Lil’ Bitz of Love!!

Happy, Happy Wednesday to you all!  I am in high-motion-stress-run-crazy-lady mode today (well for the past 3 days) getting ready for CHA, my classes and all the other stuffs that need to be finished.  And my hubby has been traveling this week (geesh what the heck was he thinking huh lol) so he’s not any help and of course my teens aren’t much help either.  They’re more worried that they have clean clothes and food they like to eat….ummm whatever!!!  But being the good mommy I am (uh huh yeppers I am) I finished every scrap of laundry, filled house with groceries and easily prepared food so no one STARVES to death!  Even the animals have a fully stocked cabinet of treats & food.  I leave early tomorrow morning and THANKFULLY I have a straight flight to Long Beach, CA and get in at noon Cali time.  Tomorrow evening I have dinner with some friends and then my roomies Marti & Tina get in around noon on Friday to get the party started.   Here’s the deal with CHA…everyone is on Facebook in the very late evenings…it’s a sickness—we FB each other even if we are in THE SAME ROOM….so if you want to see all the crazy goings-ons then log on…cuz trust me people get NUTTY when they are away from home, too much caffiene or other beverages, and not enough sleep does ODD things to people.  I’ve seen it happen year after year and I never fail to be amused…and yeah sometimes I AM THE AMUSEMENT!  But I never drink alcohol while at CHA, just soda…I’d rather watch the “others” LOL and alcohol just makes me sleepy & I don’t need to be any more tired than I am KWIM.  If I do have a drink I’ll have a glass of wine but I’m not much of a drinker….I’m MUCH more FUN if I stick to SODA which is always my beverage of choice. (hmmpppftttt I had someone tell me that my drinking soda was NOT very classy…excuse me…well then I don’t want to be classy I told them LOL..I mean really) SHEESH! LIke telling me would really MAKE ME CHANGE OR CARE MUCH…I THINK NOT hahaha!
And I have a certain friend (oooh lordy she may kill me but I won’t say her name ahemmm hee hee) who wandered aimlessly down the street in Chicago asking random strangers if they “knew that Stevie Nicks was gay and were they surprised by it or not?” LMBO…I literally was on the sidewalk laughing my bum off…she doesn’t drink often or very much but it was JUST enough to get her to act ODD hee hee (I call it the CHA phenomenon).  She may shoot me for sure now for sharing that but lordy it was funny---we’ll see what she does this time!  So usually I head home from CHA totally exhausted and my jaw usually locks up from too much laughing, talking & smiling…I kid you not…that’s a site for sure..not a pretty one either LOL!  And my pal Marti might be smothered this year…she’s a real handful that small lil’ chica that she is….she loses every SINGLE ONE of her hotel keys, every year first of all (last year she lost it before we even got to the room) and she has odd hours.  She usually gets up around 3:30 or 4 am here at home so at CHA on West Coast hours she wants to wake up at 1 am and SKYPE her family…OMG…we have screamed & thrown things at her to shut her up LOL.  So now she goes down to the lobby in her jammies, gets her coffee and does her stuff on her laptop until around 7 am when the rest of us “normal” folk wake up.  In LA last year we were walking to CHA and a lady at the corner asked her (in complete seriousness) if she was “medically a dwarf”?  OMG I and our friends bust out laughing cuz Marti IS under 5 feet but she will KICK YOUR ARSE---so Marti says “NO” and the lady says “well I think you are considered a dwarf at your size” and Marti says “NO I’m just short, my family is short”…at that point we knew to run….we were laughing hysterically and Marti was evil-eyeing us so we RAN…she SKEERS ME sometimes LOL and she KNOWS where I live bwahahahaha   But she’s my smurfette buddy & I wuv her!!  Ohhh the fun that is coming soon….stay tuned for all THAT!

PS....yes it was NOT a good Football Sunday in the Dean household...hmmmpppffft...neither of my teams won sadly...boohoo for the Ravens although they played awesome and I feel bad for the kicker Cundiff.  But I will still watch the SuperBowl but I'll be rooting for the GIANTS!!!!! LOL!

NewsBitz:

-I had to get a larger room for my Copic Classes at CHA so I have a few spots that are open if anyone would like to come.  See details at www.cmcroad.com and then just email me ok!  We are sure to have LOTS OF FUN!

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Lil’ Bitz of Love!

Today I’m sharing a JUST FOR FUN card…I rarely get to play just because these days (and that’s ok I’m not complaining…just stating LOL) and I picked this NEW Tiddly Inks digi stamp called “Wryn-Grow a Little Love”.  This is a new character and she’s just adorable…Christy Croll always does the cutest lil’ images.  I decided to make a card that’s appropriate for Valentine’s Day or Just Because!

I'm entering this cutie into the following challenges:

Anything Goes Challenge (2 the 1 U love)

Die Cuttin' Divas (die-cuts, bling, buttons or bows)

My Time To Craft Challenge (fave embellie--mine is always die cuts)

City Crafter Challenge Blog (sketch--mine is flipped sideways)

Make it Monday Challenge (anything goes)

There She Goes Challenge (love is in the air)

My papers are from MME’s “Lost & Found: Market Street”—I love the fun mix of patterns and soft colors.  I used my Heart Nesties (yep I bought them a couple years ago..I tend to stay away from dies of shapes like this but I love the hearts and stars nesties) and then sponged the edges with ink to “shabby” it up.  The border trim is done with a MS punch, pearls, a bow and sentiment from PTI.



Awww isn’t she sweet….see more of Wryn HERE!?  I colored her with Copics R22,R20,R00 / BG13,BG11,BG10 /Y21,E35,E31,E50.  Then I stickled her dress up to bling it up prettily of course!

That’s it for me today!  I will try to post some newsies while I’m away and I have some projects next week for the newest Gina K release too—so stop on by.  Otherwise you can follow along with my trip on Facebook & Twitter LOL!  Have a great weekend!

Music to my Ears!

Happy NFL Sunday my friends!  I’m typing this as I’m watching the Raven’s play and I can’t say for sure whether this post will make sense or not LOL!  I’m hoping for a Ravens win and a 49ers win so that the Harbaugh brothers *both coaches* meet up in the Superbowl…..rock on!!!



