Author: susanfoxbowen

Sentiments

What a Lovely Day

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, crafty friends! We’re off to the start of a brand new week and a new design theme. This week, sentiments will be taking center stage in our designs. And today’s sentiment makes me hum a little song every time I see it. Does anyone else think of Secret Life of Pets when they hear “lovely day?” It’s a happy little earworm for me. *grin*

Today’s card combines the Splendid Autumn paper with the new Sweet Blooms dies and a recent Sale-a-Bration stamp set called Documenting the Day. I picked this set up at the tail end of SAB and hadn’t even opened it yet and decided it was perfect for the design I had in mind. I also found this to be the perfect opportunity to use one of the new In Colors that I’m having the hardest time using – Darling Duckling. This yellow-green tone goes perfectly with the Black-Eyed Susans in the paper I chose. Black-eyed Susans are some of my favorite wildflowers and never fail to make me smile when I see them. They’re just happy flowers. So when I was thinking about sentiments for this week, I thought of this paper and how perfectly it worked with the new Sweet Blooms set.

We start our card with a base of Darling Duckling. I chose the Black-Eyed Susan sheet from the Splendid Autumn paper pack as the backdrop for the sentiment. I wrapped Wild Wheat rustic striped ribbon around the bottom of the panel before adhering to the card base. I left a very small border of Darling Duckling so that it complements rather than competes with the shades of yellow in the patterned sheet. I used the Greetings of the Season banner die to create the panel for the first part of the sentiment. The sentiment from Documenting the Day is stamped in a combination of Versamark and Early Espresso inks and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The panel is adhered directly to the focal panel in the top left corner. I stamped the word DAY on white cardstock in Versamark and then heat embossed with copper and cut out each letter with paper snips. It’s adhered with dimensionals over the ribbon in the bottom right corner of the focal panel. The word lovely is diecut from gold foil and textured gold specialty papers using the Sweet Blooms dies and then adhered above DAY with dimensionals. I added an extra layer of dimensionals to be sure lovely stood above DAY. I finished things off with a scattering of drusy embellishments.

Tune in tomorrow to see what sentiment is up next.

Product List
Timid Tiger 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165626 ]
[165626]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Splendid Autumn 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164173 ]
[164173]
$12.50
Textured Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163772 ]
[163772]
$8.50
Gold Foil Sheets [ 132622 ]
[132622]
$5.00
Documenting The Day Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 166320 ]
[166320]
$20.00
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147114 ]
[147114]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
Sweet Blooms Dies (English) [ 165186 ]
[165186]
$33.00
Greetings Of The Season Dies [ 164112 ]
[164112]
$32.00
Wild Wheat 3/8" (1 Cm) Rustic Striped Ribbon [ 164061 ]
[164061]
$8.50
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Fine-Tip Glue Pen [ 138309 ]
[138309]
$7.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day · Fun Folds

Absolute Best Dad

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. For every big thing and small thing that you do for your family, you are loved and appreciated!

We’re wrapping up our special Father’s Day card series with a variation on one of my favorite fun folds – the step card. Today’s card is the side step fun fold that combines the lovely Thoughtful Journey patterned papers with the new Online Exclusive Scenic Adventure and More Messages bundles.

We get started with a base of Smoky Slate cardstock. The side step fun fold consists of a single cut and some scoring to create a tall panel on the left and smaller graduated panels on the right, which happens to be perfect for creating this mountain scene. I cut a sheet of the Thoughtful Journey patterned paper to fit the L-shaped front panel of the fun fold and then used the scrap to cut the grass and trees for the two smaller side steps using the Scenic Adventure dies. I happened to have several other scraps of Thoughtful Journey and chose one that coordinated with the primary sheet here in order to cut the mountain for the back side step panel. The trees are cut from a combination of Mossy Meadow and Pecan Pie and I chose to shade one of the larger trees with Wink of Stella for a little extra pizzazz. The small tree is adhered to the center side step panel with a dimensional. I layered the larger trees and had the pair in the foreground a wee bit higher and oriented to overlap the side step panels. The sentiment panels are stamped using the More Messages and He’s the Greatest sets and are diecut using the More Messages die. I finished things off with a few drusy embellishments for a bit of sparkle because even dad deserves some oo-la-la!

Isn’t this variation of the center step fun fold super fun? And I especially love it with the Scenic Adventure stamp & die bundle. You can download the tutorial for today’s fun fold here.

Next week is all about sentiments. I hope you’ll drop in a see what that’s all about!

