Winter Bunny Hugz!

Hello friends and Happy Wednesday to you!  What's everyone up to this week??  I really need to clean out and organize my craft room before it literally eats me ALIVE!  No lie--it is ridiculously messy and I've had no time to put things away.  I have about 7 or 8 boxes filled with new goodies that I have yet to go thru and find a new home for. I have the last 2 PTI releases still sitting in their boxes--the HORROR I tell you!  Part of the problem is that I've just run out of room and I've had NO time the past 2 months to really clean it all out.  I have ADVISED my hubby that I need a bigger room and we need to blow out the side of the house, but he didn't think that was such a great idea, LOL!  So I plan on doing that within the next week or so because it is making me CRAZY--I hate clutter and my room is nothing but MESS, it's messin' with my mojo!  I need to go to Target and get some more bins and just have at it for a day KWIM!  Anyone wanna help me??? LOL---I'll pay you in free craft goodies and then we can sit and have some hot cocoa on my patio, ok!!  :) 

NewsBitz:

-Winner of my "Dreaming in Fall Colors" Blog Candy is  Sharon F of Arizona!! Congrats & Email me with your address so I can get your goodies to you!

-Have you seen the new Grand Spellbinder's Dies yet?  7 Kids College Fund has them for pre-order HERE!!

-Blog Candy hidden somewhere in this post today :)

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Winter Bunny Hugz!!

Today is another fun challenge for the 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog!  This time our hostess is Manuela and the challenge is "Layers & Flowers"--two of my most favorite things, hee hee!  I used one of the absolutely BEAUTIFUL new Sarah Kay Fall & Winter stamps called "Rose Cuddling Winter Bunny"--see the whole collection HERE!  They are just stunning and so sweetly drawn, and yes I got one of each, lol!  Make sure to stop by the Challenge Blog to see all the DT's beautiful projects and see how you can join in to win something FUN!!

I decided to use one of my fave color combos of blues, cream and browns--great for winter and soothing too!  My dp is by TaDa Designs (from last year) and I distressed all my edges with my Zutter Distress Tool--if you don't have one you NEED this tool!  I love it--run your paper one way and it gets lightly distressed and run it the opposite way for heavier distressing.  I love, love the new Spellbinders dies as well---I used "Beaded Oval Nesties" for my matting behind the image.  (see all the new dies here-scroll down towards the bottom).  I added some small pale blue pearls to each bead around the die-cut.  I also cut my image out by tracing it with the die first and cutting by hand so I could have her boot stick out the edge and then I matted it with the entire die cut.  The scrolls are by Marianne Designs and the sentiment is from PTI.

And yes she got colored with Copics--I colored her pants in brown and then actually used a Colorless Blender technique to make them look like suede by adding some blender to a pc of velvet and dabbing it on top of my coloring.  I used E27,E25,E34,E31/B97,B95,B91 and to get the pale blue on her boots I used my Colorless Blender pen to pick up color from my B91.  Then I topped her wellies off some diamond glaze for shine.  The snow is Martha Stewart Snow Glitter (I LOVE this stuff for snow) and I also added some stickles to her hat, scarf trim and some snowflakes behind her.

The flowers were done by taking a snowflake punch (Martha Stewart) and some blue Prima roses and in between I punched cream flowers with my Nellie Snellen punches (love these).  I inked the edges of the cream flowers with brown ink to match the overall look of the card and then attached them all together and added to the card.

Now for some Blog Candy to start off the soon-to-be Holiday Season!  I've got a Stampavie Sarah Kay (same one I used but a new one, lol), Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather paper pad and a Martha Stewart snowflake punch and pack of Prima roses!  Just tell me "What is your FAVORITE Wintertime activity?" by Friday to win!!

Make sure to stop by the 7 Kids Challenge Blog to join in the fun!!!

Peachy cute!!

Happy Columbus Day for those here in the states and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all in Canada as well! I am back from NY and happy to be home, lol! I took yesterday and most of today off because I just needed to rest and spend time with my family for a bit. It took me 10 hours to get to Long Island on Friday due to rush hour traffic, accidents and my STUPID GPS taking me thru downtown NYC on a Friday night. The cops had some of the roads I needed closed off and I spent 2 hours driving around the city and stuck in traffic. The NYC cabbie in me came out and I was cutting off the cabs left and right and honking my horn, lol! Thankfully I have a somewhat working knowledge of the city and was able to get out but it was a longgggg drive with no bathroom breaks. Hubby called in dinner for me at the restaurant near my hotel so when I arrived I could eat and get in bed (isn't he the best)!!  Thankfully my drive home was only 5.5 hours which was a huge difference and I got in at 2:30 am on Sunday morning.

