Time Travels!!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend (for those who live here in the States) & Happy Friday to the rest of ya!!  Yay it's a 3 day weekend--I love those!  And I want to say a BIG THANK-YOU to all of those that have served or are currently serving in the US military--we thank you for risking your lives to protect our freedoms and the country that we live in and we recognize the self-less sacrifice you give each day!!  And we remember those that gave their lives in the service of their country--we will not forget!!

Our plans this weekend, hmmm...are changing just a bit!  We're gonna spend one day in Baltimore and another day at our golf club's pool cuz' it's gonna be a hot one this weekend!  I'm gonna get that batch of hot, steamed MD blue crabs tho'--that's for sure!!  I'm not quite in tip-top bathing suit shape yet, but I've got a GREAT selection of cover-ups, LOL!  Although I did just order 2 new tankini's from Victoria's Secret and I'm hopeful to wear them by the end of June and get rid of all my Victoria Secret swim skirts that I have, that is my goal.  Gotta get hustling on my workouts--I'm up to running 3-4 miles five days a week and I got my new Elliptical Trainer so I'm doing 3 days on that along with lifting weights and Jillian Michaels workouts.  So far I've lost 4 of the 15 lbs (plus 2 lbs I count as water)--yikes--9 more lbs to go!  I'm more worried about toning the jiggle up though, hee hee--need that to be firmed up--no jiggling allowed, LOL!  Wouldn't it be really great if we could really LMBO (laugh our butt's off)--that would be so EASY!  And I am liking the juicing--I got a new Breville Juicer and it's fantastic--super powerful and quiet too.  But most importantly it's easy to clean!  So I drink 3 juices a day and a dinner of chicken/fish & veggies and for snack I have a Luna bar--but my fave juice mix is celery, cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes and apples & cranberries---yep it really is good, like a sweet salad in your mouth, LOL!  Don't gag please :)

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Time Travelin'

Today Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is having a fabulous NEW RELEASE from Victoria Case for SCACD and the DT is having a blog hop too!  You can get all the details on the blog hop at the store blog HERE!  These cuties are ready for summer and the collection is called "Hearts & Hugs Summertime" and they will steal your heart for sure.  I'm using this cutie called "Safe Travels" and I made a card and matching suitcase favor/treat box (I created this box and made a tutorial for it, see below) along with papers from Graphic 45.  I think this would be perfect for someone heading off to college this fall, a bon-voyage present or just a congrats or moving gift!

I colored this gal from "Safe Travels" up with Copics--gotta love a nice red dress, I added black polka-dots to the dress with my black spica pen.  Her purse & hat bow got a coat of Viva Decor Glitter Liner (in holo.) for some extra bling!  The tag was pre-made and came with the Graphic 45 papers--I added the sentiment in red (PTI) and some pearl bling to it.  The double bow was made with my fave tool Bow Easy and the corners were done with my MS border punch.  I distressed all my papers with that fabby Zutter Distress Tool for a little shabby chic look!

So I worked for awhile to come up with a realistic-like suitcase box that would open by hinges and fit a gift card, money or other small treats.  I finally came up with this after 2 hours of playing, lol, and I created a tutorial that you can download (Mini Suitcase Tutorial HERE)---I will also link it in my Tutorials/Templates tab at the top of my blog for ya!  If you use it, please just note where you got it--I'd appreciate it!  You can of course decorate it any way you choose, I ran some kraft cs thru my Cuttlebug folder and then distress inked the edges.  The nailheads are gold brads with the backs cut off and attached with glue-dots.  The little stamps/tags are cut from some of the Graphic 45 paper/die-cuts.

This is what it looks like when it's opened--the top hinges but doesn't come off and you can fit a gift card, money or other small gifts inside.  I love how it turned out, even if it did take me awhile, LOL!

I am the LAST STOP on the BLOG HOP today, but if you're starting with me make sure to start at the BEGINNING with DT sistah KIM!! If you get lost along the way, stop by the store blog for all the blog hop details HERE.

I'll be back with a fun post for ya on Sunday or Monday (not sure yet, hee hee)!  Hope you have a fabulous weekend!!

Purse-o-nality!!

