May I have your attention please

Hello all :) I have some more happy news to share with you. First, I survived Hurricane Irene and so did my house. The neighbors down the street were not so fortunate though. There was a foot of water in the street. Since the street slopes down to a cul-de-sac, the people at that end got flooded basements and such. I am grateful we were spared and my parents in VA beach had only some downed branches. There was a tornado up the road a piece (about 15 mins) by the beach. Whew! 


My big news is that I have been accepted as part of the design team for Jen's Digi Stamps. I am super excited to be on this team and have fallen in love with digital stamps. Jen has a great offer for all my followers. If you got to her site and purchase a stamp (or two or three), you enter the code susan in the coupon box for 5% off your order. Easy peasy for sure. I know that I am going over there because I am in love with her background stamps!!! So come join the fun. There are lots of wonderful happenings on Jen's blog too. Right now there is a Back to School Digi Challenge to join in. Hope to see you there. Until next time....

Loved By God Faith Blog Hop: Day 3

Welcome to the Loved by God Faith Blog Hop!  We are so blessed to have you be a part of it.  If you arrived from Jessie’s blog you are in the right place.  If you just happened to have landed here, go on over to www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com so that you can catch the beginning of the hop.  In case you get lost along the way, here is the entire lineup:

Paper Tree House: http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com/

Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/

Jessie: http://scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com/

Susan: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ <-- You are here

Carolyn: http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/ <-- Next stop

Lynne: http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

Tammy: http://Www.fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com

Marjolaine: http://twelvestonesscrapbooking.blogspot.com

I have noticed that since we were pretty much created we have an innate need to be loved and desired.  There is such a longing in our souls to be called beautiful, adorable, precious, accepted, and loved; and many times we find ourselves living lives of beggars, accepting the pennies people are willing to give.  To be loved by man is temporal and it will always leave you thirsty for more.  To be loved by God is to find satisfaction and to never thirst again. 

This month we want to share with you what it has meant for us to have been “Loved by God”.  Every Brave and Precious woman participating in this hop has a beautiful story of how God has shown His love to them in a very personal way.  We invite you to hop around and discover the AMAZING ways the Lord chooses to love us, even when we do not deserve it.

The Bible says that there is no greater love than that from one who dies for his friend…  and God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you.  Take a minute and listen to this song:

Our prayer is that the Lord would open your eyes so that you too can see how God has loved you.

Here is how He has chosen to show me His love:


Welcome to Day 3! This has been a wonderful time of reflection during the past two days of this hop. This week I was blessed to be able to volunteer at my Church's VBS (vacation bible school). The theme was Pandamania and the bible memory verses came from (you guessed it!) Psalm 139. It is amazing to see how God is working in these young loves (some as young as preschool). I am so happy that God has made me to be a teacher and a helper. This verse of the Psalm has touched me deeply:


"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast."

I know that through all the phases of my life, God has been there to gently guide me towards where he needs me to be. Sometimes I go kicking and screaming. Other times I can be still and be like a trusting child. For that I am incredibly grateful. Sometimes we look at the not so good times in our lives as a curse instead of a blessing. It is hard to rejoice and praise during these rough times. I want you to be encouraged in this verse I wish to share:

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man
cannot discover anything about his future."

Ecclesiastes 7:14, New International Version

For this days post I want to share a project that I have done recently. It reflects how the hard times and relationships and life has produced something beautiful:
http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-theme-song-challenge.html

We are doing things a bit different this month.  We actually want to have you be a participant with us.  If you feel inspired create a project that reflects what the Lord has shown you, write a poem, or simply post about the Love of God in your blog.  Then go over towww.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com to link up your post.  We would love to see how the Lord works through you. 

For this month alone, there will be no greater gift we can offer you than the love the Lord has awaiting you, so there will be no Grand Prizes.  Still you can be blessed by the beautiful RAKS some of the participants have available. 

Know that we are praying for you and sure hope to see your creations!  Your next stop is the super stupendous Carolyn

Love in Christ...

Loved By God Faith Blog Hop: Day 2

Welcome to the Loved by God Faith Blog Hop!  We are so blessed to have you be a part of it.  If you arrived from Jessie’s blog you are in the right place.  If you just happened to have landed here, go on over to www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com so that you can catch the beginning of the hop.  In case you get lost along the way, here is the entire lineup:

Paper Tree House: http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com/

Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/

Jessie: http://scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com/

Susan: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ <-- You are here

Carolyn: http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/ <-- Next stop

Lynne: http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

Tammy: http://Www.fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com

Marjolaine: http://twelvestonesscrapbooking.blogspot.com

I have noticed that since we were pretty much created we have an innate need to be loved and desired.  There is such a longing in our souls to be called beautiful, adorable, precious, accepted, and loved; and many times we find ourselves living lives of beggars, accepting the pennies people are willing to give.  To be loved by man is temporal and it will always leave you thirsty for more.  To be loved by God is to find satisfaction and to never thirst again. 

