Holiday Tag Blog Hop Fun!!

Hi all & Happy Thursday to you all!  I don’t know where you are in the world but I can tell you RIGHT NOW….it is COLD BRRRRRRRRR here in VA this week, yowzers.  I’m not liking it much at all…so for those that love the cold, well pfffflllllttttt to you and I shall GIFT you with it ALL ok? hahahhahaa I’m sooooo NOT a winter type of girl in any way.  My muscles do poorly and everything hurts more and I don’t move as fast…I HATE that part most…so much to do and not enough energy some days ugh.  But I AM looking forward to the holidays…I have about 75% of my shopping all done and will start pulling out rest of Christmas decorations tomorrow if I can.  I hope to have it all done by Monday…12 trees (3 outside), outside decorations up and stockings hung by the fireplace LOL..we shall see how it all goes.  There is always the “lights burnt out”, “ornament breaking”, “cat’s in the boxes” fun to deal with every year so I’m never sure how it will all go.  But for me putting each tree up is special…the ornaments EACH tell a story and I enjoy the process (minus the lights…lighting a tree the way I like it takes me forever).  Saturday after Alexa takes her SATs we hope to go the Christmas tree farm and get our real trees…last year we had a 13 ft tree in our family room..I had to stand on top of a ladder to do top, I didn’t like that LOL.  So I’m going for 11- 12 ft this year

For those that know, my daughter Alexa sings in different choruses and she made the All County Chorus again this year.  I was in Canada teaching so I missed it (sniff sniff) but hubby taped it and I bought the CD to listen to.  Well they did a version of “Unchained Melody” that was BEYOND fabulous…gave me chills.  And this is girls from many different high schools that get together for ONE DAY of practice together before the concert the next day…amazing right?  So if you like that song or good music…take a listen to them below, it gives me chills to listen to and I adore this song so much (any shaking of camera, well you can blame the hubster LOL) Enjoy!

Video:

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Magnolia-licious Holiday Challenge & Blog Hop

So BOTH the Magnolia-licious Sr. DT & Challenge Team are joining forces today for a mega-holiday-blog-hop for you all!  Everyone has created some fun “Interactive Holiday Tags” … so that means the tags make the recipient DO something fun LOL!  
Shake, rattle, roll…pop, fizzle…wiggle, giggle…open, shut, pull!!  

And of course we wouldn’t do a Holiday Blog Hop without some holiday FUN for everyone!  So there are TWO WAYS TO PLAY TO WIN!!!
 

(all details are at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog as well—and you can do both challenges if you'd like)
 

** Count the Candy Canes – each DT gal has put a certain # of candy canes in their FIRST, MAIN PROJECT PIC! The candy canes all look the same and they have been digitally added.  Keep a count as you hop to each DT blog of how many & email them to me by Dec 29th at sjdean0574@yahoo.com for a chance to win a $50 GC to Magnolia-licious

**Tag Challenge – want to play along?  Well create a Holiday Tag of your own & enter it HERE by Dec. 29th!  One winner will get a $50 GC to Magnolia-licious!

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Let It Snow!!

If you came from my friend Janiel’s blog then you are on the right track…make sure to scroll to bottom when you’re done here to see who to hop to next ok? 

The base of my tag is a large, manila Ranger tag…I liked the stability it gave to the rest of my accents & papers.  The paper is by Bo-Bunny “Powder Mountain” (10% off) – I ADORE the colors & patterns in this paper pad.  I decided it was EDWIN TIME…lol…he doesn’t always get as much love as Tilda so I wanted to use him.  He reminds me so much of my son when he was younger (and smaller…sigh…all 6’3 “ of him now) with his curly hair and pudgy cheeks.  So I used super cute “Ski Edwin with Snowflakes”…he’s perfect for the holidays and COLD wintry weather dontcha’ think?  <see all the fab Christmas Story Magnolia stamps HERE>

