It's time to announce the winners of Kristina Proffitt's Guest Designer prize! We randomly chose three names.... so congratulations to:
* Jenna A who posted October 7, 2010 at 9:20am
* Sue D who posted October 23, 2010 at 6:49pm
* Penny H who posted October 11, 2010 at 5:32am
If you lucky winners would kindly email me your shipping address, and we'll send your goodies out to you!
Hiya! I'm back with the last of Kristina Proffitt's guest designer projects. But first, we have a *special* announcement! Please join me in congratulating Kristina on the birth of her new son! Visit her blog for the full scoop and to see his adorable baby photo!
Let's start off the post today with Kristina's scrapbook page! I love the bright happy colors - sooo cute! And very clever how she used the ribbon with the buttons and the scallops!
Kristina's next project is a peaceful nature card using our new snowladen tree stamp. Kristina used liquid applique on the branches for a fun snowy effect! And a large red twinkle sticker adorns the top of the tree!
Kristina's last design is so fun and clever! With a little foam tape and a few scraps, she made a Merry Christmas sign for Santa to hold!
It has been a pleasure sharing Kristina's work this month and I hope you have enjoyed it! A huge thanks to Kristina for sharing her fabulous designs with us! Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for a chance to win (one comment per post please). Winners will be announced next week!
It's Friday and that means it's time to share the next round of Kristina' Guest Designer cards! This week, I have chosen three of her designs that are my *favorites*! I can't wait to share them, so let's jump right in!
All of the cards I selected for the post today are such *HAPPY* designs - I love the color combos! This first design is so simple, but so fun! Kristina added the handwritten "to you" at the end of the sentiment that I think ties the whole thing together perfectly. And did you notice the stitched line on the banner flags?!
Kristina made great use of her scraps on this next card and built a house! If you are a reader of my blog, then you know that I love scenes, houses, and doors... so it will be no surprise that this is one of my faves! Glitter glue on the clouds make them sparkle and Kristina cleverly used a pretty pearl as a doorknob!
And last but certainly not least, is this adorable card featuring our Snow Lady stamp! I love how Kristina used the snowflake swirl and pearls! And that little hint of white polka dot ribbon at the bottom is fun too!
I hope you enjoyed Kristina's cards today! Which one is your favorite so far?
We are nearing the end of Kristina's designs, but I have one more week for you! So be sure to stop back next Friday to see the last set including another adorable scrapbook layout!
And let's not forget the rest of Kristina's thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
Before I go today, I bet you'd love to know what Kristina has chosen as the Guest Designer prize - right?! Kristina's choice is the "Snow Baby & Birdie" stamp and a pack of A Muse Kitchen Yellow notecards!
So be sure to enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on each of the Guest Designer posts featuring Kristina's designs! (one comment per post please)
We have more fun cards and a scrapbook page to share from Guest Designer Kristina Proffitt! Let's jump right into her projects today!
On this first design, Kristina cleverly cut a large speech bubble and then filled it fun holiday sentiments! This owl has a lot to say - *smile*! Kristina popped him up on foam tape (stamped him also on the card itself so his feet didn't get left out) and set him on a fun row of pearl stickers!
More fun with pearl stickers on this next design! Kristina stamped the snow baby & birdie inside our dot oval stamp. Don't they fit perfectly?! A red oval and punched heart add a pop of color.
Kristina is a pro at scrapping and has had her layouts (and cards too!) published many times. So I was tickled that she created two fabulous pages using our stamps. I am sharing the first one with you today and you'll have to wait until the last post for the other one! This page is sooo adorable - I love how she used the lacy oval block and then added the date with a white gel pen! Another fun detail is the stitching below the photos!
*sigh* - so fun! That's it for her projects this week, but I have plenty more of Kristina's work to share with you. You won't want to miss her cards next week - they are my *favorites*!!
Before we go today, I thought I'd share a little more about Kristina. We gave her a list of words and asked her to share what came to mind so we could all get to know her better. Here is a portion of the list and her replies (we'll share the rest in her next post):
Be sure to enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on any of the posts featuring Kristina's work (one comment per post please). We'll announce the winners at the end of the month!
Please join me in welcoming our Guest Designer for October - Kristina Proffitt! You may know Kristina from her blog: one happy mama! Kristina has created fun holiday designs with our newest stamps and I am excited to share them with you.
But first, I'll let Kristina tell you a little about herself:
Hi there! My name is Kristina Proffitt. I’m from Nashville, Tennessee and I’m SUPER excited to be this month’s guest designer! Let’s see … a little about myself … I’m 32-years-old, married to my best friend for 8 years (this month), I have a sweet daughter who will be turning 5 next month and a little boy who is due in a few weeks! I also have a sweet dog named Maggie. I love any and all things crafty. That includes, of course, stamping, card making, scrapbooking, photography, writing and blog design. I’m a pretty simple gal – love simple design, every day photographs, shopping on Etsy.com, doodling and jotting down memories.
I got into stamping probably about 5 years ago, but only dabbled in it here and there at that time. I was more of a stamp “collector.” In the past couple of years, I have pulled out those stamps and had so much fun stamping. I love to use stamps on scrapbook pages as well. Inking up a stamp is therapeutic and so much fun. I wish I had gotten serious about stamping sooner but I am just thankful that I dusted off those stamps and started to enjoy them and not just collect them.