But the classes were wonderful and again I'm so thankful to have so many great ladies and friends in each town I visit---it truly makes it a real pleasure for me!  I also just absolutely love teaching someone how to love their copics and use them in the way they were meant to be used.  I've had a few ladies in each class who have NEVER picked up a marker before and by the end of the classes they were coloring BEAUTIFULLY, you would've thought they'd been at it for months and that makes me SO HAPPPPPPPYYYY!  Thanks to everyone who has come out for classes---I love you all!  And thanks to Cindy Scheffler of Memory Making Crafts for setting up shop and helping out!

Yesterday we spent out on my 98% finished backyard (still waiting for some painting to be finished and some other finish work to be done) and we grilled out and I decorated it for fall.  The kids each had a friend over for the night and we spent it outside sitting around the roaring fire in the fireplace--it was just a REALLY GREAT night and I enjoyed it so much.  We made smores, relaxed and just had fun!  I have pictures below from my classes and of my new backyard for you!!  Hope you are enjoying this fabulous fall weather we're having right now, I'm going to SUCK every moment out of it that I can :)  This weekend I have to take Alexa shopping for her Homecoming dress and I'll be home for the next 3 weekends--yay!  Then I'm off to NC, Buffalo and Canada in November before I wrap up my traveling for the year---make sure to check the CMC on the Road site for new upcoming dates/locations this week!

Slideshow Pics:(if you get this blog by subscription you will not be able to view the pics, you must come directly to my blog site)

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Spooks N Peaches!!

So I'll keep my chitter chat short here so I can go make some dinner and get some stuff done, lol!  This cute stamp is from Peachy Keen.  I had NEVER seen or heard of these stamps until Summer CHA--yes it's true that I sometimes live under a rock, lol!  Anywho, I just fell in love with the stamps and their cute faces (I bought lots of xmas ones too)!  This one is called "Booped Out Ghost" and they are soooo cute I could pinch them, hee hee!  If you have time peruse the stamps in the shop--they are almost IRRESISTIBLE to not buy!!!  And check out their Cottage Cutz which are cute dies that cut out the stamp shapes AND include the stamps--I just got me a bunch, lol!

The papers are from Bo Bunny's "Whoo-ligans" Collection and since my image was a bit larger I kept my details to a minimum to let it stand out!  I added some scrolls that I made from a punch and added a double bow with button finish.  Some black pearls finish it off and the sentiment is from PTI.

I colored it with Copics and added some stickles to the star and the insides of pumpkin's mouths.  Too cute to spook I think!!

Hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you back here on Wednesday!

Love in a Flower Pot!

Hello and Happy Thursday everyone! How are you doing today? I am sick with a sinus infection/ear infection so I'm not so hot, lol but I'm not contagious and I've still got lots to get done so it won't slow me down. I'm leaving in the morning tomorrow to teach in Long Island, NY on Saturday then I'll be home very early Sunday morning (yes I'm driving straight thru again, lol)!  Then I have 2 weeks off from travel but lots to do still, lol.  Homecoming is coming up soon for Alexa and I've got to take her dress shopping and get ready for all our Halloween/Fall parties.  The backyard will be finished on Saturday and we've got some planting to get done on it as well before the first frost hits us--which if you live here in VA it's felt very COLD every day--I HATE IT( blech)!  I miss summer already (boo-hoo)!

A couple of PSA's for you today ('cept they're SSA's--Suzanne's Service Announcements, lol) that you can read or skip.  If you are looking for copic coloring classes (and I'm not near you, lol) please do your homework before you sign up.  Just because someone says they are certified MEANS NOTHING okay--I hate to see so many of you waste your hard earned $$'s and be disappointed.  Getting Copic Certified ONLY MEANS you have taken a class that enables you to market and sell them and tell what they can do, that's why they were created--it DOES NOT mean you will learn or know how to teach coloring techniques okay!  I'm not discouraging anyone from becoming certified but if a LSS(store) has a copic class near you and they're teaching coloring and say the instructor is certified please BEWARE.  ASK to see samples of their work, ASK what class materials they offer, ASK how long they've used them and ASK them lots of other hard questions.  If you are not happy with ANY of their answers don't spend the $$ on the class.  I've heard of some people who have gotten certified and set up classes a week later to teach when they had NEVER used the markers before---this is BAD! It gives Copic a bad name, it makes instructors like me look BAD and makes you frustrated.  I'm not certified but I have used them for a LONG time, know all there is to know about them and I am comfortable with teaching them and I have an art background--I am not the only teacher out there BUT I want you to get the best info and class you can so that means I want you informed.  If you were buying a car you would get the most information gathered and make an educated decison---do the same with a Copics class, it will save you money, time & frustration in the long run okay!

