Need a Hug?

Happy Wednesday to you all!  Do you need a hug?  Boy I have needed one this week, lol, so much to get done that I am a bit flustered and out of it.  Think I’ve had a virus as well cuz’ I cannot for the life of me shake the dizziness and nausea along with just being plain ole’ tired, ugh! Get outta here already please!  But there is stuff to be done so no rest for us the weary LOL!  Wow, have you seen the devastation from Hurricane Irene.  Yeah it might’ve been only a Category 1 storm but it sure did dump a lot of rain and do damage up and down the East Coast. I am saddened that Vermont has seen so much flooding, whole roads are gone and 100+ year old bridges have washed away.  There are still thousands without power everywhere so I’m hoping that they get that restored soon as we all know its not a lot of fun to deal with no electricity.  So stop and say a prayer today for those still being impacted by this storm or send a kind word to someone you know that is suffering, it is always appreciated.

School has started here in Northern Virginia—did you hear me squealing with delight yesterday LOL?  Sorry but I’m one of those mom’s that craves normal routines and the quietness of the house without children…err…teens running through it all hours of the day.  I can get sooooooo much more done when they are at school LOL and hey I just like the peace & quiet too.  Trust me, my house makes up for it after school and sports practices let out.  Smelly, hungry, hyper teens everywhere---ackkkkk LOL!  I love ‘em but I love ‘em even more in school but that also means that summer is over (boo hoo) which saddens me.  I always can tell that the kids are ready to go back to school in August because they start bickering (well more than usual anyhow) and getting antsy—ready to see their friends and do something with their days that is productive hee hee.  And just a quick love letter by a mom that is frustrated to Target & Staples—STORES RESTOCK THE STINKIN’ SCHOOL SUPPLIES QUICKLY, our schools don’t give out the supply lists until the first day of school and by then everything is sold out and shelves bare. Ackk I’m sick of it!!!  Don’t you know I need like 10 5-subject notebooks, 7 2” binders and highlighters—what is wrong with you Staples and Target.  For Real? Get it together, we need school supplies all year so start ordering and stocking. Love—a frustrated mom of teens in Virginia!!

Yes I do--Yes I do need a Cherry Coke--maybe 5 today perhaps will make me feel better LOL!


Only a short post from me today as I’m just not feeling 110% of my energizer self today—darn I must need my batteries recharged LOL!  But I am diligently working on the newest issue of the magazine and preparing for fall classes, design team deadlies and releases. So I’ll see you back here tomorrow ‘kay!?

NewsBitz:

-Seen all the new Prima goodies at 7 Kids College Fund? There are so many new stamps, flowers and pretty embellishments—I want them all! Use code PRIMA10 to get 10% off your order of Prima goodies!

-Anyone near Delaware—in NY, NJ or MD? Come on for a Copic Class and a fun party with me and my friends!!!  Sept 10th and you can find details at www.cmcroad.com!

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Need a Hug?

I adore this sweet image by Stampavie-Gillian F Roberts called “Being Together”—even without a sentiment it sends a sweet message.  I’ll be there for you, I love you, I’m here to support you—gotta love an image like that!  Usually I have more pics but for some reason quite a few were blurry and its too late to retake them, sorry ‘bout that!

My sketch is from Sweet Sunday Sketch and I took the liberty to move some of the elements around just a tad, sorry! LOL!  My papers are new by MME “Honey Cake”—love the colors!  A few swirls with my Marianne Designs dies, a bow and some Primas decorate it nicely. The pearls were made with my Viva Décor Pearl Pen in Ice White and sentiment is from PTI.

I’m entering this into the following challenges as well:

Creative Card Crew (anything goes)

Partytime Tuesdays (anything goes)

Heartsong Inspirations (anything goes/fave color combos)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

She’s colored with Copics—BG72,BG11,BG10 / R05,R02,R00 / E11,E00 / E37,E35,YR23,YR20 / W5,W3,W1.  I added some Stickles to the hairbands and her socks and teddy’s bow—gotta have a bit of bling in there right?!

And a special thank you to “Sending a Smile 4 Kids” for picking my cheerleader Tilda card as one of their top 3 picks!!

