Scrap Bitz

Shabby Chic Butterflies!

2013-05-24T18:14:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great week! For those in the US have a great 3 day weekend for Memorial Day and to those who serve (or served) our country....THANK YOU each & every day for your work and sacrifices! I think a lot of times we forget what this holiday is actually about in the rush to have some summer fun. So just my two cents on it but wishing all those who have served the US a very restful holiday weekend as well.

I won tix to see Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves in concert tomorrow night through the Washington Redskins Women Group...whooohoooo! I almost peed my pants when I found out since I enter contests ALL the darn time but never win. Well I won and I will be there at FedEx Field with Alexa whooping and hollering LOL. Its gonna be in the 70s so I will be wearing a coat LOL...not sure where the HOT weather went but I want it back...NOW! Then on Monday we will go see the Washington Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles...our 2 fave teams facing off...gonna be a good one! And blissfully on Sunday we have nothing...nothing but hanging around and doing nothing LOL.

Only 2 more weeks of school left...my kids get out on June 6th and not only are they excited but SO AM I...omegosh! Between field trips, choral events, exams, projects and papers due...I'm TIRED. Why these high school teachers assign so much in the last 3 weeks of school is beyond me. But they've both had hours of homework each night and I'm DONE with editing papers. They both had 4 papers EACH...two of which had to be 10-14 pages long...and I'm the family editer...I'm over it LOL! Alexa doesn't know but she's getting a BIG award on Tues for her academics (she has a 4.1 GPA) so she will be surprised. So proud of her because she's had a TOUGH year with all her AP classes, Calculus and Chemistry...lots of homework, tests and projects for those this year and she's pulled straight A's all the way through...that's a tough accomplishment. She will be applying for early acceptance to her #1 choice Univ of SC in August. They base early acceptance on Academics only, nothing else so I'm hoping she gets in with that round...if not she can apply again in Oct. She's also applying to Auburn Univ, Florida State, Towson Univ and U of NC. So we shall see...hard to believe she will be a senior in the fall.

If you need more reading, I have some new posts and projects on my other blog "Bitz of Me" HERE that you may enjoy!! :)

PS...if you hover over my blog pics now you will see an AQUA P...that means you can pin it to Pinterest if you'd like! :)

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Altered Cigar Box....Shabby Chic Style!

Soooo this is my Mother's Day present for my mom....yup its late...yup she doesn't have it yet LOL. I will HAND deliver it in a few weeks when I see her and she will see it here on my blog as well ahahaha. But I had good intentions to get it done in time but some of my "supplies" didn't get here when they were supposed to...ugh. But I got it done and I'm purty pleased with how it came out. Its a bit shabby-chic-french-country and yes its another altered cigar box.

This is what it started out as...a plain old cigar box minus the cigars (eyucky)! I removed most of the stickers and sanded it down a bit in places. You can see my other altered cigar box I did HERE!

The papers are all Graphic 45 "French Country"...that I ADORE and just ordered more of LOL! Everything was distressed with my Zutter Distress machine (ohhh how I love that thing) and inked with Distress Inks "Vintage Photo". I glue on my papers to the wood with Modge Podge...the things you can do with that stuff...me luv! I added feet to my box as well...they are unfinished wood feet from Michaels (2 in a pack for 99 cents) that I painted cream and distressed. I used just cream acrylic paint and also painted any edges of the box in places but after painting wiped with a rag so it looks a bit more worn. The front lock is from a Tim Holtz Idea-ology pack that I wiped with cream paint and then sealed. I added the legs with Gorilla Glue and then all the metal embellishments with Best Glue Ever (stuff is SUPER strong and is truly the best evah).

The flower postcard image is actually a stamp from Crafty Individuals Stamps (yup I used the chicken stamp on my last box) and this one is called "Postcard Blooms" and its in stock at SCACD. I stamped it on dark cream cs, added a bit of color with Copics (B99,B97,B95,B91/E43,E42,E40) to it and a few Stickles for sparkle...then distressed it well. The other postcard is from the Graphic 45 pack that I distressed more. The swirls/scrolls were done with a Memory Box die "Val Flourish" (one of my faves) and then inked. All the butterflies are metal and they came in a pack of 5 at JoAnns in the clearance section for $2...forget what company they are from but I love that I can bend them and ink them.

The blue butterfly underneath the large metal butterfly is a Jenni Bowlin accent...as are the hat pins. Flowers are a mishmash that I inked to distress and the ribbon I buy off of Etsy already tea-stained. Tiny paperclips are from Idea-ology as well. **Funny story about Jenni Bowlin...we grew up together and went to school together in Maryland. Lost touch during college but one day when kids were much younger I was watching a Scrapbook show on TV that used to be on and this guest was on doing a stamp bleaching technique. I was like "I swear that looks like Jennifer Russell, she talks like her & has same mannerisms"...hubby was like "oh yeahhhh right"...so I tracked her down online and sent an email asking if it was her by her maiden name. AND IT WAS HER LOL...I took art classes and ran an art club in high school and Jenni was NEVER interested so how funny we ended up in the same industry. But her mom was into antiquing and junking so I see that influence in her designs and store! We see each other at CHA every year and catch up...its nice to do that and so funny how it all came to be.**

I didn't do much to the inside other than line the bottom...I like to leave the wood burned branding on the lid intact as I think its part of the cigar box charm. I have to say I'm QUITE enjoying these boxes...I have a few more on hand and already thinking up some ideas for them ;)

I'm sure my mom won't mind that I put the box in my living room to display until I give to her....bwahahahaha...NAW I'm joking! I just put it there to get some pics of it "staged"...its safe & sound in my studio where the cats can't get at it ;) Anyway I hope she loves it...if not I know of another good home for it !

Have a great weekend everyone!

Got Your Sunnies On?

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday to everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and the week has started well for ya! We had a great but very busy weekend...prom weekend ya know so it was a bit crazy. And it decided to be dreary and rainy on Saturday...go figure...all the other proms in the County got sun and our high school prom was the last and it rained. BUT it stopped long enough for some pictures outside which was nice. She got her hair done at 1 and the girl did an amazing job...looked just like the picture Alexa had taken in. Her and a few of her girlfriends came over and got dressed together so there was lots of squeals & giggles & shoe clomping upstairs. Sad to think just one more year of this...sigh...makes me sad! But Alexa and her friends had a BLAST...she went with her good friend Zack, they are just friends and a group of others to dinner & then to the dance. The great thing about her class is a good majority of them all know each other and get along well...my class was like that as well and its nice. We went down to the Potomac River to take pics with 42 of them...yep 42 kids all trying to fit in one picture...well I did my best LOL. One thing that makes me a proud parent is the kids all looked classy, elegant, beautiful and handsome...no inappropriate dresses...they just all looked beautiful...love that! The dance ended at 11...all the proms are held at the Conference Center back in the woods on the river in my neighborhood...literally 2 streets away from us so that's nice to know they are close by. Then after the dance the same 12 that went to dinner together went over one of the boy's house for chitter-chatter, pizza and movies till 1 am...he lives just a few streets away too so I knew EXACTLY where they were LOL. Thankfully I don't worry about these kids drinking or drugging or being too stupid...they are all straight A students with their eyes on the future thank goodness. So all in all she had a wonderful time and made lots of memories. It rained on Sunday so we had a jammie and tv day...that was REALLY nice since it rarely happens.

Riley had spent Saturday morning at 10 am till 3:30 in the afternoon at a paintball farm nearby with some of his friends...its over 300 acres and it was raining...MUDDY...which means they were dirty, sweaty and GROSS when they got to my house. Six teen boys showering, eating and spending the night making lots of noise LOL. My mom was up so she got to experience a NORMAL weekend in the Dean house hee hee....loud, chaotic, crazy and did I say LOUD. This is why I always look forward to the quiet of Monday...kids at school, hubby at work (well in NC this week) and the house is peaceful. LOVE IT!

And prayers to all those in Oklahoma affected by the horrific tornadoes yesterday...my heart is breaking for you and especially the parents of those beautiful children. I cannot imagine but I am sending up some prayers for peace and safety for you all (and anyone in tornado valley). So terrifying and sad!

So here are some Prom Pics for ya if you'd like to see:

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Got Your Sunnies?

Today is the Team B Inspiration for the Magnolia-licious Tues Challenge...its called WEATHER IT and you have to create projects that show some kind of weather (you have until May 27th to enter). At first I though about doing a wintry card...but then I thought about it...a lot...and since SUMMER is my fave time of the year I decided that I didn't want to feel wintry LOL! The weather is warmer and it was blue skies & sunny today and it just makes me HAPPY and I wanted to showcase that in my project as well!

I used this cute Mini Magnolia stamp from Magnolia-licious called "Mini Beach Tilda"...one of my fave lil' summer Tilda stamps. The papers are from Echo Park "Paradise Beach" and I distressed all the edges and then inked with white Palette Ink to soften. The sunglasses are a Cameo cut file...I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder on the lens part of the glasses for fun texture...I inked the edges of the sunglasses as well. The "FUN IN THE SUN" is a Cameo cut file as well...I cut it twice (once from white cs & then from yellow cs) and layered...then added a coat of Stardust Stickles to the sun and then sprinkled Glamour Dust on top of the wet Stickles for extra sha-bam sparkle ;) I layered some flowers and the flower die is from Marianne Designs, the white "Prized Chrysanthemum Outline" die is from Memory Box that I cut in half and used at each end of the card. A few PTI buttons tied off with yellow Scrappers Floss to finish it off.

She was colored with Copics: BG72,BG11,BG10 / Y15,Y11,Y00 / E11,E00,R11 / E47,E31,E50

Some stickles on her ruffles for sparkle!

That's it for me today! Today is clean house day and weed veggie garden and work on other projects day. Hubby is in NC thru Wednesday night so its just me and the teens...wheee LOL!

Have a good one!

Mother Love!

