Thursday, July 24, 2014

Word Dies & Happy Days

I may have mentioned that I LOVE the word dies from a Muse Studio. The new catalog gave me another reason to like them (as if I needed one) -- the happy days set!!

The words and phrases are made to go with the happy die! Here is a simple card I made to send to my son while he's away this month:
Cut in, and stamped with, Habenero -- one of six new Fiesta colors
Here's a birthday card, also using some of the new patterned paper:

And the sizing of the stamped word make this set perfect for pocket card projects, as well:
I love that I was able to crop out the busyness of this picture and focus on my son and his Troopmate at their first Merit Badge University (Boy Scouts). The card is only 3X4, perfect to slip into one of the A Muse album pocket pages!

In addition I wanted to make a thank you card for an order placed through my webstore, so I used the thanks die -- cut in the NEW habenero cardstock, which is quickly becoming a new favorite -- on some of the patterned paper from the new catalog. I love the way the splash of color pops on the chalky background!


I'll be out of town tomorrow -- celebrating my 16th wedding anniversary -- and in Dallas for conference beginning Saturday, but I have a big announcement lined up for while I'm gone, so check back!

Until then, happy stamping!
Christina 

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Prom (Scrapbook Pages)

Not only did my son get to attend Prom as a freshman -- he escorted 3 lovely ladies! I played on the Oscars theme and cut a film strip on my Cameo and used some paper from a Fiesta paperpack that had some nice elements I could incorporate, and other elements that were placed so that they were easy to cover up! I was sure to leave room to journal, and I will have him tell me what the page should say, since I really want to capture his memories of the evening. I'm sure he will mention the fact that the King's crown was misplaced just before the event, so he had to be crowned with a HUGE sombrero! But I think, more than anything his story will focus on the fabulous friends he got to spend time with before they graduated.

My biggest concern now is where to put these pages! I didn't get many photos or details from his freshman year, so his "High School Album" is so far all about band!! I'm sure next year will have more events as he plans to participate in some photography competitions and take photos for the yearbook, but it's going to have an awful lot of band again, too!

The Prom 2014 title was also cut on the Cameo

The "All Dressed Up" piece was cut on the Cricut

I'm happy with the pages, and plan to get in my studio this week to get some other events scrapped. That's the joy of a "staycation." I needed a few days to get organized before heading off to my annual pharmacy educators conference, but mostly I think I needed a few days not at work!

Happy Stamping!
Christina

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Birthday Album

A friend recently had a milestone birthday and her husband went all out to throw her a bash to remember. She doesn't scrapbook (which is a shame because they travel all over the world -- but I digress) so I decided to help her create an album to save all those memories in a convenient place. I gathered all the pictures I had, and those that were shared by one of her colleagues via Dropbox, but also left her pages to fill with other pictures she had of the evening. I won't share all the details of the fun event, but I will mention that Alanis Morrisette played an intimate set in the backyard. Oh, and there was a Taco Truck sporting a spoiler in her driveway, too!
Pink & Glitter -- for the beautiful Birthday Diva

A Muse sequins in a pocket -- a special bit of bling!

I made a pocket for the touching speech her husband
gave, so she can have it in the album without everyone else being
able to read it
I was sure to leave places to journal -- there is quite a story to tell here!

There were a lot of pictures taken that night -- on cameras, smartphones and by a
professional photographer, so I left a lot of space for those to be added.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this project, other than the friend it's for, was
 tying in all the bright colors from the party!
 
I made a section for cards and larger photos

This was truly a labor of love, and so much fun. I hope it is a gift she will treasure -- and I hope she'll allow me to do the next one (in 10 years), as well!

Note: this one done in a pink 6X8 Tell Your Story album and many but not all of the stamps and embellishments are from A Muse. Being able to mix and match the pocket pages allowed me the versatility to make this project really shine! If you have any questions about this project, the album or anything else, let me know!

Happy Stamping!
Christina

Saturday, July 12, 2014

New Catalog!

So, I'm definitely behind on giving you the news, but the new catalog was released July 1st!

One of my favorite new sets is Big Words. I've only had the opportunity to make a few cards with it thus far, but that is more a function of an incredibly busy summer than my affection for it!

New patterned paper and Big Words, with a diecut tag and a bit of bakers twine made the perfect "thinking of you" card for a friend of my son while at camp. I love the modern look and the simplicity!

In addition to Big Words, the patterned paper is from the new catalog -- I love it paired with Bubblegum paper and pink sequins for a shabby chic look! The arrows are from the I Was Here set.
I also LOVE the many opportunities of the Sprinkled With Love set -- and I found the perfect background paper at Tuesday morning to complement the donuts in this set:
There are several topping choices for the donuts -- from sprinkles to stripes and some really cute sayings, too!

The crystal clear glaze doesn't really show up in this photo but it REALLY adds to the donut in real life


I don't have it yet, but there is also a die that fits all the donut shapes!! I can see a Baker's Dozen of cards with this set in my future!

And finally, I had the unfortunate reason to send a sympathy card last month and I brought out a couple of sets that aren't new and my Tombow markers and made this card with the daffodil in the He is Risen set. I like the muted simplicity for such a somber occasion.

I'll try to get back in the craft room before I go on vacation and to a work conference later this month -- I still have some new sets to try out, and I'd love to show them to you! And the Holiday catalog is just around the corner (September 1st!) so get ready for some peeks of that next month.

Until then -- Happy Stamping!
Christina