Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

I thought it would be fun to share a card that I designed for my Autumn Splendor class. A Muse sure has some awesome images and papers don't they! OH...and the new Pretty Pearls too!!

Black Friday Sale At Stamp Works! Those of you that live in my neck of the woods...Stamp Works is having a Black Friday Sale! Actually...the sale is gonna be Friday AND Saturday. Git-er-done!!!! AND I'm sponsoring a special A Muse Holiday Tag Make & Take on Friday from 11am - 1pm. Get all the details on the Stamp Works Blog HERE.

This means A Muse goodies are on sale!!!!

OH YEAH BABY!!! How can you resist!

A Muse Artstamps Supplies: Solid Pumpkin; Oak Leaf Flourish; Big Bl; Happy Thanksgiving Script; Orange Petite Gingham Cardstock; Grass Shimmer Couture Cardstock; Paprika 4-bar Notecards; Chocolate Pretty Pearls. Other Supplies: Fiskars Scalloped Border Punch; Ranger Distress Inks; Hemp Twine; Foam Dimensionals.

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge

Hey all you House Mouse lovers! It's time for another Monday challenge.

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge # 56 - Double Pocket Bag
Our challenge this week is Janneke's idea. Click HERE for instructions. Create any theme you want...just make sure to include at least 1 House Mouse or Friends image on your project. Click HERE for all the challenge details and design team cards. I also have some sad news...this is Janneke's last challenge with us. We are going to miss her so much! :(

These bags are made with one 12"x12" piece of paper. I used a double-sided patterned paper so the inside looks cute too. I was going to stamp little mouse footprints on the inside -- but totally forgot before I put it all together!
Oh well...next time.

The paper piercing along the top brown piece was quickly done using my Scor-Pal Board & Scor-Bug Embosser. I looooove having cool tools to make the job easier! The cotton ball is covered with White Sparkly Fluff. Doesn't Monica look so sweet sleeping on that cotton ball :)
I added glitter to the flower petals so they are nice and sparkly. To get a border of glitter around the oval - I used a 2-way glue pen with a chisel tip.

Here are a couple shots to give you a better view of the pockets...



You can tuck all sorts of things in these pockets. Pictures, letters, cards in 1 side and envelopes in the other(great gift idea), the possibilities are endless!



Now is that fun or WHAT!

Recipe:Stamps - House-Mouse Designs Dreampuffs
Paper - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Patterned Paper from Creative Imaginations, LLC The Studio Barn, LLC; A Muse Artstamps French Roast and Popsicle Pink Solid 4-bar notecardsInk - A Muse Artstamps Black Dye Ink
Misc. - Prismacolor Pencils; Gamsol OMS; Blending Stumps; Marvy Uchida Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches; Bazzill Flower; Scor-Pal and Scor-Bug; Our Craft Lounge Sparkly Fluff - Sugar; Art Glitter Baby's Breath; ribbon from stash; 2-way glue pen; dimensional foam tape

Inky Fingers

I've been super busy this last week designing - stamping - prepping - teaching - cleaning - shopping -- WHEW!! I'll try and post something creative this weekend. Not gonna promise..but I'll try. BUT...for SURE I'll have another House Mouse creation on Monday.

So there you have it...YES my fingers have been getting inky...NO I haven't taken time out to post anything. One other thing...I'm trying to figure out how NOT to have so much dog hair in my house! I love my dog...but this hair thing is driving me C-R-A-Z-Y!!!! These dark brown hairs magically cling to EVERYTHING paper or plastic!
Anyone have a magic solution to help with my Chocolate Lab's Hair Everywhere problem?

For my Dad

Today is my dad's birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

Here's the card I made for him.



Isn't this image and sentiment a hoot! Speaking of hoot...my dad is just that. He is sooooooo funny! I think a little of his humor rubbed off on me ;) Love ya dad

I did some masking on the sentiment so part would fit on the front ...and the last part is on the inside of the card. Coloring done with Copic Markers. The dog's tag is colored in with a Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen. The layout is Splitcoaststampers.com Card Sketch Challenge #253.

Recipe:
Stamps - Inkadinkado Patterned Pets, Great Impressions Sentiment
Paper - Bazzill cardstock, Elements by Creativity Inc Winter Blues Patterned Papers
Ink - A Muse Black Dye
Misc - Copic Markers, Paper Piercer tool and mat, Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen,

Russian Leek Soup for the Soul

A Taste of the Country

Tonight I made something new for dinner. Russian Leek Soup. My first thought of Leek is "EWWWW!" Just the word sounds gross. Like a bug of some sort! I would have skipped over this recipe if my hubby hadn't been sittin' in the kitchen with me while I was looking through the cookbook. Mike LOVES leeks and was all fired up about the recipe. So like a good little wife I decided to give it a go.