Its hard to tell from my pics but the Let it Snow is a snow-shaker box that tips from side to side…the whole box tips as you move the tag!  The “Let It Snow” was cut with my Cameo machine and then I glued it on white cs…created a foam-pop-up frame with a transparency cover and added some snow inside.  It tips from side to side with that “old but goody penny trick” LOL!  AND Edwin wobbles…he wobbles around on his bum LOL…I used those fab WOBBLE accents to make him do that (see below).  So the tag does a couple of things which I think would be fun for any recipient.  The large white, snowy trees were cut with my Cameo as well from white shimmer cs by PTI then I added some of my fave MS snow glitter to my trees and pop them up with pop dots.  The snowflakes are all a mix of MS & EK Success snowflake punches with Stickles & snow glitter added.  The white sprays are from a wedding supply store online..I liked the extra pop they gave!

Cutie pie “Ski Edwin with Snowflakes” was colored with Copics: B18,B28,B24,B21 / E59,E25,E31,E50,E35 / E11,E00,R20 / C9,C5,C3.  I added white Doodlebug flock to his furry trim on his clothing & cap. I had to add a bit of snow to the bottom of his bum and skis…hey he fell in the snow right? LOL!

This is the snow shaker box that tips side-2-side…I filled it with MS snow glitter & circle glitter.  I love shaker boxes…who doesn’t love a little shake-rattle-and-roll!!

This is a Wobble…it has 2 sticky ends and a plastic spring in between so it will make things on your projects wiggle & wobble around.  So much fun and so easy to use!  My tag is pretty large so it would be great as a gift tag, just a holiday card OR a fun holiday door hanger…yep I’m hanging mine down in my rec-room since my Christmas trees down there are all in blues and whites

That’s it from me…now you need to go see what holiday-awesomeness

Chris Christensen has in store for you!! 

Make sure to end your hop at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog as well when you are all done!  Thanks everyone!

The 3 Holiday Amigas!

Happy Tuesday friends!  Hope those that celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday weekend with their friends & family.  We had an early dinner at my parents with my sister & neice.  It was also my hubby’s 45th birthday on Thanksgiving so we celebrated that too!  Hubby and I then headed down to beautiful Charlottesville, VA for a few days ALONE to celebrate our belated wedding anniversary.  We love it down there, its such a cute historic town that sits at the foot of the Blue Ridge mtns.  If you’ve never been I encourage you to visit.  We stayed at the Boar’s Head Inn which we love…a nice room with its own porch on the lake, a beautiful inn to get away for some quiet time.  Charlottesville is also home to many US Presidential plantations…Monticello (Jefferson’s home), Montpelier (James Madison’s home) and Ashlawn (Adams home)—which are all worth a visit.  We went to Montpelier, we hadn’t been since it had a huge restoration and it was in the 70’s on Friday…perfect weather.  Other than that we didn’t have a schedule which was FABULOUS…we ate when we wanted, we shopped, watched football, nothing big.  We did watch that awesome REDSKINS WHOOPED DALLAS COWBOYS game…oh yeah baby yeehaw! LOL!  We took a nighttime carriage ride around the lake and ate at some wonderful restaurants.  If you go you MUST eat at the CandO in downtown..OMG soooo good…I never, ever clean my plate..I just don’t each much at a sitting KWIM.  And most portion sizes are sooo darn big these days…but I had lobster in chardonnay butter with mini maple pancakes for appetizer…TO DIE FOR and I ate it all.  Then for dinner I had Sea Bass in a yummy sauce with root veggie puree…so very good.  First time I’ve eaten everything in a long time and I didn’t get sick…most of you know I suffer from Crohn’s and I get sick from most food, most of the time ugh which is stressful and never much fun.  So the rest & downtime was much needed and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  I also got some Christmas shopping done..yay me..and I practice the art of “2 for you, 1 for me shopping” LMAO…its MORE fun that way   But I hope to be finished with ALL my shopping by this weekend and all my Christmas decorations done by Monday…we hope to get our real trees this weekend if the weather cooperates.  My hope is to do 2 trees a day until all 12 are done…whoot!  Christmas candles will be burning and holiday music playing all month long now….let’s DECK THE HALLS…yay!