Rainbows Bring Cheer!!

Well hello and a very happy Monday to you all!  Wow what a week it was last week and I gotta say I’m glad to see it over with, LOL.  First the earthquake and then Hurricane Irene swept thru—boy the East Coast knows how to throw a party huh?!  We did go on our mini-vacation on Thursday thru Saturday to Baltimore and I must say we had a great time.  The weather was beautiful and we got to do a lot of our favorite things starting off with the Redskins vs. Ravens football game---we are HUGE football fans!  Everyone in the family loves the Redskins BUT Alexa (she’s a Ravens fan) so the game was interesting---we were cheering for the ‘Skins and she was rooting for Ravens.  And boy was it a close game, ‘Skins were winning until the LAST 45 seconds—CAN U BELIEVE IT, ugh LOL and Ravens got the ball and scored a touchdown.  But it was fun and we had a great group of people sitting around us—a mixture of fans from both sides.  I love that Ravens & Redskins fans can get along well, none of this obnoxious bully kinda business. I’m all for fun and competition but when you are afraid to go to a game because of the fans—that’s a big waste of my time (ahem….you know which teams I’m talkin’ about if you follow football lol).  ALTHOUGH I AM A HUGE FAN of whooting & hollering amongst the enemy much to my hubby’s chagrin—I love to antagonize in a NICE way hee hee—just can’t help myself!  Then on Friday we went to the Maryland Zoo—we hadn’t been there with the kids since they were 10 and 8 years old so that was fun.  We got to feed the giraffes and see some chimpanzees up close and personal (see slideshow below).  Then that evening we hit the Inner Harbor to eat at Phillips (a must eat stop if you ever go) outside to enjoy the nice weather and harbor view.  Then it was off to see the Orioles play the Yankees at Camden Yards (yes we love baseball too)—I HATE THE YANKEES (sorry but I do LOL) so I was sooooo thrilled to see the Orioles beat their pants off hee hee.  Excellent game and there were a TON of Yankees fans there too—didn’t y’all know a hurricane was coming, LOL!

Then on Saturday morning we did a quick trip to the National Aquarium—if you have never been it is a MUST SEE—one of the best in the country and always fun.  We of course had to see the dolphin show as Alexa is wanting to major in Marine Biology in college and hopes to be in the internship at the Aquarium next summer.  And in case you are asking yourself—YES THE HURRICANE WAS COMING ON SATURDAY but the Dean’s like to tempt fate and have a little fun every now and then KWIM. And we were NOT the only crazies—there were lots of us around and about LOL!  I must say that driving into the heart of the hurricane to my parents house (in St. Mary’s County, MD where they got hit HARD) to get doggies was not so much fun, lots of standing water, falling trees/branches and heavy winds.  But we got home ok and battened down the hatches.  We were lucky here in Virginia where I live, just rain and wind and a few branches in the yard thankfully.  My parents and brother’s house are without power and they both had some yard/fence damage unfortunately. But the worst is that my sister’s house had a tree fall on it and it has been condemned so I feel really badly for her & my niece. While things can be replaced people cannot, I know this was a huge blow to her and I’m praying for her and everyone else that got severe property/personal damage due to the hurricane.  While it may have been “less” of the storm they predicted, it still affected a lot of people and I’m saying a prayer for them all.  And looky-loo another storm on the horizon—so hoping it stays out to sea or just blows away, crazy weather!

Slideshow Pics (if you get my blog by subscription you must come to site to see):




NewsBitz:

-Make sure to hop over to the SCACD Store Blog here to see sneak peeks of new stamps, and some awesome blog candy!!



-If you are a member of the BookEndz Group at the CMC Classroom, our Book Wrap Up Party will be Thursday, Sept. 1st at 8:15 pm EST!  There will be a fun chat to discuss the book, our views and YEP PRIZES!!  Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun and I will also announce the NEW book for October!! Hope to see you there!
 
-If you have been waiting for my CMC Copic class info for the Chicago area, it is NOW up at www.cmcroad.com – first day is almost sold out with a few spots left, but 2nd day has just opened.  Would love to see you!  For the California dates, they should be up next week just have to confirm!! thanks!

