Happy Like SunShine!!

Happy late Thursday my friends and a very sunny one it is here too! I am such a happy girl that we haven't had a terrible winter this year...its been so mild that I actually haven't worn my gloves/winter coats as much as usual. I think I wore them more in October and November than in Dec, Jan & Feb...and HEY I'm FINE with that, yes indeed-y!! And tonight I'm flying to Florida for a week...wahooo...80's down in the Naples area so that makes me an EXTRA-HAPPY gal! And I get to spend the week with my besties Pat Jaynes & Dana Shaw...now the 3 of us can get into some TROUBLE...and I know my sides will be hurting from laughing cuz' it never fails! So hopeful that we don't visit the local jail due to our hijinks and hope that we aren't fed to the gators down there either...we are going on an airboat ride in the Everglades and I ALREADY feel sorry for our boat captain...well I pity him actually cuz he has NO idea what he may be in for right? I am teaching on Saturday to sold-out classes in Bonita Springs at the Scrapbooks Etc store---so if you are in the area stop on by and say hi (and shop and hey get into some trouble with me too ok)! I KNOW y'all are dying to get into some trouble with me right? But HEY I can ASSURE you that's its always the fun kinda trouble...although my one friend says if I am put in jail I'll probably have all the inmates doing a sing-a-long and they are probably right.

So I won't be home until next Thursday so I have lots of time to play and have a mini-girls vacation....I'm so looking forward to it. Then I'll be home and gearing up for some fun releases coming from SCACD and Gina K and some top-secret newsies too. I will TRY, TRY, TRY to post some pics and blog antics for you while I'm gone. You can always keep track of me on Facebook or Twitter cuz I'm always posting on their while I'm traveling for sure.

NewsBitz:

-Mark your calendars for March 19th thru 24th cuz the Color Me Creative Classroom is having their 2nd Annual Birthday Bash!! We partied hard last year and this year it will be even bigger & better...so get ready for some fun games, puzzles, challenges and of course AWESOME prizes. We'll have two fun LIVE CHATs that week too and if you've been to some then you know we can get a bit rowdy but always a good time! So save the dates and see you there soon!

-the CMC Classroom's February Newsletter went out this week and if you didn't receive yours via email then you can see it HERE to catch up on all the going-ons over there!

-Also new registrations are up for my CMC Copic Classes on the Road including Charleston, WV / Montreal Canada / San Jose, CA / and the Baltimore, MD Retreat in May! I'd love to see you so head over to www.cmcroad.com for more info!

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Happy Like SunShine!!

Today I have a fun, cheery card for you that features one of those awesome Stampavie Sarah Kay stamps from 7 Kids College Fund...the collection isn't super new but you know I love my cats & dogs and I adore the retro style of these gals and so fun to color!  This one is called "Cherie & Her Best Friend Blondie" and you can see the rest HERE as well.  They are the "grown up" versions of Sarah Kay gals and perfect for teens and girlfriends.

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

Wacky Wednesday Challenge (circles)

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge (anything goes)

Paper Pretties Challenge (dies/punches)

Going Gray with Scrap Creations (critters)

Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog (no embossing)

I used some beautiful new papers from Teresa Collins called "Everyday Moments" and I love the brilliant navy blue and buttery yellows and fun patterns to boot!  The white border was made with my MS border punch and the white mat around the circle is a SB die.  The sentiment is by PTI "Handwritten Messages" I believe its called...cute sentiments written in the DT's handwriting.  A few layered Primas and some pearls finish it all off nicely.

She's colored with Copics B39,B37,B34,B21 / Y32,Y21,Y11,Y00,E35 / W5,W3,W1 and her hair stamps solid so I added my Black Copic Spica to it for some depth and sparkle.  As always I do my "faux airbrushing" with my fave tool the Inkssentials Blending Tool with Foam attachments---just pat it into any stamp pad (I use my SU pads) and swirl it softly on...every card I make uses it.

That's all for me tonight...I'm landing soon at Fort Meyers and my girlies are picking me up....hope to talk them into taking me for a snack cuz this girl is hungry LOL!  Talk with y'all later & have a great weekend!

You Are My Sunshine!!

Happy Monday everyone and if you are home today because of Presidents Day…enjoy!  I am doing a project and then taking most of the day off…I’m claiming it as my Saturday and enjoying it a bit.  Hubby and kids are home and I’m recovering from Texas trip and the 8 teenage boys that ravaged my house last night.  Don’t know what I’m talking about…well then read post below this (or click here) for a laugh at my expense yes, its ok LOL.  Seriously I need a break from incidents or else I feel like I might DIE heehee…boring is GOOD…I want some boring ok, so if you have some extra send it to me.

So short post, blab here cuz I’m beat and you can read the post below for my weekly novel LOL!
Have you seen those new Imaginisce I-Magicut Ribbon Cutters?  I saw them at CHA and I loved it…I hate ribbon that frays, and I tend to fiddle with my ribbon so it always frayed.  But this small cutter heat cuts it and seals the ends of ribbon…and best part…no weird smells. 

 
BLOG CANDY…..So I love my ribbon cutter so much I’m giving one away…just leave a comment on this post by Thursday ok!  If you want to buy one go to my pal Terri’s site and she has them for sale at a great price!!

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You Are My Sunshine!!

So today the Magnolia-licious DT has a fun Blog Hop with the theme “Spring is Right Around the Corner”.  So all of our projects feature SPRING and cute Magnolia stamps from Magnolia-licious.  I used this beautiful “Tilda with Butterfly Dress” (out of stock at Magnolia-licious but sure Diana will be getting more in) but you can find the mini one HERE.  You can find all the details on the blog hop & how to join in the fun at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog.

