Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday season! Our Christmas was wonderful and we are looking forward to the new year. Here are a few pics from Christmas morning. G-ma came over and made her signature Eggs Benedict (with a twist). We use Cheez Whiz instead of Hollandaise sauce! Very white-trashy, I know! It started when the kids were little and they didn't like the Hollandaise sauce, so we improvised! Now it is tradition and we wouldn't have it any other way! The boys look forward to having G-ma come over and make breakfast on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas dinner was amazing and we had a house full of family! I was so busy cooking and getting everything ready that I didn't snap one picture in the evening. Bummer. The prime rib was gorgeous! I guess you have to take my word for it tho!

I hope your holidays were amazing and that you are thankful for your blessings in life! More crafty stuff to come soon! Take care!

Susan

New Classes for the New Year!

Well, the time is coming for our new class schedule at the Stamp Art Shoppe to come out! Sandy is working hard on the newsletter and website this week and it should be ready for the last week of December. Yay! It is so much fun to work in the store and see the beautiful samples that our teachers have worked so hard on. It always blows me away with the amount of creativity and talent we have in our teachers! I hope that you try classes from everyone and sample their talented work.

We have a guest teacher returning this March so be sure to watch for the sign-ups. And with CHA the end of January, I am sure Sandy will be bringing back treasures from the show! It should be an exciting time for classes and shopping at the store!

I am excited for my classes as well. I have a few returning classes, The Mastering the Basics Series I, II, and III, but I have revamped the Copic Marker classes into one workshop with a workbook that we will use to practice many techniques. I kept the price low so that you can take it over and over again if you want! Look for my Foiled Love class if you enjoyed the Foil Cards from ArtBytes. Cards from the heart returns again with some quick and fun cards that can be used for Valentine's Day or just for greetings. If you are looking for technique-rich classes you might want to try my Artsy Canvas Cards or Shabby French Plaque classes. More pictures to come soon!

Thanks for stoping by!

Susan

A Cre8tive Affair!

Well, today wrapped up the last day of Anniversary celebrations at The Stamp Art Shoppe! I just wanted to share some pics I took with my phone just as the festivities were beginning. These were the decorated lampshades and baskets that Sandy has been working on for months! She outdid herself with her decorations and every little detail. Art bytes went off without a hitch and lots of fun projects were created! Sandy saved the newest products for the weekend so that customers were inundated with new stuff! I personally can't wait to try the Chip Art kits from Meloday Ross. Really cool!

Later!

Susan

Art Bytes are in full swing at the Stamp Art Shoppe! We have one more day of mini classes and anniversary celebrations before we wrap up year 8! The Shoppe has been bustling with students and shoppers all coming to join the festivites. Of course there is always Sandy's gorgeous decorations to behold! The woman is amazing! Come by for a look-see tomorrow and put your name in for a door prize! Check out the beautiful foil cards we made in class today! So easy and so much fun!

Well, I have some fabulous news! My Rocklin Thunder Varsity Football Boys are in the play-offs again! Good job boys! This year has been considerably tougher, but we have still managed to make to the first round! So, football season continues for us! Woohoo! Go Thunder!

Our Halloween Open House went well this year. We enjoyed our delicious soups and passed out candy to some of the cutest little monsters around! My favorite time of the year.

Gotta go to bed and rest up for the busy day tomorrow!

Susan

Halloween is almost here!

Are you ready to get spooky? I love Halloween and I love Halloween crafts even more! Here is a picture from my Vintage Halloween Printer's Tray class. This was probably the most fun I have had putting a class together! I used the 7Gypsies printer's tray and lots of fun techniques and products. Ranger's Distress Crackle Paint made my metal embellishments look old and worn. Just the effect I wanted for this project! And of course, Distress Ink always is must for grunging-up your projects! For backgrounds I used patterned paper and plain cardstock embossed with various cuttlebug and sizzix embossing folders. They added interesting texture and dimension to the finished piece. I encourage you to make one of your own! My students made some awesome trays in class!

Happy Crafting!

Susan

It has been awhile, I know! Life is busy. That's the only excuse I have! I am trying to fit everything in! What can I say, I love life and I enjoy everything that I do, so what would I cut out? Cleaning, bills, laundry, etc... You get the picture, right!

On to better things... This is a pic I took of a card I made. I used techniques I learned in Kelly Rae Roberts book, Taking Flight. It is so much fun to do! Thank you for sharing, Kelly Rae!

Gotta go for now! Have a great day!

Susan

Okay, so clearly I am lame at posting latey. Since I have started working 2 days a week at The Stamp Art Shoppe, my life has gotten alot busier. I know it is only 2 days, but it is really a big change in schedule for me. I am now working 5-6 days a week and trying to keep up with things at home and Nick's sports activities, etc.... Thank goodness I have a very supportive hubby who helps out a lot! Thanks, Babe!

So... enough about my crazy schedule. One of the many things I have been doing is finishing up classes for this quarter (so late, I know!) and experimenting with techniques for my classes next quarter. I think you all will really enjoy them. I am posting some pics of my "Made with Love" recipe keepsake book, and my "Color Blending with Copic Markers" classes that are coming up in the next few weeks.

For next quarter I am planning some techniqued filled classes that may be new to you or review for some, but either way they will exand your creativity and push you to really use your tools, products, and your imagination! I will also be teaching an all new "Macho Cards" class this summer. It was such a success last year that I thought I would teach it again. I will be passing on my vast knowledge of making manly cards. I should have enough experience with my 3 men at home! I am also working on an ongoing class that would be teaching techniques that are a little beyond the basics. It will give you a chance to really play with some of the products in our store and perfect your techniques as well. My other classes are TBA so check back here to see what I come up with or at The Stamp Art Shoppe website after May 1st. If you have any suggestions for future clases I would love to hear about them! Just stop by the Shoppe on Thursday or Friday, or leave a comment for me here. I hope you join me for some paperfun soon!

See you soon!

Susan

Happy New Year!

Boy, I have a lot of catching up to do! The holidays were a little bit different for us this year. Different, but still great. We were busy with football until the week before Christmas! Our boys kept winning until they made it to the State Championships! They did lose there, but only barely. They are still number one in our hearts!
Because of all the football activities and last minute trip to southern California to see the game, we had no Christmas decorations up! So rather than buy a tree to have for a week, we put up our mini trees and the stockings and a few special decorations. We did our shopping, decorating, grocery shopping, and cooking all on Christmas Eve! I can't believe we pulled it off! We also stayed home on Christmas Day. That was also a first for us. We had a really nice, peaceful day. I highly recommend it.
I have been busy trying to get my classes together for the new session at The Stamp Art Shoppe. It is always hard to pull this one off around the holidays, but it was especially trying this year with our football activities. I am almost done! I will post pictures soon! I have been enjoying working at the store two days a week. It is great to be able to get to know the customers a little better. I am looking forward to getting back to teaching soon though!
Well, I am calling it a night. Happy New Year!

Susan