This month we want to share with you what it has meant for us to have been “Loved by God”.  Every Brave and Precious woman participating in this hop has a beautiful story of how God has shown His love to them in a very personal way.  We invite you to hop around and discover the AMAZING ways the Lord chooses to love us, even when we do not deserve it.

The Bible says that there is no greater love than that from one who dies for his friend…  and God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you.  Take a minute and listen to this song:

Our prayer is that the Lord would open your eyes so that you too can see how God has loved you.

Here is how He has chosen to show me His love:


If you were here for day 1, you would have read that I had a bit of a challenge with this Psalm. There are times that God speaks like a lightening bolt and other times it is a whisper. I had to really listen closely while praying about this Psalm. Have you ever re-read a book several times and gotten something different from it each time? Well, this is what happened this time to me. Upon praying over this Psalm for the 3rd or 4th time, this is the verse that leapt off the page:


"¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; 
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you."

This brought me to another personal realization. Darkness is normally a scary thing and had been for me for many a year. Darkness can come in many forms. The actual darkness of night, the darkness of a situation or the darkness of despair. There have been times in my life that God has made his love and care for me evident in certain situations. One of those times occurred in the dark interior of a Church. I was young and feeling very lost during a rough patch in my life. While crying and praying I was filled with such a sense of peace. I knew that it was going to be okay. Just like a child hiding in a dark closet playing hide and seek, I could see that pinhole of light. I am always grateful for that day as it was my first glimpse of how bright it can be with God working in my life. Here is the card that came from this inspiration:

We are doing things a bit different this month.  We actually want to have you be a participant with us.  If you feel inspired create a project that reflects what the Lord has shown you, write a poem, or simply post about the Love of God in your blog.  Then go over towww.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com to link up your post.  We would love to see how the Lord works through you. 

For this month alone, there will be no greater gift we can offer you than the love the Lord has awaiting you, so there will be no Grand Prizes.  Still you can be blessed by the beautiful RAKS some of the participants have available. 

Know that we are praying for you and sure hope to see your creations!  Your next stop is the super stupendous Carolyn

Love in Christ,

Cmon Irene

Greetings all! I hope this post finds you well. We are currently waiting to see how bad Hurricane Irene is going to be. So far, thankfully, we have not had it too bad. Since I do not have access to my scrapbook paper and glue, I decided to work with my new addition; My Memories Suite. I have to say that I am a try it first and read later type of gal. Well, I dove right in and decided to create a digital scrapbook album of my stepdaughter's graduation. I cannot tell you how incredibly proud I am of her. She faces great obstacles and she works through them for a better life for her and our grandson, Elijah. Congratulations Yari! :)


Now about this software..... HOLY MACKERAL!!!! It is so easy to use and I even was able to remove elements, add elements, insert text and resize. The pages were premade and it was the Diva pages. Some of the titles did not work so they were substituted. I can see that this week will be a good one since I will be able to scrapbook and get the pages printed later. I look forward to some birthday funds that will allow me to get more digital pages. On their site you can also get free stuff to download. Please check them out at http://www.mymemories.com/. Here are the results:

Hope that everyone on the East Coast is staying in and keeping warm, dry and safe. Until next time.....

Loved By God Faith Blog Hop: Day 1

Welcome to the Loved by God Faith Blog Hop!  We are so blessed to have you be a part of it.  If you arrived from Jessie’s blog you are in the right place.  If you just happened to have landed here, go on over to www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com so that you can catch the beginning of the hop.  In case you get lost along the way, here is the entire lineup:

Paper Tree House: http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com/

Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/

Jessie: http://scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com/

Susan: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ <-- You are here

Carolyn: http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/ <-- Next stop

Lynne: http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

Tammy: http://Www.fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com

Marjolaine: http://twelvestonesscrapbooking.blogspot.com

I have noticed that since we were pretty much created we have an innate need to be loved and desired.  There is such a longing in our souls to be called beautiful, adorable, precious, accepted, and loved; and many times we find ourselves living lives of beggars, accepting the pennies people are willing to give.  To be loved by man is temporal and it will always leave you thirsty for more.  To be loved by God is to find satisfaction and to never thirst again. 

This month we want to share with you what it has meant for us to have been “Loved by God”.  Every Brave and Precious woman participating in this hop has a beautiful story of how God has shown His love to them in a very personal way.  We invite you to hop around and discover the AMAZING ways the Lord chooses to love us, even when we do not deserve it.

