SooBoo Designs

Seasonal Wreaths

2009-09-23T11:56:00.012-04:00

I've finally made time.. not timet to read, or get a massage or do my nails or even get a long needed pedicure. I have made time to take photos of my new fabric wreaths and post them in my handmade shops. It's easy to forget how much fun it can be to list your items when you believe in them. Colors have always impacted my life, therefore, I can't go into a fabric store and not go NUTS surrounded by coordinating materials. My custom wreaths take 5 different fabrics. Normally, I would go into the store intending to buy ONLY a quarter yard of 5 different fabrics. But the holidays creep up quickly and the craft fairs are a plenty, so I have no choice (oh, sure!) but to purchase anything I can get my hands on. I have recruited my friend's Mom, Sandra, to tag along. She more than tags along, she helps me find the perfect fabrics that will go together and offers a point of view that helps often. When we both agree, we know we have the right fabric combination! Thanks, Gigi! (her grandkids gave her that name!) I have some for the holidays, for little girls rooms, for halloween and for the glorious fall when all the rich colors come into our yards and our homes. Please take a gander and some of my colorful creations! Susie

A New Kind of Custom

2009-09-20T09:22:00.006-04:00

Hi People! I wanted to tell you a little story. I got a phone call the other day from a darling Mom who ordered a bag tag from me recently for her daughter. She had also sent me a note through my e-commerce site asking if I would be interested in creating a birthday invitation for her daughter. There were only going to be 8 invites. What did I care if there were only 8! Of course I was interested. A few days went by and I finally heard from her. (BTW, it had taken me a few days to get back to her since I had not looked on that email in quite a while.) We were gabbing away like old chums, but when she was delighting in telling me how her daughter loved to draw and how she had a nice little portfolio going already, I stopped her right there in mid conversation! "Wait!" I demanded. (quiet on the other side. She was probably thinking.. sheesh!) So I said to her, "How about if your daughter draws what she wants for her invite and you send me the art and I put it into invitation form?" She looooved the idea! I was pretty proud of myself. I don't think that this is an original idea, but it's generally not done, I don't think. I also had a big craft fair coming up and needed every free second I had. I felt it would benefit all of us if Nicole could use her own art for her Spa/Slumber Party and I could get my bearings here for this fair. I got the art.. actually 5 pieces. They are from a program called Fashion Design Pad. I think this is how it works; her daughter, Nicole, creates the face with hair color, eyes, lips, nose..the whole shebang on the computer. She then colors clothes onto the little computer models. She happened to send me a blond, a brunette and an Asian. I used all three and had them hold hands. Her wonderful Mom sent me a base for text and I changed it around a bit and then we finalized it over the phone when she got her proof. Here is the result. Isn't it cute?

AND, to save time, I made out the envelopes with green marker and added cute gift stickers next to her guests names. It turned out so adorably! This is truly why I love what I do. Personalizing things in a non- traditional manner is so much fun for me. And also, being an artist who doesn't enjoy repetition, this was right up my alley. Everyone was happy.. I can't wait for Nicole to get her envelope!

2009-09-09T08:48:00.000-04:00

Sigh~ The other night I had a choice. It should not have been a difficult one, and in the end, it unfortunately wasn't. Does this sound contrary? Well hear me out. My son, has made the soccer team at his high school. He's a sophomore. His frame is very thin, but his heart is huge. He's made every tryout time, every practice, has perfect grades, a super sense of humor, and is an all around lovely young man - yes, I have been told this by many, not in my family, but by various people with whom he has just spent some time. I was so happy he made the varsity soccer team. He ran hard, played hard and is sitting on the bench hard after all that work. It breaks my heart. We tell him to talk to his coach or assistant coach and ask then to give pointers on how he can improve his game. They've given some advice, of which he's taken gladly and respectfully...yet still, a cold butt on a cold bench with a few others who are going through it as well is the result.

I went to the pre-season tournament games, which, by the way, were away games. I went to their first game which was about 40 mins away. They lost. The next game was at home. This was just on Wednesday. I was all set to go. I had already worn in my new WalMart stadium seat that has saved one person in our family from having a cold arse.. lol.. Then.. after I fed my son a nutritious, carbolicious dinner, just in case he was called upon to defend his team, I gathered the "ingredients" to start a new project; a small birdhouse. I gathered a lot of materials from my studio and messed up my dining room (much cooler). I armed myself with glue sticks, a wooden birdhouse, gesso, sandpaper, glossy enamel paints, paint brushes of all sizes, paper towels, sea shells, jars of store bought pebbles and, hey.. isn't that enough?? I started this project. I had no clue where it would lead, what the outcome would be, when I would finish. Time was of the essence since the soccer game was at 7:00. I would need to claim my spot shortly on that dreaded aluminum bench along with my other stadium seated soccer parent buddies. Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock .. (I had already dropped him off for early warm-ups etc) The house had only the sound of Fox News chatter and distant dogs barking as the sun was readying to set. My eyes reluctantly darted with hesitance at the clock.. Oh MAN! I need to get going..but that glue gun was so much fun.. the hot glue burning my finger skin was a sensation that was I had missed, weirdly and stupidly. OUCH!.. that's %@# HOT! Crap! and then quickly back to burying my face in the small dyed sea shells of which I had bought eons ago at God knows what craft store, plucking out my next victim to be hotly burned onto the primed birdhouse.

Geeez! What am I doing? Why can't I get my body to move toward my purse and out the door to the car? What kind of Mom AM I? pluck, burn, dig, place, admire.. I just could not break away!!! This is what we crafters/artist are known for; losing sight of anything around us other than what craft is at hand. The smell, the excitement of something new and never created before. The idea that I could sell this thing at my next craft fair, the promise to myself that this birdhouse will be the start of many more natural looking homes for our feathered friends.. it was more than I could take to break away from all these sensations. Soccer? Son? Stadium Seats? Who cares? He won't be playing.. Of course, it would figure if he was put in the game and would make a game saving stop ...and I I would have missed it. Double sigh. Triple sigh! Oh well.

7:00 pm came and went but I finished my tedious, teensy shell appliques in time to go pick up my precious boy. All the regulars asked me, "Where were you? Were you sitting somewhere else tonight? How come you weren't here? We missed you! I put on my best deceitful facade and said, "OH. I wasn't here, I HAD this important art project to finish." "Oh," they replied bewilderingly. I'm certain they were wondering, what kind of Mom misses her son's HOME soccer game for an ART project?

My boy did not play, He says it was fine that I didn't go. I was simultaneously thrilled that I finished this zany birdhouse and sick and embarrassed that I could not control my urges to finish a silly home for birds to go watch my son's team win 1 zip. Maybe, maybe, JUST mayBE.. I'm bad luck at the games?. Well, I can't bring myself to say it was worth it, but boy have I gotten the compliments on this thing since I've completed it.

Next home game, though, I'll be there screaming and yelling and making up for time lost on those cold bug lit grooved stands. I cannot wait!.. Next project.. river pebbles and sheet moss. I will NOT start it on a game day. I promise!

Susie

Come n' git it!

