confetti by lexi

flashback friday :: potter mania

did you go to the movies at midnight?  we did!  just like the last book release, it was so much fun.  the cinema was crawling with hogwarts uniforms, witches, wizards, deatheaters, house elves and tons of harry potter glasses and wands.  the movie was fantastic and we had a blast in the middle of the night!  i thought i'd flashback to one of my old harry potter cards today in honor of the event, this one inspired by the magical classes at hogwarts.  i'm really going to miss looking forward to these releases...

:) lexi

original post: september 27, 2007

you da' grad!

when i was looking for challenges the other day, i stumbled upon the new cas-ual fridays challenge blog - weekly challenges devoted to clean and simple design.  that's what i'm all about, so of course i had to make time to play!  this week's theme is graduation (CFC4), so i took a break from the summer sun (school is so last week around here!) to make a graduation card.  i decided to have a little fun and go with a playful card - maybe for a college, or even a high school, guy.  i was originally thinking of something more traditional, but when i started looking through my stamps, the new a muse|studio foiled again set jumped out at me and everything just fell into place.  square scrap, brad & tassle, mustache and sentiment - clean and simple and oh so cute!!

:) lexi

many thanks

if you didn't have to cook for thanksgiving, you may still have many thanks to offer and what better way to do so than with a quick card?  with eating at the center of it all, a muse flatware is perfect for stamping a simple background.  i layered it on shimmer green card stock for a little pizzazz, leaving room for my favorite sentiment below.  swap out the brown for red, and you'll be ready to give thanks for your christmas eating, too!

:) lexi

thank you...

need a last minute hostess gift for tomorrow?  bottles of wine are always appreciated!  a quickly stamped panel, wrapped and tied around the bottle turns it into the perfect thank you card and gift all in one.  easy, peasy, fun & festive!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: thanksgiving place cards

i can't believe how fast time is flying by--how did it get to be the last friday before thanksgiving?!  here's one more flashback to a thanksgiving project from the past.  place cards are such a nice touch on the thanksgiving table.  i've done a few different versions here and there, but tying a tag to a mini pumpkin has always been a favorite.  the printing and stamping is a nice touch, but a handwritten tag would work well too.  just a few days left...

:) lexi

original post:  november 17, 2008

autumn leaves

i often forget to share my designs that make it into the a muse newsletter for card of the week.  this one was featured today, and popped up in my email right when i was thinking of what to post, so i took that as a sign and here we are!  this was one of those cards that just kind of came to life on it's own.  i referred to it as organically grown in the newsletter, because i was just creating without thinking too much.  i started off with a single panel, stamping the leaf down the side in pretty fall colors (the kind i don't see much of down here!), adding the sentiment to the right.  it seemed kind of plain, so on a whim, i cut it in strips to see how that would look.  a little more of that great woodgrain shows through, giving a very simple card a little more depth.  i love it when that happens--maybe i need to think less more often!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: thanksgiving placemats

i can't believe it's november already!  i thought i'd start off the month's flashback fridays with a project that i love to do every thanksgiving, activity placemats for the kids' table.  i've always made and shared them last minute, so now here they are at the beginning of the month to copy with plenty of time to spare.  or i can make them for you!  over the years, i've used these saltbox studio stamps, as well as stampin' up! thanksgiving stamps.  both are no longer available, but a muse has some great options that are--pilgrim boy, pilgrim girl, and tom turkey, for starters.  happy stamping and happy november!

:) lexi

original post:  november 19, 2008

tombstone centerpiece

how about a fun decoration today?  it's easy enough to make last minute, too.  when you ink only the edges and skull design at the top of the graveyard gatherings cling stamp from a muse, you have a big open gravestone to play with.  i added the rip with the fancy alpha clear set and a single mouse from three mice silhouette and made two identical gravestones, adhering them to each side of a simple box.  a little florist foam inside weights the box, with some twigs and moss to fill it out.  you could also use it to hold pixie stix or a small cello bag filled with treats.  any way you use it, it's sure to be terror-ific!

:) lexi

halloween is a hoooooot!

i couldn't let halloween arrive without sharing a couple of cute cards.  this was one of my favorite sentiments in the halloween collection from a muse during a-muse-a-palooza this summer.  paired with hazel witch owl, it sets a perfectly playful tone.  she's the cutest owl witch ever!!

but it also works just right with owl silhouette and bare branch to create a darker, more vintage inspired card.  i haven't had enough time this year to create much for halloween like i wanted to--i can't believe it's almost here actually!  but we finally pulled out our favorite decorations and purchased a few costume supplies over the weekend, and we went to the pumpkin patch after school today, so we're closer to being ready now...

yay!
:) lexi

flashback friday :: dessert in the great hall

in keeping with the halloween theme for flashback fridays this month, here is a card from an a muse harry potter series i created way back in 2007.  my younger daughter has always loved the movies, and is currently obsessed with reading the books for her nightly home reading, writing a short summary about a new chapter every night.  this is my favorite of the two card versions in the original post.  the table filled with halloween desserts hovering over the table, chandeliers floating in the high open space below the magical ceiling of the great hall.  in case you hadn't guessed, i love harry potter too!

