Time Can Fly!

Happy Friday to you all....its TGIFRIDAY....well its been that for us for the whole week since we are on vacation in the Keys LOL.  We are enjoying the time off that I can say for sure :)  We have been having a BLAST...and although its hot & humid here at least we are used to it coming from VA!  So far we've toured Truman's Little White House, the Butterfly Conservatory, the pool (lol), and yesterday we did the Dolphin Research Center which was awesome.  Alexa was able to talk to some of the trainers there about college studies and such which was good for her and of course the dolphins are super sweet too ;) Most of all we are enjoying the time off, being together and just hanging out and having fun.  Lots of laughs, memories and good time being had by the Dean family!  TODAY IS A FUN SCACD RELEASE...so check it out below!

love the aqua blue waters down here, gorgeous

the view of the Gulf & sunset from our master bedroom in the

townhouse we have at the resort...kids have own bed/bath so its nice!

Riley & Alexa at the southernmost point in Key West

***************************

Monsters Fly!

Today Susana Loves Stamps releases yet another round of these FUN little pranksters the Oddly Sweet Curiosities!
With their universal appeal the Curiosities were just begging for another turn in the spotlight with a new release. These little guys are the perfect way to provoke a smile or a laugh.  We're addicted, and from the popularity of the previous sets we know you will be too!

Susana Loves Stamps is also showcasing a  fresh new line: the MechAnimals. This edgy but endearing range of SteamPunk animals will lend themselves to all sorts of projects and styles and earn a place in your crafty hearts.

SCACD Digital is a new adventure for Susana and will see the revival of "some" past releases available in rubber, and the addition of some fresh new fun! They are available now for purchase but watch out for some fun from the design team and friends to showcase the digital releases in the near future! SCACD Digital's first collaboration is Carmen Medlin for SCACD Digital.  Carmen's range will definitely have something for everyone, from elegant to adorable and everything in between. 

Want this badge?

Grab a cup of something yummy and enjoy the show!

*********** 

This cutie is from the NEW Oddly Sweet Curiosities set and his name is "Tick Tock"...cute eh? I love an aqua, black and white color combo and the papers from 7Gypsies "Industrial Gears" which fit in perfectly with this project.  All papers got a good distressing as well.  I added some die cuts in black with SCACD Die "Classic Timepiece" (one of my faves).  The sentiment "Time Flies" comes with this lil' guy too.  **the aqua paper is from PTI and it is usually just white polka-dots but I took a small dot stamp and added some black dots to the paper to customize it to my needs to match**

Tick Tock was colored with Copics:  W9,W5,W3,W1,W0 / BG75,BG72,Bg11,BG10 / R20.  Then I added Diamond Glaze to his talons, the clock face and the bells on his head for super shine!  I stamped around him with some Tim Holtz stamps lightly in pale gray and then inked around the image with BG00 & BG0000 copics.

That's all for me today...now I'm the last on the hop today so if you are starting with me, hop on over to the beginning of the BLOG HOP and get more hop details at the STORE BLOG HERE!

Wedding Belle!

Happy Monday to you all!  I am currently on vacation thru July 7th and my family and I are in Key West enjoying some time off and fun in the sun!  I will keep my chatter short & sweet so I save time on the "relaxation end of my vacation" LOL!  It is 11 pm on Sunday night and I'm frantically trying to finish up all my chores, take a shower and MAYBE get 2 hours sleep before I get up again at 3 am to go to airport...yikes!

 CLASSES ON SALE NOW...BUNDLE DEALS AVAILABLE TOO!

Great time to save...just because you buy a few does NOT mean you have to start them right away. You start them when you are ready!

www.scrapbitzcopics.ning.com

***************************************

Wedding Belle!

Today is Mini Monday on the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog..always some great ideas each Monday for using these cute Mini Magnolia stamps.   I've chosen to use a new one from the Special Moments Collection "Mini Special Day Tilda"...I think she'd be great for both weddings AND First Communion (I'm not Catholic but I grew up with lots of friends that were ;) )!  I went with a round-doily shaped base for my card...very feminine and frilly.

She got colored with Touch Twin Markers!  I added some Stickles to her veil and around the image for pretty sparkle.  A few rhinestones accent the image.  I had to add a bit of pink to the image as well, loved the small pop of pastel color.