2009-06-24T11:18:00.016-04:00

I have a dog groomer for my little Peekapoo ( I used to do Rommel myself, rest his sweet soul!) who dabbles in all sorts of things. My husband and I always seem to see her involved in something in the local paper! She's an amazing being! She gets an idea and plows ahead! I wish this to rub off on me a LOT!
Anyhow, one day I got a call from her asking if I would help her in this fair in Raleigh called Got To Be NC Festival. It was at the NC State Fairgrounds.. albeit, we were lucky that it was inside. There were many booths all with North Carolina products available to sampl, and chat with the owners or creators or both.
Her name is Jody Currin and she is the recipe creator of Mrs. Picky Fanicky's Foods. Right now, she has two items for sale. We promoted the Apple Pie MmmMarmalade and the Apple Peach Chutney.
Let me tell you.. Jody, her Mom, "Gigi" and I all donned our royal blue aprons which were embroidered with Mrs. Picky Fanicky Foods in white. Jody's husband had pins made for us that said, "I'm Picky, too!" By the way, the accent is on the i in Fanicky. Don't ask. LOL.. anyhow, here are two pictures of Gigi and Jody in the booth.

Now mind you, the booth doesn't look like much, but I think that was the secret! We had one of the busiest booths there!! I worked with these girls all of Friday and PART of Saturday because I had a wonderful old girl friend from central Illinois visit me. I had to leave them on that Saturday and it about broke my heart, it was so terribly busy. I'm telling you, that line did NOT stop. When the fair people opened the doors to this building, FLOODS of hungry Southerners came swarming to all the booths. These people waited extremely patiently in line to sample these jars of unique tastes! Maybe they saw Jody on TV! This adorable reporter carting a good sized camera a la lights et al.. came over to Jody's booth that early morning as we were setting up. She came right up and asked Jody if she could interview her. "Sure!" Jody said.. and then turned to us in a bit o panic and said, "I am soooo nervous!" We told her her products were fabulous and that she needed to just be herself... and that she did. I laughed so hard at that interview. It is so her! I loved it and apparently it made a big impact on the people who tuned into the local Time Warner cable news network that morning! Oh..the cracker packages we opened to slather the marmalade or chutney onto was a feat unto itself! Our fingers were sore as well as our throats. Mine was burning and as much as I didn't wanna leave them, I was grateful to get the break.
These dudes, I think, were bottling guys. I know the one on the right was, but I'm just not sure what the guy on the left did. Regardless, she met so many people who loved her products. One man came on Friday and said he was with the elite Edible Piedmont Magazine. He said he would tell his editor about these delicious NC products. Who thought he would actually do that? Well, Saturday (maybe Sunday) rolled around and there he was! The editor. He talked to Jody for a long while while Gigi and I ripped open large amounts of Lance Crackers and spooned on the gooey red marmalade and chutney to our desperately hungry customers. Their eyes always popped out of their sockets! It was like Christmas in your mouth! A complete surprise of flavor! The MmmMarmalade tastes like real apple pie. NO KIDDING! Our suggestions were to pour it over a cream cheese block (great for bunko night!) or, of course, use it on your morning toast or your favorite southern biscuit, or my favorite, ( I almost drooled every time I said it) heat it up a tad and drizzle it onto vanilla ice cream! YOU BET I'm going to take my own advice at Christmastime and do that!
The Apple Peach Chutney.. that was a story unto itself!! "What's Chutney?" EVERY SINGLE PERSON WOULD ASK! Ugh!! we took turns with our explanations BUT then this one Indian (india) girl came up, probably in her early 20's and was excited to see the word chutney at our booth.. we had a talk and her country makes chutney usually with herbs such as cilantro and hot spices. Jody's Apple Peach Chutney is totally different than that. It's sweeter. It's ingredients, let's see if I can recall now.. apples, peaches, onion, and apple cider vinegar to give it that "zing" as Jody puts it, into the taste. It was out of this world. We suggested smothering it on a pork roast/chops/tenderloin and cooking it slowly so all that carmelly goodness would coat the meat.. OR pour it over fish, or use as a ham glaze. It would all be so remarkable. Jody sold tons of these jars!
In July, we are going to set up a taste testing area at a family owned gourmet food store in Wake Forest, NC. That's July 11. I'll be helping Jody out with that. It'll be fun. The owner and his wife want to promote these products in their stores! Fabulous!
Also, I can't find her post now, but Jody told me that that Sunday ( I had my visitor, remember? and I didn't work on Sunday) a famous Raleigh Chef came by who has these fabulous cookbooks. She bought some chutney and was to bake it on fish that weekend and do sort of a recipe sampling of her new recipes! I hear she's going to put that recipe with Jody's Apple Peach Chutney name in the new cookbook! JOY! I'd been telling Jody that if were a big believer in Astrology, I would say that all her planets and stars were all aligned perfectly that weekend! It was a great time.
One more tidbit. I fell in love with her Mom, Sandra aka Gigi. She is the most delightful woman! I felt so comfortable with these two girls! Well, Gigi was sort of doing this nervous laugh when I said marmalade. I thought to myself.. what that heck? then she told me.. I was saying MarLAmade instead of MarMalade~ OH God! i was sooo embarrassed as I am always trying to be miss proper in my grammar! So that was so funny. I was terribly conscious of it afterward.. good thing!
Thanks Gig!
Well, here is a picture of Gigi helping out a customer on Friday, the slower of the three days. I loved the way she said pork. it was like a new jersey mob's wife saying it. It was more like Poor ahck? I'm sorry girl.. i just had to say it. But darnitall! she stopped saying it after that. I feel badly! I didn't mean to poo ak fun at her! lol!!!
Do you see a life size photo cut out of Elvis on the side there wearing a blue apron? The idea was that Elvis apparently loved marmalade spread on his peanut butter sandwiches! We got some big fans out of that Elvis! One guy even bought the pin right off of him cuz it made a great gift for his wife whom eveyrone pinned as PICKY! ha!

Anyway, click HERE to get info on her jars of yumminess!
I can't wait for July 11 to help out in hoity toity Wake Forest! Why are towns with the word forest in it seem so high falutin'? just a thought.

Order your chutney and MmmMarmalade today.. did i spell it right?

Susie

Time...

2009-06-24T09:34:00.018-04:00

Hi People!
Long time, now see. I am well intentioned but never seem to get my thoughts together enough to get this blog rolling!

Ok.. I want to start by showing off some of my new summer invitations.

Below,are my Family Reunion Invitations. The top sample is custom with whatever you want the invitations to say. The bottom sample is a fill in the blanks so if you don't think you're clever, you can just write in the information. I would also be so happy to make it what you want!
Below is my new Block Party Invitation

I also have been trying to come up with something for the posh pet! Since I do these fun and vibrant bag tags for babies, for toddlers, tweens and college bound kids, why not do some for our pets! These are super for when you're out of town and must leave your furry 4-legged baby behind with a relative, friend, kennel or pet spa! The front has the name of your adorable creature done, of course, in SooBoo fashion. The back side has all the pet's information. You can put anything on there that is relevant to the animal's well being. My Tootsie is black and white, but she is as colorful a pooch as they come. So I elected to use alternating colors in the brightest that I have to offer. The little movement marks are because she's always active. I thought these made her name move like she does! These tags are backed up with coordinating paper and then laminated in a sturdy 3M pouch. I add whatever ribbons I have that go great with your pet's name art on the front for easy ID. It also comes with a vinyl loop to attach to the pet's travel bag (to hold toys, treats, etc) or if they're in a kennel, to attach onto the kennel's fence. It's really a fun idea. I hope it catches on!

Ok.. that's about it for now. I ought to have more later. It's hot enough out to keep me inside and work!
Thanks for looking!
Susie

Brighten Your Day

2009-03-25T17:38:00.001-04:00

Today I transfered over my photos of two items I dd recently for orders.

I usually just use a jpeg of my art directly from Illustrator, but I am trying some photography, without a light box. so far... here's what I have.