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Rainbow Cheer!!

So with everything that went on last week I think I was wanting a few rainbows in my life LOL!  This card was made for the current Gina K StampTV Challenge I am hosting called “Free For All Friday” that you can join in on HERE.  It’s a Sketch & Color Twist (get it---sketchy & twisty, hee hee) Challenge—the color twist is to use colors of the rainbow!  I hope this card makes everyone smile today no matter where they are or what situation they are dealing with

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

-Creations by Gill M (anything that flies)

-Ellephantastic Challenges (layers)

-ECP Challenges (photo inspiration--I choose colors)

-Show & Tell (Crafting Misfit--anything goes)

I used the new and fabulous StampTV set called “Vintage Chic” (omg there is a ton of wonderful images & sentiments in this set).  I LOVE, LOVE this sentiment that says “Why are you trying to fit in when you were born to STAND OUT!”—it is one of my personal mottoes and did I say how much I LOVE IT LOL!  The papers are all by My Minds Eye from their Lime Twist collections.  The aqua cs was embossed with one of my fave CB embossing folders “D’vine Swirls” to replicate the wind and clouds.  The fun border trim was made with a MS Border Punch and then I added Stickles to the white stripes of the patterned paper for more sparkle.  A bow made with the Bow Easy and some rhinestones finish it off.



I double stamped the kite and then cut out one of them and popped it with dimensionals.  I used multiple SU stamp pads to roll my stamp image and sentiment in for a rainbow-colored pattern. And yep the kite got a good coat of Stickles (in my fave Stardust).  I used my Inkssentials Blending tool along with SU ink to create a cloudy, blue sky.

So hope this made you all smile today and I will see you again this week with some more fun projects!  Praying for everyone that suffered any kind of loss or damage due to the Hurricane!

Shake, Rattle & Roll with it!!

Well a very happy Thursday to all of you!  The weekend is almost here—yay!  Well unless you live under a rock (LOL) you know that the East Coast had a major earthquake on Tuesday afternoon.  We are SO NOT used to these things first of all and where I live is about 70 miles from the epicenter of where it occurred so it was LOUD and SCARY—took about 10 years off my life for sure!!  I was sitting in my chair working on my laptop and Alexa was on couch watching tv (Riley was upstairs in his room)---the dogs had been barking and acting as though it was going to thunderstorm which was strange since it was sunny & blue skies outside.  They were driving me CRAZY!!  Then it sounded like a freight train and the rumbling started.  I kid you not my walls were shaking and rolling and I really thought the ceiling (we have a 2 story family room and stone fireplace) was going to topple on top of us.  I think my heart mighta stopped at that point and Alexa and I were just staring at each other with our mouths open.  Then I screamed “WTF” (yes I have a truck driver’s mouth when the moment calls for it, I never said I was a saint, and yes an earthquake is a VERY appropriate moment for those words lol) and Alexa flew off the couch for the basement.  Riley came running out of his room and at that moment I knew it was either an earthquake or a bomb had just gone off (when you live this close to DC and have lived thru 9/11 those thoughts quickly go thru your mind about bombs & terrorists).  I told them to get outside, grabbed the dogs, my cell phone & laptop.  My whole neighborhood was outside wondering what the heck happened.  I finally got a hold of my hubby who was evacuating his building in DC and I could tell he was FREAKED OUT TOO—he thought his building was going to collapse for sure.  Now remember our buildings in the east were not built to withstand earthquakes and a lot of our buildings are OLD, historically old so they cannot handle these things. There has been a lot of damage to buildings and the Washington Monument is closed indefinitely due to cracks in it.  Now what do I say to those on the West Coast that are mocking us here in the East—not much that’s for sure!  Anyone who makes fun of others traumatic experiences isn’t worth wasting my breath on that’s what I think.  We should be supporting each other instead of making fun---let a West Coast person come experience a Category 5 Hurricane and see what they do?  That’s all I’m saying And yes we now have to contend with a hurricane coming into our area on Saturday night---but at least those I’m used to and I can handle that and we will be prepared. Thanks to everyone who sent me hundreds of texts, emails and facebook messages—I appreciate your concern for me and my family, thank you so much!

