A Candy Cane a Day....

Here's what's inside my advent box. Since I had a candy cane box I guess this is pretty obvious. You can't see from yesterdays post on the A Muse blog, but the side of the box is stamped with "A candy cane a day keeps Santa on his way." I'm hoping that's true. I've been eating a lot of candy canes!

Got Trees?

I found this card in my stash and decided to post it for you. It's from a couple years ago. Even though the brownstone on the right is levitating a little I still like this design. I liked it so much I sent it in to Take Ten (a better sample of course) and they published it!

Check out tomorrow's post on the A Muse blog. If you've been following along, the A Muse Creative team has been making little advent boxes. My is coming up tomorrow. Woohoo!

Here's Two!

Here are a couple of Christmas designs! Enjoy!

If I give you a present?

.....will you come back and look at my blog? I know I've been away much too long. I really don't know what happened, but the time just got away from me. I knew it was time to post again when my friends started making comments.

Well, I'm finally back and I promise I'll post more often.

Here's a card we made in one of my Christmas Wishes classes. I thought this shopper would work perfectly with the "visa" sentiment. It's a little difficult to see, but the packages for the middle shopper are popped. I also used coordinating glitter glue for each shopper.

See you soon (I hope)!

Way too long!

I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted! I have so much going on right now...I guess "life" just got in the way!

I'm working on some cards for my upcoming classes, so as I finish them I thought I would post a few. This card is for my Elegant Christmas class at Angela's Happy Stamper (Nov. 23). This shot doesn't show it very well, but it's very ***sparkly**** IRL. I stamped the tree (on this card I made it branches) with grey Versafine, outlined it with a Quicky Glue Pen, and used ultra fine glitter.

I hope to be better at posting cards. Come back soon!

Go Pink!!!!

This weekend the 3Day Walk for the Cure is going on in Washington, DC. Hundreds (thousands?) of women and men are participating in this joyous and (I'm told) life altering event. Alicia (center) is a colleague from our Memphis who is a 3 year survivor. Our staff here in Falls Church decided to go and support her and her friends! I thought I was going to give support, but I think I really got more out of it! These women (and men too) are just incredible, whether they are survivors or supporters. They have so much joy, energy and determination it brought tears to my eyes. All I could do was thank them for their courage.

As we waited for Alicia and her friends to walk by, I heard someone call my name. It was Tami McVey a customer and friend from Angela's Happy Stamper! It was such a wonderful surprise that all Icould do was give her a hug. I wish I had been able to take a picture with her.

These wonderful people will be walking 60 miles over the next few days. Go Tami!!! Go Alicia!!!

So many Trees.....

A Muse has two (!) new clear sets called Trees 1 and Trees 2 and they are so cool! These trees are just two of the many different designs. I gave them an autumnal look, but they work for any season. This card is one of the designs from my Give Thanks class.

Here's a fun trick. If you want your embellishments to match your card colors, you can color them with Copics. This works particulary well on ribbon or the flowers on this card.

A Little Something...

...for the first day of Fall. I just got this scarecrow image and he is so perfect for fall cards! The foliage (from the Nature clear set) reminds me of cornstalks. What do you think?

Am I pushing it?

Summer isn't even over and I'm wishing for Fall. I just can't help it. Fall is my favorite time of year. The air is crisp and clear and I feel invigorated after the heat of summer. Even though I'm a looong way from my school years, I still think of Fall as a time of beginnings.

This card, featuring the new pumpkin stack stamp, reminds me of special times when I was young. I would always look forward to getting that one "perfect" pumpkin for Halloween!

This card is also featured in my upcoming "Fall" ing for A Muse classes at Create It Crafts (Sept. 14) and Angela's Happy Stamper (Oct. 4).

I hope I'll see you there!

Birds of a feather....

I was browsing the A Muse Blog and saw Becky's card using the naked tree, solid bird and dot. Here's mine. I think we must have been on the same wavelength when we created our cards. I love being on the same wavelength as Becky. I'm not so sure how she feels about it ; ).

This card is part of my "FAll" ing for A Muse class that I'm teaching at Create It Crafts this Sunday. Check out some of the others on their website. It's not quite fall yet, but I love these colors. There just so warm and cozy looking.

BTW... We had a blast yesterday at Angela's. I'd like to say a big thank you to all the the ladies in my Halloween and Sweet classes. I hope you had as much fun as I did and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. Maybe in my classes on Saturday, October 4?

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

BOO Box

I'll be off to enjoy the holiday weekend in a few minutes, but I wanted to leave you with a picture of my Halloween BOO Box. We'll be making this and a bunch of creepy tags on Sunday, September 14 at Create It Crafts.

