Sneak Peek - A Muse Floral Class at the Doodlebug

Ever want to make a paper rose but were afraid that you couldn't do it?  Fear no more - Just come to the Doodlebug on Wednesday night and I'll show you how!!  We will be using gorgeous A Muse products and some fun tools (Cuttlebug, Fiskars crimper, Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors, etc.) to make some great projects.  Be sure and click on my sidebar for details on how you can join me there!!

Class Sneak Peek - A Muse Seahorse

Did you know that I am teaching at the Doodlebug this Saturday? If you want to have fun making this adorable card featuring the A Muse Seahorse/Coral plus use Nestabilities dies, Copic Markers and learn lots of fun tips and techniques then you'd better hurry and call the Doodlebug to sign up -

This card goes perfectly with the current Color Cue challenge from Wplus9 stamps!! Click on the class picture in the left column for further class details.

Sneak Peek - Everything's Rosy class

We are home from Wisconsin - had a great/quick trip and now there is a mountain of laundry calling to me but I wanted to pop in a give you a sneak peek of two of the 5 cards we will be making Wednesday evening at the Doodlebug in Jasper! Soft shades of blue and green will be complimented by fun techniques, gorgeous florals and all new designs with A Muse's Everything's Rosy release!!

It isn't too late to give Hannah and Melanie a call and get registered! See ya on Wednesday~

Everything's Rosy - Moxie Fab

Today is the last day of the A Muse Everything's Rosy peeks! I've had such a fun time making cards with these stamps - so easy and effortless. The last day is Designer's choice so I used the Leaf Frond II to make this card for the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger Challenge. I do the Trigger Challenges a lot but this one is special because the trigger came from my good friend Veronica Ramsey (her peeps call her Roni)!!
I just had to put all my cards out on the table and take a pic of all their floral goodness! Can't wait to design a class around these wonderful stamps - in fact, I plan to do so in June. Have you noticed in the sidebar that I will be teaching at the Doodlebug in Jasper, IN starting this month? Hannah and Melanie are great and their store is chock full of wonderful papercrafting goodness! They've been in business for 8 years and I know that many of you have already visited their store - I hope to see you there!!

Everything's Rosy - Flittery Fun

The florals in the A Muse Everything's Rosy release have been outstanding - What makes us smile as much as seeing flowers in full bloom? maybe butterflies? Look at this colorful flock (9-4178M Flutterby Flock). Love the matching sentiment too (9-8631C).

If you look closely at the butterflies you will see a texture on them that came from "kissing" them with my big ol' Marigold stamp. It is easy to color each butterfly a different color when you use Momento Dewdrops ink.

Couldn't resist a second card - this one embellished with Zva Pearls. I can't wait to see what all the Muses have made with their butterfly stamps!!

Everything's Rosy - Everyday Elegance

Isn't the new Scroll Border just the most elegant thing ever?! Makes me want to drink tea with my pinky out! I used the new Wild Rose and Wild Rose Branch to make a quick and easy background that was accented with the Scroll Border and a layer of Chiffon Pink cardstock. I couldn't resist adding a big white silk bow! Corey hasn't "whispered" to me with flowers in a long time - maybe I should show him this card and point repeatedly at the sentiment. . . .
Stamps - A Muse 9-4185C Wild rose, 9-4186K Wild rose branch, 9-5067 Scroll border, 9-8634C Flowers whisper
Ink - Momento Dye ink in Rich Cocoa, New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves, Rosebud
Paper - A Muse Chiffon Pink
Accessories - Silk ribbon, Corner Chomper

Everything's Rosy - Floral Friendship

Ready for more delightful images from the new Everything's Rosy release?!! I have been having so much fun getting these new stamps inky - This card is inspired by the pic below. Would you believe me if I said that I made those cookies and then gave them to a friend with this great card?

How rude of you to laugh out loud! Okay, fine - I'll admit it - I got this inspiration photo from Design Sponge. I may not have made the cookies but I did make this lovely card! I really like how the Jasmine Silhouette looks on the Modern Wood Block. I used my stamp positioner to make sure the "Hello" stamped exactly in the right place and added a few clear twinkle stickers for fun.

