What is Your Favorite?

I'm not sure which is my favorite yet. I really like the hippo and the sun. But, then again, Pirate girl is just so sassy! And the submarine, too. ACK! I can't decide.

I do know that I really like the snorkel boy. Having more boy images and/or themes is a good thing! I saw lots of great ideas for him yesterday and I know I'll see some more. This one is similar to many that I saw yesterday, even the color scheme.

Today, all the stamps and paper are available online. There is even a new water bottle on the A Muse Artstamps website; I *heart* it! And, if you stop by the A Muse News blog, enter the giveaway of 10 (!) stamps from this release!

card info: gingham orange, orange and cabana blue band paper, snorkel boy, crab, big dot bl and sentiment by A Muse.

Warm Hello

Good morning! I have a quick card to share with you; the final amuse-bouche for the Summer Fun release.

This sand dollar is a small image, so it is a great accent to add to many of the beach scene cards you might make. But I wanted to see if it could hold its own on a card. The result is a clean and simple card with lots of white space. My husband wasn't too sure about the more sophisticated lines of the punch being used with the casual look of the sand dollar. What do you think? I haven't done a monochromatic card in a long time, but was inspired to do so with a CAS challenge on Splitcoaststampers.

There are more samplings of amuse-bouche out there today. I hope you've found some fun and inspiration with this round of offerings, too. Stamps and paper (I almost forgot!) will be available online tomorrow right here.

Who's Hungry?

Good morning everyone! I am a little late with an amuse-bouche this morning, but I wanted to make sure that I gave you another treat before the day got busy.

There are some great new critters featured in the Summer Fun release this year. I think my favorite is the alligator. He has has such an impish grin on his face - watch out!



I kept thinking that he would make a fun, cheer-me-up card, so I stamped some poor, unsuspecting flamingoes waiting at the water's edge. Talk about amuse-bouche, huh? I got a "tee-hee" out of my husband, so I think that I could stamp "laughter is the best medicine" on the inside, too.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

Hang Ten *amuse-bouche* Style

On our second course of amuse-bouche, I'm serving up a surfboard. I love the images I see of various surfboards lined up in the sand, waiting for riders. It is really the ultimate in picture postcards. And the designs on some of those boards are serious art!

The stamp itself is such a cool image, with the waves curling on the board. Just to change things a bit, though, I stamped the outline of the board, reverse masked it, and stamped the mermaid over it. I had so many ideas to change up the surfboard, but the mermaid is one of my all-time favorite images. Who's ready for a ride?

Be sure to check around, there should be a feast for your eyes today!

Is it Sunny Where You Are Today?

We have had the most glorious two days here. Beautiful blue skies and warm sun. Just lovely. The weather inspired this card today. The sun, sentiment and PAPER are all new!!!! I am in love with this new gingham paper. And yes, it is paper, so you can cut it to whatever size you want. ACK! Isn't that great?



This is really a simple little card even though I cut out the clouds and sun. And I dressed it up just a bit with a clear yellow button and some ribbon, plus a bit of Spica pen for extra "ummph."

Check around the other A Muse Crew blogs for some other sneaks of new Summer Fun goodies!

Something FUN This Way Comes...

tomorrow! Check back, ok? :)

All Kinds of Crafty

I know I've been absent of late.

Life. 'Nuf said.

I've been busy with stamps but was slow to get things photographed. Today I'll share two things that I've done recently. And there will be more soon.

First, I needed some thank you notes to send but was laking ideas. Then, inspiration hits when the A Muse Newsletter (don't get it? Sign up here) arrived in my inbox last week. Heather created a beautiful card using the *new* Kokeshi doll. I borrowed significantly from her card to make these two cards.



Second, I've been reading some sewing/craft blogs lately and saw some ideas (see Lollychops and Martha Stewart) using small images and some "Wonder Under" to make iron-ons for a shirt. I used parts of the Cupcake Clear set to make this shirt for my daughter.




It is pretty cute, no? I actually made two shirts, one for each of my two big girls.

So, just one more thing before I go. Last night I finally got to experience something my husband LOVES to do, but had never asked me to do with him. I experienced this. Pretty awesome for a man pushing 60!

Time for a Shameless Plug

This in not craft related, but something very important to me. On June 6, my family and I are planning to participate in the Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. This is the first year that I have actually participated, but I have been donating to this cause for the last 7 years. This year my parents, siblings and I decided to form a team and walk in honor of my sister, Laura, who died last October from breast cancer.

Last August, Laura had told me that she wanted to participate in one of the walks in Boston with her family. Luckily, there was one in early September and they were able to go. She had to be pushed in her wheelchair most of the way, but she managed to walk the last little bit, across the finish line. Seeing a video of her doing this was very emotional for me and it made me all the more determined to do it, too.

I know that times are tough for everyone these days, but I figured that I could just put this out there. I am looking for donations for the Komen Global Race for the Cure. I have a participant's page, and if you'd be willing to make a donation, it would be greatly appreciated.

On a crafty note, I will have more to share soon! But to tide you over, here is a card that was shared on the A Muse News blog yesterday, featuring the. Today is your last chance to get this set for free; check it out!

Quick Teacher Thank You Box

This past Sunday was the last day for Sunday School for my kids. I made up a little gift box with some mini chocolate bars for my son's teacher. The bible from the Church Mice set by The Saltbox Studio was perfect when paired with the sentiment from the Saltbox Greetings set. I used these directions from SCS.

I am under the gun here, getting ready for my in-laws visit this weekend (for my daughter's First Communion). Translation: I'm re-cleaning the messes that I cleaned up two days ago.

Time to Celebrate

This month, A Muse Artstamps turns 8! I made this card to celebrate 8 great years of rubber with 8 great sentiments. There will be lots of celebrating over on the A Muse News blog for the next couple of weeks, so stop by often to see what kind of fun they've got planned. I'm pretty sure it will involve some giveaways, so spread the word :)