I want to thank A Muse for this wonderful opportunity!
And now.. her cards! Kristina used some of our gorgeous shimmer paper on each of today's designs! It is difficult to capture the shimmer on camera, but if you own this paper then you know how pretty it is!
Kristina paper pieced the owl so that he "pops"! And black twinkle stickers were the perfect accent on his eyes. Kristina use our classic alphabet to create the words and also added a handwritten "the" at the top.
On this next design Kristina used Papaya shimmer damask paper along with pink solid for the cardbase. And the snowflakes are punched out of ocean shimmer and each have a white pearl in the center!
Kristina used more pink shimmer paper on the last design today. Lots of twinkle stickers are perfect as ornaments on the tree!
I hope you enjoyed Kristina's shimmer designs! I'll be back next week with more holiday cards and a scrapbook layout! And now... it's giveaway time! We asked Kristina to choose a stamp and pack of notecards to share with three lucky winners. What did she choose? Stay tuned to find out - we'll reveal the prize in one of her upcoming posts! To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Kristina's designs! (one comment per post please)
It's time to announce the winners of Carly Robertson's Guest Designer prize!
We randomly chose three names.... so congratulations to:
Paulette Still who posted August 11, 2010 at 7:11pm:
Dana Klinkner who posted August 15, 2010 at 1:13am:
Lori Frost who posted September 4, 2010 at 10:06pm:
If you lucky winners would kindly email me your shipping address,
and we'll send your goodies out to you!
It's time for the last of Carly Robertson's guest designer projects. It has been a pleasure sharing her designs and I hope you have enjoyed them! This last set has a fun mix of cards, tags, and a treat! So let's get right to them!
This first design is simple and fabulous! I love all the elements on this card - from the rounded corners to the ribbon and candy cane paper. And - how cool is the red star at the top of the tree?! Carly also added a touch of silver sparkle to all of the ornaments.
More fun with Candy Cane paper on these cutie tags! I love the little grouping of twinkle stickers on each tag - adds a special touch!
This next card is just beautiful in person. The colors are so soft and wintery and the silver ink on the snowflakes and crystal twinkle stickers are just the right touch. Carly has a little tip to share with you on this design: "I cut a partial oval shape out of the top layer to reveal the sentiment. This is a great trick for dealing with longer quotes or sentiments that you want to highlight."
And... last but certainly not least, is this adorable treat bag! Can you see the little chocolate chip cookies peeking out from the side? Mmmmm! Some of you may know that I love scene cards, so it would be no surprise that the new winter scene cling stamp is one of my favs! And it is soo fast - just stamp and color - no "scene building" required - LOL! I love Carly's choice of colors here - so festive and fun! And of course there are hints of glitter on the snow!
A huge thanks to Carly for sharing her beautiful designs with us! Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for a chance to win (one comment per post please):
* Snow Gent stamp
* Pack of A Muse Kitchen Green notecards
Then check back Monday to see if you are a prize winner!
It's time again for more inspiration from our guest designer Carly Robertson! Today, I have four fun holiday designs, so let's get right to them!
On this first design, Carly popped up the fox using foam tape to give him some dimension. And the big eyelet and Twinkle stickers at the top of the trees add a little extra pizzazz!
This next design uses our beautiful new big cling Poinsettia stamp! Carly die cut a scallop card and then added a little ribbon to the top to finish it off (and it does double-duty by hiding the fold - slick!) Love the black twinkle stickers in the center of the Poinsettia!
These owls make such fun little scenes! More sparkle using twinkle stickers on the owl's eyes!
And one more for you today - featuring our new Santa and Candy Cane paper. I *love* the tiny jingle bell - it really makes it special because not only is it adorable, it *sounds* fun too! I just want to sit here and jingle her card - LOL!
So fun! And let's not forget, Carly has a few more things to share from our word association game:
We are nearing the end of Carly's designs, but it's not over yet - I have a bonus week for you! So be sure to stop back next Friday to see the last of Carly's fabulous work!
Remember to enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on this, and on each of the Guest Designer posts featuring Carly's designs! (one comment per post please)
Hiya! I'm back with more sweet designs for you from Carly today! This time let's jump right in and check out her cards. But keep reading below for more words from Carly and I'll also reveal the prize she has chosen!
First up today is this adorable snow couple - the snow gent and snow lady. I love how Carly paper pieced the gingham to give them clothes! And the button and twinkle stickers are fun details!
To go along with the snow couple, Carly also made a coodinating snow baby card! Notice the tiny jingle bell tied on the ribbon - it is sooo cute in person!
Next up is the fun ginger kids from the ginger delights cling set paired with one of the new labels in the holiday labels set. Love Carly's use of twinkle stickers in the corners of the label!
This next design is my favorite of the group today. Hopefully you can see all the embossed white snowflakes - it is stunning in person!
Here is a closeup - beautiful!
Here are a few more of Carly's thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
Now... I bet you'd love to know what Carly has chosen as the Guest Designer prize - right?! I'll let Carly tell you:
"For the prize I’d have to pick the Kitchen Green notecards and the super sweet Snow Gent stamp. I just adore the little snowman and woman stamps – they're so super cute!"
So be sure to enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Carly's designs! (one comment per post please)
I still have lots more of Carly's designs to share, so stay tuned for more holiday designs next week!