I have been making these adorable laminated Personalized Bookmarks for a long time. I recently added the oval coverstock paper to reinforce the area where the ribbon's attached.

This Personalized Note Card Set of 12 is just what the Dr. ordered for sunshine in your life! These folded blank note cards are fantastic for graduates. I also make school mascot cards which are great for graduation gifts as well!

Of all places!

2009-03-18T19:31:00.002-04:00

I"m writing already because of couple of things that happened to me recently that I wanted to "put out there" in the universe. Yesterday, I had to take my teen out of school for his orthodontist appointment. It was a mid morning appt. I love the girls who work up at the desk (the others are great too, but they can escape my chatty mouth!). They are always coming up with really fun contests for the kids to enter. The last one, being that we live in North Carolina, was to be the one to guess which teams were going to be the last four College Basketball teams to play in the ACC tournament. My son apparently had guessed incorrectly. They shushed me and made me promise in their whispering voices not to say anything but the girl who won (like I can remember her name at MY age!) had not been called yet.. because... ta ta da da!! She was getting her braces off the next day and they were going to surprise her and tell her then! Well, I just thought that was precious. You know, usually, any given person can go into any given office and see lame , sad, sorry faces.. moping around, barely even looking your way, much less, giving you any attention whatsoever! Not here at Dr. Youngblade's office. Martha and Debbie are just the best. All the staff wear matching shirt's or sweater daily. They have so many from which to choose, that you hardly ever see them in the same matching tops twice! Furthermore, when Dr. Youngblade's mother passed away well over a year ago, with the sympathetic souls these women in this office have, wore black sweater sets for weeks. It was one of most compassionate, kind hearted and loving gestures you will assuredly EVER find in an office setting. His Mother painted all the landscape paintings in that office. Anyhow, one of the girls turned 50 and asked when my husband, her old schoolmate(this is how small our town is), was turning 50 as well... "not till August" I muttered.. thinking that mine was just a few months after that... bluh.. . This was Martha, a tall pretty blonde, who's as sweet as she is self-assured. I was noticing when I was up at the curved counter blabbing away, that there was another, what I thought, contest. I asked what these boxes were next to me. I saw a plastic bag in there that had unidentified stuff in it. Martha then explained to me that the church she attends volunteers at a local food bank. She volunteers, I think it was, twice a month. Her eyes showed me the empathy that she had when her boss's mother had passed.. she continued on with her explanation atop her slumping shoulders.. She was telling me that the food bank she's always worked is noticeably low. There are so many employees LOCALLY who have lost their jobs. She reminded me of all the bigger businesses that have let go of so many during this lousy time in our economy. She gave me the number of food products they had then compared to now.. it was definately hard to tell people who came for food that there was none, or not much from which to choose. SO.. the box next to me was for people to open their hearts and wallets and bring what they could in groceries to support this local food bank. I was taken with this.. that these wonderful women come up with so many good things in their little office to get people involved in their community, whether times are hard or easy.. they're always doing something to bring people closer together. To me, these are the TRUE Christians. People who LIVE their lives with constistantly kind hearts and grace. Not the ones, and you know who you are, who go to their place of worship and then go home only to talk horribly about your neigbbors and relatives. I so admire these women, and am reminded every time I go in there how lucky they are to have eachother and to get along so incredibly well (to this they admit they are always on the same page!) and how fortunate the Dr. is to be surrounded by such caring creatures. I told them I would be back to help fill their box.. it looked pretty lame so far. I had no idea when I would be back, but I did go to the store later that day and made it a point to buy some staples for some less fortunate than I. Even though my e-commerce site is not doing all that well, my husband has a job still and I have so much in my life, that it was an easy decision to go shopping for this cause. I happily and proudly gave 3 bags to that unassuming cardboard box that meant so much. And it's true, when you give, you get back.. and I will tell you about that in my next blog. But I just want to add that I will be sorry when my son gets his braces off.. because I won't be making regular visits to that office. I guess I'll make more brownies and cookies and take them to those girls like I used to when we first started going there. Then, I won't miss out on too much of their kindnesses. I saw "Hope Floats" the other night and I have always loved the line they use.. "My cup runneth over." and that's how I feel right at this moment. Stay healthy, honest and employed.. and give what you can when you can.

Susie

Some of my Favorites and New Shell Wreaths

2009-03-12T14:31:00.011-04:00

I have been searching a lot and reading a lot of blogs that love to show what attracts them. I want to start doing this as well so show readers what handmade items are out there.. whether it be on Artfire.com, 1000 Markets, or Etsy.. there are so many amazing artisans who creating wonderful pieces.. one of a kinds, that make the most special, thoughtful and spectacular gifts you can imagine. When was the last time you recieved a handmade gift other than from your 2 year old? Here are some of my favorites!!

Flying PIG!

Coffee Clutch

oil painting

cherry blossom pin cushion

Tree Hugger Turquoise Earrings

monkey book

totally cool cuff links

Sweet little clutch

I joined 1000 Markets just about 4 days ago. I've been adding hand crafted items that I love. These latest items were made from shells my Aunt (Chipper- deceased- and from whom I got my endearing SooBoo nickname!) and my ever loving Mom who searches high and low for great deals and unique and lovely items for her home collected for years on end on the Floridan Atlantic shore. These shell wreaths are glued onto 6" grapevine wreath forms and are covered on the sides but not the back. They come with a small satin ribbon attached for easy hanging.

So..that's it! Look at my last post as well!
Love you all!

Susie

Mixing it UP!

2009-03-09T11:50:00.020-04:00

Showing off my Black-eyed Pea Soup
my first time!

My son loves different soups. My Mom has made this soup before when I was a kid, but I'm pretty darn sure she didn't cut LEAKS and put them in it! They just sort of melted in the pot with the onions, carrots & celery. I had some old dried (from fresh) thyme as well. That added a lot of flavor. I combined two recipes I found on foodnetwork.com and from a southern living magazine. I didn't use a bay leaf (didn't have any!) and I didn't add kale or spinach. (that would be ugly and weird I think). Dean said, "Mom, the texture of this soup is like, like indescribable!" You can't get a better compliment than that~ and he's just about 15! I used my fabulous Le Creuset pot for this. The best kitchen gift I've ever received! (Notice I didn't say best gift ever.. I added kitchen! ha!) Also in this soup is country ham pieces. Well, I had never ever seen this item before I moved to North Carolina. I find it unrefrigerated in airtight plastic wrap. I used it first for my split pea soup, another of my boy's faves. Anyway, for all you Yankees out there, after you open the package, you peel apart this ball of ham..it's cured so its very very salty. I browned it first in the pot I was using for a little while till it looked sort of crispy, removed it and then cooked the leak, garlic and celery in that..yum! I then added the pre-soaked beans and carrots and a whole cardboard box of chicken stock. I then let it simmer for about 1.5 hrs. OMG..it was really delicious! It pays to tear out those magazine pages and then make it your own!

So, making it your own.. that's what my websites are all about.. Call it what you want, customizing, personalizing, that's what I do. It's what I love to do for you! Below is a Tea Party Invitation. Make it yours with the hostess' name in SooBoo Style Early American and let me know the colors you like as well. Add this text or any other you desire and it's done!

I also wanted to show you some older hand painted kid's lettering I have done. I think you'll like it. This lettering I can't find anymore. It was carried at Target pre-painted white.

I painted a stool to match.. and a little rocker as well, but the picture is horrible!

These letters are so cute. My customer had a quilt made in these exact colors and wanted to have the baby's name hanging with those colors as well. They turned out deliciously!

