Lavender Giraffe

More Moxie Fab

2011-08-03T11:38:00.007-05:00

Pretty colors always inspires me. I love the soft look of the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger but decided to use colors that were a little stronger. Had this little bird leftover from previous challenge and thought it looked a little like the crocheted throw in the photo. I also used my new edge punch from EK Success for the bottom of my tag which also echoed the squares in the photo. I love playing the Tuesday Trigger. Why don't you give it a try?

The Ocean

2011-07-01T23:58:00.002-05:00

Today I get to share a fun project with you. My friend, Jenn Shurkus, sent a message out to her friends that she wanted to do "a post a day" for July and wanted some of us to help. If you don't know Jenn, you need to discover her work. It is all so fabulous! She needs a little cheering up because life is happening right now for her, so I am happy to lend a hand. Jenn loves anything that has to do with the ocean and water and beaches and she asked that we make a project using that theme. I have been making "purses" out of the clear boxes for the last few weeks and thought I could make a fun ocean theme purse. So I went out on a hunt for a great paper I could use for the inside of my purse. Found this one called Surf's Up by Zoe Peam. Including shells is a must for any beach themed item and I got out my MS punch for the border on the bottom. Added some pearls and of course, there is no question that I needed some flip flops on my project. Jenn just LOVES flip flops. I think of her every time I see them. K&Company had a great sea shell dimensional sticker for the top. My purse is the perfect size to put homemade cards or anything else that is smaller than 5 3/4 x 4 1/4. I love giving them to my friends for their birthdays. Don't forget to head on over to Jenn's blog all month for some inspiring ideas created by her and her friends.

Jenn's friend Christy's mom was just diagnosed with stomach and lung cancer.. its in-operable... and not a good situation...

I have decided that I am going to offer up my creation to the *highest* "bidder" and will donate that money to Christy's mom. So if you would like to bid on my item go here and make an offer. I will ship out my purse to the winner as soon as the auction is closed.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger 8

2011-06-23T14:03:00.007-05:00

There are lots of interesting shapes, edges and colors in this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger. When I see these triggers, I usually am pretty literal in the translation into a card. So this week's trigger made me giddy. My daughter is picking out pillows for her new couch and the shapes and colors have made my mind dance. Guess that is why I had a good time making this card. Just took scraps of my recent projects, which closely matched the patterns of the different fabrics, found a sketch that would help my recent loss of mojo and my card came together. Why not head on over to the Moxie Fab blog and give this trigger a try?

Day late Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger

2011-06-21T16:31:00.004-05:00

Kept thinking about last week's Tuesday Trigger but I didn't get a chance to put it on paper until today. I just love the colors of all those spools of thread. Guess those thoughts intermingled with the upcoming hot air balloon festival that will be here in town in a few weeks and this is what happened. I took my new hot air balloons stamp from Impression Obsession, Inc (thanks, Glenda) and made some fun balloons. Cut them out from different colored paper and then cut out just the balloon part and popped it up. Then I put Stickles on parts of each balloon. Turned out to be a fun, sparkly card. Hopefully I will get this week's trigger finished much quicker. Check out last week's cards if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Moxie Fab Trigger 7

2011-06-03T18:06:00.005-05:00

This week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger was a little outside my comfort zone. I love the white vase with pink flowers and the white headboard. Beautiful! The blue and white background, not so much. I tried to mimic that background with my Stampin' Up! Toile Blossoms set. White ribbon with a white paper background made a nifty headboard. Used my silver sticker paper for the center of my "starburst" and put my flowers in the center. Liked the card but it didn't look finished to me so I pulled out my sparkly zigzag sticker strip and just went with it. Seemed a little busy for my usual taste but I liked it. It is good to step out of the box sometimes. I'd love to see what you do with this week's trigger so stop by the Moxie Fab World blog and give it a try.

Moxie Fab Trigger 6

2011-05-29T17:40:00.004-05:00

As soon as I saw the photo for this week's trigger, I thought of a Monarch butterfly. They are so beautiful and they have one of my favorite colors, orange. I wish I was a better photographer. The top of my butterfly is a lovely orange/red and the bottom is orange. Looks just like the butterflies flying outside my windows in the Summer. To achieve this look, I used my new Twinkling H2O's. (Thanks to my friend Jenn, for sending them to me.) Took me a while to get just the right colors but I got there. A question I always ask myself is, when is "one more thing", one thing too many? I decided to make this card CAS. Didn't color in the dogwood stamp from Stampin' Up on purpose. Just wanted the butterfly to speak for itself. I have been missing my daughter a lot lately so made this card for her and used the miss you stamp from A Muse Artstamps. I glittered up the sentiment a bit but it is hard to tell from my photo. The divine swirl embossing folder from Cuttlebug made the perfect swirly background fitting for a butterfly flitting from blossom to blossom.

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend. Stop by the Moxie Fab World blog and give this week's trigger a try.

Go, Jill. Go!

2011-05-23T10:20:00.004-05:00

How many times does a card actually turn out the way you have it in your head? For me, it isn't often. There always seems to be one element that doesn't cooperate. Usually it ends up being a good thing but this card I made for Jill turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. I remember reading the book Go, Dog. Go! to my daughter, Kelly, when she was a toddler. Thought the cover would be a perfect card for my friend, Jill. She is busy these days being brilliant and I wanted her to know that I am rooting for her.

Making the card turned out to be a little more of a challenge than I thought it would be. First I had to find the retired Crusin' stamp from A Muse. To my rescue came my friend Pamela. I put a shout out over facebook and she offered to send me her stamp. Thank you Pamela! When I received the stamp, I realized the car was heading the wrong direction. I stamped it on acetate so I could flip it over after I cut it out. Couldn't get the black outline just right on the acetate so I stamped the car on vellum and cut that out. Much better on the black outline and now how am I going to get that yummy yellow color? Stamped another car on white paper and colored the back, layered them all together and finally got the car I wanted. Used die cuts for all the letters and some of the new A Muse Studio daisy ribbon for the smoke coming out the back of the car. The ribbon I had was blue so I used my Copic markers to color it brown.

Keep up the good work, Jill. You are almost at the end of your journey.

Moxie Fab Trigger 5

2011-05-19T12:09:00.006-05:00

You probably noticed what interested me in this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger, the colors. It is really nice to use colors that I normally don't use together. Gives me a kick in the pants to do something different. The first thing I grabbed from my stash was the time flies chipboard sticker from Little Yellow Bicycle. Just bought that set and am looking to use them whenever I can. The stamp is from A Muse. I picked the Marigold stamp because I thought I could use my Copic markers to make a pretty blue flower. The polka dots I used are really washi tape from A Muse Studio. You really must check out their new line. It is to die for. After I got my card put together I thought it needed a little more so I set up the I'm sorry I missed your birthday on my computer and printed it right on the card. Normally I would put Stickles or something sparkly on my flower but the time flies sticker has a little sparkle and I thought that was enough.

Why not hop on over to Moxie Fab and play this week? It's fun! Stay tuned to my blog. I have another card that turned out just as I imagined it would, and we all know how rare that is.

Pity Party

2011-05-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

There are so many reasons this card is perfect for my friend, Jill. You see, she is working hard on her thesis and taking a statistics class all at the same time. Instead of creating beautiful cards in her spare time, she doesn't have any spare time. That's where I come in. She sent a shout out to some of her stamping friends to help her with her blog while she finishes her school projects. Of course, I said yes. Her challenge to us was to make a Graduation, Encouragement or Pity Party card. Graduation, Encouragement cards, got that. But a Pity Party card? What in the world is that? So, that is the card I chose.

Actually once I got started, it seemed quite easy. Think about Jill, what is she feeling sorry for herself about? That darn statistics class. All those numbers swirling around in her head. Must be making her crazy! So out came my brand new dominoes Cuttlebug folder. Plenty of numbers on that. Will make a good background. What else should I do? How about using the Submarine stamp? She loves submarines. The reason I bought it was because of her. I know! I can make the background a swirl of numbers and she can be floating around in them. Just used the direct to paper shading method and the background was finished. Used Doodlebug sugared paper for the waves. Good. Now what to use for the sentiment? "Woe is me" was running around in my head the whole time I was thinking of what to do but there isn't a stamp that I know of that says "Woe is me". So, I made my own. Soon she will make it to the surface in her submarine and be able to claim success over her new degree. Hang in there, Jill. To the victor goes the spoils.

Trigger 4

2011-05-12T15:04:00.000-05:00

The stripes and shape of this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday trigger is what inspired me to make this card. I thought the shape reminded me of a tulip. How in the world am I going to make a striped tulip? Haven't paper pieced in a while so that is what I chose to do. It was quite a challenge to find a piece of paper that I liked. The stamp I used came from The Stamp Shoppe in Wausau, WI. Heidi, the owner, helped me and found the perfect tulip stamp. In fact, she is the one who created the image. She makes a lot of cute images. Check it out here. I'm not very confident when mixing patterns but I gave it a try on this card. Enjoy!

