Catching up!

I am embarrassed to tell you all how long these pictures have been languishing on my camera, feeling very unloved. These are all from a previous A Muse VSN - so long ago that it is hardly worth mentioning. I guess I didn't make the cut off for posting them, huh?? Oh well. I had to "get rid of the old" so I can "get in with the new." Check back later for a wonderful Woodland Critter post!!

Supplies: A Muse Billy the Kid, cow's it going, Woodgrain card stock, Red Petite Gingham card stock, Blueberry solid notecard, Red stitched grosgrain

Supplies: A Muse Natural White Cardstock, Shell, Sand dollar, With Deepest Sympathy, Ivory Pretty Pearl, Pearl Sheer Dotted ribbon.

Supplies: A Muse Lime solid notecard, Margarita, Cheers to you, Black Sheer dotted ribbon

Supplies: A Muse Red Petite Gingham card stock, Black Dot Sheer ribbon, Cranberry Pretty Pearls, Love Birds, Love is for the birds, Milkshake

Gift Tags Galore

Merrily, merrily we go through the craziness of the holidays!! I really can not believe that it is already December - where has the year gone!

Linda is featuring some amazing gift tags on the A Muse News Blog for the next little while, and here are mine!
These tags were made using pretty limited supplies. I used the Missy's Holiday Clear set for all the stamping, white cardstock, one piece of Petite Gingham Pink cardstock, and one Fern notecard, and one Popsicle Pink notecard (really it was a scrap of about a half of a notecard!) I did use quite a few different punches, but those are easy, and I say, if you got 'em, use em'! These designs could easily be replicated without using as many punches! I also limited myself to one ribbon - Popsicle Pink stitched grosgrain! I love that stuff! The tag holder was made using a small acetate bag, a piece of Petite Gingham Pink cardstock cut just bigger than the bag, and a scrap of white and Fern. The color scheme was inspired by some fun wrapping paper that I found in the Dollar Spot at Tar-jay!

Thanks for checking these out! I will be back soon with a fun Advent Calendar idea - I know, it started yesterday, but oh well!!

Fast & Fab

With the holidays quickly approaching, it's time to start knockin' out those hand-made holiday cards! This year, I have promised myself that they will arrive before New Year's!! The A Muse News blog is hooking you up all week with some Fast & Fabulous Holiday Card Designs, so be sure to check all week and see what all the awesome Muses have come up with!!

This card was inspired by my desire for a "natural" Christmas - I'm picturing lots of burlap, jute and red!! The solid Cardinal Silhouette makes for some quick one color stamping, then I just went over the brown cardinal with a quickie glue pen and dumped on some Red MS glitter. I highlighted the berries with a red copic and added just a couple tiny Cranberry Pretty Pearl stickers! A quick sentiment and it's done! I kept the layers to a minimum, used A Muse note cards (no cutting or scoring!), and added a simple ribbon for accent! This card was super quick! Here are the steps that I would take to mass-produce these babies!
1. Cut all pieces of natural white card stock to size.
2. Cut all pieces of French Roast card stock to size.
3. Stamp all Cardinal Siilouettes and all sentiments. (I used Momento Rich Cocoa)
4. Color all the berries using a red copic.
5. Adhere natural white and french roast layers, adhere to base card.
****I know, this seems out of order, but if you do this now, you decrease the likelihood of messing up your glitter when you put everything together - go ahead, ask me how I know this!!**
6. Tie on ribbon. Place Pearls if using.
7. Use a Quickie Glue Pen to cover the bird, apply glitter and shake off all excess.
8. Set all cards aside to dry and treat yourself to a nice beverage of your choice cuz you are done!!

******And here's the part that I seem to need the most help with*********
9. Put cards in envelopes and actually put them in the mail!!!

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Stamps: Cardinal Silhouette, Winter Wishes Hand
Papers: A Muse Vintage Brown 4-bar, French Roast 4-bar, Natural White card stock
Etc: A Muse Swiss Red Sheer Polka Dot Ribbon, Cranberry Pretty Pearls

Almost Halloween!

