A Muse News

Psssst! Got Class? ;^)

If you:

• are experienced at teaching rubber-stamping classes in retail stores

• are located within 1-2 hours travel distance to rubber stamp/scrapbook stores

• personable, and customer-service oriented

• possess strong stamping skills

• have a knack for showcasing our product line through teachable projects

Well, by golly, we just might be a good fit for each other! 

We've got an Instructor Team Call goin' on, with a deadline of September 25, 2009.  Check out all the specifics at:

A Muse Instructor Team Call 2009

You can download the application form from that page.  Please read and follow the instructions very carefully for submitting your application. 

If you're unsure whether or not retail stores in your area are already covered by an A Muse Certified Instructor, shoot me an email at [email protected] with the name of the store(s) in question. We don't have exclusive territories, but, we do prefer not to overlap areas as much as possible.

Due to the high volume of applications received, direct replies and requests for further interview will be issued only to applications that meet the pre-screening qualifications.  Thank you for understanding.

More about Mandy's World!

We are excited about our brand new line of stamps - Mandy's World!  We thought you'd enjoy getting to know the talented artist behind Mandy's World - our very own Amanda Breeden! 

 

Tell us a little about yourself. 

"I’m 21 years old and I’ve lived in Seattle practically my entire life and I LOVE it here! Rain and all! I’m engaged to my boyfriend of 4 years who I met working at Arby’s!  I love the outdoors and anything and everything craft related."

 

When did you start stamping and how did you find A Muse?

"I actually began stamping when I started working at A Muse back in January 2008. When I was younger I would always make my parents stop at stamp stores so I could stare at all stamps, but I was never old enough to fork out the cash to actually use them."

 

How did you get started drawing Mandy's World?

"I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little, little girl and I was always really good at drawing cartoon people."

What are some of your sources for inspiration - do you have anyone in mind when you're drawing?

"My drawings from when I was younger actually look pretty similar to the Mandy’s World girls. I would always doodle pictures of my friends doing a bunch of different things. For Mandy’s World I tried to think of different things people would want to make cards for and came up with a huge list! Then I just started sketching."

 

Which girl in this release is your favorite?

"I’ve been using the Mermaid girl a lot because she goes great with so many of the other A Muse images! It’s so much fun pairing her all of the new summer stamps!"

 

And here are a few of Amanda's cards using her new stamps!  Total cuteness and do you see a girl we haven't shown you yet?  Stay tuned for more sneak peeks of Amanda's adorable Mandy's World stamps!

   

Introducing... Beautiful Blooms and Brides

I am excited to introduce you to our newest stamp designs.  This new release includes:

• 23 wood mounted rubber stamps
• 4 new! 4-Bar solid notecard colors
• 4 new! Juliette 8.5" x 11" papers

Click here to see what's new!

And, be sure to stop by your local stamp store (listed in the right column à) that is carrying our entire "Beautiful Blooms" release to smell the new rubber and see some gorgeous samples! 

 

Our new organic bloom images are so versatile.  They can be used to create soft backgrounds or command the focal point on any card.  They also lend themselves to lots of fun, yet simple techniques for great effect!

Here are a few of my favorite techniques...

 

 

Here's a close up view - it's still hard to see the glitter but it is super sparkly in real life!

 

A Muse links:

Lily stamp, Sincere thanks

Sky Blue 4-Bar solid notes

Aqua mist sheer ribbon

Simple Stick embossing powder

 

 

 

I love how soft and elegant all of our new floral images look when embossed in white.  This card features our new pink "Juliette" cardstock. 

 

A Muse links:

Wild blossom stamp

Juliette Blush 8.5" x 11" cardstock

Popsicle Pink sheer ribbon

 

 

 

 

Our Solid Zinnia looks stunning when colored with Shimmer Chalk.  I stamped the image with the Essential Glue Pad (Tsukineko) and then dabbed the shimmer chalks over the image.  I used two shades of pink.

 

A Muse links

Solid Zinnia stamp, Thank you RM

Blush 4-Bar solid notes

Shimmer chalks

 

 

and one last fun and easy technique...

 

 

 

 

To create this reverse impression, I first inked up the A Muse Big bl stamp (an essential stamp for every stamper!) in Encore Honeydew ink.  I then stamped the new Wild Blossom stamp onto the inked Big bl stamp and stamped onto white cardstock.  When you "kiss" the inked stamp, it removes the ink giving you a reverse impression that is very soft and pretty!

 

A Muse links:

Wild blossom stamp

Juliette Sky Blue 8.5 x 11" cardstock

Marvy Paper Trimming Buddy with scallop blade

 

These new stamps are LOTS of fun but don't take my word for it.  Here's what people are saying about our Beautiful Blooms release:

 

Stephanie Nishikawa
Paper Garden Boutique
Sacramento CA
"The new A Muse "Beautiful Blooms" stamp line is a must have for brides-to-be.  After you print your invitations try stamping the flowers and blossoms randomly on the cardstock in versamark and then heatsetting them with pastel embossing powder for a soft glow.   The stamps make your invitation come alive."

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Julie Ebersole

Her Royal Rubberness
Paper Trufflez

"I'm like a kid in a candy store over our new organic blooms!  These nature images are among my personal favorites to work with because they are so well suited to such a wide range of different occasions for sending greetings, whether it's a simple "hi" to a friend, "thinking of you", or celebrating a birthday.  I'm giving you fair warning--once you get started, you won't want to put them down!"

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Jill Grace
Science teacher by day, stamping instructor by night
Creative Grace

"This new stamp release is truly stunning! Nina, one of our fabulous illustrators, has truly outdone herself this time with these gorgeous flowers and some much needed bridal images and sentiments. They are a must have for your stamp collection! The most wonderful thing for me is that these stamps have truly inspired me to think outside of the box. My creativity is blooming!"

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Well, there you have it!  We have more inspiration and testimonials to share in the coming days so please stay tuned.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on our new release.  What is your favorite NEW stamp?!

 

Weekly Newsletter

Are you signed up to receive our email newsletter?  Each week we share our Card of the Week, Blue Light special, and more.  This week, we are sharing the newsletter right here on the blog so you can see what it's all about (and that it is packed full of fun!)  If you would like to join our newsletter mailing list CLICK HERE to complete a quick signup form.

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Card of the Week
by Elena Shacochis

 

"When I first saw the new Peep stamp, I pictured those cellophane wrapped packages. I can never resist buying at least one. It is as if the sparkly candy bunnies are pleading with me to take them home. I just had to stamp rows of Peeps, just like you see them in the packages. I completed the "package" by adding overhangs at the top and bottom. Don't forget to add the brown dots for the eyes and noses, just like real Peeps!
My favorite tool for this card has to be my stamp postioner. I could not have had straight rows without it!" 

A Muse Product links:
Stamps: Peep, For peep's sake!
4-bar solid notes: Buttercup, Popsicle Pink

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Blue LIght Special

Our three Blue Light Special stamps this week are perfect for Easter.  Two adorable Missy Ballance bunnies, MB Bunny Girl and MB Bunny Boy, along with our Happy Easter NS sentiment! 
For this week only, while supplies last, you can add MB Bunny Girl, MB Bunny Boy, and Happy Easter NS to your collection for just $2 each.

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Punches and Purses are here!

We added a few fun new items to the A Muse website!  Three newly released Fiskars scallop border punches and super cute mini purses which would be perfect for holding a gift card or as favors for a baby or bridal shower!  Remember, you can always click on the what's new link at the top of the page to find all our newest products.  

