WITH THE ELECTION COMING UP...

in just a few short days - I was thinking.

(And you should know by now, that's a dangerous thing for me to do for very long.)

I was thinking - could we get MORE people, more FUN people, more fun DECISION MAKING people to the polls if national campaign signs looked like this?

Think about it for a second. How GREAT would commercials, bumper stickers, signs, flyers and other political swag look, if it was all lime green and pink.

Hmmmm - something to think about!

I'm going to write a letter to my Senator and suggest that. Oh wait - my Senator is running for President.

Maybe I'll take it up on a much more local level first. Yeah - that's what I'll do!

Whether you like lime green OR pink...remember that the most important decision you'll make next week is JUST SHOWING UP!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

WE'RE ALL STILL JOLLY...

and the S.M.Arties want you to be too!

Some more ideas from our fabulous team...using the new Jolly and/or Holly Gift Sets.

Tammy (a.k.a. Wynona) just got her new Silhouette and has been having a grand time learning, playing and cutting.  She loaded up her copy of the Holly Digital CD and that's pretty much the last we've heard from her.  She's been experimenting and exploring ever since...

For this page, she cut all of her snowflakes with the Silhouette. She told me she was amazed at how well it cut those very intricate shapes. And she loved that she could make them any size she wanted!

Jenn is still in die-heaven, and is lovin' that Jolly font.  

She used all kinds of Scenic Route paper on this layout - including the newest line Garland. She added some border dies and the fancy-swirly-frame die for her page's date.

Brenda is playing too...in fact we don't think she's slept very much this week!

This card uses the QK Santa and the word dies from the Jolly set. And here's a fun tip - for a itty-bitty scalloped border, she cut out the Bead Border and then sliced it in half!  (And don't bother - I already asked if she'd make me 100 or so for my Christmas cards this year. She said NO! Sheesh!)

Here is a cutie bag-tag she whipped up using entirely her Jolly set.  Nesting ornaments, Baby Border Gingerbread men and the clear acrylic stamps TO: and FROM:.  Super fast and easy!

Brenda used the same Nesting Ornament to make this cute gift-card or money holder for the Christmas tree.  You can't see it here, but it's dimensional so you could stuff the inside with some goodies.  But I've already talked her into doing a little Scrap-Mart LIVE! video to show us all exactly how she did it!  Love that string of lights!

Another super-cute-super-fast & easy bag tag.  Using just the Jolly stamps and some inked and embossed edges - you've got an adorable tag to tie on any gift you've got ready to give!  Looks like Brenda has hers tied to a Jolly Gift set!

But let's not forget Veronica - all the way over the ocean in Sweden.  Poor Veronica, she hasn't gotten her Jolly set yet.  But she isn't pouting!  Nope - instead she's getting in the holiday spirit by creating cute things with what she has on hand.  Check this out...

Taking some inspiration from Brenda's "inchies" last month - Veronica whipped up some cute, embellished dies and added them to just a plain background of patterned holiday paper.  You could make a bunch of these little squares and add them to ANY paper you had left over from last year!  LOVE using up supplies like that!  Thanks Veronica!

And this is super simple - last year's Christmas Phrases and a Jingle Bell were all she had to die-cut...the rest of the card went together with basically scraps of patterned paper.  This is a mass-produce-able card if I ever saw one!

Thanks ladies for your awesome inspiration.

You'll notice that I haven't shared anything with you yet.  And you know what - that's okay.  Look how awesome the S.M.Arties are!  Instead of scrapping this week I'm preparing for an awesome November.

If you have a second - fill out the survey check box up in the right-hand corner of the page.  We're trying to figure out what you'd like to see/hear/do next month.  I'm a "be prepared" kind of person, so I thought doing something things in November - to prepare for Christmas - would be the best way to go.  But thought I should ask first.  So let me know - vote in the poll - leave me a comment - or drop me an email.

I love hearing from you.  Got an idea?  I'd love to listen to that as well!

Hollys and Jollys are flying off the shelves at the warehouse - so if you're still on the fence - make your decision before the weekend hits.  Who knows what our stash will look like come Monday morning!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

TIS THE SEASON TO BE...

JOLLY!

Fa-la-la-la-la....la-la-la-laaaaaaa!

Yeah - the new holiday gift sets are here, Holly and Jolly!  They are both awesome, they are both practical, they are both going to be fabulously popular.  I can just feel it!

The S.M.Arties have had their hands on the Jolly set for a few days now - and for your creative inspiration...here are some of their results!

