Fresh Snow!!

Happy Holidays and Happy Friday to you all! Yep I promised to have my holiday pictures up for you today, but I didn't get all the pictures taken before the daylight was gone so I will have them up on Sunday or Monday for ya so don't despair (wink)!!  On Saturday we're going to see ICE at the Gaylord Resort at National Harbor--I'm soooo excited and the theme is "The Grinch"--love it!  We just watched the Grinch movie with Jim Carrey (one of my faves) the other night and the ice skating rink will be all green--hee hee!  If you ever get the chance to go to an ICE show you should, it's totally worth it---I'll share some pictures with you of it all next week!  And then hubby and I are finishing our Xmas shopping up on Sunday--pray for me please.  I hope to hit the mall and then 3 other stores and be DONE with it all!  Yay!  I hope you all have some fabulous holiday plans this weekend!  This coming week I have two band concerts to attend for my son--he is the solo drummer for the "Little Drummer Boy" song so I'm super excited for him!  He's asked Santa for a drum set for Christmas but I'm thinking Santa doesn't like that idea much, LMBO!!  Santa might have to include a set of Bose noise-reducing earphones with that gift :)

NewsBitz:

-Okay, the Mini-Blog Candy winner is..................Sara Ament of Creative Addictions by Sara!  Yay Sara!  Email me with your mailing address so I can get the goodies out to you asap!

-I still have my Charity Blog Candy running thru the 17th for the Fisher House---read all about it HERE!  We've raised over $1500 so far for the Fisher House and I'm absolutely thrilled since my original goal was $600! Way to go ladies---such a great way for the crafting community to give back and win some awesome prizes along the way!

-New goodies in stock at SCACD!! Brand NEW 3 colors of Flower Soft, NEW Graphic 45 paper pad 8x8 (oh so yummy), New Inkadinkado Stamps and Sew Easy Tool!!  Check them all out--you may want some for under your Xmas tree (or hey be your own personal Santa, LOL)

-Want to take some online Copic Classes with me at the Color Me Creative Classroom?  I've got a Holiday Special SALE going on thru Jan. 4th on all 4 online copic classes--check out the deals on the main page HERE!

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Fresh Snow!!

Well today I'm sharing with you all my favorite holiday card I've made this season!  I love the crisp whites and blues because they are so elegant but scream FROSTY FUN!!  I used a wonderful Elisabeth Bell for SCACD image called "Look Out Below"--isn't she fabulous and fun?  I didn't put a sentiment on this card because I thought it could be used for the holidays OR for any winter occasion like a birthday or hello!

The papers I used are from Dovecrafts in the UK and this is a discontinued paper pack but guess what?  Susana has 4 rare packs LEFT HERE--buy them now cuz they are sooo pretty and you cannot get them anywhere else!  But if you miss out on the 4 above don't despair, Bo Bunny has a paper pad that is super similar called "Midnight Frost" (15% off too) that is beautiful too!  The white paper is actually SEI Velvet Paper (so very yummy) and it embosses beautifully and is soft to touch--see the below photo for a close up. (You NEED velvet paper I tell ya--it's fun and so pretty)  I added stickles to the embossing for some extra sparkle too!  I cut my main image out and then popped her up on top of the Velvet embossed paper and matted it with a Lacey Circles Nestability shape.  Then I punched 4 of the Jumbo Snowflakes from a MS punch and added them behind the circles for a pretty frame (and yep added stickles to the snowflakes).  A bow made with my Bow Easy and some pearls finish it off nicely!

She got colored with Copics (B39,B37,B34,B32/C3,C1,C00/E29,E25,E31,E50/YR24,YR20,E31) and then I went to town with my products, lol!  The fringe on her scarf got the NEW Navy Sparkly Fluff and her hat pom-pom and sweater trim got white Sparkly Fluff (lovee that stuff)!  Some stickles on her scarf stripes and then I added a thin coat of tacky glue to the bottom of her sled and put MS Snow Glitter on top for some frosty snow accents!

Hope you enjoyed this post and wishing you all some frosty holiday fun this weekend!  See ya either Sunday or Monday!!

My Dearest Deer!

Happy Holidays and Happy Wednesday to you all!  What does everyone have planned today?  Today is errand day for me---bank, post office, grocery store, pet store and then I have to get my daughter's hair cut, lol!  A full day for sure and I'm so hoping the wind will die down by then---its horrible getting in and out when it feels like 10 degrees outside KWIM! I have to buy the dogs and cats their Xmas presents today, hee hee---bones and squeakies for the dogs and treats and catnip mice for the cats!  This will keep then busy on Christmas morning as they feel "ignored" when we're all opening our gifts, LOL!  I also have to pick up ingredients for some baking I want to get done--decorated sugar cookies, fudge and some other yummy treats.  I've cut my baking in 1/2 these days because I would bake up a storm and no one would eat much of it---we're not a huge sweet eating family so it always goes to waste.  So I only make a bit and give most of it away with a few left for our family.  But it doesn't seem like Christmas if I don't do SOME baking and it smells soooooooo GOOD!

But I did mail out all my Christmas cards yesterday and all my decorating is done so I feel great---80% of my shopping is done as well.  Hubby and I are going out for a few hours on Sunday w/o the kids to finish it all up.  Hubby & I always save all the wrapping for a few nights before Christmas and we wrap everything until we're done and watch movies and eat some yummies along the way.  I really don't like the wrapping part, only decorating the packages, LOL--but we've always done it that way since the kids were babies and hubby is a super slow wrapper so if I didn't help out it would take FOREVER, hee hee!  It's funny though as the kids get bigger the pile of presents gets much smaller but so much more EXPENSIVE, lol!!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some new goodies in the store that you may want for your OWN stockings, lol!  The NEW & IMPROVED Ranger Liquid Pearls in fabulous colors (they make pearls w/o points now), NEW Crafter's Companions "Adorables" stamps (and they are C-U-T-E), and all the NEW Cuttlebug Embossing Folders too!  USE CODE "NEWSTUFF10" to get 10% off all new stuff in the "Added This Week" section (like what I linked above)!

