InkyDiva Cards

happy new year! a•muse studio january spotlight and other news

2012-01-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

January Spotlight is now available from a•muse studio! The assorted 'rock candy' paper pack will complement these adorable spotlight stamps!

All items are 10% off the regular price! Visit my website to place your order!

Promotion is available till January 31 (ends at 11:59pm est).

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2011 Retiring List

It's time to make room for new stamps! If you've been waiting to buy one of these stamp sets, now is the time!

Products on the retiring lists are available until 11:59pm February 29, 2012. After this time, retired items will no longer be available. Buy one of the listed sets and get a free ink pad (color of your choice).

contact me to place your order and receive your free ink pad!
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Project of the Month

This month's project is an adorable mini treat bag! Very easy to make and so many possibilities!
If you would like to replicate the project above, check out my website:
stamp set: tweet heart
cardstock: sugar, bubblegum hearbreaker, bubblegum gingham
ink: bubblegum, onyx
other: bubblegum grosgrain ribbon, silver mini brad, scallop border die set, forget-me-not paper flowers, corner chomper, 1/2" circle punch

Template is available here -> mini treat bag

happy holidays! a•muse studio december specials and freebies

2011-12-05T21:45:00.000-08:00

Check out the top ten must haves from a•muse studio!

All items are 20% off the regular price! Stock up for yourself or surprise your crafty friends and family with these great holiday goodies!

Promotion begins on December 1 and ends at 11:59pm EST on December 15 or while supplies last.

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2011 Retiring List

It's time to make room for new stamps! If you've been waiting to buy one of these stamp sets, now is the time!

products on the retiring lists are available until 11:59pm february 29, 2012. after this time, retired items will no longer be available. buy one of the listed sets and get a free ink pad (color of your choice).

contact me to place your order and receive your free ink pad!

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December Spotlight Special
From now until December 31, you can save 10% on these featured stamp sets:
Holiday Tags
Candy Cane Wishes
Polka Dot Patterns
Winter Wishes
Jolly Gingerbread - free downloadable template for the cookie swap cards!

And, for a limited time, order the special Gingerbread cardstock assortment pack. The pack contains four sheets each:

Cocoa
Toffee
Cranberry
Shell
Bermuda

black friday workshop special

2011-11-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

great promotion to kickstart your holiday projects! the damask couture paper is an elegant shimmery cardstock with a white shimmer core. it will add a beautiful finish to your projects. contact me to take advantage of this special!

business grand opening and other news

2011-11-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Help celebrate my new a•muse|studio business with an Inkydiva Cards grand opening!!

Date: November 19, 2011
Time: 11am - 2pm

Check out a•muse|studio product, catalogs, and enter to win a fabulous grand opening DOOR PRIZE!!! Email me if you are interested in stopping by!

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november hostess special

Host and close a qualifying workshop in November to get this fantastic special!

The Holiday Tag Kit includes:
100 Cherry Polka Dot Tags (2.5" x 5.5") (limited edition item available only in this kit)
Holly Berry Vine Stamp Set
8 yards Cherry Grosgrain Stitch Ribbon
Cranberry Ink Pad
Wasabi Ink Pad

Kit Retail Value is $35!

Contact me for more details and/or to book a workshop!
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Oct/Nov Spotlight Special
Fall is here and now is the time to take advantage of the Oct/Nov Spotlight for your autumn harvest projects. Get the featured stamp sets for 10% off till November 14.

thanks for stopping by!

october spotlight now available

2011-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

the october spotlight is available and now is the time to save 10% on select stamp sets and a special assorted color pack. prices are good through november 14! visit my website or contact me directly to place your order!!

stamping & scrapbooking supplies for sale - sold out

2011-09-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

everything is gone! thanks for the emails!

a•muse studio september spotlight is here!

2011-09-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

it's that time again to celebrate one of my most favorite holidays!

from now until october 15, you can purchase some boo-tiful sets for halloween cards and scrapbook pages at 10% off the regular price! order by september 25 and I'll give you free shipping!!!!

featured sets for the month:
celebrate in style
foiled again!
if you dare
victorian charm
web background

also available for purchase, is a special assorted jack-o-lantern cardstock pack that will add a delightful flair to ghouly projects!

aren't these witchie poo hats adorable! c'mon...you know you want one!
click here to see more projects with this month's spotlight sets
click here for more information regarding this great special!!

a•muse studio now available on inkydiva cards

2011-09-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

a•muse art stamps is now a•muse studio and I would like to take this opportunity to share this great stamp line with you.

for those of you not familiar with a•muse, they started in 2001 as a small stamp store selling their unique stamps in the greenwood neighborhood of seattle. they have now grown into a complete creative solution and I'm excited to be a consultant for this line!

I would like to invite you to shop my website and browse the new catalog. also, the new holiday catalog has been released and has a lot of fun stamps and accessories for halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, hanukah, and valentines day.

also, if you spend $50 or more, I will offer you free shipping (offer ends sept 25)!

Website: www.amusestudio.com/inkydivacards

Click 'Shop Online' to access all the fun products!

Click - Holiday Catalog to view stamps and accessories for all your unique holiday projects

blog candy day 4 winner

2009-04-30T21:17:00.001-07:00

ivolina you are today's winner! please email me your info and I'll send out your 'candy'!

this will be the last day for blog candy. thanks to everyone that stopped by during the week!

sposabella present ~ day 4 blog candy

2009-04-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

my sister got married a couple weeks ago and I wanted to give her a little gift for her wedding day plus it was a good excuse to use stamping bella's sposabella!

I made up this gift box using her favorite shades of purple and su's tea party dp. the big purple-y flower was a perfect final touch!

just a couple more days to get 20% off at inkydiva boutique!

day 3 blog candy winner

2009-04-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

congratulations peachmelba for winning day 3!

here's what she had to say:

Too Cute! And what perfect spring colors you used. Love the new site too. It's wonderful :)

peachmelba, please email me and I'll send out your goodies!

thanks again everyone for stopping by!

glamour gal ~ day 3 blog candy

2009-04-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my chichiboulies and thought it was time to ink up georgina glamourpuss!

isn't she adorable?! extra bling bling was certainly in order to make her super sparkly! the doodlebug sugar brads add an extra 'umph' of color and sparkle.

I've got more fun stuff coming soon for the boutique! look for new basic grey, hero arts, and memory box in the next few weeks. I've also got another special item coming soon...don't want to spill the beans yet!

also, be sure to leave a comment for day 3 blog candy!!

blog candy day 2 winner

2009-04-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

thanks for all the kind comments!! tonight's winner is maggie!

maggie said...

I love the silhouettes. You can do so much with them and what a statement they make on your card. Beautiful!

maggie, please send me your address and I'll send out your goodies.

thanks for stopping by everyone!! don't forget to stop by the inky boutique...all items 20% off till friday!!

thanks so much ~ day 2 blog candy

2009-04-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

I attended the stampin' up! regionals here in seattle and decided to make up some swaps for the event.

I wanted to use a stamp set that had yet to see the light of day and chose pocket silhouettes. I love this set!! I love the simplicity of the images and sentiment.

the layout was a sketch I found but I don't remember which one. I guess I shoulda wrote that one down!

leave a comment on this post to qualify for blog candy! a winner will be posted each day by 9pm pdt.

all supplies are stampin' up! paper - going gray, whisper white, pretty in pink, tea party; stamps - pocket silhouettes; ink - chocolate chip; accessories - dimensionals

blog candy day 1 winner

2009-04-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

sadly I only had two comments! susan and nancy, you are both winners today! send me your address in email and I will send out the goodies. thanks again for your kind comments and visiting my blog!!!

riviera maya souvenir ~ day 1 blog candy

2009-04-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm just now getting around to posting this cutie souvenir I made for my friends. I looked high and low for something not plastic-y and crap looking but could not find anything I liked. the mayan beaches are fabulous so I decided to scoop up some sand and bring it home to make something myself.