2013-05-17T02:30:00.000-04:00

Hellooooo & Happy Friday to you...its the weekend! I'm pretty sure I will be excited to see Monday after this weekend and I NEVER say that :) Prom festivities have started...Alexa (and me) got pedicures yesterday. Her best friend that moved to Georgia is flying in tomorrow evening for the weekend and to go to prom and she's staying with us...so the girls are excited. My mom comes up today too and we will be doing some stuffs as well. Riley is paintballing on Saturday morning, I'm going to the nursery to get some flowers for my pots, Alexa has a hair appt at 1, I gotta pick up her date's boutinniere, take Mom to lunch and then prom pics at 5ish. Phewwwwww! Then the adults are going to dinner and Riley is having friends over for the night and we will have some of Alexa's friends here after prom too. AND YES if you follow me on FB and Instagram I will have tons of photos of prom up this weekend if you wanna check em out! HINT: Alexa's dress is my FAVE color :)

This end of year school stuff is always killer but as they get older there is ssoooo much going on all the time, its like a whirlwind. Most of you may have noticed I'm not traveling and teaching as much this year...not that I'm fully stopping but I'm definitely not doing it as much. After 3 years of non-stop traveling I felt the need to take a bit of a break. Plus I want to be home more as this is Alexa's last year of High School and I don't want to miss a thing. Being a good mom and wife has always been important to me...you only get one chance at this stuff so I feel you gotta be really present & good the first time around. I also have A LOT of "other" things I want to do, try, accomplish and I just haven't had the time to do while I was traveling. And yes I miss it but I know what's MOST important in my life and I felt for both me and my family I needed to be home a bit more. Doesn't mean I'm stopping what I'm doing...it just means I'll be doing A LOT more of stuff LOL! I have lots of ideas and time still flies by but I'm trying to cram as much livin' in as I can!

AND as soon as I get my PC laptop fixed and/or get some software for my Mac so it will accept my camcorder I will have LOTS new videos coming, not just coloring but other things too....so stay tuned!

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A Mother's Love

So I consider myself a thoughtful, loving and caring person, I really do...I always have the best intentions and tend to lead my life with my heart first. However I suck at getting people their cards and presents on time, its a character flaw but I readily admit to everyone trust me...the thought is there I however SUCK at mailing stuff or getting it there on time. So this is my Mother's Day card for my mom LOL...she's coming tomorrow so I figured I'd just hand deliver it. She knows me well enough to never be surprised by this...plus I consider the card a "thing" not the only representation of my love, admiration and respect of my mother who I count as my #1 best friend and fan. So one of her favorite colors is lavender (and blue) so this card was custom-made for her. I'm still working on the other part of her gift...not my fault though lol...the supplies came later than I had expected! Will share that when its done!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Just Hanna Stamps (mothers)

Belli Challenges (Mother's Day)

Fresh Brewed Challenges (flowers)

So Ms. Sherri Baldy has some awesome new Besties digis...heck if you follow her on FB she has new ones up every day that make me drool. So when I saw this cutie, I had to have her...reminds me a bit of myself (she's admittedly much cuter than me though lol) with my gray kitty Poncho. Funny story about Poncho & my mom in a minute...she will get a chuckle out of this card for sure. But this Bestie is called "Besties with Kitty", she's a doll huh?

When we first had Poncho (and his sis Millie) he was a REAL DIVA...he still is but he's more mellow these days. For whatever reason Poncho did not like my mom that much LMBO...she'd walk by him and he'd hiss or swat at her...even when she'd try to pet him. It was hilarious...he really only let me and Riley be his "keeper". Then a few years after we had him he had a bladder infection and blockage...he was really really sick and had to have surgery. After surgery he came home more mellow but about 6 mos later he was still sick...so I took him to our new vet and they discovered the catheter had been left inside after surgery OMG...he was close to a deadly infection so he had to have surgery again. Well after that he came home a changed kitty-man LOL...he's very mellow and never hisses or swats anymore. Although Mom tends to still avoid him a bit when she comes up...so that's why I made this kitty gray...like my Poncho ;) hee!

Supplies: Papers are by Prima and all were distressed with my Zutter Distress machine. I love a monochromatic theme and this one is a bit shabby chic. The decorative corners were done with a La La Land die "Filigree Corner", ribbon is from Michaels, charm I've had for ages and the leafy elements were done with a Memory Box die. Flowers are a mix of Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts.

She got colored with Copics: V99,V95,V93,V000 / E11,E00,R11/ E47,E35,E31,E50 / C5,C3,C1. Then I added Diamond Glaze to her eyes and Stickles o her shirt for sprakle.

So that's all from me....busy weekend ahead! See you next week & have a great one!

Monster-riffic!!

2013-05-15T02:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone & a Happy Wednesday to you all! I have been busy tearing through the house doing projects and more lined up for next week. Today I have the vet coming to give dogs their shots & yearly check-ups....we are lucky to have a vet that has mobile service so they come to the house and the dogs aren't spooked or upset too much. Then I have my new family furniture being delivered...finally after 3 mos of waiting...I'm so excited to get it. Our family room furniture is over 10 years old...its held up really well but its time for it to be retired. Still hunting for a new chair to replace the older one, but have yet to find one that fits "my idea" LOL. I'm going to put the couch and an almost-like-new Lazy Boy chair on Craigs List and see if I can sell it and get rid of it.

Next on my list is to paint my mudroom/laundry...its the ONLY room in my house that has never been painted is SCREAMING for color and and some fun decorations and organization. I'm doing some batten-board on the longest wall with old hooks to hang stuff on. I'm excited to start on that next week...and yes Suzanne is doing it ALL by herself ;) Then we will get Riley's new bedroom downstairs done and painted and all set up. So lots to do!

And this weekend is da-da-da-dum.....PROM...so lots going on this weekend too...no downtime for this gal!

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Monster-riffic!

I made this card for my hubby....he's been so great lately with stuff and I just love him to bitz..he really is my best friend and I'm so happy I got to marry him. We have a fun quirky, banter, joking and loving relationship...and the sentiment "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight? Or Should I Walk By Again?"...is SOOOOO something I would say LMBO! Cracks me up! So this is my love card for him and I snuck it in his briefcase yesterday to find at work...just a small way to say I Love Ya and was thinking of you! And these monsters from SCACD "Oddly Sweet Curiosities" and this cutie is "Loves Me?" It just makes you smile doesn't it? :)

Check out the NEW Art Anthology Colorations Mists at SCACD and all the NEW yummy paper pads too (that b/w Authentique is MINE)...mmmmm!

I used some fun papers from Echo Park "Paradise Beach" and kept the colors fun and bright...perfect for anyone including a guy! I like the circle theme...I pulled in circles with buttons, polka-dot paper, and Swirls CB embossing folder. The large orange circles are a cut file from Silhouette Cameo "Background Lace-Circle" and I cut them apart to add a few around the image. Diamond Glaze on the monster cutie for shine and some Stickles on the scales and background for a sparkle factor :)

So hope this one made you smile or chuckle...hubby liked it, so I'm happy! Enjoy your day!

Calendar Girls!

2013-05-13T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday to you all! Its Mother's Day as I write this up and I'm getting frowns from the family for doing any work today...hahaha! So I won't clog up your brains with my jibber-jabber so I don't get in trouble and can enjoy the rest of the quiet evening with my family. For those that celebrated I sure hope you were spoiled rotten, loved by many and got rested up and relaxed for the week to come!

My weekend consisted of:

Working all day Saturday mowing the lawn, trimming, planting and mulching...which resulted in me being very DIRTY LOL. I'm a tomboy at heart...I've always loved digging in dirt...and gardening appeals to me in that way. So the dirtier I get outside, the happier I am :)...yeah another Suzanne oddity! But my yard looks gooooood! (I won't tell you how much scrubbing it took to get all that black muck off of me heehee)

Then I followed that up with some Mexican food...mmm guacomole and a big ole' Strawberry Margarita...just what I needed ;)

Spent Mother's Day at Nats Park in DC...sadly Nats lost, again ugh...but we had a good time and the weather was nice. Riley is STILL going thru a "I'm not gonna smile in pics because I'm too cool" phase but I refuse to let him off the hook LOL!

And of course a day is not a day without some goofing off...me and Alexa pretending to be avoiding the PAPARAZZI...ahahahaha!

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Calendar Girls!

Today is Mini Monday over at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog as it is every Monday...just this time its my turn to participate :) I've been wanting to create some pretty calendar pages to use in my studio and have had time run away on me this year...we all know how THAT goes eh? LOL! So I thought I'd get a jump start on it and try to create 2 pages each month...that way I'm always a month ahead...smart girl I am..ha! And what better to use than these cute Mini Magnolia stamps...the are just the right size for these mini calendar pages. Make sure to hop over to the Challenge Blog to see what my DT-mates have created too!

Make sure to check out the DEAL OF THE DAY on the home page of Magnolia-licious HERE everyday. Different stamps, dies and products are heavily discounted for 24 hours each day...so check it out for items that may be on your wish list!!

First up is May...my favorite month...my birthday month and Mother's Day month of course. My favorite flower is the tulip...so this cute Mini "Tilda with Three Flowers" was the perfect one to use for May. She is colored with Copics and accented with Stickles. Who doesn't love tulips...so many varieties and colors and elegant in their beauty! I decided to keep my calendar pages mostly monochromatic...I love the look and a great way to keep each month separate and different. These papers are from PaperMania and I distressed them before placing. I used the same layout for both calendars and I will probably continue that throughout the rest of the months of the year. The scroll is by Memory Box "Val Flourish" and die cut out of white cs. My mini calendars are a free printable from HERE...I printed them on white cs and then cut them down to the size I wanted. I added a strip of paper and cs to each month for my Tildas to sit on and to customize them. The scroll stamp is from PTI and I lightly stamped over the calendar in a few places with pale pink ink.

For June I went with a yellow and black theme to match cute Mini "Honey Tilda" and she's colored in Copics as well and some fun Stickles on her wings (there is a Mini Honey Jar you can buy for her to sit on too...so cute). The layout is the same and the papers are by both PaperMania and PTI. I used the same scroll die and stamp and added some yellow pearls to accent. PS----my calendar pages have magnet strips on the back to stick to my magnet board in my studio...I forgot to take a picture of that, sorry LOL! Cute as a bee isn't she? heehee

So I'm working on July & August and I will share those soon with you as well. Its fun and easy to create these mini calendars...because they are small they don't take too long to make. And keeping a similar layout while varying the images and papers makes it a bit easier as well. Twelve months of these bound together would make a super cute gift!

Vintage Country!!

2013-05-09T02:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday to you all! The week is almost done...seems like this week has flown by. I have to take Alexa out after school today to get shoes, clutch & jewelry for prom. Her dress is red and she wants gold accessories so I hope we are able to find everything today as I have no time this weekend to do it. Prom is next Saturday and there are 42...YES 42 kids having their pictures taken together...oy vey. And then about 6 girls will be here early getting ready, 12 for pictures at the house including Alexa's date and then we go to the park to take pics of all 42 of them. Her friend Maya is coming up for the weekend from Atlanta (she moved in March) and will be staying with us and going to prom...so they are all super excited. Alexa gets her hair done at 1 and then all the girls will be here at 3 to get ready...so my house will be overrun with girls, giggling and yelling LOL.

My mom is coming up for the weekend as well...so its gonna be a full house...crazy...chaotic but always FUN! Of course if you follow me on Facebook you will see all the prom pics up there first LOL.

