A Muse News

It's Sneak Peek Time Again!

 
How stinkin' fun is this card?!  Julie sure put the new milkshake stamp to super-cute use on this one!  I really like all the little details and textures she included: the red and white striped straws, textured polka-dot background, and can't forget the Sheer French Roast Ribbon that just screams "chocolate!"  And ... did you notice the new 4-bar notecard in Swiss Red!?  I just love 'em - can't get enough!

Over the next few days I'll be sharing even more sneak peeks - you won't want to miss 'em!  The new stamps have already started arriving in your local stamp stores and will be available at www.amuseartstamps.com on January 7th!

Shop News: 12/9

Holiday Open House

We have been having so much fun making crafty things for the holidays. We'd like to share them with you!  This Saturday (December 13th), we will be hosting a Holiday Open House at the A Muse Retail store between noon and 4pm.  Our retail store is located at 7107 Greenwood Ave. N in Seattle.

I hope you will join us to make FOUR fabulous Last-Minute-Holiday-Projects and help us to collect food for the Northwest Harvest Food Bank.  Come play with us - and you'll receive 10% off your purchases.
Admission: a non-perishable food donation or $5.

Here is one of the projects that we'll be making.  I got this idea from Stephanie at the Paper Garden Boutique. 

   

We'll also be making an ornament, a gift tag and a gift card holder.  So fun!

Can't make it on Saturday?  We'll be making two of the projects on Wednesday between 11:30am and 1:30pm.

As always, children are most welcome to participate with the supervision of an adult.

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More Holiday Gift Tag ideas

As promised, here are a few more photos from our Holiday Tag class. This tag uses the Marvy Giga Star Punch.  I folded a sheet of A Muse Vintage Red cardstock and punched out several stars from one sheet.  The trick is to note push the folded edge of the cardstock all the way into one of the points of the star.  I like to do this with almost all of my punches.

 

These sweet litte tags were all made from A Muse 4-bar notecards - you can make two tags from one notecard.

 

This acordian tag was a favorite from the class.  You can't see the snow we added with the Signo white gel pen.   This tag was made from an A Muse square notecard.  I cut the notecard in half lengthwise (2 1/8" x 8 1/2") and then added score lines 2 1/8" from the edges.  Fast and easy!

 

Merry Christmas Banner

This has been my "banner" year! LOL!  You may recall, I made this banner for Makenna, and one for Annabelle (scroll down in the same link as Makenna's) and one for Michelle.  Naturally, I couldn't resist making one for holidays.  This one says Merry Christmas and was created using a new XLarge version of the A Muse polka dot alphabet.  We are still trying to figure out how to package this fun alphabet but you'll be hearing more about it soon because I *love* it!

Here's a picture of the whole banner.  I used Grass, Red & Pink Kitchen cardstock for the flags. 

 

Here's a close-up photo where you can see the snowflake embellishments at the top of each flag.  I used an EK Success snowflake punch (we have a few different ones at the shop) and a LOT of clear twinkle stickers.  To divide the Merry and Christmas, I made a blank flag that I embellished with the Marvy Snowflake Punches and more bling!

 

Ornament/Place Card
Oh yes, here's another fun thing to make - a wreath ornament.  To make this, you will need a 1.75" circle punch and the Marvy Giga Scallop Circle punch.  First punch the 1.75" circle punch and then use the Giga Scallop circle punch to "frame" the smaller circle.  I added some A Muse Red Dots twinkle stickers and a bow made from A Muse Sheer Swiss Red Ribbon.  This was a super easy project and would make a nice table decoration.  Instead of Merry Christmas, you could write the name of your dinner guests and you will have a beautiful place card!

 

So tell me, what are YOU making this holiday season?  Are your cards started or finished yet?

Baking Sneak Peek

Today's sneaky peek is from A Muse's new Baking set!  Wouldn't a card like Erika's be absolutely adorable hanging from a bag of homemade holiday goodies (or goodies ANY time of year for that matter)?!

Only one more day!  Available online tomorrow - November 3rd!

 

Cupcake Sneak Peek

Another Cupcake sneak today!  This is such a bright, colorful, fun card!  And I LOVE how Tisha used Twinkle Stickers for sprinkles - such a cute idea! 

I know you're excited to get your hands on these stamps and it's not long now!  They've already shipped to your local stores and will be available online November 3rd!

Baking Set Sneak Peek

I knew you guys were gonna' love Cupcake Builders, but I've got something equally cute to show you today!  Images from A Muse's new Baking Set!  Is this adorable or what!?   And the perfect addition to any holiday food packaging you might be planning!

And ... Happy Halloween!

How about a Sneak Peek?

Boy do we have some cute stuff coming your way - that's right!  It's sneak peek time again!  Over the next few days I'll be sharing peeks at images from two new clear stamp sets ... first up today is a card made with the new Cupcake Builders set!

As you might guess from the name, you'll be able to "build" the perfect cupcake from the bottom up with these stamps!

Cupcake Builders will be showing up in your local shops soon and will be available on the A Muse website at midnight on November 3rd.

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek!

Operation Hero Mail Now Available

I am so thrilled to announce the availability of Operation Hero Mail!  This program has been under development since February so it's great to finally be able to share it with you!  These ideas strike us at the most bizarre times!  We were sitting at a coffee shop (doesn't happen very often!) waiting for a press check when the idea for Hero Mail took shape.  We are really excited about this program and hope that you will be too!

First, I must give a shout out to A Muse illustrators (Nina, Margarete & Beth) for a GREAT job on the stamps and notes that are part of this project and also for DONATING their time and talent so that we are able to offer these Hero Mail kits at a great price *and* donate $ to our partner, Operation Troop Aid to help with their efforts in sending care packages to our troops overseas! 

A Muse has created TWO Hero Mail Kits -- one for individuals and one for groups.  Each Kit includes the Hero Mail Clear Stamp Set:
(sorry for the fuzzy image... will fix tomorrow)

 

Hero Mail Individual Kit

The Hero Mail Individual Kit costs $25.  With your purchase of an Individual Kit, A Muse will donate $5 to Operation Troop Aid. You may purchase the Hero Mail individual Kit here.

Hero Mail Group Kit

The cost to purchase a Hero Mail Group Kit is $39.  This kit is great for getting together with friends, classrooms, service organizations such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc.  A Muse will donate $5 to Operation Troop Aid for every Hero Mail Group Kit sold. Click here to purchase.

More purchase options

Everyone likes options, right?  So, we've made all the individual Kit components available to purchase separately.  You will find them on our website here.

We've heard lots of great comments about the Hero mail notecards (Red stars, Blue stars & Green Camo).  We agree, they are lots of fun, however, you should be aware that on the back of each notecard you will find a Hand stamped by box, like the one on our Green Camo Card.

What to do with your Hero Mail cards?
A Muse has partnered with Operation Troop Aid to ensure that the Hero Mail cards you create will be included in care packages sent to US Troops around the world.  Each kit includes an envelope addressed to Operation Troop Aid along with an instruction sheet with things you should know about sending cards to troops. 

Of course, you are welcome to send your cards to other organizations too. 

I Invite you to visit the Operation Hero Mail website for more information and some great card ideas by the A Muse Creative Team.

Honoring YOUR heroes!

While these Hero Mail products were designed to create cards to send to our US Military Heroes, I think they are great for honoring the Heroes that impact our everyday lives too!  I know that our Postman, Jim, deserves a special thank you for going out of his way every day to pick up loads of extra boxes for us!!

 

Operation Hero Mail Sneak Peek!

