Red, White, Blue & Cute!

Hello Friends!  Hope your week has started off well so far!  I got my Invisalign braces today and I must say my mouth is SORE and my jaw is throbbing...makes me not wanna eat...guess that's a good thing huh? LOL!  I had braces in high school but when my kids were very small my dentist took out my permanent retainer I'd had in since the braces had gone away.  Well in 15+ years time my teeth have mostly moved back to where they once were...the top isn't so bad but the bottom...oy vey.  So 9 months of these babies...new ones every 2 weeks and best part is you can't really tell I have them in.  So I figure I carried 2 babies for 9 months right...I darn well can do this for 9 months LOL!  After I'm done I will wear a permanent retainer at night for the rest of my life....so I NEVER have to do this again ugh!

In other news its a busy week...when isn't it right LOL?  Alexa's birthday is on Thursday and we are headed up to Baltimore's Jimmy's Seafood Restaurant for the Raven's Draft Party...we get in early, meet the players and eat some yummy crabs.  Did I mention the part where I embarrass the CRUD out of Alexa while we are there...oh yeah baby.  Her fave player is Torrey Smith and he will be there...so I'm gonna ask him to sing Alexa "Happy Birthday"...shhhhhh don't tell hee hee!  I will be videotaping that :)  I still can't believe she will be 17....where does the time go huh?

**And starting on Friday the CMC Classroom kicks off its 3rd Birthday Bash festivities as well.  So all can join in on the fun....lots of fun challenges, games, a blog hop and awesome prizes!!  I will have more details on Friday for ya!

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Red, White, Blue & Cute!!

Today I'm using another cute NEW Elisabeth Bell for SCACD from the "Fairydust Collection" and this one is called "Little Acorns, Big Dreams'.  Isn't she a lil-wittle-cutie?  My papers are a mix of PaperMania's blue pack and Bazzill Basics in red which is 15% off now (this Doodlebug Stars & Stripes paper would be a great alternative too).  I got new dies...I got new dies...lemme do the happy dance now ok hee hee AND I used them.  I used two of them anywho and both are Memory Box dies "Prized Chrysanthemum Outline" and "Lavish Branch"... I added some Stickles to the branch's flowers as well as inking them.  The sentiment die and sentiment are both from PTI.  Then I used some fab PTI ribbon to tie it all off.

I'm entering her into the following fab challenges:

Challenges 4 Everybody (anything goes)

Dream Valley Challenges (things w/ wings)

Penny Black & More Challenge (bows & flowers)

Card Makin' Mamas (ribbon)

QKR Stampede (punches/dies)

She's colored with Copics:  B39, B34,B21 / R29,R24,R22,R20 & W5 / E11,E00 / E50,E25,E31.  Stickles on her wings and trim and leaves.  I paper pieced her apron with matching paper I used on the card and then shaded it a bit with W3.  Diamond Glaze on the bucket for shine.

That's it for me today...see ya on Wednesday!

Winter Friends!

Happy First Sunday of the New Year!  Hope you had fun ringing in the New Year and didn't get into too much trouble, LOL!  We kept it pretty quiet and made homemade pizzas and sparkling grape juice and watched Dick Clark on ABC.  The New Kids on the Block performed with Backstreet Boys so I couldn't miss that!  I'll be front row at that concert come this June, if I don't faint from seeing Jordan that close, LOL!  And yesterday and today I worked on projects, trying to catch up on everything!

I am so excited to say I am Guest designing for In Style Stamps for the next 3 months--if you haven't checked out their fabulous digi images you really need to HERE!  They are fun to color them and they have so many different and beautiful images!

NewsBitz:

-SCACD is NOW OPEN for business!  Susana closed the store over the holiday but its back open with lots of new goodies in the shop!!

-The Holiday Special is still ongoing at the Color Me Creative Classroom---all copic online classes are on SALE thru Jan. 4th!!  See details HERE!

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Winter Friends!

For this card I used this past week's SCS Sketch #313 along with this super sweet image by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "Winter Friends".  Isn't she a cutie?  The papers are new from Kaisercraft's "English Rose"--I love the soft and pretty patterns.  The design behind the image was done with Spellbinder's "Lacey Circles" and the embossed panel is a CB folder.  I used Prima Hydrangeas for my flowers and the leaves are a Marianne Designs die (inked with lilac ink).  The sentiment is from PTI. 

The fur trim on her jacket was done with ivory Flower Soft--I liked the fun texture it added.  I paper pieced her jacket with matching paper then shaded it with my copics to match the rest of the image.  Her lil shoes and bird feed bin got some stickles for sparkle.  The little pearls on the side of the image, the sentiment and in the bird feed bin were done with the NEW Ranger Liquid Pearls.

Hope you enjoyed today's project and it brought a smile to your face!  I'll see you back here tomorrow with a fun Valentine's Day post!

Dreaming in Fall Colors!!

