Fond memories of Arkansas

One of the things that I really love about these farm stamps is the memories they bring me. My dad grew up in Arkansas on a farm. Every year we would go to Arkansas for our vacation. Many times this was summer time when it was HOT! But I truly loved all of the time spent there with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and gobs of cousins. My grandfather grew watermelons to sell out of the back of his truck (a travelling salesman) and right there in his front yard which was along the highway. We would get to help him pick watermelons from the field and go off with him to peddle. And if we were playing outside and someone came by to buy melons, we'd run to find an adult. His roadside stand was very well known, too. Anyhow, these stamps, when put together, remind me of my Papaw Lawrence and Mamaw Cassie. The truck image is actually pumpkins, but colored green and added curly stems, they look like the huge watermelons from the garden. And, while he never carried a pitchfork around, he was always willing to cut up a watermelon for us to eat, sometimes right out in the field! I have worked on a few of these "scenes from Holly Grove, Arkansas" and will be sharing them with you.
Card info: images, pretty little paper and sentiment by A Muse, Prismacolor markers, ribbon by May Arts, cardstock from my supply, black pen (to draw watermelon slice).

What's Up?

Another card that is a "scene" for the AP Design challenge #5. The idea for this card came from a Card of the Week a few months ago. I believe the designer was Michelle Wooderson. I love this little fishy and whale - good friends in the big ocean. I tried to make fishy more vibrant with each image before he splashed down. I also think the sentiment "birthday blowout" would work here.
Card info: notecard front, images and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, stickles, Prismacolor marker and Sakura stardust pen.

Fun NEW contest

Check this out! All you have to do is make a guess to find out which member of the A Muse crew is hiding a prize. I haven't guessed yet. AND I see a new face there; could she be the new DT member? I want to know!

Looking for a silver lining

I know I said I was going to make thank you cards, but I had actually started this card during the last challenge, but I didn't get it posted. It does have a scene, though, so it will qualify for the AP Blog challenge #5. This one is quite sparkly so I think it would be a good pick-me-up for someone having a hard time. I hope that I will be able to get more cards with scenes done this week before our mini vacation.
**I am still looking for a couple more ATC swappers. Please email me if you would like to join me!***
Card info: images and notecard by A Muse, starburst, circle and scallop oval punches, Essential glue pad, quickie glue pen, Prismacolor markers, glitter by Stampendous and Making Memories, Pebbles shimmer chalk.

My new Two year old

This is my Carolina (not pronounced like the states, but the Spanish version). She was two yesterday and I made her this cake. She loves "tootie monster." We all had blue smiles, teeth and tongues after eating it, but some things are just worth the memories! Just wanted to share...

Scene it?

The newest challenge has been posted over on the AP blog. The challenge is to stamp a scene. I love A Muse stamps for this reason. You don't have to have a lot to make a scene, but as your collection grows, you find that so many images can be used together. Get out your stamps and see what kind of scenes you can make. The prize this week is a clear alphabet, ink pads and ribbons (the Strano ribbons are so beautiful - I got my prize the other day and am waiting to find a way to use them!). I will try to post some more later today :)

Note to Self

Here is another little project I made using the Personal Stationary set of clear stamps. I put magnetic tape strips on the back to hang up on a magnetic message board. I don't remember where I got the clear pocket that the note paper is in, but I've had it for a while (same with the patterned paper). I like the sentiment used with the elephant, too. May see that again!

There they go again...

The A Muse crew gave away FOUR more prizes today. Lots of stamps and another one year membership to the SCS fan club. Great prizes and congrats to all the winners!!!! I am waiting for the new challenge to come out, but in the mean time I am going to challenge myself to make more thank you cards, which I know I will need very soon. Check out the AP Blog for all the winners and register for A*MUSE A*PALOOZA, you might win just for signing up! Soon I will share a little about my big day today - my little one turned two today :)
***Also, I am still looking for a few more swappers (see this post for details). I will leave it open for a couple of more days.***

One more challenge card

This is my last for the AP challenge #4. There are a TON of entries over on the AP blog. Have you made a card yet? For this one I decided to layer my circle punch to give it a little extra "punch" by placing two scallop circles of different colors together. I like this way of highlighting the scallop a lot. I have tried inking edges and sometimes get too much on it or not enough and I've done the colored dot on each scallop, which I also like. But this is really quite easy, and is a great way to use up scraps! I have lots and lots of those, too, so I will probably keep doing it.
Card info: pretty little paper, image and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill and other scraps, ribbon from my supply, pop dots and Sakura stardust pen.