Now as for me and my family we are off to Baltimore, MD for a few days for a quick family vacation before school starts on Monday.  Tonight we are headed to the Redskins vs. Ravens football game (yep the Dean’s are HUGE football and hockey fans).  Now Alexa is a Ravens fan but the rest of us are Redskins fans so it should be an interesting night, LOL!  Then we are headed to the zoo on Friday and then the Aquarium and Inner Harbor on Saturday—we love it up there so it should be fun.  We will be home Saturday evening in time to prepare for the incoming hurricane and then school starts on Monday and back to the real world ‘eh!  So hope you have a fabulous weekend wherever you may be or whatever you are doing!

NewsBitz:

-SCACD is having a fabulous mini-release of Fall Floral Fairies—they are beauties and will be released on Friday (8/26)!!  See the store blog here for more details!  Check out all the NEW yummy 6x6 holiday paper pads here too! 

Also coming in September Sylvia Zet for SCACD stamps--they are absolutely adorable!  Head to the store blog for details on blog candy (see sneak peek in blinkie below--cute 'eh)!!

Want this badge?

-Are you close to Wilmington,DE? Want to take some Copic classes with me? Sept 10th I will be there teaching---see more details at www.cmcroad.com !  Also Ohio & Kansas City (San Diego, San Jose, & Chicago will be up next week)

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TouchDown!!!

Today I’m sharing a fun “just because” project with you all and to kick off Fall Football! The Dean’s are HUGE football fans and it’s the best part about fall I think LOL (we are both Redskins & Ravens fans—read above lol).   So when I saw this super cute image from the Stamp Fairy I HAD TO HAVE IT—he’s called “Tommy Sports” and there are a few in the collection!  If you haven’t stopped by my sweet friend Gerda’s digi store to see her adorable characters you need to RUN NOW—they are just irresistible!! This one reminds me of my son when he was MUCH smaller LOL!

I'm entering this cutie-pie into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly Challenge (die cuts) 

Tuesday Throwdown (dimension/texture)

Cards for Men (anything goes)

KB Cute Monday (twine)

Pollycraft Monday Challenge (autumn colors)

I used a mix of papers/patterns from two of My Minds Eye’s “Lime Twist” paper pads (Out of the Blue & Go Fly a Kite—both 20% off here).  I wanted both fall and Redskins colors hee hee.  I used my Zutter Distress Tool to distress my paper edges and inked them.  The stars were made with my SU punches, the circle elements I did with my Spellbinders (pinking circles and reg circles) and they stand up a bit from the card which is cool.  The sentiment is from a Paper Trey Ink set and then I just cut it out in a banner shape and bent it around a pencil so it would be curvy.  Twine and buttons finish it all off.



Awww isn’t he a cutie-pie? He’s from the Stamp Fairy’s “Tommy Sports” Collection HERE!  He’s colored with Copics E08,E07,E13,E11,E00 / E37,E35,YR20 / YR23,Y23,Y21 / E25,E50/ YG67,YG03,G20.  I added Diamond Glaze to his helmet and shoes.  AND YES there are stickles on this card, LOL (wouldn’t be a Suzanne card w/o stickles right?)—I added them to the helmet’s face mask and the star cut-outs.



See you back here on Sunday!!  I’ll announce the Blog Candy’s winner then as well!  Happy Weekend to you all!

Happy Birthday Diana!!!!