Happy Thursday everyone! How are you doing this week? I swear after months of no rain we have been getting tons of it the past 10 days on & off here in VA! I have to say as much as we needed it, I'm soooo over it and wishing for blue skies!  My patio will NEVER be finished at this rate since they can't finish the electrical stuff in the rain, lol!  Glad most of you enjoyed my blah, blah, blah post--had to do something to fill the space, hee hee---probably more info than you EVER needed to know about me right?  I'm still in the midst of finishing the holiday edition of our magazine "Through the Craftroom Door" and prepping for my classes in DE this weekend so its a busy day today.  Gotta go to the post office and run some other boring errands as well including getting new black boots.  I realized my most favorite boots that are sooo comfortable and broken in (I've had them for years) have cracked in a few places so I must find a replacement---here's hoping its not a long quest, lol!  And to add to the stress my kids are acting CRAZY and one of them (by the name of Alexa) got herself grounded for the rest of the weekend---trust me, you don't want to know :) but let's just say I'm glad to get away for a few days.  The teenage years might just kill me for sure!

NewsBitz:

-Ok, sorry I'm late with this but I can only post this stuff up on certain days!  The winner of the "Bats 'n' Brooms" Blog Candy is LISA of "Land of enCraftment"!! Congrats Lisa--contact me for details!

-Just to clear up ANY CONFUSION, lol cuz' I get this A LOT!  Susana of Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is a SEPARATE PERSON from MEEEEE!  She is the store owner of SCACD and lives in CA!  I am the designer, owner of the Color Me Creative Classroom, Copic Videos, ScrapBitz and co-owner of Through the Craft Room Door Magazine!!  I know it can get confusing but just wanted to clear it up for you all---we're never offended by it though!  So I don't OWN a store, lol!

-The magazine is looking for some fun fall, winter or winter holiday submissions using the sketch below!  Get them to us by Oct 20th at craftdoor@yahoo.com !!  We're also looking for thank you cards, superbowl projects and anything homemade (sewing, cooking, woodworking, clay making & more)--come on, don't you want to see your names in lights?????  LOL!

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Dreaming in Fall Colors!!

Yep today is the BIG DAY!!!  A Dual Release from two fab artists for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design---both Elisabeth Bell and Victoria Case have mini releases coming out today at the store!  And the SCACD DT has a fun Blog Hop to show off all the images for you--make sure to scroll all the way down to see who's next on the hop and maybe something sweet as well!  I got to work with Elisabeth Bell's for SCACD "First Leaf of Fall" image today from the Mini Sampler Edition #1 and I just adore it---check out Victoria Case's release "Mini Little Acorns Set" for SCACD HERE!

I have a fun copic challenge going on at my Color Me Creative Classroom's CMC Copic Challenge Group (anyone can join in on the fun here--you have to join the main site first tho') that features a monochromatic technique and the prizes are from SCACD.  The technique I used for the majority of my image was monochromatic--which means to take one color and use different tones of it (for this image it's E44,E43,E42,E41 & E40)!

 

So to keep the monochromatic theme going thru-out my card I used papers from Basic Grey's "Manilla" and "Kraft" paper pads--I love these pads and the fun, vintage patterns that are in them both.  The fall sentiment is from PTI's "Autumn Tags" set, pearls by Kaisercraft and the scrolls are from an EK Success punch.  All the edges got distressed with my Zutter Distress Tool which I of course loveeee!

My image is called "First Leaf of Fall" and colored with Copics, including the background and grass (I teach how to do these watercolored backgrounds in both my online copic classes & on the road classes)! Colors used:  E44,E43,E42,E41,E40/E11,E00,R20/E08,Y15,YR01,YR18).  I added some Stickles to the grass, her back pocket & collar and the leaves for sparkle!

The bow was made with my Bow Easy of course (I love that $5 tool sooo much)!  The flowers are layered cream Primas and orang flowers I punched with my Nellie Snellen punches  I inked the edges of all my flowers with my Inkssentials Foam Tool--it is awesome and I use it to ink the edges of my images as well for a soft, airbrushed look! The leaves were punched from the Basic Grey pattern paper, folded in half and then I inked the edges before adding them to the card. 

A mini Blog Candy for you today if you answer this question "What scares you most??" (it can be a funny scare, movie scare or real-life scare)!  One winner will win a package of Prima flowers, an Inkssentials Blending Tool, a stamp (one) of your choice from SCACD and a pack each of the Basic Grey paper pads I used today!

Hope you enjoyed my post today and your next fun stop on the Blog Hop is KIM!!!

Sickie Poos!