Gift Card Holder

This is a card/gift card holder that I made for my son's bus driver. The families on our street are chipping in to give her a Starbucks gift card that will slip into the pocket next to the pull-out card. I borrowed this idea but changed it just a little. The neighbor putting the whole thing together said she liked it, so that made me smile :)
I am off to supervise the kids to cool off in the sprinkler after our trip to Manassas Battlefield this morning.
Card info: notecard, images and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, ribbon from my supply, embossing powder, hole punch, scallop circle punch, Prismacolor marker.

A Lonely ATC

This is an ATC I was inspired to make today after a trip to the farm with my kids. My son, Joey, went to preschool on the farm and it is one of our favorite places to go "spur of the moment." Anyhow, the cows and calves were out in a field of buttercups and I wondered how many flowers would be gone by the end of the day. When I sat down to stamp I came up with this idea. I really liked making the ATCs for the swap I organized a couple of weeks ago so I figured I'd just mess around on the smaller size work space. I would LOVE to have another swap, because it is a new and different way to stamp. Would anyone out there care to join me? This is what the swap would require:

Make 8 ATCs, you would get back 8, including one of your own
2 or more layers
Must include at least 1 A Muse stamp (otherwise, no vendor restrictions)
At least one embellishment preferred, but not required
Swaps would be due to me by June 19 and I will swap back to you on June 20.
Please sign and number each of your swaps and put them in a zip-lock bag to protect them from inclimate weather. Your bag should be marked with your name. Also include a SASE + 1 additional stamp (it will be returned if not needed). No metered strips please.

If you would like to join me, contact me under the link to the right. I will email you back with my address once I have a full swap list. If you lurk, I would like to "meet" you and this would be a fun way to do it.

Happy (Bee)-day

My eldest daughter, Emma, keeps referring to my #2 daughter's, Carolina, upcoming birthday as her "b-day" which made me think of bees and the one of the newest stamps in my collection. I'm sure that many similar designs are out there like this, but I haven't seen any (I haven't been to look at many of the other card challenge entries this week - too busy). So if this a repeat, I am sorry. Instead of punching out a shape and adhering it, I punched the shape directly out of the notecard and adhered different colored scraps from behind. This is a quick post; the husband is out of town, and I have a birthday lunch to plan for Monday. Hope you are having a great weekend so far!
Card info: image, sentiment and notecard by A Muse, flower punch, Sakura stardust pen, yellow stickles, black.

Winter Wishes Punch-Style

This was a fun card to make. I like taking time out of "seasonal" stamping and figure out a design for my holiday cards. I may use this one, too, because it was very easy. I even used liquid applique to make him fluffy looking. I think it is fairly self-explanatory, so I won't bore you with the details.

**On a side note, check out Linda's blog for A Muse birthday news! I found a few that I really *cough* need.**

Card info: pretty little paper, cabana blue paper, image, sentiment and twinkle sticker by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, ribbon by May Arts, liquid applique, stickles.

Something different

I know this isn't a card, but it is kind of cute, right? I have been wanting to use the prize I won in the Mother's Day Reader gallery. I was out shopping the other day and spied this cute little notepad. It is supposed to have a photo inserted, but I thought it could be used as a shopping list to keep in the car (I don't use a purse). I added the ribbon at the top and made a little charm by punching out a 1" starburst circle from shrink plastic, stamping my first initial on it, punching a small hole at the top and then shrinking it. I connected the charm with a jump ring and *presto-change-o* a monogram shopping list.
image, sentiment and alpha by A Muse, starburst punch by Martha Stewart, ribbon by American Crafts.

