Llama Tales- Tales from the Laughing Llama

Studio Stampers February Blog Hop

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our A Muse Studio blog hop. You should have come here from Kristen's blog but if not you can go to Karen's blog to start at the beginning.

All Supplies available from my A Muse Studio web store!

As soon as I saw the British Invasion set I knew I had to have it! Luckily, I had some free stamp credits from making sales goals so I was able to order it this month--yippee!

I decided to make a fun and simple card with the cute little taxi cars and line them up all in a row. Each one is mounted on Blueberry paper and popped up with foam adhesive. Notice the black layer? I used our impression plate to deboss the swirls onto the paper to add some texture.

Next stop: Angie's blog

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: British Invasion (new!)
Cardstock: Burano (new!), Onyx, Sugar, Blueberry
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Ribbon: 1/4" Onyx Grosgrain
Web/Swirls Impression Plate
3D Foam Adhesive

British Invasion available from my A Muse Studio web store!

Here is the blog list in order:
Karen Crisp http://www.papernstamps.blogspot.com
Kathy Hatzke http://www.kathatstamps.blogspot.com
Kristen Watson http://branchandsky.blogspot.com
Lianna Vigil <------------YOU ARE HERE!
Angella Schellenberg http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com
Lisa Wakabayashi http://dragonfliesandcats.blogspot.com

Penny Black Valentines

2012-02-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

I have an affinity for umbrella stamps the way some people like pears (oh, of course I like pears too!) I just think it is a sweet theme; especially since it never rains here in Southern California!

Penny Black stamps available at http://www.thestamproprietor.com/

Today's card uses some sweet Mimi stamps from Penny Black. I colored them with Copic markers and added some Heart Rain Drops acrylic Stickers from Cloud 9 Designs. The papers are from Memory Box.

Here's a detail showing the hearts up close!

Penny Black stamps available at http://www.thestamproprietor.com/

Supplies:

Penny Black - Mimis many loves 30-091
Memory Box - Valise 6x6 paper
Memento Tuxedo Black
Cloud 9 Design - Heart Rain Dots
Copic Markers - 0, E00, E01, E11, E13, E15, E17, W5, R32, R24, BG10, B39, B93
Pink cardstock from Stampin' Up!

New Product Blog Hop

2012-02-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio web store!

Thanks for joining our A Muse Studios Blog hop to showcase our new catalog. You can see the new catalog here. Hopefully you got here from Angi's Blog, but if not you can start at the beginning at Karen's Blog.

Today I embossed the small Floral Duet outline in Sugar on our new Rialto cardstock. I added some pretty Vanilla pearls and ribbon for an elegant touch. I'm also submitting this card to the Operation Write Home Die Cuts Challenge this week and sending the card on to one of our heroes overseas!

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Floral Duet (new!), Hand Scripted
Cardstock: Rialto (new!), Vanilla
Ink: Versamark
Vintage Labels diecut
Sugar Embossing Powder
Vanilla Pearl Stickers
Vanilla Ribbon
Vintage Labels Die set
3D Foam Adhesive

Your next stop is Carissa's Blog

Here is the blog hop in order:

Karen Crisp http://www.papernstamps.blogspot.com/
Pamela Fredrickson http://attemptedcreativity.blogspot.com/
Angi Kelley http://www.angelakelley.blogspot.com/
Lianna Vigil YOU ARE HERE!
Carissa Fulkerson http://carissascottage.blogspot.com/
Kristine Vincente http://checkerberrylane.wordpress.com/
Jennifer Corson http://www.scripptyscraps.blogspot.com/
Samantha Kania http://kania-amusestudio.blogspot.com/
Rita Holmes http://ritaholmes.blogspot.com/
Sarah Callahan http://wastamper.blogspot.com/

Tracey Jean H http://traceyjean.blogspot.com/

Sneak Preview - Day 15

2012-01-30T04:17:00.000-08:00

The Hey Cupcake stamp set is perfect for so many occasions and especially for birthdays!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Emboss the sentiment with Sugar EP and then add some Washi tape to the card base. Stamp Swanky Backgrounds onto Sugar cardstock using Bermuda ink. Attach to other nested shapes and mount on card using 3D Foam Adhesive. Stamp candle with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Sugar cardstock. Mask the candle and stamp the cupcake. Color using Copics and cut close to edge. Mount using 3D Foam Adhesive.

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Hey Cupcake (new!), Swanky Backgrounds
Cardstock: Grapefruit (new!), Bermuda, Shell, Sugar
Inks: Bermuda, Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics: Y02, Y08, B00, B02, W2, RV02, R00, R32
Washi Tape
White Embossing Powder
3D Foam Adhesive

Sneak Preview - Day 14

2012-01-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

The Big Celebrations stamp set has some fun additions the numbers in it. I love the word "something" and there is an "-ish" in the set too! Perfect for a card with a little humor in it.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

I stamped the Woodgrain Background on both colors of the card base (the Burano is a little hard to see in the photo) and then I embossed the word "something" using slate ink and clear EP. I stamped the "40" using Burano ink on the Sleepy Hollow text cardstock and then cut it out by hand. Simple and bold, this card is perfect for just about anyone (well, anyone who is 40-something, ha ha!)

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Big Celebrations (new!) Woodgrain Background
Cardstock: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Slate, Sleepy Hollow
Inks: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Slate,
Nestabilities Rectangle
Clear Embossing Powder
3D Foam Adhesive

Sneak Preview - Day 13

2012-01-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

I saw a pretty Hawaiian shirt today and it immediately inspired me! I got my catalogs in the mail last night along with the newest release; Floral Duet. This card uses the small solid flowers and the set also has outlined flowers and a pair of larger flowers--sooo pretty!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Can you see the details of the background? I stamped the Mesh Background and some of the leaves from the Charming Gardeners set in Shell ink to match the cardstock. Then I stamped over everything with the Burano ink and stamped a separate flower to cut out and pop up on Sugar cardstock. A little ribbon and a bit of sparkle adds the perfect touch!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Floral Duet (new!), Charming Gardeners (new!) Mesh Background
Cardstock: Shell, Burano (new!), Sugar
Inks: Shell, Burano (new!)
Ribbon: Burano (new!)
Twinkle Stickers: Cherry
3D Foam Adhesive

Sneak Preview - Day 12

2012-01-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

The new numbers set is so awesome and useful for birthday cards and lots of scrapbooking pages. I decided to make something with a little vintage feel to it.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Stamp the numbers haphazardly for the background using Burano ink and sponge the edges. Stamp more numbers using Burano ink on the Sleep Hollow text cardstock. Cut them out and edge them with your black Copic marker (just a tiny bit of ink on the edge is needed. Then use your blender pen to smooth and blend the black into the Burano ink and create a distressed look. The sentiment is stamped on Burano paper using Versafine ink and mounted onto some Slate paper. The whole card is mounted onto a Seattle card base and the elements are popped up using the 3D foam.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Big Celebrations (new!), Fly with Me (new!)
Cardstock: Seattle (new!), Kraft, Slate, Burano (new!), Sleepy Hollow
Inks: Burano (new!), Versafine Black
Copics: 0, 110
Sponge Daubers
3D Foam Adhesive

Spotlight Ends Tuesday Night!

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Each month A Muse Studio has a special Spotlight where you can get products on sale for one month only. This month's spotlight includes the Quick and Cute Valentines set for 10% off through the end of January. See the image below for the other four sets you can get at a discount. There's also a Limited Edition Rock Candy Paper Assortment that is on sale for $7.65 to help you make cute projects using the stamps. Click here for more ideas using this month's spotlight.

Spotlight specials available through Jan. 31, 2012

My card today is a simple design colored by using 4 Copic colors and a blender pen. There's just a tiny bit of Cool Shadow on the inside edge of the bag and underneath his foot. Don't you love the tiny heart sticker I put in the bag for fun? The stripes are a combination of our patterned paper and a strip of our holiday washi tape. Easy Peasy and so cute!

Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Quick and Cute Valentines (sale!)
Cardstock: Sugar, Cranberry (discontinued!), Onyx Gingham, Cherry Sweetheart
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics: R24, E21, E37, BG10
Holiday Washi Tape
Twinkle Stickers Hearts

Quick and Cute Valentines

Farewell Old Friends

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

We need to take a quick break from previews because there is only one week left to order from the current and holiday catalogs! Some wonderful items are being discontinued and I don't want you to miss out! Click on my A Muse Studio Website to order.

Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

Today's card uses two discontinued products: The Mighty Jungle stamp set and the Polka Dot Pattern Cardstock. If you want either of these items they are only available through the end of the month and when they sell out they are gone! The polka dot paper will be replaced by a small pin dot pattern that is printed on Sugar paper instead of the larger irregular pattern that is printed on Vanilla.

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Mighty Jungle (retiring!)
Cardstock: Vanilla, Cocoa, Polka Dots Grass (retiring!)
Ink: Grass, Memento Rich Cocoa
Copics: 0, R24, E21, E37, YG23
Nestabilities: Small and Large Standard Circles, Small Classic Scallop
French Roast Felt
3D Foam Adhesive
Glue Dots

Mighty Jungle Stamp Set

Polka Dot Pattern Cardstock

Sneak Preview - Day 11

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's good to be Queen! What a fun sentiment and I bet you will think of lots of fun ways to use it. I kept it with the beautiful crown stamp and the Union Jack that are all part of the "Carry On" stamp set.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Carry On (new!)
Cardstock: Grape (new!), Rialto (new!), Titian (new!)
Ink: Titian (new!), Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark
Silver Embossing Powder

Blast from the Past:
I thought it would be fun to give this card an 80's Punk Rock vibe so I went with a unique color scheme that reminded me of an era where kids would wear an olive drab trench coat with a black flag painted on and a purple mohawk to top their look.

Sneak Preview - Day 10

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Did I tell you that Greetings Earthling is my favorite set? What fun sci-fi cards this is going to make. I love the sentiment "To Infinity and Beyond" that is included in the set.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Greetings Earthling (new!)
Cardstock: Bellini (new!), Rialto (new!), Lido (new!), Titian (new!), Sugar
Ink: Bellini (new!), Rialto (new!), Lido (new!), Memento Tuxedo Black
5/8" Satin Ribbon: Bellini (new!), Rialto (new!), Lido (new!)
Copics: 0, Y08, Y38, G99
Glue Dots
3D Foam Adhesive

Sneak Preview - Day 9

2012-01-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

How about a cheerful card for a friend? I think that there's nothing more cheerful than orange and yellow (or Orange, Bellini and Papaya!) Remember my hint about another glitter color? I am using the new Orange Glitter today with the Hey Cupcake stamp set.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Hey Cupcake (new!), Swanky Backgrounds
Cardstock: Bellini Venetian Pattern (new!), Orange, Bellini (new!), Sugar, Orange Gingham
Inks: Bellini (new!), Papaya, Lemon Whip
Diamond Embossing Powder
Orange Glitter (new!)
Pumpkin Buttons
1/4" Sticky Tape
Glue Dots
3D Foam Adhesive

Fun Fact of the Day:
Bellini was a 19th-centruy opera composer and is also the name of a delightful drink made with champagne and peach. I think some beautiful music and a breakfast cocktail is a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Sneak Preview - Day 8

2012-01-20T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yellow (or should I say "Lido") adds a little punch to a vintage look today. Vintage stamps have always been one of my true loves and the Come Fly with Me set has just the right mix!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Come Fly with Me (new!)
Ink: Titian (new!)
Cardstock: Lido (new!), Titian (new!), Pebble
Sponge Daubers
3D Foam Tape

Fun Fact of the Day:
Lido is one of the words for "beach" in Italian and there are several towns with the prefix "Lido". It also refers to a beach or pool area; especially on a cruise ship. Now you know why they called it the Lido deck on the Love Boat! "Issac, could you please bring me a drink?"

Sneak Preview - Day 7

2012-01-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to feature more Pistachio for you today and I just had to combine it with a soft brown. I'm thrilled that the Cocoa cardstock that was released for the holidays will continue as part of the A Muse Studio Signature Color palette. I hope that means there will be matching ink too! Did you also notice the first peek at the French Roast Glitter!? I LOVE glitter and they just gave us 4 more colors (hmmmm...I've only shown three so far—there must still be one left to show!)

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Charming Gardeners (new!), Hand Scripted
Cardstock: Pistachio (new!), Cocoa, French Roast Gingham
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
French Roast Glitter (new!)
Brown & White Baker's twine
Copic Markers: 0, BG10, BG13

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Tip of the day:
To tie the tiny bow I found it easiest to secure a flat piece of twine around the cardstock; taping it to the back. Then I took a separate piece of twine and tied a bow using the two loop "bunny ears" method.

