PDCC79, OLW51 - Three of a Kind

So last week I barely squeaked in with an entry in the Play Date Cafe Challenge so this week I decided to get a jump on it and stamp up my cards right away - problem is I never had a chance to post them until now - nearly three days later!!

Love this combo of red, lime and gray - I think it is the gray/grey that is the unexpected color in this trio but one that really calms down this dynamic duo!  Here is a quote from the color gray:  "Calm it down, red and lime green - there really is no need for you two to be so rowdy.  Don't make me have to go tell your mamas about this behavior."

 If you liked the first card - what do you think of this one?

 or this one??

This week's OLW challenge is to "make three one-layer cards.  Yes, three.  Make three cards all using the same image stamp but vary the occasion by changing the sentiment and/or ink colour and/or card stock colour.  You must use the same image stamp on each card."

I love the touch of the Washi tape (swiped this idea straight from the fabulous Krystie Lee Hersch) - All of the products used are from -

Follow the link to my online store where you too can enjoy the wonders of Washi tape and the Just Because stamp set.  Remember - INKY fingers are HAPPY fingers!!

PDCC78, CP112, TTSCS14 - Have a Beautiful Day

Do you hear that squeaking sound?? That's me - just barely making it in on time for the Play Date Cafe Challenge for this week! Red, Baby Blue and Pink are not colors I would ever - EVER put together but I kinda think this card turned out pretty cool -

Swiped the layout from Card Patterns Sketch 112 and this card is also for a first time challenge for me - TTSCS14: The “It’s Time to Color” Challenge! I saw this challenge mentioned on someone's blog the other day but for the life of me I couldn't find it again so I GOOGLE searched and found out that this is a SCS Challenge sponsored by Teri Anderson! I LOVE Teri Anderson - she is so cool and my "most favorite-ist" Paper Crafts Go-to Gal!

Stamped (Technique Tuesday - My Little Poppy Shoppe) and watercolored this panel several weeks ago but sat it aside and totally forgot about it - it unearthed itself while during bill paying time and seemed just the thing to use today! The patterned paper is from the Jubilee collection from Memory Box; silk ribbon from May Arts; Sentiment from A Muse.
The boys and I were in the hallway for 30+ minutes this afternoon during a tornado warning and we are under a tornado watch right now - AARRGGHH!!

FTL137 - Make It Monday #12: Line Frame 101

Doncha just love the black frame that sets off the sentiment and stamped images?  Nichole Heady has posted a tutorial on how she does it - it is a cool trick that she does quite often and now that I know how to do it - I will be too!

The layout is from Clean and Simple Stamping's FTL137.  Spiral Bouquet was the first Papertrey Ink stamp set that I ever got and it has been a favorite!

Have you been getting the rain that we've been bombarded with in Kentucky?  There was even a nearby county that had to cancel school today due to flooding.  Lots of storms and potential tornadoes blowing through here too - we've been in the hallway a couple times in the past few days while the tornado sirens were blaring!  Owensboro (where we live) is right on the Ohio River so we've seen lots of flooding in the past but we may break records soon - Connor is happy because he doesn't have to mow until the lawn dries up - there are standing puddles of water now.

Recipe 'Off Centre' - Handcarved stamp

The challenge for this week on the Less is More Challenge blog is to make cards that are "Off Centre" - We are looking for cards with little or no symmetry but perfect balance, which doesn't necessarily mean gems in all four corners, or any corners for that matter.

Do you have the new lizard stamp? Of course you don't - that's because I carved it myself!! I've been wanting to try my hand at carving a stamp for some time but couldn't think of an image to start with - Caleb drew the lizard in the above picture and I carved a stamp!

Carving your own stamp is easy. Just pencil your picture onto the provided tracing paper and then use the paper to transfer your drawing to the pink "rubber" material.

Once you've carved out your image, cut around it closely with scissors and you are done! My lizard definitely is no match for the original drawing but, all in all, you can tell that it is a lizard and that's the goal, right?

Here is what inspired the lizard stamp - Clyde. The top picture was taken on 12/05/10 and the bottom one was taken yesterday - 4/23/11. WOW!! Has he ever grown. The large rocks he was posing on in the top photo are dwarfed by him in the bottom picture. Clyde is in his new BIG tank now. I've tried to explain to Caleb that he can grow big like Clyde if he eats his greens (and crickets) daily but to no avail.