Can you believe it is almost the end of October! Sheesh, where does the time go? I had grand plans for my Halloween crafting, and it just hasn't happened - oh well, most of it should translate into general fall crafting! But, maybe I better just get started on Christmas!!

This was a super quick card - I love these no-layer cuties! The fence and the moon were colored with colored pencils, throw on a couple stars and a ribbon and you are d-o-n-e!

We are planning on going to a friend's house for Halloween this year - have a little party, eat some yummies. One drawback to living in the "country" - not so easy to trick or treat!! I am fixing "bloody carcass" (AKA barbeque brisket) and string cheese fingers!! Hope you all have a very happy Halloween!
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Stamps: A Muse Black cat on a fence, Witches riding, Tiny witch
Etc: A Muse Blackberry notes, star twinkle stickers, Lime green sheer polka dot ribbon.

A shimmery A Muse Bouche

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a pirate hat - no, actually it is a corner bookmark! I had seen this idea floating around blog-land, and I decided to try it with the awesome new Shimmer Couture paper from A Muse! It was super easy - just a little bit of folding, made easier with the Scor-Pal. I followed the tutorial here, but I adjusted the size a bit to fit a large square scrap of the Onyx Damask Paper that I had! My square was 5 3/4". I made the pretty monogram using the beee-u-ti-ful new Fancy Alphabet, and the Monogram Frame set. The black and pink are actually the Shimmer Pink and Onyx, but I have not perfected getting a good pic of the shimmer!! I accented the frame with the white pearls! Love them! This will be making it's way to one of my besties as a gift of gratitude for lending me her copy Breaking Dawn. I've had it for an embarrassingly long time!

****Make sure that you hop on over to the A Muse News Blog where you could win an entire set of the wood mounted stamps in this release! Holy Moly! I don't think it gets much better than that!****
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Stamps: A Muse Fancy Alphabet, A Muse Monogram Frames
Papers: A Muse Shimmer Onyx, Onyx Damask, Pink
Embellies: A Muse White Pearls, Popsicle Pink Stitched Grosgrain

Another A Muse - Bouche

Hello!! Just a very simple card to show off more of the amazing new stamps and papers coming soon from A Muse! On this card, I used 2 new colors of the Shimmer Couture paper, new Robin's Egg Blue sheer polka-dot ribbon, and new Robin's Egg Blue pearls! These pearls are causing me some serious crafting dilemmas! Twinkles or Pearls, twinkles or pearls??? What's a girl to do?

Make sure that you check out the other A Muse gals for more inspiration! These stamps and papers could be in your local stamp stores now!!

***Oh my goodness - a contest!! After taking in all the pretties on the A Muse News Blog, leave some comment love and you could win an assortment of the awesome Shimmer Couture paper!***
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Stamps: A Muse hello from the new Monogram Frames clear set, Swing Girl

A Muse - Bouche!

Happy Fall!! A Muse is once again preparing to *wow* you with the latest release! This one is really just full of amazingness!! I am always amazed at how the A Muse stamps work together and play off of each other! The new on this card (A from the Classic Alphabet Clear set, and the Apple shimmer paper) just looks like it was made to go with the sentiment and the apple from the Back to School release! Those A Muse gals, evil geniuses, I tell ya!

Make sure to check in with all the A Muse gals for more amuse-bouches - one is never enough!
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A Muse Stamps: Classic Alphabet (new), Apple, thanks for all you do
A Muse Papers: Shimmer Apple (new), green gingham
A Muse Red polka dot sheer ribbon

I'm a COW!!

