Creative Grace

Butterflies for Riley

It's time for another baby post!  This time, very close family friends are expecting their first baby.  My aunt hosted the baby shower and as a special surprise to the mom-to-be, ordered live butterflies that each guest was able to release (what a fun idea!).   Unfortunatelly, the shower took place while I was on the road and I was unable to attend.

Since I knew of the "butterfly" plans ahead of time, I wanted to do something special to make up for the fact that I couldn't be there in person.  I commissioned my good friend, Jenn Shurkus to make a canvas for the nursery.  The only problem, is we had no idea what the room colors were!  There was no indication of a color theme by looking at the registry as the bedding was being hand made.  The only info my aunt and I were able to get from the mom-to-be was that it had chevrons, birds, and was pink, orange, and grey - but I wanted to make sure the colors were spot on.  After a lot of sleuthing, the nice folks at The Baby Guy sent me a photo of the bedding fabric so Jenn could color match.  I love how it turned out:

I know the butterfly stressed poor Jenn out, but I think it turned out so cute :)  I especially love the touch of grey on the border.  Thanks, Jenn, for making the canvas so quickly and shipping it out to me in time for the shower!!!

I tried to match my card to the bedding too:

and had fun wrapping up the gift...  

Just wish I could have been there in person!  Best of luck to the new parents!

Sweet Surprise

Once again I'm barely meeting the deadline for this week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger (I can blame it on the wicked cold I've had, right?)  Regardless, I've had this idea swimming around in my head for a few days.  

The challenge was to make a card based on this inspiration photo:

I'll admit my first response was to run away (eek!) although the present is lovely, it's a little bit of a stretch for my card-making taste.  That is, until I got the notion that maybe, just maybe, I could pull off twine in place of the gingham... and wouldn't a twine handmade pom-pom bunny tail on a felt bunny be simply adorable?  With woodgrain emossing, that would work, right?

Hopefully this will be acceptalbe!  Hope you all had a lovely Easter!

Woodland critter inspiration time!

Today starts woodland critters inspiring ideas from A Muse!  A Muse has a fabulous collection of adorable lil guys guaranteed to put a smile in your heart.  I'm excited today to share my favorite *crawling critter* with you - the caterpillar!  (Isn't he just happiness?)  Everyone is going crazy for flowers right now, so I thought he would be perfect munching on one:

Did you notice the BRAND NEW watermelon paper color???  So fun and bright.  Be sure to visit the blogs of the other Muses today for more inspiring ideas.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hello, eucalyptus, and caterpillar by A Muse

Paper: Woodgrain, sage green, and watermelon by A Muse

ink: Memento rich cocoa, Brilliance moonlight white

Other: EK 1 1/2" circle punch (to make leaves), EK 2" flower punch, white embossing powder, button, twine

Peep Pack!

Woohoo!  I finally had time to make a card today! :)  It's been a while... gotta love my crazy schedule.  With Easter looming, however, it was time.  There are some special peeps in my life that need some cards.  

This was totally inspired by a fun card that Elena, one of A Muse's fantastic designers, made last year.  I love how her brain works - LOL

 

Even though life gets a little crazy sometimes, it's nice to find some time to play!  Hope you can too! 

Stamps: Favorite Peeps and Peep by A Muse

Paper: Kitchen blue and papaya yellow by A Muse

ink: yellow citrus Color Box Chalk, sea breeze VersaMagic, and A Muse black dye ink

Other: A Muse black sheer ribbon and Zutter 1/2" corner rounder

Such a sweet bunny

Every once in a while, when you've hit that lowest of the low-down mood, it's great to have a good friend who knows exactly what you need.  It's great to acknowledge said friend :)

 

 

Stamps: Sweet friend MA and Bunny basket by A Muse

Paper: Sage, chiffon purple, bark, buttercup yellow, and yellow petite gingham by A Muse.

ink: Memento rich cocoa

Other: Yellow gingham ribbon, purple sheer ribbon, and white pretty pearls by A Muse, Martha Stewart grass punch

More bunnies!

Bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies!  Is there anything cuter?  I used to have a couple of bunnies when I was a kid - they were so sweet and I loved how SOFT their fur was!  I had a lot of fun watching how curious they were exploring the yard finding flowers to eat.  The bunny experience was all good until I realized how much work it was to clean up after them all the time!  LOL.  That's probably why I now have a reptile (Bearded Dragon) as a classroom pet - SO MUCH easier to take care of (and not stinky!)  

Without a doubt though, bunnies make me think of Spring.  Hopefully the fun projects that the A Muse creative team has made during our Bunny Bonanza is getting you in the mood for Spring.  

I have another project to share with you today.  I just love this bunny line stamp and thought it would look cute on a special handmade gift bag.

 

I had to stamp the image a couple times to get it the correct width (the actual stamp has 5 bunnies).  I think these little guys are just so cute and fun.  The color combo of purple and green is starting to grow on me, it's not something I'm used to working with - so it's fun to branch out a little. 

I'm amazed at the blog traffic lately and want to give a special thanks to those of you who take the time to leave a comment here - it's much appreciated! :)

Stamps: All ears and bunny line by A Muse

Paper: Sage, chiffon purple, and blackberry by A Muse.

ink: Memento rich cocoa

Copic: V00, YG23

Other: A Muse white sheer ribbon, Martha Stewart grass punch

Chick with Blossoms

It's still Bunny Bonanza time at A Muse!  We're trying to give all you folks in the midst of winter (especially those of you dealing with the, "white stuff", as my friend Jenn would say) the hope of Spring around the corner.  I have noticed some trees flowering in my hood, which was the inspiration for this card:

 

Now I realize that a tree producing three different colored blossoms probably doesn't exist, but it's ok to imagine, isn't it?  And this little chick was just screaming for a fuzzy belly, so I pulled out my trusty fun-flock.  Hopefully this will bring a lil' touch of spring and sunshine into your neck of the woods!

Stamps: Trees 2 set, friends blossom, tiny daisy, and little chick by A Muse

Paper: buttercup yellow, chiffon purple, and blackberry by A Muse.

ink: Memento rich cocoa, cantaloupe, grape jelly and sweet plum

Copic: Y17, Y15

Other: A Muse papaya grosgrain stitch ribbon, Fiskars apron lace punch, Stampendous sunshiny yellow fun flock, and Martha Stewart florentine gold glitter

Bunny Bonanza!!!

Believe it or not folks, Spring is right around the corner!  Now I realize half the nation is blanketed in snow and super chilly temperatures, but there are sunny skies here, Mom tells me that her bulbs are busting out of the ground in Oregon, and I hear that even Vancouver, Canada is toasty compared to normal (or wait, is that due to Spring or el Nino???)  Anyhoo... just in time to help you get in that *springy* mood, a bunch of us Muses thought we'd have a little fun by making some cards to inspire you to *think Spring* ;)

 

Now doesn't this make you wanna grab your carrot car and go for a ride with the top down in the meadow? (seriously, just use your imagination, LOL).

You can link to the A Muse blog via the A Muse website and check out the blogs of my fellow Muses (links are on the right hand side of my page) for more bunny bonanza ideas!

Stamps: Trees 1 set, for somebunny special, mini flower, and carrot car stamps by A Muse

Paper:  Petite gingham green, sage, paprika, chiffon purple, and buttercup yellow by A Muse.

ink: A Muse black dye ink, Memento tangelo, and Memento rich cocoa

Other: Yellow and clear twinkle Stickers by A Muse, grass punch and glitters by Martha Stewart