This weekend we are doing more yard work on Saturday to get the yard finished up for prom pictures and then on Sunday we will be in DC at a Nationals game...yup my Mother's Day will be at Nat's Park for this gal...its all good (as long as we win of course). I asked for a large lilac bush for my Mom's Day gift...I love the smell of lilacs and my Gram has a HUGE lilac tree/bush that I just adore! Hope mine blooms like my Gram's does...its gorgeous and the smell is HEAVEN!

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Vintage Country!

One of my fave projects I've done in awhile....this one is for ME and takes its spot in my kitchen. I collect antique recipe boxes, they have to be special and different for me to add them to my collection. But I have a bit of a rooster/chicken fetish too...I have a few rooster & chicken things around the house...you won't come in and see a BUNCH of them though, no way but I do have a few here and there. I like just a few and they have to be special for me to display them...I don't do cute knick-knacks in my house, cuz' I hate extra clutter or stuff just sitting around.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Crafty Creations Challenges (old/new)

Divas by Design (anything goes)

Whimsical Designs (alter it)

Loves Rubber Stamps (anything goes)

This is what my project started out like....a plain, wooden cigar box and some Tim Holtz metal legs.

I have a few cigar boxes...when I see them I grab them...don't ask how many a "few" is LOL!

I used Graphic 45 "French Country" papers...I LOVE LOVE LOVE them...got that...I LOVE these papers LOL! Match my colors in my first floor of my house perfectly! All my papers were distressed...heavily with my Zutter and then inked heavily with Distress Ink and Stain in Vintage Photo. I attached all my papers to the box with Modge Podge.

The rooster image is a Crafty Individuals stamp called "Fresh Eggs & Chickens"...I love their collage stamps and SCACD carries some of their line too (I think I want the ship next..yuppers). The "Recipes" was done with two PTI stamps and then distressed. The lil paper clips are from Tim Holtz too. I added a bit of color to the chickens with TouchTwins to just make them pop more. The decorative nails holding the recipe down are actually brads...I cut off the backs with my Tonic scissors, press them flat and then add them so they look like nails. The scroll underneath Recipes is a Memory Box die "Val Flourish", the clock die at top is an SCACD die "Classic Timepiece"...both were cut out of the same patterned paper used on sides of box. The postcard is actually from the Graphic 45 paper pad, I just cut it out and distressed it a bit.

The legs from Tim Holtz Idea-ology just add an extra oomph to it I think! They are kind of burnished silver but I used acrylic paint in black & brown to distress them...let it dry and then added an acrylic sealer so it doesn't chip off.

After the modge podge dried on the box I went back in with a sanding block and roughed up all the edges and paper...then went over it with Distress Stain in Vintage Photo.

The clasp on the cigar box was brass and I didn't like it LOL. So I added the same acrylic paint mix to the clasp. The lock is from Tim Holtz added with some wire and I added some paint to that as well...when dry it was sprayed with acrylic sealer.

I didn't alter the inside...I like the wood stamp that is in the cigar boxes and wanted to keep the wood untouched.

So there ya go...my altered cigar box...sitting in my kitchen so I can see it all the time! Will I use it for recipes? Probably not LOL!

Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead!

2013-05-07T01:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday to you! Doesn't that title make you wanna sing the song from the Wizard of Oz? Whenever hubby & I are out and we see a person being persnickety or nasty I start singing it...loudly...to be annoying and hopefully make them recognize that they are being ugly. Does it work? I don't know but it always gives me a giggle :) No sense in so much nastiness in this world I tell ya...I just don't understand it. I cannot leave the house without someone cutting me off on the roads, someone yelling or *itching at a counter or restaurant, or someone trying to run me over as I cross the parking lot because they are in a hurry. SLOW DOWN PEOPLE...I mean really I live my life in a mad rush...I'm always looking at the clock...I live by the clock most days. BUT I try to keep my temper in check, remember that people are usually doing the best they can and of course take care to watch for human life. Seriously I do...but if you throw your nastiness this way in an offensive way...well it ain't gonna be pretty...I will warn you. I do not take nasty people or attitude lightly...ask my family...ask my friends...I will be in your face going right back at you BUT I'd much rather be smiling and laughing with you. So take your nasty-ass attitude back home, do some breathing exercises (or have a drink for heavens sake), evaluate your life and get it together. We all are struggling with different things, we are NOT the only ones with issues, sadness, problems, stress so why make it worse. We have a chance to be NICE every moment of our life, to share a smile, to make someone laugh, to give a hug or a moment of relief....isn't that so much nicer than the alternative? Doesn't it make you feel so much better when you are smiling and sharing a smile? I know it is for me and I try to approach every moment that way...it doesn't really take that much energy and the prize you get back is HAPPINESS...and that my friends makes it ALL worth it!! I'll get off my soapbox now...hee...but I really wish more people would think before they speak, pause before they act and consider their actions and thoughts. One life people...we get one...remember that!

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Oz is Fabulous...Yes Indeed!!

Today we present "The Wizard of Oz" quartet here at ScrapBitz hee hee! I love the Wizard of Oz...I grew up watching it every year on our black & white tv (yeah I'm old..what's it to ya) and I still love watching it. My kids don't like it...must be the flying monkeys or something LOL but they refuse to watch it with me. I liked the new Oz movie too and I've read ALL the books AND I've seen Wicked...yeah a wee obsessed I may be :) These Wizard of Oz stamps are digis from Karber Digital Images and come in a set for $10...and Toto (I didn't get him) is on sale for $1!! You know I have 2 cairn terriers...mine are blondies but I grew up with a gray one named Huckleberry...Toto was a cairn terrier. Yes indeed, I love my cairns...most loyal and smart dogs EVER (and hypoallergenic hee hee). So I decided to make four cards all using scraps I had on my table...a nice set for a gift!

I'm entering these cuties into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Forever Friends (anything goes)

Lexi's Creations (birthdays)

Love To Scrap (anything goes)

Challenges 4 Everybody (anything goes)

Here's the cutie Tin Man and Cowardly Lion...so cute right? All colored with Copics, paper scraps, MS border punch, pearls and SBs dies. Also distressed all my papers and used some white PTI ribbon. Diamond Glaze on that tin man in a few places for added shine!

And here is Dorothy with Toto and Scarecrow! I love

how they all turned out and if you add some envies and tie them up with a ribbon or place in a clear box from PTI...what a gift right? Fun too for a Wizard of Oz lover like meself :)

I Swear!!

2013-05-05T21:22:00.004-04:00

Hi y'all! I promise to have some projects up this week I swear. Been busy celebrating my birthday and working outside in the yard this weekend AND enjoying family time! So I'm still here and alive and kicking and screaming LOL!!

Enjoying a fire tonight outside after a long day of yard work---best payoff ever!

If you need some reads I posted on my other blog Bitz of Me HERE!

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ALL THE BIRTHDAY BASH WINNERS FROM CMC ARE UP

GO HERE TO SEE!

And my DT gals and friends did a birthday blog hop for me....and roast/toast...because they are the BESTEST Design Team in the whole world. I have the nicest group of girls on my team, and I literaly love them to bitz. If you do the hop....I NEVER SAID I WANTED TO BE A MERMAID LMAO....really I didn't! I had mentioned to Ms. Tina that I wanted the new Sally Hansen nail polish that looks mermaid-like. I may be a bit crazy but I don't wanna be a mermaid I assure you....pffffffllllllt. Now as you hop you WILL see a few pics of some of my fave peeps too...ahhh that's nice. But the gals did some fabulous projects...they are beautifully done each & every one of them. AND YES along the way you may hear some "stories" about me...I shall not deny or confirm anything....heeheehee!!

Enjoy!!

Birthday Blog Hop Gals:

Tina Gilliland (the instigator)

Linda Payne

Seein' It Thru!

2013-04-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday friends! How are you all doing this week? I'm hoping for a sunny day today...its been rainy for 2 days now and yes we needed it but I'm over it KWIM LOL! I am nursing a few injuries so I'm gonna try and keep my chatter down a bit...gasp...yes I will try LOL! We had a crazy weekend that is for sure so I will narrow it down for you picture by picture below...then my project is down below for you all as well! It was a bit of a sports themed four days you could say...we had a blast but I'm still in recovery mode :)

Alexa on her 17th birthday in her new bday outfit!

we traveled to Baltimore for the Raven's NFL Draft Party & to crack some

yummy MD blue crabs...mmmm my fave

Alexa met her football idol Torrey Smith of the Ravens

he was huggin her, singin and talkin'...she's still on Cloud 9

Friday night her BFFs came over & we all went out for Japanese to celebrate!

I also took Riley to our mall Friday night to meet the Washington Capitals..this is him with

the goalie Holtby whom Riley has his jersey...and was lucky enough to have him sign it too.

We went to FedEx for a Redskins Draft party on Saturday...that's one of my fave Redskins Niles Paul, he fell on me at an earlier party I went to and stepped on my bare toe & knocked me down. He sprained my widdle toe LOL...but he was so nice & tweeted me later to see how I was :)

Riley in the Redskins locker room standing in front of who's locker....RGIII's locker yeahhhh baby!

Then we wrapped things up with a Nationals game on Sunday...that's me and my Mini-me...literally hee hee!

Next up Thursday night we can all be found in DC at the Washington Capitals play-offs game against the NY Rangers :) Phew......

***You have until May 3rd (Friday) to enter the Birthday Bash Challenges at CMC! Everyone can enter and if you enter in all of them you will be eligible to win the Grand Prize...so plenty of time left to play! CLICK HERE to join in the fun!

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Seein' It Through

This is my project for the current Magnolia-licious Tuesday Challenge...the theme is to use Vellum in a fun way. Don't let vellum scare you...its easy to use and in many ways. I decided to use my Silhouette Cameo to cut an intricate box for my cute "Princess Pea Tilda" to sit on...she's from the newest Once Upon a Time Collection at Magnolia-licious. So the top of my box is vellum and it cut beautifully on my Cameo. You can stamp on vellum, you can emboss it, die-cut it and more...so much fun to use and such a soft look! So make sure to enter your projects HERE for a chance to win!

I also die cut my flowers and label from the vellum and added some Stickles to the vellum flowers. I get my vellum from Paper Temptress...she has it in so many beautiful colors although I like the white the best! The scroll like die cut is from a Memory Box die "Blooming Vine". I added some layered Prima roses and vellum flowers around my sentiment...sentiment is from PTI. Tilda was colored with Copics: R22,R20,R11 / Colorless Blender / E35,E31,E50 / E11,E00 / C3,C1,C00.

The bottom of my box was cut from pink shimmery cs from Paper Temptress...cut easily on the Cameo and adds a bit of shine to the project. Then I added some Magnolia paper around the lid and punched a border with a MS border punch from my vellum to wrap around the lid as well. So this box can fit lots of fun little treasures or gift cards inside...perfect for your girly girl!