Three Elements

2011-04-29T17:17:00.004-05:00

Glenda has an interesting challenge up this week. Her challenge is to use three elements on your card. At first I thought she was totally crazy. Well, maybe just a little crazy, but as I worked on my card I discovered you don't need a lot of "stuff" to make a nice card. I used some leftover flowers from a previous challenge, a rectangular frame I didn't use and a Little Yellow Bicycle chipboard sticker I bought recently. Add a few Stickles to the flowers for sparkle and this is what you get. I hope the Stickles didn't bump it up to 4 elements. Why don't you give it a try? You can find her blog here. Looks like it will be her last challenge for a while so this is your last chance to play till Fall.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger 3

2011-04-27T17:08:00.003-05:00

What's this? Another post? I knew you were thinking that. I just can't get enough of the Moxie Fab Tuesday Triggers. I love polka dots! I tried several different cards for this challenge. You might see some of the cast offs in the future but this card seemed to fit the photograph just right. Love that flower power stamp from A Muse Artstamps. It made my polka dot flower fun. I love fun! So go on over to this weeks trigger, it is actually going on for 2 weeks so you will have extra time to give the challenge a try.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger 2

2011-04-24T12:13:00.003-05:00

Crepe Bouquet. What beautiful photograph. I never make one layer cards and wanted to give it a try for this Tuesday Trigger. Just picked out some of my favorite floral stamps, the ink colors I thought closely matched the colors in the photo and stamped. Think I made 8 different combinations until I came up with this one. This photo doesn't give my card justice but it is the best I can do on a busy Easter morning. Thank you for looking.

Challenges

2011-04-23T16:08:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to play Glenda's challenge for months and just haven't been able to find the time. So this week, I got going on it early. Then I forgot to post it. Ha ha. Had a few minutes to spare today and I thought I would get going and get 'r done. (hi Lori). So, Glenda's challenge has to do with Earth Day. I made this earthy card using scraps of paper and a couple new stamps. Kept it simple. Our Earth likes it when you keep things simple. The tree stamp is from Memory Box, the sentiment is from A Muse Artstamps and the little kitty is from Poppy Stamps. I cut the tree/kitty out with the Dahlia Nestabilities. I always say, my favorite Nestabilites are the ones I am using today. Love them all! Hope everyone has a Happy Easter tomorrow. Stay tuned for another Moxie Fab Challenge post.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger

2011-04-18T14:19:00.009-05:00

Can you tell it's my first time playing the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger? Have heard a lot about it and thought it might be time to give it a try. I am so glad I did because last weeks trigger had a lot of bright colors. Don't use them too much when making my cards but the best way to get out of a funk is to try something new. Had a real good time putting this card together. First thing that came to my mind was the Martha Stewart downloadable doilies. The framed mirror just reminded me of the red doily and I printed it out on some sticker paper I had leftover from another project. The real challenge for me was to find some brightly colored ink pads. The brand new ones I got from Impress seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Add to that a couple stamps from A Muse Artstamps and you have a color filled card good for any occasion.

It was great fun to play and if you want to play you still have time. Porch Play is found here.

Mr Harley Kitten Shurkus' Birthday

2011-04-12T07:04:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mr. Harley! My friend, Jenn's kitty has a birthday today. Making him a birthday card was so much fun. You see, Mr Harley and his mommy live on an island. So my card today has him on an island surrounded by sunshine. He makes everyone that visits his mommy's blog feel happy and warm. His mommy is a very talented stamper and if she doesn't have a post about her kitty, you can see her works of art. She is genius I tell you. Such a beautiful woman inside and out. Hop on over to her blog and wish Mr. Harley a happy birthday and you will see what I mean.

Glenda's 100th challenge part 2

2011-01-20T11:17:00.004-06:00

Have you played along with Glenda's 100th challenge yet? She is giving away blog candy! Get on over there and play! Here are the rules, Glenda's Random Amusing Challenge #100 is to use red on your card or project. Use as much or as little as you like. Incorporate it by using paper, ink, ribbon, embellishments, whatever you like! You must play along with the challenge to be eligible to win the blog candy. If you play along, please leave a comment on Glenda's blog (http://papersscissorsrocks.blogspot.com) and link back to her post from your post. If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword GRAC100. You have until midnight Pacific Time on January 23rd to play along and you can play along as many times as you like. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on January 24th.

Check out my last post for a list of bloggers playing along. You won't be sorry!

Glenda's 100th challenge

2011-01-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

Today's the day! Glenda is posting her 100th challenge. Seems like just yesterday when she started doing challenges over on her blog. You are going to want to participate in this weeks challenge because it includes blog candy. Glenda's Random Amusing Challenge #100 is to use red on your card or project. Use as much or as little as you like. Incorporate it by using paper, ink, ribbon, embellishments, whatever you like! You must play along with the challenge to be eligible to win the blog candy. If you play along, please leave a comment on Glenda's blog (http://papersscissorsrocks.blogspot.com) and link back to her post from your post. If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword GRAC100. You have until midnight Pacific Time on January 23rd to play along and you can play along as many times as you like. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on January 24th.

There are lots of her friends that are playing along and offering you inspiration. Check out these blogs and see what I mean. Have fun!

Allison Fillo http://stampinwhenican.blogspot.com/
Allison Miles http://allistamps.blogspot.com/
Beate Johns http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Belinda Chang Langner http://cadnileb.blogspot.com
Carly Robertson http://carlyrobertson.typepad.com/
Cheiron Brandon http://www.cheironbrandon.typepad.com/
Chris Sather http://cattsscratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Donna Hitz http://www.frozenstamper.blogspot.com/
Elena Shacochis http://thestampingshac.blogspot.com/
Geeta Suggs http://www.craftyengineer.typepad.com/
Jenn Shurkus http://jennshurkus.typepad.com/creative_chick/
Jennie Moczan http://www.simplycaffeinated.typepad.com/
Jill Grace (& family) http://creativegrace.typepad.com/
Joan Jeffery http://www.j-jcreations.blogspot.com/
June Gibbons http://perfectlikeacurl.blogspot.com/
Kamila Younkman http://littlescrapsofheaven.typepad.com/
Krystie Lee Hersch http://www.cupcakemartini.com/
Meghan Fahey http://driventoink.com/
Michelle Clark http://www.sparkledesigns.typepad.com/
Michelle Mathey http://msmathey.blogspot.com/
Michelle Woerner http://stopandstamptheroses.blogspot.com
Nance Lempinen-Leedy http://nanceleedy.blogspot.com/
Sherry Czarnecki http://littlestampsbiglife.blogspot.com/
Silke Ledlow http://silkeledlow.blogspot.com/
Teresa Kline http://www.enjoythevasunshine.blogspot.com

Tags!

2011-01-11T16:10:00.004-06:00

I know the holidays are over but I am finally getting around to posting photos of the tags I made with my friend Renate. The tag with the 3 trees is one I made when I got together with my Twin Cities friends. So many tags, so little time. Always love making them and using them on my gifts.

I have a very special post coming up on Monday. Make sure to check back then. You won't be disappointed.

New Year, New Direction

2011-01-04T13:52:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you all had a nice holiday season. The new year will bring a new direction for me. As some of you have heard, A Muse Artstamps has shut down their wholesale division and canceled contracts for their creative team instructors. Yes, that means I will no longer be teaching classes at the Stamp Shoppe here in Wausau and at Creations Galore in Green Bay. It sure has been fun to meet all of the ladies that attended my classes. I will miss you all! Some of you have been with me from class number one back in 2008. I want to thank all my students, old and new, for coming and making my days as a teacher fun. For now, I plan on continuing to create cards and tags and whatever strikes my fancy and post them here on my blog. I had good intentions of posting my holiday tags this year but didn't get it done. Maybe I will put a photo up in the next week or so and let you see what I made.

Just wanted to mention a little about the card I posted today. I was wondering if I should buy the snowladen stamp from A Muse. Talked with my friend, Heather, and she said I NEEDED it! She mentioned that she stamped the image in black and then outlined just the top of the branches with green and added stickles for a little sparkle. So, I ordered the stamp and when it arrived I stamped her tree idea and let it sit on my table for weeks. Yesterday, I had a little time, so I took that image and made this card. It is hard to photograph sparklyness but I did my best. I added the tiny cranberry pearls to the tree and some colorful layers and put it on slate A Muse cardstock. Seemed to need something else so I stamped stars and swirls from Great Impressions with versamark and embossed with Ranger red embossing tinsel. Guess this will make a great holiday card for next year. You can never start making those too early!

Snowflakes

2010-12-08T11:24:00.005-06:00

Glenda, one of my A Muse friends posted a card recently that used the shimmer paper with an embossing folder. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw how beautiful it looked. You can see it here. I thought of my MS snowflake punches and how good they would look if I used the blue shimmer paper. So when I made cards for a recent get together, I used both of those elements on my card. Don't normally think of craft paper when I think of a blue card but I thought it worked out pretty well for this one. A touch of a small piece of blue and green ribbon I had in my stash, supplied the finishing touch for my shimmery, snowy greeting.

