Thriftin'

Three things you want to find at the thrift store:

A cute selection of knitting needles.

A sequenced garment, ready to be altered into a stylin' mini jacket.
(Thanks for modeling, Miss Rebekah)

An ideal husband for only 25 cents? Yes ma'am. I'll take 2.

And two things you don't: 

Sad, broken toys.

Santa hands decor. Well that's creepy. 

You never know what you'll find at the thrift store, but one thing is for certain: 

It's always an adventure.

For the love of paper...

Today's card shows off another Unity Stamp Co image... I'm crazy about their affordable and good quality stamps. It also features patterned papers from three different collections. I've always enjoyed searching around scrapbook stores for various designs and color combos. Sometimes I start out with a patterned paper and pull different papers with the same colors. By the time I've finished, I may not even use the original pattern. It's funny how those things work out. I find that I spend more time picking out paper than I do working on the design of the card. I'm interested to hear about your process. How do you choose papers for your cards and layouts?

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: BoBunny, We R Memory Keepers

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Extras: EK Success Cutterpede with Scallop Rotary Blade

New A Muse Studio Catalog & Sale Items!

The new 2012 Catalog from A Muse Studio is finally here! I'm so excited to share it with you. The new catalog is full of amazing ideas to get your creative juices flowing. I was drooling over every page and created a massive wish list. Believe me, you will too! You can view the catalog online by clicking here. 

And don't forget to check out the February A Muse Studio Spotlight products. They will be available at special sale prices through February 29th. To order any of the products below or from the catalog, feel free to contact me at nicolelaha@gmail.com or by visiting my online shop. If you are ordering more than $150 in products, please contact me directly to receive free goodies!

Just A Note

Happy Monday friends! Today I'm sharing a card created as a Make N Take for Creations Galore. After creating this card, I was reminded of how much I enjoy using corner punches. Watch out... that may become a new trend in my cards. Hope you have a great week!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: BoBunny Etcetera & Forever Fall 

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company

Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa

Easter Greetings

As soon as I saw the Cotton Tail Collection from We R Memory Keepers, I became addicted. The collection is full of soft colors, gorgeous patterns, and the most adorable images. I'll be taking lots of pictures this year during Easter festivities, just so I can use this collection to create a few scrapbook layouts. I may even need to jump in a few puddles with friends. 

Since I currently lack images to create layouts, I created this cute little Easter card. How precious are those bunnies?! I stamped the smaller rabbit first, masked it, and added the taller rabbit next. Hope you enjoy!

SUPPLIES Cardstock: Paper Cut. Patterned Paper & Stamps: We R Memory Keepers. 

Inks: StazOn Jet Black, Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen. 

Money, Music, & Food

Last night I met up with P.J.M. in Union Square 

where his school is located. It looks like this:

New York Film Academy

We walked around a few shops full of gorgeous home decor 

that I could never afford. Here's a few of our finds:

$865 plastic, unsteady table

$200 flimsy, everyday whisk

After gauking at pretty things and overcoming the fear of possibly breaking something worth more than my house, we headed on to things a little more our style. We wandered through four floors of Barnes & Noble and attended a concert/interview/book reading.  

Here's Joseph Arthur, a truly talent singer, songwriter, and artist (he has done most of the cover art for his CDs). We were so excited to chat with him after the show! Make sure you check out his music... you can even download one of his albums, Redemption City, for free here. We also got to hear from British novelist, Edward St. Aubyn... After hearing a few excerpts of the Melrose series, I must pick up the first novel. 

On our way home, we came across Goodburger. Growing up in the 90's we couldn't help but quote a little Kenan & Kel and head in for a tasty burger.

"Welcome to Good Burger. Home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order?"

My time in New York has been fun, but I can't wait to get back to WI and enjoy a nice Krolls burger... and a walk down the street without stepping on a dog, running into hoards of people, and almost being hit by taxi cabs. Happy Thursday, friends.

A little sample of my view...

I've been visiting P.J.M. in New York this week. He lives in a quiet, gorgeous neighborhood called Brooklyn Heights. Walk just a few blocks, and you'll come to this spot. While he attends class a few hours every day, I explore the city... taking in all of the great visuals. I've been sketching and snapping pictures like crazy. Can't wait to share them all with you-so here's just one more today...

My first night in New York P.J.M. took me to this Chinese Restaurant for a delicious dinner, the movie Descendants at the theatre next door, and then had me close my eyes as we walked a few blocks, to open them to the view above, only at night, the buildings lit up in the most breathtaking display. 

Enjoying every minute of this trip. Hope you're all having a great week too!

Love Every Inch

Hello friends. With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I've been in a lovey, dovey, sentimental mood. Here's a fun card I created that fits right into that category, minus the red, pink, and hearts. Hope you enjoy!

CARD SUPPLIES Cardstock: Paper Cut. Patterned Paper: A Muse Studio. 

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black. Ribbon: A Muse Studio.

A Jar Full Of Love

Today I'm playing along with CPS (Card Positioning Systems) and their 5th Anniversary Sketch Challenges. The inspiration for the card came from their Day 4 Sketch:

CPS is hosting 15 challenges with lots of prizes. Make sure to head over and enter a few yourself! And here's my card:

I love using Judith's Interactive stamps to create scenes. This card is no exception. The jar, candy heart, and cookie heart are three separate stamps. Just think of the endless possibilities for this jar... I'm already envisioning one full of jelly beans! 

Thanks for stopping by... Are you handing out Valentines?

CARD SUPPLIES Cardstock: Bazzill, Paper Cut. Stamps: Stamps By Judith. 

Inks: Copic Markers, Memento Tuxedo Black. Ribbon: A Muse Studio

What Super Bowl?

As a Green Bay Packer fan, I've understood that football has been over for a few weeks. Therefore, yesterday evening was spent drooling over Ryan Gosling's abs, indulging in Culver's custard, and playing the craziest game of dominos. Let's face it, any game in which you make up the rules as you play is sure to be a good time. 

You're A Hit

I enjoyed the sketch from CPS (Card Positioning Systems) so much that I used it again. Take a look at my first card here. This time, I created a more masculine style card. Hope you enjoy!

CARD SUPPLIES Cardstock: Paper Cut. Patterned Paper: BoBunny, We R Memory Keepers. Stamps: Unity Stamp Company. Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa.

Yummm

What happens when you've just made homemade pizza dough, haven't washed your new round stoneware, and don't own a metal pizza pan? 

You spread the dough into a pie plate and have really thick, delicious crust.