Our next Hero Mail sneak peek is this design by Michelle Clark!  Along with our new Hero Mail clear stamp set, we are releasing three new 4-bar notecard designs:  Green Camo, Star Red, and Star Blue.  Here Michelle cut a strip from a Green Camo notecard and paired it with French Roast for a fun twist!  And she used one of my favorite clear stamps from the Fancy Borders set to make the road!  Be sure to check back tomorrow for another sneak peek!

Operation Hero Mail Sneak Peek

Welcome! 

Here's another sneak peek from our Hero Mail stamp set, created by Elena.  I *love* her clever "dog tags" idea. 

How can you get involved?

A Muse has created several HERO Mail Card-making Kits to make it easy to create and contribute cards to the Operation Hero Mail program. There will be two card kits available:

• Individual Kit, with supplies to make 12 cards
• Group Kit with supplies to make 30 cards

Hero Mail Kits will be for sale on Monday, Oct. 13th on the A Muse website.  (You will find them in the A Muse Favorites section, in the Kits category).

These kits would make for a fun evening of stamping with friends, or perhaps a project for your son or daughter's class or youth group.  I plan to spend an afternoon at a local Senior Center making Hero Mail cards.  All Hero Mail cards sent to Operation Troop Aid will be included in care packages sent overseas.   

Stay tuned for another sneak peek tomorrow! 

Announcing Operation Hero Mail!

We are excited to introduce Operation Hero Mail!

As we all know, many US military personnel are currently overseas serving our country. These brave men and women miss home terribly. For many, a letter from home means the difference between hope and despair.  Correspondence from home is the MOST requested item from most military personnel.  Sadly, many of those stationed overseas never receive regular correspondence from home. 

A Muse has teamed up with Operation Troop Aid to put a handmade card of appreciation in the hands of as many deployed military men and women as possible. The mission of Operation Troop Aid is to make a positive difference and inspire deployed U.S. service members by letting them know America stands with them.

We have created several card-making kits that make it easy to create and contribute cards to this program.  We’ll post the details tomorrow, so please stay tuned!    

Sneak Peek - Trees 2

At first glance you may be thinkin' - "Huh?  Where's the Trees 2 sneak?!"  But wait ... see the clouds Becky added over Seattle girl?  They're the "leaves" from one of the trees in the Trees 2 set!   Not only are these sets great in their own right, but I bet you'll be able to come up with lots of clever "out of the box" ways to use the images too!

If you haven't already - mark your calendar!  Tomorrow is the day! 

 
 

Sneak Peek - Trees 2

Don't you love the colors on this card? They're so bright and happy!  But my favorite bit is Julie's clever use of the Big Dot bl stamp, along with a tree from Trees 2!  How stinkin' clever is that?  Perfect!

Only a few more days before Trees 1 & 2 are available!  And - I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak! 

Sneak Peek - Trees 1

Have a cosy Christmas, indeed! Novell used an image from Trees 1 to create this fabulous winter scene!  Makes me chilly just looking at it!

Trees 1 and Trees 2 should be showing up in your local shops any day now (if they aren't already there!) and will be available online, through the A Muse website, September 22nd!

Sneak Peek - Trees 1

Today's sneak peek was made by Tisha!  She used one of the trees and a matching leaf stamp from Trees 1 - it's so easy peasy to stamp the leaves in a different color since it's a seperate stamp!  And ... because they're clear, perfect placement is a breeze!  (I also love that she added tiny bird!  An adorable touch, don't you think?)

See you tomorrow!

 

Sneak Peeks are Here Again!

I bet you weren't expecting a sneak peek today, were you?!  *laugh* 

Over the next week, I'll be sharing sneak peeks from two new clear stamp sets: Trees 1 and Trees 2!  A fantastic group of mix and match images (that also work smashingly with the entire A Muse line)!  These stamps are on their way to your local shop now - and will be available online September 22nd!

I made this card with Trees 2; paper piecing the leafy bits for a bit of fall color!      

Be sure to check out the blogs of the A Muse team today for even more sneaks!  I'll be back here tomorrow with another!

-Heather

We're mooooooving!

Later this month, we will be moving 14 blocks south into a newly remodeled building!  We are very excited to move to higher and drier ground... especially with the rainy season fast approaching!  Nina created a fun display for our current shop window.  I love the polka-dot moving van and that looks like Cindy in the driver's seat!

Our new building is still under construction, however, big changes are happening every day and we plan to move at the end of September.  Actually, we HAVE to move at the end of September because our lease is up at the end of the month.  My husband is confident that we are still on track but I foresee a LOT of late nights in the coming days.

Here is a photo of the exterior of our new location... this was taken early last week.  I'll  admit, it doesn't look all that great at this stage.

The masonry was completed last Friday and it really looks great.  I'll post an updated photo soon so you can see what I mean.

It's been fun to listen to passersby speculate on what type of business will be moving in.  It seems everyone in the neighborhood has an opinion as to what type of business they'd like to see.  Surprisingly nobody has mentioned a rubber stamp store! 

I asked Nina to create a sign for us to put in the window to end the speculation.  It's a little difficult to read because we have protective plastic over the windows.   The "stroller" crowd seems pleased that we will be moving in. :)

We do expect to be closed for a few days towards the end of the month as a result of our move. We will keep you posted on the details as we know more.  In the meantime, be sure to note our new address:

A Muse
7107 Greenwood Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103

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I also have a few cards to share with you today!  I just got back from a fabulous trip to Sacramento to visit my good friend, Stephanie, owner of The Paper Garden Boutique.  She was celebrating her store's 2nd anniversary and it was fun to be there for such an exciting day.  I took my two youngest daughters with me and they LOVED it.  The Paper Garden Boutique is a treasure trove of fabulous things!

Here are a few of the cards that I taught on Friday evening.  Are you getting in the mood for Halloween yet?  I sure am!  Especially now that all the stores have their shelves stocked with Halloween CANDY! 

This pink and black crow card was a lot of fun to put together. 

We had fun practicing with a stamp positioner to get all of the images in the right spot on this card.  You can't see it in this photo but the chandelier is colored in with a Silver Spica glitter pen.  It is super sparkly!

I just *love* Bernice!  She looks right at home with this Halloween color combo.  We stamped her on extra thich vellum in Brilliance Graphite black ink.  Since Brilliance takes a while to dry, we colored the image from the back side.  You can attach white vellum to white cardstock with a regular glue stick and the glue won't show.  Or, vellum glue dots also do the trick!

I hope you've enjoyed the sneak peek of our new building and my card creations. I have a few more cards to share later in the week.

Have a beautiful day!

   

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

The last of our sneak peeks features this adorable little devil from Missy's Halloween Set!  This clear set is perfect for cards AND scrapbooking!

I sure hope you've enjoyed a peek at our new Fall & Halloween images - be sure to check back later today for information about the brand new A Muse website!

-Heather

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

Ahoy mateys!  Today's sneak peek welcomes a new addition to A Muse's seafaring family, the appropriately named ... Pirate!  *laugh*  He pairs so well with so many A Muse images: like the treasure chest Michelle used for this card!

Only one more day until the Pirate (and the rest of the A Muse Halloween & Fall Release) is available!

-Heather

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

Today's sneak peek is for an image we've all been waiting for - a gal pal for Boris (who looks pretty happy about it too)!  Everyone ... meet Bernice!

Bernice and the rest of our Halloween/Fall Release will be available August 20th!

-Heather

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

Novell really got into the Halloween spirit with her sneak peak by dressing up a Lime Peel notecard in it's very own costume!  The new Skull & Bones stamp adds the perfect finishing touch to this little pirate's eye patch! 

