Amuseniac - Paper Crafting with A Muse Studio

Winter Pine - stamps and die cuts

2012-11-24T19:23:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick card I made a few days ago. I love winter scenes and landscapes.

Materials list. All products from A Muse Studio:
Pine Bough and Noel from Winter Pine stamp set
Berries from Beautiful Botanicals stamp set
Snowflake Trio die
Cranberry pearl embellishments

Free Fight Like a Girl Stamp Set

2012-10-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

For those of you that ordered the free Fight Like a Girl stamp set, your sets should begin shipping late next week. If you haven't ordered your free set yet, don't forget, you must order by October 31st through my A Muse Studio webstore. When you get to my webstore, click on the Stamp Out Breast Cancer graphic. When you get to the product list, scroll down until you find the Fight Like a Girl stamp set, enter 1 as the quantity and click Add to Cart. You'll enter your customer info and be prompted for payment info. The set is free, but you must pay a $3 shipping and handling fee.

A Muse Studio provided demonstrators with early copies of the Fight Like a Girl stamp set. Here are two of my creations.

I love the Bubblegum polka-dot paper and Bubblegum satin ribbon.

To create the Hope background pattern, I started with A Muse Studio Seattle cardstock and stamped the word HOPE using the Bubblegum inkpad. The ribbon is Bubblegum polka-dot organdy. To create the shadow effect, I stamped the words first in Bubblegum ink, then in Onyx ink.

As always, comments are welcome! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you won't miss a thing. A Muse Studio will be offering specials in the month of November and I plan to announce them on this blog.

Breast Cancer - My Story and Freebies

2012-10-18T00:14:00.000-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in February of this year. I found a lump in July or August of 2011. I convinced myself that the lump was scar tissue or possibly from drinking too much caffeine. I did not bother to get a mammogram.
In early February as I was showering, I again touched the lump and it was painful and a little larger than I remembered. I continued to check the lump each time I showered. After several days of checking, I knew it was time to see a doctor. And so my journey began.

I had a partial mastectomy in April. I finished my chemo in July. I completed 35 radiation treatments in mid-September. Cancer is a disease that often reinvents itself and alludes treatment. This is why research and early detection are so important. If you think you feel or sense changes in your breast, please don't be like me and make excuses, go get your mammogram IMMEDIATELY.
OK, enough of the heavy stuff.

This month A Muse Studio wants to give away 10,000 FREE Fight Like a Girl stamp sets. I would love to give away as many sets as I can. Can you help me? You can get you free set through my webstore. (There is a $3 shipping and handling fee.) Please tell your friends about this freebie. This offer ends at 9PM October 31st. So get moving. Get this free stamp set and get your annual mammogram!

FREE Stamp Out Breast Cancer Stamp Sets

2012-10-03T22:38:00.002-04:00

A Muse Studio is giving out 10,000 free Stamp Out Breast Cancer (SOBC) stamp sets. To get your free set, you'll need to go to my website, register as a customer, and pay a $3 shipping and handling cost. The free set will be delivered to you within 6 - 8* weeks. Order yours as soon as possible because when the 10,000 are gone, the promotion ends. While you are on my website, take a look around. A Muse Studio has some beautiful papercrafting products including stamps, exclusive die cuts and paper.

The stamp set contains 8 stamps and centers on the theme of Fight Like a Girl. Our target is to reach as many paper crafting women as possible with the American Cancer Society's breast health awareness pamphlet and coordinating ‘Fight Like A Girl’ stamp set. Order you set today!

Don't forget, the new Holiday Hoopla catalog is out. Lots of great holiday stuff for creating.
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*Remember, A Muse Studio is a relatively small company and shipping 10,000 stamp sets will take a little time.

A Muse Studio - Ink Pads, 20% off in May

2012-05-14T23:37:00.000-04:00

Hey all. Quick post to let you know all A Muse Studio ink pads are 20% off this month. I have a personal order going in Monday or Tuesday (May 21) and would love to include your order with mine. Give me a call or send me an email.
I'm feeling pretty good right now. I did much better with this round of chemo than the first. My next chemo treatment is May 23.
Thanks for all the love and support.
This card features Enjoy the Ride (item # SBSH009), page 79 and the Grass die (item # TAD0005) in the A Muse Studio catalog.

