Z is for Zoo!

The Grand Finale in my alphabet series! *grin* I just love all the A Muse animals and it was so fun to put several of them together. The Martha Stewart Crafts Starburst punch was a birthday present (thanks Mom!) and I thought it would make the perfect sun! Hope you've enjoyed my alphabet series as much as I've enjoyed creating and sharing it with you!
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Images by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Summer Sun cardstock. Adirondack Pitch black ink, Palette Hybrid ink Burnt Umber, Colorbox Fluid chalk Tangerine; Prismacolor markers in Sunburst Yellow, Mineral Orange, Orange, Ash Grey, Cinnamon Toast, Apple Green, Crimson Red, Light Cerulean Blue, and Eggshell; ribbon, dimensionals, Martha Stewart Crafts 1" Starburst punch.

Y is for Yo-Yo!

I came up with the yo-yo for my son's alphabet cards and thought it'd be fun to do a little more with the idea. To make the yo-yo, I punched two 1 1/2" cardstock circles and adhered a clear sticker to one of them. Then used my crop-a-dile to punch a 1/8" hole in the center for the brad. I adhered one circle to the card and then attached the second one over it with a dimensional. So when you look at it from the side - there are two sides with the string in the middle just like a real yo-yo!
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Images and clear sticker by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Ruby Red cardstock, Fluid chalk ink Ice blue, Palette Hybrid ink Starry Night, Circle punches, American Crafts brad, white crochet thread, dimensionals.

X is for Xylophone

When I was thinking about words for letter "X", xylophone came to mind. I remembered my son's Little Tikes piano and thought it would make a cute card - similar in concept to my drum design. Instead of using quilling paper on the ends of the sticks, I thought beads might work. And I was happy to find that they fit perfectly on the toothpicks! Wouldn't this make a cute card for a music teacher?

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Images by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Yo-Yo Yellow, Green Galore, Ballet Blue, Real Red, Only Orange, and black cardstock; Palette hybrid ink Noir, Colorbox Fluid chalk Yellow Citrus, SU copper brads, 1/8" circle punch, toothpicks, beads, ribbon, EK success music note punch.

W is for Woof!

Patch and his pals!!! There's a new dog park near us with a great kids play area in one portion of the park. So one day while we were there, it occurred to me that it was the perfect setting to put all the A Muse dogs together! Can you believe, this is the first time I've used the new A Muse pup Sniffer!? Such a cutie and I *had* to give him a studded collar. And of course the doggie bag is sporting a stylish paper-pieced argyle and some bling. Poor Patch didn't get any bling, but he does have a shiny wet nose courtesy of my Sakura Glaze pen. The grass is Pebbles shimmer chalk and the clouds are chalk ink direct-to-paper. To make the clouds... just punch out some post-it note circles in a few different sizes and line them up so they overlap a bit. Tape them so they stay together and then use them as a mask!

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Images, Cottage Brown Argyle notecard, and Twinkle Stickers by A Muse. White cardstock, Palette Hybrid ink - Noir and Chartreuse, StazOn black, Fluid Chalk ink - Ice Blue, Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan, Dark Brown. Pebbles shimmer chalk and Versamark, Prismacolor Light Walnut marker, Pigma Micron black pen, Sakura black glaze pen.

V is for Violets

Here is a thank-you card I made using the sketch for this week's design challenge. It is always fun to play along (not for entries into the challenge of course)! I love this sketch and actually use it (or a modified version of it) pretty frequently. The flowers and sentiment are both from the new Personal Stationery clear set. Then I used a green pen to draw the stems of the flowers. The little bow is adhered with a glue dot folded in half.

Also - fyi, there are a bunch of fun new designs over in the A Muse design studio today!

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Images by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Almost Amethyst and Garden Green cardstock. Patterned paper: Autumn Leaves Fusion Cotton Blossom, Palette Hybrid ink Violette, cream crochet thread, Creative Memories green journaling pen, mini scallop scissors.

U is for UFO

A quick birthday card for my letter "U" post today. I used glow-in-the dark Art Glitter over the lime green on the top and bottom of the UFO. Of course my son and I had to test it - and are happy to report that it really does *glow*!
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Images, notecard, and twinkle stickers by A Muse. White cardstock, Palette Hybrid ink Noir, Prismacolor markers, Marvy scallop oval punch, SU dimensionals, Art Glitter and Sakura Quickie glue pen.

T is for Tigger (sneak peek)

Thought it'd be fun to play along for A Muse challenge 2 (no black ink). I think this is the first time I've used blue in place of black and in this case it gave the images a little extra *pop*. So here is a sneak peek of the new A Muse Tiger stamp which I used as Tigger bouncing around while Rabbit watches. You can see my other two "Pooh" inspired designs here and here. I couldn't resist the grass scissors when I saw this cute card by Becky.
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Images by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Gable Green and Green Galore cardstock. Palette Hybrid ink Starry Night and Orangerie. SU white craft ink, Pebbles shimmer chalk, SU grosgrain ribbon, Prismacolor markers in Orange and Canary Yellow, ProvoCraft Grass scissors, 1.5" circle punch.