The sentiment is from the A MuseStudio stamp set - Foiled Again (Polka Dot Patterns and Woodland Friends). A lizard may not necessarily quote, "say what?" - but I say it a lot when I see how big he has gotten.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Crepe Bouquet

WHOO HOO!!  Check out this card - Isn't it fabulous?!  I am way obnoxiously in love with it!  It is based on the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger below and made from A Muse|Studio products.

This bouquet of "flowers" is made from crepe paper and was featured on the Martha Stewart Craft blog.  How fun to mimic a "paper flower bouquet" with a "paper flower" card!

Look at the elegant embossing in the background - Easily done with the A Muse|Studio Woodgrain/Harlequin Impression plate.  The sentiment is stamped/cut from the A|S Vintage Labels sets (remember last week when I said you should make extra if you are stamping/cutting - I noticed this label in my scraps and it was the perfect thing to finish off my card and bring in just a touch of white that was reflected in the A|S Buttercup Paper Flowers topped with a A|S twinkle sticker.

The gorgeous stamped flowers used three different A|S stamp sets (Marvelous Marigolds, Clever Girls and Kindred Spirits) and I managed to cut them all out.  Fussy cutting images is "not my thing" so I know that my pal, Roni, is proud of me!  A spritz of A|S Stardust Finishing Spray adds a bit of shimmer to the flowers!!

Everything used on this card is available through my A Muse|Studio online store -

OLW50 - Thankful for the Good Ol' Days

This week's One Layer Wednesday Challenge is to "pull out an old rubber stamp that hasn't seen love in a while. Dust it off, ink it up, and make a one-layer Thank You card with it"  This is a challenge that I can wrap my brain around!!

Look at these old SU! beauties - Remember Bothway Blossoms?  That stamp set dates back to 2006 and was a Hostess set that was only current for a year - I was a demo back then so was very sad to not be able to feature it at parties (it has seen a lot of love - look how beat up they look) - the Simple Shapes set is even older - 2003!!  I love pairing up these two sets to quickly color the flowers!

I can't ever seem to resist making an entire cardset when I pull these stamps out - Doesn't the A Muse|Studio Washi tape add a touch of color that finishes these cards quickly but without any extra bulky layers?

Less is More - Week 11 - Acetate

This week's challenge on the Less is More Challenge blog is to use acetate - A lot of people are intimidated by acetate but it can be lots of fun.  One way I like to use it is as an overlay on the front of a card.  It can be tricky to attach since you can see any adhesive used so having the scalloped layer on top is an easy way to hide it.

Have you ever embosssed acetate?  Super easy technique with a lot of presence!  It is really hard to get a good picture of this technique but it looks so cool in real life.  Washi tape added the fun stripes at the top and bottom and also afforded me the opportunity to adhere the panel at the bottom of the card too!  All supplies are from A Muse|Studio!!  Stamp sets - Friend to Friend, Ornate Elements; Washi tape; Woodgrain Embossing Plate; Medium Scallop die; Ocean ink

PDCC77, FTL136 - A Muse|Studio Vintage Labels/Dies

Today's card uses some of my FAVORITE new products from A Muse Studio!!  The Vintage Labels Stamp set coupled with the matching Labels dies!!  What makes them so special is the way that you use the included clear pieces to cut them out - want to see what I mean - click here!

I figure that if I'm cutting out one label I should stamp and cut out three - that way I have two in my stash for those super quick/easy cards you need in a hurry!!

Chose my colors from the Play Date Cafe Challenge.  My favorite colors are green and brown so this challenge just screamed out to me!!

Layout is courtesy of Clean and Simple Stamping's FTL136.  The A Muse|Studio swallow die replaced the button element on the sketch.  Look closely and you'll see that there are actually two swallows - I covered the first one with glitter and it got a bit too sparkly for me so I cut another one and layered it on top so just a teeny bit of the glimmer shows.

Gorgeous satin ribbon adds to the lovely layers of green!!  All supplies are from A Muse|Studio -  Stamp Sets - Vintage Labels, Good Fortune; Diecuts - Labels set, Swallows; Ink - Fern, French Roast; Diamond Glitter; Ribbon - Lichen; Cardstock - Sage, Latte Woodgrain, Fern, Grass Gingham, Kraft.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Porch Play

Just barely squeaking in with an entry to this week's Tuesday Trigger Challenge - Porch Play based on the photo below.  This card is pretty colorful and "different" for me but I am digging it -

The corrugated cardboard echoes the ruffles on the pillow and apron in a sophisticated way; the paper doily suggests the shape of the mirror; the linear shapes of the squares at the bottom of the card reflect the lines of the dresser; a teeny bit of yellow in the sentiment finished it up!