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Be sure to pop back here tomorrow to see all the upcoming classes that our instructor team has scheduled for March!

Our New Spring & Easter Release Unveiled!

We're excited to announce that

our Spring It On Release is here!

We have some fab new images available at your local stamp store!   We are so thankful for the support of our stores, and hope you will hop on in to them soon to see this wonderful release up close and personal!  You’ll find a complete list of all participating Spring It On stores located in the far right column -->

This year's Spring and Easter release includes:

• Fantastically fun wood-mounted stamps

• Beautifully bright Spring-time solid 4 bar note cards

• 4 bar Lime Band note cards

Spring It On stamps are awesome not only for the coming Easter holiday, but, for any-time Spring, nature and friendship themed cards!  A smile is pretty much guaranteed when you send a card made with this much A Muse cuteness!

Here's a fun design I created for those times when you're just a tad behind in getting a birthday greeting out, and features Turtle!  How could anybody do anything but grin when they received a belated birthday wish like this?

Thank you for celebrating the coming of Spring with us!

A Muse Supplies:  Turtle, "Happy [belated] birthday", Long Grass, Mini Flower, Tiny Gift, Orange Crush and Lime Band 4 Bar Note Cards, Orange Sheer and Lime Stitched Grosgrain Ribbons

Sweet Shop Revealed... and more!

We have so much exciting news to share with you tonight!  Thanks for joining us!

NEW A Muse Sweet Shop is now available!
Are you ready for some yummy goodness?!!  Our new Sweet Shop release is now available at your local stamp store.  For a complete list of Sweet Shops, where you will find *all* of our new products for Valentine's day, see the Sweet Shops listing over in the right column. We are grateful for the support of all our stores and hope that you will visit them soon.

Due to overwhelming support from our stores, there are a few stamps that are presently out of stock.  We know you hate to wait!  If you are not located near one of the participating stores, we are expecting more stamps late next week - hopefully Thursday! 

Our Sweet Shop release includes:

• Wonderful Wood-mounted stamps

• Super Solid 4-bar Notecards

• Fabulous 4-bar Kitchen (polka dot) envelopes!

• and yummy Pink Tutu Sheer Ribbon

Sweet Shop stamps are great fun for all sorts of cards!  I made this card for my Father-in-Law.  He LOVES ice cream and loves to babysit my girls because it's an excuse to sneak in a few scoops!  I *know* he will appreciate this card.

 

A Muse Products:
Stamps: Ice Cream, Love you more than
Paper Products: Pink Chiffon, Popsicle Pink
Other: Mini Dot Twinkle Stickers
Threading water border punch

ALL NEW! A Muse Design Studio
I am thrilled to announce the opening of the A Muse Design Studio.  If you head on over to the A Muse website, you will see a link in the top navigation bar for Design Studio.  Here you will find some gorgeous card samples created by the A Muse Design Team.  We will be adding to the Design Studio on a regular basis so be sure to check back often!

BRAND NEW! A Muse Lounge
Another exciting new development over at the A Muse website is the A Muse Lounge.  The A Muse Lounge is a great place to meet fellow stampers, make new friends and get to know the A Muse Creative Team.  There's also lots of fun activities to participate in such as monthly challenges, SWAPS, BRAKS and more!

Our goal is to provide a friendly environment for sharing & learning - one that inspires your creativity!  At the same time, we also recognize that spending too much time online equates to less time for stamping. Our answer?  Keep it simple!

We hope that you will visit us in the Lounge soon.  Head on over to the A Muse website and click on A Muse Lounge in the top navigation bar.

So, grab a cuppa and head on over to A Muse website and join in the fun! 

See you in the Lounge!

 

Blue Light Special!

   

Everyone loves a good deal, right?  Did you know that each week, we include a blue light special in our weekly newsletter? 

This week's blue light specials are:

Kissing couple and Love is in the Air

This week only, while supplies last, you can add these stamps to your collection for just $2 each.  Woohoo!  Such a deal!  If you'd like to have the inside scoop on our blue light specials, click here to join our email list. 

Don't forget, our new *Sweet Shop* products will be revealed at midnight on January 7th EST - (that's 9pm tomorrow night PST).  Can't wait!

Yummy!

I hope that you have enjoyed the Sneak Peeks from the A Muse Designers & Instructors these past few days.  It's been fun taking a break from seasonal craft projects to play with these fun new clear stamp sets. It is my pleasure to reveal these new sets:

The A Muse Baking set is the perfect accompaniment to your home-baked treats.  It is perfect for making labels, cards, gift tags and more!

Who doesnt' love cupcakes?!  The A Muse Cupcake Builder stamp set allows you to mix up a batch of yummy assorted cupcakes with NO calories!

These new clear stamp sets are available at your local stamp store. 

Have a beautiful day!

The NEW Shop!

The past week has been a complete whirlwind but I'm happy to report that our new Shop is now OPEN!  Woohoo! 

My good friend, Stephanie, from the Paper Garden Boutique in Sacramento, flew up to Seattle for the weekend to help get the shop ready.  It was in quite a state when we started but after three days of non-stop work, we were able to open on schedule on Wednesday!  THANK YOU, Stephanie!  She brought lots of *gorgeous* invitiation and card samples with her that are available in the shop for your viewing pleasure!!

Somehow, my dh didn't get the memo that we were opening on Wednesday. At 10am he was still up on a ladder scraping paint off the windows! I had to kick him out!!  LOL! I know I've talked about THE WINDOWS before on this blog - it was a massive painting project.  You have to see them to fully appreciate the scope of work.  And, then you also have to realize that my husband is a perfectionist and takes his time to do the very best job.  He's so awesome!

There is still a bit more work to do... things that you discover once you get settled a bit.  And, we are still awaiting some of our light fixtures (pardon the naked bulbs!)  All in all, I am very happy with the way things came together.  The best surprise is that the new shop is BIGGER than our other location.  I didn't want to measure things before we moved. I knew there was no way to change the size so I figured I would just deal with reality when we were ready to set things up again.  What a GREAT surprise! 

And now, without further ado, here are some photos of our new shop. 

This first photo is looking out the front windows.  Do you see the cute scallop trees in the windows?  Nina whipped these little cuties up in just one day!

 

This next photo is taken from inside the front door. I *love* our new lights over the counter.  They are galvanized metal and have a cute scallop edge. 

This last photo shows the back corner of the shop...  I LOVE seeing all of the A Muse notecards all together in one place.  I have a fun plan to cover that ugly slat wall up high.   

   

One thing that you cannot see in the photos are the VERY high ceilings.  They are over 14 feet high.  So that we would not freeze in the winter, we installed radiant heat in the concrete floor.  I was a little disappointed that the floors are not warm to the touch but they do keep the shop feeling comfy and cozy.  Our floor "artist", Carl, did a great job staining and sealing the floors... they look so pretty!

We've already had LOTS of visitors in the two days we've been open.  It's fun to see our "regular" customers again and also meet some of our long-distance travellers as well. I hope to see YOU soon. J

Our shop, located at 7107 Greenwood Ave. N, is open:

Monday - Friday {10a - 6p}
Saturday {11a - 4p}
Sunday {closed}

P.S. Stay tuned for details on our GRAND RE-OPENING Event scheduled for November 22nd!

Newlsetter update & sign-up

Hello friends!