Happy Tuesday to all of my friends!  I am finally recovering from my last two trips LOL (I think anyhow).  Yesterday was kinda foggy but I did get work done.  Its funny to think that in the span of 11 days I have been up to NY and all the way up to Toronto, Canada and then all the way across country again—YIKES!  But here is another great moment brought to you by Suzanne---got a bowl of Cheetos yesterday (yes, yes Cheetos—I know they are bad for you but I was in need of junk) and got a cup of ice for my Cherry Coke.  So I’m pouring the Cherry Coke and I’m looking right at it and I POUR THE COKE INTO the bowl of cheetos---yes I did.  And I didn’t just like start pouring and realize it, but I poured half of the can of Coke into the bowl before I was like “what the heck”!! LOL—now I have a bowl of Coke-Cheetos floating around, YUCK.  And NO (before you even go there) I did NOT try and eat the mixture, hee hee---I DUMPED it out and got fresh.  But that is how I operate most days—I do the DUMBEST stuff sometimes.  Its like when I was in the restroom at O’Hare and I couldn’t get the stall door unlocked LOL—it was stuck hard and wouldn’t give!  I’m in there thinking OMG I am stuck in this hellacious airport bathroom now, I have to catch a taxi and I’ll never get out and if I have to crawl out under the stall door across the dirty floor I will KILL MYSELF, SHOOT MYSELF and SANITIZE MYSELF!  And yes I can totally see myself having to do this and I’m thinking please let no one see me or video tape me.  Then I was banging on the door, literally with my sandal and got it open somehow—someone up above felt sorry for me I think---ugh! I literally think I am a nuisance & danger to myself—I’m amazed anyone lets me out by myself Its like all those times I put the salt or something weird in the fridge (come on you know you’ve done it too lol)---you just ask yourself “WHY?”!  I ask myself that EVERY DAY I KID YOU NOT LOL!

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Happy Birthday Diana!!

Today the Magnolia-licious DT is celebrating a VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY—the lovely Diana Crick’s birthday is tomorrow but we wanted to kick off the festivities a day early!  So the DT is throwing a huge Cyber Birthday Party Blog Hop and we hope you’ll join in on the festivities with us!  Check out all details at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog as well.  I created a mini-gift set for Diana for my projects!

**Diana is one of my sweetest friends and a great and funny lady to boot! I'm so blessed to have met her and have her in my life---she is truly a generous and beautiful person and I am lucky enough to call her a friend.  So I'm sending a ton of Fabulous Birthday Wishes to her, kisses and hugs and hope she is blessed with lots of love, laughter and of course some fabulous gifts on her birthday!!

Everyone on the DT is bringing something special to the party and I’m in charge of inviting all of you and bringing the balloons!!

So since I’m bringing balloons I thought that lil’ Tilda should too LOL!  This cutie is called “Tilda with Balloon”  and the background stamp is “Balloon Background” (both are available in mini form too here & here)!  My papers are from My Minds Eye “Fine & Dandy—Tickled Pink” collection---I love the fun collection of prints and colors.  I decided to make a simple gate-fold card using my Scor-Pal – you can find the tutorial on how to make these here!  I used one of the new Jumbo MS punches for the center border and the “Bella Rose” Heartfelt Designs die for the swirls/leaves (flowers were done with my Marianne Designs dies).  Some rhinestones finish it off!

I'm entering this project into the following challenges:

Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge (girly)

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Magnolia Stamp Lovers (flowers)

Card Makin' Mamas (pink)

Crafty Ann's Challenges (scallops/borders)

The Poodle's Parlour (anything goes)

When the card opens this is what is on the inside—I didn’t put too many layers inside so the gate folds nice & flat.  I embossed the side panels with a birthday themed CB folder and the sentiment is by PTI (Signature Greetings).



This cutie was colored with Copics R22,R20,Colorless Blender / BG72,BG11,BG10 / E11,E00 / E37,E35,YR23,YR20 / C1,C00.  I added Stickles to the balloon, white shirt and dress trim and to the balloon background.  Isn’t she a sweetie---just like Diana!



I bought a few of these fun wood letters at my Michaels store last month---I knew they would be fun to decorate in different ways.  And “D” stands for the fabulous Diana   These came painted a matte white but that wasn’t bling-a-licious enough for me so I coated it with Diamond Glaze and while it was wet I sprinkled my fave Deco-Art Glamour Dust on top.  The glitter is super fine and it suspends within the liquid which looks so COOL!  Then I added some matching flowers, swirls and rhinestones to finish it off.  You could use this to hang up, prop up or hmmmm maybe some cool Christmas decorations!

So now you need to hop along the Birthday Parade today—your next stop is:

Mindy Baxter’s Blog Here!!

Have fun hopping and don’t forget to give Diana some Birthday Wishes!!

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!

Sweet Baby Cheeks!!