The Bible says that there is no greater love than that from one who dies for his friend…  and God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you.  Take a minute and listen to this song:

Our prayer is that the Lord would open your eyes so that you too can see how God has loved you.


Here is how He has chosen to show me His love:

Thank you for joining me for this months hop. I am a lover of the Psalms and have found great comfort in them during various periods of my life. I must make a confession though. This month I read, meditated and prayed over Psalm 139. I just was not sure what God wanted to say to me through this Psalm. As I was meditating on Psalm 139, it seemed that certain verses stood out to me. So I actually highlighted what spoke to me. The first verse that I highlighted was Psalm 139:13-14:


"¹³ For you created my inmost being; 
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...."

It is ironic (remember that there is no coincidences) that I worked on a challenge layout called "My Theme Song". I am telling you that God has been working on me over the past (almost) 7 years with this. Growing up, I was a tomboy. I never felt pretty, smart, etc. Even when I was thin as a teenager, I did not think I was worthwhile. I had a serious issue with self-image and thought nothing of myself. This permeated my 20's when I began to gain weight and was told things like, "If you get fat, I will leave you." or "You wouldn't be heavy if you would just sew your mouth closed." Well, you can only imagine where this all went. Finally at 35 I took a stand for myself. I began to see myself the way that God sees me. I had to be taken down to a shell of a person to be filled with God's love. I began to believe the words that I would tell my children when they were little; "God doesn't make junk". I learned to love ME and to praise God for all the wonderful things he has put into me to make me who I am today. I truly can say that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made!"

On that note, here is the card that I made. This little blue bird is made with micro beads and his wing is punched out of light blue glitter paper. The card base is a Creative Memories card pack that I purchased at a all day crop. I printed the quote on the computer and then matted it. The papers I used are all from my scrap pile (now that they are all organized ). 

We are doing things a bit different this month.  We actually want to have you be a participant with us.  If you feel inspired create a project that reflects what the Lord has shown you, write a poem, or simply post about the Love of God in your blog.  Then go over towww.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com to link up your post.  We would love to see how the Lord works 
through you.

For this month alone, there will be no greater gift we can offer you than the love the Lord has awaiting you, so there will be no Grand Prizes.  Still you can be blessed by the beautiful RAKS some of the participants have available.  

Know that we are praying for you and sure hope to see your creations!   Your next stop is the FABULOUS Carolyn

Love in Christ,

Pencil Lines Sketch 06

Welcome back to the current installment of the Pencil Lines sketch challenge. I started this layout and it took on a life of it's own. I titled it "Dream a Little Dream". What is life without  hopes and dreams. Here is the layout that I made:

I love this cutout from Elegant Edges

Here is a sneak peak into my dreams

I used the buttons as bullet points and used Stickles to outline the butterfly and make antennae.

I hope that you enjoyed my layout and that you will come and play along with us at Pencil Lines. Until next time....

They like me, They really like me....

Okay so I am being dramatic but I feel like I have been awarded an Academy Award. I have submitted projects fr design team consideration and I have made the design team for JME Creations. I am so super excited and looking forward to September to be more creative. Please hop over to Jamie's blog and become a follower (if you are not already). Blogger's follow button at the top is not working 100% so check the follower button on the right side (about halfway down). 


I have also completed my 2nd layout using a sketch from Pencil Lines. It will be posted with sketch #06. I cannot tell you how blessed I am that I am able to work with such phenomenal people. This blogging thing has brought me in contact with so many amazing people. You do not need to share the same geographic location to become dear friends. Thank you to each and every one of you that I have the pleasure to know in cyberspace.


I hope to share my cards with you soon. Until next time....

I feel like it is Christmas :)

Hi again all :) I promised a second post because I wanted to share some recent acquisitions that I received. First up is the blog candy that I won from a hop over at Paper Tree House Studio. This came at the most perfect time as I have been organizing my supplies. A HUGE shout out to Wooden Dreams by Sue for this quality product. I received the "The Topper" Stamp organizer and I have started to put in my stamp pads. You can view all these wonderful products (there are more than Stamp Organizers and you won't be disappointed!) HERE. Here are some pics of what I have put in so far:

And here it is in it's new home:

You know what the greatest thing is? It spins!!!!!!!! This was meant for me for sure :)


I also am blessed with a wonderful friend who shared some of her stamping stash with me too. Another shout out to Julie. She is not only my friend but also my Stampin' Up rep. You can view her website HERE and can order to have it shipped to your home. I am in no way shape or form affiliated with this company but love the product. Here is what she generously gave to me:

Some of the stamps in the holder were from her as well. She knows I love to color with my Blender Pens and needed more colors. I am sure she will be blessed for blessing me. Well all, I have to go get some rest as I am feeling under the weather the past several days. I actually have gotten one layout done for the Pencil Lines and   my banner done for the Labor of Love blog hop for September. I cannot wait to show you all these projects when I can :) Until next time.....

