Halloween Reminiscing

Happy Halloween bloggers! Yesterday I shared a page on the Creations Galore blog using pictures from a past Halloween. Visit the post here to see details. I was having so much fun reminiscing this Halloween and couldn't help but share a few of my favorite photos with you:

Have a safe and fun-filled Halloween!

Never Stop Dancing

Good morning! Man, does it feel like Monday today. I'm tired, I'm dragging, I'm dropping everything. Ugh. Don't you just hate days like that?! I am, however, getting lots of work done at the office today, including gathering together the supplies for three new make n takes. Here's a look at my favorite one this week: 

I love this stamp set from Penny Black! I stamped the image with black Memento ink and colored it in with Prismacolor pencils. The colors were not exact, but it's still a fun card! Can't wait to send this off to a friend! 

To take a look at the other cards I created this week for Creations Galore, head to the blog.

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Paper Cut
Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers (Elanor, Ethel)
Stamps: Penny Black (Never Stop Dancing)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Prismacolor Pencils
Punch: EK Success Large Round Corner.

Sketch It Saturday :: How Ya Bean

Hello friends! Are you ready for Sketch It Saturday? Unscripted Sketches has posted another great sketch on the blog this morning, along with some FABULOUS inspiration from our design team! Let's take a look at the sketch:

Some great shapes to experiment with. And here's my card:

The triangles in the sketch were replaced with a few zigzags. The pattern was stamped with Versamark Watermark and embossed with clear embossing powder. To accent the embossing powder and create the grunge, I swiped a brown ink pad over the top of the paper. Originally, the ink just stuck to the raised, embossed images, but I added more ink to the edges of the paper.

The sentiment and images come from A Muse Studio's The Perfect Blend stamp set, perfect for the coffee lovers in your life! 

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. Now get out all your supplies and create your own project using the above sketch as your inspiration. I always love seeing the different takes on one design. So head over to Unscripted Sketches and link up with us!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Sugar, Kraft, Bermuda), Paper Cut (Echo)

Stamps: A Muse Studio (Chevrons, The Perfect Blend)

Inks: Versamark Watermark, Ranger Embossing Powder (Clear), StazOn (Timber Brown)

October Spotlight :: Free Project Downloads

Each month, select stamps will share the A Muse Studio Spotlight with a gorgeous color palette to create projects that showcase the versatility of paper crafting.  October's Spotlight is coming to an end, and I don't want you to miss out on these great deals and free project downloads!

Let's first get into the projects!

To start it off, we have these fantastic witch boots cupcake toppers! Download the free template here. Simply print the template on the white side of A Muse Studio cardstock, and cut out each boot with scissors or an x-acto knife. Use our fun Onyx Paper Straws for the legs - Cut to size and make a slit in the top of straw to hold the boot. You can add some bling with A Muse Studio pearls or twinkle stickers. This would be a great treat for a Wizard of Oz themed party too!

Pretty Party favors: Look how easy these ones are to make. A little tissue paper to wrap your goodies, a stamped sheet of cardstock, and some baker's twine to tie the ends. Fast. Easy. Pretty. Perfect!

How about some treat bags? These adorable owls would be great for Halloween, but what about party favors at a child's birthday party or baby shower. And they're so easy to make! 

To make them, you'll need a piece of cardstock that measures 8" x 2-3/4". Download the easy to follow template here. Score the cardstock at 3", 3-1/2" and 6-1/2". Make diagonal cuts from the 6-1/2" line to the center to make the beak. Now decorate!

Did you spot the orange and black baker's twine on the owl favors?  Make your own with our Onyx Baker's Twine and Orange Splash!  The possibilities are endless! Cut a length of baker's twine, spritz some Splash! into a plastic container and roll the twine around in the Splash! ink.  Let stand to dry.  Colored twine in an instant! And the ink is permanent! The baker's twine rolls are 280 yards each for only $9.95.  Such a great deal! Available in three essential colors - Cherry, French Roast and Onyx.  One of my favorite A Muse Studio products!