Product List
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$14.00
Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161717 ]
[161717]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Thoughtful Journey 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163303 ]
[163303]
$12.50
Scenic Adventure Bundle (English) [ 165468 ]
[165468]
$49.50
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
He's The Greatest Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165684 ]
[165684]
$17.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day

Simply Incredible

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

I hope you’re enjoying our design theme this week as we pull out our crafty stash to create some lovely cards to honor the special fellas in our lives. Today’s card is a combination of several products, including Trusty Tools and More Messages, to create this tribute to an incredible dad. This card uses a super fun color palette of Coastal Cabana, Peach Pie, and Strawberry Slush. Can you spot all of the colors?

We get started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock. Our focal panel begins with a sheet of Country Woods woodgrain paper and is matted in Coastal Cabana. A strip of the newsprint from Nature’s Sweetness adds a nice eye relief in the center of the panel to add our focal elements. The paintbrush is created using the Trusty Tools stamps and dies. I stamped the brush handle on Country Woods woodgrain. The bristles are cut from Crumb Cake. The dripping paint on the end is stamped in Peach Pie and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder to give the look of being wet. To give the look of a freshly painted stripe of paint, I cut Peach Pie glimmer paper with the Friends for Life smudge strip. It’s adhered just above the newsprint to create a nice border in the center of the card. The paintbrush is adhered directly to the focal panel.

The sentiment is a combination of the new More Messages you’re simply incredible sentiment, cut out with the coordinating die, and the DAD sentiment from Trusty Tools stamped in Coastal Cabana on pastel ombre glimmer paper, heat embossed with clear embossing powder, and then cut out with paper snips. The sentiment is layered and adhered with dimensionals to the left of the paintbrush. I used a few leftover hearts diecut from Summer Splash glimmer paper with the Sending Love dies to add some nice sparkly accents on either side of our focal section. The Strawberry Slush gems add a nice pop of color that stands out against the rest of the color palette and draws the eye across the focal section perfectly.

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163771 ]
[163771]
$11.00
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 162616 ]
[162616]
$16.50
Trusty Tools Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 163274 ]
[163274]
$24.00
Trusty Tools Dies [ 162722 ]
[162722]
$37.00
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
Sending Love Dies [ 162879 ]
[162879]
$35.00
Friends For Life Dies (English) [ 163364 ]
[163364]
$34.00
Peach Pie Classic Stampin Pad [ 163810 ]
[163810]
$9.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147097 ]
[147097]
$9.00
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems [ 165615 ]
[165615]
$8.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day

Amazing Dad

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Woohoo, we’ve made it to Friday! It’s been a rainy week here in North Texas, so lots of the usual outside activities have been put on hold. So we’re hoping for a respite from the predicted weekend rain showers. And I’ve got lots of things on the to-do list for the weekend. What about you? I’m super excited to have a card class on my to-do list. And this time, I get the privilege of being the student. *grin*

This week, we’ve been digging in our crafty stash to create cards for the awesome dads in our lives. And today we’re taking it outside by pairing up the new Scenic Adventure bundle with a super fun (and easy!) faux watercolor technique I learned over at On Y Go to create a lovely sunset scene.

Our card gets started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock and then I cut a window using the Textured Notes die. To create the sunset in the background, cover a clear block with a combination of Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and Flirty Flamingo ink and then spritz with water before stamping on the quarter panel of Very Vanilla cardstock. For some extra interest and a touch of mystical sparkle, add some Wink of Stella to the panel before adhering to the back of the front panel so that it peeks through the window. The trees and grass are cut from a combination of Mossy Meadow, Shaded Spruce, and Crumb Cake using the Scenic Adventure dies. The grass is adhered directly to the front panel, while the trees are adhered with dimensionals to give some depth to the scene.

Our sentiment is in two parts. The top sentiment you’re amazing from Scenic Adventure is stamped in Versamark on Crumb Cake and then heat embossed with copper. I cut around this sentiment using paper snips. The sentiment panel is adhered to a sheet of pastel ombre glimmer paper and then cut to mat the sentiment. The full panel is adhered to the top of the sunset using dimensionals. We cut our bottom sentiment panel from Pretty Peacock glimmer paper using the Nested Essentials dies. The bottom DAD sentiment from He’s the Greatest is stamped directly in the center of the peacock panel in Versamark and then heat embossed with copper. This panel is mounted with dimensionals in the center of the card at the bottom of the front panel over some linen thread. We finish things off with some In Color flat pearls and riverside pearls.