Hello! I'm back with more from Guest Designer, Carly Robertson! We gave Carly a list of words and asked her to share what came to mind so we could all get to know her better. Here is a portion of the list and her replies (we'll share the rest in her next two posts):
Today, I have two more of Carly's Halloween cards and a treat to share, so let's get right to them!
I love Carly's use of the Petite Gingham paper on all three of these designs! This first card features the new Hazel Witch Owl. If you look closely, you can see that she added a perfect tiny twinkle sticker on the broom!
On her next design - is this hat not amazing!? Carly used her Silhouette to create it, but it is an easy enough shape that it could be cut by hand. Notice the button and ribbon on the hat too! A little drippy goo accents the new graveyard stamp and I love how Carly covered part of the punched goo line with an orange sheer ribbon so that the black shows through. Gives it a cool - almost velvety look!
And last but not least... a treat! Carly used one of our new Halloween sentiments along with our Charlotte spider stamp to make a fun treat topper! Mmmm - the Candy Corn is sitting here next to me as I write this and it looks sooo yummy I just want to eat it... LOL!
Well, that's it for today (*sigh*) but I'll be back next Friday with a few of Carly's wintery designs and I'll reveal the prize she has chosen! Remember to enter for a chance to win by leaving a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Carly's designs! (one comment per post please)
It's time to reveal our guest designer for August... please join me in welcoming Carly Robertson!! You may know Carly from her fabulous blog, Paper in Bloom, and she is an active member on our A Muse Lounge! I am excited to share her adorable designs with you this month. Carly has created inspiring Halloween and Holiday designs using our newly released A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA stamps!
Today I have three of her Fall/Halloween designs to share, but first I'll let Carly tell you a little about herself:
"Hello, my name is Carly Robertson and I'm so thrilled to be this month's Guest Designer!
I am a mom to busy 3 year old twin daughters, Abigail and Emma; and wife to a wonderfully supportive husband. Our family lives in Canada near the Rocky Mountains and we feel truly blessed to live so close to such beautiful surrounds.
I discovered my love for stamping shortly after my girls were born. My first introduction was at a card making party with friends where I ordered my first set of stamps, some ink, and a little bit of paper. Shortly after that party I found A Muse, bought my second set of stamps and have been completely addicted to this hobby ever since.
Stamping has become an outlet were I not only get to be creative and have fun, but it has also given me the opportunity to meet a group of amazing and wonderfully creative people. When I'm not spending time with my family and friends, you can always find me in my craft room. :-)
Thank you so much A Muse for this incredible opportunity; what an unbelievable honor!"
First up today is this simply spooky card featuring our new "three mice silhouette" stamp. Carly always adds some fun details in her designs - notice that she rounded two of the corners on the white layer to give it more visual interest. And I *love* the way Carly used the new spider tag stamp - the black lace ties in perfectly with the web!
In this next design, Carly used one of my favorite stamps from the new release - birch forest with leaves! The leaves are mounted on the end of the stamp, so you can easily stamp them in different colors! Carly used beautiful shades of Fall along with our new nutmeg and squash papers. The brown button makes a perfect accent!
Carly's last design today is a fun Trick or Treat card which features one of the pumpkins in the new Jack O' Lanterns cling set! If you look closely, you can see that Carly accented the eyes with black twinkle stickers! So cool how Carly used the petite gingham paper cut into a large circle layer, and then accented it with a circle tag. A little ric rac ribbon and a Martha punch tie it all together - simply sensational!
I hope you enjoyed Carly's first set of designs. There is lots more to come - next week I'll be back with more of Carly's spooky Halloween cards and fun treat too! And now... it's giveaway time! We asked Carly to choose a stamp and pack of notecards to share with three lucky winners. What did she choose? Stay tuned to find out - we'll reveal the prize in one of her upcoming posts! To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Carly's designs! (one comment per post please)
It's time to announce the winners of Lisa Strahl's Guest Designer prize!
We randomly chose three names.... so congratulations to:
Cindy who posted June 10, 2010 at 1:21pm:
AngieE who posted June 19, 2010 at 2:47pm:
Nancy W who posted June 25, 2010 at 07:47pm:
If you lucky winners would kindly email me your shipping address,
and we'll send your goodies out to you!
It has been a pleasure sharing Lisa Strahl's designs and I hope you have enjoyed them! We have one last set for you today - which feature our Everything's Rosy stamps. So let's get right to them!
Copic Flutterby
I'm going to start off today with my favorite card from this group. Lisa's detail on the butterfly is gorgeous! Any guesses how she did it? She used a technique which I've only done with water-based markers - "direct to rubber"... but she used Copics! Here's a few notes from Lisa on how she did it: "apply the Copic directly to the stamp, add detailing with more colors, saturate the paper you want to stamp onto with Copic Blender and stamp to paper". Genius, right? Why did I not know this trick with Copics yet? I must try it!
Here is a closeup of the butterfly coloring:
Happy Birthday
This next design just pops! I love the contrast of the black and purple with the green! Lisa inked just the small butterfly in the Flutterby Flock stamp and then used a glue pen and mircofine glitter for *sparkle*! And notice the scored line on the strip of Shimmer Blackberry paper which gives it added interest!