Lastly, we have bat-themed cupcake toppers. With the help of A Muse Studio Cupcake Wrapper Dies in Big & Small, Cupcake Toppers Die Set, the Cupcake Companion Stamp Set, and the Rosette Die, dressing up the dessert table has never been easier!

The special sale prices on the Spotlight stamp sets and paper pack are only available until 11:59 Eastern  time, October 31st, 2012. Take a look at the specials below and head to my shop to get your hands on them! 

Spooky Boo Day Sale Price $22.49

Woodgrain Background Sale Price $14.39

Chevrons Sale Price $17.99

Vintage Labels 2 Sale Price $16.19

Creepy Hollow Sale Price $16.19

October Spotlight Cardstock 20 Pk Sale Price $7.65

This has me ready and excited for Halloween! What decorations, treats, and gifts are you creating for the holiday?

You Da' Man!

Good morning! I'm excited to share this fun card with you today. What man in your life could use a pick-me-up like this card?! I first stamped a pattern from the Swanky Backgrounds Set in a bold red. The hardest part was choosing which mustache from the set I wanted to use! It was stamped on white cardstock, cut out, and adhered to the front. 

 The mustache stamp and sentiment came from the Foiled Again! Set by A Muse Studio. The only way to get your hands on this fantastic set is to hold a workshop - Free Booking Gift! Hosting a workshop and receiving lots of free product is super fun and easy! Give me a call today to set up a time to craft at home with a few friends. We can even create the above card! 

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

CARD SUPPLIES (All from A Muse Studio)

Cardstock: Seattle, Onyx, Sugar, Pebble

Stamps: Foiled Again!, Swanky Backgrounds

Inks: A Muse Studio (Cranberry), StazOn (Jet Black)

Experimenting with Alcohol Inks :: Perspective

Good morning! Creating With Alcohol Inks is one of my favorite classes to teach at Creations Galore. There are endless techniques and projects you can create with this medium. During my last class, I played around with a few new techniques, resulting in the card below. 

I placed a large drop of ink in 3 colors onto the felt applicator tool. Rather than pouncing the felt across the glossy paper, I placed the tool onto the paper and twisted it in a circle. The patterned that resulted looked a lot like flowers. So I grabbed my Copic Multiliner and created some doodles over the ink circles. 

The butterflies were stamped onto colored vellum. After cutting them out, I folded the butterflies in half, adding glue to only the fold. This creates dimension and the illusion the butterflies are flying off the card. 

I added the same stamps to the inside of the card, and completed the front with a sentiment. 

Have you tried Alcohol Inks? It's such a fun medium. If you're local, I'd love for you to attend a class. The next Creating With Alcohol Inks class is Monday, November 5th. You can find out more information here. Thanks for stopping by my blog today! 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Paper Cut
Stamps: Tim Holtz (Spring Sprung, Good Thoughts)
Inks: StazOn (Jet Black), Copic Multiliner, Adirondack Alcohol Inks (Pool, Salmon, Lettuce)

Drop Me A Line

I'm sharing a quick and easy card with you today. Making cute cards like this make it easy to stay in touch with friends far away. The card is smaller than the average greeting card at 3.5 x 5 inches. I stamped the background with Versamark Watermark at a diagonal. This adds texture without distracting from the stamped image. Thanks for joining me today!

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Vintage Notebook, Teacher Notes)

Inks: Versamark Watermark, Memento (Tuxedo Black)

Sketch It Saturday: Amazing Sunflowers

Welcome to Sketch It Saturdays! Every Saturday, Unscripted Sketches posts a sketch for the week. Go ahead, flip the sketch, rotate it, create a card, a scrapbook page, or anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you use the sketch above as the inspiration for your creation! 

Here's the card I created using today's sketch: 

Today is also time for our monthly Piggyback Challenge! If you haven't played along with us before on a piggyback week, it is simply an additional, optional challenge. This challenge is to add movement to your project! Can you make something pop up, swing out, lift, or hide? I chose to pop up the layers of my card with foam risers and add a big bow!

