A Muse News

12 Days of A Muse Christmas Wishes!

Our gift to you this holiday season - a chance to win
an A Muse prize!

What are you wishing for from our website?  We want to know!  Today through December 20th, we will be choosing a winner each day from our Facebook friends who share their A Muse wishes!  Here's how to enter:

*  "Like Us" on Facebook and change your profile picture to our holiday wish badge.  (To change your profile picture, simply right-click on the image above and save it to your computer.  Then upload it to Facebook!)

*   Post your A Muse wish item on your Facebook wall and also on our Facebook wall with a link to the item on the A Muse website. 

It's that easy and you may post one wish each day!  We'll choose a winner everyday and we might even throw in some bonuses too!  So be sure to keep your profile picture up for the whole 12 days!  Can't wait to see all your wishes!

 

Contest #8 Winner!

We hope you enjoyed our Anniversary Celebration!  Thanks so much for partying with us!  Now it's time to announce the random winner of our 8th contest! 

The random clock time generator gave me 09:45am, so the comment that was posted closest to that time was...

Ingrid who posted May 15th at 10:04am!

Congratulations Ingrid, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail! 

Anniversary Contest #8

Contest #7 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 7th contest: 

Lesley who posted May 14th at 9:56pm!

Lesley, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail!  Thanks to everyone for playing - it was so fun to read all your favorite childhood phrases!   

Contest #8!
We've had a blast celebrating our 8th anniversary with you!  We have one last contest, so on to contest #8 with Geeta!

 

Cowboy Birthday
by Geeta

"It's great to be 8! Happy Anniversary A Muse! I'm so honored to be part of this great company and so blessed to work with such talented ladies.  When I was designing my card for this anniversary celebration, I thought about what kind of cards I make. As many of you know, I have 2 young boys. It seems I'm always making boy cards! In fact, A Muse's Boris stamp is what brought me to A Muse a few years back, when I was looking for a stamp to use for my son's Mad Science birthday party. One of my favorite things about A Muse is their variety of images. I tend to make a lot of invitations, birthday cards, and gifts and I can always find a stamp in the A Muse family that will work! When I sat down to make this card, I decided I wanted to show how some of the A Muse stamps go together and how the pretty little papers can save so much time. Simple, Quick, and Cute - all things I love about A Muse!

And now for your chance to comment... Do you make masculine cards? What is your favorite A Muse stamp for masculine cards?  Leave a comment on this post to enter and we'll announce a random winner on Monday who will win all the A Muse products used to make my card!"

A Muse Product Links:
Billy the Kid, Balloon Bouquet, Little Dude MA, Mini Oval bl, Sky Blue 4-bar notecards, Paisley Pretty Little Papers

 

Contest #7 - Pssst! Pass it on....

Contest #6 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 6th contest: 

Jennifer Moore who posted May 11 at 9:57pm!

Jennifer, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail! 

Contest #7!
Now on to contest #7 with Jill!  Today we have a twist...  Pssst!  Pass it on...

 

Birthday wishes!
by Jill

"How exciting to be a part of the big celebration for A Muse's 8th anniversary.  When thinking about "turning 8" the first idea that popped into my head was the phrase "GR8".  I remember writing that all the time when I was a kid, I have yearbooks filled with the phrase!  When you think of it, "text messaging" phrases were around long before the cell phone! LOL!  I think the adorable octopus stamp is also a perfect fit for an "8th" card.  I had to make it a spotted octopus (because, you know, most octopuses are spotted) by stamping on one of A Muse's fun Pretty Little Papers, and cutting it out.  Kudos to Linda and the entire A Muse team for making this such a stellar company and here's to at least 8 more years!

And now, for your chance to comment...  Share with me a phrase you used all the time as a kid!  Leave a comment on this post to enter and we'll announce a random winner on Friday who will win all the A Muse products used to make my card: Polka dot letters - lowercase-large, birthday wishes ma, octopus, tiny hat, clear twinkle stickers, kitchen blue notes, robins egg blue notes, summer polka dot pretty little papers, and grosgrain orange crush ribbon!"

Did you notice that Jill colored clear twinkle stickers with an orange Copic marker - so cool!  And today there is more to our contest: 

Pssst!  Pass it on... One entry per person, however, if you send a friend and they comment that you sent them {by including your name in their post} you will both be eligible to win the exact same prize if their lucky number is drawn!  The more friends you tell, the more chances you have to win!

Be sure to also see our post below to get a fun A Muse blinkie for your blog! 

Anniversary Contest #6

Contest #5 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 5th contest: 

Teresa who posted on May 10 at 5:18am!

Teresa, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail!  (This is a different Teresa than the winner of contest #1 - too funny that we've had two winners with the same first name!) 

Contest #6!
Now on to contest #6 with Jen D!

 

Sending You Sunshine!
by Jen D

"The 8th anniversary celebration has made me think back to my very first ever A Muse stamps.  Of course to make this card, I wanted to use some of my favorite images that I've collected.  I knew I had to pull out one of my first A Muse stamps that got me hooked - Seattle Girl.  I paired her with Cityscape stamped in a grey ink to fade it into the background a bit.  I used blue chalk ink to sponge in the sky to add some color.  I love this sentiment not only because I can use it for so many occaisons, but also because it makes me smile every time I see it.  I inked up only part of the sentiment at a time, so that I could split the wording among two punch shapes.

Whenever I'm feeling stuck or in a slump, I always start with my "go to" color combinations.  For this card I used my all time favorite- Grass Kitchen notes.  I like to pair these with pink, navy, black, sky blue- just about anything :) 

So here's where the contest comes in.  Tell me - What is your favorite go-to color combination?  Leave a comment on this post to enter, and we'll pick a random winner on Wednesday who will win the A Muse products used to make my card!  Good luck!"

A Muse Product Links:
Cityscape, clouds, Seattle girl, sending you sunshine, Kitchen Grass 4-bar notes, Black stitch ribbon.

Anniversary Contest #5

Contest #4 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 4th contest: 

Jen Shears who posted May 7th at 5:46pm!

Jen, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail!  Thanks to everyone for playing - it was so fun to read all your favorite stamping techniques!  I'd say mine is probably masking but there are so many fun techniques that it's hard to choose!   

Contest #5!
Now on to contest #5 with June!

  

Queen for the day!
by June

"I love pink!! There is something so happy about pink and who doesn't like happy? Isn't Lizzie just the sweetest little stamp? I use her a great deal for young and dare I say, old.

So, now tell us what your most memorable childhood memory was. Leave a comment on this post to enter and we'll announce a random winner on Monday who will win all the A Muse products used to make my card!  Happy Anniversary A Muse!"

A Muse Product Links:
Lizzie, Queen for a day, Juliette cardstock, Popsicle pink 4-bar notes, Popsicle pink sheer ribbon, Micro dot twinkle stickers

 

Anniversary Contest #4

Contest #3 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 3rd contest: 

Alison Zamora, who posted on May 5th at 10:07 AM! 

Alison, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail! 

Contest #4!
Now on to contest #4 with Beth Thomas!

 

Zinnia
by Beth T

"It's great to be 8!  Happy anniversary, A Muse!  One of my favorite things about A Muse images is their versatility.  Your cards can be cute and whimsical or simple and elegant.  The only limit - your imagination!  I love to multi-purpose my stamps and was so excited to use the Solid Damask image for the "leaves" of the Solid Zinnia.  In honor of this special A Muse occasion,  I had to use my favorite technique, paper piecing!  This technique will take a bit more time but will certainly add "WOW" to a project!"

So, now it's your turn!  What is YOUR favorite stamping technique?  Leave a comment on this post to enter and we'll announce a random winner on Saturday who will win all the A Muse products used to make Beth's card!  

A Muse Products:
Solid Damask, Solid Zinnia, Friend Blossom, White 4-bar notecards, Sheer white ribbon

Anniversary Contest #3

Contest #2 winner:
Congratulations to the random winner of our 2nd contest: 

Heather Bilhorn who posted Monday May 4 at 8:52 AM

Heather, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail!  It was so fun to read everyone's first stamps - mine were the baby pea pod and sweet pea stamps!

Contest #3!
We are having so much fun celebrating our 8th anniversary and we hope you are too!  And now we bring you contest #3 with Michelle M!

Thanks
by Michelle M

"Winter is over!!  Everywhere I look I see beautiful flowers blooming!   It is so quick and easy to reflect a "Springy" look in your stamping!  With a simple change of kitchen paper and sentiment you can make endless gorgeous cards in no time flat!!  What is your favorite flower?  Just post a comment here telling us your favorite bloom and we'll announce a random winner on Thursday who will receive the A Muse products needed to make these fun cards!  BTW - Did you realize that the Sakura Flower is the solid of the Astro Flower??!!"

 

 

A Muse product links
Astro Flower stamp, Thanks script, Sage 4-bar solid notes, Kitchen Assorted Pack, A Muse black dye ink pad

 

Anniversary Contest #2

Contest #1 Winner:
It's time to announce the winner of our 1st contest!  It was fun to read all the ways you treat yourselves!  Congratulations to:

 Teresa who posted Saturday, May 02, 2009 at 03:05 PM!

Teresa, please email your mailing address to --> Emily and we'll get your goodies in the mail!

Contest #2:
And now without further ado, we're on to anniversary contest #2 with Lexi!

A Muse Makes Life Sweet!
by Lexi

"When I sat down to create a card for A Muse's Great 8, I was immediately drawn to my very first A Muse stamps.  I bought them before I even "found" A Muse.  After following Julie's work on SCS and then on her blog, I realized I actually had some of those stamps and I was just giddy!  That first purchase consisted of three shops and a shopper, so it's only fitting that i use one of them on an anniversary card for this special celebration.  Another early favorite was the cupcake, which was also featured on my first published card.  I thought it would make a fun addition to the top of the bakery--a neon sign, maybe? a sweet beacon of hope!  The juliette paper adds just the right touch of "new" to these two old faves, while Copic coloring makes it bright and a twinkle is the cherry on top!

So, now it's your turn!  What was your first A Muse stamp?  Or if you've just found A Muse today -where have you been and what's at the top of your wish list?!  Leave a comment on this post to enter and we'll announce a random winner on Tuesday who will win all the A Muse products used to make my card!"

A Muse links:
Bakery, cupcake, you make life sweet, Juliette blush cardstock, Robin's Egg Blue notes, Mini Dot Twinkle Stickers.

Anniversary Contest #1

It's your day A Muse!
by Glenda

  

"Happy Anniversary A Muse!  Here's a card to celebrate.  I love the Cupcake Builder set because of the ability to customize your cupcake.  "It's your day" is one of my new favourite stamps because it can be used for so many occasions.   I like to be somewhat practical with my stamp sets and the stamps on this card are definitely multi-purpose.  For A Muse's special event, I had to use my favourite colour combo too."

And now for a real treat!  Our 1st of EIGHT contests to celebrate our 8th anniverary!  To enter, leave a comment on this post and tell us your favourite way to spoil/treat yourself!  We'll announce a random winner on Sunday who will receive all the A Muse products used to make Glenda's card!