These new images (and more) will be available on August 20th!

-Heather

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

Sneak peeks continue today with a look at an image from a new clear set named Leaves!   This is such a versatile set!  And what could be prettier to play with this time of year than a whole set of lovely leaves!? Adelina, one of the "Muses" as Julie would say, made this gorgeous birthday card ... what will you make?!

-Heather

Sneak Peek - Halloween/Fall Release

It's time!  Sneak peeks are here!  I'll be sharing sneak peeks with you - all week long - from our upcoming Halloween/Fall release!  These images (and more!) will be available on August 20th!

Our first sneak includes a bewitching little lady we call Sabrina!  (The crooked fence and "You're Bewitching" sentiment are also new!)  A Muse Creative Team member Melinda combined these three new images with the Tiny Cat to create a great card, showing off Sabrina's sassy style.

Also used for this card are Orange Crush Sheer Ribbon and a Vintage Orange 4-bar Notecard.

Stayed tuned all week for more sneak peeks!

-Heather

Oh Canada!

This is a fun card I made for all our Canadian friends!  The A Muse Crew would like to wish you all a very Happy Canada Day! 

I will be heading *home* next week to our cottage in Quebec.  Wahoo!  In my suitcase, I will be bringing a special treat for one of our Canadian blog readers!  So, if you live in Canada or have a stamping sister that does (with a Canadian address!) post a comment here about what you love most about Canada and you might be the recipient of my fun little stamping prize.    Comments will close at midnight Pacific time on July 2nd (because I know you'll be busy celebrating on the 1st, right?!)

Catching up

Happy weekend everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.  It was a busy week!  I took all three of my girls to get their hair cut. Their hair got quite damaged with all the lice treatment stuff.  Ugh!  Bella (as she now likes to call herself) got hers cut the shortest.  It's fabulous and she loves it too!

The other girls didn't want too much cut off due to bun requirements in the fall for ballet. 

It was Annabelle's birthday on Thursday.  She wanted to have a family picnic on her special day. The morning of her birthday it was very cold and grey.  So, she decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday on the ferry!  How fun!  We picked up some Thai food and took a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island.  We had a picnic on the ferry and then on the return trip, Bella opened her gifts.  The day ended with cake and ice cream back at our housee.

If you've been a fan of A Muse since the "early" days, you may have spoken to Jenae on the phone or exchanged emails with her.  She was originally a babysitter for my girls and then took over running the day-to-day operations for A Muse for nearly two years.  Jenae has not missed one of the girls' birthday dinners EVER!  She is so awesome and we love her!!

And, the best part of any birthday cake is licking the candles as they come off the cake!  Yum!

I did make a few cards this week.  Yay, me!  I just love the happy colors on this card. 

And, since the girls and I have been working in the garden, I was inspired to make a Gardening journal to keep track of the things we planted and the work we do.

Here's Makenna in front of the plants the girls chose and planted in front of our house.  We've had such a cold spring that we didn't feel like planting anything until this week! As you can see, our garden is mostly dirt! LOL!

I have more to post so come back soon.

Stamping Fun!

Here are a few cards I made a few nights ago "just because".  My mother will be so happy because I forced myself to use some of the scraps of paper she stached in a box for me before she left for home! 

I had to get creative when assembing these cards because we used up all of our adhesive making sample cards for the stores that are pariticpating in A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA.  I discovered that the Sakura Quickie glue pen will do in a pinch! We received our shipment of adhesives today - thank goodness!

I just love this first card.  It's my Zen design.  The tree is from the A Muse Sushi clear stamp set and believe it or not it was the first time I've used it! 

This next card is also very clean and crisp.  The owls are from the A Muse Nature clear stamp set and the branch (one of my faves!) is from the Stitched Garden set. You can't tell from the photo, I used the Sakura clear glaze pen on the owls' eyes to make them POP! I didn't include a sentiment because I am building up a stash of cards to keep on hand for those card emergencies!

This next card is a happy little thing!  Our Kitty stamp is one of my favorites!  In University, I had two orange tabby cats named.  They were my pals and I miss them.  The fence in this card is also from our Stitched Garden clear stamp set.  I colored the fence and the kitty with some fabulous colored pencils that I can't wait to share with you.  You are going to love them!  I've been using my COPIC markers so much lately that I had kinda forgotten about these gems.  More info soon.  Promise!

One last card for you tonight.  The A Muse Elephant and Baby is a classic A Muse stamp! I used this stamp for one of my daughter's birth announcements and they were so cute (if I do say so!)  There is no coloring and I don't think any is required.

Thanks for stopping by!

I have another card to share tomorrow for Elena's A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Out of the Box challenge.

Oh yes, one more thing.  Nina, our newsletter editor, is not feeling well today and her son is sick as well.  Our newsletter may be a little late this week.  We wish them both a speedy recovery.  It's no fun to feel crummy when the sun is shining!

Have a beautiful day!

Card break

I've been hard at work on a database for the past three hours (sounds like fun, eh?) and realized that I needed a thank you card for the girls' piano teacher, Keren, THIS afternoon.  Today is her last day with us because she is moving to St. Louis. 

Keren is not only a great piano teacher, she is also an amazing singer.  She sang for us at the girls' recent piano recital and I get goosebumps just remembering it. 

Of course, we don't have any piano stamps or singers so I decided our song bird would be just the ticket.  This card took me under five minutes to create and photograph.  Yessiree!  Think Simple.  Think A Muse!  Of course, not *all* my cards come together this fast but most do.

All products by A Muse.

Stamps: birdbath, songbird, micro oval

Paper: Chiffon Yellow 4-bar notes, PLP Spring Paisley, NS 303 Plum pink solid notes

Copic markers: W4 - warm gray no.4, B00 Frost blue, Y02 Canary Yellow

Stamping tip: To make the little bird standout on the Paisley paper, I stamped the first on the paisley and again on a Cabana blue notecard.  I then trimmed around the body of the bird - cutting off the legs and the beak.  I hate to cut out these fussy details.  LOL! Adhere the body over the stamped image on the patterned paper and voila! It completely covers the paisley and makes the bird really stand out!

Here's a pic of Keren & Hailey at the recital last month.

So tell me, do you play piano?  I studied for many years and actually taught piano lessons myself.  I tried teaching my girls but it was hard to keep to a schedule so we opted to pay for a teacher.  Do you have a need for a piano stamp?  Or perhaps a set of musical instruments? 

AP2008 Challenge #2

First let me say that I am really BAD at design/inspiration challenges.  I think the reason for this is that I am a very literal person - I look at something and try to emulate it too closely.  What works for someone else, despite how much I might love it, doesn't usually work for me. 

One of the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Challenges this week in Jenn's Eastcoast Inspiration Challenge.  The challenge is to create a card or project inspired by this Vera Bradley tote.

My first thought was to make a "purse" card.  See, I told you I'm a literal kinda gal! LOL!  I actually played around with this idea but wasn't happy with any of my creations.  I then decided to make a different sort of bag.  This is quite like the treat bags that our Designers & Instructors showcased for Valentine's Day using A Muse notecards.  This version is just a little bigger because I used on of our new Kitchen 8.5" x 11" papers. 

I'm planning to give this little bag to my niece filled with the Starbucks Pick of the Week cards I've been collecting for her.  {No, I don't visit Starbucks every week! Our Starbucks is nice and they lay out all the Picks they have.}  That is not real stitching... just used a pin to pierce the paper and connect the dots with my Triplus fineline markers.  It's not very straight - just like my stitching! 