Happy, Happy Friday everyone!!  Don't we all love the weekends--wahoo?!!  The weather has been absolutely beautiful here in VA and I've had my windows open everyday--the weekend is supposed to be sweet too!  We are doing some front yard work on Saturday and maybe doing movie night perhaps.  Tonight we are going to Alexa's high school for a tailgate party for the first football game and her first cheering as well---should be fun and the weather is supposed to cooperate too :)  They say it will be in the 50's at night--yikes--maybe too cool for me, hee hee---I still want it to be summer ya know!?  Sunday it's a toss up between hanging out at our club pool, school shopping or heading down to National Harbor--hmmmmm?  School shopping is NEVER fun so maybe we'll do a little bit on Sunday & a bit next week, me thinks!!  Note to self: wear earplugs, take aspirin and have a glass of wine ready for afterwards, LMBO!

NewsBitz:

-Come on ladies near or in Canada---I've got pre-registrations up for Buffalo, NY in November for the Color Me Creative Copic Classes!!  Tell your friends :)  Other pre-registrations are up as well--go to www.cmcroad.com for all the info!  If you will be out in LA for CHA in January I will be teaching a copic class on that Friday--if you are interested email me!

-I will announce the birthday blog candy winner on Monday morning for ya'll!!

-Tomorrow I will have some new Copic Quikbitz Videos up--they are all about haircoloring!  I get the most questions about hair so I did a few different types of images and using different color combos!  Also coming is a video on coloring rusty objects too :)

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Elisabeth Bell for SCACD "AnimaPeeps" Release Today!!

Yayyy!  Today is the new release from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD "AnimaPeeps"--they are so cute! Almost Disney like in their cuteness KWIM!  Today I'm sharing the image "TLC" with you--the cute girl squirrel is treating her sick lil' dolly--perfect for all those get well/feel better cards!  You can find all of these new stamps at SCACD HERE!  I used some of my very coveted (and discontinued) Basic Grey "Lily Kate" papers along with some fun embellishments--but SCACD still has some of this paper in stock HERE (snatch it while you can)!

I added some scrolls along the edges of my image with my fave Marianne Designs dies (love them sooo much) and the yellow cs got embossed one of my most used CB folders (swirls).  The sentiment is from PTI (Vintage Picnic Basket sentiments) and some fun PTI buttons with a bow on top. 

My image was colored with Copics (but of course)--B97,B93,B91/Y13,Y11,Y00/E37,E35,E31,E53,E50!  I colored her tail with upwards strokes to replicate the way the fur would lay on her tail--just adds a bit of texture!  Viva Decor Glitter Liner on her sleeves for sparkle and then diamond glaze on her & her dolly's eyes!

Hope you enjoyed my project today and stop back by this weekend for my NEW Copic QuikBitz Videos!!

Me & My Buddy!

Hello all you fabulous friends!  Let's talk about music and books today, 'kay!?  I LOVE Music--all kinds, I really don't discriminate at all ('cept maybe heavy duty rap) although I do love Jay Z's kind of rapping, the heavier stuff not so much.  I have over 11,000 songs on my Ipod--GASP--and there is a bit of everything.  I was adding some new songs to my Ipod last night while I was burning the midnight oil finishing projects and realized what a group of music I have.  They say your Ipod music list says a lot about you...........hmmmmmmm......this just means that I am totally ADD and all over the place even in my music, LMBO!  I have folk, punk, pop, oldies, classical, rap, R&B, country, retro--you name it and I probably love it and know the words to it.  I have a freaky talent where I can hear a song once and remember all the words even 20 years later---it drives my daughter CRAZY, lol!  Last night I was listening to Lady GaGa, Bon Jovi, Dixie Chicks, Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Barry Manilow--I hear you laughing but yes I do like Barry Manilow (Copacopacabana) hee hee! I think they need a Broadway show made to all his music like they have for Green Day, Abba, Billy Joel, etc.

If you like Lady GaGa or just really like to see very talented kids do their thing--take the time to watch the YouTube video below--this 12 year old boy is awesome (better than Gaga herself) and make sure to watch the classmates faces while he's singing (I think they're a little shocked, lol)!  I think he's fabulous and most stars can't sing that well live w/o a band KWIM--he's gonna be on Ellen DeGeneres' show on Thursday & I'll be watching!



Now let's chat about some books--even with working a ton of hours lately I find time to read before bed.  Everyone always asks me how I have time to read and I don't really, but I make time for things that I love.  It's the only time I get for "me" when everyone is asleep and no one needs anything, KWIM?  Some nights I read wayyyyyyy too late when I should be sleeping, but a good book is always worth it.  If any of you have read the Debbie MaComber series "Cedar Cove or Blossom Street" books then YOU WILL LOVE her new book called "Hannah's List"--I read it in one night and it was fabulous.  I also found a new series to obsess over called "Sweet Magnolias" set in my fave South Carolina by Sherryl Woods--so far I'm on book 4 and they will suck you right in, really good. Make sure to read them in order though--that's important!  If you want more mystery & action than you MUST read "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson and the next one is "Girl That Played with Fire"--AWESOME, page-turners, sad to see them end!  Can't wait for the new one to come out on May 25th--yes it's pre-ordered on my Kindle!  All of these books are available on the Kindle--my true love, shhhh...don't tell hubby but it's the best gift he's EVER given me, lol!