I found these clear, egg shaped ornaments at ben franklin's and thought this would be perfect for my souvenir. I stamped a beach image, added riviera maya...voila! instant souvenir! adorable!!

be sure to check out the new inkydiva boutique! everything is 20% off this week!! also, leave a comment on this post to qualify for blog candy! a winner will be posted each day by 9pm pdt.

paper - kraft; stamps - beach trio by magenta stamps; ink - colorbox chocolate and blueberries; accessories - spica glitter pen, ribbon

grand opening for inkydiva boutique

2009-04-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

yay! it's finally here! there will be blog candy all week to celebrate the inkydiva boutique grand opening!

starting monday, I'll be posting a blog entry each day this week. leave a comment to win the blog candy for the day! a person will be picked using the random number generator.

if you have a grand opening, you gotta have specials! all boutique items will be 20% off for this week only {mon 4/27~fri 5/1}!!!

happy shopping!!!!

inkydiva boutique - now OPEN

2009-04-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

yay! my boutique is finally OPEN!!! check it out here!!!

my first gorjuss girl

2009-04-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

finally! I had some time to stamp for myself. I've been wanting to play with the gorjuss girl stamps ever since I got 'em and thought 'foxy' would be perfect for the paper source A2 matchbook I got on sale. I added natural paper inside the matchbook, and finished off the card with satin ribbon and a cutie fleurette. the bling on her jacket are jolee's swarovski elements. I love them...they are so sparkly.

I got my last shipment of fun stuff today and I'm posting items to the store. everything should be up and running next week...yay!

paper - paper source blossom matchbooks, chocolate chip, basic grey 'euphoria'; stamps - gorjuss girls 'foxy'; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics; accessories - su ribbon originals 'theater', jolee's jewels, a muse twinkle dot, doodlebug sugar glazed brads 'lily white', su fleurette, su clear button, dmc embroidery floss

inkydiva boutique - almost open

2009-04-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

I had a couple setbacks in getting the store up and running this weekend. hopefully, my shipments will be in this week! sooo...store opening is pushed to next monday the 13th!

save the date invites

2009-03-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

I thought I had post this last week but realized I forgot! these are the invites I made for my friend for her 40th birthday (which is in december). since we are going to the happiest place on earth, she wanted to get them out plenty early.

usually when I make these invites (I've made a few 40th bday ones), I like to use cosmobella. to personalize the invite, I use the birthday gal's favorite colors for the cardstock and fun ribbon. I love the ribbon we found for stefani! I found a leopard print and brown velvet which looks so rich and divine! the font is a free online font...so very festive!

as always, I have a busy week ahead of me. I'm working on getting the inkydiva boutique ready for this weekend!

have a great week!

paper - shimmer white, paper source cardstock; stamps - stamping bella 'cosmobella'; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics; accessories - ribbon, stickles, online fonts

voting for earth

2009-03-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard already, there is a fantastic event happening this weekend.

there is an election of sorts where we can vote for earth or vote for global warming. by turning off your lights for one hour from 8:30pm - 9:30pm, you will be voting for earth!

to learn more check out earth hour and turn off your lights!

who wants takeout

2009-03-22T15:44:00.001-07:00

one of my favorite stores to look for paper is paper source. don't know why paper makes me happy but it does. something about the smell of new paper, the vibrant colors, and the different shapes/designs. you probably think I'm a bit weird but c'mon...don't you get a little excited when you have a new unopened pack of cardstock?!

so I was there last week looking for paper for my friend's birthday 'save the date' invites when I found these little beauties. not only did I need them but they were on SALE -- 50% off sale!!!

takeout box + cutie japanese doll stamp = too freakin' delicious!!!

paper - basic black, shimmer white, paper source takeout box; stamps - hero arts three japanese dolls; ink - brilliance graphite black, copics; accessories - a muse twinkle dots, nestabilities, a muse ribbon, su rhinestones

happy birthday janiebella

2009-03-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

my stamping sistah janie had a birthday earlier this month but I couldn't give her the card till today. I certainly couldn't have snail mail mess up all my beautiful bling!! sooo, today we finally got together and now I can post the card!

janie loves bellas so I thought I would use my new partygirlabella. the circle punch makes her **pop** on the card. I added cotton candy stickles to the cupcake and a spica glitter pen to the pom pom on her party hat...very festive!

I went crazy with the bling but you can never have enough sparkle...dontcha agree?!?

hope you had a great birthday janiebella!

paper - a muse notecards, shimmer white; stamps - stamping bella 'partygirlabella; a muse sentiment; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics; accessories - spica glitter pens, a muse twinkle dots, stickles cotton candy, su taffeta white ribbon, su scallop border punch, marvy scallop/circle punches

happy st. patty's day

2009-03-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

I certainly could use a green beer today! I won't bore you with the details but let's just say I'm SO GLAD I had a break before the month of march started! between work, making invites for my sister's wedding and my good friend's 40th birthday 'save the date' invites, I'm ready for a 'me' day!

I have lots of fun inkydiva stuff planned for this weekend. most of my time will be spent perusing wholesale catalogs and placing orders for my new online store. I'm so excited to have my own place to sell paper, rubber stamps, and other fantabulous crafting items!! I hope to have everything ready for an april 5th grand opening so stay tuned for details.

and here's a toast to my irish friends...

always remember to forget
the troubles that passed away
but never forget to remember
the blessings that come each day

happy st. patrick's day!

crazy week

2009-03-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

we had a fantastico time on the mayan riviera and now I'm *bizzay* {insert boring work stuff here} catching up.

there has to be a way to go on vacation and not come back to so much crapola!

anywhoo, I'll be posting some cards next week with my new gorjuss girl stamps and getting my online boutique ready for it's grand opening on march 22! be sure to stop by...there'll be lots o' blog candy for the first week of the store opening!!!!

una margarita por favor

2009-02-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm off to the mayan riviera! 7 days of sun, surf, more sun, and lots o' frosty beverages.

have a great week everyone!!!

one last valentine

2009-02-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

hope everyone had a very happy valentine's day! we had a few people over for good food and good wine. having people over made for a much more enjoyable valentines than dealing with a crowded restaurant.

this is a card I made using a sketch saturday layout. I am so loving these leanne ellis stamps and I wanted to get in one more card with them. I used basic grey bittersweet for the layers and a multitude of copics for the main image. I just got some new ones this week so I had to play with as many colors as possible.

sugar nellie has some new images coming out this month and I am so, so excited! the gorjuss girls were just released for pre-order and now there will be new leanne ellis designs released by the end of this month. for a sneak peek check out the sugar nellie blog!

paper - basic grey bittersweet, rose red, chocolate chip, papertrey white; stamps - leanne ellis 'choose love' for sugar nellie; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics,; accessories - martha stewart glitter, robin's nest 'paris', trio flower punch

valentine's cards for jhestin

2009-02-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

my cutie nephew is having a valentine's party on friday at his daycare so I volunteered to make his valentine's cards for his 'classmates'. my sister was so happy with my offer...I guess nowadays the only thing you can find is cards with cartoon characters instead of the old style kind I had as a kid.

I just love the little a muse lovemonster and thought it would be perfect for super simple v-day cards. I embossed the base with heart blocks and added a little shimmer with frost versamark. the sentiment was printed on a mailing label (I didn't want to put anything the little ones could pull off) and punched with the word punch. the little heart next to the sentiment was made with a copic. I think I found how to make those on sharon harnist's paperfections blog some time ago. on the back, I added a piece of pink pirouette and hand wrote to: and from:...remember that??