The tag is one of my new favorite punches from the Martha Stewart line.  We have some in stock if you are interested.  It's called the MS Scallped Tag punch.  It's pretty tiny - the measurements are 1 1/8" length by 5/8" width.   

Here's a side view of the bag so you can see how deep it is.

All products by A Muse.

Stamps: Music Player, You Rock

Paper: Kitchen blueberry 8.5" x 11", Madeira Red and Swiss Red notecards

Copic markers: Robin's Egg blue (music player)

Other: A Muse Swiss Red Grosgrain stitch ribbon, Memento black ink, Marvy Mega Scallop square punch, MS Scallop Tag punch, Scor-Pal, Triplus Fineline markers.

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Warning: Heather's blog (onelittlespark.typepad.com) has been experiencing problems.  We have heard quite a few complaints that when you visit her blog it locks up your computer or worse!  Heather is out of town right now and won't likely be able to fix it until she returns.  I will let you know when the problem is resolved.

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Have a GREAT weekend!  We are expecting temps in the 70s - woohoo! (Seriously, it was 42F here on Monday!!)

Card CRaZy!

Wowie - even more cards from me this week! 

This first card was one that I created for Annabelle's swimming coach.  Annabelle has always enjoyed swimming but was not interested in improving her swimming abilities... until Caroline!  We are sad that she is leaving the pool where the girls take lessons.  There are a few teachers that we have in our lives that really make an impact on us... she is one that I'm sure Annabelle will always remember! 

Annabelle loves our mermaid stamp - especially with a glittery tail!  This card was the perfect thank you for Coach Caroline.

 

All products by A Muse.

Stamps: Mermaid, thank you mix MA

Paper: Natural white cardstock, Kitchen blue and green pattern paper

Copic markers: Sepia (hair), Begonia (flower & shells), Pinkish white (skin)

Other: Lime stickles, Cloud scallop scissors, Memento black ink, Colorbox Fluid chalk French blue (outline scallop oval), Marvy Mega Scallop oval punch.

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There are a LOT of June birthdays that I've been making cards for.  This card was inspired by our  A-MUSE-A-PALOZA logo! 

To create the green scallop border, I punched a bunch of 1" circles and glued them to the edge of the pink cardstock.  I started with the circle in the center. Then I placed the ones on the outer edge - being careful to align them to the edge of the pink.  Lastly, I plunked the other ones in between and voila! 

All products by or available from A Muse.

Stamps: Announcer, happy birthday is from Celebration Kids Clear Stamp Set

Paper: Surf, Lime peel and Popsicle Pink solid notes

Copic markers: Apricot, Canary yellow, Manganese blue, and Warm Grey No. 2

Ink: Memento black ink

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My girls finished school today.  Yahoo! I took this picture of them this morning before school - Makenna wasn't too happy about it.  I took the photo anyways because it's practically impossible to get them all smiling (without some serious bribery!)  The girls are all sporting braids in their hair as a lice prevention manoeuver.

Tomorrow we begin our summer learning program.  We stopped in at the library this afternoon and I picked up some great travel/learning dvds. And, the girls signed up for the Seattle Public Library Summer Reading Program. We've done this every summer since Hailey was in Kindergarten and they girls love it! 

My goal this summer is to teach them French.  We leave for our cottage in Quebec in less than a month. I hope they will be able to at least have some French basics.  Right now they only know "mommy's mad words" (words like lets go NOW, and sit down, stand up, go to bed).  They sound less harsh in French but they know I mean business when I haul out the French. LOL! 

I finally broke down and purchased a membership to Enchanted Learning and now I don't know why I didn't do it sooner! It's a wonderful resource.  I printed out all sorts of great workbooks for us to use.  It's only $20 for an annual membership and they have an amazing assortment of learning/teaching tools.  Great for summer activities! 

Have you been playing along with all of the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA fun this week?  There are two design challenges and a Ribbon jar contest (no skill required!) You must be registered to win prizes so be sure to do so.  The registration process looks like it will take you a while but there really are only a few *essential* questions.  We ask a lot of questions because your answer will help us to serve you better, however, they are completely optional.  We respect your privacy and will not share your responses with anyone for any reason. 

I will be back tomorrow with my take on Jenn's East Coast Vera Bradley Inspiration Challenge.  And, if I have time, I will work on Amy's AP Sketch challenge and post that too!

Have a beautiful day!

 

Card ideas at last!

It's been a while since I shared some card creations here - yikes!

I've been busy making cards the past few days for upcoming birthdays, teacher thank yous, Father's Day, Grads, etc.  I know I should probably keep a stash of cards handy for these occasions but I try to make the card to suit the recipient, kwim?  This is probably a sickness that I should look into. LOL! 

This first card is a Father's Day card that I made for my husband.  No worries - he NEVER reads my blog.  My DH has been *super* busy the past few months getting our new space ready to move into.  It has turned into a massive remodelling project - bigger than we expected anyways. It will all be worth it in the end and we are still hoping to move at the end of August. 

This card pretty much sums up the way my DH has spent his days of late.  The stamps used are all from our Mainly Men clear stamp set.  I *love* the versatility of this set and it is great for all the men in my life. 

   

Here is another card that uses our Mainly Men clear stamp set. I am really pleased with how it turned out.  I had originally planned to foam mount the shirt directly over the stamped shirt on the white circle.  When I laid it down for a moment to grab my adhesive, the circle skewed a little to one side and I was able to see a way to make it look like a stack of shirts rather than just one! Don't you love when things like this happen?!

I must have been on a blue card kick when I created these! <wink!>

All supplies by A Muse Artstamps. 

Stay tuned... I have a few more cards to share.

Re-Cap, Last Call, and What's Around the Corner!

My goodness, things have been a hoppin', eh?!

Just thought I'd issue a last call for our current giveaways, because, come Monday, the A Muse-a-Palooza countdown and more FUN begins on the A Muse-a-Palooza blog!  Be sure to REGISTER, so you can get in on all the FUN!

Be sure to enter the drawings of Guest Designer Dawn McVey --we showcased her work in 4 (four!) articles here on the blog and will be closing comments on Monday, to draw winners!  If you haven't yet, leave a comment (one only per article, please!) at each of our Dawn McVey articles, so you can be entered into the drawing for her favorite:  Eiffel Tower & Kitchen Pink 4 Bar Note Cards

Also, be sure to leave a comment on our fun Friday "Designer Swap" article, featuring Lisa Spangler of Hero Arts!  We'll be drawing winners of Lisa's A Muse Favorites, Wheely Girl and the Madiera Blue 4 Bar Note Cards, on Monday, too!

Monday!  Monday, June 2nd, marks the beginning of our A Muse-a-Palooza Countdown!  It's FUN!  It's FABULOUS!  We've been tinkering, planning, and scheming lots of FUN for ya'all, with silly contests, weekly drawings, challenges, and more! 

 

I'm ROTFLMBO because there's a LOT to look forward to this coming Monday morning-- Look out!  Julie's startin' to bounce!!! *chortling gleefully and rubbing hands together*

Casino Party!

As a fund-raiser for our school auction, a group of friends are hosting a Casino Party.  My job was to create the invitations.  This was harder than I originally anticipated.  A Muse doesn't have any "casino" type stamps so I went searching.  I was disappointed in the quality of the stamps available for this theme (hmmm... opportunity?) and could not bring myself to buy one.  My husband was incredulous!  Men just don't get it ,do they?  There was NO WAY I was going to buy a crummy stamp just for these invites. 