NewsBitz:

-Susana has MORE NEW GOODIES in stock for you to peruse and buy, hee hee! Fabulous new Kaisercraft paper pads (love that gypsy sister--it's mine for sure) and 7 Gypsies paper pads as well!

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Me & My Buddy

This card was made for Try It Out Thursday--yep I said Thursday.  The DT has split into 2 groups and will be doing these challenges on Tuesday & Thursday--my day is Thursday :)  Starting next week on the store blog you will also be able to join in and link your card on the blog--first week of every month there will be a prize as well so we hope you'll all stop by and take part!

I've used this new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD cutie called "Me & My Buddy"--LOVE THIS!  Gotta love a gal with her doggie--too cute!  The challenge this week was to create a Springtime project--well I only had time to make a card so pretend the gift is invisible, lol!  I used some of my fave Basic Grey "Bittersweet" papers for my card--love those colors.  I layered some Prima flowers with Prima Cameo roses and added some swirls in cream made with some Spellbinder's dies.  The trim was done with one of my fave MS border punches--love it!  I added some ribbon tags for fun and left off a sentiment so this could be used for any occasion.  I also like to skew my layers on occasion--it's just fun!!

This cutie is colored with Copics (I don't remember exactly all the colors-but will add the rest in tomorrow)--the hair was done with E25,E31 & E50 and doggie too with the addition of E53.  I like to paper piece sometimes--it's fun and makes a nice matchy statement!  Make sure to shadow/shade your paper piecing so it doesn't look weird, OK?  I shaded with W1,R00, & R20 and also created shadowing around the image (see Magnolia post below for this).  Then I stamped a few swirls in pink ink around the image's end and added Viva Decor glitter liner in holographic to them for bling!

Hope you liked today's project---now hop over to the store blog to see the rest of the DT's projects!

Day Dreamin'!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's and grandma's out there! Hope you are enjoying the day with family and being spoiled. I always get my fave breakfast in bed, wait for it................2 Dunkin Donuts Boston Creme donuts and a glass of chocolate milk, lol! (but I like Eggs Benedict too, hee hee but hubby wouldn't have a clue how to fix that).  I will ALWAYS love donuts--it's my favorite treat, can't help myself!  So far I'm having a great Mom's Day--my fridge's icemaker got fixed, my flower bed is almost done and I got a new 19" flat screen tv for the wall in my craft room---so I'm pretty happy today!  Now to get hubby to hang the tv up--that could be a few more weeks on his schedule, LOL!  I'm still waiting for my ceiling fan/light to be hung up in there--and it's been a year!  We'll all have dinner together tonight but I actually have to spend the day working--gotta catch up a bit cuz' there is lots to get done.  I just wish the weather was a bit warmer today and not so windy!

NewsBitz:

-I had a few of you guess that my daughter and her friend would make it all nite when they camped out, so I did random.org and came up with the:  Winner of the Emma's Paperie Gift Certificate is my CHA pal Kim Howard of Basement Stamper, hee hee!  Quite a few of you guessed all night and believe it or not they did--even surprised me!!

-And the 3 Winners of my Birthday Blog Candy are Tertia of Crafting Gran, Tina of Tigger's Scrap Place, and Mari Harpham of Trails of Paper.  Email me at sjdean@smartneighborhood.net so I can email you links to pick out your Viva Decor Pearl pen and Magnolia stamp plus your mailing address so I can get the rest of the goodies out to you!

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Day Dreamin'

Today I'm sharing with you a card I made for my mom for Mother's Day (surprise mom! lol--it will be in the mail cuz' I'm late with the card but not the presents)!  This card uses the fabulous new "Day Dreamin'" stamp from  Elisabeth Bell for SCACD--isn't it a beauty!  I love the it and the way the breeze seems to be blowing right thru--my fave thing in the world is to have a breeze blowing in thru the windows and to hear the trees rustling outside.  I also used the NEW Basic Grey paper "Capella"--isnt' it gorgeous (love those soft colors)--I used soft sky, dove gray and cream cardstocks to match it.  Susana will have the Basic Grey in stock early this coming week.

I used this past week's Friday Sketcher's sketch for my layout, wrapped it with cream ribbon and topped it with a bow made with my Bow Easy.  You can find these beautiful pearls here (in bliss) and those roses are Prima Cameo Roses--aren't they gorgeous tinged with color.  I used my favorite scroll punch here to accent the flowers and a MS leaf punch for the leaves.

She's colored with Copics (duh right) and then I added flower soft to the window box (I used baby blue and the sweet pea mix together).  I scored the shutters and folded them up so they were more 3-D.  The window panes have diamond glaze on them and while it was still wet I spritzed the center of the stamp (I folded the shutters back because I wanted them to be solid, not sparkly) with Vanilla Smooch Spritz.  The curtains got a coating of Shimmerz Buttercream paint after they were colored with Copics.  In my Class 4 at the Color Me Creative Classroom I have a video that shows multiple ways to color "sheer items" like these curtains.

