Sue's Scraps and Snippets

Hello! Thank you for visiting my blog. I am in a bit of a nostalgic mood today, so I felt like sharing some posts from the past. I am starting with my favorite scrapbooking layouts from the time that I started blogging a few years ago. They are in no particular order and cover a variety of subjects from my own childhood to my cats to my grandchildren. I haven't scrapbooked in awhile. You will see that there is only one from when my children were small. That is tricky, because I haven't figured out how to scrapbook all those years without showing little boy pictures of my transgender daughter. Someday I will figure it out, but for now I just don't scrapbook. I also don't have pictures of my youngest granddaughter, except for one or two, but that's another story. As you can see, I have changed gears and try to focus on cardmaking, and trying to be a blessing to others.
The card that I have to share uses the next SPCC color combo. I made this card for a friend who had surgery (and happens to be very musical). The stamps are from SP & Company. I used another SP & Company stamp with pigment ink to create the musical background paper. I fell in love with the musical butterfly the moment that I saw it. I also like to play with alternate ways to fold cards, to make them a bit more fun for the receiver. Why don't you check out the SPCC blog and see what you can do with these colors? Sami always has a nice prize for one entrant drawn at random.
That's it for today. I am getting busier with school and other commitments. I find that by keeping busy and trying to focus on others and on service, it will be easier to get through the holidays. I have always thought that the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were almost magical. This was true when I was growing up, and we did the best that we could to make it so when our children were growing up. It is hard now to not get together with all of our children and grandchildren, but I keep busy with church (I plan and teach the children's Sunday school - such sweetness and joy), Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG - I am the local chapter president because I can help others through my pain), and Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project (K-STEP - I am secretary; education is the key to understanding). All of these things allow me to love what I see when I look in the mirror. I also have so many wonderful friends through church and my stamping groups - amazing what that can do! Sorry for the melancholy ranting. I hope that all of you are well and happy and taking care of yourselves.

Hi all of my friends! I hope that this post finds you well and enjoying fall. I just have a quick post for you today. Samantha has a new color combo for you over at SPCC. I hope that you will check out her blog and give this color combo a try. She always has a nice prize for a winner, chosen at random from all of the entrants. You won't want to miss out! Although the colors listed are SU, you can use any brands as long as the colors are close. I used these gorgeous colors for another Christmas card. The stamps are from SP and Company, and I colored with Prismacolor pencils and Goo Gone (you can also use OMS for blending). The polka dot CS is from A*muse Studios. I love snowmen! Although the real ones are not warm and fuzzy, the ones in pictures looks so cute and cuddly. My daughter even has some fluffy stuffed snowmen, which are adorable.
Have a good week, my friends. I posted a few cards mid-week last week, so be sure to check those out, too!

I just got some gingham CS and I love it! These cards all use green (sage, maybe?). But there are about 10 luscious colors! Now that I am not an Angel for TAC, I am a customer for lots of my friends (LOL). This CS is from a*muse, and the stamps are from a variety of sources. The gorgeous musical butterfly is from SP & Company. I think that I will use this one a lot!. The roses and leaves are from a*muse. And I made the baby card for the anticipated granddaughter of a very dear friend. This one uses a Stamp by Judith. I just love her whimsical animals. They always make me smile. I colored it with Copics for the challenge by iCopic.com. They are giving away a wonderful carrier for Copics and I would really like to have it!
Not much else new for now. I will have some more projects on Monday morning, along with a new color combo. We are getting some more seasonal (meaning cool) temps and I suspect winter will make itself known before too long. I guess that I need to get started on some Christmas cards and projects! I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend, and (as I tell my students) make wise choices!

Hello friends! I hope that you are enjoying autumn. We are having unbelievably beautiful weather here in Kansas. After a brutally hot summer, I truly appreciate the moderate temps.
Well, Sami has a new color combo over at the SPCC blog. I had some fun with these colors. I made two cards. First one uses SP & Company's Sewing Chic stamp set. I even created the background paper with Versamark and a small dressform stamp. The sentiment is a combination of part of one from Sewing Chic and one from Bold Sentiments 1. I love to mix and match. I also love to sew about as much as I love to stamp. In fact, my fabric stash easily rivals my paper and stamp stash! I need to finish a KSU quilt for my youngest daughter and make a quilt for my youngest granddaughter.
Why don't you give these colors a try? Sami has a wonderful prize for the winner (chosen at random from all of the entries).
Okay, just a side note: I am trying to type this while my cat is resting on my arms and keyboard. It is a challenge!
My second for this color combo uses a set called Save the Girls from The Angel Company. I love this versatile set. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I wanted to make this card. It is for my dear friend, Caren, who is a five-year survivor. What you might not know about breast cancer, is that there is nothing magic about the five-year mark (like with other cancers). Breast cancer can and does often come back any time. The best thing that you can do is educate yourself and know that early detection can save lives. This is true for so many cancers. I am a living testament to that, having gotten off "easy" this past summer because my cancer was detected early. So don't shy away from those regular check-ups, just because they are inconvenient or uncomfortable (this includes you, too, guys).
Off my soapbox, and back to my card. I colored with Prismacolors and blended with Goo Gone. So much fun! Thanks, Curt, for reminding me how much fun that was. I had some fun with the folds of this card, so have three pics to show you how it opens. As some of you know, I was a demo for TAC. About 2 months ago they closed their doors. That was tough (tougher for many than for me). I was just a hobbyist, enjoying the benefits while supporting my habit. Many of my friends made a living or enhanced their income through TAC. TAC had an amazing line of stamps and was a Kansas company. Fortunately, I still have all of the amazing friends that I made through TAC and we still get together as often as we can. Several of my friends have signed on with a*muse|studios (a|s), who have no idea what an amazing bunch of talent they have acquired!
My next card is a start for my Christmas cards. This card uses the tree from a|s Winter Stag. I love this tree. I used white pigment ink and embossed with sparkly ep. I wish you could see how sparkly and pretty this tree is! The CS is DCWV shimmery CS. Can you tell that I love sparkly, shimmery stuff?
Thanks for stopping in to visit. I hope that you found something that you liked. Enjoy your week, and take a little time for yourself!

Today I come to you as a member of the SPCC Design Team. I am so excited to be designing for one of Samantha's blogs. She has had a weekly color combo for over two years. I was on the inaugural design team for a year, but then stepped down due to a number of other obligations. I am delighted to be back. I love the challenge of working with specific colors - often a combination I would never have considered. Try these colors and see what you come up with (you don't have to use SU colors - just try to get close). Samantha offers a lovely prize to a winner chosen at random from the entries. For this card, I used two different sets from SP & Company stamps. The design on the green strip is from Flourishee. I love this set, because it has a lot of different sizes of a similar design. I also repeated the design inside the card. The faux stitching is from Stitchery Doo. Samantha designs her own stamps, which are made in the USA of high-quality photo polymer.
I have been delightfully busy lately. It is mid-semester, so I have been giving (and grading) mid-term exams. I teach 5 classes, mostly structural classes in Construction Science and Management. I love teaching at the college level. My students choose to be there and, best of all, I don't have parent-teacher conferences!
This past weekend, I took my oldest daughter, Bree, to Lawrence, KS for a weekend getaway. We had a delightful time shopping, eating, and relaxing. Now it's back to the work week, but we both feel rejuvenated. I will post some pictures at a later time.
I hope that you all have a lovely week. Be sure to take some time for yourself!