Hello friends and a Happy Thursday to ya!  It's still warm and sunny here in VA so I'm a happy gal :)--summer is definitely here--yay--my favorite time of year!  This is a holiday weekend for most of us here in the States and then the kids only have 3 weeks of school left.  And my daughter has an 8th grade pool party, semi-formal dance and then her graduation from middle school--YIKES!  That means I'm a mom to a high-schooler!  How the heck did that happen, LOL?!  I don't feel that old to have a high schooler---seems like just yesterday when I was packing her lunch for the first day of kindergarten--time it does fly, huh?  And my baby boy will be in 7th grade, sigh--not too many more years left with them here in the house.  This is why even through all the moans and groans I try to carve out as much family time and events as we can--pretty soon they'll be off doing their own thing and living their own lives KWIM?!  That's why our 2 week vacay in Hilton Head Island, SC is just the family--NO friends--even though my daughter continues to beg, but I'm firm on that.  She can spend the rest of the summer with her pals :) those 2 weeks are just for us!!

NewsBitz:

-I've got 2 projects to share today---so make sure and scroll all the way down!!

-Only a few more days until the end of the month--I'm still looking for more entries in my Copic Card Challenge!!  There will be 3 winners and one of them will be in the magazine "Through the Craftroom Door"--you can find all the details on the main page under "NEWS" at my Color Me Creative Classroom site.

-Today is the last day to enter to enter for that YUMMY BLOG CANDY over at the SCACD store blog HERE!  Tomorrow the DT will have a fun Blog Hop featuring all those cute new Victoria Case stamps for ya!

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She's Got Purse-o-nality!!

Today is Try It Out Thursday for half of the SCACD DT--and I challenged the DT to create something fun with a tag!  You can enter your project over at the store blog HERE if you want to join in on the fun with us!  I used a cute Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamp called "All Grown Up"--isn't she a cutie!!?  I created this fun Stand-up Pop-up card (see tutorial here on SCS)--the tag pop's right up!  I didn't attach mine to the box like the tutorial says to--I wanted it to pull out entirely so you could use it as a bookmark or write on the back.  But I love how the box pops it up and presents it so nicely and then folds flat for mailing!  Those are Prima flowers adorning the sentiment!

This is the tag pulled out--I used NEW Cosmo Cricket's "DeLovely" papers, so fun & bright!  I added some stickles to this cutie-pie's shoes and hairbands.  The purse she's holding got paper pieced to match!  This image reminds me of my daughter--she always was dressing up in my shoes and her dad's ties, too cute!  I used my SU tab punch at the top, punched a hole thru it and threaded some PTI ribbon thru it.

This is what it looks like from the side--the box allows the center panel (my tag) to stand straight up!

This cute little sentiment is from the Gina K set "Retro Boutique"--it fit this image perfectly me thinks!  In case you have trouble seeing it, it says "Purse-onally, I Think You're the Best!"!  Fabulous!

This is what these boxes look like when they're folded down flat--perfect for mailing!  I increased the size of my box to be 4.5" wide (instead of the 4.25 like it states in the tutorial), but you could make them any size you like!  Now hop on over to the SCACD store blog HERE to see the rest of the DT's fab projects!

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Bear-ly Fishing!!

I had so much fun making the first Stand-up Pop-up Card I had to make a second one, lol!  This time I went all-boy and used a cute Popcorn Bear stamp from my pal Amy's store, Paper Romance.  This one is called "Fishing Popcorn Bear" and it comes with a bunch of stamps including this small version and a larger version (and lots of fishies too).  I just want to pick him up and squish him, KWIM, lol!  I used a mix of papers from PTI and WeRMemory Keepers.  The fun border along the front is a Fiskars border punch.

Of course he's colored with Copics (E25,E34,E31,E50) and I added some diamond glaze to his fishing pole.  I punched a small hole at the top of the pole with my punch and threaded some Scrappers Floss thru and down (attached with glue dots).  Then I stamped & colored a fun fish image from the set and glittered him up with Stickles.  This box/card would be perfect for the upcoming Father's Day--the great thing about not attaching these center panels to the box, is that you can pull them out and put a nice note on the back.  And the recipient could use it for a book mark as well--lots of ideas for them!

I used a sentiment from an old H&M Stamps set I had--I loved this sentiment and had to add another glitterfied fish to it!  Just a fun, cute card for someone special in your life!!

I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

Tiny Dancer!!