-Have you read about my Charity Blog Candy Fundraiser---see my post HERE on how to contribute for a great cause this holiday season!

-I've also got a wonderful Holiday Special going on for my online Copic Classes at the Color Me Creative Classroom!  See all the details in my post below in the NewsBitz section or at the site HERE (anyone can join the main site)!!

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Dearest Deer!

Today is another fabulous challenge from 7 Kids Challenge Blog--this time the challenge is to create a snowy, wintry scene!  Make sure to stop by the Challenge Blog HERE to see the DT's wonderful projects and to join in on the fun with us!!!  This wintry scene was easy peasy to create with a fabulous image from Stampavie called "Dearest Deer"--aren't they just the cutest couple?! 

I used papers from Basic Grey's new "Marjolaine" pad--the papers aren't holiday patterns but I found the colors and patterns created that frosty look!  I distressed all the paper edges with my Zutter Paper Distress Tool (love that darn tool) and added some Zva Decor rhinestone swirls for extra sparkle and bling!  The bow was done with my Bow Easy and then I added a metal snowflake charm and put a rhinestone in it's center.  Wish you could see how glittery this is in real life--I just couldn't get that to photograph very well!

To create this wintry scene I colored the reindeer with Copics and added some stardust stickles to the bow, jingle bell collar and snowflakes (subtle touches of sparkle with my gold Spica pen on the bells).  Then I put my fave MS Snow Glitter around the image's nestability circle and the snow in the scene is Flower Soft's Polar White--lots of frosty texture!  The aqua layer mat was done with the Nestability Peony shape--such a pretty shape me thinks!

Now make sure to hop over to the 7 Kids Challenge Blog to see the DT's projects and to join in on the fun with us to win!!  Have a great Wednesday and I'll see you back here on Friday!!

Holly Jolly Fun!!

Hello friends and a Happy Tuesday to you all!  Wow, wow, wow!  What a fabulous response to the Charity Blog Candy I put up on Friday!  Right now we are close to raising $1300 for the Fisher House Foundation!  I'm so excited and happy to have such a wonderful response from you all and it just really touches me so much and brought tears to my eyes to see that we have doubled my original goal of $600 for this wonderful charity!  If you don't know what I'm speaking of or you want to read about the Charity Blog Candy you can see it under this post or directly right HERE!  Thank you, thank you so much to you all who have donated---I appreciate it so very much and I know the recipients at the Fisher House will be super thrilled and thankful as well!

And let's talk about this weather those of on the East Coast are having!  Can you say double blech, LOL?  Snow flurries here in VA and winds of 45 mph--feels like 12 degrees here--not good! My muscles hurt so bad and I'm moving very slooooooooow this week!  But I did finish all my decorations for the house inside and outside---I just need to put some greenery on the mantels and bookshelves and then I'll take pictures to share with you all!  Probably on Friday so stay tuned, hee hee!  We did go and "hunt" our trees at our farm on Saturday which is always fun and I was so thrilled that we found our perfect family room tree within 10 mins, lol--the second tree took another 20 mins to find but then we were good to go.  The family room tree is our biggest tree we've ever had--almost 13 feet tall, my ladder was almost not tall enough, LOL!  So I've got a few fun pictures to share with you below of some of our preparations!

Xmas Preparations Slideshow:

NewsBitz:

-I will have the Mini Blog Candy Winner posted tomorrow for you, so stay tuned!

-Check out the Charity Blog Candy Post HERE--a great way to help out this season and to win some fun prizes too!

-Want to learn how to master those Copics?  I have a Holiday Special going on right now thru Jan. 4th that you might want to check out at the Color Me Creative Classroom on all online Copic Classes!

-Take any one class (Copic or Cricut) and get $6 off
-Take any two classes (Copic Only) and get $12 off
-Take any three classes (Copic Only) and get $18 off
-Take ALL four classes (Copic Only) and get $24 off and 2 Copic Markers of your choice from ICopic.com
**IF you decide to take all 3 or 4 classes, please email me at sjdean@smartneighborhood.net and I will send just one invoice--it's easier on everyone and quicker!! 
GIFTS-- If you want to give the GIFT of a class or two to friends you can get the same deals as above. So if you GIFT 2 classes then you'd get the $12 off even if it's for 2 different people! Send a class to 4 of your friends and get the $24 off and 2 copic markers as well! Just let me know by email if its a gift and who to send them to!

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Holly Jolly!!

Today I have a fun holiday card for you that I did for the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog's Color Challenge---to use PINK, GREEN and BLUE!!  Find the new challenge HERE and see all the magnificent DT projects while you are there---the prize is a $25 Gift Certificate to Magnolia-licious!  I couldn't wait to ink up this cute NEW Christmas Magnolia called "Jolly Tilda" (she is out of stock at Magnolia-licious but on re-order)--I think she is just too cute!  Looks like she might be giggling or holding a super secret about Xmas presents dontcha' think?

These fabulously fun holiday papers are from last year's My Mind's Eye Collection (Colorful Christmas)---I adore them so much that I had to use them again!  The sentiment is from PTI and I added some rhinestones to the berries in the center (I also shaded parts of the circle with light colored Copics).  The holly cut-outs are from a jumbo MS punch (love it) and then I added some stickles for sparkle.  The pom-pom accent ribbon I got at a store I taught at in Greensboro--it's by Prima--lovin' it! 

