Happy Dancer!!

Happy Sunday everyone! Today I am on my way home, so yep I am flying across the country once again---how many miles have I racked up this year? A LOT--to tell you the truth I'm afraid to count them all up LOL!  But I have earned some free hotel rooms and flights so I'm saving them up for a family trip next year :)  I had a wonderful time "somewhere in the US"--the weather was perfect and the company was great!  But the traveling was NOT SO GOOD--for any of you that follow me on Facebook you probably know some of the story about my trip this weekend and the DISASTER that it was to get there, LOL!  I kid you not I HATE CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT, every single time (and I mean every single time I've ever been here) I've had a flight delayed by 5 or more hours or cancelled.  I start my trip off at Washington Dulles airport my hometown airport, arrive 2 hours ahead of time and sit down to work.  Not there more than 20 mins and I hear my name announced on the speakers LOL--now I know you are thinking "what did she do now?".  But they wanted to bump me up to first class (uh yeah) to accomodate a family traveling together---I said sure (duh) as long as I got a window seat.  I slept the entire flight to Chicago (2 hrs) so not too eventful after that.  Arrive in Chicago and board says FLIGHT IS ON TIME and I literally had 20 mins to get from 1 gate to the next--if you've been there you know what a trek that can be.  So I'm running with my bags in my heels (yes heels duh cuz I wear them always and I had a meeting to go to straight off the plane so don't shake your heads lol) looking like a maniac I'm sure!  Sit down and they announce the flight is delayed 30 mins-1 hour due to "mechanics" ummm yeah.  If you travel a lot you know this usually means ONLY TWO THINGS---1 they have to fly in a new plane which could take HOURS (or) 2 that the flight will be cancelled.  And yep the darn thing was cancelled---so the mass of people run to the counter me included and I literally (no lie) trip on someone's bag and fly forward into this huge guy who catches me LOL.  Thanks to him I was #10 in line hee hee--and yes I have a tendency to trip and fly into people A LOT.  Alexa is hoping its not a hereditary trait LMBO!  As I'm standing there I'm reaching out to a few people to have them look up alternate flights for me and contacting my American Express travel agent (perk of having a gold or platinum card so if you do remember they will help you out in time of crisis and they are GOOD at it).  Counter lady announces that she can only accomodate the first 8 people--WHHHHAAAAATTT???  Ummmm no not working for me, so everyone goes running to other terminal to the United Customer Service Desk.  At this point I might be SLIGHTLY SWEATING AND HAVING A SMALL MELT DOWN IN MY HEAD.  But by the time my turn comes up I have 3 flights booked alternatively by Amex, my hubby & a friend LOL--and I'm updating peeps in the line with other options cuz' nothing was leaving O'Hare until 6:30 pm and it was 10:40 am at that point.  It was like I was a freaking TRAVEL AGENT for our flight LOL!  Best choice of flights happened to be.....yep you guessed my fave Southwest (why oh why did I abandon you for United this time) which only flys out of .............yep Midway Airport which is at least 45-50 mins away.  So Suzanne decides to make an executive decision and go for it---this flight would get me in at 3 so I could still do my meetings and not be too delayed.  YEPPERS, I tore outta that line like a bat outta hell and raced down to the taxi stand (now United tells me my bag will be sent ahead of me to my destination like normal).  I give the taxi stand guy a big tip and tell him to find me the fastest taxi to Midway cuz it was 11:05 and flight was leaving at 12:30 and I had to get thru security.  So he's like "Oh I know a guy" LOL (it was a like a corny movie at this point and I was the unlucky star of it)---so I get in and tell the guy "if you can get me there in 25 mins or less I'll give you the biggest tip of your life!".  His response "YOU GOT IT!!"---we went 95 mph all the way and at this point panic had seized my body so severely that I don't remember much other than asking the driver if he had "tequila" in the cab so I could have some LMBO!  Well he got me there in 21 mins FLAT--whoo hooo--excellent so he got an $80 tip.  He was so excited he got out and grabbed me, hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks and said he was taking his wife out to dinner--aww! See I do believe some things in life happen for a reason even if they are sometimes a PAIN & DETRIMENT to ourselves LOL.  Run into the airport, grab my boarding pass and get thru security in 5 mins flat---gotta love Midway, never over crowded and easy to navigate (my home away from home).  So yes I made my flight and yes it was on time and yes because I was booked so late I was the BUTT LAST PERSON to get on the plane but I couldn't care less.  I actually got a middle seat in an exit row that was fabulous.  BUT wait.....wait.....this is not a conclusion.  THIS WAS THE LOUDEST FLIGHT OF MY LIFE---I kid you not and you know how much I fly so this is not an exaggeration.  There were so many crying babies (16 to be exact & yes you can shed a tear for me now) and it was like "Battle of the Crying Babies" on that flight which was over 3 hours lord help me.  PEOPLE WERE DRINKING LIKE IT WAS AN OPEN BAR LMBO---I've never seen so many alcoholic drinks on a plane--it was FRIGGIN' TERRIBLE, LIKE A SLOW TORTURE OR DEATH FOR SURE!!  I really wanted to sleep but there was no way, the lady beside is like "hey you better start drinking now" but I had to land and work so I couldn't--I stuck to my Coke.  I had my headphones in and was working on my laptop but it couldn't stop the news of crying from infiltrating my system.  There were 2 sets of twins on the plane both under 1 year and they were behind me and beside of us, it really was like torture.  The military should look into using this human-friendly kinda of terrorists for sure---they'd break in no time---hell I'd tell them anything to shut the noise up myself LOL.  Now I'm a mom and I feel for the parents but REALLY, REALLY--most of them weren't even crying they were SCREAMING---yeah like for fun kinda SCREAMING. My kids NEVER did that, never, never! I would've smothered them for sure---NO--I'm just kidding but for real they never acted like that.  I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY to land somewhere in my LIFE-I wanted to kiss the ground, kiss someone.