I'm going to look around for some nostalgic valentines cards...I'd love to keep some in my stash!

paper - papertrey white, real red; stamps - a muse love monster, a muse heart trio; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics, versamark frost; accessories - cuttlebug embossing folder, circle punch, word punch, spica glitter pen

luvvie my new luvvie

2009-02-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so in love with my new leanne ellis stamps for sugar nellie. this cutie little gal was made for my bff janie for valentine's day.

lauren meader uploaded a great tutorial on how she uses her copics for her cards. I decided to incorporate her sidewalk and sky which was demo'd in the video. I used 'candy lane' designer paper from the new stampin' up! catalog and my new valentine sentiment from susan branch.

this card is also the first sample for my weekly sketch/color challenges I'll be hosting at
papercraft planet! if you are a leanne ellis and gorjuss girls fan, come check out the group!!

paper - papertrey white, chocolate chip, su candy lane dp; stamps - sugar nellie luvvie (by leanne ellies), susan branch sentiment; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics; accessories - pretties kit, su fleurettes, dress it up button, ribbon, a muse twinkle dot

a ducky hello

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

hope everyone had a great superbowl sunday! I chose to spend my day stamping instead of eating myself silly with game food!

this image is a rachelle anne miller for sugar nellie and is so adorable!!! I'm a big oregon ducks fan and knew I had to add the duckie to my collection. one of my lss went out of business this weekend and I wanted to use one of the items I bought on sale. These cutie flower buttons from queen & co were a great find (I got several colors) and thought it would be a perfect touch to my little duck. the flower looked like it needed an extra sumpthin' so I added the a muse tiny bee...love it!! for a little extra sparkle, I traced parts of the flower with a spica glitter pen and added a twinkle dot to the center. the layout is the current scs sketch challenge (213).

I've got a sugar nellie sketch challenge I will posting this week on my papercraft planet group. be sure to check it out!

paper - papertrey lemon tart, papertrey white, debbie mumm noah's ark, chocolate chip; stamps - sugar nellie duck in boots, mft essential sentiments, a muse tiny bee; ink - memento rich cocoa, copics; accessories - spica glitter pens, a muse twinkle dot, papertrey lemon tart ribbon, queen & co buttons

happy birthday jhestin

2009-01-31T00:24:00.000-08:00

this card is for my adorable nephew jhestin! he is three years old today and is such a fun little guy.

I thought the love monster ('cause y'know how three olds can be) from a muse would be the perfect little image for his card. I finally had a need to use the dinosaur dp from basic grey archaic...how cutie! I used a layout from the sketch challenge group at
paper craft planet.

hope you have a wonderful birthday bambo! " />

happy birthday meg

2009-01-23T00:23:00.001-08:00

my friend meg is an animal lover especially when it comes to her kitty eli. so I thought this set from 'the cat's pajamas' would be perfect for her birthday card. I love the retro kitty from the 'you say it's your birthday' set. she's so mischievous and adorable! I used a sketch challenge from taylored expressions for the layout. the dp from basic grey 'streamers' (the cupcake line) gives it the perfect retro-y touch. of course birthdays need sparkle so I added a little to the bow and kitty's collar.

I've got a couple other birthdays to celebrate this weekend! yum...I like birthday cake! " />

paper - orchid opulence, basic black, paper trey shimmer, basic grey cupcake; stamps - the cat's pajamas; ink - brilliance graphite black; copics - v06; accessories - dazzling diamonds, cuttlebug embossing folder, su build a brad

mojo monday 69 - the market

2009-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

one of my resolutions (so to speak since I don't make resolutions ) is to participate in more sketch and color challenges. there are so many blogs out there that host weekly challenges and I plan to hit most of them.

this card is for a cuttlebug scs swap and I used the current mojo monday sketch as my layout inspiration. I love this seattle cutie from amuse art stamps and been waiting for a chance to ink it up. I used blue dp since there are so many views of the puget sound around the market. with the holidays being over, it might be time for me to get down there and check out the veggies, flowers, and new vendor offerings.

don't forget to check out the inkydiva bittersweet special!

paper - amuse irish green, su bashful blue dp, basic black; stamps - amuse market; ink - memento tuxedo black; copics - e00, e93, n1, b41, yg17, g28, y38, r29; accessories - nestabilities, robin's nest baubles, su circle punches, dimensionals

my first sugar nellie

2009-01-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

I received my sugar nellie's yesterday and couldn't wait to ink up one of them! I decided to use 'choose by leanne ellis' since valentine's day is coming upon us.

I used koh-i-noor and prismacolor pencils with gamsol and threw in a couple copics on the face and shirt. I used jen del muro's sketch to try for my layout. one of my goals this year is to participate in more sketch challenges to shake things up a bit.

I look forward to inking more of these abfab stamps! I'm going to play with the rachelle anne miller's tomorrow.

can't believe the weekend is over! have a good week!

a goody thank you

2009-01-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

over christmas we spent five days at my sister's house in camas, washington and had a tremendously awesome time. when my sisters and I get together, chaos is sure to ensue! throw in cabin fever (due to A LOT of snow) and a precocious three year old and it certainly becomes the christmas to remember.

when I saw the new love shack stamp from a muse, I knew I had to use this one for my sissy's hospitality card. I inked up the stamp and took a blender pen to remove 'love shack'. in place of the saying, I added a 'g' for my sister's last name.

I'm looking forward to the next family event (including the chaos)! " />

paper - a muse kitchen bar 'blueberry'; stamps - a muse love shack & sentiment; ink - memento rich cocoa; accessories - a muse ribbon, cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder, nestabilities, marvy punch

i'm in love

2009-01-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

with a new line of stamps I just discovered the other day. I was perusing the splitcoast homepage and noticed a posting for a new member company called sugar nellie. I thought the name was pretty cute and decided to check 'em out.

OMIGOD...sn has the most adorable stamps I've seen in a while!!!

I immediately placed an order for the leanne ellis set and a couple of rachelle anne miller stamps. if you have a chance, check out **sn's retail site ~ funky kits**. I'm especially looking forward to the stamp release from scottish illustrator suzanne woolcott. the line is called gorjuss girls and they are.to.die.for! suzanne's got a funky, eclectic style I absolutely love. I would post some pics but I don't want to violate any licensing. there'll be plenty of cards posted when I get my stamps (hopefully soon)!

if you are a paper craft planet member, I have started a group for these gorgeous new stamps.

come by the planet and say hello! " />

card from janie

2009-01-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

my stamping pal janie and I finally hooked up today to exchange our christmas gifts. included in my gift was this absolutely adorable card. since janie is in the process of creating her own blog, I had to give it a moment in the spotlight.

this little cutie is from the tiddly ink stamps on **stamping bella**. I love the little baubles on the prisma flowers and the glitter-y accents! obviously, this will be one I'll have to add to my collection!

paper - bg wassail, sahara sand, mellow moss, white; stamps - stamping bella tiddly ink 'snowfight', a muse sentiment; ink - memento tuxedo black; accessories - stickles stardust, prisma flowers, copic markers, su markers, robin's nest baubles

happy new year

2008-12-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

the family gathering has moved from vancouver to seattle! I've got a house load of people watching the holiday bowl and preparing for the guitar hero/dance, dance revolution competition on new years eve.

happy new year to all of my friends, family, and blog readers. have a fantabulous 2009! " />

merry christmas

2008-12-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

merry christmas wishes to all my friends and family! have a wonderful holiday celebration.

rudolph christmas wishes

2008-12-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

we made it safely to my sister's house in camas, wa. it's been crazy windy here and now there is freezing rain. thank goodness, I'm inside by a warm fire.

here's a couple pics from the backyard of my sister's house.

for my adorable nephew, I made a cutie rudolph card. I think he was more excited about the present I was placing under the tree than the card but what do you expect from a 3 yr old?

I'm off to help my sis with the christmas eve dinner...stay safe, stay warm!

paper - a muse kitchen notecards, basic grey dp, shimmer white; stamps - a muse mb rudolph and sentiment; ink - memento rich cocoa, colorbox chalk inks; accessories - gingham ribbon, scallop punches

snow day

2008-12-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

and what a snow day it is! it's about 3pm and it has finally stopped snowing! I'm looking at my backyard and we have about 6-7 inches of fresh powder!

coop decided to take some pics of freddy and our house. Here's a view of our side front yard and backyard. I love this picture. coop was able to pick up the falling snow.

freddy checking out the new fresh stuff then running off because he's too cold!

pink cat studio december gallery

2008-12-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite stamp companies **pink cat studio** had their annual design team call. although I didn't make the cut, my cards were posted in the company gallery *so cool* !

this first card is using the qt hooty set. I love these little owls! I used basic grey's urban prairie to paper piece the branch and used the same pattern for the middle of the sun.

second card is from the lily and billy winter stamp set. the snow angels are so adorable!

the last card is from the tweet set which is one of my pcs favorites. I love the cutie tiny buttons from the basic grey urban prairie button set.