I grouped a bunch of flowers in white, cream and pink along with a large bow I made using my Bow Easy out of this sheer-polka-dot ribbon.  The crytals are from Magnolia as well and add a pretty accent.

Make sure to stop by the Challenge Blog to see what the other DT gals created!

Enjoy your week!

Fireworks Today!!

Happy Thursday everyone!  Hope the summer is treating you well so far.  I'm so ready for vacation that I may be counting down in minutes till we leave.  Course MY family is not so thrilled that I got us a 6 am flight to Miami...ahahaha...I cannot help it!  I prefer the first flights out in the morning, less people, less lines and fresh planes...the airport is pretty quiet at 4:15 am just the way I like it.  And per my "getting to the airport 2 hours ahead rule" my family is ALREADY groaning...sorry that's how I roll.  Plus we get to Miami at 8:30 am and will drive down to Key West...so we will be there by lunchtime...I love that!  Why waste a whole day traveling if you don't have to right?  And I plan ALL the travel down to the last detail so they don't get a choice in travel times ;) and I do all the prep and packing so pfflflllllttttt I say!  And my son...ummm well he's very special in the mornings and when flying...especially when he's excited...he never shuts up.  And how do I say this politely...I DO NOT TALK unless absolutely necessary that early in the morning...do NOT mess with me (let us recall the TSA agent I got into a "quarrel" with about my Greek yogurty yes?).  So I keep him FAR away from me cuz I may kill him...when we went to Hawaii I swear to gawd he talked all 11 hours...yup he did...I was ready to smother the boy LOL!  So we wil see how he does this time and if he makes it there in one piece!

Today I'm running some errands and getting lists made (I'm a big list maker, makes me feel like I have it somewhat together) and then packing everyone's bags for the most part.  Got the whole house cleaned yesterday, trash emptied everywhere and 95% of the laundry all done (kids threatened within an inch of their lives to not mess it all up).  I HATE coming home to a dirty house and mounds of laundry...bad enough you have to unpack and do that laundry LOL.  And we literally fly home and turn around and leave the next morning for our 2 night trip in DC for the fourth of July...ay yi yi...fun stuff.

My front porch ready for the 4th!

So anywho...I will have blog posts on both blogs a few times each while I'm gone!  I will check emails LATE at night but other than that I'm OFF for 2 weeks...looking forward to the downtime and totally gonna chill a bit :)  That's what its all about yes?

 Sale Starts on Friday at CMC!  Summer is a GREAT time to color and practice!

************************

Fireworks Caddy!

Today the Magnolia-licious has a SUMMER FUN themed blog hop toay to kinda kick off summer the Magnolia way :)  So each DT team girl has created their own version of a summer project...to inspire you or just to share some beautiful creations with you!!  You can find all the Blog Hop details on the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog!  I created a fun Fourth of July utensil caddy for my table both inside and outside...great for a BBQ or picnic and not too hard to put together!

 I used a NEW cutie from the Special Moments 2013 Collection called "Hip Hurray Tilda" from Magnolia-licious and I've colored her up especially for the Fourth of July.  The utensil caddy is a Silhouette Cameo cut file...easy to cut out and put together.  I cut my pieces out of navy cs and some Fourth of July 12x12 paper I had on hand for the handle.  I added some trim with a MS border punch and some Memory Box die cuts.  The caddy can actually hold quite a bit of plastic cutlery...or you could use it for straws and napkins, pencils and markers...the list goes on & on LOL!

She got colored with Copics:  B37,B34,B21 / R29,R24,R22,R20 / E11,E00,R20 / E37,E35,E31,E50

I drew out the lines on the balloon to create the American flag on the balloon...gives her a festive look.  I also polka-dotted her pants with my white Sharpie Poster Paint Pen in white.

That's it for me today...now you need to hop on over to 

Cabio's Blog

to see what fabulousness she's created!!

Be My Baby!!

