The Secret Ingredient is....

BLACKBERRY! (Sorry, I watched Iron Chef recently...)

This new notecard color is absolutely wonderful. It is a rich, deep purple that goes great with all of the new vintage images, as well as all of the older Halloween images. I haven't had much time to play around with color combinations yet, but I plan on it. I still wanted to showcase it a bit for you, so I made a super easy card to share.



I used white pigment ink right on the notecard and it came out great, although I did smudge it just a tad. Lined up the "BOO!" sentiment, and added a Martha Stewart punched spider. Guess what I did to the spider? I flocked him all over, except for the pincers, then popped him up off the card. S P O O K Y !

Tomorrow is the last day for amuse-bouche, then, Sept. 2, all the Halloween goodness you can stand will be available online! I have something fun to share on release day, so please come back!

Boris Made Me Do It!

Anyone out there have a sweet tooth? I have a hugemongous sweet tooth. My grandma used to have candy dishes all over her house, and I was always sneaking pieces of butterscotch or soft peppermints from the bowls. I guess you could say that she nurtured me in a very special way. She is also probably the reason behind this annual activity of mine. What can I say? It is genetic.

So, why all the goings on about sweets and what does Boris have to do with it? Check this out:

I didn't think I could manage a Halloween set of cards without including that stud-muffin scientist, Boris. Among the Muses, he is the man! So, this one is really for all of them *wink.* I think that this Boris really loves his candy corn. Look at his flasks and his hair! Do you think too much candy corn could turn a suave and debonair doctor into a mad scientist? Or should it be the other way around? If deprived of candy corn you go mad? I'm not sure, to tell you the truth.

Me? Well, I consume way too much candy corn every year. It is a sickness. I am weak. It is soooo goood! My idea of harvest salad is a mix of candy corn, m&ms and peanuts. Try it. You can thank me later.

Make sure to check out the A Muse News blog today for more sweet eye candy!

Vintage A Muse

While A Muse Artstamps is known for clean and simple designs, they can still manage a vintage look. This year, there are some really neat vintage-style Halloween images that can be used with distressed inks or in a clean and simple style. Today I am going to share a distressed card, but I'll have another clean and simple card soon!





I own a few distressing inks, but I don't usually pull those out to use. Very rarely. I've discovered that it just isn't in me. But, I think, in small doses, I can do it. Besides, this little witch just needed to be on more vintage-like paper. The new Paprika notecards are a beautiful muted orange, so the natural white cardstock really complements it well. I sponged the edges of the natural white, as well as the black gingham paper, for a more uniform look.

I know the bling is a little contradictory to the overall look of the card, but c'mon. New orange twinkle stickers. How could I not use those? I know you're with me on this one. Orange twinkle stickers! In three sizes! YAY!!!!!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more sweet treats for you!

Who's Ready for a Li'l Spook?

Hooray for some spooky fun! Halloween has become such a big holiday and A Muse does it right. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Who sends Halloween cards?" Well, I always send cards to nieces and nephews and family friends with kids and as these kids get older, the spookier the card, the better.

There are some fantastic new images, spooky and otherwise, that are perfect for kids' cards. The one below is one of my new favorites. It is a little bit spooky and just a bit cute, too. Take a look-see:



I love that I can mix this with older images to create a simple card. Plus, check out the notecard - slate! It is a nice dark grey, just what you need for Halloween, that you can stamp on with black ink and it doesn't disappear. Yipppeee! I'd say it can't get any better than that, but there is so much more still to share with you. Be sure to check the A Muse News blog for more inspiration, as well as the blogs for Creative Team members.

Still Summer Here

I know that many kids have already gone back to school, but we are still in summer mode here. We've got two weeks left! I've been wanting to do some "just for fun" stamping, so I checked the challenge forums over on SCS for a jump start. I really like the Clean and Simple (CAS) challenges, so I looked through the master list and found a few to try.

First up is CAS21 - Make it Sparkle. Well, who doesn't like some sparkle on her card? I've recently acquired the Mandy's World Mermaid girl. It was all Julie's fault (see this card). I absolutely loved it and tried a slightly different take on it.



I used glitter all over her tail and made some coconuts using brown glitter. Pretty easy, right? Well, there is some cutting involved, but not really that much. I think I'm going to tuck this one into my husband's suitcase before his next work related trip. *wink*

Next, I found a sketch challenge, CAS25. Now, this is a fantastic sketch. I had seen a card using it before on Krystie Lee's blog, and made a little sketch of it. Then, lo and behold, I found it as a challenge. So, I gave it some thought, and went with a new color combo (for me, at least). I actually had seen these colors on a little girl's outfit today while we took a hayride!



I'm not sure that I am 100% pleased with this, but there are some elements that I do like. And how about that vintage label punch? Oh, I am going to have fun with that one! This one is also covered in glitter, so it could be part of the CAS21 challenge, too.

And, finally, I found another sketch challenge. This was not in the CAS category, but I made it CAS, anyway. This card was also inspired by a fabulous Julie creation. I hadn't recently looked at the card, but had it floating around in my head since February. I didn't mean to, but I even used a similar color combination and the same sentiment. Thanks, Julie!



