Inspiration Scroll

Hello dear Susan Weckesser fans. Einat here with an inspiring project! We will be celebrating Passover in just two short weeks. In ancient times the bible and the story of Passover were written on parchment scrolls and were rolled to keep them safe. This has inspired me to create my own scroll, a scroll of inspiration!

I glues together two Susan Weckesser's patterned papers and created a scroll. I distressed it a little on the side and inked it to give it a more real look. Then I created my inspirational sentence with Susan Weckesser's stamps and letter stickers.

 

I added Washi tape and a little bling (You can't create anything without bling right?) and misted everything with Glimmer Mists.

 

To create the scroll handles I cit cardboard and rolled it. I stained it with some brown ink and added golden button on each side. Then I adhered the scroll to the handles and tied it with string.

 

Inspire yourselves with a project, it will make you smile!

 

Have fun creating!
Einat

Until We Meet Again…

This post is dedicated to my Mother, Sylvia Pyrcz. She was a mother, a daughter, sister, wife, grandmother,  & friend. She LOVED life. 

Mom was born in England during the war and although she was born an amputee we never saw her as one. My mother could do anything that she put her heart to, and that included being one of the first female coaches for male high school sports teams in Ontario during the late 60’s. She was awesome at baseball and could out swim anyone. My mother was also a talented artist and a wonderful seamstress. She sewed most of her own clothes, however I never appreciated the itchy wool pants that she sewed me when I was little.We loved to be silly in our home! Mom’s first and last exercise bicycle. As a family, the mountains has always held a dear place in our hearts. Our first climb to a top of a mountain together was when we moved to Alberta in the summer of 1978.Our last visit to the mountains as a family was to remember our dear father in the spring of 2009.

It didn’t matter how much I told my kiddos to ‘behave’, grandma was sure to start something!Like I said, Mom tried anything once…or twice! This is mom and my brother David taking over the playground…again! Here is my mother and my baba. My girls can’t believe that grandma wore miniskirts… People always knew my mother for her warm personality and her bright smile.Mom really loved family.When I was shy and nervous my mom and dad would always encourage me to try new things, like flying lessons and balloons rides or just getting my drivers license. I am not sure how they managed this... but they did and it was magical.Yup, Mom loved to wrestle with my brothers but did not like me taking pictures of her doing that! I took pictures anyways and then RAN really FAST!!! My parents had a lot of hard times. I guess like any family does. However, the happy, silly, goofy, times were amazing. I knew…. no, I KNOW that I was loved by them and still am.Mothers are an AMAZING invention. I am SO grateful for the moms in my life!

My mom loved the simple things in life. She love her garden. Her books. Her family. Her music. Her cat. Her children. Her freedom. Her independence.

Did I mention that she really didn’t like how I always snuck up and took her pictures!?! She’d say, “Susan…put that camera away!” I am SO glad that I didn’t listen!

Having the missionaries over was something that my mother LOVED to do!!! She would filled them up on huge suppers and them we would go tobogganing! It made her smile showing missionaries snow for the first time!

[Sylvia Pyrcz, Katherine Pyrcz, Susan(pyrcz)Weckesser, Christopher Weckesser]

 

Mom had such a beautiful singing voice. She was so intelligent and well read in that she could quote most books on any topic. She knew her doctrine and loved to study…everything! She also LOVED to tell stories to the grandkids and they loved to listen!

My mother was a beautiful human being! She truly loved life.

She was quick to help others when they needed help or a meal. She had been in Relief Society Presidency and Young Women callings with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church and she loved the women that she worked with and taught. When mom was happy, she was happy and she thrived…. I could call her and talk to her and know that she loved me and she was there for me. We would talk for hours on the phone….

However, behind my mom’s beautiful smile she hid a shadow that haunted her her whole life. My beautiful mother fought with depression most of her life and she hid it so well that only a couple close friends and a couple of her family knew. Now, I don’t say this to make you feel different about her…. She was beautiful in every way. I tell you this, because if you are reading this and if you or someone is suffering for depression or ‘blues’, PLEASE get HELP TODAY!!! To have a healthy body you really need a healthy mind! You CAN be HAPPY! Life is too precious! Mom did NOT take her own life. However, when my dad died, she gave up living. She was only 69 years old… she had so much more living to do! She had the chance to fly but she didn’t. We tried to do everything possible to get her the help that she needed…but she had been fighting this her whole life and then with a broken heart it was too much for her.

I know with all my heart that this wonderful women is now whole. She is not suffering physically or mentally anymore. I shed tears because my dear friend & mother is gone for now, but I will see her again! I am sure of this and it gives me great comfort. I am so grateful that I was so blessed to have my wonderful Mom and Dad in my life.

How COOL….Mom has now found her WINGS!

Thank-you Mom for EVERYTHING!

BIG {hugs} xo

Love, Toadie (Susan)

 

The link to Mom’s obituary is HERE.

Creatively Messy

Hello everyone!  I'm excited to join Susan's team as a guest designer over the next few months!  Susan and I met a few years ago when she flew out for ScrapFest and I immediately loved her gentle nature and kind soul.

For my first project, I thought I'd better come clean right from the start and let you know that I am NOT a tidy artist.  Whether it's scrapbooking or mixed media, once I get going and there's paint and gesso and paper flying, it gets pretty ugly.  I have been known to reduce my huge 3'x5' work area to a 12"x12" spot, with product piled all around me!

However, my only saving grace is that once a project is over, I have to clean everything up and put it all away before I can start my next project.  The neat freak in me (and she's a VERY tiny part!) needs to have order before the creative me takes over.

