happy birthday to you

Who doesn't need more manly cards?  After I saw this card by Nichole Heady, I was thrilled to know that I had practically the same supplies.  I was a bit disappointed that my chamomile argyle pattern barely shows up next to the words.  Next time I'll grab some darker ink.

stamp: A Muse circles; Savvy "happy birthday to you"; Papertrey Ink background type font
ink: Memento rich cocoa; VersaColor pinecone; Papertrey Ink chamomile
other: Papertrey Ink die cut

winners

Have you been wondering if I would ever announce them?  Our house has been under the weather lately, in all kinds of ways.  No one seems to have the same bug.  Enough of our troubles, onto the goodies!




The winner of the May 1st blog hop, who will receive a small sampling of a·muse|studio flowers is:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:14

Powered by RANDOM.ORG


(the true entered "max" was 19, but every time I publish this it says "100")


Sue D said... Both cards are fabulous! Love the map.

slrdowney at hotmail dot com

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The winner of the May 2nd blog hop, who will receive 6 die cut birds (3 of each) and 1 yard of stitched bubblegum ribbon is: 

(the true entered "max" was 25, but every time I publish this it says "100")

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:6Powered by RANDOM.ORG

 Katie Skiff said...

How fun, all three are amazing!!! I love those ties and shirts!!

May 2, 2011 8:15 AM

Congrats to both of you ladies!  Send me your mailing addresses (click the "email me" button at the right) and I'll get the goodies to you.


As for everyone else, our "Studio Stampers" (Krystie's dowline) is changing our hop day to the middle of the month.  Things aren't confirmed but it will probably be on the 15th of each month.  "Follow" me and you won't miss out!

happy day

After I finished a card the other day, I saw this bird scrap sitting in my scrap container.  I immediately had to get to work. This is what I came up with:

Do you ever have a scrap that you can't think of anything to do with it, and then a few hours/days/weeks later you see it and know exactly how to use it and wonder how you were so stumped before?

stamp: Memory Box bird; Papertrey Ink flourishes & "happy day"

ink: VersaFine onyx black; ColorBox white

other: twine, Memory Box pearl stickers, Copic Marker

dear friend

I was looking for a high quality, eco-friendly shower curtain and was inspired by this beauty.

stamp: A Muse birds & "dear friend"; Stampin' Up leaf

ink: A Muse french roast &

other: Papertrey Ink die cut, jewel stickers

a|s consultants blog hop

Time for another blog hop!  Yesterday's hop involved my a·muse|studio upline "cousins" (if you're here for that and came from Veronica's blog scroll down to the next post).   We are all lucky to have Krystie as our upline lady.

Today's hop includes a variety of a|s consultants who connected through the online forum.  You should have arrived here from Kelly's blog, if not you can start it all at Samantha's blog.  She will have the complete list of all the blogs in case there is a glitch along the way.  Just follow the blog path; there are lots of prizes to be won, so leave some comment love!!

Enough nitty gritty.

The theme this month is "congratulations".  When you think of the school days, "congrats" probably isn't the fist thing that comes to mind, but there are lots of people and occasions that deserve congratulating. Some people to consider: teachers, principals, office staff, students, college grads, tutors, and teacher aides.  Occasions for congratulating (but are certainly not limited to): finishing a school year, finishing state testing, passing National Boards, graduating, not losing a kid on a field trip (you think I'm joking, but I used to teach), completing a school performance/play, and sadly in my area keeping your teaching position when schools are closing.

This next card is just a fun, girlie congratulations.  Maybe for a newly announced pregnancy (there seem to be LOTS of my friends sharing that great news right now), a new job, a new home, or anything else you can dream up for those amazing women in your life (or men who like pink and birds).

This last card is a little more masculine.  We have a dear friend who was just made partner at his firm and we wanted to congratulate him.  We are so proud of him!!

What sort of congratulating do you have going on in your neck of the woods?