Birthday Bash Fun!!

2013-04-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday to you everyone! Today I'm celebrating the CMC Classroom's 3rd Birthday...whoot...I can't believe its been 3 years since I started that classroom! I've hopefully been able to teach a lot of you how to master those Copics or other alcohol markers and maybe you've made some new friends at the site, joined the bookclub, took some other classes and dropped in for a live chat or two. Lots of fun things over there and I'm so happy with the way its grown over the years! And its been so much fun to get to know so many of you as well....thank goodness for the internet I always say....great way to network and meet other friends that share your hobby love! So I hope you will find time to drop in and join in on a fun challenge or game or two...lots of fabulous prizes from our sponsors for each challenge...MANY ways to win! AND...everyone is welcome whether you've taken a class or not...so tell your friends too!

**Yesterday was my daughter's 17th Birthday....can't believe it myself...but I did a birthday post to her on my other blog HERE if you'd like to see it! :) My babies are growing...ay yi yi! **

<CLICK HERE TO GO TO BIRTHDAY GROUP TO SEE CHALLENGES>

Today the CMC DT is kicking things off with a fun Blog Hop featuring those cute Saturated Canary images and all projects are a bit....well....CELEBRATORY!! LOL!

So if you hop along to each of the DT Blogs AND leave a comment you will be entered to win ONE of (2) $20 Gift Certificates to any online crafty store of your choosing!

And if you join in on at least ONE challenge each of the 4 days (4 total) you will be entered to win a $75 Gift Certificate to your crafty online store of choice!! Whoot!

How easy is that....so hope you will celebrate and hop along with us!

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Birthday Bash Fun!!

I'm the START OF THE BLOG HOP TODAY....see hop list at end of post ok...remember if you leave comments you will be entered for prizes..whoot! Sooooo I chose to use this super cute Saturated Canary image called "Jules"...I love that she's holding a kitty since we have 6 of them. This was Alexa's 17th Birthday card yesterday as well and yeah her cat Tinkerbell is black/white but shhhhh we will just pretend ok LOL. So the colors match my blog, my studio and Alexa's bedroom...they are our fave colors!! The papers are from Carta Bella's "So Noted" paper pad and then were distressed with my Zutter Distress machine. I also inked them a bit with my Memento dew drop in tuxedo black. The flower scrollies are a NEW Memory Box die "Geneva Vine" and the other scroll on the right side of the image and is called "Val Flourish". Then I layered some flowers and added a few pearls to finish it all off.

She got colored with Copics: BG49,BG45,BG11,BG10 / C9,C5,C3,C1,C0 / E11,E00,R11 / E35,YR23,E50,E31. Then I added some Stickles around the image and to parts of her underskirt. I lightly stamped a text stamp from PTI around the image for some extra flavor ;) Diamond Glaze on her shoes and eyes.

That's it for me today...your next stop on the BLOG HOP is my pal

Tina's Blog!

Entire DT Blog Hop Order Below as well:

Suzanne Dean (that's me..thx)
Tina Gilliland
Marie Gamber
Karen Gauthier
Melanie LaBelle
Jenn Cochran
Shelby Goolsby
Linda Payne
Dana Joy
Pat St. Martin
Julie Price
Marti Wills
Kim DeRuosi
Shannon Kromeke
Andi Murdock (guest DT)
Michele Spera
Brook Guinn

Need A Friend!?

2013-04-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday to you all! How are you all doing? Can you remind me of my name again? I think I may have forgotten LOL....that's caused from too much stress and too much to do this week oy! And it doesn't get any better goin' into the weekend either. Alexa's birthday is tomorrow (the big 17) and we are headed to Baltimore to celebrate. Then Friday she's having a sleepover AND I have to have Riley at mall by 7 pm to meet the Washington Capitals hockey players. Then Saturday we head to FedEx field for the Redskins Spring-Draft Event and then he's having friends over Saturday night. And Sunday we will finish it up with a Nationals baseball game in DC LOL. For those that say they would love to hang out with me...well you change your mind yet?? hee hee

Soooooo no down time for this girl....hubby asked wanted I wanted for my birthday next week and I said PEACE & QUIET LOL. Well and the Tiffany silver earrings I really want...hee hee...every girl should get a Tiffany blue box once in their lifetime right? I figure my 39th is a good time for one since its my last birthday.....I shall stay 39 for the next 6 years AT LEAST ;) So there ya go....so if you email and it takes me awhile to email you back OR I email you blibbery-bloo that makes NO sense...well I warned ya ahahahahaha!

DON'T FORGET!!

Starting Friday we will kick off the 4 days of festivities and specials on classes and more!

Come join the Birthday Group HERE to keep up with the festivities....schedule of events will be up tomorrow night so you can prepare ;)

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Need A Friend?

Today is Wee Wednesday at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog and I got a cutie to share with you all! I have to say that this Wee Stamp "Goldie" by Whimsey Stamps/Sylvia Zet is my FAVE of them all....I love mermaids and her and her lil' friend are so CUTE I CAN'T STAND IT!! I created a fun Circle Easel card for this one (see an easy tutorial for it here)...I wanted to mix it up a bit (that's code for I was bored with the square cards LOL). And I pulled some oldie but goodie papers by Basic Grey out...its Ambrosia...one of my faves from years ago. This pic shows pretty well the shimmer mist by Maya Roads on the white doily accent...its copper colored and makes a nice shimmery accent me thinks :) You can see the other DT gals Wee Wednesday projects at the Challenge Blog HERE and join in on our current Tuesday Challenge too.

**Come see the 49 NEW Memory Box Dies that Magnolia-licious got in...they are on SALE thru Thursday so come load up...I love them all...sighhhhh LOL **

AND

NEW DEAL OF THE DAY....every day Magnolia-licious will have a DEAL on the HOME Page of the store...for 24 hours you will get a certain product or stamp for a HUGE discount...so make sure to check those out!

This card has a TON of layers...I ain't gonna lie LOL...I loaded it up. The large circles I cut out on my Silhouette Cameo then started using my SB nesties for the smaller circles & scalloped circles. The white doily was done on my Cameo as well. The gray swirls are a new Memory Box die "Val Flourish" and then I also accented with some tulle. The flowers are by Prima that I layered and mixed up a bit. The orange cs I inked with white Palette Ink to soften the brightness a bit. The glass accents are Bella Baubles.

Entering this into the following fab challenges:

Make It Monday

Forever Friends (flowers)

Melonheadz Friends (fancy folds)

Ooh La La Creations Challenges (easel cards)

Paper Playtime (more than 1 fold)

Pause.Dream.EnjoyChallenges (friendship)

Whoopsi Daisy Challenge (circles)

Goldie was colored with Copics: YR18,YR16,YR01,Y15,YR20 / E11,E00,R11/ C9,C7,C5,C3,C1 / BG01,B000. I added Diamond Glaze to the bubbles and then sprinkled in Glamour Dust to give it a suspended sparkle!

The sentiment is from Verve Stamps and it says "The only way to have a friend, is to be one"...I love that and its so true. I love my BFFs and friends so much for always being there for me, listen to me whine on occasion, yell on occasion, laughs and giggles and so much more...my friends mean a lot to me and I hope they all know I'm here for them too!!

Ok, I'm off and running today....lots to get done and do before tomorrow...my baby girl is gonna be 17 sniff sniff! Have a goody!

Red, White, Blue & Cute!

2013-04-22T20:28:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends! Hope your week has started off well so far! I got my Invisalign braces today and I must say my mouth is SORE and my jaw is throbbing...makes me not wanna eat...guess that's a good thing huh? LOL! I had braces in high school but when my kids were very small my dentist took out my permanent retainer I'd had in since the braces had gone away. Well in 15+ years time my teeth have mostly moved back to where they once were...the top isn't so bad but the bottom...oy vey. So 9 months of these babies...new ones every 2 weeks and best part is you can't really tell I have them in. So I figure I carried 2 babies for 9 months right...I darn well can do this for 9 months LOL! After I'm done I will wear a permanent retainer at night for the rest of my life....so I NEVER have to do this again ugh!

In other news its a busy week...when isn't it right LOL? Alexa's birthday is on Thursday and we are headed up to Baltimore's Jimmy's Seafood Restaurant for the Raven's Draft Party...we get in early, meet the players and eat some yummy crabs. Did I mention the part where I embarrass the CRUD out of Alexa while we are there...oh yeah baby. Her fave player is Torrey Smith and he will be there...so I'm gonna ask him to sing Alexa "Happy Birthday"...shhhhhh don't tell hee hee! I will be videotaping that :) I still can't believe she will be 17....where does the time go huh?

**And starting on Friday the CMC Classroom kicks off its 3rd Birthday Bash festivities as well. So all can join in on the fun....lots of fun challenges, games, a blog hop and awesome prizes!! I will have more details on Friday for ya!

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Red, White, Blue & Cute!!

Today I'm using another cute NEW Elisabeth Bell for SCACD from the "Fairydust Collection" and this one is called "Little Acorns, Big Dreams'. Isn't she a lil-wittle-cutie? My papers are a mix of PaperMania's blue pack and Bazzill Basics in red which is 15% off now (this Doodlebug Stars & Stripes paper would be a great alternative too). I got new dies...I got new dies...lemme do the happy dance now ok hee hee AND I used them. I used two of them anywho and both are Memory Box dies "Prized Chrysanthemum Outline" and "Lavish Branch"... I added some Stickles to the branch's flowers as well as inking them. The sentiment die and sentiment are both from PTI. Then I used some fab PTI ribbon to tie it all off.

I'm entering her into the following fab challenges:

Challenges 4 Everybody (anything goes)

Dream Valley Challenges (things w/ wings)

Penny Black & More Challenge (bows & flowers)

Card Makin' Mamas (ribbon)

QKR Stampede (punches/dies)

She's colored with Copics: B39, B34,B21 / R29,R24,R22,R20 & W5 / E11,E00 / E50,E25,E31. Stickles on her wings and trim and leaves. I paper pieced her apron with matching paper I used on the card and then shaded it a bit with W3. Diamond Glaze on the bucket for shine.

That's it for me today...see ya on Wednesday!

Just Swingin' By!

2013-04-21T01:30:00.000-04:00

Hello again friends & Happy Sunday! Yes I'm reposting this since it kinda got buried on Friday...usually I don't have 2 posts on one day but it couldn't be avoided. So here it is again for ya if you missed it! I love this project because to me it says "innocence and summer fun" and after the events of the last week in the US I think we all need a little innocence & light-heartedness in our lives yes? Thank god they captured the one bomber and will be able (hopefully) to find out WHY he did such horrible things and maybe for everyone to find some kind of closure at some point. I have said in the past "boy I hope that's the last we see of things like that" but in my heart I know that it may happen again...but I refuse to let that fear rule our lives...you still gotta live and do it the best you can while you get the chance. So live we all will do and let's hope the next incident never occurs.

