A Muse Studio

September Collection - Inspired!

Hello and Happy Monday!  I'm sad that this is the last week of summer but am looking forward to fall and all it promises: x-country meets, tennis matches, hikes, a trip to the lake and... a wedding! How 'bout you?  Have you got any exciting plans for fall?  

Thanks for all of your positive comments on our new 2017 September Collection.  We've sure had fun creating with these new stamps, dies and digital cuts.  Today I've got some quick and easy FALL cards that are clean and crisp featuring the new Eat Drink and Be Thankful stamp set.  This set includes two great sentiments and nine lovely fall images.  On this first card, I used an assortment of fresh, fall colored inks:  Apple, Wasabi, Pumpkin and Saffron to stamp the leaves around the sentiment.  

This card would be easy and fun to mass produce.

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Canada is celebrating the150th anniversary of Confederation this year.  We had the good fortune to visit Ottawa this summer for a quick getaway last month and my daughters were impressed by the beauty of Canada's capital city.  

The sun was setting behind the parliament buildings so it was hard to get a good photo but the outline is impressive, no?  I love the oxidized copper roofs.   

The Chateau Laurier (pictured below) is a beautiful and historic hotel and the perfect spot for sightseeing in this Capital city.  (We got a fantastic deal through Hotels.com)

 

We sampled these fun Canada cookies at the Byward Market and oddly enough the bakery calls them "Obama Cookies".  There's a story behind that!

As you an see, I'm a proud Canadian!  I'm so thrilled that the Eat Drink and Be Thankful stamp set includes a pretty little maple leaf.  Sugar Maples have the prettiest fall colors ranging from fiery reds to golden yellows and all shades in between.  I pulled out all of my Red, Orange and Yellow Inks and settled on: Apple, Habanero, Orange, Marigold, Papaya, Buttercup and Lemon Whip.  

 

 

 

The Twinkle Stickers were a last minute addition and I'm not sure I like them.  What do you think?  The sentiment is from a stamp set we release in 2016 called Second Spring.  

This last card features the main sentiment in the Eat Drink and Be Thankful stamp set.  I just LOVE it!  This stamp can be used with so many simple techniques to make the sentiment really pop.  Here I stamped it on A Muse Studio Sugar cardstock (soooo smooth!) in waterproof black ink and then highlighted the sentiment with A Muse Studio Splash inks.  I used Marigold, Papaya and Habanero.  

Our Splash inks can be diluted with a bit of water to decrease the intensity of the color when needed.  I just add a dab of splash to one of my clear blocks and then add a drop or two of water.  So easy!

I hope you've enjoyed these quick and easy cards!  The new digital cut files are now available in the A Muse Studio online shop.  




 

Winners!

Hello!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Thanks to everyone for sharing your comments on our Sneak Peeks posts.  I love reading your comments!

I've got some WINNERS to announce from our TWO giveaways last week!

 

The winner of our Day 1 Giveaway - Hello Pumpkin is: Annalisa McB.

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The winner of our Day 2 Giveaway - Fierce is: Heather M.  

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Annalisa and Heather, please email your mailing address to us at [email protected].  Be sure to put Blog Winner in the subject line of your message and we'll send out your prize right away.

Have a crafty day!

 

 

2017 September Collection Now Available

Hello and thanks for joining me today to view the new 2017 September Collection.  This Collection includes 3 stamp sets (two with matching die sets and three matching digital cut files) and an assorted paper pack.  

Let's take a look at all of the fabulous new products in more detail.

HELLO PUMPKIN

SASD063 Hello Pumpkin stamp set, 13 images - $17.99
TAD0292 matching die set, includes 4 pieces - $14.99
DASC063 digital cut file - includes 13 files - coming soon!

The new Hello Pumpkin stamp set is great for all your fall cards!  For this card, I stamped the pine branch from the Eat Drink and Be Thankful stamp set in Eucalyptus on a white card base.  I used the matching die set to cut out two of the stamped pumpkins and popped them up with 3D foam adhesive.  This was a quick and easy card.

The jack o' lantern image in this set allows you to create fun (but not too scary!) Halloween cards.  I LOVE how crisp these sentiments look - especially when stamped in black ink.