Christmas Card

2010-11-28T15:06:00.004-06:00

I have been working on Christmas cards, really I have. Just wanted to wait to post them till after my friends in the Cities had time to make them. Didn't want them to have a sneak peek of what was coming up for them on our Black Friday stamping weekend. Yes, that's what I said, we all stamped on Black Friday and Saturday! My friends Lyndsay and Theresa came up with some really fantastic projects for us to make along with the cards I designed. I can't forget to mention Karen who was content to make stuff and eat pizza. This is the first of the cards I brought. The holiday lights were made using a Fiskars punch and doodlebug sugared paper. So easy to punch and stick, although the top of the light did give us some trouble. The sentiment is one of A Muse's new cling stamps. It is the perfect size and shape for a gift tag. Think I will use it for one of mine. I digress... Anyway, I made my own ornament using the nestabilities big scallop circles set. This might be my new favorite nestie set!!! A little A Muse dotted ribbon at the top and the card is complete. Stay tuned for 2 more of the cards I made for our little get together.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T22:57:00.003-06:00

Hey, everyone, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all have a little time set aside to be thankful of the good things in your life. It is nice to have a day to sit back and reflect on all the special people that bring you joy. I am very lucky to have a wonderful family and my friends are the best! My husband makes me happy every day, well, almost every day. :) I am blessed.

Scraps

2010-10-20T13:05:00.003-05:00

It is always a good thing to use up scraps. At least, in my book it is. I worked on a project recently that needed a red bird. I made several birds using different techniques. I had these two embossed beauties leftover and wanted to use them in a similar layout and see how different they looked. I love these cards because they show how an edge punch here, a ribbon there, can make a card look the same, yet different. Why not take out a couple of your scraps and see what you can make?

Last Halloween, for now.

2010-09-27T12:59:00.004-05:00

One more Halloween card using the fence punch. Made this card with all my "wicked" fun friends out on the east coast in mind. Boris is the perfect person to wish them all a Happy Halloween. He is showing off his new potion on top of the fence. I wanted to use the pinking Nestabilities set for the moon because it reminded me of his scary hair. Gary said my moon looked like an award sticker but I am sure you all will agree that it goes with the hair! The next card I post is not going to be green! LOL

More Halloween Fun

2010-09-22T13:18:00.003-05:00

I promised another Halloween card so here it is. That new Martha Stewart Halloween fence punch is too much fun! I paired it with the new jack-o-lantern edge punch and made a card that will make anyone who hates spiders squirm. Green seems to be my new go to Halloween color so I used the grass cardstock for the card. That paired perfectly with the beware stamp and a giant moon. I have one more card to share using the new fence punch. Hopefully I can get at it before the full moon rises.

Halloween?

2010-09-12T12:39:00.003-05:00

All my A Musing friends are posting cards for Halloween and they have gotten me in the mood for a little fun. I knew when I bought the new Martha Stewart fence punch that I would be using the Halloween cling set A Muse brought out for A Muse a palooza this year on a card. I could see that pumpkin sitting in front of the fence welcoming all the trick or treaters to the spooky house down the road. Isn't Halloween fun? I used black ink on the house and clear embossed it to give it an extra eerie look. Have another card waiting to be posted so check back to see some more halloweeny fun soon.

Michelle

2010-08-10T16:18:00.003-05:00

I have to give credit where credit is due. Michelle M is the one that inspired this card. She created a beautiful card, very similar to this one on the A Muse Lounge and I thought it was so beautiful that I had to make a card of my own. The colors are what really struck me, so pretty and soft. I am so sorry about the photo being shadowed. We haven't seen a sunny day around here for a while and I didn't want to wait any longer to put this card up. All the stamps I used are A Muse as is all the paper.

Thank you so much, Michelle for inspiring me to make this card for one of my classes. You are the best!

Bridal Shower

2010-07-06T20:27:00.004-05:00

My brother's getting married! It's about time! My mom and sister and I are giving his new wife-to-be a shower. So of course, I had to make the invitations. Just love this tub with gifts stamp from A Muse. I started out wanting to make "simple" cards, I had to make 40 of them, but got carried away. I used paper piecing on the tub and stickles on the polka dot present, nestabilties, ribbon, the works. I even chalked around the inside of the die I used.

Get ready for A Muse a palooza! It starts this Saturday at your local stamp store. It's Christmas and Halloween in July!!!

Ronie Lee's Garden

2010-06-03T10:58:00.003-05:00

Today I created Ronnie Lee's garden on my card. For those of you who don't know, Ronnie Lee was my cousin but we were very close, more like brother and sister. He died in a car crash 2 1/2 years ago. We had a memorial service for him on Tuesday and released butterflies to honor him and his life. It was so beautiful!

I created this card to send to his partner who is struggling to be happy. The garden was created using 3 stamps and 2 ink colors. Took me a while to come up with the perfect combination to represent Ron's hosta garden. He had a huge, beautiful garden that gave him much pleasure. So happy to share this very special card with you and hope your Spring is bringing you happiness.

Last One

2010-05-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

Last day of the A Muse birthday celebration! Wow, so many beautiful cards to look at. Did you see them all? I did! The other muses did such a wonderful job on their cards. Some of them will inspire me to try new things and get out of my box. I think I have been in there too long.

So on today's card we could use any of the new images. Guess I picked my favorite, the solid Marigold. And the sentiment, well, that is my favorite too. I just used Memento ink on the flower, some Stickles and one of my nestabilities for the sentiment. Simple, easy, A Muse. Don't forget to check out the A Muse blog and the other instructor's sites.

Almost forgot, Happy Birthday, Gail!

Butterflies

2010-05-02T07:01:00.003-05:00

I love butterflies! The new stamp release by A Muse has 3 new butterfly stamps. It was so hard to choose one for my card today but I used Gossimer wings. Also used the new Scroll border on the bottom of my card and used the new Daisy duet for the background paper. I thought about using some sort of sparkle on this card but decided not to. As Julie always says, "take one thing off". I did. Hope you like my card for today and there is one more to share tomorrow. Make sure to check out the A Muse blog and the other muses' blogs for more butterfly madness.

Can't Stop Myself

2010-05-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

These new stamps are really keeping me busy! I am using the new Scroll Border stamp from A Muse for my curly rooftop on this cute little birdhouse. That kitty is pretty smart waiting for the birds to come play with him inside which I created with the vintage reverse paper, also from A Muse. This birthday party is on a roll and isn't over yet so make sure to stay tuned to the A Muse blog for more fun! Check out my fellow instructors' blogs too!!!

Another One?

2010-04-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

There are so many new images that I love in the new Everything's Rosy release by A Muse. I paired the Bare Branch with leaves and the Daisy Duet for this card. I stamped the Daisy Duet on the side of this card and used the Martha Stewart branch punch for a little something special on the bottom. One thing I love about A Muse is that you can use any of the stamps you already own with the stamps that are new. I used the Tiny Daisy on the branch for a little added color. Check out the A Muse Blog for prizes and all the A Muse gals for more beautiful cards.

Everything's Coming up Rosy!

2010-04-28T23:11:00.003-05:00

It is always so exciting to have a new stamp release. Lots of new rubber to play with and this Everything's Rosy is no exception. Flowers are always fun! Love them! I got to play with the new Marigold solid stamp today and I am so glad I did. Just a simple stamp in a scallop circle and a lacy edge punch and you have a fun card to send to anyone that makes you smile. Make sure you check out the other instructor's blogs and the A Muse blog. You will find lots of fun and prizes waiting for you.

Birthday Set

2010-04-27T22:45:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, A Muse! It is the 9th birthday for A Muse and they are celebrating in style. Today's card is made from the new Birthday clear set. That big Happy will let anyone know just how you feel about their birthday. I really wanted to include the stamp shop in my card so all the people at A Muse know this card is especially for them. I just happened to have the Martha Stewart candles punch and thought that would be the perfect touch. So make a wish and enjoy all the other A Muse instructors cards.

Happy Birthday A Muse

2010-04-27T07:53:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that A Muse Artstamps is 9 years old this month. They are celebrating by releasing 2 new clear sets. One of them contains some of their vintage images like this bike along with some new sentiments. It has been a lot of fun to look back at all my favorite images and make a card with one of my all time favorites. I used one of the trees from the Trees 1 set to give my biker a cool place to rest. Also put a little glitter on the large cloud for a some sparkle. As always, make sure to check out the A Muse blog and the other instructor's blogs for some more inspiration.

Spring Pajama Party #4

2010-04-19T18:38:00.002-05:00

This fun night was brought to a close by Geeta. She posted a challenge to make a card for any Mom. Looks like she and I were on the same wave length when we made our cards. I swear I didn't peek at hers before I made mine! Since I had the Zinnia stamp out from the second challenge I used that along with the open zinnia for my Mother's Day card. Hope my mom isn't looking!!!