 I used this beautiful paper from MME “Miss Caroline-Fiddlesticks” (I adore it)—soft pretty papers and colors….perfect for spring.  The leaf dies are from Marianne Designs, flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts and then I used my Bow Easy for my double bow.  The sentiment is a fun one from PTI!  You can find a great selection of dies from Marianne Designs, Magnolia Doohickeys, Cheery Lynn, Poppy Stamps and Memory Box HERE at Magnolia-licious.

 She’s colored with Copics BV04,BV02,BV00,BV0000 / YR20,Y11,Y00,E31 / E99,E35,YR21,Y00,E31 / E11,E00,R20.  Then I added Stickles to the trim on her dress, her hair bows and around the image for lots of sparkle.

Ok so your next stop on this hop is my pal

 Janiel’s beautiful blog!  

Enjoy visiting the DT blogs and getting some inspiration and don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance at the blog candy I talked about at top of post

People Movers & All Sorts of Fun!!

Well good morning everyone....whewwww wheee what a morning it is! In fact I am typing this at 3 am from a 24 hrs Denny’s in San Antonio, TX LOL.  Why you ask?  Well cuz I am a NUT and I got the butt-crack earliest flight out of San Antonio so I’m home by 12:30 tomorrow to be with my family...cuz I’m that nice kinda mom KWIM ;)  (and yes I fly to FL on Thursday for a week so I feel a tad guilty...that darn mom’s guilt stuff)  So yes I have been up since yesterday at 7 am and YES I am tired but it didn’t make sense to check into a hotel for 3 hours, drive to San Antonio from Waco and catch my flight.  Soooo I went to dinner with a group of lovely ladies last night from class and then got on the highway around midnight for the 3 hour drive to San Antonio and my friend Shelby told me of a Denny’s that was open 24 hours not far from the airport.  That is where I currently am....they hooked me up with a quiet booth with a plug for my laptop away from the many drunks that are stumbling in once the bars have closed hee hee...oh boy what fun it is to watch them....like a free side show I tell ya!  All I can say is I’m wayyyyy too old to be doing that kinda craziness....leave it to the other kinda crazies...but then I’m sure y’all are reading this and thinking I AM THE CRAZY ONE hahaha and I might agree with ya today.  When I get home I have a project to work on and then I have eight 14 year old boys coming over for a sleepover for Riley’s belated birthday...umm yeah apparently Disney was not enough and he needs a sleepover too.  Funny thing is that it was supposed to be last night...but hubby & son decided to switch it for the day I get home but of course with work to do and no sleep...so I should be really RIPE by 9 pm when I die and fall into bed!  I threatened Riley that if I heard any weird noises drifting up from the basement tonight that I would ground his bum and send everyone home and he said “yes ma’am” LOL--so I don’t expect to have any issues (well I hope)!

So I know y’all want a travel story and let me start off by saying I WOULD LOVE TO NOT have one for you all....cuz I’m tired...and my body/brain needs a break from incidents (praying that my flight to Chicago is smooth & UNEVENTFUL).  Well I have a doozy of a story for ya and I hope you all laugh cuz I did laugh but afterwards I SHOOK MY OWN head at myself.  I’m pretty sure James is rethinking my decision to travel alone...yep I’m pretty sure he is LOL.  My flight to Texas started out in Virginia at 7 am flying to Chicago first...I had the WORST migraine on the plane so midway I woke up to take a few Advil...3 to be exact and leaned back to go back to sleep.  Woke up about 20 mins later feeling slightly “odd” (yes odder than usual lol) and woozy and knew something wasn’t right & figured I was either getting a bad migraine or a sinus infection.  So I leaned down to take another Advil just in case...when to my HORROR I realized I had taken 3 Maximum Strength Benadryl instead...UH OH!!!  Benadryl DRUGS ME...like woozy, stumbling, drool on my darn self kinda drug me...ok, not pretty at all.  AND THEY HIT ME LIKE A BRICK OMG...I literally was like a drunk...slurring my words and stumbling.  I stumbled up the gangplank to exit the plane in Chicago and I could barely walk people...I texted hubby to say “ummmm I think I mighta made an oopsie...a big one”...well he’s not really surprised much by me after 18 years so his response (in typical James form we call “James-isms”) “well ok, as long as you are somewhere safe you’ll be ok”.  UMMM DID YOU HEAR ME...I AM DRUGGED and its NOT PRETTY...HELLLOOOOOOOOO!!!  But I guess cuz’ I was in an “airport” that suddenly I was contained and safe to him LMBO...yep....not!  Cuz Suzanne thought getting on the people movers to her next gate would be helpful....less walking right?  RIGHT???  Umm yeah I put my small wheelie tote on the people mover & for whatever reason it made me dizzy and I lost my balance...I DID THE DARN SPLITS ON THE PEOPLE MOVER...it was NOT a good site (it was not sexy, hot or cool in ANY way ok).  And I split my jeans open....where you ask?  WELLLL right in my darn butt area....did I have clothes in my tote...of course not...that would never be my luck huh?  And yeah I had red undies (clean ones though that did over my rear) on and my jacket DID not cover it...so I’m trying to get upright and the guy behind me is trying to help me and I KNOW he’s trying to NOT laugh and I’m like “no, no I GOT THIS” as I stumble off and try to arrange my jacket around my waist in a manner that didn’t look like I was trying to cover up something LOL.  I get to the gate and sit down & the man next to me is chatty-cathy...wrong time bud ok--you have nooo idea who or what you are talking to right now! I think I slurred something like “immmmm soooo slorrry but I am berry heavibly medicated and am having sub bigggg isssueeesss”...he looked at me like he felt badly for me and hey at that point I felt badly for me toooo LOL and figured it was best to sit there and NOT move or talk until it was time to get on plane--so I pretended to be a statue & VERY interested in my phone although I was so medicated I'm sure drool was coming out as my head bobbed up & done...oy vey!!  So I go and get on plane....oh yeah that was fun...Suzanne tripping on the plane and literally running my body down the wall of the gangplank so I didn’t fall...I looked REALLLY special at that point ;)  I was lucky to get a window seat in the second row...two guys sit next to me and I’m trying to NOT make eye contact cuz I don’t wanna look like a drugged weirdo LOL.  I cover up with my blankie and go to sleep...wake up halfway thru flight and feel “slightly” better, enough to form somewhat sane sentences.  So I asked stewardess for 3 cokes...yep 3...trust me I really needed about 20 at that point & I musta looked like I did cuz she brought them quickly.  The guys next to me start laughing & I’m like you have nooooo idea buddies so just shut up cuz I’m not in the mood.   Ends up the guy next to me is a fighter pilot who had traveled home from a tour in Afghanistan and had been traveling 3 days (yeah made my travel journey not so sad huh).  So we were chatting about the military and stuff and the guy on the end joined in.  So we are all chatting having a GRAND time & the guy on the end asks me what I’m doing in San Antonio and blah blah blah....wants to know if I’m there for the Rodeo (I wish cuz I have always wanted to go).  Turns out the guy on the end is Joe Nichols...yep the country singer...yep I didn’t recognize him...AT ALL and I yell “you liar...you are not”...yeah real good zinger Suzanne, geesh!  And he pulls out his drivers license & sings a line of his song “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”...umm yeah appropriate song for a girl who has her undies hanging out of her darn pants LMBO!!  But he was really nice and he signed my Country Weekly magazine which I JUST happened to have in my bag (no pants but darn it I have some magazines) and invited me to rodeo where he was singing today.  DARN IT...if I didn’t have to be home I soooo woulda stayed an extra day to hang out...I mean of all the darn luck...split pants druggie sits next to Joe Nichols and can’t go to the rodeo...UGH...story of my life LOL!  Needless to say we get to San Antonio just fine (via Houston) and then I rent a car to drive 3 hours to Waco...in the pouring rain on a Friday afternoon...yep thru Austin traffic.  Took me 5 beautiful, oh so fabulous hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic...had to pee...was a tad hungry...and bum tired but darn it I got to Waco.  Great class....great ladies (waving hi) who now all KNOW that I really am a total nut LOL but hope they had fun and I promise I will be back in Texas this year...albeit not drugged ;)  And if you are near Waco stop at Emmalie’s fabulous store Crop Paper Scissors...you won’t be disappointed!!

