A*Muse*A*Palooza Review

I thought I'd share my projects that were featured last week on the AMN blog. Enjoy!

This was one of the A Muse Seattle store make and takes last week.

This one is holding a small bag with peppermint sticks. Fun!

This is a great way to use up scraps in your stash.

This was another card make and take at the Seattle store. It is hard to see, but there is falling "snow" (glitter) in the background.

The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet *amuse-bouche*

Ever seen the Pixar movie "Ratatouille"? My kids and I watched it the other night during a rain storm. All those rats hunting for food kinda made me squirm a bit (well, a lot, really). The two parts of the movie that are the most squirmy are when all the rats are together moving as a huge pack. It didn't bother my kids one bit, though. I guess that is good, right?

Well, the movie inspired this card...



It has been a while since I've used the classic window, but I thought it would be a great perch for two mice or rats on Halloween night, checking out all the treats. While it is cute on a card, it is not a scene I want re-created in my own home .

I hope you've had fun checking out all of the amuse-bouche this past week; it has been fun sharing. I've not had a chance to play with all of the stamps yet, so there may be more cards and projects popping up now and then in the next couple of weeks. Have a great weekend!

Happy Holidays *amuse-bouche*

Hello all! I've got another busy day here, but wanted to share a card made with the Holly and Berries cling set. The stamp is a little larger than I am used to using but it makes cards really fast! For this one, a more clean/graphic style card (hey, this could be for the Moxie Fab World clean & graphic card challenge!), I embossed the holly in white and added red twinkle stickers for small berries. The cardinal image was cut and mounted on foam adhesive. It was a pretty quick card, even with the embossing.

I'll have something else tomorrow, the last day for A*Muse*A*Palooza, so I hope you'll stop by then :)

More Sweetness

I know these are not new images for today's theme, but I had this card made and wanted to share. I'm still stuck on the french roast, swiss red and white color combination. I made is super simple only adding glitter for color. It is nice to have images that can be left alone like this! I'll have more tomorrow :)

What Could Be Sweeter? *amuse-bouche*

If you have been reading my blog for at least six months, you know that around Christmas, I get a little crazy with my baking and host a Cookie Party for family, friends and neighbors. Last year, the party had to be postponed because of snow, but a week later we feasted on cookies, cookies and more cookies. It is something I look forward to doing all year.

Well, you can imagine that I was doing a bit of a happy dance when I saw some of the new A*Muse*A*Palooza stamps were all about the sweets! Gingerbread delights and sugar plum treats - be still my heart. I began to think that I could use these for invitations for this year's party. After browsing some sketch blogs, I found an idea on Moxie Fab World - Finding Inspiration in a Layout. I played around with it a bit and here is what I did:



I pulled up the mini calendar that Linda shared on the AMN blog a while back and decreased the size a little. It will be great to just circle the date right on there! The rest is easy to see, just a simple pocket card.

I've got lots of ideas for this set, so I'll have more to share with you sometime after AMAP is over. Tomorrow, though, is something else *new* so see you then!

Merry Tag *amuse-bouche*

After so many hot days around here, it was nice to cool off thinking about Christmas! I used the brand new Santa to make a small card (under 3") to use as a gift note or tag. I added some white flock to the cuffs of his coat and pants, as well as his hat. I love this new jolly Santa - he makes me happy :)

Make sure to stop by the AMN blog again today and enter comments there for your chance to win some of the new goodies!

Gimme Some Skulls *amuse-bouche*

We're still talking Halloween today. I'm not quite ready for fall but it is just a matter of time before I see Halloween decor at the stores (I've already seen lots of Back-to-School stuff which is depressing since my kids have only been out of school for a little over two weeks!). Despite my hesitation to decorate for fall, I'm really excited for the stamps being shared today on the AMN blog (a couple of my creations on there today).

Today I'm sharing part of a stamp from a larger cling stamp that can be used to make invitations or large cards. I stamped the skull in lots of colors (inspired by the Tuesday Trigger on Moxie Fab World). Kinda bright, I know, but perfect for Dia de los Muertos! I decided to make them into a banner after my five year old saw the cut out skulls laying on my desk in a curved line and suggested making a, "you know, one of those banner things if you put some string on it." Gotta love my little artist :)

I pondered for a long time over the sentiment. I wasn't sure, so I went with the old stand-by, but there is bound to be something else better. Suggestions?

I'll have some more fun tomorrow!