S is for Swimmer (sneak peek!)

Here is a "simple swimmer summer sneak peek" for you! (Try saying that ten times fast!) I just *love* this new A Muse swimmer from the summer release. I was on a synchonized swim team in high school and use to swim endless laps. Here I used the stick from the new pinwheel stamp for the diving board. Then inked just "splash" from the "splish splash" stamp for the sentiment. I thought about adding more to it, but decided there was something very relaxing about it this way. Sometimes super simple is best!
Images and notecard by A Muse. Palette Hybrid ink Noir, Pink and Eggshell Prismacolor markers, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter and Sakura quickie glue pen.

R is for Really Cool Big News!

A Muse just launched the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA 2007 website! Check it out to get the scoop and register! Make sure to check out the blog too where there will be games, challenges, prizes, and more as we count down the weeks to A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA 2007!

Q is for Quartet

Not exactly a typical quartet, that's for sure! This is for my brother for his birthday next week. He's an artist and a bass guitarist in a local rock band so he should get a kick out of it. I was planning to use just the Rock Star stamp by himself, then I thought - "he needs a band!" There are two A Muse summer release sneak peeks in disguise here for you. The vocalist is really Makenna, the lollipop girl. I extended the line on her lollipop to make a microphone stand. Her dress was inspired by Annette Strean of Venus Hum in her "I Feel Love" performance with Blue Man Group. I pieced her dress by stamping her on a separate sheet, coloring the stripes, cutting out just the dress, and adhering it over the image on the card - so that if I messed up the stripes I could redo it without ruining the whole thing! The drummer is part of the new Gymnasts stamp. I gave him some drum sticks and drew a little drum set around him - just penciled it in, went over it with a Pigma Micron pen and then erased the pencil.
Big news is coming soon - stay tuned!
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Images by A Muse. White cardstock, SU Real Red cardstock, Adirondack Pitch Black ink, SU Going Grey ink, Pigma Micron black pens (005 and 05), ProvoCraft scallop scissors. Prismacolor Crimson Red, black, Cinnamon Toast, 10% Cool Grey, Goldenrod, Eggshell, and Walnut markers. Prismacolor Crimson Red, Canary Yellow, and Apple Green pencils.

P is for Piper

My cousin, Piper, is a beginning stamper and her birthday is this summer. Thought I'd put together a box of yummy stamping goodies for her along with this card.

I've been stamping alot this week for some deadlines. Sooo fun but none of it is stuff I can share yet. Ooo and I was tagged by MJ Weston. I am feeling a little drained creatively right now, so I'm just gonna link you to my answers from a blog tag game in October that was sorta similar. Hope that's OK! Have a great weekend!

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Images by A Muse. Autumn Leaves Rhonna Farrer Scribbles Enchanted Dotty Black Pattern Paper. White cardstock, SU Cool Carribean, Certainly Celery, and Regal Rose cardstocks. Palette Hybrid ink Noir, Pearl Effects, SU Dazzling Diamonds, small scallop scissors, circle punch, EK Success Whale of a Punch flower, white Sharpie Poster Paint marker, dimensionals.

O is for Oyster

For my Mom for Mother's Day! It is very sparkly and pearly in person! I scored and folded the blossom cardstock and then punched all but the edge of a scallop oval. This is the Marvy exta jumbo scallop oval that is retired, but is coming back soon in the clever lever style (thanks for the scoop Lisa)! Next I spritzed some water on the punched oval and pressed my thumb into the top and bottom to give it a little shape. I mixed Lumiere with reinkers and then painted both sides of the oyster for a pearly sheen. The sand was made with the wide end of Prismacolor marker and then covered with glitter after stamping the seaweed with two colors of green. The sentiment is one of the new A Muse Spring stamps and normally says "I treasure your friendship". I carefully inked it to say "I treasure you". My mom works in the jewelry industry, so I know she will just *treasure* this (grin)!

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Images and Cabana blue notecard by A Muse. SU Blush Blossom cardstock, white cardstock. SU reinkers in Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, and Mellow Moss (for back of oyster). Fluid Chalk ink in Lime Pastel, Olive Pastel and Ice Blue. Marvy extra jumbo scallop oval punch, Lumiere super sparkle, K&Company adhesive pearls, Fiskars wave scissors, Prismacolor Sand marker, SU Dazzling Diamonds.

