Sweet Love

Hi everyone. I can't apologize enough for the delay in new posts and especially new crafty things. Truth is that there is a lot going on! Aside from the baby, we are also in the process of moving to a new city. So it's been very busy.

Even though it's been harder to find time to craft, and especially hard to be creative, I'm still trying to at least get the important things made. Like a Valentine's Day card for my hubby! Which is what I'm sharing with you today. It is super simple, but that is how it goes when you are crafting with a 5 month old. At least for me anyway! ;) Hope it's okay that I'm sharing this with you in March, but maybe we can refer to it as a love card, not just a Valentine's card?

I used the A Muse Studio stamp set, Sweet Love. It is one of my favorites and has the cutest sentiments and sweet treat images. They can be used year round too!

And here's the inside. The sentiment says, "You make life sweet!" Which also happens to be true. :)

And I realized it's been awhile since I shared an updated photo of baby Alexander. Thought it might be fitting to post this picture of him eating sweet potatoes on a post titled, Sweet Love!

He's 5 months old now and just starting on solids! I'll be back soon to post some more baby photos. Hope you don't mind. :)

I've not forgotten about the international giveaway I promised to do. It will be up within the next few days! Hope you are all having a wonderful start to your year. It is beautiful and sunny here today, and I wish the same for all of you. Have a sunshine-filled day!

Giveaway Winner Announced!

Thanks for all of you who entered the giveaway! I ran the numbers through the random.org generator and the winner is #6: Colleen Wold!

Congrats, Colleen!!! Please send me an email and I'll mail your A Muse Studio gift certificate information to you. :)

The A Muse Studio main catalog is now available online as a PDF. You can view it here:
https://www.securedcontent.net/amuse/pdfs/2012AMuseStudioCatalog.pdf

If you would like a hard copy, you can also purchase a new 2012 catalog for $5 plus $5 priority shipping. Just send me an email to: amuse1303@gmail.com and I'll be happy to mail one to you! I will also include an updated ink chart and cardstock chart with all the colors.

Thanks again for playing along! There will be a non-A Muse giveaway coming soon for everyone, including international readers. Have a very sunny day! :)

Double the Love Card

I have a simple baby card to share with you today! This card is for a friend of mine who's having twin girls. I just went to her baby shower yesterday. We've known each other since we were babies (our parents are friends) and now we both have babies! :)

I made this card using a sketch from the Clean and Simple card classes. This is from the 1st day, but I signed up for the class later so am playing some catch up! So glad I signed up, it has been wonderful and I love all the lessons!!

I diecut out the onesies and heart from MFT's notches dies and then inserted different colored diecut shapes. The sentiment is from PTI's Bitty Baby Blessings. I used the Cuttlebug folder Swiss Dots to add some dimension, but used the reserve side of the embossing, because I liked that it was more subtle. To finish it off I added a pink shell sheer polka dot ribbon from A Muse Studio. The sentiment inside says, "Sometimes it's the smallish things that take up the most room in our hearts."

I love these classes and it is not too late to sign up! The lessons will always be available to read and the gallery and store discounts are still available for another week. Thanks for stopping by. Remember, there is still time to enter my giveaway HERE. Have a sunny day!

A Muse Studio Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Last year, I did a month long series of giveaways in honor of my first blogiversary. I've decided to do another giveaway this year too in honor of my 2nd blogiversary! Since I'm now an A Muse Studio consultant, I thought it'd be fun to do a giveaway of A Muse products. :)

I'm giving away a $25 GCF to my A Muse Studio web store! The link to my web store is here: www.amusestudio.com/MonicaK.

This giveaway will be open throughout the rest of January. I will pick a number from the random.org generator on February 1st, when I'll also be announcing the new A Muse 2012 catalog.

Here is what you need to do to enter:


1. Follow this blog, if you aren't already following. Just click the "Join This Site" button to the right!


2. Post a link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or other social media page. Mention that I'm giving away a gift certificate to A Muse Studio!


3. Comment on this post and include the link(s) to where you posted about it. One comment per person please. 


3. This is optional, but I'd love if you'd sign up for my A Muse Studio newsletter too. It will keep you updated on sales and giveaways. Just send an email to me at: amuse1303@gmail.com. 

Here's a fun twist! For every 50 comments, I will increase the gift certificate amount by $10. So 50 comments will be $35, 100 comments will be $45, 150 comments will be $55, etc. So the more people who comment, the higher the amount!

Here's another nice bonus: this gift certificate is also retroactive, so if you make a purchase from my web store in January and then you win, you can apply it to that order.