So peace and love to you all, wherever in the world you may be. Hug your loved ones & tell them you love them and most of all just be happy...find joy in whatever you can. And live your lives the best way you know how :0)

If you need MORE to read I have 2 new posts on my other blog "Bitz of Me" hee hee...just sayin'!
Have a goodie!

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Just Swingin'

So today is my last post as a guest designer for Little Darlings this month and I've had fun using these cuties and so happy they asked me! This has been a rough week for us in the US and all I've been thinking about is making projects that make you happy & just smile...so that was the case with this one too. This cutie is from the Little Darlings Collection "Just Swingin" and I knew I wanted to make a tent card (see tutorial here...I changed size to 5.5") to give this gal dimension as if she really WAS swingin' on that tire swing. Tent cards are super easy to make and give such a realistic look & dimension..if you wanna change it up a bit! I used Scor-Tape to hold all of it together!

See all the Little Darling Challenges and posts HERE!

So I prettied it up with papers from Prima called "Alla Prima Collection" and then used a MS border punch on the top, the swirls are a die by Memory Box. Then I layered a mix of flowers, the grass on the outside and on the inside is from a MFT die..then I inked and added stickles to the grass. The banner was made with a PTI die and then stamped with a PTI sentiment that says "You Make Life Fun!".

The image was colored with TouchTwin Markers and then I added Stickles to her shirt. I added a thick coat of Diamond Glaze to the tire swing and hung the image from the inside of the card.

That's it for me today! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

Fairy Dust Magic!!

2013-04-19T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy TGFRIDAY....and phewwww what a long week...I am so glad to see it come to an end I must say. Its been crazy busy for me and the world...sigh...the US is suffering right now that's for sure this week. Thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected or hurt in Boston and in Texas...and let's not forget the horrible flooding & sinkholes that are occurring in the Chicago area too. So sad and heartbreaking...so many lives changed forever...I pray for peace for them. And then our area high school had a bomb threat yesterday...just not good...and if you follow me on FB you know why I'm just a tad outraged. I won't go into it here but let's just say the school and school board are hearing from this gal today...and they ain't gonna like what I gotta say...and I say too darn bad!

So I'm looking forward to a hopefully "non-eventful" weekend of finishing the garden and getting some chores done. We have mulch on order and have picked out 2 trees to be planted so lots to do still this spring. And at some point I gotta get my bum to the mall to get some prezzies for my daughter's 17th birthday on Thursday....egads...I'm BEHIND! And then my birthday is a week later...let's just say I will be 39 this year (for realzers)...and next year, and the next & the next ;) Got it? I already sent hubby my wish for my birthday...we shall see if he agrees LOL! So I hope you all are blessed this weekend with peace and fun and laughter and rest!!

***NOTE: My Little Darlings Guest Post is below this post today if you want to take a peek at my fun project there. I will be re-posting it on Sunday as well! Thanks!**

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SCACD Release Today!

Today SCACD is introducing the Fairy Dust Collection!!! These are 6 sweet and sassy Fairys that just make you smile and brighten the day :D Elisabeth Bell sprinkled just the right amount of cute, charm and gorgeous on to these special little fairys. These are stamps for right now but also classics to use years from now :D

So today is release day at SCACD and we are introducing these beautifully cute stamps by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "The Fairy Dust Collection". They are soooo cute you will want all 6 trust me! I'm using "Me & My Shadow" and isn't she sweet with her lil' snail friend? So the DT is having a fun Blog Hop today to showcase them all...make sure to hop around to see them! If you didn't come here from Sandie Dunne's blog then hop to the beginning at Kathi's blog here. I'm the last stop on the hop today!!!

I used papers by Carta Bella "So Noted"...I kept the scheme to white and aquas for a soft look. The background white cs was embossed with a fabulous folder by Couture Creations (these are bigger folders and them emboss deeply...love 'em)...I love the look of white cs embossed, so elegant. The branch elements at each corner and then under the flowers are a new SCACD Die "Breezy Branches Statement Die"...I LOVE to cut my die cuts apart and use them in different ways, makes them more versatile! The sentiment is from PTI, flowers a mix and pearls to finish it off.

I'm entering her into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Moving Along with the Times (fantasy/fairies)

Paper Crafting Journey (use sentiment)

Shelly's Images Challenge (flowers)

Addicted To Stamps & More (anything goes)

Creative Belli Challenge (pastels)

Flutterby Wednesdays (wings/fairies)

Isn't she a doll? She's colored with TouchTwin Markers and then I gave that mushroom cap a nice thick coat of Diamond Glaze along with the snail. Why do I pick Judikins Diamond Glaze out of all the glazes out there? Well to me its nice & thick and wherever I put it...IT STAYS...it doesn't leak around and is easy to control...love it! Then I added some Stickles to her wings and the snail...they needed sparkle KWIM!! LOL!

**These can be bought at Quixotic Paperie for overseas customers as well! **

That's it for me today...I'm the last on the Hop...have a great weekend!

Buggy Friends!

2013-04-17T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends & Happy Wednesday to ya!! We are half way thru the week whoo hoo and today is my day of rest...now don't get all excited ok LOL. I mean today is my no-workout day...I workout two days in a row and then take a day of rest. So Thurs and Friday I will be back at it and let me tell you Jillian Michaels is KICKING MY BUTT! No one gets me in shape or toned up faster than her videos I tell ya but man oh man getting back into it is hard. I've been doing her Shred in 30 videos and the kickboxing vids...I already feel a difference and see my arms starting to sculpt out again. I was in such good shape at the beginning of last year and I let it all goooooo...ugh...stupid I was. I was traveling so much that I was just plain old tired when I was home KWIM but NO MORE. My body feels soooo much better when its strong and lifting weights is good for me...keeps the aches away and gives me more energy. But I HATE working out...you will NEVER hear me say "oh I love working out, it feels so good"....ummm yeah NO those words will never come outta this gal's mouth!! I despise working out...seriously I hate it BUT I will be 39 next month and I ain't getting younger and that means I gotta be good to my body that God gave me. So I'm yelling & cussin' at Jillian the whole entire time...if she could hear me LOL...but I do what I gotta do to get thru it hee hee! Then after I cool down, drink a gallon of water and go about my business...I DO feel better, and stronger and just plain GOOD. So for that its all worth it...I guess...check in with me tomorrow after I do another kickboxing routine...I might say somethin' else ;)

Make sure to mark your calendars for the fun at CMC!!

Everyone is welcome to join in all the fun starting April 26th!!

Join the Birthday Bash Group HERE

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Buggy Friends!

Today is Wee Wednesday over at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog...so that means a few of the DT gals have created some fabulous & fun projects using those super cute Wee Stamps. And YES Magnolia-licious now carries the Wee Stamps by Syliva Zet for Whimsey Stamps...so go check them all out HERE! I love, love this image called "Sympathy Bugs"...we all have a friend or relative that has helped us overcome an issue, sadness or just a bummer of a day. So I kept the colors bright and cheery to create a thank you card for someone that has brightened my day!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Bearly Mine Challenges (spring flowers)

Cuttin' & Stampin' Challenges (thank yous)

Loves Rubber Stamps (colors of spring)

The papers are by Creative Imaginations "Loolah"...I loved the bright coral-pinks and greens...springy and happy! The papers got some distressing with my Zutter Distress machine of course...there isn't a day I don't use that machine! Then I got busy with some dies...I love me my dies as much as I love my Cameo LOL. The green vine-leafs are a Marianne Designs die as are the leaves (all got inked with dk green ink) and the pink scroll pendants are from Memory Box "Quinn Flourish". The flowers are from Bunny-Zoe's Store and I love those white tulips...added a few wire twirls to the mix as well. The sentiment is from PTI.

These cutie pies got colored with Touch Twin markers! Then I added some DoodleBug flock to the white puffs/blooms...Stickles to the wings and Diamond Glaze to the bottoms of their feetsies!

See you back here on Friday!! Have a goodie!

SeaShells Can Bring Happiness!

2013-04-16T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends & Happy Tuesday to you! I have an extremely hectic week of work and appointments so I'm tight on time and free-moments LOL! And I'm very upset and saddened by the incident at the Boston Marathon yesterday...its heartbreaking and sickening. I don't care what anyone says...you don't get used to it...its shocking and upsetting EVERY TIME! Seems the world is short on basic human kindness & decency these days...when violence is your answer to a problem, you need to check yourself and find another solution...period. Just doesn't make sense to me and this coming from a gal who scoops up bugs from inside and puts them outside...so the thought of physically hurting another human being is foreign to me. And the footage that they showed..made me physically sick..can't get it out of my head so I can only imagine how those that were there are faring. So my heart and prayers and love go out to everyone that was affected...may time bring both peace and healing to them all and may God bring some peace & understanding to us all.

NewsBitz:

-New release from SCACD this Friday whoot! Go check out all the new yummy 6x6 paper pads in stock...yummilicious (and calorie free)

-The CMC Birthday Event will start April 26th so make sure to pop over HERE and join the Birthday Group so you won't miss a thing! The prizes are AH-MAZING!!! Stay tuned!

-Stop by the CMC Challenge Group for the latest challenge featuring "REDS"...the DT did some beautiful work so take a look and join in the fun to win BIG!!

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Seashells Bring Happiness!

Today I'm sharing a card just to make myself happy...happy image, happy colors and happy theme. I think we all need an extra bright spot of happiness this week don't you? The paper is by Teresa Collins "He Said, She Said" (10% off here)...love her new line of papers and these colors just SCREAM SUMMER ya know! I used this super sweet Magnolia stamp "Tilda in Key Largo" (wish I was there) from Magnolia-licious...she's from the 2012 Summer Memories Collection.

**Make sure and check out the NEW Once Upon a Time Collection of stamps and dies and Minis...they are so adorable!**

So what did I do to this card LOL: I added some real seashells to the top right corner with Scor-Tape. I distressed all my papers with Zutter Distress machine and all the papers and paper elements with PTI 'fresh snow' ink to soften it a bit. The BEACHY sentiment and sea shells were done on my Silhouette Cameo. I added Stickles to the BEACHY for sparkle. The swirlies were done with a Memory Box die, the yellow is a die from Scrap Happy in Ohio called "Sweet Addie Doily" and I love it!.

I'm entering her into the following challenges:

Make It Monday

A Little Bit Crafty (anything goes)

Heck of a Challenge (just add water)

Card Mania (punches/dies)

Crafty Bloggers Network (anything goes)

Love to Scrap (dies/punches)

This image was colored with TouchTwins...that I love to use...amazingly easy to use and work with your other alcohol markers too! Stickles were added to the water, around background and the yellow stripes of her dress. Diamond Glaze on the shell!