I love pairing the jack o' lantern with the other pumpkins to soften the look.  The Halloween Assortment of washi tape and onyx sequins are perfect embellishments!

EAT DRINK AND BE THANKFUL

SASC061 Eat Drink And Be Thankful, includes 11 images - $17.99
TAD0291 matching die set, includes 9 pieces - $19.99
DASC061 digital cut file, includes 11 files - coming soon!

 

I think this may be my FAVORITE card from this month's collection.  It's crisp, clean and FUN!  The color choices are perfect and I love the black stars.  I have never thought to stamp my stars in black but I will start doing this.  

Add a trio of onyx sequins and PERFECTION... all in a one layer card!

I wanted to share this clean and simple card because it showcases the additional cut files you get with the Digital Cut Files for these sets.  We've create cut files for the sentiments and you are going to LOVE them!  Cutting out your sentiments really makes them POP and it just takes a second if you've got a digital cutter.

Add some oak leaves and French Roast pearls as a finishing touch and voila!

 

FIERCE

SASC062 Fierce stamp set, includes 11 images - $17.99

DASC062 digital cut file, includes 11 files - coming soon!

I'm so happy to hear that you LOVE this set as much as we do!  The sentiments in this set are empowering and sometimes a bit cheeky but between friends... why not?!

This set is so versatile and you will use it year round!  Here I paired the Be Brave, Be Strong, Be Fearless sentiment with the oak leaf from the Eat Drink and Be Thankful set.  Oak trees are a symbol of strength so I think it's a perfect combo.

This card would instantly make someone feel better, don't you think?  The watercolor background can be achieved in many ways but A Muse Studio Hibiscus and Marigold Splash are fast and easy!  The postage stamp die cut set adds that little bit extra!

The postage stamp die cut set adds that little bit extra!

This last card is another clean and simple gem from Melissa.  As you can see, you can add practically any image to these sentiments for MAXIMUM versatility!

Check out the unique way that Melissa used the Pinking Circle dies!  She cut two circles the same size using different colored cardstock.  She then layered them offset a little to create a pretty border.  I am DEFINITELY going to use this idea!

SEPTEMBER COLLECTION PAPER ASSORTMENT

PAA1709 - 2017 September Cardstock Collection - $11.99

Our paper assortments are always popular!  You'll get 3 sheets each of orange, papaya, sage, grape, petite polka dot - onyx, cotton candy, and french roast for a total of 21 sheets.

 

Thanks for checking out our new products.  We'll announce the winners of our giveaways soon and I've got LOTS more inspiring ideas for this awesome new collection to share so please stay tuned!

 

 

2017 September Collection - Sneak Peeks Final Day

It's our FINAL day of Sneak Peeks for the new 2017 September Collection.  I hope you've been enjoying the peeks so far!

Today, I'm sharing a great new stamp set called Eat, Drink and Be Thankful that has gorgeous fall sentiments and supporting images.  You are going to LOVE what our designers have created with this set!

Lisa's created a fun shaker card using the new Eat Drink and Be Thankful set.  Add some A Muse Studio sequins - we've got LOTS of fall sequins - for a fun effect!

A matching die set is available for the images in this set making it easy to add these fall elements to any project!

To view more of Lisa's inspiring ideas, please visit her blog HERE.

 

I love the traditional fall colors Emily chose for her Give Thanks card.  This is the second gorgeous sentiment included with this set.

A Muse Studio Petite Polka Dot paper is a classic and is perfect for fall cards.

To view more of Emily's inspiring ideas, please visit her blog HERE.

 

The Give Thanks sentiment looks stunning embossed in white on Onyx cardstock!  

Ilina's card offers a peak at a few of the other images in the Eat Drink and Be Thankful set.  

To view more of Ilina's inspiring ideas, please visit her blog HERE.

This beautiful sentiment makes a great gift tag all on its own.

Melissa added a few Mini Dot Twinkle stickers for a fun pop of color.  

 

To view more of Melissa's inspiring ideas, please visit her blog HERE.

