I Had a Vision Last Night

I tend to do my crafting at night, especially when my husband is travelling. I had intended to sit down and make a card for WCMD (less than 10 days away!) but I didn't have any good ideas. Then, this just popped into my head. I've seen lots of purse cards, but those tend to be better suited to scrap related items, not so much stamp images. But this combines both elements and is cute, to boot! Inside is my favorite guilty pleasure in the fall: candy corn :)



Next time I promise to be back with a card!


info: notecard, images and alpha set by A Muse, ribbon from Target, Stickles, Prismacolor markers-pumpkin orange and sunburst yellow, white gel pen, velcro dots, scrap cardstock.

I Couldn't Resist This!

I usually walk right past the Dollar Spot section at Target. Last time I bought something there, it was all wonky and fell apart. But I saw these cute little tin pails in lots of colors and thought I could find a use for one. I bought the green since it was sort of a Halloween color and transformed a plain bucket into a treat pail for my little treat sacks. Again, this is quick and easy, made easier by my newly acquired Crop-A-Dile (sooo much fun)! The other materials were things sitting in my little drawers, waiting for a good use, and I think I found it. I am quite pleased with the end results :)

info: paper, sentiment and image by A Muse, sequins by Doodlebug, brads and chipboard letter by Making Memories, Staz-On ink, Stickles, ribbon by Strano Designs, pail from Target.

Quick and Easy!

I was cleaning up some in my craft hole the other day and came across these tiny paper bags that I had bought for a scrapbook project a couple of years ago. The bags measure 3 1/2" by 2 1/2" and were in a package of about 20. I was trying to figure out if these would go in the purge pile or not when it struck me that these were the perfect size to hold Fun Size packs of m&ms! I dug out some scraps of paper in Halloween colors, punch scalloped circles, then stamped some fun images on A Muse Pretty Little Papers, adhered these together, added some ribbon and attached to the bag. Now I have some fun little packs to hand out on Halloween or to send to my nieces and nephews for a fun care package. Super easy and super quick. Tune in tomorrow (I hope!) to see the little container that will hold these goodies, too.

Fun with Stamps!

I made this card a while ago, but just got around to sending it out to my brother-in-law for his birthday. I don't know why I thought he'd like the robot kid, but to me, it just seemed perfect. I took a page from Emily's book and changed a letter in the sentiment to make it work with the image. Do you see what I did? Yes, "peeps" turned into "beeps." That was my fun with stamps. So, what about you?
Have you gotten around to making any cards to upload to the World Card Making Day sharing gallery?
Have you bought any Cards for a Cause kits from A Muse (see here for details)?
Have you entered a card into Linda's giveaway (see the same post above for details)?
I would love to see what you have been doing lately with your stamps. Please share, if you get the chance (add a comment with a link)!

I am gearing up for WCMD on October 6. I hope to have some fun with you all next week! *hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

card info:notecard, paper, images, sentiment, twinkle sticker and ribbon by A Muse, brad by Making Memories, Prismacolor marker-cool grey 20%, Copic marker-baby skin pink, gold stickles.

BOO!

Do you play the "BOO!" game in your neighborhood during the month of October? I found some directions here. Someone on our street usually starts it and then I have to scramble last minute to find things to put in it, as well as a Boo bag. This year I am ahead of the game!

This is going to be the Boo bag we give this year. I have got to find a few things to place inside, still, but at least part of the job is done. I sort of used the Weekly Inkling from this past week as an inspiration, but I didn't use the directions or anything, just the picture. I do *plan* to go back and read the directions, though, I just had my ideas and decided to get those to paper.


In other news, I was tagged in a name game. Unfortunately, I cannot answer some of these because the questions don't pertain to me. So, here goes...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) - *no pet* Sienna
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Mint Chocolate ChipX2
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) *taking liberties with this one* E-Shac
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Yellow Koala
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - ShaEl
6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) Green the Water
7. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- Thomas Jose (although, my Grandfathers both went by their middle names!)
8. STRIPPER NAME : ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) *no favorite perfume* M&Ms
9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Natalie Joe (my mom and dad both go by their middle names, too!)