Product List
Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 120953 ]
[120953]
$14.00
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$14.00
Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 146981 ]
[146981]
$14.00
Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166784 ]
[166784]
$14.00
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Three Color Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 162813 ]
[162813]
$10.50
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147087 ]
[147087]
$9.00
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147086 ]
[147086]
$9.00
Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147052 ]
[147052]
$9.00
Textured Notes Dies [ 165555 ]
[165555]
$31.00
Nested Essentials Dies [ 161597 ]
[161597]
$34.00
Scenic Adventure Bundle (English) [ 165468 ]
[165468]
$49.50
He's The Greatest Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165684 ]
[165684]
$17.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
2025–2027 In Color™ Flat Pearls [ 165192 ]
[165192]
$8.50
Riverside Irregular Pearls [ 164937 ]
[164937]
$9.00
Linen Thread [ 104199 ]
[104199]
$5.00
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [ 141897 ]
[141897]
$9.00
Add All to Cart
Father's Day

Greatest Dad Plaid

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week we’re honoring the fellas who answer to DAD. What big, special shoes they fill! And whether a real dad, a bonus dad, or someone who just stands in the gap for a dad, each and every one is worthy of a little something special to let them know they’re loved and appreciated for all they do.

Today, we’re paying homage to dad’s closet as we pull out the Timeless Plaid and tuck a note in the pocket of dad’s favorite shirt. This card comes together in minutes and is sure to bring a smile.

Everything gets started with a base of Misty Moonlight cardstock. I chose two different plaid patterns from the Timeless Plaid paper pack to make the shirt. I really like the contrasting patterns and perfect complimentary color schemes of these two plaids. This 6×6 paper is two-sided, and I chose to have the collar of the shirt match the pocket. So to start, I turned down the top corner of the shirt to create the collar and then cut a piece of the complimentary pattern to cover the pattern on the flap. I chose to adhere the collar directly to the shirt, but you could use a dimensional to give the collar a more realistic look against the shirt. I cut the pocket using the Countryside Corners dies and placed mini dimensionals on the back and set aside. Next up, using the Notes & Totes dies and Very Vanilla cardstock, cut the notecard to tuck in the pocket. The sentiment is a combination of He’s the Greatest and She’s the Greatest stamps and is stamped in Misty Moonlight. A few heart sequins are affixed on either side of DAD. To give some relief between the two contrasting plaid patterns, I added a strip of Misty Moonlight linen thread at the top of the pocket, tucked the sentiment between the dimensionals, and then adhered the pocket to the shirt. We finish things off with some decorative buttons on the pocket and down the shirt using silver faceted gems.

Tomorrow we’re painting the sky just for dad using a fun new technique. I hope you’ll pop by and check it out.

Product List
Misty Moonlight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 153081 ]
[153081]
$14.00
Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166784 ]
[166784]
$14.00
Timeless Plaid 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164678 ]
[164678]
$12.50
Countryside Corners Dies [ 161471 ]
[161471]
$28.00
Notes & Totes Dies [ 165240 ]
[165240]
$39.00
He's The Greatest Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165684 ]
[165684]
$17.00
She's The Greatest Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165439 ]
[165439]
$24.00
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad [ 153118 ]
[153118]
$9.00
Natural Tones Linen Thread [ 164071 ]
[164071]
$9.00
Adhesive Backed Heart Sequins [ 164920 ]
[164920]
$8.50
Faceted Gems Trio Pack [ 162148 ]
[162148]
$7.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day · Fun Folds

Dad’s a Catch

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome in, friends. We’re having fun trekking through the crafty stash this week to create Father’s Day designs, and today we’re headed to the pond. Today’s fun fold design uses the Gone Fishing bundle by Stampin’ Up! While the Gone Fishing bundle is quickly on its way out via the Last Chance List, it’s hard to resist this opportunity to create a fun card with this bundle, especially when you have avid fishermen in your family!

This standard sized card begins with a base of Mossy Meadow cardstock cut so that it opens in the center. Each of the bottom corners is cut at an angle. The top flaps of each side are turned down and affixed to the card front. A few Industrial Trinkets serve as the buttons at the top. This combination gives the look of a shirt or jacket. The pockets for the fishing jacket are cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock using the Countryside Corners dies. Each shape is then cut in half to create the four pockets. The pockets are each adhered to the card front with foam strips, ensuring that the top of each pocket is open to slide our tackle in. Using a combination of foil and glimmer papers and the Gone Fishing dies, I cut and assembled lures to tuck in each of the pockets. I used the Lost Lagoon soft cording to serve as a twist of extra line. The sentiment from the Gone Fishing stamp set is stamped on the pocket. HOT TIP: Be sure you stamp the sentiment before you decide to adhere the pocket to your card front. Otherwise, you’re going to have to punt in order to cover up your stamping boo-boo! *wink*

When the Gone Fishing suite first released, I saw so many cute designs. And one of the ones that really caught my eye was creating a fishing jacket. I didn’t get around to trying it out while the full suite was current, but I think the dies did a nice job of creating this fun card.

