Thankful for You Tag

Tags are the challenge this month at AMuse Studio, so while I was making Thanksgiving cards I made a tag. It will most likely end up in the scrapbook -- I like it too much to give it away!

Thankful for You stamp set & dies, Leaf Trio die set, Screenprint background stamp, French Roast woodgrain cardstock, French Roast bakers twine & satin ribbon, rich cocoa memento ink

 

Happy Stamping!
Christina

November Cards

My son and one of his best friends share a November birthday, and so it's fun to make cards that match each of their personality but have some similar element(s). This year I used one of my date stamps on the inside with the date and a saying: kind of a big deal. They turned 15 and so can get a Learner's Permit and start Driver's Ed. They are both ready -- but I'm not sure the parents are!

The card for my son -- he wore his suit to school on the actual day. That way it was his "birthday suit." He picked out 2 new dress shirts and several ties as his birthday gift.

An all AMuse card for his friend -- a simple, but fitting sentiment for a 15 year old boy!

I also decided to CASE a card I did at a recent SU! class for a few Thanksgiving cards. I don't always send cards for this holiday, but I have a few people that I have not had a chance to keep up with this semester and I wanted to remind them that as busy as I get I am GRATEFUL for them.

 

Thankful for you set & dies, Leaf trio dies, Woodgrain cardstock (french roast), Baker's twine (french roast), Rich Cocoa memento ink, and a button from Walmart.

I hope to be able to stamp a bit more -- and share photos of the new island my husband built for my craft room -- over the holiday break, but next post will be the tag I made to coordinate with these cards!

Happy stamping!
Christina

Square One -- a Vinyl Alternative

I have been wanting to do more customized home decor for the new house on my Cricut (I even bought a couple of cartridges specifically for that) and I found SquareOne Masterpiece as a nice alternative to vinyl. I'm going to get some to do holiday projects and jazz up my craftroom over the holidays, plus I might even get a few gifts out. because it's fabric I can stamp it, too and with 80 or so colors I'm sure I can find just the right project for, well, just about everyone! I'll post what I end up with -- and I have some left-over vinyl to practice on while I wait for it to arrive . . . hmm, where to start??

http://www.square1masterpiece.com/

Happy stamping -- and cutting!
Christina

Thankful for You!

In addition to the monthly Spotlight, the November 'Thankful For You' promotion offers you a savings of 20% on some amazing A Muse Studio products. These products were specially selected to help you with holiday crafting, and include some really interesting accessories in addition to holiday stamp sets -- so you can really turn up the bling, in a variety of styles! Add in the Happy Fall Spotlight sets and there really is something for everyone!




Be sure to check out the special paper packs put together for this sale -- what a great way to get coordinating sheets to make your project! The fine print: Sale pricing is limited to stock on hand, we will not backorder items when stock is depleted. Sale begins at midnight on November 1st and ends at 11:59 pm EST on November 30.

I'm happy to have made it through "Band-tober" where we had a marching band contest EVERY Saturday (sometimes 2 in one day) and at least once during the week, in addition to early practice. Friday night was the fundraiser dinner and my husband and I ran the Silent Auction tables -- as Freshman band parents we had NO IDEA how much work that would entail!! But it was a great evening, the 2 local middle school bands performed in addition to the high school band. I think it's as much a recruiting tool as a fundraiser, since the 8th graders get to see the FUN that the band has, and how good they are (and they really are!)

I didn't have a chance to make Halloween goodies for the people at work -- so I'd better start planning something for Thanksgiving or they'll think I don't like them anymore ;-), but I was able to put together a quick thank you for the neighbors that hosted the 15th Annual Halloween Block Party in my new neighborhood. With a spiderweb from Cricut to mark the post-Halloween theme on the pinstriped paper, I was able to just use the Vintage Label 1 dies (with a little orange distressing) and one of the lovely sentiments from the Thankful for You set to tie something together (the inside says "so very much" from Thank You Mix).

 

 

Today I have a trip to IKEA planned, and my craft room will be one MAJOR step closer to completion (until I get another idea to add, anyway . . .). I'm getting 2 long Expedit shelves to use as a workspace, so I'll finally be able have things in a good space for working (the square shelves are perfect for 12X12 items -- I'll have to see how many Cricut cartridges each will hold, though. I might need one row of shelves just for that collection) AND I'll have a space for others to craft with me. I'll post a photo when I have the room together, but it might be a Christmas Break project to really put the thought in to make it work "just right."

