Birthday Bash by Gina K!!

Hiya friends and happy Tuesday to you all!  Did you all have a fabulous 3 day weekend if you celebrated Memorial Day here in the US?  The weather was absolutely perfect-o here in Virginia all weekend and we spent most of it outside.  We had a neighbors barbecue on Saturday and we didn’t get home until 1:30 am, LOL (good thing we live next door). And then on Sunday we had our own barbecue/open house with family and friends which was a lot of fun and we spent it in our backyard.  Then that evening our neighborhood hosts free concerts in the park so we headed down there with Alexa and her friend for a bit and listened to the great cover band.  The kids had friends over all weekend so I will be grocery shopping today to fill the fridge back up, LOL---they eat A LOT!!!  Then yesterday we headed to the pool for a bit and then ate some MD Blue Crabs for dinner—YUM! So it was really a great and relaxing weekend—very enjoyable and perfect!  I have lots to do this week including band concerts, girls night out (err in my backyard, lol) and then I leave for North Carolina on Friday to teach.  Gotta stay focused and on schedule so I can get all my stuff’s done



NewsBitz:


-New class at the CMC Classroom---Prisma Pencils 2 by my friend Marti is now going, see HERE and hover over the Class Info tab at the top!  Invites will be sent out today to those that have already registered!

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Birthday Bash Release!!

Today I get to share a fun and cheery project with you featuring one of the fabulous NEW stamp sets by Gina K called “Birthday Bash”.  If you LOVE to color adorable images then you will want this set for sure! Filled with cute stamps and sentiments, you’ll find you use this one lots!  And today the DT is having a fun blog hop to showcase ways to use this new set.  The blog hop list is at the bottom but your next stop after me will be Tami Mayberry!



I used some cute new papers by My Minds Eye “Lime Twist” and Gina K has quite a few colors of cardstock that match up perfectly with these fun papers!  I colored the image with Copics of course and gave the bunny lots of fun texture instead of blending her out smoothly---just a different & fun look with your copics.  The background behind the bunny was done with Copics in pastel colors as well—reminds me of fun party confetti.  Some stardust stickles to the gift bow and bunny’s pink areas give it some fun bling.  And isn’t that sentiment so much fun? I love it and blinged it up with some pearls too.  The double bow was done with my Bow Easy and then I added some fun swirls from my Marianne Designs dies.  A fun and cute card for a birthday gal in your life!

**Don’t forget if you buy any 3 stamp sets from Gina K you qualify for the “Free with Three Set” HERE!  It’s beautiful and so versatile!! **

Now make sure to hop around to the fabulous designers below to see lots of inspiration today!

• Gina K
• Giovana Smith
• Janice Whiting
• Jennie Harper
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean (that's me--thanks)
• Tami Mayberry
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Donna Baker
  
  
  

Happy Memorial Day!!

Hiya and Happy Memorial Day weekend (for those in the US)!  Hope you are starting your 3-day weekend off with a blast!  I know I’ve said it before but don’t forget to stop and say a prayer of thanks for those that have given their lives for our safety over the many years here in the US—it is the ULTIMATE sacrifice!  We are having a small bash at our house on Sunday and I’m looking forward to seeing some people I haven’t seen in awhile and family too.  Nothing fancy—very casual, just the way I like to roll, LOL!  Today we are busy prepping and then we have a neighbor’s barbecue to go to as well---they live next door so it’s a walk over kinda thing Just a fun weekend spent with people we enjoy.  Then I have to get ready for my 8 weeks of upcoming travel for work and vacation.  I leave Friday for North Carolina to teach and then come back Saturday night to leave again on Wednesday for 5 days to go to South Carolina to teach! Then I get home and leave for Vegas for 3 days, LOL!  I’m not sure where I am or where I should be somedays I tell ya---but I am enjoying it.  Then we leave for our annual 2 week vacation to Hilton Head, SC---we rent the same house on the beach and just enjoy summer and each other.  I don’t allow friends on the trip (mean mom that I am, lol) because I want us to concentrate on us as a family---bike rides, beach time, game nights and lots and lots of ICE CREAM PEOPLE!  That is a must, LOL!  If you are ever in Hilton Head you MUST go to Hilton Head Ice Cream shop---its tucked into a lil shopping center but they make it themselves and its soooooooooooo good!  I have to do extra long bike rides or runs while I’m down there so I can enjoy lots of it, hee hee!  The beaches in Hilton Head are so uncrowded, secluded and quiet---I enjoy the peace and quiet the most.  We all need some peace & quiet---I lead a CRAZY life as most of you know and I’m a pretty CRAZY LOUD person but I like the quiet too. You need that balance every now and then KWIM!?