N is for Name Frame

Thought I'd try something a little different for Kara and Ross (who are getting married soon). Their last name is ten letters long! I've done nine letters, but ten is a stretch without angling and overlapping the letters a little. And I soooo didn't want to go on a hunt for a larger frame, so I decided to use their first names with an acetate overlay and the "&" symbol in the middle. The acetate "clings" to the tags, but I wanted to make sure it would stay put, so the eyelet and bow are holding it in place. They have neutral colors in their home, so I chose neutrals for their frame as well. Can you believe this is the first time I've used my SU Treehouse paper and I've had it since the new catalog came out!? OK, I am off to fix the bow on Kara's name because it is bugging me that it isn't laying straight (lol!) Have a great weekend!
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Images by A Muse (polka dot lowercase large letters), white cardstock, SU Treehouse designer paper, SU window sheet (clear acetate), Palette Hybrid Noir, Fluid Chalk Creamy Brown, black crochet thread, SU black eyelet, ribbon, Walmart frame.

M is for More Margaritas!

Loved Michelle's idea of using Stickles AND dazzling diamonds for salting the rim so I had to try it! I used just glitter for the rim on my other card and the Stickles definitely makes it pop more! I wanted to tone down the patterned paper a bit and make it look a little "icy", so I used a vellum overlay which I adhered with glue dots in various spots. Because of the pattern on the paper, you can't even see the glue dots - love it!
Images by A Muse, white cardstock, black cardstock, Autumn Leaves Rhonna Farrer Scribbles Enchanted Dotty Green patterned paper, Pallette Hybrid ink Noir, Staz on black, Marvy Super Jumbo circle punch, Prismacolor marker, Stickes, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, glue dots.

L is for Love

Thought it'd be fun to give the tennis gal a net. I tried several possibilities and this ribbon seemed to work best. And I just *love* it when I look through my word stamps and find one that fits perfectly!

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Images, notecards, and twinkle sticker by A Muse. Palette Hybrid ink Noir, Prismacolor Eggshell marker, May Arts ribbon, SU dimensionals.

K is for Kids Cards

Stickers and Jelly Beans were loosing their excitement for my son for potty training so I needed something new as a reward. I thought about baseball cards and after looking at the selection at Target, decided to make some fun alphabet cards instead. These are rewarding and educational at the same time! They are the same size as ATCs and fit perfectly in trading card storage pages. They were fun and easy to make and so far he loves earning them!

Images by A Muse, white cardstock, Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink, Palette Hybrid ink, Stickles, Pigma Micron pens.

J is for Just a Note

I've wanted to create an office theme card for a while and couldn't resist when I saw these curly braces in the A*Muse Barney clear set! Inspired by SU Office Accoutrement and SU Notations designer paper... I used the Crop-a-dile to punch the role of holes down the left edge - love that you can set the hole depth to easily punch the same distance from the edge. I wrapped some wire around a pencil to form the spiral and then threaded it through the holes. A folded scrap of green and a corner rounder simulate a tab. Then I made faux spiral punch holes on the white layer using a square hand punch and a few snips with scissors.
Images by A Muse (Barney uppercase large letters and Stitched Numbers clear sets, Gerber daisy, Just a Note). SU cardstock, Fluid Chalk ink, Palette Hybrid ink, Prismacolor marker, staple, corner rounder, white micro binder clip, 1/8" circle and square hand punches, wire, dimensionals, Art Glitter and Sakura Quickie glue pen.

I is for I

Thought it'd be fun to post a bonus card for ya (see earlier post below)! So here's one using all three sizes of A*Muse lowercase polka dot letters. I cut two slits on either side of the letter i for the ribbon (thanks Nichole!) Then trimmed a scrap of Surf with scallop scissors, added some marker and glitter for a sparkly edge, and adhered it to the larger layer.

Images and notecards by A Muse. Palette Hybrid ink in Belle Rose, VersaMagic Chalk ink in Sea Breeze, Prismacolor marker - Deco blue, Sharpie poster paint white marker, American Crafts Elements brad, 1.5" and 1/8" circle punches, SU dimensionals, Provocraft scallop scissors, Art Glitter and Sakura Quickie glue pen.

I is for It's Your Day

I started this design thinking it would be a wedding card, but quickly realized that it would work even better for a bridal shower, birthday, or mother's day!
Images by A Muse, white cardstock, SU mellow moss cardstock, patterned paper: Autumn Leaves Fusion Cotton Blossom, Palette Hybrid ink Noir, Prismacolor marker, ribbon, dimensionals.

H is for Hoppy April

I made a whole 12 month set of these CD calendar cards for my Mom for Christmas. (She loved them and has them on her desk at work.) The blank calendars are some I printed on cardstock, but I have also seen them at Impress and some templates on SCS. I decided to use very few layers and embellishments so they would all lay flat and fit in the case. This meant using mainly color, masking, and glitter! For this one, I cut out one tiny egg and adhered it over the heart on the "bunny love" stamp. Then the grass and sun are Fluid Chalk direct-to-paper (DTP).
Images by A Muse. SU Confetti white cardstock, black ink, Fluid Chalk ink, PC.