Sneak Preview - Day 6

2012-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

This new set is probably my favorite. I love the fun retro space theme! This set will be fun for birthdays and cards for all my nerd friends--Beam me up!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.
Stamps: Greetings Earthling stamp set (new!)
Ink: Navy, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Burano (new!), Burano Venetian Pattern (new!), Blueberry, Buttercup
Copics: W2, B00, B02, 0

Sneak Preview - Day 5

2012-01-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Are you feeling festive today!? It's Birthday time! This card shows off two new sets: "Hey Cupcake" and "On Broadway Alphabet" It also features some of the new Signature colors: Grapefruit, Pistachio & Grape.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

This card started out simple, because I was going to stamp it all on a Pistachio card front. But then I decided the candles needed to be white so I could get just the right colors with my Copics. And I didn't like the way I stamped the alpha for "Happy" So I decided to cut the letters out individually after stamping with Grape and embossing with the Diamond. The "Birthday" from Hey Cupcake needed to be matted to make it stand out and then the row of candles...well, those candles just weren't going to make me happy until I cut each and every one of them and mounted them! So it took much longer than I thought it would but I love the results!

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Hey Cupcake (new!), On Broadway Alphabet (new!)
Cardstock: Grapefruit (new!), Pistachio (new!), Grape (new!) and Sugar
Inks: Grape (new!), Onyx, Memento Tuxedo Black
Diamond Embossing Powder
3D Foam Squares
Copic markers: 0, W2, Y08, Y17, BG10, B02, BV00, R32

Tip of the Day:
Have you tried our 3D Foam Mounting Squares yet? I use them on almost every card I make and they are pre-cut in different sizes to make them so convenient! The smallest size was perfect for the candles and alpha and saved me time since I didn't have to cut each piece to fit! There are 442 pieces in a package for $3.95 so I think it's a great buy!

Sneak Preview - Day 4

2012-01-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted a simple and elegant card to send to a friend. Today's design fits the bill. I added just the right amount of glitter to the flowers so they would sparkle without overwhelming. It also gave me a chance to show off two new Signature Colors (Pistachio and Seattle) along with new stamps and the new Champagne Glitter!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Isn't the sentiment lovely?

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
~ Marcel Proust

Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Charming Gardner (new!)
Cardstock: Pistachio (new!), Seattle (new!)
Ink: Pistachio (new!), Seattle (new!), Onyx
Champagne Glitter (new!)

Just for fun I made three more of this design using some of our other pastel colors. Counterclockwise, from the top left you have Winter Sky, Lemon Whip, Pistachio, and Blush. All are mounted on Seattle Paper.

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

You can see how nicely the Pistachio fits in with the pastels and it's really the perfect "baby-shower green" Seattle is a mid-tone, warm grey and it fits exactly between our Pebble and Slate colors (you can see the Pebble in the background here for comparison).

Sneak Preview - Day 3

2012-01-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to share one of the stamps from the "Charming Gardeners" set. You'll be seeing a lot of this set because it is so pretty!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

I stamped the large fern on Sugar paper in Burano (light, bright red), Bellini (light orange), and Grapefruit (warm, bright pink) ink. See how nicely the Grapefruit pairs with other colors? I matted each one against cardstock to match the ink and then mounted it with foam tape onto Slate paper. Sentiment from the "Essential Sentiments" set is stamped with Black Versafine ink.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Charming Gardners (new!)
Ink: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Grapefruit (new!), Black Versafine
Cardstock: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Grapefruit (new!),Slate, Sugar

Fun fact for the day:
Burano is an island city just off the coast of Venice in Italy. It is famous for its brightly-colored rows of houses. Legend has it that each house was painted a unique color so the fishermen who lived there could find their way home. In any case it looks so beautiful and it is on my list of places I dearly want to visit!

Sneak Preview - Day 2

2012-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for another sneak? This time I am featuring three new products:

Grapefruit Cardstock
Lime Glitter
Keep Calm stamp set

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

I used my 1/2" and 1/4" sticky tape to adhere the glitter, rounded the top cornet and stamped using Black Versafine ink. Add some twinkle stickers (I used the lime ones and large clear ones colored with Copic YG23) and you're done!

I really like the Grapefruit color; it fits right between our Watermelon and Bubblegum colors. It looks terrific paired with Grass or Lime, Ocean, Blueberry or our new Bellini.

All supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Keep Calm (new!)
Cardstock: Grapefruit (new!)
Ink: Onyx
Lime Glitter (new!)
Lime Twinkle Stickers
1/4" and 1/2" sticky tape
Corner Rounder

Sneak Preview!

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

Are you excited about the A Muse Studio catalog coming out next month? We got to order some special sneak preview items to show off!

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

These cards feature the new Venetian Limited-Edition Color Palette. These five stunning new colors are going to be some of my favorites this year for sure! All cards are mounted on a Titian brown base and use the black and white baker's twine. The Eiffel Tower and Postmark are from the Come Fly with Me stamp set and are stamped in Titian ink (except the green one which I stamped in Versamark Black).

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

Colors from left to right are: Burano (electric red), Bellini (soft orange), Rialto (olive green) and Lido (curry yellow). Starting on Feb 1 you will be able to purchase the solid and patterned cardstock, satin ribbon, ink and reinkers.

All card supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Fly with me (new!)
Cardstock: Venetian patterns (new!), Venetian Solids (new!)
Ink: Titian (new!), Versafine Black
French Roast and White Baker's Twine
Sponge Daubers

A Muse Studio Sneak Peek!

I used some of my scraps to make a fun ATC using the stamp set too! I used a discontinued French Script stamp in Bellini over the Bellini cardstock, but don't worry--A Muse Studio sells one almost exactly like it! Eiffel Tower and postmark are stamped in Versafine Black and the border pattern is part of the postmark stamped in Titian on Cranberry. The airmail border is stamped with Burano on Sugar cardstock and the sentiment is Titian on Burano cardstock. Edges are sponged with Titian. I'm not sure if the sentiment is a blessing or a curse; I guess it depends on who gets it, ha ha!

ATC supplies from A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Fly with me (new!)
Cardstock: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Cranberry, Sugar
Ink: Burano (new!), Bellini (new!), Titian (new!),Versafine Black
Sponge Daubers

Studio Stampers Blog Hop - January

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

All Supplies from A Muse Studio

Welcome to the Studio Stampers January blog hop. If you are joining us in the hop you should have come from Angela, if not why not start at the beginning with Karen?

We are getting ready to say goodbye to some of my favorite A Muse Studio products to make room for new things.

Today my thank-you card features the Sushi & Wasabi stamp set. If you love it make sure to get it quickly because once it sells out you will be sad! The same thing with the Cranberry cardstock that is matted behind the main image. For details please see the discontinued list on my A Muse Studio site.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio

Card Details
Cardstock: Blush, Cranberry
Stamps: Sushi & Wasabi
Ink: Memento Black
Copic Markers: R24, RV14
Baker's Twine: Red & White

Your next stop is:

Kari's Blog

Here is the hop list:

Karen Crisp

Kristen Watson

Angela Schellenberg

Lianna Vigil - You Are Here

Kari Bell

Memory Box Holiday

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ahh--I fell in love with the Memory Box Holiday collection! You can get any of the stamps and supplies you need at http://www.thestamproprietor.com/

Memory Box Stamps

This little bear card was so easy to make. I punched a snowflake border out of white cardstock and then stamped and colored the bear with my Copics. Don't forget to add a little shadow underneath the bear with your BG10 marker!

Memory Box Stamps, Die and Paper

These cute little guys are ready for the first snow in their warm scarves! Colored with Copics and mounted on a sheet of their holiday paper--so pretty! Do you notice the fancy red die on the bottom? That's one of theirs too!

Memory Box Stamps

This Clean and Simple Card was my favorite from the whole collection. I stamped it on a rough-toothed paper and then colored with my Prismacolor pencils. I wanted a rough-sketched look so I didn't even use my Odorless Mineral Spirits with this one--I left the pencil unblended. I punched a fancy edge and then mounted a bit of Memory Box patterned paper on the inside of the card to let it peek through.

Memory Box Stamps, Paper and Die

The red dots are another sheet of my 6x6 pad and I used some pretty mulberry paper behind the main image. I spritzed it with Smooch Spritz to make it sparkle. The sentiment was punched, stamped and then covered with Versamark and then heat embossed with clear Diamond embossing powder. For the main image I stamped and colored with my Copics and then put some clear double-sided sticky tape on top. I then sprinkled it with Glitter Ritz clear iridescent glitter. I finished by adding more detail with my Copics over the glitter.

Marker Mondays - September Part III

2011-09-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

For September we are using the following three Copic colors and the clear blender pen

R32 - Peach
YG21 - Anise
B24 - Sky Blue
0 - Blender Pen

This lesson is going to be a little different (and uglier!) so I apologize in advance. Our next lesson will be using the shimmer paper so I wanted to experiment with different techniques to show you. The shimmer paper is so lovely--it looks like an icicle or a pearl with a beautiful sheen to it and a perfect weight. I am using the Sugar color and it is more of an Antique White instead of hard white. The colors of this paper are colored or printed on one side and white on the other side.

The picture below shows how I tested the memento inks. You can use this ink on the shimmer paper but you must be very careful to not go over the lines so you don't smear it. I recommend writing on this paper using a Copic Marker set with a superfine tip. The Multiliner pen will take FOREVER to dry.

Memento ink will spear on the shimmer paper and the Copic Multiliner pen will take a long time to dry.

Below you can see where I embossed using Versafine and Black EP. It also smears and the Copic solution will dissolve the EP so I don't recommend embossing either unless you are careful not to color over the lines.

But a bonus is that the paper works wonderfully with our A Muse Studio ink if you just want to stamp. See the Blueberry flower in the corner? That is our ink and it looks beautiful. Still, it will smear if you color over it with the Copics.

Embossing will also smear with the Copics. If you want to emboss be careful to stay in the lines!

Below are my notes on the shimmer paper. The cute Snoopy stamp is one that I got in Japan. I stamped with Brown Memento ink and colored it very carefully so I didn't color over the lines.

Things to remember with Shimmer Paper and Copics:

Shimmer Paper is BEAUTIFUL
Shimmer Paper is touchy
Memento washes off and smears
Copic breaks down embossing
Multiliner takes a long time to dry
Copic ink will spread differently on this paper because it does not sink into it like regular cardstock. It lays on the surface and make pools and patterns. (You can see this effect best if you look at the blue petals in the picture above.)


Shimmer Paper notes and swatches

Supplies Used:

Marvelous Marigolds Stamp Set
Shimmer Paper - Sugar
Memento Black Pad
Versafine
Black Embossing Powder
Multiliner
Black Copic Marker
Ink - Blueberry
Ink - Watermelon
Ink - Bubblegum
Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
Copic Marker - R32 - Peach
Copic Marker - YG21 - Anise
Copic Marker - B24 - Sky Blue

Marvelous Marigolds

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Marker Mondays - September Part II

2011-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

All supplies available from A Muse Studio

For September we are using the following three Copic colors and the clear blender pen

R32 - Peach
YG21 - Anise
B24 - Sky Blue
0 - Blender Pen

This card is a simple card but it is so cute! I cut my card base out of the Clouds paper and then used my Square Nestabilities to make a die cut in the front of the card. The stamping is done on the inside of the card with the Black Memento ink. Bicycles are so popular right now and I love the cute sentiment we have for this one: "Keep calm. Ride on."

Remember we are only using three colors here so I started by coloring the dark parts of the bike first with the Sky Blue. Then I added the light parts using Anise. Can you see how I feathered that into the blue parts to blend it? It's the little touches that add so much to your image here. The basket is colored using Anise and Peach. I blended them a tiny bit on part of the basket to make a third color to add some interest to the woven texture.

This image is so cute and tiny there's not a lot of room for blending so we are done! If you want to add a bit of shadow under the wheels you can use your blender pen and the Sky Blue to add a wee bit of color there to help ground the image. Hopefully you stamped plenty of extra images in your workbook so you can experiment!

Detail of finished colored image

Supplies Used:

Vintage A Muse Stamp Set
Paper - Sugar, Clouds
Memento Black Pad
Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
Copic Marker - R32 - Peach
Copic Marker - YG21 - Anise
Copic Marker - YG21 - Anise
B24 - Sky Blue
Nestabilities Squares - Large


Vintage A Muse

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

In Remembrance

2011-09-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

This post is in Remembrance for Lisa Frost and all the others who were affected by the events that happened ten years ago. I didn't know Lisa but she lived in the town where I used to live; Rancho Santa Margarita. Here are some pictures of her memorial by the lake. You can read more about her here.

Here is my post I did five years ago as part of the 2,996 Project to honor those who lost their lives on this day.

I can't believe that it's been ten years since this happened. The sorrow I felt from that day and other events that were happening at the time changed my whole life. I resolved to enjoy more moments in my life and not take any minute of any day for granted. I resolved to take better care of my life and my self and to cherish every moment that I can. I became a little more serious and a little more careful. I try to live more in the moment and worry less about the future (which you know does not come easy for me!) I try to be gentle with myself and those around me. I hope that 9/11 has made me a better person, despite the pain that we all still feel for this day. (((HUGS))) and prayers to everyone as we go on with our lives and live our moments today.

Studio Stampers September Blog Hop

2011-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Studio Stampers Blog Hop. You should have come from Lisa's Blog. If you want to go to the beginning go to the Studio Stamper's Blog.

