Mother's Little Helper

Sometimes...

...when one door closes, three more doors open. April showers really do bring May flowers!

Yeah, I know. I'm being cryptic. I hate when people do that, don't you? Especially on voicemail - drives me crazy. But, you know, anticipation is fun, too. Look at it positively! 

I'll spill the beans next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend, peeps!   

Color Throwdown Goes Digital!

Happy Wednesday, friends!  It's time for another COLOR THROWDOWN challenge -- my last as the April Guestie.  I've so enjoyed my time with the fun and fabulous Color Throwdown Designers (CTDs).  I've been walking in tall cotton with these gals, let me tell you.  Last week, we featured sets and stamps designed and manufactured by CTD Laura Pryor/Lil' Inker Designs.  This week, we're using digital paper and images designed by CTD Kristin Eberline for My Time Made Easy.  Yep, I guess to be a part of this crew, you not only need to be able to USE cool stuff, you have to able to MANUFACTURE it, too!  These are some pretty fancy females, I tell you what!

Kristin (aforementioned Digi Queen) is this week's challenge hostess.  Ready to see what colors she's throwing down?  Here goes...

Coincidentally, Kristin just happens to have a digital paper pack using this very same combo!  Will wonders never cease...  It's called Fresh Cut Expressions Collection 2, and it comes with six patterns of paper for only $3.00.  My card features five of the six patterns.  Take a look:

I've just recently started really getting into digi-papers.  As a card maker, I prefer small prints as opposed to the larger scale patterns created with scrapbooking in mind.  The greatest thing, in my opinion, about working with digi paper is that you can scale the pattern to whatever size you want.  I don't know how you do it, but here's the way I do it:

1. Buy and download the paper.
2. Once it's downloaded, open it up in whatever sort of viewer you use.  I use Preview, which came loaded on my Mac.  If you use a PC, I imagine you open up PDFs (or whatever those files are) in Adobe.
3. Click Edit on the viewer's toolbar, then click Select All, followed by Copy.
4. Open up a new Word document and make the margins as small as possible.
5. Click paste.  The digital paper design will pop up.  Click on it to where the dark boxes appear in the corners and you can stretch it or shrink it using your mouse.
6. Make it the size you want it. 
7. Repeat as often as necessary.  For example, for the four different patterns I used to make the border, I shrunk them down from 8.5"x11" to a quarter of that size and printed all four patterns on a single sheet of cardstock.  The floral pattern I used as the main background was shrunk down to about 1/3 of the original size.   

So there's your Dumb Idiot's Guide to Digital Paper...  See the focal sentiment with frame?  That was created using Kristin's gorgeous Sentimental Occasions Label set, which is available both digitally and as a clear set.  The only digi stamps I've used before now have been black and white line drawings.  Changing the colors, creating layers, altering the sizes, and adding the sentiment of choice?  That was a whole new ball game for me! 

Fortunately, there are a lot of tutorials on the My Time Made Easy website, and it didn't take too long for me to figure it out. (I downloaded a free photo editing software called 'GIMP' to make the label as my little iPhoto program isn't sophisticated enough to do that kind of stuff.) It's definitely something I will be doing again, particularly for things like Christmas cards and gift tags.

I hand cut my sentiment out because I still don't know how to do all of that fancy stuff with my Cricut.  However, if you know how to use digital files with a Cricut or Silhouette, you can get the accompanying Occasional Labels cut file to make these labels oh-so-easy.

I added a bit of handstitching, a couple of brads, and some ribbon to top it off, and I ended up with a sweet, colorful birthday card that I really like and will be duplicating.  I never have enough 'all-purpose' birthday cards to go around.  Of course, Kristin's set has a TON of sentiments so it will get lots and lots of use around here, and not just for birthdays.

Come play the Color Throwdown with us this week, and you could be a winner!  Kristin will be giving away both of her stamp sets and both of her paper packs to a randomly chosen participant.  So be sure to head on over to the Color Throwdown blog for all the information about how to play along with this week's challenge.  And, of course, you'll want to visit these amazing ladies who've no doubt created beautiful projects with Kristin's lovely digis:

• Tammy Hershberger
• Kristin Eberline
• Broni Holcombe
• Barbara Anders
• Danielle Kennedy
• Laura Pryor
• Kisa Peters

  Thank you so much, CTDs, for making me feel so welcome this month!  I loves ya!

Purty Colors!