NewsBitz:

-Make sure to check out the CMC Challenge---a new challenge has started and everyone is welcome to join in.  We have some fabulous prizes every 2 weeks and a great group of gals!



-Have you subscribed to our mini-magazine “Through the Craftroom Door” yet? We have lots of great articles, projects and product reviews/new stuff every month!  Come check us out at our main site that is open to everyone HERE!

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Summertime Bliss!!

Today I’m sharing a summertime beauty with you using one of my favorite color combos of pink and green--so fresh & perfect for summer!  I’m using a super-cute image from the “The Peekers Collection” by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called “Hey Birdie Peeker”.  This cutie just makes you wish for long summer days spent doing whatever you wish KWIM!

I’m entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge (pink & green)

Inspire Me Fridays (anything goes)

Totally Papercrafts (pink & girly)

Paper Crafting Journey (anything goes/fave thing)

I used these beautiful soft papers from Memory Box called “Pixie” and I love the tiny patterns.  I used some rhinestone Prima swirls and then layered Prima flowers around.  For my leaves I use Prima flowers that I buy in green and then I clip them apart—so the petals are the leaves.



This cutie was colored with Copics R22,R20,Colorless/YG03,G20,YG67,G99/E11, E00/C5,C3,C1,C00/E25,E31,E50.  I added some Diamond Glaze to the birdbath and then Stickles for the water.  Some stickles on her dress’s bodice give her a bit of fun bling!



Don’t forget to check out the NEW Natural Beauty Collection by Carmen Medlin for SCACD HERE too—very cute!  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and enjoy it with your friends and family no matter where in the world you may be!  See ya next week!

Sneak Peek Day for Gina K!

Hello my dear friends!  How are you all doing on this wonderful Thursday?  So far so good here even if we are crazy trying to get bunches of things done for our barbecue this weekend.  The barbecue is very casual and informal on Sunday BUT I use these events (shhhhhhh please don’t tell) to get my hubby motivated to get stuff done, LOL!  He has a really bad friend that sits on his shoulder called “PROCRASTINATION”, yes I see you nodding your heads along with me cuz’ either your hubby/significant other has this problem or you do, LMBO!  This friend is ALWAYS with my hubby and it can cause serious issues in the Dean household my friends.  I am always running at 200 mph (if you know me or have seen me you know this to always be true, lol) and my hubby runs at about 25 mph.  Now this is great for the most part as we can usually equal each out somewhere in the middle---he makes me slow down occasionally and I make him speed up.

BUT there are times when I can take NO MORE and must use my magical powers to get things done.  One of these magical powers is to schedule parties at our house—nothing motivates hubby more than unfinished projects that the GUESTS MIGHT SEE.  He doesn’t care that I’ve been seeing them for months but have some guests enter the picture and he gets on a roll like ya lit a firecracker under his hiney !!  So now he is busy finishing up flower beds that he started in MARCH PEOPLE---and working to get them done.  He has been working in the dark to finish them up, LOL and I have said NOTHING.  As I get older and the longer we’ve been married (16 years) I learn that less is more when it comes to my MOUTH, hee hee so I just nod my head and agree to his ideas and out the door he goes.  So by Sunday my flowerbeds will be perfectly planted, mulched and drained which is what I asked for back in April but better later than never right?  So now I’m thinking about my next party I might have as there are some interior issues I need fixed, hee hee---maybe August (I’ll give him some time to recover first).

NewsBitz:

-Winner of my Wedding March Blog Candy is………Anita of “Cards & Coffee” Congrats Anita, email me for details! And thanks to all of you who left touching and funny wedding memories--I so enjoyed reading them. I'll tell you one of mine next week 'kay?

-Have you stopped by to join in on the CMC Challenge yet?  Its open to everyone, copic challenges every 2 weeks no matter what level you are at and great prizes!  You can find the details HERE and click on the CMC Challenge Group—we’d love to have you!

