Ringing in the New Year!

Hi everyone!
This is my first official Sussies blog post. I am so happy to be a part of this team, and feel so lucky to be able to work with Lara's AWESOME kits!
I had a blast working with January's kit, and used up almost the whole thing! Keep an eye out tomorrow for the design team reveals in the gallery.

For now, I leave you with some quotes and poems that can be used on your scrapbook pages to help celebrate the New Year.

A fresh snowfall in winter
Always brings my heart delight
When I waken in the morning
To a wonderland of white.
--author unknown

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
--Alfred Lord Tennyson

“January”
January opens
The box of the year
And brings out days
That are bright and clear.
And brings out days
That are cold and gray,
And shouts, “Come see
What I brought today!”
--Leland B. Jacobs

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne."
--Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne

"Then sing, young hearts that are full of cheer,With never a thought of sorrow;The old goes out, but the glad young yearComes merrily in tomorrow."
--Emily Miller

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour."
--John Boswell

LOYALTY PAYS OFF!!!

First of all, for those of you who participated in the 2009 Year of the Sussie, THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS!! All of you who made it will be getting your January kit for free (not including shipping)!!! I hope the 12 months of kits were worth it to get this free one!! The really cool thing about it is, if you continue with the 2010 Year of the Sussie, your January kit counts as your first kit! So, essentially, you only have to purchase 11 kits this year to get the 2011 January kit for free. Loyalty pays off.

I'm hoping to see more of you than ever uploading layouts to the gallery. Our #'s are increasing again - the word about all the Sussie love is spreading!!!!

But now, on to the good stuff! I used a computer to generate random numbers and select my winners for the 2009 Year of the Sussie drawings!!! Thanks again to all who participated. Here are the winners...

JENNIFER DANIEL won the Twitterpated Kit


CONNIE WILLIS won the Dry Erase Board


ALICIA MURPHY won the magnetic notepads


MELISSA MCNEILL won the American Crafts Leather Album


CORRIE NEVIL won the package of Thickers


MARY ROWE won the 1st SIX MONTH SUSSIES SUBSCRIPTION!!!!

AMY HART won the Cora Roo Memorial Kit


JODIE FINCKE won the My Mind's Eye Tres Joilee Kit


BRENDA VARGAS won the Bo Bunny Couture Bag


VERENA BOGAN won the My Mind's Eye Just Dreamy Kit


KELLY SWOSINSKI won the American Crafts Eclectic Kit


MARY HOGUE won the American Crafts Kit (I have no idea why I don't have a pic of this yet, but it's similar to the Eclectic kit - you'll have to be surprised!!!)

BETH SERRA won the 2nd SIX MONTH SUSSIES SUBSCRIPTION!!!

And, finally, JENN BROOME won the year-end referral bonus package!!!


CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU! I will be shipping your winnings with your January kit!!!

Inspired

First of all, I am so thankful to be able to post my first blog post today! I was thrilled when Lara asked me to join the team and I have had a blast this month playing with the super fun January Sussies kit! These kits are even more full of embellies and cute little touches than I had remembered and they make creating pages so very simple!

This month I found myself inspired by the "girl" side of the kit and wanted to share a bit about that and some photos I had taken all because of the pretty prints... I apologize that since the snow was falling all day (and will until Wednesday) you will have to see my girl (and boy) pages this Wednesday on my blog or at the end of the week in the beautiful members gallery. If you have not been over to the Members Gallery take a moment and check it out. The work is beautiful and I was amazed by all of the talent you ladies have!!!!!

Back to the INSPIRED part....anyway, when I first received my kit in the mail and saw all of the cute nail polishes and lip sticks and poodles I searched through my photos hoping to find the perfect ones and instead discovered I rarely take photos of those everyday girly moments... the dress up and dolly playing is not in much of any photos and so I knew what I had to do! I made a date with my girls. We picked out the perfect nail polish and dress up and had fun just being girls. A whole night of fun just inspired from some pretty paper and that was a memory I will not soon forget! The gift of that memory and now the pages to add to our scrapbook is the best Sussie of all! ;-)

here is a peak of the "girl" pages and a couple of the sweet photos (not perfect, but of our memory)....











