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!

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.

 

Organizing Spellbinders Nestibilities and A Muse Studio Metal Dies



7.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inch binder

Storing thin metal dies such as Nestibilities from Spellbinders and other crafting companies has always been a problem for me. The dies typically come in a stiff plastic case or flimsy zip bags. Great for retail display, but not so good for organizing and accessing the dies. Personally, my dies were a big nasty mess. Unorganized, sometimes tangled, and it was never easy to put my hands on the dies I wanted to use. But, my computer geek background inspired a storage idea. I could use the two-ring, metal binders that software manufacturers use to package and organize computer discs, CDs and DVDs. CD - DVD Metal Ring Binders! Here's how the binders can be used.

By placing the metal dies in the individual sleeves that would normally hold a CD, you can fit quite a few dies in each sleeve and at least 30 sleeves in one binder. I have 86 dies in a binder that measures 7.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches! And there is room for more. All I have to do is add more sleeves.

Here are some additional tips:

• I used my label maker to create labels and included the number of dies stored in that pocket. This helps me keep the dies in each set together as well as to remind me how many should be there. That is especially useful when I take my dies to stamping and scrapbooking events and allow friends to use my dies.
• I used double-sided tape to adhere the instructions for using the dies with my Big Shot die cut machine to the inside front cover.
• I glued magnetic strips to the inside back cover for dies that were just a little too big to fit in sleeves but yet small enough to fit in the binder.
• I created a label for the spine and slid some additional instructions under the clear overlay on the front of the binder. The binder has a clear overlay that allows you to create a custom cover, spine and back cover.   

You can get these awesome, quality binders from WTS Media. This link will take you directly to the 1 - 30 Disc Metal Ring Binder.  There are two color choices, white or black. As of 12-28-2011, the price for less than a case of 24 is $3.50 each. Not bad for protecting and organizing your thin metal dies.
You'll also need to purchase sleeves to go in the binder. The sleeve information is located at the bottom of the web page or you can do a search. The two sleeve choices are the white easy access sleeve which only has a pocket on one side or the doubled sided sleeve that has pockets on both sides.
WTS Media is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and their products are manufactured here in the United States. WTS Media's customer service is outstanding. When I've called with questions, the customer service reps are glad to help. I've found they're just as helpful if you are buying a few items or if you are purchasing in bulk. And a Christian company as well.
Let me know what you think of this idea. I know I love it and I hope you will as well. Comments welcome as always.

Santa's Boxer Shorts Card

I couldn't help myself. I had to do it. I combined the boxer shorts from the A Muse | Studio Hey Man set with the Santa Suit from the Naughty or Nice set. This is an unfinished card, so please look at the parts and pieces and ignore the unfinished background details. I have a naughty mind, even at Christmas. The parts:

• Stamped Santa's jacket on white cardstock and again on red cardstock. Used a glue pen to make the cuffs and hem on the jacket sticky so I could add white glitter.
• Stamped the boxers with black embossable ink, sprinkled the boxers with clear embossing powder and hit it with a heat gun to make the dots pop a little.
• Used the A Muse Studio snowflake die cut to cut out the snowflakes, swiped the snowflakes across a red ink pad and sprinkled on iridescent embossing powder and hit the snowflakes with the heat gun as well. Note that I layered two snowflakes and added a red creative candy gem to the middle of the snowflakes.
• Layered white and candy cane ovals.
• Stamped a small tag with the Naughty and Nice along with red and white twine.
• Glued down the pieces with the exception of using pop dots to make Santa's jacket pop off the page. (Or should I have popped Santa's Boxers?)

Do you think Santa will leave me coal in my stocking? OK, enough of the naughty Santa references. Next blog will cover a couple of new organizational tools I found. Stay tuned, I really think you will like what I've come up with for a hard to store set of essentials.

Black, White and Red Christmas Card

I knew this needed a better scanned picture, so I took the time rescan.
Wanted to try something unconventional for my latest Christmas card creation. I used A Muse Studio's Winter Wood stamp set, white ink, white embossing powder on black background. Used A Muse Studio's snowflake die cut to create black and red snowflakes. Added some bling. You'll also see that I used A|S 'Twas the Night Before Christmas cardstock along with the A|S Candy Cane cardstock.

Tell me what you think! (I don't know why all comments appear as anonymous, so ID yourself please.)

Man Card and communication

Man cards are a tough challenge. My husband and son encourage me and love nearly anything I create. My men inspire me. My husband, Mike, is a truck mechanic for a utility company. Mike also has a GREAT eye for card designs and papercrafting projects. He designs, but doesn't implement. He's my go to guy when I'm stuck or feel like something is missing from one of my designs. He is good at seeing my design and then suggesting additions, twists, and new direction with the same set of supplies. Often, he will remember another set he's seen in the A Muse Studio catalog and suggest adding an additional image or element. Amazing. But there are times when I have worked on a design and I really, really like what I have done. I show him the card and he starts to make suggestions. That is what I wanted to hear! I wanted him to say it was perfect just the way it is. I'm hurt and disappointed. He doesn't understand why I'm upset, afterall, I'm always asking for input. When do I want input and when do I want approval?
I've learned to warn him before I show him a design that I feel is my best work. My warning, "I'm not asking for input, I'm just showing you this one" identifies an inconsistent message. That simple communication has saved hurt feelings.
I've learned at least one other lessons about communication with a husband; it isn't fair to spring a love pop quiz with no preparation. In the past, I would "test" my husband and his love or commitment. I would set up a situation and see how he reacted and then judge his reaction or non-reaction. If I didn't get the desired reaction, I was hurt or pouted. Was it fair to give him a relationship "pop quiz" without any parameters or study materials? Learning to communicate that something is important to me has improved our relationship. Pop quizzes in relationships aren't exactly fair or necessary. And with that last tidbit, on to the important stuff about the card.
This is a card I made with Mike in mind. I'm nuts about using a juicy dark colored pigment ink pad and clear embossing powder. Clear embossing powder works well with any dark color pigment ink.
Stamp set: Rock Star (A Muse Studio)
Paper: French Roast Gingham, French Roast solid card stock  (A Muse Studio)
Ink: French Roast A Muse Studio pigment ink
Embossing powder: Clear (A Muse Studio)
Please leave your comments and suggestions. Any suggestions for adding another color or another focal point are welcome. Thanks for looking.
Products available via my website: www.amusestudio.com/Kentuckystamper

What a mess!!

My craft room has become an embarrassment for me. Stacks of magazines, new products, old stamp sets, and the most embarrassing thing of all, unused organization tools and storage containers.
I'm in the process of sorting, organizing and tossing. I'm ashamed that I have so many new and unused stamping supplies and sets.  I'm thinking of using the best stamp sets and products as incentives as I build my A Muse Studio business. Basically, I'm thinking that with a purchase of  $XX (undecided on amount) you can purchase (or free) retired and discontinued stamp sets from my previous company. Any thoughts, any suggestions? The more you spend, the more freebies you get. Win win. 
Might be a good time to book a party! Call me or email me.