I colored this cutie up with Copics (RV17,RV14,RV13,RV10/BG15,BG11,BG10) and added some stardust stickles to the white parts of her tights and her white shirt for lots of holiday bling!  The fur trim on her hat got white Sparkly Fluff added to it---I can't say enough about that stuff, it is so much fun to use!

Hope you enjoyed the project today and it brought a small smile to your face!  Make sure to stop by the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog to see all the DT projects and to join in the fun!  What better way to get rid of some of the holiday stress then by crafting!!  See you tomorrow!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT==Gift Giveaway!!

Well helllooooooooooo and Happy Friday to you all!  And yes I did call yesterday Tuesday and like some of you pointed out, I perhaps had NOT had enough caffeine in me when I typed the blog, LMBO! (I did go & fix it)  But I do know that today is FRIDAY and I'm having a HUGE GIFT GIVEAWAY today that I've been planning for awhile!  It's my way to give back to all of you for supporting me in my new ventures, my crafting, my life and everything else this past year!  I so appreciate everyone that takes even a minute out of their day to stop by my blog or leave a comment or send me a sweet email.  I appreciate those of you who signed up right away in March for the opening of my online classroom Color Me Creative Classroom not even knowing what to expect but trusting in me.  I appreciate all of you that drove 10 mins to 9 hours one way to come to my Copic classes on the road this past fall!  I'm still NOT SURE why anyone wants to visit me, see me or email me to tell you the truth--I find it unbelievable that anyone does, LOL but I SO APPRECIATE your kindness, friendship, loyalty, sweetness and generosity that you send my way every day--I love you all for that and couldn't ask for much more!!  Who knew when I started this lil' ole blog where it would lead, places I would go and most of all the friends I have made along the way--it has been a FABULOUS RIDE I tell ya :) and I'm so very thankful and blessed!

If you've followed me for the past 3 years you know that I like to give back as often as I can, in any way that I can!  In my traveling copic classes I do raffles for bags full of goodies and then I match the donations personally and donate to different charities I believe in!!  I grew up in a household where that was important of course, but I've always felt that I needed to do this deep down inside and I always wish I could give MORE!  I feel very blessed in my life and the only way I can think of to share that feeling is to give back!  If you needed my coat badly enough, I would peel it off and give it to you even if it was my last coat!  I don't think I'm special in any way or any more generous than anyone else but I just feel that in our world and in our lives we should have a more "giving" spirit!  Nothing makes me HAPPIER than giving back or knowing I've helped someone in some way, even if its just a small way---it just makes your heart SING and their is nothing better that's for sure!

**WARNING!  This is a long post, so please take the time to read it in it's entirety and I have a project at the bottom of the post as well to see :)!!! Thanks much!

GIFT GIVEAWAY INFO--please read all below carefully okay!!

Soooooooooooooooo, one of my favorite things to do in my "spare time" (lol--what's that right!?) is to read!  I love to read, I read every night before bed, and I read just about everything!  I have always loved to read since I can remember of the age 4 and I can devour 2-3 books a week if I get the chance--nothing thrills me more than reading and having what I like to call "a movie in my head" KWIM!  I love that my daughter loves to read almost as much as me--I think reading opens doors to new adventures, travel and wonderful knowledge of all things that you can't get without reading!  And my fave gift of ALL TIME last Christmas was my Kindle from my hubby--I just love that darn thing.  For those that don't know you can see it HERE, but its an E-reader meaning you can download books from Amazon.com and read them anywhere!  Yep, I thought I'd miss the feel of a real book but TRUST me you get over that fast--it's made me read more and get more different kinds of books--I ADORE IT!  I downloaded the Kindle app on my Ipad so I can read all my books and magazines on there too, hee hee :)

Prize #1:  Sooooo............. I'm GIVING AWAY a BRAND NEW KINDLE (this one here) and a $25 Kindle Gift Certificate to use and buy some downloadable books from Amazon.com to one (1) lucky person!! Now you can read, and read, and read to your heart's desire!  **(if you win and you have a Kindle already I will give you a $100 Kindle gift certificate instead to buy more Kindle books)**

but WAIT there is a SECOND PRIZE PACKAGE that I'm giving away to a 2nd person too!!

Prize #2:  Second Prize are the below gifts donated to me by some fabulous company owners that I am lucky enough to call my friends!  They happily donated these for me to give away and they will make someone a VERY HAPPY CRAFTER!  Prize given to (1) person & is worth over $100 and includes:

** $50 Gift Certificate to SCACD (donated by my pal Susana--yep the store owner of SCACD)

** A NEW Improved Scor-Pal and $25 Gift Certificate to Magnolia-licious from the lovely Diana & Roy Crick

**$25 Gift Certificate to 7 Kids College Fund from my pal Tab

**2 Bildmalarna Stamps from StampingScrapping.com from my good friend Cindy Echtinaw

So the QUESTION is...............HOW DO YOU ENTER?  Well I don't want to ask you a question this time or take a poll, this time I would love monetary donations for a WONDERFUL CHARITY called the FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION (read about them here)!  They build, operate and supply homes around the US for military families to stay in while their loved ones are in the hospital or in rehabilitation.  We are so lucky to have the military support that we do in this country and they SACRIFICE the most precious gift of their LIFE everyday to defend and protect us. It's easy to go about our daily lives and forget what our troops are doing, but in some small way I'd like us crafters to join together to give back to them this month!!  I think it's so important to give back to them and support them in any way we can especially during the holiday season and this charity does so much fabulous work with military families and taking care of them in their time of need, you can't put a value on the gift of love and support!

TO ENTER:  So this is how it works---if you'd like to enter for this GIFT GIVEAWAY then you can visit the FirstGiving Page I set up HERE and make a donation to Fisher House.  Its a safe and totally secure site and the monies will be sent directly to Fisher House by FirstGiving--I have nothing to do with the money other than helping raise it!  I will post the receipt for the total donation on this blog at the end of the giving term!

