Be My Baby!!

Hi folks!  Happy Tuesday to you!  I will keep this short and sweet for you.  Tough day today and a long week to get a lot of things done while running kids to sports and volunteer work...not sure my to-do list matches my energy level this week...yikes LOL!  The to-dos are scaring me and I really only have till Thursday to get it all done.  Friday is drs appts in the morning, then Nats game in DC to celebrate Gramps 90th birthday...Saturday run dogs to my parents house 2 hours south of us and then go to a family BBQ (James' side).  Leave at 4 am Sunday morning for airport to the Florida Keys for 2 weeks...then I shall bury myself in the sand and not leave LOL.  In between get laundry done, house cleaned (yes its gotta be done), pre-posts typed, emails done, packing, errands and running...oh and get the housesitter/cat-sitter situated.  I love vacation but DANG its a lot of work to get there...and I'm pretty much the only one in the house getting it all done.  Hubby is in NC for 2 days this week so that counts out help from him....and the teens...well sometimes they annoy more than they end up helping LOL.

So I am slightly frazzled this week....emphasis on slightly ;)  But I will have projects and posts on BOTH blogs while I'm away so do not fret *yeah right sureeee you say, heehee*...there will be plenty of reading for everyone!!

I shall stop whining now...had to get that out...made me feel a bit better...phewwww LOL :)

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Baby Baby!

Today TEAM B for Magnolia-licious posts their Tuesday Challenge Projects.  

This challenge is all about LUSCIOUS LACE...lace in the image, lace printed paper, lace accents...it all works!  You can check out hte challenge at the Magnolia-licious Blog for details and how to join in!

I used this super sweet NEW Special Moments image "Little Cute Tilda" for my lace-baby project.  She has lace on her outfit's trim and I used some lace across the middle of my card.  **to age my lace I just swiped some tan ink across it with my Inkssentials Foam Blending tool**  The papers are by Melissa Frances and all were distressed first.  Die cuts around image are all by Spellbinders, yellow swirl is "Val Flourish" die by Memory Box.

She's colored with TouchTwin markers: 
Skin-YR132,YR133,R131/ Yellows-YR32,YR36/Hair-BR104,BR96,Y36/Pinks-R136,RP9/WG3 for grays

Stickles on her trim and headband for sparkle!

The banner across the top was cut with my Silhouette Cameo twice in 2 sizes and papers so I could layer them...I liked the small scallop detail it has.  I stamped some PTI letters in pink ink right on top of the printed paper to spell "BABY" and added another Val Flourish die cut in yellow cs to add behind it to ground it a bit.

I double stamped & colored "Cute Little Tilda's" arm and bow so I could make them pop up from the image...just a fun bit to add for dimension.

Hope you liked this today...see you here on Thursday with a fun project!

Baby Boys!!

Hello friends & a Happy Tuesday to you all!  I have to say the past few sunny days here in Virginia has got me all excited for Spring to arrive.  I cannot wait to turn the clocks forward and have longer days of light...makes me happy and feel more productive LOL!  Its my favorite time of the year and I"m so sick of seeing gray, brown trees and grass...ready for the colors of spring to start showing themselves.  New leaves on the trees...cherry tree blossoms...crocus, tulips and daffodils popping up and blooming...and the birds singing!  How can you not love Spring??

Ok I will keep my blibber-blabber to a minimum today.  If you want to read some of my rambling chatter hop down to this POST HERE LOL...I warn ya, it was done on 2 Cokes and insomnia :) But I have a love of writing and try to write from the heart as much as I can.  Which leads me to a surprise coming!  I have HUGE announcement that I'm excited to share with you all tomorrow...well BIG for me...so make sure to check in!

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All About Boys!!

Today is another great challenge brought to you by Magnolia-licious!  We our challenging everyone to create Boy/Guy Projects...yup...its ALL ABOUT BOYS!  I know some of you struggle with boy projects or you just avoid them all together if you can LOL...well the DT girls hope to inspire you to give it a GO.  Have fun with it and challenge yourself to something different...I promise it will be fun!  I love to do boy projects...they push me to do different things and use different elements..and hey I have some boys in the house so its something I gotta do LOL!  I decided to create a baby boy card this time around...I don't create many baby cards so this was a perfect opportunity!

You can find all the details on the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog and hope you stop by to see the other DT projects for inspiration AND join in the fun with us!!  You can win a wonderful surprise from Magnolia-lious!

And check out all the cool Boy/Edwin Stamps in stock at Magnolia-licious HERE!