Last Friday, my friend Steuby-Shanoopy-Shannan-Teubner made a comment about me on her blog.  It was in passing, but it didn't escape my notice.  She is the current Viva La Verve sketch challenge hostess, and she came up with a very cool sketch and gave a tutorial for a quilt-y paper technique.  Here's Shannan's sketch:

As Shannan was demonstrating the aforementioned quilt-y technique, she made the following comment:

"This is a perfect time to use those less-loved colors like Orchid Opulence or Yo-Yo Yellow. Unless you're Carole."

Well.  I could hardly let such a remark slip by, could I?  I daresay, that was a direct challenge.  Especially considering I'd just received a Verve order in the mail the previous day.¹ Usually when I receive a new shipment of stamps, I let it sit and collect dust for at least 6 months or so unless it's got a design team deadline attached to it.  Not this time!  Shannan, this one's for you, sister...

Just for kicks & giggles, I added a little Green Galore and Cool Carribean to my beloved Orchid Oppulence and YoYo Yellow.  And -- for the record -- the folks at Echo Park share my sensibilities; see that delightful, perfectly coordinating patterned paper?  That's from Echo Park's new Summer Days 6"x6" paper pad.  To keep things lively, I added a little Stardust Embossing Glitter from Powder Keg to give the flowers and leaves a little flash.  The edges of the paper layer were inked with Papaya pigment ink from A Muse | Studio. 

Thank you, Steuby-Doo, for getting me back to my vibrant roots.  My Bold Brights had been missing me. This really is a great sketch and fun technique.  I likey! 

Here's another bright little number I threw together when I was trying out my new A Muse|Studio inks:

Fun & super easy.  I repeatedly stamped out the guitar (in Cranberry, Orange, Fern, Ocean, and Blackberry A Muse|Studio pigment ink) and then heat embossed the  You Rock sentiment in black embossing powder.   All stamps are from the Rock Star set.

Okay, dahlings.  It's late and I'm plum tuckered out.  I'll be back manana with a sample for this week's Color Throwdown.  See you then!

Footnotes:

1.  Perhaps you didn't notice, and of course, I didn't mention it (BECAUSE I'M SO MODEST!), but I was one of the April Mojo Monday sketch challenge winners, and so I was lucky enough to receive a free Verve stamp set of my choosing.  Fortunately, this occurred right at release time, so I selected the beautiful new Bloom & Grow set.  But, as I mentioned to the fabulous Julee Tilman in an email, if you give a mouse (or me) Bloom & Grow, she's going to need the accompanying dies and a few other new sets to go with it...  I ended up with a nice, fat package of Verve-iliciousness in my mailbox a couple of days later.  That's what I call some happy mail! :)

Supplies used:

Bloom & Grow: Stamps - Bloom & Grow from Verve Stamps; Paper - Summer Days 6"x6" pade from Echo Park, Orchid Oppulence, YoYo Yellow, Green Galore (SU!), Neenal Solar White; Ink: Green Galore, VersaMark, A Muse Papaya, Marvy Matchables Black; Accessories - Elegant Leaves and Floral Circles A Cut Above dies by Verve, Stardust Embossing Glitter from Powder Keg, brads, gingham ribbon, Jody's foam boosters.

You Rock: Stamps - Rockstar by A Muse|Studio; Paper - Neenah Solar White, True Black (PTI); Ink: Cranberry, Orange, Fern, Ocean, Blackberry, VersaMark; Accessories: black detail embossing powder, Jody's foam boosters.

Color Throwdown: Liber-tea!

Hi, friends!  It's Wednesday, so you know what that means, don't you?  Time for another COLOR THROWDOWN! As April's Guestie, I'm having a great time hanging out with the colorful (and that's understatement!) gals on the Color Throwdown design team; the time is flying by way too fast!  Only one more week to go until I'll have to pass on my Guestie title to some other lucky stamper...

 

Well, no point in dwelling on that sad fact now, is there?  Let's live in the present...

This week, the irrepressible TAMMY HERSHBERGER is the hostess, and we have a special sponsor: LIL' INKER DESIGNS, owned and operated by the Color Throwdown's own LAURA PRYOR!  Wanna see the combo Tammy's throwing down this week?  Here goes...

So what we've got here is Navy, White, and ONE accent color.  You'd think this would be easy, wouldn't you?  Well, considering all I wanted to get accomplished in one card, it was NOT!  See, I set out to make a card that:

1. Fulfilled the Color Throwdown challenge.
2. Fulfilled this week's TCP Tuesday sketch challenge, hosted by my buddy, pal, and favorite LOBster, Leigh O'Brien.  Check out her post here for the sketch and more details.
3. Used Lil' Inker's Sentiment Flags die and stamp set effectively.

That, my friends, is a pretty tall order!  Did I succeed?  Well, I'll let you be the judge...

