I LOVE giving things away!

"mixed media journal page created with Kuretake ZIG Memory Writers."

The Christmas Love Campaign has been running for three weeks now and I have been so amazed by the amount of people, manufactures, and magazines  that have come forth and have volunteered to donate prizes for me to give to crafters to do fantastic things for other people! I am also grateful for people helping me to get the word out …. I know I can be talkative, but it is hard sometimes to get heard all over the word!!!! I have to admit….sometimes it is tiring but them I here a heart touching story or see what someone has mode for someone else and I get ENERGIZED!!!

I was so thrilled to be able to do a guest blog post on Creating Keepsakes about a week ago to explain the Christmas Love Campaign and to explain why I started it.

What started Christmas Love Campaign?

The ‘CLC’ is a very dear event that I started three years ago shortly after losing my father to cancer.  My dad had lived a life of always doing kind things to ANYONE & EVERYONE. That Christmas season after his death was very lonely and very dad. I almost lost my creative spark because of my sadness. Because of his sudden death I felt very lost and I didn’t know what I could do to continue spreading his kindness and love that he showed and gave everyone.

One day at a scrapbooking crop I noticed how kind scrapbookers can be to each other even though most of the time they are total strangers. I noticed that even happens on the internet–crafters reaching out to other crafters with words of encouragement in hard times and even in good times. Shortly after this, I wrote a magazine article on a topic that was very important to me, entitled ‘Scrap Matters’. It talked about the awesome power of arts, crafts, and scrapbooking and I asked people how they brightened other people’s day by being creative? I saw the amazing gift that scrapbookers have and I wanted the world to feel that gift too!

You can read more about it on their blog here. Creating Keepsakes is one of the Christmas Love Campaigns Sponsors and they have donated three 1 year subscriptions to their wonderful magazine and 3 issues of the special issue that is out right now!
HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!!

PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES

This is so fun!!!!

I really love doing this! I love reading what people are doing for other people….. and then I LOVE to send out PRIZES!!!

Look what people have been doing!

 

''Made this card for my neighbour.. they have been so kind to us since we moved into our new house in our new neighbourhood... The sentiment is: "For you" written in Danish " ~ by Jane Henningsen

"I took some time out of my schedule today to run an "errand of an angel" to rescue a neighbour who is home bound and couldn't get to the store to get a certain beverage to help with feeling under the weather. I first had to sit down and put together a quick "tag within a tag" to let her know I was thinking of her. I might not have known she was in need of this simple errand of love if it hadn't been for a post she made on facebook. Modern technology is a great tool to use to help spread some love." ~Marylou Williams

Could Jane  and Marylou please email you have won a wonderful goodie box full of some wonderful things from Unity Stamps, October Afternoon, and Kuretake! Be sure to go to their Facebook page an tell them that you have been spreading some Christmas Love!

The winner of the paper trimmer from Westcott of the WONDERFUL Christmas Paper from Fancy Pants is Tasha Hart. Congratulations! Be sure to go give some love to those companies!

"Here is a Christmas tree ornament that I made for a few special people in my life!"~ Tasha Hart

Could all prize winners email me at susiebeestudios@gmail,com .

Thank-you to everyone who is getting involved and please feel free to enter as often as you want!

Tell you friends and family and even encourage your children.. It is so WONDERFUL when everyone is doing a little something nice for someone else!

Next Give away is THIS WEEK-end!!!!!!!

Topic: Anything paper crafting

Prize: 1 year subscription to Creating Keepsakes and their special issue!!!!

Have fun and I can't wait to see what you do to make someone's day a little brighter!

~Susan

Beautiful Girl, Strong Girl

Creating with PanPastels & Kuretake

Technorati Tags: PanPastels,Colorfin,Kuretake

What a wonderful blessing is it when you feel your heart is full of emotions and then you can take out wonderful art materials and sit down and express what you are feeling through the 'action of art'. There is something that is so fulfilling about sitting down with a color in hand, clearing your mind and just letting your feelings & thoughts flow.

For this piece I took out my PanPastels from Colorfin  and my ZIG Memory Writers from Kuretake. I wrote my message with a black ZIG Memory Writer.