I used this cute Magnolia "Airplane" that I've had for a long time...its fun to use non-people images sometimes ya know.  The "Edwin with Airplane" stamp is a cute one to pair up with this airplane as well...its one of my faves as it reminds me of my son when he was small.  I used older papers from K&Co "Itsy Bitsy Boy" paper pad...I love the patterns and soft colors in this pack.  The "It's a Boy" lettering was done on my Silhouette Cameo...I cut one out of yellow cs and then made it a tiny bit bigger and cut it out of white cs and layered them.  They got a good coating of Stickles as well for sparkle.  The clouds are PTI dies and I layered the cardstock again for more dimension, adding a line of Stickles around each cloud.  The buttons are a fun accent...you can't really use too many flowers and girly things on card so you gotta think outside the box a bit.

The image got colored with Copics:  BV25,BV23,BV20 / YR23,Y15,Y11,Y00 / B01,B000.  I added a thick coat of Diamond Glaze to the plane for some nice shine.

That's all for me today....I'll see you back here tomorrow! Have a great one!

Peekin' At??

Yay its Friday Friends---happy days for sure huh? As you read this I will be making my drive up to Connecticut to teach for the weekend (hopefully uneventful) and it's about a 7.5 hour drive there.  I hope to shave about 45 mins off of that time (shhhhhhhhh don't tell the hubby, lol)---yes I do speed but ONLY when I'm around a pack of speeders, hee hee.  So I'm a "pack speeder" you could say :)  I don't mind the drive so much as I get to listen to ANY music and news radio that I WANT to, no hollering from the backseat KWIM?!  Then I will leave on Sunday evening after my last class to drive straight thru the night and get home around 3 am.  Don't worry about me, I'll be fine since I'm a vampire..........er... night owl, LOL.  Then I will be running around like a crazy woman, barking orders to children and animals as I get us ready to leave on Tuesday morning at 5 am, LOL.  Seems I MUST pack for everyone or else critical items will get left behind (I kid you not) and get the house prepared for our day leave to Maui.  I am really looking forward to some quality time and fun with the familly and my work will go down to "slo-mode" KWIM.  I will have a few posts up while I'm gone so make sure to check in here at the blog for some new releases.  You can also keep track of me and my Hawaiian adventures on Facebook as I will post regularly there (yep I'm an addict--but you can find me under my name Suzanne J Dean).  I know my family will be ultra strict with my time on the laptop so emails will be done either very early in the morning or late at night---please only email if you really, really, really NEED me for something, LOL!  IF it is an emergency or serious CRAFTING CRISIS put 911 in the subject line 'kay? Got it?  LOL!  We are lucky to have a housesitter taking care of the house and kitties while we are gone so that eases my mind a bit too---lucky her right? hee hee

NewsBitz:

-I sent out the April NewsBlast for the CMC Classroom---if you didn't get it or would like to read it you can access it at the CMC Classroom by clicking on the CMC NEWS tab!

-Gina K Designs will be releasing and showing off the new stamp sets next week so stay tuned--they are yummi-licious!  I will have my projects up next week for ya while I'm away :)

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Peekin' At Baby!!

This cutie-pie image is from the NEW Elisabeth Bell for SCACD line called "The Peekers"--they are just so adorable.  This one is called "New Beginnings" and is so perfect for a new baby, new parents, baby shower OR for the new sibling!  I did the card in neutral taupes and aquas so it could be used for a girl or boy very easily!  This card is also for this week's new Copic Creations Challenge!  Our FABULOUS sponsor this time is The Paper Temptress owned my friend Patricia.  IF you need ANY kind of cardstock, trust me she will have it in stock--from sparkly, suede, leather, linen, pearlized to papers for coloring on you need to visit her store.  I used my fave Cryogen Iridescent 89# cardstock to color with copics on--it is my #1 fave to use and I highly recommend it!  Find all the details on our challenge, prize info and fab DT projects at the Copic Creations Site!

I used papers from DCWV's "Linen Closet"--which remains one of my all time favorite paper collections!  I embellished the card with scrolls from Marianne Designs, new Prima flowers and Kaisercraft Pearls.  The paper trim was done with a MS border punch punched out of kraft cs.  The scalloped circle behind the main image was done with my SB's nesties and then I punched small holes in each scallop to make it more delicate looking.

The image was colored with Copics E44,E43,E42,E40/B04,B02,B000/E11,E00,R20.  I paper pieced her hat bow and the baby's blanket to bring in some of that pretty paper.  I used stickles (stardust of course) on her shirt and the baby blanket and carriage trim.  Diamond Glaze was used on her shoes and the carriage's handle and wheels.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and enjoy time spent with your friends and family!  Hope you get to spend time outside or doing something crafty OR just something fun "Suzanne-Style" LOL!