** Check out the current Magnolia-licious Challenge HERE **

I wish you all a happy & peaceful week!

Plum Prettied!

2013-04-11T02:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday to you all! How's your week going? Hubby is away in NC and Georgia for business...ahem so he says LOL..since he's also attending the Masters Golf event in Augusta ;) But that's ok, me and the teens are hanging out and eating dinner on the patio every night and bein' chill. Last night I FINALLY took over the tv and watched the ACM Awards with Alexa!! YES I missed them cuz we were at the hockey game in DC so I wasn't able to see 'em. But me and Lex enjoyed em...and my yummy Luke Bryan. Hubby was glad he said cuz' I wasn't drooling where he could see ahahahaha ;) (typed as I wipe it off my keyboard)!!

I have some new posts up on my newest blog "Bitz of Me" if you need something else to read!!

Also the CMC 3rd Birthday Bash will be April 26th thru April 29th so go join the

Bash Group HERE and get ready for the fun!!

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Plum Prettied!!

This is my prettied plum card using a fabulous Sherri Baldy Bestie digi stamp called "Big Eye Big Head Dolls"...isn't she a doll (hahahaha get it?). I collect Raggedy Anne dolls...only vintage ones though ;) so I just fell in love with this image! I actually colored this cutie while I was down in Florida with my BFFs Pat Jaynes & Dana Shaw but finally got a chance to put her on a project!

The papers are from PaperManina "Lincoln Linen" and then some shimmery plum cardstock my pal Pat gave me that matched the plum colors perfectly. Lots of dies on this one: the dark cream mat is a Spellbinders die, the photo corner is "Filigree Corner" die from La La Land Crafts, the swirls by the flowers and the cream swirls are both Memory Box dies (Elegant Scrollwork and Quinn Flourish) . I like to layer and cut 'em up and use as much as I can without going overboard LOL! Flowers are Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts..the plum flower is punched with a Nellie Snellen punch. Papers were distressed with my fave Zutter Distress machine (if you get one here's some tips (1) face your paper away from you when you run thru to get it distressed on the right side (2) running paper thru it to the right gives you a light distress look, run it towards the left and get a heavy distress!)

She got colored with Copics: RV69, RV95, RV93, RV91 / E44,E43,E42,E41,E40 / E11,E00,R20 / C9,C5,C3. I didn't go as dark as I usually do with her black hair...I wanted to keep my colors lighter on this card so I kept the blacks a bit softer too. Then I added some Stickles to her dress, headband and bows for pretty sparkle. Diamond Glaze on her eyes and shoes for shine!

That's it for me today...enjoy the rest of your day!!

Sea You Later!!

2013-04-09T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope you had a lovely weekend! I must say I'm SUPER EXCITED this week because its in the mid-70's and 80's all week...WAHOOOO about darn time I say! So I tried to get a bunch of work & cleaning done yesterday so I can sit out in the sun a bit and work in the garden...this gal needs some SUN-time! Hubby leaves on Wed for work travel and then he's in Augusta, GA for the Masters (that's golf...hohum boring to me lol) so he can hobknob with Tiger Woods I guess LOL! Funny thing is, it will be warmer here than in GA while he's there...heehee. We also got to eat outside on the patio last night for the first time in 2013...I love, love eating outside and we try to do it as much as possible when the weather is nice. Plan on eating out there tonight too!

We had a crazy Sunday...we were at the Orioles game in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon and it was beautiful weather and fun even if we lost (boohoo). Then we stopped by a local crab-place in Baltimore to pick up CrabFest-NFL Draft tix for the 25th...its Alexa's 17th birthday on the 25th and she wanted to spend it at Jimmy's Seafood watching the NFL Draft. Why you ask??? Well she's obsessed with sports like the rest of us AND some of the Ravens football players are hosting the event AND we get to eat crabs and that's what she wanted....'nuff said? LOL! Then we hauled arse down to DC to catch the Washington Capitals hockey game Sunday evening...we have front row seats along the glass so good seats AND I get to yell loudly. I'm a loud fan...I'm a passionate fan...and I don't give 2 poo-poos who is there, if I gotta yell I gotta yell LOL. I yelled at the refs that night for a HORRIBLE call and got us on TV...not once but a few times AND a highfive from one of the players thru the glass hee hee. Hubby just sits to the side and claps cuz' he says I handle all the trash-talkin' and yelling for him ;) So we didn't get home until 12:30 am so I must say I'm still a bit drowsy from all that craziness. Never a dull moment here I tell ya.....

Pics from the weekend:

Starting April 26th thru April 29th the CMC Classroom

will be celebrating it's 3rd Birthday!

So all are welcome to come on over and join us in the fun festivities! We will have lots of fun games & challenges along with some AMAZING prizes that you can win!!

Go HERE and join our Birthday Group to stay in the "know" :)

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Sea You Later!

This is my project for today's

Magnolia-licious Tuesday Challenge at the Challenge Blog.

Its all about "Buttons, Bows & Beads...or All Three"! I used 2 outta 3...I did a bow of sorts (mine is a frayed one) and beads (aka pearls) on mine! I used "Dangling Sea Tilda" from the 2010 Bon Voyage Collection (seen here)...I had never used this cutie before but I had used the one with Edwin. The Bon Voyage Collection remains one of my all time favorite from Magnolia. You can hop over to the Challenge Blog Here and see the DT gals fabulous projects and join in on the fun too!

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

Make It Monday (anything goes)

Card Mania Challenges (punches & dies)

Crafty Bloggers Network (anything goes)

Lexi's Creations (punches/dies)

MarkerPOP Challenge (anything goes)

Mema's Crafts Monday Challenge (anything goes)

Stamps + Fun= Creativity (girly)

I kept the style a bit shabby-chic and antiquated...love that look! The papers are by Prima called "Printerly"...loved the mix of aqua, cream and blacks in this pack of pretty papers. The tag with the frayed bow in the back is from 7 Gypsies that I inked a bit. All the papers got inked with Distress Ink in Old Paper. The fun clock cut-out is an SCACD die called "Classic Timepiece" and the sentiment is by Magnolia as well. The ribbon is some tea-stained ribbon I got a bit ago on Etsy...love the crumpled, vintage look of it. The black photo-corners were done with a Spellbinders oval tag die I had...I diecut it out of black cs and then cut it in half and glued it to my paper. Then I added my "beads" ala champagne colored pearls to the inside....I love to use my dies in many different ways like this. The aqua mat behind the main image was die cut and then embossed with a ledger-embossing folder and inked.

"Dangling Sea Tilda" was colored with Copics: BG75,BG72,BG11,BG10 / E11,E00,R20 / W9,W7,W5,W3,W1 / E43,E42,E40 / E47,E31,E50. I added some Stickles to her shirt and shoes and then Diamond Glaze to the anchor and hat band for shine. I also inked her a bit around the edges with the DI Old Paper too!

That's all for me today...hope you liked this cutie pop and please stop by the Challenge Blog to see the DT's work and to join in on the challenge!!

Wedding Bells Anyone!?

2013-04-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy TGIFriday...short week for me but I have managed to get everything done that I needed wahoo. Today I'm cleaning the basement real good and baseboards...Riley has friends coming over and Alexa is off to a friends house for a sleepover. Saturday is chore day...lots of things I want to get done to the dismay of my hubby...but the chore list calls and I won't feel good unless a few things get marked off. And I gotta get some furniture up on Craigs List to get rid of it...we got new family room furniture and I gotta make room for it LOL. I'm also working on front porch/door redo so lots to do for that too...hope to have it all done by end of month. My hubby is procrastinator-EXTRAORDINAIRE so I gotta be on him all the time...seriously he will start a project and be content to not finish it for months. It drives me NUTTY...if I start it I want it finished ASAP so I can start the next one. I like the sense of completion and fulfillment...obvs he does NOT share my love of those things LOL. So I'm like a bull...charging ahead...dragging him along with me usually unwillingly hee hee but that's just how it goes in my house ;)

Then on Sunday we will be at an Orioles game in Baltimore during the day and finish up the evening in DC at a Wash Caps hockey game...yeah a full day of sports. Might sound terrible to most of y'all but sounds like a GREAT day to me! ONLY thing is I miss the ACM's that night hosted by my Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton..but I'll be taping it so no worries. But no play-by-play commentary from me on Facebook during the show like I usually do...I know I know...y'all are sad...boo hoo...hahahahaha! So make sure to tune in cuz I'll be watching LATE when I get home on Sunday no doubt!

NewsBitz:

*If you missed our vacation pics & wanna see...they are at my other blog "Bitz of Me" (scroll down to see the slideshow).

*The CMC Classroom will be celebrating its 3rd Birthday Bash at the end of this month (26th - 29th) so get prepared for lots of fun games and challenges and of course some yummy prizes!! All are welcome to join in the fun!! Join the thread HERE so you're ready when we kick it off!

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Wedding Bells!

Today I'm sharing a wedding card I made using a beautiful Saturated Canary stamp from Little Darlings Stamps. I'm the lucky guest designer this month for the Little Darlings Challenge and the shop is owned by my lovely and talented friend Angie Hunt. The challenge is Anything Goes so hop on over and check it out and join in! This beautiful stamp is called "Rebecca" and is only available in rubber stamp form. I think she works fabulous for a wedding card don't you? I kept the colors soft and shabby chic-like...feminine and romantic.

Crafty Ribbons (anything goes)

4 Crafty Chicks (charms)

Saturated Canary Challenges (pastels)

The Play Date Cafe (picture/neutrals)

Inklings & Yarn (anything goes)

Rhedd & Rosie's Challenge (shabby chic)

Stampin' Royalty (ribbons & pearls)

My papers are a mix from Docraft's Papermania "Lincoln Linen" and Pink Paislee's "London Market" were used. I inked and distressed them all with my Zutter Distress machine (luv that thing..it can make a racket but it works soooo good). I used a few dies on this...the doily mat behind the image is from Marianne Designs and the swirls at the corners is Memory Box "Quinn Flourish", corners are made with a die from La La Land. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the keys are from Tim Holtz and hatpins I made myself. The sentiment is from Verve Stamps and a few pretty pearls finish it off.

She got colored with Copics...the dress is the E44 thru E40 range and hair is E59,E44,E15,E31,E50. I also added a soft background with Copics E41,E50,W00 and then added some Stickles to the background and to her dress for sparkle. Diamond Glaze on her eyes and ribbon.

That's all for me....hope you will pop over to the Little Darlings Challenge and join in on the fun!

Have a great weekend!!

Saddle Up!