The flower background was created by stamping a floral image from the Graphic Sunflower Set from A Muse Studio repeatedly with colored inks.

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Lido, Sugar)

Patterned Paper: A Muse Studio Venetian (Lido)

Stamps: A Muse Studio (Graphic Sunflower, Elegant Elements)

Inks: A Muse Studio (French Roast, Grass, Papaya, Ocean)

Stamp Out Breast Cancer

Have you ordered your FREE Fight like a Girl stamp set from A Muse Studio yet? That's right, FREE! A Muse Studio is graciously giving away 10,000 free stamp sets to promote breast cancer awareness. 

The most exciting part? Each set includes a 'push pin' stamp that women can use to stamp their calendar each month to serve as a reminder to do a self-exam, which is so critical for early detection. There will also be information on breast health, "The ABCs of Breast Cancer Early Detection" from the American Cancer Society, included with each stamp set.  The goal of this campaign is to help spread the message that early detection saves lives. 

Visit this link now to claim your set and information packet. Let's stamp out breast cancer!

Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. If you ordered other products with the stamp set, those products will be sent out immediately. One free stamp set per customer. 

Fruit Collage

I just love this stamp set from Fiskars. Just a little collage of sweet fruits for you today. 

CARD SUPPLIES

Cardstock: A Muse Studio

Stamps: Fiskars (Fresh Fruit)

Ink: StazOn (Jet Black)

Baker's Twine: A Muse Studio (Onyx)

Sketch It Saturday :: Going Bananas

Welcome to another Sketch It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches. 

I had a lot of fun with this week's sketch. I recently picked up this stamp set and went to work paper piecing the bananas. 

My Honeybee scissors from EK Success match my project... How cute! 

Head over to Unscripted Sketches to look at the creative ideas from the rest of the US Design Team. While you're there, link up your own project using this week's sketch as inspiration!

CARD SUPPPLIES

Cardstock: Paper Cut

Patterned Paper: A Muse Studio

Stamps: Fiskars (Fresh Fruit)

Inks: StazOn (Jet Black)

Baker's Twine: A Muse Studio (Onyx)

More background techniques...

I recreated the background technique from yesterday's post. This time, however, I created a layer of blue with Distress Stain before stamping the background image. Versamark Watermark stamped onto the blue glossy paper and heat set created a wonderful resist. 

The Distress Stains are less intense on the glossy paper, but I still loved the look!

 CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: Paper Cut
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Vintage Music, Hippie Chic)
Inks: Versamark Watermark, Distress Stains (Walnut Stain, Weathered Wood), Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder (Gold)

Life Is Beautiful :: New Background Technique

Hello bloggers! I'm currently in the process of developing new classes for the fall and winter months at Creations Galore. This means lots of experimenting. I went to work creating backgrounds with embossing powders and inks. The result was not at all what I had envisioned; however, I loved the results. Take a look:

To create this background, I first stamped Vintage Wallpaper with Versamark Watermark onto glossy paper. I heat set the clear ink in hopes it would act as a resist. And it did! I added Rusty Hinge Distress Stain over the stamped design. Lastly, I used a paper towel to move the ink up and down the paper, creating streaks and adding color to the resist. The result was a brightly colored vintage background. What do you think?

The sentiment comes from the Life is Beautiful set from Market Street Stamps and was stamped on vellum with StazOn ink. I absolutely love the MyStik Vellum Adhesive from Scrapbook Adhesives. You truly cannot see the strips of adhesive, making vellum one of my favorite materials to add to a card.

Thanks for stopping by... I hope you'll be inspired to do some experimenting of your own.

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock, Vellum: Paper Cut
Inks: StazOn (Jet Black), Versamark Watermark, Distress Stains (Rusty Hinge)
Stamps: Market Street Stamps (Vintage Wallpaper, Life is Beautiful)