These are my working conditions MOST days…one of my 5 cats Tinkerbell loves to sit on my projects WHILE I’m working LOL.  She won’t go away and she head butts me regularly while I’m trying to color.  Seriously she’s cute BUT Annoying! Oy!

Slideshow of Pics:


NewsBitz:


-Get ready for the CMC Annual Holiday Bash starting Dec 7th!  You won’t want to miss it…a charity raffle for a NEW Silhouette Cameo, challenges & games each week and lots of fabulous prizes & sponsors.  Everyone is welcome…so mark your calendars ok?

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The 3 Holiday Amigas!

Ok…so my whole downfall (hehehe) into cardmaking and the world of blogging and online stores….started with one itty-bitty stamp…long ago!  It was a Stamping Bella stamp given to me by a friend that started it…I must say I have oodles of the older stamps when they were much smaller LOL!  (there was also a Yahoo group back then called the Stamping Bellas, remember?) So I was delighted to see the new version of the “girls” and PROMPTLY got some for meself hahaha cuz’ I have NO self control!  But SCACD has them in stock <HERE> and they are 15% off thru Nov 30th…so if you want some…run..grab ‘em!!

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

Lady Anne's Challenges (anything goes) 

Crafty Boots Challenge (anything goes)

Creative Stamp Friends (Christmas)  

Cupcake Challenges (black, white + one) 

Eureka Stamps (Holiday)

Forever Friends Challenge (glitter/sparkle)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Love to Create Challenge (non-trad holiday colors)

These cuties reminded me of a “FEW” of my own amigas LOL and I had so MUCH FUN coloring them..I enjoyed it so much!  This one is called “The Three Amigas” and they are 3 girls on the prowl for some holiday fun…I say yeehaw!  I got my color scheme from this beautiful paper from Authentique “Peaceful”..love the greens & blacks for the holidays.  I used a Memory Box die for my black-frilly-accents “Madera Corner”, the smaller corner was done with the La La Land “Filigree Corner Die” and the green snowflakes are from a MS punch.  The sentiment is from PTI and the rick-rack border is a PTI die as well.

The girlies got colored with Copics:  C9 thru C1, G99,G63,YG03,G20 / E25,E11,E00,E35,E31,YR20,E50 / R11,R22 / BG000 for background.  The holly berries I used Liquid Pearls on, Gold & Stardust Stickles around the image for lots of pretty sparkles.  Diamond Glaze on the glasses full of holiday yums LOL!  The swirls around the main image were done in green ink with a PTI stamp.

That’s it for me but I’ll be back this week with a super-fun-holiday project ok?!  Have a great week!

Happy Harvest!

Happy Wednesday and Happy Thanksgiving to those that are celebrating!  My kids are off today thru Friday and we are off to shop for hubby’s birthday present…he celebrates his 45th Birthday on Thanksgiving.  Do I have any idea what I’m getting?  ummm NO…not really…LOL…except one small thing I already picked out.  Last year I combined his birthday and anniv present and got him an iPad…best darn prezzie I ever got him because he uses it everyday.  This year…well I’m just befuddled other than some clothes.  He doesn’t really have hobbies I can buy for…he has all the golf stuff and he likes RC Airplanes but he has all that and I haven’t a clue what to get for that.  Sooooo I’m taking kids to mall to figure SOMETHING out…some divine intervention that will say “oh yeah, that’s what he needs” LOL!  Not that we have to get him anything I know…but I want to get him SOMETHING! OY!  And then I have to finish laundry, pack and get cats all squared away.  Alexa’s BFF comes and takes care of the cats while we are away but I have to everything out for her.  And last night I picked up a new cat to foster from the rescue…my other 2 babies got adopted on Sunday…so happy for them but I miss them.  So I have a 2 yr old cat named “Winston” that likes to lay in your lap LOL.  My 7 animals just look at me like “another one? seriously?” heehee, they are used to it!  We are headed to my parents for an early Thanksgiving meal and then hubby and I are headed away thru Sunday for a belated getaway w/o the teens…yippeee!  Looking forward to some downtime and just hanging out…where are we going?  Well it’s a surprise but its not too far away cuz’ I was in NO mood to travel far right now KWIM?