My accent color is red.  {Gold embossing powder does NOT count as a color!  That's my story and I'm stickin' with it!}  Looking at the TCP Tuesday sketch, I needed a long, skinny-ish image; the dimensions of my card are 7" x 3.5". I decided to use Toni's Tea Set, a sweet, graphic set that hasn't gotten enough love around these parts.  That's when I got a bright idea: I'll try to make it look like my wedding china!

The pattern is "Liberty" by Lenox.  You can tell I got married in the early nineties thanks to the gold rim, huh?  (And hence the gold embossing powder.)  Isn't gold coming back in style?  Hmmm.  Whatever.  It's not like it actually gets used, anyway.  I do think it's pretty, though.  I have a really funny story about it, but since it involves both my mother and my mother-in-law, I should probably refrain from telling it here on the world wide interweb. Just in case. Not that either of those lovely ladies read my blog, but stranger things have happened. And it's nice to be on speaking terms with family, don't you think? Remind me to share it with you, though, should we ever meet in person.  Especially if I've had a glass or two of wine...

Need a better look at the sentiment?  Here you go...

The 'Drinking of You' sentiment is from The Cat's Pajamas (it's part of Toni's Tea Set), but the flag outline is from Lil' Inker's Sentiment Flags set which comes with an accompanying die.  It's really a darling set -- comes with five different flags, a flag pole, and five sentiments with cute fonts, and of course, they work perfectly with the ribbon-tail flag die. 

Here's a story that I actually CAN tell... I received the Sentiment Flags set & die from Laura when Lil' Inkers Designs sponsored my buddy Jen's Sketch For You To Try, last October.  I can't recall now what happened, but for whatever reason, I wasn't able to use the participate in the SFYTT that particular weekend.  I felt bad for accepting a sponsored item free of charge, then not doing my part by using it when I was supposed to, so I sent Laura a payment via Paypal and explained to her my situation.  Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when she returned my payment with a sweet note that said she appreciated my gesture, but she'd rather I use and enjoy Sentiment Flags as a gift from her.  What a class act!  I think that says so much about Ms. Laura Pryor.  It certainly made me a fan for life!

Okay.  Back to my card!  I ain't done with you yet, varmint... (<-- say like Yosemite Sam.  And yes, that is appropos of nothing.)

Here's the inside of my card:

I 'hung' the banner on the flag pole with some gold thread.  My intention is for it to look like a sign outside a shop. That 'Congratulations' sentiment comes with the Sentiment Flags set, by the way.  (See what I meant about cute fonts?  I have to confess, I'm a total font snob.  Some fonts make me really angry, they're so tired and dusty...  It's just ... LAZY!  You know what I'm talking about.  I know you do.  That doesn't mean I don't use 'em on occasion when I have to, but you won't hear me say anything nice about them, that's for sure.)

So, are YOU ready to play in this week's Color Throwdown?  Or TCP Tuesday?  Or - for the ultimate challenge - BOTH?!?!  Anyone who submits the same card for both challenges by 12 a.m. next Tuesday will receive a lovely, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted card from yours truly.  Send me an email with the link to your card (so I can oooh-and-aaah) and your mailing address, and I'll have my people send it to your people.  For real!

If that wasn't enough to incite you to make a MAD DASH for Navy-White-and-one-accent-color-of-your-choice, the aforementioned Laura/Lil' Inkers Designs will be giving the Featured Stamper her choice of either a Sentiments Flags & die set or her latest Pinwheels set & die!  (The Featured Stamper is randomly chosen from all participants.) For all the info on today's Color Throwdown, head over to ye olde Color Throwdown Blog.  Then visit the luminous ladies of the Color Throwdown design team, who are showing off pinweel-licious papercrafts for your peeking pleasure:

• Tammy Hershberger
• Kristin Eberline
• Broni Holcombe
• Barbara Anders
• Danielle Kennedy
• Cathy Rulli
• Laura Pryor
• LeeAnne Pugliese
• Kisa Peters

Have a good one, peeps!  I hope to be back soon, though I have a lot of loose ends to wrap up as this semester comes to a close.  Still, I should be able to pop back in over the weekend to visit with you.  In the meantime, PLEASE don't do anything I wouldn't do!

 

PS -- Happy Birthday, Honey!  (Today's my DH's 43rd.  April 20th was also Hitler's birthday.  That's just a fact.  I'm not implying anything by that coincidence.)

  (<-- picture her with glasses)

Just a Quickie...