Long weekend

I'm sooooo looking forward to this long weekend! I'll probably spend it unpacking boxes in my new apartment. There are still a lot of boxes to go through and organize, but I might even have some time to actually decorate. I'm not really looking forward to all this work, but I love that sense of accomplishment when its done.

I hope I'll also have some time to get crafty (you know that area is already set up!). In the meantime, here's a card I made for my Halloween class at Angela's Happy Stamper on Sunday, September 7.

All images, paper and ribbon by A Muse Artstamps.

More Halloween Fun

This new magician reminds me of "you know who" so I decided to use him along with the new candelabra to "re-create" the dining hall scene at Hogwarts. I masked off the bottom of the candelabra and (hopefully) they look like they're floating in the air. It's a little hard to see in this picture, but I made little dots in the candle flames with a gold stardust pen. It gives the flame a little extra glow. The Spica gold pen would work great too, but I couldn't find mine after my move. I'm thinking this might be a cute invitation for a child's party!

All stamps and papers by A Muse Artstamps.

Want a peek?

Go to the A Muse website and you'll see a card I made! I'm loving the new Halloween images. I wish I could say I've been busy creating tons of cards, but I moved this week (bad timing, eh?) and just haven't had a lot of time. I'm glad I had a chance to make at least one card before all the moving mayhem!

Wouldn't it be great?

Wouldn't it be great if there was a candy store on every corner? Candy just makes me smile and that's when I know "life is good."

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Dog Days

We are officially in the "Dog Days" of summer. It's been hot and humid all week, and guess what? It's going to be worse next week!

Here's a card that I hope will cool you off. A while ago Linda made a card with the upside down scallop and several different papers for water. Here's my take on that same idea. You can't see it in this picture, but each "wave" is really a pocket. I only adhered the papers on the bottom and side edges. The mermaid is attached to a strip of cardstock so you can move her around. I wish I was that mermaid!

BTW...This card is featured in my H2O class at Create It Crafts on Sunday, August 17.

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

A Couple More Cards

I hope you're not tired of seeing the new stamps from A Muse! Here are two cards we made in the "Naughty or Nice" class during A Muse -A-Palooza. The north pole sign and the sleigh are 2 new woodmount stamps and "there's snow place like home" is from the new Holiday Greetings II clear set.

Phew!!!

I think I've finally recovered from A Muse-A-Palooza week at Angela's Happy Stamper! It was a blast and I want to thank all the great ladies who attended my classes. I hope you had as much fun as I did. This picture shows our A Muse Grand Prize winner-Deb (on the right)! That's me on the left and the amazing Laura Fulcher peeking out in the middle. Check out Laura's great creations on her blog (see link on the right).

Thanks to Kathy for sending me this picture!

Snowy Peek

This cute little image is one of the fun stamps designed by Missy Balance. I just love the name-Hippy Snowchick. This is one of the cards in my Whimsical Winter class tomorrow at Angela's Happy Stamper.

Have a great weekend!

Peeking Again

Here's another peek! The new A Muse "Cityscape" (stamped twice) is the focus of this card. This stamp is so versatile! It's definitely not just for Christmas. This card is featured in my Holiday Sparkle class tonight at Angela's. I'll also be teaching Holiday Sparkle and Merry and Bright during Create It Crafts' "Christmas in July" weekend on July 27th.

We've been having a great time at the A Muse-A-Palooza classes at Angela's! There's still some room in the Saturday classes (and maybe even tonight's class). I hope you can join us for Whimsical Winter in the morning or Naughty or Nice in the afternoon. Even if you can't make it for class, check out the great make and takes today and Saturday.

Another Sneak

Don't they look cute together? I couldn't resist making the new fawn and dog friends. They both have that whimsical quality that make them perfect together. This card is from my Whimsical Winter class on Saturday, July 12 at Angela's Happy Stamper. I'm looking forward to seeing "deer" friends in class.

All stamps, paper and ribbon by A Muse Artstamps.

Sneak Peek #2

Here's another A Muse-A-Palooza sneak peek. This is also a card from my Holiday Sparkle class at Angela's Happy Stamper (Thursday).

All stamps, paper and ribbon by A Muse Artstamps.

It's Heeeere!

Woohoo!!! A Muse-A-Palooza is finally here! I've been busy designing cards and then prepping for my classes this week at Angela's Happy Stamper. All the cards for my classes will be on display today at Angela's. Check them out!

I'm so excited to be able to finally some sneak peeks. This card has the new holiday car and Christmas wishes sentiment. This car was the first one I inked up when I opened my box of stamps. Isn't it just the cutest thing?

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks and don't forget to check out the sneaks by other A Muse Creative Team members.

Sweeeet!