While shopping for toothpaste the next day, I walked down the office supply aisle of our drugstore ('cause this is my favorite aisle to visit!) and I found THE SOLUTION!  Mini playing cards!  I did a happy dance right there in the store.  The cards are so cute and are the perfect size for my project. Serendipity!

I love to make "pocket" cards for invitations.  A while back, I created templates in MS Publisher for A Muse 4-bar and square notecards so all I do is change the event details and presto! 

Making a pocket card from one of our 4-bar notes makes for a tight fit.  I punched a half circle at the top of the back panel to make it easier to get the invitation in and out.

One silly problem I encountered was that the adhesive would not lay down on the cards because of the plastic coating.  I simply applied the adhesive to the black cardstock.  I was hesitant to use my new scallop border punch (would it be too girly?) but I think it added the perfect finishing touch! 

Unfortunately, I won't be here for the actual party as I'll be visiting with Michelle for the Grand Opening of her store, Paper Tales in San Diego. 

Have a beautiful day!

Happy Anniversary to A Muse!

Today marks the *official* SEVENth Anniversary of A Muse!  It has been an amazing journey thus far... here are a few of my fondest memories:

1. Our first catalog mailing to stores... my daughter, Hailey, who was then 3 years old, helped me stuff the envelopes. 
2. Our first order - from Sandy at Monkey Love Rubber Stamps in Seattle - a fabulous shop in downtown Seattle!
3. Getting bin boxes to organize our stamps - Hallelujah! Boy did this change our lives!
4. Seeing our stamps in a local store for the first time - I almost cried!
5. Being the FIRST contracted advertisers with Splitcoast Stampers - A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA 2006 Ads
6. Our first Instructor training session back in November 2005 - good times! (See Jennifer's blog for a group photo)
7. Moving into our present distribution center and thinking that it was sooooo big (now we can hardly move and are looking forward to moving later in the summer)

I am GRATEFUL for:

1. An incredibly supportive husband and family - without them this would not be possible!
2. My mother who single-handedly mass produces all of the sample cards that we send to stores - she is truly amazing!
3. The wonderful stores that have supported us over the years with regular orders.
4. Our incredible team of designers and instructors for sharing their creative uses of our products
5. The fabulous A Muse Crew that provides the BEST customer service each and every day - 99% of our orders ship same day!
6. Our immensely talented illustrators - Nina, Beth, Margarete, Missy - they ROCK!
7. YOU!  Our customers.  Your support, suggestions and enthusiasm for our products keeps us in business and makes it the best JOB in the world!

THANK YOU!!!

Our Creative Team has created some very special cards in honor of our anniversary.  I am only sharing a snippit of their cards but if you click on the individual photos, you can pop on over to their blogs.  Be sure to come back though because I have a FUN anniversary contest for you below.

   

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FUN Contest

Let's CELEBRATE!!  Please share your comment for the A Muse CREW (including Designers, Illustrators, Instructors and the gals at our distribution center) here on this post and you may be one of SEVEN lucky winners.  Each winner will get to choose their prize:

1. A Muse wood-mounted stamp
2. A package of A Muse notes
3. 4 yards of A Muse ribbon (one color/style)
4. A package of A Muse Twinkle stickers
5. A package of A Muse Clear stickers
6. A package of A Muse assorted 8.5" x 11" papers
7. A jar of A Muse Simple Stick powder

You may post a comment through May 22nd at midnight.  I will post the names of the winners on Friday May 23rd.  Thank you for sharing this special time with us!

 

It's Ballet Recital time!

My youngest ballerina, Makenna, had her Petite Finale at the Pacific Northwest Ballet school last weekend.    Their dance was called Swan Lake and it was adorable!  At one point each of the girls was supposed to do a little twirl but one little girl wouldn't do her twirl.  All the other ballerinas waited and waited for her to twirl and at last, she did it (and the audience went wild!)  Yay! 

Here's Makenna with her teacher after the recital.

This beautiful card was designed by Jennifer and it is ingenius! It is PERFECT to give to a ballet teacher at the end of the year.   I *love* how Jen created a mirror for the ballerina.  I will definitely be making some of these cards for the girls' ballet teachers.  All stamps, papers & twinkle stickers by A Muse.

Hailey's end of year Ballet Performance will take place on June 17th at McCaw Hall.  It is so fun that these girls get to dance on a professional stage for their School Performance.  Tickets are availalbe to the general public at the PNB Ticket Office and is a great inspiration for budding ballerinas.

There are a few more PNB shows remaining in the 2007-2008 Season.  The next Rep is All Robbins and includes three ballets by Jerome Robbins.  We can't wait to see The Concert again.  We saw this at the Opening Gala in September and LOVED it.   The Dress Rehearsal for this Rep is on Wednesday, May 28th at 7pm.  Tickets are only $20!  Such a deal!!

The last performance of the season is 8 Encores.  It features EIGHT ballets from the 07-08 Season.  The line-up looks amazing and it's like seeing the whole season in one night.  It will also be the last PNB Performance for one of our absolute favorite PNB dancers - Noelani Pantastico.  She will be joining Les Ballets de Monte Carlo in the fall. 

So, if you are in Seattle, be sure to get your tickets soon!

A Muse Round up!

I just *love* to see what our customers do with our stamps!  I thought you might enjoy some of my favorites from this week.  Click on the photos to see the whole card and card designer's post.

Here are some inspiring ideas in PINK...

   

Rhonda, Katie, Amanda, Melissa

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And, here are some in GREEN and BLUE...

Kim, Aileen, Lee Anne, Tracy 

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And YELLOW, RED, PURPLE and PINK!

Lara, Joyce, Nancy & Lisa.

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Thanks ladies for sharing your creativity with A Muse products! 

Please leave them a little love on their posts - I know they would appreciate it!

ETA: If you would like to have one of your creations considered for a future A Muse Round-up, simply email me a link to your blog or gallery and I will be sure to check it out.  Please email me and be sure to include round-up {spelled as written for my email rules :) } in the subject line of your email. :)

Have a great weekend!

Field Trip

Yesterday, I accompanied Hailey's class on a field trip to the Washington State Museum of History, in Tacoma.  It is a great museum.  The kids were so well-behaved that I was proud to be a chaperone!  We learned a lot about the history of Washington (at least I did!). 

I made this quick card for Hailey's teacher to thank him for organizing the field trip.  You see, our school is somewhat anti-field trips because of the liability issues that go along with transporting students.  I'm sure he had to overcome a lot of hurdles to make it happen and I want him to know that we appreciate it!

While driving to the museum, I spotted a cafe that appeared to be from the 40s. I loved the colors of the building and it was the inspiration for this card.  It's hard to see from the photo but the border around the stamped image is our Kona brown.  It's a red-brown color, very 'organic' and one of my faves!  There was no room for chaperones to ride the bus.  Let me assure you that IF I had been on the bus there would have been singing! 

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for another installment of creative goodness from Dawn McVey, our Guest Designer for May!

For the boys

A long while ago, Emily created a card with the A Muse Penguin Pals sitting on our Many Thanks stamp.  I've always wanted to try this out with some of our other images.  Of course, we have lots of images that would work with this idea so it was hard to choose.  Imagine how fun the Duck family would look marching along on top of the word 'many' - so cute!

I decided to use our new Scout image.  He is part of our new May release and is one of Nina's favorite designs. Of course, I only have girls so I don't really know the current Boy Scout colors.  A loooong time ago, I was chosen to represent the Girl Guides of Canada at an international camp in Zimbabwe.  What an amazing experience that was!  Zimbabwe had just gained their independence two years earlier (1980) so naturally my parents were a *little* worried about me for the six weeks I was away.  The Zimbabwe Boy Scouts uniform at that time was all khaki colored.  In fact, I still have a shirt, scarf & hat from one of the boys (no funny business involved, let me assure you!) and it lives in our dress up box. 