Anywho I hope you all have a fabulous holiday, spent with those you love most and enjoy that time together   Next week I have lots to do…projects, chorus concerts and 12 Christmas trees to start putting up…yup a lot on my ole’ to-do list, nothing new right? LOL!

NewsBitz:




-Black Friday Sale at the CMC Classroom …you can see all the details HERE!  You can buy as many classes as your lil’ heart desires for yourself, friends, co-workers and more!  But Sale ends Sunday at 7 pm EST!  This is a one-time only deal!

-SCACD will be having a Black Friday sale on paper pads and dies as well starting Friday so go and stock up while you can!!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I’m sharing my last fall card with you that I made for the current TouchTwin Challenge HERE!  (go enter for a chance to win 12 markers, you can use any markers on your image)  The current challenge is a photo inspiration that is “fall inspired” so I had to bring out an oldie-but-goodie…one of my fave Lockhart Stamp Co stamps “Harvest Candle”(25% off).  I love, love Lockhart stamps when I need a change from the cute & cuddly stamps KWIM…so many gorgeous images to choose from and super fun to color!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Craft Room Challenge (punches/die cuts)

Die Cuttin' Divas (thanksgiving)

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge (ribbon)

The Stamping Boutique Challenge (giving thanks)

Twisted Tuesday Challenge (food/thanksgiving)

I used Paper Trey Ink cardstock and ribbon (I use their cs 95% of the time cuz’ I love it) and then a sheet of paper from my friend Mindy’s paper pack for Little Darlings “Chocolate Covered Cherry” HERE!  I embossed the darker cream cs with this embossing folder and inked the edges.  Around my main image I used a Spellbinders flourish die cut out of cream cs and the orange flowery diecut is a Memory Box Die (Catalina Wreath).  I cut the wreath into pieces to make it work for me…I cut all my diecuts into pieces, I like to use them in lots of different ways.  The sentiment is from PTI as well!

The TouchTwin colors are listed above for you…if you haven’t tried them then what are you waiting for?  They are fabulous and in my honest opinion right up there with Copics (in fact I prefer the TouchTwin ink)!  I used Diamond Glaze on the hurricane glass over the candle.  I used Liquid Pearls in Rouge on the winterberries for more texture.

Have a wonderful Holiday…eat till you pop…shop till you drop…whatever it is that pleases you most!  Hugs to all!

Teddy Bear Cuddle!