Baby Bunny Slippers!!

Well Hello friends and Happy Tuesday to you all! Did you miss me? LOL! Sorry I haven't posted but I've been away as most of you know teaching in NC over the weekend! I left on Thursday and got back at 2 am on Sunday morning, then spent the day/evening celebrating my belated wedding anniversary with my awesome hubby! We went to a nice, romantic dinner w/o the kids and had some alone time. It had been awhile since we dressed up for dinner and got some time alone which was really nice (see pic below).  We are going away for a few days before Thanksgiving to celebrate our anniversary and hubby's 43rd birthday--that's my present to him :)  And what did he get me?   Well....................I got the AWESOME NEW IPAD!!!  I just love that man, hee hee---it was supposed to be for my Xmas present but he got it for me early instead and I'm thrilled although I haven't had much time to play with it yet as I'm trying to catch up on work, lol!  And yesterday I had over 6400 emails to go thru, invoices to send, cards to make and then help set up and attend my daughter's sports banquet--egads, life sometimes will kill ya, LOL!

Classes in NC were wonderful and I always feel so blessed to meet so many wonderful crafters and ladies--always fun!  And I had a few ladies who drove over 8 hours to come to class in NC from Kentucky--wow!  I'm so honored anyone would want to drive even 20 minutes to come take a class from me so thank you all!  Waving hi to all my new friends and they'll know what I mean when I say "Come to the DARK side, hee hee"!!  (you have to take a class to figure that one out, lmbo) I also got to spend some girlie time with my good pal Pat Jaynes who came in from SC and was my roomie in NC--we stayed up WAYYYYYYYYy too late (1:30 am) one night laughing and talking but it was worth EVERY Minute--love ya Pat!!  And thanks to Betty at the Stamping & Scrapbooking Room store for having me and helping out---awesome store if you ever get to visit, filled to the brims with new and fabulous products *and yes I got some for meself, hee hee*!

I leave on Thursday for my last CMC Copic Classes on the road---I will be in Buffalo on Saturday (still spots left for anyone interested) and then onto Ontario, Canada on Sunday & Monday.  I will be home late on Tuesday, phewwww.  I'm staying with my grandma for a couple of days to visit too!

**I will have the last blog candy winner up tomorrow--I didn't forget, I'm just too tired to do it right now, sorry! **

Me & Hubby before our Anniversary dinner

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Baby Bunny Slippers

New Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog Info

Well today I get to share a NEW CHALLENGE BLOG with you that I'm so excited about and I know most of you will be too!  As you know I have designed for Diana Crick at Magnolia-licious for quite awhile and very luckily too!  A bit ago she talked to me about creating a challenge blog for the store and I thought it would be a wonderful addition---it is called the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog and you can visit it HERE!  It has it's own very talented DT and there will be 2 challenges every month for you to join in on!  **It is VERY DIFFERENT from the main DT for Magnolia-licious and our challenges/blog hops will still continue to be on the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog twice a month as well---so you have the opportunity to do 4 challenges, 1 each week for both of these blogs!!**

The very first challenge is by the Team Leader Candy Mills and it's to use YELLOW & PINK on your projects along with a fabulous Magnolia image or two!  So we help you come play along with us all and get a chance at some great prizes.  For the Grand Opening today, Diana will be giving away some fabulous prizes to random commenters and linkers so you want to definitely visit the blog asap for your chance at that today!

I knew as soon as I heard what the challenge was that I was going to use this super cute image called "Tingla in Bunny Slippers" from Magnolia-licious.  When I saw a sneakie peekie of her at CHA this past summer I couldn't wait to get her and use her---she's just precious and I love her ruffly lil' panties and bunny slippers!  She is from the Autumn 2010 Collection which you can see HERE as well---lots of cuties that's for sure!  I used some older papers from My Minds Eye that I love and they had soft yellows and pinks in them which were perfect for the challenge!

Isn't she just squishable, hee hee?  Baby Tingla has stickles on her lil' ruffly panties and on her hairbow--I also added it to the flowers.  All my roses and flowers are from Prima but the rosebuds are from Wild Orchid Crafts (great source for flowers)!  I die-cut the scrolls from my Marianne Designs dies out of cream cs and then sponged on pale yellow and peachy-pink ink to soften them a bit.  For that I used my fave tool Inkssentials Blending tool which I use on all my images to soften around them with ink.  The edges of the papers were distressed with my Zutter Distress Tool as well and I added some pearls to the side for a bit more bling.  The ruffle alongside the one edge is my no-sew answer to ruffles, lol, since I HATE to sew.  I just add the wide 1/2" Scor-Tape to one side of my cs and then hand ruffle the sheer ribbon by attaching it along the scor-tape--easy and quick to do.  I like that it echoes the feel of her ruffly panties!  The sentiment is from PTI's "Baby Button Bits"!