Hi all & welcome to the middle of the week! Does anyone have any special Memorial Day plans this weekend?  We're thinking about heading to Baltimore on Sunday and spending the night there--we want to go to the Zoo & Aquarium and the Inner Harbor.  We used to go to Baltimore a lot when we lived in MD but we don't go as much now.  If you've never been to Baltimore--you're missing out--it's a real treat and the Aquarium and Zoo are outstanding--and shopping and walking along the waterfront is our fave activity!  My hubby went to college up there and we had one of our first dates at an Orioles Baseball game--I just love it!  But my main agenda is to get some good steamed Maryland Blue Crabs--my most favorite food in the whole world!!  Remember, I grew up in Southern Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay so we were always eating fresh seafood and I do love my blue crabs--nothing better than dipping warm crab meat into vinegar and Old Bay seasoning--YUM!  I can almost taste it now, LOL!

NewsBitz:

-My friend & good pal Marti Wills of Pez-a-Doodle Design is teaching Cricut Classes over at my online classroom Color Me Creative (and she's really good with that machine, amazing what she can do).  She'll have a few more classes coming soon that go from beginners thru advanced and project oriented too, but right now we have a Basics/Beginner Cricut Class up and ready.  You can get all the details on it HERE. (I know I need LOTS of help using my Cricut so I'll be taking them too, LOL)

-7 Kids College Fund has some fab new products in store including NEW CC Designs stamps and NEW Whiff of Joy stamps!  Also sign up to be a FAN of the 7 Kids Facebook Page as well--see details HERE!!

-Don't forget to stop by the SCACD store blog to sign up for all that YUMMY, Victoria Case Blog Candy--enter HERE!

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Tiny Dancer

My card today uses a beautiful image from InStyle Stamps--it's a digi stamp and from their "A Day in the Life" series.  There are so many beautiful digi images & I had so much fun coloring some of them up.  This one is called "Dance Girl" and I used this beauty in my online Copic Class 4 to showcase how to color "reflections" on glass/water.  My daughter used to dance ballet from age 4 until she turned 12 and she was a beautiful ballerina--but she gave it up and I'm still so sad about that.  I keep hoping she'll want to dance again so I keep my fingers crossed.  But this is a lovely image for all those girls right now who are getting ready for their ballet recitals!  I was singing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" the whole time--love that song, lol!

This gal is of course colored with Copics (R12,R11,R00,R0000) and then I've colored her reflection softly with the copics as well--when I do reflections I like to keep the colors muted so it doesn't take away from the main image.  The papers are all by PTI (see here) and I love the creams and soft pinks together--so delicate and feminine.  I addded some Prima roses (cameo & mini) along with cream swirls made with this die here.  A few pearls (in blush) and a bow made with my Bow Easy finishes this card off.

I colored the whole image with Copics and I colored the floor to look like a wood floor as well.  The mirror got diagonal stripes with C2,C1,C00,BG10 and then a thick coat of diamond glaze to make that mirror really glassy looking!  I also added some stardust Stickles to her toe shoe straps and bodice of her dress for some bling!  I think she's just a beauty and I really love this image and you can't beat digi stamps-not too pricey, instant gratification and ease of storage :o) so make sure and check them out!

Okay--I'll see you tomorrow!

Dandelion Wishes!!

Happy Tuesday to you all!  I'm not gonna chat it up too much here--I've got lots to do today!  I am happy to announce that I've worked back up to running 2.5 miles--hopeful to make it 5 again soon and pulled out my Jillian Michaels DVDs and let her kick my bum around a bit.  So that means I'm sore!! LOL!  But I have less than 30 days until our beach vacation to Hilton Head Island so I've gotta be hardcore in order to hit the beach in swimwear, hee hee.  I got my new Breville Juicer and I'm starting a 4-5 day juice fast tomorrow that I hope will detox me a bit and jumpstart some weightloss.  I still will eat a salad and fish each night for dinner but juices for the rest of my meals--not so hard for me cuz' I'm always forgetting to eat and then I starve and shove junk in my mouth, KWIM?  Let's see if I can kick this 15 lbs to the curb once and for all---let's at least cross our fingers, kay?  LOL!

NewsBitz:

-Susana's Custom Art & Card Design Store will be having a NEW Victoria Case stamp release this Friday, but until then you can sign up for the awesome BLOG CANDY on the store blog HERE!

-I guess the consensus on fairytales was we love them all but Cinderella seems to be our very favorite!!  (I watched "The Princess & the Frog" on pay-per-view the other day by myself, shhhh, don't tell, lol)!  Winner of the Explosion Box Blog Candy is: Mary Lou of Mary Lou's Corner  Congrats Mary Lou--email me your address so I can get the stamps out to you!  Thanks to all for entering and all your lovely comments!