If you are new to A Muse Studio, we are a company that sells exclusive products such as cling-mounted rubber stamps, dies, inks, papers and more! You can check out the main catalog HERE. I'm also accepting pre-orders for the new catalog being released on Feb. 1st.

Thanks for entering this giveaway and good luck!! :) If it's successful, I will definitely do it again! Also, check back soon if you have a chance. I'll have some more info about the A Muse inks!

FINE PRINT: The giveaway ends 11:59 pm on January 31, 2012. This giveaway is only open to those with a US mailing address, per A Muse policy. I'll do another non-A Muse giveaway in February that will include International readers! Gift certificate does not include tax and S/H. It can be used on previous orders made in January. You may buy anything from my web store with the certificate and it does not expire. This certificate can be used in combination with any sales A Muse may be offering too!

A Muse Studio Retiring Items List!

A Muse Studio is releasing a brand new catalog on February 1st. That means several items are being retired to make room. These items are available while supplies last!

One item of special note, the color Cranberry is being retired. This includes the ink, refills, buttons and cardstock and they are all available while supplies last. It is the only color being retired, but there will be 9 new colors added in the new catalog and they are all gorgeous!!

RETIRING PRODUCTS

Here is the A Muse Studio product retirement list from the 2011 Main Catalog. For a complete list of retiring products, please click the photo below to enlarge, or view the PDF by clicking HERE.

RETIRING STAMP SETS

A Muse Studio has also announced their stamps retirement list from the 2011 Main Catalog. For a complete list of retiring stamps sets, please click the photo below to enlarge, or view the PDF by clicking HERE.

The Holiday Catalog will have some items retiring also, but A Muse has decided to not reveal which items those might be in advance. So if you see something you like in it, you may want to consider ordering soon, because it may be retiring and items in it are first come, first served. We won't know which items will carry over until the new catalog is revealed Feb. 1, 2012.

If you would like to order any of the A Muse Studio sale products mentioned above, they are available while supplies last from my web store here:

www.amusestudio.com/MonicaK

If you have any questions or need any clarifications, please email me at amuse1303@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer your questions and get back with you! :) I'll be back soon with a special giveaway!

Happy New Year from our family to yours! :)

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Here is the holiday card we sent out this year. May you have a great year ahead!!

Edited to Add:

MY TOP PROJECTS OF 2011

Last year I posted my top cards of the year, so thought I'd do something similar again this year. You can see my top picks from last year HERE. I didn't make as much as I'd hoped this year, especially after having the baby, but I still wanted to share them with you. :) So here are some of my top projects of 2011 in no particular order. A lot of the insides are decorated too. If you click on the links, it will take you to the post!

The Mother's Day card I made for my mom. I included a picture of my sonogram inside!

The original post is HERE.

Last years's Valentine's Day card for my hubby. The inside says "...is my favorite thing to do!"

The original post is HERE.

Another card for my hubby. The original post is HERE.

 This was a blog hop card. It was fun making the Tiny Tags into a thought bubble!

The original post is HERE.

A gift set for my Aunt using PTI patterned papers. The original post is HERE.

The Lunchbox Note die, my favorite die! It was fun playing with the Postmarks set in a more CAS way.

The original post is HERE.

Another lunchbox note card using the "Est. 1776" stamp set. I decorated the inside and back of the card too. 

The original post is HERE.

I made this mini card for a friend using the Mat Stack 3 die and Floral Fusion 1. 

It was also fun finding ways to use the seed packet die too!

The original post is HERE.

I made these invitations for my baby shower. The original post is HERE.

This is the card I made shortly after I found out I was pregnant! :)

It was early spring and I liked the symbolism of renewal.

The original post is HERE.

Thanks very much for checking out my top projects for 2011. I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate you reading my blog. Creativity has been a bit harder to come by with a little one in the house now, but I will try to have more crafty things up soon. :) Have a sunny day!

A Muse Studio Specials and Sales!

A Muse is having several sales on many of their products, including their inks. Just thought I'd share with you what those are in case you might be interested. There are some great deals going on throughout December! :)

TOP 10 HOLIDAY MUST-HAVES 

All 20% OFF THROUGH DEC. 15th

A Muse Studio has discounted ten popular items (including some inks) just in time for the holidays! A Muse is offering 20 percent off the following items (click the photo to enlarge) for a limited time only.

One of the items on sale is their holiday ink collection. If you order all 10 inks in the collection, you will receive 20 percent off! This can be a great way to try out some of the inks. The colors are: Winter Sky, Cranberry, French Roast, Slate, Pebble, Grass, Fern, Eucalyptus, Lichen and Blush. This is a great deal and the first time A Muse has had a sale on their inks!