Wait, one more thing!  Want a little treat?  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a prize (6 die cut birds (3 of each) and 1 yard of stitched bubblegum ribbon, so you can recreate the congratulations bird card).

okay, now you're off to Carla's blog, Paper Pastorale

congrats

stamp: a·muse|studio bus, chalkboard, ruler, & "congrats" (I used the "congratulations" stamp very carefully)

ink: VersaMark; VersaFine onyx black; Memento tuxedo black

other: white embossing powder, Copic Markers

congratulations

stamp: a·muse|studio branch, birds, & "congratulations"

ink: A Muse bubblegum & grass

other: bubblegum stitched ribbon, bird die cuts


you're the best
stamp: a·muse|studio dress shirt & "you're the best"
ink: VersaFine onyx black

a|s blog hop

Welcome to the a·muse|studio blog hop with my a muse "cousins".   We are all lucky to have Krystie as our upline lady.


If you are joining the blog hop, you should have arrived from Veronica's blog.  If not, you can start all the blog hopping fun at Krystie's blog.  She has a complete list of all the stops in case there's a glitch along the way. There are a few prizes involved and not too many blog hop stops, so why not?!  (The more blogs you comment on, the better your chances of winning a|s goodies.)  Even if you don't have time to comment, you'll get to see a variety of a|s inspired cards.




My kids were invited to another pirate party, this time it was for a little girl.  I was so excited, that I immediately created this card.  I've made a few pirate cards lately and the best way to get an aged map (that I've discovered) is to stamp your images on kraft paper, ink the edges, distress the edges, and crinkle it up. I thought a paper bag would work well but I like the look of the kraft much better.  I've also burnt the edges before but all the ashes can get quite messy.  Have you ever made a map/old scroll paper?  What do you like to do?

front

inside

This next card I wanted something for a tween or a teen.  A bit older with some attitude, yet still playful.

Thanks so much for stopping by!   I'm participating in another a·muse|studio blog hop tomorrow, "follow" me and come on back to see the goodness!

Wait, one more thing!  Want a little treat?  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a prize (a small sampling of a·muse|studio flowers).

happy birthday matey!
stamp: A Muse buried treasure set

ink: VersaFine onyx black; Memento tuxedo black; A Muse french roast

other: twinkle stickers, Copic markers


you rock my world
stamp: A Muse background, guitar, & "you rock my world"
ink: VersaFine onyx black
other: Copic Markers, washi tape, twinkle stickers


Complete list of blog hop (in other words make sure you commented on each blog for many chances to win prizes):
Krystie Hersch
Kathy Hatzke
Kelly Spivey 
Lianna Vigil
Lisa Wakabayashi
Lesa Wolfe
Veronica Zalis
Kari Bell-- YOU ARE HERE!!


Congratulations!  You made it through the hop (if not go on back to Krystie's blog).  We hope we inspired you to create some fun projects!

{blank pirate card}

My son was invited to a pirate birthday party.  So I whipped up this card using a grocery bag and some scraps.  My son will be having a pirate party and this gave me a chance to play with some different layout and invitation options. [Forgive the bad photo, we were off to the party and I only had one chance to photograph this.]

stamp: Stampin' Up! pirate & X trail

ink: VersaFine onyx black & Memento Tuxedo Black

other: Papertrey Ink die cut, Copic markers

Beware!  More pirate cards in the future matey!!

embellish top designer

I have been a bit side-tracked with vacation, Easter, and day to day life.  Remember this card?

Well I was floored when I saw it as a "top designer" pick for Embellish Magazine.  (#2)  Check out their post for more details, but that's basically it.  I'm excited, especially since this was a last minute, enter for fun contest at the time.  I wasn't bending over backward to create the perfect card that I loved.

life is too short; eat dessert first

You've heard the saying, "Inspiration (for a card) can come from anywhere".  I got the idea for this card from my daughter's bib.  

I used the Fiskars paper crimper on kraft paper to get a textured look, then I die cut the paper liners which flattened them out a little.

front

inside

stamp: Papertrey Ink cupcake pieces & "life is too short; eat dessert first"
ink: VersaFine onyx black; ColorBox pink & dune
other: Papertrey Ink die cut, jewel stickers, square punch (edge of the banner)

who is counting?