Hi folks!  Happy Tuesday to you!  I will keep this short and sweet for you.  Tough day today and a long week to get a lot of things done while running kids to sports and volunteer work...not sure my to-do list matches my energy level this week...yikes LOL!  The to-dos are scaring me and I really only have till Thursday to get it all done.  Friday is drs appts in the morning, then Nats game in DC to celebrate Gramps 90th birthday...Saturday run dogs to my parents house 2 hours south of us and then go to a family BBQ (James' side).  Leave at 4 am Sunday morning for airport to the Florida Keys for 2 weeks...then I shall bury myself in the sand and not leave LOL.  In between get laundry done, house cleaned (yes its gotta be done), pre-posts typed, emails done, packing, errands and running...oh and get the housesitter/cat-sitter situated.  I love vacation but DANG its a lot of work to get there...and I'm pretty much the only one in the house getting it all done.  Hubby is in NC for 2 days this week so that counts out help from him....and the teens...well sometimes they annoy more than they end up helping LOL.

So I am slightly frazzled this week....emphasis on slightly ;)  But I will have projects and posts on BOTH blogs while I'm away so do not fret *yeah right sureeee you say, heehee*...there will be plenty of reading for everyone!!

I shall stop whining now...had to get that out...made me feel a bit better...phewwww LOL :)

*************************************

Baby Baby!

Today TEAM B for Magnolia-licious posts their Tuesday Challenge Projects.  

This challenge is all about LUSCIOUS LACE...lace in the image, lace printed paper, lace accents...it all works!  You can check out hte challenge at the Magnolia-licious Blog for details and how to join in!

I used this super sweet NEW Special Moments image "Little Cute Tilda" for my lace-baby project.  She has lace on her outfit's trim and I used some lace across the middle of my card.  **to age my lace I just swiped some tan ink across it with my Inkssentials Foam Blending tool**  The papers are by Melissa Frances and all were distressed first.  Die cuts around image are all by Spellbinders, yellow swirl is "Val Flourish" die by Memory Box.

She's colored with TouchTwin markers: 
Skin-YR132,YR133,R131/ Yellows-YR32,YR36/Hair-BR104,BR96,Y36/Pinks-R136,RP9/WG3 for grays

Stickles on her trim and headband for sparkle!

The banner across the top was cut with my Silhouette Cameo twice in 2 sizes and papers so I could layer them...I liked the small scallop detail it has.  I stamped some PTI letters in pink ink right on top of the printed paper to spell "BABY" and added another Val Flourish die cut in yellow cs to add behind it to ground it a bit.

I double stamped & colored "Cute Little Tilda's" arm and bow so I could make them pop up from the image...just a fun bit to add for dimension.

Hope you liked this today...see you here on Thursday with a fun project!

It's MY Party!!

Happy TGIFriday everyone!  Yay its the weekend...we have no real plans which is nice cuz next week will be tough.  Trying to prepare for our 2 week vacation and I have a ton of things to get done.  We also have 2 birthday parties for hubby's Grampa who will be 90 next week...one of the parties is at Nats park in DC for a baseball game so gotta love that :)  So other than yardwork I plan on doing NOT much of anything LOL.  We are going to the mall tonight to pick up some stuff and get a new carry-on as Alexa pretty much wore hers out over the years and the zipper totally ripped off one side.  So gotta replace that and hopefully I can snag a pizza dinner OUTSIDE the house LOL so I get a break...I love to cook but every cook needs a night off eh?

And let's talk about the weather...UGHHhhhhh!  We've had so much rain the past 2 weeks in Virginia that we have flooding and trees down everywhere, its no longer a helpful rain here.  We literally don't need rain for a month...my backyard is a soggy mess that I joke is trying to suck me down into the underworld...although I may mean it LOL.  And yesterday we got awful winds and rain again with a bad storm...we need a break.  Chicago area likes to send us some nasty storms...they need to cut that crap out;)  And those out west need the rain to beat the heat and put out the fires YET they get none.  Strange summer weather I tell ya, no fun!  If you've never experienced an East Coast summer storm...well you are lucky LOL...terrible winds, loud thunder claps, hail, lightening...its crazy.  And I grew up with it but I never underestimate the danger of them, they are still scary and can cause a lot of damage.  And the summer weather is supposed to be real bad this summer with all the hurricanes & tropical storms predicted...EYUCK!  So stay safe & cool wherever you may be!