So the moral of this delightful travel story....don’t take unlabeled meds that are same color as Advil...maybe don’t travel alone...don’t attempt moving things while drugged...always wear clean underwear that cover your rear & pack extra pants JUST IN CASE, cuz you NEVER know what could happen.  AND ALWAYS, always talk to the people on the plane cuz you NEVER know who you could be sitting next to...yup that’s my way of traveling.  Now here’s praying that while you are reading this...and visualizing it all (cuz I know you are, I hear you laughing so don’t think I don’t)...I’m asleep on a NON-eventful plane ride to Chicago & then on to home.  NO drugs, clean underwear and non-ripped pants (and darn it yes I have an extra pair in my carry-on just in case) so I’m armed & prepared.  Now I gotta start packing all the “just in case stuff” in my tote...as if its not heavy enough...I’m pretty sure there is NO tote bag big enough for “just in case stuff for suzanne”...yeah in fact I know there isn’t ;)

Have a great Sunday, enjoy your family and get crafty or hey....just hang out & relax...do it for me ok...so I can visualize it this time :)

See ya tomorrow with a super-fun Magnolia-licious Blog Hop!!!

A little Mickey, a little Pooh….!!

Well hello there everyone….yes, yes I have been GONE, GONE, GONE and guess what?  I’m getting ready to go, go, go…as is the story of my life these days.  So where have I been? Well if you don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter than you didn’t know that I planned a total impromptu trip to Disney World in Florida this past Friday for my son’s 14th birthday.  Impromptu….well yes I booked it at 11 am on Friday and we left at 8:30 pm from Baltimore.  Did the kids know? NOPE! LOL!  Riley has really been sick since November with pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma issues so hubby & I wanted to do something really special for his birthday.  Alexa’s birthday is almost always during Spring Break so she’s had her birthday in Disney, SeaWorld and last year in Maui but Riley never has.  So we thought a spontaneous surprise would be perfect…so I packed for 4 people, got someone to watch the cats, picked up kids from school and drove 2 hours to my mom’s to drop off kids to race to Baltimore to catch flight & meet up with hubby.  Ummm sounds ok right?  Ummm yeah NO---I thought I was gonna have a REAL heart attack LMBO!  Finding summer clothes, shoes that fit for everyone, turning off water and all those other chores that are usually planned in advance got me in stress mode.  Then of all things I took a wrong turn on the Beltway…ummmm I’ve lived here all my LIFE and have traveled these roads 1000’s of times but NO, oh noooooooo!  They are doing construction and had exits blocked and I realized it too late and ended up on Rte. 66…if you live around here you feel my pain ugh.  So my poor GPS was trying to find a new, quick route to get us out of DC on a FRIDAY, during RUSH HOUR, crazy I tell you…literally I was driving like a Nascar driver. Thank GOD there were no cops out to get me cuz I went about 80 miles an hour & drove my BMW like a darn go-kart…the kids were laughing their bums off (while I was cussing out a horrible stream, yes I am a terrible road rager cusser crazy woman and yelling at the kids that they were NOT to tell their father any of our goings-ons LOL) but I thought I might die for sure.  Drop dogs off with my mom…my mom who so graciously took a manic phone call from me to meet me 30 mins closer than going all the way to their house LOL!  I literally threw the dogs in her car while she’s telling me I’m a “maniac and need help” LOL and I’m like '”umm yeah I know but I gotta gooooo” heehee!  Then we raced up to Baltimore to get at airport at 7 pm…whoo hoo I was on time and about to die, only drank 2 sodas all day and run into airport with bags and teens….to find out….wait for it…..wait for it……THE FRIGGIN FLIGHT WAS DELAYED 40 mins…ugh!  I wanted to yell I was so peeved and WHY were we delayed??  For a flight that was coming in that had been delayed….see we were the last flight out that night to Orlando so instead of leaving at 7:59 we left at 8:45 pm and that was with AirTran…so apparently THEY wait for delayed planes.  Unlike most airlines….let’s NOT revisit my United flight and my Vegas adventures ok!?  And I’m starving right?  Yes STARVING!!!  We use the restroom and head to our gate….this is AFTER getting my clueless teens thru security and behind a woman with 3 young kids that was so UNPREPARED I coulda screamed (yes I am type A and can get thru security in 2 mins flat thank you much)!  She didn’t have their shoes off, they were screaming and throwing things…I was ready to scream with them ugh!  Alexa is fussing that its too stressful and too rushed and she starts freaking out, then Riley gets buzzed cuz’ he didn’t empty his pockets like I told him to at least 3 TIMES!!  