We've been getting a lot of emails from our readers wondering why they are not receiving our weekly newsletter any longer.  We recently switched to a new email system and it looks like we may have lost a few of you in the transition.  So, if you did not receive our weekly a-muse-letter last week, chances are that you are no longer on our list. 

No worries, we can get you added back lickety-split!  (I love this expression... did you ever read Doctor Dan, the Bandage Man?)

Here's an easy sign-up form for you right here.  And, if you would like to be part of our Birthday Club, be sure to enter your Birthday Month *NUMBER*.  So, if your birthday is in October, like mine, you will put 10. capice?

It's a beautiful day here in Seattle and I am getting *nothing* done! LOL! I must get back to work soon. I will leave you with a cute photo from the Pumpkin Patch last weekend. Makenna, of course, *had* to pick the biggest pumpkin!

OK, and one more photo because a few of my friends say that I never write about or post photos of my husband. This is actually a funny photo of him... he was called in at the last minute to ref Makenna's soccer game last Saturday. The opposing team starts off by telling our coach they've never lost a game yet or even come close. My husband, of course, just wants everyone to have a good time and he doesn't necessarily know *all* the rules of soccer and how they deviate per grade-level! I'd love to know what he is thinking about in this picture... the "purples" are our team. Hmmm... Oh yes, and the other team did beat ours... but it *WAS* close.

Have a beautiful day!

Newsletter Sending problems

We are experiencing problems sending this week's a-muse-letter.  It doesn't look like we will have a solution until next week.  In the meantime, I didn't want you to miss the fabulous Card of the Week for October 3rd.

Pumpkin Stack
by Jennifer Pebbles

"Halloween is my favorite! I get most excited and crafty when this spooky time of year rolls around, and I get SO excited for new A Muse Halloween STAMPS!!
I admit, the pumpkin "stack" is one of my favorite concepts, because it reminds me of a funny jack-o-lantern I saw in an "extreme pumpkins" book...this "stacked-jack" is a much milder version of the pumpkin I saw - he had "demolished" and "eaten" all the pumpkins in the patch and was holding their remains up in victory (I told you, extreme pumpkins!)...This guy is a nice big happy Jack, greeting all the Guys and Ghouls as they arrive at the Market to buy their pumpkins. What he does after dark though...(mwah ha ha) Happy Haunting!"

Card Instructions:

JPG Version
PDF Version

Stay tuned for more Saltbox Studio Sneak Peeks and be sure to visit the A Muse website on Monday, October 6th to see all the set!

- Linda -

Today's the day!

If you haven't already picked up Trees 1 and Trees 2 at your local stamp shop, they're available today on the A Muse website!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments and emails about our Sneak Peeks over the past five days.  My first stamp *ever* was a tree, so you might say I have a fondness for tree images. <wink!> 

Our new Trees 1 and Trees 2 clear stamp sets include lots of fabulous designs and you will see why we simply had to release TWO sets... how could I say 'no' to any of these great images? 

Check them out on the A Muse website.

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In case you missed our weekly newsletter, this is the week we MOVE into our new digs!  Woohoo!  There is much work yet to be done both at the new building and packing up the old.  So, here's the plan in case you were planning on placing an order or stopping by our retail shop in the coming days.

Distribution Center
This applies to all wholesale and retail orders fulfilled via our distribution center.

• Thursday, September 25th - Close at noon
• Friday, September 26th - Closed
• Saturday, September 27th & Sunday the 28th - closed as always
• Monday, September 29th - Closed
• Tuesday, September 30th - Hope to be open

Retail Store
8544 Greenwood Ave. N.

• Saturday, September 27th - CLOSED until further notice... approximately three weeks.

My husband has been working day and night to get the building ready for us to move into.  As with all construction projects, things take longer than planned, weather doesn't always cooperate and the scope of the project changes!  He has been such a trooper!! 

Lots of progress has been made since I last posted pics.  As you can see from this photo, the masonry is now complete and looks fabulous!

The stucco on the back part of the building was also bleached and painted.  This is not the final color... it's the darkest coat possible with the impermeable paint. The scaffolding is still up because we are awaiting the awning.

This is what the front looks like up close...  I *love* the door.  It's really BIG!

 

Here's a sneak peek at the inside... Makenna is standing on a "river"... it was a crack in the concrete floor that Karl, the floor guy, decided should look "special".   Annabelle and Quinn think the new floor is great for jump-roping!

 

Here is a sneak peek of the retail store.  I haven't measured yet to see if it is bigger than our last shop.  I wanted it to be bigger but there were some structural things that got in the way so I'm not sure of the actual square footage any longer.  LOL! I do know that all of our current shelving units will fit so that's good!

The floor looks SUPER shiny in this photo because it has a fresh (wet) application of wax on it.  It is supposed to flatten a LOT once it is dry.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  The floors are *HEATED* - wahoo!

OK - that's all the shop photos I have for now.  The other ones are boring construction-type ones.  As you can see, there is still a LOT of work to be done.  I don't expect we'll sleep much this week.

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On the home front, I have some pretty exciting news.  Hailey got her first pair of pointe shoes on Friday!!!  We are so proud of her.  She has wanted them since she was three years old and has worked hard for seven years!

It was quite a special event.  The principal of the ballet school, one of Hailey's ballet teachers and several other teachers were on hand to fit the girls.  The girls were so, so, so excited and couldn't wait for their turn.  I asked the teachers, all of whom were professional ballerinas, if they remember their first pair of pointe shoes and they all had such fun stories.  We enjoyed hearing them.  As a parent, I feel so fortunate to have my daughter involved with such a wonderful, caring school!  Thank you PNB School! 

On Saturday night, we attended the Opening Gala for the Pacific Northwest Ballet.  It's a great evening where you get to preview some of the ballets that are scheduled for the season.  It is also when promotions are announced and I am so thrilled to hear that my fave dancer, Lucien Postlewaite, was promoted to Principal.  This is quite remarkable since he was promoted to soloist only one year ago.  Lucien was also recently awarded a prestigious award by the Princess Grace Foundation.  Go Lucien!

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It's going to be a busy week and I'm not sure if I'll get to post again this week so this is a LONG one. LOL!  I think I mentioned a few weeks back that we adopted a pair of Tabby cats from a kitten rescue operation.  We really lucked out because they are just the sweetest, loving kittens.  Tabitha is the mischevious one... here she is attaking a tissue-paper flower that belonged (past-tense) to Hailey.  Isn't she CUTE?  I'll post a pic of Samantha soon.

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If you have stayed with me this long, you deserve a medal!!  I *know* you are going to want to read this final tid-bit...

The response to our Calendar fund-raising project has been INCREDIBLE.  Thank you for your support and for helping us to spread the word.  As of midnight tonight, which is the deadline for our matching funds, we have raised $1,788 from individual donations.  With A Muse's matching funds, that brings us to a total of $3,576!!!  This is truly AMAZING!  I am humbled by your generosity.  Thank you for your support. 

This fundraisinig project will continue in the days and months ahead.  100% of the proceeds from the sale of the A Muse 16-month Calendar will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, in honor of Victoria.

Have a beautiful day!

2009 A Muse Calendar - now available!

I am excited to announce the availability of our 2008-2009 Calendar! 

Last year we raised $1,167 for Scleroderma Research through the sale of our 2008 Calendar.  We have once again decided to donate funds to a worthy cause.  I asked for suggestions from the A Muse Addicts group and my inbox was overflowing with suggestions. The #1 one suggestion was to do something in honor of Victoria, a fellow A Muse Addict who was diagnosed earlier in the year with Hodgkin's Disesase.  We agreed, this is an excellent idea!