2013-04-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday friends? Did ya miss me? heehee....well I'm backkkkkk! I didn't post while I was gone because 1) internet on Hilton Head Island is almost non-existent most days/nights and 2) We were running around so much that I was exhausted LOL! Plus a few weeks off every year from blogging is good for my soul I have found ;) We had a great Spring Break although it was very busy and not as warm as I woulda liked..but we got to spend time together so that's what is most important. I have some pics below of the Luke Bryan, Florida-Georgia Line, and Thompson Square concert that me, Alexa & my mom went to in Charlottesville, VA. And I got a fun story for you..well it wasn't funny at the time I must say. I pre-ordered my tickets thru the Luke Bryan fan club months ago and got pit tix for the 3 of us. I had a printed receipt that said exactly what I ordered right...right yes LOL. So the box office opened at 3 pm on Saturday and we got there at 3 pm so that we could stand in line to run in and get good position around the stage...duh...I will stand for HOURS if need be to get good spots ;) Got the tix and looked in envelope...they were for floor tix not pit. Ummmm someone made a big oopsie...so I go back to the window and tell them I should have pit tix and show them my receipt. The lady calls the manager who comes and looks at my receipt...NEVER looks at me and says nope she has floor tix cuz that's just what she got. UMMMM WTH??? No, no, no...I got pit tix lady but she wouldn't do anything, good thing there was glass separating us cuz I woulda jumped on her no lie ugh and so rude..PAH. So I was PISSED...yes PISSED BIG TIME and yes I just typed that...you won't wanna know what words came out of my mouth at the time. Alexa is about ready to cry because she was so excited to be in the pit and I'm steaming. So I start emailing everyone I know about the tix that may be able to help. The fan club, credit card company, the venue, etc. Then I started tweeting...I'm big on Twitter, I love it...and I'm lucky to say a lot of the country stars follow me on Twitter....what does that mean? It means you can DIRECT MESSAGE them folks...yep like a text. So I start tweeting Florida Georgia Line cuz they follow me, Luke Bryan fan club and Luke Bryan's tour manager and everyone else I know in country music land LMAO. Now the tour guy just started following me a month ago...and I suddenly remember that he followed me and I'm like "let's see if he responds". So we sit outside with everyone that has pit tix...boo hoo...and wait..and wait. No one has responded by the time they open the doors so sadly we walk to our seats...which are only a few rows from the stage BUT STILL NOT WHAT I PAID FOR KWIM. But I told Alexa at least we were there and its all good, you just gotta make lemonade from lemons sometimes and put on a happy face! So about 10 mins later I get a tweet from the tour manager...OMG...he asked where we were sitting...so I immediately tweet him back with our row and seat #'s. No response...SIGH...pouty face...LOL! Then about 15 mins before the show begins a lady comes out and asks my mom if she's "Susan"..Alexa says "you mean Suzanne?" and she says "yes"...I'm like "that's me, that's me"....well she came out with 3 pit tix armbands for us...YEP sent by the tour manager to us. OMGEEEEEEE IS RIGHT PEOPLE!!! So my mom is a bit confused...she thought it was just one ticket for me and she was still sitting LOL and I'm like "MOM, get up...goooooo, move quick, gooooooo". I was so excited I almost kissed the gal...she hadn't known what happened so I explained it to her...then we RAN to the pit to get a good spot. Amazingly we were 2 people from the stage for the entire show....it was AMAZING...and Alexa got Luke Bryan's guitar pic so she was ecstatic. What a NIGHT I TELL YA!!! So the moral of the story is.....Tweeting regularly on Twitter can pay off when you need it to LOL. AND HEY BOX OFFICE MGR...YEAH YOU....GUESS WHAT...I WENT ABOVE YOU AND GOT MY TIX SO HA HA HA IN YOUR FACE...yes my childish self could not resist cuz she was just soooo darn rude ugh! So if you don't follow me on Twitter (Suzanne J Dean)....well you can...but I will warn you its a "personal" account so there isn't any crafting or stuff on it...its all about sports, life, random thoughts and music on my Twitter...not like my Facebook ok...so don't be surprised hee hee! Anywho I owe that tour mgr a lot and I tweeted him many thanks...I still can't believe it happened but SO HAPPY it did!

If you want to see some pics of our Spring Break...then hop over to my new blog "Bitz of Me'...I've posted them all there!!

Concert Pics:

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SADDLE UP

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy!!

(in honor of my Lukey Bryan, the title is a country song if you haven't heard it heehee)

So in honor of my country concert fun I present a Saddle Up & Rock It Country card using a fun Mini Magnolia "Cowgirl"...seemed appropriate eh? LOL! She's so cute and fun to color I couldn't resist! The newest collection of Magnolia stamps "Once Upon A Time" is coming (preorder now) and GUESS WHAT? There will be mini Magnolia stamps to match as well....yayyyyyy...so stay tuned! I used some fun papers by Farmhouse Paper Company called Fair Skies and roughed them up with my Zutter Distress machine and inked. The kraft cs mat behind the image got embossed with a wood grain folder then inked and flowers made with my Nellie Snellen punches. I added some fun swirls (Doohickey die by Magnolia), sheriff-like stars and pinwheels and buttons. The sentiment is a fun one from Paper Trey Ink's set "On the Farm"...its a fun one!

She's my Mini Monday card for this past Monday at the Magnolia-licious Challenge blog...no internet meant no posting so I apologize for being late with this. See the other DT gals cards HERE and don't forget to join in our Tuesday Spring Challenge HERE!

She got colored with Copics: B39,B34,B21/ C3,C1 / E25,E31,E50,YR20/ E11,E00,R20. Some Stickles on her boots and around on the Copic colored background for sparkle. I stamped some airmail/postage stamps around the image for a fun look.

See you back here tomorrow with another fun project!! Have a goodie!

A Spring Explosion!

2013-03-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! I apologize for the short post today but I'm on the road and currently typing this up at midnight, and I'm soooo exhausted LOL! I have been on the road since Friday...first to Charlottesville to see Luke Bryan (awesome, more on that in another post cuz I gots stories heehee)..then back to my mom's...then to Columbia, SC on Sunday & toured Univ of SC on Monday...then traveled almost 6 hours to Birmingham, AL where we will tour Auburn Univ tomorrow and leave on Wed for Hilton Head. Does that make you tired? Yeah I'm BEAT LOL! But so far a good time...course I think all our bums are numb and we are a tad travel weary. We are staying at the Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham (Alexa has declared its like Hogwarts so she's happy lol)..we have 2 rooms so I hope to get a bit of rest and then see some things around town after our tour tomorrow! Anywho stay tuned for more posts & stories!! **note it was chilly in SC and WINDY, then it snowed in Atlanta...so the weather is NOT very Spring like ugh**

Here's a few pics for ya:

my Luke Bryan...yeah we were in the pit...and we were really CLOSE ;)

James & Alexa on the U of SC tour yesterday!

my son passed out in car on drive to Alabama LOL!

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Spring Explosion!!

Today is the Magnolia-licious Tuesday Challenge over at the Challenge Blog! Its all about SPRING...spring colors, spring images, spring feel (cuz Spring sure is sloooow to come huh)! So you can join in on the fun with us using a Magnolia OR Wee Stamp...all the challenge details and DT projects are at the Challenge Blog HERE! I created the brightest, sunniest, happiest, cheeriest colored card I possibly could to chase the winter blues AWAY!!!

My card uses an older image from the 2012 Summer Memories Collection "Rose Garden Tilda" (she's 12% off too) at Magnolia-licious...whoot! I had never used her (gasp) but she's soooo DARN CUTE and perfect for Spring! I used a mix of papers from Trimcraft "Hideaway"...loved the bright colors! I used a Memory Box die for the white swirls, flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and border is from a MS border punch. The leaves are a mix of Marianne Designs dies & Spellbinders dies that I inked. The other green-foliage in the corners is actually an SCACD die "Ornate Hinge"...its a beautiful die that can be used in other ways. The sentiment is from PTI accented with some rhinestones.

She's colored with TouchTwin markers (colors to come, sorry I forgot my chart) but I'll update it soon. Some Stickles on the flowers and trim on her shirt. Perfect for a Spring's Day!

Have an awesome week everyone!!

Easter Blog Hop...Hippity Hop!!

2013-03-21T04:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday friends! Hope the week has been treating you well! I almost had a cardiac-arrest experience yesterday...I was running around doing 50 million things think that it was Thursday already and I wasn't going to have all my work done before I left. I literally was having heart palpitations from stress...then I went to put something in the calendar and I realized it was only Wednesday...bwahahahaha. You ever do that? Oh boy, what a relief it was to know I had one more day to get things in order. SO I did finish all my projects and posts and will finish laundry today and all the packing. I leave tomorrow with Alexa to pick up my Mom and head to Charlottesville for the weekend to see my Luke Bryan and Florida-Georgia Line....pit tix...so that means I'll be up close & PERSONAL with Lukey hee hee (I'm not scary am I hahahaha). Then on Sunday we leave for Columbia, SC and spend the night...tour University of South Carolina on Monday and meet with the Marine Biology dept. Then we leave that evening to travel to Birmingham, Alabama for two nights...on Tues we tour Auburn University (Alexa's first choice of college) and meet with the Zoology dept. Then on Wed we will travel back up to Hilton Head, SC for a few days of rest at the beach...one of our fave places in the world. Then we leave Easter Sunday for Charleston, SC for 2 days of fun...then home on Tues. You tired yet? Yeah me too...it will be crazy, chaotic but always fun and its all about family time for spring break. So I will have a few posts up between today and April 2nd but not many...I try to make sure that I get quality-uninterrupted time with my family while I'm away and not have to worry about work stuffs much...hence the mad rush to get work stuffs done before I leave Friday morning LOL!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and spend it doing something fun! And YES you know I will post my shenanigans and photos on Facebook if you follow me there!

I also have a new post up on my other blog "Bitz of Me"....for those that were asking for my BBQ ribs recipe...there you will find it!

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Magnolia-licious Easter Blog Hop

Today the entire Magnolia-licious DT has gotten together for a fun Easter/Spring Blog Hop! Each DT gal has created a project in the hippity...hoppity...Easter theme. We hope you get inspired to get crafty as well and find some new ideas to try! You can find the entire blog hop list at the Challenge Blog HERE! Or start at the beginning of the hop with Norma Lee's blog!

I created a fun Easter book that opens up to reveal a box inside...perfect for yummy treats or other fun presents from the Easter Bunny! The the book-box was cut on my Silhouette Cameo and the cut file is from the Silhouette Store...oh boy I can wander forever in the cut file store and put lots in my cart LOL. I love that I can buy just one cut file at a time instead of a cartridge of images I will never use...much more economical! My image is new from the 2013 Easter Collection at Magnolia-licious called "Tilda Hiding Easter Egg"...so cute huh in her bunny outfit! The "Once Upon A Time" is a cut file from Silhouette as well...I loved the font and curliques...I added some ink to it to distress a bit. Then a few flowers and swirls from a Memory Box die.