This month I am hosting some fun treat workshops so people can make Halloween treats for school, work, or whatever they want. These boxes are so fun and easy to make and you can fill them with anything you like. I filled mine with about 10 Starburst or 5 Tootsie Roll Minis.

See below for scoring template. Cut out and score as indicated and stamp as desired. I rounded my corners because I thought it added a nice touch but that is optional. Punch holes in the top corners of the box and then fold the box up to measure the holes on the opposite sides. Punch the remaining two holes (each corner will now have a hole) and thread through with pretty ribbon and tie in a knot at the top after filling with goodies. Add a die-cut seal or decoration on top and you are good to go!

All Supplies Available from my A Muse Studio Store

Your Next stop is Angie's Blog

Supplies used:

Stamps - A Very Spooky Boo Day, Make a Scene
Ink - Nutmeg & Squash or Onyx & Orange Papers - Kraft; French Roast & Squash or Onyx & Orange
Dies - Nestabilities Classic Scallop Circle and Circle dies
Accessories - French Roast or Orange Satin Ribbon

Cut paper 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" and score on gray lines as shown.

Here is the blog list in order:

Studio Stampers Blog http://www.studiostampers.com

Krystie Hersch http://www.cleanandsimplecards.com

Kristen Watson http://branchandsky.blogspot.com

Kathy Hatzke www.kathatstamps.blogspot.com

Karen Crisp www.papernstamps.blogspot.com

Kari Bell www.karikards.blogspot.com

Lisa Wakabayashi http://dragonfliesandcats.blogspot.com/

Veronica Zalis http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/

Lisa Chapman http://www.piesafepapergoods.blogspot.com

Lianna Vigil (YOU ARE HERE)

Angie Schellenberg www.gypsypaperie.blogspot.com

Marker Mondays - September Part I

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

All supplies available from A Muse Studio

For September we are using the following three Copic colors and the clear blender pen

R32 - Peach
YG21 - Anise
B24 - Sky Blue
0 - Blender Pen

We will also use the Blender Refill Solution and a small spritz bottle. I like the Ranger Mini Misters.

If you want to prepare for the entire month's lesson you will also need:

Clouds paper (shown above)
Onyx paper
Shimmer paper - Sugar
A Muse Studio Onyx Ink
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
Silver brads
Nestabilities - Large Square
3D Foam Mounts

Marvelous Marigolds


Vintage A Muse

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Holiday Catalog Blog Hop

2011-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the special Holiday edition of the A Muse Studio Blog Hop. If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Pamela Fredrickson's blog and if not, then you should start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog.

Do you love Halloween crafting as much as I do? I can't resist any stamps with witches or bats and the new A Muse Studio sets were right up my alley so I had to get them the first day I could order! They will be useful for so many fun things from treat bags, to cards to decorations!

All supplies available on my A Muse Studio Webstore

I stamped the tree using Squash ink on Pumpkin paper and cut it out using fine tip scissors. I then used the Woodgrain Background on top of the tree (French Roast) and the card front (Nutmeg) to add some interest. The black plate was embossed using the Web/Swirls impression plate and cut to size. The bats were a piece of Sugar scrap paper that I covered with the gridded washi tape before cutting it with the bats die. Glue the bats down using your quickie glue, stamp your sentiment and pop up the tree using the foam squares. A knotted ribbon completes the look.

A Muse Studio Supplies Used:

Stamps - Spooky Boo Day* , Too Cute to Spook* , Woodgrain Background
Papers - Pumpkin, Orange, Onyx
Inks - Nutmeg, Squash, French Roast, Onyx
Impression Plates - Web/Swirls*
Dies - Bat Trio Die*
Ribbon - 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain
Other - Washi Tape - Winter, Quickie Glue, 3-D Foam Adhesive

* Holiday Catalog Items

Your next stop is Amber Smith's blog.

Do you want me to send you this card and a sample of our two new paper colors? Email me your snail address (liannallama AT gmail D0T com) and I will mail one lucky crafter this card and a Holiday Catalog too if you want, just let me know!

Marker Mondays - August Part IV

2011-08-29T00:01:00.001-07:00

This card will use the blending techniques we have been practicing and you will learn a simple masking technique. Be sure to review the previous lesson if you need to.

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

For August are using the following three Copic colors:

0 - Blender Pen
R29 - Lipstick Red
Y17 - Golden Yellow

For these images I used the brush to brush color technique that I explained last week. If you are using the Originals markers (the square Copics) then I recommend switching to the brush tip. It is easy to switch the tips and they are fairly inexpensive. If you prefer not to do that you can still blend using your chisel and fine point by using the plastic palette technique to pick up the darker ink.

Stamp the large flower in the corner using your Memento Black ink and then color it using the technique that you practiced last time. I colored the entire flower yellow and then added red in the center. I darkened each petal as needed by adding a second layer of yellow and then using the marker to pick up some red and make the petals a darker orange. Blend while the yellow is still wet and do each petal individually. Add some yellow over the top if you need help blending.

Once the large flower is colored then you can mask it by stamping another flower onto a post-it note and cut carefully just inside the edges. Place the post-it note flower over the colored flower to protect it and use the smaller flower stamps to stamp your papaya, orange and cherry flowers with our delicious rich ink. Once it is dry you can remove the mask.

Stamp your sentiment, add pearls (color them first with your Copics if desired) and mount onto black card front and orange card base. Voila! This concludes your Copic lessons for August. Next week I will give you a head's up on what is needed for September.

Marigolds Card Supplies Used:

Marvelous Marigolds Stamp Set
Paper - Sugar, Onyx, Orange
Memento Black Pad
Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
Copic Marker - Lipstick Red
Copic Marker - Golden Yellow
A Muse Studio Inks - Cherry, Papaya, Orange
Pearl Stickers - Sugar

Marvelous Marigolds

All Supplies Available from A Muse Studio

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Goosebumps Cards

2011-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

There's a new project from Tsukineko called Goosebumps. I recently got a chance to try it and teach some of the stampers at our LSS about my findings. Below are two of the projects we made. I donated my cards to Operation Write Home to send a little love overseas for our Heroes.

Goosebumps sprayed on white paper as a background resist

For the first project (above) we simply spritzed some goosebumps on the paper and let it dry. Once it is dry you can sponge on your favorite dye ink (I used Tim Holtz distress inks) and wipe any excess off with a damp towel. The light blue part of the card is the TH ink and the white is where the Goosebumps acted as a textured resist. It looks like a shiny, bumpy plastic. Once you use the Goosebumps you will need to use Stazon to stamp over it so the teal leaves (Wendy Vecchi) and black sentiment (Auntie Amy) are stamped with Stazon. I mounted it simply to a navy cardstock and then a purple card base. I added some pretty rhinestones to give the card a little bling.

Goosebumps sprayed onto rubber and then image stamped on white paper

For our second project we sprayed directly onto the stamp instead of using ink. A bold image works best for this. I used another Wendy Vecchi image to make the white foliage at the bottom of the card. It will give a blotchy effect and not the precise definition you are used to with ink. Once the Goosebumps is dry you can swipe your dye ink over the card (again, I used Tim Holtz Distress for this in two different colors) and wipe any excess ink off the resist image with a damp towel. I used black India Ink to stamp the "delight" sentiment from Stampin' Up. Add a pretty ribbon and mount to your card base and you're done! The card is easy and has a lot of impact.

Here are some tips I found while I was working with the Goosebumps:

Clean your stamps IMMEDIATELY after you use them with a good cleaner like Ultra Clean.
Be careful because the Goosebumps may permanently stick to your acrylic blocks or will take lots of work to remove (sigh!)
IMMEDIATELY clean the whole Goosebumps pump with soapy hot water after you use it or it will get clogged. I thought I just needed to rinse it off but you really need to remove it and clean it all thoroughly.
It will still clog the tip of the sprayer so be sure to clean it with a pin and do some test spritzing before use or you will get blotchy sprays.
I was unable to get good results with the technique where they used a brass stencil. Maybe my tip was too clogged and blotchy.
I was unable to get good results with the technique where they used a clean stamp to remove the goosebumps from the paper. Maybe I was spraying too much Goosebumps onto the paper (again, could be the clogged tip)
I learned this was a little too much trouble to be my favorite technique but I did like the cards I ended up with.

Here is a link to the Tsukineko education sheet to give you more tips and techniques. Let me know your experience with Goosebumps and any tips to help us out!

Studio Stampers Blog Hop

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop for Krystie's Muses group. You should have come from Kari's Blog. If you want to go to the beginning go to Krystie's Blog

All Supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore

Supplies used: Stamps - Too Cute To Spook
Ink - Onyx
Papers - Wasabi, Spooky Hollow, Slate Woodgrain
Dies - Classic Tags Die Set, Web Die
Accessories - Onyx & White Baker's Twine-

Your next stop is Kellie's Blog

Here is the blog list in order:

Krystie Hersch http://www.cleanandsimplecards.com/

Kathy Hatzke http://www.kathatstamps.blogspot.com/

Karen Crisp http://www.papernstamps.blogspot.com/

Kari Bell http://karikards.blogspot.com/

Lianna Vigil (YOU ARE HERE!)

Kellie Maggio http://iscrapyouscrap.blogspot.com/

Angela Schellenberg http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com/

Lisa Chapman http://www.piesafepapergoods.blogspot.com/

Veronica Zalis http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/

Kristen Watson http://branchandsky.blogspot.com/

2011 A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog

2011-08-21T21:01:00.000-07:00


All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore.

I am so thrilled with the new A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog that just debuted. Please let me know if you would like me to mail you a copy or email a pdf. You can also see it and order online HERE.

There is a rotating graphic on the top of the home page with a link to download the catalog and you can order using the regular order process now.

If your order subtotal is $150 or more be sure to email or phone your order to me so I can set it up as a workshop so you will earn extra hostess benefits!

Stay tuned tomorrow (Tuesday) for a blog hop featuring some awesome holiday goodies.

AMUSEA*PALOOZA DAYS ARE HERE!

2011-08-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore

The best time of the year starts tomorrow! Are you wondering what A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA is? It's an awesome stamping extravaganza that is hosted by A Muse Studios. When they changed to a home sales model, the company decided to keep the fun and festivities going.

What does A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA mean for you? Well, if you host a workshop there are extra goodies available from August 22-September 30th. Below are some of the highlights but be sure to contact me for full details.

With a $150 party you can earn an exclusive limited-edition stamp set that is only available during this celebration.
I am giving a special hostess gift to all my hostesses with a $150 party - your choice of a Gold or Silver Uniball Pen
A Muse Studios is also giving extra hostess credits to qualifying parties of $250 or more.

Our new Holiday Catalog debuts at Midnight tonight!
Email me for an advance copy of the catalog in PDF format or check back at midnight to see the catalog online.

Marker Mondays - August Part III

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today we will practice and refine our blending techniques. Be sure to review the last lesson if you haven't already.

Workbook notes and A Muse Studio coordinating ink samples

For August are using the following three Copic colors:

0 - Blender Pen
R29 - Lipstick Red
Y17 - Golden Yellow

For these images I used the brush to brush color technique that I explained in the last post. If you are using the Originals markers (the square Copics) then I recommend switching to the brush tip. It is easy to switch the tips and they are fairly inexpensive. If you prefer not to do that you can still blend using your chisel and fine point by using the plastic palette technique to pick up the darker ink.

You can make different flower colors with only three pens!

I have colored the top right flower with yellow ink and then used the yellow pen to blend red onto the center petals and make the flower into a deeper orange. It takes time and practice but you can always color and then add more depth later on and blend out any parts you want to darken or fix.

The center yellow flower was colored first with the blender pen and then the blender pen is carefully used to make the pale yellow petals by taking ink from the Y17 pen or palette. This flower takes a little more practice and patience.

The pink flower was the hardest because the red is so dark. Work one petal at a time with the blender pen and pick up tiny amounts of red to blend with. Practice, practice, practice! I really did this flower using only the blender pen and the R29 ink. You can too!

Practicing blending on Vanilla cardstock and Cocoa ink. Notice the warmer feel of the images?

It is fun to try the Copics on different backgrounds to see how they change. I made the same yellow and orange flowers on Vanilla instead of Sugar paper to add some warmth.

Marvelous Marigolds

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Marker Mondays - August Part II

2011-08-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Let's start today's lesson by playing and getting used to our pens. Here is the last post if you need to review or have questions about the workbook supplies and pages. For August we are using the following three Copic colors:

0 - Blender Pen
R29 - Lipstick Red
Y17 - Golden Yellow

Start by stamping the kite image using Memento Black ink and let it dry. In my workbook I like to label images as I color them by using the Copic Multiliner. This is a waterproof pen that will not smear when you use your Copic Markers over it. I can draw lines, take notes and then color over it just like I can with the Memento ink. Make a habit of making color swatches like I did on the bottom left. That way if you want to replicate a look later you know exactly what colors you used.