Happy T.G.I.Friday everyone!  Whatcha’ doin’ this weekend?  I can’t tell you where I am (hmmm where in the world is Suzanne?) but I am flying out of DC at 7:30 am this morning to fly across country!  Its top-secret, shhhhhh, kinda business that I cannot share right now but I’m looking forward to it.  And no my suitcase NEVER gets unpacked much anymore LOL—I remove dirty stuff, insert clean stuff and head out the door again.  If you follow me on Facebook you MIGHT see me post a few pics this weekend to see if anyone can “guess” where I am, hee hee!

And yep I have a goofy story or two for you today—start your weekend off with a giggle perhaps??!!  I swear these things happen to me that make no sense & I never understand why really but afterwards I can't help but LAUGH!  While I was up in NY visiting with my grandmother I got a chance to relax and read in bed each night which was FANTASTIC.  Well one night I had the munchies so I was crunching on some snack mix and I had a Coke right next to me on the bedside table.  There was a fly buzzing around the room and Riley had a fly-swatter and was chasing it much to my chagrin—I told him he better not swat it over my food (ewww).  So I’m reading, eating, crunching and drinking---I take a huge slurp of my Coke and thought I had a small piece of ice in my mouth.  UMM NO PEOPLE IT WAS THAT DARN FLY and YEPPERS I CRUNCHED IT!  As soon as I crunched it I knew what it was—HURL, BARF, HEAVE, CHOKE, SPIT!  Riley’s eyes were HUGE as I’m slowly vomiting in my hand (TMI I know but that’s what I did) and there was the fly---FLY PARTS I should say!  OMGoodness, I raced in the bathroom gagging, used mouth rinse, brushed teeth about 5 times.  I made Riley boil water in the microwave so I could sanitize my toothbrush. It was DISGUSTING---I was like the friggin’ ole’ lady who swallowed a fly! LMBO—nasty, nasty (even now I’m feeling a bit sick thinking about it).  Did I make you feel sick too? LOL—sorry but I had to share!  Then I wake up the next morning go out to my car to get something, turn around and shut the darn car door.  Then I GOT WHIPLASH---I closed my hair right in the DOOR and about scalped myself.  My grandma was laughing so hard, omgoodness I swear I should NOT BE ALLOWED out of the house sometimes. In fact I’m amazed I have made it to adulthood some days with the dumb stuff I do all the time---its just SCARY!  So I’m hoping all goes smoothly (yeah right) on my trip today so if you have lots of fingers and toes to cross please CROSS them all for me

NewsBitz:

-Interested in coming to a CMC Copic Class with me?  I have current registration dates up for Ohio, Delaware & Kansas City! Soon-to-be-announced locations include Illinois, Texas, Vancouver, and California!  See deets at www.cmcroad.com cuz I’d love to meet you!

-BLOG CANDY ALERT—I haven’t given blog candy away in a bit, so read below carefully for some calorie-free yummies


-Want to join a DT?  The “Through the Craftroom Door” magazine is looking for new faces to add to the DT---find all the details out HERE!

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Sweet Baby Cheeks!!

I know just go on and say it “awwwwww!!”---she’s a super cutie ‘eh?  This lil’ cutie is another sweet image from the “Peekers 2 Collection” by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.  This one is called “Sweet Cheeks Peeker”—cuz her sweet lil’ cheeks are peeking out of her ruffled panties hee hee.  I think she’s just a doll!

I'm entering this cutie into the following challenges:

Stampavie & More (girly)

KB Cute Monday (babies)

Paper Creations Ink (flowers)

The Crafty Pad (cute-n-girly)

My papers are new from that yummy Authentique Paper Collection—I adore the sweet and lovely patterns.  The border was done with a MS border punch done with 2 layers.  The dies are from Marianne Designs, bow done with Bow Easy and flowers by Prima.  I added tiny pearls to the border of my Spellbinders “Beaded Ovals” die mat for more sweetness.



And yes she is colored with Copics: R22,R21,Colorless Blender / C3,C1,C00 / E11,E00 / E25,YR23,YR20.  I added Stickles to her ruffles and bows for some sparkle.  A Sweet Pea for sure! 