I emailed Victoria and she was surprised and excited about the opportunity.  Here's a note from Victoria to let you know more about her and why you should consider making a donation to the charity she has chosen to receive the funds from the sale of our 2008-2009 Calendar.

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My name is Victoria, and I have been a fan of A Muse from the very beginning. Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, a specialized cancer of the lymphatic system that represents about 11 percent of all lymphomas diagnosed in America this year. While the cause of this type of lymphoma is still unknown, Hodgkin’s disease is now considered one of the most curable forms of cancer.

I just completed six months of chemotherapy, and will begin a month of radiation in a few weeks. My prognosis remains positive, and I expect to make a full recovery once my treatment regimen concludes.

I was surprised and honored when Linda contacted me to select the charity to receive the proceeds from the purchase of this year’s calendar. I have chosen The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

On behalf of all patients with a blood cancer, thank you very much for your support!

~ Victoria ~

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The A Muse Calendar is a very fun project.  Personalized calendars make great (and useful!) gifts for teachers, students, family and friends! 

We have expanded our calendar offering to give you more options!  There are three different versions of the A Muse 2008-2009 Calendar available:

1. Square format (designed to work with A Muse square notecards 4.25" square)
2. A2 format (this size - 4.25" x 5.5" - is perfect for all sorts of projects and fits well inside CD Calendar cases)
3. 4-Bar format (this size was designed by Geeta to work with A Muse 4-Bar notes - 3.5" x 5". Geeta has some great projects on her blog to share with you today!)

All versions of the A Muse Calendar include 16 months (Sept. 2008 - Dec. 2009).  They also include a perpetual calendar which is great for keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries.

There are THREE donation levels per calendar. The minimum donation is $4 per calendar, but, there is also an option to donate $10 or $20 for each version.

We hope you will enjoy stamping these calendars as fun gifts for friends and family, while contributing to a great organization at the same time!

Victoria created a sample calendar for you using the square format. I love the all of the fun colors she chose!

Our talentined A Muse Creative Team has been busy making calendars.  Be sure to visit their blogs today for lots of fabulous ideas!

• Julie
• Geeta
• Elena
• Michelle
• Jennie
• Heather

Wait!  There's more!  We asked a few of our stamping friends to join in the fun.  They have created some amazing calendar projects to share!!  We are grateful to these amazing women for lending their time and enormous talent to this project.  I hope that you will visit their blogs today to see their fabulous creations and leave them a comment. 

Anna Wight

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Beate Johns

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   Ellen Hutson

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Jenn Balcer

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Jody Morrow
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A few notes regarding the purchasing process for the A Muse Calendars:

• The A Muse Calendar(s) are available as download products only.  Nothing will be shipped to you. 
• If you order only the A Muse Calendar, we should be able to quickly process your order and make the file (PDF) available to you right away. 
• If you order the A Muse Calendar, and items that must be shipped to you, it will take a bit longer to process your order as we must first pick and pack the items to ship to you before processing.  If you would like to have the calendar right away, I recommend creating an order that includes only the calendar. 
• Orders will only be processed during our normal business hours Monday through Friday.

And, to top it all off, A Muse will match your generosity, dollar for dollar, for ALL calendar purchases through Sunday, September 21st.  So, be sure to visit the A Muse website and choose a calendar TODAY!

Person Laurie Schmidlin

Right click for SmartMenu shortcuts

INSTRUCTOR TEAM CALL

Retail Store Instructor Call

Do you enjoy teaching others about rubber stamping and card-making?

Are you already teaching A Muse classes at your local rubber stamp or scrapbook store?

We would like to expand our Retail Store Instructor Program with creative, enthusiastic instructors, especially in the following states/regions*:

California
Florida
Illinois
Iowa
Massachusetts
Michigan
New York
Ohio
Wisconsin

To apply, please submit your application via email to:  [email protected]

Deadline for applications:  October 12th, 2008

Please include:

• Blog and/or online gallery addresses
• Submit, in jpg. format, a minimum of 4 cards and 2 non-card paper crafting projects that demonstrate your ability to showcase A Muse stamps, paper, and embellishment products in A Muse style.   Photography should be sharp/clear, with projects filmed against a plain white background and ample lighting.  Please size jpgs between 450-500 pixels wide, and no larger than 100 kb per image.

Applicants that pass pre-screening will be given an additional questionnaire.

A Muse offers the following to accepted instructors:

• Discount purchasing privileges
• Current store list contact information
• Card class starter ideas
• A Muse Instructor Program Coordinator
• Instructor Training Event, November 7-9, 2008 in Seattle, WA
• Fun A Muse apparel to wear when teaching

Further details provided upon acceptance to the program.

*Update:  Even if you are outside the areas listed, we would encourage and welcome applications from any candidates that have viable opportunities to teach at stores in their area.  Contact us via email at [email protected]

 

Tonight's the night...

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Just a reminder that our new products for Fall & Halloween will be available on our website at midnight PST TONIGHT.  When the switchover happens, the products will begin to appear in their respective categories one at a time.  This process will begin before midnight and all of the items will be switched over by midnight.

Here is a list of what is included in this release and the categories you will find them in.

• 25 fall/halloween rubber stamps (Rubber Stamps, Seasons, Fall & Halloween)
• 2 'small' clear stamp sets (Clear Stamps, Small)
• 7 ribbons (Ribbons, Sheer - 6 new, Grosgrain Stitch - 1 new)
• 2 twinkle stickers (A Muse Favorites, Stickers) 
• 4 Seattle rubber stamps (Rubber Stamps, Around Town, Seattle)
• Black Kitchen notecards (Paper products, notecards, 4-bar pattern)

Enjoy!

New A Muse Website

Hello Friends,

It's been a while since I've blogged.  I've missed you!  I had a lovely vacation with my family at our cottage in Quebec for the month of July.  The weather was not the greatest but we swam every day and the girls didn't mind the crazy rain too much.  I love this picture of Makenna and her friend, Thomas, standing on the raft late one afternoon - it pretty much sums up the weather we had for the duration of our visit.

OK, enough about our trip!  I'm sure you are eager to hear about our new website!

As we've mentioned in a previous blog post, the A Muse Crew has been busy working behind the scenes on lots of exciting changes for A Muse.  Our goal is to consolidate all of our online marketing to simplify things for you!   

The GOOD news!
I am thrilled to let you know that our new website is ready to go! Apparently the changes have to filter throughout the 'world wide web' so some folks might see the new site right away, while it may take up to 24 hours for others.  (I can see it now - can you?)

Here's what you will see:

   

You may now order all of our products online in one place through a secure website.  We have been testing the site over the past few days and everything seems to be working well.  However, if you encounter any problems, please email us.  There is an email link right on the home page.

Our store locator feature is not available yet.  If you need assistance locating a store near you, please contact us.  Also, we have exciting plans for a revamped Design Studio but they will not be implemented until the fall. 

For those of you that are intimately familiar with our old site, you will see that we have changed our product categories. We hope they make it easy and logical to find what you are looking for.  For example, you will find all of our new A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA stamps (Holiday) in the Seasons category, Winter & Christmas sub-category.  There is also a robust search function that should help you easily find what you are looking for.