-Make sure to check out all the NEW Fairytale Magnolia stamps at Magnolia-licious HERE!  Also make sure to check out the SALE stamps on the front page--lots of cuties for sale!

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Dandelion Wishes!

Today I have a fun and cheery card to share with you all!  After a weekend of rain and gray I had to pull out some sunshine in the form of cheery papers and trims AND this cuter-than-cute Magnolia stamp called "Fairy Dust Tilda" from Magnolia-licious (the Fairytale Collection)  I know she's supposed to be blowing fairy dust, but all I could think of was blowing dandelions in the wind as a kid!  My mom would get mad and say that I was creating more weeds, lol, but I loved doing it (and still do).  So my Tilda is blowing dandelions in the wind just like I used to!!

These papers are new from Cosmo Cricket called "Garden Variety"--I love all the new Cosmo Cricket papers and they come in fab 6x6 pads now!  The happy colors just made me smile :o)  The sentiment is from Hero Arts and I stamped it inside a die-cut made with my Nestabilities Labels 1.  It's hard to see in this pic, but the one above showcases it well--I added scrolls onto my cream cs with a Viva Decor Gloss Pen (in opaque) to create the swirls and pearls (free-handed I might add too, hee hee).  I wanted to match the die cut swirls  I tucked into the Prima flowers.  The yellow trim was done with a newer MS border punch--I love it!

I colored this cutie with Copics (R05,R02,R00/Y15,Y11,Y000/E25,E31,YR20) and then I added stardust Stickles to her socks and lace trims.  The "dandelions" were highlighted with pale lemon Flower Soft so they stand out more!  I just love this cutie surrounded by happy colors---hope it puts a smile on your face too!

See ya back here tomorrow!

Some Summer Fun!!

Good Sunday Evening to you all---did you have a fabulous weekend?  I had a great weekend filled with family and friends and happy chores but I could do without the rain that we're once again getting!  WHOEVER in VA is doing the rain dance--"PLEASE STOP!", LOL!  My backyard is never gonna dry out I swear and I need sun to motivate me :)!!

Tonight the Gina K DT and illustrators have some great sneak peeks for you of the NEW RELEASES coming soon!  So hope you will enjoy all the sneak peeks tonight--the new sets are "gotta have them--fabulous"!

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Gina K's Botanicals

The first card I'm sharing with you tonight is with the NEW Gina K set "Botanicals"--this is also the Card Club Kit set of the month as well.  What does that mean for you?  Well you get this stamp set, new Gina K cardstock and gold brads to use all together--how fab is that?  I love this set--so elegant and I have lots of ideas for it!

For my card using "Botanicals" I stamped a few of the flower images in different colors (sage greens & soft mustard yellow) very softly onto the cream cardstock.  The dandelion-like flower got stickles on it for a soft shimmer.  I distressed the edges of my moss cardstock and inked the edges---then added some Prima flowers, punch leaves and die cut scrolls.  Each of the scrolls got some small pearls to dress them up a bit.

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Gina K's Beach Bum

For my second card I used a fun new Gina K set called "Beach Bum"--pretty appropriate too once you see all the fun images in this set!  I wanted to use a few of the images to create a beachy scene against a bright white background.  With all the rain we've been having I wanted to use bright & cheery colors and a fun swirly (waterlike) CB embossing folder "D'Vine Swirls" for the background. 

I colored everything with Copics and then cut them out individually.  I traced each of the background swirls with my stickles so it's shimmery like waves and sunshine!  Makes me want to take off for my beach vacation NOW instead of waiting for the end of June (sigh...), lol!

I spritzed the surfboard with some Smooch Spritz in Vanilla after coloring it with Copics---then added a thick coat of diamond glaze (or you could use crystal lacquer).  Love those flames on the surfboard!! The beach ball's white stripes were coated in stickles as well and then popped up with dimensionals onto the fun beach towel!  Feelin' like Summer Now, huh?!!