Go to get my luggage and guess what---yeah---NOT THERE.  They tell me it will be there on the 8:40 pm flight---ok I can deal until then, so I left for my meetings.  Get to hotel before dinner and no luggage, ummm now I'm worrying.  I "con" (no not really but I do find that if you ask hotel shuttle drivers nicely they will take you anywhere lol--yes I do this a lot) the hotel shuttle driver to take me to Target to buy some "essentials" so I can clean up for dinner.  He was so nice, he waited for me while I ran thru Target (see a running theme, this is why I HAVE to work out so I can keep up during my travels).  Grabbed some stuff, cleaned up & headed out to dinner with friends---get back and yep NO LUGGAGE at 11:30 pm.  I'm not a happy girl at this point, no way jose! Morning comes and I'm due to meet people for breakfast at 9 am---NO LUGGAGE--OMG!  Thankfully I had bought underwear and a shirt from Target (just in case, cuz I'm a "just in case" kinda gal, thankfully right) and go meet for breakfast.  Call hubby to see if he can get a hold of someone because they promised it would be to me the night before----well I won't get into it but I'm pretty sure hubby got some people fired or gave them a bad day because 1 hour later they arrived with my very, very late luggage.  Whew----yes that's a long story I know, but trust me you had a much EASIER time reading it than I did living it LOL!  But I got to see some sites that day, had a great dinner and went to movies to see "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with a friend, which I HIGHLY recommend.  It was fantastic and a great way to end the night.  So now I'm writing this from the airport (my mobile office) and headed home hopefully with no delays, no issues at O'Hare (yes I have to go thru there again, pray for my soul).  Tomorrow is a new day right?  Live and learn, live and have fun and just live and DEAL WITH IT I say :)  Hope your weekend was trouble free and pain free LOL.

NewsBitz:

-Blog Candy on post below this thru Monday night!  Its sweet & calorie free!

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Happy Dancer!

Today I'm sharing a very sweet "Gilli Stamp" with you all -- this line is designed my one of my BFF's Anary Baumgarth.  This one is called "Girly Gilli 2" and she is from the newest summer collection---I love her hair and dress, fun to color!  Images that give me lots of area to color are always good in my book ;) 

**The layout is for my current sketch challenge at House of Gilli---hope you can participate in it!!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Corrosive Challenges (girly)

Speedy Cat's Challenge (embossing)

Send a Smile 4 Kids (punche/die cuts)

Cuddly Buddly (swirls & bling)

I love this color combo too---the papers are from Kaisercraft and I loved the funky mix of patterns.  If you have trouble putting papers together those 6x6 paper pads are a easy way to do it quickly.  Just match tones, and mix prints by sizes and you're good to go.  The swirls are from a Heartfelt Designs dies (Bella Rose)--they actually are hooked together in one large pattern with leaves but I like to chop my die cuts up to make them more versatile.  The flowers are layered Prima and that polka-dot paper is flocked which makes it even more textural and fun.  The aqua mat behind her is done with patterned paper that I embossed with a CB folder.  Some PTI ribbon and pearls done with my Viva Decor Pearl pen in Graphite finish it off.  She was colored with Copics and then I added some more Viva Decor pearls to her dress to add a bit more detail along with Stickles on her underskirt and shoes.