***ETA: These little notepads are from Kohls. There is a standard size sticky pad inside, so it can be refilled!***

Did you get to see it?

I hope you took the time to see the sneak peek of a NEW A Muse stamp for the July release, because it is *gasp!* GONE! They took it off the AP Blog :( However, make sure to check regularly, because there was mention of MORE sharing in the weeks to come. And, if you haven't registered yet for A*MUSE A*PALOOZA, click here, and do it! They are still giving away prizes, so it is not too late. And, if you care to mention me as a referral, that would be mighty nice of you. *Note: You will have to enable "cookies" on your computer, but the directions to do this are pretty good.*

Patriotic Punch

I decided last night that I should use some stamps that are a bit out of season. I know all of the Independence Day merchandise is in stores, but I don't need this card for any particular reason; I was just stamping for fun. I don't even know to whom I could send this, maybe my cousin's husband who is currently in Iraq. I'll have to look into it. *To make the rounded edge on the sentiment strip, I inserted the strip through a circle punch and pulled the end through so it only punched half of the shape.*

Card info: image and twinkle sticker by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill and scraps from my ENDLESS supply, patterned paper (words) by Doodlebug Designs, ribbon by ??, buttons by Jesse James & Co., glue dots

I had a Punchy night

I made a few cards and things with my punches last night, so I will try to share today, as time permits. This card is going to go to the Spanish speaking teacher at my daughter's school. I wish I had brighter colors of the ric-rac for this one - Mexican crafts are always full of beautiful and vibrant colors. I ran the ric-rac through the Xyron sticker maker for best coverage without a slippery mess. If you have any suggestions for adhering ric-rac or different style ribbon, please leave me a comment - I'd love to hear how you do it. Hope to be back with more later today!

Card info: image and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, Sakura stardust pen, Prismacolor markers, pop dots, Xyron sticker maker, oval punch, ric-rac from parts unknown.

Think SNOW!

Well, I am really not ready for winter, but I am trying to get set for the blizzard of fun fall and winter stamps coming in about 6 1/2 weeks! (Have you seen the sneak peek yet??) This is a card I made last year using an A*MUSE A*PALOOZA stamp I bought last July (loopy snowflake). It is hard to see, but the mittens were stamped in white ink on velvety brown paper, cut out and mounted over the same image stamped on the blue punched circle. I know green and brown are good colors together, but I like this light blue with brown, too.
Card info: sentiment and all images by A Muse *except for tiny snowflake by Peddler's Pack*, cardstock and brown paper from my supply, patterned paper by Basic Grey, brad by Making Memories, ribbon by American Crafts, pop dots.

Who needs their fix?

I love that A Muse is giving us a little "peek-a-loo" for the new release on the AP blog. Look HERE! I love it! Don't you?

I happened to just have this lying around

I am trying to get ahead of my card "needs", which usually means birthday and thank you cards. This was a birthday card I made a while ago. I have probably seen these mod dots cards stamped with letters before, but I don't remember seeing one with the word birthday on it. I love the little circle punches - just too cute, right? This could easily be considered a neutral gender card, so it is always nice to have those on hand. I am going to work a little more tonight on some cards, so I hope to have more to share soon!
Card info: notecard, polka dot alpha, and twinkle sticker by A Muse, circle punches, ribbon from Michaels, pop dot, stickles, markers.

I'm a tiny bit jealous...

Did you read on the AP blog how many A Muse stamps were in Jennifer Pebbles' suitcase? Over 950! Wow. Speechless. How many of you own even 15% (like me) of that amount? The lucky winner won $100 to spend on A Muse product. Wow. Still speechless. I need to go stamp! :) There is a new challenge posted here. I just happened to buy one of those cute little Martha Stewart punches at Michaels ($$$ on a gift card !) this morning before I knew about the challenge, so I might get it out tonight. So get out your punches and stamps and play along!