I am sure that there are lots of people out there who've already played this game, so instead of tagging someone, why don't you tell me what one of your new names might be.
I hope you have a wonderful day!

bag info: images and alpha set by A Muse, paper by Bazzill and my scrap supply, ribbon by May Arts & American Crafts, brads by Making Memories, googly eyes, Sakura stardust pen, bag from Angela's Happy Stamper - I recycled!

Unmentionable Inspiration

Can anyone guess where the inspiration for this card came from? Anyone at all? Would you believe, a pair of underwear? Seriously! I was at Gymboree the other day and there were some shelves of underwear piled up and this is what I saw. I thought it would make a cute and super simple Halloween card. Of course, the A Muse witch is so much cuter than the one on the underwear ;) I changed the colors to a more subdued orange and added yellow so that it would compliment the ribbon that I had (it is so beautiful but I have no idea who makes it!). I think it is truly an adorable card, not spooky, just fun. I am starting to get into the Halloween-fun mood, so I will be pulling out those images and working on some more fun things to share!

card info: image and sentiment by A Muse, paper by Die Cuts with a View and my supply, scallop scissors, ribbon ?, Prismacolor marker-sunburst yellow, Copic marker-baby skin pink, Signo silver pen.

Mid-September and no more dandelions

Today felt like fall here in Virginia. It was breezy, very sunny and cool - perfect! My husband is currently enjoying "Guytown" here, too. He has some wonderful friends who come from Boston each September to play in a charity golf tournament. They used to stay with us, but I think after the third child came, it was too crazy to try to sleep here. It is so much fun for David to have these friends (since kindergarten!) come and spend a little time with us. Plus, he plans the menu for the weekend and all they do is golf and watch football and drink beer. This year there is the added bonus of the Red Sox/Yankees series. Since it is "Guytown" I took a little time for me this evening and got some stamping done (I will share some of this next week). This is actually a card I made a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to posting. I sent it to my aunt who I thought could use a little pick-me-up. I think she liked it ;) I hope all of you have a dandy-lion of a day!

card info: images, papers, sentiment by A Muse, ribbon by May Arts, Prismacolor markers-sunburst yellow and cinnamon toast.

For a sweet girl

This is a gift card holder I made for a young lady recently. She is the daughter of a friend and she helped me out by watching my two little ones at our Fantasy Football League draft a few weeks ago. (Yes, I like football, watch it, keep up with it, and I have an FFL team. We are three wives of other FFL team owners and we are called the Merry Widows - as in football widows and the lingerie.) She didn't have to do it but was such a big help during the draft, holding my little Clare and playing with her. Her parents said I didn't need to give her money for it, but I wanted to do something special just for her. I have never tried this particular method of gift card holder before and it was a bit tricky; I saw things that I would change for next time. But, it was a satisfactory card in the end. Here is a peek at the sliding part where the gift card was attached.

I am going to be adding some cards to the World Card Making Day website, under "SHARE", soon. I hope you will join in the fun by sharing some of your handmade cards, too!

card info: notecard, images and sentiment by A Muse, ribbon by Strano Designs, brads from my supply, MM slit punch tool, scallop rectangle punch, Diamond Glaze, Prismacolor markers - sunburst yellow, deco yellow, limepeel, cool grey 20%, sand, walnut, cinnamon toast, pink, deco pink, raspberry, mocha light.

Cards for a Cause

In conjunction with World Card Making Day (WCMD), A Muse is sponsoring a great program called Cards for a Cause. Some of you have probably read about this wonderful opportunity on Linda's blog. There is a fun contest planned that runs through October 31 that involves PRIZES! Anyone can participate; it is not just for A Muse Addicts. There are also card kits available to purchase, with a portion of the money being donated to St. Jude's Research Hospital (see below for what each kit contains). The kits are available for purchase on Linda's blog, too. So, not only do you get to stamp and have fun, you help a worthy cause and put smiles on the faces of many children. I do hope that you are able to participate in some way! Keep watching here for more WCMD fun in the next few weeks!!!