Alrighty, I'm getting ready to board but just heard storms are headed to the DC area so pray my next flight is on time, no funny bizness and of course no crashing LOL!  See ya soon!

Dinner at Tiffany’s?

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

NewsBitz:

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

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

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Dinner at Tiffany’s

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

This glam lady is being entered into the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers (embossing)

Karen's Doodles Challenge (sparkle)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

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




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

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

Ride 'dem Horses!

Howdy Cowgirls and all you other ladies (and gents, hee hee)!  Hope your week is going swell for ya so far.  Thank you, thank you for all the birthday wishes I received here on my blog, on Facebook and by email---I was quite overwhelmed by it all.  I don't think I have ever had so many birthday wishes, LOL and I so appreciate them all. You are all so sweet to take the time to let me know---love y'all!  I spent the day sitting on the patio (after I got my work done) in the warm sun reading my NEW Karen White book "The Beach Trees".  Which I finished early this morning (don't ask what time I stayed up till hee hee)--it was really, really good and I recommend it for sure!  Then hubby brought me a dozen MD blue crabs (yummers) that we ate on the patio---they were huge and fab.  If you've never had one, you are missing out---come to my house and I'll show you how to pick 'em.  I've been doing it since I was a toddler and I can get thru half a dozen crabs lickety split, LOL.  Drives the kids crazy that I can pick them so fast and hubby won't pick them as he's lazy--he likes his food prepared for him, LMBO.  But if you grew up in MD or around the Chesapeake Bay you know its more of a social event--you pick, you eat, you drink, you eat, you talk and jabber the whole time :)  See a pic of these babies below!

MD Blue Crabs coated in Old Bay and then dipped in a mix of vinegar/old bay--yum!

I've got the very last Maui slideshow for you today (sniff sniff, lol). This one has pics of Alexa's Birthday dinner at the very yummy Basil's Restaurant in Ka'anapali--Italian is her fave.  And then the other pictures are from the night we went to the Luau at the Marriott Resort in Maui---it was FANTASTIC and the sun setting behind the stage was postcard picture perfect (it almost looks fake but its not).  The dancers were fabulous and YES Suzanne DID get up and dance with them (but of course, duh, did you expect less & yes I was invited to) ;)  And hubby even danced a song with me too---the kids were GROANING with their heads in their hands at our front row table, hee hee!  Loved it!  And YES I DID LOVE the poi--no one else did but I was dipping all my food in it, weird you think, nah! LOL!  We also took time to visit the Maui Aquarium which was fun--both of the kids really enjoyed that.  Then we spent one more day in Lahaina walking thru the historic district which is along the west coast of Maui. We had to stop by the oldest and largest Banyan tree---it was HUGE and so pretty.  We ate at Kemo's which looked over the water and it way yummy.  For all those that asked if I ate while I was there--YES I DID! LOL and it was yummy but I stuck with mostly fresh fish, veggies and fruit which is abundant there & so good, and am lucky to say I actually lost 4 lbs on vacation.  All that activity I guess!  We finished it off with some yummy homemade gelato cones (mine was pineapple & chocolate which was the BEST).  And that tops off our dream family vacation of a lifetime---I will treasure that time and our memories forever.  When I get the videos done I will add those on the blog and the underwater pics too at some point!

Maui Slideshow #5

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Ride 'dem Horses!

Today I'm sharing a fun card I did for the House of Gilli--our lovely hostess is Wini Bell and she challenged us with a "Stitches & Layers" challenge.  So the layer part was supremely easy for me (lol) but the sewing.....errr not so much.  I HATE to sew in any form but I stuck it out and added some hand stitching, LOL.  You can find all the challenge details, DT projects and how to win at the House of Gilli Blog HERE!

I used the fabulously cute "Cowgirl Gilli" and I think she has such a cute outfit and spirit about her!  I used papers from BoBunny that I felt looked a bit rustic and country.  I distressed all the layers with my Zutter Distress Tool and then inked them.  The oval was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder and then rubbed the same brown ink over it with my Inkssentials Blending Tool.  The flowers are by Prima, buttons by PTI and the scrolls are Marianne Designs (thought they resembled ranch brands a bit 'eh?).  The stitching was done by using my Sew Easy tool and then I handstitched rustic twine---to darken the cream twine I just inked it with my SU inkpad :)

She's colored with Copics of course-- E25,E35,E31,E50/E11,E00,R20/E09,E08,E13/YR24,E35,E25,E31.  Then I added some cowgirl bling to her boots, skirt and belt with stickles.  Isn't she a cutie?