Flashback...A*MUSE A*PALOOZA 2006

I love to make my holiday cards to send to friends and family, even though my husband says I should take a year off and just send a photo card. I don't think I could do it! I try to start early every year and having the holiday release during AP 2006 was like Christmas in July! It was the kick in the pants I needed to get working on cards, especially since I was pregnant and due in October, so the majority of cards had to be done before then. Last year I made a few different designs and I plan to share a couple of those soon. Here is a picture of some of the stamps I bought last July (the yellow stickies are my masks - I save them as long as the paper is sticky).
If you didn't get a chance to participate in AP last year, you are in for a treat this year! On the A*MUSE A*PALOOZA website you can see what stores are participating. And some very lucky people will get to see A Muse owner Linda Carnell and A Muse designer Julie Ebersole!!! Last year Linda was here in Virginia and she was great; so lucky you, stampers in Sacramento!!!! I am looking forward to the events at Angela's in July :)

Fun Technique

I had not tried the "kissing" technique in quite a long time. You have to have a good, solid image with which to work, and I tend to buy images to color in. However, the big block stamp by A Muse is fun to use for backgrounds. Here I used the small fun star stamp to "kiss off" ink from the solid stamp. After the background ink is completely dry, stamp over the background. This card is waiting for a little girl who will be turning two in one week (my #3!).

Card info: notecard, images, seniment and twinkle stickers by A Muse, ultra fine glitter by Stampendous, quickie glue pen, cardstock from my supply, stickles, Prismacolor markers.

Have You Seen THIS???

When the announcement for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA came out I had a quick look through the website. The other day I went back to look and saw the word WIN at the top of the page. Well, let me tell you, there is one doozy of a grand prize! Click here, then click on win at the top; you will see that you NEED to get to a store where A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA is taking place.

Tons of love

I really like this saying; it has so many uses and can be fun or serious. This is a very simple card and it really makes the most of the argyle band notecards. I think this could be used at Valentine's Day or for a wedding or engagement. It also fits the challenge for this week on the AP blog - yay!
Yesterday I went to Angela's for a fun A Muse class (my Mother's Day present). Melinda has designed some great cards using some of the new summer release images. She showed us some interesting techniques, too, that I am going to try out when I have time. I also received some of the ATCs for the swap and they are AWESOME! I loved working with that size and would love to do ATCs again. ANYONE interested? Contact me, if you are. I would be willing to organize another one - I even have some ideas already. Maybe I'll just have to make them for myself, just for fun.
Enjoy your Sunday and I hope to be back soon with some other cards I've made.

Card info: notecard, pretty little paper, image and sentiment by A Muse, black cardstock and red ribbon from my supply.

Sand Castle Fun

This is a birthday card I sent my best friend from college. She is seriously into the beach and sun, so this should get her ready for beach season. I used the cut-paper technique similar to the First Communion card (a few posts down). I tried to make whitecaps on the waves (liquid applique), but it didn't come out as I envisioned. I do like the sparkly look of the sand castle. That is one of my favorite things about the beach: the way the water and sand sparkles when the sun is shining. I think this design needs more work, but I don't mind sharing work that doesn't come out right - we all have those, right? And my friend won't mind, she thinks I'm one of the craftiest people she knows.

Card info: images and sentiment by A Muse, stickles, Prismacolor markers, liquid applique, cardstock from my supply and Bazzill.

Another sketch callenge card

I turned the sketch on it's side to make this one because the image of Makenna fits better vertically. I don't know about the colors, but it looked to me like she should have a little black dress and shiny patent leather shoes (I used a Sakura glaze pen for effect!), so I chose to go with a black base. Inside I will adhere a piece of white paper on which to write a sentiment, too. What do you think? Should this go to a grown-up who has a fun, hip side or a sophisticated child? I'm not sure yet.

Card info: images, sentiment and pretty little paper by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill and my supply, ribbon by May Arts (I think), Sakura quickie glue pen, Sakura glaze pen, and Making Memories glitter.

First Communion Card

I usually struggle with making cards for a serious matter - sympathy or for religious celebrations. But this card came from a card I saw here (third card). I used the Essential Glue pad to make tiny flowers for a bit of sparkle, but I smeared it before I realized it (ACK!). I don't think the seven year old recipient will notice. Anyway, this is a genius way to work in a simple design for this type of card (thanks, Linda!).