I hope each of you have had a wonderful holiday season and that the December Sussies kit inspired you to capture all of those little moments this month!
Take care!

Last Minute Cards

This is it. The last few days before Christmas gets here. Do you have a couple of people you'd still like to get a card out to? I pulled out my December kits leftovers and whipped up two cards in no time flat.

These two took about 10 minutes each. Pop a stamp on them and get them in the mail today or tomorrow, and you've pulled off a last minute Holiday Wish.
Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a great week and a great Holiday!

~Leah

Card Book

One of my favortie things about Christmas is all the cards and photos that family and friends mail to each other. I don't really have a place to hang them or set them out, so for the past few years I have been compiling them into mini books. I start by making a cover and back out of cardstock (6x9 1/2 inches.) Then I embellish the front- all those cute Sussies embellishments sure came in handy this year:) I then punch a hole in the corner of each card. I usually can get a decent amount of cards through the hole puncher. Then attach with a ring or chain. It is such a great way to save your cards, and makes for a nice conversation piece on the coffee table for the holidays. May you have a fabulous holiday season and New Year!
-Val

Good Monday Morning!

It's sunny and the day has started off well! I'm making teacher Christmas gifts as we speak! Still working on those Christmas cards though! Have you sent yours out yet? Every year it gets later and later for me!

So I debated about what to write about in my post this month. Do I show you the Countdown Calendar or layouts from December's wonderful kit? Do I tell you how FUN the January boy/girl kit is? I've already made 2 double page layouts using it?

Whe I first got the kit, I was going to beg for someone to send me some boy pictures just so I could use some of the embellishments for the boy side. With 3 girls, I can use the boy side of the kit but miss out on the fun embellies... but I went scrapping with my sister-in-law Saturday night and she does have a boy and she did have pictures I could use so I got to play with some of the boy embellishments!

So, I'm still not sure what I should tempt you with... December or January? Well, since I have yet to scan my January layouts (have you signed up yet? The Year of the Sussie is so worth it! I {almost} wish I wasn't designing for Sussies so I could do it!!), I'll show you some of what I did with the December kit. Not only did I make a countdown calendar, but I made 3 double-page layouts and I have enough paper for at least one more!

So, here is the calendar I made. I used a clipboard and sprayed it with red paint. then I used some little basic grey magnets and put them down in 5 rows of 5 and covered it with the wonderful Crate paper (I'd like to get some more of this line!).



I cut out 75 two inch circles for the countdown part. I used the MM tag maker machine and those metal circles and 50 circlesw (which didn't match up to the two inches as well as I'd hoped so there is a lot of glue holding them together!) to make the tags with the other half of the magnet between and used the FUN crate paper embellies to decorate some of them. I stamped the rest of the circles and placed them on the paper. And that's all!

Here's a collage of close-ups:


Can you believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away? Are you ready?? Have a blessed rest of the year and I'll "see ya" in 2010!

Welcome Designers!! (And December Sneak Peek!!)

Before I begin, can I just tell you how many so very talented women there are out there in the Sussies world??? I received so many applications for the Design Team! It's my least favorite part of the job - having to turn away such beautiful work. It really is a shame my design team can't be so much bigger.

But, in the end, it came down to two gals who I think will be incredible additions to the Sussies Design Team.

Please welcome to the team - Taryn Stothart and Lisa Wilkinson!!!

Taryn lives in Pennsylvania and has two daughters (I am looking forward to seeing her create with both the girl and boy side! It's always fun to see how people with just one gender of children work with the other gender's paper!) She operates a scrapbook retreat house called The Hamburg Hideaway! Check out her website! It looks just fab!