The night was a lot of fun as usual. Stay tuned for more virtual stamp nights sponsored by the A Muse Lounge. I am sure there will be more to come.

Spring Pajama Party #3

2010-04-19T18:31:00.002-05:00

Challenge number three was posted by the famous Jenn. She wanted us to create a card using our favorite flower as inspiration. I am not sure I can pick one flower as my favorite, I love 'em all, but I chose the daisy for my card. Punched out my flower in yellow kitchen paper. Stamped the Happy Spring and Vine Border in Versamark and embossed with white on brown paper. I figured I had all the embossing stuff out from the first card so what the heck!

Spring Pajama Party #2

2010-04-19T18:26:00.003-05:00

The second challenge was posted by Meghan. She wanted us to use something on our card 3 times. I used my Zinnia stamp and punched out 3 inchies. I also used 3 different colors of green. Double the fun! It is a super simple card but when you have to make your card in 30 minutes, there isn't much time to detail!

Spring Pajama Party

2010-04-19T18:07:00.004-05:00

Time for the Spring Pajama party over on the A Muse Lounge. The first challenge was posted by Jennie. She found this cute photo of a bunch of cupcakes. I got out the cupcake builder set from A Muse and stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder for the cupcake. Got out my Nestabilities for the frame on the sentiment and cut it out of blue gingham. A little polka dot white ribbon tops off this pastel card.

Butterfly Spiral

2010-04-16T18:59:00.003-05:00

Have to thank my Mom for this card. About a year ago she gave me a advertisement for Fruit of the Loom. It looked like pretty butterflies hanging around on acetate strips. She told me that she thought of me and wondered if I could use it as inspiration for a card. Well, I finally got around to trying it out. Thought the spiral card technique would work the best. So I cut a circle out of acetate and trimmed it into a long spiral. I used the new Cloud paper from A Muse for the inside of the card and thought the butterflies punched from the Doodlebug sugared paper would look so pretty floating around in the sky. The outside of the card HAD to be a flower! Used my brand new gerber daisy stamp, also from A Muse and did my best to shade it with Copic markers. If you click on the photo it enlarges to give you a better view. It was a really fun card to make and I think it may have brought me out of my recent slump.

Have to thank my sister too. She helped me figure out how to put 2 photos on one page! Amazingly easy to do but I have never known how to do it. You learn something new every day.

Scraps

2010-04-06T10:13:00.003-05:00

Look what happened the other day while I was playing with some scraps! I had the D monogram circle laying around from the cards I was prepping for my monogram class this month and picked it up along with some scraps from other classes and made this simple card. Couldn't believe my eyes when it came together so easily. Used my Nestabilities Labels Five set and the new Monogram Frames set from A Muse Artstamps along with the Birds and Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder to make this little gem. Hope you can come to my monogram class and make a set of cards and a cute box to put them in.

Chicka fun

2010-04-02T11:01:00.004-05:00

The chickas finally got together for a day of stamping fun. I was gone so long in March that I forgot how much fun we have when we create together. Jane had a new technique she wanted to try out. It is called Geometric Overstamping. It is a fast, easy technique that made that martini stamp from Rubbernecker look delicious! We free hand cut the olive, pimento and the stick. The sentiment is from Rubbernecker and is one that cracks Jane up every time she reads it. Check out her blog here to see the card she made.

Have you been checking out the Woodland madness over at A Muse? There are a ton of fun cards that the other Muse's are posting using lots of cute woodland critters and some new paper colors too. Look here and at my list of A Muse instructors blogs on the left side of the page for some clever ideas.

Easter treat

2010-03-30T11:40:00.008-05:00

Here I am with the little treat basket I made for the gals that came to my Easter class. You might have noticed they are all holding their baskets in the photo I used on my last post. I brought back some Hersey kisses with macadamia nuts from Hawaii and wanted to put them in a little basket to let my ladies know I was thinking of them while on vacation. These simple baskets came together in a snap. I used my new Big Shot Express for the actual basket and then got out my scallop oval punch and regular oval punch for the little chick. The egg chick is made by A Muse Artstamps. It is called Cracking Up. Love that name! And of course the Happy Easter is from A Muse too.

Make sure you check out the other Muse's blogs listed on my side bar for the extra special Woodland Creatures inspiration posts. The ladies have some really cute ideas using creatures and new paper from the A Muse team.

Back to class

2010-03-27T20:46:00.006-05:00

Had my first class in a long time in Green Bay today and wanted to share a photo of of the fun ladies that came and made Easter cards with me. We all had a really good time chatting and stamping. I thought it would be a good idea to give away an A Muse spring green jacket to welcome Spring to our part of the world. Paula won! You see, she usually doesn't win the door prize but today she was the lucky one. Thank you Cindy, Mary Kay, Mary Ellen, Marilyn and Paula for a great class. Stay tuned for a couple samples and a couple more things I have been making lately. Happy Spring everyone!

Back to Reality

2010-03-19T05:25:00.005-05:00

There was only one rainbow on Maui and it showed up on our first day there. Was a wonderful welcome to an island that has changed very much since we were there almost 20 years ago. Still a beautiful island to be sure but there has been much development that has happened over the years. We had enough time to drive to most parts of the island but I have to say my favorite was the mostly undeveloped west side. Lots of twists and turns and beautiful scenery around every corner. It is so hard to capture what it really looks like but these photos are my attempts to give you an idea of the different sides of Maui. Part of it is lush and green and part of it is harsh and rocky. We have had a wonderful time and are now back to reality so stay tuned for some more crafty goodness.

Aloha!

2010-03-07T10:33:00.004-06:00

We made it! Arrived on Kauai and are having a great time! This is our second trip to the island and we are enjoying every minute. Gary told me he has never seen a full rainbow so this was his first one. It was really beautiful, right outside our hotel window. I sure wish my camera had a wide enough lens so you could see the full view. It was really pretty. Could even see the purple colors. Love that purple, you know! A couple days ago we went up in a very small airplane, 6 seats and got a birdseye view of the island. It is so beautiful. All the valleys and tons of waterfalls just below us as we flew by. Was quite a sight to see. Not sure I will be doing that again as I got terribly air sick. The flight was bumpy but I am so glad I tried it. Thanks for sticking with my little blog while I am gone. Will post again when we get to Maui. Aloha!

Scarce

2010-02-18T18:31:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to let you all know that I am going to be even more scarce for the next month than I have been for the last month. You see, I will be traveling quite a bit. Once to see my daughter and once for a much needed vacation.

I did want to share a card I made for my Spring class. I am calling this the window box card. My friend, Jane, taught me how to make this card last Fall and I haven't been able to stop making them. There is a little shadow box in the square where I stamped and then paper pieced the house and trees. I made a card using this same layout at Halloween for a good friend. She seemed to like it and I thought it might make a nice Spring card. How about that MS tulip punch? Isn't it just the cutest??? As soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be mine.

Thank you all for putting up with my sporadic postings lately. There has been a lot going on in my life but I am hoping it will settle down in a month or so and I can get back to more regular posting.

Purse

2010-02-09T16:47:00.004-06:00

My friend, Gail, bought tickets to a princess party for her granddaughter's birthday and asked me if I could make a little something for her. "Just a little card" she said. Well, you know I couldn't do just a little card. I had to make this cute little purse for her to put the card in. I received a Big Shot Express from my DH for Christmas this year and I have been itching to make something with it. This was the perfect excuse. I used the Lizzie stamp from A Muse Artstamps and cut out the letters using one of my Sizzix alphabet dies. Was wanted to try the "lace" border look using a border punch and my crimper. Well, hello, it is so cute! I used a piece of striped ribbon for the handle. Gail and her granddaughter thought it was really cute. Can't wait to see what I make next with my new toy.

Shaker card

2010-01-28T09:05:00.004-06:00

Spring is on it's way! Really! My next A Muse class is called Spring Fling. It has been really strange to make Spring themed cards in the middle of Winter. Today the wind chills are going to be in the 20 below 0 range. Brrrrrr! I think I will stay inside and pretend that the grass is green and the birds are singing.

My card today is one that I will be teaching at my class. I used a little shaker cup made by Impression obsession. They are nifty little cups that have the adhesive on them so it makes a super easy shaker card that isn't very deep. I used up some of my paper scraps and punched out tulips, butterflies and birds for the stuff inside. Stamped the zinnia flower and put it all together. Then I made a little frame with my circle Nestabilities. Easy, right?

New Space

2010-01-19T17:07:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, I ordered some adjustable craft tables. I have been having some problems with my back hurting after a day of crafting and I thought if the table was higher, I wouldn't be hunched over while making cards. Well, as you can see, the tables arrived! I got a good start at getting all my stuff reorganized and set up again. Guess that explains my absence from blogging. I am hoping that this new, more comfortable craft space is going to get me back to making some fun things to show you. I did get my Valentine class all designed with the new Sea of Love A Muse stamp release. These stamps are so much fun and a welcome break from the usual hearts and lace Valentine images. Hop on over to the A Muse Artstamps website and see for yourself and then sign up for one of my classes! Thank you for being so patient with my lack of blogging over the holidays but with my daughter being home and then the reorganizing of my craft space, I just haven't had time to do it all. More fun stuff to follow, I promise!

