One Stamp, Two Ways

I love showing the versatility of stamp sets.  Unlike paper and embellishments, stamps can be used virtually an infinite amount of times; this fact makes them pretty cost effective!  In the spirit of thriftiness then, I am showcasing one stamp, two ways.

Option 1:
This version is bright and fun.  It's perfect for a thank you, special occasion, birthday, or just because.  I used one of my favorite techniques, emboss resist, to create the honeycomb strip.

*All products used are A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Hexagon Background, Charming Gardeners, and Essential Sentiments

Other Products Used: Embossing Powder, Splash! spray ink, Memento dye ink, Copic markers, Twinkle stickers, Cardstock, and Patterned Cardstock.

Option 2:
This version is more subtle and perfect for a sympathy or get well card.  As you'll notice, I used similar techniques and products, but the end result is completely different!

*All products used are A Muse Studio.

Stamps: Hexagon Background, Charming Gardeners, and Friend to Friend

Other Products Used: Signature Pigment inks, Copic markers, Twinkle stickers, Cardstock, Baker's Cording, and Nestabilities die cut (with Grand Calibur machine).

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Spring is Here!

Spring is finally here...or maybe I should say WAS here.  At least that's the case for us up here in Western Wisconsin.  50's over the weekend and a spring snow storm in the forecast for Friday.  Figures.  Regardless, the warm temperatures have got us in the mood for being outdoors!  And around here, spring means getting your bike out of storage and going on a ride.  I created this card with that feeling in mind.

I absolutely love playing with Splash! products.  As you've seen, the emboss resist technique is one of my favorite and I used it here.  

To create the card, I first cut a card base from Pistachio cardstock and a layering base from Sugar cardstock.  Then, using the "Chevrons" stamp set, I added two images in Versamark ink.  I coated the images with Sugar embossing powder, removed excess, and heat embossed.  The next step is the FUN part - Splash! time.  I picked out a few colors I thought would be fun together....these colors are so trendy right now: pistachio, lemon whip, and grapefruit.  There's no good way to describe how I achieved the effect, except that you spray from about 5-6 inches away and aim at the paper - I did these randomly with all three colors, leaving a little white showing at the top.  The ink will not adhere to the embossed portions, so I used a baby wipe to remove it.  It's best to wait until the ink has settled and dried on the paper a bit so as not to smudge the "sprayed" effect.  I love gold with these colors so I used it as my other ink color.  I stamped the sentiment from the "Birthday Greetings" set in Versamark and embossed with gold powder; this was done directly on the layer base.  Next, I stamped the bike image from "Enjoy the Ride" on vellum cardstock using the same ink and powder.  I handcut the image and adhered it to the base using a dot runner.  Finally, I stamped a saying from the "Enjoy the Ride" set on an extra piece of Sugar cardstock and trimmed the edges to create a banner effect, placing it just below the main sentiment at an angle.  

Voila.  Cute, don't you think?!  Thanks for stopping!

Mini Card Madness

I'm a total sucker for all things miniature - cards being no exception.  There is just something completely adorable about a 2x2 or 3x3 card.  Plus, if you like instant gratification, cranking out a number of cards that size means you'll have a lot to show for yourself in very little time.  A Muse Studio offers a variety of sets that lend themselves to creating matching cards and so I took the opportunity to create a set of world traveler mini cards using only cardstock, washi tape, stamps, copic markers and black ink.

I think these cards turned out pretty darn cute, don't you?  Plus, I like the idea that their smallness means you can give them as small token for multiple occasions.  Who's day wouldn't be brighter by receiving a mini card?  Mine sure would!

Remember, all these products can be purchased anytime from my A Muse Studio website.  Or if these cards spark your creativity, consider hosting a party and earn FREE* stuff!  Thanks for visiting!

*Free product with qualifying $150+ party - see website for details

Back in Business!

After an extended hiatus (sorry about that) I'm back with some new card ideas.  All these cards feature the amazingly awesome new word dies from A Muse Studio.  Yes, adorable.  And only $5.99 each!  What?!  Click here to buy one or all of them NOW!

My favorite technique is to cut them, stamp them with Versamark ink and then emboss with silver or gold powder.  They look fab!

Okay, I'm so into heat embossing right now.  Old technique - brand new look.  BTW, aren't these colors awesome?  Who'd have thought that orange and light blue would look this great?!

