Simple

I just wanted to make a very simple card, and I think this works. I stamped the image, did some coloring and pulled out my Quickie Glue Pen (you can get it here) for the red flock and the glitter. Definitely a fast card!

Teensy Tag

Here's a teensy little tag using the Elzybells Bird Post. He's just too cute!

Calendar Fun!

Linda has designed a great calendar template that's perfect for all your A Muse stamps. This is a wonderful gift idea for those hard to shop for people! For $3 donation you can get the template at the A Muse blog. All the proceeds will go the Scleroderma Research Foundation.

Brrrr...

It's getting cold {insert deep sigh}, but it does give me an opportunity to use the Christmas and winter stamps I love so much. This card is one I made for an upcoming class. I like to use unusual colors and I *heart* pink so this card just came to me very quickly. It was scanned so the snowflakes don't show up as nicely as I would want, but I hope you get the idea.

I also have some exciting news, but {insert another deep sigh} I can't tell you just yet. Stay tuned!

Teacher Extraordinaire

I just perused (my new word for the day) Laura's blog and she has a great tutorial on the Bow Easy. You say you don't know about the Bow Easy? Well, it's a great little gizmo that helps you make perfect little bows. However, as Laura notes, the instructions are not so "Easy" to understand, so she has pictures (thanks to her wonderful assistant Chrisi)! Check it out.

Playing continued...

I'm still avoiding cleaning my apartment so here's another Thanksgiving goody. It's a placecard if you couldn't figure it out. Of course, I had to use my Tiny Pumpkin stamp again! This was very easy except for cutting out the corn image. It turned out fairly well, but I think I could use a remedial cutting class. I'm just too impatient and I usually manage to cut something I'm not supposed to.

I hope you had a spoooky and fun Halloween!

All images and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Still playing

I was playing around (still not cleaning my apartment) and decided to make a Thanksgiving Doorhanger. I love the Tiny Pumpkin. Unfortunately I didn't get it in time for Halloween. My students, however, are probably glad because they would have been stamping this little cutie on EVERY card. Well, I just had to use it so here it is for Thanksgiving!

BTW... Happy Halloween!!!

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Just playing around

I was just playing around with my stamps (I should have been cleaning) and I decided to make this little napkin holder. I always go to my sister's house for Thanksgiving and since I'm a pathetic cook I try to contribute something of the non-food variety. This just might be the thing! Thanksgiving at my sister's house usually involves about 20-25 people so this will be quick and easy.

I just stamped "thanks" and the pinecones on a Mango Tinplate notecard, oval punched it, edged it with Pumpkin Spice Versamagic (my fave!) and colored the pinecones with markers.

The ribbon (to tie around a napkin) is woven through two holes in the bark scallop oval. I then just used Pop Dots to adhere the stamped oval. So easy!

The stamps, paper and ribbon are all by A Muse Artstamps.

Inspired....

I was inspired by Novell's adoreable Elzybells card using the mouse stamp. On the full image he's looking at his reflection on a Christmas bauble. Here I masked that portion of the stamp and also added some branches from the same image. Last I inked one "bauble" from the bauble line stamp and hung it from another branch. I loved the way Novell used circle punches to look like an ornament so I used the same idea here.

I've been inspired by all the designers and instructors on the A Muse and Elzybells teams. Their creativity is incredible! Check out the blogs I read. I've added a bunch!

I'm in Love!

I love the new Elzybells stamps! They're just too cute for words. Recently I was asked to be on the Design Team for this line of stamps and I've been having a great time playing with them. If you like to color these are the stamps for you. It's also fun to mix and match them with A Muse sentiments and backgrounds. These little cuties are now available for purchase on the Elzybells blog. If you leave a comment you may even win a prize!

Happy shopping!

Just a Little Peek!

Here's a little sneak peek at some new images by Elzybells Art Stamps. A Muse will be distributing these adorable stamps in the US. Look for an announcement here soon! You can also go to the new Elzybells Art Stamp blog and check out all the wonderful creations by the Elzybells design team.

All stamps by Elzybells Art Stamps. Papers and Twinkle Sticker by A Muse Artstamps.

Sneak Peeks!