 

I hope you've enjoyed the Preview of our 2017 September Collection.  If you have not entered our stamp set giveaways for the past two days you have until Friday at noon EST to enter.  Scroll back and you will see the two prior posts.  Today we are doing a giveaway on Instagram.  It will be posted at 9:00 am EST so head on over to our Instagram page (amusestudio) to enter our giveaway for the Eat Drink and Be Thankful stamp set.  

Have a crafty day!

2017 September Collection - Sneak Peeks Day 2

Hello and welcome back!  Did you see the solar eclipse? It was a clear day here in Winston Salem and even with only 94% coverage, I thought it was pretty magical.  I especially loved that you could see the eclipse through the dappled light on our driveway.  

Did you know that Winston Salem is the birthplace of Krispy Kreme donuts?  [Fun fact: The first store was located in Old Salem just a few blocks from where my girls go to school.]  On Monday, Krispy Kreme offered 'Eclipse' donuts! They replaced the original glaze in their glazing machine with chocolate!  The cars were backed up 10 deep just to get into the parking lot.  I parked across the street and only had to wait about 30 minutes in line to get a dozen. They didn't last long!

 

Allrighty... enough about donuts!  Today's sneak peek is from a new GIRL POWER set called Fierce... because sometimes you just need a sentiment like the ones in this set.  This set includes 7 sentiments and 4 supporting images.  Our designers have done an awesome job with this set.  They were INSPIRED!

This card is simply gorgeous!  Ilina watercolored a heart and then simply stamped the sentiment over the heart.  

I love the mini heart twinkle stickers!

Of course, Ilina makes this all look so easy!  To learn more about her process, and see more of her work, visit her blog HERE.

 

 

 

 This card cracked me up when I saw it.  It's just so pretty and then you read the sentiment.  

The flowers Lisa used are from the new Summer Blooms set.

 

To see more from Lisa, visit her blog HERE.

 

I LOVEEE this big sentiment so much and I love how Melissa paired it with the heart that is included with the Fierce stamp set!  

 

Embossing is still my favorite technique after all these years!  A Muse Studio's clear embossing powder is the BEST!  It's ultrafine and makes your images shine.  

 To see more from Melissa, visit her blog HERE.

 

Thanks for stopping by for Day 2 of our preview.  These new stamps will be available in our online store on 8/25.  Love this set?  Enter today's giveaway and YOU and YOUR FRIEND could win the Fierce set.  Here's how:

Step 1:  Post the name of your craftiest friend in the comments section (you may do this for multiple friends!)
Step 2: Tell your friend to post a comment with the name of her craftiest friend (you, of course!)  (she may do this multiple friends)

We'll pick one winner and if the friend also posted, you'll both win.  So if Linda posts Emily as her craftiest friend and Linda is picked as the winner she wins the Fierce stamp set.  If Emily has posted that Linda is her craftiest friend then Emily will also win the Fierce stamp set.  Yeah!

ONE NAME PER POST, please! 

Winner(s) will be announced on Friday 8/25.

 

Please join me for the final sneak peeks TOMORROW!  

Have a crafty day! 

 

2017 September Collection - Sneak Peeks Day 1

Hello everyone!  I hope you've had a fantastic summer.  Thank you to Emily for keeping the blog up to date while I was away at our cottage in Quebec.  There's no electricity (so no internet either!) at our cottage.  Once the sneak peeks are done, I'll share some photos of our little bit of paradise.  

Can you believe it's almost SEPTEMBER?!  My girls started back at school yesterday - all three of them.  My eldest is a sophomore at university and I have a 10th and 12th grader.  Whoa!

Let's get started with some SNEAK PEEKS.  We've been getting some questions about when our new holiday stamps will be coming.  The wait is almost over.  Yay!  Today I'm sharing a fun new set that is very versatile for fall.  HELLO PUMPKIN includes eleven stamps - 4 pumpkin images, a fun set of stars and some great sentiments.  Let's take a look at what our designers have come up with.

I love this GORGEOUS black, white  and gold card by Melissa.  Simply WOW! 

The design is super simple and the gold accents really pop! These three pumpkins look great together and I love the sentiment. 

To see more from Melissa, visit her blog HERE.

 

Isn't it amazing how you can use the same stamps on two different cards and have a completely different look?  

Emily's fall, glittery palette is so pretty!  Hello fall is another great sentiment in this set.