She is of course colored with Copics (skin-E11,E00,R20/pink-R22,R21,R20/hair-E25,E35,YR20/yellows-YR21,YR20 and blender pen).  The background is also done with Copics in E51,R00,W00,E42.

Hope you enjoyed my sweet baby Tingla card for the NEW Magnolia-licious Challenge today and hope you'll stop by the new challenge blog HERE to take part too!!

Love in a Flower Pot!

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

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

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

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Love in a Flower Pot!!

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

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

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

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

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

Carousel Dreaming!

Hello everyone and a very happy Friday to you all! While you are reading this I am hopefully on the road with my family to Hilton Head Island, SC for 2 weeks--YAY! I have been counting down the days and hours and I'm so excited to get there! We have to drop the dogs off at my mom's on the way down (she's my dog-sitter, lol) and then we'll be stopping overnight in NC just to break the trip up a bit. Ever traveled with two arguing siblings who are both teens and drive you NUTS--well that's why we're breaking it up into 6 hour segments, LOL! Then we'll be at our rental house in SC on Saturday--gotta check in and get groceries and all that good stuff so we can start the vacation on Sunday :)

Anywho, I have lots of post scheduled for while I'm away so please stop by regularly to check in!  I'll also be adding vacation pictures here and there in my posts if you want to see those as well, LOL--I have a little bit of a surprise for you when you see me--you might not recognize me, LOL!  Want to guess what's changed?  The correct guesser (1 correct guesser will be picked randomly) will win a $25 gift certificate to 7 Kids College Fund when I get back home!!

This is a long post so make sure to scroll down to see the new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Release project and Blog Hop!!

NewsBitz:

-Winner of the Magnolia Blog Candy (from this post here) is Eleanor Jenkins of "Stamping in Virginia"! Virginia, email me at sjdean@smartneighborhood.net with your info so I can get the goodies out to you when I get home!  I had sooooooooo much fun reading what everyone would do with lottery winnings--thanks for entering and giving me smiles.  I would give money to all my relatives, move to SC, travel Europe for the summer and donate bunches of money to all my favorite charities and then JUST CHILL & RELAX, lol!

-Winner of the I Brake For Stamps Gift Certificate (from this post here) is Donna of "Indiana Inking"!!  Email me your info so I can get the $20 gift cert. sent to you ASAP!  Thanks to all for entering and telling me about your backyard projects--looks like a lot of you will be very BUSY this summer :)

I have the Copic Summer Special still going on at the Color Me Creative Classroom thru June 28th!

Get $10 off your total if you sign up for 2 classes and get $20 if you sign up for all 4 classes---only Copic classes, not Cricut. Once you sign up & pay your monies will be refunded to you in 48 hours. This will not happen again until 2011, so if you want to learn how to use those Copics over the summer--it's a great deal! (if you need to pay by check/money order please email me separately so we can arrange that)

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Well today is the day everyone!  The new release from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD is available at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design today HERE--these are too cute I tell ya!

BLOG HOP!!

And the SCACD DT along with Quixotic Paperie's DT and guest Susanna Boyd are putting on a DELUXE BLOG HOP today for you to show off these new images.  I'm first on the hop and then you'll need to hop over to my buddy Marti's Blog HERE.  If you get lost, stop by the store blog HERE to see the entire blog hop list and links!

So I get to show off this fabulous and beautiful carousel horse in the new collection is called "Carousel Dreams"--isn't it gorgeous and FUN to color too!  There are so many variations and colors you can make this image to fit many occasions--I decided to create a Welcome Baby card for you today.  But it would be fabulous for birthdays, thank yous, invites and more.

All my papers I've used are NEW from Memory Box called "Gossamer"--isn't the name fabby too--and the soft colors and patterns are to die for!  I love Memory Box papers, great quality and beautiful designs!  I distressed all the edges with my Zutter Distress It tool (it is one of my fave new tools I tell ya, lol) and then I lightly inked the edge with a light brown SU ink (creamy caramel-my fave).  The double bow was done by wrapping 2 colors of ribbon around my Bow Easy tool and then I added a Prima Pearl Center to the middle of it.