Tune in tomorrow as we take a trip through dad’s closet. You’re going to love it!

Product List
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack [ 163096 ]
[163096]
$10.00
Berry Burst, Old Olive & White 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Specialty Paper [ 163769 ]
[163769]
$6.00
Festive 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Paper [ 164106 ]
[164106]
$12.00
Countryside Corners Dies [ 161471 ]
[161471]
$28.00
Gone Fishing Dies [ 161541 ]
[161541]
$34.00
Gone Fishing Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 161535 ]
[161535]
$21.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147086 ]
[147086]
$9.00
Lost Lagoon Soft Cording [ 164938 ]
[164938]
$8.00
Industrial Trinkets [ 163450 ]
[163450]
$8.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Foam Adhesive Strips [ 141825 ]
[141825]
$8.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day

Best Tool in the Chest

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. It was a busy one for us with the start of the kiddo’s summer bowling league and then some other family obligations. But we enjoyed the time together and are now ready to hit the ground running for this brand new week.

This week, we’re going to be digging in our stash of crafty goodness to create Father’s Day cards. It’s hard to believe that we’re already on the doorstep of Father’s Day, but I’m here to help you be prepared to knock his socks off with a personalized tribute. When the new Stampin’ Up! catalog released in May, I was thrilled to see that the Trusty Tools bundle carried over. It’s especially perfect for the dads in our family as all of them excel at working with their hands!

We get started on today’s card design with a base of Poppy Parade cardstock. The front panel of the card is machine embossed using the Timber embossing folder. The focal panel is a quarter panel of Misty Moonlight cardstock that is diecut with the Textured Notes dies. I stamped the nuts and bolts from the Trusty Tools stamp set in Misty Moonlight on opposite corners before diecutting the panel. The sentiment panel is cut from white cardstock using the Trusty Tools dies and then the sentiment from the coordinating stamp set is stamped in the center in a combination of Misty Moonlight and black inks. I stamped the pencil, tape measure, and hammer images on white cardstock using black ink and then used a combination of the filler stamps and Stampin’ Blends to color each of the images before cutting them out with the coordinating dies. They’re all affixed to the focal panel with tear-n-tape. The focal panel is adhered to the front panel with dimensionals. A few industrial trinkets in opposing corners of the focal panel finish things off perfectly.

Tomorrow we’re headed to the pond. I hope you’ll pop in and see what we catch!

Product List
Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 119793 ]
[119793]
$14.00
Misty Moonlight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 153081 ]
[153081]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Trusty Tools Bundle (English) [ 162723 ]
[162723]
$54.75
Timber 3 D Embossing Folder [ 163094 ]
[163094]
$10.00
Textured Notes Dies [ 165555 ]
[165555]
$31.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad [ 153118 ]
[153118]
$9.00
Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147050 ]
[147050]
$9.00
Gray Granite Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154886 ]
[154886]
$11.00
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154883 ]
[154883]
$11.00
Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154882 ]
[154882]
$11.00
Pretty In Pink Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [ 163824 ]
[163824]
$11.00
Industrial Trinkets [ 163450 ]
[163450]
$8.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Kits

Share a Smile Kit Alternatives

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome in, friends! We have officially made it to Friday. This week, I have been off by a whole day, which has made this week feel especially long. Do you ever have weeks like that? Needless to say, I’m ready for the weekend!

Today, I’m sharing with you the alternative card designs that I made using the new all-in-one Share a Smile card kit by Stampin’ Up! This kit is even cuter in person than it is in photos, if you can imagine that. This is a no-stamp kit. So all of your kit components are provided for you and you get all the fun with zero mess!

Last weekend, I hosted a card class using this adorable kit. For kit classes, I love to provide design alternatives for class attendees to see how they can use a kit to create designs that are different from those provided in the included instruction guide. For this particular set of design alternatives, I showed how you could mix and match the included kit elements and even changed the orientation on one design. I also used some extra embellishments from my stash of retired products, which I also make available for in-person attendees to use if they wish.