I'm in the middle of a two-day seminar, which means while you're enjoying your Saturday?  I'll be sitting in a frigid classroom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Seriously, the classrooms are so cold that the prof. put in her syllabus (which was emailed in advance) to wear layers and bring a blanket, just in case! 

Brrr!

Before I go bundle up and pack my thermos of coffee, I thought I'd share a quick card I made a week or so ago. 

I don't know about you, but I NEVER make sympathy cards.  In fact, during the Christmas holidays, I was at Hallmark.  I wanted to get a musical book version of the Peanuts Christmas special, and it was $10 cheaper if you bought three cards.  Well, as a card maker, you know, it's kind of sacriligious to actually purchase cards.  Then I had a bright idea: I'll buy sympathy cards!  That way I won't have to make 'em, but will have some on hand when the unfortunate time comes that I need one.

Well, unfortunately, an unfortunate time came earlier this month.  And it hit pretty close to home.  A good family friend (she has worked for and with my husband since we moved to Claremore, almost 15 years ago) lost her son.  As a mother of two sons, I can't imagine anything worse.  My heart aches and breaks for Linda. 

I wanted to send her a note, but I couldn't bring myself to use one of the purchased cards.  Linda knows I'm a papercrafter, and, well, it just seemed disrespectful not to make her card. 

So here's the clean and simple card I put together, using some of the items I received in my a•muse|studio starter kit:

Count your blessings and hug your babies tight.

Supplies used - all from a•muse|studio

Stamps: Beautiful Botanicals 2, Essential Sentiments; Paper: Sugar, French Roast Fern; Ink: Lichen, Fern, French Roast; Accessories: French Roast stitched grosgrain ribbon, brads, corner rounder 

Color Throwdown - Hit the Tub!

It's time for another Color Throwdown challenge!  As I mentioned last week, I'm the April Guestie for the fabulous group of stampers that get together each week for a color challenge on the Color Throwdown blog.  This week's challenge hostess is noneother than Cathy Rulli, and here's the combo she's throwing down:

Teal... again!  I don't think I've made a teal card in over a year, then I make two in a row.  Strange, huh?  I like teal, though, and it saved me a trip to the file cabinet (where I keep my cardstock), so I'm not complaining.  Anywhoodle, here's what I put together, for your viewing enjoyment:

This bathing beauty is Brigitte, one of the Everyday Girls from Kraftin' Kimmie's Moonlight Whispers line.  The sketch is by my buddy, Michele Boyer, for this week's Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge.  Gotta love a two-fer!  Michele also gave me that cute felt Prima flower embellishment.  I used a variety of 6" x 6" patterned papers to get all the colors in -- the celery floral is by Lilybean Paperie, the sumer sun circles is a Cosmo Cricket (DeLovely, I think), and the teal plaid is from October Afternoon (actually it's from an 8"x8" pad - Ducks In a Row).  See that lovely border?  It's the oh-so-fabulous Apron Border CutUps die from The Cat's Pajamas.  {love, love, love it!}

Wanna play along with this week's challenge? Then just link up your design to today's post on the Color Throwdown blog.  For lots of inpsiration, more cards created with this bright and bold combo, and perhaps a wrestling/ninja move or two, go visit the Color Throwdown designers:

• Tammy Hershberger
• Kristin Eberline
• Broni Holcombe
• Barbara Anders
• Danielle Kennedy
• Cathy Rulli
• Laura Pryor

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a good one!

TCP Tuesday - Sweet Baby Blog Hop!

 

Happy TCP Tuesday, friends!  Today is an extra-special TCP Tuesday -- The Cat's Pajamas is throwing a Surprise Baby Blog Hop in honor of a newborn kitten.  Our very own Tracy Falco gave birth last Wednesday to her first child, a little guy named BRADEN! 

The hop begins at ALMA's blog, which is only fitting since she's this week's Hipster Hostess With the Mostess¹.  In honor of the Falco Family's new addition, she's decided this week's stamp challenge should be: BABY! 

Simple enough! Before I show you my card, though, I have to make sure you came this way via my buddy, pal, and dear friend AMY.  If you didn't, stop-drop-and-Rohl {hee... her name is Amy Rohl, get it? *guffaw*} back to her blog and/or the beginning, because this is definitely the *sweetest* blog hop ever and you don't want to miss a thing!

