Started the A Muse Addicts Group

After the AMAP contest, I signed up for yet another A Muse swap over on Splitcoast. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I mean 224 A Muse cards in TEN weeks and then I sign up for more... Did I mention that I'm an SU! demo?? AND still having SU! classes every week? Anyway, I met some fellow die hard A Muse fans in this swap. We got to chatting and we have started the A Muse Addicts Group over on Yahoo. We're thinking to start some monthly swaps, RAKs, and general sharing of A Muse creations. So, if you are an A Muse Addict, please join us... CLICK on that button ---> on the right side that says Yahoo Groups. Join Now! See you on the inside :).

How to leave comments on blogs...

This post is mainly for my customers. Many of you have asked me how you can leave me comments (especially without creating an account) ... here's how.

1. Click on the bottom of any post you want to comment, where it says "X Comments" (X is the number of comments).
2. You will see this screen:
3. If you have an account, that will be shown. If you don't have one, you will see "Other" and "Anonymous". Pick OTHER (not anonymous unless you don't want me to know who you are.
4. In the Other field, there is a place to put your name. It is optional but you can just put your first name, if you want.

Easy peasy, right? So, now you are ready to leave ALL sorts of comments! Go forth and comment away. Blog writers DO very much appreciate it.

Thanks so very much!

Technique Club on Friday

Last Friday, I had my 2nd group of stampers start their technique club. This group is particularly dear to me because a bunch of them are my original stampers that I stamped with way before I became a demonstrator. How fun is that? They were in a club a year or so ago and took a little break from the whole club thing. And now they're back! YAY!

We did 3 techniques as all of my technique clubs do: 3 cards and 3 technique cards (with the directions) for their technique scrapbooks!

One of the cards was the same card as I did for the previous club. It's this one... demonstrating the ability to do emboss with the Classic Ink Pads (rather than craft). I always try to do a different card for each group of stampers for the sole reason that I don't want to show something I've done already - it keeps me busy and learning... but this card is so pretty (IMHO). I had to do it again.

Next, the technique was again Faux Tearing, like the last club but I redid the card to be more elegant (my new stamps came in!). This one uses the new En Francais Background... similar to the old French Script BG but not hardly the same. Oh, I finally broke out the heartfelt thanks set. I think I've used this once in two years... not a fav but works here.

Stamps: all SU!
CS: all SU!: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Very Vanilla
Inks: Rose Red, Markers: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Garden Green
Accessories: Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon

I learned the third technique from Ms. Jeanne Streiff. It's called Faux Tiles. Isn't her card amazing? I loved it. I was going to CASE it completely but I was already using those colors for the first technique. So, I modified her card a bit with my own color combo. and stamps. What do you think? I think I pulled it off. I really like this card. Really. And again, not really my "style".

Stamps: All SU! Baroque Motifs
CS: Whisper White, Bayou Blue, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Soft Sky
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain. (love this!); dimensionals; SU! Scallop Punch; 1 3/8" circle Punch; Sponge; paper scorer

ETA: I forgot to mention that this card is 4.25 x 4.25 square. The faux tile looks so much better (again IMHO) when done in a square pattern.

Let me know if you like this one (the choc. chip) one... I do like it.

Playing tag and spreading some joy?

Back in January, I started this thing with my customers called Bumper Cards. The idea was that people would sign up and basically RAK (random act of kindness) others by sending a handmade card to the next person on the list... just to get some fun mail. It's called Bumper Cards because originally each person was to bump down to the next person on the list. Well, we do it monthly and every month new people joined so I added them and just randomized(really, I do Jennifer!) the list and sent out a new one. Here we are about to be in August and it is still going strong and still called Bumper Cards!

So, now, I've been toying with this new idea... what if we all out here in cyberland play bumper cards???? Okay, so no, not exactly the way I described above but instead... what if we played tag (that seems to be such a game among bloggers) but instead of just tagging, we actually PAY IT FORWARD and try to brighten someone's day? Would that be one step in the right direction towards world peace? :)

You've all probably seen the Rockin' Blogger Award thing and that pretty much clinched the idea for me to start this. I thought well if that was such a hit and spread like wildfire all because a girl somewhere wanted to start something and see how far it went, I could try to do something but make it spread happiness and joy. Do you think I can do it? PLEASE help me...

Okay, the rules are simple:
1) Send ONE card to someone you know within 7 days! (family, friends, associates, cyber people, etc.) ANYONE!!! Doesn't matter who... just do it. Can you imagine the smile on their face when they open their mailbox and see a card from you?
2) Tag (yes, I know, but this is the only way to spread this) 5 people you know to do the same thing (Tag means tag them to send their own cards to their own people).
3) Proudly display this on your blog to spread a little sunshine and pass it on.