I have to go over to the high school at 5:30 to set up for the musical tonight but we are only staying for the first part to see Alexa & then going home….geesh why have a musical on an NFL playoff night…not wise LOL!  Let me tell you a funny…..quite a few years ago I asked hubby for tickets to see “Mamma Mia” on broadway in DC for Christmas.  Well he was so excited to give me the tickets that year because he got us 3rd row, oh yeah baby LOL.  Well we later figured out why…..the tickets were for Superbowl Sunday….yeah no one was wanting to go that night LMBO!  But hubby was a good sport and he took me without any complaints…that was the year Janet Jackson had the “wardrobe malfunction” heehee.  So every year I tease him & say “hey wanna go to the theater in February?” But it was worth it, I loved that musical and danced & sang the whole time….ummm yeah no hubby does not sing & dance along with me….but he does tolerate me doing it well!

NewsBitz:

-Want to come take a Copics Class with me?  I have upcoming classes in Texas, Florida and soon W.Virginia, Baltimore, Montreal and more.  Go to www.cmcroad.com to see!

A Big Thank You to Pixie Dust Studios for having me as their winner for my Love Letters project here!  I sure appreciate it!

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Singin’ Along With Meeeee!!

So Sunday is Smash Book Day from now on….well as much as I can try LOL…keep me on track so I can actually document events, places, and stories this year.  If you haven’t joined our “We R Smashin’, Scrappin’ & Journalin’” group over at the CMC Classroom, well then you are more than welcome to---everyone is welcome!  Its not just for Smash Books---if you love scrapbooking or art journaling well then this group is for you too.  We will have monthly themes/prompts/ideas that you can incorporate into your books and then you can enter into the challenge if you like to win a fun prize.  Smash books are just an easier version of scrapbooking, they are meant to be done faster without as much layout/detail as you might spend on a traditional scrapbook….yes, which is why it appeals to me…LOL!

So I decided to do my next 2 pages on my last trip to Vegas where I met The Voice winner Javier Colon….yep I’m still a tad giddy about that…for sure!!




I printed out all my pictures that were taken by a random person at the Monster Cable Booth LOL.  On this side I used one picture to make a pocket so I could slip in the autographed card he signed for me & Alexa---I didn’t want to adhere that down to the book..  The dice/card images are just clip art from the web that I printed and cut out….then added Stickles to bling it up….its all about Vegas baby!!

On this page I added more pictures and matted them like film rolls a bit and typed up the story…I can only write for so long so I tend to type my stories…my hands cramp up easily and then my handwriting becomes illegible and ugly LOL.  I used a letter stamp and colored in the white with my Sharpie Poster Pain pen & added some white dots around the black cs.  This page took me about 20 mins to do which was awesome…nice and quick.  And Alexa worked on hers at the same time…she’s running a teen area at the CMC Classroom for Smash booking teens.  If you are interested in getting some Smash Book Goodies….7 Kids College Fund has a great selection HERE (if you want to see what kind of pages are in each book go to the EK Success site & click on larger images to see insides).

Have a great weekend!  See ya soon….hoping for a BIG RAVENS win…whooot!

I Gotta Dance!!!

Helllooooo & Happy Weekend to you all!  Dontcha’ just love the weekends?  It is NFL Football weekend here for sure….the Baltimore Ravens (Go Ray-Ray’s) play early on Sunday so you know where we will all be huh?  Sunday evening hubby & I have to set up for Alexa’s Musical at her high school so we will miss the 2nd game…but we’ll be taping it so no sneakin’ me the score ok LOL.  Alexa has another Sweet 16 Birthday party this weekend too & the birthday girl is taking them to Washington, DC to spend the night & have dinner.  Now this is like Birthday party #5 for 16 year olds so far for her (oy veyyyy)….the last one they all took a limo to DC for dinner & sight-seeing…ummm do I have any clue what I’m doing for Alexa’s Sweet 16 in April yet?  NOPE LOL!  Not a darn clue but possible things are a weekend trip to NYC or a spa day but I don’t believe in huge, over-the-top parties…that money is being saved for her college not for a 16th birthday party…to me that’s ridiculous to spend $10,000 on huge formal parties for teens when I’d rather put it towards her education or even future wedding KWIM.  Alexa’s BFF’s 16th birthday is the same date as her’s so there has been talk about having a joint event but I still gotta put my thinkin’ cap on…..however….

I’m not really in the mood to think about any events for my lovely, teen daughter…oh my!  She got her braces on yesterday and let’s just say that the “princess” turned into the “wicked witch” and it was OH SO MUCH FUN….yeah the kind of fun that you NEVER want to have again…you know…we’ve all been there before huh?  Now granted I am somewhat sympathetic…stop laughing, I really am…but…….come on!  She is one of millions that has braces…I had braces when I was in high school & I turned out ok right? (well no laughing ok..that wasn’t a funny) AND we paid EXTRA to get her the white/ceramic braces so you can barely even tell she has them.  And she only has to have them on for 9 mos…some kids have them on for years….so yeah I don’t feel that bad for her LOL.  So there were tears, screaming, yelling, boo-hooing & all that jazz….between the sick boys in the house & then the brace-queen I was about to guzzle a whole bottle of wine & consider the use of other bad carcinogens for a bit last night…my head was splitting open.  And to make matters WORSE we had to go dress shopping after the brace-fest for a dress for her dinner on Saturday night…oh yeah I know how to start a party don’t I….ummm no, not really but I am good at wallowing in self-inflicted torture apparently!  I mean a teary teen, with new braces trying on dresses that made “her look plump”(umm no), “too short”, “too pale”, etc---I was slowly pulling out each strand of hair, very slooowlyyy…1 strand at a tiiiimmmmmmme….so that the pain of scalping myself suddenly was much worse than the pain of being where I was with a teenager hell bent on making me wanna shoot myself with a LARGE gun!!  But I grinned and bared it the whole time, and finally we agreed on a dress and I managed to get us BOTH home in one piece….no recreational drugs used I promise! LOL!  Yeah I can NOT STAND WHINING, GROANING or TEARS of any kind…some may say it’s a character flaw of mine but I have to disagree…my kids will tell you that I regularly say “Suck It Up-Move On”.  Yeah some will say it’s a bit harsh but its not that I don’t baby them a bit when its needed…cuz I do…but I’m not going to entertain whining/crying about things we cannot control and situations that we find ourselves in.  Life is HARSH, this I know well & they gotta learn now that its best to deal with it quickly, put it in its place, put a positive spin on it the best that you can and keep on moving.  We all have to do things in life that aren’t nice, aren’t fun and maybe not exactly what we planned….BUT…you still gotta live your life so its best to learn early how to deal with it all.  And that is really what I hope they learn from me, glass half full, deal with it, suck it up & LIVE the best that you can with what you are given

And here is the “princess” herself…yep you can barely see those braces huh? Geez…..she's still beautiful no matter what, but she'll say I have to say that cuz I'm her mom...lol!



