I'm Back.....

with a vengeance...lol. I can not believe it has been so long since I posted...way too long. I (an everyone) get so busy during the holidays that it seems like it takes the whole month of January to get back to some kind of normalcy.
New Years resolutions....I do not make them becsuse I always fail to keep them. I do however set some goal for myself at the beginning of every year - last year it was to start a blog and an Etsy store - DONE!  I achieved both of those goals, though not quite at the level I had wanted. Which brings me to this years goals...
1. Keep Shrimpy Sue Designs blog updated every week, if not more. I am setting Wednesday as a regular post day. That way I can do the Whats On Your Work Desk Wednesday and post the crafty projects I created over the past week. This gives me Monday and Tuesday to photograph the projects and get them edited and uploaded.
2. Keep the store Shrimpy Sue Designs up to date with new and different projects - besides cards I would also like to sell a few jewelry pieces, headbands and some home decor.
3. Join Weight Watchers. My daughter and I are going to join Weight Watchers and do some water aerobics. I am not setting a goal for a certain # of pounds, just to be more active and eat healthy. Hoping the weight loss should follow suit. My daughter is not 100 pounds overweight like I am, but we don;t want her to be either, so I think WW can help her to learn how to eat healthy and help us both be accountable for what we eat.

So those are my goals for the year - I can do it!!!

Now on to crafty things:
So many wonderful CHA sneak peeks going on. Tim Holtz is taking my breath away - every single day -Charlottes!!!. Wendy Vecchi isn't far behind. I am loving all the good stuff at Maya Road - including an awesome giveaway. I have been getting into using labels and such alot and Spellbinders is releasing some fantastic new dies - cannot wait to get my hands on the Banner Basics 1 set.  I can't wait to get my hands on some of this stuff, wish I would win the lottery.

I will be posting my WOYWW later this evening along with some pictures of some new cards I will selling on Etsy.

Thanks for reading!

12 Tags of Christmas

I have been playing along with Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas - so much fun! Last year was my first year and I built a simple wooden stick tree to hang the tags from. When I get them all done I will post a picture.  I love that he does not give out a supply list and that it is all on a whim for him - whatever he feels like that night. This also challenges me to use supplies is other ways and to come up with other products to substitute when I do not have what he uses - that is one of my favorite parts. SO much creativity that man has, I wish I had half as much so when doing the tags sometimes I make the tags exactly like Tim's, other times I mix it up and just do his main technique and sometimes they are similar but not exact. So far I have not done one too different - but I am just warming up. Here are pictures of my first four tags - I will post more as the series goes. Thanks for looking!


Day one: I do not have any of Tims Holiday dies, so I cut the house out of grungepaper using the Joy of Seasons Cartridge for the Cricut. The fence is handcut and the tree is stamped on grungepaper with a pine tree from Stampin Ups Living Trees stamp set. I also do not have any tickets or ticket stamps, so I hand cut this one and stamped it with a stamp from one of Tim's mini Christmas sets. I used liquid Applique for the snow and the paint Blingz over it for shimmer and shine. I really like how this one turned out considering I did not have mnay of the same supplies Tim used for this tag.

Day Two I did pretty much exactly like Tim's tag. The pearly bling is just some I had in my bead box. I have so many pearls and jewel beads that I can;t justify buying his Baubles - I just use what I already have. I liked the simplicity of this tag, especially after the complexity of day 1!

This tag is also similar to Tim's, but I do not have the tree stamp(yet!!) so I used a branch from on of his stamps that is a bird on a branch and just stamped the branch part over and over. I also used some mini pinecones and berries I picked up at Michaels over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I also used Martha Stewart's tinsel glitter in place of tinsel ribbon. I love that stuff.

Again very similar to Tim's(hmmm I really do end up with at least one that is quite different - I swear). I used different bling at the bottom and put together my own "baubles" using my stash. I am happy that I purchased the facets a while ago - I had not used any yet and now that I have I will be using the rest of them for holiday gifts.

TodaysMama and Gamestop -$1000 ++++ giveaway

Here is an amazing giveaway from TodaysMama and GameStop. 

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama  and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?                                                                                                                  My holiday wish for my family is health, several members are having health issues now and I want nothing more than everyone to be healthy!!

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?                                                                                                          My niece and nephew wake us all(my parents, their parents, me, my daughter, my aunt, my cousin and her partner) around 7 and they hand out presents to everyone. Then we go around in a circle and take turns opening - letting the two little ones open more often as they have way more presents than everyone else,. After presents we do our stockings, my mom and dad still fill stockings for my sister and myself:)

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?                     My own home! Currently my daughter and I live with my mom and dad until my disability is approved(hopefully soon and hopefully I will not have to appeal). I am so grateful for them taking us in. 

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?                                                                         We play board games, do christmas baking and make crafts. 

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?                                                                                         We played ALOT of Yhatzee and Rummy. My sister got so she refused to play with me because I would ALWAYS win...lol. Not so much anymore though. 

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?                                             Opening one present on Christmas Eve(usually a robe or PJs)   and having Pillsbury Orange rolls for breakfast Christmas morning. If Pillsbury ever quit making these, we may have to cancel Christmas. 

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?                                                                            I would love to have Christmas in a fancy lodge-type home in the snowy mountains of Colorado.

8. Check out GameStop  and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?   A Super Mario Bros. Bundle Wii w/DSi XL - ours, along with all of the games and gear was stolen in a home robbery :(, Just Dance for Wii, and Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Super Bundle!!

Whats on Your Work Desk Wednesday and the Butt Nipping Cat

I have not posted a Whats on Your Workdesk in forever. Seems like every time I remember - it's Thursday.
Anyway you can tell by the pictures I am in full force Holiday crafting mode = my desk is sooo messy, but thats how I thrive. The black ball of fur is Dea, she loves to sleep in my craft chair and when I am sitting in the chair she stands up on her back paws and gives my butt a nip in hopes I will get out of the chair -too funny :-).
Hope you all are enjoying your holiday crafting and getting lots done. Thanks for looking at my mess!

Haul and Review of the One of a Kind Rubber Stamp and Scrap Show in Madison, Wi

I spent the weekend in Madison, Wi  at the One of A kind Rubber Stamp and Scrap Show. This was my second year attending, and I really had a nice time. This show is definitely more focused on the stamper than the scrapper - which fits me perfectly.  I passed on classes this year, just nothing that sounded fun and also I felt they were a little pricey for what was offered. Last year I took a class from Wendy Vecchi, this year she demoed for Stampers Anonymous but did not have a class -bummer but she said the show producers wanted to much and it would have made the cost of the class prohibitive and she did not want to rip off her fans and customers - yeah Wendy!
I found plenty to spend my money on - including a Netflix type service for rubber stamps which I am so gonna try - Raisin Boat! They have tons of great quality stamps(I purchased one!) and big variety. When I get my first stamps from the rental program I will do a post all about it.

Here is my video of all the goodies...thanks for watching!

Bombshell Stamps New Blog Contest

Bombshell Stamps has a new blog and is giving away 2 stamp sets to celebrate. Check them out, they have the most fantastic pin up girl stamps and vintage car rubber stamps, rocka billy, cowgirl - all high quality red rubber and great customer service. Here is a card I made using one of thier stamp sets.

Compendium of Curiosities Week 21 - Perfect Distress

Here is my entry for the CCC Week 21  -Perfect Distress. My trees are inspired by Wendy Vecchi's tree she  made for a configurations project here. 

Thanks for looking!