My other SSA is about the Constitution!  I don't talk politics here on my blog because that's not why I created it but this I cannot help.  Yes, we all have freedom of speech according to the US Constitution but for goodness sakes people--USE SOME COMMON SENSE & DECENCY!!  Protesting against something because you disagree or are mad at the government at the funeral of a fallen soldier or other person is just NOT RIGHT!  There are times and places for certain things and this just physically makes me sick to hear about!  Do not take advantage of the loss of someone's loved one to promote your opinion IN ANY WAY--THIS IS NEVER OKAY!  Do we need to take the names of all the protester's down and when their loved ones die make sure we go and protest at their funerals?  How would they feel about it then?  Death is never nice, never good and never wanted and for lord's sake give people one proper day of RESPECT, PEACE and the RIGHT to grieve without your freedom of speech taking priority okay!  Be A DECENT HUMAN BEING and pick another place and day!  And remember that those soldiers you are protesting COULD be your son, your brother, your father, you daughter, your mother and thank the day that all of them ever enlisted so they can PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Phew.....and that's all I gotta say on that but this controversy is disgusting to me and I cannot even believe in this day & age people are arguing over whether they have the right---find something else to waste your time on okay!

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Love in a Flower Pot!!

Do you remember Anne Geddes?  This image by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD so reminds me of those cute pictures of babies in flowers and cute poses--adorable!  I had to do this up in soft pinks, creams and greens--a totally feminine baby card.  This image is called "Rose Petal" and is from the new Elisabeth Bell Mini Release at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design--it's too cute to resist!

This card today is for this week's SCACD Try It Out Challenge which was to use an image with an animal of some kind--see details for challenge HERE!  Yes I CHEATED again but I HAD to use this cutie "Rose Petal" so I added some punched butterflies for my "animal", lol--I actually love the way the butterflies enhance the whole card!  All of my papers are from My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" Collection--I love all these papers in different color series, my fave of the year I think!  I distressed my image with my Zutter Distress tool and the triple bow was done with my Bow Easy and some fancy layering of ribbon (wink).   The cool circle die cut behind my image is a new Spellbinders die called "Lacey Circles"!

My image was colored on Cryogen cardstock with copics--to keep the colors soft I used a technique with the Colorless Blender to keep my colors super light (R21,R00/YG93,YG91/E43,E42,E40).  The ends of the petals got stardust Stickles and the roses on the pot got a thick coat of diamond glaze.

Hope you enjoyed my project for today--make sure to stop by the SCACD store blog to see the rest of the DT's challenge projects!

I'll have another project for you for the weekend so stay tuned--no more SSA's I promise :)

Paper Bag Leaves!

Hello everyone & Happy Tuesday to you! I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I had a fabulous time in Delaware teaching Copic Classes---waving HI to all the lovely ladies who came out to take classes with me!  I also got to meet my pal Anary (artist of Gilli stamps here) who has been a sweet friend for awhile and my other good friend Cindy Echtinaw (owner of Stamping Scrapping)--we had a wonderful dinner and they were a HUGE help to me during the classes.  I wish they'd come to all my classes to help out (wink) and the fact that Cindy and her sweet hubby Kevin flew in from Michigan to help me and Anary was just the bomb!!  I have met so many beautiful people in this business and have been truly blessed with so many friends and a big thanks to you all---it really is a wonderful blessing!  And a special shout out to Carol, Paulette & Katie for my sweet handmade present--it's just beautiful!! 