Minimum donation is $3 for 1 entry 

Donations over $15 will get you 2 entries

Give Donations at the FirstGiving Page HERE! (secure)
**if you want to send a check or money order make it out to Fisher House Foundation but send it to me so I can forward the donation to them (email me for mailing address) & leave a comment on this post only telling me you've done so!

After you have donated come back here to my blog and leave a comment telling me you donated!  I don't need to know the amount as FirstGiving keeps a log for me but MAKE SURE to put your name on the donation form so I can confirm your donation okay--I don't see personal info of anyone at all but I will get to see your name and amount of donation.  I don't care if you give $3 or $100, all donations are appreciated no matter how big or how small, and I am only concerned with giving everyone the correct amount of entries.  I'm keeping an excel file with everyone's names and number of entries, then me and my kids will cut them into strips and pick the 2 winners on the 18th!

This contest will run for 2 weeks until Dec 17th

-that means that on December 18th I will announce the 2 winners!!  

My goal is to raise at least $600 but I'd love to do more if I can!  So I don't have any requirements for entry other than the donation and leaving a comment back on this post ONLY so I know you donated!  BUT--I would love it if you spread the word so we can get as many donations as possible--that would make me super happy!  But it is not required--I don't like to make people jump thru hoops to win my blog candies but this time I am asking for donations and I thank each and every one of you that do and spread the word about it!!

Thank you all so very much!!  And May you all be blessed this holiday season and in the New Year!!

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*Check out my Holiday Special going on for all my online Copic Classes at the Color Me Creative Classroom---see the details on the main page HERE!  Great gift ideas and a great deal!

* Great Gift Ideas:  Check out the Cool New items in at SCACD too--the new We R Memory Keepers "Sew Easy" tool, fabulous and cannot wait to try it out!  Also, want to make cool paper beads? Then check out the NEW Paper Bead Girl System here! Fun Stuff I tell ya! (I cannot wait to get mine, lol)

* Don't forget my other mini-Blog Candy going on thru this Saturday as well on this POST!!

Hummel Wishes!

So today I have this cutie Bildmalarna project to share with you using a wonderful holiday Bildmalarna called "Mimosa Lights the Way" from Stampingscrapping.com !  She so reminds me of a German Hummel figurine dontcha' think?  Growing up we had lots of antique Hummels in the house since my dad's side of the family is German.  I always loved looking at their sweet faces!  I love the non-traditional colors as well, very vintage looking I think!

Those yummy papers are from We R Memory Keepers "Merry January" Collection--so yummy! I love, love the colors and patterns in this set!  Check out that fabulous stamp design I used inside my circle nestability cut out--what is it you ask?  New stamps designed by Cindy Echtinaw (my good friend and owner of stampingscrapping.com) that fit inside the circle, oval, tag, square/rectangle & other label Nestability shapes!  I LOVE THEM!  The one I used is called "Lacey Circles"! They are clear acrylic so they are easy to line up with your cut-outs and the designs are both classic and beautiful---perfect for so many of your projects!  You can see the whole collection HERE and they are on SALE (put some on your holiday list or just in your cart, hee hee)!!

The scrolls are my fave Marianne Designs Dies--a must have in my opinion, lol!  The sentiment is from a newer PTI holiday set--I like that the card can be used for the holiday or as just a special wintry card!  The black pearls were done with my Viva Decor Paper Pen in "graphite"!  I gave her some white polka-dots on her skirt, diamond glaze on her boots and lantern and stickled mittens!!  So very cute me thinks!

 

She's colored with Copics of course too (BG13,BG11,BG10/YG97,YG95, blender pen/C7,C5,C3)!  Polka dots were done with my white Sharpie Poster Paint Pen (extra fine tip)--my fave white pen for highlites!


Hope you enjoyed the post today and I hope you enter in the Prize Giveaway by generously giving a small donation!  Thanks so much and have a beautiful and fun-filled weekend!  I'll see you back here on Monday!!  We're going Xmas tree hunting tomorrow---brrrr---cold but fun!!

A Warm Cuppa!!

Hello again and a Happy Thursday to you all! Let's start the day off with a question okay, lol! What's your opinion on spammers? Does anyone know what they do exactly and who employs them? Let me just say they are a BIG PAIN in my REAR-END I tell ya---BLECH! Why does anyone have that much time on their hands in the first place and what are they trying to do? Ridiculous I think and they need to find both a life and a REAL JOB--(hear that spammers, lol)!! I had to put my blog on moderated comment status a couple of months ago due to spam coming in thru the comments. And then yesterday I had one infiltrate my CMC Classroom and send out inappropriate messages to members--so I spent a good part of my day doing damage control because of a dumb spammer. But I've fixed that permanently so they can't get in anymore--if you decide to join the Main Classroom site HERE (everyone BUT spammers are WELCOME) you will have to be approved by me before given access to the site. I hated doing that but it was necessary to protect the site and the members and prevent that from happening again. So if you do decide to join that's why it says you must be approved! Sorry about that!

And talking about free time now--hee hee, of which I am in short supply of it seems!  But when I do have some free time I have been playing "Angry Birds" game on my Iphone or Ipad (its an app), lol!  Someone recommended it to me (unfortunately, lol) and it has become a "fun obsession for me"!!  I usually only get to play when I'm waiting for an appt or when hubby is driving, cuz he prefers I don't watch as I have a tendency to want to tell him how to drive (who me....LOL)!!  It is really fun and addictive and my hubby just rolls his eyes when I play, he even brought me home an article in Wall Street Journal that talked about adults playing this game, hee hee.  So IF you decide to get it and play it A LOT--DO NOT BLAME ME, okay!! LOL!  But it sure is fun and is a nice break from the stresses of the day---especially when the lil' piggies oiink, hee hee!