Lisa lives in New Hampshire and has 5 children!! You count them!!! FIVE!! She certainly has her work cut out for her and I'm looking forward to getting to see those children in her Sussies layouts! She says she loves working with embellishments so those Sussies kits should be just perfect for her!

My little sister is working on their photos (along with Cindy's) and they'll be up on the website soon.

Along with the Design Team news, some of you may have noticed that the gallery has officially been moved to the Member's Gallery. I apologize to those who have been looking for October's and November's layouts these past couple of months. They've been available, but just through the member's gallery. Please start looking for people's work there! AND UPLOAD YOUR OWN LAYOUTS, TOO! We all could use more inspiration and, who knows, the gallery is just the place for me to find that next designer for a guest spot!!!

Finally, the January Sneaks... The January 2010 marks the beginning of Scrapbook Sussies' 5th year in business!! (I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!) It also marks the beginning of the Year of the Sussie 2010!!! Check out all the details HERE.

As always, the January kit is truly a boy side / girl side kits. Not all Sussies kits are done that way, but the January kit always is! The kit will feature the lines Fancy Pants Rough & Tumble and Imaginisce Posh...

Here's your peeks...

Black Friday Reminder

OK - so this sale has already been advertised. So I can't call it a Black Friday Sale - because it goes until December 24th!! But I can call this a Black Friday reminder.

If any of you have wanted to give a Sussies kit a try, now is the time.

Your entire purchase (with the exception of subscription items and the new bundles) will be 25% off!!!! This is good for all past kits (on the past kits page), past add-ons, special edition kits, and extras! Hurry as quantities are limited. Just use the coupon code SALE2009 when you checkout for the coupon code to apply.

(Just a little FYI - shipping may not be charged at checkout, but will be charged to your credit card. Shipping is $6.95 for U.S.)


Here's a few pics of the November Add-On - very fall-ish and goes perfectly with the November kit! (You can still get the November kit at the 25% off - the button is on the join page!)



Subscriptions are sold out at this point, but, hopefully more will open up. Get on the waitlist now by emailing info@scrapbooksussies.com!

Birthday Layouts

Today I've got a couple of birthday layouts to share with you. All of the supplies for these are from the June kit. When I first got this kit in the mail, I fell in love with the Bella Blvd birthday papers. My youngest was turning one in June and these would be perfect. So I have to admit, when I worked on my layouts for the June 1st reveal, I was very stingy with these Bella papers because I wanted to use them for her coming up birthday! Well I finally got a chance to scrap some of those pictures.

Here's a close up of the paper flower I made. I also added some stickles around the edges to give it some sparkle.

I am currently working on my December layouts. You are gonna love this kit! So much Christmas stuff!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

December Kit Full Reveal

The December Full Reveal is up for Sussies! We're all sold out of this kit and only have TWO SPOTS left to begin the YEAR OF THE SUSSIES with the January kit! GET ON BOARD NOW!

But, new this month, is a whole section of BUNDLES!! Bundles of embellis at highly discounted prices! GO CHECK IT OUT ON THE ADD-ONS PAGE!!!

DECEMBER KIT


CHRISTMAS BUNDLE


DAZZLER BUNDLE

One week left!

I just wanted to post a reminder that we are looking for 2 new DT members and are taking applications until November 15th, so you have ONE week to get them in! Details HERE.
Have a great day!

It's beginning to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!!!!

* If you haven't wanted to try Sussies before...

* If all the information about the $135 in free product you can get next year just for being a member and getting the monthly kit hasn't tempted you...

* If paying $29.95 for a kit that was worth at least $36 didn't wow you...

* If getting lots of add-ons and extras at great deals and no extra shipping wasn't enough...

* If fabulous customer service and commitment to excellence doesn't thrill you...

Then this next deal should get you on board.....

For a one-time deal only!!!!

The December kit - which will feature the beautiful lines of American Crafts Merrymint an Crate Paper North Pole - will cost all subscribers only $29.95

BUT!!!

