A Muse Calendar Class at the Doodlebug!

Another great day at the Doodlebug!! We stamped, punched (paper, not each other), colored with Copics, used the BIA and made lots and lots of adorable A Muse calendars!!

I always feel compelled to share what I came home with - as you can see I scored big time in the embellishments department!  I counted and there are 19 packages of Zva pearls/crystals pictured - why didn't I just round up to 20?!  There are Stampendous velvet leaves/filigree, Jillibean Soup corrugated flowers/birds and Prima patterned paper.  Can't wait to play with my new toys!  Thanks to the ladies that came to class!  You all made my day!

Vintage Grey Flower -

Today I thought I'd share a card I made a couple months back for a Paper Crafts submission call.  The rose is made from Basic Grey Cappella paper accented with some flower stamens (available in the bridal section of your crafting store), the cardstock and velvet ribbon are from SU!, glittered chipboard from Making Memories and sentiment from A Muse.

I've managed to get published a few times this year - with even a couple coming up next year and one thing I've learned about the submission process is this - just keep trying!!  There have been many, many times that I made things that I "KNEW" were going to get picked and they didn't!  That can be hard on the old ego - but as long as you are making things that YOU like then it is all worth it!  Submitting is easy since you can send your pics online to most publications.  Just make sure not to post them anywhere else while you wait for your answer.  If you don't submit you will NEVER get published - nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

OLW25 - The Birds and the Bees (Part 2)

Had so much fun with yesterday's card that I played with my new stamp again!  This time I made my OLW25 (one layer card featuring birds/bees/flowers/trees and sentiment) card with warm rustic colors.  I clear embossed the Memory Box stamp on PTI kraft paper and then drybrushed some Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paint (Traditional Tan) on top and then wiped away the excess paint over the embossing.

I rounded the bottom corners, added a touch of ribbon and an A Muse sentiment and called it good!  This card looked good just embossed but the added drybrushed paint made it look kinda haphazard and organic, more "earthy".

These beautiful daisies (?) were photographed with the cell phone on a recent walk with the dog in the neighborhood.  These flowers are so gorgeous and are taller than me!!

Speaking of taller than me - So is Connor!  This is a pic of our boys that I took at the park last week.  Look how gorgeous the foliage is in the background - fallen leaves are definitely more attractive in the park than in my backyard!!  Raking will be a priority very soon!

OLW25 - The Birds and the Bees

Time for a One Layer Wednesday Card - This week's OLW25 is called The Birds and the Bees (and the flowers and the trees).  You need to incorporate two of the above elements and a sentiment onto a one-layer card.  It just so happened that I had this Memory Box stamp sitting out on the table to use today - I had purchased it back in September and hadn't gotten it inky yet  - how serendipitous that it matched the challenge so perfectly!!  Paris Dusk Momento ink is such a pretty blue - not a color I'd normally choose but I'm trying to shake things up a bit (aren't I a dangerous rebel?!!)

An embossed Nestabilities frame takes a card that would have been attractive and elevates it to something truly special!  Thick ivory Papertrey Ink cardstock takes the embossing beautifully.  I wanted a little touch of something at the top and some silver cording fit the bill perfectly!  Sentiment is from A Muse.

Get Sketchy Jugs - You Make Me Smile

I cracked myself up with my blog title - hee hee.  I haven't done a Get Sketchy (GS#60) sketch in what seems like forever!  Not gonna let that happen again - this sketch is way fun with all the grid shapes - I turned it on  its side to accommodate the way I wanted to do the sentiment.

These colors (black/cream/kraft) come from the JUGS #55 color challenge and are right up my alley - in fact, I whipped up this card in less than 15 minutes - Super easy when you use the La Creme matstack for the patterned papers (some of the papers even have flocking).  The sentiment is from PTI and the black silk ribbon is from my crafting stash. 
Did you know that the new issue of Paper Crafts is out now?  It is my most favorite issue ever because the 2010 Stamping Royalty article is in it!!  WHOO HOO - We even got our pictures on page 14.  I stood around the magazine aisle in Wal-Mart the other day in case someone wanted to "spot" my famous royal self, but alas, nobody seemed interested!  Maybe it is because I forgot my tiara!

Wplus9 Color Cue - Butterfly Window

This card is based on the Wplus9 Color Cue 9 - PINK plus white, gray/black.  I am not a huge pink fan but I am not one to shy away from a challenge so here it is!  A window card made from a pink A Muse notecard gives the look of a two layer card without the work!  The butterfly is stamped in black and its hue is deepened with Koh-i-Noor pencils.  Do you dig those charcoal colored crystal swirls like I do?  They are from Prima.

A black butterfly (A Muse 9-4177F Flutterby) might not be everyone's idea of a beautiful thing but it did take your mind off the pink for a minute, right?

Clean & Simple vs. Shabby & Vintage

Can a card be both Clean/Simple and Shabby/Vintage??  This card is based on the current Clean & Simple Stamping's layout (CAS112) but at first glance it appears to be Shabby/Vintage.

Clean & Simple - There were a minimum of products used to make this card (Basic Grey paper and stickers; Cosmo Cricket mini type; The Paper Studio Spare Parts flower brad; May Arts ribbon and old book paper) plus there is lots of white "empty" space.

Shabby & Vintage - The fact that the elements used were patterned and rather fussy, ink distressing on the edge of the pp and old book sheets lend the card a comfortable, weathered and worn look.

Well - it doesn't matter to me - I LOVE this card - I love that the old worn look of the flower is contrasted with the modern type from the stickers!  I love that it is monochromatic!  What do you think - Clean/Simple or Shabby/Vintage?