Holiday Hoopla is Here *Shipping Update*

It's here!  Starting today you can order from the 2012 A Muse Studio Holiday catalog!

I have a limited number of Holiday catalogs available for mailing - $5.00 each includes shipping.  If you would like one, send me an email.  Get 'em while they last.

Holiday Hoopla Shipping Time Update: One of the A Muse Studio shipments has been delayed in customs in the Port of Seattle.  Unfortunately, stamps sets from the new Holiday catalog are a part of this shipment.  A Muse Studio is working with their partners at the port to get the shipment as soon as possible; however, at this point, the new Holiday catalog stamp sets are expected to begin shipping August 9th.  To expedite delivery, orders placed by August 9th will be shipped by priority mail*.  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.  


*As usual, orders are shipped in the order they are received.  If "expedited shipping" is selected, that order will be expedited from August 9th.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Just a couple more days ...

until Holiday Hoopla at A Muse Studio!!  I have my wish list all ready to go.  Are you ready?

Are you having a good weekend?  Today is a nice relaxing day for me in my craft room.  I spent some time working on cards for my first Mini Stamp Camp that I am hosting at work this week.  During lunch hour, 6 of my colleagues are getting together to each make a card.  I designed several CAS ones for them to choose from.  It's the first time I've done this, so it'll be a learning experience for me as well.  I'll post more about the camp later this week.

Here's a fun card I made after working on the Stamp Camp cards:

I recently got a new set of dies from Papertrey Ink and I decided to use them to show off my awesome new A Muse Studio cardstock - solids and patterns.  Aren't they pretty?

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock:  A Muse Sugar, Grass, Squash, Bermuda, Blueberry, Seattle
Patterned Paper:  A Muse Seattle Chevron, Cherry Gingham, Petite Polka Dot - Orange, Grass, Bubblegum, Cherry Woodgrain
Stamps: A Muse Wish You Were Here
Ink: A Muse Onyx
Other: PTI Get to the Point die collection
Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

Freshly Made Sketches #45

Hello Wednesday!  Time for a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  And we have a really fun one this week from Cindy Hall!  I'm still playing with all my new A Muse Studio stamps; I can't seem to stop myself!  Check out this little guy:

He's from a stamp set called Love Machines - cute, cute!  I decided to pair him with this rocket patterned paper from Three Bugs in a Rug.  I used Color Box Espresso pigment ink and heat embossed him.  It's such a pretty dark, dark brown.  Then I took some copics matching colors in the patterned paper and added a little color to him.  Finally I fussy cut him out and popped him up with foam dimensionals.  Cute!

Stop by Freshly Made Sketches and check out all the wonderful creations from the Clean Team!  And please come and play.  I'd love to see your take on this week's sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Stamper's White and Ripe Avocado
Patterned Paper: Three Bugs in a Rug Blast Off collection
Stamps: A Muse Studio Love Machines
Ink: Color Box Espresso
Other: MFT Circle Stax 1 & 2, PTI Ripe Avocado twill ribbon, clear embossing powder, copics
Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

SAF 2012

Good Morning!  I'm still in my pajamas drinking my coffee and catching up on some crafty news.  It's 8 am here in the San Francisco Bay Area.  What a great day I had yesterday with my crafty friends!

Several months ago when Papertrey Ink announced that Stamp-a-faire 2012 would be an internet event, I thought it would be fun to invite my crafty sister (from Southern California) and my other crafty friends to a full weekend of crafting!  We went all out and ordered the tote bags.  Two of my friends are not card makers - they scrapbook - but they were game to come play!  Needless to say, they had a lot of fun and we managed to complete three of the challenges:

Morning Make-N-Take

Ribbon Techniques

Beaded Friendship Bracelets

Instead of our usual going out to lunch and having pizza for dinner, we went along with the camp theme and grilled hot dogs for lunch and hamburgers for dinner.  Added some chips, strawberries and watermelon and it was yummy!  The only things missing were the s'mores.

That's it for now!  It's not over yet, all but one of my friends are coming back again today and we will complete at least one more challenge - the mini book.  Time for me to get ready for them to arrive!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're having a great weekend!