Okay, really it is COTW, but I always think COW in my head! This was just what I needed to get my buttkas back on this ol' bloggo! First the card, then if you want to stick around for the craziness, I'd love to have ya!!What's that you say, you don't know what the COTW is?? Then you must not be getting the A Muse News Weekly Newsletter!! Go here and sign up ... now!!
Stamps: Village Chapel, Enjoy the Wonders MA
Notecards: Navy, Sky
Accessories: Copic markers, ultrafine glitter
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So, for those that wanted to stick around for the craziness - here it is in a nutshell:
Memorial Day Weekend - our home went on the market, after months and months of work getting it "ready" to sell!
3 weeks later - our home sold!! Yippeee, but oops, we have no where to go!!
the next 2 weeks - looking at houses all the flippin' time! We saw so many uglies, I lost count!!
July 7th - finally made a decision, put in an offer and prepared to move!
July 19th - moved out of our old house and into my mother's house (I was dreading this part, but it was so nice! She spoiled me!)
July 24th - moved into our new house! We are now the proud owners of our little piece of heaven in the country! We have a few acres, a pond and a big garage for my husband and all his toys!
So, things have been a little crazy! I kept thinking to myself - people do this everyday! It's not like we were the first people ever to sell and house and move, but man!! It was not so much fun!! I am very happy to be moved, and to have my internet hooked up (only took an extra 1.5 hours on the phone yesterday to get it running!), and I can't wait to get my stamp room unpacked!!

So, bloggo friends, thanks for sticking with me! I will post pictures of the new house soon, and I hope that you all will come along on my journey to create the perfect stamp room (okay, it will never be clean enough to be perfect, but it will be fun!)!!
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One more thing ... for you local, KC girls, did you see who participated in A*Muse*A*Palooza?? That's right, our local stamp store - Stamper's Ink!! Make sure you all tell Tanya how much you loved it and that you want more, more, MORE A Muse!

It's Great to Be 8!!

... and some monogram madness!

A Muse is celebrating an anniversary ... 8 years of amazing stamping goodness ... and it is time to party!! There are celebrations aplenty on the A Muse News Blog, and lots of inspiration to be found on the Muses' blogs! And you *need* to get yourself this new Anniversary set - it is amazing!!
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Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I wanted a little something for the wonderful teachers at my son's preschool. This new set just screamed at me to make some easy smeasy monogrammed notecards!

These are pretty self-explanatory - think simple, right? The patterned paper is from American Crafts, all stamps and ribbons by A Muse. This medium circle was a perfect fit for the Small Polka Dot Lowercase alphabet.
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We are off to see Dave Ramsey Live this afternoon ... should be fun!

Bunny Birthday!

My 4 year old had a birthday party to go to yesterday ... a gymnastics party! I immediately thought of this cute bunny princess and made a quick card for the little lady! We had a blast at the party - Parker got to jump off a trampoline into a big foam pit and ride a zip line across the gym! Of course, I was the mom that forgot my camera! Doh!
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Supplies:
Stamps: Bunny Princess, Little Lady, star from clear Sports Set, Mini Oval Bl
Paper: Popsicle Pink Solid notecard, black and turquoise from my stash
Etc.: Micro dot twinkle stickers, Mini dot twinkle stickers, Mini star twinkle stickers

Doggie Thanks

We lost one of our dogs a little while ago ... cancer sucks! This card was sent to the vet that was so very wonderful to my dog and to hysterical me. You just never know what kind of cards you are going to need!
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Supplies: Stamps: A Muse Dog House, Cupcake Builder (for the clouds), Thank You Mix MA, kraft and black cs, white gel pen, red twine by May Arts (I love this stuff!)

Friends and Flowers

I love, love, love the Lily Kate line of paper by Basic Gray - it's a few years old, and I'm not even sure if it is still available, but I've been hoarding it for a while and I'm trying to use it instead of just look at it!! This is an example of one of those designs that just didn't really blow my skirt up, so I redid it and liked it a lot better!! I love it when I can actually salvage a design and not waste the parts!

Lily Kate - take one:
Lily Kate - take two -
Yep - that second one is a whole lot better!!
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Supplies: A Muse Spiral Daisy, Friends were Flowers, French Roast Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Dot Twinkle Stickers.

Who loves woodgrain??

I picked up this beautiful woodgrain background stamp in Seattle a few months ago (and it finally saw some ink!), so technically, this works for this week's A Muse Lounge challenge!! Wow, I am proud of myself for doing something that works for a challenge!! I have lots of other ideas brewing for this beauty! And I know - a pink owl?? Just seemed like it worked!

