confetti by lexi

barnyard birthday

my nephew had a farm animal petting zoo party this weekend, so i whipped together this cute barnyard birthday card for him.  my old, well-loved saltbox studio sheep and farm friends came to the rescue when i was deciding what to create.  i stacked them for a little whimsical fun, but it ended up being an especially perfect card because the birthday boy kept picking up chickens and putting them on top of the sheep--and he hadn't even seen the card yet!

i hope to have the promised "after" pictures of my studio tomorrow.  i missed my window of good lighting before the rains came today because i was at the hospital welcoming a new niece to the family!  she's so beautiful and you can bet that something pink will follow later this week!!

:) lexi

polka dot ride

challenges used to play a very important role in my stamping--they gave me ideas and really kept me going.  but when i joined design teams, the challenges i used to play took a back seat to the challenge of finishing assignments.  at the same time, my stationery and invitation business started taking off, keeping me very busy, too.  and let's not forget about my kids, teaching, and volunteering!  anyway, one of my goals has been to get back to some of those challenges to keep my creative juices flowing.  while summer hasn't been as "slow" as i'd hoped, i'm determined to accomplish that goal.  and this week's splitcoast cas challenge, ways to use polka dots, is perfect for doing just that.  i love clean and simple, and i love polka dots, so off i went.  i chose a stamp that was already hanging out on my desk--there's just something so cute and perfect about the little tricycle from a muse!  i brought in polka dots with a muse polka dot ribbon and an old reverse polka dot scrap, a pale green that was easy to stamp on and color over.  it's clean, it's simple, it's perfect for summer!  plus, i met two more goals: stamping an image from my "want to stamp" list and using up old supplies.  yay!

enjoy the ride...
:) lexi

mwah!

here's another card from the weekend.  actually, two takes on the same card.  like the others, i started it for two splitcoast dare to get dirty challenges--girls & ginhgham and paper piecing.  what you see above is the original "finished" card.  beachabella was the perfect subject, her suit perfect for paper pieced gingham!  i used the a muse lc polka dot alpha for the fun signature bella phrase.  but the more i stared at it, the more i thought it needed something on the left edge...

so i added a row of pink primas, with jewels in the centers, to match the punched flower on the beachabella's bag.  and then the card worked for two more challenges--floral, feminine, & flirty and all that glitters--bonus!  i think they're both pretty.  the first is my usual cas/clean and simple.  the flowers add a little more punch to the second.  but i'm really not sure which version i like better.  do you have a preference?

:) lexi

getting dirty!

in the middle of camp packing and sewing, i made some time to play a few challenges for "dare to get dirty" on splitcoast.  in other words, i stayed up and stamped way too late!  but i had fun and created some really cute cards.  "hello orange" above was for an orange challenge + a garden challenge.  i don't get why people don't like orange--it's such a happy color, with lots of possibilities.  i kept my "garden" clean and simple.  eucalyptus by a muse makes a pretty pattern in orange and blue!

this one was for a challenge to strut your stuff + a cas white space challenge.  i'm strutting a few things i either haven't used at all or haven't used in a while--the circle line stamp from the personal stationery clear set and the vintage bicycle and sentiment, all from a muse, plus an arturo note card i've had forever!  i've pictured this bicycle as a simple color on color "letterpress" style card for a while now, so that was my plan.  a bicycle t-shirt of my daughter's inspired my colors, but i had a hard time figuring out how to add interest to the one layer layout.  and then i thought of the circle line stamp--i used to use this all the time!  i think it added a modern edge to the design, for the overall modern vintage look i was going for.  and you know how much i love white space!

and finally, bee sweet!  this was for two challenges, also--cas color on color stamping (pink ink on pink paper for cupcake top, yellow on yellow for bottom) + winged things.  sweet and simple and lots of white space here, too!!  this is yet another idea i've had buzzing around in my head for a while now--so many stamps, so little time!  oh so little time.

back to packing...
:) lexi

groovy bird-day!

as promised, i have another "right now" card with one of my favorite stamps from the a*muse*a*palooza release.  groovy partridge is just so... groovy!  and such a groovy image needs a groovy layout and fun colors to go with.  once i decided on "groovy punched squares" and just the right colors, i thought they needed a little tone-on-tone pattern, so i stamped them--the orange with tin plate, the green with eucalyptus (stamped a few times).  for perfect placement, i stamped first, punched after.  i paper pieced the partridge to match the sentiment band, and added each of the other colors to the stripe detail and tail feathers with copics.  the end result is clean and graphic--perfect for the card style clean and graphic challenge in the moxie fab world.  if clean and graphic is your thing, too, you have until august 2nd to play!  and because i didn't use any patterned paper or embellishments (and kind of made my own!), this card is perfect for a splitcoast "dare to get dirty" challenge just faux you.  it's been a long time since i've been able to play challenges there or anywhere, and i miss them.  hopefully i can start adding them into my routine a bit more...