A Muse Links:
Cupcake Builder set, It's your day stamp, 4-bar white note card, Kitchen Black note card, Red Dots Twinkle Stickers, Red Sheer Ribbon, A Muse Black Dye Ink

Guest Designer Winners!

WOO HOOOOOOOO!!!

The following winners were randomly drawn from all the comments made on Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard's wonderful designs:

Chris Hauck, 1/5/09 6:59 AM

Kim Faucher,    1/20/09 6:06 AM

Alanna, 1/11/09 5:41 PM

If you lucky peeps will kindly email your physical mailing addresses to--> Julie, I'll have the great gals down at A Muse get your prizes shipped out speedy quick!

Thanks so much for playing along and enjoying Rhonda's fab designs with us!

Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard, Week 4

I'm a bit delayed on posting this last article, but, somehow, I think you'll find it worth the wait when you see this last group of Rhonda's amazing designs!  I saved one of these in particular for last, because it I think I fell off my chair when I pulled it from the envelope for the first time.

If you'll kindly leave a comment (one only, per article, please!) at any of our Guest Designer articles featuring Rhonda's creations, we'll enter your name into the drawing for her stamp and note card picks, along with some ribbon love!

• *new* Love Shack
• *new* 4 Bar Popsicle Pink Note Cards

Comments will close Wednesday, February 4th, and we'll announce the winners shortly after.

Alrighty, then--brace y'selves, for this fab finale:

You know it.  I know it.   Is this not the cutest cleverness???!!!  I love the Chocolate bar on top of the Love Bug, paired with this sentiment--so *smaaaaht*, as our girl Shurkus would say!

I know, right?!  Never in a gazillion years would it have occurred to me to have the weiner dogs sharing a milkshake treat at the soda fountain counter.

This one just had me rolling and I love the way she coated the Swirly Cone with Cotton Candy Stickles and popped it up.  A little bling strategically placed on the Swirly Bracket sets off the whole design.

So out of the box, doncha' think?!  It would not have occurred to me to create a perfume bottle from an oval punch out, and wish someone, quite so literally, a "scent-sational" "Valentine's day"--did you notice how she combined the two sentiments?!  Rhonda, yer KILLIN' ME with the genius, girl!

OK, this is the one I just had to save for last, featuring the Lingerie Shop--as you recall Rhonda has created 3 other designs, which I have shown each week.

Ready . . .

            Set . . .

                        LOOKY:

Are you still standing???!!!  Yeah, I thought not.  Fell off yer chair, didnya'?!!!  *howling*

IT'S A BUSTIER!!!
This is not just "ooh la la", it's "OH MYLAAAAAANTA!!!"  ..........................THUD!!! 

The Vintage Black paper makes the perfect lacey edge to the Kitchen Black bustier form.  And, right down to the last detail, of course, she just *had* to put a Popsicle Pink bow right there to adorn the decolletage!

It has been exceedingly for me to share all these wondermous designs by Rhonda throughout the past few weeks with all of you, and, I'm sure you feel as inspired as I am to get out my Valentine stamps, and stamp like a maniac!

Ginormous thanks to Rhonda for sharing her truly delightful sense of humor, and tremendous cleverness!

Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard, Week 3

The week has flown, hasn't it?  And, here I am once again with another round of Rhonda's stampy goodness!  Here's a little more from Rhonda:

• Biggest challenge – Raising kids. Knowing that I’m responsible for their actions and that the things I do affect their whole life, especially since I don’t always know the right way to handle each situation that arises.  I’m learning right along with them.
• First stamp – Gosh, my very first stamp was probably a set from Stampin’ Up, I’m thinking Definitely Decorative Fabulous Fruits (the old foam mounted ones from the ’97-’98 catalog!!)  My first A Muse stamps were bought together about 4 years ago:  Pea Pod, Fishes and Best Fishes.
• Can’t live without – My Family and friends.  Stamp related?  A good black ink that doesn’t bleed when colored with.  My 3 faves are Memento Tuxedo Black, A Muse Black Dye Ink, and Palette Hybrid Noir.
• Favorite product – Too hard to choose one fave.  I LOVE my A Muse Twinkle Stickers and Judikins retractable craft knife to place them with.  Use them often!!
• Climate – Being a Seattle girl, I like mild weather, not too hot, not too cold.  Mid 70’s are ideal for me!
• Last purchase – A Muse stamps of course!!

When Rhonda mentioned her greatest challenge being parenthood, I had to smile as I'm sure many of us can absolutely related to that!

Now, I hope you have a nice cuppa, to enjoy with these designs:

You may not be able to tell, but Rhonda punched a circle from our Clear Circle Stickers to custom fit over the top of the Gumball Machine!  It was such a clever touch to accent the metal parts of the machine with a Silver Spica Glitter Pen.  And, I just love the little paper flowers on the left, with tiny pearl stickers embellishing the centers.

In this design, Rhonda did a little bit of snipping, to paper piece the Love Birds, and the Bird Cage--I love the dotted line she drew to represent a chain or chord for the cage to hang from.  Couldn't tell from the card that the Twinkle Stickers are one of her favorite things, eh?! *wink*

It's raining brassieres at Victoria's, and Rhonda poses the question:  Naughty or Nice (retired)?  This had me rolling again over her mischief making! *chuckle*

No, your eyes do not deceive you!  Rhonda fashioned a ginormous chocolate kiss using household aluminum foil.  French Roast is such a luscious and rich color, that you might not see it, but, she used the new Chocolate Assortment stamp to do the background.  I love how realistic this whole design turned out!

"The Love Shack is a little old place where we can get together . . . Love Shack, baby" (B52's)

Admit it--you can't look at this and not bust out singin' tha song, can you?!  *grin*

Rhonda popped up the Shack over the Flower & Vines background, and used a border punch to create a great lattice effect, and added a snippet of Swiss Red Sheer Ribbon to the Black.

Aren't these each so fun?  And, you're gonna have that song stuck in your head all day long, aren't ya''?

  

*chuckle*  Well, while you're rockin' out, be sure to leave a comment here for Rhonda (one only please, per guest designer article,) to enter your name into the drawing at the end of Rhonda's series with us!

Have a fab day!

Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard, Week 2

We've got more Rhonda cleverness to share!  It's fun to see how much you are enjoying the different ideas she's created!  Rhonda responded to our word association questionnaire so you could get to know a little more about her personally!

• Name -  Rhonda Maynard aka: manyblessings, stamping blessings or crafty blessings
• Stamping -  Is my favorite thing to do when I have the time.  Been doing it for 10 years or so but seriously for about 4.
• Style -  Hmm, not really sure.  I love to play with many different styles but tend to fall somewhere between simple and frilly (way to narrow it down, huh?), but definitely not vintage.  I usually end up using a few layers and simple embellishments like ribbon, twinkle stickers and/or glitter.
• Inspiration – Many things inspire me-- songs, sayings, colors, or a stamp image that reminds me of something I’ve seen before or a memory from childhood.
• Color – I love playing with many different color combinations and usually try to find one color to add that pops a bit.  I tend to always stamp my images in black or dark brown and then color them in to match the colors I’ve chosen for the card/project.
• Work space – You don’t want to know!!!  LOL!  It’s messy and cluttered and I usually end up stamping on a teeny tiny cleared off section of my desk after shoving everything aside!
• Perfect day – Sleeping in, snuggles from my kids, waking up to a clean house, Iced Mocha already made, relaxing with my hubby and time to stamp with girlfriends.
• First job -  A checker girl (I know, not politically correct) at Sprouse Reitz, a little five and dime store close to where I lived when I was 16.
• Wildest dream – I think I play things pretty safe in life so I don’t have too many wild dreams, but since I can remember I’ve always wanted to travel all over the world and experience different places and cultures.
• Ink – bring it on!!!
• Family – CRAZY!!  :D  LOL! 
• Beverage – Iced Mocha for breakfast every morning.  Iced tea during the day.  Lately I’ve been brewing a pot of Moroccan Mint tea, fill a glass with ice, drink and refill throughout the day.  When I indulge in soda, it’s a Pepsi for me please!  Add some Vanilla Vodka to it for an a party drink.

I think Rhonda and I share the same "wildest dream"!  Rhonda, we need to make a pact to get off the North American continent and see the world, girlfriend!

So, I hope you are ready to ogle more of Rhonda's beauties, 'cuz they are comin' at ya':

This just cracked me--"it's the little things" . . . And, when it comes to lingerie, I guess "little" is pretty much par for the course, no?!  LOL!  I like the way Rhonda juxtaposed and layered the mat layers underneath the Lingerie Shop focal panel--it allowed her spapce to put that trio of Twinkle Stickers.

And, instead of extending the Pearl Sheer Ribbon all the way across the front, she punched a hole just to the left of that panel, and that enabled her to wrap the ribbon and position the bow where she wanted it, but without obstructing the shop!

As I've mentioned before, Rhonda's got a cheeky sense of wit that I truly enjoy!  Seeing the Love Shack stand out from the row of Tall Houses, made me smile, but, then seeing "Oh baby" above the Twinkle Hearts  coming out of the chimney had me rolling!

 

Did you know this is the Year of the Ox?  I didn't!  I thought it clever the way Rhonda combined the Party Lanterns with it!  This little Ox dude, illustrated by Missy Ballance, is so cute and has such a sweet disposition, don't you think?!

 

Yum!  Is this mouth-watering, or what???!!!  All the yummies we love dangling right in front of our eyes!

I loved the neopolitan look of the 3 scoop sundae, and the Swirl Cone reminds me of these *ginormous* ice creams we get at Ivar's outdoor fish bar, when we're waiting to catch the ferry home from Mukilteo!

 

In two words:  SUPER FUN!  I would never have thought to hand cut a peace sign to go with the groovy Love Bug.  Yeah, I blurted out "SHUT UP!!!" when I held this one in my hands!  It's a good thing nobody's around when I'm squealing over these things . . . An extra sweet touch on this card was the little snippet of Popsicle Pink tucked into the Lime Sheer Ribbon.

These all make me wanna abandon everything else, and just go play with my Valentine stamps!!!  So many stamps, such great ideas, and so little time!

Be sure to leave a comment (one only, please!) here for Rhonda, to enter your name in the Guest Designer give-away, and I'll be back next week with another series of gems to share with you!

Have a splendiferous day!

Guest Designer Rhonda Maynard (plus sneak peeks!)

Rhonda Maynard, blog: Crafty Blessings

This month, our featured Guest Designer is none other than Rhonda Maynard!   She is *constantly* coming up with such clever ideas, that we thought it would be a total kick to share some of her fab creations with ya'all!

About Rhonda:

I am a wife and SAHM of 3 busy kids and work part-time at the A Muse retail shop for fun!  I had been stamping off and on for over 10 years after being introduced to it at a home party, and started spending most of my spare time playing with stamps about 4 years ago.  While I'm still figuring out what my stamping style is, I enjoy trying new techniques and tricks. 

A Muse first caught my eye about 4 years ago while at a LSS where I bought my first 3 A Muse stamps (Pea Pod, Fishes and Best Fishes).  But, it wasn't until A-muse-a-palooza '07 that I finally caught the A Muse wave and ever since then, there's been no looking back!!  What appeals to me most about A Muse stamps and products is their unique style, versatility and compatibility.  Once I bought a couple, I quickly realized they all go together and needed to have them all!  Mixing and matching the cute images with the fun sentiments to come up with clever scenes or witty word plays is my favorite thing to do with them!

