Two of my favorite reality shows started up this week...American Idol and Hell's Kitchen. Wahoo! Gotta love new TV. 

After beating my head on the wall for a bit, I've finally broken through some creative block. I've been trying to get ahead of myself and get card samples done really early for some of my upcoming classes. I'll be bringing in my Spring card samples to Stampin-In-The-Rain this weekend. If I don't see you at the Sunday class, maybe I'll see you at the Spring class later in Feb. 

Sorry for the bad pic but the lighting was not good at the time of day I took this picture. If you look closely, you can see that I used my Scor-Pal to create a raised edge around my center image. It's an easy, different way to create another dimension to the card without actually adding another layer. I stamped, colored, and cut out an extra tiny bee on some scrap and mounted over the stamped bee, also for added dimension. I am definitely ready for some sunshine and warmer weather. I have been so cold lately! I feel like I'm constantly snuggling up with my down throw. 

So, with that, I hope you all have a bee-utiful weekend! 

Sorry, life's been busy lately

Just wanted to say a quick hi. I've been busy crafting but nothing I can share right now and not much extra time left over. I've got a nephew going through some hard times and he's been on my mind every day. As a result, I haven't felt overly chatty. 

Hope you all are doing well. I've got my next class samples posted up at Stampin-In-The-Rain. The class is on Sunday, Feb 1. Call the store for details. Hope to see you. 

God Bless America

Wow! I just finished watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama. What a tremendous day in history and I'm still all worked up over what I watched and heard. Is he the man? Can he bring the change so badly needed? Will he bring this nation back to glory? Has he been placed on a pedestal far too high? He's only a man, after all. So many questions and so many answers badly needed for so many struggling people. Massive change requires patience and things will probably get worse before they get better. Time will tell, I suppose. Today is a new day, that's for sure. An amazing day!






I created this Saltbox Studio challenge card in honor of Inauguration Day. I'm a day late in posting but it's okay. It was better to post this today while I'm caught up in the moment, the excitement, the hope for a better future and for a better America. God shed His grace on thee!

Cowboy Ian

I had to dig through my stash to find something to post for you. I haven't had a lot of spare time for stamping. I'm hoping that changes soon. Today I'm sharing a card from the Greeting Farm. I purchased this cute little Cowboy Ian but he hadn't seen any ink yet. I used some scraps from my next Slice class in February to make this. The brown CS is Chocolate Chip from SU. I used the star from Classic Backgrounds (first time it saw ink, too) and stamped chocolate on chocolate, then layered the patterned paper scrap onto some Pumpkin Pie orange to finish it off. The star was an extra laying around from my next Slice class as well so I though I'd just make use of it. I added the circles to each tip using a 1/4" circle punch from SU. Isn't he just the cutest cowboy??

I really wanted to get a Saltbox card done for the challenge yesterday so that's my goal for today. I'll just be getting it posted late. Better late than never, right?! 

It's been a whole week???

Man, I can't believe it's been an entire week since my last post. Life just sometimes gets in the way. I haven't had much time at all for fun stamping...or any stamping for that matter! A friend and her daughter came to town this week to seek treatment for her daughter's headache that just won't go away. While they didn't get the answers they were looking for, it was sure fun to see them and get together with more friends. Here's a pic of Dorinda, Sarah (Bluebear on SCS), Joyce, Maddie, and me. My eyes are bugged out and my coat makes me look heavy but I'm sharing anyway.

I just wanted to remind folks out there that I have a Valentine class at Stampin-In-The-Rain this Sunday. I'll be giving away a nice little goodie pack so be sure to sign up if you haven't already! The class is filling up! Also, be sure to take advantage of the Pre-Inventory sale over at A Muse Artstamps. If you head on over to this thread on the forum, you'll see explicit instructions on how to best pay for your purchases. Paypal is NOT being recommended for this sale due to the fact that the A Muse website does not keep inventory. 

And lastly, a little Valentine card to share. 

Since A Muse is currently out of stock on the newest release, Sweet Shoppe, I thought you might like a card made from an exisiting Valentine image. Notice my new Martha Stewart Valentine border punch! It cuts little hearts out of the scallops! Too cute! 