Workbook Page1

The kite on the left I colored using the markers with solid colors and no blending. The kite on the right uses some blending techniques. I colored the whole kite with yellow and then I blended using my yellow pen and picked up red ink from a palette onto the yellow pen to make orange. I made a palette by scribbling some red ink onto a piece of plastic. Any plastic will do, including an acrylic block, plastic palette or a scrap of a cellophane wrapper.

Palette Blending

A second way of blending is the tip to tip method where you pick color directly from the tip of your dark marker onto your light marker and use it to color. The best part about using Copics instead of water-based markers is you can wipe off the excess color onto your paper when you are done and the marker is as good as new! The ink does not stain the marker when you blend colors. Try it out and be sure to practice because with blending you will get better with more you do it.

Tip to Tip Blending

Use your workbook to practice blending and be sure to play with the pens. Look at the right side of my workbook page and see how I experimented with different layers of marker. Letting each coat dry before adding another will make a darker color that you can use to subtly deepen shadows without having to use a darker color pen. The blender pen acts as a sort of ink-removal system so you can use it to erase or lighten colors for highlights. If you color over the wet blender, it acts as a sort of primer and helps spread the ink over the paper for easy blending.

If your paper gets too wet the ink may start to spread too easily; simply let it dry and then you can use your markers again to re-blend and fix anything you want. If your coloring is not solid and looks streaky then you are not using enough ink. Be sure to saturate the paper thoroughly and the ink should show through on the back (unless you are using extra-thick paper). Don't be afraid to use lots of ink because your paper will not pill and tear the way it does with regular water-based markers.

Back side of colored flower

Once you have had a chance to play then you can color the image for your card and finish it!

Detail of finished colored image

Kite Card Supplies Used:

Vintage A Muse Stamp Set
Paper - Sugar, Orange, Cranberry
Gingham Paper - Orange
Memento Black Pad
Copic Marker - Colorless Blender
Copic Marker - Lipstick Red
Copic Marker - Golden Yellow
3D Foam Adhesive
Nestabilities Scallop Rectangle - Small

Marvelous Marigolds


Vintage A Muse

I will be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Sneak Preview!

2011-08-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another edition of the A Muse Studio Blog Hop. If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Tara Johnson's blog and if not, then you should start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog.

All Supplies from A Muse Studio

Our theme today is "Summer" and what is more Summery in Huntington Beach than a Beach Wedding card!? So many people here get married near the beach or with a beach theme I thought it would be fun to show how pretty our shells stamps look in soft pale colors.

Are you in LOVE with the pretty ribbon I used? Did you notice how it matches the pretty ink I used for the background. It is a sneak preview of our new "Pebble Gray" color that I just adore. Doesn't it look pretty stamped on the Vanilla? I paired it with some Latte accents and a pearl and it coordinated beautifully. I added some pretty glitter to glam it up and make it extra pretty. The Tag is also a preview of our New Tag Dies and the French Roast Baker's Twine is also available in our new Holiday Catalog. You can order from it starting on August 22nd but in the meantime if you want to see a PDF of the catalog, please send me your email address and I can a catalog to you right away!

Supplies Used:

Sea Shells Stamp Set
Latte Paper
Vanilla Paper
Pebble Ink
French Roast Ink
Classic Tags Die Set
French Roast Baker's Twine
Pebble Satin Ribbon
Diamond Glitter
Quickie Glue Pen
Latte Pearls

Your next stop on the hop is Melissa Roell's Blog.

Marker Mondays

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you want to learn how to use - Copics with me? Let's start a new adventure where you can learn and have an easy way to start your Copic collection without having to buy a ton of markers at once. With my class we will use three markers each month (plus the blender pen) to make some awesome creations. I picked some of my favorite and most useful colors so we will have a great collection and actually be able to use the markers we have. We will end up with workbook pages and two cards each month using our three colors.

Workbook Cover

For my workbook cover you can see that I used one flower for each of the five months and colored each flower using the three monthly colors. I used Kraft paper for fun but you can use whatever you want.

For August we will use the following three Copic colors:

0 - Blender Pen
R29 - Lipstick Red
Y17 - Golden Yellow

You can use Ciaos, Sketch or you can buy the Originals from my A Muse Studio Webstore (or anywhere else you like).

Here are the other supplies I used for the August Workbook and almost everything is available from A Muse Studios or feel free to substitute your favorite brands.

Kraft Cardstock
Sugar Cardstock
Vanilla Cardstock
School Lined Cardstock
Marvelous Marigolds Stamp set
Personal Stationery Stamp Set (optional)
Memento Black Ink
Memento Rich Cocoa Ink (optional)
Copic Multiliner (I use the 0.5 size)
Corner Rounder
Crop-a-Dile or hole punch
Scrap of Cellophane paper wrapper
2" Metal Ring (from office supply store)

To start your workbook cut the papers to 8.5" x 4.25" as following:

2 Kraft (for the covers)
2 Sugar
1 Vanilla
1 School Lined

Round the right side's corners and punch a hole in the left corner using your crop-a-dile. The metal ring is to hold it together when we're done. I recommend working on the pages individually and put them in the ring after you finish. Otherwise your Copics may bleed through to the next page and it won't look as clean!

Marvelous Marigolds


Vintage A Muse

I will also be holding a monthly workshop in my home in Huntington Beach, CA so let me know if you want to join me.

Memory Box Collection

2011-07-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Memory Box supplies from StampinEJ

I was so excited to get my package filled with beautiful new stuff from Memory Box this month! I immediately fell in love with the new Woven Circle Die and I knew I would have to use it on almost every card I made that week. It's deceptively simple but you can see I used it to make a flower, a scalloped border and a frill to put behind my sentiment. I had fun punching it out of book paper (from a Jane Austen novel) and patterned cardstock (the oh-so-pretty Valise 6x6 collection from Memory Box) and putting it everywhere I could!

Memory Box supplies from StampinEJ

I started by stamping the lovely Birch branch onto some aqua cardstock and added some pretty Valise collage paper for the background. I stuck a bit of edged paper lace on the side and tied with a ribbon. I knew the text-page flower would be the perfect focal point. I used a vintage rhinestone button from my collection and three layers of punched papers.

Memory Box supplies from StampinEJ

My second attempt at using the die had me cutting it out of the same cardstock I used for the background. If you look closely you can see how I matched the cardstock medallion to the same part of the full-sized sheet that is the background. Then I popped the sentiment with foam tape after inking the edges. The background sheet is colored with Copic markers and then the Birch Branch is stamped and embossed using colored ink and clear EP. The whole thing is mounted on the prettiest-ever tangerine cardstock.

Memory Box supplies from StampinEJ

For my next card I thought it would be fun to make a scalloped edge. For some reason this one reminds me of the Spirograph drawings I used to do as a child. I love the look of the swirls against the black. I stamped the tree onto the paper and then darkened and enhanced it by coloring with Copics and Prismacolor pencils. I added gold and coral colored pearls for fun. The sentiment is stamped onto two strips of washi tape for a different effect.

Memory Box and TH20 supplies from StampinEJ

For my final Memory Box card I skipped the die and embossed the forest two times onto some Bristol paper. Then I colored using my Twinkling H20 watercolor paints. You can look at the detail to see how it shimmers. I mounted the sheet behind some torn Valise paper and added a sentiment.

Memory Box and TH20 supplies from StampinEJ

I hope you enjoyed my projects today because I sure had fun making them!

Memory Box Supplies Used:
Patterned Cardstock -Valise 6x6 (10136)
Stamps - Stand of Trees (E1759), Tree of Blooms (G1769), Makes Me Smile (B1765), Birch Branch Print (G1720)
Die - Woven Circle (98114)

July 10th Blog Hop

2011-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop for Krystie's Muses group. If you want to go to the beginning go to Kathy's Blog.

Thanks for stopping by! Today I am featuring a card that uses the pretty Sea Shells Set. It is on sale until July 15th. You can also get a limited edition "Seaglass" paper pack that includes 4 sheets each of 5 lovely papers; Bermuda, Latte', Sky, Lichen and Sage.

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Webstore.

Supplies:
Paper - Bermuda, Shell, Late, Amethyst
Stamps - Sea Shells, Essential Sentiments
Other - Ivory Pearls, Diamond Glitter, Spring Washi Tape
Ink - Ocean, Sky, Latte', Shell

Your next stop is KRISTEN'S BLOG

Here is the blog list in order:
Kathy Hatzke

Lianna Vigil (YOU ARE HERE!)

Kristen Watson

A Muse Studio Blog Hop

2011-07-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another edition of the A Muse Studio Blog Hop. Happy Independence Day if you are from the US or if not I hope you have a great weekend doing what you love best! If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Anna Keyes' blog and if not, then you should start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog.

All suplies from A Muse Studio available at my Webstore.

Today I chose a festive color palette of Red, White and Blue but I added a little yellow for fun! I made the dots and stripes border using a red Copic marker and finished it off with a sweet sentiment and a little bit of stripes. This card reminds me of stars and stripes with some flowers and fireworks thrown in for good measure! Hope you enjoy your fireworks, everyone!

Now on to your next stop Patty Mowery's blog.

A Muse Studio Blog Hop

2011-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop for Krystie's Muses group. I thought it would be fun to do another ice cream card.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Vanilla, Bubblegum, Blush, French Roast Polka Dots
Ink: French Roast
Stamps: What's the Scoop Set
Ribbon: Bubblegum 5/8" Satin
Pearls: Vanilla

All stamps and supplies from my A Muse Studio webstore

If you want to start at the beginning of the hop please go to Krystie's Blog. Your next stop is KELLY'S BLOG.

If you get lost, here is the complete list:
Krystie Hersch
Lianna Vigil YOU ARE HERE
Kellie Maggio
Kari Bell
Kristen Watson
Veronica Zalis
Kathy Hatzke
Kelly Spivey
Lisa Wakabayashi
Karen Crisp
Kristie Hartfeil
Angela Schellenberg
Heather Wroe
Krystie Hersch

Bunny Love!

2011-06-09T05:30:00.000-07:00


Marianne Walker from Copic, CHA Winter 2011

I think Marianne Walker is awesome! She is
one of the instructors for Copic and I got my certification from her a few years ago. On top of being a great teacher and super nice she is an awesome artist! Sometimes we are lucky enough to be able to purchase her art. She designed the cutest set of Bunny stamps for Our Craft Lounge and the second I saw it I knew I would have to have it.

Above she is showing off her original art that matches one of the stamps. You can see her amazing Copic coloring tutorial here.

Our Craft Lounge Stamps from Stampin' EJ

Since I know I can't compete with her amazing Copic skills on the parasol bunnies I thought I would try my hand at the lovely image of the bunny family in the ginger jar. I wanted to use non-frilly colors and give a different feel to the image so I started with some beautiful washi paper and took my color scheme from there. I picked up the golden colors to use for the jar and accented with the same greens and pinks. For this card I used a combination of Copics and Prismacolor Pencils to get just the right look.

The floral spray on the side is colored entirely in pencil to match the paper and the jar. The ribbon was colored with my Copics to get just the right match. It works wonderfully but will make your ribbon a bit stiffer than usual. The jar is colored in Copics but then I added some auburn pencil over the copics in the corners to make the shadows deeper and richer.

Our Craft Lounge Stamps from Stampin' EJ

Finally we come to the sweet girl holding a bunny. If you want to see how Marianne colored it then click here. I decided to use my blender pen and dye ink to color this image. The left side of the gatefold uses some lovely washi paper and the right side has the image embossed using copper EP. then I made a watercolor effect by putting some ink onto the lid of the stamp pad and then using a blender pen as a brush.

Birthday Blog Hop

2011-06-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Online Store.

Welcome to our blog hop. If you are participating in the blog hop, you should have come from Kristie's blog and if not, then you can start from the beginning with Samantha's blog until you come to my blog.

It's my Father in Law Diego's birthday so I made this card for the blog hop. I always have trouble with guy cards because I always want to add too many frills on a card. But I am learning that simple is better! Today's challenge was to make your own patterned paper but I wanted to keep it bold and graphic looking. (For some reason I didn't think the backgrounds I made with flowers would work for his card, ha ha!)

I used the "Tini Time" stamp set diamond border to make the backgrounds with the lovely A Muse Studio pigment chalk ink. Unlike dye ink, this ink will actually show up when you stamp on darker paper. So the Grass ink looks awesome both on the Ocean and the Onyx cardstock. I love how you get two different looks from the same exact pattern. On the Ocean you notice the diamonds more but on the Onyx you see the "white space" of the circle pattern instead and the diamonds recede into the background. The birthday sentiment is Contemporary Greetings.

All supplies available from my A Muse Studio Online Store.

I wanted to make sure to show you the inside of the card because even though I didn't decorate it I love the fact that A Muse Studio paper is white on one side so you don't have to waste time lining your cards when you use dark cardstock.

All supplies are available from my A Muse Studio Online store.

Happy Birthday to my dear Father in Law--I am so lucky to be part of your family!

Your next stop is Lindsay Spencer's blog.

Operation Write Home Memorial Weekend Blog Hop

2011-05-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Blog Hop! You should have arrived from Kris' Blog.

Supplies available from https://www.amusestudio.com/liannallama

My Card today uses A Muse Studio Papers, Inks and Supplies along with the heart stamp from the "Hearts A Plenty" set (or get it in your Consultant Starter Kit) and the sentiment from the "On the Wing" set.

Supplies available from https://www.amusestudio.com/liannallama

Your next stop is Karen's Blog! Enjoy!

One Card - three color schemes!

2011-05-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

All papers, stamps and border punch from Stampin' Up.

I thought it would be fun to make some cards with the cute hostess set I got from Stampin' Up a couple of months ago. I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I couldn't decide which colors to use so I used three different combos! The cute pearls and rhinestones (from A Muse Studios) add the perfect
touch to the center of each little flower.

Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, River Rock

I thought I would like the coral card the best until I made the blue one. It was so soft and sweet it reminded me of old china and I knew my Aunt would like these colors together.

Very Vanilla, Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, River Rock

But then I made the cocoa card and it had such a pretty vintage feel and the brown pearl gave it a warm glow. My great aunts loved earth tones and I know Ellie would have approved of this card for sure. Sometimes neutral colors are good for general cards and they have a homey feel and coziness about them. What do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, River Rock

Happy Birthday, Moira!

2011-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

All stamps and supplies from A Muse Studio

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop for Krystie's Muses group. Last weekend was Moira's birthday. She turned nine and we had an awesome vampire dance party in her honor! This is the card I made her (not very "goth" but I thought she would also like something sweet!)

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Sugar, Buttercup, Buttercup Gingham
Ink: Memento Black, Papaya
Stamps: What's the Scoop Set, Harlequin Background
Nestabilities Scallop Squares, Squares
Copics: Blender pen, RV06, BG13

If you want to start at the beginning of the hop please go to Krystie's Blog.Your next stop is LISA'S BLOG.  

If you get lost, here is the complete list:
Krystie Hersch - http://www.cleanandsimplecards.com
Kathy Hatzke - http://www.kathatstamps.blogspot.com
Kelly Spivey -http://www.southpawpaperarts.com
Liane Vigil - YOU ARE HERE
Lisa Wakabayashi - http://www.dragonfliesandcats.blogspot.com
Lesa Wolfe - http://www.thepaperpundit.blogspot.com
Lisa Chapman - http://www.piesafepapergoods.blogspot.com
Veronica Zalis - http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/
Kari Bell - http://www.karikards.blogspot.com

A Muse Studio Card

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

All stamps and supplies from A Muse Studio

Welcome to our A Muse Studio Blog Hop. If you want to start at the beginning please go to Krystie's Blog.Your next stop is KARI'S BLOG.

All items can be purchased through me or on the A Muse Studio website. Anyone who places a $50 or more order will get a free pack of pearls or rhinestones of your choice.

Anyone who hosts a qualifying workshop in May or June will get a free A Muse ink pad along with all your other wonderful gifts!

A Muse Studio Stamping Workshop Open House

2011-03-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Lovely project form A Muse Studio website!

I am planning two FREE open house events next month to kick off my new stamping workshops. [Thursday, April 28th at 6:00-9:00 pm] and [Saturday, April 30th at 2:00-5:00 pm] I hope you can make it to one of them!

PLEASE RSVP SO I CAN MAKE SURE TO HAVE ENOUGH SUPPLIES! Friends are always welcome so please bring someone for a chance to win a prize!

THE FORMAT:
...This is a FREE stamping workshop to introduce you to the art of rubber stamping and card-making. There is no obligation except to come and have fun! I will have three make-n-take card projects for guests to complete; a new one will be featured each hour! If you come for the whole event you can make up to three different cards or if you just want to stop by for a quick visit you can make whatever card that is presented for that hour! I will have everything prepared for you and all supplies set out.

THE PRODUCTS:
A Muse Studio is a company that has been around for years but they just started doing home sales.

Here is a link to the current catalog:
https://www.securedcontent.net/amuse/pdfs/2011AMuseStudioCatalog.pdf

Online ordering available.

Anyone who places a $50 or more order will get a free pack of stickers of your choice.

Anyone who hosts a qualifying workshop in May or June will get a free A Muse ink pad along with all your other wonderful gifts!

Hero Arts Luscious Cards

2011-03-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Patterned Flowers

I made four new cards for Stampin EJ's store using the new stamps from the Hero Arts/Basic Grey Luscious line. The first card uses silver embossing powder, teal glitter embossing and some pretty foil, metallic, and glitter paper. I thought this would make a pretty wedding card (but I had already used the "Best Wishes" sentiment and didn't want to re-use it, ha ha!)

Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Patterned Flowers
Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Frames

The second card uses a resist technique by stamping white StazOn onto a book page (Jane Austen) and using a brayer to apply Tim Holtz Distress ink once the StazOn is dry. For a detailed flower tutorial CLICK HERE.

Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Patterned Flowers
Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Frames

Card number three is a simple card using more book pages matted and stamped. I originally put them on upside down because I thought the text detracted from the design but I ended up changing it so the text is now right-side-up.

Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Patterned Flowers
Hero Arts - CL509 Luscious Frames
Hero Arts - CG302 Luscious Ledger

The final card is another simple design using more inchie squares with pretty rhinestones to bling them up! Don't you love these flowers!? Stamps and supplies available at: Debra's Cottage.

Two Cats

2011-01-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to start the New Year off right and play along with the Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge I made two cards today- one for our pet sitter and one to send to the heroes! I decided to keep things simple for this one and followed the sketch closely.

Cat paper from Bo Bunny and sentiments paper from Pinecone Press. Stamp from Inkadinkado colored with Copic Markers. Smooch Ink accents.

Contest for a Cause!

2010-10-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you have an extra $5 or less to spend why not make a card for a soldier and enter a contest that will help the organization win too! Go to this page to see a QUICK, EASY, CHEAP Tutorial

I was able to make the card shown for just over a dollar! I spent $.59 on a piece of patterned paper and $.50 on a discount sheet of clearance rub-ons! The card took less than 5 minutes to make and now I will make some more cards to go with this one and send it over to Operation Write Home--one of my favorite charities!

Someone put a hex on me!

2010-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went to the Long Beach Int'l Quilt Show with a friend of mine and I got hypnotized by the beauty of hexagons. Before I knew it I had purchased a hex kit along with some Halloween fabric that caught my eye. The technique uses English Paper Piecing to make the hexes by basting them onto paper. I settled on a method where the basting is only on the back of the fabric instead of through the paper to save myself from having to remove the stitches later.

So far I've made over 110 hexes and I had to order more papers. I have been stitching them while I watch TV in the evenings. Sewing the hexes together to make a flower is taking me almost an hour for each 7-hex group and the stitches are so tiny I have to put on my reading glasses!

Instead of the recommended whip stitch, I started using a running stitch for the construction as I think it gives a nicer look to the front. For durability, I am whip stitching each corner several times to secure it.

Here is a view of the back so you can see that I am using squares to baste instead of spending the extra time to cut hexagon shapes. When complete I am hoping I will have a lovely table runner as a gift for someone special!

Happy Whisky with Chocolat

2010-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, on this post I think the title says it all! Yes the whisky was very happy with the chocolat and so were we to taste it! Suntory Whisky—nothing else like it to warm you up on a cold day!

Continental Breakfast, Anyone?

2010-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

When we were in Tokyo we stayed at a businessman's hotel that included a continental breakfast. Consisting of dry dinner rolls sealed in plastic, they were not very tasty.

Matt found a much better use for his roll. Can you guess what he did with them? Ah, yes--his poor tired feet hurt so much that all he could think of were pillows of bread to walk on.

A photo of the sorry-looking rolls at the end of a very long day!

J-Sign

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you ever get to Japan, one thing you will notice are the signs that may have lost a little something in the translation. Some of them are a funny mix of English and will just make you smile. This sign comes complete with a fun diagram.

"You tossed your cigarette out the window. You looked like you were fleeing the scene of a crime. RUNS AWAY - VICTIM - WITNESS" Below this dire warning against littering is the slogan for Japan Rail: "Meet your delight"

NOTE:
I appreciate your comments, but I am now closing comments on this post. For some reason, I am getting 2-3 spam comments every day on this one and it is driving me nuts!

Embroidered Napkins

2010-02-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of old-fashioned linens and white-on-white things. They seem so pretty and pure and elegant to me. This is one of the last things I sewed and it was way back in 2004. I made these linen napkins for my cousin Matt's wedding to Gina.

I mail ordered some exquisite linen cloth and cut it into 18" squares. I finished the edges with a serger rolled-edge hem. The machine embroidery was done using silk thread and (I believe) a Martha Pullen monogram for the "B". I'm not thrilled with how the edges turned out but I didn't have time to re-do them by hand. I do love how the monograms turned out. Hopefully Gina appreciates old-fashioned finery (I know her mother-in-law does!)

Another Frame-up

2010-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here is the second set of pics I have added to my bathroom. They are beautiful tropical photos hung to remind me of beauty and our relaxing time in paradise.

This was taken at Club Bali Hai in Moorea, Tahiti. I love the soft colors of the twilight here and it is so tranquil and lovely this time of evening. I set my camera on the dock and laid down on the wooden planks to compose this shot. I could have stayed there forever with the warm wood under my skin and the cool breeze melting over me. Sigh! I wish I could be there again.

We saw the most perfect sunset on our last night in Honolulu. We were leaving our hotel to walk along the beach to get to our special dinner we planned for our anniversary. It was such a wonderful evening.

This is an overwater bungalow at the Moorea Pearl Resort. It was that early peaceful time of the morning when the sun was just starting to come up. I had left our bungalow and wanted to enjoy the peace of the morning on our last day there. Not as soul was awake except myself and the pool boy who was rearranging the chairs for a new day of sunbathing.

ATC set

2010-01-21T06:16:00.000-08:00

I realized I hadn't posted these anywhere last year so I thought I'd share them here. They are for a Jane Austen Theme swap I did with some friends. I used pages torn from an old Jane book that my mother-in-law was going to toss. She had worn through her second full volume of Jane Austen because she loves her so much! Now she is on her third.

I put a thin layer of gesso over the page and then stamped and colored the image. (stamp from Great Impressions) I kept this one simple like so much that I do lately and I put it on some pretty patterned paper from Daisy D's. The corners were rounded, inked and I stamped a simple sentiment from Stampin' Up with a tiny gel heart sticker to dot the "i".

Some notes about the coloring: I had issues using my Copics on top of the gesso. It will come off onto your marker so it is wise to test your process first if you try this. In the end, I only used the Copics for the skintone and used my stamp pad and a blender pen to watercolor the rest. I had tried two different inks to stamp the lady and was having trouble either with the color running or with it bleeding into the Copic color. I think the brown ink for stamping I tried was my Adirandock and SU Basic Brown (my favorite brown color and the one I use for almost any non-Copic technique.)

All in all this was an unsatisfactory experiment, but I liked the final results anyways. I never found a happy medium but it all worked out OK since it was a small area to color and I didn't mind the softening effect from the image blending.

I've been framed!

2010-01-04T05:11:00.000-08:00

After 6 years I finally decided to hang some photos on the wall. I thought I would share the ones I added to a triple 4x6 frame in my bathroom. I thought they might add a little color and beauty to my life as I get ready for work in the morning.

The first photo was taken in Osaka, Japan. It is the plum orchard next to Osaka Castle. I remember how haunting and beautiful the blossoms smelled that day. I wish I could bottle the elusive scent of the plum blossoms to remind me of the loveliness in the world.

This was taken at Man Mo temple in Hong Kong. I love the repetition of pattern and color here and the photo soothes me and reminds me of a lovely day of sightseeing.

This fragile beauty is a hibiscus blossom from Tahiti. I love how delicate and serene this singular flower is. It reminds me to enjoy the beauty around me and to be at peace in the moment.

I hope you enjoyed this small break in your day and the world photo tour I have given you! Enjoy a beautiful day.

Stamptoberfest

2009-10-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I've finally got a start on Stamptoberfest--a fun stamping event at one of my favorite sites. If you want to look at some wonderful cards or read through the challenges, please go to the site and check out anything labeled SOF09!

Two Peas Stamping Board

My desk is a disaster and I will be gone all day but hopefully I can get lots done tomorrow. Cleaning up can wait until next week, ha ha!

Card Credits:
Paper by Basic Grey, Little Yellow Bicycle and Stampin' Up! Stamps by Karen Lockhart and Clearly Wordsworth. Coloring using Copics and memento ink.

August CFH Bloghop

2009-08-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the CFH August Bloghop.

Did you get here from Sheila's amazing site?
If not, make sure you start here to see all the featured cards today.
You're almost done now so continue to the last stop of the hop. Thanks, everyone who made it this far and to everyone who participated in any way!

Can you believe Summer's almost over!? That means it's time to think of holiday cards for our heroes. You need to make them early so there's enough time to organize them and then mail them overseas and back again. The deadline for holiday cards is November 1. They don't have to be fancy or perfect or anything at all except heartfelt and made with love so there's no pressure. Make one or a hundred--they are all appreciated.

One of my favorite things about making these cards is knowing just how much joy one little card can bring.

1. Of course I get the joy and relaxation of doing my favorite hobby.
2. Then whoever gets my box at CFH will feel great knowing that another bundle of goodness will be ready to mail soon.
3. When our heroes get the cards I hear they have tons of fun picking out which cards each person gets to send to their loved ones.
4. Finally, a friend or family member will get a much-needed card from their hero letting them know they are missed and everything is ok.

That's a lot of love for one tiny card, isn't it!?

Here's a super simple card you can make for any occasion and in any color scheme. All it takes is a large sentiment stamp, a gem or brad some embossing powder and ink and a marker. If you have a Scor-Pal that will add the perfect touch. To start, cut your card out of heavy ivory cardstock. I used Papertrey Ink brand because it is extra smooth and extra heavy. Score it in half and add two score marks on the bottom side for an elegant decoration. Use your marker if desired to add a line between the decorative score bumps. Stamp and emboss your sentiment using green powder (mine's from My Sentiments Exactly) and add a red gem. Voila! A fast and easy card.

I am thinking of making more with some dark burgundy cardstock and gold embossing and marker. You can also do a "Thinking of You" or any other occasion card using your favorite colors!

Memorial Day CFH Bloghop

2009-05-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of the big Cards for Heroes Bloghop! If you haven't been there yet, please visit the CFH website at http://cardsforheroes.org/bloghop to start your hop (everything starts at noon, PT)!

Sandy has done wonders with the site and there are so many fabulous volunteers working hard to create cards and make sure they get out to our heroes overseas so they can write home to their friends and family. Every time I see the pictures of the heartfelt cards people make it makes me feel so good. You can send one card or a hundred—each card it accepted with appreciation and love.

My card features a beautiful red poppy to observe Memorial Day and the sacrifices that were made for our country.

Card details: Cardstock from Papertrey Ink and Bazzil; patterned paper from me & my BIG ideas; stamps from Stampin' Up!; markers from Copic; Punch from EK-Success. In the background is my grandfather's flag; Alfred H. Bentley served in the Army in WWII and retired as a Master Sergeant.

Once you are done here please hop over to Vicki's site where you are in for a special treat. Her cards are so cute and cheerful I know she will have something wonderful cooked up for us today! Whoever gets her cards are very lucky!

(Scroll down to read more about why poppies are a symbol of this day. )

Thanks to my coworker Captain Troy H. for forwarding the text and story below.

The Poppy Story

From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.

The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war, and represented the hope that none had died in vain. The American Legion Auxiliary Poppy has continued to bloom for the casualties of four wars, its petals of paper bound together for veterans by veterans, reminding America each year that the men and women who have served and died for their country deserve to be remembered.

Poppy Day has become a familiar tradition in almost every American community. This distribution of the bright red memorial flower to the public is one of the oldest and most widely recognized programs of the American Legion Auxiliary.

This poppy, as a memorial flower to the war dead, can be traced to a single individual, Miss Moina Michael. She was so moved by Col. McCrae's poem that she wrote a response:

. . . the blood of heroes never dies
but lends a luster to the red
of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

On impulse, she bought a bouquet of poppies–all that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had–and handed them to businessmen meeting at the New York YMCA where she worked. She asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen. That was November 1918. World War I was over, but America's sons would rest forever "in Flanders Fields." Later, she would spearhead a campaign that would result in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice.

Baby Fever!

2009-05-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a whirlwind of babies around here lately! My SIL (the one who was engaged and pushed up her wedding, planned everything in a month and got married a couple of weeks ago!) had an "emergency" baby adoption that was the cause of the shortened wedding time.

She got word from a friend of a friend of a friend that someone was giving birth and was going to leave her baby at the hospital because she didn't want to keep him. So instead of abandoning the baby to be left with social services, the birth mother gave the baby to someone who has wanted children for so very long! Nena went to the hospital that very day to pick up her sweet and precious newborn.

She and Carlos have a long adoption process to go through but they are some of the happiest parents ever! I helped them out by making emergency birth announcements (80 of them!) to mail out.

Pictures today are the birth announcements, an extra card I made while making them, and the card I made for her shower.

In the meantime, Lena (one of my other SIL's) found out that she is pregnant and she also getting married soon (at the end of the month). She is due in October and I know that she and Joe will have a beautiful baby! Today I found out that my cousin Laurel is also pregnant and her due date is in January. I am thrilled for everyone!

Details: Precious One shower card uses Hambly transparency, Stampin Up and Hanko Designs papers and Cosmo Cricket rubons. Punch is by EK Success.

Happy New Baby announcement and card use papers by Prism, Amuse Art Stamps and Hanko Designs. Stamps by Stampin' Up.

Sunshine

2009-04-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

I was on a photography forum and the challenge was to post a photo of "sunshine". I thought it would be fun to post some photos that feel like sunshine to me.

I love sweet Ollie with the warm sun on his fur. He has such a sweet disposition that I even call him "sunshine" sometimes. Matt took this picture.
We are so lucky to live on the beautiful California Coast. This was taken near Malibu. Can you see the rainbow in the sea spray?

My baby cousin, Ruthie got married in a beautiful redwood grove in Northern California on a perfect day last May.

Here's another wedding shot of the sweetest, freshest strawberries you've ever had! They were grown locally and picked at their prime the day before.

A lovely waterlily at the Getty Villa in Malibu. I love how the sun shines off the leaves and petals.

What is more sunshiny than bold, beautiful sunflowers?

A final wedding shot. It really was a perfect day for Ruthie & Craig. These cosmos were the centerpieces.

I did not take this picture (obviously!) but I wanted to leave you with one of my favorite wedding photos. I love the soft glow of sunshine here and the peaceful feeling it has. We were dancing to either "As Time Goes By" or "Moon River"; our first two dance songs. (Did you know how much Matt loves "Casablanca"?)
Hope you have a nice end of your week and hope my sunshine warms you even if it's still cold where you are.

Hong Kong Trinkets & Treasures

2009-04-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Colleen Challenged us to blog about the 6th photo in the 6th folder so here is mine. My photo was just awful and blurry (I guess I was in too much of a hurry and now I can't re-take it) so I figured I'd blog about all the items in the small folder.

These are some of the gifts I brought back from Hong Kong. Hong Kong is known for its fabulous shopping and boy did we have fun! I got most of these at the Jade Market, which is a section of the city with some big warehouses that are set up with small kiosks for individual vendors to sell. It is a great place to find some deals on trinkets and haggle for costume jewelry. Oh, how I love me a good haggle!

The Jade earrings on the left were for my mother.

I got these pretty stone and braided bracelets for my cousins. Some of them are jade and I'm not sure what the other stones are. I just liked the work that was done on them. The one with the 5 jade flowers was the most expensive and it cost about $10 American. I could have gotten something similar for cheaper, but I wanted just the right one.

Sometimes you have to pay more if you don't have time to haggle and you have other people with you that are in a hurry, but it's all part of the fun. And we are talking about a few dollars here; not hundreds so there is no big loss.

I found a tiny jade elephant for myself and I had to have it. When I was a girl I collected carved elephants and I wanted one as a remembrance of my old collection. If the trunk is up in the air it means good luck. I bargained that elephant down to about $5. Imagine my chagrin when I went to the next booth and they tried to sell me the same elephant *starting* at $5! So much for my mad haggling skillz! I have the elephant at work. Someday I'll take a picture to show you.

These chopsticks were a gift for my cousin who was getting married the week we got back from vacation. I did not get any sort of bargain on them but I thought they were so beautiful I had to buy them. They were from a very touristy chopstick shop in Big Buddha Village. I ended up spending about what I would have spent buying a wedding gift here in the states.

They are hand-carved rosewood with gold engraved tops. One set has a phoenix to symbolize the wife and the other one has dragon to symbolize the husband. They are a traditional gift for a wedding and I wanted Ruthie & Craig to have something special.

I had to hunt all over town for these earrings. I ended up going to a jewelry store on Stanley Street near our tailor shop. If you look closely you can see that the gold work is much finer than the cheaper ones I got at the jade market. These are jade too; it is called lavender jade. They had similar ones everywhere, but I wanted this shape, color and gold tops. I can't remember what they say, but I think one is "good fortune" and one is "happiness".

Dreams

2009-03-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

I made some cards this week using my new stamps by Wendi Vecchi. She's the one who taught me the resist technique that is used in my post below and in the leaf card above. If you're interested in the stamps you can find them here and here

White Ink Samples

2009-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

If you're a stamper, you know how many basic inks you acquire in your search for the perfect ink. I thought I'd stamp out all my white inks for fun so I could have a comparison. The first sample is stamped on Stampin' Up (SU) Basic Black paper. The Colorbox ink was extra juicy so it is a little darker than the rest. The alabaster needs to be re-inked, I think. The alabaster is really more of a cream color than white, but I wanted to compare it anyways. It also shows up a little better in person than in the scan. I think I like the Adirondack and SU ink the best for this purpose, but if you're stamping a solid non-detailed image maybe the Colorbox is best. Of course, depending on your needs, each one of these inks has its own advantages.

This second image shows the same inks stamped on SU Ivory paper. Once the ink is dry you can try this cool technique I learned yesterday from Wendy Vecchi. I'm using her stamps as the sample. Use your sponge tool and your Tim Holtz Distress Inks (I used Spiced Marmalade). Keep adding more ink onto the paper until the image magically pops. Depending on the look you want you can choose which ink you like best. She was using the Adirondack and made some fantastic samples. Let me know if you try this--I'd love to see what you make!

Aeronaut

2009-03-05T06:50:00.001-08:00

Can you believe I did it? People who know me soon realize that I'm scared of everything. I'm afraid of heights, cars that are too fast, bridges, skiing, falling, being cold, suffer from claustrophobia; I'm even afraid of Tzatziki Sauce! I never would have gone on a balloon if it hadn't of been my friend's 30th birthday and I knew my husband has always wanted to do this.

So with steely resolve I vowed to go on the balloon and hoped I wouldn't cry. I kept reminding myself how brave I had been to go on the Big Buddha tram in Hong Kong and how I would be able to do deep breathing and hold Matt's hand when I was scared. I reminded myself how scared I had been to snorkel and how by the end of our honeymoon it was my favorite thing ever. I reminded myself how many people go in balloons and love it. I prayed I wouldn't get hysterical and embarrass myself in front of my friends and ruin their trip.

All that worry was for nothing! As soon as the balloon took off I knew it would be OK. We ever so gently floated in our basket; slowly rising off the ground like angels. We climbed into the sky and saw the grape vine fields and citrus orchards and houses that looked like tiny models. My worries about the cold were unfounded—the heat from the flame was more than enough to keep us warm. I was at peace with the world and I didn't want it to end. Our landing was a little adventurous; we took out a couple of saplings in a small industrial park and came very close to a large plate glass window. But our skilled pilot and crew got us down safely with one big jolt and that was it—safe again on mother terra!

Afterwards, we enjoyed some almond champagne and a picnic breakfast (our adventure started at 6 AM!) and then went to a winery for a much deserved (and needed!) wine-tasting. As we drove home I was happy that we had enjoyed a perfect day!

Have you ever conquered fear and been surprised at the outcome? This time I was more worried about being scared than I was during the actual event. I'm glad it worked out and I could have a beautiful memory of a great day.

Guess what I did?

2009-03-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

Can you guess what I did yesterday? I'll post the answer later...

Home is where my heart is

2009-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

Sigh! It's good to be home again! It's just about always where I'd rather be. Sometimes when I turn the corner into our neighborhood I start smiling and feel brighter because I know little Ollie cat will greet me at the door! He almost always comes to greet me after a long day and he will run ahead of me, say a happy "meow!" and plop onto the floor in front of me so I can scratch him! What's better than that!?

Boo is usually waiting nearby and she will let me have an "audience" with her princess-self if I have been good! It is funny how they have such different personalities. He is goofy and lazy and she is dainty and wants to play all the time. Sigh! I love coming home. I step lightly up the stairs and say hello to Matt, who is usually on the computer (and hopefully done with work for the day!)

This weekend I won't be home much (to my regret!) but we will be doing fun, interesting things. Saturday it's off to the Travel Show in LA and Sunday I get to go to the Scrapbook convention for a little supply run. Then Monday (hooray for an extra day off!) I will go visit my mom to have lunch. Then, it's home again for me with an Ollie greeting and another relaxing evening in my favorite place.

Stamp credits:
Stamp by Unity Stamp Company colored with Copic Markers. Font is from Spellbinders.

Some pink to cheer a rainy day

2009-02-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not a fan of the rain so it's good that I live in Southern California where it rarely rains. But it rained yesterday and it looks like it will rain again today. Rain, rain go away!

I was thrilled when my mother in law had to throw away her copy of Jane Austen. She had read it so much that it was falling apart. I asked her if she would dig it out and save it for me. I got it on Christmas and it was my favorite thing I got that day!

Here's some pink valentines. I made the last two a couple of months ago at a friend's house. It was really fun to get together and stamp! We usually get together to shop at the local stamping convention but this time we saved our money and actually used our supplies!

Stamp credits: Girl on moon by Magenta. Swirl by Buzz and Bloom. Heart and background French Text by Stampin Up. Fairy and butterfly by Unity.

No Tzatziki Sauce!

2009-02-02T05:28:00.000-08:00

In our house, "No Tzatziki Sauce" has become synonymous with anything I don't like. My list of foods I will not eat is very long and when we go to a restaurant there are always things I do not want on my plate. If I don't like something, I don't want to look at it, have it near my food and for goodness sake I don't want to smell it or have it touch anything! Mayonnaise, ranch dressing, guacamole, mushrooms, sour cream, and pickled ginger are all offenders.

And when we go to Daphne's it's "No Tzatziki Sauce!" I know they put it in a little cup but sometimes it spills over onto the plate and then I make the face. You know the face--the one that says "Ewww! This tzatziki sauce touching my food may kill me!" I have been known to order "No Tzatziki Sauce" and then order extra on the side for someone else just to ensure my food doesn't get contaminated (I'd rather pay extra then have to eat "tainted" food)

Sometimes, Matt likes to go through the Starbuck's drive thru by our house to get himself a cup of coffee. Imagine their confusion when he orders it with "No Tzatziki Sauce!" just to make me smile.

All Day Marker Class

2009-01-24T05:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm so excited because I got to take a Copic Marker Certification class yesterday. My friends were teasing me because I spent all day learning how to color with markers, and I paid money to do it! But really, that's what I did and it was worth it in so many ways! Plus, isn't it fun to sit down and color!?

I went home so inspired and I wanted to play with the multiliner professional drafting pen they gave us so I picked up an old botched attempt at an ATC and "fixed" it up! Face stamp is by Club Stamp and I think the sentiment is from Stampin' up. The tiny text is just some drivel I wrote: "Do robots dream of electric sheep? Do sheep dream of dancing humans? Will humans learn to get along with each other? Are we human or are we dancer? Are dolphins smarter than yuppies? What is the meaning of life the universe and everything? Will you dance with me in the clouds? What does a cat really think about while asleep? Do they debate philosophy with each other or do they think they are the center of the universe and the rest of us really don't matter?"

The background of the ATC and the face details are enhanced with some Copic markers. I like how it highlighted his face and really made the pattern on the paper stand out. I wish I had taken a "before" picture so you could see how it changed.

Picture to make you laugh!

2009-01-12T06:29:00.001-08:00

Need I say more? We had a great time, even though my blue 70's eye-shadow faded after the first hour and my Janice Joplin wig came off. Matt looked pimperific all night and Uncle Bill even danced. Laurel was the prettiest prom queen ever! And boy am I sore from trying to dance like we did in the 80's!

Just a short explanation: My crazy cousin likes to do theme parties and when she was younger her school was so small they didn't have a prom. So since that was 20 years ago and her stupid school didn't even have a reunion, she decided to make her own prom! It was all her friends and their kids so it was an all-ages bash! Everyone went retro with outfits from the 50's through today's fashion!

Pictures to make you smile!

2009-01-10T20:56:00.001-08:00

Sorry I've been ignoring everyone lately! Thought I'd post pics to make you smile! Aren't they just the cutest!?

Here's a preview of what Matt will be wearing to Laurel's prom party! This will be a crazy, fun event! Oh, yeah--I think he's lookin' mighty pimp-a-licious, pimp-tastic and pimp-a-riffic! I'll post real pics of us after tomorrow!

I found the perfect 80's dress for myself and it was on sale too! Unfortunately, the sale price was $175 so I didn't get that one, LOL! I got the 70's dress instead that was only $30 and it matches Matt's costume better. I was so excited when it arrived in the mail and fit perfectly! Yahoo for polyester--only for you, Laurel will I wear poly interlock, LOL! Tomorrow I have to get some fake eyelashes, blue eyeshadow and hopefully some tacky "suntan" pantyhose!

Vintage Collage Swap

2008-11-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Here's my items for the vintage swap below. These are going to Jan just as soon as I can get them in the mail. For the postcard I used stamps from Hero Arts (lady) and Lockhart (inchie border) and some pretty Basic Grey striped paper. The roses are real dried flowers. Jan lives in Alaska so I feel good giving her a bit of summer to get her through the winter!

On the arch I used stamps from YanKiwi (key) and PaperArtsy (ration book). I aged the yellow Fleur de Lis with alcohol inks and covered it with Glossy accents so it wouldn't scratch off.

Vintage Collage Swap

2008-10-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

I decided to host another collage swap with my swap friends. Here's a photo of what each person got and the idea is to choose 3 items and make a card, postcard, ATC or arch for their partner. Some people are making extra because there's so much to choose from and it's so much fun! I was going to put in just a few things this time so all the swap items were more likely to match, but it was too much fun to keep adding to the envelopes I was making. Can you believe almost all this stuff was stitting on my desk getting in the way!? I should do about 50 more swaps and then maybe my desk will be clean, LOL!

Anyways—here's what the swap contained:
Club Scrap Faux Postage Sheet
Pins that have tiny buttons on the end
Vintage wallpaper from the 50's (pulled straight off the wall of my dear Great-Aunt's house as a rememberence)
Prints of some vintage sailor photos (each swapper got a different set)
CTMH Paper Lace
Pearl Brad
Antiqued Copper Brads and Eyelets
Yellow Fleur de Lis Brad
Vintage address book page
Square Scalloped punch out
Oval Scalloped acrylic sticker
7-Gypsies Aged Label (each swapper got a different one)
Some Club Scrap cardstock
Some pretty patterened paper

Do you think that's enough to choose from? What would you choose to make something with? I'm having trouble choosing from making a masculine or feminine vintage item. Maybe I should do both—I am really thinking I need to make arches since I never get to do those. Oh—it's fun having choices!

I will update with links to everyone's final product as they come in.

Here's Jan's Arch

Penny's (items #1 & 5)
Mine

Hey, Ma! Guess what I made!?

2008-10-22T18:33:00.001-07:00

I took a beading class 2 weekends ago and here is the product of my class. My very first pieces using wire stringing techniques. The nice lady at the shop did the wirework for me on a vintage Chinese coin that I picked up in Macau. I picked out the beads and colors and did the stringing. I used a combination of cheap and expensive beads but I liked the mixture of sizes, colors and shapes. I used real and fake turquoise--I wish I had some real turquoise chips to use--maybe someday I will find some that are just right and then I can restring it from scratch. In the meantime I was happy to create something new.

Kitty Goodness!

2008-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

For all who are wondering, The kitties are doing just great! They are almost done training us too! They have trained Matt to give them treats so they can beg (sigh—I had it so they never begged but Matt said he *likes* begging kitties!) They have trained me to play on demand and to go downstairs in the morning when they say. They got fixed 10 days ago so tonight Boo gets her stitches out. Here's a photo of them sleeping like angels—they are so attached to each other!

Birthday Card

2008-08-31T10:35:00.001-07:00

Hope you didn't think I abandoned you all! But it's been really hot upstairs and the kittens are very demanding of my little spare time. As soon as I sit down, Boo wants to play and play! Anyways, here's a birthday card I made for a coworker. Stamps are from Impression Obsession and Purple Onion Designs. I colored in with my copics and topped the parfait with glossy accents.

Hell Money

2008-07-17T07:15:00.001-07:00

Here's another installment of my China Collage Share. This is called "Hell Money". It is traditionally burned at funerals to make sure the deceased has enough to get them through in the afterlife. They use the word "hell" to refer to the underworld; not meaning the same "hell" as we use in Western speech.

Stamping Score!

2008-07-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

I went to the Carson Stamping Convention this weekend and I scored the coolest grab bag ever! Just $30 for a huge bag from http://zettiology.com. How cool is that! It was so good I really wish I had splurged and got the second bag they had, but when I went back an hour later they were all gone! Here's the images I got—$150 worth of stamps for me. I spent my time on Sunday cutting them all out and mounting them. Forgive my sloppy indexing—I got a little lazy.It is fun to buy grab bags from good companies because it is like a treasure hunt! Matt was helping me look through them and we both though there was a stamp that looked like a map. Matt said it was probably Europe. I knew he had to be right, so imagine my surprise when I stamped it out and it was Albert Einstein! I laughed out loud! I am so glad I got two of him in the bag—I've always wanted an Albert stamp so now I have double!

Is that eye cool or what!? I had no idea what it was going to be. I thought maybe a sailboat or something. I stamped it and turned it around and around until it was the right side and there I saw the eye! Surprise!
The stamp with the Asian characters on the bottom left is what made me get this bag instead of the other one. I love Asian stuff so I thought it looked good. The other one had an Egypt stamp in it with Horus so I really wish I had that one too. But Asian is cooler than Egypt on the "Llama Cool Scale" ha ha!

Comic Relief

2008-07-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here's another set of images for our Chinese Collage Share. These came out of a small booklet I bought on Cat Street in Hong Kong. It is some sort of mini comic book with each page telling part of the story. I'm not quite sure what it's about, but I love the illustrations.

Feel free to save these to your hard-drive by clicking on the images to enlarge and then right-clicking to save. Enjoy printing them out to use on your collage. I hope you make something and post a link here to share!

Click on the image share link at the bottom of this post to find the rest of the images I am sharing for our Chinese Collage Swap.

Do you like Stamps?

2008-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I happen to love stamps! Both the rubber kind and the postal kind. Here's another image share from my China Collage Swap. Hope you enjoy the stamps! I bought them from a street vendor near the Museum of Macau. I paid wayyyy too much for them (I think about $5, US) but I really loved them.

I also over-paid for a beautiful hand-carved antique ivory skull-head bracelet at the same time. I think I paid $12 for that. I'll post a picture for you all one day. I do love it and actually wear it sometimes, so it was worth the money to me.

Click to see the large image and right-click to save it!

Oliver ATC

2008-06-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, funny! I found this unposted ATC that I did for a "cat" swap a couple of months ago. When I made it I racked my brains searching for the perfect name for an orange kitty. Little did I know that I would soon have an orange kitty named Oliver (Ollie!) And we just got him by chance, too! I knew I really wanted a boy kitty and he was the only boy in the little so he was destined to be mine!

Stamp by Stampin' Up! Couch is hand-drawn, papers by foofala (I think!)

Kitten Update

2008-06-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked how the kittens are doing. As you can see they have settled in just fine and they now own us!

They play like wild demons until they pass out from sheer exhaustion. I'm glad we got them both so they could play together. When they are apart they will cry until the other one comes near.

Little Boo is the brave one, even though she is smallest. Whatever she does first, Ollie will follow. She hunts hard, plays hard and sleeps hard. When she sleeps it is like all the bones fall out of her body and she goes limp and just purrs like an angel. Don't let her tiny face fool you as she is hiding behind her brother. There is a reason her nickname is "Destructress" as you can see in the next photo.

Can you tell one of their favorite play toys? They love to play in the shutters. Boo loves to hang off them like a monkey. Little Ollie is getting a bit of a belly as he is growing so it is harder now for him to wedge himself into the shutters but that doesn't stop him! I will be glad when they are both too big to get in there because I have to be careful they don't accidentally tear the screen while they are chasing each other and looking at butterflies outside.

Here's sweet Ollie sleeping. Isn't he an angel? He and Matt have really bonded. Ollie likes to sit with Matt and watch TV. Kitty purrs at the drop of a hat; even if he's eating or playing he will purr. He's a happy little thing that just wants the kitty "good life." I think he has it, what do you think?

2008-06-16T07:07:00.001-07:00

Well, since I am taking so long with my image shares, I figured I would give you the "big whammy" next! Here are some wonderful images for you to print out. If you right-click on the image above you can save it and print an 8.5 x 11" sheet of these lovely ladies.

I got these vintage cards in Hong Kong in a small antique district called "Cat Street". As romantic as that sounds the street was named because it is narrow and long ago was a great place for thieves and cat-purses! Despite the history, if you go to Hong Kong, you must check out this street! They have lots of thrift-shop and vintage finds if you don't want to take a chance on the pricier (and possibly phony) high-end antiques.

Chinese Collage Swap - Play Along!

2008-06-09T05:56:00.001-07:00

I have a great group of friends I swap with and we have swapped for a few years together. One of the fun type of swaps we do is called a Collage Swap. The hostess will send each participant a package of similar goodies and then we all make something with it. I decided to hostess this time since I came back with such cool items from my vacation.

If you want to play along at home I will be posting spoilers and some images that you could print to use for your own art. If you make something, I'd love to see what you made. Please post a link! The rules we are following are pretty simple: Use at least three of the items (in whole or part) to make an ATC, but feel free to bend the rules or make anything you want. It is so fun to be inspired by what others did with the same items!

Here's what was in my package:
1. A piece cut from a modern map of Hong Kong
2. An old Chinese coin (the kind that is round with a square hole in the middle)
3. Some pages from a small vintage book that looks like a small comic story
4. An old Chinese postage stamp
5. A printed copy of some old Chinese images—each player got a different image
6. "Hell Money" which is fake money that is traditionally burned at a funeral
7. Decorative papers that are also burned at funerals
8. A page from a beautiful book that was illustrated with three drawings per page
9. Some ATC bases; one glossy base and two vintage playing cards from Las Vegas (obviously not from my trip, ha ha!)

Click the image above to see number 7, which I posted for your first image share. Once you can see the larger image, right-click to save to your computer for printing. This is funeral paper so you can give your loved one a good send off to the afterlife. I can't remember all the characters' meanings, but I do remember that part of it is supposed to mean "smooth sailing" which seems like a nice sentiment for a port city. The original papers are printed on soft paper with a metallic foil finish to the center. These were purchased in a small outdoor market on Taipa Island, Macau.

Macau Casinos

2008-06-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Macau is a new gambling capital? It is wilder than Las Vegas and growing even faster. We're not big on gambling, but it is one of the main reasons people go to Macau and one of the few things to do there at night. And since Macau is so small, you can't help but walk through the casino areas on your way to the sites. This first picture is of the Wynn and MGM which we didn't see inside.

We went inside several casinos but unfortunately, they won't let you take pictures. The nice thing is that there's free air-conditioning and free bottled water inside. Well, almost free; I ended up gambling about $75 away while we were there. That ends up to be about $8 American, which is still a lot of money to waste on air-conditioning, ha ha!

My favorite building was the New Lisboa. It is a grand and crazy-looking structure that looks like a stylized Lotus flower, the symbol for the city. It was also explained to me that it was a dragon head; perfectly poised to eat the Wynn Casino! The bridge that connects Macau and Taipa islands serves as the dragon's backbone and his tail is a carved wall that runs up the hill on the side of Taipa Island. I love the symbolism of it all and the crazy-cool modern architectural vision of the building.

Unfortunately, it was my least-favorite casino inside. It was garish and overdone with no style whatsoever. It was covered with shiny things of different sizes, shapes and colors. Nothing matched, except in the contest to be the most gaudy thing ever. But the air was cool and the water was free!

This is the old Casino Lisboa. It is another crazy building that reminds me of old Vegas from the sixties. Wacky, kitchy and a little funky. It had that retro-Vegas feel inside too; full of black marble and gilded mirrors. Stylish with its own old-school fashion. And how could you not love its crazy charm?

The Venetian is on Taipa Island, tucked away from the other casinos, but it's worth looking into. It is the largest casino in the world and the second-largest building in the world. It is 50% bigger than the Venetian in Las Vegas. It was kind of stunning to be inside of it. I was really overwhelmed at how big it was and how *much* of everything there was.

We got lost inside the casino trying to find our way out and back to Matt's parents. I walked for miles it seemed to find the ladies room; past hundreds of slots and a band playing some old 80's tunes. I was distracted by all the lights and sounds and colors and it was a little too much for me.

There is a mall upstairs with top-quality shops and I think it was bigger than South Coast Plaza, our local upscale mall here at home. There is of course; an indoor canal system and it was a little eerie and beautiful to hear them singing as they wound their boats through the system; like bats trying to use sonar to find their way home. I loved the canals, but I was thrilled to leave the casino and head back to our hotel.

Identity Theft?

2008-06-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

I got a funny email with a bunch of animal pictures in it with matching animals of different types. These two were my favorite—can you guess why?

Meet Boo!

2008-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

So we couldn't resist the sweetness of the little black and white kitty. Matt suggested "Boo" if it was a black kitty and he didn't like my suggestion of "Molly" so we decided to call her Boo! She is just a little darling and so is Ollie. They are quickly taking over our home to make it theirs.

We're expecting. . . KITTENS!

2008-05-30T12:14:00.001-07:00

Oh yes—it is finally time—KITTEN TIME!

We are both so excited and tonight we are driving to Whittier to pick up our new friends. We are getting a little boy orange tabby that we will call Oliver, or Ollie for short. And we will choose between two black girl kitties; one all black and one with a little white. It will be hard to decide. I'll let you know later who we get. Feel free to add your name suggestions. Thanks to his current "human housekeeper and personal kitty servant" for this cute little photo of Ollie to share!

Obsessed with Color

2008-05-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been obsessed with color? Can you guess the direction of my latest obsession? Photos from my vacation in Macau.

First glimpse of Macau

2008-05-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's our second night of vacation. Our first day was spent flying and checking into a room in Hong Kong. The next morning we got up and the guys got fitted for their suits in HK. Then we boarded the ferry for Macau. We got there in time for dinner with friends at the hotel. Here is the awesome view from our room. We actually stayed on the bottom island, Taipa; which is right by the University so we could see across the bay to Macau Island and see the new casinos. Isn't it pretty?

Our whole excuse for this vacation was so my Father-In-Law could guest lecture at the U of Macau and we could all visit with his professor friend, Henry. We got to spend lots of time with Henry and his wife, Miho. They were great hosts and tour guides.

A Bad Day to Live Through Twice

2008-05-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been pretty scarce because we were on vacation in Hong Kong (yaaay!) I'll write more about that later, but First I will whine about the woes of traveling. You see when you fly from US to Asia, you cross the International Date line and you lose a day. When you fly back to US you gain the day back. So we left Hong Kong on Monday at 12:30 PM and we arrived in Los Angeles on Monday at 9:30 AM; 3 hours before we left. How's that for time-travel?

But it was a day nobody wants to live through twice; even if you like Mondays. My first Monday consisted of a workout at the hotel gym, packing and rushing to get a bite before we left to the airport and then a grueling 12-hour flight back to LA. We fly economy, of course, and there is nothing like being cramped in a plane when you can't sleep and you finished your good book in two hours with 10 hours to go. But we made it through the first Monday and finally landed—home at last.

But it was not a good Monday at home either. My Great-Aunt died when I was on vacation, and her funeral was at 1pm that afternoon. So we made it just in time (actually 10 minutes late) for her funeral and of course that was sad and emotionally draining. We were both exhausted wrecks and could barely make the drive without falling asleep. And we were in our airplane clothes; which for Matt meant a t-shirt and USC shorts. I didn't think about it until later, but I wonder what people thought about that. Hopefully they were forgiving and understood that at least we had made it to see my favorite aunt to her rest. If not, well then too bad; we did what we could. I know that our close family members understood and were glad to see us no matter what we looked like. And that's all that really matters.

So that was my Monday and my Monday Redux. I'm glad we made it through and I will never have to live that day over again.

Another Bathroom Story!

2008-04-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

So what is it with me and bathrooms? I swear I have a bathroom jinx or something. I was traveling this week for work. I had to go to the restroom after I picked up my luggage. The handicapped (extra-large) stall was occupied, so I squoze myself into a regular stall, along with my laptop, briefcase, coat, and my suitcase. The problem was that somehow I got everything in there, but I couldn't open the door to get out! Yep—there I was trapped in the airport bathroom and I couldn't get the door open because my suitcase was in the way. I was jammed in the corner trying to squeeze my bag so the door would open around it. Nothing worked. Finally I had to put my suitcase on the floor and mash it down and push it under the door, inch by inch. Once it was outside the stall I could open the door and get out. Of course, my suitcase was covered in bathroom cooties, but at least I was free and I could breathe a sigh of relief as I ran to catch my shuttle!

Now just in case you're the kind of person who wonders what kind of moron wouldn't go to the bathroom first *before* they got their suitcase, I would like to assure you that I did go first, but the shuttle took so darn long that I had to go again! Sigh—travel is rough!

Copic Comparison

2008-04-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some comparison details of Alcohol Based Markers. This information is written to the best of my knowledge. I own each of these types, so have been able to compare them at home. I have supplemented the info with research from online and brochures. Please let me know if I have made any errors.

Prisamacolor
+ Cheapest (< $25 for 12 at Dick Blick) + Sold at M's with coupon

+ 156 colors

+ Easy to use brush & fine point like SU! markers
+ Coordinates with same colors of Prismacolor Pencils

- My least favorite marker shape - too bulky to use easily
- Hard to tell which end is broad/fine
- Lids hard to remove
- Case is opaque and hard to remove lid
- Stinkier
- Less light-fast—will fade faster

Fine Tip
Chisel Tip

Copic Sketch + Ciao
+ Easy to see which end is brush/chisel
+ Nice clear plastic case
+ Easy to find at online Scrap & Stamp stores!
+ Nicely named color scheme makes it easy to choose
+ 322 Colors
+ More shades of grey
+ More light-fast

Brush Tip
Chisel Tip

Copic Sketch

+ Sets to coordinate with Stampin' Up colors (Ellen Hutson.com)

+ Shape is flat so it won't roll

+ Color listed on top of lid
+ Holds more ink
+ Compatible with Airbrush out of box

- Most expensive (~$60 for 12)

- Harder to fit into case since they're oval

- Changing chisel to fine point is expensive

Copic Ciao
+ Cheaper (~$50 for 12)

+ Easier to hold

+ Smaller case
+ Easier to fit into case since they're round
+ Compatible with Airbrush with modification (put dimensional foam dots on can.)

- No fine point tip available

All

Replaceable Tip

Refillable

Alcohol Ink based (can use on plastic or glass)

Acid-free when dry

268 Steps - My Motivation

2008-03-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest motivation for working out! Yep--268 steps to see the giant Buddha in Hong Kong. I have to see him and oh, I hope those steps don't kill us. We are expecting 80 degree temperatures and 80% humidity! And 268 steps.

So we have been working out three times a week since January to train for this big event. I am just barely starting to see any results--I'm guessing it's because I'm in such bad shape. No, really; I'm probably the worst-shape person you know! I have asthma and have barely exercised in the last 10 years due to some health issues and problems with my feet. But I am ready to get back into shape again (I mean, some shape besides "round", LOL!)

It is hard because just doing the elliptical for a half hour makes all my muscles sore (even my back for some reason, and I don't even use the hand part of the machine) And my feet just ache and I limp the next day from it. But I am doing it anyways. At first when we started I would do it as easy as possible and not push myself at all. I have had trouble in the past with getting sick whenever I try to work out. I guess it just pushes my poor body past its last reserve. (pathetic, huh?) So I kept it easy and kept it up. I was angry at first; really angry every time we had to work out. I mean, I would feel rage about going there and I can't even explain it. I would scowl and sulk, even though it was my choice and I know I need to do this.

After about 4 weeks I stopped feeling angry and after another few weeks I don't even dread going. So after two months, that's my progress--I don't hurt *as* much and I'm not so angry. I still almost died climbing a hill in San Diego 2 weeks ago. I still have not lost even one ounce. My pants are still too tight. We walked on the beach yesterday and I still ached all over. But Matt said he noticed I was breathing a little easier on our walk and I stopped less. So progress is slim and slow but at least there is progress.

So say a prayer for me that I don't have a heart attack or pass out or something when I go to see the big Buddha on our vacation--I gotta get up there for the photo ops!

Llama Tales- Tales from the Laughing Llama

Studio Stampers February Blog Hop

Penny Black Valentines

New Product Blog Hop

Sneak Preview - Day 15

Sneak Preview - Day 14

Sneak Preview - Day 13

Sneak Preview - Day 12

Spotlight Ends Tuesday Night!

Farewell Old Friends

Sneak Preview - Day 11

Sneak Preview - Day 10

Sneak Preview - Day 9

Sneak Preview - Day 8

Sneak Preview - Day 7

Sneak Preview - Day 6

Sneak Preview - Day 5

Sneak Preview - Day 4

Sneak Preview - Day 3

Sneak Preview - Day 2

Sneak Preview!

Studio Stampers Blog Hop - January

Memory Box Holiday

Marker Mondays - September Part III

Marker Mondays - September Part II

In Remembrance

Studio Stampers September Blog Hop

Marker Mondays - September Part I

Holiday Catalog Blog Hop

Marker Mondays - August Part IV

Goosebumps Cards

Studio Stampers Blog Hop

2011 A Muse Studio Holiday Catalog

A*MUSE*A*PALOOZA DAYS ARE HERE!

Marker Mondays - August Part III

Marker Mondays - August Part II

Sneak Preview!

Marker Mondays

Memory Box Collection

July 10th Blog Hop

A Muse Studio Blog Hop

A Muse Studio Blog Hop

Bunny Love!

Birthday Blog Hop

Operation Write Home Memorial Weekend Blog Hop

One Card - three color schemes!

Happy Birthday, Moira!

A Muse Studio Card

A Muse Studio Stamping Workshop Open House

Hero Arts Luscious Cards

Two Cats

Contest for a Cause!

Someone put a hex on me!

Happy Whisky with Chocolat

Continental Breakfast, Anyone?

J-Sign

Embroidered Napkins

Another Frame-up

ATC set

I've been framed!

Stamptoberfest

August CFH Bloghop

Memorial Day CFH Bloghop

Baby Fever!

Sunshine

Hong Kong Trinkets & Treasures

Dreams

White Ink Samples

Aeronaut

Guess what I did?

Home is where my heart is

Some pink to cheer a rainy day

No Tzatziki Sauce!

All Day Marker Class

Picture to make you laugh!

Pictures to make you smile!

Vintage Collage Swap

Vintage Collage Swap

Hey, Ma! Guess what I made!?

Kitty Goodness!

AMUSEA*PALOOZA DAYS ARE HERE!