<---HA! That there's funny...I don't care WHO ya are!

It was gooooooooood! Not only good...but fast and easy. That's what I like. Quick in the kitchen so I can get back to my stampin'! hee hee hee

A Taste of the Country Cookbook
Russian Leek Soup
by Joyce Molzen, Lovington, Illinois

5 tablespoons butter
2 cups leeks, chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
6 cups chicken broth OR 1 can (49-1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons dill weed
1-2 teaspoons salt OR to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
5 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup half-and-half

Melt butter in large skillet; saute leeks, mushrooms and carrots for 5 minutes. Stir in broth, dill weed, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Add potatoes; cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Add half-and-half; cook until thickened.
Yield: 8-10 servings.



Enjoy :)

Design Inspiration

Holiday Photo Cards - A Muse Style

Many of my family & friends send wonderful photo cards for Christmas. I always look forward to receiving them so I can see how everyone has changed over the year -- or NOT changed ;) HA! For some reason (lazy) I have a hard time sending out Christmas cards...let alone getting a picture taken.

Well...NOW is the time to start creating your cards! A Muse has some wonderful designs to share with you. These designs will be posted on the A Muse News blog throughout the week. I'm sure you will find a fast & fabulous design idea to get you started.

Here's one of the designs featured today. Guess who created it? LOL! This design is super fast - super easy! You could make all your cards in 1 day! Heck...I might even git-er-done this year!!



I decided on a card that fits a wallet size photo. The 4-bar notecards are the prefect size. The photo is framed by layering it on coordinating paper. The A Muse Elegant Tree is perfect since it's a solid image and doesn't need any coloring. I wanted a darker accent color - which I got by stamping the sentiments on the trees with A Muse Black Ink. And finally a little personal touch with the Star on top of the tree. Every year Mike helps Michaela put the star on top of our tree. It's copper colored...so this star twinkle sticker was a match :)



Don't forget to check out all the other design inspirations on the A Muse News blog. There's even some other tips on how to take photos!

Supplies: Elegant Tree; Joy Love Peace ma; Holiday Greetings Set (this set also contains the Joy Love Peace sentiment); Vintage Green 4-bar Notecards; Fern Solid 4-bar Notecards; Natural White Cardstock; Star Twinkle Stickers; Palm Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge

Yummy Pumpkin Pie and a Prize!

We have another fun challenge for you over on the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog. This week there's a prize from House Mouse

$25 to spend at House-Mouse.com!!

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge # 56 - America's Kit Card

America sent all the DT members a kit to produce a card from. We could use our own tools along with the kit. So how are you going to do this challenge? Just try and reproduce the kit and make a card. It doesn't need to be exactly the same. And even if you only have a few items that works to. Just make something using similar items. For all the challenge details, design team cards and prize info click HERE.

Here's what was in the kit.........

(In the little baggie is crystal rhinstones, white pearls, silver cording and charms)

My creation...

Isn't this image too stinkin' cute!! I don't have it...so it was an extra special treat to create something with it. (Thanks America! btw - notice I used the mouse charm...JUST for YOU!) I used the reverse side of the dotted patterned paper. (I just wasn't into dots that day.) The pearls were white...so I colored them with a Copic marker. Coloring is done with colored pencils & oms. The pie has just a touch of glitter on top...and I added Clear Glaze Pen to their nose & eyes :)



Now it's your turn. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Items I used in addition to the kit contents:

Colorbox Chalk Amber Clay & Chestnut Roan; Prismacolor Pencils 914, 927, 940, 941, 945, 946, 947, 949, 997, 1002, 1032, 1033, 1051, 1052, 1054, 1082, 1092; Gamsol OMS; Blending Stumps; Copic Marker; Art Glitter - Mustard; Sakura Quickie Glue Pen; Sakura Clear Glaze Pen; Scor-Bug and Scor-Pal; EK Success Large Corner Rounder; Dimensional Foam Tape

Happy Birthday Brendon

Brendon is 7 today!




Brendon is my grandson. What a handsome guy :) I swiped this pic from my daughters facebook album.

What's your number?

OH NO...the big 50!!

I made this card for my DH. I just looooooooove how it turned out.



On the inside...


The eyes are covered with Crystal Lacquer. That perfect line of paper piercing was done with my Scor-Bug tool and the Scor-Pal. Can't live without those tools! Coloring is done with Copic markers.
Copic markers ROCK!!!


Unlisted Clear Set from Inkadinkado. Grass Stamp from Copper Leaf Creations. Splatters Stamp from Print Works. Classic Numbers Clear Set from A Muse.