This was another commissioned stool. Very adorable for this little girl!

Unfortunately, I think this might be the last time I made these adorable goodie bags for my friend's daughter's class for Valentine's Day Gifts~ I have done many for her over the years, but her girls are growing fast. What was done for these:
Drew out the names in black outline.
Photoshopped the colors in them and added the polka dots or stripes
Added the To: on one side and on the back side, I added From: and her daughters name in the same fun design!
Filled the bags with candy
The bag topper folds over the candy bag like a tent and is stapled to hold the candy in the bag.
Fabulous..all for $1.50 per bag!
Can be done for any occasion..

Party Favors for:
Book Clubs-think the book name in SooBoo name art! and maybe a personalized SooBoo Bookmark!
Teacher Gifts- add a gift card and a thank you note!
Office Parties - add photocopied Dilbert comics and new pens!
Adult Birthday Parties- add chocolate covered strawberries and blindfolds~
Themed Parties- ie.sweet sixteen, add SooBoo's personalized keychains!
Holiday Parties- endless possibilities!
Philanthropic Events-use event colors and fill with custom m&m's and stories of how the money raised will help the cause.
Baby Showers - think adding rattles and pacifiers and pinky rings
Bridesmaid Gifts- add garters and pictures of the bridal showers
Small Store Grand Openings- add savings coupons.
Promotional Pieces- fill with coupons and candy!
Realtor Leave Behinds -fill with your business cards, local eatery bus cards, local businesses cards, an extra key.. be creative and humorous!

Thank your for reading and getting your ideas here~
To order any of the painted wood or custom party bag toppers and bags contact me at susie@sooboodesigns.com!
Susie

A new look...

2009-02-17T12:45:00.017-05:00

I have added some new look items to my repertoire!
Enjoy!

Here's a new item I just put together today! Since I adored that recently made bookmark in LIZA with the brightly colored animal print, I just thought it would be fun to make it into a flat note card~ Let's see what you think!

Here are two great items for baby shower or new baby gifts~ The little pink flowers are so adorable and were hand drawn by me and placed digitally on the blank folded note card. I just love the color combination...the colors of my first bedroom's wallpaper! The pink swoosh of color around the name adds all the whimsy could hope for.

Babies and Toddlers need to say "Thanks" too!

Still going with the PINK theme~I've added a nice brown. Everyone loves their initial!

Giving you ideas! I can make any design of SooBoo's into any format. Here-a great way NOT to lose your luggage..or at least retrieve it easier! Front and back Luggage Bag Tags.

Luggage Bag tags come with coordinating ribbon of my discretion and a vinyl loop. These make wonderful gifts. Just $12 for one and 2 for $20!

Old Ideas, New Uses!

2009-02-10T09:17:00.024-05:00

Years ago, one of my friends taught me how to make these precious pillow wreaths. Over the years, I have made several, but only for my own front door.
I would like to share these with you now.

First in line is the Valentine's Day Wreath. To my surprise, I found some of these bold prints at Hobby Lobby.. snatched them up and found some coordinating fabric elsewhere. The bold pinks, reds and soothing whites say love at your front door~!

Next is the Springtime/Easter Wreath. I used some left over pink fabric from the Valentine's Wreath because it was so perfect with these other fabulous bright fabrics! I especially love the green and white tie-dye fabric and the zigzag purple, pink and green fabric. Also, there is this totally springtime field of tulips fabric. It's a pure delight and will brighten anyone's front door.

Here is a delightful idea! I love bandannas. I put them around Rommels neck all the time.. We call them his clothes! When I spotted these blue and red bandanna fabrics and then found the blue and red ticking fabric, I knew I had a winning combination!

This black and white number was created because my son, whom I dragged to the fabric store while we were out and about, and I spotted this sheet music fabric. The more we looked the more excited I got about his idea to use this fabric to make a wreath. He thought one of the girls in his high school band might like the idea of hanging this in their room! The fabric is white and black. The dark pillows actually have a medium gray clef all over it. This dark fabric, I feel, grounds the wreath while pulling the whole thing together beautifully!

The new uses for these is a great idea my Realtor cousin had.. to purchase these as leave behinds to new buyers. These buyers in turn would remember the Realtor and recommend them to other prospective buyers! Super idea for some hard times with the housing market!

Then, I had a new facebook friend reminded me that I could do recycled pillow wreaths for Mom's who just can't part with some of her kid's baby clothes!
The idea is fun and new and what a great way to preserve the past.
On top of all that, as always, I, at SooBoo Designs, love to personalize your purchases. If there is a theme, holiday or color theme you would love to have me make up into a wreath for you child's room, I would be more than happy to make that happen. You know where to find me!

Data Entrails - Sick & Wierd: Rainbow Goodness on Art Fire News

2009-02-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

Data Entrails - Sick & Wierd: Rainbow Goodness on Art Fire News

Sharing Our Southern Storm w/Y'all~!

2009-01-20T10:53:00.028-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I just had to share some of our Southern Winter Storm with you! These were taken around 8am and ti's still comin' down! Dean is even out of school and it's finals week! I doubt he'll be going back this week, seeing that we're getting around 2"! oh brother! By the way, the photos of the backyard barns.. the left one is Jeff's and the one on the right is my hers barn/studio!
The bush to the left here is a holly bush
The photo below is taken from our front porch.
Also, the pictures were taken in color! go figure!

Toward the bottom in this blog are Rommel and Tootsie.. who is sitting in the cool ivy this past summer of 08!

2009-01-12T09:31:00.002-05:00

I just had to let everyone know that my son made the cut to be in the All-District Honors Band! Because he got 6th chair, he is also eligible to audition for the All-State Honors Band in March. I hope he makes it! Last year was a memory I will never ever forget.

Football Season

2009-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I dont know about your husband, but I am so sick and tired of football being on our television ~ I could just croak. Although, I did have an order for NFL colors tied into two bag tags for two little boys who love the San Diego Chargers and the NC Panthers. I drew little footballs and used the colors of the teams, per the Mom who ordered them. The kids just love love love them and we're all happy.

And in case you haven't seen my superbowl party invites.. take a gander...

Below is a flat card invite.. blank on the back
comes with white or colored envelopes!

Below is the two-sided superbowl party invitation
The front has the cute SooBoo name art integrating the football seams in white.
The green is like the field.

Now below, is the back of the invitation and you just add your party information on the cute
fields provided!

Thanks everyone, and lets hope for a better basketball season.. GO UNC HARHEELS

UNC Tarheels Ram for a great Note Card gift idea~! Think Graduation!

I have been told that signing up and posting on Twitter and Digg is supposed to help business. So these are two things that I am trying to figure out how to do and then try to keep up with posting on them. Constantly, things need to be added, taken away and new focuses come up with the seasons! We're getting closer to spring. Here in NC, it hasn't been the lovliest of winters.. but it's a lot lot warmer and pleasant than my buddies in Michigan and Chicago are experiencing!

Susie

Where has the time gone this year?

2008-12-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

Hi People!