Two favorite things

Tonight is my first 'Fun with the Slice' class over at Lasting Memories. I have FULL class and even squeezed one extra person in. I am overwhelmed with the fantastic response and am so excited to get started! I have really been having lots of fun with my Slice and want everyone to love their Slice, too. As with any new machine there are a few glitches but most can be resolved by some basic troubleshooting. Do you have a Slice that you haven't played with yet? Let me recommend you start with a machine that has been fully charged overnight. The one hour recommendation in the booklet is really not good enough. 

To show you how much fun I'm having with my Slice I thought I'd show you a card I made the other day. I combined two very favorite things...my Slice and A Muse!!!! How could you go wrong with those two? Oh, and throw in some October Afternoon paper and you definitely have a sure thing going on! 

Don't forget, I have a Winter Greetings A Muse class over at Stampin-In-The-Rain next week and a Valentine class coming up shortly after that. You won't want to miss these! Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend!

BIG happenings

Wow! Really big happenings today over at A Muse. Not only is the new Valentine Release, Sweet Shoppe available today for purchase (yay!) but there's a new place to go for A Muse fans! The Fab Four over at the A Muse Addicts will now be running that same show on a new A Muse Website! There is a public forum for you fans to chit chat away, participate in challenges, swaps, and the like, just like you did on the A Muse Addicts, and a Design Studio where you can browse sample cards like you did on the old A Muse ArtStamps Website. Isn't that so cool?!!! So, head on over to the A Muse website. You'll see a tab right under the scallop line that says A Muse Lounge. That's where you want to be! Wohoo!!! 

The new release can be found here.

Have fun!

Sneak Peek and More Snow! Ack!

My kids are back to school today and wouldn't you know it? Snow starts falling again last night! Every kid's dream and every parent's nightmare! We got several inches last night but thankfully, it has stayed relatively 'warm' so there is quite a bit of slush on the roads. School is 2hrs delayed. Thank goodness it hasn't been cancelled. The snow is supposed to be gone this afternoon. Here's a pic of what we got last night (before it was done snowing). I think we ended up with at least 4 inches. 

Now I know you are also wanting your sneak peek for the day. Only 2 more sleeps until you can get this release for yourself unless you are one of the lucky ones who lives near a store who placed their order early and already has them.  Today I'm showing off the Swirly Cone. I can't wait til summer comes so I can use this then, too. I paired the cone with an existing sentiment to show you how versatile it is...you don't have to use this just for Valentine's day. You can use this year round! 

Now don't forget...my teaching schedule is in my sidebar to the right. My first January class will be Winter Greetings and my second class will be highlighting the new Valentine release. I would LOVE to see you there! 

Sneak Peek #2

Wow! Did you see all the fabulous sneak peeks on the other A Muse Designers' & Instructors' Blogs yesterday? I see that more have showed up again today. Sneak peek time is always as exciting for us as it is for you and I love getting up in the morning to see all the fun little surprises being shared. This release is appropriately named 'Sweet Shoppe.' Don't you just love what you've seen so far? I think I've already gained 5 lbs! LOL

Hmm....wonder if the ice cream stores will notice a sudden rush of ladies coming in for yummy delights?

Sweet Shoppe Sneak Peek #1

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's that time already. Christmas is barely over. The new year has begun and we're already off to a fantastic start with a new A Muse Valentine release!!! Yippee!!! Been saving up your Christmas cash? I sure hope so cuz you're gonna love this one! So many of these fantastic images and sentiments can be used all year long. I thought I'd start you off with a particularly yummy one...who doesn't love chocolate?!




On a personal note, we (our family) has started off the year with my father-in-law in the hospital. He was admitted on New Years Eve for pneumonia. He's a stubborn guy who doesn't like to go to the dr. That's not a good thing when you're a diabetic. The night before, he was discovered in a diabetic reaction and one of my SIL's forced him to the dr the next day. He had a very weak pulse and was very dehydrated, then they discovered the fluid in his lungs. So, think good thoughts for him, please! He should be out of the hospital in a few days.


The response to my Fun with the Slice class has been tremendous! I have 11 people signed up! The max is 12 so there's only one spot left. Wow! You all must want to learn how to use your new toy. I'm looking forward to getting back to classes so thank you so much for your response!