That fun scroll is a chipboard piece by Maya Road--see them here--there are soooo many cute designs and they are fun to embellish too.  I painted mine with cream acrylic paint, spritzed it with the new Maya Road Mists (in Iridescent Pearl) and then rubbed some brown ink on them.  These new Maya Road Mists are SUPER sparkly and such pretty colors--they don't clog and have a shaker ball inside (no weird smells either, lol).

I colored this beauty with Copics and then I added Viva Decor Pearl Pen (in cream) to the centers of each flower to create small seed pearls.  The saddle and other straps all got some stardust stickles for sparkle--gotta have a little baby bling, lol!

Hope you liked the project today and now you need to hop on to Marti's Blog HERE!  I'll be back on Monday with a new post for you so have a great weekend!

Pearls, Pearls Everywhere!

Helllooooo and Happy Friday to you all!  I'm so thrilled that the weekend is here I tell ya!  Although I have a lot of work to get done, I can sleep in a bit and hang with the family!  Tomorrow my daughter has her All-District Chorus concert which will be nice--I always enjoy those.  She picked out her high school curriculum yesterday---woweee---can't believe she starts high school in the fall, where the heck did time go?!  These classes they take in high school now, so much work and so much pressure on these young kids---I worry about them!  Between all the nastiness out there, the peer pressure, social pressure and school pressure it's no wonder teens have a tough time of it these days---SUCCESS is forced down their throats so much ya know.  I continue to tell my kids that I want them to do well in school but I want them to be successful in what THEY WANT to do you know.  My dad always told me that if I pursued art as a career it would take me nowhere--LOL--well, Dad guess what---look where I am now and all the wonderful things I get to take part in :o)  You really have to pursue what you love and I truly believe that--passion is the key to living life well!!  And now I'll get off my preachy podium, hee hee!

OMGoodness I've been overwhelmed with all the comments and emails that I've gotten about the magazine/newsletter and my Copic Classes that I am STUNNED I tell ya!  I'm so thrilled that so many of you are as excited as I am and looking forward to it all!  And thank you all for your kind and encouraging words--it means ALOT to me!!

Some More Answers for ya quickly:

-I will have Copic Class Descriptions with prices and supply lists up on my blog very soon--so you can have an idea of everything and be prepared!  There is NO waiting list, you will be able to take the classes whenever you'd like for as long as you like (within a year) :o)  I promise you, they will NOT disappoint and you will be a pro at Copics when you finish the classes!!

-The classes will be on a separate site, NOT here on my blog!  There will be links on my blog to the site though and I will announce it on my blog so don't worry, hee hee!

-IF and ONLY IF, you have taken a Copic class with me at my home (or plan to) you can also register for the classes at a VERY discounted and low rate--so you will have access to all the pdf files and videos as well.  When the site is up and running and if this is something you want to do, you can email me separately for an invoice.

-I will STILL DO MY BLOG!!  I will still do YouTube videos, I will still be designing---yes I have alot on my plate but nothing will change here at ScrapBitz!!

-Marti & I are looking for ideas, submissions and projects for our first issue!  If you want to email me at sjdean0574@yahoo.com this is what I am looking for (pictures must be clear and bright) and please tag your email subject lines as stated below:

**craft room pictures (subject line: craft room)
**projects that SHIMMER & SPARKLE  (subject line: shimmer)
**what questions you might have about a particular product, tool or technique (subject line: question)
**if you specialize in a craft technique let me know if you'd like to share a project that showcases that technique (subject line: special technique) and/or if you would like to do a coordinating video
**if you know someone that might want to share their talent, let THEM know :o)

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Today I have some projects for ya featuring some HOT NEW Products called "Viva Decor" that are all available HERE at Susana's Store!  I have also done two videos (with 2 more to come) that you can see HERE and HERE that give more info on some of the products!  Go HERE to enter for some FREE PRODUCT!

**NEW Video on Glass Effects Gel and Glitter Liners HERE!!***

Cute as a Button!!

If you watch my Viva Decor "Pearl Pen" video HERE, you will see this cute baby onesie that I did.  I used the PTI set "Baby Button Bits" to create a custom baby gift and card.  The paper is also by PTI. 