Wow, where have I been?

2010-01-11T07:27:00.004-06:00

Can't believe it has been so long between posts! I guess I had a good holiday and just let some things go. My daughter was home and we had plenty of fun with her. After that, I had a big New Year/post Christmas party here at home. All my relatives came over to my house on a bus from Green Bay. Yup, I said bus! It was really fun and thanks to some of my online friends, Jill, Heather, Kim, Rhonda and all the gals that sent recipes, everyone had a great time eating and talking the night away. But to have this party, I had to take down all my crafting stuff. I know! It was a nightmare but I have it partially set back up and am ready for some cardmaking fun.

Starting the new year out with my calendar. It is always so much fun to design my yearly calendar class. Had a bunch of fun ladies take it this year. Always makes me smile to see everyone have a good time stamping and chatting. So now I am sharing it with you all. If you would like to download the template go over to the A Muse site. You can download the calendar for a small donation to Water 1st. It is a very worthwhile cause. While you are over there, check out the new Valentine release. There are a ton of new stamps! I will be posting some of my cards soon so stay tuned.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and has the best New Year!

Mini Calendar

2009-12-19T18:06:00.009-06:00

Guess I should have been putting up the tree with my DH today but instead I played. He very patiently got the tree ready and brought it in the house while I sat at my craft table and put together this little mini-calendar. Oh, it was such fun for me!!! As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be a hard thing for me to resist making one. I used some of my tiny A Muse stamps and the Bind-it-all 3/8 inch wire and stamped this little gem for someone special. Check out the A Muse News blog to find out how to get your hands on this little calendar. It makes the perfect stocking stuffer. Now, I must get back in the living room and help get the lights on the tree before I am in any more trouble.

Tags!

2009-12-12T08:03:00.002-06:00

I love tags! They are easy, fun ways to make people smile. This month the A Muse News blog is featuring tags and I was thrilled to be able to participate. This snowman stamp is "cool" don't ya think? I did and I used this one stamp in three different ways. He comes juggling snowballs so the middle tag is using him the way he was intended to be used. I cut it off in my photo but there is a bit of ribbon attached to the left side of this tag. Makes it look so wintery and uses up tiny bits of leftover ribbon! The "especially for you" comes from the new Monogram Frames clear set. This set is really versatile and so much fun to use.

The tag on the left is made with the navy card stock. I inked up the snowman without the snowballs and used the Merry Christmas from the Elegant Winter clear set. This sentiment comes with both words on one line but part of the beauty of the clear sets is that you can cut them apart! I know! I cut the two words apart and voila! a Merry Christmas that fits perfectly between the outstretched hands of the snowman. A little Quickie glue pen and some glitter provides the snow drift background.

The tag on the right is made with the Coluzzle ornament plate. Again I inked up the just the snowman and added the little gift stamp for something for him to juggle. This tag is super simple, you could make a ton of these in just a small amount of time.

Be sure to check out the A Muse News blog for more tag ideas.

Anyone can play!

2009-12-08T09:30:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my friend, Theresa asked me if anyone can play my Chicka Challenges or if it was only for Chickas. Of course I told her that the challenges Jane and I post on our blogs are open to anyone to play. So, get out your stamps and play along. It's fun!

The challenge this week is to use Santa in a card or project. So fitting, don't you think? Christmas is almost here and Santa plays his part so Jane and I thought it would be fun to see what everyone would do with him. If you don't have a Santa stamp feel free to use any other mythical creature stamp. Now, I don't even own a Santa stamp so I asked my friend, Lyndsay if I could borrow hers. This one is made by A Muse Artstamps as is the tree background and the Christmas tree. I wanted my Christmas tree to be out in the forest all decorated for the animals to enjoy. Not sure my little snowdrift is exactly what I wanted but I am hoping you get the idea. Have fun with this challenge and post when you get a chance, here or there!

Thank you to Victoria for playing along again this week. She always has such cute cards. Check it out!

After the party

2009-12-01T14:31:00.003-06:00

The Thanksgiving party is over and now the shopping begins! Did anyone find a great bargain out there on Friday? The Chickas tried to craft shop but the lines were long and our patience was thin so we will try again another day.

I was supposed to create with the other half of the Chicka challenge but seems that Jane is overwhelmed today so we are going to have to try another day. Hang in there Janie!!! I'm sending cyber hugs across town to you!!!

This week's challenge is thanks to my little brother, Dan. It is his birthday on Wednesday and he loves monkeys. I find a different monkey stamp each year to make his card. So, your challenge this week is to make a card with a monkey or any other cuddly animal. There are tons of fun animal stamps out there so bring one out and create something playful and fun. So post here or there after you make your masterpiece!

Thank you, as always, to all the wonderfully talented ladies who participated in last weeks challenge, Anthonette, Victoria and Glenda. I am always surprised at all the talent out there.

Quick one

2009-11-24T18:55:00.002-06:00

This is going to have to be a quick post. I have so much to do to get ready for our Thanksgiving dinner and there is so little time. The Chicka challenge this week is super simple and has to do with Thanksgiving. Make a project or card that has to do with being thankful. Jane and I got together today and we each made our own little book to pass around the Thanksgiving table. Each person that comes to our Thanksgiving meal will get a page from our book and they will write down something they are thankful for. Then we are going to put all the pages together in a book. Jane and I made the covers and the backs today and will decorate the pages once everyone has written down their thoughts. What are you thankful for this year? I want to thank all the ladies that created something special for last weeks challenge, Jennie, Victoria and Tinla. Check out their entries and don't forget to leave a comment here or on there with your creation.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

Chicka day!

2009-11-17T11:32:00.005-06:00

Is it Chicka challenge day already? Where did the week go? I am going to get right to this weeks challenge. It's a good one. You see, stampers are almost always willing to share a great find. A new technique, embellishment or paper can find it's way around the stamping circuit simply by being passed from one stamper to another. Your challenge this week is to use something that was given to you. Maybe your mom or hubby gave you that special tool that makes your life easier or an embellishment that is your favorite color or maybe your friend showed you a new way of doing something. Make a card or project using that treasured gift or bit of advice and show it off!

I used this little plastic cup to make a fun shaker card. My fellow chicka, Jane gave it to me as I ooooed and ahhhhhed over it when she showed me that I could use it for M&Ms. She is such a special friend, that Jane. Don't forget to leave a comment and link us to your creation and tell us about the person that gave it to you.

Thank you so much to Victoria and Anthonette (first timer) who participated in last weeks challenge. It is always so fun to see what everyone creates each week.

Less is more?

2009-11-10T16:30:00.008-06:00

My challenge card is really late this week because sometimes I need to remind myself that "less is more." My friend (Julie, HRR to most of you out there in stamping land) and I agree that the just one more thing syndrome is sometimes very compelling. You know, "this card looks good but it needs one more thing." Well I have been struggling to get this card just right all day until I heard Julie's voice saying, "don't do it, don't add one more thing!!!" So I didn't. This card is simple and monochromatic but I think I like it. You might think that the challenge this week is to make a monochromatic card but you would be wrong. The challenge is to ink up that stamp that has been hanging around your craft area. The stamp that hasn't seen ink since you brought it home. Use that stamp!!! I brought home a few new stamps on the shopping trip with my chicka Jane, you know the shopping trip back in August that gave birth to our chicka challenge, and haven't used them. It is such a shame to leave them in that box or on that shelf. Time to get that unused stamp out and give it a whirl. Let's see what happens when you put some ink on it and create. I got out a new stamp from A Muse's fall release. I just love every stamp they make and the new shimmer papers, well they are to die for. The patterned paper in my card is one of them. So sparkly and shimmery they are perfect! Check them out at your local stamp store or at amuseartstamps.com. You won't be sorry. Don't forget to leave a post here or there and show us your stuff. I also want to send big thank you to Victoria who took the challenge last week and got out that special paper.

New Chicka

2009-11-03T11:41:00.003-06:00

Who knew when Jane and I planned our little shopping trip that we would be able to come up with so many different challenges based on our purchases. This week's challenge might be a hard one for some of you. It was for me. We both bought a special fabric paper at one of the stores. I think you can see it better if you click on my photo. So the challenge for you is to get out one of those extra special papers you bought and haven't used and cut it! I know! Take a deep breath and cut that paper so you can create something beautiful! Make something special for yourself or a friend or relative and make sure to share it with all of us. It actually feels good to put that special something to good use.

Also want to send out a big thank you to all the gals who created a card with a zoo animal. It was really fun to see what Kerry, Victoria, Tinla and Armie came up with last week. Great work everyone!