Ribbon Card
Lisa created an amazing background with our grosgrain stitched ribbon! Here are some notes on how she created it: "ribbon is applied to 8.5 x 11 "Be Creative Tape Sheets" and cut to size, then coated in "Ribbon Stiff" to prevent fraying". The butterfly just *sparkles* since it is glittered with Black Diamond Stickles and Lisa also added two tiny pearls for the perfect finishing touch!
Here is a closeup of the butterfly so you can see the sparkle a bit better!
Huge thanks to Lisa for sharing her beautiful and clever designs with us! Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter Lisa's drawing for a chance to win (one comment per post please):
Today I have more fun Twilight Saga inspired designs for you from Guest Designer Lisa Strahl! Before I get to the cards, I bet you'd love to know what she has chosen as the Guest Designer prize - right?! Lisa's choice is:
So make sure to enter by leaving a comment on any of the posts featuring Lisa's work (one comment per post please) for a chance to win!
Forever 17
First up today is this clever birthday card! Edward as you know is "forever 17" because that's when he became a vampire. Lisa used Copics to color him along with Spica glitter pen on his skin. A little masking over the letters allowed her to stamp only a portion of him.
And here is a peek at the inside! Perfect for a friend who's a Twilight fan (and turning an age that's a little higher than 17, *wink*!)
Beware Seattle
Here Lisa combined a computer generated sentiment along with part of the "Greetings from Seattle" stamp to make this clever design. In the upcoming Twilight movie, Eclipse, the "bad" vampire Victoria creates an army of new vampires (called newborns) that cause trouble in Seattle.
Crowded Tent
Another reference to Eclipse, when Edward, Bella, and Jacob have to spend time in a tent together prior to the fight with Victoria's newborn army. Here Lisa stamped the trees then used the rock 'n roll technique on the moon using yellow and orange inks. Then she masked the moon and airbrushed the night sky with Copics! She added a torn white layer for snow and mounted the tent on dimensional tape. A little glitter on the trees and tent give a hint of snow. Lisa computer generated another perfect sentiment in her twilighty font! So fun!
You Stole my Heart
Lisa created this simple but stunning design as an ode to the fourth book in the Saga - Breaking Dawn. Here Bella finally has glittery skin (and you know that means she is now a vampire!) Lisa used the Tiny Heart stamped in red and then glittered it with Stickles. And the sentiment is perfect!
*sigh* - that's it for Lisa's Twilight designs - weren't they fabulous?! Here are a few more comments from Lisa in response to our word association questionaire:
We hope you have enjoyed getting to know Lisa a little better! We have one last set of her beautiful Everything's Rosy cards next week! So stay tuned and be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win!
I have more beautiful "Everything's Rosy" designs for you from Lisa today! This time let's jump right in and check out her cards. But keep reading below for more words from Lisa and remember to leave a comment for a chance to win!
Wax Butterfly
If you loved Lisa's Melt Art leaf from her first set of cards, then this one will knock your socks off! Lisa created a wax butterfly from the largest butterfly on the Flutterby Flock stamp! Isn't it amazing?!
Here are some notes from Lisa on how she did it: "create a Mold 'n Pour Cast from the stamp, pour White Bees Wax in, let it set, rub it with Bronze Perfect Pearls, mist with water to help it set and then brushed with a thin layer of Glossy Accents to make sure it was durable." Then here is another photo so you can see a closeup of the wax butterfly! The woodgrain stamp makes the perfect background. And I love that she added three tiny Pretty Pearls to the center of the butterfly!
Pearl Flower
Speaking of pearls... check out this flower! I don't know about you, but I tend to want to hoard my pearls but this card makes me want to get them out and use 'em! So pretty!
Glittered Butterflies
These are so sparkly in person and the color is fabulous! Lisa inked each of the butterflies in different colors and then stamped. Then used Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitters with a Quickie glue pen to add the glitter!
Here is a closeup of them:
*sigh* so lovely! Makes me want to stamp (*smile*)!
Here are a few more of Lisa's thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
I have one more set of Lisa's Rosy designs, but stay tuned for the last of Lisa's Twilight designs next week! And remember to leave a comment (one only please, per guest designer article) to enter your name into the drawing for a chance to win!
Today we have more of Lisa Strahl's fabulous designs and if you are a fan of Twilight, you are in for a treat! As you may know, the next movie in the Twilight Saga (Eclipse) comes out at the end of the month, so Lisa created some very clever "Ode to Twilight" designs! But first, we thought you'd like to get to know Lisa a little better, so here are some of her thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
I'll share a little more about Lisa each week, but now... the cards!
Edward Saves Bella
Soo clever! This was inspired by a scene in the first Twilight story, where Edward saves Bella from a run-in with a vehicle on an icy day. Lisa used lots of Copics on this design - just look at the texture on the truck! And if you could see it in person, you'd see that there is clear Spica glitter pen on Edward's skin to make him *sparkle* (since Twilight Vampires sparkle in the sun). Lisa used a fun twilighty font to computer generate her own sentiment - which fits perfectly! And did you notice the clouds? She trimmed them out of our Cloud paper!
I {heart} Forks
Gah - so simple, yet stunning! Inspired by the "I love New York" logo, here Lisa used our Apple Red Shimmer Couture paper along with the Classic Alpha clear set and just the fork from the Flatware stamp! (If you aren't familiar with the Twilight series, Forks is a town near Seattle where much of the story takes place.)