The petite gingham and the yellow kitchen paper add so much to this layout - funny how you can match gingham and polka-dots on a card and it looks cute but when you wear plaid shorts and a polka-dot shirt people just stare at you like you are weird or something - I'm just saying . . . .

Stamps - 9-4180G Jasmine silhouette, 9-8635B Hello FL, 6-5066J Modern wood block

Ink - Momento dye ink in Cantaloupe, Bamboo Leaves and Rich Cocoa

Paper - A Muse Green Petite gingham, Watermelon and Yellow Kitchen paper

Accessories - A Muse White Polka Dot ribbon, Fiskars Apron Lace Edge Punch, Corner Chomper

Everything's Rosy - Day 1

HOORAY - the time has come to start unveiling all the beautiful new stamps from the Everything's Rosy stamp release! I am in LOVE with these beautiful stamps - This first card features a BIG stamp - Marigold. A clean and simple design like this one is super fast to produce and makes you want to make more -
How about three more? I scalloped the bottom front of the card to break up the "white space" just a hair and added a strip of white paper behind. Did I mention that this is a BIG stamp?
Told ya!! Can't wait to be having lots of fun with this stamp! The possibilities are endless! Hope you "Have a beautiful day."
Stamps - A Muse Marigold 9-4185N. 9-8630C Beautiful day fl
Ink - New Sprout, Bahama Blue, Rosebud, Cantaloupe, Tuxedo Black Momento Dye Ink
Paper - A Muse Latte 4b notecards, Watermelon, Sage Green, Buttercup, Robin's Egg Blue
Accessories - A Muse clear Twinkle stickers, SU! Edge punch

Beautiful Birds -

Here is a closer look at two of the cards we will be making in the Beautiful Birds Tote Bag with Cards class next week. This particular card seems to be the favorite of most people who see the set -
The following card is my favorite! I love the ribbon (came from the fabric department of Hobby Lobby and it is elastic - go figure), the texture from the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and the staples (Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher).

There is still room in class - just send me an e-mail to register - msmathey@gmail.com

Beautiful Birds Tote Bag with Cards

Here is a sneak peek of the tote bag with cards that we will be making at the Owensboro Hobby Lobby in February. The four cards/envelopes all fit in the little bag - so fun to use or to give as a gift! To register just send me an e-mail at msmathey@gmail.com
Hope to see you then - the details are on the sidebar to the left.

Sneak Peek - One Layout/5 Ways!

Here is a peek at another one of the cards we will be making in class this week. The darker blue/green panel is the same cardstock as the lighter one it is layered onto - Embossing the stamped panel with clear embossing powder gives it a great texture plus darkens it enough for layering. The patterned paper is Chamomile from the Carma Collection by Dream Street Papers. It has been such a popular paper at Serendipity that Kim has had to order it twice. Since this paper is double sided it is patterned on the inside of the card. Attaching a white layer to the inside makes it possible to write on this card. It is not too late to sign up for class - Give a quick call to Serendipity to register.
Stamps - A Muse 2-4141F Modern Poppy, 9-8588B Get Better Soon
Paper - Aqua Mist cardstock, patterned paper
Ink - Ranger Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, Versamark Ink (for embossing)
Accessories - A Muse Sheer French Roast ribbon, Ranger Heat Tool, Clear Embossing Powder

Sneak Peek - One Layout/5 Ways!

Here's a sneak peek of one of the cards we will be making in next week's classes at Serendipity. We will take one basic layout and show how we can interpret it 5 ways. This card features a technique that I call "Twisted Kissing". Wait until you see how fun and easy it is!
I get inspired for colors on my cards in the strangest ways - - - I turned the corner in my bathroom one day and saw these towels hanging on the rack. I was working on my class cards that day and decided at that point that one card would need to be kraft, white and chocolate.