For more samples with the stamp sets being previewed tonight, check out these Designer's Links:

• Gina Krupsky
• Jessica Fick
• Theresa Momber
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Nina Brackett
• Cathy Tidwell
• Lee Murphy
• Donna Baker
• Lynn Mercurio
• Emily Giovanni
• Erika Martin
• Kurtis Amundson
• Bev Gerard
• Colleen Schaan
• Sankari Wegman
• Suzanne Dean
• Valerie Stangle
• Kay Simmons *May's CenterStage Spotlight Team Member!*

Please make plans to attend our Release party this Thursday night, May 27th from 7-10 central time which will be held at StampTV.  There will be contest questions, challenges, samples from several designers and lots of chatter all leading up to 10pm central, when all the new products and stamp sets previewed this week on our blogs become available online through GinaK Designs store!

Bubbly Fun!!

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy--Happy Friday to ya! Wahoooooooo--can you tell I'm thrilled the weekend is here, lol?!  Tonight is date night for hubby and I since both the kids will be at sleepovers for the evening. Dinner and a movie is in the plans--although I'm wanting to see "Letters to Juliet" and hubby is resisting the chick-flickdom, LOL!  We'll see who wins, hmmmmmmmm???  Tomorrow we're working in the yard some more, planting our tomato plants and getting flower pots for the front porch.  Then we have dinner to go to with our friends in the evening (sans kids again--wow)!  Sunday I'm taking my daughter to the mall to shop for her 8th grade semi-formal dance--yikes--hope that goes well and she doesn't drive me nuts, hee hee.  We tend to NOT always like the same things, LOL so we'll see---she has to get a sundress for graduation as well and then we'll get a bite to eat--just the girls!  So a pretty busy weekend but it will be fun and I'm liking the sun and warm weather we're having--the gray rain has gone away for the moment!  I hope you have a fun weekend ahead of you!!

NewsBitz:

-My friend Della who is the owner of I Brake For Stamps has just opened her new digi store HERE called I Brake for Digis :)  Lots of great images to be found there including some freebies for you to try out.  If you haven't tried out a digi stamp you don't know what you're missing--they're easy, quick and you can resize & flip them to your needs.  I have a digi tip sheet HERE if you have any questions about the digi stamps.

- Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is gearing up for a NEW Victoria Case release next Friday on the 28th--lots of cute summertime images!  But starting on Sunday there will be BLOG CANDY on the store blog HERE and there will be 4 lucky winners this time--so make sure to stop by and enter!

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Wrapped in a Bow!!

This is my card featuring a super cute digi stamp from the new store "I Brake For Digis"--this image is called "Baby Bear in Bow".  Isn't this the cutest lil' bear? I love it and you could of course color this for a baby boy or girl.  The papers I used are from The Girls Paperie called "the girl" and were perfect to use with this cute baby image. 

**If you decide to buy any of the digi's or rubber stamps from I Brake For Stamps or I Brake for Digi's remember to use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!! **

I colored the image with copics and then inked softly with my Inkssentials Blending Tool to create a soft sky.  The stamped sentiment (is hard to see in this photo) says "Cute & Cuddly" and is from the PTI set "Baby Button Bits".  I added a faux non-sewing ruffle under the image layer with scor-tape and just ruffled it and attached it by hand.  The pearl swirls are from Prima and topped off with a bow!

I traced the blanket with my stardust stickles and added them to the bib and bee wings as well.  I just love this bears cute face.  Perfect for any baby project you might have---you could resize this image to be larger or smaller for gift tags, favors whatever your heart desires.  That's what makes digis so much fun---and no storage issues either, LOL!

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Bubbles!!

Okay, this started off as my TIOT Challenge Card for Susana's Store, LOL--but quickly strayed from the sketch design, hee hee.  So I just decided to go with it instead of forcing it into something it wasn't going to be KWIM!  But if you get a chance, hop over to the store blog HERE to see the TIOT Challenge Sketch and DT projects!

For this project I used a new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamp called "Bubbles"--isn't she just delish?!  I created a partial acrylic-see through card to go along with the Bubble theme.

To create this partial acrylic card, I created a card base with a transparency sheet cut to size.  Then I added a layer of dp (the bubbles dp is from Magnolia) to the back inside of the card so it would show thru the transparency in the front.  On the front I added a few strips of dp from PTI and used my MS border punch on the bottom layer.  The ribbon bow was tied with my Bow Easy and then I added some Bella Baubles along the top layer.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Wishing You" set that I stamped right onto the dp--around the sentiment layer I used my Viva Transparent gloss gel pen to create bubbles around it and then sprinkled them with Glamour Dust to make them glittery.