If you get tagged again (we can all hope, can't we), send another card! You don't even have to mail... put one on your husband's dashboard of his car, your coworkers desk, your neighbor's doorstep, and so on and so forth.

Sappy... why yes. WANNA JOIN ME? PLEASE? We can all use a little bit of happiness in the world, can't we?

Okay, so I'm going to start this and I'm going to do 17 people (started with 5, couldn't stop!) I admire and that are "big" names to get this thing off the ground... (I hope they don't laugh at me!).

1. Jenn Balcer (of course)
2. Beate
3. Julie Eberson (aka JulieHrr)
4. Debbie Olson
5. Nicole Heady
6. Cambria
7. Taylor VanBruggen
8. Sharon Harnist
9. Gina K
10. Jody Morrow
11. Emilymomto3boys
12. Valerie Stangle
13. Britta Ward
14. Trudee
15. Amy Westerman
16. Alison Fillo
17. Crazy Stamp Chick

Okay, ready? Set? Go!

So, THIS is what I look like.

So, Jenn posted this picture on her blog so I guess I can post it too. I was waiting to make sure she wanted to post it since her daughter is in it. You know how I am about these things. Anyway, it's DEFINITELY not my best picture. AND I look goofy. But, nonetheless I had a blast with her (hence the goofy smile!). Look at all that stuff behind us!

And doesn't her daughter look JUST like her. Well, and Mike, too. Fun, fun... Thanks Jenn.

WOHOO... what a day!

Despite the RAIN... rain, and more rain... did I mention that it's been raining here since the middle of May... almost EVERY day. Scattered Showers - Okay; Downpours - Not Okay.
Yes, there are good things about rain: don't have to water the grass; don't have to MOW the grass (LOL... too wet to mow - at least that's what DH keeps saying!); There are BAD things about rain: TWO SMALL BOYS INSIDE FOR TWO MONTHS, Flooding, MOSQUITOS

Okay, anyway... sidetracked...

So, I had a FABULOUS day. I went down to San Antonio today and spent the afternoon with Jenn! OMG... she's so fun! I knew that already but we have never just hung out. It had been 2 years since I last saw her (can you believe that?). Well, I did have a baby in between that time!

We had lunch, then we hit Stampantonio (I'm disappointed, I must say). And then I visited the Mothership... and you thought you had a lot of stuff! ;). But after seeing Jenn's AWESOME stamp room and it is such a bright, cheery, happy place, I came home, ate dinner and went shopping to get yet more storage/organizational stuff. Geez, thanks Jenn. Now, my stamp room is a disaster and I'm stuck trying to figure out how to put it all back together again... did I mention I have a class tomorrow night? Yikes... luckily not in that room BUT it would be nice if I could find all the stuff for the class, wouldn't it?

Back to Jenn... I'm so blessed to be able to call her my friend. Thanks Jenn for a fantabulous day and for bringing sunshine to my rainy day!

Rain, rain, rain...

Good grief. I'm SO SICK of the rain. Sorry, just a little morning whine to go with my coffee... Today is Thursday, right? On Monday, I was reading Anna Wight's blog (LOVE her stuff - her photography is STUNNING and she's a Texas Girl!). She was doing the blog candy thing and her question was "Why are you smiling today" or something like that. At that VERY moment that day, it was bright and sunny here. I tell you what ... within a matter of hours, the sun left and the rain came AGAIN... and it hasn't left yet. WAH.

Is it raining where you are?

Another Baroque Pomegranate card

I feel like such a lemming. I got this set (Baroque Motifs) because of all the beautiful stuff I've seen. Just breathtaking. But it's so not me. I know! Of course, you know that... you've spent the past 2 1/2 months looking at my A Muse stuff. That's more like me.

But yet, this set and those colors have a hold of me. Maybe it's that they speak to the desire to make elegant looking stuff part of me. It's the middle of July and already the back to school stuff is out. Today, I got my holiday mini in the mail. So, maybe my mind is already on to the Fall and the holidays as far as colors and themes go. Isn't it funny how it can be 95 degrees outside, wearing shorts, drinking ice cold (I would say sippin' Ice Tea but bleck, don't like that stuff) Diet Coke weather and everyone's gearing up for the holidays? I guess we all are a season ahead.

Last night, I held my first ever new catalog open house come buy some retired sets workshop at my house. I invited everyone to bring their retired sets and try to get rid of them and get some good deals on others. For the new catalog part, we made one card using yes, the Baroque Motifs set. The colors were similar to the previous card I posted over the weekend but still has a different feel to the card. I think.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Always Artichoke, Gold
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Versamark
Accessories: Gold embossing powder, heat gun, dimensionals

I couldn't bring myself to put a sentiment on it. The only one that spoke to me was Merry Christmas and it's JUST TOO EARLY for that :).

Wanna help keep Splitcoast alive?