BIG GIVEAWAY TOMORROW--You do NOT WANT to miss the post on Friday! It's BIGGGGG!!

NewsBitz:

-Don't forget the Holiday Special Deals going on at the Color Me Creative Classroom for Online Copic classes!  It goes thru Jan. 4th and you can find all the details on the main page HERE!

-I have a mini-blog candy going on in yesterday's post below or click HERE!  It's very sweet ;)

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A Warm Cuppa!!

Sorry I'm a day late with this, but today I'm sharing my Copic Creations Challenge project with you!!  We have a new challenge starting this week and our fabulous sponsor is "Whimsy Stamps"--I love their designs and they have great rubber and digi stamps in the store (some fall in my cart, oopss, each time, lol)!! 

The challenge this time is to show "light sourcing"--I teach this lesson FIRST in all my copic classes as I feel it's very important for making flat images more dimensional and really POP off the pages! Once you get it, you can color ANYTHING!!  I used a fabulous new digi image by MelJen Designs called "Christmas Cocoa" and used an upper right-hand light source!

I have two favorite drinks during the holidays and winter that I CANNOT give up, lol (no not Cherry Coke although I still drink that too)!  I LOVE good hot cocoa with lots of whipped cream AND Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink--neither are coffee which I despise, hee hee!  So when I saw this digi by MelJen Designs called "Christmas Cocoa" I just had to use it!!  The snowman on the cup is too cute!!  The papers are by Cosmo Cricket's "Mitten Weather"(15% off now) collection and that FABULOUS embossed cs was done by the NEW Basic Grey Sizzix embossing folders (work like the cuttlebug ones) called "Powdered Sugar & Snowglobe Set" (see all of them here).  I love the designs, nice deep embossing--I think this one looks like a winter scarf print, very cool!

The fun sentiment is a tag stamp from PTI called "2008 Holiday Tag Collection" and this is how I made it--I liked the handle look of it--I stamped it out on cs and it stamps out in a circle with a center design.  Then I diecut the whole image out with a circle nestie and cut the center image (cup) out so it's more of a ring and added a button to the center.  The bow got the same button treatment with bakers twined knotted off on it!

The image was colored with Copics (green-YG67,YG03,G20/R29,R24,R22,R20/white-C1,C00/cocoa-E29,E25,E31).  Then I got to work adding lots of fun elements to the image as usual, hee hee!  The handle, berries and hot cocoa got diamond glaze for a nice shiny effect!  The star, holly and hat band got stickles for sparkle!  Then to top it all off I added some Liquid Applique in white for the puffy marshmallows.

Hope you enjoyed this holly, jolly Christmas card today and hope you come back tomorrow for the BIG POST!  Don't forget to stop by the Copic Creations Challenge Blog to see all the fab DT projects and to join in with us!!

Joyful Snow Wishes!

Well a happy middle of the week to you all AND Happy December 1st!! Just two more days till the weekend--yay--the first weekend of December!  Only a few more weekends to get all your shopping, visiting, decorating, and baking done--is it stressing you?  LOL--it sure is me!  I'm finishing up some projects today and some more decorating and then I have to run out and do errands.  Then Alexa has a basketball game she feels she needs to be at tonite too, lol!  All in a day's work huh--ever feel like you are chasing your own tail every day (yeppers that's me)!  But I always tell myself its better to be busy than dead, right?  Oh MY, lol!!  Okay--this is a LONG POST so make sure to make it all the way thru, lol!

So I have a MINI BLOG CANDY to give away today cuz I want to---you'll have to WAIT FOR THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT POST on Friday for the BIG 'UN though, hee hee!  I have a pack of the Sizzix Basic Grey holiday embossing folders in Powdered Sugar/Snowglobe (see here--they work just like the Cuttlebug ones), a bag of ribbon, and the super sweet "Secret Tilda" from Magnolia-licious! What do you have to do by Saturday--answer the below question for me on this post!

Just tell me what your fave Christmas/Holiday movie is when you comment (and if you liked my projects today of course, LOL)?

Wanna know mine?  LOL--let's see the Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, Christmas Vacation, The Christmas Story, Home Alone 1 & 2, Elf, Mrs. Miracle, The Santa Clause movies, Rudolph & Frosty and just about all the rest of them too.  We watch all of them the whole month of December--we already watched Home Alone 1 and The Santa Clause!

**Don't forget the Holiday Special I have going on thru Jan. 4th at the Color Me Creative Classroom--on all the Copic Classes!  They make great gifts too!  See the main site for details HERE!

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Magnolia-licious December Sketch Projects

Today is December 1st so that means it's a new Magnolia-licious December Sketch and this month is hosted by the fabulous & lovely Diana Crick!  She challenged us all to create LETTER/WORD Projects using Magnolia stamps of course---there are so many different ways to interpret this challenge and I've made two for you today!!  You can find out all the details and how to win on the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog HERE!

If you are a member of the Magnolia-licious Yahoo Group then this project above may look a bit familiar, lol!  I made this for Diana as the banner of the NEW Magnolia-licious Challenge Group (see banner here).  I loved it so much that I knew I had to make it into a project that could be displayed every year.  So I added some fun background papers (Bo Bunny) and mounted it in a frame that can be hung up or stood up to display!!  I added the word "SNOW" to it though which wasn't in the original project--each letter has snow glitter on it to make it frosty and a snowflake mounted behind it!

First we have the letter "S" with cute "Tilda Skating"--she's one of my fave stamps and I taught how to color her in my Copic Classes this fall.  All the colors on the images coordinate for a blended & matchy look (BG23,BG11,BG10/V17,V15,V12,V00/C9,C7,C5,C3,C1,C00).  She's actually skating on the "Sea Background Pond" stamp that I transformed into a winter wonderland -- another way to stretch your stamp collection.  I added some winter trees (they are an older Magnolia stamp, but Winter Forest would work just as well).  I put diamond glaze on the pond with stickles on top for a glittery, icy look!