-Interested in taking Copic classes with me? Check out www.cmcroad.com for all my upcoming locations including NC, SC, Ohio and Canada.  I will be in Chicago before CHA this July as well and there are only 5 spots left in each class---so if you want to come hurry up and sign up!! I'd love to meet you and classes are ALWAYS fun :)

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Gina K’s May Sneak Peeks Hop

We are very excited to extend an invitation to you all for the Gina K. Designs May Release Party!  We have a fun evening planned for you - chatting, prizes, challenges, stamp sets reveal, design team shares, and most importantly, at the end of the party you will be able to go shopping!

Hope to see you at the party, here are all the details:

• When: Today, Thursday, May 26
• Where: StampTV Release Party Forum
• Time: 7 PM to 9 PM (CST)

If you came from Tami Mayberry’s fantastic blog then you're at the right place. If not make sure to head over to StampTV where you will find a list of all those participating in today's hop.


I’m using a fabulous new set called Vintage Chic which is also the StampTV Kit of the month.  This set YOU NEED if you like elegant, fun and vintage images and sentiments!  It is jam packed with stamps that are just beautiful!  I embossed my image with black EP and then added Stardust Stickles to the white areas of her dress for bling.  Isn’t she fabulous?

I’m entering this beauty of a stamp into these challenges today as well:

Amber’s Crafts & Stuff (vintage)

Crafting for All Seasons (anything goes)

I was inspired by old-fashioned silhouettes and cameos when it came time to do my card layout.  I kept the colors to black and white---always elegant and chic!  Simple layering of Gina K Luxury cs (black onyx and white) and then I dry embossed the white with a 5x7 Cuttlebug folder.  The patterned paper was scrap that I cut out with my Spellbinders Labels 20.  The small black pearls around the image were made with a Viva Décor black Pearl Pen.  The double bow was done up with my fave Bow Easy and that finishes it off!

Now you need to head on over to Sharon Harnist’s beautiful blog to see what sneak peek she's sharing with you today!  And don’t forget to check back here  for the four day Inspiration Blog Hop series for May!  (my days are Tues, Wed & Thursday of next week)!

Hittin’ the Beach!

Well happy middle of the week to you all!  Are you having crazy weather wherever you live?  Boy we’ve had a ton of rain and lots of bad storms here in VA the past month and a half---we never have spring weather like this!  And my heart goes out to everyone in the mid-west especially those in Joplin, Missouri where the whole town was wiped out by fierce tornadoes and many lives lost. And to those that live in Oklahoma that got hit last night as well---we are all praying for you! It is so very scary what Mother Nature can unleash on us here on Earth that is for sure.  I have gone through a few tornadoes while we lived in Maryland and a few here in Virginia as well and it is absolutely TERRIFYING.  The sky turns green and it really does sound like a train coming through—frightening for everyone nearby so I can’t even imagine what those in the mid-west are going through right now.  We were lucky each time to not have much damage or loss of life but it is a powerful thing to see and NOTHING anyone wants to go through.  The weather events here on our earth the past couple years have been scary and make you think about what might be going on with tornadoes, hurricanes, mud slides, earthquakes and tsumamis---is it climate change, pollution, over population, end of the world?  Hmmmm….makes me wonder indeed!  So stop and say a little prayer for those who have been hit so very hard with these crazy weather events the past few months and give your loved ones a big hug too—you never know what tomorrow could bring.

NewsBitz:

-My pal Marti is releasing a second Prisma Pencil Class 2 at the CMC Classroom!  Her colored pencil classes are awesome so if you want excellent instruction on them check them out HERE and hover over Class Info/Pricing tab!  The class will premiere on Friday but you can pre-register now at the classroom---the full description and supply list will be up by noon EST!

-7 Kids College Fund Goodies---Have you seen the NEW Vintage Penny Black Collection HERE?  They are beautiful and look a like a lot fun to color and use!  NEW La La Land Crafts stamps for pre-order HERE and NEW Cuttlebug Folders too!

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Hittin’ the Beach!!

Today I’m sharing a fun card with you for the 7 Kids Challenge!  I’m the lucky hostess this time and I have challenged you all with a fun sketch with a TWIST!  The optional TWIST is to make it “Beach Themed”—which is always fun! You can find out the details, great prize and DT projects HERE.  I hope you get a chance to join in with us!





