the stars when the glitter is applied.

My heartfelt thanks to Haroldine at Be Creative for her help making these puppies. I've said it before and I'll say it again...she has the friendliest little stamp store in the country (with all due respect to all you other stamp store owners out there...LOL)

OK..I better get to bed, big day tomorrow...just wanted to share some of what I have been doing today.

Thanks for stopping in...

Sue

MIA this week - but having fun!

Just want to say I will most likely not be able to post anything this week as I have my brother coming out to install a new pond in the garden (YIPPEE the hole is going!) and have a BIG school group class on Wednesday to get finished packing and prepping.

If I get any free time I'll try to come by and post..otherwise...see you in about a week!

I'll post pics of the new pond for sure :-) Sounds like he has some very fancy ideas.

Sue

G-dad's 89th Birthday yesterday.

Yesterday was Granddad's 89th Birthday. he is in wonderful health and a big part of our lives as we share our house with him. He still plants his Scarlet Runner beans every year and tends the raspberry patch.

Here we are in the morning when we met our boys (my step sons) for coffee. Left to right..Paul, Mike, DH, G-Dad, me and Christina, Mike's wonderful girlfriend. Paul's fiance Kiara was not able to make it unfortunately. Taking the picture is the boys mum Barb who also joined us. (I know..everyone thinks we are so weird and wonderful for having such a great relationship! :-) It's cool, we all benefit especially the boys)

On a side note we also celebrated Christina becoming a full fledged Teacher and Mike and Paul passing the physical to start Fire Fighting training next month!! YEAH!

G-dad loves having all the family around him.

That night SIL and her family and Richard and I took him out for dinner followed by cake at my sister-in-law's. My niece Alannah made the cutest card. Let me preface the photo by explaining that Alannah is 11 and is visually impaired, one of the effects of the impairment is that she is colour blind also. Yet she LOVES colour and colouring.  Here is the card she made for g-dad (we actually call him that - G-dad LOL)

3-D and lots of colours! Check out the little gift bag too with the tissue sticking out of it !!

Here is the side view so you can see the construction.

Now could you have done this at 11???

Her twin, Derek, went with the sports theme..here is his card he made. This kid knows all the sports stats, especially hockey! LOL

Fun night was had by all!

I will send a link to Alannah as I told her I would post her card on my blog..so if you want to comment on her creation please do...she would get such a kick out of that!

Have to run to a meeting for the Board of Directors of the Summer Camp for Visually Impaired kids I am on. I have a couple of cards to share later..then it's off to Australia again tonight! :-) Busy busy busy LOL!

Tip for taking better photos

Just read this blog entry at Photojojo and thought those of you out there with blogs and online shops might be interested.

Click HERE for the blog post with tutorials and tips.

I am off to Australia...be back on Friday! Have a great week!

Sue

Good for a giggle

While going through one of my drawers of treasures  junk I found a magnet that my friend gave me ages ago..and it is me to a T (what exactly does a T mean anyway??) It has a character somewhat like Sassy Sue in the catalogue and she is at a messy desk and the quote is:

"Somewhere under these piles is a calm, organized person screaming to get out!"

I am always saying that I am Martha Stewart trapped in some disorganized persons body! LOL I am so weird...my cupboards are all organized...everything matchie matchie..but you look at my paperwork and it's like the world stopped but the paper kept coming...that and time organization.

But I am trooping on with the clean out..and it is all going to be Matchie Matchie in the end...I hope. LOL

It already looks so much better! :-)

Whistle while I work...

I am purging my studio....really purging. I will be MIA for a couple of days..and then I will come back and share some pictures of the new and improved space :-) (Hoping anyway)

If I get play time I will be sure to share the creations. Does it happen to you...as soon as you clean away stuff in your stamping area you immediately want to pull everything out and get busy ??? LOL Clutter is defiantly not good for the creative side!

I'll be back with some pics as it progresses!

Sue

Update on Beth

Just a quick update about Beth. I got to visit her yesterday and she is not in great shape. She had a stroke and fell breaking her ankle. Her left arm is paralyzed and her neck is a bit too. however the first thing she said to me when I came in was how much she was enjoying the lovely cards she has received...they are the bright spot in her life right now. So thank you to everyone who has sent one to her...if you care to you can send her another as she will be at the hospital for a while longer until she is transfered to a rehab center.

Beth is a fighter, her brain seems sharp, her speech is very good and she is determined to get back to health and stamping. Bless her heart, she asked me to bring in a catalogue for her as she received a $50 gift  and she is determined to buy something with it LOL. Keep her in your prayers please!

Apart from Beth one of our best friends is recovering from surgery, yesterday they received the wonderful news that there is no cancer involved and  then last night was returned to hospital via ambulance when he developed a clot which traveled to his lung. He is a wonderful friend and we are so worried about him, again please keep him in your prayers.

To top it off we received some news ourselves which has us a bit shell shocked and reeling...but when we think of Beth and our best friend it puts everything in perspective and we realize we are doing just fine and will weather this storm.

So..I think I need a little stamping therapy this weekend and will try to get some fun time in and will share when I can!

Thanks again for sending the cards for Beth... they are all beautiful and what I was truly touched by was how you all wrote the sweetest notes to her..not just a line but a full card of well wishes...you are wonderful readers and I thank you!