Then next up we have "Chilly Tilda" (Diana is out of her currently but Tilda on Kicksled is similar) and I have her sitting the Magnolia "large sled".  Doesn't she look like she's shivering--awww!  She has Sparkly Fluff on all her fur trim and diamond glaze on her snow boots!  The snow in the background is made with my fave MS Snow Glitter!  The background snowflakes are a Magnolia stamp as well

Last but certainly not least we have "Edwin on Sled" (he's not in stock, but ask Diana if she might be getting more) or there is always the MINI Edwin on Sled here :)  He has Doodlebug white flock (25% off right now) on his fur trim (no sparkles for this boy)!! Sorry for the glare on the glass here!

For my second "Letter" project I created a joyful ornament for the Christmas Tree!  Boy, I had a heck of a time getting a good picture of this project for you!  I wish you could see how shiny & sparkly it is in real life--so pretty!  Most of you know I go Christmas-CRAZY and put up 11 trees in and outside of my home so I'm always in need of more decorations!  And I could not WAIT to use those cute NEW Mini Magnolia stamps--you can see the whole collection at Magnolia-licious HERE!

To make this ornament I took 3 chipboard letters and did a fun foil treatment on them using TonerTex glue and foils in silver and gold.  I wanted a burnished look so I mixed up where I added each of the colors and once that was done I added a thin layer of stardust stickles to the entire word.  To join the letters together I made cs brackets and attached them with Scor-Tape so they stay together tight and then added the gold cording for a hanger.  The Lil' Angel was colored with Copics and then I added Stickles to her wings, socks and wand for more fun sparkle!  Isn't she a cutie?  And these mini's are PERFECT for ornaments and holiday tags!

I've still got a few more Christmas trees to put up (11 in total) but thought I'd share our formal living room tree with you since it's the tree that has the new ornament above on it :)  **And yes that's my cairn pup Baylee peeking at you on the couch, hee hee, she loves to sit there and look out the window!!** I call this my white and gold tree and it has all my Precious Moments ornaments and all of our "vacation & trip" ornaments.  Whenever we go anywhere I always pick up an ornament with the date and location so when I put this tree up it gives me sweet memories of all the places our family has visited together!  I even have ornaments for local places like the annual White House ornament and the zoo--makes it extra special to us!  I'll share the rest of the decorations with you all next week once everything is done!

Enjoy your day and make sure to stop by the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog Here to see the rest of the DT's projects and to join in as well!

Gold & White Sparkle and Dazzle!!

Happy Tuesday to you all!  Can you believe December 1st is tomorrow? YIKES! I've got lots to do still including finishing decorating the house, shopping, wrapping and baking! Oh My! LOL! I hope to have most of all of that done by mid next week so I can just sit back (ha, ha) and enjoy the rest of the month without running around like a crazy person!  I've only got a few more trees to put up and we'll be hunting our real trees on Saturday so I hope to be done by Sunday with the decorating.  Looking for a great arm exercise and get great muscles?  LOL--well come help me fluff trees, put lights on, carry boxes and decorate the house for a week.  My arms just ACHE I tell ya so I'm burning calories and building muscle I hope since I have NO time this week to excercise, hee hee!  And yes I put up 95% of the decorations by myself--the family room tree is a family event and hubby helps me with the outside stuff!  Our cats LOVE this time of year I tell ya, boxes to jump in, ornaments to knock off and chase (or break) and Xmas tree skirts to sleep on, LOL!  They are enjoying it immensely, hee hee!  I just love the smell the house gets during the holidays---mulled cider, evergreens, cinnamon and baking--YUM!  The kids are hoping for snow this month like we got last year--can you say BLIZZARD!  NO WAY, NO HOW do I EVER want that much snow again--a couple of inches is okay as long as I don't have to go out, lol.  But no more than that, I'm not a snow girl! Although it's been super brrrrrrrrrrrr COLD outside the past few days, oh my, I've got the fireplace going (shhhh don't tell hubby, hee hee) and my electric blankie on my bed!!  I'm dreaming of spring already, lmbo!

NewsBitz:

-The MINIS are here, the MINIS are here!!!! LOL!  Yep, Magnolia-licious has the NEW MINI HOLIDAY Collection of Magnolia stamps in stock HERE but you better hurry cuz' they are sure to sell out!  They are so cute and tiny and fun to color--I just adore them!  I'll have a project tomorrow using them in a fun way!

-SCACD has some AWESOME CYBER SALES going on as well thru Dec. 4th so make sure to check them out on the store blog HERE where they are all listed for you! (sale on Petaloo & Prima, Kraftin Kimmie stamps, Gold/Silver Flower Soft, Viva Decor and more) You don't wanna miss out!

-7 Kids College Fund has some great SALES going on at the store thru Dec. 3rd!  All items in the Christmas Section HERE are 10% off--use code CHRISTMAS10!  Also Halloween items are 30% off HERE-- use code HALLOWEEN30!

-I was too tired to finish updating my Etsy shop last night, lol!  But I PROMISE to upload the rest of the projects this evening for anyone interested in buying my projects. There are some up on my site still if you want to check them out, but the rest will be up later this evening!  Thanks to those who already swooped in and bought some --wow!  I will send them out this weekend to you all--thanks bunches!

-Don't forget to check out my Holiday Special on all my Copic Classes at the CMC Classroom--see main page HERE for all the details!  Classes make great gifts for you and your friends!  Also don't forget to check out my 2011 dates/locations for my CMC Copic Classes on the road HERE--they're filling fast!