Here is a look at what is inside your Jolly gift set. Not only does the set contain lots of cute dies, but it has a mini magnetic folder to hold all of the cuteness! (Note the quarter for Scrap-Mart size reference!)


And this baby binder will fit right inside your All-In-One Binder. HOORAY!

Some card ideas using the new Jolly set...


Ho ho ho - who wouldn't love this adorable, yet easy, card!


And the mini-border of Christmas lights are perfect for a simple triangular tree. CUTE! Merry Christmas is one of the Cookie Cutter words. EASY!


This idea is a bit more "out of the box". The funky frame flourish becomes a frozen pond, and the penguin has broken thru the surface to wish you a "cool Christmas".


And how about this for the kiddos on your list - an easy Santa-belt-buckle card. The large frame from the Jolly set is used for the belt buckle, the holes in the frame are even included. "ho ho ho" is added for the cute greeting!

And finally - a cute non-holiday page idea, using the included 4x8 Jolly font.

"a kiss from" is the new font...which is a very nice size


while "TABBY" is done in Nutmeg. They look great together!

We'll add some more inspiration over the week. Look for ideas, projects and plenty of fun pictures!

Remember - the Holly and Jolly sets are limited edition for Holiday 2008. And limited means LIMITED. Which means, if this tickles your fancy - you should place an order very soon. Remember - free shipping on your holiday gift sets and they are IN STOCK and ready to start shipping TODAY!

Have fun - and if you create something wonderful - I hope you'll share it with us!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

TWO MILLION WAYS TO USE...

QuicKutz border dies.

Well, that may be a slight exaggeration. But here's a heapin' handful of ideas, none-the-less.

BORDERS • BORDERS • BORDERS

Let's start with our collective favorite...QK Scallops Border!

Veronica loves to use just little pieces of the border strip. I love this technique! And in case you're not fluent in Swedish - her title says "My little brother is a copycat!"

Here she has used a bigger piece of the border, and I believe the larger of the two sizes that comes in the Scallop set. Love the sanded up, roughed up edges. Translation = "A Scent of Summer"

Tammy liked the idea of using both the smaller scallop AND the large one. Her cutie patootie page - also using Sonoma and her QK Merry font from last year!

For this page, I used a pair of Scallops, plus I used the negative. Meaning, instead of throwing the "wave" away, I just used it next to my journaling block! (It's not that I'm all that inventive, it's that I can't stand to throw away any of this Sonoma striped paper!)

Okay - enough Scallops for tonight - let's move on to Beads and Gingerbread People

Here, Jenn decided to totally mix things up by layering her QK Beads border right over the top of her Scallops. Totally fun - and legal in all US territories!

For this decorated cookie box, Jenn wrapped the box with both the Bead border AND the Gingerbread People. She cut the Beads out of shimmery paper and embellished her Gingerbread folks with some white ink and "bead" eyes. Cute! I think she might have solved her "teacher gift" dilemma for the year!

Moving on to the QK Grass border,

I simply reinvented the "Franken-Bag" from last month. A switch of cardstock colors and VIOLA - a baby gift bag ready to fill!

Brenda finished up a cute two-page-spread...using the Grass border as icicles! Both pages got the icy treatment - super cute, unifying element!

(Oh, and is that NEW Santa cute enough for you?)

QuicKutz has several flourish borders out right now - and we all have our favorites.

Crafty Deb is partial to this Flourish. I thought it looked like water...she first thought of cold breezes. (Guess that's because she lives in Chicago and I'm from Arizona?) But she paired her flourish with some scallops and some "chilly" dies - and has an adorable page starter at her fingertips!

Going back to the Gingerbread folks for a second...Tammy combined the aforementioned Franken-Bag and the cookie border for this cute little project that goes together in nothing flat!

Here is an easy-to-do accordion card, made with the Carolers Border (even if I think they look more like the folks from Who-Ville...)

Veronica fell in LOVE with the Hearts Border - and she can't use just one. Nope, she likes them better in threes! The more the merrier I always say!

And here's a tip - that is one of my favorites. If you have the large Flourish Border, try cutting it out of black, and layering it onto any patterned paper that also has black in it. Cover the flourish with black Stickles and ouu-laa-laa, you have a to-die-for card that took only seconds!

QuicKutz has done an amazing job with their border die collection. You can tell from this assortment of projects that WE can't get enough of them. The newest holiday release of borders is a must-have.

Keep watching the blog for more holiday border ideas. You know we'll be good for at least one or two.

Okay, maybe three!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

WE HAVE A WINNER...

yes we do!

It's so fun to give things away.  I just love it!