And while we're on the subject of blessings let's discuss this some more.  Yes, I did watch Oprah yesterday--why?  Cuz' it was all about amazing animals and animal rescues!!  A charity near and dear to my heart!  And you know I'm a big sucker when it comes to animals ('cept maybe the slitherin' kind, lol)!  I work with some local animal rescues and I'm always trying to raise funds and help out to help reduce the euthanasia that occurs due to non-spaying and those who buy animals, abuse them and leave them out in the cold and even those who just can't afford to take care of them anymore!  The raffle funds from my Michigan classes went to a local rescue that physically takes animals from kill-shelters and finds home for them (Lost Dog & Cat Rescue)--these are people who don't get paid a lot but spend hours and hours helping these animals get food, love and new homes!  If more people were educated and cared enough we could reduce the amount of animals in shelters all over the Country!  So what did I do yesterday you ask (cuz' you know I did sumpin', lol)??  Yep, I adopted a baby elephant for our family from Africa, hee hee.  Her name is Sinya and she's an orphan elephant living at an Elephant Rescue called Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya!  They take in orphaned baby elephants and raise them until they can be released again in the wild--you really must read about it more.  For just $50 you can adopt and help out a baby elephant and get reports on your elephant---Riley was ecstatic and has said he will keep track of her each month and maybe one day we'll be able to do that safari in Africa and meet our baby elephant :)  I really do believe we can all give back in some way, big or small and I try to keep that in mind everyday I wake up---no matter BIG OR SMALL you CAN make a difference!!!

Me, Anary and Cindy at my Copic Class this weekend in DE!!

I'll have NewsBitz and Blog Candy Winner posted tomorrow :)

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Paper Bag Leaves!!

Since it's October that means it is time for a new Magnolia-licious Sketch Project Challenge!  Our hostess with the mostess is the sweetly talented Angie Hunt and she has challenged everyone to create a Fall/Halloween project using a brown paper bag.  There are lots of fun tutorials and ways to use paper bags online in crafty ways so use that imagination of yours and you can join in and find out more at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog HERE!

I had chosen my image way before I decided I'd use it for this project and I just had an idea rumbling in my head that wouldn't go away, lol! You know how you have an idea and you just HAVE to do it?  Well I tried to create a more useful paper bag project but sometimes I just let it go and did what the papers and embellies told me to do, lmbo!  So my project has fun parts of paper bag within it instead of being fully created with one--another way to incorporate stuff found in your home into your projects.  You can find lots of fun fall images at the Magnolia-licious Store HERE!

So I used this super cute NEW image from Magnolia-licious' Autumn 2010 Collection called "Tilda in Autumn Leaves"--I love this image (Diana is out of it right now but I'm sure she has TONS more on the way)! It reminds me of my childhood jumping in the piles of leaves my mom laboriously raked (she probably wanted to shoot me, hee hee) with not a care in the world.  Then my kids used to do the same at my parents when they were younger (they're too cool now-ha ha)!  I love the cute expression on her face.  I chose to make a fun easel card to showcase the image and decorations.  All my papers are last year's collection by My Minds Eye (Bloom & Grow) --I just love the mix of fun colors and patterns.

So one of the ways I used the paper bag was to punch my leaves out of it with my small leaf punches---my paper brown lunch bags are pretty thin, almost like thin vellum so it punched easily.  And I crinkled the punched leaves up good then inked them with orange & brown inks before adding them to my scrolls (yes my fave Marianne Designs dies).  After they were attached and dried I added some gold and copper Stickles to them to make them sparkle.  Bow was made with my Bow Easy :)

And yep she was colored with Copics of course, hee hee!  I used some YR's (YR18,YR12,YR01,YR00,YR0000/BG23,BG11,BG10).  The leaves were colored in multi fall colors (E08,E18,YR12,YR23,Y21,YR01,E31) and then added some Stickles to a few of them for more fun sparkle!!

For the final addition of paper bag pieces I used a large piece, crumpled it up and inked it and then layered it on top of my cardstock mats.  The sentiment is from a beautiful new set by Paper Trey Ink --I love the sentiment, it says "When I count my blessings, I count you twice"!  I cut it out with my Spellbinders die 'Fancy Tags'--I cut an extra one out of aqua cardstock to layer it upon.

I sure hope my project gave you a bit of sunshine and smiles for the day!!

Now you need to hop over to the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog to see the rest of the DT's awesome projects and join in on the fun too!

Starry Starry Night!

Happy Sunday to you all! I'm typing this up on Friday night as I'm in Delaware and won't be getting home till late on Sunday morning. I hope you all are enjoying the fall weekend---boy it's gotten chilly here and I'm not so liking it, blech! lOL--you know I don't care for the cold and fall just means that winter is soon to come--BOOOOO! I'll share some pics with you later this week of my classes!