Ever wonder how Splitcoast pays the bills? All the servers, technical people, etc? How do they have such an OUTSTANDING website all for free for all of us? Remember it just started as a husband making a website for his wife (an SU! Demo) to keep in touch with her downlines...

Well, there is a FAN club, of which, I am a proud member!! The membership into this club does HAVE its privileges. As a member you get access to the Fan Club gallery, where the best of the best artists have created such wonderful treasures.

Join today - they have something special in store for members! Here is more info!

Something special is happening today and only club members will have access!

A Muse full card swap

Do you think if I ask Jenn nicely she'll remove my privileges to join any more swaps on Splitcoast? I do this every year... I sign up for a TON of swaps in a short period, get overwhelmed (but still meet all my deadlines!), then swear to not do anymore.

Uh, so, even though Amuseapalooza is over, I signed up for not one, but TWO more A Muse swaps. This time crazystampchick, aka Michelle, started these. AND she wouldn't just stop at one swap... no, then 2 and finally 3! I did have some restraint and stopped at 2! Isn't that good of me? :)

So, on to the cards already....

Card 1:
Stamps: A Muse
Card stock: SU! Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, WW
Ink:
Accessories: Celery SU! Grosgrain, baby diaper pin, Rectangle Giga Scallop punch, Dimensionals


Card 2:
Stamps: A Muse, Paper Trey Borders
Card stock: SU! Taken with teal, WW, polka dot from Target
Ink: Palette Noir, Markers
Accessories: Stickles, SU! Grosgrain, Scallop circle punch

Teal, can you believe it? You can't see the stickles but they are on there. That little present is from my trip to Stamp Salado last week for my birthday!

Hope for a cure Breast Cancer ATC Swap

My SCS buddy, Karen, is doing something really cool over on SCS. She's hosting an ATC swap and I had to join.

Here's an excerpt from her original post:

Every August, I host a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society to raise money for reseach and awareness for breast cancer through Longaberger's Horizon of Hope (HOH) campaign. All of the Horizon of Hope baskets that are donated from this fundraiser are given directly to recently diagnosed patients in Omaha's local oncology unit. Last year, my group donated 26 baskets. This year, I thought it would be sweet to put a little card of encouragement in each basket. And the ATCs are the perfect size since the HOH baskets are small too.

So, here is the ATC I made for the swap using the retired SU! sets Hope is and Hope.

Stamps: Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: SU! Pixie Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Palette Noir, SU! Pixie Pink
Ribbon: May Arts

Thanks Karen for spreading a little sunshine.

NEW A MUSE stuff is UP!!!

Have you seen the new stuff at A Muse??? It's up... it's up.... gotta run...

Hostess club from Friday

If you are a regular reader of this blog, by now you know that I have a group of wonderful ladies that meets every month for a technique hostess club. We do 3 cards usually. This month (last Friday) we did 2 cards and a box.

First, the box... it's a regular ol' 2, 4, 6, 8 box. It's in the new SU! In Color Soft Sky (isn't it pretty). We wheeled it with the SU! Petals jumbo wheel in Bashful Blue. We put a window on it (although mine isn't centered! DOH!) with the tag punch and acetate.

Next, we did the Faux Tearing technique. What a simple technique. The present is from the new set, Year After Year. It has dazzling diamonds on it (see Jenn, I do use glitter!). The card stock is Apricot Appeal, Lavender Lace, and Whisper White.

Now, this set is SO not be but it is so elegant and beautiful and I REALLY like it. I guess sometimes even if it's not your style, you can really love it. Baroque Motifs is the set. And let's talk about Purely Pomegranate again for a sec... LOVE IT... LOVE IT... LOVE IT. I bought one pack of card stock.to try it out and now I need more! The technique is embossing in color with the Classic Ink Pads. Card stock is Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Always Artichoke, and Very Vanilla.
ETA - The pomegranate square thingy is embossed. It's very beautiful in RL. (well, I think so!).

What do you think about these cards?

And if you're in my new technique club that starts this Friday... you may or may not see these cards/techniques! :)

Holy Batgirl...

Hey, Melanie, aka Batgirl, I bet you've heard that one before, eh?

ETA: Okay, so after a couple of emails, I figured I better edit this post... no, unfortunately it's not a color combiner book. I only made those original ones and they are all gone. This is a post-it note holder, that can be refilled. The post-it notes are this color green too... this is why I picked green galore ;). So, sorry Batgirl.... I wish I did have more of those color books... maybe I'll get around to making some more someday!

Well, I haven't mailed off your blog candy yet, but it scheduled to leave my house tomorrow! Sorry for the delay. I packaged up some of this and some that so I hope you like it. But most importantly, I hope you like GREEN. No, no... not the money kind of Green. This kind:



Stamps: all A Muse
Ink: SU! Green Galore
Paper: SU! Green Galore, WW, and that white semi-gloss chipboard CS I bought at a paper supply store
Accessories: Giga scallop punch, Mega circle punch, Rubicoil, Lime Stickles, May Arts Ribbon

Thanks for the SU! birthday presents!