Woohoo! I'm so excited. A Muse is launching some great new notecards (they're not square) in simply luscious colors and exciting designs. AND there are new clear stamp sets! The official launch is tomorrow (World Card Making Day), but you can get a sneak peak on the A Muse News blog. The A Muse clear stamp Design Team has been very busy designing samples that are just to die for. Check it out!

So Many Events...so little time!

World Card Making Day is tomorrow! Check out your local stamp store and see what they are doing for this fun event. I know Angela's Happy Stamper will have an all day MITI designed by our very own Marilynn. Make sure to bring some of your beautiful handmade cards to donate for the troops. If you're not near a participating stamp store (and even if you are) be sure to check out A Muse Artstamps Cards for a Cause. They are a Gold Sponsor of WCMD and you can make cards and send them to A Muse all this month. These cards will be donated to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital. They also have some adorable card kits with special cards just for WCMD. Go to the website above and see how you can purchase them.

I wish I could be at Angela's, but I'll be traveling to York, PA for the Heirloom Convention. I'll be at the A Muse Artstamps booth and we'll have MITI's! Woohoo! Please make sure to stop by if you plan to attend. I'll only be there Saturday, but I know Cindy would love to see you if your plans are for Sunday. If you have ever called A Muse in Seattle chances are you spoke to Cindy. She's the best!

Think Pink

Did you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? We all know someone (maybe yourself?) who has fought or is fighting breast cancer. It effects everyone. If you haven't had a mammogram-make an appointment now! It's fast and it's easy.

All images and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Spooky Fun!

I've got some classes coming up (October 14) at Rubber Chicken so I thought I would show you another card. Maybe this will tempt you to join us!

I love combining green and purple, espcially for Halloween. And, of course, I had to use the witch feet!

Best Witches!

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Is anyone still there?

It's been so long since I last posted. I hope you're still checking in! I've been busy designing cards for some upcoming classes, and now I can show you a couple.

I just love the simplicity of the fall card. The single image (with a little glitter glue) focuses your attention. And since, today is the first full day of Fall I thought I would celebrate it with you.

The card at the top is sweet and a little spooky at the same time. I just love this little ghost kid. Although you can't see it very well, the pumpkin is colored with a glaze pen.

All images and paper by A Muse.

I'll be posting more soon so I hope you'll check in!

Cards for a Cause

In honor of World Card Making Day A Muse has created a special program called Cards for a Cause. Check out the A Muse News blog. They are offering six different (and adorable) card kits for purchase and a portion of the proceeds will go to St. Judes Children's Hospital. You are also encouraged to donate your cards to St. Judes or a worthy cause of your choice. What could be better? We get to do something we love, and make a difference!

Page 59!

I'm so excited! I have two cards published in the newest Take Ten (Autumn 2007). If you want to check them out they're on (you guessed it) page 59. The ribbon is a little askew on the top card, but I'm not really complaining. I'm just happy to be included with the rest of these great stampers.

I also spied a couple by Julie Ebersole. She always has the best card!

WCMD!

Have you heard of World Card Making Day? This is the day to celebrate our passion and bring new friends into the fold. This year WCMD is on October 6. Check out your local store to see what activities they have "in store."

And did you know that A Muse is a GOLD level sponsor of WCMD? It's true! Check out it out at www.amusenews.typepad.com.

WCMD!

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Ginger!
I wish this was a better picture, but you'll get to see it tomorrow at the big soiree.
Love,
Lindy

Blue Suede Shoes

My tribute to Elvis! Long may his music live...

Jersey Girl

It's mid-August and this time of year always brings back memories of our family vacations at the Jersey shore. Every August we rented a house which was just one block from the beach. These summer memories are so vivid for me. I can still feel the gritty sand on my feet as we walked home from an afternoon on the beach. And the sting of the outdoor shower as the cool water would hit my salty, sunburned skin. Walking on the boardwalk at night to play miniature golf or ride the roller coaster. Once a Jersey girl, always a Jersey girl.

This card brings back those memories. OK, there are no palm trees on the Jersey shore, but we did have the canvas chairs and my mother even had those cateye sunglasses! No....I won't tell you how old I am, but cateye glasses might give you a clue.