Today I have a fun post to share with you! I'm a lucky Guest Designer for Whimsy Stamps New Holiday Release this month and I get to share one of the awesome new stamps being released!  There is a HUGE BLOG HOP featuring fabulous designers and artists that you don't want to miss out on---as you hop different blogs will be giving some fun Blog Candy out so make sure to visit everyone!!  If you are just starting with me make sure to start at the beginning at the awesome Bev Rochester's Blog HERE!

I got to work with this beautiful stamp called "Starry Night" by Crissy Armstrong--isn't it too cute?!  I just love it and it was so much FUN to color!  I used some fun new papers by Bo Bunny "Winter Joy"--I love the fun prints and mix of colors!  I used some lilac sheer wired ribbon and used my Bow Easy to create the bow and rippled the ends.   The white border was created with a MS border punch and then I added some pearls to finish it off.

My images got colored with Copics including the dark sky in a more Monet effect and then I had some major FUN gussying up the image.  I used Fun Flock on the fur trims on the hats and earmuffs for some fuzziness, then I used Diamond Glaze on the penguin so he's shiny and then some more MS Snow Glitter on the snowy areas.  The stars got Stickles so they sparkle!

The snowflakes were made with punches and the white one got coated in my favorite MS Snow Glitter.

Now to continue on your hop and to look for some sweet candy while you're hopping--your next stop is Chris Olsen HERE! Have fun hopping!

Are U A Reader??

Happy Friday and Happy 1st of October everyone! As you read this I should be making my way to Delaware to teach classes this weekend--its only a 3 hour drive this time so not too bad! I'm excited to meet my friend Anary finally (waving hi) and to meet up with Cindy Echtinaw (owner of Bildmalarna US and Stamping Scrapping Store) again! I'm actually happy to get out of the house for a bit because we have MAJOR teenage girl drama going on right now that is ugly, difficult and highly stressful! I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy I tell ya---ughhhhh! But I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I hope its not raining anymore wherever you are! I might be floating up to Delaware in my personal ark if it doesn't stop raining--blech--I need some sunshine!  So stay safe, be happy and have some fun!

NewsBitz:

-Want to check out my upcoming locations for my CMC On the Road classes--go to www.cmcroad.com!  I have some new locations to add to it later this weekend!

-Make sure to check out the NEW Elisabeth Bell & Victoria Case releases for SCACD HERE!  They are super cute!  And check out my BLOG CANDY in the post from yesterday--just scroll down!

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READ!!!

Since today is the first of the new month that means it's time for a new Copic Creations Challenge!  Our lovely sponsor is Tiddly Inks (the talented artist Christy Croll)!!  The challenge is to use favorite tones of orange in different ways not just on pumpkins, hee hee!  And I adore all the Tiddly Inks digi images--the one I'm using today is "School Girl"!  I decided to make a fun reader card---this would be great for a birthday girl and add a gift certificate to a book store or Amazon if they're a Kindle reader like meeeee!

My fun papers are from Bo Bunny's "Learning Curve" Collection --the background paper is of worn pencils and books and I LOVE the primary colors.  I added some fun accessories to match the colors--the paper clips and buttons I had in my stash.  That FUN Bingo card is from my friend Jenni Bowlin's Collection HERE---I love all her vintage and beautiful papers and accessories!  The black paper I punched with my spiral notebook punch by SU and distressed the edges a bit more.

Of course this "School Girl" is colored with Copics and the oranges I used are some of my faves YR18,YR12,YR01 & YR000.  I colored her hair with E35,E31,E51 and made sure to color it so the waves popped!  I added some Stickles to a few of the books and hair bow for some fun bling!

Now make sure to hop over to the Copic Creations Challenge Blog to join in on the fun and to see the other DT gals beeee-utiful projects with these fun images!  I'll have a new post up on Sunday as I'm a lucky guest artist for Whimsy Stamps new release!!

Dreaming in Fall Colors!!

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

NewsBitz:

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

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

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

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Dreaming in Fall Colors!!

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Stick People Go to the Farm!!

Good Evening again everyone! I have one last sneakie peekie preview using a fun set by Gina K called "Funny Farm" and this set is CA-UTE! I love each image, you can create so many fun projects with this set and GUESS WHAT? It's also the card kit of the month so that means when you buy the stamp set you get full sized sheet cardstocks - white and black; 1/2 sheet: navy, little boy blue, red hot, innocent pink, sweet corn, and green apple, 1 yard 5/8" black gingham ribbon,  silver brads and an Instruction sheet!!

