A Muse Studio

Sweet Easter Card Trio

Happy Friday friends! 

Have you checked out our Easter Spotlight yet?!  You don't want to miss the incredible savings on some of my favorite products like the Easter Basket die set or the Bunny Candy Package die (or all of our candy package dies for that matter!)  

Today I'm sharing a card set that features the Easter Basket die set and the Sweet Easter stamp set.  The sweet little bunnies in the Sweet Easter stamp set are the perfect complement to the Easter basket! 

Each bunny is slightly different!

I love how this bunny seems to be peering into the basket of yummy flowers!

Oh yes - the gorgeous flowers are from the Spring Border stamp set.  A matching die is available and makes it super easy to cut out the flowers.

Aren't these cute?!

Other AWESOME A Muse Studio products used on these cards:

• Scallop cardstock - Bermuda, Cotton Candy, Melon
• Organdy Sheer Ribbon Gold
• Bow Maker
• Tag Bundle die set (scallop cardstock panel)
• Word Windows die set (sweet easter)

I hope you've had a great week and are ready for a CRAFTY weekend.  What are your plans?  I'm getting my Easter craft on making fun candy packages for the teachers and faculty at my daughters' school. I only have a few years left to do this so I'm going to make the most of it!  I'll post some photos on Monday.  I'm also hoping to work in the garden a bit and go on a hike with the family.  Oh yes... and WAFFLES for breakfast on Saturday.

 

 

Hello Bunny - I love you!

I needed to make a few cards to send to family and since Easter is near I thought I'd take the opportunity to use the sweet bunny from the Happy Spring stamp set.  [The chick in this set is pretty darn cute too!] 

Here's a peek at the TWO cards that I made.

Here is Mr. Bunny on a Cocoa Redwood Background.

The grass is also part of the Happy Spring set.  

I added some Diamond glitter to the grass image to give a little sparkle to my card.  The Happy Spring matching die set makes it easy to get perfect cuts every time.  

For my next card I opted to keep things EASY and just change the background color.  I decided to go pink with a Blush ink Redwood background and it's amazing how it changes the whole feel of the card.  

So soft and sweet!

What do you think?  Blush or Cocoa?

Other products used:

• Postage Stamps die set
• December stories die set (flag shape in upper left)
• Sweet Easter - Hello stamp

Happy Pi Day!  Last night my daughter, Makenna, and I made FIVE vegan apple pies for a fun school tradition that involves a pie sale, pie-eating contest and a pie-in-the-teacher face throw!  FUN, right?!  Four pies were for school, the fifty pie was for us to enjoy with our dinner tonight.  After making five pies, Makenna is now a pie crust whiz! The report from the girls is that everyone LOVED our vegan pies with comments like "the best pie I've EVER had!"  Yay!  Happy 3.14!!

Have a crafty day!

 

 

 

Stamping Tip: Getting VALUE from your stamp sets!

I've been stamping a LONG time and have a LOT of stamp sets - it's one of the perks of owning a stamp company.  =)  One of the things that we have ALWAYS tried to offer is good VALUE to our customers.  I know this is an important quality that I personally look for in a stamp set...  I want to know that I'm going to have several different options for using a stamp set so that I can maximize the value.  

Today I've got a bunch of cards to share that I made with the You're The Coolest stamp set.  This is an absolute GEM of a stamp set.  Here are the reasons why I love it:

• 4 penguin images that appeal to both M & F audience
• Images appeal to any age - young & young at heart
• 11 versatile sentiments - includes birthday!
• penguins!!

I sat down to make a few birthday cards for the Parent's Association at my daughters' school.  Each month they give birthday cards (and coffee gift cards!) to the teachers that have a birthday that month. What's better than a handmade birthday card?!

I LOVE this little birthday penguin so he's the star of the show.  I then added some fun elements from other stamp sets:

• mini bow tie is from the Build A Man stamp set - you could easily cut one out of colored cardstock free-hand if you don't own this set
• large oval is from the Ovalicious stamp set - you could use a marker, watercolors or another background image to similar effect
• star cluster is from the Bottlerocket stamp set - you could draw some stars free-hand, add some bling with sequins or twinkle stickers

I really tried to keep the design simple because I knew I needed to stamp a bunch of cards.  As for coloring, you'll see that I just colored the penguin's beak, hat and balloon.  

I did want to add a special effect to this card so I pulled out my Crystal Clear Glaze.  I sure LOVE this stuff!  Can you see how the balloon and glasses shine?!

Crystal Clear Glaze takes about twenty minutes to fully dry so you'll want to find a spot for this BEFORE you apply it.  

I really love the mini bow-tie from the Build A Man stamp set.  There are quite a few fun accessories in this set that can be added to a lot of different sets.  Check it out! 

Looks cute on patterned cardstock like our Petite Gingham.

A fun line up!