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Gold & White Dazzle!!

I decided to work with one of the fabulous new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD winter images from the new mini sampler release called "Flower Cheer"!  Isn't she just delightful?  I love her fancy hair and beautiful bouquet of poinsettias in that wonderful Elisabeth Bell style!  I chose to do her up in golds, creams and whites for an elegant holiday card.  Wouldn't this be fabulous to give for a Christmas wedding as well?

My papers are the new holiday Anna Griffin (The Georgette Holiday Collection)--they are all golds and silvers and are fabulously beautiful!  I saw them at summer CHA and just drooled, lol, and ordered them up as soon as I could.  They make every project super elegant and some of the papers are glittered, so pretty!  The poinsettias are from Petaloo here(25% off right now) but they were too white for me, so I spritzed them up with Smooch Spritz in gold so they really shimmer prettily IRL!  The centers of the poinsettias were bright yellow so I picked them off (lol) and added goldilocks Bella Baubles for the centers instead--yes I'm super picky and persnickety about the details of my cards, lol--can't help it!!   I also spritzed the mini rosebuds with the gold spray as well to match.

The pretty border was done with a MS border punch on PTI's new colored cardstock (love it) called Fine Linen--I ADORE this color as it's darker than the usual cream but so pretty & a great match to the muted gold tones in the papers.  The pretty tag/scrolly shapes on each side of my image are from Pink Paislee--they are called "Artisan Elements" & made of cream grungeboard and are so pretty to use.  You can paint them, spritz them and color them if you'd like--they have adhesive on the back.  I used one and cut it in half and placed 1 pc on each side of my image and added some gold Stickles for shimmer!  The scrolls were made with a Marianne Designs die of course :)

And yep, "Flower Cheer" is colored with Copics (gold-YR24,YR23,Y15,Y11 and then E31 over them to brown them up a bit/hair-E59,YR23,E31,YR20/shirt & flowers-E43,E42,E40)  I added stardust stickles (my fave) over her pants so they shimmer (hey a girl's gotta have some blingy pants).  The center of the poinsettias have a dot of gold Stickles too.  Then I stamped around the image with some of my PTI background stamps in gold ink.

Hope this puts you in a sparkling holiday mood for the day!  Make sure to stop by tomorrow for the NEW December Magnolia-licious Sketch Project that you won't want to miss!!

Gifts Galore!!

Happy Monday to you all!  Have you all recovered from your turkey-pie-stuffing-dessert-meal barrage, hee hee?  I know I ATE WAY too much that's for sure and I gotta run some extra miles this week me thinks.  I'm putting up all my Xmas decorations this week and I hope to be done by Friday so on Saturday we can go and "hunt" our real trees (2) at Snicker's Gap Tree Farm here in Virginia.  I'm praying for good weather on Saturday as well cuz' its not as fun when it's freezing cold and/or raining KWIM!  I went to Target yesterday evening to get some replacement Xmas lights and can I just say that place was "GUTTED", LOL!  It looks like the Friday shoppers took ahold of the store and emptied it I tell ya---I couldn't find much of anything so I'm hoping our Lowes has lights in stock or I'll be in TROUBLE--yikes!  Every year I struggle to find lights and why the heck the stores don't get more in boggles my mind I tell ya---when you start putting out Xmas stuff in August I guess the shelves get bare.  BUT RETAILERS HEAR ME NOW---I DO NOT shop for Xmas stuff in Aug/Sept! NO WAY!! LOL!  I also don't shop for Halloween items in July--it's just bizarre I tell you!  I don't get it at all and it drives me insane---looney, hee hee!  Does it bother you too?!!

NewsBitz:

-I am loading up over 50+ of my paper projects to my Etsy site--I have loaded a bunch up but more will be loaded this evening!  So if you are interested in purchasing any of them you can visit my Etsy Store HERE!  But remember I will have more up tonight after 10 pm EST, so check back!  I want to clear out my shelves, lol!

-Remember to check out my Copic Classroom CMC Holiday Special going on thru Jan. 4th--a great way to gift yourself or a friend to copic classes!  See below post or on the main page of my classroom HERE for all the details!!

-Teri of Spunky & Tadpole was my Gina K winner (see below post) but I haven't heard from ya yet!  I'll give you a week and then I'll have to choose another winner, so if anyone knows Teri please give her a holler :)

-I've got a FABULOUS blog post coming later this week (crossing fingers) that NONE of you will want to miss!  It's exciting, fun for you and fun for me, hee hee!  Just you wait :)

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Wine Lovers Celebrate!!

This gift set was made by me early in March for the magazine that I publish with my pal Marti, "Through the Craftroom Door".  But since it's gift giving time I thought it was the perfect time to share it on my blog with you all!  I created it with my mom in mind because she loves wine and has a glass at dinner a few nights a week (and no she's not a wine-o I swear, lol, she'll shoot me for saying that, hee hee)!  But she is a bit of a wine connoisseur and I thought this would be a wonderful gift to recreate for a wine-lover in your life!  The set includes a wine towel (to wipe up drips or wrap around wine bottle), wine glass charms, wine glasses and matching card!  The stamps are all by Paper Trey Ink's "Damask Designs" which is a timeless and traditional set to add to your collection (I loveee it)!!  This set was for Mother's Day but it's super easy to change/add any sentiment for any holiday or occasion you need it for!
 

 I bought a set of 4 wine glasses from Target that were of nice quality but inexpensive!  I cleaned them good on the outside and let them dry completely and then I've stamped directly onto the glasses with my PTI stamp using alcohol ink and a Palette Ink refill mixed together.  Instead of putting the acrylic stamp on a block I held it in my hand & dipped it into my ink mixture, then carefully wrapped the stamp onto the wine glass gently and lifted off quickly.  I love the watery look of the stamp on the glass.  Then I took a crystal clear Viva Decor Glass Gel Pen and added dimensional beads to my design on the glasses--gives it an extra sparkle!
 