So after getting thru that and using restroom, hubby & son head out to get food for us. THEN Alexa remembers that she left her boarding pass in the restroom….you did WHAT?  She’s running down to the bathroom and then they say “we are going to start boarding”….seriously I thought about boarding and leaving my family at that point…I won’t lie…cuz I really had that thought haahaha!  And yes I am MANIC about boarding…you have to be ready to line up if you have carry-on (which we all did) cuz people eat up all the bin space and get pushy…I don’t do pushy…but I can do NASTY if need be.  So I’m texting & calling everyone to get a move on….Alexa is running back with her found ticket and then hubby & son slowly come.  What’s for dinner you ask?  Ummm a shared hotdog in a pretzel and a shared Coke….yeah, it was so darn good I coulda eaten 10 of them….NOT! LOL!  So I pulled out my laptop and worked 99% of the way and tried to ignore the crying babies around me and my daughter asking me 5000 questions about silly things…oh boy…makes me appreciate traveling alone I tell ya! I love ‘em but they drive me nutsy!  Then said daughter leaves her purse on plane…yep she did…this is the same child that I will be sending off to college in 2 years….yep I’m worried   So we arrive at 11 pm in Orlando and I’m STARVING STILL….seriously I was ready to eat the darn floor.  So we get our rental car & head to Chevy’s…it was open late…it was very good….I ate wayyyy tooo much…then I was sick at hotel….so is the story of my life…my travel adventures….and the way I choose to live.

Anywho, I have a slideshow of our trip below….which was crazy fantastic and we enjoyed every minute!  Something about Disney that makes you just wanna stay even though you are thoroughly worn out LOL!  Yep the Dean family totally terrorized Disney World, laughing and bee-boppin’ the whole way thru from morning to about 1 am each day…I’m sure they were ready for us to go.  Our hotel was too probably as we laughed hysterically every night, ordered enough room service for an army and generally acted like loons on vacation.  Yep that’s my family…and I love ‘em!  And a belated Happy Birthday to my baby boy…who is now 6’2 and towers over me…but I love him to pieces and he knows that I can still kick his bum if he gets outta line!  (if you get my blog by email click HERE to see slideshow ok…it’s a doozy I tell ya).

Slideshow of Disney World:



NewsBitz:

-Ok I have new locations up for my Copic Classes!  I will be in Texas this weekend, then headed to Florida (Bonita Springs & Port St. Lucie) to teach next weekend.  Also upcoming are W.Virginia, San Jose CA, Baltimore MD –registration is up for all of these at www.cmcroad.com.  If you live in Montreal Canada (in May) or Guelph Ontario (in Nov) I have upcoming dates for both so stay tuned for registrations.

-SCACD has some new yummies in stock!  Oh my if you have not tried Best Glue Ever or the Scrapperfect Cleaner…they ARE MUST HAVES & I HIGHLY recommend both.  I now use this glue 90% of the time, its perfect for any material (paper, metal, glass, fabric, felt..you name it) and it dries clear & flat so if you have an issue with glue bumps under paper or ribbon…you need to try this! And the cleaner is non-toxic, smells good & cleans friggin’ everything..I kid you not! It even removes Staz-On ink from your hands/stamps and best of all its a GREEN product so it won't hurt ya!!  And the owner/inventor is the nicest lady & a riot too, love her!  Watch the videos to see more at SCACD but I promise you will love them both!!

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Adore….able!!

So I did get time to finish a project yesterday after going thru about 5000 emails and doing chores and all that other good stuff that piles up while you are away!  I got to use this super adorable (yes…hence the title…ironic…nope…lol) Sylvia Zet for SCACD stamp called “Give Peace a Chance”.  I decided to use just blacks,warm grays and kraft brown colors with small pops of gold.  My papers are by MME called “Kraft Funday” (now 20% off).  The swirls are Doohickey's by Magnolia and the flowers are Petaloo topped off with black buttons tied with bakers twine--I'm a Maryland girl so I have always loved Black Eyed Susans so that that's what I kinda created LOL!  I distressed all the edges with my Zutter Distress machine.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Crafts & Me Challenges (distressed) 

My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge (pearls & swirls)

Penny's Challenges (anything goes)

Ruby's Rainbow (vintage)

Make It Monday (anythng goes)
Simon Says Stamp & Show (anything goes)

This cutie got colored with Copics W9,W7,W5,W3,W1 / E44,E43,E42,E41 / E11,E00, R20 / YR23, E35, YR20 / E49,E35, YR20, E31.  I added some Stickles to the flower petals and the ruffles on her shirt for some sparkle.  To create sky I like to use my Inkssentials Blending tool (with foam) and sponge on blue ink by SU—easy & quick sky for ya!