Ok its video time….yep I feel the need to start your day with a funny…and this is cute, funny & touching and sure to bring a SMILE to your face.  A friend showed me this video last week & I just loved it….they said it reminded them of what I might have been like as a young child…bwahahahaha…umm yeah no.  I might’ve been a bit “funny” hee hee but I was VERY QUIET & SHY when I was small…NO LIE.  Ask my mom & she will agree—I barely talked…then high school came & well I guess all hell broke out cuz my voice suddenly found me & I’ve been using it ever since…and yes I sing loudly…and dance wherever I may be…heehee…lucky you all huh?  But this girl will be a star one day for sure…so have fun smiling & watching!

***My friend Tina Gilliland is celebrating her Blogaversary and one of the prizes is a CMC Copic Online Class at my classroom....so hop on over HERE to enter if you want a chance to win!

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Just Dance!!

Today I’m sharing a whimsical project with you featuring these sweet NEW “Spring Flora Fairies” for SCACD---this one is called “Iris” (and she comes with an iris image too). There are a few of these cute fairies & they are perfect for your upcoming spring projects I used some beautiful new papers by Glitz Paper “Vintage Blue Fancy” –I love this new Glitz paper line….beautiful patterns & colors.



I used a mix of Prima & Wild Orchid Crafts flowers and the sentiment is from Technique Tuesday.  The scrolls were made with a Magnolia Doohickey die and I liked that they framed the image like fairy/butterfly wings.  She was colored with Copics in blues & yellows and then I stickled her wings and bodice…I added a small pearl accent to her bodice as well.

Ok I hope you all ENJOY & TREASURE your weekend!  I’ll see you back here on Sunday with another FUN SMASH BOOK post for y’all!  See ya!

Make it LOVE-ly!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Hope your week is going swell so far.  Sickness has stricken the Dean household…tis the season I guess.  I was sick first with a head cold and then…………dah-da-dah-dum…the BOYS got sick….which is like the WORLD HAS ENDED I GUESS!  That’s right…sickness totally paralyzes the men in my household…I kid you not…it attacks the muscles of their legs and brain & cripples them into moaning, groaning, annoying beasts that take up major space in my family room.  Meanwhile I who have the SAME sickness is scurrying around doing chores, attending to household issues AND working…am I laying down? NO! Am I groaning & moaning? NO NO NO!  What the heck is that all about?  Seriously its like a germ floats in a man’s nostril & travels up their brain & turns it into mush…causing them to revert back to non-moving babies.  UGHhhhhhhh!  Not that I don’t have a “smidgen” sympathy cuz’ I do but if I’m sick to & I’m able to move & do stuff then in my opinion SO SHOULD YOU—COME ON!!!  And another thing…we know you are sick…you don’t need to MOAN & GROAN & COUGH so loud that the windows rattle…I GET THE POINT!!  Sorry I had to vent…after 17 years of marriage I woulda THUNK that he’d get the message but apparently not.  And I had hoped I was raising my son to be BETTER at being sick…but apparently not (I now apologize to all his future girlfriends or wife..I’m so very sorry)!  Ok I’m done now…I think…I might persue the stupidness of their actions in my head for awhile longer…until I get tired of thinking on it…and it finally escapes from my thought processes LOL!

Ok so here is story #2 for you from my Vegas trip…I have a couple more that I may share with you LOL!  This one is short…thank god for that right…I hear you thinking that bwahahaha!  So at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Vegas there were a ton of celebrities, none that I was absolutely dying to see other than Javier (see post below).  I was not well when I was in Vegas…yeah I was starting to get sick but was resisting as best as I could.  So at one point I needed AIR…yep just plain old fresh air..I struggle a bit in large crowds mentally as well and there were SOOOO many people there (100 x what is at CHA) coupled with the fact that I was getting sick I felt that I may pass out.  So I went out a side exit to get air…the guard said I could go out…well I guess that exit was a VIP entrance…who knew?? LOL!  But he let me out and I was thankful then I realized that it was the “celebrity” area & I started giggling…heeheehee.  So I stood there caught my breath and watched all the celebrities come in & out including Jillian Michaels (boy she is TINY, I mean tiny but all muscle & very pretty) and the Jersey Shore cast (let me GAG myself now…sorry I’m so NOT a fan of them).  It was like my own private viewing party LOL!  Well after about 15 mins I was ready to go back in so I did.  I was texting & walking…yeah yeah yeah I know that’s dangerous for me…but I was anyhow.  Soooooooooo I was in a bit of a rush to meet some people there so I was walking pretty fast & texting…and BAMMMMM!!!  I slammed right into someone so hard I dropped my phone & purse and someone grabbed me, heeheheehehehee!  When I came to my senses I looked up and I had run smack dab into Dennis Rodman…who is a HUGE man, HUGE! (he’s a former NBA player…google him if you must lol)  I’m not his biggest fan…yeah he’s a bit of a freak LOL but whatever, I’m not into his personal biz-ness   Anyway he was laughing & said he’d never seen a tinier person almost knock the “SH*T” out of him before and live to tell about it which made me LAUGH and this is what I said (oh dear me) “That’s ok, apparently I do this a lot & I still have yet to learn my lesson”!! Well he thought that was hilarious for whatever reason and he asked what I was doing there & where I was going & if I needed “HELP”---geez I musta looked out of it or something but I managed to laugh & say thanks & walk off.  I know he was probably watching me thinking I was the craziest person he’d seen that day as I literally knocked this huge man over and HORRORS I didn’t even act like I cared who he was….bet he doesn’t get that often hahaha!  I SWEAR I’m going to NOT text-n-walk anymore, I SWEAR it!!  You heard it here ok?  OK?  He’s about the 4th person I’ve ran into HARD & then there was the time in Chicago where I wiped out on the people mover cuz I was texting & not paying attention…yeah I know…it’s a bad habit & I’m gonna STOP it LOL!  Cuz’ god only knows who or where I might wipe out next KWIM (really I promise lol..no more).