Happy Monday everyone!  YUP YUP…..I’m BACK….LOL!  Sorry…if you read my quick post yesterday I explained why I needed a week off after getting back from Canada for 11 days.  I had a blast with the ladies in Canada, I absolutely LOVE teaching up there but it was my last trip of the year…I taught for 6 days and I was just BEAT. Tired from a great, fun, fantastic but superbly busy year filled with a lot of travel, teaching, working, deadlines and more KWIM and I just needed some time to not worry about any of that.  So last week I caught up on laundry & cleaning (the things that DO NOT get done when I’m gone lol), cleaned & organized my craft room and cleaned my closet out.  Things that I’ve been wanting to do all year but never had TIME so I took the time and really got things done—my studio is FANTASTICALLY CLEAN now & you can see pics before & after below LOL.  The BEFORE pics are a bit scary...I have had NO time to get things picked up, put away and organized even tho I have a ton of organizational items.  Its usually me making a ton of deadline projects and then prepping for class, then leaving...then doing it all over again so I had a TON of cleaning to do LOL!  I also cooked dinners and spent time with my family…having dinner on the table so we can eat together during the week is superbly important to me…we are soooo busy and I feel this is one time we all really sit and talk and bond. I also had some foster kitties I was taking care of…so cute & cuddly…but am happy to say they got adopted by a good family today.  Soooo that means after Thanksgiving I will take in some more foster kitties…to my hubby’s dismay…ahahahahaha but its something near-n-dear to my heart.  We are headed to my parent’s for Thanksgiving and an early dinner…then hubby and I are off for a few days away without the kids on a belated Anniversary Trip and hubby’s birthday (45th) is on Thanksgiving too. We are fabulous at going away as a family but hubby and I don’t go anywhere by ourselves very often…so the quiet time is much needed & wanted.  Not that we don’t love our teens…of course we do…but we have them with us ALL the time…and all their friends too LOL!  In fact this weekend Alexa had friends over Friday night after the game…then both kids were gone yesterday…EXCEPT son brought home 6 of his closest buddies and a few stayed the night.  So we NEVER not have teens in the house or with us or wanting to go somewhere so I’m really looking forward to QUIET..yeah just some boring, quiet and peace.  Sounds like heaven to me right now.  Then I will be ready to come home & tackle the “deck the halls” madness that ensues at the Dean house….12 trees up in less than 5 days is my goal.  Most of my holiday shopping is DONE…rest should be done by Dec 1st so I can just enjoy, enjoy the month of holiday movies, hot chocolate, tree hunting, fireplace burning good times with my family….KWIM?

Some Pics: (click here if you get blog by email to see)
See my full craft room pics HERE

 


ScrapBitz:


-I have TWO (2) Silhouette Cameo machines left on the CMC site HERE…brand new in box and 20% off using the CMC Coupon!  Once they are gone that is IT for me for this year, I may get more in 2013 but not sure of that yet. 

-Black Friday Special at CMC --- Buy One CMC Copic Class (applies to my Classes 1 thru 5 and Hair Class only) and get one 50% off.  Deal starts Friday, Nov 23rd and lasts thru Sun, Nov 25th till 7 pm EST.  You can buy one for yourself and give one to a friend, whatever combination you want…but its for 3 days only!  After that deal is over! (no other special discounts apply, no past class purchases apply)

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Teddy Bear Cuddle!!

Today I’m sharing another holiday card…slowly but surely I’m getting there with them hahahaha!  I don’t send my cards to many folks..I make photo cards and send about 60 of those instead.  I got tired of stressing myself out every holiday to get all my cards done so now I do NOT stress…I simply make ones I want to and send those, the rest get photo cards..simple as that.  I figured life is too short, the holiday too precious to stress right?  So someone on my list will be getting this lil’ cute bear though LOL!  I just love him to squiggles

This lil cutie is “Cozy Christmas Bear” from the Little Christmas Collection at Magnolia-licious…can you say ADORABLE?  The great thing about this stamp is he’s not just for the holidays…you can easily make him/her into a winter card, birthday or love card…just use the appropriate papers/colors/embellies.  I used new papers from Simple Stories “Handmade Holiday”, I loved the dark maroon, green and kraft colors in this pack.  The matting behind the image is from a SB’s die, the holly vine is a die from La La Land Crafts called “Holly Flourish Die”..I love love love this die for the holidays!  I inked up the holly vine and cut it out of my dark green AND kraft cs papers and added rhinestones/pearls for berries.  The sentiment is from PTI.