 

I like that the letters can be colored in to coordinate with the rest of my card.

Have a great day!

Sneak Peek - Catchin' up!

I'm a little behind on showing you some sneak peeks of our new images that will be released May 1st.  My allergies have been making it difficult for me to spend any time on the computer because my eyes are so terribly swollen!  Ick! 

I have THREE little peaks for you today.  One of my all-time favorite stamps is the A Muse Tiny bird.  I am so happy that he will have a new friend to play with - our new Song bird! Song bird is featured in all three of my cards today. 

This first card, features Song bird and Egg Nest.  Both stamps are part of our May release.  I colored the stamped images on this card with my Koh-I-Noor colored pencils.  They are so smooooooooooth! 

The branch is from the Sushi clear set and the corner bracket is from the Circle Frames clear set which was released in April.   

My second card features Song bird and our new Bird house stamp.  This card was a snap to make using my handy dandy stamp positioner. The middle birdhouse is cut from white cardstock and foam mounted over top of a birdhouse stamped beneath.  This is a fun way to create visual interest on a simple card.

To create the sentiment, I used the A Muse Home Sweet Home stamp and masked off the 's' in the word sweet.  I then cleaned my stamp, inked only the t and stamped it in place with the help of my stamp positioner.  (I really do *love* this stamp positioner! LOL!)

And, my last Sneak Peek card for today features Song bird and our new Bird bath stamp.  I added a bit of clear glitter glue to the water to make it really sparkle.  Yes, our song bird has something to sing about!

We will also be introducing a collection of solid 4-bar notecards with our May release.  We call it the Chiffon collection and it includes 6 colors.  The colors are so soft and sweet... we almost called in the meringue collection!  mmmmm!  The cards above use the green, blue and yellow Chiffon notes, respectively.

Have a beautiful day!

Cards from VMAA #2

This is just a quick post to share the cards I made last night for the 2nd VMAA (www.amuseaddicts.com).

It was fun but challenging to get all of the cards made in the time allotted.  The one challenge that stumped both Novell and I was the Black & White ONLY one.  Oh la la!  I just couldn't get any inspiration going.  When I finally did make my card and showed it to the gals, they didn't 'get' it! LOL!  Must be my twisted humor.  I won't explain it and you can let me know if you get it.

This card was for the No Embellishments challenge. I love these gymnast guys but don't use them nearly enough!

This is my card for Geeta's Messy Glitter challenge.  I used my Xyron to put adhesive on the pink scallop oval, then I applied the ballerina oval and then I dropped it in my pot of glitter to make it all sparkly.  No mess - sorry Geeta. I love the new scallop border punch we received last week.  We rec'd a big shipment and I will be putting them in my favorite tools album soon.  This card will go to Hailey and another one to her friend Mary because they just learned that they will be moving up to Level IV ballet at PNB next year --> POINT shoes.

This next card was for Rhonda's Sketch challenge.  Here is my interpretation.  I had to remake my card because I bloobed while stamping the sentiment - don't you just hate that!  You can't see that my frog is all slick - I used a Sakura Clear glaze pen on his body & eyes to give him the 'wet' look.  I probably should have drawn some music notes coming from him to go along with the sentiment.  I love to listen to the frogs "sing" up at our cottage.  They can be *very* loud some nights!

My last card is for the black and white challenge.  Tell me, do YOU get it? LOL!

I will be back soon with some sneak peeks of our new products that will be released on May 1st.  So fun!

VMAA #2 - Bonus Challenge

Have you been playing along tonight for the 2nd Virtual Meeting of the A Muse Addicts (VMAA)?  I am here at A Muse Headquarters with fellow stampers, Heather, Novell, Melissa & Rhonda. We are stamping up a storm (except for Rhonda! - this is an inside joke!)

A while back, the Fab 4 moderators of the A Muse Addicts group asked if I would be able to come up with a challenge for VMAA#2.  Of course!!  My challenge is a BONUS Challenge and I hope you will play along.

My challenge is a word and it is open for your interpretation. 

The word is weekend.

When I lived in Ontario, I used to spend my weekends at my cottage on Crow Lake.  It is a lovely lake just north of Kingston, Ontario.  My cottage was very rustic - kind of like executive camping, complete with an outhouse.  We spent a lot of time building fires to burn brush, toast marshmallows and keep warm.  Our Three Trees stamp reminds me so much of the trees {white pines} on my property there.  They also remind me of some of the paintings by the Group of Seven.  If you are from Ontario, you will know what I'm talking about.

Anyhoo... here is my card.  Heather took this photo for me... 

I hope you will play along with this challenge.  Remember, you have 24-hours to create a card, post it online and link to the challenge over on the A Muse Addicts site to qualify for a fun prize.

Birthday stuff

Birthdays in our house are a whirlwind of activity with lots of last minute creativity on my part - birthday cards, banners and a cake, of course!

For Makenna's card, I wanted to emphasize that she is now SIX years old.  This is a big milestone for her because now she can sleep on the TOP bunk.  That also means that Annabelle has to move down... more on that later!

Here's the card I made her... Makenna is the kind of kid that actually notices cards and even READS them.  I love this girl! 

   

Here's a picture of a banner that I made her.  We've made many paper banners using our notecards but this one uses our brand new 8.5 x 11" sheets of polka dot card-stock.  Woohoo!  These will be available later this month in stores so be sure to look for them.  They are fun, fun, fun!

Here's a close up of the banner:

I used our Polka Dot Monogram Letters to spell her name.  I used my Xyron 250 to apply adhesive to the back of each letter.  The pretty flowers across the top are Prima brights (1 cm).  I used a LOT of  flowers and hardly make a dent in my bottle.  I don't think I will ever use 'em all up! LOL!

I wanted to do something special for Annabelle too because she has to move down to the lower bunk tonight.  Not a bright spot in her life, for sure.  I made a fun banner to hang over her bed.  This one is made from our 4-bar notecards with a scallop edge made from our solid square notes.  The letters on her name are from our Polka Dot Lowercase Large clear alpha set.  I love this set! I punched the letters with a marvy super scallop circle punch.  So fun!  I also hung up a new light and some fun pictures on the wall to make her feel welcome. 

She just got home from school and loves the banner and the light but is NOT happy about the move.  Ah well, she'll get used to it.  Life isn't fair, right?

I must run and frost the birthday cake.  Hopefully this will be the LAST time I have to make a Winnie-the-Pooh cake!  It's a tricky one to frost. 

BTW, did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh - the bear - was from Canada?  Yup, it's true... a Canadian soldier from Winnipeg (hence the name Winnie) found the bear cub, whose mother had been killed, and brought the bear to London with him (how?  I don't know!) When the soldier had to go fight in the war, he left the bear with the London Zoo, where A.A. Milne used to take his son to visit with Winnie.  Fascinating, eh?  That's a little Canadian trivia for you.  I've got LOTS more too but I'll save that for a rainy day! 

Have a beautiful day!

Brilliant!

Check out this post by Novell! Now I want to go buy some shrink film!

Hybrid Clear stamps - clever cards by Julie

As you may have heard, we are lucky, lucky, lucky to have the Queen of Stamping, Julie Ebersole, join the A Muse team on a full-time basis.  Julie has been designing for A Muse for the past five years and we are thrilled about her new role with A Muse.  Welcome, Julie!!