I combined three-three-THREE! challenges² in one to come up with this bright baby:

 There's a whole bunch of repetition going on up there, but I like to do that kind of stuff.  The background paper was created by repeatedly stamping the "Oh Baby!" sentiment from the And Baby Makes... set in Tempting Turquoise ink on yellow cardstock. I lightly drew lines in pencil so the stamping would be {mostly} straight, then erased them with a white eraser after the ink had dried.  For the main image panel, I alternated Baby Sprinkle and Baby Poochie, then colored them in with Copic Markers in last week's TCP Tuesday color scheme³.  See that pinking edge around the large circle layer?  I was inspired to create that by yesterday's Splitcoast Technique Lovers' Challenge, to create a circle border using a straight edge border punch or die.  I used our Pinking Border CutUps die, and I LOVE the way it turned out! 

Here's how you do it:

First, cut out your border.  Then, make little v-shaped notches at each point where the repeating part of your diecut meets; see how I ended up with a bunch of little weird shaped pentagons?  Next, draw about a 2" line of glue on the back of your circle, and start laying out the individual pieces.  You only want to do about 2" at a time or your glue will dry before you get around your circle.  And, wa-la!

I think that just the neatest effect, and a wonderful way to get more bang for the bucks you spend on your CutUps dies!

I also added a little yellow Copic marker to the white spaces on the ribbon to make it 'go with' my color scheme.  It bled a little onto the light teal portion of the ribbon, but not so much that you notice it unless I mention it.  Like I just did.  Don't go back and look! ;)

I've got one more thing to share with you before I send you off to your next stop.  Tracy had popped in the Cat Pack's discussion forum to let us know how she was doing, and we all got to talking about trying to enjoy those wee babies (even though it's so exhausting and overwhelming at first).  It reminded me of my favorite baby poem that I thought of every time I rocked my two little-now-much-bigger boys.  I'll just share the last stanza; it always chokes me up!

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.⁴ 

Now I'm all verklempt, so go visit the legendary JEN for something absolutely delightful and let me sob in peace!

 

CONGRATULATIONS, TRACY & FAMILY!!!

 

 

Supplies used:

• Stamps: Baby Sprinkle, Baby Poochie, and sentiment (from 'And Baby Makes...' set) by The Cat's Pajamas
• Paper: Neenah Solar White, Taken With Teal (SU!), Orange Fizz, Banana Split
• Ink: Marvy Matchables Black, Totally Turquoise (SU!)
• Accessories: Pinking Border CutUps die from The Cat's Pajamas, Copic markers, Creative Memories cutting system, ribbon, stamp a majig, Jody's foam boosters  

Footnotes:

1. Alma is subbing for Susan, our regular Stamp Challenge Hostesss, as Sus is very involved at the moment with helping her mother recover from a stroke.  If you have a spare moment, stop by Susan's blog and leave her some love.  And, if you have an extra card laying around and would like to help encourage Linda (Susan's sweet mother) in her recovery, send me an email at cburrage@mac.com and I'll forward you a mailing address.  
2. The three challenges I combined are: 1) last week's TCP Tuesday color challenge, to use yellow, orange, and teal; 2) yesterday's SCS Technique Lover's Challenge; and today's TCP Tuesday challenge.  A three-fer!
3. Last week's TCP Tuesday color challenge is to the right.   It also happens to be the color scheme of my blog!  It only took me about six days to realize that...
4. From "Song For a Fifth Child" by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton.

a·muse-ings

Don’t tell my husband…

But I done went and did it.  Actually, I don’t think he’ll be surprised. 

What am I talking about?

Remember in a recent post I discussed how I had been reading through past blog posts starting from the beginning in an effort to get them categorized?  One of the notes I took during that process¹ was how much I used to love working with a·muse stamps.  I can remember buying my first issue of StampIt! Magazine in the spring of 2006 and seeing this wedding card²; it was love at first sight.  I did an internet search for the company that created the clean, sweet image…

Well, we all know how that story ends.

Fast forward from 2006 to March of 2011.  I was as intrigued as everyone else in the stamping community when I read all of the announcements about the creation of a·muse|studio as a home party/direct sales company.  My initial response was “Huh?  You’ve gotta be kidding.  Why would they want to go and do something crazy like that?”  But…  Having met Linda Hartwich at a couple of CHAs over the years, and knowing that my dear friend and boss lady, Miss Meowy, has a great deal of respect for Linda and her business acumen, I had to do a double-take.  Of course, I have also always thought Julie Ebersole was the neatest chick around; for me, the words ‘Julie HRR’ and ‘a·muse’ are synonymous.  I’m also a faithful reader of Joan Bardee’s blog, Paperlicious³, and she did fabulously detailed review of a·muse|studio’s cardstock and inks.  Then, I saw that my fearless leader, Jenn Balcer (longtime SCS general manager and Dirty Dozen Coordinator during my stint as a Dirty Girl) had become a consultant.  Just so happens, Jenn and I were due for a chat.