If you want to see other cards in the december pink cat studio gallery, click here.

holiday cookies

2008-12-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

this weekend was a baking bonanza. every year, I make dipped gingersnaps (pictured here undipped)
and some other cookie. this year, I chose to make peanut butter blossoms as the other cookie and will probably make some biscotti this week (I was too pooped to make that too!). each year, the d-gingersnaps have become popular so I chose to make 16 dozen *yes 16 dozen* d-gs cookies. I packaged some of the cookies for my co-workers in the 2-5-7-10 treat bag using basic grey fruitcake glisten and added a diecut snowflake centered with a snowflake from the su season of joy set. The flap is punched with the martha stewart icicle punch.

here is the recipe for peanut butter blossoms and here is the recipe for dipped gingersnaps.

Enjoy!!!

:stamped images are stampin' up!:

stamping for the holidays

2008-12-12T00:03:00.000-08:00

now that I have my laptop, I can post my holiday workshop pics!

saturday, november 29 was my annual holiday workshop for a few close friends. there was a great amount of food, wine and fun! we made four projects that are perfect for the christmas season.

the first project was an adorable christmas jar I saw on anna's blog last year. I loved it so much, I thought this would be a great project for the workshop. I used su's merry and bright stamp set since all the gals had bought the set last year. The belly band is made from basic grey's figgy pudding.

for the second card(s), we used su's deer friends set. I gave them a riding hood red and baja breeze card base embossed with the polka dot cuttlebug folder. I put out a bunch of designer paper and let them pick their own dp and stamp. we used stampin' write markers for color.

third, was the giftcard holder. we inked up the tree from the season of joy set and used the reverse embossing technique. I had the girls pick out their own paper but this time, they selected paper from the new basic grey wassail pack *I LOVE the new wassail line*

our last project was the 2-5-7-10 treat bag. click here for directions on how to make these cutie little bags. I used paper from the basic grey fruitcake line and again used deer friends. these are great little bags for candy, little cookies, or even a gift card.

it was a fantabulous day with lots o' laughs and fun. I can't wait till we do it again!

for more party pics, check out my flickr photostream.

:all stamped images are stampin' up!:

something old, something new...

2008-12-09T16:24:00.001-08:00

you likey my new blog?!?! I have been working with sara of Tweaks and Designs for a couple months and I am ecstatic with the final result! If you are looking for someone to do a blog facelift, sara is AWESOME!!!!

I'd love to hear your comments about the new digs!

my mac is on vacation

2008-12-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

my mac decided I was using it too much so it's taking a break. I made a visit to the genius bar today and I won't get it back till friday.

when my mac returns, I have pics to post from my holiday workshop I had over the thanksgiving weekend. it was a lot of fun and we made some great projects for the christmas season...more to come soon.

have a great week everyone!!!

happy thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

hope everyone has a cheerful and happy thanksgiving!!!

happy birthday rob

2008-11-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

happy birthday rob! you are exceptionally smart, an awesome baker, and my favorite twilight buddy (go team edward) ! rob, you are a wonderful friend and I hope you have an incredible birthday!

o christmas tree atc swap

2008-11-26T00:03:00.000-08:00

these atcs are for a swap on scs. the theme was 'o christmas tree' and I knew I wanted to use the flourish tree from a muse. I thought I'd try something new and used chalks on the image and sentiment...not sure how much I'm loving it but it's always good to go out of my comfort zone. the background paper is from basic grey and I embossed the base of the atc with the christmas ornaments cuttlebug folder.

I'm anxious for my wednesday work day to be over! coop and I are going to a friend's house for thanksgiving and I volunteered the green bean casserole (of course, I chose the easiest thing on the menu and we're bringing wine)! friday will be project prep and baking day for my holiday workshop. I had a holiday workshop last year and want to make it a yearly event. I purposely schedule it to follow thanksgiving to get everyone feelin' the christmas vibe. I'm excited about the projects and will post them friday or saturday.

paper - true thyme, basic grey 'figgy pudding', shimmer white; stamps - a muse flourish tree, rubber soul sentiment; ink - versamark watermark; accessories - su chalks, a muse ribbon, stickles, cuttlebug embossing folder

snow angel ~ november monthly swap

2008-11-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

this cutie snow angel is for the a muse addicts november monthly swap. I had a busy day today...I worked on my swaps, made thanksgiving cards, and made a birthday card for my mom. This week will be even crazier! I've got a holiday workshop on Saturday and haven't started the projects yet...oh, well I work well under pressure.

I decided to use micro beads for this card to give the effect of snow. I'm always reluctant to use the beads cuz they're sooo messy but I like how it came out. I used doodlebug sequins to add a snowflake and prussian blue chalk ink for the image and sentiment. I'm really loving the chalk inks.

hope everyone has a great week! so glad it's a short week!!

paper - a muse vintage paper, paper trey white, blue bayou; stamps - a muse snow angel and sentiment; ink - colorbox chalk ink prussian blue; accessories - doodlebug winter sequins, su blue microbeads, marvy punches

kimono atc

2008-11-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

I was updating my facebook page for InkyDiva Card Boutique and I realized I forgot to post this atc.

I made this for the monthly atc swap at monkey love rubber stamps. I like how the brad on the fan looks like a little head.

I'm excited about re-opening my online store. I've been working with this gal who has designed a lot of stamping blogs I read. Her ideas are great and I can't wait to see it come to fruition.

well, I'm off to bed...hope everyone has a great week!

paper - wild wasabi, basic grey dp; stamps - a muse sushi set; ink - memento rich cocoa; accessories - crystal brads, copic markers

snowflakes

2008-11-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

I know it's early for snow but I've started thinking about christmas cards and came up with this one for an elzybell swap.

this little guy is colored with koh-i-noor pencils and gamsol. the scarf and hat are colored with copics and spicas for extra pop. I embossed the background piece for more texture and dimension...love those cuttlebug folders! of course, gotta have some sparkle too!

paper - a muse notecards, soft sky, basic grey dasher; stamps - elzybell penguin snow, a muse sentiment; ink - memento rich black; accessories - soft sky ribbon, circle punches, cb snowflake embossing folder, dazzling diamonds, a muse twinkle dot

a change is happening...

2008-11-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

don't forget to vote

2008-11-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for tomorrow! I feel like it's christmas and I'm hoping the presents I open are what I asked for. I hope santa brings me barack as president. ok, enough of my two cents.

thought I would quickly post this card I made for the a muse monthly swap. I love the new a muse leaves set and pumpkin harvest embossing folder. I've been using the folders a lot...love them!

hope everyone has a great week and don't forget to vote!

paper - a muse notecards, really rust, shimmer white, garden green; stamps - a muse leaves set and sentiment; ink - colorbox chalk ink, brilliance graphite black; accessories - kohinoor pencils, ribbon, pumpkin harvest embossing folder

happy all hallows eve

2008-10-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

it has been very busy at work the last couple weeks so I decided to endorse the halloween spirit by bringing in cupcakes and treat boxes for my team. I made my yummy, chocolate-y orange cupcakes with halloween toppers and little pillow box treats. The treat boxes were embossed with the 'boo to you' cuttlebug folder and the belly band is su's ghostly greetings (LOVE IT)! The cutie spider is su 'batty for you'. inside the treat boxes I put round pumpkin wrapped chocolates.

my halloween cards were quickly put together. I found the adorable inkadinkadoo stamp at ben franklin's and quickly snatched it up. I used my favorite punch of the season and added more ghostly greetings to the edge. I think they came out pretty good considering I had a half hour to get four of them done.

hope everyone had a happy and safe halloween!

trick or treat
paper - a muse kitchen notecards, ghostly greetings, shimmer white; stamps - inkadinkadoo, a muse sentiment; ink - brilliance graphite black; accessories - a muse ribbon, copic markers, martha stewart drippy goo punch

treat boxes
paper - tangerine tango, basic black, ghostly greetings, whisper white; stamps - batty for you; ink - basic black; accessories - cuttlebug 'boo for you' embossing folder, sizzix pillow box diecut

Think Snow

2008-10-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for the right time to ink up cutie hippy snowchick. I bought this during amuseapalooza and knew I wanted to use her for an atc swap. Instead of waiting for the right swap, I decided host my own!