Sparkles & Sunshine
Lisa used a fun Copic technique on this design to color the wool texture in Edward's suit. First she colored his suit a dark grey, then used lighter shades of grey to dapple and remove color! To create the sunlight, Lisa masked off the area where she wanted the light and then airbrushed yellow. Lisa also added details to the sun using Glossy Accents for dimension and clear Spica glitter pen for sparkle. And of course since Edward is standing in sunlight - he also sparkles with Spica glitter pen! And how perfect is this sentiment?! Sooo clever!
Here is a closeup of Edward's suit so you can see the wool texture effect:
Phasing
As a fan of the Twilight Saga myself, you know I am totally loving Lisa's whole set of cards (and there are still more to come!). But I think this one is my favorite of this group! I love her Copic coloring on the wolf - he really looks furry! And her computer generated sentiment is *perfect*! If you are familiar with the series, then you know that when Jacob phases from a wolf back into a human, he is - um... well... in the buff! LOL!
See - didn't I tell ya they were fabulous? Stay tuned for more of Lisa's beautiful work coming on Friday! If you missed her first set of designs, be sure to check them out --> here! And remember to leave a comment here for Lisa (one only please, per guest designer article) to enter your name into the drawing for a chance to win!
Today I have a special treat for you! Please join me in welcoming our Guest Designer for June... Lisa Strahl! You may know Lisa from her fabulous blog - Petite Palette. I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa in person at the CHA show in January and am excited to share her designs with you this month!
Lisa has created beautiful cards featuring our Floral and Everything's Rosy stamps as well as some fabulously clever Twilight inspired designs! I cannot wait to share them with you! To get things started, I'll let Lisa tell you a little about herself:
"My stamping journey began 6 years ago when I grudgingly told a friend that I would just buy her hand stamped cards. Would I like to learn how to stamp? No thanks, don't have the time or inclination, I said. Maybe I will just make some baby announcements, but that's it. And the rest as they say, is history.
I have had several amazing opportunities over the past 4 years as I have worked as a creative designer, design team coordinator, product designer and art director in this industry. From being ask to serve on the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Design Team to attending Ranger University in New Jersey to exhibiting at and walking many CHA's - the craft industry's annual exhibition, it has been a whirlwind.
My time "behind the scenes" working for a manufacturer was extremely rewarding and challenging and I loved it. There came a time however, where I was not doing any creating or teaching due to time constraints. I am now teaching on a permanent basis at my local all rubber, rubber stamp store (yes, they still exist) and am feeling immensely fulfilled. The joy that I get to experience each time someone discovers a creative ability that they never new they had, well, that is priceless. I like to teach in a way that fosters self discovery. I want my students to make mistakes when I am there to help, so that they can go home and be successful in what they do. I am also enjoying doing some freelance design work.
This Guest Designer opportunity has quite literally been one of my most enjoyable experiences since taking up this hobby. The stamps, paper and charm of A Muse really spoke to me and it was *easy*. I can tell you honestly that there are many times that designing is anything but easy. Kudos to Linda and the other gals on her team who have build such a unique and lovely company.
I hope you will enjoy my silly sense of humor regarding Edward, Bella and Jacob the wolf. Can you deny that with my skin I even look like a Cullen? If you are not a fan of the book or movies, I apologize in advance and made the other designs just for you."
And now on to the cards!! Today's theme is Everything's Rosy and Lisa's designs are simply beautiful!
Happy Graduation
Lisa did some clever things with our clear circle stickers on this first design. She stamped the solid Chrysanthemum on white cardstock, applied a clear circle sticker and ran it gently through her Big Shot to burnish it to the paper then colored over the circle with a Copic marker! Such a cool effect! And you'll see there are also beautiful details on this design with the shimmer damask paper, ribbon, twinkles, and pearls!
Florals on Gingham
Lisa described this one layer card as a Five Minute Quickie and "Ode to Julie"! She stamped several images in different ink colors creating a beautiful floral collage! And I just love that she used Gingham as the card base! This is definitely one of my favs of all her designs!
Woodgrain Butterfly
Ooo - the "kissing" technique! Lisa used this fun technique to transfer the pattern from the woodgrain stamp onto the Flutterby stamp. Don't worry - you don't actually have to kiss the stamp! If you want to give it a try, simply ink the Flutterby stamp with Pearlescent Chocolate Brilliance, press your CLEAN woodgrain background stamp to it and then stamp to paper! If you look closely, you'll see that Lisa also inked the "flight" portion of the sentiment in a different color to make it stand out! And notice that she used pearls on the ends of the butterfly's antennae!
Melt Art Leaf
I've never played around with melt art, but after seeing this I might have to give it a try. This design is so cool and I LOVE that Lisa glittered the leaf! Here are a few notes from Lisa on how she created it: melt Platinum Ultra Thick Embossing Powder (UTEE) in the Melting Pot and pour a pool of it on a Non-Stick Craft Sheet. Ink stamp with permanent black ink and press into hot UTEE, allow to cool, pull piece away from stamp, fill in design with Turqoise Stickles.
Below is a close-up of the leaf - it's stunning in person!