She's colored with Copics (BG11,BG10,BG0000,V15,V12,V000) and then I added some fun stardust stickles to her cuffs and shirt stripes.  The bubbles got a fat coat of diamond glaze so they're shiny & raised.  Just a cute card for someone special!!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I'll see ya back here on Sunday night with Gina K previews!

Thinkin' of You!!

Happy Wednesday to you friends! We're halfway thru the week, yay! I'm off to lunch today with some friends and then my weekly trip to the Post Office, hee hee. I'm hoping like "Annie" that the sun will come out today, lol--it's been wayyy too gray here and I'm needing some light!  Last night we went to my daughter's last choral concert for middle school and she had a solo again--omgoodness that makes me nervous.  I know she'll be fabulous, but it makes me nervous and I worry if her throat catches and will it embarrass her--makes me sick to my tummy, lol!  Just like when she danced on stage--I was a nervous wreck each time--she just laughs and tells me not to worry, it's no big deal, lol!  But she did wonderfully of course and it was lovely--we went out to dinner afterwards to celebrate :)  She does much better than I would've done at that age--I HATE getting up in front of a roomful of people--YUCK! Not my thing at all, but kudos to her for being able to.

Some of you asked about my craft room and here on my blog I have a full tour of my craft room (when it's clean of course) under the tab at the top of my blog that says "All About Me" if you're interested.  Those glass candy jars I got online from Wasserstrom's (they're called cookie jars) HERE.

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Thinkin' of You on Your Birthday

I'm sharing a fun birthday card with you today using a NEW CC Designs stamp--I love the CC Designs Swiss Pixies (see the line here) they're always too sweet & cute to resist!  The papers I've used are NEW from Kaisercraft called "Devonshire"--beautiful papers in this paper pad, love the colors.  The sketch is from this past week's Friday's Sketchers--great sketch!

This CC Designs stamp "Laying Nora" is called I distressed most of my paper edges just softly, not too much with my Zutter Distress machine.  The blue flowers are from Prima, but the large peach one is from Magnolia and the rosebuds are from Wild Orchid.  I used my fave Bow Easy tool to create the double bow and that sentiment is from PTI's "Dahlia" stamp set.

I've colored her with Copics (E25,E31,E50 on hair/ B02,B00,B0000 & R02,R00,R0000 on dress) and then added some stardust stickles to the dress and flower.  Isn't she just a cutie?

I'll see ya tomorrow!

A Pansy-Rose!!

Hello everyone and Happy Tuesday to you all! I hope you had a fabulous weekend--the weather here was beautiful and I took the day off on Sunday to really enjoy it. I took a book and magazine outside, sat in the sun and just read the day away--it was FABULOUS!! Today and yesterday though--the weather is kinda icky, gray and raining but the weekend is supposed to be good. The grayness affects my mojo I think, I don't get as much done when it's yucky out--it sucks the energy outta me, lol!

I did do some organizing in my craft room which is always good--after I work for days & hours on end my room tends to look like a major hurricane has struck it, lol!  I ordered these fabulous glass penny candy jars online to hold and organize all my paper flowers---I got eight of them, but I need 2 more cuz' I have some overflow, lol!  You can see the photos below, but I got them for $10 a pc online and I love them!  They sit on my black hutch that sits across from my desk--I love the organization and the pretty colors staring back at me!  Also below is a pic of my new flatscreen tv and printer which were Mom's Day Gifts that I'm loving--I love that they are black and match my room, lol!

My Pics:

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some new goodies in stock that you might want to see!  New Penny Black cutie-pie stamps here, NEW Cosmo Cricket paper pads here (Delovely is sooo mine) and NEW Sizzix Impression Plates here.

 -Thanks to everyone who pre-registered for Class 4 at the Color Me Creative Classroom--$3 from every Class 4 pre-registration went to the Unicef fund, along with my contribution and Susana's contribution.  So the total was $340 which I'm very thrilled with and the receipt for the donation is below!  If you want to take Class 4 it is up and ready and ongoing--see the deets here!

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A Love Rose--err Pansy!!

Today I'm sharing an elegant card that literally took me 15 mins to make--it's a small miracle I tell ya, lol!  That never happens very often, but when you take a beautiful image that is easy to color up, some high impact colors, beautiful trims and papers it's not hard.  This image is from I Brake For Stamps!