NewsBitz:

-Ok I have 2 spots left in my Anaheim Copic classes….if you are interested in either spot please email me.  It will be a TON OF FUN!!!  My next locations are Texas, Naples/FL & Port St. Lucie FL—go to www.cmcroad.com if you are interested.  In Port St. Lucie I am debuting a NEW Class “X-treme Copic Techniques” that will take you wayyyy outside the box & have some more fun with coloring!

-I have a TON of new things coming that I’m super excited about…and I hope you will be too…so stay tuned!  Also if you are out at CHA…come FIND me & say HI..I promise to NOT wipe you out!!  I’d love to meet you…I’m at the Scor-Pal/Magnolia-licious on Sunday & Monday…Tuesday I will be wandering the floor so WATCH OUT hee hee!  Yes, YES I will be hyped up on Cherry Coke

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LOVE-ly!!!

I am hosting a fun “Mix It Up Monday Challenge” at StampTV & its all about LOVE!  Everyone is welcome to join in, you can use any stamps it just needs to be about LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LOL!  So you can see the challenge HERE & of course you can win…winning is good (according to Charlie Sheen…hahaha)!!  I have some inspiration photos over there too to get your mojo flowin’….I based my card on the photo below.

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Anything Goes Challenge

Lexi's Creations Challenge (anything goes)

My Grafico Challenge (valentines)

Paper Creations Ink (Love)

I made this card so it would be appropriate for a guy or a girl…totally appropriate for my hubby for Valentine’s Day….if he gets off that darn couch & stops groaning that is…before I smother him….just kiddin’…well maybe now..LOL!  I used the fabulous NEW StampTV Kit “True Love” for my card…this kit is packed with great images & sentiments.  I embossed the main image in white onto the red cs and then added some pearls & stickles to bling it up a bit (no card of mine is finished until the sparkle is added lol).  My papers are a mix of papers from Basic Grey “Little Black Dress” & Kaisercraft “After 5”.  The die cuts are by Spellbinders and I tied off a bow with some Bakers twine, button & sentiment tag.  Some more pearls in the corners to finish it all off.

Hope you can hop on over to StampTV & join me in the challenge!  See ya on Friday!!  And oh yeah it’s a FOOTBALL weekend in the Dean house…goooooo RAVENSSSSS….rock the PURPLE y’all cuz they are bringing it LOL!!!

Love Letters From the Heart!!

Well hello everyone—wow what a crazy few days its been…seems like I was just getting ready for my trip and boom now I’m back home recovering still.  And oh heck yeah do I have stories for you LOL…I’d have to be comatose while traveling to NOT have any right?  Well I’ll let you in on a secret…I left Wednesday morning at the crack of dawn for Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show…can’t say why yet but it has nothing to do with my craft world stuff’s LOL.  I’ve always got some surprises up my sleeve ‘eh!?  Let’s just say I’m a bit…well a whole lot…of a tech-gadget-computer geek and always have been so going to this show was a dream come true for me.  But let’s start with the trying to actually GET to Vegas…I purposely picked a flight that was flying thru Charlotte because I figured I’d have less issues with weather incidents…right…right?  Yeah..ummmm NOOOOO!  Not only that but instead of flying out of the airport that is 15 mins from my house I had to drive 1.5 hours to Baltimore to catcht the flight and we get on the runway and they say they have delayed our take-off….what…yeah ummm Suzanne only had a 40 min window between connecting flights so this was NOT looking so good.  Panic bells went off in my head…beeepbeeepbeeeeppp…then they wouldn’t tell us why or when we would be leaving.  CUZ APPARENTLY CHARLOTTE WAS HAVING THUNDERSTORMS & FOG…yeah weather incidents…OMG I was ready to shoot myself.  So by this time I knew that I was going to miss my connecting flight so I had hubby book me another flight once I got to Charlotte just in case…if you remember my disastrous United incident in Chicago this past summer…well you know why I was planning ahead.  45 minutes later we were cleared to go…they said we had a 4 min window to take off…but CERTAIN DUMB-A PEOPLE WOULDN’T TURN OFF THEIR ELECTRONICS!!  Well Suzanne was ready to lead the REVOLT to storm the back of the plane to tell them peeps to shut-em down..I mean really…REALLY?  We actually got to Charlotte only a few minutes late & we were hoping the connecting flights were delayed…yeah nope…I missed my flight by 2 mins.. 2 FLIPPING MINUTES OMG!!!!!  But I have to say I was impressed with US Airways…they had booked us all on the next flight when they knew we would miss it and I had a seat on a plane to Phoenix then Vegas 45 mins later…that is good customer service I must say (United…hey hey…take some notes here ok)!