I used the PanPastels to create the face. By working in layers I was able to create the illusion of light and dimension.

Take time to do something creative today and see how your heart soars when you do!

  ~Susan

Guess Where I am Teaching?

I am really excited because I have been asked to teach at the Crop-A-Ganza that is going to be held in Red Deer in February 2012. There is such a fantastic teacher line up! It is going to be a blast to spend the week-end with everyone and get creative! I will be teaching 2 classes.

They first class is a scrapbooking class with my paper line.

 

We will be making 2 layouts, one card, and one tag. Students will get complete instructions, paper kit , and embellishments.

The other class is super cool and fairly new!

It is a IPhone Mixed Media Canvas! I will show the students how they can turn their phone pictures into works of art that they can hang on the wall. We will be making one in class. It is a neat journey from the time you take the picture until the time you adhere it to a canvas and then alter it!  I hope you join me! I hope to see you and we can get creative together!

Please go to the Crop-A-Ganza blog for more information and to register!

hugs,

~Susan

ReCyled JEllo MOld WrEaTh

Wait a second….don't throw it away!

I know you know what I am talking about!!!! Those old kitchen gadgets. Those gadgets are awesome to RECYCLE and to make into awesome Christmas ornaments like the Jell-O mold wreath that I made. So easy and fun to do. All I needed was a good enamel paint, ribbon, buttons and some whimsical leaves from Prima Marketing Inc. Voila! You have a quick and cool looking Christmas decoration!!! Neato!

You can check out some other neat recycling ideas if you check out the Favecrafts blog hop!

In other news… I am having the

Random Contest 2 Over at the Christmas Love Campaign where I am asking all crafter's and artists to join in to spread some good cheer and LOVE this Christmas so we can show the world that we care!!! You can win some awesome prizes from the campaigns wonderful sponsors! Check the Christmas Love Campaign Facebook page for detail or www.susankweckesser.com . This week the sponsors are Westcott and Fancy Pants! A special thanks to them!

Keep Warm & have a super creative day!

Hugs,

~Susan

A Little Digital Charm

When I sit down to paint a picture or create a collage I LOVE creating layers. I adore building color on color, and texture on texture. It creates such a beautiful mysterious piece where your eyes have so much to take in with different hues, contrasts, textures, and colors. I enjoy be able to feel like I can almost reach out feel the emotion that the piece is trying to convoy. So I was so thrilled when Rhonna Farrer released these gorgeous digital designs this week at Rhonna Designs . When I used them I can create that wonderful layered effect and look the is so wonderful to look at.

Christmas Junque Collage Frames

She has so many beautiful Christmas designs…. you really have to check it out.

Remember, Check out the 2 Random contest that is going on with the Christmas Love Campaign. Some awesome goodies are being given away and it really makes you feel good to spread some LOVE!!!

Thank-you for being you!

hugs,

~Susan

Creative Clipboards & A Mother's Goodbye!

I have had so many clipboards come and go in this house. Plastic ones, board ones, ones with logos and even one taped together with duct tape….but , the one thing that they have in common is that they are all so handy to keep loose notes and lists in order. So, I decided to make my own fancy clipboard for the kitchen.

I printed off a digital background from Rhonna Designs. I adore the patterns from her Christmas Junque Background Kit. 

Instead of printing the pattern on paper I printed it on sticky back linen paper.

I then had so much fun layering up some beautiful embellishments from BoBunny.

Ruffles, ruffles, and more ruffles!!!

To match up the color I spritzed them with some Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist ; Lily Pad & Sugar Plum Fairy. I also added a bit of  Tim Holtz's Distressed Ink  ~ Tea Dye.

Too make the fun ruffles I took a piece of natural cotton and with a piece of thread I ran a row of stitches down one side.  I  then pulled the fabric along the thread. {you can make the ruffles as loose or  as tight as you wish .}

*Note: Heavy quilter's thread works the best  because it doesn't break as easy.

Saying Goodbye!

This  month has been very BUSY!  I realized once again that a Mom's job is never done……. but, I would never have it any other way!!!