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you have a fabulous day!!

Birthday Bonanza!!

Happy Monday everyone!  Hope the weekend was really good to you!  I have a very FUN FILLED week for ya'll and I hope you join in with me this week to celebrate the Color Me Creative Classroom's 1 Year Birthday!!  Below is a list of events each day along with rules at the bottom on how to win and the BIG PRIZES that will knock your socks off!  This all kicks off tomorrow on March 15th in this THREAD HERE, it will be lots of fun that you won't want to miss!

**Make sure to read down thru post to see today's project as well!  It's a long post today :) **

(feel free to grab this picture and link to CMC if you'd like--thanks)

Each Day's Events Will Kick Off that day HERE with details (starting March 15th)!
The Classroom is open to everyone--you must join it though to participate  & I will approve you as quickly as I can, lol!
(this is how I keep spammers out)

March 15^th---Kick Off Party

*Special Birthday Forum with events and fun will be on special tab at the CMC site starting at 1 am EST on 15th!

*some random prizes will be given to members of the site that day just for joining

*Sketch Challenge and you have until March 24^th to complete it  & upload it or email it to me  (2 winners)

March 16^th—Fun Scavenger Hunt and CHAT in chat box starting on main page www.scrapbitzcopics.ning.com at 7:30 EST –  8 winners

March 17th---  5 fun questions that you MUST answer on the birthday thread forum here by email, 2 random winners that day  (must be answered by midnight on March 18th)

March 18^th---A Word Puzzle will be linked that you must print out and complete than take a picture or scan it and send it by email (sjdean0574@yahoo.com) so I can see it has been completed.  You will have until March 24^th to complete the puzzle and email it to me.  2 winners randomly chosen from those that complete & email word puzzle

March 19^th—Color Challenge!  Challenge must be completed by March 24^th (CAN NOT be combined with the sketch)  1 winner chosen randomly

March 20^th—Word Scramble unscramble the words and put together phrase & answers MUST be emailed to me by midnight March 24th.  2 winners chosen randomly!

March 21^st---Party Conclusion CHAT and random prizes/questions at 8 pm EST on main CMC site chat box

PRIZES:  we have gift certificates from SCACD, The Paper Temptress, 7 Kids College Fund, I Brake For Stamps, The Stamp Fairy and Mo's Digital Pencil.  Digis from Tiffany's Doodles, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, Stamps from Magnolia-licious, a Gilli Prize Bag from Anary Baumgarth, Paper from Bo Bunny, stamp set from Stamps Alive, Free CMC Classes, Free Magazine Subscriptions and MORE!

GRAND PRIZE INFO:  For those that COMPLETE EACH DAY's CHALLENGES you will be entered for the GRAND PRIZE!!

A NEW 2011 Provocraft Cricut Expression (limited edition) and $50 of Copic Supplies!!

 (new Cricut Expression has full touch LCD screen, customizable machine colors, 24x12" cutting capability and more--read news here)

**If you do not complete each day's challenges but want to ENTER for the grand prize there is another way to enter!  I'm collecting money for World Vision here and earmarked for Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Relief through a FirstGiving site (will be up on March 15th).  I use FirstGiving since they are a secure way to donate monies and you can see EXACTLY where your money has gone.  (if you still do all the challenges you can still buy more chances to win of course by donating!)

For every $3 you donate thru the site *raffle will run until March 30th* you get 1 entry for the Grand Prize---Grand Prize winner will be announced on March 31st.
**Donations can be given starting on March 15th**

So I hope you join us each day to celebrate the Color Me Creative Classroom's Birthday with me!!  It's sure to be FUN!!

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Gilli Gets Bling!!

Today I'm sharing a fun card I made for a NEW House of Gilli Challenge HERE!  We have been challenged to GO PASTEL with BLING on our Gilli stamps!  Easy peasy me thinks!  I used this beautiful "Girly Gilli"--isn't she adorable, reminds me of my teen daughter Alexa!  The papers are by Basic Grey called "Hopscotch" & I loved the muted tones of peaches and greens and fun patterns.  The sentiment is from PTI and that lovely paper trim was done with a MS border punch.  The fun flower accents were cut with Spellbinders dies and then embossed with different Cuttlebug embossing folders.

And yes she was colored with Copics (but of course sillies, LOL)!  I used G04,G02,G00/R02,R00/E11,E00/E37,E35,YR20,E50.  I put some stickles on her shoes and accents for some bling--every gal has gotta have bling right?