Card info: images, notecard by A Muse, deckle edge scissors, Prismacolor markers.

Let's all ask politely

Over on the AP blog, here, there is a bit of a tease for a sneak peek for stamps not due until July! Leave a comment and maybe they will be nice enough to oblige us with a little peek!

For my newest niece

My brother-in-law called a little while ago announcing the birth of his first daughter (and my third niece). I am so happy that she is here and I will get to meet her later this evening. This is a card I am taking to my sister. It fits the AP Challenge #3, too! The footprints stamp I have had for a very long time, maybe 9 or 10 years, and I used it when I made my first daughter's baby announcements 5 1/2 years ago. I think this was one of those stamps that made me want to use smaller images more often.

Card info: images - feet by Stamps by Impression, scallop line and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, patterned paper by A Muse, clear embossing powder, vellum, scallop scissors, and ribbon from AC Moore.

A different challenge

I am relatively new to this "blog" thing and have a few that I visit regularly (see sidebar - small list, huh?). One that I like is Michelle Wooderson's Mish Mash. She is an A Muse designer and has a fun and cheery feel to her work. Recently she had a post challenging people to create a card using ice cream as an image for a summer countdown. I only have one ice cream stamp (hard to believe since ice cream is one of my FAVORITE foods!). I finally got around to it. I colored in the cones to represent favorite flavors of mine (and one of my husband's), and yes, mint chocolate chip is in there twice because it is my most favorite :)

Card info: image by Peddler's Pack, sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill and my supply, brads by Making Memories and Doodlebug, ribbon by May Arts.

Guessing Game

Put those thinking caps on. The A Muse crew has another fun contest for anyone to join. Click here to see what I am talking about and make your guess. The prize is a $100 gift certificate from A Muse!!!!! I haven't guessed yet, but I will later tonight.

Challenge #3

Here is my first card for the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA challenge for this week. As I mentioned yesterday, it is a sketch challenge and you can see it here. I need cards for all of the teachers for my children to thank them and wish them a happy and relaxing summer. This challenge was a good way to get me motivated to make cards EARLY! This card has a lot of white space which scares me sometimes, but I like the clean look of it. It also reminds me of the fashion rule: no white before Labor Day. The fashion police are out there ready to tsk, tsk you, so beware :) I worked on a few more cards, but I will share those later.
Have you made a card yet for any of the challenges? I hope so. The prize this week is a one year membership to the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club , a place where you can see stamping genius. I am not all that familiar with SCS (I think many members are serious Stampin' Up stampers; please correct me if I am wrong), but I have seen some online galleries of these stampers and their work is really amazing. Check it out if you haven't already.

Card info: images, sentiment, twinkle stickers, simple stick powder and striped paper by A Muse, ribbon and cardstock from my supply, glitter by Stampendous.

My FIRST ATCs

These were so much fun to make. I have organized a small swap for the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA Ambassador Contest. Since I am not active on Splitcoaststampers, I don't have a group of people to swap with, nor do I have a "following" like many of the Dirty Dozen stampers, who, by the way, have amazing work on display and deserve a "following". But I managed to find a few people to join me. *** Have you joined a swap lately? You should! *** So this is for them - a sneak peek at what I made. I would definitely do these again!

Card info: Image, twinkle sticker and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock and ribbon from my supply, patterned paper by Making Memories, Stickles, Prismacolor markers.

A new Challenge

Design Challenge number three is up on the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA 2007 BLOG. This time it is a sketch. I like working on sketches to design a card but I don't rely on sketches all the time. So this could be a challenge for me! And, I forgot to mention, I won the second Designer's Challenge. Yay! New stamps to love! I am also excited about the T-Shirt. I love my A Muse tee that I received when I was the Guest Designer (see it here). And now I will have a pretty one to wear for the festivities in July (and probably a few times before then, too). So, now off to be challenged.

Did you know?