Do you see that ribbon? It started off white, and I colored it with my dark pink Copic marker! Love that!!
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Supplies:
Stamps: Woodgrain background (by somebody - I can't remember right now!), Owl from the A Muse clear Nature set, Hoo loves you?
Paper: Ruby Red CS by SU, Kraft, Chocolate Brown, A Muse Natural White
Accesories: White grosgrain by SU, French Roast Stitched Grosgrain by A Muse

***ETA: Okay, I went back and reread the challenge, and it's supposed to be new A Muse stamps (duh!). Oh well, I just don't have it in my to retype the whole post. Don't you think it should count since I bought the stamp with A Muse girls???

Oh my ... somebody should spank me!

No ... not like that! Get your minds out of the gutter! Somebody should spank me for being such a bad blogger! Okay - that's it ... no more flogging myself! Things have been crazy, which at some point I am going to have to admit is just the norm! I have missed blogging, and I have had way too little time to get crafty! I am trying to get back in the groove, and hopefully things will be better!!
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In other news - have you checked out the newest A Muse release?? OMG - the Sweet Shop is just amazing! There is going to be a lot of Valentine's love being shared with these fun new stamps!! If you haven't gotten yours, be sure to order soon - or get yourself to your local retailer and pick some up!

Have you checked out the new A Muse Lounge??!!?? It is a beautiful, amazing place to get together with all the A Muse gals, meet new friends, and chat about all sorts of things! There is also an awesome Gallery with some great ideas to inspire you!! Be sure to check it out!!
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And now, a card!!
One of my dear friends is expecting a baby, and this sentiment is just perfect! I've been sorting and rearranging some of my stuff, and I ran across my 6x6 pad of Basic Gray Lily Kate paper. I just love it, and I tend to hoard things that I love, but I am trying to make myself use the stuff I have! What good is pretty paper if it just sits in my craft room??
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Supplies:
Stamps: A Muse expecting joy ma and maternity dress
Paper: A Muse Chiffon Green 4-bar, white CS, Basic Gray Lily Kate Pattern Paper
Accessories: A Muse Sheer Pearl Ribbon, MS scallop border punch, pink heart twinkle sticker

The 11th day!

The 11th day ... there must be something lucky in that right?? Well, I think the lucky part is that the A Muse girls saved my patootie by stuffing my box with some yummy candy! Last minute Lucy that I am, I was making this box at the last possible minute before I went to Seattle last month, and I completely forgot about getting something for the inside. This probably stems from the same part of me that is so concerned about how a card looks, and then totally forgets to send it to the person it was made for! Scatter-brain, I tell ya - that's what I am! Anyway - let's just say that I filled the box with L-O-V-E!!
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Supplies: A Muse Fawn (from the clear Peace and Cheer set), numbers from the Cupcake Builder Clear Set, Vintage Green Paper, Vintage Red Paper, Green Kitchen Paper, Red Stitched Grosgrain, Red Micro Twinkle Stickers.

A Pirate Birthday

Yo Ho Ho!! Happy Birthday to my favorite little Pirate! This was a card from a while back that got lost on my camera! Our friend Addy had a Pirate birthday party a few weeks ago, and of course I had to make him a pirate card with the awesome A Muse pirate stamps!
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Stamps: A Muse Captain Jack, Treasure Chest, Yo! Ho! Ho!
A Muse Clear Stickers - Scallop Oval

Happy Birthday Parker!

My middle son turned 4 years old yesterday, and he got one heck of a celebration! We started off last weekend in Minneapolis for the Monster Jam show! We had a great time, and I even got to meet up with this cool chickie and her husband for dinner and margaritas! (Okay, I will admit it, the weekend was not really all about Parker!)
We also did a bit of shopping and playing at the Mall of America! The kids love the rides, and I like the shopping, for a little bit! That place is so huge, and I got turned around more than once! I swear that I used to have an excellent sense of direction! Lyndsay, Jenn and Tracy will beg to differ with me! :)
Me and Parker on the flying bus ride!
Lily really enjoyed trying on shoes at the Nordstrom Rack! I was looking at the Uggs again - when it is 10 degrees outside, fuzzy shoes look more and more appealing! - and I turned around and Lily had a black patent leather shoe with a shiny gold heel on her foot!
Henry got to do this cool flight simulator thing at the MOA. He got briefed on his mission, then he got in the plane and flew for 30 minutes! He loved it and is already begging to go back!