Next thing you know?  Jenn’s convinced me that signing up as an a·muse|studio consultant would be money for nothing and chicks for free!  Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but after weighing the pros and cons, it sounded like a win-win proposition.  Here’s why:

1. When have I ever had the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a direct sales company whose products I already adore, have bought for years, and which involves my passion for stamping? Answer: never, and odds are, never again.  The market is fresh for a|muse studio, and if I’m ever going to do it, now is the time when I’m only one of two so far in Oklahoma. Such possibilities!
2. The only money I’d be out is the price of the start-up kit, which is on special for the time being.  I easily spend that much over the course of a month or so in crafting supplies and materials.  And, because I have such an inventory⁴ of a·muse stamps, many of which are being re-issued, my previous ‘investments’ can be utilized to support my new endeavor.
3. Besides a consultant discount on a·muse’s proprietary products (stamps, dies, inks, papers, embellishments, and so on) I’d also have a discount on things like Copic markers and refills and Nestabililities dies.  Can't beat that with a stick!
4. Unlike some of the other direct sales stamp companies, a·muse|studio puts no restrictions on their consultants serving on other stamp company design teams.  Which means I wouldn’t have to leave my beloved Cat’s Pajamas.  That would be a deal-breaker.  But again, that Linda is a smart chickie who knows that.
5. Orders are made through a personalized website (here’s the link) and shipped directly from a·muse|studios; what could be easier than that?  I remember all too well my brief stint in Creative Memories and having to sort through those boxes and make deliveries (*shudder*)…
6. So many of my friends know of my passion for stamping and want to try it, but when they see the stuff I usually create, it seems too involved and they say, “Fuhgeddabout it.”  I totally get that.  I’ve been doing this for about five years now, and my projects have gotten increasingly complicated.  That’s what makes stamping ‘stick’ as a hobby; if you catch the fever, you can do more, and more, and more.  After all, when I look at someone like my friend, Amy Sheffer, or say, Becca Feeken, I feel like a pre-schooler.  Granted, they have a more elegant, detailed style than I, but you catch my drift.  Here’s the deal though: a person isn’t going to catch stamping fever unless she has success at the beginning and thinks, “This is fun!  I can do this!”  That’s where a·muse comes in: the images are darling, but still simple enough that a beginner doesn’t need advanced skills to feel she’s made something she could be proud to send out to friends.  The a·muse style also doesn’t require an inordinate investment of time.  It’s a great way to start stamping.  Those that are ‘hooked’ can either stay with clean-and-simple stamping, or go on to develop a different style.  Either way, I’m helping convert the masses; as we all know, the world NEEDS more stampers!
7. If it doesn’t work out, no big deal: I can always throw in the towel with a month’s notice.  I’ve bought shoes that require a greater investment and bigger commitment.

So, by now you’ve figured it out: I’ve become an a·muse|studio consultant, and I’m really excited about this fun opportunity⁵! 

If any of you are persuaded by my reasoning and feel this might be the kind of opportunity you’re interested in exploring, feel free to drop me an email.  We can correspond that way, or if you’d rather, send me you number and I’d be happy to give you a call.  If you’re already convinced and looking for an upline, I’d be thrilled to serve as that for you.⁶  And if you just want to do a little plain, old-fashioned shopping, hit the button on my sidebar or this link and get after it! 

I'm going to end this lengthy post with a little walk down memory lane to show you a few of my favorite a·muse designs over the years…

This is the first card I ever made with a·muse stamps, and was made for the first SCS challenge I ever participated in:

A sweet & simple Valentine...

I have an abiding love for happy octopus and/or jellyfish images, not to mention the color combo of Orchid Opulence, lime green and orange...

Here's where my a·muse cards begin to get a little less clean and simple.  Still, I think these show the versatility of the images.  A great image is a great image, regardless of the stamper's style, know what I mean? And I love the symbolism behind bees and beehives (industry, diligence, social organization, hope, etc.):

I made this one to celebrate the cuckoo clock I bought during one of mine & Carter's trips to Frankenmuth, Michigan.  I *love* cuckoo clocks so much; they're homey and comforting.  Of course, I tire of the cuckooing very quickly, but fortunately you can turn that part off.  Still, you have to pull the 'pinecone' thingys twice a day, which I think is a good reminder of how quickly time passes.

The last one I'm going to show is a card I made for my last Dirty Dozen gallery.  It shows two of my favorite things: books and faux postage.  Guess who I sent this to, to thank her for all she had done for me during my tenure as a Dirty girl?  You got it: Jenn Balcer.  Full circle moment, or what?!