Animals

2009-10-27T14:08:00.003-05:00

Time for another Chicka Challenge! Thank you so much to Victoria for playing our candy challenge last week. Her candy project is really cute. Check it when you get a chance.

This weeks challenge is in honor of Ben's birthday. Ben is Jane's son and he just loves elephants. So this weeks challenge is to make a card using a zoo animal. Any zoo animal will do, lion, tiger, bear!!! Anything! I brought out my hippo stamp by A Muse. He is just too cute with the little birdie and the sentiment, well, I thought it fit. Not sure you can tell by my photo but I put a little glitter on the birch branch. IMHO cards look better with a little sparkle. I love what Jane did this week with the elephant stamp. She makes me smile when she uses A Muse images. Hooray, Janie!!!

Don't forget to leave a post with a link to your creation.

Candy, It's all about candy!

2009-10-20T15:17:00.003-05:00

It's Chicka Challenge time again! Good thing I have these challenges otherwise I wouldn't have any posts because my life has been so busy lately. Hopefully it will settle down soon so I can get back to posting sneak peeks for all the A Muse new releases. This month's release was super classy. Monograms was the theme. Check out their website for all the new images.

Before we get to this week's challenge, I want to thank everyone that participated last week. Thank you Tinla, Kerry, Armie, Glenda, Kristie Lee, Victoria and Monica!!! You all did a great job with your sparkly cards. Our challenge this week is to make a card or other project with some kind of candy involved. Everyone loves candy and this time of year has us all thinking about our favorites. Jane made this super cute test tube holder for me and I wanted to post it so you could all see her craftyness!!! She is such a good friend. She made me something special and even used A Muse's Boris stamp, he's my boyfriend, you know... Shhhhh, don't tell Gary! I just love her color combination and her new pinking Nestabilities set. Perfect with Boris' hair, don't you think? Now get busy and make something special for your friend or maybe for yourself with a candy theme. Don't forget to post here or at Jane's blog so we can see what you made.

Chicka time!

2009-10-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

It's Chicka time again! This is the 7th of our Chicka Challenges. First I would like to thank everyone who played last week. Armie, Victoria and Tinla all did a fabulous job with their Halloween cards.

This weeks challenge is to make a card using Stickles or anything sparkly. You see, I am a Stickles fan and while Jane and I were on our little shopping tour we found some colors I didn't have. I know! How can you be a fan of Stickles and not have all the colors? Soooo, I bought three new ones. I thought about making a lot of different colors on my stickled leaves but am moving to a more simple style so I went with just orange. Then I wondered what is better than just Stickles and added some orange glitter. Super sparkly!!! Now, don't be shy, play along this week and post your creation here or on Jane's blog.

Chicka Challenge #6

2009-10-06T07:55:00.000-05:00

Who can guess what the Chicka Challenge is this week? Oh, yes! My FAVORITE cards to make are Halloween! That is your challenge this week. When Jane and I went on our little outing we both looked at some Halloween paper and didn't buy it. Then we both went back after we got home and picked some up. Guess we were on the same wave length, huh? So, get out your Halloween goodness and make a card just for fun. Don't forget to post here or on Jane's blog with your creation.

I also wanted to thank everyone who played last week. Kerry, Armie and Victoria all did a great job on what I would consider a difficult challenge.

Chicka Challenge #5

2009-09-29T10:02:00.012-05:00

First let me send out a big thank you to everyone who participated in our challenge last week, Armie, Laura, Glenda, Victoria and Cindy. You all did a great job capturing the colors of Fall.

This weeks challenge has to do with guys. You see both Jane and I have family birthdays coming up, Jane's son has a birthday at the end of the month and my DH Gary's big day is on the 1st. Can't tell you how many times I have almost forgotten his birthday because it is on the 1st day of the month, but I am not going to forget this month because our challenge is to make a guy birthday card. You read that right, guy card!!!

I used the ice cream theme for my card because Gary LOVES ice cream. I don't mean he loves it, he L-O-V-E-S it! Eats it every day and of course, doesn't gain a pound. What goes with ice cream? Drippy goo! Got out my drippy goo punch, the ice cream truck stamp by A Muse and a little PJK Diner Food background paper and put together this card. I have to admit it isn't my favorite card and I was telling Jane today that my mojo has been missing for a while, and she said I needed some chicka juice. I gotta get that on my list. I have just been so super busy that I haven't had much creative time. Hopefully I can change all that and get the juices flowing again soon. So now, you get your juices going and make a guy card. Don't forget to post a link here so we can see what you come up with.

Paydirt!

2009-09-25T20:31:00.007-05:00

Look at all my loot! Fiskar's had another one of it's big warehouse sales. They had some really good stuff on sale this time. Lots of punches and tools that make my little hobby fun. I have made 3 trips so far and am thinking that I might go back tomorrow and see if there is anything new. The line of women waiting to get in on Thursday was about a block long and boy, was it worth the wait. They had tons of scrapbook type stuff and punches galore. Of course, there were a lot of scissors too.

Don't forget you still have a few more days to do the Chicka Challenge. Would love to see some more of your creations.

Holy Chicka!

2009-09-22T15:55:00.003-05:00

I totally had my card ready to go today and then discovered, thanks to my partner in crime, Jane, that I made the wrong challenge. Talk about get your butt in gear girl! So had to start from scratch to get our challenge posted. I was supposed to use the K & Co paper we discovered at one of the stops we made on our little excursion but used some other fun paper that will be used on a future Chicka Challenge by mistake. So anyway, your challenge is to make a card using Fall colors. Easy, right?

Oh, I almost forgot to thank Kerry, Armie and Victoria for getting their stamp on for the Case a Chicka challenge. I just love saying the name of that challenge! Case a Chicka, Case a Chicka, Case a Chicka!!! Thanks girls for a great job!

Was flipping through my book when I spotted this fun piece of floral paper and thought of my A Muse wild blossom stamp. Looks kinda like one of the flowers in the paper, don't you think? Used my Stickles on the red flowers, not sure it shows up in my photo but I am all about using Stickles. Did you notice the new polka dot ribbon from A Muse? I have been chomping at the bit to make a card and use it. It comes in a bunch of colors so hop on over to your LSS and check it out. Don't have a store that carries it? Then take a peek at the A Muse Artstamps website.

Many thanks to my Chicka Challenge partner for putting me on the straight and narrow today. As always, make sure to check out her card here and post your entry in a comment to either of our blogs with a link to your card.

Case a Chicka

2009-09-15T14:59:00.010-05:00

Woo hoo! It is time for Chicka Challenge #4! First I want to thank everyone who participated last week. Loved every one of the cards submitted for our challenge. Kerry, Jennie, Victoria and Armie made creative and fun cards and fulfilled the requirement of using brads and ribbon on one card.

What's this weeks challenge and what does it have to do with Mexican food? Well, it doesn't have anything to do with quesadillas! It has to do with CASEing a card made by a friend or even by someone you don't know. Just make sure you post a link to their card or a photo, so Jane and I can see what inspired you. I got inspired by my friend, Lyndsay. Her card is on the right. She is a master at using layers and when she posted this card on her blog, well, I just wanted to make one of my own. Sometimes I just don't know how she comes up with the perfect combinations of colors but she always does. Now what are you waiting for? Find a card you want to CASE and let's see what you come up with. Don't forget to post a comment with a link to your card.

Challenge heaven

2009-09-12T15:22:00.004-05:00

Many times I have wished I had time to do some of the fun challenges that are out there but it just hasn't happened. Well yesterday was the day! I managed to get three challenges into one card. Can't remember the last sketch challenge I was able to complete over on Tracy's blog. She has the best sketches and is celebrating her one year anniversary... that's right... sketch number 52 is posted over there. Check it out if you have a free minute this weekend. She has a prize if she gets 52 participants this week. Hurry though, you only have until Thursday to get in on the fun.

The second challenge I got in is the "no coloring" challenge on the A Muse lounge. Jennie's challenge always gets me thinking. This no coloring challenge was a doosey and I am so happy to be able to participate this month.

The last, but not least, is Glenda's challenge. Her challenge this week is a three color challenge. I needed to use purple, green and yellow. The purple and green part of the challenge was easy peasy but that yellow gave me fits. Always good to think out of the box and this challenge got me going. Why not play along yourself?

Brads and ribbon

2009-09-08T16:42:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it is time for Chicka Challenge #3 already! We had 4 people take part in our distressing challenge, Armie, Glenda, Victoria and Jennie. Everyone did a great job so now we are on to challenge #3. This week's challenge is to make a card with ribbon and brads. You see, Jane and I bought a little package of ribbon brads made by Karen Foster. It is the cutest set of ribbon loops and matching brads. Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to make a card using BOTH ribbon and brads. I picked orange, green and purple to go with my vampire card. Also used another product I have never used before, Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. I sprayed pink taffy and golden terra cotta on some white cardstock to get the shimmery orange paper behind my vampire. The shimmer is a little hard to see in my photo but just the name, Glimmer Mist, conjures up the way it looks IRL. Can't believe I am using so many new products these days. Usually I have to "save" new stuff to use later. Anyone else have that same affliction? Wanted the vampires coat to be super sparkly so I used plenty of black glitter and a Quickie glue pen for the perfect effect. Now, go ahead and give our latest challenge a try and post here or on Jane's blog and let the creativity flow!!!