These are some card samples using the new A Muse 'Hybrid' Clear stamp sets that Julie created for us to display at a recent tradeshow. Her clever cards never cease to amaze me!

Stitched frames

This card also uses the A Muse Party Time clear stamp set and the wood mounted sentiment 'Save the date'.

This card also features our fun Purr-fect clear stamp sets with lots of fun stamps for kids with punny sayings. 

Bracket Frames

This card also features the A Muse Stitched Uppercase alphabet (one of my personal faves!)

The brackets used on this card are a fun shape to cut out and use for accentuating the design on your card or scrapbook page.  This card also features the A Muse Broadway alpha set and the stars are from the A Muse Sports set.

Cowboy frames

Both the lines and the curly bracket are from the new A Muse Cowboy Frames stamp set.  The three flowers are part of the A Muse Circle Frames clear stamp set.

Rectangle Frames

The card above includes two rectangular frames from our new Rectangle Frames set.  So versatile and fun!

I hope you have enjoyed these cards by Julie featuring our new Hybrid clear stamps.  I have even MORE cards using these fun frames to share with you this week.  Please stay tuned!

Clear stamp tips

Clear challenge

One of the challenges that I initially had with clear stamps was getting a crisp impression.  Our wood-mounted rubber stamps have a layer of cushion between the rubber and the wood.  This absorbs and distributes the pressure applied when stamping an image and allows for a crisp image every time.  Due to the lack of a cushion with clear stamps, I found myself pressing a little harder to get a good impression. The added pressure thickened the lines of the art and I didn't like it.  I *know* what the original art looks like so when it doesn't stamp "right", it really bothers me.

Use a mouse pad:

One night, I decided to try stamping my clear stamps onto a piece of cardstock laid on top of my mouse pad.  Bingo!  This did the trick.  Instead of having the "cushion" between the stamp and the wood, I now have a cushion between my desk and paper.  It takes a little practice (as it does with *every* wood stamp) to know how much pressure to apply but after one or two tries, I get perfect results every time. 

I have several different mousepads and the one that works the best is made from neoprene rubber - like a wetsuit! The one with the hard plastic coating didn't work any better stamping directly on my desk.  Most computer mice are now optical and don't require a mouse pad to roll on.  So, check your mouse.  Flip it over.  If you don't see a round ball peaking out from underneath you can add that mousepad to your stamp supplies.

Bendy stamps

Photopolymer is a pliable material.  The beauty of this is that it offers lots of creative possibilities by bending your stamps into different shapes.  This is especially fun with clear word stamps.  The bendy aspect can also drive you *@#$! crazy when you are working with some of our new Hybrid Clear stamps. 

Here's how to prevent this from happening:

Before you apply one of our clear frame stamps to an acrylic block, turn the stamp upside down (so the stamping surface is on a piece of paper) and the stamp should go back to it's original shape.   

Now you can position your clear block over the clear stamp and press down to adhere the stamp to the block. 

The stamp should now easily come away from the paper and be perfectly positioned on the acrylic block.

Thanks, Mom, for being my model. J

I thought you might like to see a photo of some of the actual frame stamps to see how the shapes "nest" inside one another.  Pretty cool, eh?

I am thrilled to share with you a gorgeous spring garland Tisha made with our new Hybrid Clear stamps and A Muse Pretty Little Papers.  So fun!!  Thanks, Tisha for letting me share this work of art!

   

I have LOTS more to share about our new Hybrid Clear stamps - more great cards and photo projects! 

"Hybrid" Clear Stamps

A few days ago, I shared with you some fabulous scrapbook pages using our new Hybrid Clear Stamps.  As you saw, these fun new stamps are perfect for scrapbookers!

Our new Hybrid Clear Stamps are also perfect for card-makers! 

Two of our new Hybrid Clear stamp sets {Circle Frames & Oval Frames} were designed to coordinate with our favourite Marvy puches.  I created these images as a handy reference so you can see which punches work with which shapes.

Circle Frames:

Here is a fabulous card using our new Circle Frames stamp, made by Heather. She didn't use a punch...  I just wanted to share the link because I really love the way the circle draws you into the design.

Oval Frames:

This fun monogram card, created by Tisha, demonstrates the oval punches in action.  Again, the addition of the oval really draws you into the design!

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The new Cowboy Frame set is one of my favourites!  It has such personality!  Clearly the stamp name influenced this adorable card, also by Tisha.

The new A Muse Hybrid Clear stamps are the best value in clear stamps for your money!  Our clever nested design allows us to provide you with at least 4 frames per set for the low price of $7.75.  Comparable frame stamp sets (with only 4 frames) will cost you much, much more.   

I have much more to share with you on our new Hybrid Clear stamps.  I'm going to jump offline now to format some photos for my next post.  Stay tuned for some tips & tricks for working with our new nested shapes and clear stamps in general.

New stamps for April!

I am so excited to share with you our newest stamp designs.  Our new wood-mounted stamps celebrate the women in our lives - just in time for Mother's Day!  You can click here to see them. 

I created this fun card using our new Tiara stamp and the A Muse lowercase polka dot alphabet set (a *must-have* alpha!)  I intentionally stamped the tiara a little slanty (in case you're wondering! <smile>) On the inside, I stamped "Queen for the day" - another new stamp. I was so excited about this card that I had to show my mom so now it looks like I'll have to make her a different card for Mother's Day! LOL!

 

Our new release also includes some fun new Mini Frame Clear Stamp sets that we have been working on for quite some time.  We call these new mini clear stamp sets "Hybrid" sets because they are perfect for both stampers and scrappers alike!  The nested shapes offer an incredible value. One of the sets includes 11 stamps - all for $7.75!  And, for all of you Marvy Punch fans, the circle and oval frames were designed to work with the various punch sizes. 

I have the pleasure of sharing some scrapbook pages that were created by Jennifer using our new Hybrid clear stamp sets.  These pages are just lovely and show how versatile these new clear sets are!

This first page uses the new Circle Frames and Cowboy Frames sets as well as the A Muse Birthday builder mini clear set.  I love the flowers Jen created.  The photos are of my daughter, Makenna.  Aint's she sweet?

This next page also features the Circle Frames set and also the Broadway letters and Sushi clear stamp sets.  The photos are of our Sales Manager, Cindy's husband, Jared.  Ain't he sweet?

This next page uses an assortment of clear stamps by A Muse.  The frame in the center is from the Bracket Frames set.  Other sets used are:

• Circle Frames
• Lowercase polka dot alphabet
• Nature

Emma is a friend.  She too is very sweet!

This last page includes some very clever flowers.  I tell ya, Ms. Pebbles is one clever gal!  The flowers were created with the Circle Frames clear set, and punching circles out of the A Muse Kitchen Blue 4-bar notes and then crinkling them up.  They are held together with a silver brad.  The photo on this page if of Cindy's sweet family.  Other A Muse Clear Stamp sets used on this page:

• Birthday builder
• Nature
• Rectangle Frames

As I mentioned, these new clear sets are perfect for card-making too!  I will share some CARD ideas tomorrow as well as some tips for working with the nested shapes.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Sneak Peek - at last!

Howdy!  I'm back and just in time for a couple of sneak peeks before we release our products on April 1st.  I hope you have been enjoying the fun sneak peeks from the A Muse Crew!

I also wanted to clarify that the release date for our newest stamps shall be April 1st.  The A Muse designers and instructors that posted a release date of March 31st were correct, however, for some reason I had it in my head that it was April 1st. Because I was out of town and had the release planned for the 1st, we'll have to go with that date.  Sorry!  Be sure to check back here at midnight PDT (pacific daylight time), April 1st (that's less than 24 hours from now!)