I know.. i know.. i don't blog enough for what is good for me.. but I will attempt again to make this sound worthwhile. I must say, this month I was completely taken off guard with the amount of BOOKMARK orders I received! I mean, they just kept coming in.. it was like a bookmark cult.. and they were from all over the country! I wound up calling it by "Bookmark Bonanza Extravaganza!" I think I have done 30 in all. I did several personalized notepads as well. My favorite being the CLEARLY notepad. The husband to whom this notepad is being given says, "Clearly..." all the time. His wife and I just cracked up thinking about how funny it would be when he opens this up. I had given the Queen notepad to his wife. I told her, this is what I want SooBoo to be.. just a lot of fun to come up with your ideas and make them into great, unique gifts! Here is the notepad~

Another fabulous design came from one of the bookmarks. SooBoo Designs has an animal print that is really cute in the typical browns and oranges and blacks.. but this customer has a daughter Liza and her favorite colors are pink, orange, yellow and red. Her request was for me to do Liza's bookmark in animal print in Liza's favorite colors. When i received this order, I thought, "What a super fun idea! Why not those colors?" I wrote the customer back and voiced my excitement over these colors for this style. So here is the final outcome. Is this not the cutest thing?

Another great order for me was a new sorority notepad for my niece who's at Iowa and joined a sorority.. Alpha Delta Pi. Online, I found the sorority mascot and hand drew it and used the computer to add the color for a uniform look. This is the notepad that was so much fun.

I also am trying something new to expose SooBoo Designs. I found this new artist's community called Artfire.com. They have a lot of things planned to make them well known for 2009 and beyond. The owner seems extremely dedicated to the artists and has a great staff, as far as I can tell. I don't have nearly what I have on this site, but here is how you find me.. http://sooboo.artfire.com OR if you want to see all the other cool things on this site, click here.

By the way, here is a cute idea for Valentine's Day!

The weather has been weird. It's been coldish, sunny, cloudy, windy, gorgeous, windy, rainy, really rainy, really cloudy, really windy and really pretty.. no wonder there's sickness all over the place!

I did my annual baking for Christmas. I gave to the one neighbor we like and sent to my family in Chicago. Mom said they arrived in perfect condition.. that's a first. Usually, the Greek cookies, koulourakia which are drenched in powdered sugar, drench all the other cookies in the tin. I finally smarted up and put them in a ziplock.. and then of course, my husband is an expert packer.. where he packed them at work and shipped them. This was Mom's gift from me....and of course Dad's as well and whomever goes to their home will experience a Greek cookie delight. I made another Greek Cookie called Koulourakia which are twisted little snappy cookies.. and another called Melomacarona??? I call them macaroons but they don't resemble any macaroons I have ever eaten. These are made with butter and OIL!!! lots of it.. and some sugar.. but are dipped in a simple syrup of water, honey and sugar.. totally outrageous! I took pictures of some which, when i figure out my new laser printer, I 'll get them posted here.. I can't wait. Oh.. the peanut brittle came out fabulously this year. I wonder if it was the Fisher peanuts or that i decided to stir the ingredients while coming to a boil for the entire 25 minutes! YIKES.. my achin' back. Anyway, it is ALWAYS worth the effort. I love baking, but am happy when it's all cleaned up, especially since I have the worlds smallest kitchen. I don't know how I would handle a big kitchen now! Everything, and I mean everything is at my fingertips.

I made this mid sized notepad for my husband, Jeff. I combined all three UNC logos/mascots in one notepad to show off his love for the school!

New Years Eve was fun with both the boys here. They love staying up late so it was easy. We watched U Party 2009 on Fox ...the cable station and Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly were great as usual. They were freezing, but adorable together. I bought the hats and horns at WalMart, where else?, and these poppers.. Little Tootsie Bella was freaked out and I hid her on the couch next to me under a fleece blanket with her little black nose peeking out. She finally calmed down. Rommel, the standard poodle, by the way, is fantastic to all who know and ask about him.... anyhow, he just got up from his bed and meandered into the computer room.. he said, "Who needs this noise?" He's so smart.

Through an old artist friend, Krista, who has a great business, I found this fantastic drug for Rommel that actually makes the cartilage regenerate! It's a series of shots, directly into his back thigh, twice a week for a month. At the end of the third week, Rommel was bup bup bup..UP those stinkin' 6 outside stairs by HIMSELF! We didnt have to carry all 75 lbs of him any more! His last shot was in September and we've only given him one since... as a booster. Strangly, but not surprisingly, my VET never told me about this miracle drug called Adequan. Krista uses it on her horses. There is an equine recipe and a canine recipe. Well, when I approached my then Vet ( I dumped her!!) regarding this subject and asked what they thought about us giving it to Rommel ourselves, we got a very negative response. We did it anyway and the results have been dramatic and miraculous to say the least. To think, we were seriously toying with putting him down. I look at him with such loving eyes now... thinking how sorry we would have been if we had done such a thing. His time was not up.. he was not ready.. we could see that in him, yet that Vet said that she would put him down today if we thought his quality of life was not good anymore. So, people, don't make hasty decisions regarding your pets. I happened to reconnect with Krista just a week or so before we were up in arms about Rommels future and she told me about Adequan. She was our angel. Truly.. and I thank you for being there, Krista! You Rock!

One more thing I guess before I bore you to death anymore.. My husband decided to bite the bullet and get me a spankin' brand new HP color laser printer! The blacks are black and the colors arent pixely any more and I could go on and on.. I am thrilled with this gift.. the gift of great color and speed! yipee for me!

OK.. thanks for listening..
happy NEW YEAR to ALL! May it bring all better things... constant health, patience, lots of laughter, good feelings and inspiration for a better life; a better you. or me!!

Susie

Boring Excitement

2008-11-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

Tri-fold holiday money holder $3.00

Hi People!
It's been a really long long time since I posted here. I'm sorry, although, some of you might be relieved!
I'm remembering when my family and I were traveling through the Iowa plains on one family trip, I recall being in blizzard like conditions and all we could see was snow coming at our windshield at full force in that 3-D sort of feeling. I commented painfully, "This is boring excitement!" That's what my days have felt like in the past month...boring excitement. I seem to have had a lot on my plate. When I'm eating, that's a good thing, but on the things to do life plate, I am always one to get one thing done at a time. I'm not too good at mulit-tasking..or what people call multi-tasking (you can really only do ONE thing, literally, at a time!) Anyhow, here's what's up.

I had some health issues that are all in check now, I'm happy to report. Right after that, my computer took a vacation at Best Buy where we bought the thing in 2005 and it's fortunately under warranty still. The minute after I walked out of the parking lot at BB, a nice lady reported to me, "Did you know your tire is flat?" I just sank my head into the steering and wheel and felt completely sorry for myself. It was bad enough I was sans computer (my livelihood) but another flat tire? We just bought these tires.. to make it worse, the hole was on the rim so I had to get a whole new tire! Let's just say, I had terrible biorhythms that week. To top it off, where I live, the library is open only until 5pm and only on weekdays for me to check my mail. I still can't get over that it's closed on weekends! That's when I would suspect they would have the most customers! Wouldn't you? grrrr ok..

What else? Oh, I, as you can see, got my computer back now. She's hooked up and I get to play again. At least when it was being fixed, I got to clean my house and read all my backlogged magazines that were stacked miles high. Oh yes, the election. Well, I'm sure many of you know that I'm a Republican and backed up the old man and the young woman this year. I even found myself going to the headquarters in our town, donating my time, making calls, handing out flyers, and working outside the polling place in the rain on that fateful Tuesday. It wasn't a total "wash" though. We got our local Representative to keep his job and a new judge in who's only the 2nd republican judge sitting in our county now. It was fun. I felt very strongly about this election and was terribly disappointed in the outcome nationally, yet, I am terribly curious to see how Obama will wiggle his way through of all this stuff he's inherited. In my opinion, he seems to go in the direction the wind blows. So.. one thing I know for sure, he can't blame the Republicans now that they are the majority in the House and Senate. OH!! and the other thing is that I went to grade school and high school with Rahm Emanuel.. the new Chief of Staff for BO! My old girlfriend and I concur; every time we see him televised, we chuckle. I think my husband is sick of hearing me say, "Hey, I went to school with that guy!"