Freshly Made Sketches #44

Happy Wednesday!  You know what that means!  Time for a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  And Jen Mitchell really knocked it out of the park with this one!  I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I saw it.  I've been playing with my new A Muse Studio sampler stamp sets that I received when I signed on as a consultant.  I love the little golfer and used him to make this card:

Here is the awesome sketch from Jen:

Stop by Freshly Made Sketches and check out all the wonderful creations from the Clean Team!  And please come and play?  I'd love to see your take on this week's sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Kraft
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Fly a Kite collection, Little Yellow Bicycle Splash collection, Creative Imaginations Old Guy Rules - Tee Time & Nice Swing, background paper from my stash (brand unknown)
Stamps: A Muse Swingin' Day, PTI On the Links
Ink: PTI True Black
Other: MFT Circle Stax 1, circle punch
Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Congratulations

Quick post with a card I made last week.  I was too busy this past weekend to sit down and have some crafty time.  But that will definitely change later this week when my sister comes to visit and all my crafty friends come over for the weekend.

I used my new Lovely Layers stamp set and coordinating dies from Papertrey Ink for this card:

I used the new Simple Stripes impression plate on the strip of Soft Stone cardstock.  I'm not a big fan of impression plates, the impression they leave is very subtle.  I think I like embossing folders better.  But I am happy with how the card turned out.

I used an old sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for this card:

I also used an old color challenge:

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Stamper's Select White and Soft Stone
Stamps: PTI Lovely Layers, Wplus9 Damask Doilies (sentiment)
Ink: A Muse Heather, Sage and Slate
Other: PTI Lovely Layers die, PTI Simple Stripes impression plate, corner chomper
Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

You're one of my nicest thoughts!

A quick post today with a card I made with my new A Muse toys!  I've been so busy I haven't been able to play much with my new stamps and paper from A Muse Studio.  But a couple of nights ago I was able to grab some time to sit and craft.  This is what I came up with:

I love that woodgrain patterned paper!  And it comes in different colors; I bought the assorted pack.  A simple card so I made two of them!

I am so excited!  Today I got my shipping notice that my Holiday Hoopla pre-order is on its way!  I can't wait until August 1st so I can order more from the new holiday catalog!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Vintage Cream, A Muse Cherry
Patterned Paper: A Muse Woodgrain French Roast, A Muse Vintage French Roast
Stamps: A Muse All My Heart and Friends Fur-ever
Ink: A Muse French Roast and Cherry
Other: PTI Limitless Layer's Squares dies
Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Freshly Made Sketches #43

Happy Wednesday, happy summer!

Are you staying cool?  I hope so!  It's been unbelievable to see and hear about all the hot weather that has been occurring in the midwest and east!  Here on the west coast, we have been lucky.  So far our summer has been fairly mild, but the warm weather is heating up this week.  So, I think a summer card is in order:

Doesn't that make you want to grab your flip flops and head to the beach?  Well, I'm not really a beach girl (I love the mountains!) but I do love my flip flops!  The only time I don't wear them is when I'm at work or hiking.

I just love the sketch this week from Tui; it's exactly what I wanted for my "cool" summer card.  Brilliant!  And look at me again, I turned the sketch!  Woo hoo, two weeks in a row!

Please stop by Freshly Made Sketches and check out this great sketch from Tui and all the wonderful creations from the Clean Team!  Won't you come and play?  I'd love to see your take on this this week's sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Stamper's White and Canyon Clay
Patterned Paper: Echo Park Paradise Beach
Stamps: PTI Flipping Out
Ink: Memento Morocco, PTI True Black
Other: PTI Flipping Out dies, thin chipboard, corner chomper, Recollections faux pearls (Michaels)
Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

A Muse Studio 2012 Holiday Catalog is here!

That's right!  It's here and it's pretty!  If you would like the PDF version of the 2012 A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog, send me an email.  Start making your wish list now and be among the first to order on August 1st!

I should have the hardcopy version within a couple of weeks.  If you would like one, let me know and I will reserve one for you.

Perfectly Mixed!

I am so excited to show you what I made last night:

I have had Stampin' Up's Perfectly Penned sentiment set for a while now but I hadn't used it.  I love the font but every time I pulled it out to use it, I  couldn't make it fit with what I was making.  Then while I was performing my design team duties (Freshly Made Sketches), I saw a beautiful medallion image on some of the cards that were submitted.  I loved it so I went to the SU website to check it out.  When I found out that it had a coordinating punch, I was sold and bought them both.  So last night I pulled it out and started playing with it and quickly got the idea to create this card set.  

The Perfectly Penned sentiments work beautifully with this image:

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Stamper's Select White, Blueberry Sky, Pure Poppy, Simply Chartreuse and Summer Sunrise
Stamps: SU Perfectly Penned and Mixed Bunch
Ink: A Muse Slate, Cherry, Sage, Blueberry and Bellini
Other:  SU Blossom punch
Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Holiday Hoopla is Coming!