Have you tried any of the Stampin’ Up! Kits? I’m one who generally loves to start a card from scratch, but I must say that I’ve really enjoyed purchasing kits for those times when I’m in a real time crunch (see yesterday’s post *grin*) but still want to spread a little sunshine to friends & family. Check out the full kit collection in my online store OR, better yet, join me for an in-person class. June class info going up this weekend!

About Me

Confessions of a Crafter with a Day Job

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Howdy, crafty friends! I know it’s been a minute since I’ve shared any projects with you.

With quite a few new followers over the course of the last several months, I thought it might be time to re-introduce myself. So first off, welcome — I’m so glad you’re here! My name is Susan Fox-Bowen, and I’m an independent demonstrator for Stampin’ Up! and reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I use this space to share my love of papercrafts and a few snippets from home.

My childhood friends would probably describe me as a crafty person, but I didn’t really get into papercrafts until college when I began scrapbooking. I fell in love with the process of designing pages and making those design ideas come to life. And I eventually transitioned from hands-on pages to digital. My son enjoys looking through all of my scrapbooks, and it’s fun to see the evolution of design trends through the years.

My mom is the one who invited me to a stamping party, and that’s when I officially became hooked on stamping. I’ve always loved writing to friends and family, and being able to make my own cards to send to them made those notes and letters all the more special. Some of my most treasured family memorabilia are cards and letters, and I hope that others now feel the same about ones they have received from me.

Aside from being an avid papercrafter, I also moonlight as a semi-professional singer. Over the years, I have had the privilege of singing many major works from Mozart to Broadway in renowned theatres in the area, and I have served as a staff musician at several area churches.

My family and I enjoy spending time outdoors, are huge baseball fans (Go, Rangers!), and love cats (we have 4 and a sizable feral colony we feed). All in all, I’m thankful to have this platform and opportunity to share what I love with all of you. So thanks for following along!

For those who have been around a little while and have been wondering about my absence, you may remember me mentioning that I went back to work in September. And in the beginning, that did little to impact my crafty time. But as time marches on and work gets busier, well, I’m finding it a little difficult to balance all the things — family, work, crafting — and I’m having to pick and choose what gets my free time. I have always had the Family First ideal. If put in a corner, I choose family first. So, as you can tell by my absence, my crafting has taken a back seat to life as of late.

The kiddo is, of course, the biggest part of priority family time. He joined a bowling league last year and has been working really hard to improve his game. Between lessons and league play, our weekends (and now our weekdays) stay packed! And that hard work has been paying off as he took the top prize across a number of categories for the school season league, including Top Team and Most Improved Average. Next round of league starts this weekend, and in the last several weeks, he’s already seen another consistent increase in his average and has broken his personal record scratch game score TWICE!

As I said in one of my most recent posts, I really and truly DO have a lot of ideas running around in my head that I would love to make a reality. And there are some adorable new Stampin’ Up! products that I intend to feature. So I hope you’ll hang with me as I work to strike a balance.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing some kit alternatives from my most recent Kit Together class using the absolutely adorable new kit called Share a Smile. This kit is even cuter in person than it is in pictures! I hope you’ll drop by and check them all out!

Clean and Simple · Gifting

Thanks in the Bag

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’ve made it to Friday and that means that, for my kiddo, we’ve also made it to the end of another school year. It always feels like the second semester is on fast forward because we sure get from January to May super quickly!

This week, we’ve used the new School Days stamp set to create some cute clean and simple card designs. And we’re finishing things with a bag full of thanks.

We get started with a base of Basic Black cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of Pumpkin Pie with a border a pencils stamped in black. The focal section starts with stamping the backpack image in Poppy Parade onto the background panel. I stamped the small stack of books onto a scrap of Pumpkin Pie using Misty Moonlight ink and then fussy cut with paper snips before adhering onto the background panel with dimensionals so that there is a slight overlap over the backpack. I stamped the sentiment in Misty Moonlight above the pile of books. A few Timid Tiger pearls add a shimmery pop. I tied some twine around the focal panel towards the top and then adhered it to the card base with dimensionals.

It’s been fun to design cards with our talented teachers in mind. Hopefully you’ve pocketed a few ideas for next year.

Next week we’re going to explore some goodies from the new catalog. I hope you’ll drop in to check it out!

Products used in this card:
Basic Black cardstock
School Days, With You in Mind stamps
Textured Notes dies
Dimensionals
Gold textured dots