Ok that’s all for me today…I leave on Friday for Texas (flying into San Antonio & teaching in Waco)… have a couple of spots open if you’d like to come and have some fun with us!  Have a great day!

A Birthday Wish!!!

Hello & Happy Friday to you all!  Do you have a fabulous weekend planned?  Its Riley’s birthday (# 14) on Sunday so I’ll do a fun post for him on Sunday to celebrate.  We still haven’t figured out what we’re doing….pulling info outta a teen boy is HARD man…HARD!  So I THINK we are going to DC for the day on Saturday to the Air & Space Smithsonian, then dinner and some other fun activity with him and a friend.  Then next weekend he will have a slumber party…umm yay mom will be in Texas so it will be up to my hubby to control the teens hahahaha (no I do not feel bad as that is my life most weekdays and weekends lol).  So his big present….we got him into a football camp taught by his favorite Redskin Brian Orakpo this summer.  It’s a 4 day over-night camp at a VA college and they do nothing but eat, sleep & run football drills…right up his alley eh? LOL—he’ll have fun and enjoy it I know.  He’s such a big guy…6’1 currently and still growing with size 13.5 feet…clothing and feeding him is EXPENSIVE I tell ya---where the heck did my baby boy go?  You blink and they disappear I tell you!

NewsBitz:

-My Copic Classes are ongoing at the CMC Classroom and I will be traveling this year again of course…fun for me & you right lol.  I will be in Texas next weekend and I have just a couple of spots left if you want to attend…just email me if you want.  Then I”ll be in Florida in 2 locations and then WV.  I am working on dates for Vancouver and Montreal Canada as well so stay tuned for those   Also this summer will be Chicago, Ontario, maybe Buffalo and possibly Montana…yayyyyy!  All details will be on www.cmcroad.com for you.

-The weekend of May 19th the Outlawz is having a Crafty Retreat in Baltimore, MD and I will be teaching one day of classes.  You can see the details HERE and then sign ups for my classes will be up at www.cmcroad.com --- I will do two classes that day from 8 am till 4 pm if you are interested in coming.  There will be other classes, fun activities and people to meet with and its always lovely in the Inner Harbor during spring….so hope you can come!

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Birthday Wishes!!

Ok so today this post is for my friend and fellow Magnolia-licious DT sister Angie Hunt who is a Birthday Girl!  Angie also teaches the Distress Inks class over at the CMC Classroom and is the owner of Little Darlings Rubber Stamps Store s and she’s just a super talented designer to boot and I’m happy to call her a friend!  So her DT Lead & friend, the sweet Mindy Baxter decided to have a Birthday Post Day for her to celebrate and show off the new Lil’ Darlings stamps “Cutie Pies”.   And while you are at it don’t forget to wish Angie a Happy Birthday at her blog here too!

So hope you enjoy and you can pop over to Mindy’s Blog Here to see the rest of the ladies participating with projects today!!

I got to use this super cute image from the Lil’ Darlings “Cutie Pies”…she’s adorable and her name is “What a Sweetheart”.  I used papers from Prima for a spring-shabby chic look, I’m soooo ready for spring I tell ya LOL.  To decorate I added some swirls made with a Heartfelt Designs SB die “Bella Rose” and then added some Prima flowers.  A few pearls finish it off---I added some pearl buttons to her shirt and to the flowers on her hat too. And yes I had to bling her up a bit with some Stickles on her shirt, shoes & sash on her hat.



So go check out these “Cutie Pie” stamps…I’m sure you will find them absolutely adorable and want to add a few to your collection!!  Enjoy & don’t forget to visit Mindy’s blog to see the rest of today’s birthday participants!

And a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANGIE….I hope its fabulous, fun and filled with lots of love and joy my friend!!!

Some Shabby-Love For Ya!!

Hello all my friends and I know, I know…(hanging head low)…I’ve been absent from blogging the past few days….sorrrryyyyyy!  It has been some CRAZY good times for me the past 2 weeks…dang…LOL!  Get back from CHA and kinda…semi-recovered from it and then we headed 3.5 hours south to Norfolk, VA on Saturday to see Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert in concert (me, Alexa, my mom & niece).  We had pit seats and yup we were right up against the stage…oh yeah baby…it was awesome and they both rocked it (see pics below).  We got home around 3:30 am from the concert, I was exhausted and lacking my voice LOL cuz yeah I’m a bit of a screamer….why not eh?!  Then we had friends and teens over for Super Bowl Sunday (yeahhhhhh Giants…way to bring it home) and I think we got in bed at 1 am.  Then I was up & out the door by 8:30 am to head to NC to see my friends at Betty’s Stamping & Scrapbooking Room Store (in Greensboro, packed to the gills with goodies so get on over there to shop if you live close lol).  I also got to have dinner with my pal Cyndi Bundy at her restaurant in Winston-Salem and then met up with another friend that evening that I hadn’t seen in ages.  So bedtime was around 2 am and then I was up and outta there and back on the road home for the 4.5 hour drive…I got home at 1:30 pm and sat in my chair and promptly fell asleep for 2 hours until kids got home.  WOW—I never ever take naps unless its on a plane so I guess I was beat huh?  Yep I was, so I’ve been working but my creative mojo took a hit and I didn’t even go up into my craft room at all for 4 days but think I am recovered from all that.  Slow down?  Yeah I hear you all asking me that, and ummmm well NO…not till I’m dead….life’s too short and there is lots to do and I won’t complain much but you gotta do what you gotta do when the opportunity strikes LOL! Plus I’ve always been a very spontaneous person and the more the better is how I like to live so YES 2012 will be packed to the gills with travel, events, family stuff and crafty stuff…so hope you’ll join me on the journey