I hope you enjoyed Lisa's cards today! Next week, I'll share some of her "Ode to Twilight" designs! If you are a fan of the Twilight books or movies, trust me - you won't be disappointed!
Now as you may remember, a Guest Designer means that it's also giveaway time! We asked Lisa to choose a stamp and a pack of notecards to share with one lucky winner! So stay tuned to find out what Lisa has chosen! To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Lisa's designs! (one comment per post please)
It's time to announce the winners of Karen Watson's Guest Designer prize! We randomly chose three names.... so congratulations to:
* Pamela who posted November 9, 2009 at 11:28am
* Tracey A who posted November 28, 2009 at 06:20pm
* Jo Ann who posted November 29, 2009 at 01:37pm
If you lucky winners would kindly email me your shipping address, and we'll send your goodies out to you!
I can't believe we are already to the end of Karen Watson's guest designer cards! We have three fun designs left so let's jump right in and check them out!
Polar Bear Fun
Karen's amazing cutting skills are back in action on this adorable sledding bear card. She added a white torn layer for the snow and completely covered it in gorgeous glitter! Then carefully trimmed the bear and mounted him on the sparkly sledding hill! Sooo cute and the blueberry kitchen notecard makes the perfect snowy background!
Juggling Snowman
The next two designs show Karen's love of her Cuttlebug - with an embossed snowy background and die cut snowflake on this adorable snowman card and just wait - the next card is amazing! It's difficult to see in the photo, but she added some subtle marker shading on the snowman to give him depth. And of course there is glitter on the snowballs!
Winter Stag
See - I told you - amazing! Karen embossed the white layer to make the snowy dots and then flipped it over so that the raised side was on the back. (So the debossed side is the front of the card.) Then she punched a circle and masked the area for the moon and sponged various colors of blue ink to make the sky! Before adding the final touches, Karen heat-embossed an icy glittery sheen over the entire background layer - so cool! She used her torn white layer snow trick and then mounted the carefully trimmed stag! The results are just stunning - don't ya think?
Huge thanks to Karen for sharing her beautiful work with us! We hope you enjoyed her designs!
Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter Karen's drawing for a chance to win (one comment per post please):
* Under the Mistletoe stamp
* Kitchen Green 4-bar notecards
We'll announce the winners next week, so stay tuned!
Aaahhh yes - quiet time for crafting! One of my favorite times of day too! And now, let's check out Karen's next three holiday cards:
Ice Skates
This simply elegant design absolutely *sparkles* in real life! Karen glittered the edges of both circle layers (and the lace holes on the skates too!) for a stunning effect. And I love her use of white on white layering and the blue sponging she added around the skates!
Ornaments
Karen's coloring on this design is just beautiful. And she always knows where to add just the right touch of sparkle - with tiny twinkle stickers on the left and right ornaments and in the upper corners.
Snowflakes
The silver snowflakes on the Navy notecard just pop on this design! Karen used a clear circle sticker over the focal snowflake - along with a clear twinkle sticker in the center. And did you spy the little twinkle sticker details in the upper right corner? Beautiful!
We have one more set of Karen's guest designer holiday cards to share with you next week! And remember to leave a comment on each of Karen's featured posts for a chance to win her prize!
Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on Karen's first set of Guest Designer cards last week! Today we have more of Karen's beautiful designs featuring our new holiday stamps! But first, we thought you'd like to get to know her a little better, so here are her thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
We are thrilled to have Karen as a guest designer this month and are glad you are enjoying her cards. Linda and Karen met almost four years ago at a trade show in the UK. Karen was a designer for a UK distributor that we were working with at the time. Karen's work is regularly featured in UK Paper-crafting magazines so the next time you are browsing the magazine stands, be sure to have a look for more of her work!
And now - the cards!
Squirrel and Christmas Tree
Karen's cards today have an "All Natural" theme to them. This is one of my favorite groups of her designs since I usually use a simple and natural style in my Christmas decorating. Her coloring on this card is fabulous! And again check out her detailed cutting skills on the squirrel - wow!
Elegant Pinecone and Evergreen Branch
Very cool effect with the brown and green together. Love her little twinkle sticker accents too.
Wreath with Berries
This wreath is one my favorite stamps and I absolutely *LOVE* what Karen did with it on this design. Instead of coloring in the leaves completely, she left a little white showing. Adds a gorgeous touch along with the red twinkles and polka dot red ribbon!
And here is a closeup so you can see the wreath better (*smile*):
*sigh* - that's it for this week, but we have plenty more of Karen's work to share with you, so I'll be back next week with more goodies! And remember to leave a comment here for Karen (one only please, per guest designer article) to enter your name into the drawing!
Karen Watson
Please welcome our November Guest Designer... Karen Watson! Karen is a designer in the UK and we are excited to feature her beautiful holiday designs during the next few weeks! I have three of her cards to share with you today, but first a little more about her:
Karen has been addicted to rubber stamping for 14 years and spends most of her time demonstrating cardmaking techniques at retail and trade shows around the UK. Added to this, Karen is also a regular contributor to some of the UK's most popular craft magazines. She says "I feel like I have the best job in the world. I love being able to spend so much time playing with stamps, papers and inks".
Karen lives in a small village in England with her wonderful family....husband Anthony and sons Tom 14 and Ben 11 who are all very tolerant and supportive of her passion!