Blog Candy Alert--- Leave a comment answering the below question by Monday:

 “What  Is Your Favorite City in the World is and Why?”

and you could win 2 Peeker stamps, a pack of Authentique paper and some lovely Prima flower packs.

Hope you enjoyed this and I wish you all a fantastic weekend!!

Ommmm…!!!

Well hello there everyone and welcome to Wednesday!  Wow the middle of the week already huh? Where the heck have I been? Oh yeah I was in New York and Canada, hee hee!  I had a fabulous time in Canada—I love the ladies up there and its always a great time and the weather was beautiful!  If you are ever up there you MUST stop by Sheila’s store “Scrapping Great Deals”—not only is she a great lady (and a hoot) but her store is packed with lots of goodies which I tried hard not to look at LOL!  We had lots of laughs and giggles (and snorts) and although I was exhausted it was really a great time!  The drive from Canada back to my grandma’s house was a riot though---it was torrential raining the whole time which I love (not). But I hate crossing the border—I feel like a criminal even though I’ve done nothing wrong.  Sweat drips off of me and I feel faint LOL---this time the border guard decided to MESS with me though.  He starts asking me all these questions to confuse my tired bum me thinks—sample:  “What’s your citizenship”, “what state you live in” “why were you here” “how do you know these people” “where does your grandma live” “are you married” “how often do you visit” for like 10 mins.  Finally he says “how long you in town?” and I said I’m leaving for home in the morning and he says “ahh that’s too bad cuz’ I was going to see if you wanted to go out for coffee?”  WHAT THE HECK LOL (he was cute but wayyyy too young for me hee hee) and I’m like “No I’m married and I’m tired so can I go now” as I’m watching them search the car next to me with dogs and flashlights and panic is creeping up my spine.  And do I say it nicely?  NOOOOO cuz I lack a filter and I was tired, irritated and starting to panic LOL—so I give him attitude of course—what the heck is wrong with me I tell you!  Luckily he laughs and says “yeah you can go now”---I zoomed outta there at about 80 mph!  Now I will say that is a FIRST for crossing the border, hee hee, I’m just grateful that the US let me back in cuz’ maybe they wanted Canada to keep me!!  And hello---have you been to a Tim Horton’s in NY or Canada?  YUMMERS—they have the best donuts and yep I had some everyday!  So this week I am on DONUT DETOX—veggies, fruits, juicer and gym workouts all week to detox for sure.  I logged some major miles on the bike and treadmill last night at gym and lifted weights and I’m back at the gym today for pilates.  I keep saying I’d love to have a Tim Horton’s nearby but I’m thinking that probably is NOT a good idea—I’d be there everyday for sure and that would be BAD, BAD, BAD!

I have a few pics below to share with you of my trip to NY and classes in Canada!  I will have more pics and some gifts that were given to me by some of my pals up there that I want to share.  Everyone is always so welcoming to me and kind when I teach no matter where I go and I so appreciate it!

I have some upcoming classes in Delaware, Kansas City, Ohio and Illinois at www.cmcroad.com if you are interested.  Also will be in San Jose and San Diego, CA this fall so look for those details soon too!

Slideshow pics:


NewsBitz:

-The CMC Challenge is still going on thru Friday before the winner is announced and new challenge is put up so check it out & join in on the fun!

-Magnolia-licious has 2 AWESOME products out right now---the “No Shims Embossing Mat” which does more than emboss (look for my video soon) and the “Stay-Put Craft Mat”.  This mat is soooo much better than the one currently sold here—it actually stays put on any surface and doesn’t roll up—you can heat set on it and wipe any product off.  Fabulous!!

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Ommmm….Yoga Girl!!!