Thanks for hearing me out, peeps!  Have a wonderful day. :) 

---

Footnotes:

1. Which is still not finished; I get caught up reading all of the comments all over again, too.  Then it makes me wonder what some of those folks are up to these days, so I click on their blogs and start reading, and the next thing I know, an hour has passed… you feel my pain, don’t you? 
2. I cannot believe I found this magazine!  I have thrown away countless papercrafting magazines over the past five years.  Yet somehow, I still can show you exactly which a·muse image turned my head… spooky!  The designer of the cards featured in this issue of StampIt! is Linda Beeson.
3. Joan and I have a lot in common.  We’re both lawyers, although she practices and I don’t.  She lives in the D.C. area and works in D.C. for a government agency.  I grew up in Alexandria, VA (my dad was an engineer with the Department of Defense), and then later returned to the D.C. area briefly as a newlywed.  We’re the mothers of sons.  We have aging mothers who live with (in Joan’s case) or near (in my case) us, and who occasionally drive us batty (Joan’s FAR more patient and a much better daughter than I am).  She’s a great writer; I enjoy good writing and like to think I can string a few words together in a pleasing manner.  And, oh yeah, we’re both members of that high-niche group of crafters who refer to themselves as ‘stampers.’ 
4. See what I mean? ------->
5. Does this mean all you’ll start seeing on my blog is a·muse and a·muse only?  No, silly.  I’m still a loyal member of The Cat Pack and plan to be until the moment I PERMANENTLY retire (as opposed to temporary retirement, like that period between Sept. of ’09 – July of ’10) from designing.  Now that I've reduced some of my design team commitments, I also plan to do more stamping/playing just for fun; after all, isn't that what this is supposed to be about?  So you never know what you might find when I pop up in your reader or in-box. You will, however, be seeing more a·muse designs around these parts in the future, and I consider that a good thing. :)
6. My aforementioned cyber-friend Joan B. is calling her team “Team Paperlicious,” which I think is really cute.  “Team Mother’s Little Helper” is a mouthful, and “Team Carole” reminds me of a bookclub I was once active in, in which the founder referred to it as, say, “Mary’s Book Club” (that’s not her real name, btw).  That always irritated me to no end.  I don’t really know why, but it did.  Which is why I’ll never be a household name like Donald Trump or Lilly Pulitzer.  So be it.  Anyway, the team name I’ve come up with embraces my philosophy of both stamping and life: TEAM WABI-SABI!  I've frequently mentioned my admiration for the Japanese philosophy/aesthetic of wabi-sabi, but for those who need a primer, it's basically this: beauty lies in imperfection, impermanence, and authenticity.  It's being content with what is and living in the moment; it's small moments of celebration.  Wabi-sabi isn't mass produced or disposable.  Examples of wabi-sabi to me are: cracks on the spine of a much-loved and often-read book; bite marks and scratches from Hot Wheels on a coffee table (especially if your children are now much older); "every lesson learned a line upon your beautiful face" as opposed to botox injections.  You catch my drift. :)

Are you ready to rumble?

Because it's time for the COLOR THROWDOWN!!!  What's the Color Throwdown, you ask?  Well, it's a challenge blog where each week some of your favorite stampers issue a color challenge.  And this month, I'm ever so honored to serve as their Guestie! (<-- isn't that a cute guest designer designation? :) )  You all know I'm a colorful gal, so this fun gig is Right. Up. My. Alley!

This week's Challenge Hostess is the very sweet Laura Pryor, and here's what she's throwing down:

Mmmm - mmmm - good!  Here's what I came up with...

I used The Cat's Pajama's beautiful new set, The Tweetest Things, and the accompanying Home Tweet Home CutUps die.  The elegant sentiment comes from another new set from The Cat's Pajamas, Simply Said.  And, for the first time ever, I've made a rosette (it's that pretty, circular foldy-thing -- that's a technical term -- behind the birdhouse)!  Rosettes have always intimidated me -- they look HARD -- but they're a cinch with The Cat's Pajama's new Easy Rosette CutUps.  Believe me, if I can make one?  ANYONE can, especially after watching cute Alma's demonstration video.  I used Julee's current Mojo Monday sketch (#185).

This card is on its way to the mom of my dear friend, Susiestampalot -- Linda Bien (here's a link to her Splitcoast gallery).  Linda is such a neat, wonderful lady.  I've had the pleasure of meeting her at a couple of SCS North Texas get togethers, and she has a fun sense of humor and is a delight to be around.  The apples definitely didn't fall far from her tree, considering both Susan and Sara Williams (blog designer extraordinaire) are her daughters.  Linda had a rough week last week and is currently in the hospital after suffering a stroke.  Susan tells me she's improving daily, and fortunately her cognition and speech have not been affected.  Still, there will be rehab, etc., involved so I want to send her a little something to let her know I've been thinking of her.  If any of you reading this wants to do the same, shoot me an email and I'd be happy to send you a mailing address. 