Notecard and stamps by A Muse Artstamps.

Colored Pencils

A couple years ago I bought a book called "Stamping in Color" and I fell in love! Dave Brethauer, the author and artist, is my hero. I learned some great techniques using colored pencils and I haven't stopped since. It still amazes me how a little shading and highlighting can enhance even the simplest image. I used colored pencils to color in the topiaries on this card. This isn't my greatest "masterpiece," but it does show how easy it is to enhance even a simple design.

Dave (I feel like I know him) also shows techniques with watercolors. I'm still working on that, but the effects are just beautiful. Sadly, this book is going out of print, but I hear that he will have a new book out soon. AND, he's coming to Angela's Happy Stamper in September! There may be a few spaces left so check it out now.. I'm just way too excited to actually meet him.

I almost forgot to mention that Dave is the owner and creative force behind Memory Box! I don't know anyone who can resist those crazy penguins and the paper packs are just to die for.

Have a beautiful day!

All images and papers by A Muse Artstamps.

The date for my classes at Rubber Chicken have changed. They will now be on Sunday, August 19 (same time, same place).

Class Change

Brief Note...

Thank you to all the ladies at Rubber Chicken. I had such fun seeing some old friends and new faces at my two classses on Sunday! I hope we'll get together again at my next classes on August 12. It seems a little early to be celebrating Halloween and Christmas, but I couldn't help it. The new stamps from A Muse are just too cute to wait until the "appropriate" time.

This card uses the cute briefs and, of course, I had to use "a brief note" with it. The middle image was stamped on scrap and cut out. I applied the blue shading (a marker) with a Dove Blender. It's a great way to use your marker pens. I then attached the image with Pop Dots (what else?).

Now for one of the Fall cards that we will be making in the August 12 class! I love the farmer, but at first couldn't figure out many uses for him. But, doesn't he go perfectly on this card? You can't see it very well in this picture, but I used a glaze pen on the pumpkins to make them a little shiny. Hope you like this little sneak peek at my next class!

Bad Girl!

I have been very bad! I just haven't had the time to time to post! I'm going to have some new cards next week, but in the meantime I want to at least let you know I'm still here!

We had a blast during A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA week at Angela's. All the new A Muse stamps came in on Monday and they are just too darn cute for words. "A Muse building" collectors should be in heaven right about now. There are two Christmas type houses, a school, a stamp store, sports shop, and haunted house. Have I forgotten any? And the sentiments are just great too. All I can say is "so many stamps...so little time" (A Muse even has this one)!

On Wednesday we had a fun time putting together a spooky halloween house using the chipboard houses from Doodlebug. We used the A Muse halloween stamps in the windows. I made a prototype, but everyone did their own thing. All I can say is these women are very creative! Thanks for a fun time.

On Friday night and Saturday we had the 10 Card Class. Whew! These ladies worked hard. I had scheduled a two hour class (which was way too short), but they zipped right through them. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

I've listed some classes for August at the top of the blog, but I'm still finishing up some cards so you won't see them posted on the store websites until next week. I hope you'll save these dates.

Until next time-happy stamping!

Aaah...Ribbon!

The current AP challenge is using ribbon. Is there anyone who doesn't love ribbon? I have a crazy big stash of ribbon that I don't know if I'll ever get to use. But that's OK. I just like to look at it! I like to use it in many ways, from simply wrapping and tying it around a card to making it a part of the image itself. I've used ribbon to make a scarf and even a beach towel. How many ways do you use ribbon? I'm always looking for new ideas.
This card uses ribbon as a simple decorative embellishment. After I adhered the oval I punched a hole through the front flap and threaded the ribbon through. I'm not great with bows (unless I use a Bow Easy) so I usually just tie a knot.
Have a great weekend!

All images and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Pink Flamingos!

I just got a new toy to play with-Fun Flock. I'm sure many of you already know about flock, but I finally took the plunge and I love it! If you haven't played with Flock (you can get it here), go get some right now! It's so much fun (hence the name-Fun Flock). I know flamingos aren't exactly pink, but when I saw the pink flock I immediately thought of my flamingo friend. He's so cute, and now he's pink and fuzzy. Fun stuff!