Hope you like this lil' beauty (hope mom does too)!  Have a great Sunday!

Neapolitan Yummers!

Hi everyone and Happy Wednesday!  Can you believe that tomorrow is April 1st already?  Wow--March flew by and I'm happy to be done with it to tell you the truth, LOL!  It was a very lonnnngggg month for me!  Spring is coming to VA and I'm soo happy--the trees are blooming, the grass is green & it's supposed to be 80 this week--wahoooo!!

We had a fabulous time in NYC--really, it couldn't have been any better!  It was nice to get away to new scenery and just spend time as a family and really connecting & having fun together. We did some shopping, lots of sight seeing around Central Park, visited the USS Intrepid, climbed to the top of 30 Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock) & did the NBC Studio tour!  We also spent 2 days in Central Park at the zoo and taking a pedi-cab tour (bike cabs) which was really fun.  One night we saw "South Pacific" on Broadway (oh how I love the theater) and if you go to NYC you have to go to Macy's--it's the largest in the world and they have a floor of shoes (I'm in heaven)!!  A really nice time--the slideshow of our NYC trip is below (if you get this as a subscription you have to come to the blog site to view them)!  We got home around 1 am on Monday morning from NYC, then I had to teach a Copics Class at 11 am which I always enjoy and then hubby, me and Riley went to see Bon Jovi ROCK it out onstage (honestly, one of the greatest concerts I've been too--and I've been to a lot of them)!!  I'll have some Bon Jovi pics for you tomorrow--we had awesome seats--I do love Jon Bon Jovi!!  I remember getting their first album when I was 11--ack--so long ago! LOL!  But we got home at 1 am again & I'm still exhausted (as I type this up at 3 am in the morning)--I need some sleep, hee hee!

NewsBitz:

-Tomorrow is April 1st--which means lots of things happening in CraftLand, hee hee!  I'll have my Magnolia-licious Sketch project for you tomorrow and will start sending out the emails to those of you who have subscribed to the NEW mini-magazine "Through the Craftroom Door"--the paper versions will soon follow in the mail!

-If you're looking to sign up for a subscription to the mini-magazine or want a sneakie-peekie of the first edition you can go to the main site HERE for all of that info!

-If you're interested in Online Copic Classes you can visit my site "Color Me Creative Classroom" HERE to learn more about it all!  I will have the 4th class up very soon along with a few classes taught by friends too!

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LOVE YA!

I was so excited when I got home to find that all my NEW My Mind's Eye papers from their LUSH lines had come in the mail--I love the colors and patterns in this line.  For this card I used the brown & pink lines to create my card with a Verve sketch HERE.

This cute lil' girl image is from Elisabeth Bell's line of stamps for SCACD and she's called "I Heart Ya"--isn't she a cutie?!  She's colored with copics (E29,E25,E53, R12,R11,R00) and then I've added some stickles to her shirt and heart for sparkle.  The background was embossed with my CB folder and I used my Bow Easy to make my bow and tied a heart charm to hang below it!  Some chocolate pearls finish it off--just a fun, cute card for someone special!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more fun projects for you!
Here is the slideshow of our NYC trip for you below:

Egg Hunt!!

Hello to you all!  Hope your week is being sweet to you!  I'm just warning everyone that the next two weeks on my blog may be a bit skinny---due to all the work I'm doing behind the scenes to get the "Color Me Creative Classroom" up and running and our NEW Mini-Magazine coming April 1st!  I try not to view my to-do list as a whole, cuz' then I get overwhelmed so I'm just working my way down the list one bit at a time, LOL!  But there will be posts everyday and new projects, just maybe not 2 a day :o)  Last night my kid's middle school had a School Spirit Fundraising Night at our local Fuddrucker's and my son entered an eating contest, LOL!!  He had to eat a whole, huge hamburger in a race against teachers, his principal and other students---omgoodness how funny!  Wish I had a picture of it, too fun and the night raised alot of money for the school which is good.  Nothing better than a Fuddrucker's burger, fries and shake I tell ya! Mmmm....mmmm Good!

NewsBitz:

-My pre-registration for my Online-Copic Classes thru the "Color Me Creative Classroom" are accessible HERE or link on my side bar if you are interested.  Anyone can take these classes, no matter where you are in the world or what time you want to take it--you only need a camera, a computer and a good internet connection!  Pre-registration prices are thru March 15th when the Website goes live!!  Email me if you have any questions about the classes!

-Also starting today we are taking subscription orders for our NEW Craft Mini-Magazine called "Through the Craft Room Door" at INTRODUCTORY PRICES.  You can access the page with full description and pricing options HERE!  The first issue goes out April 1st!!