We think you'll agree about Rhonda's very clever and witty ideas and I'm *uber* excited to share some of her inspiration today, which features some of our coming Valentine images

Be sure to leave a comment below (only one please) on this, and on each of the coming  Guest Designer articles showcasing Rhonda's designs!  Your name will be entered in a drawing for her stamp and note card picks, along with some ribbon love!

• *new* Love Shack
• *new* 4 Bar Popsicle Pink Note Cards

And, without further adieu . . . the art:

Fancy Feathers

Rhonda used a striking polished stone technique in the background--deep rich pinks, and purple hues!  And, don't ya' just love the FEATHER???!!!  Makes me think of feather boas.  Notice, too, how she accented the Love Birds with tear drop Twinkle Stickers on their wings!

Ruff U

In this design Rhonda created a wonderful dog bone to showcase the daschunds (Puppy Love), and I thought it was a neat idea to ink and stamp only one row of pattern from the Tin Plate background stamp, beneath them!

A little sumpin' from Victoria's . . .

LOL!  Keep your eye on this little boutique (Victoria's)--it will appear each week, during our series of articles on Rhonda's work! I couldn't believe each of the 4 designs she created with this image--each so cute and fun!  In this design, Rhonda used her Copic markers to color the white stripes of a Swiss Red Bold Stripe note card, echoing the same motif that runs along the top of the little building!

Candy Heart Card

We *always* get those boxes filled with the little candy hearts--you know the ones!  Well, this card is cut in the shape of a heart, and then with the new Be Mine sentiment stamped in the center, it very much resembles those candy hearts!  Simple and sweet!  Can't you just see this on all our pastel colored note cards?!  I love that she added a little pink Heart Twinkle Sticker atop the "i", and gently sanded the edges to give the design added dimension.

Chocolate Postage

I know!!! I know!!! I PIMP'd when I saw this one, too! (shakin' my head in wonderment and chucking)  I *adore* chocolate.  I *adore* pink and chocolate together.  I *adore* faux postage.  See the "special delivery" down in the corner?  Could she have BEEN any more clever with the new Chocolate image??? (said in my best Chandler Bing voice)

Yup!  I done told ya'!  She's a witty one, that Rhonda! *wink-wink*

Next week, I'll have a little more to share about Rhonda, and more of her whiz-bang designs!

So, ya'all come back now, ya' here?!

WE HAVE WINNAAAAAAAHS!!!

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments you posted on Greta's Guest Designer Series!

We randomly pulled the following names for Greta's drawing:

• MichelleH Oct 25, 2008 6:16 AM
• Lara Oct 17, 2008 12:47 PM
• KIM LENHART  Oct 8, 2008 9:57 AM

If you three lucky peeps will please email me -->HERE<--, with your mailing information, I can make arrangements to have your prize sent out to you!

You'll receive Greta's fabulous picks:

Moose
Kitchen Red 4 Bar Note Cards

And, I bet the A Muse chick-lettes over in distribution will prolly toss in a little bit o' A Muse ribbon love, too! *wink*

Congratulations to the winners!

NOW, some of you had some questions, which Greta read and kindly sent the answers to share with you:

1. The large snowflake is a Marvy giga punch.  (I've done similar cards with the Cuttlebug "ice crystal" die, too- it's a bit smaller and daintier than the punch)
2. The embossing folder on the chubby bird card is called "welcome baby" and comes with a variety of word dies to use in the unembossed space.  But that space is perfect for stamping!  (I've yet to use any of the accompanying dies!)  The dots are a little bigger than Swiss dots and that unembossed space is built right in- easy!
3. The embossing "around" Hailey's snowman was done with a dotted border folder from the "just my type" set.  (I understand partial embossing is possible, but I just haven't tried that out yet!)

Greta, you're DA' BOMB, girl!  Thank you so much!   

 

Guest Designer Greta Smithson, Article #4

*SOB*

Today I am sharing the last of Greta's guest designs.    It's been such a pleasure for me to share them with ya'all and I hope you got a kick out of her simple and fun stamping genius!

I dunno about you, but, I have a feeling Moose and I will be spending more time together, thanks to Greta's influence:

A Moose that arrives bearing gifts?  Well, that's my kinda Moose! *chuckle*  There are several keen things to note about what Greta did in this design--the gift packages are actually from our car image that features packages on top!  She stamped the image on red card stock, trimmed out the packages alone, and perched 'em right up there.  And, the sentiment she used is from the Holiday Greetings II set--it's a clear stamp, so she was able to curve it when mounting to the acrylic block.  Spiffy, eh?!

She did it again on this design, following the curvature of long-time favorite Leafy Wreath--and she carefully trimmed out Moose as a "mount" and she gave him a blingy collar, too!  He's framed quite nicely in there, eh?!   Red Twinkle Stickers in each corner of the punch-out piece also add just the right touch of Christmas red to the design.

And, here's that very car with packages she used in the first Moose design--a very contemporary, and humorous version of Santa's "sleigh and reindeer"--I got quite a chuckle out of this one.  And, hey--did you notice that she used black eyelets for tires?! 

And, last but, certainly not least, another  gorgeous rendition of the die-cut snowflake, featuring Chubby Bird.  I thought it was very cool that she partially embossed the Cabana Blue Band note card--only on the white side, and she omitted embossing the area there for the sentiment.  Yes, very cool!  I'm gonna try this most definitely--love the effect!

Thank you for joining me each week and letting me share some of Greta's great designs with you!  I am always inspired by Greta's cleverness--after I get done smackin' m'self on the forehead, of course!  *chuckle*

Be sure to leave a comment (1 only, please!) for Greta and your name will be entered into a random drawing next week for Greta's *uber* fun A Muse  picks:

• Moose
• Kitchen Red 4 Bar Note Cards

Have a wonderful weekend--I'm headed up to the Great White North--OK, not quite *that* far north . . . ROTFLMBO!  Langley, BC for a weekend of rubbah fun at Precious Memories!  And, guess what?  Moose will be accompanying me!  *chinkle*

Guest Designer Greta Smithson, Article #3

One of the things I love about our little word-association questionnaire, is that it gives me a chance to find out something I didn't already know about our Guest Designers:

• Biggest Challenge - Technology.  I don't blog, can't scan, and my only cutting and pasting is done with scissors and adhesive.  I feel like such a dinosaur!  I really should learn.  I need a computer tutor.
• First Stamp - I'm not sure, so how about favorite A Muse stamp?  I know I shouldn't play favorites, but, I've turned so many critters into party animals with that tiny "party hat"!  And, for Halloween, I love the round format of "ghost trio"--so punch-able --(Is that a word???)  But now that new moose . . . I guess I can't do favorite stamp either!
• Can't LIve Without - A little creative time every day
• Favorite Product - Right now I am enamored with the Cuttlebug and its embossing folders.  And, ribbon--I have to force myself NOT to use it on every card.  And Stickles . . .
• Climate - Autumn in New England--cool, crisp, gorgeous foliage.  (It's that white stuff that follows that I'm not so crazy about..)
• Last Purchase - I just bought a Scor-Pal, but haven't played with it much yet.
• Proudest Moment - Being named to the original A Muse Design Team.  I was a fairly new stamper and wasn't even sure what a design team was, but it sounded fun--and it was!
• Passion - Paper crafting
• Food - Pretzels
• The Future - More designing
• Time Of Day - I'm a morning person--up by 6 am, a walk, my coffee and I'm good to go!

I would never have guessed at the time, that Greta was a "new" stamper when the original A Muse Design Team was formed!  I only remember looking at her creations in awe, and smackin' myself on the forehead--"DANGNABBIT!!!  Why don't I ever think of stuff like that???"  Yup.  That's what I remember!  *chuckle*

She still makes me do that, too . . . take a look at these fun ditties:

Sweet little Twinkle Heart Sticker on Hailey's Snowman, and I love how she partially embossed the white panel so that it appears all around the snowman, not through him!  Awesome!  I gotta try that!

In Greta's world, animals have hats.  Almost all the time!  It just cracks me!  And, here we see Moose making his first appearance, complete with a warm scarf, too!

Don't feel like coloring?  Well, here's a simple masculine card that fits the bill, also starring Moose!  A simple quad layout and shazaaaaam!  Your card is DONE!

This is just too sweet, doncha' think?! I would never have thought to secure an image to the center of a mondo snowflake die cut like this!  Brilliantly simple!

Didja' just smack yer forehead?  I did.  I seriously did! *chuckle*

One more week of Greta's creations to share--yikes!  I think I'll experience separation anxiety because it's been so much fun for me personally to hook up with Greta once again, and just enjoy her creativity!

Be sure to leave a comment (one per article, please!) on each of Greta's Guest Designer articles, and we'll enter your name in the drawing at the end of this series!

Happy Friday ya'all!                  
      

Guest Designer Greta Smithson, 2nd batch!

I'm so tickled you enjoyed Greta's designs last week--I have more!

But, first, I wanted to share Greta's answers to our little word association questionnaire:

• Name - Greta Smithson
• Stamping - Whenever I can
• Style - Clean and simple
• Inspiration - Everything--from a patterned carpet to the view from my window.  Sometimes I get idea overloaded!  (The trick is to remember them all.)
• Color - Realistic/traditional.  Grass has to be green, skies have to be blue, etc.  (How boring?)
• Work Space - Cluttered and messy.  I stamp standing at a counter, on a 9 x 12 tablet.  (It pads the surface.  I can test colors on it and then rip off the sheet.)  But, it's a good day if there's a clear space to work on that tiny tablet!
• Perfect Day - An unscheduled one
• First Job - When I was in college, I worked summers as the art instructor at a day camp.  We dug clay from the stream, formed it into pots and fired them.  So fun!
• Wildest Dream - To win the lottery
• Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
• Family - I'm happily married with a 2 grown children and 2 adorable little grandsons!
• Beverage - Black coffee.  Wine.

I busted out laffin' over Greta's 9 x 12 work space--everybody who finds themselves in a similar situation, raise your hands!!!

 

Yeeeeaaaaaaah!

And now, I have more of Greta's designs for you to drool over:

Love the Solid Bird nestled among the Naked Tree branches. While Greta featured Fall colors, you could easily change the tone by swapping to a bright or soft pastel color palette.

Have you ever tried Spirelli?  This is similar to pin art, involving the use of thread to create a pattern, as shown in this design.  You can do a Google search for "spirelli tutorial" to learn various ways to do Spirelli.

Greta actually used a giga scallop circle punch-out to create this example.  It's very easy to do, and creates quite an unsusual effect!

Download tent_wrap.pdf

The Halloween Garland is perfect for embellishing this 4 Chocolate Kiss "Tent Wrap"!  I took it apart to measure it so I could draw up a PDF diagram for you to download.  Of course, the chocolates were in the way of my ruler . . . so I ated 'em . . . !!!     *chinkle*

Download triangle_treat_box.pdf

I know, I know!!! I thought it was so clever of her to use the black mini brad to create her spider dangling from the Web!   Greta's just got the bestest treat containers, doesn't she?!!  She's amazing!  This one is super easy to do, as well! 