Well, that should tide you over for a few days. I'll be back soon! If you have any questions about these cards, leave a comment or send me an email.

I Could Really Go for One of These

It is finally hazy, hot and humid here outside the nation's Capitol! It seemed to take forever for us to get our regular summer weather and now it is just right. My grass is brown, my flowers are droopy and my hose caddy never gets re-wound because I am watering like crazy. I just came in from a hour of weeding my wildflower patch (funny how those weeds could care less about heat and drought) and thought, "Boy, I could go for some ice cream." Too bad for me, there is none in the house.

But, it reminded me that I had a card to share! The latest A Muse Lounge challenge is to ink up a stamp you own that has not yet been used. I recently purchased the Mandy's World ice cream girl and made a card with her the other night.



Looks good enough to eat! Which reminds me, I've got to get to the store to buy some ice cream ASAP!

card info: papaya notecard, ice cream girl, sentiment, orange notecard, orange asterix notecard by A Muse, colored pencils, quickie glue pen, glitter by The Art Institute.

The Grand Finale!

Yesterday I decided to share the football star card instead of a mini album page because I'd only be able to share one image with you. However, by waiting for today, I can share the rest of the pages with you because it is release day and you can see all of the stamps for yourself! If you don't know what I am talking about, look here.

On the the pages!



This is a little embellishment under a photo of my daughter and her very best preschool pal. They really had fun times together (that sentiment is on the school clear set).




Here is the chalkboard frame. I know that some of the other CT members used white ink for words on their chalkboards, but I wanted my own words on it, so I used a white colored pencil and I think the overall look is pretty good!




A photo with the teachers at the end of the year and a class performance photo. I used a couple of new stamps. Here are some close-ups:



That is a red twinkle sticker over the apple/heart.



And the crayons, minus one because it wouldn't fit.

Thanks for joining me down memory lane for amuse-bouche this week!

What Does the Future Hold?

I cannot honestly say that my son's future is in football. He has played flag football for two seasons, but I think that is as far as his interest in playing goes. He has a few friends that play full pads, make weight football, but it is a huge commitment for 9 year olds to make (and their families!).

He does, however, have a deep love for the game, so it could all change. If he were to ever play, here is a card I could give him for encouragement or as an "atta boy." It is simple and not at all frou-frou; just right for boys.



The inspiration for this card came from Ms. Julie, herself (this card). She is just a wonder - full of energy, enthusiasm, fun - kind of like a cheerleader for all of us on the CT for A Muse. The fact that she shares so much of her genius with the stamping world proves that she is generous, too. I hope she knows how much she is appreciated!

Don't forget to look for more ideas for this image on the A Muse News blog (a few more creations by me are on there today), as well as other members of the A Muse CT.

More From the Mini Album

Hi all! I hope you aren't sick of looking at the pages I did for my daughter's preschool mini album. I was so glad to get this thing done, that I cannot wait to show more of the page elements I made using stamps from the Back to School release. Here is another page from the book:



This is from her last day of school - the BIG performance. She was so excited to be standing next to her two best buddies and singing. Her face just was all smiles that day. I love that my kids love school. They'd better, because they have a long way to go!

You'll notice that I had her write her name for me up at the top of the page. Well, the blue lines are not from a piece of paper from a writing tablet, but it is a stamp! I love it! Here is a better look at it:



She does an ok job writing, considering she is a lefty in a right handed family. ;) Back tomorrow with some more. Just not sure what I'll share next. Who wants to see more from the album? Or would you like to see something *new*?

Let's Get Back to School

As promised, I have more of my daughter's preschool mini album to share. Today, I'm showing off a new sentiment from a brand new clear set called School Time. This one comes with lots of sentiments prefect for teacher cards, as well as a few images. One of the new sentiments is this "I *heart* school." It goes so well with this photo of my daughter running up to the school doors on her first day (one of my favorite pictures in this album).



What is really great about the sentiment is that it fits perfectly inside the smaller frame from the clear frame set. I did a little happy dance in my chair when I discovered this. Isn't that great? And what about that lined paper? Oh, my, I love it. I have lots of plans for that stuff.

I'll have another amuse-bouche for you tomorrow. Hope you'll stop by!

Want Fries with That Shake?

Is she not a fun gal? Oh, how I love her sassy yet cute look. This is a different collection of stamps, coming your way next week, called Mandy's World. The girl images are fun, fun, fun! My daughter picked out this one as her favorite. I'm not sure why, but I can't blame her. That coconut drink is a great little addition to her; I made it fuzzy with some fun flock. Like I said, fun!

And what about the sentiment? A Muse has THE BEST sentiments. THE BEST! I know all caps means I am yelling, but it is so true. Unique and versatile. Love it. (The awesomeness has reduced me to writing incomplete sentences)

I'll have more tomorrow, but, until then, check out the other members of the A Muse CT. I can't wait to see what they have made. Aloha!