Here's another card I designed for the A Muse E-mail newsletter. We're returning to our "roots" so to speak, by using some old stamp favorites. This week is the Sundae stamp. Isn't it perfect for summer?

All stamps and paper by A Muse Artstamps.

Have you been following the A Muse-A-PALOOZA website? There have been so many games and challenges it will make your head spin! It's so much fun seeing all the creations and playing along. I'm bummed right now because I haven't had a chance to play since the color challenge. I've been busy creating cards and "stuff" for my five (!!?!!) classes during A Muse-A-PALOOZA week. The new images are so cute! I wish I could show you some of the cards I've come up with, but I've been sworn to secrecy. :) I guess I'll just have to wait until AP Week (July 7-13). Check out the classes I'll be teaching at Angela's Happy Stamper. If you take 3 or more classes you'll get a special Gift! Woohoo!

I'll also be teaching a "mini" AP at Create It Crafts on Sunday, July 27. I'll be teaching 2 classes there. Keep an eye out for these classes on their website. We just confirmed this yesterday so I haven't even given Debbie and Kim a chance to get it all arranged.

Hopefully I be able to post some cards soon!

Oldie but Goodie

Have you been looking at the oldie but goodie section of the A Muse Weekly Newsletter? Each week, in addition to a wonderful new Card of the Week (or COW according to Julie), the designers and instructors are showing ideas for some of the older stamps in the A Muse line. This past week the Hula Girl was featured and this is the card I designed. I forgot how much I like this summer favorite! And I love using the pink and orange color combo. You don't get many opportunities to put these two colors together, but I thought it would be perfect for this design. Did you see how I added the little "jiggle" marks to make her hips swing?

Don't forget to check out Create It Crafts in Pasadena, MD. Their grand opening is tomorrow! I'll be teaching two classes there on Sunday.

I hope I see you there!

Happy Trails

I love the new "happy trails" sentiment! I remember watching the Roy Rogers Show (yes, I'm that old) and Roy and Dale would sing Happy Trails to You at the end of each episode. I can still sing it, but you probably don't want me to. The "hiker" stamp is great too, and I had to use the "ant."

This is one of the cards we'll be making in my class this Saturday at Angela's Happy Stamper. I hope you can come!

Color Challenge

If you haven't already, you have to go to the A Muse-a-palooza blog! They will be having some fun challenges in the weeks to come. This week's challenge is a Color Challenge so I decided to try my hand at it. The colors to use are Chocolate kitchen, passion (purple) and cabana (blue). Check out the blog for further details. There are prizes! Woohoo.

Elzybell Spark

I love to use pink and green together and it worked out nicely with the Elzybells flowers. I haven't used my mega tag punch much so it was fun to use that again too.

Heather has a "share your spark" challenge using circle elements so I decided to give it a try. I especially like the little chicken pox circles. Kind of clever if I say so myself ;).

A Couple of Elzybells

Horrors! I realized I have never used the Elzybells car stamp on a card. What was I thinking?!! It's so cute and versatile. Now I think it may be one of my favorites. I hope you like these two cards. Have a great weekend.

Sending sunshine

It's such a beautifule day here in Northern Virginia so I wanted to give you a little sunshine in a card. This is one of the cards I'll be teaching in my upcoming class at Create It Crafts.

Exciting News!

I have all kinds of fun and exciting news today!

First, A Muse-A-Palooza is back! A Muse will be releasing their newest Christmas/Holiday stamps in July. Participating stores will see them first starting July 7 through July 13. In the meantime you can register for prizes and really fun games at www.amuseapalooza.com. This website will keep you up to date on all the happenings!
If you're a Virginia/Maryland (or beyond) stamper you can get in on the action at Angela's Happy Stamper. I'll be teaching there and we have a bunch of exciting classes and make and takes. It's all top secret for now, but you don't want to miss it!

Second, I'll be teaching a fun class at Angela's Happy Stamper on Saturday June 7 from 10:30-12:30. We'll be using a bunch of the newest stamps and make some fun "outdoorsy" cards. See you there!

Third, very soon we'll be seeing a new stamp store in the area! Woohoo!!!! Create IT Crafts will be opening in June. Create IT Crafts is located in Pasadena, MD and from what I hear Kim T has been buying up a storm! I'll be teaching A Muse classes monthly beginning Sunday, June 22nd. I'll let you know the exact opening date and other details as soon as it's set. For now here's the address and phone:
Create IT Crafts
111-A Mountain Road
Pasadena, MD 21122
Phone: 443-749-4906

See you soon!

Happy Anniversary A Muse!

They're having a party!

A Muse is celebrating it's
7th Anniversary!
Congratulations to Linda and the A Muse crew.