Happy Stamping!
Christina



 

October -- Oh, so much going on!

There is so much going on with A|Muse Studio in October that I don't know where to start!

I suppose I should begin by announcing a ONE DAY ONLY sale for World Cardmaking Day, October 5th, since that is just around the corner.

On October 5th, for only 24 hours, the following five stamp sets are only five dollars each!



* harlequin background * rock star * just my type * calendar fun * springtime day

You may order directly from my webpage https://www.amusestudio.com/christinaseeger
or get your order to me (via e-mail) BEFORE Saturday the 5th so I can place a group order. Check out the rest of this month's specials -- you can combine, and most are available the entire month!

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and A|Muse Studio is bringing back the FREE Fight Like a Girl set ($3 shipping) AND a die is now available for the awesome ribbon from the set ($5.99). Each Fight Like a Girl stamp set includes a "push-pin" stamp that women can use to stamp their calendar each month to serve as a reminder to do a self-exam, which is so critical for early detection. There will also be information on breast health included with each stamp set.

 

 

 

In addition Amuse|Studio encourages you to THINK PINK by putting all things pink ON SALE (even some Valentine's sets!) for the month:

 

FREE Calendar Download

A Muse Studio is pleased to provide our free downloadable calendar again this year as part of our Stamp Out Breast Cancer awareness campaign. This full-page calendar (8.5" x 11") is a fun crafty project and includes 15 months - Oct 2013 through Dec 2014. The calendar is available on the A|Muse Studio website or you can download it here:
2014 Calendar - Color
2014 Calendar - BW
And, of course, this month's Spotlight, Tricks and Treats, sets a spooky and fun holiday mood!

  

Whew, let me catch my breath! Let me know if you have any questions or I can help you in any way!

Happy Stamping!
Christina

Age is Just A Number

Today is my husband's birthday, one of those big number (half a decade) birthdays, so I pulled out my favorite AMuse set, Eat Cake, and a few of my other favorites (I just got the SU! Chevron border punch) and this is what I came up with:

Paper & Eat Cake stamp set: Amuse Studio, chevron border punch: SU! Number background: Deadbeat Designs

 

The number background is from Deadbeat Designs, another favorite of mine. I got this stamp at the retreat I did earlier this year.

I gave him the card along with the canvas I created at the retreat. The saying on that project -- Home. The nicest word there is. -- is especially fitting for this year, since we bought a house (and are spending a lot of time and effort on it.)

Happy Stamping!
Christina

Cards for Special Occasions!

From a special birthday to an out-of-the ordinary thank you to an adventurous congratulations/farewell/good luck and sincere sympathy for the loss of a nephew, August was a busy month of events worthy of a hand-stamped card!

A congratulations & farewell card for a friend I will OWLways miss! I love the way the quiet Hexagon background and the stardust finishing spray (AMuse Studio) add visual interest without taking away from my owl (SU!) and saying (The Stamps of Life). I had so many things to say in this card -- for a colleague undertaking a major adventure with a library position in Doha, Qatar -- that there are sentiments on all 4 panels of this card, with a very personal one (from Winnie the Pooh) on the back.

One of the month's Spotlight sets put to good use thanking some friends for a favor "above and beyond." I love how easy this set is to use, and again the understated hexagon background and stardust finishing spray really added the right finishing touch to make this card far from plain, as simple as it is.

I LOVE the coordinating colors of AMuse Studio -- here Mermaid -- and I love the Eat Cake set, which was meant for chalkboard art, but works well in a variety of colors. This card helped celebrate a very special friend that I don't get to see often enough!

 

A Stampin'Up set on Mermaid paper and ink, for a time when there really aren't many words.

 

The hexagon background is one one of the September Spotlight sets -- I think I will use it on some cards I'm making this weekend. Not only is it "on trend," it's a lot of fun, and very versatile!

Don't forget the holiday catalog is out and Holiday Hoopla is on NOW -- with increased hostess benefits starting with a $250 order/workshop. Let me know if I can help you get free stuff!

I'm nearly finished assembling a Summer 2013 mini-album that was last week's free cut on the Cricut Craft Room software -- I'll share that next (and hopefully I'll have my husband's birthday card done to share -- since tomorrow is the big day!) But, until then,

Happy Stamping!
Christina