I had to use one of my favorite CC Designs images from the SugarPlums line called “Surfer Emma”---isn’t she adorable.  You can see her and more of these summer cuties HERE.  My papers are from My Minds Eye “Stella Rose” 6x6 paper pad---I loved the colors and it reminded me of the fun surfer gear I saw while vacationing in Maui last month.  I’m always drawn to unusual or different color schemes so this was perfect—a mix of aqua, navy and mustard gold.  The flowers are by Prima and the fun border was done with a MS border punch.  The swirls are some of my fave from Marianne Designs---I adore their dies.  The fun blue sand/water were done with Mudd Puddles which is a cool craft product—it will stick to paper fabulously and gives great texture.  The sentiment is from a PTI set.

I’m entering this card into the following challenges (remember to check out Feline Playful for a great list of challenges each day):

Going Gray with Scrap-Creations

Totally Gorjuss (water & wet)

Anything Goes Challenge

(BINGO-I chose die-cuts, ribbon/trim, flowers)
Use it Tuesday 
The Paper Shelter Challenge (anything goes--luv their digis too) 
Truly Scrumptious (anything goes)

This cutie got colored with Copics B39,B37,B34,B41/Y26,Y23,Y21/E25,E50,E31/E11,E00, R20/BG72,BG11,BG10.  I added stardust Stickles to her bathing suit and hat’s yellow stripes.  The surfboard got a nice thick coat of Diamond Glaze. Want to use Diamond Glaze effectively?  Keep the tip in the glaze while applying—don’t lit up, keep light squeezing while tip is down and then you won’t get air bubbles in it.  If you do get bubbles just use a stick pin to pop them.  And make sure your project is FLAT while drying or the glaze will puddle and run down.  I coated the underside of the PTI sentiment with more of those fun Mudd Puddles.

Dinner at Tiffany’s?

Hiya friends and a brilliant Tuesday to you!  Let’s talk about summertime okay!  Summer is my most favorite time of the whoooooooooole year—its warm, people seem happier, vacations occur and you can be outside more.  What’s not to love? Alright yes, the humidity can be killer here on the East Coast—90 degree days will feel like 110 for sure and zap the energy right outta ya!  Those that live in the dry heat states are a bit luckier although 115 degrees is not much fun for anyone that’s for sure.  But once the sun goes down on those 100 degree days you can easily go outside, have some dinner and take some walks.  I love, love to take my dogs for walks on spring and summer evenings with my hubby---we talk, take in the neighborhood and just connect with each other.  Now & again the kids will come with us but more and more they don’t want to come along, LOL---that’s ok!  Our backyard landscaping was a 5 year journey for us---I had lots of ideas and kept changing my mind (as I like to do).  But I’m thrilled with the way its turned out and we have spent a lot of time out there since last fall when it was completed.  Even the kids will come sit out with us with their friends in front of the fireplace, listening to music and just chatting.  We have a tv to hook up out there but I’m thinking about delaying that installation, lol, as I am so enjoying the quiet time out there.  We can watch TV anytime in the house but the outside needs to be our escape for awhile longer I think.  In a few weeks I will officially have a 10th grader and an 8th grader---I cannot even believe it and it makes me realize how fast the next few years will go by with them.  So I’m really taking the time to enjoy them, listen to them and keep the quality time we have as a family special.  So for this summer we’ll take lots of walks, eat outside, listen to the crickets and just be with each other.  I hope you all get to do the same this summertime!

NewsBitz:

-my friend Tab, owner of 7 Kids College Fund has a great new Copic Resource available for you.  Her daughter, Esme is hand coloring full Copic Charts for you HERE to sell so you have a chart with the exact color on it, making your purchasing and matching combo’s so much easier. Choose 3 different type of cardstocks to have your chart colored on for a perfect match everytime!  Esme was the youngest member of my Copic Classes in Phoenix and she was magnificent—an artist in the making!

-Need some great summertime books to read?  I'm currently reading "The Violets of March" and I love, love it!  Did you love the Little House on the Prairie books like I did when I was young? Then you should read "The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie"--it's funny and touching, I loved it!  And another one I just finished (cuz' I've been a Kennedy watcher my whole life--don't ask but I am and I love memoirs & autobiographies too) is "Come to the Edge: A Memoir" about the girlfriend and lifetime friend of JFK Jr.  It was really good, sweet and touching---makes me sad to think about the tragedies that touched him and his family.

