confetti by lexi

amuse-bouche :: pucker up!

today's amuse-bouche are all about valentine treats and wrapping 'em up a muse sea of love style!  for my valentine, i created a slider sleeve.  i've seen the idea before here and there, but i'm not sure where it originated.  anyway, i forgot to take an open picture of the one shown on the a muse news, so i quickly whipped up another so i could show you how it works!  for both of mine, i started out by making a simple sleeve to fit the contents--sweetarts in this one, gum in the original--and punched holes through both the front and back layers at the open top.  then in think simple a muse style, i added my stamped layer--pucker up is the perfect sentiment for sweetarts, since they're a bit sour, and the sea horse is just the cutest!  i went with stuck on you for the gum for the same punny reason!  before putting the treats in, i threaded a length of the new ocean polka dot ribbon through the holes, leaving it long enough to be pushed in with the candy package, while still having enough to tie at the top.  then i pushed the sweetarts in with the ribbon underneath and tied my bow.  now, when you pull on the bow, the sweet tarts slide up, too...

super cute, super easy, and super versatile!!  don't forget to check out the stuck on you gum version on the a muse news today, along with several other super cute valentine packaging ideas.  after that, click over to the muses' blogs too, for even more treats from the sea of love...

that's a wrap!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: you are a treasure

it's amuse-bouche day four, and time to share elegant greetings with the a muse sea of love stamps.  i can't say it enough--this release is really so versatile!!  the stamps highlighted today are beautiful sea images and lend themselves well to elegant greetings, all of them treasures of the sea.  and, in true a muse style, there's a perfect sentiment to match--along with all of the others we already have!  so on to my card: i stamped the coral in coral pink ink directly on the blue layer along with the sentiment.  for the sand, i layered torn pieces of natural cardstock, stippled with antique linen distress ink--the perfect place for a sand dollar to land!  be sure to click on over to the muses' blogs and a muse news for more elegant greetings from the sea...

enjoy!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: fin-tastic!

welcome to day three, and an amuse-bouche fresh from my desk, as promised!  today's tasty treats are all about using the new images for everyday greetings.  while the a muse sea of love release is a valentine's release, the stamps are also perfect for so much more.  here, i chose to pair the new mini fishes with an older sentiment, fintastic day--a perfect match for a happy hello!  i decided to put the fish in a fish bowl using a circle clear sticker, trimming off the top and bottom to give it the proper bowl shape.  then, i added a little glass glitter for rocks to the similarly trimmed stamped circle before placing the clear sticker on top.  finally, the white sentiment strip provided a little shelf for the fish to sit on.  pretty simple, and lots of fun--i love the outcome!  if you haven't already, be sure to check out my fellow muses blogs, as well as the a muse news today for more great everyday sea of love inspiration--including another fun sneak from me!

see you tomorrow...
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: lost without you

it's day two of amuse-bouche for the a muse sea of love release, and i have one more repost from the a muse news blog before i can get to something new.  i know i said yesterday's card was one of my favorites, but this card was one of those designs that just made me so excited as it came together.  i kind of had a picture in my head, but it worked out even better than i was thinking!  the new compass is such a great new image.  my first thought was to create a map look with it, so i drew the lines around it in brown using a ruler along with the grid pad on my work surface for easy spacing.  then i stippled antique linen distress ink all over it to give the white an aged look, and colored in the compass using blues and tans to match the papers, with a little red for pop.  a pretty pearl in cranberry was the perfect centerpiece for the compass!  but probably my favorite thing of all on the whole card is the dotted course line on the map.  i "drew" it freehand with the small end of my stylus and then went back and added the dotted line following the light depression--super easy, and no pencil line to erase!  it's always the little things that thrill me...

stay tuned for something new tomorrow!
:) lexi

amuse-bouche :: sea of love

it's that time again--time for those yummy appe-teasers of what's coming from a muse!  if you've already been to the a muse news blog today, you've seen this card and others, announcing the soon to be released sea of love valentine stamps.  the stamps in this release are so versatile--perfect for valentine's day and beyond and i can't wait to show you more when i get back to my desk.  in the meantime, i thought i'd share my moby card here as well--it was the first one i created when i sat down with the stamps and definitely one of my faves.  the curling waves begged for shades of blue and gave just the right push to give moby a lift--perfectly true blue!  be sure to check the a muse news blog and those of my fellow muses for more tasty treats...

happy snacking!
:) lexi

hello 2010!

did you eat your black eyed peas and cabbage for luck and money during the year to come?  we did and it was so yummy--i need all the help i can get!!

cheers!
:) lexi

p.s.  i'm away from my desk at the moment, but amuse-bouche have begun, so i'll be back later!