Now here is where we move into the story part #1…on the flight to Phoenix I am stuck in the middle seat (can’t complain cuz I woulda sat on the floor just to get there) but you know I don’t DO middle seats..I’m a window seat kinda gal.  My seatmates were very polite & quiet BUT THE GUY BEHIND ME O.M.G!!  He was dumb…I kid you not..like dumb like dirt…obnoxious…loud…and drunk!  The plane takes off and the captain says “arrival time in Phoenix is 3 hours & 26 mins”…the guy FREAKS OUT…starts screaming “HEY they didn’t tell me we were goin’ to Phoenix…my ticket says I’m goin’ to Vegas…WTH?”!!  Yeah..ummm your final destination is always printed on the ticket cuz we weren’t changing planes in Phoenix KWIM…so he starts arguing with the stewardess and cussing and being just FOUL about it.  Then he says well how long will it take me to drive from Phoenix to Vegas cuz I’m not getting on another plane….ummm like 5 hours dork…LOL.  So he freaks out again…then he says well is Phoenix or Vegas a bigger city in Arizona? LMBO…yeah Vegas is in Nevada buddy not Arizona…at this point I was ready to turn around and light it up with him…people were laughing and just horrified by him.  They finally serve him another DRINK and he shuts up for a bit….meanwhile I’m talking on FB with about 5 friends (yes in-air wi-fi) and have my headphones in and one of my friends said something & I bust out laughing…very LOUDLY…and couldn’t stop (let’s just say there coulda been TEARS running down my legs heehee)!  I’m sure everyone on the plane thought I was a loon but that’s ok cuz it was funny and then I realized I was also singing along to my iTunes music too….oooopsies LOL.  We got to Phoenix and let’s just say we had flight crew change & I got the guy ejected from the plane so he was GONE—good riddance—TSA came & took him (I’ll tell you how I saw him later on in my Vegas visit too…ewww ucky).  So that’s just the one travel story…I’ll share more with you this week cuz I have LOTS more, oh yeah there is MORE!

But my fave story that I have to share before I shut up is the CES show (Consumer Electronics Show)—I had a freaking blast running around there and playing with all the new gadgets (will tell you some of my fave finds later this week) and the show is 90% men…10% women…hahahaha…so if you are single that is the place to go to find a man…LMBO!!  What I love is walking up to a tech guy and they are looking at me like I'm a dumb woman and then I open my mouth...yep I do...and I can go head to head with them all the way in geek speak...yeah I love that...leaves 'em a bit shocked which makes me giggle!!   And at the show they have a ton of celebrities…a ton of them…but none of them interested me that much although my daughter said I MUST come home with Justin Bieber’s autograph….yeah no I didn’t LOL!   BUT I was at the Monster Cable booth looking at new hi-def headphones for my music listening enjoyment when I noticed a poster saying Javier Colon (winner of The Voice) would be there…ummm I’ve been obsessed with his voice since we were in Maui (yeah I made the family watch the Voice in Maui..so what’s it to ya LOL).  I just think he’s such a nice & humble guy…and the dude’s voice is so pure and fabulous…I’ve had all his old music, got his new album & his holiday music and I follow him on Twitter…yeah I wuv him!!  He was due there at 3 pm…it was 1:30 pm and I was talking to some of the Monster executives…yes I made lots of contacts at the show…new friends too…heehee and said hey I’ll be back to see Javier save me a spot in line.  Well they saved me SPOT #1—oh yeah baby I was FIRST IN LINE TO SEE HIM.  I was one of the only women in line with about 100 men who most didn’t know who he was but were getting autographs for their wives or something…you know…not TRUE FANS like myself..LOL!  I was so giddy…when I get giddy I laugh and dance in place…yeah I do…like a weirdo but I can’t help myself....nor do I care much what people think LOL..I'm too old & been thru too much for all that jazz.  The Monster Execs thought it was hilarious and they were like “you’re a real fan huh?”…ummm DUHHHHH ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!?  They are playing his music and I’m SINGING & DANCING and glaring at all the NON-FANS LOL --when he comes out…yeah I couldn’t help myself…I squealed…LOL!  I literally danced up on the stage…I was squealin’ & jumpin’ and he spent almost 20 mins just chatting with me (the execs informed him that I was a VIP fan hahahaha & I could take all the time I wanted…yesirreeeee).  He was so NICE, we chatted about his music, the show, Blake Shelton…umm yeah, his family and then I asked him to sing (yes I did…I don’t care lol) and he did…I was his backup singer and dancer..whootwhooot!  Then he said “can I give you a big hug?”…WELL YES YOU CAN JAVIER…meanwhile the Monster execs were dying on the side of the stage laughing.  But I got his autograph, lots of pics (see below) and he said hey tweet me a picture & I’ll tweet you back…he says I read all my tweets…and guess WHAT?  HE DID TWEET ME BACK…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I was SQUEALING….and then Alexa tweeted him & he tweeted her back too…isn’t that so sweet?  I just love him even more…what great character, kindness, and sweetness to go with his fab voice…it really was an honor to meet him and I will always cherish that and I hope he goes farrrrrr!  So if you have no idea who I’m talking about…then go listen to him sing HERE ok..show him some LOVE!  Whooot I’m still on Cloud 9!!

PS—I’ll tell you about what celebrity I literally RAN into on the floor later in the week…yeah I ran into him alright…knocked myself out…hahahha..I have that kinda luck huh!?

Ok here are many pics that one of the guys in line took during my “moments” with Javier LOL…I will treasure them always!!  Click HERE to come to my blog if you get this by email ok to see the pics!


My all time fave Javier song below:


*****Winner of the Aussie “Koala Hug Tilda” stamp & paper pad is………………..Cheri of “Cheri’s Shack”—congrats Cheri, email me for details ok! ******

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Love Letters-“A Maggie Blog Hop”

Today the Magnolia-licious DT has a super fun, SWEET CRAZY LOVE Blog Hop for you today….lots of beautiful Valentine inspired projects using the new collection “Sweet Crazy Love” from Magnolia-licious!  You can find all the hop details and how to play along at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog !

I decided to create a Twisted Easel Card that I tweaked a bit to try something a bit different.  The whole card measures 5.5” x 5.5” and lays flat for mailing.  I used this sweet cutie called “Tilda Lovelaced Shoes”—isn’t she adorable & I love that love is written on the bottom of her shoes, cute huh!  My papers are new from Glitz Paper “Pretty In Pink”—I love the vintage, romantic patterns and I distressed them all a bit more with my Zutter Distress Machine.  I used my heart & scalloped heart SB nesties, some tulle, tickets, hatpins and swirls from Memory Box (did you know Magnolia-licious carries dies by Memory Box, Magnolia & Marianne Designs now)!! 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Gingerloft Challenge (anything goes)

Let's Ink It Up (anything goes)

CES Challenges (vintage dahling)

Designed to Delight (hearts)

Pixie Dust Challenge (hearts)

I love the way this pops up in a modern-fun way…but yet the style is all vintage..I love to mesh styles like that to keep it fresh. I wanted to make sure that the card looked good from each side no matter what & also the inside too.  It props-sits up by tucking up next to the sentiment from PTI that I added a few more hearts, pearls & stickles to. 




