Blog udpate--family, friends, teaching, and more!!

I have had a really busy good and bad few weeks!!

Sierra was really ill, she got pneumonia and had the roughest time getting rid of it. Luckily she's doing a lot better!!
Something I'm grateful for: AN AMAZING DR.!!! She has a great one. He checks on her all the time and makes sure to research everything before making any decisions.

This is Sierra making book marks. She is having surgery in July and wants to bring things to do and reading is one of them so we thought we'd make book marks. She's so sweet!!

I love my time with Jeremy!!! He is such an amazing guy!!!!
We love going to the movies and to baseball games!
The other night he and I went to Giants game and had a great time!! I celebrated NSD at Our Paper Place with a lot of different gals!!! OPP had three different days and each one was perfect!!! LOVE the store!!
I love this picture of us girls!!! We are all Survivor fans and really wanted to watch the ending...so I took my laptop outside and we watched it there to not spoil it for anyone else!!!! AWESOME!!!!
I love teaching!!!! It's something I'm really grateful for. Last week I taught at Treasured Memories in Oak Park, Ca. I loved seeing the girls from the last time I was there and the new gals I met. I look forward to seeing everyone again in September!!
I have a lot of fun things going on....look to the right to see some of the dates that I have posted!!! I'll be adding more dates soon!!!!
Have a wonderful day!!!
Suzy West

Basically...this is my favorite booklet!!!!

I've been in heaven playing with these amazing books by Basically Bare!!! Seriously...this one is my favorite!! It's 8x10...and really in this instance...size does matter!! LOL
I'll be teaching this project at a few different scrapbook stores which I'll post soon but in the meantime...These are a couple of my favorite pages, what do you think?

I used Echo Park and Hambly to decorate this lovely book. I gave it color with paints and of course Shimmerz, my favorite!!! I adhered everything down with Helmars. LOVE THE STUFF!
Thanks for looking!!!
Hugs,
Suzy West

Live Laugh Love

I'm so lucky to be able to play with a lot of fun products!!! This time was no different. I designed this project using brand new Basically Bare booklet, Totally Tabbed and the fun fun dress form is one of their Basically Embellies. All the paper is Echo Park!!! LOVE all their stuff!!!!!

My favorite part of this book is that it's 8x10!!! You can do so much with it!! I'll be teaching this at a bunch of stores so look out for it!!!
Hugs, Suzy West

Dear Allergies....

I try not to complain about things(I said TRY, LOL)...but when it comes to allergies...OMG...I'm the biggest baby!!! They have been kicking my behind the last few days.
Anyway, today my facebook update read:

Dear allergies,
Please go away! I haven't been able to sleep well and my eyes are super swollen so I could potentially scare people...looking crazier than usual.
Thanks
Suzy

Different people posted about having allergies as well...but ONE person...replied with the following:

Dear Suzy,
thank you for your recent letter. We understand that you are displeased with the service you have received lately from our representatives, and are sincerely sorry for your experience. Please be assured that we have made note o...f your concerns and have forwarded them to the proper department. As a token of our gratitude for your continued loyalty, please accept these extra allergies free of charge. We thank you for your continued patronage and look forward to many pleasant visits in the future. Sincerely, Your Allergies

I was at a restaurant when I read this and totally busted out laughing.
Paul Rhoades, a friend since I was about 8 wrote this...he has a very similar sense a humor as my husband--another Paul. SCARY! LOL

Anyway, for those of you suffering from allergies...I thought it might make you laugh, it did me.

Thanks Paul for that!!!! Totally blog worthy!!
Hugs, Suzy West

Together...we're GIANT!!!

On Friday, Jeremy and I got on bart and headed down to San Francisco!!!
We went to the Giants game!!

I feel so lucky to have spent an entire day with my guy!!! We had a blast walking around our beautiful city!! We couldn't ask for a better day!
We got in line aroun 5pm to get in early and make sure we could get one of the Willie Mays trophies. Everyone was celebrating Willie's 80th birthday!!!
The two of us cheered on the entire night...we weren't doing so hot in the beginning...but we didn't stop believing in our guys...and we took it home!!! The game rocked!!!
My favorite...the overwhelming smile on my Jeremy's face and all the high 5's!!!
Can't wait for the next game!!!!
Hugs, Suzy West

National Scrapbook Day at OPP!!!