Today is Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! I love cookies, baking and eating, so I might just have to do some baking with the kiddos when they come home today. I made this card just for fun. The cookies were made from the clear set called Simple Celebrations - it is the ornament! And the plate is the ever versatile small skinny oval. This is a quick post. I might try a little later, as long as the cable stays up. Now, go have a chocolate chip cookie!

Card info: Images, sentiment and French Roast cardstock by A Muse, ribbon by May Arts, pop dots, Prismacolor markers, lt. brown cardstock by Bazzill.

Happy Mother's Day!

I do hope that any of the mothers out there have a great day! And I hope your children spoil you a little, too. I just wanted to share two cards I made for my mom and sisters for Mother's Day. For my mom, it might look familiar to anyone who reads the A Muse News blog. A similar card (which went to my mother-in-law) won second place in the Mother's Day Reader's Gallery (see this post). For the first one I used all the same color ink, as well as the Essential Glue Pad for the sparkle.
The second card, I think, covers a lot of bases, but with the pretty spring colors, it is perfect for Mother's Day. It is a very simple design, but looks like it took a lot of effort. Again, both these cards fit the design challenge for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA, so a-submitting I will go :) I hope that everyone has a beautiful spring day - enjoy your moms!


Card #1 info: image, alphas, sentiment and notecard by A Muse, ribbon ?, Prima and Doodlebug flowers, Stampendous glitter, scallop scissors, Essential Glue Pad.
Card #2 info: image, twinkle stickers and sentiment by A Muse, patterned paper by Basic Grey, pop-dots, ribbon by May Arts, Sakura stardust pen, white cardstock.

The day before Mother's Day

This is the day I get treated to breakfast in bed because we go to church early on Sundays. So I get two days to celebrate. Plus, my wonderful parents took my oldest two kids to Washington, DC to enjoy a Hawaiian Festival at the Smithsonian's NMAI (it is so cool to be near DC where museums are mostly free and neat things happen, like the Queen visiting). So, I am getting a little time today to stamp. We have a very good friend getting married next month and I've wanted to make a card for him and his fiance. This is what I came up with today. I had seen this idea of the fancy frame behind a oval punch on Linda Carnell's blog a long time ago, but I can't find it now, but the idea was hers. And the ribbon through the bottom was a technique that the A Muse instructor at Angela's, Melinda, used at a class I took in February. There are some brilliant stampers out there!
***Added bonus - this also fits into the "No Black Ink" challenge for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA***
Card info: images, sentiment and notecard by A Muse, Sakura stardust pen, embossing powder and ribbon.

Have you noticed?

That my posts this week have all been cards exclusive of black ink? Take a peek back through and check for yourself. This is because the Design Challenge #2 for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA 2007 is to make cards without any black ink. It is nice to use an image this way because it will soften the overall look of a card. Sometimes it seems like a stamped image is "naked" without using black ink to define it, but sometimes it just works. So here is one more card that fits the challenge. Check out some of the cards posted for the challenge. Post one yourself if you have time before the deadline Sunday!

Card info: image, sentiment, twinkle sticker, paper and notecard by A Muse, clear embossing powder, pop-dots, ribbon by May Arts (green) and ??? (purple).

Cards to Give

This is one of many cards that I am making for more teachers (this time Sunday School). My son's final class at church will be next week, so I am going to make a stack of cards for each teacher as a little present. I use these for Thank You notes, or notes from home or general correspondence. I'm lucky this year in being able to make these quickly - both teachers have names that begin with E! I don't even have to change the letter/monogram. I love simple and quick, don't you? The hardest part is matching paper colors and ink colors.

Card info: Image and alpha stamp by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, patterned paper by Wild Asparagus, ribbon by May Arts (thanks Angela!), corner punch.