I'll be back soon!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-03-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

On the mend. Please stay tuned for new projects.

New 2012 A Muse Studio Catalog is HERE!!!

2012-02-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of cards created with stamps from the new A Muse Studio Catalog and Inspiration book. If you would like a copy of the new catalog, either contact me via email or order one from my A Muse Studio website. You can also browse the A Muse Studio catalog online. To place an order, go to my website. All stamps from A Muse Studio.
The crown, flag and words come from the Keep Calm stamp set. I stamped the crown with black ink and embossed with clean embossing powder to get some shine. I added some A Muse Twinkle stickers to the crown cause what's a crown without bling.
The Patriotic card was made using plain white cardstock. I stamped the stripes using a stamp from Mad for Plaids. Used the airplane from the Come Fly with Me set. Trimmed out each plane and adhered to my card. The sentiment is from Come Fly with Me as well.
I'm loving the new catalog. Hope you like it as much as I do. Don't forget, contact me if you are interested in a catalog. It's not just a catalog, it is an inspiration guide as well. Lots pictures of projects.

Quick, Clean, Simple Card (QCS)

2012-01-26T13:58:00.000-05:00

Quick, Clean and Simple. Not normally my style. But after a few weeks of home renovations, picking out paint colors, trim style, flooring, tile, cabinets ... my brain is full to the brim. I just didn't have the energy to pick one more set of coordinating colors to create a more complex card.
I made the hearts cutout by sending the white card base and Hearts Trio die through the Big Shot die cutting machine. Hearts Trio is the same die I used on the Tin Can Gift Cardholder last week. I cut a small piece of Grapefruit cardstock and taped it to back side of the cutout so the color shows through. Using Grapefruit ink and sentiments from the Essential Sentiments stamp set, I completed the cards. I made an "I love you" card and a "Thinking of You" card. I intend to use both cards as Valentines. This QCS (Quick Clean Simple) card can easily be mass produced and mailed without extra postage.
All products used in this card are from A Muse Studio and available directly from me and/or my webpage. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Supply list:

Heart Trio die (TAD0015)
Grapefruit inkpad (IAPF208)
Essential Sentiments stamp set (SASU009)
Plain white (Sugar) cardstock (PAPS001)
Grapefruit cardstock (PAPS208)

Can with Gift Card Inside

2012-01-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

Turning a pull top can into a unique and fun gift card container is easier than you think. By using a smooth edge can opener, such as those sold by Pampered Chef, you can open the can from the bottom and leave the pull top unopened. Decorate and fill with goodies. Glue the bottom back on and there you have it, you've got a work of art. OK, maybe not a work of art, but a really cool gift card container. And best of all, watching the confusion on the face of the recipient really makes it worth the effort. Be prepared to explain how you got the goodies inside. Hopefully, the recipient will as appreciate your creativity and the gift card.

All products are from A Muse | Studio and can be purchased directly through me or from my A Muse Studio website. The sentiment and can of hairspray rubber stamps are from the Glamour Girl set (SISP009). The heart cutout was created using the Trio of Hearts die (TAD0015). I used Cherry (PAPS204), cherry gingham (PAGH204) cardstock and cherry satin ribbon ((RASA204). And of course the labels are nesties Labels 4 also available from A Muse | Studio (TNS4190). Here is a high level overview of the steps involved. If you have questions about specific steps, I would love to hear from you. Please email me.

Find a soup or vegetable can with a pull top lid. Rounded bottom cans will not work.
Using a smooth edge can opener, open the can from the bottom and pour out the contents. Wash can and remove label.

3. Measure and cut paper. Adhere paper to the can.

4. Cut a short piece of ribbon and slide through the pull tab. Double the ribbon and tie the middle with a piece of twine. (This makes it easier for the recipient to pull and open the can.) To add a little extra can coverage, I altered a circle and slid it under the tab and added hearts.

5. I stamped the can of hairspray on white card stock, colored with copics and trimmed before adhering to the bottom of the can. The sentiment is also from the Glamour Girl stamp set.

If you would like to actual step-by-step instructions, I'm willing to create them, just post a comment saying so or email me. I keep thinking I'd like to make a video, but I have a somewhat nasal voice along with a country accent. I can speak without the accent, but the nasal thing is a bigger obstacle. Yes, I laugh at myself, but I can't stand to hear my voice. Thanks as always for taking the time to read my blog. Comments are welcome.

Valentine's Day Mower Card

2012-01-11T16:14:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'm thinking about a card for my husband. I avoided the typical Valentine colors, for this one. Here are the general instructions. If I've not made something clear, please email or leave a comment and I'll get back to you with details.

Using the A Muse Studio Grass die, cut two strips of green grass.
Using the A Muse Studio Clouds die, cut out one large cloud and two small ones.
Stamp, color and cut out the lawn mower.
Stamp each cloud with the sentiments. Stamp the "Love ya' ..." either as a strip on coordinating paper or on a small rectangle.
Assemble as shown. (I adhered the first strip of grass, placed the lawn mower and adhered the second strip of grass.)

All products used in these projects are from A Muse Studio. The lawn mower and "Love ya' mower & mower" stamps are from the Hey, Man stamp set (SNSP058). The custom dies used are Clouds (TAD0003) and Grass (TAD0005). The "happy valentine's day" sentiment is from Essential Sentiments (SASU009). The A Muse Studio dies can be used in most die cutting machines such as the Big Shot, Cuttlebug and Epic 6 and several others.
What colors would you use? What extra touch would you add? As always, your comments are welcome. As many of you know, I use repositionable glue as my adhesive. If you suggest it, I can change it. Maybe I'll make the changes and repost! Actually, you can count on it. I'm suddenly not liking the color of the cardstock I used as the base.

Organizing Spellbinders Nestibilities and A Muse Studio Metal Dies

2011-12-27T15:51:00.000-05:00

7.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inch binder

Storing thin metal dies such as Nestibilities from Spellbinders and other crafting companies has always been a problem for me. The dies typically come in a stiff plastic case or flimsy zip bags. Great for retail display, but not so good for organizing and accessing the dies. Personally, my dies were a big nasty mess. Unorganized, sometimes tangled, and it was never easy to put my hands on the dies I wanted to use. But, my computer geek background inspired a storage idea. I could use the two-ring, metal binders that software manufacturers use to package and organize computer discs, CDs and DVDs. CD - DVD Metal Ring Binders! Here's how the binders can be used.

By placing the metal dies in the individual sleeves that would normally hold a CD, you can fit quite a few dies in each sleeve and at least 30 sleeves in one binder. I have 86 dies in a binder that measures 7.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches! And there is room for more. All I have to do is add more sleeves.

Here are some additional tips:

I used my label maker to create labels and included the number of dies stored in that pocket. This helps me keep the dies in each set together as well as to remind me how many should be there. That is especially useful when I take my dies to stamping and scrapbooking events and allow friends to use my dies.
I used double-sided tape to adhere the instructions for using the dies with my Big Shot die cut machine to the inside front cover.
I glued magnetic strips to the inside back cover for dies that were just a little too big to fit in sleeves but yet small enough to fit in the binder.
I created a label for the spine and slid some additional instructions under the clear overlay on the front of the binder. The binder has a clear overlay that allows you to create a custom cover, spine and back cover.

You can get these awesome, quality binders from WTS Media. This link will take you directly to the 1 - 30 Disc Metal Ring Binder. There are two color choices, white or black. As of 12-28-2011, the price for less than a case of 24 is $3.50 each. Not bad for protecting and organizing your thin metal dies.
You'll also need to purchase sleeves to go in the binder. The sleeve information is located at the bottom of the web page or you can do a search. The two sleeve choices are the white easy access sleeve which only has a pocket on one side or the doubled sided sleeve that has pockets on both sides.
WTS Media is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and their products are manufactured here in the United States. WTS Media's customer service is outstanding. When I've called with questions, the customer service reps are glad to help. I've found they're just as helpful if you are buying a few items or if you are purchasing in bulk. And a Christian company as well.
Let me know what you think of this idea. I know I love it and I hope you will as well. Comments welcome as always.

Santa's Boxer Shorts Card

2011-12-23T23:37:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help myself. I had to do it. I combined the boxer shorts from the A Muse | Studio Hey Man set with the Santa Suit from the Naughty or Nice set. This is an unfinished card, so please look at the parts and pieces and ignore the unfinished background details. I have a naughty mind, even at Christmas. The parts:

Stamped Santa's jacket on white cardstock and again on red cardstock. Used a glue pen to make the cuffs and hem on the jacket sticky so I could add white glitter.
Stamped the boxers with black embossable ink, sprinkled the boxers with clear embossing powder and hit it with a heat gun to make the dots pop a little.
Used the A Muse Studio snowflake die cut to cut out the snowflakes, swiped the snowflakes across a red ink pad and sprinkled on iridescent embossing powder and hit the snowflakes with the heat gun as well. Note that I layered two snowflakes and added a red creative candy gem to the middle of the snowflakes.
Layered white and candy cane ovals.
Stamped a small tag with the Naughty and Nice along with red and white twine.
Glued down the pieces with the exception of using pop dots to make Santa's jacket pop off the page. (Or should I have popped Santa's Boxers?)

Do you think Santa will leave me coal in my stocking? OK, enough of the naughty Santa references. Next blog will cover a couple of new organizational tools I found. Stay tuned, I really think you will like what I've come up with for a hard to store set of essentials.

Black, White and Red Christmas Card

2011-12-14T00:10:00.002-05:00

I knew this needed a better scanned picture, so I took the time rescan.
Wanted to try something unconventional for my latest Christmas card creation. I used A Muse Studio's Winter Wood stamp set, white ink, white embossing powder on black background. Used A Muse Studio's snowflake die cut to create black and red snowflakes. Added some bling. You'll also see that I used A|S 'Twas the Night Before Christmas cardstock along with the A|S Candy Cane cardstock.

Tell me what you think! (I don't know why all comments appear as anonymous, so ID yourself please.)

Keeping it Simple

2011-12-06T21:39:00.001-05:00

In late November two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff. Surgery was not an option. To heal naturally meant avoiding as much movement as possible in my left shoulder and arm. What to do about Christmas? I couldn't lift and tug and reach. I had to depend on Mike, my husband, and Michael, my son to do the decorating.
Mike and Michael did a pretty good job of decorating the tree and the house as I pointed (with my right arm) and gave direction. They tolerated my orders pretty well at the beginning, but at the end of the second day, they'd just about had enough of me.
Christmas came and went. When it came time to put everything away, I left them to the task without supervision. Mistake, big mistake.
Last year when it came time to decorate for Christmas, I was ready to decorate big. Shoulder had healed and I was ready to make up for the previous year. Mike and Michael brought all the decorations and tree up from the basement. Michael and Ashley put the tree together and got the lights working. We started to pull out the decorations. At first, I was annoyed, then angry. The decorations were a mess. Ornaments were tangled and broken. The baby Jesus was missing from the Nativity. It got really ugly from there. The tree was up and I decorated as high as Ashley and I could reach. (Ashley's not much taller than me.) At the end of the day, everything was partially done. We never finished. The ugliness hung over the holidays like a fog, nothing substantial, but the disappointment was there every time I entered the living room and saw the partially decorated tree and mantel.
This year just before Thanksgiving, I asked if we could decorate early. My family was coming for Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted for them to see our house decorated for Christmas. Mike turned me down flat. I was frustrated and just on the verge of angry ... just like last year. I let the anger go and concentrated on Thanksgiving. Mike and I did a fantastic job getting the house tidied up, decluttered, and prepared for Thanksgiving. Mike did most of the cooking and my family cleaned up after the big meal.
I felt so thankful for such a wonderful Thanksgiving, I decided I was not going to obsess over Christmas. But how could I make that happen with the Christmas decorations a complete mess? My blood pressure went up any time I thought of seeing the boxes of decorations coming up from the basement. Maybe I should just skip decorating or maybe put out a couple of things and let it go. If I did that, my mom would be so disappointed in ME. She loves decorating for Christmas. I knew I had to do some decorating or I would be mad at myself for giving in to the anger.
Last Sunday I gave Michael instructions to find a 5 gallon bucket and a shovel. I asked Mike to put on a coat and get in the truck. I explained the plan to find just the perfect tree. My plan was to drive along the road by our house and dig up a tree. Not an evergreen, just a bare branch tree, lots of limbs, no leaves, no needles. Mike and Michael got caught up in the moment and started pointing out potential trees. No, too big. Nah, not quite enough limbs. Not that one, it's not got a good shape. Then we saw it, a pretty good tree. Well, it looked pretty good from the truck.
Mike and Michael jumped out and started to dig. I drove down the road and turned the truck around. Michael dug for a while then Mike. Then Michael. Then Mike. It took a bit of digging, but we got most of the taproot and a good bit of dirt to hold the tree in the bucket.
The tree was much bigger in our driveway than it looked from the truck. It took quite a bit of manuevering to get the 16 ft. redbud in the house. We knocked pictures off the wall and glasses off the counter. But instead of getting mad, we laughed at ourselves and the simple tree.
We didn't bring a single decoration up from the basement. A quick trip to the Dollar Tree and two or three trips to Michael's. Simple clear LED lights. Simple homemade paper ornaments. A few small silver balls. A few small red balls.
I am keeping it simple this year. So far.
Merry Christmas.
Judy
PS I found the baby Jesus. I'm planning on braving the basement to retrieve the rest of the set. Call 911 if you don't hear from me.

The Countdown to Christmas

2011-11-12T15:34:00.001-05:00

I didn't get the Christmas Spirit in 2010. I was a spectator, not an active participant.I didn't even send out Christmas cards last year. I am making progress with my Christmas Spirit AND cards for this year Here are a couple of my favorite cards so far.
Stamp images, paper, twine, window bag, maple tag and washi tape are from A Muse Studios. Contact me at kentuckystamper@gmail.com for purchase info.
All the images are colored using Copic markers. Even the coloring on the maple tag. I love coloring with my Copic markers. I'm not a natural artist, but I am improving. I'm glad that I've not let my lack of natural talent get in the way of my love of coloring. My excitement for Copic markers compares the same feeling I had when I opened my first big 64 color box of Crayola Crayons. Copics are crayons for grown ups.
Here's brief information on the "not so obvious techniques" I used. The icicles on the tag and inside the clear window on the bag were created using the A Muse Studio Grass die cut. I added a sparkle effect by dabbing the "icicles" with a clear embossing pad and then poured on iridescent embossing powder. Used a heat tool to melt the embossing powder. Clear glue and glitter would give the same effect. The maple tag on the linen bag was stamped using the stamp set Vintage Christmas Postmarks and colored using Copics. Santa's beard was made with the most awesome white uni-ball gel pen. Washi tape is a color, patterned tape that mimics a ribbon. Washi tape is easy to use and can be lifted and repositioned if you need. Thanks for reading. Keep creating. **Note** A couple of you have mentioned that you are having problems commenting and/or viewing this blog. My intention is to allow everyone to view and make comments, but I can't figure out why my settings aren't working. I'll keep trying. Please be patient with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging.

Man Card and communication

2011-11-01T23:44:00.002-04:00

Man cards are a tough challenge. My husband and son encourage me and love nearly anything I create. My men inspire me. My husband, Mike, is a truck mechanic for a utility company. Mike also has a GREAT eye for card designs and papercrafting projects. He designs, but doesn't implement. He's my go to guy when I'm stuck or feel like something is missing from one of my designs. He is good at seeing my design and then suggesting additions, twists, and new direction with the same set of supplies. Often, he will remember another set he's seen in the A Muse Studio catalog and suggest adding an additional image or element. Amazing. But there are times when I have worked on a design and I really, really like what I have done. I show him the card and he starts to make suggestions. That is what I wanted to hear! I wanted him to say it was perfect just the way it is. I'm hurt and disappointed. He doesn't understand why I'm upset, afterall, I'm always asking for input. When do I want input and when do I want approval?
I've learned to warn him before I show him a design that I feel is my best work. My warning, "I'm not asking for input, I'm just showing you this one" identifies an inconsistent message. That simple communication has saved hurt feelings.
I've learned at least one other lessons about communication with a husband; it isn't fair to spring a love pop quiz with no preparation. In the past, I would "test" my husband and his love or commitment. I would set up a situation and see how he reacted and then judge his reaction or non-reaction. If I didn't get the desired reaction, I was hurt or pouted. Was it fair to give him a relationship "pop quiz" without any parameters or study materials? Learning to communicate that something is important to me has improved our relationship. Pop quizzes in relationships aren't exactly fair or necessary. And with that last tidbit, on to the important stuff about the card.
This is a card I made with Mike in mind. I'm nuts about using a juicy dark colored pigment ink pad and clear embossing powder. Clear embossing powder works well with any dark color pigment ink.
Stamp set: Rock Star (A Muse Studio)
Paper: French Roast Gingham, French Roast solid card stock (A Muse Studio)
Ink: French Roast A Muse Studio pigment ink
Embossing powder: Clear (A Muse Studio)
Please leave your comments and suggestions. Any suggestions for adding another color or another focal point are welcome. Thanks for looking.
Products available via my website: www.amusestudio.com/Kentuckystamper

What a mess!!

2011-10-04T23:35:00.000-04:00

My craft room has become an embarrassment for me. Stacks of magazines, new products, old stamp sets, and the most embarrassing thing of all, unused organization tools and storage containers.
I'm in the process of sorting, organizing and tossing. I'm ashamed that I have so many new and unused stamping supplies and sets. I'm thinking of using the best stamp sets and products as incentives as I build my A Muse Studio business. Basically, I'm thinking that with a purchase of $XX (undecided on amount) you can purchase (or free) retired and discontinued stamp sets from my previous company. Any thoughts, any suggestions? The more you spend, the more freebies you get. Win win.
Might be a good time to book a party! Call me or email me.

New Shipment from A Muse Studio

2011-09-27T18:39:00.001-04:00

The UPS man was very good to me today! Lots of new goodies. Now I'm ready to prepare for some demonstrations in a big way. I got a couple of new tools I can't wait to learn how to use. Here's a partial list of what came today:

Washi tape ribbon in five great colors
French Roast baker's twine
Large Mitten die (I have some great ideas for this one.)
More maple tags
A bow tying guide thingy
A paper and ribbon slot punching tool
Several new stamp sets

I don't know where to start and what to use first. Check back in a day or two. I plan to post some project samples and review a new product. Which product will it be? Let me know if you have a preference based on what you know I've listed.

Card Samples

2011-09-24T14:36:00.001-04:00

This is an example of a very simple card. Simple format. Simple progression of elements. Think of it as a recipe. Three progressively larger circles, a pop of color in the form of a strip near the bottom of the card with a somewhat sheer ribbon that allows the dots to show through. Recreate you own card using your favorite A Muse Studio stamps and paper. I'd love to see what you do with this idea. Build on it, embellish it, or duplicate, but do it!

PS. I cut the coffee cup out and put pop dots to give extra dimension. You can shop on my web page at https://www.amusestudio.com/kentuckystamper

I'm demo # 1380 and I'd love to have you shop with me.

A Muse Studio - Favorite New Product week 1

2011-09-21T00:05:00.014-04:00

When I saw these real maple wood tags, I knew I had to have a pack. (OK, so I bought two packs, I knew I would (wood) love them.) I saw the possibilities. They come in two sizes, 1.5 inches or 2 inches with 12 in a pack. Stamp-able. Punch-able. Color-able with copics and markers. So, so cool. Love the price point as well. A lot of bang for the buck. Used my Crop-a-dile to punch a hole, no problem. I was afraid the wood would split during the hole punch process, but no problem and with my crop-a-dile, it didn't take alot of extra strength.
You can order directly from my A Muse Studio website: www.amusestudio.com/kentuckystamper

Click Shop Online.
Click on the Accessories graphic and you will be taken to a list of products.
To go straight to the Maple Tags product description, enter Maple Tags in the search box.

Feel free to browse through the great list of A Muse Studio accessories.