Thanks for sticking with me with this photo heavy post! I am a bit beat after working a night shift last night, so I apologize if none of this makes much sense! Take care and have a great Thursday!

P.S. Be sure to check out the A Muse News Blog tomorrow - there may be a little something from me!
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All stamps, paper and twinkle stickers by A Muse, ribbon by Martha Stewart.

Celebrating the Season

A super quick and easy card featuring the A Muse Big Block Stamp, one of my faves! Just a little pink square, and the flourish tree and some bling!! When I was in Seattle last month, Julie tried to teach me (and the rest of the A Muse team) how to tie a bow ... I think I need to practice more!

This card also works for Glenda's Random A Musing challenge for this week, and the A Muse Addicts weekly challenge! Won't you come play along?
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In other news ... Lyndsay was nice enough to nominate me as a Kreativ Blogger! Thanks girlfriend! To pay her back, I am going to go to Minneapolis and give her a big hug!! Okay, really we are going to Minneapolis to see the Monster Jam show (yes, it's a little bit WT but my boys *love* it!), but I am so happy that I get to see Lyndsay while I am there!! Lots to do between now and then ...

I am going to tag some of the newest members of the A Muse Instructor Team! Check out these creative gals, and get yourselves out to one of their classes!

June - North Carolina
Sherry - New York
Michelle M - Kentucky
Liz - Massachusetts
Jen A - Florida

All stamps, papers, twinkle stickers and ribbon by A Muse.

I'm thankful for you!

I'm in a bit of denial about Thanksgiving (and I have to admit, about Christmas, too!)! I can not believe that it is one week away! I have to work on the actual day, so we will be celebrating next Saturday with some friends and family! I was thinking fondue or maybe a big steak ... does that say "thanksgiving"?

This card was created for the A Muse News Blog "Oldies but Goodies" section a while ago, but there were some techy problemos and it didn't make it (Jenn and I were thinking along the same lines today!), but I wanted to share it with you today! This little Pilgrim girl and boy are so fun - and easy! A little Copic to the face and hair and you are good to go! This is one of my favorite A Muse sentiments, too - and in my humble opinion, it gets way too little love!! In this season of counting blessings, I count my friends twice!

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Details:
Stamps: Pilgrim Boy, Pilgrim Girl, Mini Oval, A true friend MA
Papers: A Muse French Roast, Orange Crush, Kitchen Brown
Ribbon: A Muse Stitched grosgrain in Orange Crush

Oh my goodness ...

What the heck happened here? My blog is stuck in October! I wish I could say that it was one thing that pushed me over the edge, but really, it has just been a combination of a super crazy fall! Homeschooling my 11 year old has been more of a challenge this year (somehow I thought it would get easier), the other two kids are kind of hellions (love them bunches, but really, do we have to fight over dryer lint?), and I just took a new job at work which in theory will reduce the time that I spend away from home, but right now it is sucking me dry!! Okay, enough of all this, Tisha - just show me some crafty goods!!!
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These simple Florence cards were part of a "Thank You" gift that I made for my new boss, whom I have known for quite a few years. I have always wanted to use the "thanks for being flexible" sentiment with Florence, but never really had a reason to - but I knew that my new manager would! :) So I whipped up a quick set of 10 notes for her! The card at the top of the post is what I gave her with the present!

Thank you all for sticking with me through this unscheduled blog break! I am so lucky to have such amazing crafty friends! Leave me a little comment love , let me know you are still here!!

Coming up next: pictures from my trip to the Motherland - A Muse Headquarters in Seattle!
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Supplies: Maderia and Kitchen notecards, Stitched grosgrain ribbon, Florence, thanks for being flexible, mini oval, copic markers