And, yup--I drew up a PDF diagram for this one, too!  One trick I learned with this box, was to fold the flaps together on one side, and punch a hole, and then do the same to the other side--this way the holes for sliding the ribbon through to keep the box shut will line up properly.  You could actually create this box in any size your paper will accommodate, as long as you scale the measurements accordingly.  COOL!

Well, now I get to remind you to leave a comment for Greta, and if you do, we'll enter your name in a drawing at the end of this Guest Designer series for Greta's A Muse stamp and note card picks (Hmmmmmm.  After everything you've read about Greta so far, what do you think that'll be?):

• Moose
• Kitchen Red 4 Bar Note Cards

Heh, heh, heh!!!  I just knew it!   

Stay tuned 'cuz next week Moose makes his appearance in Greta's designs!

Saltbox Studio Winners!

Woohoo!  I have some winners to announce.

Monica L is the lucky winner of the new Saltbox Studio Holiday sets.

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I love them all!! The mice are so cute!!

Posted by: Monica L | Wednesday, October 08, 2008 at 12:55 PM

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Barn494 is the lucky winner of all the new Saltbox Studio Fall sets.

My favorite is the Kid's Table--love the images! Tracy

Posted by: Barn494 | Monday, October 06, 2008 at 08:28 AM

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Ladies, please email me ([email protected]) your addresses and we'll get them shipped out to you right away.

Thank you everyone for your fun comments.  I enjoyed reading about your favorites.

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Nutcracker update

And, a quick note for those of you that have been asking about The PNB Nutcracker auditions... Hailey got a part in the fight scene again this year.  She will be an infantry officer.  She's thrilled because she gets to be the first on stage for the fight scene and either gets to "kill" a mouse or die.  Exciting stuff!! 

Have a beautiful day!

Guest Designer Greta Smithson

Meet Greta Smithson, of New Hampshire! 

Before I begin sharing Greta's wonderful designs, I gotta tell ya' WHY we're bouncin' around here, of course!

Greta was one of the very first Creative Designers on our Team!  Life got a bit hectic and she stepped down a few years back, but, we always remember how exciting it was to receive a box filled with her wondermous creations and, we're pretty gosh-darn thrilled to be able to share her designs once again with all of you in this month of October!

Here's a little more, from Greta herself:

I live in Northern New Hampshire and have owned my own retail gift shop, The Moose's Antler, for the last 15 years.  Besides gifts, we carry a lot of lodge decor and moose merchandise for the tourists, because moose are common up here! 

Several years ago, I added a stamp "department" since there was no place near to buy supplies--even the closest chain craft store is 2 hours away.  Needless to say, I am thrilled with the new A Muse moose stamp (you'll see him appear in the coming Guest Designer articles this month)!  My business is seasonal so during the long, snowy winters I get to hibernate and stamp!

I enjoy spending time with my family and love being a "Grammie".  Stamping and card-making have edged out most of my other hobbies, but, I still fit in a little reading, knitting, and quilting--especially in the winter!

Without any further delay, I'm tickled to share some of Greta's clever Halloween designs:

 

Talk about quick, easy AND cute! What got me about this design, was how she cut apart the letters in "Boo!" and fanned them out behind the circle punches.  A little bit of Yellow Stickles, and a pre-printed note card make this a snap to mass produce.

Greta masked the the ghost, so she could stamp the Super Dot as a moon, to appear behind him.

After removing the mask, she stamped the tree into place.  I thought the rounded tag for the sentiment was a perfect way to highlight it, and, instead of knotting the Yellow Stitched Grosgrain, she tied it together with some black twine, for additional contrast and interest.

A simple piece of folded card stock as a "header", with another rounded tag for a label, and a 3D mounted Trick or Treater make this candy corn treat, especially sweet!

Download cube_boxes.pdf

And, isn't this little box just da' bomb??!!!  When I opened it, it dawned on me how she had constructed it and it's so easy, you could make dozens and dozens of 'em in no time flat!  I drew up a diagram and some brief instructions, so you can download it and try for yourself, because these are just too quick and fun to resist!

Be sure to leave a comment (1 only please!) to this article so your name will be entered into a random drawing at the end of our Guest Designer series on Greta!  Greta's going to pick a favorite A Muse stamp, and some of our fun note cards, and next week, I'll share what she chose for this give-away!

Thanks for stopping by, and let me know if you try Greta's boxes--aren't they just the cutest?

I also enjoyed reading about some of your Fall traditions--leaf peeping in Virginia sounds like something our family would get a kick out of, too!  And, I'll be sure to dig out my pumpkin dip recipe and post that  for those of you that expressed interest--oh, it is yuuUUUuuuuumm-eee!  *chuckle*

WINNERS of Guest Designer Krystie's Giveaway!

Thanks so much for poppin' in and sharing in the gaaaaw-jus-ness of Guest Designer Krystie Hersch's wonderful creations!

We used the Random.org  Integer Generator to pull the following three names from all that left a comment throughout Krysties series of articles!

Congratulations to these lucky winners :

• Becky, Aug 16, 2008 6:35 PM wrote:   You just keep doing it, Krystie, making these fabulous little cards!
• Broni, Aug 24, 2008 3:45 PM wrote:  Your cards are wonderful as always, Krystie!  I especially love the blue/green Christmas tree card!
• Nancy W., Aug 24, 2008 2:17 AM wrote:  So simple yet so effective.  Lovely cards and colouring.

If you'll please email JULIE, with your mailing address, I can then get those prizes on their way to you spit spot!

Guest Designer Krystie Hersch's Final 4!

*sob*  I know, I know, it's Krystie's last week!  How did it fly by so fast??? I had to tell myself to get a grip, and remember to visit her blog regularly so I don't miss out on any of her eye candy and some of the funny things she writes about--she cracks me!

So, do you have a nice cuppa in hand?  Good.  Sit back, relax, and oooh and aaaah with me now . . . *chinkle*

OOH LA LA!

This cute card couldn’t be more appropriate, considering Krystie’s current happy condition, no?!  I love how she shaded the Maternity Dress to highlight and give additional emphasis to the “roundness” of the dress’s midsection!  *chuckle*

YOU MAKE MY HEART MELT

This charming snowman was actually illustrated by Linda’s oldest daughter, to raise funds for Scleroderma research, which Linda’s Mum suffers from.  To learn more about Scleroderma, visit the Scleroderma Foundation

Krystie has sweetly showcased Hailey’s Snowman here on a simple white tag, matted with black.  His heart is highlighted with sparkly red glitter, and if you’ll look closely, you can see that he’s also outlined in a pale blue, which helps make him seem even whiter!

BLOSSOM GREETING

A soothing combination of Chiffon Pink and Cabana Blue tones makes for a crisp greeting, and the technique of cutting and popping up portions of an image, as she did here with Bottle with flower, is so effective! 

The little blossom is accented with a Micro Dot Twinkle Sticker, and I love how she created a tiny dotted border to frame the image in, and compliment the black scallop layer.

O' CHRISTMAS TREE, O' CHRISTMAS TREE!

This last design features the Embellish Tree--one of my all-time favorite holiday images--I just love the delicate little swirls on this tree!  Once again, she has created a gently sponged back-drop to frame the tree and give it a luminescent quality, and pretty Mini Dot Twinkle Stickers adorn the branches, serving as ornaments, and creating one of the simplest yet most spectacular holiday designs I’ve ever seen! 

By golly, I don’t think you could find a more fabulous design to use for those 100 Season’s Greetings you plan to stamp for Christmas time, don’t you agree?  . . . *wink*

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I hope you have enjoyed Krystie’s fresh, clean design work as much as I have--she has totally inspired me over the last few weeks and I find myself anxious to apply more and more of her simply smashing ideas to my own creative works!

Please leave a comment for Krystie, to enter your name in the drawing--I know she’d love for you to win her selected A Muse goodness:

Hailey’s Snowman
Cabana Blue Note Cards

And, I bet those wonderful folks at A Muse HQ will also tuck in some of our luscious ribbon, too! *wink*

BIG THANKS to Krystie for sharing her talent, and awesome card designs with us over the last month!  Love ya', girl!

Guest Designer Krystie Hersch, Article 3

Krystie's got more simply WOW! designs for us to showcase for you today, and before I get to that, I thought I'd share just a little more about her:

• Biggest challenge -  Achieving balance in life
• First stamp -  Nice and Narrow by SU!
• Can’t live without -  Embellishments that add a little dimension, like Twinkle or Clear Bubble stickers
• Favorite product -  Twinkle stickers, black and white gingham
• Climate –  I love the cool weather of the Pacific Northwest
• Last purchase -  A Muse note cards
• Proudest moment -  Being invited to join the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Design Team
• Passion -  Clean and simple card making
• Food -  Seafood, vegetarian stuff
• The future – Continuing my stamping hobby, preparing for a new baby next year
• Time of day –  The morning, when anything is still possible!

I love that Krystie mentioned balance as her biggest challenge--I think that's probably mine, too.

Now, here come the cards--yippeeeeeee!!!

HO! HO! HO!

Santa’s Suit takes center stage on this charming holiday design--The camera really doesn’t pick up as much of the details as I wish you could see in real life--the cut out suit was embossed with clear embossing powder over black ink, and the collar and trim have been embellished with white flock.

WHAT'S BREWING?

I love this a latté!  *chuckle*  How could you not?  The To-Go Cup is one of my absolute favorites, and coffee themed cards are always so much fun to make and give! 

She set each cup atop the micro oval background, to "ground" them.  She also outlined the images with a warm gray marker, creating an awesome sense of depth!

TO THE MOON AND BACK

For added dimension, Krystie stamped and cut out the rocket ship, to mount over the starry sky--notice now she kept the ink color of the stars soft and understated so that the sentiment would not have to compete for the eye’s attention.

A little epoxy sticker gives the window added dimension and high gloss, making for a fun card to give to a much loved little boy!

WAGON FULL O' POSIES

Krystie black embossed the wagon, and then piled it high with happy little daisies, each one with some sparkly glitter in the center. She then used the mortise (reverse) mask technique to create a nice background of sponged color that draws the eye in towards the focal image, highlighting it beautifully!  I think it makes for one of the happiest little designs ever!

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The care and attention to even the smallest of details, in each of these simple, yet WOW! creations inspire me to wanna run to my studio and stamp like a mad woman!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and please leave a comment for Krystie so your name can be entered into the drawing!

See you next week for the Final 4 of Krystie's fabulous cards!

Krystie Hersch, Guest Designer!

It's my pleasure to present to you our latest Guest Designer, Krystie Hersch!  I first met Krystie down at the A Muse shop, and her energy and enthusiasm are so contagious--ya' just feel happy bein' around her!

Krystie's very clean, simple stamping style is fabulous and I know you'll find her creations totally inspiring!  You can also visit her blog here:  Cupcake Martini  (With a tasty name like that, I'll bet you're already smackin' yer lips, eh?!  *chuckle*)

Be sure to leave a comment (1 per article only, please), and you'll be entered into a drawing at the end of Krystie's Guest Designer series for her personal favorites:

• Hailey's Snowman (illustrated by Linda's daughter Hailey herself, to raise funds for Scleroderma Research)
• Cabana Blue Square Note Cards

Hello!  My name is Krystie Hersch and I am SO excited to be the Guest
Designer for August!