For my card I used a fave color combo of hot pink, pale yellow and lots of white!  I stamped out the flower image from "Baby Button Bits", added some PTI buttons after coloring with Copics and some stickles to the leaves.  Then I added some Pearl Pen (in ice white) to the stems of the flower--I LOVE these Pearl Pens!  Why?  You can create your own pearls (and you know how I luv 'em)--any size, any color!  The fun ribbon is from Michaels and I used my Bow Easy to make that nice bow ;o)

Here's a closer look at the onsie--I used the "bee" stamp from the PTI set to make a butterfly!  HOW?  Well I CUT the bee from it's flight path (easy to do with acrylic stamps), stamped it on the onesie in PTI Palette Ink, then inked up just the antennae part and flipped it to create the bottom wings.  Then I stamped the flight path in pink Palette Ink AND white Palette ink.  The sentiment is from the PTI set "Handwritten Notes" and I took a felt button and added it to the center of the butterfly with Aleenes fabric/washable glue.  Then I traced the butterfly's flight path with the Pearl Pen to make small seed pearls and did the same along the neckline of the onesie.  (I did small pearls since this is for a baby FYI)

The Pearl Pen is WASHABLE (cool & gently cycle/no dryer)--they do not come off no matter how hard you try AND they are hard, you can not indent them or damage them!  Cool huh!!  I have soooo many fabric projects I'm going to use these on--tote bags, towels, t-shirts not to mention you can use them on any textile (including leather), wood, acrylic, paper and glass surfaces!  You can check them out HERE!  Watch my video on them HERE!

Second project uses one of my favorite line of stamps from I Brake For Stamps--the Humorous Seniors line!  I just love these old folks--they give me a good laugh everytime!  Here's a secret I'll let you in on...shhh...I want to learn to knit so I've signed up for a class at my JoAnn's, hee hee!  I've been wanting to do it for awhile so I saw the ad and went in and signed up--we'll see how I do,LOL!  My grandma taught me when I was young but all I ever made was VERY LONG STRING, LMBO! 

So I had to have this stamp called "Knitting Jane with Cat"--this might be me in 30 years, LMBO!!  I paper pieced the chair to match using papers from SEI.  Isn't that sentiment fun--it CRACKS me up I tell ya!  You can find the entire Humorous Seniors Line HERE and don't forget to use the Coupon Code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!  And yes, I created all those pearls with my Pearl Pen in ice white--love that pen!  I also used some Smooch Illuminate Paint on the yarn and chair too and some stickles on her slippers!

SUZANNE TIP:  When you paper piece don't forget to shade it with your Copics so it all matches--you don't want it to look flat!  I shaded mine with BG11 and C2 & C3. I also added some diamond glaze to her glasses :o)  Isn't she fun--love her!

That's it from me today---I'll see ya tomorrow!

Gina K Previews!!

Good evening everyone!! I'm here from super cold & snowy VA, lol and we're expecting another 20 inches of snow tomorrow to add to the 34 we have on the ground--BLECH! I'm soooo sick of winter I can't even tell ya! And my kids have off of school thru next Tuesday--I'm gonna go INSANE I TELL YOU, LOL! Hubby is whisking me off to dinner tonight w/o kids so I can at least get outta the house for a few hours and enjoy food cooked by anyone but myself, hee hee!
Tonight I'm lucky enough to get to share some more Gina K Previews with you and these cards hopefully make you forget about winter for just a bit :0)  All of these fabulous stamp sets (and new papers, trims and cs) will be available after the Release Party on Thursday evening (Feb.11th) at Gina K's store HERE!

**And don't forget about the special stamp set "Hope is Faith" (see my sample on post below this) which is benefiting relief efforts in Haiti!  It's a beautiful set and for a wonderful cause--a definite must have for your stamp collection!***

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Spring Florals Card Club Kit

One of the set's I'm previewing tonight is called "Spring Florals" and I'm so looking forward to spring! These beautiful flower images and sentiments are perfect for every occasion--I love them!  I decided to make my card a little shabby chic and used some gorgeous papers from K&Co.--the edges of my papers got distressed with my Tonic Distress Tool and then I inked the edges. 
(For a limited time, a free Card Kit will automatically be included with each purchase of the Spring Florals stamp set. The entire kit includes the stamp set, a binder sheet, the instructions and materials to make 3 complete cards for $19.95. For more details on the cards, please visit Jessica Fick's blog.)

The flower image was stamped first in SU's sage shadow and then stamped again & colored with Copics (I love the shadow effect).  Some stickles on the flowers and some Prima pearl/rhinestone swirls add a nice bling-y touch!  And you can't have shabby without some pretty trims and buttons!

My second project uses the new set "O Baby" by Rupa Shevde and there are sooo many cute images in this set--perfect for all those baby projects you might need to make.  I love stamping and coloring on fabric (see tutorial page at top of my blog for more on that)--it's easy and fun and best of all it can be washed once it's heat set.  I created a fun baby card and matching "burp" cloth to go along with it.

The card uses some fun papers by K&Co called "Itsy Bitsy" and I love the gender neutral colors! I had to use this fun duckie pull-toy cuz' it's just adorable.  I colored with Copics and added some stickles and more buttons.  The double bow was made with my Bow Easy and I cut the sentiment into 2 pieces so I could stamp them over each other instead of askew.

