Winter Pine - stamps and die cuts

Here's a quick card I made a few days ago. I love winter scenes and landscapes.

Materials list. All products from A Muse Studio:
Pine Bough and Noel from Winter Pine stamp set
Berries from Beautiful Botanicals stamp set
Snowflake Trio die
Cranberry pearl embellishments

Free Fight Like a Girl Stamp Set

For those of you that ordered the free Fight Like a Girl stamp set, your sets should begin shipping late next week. If you haven't ordered your free set yet, don't forget, you must order by October 31st through my A Muse Studio webstore. When you get to my webstore, click on the Stamp Out Breast Cancer graphic. When you get to the product list, scroll down until you find the Fight Like a Girl stamp set, enter 1 as the quantity and click Add to Cart. You'll enter your customer info and be prompted for payment info. The set is free, but you must pay a $3 shipping and handling fee.

A Muse Studio provided demonstrators with early copies of the Fight Like a Girl stamp set. Here are two of my creations.


I love the Bubblegum polka-dot paper and Bubblegum satin ribbon.

 

To create the Hope background pattern, I started with A Muse Studio Seattle cardstock and stamped the word HOPE using the Bubblegum inkpad. The ribbon is Bubblegum polka-dot organdy. To create the shadow effect, I stamped the words first in Bubblegum ink, then in Onyx ink. 

 

As always, comments are welcome! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you won't miss a thing. A Muse Studio will be offering specials in the month of November and I plan to announce them on this blog.    

 

Breast Cancer - My Story and Freebies

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in February of this year. I found a lump in July or August of 2011. I convinced myself that the lump was scar tissue or possibly from drinking too much caffeine. I did not bother to get a mammogram.
In early February as I was showering, I again touched the lump and it was painful and a little larger than I remembered. I continued to check the lump each time I showered. After several days of checking, I knew it was time to see a doctor. And so my journey began.

I had a partial mastectomy in April. I finished my chemo in July. I completed 35 radiation treatments in mid-September. Cancer is a disease that often reinvents itself and alludes treatment. This is why research and early detection are so important. If you think you feel or sense changes in your breast, please don't be like me and make excuses, go get your mammogram IMMEDIATELY.
OK, enough of the heavy stuff.

This month A Muse Studio wants to give away 10,000 FREE Fight Like a Girl stamp sets.  I would love to give away as many sets as I can. Can you help me? You can get you free set through my webstore. (There is a $3 shipping and handling fee.) Please tell your friends about this freebie. This offer ends at 9PM October 31st. So get moving. Get this free stamp set and get your annual mammogram!

FREE Stamp Out Breast Cancer Stamp Sets

A Muse Studio is giving out 10,000 free Stamp Out Breast Cancer (SOBC) stamp sets. To get your free set, you'll need to go to my website, register as a customer, and pay a $3 shipping and handling cost. The free set will be delivered to you within 6 - 8* weeks. Order yours as soon as possible because when the 10,000 are gone, the promotion ends. While you are on my website, take a look around. A Muse Studio has some beautiful papercrafting products including stamps, exclusive die cuts and paper. 

The stamp set contains 8 stamps and centers on the theme of Fight Like a Girl. Our target is to reach as many paper crafting women as possible with the American Cancer Society's breast health awareness pamphlet and coordinating ‘Fight Like A Girl’ stamp set. Order you set today!

Don't forget, the new Holiday Hoopla catalog is out. Lots of great holiday stuff for creating.
---------
*Remember, A Muse Studio is a relatively small company and shipping 10,000 stamp sets will take a little time.

A Muse Studio - Ink Pads, 20% off in May

Hey all. Quick post to let you know all A Muse Studio ink pads are 20% off this month. I have a personal order going in Monday or Tuesday (May 21) and would love to include your order with mine. Give me a call or send me an email.
I'm feeling pretty good right now. I did much better with this round of chemo than the first. My next chemo treatment is May 23.
Thanks for all the love and support.
This card features Enjoy the Ride (item # SBSH009), page 79 and the Grass die (item # TAD0005) in the A Muse Studio catalog.

I'll be back soon!!!!!!!!!!!

On the mend. Please stay tuned for new projects.

New 2012 A Muse Studio Catalog is HERE!!!

Here are a couple of cards created with stamps from the new A Muse Studio Catalog and Inspiration book. If you would like a copy of the new catalog, either contact me via email or order one from my A Muse Studio website. You can also browse the A Muse Studio catalog online. To place an order, go to my website.  All stamps from A Muse Studio.
The crown, flag and words come from the Keep Calm stamp set. I stamped the crown with black ink and embossed with clean embossing powder to get some shine. I added some A Muse Twinkle stickers to the crown cause what's a crown without bling.
The Patriotic card was made using plain white cardstock. I stamped the stripes using a stamp from Mad for Plaids. Used the airplane from the Come Fly with Me set. Trimmed out each plane and adhered to my card. The sentiment is from Come Fly with Me as well.
I'm loving the new catalog. Hope you like it as much as I do. Don't forget, contact me if you are interested in a catalog. It's not just a catalog, it is an inspiration guide as well. Lots  pictures of projects.