I absolutely love missy's stamps. they are so adorable and simple! I added the cutie snow cloud along with the 'think snow' sentiment. of course, I had to add glitter to bring out the snowflakes and flower head band. The snowflake edge punch is a perfect element to the snow themed atc.

I'm looking forward to this upcoming week. I'll be working from my sister's house while she recovers from her surgery and spending some quality time with my adorably, sweet nephew. I'm always happy to see my sister but I can't get enough of little jhestin.

btw, sorry for the bad lighting on the pic...I was too lazy to drag out the white background.

paper - a muse vintage blue, cool caribbean, paper trey white ; stamps - a muse hippy snowchick, snow cloud, and sentiment; ink - brilliance pearlescent sky blue; accessories - ek success edge punch, dazzling diamonds, spica glitter pens

Devilish Greetings

2008-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

I love this new set from a muse. missy's halloween set has the cutest stamps. I chose the little devil for an atc swap on lee anne russell's blog. I've been using su's ghostly greetings A LOT! I love their new halloween dp. The bat border is the martha stewart edge punch. I ended up getting all the ms halloween edge punches...they are so adorable!

I've got more halloween cards to start then it's on to christmas...yikes!

paper - basic black, shimmer white, ghostly greetings; stamps - missy's halloween set; ink - memento rich black; accessories - copics, spica glitter pens, su apricot appeal for highlighting, ms bat edge punch

inkydiva card boutique is closed

2008-09-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

my ebay store is closed but I'm working on something better. In the next few months, I'll be debuting a new inkydiva card boutique and home improvements on the blog.

I promise it will be fab.u.lous!!!

best witches

2008-09-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

this card is for the monthly swap on a muse addicts. of course I had to join since the theme is halloween!

I couldn't resist using the cutie witch from missy's halloween set. I think she is so adorable with those curly pigtails.

this card reminds me of the many pics my mom took of me and my sisters at halloween. although, since we live in the pacific northwest, half the time my costume would be covered up by my winter jacket! and, remember those crazy, freaky lookin' plastic masks with the little air holes in the nose and mouth?! ahhh...good times!

paper - a muse black kitchen notecard, pumpkin pie, shimmer white, basic black; stamps - missy's halloween set, a muse sentiment; ink - memento rich black; accessories - koh-i-noor pencils, photo corners, gamsol, a muse ribbon, ms pumpkin edge punch

halloween atcs

2008-09-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

I love this time of the year! the fall colors of the leaves, football, and halloween!

what better way to get in the bewitching spirit than a couple of halloween atcs. I signed up to make one in orange and black and the other using bright green, purple and black. I think a muse images are perfect for atcs so I ink'd up the mummy (one of my favs) and used my new martha punches for mummy's party...love that drippy goo!
the haunted mansion (always reminds me of disneyland!) is also one of my fav.o.rite stamps!

I've got another halloween swap to post tomorrow. have a good week!

mmm...cupcakes

2008-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

like everyone else I love cupcakes! we went to a bbq this weekend and I decided to make these yummy chocolate orange cupcakes. I love this recipe and like to make them during the fall season. of course I had to show my school spirit and add the oregon topper!

If you're interested, here's the recipe for the cupcakes...chocolate+orange = yum-o!

chocolate orange cupcakes w/limoncello frosting
(recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis - foodnetwork.com)

cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
orange juice (instead of water in cake mix)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup diced candied orange peel (about 8 ounces)

frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened (1/2 stick)
2 tablespoons limoncello (you can substitute with 2 tablespoons lemon juice for minors)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 orange, zested
1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel, for garnish

special equipment: cupcake liners, 2 muffin pans

to make the cupcakes: mix the chocolate cake mix according to package instructions, substituting orange juice for the water. toss the chocolate chips with the flour. fold the chocolate chips and the candied orange peel into the chocolate mixture. line the muffin pan with the cupcake liners. fill and bake the cupcakes according to package instructions. let the cupcakes cool for 1 hour on a wire rack before frosting.

to make the frosting: combine all the ingredients except the candied orange peel in a medium bowl. using a hand mixer, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. using a small spatula, place about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cupcake. top with a small sprinkle of candied orange peel.

holly jolly couple

2008-09-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

yay! college football season has officially started and I'm oh so happy! the next few months will be biz-ay for me. between football games and other stuff, christmas will be here before we know it!

to get into the upcoming holiday frenzy, I've joined a couple holiday swaps. mr & mrs claus from missy's holiday set are the perfect choice for an atc swap...they are so cutie!!!

I'm so looking forward to the weekend. it will probably be one of the few I can catchup and relax a bit.

paper - shimmer white, madeira red, cranberry crisp; stamps - missy's holiday set; ink - memento black; accessories - a muse black ribbon, copics, spica pens, liquid applique, scallop punch

fall is almost here

2008-08-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

It's august and raining. normally I would be bummed because it should be sunny, but after a couple hot weekends, I'm welcoming the rain. anyways, rain and cold also means it's time for my favorite part of the year...college football!!! 5 more days till oregon duck football...YAY!!!

since I'm feeling the fall season, I've started my fall cards and thinking about halloween. for my august a muse bumper card, I decided to use fall colors and my new martha stewart crooked fence punch. I added a touch of glitter to the leaves and a bit of red for fall flavor. I used barely banana for shadowing -- my new favorite shadow color!

I ended up buying most of the new martha stewart edge punches. they were all so adorable...who could resist drippy goo!?

paper - chocolate chip, a muse orange crush, madeira brown, shimmer white; stamps - a muse leafy tree, mini oval bl; a muse sentiment; ink - memento rich cocoa, old olive; accessories - french roast grosgrain stitched, ms halloween fence

Chichiboulie Swap

2008-08-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

I love the chichiboulie stamps and found a great reason to ink one up...a SCS swap!

I used 'belinda bumberboots' 'cause she reminds me of my favorite a muse stamp 'seattle girl'. I wanted something fun and bright, so I broke out su's bold brights and fresh print kiwi series designer paper. I also used the dp to paper piece the umbrella and crystal effects to slick up the umbrella and raindrops. For the final touch, I added a petaloo flower with a basic grey glazed brad.

I can't wait to see what other cutie chichiboulies I get in the mail!

paper - green galore, orchid opulence, barely banana, going gray, shimmer white, fresh print kiwi series dp; stamps - belinda bumberboots by stamping bella; ink - memento london fog; accessories - copics, su barely banana, bloom dots embossing folder, petaloo flowers, bg glazed brad, crystal effects

Lunchtime at Convention

2008-08-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a great pic I found on kwerner's blog.

Convention Highlights

2008-07-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

I underestimated how busy I would be at convention and how tired I would be by the time I got back to my room.

Here are some highlights and pics from the last couple days:

The gathering hall was the place to pick up our convention bags and new catalogs. Janie quickly did a look-see to check out the goods.

While looking at the various display boards, we found a card Janie had submitted during regionals...how cool is that!

Shelli made a few announcements during general session. She will be joining the blogging world with a new blog called 'so shelli'. The blog will be live August 4 on www.soshelli.com.

Stampin' Up! will have a 21 page spread in Country Living's holiday issue. Special stamp kits will be available.

Shelli is releasing a personal collection.

The stage looked cool.

So far, convention has been a great experience. Swapping was mayhem but fun. Memento Mall was just okay for me. I bought pens.

One more day to go.

We Made It!