I'd love to hear which stamp sets you own that you think are a great VALUE!  Post a link in the comments - it's OK if they aren't A Muse Studio.  I promise you won't hurt my feelings. <smile!>

Have a crafty day!

  

 

 

 

 

Stamping Tip: Save Time - Make a Bunch!

It seems that I am regularly in need of a birthday card and despite the fact that I stamp a LOT, I never have one on hand when I need one.  How is that possible?!  I sat down last night with a plan to remedy that.  So today's Stamping Tip is to save time by stamping a bunch of the same card at once.  It's so much easier because you've got all the supplies out.

For these birthday cards, I grabbed the Let's Be Mermaids stamp set that features the wonderful art of my friend and talented illustrator, Nina.  I just LOVE the sweet little mermaid in this set.  She's fun to color and I love that her arms are outstretched making it easy to add a tiny gift, balloon, heart, etc. to suit lots of different situations. 

Once I've settled on a design, I like to mix it up a little by changing the colors.  It's an easy way to keep things interesting but doesn't add much more time to the project.

 

You'll see that the Mermaid is colored the same in each card.  This makes it fun and relaxing and allows me to watch a little Netflix while I'm coloring.  C'mon... you do this too, right?

For the balloon, I stamped and die cut one of the penguins from the You're the Coolest set.  I colored the balloons with different colored COPIC markers for a bit of a change.  Like the polka dots?  I used the Colorless Blender for that.  It's a fun trick.

The "watery" background is made with our Redwood Background stamp and our Bermuda dye ink!  I LOVE the results!

The window on these cards was created using the Stitched Circle Windows die set and the Frame is from our Postage Stamps die set.

The next time one of my girls says "hey mom, do you have a birthday card?"  I can hopefully say YES!

C'mon back... I've got more new cards to share.

What are your stamping challenges?  Post them in the comments or email me and we'll try to help!

    

Classic Valentines - Easy DIY

Do you remember those classic Valentine cards from your childhood?  You know... the kind with the big red heart?  Like this...

or this...

GAH!  Soooo cute!

I thought it would be fun to re-create some valentine's for my daughters in this style and here are the results!

Let's take a closer look.  This is the first card that I made.  It's pretty straightforward.  Stamp and color the image, add some hearts and stamp the sentiment.  Voila!

The next card that I made was the fox. 

I thought it would be sweet for him to hold a heart banner so I added a bit of Peppermint baker's twine and voila!

For my last card I decided to add some paper-piecing - a favorite technique. 

First you'll want to stamp the bear on a solid color cardstock then stamp again on patterned cardstock. Use fine-tip scissors  (my faves are the fiskars teflon scissors) to cut out the bear's belly, snout and ears.  The most challenging part about this card was figuring out which adhesive to use to glue down the tiny pieces for the ears.  I opted for Mono Aqua and used my A Muse Studio angled tweezers to get perfect placement.

 

Here's a complete list of supplies if you're interested:

• a|s scallop heart die set (includes both scallop and plain heart)
• a|s party time stamp set and matching die set
• a|s you are magical stamp set (for the sentiment)
• a|s heart trio die set (for the med size heart that the fox and brown bear are holding)
• bubblegum gingham cardstock
• apple solid cardstock
• sugar smooth white cardstock
• pebble cardstock
• fiskars teflon scissors (so worth it!)

 

Have a crafty day!

 

 

 

Lost Your Mojo?

Yep!  It happens to everyone.  Trust me.  I've been stamping for almost two decades. (How is that even possible?!)  If it's the first time you've experienced this don't panic!  Don't give away all of your stamp supplies either.  You'll regret it.  Here's one way to get your mojo back with some quick and easy cards.

Step 1 - FIND SOME INSPIRATION!

Inspiration is just a click away... Instagram, Pinterest, Google, etc.  Find a couple of cards that appeal to you and study them for a bit.  Now take a look at your supplies and see what you have that you'd like to use on your cards.  Here I used the new-ish You're the Coolest stamp set from our December 2017 release.  I also knew that I wanted to have a circular background and the starburst design in the Hooray stamp set was perfect.  Of course, you can use any stamp to create a circular patterned background.  Simply make a circular template by cutting a circle out of a piece of cardstock and then use that as your guide to stamping your background.  

Step 2 - CHOOSE 2-3 COLORS

Black is an easy NEUTRAL to work with and is something I always reach for when I'm feeling a creative dry-spell.  Add two more colors to get you started.  Since the first card I was planning to make was a birthday card, I grabbed a bright Marigold ink for my background.  Oh yes - I ALWAYS choose a white card base.  It just makes it easy.

Step 3 - LAY DOWN SOME INK

Sounds easy enough but this is a very important step. Make your first stamp. It gets easier after that and you'll get your groove back.

Here are three QUICK and EASY cards using the same sketch that came together super fast.  I am always in need of birthday cards, aren't you?