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Dinner at Tiffany’s

Today I’m sharing a fun card for you with a lot of CLASS   She reminds me a bit of Audrey Hepburn albeit what Audrey would’ve looked like going to DINNER in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.  One of my fave color combos is hot pink and black—always fun and classy I think.  I used a fabulous Gilli stamp by my friend Anary called “Lady Gilli” – isn’t she a cutie pie!  This card is for the House of Gilli Challenge Blog---the challenge is to use FLOWERS (easy peasy huh)!

This glam lady is being entered into the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers (embossing)

Karen's Doodles Challenge (sparkle)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

The papers I used (loveee them) are from Echo Park “Be Mine”---they are wonderful to use and love the smaller prints, perfect for us cardmakers.  The sketch is from this week’s challenge Stamp With Fun—loved the multi-layers as I’m a bit of an layer addict myself, LOL.  The black delicate border was made with my MS border punch and the oval cut with my Spellbinders got embossed with a CB embossing folder (d’Vine Swirls).  The lacey flowers & leaves are actually paper that I die cut with some of my fave dies by Marianne Designs and topped with a Prima hot pink rose.  A few rhinestones finish it off nicely for a touch of bling!




This Gilli got colored with Copics RV17,RV14,RV10 (they don’t work well together so you have to use the bridging technique to make them blend) /C9,C7,C5,C3,C1/E11,E00/R20.  I gave her a black pearl necklace and earrings with a Viva Décor Pearl Pen in black.  And to make her dress look like it’s made with sequins it got a healthy does of Stardust Stickles!  She is glammed up for the nite for sure!

Enjoy your day and see you back here tomorrow with a 7 Kids Challenge!

Surprise for You!!

Hello friends and a happy Monday to you all!  Did you have a good weekend?  The weather here in VA was fantastic—thankfully the rain moved out and it was sunny and not humid.  We spent the weekend finishing planting and mulching the backyard, we still have 2 more beds to finish as there is a ton of rocks in our soil.  Baby steps right?  The trees we ordered should be planted soon and I cannot wait—some firs, Crepe Myrtles, a Dogwood and a River Birch. We also got some new patio furniture which is super comfy and I just love it.  So now we have two living room areas outside, a dining area and a smaller conversation area.  As soon as its finished I will post some pics for ya!  Its like another extension of the house and I will be out there as much as I can (in fact as I type this I am outside sitting, listening to some Billy Joel and watching James put in a drain pipe, lol).This weekend coming is Memorial Day here in the US and we have a party to go to and then our Barbecue is on Sunday.  Praying for good weather as Memorial Day is NOTORIOUS for being rained out, LOL.  And I’ll be thinking about all the soldiers that gave their lives for  us here and around the world and are still doing it today to keep us safe.  A lot of my flights are with soldiers heading back home before they leave for their first tour in Afghanistan or Iraq—they all look like babies and so innocent.  I always say a silent prayer that they stay safe & return in one piece for their families---scary for them I’m sure but they pretend to be tough I know.  So if you are celebrating this weekend or at the beach don’t forget to stop and give a small prayer of thanks and remembrance ok!  Its so easy for us to get caught up in our lives and forget that we have soldiers dying everyday so we can have parties, work and be free here in the US.  Whether we agree with the wars or not we need to always support and remember those that are serving for us!

NewsBitz:

-CMC On the Road Copic Classes—the www.cmcroad.com site has been updated with NEW locations!  North Carolina, South Carolina, Las Vegas, Canada, Ohio and NEW Chicago!  So if you’d like to learn how to color with Copics and have FUN you should sign up—I’d love to meet you in person!

-Did you check out those beautiful new stamps by Carmen Medlin for SCACD yet? They are beauties and so much fun to color and embellish---see them all HERE!

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Surprise!!!

Today I’m sharing a fun birthday card with you!  Birthdays are fun aren’t they?  Well I guess if you WANT to turn another year older they are, LOL!  I like cheery colors on birthday cards and this paper by Memory Box called “Brioche” fit the bill---bright and delicate patterns, love the color combo!  And I used this cute new Magnolia called “Congratulations Tilda” from Magnolia-licious—love her!  She could be used for lots of things like graduation, bat mitzvahs and more and she comes in the mini size HERE too!  The mini sized one (sadly I do not have her) would be fabulous stamped on the envelope in red ink and for a gift tag as well!