I filled myself with vitamin c's , garlic, and lots of prayers as I got my son ready to leave our home to go on a two year mission. Christopher is my oldest of four children and yesterday he 'officially' began his mission. 

A mother watches their child grow and change, succeed and fall, have good days and not such good days, but as they are growing up it truly is hard to imagine a day that you won't have that child right beside you. The last month as we have had so many friends and family visit and call and as we got Christopher ready, I reflected on the fact on how glad I was that I was an avid picture taker and document keeper! Even though it drives my family crazy most of the time! We have spent so much time giggling over photos and remembering times of bad hair and strange clothes. Not to mention now that he is gone having these pictures makes it feel like he is not gone at all!  {kind of}  So thank goodness for scrapbooking, and photography, and thank goodness for the wonderful blessing of being a mom in the first place even if my kiddos have given me a few extra grey hairs!

Have a wonderful day!

~Susan

Winners all Around!

As I type this blog post my heart is so full with love! I have been so sick the last week with the flu but that was okay because I so amazed by the all the LOVE, SUPPORT, and wonderful STORIES that are coming in for the CHRISTMAS LOVE CAMPAIGN! This wonderful event has only been going on for five days it have been incredible!!!

                                                           
I am SO EXCITED about this--->Charity Wings is working the Christmas Love Campaign all


 year long with Club T.L.C. "Through Love and &Creativity" Sign ups started today" Please 

spread the word. How Cool is THAT!!!!! Gotta love it!!!!

You know what you also have to love....the next give away!

 A wonderful big prize pack from Fancy Pants!!!! 

How fun are tags to create and to give. Here is the challenge... create a fun whimsical tag or 

two and then give it to a person that needs an extra bit of love in their life. Then post pictures of

your tag on the Christmas Love Campaign Face Book page. Someone will then win

this awesome prize pack from Fancy Pants!

P.S. Guess What!?!? It is WHY NOT WIN WEDNESDAY over at Canadian Scrapbooker with

 Stampin' Up! They are giving away 10 Christmas Keepsake

 boxes!!!!  You have until Friday

 Midnight!!! Good Luck eh?!?!??!?!?!?!

*P.P.S Stay tuned for my next post. I am working on a cool design using some awesomeness from Rhonna Designs and Kuretake! Swoon!

Thank-you for all you kind words and support!!! 

                                        You all rock !!!

                               ~Susan

I Am So Thankful For…

I LOVE November! Even though here in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, I use November as a month to reflect on everything that I am thankful for. The colors in the fall are so beautiful and usually during this time of year I am busy canning and drying food that I have gathered from the garden.

This week I had fun putting a centre piece together using a wicker pumpkin and some yummy fabric from MODA FABRICS .

I tied stripes of fabric to to the wicker and then I sewed a couple of leaves out of brown fabric and wired them on. I twirled some wire around a pencil and attached it to the pumpkin to look like vines. I really am so grateful that I am in a career that I can create what is in my mind's eye!

What I really am grateful is the fact that the 3rd ANNUAL CHRISTMAS LOVE CAMPAIGN is starting TODAY!!

I am SO thrilled by all the support that the campaign is getting this year! Please take a look HERE to see all the AWESOME sponsors . You can see the complete rules there too!

LET'S START THE CHRISTMAS LOVE CAMPAIGN WITH A GIVEAWAY TO GET SOME EXCITEMENT GOING!!!!!!!!

Paper craft a Card this week-end , take a picture of it and give it to a neighbour or a total stranger. Upload you picture on the Christmas Love Campaign Facebook page and you might end up winning a fun prize pack! What is the prize? Well, a paper pack of the 'Live in Color' Collection  designed by myself and some AWESOME Titanium Non-stick Scissors from Westcott as well as a decorative holster designed by Marisa Pawelko! How COOL is that!!!

               

{This Week-end's Prize for The Christmas Love Campaign}

Get you cards uploaded by Monday Night and have fun spreading some love to people around you!

This is going to be an awesome event! I know as a group of artists, designers, and crafters…. we can show the world that we do care!

ART CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

hugs,

~Susan