Now make sure to read down to see whatever designers are previewing tonight and if you missed my other sneak peek using "Fanciful Fall" just scroll down to the next post!

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Funny Farm

I adore this set--the images are cute and there are sooooo many images to use and create different projects.  Plus I love the name, lol, my house feels like a funny farm sometimes with teenagers running in and out and 7 animals barking or screeching all at once!  On my card tonight I used ONLY what is included in the Card Kit (that you get FREE when you buy this stamp set) except for one cheat (sorry couldn't help myself, lol) the large red button was from my stash.  Please forgive me for my cheating, hee hee!

I had fun choosing which images to use on my card and I wanted to keep it clean with only a few colors.  I love the graphic quality of the gingham ribbon agains the black cardstock that I embossed with a CB folder.  I used the silver brads included in the kit---TIP: I don't like to punch holes in my cards unless I absolutely have to so what I do is I clip the ends/shanks off the brads using my Tonic Scissors (those babies will cut most anything--luv them).  Then I attach them to my project with glue dots.  I used the Bow Easy to make my bow and then I topped it with my red button (not included, lol) and tied some black thread thru it and topped it with another brad.

I kept the colors simple so that the reds and blacks really popped--I even colored most of the background fields in shades of gray so the images in the front pop more (colored with Copics)!  The girl farmer was cut out & popped up with dimensionals and I added some stickles to the trees, her pocket and silo.  Isn't that cow cute--I want to squish him, lol!!  Hope you enjoyed my Funny Farm this evening--I sure had fun making this!

For more samples with tonight's new stamp sets, please visit these participating designer's blog links:

• GinaK
• Jessica
• Theresa
  
• Tami
  
• Melanie
  
• Nina
• Cathy
• Lee
• Lynn 
• Asela
• Bev
• Colleen
• Sankari
• Suzanne (that's me!)
• Valerie
• Tera *our CenterStage Spotlight Designer* 

The entire team would like to cordially invite each of you to our release party this Thursday night, September 30.  We'll have contest questions, challenges, chatter, and lots of samples with the new stamp sets to share during the party. Please make plans to join us from 7-10 central on StampTV!

Autumn Blessings!

Hiya everyone! This is my second post today so if you missed the first one, just scroll on down. No project on that one, just lots of FUN info about me that I know you were dying to know, lmbo (NOT, right?)!

Tonight starts the week of sneak peeks for Gina K's NEW releases and tonight I get to preview "Fanciful Fall" by Theresa Momber. It's a beautiful set with so many different images you can mix and match to create lovely fall scenes. Make sure to read to the end to find out whatever designers have creations for you to see tonight as well!

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Autumn Blessings

I used the two different pumpkins from the "Fancifull Fall" set to create a serene autumn image (but there are jack-o-lantern faces included too for these pumpkins)!  I roughed up my cardstock a bit with my Zutter Distress tool and my dp is from Kaisercraft (cs by Gina K here).

I always like to add some fun embellishments so I created a paper trim with my MS border punch by punching on both sides of my cream cs.  Then I added two strips of my orange cs along the sides and inked all the edges.  That got wrapped in cream ribbon and then some twine on top (twine & autumn go hand in hand dontcha' think, lol)--used my fave Bow Easy to create my bow and added a button to top it off.

My image was colored with Copics (YR18,YR12,YR01,YR00/E44,E31,E50/YG63) and drew in some fall grasses with YR24,Y21,E35 & E31.  Then I added some Diamond Glaze on top of my pumpkins for shine (Crystal Lacquer works the same way)--the leaves got a bit of Stickles for bling.

Hope you enjoyed this post and now make sure to hop to the designers below for some more awesome treats!!

For more samples with tonight's new stamp sets, please visit these participating designer's blog links:

• GinaK
• Theresa*Illustrator of Fanciful Fall*
  
• Tami*Illustrator of So Groovy*
  
• Jessica
• Melanie
  
• Carolyn
• Cathy
• Lee
• Lynn
• Asela
• Suzanne (that's me)
• Valerie
• Tera *our CenterStage Spotlight Designer* 

The entire team would like to cordially invite each of you to our release party this Thursday night, September 30.  We'll have contest questions, challenges, chatter, and lots of samples with the new stamp sets to share during the party. Please make plans to join us from 7-10 central on StampTV!