*******************************

Floatin' Away

(I hope to be doin that in another week yay)

This cutie from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps is called "Margarita" and she's at SCACD...I call her "Summer Suzanne" ahhahahaha!  As soon as I saw her I knew I HAD to have her.  I hope to be doing a bit of floating and sipping some yummy Pina Coladas on my vacation real soon...I envision my bum in the sand reading A LOT ;) The new summer KK stamps are just too cute!!

The paper is new from Fancy Pants "Down By the Shore"(10% off)...I love the fun colors and more graphic patterns...a bit modern and fresh!  The flowers were layered on top leaves from the Memory Box "Cottage Leaf" die (20% off)...I always ink the edges of the leaves for shadowing.  The navy die cuts peeking out from the corners are by Memory Box "Prized Chrysanthemum Outline" die.  The sentiment is from a PTI set ALTHOUGH the stamp comes with its own sentiment, it just didn't fit where I needed it LOL.  Then some buttons tied off with twine finish it off.

She got colored with Copics....I colored the floatie-inner tube to match my stripes in my paper.  It is not actually stamped like that...just something fun to add.  Then I stickled her bathing suit and water for pretty sparkle.  Her eyes and glass got some Diamond Glaze for shine.

Hope you liked this cutie & see you back here next week!

I have new posts on my "Bitz of Me Blog" if you wanna check those out ;)

Return of Me!

Hi everyone!  Long time, no see huh?  Sorry about that but between the last 2 weeks of school with the teens (ughhhhh shoot me) AND my lower back totally going out...its not been so good.  They say that freshman & junior years of high school are the hardest and I fully agree with that statement.  WELL I had teens in BOTH those grades at the same time so this past school year has beaten us down.  Not to mention that every single one of their teachers assigned huge end of year projects and papers AND the last week of school is all exams...OMGeeee...KILLER!  Not just for them but for me as I'm "project helper" and "paper editor" in this house and they are moody & stressed which then rubs off on me LOL...so it was a tense couple of weeks ugh.  But thankfully school is done with for the year until September...phewwww!  Although both the kids have summer AP projects...Alexa has ones for AP Government, AP Statistics and AP Literature and 7 books to read...Riley has 2 projects for AP History and AP English.  And I'm big on NOT waiting until the week before so they know after our vacation that they will be starting on them and not scrambling at last minute.  Not to mention Alexa has college essays to start and scholarships to research over summer too.

My back is...well its not so good!  Some days I can barely move, most days I'm walking hunched over and sitting hunched over at my craft table is KILLER.  So I had to take some time off from that.  But I am getting treatments for it...I will probably have surgery at the end of summer.  NO its not a fusion type of surgery, but removal of a mass that's on nerves.  Just pushing it off a bit as much as I can.  So that's why there's not been much posted here.  I've got a very high pain level so I'm still able to get stuff done, still cleaning the house, organizing, cooking, working LOL but some things like coloring just couldn't be done on some days...I've missed it :(

I do have a ton of new posts at my other blog "Bitz of Me" including some of my own personal recipes I've shared if you want to check those out.  I have 6 more projects to do before I leave on the 23rd of June for vacation so there will be more posts here....stay tuned :)

*****************************************

Life is Better

So today is Wee Wednesday at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog and I got some NEW Wee stamps in the mail...I promptly colored one of them up.  These are in a set called "Flower Fairies" and they are darling!  You can see the other DT girls Wee Stamp Inspiration projects at the Challenge blog (linked above) and also check out our current Tues Challenge which is all about "Luscious Lace"...hope you can join us.

I'm entering her into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Bearly-Mine Challenges (anything goes)

Deep Ocean Challenge (for a girl)

ABC Challenge (anything goes)

A and T Emerald Faeries Challenge (dies/punches)

Crafting Musketeers (stamped image)

I kept my color scheme to creams and soft yellows...perfect soft colors for summer.  The sentiment is from a PTI set and I thought this card would be perfect for SOOOO many things....weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and friends.  The sentiment was stamped on a die cut made with a LaLa Land die ".  The other dies used were from Memory Box to include "Corner Bow" and "Blooming Vine".  I lightly sponged the cream die cuts with some soft cream ink to give a shadow.  Liquid Pearls in cream were used on the small pearls on her headband and on some of the die cuts.  The flowers are a mix of Wild Orchid Craft and Prima stuck all together with Scor-Tape (I luv the 1/2 inch best)!  The cream cs in the background was also embossed with a Couture Creations "Exotic" embossing folder...I love the larger size of these folders and how deeply they emboss.