The BAD news
We know that you are all super-excited to see our new products for Fall & Halloween.  Unfortunately, these will not be available on the new site until Monday, August 25th at midnight [Pacific time].  I know we promised them for today, and we are truly sorry to disaappoint.  Just a few more days...  In the meantime, your local stores should have the new products at the end of this week.

August Birthday girls
If you've signed up for our Birthday List and have a birthday in the month of August, we have a promo coupon for our new website that we'll be emailing you shortly. 

Haven't signed up for our Birthday list yet  { you don't need to tell us how young you are! we just need the month and day of your birthday. }  All you need to do is re-register by clicking here and updating your registration to include your birthday information.  You need to be a member of our email list to participate in our Birthday program.

We hope you enjoy our new website.  Thank you for your continued support of A Muse.

Hugs,

Note to Firefox users:  If you are using an older version of Firefox, you may experience some strange "shifting" of items on our new website.  These issues will be resolved if you upgrade to the latest version. 

NEW Saltbox Studio Stamps!

New Saltbox Studio stamps are now available!  There are five new July sets and you can see them all HERE.  This card was designed by Becky Rusher and features the adorable pig from the Farm Friends set! 

All products by The Saltbox Studio and A Muse. 
Stamps: Farm Friends clear set
Paper: Blue Raspberry Sorbet Tinplate notes, Vintage Brown cardstock, Kitchen Green 4-bar notes
Ribbon: Sheer Brown
Copic markers: Pale Cherry Pink, Shadow Pink, Frost Blue, Spring Dim Green

When it's summer time and the weather is warm . . .

So, just what have we been up to here at A Muse?  In a word:  Remodeling.  Lots of remodeling. 

As the dust has been flyin’ around in the remodel and reconstruction work over at the new building and shop, the Muses have also been tinkerin’ behind the scenes on a blog re-design.

We’re excited about these changes, and hope you’ll like ‘em, too! 

And, I’ll share one more li’l tidbit; have you ever wished it would be easy to order everything A Muse, Saltbox Studio, and Elzybells NA in one convenient spot?  Well, we’re workin’ on that, too.  In just a few short weeks, I think we’ll all be happily bouncin’ over the results of this particular project! 

Meantime, snag yourself a cool lemonade or delicious frappuccino, relax, and enjoy the make-over!

So much fun!

We are hard at work on so many fun things! Stay tuned for:

1. Our last Guest Designer post from Dawn McVey (don't forget to enter your name for a chance to win Dawn's special gift - it's easy, just leave a comment on one or more of her Guest Designer posts to enter. To find all of Dawn's Guest Designer posts, simply click on the Guest Designer category over on the right.)

2. A really GREAT surprise on Friday (and another chance to win!)

3. A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA blog party begins next Monday - June 2nd.  There are many fun activities planned. Be sure to register so that you can participate and qualify to win prizes.

Thanks for all the comments on my Casino card. There were a lot of questions about how to make a pocket card... I will write something up for you next week as I'm off to San Diego tomorrow for the Grand Opening of Paper Tales.

Hailey and I just got back from the dress rehearsal for PNB's All Robbins ballet that opens tomorrow night. There are three great works featured in this performance. Our favorite was The Concert.  Johnathan Poretta (in the red hat & vest) and Noelani Pantastico were fantastic as always!  This piece had the audience laughing out loud.  If you live in Seattle, you should definitely try to catch one of the performances. 

(Photo from PNB website - (c) Angela Stirling)

I must go pack.  Be sure to check back here tomorrow and Friday for lots of GOOD stuff!

New Products for May!

Happy 1st of May!  We are excited to present to you our newest products right here.  Remember, you can add products to your 'cart' from all of the A Muse shopping pages (and Elzybells NA & Saltbox Studio too) for combined shipping.  Have fun checking out all of our new products, and some of my favorite things too!

A *new* poll

I closed the card-making poll earlier tonight.  I can't seem to locate the card-buying stats at the moment but as soon as I do, I will create a fun comparison chart for your viewing pleasure.

I just added a *new* poll over in the right sidebar ---->  If you are reading this blog via Google reader you will need to click on over to participate.  It only takes a second... 

Thanks for playing along!

new haircut

Makenna really does *love* her new haircut... she just didn't want to pose for pictures. 

WEEKLY a-muse-letter and more

Our Creative Team (designers & instructors) have been busy working on *TWO* exciting new features for our weekly 'a-muse-letter' which will debut with this week's edition!

Are you signed up to receive our weekly emails?  Each week we send out a Card of the Week along with detailed instructions, lots of inspiring ideas, stamping tips and more.  Our subscribers also receive exclusive access to sales, advance purchasing & priority shipping of our new products and can join our Birthday List!

Signing up takes just a few minutes and you'll be glad you did.  There's a link over in the left column... Join our email list.

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We are gearing up for another Guest Designer feature this month so stay tuned!

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Do you love ribbon? You must check out all the yummy new ribbons from Strano Designs.  Look at this one!  It just says 'HELLO Summer!' I also *love* their velvet ribbon - so luxurious.  This one is my fave!

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VMAA#2 - Virtual Meeting of A Muse Addicts is taking place on Saturday, April 26th.  There will be fun card challenges, chit-chat, prizes and surprises!  Mark your calendars now because you won't want to miss it! 

For more A Muse fun, be sure to visit www.amuseaddicts.com.

Have a beautiful day!

Take the poll!

I've just set up a fun poll here at the A Muse News blog.  Look over in the upper right corner------>  See it?  If you are reading this through Google Reader, you'll need to click on over to the blog to see it and participate.

I know I *try* to make cards for ALL holidays but the reality is that I miss a few.  So, for the purpose of this poll, please select only the holidays for which you regularly (more than once?) have made cards for.

It will be so fun to see everyone's answers...  be sure to tell your friends!

Thank you for participating!

New Products for Spring & Easter

I've just uploaded all of our brand new products for Spring.  Have fun exploring!

• A Muse Spring & Easter stamps - rubbah!
• A Muse Clear stamps - Sushi & Nature
• A Muse 4-bar notecards
• A Muse ribbon
• Elzybells Spring & Easter stamps

Heather's back!

Just a quick note to let you know that I have updated Heather's blog link (over on the right).  Heather was forced to take a break from stamping when she moved back to the states last year.  Her craft room was the last thing to arrive - tragic! 

I'm happy to report that she has all her stamping gear and she is once again sharing her many creative talents over at her blog. Be sure to pop in and say "hi"!

HELLO Elzybells!

Hop on over to the Elzybells NA blog lickety split to see the newest images we've added to our North American offering. 

Do you have a favorite?  I don't think I can choose... they are all so adorable!  Don't forget, there are some great sentiments that were released with the Winter Collection that will work with many of these new images... Thinking of you HC, A little note HC and Pucker up HC (did you see Melissa's 'Froggy' card?!!)

COPIC - beyond basics

I receive lots of emails about COPIC markers. The most common question is "how do I choose colours?". 

As you may know, I recently put together a starter set called Linda's Essential Colors.  These are the colours that I use the most often in my card-making.  These are not necessarily my *favourite* colours but rather the ones that I have found to be the most useful in my card-making.

I just created another set of 12 called Beyond Basics.  This set includes some of my favourite colours (Robin's Egg blue & Shadow Pink are two of my all-time faves!).  The Essential Colors Set and the new Beyond Basics set cover almost all of my colouring needs. 

Click here to see the color swatches for these sets.

More inspiration

I am excited to share with you two new blogs from our A Muse Creative Team crew members.