I am married to a wonderful man named Jesse.  We have a two year old
daughter named Elsa, and we're expecting another child in January.  We
live in beautiful Western Washington.  Prior to staying home with my
daughter, I worked in Office Management and HR.

I discovered stamping almost three years ago as a new
stay-at-home-mom.  I've never been artistically inclined, yet I always
sought a creative outlet.  I finally found a hobby that I was
passionate about when I stumbled upon a stamping catalog.  I ordered a
starter kit and was instantly hooked!

My love of A Muse stamps began when my mom and I signed up for several
of Julie's classes at the A Muse shop.  I left with a ton of ideas and
a huge wishlist.  I've been a big fan ever since.  I'm lucky enough to
live near the A Muse store in Seattle and visit often!

I had so much fun working on my Guest Designer cards, I hope that you
enjoy them!
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To a deer friend

Krystie chose a very soft and subtle palette here to showcase our newest deer, "Fawn", from the A Muse-a-Palooza 08 Release!  Isn't she so sweet in this design?!

She gently sponged some color in the background, and notice how she elected to outline Fawn with color, rather than filling in--a fantastic approach I can't wait to try.

The grass element was punched from white card stock, and also sponged to continue the same soft, subtle effect.

Surprise & Delight

CindyLoo, also from the A-Muse-a-Palooza release, is excited and ready for Christmas, as you can see in this fun design!  Her candy cane and the heart on her little pajamas have been highlighted with red glitter for a tiny touch of dazzle.

Leafy Thanks

In this design, Krystie strayed outside the lines with her coloring to yield a wonderful effect with the mossy green she chose, and finished off the design by using a clear glaze atop the leaves.  It created a wonderfully glossy and dimensional effect that really sets the whole design off beautifully!

A Beautiful Day!

Aaaaaaah, Krystie snagged a bunch of my favorites to use on this creation--lemme count 'em:

1. Gingham
2. "have a beautiful day"
3. green and cyan color combo
4. clear domed stickers
5. daisies
6. white base card

I love how she used the pattern of the cottage green argyle paper for contrast and interest, and how it sets off the trio of daisies--trios or odd numbers of things are frequently very visually pleasing to the eye.

The hint of black makes for a striking, yet not overwhelming color accent, and the finishing touch of the dome stickers really makes the whole design POP!

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Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope you'll come back next week to see more of Krystie's lovely work, and I'll also have some fun tidbits to share about the designer herself!

We have WINNAAAAAAHHHS!!!

  Gee, announcing winners on Monday morning is *really* FUN!  I'm so tickled to announce the following individuals won Guest Designer Dawn McVey's give-away of the Eiffel Tower and Kitchen Pink 4 Bar Note Cards:

sharonw05  May 8, 2008 2:28 PM "{{{hugs}}}, Dawn!  I am sooo excited for you!  These are over the top, fabulous cards, and I can't seem to choose a favorite!  I gotta get me some of those awesome clear stickers!"

Riza Almanza May 16, 2008 9:40 AM, "Such clean and uncluttered design on these cards!  These are really great design.  I hope I can achieve these type of designs someday. :) 
Thanks for sharing your ideas!"

Berenice  May 31, 2008 8:51 AM,  "I am new to card making and have fallen in love with amuse stamps. I love Dawns creations especially this Paris card... i just have to make!"

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And the following are winners of our recent "Designer Swap" with Hero Arts Designer Lisa Spangler, give- away featuring Wheely Girl and the Madeira Blue 4 Bar Note Cards:

Kim Lenhart June 1, 2008 1:21 PM, "awesome designs...massive creativity!! I love them all!"

Paula May 30, 2008 3:22 PM, "this was a really good idea; switching off.  A lot of inspiration and fresh ideas."

Michelle Sampson   May 30, 2008 6:23 AM, "Wow.  She has some incredible creativity.  This is a great idea, and I know both of you had a blast with it!"

I love announcing winnahs--always feels like Christmas--Christmas in June!  Hah!

Winners, if you will kindly email me HERE, with mailing information, I can get your prizes distributed out to ya', and you'll be able to hold these goodies in your hot little hands and get busy lettin' the ink fly!  Don't be surprised if the chicks in fulfillment slip in a little extra A Muse goody, too, eh?! *wink*

Now, you know what else happens today, right?  That's right!  We're countin' down to:

 

We're so jazzed, and have all kinds of fun shenanigans, like A Muse Feud (!!!) beginning over at the A Muse-a-Palooza Blog, so be sure to spend a bit of time over there today, make sure you are REGISTERED (click HERE, to register), and get in on the action!

Becaaauuuuse . .  Julie sezzzzz: 

Moderation in all things.  Except FUN.

Excessive fun is *always* GOOD.

  --Julie

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*

The Old Switcheroo!

What could possibly happen if two designers, from two different companies, swapped stamps?  Well, a whole lotta stampy goodness, I tell ya'!

My buddy Lisa Spangler and I thought we'd have ourselves some fun with a little switcheroo, and hope you get as much a kick out it as we have!

 

 

Lisa Spangler

Hiya!  I had a blast stamping these cards using A Muse stamps – ideas
kept popping in my head faster than I could stamp them.  I still have a
bunch of sketches planned out, can't wait to  give them a go!

Here's a little bit about me:  I started stamping 14 years ago while in
graduate school, not to make cards, but to decorate envelopes. 
Eventually it dawned on me that I could make cards with stamps too –
and I've been doing that ever since!

In 2005 I was invited to create card samples for the Hero Arts catalog.
The next year I left my job as a software engineer to work for Hero
Arts full time as a Designer and Senior Web Engineer.    I also get to
teach classes and help with product development.  It's my dream job!

I live in Austin, Texas with Jason, my husband of over 11 years and
our two goldfish, Smiley and Woodfin.  When I'm not stamping, I'm
either hiking, riding my road or mountain bicycle, taking pictures of
wildflowers, or tromping around a prairie. 

One of my favorite foods is sushi, and when Julie asked what stamps I'd
like to use for the samples for our swap, that one was at the top of my list.
YUM.

Julie, it's been so much fun working with you on this “designer swap”
-- you are truly amazing.  Many thanks to you and A Muse!

Right back at ya', girlfriend!  Thanks so much to Lisa and to Hero Arts for this FUN Designer Swap! 

And, now, I'm tickled to share the fab cards that Lisa whipped up with ya'all!

Happy, HAPPY Birthday!

Lisa does a lot of her coloring work with colored pencils, and I think the shading she does is terrific!

In this design, she actually stamped with a nice dark brown ink, which sets a softer tone to the finished piece, and really brings out the warmth of the colors she chose to use.

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Flower Filled

Lisa used our Oval Frames set in conjunction with the Marvy Scallop Oval Punch to frame our little flower-filled wheel barrow, and sponged the edges to really make the focal image POP!

Look carefully, and you'll see how the tiny blossoms have been blinged with Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers.

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Just a note

Lisa's a tremendous nature buff--check out her blog, Sideoats & Scribbles to see her stunning photography of the beautiful prairie flowers she films. You will fall off your chair!

             

I had no idea the Texas prairies were so beautiful, until I saw Lisa's photography.

I loved how she made the little hill by pinking the Madeira Green paper--I am SO trying this!  Such a simple touch but, with great impact.

Did you catch the "love" note made with the heart shaped Twinkle Sticker?

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Ice Cream Note

I love out-of-the-box ideas, and this one is no exception--I love how Lisa used an image from the Fancy Borders set to create the "ice cream scoops"!

So stinkin' CLEVER!

The glitter makes 'em all the more delicious, and each one is topped with a little Twinkle Heart "cherry" sticker!  SWEET!

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Arigato

This is just so sweet, to have the flowery Party Lantern dangling from yet another image from the Fancy Borders set.

If you look carefully at the detail photo, you'll see how Lisa used the Clear Twinkle Stickers to create little hanging "crystals". 

And check out how she embellished the paper flower in the center with the pink Mini and Micro Dots!

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Flower Fan

I literally blurted out "SHUT UP!" over this.

I see fans.  Lisa sees fans.  And, Lisa sees a FLOWER!!!

Genius.

...................... 

Lisa used the fan from our Sushi set to create  a flower, centered by a clear disc and a button.

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OK, so she sees fans, flowers, AND BUTTERFLIES!!!

Are ya' shaking your head like I was?  Same fan, from the same set!

Fantastic cleverness!  GET OUT!!!

 

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Thank you

I started cracking up over this because Lisa and I are *so* much alike--we BOTH SAVE OUR PLASTIC SUSHI GRASS for cards!

ROTFLMBO! 

I love how she cut out and 3D mounted the little Tatami sandals from the Sushi Set on this!  Just so darn SWEET!  And, see how she used the Heart Twinkle Stickers to embellish them? 

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Sushi Spinner

            

I know!!! (--Monica, TV series "Friends")

Check out how she curved the sentiment, along the edge of the sushi circle element!

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Now you're wheely rollin'!

Wheely Girl is Lisa's all-time favorite A Muse stamp, and she smartly used the solid stitched image from the Fancy Borders set to create a hill for her to cycle up!

Did you notice what she used to create the windy "trail" behind her?

The STEAM from the Coffee Break Set!

               

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Lisa, your creations always inspire and delight--thank you for making this Designer Swap such a blast, my friend!

We'd love to share the fun with you, our readers, by havin' a "Lisa's Favorite A Muse Stamp Give-Away":

Wheely Girl
+ Madeira Blue 4 Bar Note Cards

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment right here on this article!

And, be sure to pop over to the Hero Arts Blog HERE and check out the cards I made!   I hear there's a give-away goin' on over there, too! 

--Julie   

Guest Designer Dawn McVey's final designs

We sure hope you've enjoyed this series on Guest Designer Dawn McVey!  Have you found yourself trying some of her fun design ideas?   

Today, I have the last of her fabulous designs to share, and just wanted to remind you to leave a comment, to enter the drawing for her Guest Designer prize!
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Butterflies Flutter By

Dawn used a Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch and studded each of then with Clear Twinkle Stickers for added glam.

Their wings were gently folded upwards for added dimension--I really love the effect!

The cream and black butterflies have quite a dramatic effect against the light blue polka dot pattern of the Kitchen Note--she actually cut one in half and used it as a layer on a cream base card for this design.

                     

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Ooh la la!

Die cut letters have been covered in rich purple glitter--very dazzling sophistication on this Paris design, don't you agree?

<--not *that* Paris!  THIS Paris! --->

I thought having the Eiffel Tower there angled to the right was a fabulous touch!
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Sending Sunshine

On this design, Dawn chose to stamp the Spiral Daisy repeatedly, in a tightly clustered pattern.

She then colored only the center portion, accenting each with Clear Twinkle Micro Dot Sticker!  It gives the Spiral Daisy a very different effect!

 

                      
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Sushi Without Wasabi

Dawn has mentioned her love of sushi, so I saved this one for last!

I loved the green and brown tones she used together on this, and, if you look down by the sentiment in the lower right, you'll see she meticulously cut out the little Lotus blossom and 3D mounted it--great touch!