Distress

2009-09-01T16:10:00.007-05:00

And the winner is... KERRY! Jane and I picked our winners by a random drawing so Kerry please email me your address and I will send out your goodies! Thank you to everyone who participated in our first ever Chicka Challenge!!! Your cards were all great and it was fun to see how others interpreted our challenge. Don't forget to stop over at Jane's blog and see who won her blog candy.

Now on to Chicka Challenge #2. When Jane and I were on our little "getaway" we found some crackle paints by Ranger. We thought it would be fun to give them a try so we each bought 2 different colors. Now, you don't have to run out and buy these paints to participate this week. Our challenge is to make a card or any other paper related project, using any distress technique. Easy, right?

I made my card using the purple crackle paint and distressed it by sponging Memento Rich Cocoa ink right on top of my purple paint after it dried. It is hard to see what effect this gives in my photo but if you click on the photo it shows up a little better. The truck stamp I used is part of A Muse's new Halloween release which should be at your LSS right now. Stop in and check out the new images. You won't be disappointed. I also used the new Slate and Paprika card stock from A Muse and distressed it by sponging the edges of the paprika and white paper using the Memento Rich Cocoa ink. The candy corn falling out of the back of my truck is paper pieced using orange gingham paper. Got this idea on Heather's blog. You see, Heather is into Halloween in a big way and she has the BEST ideas on making all kinds of Halloween goodness. Check her blog often to find out what she is up to next.

Okay, now it is your turn to give this "distressing" challenge a try. Please post here or to Jane's blog by next Monday night and stay tuned to see what we have planned for Chicka Challenge #3.

Chicka Challenge #1

2009-08-25T07:15:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the very first Chicka Challenge! There is no end to the things you can do on a road trip with your stamping buddy, mine calls me Chicka, hence the title of our weekly challenge. We came up with this crazy idea, "Let's do a challenge on our blogs every Tuesday and use the things we bought on our trip". Face it, how many times have you gone craft shopping and then put that cool new paper in a folder and forgot all about it? We challenge you to find that treasure you were saving for a rainy day and use it! Anyone can play along with us and share ideas and fun.

The "rules" are simple,

1. Complete the challenge and upload to either your blog or online gallery.

2. In your post or write up, you must include a link to both of the original Chicka's blogs
(www.janesaddiction.typepad.com and www.lavendergiraffe.blogspot.com.

3. Leave a comment on either of our blogs (on the Chicka challenge #1 post) that includes your name and a link to your project.

Easy peasy!!!

So today is day #1 in our challenge journey and what could be better than blog candy!?! The above photo is what I am offering. Check out Jane's blog for some more free goodies.

This weeks challenge is easy. See this great black and white salt and pepper paper by Theresa Collins? That is what we bought. Your challenge is to follow the black and white theme and create a food related card. Easy and yummy! Feel free to pass along our new challenge to your circle of friends and invite them to play.

My card is created in the simple, A Muse style. I used the clear Baking Set from A Muse Artstamps for the apron and my scallop Nestabilities circle. The scalloped ribbon is another part of what Jane and I bought on our little trip. Add the Got Milk? sentiment and you have the beginnings of a great batch of cookies. Couldn't resist putting some star dust Stickles on the apron pocket for a little sparkle.

Now, put on your creative hat and get busy and make that card! We are waiting to see what you come up with.

More balloons

2009-08-22T08:33:00.004-05:00

I have one more balloon card for you today. I used crystal effects on the balloons this time to show the fun shiny effect they make on the balloons. The new Mandy's World stamps from A Muse are super cute and I am having a lot of fun making birthday cards for my nieces.

I am late on my post this week because my friend Jane and I were going to start something new last Thursday but we decided to switch it to Tuesdays. You see, we went on a road trip to Eau Claire, WI a week ago and while we were driving along we came up with a fun idea for challenges. Tuesday will be the first day of our brand new "Chicka Challenge" Each Tuesday we will come up with a challenge for anyone who wants to participate and to kick it off we are offering blog candy! Yes, you read that right, blog candy on two blogs!!! Make sure you check our blogs on Tuesday and see what all the excitement is about.

Spider web

2009-08-17T09:18:00.003-05:00

How about another Halloween card? I sure have been in the mood lately for a little Halloween. Seems like it is so far away but it is a holiday that has so many fun images I can't wait to play with them. Not too many people actually send cards for Halloween but I sure like making them. Maybe we could start a new trend and send someone you know a surprise card in the mail. Bet anyone would love to receive a hand made card in their mailbox along with all the bills. Tried out my new MS web punches for this one, there is one for the corners and one for the edges. Put them together and you get a great little frame for your images. Also broke out the googly eyes, "Hi Lyndsay" (she is the googly eye queen), for my little spider. I just love that new gingham paper for my background. Also put lots of black glitter on the vampires coat. Makes it nice and sparkly!!!

New punch

2009-08-14T12:58:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween! Oh, wait, Halloween isn't here yet. Couldn't wait to use my new tombstone punch another minute. Paired it with the drippy goo punch to give my vampire a nice little place to call home. I seem to have punch fever and used a circle punch for the moon and punched out my vampire using my long scallop rectangle set from Nestabilities. There has got to be more ways to use all these fun punches so keep an eye on my blog to see what I can come up with next.

Honored

2009-08-12T17:39:00.004-05:00

Can you stand another holiday card? I was playing with the new floral snowflake stamp from A Muse and had a Stickles party. Everything that sparkles in the stamped image are stickles. Just love those darn things! Put some of the Doodlebug sugared paper in purple behind the snowflake and you have a sparkly good card! I used my snowflake cuttlebug embossing folder for a little background.

I also have to thank Kerry for the blog award she sent me. She is such a great stamper herself and I feel really special that she thought of me for this award. Check out her blog and find some really great card ideas. Thank you so much, Kerry!

Inspiration

2009-08-09T10:50:00.006-05:00

My friend, Heather, took this photo and I thought the colors were so beautiful I wanted to make a card. Love how inspiration hits me. See a photo of beautiful flowers = make card. Anyway, she is a great photographer and when I asked her if I could use her photo on my blog to show what inspired me, she promptly sent me a copy. I love her generosity and spirit. Thank you so much, Heather. Hope you enjoy the cards I made.

I couldn't decide on just one color combination and found myself trying a lot of different combinations. I used my Doodlebug assorted glitter pack to fill in the sentiment to match the other colors on the card. I have a favorite combination and it isn't the one I thought I would love. Which one do you like?

Rockstar!

2009-08-05T15:05:00.004-05:00

Today is the last day of the amuse-bouche and I rushed home from our 3 day trip to Door County to finish this card. Really wanted to give the feel of a pink curtain for my little Rockin' girl. She needs to be on stage with all the attention on her. Made the curtain with my scallop scallop punch from Martha Stewart. I stamped just the word Rockstar from the new stamp, Party like a Rockstar!, for a super personalized effect. Used my Scor-pal to scor in between each scallop and then folded it accordian style. Made my stage with some of the new woodgrain paper and my circle punch. My pink Spica marker gives her boots and shirt a super sparkly look, fit for a real rockstar. Hope you had a chance to check out the other A Muse instructor's blogs for some more rockin' cards. All the new stamps are live on the A Muse website so take a look there to pick out your favorites.

Up, up and away...

2009-08-03T05:02:00.000-05:00

I think balloon girl has too many balloons. She is floating up into the wild blue yonder. This new stamp from A Muse comes with just 3 balloons but when I decided she would look good floating up in the sky, I stamped lots more. I had to bring out my stamp-a-ma-jig for this card. Usually I don't use it but this was getting out of hand and I didn't want to waste paper. I also cut out some of the balloons to give this card more dimension. I will add a photo so you can see this effect more clearly. I really wanted to put some crystal effects on the balloons but I was worried that it would weigh Mandy down!!! Okay, now go check out the other A Muse instructor's blogs and see what else is new in Mandy's world.

School memories

2009-08-02T12:15:00.002-05:00

Remember your school memories board? You put all your friends photos and memories of the school year on it. When I saw the wood frame stamp from A Muse's new back to school release I knew that a memory board was what I would make with it. I found this cork paper at a store near me and knew it would work perfectly with my card. Cut thin strips of the new papaya paper to use for ribbon and then clear twinkle stickers made my project complete. Thanks for stopping in on my blog and make sure to check out the other A Muse instructor's blogs for more amusingly fun cards!

Mandy's World

2009-08-01T08:33:00.003-05:00

Today is day 2 of the amuse-bouche and I am so happy to show you the new Mermaid stamp in Mandy's World. These stamps are so darn cute! Can't wait to play with every one of them. I thought my mermaid would be best suited for the bottom of the sea. A little yellow glitter in her hair gives this card just the right amount of sparkle! Look around and see what the other instructors have created on their blogs for this new Mandy's World release.