This little guy is also a sneak peek of one of the cards for my upcoming "Summertime-A Muse Style" class.

I have to go now....I'm going to look for other images to flock!

Stamps and notecard by A Muse Artstamps. Decorative paper by Doodlebug. Fun Flock by Stampendous.

Summer Memories

I've been busy designing cards for some upcoming classes and this is one of them. Please excuse the poor picture quality. I promise I'll have better pictures soon. This one brings back vivid memories of summer for me.
When I was young the Good Humor man would drive down our block every day during the summer. Whatever we were doing as soon as we heard the good humor music we would all race home to get money. Invariably I would get a Creamsicle. A Creamsicle is vanilla icecream surrounded by a coating of orange sherbet - all on a stick. Yummy!
I have to say I didn't really plan on it, but when I was finished with the card the colors just reminded me of a Creamsicle. Is anyone else getting hungry for ice cream?
I'll be back soon!

Ooooooh....Glitter!!!

The A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA challenge this week is GLITTER! I love, love, love glitter. I love glitter glue, Prisma Glitter, glittery paper, crystals and anything that shines. Did I say I love glitter? I don't have a card to show today, but you can bet that I'll be going home tonight to make a card that glitters!

I also want to let my Rubber Chicken friends know that I have decided not to schedule a class in June, but I'll be seeing you again in July! Look for some sneak peeks soon!

Sneak Peek

It's been a while since I last posted. I was hoping to have some cards scanned so there would be a better image, but "life" got in the way. This card is a little sneak peek for a class I'll be teaching at Rubber Chicken. There's been a little mix-up with the dates so we're still working it out. I'm hoping for June 24!

Have you checked out the AP blog? There are all kinds of fun things going on there. You can even order an AP t-shirt. They're so cute and I have one in pink (what else?).

Plans are really humming along for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA at Angela's Happy Stamper. Check out the website for the schedule of events (July 9-15). I'm really getting excited about the classes I'll be teaching. First we'll be making a spoooky house on Wednesday (6/11) and then on Friday and Saturday we have a 10 Card Class using A Muse's new release of stamps.

All images and papers by A Muse Artstamps.

I have fallen in love with the new "daisy doodle" stamp! Here I used it to create my own decorative paper. I randomly stamped the daisy doodle on a piece of a black tiny dot notecard. I trimmed it with a wavy decorative scissor and attached it to a lime peel solid notecard.

Sneak Peak

Happy Friday

Sometimes simple is best....

Have a great weekend!

All images by A Muse Artstamps.

A Muse-ing Little Scene

Would a "hotdog" dog dream about a hotdog? I don't know, but this little scene came to mind when I saw the hotdog on a skewer and little Sniffer. This is my "entry" in the Scene challenge for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA.

All images by A Muse Artstamps.

Relax....

I am sooo looking forward to this long weekend! I'll be working at Angela's on Saturday which is always fun. On Sunday and Monday I'll be cleaning my craft area and designing cards for some upcoming classes. I know this doesn't sound very relaxing, but to me it's just heaven to have two whole days to do what I want. I hope your weekend is filled with fun and relaxation!

I just love the palm tree and hammock and a setting sun just makes it all so peaceful. I masked the blue band and stamped the 'island' and sun and palm tree. I then used chalks to create the rays. It's a little difficult to see, but I also used the Rosie's Roadshow Cloud template and chalks to give the sky a cloudy effect. All images and notecard are A Muse.

I forgot...

I wanted to describe this card and I totally forgot. I love how the donkey peeks out from between the cacti. I got this effect with masking. I stamped the cactus on the right, masked it and stamped the donkey. I then masked the donkey and stamped the cactus on the left. Voila! No matter how many times I do this, it still seem like magic, but of course, I'm easily amused.

All images and paper by A Muse.

This week's A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA challenge is using punches. I can't enter the contest, but I think my card fits. I used a Mega Scallop square and a circle punch.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Day!

This is my first posting and I have a lot to be happy about! Here's my list:

1. I have great (and patient) friends who helped me set up this blog.

2. I heard that I have 2 cards published in the newest Take Ten. I haven't seen them yet and the anticipation is killing me.

3. I'm looking forward to this 3 day weekend.

What are you happy about?