This image is called "Small Love Rose Post" but I think it looks more like a pansy so that's the way I colored it, lol! (this comes in a larger image as well)  Remember if you buy anything from I Brake For Stamps use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to receive 10% off your entire order!!   I love that pansy have cute faces and the purple and yellow ones are my fave, so I colored this up to match (V17,V15,V12,Y000,Y11,Y23).  The dp is from Kaisercraft's "Lilac Avenue" paired with PTI cs.  I used a beautiful die from Marianne D (I get mine HERE from Bunny-Zoe's store overseas)--these dies are so detailed and lovley, you use them just like a nestie.  I took two of them and stacked them on top to create this lovely pendant look in black behind the image.

It's hard to tell here, but I put diamond glaze on top of the petals and then stickles around the stamp image and in the center for some bling!  Maybe next time I'll color it up like a rose, maybe not, hee hee!

See ya back here tomorrow!

A Cinderella Story!!

Happy Saturday to you all!  It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend here in VA and I can't wait--we've had lots of thunderstorms and rain here this week so the sun will be very welcome!  My daughter is off to Hershey Park (amusement park) with her school's chorus today--she had to be at school at 4:30 am and won't be home until 11 pm.  Always a fun time but she's exhausted--her school's chorus has won the honors at the competition each year and of course the rides are fun too!  My hubby and son are off to Andrews Air Force Base in MD today to see the big Air Show they have once a year--the weather will be perfect for it.  I haven't been since the kids were very small and they were pretty scared so we never got back, but growing up I went a lot since we lived pretty close and school field trips were always there.  Nothing like seeing the Blue Angels fly up close and personal--awesome!  I have a private copics class today and then I'm off to go jogging and walk the dogs then CRASH in bed.  I've been pulling all nighters getting ready Class 4 for my Color Me Creative Classroom and tons of projects that were due--the 15th of the month can be a real killer KWIM, LOL!  Anywho, I hope you all have a wonderful and fun weekend!

NewsBitz:

-The Color Me Creative Classroom's Class 4 invitations will be sent out later this evening and into tomorrow for those that pre-paid & registered.  Please, Please do not email me that you haven't received your invite until Monday--it will take me awhile to go through all the receipts and get the invites out manually--I appreciate your patience!  And I hope you enjoy Class 4--there are a lot of FUN techniques and ideas for you to learn in that class!  If you have not signed up yet, but would like to--that's fine too--the class is ongoing so you can sign up anytime HERE!

-This is a SUPER-LONG Blog Post so please make it thru to the end---the Copic Creations Challenge project is at the end of this post and it has some special meaning to me so I'd like you to see!  There might be some BLOG CANDY sprinkled in along the way too!


-I also have a FUN COPIC Contest going on at my Color Me Creative Site HERE---all are welcome to participate.  Details are on the main site, scroll down to the "NEWS" section to see!

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A Cinderella Story!

One of my all time Disney Fairytales is Cinderella--I have loved that story and movie for the longest time.  I guess it's good triumphs over evil is what I like best, but also that you can accomplish so many things if you have goals and dreams.  And yes, the romance is pretty good too--we all need a Prince Charming sometimes (I married mine), lol!!  So I've created a fun Cinderella themed Celebration of Dreams Explosion Box for the Magnolia-licious DT's Blog Hop!  We're celebrating the Magnolia-licious Yahoo Group's 2nd Birthday with 8 weeks of FUN Challenges, Prizes and Contests--you can find out more on the special Birthday Blog HERE!  If you're coming to me from Cathia's Blog then you're on the right track--if you want to start at the beginning then head to Cheryl's Blog!

This is the top of my Explosion Box (tutorial link and re-sized measurements at end of this post).  I used "Kitchen Tilda" from Magnolia-licious for my Cinderella BEFORE the Fairy-Godmother visits her and colored her monochromatically in sepia tones with my Copics (E44 thru E40).  In my Copic Classroom Class 4 I'll teach you how to create images like this in sepia and black & white! The sentiment is from the Disney "Cinderella" movie--you can find Disney Quotes HERE!  I typed the quote on Word and printed it out on my cream cardstock and inked up the edges after cutting it out with a SB's nestability die.  Some layered Prima flowers/roses, some die-cut scrolls and embossing finish off the top--and she has just a little bit of bling on her dress with stickles (I couldn't help myself)!!

This is the box from the side--I used GCD Studios "Ella Bleu" papers on the outside along with cream and choc. brown cs and inked all the edges.  The box top has a trim border around it made with a MS border punch.