Blah Blah blah!!

Hiya my most wonderful friends! I hope you had a beeeee-utiful weekend! The weather was PERFECT here in VA and I soaked in every minute of it!  Now that I'm traveling I try to eek out lots of quality time with my kids and hubby (and animals,lol) so I really try not to work on the weekends when I'm home.  We spent the day on Saturday outside on our patio and grilled out for dinner then had some homemade smores and blasted some tunes on the ipod dock and just talked and enjoyed the cooler weather :)  Sunday we headed down to DC to see the Washington Nationals play (they won--yay) and we had awesome club seats right behind home plate (see pics) which means free food and snacks, lol--although I just had some Cracker Jacks!!  And a nice cool breeze and sunny blue skies, what a beautiful day it was!  Even if the Redskins did lose and totally bummed me out later that evening, lol!  So all in all a nice & relaxing weekend with my family--just the way I like it!  This Friday I will be headed up to Wilmington, DE to teach my CMC Copic Class and meet some friends as well (waving hi to Anary & Cindy)!!  Then I'll head back home after the classes on Saturday evening so I can enjoy Sunday with my family and catch up on chores, lol!  Next weekend I'll be in Long Island NY so if you're interested check out my site www.cmcroad.com !

Baseball Pics (if you subscribe you must come to blog site to view these):



I didn't finish my project for today so I thought I'd do just some fun lists for you, lol!  I haven't done this in FOREVER so I thought now was a good time, hee hee!  More than you ever wanted to know, right??

4 Strange Things About Me:

-I like even numbers--for real--I CANNOT stand uneven things.  If someone hands me three cookies I either put one back or ask for another, lol!  See each subject here "4" need I say more, lol!

-I am a HUGE scaredy-cat!  Ever since I saw the movie "Psycho" when I was 8 (yes my parents thought I was asleep in the backseat at the drive-in, well I wasn't, lol) I have been an extremely cautious and freaked out gal!  I slept with a fireplace poker UNDER my pillow at my hotel in Michigan cuz it helped me sleep, lol!  Yes I do these things!

-I like Ruffles potato chips in my ice cream--this I blame on my father who did this while I was young, lol!  I love salt and sweet together! (can anyone say Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby, lol)

-I will not walk into the ocean in SC--I only will FLOAT out because I HATE stepping on live sand dollars--it creeps me out big time!  I make hubby pull me out on the float and then pull me back in, lol!

- here's an extra for ya, lol--I can read French fluently but I SUCK at speaking it!!

4 Pet Peeves:

-I HATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTE bad, slow, careless, stupid drivers!!  I have a bit of a potty mouth in the car and nothing infuriates me more than someone talkin'/textin' on their phone, not paying attention and doing stupid crap on the roads!  I WILL put my window down and let you know how dumb I think you are if you do something that endangers me, anyone in my vehicle or anyone else on the road.  No lie--ask my family, lol!

-I hate to talk about religion or politics at dinner---I have my opinion and I respect your opinion, but I don't want to get upset while I'm eating!  I like to EAT, lol!  Some things are best discussed elsewhere KWIM!

-Bath Soap!  I only will use liquid soap EVER--it disgusts me to think about where that bar of soap might have been, lol!

-Silly but true, when the pillows are messed up on my couches and chairs in my family room it can make me go BONKERS!  I mean literally I could have a coronary about it and no one in my family heeds my warnings--it drives me NUTS, lol!

My 4 Fave Things I Own (not have like family, but own):

-My KINDLE---best gift ever and I loveeeee it!  (you can get a new one now for only $135)

-my new Lane doublewide Snuggler recliner chair in my family room that is MINE (mine came from a furniture store and it's a butter yellow, lol)!  It's comfy and wide enough for all my furbabies to sit with me while I work, lol!

-my wedding rings :) of course!

-my sound machine (Homedics)--I love it, cannot sleep w/o it, travel with it and makes me a happy girl!!

4 Great Books I Just Read:

-Juliet by Anne Fortier (excellenteeeee)

-The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass

-1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber (the newest in the Cedar Cove series)

-The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

-and an extra---I am a magazine lover--I get over 20 subscriptions and I love to read them all each month!!  When I run out, I buy others at the store!!

My Top 4 Craft Tools (minus Copics, lol):

-My Zutter Distress Tool-- I use it constantly and it saves me bum-loads of time!