And now, on to her cards!
I love Karen's coloring on this first design. With beautiful blending and shading, she is a pro with her Copic markers! And I love how she incorporated twinkle stickers for some bling. BTW - you can enter to win one of these adorable "under the mistletoe" stamps by entering Karen's drawing. See below for details!
This angel just *sparkles*! Karen used lots of beautiful prisma crystal glitter on her dress and wings!
I really wish you could see in person the fabulous details on Karen's designs. She adds just the right touch of sparkle combined with beautiful coloring and layering. This is a Swiss Red 4-bar notecard, that Karen embossed, trimmed and punched. Then she added the Sage Juliette cardstock layer behind the scallop window! And below you can see a closeup of Karen's awesome cutting skills! I am amazed that she trimmed the girl so precisely! I tend to avoid cutting images because I'm never happy with my results. I guess I need more patience and practice with my craft knife or scissors!
More of Karen's fabulous work is yet to come, so be sure to check back next week!
If you are a regular reader of our blog, then you know that a Guest Designer means it's also giveaway time! Karen selected this stamp and pack of notecards to giveaway to a few lucky readers:
* Under the Mistletoe
* Kitchen Green 4-bar notecards
To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this, and on each of the upcoming Guest Designer posts featuring Karen's designs! (one comment per post please)
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments on Melissa Oseran's Guest Designer series!
We randomly chose three names to receive Melissa's prize picks... Congratulations to:
* Lara who posted August 7, 2009 at 4:49pm
* Stephanie Jones who posted August 9, 2009 at 2:14pm
* Denise T who posted August 14, 2009 at 4:43am
If you three would kindly email me your mailing address and we'll send your goodies out to you!
This month has flown by and it's already time to share the last of Melissa's guest designer cards. It has been such a pleasure sharing Melissa's clean & simple designs with you and I hope you've enjoyed them! Most of her guest designer cards featured our adorable new Mandy's World girls, but when I saw these last three cards - I thought it would be fun to feature them together. Melissa used some of our fabulous new word stamps cleverly combined with other A Muse images!
Mmmmm.... sparkly sprinkles! I love how Melissa added a layer of Kitchen brown to the edge of the card to tie-in with the circle layer.
Delicious indeed! Very simple but cool effect - Melissa highlighted the milkshake glass with a light grey marker to give it a glass appearance. Then used Liquid Applique for the whipped cream and twinkle stickers for the cherries! And I love that she inked "delicious" in red!
Ok, one last design for you... one of my favorites in her whole set.....
Bwahaha!!! Did ya get it? Took me a sec when I first saw it... This was me: "hmmm - now why do these two go together - his tail isn't even wagging... OH! Oooo - what's shakin' BACON (duh) - very clever!" LOL!! So cute with the pink gingham and twinkles too!
Big thanks to Melissa for sharing her clean, clever, and cool designs - we hope you enjoyed them!
Be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter Melissa's drawing for a chance to win:
* Ice Cream girl stamp We'll announce the winners this Thursday - August 27th!
* 4-Bar Kitchen Chocolate Notecards
More Melissa goodness coming your way today! But first, we have a few more words from Melissa to share with you:
Biggest challenge - Thinking outside of the box---sometimes I feel like my cards are always the same and therefore a bit boring. I want to add more “things”---but I’m not really confident doing so.
First stamp - I can’t exactly remember my very very first, but my first A Muse stamp was the Large Shower gifts stamp---& I still use it all the time!
Can’t live without – Family & friends….oh, and my I pod. :)
Favorite product - Copics, glue pen and my Rototrim Paper Cutter.
Climate – Fall, Fall, Fall. 60-65 degrees with either sun or no sun---I’m a total Seattle girl---the rain & grey skies don’t bug me AT ALL. (I know, I know, people think I’m weird)
Last purchase - Brown boots & clothes for Keaton. ;)
Passion – PAPER!!!!
Food - Yes please. :) I could eat tacos everyday---but I also love pretty much everything my husband cooks!
The future – is fun to dream about….but I try and take it one day at a time. :)
Time of day – Night time….both before sleep and during.
I am totally there with Melissa on climate - Fall is my favorite time of year too! And now, let's check out more of Melissa's adorable Mandy's World designs!
Melissa's color combo on this birthday card is so fun and fresh - orange, pink, and green! And the group of twinkle stickers adds a special touch!
Melissa added tiny dots to the bottom of this card to give the ocean a sand floor - very clever! And the Mermaid is so cute with a few little crab friends!
I love the clean simplicity of this one. A few scallops for the clouds and Melissa paper-pieced the balloons! Fun and relaxing at the same time! Then on the inside, Melissa hand-lettered the word "wheeee"!
We have one more week of Melissa's designs to share with you next week. The last group is a little different from those we've shared so far, so you won't want to miss them! And remember to leave a comment here for Melissa (one only please, per guest designer article) to enter your name into the drawing!
Today we have more of Melissa's clean designs featuring our new Mandy's World stamps! But first, we thought you'd like to get to know her a little better, so here are her thoughts in response to our word association questionaire:
And now, on to the cards!
This first card is a perfect example of Melissa's sweet and simple style. I love the clean layout and happy colors! Of course you know I love the new ice cream girl because she has scoops (hee,hee)! Melissa colored them to be strawberry, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip - mmmm! She also did something tricky by popping up a few scoops on foam tape to make them really stand out - which you can see a little better in the closeup below!