                
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Thank you so much for joining each week for this series on Dawn's artwork with A Muse Artstamps--it's been so much fun showcasing these simple, yet wonderful projects with all of you!

Leave a comment, and who knows--you may be the lucky winner of Dawn's prize of the Eiffel Tower and the Kitchen Pink 4 Bar Note Cards--Dawn's FAVORITES!

--Julie   

Guest Designer Dawn McVey, episode 3!

I have more fun card inspirations by Dawn to show off today, but, before I do, here's the 2nd half of her answers to our word association questionnaire:

• Biggest challenge – Not having enough hours in the day to get all the things done that I’d like to and still having time to REST.
• First stamp – I could not WAIT to get my hands on Stampin’ Up!’s ‘Paris in the Spring’, but I'm not sure if this was my first set.  I just remember loving this one THE most!
• Can’t live without – God & my husband….oh, and Sunday afternoon naps!  LOL!
• Favorite product – Wow.  This is a hard one.  I’m not sure if I have "a favorite" product.  I suppose I'd have to go with paper.  I’ve loved paper ever since I was a little girl!  (Just ask my mom!)
• Climate – Waaaaarm
• Last purchase -  Ack!  I can’t remember!
• Proudest moment – Hmmm…my wedding day and the day I got word that I was going to have cards published in a magazine for the first time.
• Passion - Designing
• Food – See ‘perfect day’!  Haha!!  But really, I love pizza, Mexican, Italian, sushi, seafood….hmm, I guess I’m not super picky!
• The future – So many possibilities!  Can’t wait to see what’s in store!

Dawn would make a most excellent dinner companion--she likes EVERYTHING I do, and, since I'm all about the food, we'd get along splendidly!  *chuckle*

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In the pink!

Dawn gave this design a little bit of chic shabby, with distressed edges on the pink layer, which was machine stitched to the base card.

I love seeing the Clear Twinkle stickers in each corner--it's a no fuss way to get the effect of rhinestone brads, but, without the prongs!  Clever!

 

                         
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Daisy Discs

In this design, Dawn used various sized circle punches to create this fun polka dot effect with our papers, and highlighted the spiral daisy by overlaying our Clear Circle Stickers right over the top.

Some of the circles are mounted flush to the card front, and others elevated with foam mounting adhesive to create a fantastic dimensional effect.

 

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Whoo's your friend?

Here's a fabulous way to "spotlight" an image--a scalloped circle FRAME, with a bit of bling on each scallop.  Dawn elevated the frame with tiny bits of foam mounting adhesive all around the edge.

I love the way the branch and blossoms extend beyond the edge and she trimmed out the owl for an almost "shadow box" effect.

I'm very keen on this idea for dressing up a plain white card and making the focal image really draw center-stage attention!

 

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My brain is whirling with all the little details that Dawn has incorporated into these cards and I'm excited to try them out myself  during my next play session in the studio--how about you?

Thank you for stopping by, and be sure to leave a comment on this article--Dawn would love for you to win the drawing, and I love her choice of stamp and note cards for the lucky readers whose names will be drawn at the end of this series!

Have a wondermous day, and pop on in next week for the last of Dawn's inspiring designs!

--Julie

Thank you!!

Thank you ever so much for all of your kind words.  It has certainly been a very FUN anniversary for us.  We had a girls lunch down at the shop today with yummy Chocolate Mocha Mousse to celebrate.  The gals were all very touched by your kind comments! 

I am pleased to announce the SEVEN winners selected randomly from all the comments submitted to my Happy Anniversary post. 

1. Claudi Piegdon - 5/22 @ 1:38pm
2. Michelle G - 5/22 @ 9:43ampm
3. Julie Miller - 5/21 @ 12:52am
4. Laura - 5/22 @ 9:29am
5. Stefanie Rico- 5/22 @ 9:44am
6. Jennifer N. - 5/22 @ 11:10am
7. Jennifer Seifried - 5/21 @ 11:14pm

I have sent an email to the winners.  So, if you are one of the lucky gals, please be sure to let me know your choices as soon as possible.

We have lots of exciting things to share, beginning with more fabulous designs from Dawn McVey, our Guest Designer for May 2008. 

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend to all our American readers.  We will be closed (both our distribution center and retail shop) on Monday, May 26th for Memorial Day.

Guest Designer Dawn McVey has more to share!

We always invite our guest designers to share a little about themselves with a fun word-association questionnaire and it's always a kick to see what unknown little tidbits we just might share in common!  Check out Dawn's responses:

• Name – Dawn McVey
• Stamping – Every chance I get!
• Style – Clean, simple
• Inspiration – I’m extremely inspired by color!  Maybe that's why I love Target so much!
• Color – Fuchsia….it just makes me happy!
• Work space – My studio…..actually, it’s an extra bedroom in our house that we’ve turned into my work space.  But really, doesn’t “studio” just sound so much more fun to play in than “stamp room”???  Heehee!!
• Perfect day – Ahhh……well, traveling around Europe would be ideal!  LOL!  But if I’m home, then an entire day with no prior commitments!  Sleep in a bit, spend some time in the studio & spend the rest of the day with my hubby!  (Oh, and throw in some yummo sushi for lunch and a nice dinner out in the evening!)
• First job - babysitting
• Wildest dream – Designing for a living……in my HUGE home studio with built-in everything and tons of windows.  Heehee!
• Ink – Stampin’ Up! or Palette
• Family – Hubby & doggy; also oldest of 5 & recently, I’ve become a new auntie!
• Beverage – Mocha latte….mmmmm.

AHA!  Dawn is a fellow bean worshipper!

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Just A Note

At first glance, this design appears fairly straightforward, but, Dawn added a bit of dimension and interest by trimming out and 3D mounting a few of the cherry blossoms on the branch from the Sushi set!

The Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers add the perfect amount of dazzle to the centers.

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Zoom, zoom, zoom!

There she goes, cruisin' by on her glamorous pink Vespa!  Seems like a fun way to spend one's birthday, eh?!

This classic combination of pink and brown features a kraft card base, enriched by a dark chocolate grosgrain ribbon.

Notice how the scallop edging along the pink polka dot layer is echoed by the scallops of the oval punch out!

Simple and stylish--exactly what I often need in a birthday card!

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You're a hoot

I loved seeing the owl from the Nature set stamped directly onto patterned paper and then showcased with the Open Daisy as a backdrop!         

An additional element of interest is created by layering our Ric Rac Pretty Little Paper directly beneath the wide ribbon.

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Once again, some fabulously simple and charming card designs!  Thanks for stopping by again this week, and be sure to leave a comment (one only per article, please!) on each article featuring Dawn's wonderful cards to enter your name into the drawing!  Dawn would be thrilled for you to win!

--Julie  See ya' next time!    

Guest Designer Dawn McVey

Today it's my pleasure to introduce our newest Guest Designer:  Dawn McVey

Many of you may know her from the beautifully happy and clean designs she showcases at her blog, My Favorite Things

Dawn shared her biography with us, so we could get to know her even better:

My name is Dawn McVey and I have been stamping for about 4 years now, however my love of all things paper, was pretty fully developed by the time I was about TWO!  Ha!  I’ve been making my own cards for years, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I was introduced to Stampin’ Up! and it was about a year later that I became SU! demo myself.  One of the things I love about stamping is being able to use my stamps to make high quality paper-crafted items that almost look store bought!  I love being able to get the same image every time I stamp it and in any color I want it!  Heehee!  You can’t ‘run out’ of a stamped image!   It’s yours to use over and over again! 

I also enjoy scrapbooking, although I haven’t been doing much of that lately, as I’ve been busy pursuing my dreams of getting my cards published.  My first cards were published in March 2008.  You can find my work in Cards Magazine and later this year in Paper Crafts, Paper Crafts Card Creations 6 & Paper Trends!  I have close to 30 cards scheduled to be published in magazines this year and I’m just SO excited!

Bart and I have been happily married for 7 years now.  He always encourages me to go after my dreams. I couldn’t ask for a hubby more perfect for me!  Bart and I LOVE to travel and have been blessed to go on some amazing trips together.  Riley is our 60 lb. ‘baby’ – he’s a golden lab/shar-pei mix.  :)  I also love photography, reading, singing & blog-hopping.

I have been so amazed at the blessings God has brought to my life.  Creativity is a tremendous blessing (wouldn’t you agree, especially during those moments when you feel like your mojo is complete toast!  Haha!).  I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful hobby that is so rewarding!  I’ve made so many friends thru paper crafting and I’ve been given some awesome opportunities – working with A Muse, being one of them.  What an honor!

Before I share this installment of Dawn's A Muse designs, I wanted to invite you to leave a comment (1 only per article, please!) on any of the articles in her Guest Designer series with us cuz she's picked out her A Muse favorites for us to give away to readers!  WOO HOOOOO!!!

Eiffel Tower stamp
Pink Kitchen Collection 4 Bar Note Cards

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You're a hoot!

How fun is this?!  I loved how Dawn created a branch from the A Muse Twinkle Stickers for the darling owls in our Nature Set to perch upon! 

The beautiful shades of cyan and moss green look wonderful against the dark green Kitchen Note.

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Sending Sunshine

I don't know what says sunshine or summer more than the fabled ice cream truck--Dawn's design here brought back plenty of great memories of my childhood when we'd all race to the change jar and slam out the front door when we heard the tell-tale tunes wafting up the street!

I love how she covered the truck with one of the Clear Scallop Square Stickers and then punched a hole and knotted some ribbon through it to create a fun charm for this design.

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Meet me . . . under the chandelier!

LOL!  The mood is very "light" (hah--pun intended!) on this design, with the suggestion of a clandestine meeting under the glimmer of our elegant chandelier!

The Fancy Frame is a fabulous way to showcase it and creates a wonderful ornamental effect.

I thought it was very clever to layer the Kitchen Papers in this way to tie in all the colors used!

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Ooh la la!!!

Ooh la la is right!   This is probably one of the most clever uses of our Clear Stickers that I have seen in quite some time!

The scallop circle sticker was layered over a punched out circle of Kitchen Dark Brown Paper, and then affixed atop a larger scallop circle of vanilla paper. 

By trimming out and layering the Eiffel Tower over the top, it creates a whole new depth and dimension for the finished embellishment on the design--  I'm pretty keen on this and can't wait to try it myself!

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Thanks so much for poppin' in our newest Guest Designer, Dawn McVey--I have no doubt you've gotten some marvelous inspiration for your next creations!  Be sure to leave a comment on this article so your name can be entered into Dawn's give away of the Eiffel Tower and Pink Kitchen Collection Notes--Dawn wants ya' to win!

--Julie  See you again next week for more of Dawn's faboo designs!

WINNERS of Stephanie's Guest Designer Give-away!

Thanks to all of you that stopped by to comment on both of my articles on Guest Designer Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee!

The winners of this Guest Designer Give-away are:

Elizabeth Glass  Apr 8, 2008 1:51 PM

and

Jo Ann F.  Apr 18, 2008 6:42 AM

If you lucky ladies will email --> Julie <-- She'll have the Crew at A Muse ship your Gerbera Daisy stamp and Light Blue Kitchen Collection Notes out to you spit spot!