Becky has been an A Muse Designer for a couple of years and has just joined the blogging world!  Her style has really evolved over the past few years and I would best describe her design specialty as "simply shabby".  Becky's soft color and pattern combinations are truely lovely and I'm sure you will find lots of inspiration at her blog.  She loves polka dots which is the inspiration behind her blog name - The Polka Dot Cafe.

Jennie, is our newest A Muse Instructor and is located in Las Vegas, NV.  Jennie has a wonderful album with all her A Muse Creations on her blog so be sure to check it out!  She especially loves our "caffeinated" stamp designs, which you might have guessed from her blog name, Simply Caffeinated.

I have added these two links over on the left for your convenience!

Pssst!

"Psst!  Wanna see the new A Muse Valentine's Day stamps?!!  Click here!

Announcing: The A Muse Clear Design Team!!!

It is quite a thrill for me to present to you the A Muse Clear Design Team!  Introducing:

Adelina Starace
Adelina has been stamping since 1997 when she walked into her first rubber stamping store in Poulsbo, WA.  She really got serious about making cards in 2004 when she decided to make her own wedding invitations.  Since then, her love affair with paper and ribbon has taken off!  Since her daughter was born in 2005, she has started dabbling in scrap booking.  She enjoys designing simple and clean layouts for both her cards and scrapbooks.  With a small child at home and an artistically inclined husband, she spends as much of her free time as possible creating cards and scrapbooking.  A Muse is Adelina’s first design team position.

Blog: Well Said Cards

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Erika Hall
Erika has dreamed of card design for a long time.  When she was a little girl she used to create cards for her family members complete with her own logo and signature on the back side.  She had her sights set on Hallmark, then she discovered rubber stamps!  Over 15 years later, Erika is an avid stamper, papercrafter and scrapbooker who loves to share her passion for her craft through demonstrating, teaching and sharing.  Erika is a homeschooling mom of two boys, ages 10 and 13, who resides in beautiful Oregon with her hubby of nearly 17 years.

Blog:  Erika Designs

   

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Jenn Shurkus
Jenn has always been crafty one way or another - from doodling posters for her bedroom as a young girl and writing short stories and poems in high school. It was only natural that she studied graphic design and fine arts in college! Jenn is originally from New Hampshire. She has been stamping for over 7 years, and when she isn't busy running a local paper crafting store on Cape Cod, she is teaching A Muse classes around New England! A Muse is the first design team she has served on, and she loves every minute of it!!

Blog:  {creative chick}

 

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Keisha Campbell
Keisha is originally from Detroit Michigan. She has been married to her childhood sweetie since November 1995. Her husband, LaVaughn, is a Seabee in the Navy, which has taken them many places. They are currently living in Beijing, China until winter 2008. Keisha is the proud mother of two daughters and creating scrapbook pages of her beautiful daughters has become an addiction. She loves pink & green pages; soft sweet girly colors are her thing. Keisha’s style leans more towards the shabby side. She claims that her sewing machine is her best friend these days! You can also find Keisha’s designs at Making Memories and TwoPeasinaBucket.com.

Blog: A Bit East

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Tisha Welch
Tisha began stamping 7 years ago and has been addicted to all things crafty ever since!  She dreams of giving up her day job as a nurse and stamping full time.   Tisha enjoys simple, elegant designs and has an eye for clever pairings.  She loves to stamp quick, fun cards, as well as the scrapbook pages and 3-D items.  Tisha lives in Kansas City with her husband, Ben and 3 kids, Henry, Parker and Lily.

Blog:  Bitter Sweet Stamping

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We are so excited about this new team and the opportunity to work with these talented chicks!   Be on the look out for more of their fabulous art stamping card designs and paper crafting projects featuring A Muse's Clear Stamps!

happy WCMD - part II

Good morning (it's now officially morning for me!  LOL!)

I have more to share!!  Post a comment on this post or the one below to let us know what you are doing to celebrate WCMD and what you think of our new products.  We will definitely have some prizes!

To view and purchase all of our new clear stamp sets and new 4-bar notecards, please click here.

I made this first card in honour of our 1-year anniversary party at the shop today! I love the little party flags!  To make them, I used one of the stamps on our new Fancy Borders set, snipped off the circles at the bottom and then just snip, snipped away! It was super speedy. I had some scraps of our new Madeira notes (can you believe I actually cut a few? Gasp!)  and I think they make lovely backgrounds!

This next card features an idea I have had in my head for a while using our Clear Stickers.  These stickers offer so many creative possibilities.  I used my 1" Paper Shaper punch (they punch so well!) to punch a circle through one of our scallop circle clear stickers.  I messed up a few before realizing that if I marked the center of the sticker, I could make the perfect punch every time. 

I then punched a 1 1/8" circle from a scrap of our new Madeira 4-bar notes.  and stamped the letter 'a' for Annabelle in the center.  I then attached this to the sticker and dropped it in ultrafine glitter to make the scallop sparkly!  So easy, so sparkly, so fun!

This project was super easy!  Will post directions later... gotta run to the shop in a minute.  This is to keep track of my Volleyball notes (must write small but fits in my fleece pocket).

The rest of these fabulous cards were designed by Jennifer Pebbles using our new Clear Stamps and 4-bar notecards.  Enjoy!!

and another...

and another...

and one more!

happy world card making day!

I hope you have enjoyed all the Sneak Peeks you've seen here as well as on the A Muse Designer's blogs all week.  I have more fabulous card ideas to share with you from these new clear sets.  I can call them fabulous because Jennifer Pebbles created them... not me!  She is a stamping genius, I tell ya!

To view & *purchase* all our new clear stamp sets and new 4-bar notecards, click here!

I do have a couple of quick things to mention *before* letting you have a looksee at Jen's lovely card creations. 

1) Two of our new clear sets have been help up in production.  These are the Birthday builder mini and the Coffee Break mini set.  If you order these two sets, your order will not ship until the week of October 15th (not next week, but early the following week).

2) For your shopping convenience, we have created a new way for you to purchase these Stamp Sets and our new 4-bar notecards right here at our blog.  If you look in the left-hand column, you will see a Category heading (in pink) that says **NEW** Online Shopping.  Payment is through PayPal so you will need to have (or set up) an account.

This should take you to a "page" here on the blog and give you instructions on how to make an online purchase.  Everything looks good on my screen but please let me know if anything looks weird on yours.

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We will be celebrating WCMD at the A Muse Retail store today between 10a & 6p.  Please stop by to see these lovely new stamps & notecards in person, make a Card for St. Jude's, Make a fun Halloween Treat, fill your basket with retiring stamps & some fabulous $1 "seconds" stamps, get your own A Muse t-shirt and celebrate with a yummy cupcake!  AND, if you come by in the afternoon, you will get to meet Emily (aka Scoopy!)

Without further ado...  Jen's cards!!

I love how Jennifer incorporated some of our wood-mounted stamps into her designs.  This card features one a tag from our Tag Time Clear Stamp Set.  It also features a word stamp from our Holiday Greetings stamp set. 

Jen got a new camera... I love how crisp and bright her photos are!!

For this next card (Happy Birthday) Jen has combined stamps from the new A Muse Birthday Builder and Party Time sets.  My dad would LOVE this card!   

I will be back in a few hours to share more cards with you! 

Leave a comment and who knows... we may even have a prize or two to share.  Afterall, it is WORLD Card Making Day!!!

smiles,
Linda

P4O

We have decided to go Pink for October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The goals of this initiative are to spread awareness of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, get people talking about Breast Cancer and raise money for research.  Do you have a blog?  It's easy to Go Pink... 