In honor of A Muse's seventh anniversary here are seven reasons why I love A Muse:

1. The images are so darn cute!
2. Twinkle stickers!
3. A Muse has the best sentiments (my new favorite is
Life is good).
4. Beautiful ribbon that matches the notecard colors.
5. Cool and unusual notecard colors and designs.
6. The stamps are so versatile and they can be combined
in many different ways.
7. A Muse always has exciting new things to spark our
creativity.

Here are seven "tiny" stamps that I just love:
Tiny heart, Tiny holly, Tiny gift, Tiny pumpkin, Tiny bird, Tiny daisy and Tiny apple. I just love all the "Tinys."

And BTW, did you notice there are seven "guests" at the party on my card?

Elzy-mania

I'm

I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. I was cleaning up my craft area and saw some Elzybells stamps. Well, four cards later....

Last minute peek

I've had a crazy week and this weekend will be even crazier, but I wanted to show one last minute sneak peek. The new A Muse outdoor/nature images are just too cute. On this card I used the new birdbath and birdhouse. It's fun to use these new stamps with some of my favorite oldies. Can you guess the old ones?

Elzys Galore

I can't stop using this little chick under the flower. It works great for spring, but when I first saw it I thought of baby cards! It's such a cute way to announce a new arrival.

It's a little hard to see, but I used black flock for the center of the flower and a red glaze pen for the ladybug.

And speaking of Elzybells....woohoo! Check out the ElzybellsNA website! Some of my designs were recently featured and you'll see wonderful creations by the other Elzy designers.

Fond Farewell

On Sunday I taught my last two classes at Rubber Chicken. We had a great time, but it was a little sad also. The Rubber Chicken store will be closing at the end of this month. However, Betsy (second from the right) has some wonderful plans in the works for the future. You won't see the last of Rubber Chicken!

I want to give a special thanks to all my loyal A Muse students. Some of these wonderful ladies are in this picture, but there are others that couldn't be with us. You know who you are. I won't forget you, I love you all, and I look forward to stamping with you in the future!

Sushi Friends

Here's a card from my upcoming class called Clearly A Muse. I'm hopelessly in love with the A Muse clear sets, especially Sushi and Nature. For a different look at these images you have to take a look at Jennie's recent post.

A late peek and an Elzybell

Here's another sneak peek of the new A Muse stamps. The girl on the right is actually a runner. Doesn't she look like she could be playing soccer when you put her with the soccer girl? I'm not a big soccer fan, but this was fun to do. And of course, "roll with it" (from the Sushi clear set) seemed to work.

For the Elzy card I combined two stamps to make it look like the little yellow check was looking at the flower. I just masked off the bee when I inked it. Fun!

Life is Good

Here's a sneak peek at three new A Muse images. The rain is a great new image. There's so many ways you can use it. Check out Elena's version. So cute! And this sentiment...I think I'm going to be using this one a lot! Life is Good!

Sneak peek

I've never played golf in my life, but I love this new golfer! And, of course, I had to use "have a swinging day" with it. It also might be fun to use "roll with it" from the Sushi Clear stamp set. It hard to tell in this picture, but I use a clear twinkle sticker for the golf ball. Have a swinging day!

Sneak Peeks!

I almost forgot! A Muse sneak peeks begin tomorrow! See you then.

Friends

I've been thinking about simplicity and getting down to what's really important in my life. Friends are important! I don't have a ton of friends, but the ones I do have make me laugh, sustain me when I can't laugh, love me when I'm

not very loveable, and allow me to be the person I am. I love my friends.

Here's a little Elzy card about friends. I have to say my friends don't look like this and I definitely don't look like this (we also don't hold hands!), but you get the picture!

Simplify

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how I need to simplify my life. It seem that many people, including myself, just have too much stuff! It could be actual possessions, but I'm also talking about emotional stuff too. I need to simplify. I need to determine what's really important to me and what I can do without. I've been making a list. I don't know if I'm done, but this is a start....
1. My faith
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My work
5. My creative outlets
It's interesting how none of these things (except maybe creative outlets) have anything to do with my bank account or possessions. These are the things I want to focus on!

This card shows one of my simple pleasures! I love fresh flowers and I love to have them in my home (when I can afford it). This card is a very simple design also. No layering and just a little color. Simple....

Happy Spring!

The calendar says its spring so I'm going with it! I couldn't wait to show this card because I just love this Elzybells image. The image has wonderful details so the actual card design can be very simple. What could be easier than a couple layers and some ribbon?

Peep Again

I just can't seem to get enough of all the little birds and chicks by A Muse and Elzybells. So here's another one!

I also want to say hello to all the ladies from my Sunday classes at Rubber Chicken. I always have way too much fun! See you all next month.