:) lexi

a*muse*a*palooza in review

it's taken me a couple of days, but i finally cleaned away the a*muse*a*palooza mess.  it was a controlled mess--piles of paper scraps, little mess ups, lots of stamps, and of course the pretty cards, too!  i'm so excited that i was able to post daily for all eight days!!  anyway, i loved seeing all of my amuse-bouche projects together, so i snapped a picture to share.  i'm impressed by the variety i was able to create.  halloween, christmas, and even a few for right now!  have you placed your order?  i'd love to hear what you chose!

:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: the end...

i can't believe today's the last day of a*muse*a*palooza!  i wanted to end my amuse-bouche offerings with a bang, so i decided to share two cards with you.  and while the theme of a*muse*a*palooza has been halloween and christmas, i wanted to show you just how versatile these stamps are with a couple of ideas that are perfect for giving now!  first up is wide eyed owl--i adore those big eyes!  she reminds me of my grandmother's owl collection and is a great addition to my own owl stamp collection.  i chose summery colors for this card, but there are so many possibilities.  i'm sure she'll show up here again very soon.  those wings are just begging for fun color combos!

next up we have squirrels.  i love the simple, graphic outline look of this image.  it would be really easy to ink up just one squirrel on this stamp for versatility, but i wanted lots more, so i stamped out two rows for a cool visual effect.  the heart twinkle sticker highlights one pair of the cute little guys in the perfect spot to add interest and accent the old sentiment, nuts about you. 

i've had so much fun sharing my little appe-teasers with you all week.  for those of you who don't have an a*muse*a*palooza store within reach, the new stamps will be available online on monday--i can't wait to see what you stamp with 'em!  meanwhile, be sure to check out the blogs of my fellow muses and the a muse news blog for more final day fun.  i have lots more ideas, too--so even though the party's over, the stamping will continue...

'til next time!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: tis the season...

for giving gifts!  today's a*muse*a*palooza amuse-bouche is all about holiday gift packaging.  this is one of two new holiday labels (more red rubber cling--yay!), both so perfect for wrapping and packaging.  as i was thinking about what to create, i thought of the very nice acrylic box that my extra iphone charger came in and decided to recycle it.  the stickers peel off easily and the insides come right out, leaving a wonderfully clear and sturdy box.  i lined the inside width with the fabulous new candy cane paper, filling it with red tissue paper to wrap up a small gift.  then for the outside, i made a one inch band of evergreen, stamped and cut out the holiday label on chiffon green, and stuck it to the top of the band so it can slide off the box.  a few cranberry pretty pearls add a touch of red to the green label, and the perfect bit of bling.  easy peasy--and i can't wait to fill it up for someone this year!  be sure to check out the a muse news blog for more ways to stamp your gifts (another give-away, too!), as well as the blogs of my fellow muses--there are some really cute images to see today and they'll all be available online very soon!!

:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: groovy partridge tree

merrily we roll along with another taste of a*muse*a*palooza and christmas in july! today is all about winter critters, and while these new critters are great for christmas, they'll be perfect for so many other occasions, too.  in keeping with the christmas theme of the week, i decided to use groovy partridge and give her a "pear" tree to perch in.  i used an old christmas fave, tiny ornie, to create the look of pears and the leaves from birch forest with leaves to fill in the circle tree top--a scrap of woodgrain is the perfect trunk.  the other half of yesterday's winter sky card stock came in handy, cut into a 4.25 square card base--yay for 8.5 x 11 paper to cut to any size!  the end result reminds me of a felt ornament from my seventies childhood.  i really had fun creating with non-traditional christmas colors and thinking a little out of the box!  as always, be sure to click on over to the a muse news blog for more winter critters (prizes, too!), as well as the blogs of my fellow muses...

happy hunting!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: snow lady friend

another day of a*muse*a*palooza, another amuse-bouche--and today it's all about snow fun!  meet snow lady, one of three new snow people.  isn't she sweet?  each one looks great on it's own like here, but put them together, and you have the cutest snow family ever!  there are new snowflakes, too.  we don't get much snow here in new orleans, so i love to let it snow on my cards--and the more snowflakes, the better!  scandinavian snowflake is big and bold--another new red rubber cling stamp.  it's the perfect accent here, but it would make a great focal image, too.  and did you notice the new 8.5 x 11 paper color?  it's called winter sky and it's simply perfect!  especially when it comes to making card bases--this one is a good ol' 4.25 x 5.5 side fold.  i use pre-made cards a lot lately, but it's fun to start from scratch sometimes!  head on over to my fellow muses' blogs and the a muse news for more chilly treats--and yet another give-away!!  it's the best way to beat the summer heat...

:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: sweet ginger wishes

a*muse*a*palooza appe-teasers continue with tastes of a sweet holiday!  today it's all about the gingerbread--cookies, houses, candy, and more great sentiments!  i cooked up a quick card using the new sweet houses red rubber cling set.  i'm so excited about the cling sets--easy to store, easy to use, and i really like the index on the cling!  anyway, i wanted my sentiment pairing to stand out, so i chose to stamp the houses in a mustard/gingerbread ink and left them uncolored, which allows the red and green sentiments to really pop.  see the layer peeking out?  it's a brand new 8.5 x 11 paper color: nutmeg!  there's also a larger house in the set, and have you seen the gingerbread boy and girl and the candy?  good enough to eat!  once again, i'm late to the game--the city swim meet kept us busy all day!--but if you haven't already, check out my fellow muses' blogs and the a muse news blog for more sweet holiday treats...

yummy!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: christmas tags

as much as i love halloween, i'm so excited that a*muse*a*palooza continues with christmas in july!  and for today's amuse-bouche, we're serving up a classic christmas.  i stamp a lot of gift tags and cards for the holidays, so that's what i have for you today, using a jolly cute santa, a sweet young rudy, and a great new holiday tree.  a little simple stamping, coloring, and quick assembly is all it takes.  a fun idea is to chose a couple of papers (like the new candy cane and evergreen above!) and make a variety of cards--different enough for interest, but with a coordinating color scheme that will look really cute on the packages under your tree.  the santa card is a small fold over with a punched slot closure, the tree is a 3 x 3 mini with a matching envelope, and the rudy tag is an embellished shipping tag with a ribbon ready to tie.  a muse 8.5 x 11 papers make it easy to create cards of all sizes and have leftovers for layering.  i'm a little late today, but if you haven't already, be sure to check out my fellow muses' blogs, and the a muse news blog, too...

merry! merry!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: sinful sweets

for today's amuse-bouche we're throwing a halloween party and you're invited!  every party should have sweet treats, but for halloween, it's even better to have sinful sweets, a muse style!  i love the size and look of this new sentiment and the three mice silhouette image is perfectly icky.  the project was a quickie, too, which is important if you're mass producing for a party.  it doesn't get much easier than stamping in black on slate for clean and simple halloween style.  i punched the corners and layered my stamped piece on orange for a pop of color and interest, and stuck it to a ready-made box.  mini twinkle stickers add just the right bit of spooky sparkle to finish it off.  minimal work, maximum look--now, all that's left is to fill it with something sinful!  don't forget to check the muses' blogs for more tricks & treats, as well as the a muse news blog.  there's another give-away, too...

party on!
:) lexi

a*muse*a*palooza pj party!

tonight was the a*muse*a*palooza pajama party and i did it!  four cards, thirty minutes each.  i tried to join in the fun chatting, but had to stop and focus to get it done!  so here they are...

jennie's theme:  *hot* ~ and since i finally saw eclipse last night, this card immediately came to mind because, "let's face it, i'm hotter than you."  i'm totally team edward, but i love that line!

donna's theme:  *beach party* ~ a camp fire on the beach is the perfect place to start a party!

michelle m.'s theme:  *water* ~ a muse has so many great water-y shades of paper and images that can jump right in!

glenda's theme:  *summer food or beverage* ~ let's get together for something apple green!  bottoms up!

it's been a while since i stamped four cards in two hours just for fun.  hopefully i can do a better job of multitasking next time...