OH MY GOODNESS... my loot, er, I mean my SU! Birthday presents came in on Friday night (30 mins before I had a workshop!). These are the gifts from my dear husband, sweet children ;), my brother and SIL (and nephew), and my dear friends, Sharon and BJ. WOHOO. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Okay, I know my b'day was last week but I'm still in the 3 week celebration period! I sure do have a lot of cutting to do! Not complaining... of course.


Happy, happy, joy, joy....

Crazy Stamp Chick...

Do you know her? Her name is Michelle. She was in the AMUSEAPALOOZA contest with me. And you know what this crazy stampin' chick has done???

She has voted me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. Can you freakin' believe that? Okay, let's analyze shall we? (you all knew this was coming.... when don't I over analyze something! :P

Rockin' = have no idea
Girl = yep, I qualify
Blogger = one who blogs... okay, yes, I qualify there.

2 out of 3 ain't so bad ;).

SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU Michelle. It's such an "ego" builder.

And now the tag part... ugh, does anyone like to do this part? I always feel like I am leaving someone out. I hate that.

So, I'm ONLY going to tag one... AND I'm certain she's been tagged before and I'm also certain she doesn't play these games very much. But I feel it is my duty to tag her.

Jenn, my dear, sweet fabulous friend. You are now a "rockin' girl blogger". But we all already knew that.

Did I ever tell you this story?

You may have read this thread I started on Splitcoast back in May but I don't think I posted anything about it here. I still keep thinking about this...

*Here's the exact post I had on Splitcoast:

Just wanted to share this really weird thing... I still can't believe this.

A week ago Saturday (May 19th), I mailed out 15 invitations for my son's
birthday party. Here is what the invitation looks like. They were all in clear envelopes. The clear envelope had a white paper that had the addressee name and return address on it and the card. The card had a piece of white printer paper with all the details glued on the inside.

We invited a couple of our neighbors but I emailed one of them on Monday (the 21st) just to make sure she got it. She lives 5 or so houses down so mail takes 1 day to get to her. Nope, nothing yet. Nothing Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Finally, on Friday she gets it.

Here's the weird part... she got the white paper with her address on it. AND just the white printer paper from the inside of the card. It was clearly ripped off the card and stuck in the envelope and mailed to her.

HOW BIZARRE IS THAT? Someone at the post office or somewhere STOLE my card? WHY would they do that? And why not just take the whole thing? VERY STRANGE.

My friend was thinking to file a complaint with the post office. We'll see if that does anything. It's not the first time her mail has been tampered with.

Isn't that just weird???

Okay, thanks for listening... just had to share.

Here is the original thread if you want to see what happened to others.

Has anything weird happened to you with the mail or the clear envelopes? I actually stopped mailing them (still use them for hand delivery) because of this.

POLL - opened again...

Hey, I didn't realize that the poll ended. I opened it up again. Please vote. Here is the question:

CLICK HERE

More retired sets added...

I've added a few more to the Stampin' Up sale list. Let me know if you are interested in anything!

Thanks!

Mod Podge vs. Me

This post is about one of those projects that I've been working on forever. Well, forever... I started them a month ago.

I made a bunch of color combiner books with my new Bind-it-All. I made these for some dear friends of mine. What's a color combiner book, you ask? Well, it's a little bound flip book that you can match up different colors to see if they go together. This is made with all the SU! 48 colors, some of the neutrals, and the new 2008 In Colors. Jenn made me a rubicoil version when I signed under her a couple of years ago. I use that thing almost daily. Well, that's because I'm COLOR Challenged... I can never pick colors that go together - except purples :).



Things I learned:

• I HATE MOD PODGE. I knew this going in but still tried it and failed miserably. And then left the project for a couple of weeks because I was disgusted.
• I DON'T like making covers. Part of this is the mod podge thing but then I switched to mono glue (not tape) and it, too, was sticky and yucky. So, basically I scrapped (as in TRASHED) all of those covers - YUCK.
• Use simple, nice, semi-glossy white chipboard for the covers. Then stamp whatever on them... and only have to decorate one side. I have a TON of this cardstock that I got at a Paper Supply store a couple of years ago. It's very nice.
• Bind-it-all is very easy to use.
  

Stamps: A Muse dot background, polka dot letters
CS: White covers from paper supply; Pink Polka dot paper from Making Memories (thanks Evalyn - this is from your scraps!), Inside cardstock all SU!
Ink: SU! Pink Passion
Ribbon: May Arts Hot Pink Grosgrain

One project down.... a zillion more to go. :)