So when I came across this quote, I knew that I had to use it to create a canvas for my studio.  Here's the finished result:

creative minds are rarely tidy

Supplies used:  Artist's Loft canvas; Susan K. Weckesser patterned papers; ModPodge; DecoArt paints;  Pink Paislee, Christy Riopel and Deja View masks/stencils; Stephanie Barnard Sprays by Clearsnap; Susan K. Weckesser/Unity Stamps (A Little Bit Washi); Memento, Versamark and Stampin' Up! inks; calligraphy pen and india ink.
There are really a lot of layers on this canvas!  I forgot to take photos as I went along, but here's a brief description of my process:  
I started out by ModPodging torn pieces of patterned papers to the canvas.  Once dry, I stuck my fingers into some coordinating paints and dragged them along the surface, to just add some texture and colour. 

Using the washi tape stamps and ink, I laid down some more texture by randomly stamping bits of the stamps all over the canvas. 

I then took Christy's stencils and pounced some paint randomly all over the canvas.  I used Pink Paislee's vintage doily mask (by Christy Tomlinson) and laid it over the sun pattered paper in the corner.  I sprayed it with the yellow Clearsnap mist, carefully removed it and then spritzed the pink and orange mists on a few spots on the canvas.

Lastly, I added my quote, using India ink and a calligraphy pen/nib set from one of the Donna Downey classes I have taken.  I freehanded the first part of the title, and used the Deja View alpha stencils to lightly outline the "TIDY" part - and then went over it a few times, freehanded, to make it messy. 

A few drops of ink from the dropper and there you have it!

Thanks for looking!
Sue :)

Welcome Guest Designer Sue Sykes

We would like to welcome a very special Guest Designer, Sue Sykes.  Sue will be our Guest Designer for March-May and we are excited to have her as part of our team.  Please welcome Sue and read a little bit about her. 

“Hi everyone! Thanks to Susan for asking me to be a guest designer. My name is Sue Sykes. I live in Southwestern Ontario with my best friend and husband of 15 years, Gary, and our son, Connor (13), and 8 year old daughter, Aili (rhymes with Riley!). 

I consider myself blessed to be published in several scrapbooking magazines, including a cover layout. I have been a contributing writer/designer/blogger for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine for nearly 8 years and am honoured to be part of such a great team.  It's how I got to meet Susan – she is such a sweetie!!

To date, I have written over 25 articles, including two feature articles. I also manage the Tuesdays With The Team blog entries and the new blog feature, Share Your Space!! When I’m not writing or designing, I love to spend time with my family, bake cupcakes, read and paint!”

You can see more of Sue’s beautiful work at http://www.kewl-beans.blogspot.com/.  

We can’t wait to see what you create here too!

Create to Live March Challenge

I was just tickled to see this challenge created by Susan Weckesser this month, especially since it is our birthday month.   Yes, I think I’m going to find a reason to celebrate everyday this month.  So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Susan.  I’m so honored to not only work with you and celebrate a birthday month with you, but especially that I can call you my friend!  (pssst, you can hop over to Susan K Weckesser's Facebook page and wish her a happy birthday today, March 2, too)

How many ways can you Celebrate the Everyday this month?  We don’t need a birthday or special occasion to celebrate.   Look for the little things in life and find a reason to celebrate the TODAY, the MOMENT, the TRIALS, and the TRIUMPHS!

This challenge is for you to use the color and message themes in the picture above.  Take some creative liberty here to create based on how this picture makes you feel.  What does it inspire in you?  What creative ideas jump out at you first?

Create a project to share with us based on this picture above.  Write a blog post and share your project.  Come back here and link-up your blog post in the challenge submission in our sidebar to your left.  After you post your project, make sure to tweet about it, share it on Facebook and Pin it as well.  I’d love to see little ‘blooms’ of inspiration this month all over.  Use hashtag #createtolive when tweeting or pinning so we can find and share your posts too!

Your project can be a layout, a card, a mixed media piece, or anything you create using this picture as your inspiration.  Using Susan K Weckesser Inc products are not required, but are ALWAYS welcome.  :-)

Our prize package this month is a great starter set of Susan K Weckesser Inc stamps and stencil and a happy set of Faber-Castell Mixed Media Aquarelles & Ink.  
So, pull out your supplies and play along - And don't forget to submit your blog post with our sidebar submission Inklinkz widget!

and now for our Create to Live February Challenge….

…… Winner was randomly chosen and notified by Inlinkz Random Picker….

…. and…..

“Below is a list with the winning links:

1 .Buffy Esser”

Thank you for playing, Buffy, and we love how you used this challenge to share your special memories.  Hugs, girlie!   Let us know if you did not receive your notification email! 

Imagination- By Erika Taylor

Hello everyone and welcome to another project blog post using Susan Weckesser productshttp://susiebeestudios.com/susan_k_weckesser_incproducts. Erika Taylor here today to share with you a layout I created using some of my favorite Susan Weckesser papers.

For this layout, I used a lot of distressing which works beautifully with these strong papers. I did a bit of fussy cutting on the whimsical flowers and added some May Arts ribbons and Art Institute Glitter for some texture.

 Here you can really see the sweet flowers and how cute they are for this little princess layout I created of my daughter meeting Ariel for the first time. Loving the pops of color for sure.

The soft palette of the backgrounds on Susan Weckesser papers are perfect for such a feminine layout don't ya think? Now here is the finished layout filled with whimsy and sparkle. Just what a little girl needs for using her imagination.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I would love to hear your thoughts on the layout, and if you have any questions, I am here to answer them. Thanks again

Until next time

Toodles

Erika Taylor- design team member for Susan Weckesser