If you haven't heard already Serendipity will be closing its doors at the end of January. These will be my last classes at the shop. While I am very sad to see this journey come to an end, I wish Kim and Randy all the best in their future endeavors. Its not too late to sign up for this class. Hope to see you then! Stay tuned for a few more sneak peeks of the projects over the next few days -

Stamps - A Muse 2-4163G Dill, 9-8233B Hi Friend, 3-5019G Big Block

Paper - Kraft, White and Chocolate Brown cardstock

Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Desert Sand and Rich Cocoa

A Muse Bouche - Part IV

Today's theme is Elegant Sea-Themed Greeting. The new Coral stamp makes that an easy task. First, stamp with Ladybug Momento ink, then stamp again (I used a stamp positioner to line things up) with a gluepad, then add glitter. Super sparkly coral - super quick!!
I paired the coral with the new Seahorse stamp - colored with Copics and popped up with dimensionals - The A Muse twinkle stickers are a "must have" with these great sea images!

The coral is stamped on watercolor paper which adds a fun texture to a CAS card layout -I've been really enjoying all the sneak peeks of these versatile images! Haven't you?

BTW - Did you realize that the seahorse is the only creature in the animal kingdom in which the males have babies??!! Wouldn't that make life easier if humans did that too??!!

Stamps - A Muse 6-3145C Sea horse, 6-4171J Coral, 8-8347B Just a Note

Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Ladybug and Tuxedo Black

Paper - White and black cardstock, watercolor paper

Accessories - A Muse Sheer White Polka Dotted Ribbon, Tsukineko Essential Glue Pad, Art Institute Glitter, A Muse twinkle stickers, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Copic markers

A Muse Bouche - Part III

Ready for another peek at the A Muse Sea of Love release? Frankly, I'm not even sure why I made this card - really - do you ever think that I would be crabby??!! (No, you are not allowed to ask my husband or two sons!) hee hee - I hate to admit it but there are many times when a card like could come in handy in my life. I particularly enjoy how sheepish the crab looks as if he is shocked/embarrassed at how "crabby" he got!!
I stamped off the Retro Rectangle first so the red background would be muted. I colored the crabby dude with my Koh-i-Noor pencils and did some shading with a W4 copic marker. Stamping on ribbon is always fun - I don't do it often enough -
Guess I should make a few more of these!
Stamps - A Muse 6-3147D Crab, 9-8625B Been Crabby, 3-5021G Retro Rectangle
Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Tuxedo Black and Ladybug
Paper - A Muse 4b Cranberry, kraft and white cardstock
Accessories - Twill ribbon, EK Success Edge punch - Swiss Cheese, Koh-i-Noor Pencils, Copic Marker, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

A Muse Bouche - Part II

Look at the googly eyes those two clams are making at each other - looks like me and Corey (LOL!!) - Novell flipped her card inside out yesterday and inspired me to try it today - The clams were stamped on white paper, colored with Copics, shined up with a Glaze Pen, cut out and popped up with some dimensionals.

My trusty Cuttlebug folder gave the "wavy" look I wanted and a few A Muse twinkle stickers completed the look.
When you open the card you see the sentiment inside - I may use this for our anniversary card this year (don't tell Corey!)
Stamps - A Muse 2-3142C Clams, 9-8629B Happy as Clams
Ink - Moment Dye Ink in Tuxedo Black
Paper - A Muse 4b Robin's Egg Blue
Accessories - A Muse Sheer Ocean Dotted Ribbon, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirl Embossing Folder

Amuse Bouche

It is time for our most tasty morsels - A Muse Bouche. The NEW Sea of Love release features many beautiful images including Curling Waves. Really, have you felt the air outside? Nobody could surf on those waves except Baby Penguin.
The penguin is such a fun stamp to use since it takes no time at all to paper piece his tummy so it is always bright and white. Copic markers were used to color the waves and then some bling was added with a clear Spica on the penguin and a Gelly Roll pen on the waves.
Be sure and check out all the great sneak peeks today!!
Stamps - A Muse 2-4170E Curling Waves, 7-3098B Baby Penguin, 8-8471B Love is for the Birds
Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Tuxedo Black
Paper - A Muse 4b notecards in Navy and Sky Blue
Accessories - Clear Spica marker, Sakura Gelly Roll Clear pen