-I will have the winner of the Zutter Distrezz Tool up on Friday I promise :)

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Easter Egg Hunt

Today I'm sharing my Try It Out Tuesday card for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store--yes I'm late, seems I'm really behind this week (surprise, surprise)!  Anywho I challenged the DT to a color challenge--pinks, moss/sage green and cream--I added kraft (hey it's a form of cream, hee hee) and soft sky blue!  Cheater, Cheater--yeah I hear ya, LOL--oh well!  I used a fabulous cute image from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "Bunnie"--isn't she a doll with her bunny friend?!  The papers are from K&Co's "Life's Journeys" paired with colored cardstock.  The kraft cs was scored with my Scor-Pal in a basket weave pattern to match her lil' basket--very easy to do.

The pretty swirls were made with my NEW SLICE MACHINE--woohooo!  Love that thing cuz I'm not much of a Cricut gal (gasp)--I just don't have room in my craft room to have it set up and it's too much of a pain to pull out all the time.  So enter the SLICE!!  I bought 8 cartridges and I can store it under my table, pull it out when I need it and it's so easy to use!  These swirls are from the "Basics 3" cartridge--I got all the cartridges at Amazon.com.  I added some ink to them to distress a bit and then pearls from Kaisercraft and with my NEW White Pearl Pen by Viva Decor (wanting some of these? Susana will have more in stock by Friday--BUT she does have the opal Paper Pen in stock which gives the same effect if you want to make pearls)!  I tied my bow with PTI ribbon and my Bow Easy and then made some hatpins to match!  All of the flowers are by Prima's E-Line except for the small ruffly flowers (see those here).

She was colored with copics (pinks: R22,R21,R20 and Colorless/Blues: B01,B000) and then I added Smooch Illuminate to her bonnet and trims (love this stuff).  Her shoes and eggs got a nice shiny coat of diamond glaze.  I think she's a real cutie!

Now make sure and hop over to the store blog HERE to see the rest of the DT's lovely projects!  I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

What? July in February!!

Hello again my friends!  Oh goodness do I have alot to get done this week since it's the end of the month---but of course I say that every week, LOL!  I need my ghost friends to come out and help me, hee hee---"WHAT" you ask!  I have convinced myself that I have a ghost in the house, LMBO--seems to be friendly and hubby thinks I'm NUTS!  I think me and Riley may have watched too much "Ghost Hunters", hee hee--but there seems to be something strange goin' on in the Dean house.  The other day when I was videotaping the "Magic Mesh" vid, a spool of Magic Mesh leaped from one corner of my desk onto my work area while I was doing the video (creepy).  Then the cats have been sitting in the family room when all of a sudden they look behind me (behind where I sit), hair is raised up and eyes wide then they run from the room.  Not to mention that Baylee will do the same thing and start barking---STRANGE I tell ya, very strange.  And here is the kicker--hubby and I were in bed the other night and I was reading, when my bedside lamp went off suddenly.  And no the lightbulb didn't burn out, the switch wasn't flicked or anything---hubby and I looked at each other and were like "Whoaaaaa----really creepy", especially since I leaned over and turned the lamp right back on, nothing wrong with it!  So I can't say I'm a total believer in ghosties/spirits but it definitely has me thinking (and wondering who it is, LOL)!  Alright, enuff ghost stories for ya!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some NEW stuff in STOCK NOW!  Craft Lounge stamps are in stock HERE and some new awesome Ritz Glitter HERE (it's very, very fine and feels soft to the touch, very cool)!

-Susana's Store has the NEW Spellbinder's Dies in STOCK NOW HERE!!  YAY!  Love those labels!

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SCACD Try It Out Tuesday Challenge #56

You're probably thinking that the ghosties have gotten to me and I'm confused about months, right? LOL!  But the Try It Out Tuesday Challenge for Susana's Store is to use a stamp from the store for a Holiday/Purpose other than what it's for!  So this NEW cutie by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "Oh Baby" just screamed out to me to be a 4th of July baby!  I had so much fun coloring her I tell ya!  The papers are all by Stampin Up and I used my Scor-Tape to create a ruffle with some sheer ribbon to match her skirt.  The 4th of July sentiment is from a Melissa Frances set HERE.

Isn't she a cutie pie?  She can be used for so many different occasions--I love stamps that are versatile like this!  Her shoes got some diamond glaze on them and then her socks, flower and shirt all got stardust stickles on them for lots of glitzy sparkles.  (Copics Used: R29,R24,R22,R20 & B39,B37,B32)

So I couldn't stop with just one, since I had all the supplies out!  I always like to try to do a couple of CAS (clean & simple) cards every month!  I used a fabulous Lockhart Co. stamp "IB Bite Size Cupcake" and stamped three out on my cs (see the cs I use for copics here), colored them and then added a fun NEW Product to the top for frosting (more on this new stuff on Friday)!  The cherries got dabs of diamond glaze, the white cs was embossed with a CB folder and then I added stickles to some of the lines to make it glittery!  This could be used for tons of things, but I like the clean lines of it!!