The burp clothes I buy in bulk and iron them to heat set the cloth, then stamp them with my Memento ink and color with Copics.  The sentiment was stamped with Palette Ink which like Copics is both permanent and washable!  You can still shade on fabric with your copics, but coloring is more of a "dabbing" effect than a rubbing.  After you're finished you can toss it in the dryer or do like me and iron it real good to heat set the ink.  I used the duckie pull-toy again and then stamped the button image along the entire border which is really cute--and I love the sentiment!!  Hope you like all of these projects too--it's always fun to use your stamps in multiple ways!

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A note from our DT Leader Jessica Fick:

The Pressed Flowers stamp set was designed to be a perfect companion to Melanie's A Year of Flowers set! It is also a perfect stand alone set as each bold stamp image lends itself to many techniques as you will see on each designer's blogs tonight!

Start with the Illustrator's blog Melanie Muenchinger and then visit these designer's blogs for even more samples with this stamp set and Rupa Shevde's O Baby Stamp set as well!

Gina Krupsky
Jessica Fick *
Theresa Momber
Nina Brackett
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Kurtis Amundson
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Bev Gerard
Suzanne Dean *

* also previewing the new Card Kit Stamp set: Spring Florals

Panda-licious!!

Hi All & Happy Thursday!  Another week almost over and thank goodness for that---I'm looking forward to doing NOTHING this weekend!  No cleaning, no Xmas stuff putting away, no errands--just hangin around the house & lots of reading for me :o)  It is actually gonna break 50 degrees on Saturday--whoah nelly-that's a heat wave for sure since it's been in the 10's & 20's for 2 months now!  I might have to break out the shorts & suntan lotion for that, LMBO!!

I sure hope the weather is fine when I fly out to CA next week--I HATE flying (flying & claustrophobia are my 2 fears) and I hate it even more when it's nasty weather.  My poor friend Marti has to put up with me, but I will have some sleepytime Dramamine in my system to keep me calm, lol!  But other than the flying part, I'm really excited to go to CHA again this year--I had such a blast last year!  If you're out at CHA and wanna meet me, I'll be at the Scor-Pal booth all day on Monday so stop by and say "HI" okay!!  I'll be blogging of course while I'm gone, so make sure & stop by to see updates on all the new CHA stuff too!

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NewsBitz:

-Today is the last day to enter for Blog Candy for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design for the new Victoria Case Release tomorrow.  You have until tonite at 10:30 pm EST to enter--so go HERE for all the details!  The DT will be having a fun Blog Hop for you tomorrow featuring all the new stamps--they are ca-ute!!

-7 Kids College Fund has a fabulous new product up for Pre-Order right now--they are Nellie Snellen Flower Punches!  See how they work HERE & Pre-Order your's right HERE!  You can make your own Prima-like flowers with these punches--how fab is that, any color you'd like anytime!  Love 'em!

-Big News Tomorrow--so stop back by to see what it might be, hee hee!

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Pink Cat Studio Digi Release

Today is another fabulous digi stamp release from Pink Cat Studio and I've got 2 fun projects to share with you!  I ADORE this lil' panda stamp Melissa created called "Panda Holding Heart"--isn't he/she a cutie pie!  I started to put this card together using this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #121 to make a Valentine card, but I got to thinking and it was calling out to a Baby Card :o)  It still would make a fabulous Valentine card just by switching out the sentiment too.  I'm not sure who the dp's are by since I dug them outta my scrap basket, but lil' Panda is colored with Copics and then I added diamond glaze to his heart, nose & eyes.  The sentiment is a rub-on from SU, bow was made with the bow-easy and finished off with some pearls!  Panda-licious I say!!

For my second project I used the same cute Panda but this one is called "Panda Holding Heart-BACK"!  I've had a brand new package of large lollipop sticks cluttering up my desk for weeks, waiting patiently for me to use them, LOL!  Well they got used finally, hee hee--I made these fun Valentines that would be fabulous Valentine favors, kid's Valentines or just a treat for your loved one (this one is for my hubby)!  The hearts are cut-outs from my Nestabilities that I embossed with a few different CB embossing folders.  The red cs was embossed with the CB folder "Candy Cane" and then I added stardust Stickles to the stripes.  The sentiment is from the "Feeling Groovy" set from Verve Stamps.  The backside of my Valentine holds a personal message to my hubby & a piece of Dove chocolate--I'll stick this in his briefcase on Valentine's Day before he leaves for work!!