A little break

I think I deserve a little one today. Yesterday I folded laundry, went to the gym, mowed the grass and stamped! So the wee ones are both napping and I thought I'd post another card that I made for Teacher Appreciation Week. I made three of these for my daughter's teachers (they also got boxes of the brownie truffle bites). This card features one of those great all-purpose sentiments, too. It kind of covers all the bases, you know? I also inked up the edges of all the paper, which I don't do often, but the patterned paper had that *look* to it.
I forgot to share my news: I won second place in the A Muse Mother's Day Reader Gallery contest. The card that won first place was spectacular and deserved to win. You can see it here. And the third place winner's card was clever - she made the skywriter's smoke puffy! Thanks, Linda, for sponsoring the contest!
If I am lucky I might get around to stamping this afternoon before I have to pick up big kids, so I might have another card to share tonight :)

Card info: images and sentiment by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, patterned paper by Basic Grey, pop-dots, Prismacolor marker, ribbon by May Arts

Teacher Appreciation Week is Here!

Which means, I have some wonderful ladies to appreciate! What I have here are a couple of little gift-size cards that went along with small boxes of yummy brownie truffe bites for my son's classroom and reading teachers. I believe the technique I used is called popping pastels or something like that. What I did was stamp the mug and maksed it. Then I inked up the A Muse Big Block (a great way to customize a background!) with the Versamark pad. I stamped it over the mug, then used shimmery chalks over the wet ink. I used different colors for each background, just to make it interesting. I like doing this, but I don't do it often. Do you have any favorite stamping techniques you'd like to share with me? Leave me a comment and I'll look into trying it out!
Here is a picture of the brownie truffle bites - so easy and so yummy!!!! I think I need an A Muse chocolate sentiment, don't you?
Card info: images by A Muse, sentiment by Savvy Stamps, paper by Bazzill, eyelets and glitter by Making Memories, Pastels by Pebbles Inc, ribbon by Michaels.

Check out who is where for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA

Can you find me? Add yourself and let me know where in the world my A Muse friends are.

Another for Baby

This is a card that I made for my oldest sister when she announced that she had found out she was expecting a girl. She will be having a c-section next week and I can't wait to meet the newest member of our family. I come from a family of three girls and two boys, so I am used to lots of people at family functions and lots of noise. The newest little one will have to get used to it QUICK! I just love this little Petunia, too. She is the cutest little piggie!
Just a reminder to register over at the A MUSE A PALOOZA 2007 site for the weekly drawings and such. They have already given away alpha stamps (!) and notecards. If you register and would like to put my name as a reference, I wouldn't mind ;) However, even if you don't, join in the fun. A Muse is a great company with stamps that are lots of fun!!! Later this week I will try to share some of what happened at last year's A MUSE A PALOOZA here in Northern Virginia. Thanks for stopping in and happy day!

Card info: image, sentiment, twinkle stickers and notecard by A Muse, ribbon ???, oval punches by Marvy Uchida

Vote now

Before it is too late! I completely forgot to remind anyone reading this to vote on the A Muse News blogfor the Mother's Day reader's gallery. Of course, I assume anyone reading this probably knows and has voted already. How else would you have seen this blog??? I have a card in there, but I think you need to vote for YOUR FAVORITE. There are some really creative cards, even and interactive one! That is really the great thing about A Muse stamps, the images lend themselves to your creativity. Voting closes tomorrow night.
So here is today's card. It is for a family friend who just had a baby. I just love this little ducky with his fluff sticking straight up! He is actually stamped on the inside of the card. I punched a hole through the front, lined him up to stamp in the middle of the hole, then adhered a piece of transparency over the back of the hole. Then I placed a scallop circle sticker over the hole. The sentiment is from the clear Animal Wishes set. Those are flexible, so I curved it a bit to conform with the curved line above it.

Card info: image, sentiment, clear sticker and card by A Muse, stickles, Prismacolor markers.

Rough Day?