Tilda was colored with Copics  (RV17,RV13,RV10 / E44,E43,E42,E40 / E11,E00 /E25,E31,E50) then I added some Stickles of course.  I masked her & then stamped over her with a PTI script stamp and inked the edges a bit.  The inside has music paper that is just light enough that you could write a sweet note to someone special.

I’m the LAST STOP on the Blog Hop Today--so thanks for hopping!

So if you haven’t checked out the new Sweet Crazy Love Collection at Magnolia-licious then hop on over & do that!  Also keep up with the Blog Hop today by going to the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog.

Let's Get Smashed!!

Happy Wednesday Morning to you all!  On the road again...feels so good to be on the road again.....lalalala.....LOL!  Yep, I am at the airport....waiting for my flight....to go....????  Well can't tell ya that but do know I will bee-boppin' my way across the US today and I'll be on Facebook letting you know what I see and do and find LOL!  My first trip of 2012 and I'm praying for a smooth trip, no delays, weird weather, lost bags or fall-downs LOL--so please pray with me ok!?  There is a storm system moving up the East Coast so I'm hoping to fly out before that affects any flights and less turbulence for me.  I plan on sleeping on my 2nd flight and I have a prime-window seat with my name on it and I'm hoping NO WEIRDOs sit next to me...but you know I attract strange people like a darn magnet.  I just checked and so far no one has purchased the seat next to me on my 2nd flight so I'm hoping that holds LOL..and nope I'm not flying Southwest out but I am flying it back home.  No sing-a-longs this morning....too darn early for all that & I am NOT a morning kinda girl...I'm sucking down my Cherry Coke as fast as I can to get that caffeine into my system.  If they could create an IV version for my Cherry Coke I just may buy it...I have a feeling that today is going to be a 4+ Coke kinda day hahahaha....so WATCH OUT!!


Here's a funny video for you...this guy Remi does a whole series of these videos...and yes they CRACK me & the teens up.  He's crazy--a total loon but you just gotta laugh (if you like this one...then make sure to watch the Kangaroo Man & Urban Touchdown ones...omgosh I'm giggling right now)

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Get Smashing!!

I have a new group at the CMC Classroom and it debuted this past Monday with a fun chat & party on the site (if you were there, thanks for coming by, it was crazy, fun & fast)!  It's called We R Smashin', Scrapbookin' & Journalin' -- so if you like to do any of those or want to get started come join our group!!  I gave away a bunch of Smash Book goodies and gift certificates to those that came & played some travel trivia with us.  Smash Books have gotten pretty popular & you can view some videos of them HERE.  They are similar to scrapbooks except the idea is to kinda "smash everything" in there...you don't concentrate on layouts as much as you do in a traditional scrapbook.  So you can glue in receipts, pictures, ticket stubs and write in there---they are meant to be put together quickly which is highly appealing to me LOL.  I started scrapbooking (traditional) 15 years ago when there was just stickers & decorative scissors (heehee...remember those days) and I loved it...but darn it...I'd spend 2 weeks and $150 on a 2 page layout & be stressed.  So I switched to mostly digital scrapbooking (although I am sooo far behind) and eventually moved into other paper crafts like card making.  So I have 3 Smash Books I'm working on this year...yeah yeah when do I have the time....wellllll...that is why I created the group so that it would keep my "rear in gear" and get it done.  So even if you don't use a Smash book but are a traditional scrapbooker or just want to use a notebook YOU ARE WELCOME at the group--its open to everyone.  Each month we will have a theme/prompt/idea to get you started & then you can enter your projects that month for a chance at a great prize.  The first 2 Smash Books I'm doing are a Random Suzanne Thoughts/Ideas and a Travel Book that I will carry with me to document all my travel goings-ons while I'm away.  So below are my first couple of pages for you.

Alexa is also operating a Tween/Teen area on the group for those that want to join in...she's working alongside of me with her own Smash Book and will maintain a special area for teens to hang out, share ideas and projects.

PS--that great blinkie was made for me by Tiffany of Tiffany Doodles--she rocks!!  And you can grab it for yourself if you'd like over at the CMC Classroom or email me for the html code ok!

So the theme/idea at the group for the month of January is Bucket Lists/2012 To-Do Lists/New Year's Resolutions.  I created a kinda mental "2012 Goal List" for myself of things I want to try & maintain and do this year personally like to "BE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT"--really enjoy each moment without worrying or thinking about what comes next.  "TO BREATHE even when the stress seems overwhelming"---like little mantras to myself I'll be chanting this year....yes crazy Suzanne talking to herself again LOL.  My next page will be "Things I Want to Do/Accomplish Before I Turn 40" (that's 2 years folks...yikes) and that list may be VERY LONG so I'm working on that next week.  I have always written my goals down since I was very young...I believe that seeing them in writing and reminding yourself regularly keeps you going down the path to doing them...I've always been goal oriented.  Keep your eye on the ball kind of mentality :)

I typed my list up on Word and printed it out and then just added some embossed card stock, some Smash tape and a few embellies with supplies I had on hand.  Remember that to do these books you don't need special supplies if you choose...use what you have, use an old book or notebook and any paper crafting supplies you already own.  I got a few Smash Book items like the books, some smash pads and some of their decorative tape but for most of my book I will just use what I have.  I also stamped a few fun images and doodled a bit on this page...I like to doodle...a lot...I forgot how much I liked to do it LOL!

Find a great selection of Smash Goodies at 7 Kids College Fund and Oh My Crafts!

The second page already had this great "I AM" prompt on it so I decided to run with it.  I doodled and wrote all the things that I think describe me best and who I think I am.  I just had fun with it and filled in areas with some doodles, smash tape & Stickles.  I used my Copic Spica pens so that all my writing has a subtle glitter to it for fun.  Just a fun page to look back on and for my kids & grandkids to read one day!