So, do you think you can handle the Color Throwdown?  You can get all of the details for the challenge on the Color Throwdown blog.  Let me know if you decide to play because I'd love to oooh and aaah over what you come up with.  And of course, you'll want to stop by the terrifically talented ladies of the Color Throwdown design team:

• Tammy Hershberger
• Kristin Eberline
• Broni Holcombe
• Barbara Anders
• Danielle Kennedy
• Cathy Indelicato
• Laura Pryor

Thanks so much for stopping by today, friends!

Supplies used:

• Stamps: The Tweetest Things and Simply Said from The Cat's Pajamas
• Paper: Soft Sky (SU!), Kraft & Orange Zest (PTI), True Blue 6x6 pad from My Mind's Eye's Fine and Dandy line
• Ink: Versamark Archival Brown
• Accessories: Home Tweet Home and Easy Rosette CutUps dies from The Cat's Pajamas; Pale Blue Glitzy German glass glitter (Baby Love collection) from The Cat's Pajamas; Jody's Foam Boosters, Maya Road trim, brads, grosgrain ribbon, Cuttlebug Houndstooth embossing folder

Hey Girlfriend - April SFYTT

Wow -- can you believe it's already April?  Time marched right on over March, didn't it?  Well, the good news is that with the beginning of a new month, Jen's delivered a new Sketch For You To Try!  And this month, the SFYTT Sisters are fortunate to be sponsored by Unity Stamp Company.  I'm sure you're familiar with Unity - they make some of the hippest stamps in the industry, and have partnered with several of my favorite patterned paper companies to create coordinating images.  Very cool stuff!  Know what's also cool?  If you participate in this month's SFYTT sketch challenge, you'll be eligible for a drawing to win a few of Unity's Itty Bittys.

Thanks, Unity!  So, are you ready to take a look at this month's sketch?

And here's what I made, using a Cosmo Cricket Itty Bitty from Unity called "Hey Girlfriend":

Isn't that fun?  A simple but bold silhouette makes a statement against all those funky patterns, don't you think?  All of the patterned paper I used today are digipapers from Creativity by Crystal.  My buddy Shannan steered me to Crystal's site and I was instantly smitten.  Each of these patterns is from Crystal's Spring/Summer 2011 line.  The multi-colored papers are from the Pretty Posies Patterned Paper pack (say that five times, fast).  See that delicious and oh-so-trendy aqua woodgrain paper?  That's from her Woodgrain pack, which features 12 colors and 24 papers; a must have for the season and a bargain at only $4!¹   I added a little visual interest to the horizontal strips via the Pinking Border CutUps from The Cat's Pajamas.

Head on over to Jen's blog for the sketch and samples from both Jen and this month's SFYTT Guest Designer, the awesome JEN SHULTS.  And of course, you'll want to stop my my SFYTT Sisters' blogs for their take on today's sketch and more Unity goodness:

Amber Hight
Amy Sheffer
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Kerry Johnson
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles (stay tuned for Susan’s card. She has been busy with a family emergency), and our newest SFYTT Sister,

Terri Moore!  Be sure to give her a warm welcome. :)

My homegirls/fellow Cat Pack-ers Leigh O'Brien and Amy Rohl have 'retired' as SFYTT Sisters, but will be playing along with us often.  Love you girls!

Okie dokie folks.  I have a mountain of laundry to climb and miles to go before I sleep.  I will definitely be back tomorrow with that MFT Teaser I promised for yesterday.  I encountered a little snafu with Typepad that prevented me from posting on time, but it's been resolved.  Can you believe they expected me to keep my credit card info updated?  (My old one was good through 4/11) The nerve... ;)  That reminds me, my license also expires this month... Ugh!  I hate getting a new license picture taken.  And my weight still says what I weighed when I got married, almost 18 years ago.  Should I change it to reflect reality, or should I let it remain aspirational?  Give me your thoughts.

Later, friends.  Thanks for stopping by!

Footnote:

1. I'm not sponsored or in any way affiliated with Creativity by Crystal, I'm just a big fan of her papers.  Speaking of big fan, did you ever see the movie, BIG FAN, starring  Patton Oswalt?  It's definitely worth watching.

 

How'd you like to meet him in a dark alley?