SURPRISE---CINDERELLA AT THE BALL

When you pull off the lid out springs the sides of the box--SURPRISE!!  These are such fun boxes to make and to give---what recipient wouldn't love to open one of these!  (I will say this box was a long labor of love but worth every minute, hee hee)  Now Cinderella has been transformed into a Princess and is ready for the ball or celebration to come!  I left off a sentiment on the inside, but this could be for a birthday, graduation or any celebration you might dream of!  The dp on the inside is from Basic Grey's "Euphoria" pack--like little mini wild-flower fields surrounding her.  The crown like purple cut-outs were made with a Spellbinders border die.

And here is the beautiful Princess---I used "Dancing Tilda" from the Magnolia-licious Store (she's from the new Fairytale Collection).  Instead of a Prince next to her holding her hand (hey, he wouldn't fit, hee hee) I gave her a bouquet of beautiful mini rosebuds to hold instead!  I re-purposed a ribbon spool by adding decorative paper to the sides and top to give her a stage to stand on (to make her stand up she has a cs easel like contraption I made with scor-tape to keep her sturdy).  She's colored with Copics (V17,V15,V12,V000, V0000) and I added some stickles to her dress apron and tiara---diamond glaze coats her shoes.  Around the base of the stage I've added some Prima leaves and mini roses and rosebuds.

I like to use transparency sheets to create clear swirls inside my boxes.  I cut a circle from my transparency with my circle nestabilities and then cut that into a round spiral with my scissors by hand.  I attach one side of each end of my spiral to an opposite end of the box with scor-tape or glue dots.  This creates clear swirls around your box--I embellished them with stardust stickles and small butterfly punch outs coated in glitter.  It gives the effect of swirling magic and joy surrounding Cinderella--as if the Fairy Godmother has just waved her magic dust on her!

And this is what the inside looks like before you put the top on--everything folds up neatly inside ready to spring open and SURPRISE someone!!  Make sure when you are making these boxes that everything fits folded up and with the top on---that's really important!

A link to a tutorial for these Explosion Boxes is HERE!  I resized mine to be larger---I used a 12x12" pc of cs for my box base scored at 4" & 8" on 2 sides (creating 9 boxes).  I cut out my corner boxes but you can leave them in like on the tutorial if you want--I like my boxes to lay flat when opened so that's why I cut them out.  For the top you need a 6.25" x 6.25" square of cardstock scored at 1" on each side to fit this box.
***BLOG CANDY ALERT---want to win these two beautiful Magnolia stamps?  Then leave a comment on this post only telling me what your favorite Fairytale Story is--along with whether you liked my box today too, hee hee!!  You have until Tuesday to leave a comment!!**

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Hope you enjoyed my Celebration Cinderella Box---Now NEXT ON THE BLOG HOP is PATTI JO HERE!  And don't forget to end the hop at the Magnolia-licious Birthday Blog to join in on the fun!!  Hop, Hop!!

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Copic Creations Challenge Blog--Monochromatic!

This time the Copic Creations Challenge Blog is doing monochromatic coloring for you---a fun technique to use with your copics!!  This challenge is sponsored by the fabulous Katie Cotton's "Paper Makeup Stamps" and she supplied all of the DT with a digi stamp of their choice to use!  I chose this image called "Baylee"--not only because that's my doggie's name & spelled the same too (lol), but also because I have two nephews that suffer (my one nephew passed away many years ago) from a chromosone defect and use wheelchairs to get about in life. I, myself spent some time in a wheelchair as well and it can be rough and hard on that person, I know.  But I also like the joy in this image and hop--you could use this for anyone that's sick or not feeling so good and cheer them up a bit.  There are a ton of stamps in stamp-land but few that feature handicapped images and I'm so proud to present this one to you today.

For some reason I had the hardest time getting the lighting right on this card so please forgive me--but I used all Cool Grays (from C00 thru C9) on this image.  I added just a touch of R20 pink to her cheeks and sunglasses for a little fun!  Her wheelchair got a nice coat of diamond glaze and I added some fun stickles to her shoes and hairband.  Hope you like her as much as I do!!

Now hop on over to the Copic Creations Challenge Blog to see the rest of the DT's lovely projects and to join in on the fun as well!

Have a great weekend everyone!


Copic Class 2--Video #1 from Suzanne J Dean on Vimeo.
Advanced Shadowing/Light Source/Folds of Clothing