I had a blast at CHA yes I did and I got to meet up with lots of my friends which is always fun and met some new friends and got to do lots of fun things.  I have a slideshow below for you of some pics.  Thanks to all the ladies that came out to my classes in Anaheim, it was fantastic to meet you all and so much fun!  Some parts of CHA are a blur as I ran from 7 am till 1 am every day working, meetings, lunches & usually 2 dinners and then drinks with another group afterwards.  So YES CHA is a blast but boy the CHA hangover can really suck it outta ya…so if you get the chance to go beware ok LOL.  I will be at summer CHA in Chicago again this year so if you are coming, make sure to come meet up with me ok…I love to see everyone!

I will tell you another fun CHA story that involved the Magnolia-licious crew LOL!  We always go out to dinner with the lovely Diana Crick and this year we went to Bubba Gumps.  Well Diana decided to mess with the waiter and tell him it was her 93rd birthday….and YEP he thought she looked fabulous for her age hahahaha.  We had some great laughs, some great drinks & food and then ……..the birthday dance.  YES all the male waiters came and serenaded Diana for her “birthday” and then she had to get up and shake her booty with them….and YES she did…I thought I might pee my pants I was laughing so hard.  It was absolutely hilarious and a highlite…hmmmm Cabio has video so you might want to see if she’ll share it with ya LOL!  We won’t talk about the idiot cabdriver that dropped me off in a empty parking garage under the GardenWalk….creepy…scary…and I had to run in heels.  So thanks to my NEW cabdriver friend Pev for hauling me around CA while I was there…key to good travel---get a great cabdriver, get his card & call him when you need a taxi which for me was like 5 times a day.  In a cab, outta a cab, back in the cab and outta the cab….the bell boys at my hotel weren’t SURE who I was or WHAT I was doing hee hee…its all good!

CHA Slideshow: (yes I have the same outfit on in most pics CUZ that was the only day I really took pics LMBO)



Eric Church/Brantley Gilbert Slideshow:


NewsBitz:

-Ok so I have Copic Classes in Waco, TX next weekend & still have a few openings if you are interested.  Also I have 2 locations in Florida the end of the month then I will be in WV after that.  Upcoming dates include Baltimore, San Jose, possibly Montana & Vancouver Canada.  Keep informed at www.cmcroad.com or email me!

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Some Shabby Love

Today I’m sharing my project for this month’s Magnolia-licious DT Challenge hosted by my friend, the lovely Patti Jo Skogquist this month.  She’s challenged us to create Shabby Chic/Vintage Projects and you can find all the details on the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog and how to join in (plus see all the great DT inspiration).

I chose to use this new cutie from the Sweet Crazy Love Collection at Magnolia-licious—this one is called “Tilda with Peonytails” and she’s just a super sweetie!  I colored her in sepia tones but kept the peony in pinks to pop!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge (Love is in the Air)

Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Love)

Make It Monday (anything goes) 

Crafty Sentiments Challenge (Girly)  

Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge (Loves me Not)

Papertake Weekly (anything goes/love)

My papers are all a mix of scraps from Graphic 45, Melissa Frances and PTI.  I used my fab Zutter Distress machine to distress all my papers and inked the edges.  Then I had fun adding stuff….for me this is my fave part after coloring, putting different things on the card until I find the right recipe.  I used some Prima rhinestone swirls, mix of Prima flowers, some tulle that I burnt (cuz I love to burn it lol) and the Magnolia Doohickey “Vintage Keys” die.  The keys got a nice coat of stickles for sparkle cuz you gotta have bling!  I also created a few tickets from a Tim Holtz stamp set, cut them out & inked them and added them to the mix.





I colored my image with Copics E47,E44,E43,E42,E41,E40 / E00 / R20,R22,R00.  I stamped & colored the center of the peony twice so I could pop one part of it up for dimension.  Then I added some Stickles to the flower for more sparkle!  Around the edges of the image I stamped some Tim Holtz vintage stamps in brown.  The mat die around the image is from Spellbinders.  The Prima flowers were all inked a bit with brown ink to distress them too.



Ok that is all for today!  I will be back on Friday with a special post so stop back!  Also stop by the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog to join in on the fun there!  See ya!

Under the Sea!!

Happy Friday to you all!  Yay oh yay it’s the weekend…crazy weekend for me that is LOL!  Tomorrow me, Alexa, my mom and my niece will trek the 3 hours on down to Southern Virginia to see Eric Church and Gilbert Brantley in concert…yeehaw and we have pit tickets.  YUP…that means Suzanne will be right up next to the stage…ready to jump on in case I get invited KWIM LOL!!  So "just put a drink in my hand” and we will be ready to go (hee hee..mine is Coke of course and yes that is a song he sings)!  Then on Sunday we will be having a house full of people and teens for the Super Bowl party, two big screen tvs, lots of food and lots of noise….so god help me that I catch up on some sleep before then LOL.

Now if you were at the BookEndz Wrap Up party last night….well I apologize…heehee…I was still lacking sleep & a little slap happy.  And well…the last book got us all started on the downhill of conversations I must say…I was laughing so hard I had tears and scared the cats out of the room.  My teens said that I looked like an idiot laughing hysterically WHILE typing AND staring at the computer screen…my son said he’d never seen anything like it (yeah I get that a lot I must say)!  But it was good times…oh good times.