I inked the outside of my book where in a real book you would find the pages....I used a light brown Copic Spica pen to draw random lines lightly with a ruler so it looked like a real book. Then I filled my book with yummy Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs....Alexa's faves, shhhhh LOL! I forgot to take a picture of the inside without the candy..but I lined the inside of the box with matching papers as well. I left the left side of the inside cover blank because I will most likely write a message and attach it there for someone...shhh :) **Forgot to add the papers are by Authentique "Hope" (10% off now)**

"Tilda Hiding Easter Egg" was colored with Copics: E43,E42,E41,E40 / R20,E11,E00, E59,E31/ B99,B95,B91. Yes she has some grass on her feet...why you ask...well I was gonna create a scene for her and then decided she looked better cut out...so there ya go....she has some grass stains on her footsies ;) There are Stickles on the egg for some sparkle...oh by the way...that BIG egg in the background was cut from the Cameo as well.

That's it from me...now you need to hop on over to

Angela Wood's blog

to see what Easter-awesomeness she's created for you!!

Enjoy Your Life!!

2013-03-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! Hope that those of you that celebrated St. Paddy's day yesterday didn't over-indulge LOL...I am part Irish but sadly didn't celebrate. We were busy finishing up Alexa's bedroom makeover and just didn't have time to do everything. Oh well...I'm sure my Irish Gram will forgive me this one ;) Plus Riley thinks he's 100% Irish so he celebrates everyday hahahahaha (no not with the drinking...no no no...just with Irish pride)!

I will be sharing pics of her NEW room very soon...still waiting on a Ocean Canvas I ordered from Etsy to come in to hang over her dresser. And I have a couple of projects I'm making for her shelves...we will have new carpet put in after Spring Break. Then she's DONE (well we have to paint her dressers white once it gets warmer). Then we move onto Riley's new bedroom in the basement..phew. We have most everything ordered...but we have to paint and get everything put together and done. Saving that for AFTER Spring Break for sure. He's super excited to move downstairs and have his own big bed and space. I'm tired just thinking of all I gotta do to get him moved in...oy vey ;)

Check out my new Lifestyle blog "Bitz of Me" ...I have a couple of new posts up and one coming tomorrow on some cute things I finished up!!

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Enjoy Your Life!!

(A TouchTwin Inspiration Hop)

Today all the TouchTwin DT gals have a fun March Inspiration Hop for you to showcase these awesome alcohol markers. If you haven't tried them you really should...the ink flows beautifully, great-soft brush nibs and they work with other alcohol markers you may have on hand. (shop here) I am IMPATIENTLY waiting for Spring to arrive here in VA...me and that groundhog have some things to talk about cuz we got snow last night...ahem..ugh! So all my projects lately have been BRIGHT and SPRINGy LOL for a reason. So I had to use this cutie-patootie by Saturated Canary called "Summer Swing". I had a tire swing growing up that I spent a lot of time on...it was hung under our huge willow tree and I have such great memories. Ahhhh the joy of summer when you are a kid...nothing beats it yet we seem to wish it away all too soon. That's why I added the "enjoy" sentiment...we need to make sure we enjoy all the moments in our life, because they are usually gone way too soon!

I'm entering this sweetie into the following challenges:

613 Avenue Challenge (anything goes)

Challenges 4 Everybody (anything goes)

Gingerloft Challenge (green)

No Matter Which Challenge (anything goes)

Sentimental Sundays (anything goes)

I used pretty papers from a few different pads but the main one is First Edition "Hideaway". I love the bright spring green and corals together. The grass elements (coated with Stickles) and the "enjoy" sentiment were done on my Cameo machine...man I love that thing! The "enjoy" sentiment actually said "enjoy the moment" but I cut it down to just one word to simplify! I distressed all my papers with my Zutter Distress machine and the butterflies were done with punches. The circle element over the image was done with a Spellbinders die...I like spotlighting the main image this way!

TouchTwin Colors Used:

Greens: G43, GY47,GY59,GY174

Corals: R14,RP7R, Colorless Blender

Hair: BR98,BR95,BR97,BR107,YR132

Skin: BR103,BR97,YR133

Grays: CG9,CG7,CG5,CG3,CG1,CG0

Some Stickles were put on the butterflies and her frilly underskirt. Diamond Glaze on her eyes and shoes for shine.

That's it for me...now your next stop on the hop is my

lovely friend Vicki's Blog!

(If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop go HERE)

Silhouette Art!

2013-03-15T04:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday folks...I love Fridays!! We have a busy home-improvement weekend that includes painting Alexa's room, putting up her shelves and finishing her new desk from Ikea. Also visiting the flooring store to pick new carpet for upstairs bedrooms & basement rec-rm and bedroom and tile for lower foyer. And I have to fit in a few projects as well LOL..so not much sitting for this gal. I leave next Friday for a weekend away with my Mom & Alexa to see my Luke Bryan and Florida-Georgia-Line...whoot! We have pit tix...that means SUZANNE WILL BE UP CLOSE & PERSONAL with my Lukey...sooooo excited!! Then next Sunday we leave for SC and Alabama for college tours thru Wed for Alexa (SC Univ and Auburn Univ)...then finish up with 5 days in Hilton Head, SC. We love it there...SC is my future home one day soon :) So anywho, that leaves just a few days next week to get projects done and stuffs...not much time! So tomorrow starts a whirlwind of activity...can you hear my hubby sighing already???? heeheehee

I will have my FL pics and stories on my post on Sunday for you all ok? New project too! Have a great weekend everyone!!

I have new posts on the "Bitz of Me" Blog too if you wanna scoot-a-loo over & see! More fun stuff to come after this weekend when I actually get some half-finished projects DONE LOL!

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Silhouettes!!

Today is a NEW SCACD release..whoot! I'm so excited to share my projects...as they will be on the walls of my new office soon! Following on the fantastic Blank Canvas Collection, we are excited to present the SCACD Blank Canvas Collection #2 & Natures Direction Set. Building on the original release (recently featured in Craft Stamper Magazine), this new collection will take you on further creative adventures as you mix and match the stamps and use a variety of techniques. Perfect for beginners and seasoned mixed media enthusiasts alike, these stamps will grace cards and paper-crafting projects as beautifully as they will altered canvases and other mixed media projects.

Also 4 new SCACD Dies released today here!

Check out the yummy 6x6 paper pads on sale HERE too!

International friends can get the stamps/dies at Quixotic Paperie.

I LOVE Silhouette Art...so pretty and elegant and I knew I wanted some for my office but man its PRICEY to purchase. Well I have all the tools to make my own so that's what I set out to do with these stamps! Simple black frames I got at Michaels and they were on clearance too + coupon so they each cost $4 and the smaller one was $2...so $10 for frames. The background papers are from an older 12x12 MME collection I had....FREE. So for $10 I had art for my office...it doesn't get much better than that huh?

The two images above are from the "Blank Canvas Collection #2"...there are many different versions of stamps for all kinds of art in this set. The dancer/leaper "Leap of Faith" comes in line art also so you could paper piece her, paint her, etc (the women stamps are sold in pairs). So many options with this set of images so make sure to check them all out! I embossed the images with Stewart Fine Detail Embossing Powder in black...I love the coverage of this powder. I emboss with Versamark pads (I have it in the Dazzle color too)...I'm old school and it works good so why change right? I embossed on shiny-coated white cardstock...I like the gleam of the paper with the images.

Can you tell how much I love these...squeal!! LOL! And so easy to make as well!

This Inspire Stamp is FREE with the purchase of both the "Blank Canvas Set #2 AND Nature's Direction" Sets. I love it, perfect for my office! I embossed it as well but changed the background paper to a darker version so it would coordinate but stand out as well! (It would great colored too)

Now I am the last stop on the hop...but you can start at the beginning at Elaine's Blog Here to see everyone's fabulous projects!!

Easter Eggies!

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Happy Tuesday everyone! I am home from Florida and I promise to share more photos of my trip later this week after I get them loaded & edited. If you follow me on Facebook you've probably seen AND heard some stories/pics already hee hee. I have a few stories OF COURSE that will make you chuckle from my vacation. But I will say I am extremely grateful to have been able to go and visit my two besties (Pat & Dana)...especially after Pat's cancer/health struggles last year...we felt blessed to be able to spend this time together again. And we ENJOYED it, laughed hard and just had a great time together...I will treasure it always!

Although I will say it was extremely HARD to leave the sun, blooms, beach & 80 deg temps to come back to cool, gray & rain LOL! But I know Spring is on its way soon here so I will IMpatiently wait for it. But back to the real world for me today...that meant cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping and cooking. Because NOTHING gets done when I'm gone EVER, NEVER, EVER...ugh! So I had to do a lot of scrubbing today...drives me nutters that no one in my house knows what a vacuum is or a dust cloth. But I'm all caught up again and got groceries and had to pick up daughter from school for a drs appt. Tomorrow she gets her braces off so she's a very happy girl...I on the other hand GET my braces very soon...oy vey. I had braces in high school but my teeth have moved again causing me extreme migraines & jaw pain. So I am getting molds made for Invisalign, which are clear and are worn like retainers for 9 mos...then I will be done..for the 2nd time...ugh!

If you haven't popped over to my new blog "Bitz of Me"...you are welcome to :) I will have a new post up tomorrow for you and there are a few fun posts up over there now too! As always...thanks for visiting!

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Easter Eggies--A Magnolia-licious Challenge!!

Today is another fun Magnolia-licious Challenge (we have them every 2 weeks) and this time the challenge is to create "Spring/Easter Projects". Easy peasy with the newest stamps from the Easter Collection at Magnolia-licious! You can find all the challenge details AND see the beautiful projects done by the DT at the Challenge Blog Here!

I'm entering this into "Thistlewood Farms" Spring Linky Party!!

I used this sweet stamp "Tilda with Egg & Chicken"...isn't she the cutest?? I created this fun lil basket using my Silhouette Cameo...where I have placed my image is actually where there is an intricate egg cut out (called "basket box easter egg in Silhouette image store). I love using the Cameo, so easy and quick and so many fun things to make. I cut the basket out with 2 sided/colored cardstock and then decorated with these fabulous new papers from Teresa Collins. The scrollies were done with a Memory Box die and then I added some layered flowers...the lil sparkly eggs in the flowers are from Michaels (they come in sprays and I just cut off what I needed).

This cutie was colored with Copics: E37,E50,E31 / B02,B00,B000 / RV34,RV32,RV000 / Y15,Y11,Y00. I added some Stickles to her sleeves and a few of the eggs. Perfect image for Spring/Easter!