Introducing Geeta Suggs, a new A Muse Instructor

Surprise--it's me, Julie! *grin*  Today I have the great pleasure of announcing one of our newest A Muse Instructors to all of you:  Geeta Suggs

Geeta and her family live down Texas way, and we're so excited to have her teaching classes for retail stores in the Central Texas area!  I think you can already tell from the brilliant smile in this photo that Geeta has a bubbly and enthusiastic personality, as well as a fun sense of humor!   We asked her to share a bit about herself and how she became interested in stamping:

My name is Geeta. I live in Austin (Hook ‘em Horns!) and am married to my best friend. We met in college at UT and received our Engineering degrees together. We have 2 awesome, funny and very sweet boys, age 5 (starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks!) and 17 months.

At age 11, I moved to Texas from Canada. When I left my childhood best friend in Canada, my dad told me that I could write to her as much as I wanted. He took me to the local office supply/stationery store all the time, to get supplies. This was the beginning of my love for paper.

As an adult, I scrap booked a lot, then I found stamping and card making, and, as they say, the rest is history. I left my job as a Software Engineer, when I was pregnant with my first son. But the engineer within me lives on in everything I do! I have always liked the simple and elegant look, although at times I get bogged down with adding too much to my work. I found A Muse earlier this year and felt a pull towards their simple approach. I participated in the A*Muse*A*Palooza contest and was hooked! Now, I love A Muse and can’t wait to share it with others. Every A Muse design that I have seen makes me smile. It’s just a happy thing!

 

You can view more of Geeta's designs, and learn about her class schedule, by visiting her blog, Crafty Engineer.

Important Stuff!

**  There are new posts below - just wanted to be sure you know about these special A Muse events. **

A Muse is pleased to be a Gold Level sponsor of World Card Making Day.  In honor of this day, we have created a very special program -- Cards for a Cause.  We invite you to participate - great prizes to be won!  Read more about it here.  Purchase our kits #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6.
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A Muse Retail Shop Anniversary Sale - October 6th
It's today!!  Stop by if you are in our neck of the woods!
*free 90-minute parking behind our building & free 2-hour street parking
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Click here to join our email list. 

New images - schedule

I have seen this question posted online a few times...  here's the scoop:

Heidi will be working to update our new images on the A Muse website this coming Monday, July 23rd.  Please be patient... sometimes it can take us a while to get all the images uploaded as our internet connection from our head office is *very* slow. And, of course, our top priority is to SHIP orders. 

Check out some of our new stamps and the Sorbet Collection of notecards on Tracy's blog! (Hi Tracy!)

Did you know?  99% of all A Muse orders ship complete and same day. 

We had a little visitor last night while we were eating dinner.  I have never seen a raccoon out so early.  This one was just a baby so perhaps he is not aware that he is nocturnal!  No mama in sight!  The girls were amazed and couldn't keep still so he ended up climbing a tree to safety!

Here's another photo that I thought you would enjoy.  My mother took us to a Church Bazaar last weekend and we had so much fun.  She gave the girls each $5 to spend and they bought all sorts of things: homemade fudge, pumpkin muffins, hand-knit dishcloths, hand-knit slippers (with pom-poms!), lots of used kids books, and "mystery" gifts (by far the most fun!) 

My mom did not clue me in that this event had the best home baking for miles.  When we arrived, we had to wait in line for the doors to open.  There was a mad rush to the back of the room and yummy treats were being scooped up while I was busy saying hello to my Aunt.  Little did I know that I could have walked away with a homebaked STRAWBERRY pie (my favorite!) or a banana bread (my second favorite!)  Makenna told me "it's OK, Mama, we'll get a pie next summer!"  ...if only I can wait that long! LOL!

The church, Grace Anglican, was founded in the late 1800s.  Hailey and I walked around the cemetary looking at the weathered tombstones.  They are so simple and beautiful.  I'm amazed at how well they have held up - some are over 120+ years.  I have been to Christmas midnight mass at this church several times over the years and it is simply beautiful.

Have a beautiful day!

New A Muse Ribbon!

07/19/07 - I hope that everyone can now see the photo of the ribbons!  Please let me know!

Some of you guessed that the photo I posted a few weeks ago of our new product was ribbon.  I did like the guess about cookies though and might have to look into our options on that!! 

Our brand new line of ribbon arrived just before I left and has begun shipping to stores! 

It is so fun - it is a super sparkly sheer ribbon with just a hint of color on the edge.  We designed it to coordinate with our Paper Products, so color matching is a breeze!

So far, we are only selling it by the spool.  We are looking into other options but that won't happen for a while (since I'm out of the office!)  Spools include 54 yards (50m) and cost $25 each.

• Popsicle Pink
• Swiss Red
• Black
• French Roast (brown)
• Passion Purple
• Orange Crush
• Cabana Blue
• Fern (green)

We are doin' the happy ribbon dance!  Stay tuned to the A Muse Designers' & Instructors' blogs to see our new ribbon in action.

Welcome Keisha!

We certainly have lots of Designer news this month, don't we? 

I am thrilled to introduce you to another new member of our design team: Keisha Campbell.  I was first introduced to Keisha's work through Jennifer and I just love her style.  Keisha does a fabulous job intergrating stamping into her scrapbook projects.  She will be focusing her design efforts on Scrapbook projects for A Muse.

Here is a brief intro from Keisha: 

My name is Keisha Campbell and I am originally from Detroit Michigan.

I have been married to my childhood sweetie since November1995.

My husband, LaVaughn, is a Seabee in the Navy, which has taken us to many places; we are currently living in Beijing China until winter 2008. We have lived in Italy, Illinois, and Mississippi…who knows what will be next! I am eagerly looking forward to returning to the states, I need an LSS badly!

We have two daughters that try to rule us. Amira (1/97) is our extremely friendly, out-going, know it all! Mikiela (1/03) is our silly, loud, wild child. They are my inspiration, my muses. I am such a girly girl, and to have two beauties to scrap has become an awful addiction. I love pink & green pages; soft sweet girly colors are my thing.

My style varies, but tends to lean more towards the shabby side. I love to dabble with different looks & styles. I have a great love for chipboard products; kraft and white cardstock seem to have become my only cardstock choices-but I am experimenting with more colors. And my sewing machine is my best friend these days! I love all the major lines: MM, Heidi Swapp, Basic Grey and stamps…a never-ending list that my wallet never totally supports.

I am a designer for Making Memories and Two Peas Creating Garden.

Here are some samples that Keisha has created for your viewing pleasure! We hope to add a Scrapbook page section to A Muse Design Studio in the near future. 

{1st photo A Muse products used: Animal wishes clear stamp set, Pretty Little papers - ric rac & paisley}

{2nd photo A Muse products used: polka dot lowercase large alpha, personal stationery clear set, animal wishes clear set, Popsicle Pink Mod Dot notecard, Pretty Littel papers - polka dot reverse and paisley}

{3rd photo A Muse products used: Simple Wishes clear stamp set, Polka Dot lowercase small clear stamp set, Personal Stationery clear stamp set, Cottage Red pinwheel notecard, Pretty Little Papers - polka dot reverse}

I just love how she created the butterfly trail on the last photo.  Stunning!

Welcome, Keisha! 

Welcome Elena!

It's official and we are postively thrilled to announce that Elena Shacochis has joined the A Muse Design Team.  Yippee!