I'm entering this card into these challenges (check out Feline Playful for a great challenge list): 

Card Cupids Blog (bright & bold)

The Cheerful Stamp Pad (color my world)

I Did It Creations Challenge

Shannon's Sentiments (birthdays)

I used the current sketch from Just Magnolia/Hanglar Challenge for my layout.  I used my oval nesties for my image’s mat shapes cutting around her feet and hat so they stick out a bit.  The swirls are from Marianne Designs and I liked that they kind of emulate the confetti swirls in the image.  The round sentiment is from PTI and I put a fun button tied with Scrappers Floss in the center.  A ribbon and some smaller buttons finish it off nicely.



This lil’ cutie got colored with Copics—R27,R24,R22,R20/Y15,Y11,Y00/B02,B00,B000/C9,C7,C5,C3,C1,C00/E11,E00.  Then I accented her hat, present and confetti with Stickles in stardust and her shoes got a coat of Diamond Glaze.



Ok, hope you enjoyed my birthday girl today and that the cheery colors gave you a smile on this Monday!  See you back here tomorrow   have a good one!

Gina K Blog Hop Today!

Hello everyone and Happy Thursday to you!  I am on my long drive to Michigan with my friend Melanie for my weekend classes in Grand Rapids.  Last night I stayed at my friend Anary's house and she is just the best person and I'm so happy to call her my friend---if you haven't stopped by her blog and seen her beautiful work you should!  We had lots of girly talk and a nice dinner and she helped me get some of my class prep work done (thanks girly).  So it was a nice visit and I had a wonderful time!

Blog Hop Details:

Members of Gina K.'s Design Team have come together to host a hop with SEWING as the center theme. Along the hop you will find a variety of sewing techniques from hand sewing to faux sewing!

If you came from Sharon Harnist's beautiful blog, you're at the right place. If not make sure to head over to StampTV where you will find a list of all those participating in today's hop.

I will admit to something to you all (shhhhhhhhhh) I HATE TO SEW!  I know how to do it, I grew up learning from my mom who is an amazing sewer but it just was never my thing.  And I tremble to think about messing up my projects by sewing crooked, I do admit and I promised myself that this summer I would take some time to try it out and learn to do it on papercrafts.  Because I love, love to see it but I can definitely do FAUX SEWING (that's right up my alley, lol).  I used a fabulous stamp set by Gina K called "Farm Life" which is one of my favorites as it's PERFECT for any occasion.

I wanted to create a vintage and primitive feeling card so I decided to stamp my images on kraft cardstock in brown ink and then highlighted with Copics in E44,E43,E42,E41.  I also used my white Sharpie Post paint pen to create some bright white highlites on the kraft cs--a really nice effect.  I cut the watering can and popped it up with dimensionals for a bit of dimension on the main image.  The sentiment was embossed with white EP.  I used one of my fave Spellbinders dies "Labels 16" to create the matting behind my image and embossed it with a CB embossing folder and then lightly sanded it.  My faux stitching was done by piercing holes thru my pattern paper and then using my Sharpie pen to create the faux stitches.  A quick and easy way to give a Hand-Sewn feeling to your projects if you are like me, LOL and afraid to stitch on your projects.  I finished it off with some crinkled ribbon and a button.

Now make sure to continue on your Gina K Blog Hop Journey by visiting the very talented Tami Mayberry next!  Enjoy!

A Mermaid’s Tale!

Happy TGIFriday my friends!  I love Fridays don’t you?  Everyone always seems happier on Fridays because they all are ready for some down time or good times, LOL.  I’m just thrilled that I didn’t have to build an Ark this week since the rain seemed to never stop here in Virginia.  My backyard just makes a huge sucking sound and I’m afraid it will be a sink hole if it continues, yikes! They are saying it will be warm and sunny this weekend (but if not I’m hunting down the weatherman) LOL.  We did eat out on the patio last night and enjoyed fresh lettuce from our garden, yum. Best two things ‘bout summer----fresh veggies and warm weather!  We also had a Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Fest this week to catch up again on the other 3 movies so we can see Pirates #4 at the movie theater this weekend.  Me loves some Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow for sure!!  I have had just a “tiny” crush on him since he was in 21 Jump Street (am I showing my age, lol) and now I hear they are doing a remake of 21 Jump Street---what’s old is always new again.  I don’t really think Johnny Depp is super hot (I’ll save that for Tim McGraw---wink) but I just love his hilarious and strange character in the Pirate movies.  Not to mention that Disney ride has ALWAYS been my fave   And speaking of the new Pirates movie I heard there is a MERMAID in it this time…………..hmmmm….I think I have a mermaid tale to share with you today as well.