Who wouldn't love to receive this card when they are feeling under the weather? Cheery colors and the heart twinkle stickers give it a special touch. And I love that Melissa has a layer of blue petite gingham paper in there to help frame the design - I'm gonna have to try that soon!
The new hula girl is just so adorable and Melissa's simple design here really showcases her well. Melissa closely trimmed her and the little coconut beverage and then popped them up on foam tape! And the skinny oval bl provides the perfect patch of sand! Sooo cute!
I hope you are enjoying Melissa's designs! We have plenty more to share with you, so I'll be back next week with more goodies! And remember to leave a comment here for Melissa (one only please, per guest designer article) to enter your name into the drawing.
Melissa Oseran
I am excited to present our featured guest designer this month - Melissa Oseran! You may know Melissa from the clean designs she showcases on her blog Create my joy. I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa at the A Muse shop during my first trip to Seattle and loved seeing her beautiful designs from her custom invitation business! To get things started, I'll let her introduce herself:
Hello!! My name is Melissa and I am HONORED to be the guest designer this month. I was born and raised in Seattle----and though I often have dreams of living someplace else, I'm pretty sure that if I did, I would never have had the great pleasure of working with Linda and the A Muse team....so staying put proved to be a great thing! :)
I've been stamping for around 6 years and was hooked after my first class! I love to play with colors and ribbons and pens-and of course paper! I just had a baby boy in January, which had me taking a little time out from stamping...but I've got the itch back and I intend to get back in full force!
I hope you enjoy the cards to come.... :)
Melissa created some *adorable* designs for you featuring our new Mandy's World stamps and I will be sharing them each week during August!
Be sure to leave a comment on this, and on each of the coming Guest Designer posts featuring Melissa's designs! (one comment per post please) Your name will be entered in a drawing for her stamp and note card picks:
* Ice Cream girl (new!)
* 4-Bar Kitchen Chocolate Notecards
This week, I'm going to whet your appetite with one of my favorites of Melissa's designs - bubble girl!
I *love* that Melissa stamped the super dot circle in the background and then outlined it in glitter to make bubbles! So clever and it is sooo pretty in person! And the new polka dot ribbon ties in with the bubbles perfectly! It's difficult to capture the glitter sparkle on camera, but here is a closeup just for fun - the little bubbles are glittered too and this color combo is so cute!
I'll be back next week with a little more about Melissa along with more of her adorable designs! I can hardly wait to share them with you - lots of stamping goodness yet to come - so stay tuned!
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!
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!
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!
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:
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!
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!
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! 
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!
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?! 
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:
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:
Greta, you're DA' BOMB, girl! Thank you so much! 
*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:
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*
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:
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!
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:
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!
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?):
Heh, heh, heh!!! I just knew it! 
Stay tuned 'cuz next week Moose makes his appearance in Greta's designs!
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!
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*
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 :
If you'll please email JULIE, with your mailing address, I can then get those prizes on their way to you spit spot!
*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!
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:
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!
We present all our Guest Designers with a little questionnaire, because it's always fun to know more about the people behind the artwork. I'm so excited for Krystie, regarding one bit of exciting news she shares below:
AHA!!! She may STAMP clean & simple, but, she sounds much like me re: the messy studio part! (Krystie, I love ya' fer that, girl--I'm a shameful studio slob, too!) And, her idea of a perfect day? Man, I hafta agree--doesn't get any better than that!
So, now that you know a little bit more about Krystie, how about some more of her faboo designs? Oh, I know you are anxious, so I won't delay! LOL!
"Deer" Rudolph . . .
Rudolph is such a "deer"! Krystie's shading is so wonderfully soft--love the highlights she created by leaving some white space where the light source would be shining down upon him.
I also like how she added two rows of those fun Paper Frills--just plain white, but complimented by the red gingham between them. They add such a nice touch--kinda remind me of a string of beads or pearls, but so cool cuz they're totally flat; no problems in the postal machinery when you send this out at the holidays!
His l'il nose has been embellished with a Red Twinkle Sticker--perfection!
Sweet Softie
Krystie ran soft colors along the image lines once again, on this design--the effect is like automatic highlight and shading in one step! Great for creating quick depth, this design is one you could create in no time flat, to send some love out to a friend.
Elegant Gratitude
Created with our Sushi set, this elegant design literally knocked me off my chair!
Again, her carefully chosen palette of colors sets the tone for one of delicate beauty! The silky ribbon and the pearls in the center of each blossom all support the overall feel of the card.
So *chic*!
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Thanks for stopping by once again to view Krystie's work and don't forget to leave a comment, because Krystie wants ya' to win some A Muse goodness!
See you next time!
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:
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:
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!
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*
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
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 
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:
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 
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:
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!
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!
Guest Designer Stephanie Nishikawa-Yee graciously responded to our readers' pleas for instructions on how to make her adorable fortune cookie! As promised, I am back with a quick tutorial, complete with pics, too!
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Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing this fun project with our readers!
I imagine these will be gracing the tables at *many* special events in the near future! Be sure to visit Stephanie's blog, where she shares a lot of the fun that goes on at The Paper Garden Boutique!
--Julie