One of my favorite stamps from this release is the "bushes" in our new Stitched Garden Clear Stamp set.  Often, my favorite stamps are "supporting" images - like our grass, tree stump, nest, etc.  My mind is reeling with the possibilities for this stamp. 

The first thought that came to my mind was the lady golfer.  You see, I've only golfed a few times and ended up in the "rough" a few times.  I enjoy the challenge of hitting the ball in these situations.  Some of the people I've golfed with (no names - you know who you are! LOL!) are "serious" players and they were a little frustrated with my abilities.  No worries... Life is GOOD when you play golf - regardless of your abilities!

There are 4 new stamps used on this card:

• 2-6112C Lady golfer
• 8-8491B Life is good
• 2-SGAR Stitched Garden clear stamp set (bushes)
• 2-REFM Rectangular Frames

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This next card just cracks me up! Every summer at the lake, someone's dog hooks up with a skunk in the woods.  It's nasty business for sure! 

The new bushes are the perfect hiding spot for ms. skunk.  Watch out sniffer!

I have some fun pictures from our spring break trip to San Diego... just need to download them from my computer which is going to take a while.  <smile!>

Have a beautiful day!

Cute little Easter treat

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Makenna didn't catch a leprechaun but the leprechaun did leave her some gold so she was pretty happy about that.

Can you believe Easter is THIS weekend?  How did THAT happen?  Sheesh!

The girls and I started this project yesterday as a fun little treat for their classmates. 

Here's what is inside...

These are so fun and easy to make!  You can make 4 from each A Muse 4-bar notecard.  Here's the pattern, in case you feel up for a fun crafty project!

I think these would make fun wedding favors. 

Download a_muse_mini_matchbook_treat_template.pdf

Enjoy!

Green cards for March

I thought I'd share with you a few cards that my mom and I created using our few St. Patrick's Day stamps.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I were lucky to spend 8 months in the Southern part of Ireland.  We rented an old farmhouse in Rosscarbery, a picturesque little town in County Cork.  The scenery in Ireland is gorgeous (that's because it rains a LOT!) but the best part of Ireland is the hospitality! 

We came to know many wonderful people during our extended stay.  I got involved in a community effort to raise money to revamp the playground.  My computer skills were put to good use and I even went collecting door-to-door with some local folks. We raised the funds needed in just a few months and there is a fabulous new playground for the local children and tourists to enjoy.  If you look through the photo gallery at the link above, you will see some photos of the playground.   

This link will take you to the website of the family we rented "our" farmhouse from.  It was centuries old, with walls almost two feet thick!  The house pictured on the home page is actually and old stable and was converted into a holiday house during our stay at the farmhouse.  Our farmhouse, was just next door. If you are ever looking for a place to stay in Ireland, the Harte family's Lumina cottages are a great choice!

I have found a big box of photos and will post a few once I see how they scan. 

St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Ireland are much different than they are in North America.  It is much more of a religious celebration than the party-type celebrations we have here.  We went to the pub in search of green Guinness but there was none to be found.  I seriously doubt that anyone in Rosscarbery sends cards on St. Patrick's day but these are fun cards all the same.

This "matchbook" card is super-easy to make. I think it would make a fun lottery ticket holder, or perhaps a fun coupon booklet.

My mom saw me playing with these stamps and wanted to join in the fun.  I like how she added the twinkle stickers to the pot of gold and like the sentiment she chose to go with the card.  Yay, Mom!

This card was inspired by my daughter, Makenna.  She is determined to catch a leprechaun this St. Patrick's Day.  She has decorated a box { the trap }. Apparently the "secret" to catching a leprechaun is to lay a trail of clovers up to the door.  So here comes our unsuspecting Curly Girl ready to walk through a patch of clover...  will she be caught in Makenna's trap?  Stay tuned for next week's episode of as the world turns...

At A Muse, we pride ourselves on coming up with unique and clever word stamps to go with our images.  Sometimes we come up with some pretty crazy things that give us a good giggle but we'd never make into a stamp (although we are toying with the idea of an A Muse After Dark line... tee! hee!)

Every time I use the A Muse 'Have a lucky day' stamp, I am reminded of a funny word stamp idea we came up with during our brainstorming session -  "hope you get lucky!"  I'm sure you can see how this could be mis-interpreted.  I giggled the whole time I was making this card.  And, I know it will give the recipient a good chuckle too!

I wanted to show you a close-up of the pot of gold because it is super-sparkly.  I used a Sakura clear stardust pen.  It was the perfect finishing touch!

Have a lucky day!

Talk to the flower

Michelle (one of the A Muse instructors) is an elementary school teacher.  She mentioned something a while back that made me laugh.  On her classroom wall she has an ear at her students' level.  Whenever a child wants to tattle on someone about something silly, they talk to the ear.  I love it!  Teachers are so resourceful!

This card cracks me up... makes me think that the Little bird is talkin' to the flower... just think how much money she's saving on therapy! LOL! 

Just a few notes on this card: The flower is made with the A Muse Stitched Daisy stamp which I stamped with Tangerine Fluid Chalk ink and cut out (a little time consuming!).  The centre of the flower is made with an EK Success 1 1/8" circle punch and an A Muse 4-bar Yellow kitchen notecard.  The stem for the flower is made with one of the fun borders from the A Muse Fancy Borders clear stamp set... I bent it to give it the appearance of a stem. It is stamped in Olive Pastel Fluid Chalk ink.

Have a great weekend!

 

Life's Simple Pleasures...

This week was a bit of a crazy one for me, but I did find time to enjoy some of life's simple pleasures. 

• a nice long chat with my big sis
• coffee & shopping with my mum
• mucking about in the garden with my girls
• reading Nancy Drew (oh how I love Nancy Drew!!)
• watching ballet class
• dinner with friends
• and an amazing cross-country ski trek in the Cascade Mountains

I made a few cards to send to some special people this week.  I won't say who they are for in case they pop in here and see them! 

This first card uses one  some of my favorite A Muse products...  Madeira blue notecards, Chair & lamp stamp, A Muse Palm Green ribbon... I love blue & green together but I'm always reminded of this saying...

"blue & green should never be seen, except together in the washing machine!"

This next card is super simple but reminds me of growing up in Quebec.  I spent  *every* weekend of my youth at our cottage.  In winter, when it was too cold to stay at the cottage, we would stay at my grandmother's house because she had electricity, running water, heat... these things are sort of necessary when it is -30C.  Sometimes, however, my dad would make us stay at the cottage and we'd have to ski across the lake with all our gear and cut a hole in the ice to get water for doing dishes and to flush the toilet.  He was a pioneering kinda guy back then. Despite the cold, we always had a great time.  My cousins all lived nearby and we'd go exploring on our cross-country skis every weekend. 

I like all types of skiing (alpine, skate, water) but I LOVE to cross-country ski.  I love the sounds, the fresh air, the warmth because you are working your whole body and the solitude.  Such a GREAT feeling!  You don't need a lot of fancy equipment or stylish clothing for this sport and you can go any speed you like and still enjoy it.  To me, it is one of life's simple pleasures!

This last card reminds me of my grandmother.  She loved to knit and taught me how to knit socks (which I still wear cross-country skiing!)  She also loved to drink tea.  Grandmothers are one of life's simple pleasures too!

Here are a few more of my simple pleasures:

• butterscotch pudding (the kind you have to cook)
• bubble baths
• my morning runs
• morning snuggles
• a good latte
• Leonidas chocolates

What are yours?