Hope you liked my projects today--but don't forget to stop by the Pink Cat Studio Blog HERE to see all of the DT projects!  And stop by the store HERE to see all the new digis including the new backgrounds!

See ya back here tomorrow with lots of news & fun announcements & releases!!

A Love Pile!!

Hello everyone & Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week is going well for ya so far!  It is STILL freezing cold here and I HATE it, hee hee---where oh where is spring already!  My dogs go out and then turn around and look at me like they're saying "hey lady, if you're not going out then we shouldn't either", LOL!  I actually had the brilliant idea to take them for a walk last night at midnite (just about 1/4 mile) with my hubby to clear out the ickies & cobwebs from my brain and I must've been CRAZY!!  My face was frozen and I'm pretty sure the dogs weren't so thrilled with me either--hubby told me to pick a different way to clear my head next time that didn't require COLD, hee hee!  Oh well, we got some exercise & fresh air at least--but my neighbors (if they were up) now KNOW that we're NUTS, LMBO!!  They already think we're vampires since we stay up so late, but now they probably think we're aliens too :o)  So I hope you all are staying warm as well & lucky you if you actually get to live somewhere where there is no winter (boohoo to me)!

NewsBitz:

-Tonight is another Gina K Preview and I'm sharing some projects that feature a set that goes along with the Card Club Kit this month!  So stop by at 11 pm EST if you get a chance and hop along to all the other DT's fab creations, but it will be up tomorrow as well for a bit!

-7 Kids College Fund has a ton of new products in store!!  You can see all the new items HERE, but I'm so loving the ZVA Creations--those flourishes are awesome and of course they are bling-a-licious!  And those new Prima Butterflies--wow, beautiful I tell ya!  And check out Tab's Fundraiser Contest HERE as well--it's for a great cause!

-And I want to personally thank all of you who reached out to me the past couple of days--I appreciate your support, love & kindness!  It means the world to me to have your friendship, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!  I've been trying to email most of you back, but I'm still working on it :o)

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New Pink Cat Studio Digi/Rubber Preview Day!!

Today Pink Cat Studio is previewing some of the new digi and rubber stamps that will be available for purchase tomorrow at the store right HERE!  They are HEART-tabulous I tell ya & super cute!  Today the DT is previewing some of these cuties for you so make sure and stop by the Store Blog HERE to see the DT's projects AND enter the FUN CONTEST that Melissa is having!!

For my projects I decided to use this digi stamp called "Lily & Billy in Heart Pile" cuz' it is MY MOST FAVE of the bunch this week, too cute! 

I colored this fab image "Lily & Billy in Heart Pile" with Copics and then added glitter and diamond glaze to the hearts and their clothes!  The layout is this week's Mojo Monday Challenge #120 which is a fun one to work with!  The papers I got last year and never used (story of my life, lol) from Studio 8 Papers, ribbon from Michaels and the sentiment (and yes I wanted the faded look to it, hee hee) is from PTI's "Around & About Sentiments".

One of my favorite things about digi stamps is the ability to re-size them or flip the image--makes it work wonderfully for all kinds of matching projects.  Here I took the same image and just printed it a bit smaller, cut some cs hearts with my Heart Nestabilities and layered the image on top of some pixie stix--these would be so cute for your child to hand out for Valentine's Day in their class and super easy to make too!  The back side is blank but you could stamp a to/from or lil' Valentine sentiment on it as well.

Now make sure and stop by the store HERE tomorrow to have a peek at all the new stamps (both rubber and digi) and stop by the Store Blog HERE to see the DT's fab projects and enter the fun "Name the Pixies" contest Melissa is having!!  I'll be back tomorrow with a fun Release Day project too---it's Valentine Purr-fect!!

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Try It Out Tuesday #49--WELCOME Projects

Yes, I know I'm a day late & a dollar short, hee hee---but I wanted to share my Try It Out Tuesday Challenge #49 project for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design with you all!  I had challenged the DT to create a WELCOME project of some sort (welcome home, baby, dog, cat, neighbors, etc.) to welcome in the New Year!  I decided to use this un-inked (gasp) cutie pop image called "Baby Laundry" by Lockhart Stamp Co.--aren't those bitty baby clothes too cute!

I colored them with Copics and added some stickles for sparkle--the papers are from K&Co's "Itsy Bitsy" set!  I did some faux stitching cuz you know I don't actually sew if I can help it, lol and added some pearls, twill and buttons to finish it off!   A cute baby card for someone new in the world!

And if you haven't checked out the NEW Lockhart Stamp Collection, you're missing out so go HERE to see them all!

I'll see ya back here tonight with some Gina K previews--have a great day!