I like these penguins because I think they can be used for both guys and gals.  

This card could be used as a birthday card or a valentine - depending on what you stamp inside.

So sweet!

Another birthday card!

ONE sketch, TWO stamp sets and THREE cards!

Tell me... have you dealt with a creative slump before?  I'd love to hear how you handled it.

Have a crafty day!

 

December Guest Designer - Ceal Pritchett Final Day

Hello and Happy Friday!  Today I have the final set of projects from December Guest Designer Ceal Pritchett!  Ceal's cards today all feature our Hip Hip Hooray stamp set.  This stamp set is free with a $50 order during the month of December (hurry - offer ends Dec 31st)!  

Ceal's first card is so fun and colorful!  I love all the little dots she added - really makes it feel like a party! 

Ceal's next clean and simple design features the cupcake which she die cut using the matching die set and then colored and popped up on 3D foam adhesive.  Perfect! 

And I saved my favorite of Ceal's designs for last!  Here Ceal used the hooray word die cut with the sentiment stamps!  And the blue snowflakes from flaky friends are the perfect touch and make the whole design pop with the orange!  So fun!


I hope you enjoyed Ceal's designs!  I huge thank you to Ceal for sharing her wonderful work with us!  Be sure to leave a comment for Ceal.  Thanks for stopping by!

December Guest Designer - Ceal Pritchett Day 3

Hello and Happy Holidays!  Today I have three cards to share with you from December Guest Designer Ceal Pritchett!  These designs feature our You're the Coolest stamp set.  This first penguin is so happy! I love how Ceal colored the gift to match the stars and card base. 

This stamp set is so versatile - it works for Holiday cards as well as birthdays and winter.  The grid background from our mod background 2 stamp set is the perfect backdrop!

Next is one of my favorite sentiments and it works perfectly with the ice skating penguin!

I hope you enjoyed Ceals designs today!  I have one more set of her designs to share, so stay tuned and be sure to leave her a comment.

All of us at A Muse Studio wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday!

December Guest Designer - Ceal Pritchett Day 2

Hello!  Today I have three designs to share with you from December Guest Designer Ceal Pritchett!  

All three designs feature the Flaky Friends stamp set - which is one of the $5 stamp sets in our Monday Madness through tomorrow (Wednesday) night!  

This first design is so fun!  Ceal masked the middle snowman and then stamped the other two.

The snowflake included in the set is the perfect touch in the background and on the sentiment.

The stamp set includes some snowball stamps and Ceal used them here to make a juggling snowman!

I hope you enjoyed Ceal's cards today.  I have more of her work to share, so stay tuned and be sure to leave her a comment.  Thanks for visiting!

Holiday Tags just in time!

I always have BIG crafty plans for the holidays, don't you?  When my daughters were younger, I would spend one crafty day with each helping them to make all of their holiday gifts.  It was lots of fun but required a lot of prep work on my part so that we'd have everything needed to get all of their projects done in one day.  When you add decorating the house, baking, shopping, holiday events and Nutcracker shows to the list it was a VERY busy time.  Now that the girls are older, they are able to help with decorating, baking, shopping, and there are not so many school holiday events and we only go to ONE Nutcracker show. With all of this free time on my hands you think I'd be a crafting maniac.  Maybe next year. <wink!>

My two favorite holiday activities are baking and making holiday tags!  About four months ago, I switched to a whole foods plant-based diet for health reasons so I've had to re-think and research new holiday treats for the family this year.  I've managed to make vegan gingerbread cookies and vegan mincemeat tarts that are delicious!  If you're interested, I'd be happy to share these recipes with you.  They are not health foods by any stretch but they are plant-based and it's good to treat yourself once in a while.  =)

In the coming days, I will be share with you some of my EASY holiday tags.  The first things I ever made with stamps were holiday tags and they remain my favorite.  Yes, you can purchase inexpensive holiday tags but they are not nearly as special as those that are HANDMADE.  Am I right?!

Have you seen our MONDAY MADNESS promotion?  Each Monday we've been featuring TWO stamp sets for only $5 EACH.  These are AMAZING deals.  This week's Monday Madness stamp sets are Snow Day Background and Flaky Friends.  Monday Madness sale items are available through Wednesday at 11:59 pm EDT while supplies last.  Shop early for best availability.

Here are a few tags that I whipped up with these stamp sets using the Tag You're It Bundle die set.  

These snowmen are just so darn cute!

Add some simple coloring and voila!

The Snow Day Background stamp set stamped in Bermuda ink makes a great backdrop for these sweet little snowmen.

Don't forget to add some of our colored baker's cording!

I hope you've enjoyed these holiday tags.  I'd love to see your holiday tags so share a link in the comments below.  

Have a crafty day!

P.S. Don't miss our Holiday Sale with over 200 items on sale for 50% off!  Use SAVINGS CODE HOLIDAY50