Some other great sale items are the shimmer spray (beautiful!) and the washi tapes (very versatile colors and designs), along with 7 other sale items too!

Click on the photo above to enlarge or a PDF of the info is also available HERE.

Hurry, because the sale on the inks and all the top 10 must-haves ends on December 15th!!

SPOTLIGHT SALE

10% OFF THROUGH DEC. 31st

A Muse Studio is also having a sale on five of their stamp sets and some of the cardstock. The CS colors this month are especially beautiful! You get 5 colors (Cocoa, Toffee, Cranberry, Shell and Bermuda), 4 of each for only $7.65. It's a great way to try out several colors of the cardstock. A Muse paper is wonderful, with color on one side and white on the back, perfect for cardmaking!

Click on the photo above to enlarge, or a PDF of the info is also available HERE.

If you'd like to see some inspirational projects made using these Spotlight sale items, click HERE.

RETIRING ITEMS

A Muse Studio also just announced their stamps retirement list from the 2011 Main Catalog. For a complete list of retiring stamps sets, please click the photo below to enlarge, or view the PDF by clicking HERE.

The Holiday Catalog will have some items retiring also, but A Muse has decided to not reveal which items those might be in advance. So if you see something you like in it, buy it NOW, because it may be retiring and items in it are first come, first served. We won't know which items will carry over until the new catalog is revealed Feb. 1, 2012.

CONSULTANT STARTER KIT EXPIRING

One last bit of info, the special A Muse consultant starter kit, which is a FANTASTIC deal for only $99 (worth $350) will expire on December 31, 2011. Then it will be regular price and some items in the kit may be changing. Sign up now before the deal ends! I would love for you to sign up as a consultant with my team, even if you would just like the starter kit or if you are interested in a more active business too. Just send me an email, and I'll provide you with more info to get you started!

If you would like to order any of the A Muse Studio sale products mentioned above, they are available for sale from my web store here:

www.amusestudio.com/MonicaK

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions or need any clarifications, please email me at amuse1303@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer your questions and get back with you! :)

Baby's First Thanksgiving

Hi, hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week! My sister just sent me these pictures that she took of us at our Thanksgiving gathering last Thursday so thought I'd share. Hope you don't mind more baby pictures! ;)

And here are some black and white ones that she snapped of Alexander too!

He is now 10 weeks old and is such a joy! Thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciate you reading my blog. I'm hoping to post a bit more in the new year, and also to post some crafty things soon, especially with the holidays coming up. I'm going to catch up on commenting on blogs too! Have a wonderful, sunny day!

Our Little Pumpkin!

Happy Halloween, everyone! :) Just wanted to update real quick to share a picture of our little pumpkin with you!!

No trick or treating this year, since he just turned 6 weeks old, but we will have our own little Halloween celebration at home. Hope you all have a very safe and fun Halloween!! :)

A Muse Studio Ink Review-REVISED

**ADDITIONAL UPDATE ON 2/28/2013:
Three new ink colors have been added to the new catalog released March 1st, 2013. The first new ink color is called "Mermaid" and is a beautiful teal color. The second new ink color is called "Apple" and is a bright red. The third new ink color is called "Berry" and is fuschia color.

The 5 Venetian colors have all been kept but renamed. The renamed colors are:
Venetian Burano = Poppy
Venetian Belini = Melon
Venetian Lido = Saffron
Venetian Rialto = Moss
Venetian Titian = Mushroom
And no colors have been retired! Yay!

----------

****THIS POST HAS BEEN REVISED AND UPDATED AS OF FEBRUARY 2012 TO REFLECT THE NEW 2012 CATALOG AND IS CURRENT!****

There have been a few questions and interest in the A Muse Studio Inks, so thought I'd share with you some info about it! :) Hope this is helpful for you if you're curious about the inks.

First of all, here's a picture of what the ink looks like!

The inkpad case is rectangular and measures 4-1/4" long x 2-3/4" wide x 3/4" depth. The large stamping area of the inkpad measures 3-3/8" long x 2-1/8" wide x 1/8" depth. The sides of the case slightly slope inward, making it easy and comfortable to hold. It is very lightweight and the see-through lid makes it easy to tell which color is inside.

They are also stackable, as you can see here.

The inks are available in 50 individual shades. They are $5.95 each. Refills are also available for $3.95. They are sorted into 6 palette color collections, organized by the seasons. The entire collections can be bought at a discount or purchased individually.