I'm loving the new 6x6 paper available from A Muse Studio too. Such fun patterns in coordinating colors so matching is easy.  Gotta love that!

Do you know how OBSESSED I am with mint right now?!  Totally.  And mint with gold - that's a match made in heaven.  Plus, who doesn't love polka dots...big. fat. gold ones.

Can't get enough chevron!  And here's another one of my favorite techniques - embossing then Splash! ink over the top.  Teal fabulousness.

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Don't forget, I send out a monthly A Muse Studio newsletter so if you'd like to get added to the list and receive notice of sales and specials, email me at laura.leland@gmail.com with your name and contact information.  As always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments.  I love to hear from you!  Thanks for stopping.

Happy V-Day!

After updating my post from yesterday, I had a little time to create.  I hate to say it, but a couple of these took five minutes or less to create!  How awesome is that?

Day 9 -

Another card for the coffee lover in your life!  Seriously, this one takes about 2 minutes to create...and that includes the cutting and stamping.  Love it!

 

Supplies and Instructions:

Cut card base from Kraft cardstock (3 x 8 inches; score at 4 inches).  I used the Crop-A-Dile corner chomper in 1/2 inch on the bottom corners.  (Sidebar: This tool is AWESOME.  It "chomps" through many layers of paper and is easy to use. You can buy it here.)  Stamp the double mug image and the sentiment from "The Perfect Blend" in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Stamp the array from hearts images from "Silver Lining" set in Cherry ink.  Add black/white dot washi tape from the Tuxedo assortment on left border.

 

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Day 10 -

 

I was laying in bed the other night thinking about designs for this Valentine a Day challenge.  Suddenly, I remembered I had a set with animal print with some pretty cute sayings that would work out perfectly!  Plus, I've never cracked open the box.  I'm ashamed...ok, not really.  I buy lots of stuff that takes me FOREVER to use.  Anyway, I thought this one would be fun for the man in your life.  Not so frilly.  Not pink.  Rawr.

 

 

Supplies and Instructions:

Cut card base from Orange Pinstripe cardstock (5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches; score at 4 1/4 inches.)  Cut Onyx Chevron cardstock for bottom border on card front (1 x 5 1/2 inches).  Stamp animal print from "Go Wild" set using Versamark ink on Orange cardstock.  Immediately heat emboss using Onyx embossing powder.  Use punch or die to cut out circle (2 1/2 inch diameter).  Cut block for sentiment from Onyx cardstock (1 1/4 x 3 inches; round corners using 1/2 inch rounder).  Stamp sentiment (from same set) using Versamark ink.  Immediately heat emboss using White embossing powder.  Cut approximately one yard of Orange baker's cording.  Wrap around card twice and knot in front, trimming excess.



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Day 11 -

 

Gotta give credit where it's due...Sherry Czarnecki - you did a fabulous job on your "Sweet on You" card.  So fabulous that I wanted to make one similar but with my own flair.  I love this one because it's got a teen vibe to it.  You could even do it in other colors and add stars or other shapes to make it a totally awesome birthday card.  Again, this one took me virtually no time at all.  Gotta love that!

 

 

Supplies and Instructions:

Cut base from Sugar cardstock (4 7/8 x 7 inches; score at 3 1/2 inches).  Stamp circle pattern from "Rock Star" set in Berry ink.  (Don't forget to stamp randomly and turn your stamp this way and that to create a haphazard pattern.  Also, run off the edges when you stamp...just make sure you've got scraps underneath.  I love these 11x17 grid paper sheets for covering my work surface.  Buy them online.)  Add starburst heart shape from "Love is in the Air" set using Blush ink; randomly stamp around and inside circle pattern.  Stamp sentiment from "Sending My Love" set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the bottom right corner.  Stamp saying again on scrap piece of Sugar cardstock.  Then, stamp circle pattern again in Berry ink over the top.  Hand-cut heart from scrap and use a pop-up dot to raise it above the empty heart on the card front.

 

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As always, thanks for stopping!  Don't forget...a lot of these sets are STILL on sale, but only through tonight at 11:59 pm!  25% off is a great deal!  Here's a complete list of the sets on sale...

 

 

Shop my site at https://www.amusestudio.com/lauraleland.