More Creative Fun With Guest Designer Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee

Well, I hope you are ready for some more fanstampmagorical paper creations by Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee!   

I have to share a little more about her from our word association interview:

• Biggest challenge – Getting my samples complete.  We make 6 card samples for each class, so I’m burning the midnight oil a few times a week.
• First stamp – It was a row of animals from I think PSX stamps.
• Can’t live without – White cardstock.  You need it for everything!
• Favorite product – A Muse Pretty Little Papers, I love that you don’t even really need to cut it up!  I save even the tiniest scraps!
• Climate – 75-degrees.
• Last purchase – All of the new A Muse women stamps
• Proudest moment -  Giving birth to my son Miles.
• Passion – making invitations
• Food – SUSHI!
• The future – I hope to have more children and keep the store doors open!
• Time of day – 6pm, it’s time to go home!

She likes sushi, too!!!     (not just the A Muse Sushi STAMPS!  *chuckle*)

Don't forget to leave a comment on my previous Stephanie article, if you haven't yet, and one on this article, to be entered into the drawing for Stephanie's favorite stamp:  Gerbera Daisy, and the Light Blue Kitchen Collection 4 Bar Note Cards!

And, guess what?  Stephanie graciously sent me the directions to the popular and adorable paper fortune cookie showcased in the last article, and I'll be sharing the tutorial for that soon!  WOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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Mini ViewMasters

ViewMasters, as I've said before, are among my favorite interactive cards, but, I do declare it has never occurred to me to do them in a miniature size, like these little gems!  Aren't they to die for?

She used the largest Marvy Scallop Circle Punch to create the top layer.

I just love them!
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Mini Mags

Mini MAGNETS that is!  Each of these images is centered on a 1" square of patterned paper, which has been affixed to an additional 1" square of mat board, to give them extra substance and sturdiness. 

A little magnet on the back and secured to a card stock panel with temporary adhesive, they make for a delightful and easy gift!  I love how she slipped them in clear envelopes so you could see them, and secured coordinating tags at the top with a blingy brad!
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The Sweetest Little Pea On Earth!

I don't know about you, but every now and then I'm caught panicking because I need a last-minute baby gift.  But, what can you give that is thoughtful, charming, AND, can be done in about 10 minutes max?

I know!!!  She's a GENIUS!  I fell in love with this little onesie--suitable for a baby girl or boy and simply too, TOO easy!

Pre-wash the shirt, don't use fabric softener.  When dry, insert a piece of cardboard to avoid any bleed through, and stamp your image with VersaCraft (formerly Fabrico) ink, which is a pigment ink designed not only for paper, but fabric and other beyond-paper surfaces! 
Heat set the ink when completely dry by tossing into the dryer, or with an iron and pressing cloth, and you're good to go!

Once again, a clear cellophane bag makes for a beautiful yet simple gift presentation.
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Teeny Tiny Gift Box

I saved my personal favorite of Stephanie's creations for last.  I have seen many origami boxes with lids, but, this teeny tiny one, just the right size for a life-saver, is probably the most unique I've come across!

I love the ribbon loop knotted through a hole punched in the center of the lid, making a handle for you to pull to remove it.

And, she punched a scallop square to line the inside with, and embellished it with a Heart Twinkle Sticker!

Long after the sweet treat is gone, the little box can be used to keep-sake another tiny treasure!

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Thanks so much for peeking in and letting me share Stephanie's paper cleverness--I'm just so taken with her simple yet WOW style and how charming her creations are!

I'll be back soon with Stephanie's tutorial for the sweet, no-calorie fortune cookie we're all mad for!  Yippeeee!!!

---Julie

P.S.  Check out Tracy's pics at her blog!  She shared about her fun taking Linda's classes at Stephanie's shop in Sacramento--isn't it just heavenly???!!!

Saltbox Studio Winner

I'm glad to see that you love these new stamp sets by The Saltbox Studio as much as I do!  Just to clarify, those gorgeous cards posted here yesterday were *not* designed by me... they were the creations of a brand new Saltbox Studio design team member, whom you will be introduced to next week.

We have a winner, picked by Nina, who is sitting right here with me preparing the weekly a-muse-letter.

I don't think I can pick one without the other, so the Tweets & Tweet Houses are my faves! They're all so cute! I can't wait to see who the new designer is! Those cards are so cute!

Posted by: Melinda | Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 10:55 AM

Melinda, please email your postal address and the two Saltbox Studio stamp sets you'd like and we'll get them sent off to you.

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Some of you asked to see some photos of our flood earlier in the week.  Look at all the water!!!  That is our *brand new* carpet lying there. 

Here's one stack of our pretty A Muse t-shirts all ruined with the icky water. 

These were the magazines we kept on our table with inspiring ideas.

The good news is that we are well practiced at cleaning up after the shop floods.  We are up and running again so be sure to stop by if you are in our neck of the woods.  We are open on Saturdays from 11a to 4p.

I'm off to Sacramento for a few days to teach lots of classes at The Paper Garden Boutique.  I believe there are a couple of spots left in one or two of the classes and they are my favorite ones (Creative Clear* and *Wonderful Women*) so if you can squeeze in a class, give Stephanie a call today!

BTW, Stephanie is our Guest Designer this month.  See her fabulous creations right here and leave a comment to be entered into her drawing. 

Have a beautiful weekend!

Guest Designer Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee

I was lucky enough to meet Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee, owner of The Paper Garden Boutique, at CHA this last February!

She's got a smile that totally lights up the room the minute she walks in--there is such a warmth, friendliness, and sense of fun about her!  It makes me envy the good times folks must have in the classes she teaches at her shop.  Lucky ducks all!

Stephanie is a 3D paper fun-addict and loves to "make things"!   She was kinda shy and hesitant about being a guest designer for us, but, I finally woo'd her into doing it with my charms !  Hah!  When I received her box of creations, I fell off my chair--I can't wait to share these darling treasures with ya'!

But, first, let me tell you a little more about Stephanie:

She's a former television journalist (I know-- I blurted "GET OUT!" when I learned that!), who decided after her son, Miles, was born, that she had had enough of working 12 hours shifts, and reporting dismal news.  It was time to find something new, and, with the support of her husband Ken, since she loved paper and happy colors, she opened up The Paper Garden Boutique!  Filled with all of Stephanie's most favorite things, it quickly became, and is,  "the happy place" for many stampers and paper crafters in the Sacremento, CA area. 

We asked Stephanie to share a little bit more about herself with this fun little word-association questionnaire:

• Name -   Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee
• Stamping -  I don’t know how to draw, so I was so happy to discover stamping!
• Style -  Simple and glittery!
• Inspiration -  I feel I’m a freak sometimes, I get inspired while looking at the graphics or colors on someone’s t-shirt or purse, I think hmmmmmm…. I can use those colors and flourishes and birds and use them on a card design.  I wonder about myself sometimes. 
• Color -  Robin’s egg blue and Milk glass green are my favorite colors
• Work space – I have a bar area at my store that will seat 12 people comfortably.  The table top is  a giant black granite slab that I work on and I can spread out all of my supplies.  I don’t stamp at home anymore. 
• Perfect day – Everyday is a perfect day now, the dream to own my own business is now a reality!
• First job – I filed golf receipts at my parents’ best friends' golf course in Fremont, California
• Ink – Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink pads and Versafine black
• Family -  I have *the* best husband in the world (I’m not just saying that).  Ken comes to work in the store every weekend without complaints and he is a much better sales person than I am.  My 2.5 year old adorable son, Miles, who loves only choo choo and truck stamps.  I also have my two cousins Laurie and Kelley working at the store and are the best worker bees--I am the luckiest entrepreneur!
• Beverage – uhhhhh . . .  Diet Red Bull . . . or water . . .

I'll share a little more about Stephanie in the next installment of this  series, but, for now, I wanted to let you know that Stephanie has selected her prize for our Guest Designer Drawing!  If you leave a comment, one only per article, please, your name will be entered into a drawing for the Gerbera Daisy (Yesssss!!! One of my all-tine faves, too!) and the 4 Bar Light Blue Kitchen Collection Notes!  And, we'll probably slip in some of our faboo ribbon, too! *wink*

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This cheery party ensemble really knocked my socks off--I loved the bright ink colors she used with the yellow Kitchen Notes!

Look at how she combined these great floral images together, by clustering them in the corner! I cannot want to try this myself--I think the effect is fantastic, and I loved the extra bit of dazzle she added with the bright yellow Stickles not only in the center of some of the flowers, but along the scallop edge of the pocket--she loves glitter, that girl!

Matching tags, and place-cards don't get much easier than this!  And, did you notice how she "edged" each of the white layers by simply tapping the edge of the ink pad against the edge of the paper?  This is a great finishing touch that gives more contrast, but without adding the bulk of additional layering!
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Stephanie used the new Nature and Sushi sets to create this adorable desk set--office supplies don't have to be boring and run-of-the mill!

The "just a note" notepad papers are clamped together by a heavy duty office magnet/clip --easy to find on your file cabinet.  And, she cleverly made a "custom" tape dispenser by using the original paper insert as a pattern.

A matching pen and and steno pad complete the ensemble, and make for wonderful gift!
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By punching a scallop shape out, just beyond the fold line, Stephanie was able to create a fold-over bookmark.  Small magnets on the inside make it so easy to mark your page!  I loved how she used the Clear Twinkle Stickers for the window shade pulls on our little Book Store image!

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Yup.  It's a fortune cookie.  Made from paper!  It actually also serves as a place-card--on the opposite end of the little "fortune", it indicates what table you are seated at.

Wouldn't they be fun to have at an event?  They are just too SWEET!!! Ooooh, and totally no-cal, as well!  LOL!
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Aren't these all fun?  I wish you could have heard me as I was opening the box and pulling out each of these.  I was pretty much squealing, "Shut up!!!" over everything! *chuckle*

Be sure to leave a comment, to enter the drawing, and I'll have another article next week to share with you featuring more of Stephanie's super-cute creations!

--Julie

We have a winner!

Wowza!  Thanks for all your fun comments.  I haven't had a giveaway in quite some time so it is fun to see some new folks poppin' in to say "hi". 

I picked the winner's name out of a hat.  I find this method to be more fun than using the random number thingy... and I figured out a way to easily consolidate all the comments to make them easier to print & cut. Yeah!

Congratulations to Laura Zitzer, who posted the following comment.

"I love the new stamp with the wiener dog and the bunny.  I see myself modifying that stamp for more than just an easter greeting."

Laura, please email me your mailing address and I will pop these goodies in the mail to you.

Thanks again for all of your wonderful comments.  It is so nice to hear from you!

xo

Got stamps?

I was organizing my stamps a few weeks ago and discovered that I have some duplicates.  There are 7 stamps in total.  Some are used, some aren't.  6 of them are 'prototypes', 1 is not. 

Our prototype stamps are the first stamps ever produced from our manufacturer.  We send them to our designers and instructors to help us "test" them before going into production.  We do *not* permit our instructors or designers to sell our prototype stamps because sometimes there are slight imperfections that we work out *before* we ship!

That's a mightly long pre-amble to let you know that I would love to give these stamps to one of our A Muse blog readers.  Here's the list of what I've got.