I am so thrilled to be attending National Scrapbook day at Our Paper Place in Newark!!

They have planned awesome events for everyone!!!! They have three dates on the calendar.
Saturday, May 7th--10am-10pm (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, May 14th--10am-10pm (2 open spots)
Sunday, May 15th--10am-10pm (2 open spots)
Not sure if the spots are still there but if you are intersted in going, call the store at 510-792-4487.
I'll be doing demos on certain dates. Hope to see you there!!
Hugs
Suzy West

The kid to the left

I love my kids!!! I love taking pictures of them...but there is one that is never in pictures and it's my Jeremy! I try to take pictures of him but he avoids the camera like the plague!LOL

I got this picture with him in it and think he looks so handsome! I just had to do a blog post about him.
He's such a sweet boy! I love him to pieces!! Excited about this Friday, he and I are going to the Giants game!!!! It's going to be fun!!!

PROUD to be an AMERICAN!!!!

Tonight we heard the news that osama bin laden(sorry no capitals) is dead! It was ten years ago when we witnessed just some of the work of this horrible man!
I was so proud to listen to our President comfirm the news!
I strongly feel that we need to pray for our country and for our US leaders.

That they may be inspired to make the right decisions for our country.

Please pray for our troops, that they may be safe & God bless the USA!!!

Basically Bare--new projects, teaching, and more!!

I am so thrilled to announce that I've been asked to be one of the Endorsed Educators for Basically Bare, a new manufacture!!!!
You can check them out HERE. Please check out their blog. I have a post there. You can see what Sarah De Guzman created as well.
I am thrilled to have a book created by my ideas and inspirations!!! I'll be teaching with it all over the country!!! (I'll be using their other products too!!)
It's this book here that I created Fun In The Sun with!!! The book is called Funky Findings. It's a fun tall and slender book. LOL

This other book was created with Totally Tabbed. I love that it's big and filled with lots of fun different pages!! You can fit a ton in it! The book is 8x10!!!

I'm thrilled to be teaching these projects and another at Treasured Memories in Oak Park. I will be there the end of May. You can check out the details at their site here.

I have a class coming up at Our Paper Place on Friday, May 13th!! Check it out here.
Thanks for looking and hope to see you at one of my upcoming classes!!!
Hugs
Suzy West

Contest winner--announced and more...

Last night I went to bed semi early so I could get up at 1am to watch the royal wedding!! I was SOOOOO excited that I dvr'd it and set three alarms on my phone! LOL

Unfortunately, I forgot that I had set my phone on silent and I was soooo tired...that I didn't wake up until 7am!!!! I totally missed it live!
So this morning everyone came to my room and we watched the whole thing together!!!
I cried like a big baby!!!! It was so sweet!!!
Favorites from the wedding: two kisses from castle, Prince Harry looking back at Kate, the big smile on Prince William when he saw her for the first time, their carriage ride, and all the people there sooooo happy!!

We have a winner for the naming of the mixed medium booklet contest!!!
LINDSEY ALVES!!!!
Although we didn't use the exact name Lindsey posted...we were inspired by it and came up with something really close!!! THANKS Lindsey!!!
Please contact Angela at info@basicallybareonline.com. She's going to be sending you a prize!!

Shout out to my friend Katrina Hunt---I think you are fabulous!!!!
Hugs,
Suzy West

The best job ever!

I have the best job!