Now you can see the whole line of Gilli stamps and accessories at StampingScrapping.com here!  And come join in the challenge at the House of Gilli HERE for a fabulous prize!!

Feathers & Pluck!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone <3!  Hope that whatever you have planned with a loved one today is fun and fabulous and full of LOVE!!  I'm not much of a V Day girl, sorry, lol!  I think that love should be shown through-out the year in many small and big ways not just on Feb.14th KWIM.  I don't want flowers that die, chocolates that will add inches to my hips or jewelry I don't really need.  I'd rather have my husband get me a Dunkin Donut (boston creme only,lol) one Saturday morning a month & deliver it to me in bed with a 4 scoop Chocolate Milk.  Or give me a back rub when my muscles are sore from being hunched over my craft table for hours all day.  Pick up dinner from my favorite Japanese restaurant when I'm too dang tired to get dinner together.  Drive me 6 hours to an airport in a blizzard to catch a plane when he'd already driven 6 hours in it to get home.  Be a loving father to our children and be willing to sacrifice his golf game or rock climbing to spend time with them and me.  Take care of the kids, animals and house so I can pursue my dream of teaching art to everyone and travel away from home.  And basically be my best friend. the love of my life and the person that is my polar opposite thankfully so he can successfully put up with my craziness every day, LOL!  That's all I need through out my year and why I can skip over Valentine's Day because I get so much every other day of the year.  Love you much honey and thank you for giving me love every day of the year for the past 16 years!!!

NewsBitz:

-I will be in San Diego teaching a small Copic Class on Feb.23rd--I have a couple of spots left and you can see details and how to register at www.cmcroad.com.  I'd love to see you in sunny CA!  All my other locations are there too.  I will be announcing an ARIZONA date and time later this week, so stay tuned!!

-If you are interested in trying out for my NEW CMC Challenge DT you have until Feb.25th to get your entries in.  It is a rotating 3 month DT, all levels can apply and the only MUST is that you use Copics and show others how to love them.  You can find all the details in my CMC Challenge Group HERE (you must join the group to see---it is open to everyone).

-I've got 4 new videos on Copic Coloring--updated with my "flicking" technique.  Scroll down to below post to see them or enter "suzanne dean" into YouTube's search engine to see all of my videos (56 at last count, wow how did I get that many, LOL).  You can always find links to all of my videos, pdfs and articles by clicking on the Tutorials/Templates tab under my blog header above.  I try and keep it updated for ya'll ;)  I will have 6 NEW Copic videos coming in the next few weeks so look for that--they will all be new and updated--nothing like the classroom videos so don't worry!

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Today I get to announce a NEW CHALLENGE BLOG for the "House of Gilli" Blog and I get to be the first hostess, which is I am honored to do!  My fabulously good friend Anary Baumgarth is the artist and owner of the Gilli stamp line and I'm so happy & excited for her.  She asked me to be her Art Coordinator (right hand gal so to speak, hee hee) and I was happy to say yes and help her carry out her vision for this challenge blog.  Wini Bell is the DT Leader who will wonderfully organize and lead the DT gals for us!  You can find the NEW CHALLENGE and BLOG HERE---make sure to try & enter for some fabulous prizes including a free class from my CMC Classroom!!

This is my project for the challenge!  The Challenge is a RECIPE Challenge and you MUST use 1 form of sparkle, 3 patterned papers and at least 2 punches and/or dies on your project!  I used "Burlesque Gilli" for my project, I think she's super sassy and so much fun!  A great gal card to send to a good friend dontcha' think?  You can find the whole line of Gilli Stamps at Stamping Scrapping HERE!   The papers are by Basic Grey called "Marjolaine"--I loved the color combo as I think they match a peacock feather perfectly!

I used the oval and scalloped oval Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut out my image and mat it.  The scrolls and feathery leaves were made with Marianne Dies sold exclusively in the UK.  The black lacy border piece was made with a MS border punch.  A few elegant black pearls finish off the card nicely.

And of course she is colored with Copics, my favorite coloring tool of choice!  Copic Colors used: BG75,BG72,BG11,BG10/YG25,YG03,YG0000/C9,C7,C5,C3/E11,E00/R00.  I used Stardust Stickles on her peacock feather and ruffles/accents on her outfit for my sparkle.  Diamond Glaze on her shoes and eyes for some pretty shine!

Now I hope your creative juices are flowing and you are ready to get a jump start on this

1st "House of Gilli" Challenge with us all!