Well, my wonderful husband had a rough afternoon...he caught the bug my kids had :( Poor guy, up in bed trying to sleep off the yucky virus. I made this card a few days ago, thinking I'd save it to send to someone who needed a smile (the sentiment is computer generated). He likes to play golf, so it would be perfect for him, maybe I'll slip it into his suitcase before his next trip.
I hope you had a beautiful weekend wherever you were. The pollen was really flying out there today, but my plants look so happy, that I didn't mind.
By the way, before you go, if you have ever considered joining a swap, please email me. I have been wanting to participate in an A Muse ATC swap, but I don't really have many stamping friends. I will organize one, if anyone would like to do it. I would love to know if anyone is interested, especially anyone who may be a customer at Angela's Happy Stamper - I don't know too many people who shop there, just the great staff (hi!) and would love it if I knew some of the names and faces! Anyone is welcome!

Card info: Images, twinkle stickers and paper by A Muse, scallop square punch, Prismacolor markers.

Buenos Dias

I hope you are having a good day. I had a house full of stomach bugged children yesterday and was really wiped out last night. Ugh! Thankfully it was quick and everyone is feeling much better. Here is another card for Cinco de Mayo, and, it falls into the category of A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA challenge number 1. I tried to use the colors of the Mexican flag here, but I didn't have a very vibrant red. Again, I used masking. It is one of my favorite techniques because it gives the sense of depth to the images. Anyone out there have a date with a margarita today?

Card info: images and sentiment by A Muse, paper by Bazzill, Prismacolor markers, various ribbons, and pop-dots.

Are you ready for a FIESTA???

Tomorrow is a big day (read: party time) for some people. Being part Mexican myself, I enjoy the festivities that go along with Cinco de Mayo. Here in Northern VA and DC there are lots of celebrations and it looks like the weather will be nice.
So here is a card using the A Muse Cinco de Mayo release (thank you Linda!). I really like mariachi music, and so do my children. We will listen to it every so often, especially when I am making Mexican food. This mariachi guy is so great, too. I was insired by the wonderful Melinda at my LSS whose sample showed the party lights colored in a similar fashion - it makes them glow so nice. My husband, who always wants to see what I make, said, "Who'd go to a party in the desert?" Well, when he opened it, he smiled and said the cacti provided a clever hiding place for musicians. I think this card would be great as an invitation - all the info would fit under the mariachis.
I may have another Cinco de Mayo card (or two) tomorrow to share with you, mis amigos.

Card info: images and paper by A Muse, ribbon by May Arts, Sakura stardust pen (for the shiny parts of the pants!), Prismacolor markers, circle punch

Up for the challenge

I read the first challenge on the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA blog today and thought I would try it out. The challenge was to use ONLY black ink with the allowance to color in the image(s). Well, sweet little Makenna found her way into my hands at Angela's yesterday and I thought she'd go well with the Sweet Shop. With a little masking, and added shadow, I think it works. I may tweak the design a bit, but for the purpose of the challenge, it will do.
Card info: paper by Bazzill, patterned paper by A Muse, images by A Muse.

Giddy doesn't even describe it

"Happy Day" indeed!!! I saw on the A Muse News blog that A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA will be here in July. I had a lot of fun at my local store, Angela's Happy Stamper, last summer: making cards, buying stamps and doing a make and take with Linda Carnell. I have no idea what they have planned this year, but I am sure it will be amazing.
One of the contests is to be the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA Ambassador. I registered for the contest and will be participating in the challenges as much as possible. Check out that website, register and tell them I sent you! Unless, of course, you are going for the title of Ambassador yourself :)
Card info: images and card by A Muse. The Vespa Girl came from AC Moore craft stores - finding her was a happy accident.

A First!!!

So, here it is, a very monumental occasion, a blog's first post. I am trying this out for a while to see if I like it and if anyone else looks at it. Why? It is not something I would have thought about doing, but it seemed like a challenge for me.
So who am I? I am Elena, an at-home mom to four great kids, who might pop in on the fun once in a while. I have been stamping for a long time because it was something my mom did when I was young. More recently, I had been asked to be a Guest Designer by Linda Carnell, owner of A Muse Art Stamps. This was a tremendous honor for me because outside of my crafting hole, not too many people know me. I LOVE A Muse stamps, which is what I use for most of my cards these days. The images are wonderful and easy to put together in so many different ways.
So, without further ado, here is a card for anyone who looks. Images, sentiment and card by A Muse.