BASIC Palette 

(includes sugar, pebble, seattle, slate, onyx)

VENETIAN Palette 

(Limited Edition colors for 2012)

(includes lido, bellini, burano, rialto, titan)

SPRING Palette 
(includes shell, blush, apricot, lemon whip, buttercup, lichen, sage, sky, amethyst, latte)

SUMMER Palette 
(includes papaya, orange, bubblegum, watermelon, lime, grass, bermuda, ocean, blueberry, grape)

FALL Palette 
(includes squash, pumpkin, nutmeg, currant, wasabi, heather, blackberry, wheat, toffee, french roast)

WINTER Palette 
(includes grapefruit, cherry, pistachio, fern, evergreen, cobalt, winter sky, navy, eucalyptus, cocoa)

The nine new (never before released) colors for 2012 are: Lido, Bellini, Burano, Rialto, Titian, Seattle, Grape, Pistachio and Grapefruit. The three colors from the holiday catalog have been added to the main catalog: Pebble, Wasabi and Cocoa. Cranberry is the only color that has been retired from the 2011 catalog.

The ink itself is a pigment ink with a chalk ink finish. It does a beautiful job stamping text as well as detailed and solid images! You can see this in the picture below, which is stamped with A Muse inks. The stamping is very crisp, and it stamps perfectly almost every time. The ink is acid-free, so can be used in scrapbooking too!

If you use Papertrey Ink colors, here are the color matches that I found to coordinate with A Muse inks:

All of these are perfect matches with PTI Colors: 
Spring Moss = Lichen
Sweet Blush = Shell
Lemon Tart = Lemon Whip
Summer Sunrise = Papaya
Plum Pudding = Heather
Dark Chocolate = French Roast
Spring Rain = Sky (Winter Sky could also work)
New Leaf = Grass
Orange Zest = Pumpkin
Scarlet Jewel = Currant
Smokey Shadow = Slate
Simply Chartreuse = Fern
Harvest Gold = Buttercup
Fine Linen = Wheat
Kraft = Latte
Hibiscus Burst = Watermelon (Bubblegum could also work)
Pure Poppy = Cherry
Soft Stone = Pebble
Autumn Rose = Currant
*New color match* Berry Sorbet = Burano

All of these are great matches with PTI Colors: 
Blueberry Sky = Blueberry (just slightly brighter)
Ripe Avocado = Fern (slightly lighter)
Blackberry = Royal Velvet (slightly lighter)
Ocean Tides = Eucalyptus (darker bluer)
Aqua Mist = Bermuda (just slightly bluer)
Enchanted Evening = Navy (slightly brighter)
Hawaiian Shores = Bermuda (coordinates well with, but much lighter)
Raspberry Fizz = Bubblegum (coordinates well with, but much lighter)

Other colors that don't have PTI matches, but are beautiful colors: 
Lime, Evergreen, Cobalt, Ocean, Seattle

Here is a handstamped ink card chart that I made of the A Muse inks. I have almost all of the colors, and will be ordering the rest soon. If you would like a chart so you can see the colors with your own eyes, please email me at: amuse1303@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll mail a hard copy of one to you! (ETA: I now have all the ink colors and they are all included on the new updated chart! If you request one, you will see all of the new 2012 colors.)

If you would like to order any A Muse Studio inks, they are available for sale from my web store here:

www.amusestudio.com/MonicaK

Hope this has been helpful and clears up some questions you might have. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at: amuse1303@gmail.com. The inks really are amazing and so fun to stamp with. I own a LOT of inks from many different companies and these are some of my most favorite, a true joy to stamp with. Thanks so much for reading my blog and I hope you have a great and sunshine-filled day!

A Muse Studio New Spotlight Sale!

In case you missed my post earlier HERE, I am now an A Muse Studio consultant. :)

Each month, A Muse Studio has five stamp sets on sale for 10 percent off! There is also a cardstock sampler set on sale too featuring 4 sheets of 5 different colors. It is a great chance to try out the cardstock and also to buy some stamps you might have your eye on!

From now until November 14th, the following 5 stamp sets are on sale:

Autumn Leaves $22.49

Calendar Fun $18.89

Fresh Foliage $17.09

Harvest Blessings $9.89

Perfectly Polished $16.19

Also available is this month's special paper pack, Autumn Harvest, which is $7.65 and features 4 sheets each of the following colors of cardstock:

French Roast

Squash 

Toffee

Orange

Currant

Click HERE for some beautiful projects featuring the spotlight specials.
Click HERE for a pdf flyer with all the details of the sale!

If you are interested in trying any of these items, they are available for sale at my web store:

www.amusestudio.com/MonicaK

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them! Thanks so much for stopping by. I'll be back tomorrow with some info about A Muse Studio inks. I give a review about them and also some detailed info too! Have a wonderful, sunny day!