I got lots of emails from girls who were making and sending cards.  I got tear-jerker stories, sweet comments, and heartfelt "thank yous".  Blog readers are so, so sweet!  Really, you all are!

I got about twelve entries into the Monday Challenge...here are a few of the cards that are wooshing their way into mailboxes all over the country today.  How fun is that?

This card is from Sweet Ruby.  She loves Bosskut dies AND QuicKutz dies - and boy does she know how to use them!  She used the QK Slice of Pie to sweeten up this card for her girlfriend!

For this card, Ruby used both the QK Coffee Mug and the Bosskut S'More dies.  Look how cute they look together!  Thanks for sharing them with us Ruby, I'm sure you've made somebody very happy by sending them these cards!

Anet decided to whip up a bright and colorful card for a friend - quick and simple and speckled with lime green to boot.  I LOVE IT!  She used some QK Nesting Ovals and one of the many QK Flowers.

This cuter-than-cute card is one Mary made for a coworker...who likes to play the slots.  She used the QK Nesting Rectangles and the number "7" from the Mademoiselle Spring Gift Set Alphabet.  CUTE Mary!

Our very own S.M.Arties also joined in my Monday card challenge (good job girls...thanks!)

Veronica whipped up this little card with just some scraps she had laying around.  She stamped out her own green with one of her favorite tools...her DYMO labeled!  What a great idea, to have a bunch of cards ready to go - - - all you need to do is stick on the greeting.  And her DYMO makes that oh-so-easy!  Thanks Veronica!

Jenn is hoping things are on the positive side - she used the new check mark box, from the QK Election release.  But she didn't care about political preference...she mixed it up.  Using the QK Milk and Cookies die was the perfect result!

And finally tonight, Brenda opened up her brand new Bosskut Peekers dies and used them for this card.  How cute is this little pup?  Her chalking and pen detail always sets these little guys apart!  CUTE!

But - now for my winner.  I had my son draw a name out of all 12 entries - and I even took a picture of him drawing a slip of paper.  However, my camera cord is already packed in my briefcase for tomorrow morning.  So no picture right now!

A Scrap-Mart drum roll.........MARY...with your Slot Machine card!  If you'll send me your mailing address I'll stick this Santa die in the mail to you.  I'm sorry I can't get it mailed out before I leave tomorrow.  But I'll be home on Sunday, and it will hit the post Monday morning!

Congrats Mary!  Isn't winning FUN!!??

Thanks for everyone who entered and created and mailed something FUN this week!  I appreciate it and I know your friends' will appreciate opening up their mail and finding something special made by YOU!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

I PROMISED HER...

that yesterday would be "her day".  Yes I did.  I even told her I'd title the post "Tammy Tuesday".  But somewhere around noon yesterday L-I-F-E took over.  You know, the life where you get a phone call from school, and you have no choice but to respond. Immediately...if not sooner!

Yeah - that life.  The life away from paper and adhesive and .jpgs and blog posts.

All is well now, but Tuesday's promised blog post was a lost cause.

So to make up for missing "Tammy Tuesday"...I decided to rename today.  But "Tammy Wednesday" didn't have quite the same ring.  Darn!

Instead, I decided to renamed Tammy!

So welcome to "Wynona Wednesday"!  Today I'll be introducing you to the fourth and final member of our new design team...

Wynona (a.k.a. Tammy)

The first piece of work she sent me was her scrapbook page.  Featuring her adorable daughter! She used QK Emily and QK Rollerskate for her title and the wildly popular, brand new Pink Paislee papers.  Love it - the page and the title and the picture!

Next I saw Wynona's card...

how cute and simple is this?  She didn't even know that I love owls right now...but I do!  She used the must-have QK Border Scallops the QK Rockstar font, QK Nesting Circles and QK Nesting Flowers.  Wouldn't this be an easy one to mass produce - and just leave the sentiment off until needed?  CUTE!

This project - a decorated photo frame - was the next one I saw.  Wynona told me later that it was one of her personal favorites.  You know what I like the best about it?  The fact that she hung the die-elements off the frame.  I think it adds so much - like the shapes are literally jumping off the foundation!

She used her QK Bright font from last year's holiday gift set, and the QK Cap, Dinosaur, Tractor, Frog, Rocket Ship - - - and several more.  What an easy gift this would make for a grandparent or favorite babysitter!

Wynona lives in North Carolina - and we met up with her face to face at the Charlotte Creating Keepsakes Convention.  If you remember, she's the one who brought Justin and I cookies.  And while I promise you that her cookies in no way influenced the judging...it does bode well for next year's convention.  Because surely, she'll have to do herself one better and bring MORE!