Well that is it for me today!  I hope you will come on over & join us at the group and have some fun with us.  Its a great place to chatter, share thoughts & ideas and your projects with everyone.  And for someone like me....well its a great motivator to keep on smashing LOL!  Hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll be back this week to post some pictures for ya too!

A Rusty Ride!

Happy Monday my friends!  Whooo-hoooo did you all watch the Play-off games this weekend!  The Dean household was ON FIRE—SCREAMING—for TEeeeeebooooow of the Broncos.  We were yelling like a BUNCH of maniacs…welll guess we always are maniacs LOL!  We strongly, strongly DISLIKE the Steelers (hey we are Ravens & Redskins fans & Steelers are our biggest rivals ‘eh)!  So we enjoyed seeing the Steelers crying into their terrible towels…sorry I haddddd to go there hee hee!  That overtime pass and run down the field..whoooowheeee…we were at the table eating my homemade chili-n-biscuits and we were jumping and screaming all over the kitchen…then we STOPPED.  Cuz you know in the NFL you celebrate a touchdown…when you hear….there’s a flag on the field?! LOL!  But not this time baby….oh yeah that was a GOOD touchdown and I’m a TEBOW fan.  After all the negative commentary about him I was so rootin’ for him to have a great game & I wasn’t disappointed.  Looking forward to next weekend’s games---hopin’ the Ravens beat the Texas, and the Saints beat the 49ers.  Alexa and I are making these cute football strawberries (that I got from Pinterest), 7 Layer Dip and mini-pizzas for the occasion –so looking forward to it

I also got down 10 of my 11 Christmas trees down & packed away and all cleaned up thanks to help from my hubby.  The house always feels so bare after its all gone for awhile..I miss the twinkle of lights and smells of the trees that’s for sure.  But our real trees needed to get out to the curb for recycling to pick up and they were starting to drop a ton of needles…never fun to clean up.  And I cleaned up my craftroom…I won’t even tell you what a disaster my room was…DISGUSTING!  I had so many boxes of stuff…craft stuff and some hadn’t been opened or organized.  I had been so busy the last 6 mos that nothing got put away and it got to be such a huge CHORE and I had NO time to dedicate to it.  So I took 4 hours to really clean it up & semi-organize it today and whooo I feel so much better going in there….it’s a relief actually and my mojo is re-energized.  I didn’t go overboard with organizing because when my room downstairs is ready I will just be moving and organizing it again…so I didn’t want to do the job twice…but I needed it to be cleaned out and organized enough that it made it easy for me to work and know where stuff was.  I was spending so much time looking for things that I was wasting too much time and I don’t have time to waste KWIM LOL!  But all in all I was happy with everything I accomplished this weekend and felt I got a lot done.  I also did some reading, some eating, some watching tv and spent time with my family.  We watched “I Don't Know How She Does It” and I swear at times it was like watching myself….yes..including the part where she’s skyping with the business guy but doesn’t know he’s watching & she’s adjusting her pantyhose & then falls into the chair..uh yeah…done dumb stuff like that before.  Hee hee heck I do dumb stuff like that all the time!  And I have a surprise trip this week…can’t say where I’m going…but I’ll tell you after I get back…LOL…its top secret again!  I’m sure there will be some kind of shenanigans and I’m sure I’ll tell you all about it…so stay tuned for my first trip of 2012 LMBO!

NewsBitz:

-Thanks to all the participants for the Holiday CMC Challenge!  All the winners are posted up on the site so go see if you won!  We raised $500 (I’m topping it off to reach a full $500) for our Reading & Literacy Charity and I know that will buy them a bunch of books for the children which makes me happy. If you’d like to donate “just because” you can do that through the end of January directly HERE!  Thanks everyone!

-Tonight we have a NEW GROUP debuting at the CMC Classroom called “We R Smash Bookin’, Scrapbookin’ & Journalin’!!”.  So if you are interested in any kinds of scrapbooking or journaling or want to get started, then hop on over and join us! If you’ve heard of Smash Books—well we are doing those too but you can use any kind of book you’d like.  Each month we will have some fun themes/prompts/ideas for a fun challenge that you can join in on too (I hope it motivates me to get going with my books this year LOL)!  We have a fun chat/party planned at 7:45 pm EST tonight and everyone is welcome (you just have to join the site & scroll down till you see the chat box on the main page)—I’m going to be giving away some fun prizes too! Hope to see you there! (ps—if you’ve never been to a party/chat at the CMC site…well you are in for a treat lol…always fun, fast paced and lots of chitter chatter!).

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Want a Rusty Ride!!?

Today I’m sharing a fun masculine project with you all.  I know so many of us struggle with male-influenced projects and I have to say I like the challenge of them.  I find working-outside-the-box fun and makes me energized to try new things.  This image is a digi stamp from Fred She Said called “Old Truck”.  I love this old truck…reminds me of pictures of my grandparents old Chevy truck from back in the day LOL.  And I used a technique on this truck that I teach in CMC Copic Class 5 – to put rust on your colored images…a fun technique, not too hard but it just takes some time & patience.

The cardstock is a mix of SU & PTI, some scrap pattern paper and then I distressed all the edges with my Zutter Distress It Tool.  The rust cs was embossed with a clock-works embossing folder (see some cool grunge emboss folders here) and then inked to bring the background out a bit.  I wanted to make my own “gears” so I used my Spellbinder Pinking & Regular Circle Nesties to create gears.  I inked them, distressed them, added some silver stickles and added them to the card.  The corner elements are all brads…however I don’t like to punch many layers of cs…so I cut the ends of the brads off with my Tonic Scissors and add them with glue dots.  The sentiment is from PTI and then some twine to finish it all off.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Pile It On (Manly Cards)

Here Come The Boys 

(sketch/boys--I flipped my sketch)

Speedy Fox & Friends (brads & eyelets)

Adding rust to objects with your Copics is FUN!  I always encourage everyone to look at items around them or google pictures when coloring to see how color and light play—it helps with your coloring.  For me this was a really fun project to create and the technique is a fun one—one of my faves from Class 5.  I added Diamond Glaze to the windows, bumper, bolts on tires and headlights and then lightly sprinkled DecoArt Glamour Dust on the Diamond glaze while its wet…it suspends in the liquid for a cool effect.  Then I used a bit of Distressed Stickles (in haystack or something like that lol) on the gravel for some extra texture.



