Boo! ATC size

I went to an ATC trade on Sunday!  Yes, miracles happen - I got out of the house.  The stampers will have a go at me for being so lousy at thermal embossing....  Sorry!!!  I need more practice, right?

ATC Synthesis:

Quietfire Wicked Halloween Rubber Stamps

Tim Holtz Candlelight Fright Sizzix die

Black cardstock

Sizzix Big Shot

Ranger Ultrafine Silver embossing powder

ATC Synthesis:

Midnight Dreary Cardstock

Quietfire Wicked Halloween Rubber Stamps

Tim Holtz Candlelight Fright Sizzix die

Black cardstock

Sizzix Big Shot

Ranger Ultrafine Gold embossing powder

Meet the Artist - Scrapbooking.com

I'm a little in shock.  I usually like to think of myself as like the Wizard of Oz hiding behind the curtain making things look bigger than they are.... 
Thanks to Judi Kauffman for this amazing Meet the Artist article (when I grow up I want to write like you!) and to Scrapbooking.com for publishing it!

A drawing student once asked me how she would know if something was art. I answered in a typical teacher fashion by saying she’d know it when she saw it. Suzanne Cannon’s rubber stamps are works of art. The first time I saw them I knew: Each letter, each curve, each tiny detail is evidence that a skilled human hand has created the calligraphy. This kind of artistry and mastery takes years of practice combined with a love of words. My instincts were confirmed when I called Suzanne in 2005 to interview her for a profile I'd been hired to write for a trade magazine. We became friends and finally met in person in January 2011.....

Read the whole article here. 

One of my card from the Scrapbooking.com article

Or listen to the YouTube version here!

Thanks for reading!
Suzanne

Shakespeare's Soup - Quietfire Wicked Halloween 2011

I had a lot of fun creating the stamps for this set and I finally got a chance to use them the other day!

 First the card (although it was the last thing I made)

All projects use the Midnight Dreary Scrapbook paper.

Card Synthesis:

Quietfire Design Wicked Halloween Rubber Stamps

Archival Black Ink

Spellbinders Labels 21

Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Rectangle

Grand Caliber or other Die cutting machine

Black Card Blanks

Black Cardstock

Orange Cardstock

Ribbon

Black Buttons

Pop Dots, Glue Dots

Project Synthesis:

Quietfire Design Wicked Halloween Rubber Stamps

Archival Black Ink

Spellbinders Labels 21

Grand Caliber or other Die cutting machine

Tim Holtz Vials
Black 4-ply Waxed Linen Thread
Black Buttons
Tiny Tag
Ribbon
Orange Ink
Pop Dots, Glue Dots

Project Synthesis:
Quietfire Design Wicked Halloween Rubber Stamps

Archival Black Ink

Spellbinders Labels 21

Grand Caliber or other Die cutting machine

Spellbinders Bracket Box

Tim Holtz Vials

Black 4-ply Waxed Linen Thread
Black Buttons
Cotton Batting
Orange ink
Pop Dots, Glue Dots

Happy creating!
Suzanne

Some Halloween Inspiration

Here are some ideas for using the new Quietfire Wicked Halloween rubber stamps in your artwork, compliments of the Quietfire Design Team!

Marker Pro Layout Paper Pad



Canson Marker Pro Layout Pad

When I was at the CHA convention in January, I waltzed over to the Canson booth to ask them about a particular product but then got sidetracked by their papers. 

After some discussion they offered to send me their Marker Pro Layout Pad to try because they didn't have any with them.  Well, it arrived as promised (thanks guys!) and, as usual, I was so busy it took me a while to try it out.

It was instant love.  This paper keeps beautiful crisp edges and hairlines and is translucent so you can see your liner through it, putting it above any good copy paper.  I haven't had it wrinkle yet. Neither have I had any bleed-through.  (But you know if you try hard enough, you can make anything happen!)  Y'all know I use Mitchell nibs and Higgins Infernal, er, Eternal ink, so I can tell you those tools and this paper are a match made in heaven.

Oh my, I just tried my Gillott 303 and Higgins and I love this paper even more!!  Sweet! Wow, great hairlines!

I think what agrees with me is the tooth this paper has. It's a smooth surface, but not slick.  I've read that there are 2 sides to this paper (okay, yes, there are always two sides!) and the "topside" is better.  I believe it was "marker people" noticing that.  I didn't find any noticable difference.

You can find the Canson Marker Pro Layout Pad on my site in the Paper>Calligraphy department!

Let me know what you think of it!
Happy lettering, Suzanne

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And just to show you things don't always to as planned....  Here is my hissy fit when I started to date a certificate 2011. (this is NOT lettered on the Marker Pro Layout paper.  I wish!)  Hey, it was already ruined.....  I wonder where my mind was?

New Wicked Quietfire Design Rubber Stamps!

The Quietfire Wicked Halloween Set is on pre-order pricing until September 10, 2011!

Blae & Ivy Thank You

Card Synthesis:

Quietfire Thank You Set

Spellbinders Labels 21

Kaisercraft Blae & Ivy 6x6" pad

Distress Bundled Sage

Leaf Ribbon

Card blanks

Guest Books - The Recycled Bivalve

Every once in a while, I make these guest books for each room in a westcoast resort.  I've probably shown these before, but here is one from the latest batch.  Luckily I have found a local beach that has a great selection of shells.  It used to be a real problem in Port Alberni!  I even had to call a seafood restaurant one time!

It's always a challenge to drill the shells.  I do it under water - it disperses the heat and keeps the dust down.  Lots of shells have sharp edges - one time I let one go and it spun around with the drill bit and cut my finger.  I didn't like that.....  Needless to say, I have a new respect for bivalves.

Let me know if you ever write in one of these. You'll know it's mine because there is a label inside the back cover.

Shades of Things to Come.....

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Our Small Presence at Summer CHA

As many of you know, the Summer CHA is in full swing.
The Craft and Hobby Association host two conferences per year.  A winter one in California (which I was lucky enough to attend) in January and the summer conference in Chicago. The conference is for retailers and designers to see the latest products soon available to the retailers.

Although I am not in attendance this week, thanks to Spellbinders, Quietfire Design does have a "presence"!  There wasn't enough time to get artwork from the Design Team, so I almost didn't submit a display board.  Then I shook my head and though, well gee, I could always use my own cards....  So here is the display board from Quietfire Design that should be somewhere in the Spellbinders aura at Summer CHA!  Thanks very much to Spellbinders for the opportunity.

If you haven't yet seen them all together, here are the dies which Spellbinders released just prior to the convention.  There are some additional dies which were released the day the conference began and we will have those available for purchase when they arrive at our studio.  So make sure you're signed up for our email newsletters on our site so you're up to date!