(Above) Rahm in 7th grade.. whodathunkit?

(Below) Rahm in his all his high school senior year afro glory! Go 1977!

Okay now.. is that not the funniest thing ever? I just had to do it. Hopefully, I won't get in trouble by the Obama camp. I'll take that risk. I had forgotten he was a dancer.. but as I look through our old yearbooks, I see that he was in soccer and fencing and I recall him being an actor in a few high school productions as well! (I was a member of Stage Crew my senior year) Something we ought to keep in mind. I must say, though, my recollection of him was nothing but a really nice guy.. although, that's not what his reputation is now in politics! hmm.

I was reminded, as I looked on my webiste, that Halloween is done and gone (we only got about 15 little guests this year) and so I had better do some website clean up. Everyone, please, check it out and see if you need anything. The big holiday is right around the corner.. I still can't believe it! I really do love the tri-fold money holders. It's so easy to give money, and we all know that right now, that is the greatest gift to give. (Thanks, Chinsea for your order!!) At least the gas prices have gone way down...I saw as low as $1.97 per gallon of regular. What? My husband and I would have bet our lives on never seeing anything under $3 again in our remaining lifetime!!

I also traveled to my old summer stomping grounds in Traverse City, Michigan last month. I was welcomed by my cousin, Fran, who's a huge U of Michigan fan.. so I made her a little something I sent to her recently to thank her for taking such great care of me during my stay. Here it is.

I have come to realize that these make the perfect hostess gifts! There are 12 to a clear box and cost $22.00. I added her name in the sooboo black inline style.. and used the good ol' Michigan colors to fill the name in.They're even more adorable in person. With Fran being such a fan, I couldn't see how I could go wrong with these Mascot/Logo note cards!

And the last bit of boring excitement news is that I am going to try my hand at ArtFire.com! It's new launched and I like what it said.. it's a community where artisans can sell their hand-made items online. I got a deal for $7 per month to put up unlimited images to see for as long as I have the account! Although I was having one minor issue with signing up, Jessica at ArtFire helped me out faithfully and with great promise to make this work for me. I've been blogging while she's been fixing my small initial issue. When I'm done here, I'm going to go fill up my literal and then figural plate (is figural a word?) and get going on this exciting, NOT boring, new project!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! There is plenty, in these uncertain times, to be thankful for.. #1, our kids. #2 our health. #3 our family's love.
Enjoy all your boring excitement this holiday season and be careful out there!

Susie

2008-10-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

a tri-fold money holder
$3.00 per with die cut oval inside to show money or check value
white envelope, too!

Hi People!

Ok... I am not so great with routine. Maybe because I'm a Sagittarius? Free-spirited, need to be outdoors.. well, not sure if that's me or not... so..when I'm sitting at the computer on a Sunday morning, the breeze is speaking to me from the front porch by way of the softly clanging wind chimes, I am inspired to be at peace and write.
This past week has been interesting for me. First of all, I was rushing around, the procrastinator that I am, to get ready for a "home show" or "trunk show" or "showcase" of my items at a good friend's friend's home in a new and lovely suburb of Raleigh. I was delighted packing my car with my wares, showing them off to my ever supportive husband beforehand. It was a very rainy late afternoon and I was worried that the 15 for sure
responders wouldn't bother to show due to the weather. But it cleared as I drove further away from my home and I wasn't so panicked after all. I arrived at this gorgeous new home to find a table donned in red which was set up for me to place my goods upon. I wish I had taken a picture. It would have been perfect for my blog. The lighting wasn't too hot, so I wasn't sure it would show as well as I would have liked, but in the end it wasnt the light that was the issue, but i think it was the wine. The free-flowing wine. It wound up being more of a social event than a home show. I had some interested parties, but not what I had hoped for. The hostess was fabulous and wonderful and friendly and helpful. I adored her. It was so kind of her to include me in this event of which there was a popular other vendor there as well selling lucite goods and monogrammed luggage and travel accessories.. very nice stuff. My stuff looked homemade (which it is) and boring and lifeless compared. Anyway, I made a few bucks and was delighted with the creative ideas my interested customers came up with. That's what I hope for... personalized.. truly.

There is a blog to which I subscribe called, The Party Goddess. Well, right now it's so entertaining and funny because she gets spam, I guess, and can't get over who these people are who send this junk to her. Well, she is now in part four of her quest to find out about a puppy in Africa from someone called mr carlson.. who apparently is a she. It's rather hilarious and I get a complete good chuckle from her words. I recommend it highly. The writer of the blog, Marley Majcher is a popular party planner in the L.A. area who has created parties for Hollywood personalities like Katherine Heigl and Spike Lee. She wrote that she was going to be on Fox News on a Saturday morning a while back and included the link to it. I watched with wide eyes and sagging chin and complete jealousy that she was on a national cable news show chatting about the latest party ideas for football tailgating parties. It was fun. I was proud to have some association with her. I comment on her blog on occasion, and one day, after she was worried that her child's pre-school bag was not up to par with all the other kid's bags (she wrote in what I would think was a Sharpie, his name!), I commented to her that she ought to look into my personalized tags, sent the link and wella! she bought from me! It made my day. I hope she's happy with them! I look forward to reading her blog a few times a week. There's nothing like reading about other's lives and comparing them to what's going on in your own. The other thing that's come to me is an email from a sorority sister from years ago. We had a reunion last year, which was about 25 years after we all graduated. It was great. We were able to reconnect as well as we could with 40 girls all clammoring around one another in just a couple days. Well, I heard from one of them through an email a few nights ago. This email was about political issues that are affecting Americans. I couldn't let this one pass.. I had to vocalize the stripes I wear. We've allowed it to go on and on and now I can't wait to hear her response to last nights letter. In this particular forum, I am not adaptable (see previous blog). It's been loads of fun and I appreciate her honesty. I am looking forward to hearing her reasons of why she can trust her candidate, when I have made it obvious, I cannot. I have become somewhat obsessed with that particular question, since it is rarely addressed by her particular party. To be continued...

I'm getting ready for a long weekend in my former summer stomping grounds in the upper penninsula of Michigan. Dad asked me if I wanted to go. I found a great price on a flight and made the reservations to Chicago. You would think that I would take some SooBoo merchandise to give as a thank you gift, but so far, for gifts, I have shipped some homemade jellies, preserves and jams made by my wonderful neighbor, Sarah. That's with a long first A in her name. It's a Southern thang. I hope they go over well. Everyone loves a good sweet topping to their toast, or ham or bagel, right?

I also want to get a yard sale going here, but I fear I will have to wait until the spring. I have so much stuff to give.. I need to cleanse this house. I have things stashed in every nook and cranny and it's all ready to go. I just have to recall where it's all stashed! Wish me luck

The only thing I have created new are for orders from the home show. I will post new designs a customer has asked me to create. It's her son's names in alternating colors with little footballs in them. One has the SanDiego Chargers colors and the other is the Carolina Panther's colors. Cute stuff. I am going to mess around with them today. They're all sketched out and waiting to be painted. I did do some coupons for the home show for notepads and gift tags. I even bought a guest book at the suggestion of Laura Bray of Katydid Designs,master of elegant whimsey! Thanks, Laura for the tips.