And have a happy and safe Valentine's Day!



A Few Quickies!

Hiya folks!  I had a few spare moments today and was feeling better so I whipped up a few more Valentines.  I only did singles of these guys, but figured I could recreate them pretty fast for duplicates if I needed to.  Here's days 6, 7, and 8.  We'll see if I have time tomorrow to crank out a bunch so that I can finish my challenge.  If not, look for more ideas this weekend...sorry, you'll have to use them NEXT Valentine's Day!

***EDITED***

Day 6 -

I love the cartoon quality of this one!  So adorable and yummy looking too!

Supplies and Instructions:
Cut card base from Sky cardstock (3 1/2 x 7 inches; score at 3 1/2 inches). Cut layer from Cherry cardstock (3 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches).  Cut layer from Grapefruit Chevron cardstock (3 x 3 inches).  Cut circle using punch or Spellbinders Nestabilities using 3 inch circle.  Cut in half and adhere to card as shown. Cut Sugar cardstock for sentiment (1/2 x 3 inches).  Stamp sentiment from "Sweet Love" set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Use scrap of Sugar cardstock and stamp sundae image from "Sweet Love" set in Memento Black.  I used various grays, brown, pink, red, and green copics to color in the image.  I also outlined the entire image in the Cool Shadow copic.  Apply Le Pouf to whipped cream and heat with embossing gun until puffy.  (Note: Don't get your gun too close to the paper or you'll burn it!).  Fussy cut around image once dry and adhere to card using pop-up dots.

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Day 7 -

 

 

Another fun, pun-y card!  And you get to color with copics again.  Nothing fancy...more like old-school coloring book work.  This would one be perfect as the tag on a bag of gumballs for school giveaways!

 



Supplies and Instructions:
Cut card base from Cherry cardstock (3 x 6 inches; score at 3 inches).  Cut layer from Bubblegum cardstock (2 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches).  Cut layer from Cherry Chevron cardstock (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches).  Punch or diecut circle from Sugar cardstock; diameter should be around 1 3/4 inches.  Near the bottom of the circle, stamp sentiment from "Sweet Love" set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Using a scrap of Sugar cardstock, stamp bubblegum machine image from same set in Memento ink.  Color in image using various pink and red copic markers.  I also outlined the image and shaded in the empty space in the machine with the Cool Shadow copic marker. Are you familiar with using the Colorless Blender to repel ink?  I did that to ensure some of the gumballs stayed white.  Once dry, fussy cut the machine and use pop-up dots to adhere to card front.

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Day 8 -

 



This one was Pinterest inspired...

 

Yeah, they're all pretty cute, huh?  But when I saw that one with candles, I thought that I could use my handy-dandy party straws and the card might actually be somewhat flat.  Plus, paper straws are a heck of a lot easier (no messy glue gun required) to attach to a card front!

 

 

Supplies and Instructions:

Cut card base from Sugar Cardstock (4 7/8 x 7 inches; score at 3 1/2 inches).  Cut card layer from Cherry cardstock (3 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches.  Cut Cherry dot layer (3 x 4 3/8 inches).  Cut Sugar cardstock (3 x 3 1/4 inches); you'll use this piece to stamp on.  Take one Onyx party straw and cut in quarters.  Flatten using your hand or a bone folder - you still want a little dimension, so don't crush it to death!  Adhere flattened straws to middle of Sugar cardstock.  Using Cherry ink, stamp heart from "At First Sight" set as a "flame" to each "candle"  Finally, stamp sentiment from "Sending My Love" set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Cut approximately 1 yard of Cherry baker's twine and wrap around Sugar piece, tying in a bow around the front.  Trim excess.  Attach Sugar piece to card front.



  

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So...as promised, those are better pictures and the instructions.  I hope to whip out a few more cards today before my Valentine festivities begin!

Sorry....

Ok, I had planned to post a Valentine a Day (hence the project name).  Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and if you've been trying to follow me you've probably been pretty disappointed.  Sorry about that.  I am finally feeling better and depending what tomorrow brings, I may just get around to posting some more ideas.  In the meantime, I invite you to check out the A Muse Studio blog...  They have been posting some cute, quick, and fun ideas for the upcoming Love Day.  Hope to be back tomorrow and thanks for stopping!