I made this for my brother's birthday.  Can you guess how old he is now?!

stamp: Papertrey Ink "who is counting?" & "it's just a number"

ink: Memento rich cocoa, VersaColor pinecone

other: Papertrey die cuts, twine

{blank pink flowers & green leaves}

You 'may' have noticed that I have recently found a stash of photos of my cards.  I remember making these with my girlfriends at one of our shoebox swaps.  I'm 99% sure that they are all Impress stamps.  In fact, I know the large flower is because I ran out and bought it the next day, I just love it!

hey there

Dawn McVey made this adorable yellow card.  I love the monochromatic look with the bright chevron stripes.  Here's my swing at it.

stamp: Savvy stripes; Papertrey Ink "hey there"

ink: VersaColor opera pink

other: Papertrey Ink die cuts, ribbon, buttons

{blank easter}

I found three old pictures of Easter cards that I made a LONG time ago.  They are very simple but still fun. Here's the third one:

stamp: Savvy bunny

ink: VersaFine onyx black

other: mini cotton ball, Prismacolor pencils

easter greetings

I found three old pictures of Easter cards that I made a LONG time ago.  They are very simple but still fun.   I do remember that I got the inspiration from a card Impress. Here's the second one:

stamp: Impress egg & "Easter greetings"

ink: Impress pansy, lemon yellow, & cherry pink

other: ric rac ribbon

easter greetings

I found three old pictures of Easter cards that I made a LONG time ago.  They are very simple but still fun.  Here's the first one:

stamp: Global Solutions bunny and carrot; Impress "Easter greetings"

ink: VersaFine onyx black

other: Prismacolor pencils

live. laugh. love.

My friend Kathy was telling me how great the apothecary jars and matching die cuts are from Taylored Expressions.  Being the super sweet gal that she is, she die cut and stamped A BUNCH of images for me.  Then she tops it all of by sending me this adorable card:

(this is a great technique, read here to find out more)

look at all these goodies!

So I had to stop what I was doing and make something! I went for a beachy/cottage feel with this.  Seashore. Cozy. Weathered. Warmth.  Makes me want to read a book.

stamp: Papertrey Ink "live. laugh. love."; all others Taylored Expressions

ink: VersaFine onyx black

other: copic markers, Papertrey Ink die cut, Taylored Expression die cuts, twine

happy spring

My sweet husband brought me some tulips the other day and gave me the inspiration for this card.

front

close up of the bouquet

the inside

stamp: Papertrey Ink "happy spring" & newsprint; Inkadinkadoo bicycle
ink: ColorBox dune; VersaFine onyx black
other: Prismacolor pencils, twine, Papertrey Ink die cut

it's your day

I just love this clean & simple, yet rockin' card by Nichole Heady.  Here's my almost identical version.  Thanks to my friend, Kathy Nakata, and Cindy Lyles I'm now hooked on decorating the inside of a card too!

stamp: A Muse circles, guitar, & swirls/waves; Inkadinkadoo "rock star"; Papertrey Ink "it's your day"

ink: ColorBox frost white; VersaFine onyx black

other: A Muse twinkle stickers clear, Papertrey die cuts

thanks so much

Check out this adorable thank you card I received from Dana (Princess) for the ribbon she won from the blog hop.  The image is colored so beautifully I seriously thought it was store bought!  I think I'm going to make it mandatory that I get a thank you card after each prize (just kidding) but it was fun and super cute!!

Did you notice?  She even added some of her prize ribbon.  

(The inside was adorable too.)

Thanks Dana, you made my day!!

make it monday: challenge #10

The Papertrey Ink Make it Monday Challenge is masking with dies.  I had never tried this or even considered this before. It was fun and I'll have to try it again.  My photo didn't come out that well, but the ink and the paper match much better than it looks, not perfect, but not quite so glaring, yikes!  Looking back, I should have stamped some words over the ric-rac like Lisa did, to soften the color.

stamp: Papertrey Ink "thank you"

ink: ColorBox marigold; VersaFine onyx black

other: jewel stickers, butterfly punch, scalloped oval punch, circle punch (for lace effect), Papertrey Ink die cut, ribbon