Ok—how excited was I to get home and see my new stamps from Magnolia-licious—umm YAYYYY!  I absolutely adore this new collection called “Winner Takes It All”, the images are adorable and there is one for every sport/activity and of course Lady Diana has the best assortment & prices too which helps you drop a few in your cart LOL!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday (anything goes)

Tuesday Throw Down (a non-stamped sentiment)

Outlawz-Tuesday Color Challenge (photo/color)

Make it Monday (anything goes)

Marianne Design Divas (anything goes--I used her dies of course)

Paper Playtime (anything goes)

I couldn’t wait to use this cute lil’ “Yoga Tilda” on a project! I'm not really not a Yoga gal myself as I don't do well in slow & quiet situations LMBO!  I’ve tried it a few times and I just giggle cuz I’m not super flexible and then when you have to lay there and meditate it makes me want to fall asleep so I just don’t do it!  But I DO like pilates!  However I have friends who love yoga so this card is devoted to them and I had to add this funny quote I found online that says “Without love, Without Humor, Yoga is just a lot of HARD WORK” LOL!  I printed it out using Word onto my cs--easy peasy!  The papers are all by Lily Bee Paper Designs—I love the combo of aqua and browns which always seem soothing to me.  I used some Marianne Designs dies for my swirls and pendants.  The circle cut out was embossed with a paisley CB embossing folder. Some pearls and stickles finish it all off.

And she got colored with Copics of course--- BG72,BG11,BG10 / E25,E31,E50 / YR23,E25,YR20 for hair.  Stickles on her yoga pants for bling and then I used some Indian print stamps to stamp around the image and added pearls.  I think she’s a super cutie!! Ommmmm……….LOL!

Totally Tubular?!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Hope your week is going swell for you so far!  I am enjoying spending time with my family and relaxing a bit.  Yesterday I went to the mall with my cousin and whoo-eee I’m glad we don’t live close to each other cuz’ he is an ENABLER (yep worse than me hee hee).  We have always been great friends since we were very small---more so than any of my other cousins so its always nice to hang out with him.  He took me to the Galleria in Buffalo and we did a “wee” bit of shopping LOL and then did some damage eating at PF Changs   We both opened our Fortune Cookies and I must SAY that both of our fortunes were really good and perfect for each of us!

Mine said "Success is about the journey, not the destination" -- I love that! I put it in my wallet for good vibes & luck!

I DID buy the kids a few things so I didn’t just shop for myself---but I will say that some Calvin Klein boots happened to come home with me along with a few other goodies!  And did I tell you how much I lovvvvvvvvvvve Tim Horton’s? Oh my I wish we had them at home—they have better Boston Crème donuts than Dunkin’ Donuts (you know I am a donut FREAK lol).  And it’s a TERRIBLE thing that they have drive-thrus—I mean what were they thinking?  Now I don’t even have to get out my car to get my donut fix   If I only ate Boston Crème donuts and drank Cherry Coke for the rest of my life, I’d die a very happy girl hee hee!  So yes I will be jogging a bit tomorrow to work all that off!

NewsBitz:

“Join us at the SCACD Store Blog to Welcome the Newest Artist to SCACD!!!  There is also a chance to win something but you will have to go to the Store Blog to check it all out!  We are all very excited about this addition and look forward to the upcoming release next month!!! SO head on over and check it out!!!”

 pic of my grandma out by the pond & view of the vineyards

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Totally Tubular!!

Today I’m sharing a card with you made with a fabulously cute La La Land Crafts Stamp called “Beach Marci”—isn’t she cute?  Reminds me a bit of my daughter when she was little—she’s always loved to swim and loves the water so this was her outfit every summer LOL!  You can see all the NEW and cute La La Land Collection for Fall & Winter HERE too!

I’m entering this cutie pie into the following fun challenges:

Creative Craft Challenges (summertime)

Everybody Art Challenge (summer)

Craft Your Passion (fave season—umm always summer lol)

Creative Inspiration Challenge (summertime)

Crafty Ann’s Challenge (summer)

My papers are from Best Creations “Hideaway”—great mix of patterns and glitter papers and I loved these fun summery colors! Perfect for hot August!  I embossed the yellow cs with a new embossing folder here.  The large green border was done with one of those new MS Jumbo border punches that I love and some Marianne Designs swirls of course.  The flowers are a mixture of Prima and WOC.



She was colored up with Copics Y18,Y13,Y11 / YG67,YG03,G20 / E11,E00,R20. I paper pieced the bands on her hat to match the papers.  Her yellow bathing suit stripes got a coat of Stickles and I added Diamond Glaze to her innertube for shine.  She’s ready for Beach Day!!

Hope you all have a sunny day!