Sneaking in a Little Fall/Halloween Goodies

Without a lot of boring (and whiny) details October was a rough month- flu, computer crash, the usual soccer, scouts, & dance AND a wonderful trip to Seattle to meet up with all my A Muse Gals! Needless to say, it got me way behind on blogging. I was super busy crafting so although late, I thought I would share a bit with you hear and there. This first peek I made for of Rachel's "extra" teachers- special Ed, librarian- you get the picture. These ladies do so much to help my little girl and I wanted to show my appreciation. They are definitely "the pick of the patch!"

One thing that I really like about this image selection is the versatility! It can truly take you all the way through Fall and be completely appropriate for Thanksgiving treats! With the current trend in coloring open images, it is easy to forget all the solid images have to offer. For one thing, the ease of use makes them perfect for mass production! Keep this in mind when making those 50 or even 100 Christmas cards!

Next, there are lots of fun techniques to really give them a unique look. Here I used 2 different techniques with the Solid Pumpkin. To give it a bit of depth and texture, I used the "rock-n-roll" technique. This involves inking up with a lighter color (in this case Memento Cantaloupe) then rolling the edges with a darker color (Memento Tangelo.) I even add some Bamboo Leaves to the stem. After stamp the image, I masked it off and stamped the Vine border to add foliage to the scene. Truly a quick and easy look! Remember it's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

A Muse products used: Solid pumpkin, Vine border, Pick of the patch stamps, 8 1/2 x 11 Petite Gingham paper in Grass, Natural White notecards, Orange polka dot ribbon

A White Christmas in Alabama?????

Crazy talk, I know! But not to fret, everyone attending my Winter Wonderland classes in Alabama will learn 4 different techniques to add a bit of "faux snow" to their holiday cards and projects! Just wanted to share a little sneak peek of the one of the cards we will be making in this class. With my 2 daughters, all images "little girl" of course, appeal to me so I had to use the adorable A Muse image Girl with sled! Too cute! The Slate color colored notecards remind me of a warm gray flannel and I thought the red petite gingham paper and swiss red stitched grosgrain were awesome accents. The silver holly embelli is hand made with quickutz and double sided adhesive chipboard (also, by quickutz.) I added some MS silver glitter and red Twinkle stickers and had coordinating bling from supplies already at hand (love when a plan comes together)! Sending out a wave to Cheryl who reminded me that I had neglected my little blog lately! It's ALWAYS a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

It's been way too long...

So I thought I'd share a little sneak peek of fun to come in October. This first card is one of 4 that I will be teaching in my Too Cute to Spook class (please see my Class Blog for times and locations.) In this class we will be masking, using the rock-n-roll technique, heat embossing, and learning a cute new way to add a ruffled frame to a stamped image (and of course, having lots of Alabama A Muse Addict Fun)!
This card is 1 of 3 that will be making in my World Card Making Day class, Asian Pearls. In this 1 1/2 hour class, you will learn 3 different techniques using Pearl Ex for a bit of an elegant A Muse twist. There are still a few spaces left in both classes but space is limited to sign up ASAP! Hope to see you there!!!!

On another note, it is the time of year again for the A Muse calendar project! There are several awesome styles this year and, as usual, proceeds go to an wonderful cause! For details regarding this fun and very worthwhile event, be sure to check out this A Muse News post AND watch my Class Blog for an announcement for a super fun calendar class! It's ALWAYs a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Party Like It's A Muse Release Day

How fun is this image! Having pre-teen daughter and a younger daughter who likes Hannah Montana, I wall thrilled to see Rockin' Girl with this Back-to-school release! I have tons of different ideas for this rocker and I'm sure the rest of the Muses have awesome samples for their a muse-bouche today. For this possible party invitation, I used a glue pad and some fushia glitter to create the background with Tin plate. It reminded me of a state background. The rocker is "glittered-up" with Stickles and a bit of Glossy Accents (for a time saver, the Glossy Accents could be replaced with a Clear Spica pen.) The finishing touch, the new sentiment "party like a rockstar" with a star twinkle sticker to accent the exclamation point. Truly a simple, fun card! Be sure to check out you lss to purchase these, as well as, all of the other new BTS & Mandy's World stamps. Don't have a lss that carries A Muse- well, ask them "why not" or check out the A Muse website. It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Are you full yet?

I certainly hope not! Are you enjoying all the samples of these new A Muse goodies? Today, I've made a card featuring the new Football player and Cheerleader images. The Way to Go sentiment comes from a brand new acrylic set called "Sports Clear set." Truly it will take care of all of your sport sentiment needs! Be sure to check out what the rest of the A Muse Creative Team has designed with these fun stamps! Well, one more day of previews. How long is YOUR wish list- teeheehee! It's ALWAYs a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Stamps:Football player, Cheerleader, Sports Clear set, Fancy Borders set
Notecards: Palm, Papaya
Copic markers, Uniball Signo White Gel pen, black brad from AC

Delusions of Grandeur...

I had every intension of making 2 cards for today- 1 for the A muse-bouche and one for the August A Muse Lounge Challenge- Ink it Up- "to create something using any of your A Muse stamps that you have never used before." Well, there were plenty of un-inked stamps from this latest release and I was just itching for a chance to use this little Mandy Mermaid! Needless to say, I gave in to temptation and made my August challenge card first. One thing lead to another and I did not have time for an A muse-bouche card (feature some different images of the cutie, Mandy.) Never fear, though, I do have cards for the next 2 days of sneaks, so be sure to check back!

So...there are actually 4 stamps on this card that I had never inked- Mermaid girl, fin-tastic day, Treasure chest and the little fishy from the Oval frame set. Something else different for me on this card- No Copics! Another Muse (my stamping/instructing idol, no less) shared with us that she had left her coloring materials (Copics included) at home while on her way to a weekend stamping gathering. It made me think about what I would do if I didn't have my Copics. I always loved my colored pencils. They are an awesome tool that have been sadly neglected since I started "collecting" my beloved markers. So I decided to give them a turn and am so glad that I did. Not better results just different and it there was something very satisfying coloring this cute little gal! Although it is difficult to see in the photo, the little mermaid's tail and hair are super sparkle-y thanks to my favorite Star Dust Stickles.

Be sure to check out the 4th Day of a muse-bouches shared with the other Muses today. Mandy is definitely a gal worth blog hopping. Also, be sure to check out the A Muse blog today to find out about the wonderful artist of these darling images. It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Would you like another serving?

I've most certainly said this before but one of my favorite things about A Muse images are their versatility! One of my favorite stamps from the Back-t0-school release is Solid Apple for that very reason. I have had such fun playing with this image. Not only can it be used for a school theme but most certainly autumn cards, recipe projects, you name it. Besides that apples can be red, yellow, green, even a metallic gold for the holidays. Fun, creative stuff! The background for this apple was made by weaving ribbons and adhering them behind a cut out square on this beautiful Papaya notecard. I used both A Muse's stitched grosgrain and sheer black ribbons. There is, also, a little piece or 2 of May Arts black gingham to add interest. This card came together super quickly- just perfect to put together the night before school. Be sure to check the other blogs listed here for more A muse-bouche. It's ALWAYS a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Stamps: solid apple, you make a difference
Notecard: Papaya
Ribbon: black sheer, black stitched grosgrain, May Arts black gingham