Here is her recipe for "Yummy Gooey Butter Cookies"

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 C. butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 package yellow cake mix (18.5 ounces)

1/4 C. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.  Stir in egg and vanilla.  Add cake mix and stir until well blended.  Roll into 1" balls and roll balls in powdered sugar.  Place 1" apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-13 minutes.  Fight your family off with a wooden spoon so you can get the first hot pan out of the oven and onto cooling racks!

Seriously - my family's  new favorite cookie recipe.  And EASY!  (Hey - Wynona, have you ever tried it with a different flavor of cake mix?  Like German Chocolate?  Let me know - please! Because that sounds divine!)

So there you have it - it's taken me until the 22nd of the month, but you've now met the INNAGURAL FOUR MEMBERS of the Scrap-Mart design team.  Lovingly known as the Scrap-Mart Arties.

S.M.Arties for short!

• Jenn

• Brenda

• Veronica, and

• Wynona...errr...Tammy

If you have a question for any of them - have a challenge to offer them - want to pick their brain - or find out how they did a specific project just drop me an email.  I'll get the question forwarded on to them.  

Your comments about every one's work have been wonderful.  Thank you!  I just need to warn you...you ain't seen nothing yet!  We have lots in store for the next few months!

Leave us a comment.  Drop us an email.  Send us suggestions.  Pick our brains.  We are here for you!  I've got a video I hope to upload before I leave for Ontario, CA tomorrow morning - as long as the school doesn't call me again today!

If you've made a card this week and MAILED IT TO SOMEONE SPECIAL leave me a comment as well.  Santa Clause die going out to some lucky person!

PEACE!

- - - Susan

PREPARE YOURSELVES...

for a Monday blog-post to end all Monday blog-posts!

Seriously!

• introducing Veronica
• Halloween inspiration from the S.M.Arties
• miscellaneous ideas from the S.M.Arties
• product updates
• BLOG CHALLENGE WITH PRIZES!

Whew!  Are you ready? Are you set?
GO!!
________________________________________

Everyone stand up, wherever you are right now, and look EAST!  (Unless you're not in the United States.)  Because 4,823 miles away from Scrap-Mart's warehouse is the sweeter-than-sweet Veronica!


And while I'm fairly sure that she's sound asleep right this second - I'm sure that when she reads this she'll be smiling and waving at all of us!

Veronica has been a QuicKutz/die-cut fanatic for just over a year.  It started when her husband came to the United States on a business trip and returned to Sweden with all kinds of goodies for her (he's a keeper Veronica...a serious keeper!).  She loves that Scrap-Mart always has the latest and greatest dies and prices, and keeps the global mail service hopping between Oklahoma and Sweden.  When we started our design team search, she had no problem jumping in for the challenge!

The first image she sent me was amazing - and inspiring at the exact same time.


This is a bedroom door sign she made for her boys. CUTE CUTE CUTE. I think what blew me away was that she made it completely out of fun-foam. I've never thought of doing that. Making something "kid proof" out of foam, and handing it over to them. Knowing that it wouldn't get torn, curled, bent or stained. Love it! She used QK Tangerine and Tangerine Shadows, and an old favorite...QK Typist. She filled the border of her sign with all kinds of boy-relevant shape...Puzzle...Pail...Drum, and several more.

Here are a few close-ups...the sign, translated into English says "here lives Melker & Viggo".




This project is adorable - and it inspired me to create some "room signs" for our house full of Thanksgiving visitors. Made out of foam they'll be storable and filled with cute dimension! Thanks Veronica!

For her page entry, Veronica sent a cute page using one of the border dies...CUT FROM FELT!  I didn't even know the Rev would cut thru felt!

Translated, this page says "you love to CLIMB!" She used the QK Flower Border, Scallops Border, some Revolution Arrows and the Bosskut Totally Tall alphabet. Cute, cute, cute!

And the final project of Veronica's that I'll share today - is her card entry. I admire people who can grab patterned paper from a variety of companies, lines, and patterns and make them work together. Because I can't. So when I saw this card of hers it made me smile. The translation is "HUGS"...


LOVE the color combinations! She used: QK Nesting Flower, QK Nesting Circle, Revolution Heart, Scalloped Border and Aquarius 4x8 Alphabet. A great example of how a handful of scraps, and some cute dies, make cards easy and do-able!

Over the next several month, we're going to get to know Veronica's work even better - - - and we're going to learn SWEDISH! I can't wait!
_________________________________________

I asked the S.M.Arties if they would start thinking about some fun Halloween ideas.  Because let's face it - it's fast approaching and we can always use new ideas!