And have you seen the NEW Nativity stamps from Magnolia-licious…OMGosh they are adorable!  Also check out the NEW colored images that the store has for each for-sale stamp (new collections) on the site…they are colored by DT members and show off the image and give you ideas how to color them as well—really useful!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Challenges 4 Everybody (anything goes) 
Dream Valley Challenges (anything goes)
Joanna Sheen Challenge (cold &frosty) 
Stamping Sensations (traditional Christmas)  
The Crafty Pad (Christmas)

I paper pieced this lil bear’s scarf & hat…I love to do and incorporate paper from my card into my image…MAKE sure you go in and shade your paper pieces with Copics so it doesn’t look flat.  I used Copics:  E44,E43,E42,E41 / R20,R11 / BG000.  There is Doodlebug Flock in white on the furry parts of his hat…I also went in with a paintbrush and Distress Inks and shaded the flock a bit too so it didn’t look one-dimensional.  The pine needle nest I nestled him in was made with Art Glitter’s Enhanced Earth Elements in “Spinach”…I love using these because they are made from natural & organic elements and smell soooo good.  And the fun texture cannot be beat! (just apply with tacky glue)  Then I just added some Stickle snowflakes around him for sparkle!

That’s it for me today…I’ll be back on Wednesday with a NEW TouchTwin Challenge project for the holidays, so check back!  I promise I’m not disappearing again for a bit   Have a great week!

I'm Still Alive, I Promise!

Hi everyone!  I know, I know...its been awhile but after being in Canada for 11 days teaching and just ending my year of travel I needed some time off.  Its been a very busy, crazy, fun & fantastic year and I must say all the FUN has done tuckered me out LOL!  So I took the week to not stress over deadlines and just catch up on some things I let go this year...like cleaning my craft room (before & after photos will be on my next post) and getting it all back in order, cleaning out my closet, going thru the cupboards and drawers and cleaning them all out real good.  Not really fun stuff but things that make ME feel better and that needed to be done.  Plus the laundry & cleaning that piled up while I was away that no one ever bothers to do KWIM LOL!  So that's it in a nutshell...I'm not ill and not hurt...just tired and taking some "breather time".  But my studio is clean & I plan on getting some things started and up on my blog this week so stay tuned for that....you can never get rid of me for too long bwahahahahahaha!  Have a great weekend everyone!!  And for those that emailed me to check in...THANK YOU...I appreciate the love!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

Happy Monday everyone!  I’m in Antarctica currently…bwahahahahaha…no I’m up in Guelph Canada but as far as I’m concerned when the temp drops below 60 degrees I might as well be in Antarctica and its FREEZING UP HERE…brrrrrrrrrr!  Me no likey winter that’s for sure!  And I hear another arctic storm is headed this way again…oy vey…shoot me cuz’ I am not dealing well with the cold that’s for sure, my muscles are just throbbing!   And YES, YES Canada let me back in the country…they like me I guess, I never have issues with THEIR border guards LOL.  I took TWO GPS machines with me, mine and my hubby’s crack-addict Glenda one in his car….and you know what?  I STILL HAD ISSUES….OMG…the roads up here in Guelph have 2 names each and my GPS couldn’t find NUTTIN!  I had to finally stop at a hotel and the lovely lady (at the Holiday Inn Express) printed me off directions from Google & gave me a PAPER MAP (paper is very, very good...'da bomb in fact hahahaha) and helped me find my way!  While I’m up here I don’t have internet on my iPhone unless I’m hooked to wireless…my Canada plan only covers texts and phone calls..so I couldn’t even google the address…ugh!  This is no surprise..to me or to you I suppose…when don’t I have issues   So I am up here thru Saturday at Younique Retreats…which is soooooooooooo lovely and Heather (the owner) is soooooo lovely and the studio and store is da’ bomb.  If you are nearby you should make the trip, you can stay there on the weekends and they fix you yummy foods and you can craft the day & night away.  I MAY try to come up…when its WARMER…and stay a couple days with a friend…if Heather ever has room…I never ever get to craft like that and I think it would be a total blast!  So if you are around Guelph but not signed up for classes or the HUGE crop on Saturday..give me a holler hello ok!  And please try to warm it up here somehow if you can…heehee!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t say Happy Anniversary to my hubby…our anniversary was yesterday on the 4th.  I’ve been married to this man for almost 20 years and I’m soooo very happy to have had the opportunity to know & love him!  This is the 3rd year in a row that I’m traveling on our anniversary..yikes…but I know he loves & forgives me LOL!  I couldn’t have married a better man, a better father for our teens, someone who loves me unconditionally even thru my craziness & zaniness.  He is always my calm in the storm, someone that is always there no matter what even if he’s shaking his head while I plow ahead at 200 mph!  He supports me 110% ALWAYS no matter what, even if he thinks my ideas are nutters…and trust me I have lots of nutty ideas LOL!  He is my soul-mate & I truly believe there is no one out there more perfect for me than him…I love him more today then I did all those years ago and I cannot wait to see what the next 20 years brings us.  Love you James!!