 The layout is based on the GS83 sketch and the colors are from the Wplus9 Design Studio Color Cue. 

This is one of those rare cards with no stamping.  Instead, I dug into my stash and played with lots of fun, neglected embellishments!  Corrugated shapes - Jillibean Soup; Cappuchino Twine - The Twinery; Letters - Basic Grey and Cosmo Cricket; Cardstock - A Muse Studio; Paper Doily - Maya Road; Jeweled Brad - Making Memories.

OLW49 - Green, Pink and Never Seen Ink

This week's One Layer Wednesday is to use Green, Pink and a stamp that's never seen ink.  Used a little "artistic license" with this challenge because if I buy a stamp - I use a stamp.  I don't have any stamps that haven't seen ink - but, I'll bet, since these stamps are from A Muse|Studio and are brand new that they may not have seen ink from any of you reading this.

The card is 4.25" square and uses a technique called reverse masking.  Pictured above is a square of computer paper - a Classic Square Nestabilities die was used to cut out the center.  That outline gets layered over your cardfront and then stamped with the a|s Harlequin background stamp.  Once the mask is removed the card is stamped only in the middle - easy peasy!

I love a background stamp but the downside of background stamps is the huge amount of space that they take up for storage - not any more - with A Muse|Studio stamps you have one big background acrylic block and clingfoam stamps that take up much less space!!

A sentiment (friend to friend), leaves (beautiful botanicals 2) and a sprinkle of twinkle stickers and this card is done!  Contact me if you are interested in ordering or learning more about opportunities with A Muse|Studio!

Moxie Fab "Stamp" of Approval: A Muse Studios

Do you want a chance to win this Avian Notes stamp set (along with four others) from a muse|studio??  Check out Cath's post HERE -

FTL135 - Happy Thoughts of You

This card has done battle with me for over two days - I'm still not sure who won the war - Layout is from Clean & Simple Stamping's FTL135.   The idea was to randomly stamp dots (A|S Lots of Dots) and then layer the stamped image (A|S Beautiful Botanicals 2) on top.  However, the random dots didn't work for me so I ended up doing something more uniform which obviously didn't work either -

In real life the botanical "weed" is more prominent than it seems to be in the photo.  One fun thing to try is to curve your sentiment (Vintage A Muse).

LOVE the shimmer from A|S Stardust Finishing Spray and more Washi Tape! 
"Hi, My name is Michelle and I am addicted to Washi Tape."  Isn't it nice that A Muse|Studio can help you become addicted to Washi Tape too - online shopping makes it easy!!
All paper, stamps, ribbon, tape, Nestabilities, etc. are from A Muse Studio!!

Less is More Challenge - "Sentiment Focus"

This card is made for the current Less is More Challenge - Sentiment Focus on a one layer card.  I love the sentiment from the On the Wing stamp set from A Muse|Studio.  This particular set includes 4 images (3 birds and a heart) plus 5 sentiments!  That bit of red along the bottom of the card is from Washi Tape -

This is the card I made originally - however, once I read the rules again I realized that I had completely ignored the whole one layer aspect of the card.  Oopsy!  I dig this card though - I think the use of the Washi tape is cool - my husband thinks otherwise - here was our conversation -
ME - Do you like this card - isn't the Washi tape cool?
HIM - It looks like your panel is held on with those pieces of tape -
ME - Ya, that's what it is supposed to look like - isn't that awesome?
HIM - I have no opinion of Washi tape -
ME - ?????
HIM - Your card looks like when I tape something off to paint around it -
He does like Washi tape when it is in clean stripes like on the first card but the torn strip look is more than he can handle -
Which one do you like better -

OLW48 - A Sympathetic Challenge

Just got home from our travels this afternoon - as soon as pets were settled, laundry was started and general mayhem somewhat controlled it was time to make a card.  This week's One Layer Wednesday challenge was to make a sympathy card without trees or flowers. 

I decided to forgo black too since that is a typical color that I would grab for a sympathy card and instead went for a yellow/purple/gray combo.  Washi tape and twine adorn the left side of the card.  All supplies are from A Muse|Studio (Grunged Sunrays, Essential Sentiments, Just Because stamp sets).  Click on the link to go directly to my A Muse|Studio online store!!