Creative Grace

I want to be here right now

Well, the heat wave is in full force this summer and I'm not a happy camper about it.  I've learned I have a narrow range of thermal happiness and this has far surpassed it.  So, in the spirit of cooling off, I thought I'd share a card with the fun new *winter scene* stamp by A Muse.

 

 

The good news is the stamps are now available at your local stamp store!  If you aren't lucky enough to have a store to support, you can now get them on-line form A Muse.  Hope you've enjoyed A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA and our marathon amuse-bouche (8 days in a row!  Although I did cheat a little and had to take yesterday off).

Stay cool peeps!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: winter scene by A Muse.  

Paper: blueberry, sky blue, white shimmer couture, and woodgrain by A Muse

ink: A Muse black dye ink

coloring tools: White gel pen, diamond stickles, and Copic bg10, r29, e37, w4, 0

Other: swiss red grosgrain stitch ribbon by A Muse

For A Muse products click here 

Winter Critter

WooHoo!  Day 6 of A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA!  Are you having fun yet?  I have yet another fun amuse-bouche to share with you today - this one features one of the crazy adorable new winter critter stamps by A Muse.  

 

 

I think I love this owl the most - probably because he has crazy eyes :)

Be sure to visit the A Muse blog (link to it from the main A Muse site) and the blogs of the A Muse creative team for more winter critter goodness today!  I'll have another project to share with you tomorrow!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: wide eyed owl, snowflake swirl, santa hat, and not a creature by A Muse.  

Paper: winter sky, squash, and woodgrain by A Muse

ink: Memento rich cocoa and Colorbox chalk gray whale

coloring tools: White gel pen, and Spica silver, baby blue, and chocolate

Other: liquid applique, blue twinkle stickers by A Muse

For A Muse products click here 

{sweet} holiday

Today's theme is *sweet holiday* :)  Who couldn't use a little sweetness in their life?  I have a friend who could definitely use some of that right now and I was so *tickled* to see that A Muse had this adorable gingerbread man (part of their new Ginger Delights set) since she loves them!  She is the gingerbread gal, after all ;)  I couldn't wait for her to show up at my A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA classes on Saturday and see them for the first time.  She must have had her gingerbread radar on though, since she found them before I could even show her! LOL

So this is my card in homage to her:

 

I had fun with enamel accents on this and used it to edge the gingerbread man's body and on his eyes and smile - don't mind my unevenness though! LOL Clearly, I need to practice.  But hopefully it also adds that homemade charm a real gingerbread man would have.  

Also, did you notice the yummy new paper color (squash!)? It's very happy! I also squeezed in a little of the new candy cane stripe paper since it's so dang fun.  

I hope you are having fun checking out these adorable new stamps and papers. Be sure to check out the blogs of the rest of the A Muse creative team for more amuse-bouche - I know I am!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Ginger delights set and you make life sweet A Muse

Paper: *NEW* fabulous squash and candy cane paper by A Muse (are you drooling yet???)

ink: Memento rich cocoa

Other: red polka dod sheer ribbon and red twinkle stickers by A Muse, Fiskars apron lace border punch, and Inkssentials white enamel accent 

{A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA} baby!!!

Eek!  It's finally here!  It's A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA and that means I get to share a fabulous peek at A Muse Artstamps biggest release of the year with you!  

Today's theme is Halloween (believe it or not, it will be here before you know it!)  I thought I'd share a "page" from the adorable mini book I'm teaching at Paper Tales in San Diego on Saturday, July 10th (the class starts at 1:00 and there are still a couple spots available if you can swing by).

 

 

Spooky-fabulous! :)  

What's also fabulous is that the stamps are available RIGHT NOW exclusively to participating stores! (see a list of participating stores on the A Muse blog - right hand column.) 

For those of you not close to a store, there's more to see on the blogs of the girls on the fabulous A Muse creative team (links to the right) so be sure to check them out.

Aaaaaannnnnd... 

Don't forget that the A Muse Pajama Party is here!

 

It's a blast!  Click on the above image for more info.

Happy A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA everyone!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: bare branch, owl silhouette, and trick or treat by A Muse

Paper: orange gingham and vintage black by A Muse

ink: A Muse black dye ink

Copic: smooch moonlight (owl eyes!)

Other: orange sheer ribbon by A Muse, circle punch

Flight of the butterflies

Ahh... a final amuse-bouche from me today!  Today is "designer's choice" day and I get to pick what I want! :)  I was eager to use the beautiful Queen Anne's Lace stamp from the new "Everything's Rosy" release by A Muse.  All of the wonderful flower clusters on Queen Anne's lace plants make the perfect "landing pads" for butterflies, so I had to have a couple flutter by.  I wanted the flower stamp to get the most attention, so I opted to pair it with a classic, the tiny butterfly stamp. 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed the onslaught of cards these past few days!  And if you haven't peeked yet, do check out the A Muse blog and lounge (you can link to them from the main A Muse site).  SO MUCH has been shared this past week as we celebrated A Muse's 9th birthday and new stamp release.  And, be sure to support your local stamp store as these lovely stamps were released to them a few days ago ;)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: queen anne's lace, tiny butterfly, and dreams take flight fl by A Muse.  