Well, that's about it. I know it's not fancy or intriguing, but it's all I have right now.

Falling It

2008-09-29T08:26:00.000-04:00

October is around the corner. I'm beginning to get my act together...finally! I found myself spring cleaning yesterday after I saw the clock say 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon and all I had accomplished was walking the poochies and dicing potatoes for a nice side for the families breakfast. (I just had a few bites!) and purging unmentionables from my dresser drawers! Anyway, as we have all experienced and learned along the way, omitting clutter is a cleansing thing. Mostly, though, I emit clutter. Polar opposites. I long to be one of those clean artists. One who abides by the "touch once" rule. I'm a Sagittarius, I am not good with rules. I don't know about you all, but I can handle only one room at a a time. Same with the business; I need to get one card done, one bag tag done, one design done.. no assembly line for me in my studio..or apparently in my home...save for dinner. Adapting is good. I think growing up in a four season state is a good thing. You must adapt to the weather, the different clothes for that weather and the different personalities that emerge during those changes in weather!
SooBoo Designs is adaptable with your personalized orders. If the end product is for a person with high energy, the SooBoo style can go right along with that. Maybe the fun & funky style would be perfect. Maybe it's for a young boy... so a spike style or blended colors would be appropriate. I can add different things to the backs of diaper/luggage/bag tags like fish, flowers or frogs. I can add so many different things for boys, girls, men or women. That is the beauty of these designs; they're adaptable. And that's what personalizing really is. It's well, I just went to my college thesaurus (ooo! I spelled it right!) and I found these words synonymous with "personal."
Individualistic, defined, singular, and distinct to name a few. My delightfully optimistic Californian friend, Marianne, reminded me of how people liked to hear their own name. Here is the quote from Dale Carnegie.

“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Don't forget this when looking for a gift. SooBoo Designs brings you a bunch of fun, vibrant and appealing selections from which to choose.

Recently, an adorable girl wrote me and asked if I could do something pirate like for a bachelorette party. I thought that was something I will never do again and of course, I said, "Yes!" She had something particular in mind, so with that, we came up with this.

I had started creating one which was totally different; one without the place to place map feeling. I knew it wasn't what she was looking for, so we talked some more and I adapted to her desires for this little invitation and it worked. We were both happy with the results. Another client needed some calling cards for her recently graduated son. He's into the Rastafarian thing, so she suggested incorporating the colors they use into the calling cards. This is what happened.

I know these are not in typical SooBoo form, but a business must conform to what it's public desires. I really enjoy graphics, especially placement of graphics vs. copy. For some reason, I've always been drawn to that and enjoy piecing these together to make the best visual.

This landscaping business has apparently been in business for many years...without a business card! I was so pleased that they chose me to create their first business card. Who knew? Tom & Mar... you must give these out to potential customers. Conform to the norm!

Ok... as many of you know, I went off to Austin, Texas on of all days, September 11! I know! Our other girlfriend and I decided that was the day we were going to travel. As it turns out, it was great. Even though it was the weekend of the great Hurricane IKE, Austin didn't get a drop of rain. We could not have asked for better weather. At the same time, we were worried about our Houston friends, who got hit pretty hard and turns out, were out of power for way over a week, yet were safe!
Anyhow, my hostess with the mostess girlfriend, whom I deemed "Queen" during our last days in college, got this medium sized notepad made especially for her by me, of course! Could this be any cuter? It's terribly apropos because, HER word is the ONLY word. Trust me!

So, you can see for yourself what can be done if you become creative. Imagine, just one of your ideas might evolve into an invitation, calling card, luggage tag, personalized notepad or personalized note card!
The fun holidays are creeping up on us! If you're interested in having some fun with friends and family this season but don't see what you had your eye on, email or call me . My name is Susie, aka SooBoo and I'm adaptable.

email: susie@sooboodesigns.com
or call the number on the home page of www.soooboodesigns.com

Sometimes we all need to stop and think, "What can I do to adapt to this situation?"
see you soon!

Susie

Dizzy

2008-08-31T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hi People!
I just sent on my blog to many a person. I have just hooked up my one week gone hard drive and am so happy to be back. More on that later..
I happened to look at a comment I received in my blog and she told me that the Theta symbol was the kite, NOT the arrow, which is Pi Phi's symbol. Not only that, I used the black and gold Kappa Alpha Theta colors for the Pi Phi Arrow! So, I am going to leave it on there and change it as soon as I can.. the colors, the everything.. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Ok.. No new art since my computer issues, but I have to say, once you've been with your computer for so long and then it's ripped away, well, I had to take it to the Geek Squad, it's horrible. I was not a happy camper for quite a few days. My husband told me to call Best Buy to ask if it's ready yet after one week and it was. They were supposed to call, but I believe made up the story that the last digit in my phone number was incorrect, even though it was fine on the digital printout they sent me off with!. It had been ready for two days. The lesson: Don't trust the Geeks to call you!

Ok.. just wanted to say I'm sorry for the mis-symbol for those particular sororities.

Susie

Waste Not

2008-08-20T13:56:00.000-04:00

Hello People!
Ugh.. does anyone ever have issues like I do with your computers? I got some virus in my computer yesterday and it was a real all day effort to get it working again. I shouldn't complain, I didn't have to take it to the Geek Squad or anything like that! The issue was one virus called XPAntivirus and I'm actually a little scared to even write in on the computer for fear it might recollect itself and attack me again! It's all good now, though.

Ok... I have a good friend here who's daughter is going off to private school.. high school. All the kids have to do 20 hours of community service which is wonderful they aren't waiting for these kids to hit senior year to do that. The daughter has always wanted her community to be stronger, or even existent, with recycling.. so I was enlisted to create a new logo for this project, on which, I am very delighted to get started! Here are the ideas. If you would like to vote, please shoot me an email or leave a comment if you're a blogger as well. I would love to hear your opinions. Her project is called Waste Not Recycling Project.

This has prompted me to recycle. I was an avid recycler in my former life, er.. my "northerner" life. When I first came to our little town in North Carolina, I found it almost unbearable to throw out plastic bottles, newspapers, glass, and aluminum cans in the regular trash. Since it is not cost effective, they say, to pick up curbside, as in populated areas in the country, we have to settle here to travel to the big giant recycling bins...wherever they may be located! The newest are a couple towns over. So, I have some kitchen bags designated for all the recycled products, save the newspapers, for which, I have a spankin' new rubbermaid bin! Things have changed since I was last in recycleland... we don't have to separate the items! WOW~ I am still confused as to whether the plastic bottle caps are recycled. I have been throwing them away~ so let me know if that's not necessary any more. I have also spent a couple bucks and purchased more gusseted grocery bags which just ONE holds about 4 plastic grocery bags full of groceries! I LOVE THEM and encourage everyone to get some and REMEMBER to take them out of your car INTO the store before you shop! I have forgotten now on two occasions, but I'm getting better, even in my pre-old person state of mind!

I have some more sorority items up, too. Fun for all those lil' sis' items I hear actives are "highly encouraged" to purchase for initiation. When I inititated, I got an unforgettable blank, inscribed scrapbook! I filled it with fabulously fun pics of my college days and have it to this day. This was before all crazy scrapbooking phase began! I take full risk saying, "That was a simpler time." Now are liv in an era of being "too connected," as my buddy says, with the internet, i-phones, blogs, emails, blackberries, facebooks, and last but not least, bluetooth devices! I have no idea how to use many of these, but obviously, it's a necessity to know the basics!

Enjoy these, as I have had fun making them! I'm drawing these and coloring them in Photoshop. I like the results.