She was colored up with Copics:  E35,E31,YR20 / E11,E00,R20 / E43,E42,E40 / Y00,Y11,YR24 / B00 & B0000 used around background

I added Stickles to her wings and a few of the flowers for sparkle.

Hope you have a wonderful day!  I have a project ready for Friday...so stay tuned :)

Tag You're It!

Happy Tuesday friends!!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend & your week is off to a good start!  I had a glorious weekend that involved my Tim McGraw...touching him, seeing him, up close & personal...yeah it was realllllll good LOL!  I have a TON of pics...I took 330 pictures with my camera LOL cuz he's THAT good.  Best concert of my life...literally...and you know how many concerts I go to right?  And I'm not lying it was the BEST!  It was hotter than Hades and Alexa & I waited for hours at the gate to be down in the pit at the stage FIRST.  We made alliances with some other friendly folks and decided we'd all run (about a 1/4 mile to stage) and whoever got there first would save everyone spots.  You gotta make friends when it comes to the pit...there is a "pit" code LOL...and the faster you make buddies the better your experience will be trust me on this!  They were great...funny and not drinking and we had the best time...no one was pushing and everyone was polite amazingly.  We were so hot that running that far I thought I was gonna vomit and the concession stand workers were dying laughing at us all...but we DON'T CARE cuz we got front of the pit baby ;)  Hang around me long enough and I will teach you the wayyyyys of concerts ahahahaha...I've learned a lot of tricks along the way.  Including where to wait, what to do and who to know...if you are a serious concert goer like me you will learn the secrets bwahahaha!  Next concerts for us this summer are Florida Georgia Line/Gary Allen, One Republic, Jason Aldean/Jake Owen and yesssss Luke Bryan AGAIN whoohooo!  I save my pennies to go to concerts...its my crack/cigarette addicition along with iTunes and books on my Kindles...could be worse right? We all have our passions and music rates #1 with this gal!  And I'm bringing up Alexa to love it as much as me hee hee...and my mom too..3 generations of crazy women hee! Nuttin' better right?  I will have a full slideshow up this week of concert pics if you wanna see...for now I leave you with these 2...yes that WAS MY VIEW!!

Mr. Tim McGraw you are still FINE! :) 

******************************************

Tag You're It!!

The current Magnolia-licious Tuesday Challenge is "Butterflies"...so today Team B posts which includes yours truly, so hop over to the challenge blog to see all the DT inspiration.  I haven't created a tag in forever so I decided to whip up one for this challenge in a vintage kind-of way.  I used a Mini Magnolia "Japanese Tilda" for this one...I love Asian/Oriental type stamps and knew she'd be lovely with these Prima papers.  You can see all the challenge details at the blog and I hope you stop in to join in!

**Check out the NEW Special Moments Collection at Magnolia-licious...they will be shipping late this week and they are adorable!  Regular sized, Mini sized and dies in this collection! **

All the papers are by Prima and I distressed them and inked the edges.  The lil' postcards/papers on the left of the tag are from the paperpad, I just cut them out & used them as small accents.  The scrolls are a Memory Box die "Val Flourish" and my BUTTERFLIES are punches by MS and I punched them out of the matching papers.  Also in a totally unplanned coincidence the cream paper with writing says "Butterfly Challenge" LOL which I thought was totally cool. :)  The leaves are from a Memory Box die as well "Cottage Leaf"(10% off) .  And some pearls and layered flowers finished it off.

"Japanese Tilda" from Magnolia-licious got colored with TouchTwin Markers in:  GY173,GY174/ GY48/ G43 / CG9,CG5,CG3/ Y169/ YR132,YR133,R131.  Some Stickles on her kimono and the butterflies for pretty sparkle.  The tags were cut with dies I got from the UK...not sure of the their name sorry, its been awhile.

Enjoy your week & see you back here on Thursday!