Paper: latte by A Muse

ink: Versafine vintage sepia, Colorbox chalk ice blue 

Other: grosgrain stitch sky blue by A Muse

For A Muse products click here 

All a flutter

Today I get to share with you my favorite stamp from the new "Everything's Rosy" release by A Muse - flutterby flock!  I was so happy when I saw this stamp - fun and elegant at the same time.  

I also smiled big-time when I saw the name.  A good friend of mine always calls butterflies "flutterbies".  Makes me smile every time :)

 

 

Have you had a chance to visit your local stamp store yet?  The stamps are available there now! Also, be sure to check out the blogs from the rest of the A Muse creative team (links to the right) - they are going to impress you with their designs!   

Card Recipe:

Stamps: flutterby flock, many thanks fl, and scroll border by A Muse.  

Paper: Robins egg blue and slate by A Muse

ink: A Muse black dye ink, Tsukineko Versa Magic multi surface chalk ink sea breeze, Tsukineko Brilliance moonlight white pigment (embossed)

Other: onyx pretty pearls by A Muse

For A Muse products click here 

Lovely as a rose

Everything's Rosy amuse-bouche continues today with a card featuring the beautiful "wilde rose" and "wilde rose branch" stamps by A Muse.  I love the branch and though it would be a cool effect to make a border of it in the background. 

 

I hope you are enjoying these wonderful new stamps.  Be sure to check out the blogs of the other girls on the creative team (links to the right) to see more cards featuring stamps from this release.  Also, be sure to visit your local store to pick up a few for yourself :) 

Have a beautiful day!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Wilde rose, wilde rose branch, beautiful day fl, and frames clear set by A Muse

Paper: Latte by A Muse

ink: A Muse black dye ink and Colorbox chalk orchid pastel

For A Muse products click here 

Everything's Aloha

So, have you been having fun checking out the amazing cards this week from the A Muse creative team?  The talent of these awesome women never fails to amaze me.  We have even more in store for you today with another amuse-bouche from the new "Everything's Rosy" release (which is available now at your local shop).  

The first thing I thought when I saw one particular flower stamp from the release was, "I'm SO making something Hawaiian with that one"!  

The release features this beautiful new Jasmine stamp which oozes "tropical" to me.  

I started playing with it and though it would be fun to think outside the box... 

just a little...

 

Ah.... happy happy happy

I even sanded it a little to give it that good Reyn Spooner look.   My father in-law and his brother, both of whom are 1/4 Polynesian Hawaiian, pretty much live in those shirts.  They might actually sleep in them.  I'm pretty sure one of them will be getting this card :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Jasmine silhouette, leaf front (the small one from a previous release), and mw mahalo by A Muse.  

Paper: sky blue by A Muse

ink: Memento rich cocoa, bamboo leaves, and new sprout.  Colorbox chalk orchid pastel and lime pastel

Other: white pretty pearls by A Muse

Details: I hand sketched the template for the shirt and collar.  The collar was then cut and pieced on top.

For A Muse products click here 

Botanical amuse-bouche!

Everything's rosy today as our next round of amuse-bouche's start!  I finally get to share a card from the phenomenal new "Everything's Rosy" release by A Muse Artstamps.  These gorgeous images are perfect for the nature girl in me.

 

 

Botanical journals hold a special place in my heart, so I couldn't resist this idea for a card. I hand wrote a few latin words, just for good measure, ;)

Be sure to check out all the action over at A Muse and on the blogs of the creative team.  Lot's of fun is blossoming all around!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: bursting blossoms, leaf front 2, and best wishes by A Muse.  

Paper: sage, apricot, and school lined cardstock by A Muse

ink: Memento rich cocoa, bamboo leaves, and new sprout.  Colorbox chalk yellow citrus and warm violet

Other: twine

For A Muse products click here 

Happy 9th!

Today I get to share with you a very special card to celebrate A Muse Artstamps 9th birthday!

 

 

This features a couple new stamps from the versatile new *Happy* clear set!  I thought it paired well with Fancy Numbers clear set to make a special card for the big festivities this week!  I was going for the top-down look of a layered birthday cake, not sure I pulled it off, LOL, oh well!  It's the spirit that counts, right? :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Happy and Fancy Numbers clear sets by A Muse.  

Paper: Apricot, sage, robin's egg blue, and green kitchen by A Muse

ink: Memento rich cocoa, Tsukineko Versa Magic multi surface chalk ink sea breeze

Other: A Muse orange twinkle stickers, EK Circle punches

For A Muse products click here