It is a job that I didn't go to school for, so I couldn't even do an internship to prepare for the real thing!
I'm not sure how well I do, but let me tell you...I love my job!
My title: MOM aka mommy
This year has been interesting. My kids have gone through a lot of change and even though year wise...it's not a bold difference...they are different.
To my little gir...I'm her mommy
She's tender and sweet! She warms my heart with her hugs and sweet "I love you's".
To my teenage boy...I'm his mom
Even though he's pretty quiet and keeps to himself...He is so sweet!!! Everytime he gives me that sweet smile I just melt! I love that he's not embarrassed to give me a kiss in front of his friends and tell me he love's me.
To my married daughter...I'm her mother
I love that she is not only a great mother and wife...she's smart and has continued going to school because she wants to help make a better life for her family.
I don't get paid to be a mom...but as I see my kids play together or give each other hugs...that is all the payment I need! I love the time that we spend together!!! I'm lucky to be their mom!!!!
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you.
Hugs, Suzy West

Easter 2011

It was great having the kids together! They had so much fun!
These two are so sweet!!
They have all grown up together. This warms my heart.
First year that Tristan really got into the egg hunt! He had a blast!
All the kids looking for hidden eggs! The goal was to find the ones filled with money!LOL

We are still looking at the names from the contest!!! I will be posting a winner on May 1st!!!

Hugs
Suzy West

Love days like these...

Sometimes I don't know where my brain is.LOL. I had planned to visit two friends with Sierra today. NORMALLY...I would drive to their house, but today was different. For some reason, I thought we should both RIDE our bikes there.

That's okay if you ride a lot...guess when the last time I was on a bike? Well I couldn't tell you the date...all I know is that it was over 20 years ago!
Yes, 20 years! LOL
So I sit here typing...with a pillow under my bum...because I'm in PAIN!! LOL
Alrighty, let's forget about the pain for a moment.
Sierra and I talked about a lot of different things as we rode to our first destination. There, we had a great time giggling about different things with my friend Janice. We had delicious strawberry shortcake, hung out in her amazingly beautiful house and backyard, and looked at family pictures. LOVED my time there. So did Sierra.
We left and headed out to visit my other friend, Diane.
She and I laughed and laughed over funny stories while Sierra had a blast playing with the tiny kittens and her two sons. Had a blast!!!
Sierra and I took off for home and pretty much rode home standing up as our bums were killing us. LOL
It doesn't matter the pain, I'd do it again!! It was an awesome day! I had a great time with friends and my little girl!! What a blessing!!
Hugs,
Suzy West

I can't believe I'm saying it...It's official...

We have set the date for Sierra's surgery!!

It's scary to think my little baby girl will be having surgery but truth be told..it's much needed.
Her little 56lb body has been through a lot!
I still remember being in the hospital two weeks after she was born because she couldn't come home. They couldn't figure out why she was so jaundice and why her levels wouldn't change. They called in a hematologist and she asked me if anyone in our family had a blood disorder. At first I couldn't think of anyone...because I was only thinking of my side...DUH...it takes two people to make her and my husband had Hereditary Sphero Cytosis. The "A-HA" statement from the dr. said it all...my baby had the same condition.
So through out the years, Sierra has had to deal with losing blood cells, feeling tired, and turning yellow.
This is going to help her. She is still going to have some issues to deal with but it's going to be better.
So today...we found out that she's also going to have her gall bladder taken out. Because of her condition it's a given that she's going to have gall stones UNLESS they take it out.
We set a date for June 14th but found out that it was her last day of school, so we changed it for Friday, June 17th. She's set for 10:30am.
I believe in the power of prayer and have a ton of faith. We would appreciate your prayers as well!!!
Thanks for listening and thinking of my little Sierra.
Hugs
Suzy West

Random shots

I've been taking lots of pictures with my iphone. I've added even more photo apps since my last post.

Here is a set of pictures of me TRYING to take pictures of Jeremy...but as you can see...or not see..he didn't let me. LOL

This is another new app that I got. I love this feature. This is Sierra at the Earth Day event.

Here is a picture of me in London.

Can you tell? I love the color green!! I didn't realize how many green color items I had.

I was asked to scan my signature last week to add to packaging for a new product that I created, so much fun!!!