Now to see more inspiration on making your stamps versatile, head over to the Store Blog HERE to check out all the DT projects.

New Release--Yay!!

Hello everyone and Happy Friday to ya!  Wahooo it's the weekend, this week has seemed very long and hard to me, LOL, between being sick, working too many hours and my laptop crashing!  I'm so looking forward to some down time, errr....well a little bit, hee hee since I have videos to shoot, projects to finish up and a retirement party for hubby's mom to attend!  I have a private copic class today which is always fun and then my daughter is going to the mall with her friends for a bit to shop--she's been raking in some big time babysitting bucks, I might need to borrow some $$ from her, LOL!  Are any of you watching the Olympics?  Hubby and I are HUGE Olympic junkies--we watch them ALL--we like to tivo them and then forward to what we want to watch :o) I really enjoyed seeing Lindsey Vohn win the Gold the other night in alpine skiing--I was thrilled for her!!

NewsBitz:

-I have a NEW Instructional Video up HERE that shows FUN ways to use Magic Mesh!!

-Pink Cat Studio has a fun CONTEST going on right now--you can find all the details HERE!

-Winner of the FREE IMAGE "Bye Bye" from Mo's Digital Pencil is Mary of "My Scrap Happy Life"--congrats Mary!  Email me with your email addy so I can get the image to you asap!

-Winner of the Magnolia "Dream Journey" Blog Candy is Nancy of "Another MD Crabbie!  Congrats Nancy--please email me with all your info so I can get the goods out to ya lickety-split!
(Thanks to everyone for entering--I loved reading all your sweet entries--I will have major blog candy up soon)

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Always

Today is Release Day for the NEW stamps from Elisabeth Bell for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store--this set is called "Sampler Edition #3.  To celebrate the DT and some wonderful Guest Designers are doing a fun Blog Hop for you today to show off all the new stamps!  These stamps are all gorgeous and I love each one--you can see them all HERE (will be available before 9 am EST)!  For my projects today I've created a card using "New Friends" (isn't she just gorgeous--love her-reminds me of my daughter) and a matching Boxy-Bag.  These gorgeous papers are NEW from DCWV "Linen Closet" (I snagged this one and Mediterranean Cafe at my JoAnn's store yesterday).

You can find the entire Blog Hop List HERE in case you get lost, hee hee---but your next stop on the Hop can be found at the end of this post!

I just love this stamp "New Friends", reminds me so much of my daughter (esp. the profile) when she was younger.  I used the awesome Mojo Monday sketch #124 for my card layout--I really like it so I'll definitely be using it again!  I colored the image with copics (B01,B00,B0000/E43,E41,E53/Hair:E35,E31,YR20,YR21) and added some stickles to her pockets and hair barette.  The sentiment is a PTI set and I added some pearls and Prima Roses (the mini rosebuds you can find here) to finish it off.  That fab bow was made with my Bow Easy of course ;o)

I hadn't made one of these Boxy-Bags before, I know they were really popular for awhile and you saw them everywhere but it's been awhile, so I decided to give one a go--you can find the directions for this HERE.  It was really easy to make, I used one of my Asian Cuttlebug folders on the blue cs, a MS border punch and then spritzed the entire project with Vanilla Smooch Spritz (love the soft sparkles)-I added it to my card too :o)  Hope you liked my projects for today--you can find all the new stamps HERE and your next stop on the HOP is CAROLYN's BLOG HERE!!  Have fun hoppin'!!

I Admit....!!

Hello Friends & Happy Tuesday to ya!  So anyone anxious to hear how I lost 7 lbs in 1 week, lol?!  Well, I have to admit something first, hee hee.........I AM A SUGAR ADDICT, there I said it!!  My body craves sugar & I LOVE it soooo much, lol---in one day I probably had 10 people servings of sugar which is really BAD!  I drank 2-3 sodas a day, loved chocolate milk and ate sugar in all of my foods---it's amazing to really see how much sugar is in food!  So hubby and I went on Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure--it was REALLY enlightening!  I always knew that fake sugar was really horrible for ya, but I didn't realize that I should only be having 15 grams of sugar a day which isn't very much I tell ya!  When you eat too much sugar your insulin rises and tells your body to hold onto all the fat you eat which leads to you gaining weight!  It makes alot of sense, so you keep your sugars down to 15 grams and carb servings to 120 grams--no limits on fats or proteins!  And you DON'T have to exercise to lose the weight although I've been working out for 35 mins a day, 4 x a week!  So most people lose 5-10 lbs the first week, hubby lost 10 lbs (boo to him, lol) and I lost 7 but I'm hoping to drop another 7 this week before I leave for CA.  I will tell ya, it's been very hard but I'm determined to do it, not just only to lose some weight but to be healthier too.  We ate way too much junk & ate out too much so this a good way to rein it all in!  Well I'm here to tell you it is hard but it does work--we're proof!!  We'll see how long I last, hee hee....