• Cat woman (halloween)
• Tiny cat (halloween)
• Little dino (kids)
• flower box (nature)
• Tea cup (friendship)
• Tin Plate (background)
• Just a note (new)

If you would like to have these stamps, please post a comment here with your favorite new A Muse product (see links in post above).  I will draw one winner tomorrow (2/21) at noon.

Bonne chance!

ETA: I've found even more fun stuff for the lucky winner... some samples of our Spring notes, and some A Muse ribbon that I cut by mistake.  If I keep cleaning, who knows what I'll add...  I still have until tomorrow noon! LOL!

WOO-HOOOOO!!! WINNERS for Guest Designer Nicole Miller's Give-Away!

Happy Friday!

These three lucky ladies were the winners of the Nicole Miller Guest Designer Give-Away!

Cathy Meyers
Tara Griesbach
Stefanie Rico

Ladies, if you would please email me directly HERE, and I will have the fabulous folks at A Muse hook ya' up with your prize:  Elyse, and the 4 Bar Kitchen Collection RED Note cards, and I'm sure the A Muse Crew will tuck in some fun A Muse ribbon, too!  *wink*

Thank you all for taking the time to comment on Nicole's wondermous designs--we knew they'd knock yer socks off, cuz she sure did blow us away!

--Julie

Nicole Miller, Guest Designer Week 4

The last of the lovelies . . .

Over the past four weeks we've been sharing the wondermous creations of Nicole Miller, and this is our final article.  We hope you've enjoyed them and been inspired by them as much as we certainly have here at A Muse!

Don't forget to leave a comment on this, and any of our previous Nicole Miller articles (one comment per article, please), so you'll be entered for her Guest Designer Drawing, featuring:

Elyse
Kitchen Collection 4 Bar Notes in Red

Bears In The Box!

I went ga-ga over this adorable thing--I mean how could anyone possibly resist this???  It is just too TOO CUTE!!!

I loved how she glittered the gift box and framed the image with scalloped Paper Frills--she even mitered the edges, by golly!

These sweet bears remind her of those favorite plushies little ones receive and hugs so dearly.

She also created a notch closure for this card there on the lower right, and embellished it with a fun shaped brad.
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Da' Bomb!

This design features a "time bomb" and the bomb actually rotates around!   Fun and different, Nicole used the Star Twinkle Stickers to embellish the sparks on the fuse and the exclamation point on the sentiment!

Her shading with light and dark grey tones really gives the bomb great dimension and depth!

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Pedestal of Love

Yup.  This design pretty much confirms what we already know:  Nicole is an AMAZING out of the box thinker!

I know what you're thinking . . . "Hey, A Muse doesn't have a pedestal!  Where'd she get that???!!!"  I got two words:  SWIRLY BRACKET!

She created this by stamping Swirly Bracket in full, and then to create the base legs, she only inked up half the image and stamped those into position at the bottom.  ..................THUD!!!

Then, she piled up the tiny hearts, with Tiny Bird on top, sprinkled in a few little Primas, and Twinkle Stickers, and well, dang if it isn't just the prettiest little Valentine!

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BIG Bloom

As you can see, Elyse is no doubt one of Nicole's favorites--In this sweet, soft scene, she is gazing up at a blossom made of scalloped heart punch outs, and, if you'll notice, the flowers blooming next to Elyse are all "hearty" ones!

I have never in my life seen more ingenious uses for heart shape punches than all the designs Nicole has done, hand down!

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No bull!

Hah!  I love that!  And, in a clever pun Nicole used the bow and arrow (one of my all time favorite Valentine images) and made the most ingenious TARGET out of, yes, once again, a HEART and various circle punches! .............get outta' town!!!

How does she do it???!!!

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Inkin' Under The Sea

Now, I must confess--I loved all of Nicole's designs, but, if I had to pick one as a favorite, after a lot of hemming and hawing, for me I'd say it's this one.

I just adore the wavy, glittery frame, and how she added a tiny hand-drawn paint brush to Octopus, so it looks like he's inking the Heart(retired) onto a canvas, created by the Retro Rectangle.

She repeated the wave edges on the blue paper to give a watery feel and you can see Seaweed sprouted there in the background.  Then, she tied the whole thing together with three eyelets in matching colors.  Absolutely brilliant!
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We'd like to thank Nicole for letting us share these very creative and FUN card designs--I know every time I look at them I wanna run over to look at all my stamps to see if I can find interesting, new ways to use them beyond what they were originally designed for.

Thanks for stopping by each week!  Nicole can't wait for you to enjoy the prize she has chosen, so please be sure to sure to leave a comment by February 7th!

Winners will be drawn and announced here at the A Muse News blog, so check back to see if you are a lucky winner!

--Julie

Winners of Guest Designer Jill Kiah-Saslav's Drawing!

Thank you so much for stopping by to comment on Guest Designer Jill Kiah-Saslav's creations, featured during November and into December!  The following lucky names were drawn to win Jill's prize, featuring the A Muse Branch, and the Brown Madeira 4 Bar Note Cards! 

mamichelle, Thursday, Novemver 15, 2007, 08:57 AM
Julie (Joypup on SCS), Friday, November 30th, 2007, 07:16 PM
Armie P Cuaresma, Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 11:01 AM

If you three lucky individuals will kindly email Julie with your names, and mailing addresses, we'll get your prize packaged and shipped out to you!

Thank you so much for playing!

--Julie

 

We have LEXI-WINNERS!!!

A big thank you to all that participated in Lexi's Guest Designer Series!  We have randomly drawn 3 names from the comments, and are tickled to share the lucky winners right here:

Mary Duffek, Saturday, Sept. 22nd, 6:46 pm
Pegg, Friday, Sept. 21st, 6:19pm
Teresa, Monday, Oct. 8th, 3:37 pm

Ladies, if you will kindly email me with your postal address information, A Muse will send you Lexi's gift (Rock Star and Mango Tin Plate Note Cards)!

Happy Day! 

Woohoo! Winners!

I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday weekend.  Our weekend was cut short because of 2 sick girls.  They are feeling better today which is a good thing because it's the FIRST day of School.  We always ride bikes on the first day but it was pouring this morning so we had to drive.  In fact, I had to use the flash on my camera for pictures!!  Holy tomato!

Makenna started Kindergarten today! It's a happy and sad day for us.  Fortunately they give us parents a break-in period and the kindys only go for a half day all week.  Thank goodness!

I am happy to announce the winners of both the "When I Grow Up" contest and also Novell's Guest Designer gift.

We'll do the When I Grow Up winner(s) first.  We couldn't just pick one!  Thank you for sharing your stories.  The girls and I enjoyed reading them all - it was very inspiring for them to read your stories! While it is not suprising to see how many of you wanted to be teachers (having a great teacher can be so inspiring!), it was interesting to see how many of you *are* teachers today. 

OK, ok, I know you want to know who the winners are...   J

Congratulations and thank you to:

LindaSS - the nerdy-type actress
Denny - singing school bus driver
Doris - stair-bound flight attendant

Ladies, please email me your postal address and we will ship out your new A Muse Broadway clear alphabet set.

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And, now for the winner(s) of Novell's gift...  We have TWO winners!!  Novell's special number is 9 so I determined who posted the 9th comment on each of Novell's posts with at least one card.  Since her Guest Designer spot spanned TWO months, I decided to pull two winners from this group.  Congratulations to:

Melanie aka batgirl (for her post on 08/01/2007 at 8:28 am)

and

Connie Heitner (for her post on 0//28/2007 at 6:51 am)

Ladies, please email me your postal address and we will send you Novell's gift (a *new* A Muse mini oval stamp and Blue Raspberry Tin Plate notes).

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Win A Muse Goodies!

This is a reminder that at midnight tonight (Pacific time) we will close the comments for a chance to win Novells' gift.  Simply post a comment on any/all of the posts with Novell's card designs here at the A Muse News blog and your name will be entered into the drawing.  The more comments you post (limit of one per blog entry, please) the more chances you have to win!

Tomorrow noon (Pacific Time) is the last day to post your story about "When I grow up" to win our new Broadway alpha set.

I hope to post winners tomorrow but it may be Tuesday as I won't have internet access over the weeked.

Scroll down for details on both of these giveaways.  Bonne chance!

Reminder:  The A Muse Shop will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 3rd.

Mother's Day Contest WINNER!

We have a winner for our Mother's Day Inspiration Reader Gallery Contest!

Congratulations to:  Jill Kiah-Saslav for her gorgeous card (#24)!

Jill wins a $25 gift certificate from A Muse AND a special bouquet of flowers delivered to the mom/woman of her choice.

Our 2nd place winner is Elena Shacochis' Mom card (#15): 

And, our third place winner is MJ Weston for her lovely card #33:

Elena and MJ each win one of our brand NEW Personal Stationery clear sets with an acrylic block. I love this set and designed it because it includes all of the things that I *need* in a personal stationery set.  I can't wait to see what these gals create with it!

Winners, please email me your mailing address and we will send out your prizes right away.  Jill, please email me about the flowers.

voting is very close so far!

Wowie!  I just peeked in on the voting for our Mother's Day Inspiration Reader's Gallery. There are over 250 votes and many, many cards still in the running.  I think this demonstrates the incredible talent of all the stampers that submitted their beautiful cards!

If you have not voted yet for your favorite card, the voting closes Tueday May 8th at midnight (Pacific time).

Mother's Day contest

Mother's Day Inspiration Reader Gallery Contest

It’s that time again! We have truly enjoyed seeing the special cards that you have created with A Muse stamps in our previous Reader Gallery contests. This time we are celebrating cards for Mother’s Day (or other special women in your life!). Our Mother’s Day Inspiration Reader Gallery Contest will run through May 1st, 2007. 

The lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from A Muse AND a special bouquet of flowers delivered to the mom/woman of their choice on Mother's Day. 

2nd and 3rd place winners will receive our brand new (not yet released) Personal Stationery clear stamp set along with a clear block.

Mother's Day Inspiration Reader Gallery will be presented Friday, May 4th.  Then it will be your turn to vote for your favorite!

The fine print:

·        Submissions must include at least one A Muse stamp J

·        You may submit as many cards as you wish (preferably that suit the theme)

·        Prizes will be awarded as posted above

·        1st, 2nd & 3rd place prize winners will be determined by our readers (limit of one vote per reader)

·        We regret that we cannot be responsible for submissions that are not received due to computer/email problems or late postal deliveries

Submission instructions:

Electronic submissions:

1.      Take a good photograph of your card

2.      Natural light is best – stand your card next to a window so there is light on the card front.  Avoid bright sunshine as this will wash out your card.

3.      A straight-on photo of your card is easiest to view in the gallery.

4.      Image specifications:

• Under 150K
• 72 dpi
• JPEG format only

If you have questions on how to do this, please email [email protected]

Email your photo to us at [email protected] by May 1 2007.

Please put Reader Gallery in the subject line and be sure to include your full name & address so we may contact you if you are a winner.

Submissions by mail:

Please include your name, address and email address on a separate sheet paper-clipped to your card.

Please mail your cards by April 29, 2007:

A Muse Reader Gallery

8544 Greenwood Ave. N.

Seattle

,

WA

98103

Please note: we are not able to return any card submissions; however, we will donate them to a worthy cause. 

Spread the word!