This is a shot of my favorite nail color right now. LOVE IT!!!
Thanks for checking out my blog!!
Hugs
Suzy West

Sierra--setting the date

I am so lucky to
call Sierra my daughter.
She is such a sweet little
girl with a beautiful
innocence about her.
I told her today
that I was meeting with
her surgeon on Monday.
She looked at me and
sweetly said, "I trust
whatever decisions
you make for my life."
It took everything
I had to not cry.
We are going to set
the date with the surgeon
on Monday. I'm not sure
if I want it to be done
sooner or later. Things to
think about before Monday.
Thanks for listening.
Hugs,
Suzy West

Some of my favorite APPS for my Iphone

I'm often asked what my favorite apps are. So I'm going to share some of my favorites.
These are all FREE for Iphone.

1. EVERLATER--this is an awesome travel journal. You can add photos, rate where you stay, restaurants you eat at, and write stories so you remember what you see and do on your trip.

2. Check Please--This is great when you eat out. Especially with friends and you are splitting the bill. It breaks it up and asks you what percentage tip you want to give your server.

3. OPI--I LOVE this app! If you love OPI nail polishes you will too. You can see how the nail polish will look on your hand. You can make "the hand" lighter or darker. It has EVERY single color!

4. Old Photo Pro--This app makes any picture look old and distressed. This picture is beautiful in color but I love the way it looked when I used this app!

5. Photosynth--this is a new one. Just learned about it today. You can stand in one place and move your camera and it takes panoramic pictures of an entire area. It's awesome!!

6. Instagram--Just started using this one. It's kinda like the old photo pro but it has more options. Here's an example

7. Skobbler--it's a free navigation program. I use this a lot!

8. Moron Free--this is a fun game that test how "smart" you are.

9. xfinity tv--lets you record a TV show from where ever you are!!! Although I haven't done this, you can watch the show on your phone.

10. Skype--I love that I can see and talk to loved ones from where ever I'm at.

Okay so those are my favorites!!! Please tell me about some of yours!!

Hugs
Suzy West

5 things I'm grateful for this week

I am feeling so grateful this week and wanted to share with you 5 things
that have made me smile.

1. My children--I love them so much!!! I want them to know they can always depend on me and I will always be there!
2. Scrapbooking--I'm so grateful for this beautiful craft!
3. My camera--I love my camera! I love that I can capture a moment...a feeling...in one single shot!!
4. Religion--I love going to church every Sunday (when I'm not traveling, LOL) and having the opportunity to feel close to my Heavenly Father in his home.
5. My car--I'm lucky that I can always depend on my sweet van to get me from point a to point b.

That's what I'm grateful for this week!

If you didn't see the post below...check it out...there's a contest!!! I'd love for you to participate.

Hugs
Suzy West

To create (CONTEST)

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

I feel very lucky to work with some of the most creative people in the craft industry.

This week has been a really fun one for me. I've been working on some really cool projects for teaching all over the country and working on products for future releases!

Sometimes it takes me a while to come up with something and other times it just comes to me.

Today I created something really cool!! I can't wait to see what others do with it when it's released!!!

**Sorry...my blog was acting up.<

Contest!!!!!!
Help me name my album!!!
I am looking for same letter named book!!

For example: Terrifically Tabbed or Krafty Kreations.

You have from now until Saturday to post as many times as you want.
If your name is selected, you will receive my new album and yummy new embellishments.

Thanks!!

Loving our little fur balls!

Our little fur babies had a rough last week.

Angel and I took all our dogs to get vaccinated on Sunday. My little guy Gravy and Angel's fur babies did really good but Biscuit freaked out a little! I posted the pictures of the dogs when they got "the surgery" on Thursday. We were told they needed to have the cone of shame on for TWO weeks!! They don't like having them on at all!!! They also need to be seperated so they have been extra sad. Sierra has been giving each one a lot of love so they are not so unhappy! Today she decided to work on a scrapbook for the dogs and asked if I would take pictures of them. Here they are. Here is Biscuit

...and this is Gravy

I'm hoping that they will be able to get their cones taken off early and will heal fast so they can be together!! I think we will all be a lot happier! Thanks for looking!!! Suzy

Photo shoot

This morning I asked Sierra if I could take some pictures of her and reluctantly she said, "yes". I told her we'd go out after and she started getting a little excited!! LOL

Here are a few that I took of her. We lasted all of 30 minutes because she said she was cold.

Thanks for looking!! Hugs, Suzy West