The 2012 A Muse Studio holiday catalog is on its way!  I've seen a preview and I am so excited to get my hands on the full catalog!  If you would like your own copy of the new holiday catalog, send me an email and I will reserve one for you. 

You will be able to order from the new holiday catalog on August 1st.  Woo hoo!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

July Spotlight - An Olympic Party!

Are you getting excited for the Summer Olympics in London?!  A Muse Studio is too and we are celebrating with a special July Spotlight.  If you are not familiar with A Muse Spotlights, they are monthly themed specials consisting of selected stamp sets and paper packs.  The July Spotlight shows how you can create your own summer games!

For the entire month of July, you save 10% on the following products:

British Invasion - sale price $26.99

Keep Calm - sale price $16.19

Big Celebrations - sale price $32.39

Darling Dots Background - sale price $14.39

On Broadway Alpha - sale price $26.99

Team USA cardstock assortment pack - sale price $7.65

(4 sheets each of Navy, Sky, Cherry, Pebble and Vanilla)

Prices good through 11:59 PM EST on July 31, 2012.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Freshly Made Sketches #42

Happy Wednesday!  And Happy 4th of July!  Of course, I had to make a card for this special day.  I've had the Bo Bunny Liberty paper collection for months now, anxiously waiting to use them.  And they did not disappoint - they are gorgeous!

And look at me - I flipped the sketch upside down.  So proud of myself - ha!

I love that star  - it's from a new stamp set released in June by Papertrey Ink called Military Stars.  Despite its name, it's a very versatile set.

Please stop by Freshly Made Sketches and check out the wonderful creations from the Clean Team!  I hope you play along with us!  I can't wait to see your take on this awesome sketch from Jennifer!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!


Details:
Cardstock: PTI Kraft and Rustic White, SU Night of Navy
Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny Liberty collection
Stamps: PTI Military Stars and Est. 1776
Ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Memento Paris Dusk
Other: Fiskars star punch, circle punch

I'm an a•muse|studio consultant!

I'm really excited to share my new venture with you.  I have signed up as an a•muse|studio consultant!    I've spent quite a bit of time trying to decide if I really wanted to do this or not.  You see, I'm an equal opportunity stamper - I love ALL stamps.  The only stamps I won't buy are the cheap acrylic ones - I've wasted enough money on those!  I love clear photopolymer stamps - Papertrey Ink, Waltzingmouse, Wplus9, Verve, Paper Smooches, Hero Arts, etc.  I also love cling rubber stamps - a•muse|studio, Stampin' Up, Taylored Expressions, Gina K, etc.  And, while I don't love them, I will buy them if I really like them - wood-mounted stamps.  

So, why did I choose now to become a consultant?  Because there are a lot of a•muse|studio stamps and other products that I want and I thought I'd like to try being a hobby demo for a while.  If it turns into something more, great!  If not, that's okay too.  Now, I could have chosen Stampin' Up because I certainly like a lot of their stamps and products too, but I felt their Terms of Agreement was too restrictive.  Like I said already, I'm an equal opportunity stamper; I can't be limited to showcasing only one stamp company's products on my blog.

I started using a•muse|studio pigment inks a few months ago when I saw good reviews on some of the forums that I peruse.  So, I bought a few and tried them out.  I loved the coverage!  So I will definitely be completing my ink collection as well as trying out their cardstock and other products.

Speaking of cardstock, I have to say that I am something of a Papertrey Ink cardstock snob.  I love, love their sturdy heavyweight cardstock and their prices are great!  But I have always wanted layering weight cardstock too, so I will definitely be checking out all the cardstock.  I do really like the idea that the cardstock is colored on one side and white on the other side - this is really nice for card bases.

If you are not familiar with a•muse|studio or are of a mind to, click on my a•muse|studio webstore link or the 2012 Catalog link on the right and check it out.  The new 2012 Holiday Catalog is coming soon (August 1st).  I have seen only a preview so far, and I can't wait to get the full catalog!  Also, there is a sale on selected stamps right now.  See the July Spotlight link on the right.  I will post more about the sale very soon.

If enough crafters are interested, I'd be willing to look into starting an a•muse|studio Stamp Club.  I think it takes 6 people to form a club and would work similarly to the Stampin' Up clubs - I was in one a year or so ago.  Basically, a club lasts 6 months and each member agrees to spend $25 a month on A Muse products (not incl. tax & shipping) and each person takes a turn at getting hostess benefits ($25 in product).

Oh my gosh, that's enough blathering for now.  I will put up another post shortly about the July Spotlight sale going on right now.  Thanks for sticking around!

And thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!