I just went and calculated - the retail value of this kit is almost $45!!!!!

Don't ask me how I do it. I know people. I have my ways. I'd have to kill you if I told you.

But it's a Holiday present from me to all my customers!!!!

Now is the time to get signed up. As of today, there are only 5 subscription spots left! There's a few more opening for the January kit, but for this fabulous December kit, there's only 5 spots left!!! (That is, unless there's any current subscribers crazy enough to skip!!!)

Did you survive Halloween?

The girls brought home more candy than anyone should ever have! And to top it off, we had very few trick-or-treaters so we have a TON of candy leftover! Did you snap some fun Halloween pics this year? I had one sick girl for the day but she still managed to go out and trick or treat. So my group pics will have to be taken either later today or this week! But I got pictures of all the girls in their costumes in the snow (!) and with their mounds of candy. I even started editing some of the pictures already! Can't wait to scrap them!

So, I bet you've already been to the Sussies November gallery and seen all the wonderful design team layouts - if you haven't, be sure and check it out here!

I had lots of fun with the kit - I love fall kits! I used pictures from our October 16th trip to the pumpkin patch. I only have one more layout to do and I'm waiting on learning about how to fix color casts in photoshop before I do it!

All of my layouts were pretty simple this month but they all had lots of pictures that had to go on them! I don't know how you single-page scrappers do it. I couldn't narrow my photos down to just fit on one page!

So, here's one of my layouts from the kit:

I was so irritated when I did it! I sprayed my letter stickers with glimmer mist and was too anxious to wait until they were thoroughly dry so one dropped on my nice pretty blue paper. It looked horrible with that mark just sitting there. So I inked all the blue paper just to cover up my mistake! So, what do you do when you make a un-fixable mistake?

Here's a few other layouts uploaded by the DT. But be sure and visit the gallery!

Here's one from our guest designer this month, Tiffany!

Cindy's layout based on the exclusive Sussies sketch:

Valerie's layout:

And don't forget, you can still get a kit and be involved in the Year of the Sussie!!! Details can be found on the website under the loyalty program!

Hope you'll share your scrappy creations in the gallery this month - can't wait to see!

Happy Hallowe'en!

BOO!

Another Hallowe'en is upon us and if you're anything like me, you are sure to get some pictures of your favorite Ghosts and Goblins tonight. So I thought I would share my list of things that I make sure to get pics of on this sweet holiday!

1. Pictures during pumpkin carving.

2. Pictures of your pumpkin (before and after carving)
3. Pictures of your treats.
4. Pictures of different house decorations (don't forget the outside!)
5. Group shots of friends and siblings all dressed up

6. Stage a mini at-home photo shoot while dressed up in their costume (this can be prior to the holiday)
7. Pictures while trick or treating

8. Pictures after the trick or treating is done.

9. Pictures of any festive treats

**************************

This is in NO way a comprehensive list but hopefully this inspires you to take some shots you otherwise might not have though of!

Have a Happy and SAFE Hallowe'en!

Spooky House Mini Book

Hello everyone! Halloween will quickly be upon us, I hope you have your costumes ready! I wanted to show you some more details of the spooky house that I made with items from the October Sussies kit. I used chipboard and cut out the book pages in a large arrow shape. If you don't have sheets of chipboard, great alternatives are cereal boxes or shipping boxes. Sometimes even use the boxes that my monthly Scrapbook Sussies kit comes in:)
If you notice at the bottom is where I punched the holes and added a ring with ribbon to bind the book. I figured out (after the fact) that I couldn't attach at the roof because then it wouldn't open!
To make the window, I first attached the sicker frame to the cover. Then I cut a hole with sharp scissors and made my way to the edge of the frame.
The roof is made from cardstock that was punched out with circles. I then cut all the circles in half and adhered. If you have a punch that makes a scallop it would be another way to get the same effect. The roof probably took the longest to make!