'night!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: tricky spider

it's time!  a*muse*a*palooza is here!!  which means new stamps, which of course means new peeks!!  if you have an a*muse*a*palooza participating store nearby, you can see the stamps in person and participate in some classes.  if not (like me), the muses are sharing the stamps day-by-day as usual on our blogs.  today's special:  halloween!  i love halloween--tricks, treats, decorating, neighborhood boo-ing, etc.  and it's even better with new stamps!  my card features spider tag and trick or treat.  spider tag would be great as a stand alone tag, but also works perfectly as the focal point of a card, like i've used it here.  and isn't the font of trick or treat great?  two details that don't show up well in the photo are the tiny black pretty pearl sticker on the spider--the perfect size to give his body shape and dimension--and glitter pen on the web for a sparkly, dewy look--gotta have a little bling!  so, be sure to check out the rest of the muses' blogs for more tastes of what's coming, as well as the a muse news blog.  today, tomorrow, and for several more.  there are give-aways, too--a*muse*a*palooza means fun, fun, fun!!!

:) lexi

vintage charm card ~ craft critique

here is one more look at the vintage groove jewelry line i reviewed for craft critique.  as i hinted in my last post, i didn't make only jewelry.  many of the charms are perfect for card embellishments, too.  as soon as i saw this one, i pictured it on a wedding card, so this mini wedding gift card came to life, with a sweet tin plate pattern and ribbon detail, both a muse.  i made a few more paper crafted pieces for my article, so if you haven't read it, click on over to see them all.  and while you're there, leave a comment--the giveaway ends today...

:) lexi

disclosure

cute & campy

as important as it is to send kids to camp with writing supplies, it's even more important to have friends write to them while they're there.  and of course, the notes should be cute and campy!  my girls wrote their first letters to friends this week and the tent, campfire, and sun from a muse were just right for the occasion.  even better--it was the perfect project for the girls to do on their own.  it doesn't get cuter or campy-er than that!

:) lexi

fun in the sun!

i feel like i'm finally knocking things off of my list, including blog posting!  specifically, i really wanted to highlight this little book that was featured on the a muse news blog last week during the inspiring ideas for summer time.  for my non card item i was asked to create a trip journal.  so, i challenged myself to create it from scratch.  i started with the covers, covering two 4 x 6 pieces of recycled chipboard (notepad backings!) with matching pieces of the new cobalt card stock--it's such a gorgeous blue!  i had so much fun creating the title piece using the fancy alpha set, along with various summer images and the tiny numbers from the cupcake builder set.  the sun and the title are stamped directly on the white panel, while the palm tree and surfboard are cut out for perfect placement and a little depth.  the sand is a torn piece of the new wheat card stock--it's a perfect color for sand!  next i moved on to the inside...

since the purpose of the book was journaling, the school lined card stock was perfect for the inside pages.  i wanted two pages per day for a week long trip, so i cut two 4 x 6 pages from each of 7 pieces of card stock--that way, i would have 7 with a top margin to add the coordinating daily titles, as shown above, and 7 without to follow each titled one.  since the backs are blank, you could add drawings, clippings or small photos as you use it.  with that in mind, i bound it all together with my bind-it-all, choosing a larger than necessary wire so that there was room for the book to grow a little.

while the book was pretty complete at this point, a lightbulb went off.  i decided that if you were taking it on a trip, you might want to toss it in your purse, so an elastic band to hold it closed would be a good idea.  a couple of eyelets on the back with elastic strung and tied through are all you need!  of course, i only had white elastic and, while it looked fine, i thought green would look better, so i colored it with the same copic i used on the stamped images and voila!  matching green elastic.  i was really excited about this little book--i think it's so fun to have customized pieces like this for trips, parties, gifts, etc.  oh, the possibilities!

thanks for stopping by...
:) lexi

summer fleurs

after i made the bottle packages that i showed yesterday, i got stuck on the cabana/ready set combo for summer gifting and had to use them on the little stationery sets i made for my girls to give.  luckily, we go to different schools!  i printed sets of my best selling fleur de lis note card design in bright summery colors, so i decided to color the cabana in similar colors so that it coordinated with all of the color combinations.  these round stickers are great for gift tags and i love that so many of my a muse stamps fit on them.

ready, set, recline!
:) lexi

summer time essentials

 
remember the back to school essentials from the beginning of the school year?  i've done those little treats every august for many years, so i was excited to work on a new summer time version for my nephews' end of the year teacher gifts.  the essentials we decided to include:  book store gift cards, lip balm, and summer stamped nuggets, all tied to a bottle of flavored margarita mix.

of course, a cute tag was necessary, and the cabana and ready set sentiment from a muse said it perfectly.  i wanted the nugget labels to coordinate and speak summer, so i picked a few smaller summer images--sun, sand dollar, and beach sign--and randomly stamped them in blue, orange, and yellow to match the tag colors.  school's out for me, but if you're still looking for a fun gift idea, i hope this helps...

happy summer!
:) lexi