This is a 4.25" x 5.5" blank note card

Below is a notepad with twin anchors.. great for a lil sis gift!
Size is 4.25" x 5.5"

Another Personalized SooBoo Note Card. I like this font a lot!

Notepads can be personalized with your own wording!

Nice Flat Note Card on 80lb coverstock. A really great unasuming note card idea.

Another Photoshop colored but hand drawn lettering sorority note card.

Finally, I've been meaning to add some of those "other" sororities onto my site. Here is the Theta Arrow with scribble inside it. A modern feel to a simple arrow! Below is a personalized medium sized note card.

Great font on this new Kappa Alpha Theta Personalized Sorority Note Card

A medium sized Personalized Notepad for a Theta Pledge or Active

Peace Out~
Susie

Christmas in ...August?

2008-08-01T20:29:00.001-04:00

I've been busy creating some new items for Christmas. Check out the latest in
Holiday Money Holders. Each tri-fold money holder is 6.5" x 3.25" and when opened has a die cut oval so your divine monetary gift can be seen easily...
For the holder titled, "recycle the season" I thought it would be fun to give this to anyone who is interested in going greener starting the new year. Maybe pop in a gift certificate from one of many terrific "green" websites! I think it's a peach of an idea.

Everyone loves this ornament, so I made it into a money holder with a nice seasonal message.

People of all ages like to hear from someone special that they've been good. Secretly, they probably were not?

Joy, Joy, Joy.

I had so much fun making this newcomer to add to my holiday repertoire! I adore the polka dots which allow this image to become a very happy holiday holder indeed!
I used this very clever dot marker. Depending on how hard you push down on it, is how small or large the dot becomes. Plus, it's double sided. One fat end for larger dots; the other end is much smaller. Most of the dots are outlined with my old standby rapidograph pen. A very jolly design~

I have liked this Hanukkah design since I made it a while ago. It's done in the SooBoo's fun & funky style with turquoise, blue and yellow. The letters are adorned with polka dots, stripes, swirls, waves, stars and inlines! Lots to look at but the colors bring it all together.

Lots of joy below. Each JOY is topped with a cute red, blue or green ornament. This particular design makes me very happy.

Four gift wrapped holiday gifts. For YOU.

Love, Joy, Peace
A really peaceful design

Cute swirly font for a whimsical design. These 3 packages are a delight. No ink is used on these packages. They are wispy green and red gems!

A design of dancing joys. Fun & Funky design. Dots, stripes and a ray of holiday sunshine in the O.

Another use for a tree.
Christmas in July.. well maybe August.

Guess what, people?
My girlfriend, Marnie, who highly stressed me making my SooBoo Designs website, has decided to include me in a home show October 9 this fall. I can't wait! I'll have lots of things for the girls who will be gathering at Marnie's house in Apex to look at. I am gathering up notepads, holiday gift tags, holiday note cards, and of course, everyone will be able to order there as well. I have a lot to do, so I had better get going!

Our child-free month has just about totally come to a close. It's going to be back to routine starting in late August for all of us. High school is not right around the corner anymore...it's staring me in the face! I hope to make new friends during the band meetings and maybe, if we're lucky, during soccer games!

Enjoy your weekend~!

Peace Out!

susie

To Monogram or not to Monogram...

2008-07-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

Hello, People!
Here are some new ideas SooBoo Designs has come up with.
I recently got back into my rubber stamps. I have come to love cows in my time here in North Carolina. Although I love the Holsteins, I totally fallen in love with these beige and cream colored cows as well. I drive by a favorite piece of land where they congregate and
"are having a meeting!"
as my son said when he was younger passing a boat load under a tree before a big rain that we
observed driving by. It was something I'll never forget.

So, I thought this was a riot titling
this creative notepad,
"my utter list"
.

This is a shower that will be going on in my vicinity.
Another stamp..this one by New Media.
I have discovered how to easily color with my Photoshop.
When the design is this small, it's nice to have an optional way to color
since my eyes become weaker and weaker.

Thinking lately that the SooBoo Designs website doesn't have enough
for little boys and big boys, I started to think that sports are not
prevalent in my site, so I came up with this baseball notepad. I will get
started with a football design as well. The background in blue
of the baseball is with watercolor. Everything else is computerized.

A close up of the baseball. On the website, you are asked to
enter your team colors and your monogram letter.

I just love these circular monograms.
Playing with Illustrator is tons of fun. The colors here are so Lilly Pulitzer!
Precious and so feminine and are the colors of my bedroom growing up!

I have a request to try and incorporate LP colors into my name art.
This customer is suggesting that I put turtles and such into the name art.
I will get around to it, just trying to figure it out in my head first!
In the meantime, I am using these colors to get in the LP mode!

You have an option to add your personal information at the bottom of these
PERSONALIZED MONOGRAMMED NOTEPADS

A detailed view.

The use of bright vibrant colors has always been a love of mine. Here, I use Red and golden yellow. A great contrasting color combination!

A detailed view of the red and golden yellow with asterisks around the circle!

I started playing with these circles because I am trying to keep up with what is current
on the market these days. When someone see's these things online at one site, it catches
on in a big way. I don't want to miss out on any sales simply because I might be limiting
my art on my website. Versatility is a virtue!

Below is a detailed view. I love brown and pink.. and brown and blue as well!
This font is just too much. It's delightfully different and chunky.

Below is the monogram in action on the personalized monogrammed notepad.
Again, you have the option online to add your information at the bottom..even
if it's just your email address!

This is the first monogram design I made of the bunch. If you can believe it,
the dashes around the circle are this particular font's equal sign! Isn't that wild?
I added these little equal signs in a line at the bottom picking up all the
colors of the monogram itself!

Another detailed view.
The colors are tremendous and bi-gender as well.

Customers have the option of offering their own color combination on
www.sooboodesigns.com

Please pass on these delicious ideas to your friends and family! These notepads, by the way, are either 4.25" x 5.5" (Medium sized) or 5.5" x 8.5" (Large notepad). Go to www.sooboodesigns.com then click on Personalized Notepads then click on medium sized notepads. You'll see related items then. Thanks Everyone! You're the Greatest Peace Out Susie

Bridging the Generations!

2008-07-19T08:59:00.001-04:00

I just had to post this morning to show everyone this new blog which was sent to me by my beautiful friend, Marianne, who's daughter has developed an amazing and inspiring blog of her own. The passion of this 18 year old is beyond her years...she has started an organization called Bridging the Generations in which she has begun a computer class at the local retirement home in her California area. Her students are varied. She learns from them as much as they learn from her...sometimes more so. It's very comforting to know there are young adults out there these days who show a complete passion for the elderly. Nice to know, because I'm not getting any younger! It's unusual how this phenomenal girl, Carrie, couples patience with passion to understand what we all can learn from our elders. It all reminds me of how we need to keep up with our communications with our aging relatives. It's always nice to send a "thinking of you" card. Here a few examples of blank note cards to send on, just in case you're as moved as I was after reading Carrie's Blog. Rock On, Carrie! and thanks from all of us old farts out there for caring as you do.

Gotta Pool? Have a Party!

2008-07-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hi People!
Do you have a pool? Do you hardly ever use it? Do you have a lot of friends? Is everyone too busy to talk to one another this summer? SooBoo has the answer!

Have a COOL POOL PARTY
with this invitation

I can't believe I have not put this up on the blog. I did this a month ago and I placed it in a folder and forgot about it. How dare I?

Enjoy the party!
Peace Out
Susie