Copic class -

This is one of the cards we will be making this Wednesday in the Copics 101 class - This acorn stamp is one of the newest A Muse stamps and is so fun and easy to color with Copics. BTW - this is the third card in a row that was green and brown - can you tell that they are my favorite colors?!! Part of the reason I love Fall is that I can indulge in all the brown and green I want -
Stamps - A Muse 2-4162D Acorn, 9-8246B Thinking of you hand
Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Tuxedo Black
Paper - A Muse square notecard in Cottage Green Argyle, A Muse Fern, kraft
Accessories - Copic Markers (E13, E33, E57, YG23, YG95), Scallop edge punch

A Muse Bouche - Part V

WOW - 5 days of peeks at the new release - Don't ya just want it all? For the final peek, I decided to do something fun and different from anything else I've done before. I was trying to decide how I could show several different shimmer papers at one time and I decided to make some paper ribbon - Here is how you do it -
First - Gather your supplies - I used a piece of white cardstock cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2. Then I cut varying widths of shimmer paper (from about 1/4" - 5/8") that were 8 1/2" long.

I decided to stick with a blues/greens/purple/pink palette. After arranging the paper strips in an aesthetically pleasing way (to me, anyway) I started attaching them to the base cardstock with Scor-tape. I even put a few pieces of Scor-tape as spacers (when the cardstock base was completely covered, I removed the waxed paper from the Scor-tape and poured super sparkly glitter over the sticky lines).

Lastly I used a guillotine cutter to slice the paper ribbon into 1/2" lengths - you can get a lot of paper ribbon this way! Now many of the new papers are represented. . .

Funny how such a little bit of shimmer paper can make such a big impression.
I've been staying up late every night to get my projects posted - I'm hoping to sneak in a quick nap tomorrow - I'm exhausted but has been well worth it! Be sure and check the A Muse News blog for one more terrific contest!
Stamps - 9-8616C A Muse (big) Thanks

A Muse Bouche!!

WOW!! The new A Muse release is so beautiful!! Shimmery papers galore - new pearls - new ribbons - new twinkles and best of all NEW stamps!! I got this layout from Clean & Simple FTL 60 - this is a great website to jump start your card creations!! To get the soft watercolor look on my leaves I colored my Maple Leaf Solid stamp with several Copic Markers. These are alcohol markers so you can't mist with water and stamp like you can with watercolor markers. What to do? Mist with Colorless Blender Fluid - easy when you have a Ranger Mini Mister filled with it. You can have one too when you visit Serendipity! Check out all the new peeks that the Muses will have on their blogs!!

Stamps - 9-8615C Beautiful Autumn, 6-4169D Maple Leaf Solid

Ink - Momento Bamboo Leaves

Paper - A Muse Shimmer Couture paper in Espresso, Shimmer Damask in Grass

Accessories - A Muse sheer ribbon in French Roast, A Muse Pretty Pearls in lime, Copic markers, Clear Copic Spica Marker (used on top of leaves to add additional shimmer - can't have too much shimmer!)

BTW - I do believe that this is my 100th post!!

Balloon Girl

Here's a quick look at a card that will be featured in the upcoming Copic Basic & Airbrushing class (10/07/09).

I decided to copy Becky Rusher's signature soft look for this card - Mandy is so sweet colored with pale Copics and then faded to white - sparkly white paper makes the perfect clouds. (Happy Anniversary, Becky & Al).

Stamps - A Muse 1-6135J Balloon Girl, 8-8565B Little Fun Today

Paper - A Muse 4b notecard in Sky Blue, Doodlebug Design Bon Bon Sugarcoated Cardstock

Ink - Momento dye ink in Tuxedo Black

Accessories - Scalloped Oval Marvy Uchida Punch, Copic Markers

Here's a card I put together yesterday - I'm trying to do some different things with my Copics. This is a retired image from Stampin' Up! I love that little bird - used lots of different colors and then cut out and embossed with Nestabilities. Look at that soft edge - I used the Tim Holtz (Inkssentials) foam tool and Old Paper distressed ink. HOW did I ever stamp so long without this tool - It makes the PERFECT sponged edge!! LOVE this! Naturally, if you'd like one of your own, you can find it at Serendipity!!