To see more from Emily, visit her blog HERE.

Love Halloween?  Hello Pumpkin includes a not-too-scary jack o'lantern.  I love how Ilina incorporate the Boo word die and some of our Halloween Assortment washi tape.

The Happy Halloween sentiment is also part of the Hello Pumpkin set.

To see more from Ilina, visit her blog HERE.

Got washi tape?  This fun card by Lisa, is a great way to use your Halloween assortement washi tape!

 

Trick or Treat is another great sentiment included in the Hello Pumpkin set.

To see more from Lisa, visit her blog HERE.

 

Thanks for stopping by for a preview of our September Collection.  These new stamps will be available in our online store on 8/25.  Love this set?  Enter our giveaway by posting a comment telling us how your cardmaking has changed in the past year.  Are you making more or less cards?  What types of cards are you making now versus last year.  We'll pick a winner on Friday morning. 

I've got another sneak peek TOMORROW so be sure to stop by.  

Have a crafty day!

 

August Guest Designer - Niki Stone Final Day

Hello!  I'm back with one last design from August Guest Designer Niki Stone!

Niki used our we all scream stamp set to create this colorful summer card.  She stamped and embossed the  images in a creamy color and then colored inside the embossed lines.  It gives these images a totally different look - so cool!  And I love the wisps of color behind them to make a background!

A HUGE thanks to Niki for sharing her talent with us this month!  Please leave a comment here to let her know you appreciated seeing her work. 

 

August Guest Designer - Niki Stone Day 3

Hello and Happy Friday!  I'm back with more of Niki Stone's beautiful guest designs.  Today's cards feature our Bouquet Builder stamp and die sets.  

This first card pops with color!  Niki stamped the flowers in colored ink on coordinating cardstock and die cut them so that she could arrange a bouquet.  I love the white "happy" die cut with the white embossed sentiment from our Birthdays Inside and Out stamp set.

The next two designs feature just the leaves from Bouquet Builder - so pretty!  

Gorgeous!

This last simply elegant design is embossed in gold.  I love the white sentiment strip over the white card base.  

I hope you enjoyed Niki's cards today!  I have a one more day of Niki's designs to share, so stop by again soon.  Be sure to leave Niki a comment!     

 

August Guest Designer - Niki Stone Day 2

Hello!  I'm back with more beautiful cards from our August Guest Designer - Niki Stone! 

Niki's designs today are all about weddings and feature stamps from our new Southern Bouquet set and our Wedding Day set.  Niki used the Southern Bouquet flowers - minus the stems as a backdrop for the wedding dress - so clever!  I love the way she colored the bouquet.

Here's a close-up:

This next card features the cake from our Wedding Day stamp set.  It's simply beautiful using only black and white with hints of pink.  

Here's a closer look at the cake:

Niki's next card is just stunning!  Simple black and white with a red heart and a little coloring on the birds and around the cages to make them pop!

Here's another view: 

I hope you enjoyed Niki's cards today!  Thanks for visiting and stay tuned - I'll be back with more fabulous projects from Niki!

 

August Guest Designer - Niki Stone

Hello - Emily Montenaro here!  I'm back to share our August Guest Designer with you - Niki Stone!  You may remember Niki from the wonderful designs she created as our April Guest Designer.  

Here are a few words from Niki:

"I am from Calgary, Alberta and have a strong love of paper-crafting. Both my husband, Darren, and I are the youngest of 6; and have 3 children of our own. After being married over a decade I’ve learned its important to make time for your passions. My guilty pleasure is junk food and I love reading a good book. My favorite A Muse Studio stamp is the Grow stamp set because I adore succulents. If I had to choose between housework and colouring with (or without) my kids, colouring would win every time."

Visit Niki's blog, Polished Stone Designs, to see more of her inspiring work.

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This month's guest designs feature our new August collection stamp sets as well a few existing favorites.  This first card of Niki's is a simply gorgeous use of our new Southern Bouquet stamp set!  Niki chose "Feel Better Soon" which is one of the sentiments included in the set. 

Here is another view - so pretty!

I can't wait to share more of Niki's designs, so stay tuned - I'll be back with more next week!  Be sure to leave her a comment!