Beaded Pen

I made two more pens for my kids to take to their teachers last week. I made these a little more thoughtfully than the first pen I made. I sort of followed a tutorial I had found on Splitcoast Stampers, see it here. I changed a few things, though. I didn't have any of the shipping labels, nor did I heat any adhesive, mostly because I was running short on time. I don't know what the heating does to the adhesive, either, so whether or not it is crucial, I cannot tell. So what I am going to do is show you the method to my madness in creating a beaded pen.

This is the template I made. The measurement of 3 1/8" is wrong. It should read 3 1/4".

I traced the template twice on a piece of plain paper (not cardstock), then stamped my sentiment in the center, horizontally.


I masked the sentiment and stamped the tiny apple all over.


I removed the mask and stamped the lacy scallop oval on top of the sentiment. Then I colored in all of the apples.


For this next part, refer to the tutorial linked above. I applied the red line tape adhesive to the stamped paper and adhered that to the pen, rolling as smoothly as possible. I then cut a piece of Art Accentz double sided tape (it comes in sheets) and adhered it to the top of the pen carefully. The tricky part is remembering to remove the backing before you secure the end piece all the way.


Roll your pen in clear glass micro beads. I have a small plastic tray that I spread out the beads in that fit the pen perfectly.



Here is the finished pen, complete with ribbon. The teachers loved their special pens, too! ***I do want to add this tidbit: Many people place their pen tops on the ends of the pens when writing with the pen. If you want to do this, CAREFULLY measure your paper so that you leave some space to do this. I did not do that on the first pen I made and it bothered me a little that I couldn't push the top onto the bottom at all. For these pens, I made sure that there was a little space to do so.***


images by A Muse, red line tape, Art Accentz double sided tape sheets, RSVP pen by Pentel, ribbon by May Arts, micro glass beads, Prismacolor markers - leaf green and crimson red.

So, I went to Hallmark!

I don't frequent the card stores because I make my own, but my kids like those Webkinz stuffed animals and like to take a look at the shelves of stuffed fluff at the Hallmark store. Anyway, I went into on the other day and found a bunch of these on summer clearance:

Guess how much I paid??? $1.00 a piece! I am going to keep my ribbons in these. This one has my A Muse ribbons and my most often used May Arts ribbons. I love that it has an easy to hold/carry/pick up handle. The fact that these are not glass (i.e. breakable) helps me tremendously. I was able to get five of these buckets and I am so happy :) However, my darling two year old likes to get into my little closet and play. I think that thees will prove to be a lot of fun for her, too!

Two down, two to go

Here are my kiddos in their "first day of school" glory. Joey looks like he belongs on a bus up in New England instead of the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with all his Red Sox (including his backpack!) and Patriots paraphernalia, doesn't he?


I have two in school ALL DAY now and two still at home with me. So, I have gobs of free time, right? Nope. Yesterday I spent the day catching up on cleaning, ironing and mowing the grass. Today has been a little more relaxed, but I have waited for a service technician all morning, who showed up an hour late, only to tell me that he couldn't do the work! Horrible luck. However, I can finally share a card I made for my sister up in MA. She is undergoing her cancer treatments at the moment, so my siblings and I decided to send her a "treat." This is the card that went along with it.
I used the sentiment from the "animal wishes" clear stamps set to make the wordy background. I really like this and will probably do it again for some holiday stamps...so many possibilities! Here is a better look at the tag...



I hope to blog on a more regular basis, now that I am sticking to a bus stop schedule! I have something else to share soon - someone asked about the beaded pen and a tutorial. Since I basically followed someone else's tutorial, I'll provide that info.

card info: image, sentiment, Pretty Little Paper and ribbon by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, ribbon slot tool and tag rim by Making Memories, pop dots, Prismacolor markers - ballet pink, crimson red, COPIC - baby skin pink, white gel pen.