NewsBitz:

-Upcoming CMC Copic Classes on the Road---North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Ontario and Las Vegas are up on the site www.cmcroad.com and ready for registration. It’s a fun day of coloring and friends—always a good time & I’d love ot meet ya!

-Have you joined in on the CMC Challenge Group yet? Everyone is welcome and we have a fun challenge every 2 weeks HERE—great prizes as well.  We’d love to see you there!

-Signed up for Through the Craftroom Door Mini-Magazine yet? I publish it with my friend Marti and it has lots of great articles, projects and new products in it every 2 months.  If it’s handmade than its in there---more than just a papercrafting publication!  The main site HERE is open to everyone—come see what its all about!

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A Mermaid’s Tale

Today is the day I get to share with you one of the new beautiful stamps by Carmen Medlin for SCACD from the “Natural Beauty Collection”.  And there are sooo many beauties in this collection your head will be spinning and wanting them all!  I had a delightful time creating this mermaid tale…….errrrr…….project for you today, LOL.  So the SCACD DT and some special guests are celebrating today with a fun Blog Hop—make sure to see where to hop at the end of this post or go to the store blog HERE to see the entire list!

**With every Natural Beauty Collection (7 image) set purchased Susana is
giving away for FREE 1 tooled rose's set from Prima (contains 9 roses -
Approx 1" each). Susana will pick the color and only good for the 1st week
of the release offer ends May 29th." Only available at SCACD! 

Entering this into the following challenges (btw have you seen Feline Playful yet--great way to check challenges, very easy and simple, love it)

Do You Stack Up Challenge (use celery, white, sea glass)

Crafty Sentiments (children's cards)

Rainbow Lady's Challenge (flourishes)

Creative Card Crew (cute & girly)

Divas By Design (for the girls)

The Sisterhood of Crafters (let it shine/sparkle)

Isn’t she a cutie and a beauty—I just ADORE her!  This stamp is named “Water Babies” and isn’t that seal baby the cutest?  My papers are by Memory Box’s “Spearmint”—a close second to this set is called “Minuet”.  I loved the watery bluegreens in the patterns which worked so well with this image.  The scrolls are by Marianne Designs and I cut them from cream cardstock, inked them in 2 shades of blue/green and then spritzed them with Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz in Sheer Sparkle which is soooo pretty (I spritzed the whole finished card with this lightly as well)!  Her tail and some of the seaweed has Fantasy Film on them (love this product, so easy and fun to use—Find Fantasy Film HERE and great tutorial here) Basically ink your stamp up with Staz-On, layer a few sheets of fantasy film on top face up and add a washcloth or napkin on top of that and place iron over it for about 35 seconds until all layers of the film are adhered together. Quick and easy and does not hurt your stamps!

I also die cut some more scrolls from some layers of Fantasy Film and added them around the scrolls—I liked the watery seaweed effect they gave.  The image’s mattings were done with Spellbinders dies and the darker green cs was embossed with a Crafts Concept embossing folder “garden swirl”.  The bow was made with my Bow Easy and topped off with a Prima Say It In Pearls gem (luv these as they work perfectly in the center of bows).



Everytime I see this cutie I just say “awwww”—say it with me now, LOL!  She’s colored with Copics—G03,G02,G00,G000/E44,E43,E42,E41/E11,E00,R20/YR24,E35,YR20/C1,C00.  Stickles on the seaweed that didn’t get Fantasy Film and Doodlebug flock in white (25% off) on the cute seal for softness. And yes those are tiny pearls on her shirt done with my Viva Décor Pearl Pen (a must have).  The one shell got Diamond Glaze on it and then while wet I sprinkled Glamour Dust (15% off) so the sparkles are suspended in the liquid—very cool!  The pearls are actually Bella Baubles in String of Pearl—loved the shell look of them.

Now to see more of these beauties in action you need to HOP OVER TO LORRAINE’s BLOG HERE!!

**For UK/European International orders head to Quixotic Paperie who is an exclusive SCACD retailer and will have all the stamps available. 