A request for a RAK card

*** Have edited her address to make the cards get throught the hospital system faster..thank you***

Hi Everyone, I have never asked this before but today I need a favour.
I have a very elderly lady in my Stampers Club named Beth. She did not show up at club on Sunday and I tried all weekend to reach her. Today I called the manor where she lives and found out she is in hospital after suffering a stroke and a fall. She has no family at all in the world and coming to club is a huge part of her life. She LOVES stamping and I know she wil be delighted to recieve some cards while she is in hospital.

So if you have a spare card hanging around and would like to send it to her please send it to:

Beth Ledingham

c/o St Paul's Hospital

9th Floor, Room 9C, 1081 Burrard Street,

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

You will make her recovery so much brighter!

I am going out of town today but will be home on Thursday and going in to see her then..please keep her in your prayers too.

In the card just say you are a friend of Susan's so she doesn't wonder who everyone is

Thank you!
Sue

Splurge Day today!!!

It is always dangerous (financially speaking) to go visit my wonderful friend Haroldine at Be Creative...the name says it all. Haroldine owns the friendliest little stamp store in the West..and quite possibly the East too! When you visit this store you are visiting her home..literally! The store is in her home! At any time her two delightful children or her husband will come by and say hi..and most likely have home made cookies for a hungry traveler (baked by Bob her hubby). (Sorry Bob,  I think I ate them all today) Irish her amazing friend who helps out in the store will most likely be there too..or will probably drop in even if she is not working that day. You can visit the miniature goat in the barn if you like LOL! She used to also have miniature horses...too cute for words! (come to think of it..I think she likes miniature animals..because she also has the two tiniest chihuahuas I have ever seen!).

If you are ever in Vancouver/Pitt Meadows area you just have to go and visit Be Creative. One of the things I LOVE about the store is that she has everything in stock. If she carries an inkpad..she will have the re-inker for it. If you buy a Zutter machine she will have the toys for it, if she carries a line of product..like twinkling H2O's..she will have them all! A shoppers dream.

Anyhoo...I am planning for a BIG event with teens in a couple of months and was thinking they would like to use grunge board from Tim Holtz so planning on a journal of some type with this as that as the cover and then embellishments etc. have to work it all out and keep within budget ..will post when I finally get it all worked out and approved by the school. Haroldine carries it all so that was the reason for the trip today

soooo...look what I bought today:

The Zutter Dream Kuts machine, the Zutter Binder and coils, the Zutter book, Grunge Board covers and elements, a mini Paper cutter, a fine glue pen for using on the grunge board..I'll show you what I am going to do with it later, and a Glitter Magnet (exclusively available through Haroldine/ Be Creative, both wholesale and retail)

Plus Alison gave me one of those little tin mailboxes to alter as I have been dying to get one and every time I get to the States to Target they don't have them. If anyone out there in blog land has about 10 they would like to sell I would be forever grateful!..I would love to do a class for Mother's day with my girls with them. Or if you see them at Target and can buy them for me I will pay for them and of course the Shipping etc etc etc. Thanks!!!

I better get to bed...go to Japan tomorrow and hubby has decided he wants to come along for the ride LOL!  Catch you all again on Thursday!

Thanks for dropping by! Sue

Look what I got from Laura!!!

Laura e-mailed me the other day to tell me to go check out her blog and I saw that she had awarded me this uber cool award...WOW! I am so totally honored Laura...thank you. Now I would do a "Right back at ya" because you SOOO deserve it but I guess the idea is to 'Pay it Forward' to some other blogs I enjoy. Thank you for the award Laura...you deserve it too!

So here are 4 blogs I really enjoy...one is a photographer, one about storage solutions (aka Enabler blog) and two stamping blogs. I tried to pick people who have not yet (apparently) received the award on their blog...so here ya go. Hope you like them...

AMY COFFEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Amazing photographer, Amy Coffey who is now professional. She takes endless amazing photographs of her two cutie patootie little girls. Her lighting is amazing..you will love it...just grab a cuppa and scroll through her blog. She also has some session shots there. I aspire to learn to take photos like Amy when I get my new camera sometime later this year. Maybe it will happen magically when I hold it in my hands for the first time. LOL

MOONLIGHTINKER

I JUST, this evening, found this blog...it is a new blog for her SU creations..OMG...RUN over there and check it out...her work is STUNNING! It is going to be a big favorite! There are only about 4 cards on it yet but they are all jaw droppers!

ALISON SOLVEN

My buddy Alison's blog..always lots of beautiful inspiration on this blog. Thanks Ali!

CRAFTY STORAGE

and last but, by no means least, the blog with the drool factor. Do you love storage? I honestly think it is 50% of why I love stamping..finding cool storage to keep all the stuff in! LOL Paula updates this regularly with cool storage solutions and pictures of craft rooms from around the world. Click on the side bar links for trips through some of the most famous craft artist's craft rooms. Just heaven!

I could go on but I'll stop there...enjoy the blogs and thanks again to Laura for the award...and honestly....back at ya!

Been a long week with the exams but they are over for another year..YEAH! I get to keep my dream job for another year! LOL

I have to prep for my clubs this weekend so will have something to share tomorrow most likely! :-)