Halloween Tag *amuse-bouche*

Welcome to A*Muse*A*Palooza week! It is always fun to have new stamps, but it is even more fun this week when there are games and prizes, too. :)




Today I'm sharing new things for Halloween. There is new onyx black paper and a small spiderweb. The spider is so tiny that the mini-est of black twinkle stickers fits on its body. I added some Spica glitter over the web for some sparkle. I always have the internal struggle about stamping spider webs in black because that is not the color of webs, but adding some sparkly goodness helps. This little tag measures slightly under 3" square; perfect to add to a bag of treats!

Have fun hopping around looking for more Halloween inspiration today!

Laden With Gifts

Who wouldn't want this girl to show up during the holidays? Not only is the scene idyllic, but the gifts! My kids would go bonkers over such big boxes. I decided to add a little dimension to the gifts. Here is a closer look:



I know that there is little time to ready blog posts when there are other amuse-bouche waiting to be devoured, so I'll leave it at that. Have a wonderful day!

Another Elegant Winter Card

While I had fun with yesterday's card, today I put on my Martha and present to you a more refined and elegant card. Mind you, it is still very simple and easy! I pulled out some silver cardstock and some silver pigment ink for this card. It was good to dust off the metallic things I have laying around, you know?

This stamp is very versatile because the berries come mounted on the side of the stamp, so you can place berries wherever you want, if you want berries, that is. Omit them, too. It is up to you! Also, since the leaves are open, you could color it any color you wish. I opted to use the clear Spica glitter pen on the leaves for a very subtle sparkle.

If you are still craving A Muse inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the Creative Team. Everyone has had wonderful things to share. Please come back tomorrow for another amuse-bouche!

Winter Fun for Everyone (even Bears!)

Today's amuse-bouche features one of the new winter critters. This polar bear on the sled might be my favorite of the bunch because I love to go sledding, especially at night! If you love sledding and skiing, this release is sure to please!

I have been spending a lot of time lately with my colored pencils, trying to master techniques. I have seen many examples of white on kraft cardstock that I absolutely love (this one is a great example), so I decided to try it here. I think it worked out ok. I am so happy with the way this card turned out, it might become one of the cards I mass produce for this holiday season.

There should be much more inspiration out there, so have your fill. I'll be back tomorrow with more fun!

If You Haven't Been Lucky Enough...

to see the newest winter holiday images from A Muse for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA, you will be happy to know that today starts a whole new round of amuse-bouche! For those of you who have been to AP events at your LSS, here is just a bit more inspiration for you.

Today, something for nature lovers:



On to the new stuff! How great is this wood grain paper? When it came in the mail I'm sure that I let out a loud whoop. It is on natural cardstock, so there is no worry of the inside being dark, which I love. The pine branch is open, unlike the pine branch in the Elegant Winter set, and it is a bit larger, as well, so it is perfect for coloring. There is one other tiny detail in the card that is new, too. Can you find it?

I'll be back tomorrow with another card for you. In the meantime, be sure to check out the other Muses on the Creative Team to get your fill!

Mini Elegance

Here is one last card idea for you using the Elegant Winter Card Kit from A Muse.

You might notice that the card is a square, yet the cards included in the kit are 4-bar size. Well, I cut this to be 3.5" square, so that the snowflakes, which are small, could take up most of the card. This mini card is really great for attaching to a gift. While I like tags for family presents, something for a teacher needs a card, too, and this works perfectly!

While this will be the last card using the Elegant Winter clear set, I will have some more A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA fun tomorrow, so please come back.

More Winter Elegance

Have you had time to take a gander at the Winter Elegance Kit? If you look here, you'll see the complete contents of the kit as well as a few peeks of cards you can make when you take an online class with Julie Ebersole as the instructor. Oh my, that Julie can be such a tease! I can't wait to see what she has made. In the meantime, I have another card to share with you.



I am always in need of thank you notes for the holiday time and this will be perfect to replicate so that I can have some on hand. I love this small pine cone, don't you? It s small, but not too tiny that it is difficult to color. I actually used it to practice with my colored pencils.

I'll have another card for you tomorrow!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA!!!!!!

I am so glad to finally have a little something to share with you. Today starts an abundance of stamping goodness that I will continue to share over the next week. Are you ready for the first amuse-bouche?

Today I am sharing a new image and sentiment from a special clear set kit that is just for A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA 2009. This cardinal is fairly big, so if you like to color, it is great. I decided not to color him. Instead, I paper pieced him and added just a bit of color onto the red paper. Really easy and quick!