Ok I have lots of CHA stories but I’ll just tell one today…its making my laugh as I type and think about it I must say.  I will type more on Sunday’s post and have all my pics up for you too!  Ok so Wednesday Marti (my pal) and I headed home via Long Beach Airport…it’s a tiny airport of trailers/small houses on a tarmac…I kid you not & I love it.  We arrive at 6:30 am after NO sleep for 6 days right, we looked like zombies…red eyes and in a daze…for real-zers I kid you not (everyone has red eyes at CHA from lack of sleep and the dry air in the convention ctr). 
So we already looked pretty darn scary I must say heehee.  We went in thru security with a total of ZERO people in front of us (gotta luv that) and sat down…well Marti MUST have coffee so she disappeared into another trailer for a bit while I wrote a blog post & checked emails…yes in my non-sleep state yes I did.  Then she came back and sat down…a very small Asian woman came and set down a bag full of flowers with roots in a large bag in the seat across from Marti (OMGosh I’m so laughing right now..sorry).  Marti stares at it…I continue to type on my laptop…Marti’s still staring at it…the woman leaves….yup leaves the bag in the chair & disappears.  YUP she disappeared and we ALL KNOW THE AIRPORT RULES HUH? DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNATTENDED yes, YES!  Well the woman leaves and Marti is still STARING at it cross-eyed…she leans over to me and is like “dude, the bag is creepin’ me out!” and I say “no worries, she probably went to the bathroom” and I’m laughing.  Well the woman doesn’t come back and Marti is still staring at the bag and says “I think it’s a bomb and disguised with flowers” LMBO….her eyes are super WIDE now and she’s freaked and I’m still laughing.  She says “well yeah you laugh cuz I’m the one in the direct line of FIRE” and then she jumps up and goes straight over to the TSA security agents to report the bag…OMG I was losing it I was hysterical that I thought they might arrest ME at that point. The TSA agents come over & start poking thru the bag (ummm yeah who pokes thru a bag that could contain a bomb right ahem…yep…lol).  Then the small Asian lady comes running up the aisle shouting in her native language…not sure what she said but it all sounded mad…and grabbing at the bag.  At this point Suzanne is on the floor, Marti looks like she might die and I’m sure everyone in the airport thought we were LOONS.  Anyway they clear the bag and tell her not to leave it and blah blah blah…now the both of us are AWAKE for sure   We go to board the plane…yes you have to walk out of the trailer and around the construction on the tarmac and up a gang-plank to the airplane. Marti is behind me & I turn around to tell her something and I see the Asian woman WITH the bag of flowers behind Marti..hahaha..and I say “hey turn around, bomb lady is behind you”!  OMGosh if you coulda seen Marti’s face…I was laughing so hard I was crying…the peeps on the plane thought we were officially nuts (yeah maybe we were at that point) and we are dying.  I’m in the window seat and Marti is across the aisle shouting that the woman better not sit next to her cuz she’s in the middle seat bwahahaha.  They shut the doors and the middle seat next to me isn’t take so MARTI decides as the plane is LEAVING to jump over to my seat side…the stewardess was like “PLEASE DO NOT GET UP, FASTEN your seatbelts and sit down” bwahahahaha.  Then Marti sits in the seat and either she was so tired or had become an invalid overnight cuz she’s trying to eat Chex Mix and missed her mouth at least 20 times…OMG there was food everywhere…seriously she is like PigPen from Charlie Brown…the seat and floor were littered with food LOL!  I’m sure they were so happy to see us out of California, out of the airport and outta the plane by the end of the day….just another Cha Cha Cha trip for us that is for sure!!!

OK---Newsies:

-New W. VA location (in Charleston, WV at Almost Heaven Scrapbook Store) up at my www.cmcroad.com site if you are near there & want to come see me & take my Copic classes.  I’d love to see you!  I will have lots more locations up over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned.  Next I’m in Texas (still a few spots left), TWO locations in Florida so come register to come see me when I’m there, I just know it will lots of fun !!!  I will also be in Baltimore in May if anyone wants to come....there will be an Outlawz Retreat the weekend of May 19th and I'll be teaching so stay tuned for details on that.

-Still time to join in on the CMC Challenge...its all about frosty, wintry projects and you can enter up till 8 pm EST tonight...so hop on over & join in to win!  Next Challenge will be up by midnight tonight...everyone is welcome...you can use any alcohol markers or colored pencils to join in!!

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Under the Sea…Under the Sea!!

Today SCACD is releasing some awesomely cute stamps by Sylvia Zet for SCACD and I’m using “Elania” from the Adventures of Loli & Poppy line.  Isn’t she adorable?  There is also a Victoria Case release for SCACD too and you can see those cuties HERE!  The DT and special guests are having a fun blog hop so you can see all these cuties in action…so make sure to hop along…you can see the whole hop list HERE too!

I kept my theme very Under the Sea and I must say I spent a lot of time on this card (it could be because I was both tired and too much of a fiddler with it lol). But I did love making it and hope you like it too!

If you are overseas you can get these at Elaine’s fab shop Quixotic Paperie!!

My papers are a mix of Prima and Memory Box that I had in my scraps…yup still trying to use up my scraps before I order more paper…ahem well I did order more paper but shhh don’t tell okay? LOL!  Then I got busy with the details cuz’ I’m BIG on details, that’s the best part for me.  So out came a MS border punch and a SB die (both done in black)….some clear Bella Baubles for bubbles, mini shells and then I distressed the edges with my Zutter Distress It machine.  The leafy dies were done with a Marianne Designs die and then I inked them with black and added Stickles for sparkle.