Look Mom what I made......

Doesn't that blog title take you back? I can remember at a very young age being creative and sharing that creativity with my Mom. As a little girl, I would share with her all my school projects and these little felt frogs I liked to sew together. There were the weaving loom potholders I would make her and she started me with crewel embroidery and we grew together with other needle crafts as well as quilting. She even kept the UGLY egg carton ornament I made in Kindergarten and hangs it on the tree every year! 


Has our story always been blissful? Nope. BUT, as an adult, I have come to love my Mother and have a deep respect for her. She means the world to me and I am thankful to have her in my life. Today is a very special day for her. It is her birthday and I cannot be there to share it with her. Although we live 6 1/2 hours apart as the crow flies, she is never far from my thoughts and prayers. Happy Birthday Mom. We love you with all our hearts and can't wait to see you! Here is a picture of Mom and Dad:

 So in honor of Mom's birthday, let's have a "Look Mom what I made" moment

All the projects together

It is supposed to be a pencil. I need to add silver near the eraser and ribbon with a tag

Two types of flowers that we learned to make

I thought this was the coolest since these are so popular right now

So I hope you all enjoyed these projects and I will have another post to share later today. Until later....

Sweet Stamping Treats First Ever New Release Blog Hop

Welcome to Sweet Stamping Treats First Ever New Release Blog Hop! We are so happy you are here. If you are coming from (insert person before on the hop's link) you’re on the right track. If you just joined us, you can go back to the beginning sweetstampingtreats.blogspot.com/ and hop along with us.

This hop is all about the new releases at Sweet Stamping Treats. The DT and some fun friends have put together some awesome projects using SST's new digi stamps. And there are prizes! One lucky winner who comments on the SST Blog will get to choose 3 stamps from the new release. Plus there are 3 more chances to win 1 stamp of your choice from the new releases hidden in some of the blogs on the hop! All you have to do hop along and leave comments. You must be a follower of SST and the blog where the winner is hidden to win a stamp, some make sure you comment!
I am so glad that you joined us for this very special hop. Being a newbie to the digital stamping world, I decided to break out the colored pencils and markers and get my color on. Now I have experience in coloring (I love it) and even with some art classes so I can get the blending thing down. Both techniques add a special effect to digital stamps but the colored pencils won out for me. I was sent two digital stamps and decided to go to town with myself. The paper is from Bazzill and the stamps were mounted on scraps that I have organized by color. I will point out some details as we go along.


Here is the first stamp that I worked with. The flower just felt so warm and homey to me that it had to be colored in my favorite color - Purple! I used a Stampin' Up stamp set for the sentiment and colored pencils for the actual coloring and shading. Here is a tip: keep a scrap piece of the paper you are coloring on to see how the colored pencil or marker will look like. I found it helpful to make sure I got the look I was trying to achieve. Here is the results:

Do you see the border under the black ribbon? Well, I decided to use my SU punch because I did not have wide white ribbon with a border. I love the look!


Now onto stamp #2. This little birdie just begged to be colored both ways. Here is the one that I colored with marker and my SU blender pen:

Please note that I chose to add a postage stamp border on my little birdie as I wanted a nice clean square look.


Here is card #2 which I stamped to give to our stepdaughter for her graduation with her Associates Degree. We are extremely proud of her as she is overcoming challenges and we know that there are great things in store for her and our grandson, Elijah.

Should you have any questions about these cards, please let me know. I hope you have enjoyed my foray into the digital stamping world and I look forward to sharing more with you soon. 

Your next stop is

Just in case you get lost, here is the entire line up:

SST - http://sweetstampingtreats.blogspot.com/
Lawern - http://ahobby-hoic.blogspot.com
Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com/
Janet - http://ladyluvbug.blogspot.com
Amber   - http://pixiperfectcreations.blogspot.com/
Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ <-- YOU ARE HERE
Maria - http://mdcraftcorner.blogspot.com/ <-- NEXT STOP
Gina - http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com
Dena - http://missdjones.blogspot.com/
Kari - http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com
Jenn - http://stamplified.blogspot.com/
Tami -http://tamiscraftconnection.blogspot.com
Lynda - http://memoriesintyme.blogspot.com/
Mistyrose - http://sweetmagnoliarose.blogspot.com
Jamie - http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com/
Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com

Until next time....