2008-07-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Janie and I are checked in at Hotel Monaco SLC (very cute boutique-y hotel)! More updates tomorrow...let the madness begin!

Swaps for Stampin' Up! Celebrate '08

2008-07-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm excited and apprehensive all at the same time about my trip to Salt Lake City. I generally don't like being in excessively, huge crowds so this is definitely going out of my comfort zone. Anyways, I've chose to embrace the event and throw myself into the craziness of swapping.

Generally, I opt out of this activity because I never have time to create an enormous amount of cards. Surprisingly, I was prepared enough to finish my general swaps. As if that wasn't enough, I'm participating in organized swaps and hosting one!

I made two card fronts for general swapping. I wanted to make something easy and chose the 'seasonal whimsy' set. I used the 'so swirly' wheel for the backgrounds on each card.

I contemplated making atcs for general swap but found an organized swap instead. I thought the 'priceless' set would work well for the small atc canvas.

I signed up for a one layer challenge swap. I am a layer chick and thought this would be a good way to expand my creative thinking. I've always thought the flourish in the 'priceless' set looks a bit like blowing snow. With that in mind, I went for a christmas card and used 'big on christmas'. We could add one embellishment and chose the bashful blue grosgrain striped ribbon.

I'm also participating in a shoebox swap but have yet to finish (or start) that one.

While dinking around on splitcoast, I found out people make gifts for their roomies. I covered a notebook (found at JoAnn's $1 bin) with the new 'bella rose' dp and 'dreams du jour' stamp set. In the gift pack, I also added stickies in the shape of a 'j', a little photo book, and a couple of individual stamps.

Time to get crackin'on the packin'!

Almost Ready to Go...

2008-07-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

Convention is just a few days away and I'm still working on my last group of organized swaps. It has been a C-R-A-Z-Y month for me! Between work and getting all my cards done, I'm feeling the need for a relax by the beach, sipping margaritas, read a couple books vacation!

I haven't had much time for fun card making so I thought I would post a cute pic of my pug Freddy at the Oregon coast. This picture was taken during our 4th of July getaway to Cannon Beach. I meant to post other pictures but did not find the time (maybe after I get back from SLC).

Anywhoo, I'm going to try and update the blog between 7/30 - 8/1 with convention tidbits. Let's hope my husband gets me the new macbook I've been wanting before I leave!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Amuseapalooza Preview Party @ Monkey Love

2008-07-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Janie and I joined the AP fun at Monkey Love Rubber Stamps. If you haven't seen the new stamps, check out the amuseapalooza site...they are fa-bu-lous!

Monkey Love Rubber Stamps had a super fun preview party. There was a holiday card contest (which I won and have posted here!) and 5 make and takes. They also gave out party bags full of a muse goodness!

Janie and I met a couple fellow a muse addicts (Hi Kim and Katie!). It's always nice to chat with everyone in person!

Needless to say, I purchased a few new items. I love the new vintage notecards and paper and I can't wait to make my christmas cards with the new 'Missy's Holiday' clear set...it is absolutely adorable!

Now I'll patiently wait for the new Seattle stamps!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! I've been busy lately with work and getting my swaps ready for convention...too crazy for me right now! Anywhoo, I'm enjoying my 4th of July weekend on the beautiful Oregon Coast. I'll have some pics to post later!

3 days till the amuseapalooza preview party! I can't wait!

More AMuseAPalooza Challenges

2008-06-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple cards I made for the current challenges on the amuseapalooza site.

The first challenge was an inspiration challenge using a vera bradley handbag. I personally had never heard of vera but I rose to the challenge. I used the colors of the bag for inspiration instead of the design. The drum set seemed to pop in my head when I saw the bag. I used basic grey boxer dp to bring out the red, white, and blue. I don't know if I'm feeling the love with the finished result but it will do.

I enjoyed the second challenge from amy rysavy (last year's amuseapalooza ambassador). The layout challenge was to create a card with 4 circles. Since I'm longing for summer weather, the surf shorts stamp seemed perfect for the challenge. I used the swiss dots embossing folder to make the overall card 'pop'. I love how this card turned out!

Hope everyone has a good week! I'm very excited for this coming Wednesday. I'm taking a copic certification class and can't wait to learn everything I can about using these awesome pens. Should be lots o' fun!!

Christmas in July ATC Swap

2008-06-09T22:25:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I signed up for a scs atc swap while I'm trying to get all my convention swaps going! I couldn't resist...I love making christmas cards and LOVE making atcs. I HAD to join!

I bought a few of the snowmen lockhart stamps when rubber soul in redmond had their store closing sale. I used basic grey fruitcake dp (love that stuff) and some non-su cardstock I picked up from a clearance bin. The sentiment is from the a muse holiday greetings clear stamp set, the snowflake is from the su short and sweet set.

These atcs got me excited about making christmas cards! maybe I'll start on them after convention!

Countdown to Amuseapalooza 2008

2008-06-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

The summer time is almost here and that means it's time for ice cream! Although, if you live in Seattle, it looks like summer is passing us by. Last week it was 50 degrees, rainy, windy and cold...sounds like football season to me! Regardless, when the first design challenge for 'countdown to amuseapalooza' came out, the purple passion, cabana blue, and chocolate colors reminded me of ice cream...don't ask me why, just did.

I used my new copic markers on the truck and added a little sunshine in the corner.

I found some sun charms I forgot I had and tied to the ribbon with purple wire.

Hope all of you are enjoying sunshine in your part of the world!

paper - amuse notecards, whisper white; stamps - a muse ice cream truck, dot bl, and sentiment; ink - stazon jet black; accessories - copics, sunshine charm, ribbon, fiskars scallop rotary wheel

Shoebox Project ~ Sweet Dreams

2008-06-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Here's another shoebox swap for my monthly upline meeting. I've had this set for awhile and thought it was time to use it. I've got way too many sets still sitting around!

Since my brain is swirling with ideas for convention swaps, I couldn't come up with something on my own and case'd this card on splitcoast. I decided to keep it more simple and not emboss the layer or add brads. The ribbon is from the theater ribbon originals, dp is fall flowers, and the sentiment is from 'short and sweet'.

This month is going to be muy loco for me! I haven't started my convention swaps and I've foolishly signed up for a couple organized swaps...I'm a sucker for atcs! I'm so glad su decided to come out with the retired list June 12!

paper - soft sky, old olive, fall flowers dp; stamps - sweet dreams, short & sweet; ink - chocolate chip & blue brocade markers; accessories - pretties kit, theater ribbon, dimensionals

Happy Birthday and Happy Graduation Erikabella

2008-06-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

My step niece was the focus of attention this past weekend. She turned 18 and is graduating from high school! My sister had a big party for her with family and friends. It was a lot fun, food, and libations (for the adults of course)!

I wanted to use my new bella for the birthday girl. I colored in the cupcake and added quickie glue and glitter along the lines of the cupcake. The dress and the bottom of the cupcake are paper pieced with 'confetti' from basic grey. The middle of the flower is a build-a-brad...first time I've used one!

I case'd the second card from the a muse weekly newsletter (thanks Geeta)! I used the birthday builder set for the '2008' and the grad cap is from the retired SU 'graduation' set. Instead of a gift card I folded up a $20 bill. Erika loved the pullout (aside from the cash )...she thought it looked like a diploma.

I Want to Ride my Bicycle

2008-05-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so ready for summer and looking forward to taking some bike rides on the path by my house. When I lived in Oregon, we used to ride around the Willamette River, Alton Baker Park, and Skinner's Butte all the time. The bike paths in Eugene were always crowded in the summer but not so bad that you couldn't enjoy the ride.

I always think 'this will be the year I'll log some miles'...then I hit a hill and I quickly realize why I don't get out more!

paper - a muse kitchen note card, a muse madiera note card; stamps - a muse wheely girl and sentiment; ink - memento tuxedo black; accessories - prisma markers, ribbon, marvy punches, spica glitter pen

Coffee ATC Swaps

2008-05-12T21:30:00.001-07:00

These are a couple atcs I put together for a swap on splitcoast. I had bought the crafty secrets coffee and tea set a while ago and jumped at the chance to use these stamps. Of course, I had to throw in one of my javabellas! The 'java queen' sentiment was perfect for this image.