NewsBitz:

-Susana's Custom Art & Card Design is releasing NEW stamps on Friday and the DT will be having a Blog Hop to celebrate.  Blog Candy is up on the store blog HERE if you want to see some sneak peeks and enter for the yummy candy!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #50--Color Challenge!!

Since today is Tuesday that means it's Try It Out Tuesday for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design!!  I've challenged the DT to a Color Challenge using Aquas, Peach/Corals & Yellow!  I chose to use this fabulous image by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "Danni" (named after our DT sistah Danni)--isn't she lovely!!   My dp is by K&Co. called "Marcella" (1 of my fave paper pads from them) paired with PTI cs.  The border is a MS punch and then I layered Prima flowers & roses--the cream roses were painted with "mellow yellow" Inspiration Paints for a soft glow & shimmer (these are a little thicker than Shimmerz & work fabuloulsy on your images & flowers & shimmery too)!  Pearls and a bow made with my Bow Easy finish it off!

I colored her with copics (BG75,BG72,BG11/E19,E13,R02,R01,R00/Y15,Y11,Y00) and then added stickles to her wings and the butterflies!  I love these colors together--very calming & lovely!  Now head over to the store blog "Follow Your Heart" to see all the other DT's beautiful projects and enter for the NEW RELEASE Blog Candy while you're there!!

See ya back here tomorrow!!

Gilded in Gold!!

Hello & Happy Saturday!  Do any of you have some special plans for the weekend other than staying warm that is? LOL!  Today is errand & relax day but on Sunday we have to pack all the Xmas stuff away--I have it down to a science so it doesn't take very long to do if everyone pitches in.  It's the vacuuming & dusting that takes the longest and then the house looks so bare afterwards, kinda depressing ya know!  But it's time to put everything away & PREPARE for Spring, LOL!  In my dreams right, lol?!!

Last night we ordered Domino's pizza and watched "Aliens in the Attic" with the kids--oh my that movie just cracked me up--the Grandma kicking butt at alien forces.  Oh my, I laughed so hard--the kids always think I'm a weirdo cuz' I laugh harder than them, but I can't help myself.  It's like the new "Chipmunks" movie--it just cracked me up although I have the Chipette's version of "Single Ladies" going thru my head constantly, LOL!

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NewsBitz:

-If you haven't entered for my "Laundry List" Blog Candy, you have until Sunday at midnite EST to do so!  Get the details right HERE!

-Make sure and stop by Susana's Custom Art & Card Design to check out all the new goodies she has in stock!  If you like metallics & sparkles like me, than you will love the new American Crafts Glitter Pens, Metallic Markers and Sparkle Buttons!  I LOVE EM'!!  I'm a magpie remember, lol!

-And if you're not able to get a Sharpie Poster Paint Marker like I use, American Crafts makes a pretty good white pen HERE that is fairly comparable and much, much better than the Inkssentials in my opinion--nice brite white and super easy flow!!

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Gilded Gold

This gift set I made uses the lovely "Cherry Blossom" stamp by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD--available HERE!  If you've seen the Copic "Gold" video (see video HERE or access it on my Tutorials/Templates page at top of blog) I did for the Copic Gold Bundle HERE, then you'll recognize this image that I colored and I had to use her for something special.  I created a Gold Ensemble with a card and matching frame (frame is approx.6.5x6.5")!  The dp is by Anna Griffin and the gold cs I embossed is from PTI!

I embossed her shirt and cuffs with Stewart Superior EP (the best in the biz' for fine line embossing) and then paper-pieced them on.  I added some of my new favorite Zva jewel flourishes and then added some pearls to the ends.  The bow was made with my fave Bow Easy and then I added a Petaloo Mulberry Rose (cuz' I think it looks like a cherry blossom) and then on top is a Prima Pearl Center (I love putting them in the middle of flowers or bows)!  I like my layout for this one--I wanted to kinda mimic her kimono top in the layout & am happy with the way it turned out!

I picked up a couple of these really nice unfinished frames from Michaels quite a while ago so I had to pull one out and finally use it (since I have a closet full of stuff I need to use, lol)!  I attached the same papers with Modge Podge and then added some more rhinestones, ribbon & rose and Cherry Blossom image again.  I adore how it turned out and hope you do too!

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Love Birds

I LOVE this card, the colors, the cute image, everything, hee hee!  This cute image is from I Brake For Stamps called appropriately "Love Birds"--aren't they fun?  (if you order anything from the IBFS store, make sure and use the coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to save 10% off your whole order)!  I paired the image up with these FABULOUS new papers from Kaiser Craft called "Lilac Avenue" HERE--the colors are lovely, there are glitter sheets and foil sheets included in the 6x6 pack!!  I used my Mega Nestabilities Labels 8 to create the curvy border edge--just split it in half and added it and I love it!  So cute--I love this color combo I tell ya!

Have a fabulous weekend and see ya back here on Monday!!