Here are some do-able ideas:

Brenda made this cute set of fall-flowers...all from Bosskut Pumpkins! Seriously, she did!


She used the Bosskut Tall Pumpkin the Bosskut Two Pumpkins - but can you see what she used for the center of the tall pumpkin flower? YEP - she did. She used the QK Cookie die as the sunflower center! Awesome. Wouldn't this be great to make up for the seemingly unending list of school events, church festivals and cul-de-sac parties that I...I mean we...have on the calendar. Perfect! Thanks Brenda!

She also suggested this...


she found a cute little pumpkin candle (I've seen them at the dollar store) and just added some Bat Wings and teeth. To make the bat teeth, she cut the bat out of white, snipped off his ears and turned them upside down. Ingenious!

And she was also playing with her new Cuttlebug dies. She sent me this one...


using the new Cuttlebug 3x3 Maple Leaf Combo. Remember, that the Cuttlebug dies are cuttable on your Revolution, you just have to use your GRIDDED STICKY MAT
for both the cutting step and the embossing step. LOVE IT!

(And don't worry, she sent me more, I just have to share the blog space today with the other ladies! LOVE YA BRENDA!)

Veronica sent in this cute pumpkin alteration. Now keep in mind, she lives in Sweden where they DON'T celebrate Halloween and don't have access to lots of pumpkins. I so appreciate her jumping on my pumpkin challenge! She calls it her "Mon-kin".


She just used QK Nesting Circles and Ovals and a couple of big gold brads and had herself a Swedish monkey. (Okay - monkeys don't normally come from Sweden - but you get my point!) CUTE!

One other innovation that came up recently - was from Jenn. It isn't Halloween related, but she just couldn't wait to share it when she discovered it. When the QK Train came out last month, we all mentioned how a train track would have been a perfect die-addition. But alas, no train track. That was when it hit Jenn that she had a train track sitting right in front of her!


She creatively used her new North Pole die! COOL! Do you think QK plans these things? Thanks Jenn - I never would have noticed that if you hadn't have pointed it out!

_______________________________________________

PRODUCT UPDATES: lots of emails lately about Spellbinders, Bosskut and QuicKutz. Here is what we know right now:

• Spellbinders NEW dies, from July CHA release, have been pushed back a bit to early November. They have changed their product packaging a bit, and that slowed the release down just a bit. But have no fear - the wait will be worth it!

• Bosskut Peekers are in, and shipping, and flying off the shelves. S.M.Artie Brenda ordered them, back before she was one of us, and has them sitting in front of her even as we speak. I'll ask her nicely for some cute samples to post...with our infamous "quarter-for-size-reference". (thanks Brenda!)

• QK Love machine production has been pushed back a bit. Some improvements, some changes, some tweaks, some modifications all add up to "more time". So we'll be looking for the Love in the first or second quarter of 2009. Knowing QuicKutz, they'll make it well worth our wait!

________________________________________________

And FINALLY - WHEW - a challenge for this week!

I taught an awesome QK Card class in Sacramento this past Friday morning. Great ladies, cute cards, awesome work...and TEARS! Yep, tears from me because of a death of a loved one last Monday morning. I made it through the class just fine, once I collected my emotions. What I realized though - and what I shared with the ladies there - is it takes OH SO LITTLE to send someone a card. A little bit of paper, a little time, a few cents for a stamp and the few fleeting moments to pull it all together. The cost to us, as crafters/moms/wives/women is fairly small, but the benefit to the recipients can be immense! I have the card sitting right here, on my desk, that was SUPPOSED to get mailed out last week. But didn't. And now it's too late. It's going to sit here for a long time, as a reminder, of what I should have done!

So I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU READERS...to make and send a card this week! To someone. To a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a co-worker, a boss, a long lost acquaintance. To ANYONE. Make it, sign it, mail it. Don't make a big production of it, don't dilly-dally, just get it done. You'll feel so good and just think of how happy it will make the other person!

If you take on my challenge - send me a picture or post me a comment or drop me an email. And tell me. I'll wait until Wednesday night and then I'll pick a winner. I have an extra Santa die that is looking for a new home! Enter as many times as you like. Send me as many quick-card-ideas as you have. (I'll take your word that you mailed em. Scrapbookers don't lie...right?)

So there - I dare you. I've got a few to make right now. A sympathy card being top of my list.

That's all I've got. I think it was enough! I'm working on a video tonight...it's super CUTE!!

PEACE!

- - - Susan