And another HUGE SHOUT OUT to all my friends and fellow crafters that are suffering up in NY & NJ.  OMG my heart just breaks for them, those that lost their homes, their lives, their livelihoods…its just horrific.  And I have friends on Long Island that have no power, no heat and running out of gas for their generator..there isn’t any gas to be had and its FREEZING.  I feel so badly and I know they are suffering so for me to complain about the cold is nonsense…I’d gladly give them anything I could to help fix the problems there.  So please, please keep them all in your prayers & thoughts, they will be needing them for a long time.  Also check with your local churches and rescue/organization groups to see if you can help…even $5 or an old coat and gloves can help someone tremendously that is in need right now.  I, myself am not a huge proponent of giving $$ to the Red Cross..I prefer to find a local church or organization that is working directly with those affected, that way I know my $$ or supplies will get there in a timely manner..but that’s just me.  Even if you can only spare a prayer that will help ok!  My heart goes out to them all!

Silhouette Cameo machines--- I have 5 left for sale HERE if you really want one badly LOL!  They are at my house & I will ship them out on Nov 13th via UPS Ground when I return home for you!  GO check it out & the Fall Special I’m having!  They make AWESOME holiday prezzies….I love mine sooo much!

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Today I’m sharing my Magnolia-licious DT Challenge project with you all…the November Challenge is hosted by the wonderful Norma Lee and she’s challenged us to create a project with something “HIDDEN” on it!  Always so much fun to receive something beautiful and then find a hidden pocket, note, or tag inside me thinks.  I used this sweet lil “Dancing with Stars Tilda” from the NEW Little Christmas Collection at Magnolia-licious.  Isn’t she a cutie-patootie angel?!  You can see even more NEW Christmas/Holiday/Winter Magnolia stamps HERE & HERE!

Find all the Challenge Details & how to play along at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge (things w/ wings)
Challenges For Everybody (anything goes)  
Dream Valley Challenges (glitter & bling) 
Great Impressions (holiday) 
The Crafty Pad (anything goes) 
Pile It On (sparkle)

What I love best about this cute “Dancing With Stars Tilda” stamp is it can be used for more than just the holidays…a kids birthday or occasion, birth of a new baby, or just a sweet hello!  I made my card so it could be used for any of those or for Christmas…I loved that it fit so many categories!  I made my theme all based on that sweet lil’ poem “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  The largest star was done on my Silhouette Cameo and the others were done with SU punches, then I ran them thru different embossing folders with my Cuttlebug for lots of fun texture.  The white background was also embossed…I love layers of texture as I think it adds a lot of a card.  The small stars bundle that is on the bottom-left corner and on the main image was also an image cut with my Cameo machine and then I added some pearls to accent them a bit.  The swirls are done with Heartfelt Spellbinders “Bella Rose” die and then I added Stickles for sparkle.  The sentiment is from a PTI set along with all the small star stamps I used on the image and inside.  My HIDDEN item is that the main image opens up…to reveal the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star poem on the inside.  Just a fun & unexpected lil’ treat for the recipient!