A little late...

2008-05-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mothers in my life. I completely forgot to post this yesterday...better late than never!

paper - a muse notecard, real red, basic grey; stamps - a muse superwoman, a muse sentiment, a muse oval; ink - memento tuxedo black, bashful blue; accessories - a muse twinkle dot, prisma markers, spica glitter pens

Girls Weekend ~ Save the Date

2008-04-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

My sister's 40th birthday is this year and we are having a girls weekend to celebrate. I wanted the save the date cards to be EXTRA girly.

The a muse pj stamp is so adorable and is the perfect girly element! I added a pink spica marker to the flower in the middle and added a regal rose doodle around the image. I used a purple kitchen notecard since it's my sister's fav color. I used the 'girls night out' sentiment and masked 'night out' to add 'weekend' using the karen foster snap stamps. The last touch is the doodlebug button...it's so cute with the kitchen notecard.

paper - a muse purple and pink kitchen notecards, shimmer white; stamps - a muse pjs and sentiment, karen foster snap stamps; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - su markers, ribbon, doodlebug cupcake button

Celebrate '08

2008-04-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

This cutie stamping bella is for a friend of mine. We are bravely attending the 20th anniversary of Stampin' Up! I have no idea what to expect but I'm sure it will be fun and crazy. Time to start my swaps!

paper - wild wasabi, shimmer white, basic black, basic grey romani; stamps - stamping bella, a muse sentiment; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma, spica, stampin' up markers, ribbon, nestabilities, su eyelet

Girls Night Out - Gerber Daisy Thank You

2008-04-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

YAY...it's the weekend!! What better way to celebrate than to have a girls night out!

I am hosting a stamp and scrap night for a few friends of mine and this is one of the cards we are going to make. I kept it simple to give the girls plenty of time to work on their scrapping. The gerber daisy is perfect for a quick and simple card. I especially like it for thank you cards.

Back to work...I've got to finish up for tomorrow's festivities!

paper - shimmer white, chocolate chip, madeira blue a muse notecard; stamps - gerber daisy and thank you both by a muse; ink - colorbox chalk ink in rose coral and chestnut roan; accessories - dazzling diamonds, robins nest bauble, ribbon, su flower ribbon slide

What Month is This???

2008-03-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

It must be global warming because I've never seen this before! I know this is common on the east coast but in the Pacific NW we rarely see snow in March. There were huge flakes falling last night and before you know it...we had 4 1/2 inches of snow!!! We had friends over for dinner and they had to leave early so they wouldn't get stuck at our house (we live on a hill).

This morning, the snow was starting to melt so I took some pics to post here. Crazy!

Seattle Girl ATC

2008-03-28T16:41:00.001-07:00

When I was creating this atc (for a SCS a muse swap) I reached for this stamp right away. Maybe 'cause I live in the emerald city or perhaps it's the rainy spring. Either way, it's especially fitting because of the loco weather we are having today. I was at work when I happened to look out the window and whadya know...it's SNOWING! What the heck???? Thankfully, it was just a dusting of the white stuff and not enough to stick.

The raindrops on this card are simulated with crystal effects and stickles. You can't tell in the picture but it does look like little droplets are falling on the cutie gal. I used doodlebug paper frills (love this stuff) for the border above the sentiment. The paper frills have been colored to match the rain hat and wellies.

Have a great weekend everyone! Hope the sun is shining in your area!

paper - real red, shimmer white, apricot appeal, memory box blossom; stamps - a muse seattle girl, a muse sentiment; ink - ranger adirondack pitch black; accessories - prisma markers, spica glitter pens, stickles, crystal effects, doodlebug paper frills, dimensionals, marvy punches

Happy Spring

2008-03-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and it's still freakin' cold in Seattle! I'm crossing my fingers for nice weather soon!

This card is for a fellow amuse addict. I love this little chickie and bee...so cutie and very springy. I hope my bumper card recipient likes it!

Well, back to work...got to start on my easter cards...

paper - a muse mango tinplate, memory box stripes, shimmer white; stamps - elzybells mini chick bee, a muse sentiment; ink - stazon jet black; accessories - prisma markers, spica glitter pens, twinkle dot, a muse ribbon, micron pen

I Love Sushi

2008-03-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here's my card for the a muse addicts weekly challenge. The challenge this week is to create a circle shaped card.

I went one step further and used elements of 'roundness' throughout the card. I cut out an a muse notecard with my scalloped nestabilities die and used dies for the dp and main image. If you look closely, I used basic grey's pier 39 from the pheobe collection. For those of you familiar with San Francisco, the aquarium is located at pier 39 which I thought was a cute nod to the sushi image.

I flexed the sentiment to give it a half circle look ~ LOVE the versatility of clear stamps ~ added doodling to the edge and some cutie a muse ribbon.

The title of this post is also the name of a great sushi place in Bellevue and Seattle...if you love sushi, you should give it a try!!

paper - a muse notecard, basic grey 'pier 39', shimmer white; stamps - a muse sushi set; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - a muse ribbon, nestabilities, spica glitter pens, prisma markers, micron pen

Shoebox Project ~ Fabulous Flowers

2008-03-05T22:37:00.001-08:00

Here's a card I put together for my upline's monthly meeting. We are doing shoebox projects and I wanted to use a new stamp set I hadn't inked up yet. I should have done this last night but waited till the last minute! At least American Idol was on the tube for entertaining background noise.

The versatility of this stamp set is fabu! *no pun intended* I love the big flower and all the options for color. I used the thanks from 'lots of thoughts'...one of my fav sale-a-bration items!

I added a rhinestone brad for a bit of bling to the middle of the pewter eyelet and layered all the flowers with dimensionals. Definitely a fabulous flower!

paper - sahara sand (textured), soft sky, ruby red, very vanilla, fall flowers dp; stamps - fabulous flowers, lots of thoughts; ink - ruby red, old olive, sahara sand; accessories - pewter jumbo eyelet, rhinestone circle, brad, hemp twine, small and large tag punch

All About Green

2008-03-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

I thought up this card yesterday while it was rainy and cold but today was a beautiful day in Seattle. I love the spring and summers here in the pacific northwest. When the weather is clear, I can see the Olympic Mountains on my way to work, and Mt. Rainier and the Cascades on my way home...absolutely fabulous.

It's green week on amuse addicts and this card is for the weekly challenge. The kitchen grass 4 bar notecard is a perfect card for this challenge. I colored the umbrella and boots with a melon spica glitter pen..LOVE those pens! I added crystal effects to give a slick, wet look to the umbrella and added some stickles raindrops. The ribbon is colored with prisma markers to match the slicker, boots, and umbrella. I've seen the cutie flag on quite a few blogs and decided to use it for my sentiment (thanks Anna and JulieHRR ~grin~)

Hope all of you are having a great week!

paper - a muse kitchen grass 4 bar notecard, shimmer white, old olive; stamps - a muse seattle girl, a muse sentiment; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma markers, spica glitter pen, copic marker, diamond stickles, crystal effects, ribbon, marvy punches, su flower ribbon slide

Margaritas...YUM

2008-02-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

The a muse weekly challenge is to create a card that says something about you. I wanted to have fun with this card (cuz I'm a fun gal!) and the margarita stamp was the first thing to pop in my head.

I absolutely love our vacations on the mayan riviera in mexico. the white sandy beaches, the palapas, the clear blue ocean...all of it is amazing. I highly recommend an inclusive resort if you ever make it over there.

The memory box beach collection is perfect for this card. The kraft paper reminds me of sand, the flip flop dp is adorable and I love the beach umbrellas. I used su summer sun behind my margarita and 'salted' the rim with dazzling diamonds.