Little Darlings Release!!

Hello and Happy Wednesday everyone!  I got back late Monday evening from my trip to Michigan.  What a weekend it was, LOL---I laughed so much that my cheeks and sides STILL hurt.  I had a blast and so enjoyed teaching all the ladies up there.  I also got to meet quite a few ladies that I’ve known online for awhile and my friend Vivi Casale flew allll the way from Brazil with her husband for the classes as well---wow! She is such a sweetie and it was fabulous to meet her.  We had lots of late nights, junk food and laughs---if you saw our silliness on facebook this weekend you know what I’m talking about (hey---where’s Waldo?).  My friends hid like 50 lil’ Waldo’s all over the place—I was still finding them today when I unpacked, LOL! Waving hi to Wini, Froggy, Janine, Meg, Cindy, Judy & Wini  (my party gals) and everyone else too!   Our long journey back home took me a total of 13 hours in the car and I think I’m still sore and crippled, LOL but having Melanie in the car for most of the ride helped big time.  I know she laughed but I’m sure she thinks I’m a NUT for sure, hee hee!  So now I’m playing catch up with projects and emails so I can enjoy this weekend outside with my family.  Can’t believe May will be ending soon---feels like it just started!

NewsBitz:

-Blog Candy still going on in the post below if you need some non-calorie goodness!

-SCACD has some awesome new goodies in stock including Gluebers, Viva Décor MAGIC Pearl Pens (oh so pretty) and new Sew Easy tools.

Top picture is me, Froggy, Vivi, Janine & Meg

Bottom Picture is me and Vivi!

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Fly Away & Dream

 

Today I get to share a new stamp line with you from my friend Angie Hunt called “Little Darlings” and they are cute lil’ darlings for sure!  I was so happy she asked me to help with the release and today there is a super-fun Blog Hop to celebrate. The blog hop order is at the end of the post, so make sure to get hopping around today!  Make sure you stop by her new store “Love to Stamp” HERE to check these cuties out!  She also has a new Challenge Blog HERE that you should check out.

I'm entering this in the For Your Inspiration Challenge (you'll see why when you click over, lol)~

I had so much fun working with this image---I like to think she represents me just a little bit.  Everyday I feel like I’m living a bit of my dream and I’m so thankful for that---getting to know so many wonderful people, travel, teach coloring and having a great family.  What more could a gal ask for?  This one is called “Up, Up And Away” and she was fun to color with my Copics too!  This paper matched perfectly as well which is always a bonus IMO—its new from my fave paper company My Minds Eye “Lime Twist-Out of the Blue”.  

I used the larger balloon printed paper for my main background and then stamped a fun sentiment from PTI in blue at the bottom.  I used PTI ribbon to wrap around, tied with a Bow Easy and put a button on top.  The extra cloud in the left corner is from a PTI die that I inked and added Stickles to.  A few orange rhinestones and a border with a Fiskars punch finishes it off.


Yep she got colored with Copics—I kept the colors bright and happy to match the papers (makes you smile right? lol)  Copics used are BG72,BG11,BG10/YR23,Y15,Y11/YR18,YR12,YR00/E25,E31,E50/E11,E00.  I added some Stickles to her scarf and the middle of the balloon.  Her flying goggles got some Diamond Glaze as well.  So very cute!

Okay—now you MUST hop along to these fabulous designers blogs to see more inspiration!!  And don’t forget to leave comments for a chance at some yummy Blog Candy!

Challenge Blog - http://littledarlingschallenges.blogspot.com/
Mindy - http://stampinmindy.blogspot.com/
Ruby - http://rubyonlywrote.blogspot.com/
Angela - http://angelwoodcrafts.blogspot.com/
Suzanne Dean (Special Guest) - http://www.scrapbitz.blogspot.com/
Lena - http://scrappeskreppe.blogspot.com/
Dena (Special Guest) - http://denasstampingcorner.blogspot.com/
Myrna - http://hikers3.wordpress.com/
Barbara - http://forgottenscraps.blogspot.com/
Sandie (Special Guest) - http://sandieshores.blogspot.com/
Janiel - http://www.scrappyjandesigns.blogspot.com/
Magali (Special Guest) - http://magslittlethings.blogspot.com/
Angie -  http://www.scrapgirl-angie.blogspot.com/