Cricut Cuts + Stamps = Awesome!

Seriously am CRAZY about these new A Muse Studio stamps! But how about combining TWO of my favorite things...A Muse stamps and Cricut cuts?! Totally perfect! I thought this cut (from Sweet Treats) and the"Happy Birthday to You" stamp work wonderfully together. Actually, the stamp reminds me of a rub-on because of the super-clean image. Love it!

Love this card too? Why not host your own A Muse Studio workshop and earn the products to create it for FREE!!! Contact me to learn more! Or buy the kit to complete the card on my Etsy shop (COMING SOON). Thanks for visiting!

Some more...

Supplies: Cardstock - Ocean (blue), Lichen (green), Sugar (white), Onyx (black); Brad - Onyx; Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Stamps - Rock Star

A Muse Studio Samples!

Welcome to the wonderful world of A Muse Studio! If you're a card-maker like me chances are you have heard of A Muse... They previously sold wood-mounted stamps and accessories to independent retail stores. As of March 2011, though, they converted to a home-based company (much to my delight). I was one of the first to sign up to represent the products as an A Muse Studio Creative Consultant! How exciting! Today I had a little time to create samples using the awesome products received in my starter kit. Keep in mind that this is just a SAMPLER of stamps and accessories available. Check out my website to shop online or to learn more: www.amusestudio.com/lauraleland

Supplies: Cardstock - Lichen (green), French Roast (brown), Sugar (white); Ribbon - 1/4" stitched grosgrain in French Roast; Ink - French Roast; Stamps - Beautiful Botanicals 2 (branch) and Loving Memories (sympathy); Other - Twinkle Stickers and Flower (from Meadow Mix collection)

For the LOVE of border punches!

As you probably already have realized, I am totally in love with border punches (and am not afraid to admit it). Yes, they do work fantastically for punch borders...as the name implies...but they are also excellent for creating accent pieces. One of my favorite techniques is creating a "background" by punching various styles in the same or closely related shades of cardstock. In a previous post, I used this technique on a scrapbook page using black on black. I love that look since it gives the page a textured feel while still being subtle and letting the picture(s) shine! I did a similar look on this card. This time, though, I used a much different shade of paper to punch the stripes thereby creating a more patterned background. Adding strips of a Basic Grey patterned paper also brought in some fun color and texture. I absolutely adore this look and will probably continue to use it for years to come! Plus, this is a wonderful way to utilize those scraps!!!

Love those Flowers! (#2)

Okay, so the design is not too different from layout #1, but it's pretty cute in its own right. I used an overlay that I've had practically forever as the title. And to spruce it up without adding too much pattern, I used my awesome lace border punch. I'll warn you...using this punch requires getting tiny little punched out dots ALL OVER your workspace. But if you're like me, the more mess you make, the better the pages turn out.

Also, you can see I only used one of the flowers from the set on this one. It's probably my favorite design in the bunch. To add a little layer, I also diecut small circles and popped them up on mini foam squares. This allowed me to make the flowers more dimensional by pulling up the edges a bit before slipping the page into the protector.

Supplies: Paper - black cardstock (Bazzill), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), yellow/pink "painted" background (Basic Grey), pink floral (Crate), Misc. scraps for punched flowers; Accents - "Love" overlay (Creative Imaginations); brads (Doodlebug, Making Memories), photo corners (Heidi Swapp for Advantus); Tools - flower diecuts (Cuttlebug), circle diecuts (Nestabilities), lace border punch (Martha Stewart)

Flower diecut - two ways

I love my Cuttlebug. Just love it. People may say that the Cricut machine is a better investment...but at less than $60, let me tell you, a Cuttlebug is SOOOOO worth it! And to show you what I mean, I'm showcasing two pages done with the same flower diecut set. I believe I purchased this set at Michael's with a readily-available 40% coupon. Probably ended up being $10 or less. Just think about the value per use of that! Awesome.

Anyway, saw a page in one of my Scrapbooks Etc. magazines - either last issue or the one before - where the page background was done in kraft and border punches were used (in the same kraft tone) to overlap and create a texture. Loved the idea and just had to try it. A muted black worked better for me with the colors in the photo, so I pulled out several punches and went to town. The trick is to make sure you have AT LEAST two sheets of the same tone. This creates the awesome dimension but in a super subtle way. I also cut some plain strips to mingle in with the fancy borders. Rather than some fancy embellishments which may have been a distraction to the super adorable photo, I used textured cardstock and my handy flower diecuts. For a little extra pop, I didn't glue the flowers done. Rather, I used brads to fasten them only in the middle and then tucked the edges up with my finger. Also, the one flower style comes with a background which worked perfectly to tie-back the black. All in all a super fast and simple page. So easy too!

Supplies: Paper - (black) My Minds Eye, (black cardstock) Bazzill Basics, (blue cardstock) Core'dinations; Tools - (flower diecut) Cuttlebug, (lace, double-dot border punch) Martha Stewart, (scallop with dot, deco-edge) Fiskars or EK Success?; Accents - (black brads) Doodlebug, (plastic letters) American Crafts

Stay tuned for page #2 using the same flower diecut set.

Ink-tastic!

I am a huge fan of ink. The kind that gets all over your fingers...and inevitably your face and maybe even your clothes. And, no, I don't think it can only be used for antiquing; it's a simple addition to a page that just adds...that finishing touch. Inking works especially great with black and white or sepia-toned pictures. I'm not sure why except that perhaps it brings out the crispness in the photo. In any event, I used ink generously in the page below. My favorite (and BTW super easy) technique involves taking a sponge and dabbing it directly on the ink pad. Then take the sponge and rub it directly against the edge of your paper. Simple. Sometimes messy, but very easy to do. Usually I end up doing this on all the edges on my page. It's a little time-consuming, but very worth it. Trust me.

How completely adorable is this baby? I mean, really! And the page...pretty cute too, if I must say so myself.

Supply List: Paper - (Pink Floral and Off-white Damask) Crate papers, (Paisley/Floral) Basic Grey, (Teal polka dot) Bo Bunny, (cream cardstock) Michaels, (brown cardstock) Bazzill Basics; Accents - (Paper flowers) Martha Stewart, (pink gem accent) Prima Marketing; Tools - (border punch) Martha Stewart; ("little one" diecut lettering) "Jolly" by Quickutz; Other - (Ink) Staz On

Photo by Angi Randall