This cutie is being entered in the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Craft Us Crazy (anything goes)

Delightful Challenges (dies/punches)

Do You Stack Up (anything goes)

Divas by Design (anything goes)

Creative Card Crew (fantasy)

So okay…yesterday my inner pyromaniac came out…I told Marti on Google Chat (yes we chat on google all day, I also text with my pals Tina & Anary & Pat all day too lol) that if she didn’t hear from me for hours that she should call 9-1-1!!  I had fun burning tulle and ribbon for a nautical-sea-life look…what fun is that…oh boy…you should soooo try it!  I loved the curly, crinkly look that it gave…very cool and no fumes involved…I promise hee hee.



Yes she’s colored with Copics including the background… BG11,BG10,BG000 / W9,W5,W3,W1 / E44,E43,E42,E41 / YR02,YR00,YR000 / E50,E25,E31 / E11,E00.  I added Diamond Glaze to her tail and for some of the smaller bubbles, then while it was wet I sprinkled my fave DecoArt’s Glamour Dust on top…it suspends in the liquid for a cool effect.  I inked around the edges of the image and then rubbed stardust Stickles on top for sparkly watery effect.

So now to finish off the blog hop please hop on over to my fabulous friend

 Anki’s Blog Here!!

Make sure to check out all the new stamps at SCACD and while you are there check out the Memory Box dies….all are in STOCK now and they’re gonna fly out fast!!

A Short Story!!

Happy Wednesday my friends!  Whooo-hooooo..........those are the sounds of a very tired girl!  As you are reading this I hope to be making my way back across the country home to Virgina with my pal Marti.  I am typing this at 2 am so if it doesn't make a whole lotta sense...well I apologize but I'm pretty darn tired at this point!!  I think I MIGHT have gotten a total of 15 hours of sleep since I got to California last Thursday, and that is NO lie.  One meal a day, no sleep and lots of walking, standing, working & smiling can do a body IN! LOL!  I'm hoping to sleep the whole plane ride because as soon as I get home I know the laundry will be staring at me, the teens will be fighting with each other to talk to me & tell me the stories of while I was gone, and the animals will alternately love on me and then go pout for awhile...ahhhh home sweet home.  Both of my kids are sick and hubby still has bronchitis so I'm so hopeful to not pick up their germies but I have YET to come back from Winter CHA and not get sick...ugh!  BUT I do plan on being in bed by 9:30 tonight....yeah that's WAY early for this girl but I'm sure I will pass out & I soooo look forward to climbing in my bed with my blankies & fave pillow :)

And YES, YES I have a ton of stories and pictures to share of CHA!  For those of us that have been going to CHA for a lonnnnnnng time (we call ourselves dinosaurs lol) its always a ton of fun to see each other again, hang out & laugh and carry the "looks" on our faces of pain/exhaustion LOL!  Each day is spent on the floor from early morning to 6 each night, for me that included working and then fitting in about 22 meetings with companies/stores in hour long spans.  Then you rush back to hotel to freshen up (or try to in my case cuz by day 2 there's not much hope left lol) and then out to dinner #1, then dinner #2 and possibly drinks with another group of friends so that you fall into bed around 1:30 - 2 am and get back up to do it again at 7 am.  And I'm a VERY light sleeper and I had two roommates that SNORED (god love them it was like a symphony in my room) so yeah not much sleep for me.  I love 'em but next time I'm thinking I'm just gonna have to have my own room KWIM....I've traveled too much the past 2 years and I am getting too DARN OLD to not have sleep...this body is starting to break down LOL!

Thanks to ALL the wonderful ladies (and a few gents too) that came by to see me, caught me in between meetings or tracked me down on the floor while I was there.  Its always so much fun to meet everyone, put faces to names and spend a bit of time with you all.  I always appreciate the kindness & support that is shown to me and it never fails to amaze me that anyone would even recognize me let alone want to meet me...so thank you for that!  And to ALL MY FABULOUS friends that I see each CHA...as always it was a total blast and I enjoyed every minute with you all...and remember WHAT HAPPENS AT CHA....STAYS AT CHA....LMBO!!!

So I will post again with some stories, pictures and new release from SCACD on Friday so stay tuned for that ok!! 

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Gina K Release Day!!

Today is another release day for Gina K Designs and as always there are some fabulous stamp sets to be seen!  I'm showing two today and both are more 4x4 style notecards that can be done fairly quickly if you want to make multiples.  This first one has images from the new set "Stately Flowers 3" by Melanie Muenchinger and I chose to use the beautiful Magnolia image.  I love magnolia flowers, always so elegant and beautiful and so representative of the Southern states.  I kep the colors to fresh green and whites to really make the image pop and for a bit of "early spring".  I used a CB embossing folder on the green cs and the mat is a Spellbinders die that I really love.

I colored the flowers with Copics using my W grays and then YG67,YG03 & G20--then cut them out & popped them with dimensionals.  And I adore the sentiments in this set but especially this one...its something I try to remember each day and in all of my travels.  I'm a firm believer in what you put out there comes back to you ten-fold so I try to put goodness, kindness and love out there as much as I can and when I can....something I've tried to teach my kids as they grow too.

My last card today is done similarly to the first one but uses the set "Menhdi Wishes".  I chose the fish image and stamped it in blue Memento ink, colored some parts with R24,R22,R20 and then stickled the entire image for sparkle.  The navy cs was embossed and then I added a few oyster pearls to the corner for decoration.

Ok that's it for me today but I hope you will hop on thru all the designers blogs below, leaving comments along the way so you can have a chance to win a Grab Bag of stamps from Gina K too!  Have a fabulous day everyone!

• Gina K
• Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator Stately Flowers 3
• AJ Otto
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Donna Baker
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Jennie Harper
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lori McAree
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean  (that's me..thanks so much)
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher