Merry Christmas from Me and Santa!

Hey there, just a quick note to wish you a merry Christmas.












This picture was taken at an event I helped with this year. I was one of Santa's helpers. The headset you see me wearing allowed me to chat up the kids in line waiting to see Santa and then relay the info right into his ear, so he recognized every kid by name and what they wanted for Christmas. It's fun to make a little Christmas magic happen! Hope your day is merry and bright!

More Candy Treats

Remember on Wednesday I mentioned that I had made candy treats for Thanksgiving? Well, here they are:










I made a bunch of them for my co-workers and left them on their desks at the office. They were really simple, with solid cardstock bases and a few images from A Muse. I love the Pilgrim Boy and Girl, they're just so cute!

A single one up close:













And from the side:












I modified them a little from Jennifer's original idea, mostly because of the need to economize on paper. Instead of being 4x12, I made mine narrower at 3x12, and they work just fine with all of the folding and the same bags.

I'm already plotting ways to use the same style for Valentine's Day. . .

Santa Santa Santa

Don't you wish that he was like Beetlejuice? Like if you said his name three times he would magically appear? I do. I think that'd be great.

In the meantime though, I can definitely fit three of him onto a card. Here's a quick card I made using the Simple Celebrations Clear set from A Muse. I love this little guy. Hope your holiday season is going swimmingly!

Quickie Tag

This year, I thought I'd try and get ahead by making some cute and personal tags. Well, the ideas are all swirling about in my head, but so far I've only gotten a few done. Here's one:













This tag uses a stamp from a Cat's Pajamas clear set released last year. I absolutely love the way it looks, but I've always had trouble coloring in the bow. Well, this time I used the corner of my Memento Dew Drop in Rhubarb Stalk to color it in, and it worked beautifully! I colored over the green leaves with my clear Spica pen, and it was done! I especially like how I got to color-coordinate my tag with my wrap. I never get to do that in most cases because I'm doing it at the last-minute. Maybe I should get ahead on more of this stuff. . .yeah right!

Yeesh!

It's time to dust off the old blog. Are you still there? Still reading?

Well, it turns out that 2 three unit college courses takes up a bit more time than I had previously anticipated. However, with my last final tomorrow, I thought I'd procrastinate on studying and post some pictures. You interested?

First off, a bit about the weather. Here in California, we rarely get snow, especially because the elevation is so low. Well, guess what I saw this morning?










This is super-rare. My co-worker said it's been 30+ years, but I think it's more like 5 or so. Anyway, it was very exciting for this California girl, so exciting I had to take this photo while driving.

The other thing I've been working on is these:










Treats for my volunteers! I have the best volunteers in the world working for me, so of course I had to make them some treats. These were adapted from Jennifer Maguire's project, that I adore and have used several times already. I love this style treat box! Last year, I made nugget boxes for all of my volunteers, and it was just too much work! These were easier and I think cuter too! I'll have to show you the Thanksgiving version in another post.

Well, that's all for today, but I'm going to try and get back on the blogging bandwagon. Comment if you're still reading, and hopefully I'll have time to write again soon!

Anybody Want an Apple?

This weekend, we took a mini-adventure and drove up to Sebastopol, CA to get some apples. Walker Apple Farm had been recommended to me by a friend, and when we arrived, we weren't disappointed. The place had more than 50 acres of apple trees!

Here's a tractor, surrounded by trees:

Apples for all!

What a good deal!

Some of the last ones on the tree:

I was disappointed that we didn't get to pick our own, but we did get to taste them all and they were all delicious! I came home with 3.5 pounds of apples, and turned most of them into an apple pie (not pictured, because we've already eaten it!)

However, I do have a card to share. I dug through my clear stamp sets and came across a whole set that I hadn't used yet! I always need birthday cards, so I made up a quickie with it.

Supplies: Card base by Bazzill, "Baby Boy Small Green Dot" paper by DCWV, Blue #2 paper by DCWV, stamp from "Bird Day Designs" by Hero Arts, sentiment part of "Celebration Sayings" by Saltbox Studio, and colored with Copics.

Getting Ahead

For once, I'm trying to get ahead. I thought some cute tag-like cards might be useful around the holidays, so I'm making a few of simple designs just to get some done and in my stash.

I recently got to borrow the new Hero Arts Jolly Christmas set. Man, for a set I didn't think I needed, it sure is cute! Those little scarves just crack me up! I'm already scheming up ways to give them more realistic fuzz, but more on that later.

Here's my first one:

This frog just cracks me up. He's just hangin' out, happy as, well, a frog! I added a little color to his cheeks using my Copic Blush marker. Since he's wearing a scarf, I'm sure his face is cold! I know this card is simple, but when it comes to mass production, simple is key.

This next one is a tiny bit more elaborate, but in a monochromatic color scheme, which I love. I stamped Mr. Penguin first, then his sentiment and thought bubble. I masked the thought bubble and penguin, then I drew in the snowy ground and added the snowflakes. Easy! Have you started your Christmas cards yet? It's never too early!

Just A Note

Well, fall is definitely in the air around here. The last two mornings I've been waking up to dense tule fog that doesn't burn off until mid-morning. Even though summer is hands-down my favorite season, I have to concede that the cooler weather is nice. Bring on the sweaters and jackets, I say!

I think my color tastes have changed with the seasons as well. Shoot, I've been making Halloween cards since August! Lately, I've been all about the kraft cardstock, and the reds, oranges and browns of fall, and the nature side of things too.

My card for today uses a little guy I just love: Tiny Owl by Hero Arts.













I stamped my Tiny Owl, then masked and stamped the branch from Home II. It's mounted on a Bazzill Leapfrog card base and adorned with May Arts ribbon. The sentiment by Elzybells is stamped on patterned paper by DCWV.

Friendship is a Sheltering Tree. . .

As I mentioned previously, we got some great goodies with our kits for World Card Making Day. In the card kit from Cornish Heritage Farms, we even got some free stamps, namely "Friendship Centers" and "Modern Star."

They're not my usual style, but I figured I should expand my horizons and play with them a bit. Here's my first attempt.















The tree is by Inkadinkado and stamped with Memento brown ink. The patterned papers are by DCWV, and they're all mounted on kraft cardstock. The sentiment is of course by CHF and one of my favorites from the set.

World Card Making Day Recap!

Hey there, and happy Tuesday! How did we get here so fast? My week started out with so much craziness that I haven't had a chance to blog about World Card Making Day until now. Well, let's fix that, shall we?

On Saturday, my mom and I got up early and drove down to Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley. Wendy Johnson (of PaperCrafts fame) was there to teach a free make-and-take in honor of the day.

We got to make three cards, and all of the kits had extra supplies to make more on our own. Here's the first one:











This one was courtesy of Cornish Heritage Farms. The best part was that the three VersaColor inks and all of the stamps we used (the star and the sentiment set) were given to every student as freebies! This was a really beautiful and classy card. Not my usual style, but I loved it!

This next one was courtesy of PaperCrafts and shows off their cute and simple look:













And this last one was courtesy of Pink Paislee:
















There were drawings for prizes, and I won one of Wendy's original creations, which is just beautiful. Of course, we had to take a group picture:









Wendy is close to the middle in the white shirt, and I'm to the right in a black t-shirt. My mom is to the right of me.

And of course, since I'm an uber-nerd, I brought the October issue of PaperCrafts and had her sign it:












I was really inspired by Wendy. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and friendly, and she has taken her papercrafting to the next level. It was amazing to be in the presence of a real PC Pro, and it gave me hope. I asked her if she had any tips to someone that has yet to be published, and she said to just keep submitting and don't give up.

Hope you had a great World Card Making Day too!

Yay For Fridays!

Hey there, and happy Friday! I'm thrilled today is Friday because it also happens to be an off-Friday for me. This has been the first chance I've had in AGES to stamp, so of course I took full advantage.

Even when I'm not stamping, I'm checking out other people's blogs and challenges. Today, I did another two-fer in the way of challenges. On the A Muse Addicts forum, this week's Stamp Challenge is to use anything with pumpkins in the name. Well, one of my most recent A Muse purchases fits the bill: Pumpkin Cart! I also noticed Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge is due a bit later today, and I thought I'd try participating for the first time. Here were her colors:













And here is my card incorporating Pumpkin Cart and her colors:


















Just for kicks, I also used her most recent Finally Friday card as a bit of a sketch. Have a great Friday!

Supplies: Pumpkin Cart stamp and sentiment by A Muse and stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, Delicate Vine by Hero Arts and stamped with Bisque Color Box Chalk, brads by Making Memories, Chantilly, Leapfrog, and Clementine papers by Bazzill.

Busy Busy!

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks away from my blog. Between the ATC swap (which I'll blog more about later!), the goodbye party for my friend moving to Australia, my scrapbooking weekend and school, it's just been crazy around here. Plus, hubby and I have taken on a new adventure together--we joined a gym. Granted, I've only been twice, but I can tell it's going to take up a bit of my time.

Anyway, back to the cards. This weekend, I went to a scrapbooking event in Occidental, CA. It's less than an hour from my house, but it feels like it's a whole world away. We stay at a Christian conference center called Alliance Redwoods, but our group is hardly angelic. The ladies at this event are hardcore scrappers, pounding out 20-40 12x12 pages in the course of the weekend. I'm a little slow, but I was still proud to finish 17 pages AND a few quickie cards that I made using scraps from my page layouts.


















This one was made using one of the new birthday sets from the Cat's Pajamas. I love this set because I think it's pretty unisex. I took advantage of that on this card and made another boy birthday card.


















This is another card I made with the same boy-ish theme. Darn those boys and their birthdays! These stamps are from the Saltbox Studio. I love this little mouse, although next time I think I'll put a candle on his muffin to make it a little more festive.

This last card is my least favorite. I love the ways Heather and other A Muse designers are using the scalloped frame in the A Muse bracket clear set so I picked it up. I'm still learning how it looks best though. Here's my first attempt. I think next time, I'll do it in brown to soften the edges a bit.

Well, there's nothing worse than making cards and forgetting to send them, so I'm off to starting writing in a couple that are due next week.

Getting Ready. . .

to go on a scrapbooking weekend. I'd forgotten how long it takes to prep and pack for this thing. Of course, it doesn't help that I'd much rather stamp than scrap. Maybe I can do both. . .

Bon Voyage!

Well, it's a sad day in Mudville. My best friend (and maid of honor at my wedding last year), is leaving next week to go to Australia for five months. I know she'll be back before I know it, but I'm still sad. We talk and/or e-mail almost every day, so it'll get real quiet in my world for a while.

At any rate, I came up with a couple of different card designs for her, and this is one of them. I got the Sky Writer stamp a while back, but I recently remembered it when Cityscape came out as part of Amuseapalooza. What better way to send a message than to write it in the sky!

So, here's my card:

I masked off the steam trail and drew the banner in with a super-thin Copic multiliner and a thicker Micron pen. The sentiment is part of Rubber Soul's clear travel set. Of course, planes are made of metal, so I went over it with my clear Spica to give it some zing.

Supplies: Card base by A Muse, navy blue paper by Bazzill, white paper by Neenah, Cityscape and Sky Writer by A Muse, sentiment by Rubber Soul. Colored with Prismacolor Muted Turquoise, Prismacolor Orange, and Copic Powder Pink.

Falling Into Fall. . .

It's starting to look like fall around here. We had a nice hot weekend, but the early part of this week was filled with cold and good old San Francisco fog. My husband LOVES the cold weather so he's happy as a clam, but I'm hoping for a few more warm ones before I have to officially concede it's fall.

Anyway, here's a card I made to try and get excited about the season.















This past weekend I got to go up to Paper Garden for their 2nd anniversary celebration, and Linda's make-and-take featured her new leaf clear stamp. It reminded me that there's a pretty fall-ish leaf in the Simple Celebrations set that I haven't inked up in a while.

Supplies: Card and stamps by A Muse, patterned paper by DCWV, ribbon by May Arts(?).

The Other Thing I've Been Doing. . .

Watching these arrive in my mailbox!












It's been great to see how everyone used the stamps differently. Today's the day they have to be postmarked by, so I should have them all to me by the end of the week. If they're all here, they'll be sorted and back out on Monday! Yippee!

Unwanted Guests. . .

First off, my apologies for being away from the 'ole blog for so long. I had some unwelcome guests in my craft room. . .ants! They found their way through an open electrical outlet, and straight onto my desk. Ewwwww! Needless to say, as soon as I found them I had to spend some time getting rid of them. I hate ants.

Anyway, as promised last post, here in my boy birthday card. It feels like I've been depleting the birthday card section of my stash lately, so I'm on a birthday card catch-up kick.

I used up the leftover scraps from the baby card to put this one together. I forget how far one piece of paper can go if cut correctly!

Tip: When you're using patterned paper, remember that you can hide seams easily behind your focal image. For this card, I only had a small square of paper left, but once I cut it in half horizontally, I had enough to "fake" a long strip! Fabulous! I think this'll make a great in-case-of-emergency boy card.

Okay, I'm back to checking on the ant situation. Wish me luck!

Comments Fixed!

Hi there! A couple of people have e-mailed me to note that the comments were restricted to Blogger members only. Well, I finally had a chance to look at it, and I think I was able to open it up to all people. So please feel free to post me a comment!

Another Baby Card!

Hi there, and happy Labor Day weekend! I don't know about you, but a three day weekend is very much needed around here!

I set aside Saturday morning to get some stamping done. I've been meaning to tackle the TCP sketch challenge for several weeks, but the timing just didn't work out until today. This week's TCP challenge was provided by Katie Stilwater, and it was to use Animal Train. Now, how funny is that? I just used that stamp! Remember these? Anyway, I thought a true challenge card required a few more elements than my super-simple stash supporters, so I came up with this card:

I know you can't see it (darn those digital cameras!), but I used some ultra shimmery watercolors over the top of my Copic coloring. Ah well, you'll just have to take my word for it. The flower idea was actually my stamping friend Pat's (Hi Pat!). I like how it turned out.

Be back in a bit with a fun boys' birthday card!

My New Favorite Card

Have you ever had a card that utilized all of your favorite things? Well, this is that card for me.

For the LONGEST time, I have been looking for this Memory Box skull and bone stamp. I think I was in a store and saw a sample that just made me fall in love with it. Well, I had a similar experience this Saturday. I was taking a class at Scrapbook Territory, and I watched in slow-motion horror as a girl handed the stamp I'd been looking for to the cashier. Rather than screaming, "Noooooooo!," I sprinted to the stamp section of the store, and lo and behold, there was one left!

Anyway, this is my first card with my new favorite stamp:

In classic form, there was a slight boo-boo on the way to making this card. I had originally stamped "Ghoulish Greetings" (by A Muse) directly onto the patterned paper "Them Bones" by Cosmo Cricket, but when it didn't show up, I had to get creative. Julie Ebersole has been doing cards for a while now with these cute banners creatively placed, so I thought I'd try that. You know what? I think I actually like it MORE with the banner than if the sentiment had showed up where I placed it. Whoda thunk it?!

Variations on a Theme

Hi there, and happy Monday! I'm wishing it was still the weekend, but I did manage to get a lot of things done, so I can't complain too much. For instance, I made NINE cards!

















Oh sure, they're all variations on a theme, but still, it felt REALLY good to get them all done. My mom's birthday was last week, and in lieu of gifts, they threw her a potluck party. She wanted to write thank you notes to all of them, so she asked me to make some. Well, out came the Party Time clear set by A Muse. Once I found some coordinating patterned paper, the ideas just rolled right out! I even managed to do two sketch challenges!

Here's the first one:


















This one is for the ATS sketch challenge, which I saw on Katie Stilwater's blog.


I also did this one for Tracy's sketch challenge:



















I really like the way the colors worked together on this card.

Well, I'm off to check out the new Halloween stamps on the A Muse website. Anyone care to join me? You can see them here.

Custom Card!

I have to say, one of the things I love best about making my own cards is the ability to customize. Oh sure, I could spend hours driving around town trying to find the perfect card for someone, but how awesome is it that we stampers are able to make our own ideas come to life?

Take this card for example:




















Our good friend (and best man at our wedding) is gone this week to management training in Dallas as part of FedEx. Being a manager has been a long-time goal of his, and he has not been on an airplane in about 12 years, so we're very excited for him.

Of course, Hallmark doesn't sell a "Congratulations on Going to Management Training" card, so I made my own! The truck is actually the A Muse ice cream truck with the ice cream and music notes taped off. The city is the newly released Cityscape colored monotone to make it fade into the background. The papers are by Bazzill, Jubilee and Papaya). I hesitated on adding ribbon since this card is for a guy, but I figured a knotted ribbon would be all right.

Tracy's Sketch Challenge

Well, I didn't get it done this weekend, but I was finally able to tackle Tracy's sketch challenge. Here is her sketch:



















I modified it a bit to make my card, but I kept to the same general principles.


















This was also my first time using Memento ink with the Neenah cardstock I purchased at Paper Garden a few weeks ago, and it was super-easy to color on. Love it! I had to do a bit of masking to separate the one line sentiment into two lines, but it was pretty painless. I love making birthday cards because I know I'll always use them. They're great to add to any stash!

Supplies: All images by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, patterned paper by DCWV, stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Neenah paper, and double-faced satin purchased at the SF Flower Market.

Two-fer!

Hey there, and happy weekend to you! I hope you're out doing fun, end-of-summer things. I'm gearing up for a busy weekend myself. Two birthday parties with presents to shop for, a trip to the airport, and work I had to bring home. Grrr.

Anyway, I thought I'd at least start the weekend with some stamping. I've been seeing a ton of great challenges, and I want to play them all! The only problem is, I have limited time. So, I did what any girl would do and multi-tasked!



















This card is for two challenges. First off, the sketch is from Taylor's Cupcake Friday challenge.



















I love her challenges because they're always so different. Anyway, when I saw her sketch, pumpkins popped into my head! That was probably because I had also seen Heather's Share Your Spark Friday challenge, which was to make a Halloween card. I'm loving Heather's Halloween cards, so I probably would have made another one anyway, but dare me to do something, and it's on!

Well, I'm off to face the non-stamping part of my weekend. I'm hoping to find time for Tracy's Sketch Challenge and The Cat's Pajamas inspiration challenge. Wish me luck!

Supplies: All stamps by A Muse, faces drawn with a black Micron 01, patterned paper by DCWV, Bazzill Basics Paper in Patch, ribbon by Michael's.

More Baby Cards!

While I was working on the baby card for my mom's boss, I came across one of my other favorite baby images and its matching sentiment. This one is by the Cat's Pajamas, and I just love it for it's cuteness and simplicity.

So, I thought I'd whip up a couple more baby cards for my stash. These are super-simple, but they'll be great for an emergency.

Both notecards are by Memory Box, and the blue dot paper is by Doodlebug.

Baby Card

Remember last week I said I needed to do a baby card for my mom's boss? Well, here it is.















The card has a funny story behind it. When I got married last year, I invited my mom's boss and a guest. Surprisingly, instead of her husband, she brought her son, Matt. More surprisingly, I found out halfway through the wedding that he had invited his girlfriend--a wedding crasher! It turns out he was dating someone I went to high school with, and it's the birth of her baby that we're now celebrating. How crazy is that! Should I crash her baby shower to get back at her? ;) I think I'll behave myself and pass.

This card was very similar to several I've seen for graduation and birthday cards. The letter stamps are by A Muse, and the baby is by De Nami Design.

Sketch Challenge

I'm a sucker for a good sketch challenge, and Tracy Clemente at Eat Sleep Stamp issued a great one last week. I finally got around to working on it today and it came together pretty quick.


















I modified the sketch a tiny bit to leave some patterned paper at the bottom.

So, I read over at www.amuseaddicts.com that A Muse is coming out with Halloween and fall images near the middle of August. I have had my eye on some already-available Halloween images for forever, but I'm holding off until I see the new ones. Oh, the anticipation is KILLING me! Are you as excited as I am to see them?

Card Supplies:
All images by A Muse
Stamped with Brilliance Graphite Black
Colored with Prismacolors
Patterned Paper by DCWV
Kraft, black and orange paper by The Paper Company

Camping-Themed Thank You Note

On my recent camping trip, I had the privilege of using some pretty cool camping gear. Two of my friends set up an entire kitchen, complete with a Coleman-run coffee maker, utensils of every kind, pots, pans, a dishwashing station, etc. etc. etc. I was so blown away (and a little underprepared) that I thought a thank you note with an REI gift card would be appropriate. Here is the result.

I've been thinking about this card layout for a while now. The red Madeira paper reminds me of the paisley on red bandannas, so it was the perfect choice, and I thought the kraft cardstock would add an earthy feel.

Despite having a strong vision, I had no idea how hard the plate would be! I went through half a dozen circle punches before I found the right size, and then ran around my house trying to find a smaller circle to trace and give the plate depth. (In this case, the circle I traced was the top of a tube of Clearasil in my medicine cabinet. Who knew it would be so necessary for crafts!)

The utensils are from the A Muse clear set, "Party Time," just cut out and glued on with my Xyron. I also stamped the envelope with the trees, just for fun.

I've Been A Bad, Bad Girl. . .

Not in a Fiona Apple kind of way, but in a rubber stamping kind of way! I made it back up to Paper Garden in Sacramento and picked up all sorts of fabulous goodies.

Check it out:












In the back is some of that Neenah cardstock that Julie Ebersole raves about. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm very excited about combining it with my Memento ink pad and using my Copics on it. Then of course, there is my staple, Memory Box cards. I never fancied myself a pastels girl, but in cardmaking, I've found that these are the cards I go to time and time again.

The A Muse notecards and stamps are ones I've been coveting a long time. I needed a slightly classier thank you stamp for a while now and this one fit the bill. I figure the trees will be good for holiday scenes, and I just plain needed Christmas girl. (She's so cute!) But, the one I'm most excited about is the ice cream truck. I'm realizing that with a little masking, it has so much potential! I'm seeing FedEx trucks, musical notes for my Rock Star, musical borders, and the ice cream can be used by itself! It was practically NECESSARY!

All right, I'm done confessing. Off to play with my new toys!

Hero Arts Cupcake Card

Last night I was hit with a slew of card needs. We got a wedding invitation, someone's birthday is this Saturday, we have three birthday parties coming up the following weekend, my mom's boss has a new grandbaby and I have a couple of thank you notes I need to send for camping. Phew!

I wasn't in the mood for stamping, so I took the time to go back through my pile of already-stamped images. Man, there's some good stuff in there! How is it that I always manage to forget about it?

Here's one I found and made into a card:












This card is going to be for the Saturday birthday girl. The card base is Chantilly Bazzill (still stuck on white card bases--so neutral and ready for color!). The patterned paper is by Creative Imaginations and the cupcake is part of the Clear Cupcake Set by Hero Arts. (I'm still trying to remember who the birthday sentiment is by. . . JFF maybe? I'll update later.)

I think I made the main image back when I first got the set. That set has got to be one of my favorites of all time, 'cause who doesn't like a cupcake? It's like saying, "I don't like parfaits. Everybody likes parfaits!" (Remember that from Shrek?!) Anyway, I digress. I thought the main image looked a little dull, so I colored the flower with my clear Spica, which makes it look love-lee!

The ribbon is by American Crafts. I tried to make a bow, but the bows were flipping the hearts upside down, so I used a technique I saw on Nichole Heady's blog and attached the bow over the top. It worked out pretty well.

One card down, several to go!

A Muse Christmas ATC Swap!

Update: These swaps were all dropped in the mail September 21. Thanks for playing!

I'm loving the new A Muse Christmas images, and I'm dying to see how you're using them! Come join me in my first ATC swap!

The theme is A Muse Christmas, specifically the images released during Amuseapalooza in July.

To participate, please make 10 ATCs—you will get back ten including one of your own. Splitcoaststampers has a great tutorial on making ATCs. See here.

Here are the rules:
-You must use at least one A Muse Christmas stamp from the 2008 release.
-Each ATC must have at least 2 layers.
-One embellishment is required (embellishments include ribbon, rhinestones, prima, etc.)

Please sign and number each of your swaps and put them in a Ziploc bag to ensure they survive their postal adventures. Your bag should be marked with your name and your group number. You must also include a SASE and 1 extra stamp (it’ll be returned to you if it’s not needed). No metered strips! The deadline has been extended! Your swaps must be postmarked by September 10! I'll mail them back as soon as I get them all!

To join this swap, please e-mail me at imteresa at hotmail dot com. When I get your e-mail, I’ll add you to the list below and I’ll e-mail you back with my mailing address.
If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me and I’ll do my best to answer quick! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Group #1: DONE!
1. Teresa E.
2. Nobuko C.
3. Tinla W.
4. Tracy C.
5. Michele H.
6. Tami W.
7. Aileen B.
8. Dawn S.
9. Connie
10. Erin

Group #2: DONE!
1. Teresa E.
2. Tinla W.
3. Lee Anne
4. Riza
5. Nancy
6. Susan N.
7. Pamela
8. Tracy O.
9. Tami W.
10. Ruth Ann

When Life Gets In The Way. . .

Sometimes you just have to let it.

So, after my back debacle two weeks ago, I fell off the stamping horse. I did a few cards, but nothing too exciting. (Maybe I'll post those later.)

Instead, I went camping. But, I did manage to drive an hour to get home JUST to play in the 3rd VMAA, which was super-fun. In addition to my rushed previous post, you can see my other card entries here, here, and here. I didn't win, but Tracy Clemente did--yay Tracy!

After VMAA, I jumped back in my car and drove back up to camping. We went to the Robert Ferguson Observatory and checked out the stars on huge telescopes--it was amazing!

I got back from camping on Sunday afternoon and cleaned up, just in time to go to the last day of the Sonoma County Fair on Monday. I go every year on the last day of the Fair to see the horse races. Anyway, this year I won this random contest to be an owner for a day! We got to stand in the paddock and check out the horses up close before a race, then watch the race from the owners' box, and afterward, we got our picture taken with the winner! It was a very interesting experience.

Anyway, I think that about does it for my non-stamping activities. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of stamping soon. Thanks for sticking with me!

VMAA #1

Here's my first one. More info later!

Oy!

My back is KILLING me this week, so I'll be away from the blog for a bit. See you in a while. . .

Fishbowl Fun!

Here's my second entry for the last Amuseapalooza challenge, to make a card for a kid. It didn't turn out like I thought it would, and it's not super-exciting or clever, but for some reason, I still really, really like it. I guess it's true what they say about A Muse: Think simple.

The green notecard is by Memory Box and cut down to a square size. (Note to self: Buy more notecards!) The patterned paper is a Pretty Little Paper by Amuse. The dirt, blue water and fishbowl papers were all punched using my blue Super Jumbo round punch. I then used my Fiskars scallop scissors backward to make waves for my fish tank. Mr. Fish was paper-pieced using an orange scrap, and the crab was stamped and colored over with red Spica. I stamped the sentiment with Brilliance Graphite Black and added a little bit of A Muse surf ribbon to hide my paper seam.

I'm looking forward to participating in the Amuse Addicts SOTW and Card challenges, so stay tuned for those!