Back to school

2009-07-31T10:20:00.004-05:00

Here we are again, day 1 of the Back to School amuse-bouche. It is always so hard to pick out your backpack each year for school. What color should I get? What style is best for me? There are so many choices! My card today is showing my ideas of some fun backpacks for the kids to show off to their friends. If you are making a card for your child you could color the new backpack stamp to match theirs or maybe you want to use their school colors for the older kids. There are so many options with this stamp it is a "must have" for your childs back to school card. Did you notice the new paper colors, blueberry and papaya? Make sure to check out other A Muse instructors blogs for some other amuse-bouche.

Something different

2009-07-29T21:23:00.002-05:00

Couldn't help posting this photo of my gorgeous blue hydrangea. I have been wanting a hydrangea bush for so long and finally, I have some beautiful blooms. Love looking out my window every day. Taking a little break from making cards but never fear, I will get back at it soon. Hope everyone in the PNW is staying cool. I am thinking of you all while I enjoy our unseasonably cool weather here.

Flower soft

2009-07-27T19:41:00.003-05:00

I have been playing with my Flower Soft lately. This stuff is really fun to play with. You just put some glue on your card and sprinkle on some Flower Soft. It is that simple. I have been trying it with a lot of different A Muse stamps and have been pleased every time. Make a trip to your LSS and pick up a pot and have Flower Soft play day!

Pink and green

2009-07-21T10:28:00.003-05:00

A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA is over for another year but I wanted to share one more card from my class. Really love the classic Season's Greetings stamp and thought it would work with unconventional pink and green colors which, to me, are a bit retro. Add some pink twinkle stickers and you have a sparkly, simple card. I had a great time with all the gals that came to class and hope everyone enjoys their new holiday stamps, even though it is only July.

Snowball fight!

2009-07-16T05:02:00.002-05:00

I could hardly wait till today to share this card with you! We are making this card at my A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA class tonight and I think it is my favorite. I just had to stamp the snow fort upside down and make it a snowball fight fort. Those fluffy snowballs, I used liquid applique on them, are ready for the squirrel to throw at anyone who dares to pass by. He is pretending to give you a gift and then "bam" a face full of snow!!! Used my blue vintage reverse paper for the snowy backdrop and the new cranberry paper for the card. Lovin' that new cranberry paper!!! Who wants to get in on the fun and have a snowball fight with me? Don't forget to check out the other instructors blogs for some more AMAP fun!

Elegant Holiday

2009-07-15T08:20:00.002-05:00

Wow, is it day three of the amuse-bouche already? I am getting super excited because my class is tomorrow!!!! We are going to have so much fun stamping and talking. Will have my biggest group yet and can't wait to show them all my designs. The wreath and berries is one of my favorite new stamps. I decided to stamp it in versamark and emboss it in gold then color the leaves a couple different colors of green. Since I embossed the wreath I couldn't stamp the berries so I used liquid pearls. I used my nestabilities labels two set and rotated the white piece to get make it look more like a frame. Gonna go look around at the other instructors blogs and see what they came up with today. You should too!

Icy!

2009-07-14T08:30:00.004-05:00

Isn't that little penguin cute sitting there with his fishing stick? Day 2 of the amuse-bouche and I am here with my ice fishing stamp from A Muse. I just love that cute little penguin sitting on his hunk of ice waiting for an unsuspecting fish to come along. I used the blueberry kitchen card for this one because I thought it looked like it was snowing. Also wanted to use my new Fiskars wave edge punch for a nice little pond for Mr. Penguin to fish in. Make sure you check out all the A Muse instructor blogs for more sneaky fun!

A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA amuse-bouche

2009-07-13T08:55:00.005-05:00

Hooray! Today is day one of the amuse-bouche for the new holiday release from A Muse. I am so happy to share my card using the cardinal silhoutte stamp and the brand new cranberry paper. Love this new red so much. I inked up my stamp using memento rich cocoa on the branch and then the cardinal I inked with my versa mark. It is a little hard to see on this photo but I sprinkled my new Ranger red embossing tinsel on the cardinal and hit it with my heat gun and you get a sparkly red bird!!! I knew I would be using this on some of my holiday cards because who doesn't like sparkle for the holidays? Speaking of sparkle, I used two pieces of the white doodlebug sugar paper for a little more zip. Be sure to check out the other instructors blogs for more A Muse goodness!

Spot

2009-07-08T12:15:00.004-05:00

The word of the week on the A Muse blog this week is "spot". A couple weeks ago I was talking with my friend, Jane, and she told me about this very interesting new technique that uses Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers. You get the paint running on the top of the dabber and then spray it with water and slam it on to your paper so it sprays the paint a bit. Had to practice this before I got the hang of it but once I did I found it was really fun. Thanks Jane for a great idea!!! A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA starts this Friday so make plans to stop in at your closest participating store and take a peek at the new holiday release from A Muse. While you are there, take advantage of all the special events each store has planned. I will be at the Stamp Shoppe in Schofield, WI with my gift tags on Saturday, July 11th from 1-3. See you there!

Space

2009-07-01T16:24:00.004-05:00

My nephews birthday is coming up real soon and I wanted to make him a special card so I got out my robot boy and tried to make him look like he was floating around in space. Hope Will has a great 9th birthday and a summer filled with fun!

Wish I could show you the reason my posts have been few and far between these days. Working on A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA!!! The holiday stamps will be released soon and I am super excited to show you some of my cards. Seems like I have been in the holiday spirit lately and been cranking out the samples for my upcoming classes. Check out the left side of my blog for a current list and sign up if you can. I promise it will be a stampin' good time!!!

A bit of Summer

2009-06-25T06:30:00.003-05:00

I am just loving the new gingham paper from A Muse. Been thinking of putting curly girl in the lemonade stand for a while now and I finally got it down on paper. She looks so pretty in there selling her lemonade. Summer is finally here in WI and I am trying to get out and enjoy it as much as possible therefore have been neglecting my blog just a bit. Hope you all are out enjoying your summer too.

Ribbon challenge

2009-06-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

Over on the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA countdown blog the second challenge is posted. The word for this week is ribbon. Thought I would try using it a different way for me and placed it across the pretty little paper behind my baby. This card is perfect for a boy or girl baby. Get your card made with the word "ribbon" in mind and let's see what you come up with. Make sure you post a link to the A Muse blog to get your name in for a prize!

Did you find the fun?

2009-06-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

Have you found the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA fun yet? The secret squares game is going on now and even though I have been voted off the island, there are still plenty of muses to choose from. Stop in here to make your choice. Thanks to everyone who voted for me but, alas, I am not the one that has the prize. There are more fun and games to come so check in to the A Muse blog every day to take a chance at a great prize!

A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA

2009-06-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the countdown to A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA!!! Let the challenges begin! The first one has to do with the word "square". I really put on my thinking cap for this one and made a bee hive with a couple flowers on a square card. Now get your "square" card done and post a link to the card here for prizes and make sure to check out the A Muse website every Monday for a new challenge.

Photo tutorials

2009-06-13T06:42:00.002-05:00

I have always been interested in how to make my photos look better. Always seems to be a gray or pinkish tone to my pics. Well, I recently discovered Lisa Spangler's "Scribble this" tutorials here. She gives detailed directions, with photos, on how to make your cards look better. Check it out. My original photo is the top one and the jazzed up one is on the bottom. I don't think I have it mastered but it is a start. Head on over to her blog and give it a try!!!

Crazy woman

2009-06-11T07:01:00.001-05:00

Call me crazy but sometimes I like to wrap a gift, yes, it's another pair of earrings, and then make the card to match. Since my box was so small, I made a 3x3 card. Then, of course, I made the card the same colors of the wrapping paper. There are some salmony pink dots mixed in with the orange and white ones. It is a little hard to see that on the photo. Would have never thought of using pink with orange together, but I think it works. Wrapping paper sometimes gives me a direction that I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

Just playing around

2009-06-08T15:23:00.004-05:00

I made myself some background paper! This was really fun after I got the hang of it. You put aluminum foil on your hot iron and then color on it with crayons and "iron" your paper and you have a custom background paper. Guess you could say these are all my favorite colors. Also bought a new turtle on a rock stamp from Lockhart stamps. He is soooo cute! You rock is from A Muse and I thought it paired up perfectly with that little turtle.

Earrings with Linda

2009-06-03T19:07:00.007-05:00

close up of the earrings

This is my friend, Linda with a little display of the earrings we made today. She emailed me last week and we made a plan to make some earrings for her to wear with her caps. You see, she is going through some tough times right now. Her chemo treatments are causing her hair to fall out and she wanted to have some new earrings to wear along with her caps. So we got together today and we made earrings! Seven pairs of earrings. Even managed to make 2 pair for me to take home. Had a great time! I think she looks great in her cap and one pair of the new earrings we made. Don't you?