Everything you see on this card is in the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA kit, even the ribbon and twinkle stickers. Isn't that great? I love card kits that have extra goodies included, don't you?

I'll have another card to share tomorrow, so please stop by. :)

A Slave to Laundry

Well, we're back from our big trip and I have been doing laundry at a furious pace. It was very hot and very dry in Arkansas, so I have had many loads to do.

With A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA kick-off less than two days, I'll have some fun new things to share with you very soon. Hope you're ready!

A Lost Week? Seems Like It.

The first full week of summer vacation has gone by quickly. My husband was gone for the better part of the week, so we kept really busy with friends, books and the pool. I even ventured into the city with my parents to go to the Navy Band concert at the Capitol. This band plays every Monday during the summer for free! It is a beautiful place to see a concert because you look toward the Washington Monument as the sun sets.



If you are local, I highly recommend going. There are other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that play there on other nights of the week, too, so you could potentially see a free concert every night of the week in D.C. Plus, you can't beat the scenery!




I am so behind with the stamping fun this week for the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA challenge! This week, the inspiration was the word "ribbon." I love using ribbon on a card, but I don't always use it. So, I decided I'd use two pieces of ribbon. And since this is all for fun, I thought it would be nice to have a "just because" type of card. Also, don't forget to enter the ribbon guessing game over on the AMN blog.

We are getting ready to head way down south for a big family reunion. If any of you are mothers, you know how much work goes into getting ready for a long trip with children. I-40, here we come!

card info: paper, strawberry, sentiment, sheer ribbon and grosgrain ribbon by A Muse, Copic markers: lipstick red, nile green and warm gray #2, Spica glitter pen, pop dots.

Challenging Day

Today was the first day of my kids' summer vacation. I promised them lots of pool time before we head out of town for a BIG family reunion, so you know what I'm up to next week.

I've been working on some fun things for the latest A Muse challenges: It's a Guy Thing and the AMAP "Square" challenge. I'm going to go ahead and share both today.




This one is for the square challenge. I've been wanting to stamp on felt for a long time but just never got around to looking at felt options at the craft store. I chose some adhesive backed felt for this. Unfortunately the color selection is very limited, but I do like this blue/pink/red combination, so I was in luck! I used A Muse dye ink for this and it seemed to dry ok. I was worried that a pigment ink would take too long to dry and smear.



This card actually fits into both challenge categories. The new petite gingham paper is perfect for the dress shirts; I was so pleased! I popped up the collar just a bit for added dimension. And then, I decided to make a squared sentiment around the shirt. Clear stamps are so great to use for this effect. It gives the clean, simple look that most guys like, don't you think? To be honest, I'm not sure that this is an original design. Last night I dreamed that I had seen it in a card gallery somewhere, but I have no idea where that might have been. So, if I adapted your design, I apologize.

I will try to add the details for these cards later; I promised my oldest daughter a trip to Target, so I'm off!

Summer Goodbyes

My big kids still have two and one half days left of school, but the summer has started in their heads. I think it begins when the initial desk cleaning begins and large amounts of paper come home. These things just can't wait until the last day of school! Plus, there have been field days, parties and productions. Soon, it will be time to say goodbye to school.



With so much going on, I've been unable to post here. But, today, a treat! I have a card that I am planning to send to a friend who has just left her job (another goodbye) in order to start a PhD. program. She loves water and boats, so I made up this little good luck/going away card for her.


By the way, a little ol' thing called A*Muse*A*Palooza started today! There will be some fun games and challenges (these have already started) leading up to the main event - unveiling some awesome new products! Less than 25 day away. Be sure to check out the fun right here!

card info: notecard, sailboat, sun, waves, senitment and paper by A Muse, Copic markers.

Sketch Challenge #2

Happy Friday to one and all. Last night I found a little time to stamp the second sketch challenge card. I am always in need of birthday cards, so I decided that I'd make one for a little girl. I am also always in need of using up the cute things I buy (sometimes without ever putting a dent in the amount of cute stuff!), so I chose some paper flowers, too. Pretty simple and straightforward, huh?

Have you had time to play along with some of the fun challenges and games? The Designer Match game is also going on this week. Have you figured out which card is mine? Hmmm..... Check out the A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA blog for more info.

card info: notecard, images, ribbon, twinkle stickers and sentiment by A Muse, Copic markers - pinkish white, sand, Prismacolor markers - jet black, grayed heather, white gel pen, superfine glitter, Prima paper flowers.