I created my card base out of a transparency to echo the look of the wineglasses and it just looks COOL! LOL!  I used the PTI stamp set (Damask Designs) to create the background on the blue cs to make my own patterned paper to match.  The beautiful sentiment is from the PTI set "Mother" --you could easily change out the sentiment for any holiday/occasion that you need!  The pearl accents were made with my Viva Decor Pearl Pen in ice white (on sale 15% off now)---easy & fun to use!

Wine glass charms are so much fun to make and so easy too!  For these I bought all my supplies at my local craft store.  The ring bases are actually round metal earrings (bought in packs) that I added coordinating beads and charms to.  They easily hook on and off of your glasses and you can make them to match for any holiday or home decor!  You can buy these pre-made in stores in sets of 6 for upwards of $25---I made 6 of them for under $6!!  Great gift idea! And I loved that the charms matched the damask of my stamp set too!

The wine towel I bought plain and then I've embellished it with washable products.  The images were stamped on with Palette Ink which is perfect for fabric and washable!  Then I added some more pearl trim with the same Viva Decor Pearl Pen (that I used on the card)--these pearls are heavy duty and will NOT wash off!  So it makes a pretty addition to the set and is quick & easy to make too!

See ya back here tomorrow!!

Ski Bunny!

Hellooooo and Happy Saturday to you all! Are you "Black Friday" shopped out, lol?! I abstained of course from the mass mobs of people taking over all our retail centers, hee hee! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and I of course ate WAYYYYY too much which means I need to ABSTAIN from eating all goodies this weekend, LOL! We are putting up the first of our Christmas trees and decorations today and the Xmas carols will be playing loudly in our home and I'll be mulling lots of cider as well (yum)!  I heard that some of our friends north of here got some YUCKY SNOW during the holiday---YIKES!  Please, please, please keep it up NORTH as I don't want it, LMBO!  And if you did get it, here's sending some warm wishes to you all and be safe!!

NewsBitz:

-ICopic is having an extended Thanksgiving SALE thru Nov. 28th!!  All Copic markers are 10% off so shop now using code "FRIDAY" HERE!  They are one of my fave stores, great customer service!!

-I Brake For Stamps is having an awesome Sale Weekend as well--check out all the steals & deals HERE! (scroll down to see specials) 

-Winner of the Gina K Blog Candy Gift Certificate is TERI of Spunky & Tadpole!!!  Congrats Teri, please email me for details on your gift!  Thanks to everyone who commented and entered---its always fun to read all your comments and answers to the questions!  Looks like we all could use a $100 bill to use in some fun and charitable ways!

SUPER
HOLIDAY CLASS EXTRAVAGANZA!!

Want to take another Copic class or want to GIFT a class or two to a

friend this holiday season from Color Me Creative Classroom? This special starts 11/20 & will run thru

January 2nd, 2011!!

-Take any one class (Copic or Cricut) and get $6 off
-Take any two classes (Copic Only) and get $12 off
-Take any three classes (Copic Only) and get $18 off
-Take ALL four classes (Copic Only) and get $24 off and 2 Copic Markers of your choice from ICopic.com  (**IF you decide to take all three or four, please email me for an invoice instead of clicking each one--its easier for us both)

GIFTS-- If you want to give the GIFT of a class or two to
friends you can get the same deals as above. So if you GIFT 2

classes then you'd get the $12 off even if it's for 2 different

people! Send a class to 4 of your friends and get the $24 off and 2

copic markers as well! Just let me know by email if its a gift and

who to send them too :)

**(Register for classes and the refund/discount will be sent back to you via PayPal within 48 hours of payment received. If you want to pay by check or money order just email me for info on that)
**NOT good on previously purchased classes!

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Ski Bunny!!

Well we are officially in ski season it seems in some parts of the US and Canada, hee hee so I thought this card was quite appropriate!  I used a super cute NEW winter image from Victoria Case for SCACD called "I Heart Powder"!!  Isn't she a cutie?  And great for winter birthdays, events and the holidays!  See bottom of this post for the **SUPER SALE INFO** happening at SCACD!!

I think she's such a cutie and I had great fun coloring her to match these awesome papers from Bo Bunny called "Winter Joy"!  I LOVE this color combo--so cool and fun for winter!  TIP: To make the fun frame around my image, I punched bunches of snowflakes (outta my lilac cs) with my MS snowflake punch and cut them all in half. Then I put glue on the back of my image (oval) and added the halves of snowflakes around the oval frame evenly!  Makes a cool border around the oval frame I think!  The scrolls are from a EK Success punch and then I added stickles to each for sparkle.  The sentiment is from PTI--love the saying!

She got colored with Copics (BG72,BG11,BG10/V000,V12,V15) and then I added that cool Sparkly Fluff to all her fur trim (new color called daiquiri ice--love it)!!  Then I added diamond glaze to her boots and skis--the other white snow was done with my fave MS snow glitter.  I added a bit around the image for a snowflake effect!

**Make sure to check out the NEW Winter Victoria Case & Elisabeth Bell Collections for SCACD HERE!!**

**SCACD Stamp Sale Info**

Super stamp sale - Between Nov. 27th thru Dec. 4th Buy ANY SCACD Exclusive set OR 4 of ANY SCACD Exclusive stamps and get ONE free stamp from the Exclusive SCACD stamp line--(free stamp is store owner's choice). SCACD Exclusives stamps are those designed by Elisabeth Bell, Victoria Case, Carmen Medlin and Anki's Sweethearts. Find those stamp lines HERE!  For those overseas you can find the same deal at Quixotic Paperie HERE!

See ya back here on Monday!