Cutie Tilda got colored with Copics & TouchTwin markers:  YR23,Y15,Y11,Y00, E35 / E44,E43,E42,E40 / E11,E00,R20 / BR105 tt, YR23,Y32,E50.  I think she just radiates happiness.  I stamped some more stars around her and added lots of Stickles for sparkle…she’s an angel with lots of pretty bling!!  I printed off the poem after I had typed it in Word and reduced it a bit then added it to the inside of the image.  One of the matted stars on the card front is used to keep the image closed.

That’s it for me today!  I have a long week of teaching up here in Canada and not sure how often I will be able to log on the internet…lots to do & teach & meet   So I wish you all a wonderful week…keep warm…have fun!

Think of Me?!

Happy Friday to you all!  I’m currently at my Gram’s home in upstate New York thru Sunday, then I’m off to Guelph Canada for a week of teaching at Younique Retreats. (PS I drove thru snow, rain & sleet up here…BLECH me no likey that stuff) This is the longest I’ve ever been away from home….11 days…so while I can’t wait to meet everyone & teach..I’m also a bit sad to leave my family and fur-babies for such a long time.  My wedding anniversary is Nov 4th…this is the 3rd year I’ve NOT been home for it..yikes…lol!  Good thing I have an understanding hubby and we will celebrate when I get home.  We’ve been together for 18 years and all is still good, I love him to pieces and count my blessings every day that he loves me and me him!  Trust me I am A LOT to keep up with most days and thank god he is so laid back…I’m like a whirlin-twirlin-tasmanian devil and he’s like the calm in the midst of the storm for me So this is the last trip of the year for me for teaching and when I get home I will start prepping for the holidays…no rest for the weary eh?  But I tend to slow down a bit…ahahahaha…no really I do try to not take on much during the month of December to rest a bit.  But you know life goes on, family calls, work doesn’t stop and so on right?  But I do the best I can and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas…yes 12 trees will go up again this year.  Already got everything ready in my head and planned out…now to get my “hauler” aka hubby to get all my goods out so I can start preppin!

And prayers, peace and good wishes go out to my neighbors in the north who lost their homes, lost people they love and had such horrific damage to their property and towns due to Hurricane Sandy (shouldn’t it have a meaner name, Sandy is WAY too nice a name for something so terrible).  Its just heartbreaking….we count ourselves very lucky in Virginia.  When you think you are having a bad or stressful day you can reflect on JUST how bad it truly could be…I know my stress does NOT even compare to what they are dealing with.

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Think of Me!!

This is SCACD's last 2 stamp releases of the year! We're bringing you cuteness from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD with 4 new adorable stamps in the Sampler #8 Collection. We also have Susana Loves Stamps new collection- Mythical Reflections which brings you 4 more mythical stamps to help inspire you and help you create! Be sure to check out all the details on the SCACD store blog and hop along with the SCACD DT as we showcase these amazing new stamps!

So I used a super-cute stamp from the Sampler #8 Collection called “Who Me?”..I just love her!  I used papers from Fancy Pants “Hopscotch” collection…with all the nasty Hurricane rain and bad weather I wanted to use some happy-spring colors!  I distressed all my papers and then I cut mats with my SB’s Labels 16 die…then I cut them in HALF so I could pop them out on either side of my main image.  Flowers are a mix of Prima and Wild Orchid Craft that I layered and added.  The wispy, pink die cut is a Memory Box die (Catalina Wreath) that I inked and cut in half and added to each bundle of flowers—just another fun way to use your wreath dies.

**If you are overseas you can find these gorgeous stamps at  Quixotic Paperie**

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

The Artistic Stamper Challenge (anything goes)
Elisabeth Bell's Worlds (shimmer/shine)
One Crazy Stamper (anything goes)
Unique Crafter's Challenge (cute & girly)
Make It Monday (anything goes)
Visible Image Challenge (sparkle)
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges (diecuts)

She’s colored with Copics and then I added a nice coat of Stickles to her headband & shirt for bling!  A few pearls finish it off!

Now you need to hop over to Amanda’s Blog to see what she’s created!! 

Make sure to stop by the Store HERE & the Store Blog HERE!!  Have a great weekend!