Since I was waiting until this Halloween to add pictures, I decided to leave spaces for my photos and journaling.
I just loved the sticker label that came with the kit. I adhered to a piece of patterned paper then cut down to size with a small border. That gave me an extra page for the book.


I tried to mix it up with the different roofs. I made one by cutting long strips, another with punched squares. Have fun with mini books, it is a great time to try new things on a small scale.

Lastly, was the back page. I like to keep mini books out so people can flip through them. So I make it as colorful as the rest of your album.
Have a Happy Halloween, and don't forget-we would love to see your Halloween layouts and mini books in the gallery.

Design Team Search!!!

Well, we've had a couple of people who are no longer with the Design Team. We are sad to see them go, but it does mean there are spots to fill!! If you are interested in being on the Scrapbook Sussies Design Team, we are accepting applications through Sunday, November 15th. We will announce the two new designers once they have been contacted and have accepted their posts.

We are looking for talented, creative, and outgoing individuals who will help promote Scrapbook Sussies as much as possible. The position will begin with the January kit and will continue for six months. After the six month period, the position may continue on a month to month basis, if agreed upon by both parties.

As a DT member of Scrapbook Sussies, you will be expected to…
- Complete at least 4 LO’s per month. If you choose to do altered items, one altered item can take the place of one of the LO’s
- Post a blog entry on the Scrapbook Sussies blog once a month.
- Scrapbook Sussies does not have a message board, so we rely on our DT to promote Sussies through other message boards.
- Promote Sussies whenever possible. Post your LO’s on galleries, your blog, etc.

As a DT member of Scrapbook Sussies, you will get…
- A free kit every month. Scrapbook Sussies always has the latest and greatest in products. The embellishments and paper are always the most recent released in the industry.
- Deep discounts on add-ons, and special edition kits.
- Opportunities to attend CHA if within traveling distance or willing to travel on your own.

All submissions should be emailed to info@scrapbooksussies.com Include the following…
- Tell us why you want to design for Sussies.
- Name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address (if different than the one you are sending the email from)
- Links to other online galleries that show your work (as well as your screen name)
- Link to your blog, if you have one
- A list of Message boards that you currently participate on
- List of previous and current designing positions / publications
- 3 sample LO's. LO's can be 8.5x11 or 12x12. LO's can be two page or one page.

My final farewell... And Goodies!

It is with this post that I must say farewell to Sussies... :( Though it makes me so sad to do so!
It is just time... But I want to thank you all for being so awesome!! Continue to enjoy your Sussies kits and turn out those rocking projects!!
Thank you to Lara for giving me this opportunity and to the team for being so great to work with!! I hope to see you all around lots, and be sore to keep up with what is up in my world by stopping in to my blog!
http://tinamcd-mysanity.blogspot.com/

Now on to happier things!! I have a project to share with you using the Oct kit! Specificly the American Crafts Halloween part!
i don't take a lot of Halloween pictures, and to be honest, this month is the very first halloween LO I've ever done! So to use this entire part of the kit for LO's wasn't going to happen. So to make great use of it, I decided to make Goodie bags for my daughters class in school! They are SO easy to make!!

I cut strips of the PP in 4 inch strips. I then decided how much I wanted to trim off the length of them... I chose 3 inches. So I have 9in x 4in strips.

Then i folded them in half lengthwise.
To make a little tab on the top, I took a different patterned paper cut into a 4x2 inch strop and folded it to cover the top opening. i punched 2 holes thru both layers and tied with a ribbon! I created a tag and embelished the bags as I liked! TONS of halloween goodies in this kit to choose from! I still have a few to go, as I need 17... NOT to mention, don't forget to tie a little bag of candy inside each one, before tying the ribbons! :)

So, Happy Halloween, a couple of weeks early! use up that scarey Sussies kit and share the love!! :)
Happy Scrapping my Sussie Friends!! :)