I hope we can make it back to mexico next year...meanwhile I'll sip on my margarita and think of the good times

paper - paper accents kraft paper, summer sun, memory box beach collection; stamps - margarita, a muse sentiment; ink - brilliance graphite black; accessories - prisma markers, martha stewart ribbon, dazzling diamonds, su scallop punch, marvy punches

Elzybells ATC Swap

2008-02-24T21:46:00.001-08:00

Here's an atc I did for a splitcoast elzybells swap. These stamps are so cutie -- I love and want 'em all!

I wanted to make something fresh and bright and found this great dp in my stockpile...I may need more! I added a bit of sparkle to the flower in her hair with a spica glitter pen and a micro twinkle dot.

I'm off to bed...have a great week!

paper - mellow moss, shimmer white, foof a la savannah filigreen; stamps - elzybells 'gossip girl', a muse sentiment, mft heart; ink - chocolate chip, ruby red; accessories - prisma markers, copic marker, spica glitter pen, a muse micro twinkle dot, su scallop punch, ribbon

Another Stampin' Up! Swap

2008-02-22T23:58:00.001-08:00

Here's another su swap for a stamp workshop tomorrow. I'm not sure how much I like this card but knew I wanted to do something 'springy'.

I used the A2 card size...I'm not fond of this size but needed room to fit the pretties flower (after I finished I realized I could have used my standard 4 1/4 square...c'est la vie). I love how these flowers absorb the ink instantly! I used certainly celery and so saffron reinkers to match the layer and designer paper. I really like the look of the spiral punch...I may have to use this punch more. I tried to make the card visually interesting by angling the image and adding the pearls. The final touch is white opal liquid pearls to the flower centers. This was also my first time using su markers...I like how everything matches.

At least I accomplished 'springy'!

paper - bashful blue, certainly celery, whisper white, so saffron designer series; stamps - a little bit of happiness; ink - chocolate chip, certainly celery, so saffron; accessories - pretties kit, su markers, spiral punch, white opal liquid pearls

Sale-a-Bration Swap

2008-02-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is a card I created for a sale-a-bration swap. Of course I had to use all stampin' up supplies...why is this always so hard for me?! I added a couple non-su items to finish the card--stickles and a clear spica glitter pen (my new fav item).

The theme of the swap was to use something from the sale-a-bration brochure. I instantly liked this set when I saw it. I had the celery designer paper on hand (got this with the palette o' prints promotion a loonngg time ago) and used textured cardstock...I love that stuff, so many fun colors.

I'll be posting another swap item this week for a stamp camp I'm going to on Saturday.

paper - whisper white, textured chocolate chip, textured soft sky, certainly celery designer series paper; stamps - birthday whimsy; ink - chocolate chip; accessories - stickles, clear spica glitter pen, marvy punches, white grosgrain ribbon, rhinestone ice circles

Market Spice Tea

2008-02-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

My good friend is visiting from Eugene (Oregon) and I wanted to give her a little 'welcome to seattle' gift. I've been really into tea lately and thought Market Spice Tea would be a perfect little gift. Market Tea Shop has been in Pike Place Market for about 90 years and is known for it's signature tea. It's a mix of orange, cinnamon, and other spices. It's like no other tea I've ever had...very delicious!

I used the tea flavors as my inspiration for this card. The basic grey 'mellow' dp remind me of the spiciness of the tea. Of course, I used the cutie teacup from a muse for the image of the card.

Along with the tea, I gave her a little beehouse teapot to allow her to brew other new loose leaf favorites.

paper - very vanilla, really rust, garden green, basic grey 'mellow', ; stamps - a muse cup & saucer, sentiment by a muse; ink - chocolate chip; accessories - prisma markers, spica glitter pen, scallop punch, marvy punches, ribbon

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Hubbyfella!

paper - a muse notecards 'french roast', pretty in pink, chocolate chip, basic grey two scoops, papertrey white cs; stamps - loveybella by stamping bella; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma markers, copic marker, silver ice stickles, ribbon, heart charm, spica glitter pens

Birthday Wishes pt 2

2008-02-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Here's another one for the challenge...I thought this one up while eating dinner. Geesh, I must be OBSESSED!

paper - a muse notecards cottage blue argyle band, papertrey white cs; stamps - cupcake, little bird, happy bird-day; ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma markers, ribbon, metal tags, circle punch, twinkle dots, dimensionals

A Muse Weekly Challenge ~ Birthday Wishes

2008-02-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

This week's weekly challenge on amuseaddicts is to create a birthday card, gift card, or tag. Since I just bought some a muse argyle notecards, I chose to do a card using the 'cake with flowers' stamp.

I used prisma markers to make a chocolate raspberry cake (one of my favorites *yummers*). To give the frosting a fondant look, I added 3-d crystal lacquer to the top layer. Also added crystal lacquer to the platter to give it a glassy look. I colored white grosgrain ribbon with the markers used for the raspberry filling and the frosting...what a great technique!

Another sparkly touch (unfortunately, you can't tell by the pic)...I added iridescent embossing powder to 'happy birthday'.

now I should go workout and mmmm...cake

paper - a muse notecards cottage green argyle band, certainly celery, blush blossom, papertrey white cs; stamps - cake with flowers, happy birthday (both by a muse); ink - versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma markers, ribbon, marvy punches, iridescent emboss powder, crystal lacquer, spica glitter pens, gold liquid pearls

Birthday Bella Wishes

2008-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is another ATC I made for the bella swap. I used fresh, spring colors to make the bella 'pop'.

The dp is basic grey's two scoops on half of the cards and gypsy on the other half. Since she is holding a cake, I thought a birthday wish would be muy bueno with this card. The sentiment is from a muse art stamps and fits perfectly on the petite oval.

On to my next atc swap...elzybells by a muse!

paper - night of navy, regal rose, papertrey white cs, basic grey two scoops, basic grey gypsy; stamps - cakeabella by stamping bella, sentiment by amuse art stamps; ink - stazon black, versafine onyx black; accessories - prisma markers and pencil, spica glitter pen, copic marker, nestabilities, brads, stickles

Hula Girl Valentine

2008-02-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

The a muse sketch challenges are so fun and helps the creative juices to flow! The challenge this week is to use unconventional stamps or colors for a valentine's card. Hula girl was sitting on my table so I chose her for the challenge.

I used the 'aloha' and 'my valentine' sentiments for the tag on the side. Of course, I had to use a twinkle heart for the 'o' in 'aloha'. For sparkle (always need sparkle), dazzling diamonds was added to her flower and top. A clear spica pen was used on the skirt.

okay...I guess I'll go back to watching the superbowl...

paper - a muse notecard (french roast), chocolate chip, papertrey white cs, cloud 9 'so in love'; stamps - hula girl, aloha, my valentine; ink - versafine onyx black, chocolate chip; accessories - a muse twinkle stickers, nestabilities, su ticket punch, dazzling diamonds, prisma markers, copic marker

My First Artist Trading Card

2008-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was feeling in a bit of a stamping funk and decided to explore splitcoast and anything else I could find on the internet for inspiration. I took my search to Barnes and Noble, and came upon this book 'Rubber Stamping Artist Trading Cards' by Jill Haglund. I started flipping through it and instantly my head was full of ideas!

ATCs are an awesome way to play with different techniques, unused stamps, colors, etc. The possibilities are endless!

My stamp collection is definitely a work in progress so I wanted to swap with something I already had. I found the Bella swap on scs and thought Vinobella would be a perfect first swap.

The requirements are 2 layers plus cardstock, and anything else I want to add. I used wine type colors for Vinobella and added sparkle with stickles and a spica glitter pen. I like how the background looks like wine rings on a table.

I'm looking forward to receiving my bella atcs! hmmm...what should I make next!?

update: I changed the ribbon on the card for a different look. I love how these bellas came out!

atc title - vinobella celebrates; paper - bravo burgundy, chocolate chip, shimmer white, basic grey periphery; stamps - vinobella by stamping bella, sentiment by lizzieanne designs; ink - stazon jet black, brilliance graphic black; accessories - ribbon, prisma markers, copic marker, stickles, spica glitter pen, sakura gelly roll pen