That’s it for me today…hope you like this project, this image is one of my faves from Class 5 and I was happy to put it on a card!  Great for any guy in your life!  Hope you have a fabulous day…I’ll be back on Wed with a Smash Book project!

Good Friend Blend!

Happy TGIFriday all my friends!  Can I just say how much I love y’all?  You make me smile everyday and I appreciate that and if I make you smile, laugh, giggle or pee your pants….well then…I appreciate that too LOL!  If my blog gives you a little smile during the day then I fell like my job is done. I try to keep things light & fun on my blog as I know we all have lives and the daily doldrums that can come along with that.  I also try not to get into opinionated topics like religion and politics…hot button topics…things that get people going in unpleasant ways.  I don’t want my blog to be about that…however I DO have opinions on both…I just don’t share that with you all unless we are having a private conversation and you ask me.  It seems anymore that when you TRY to discuss either, people STOP listening once they find out that you are not agreeing with their views or beliefs.  Then they get emotional…angry…yelling…and attack…not necessarily your opinions, but you personally because they haven’t stopped to FULLY listen to your reasoning or tried to understand.  I like a great debate with someone who has great ideas, can back their statements up with facts and someone that values my opinion as well.  While we may NOT agree on our stances…we both APPRECIATE the other’s views…and most importantly we RESPECT each other as human beings with emotions, opinions & thoughts.  It doesn’t mean that someone is stupid, brainless or dumb just because they don’t agree with you.  TRUST ME…I read and hear a lot of things I don’t agree with…BUT I respect that it is that person’s thought and opinion.  I don’t attack the person because of their view or make nasty comments…I simply move on and put it in its place…doesn’t bother me in the least that you have thoughts different from me.  Life would be WAY too boring if we all thought the same and wanted the same things out of life. HOWEVER we must remember to keep understanding, respecting and showing kindness along the way.  If we all stopped to really listen and understand what the other person is really saying or how they are feeling, the world might be a kinder, gentler place.  So you won’t ever see me speak politics or religion on my blog…NEVER EVER…or Facebook either.  But on occasion I WILL throw a comment out on Twitter and hey you know what?  We live in the good ole USofA and my right as a citizen is freedom of speech, free thoughts and I can speak as I please.  Does that mean I want you to change how you feel on the subject…NO…I’m not trying to make you think like me or believe the same things as me.  Absolutely not!  But it is my right to put a comment out there…its my thought that I’ve thrown out there to the wind…I’m not asking for comments or rhetoric on it...just putting it out there.  If you put a thought out there…I’ll respect it…I might even laugh or agree…but I will NEVER attack you for it, nor will I be unkind or ungracious towards you for it.  That is not how I live my life or treat people in this world.  So people may NOT like what I have to say…but guess what…I don’t care, I stopped caring a long time ago about that…stop reading it…don’t follow me…its your right to not agree so stop reading my comments…I don’t read things I don’t like…so just walk away…unless you can disagree in a respectful way between one intelligent human to another.  Ok…you feel me on this…get where I’m coming from…I won’t treat you like a doormat or a ninny or a dumb-butt ever…so don’t treat me that way either.  And if you do…welllllll…I do have a mouth & yeah I like to use it…I won’t back down…I will answer you for sure…but I will do it in a respectful and civilized tone.  AND that my friends I know for sure!

And now I am hopping off of my free speech rant today with a funny for you (and yes my daughter may kill me for this but I cannot resist).  She left for school yesterday morning and hubby drove her up to the bus stop on his way to work.  She kept telling him she smelled “poo” (yes poop lol).  He was like “I don’t smell anything” and Alexa kept insisting she smelled it.  So she gets on the bus and asks her friend if she smells it and she says “NO”.  She gets to school and goes to class but still smells it so she asks her friends….to smell her…lmbo…to see if she smelled or her clothes smelled.  They said nope they smelled nothing.  So she was sitting in chorus and still smelled it and she had her leg across the other leg….when she saw IT!  Yep she had stepped in doggie poo somewhere between the front door & the car (not our dogs cuz they only go out in the backyard & we scoop the yard every week).  She had a nice smearing of doggie poo on the bottom of her boot…just thin enough that she didn’t feel it or really see it!  OMGosh I laughed so hard…the poor child knew she smelled poo but just couldn’t figure out where it was!  She did NOT think it was so funny…however me & hubby DID bwahahahaha!  I can just imagine her face when she realized WHERE the poo was hee hee…and I can easily laugh cuz with 7 animals I have stepped in it, touched it by accident and cleaned it so no big deal

NewsBitz:

-You can still enter for some fun Blog Candy on the post under this one!  You have till tomorrow (Saturday) evening to do so!

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Special Friend Blend

So for all of you, my friends I have a special card for you today featuring a super-cute Elisabeth Bell for SCACD image called “A Cuppa” from the Odds & Ends Collection.  She’s just so sweet with her cup of cocoa (or tea if you like tea—me I prefer hot cocoa..it’s a sugar & chocolate thing lol)!  And if you are in the land of the “freezing” like me…you probably want to drink something warm & cozy while you settle in to read a book…or my blog hahaha…or just relax a bit.  The papers are by MME “Honey Cake”—love the mix of soft blues & pinks. 

 

The pretty doily die is from Cheery Lynn Designs, then I cut another scalloped oval out of my aqua cs and embossed it with a fab emboss folder by Craft Concepts “Garden Swirl” (I loveeee my embossing folders).  Then I just layered a few Prima flowers and a bow made with my Bow Easy to finish it off.  The sentiment is from a PTI set that I love! 

 

The image was colored with Copics- BG75,BG72,BG10/ R22,R20,R00.  Her bow and sash I stamped & colored twice, cutting one set out to pop up for extra dimension on the image and of course I stickled them for sparkle!

So CHEERS to the weekend, CHEERS to all of you & may you have lots of fun and fabulousness this weekend!!