-My Tonic Guillotine Cutter--I've had it for almost 2.5 years and it still cuts beautifully and I love that it's bigger than a 12x12 paper that has a border! (and no replacing blades, luv that)

-My Inkssentials Blending Foam Tool--I use it 99% of the time on my stamped images for soft backgrounds and to ink my papers!

-My Ott Lites!  I have 2 in my craft room and one downstairs by my light box for taking pictures!  I love the true light they give out!

My 4 Fave Songs at the Moment (I am a broad & eclectic music listener, hee hee):

-The NEW David Gray album (yes it's an album not a song)--I have loveddddd him for years and his music is soulful, soft and easy on the ears.

-"Only a Dream" by Nelly (lovvvvvvvvvvvve it and I'm singing it now, hear me, lol)

-Maroon 5 with Lady Antebellum "Out of Goodbyes"

-Mumford & Sons "Little Lion Man" (it makes me smile)

My Top 4 Shows I watch on TV (or Tivo most likely, lol):

-Chuck

-Modern Family

-Castle

-Glee

(and any other time I usually have HGTV playing!!)

My Top 4 Movies EVER:

-Top Gun (uhhhh duh, I've seen it 100 times, lol)

-Steel Magnolias (makes you laugh & cry)

-Toy Story (all of them--first movie I took my kids too and still remains a fave for all of us)

-When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless In Seattle and Who's Got Mail (yes it's 3) but I LOVE to watch these over & over and Meg Ryan was in her prime best!!

-I DO NOT subject myself to horror/thriller movies--I don't need any more nightmares and I just dislike them.  I also will not watch most dramas especially if they are sad or depressing---we get enough of that in real life and in the news, I don't need to watch it in my free time.  I stick to fun comedies the majority of the time--when I get free time I like to be entertained and laugh NOT cry!

And lastly My Top 4 Places I Want to Visit:

-Florence, Venice & Rome, Italy

-Paris, Brittany and Normandy, France

-Australia (all of it, lol)

-Maui

Now that's all you'll ever need to know about me, lol!!  See you tomorrow with a project!!!

Mum's Away!

Happy Saturday my friends! My chitter chatter will be at a minimum (do I hear you sighing with relief, lol) since it's late on Friday night as I type this and I'm ready for bed! :) I had date night with hubby tonight while the kids were off with their friends which was a nice break for us both. I also had a glass of wine which has been at least 2 months since I've had one and it's making me very drowsy, lol! I'll be doing some work tomorrow but we hope to spend most of the day chilling on our 98% completed patio, lol and I want to grill out some!  On Sunday we're headed to DC for the Washington Nationals game (baseball for those who don't know, lol)--just the four of us so it will be fun and I'm sure we'll suck down some hotdogs and other junk (cotton candy for meeeeee), lol!

So anywho I don't want to type up some mumbo jumbo here tonight that won't make sense, lol---but I'll be back on Monday with a new post, some chatter and the winner of the last blog candy (Bats n Brooms)! Have a fabulous weekend and Enjoy it!

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Mum's Away!!

I'm so lucky cuz' today I get to preview a DUAL MINI RELEASE from SCACD!  That's right two mini releases--one from Elisabeth Bell and one from Victoria Case for SCACD!  Both of these mini sets will be released on Sept. 30th so mark your calendars!  Right now you can enter for some AWESOME Blog Candy at the store blog HERE!  I'm using a cute NEW Elisabeth Bell image called "Flowers For Mom" from the Mini Sampler #1 Edition!

I really love this image called "Flowers for Mom" from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD because I can envision it used for many seasons.  I made my flowers more fall-like but you could create early spring flowers and colors as well!  So just by changing up the colors of the papers and images you can get multiple uses out of this image (and isn't she a cutie)!  I used my Bow Easy to create a double bow and then my Marianne Designs leaf die for the scrolls and fun leaves popping out at the top!  A few rhinestones in the corner finish it off!

I used lots of fun fall colors to match my papers (scrap ??) including YR23,Y21,YR20/E18,E15,E11/BG23,BG10!  The flower pot on the left got a mixture of Flower Soft colors to create a more mum like flower and then in the centers of those gold daisies are tiny gold rhinestones.  I glittered up her headband, pant cuffs and top of her sweater for some more fun bling!

Hope you enjoyed this fall card and make sure to stop by the store blog HERE to enter for that awesome blog candy!!  Have a wonderful weekend!