I have had my eye on Elena's work for quite some time.  She did a fabulous job as our very first Guest Designer.  She has also been very busy participating in all the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA festivities.  And, many of you have come to know her fabulous work through her dynamite new blog, The Stamping Shac.

Welcome, Elena!  We are so happy to have you on the team. 

Stay tuned as I have more Designer news!

And, here's a sneak peak of something fabulous that is coming soon from A Muse.  Can you figure out what it is?  This is not part of our A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA release but will be available to stores on July 16th and on our website the week of the 23rd. 

OK - it's pretty hard to tell what it is from this photo but I'm sure there are some clever folks out there that will guess what it is! 

Happy birthday to us!

This month we are celebrating our 6th birthday here at A Muse!  It is amazing to think that we have been in business for six years!  Thank you for your continued support, we would not be here without you!!

We invite you, our blog readers and weekly a-muse-letter readers, to join in the celebration with a special birthday *SALE*!

We have 7 pages filled with stamps that are on sale for 25% off.  And, if you order 6 or more sale stamps, we will give you an extra 15%!!! (total discount = 40% off)  Many of these stamps are slated to be retired with the release of our new catalog in July so get them while you can!!  We need to make room for all the new A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA stamps that are coming!!   

Here’s the scoop:
The sale begins today and runs through May 31^st (midnight pacific time).  All orders must be emailed {to [email protected]} or faxed {toll free: 1-888-605-6474}.  Phone orders will not qualify for discount.  Discount applies to sale stamps only. 
Some items may sell out quickly, we will ship you what we have on hand.  If you order an item that is no longer available but your order includes 6 items to qualify for the additional 15% discount, the extra discount will still be given.  You are welcome to order non-sale stamps with your order, additional 15% discount only applies when you order 6 or more *sale* stamps.

To view the Birthday *SALE* Stamps, click here.

We will be closed on Monday, May 28th for Memorial Day.  Have a safe and happy long weekend! 

I will be posting some AP challenge #4 cards soon.

411: Postal Rates increase

The postal increases this week are hitting consumers and businesses hard. 

One of the most important changes that impacts A Muse is that now it costs an extra $0.17 to mail a square envelope  The "rationale" behind this is that apparently square cards do not go through the postal sorting equipment and must be hand-cancelled.

We have considered alternative envelope options for our square notecards but have decided to continue packaging our notecards with 4.5" square envelopes.  The reason we started making them in the first place is because our customers begged us to do so and so we assume this still holds true today.

Many of our customers tell us that they reserve the square envelopes to include with gifts or hand-delivered notes.  When mailing quantities of our notecards, customers tell us they simply pop them into an A2 evnelope to avoid the extra postal charges. I do this myself.

Secondly, it appears that our international customers have been hardest hit by the postal rate increases - these rates have more than doubled!  The good news is that there is not much difference when mailing 5 stamps or 20... so you might as well order 20, right? <smile> 

We understand that shipping costs are important to all of our customers.  If you have questions about the cost of shipping your international order, please email us at [email protected].

Lastly, with the increase in postal rates, we will be changing our shipping rates next week.  Our current rates will be in effect through next Wednesday (May 23rd). 

Gotta love the post office!

They're up!

Sorry for the long delay on getting the new Summer 2007 stamps uploaded to the website.  Our internet connection was intermittent today making it hard to upload the changes to our database.  Hope you like them.  Will post some fun card ideas tomorrow!

A Muse Design Team news

I'm sure that many of you have come to know Sarah Vrolyk, one of the A Muse Design Team members, over the past year.  Sarah has decided to step down from the A Muse Design Team to focus more time on her family.  You can read more on her decision here.

Sarah has been an awesome contributor to the A Muse Design Team over the past year and we will miss her greatly!  I hope you will pop over to her blog in the next few days to wish her well. (She will be taking down her blogs at the end of the week so do it soon!)

We do have an announcement to make regarding an addition to our Design Team.  This has been in the works for a couple of months now so please stay tuned. 

At this point, our design team is full.  However, if you are interested in a Guest Designer opportunity, please email me. 

The next Guest Designer opening is for September 2007.  Please email a brief introduction, some samples of your work or link to your gallery and tell me why you are interested in being one of our Guest Designers.

Have a beautiful day!

Swamped

Just a quick note to everyone that I will not be posting again until Tuesday.  We are working on something BIG and I am completely swamped! 

If you are waiting on an email reply from me... it will be a little while longer.  Sorry!

A Quiz for you...

I put a lot of thought into the production of our clear polka dot monogram stamps.  Not about whether or not to do them - that was an easy decision!  No, the hours I spent on this project were used to determine what the most popular monogram letters would be.  You see, if I could "predict" the popularity of the letters somehow, it would make them *much* cheaper to produce.  Without any sales history - I was going to have to put on my thinking cap about how to do this.

The internet is an amazing resource!  I was able to find letter frequency rates for the English language, Social Securtiy data for the past century and more!  With a little manipulation in Excel, I was able to build a model that I **hope** will help us maintain the low prices on our fun new monogram stamps!

Allrighty - now that I've told you how I did this.  What is your guess?  Which letter (according to my model) should be the most popular?  What about the least popular?  Post a comment here with your guess!  (Remember you should have two letters in your guess - most and least popular)

If you are the first person to guess them both correctly, you will win a COMPLETE set of these new monograms - 26 lovelies & a jumbo clear block as well.

Let the guessing begin!

Here they are

... a few of them anyways!  We have been very busy with the packaging of our new clear lowercase polka dot monogram stamps.  They will be ready to ship later this week.  So, if you place an order that includes these, your order will most likely ship on Friday (2/23).   

the deets: The "x" height on the letters is 2".  The tallest letter is 'j' and it measures 4" in height. 

The retail price is $5.00 per letter.

 

Out with Valentine's...

in with Easter! 

We spent the better part of today taking down Valentine's day displays and putting up our fabulous new Easter display.  I'm glad we only do this every few months... it is a BIG job! 

I am feeling a little out of sync with the rest of the world. We are working 9-10 months out on our future releases so Easter feels like it should also be over and done with!

Nina did an oustanding job yet again and our new window display is *the* BEST!  You really must come on by to see it in person.  For those of you that can't - I will try to get a picture posted here tomorrow for you.

Spring 2007 release: just a few more things to add to the website tomorrow.  And, to answer a very popular question, our new clear polka dot monograms are $4.99!  Such a deal!  Each letter measures approximately 2" to 4" high.

Still more...

We were not able to load images of all our new products onto the A Muse site yesterday - very slow internet connection at A Muse HQ.  Still to come:

• Pretty Little Papers
• Argyle band notecards
• Barney alpha
• polka dot monograms

We will do our best to get them uploaded today... stay tuned.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Look at this sweet Valentine I received from Makenna today.  Her preschool class made the paper to make the heart.  Isn't it precious?!  I love her handwriting on the accompanying note... a most definite keeper!

We're working on the website right now... be sure to check back soon to see our new Spring images.

Here's a preview of our new Pretty Little Papers.  We have re-packaged our gift tags to give you more fun papers to play with. 

Pretty Little Papers (PLP) are designed to coordinate with our line of notecards.  Each package contains 28 Pretty Little Papers, 7 of each color in the same pattern.  Each PLP measures 2" x 4" and are printed on the same cardstock as our notecards.  Fun, fun, fun!

$3.00/package

Happy Valentine's day!!