Quick, Clean, Simple Card (QCS)

Quick, Clean and Simple. Not normally my style. But after a few weeks of home renovations, picking out paint colors, trim style, flooring, tile, cabinets ... my brain is full to the brim. I just didn't have the energy to pick one more set of coordinating colors to create a more complex card.
I made the hearts cutout by sending the white card base and Hearts Trio die through the Big Shot die cutting machine. Hearts Trio is the same die I used on the Tin Can Gift Cardholder last week. I cut a small piece of Grapefruit cardstock and taped it to back side of the cutout so the color shows through. Using Grapefruit ink and sentiments from the Essential Sentiments stamp set, I completed the cards. I made an "I love you" card and a "Thinking of You" card. I intend to use both cards as Valentines. This QCS (Quick Clean Simple) card can easily be mass produced and mailed without extra postage. 
All products used in this card are from A Muse Studio and available directly from me and/or my webpage. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Supply list:

• Heart Trio die (TAD0015)
• Grapefruit inkpad (IAPF208)
• Essential Sentiments stamp set (SASU009)
• Plain white (Sugar) cardstock (PAPS001)
• Grapefruit cardstock (PAPS208)

Can with Gift Card Inside

Turning a pull top can into a unique and fun gift card container is easier than you think. By using a smooth edge can opener, such as those sold by Pampered Chef, you can open the can from the bottom and leave the pull top unopened. Decorate and fill with goodies. Glue the bottom back on and there you have it, you've got a work of art. OK, maybe not a work of art, but a really cool gift card container. And best of all, watching the confusion on the face of the recipient really makes it worth the effort. Be prepared to explain how you got the goodies inside. Hopefully, the recipient will as appreciate your creativity and the gift card.

All products are from A Muse | Studio and can be purchased directly through me or from my A Muse Studio website. The sentiment and can of hairspray rubber stamps are from the Glamour Girl set (SISP009). The heart cutout was created using the Trio of Hearts die (TAD0015).  I used Cherry (PAPS204), cherry gingham (PAGH204) cardstock and cherry satin ribbon ((RASA204). And of course the labels are nesties Labels 4 also available from A Muse | Studio (TNS4190). Here is a high level overview of the steps involved. If you have questions about specific steps, I would love to hear from you. Please email me. 

1. Find a soup or vegetable can with a pull top lid. Rounded bottom cans will not work.
2. Using a smooth edge can opener, open the can from the bottom and pour out the contents. Wash can and remove label.

3. Measure and cut paper. Adhere paper to the can.

 

  

4. Cut a short piece of ribbon and slide through the pull tab. Double the ribbon and tie the middle with a piece of twine. (This makes it easier for the recipient to pull and open the can.) To add a little extra can coverage, I altered a circle and slid it under the tab and added hearts.

5. I stamped the can of hairspray on white card stock, colored with copics and trimmed before adhering to the bottom of the can. The sentiment is also from the Glamour Girl stamp set.

If you  would like to actual step-by-step instructions, I'm willing to create them, just post a comment saying so or email me. I keep thinking I'd like to make a video, but I have a somewhat nasal voice along with a country accent. I can speak without the accent, but the nasal thing is a bigger obstacle. Yes, I laugh at myself, but I can't stand to hear my voice. Thanks as always for taking the time to read my blog. Comments are welcome.

 

Valentine's Day Mower Card

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'm thinking about a card for my husband. I avoided the typical Valentine colors, for this one. Here are the general instructions. If I've not made something clear, please email or leave a comment and I'll get back to you with details.

1. Using the A Muse Studio Grass die, cut two strips of green grass. 
2. Using the A Muse Studio Clouds die, cut out one large cloud and two small ones.
3. Stamp, color and cut out the lawn mower.
4. Stamp each cloud with the sentiments. Stamp the "Love ya' ..." either as a strip on coordinating paper or on a small rectangle.
5. Assemble as shown. (I adhered the first strip of grass, placed the lawn mower and adhered the second strip of grass.)

All products used in these projects are from A Muse Studio. The lawn mower and "Love ya' mower & mower" stamps are from the Hey, Man stamp set (SNSP058). The custom dies used are Clouds (TAD0003) and Grass (TAD0005). The "happy valentine's day" sentiment is from Essential Sentiments (SASU009).  The A Muse Studio dies can be used in most die cutting machines such as the Big Shot, Cuttlebug and Epic 6 and several others.
What colors would you use? What extra touch would you add? As always, your comments are welcome. As many of you know, I use repositionable glue as my adhesive. If you suggest it, I can change it. Maybe I'll make the changes and repost! Actually, you can count on it. I'm suddenly not liking the color of the cardstock I used as the base.