:) lexi

original post:  september 29, 2007

flashback friday :: countdown to halloween

happy october!  'tis the season for ghouls and ghosts and the countdown to halloween.  this flashback is from an amuse-bouche last year, a fun little countdown calendar for those who love halloween as much as we do.  it's easy to make and would be something you could take out every october.  kids (and kids at heart) would love to turn the pages each day and a muse has the best collection of halloween images to make it perfectly frightful and delightful.  you can read about how to make it and see a few more pages on my original post and you can see all of a muse's halloween images by clicking here!

have a great weekend!
:) lexi

original post:  august 29, 2009

flashback friday :: calendar at a glance

with yesterday's calendar on my mind, i thought it would be fun to flashback to last year's design--a year at a glance.  similar to this year's calendar, i focused on a school themed display calendar and one image per month.  a muse has the best images to choose from and the different sizes of the calendar offer so many design possibilities. win, win!

happy weekend!
:) lexi

original post:  september 16, 2009

it's a muse calendar time!

I love the a muse calendar project for two big reasons.  one, with several sizes to choose from, they are incredibly useful & fun to play with.  and two, donations made in exchange for the calendars are always given to very worthy causes.  proceeds from this year's calendar will benefit charley's fund, a fund established to honor the memory of charley, daughter of amanda beers, long-time a muse friend and fellow blogger.  each year, i think linda outdoes herself in the calendar offerings.  this year, there are five formats!  my daughter's been begging me for a magnetic calendar for her locker since the first day of school last month, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do when calendar time rolled around.  she has a full calendar in her planner, so the 4 x 6 size is perfect for decorating her locker and getting a quick peek when she opens it to gather her books.  we wanted something simple that could withstand the action her locker gets, with no layers or paper, so it sits flat against the metal wall.  instead of printing on regular paper or card stock, i printed the calendar on printable magnet paper--easy peasy!  she helped pick a favorite image for each month and we added some lines so that she can write a few highlights.  since the paper is formulated for inkjet printing, it also takes dye ink well, much like glossy card stock.  i used copics to color it in, but because of the gloss, you do have to be careful not to color over the lines too much.  she can't wait to hang the first semester up tomorrow!  my fellow muses have outdone themselves this year too--all of their gorgeous calendars are featured this week on the a muse blog with links to each one for more information, so be sure to check them out.  then donate to charley's fund and get your own a muse calendar download so you can make something useful and pretty too!

:) lexi

A Note From A Muse:  The A Muse Calendars are a download product only.  Nothing will be shipped to you.  Calendar orders are only processed during regular business hours {monday to friday 8a to 5p}.  Once your order has been processed, you will have unlimited access to the file(s) you have purchased.

flashback friday :: game on!

after last night's big game, i went on the search through my blog archives for a saints card to post for today's flashback friday.  i was excited to find this one with rock star, all decked out in black & gold.  coincidentally, i started making this card while watching the opening game of the 2007 season, but that game didn't have the same winning outcome as last night.  then there happened to be an a muse sports challenge the next day, so i posted it anyway.  rock star is one of my all time favorite a muse stamps, and at the time of this card, one of my go to stamps.  in fact, that same week, i created two more football cards with him.  i'm partial to the texas one for several reasons--the kick, his boots, his shirt.  it's my school, lol!  but, in the interest of a happy marriage, i had to dress him up in purple and gold too!

who dat!!!
:) lexi

original post:  september 7, 2007

lunch box notes

i think i've mentioned lunch box notes from time to time, but since they were usually made of small scraps and quickly scribbled notes, i rarely photographed them.  i came across a basket of old ones when i was cleaning up my studio, and i had so much fun going through them that i thought it would be nice to post a few.  the girls eat hot lunch every day now, so they only get notes when they need a bag lunch for a field trip, but it used to be a big part of their lunches starting in preschool.  they loved the notes so much that they brought them home and even requested favorites again.  i usually made a few new ones each week, reusing the favorites to fill in the days.  i used trading cards i was working on or small stamped focal points added to random scraps--whatever was left on my desk.  a muse images and matching sentiments are especially perfect!  sometimes, i did go out of my way to match the season or a theme at school.  and before they could read, i would often write the same thing so they could remember and pretend to read.  they looked at the basket tonight while i picked some to photograph and remembered most of them.  it was such a fun school time tradition--almost makes me wish they still brought their lunch!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: just be lazy

i noticed in the a muse newsletter this week that the couch stamp, along with a few others, is "back by popular demand" and immediately this card came to mind.  the couch was one of my favorites from a large a muse purchase on a trip to new york.  this particular couch card was created for an a*muse*a*palooza countdown challenge to stamp for a silly celebration.  that same week, it made small appearance in another silly celebration card and again a few days later on a ribbon challenge card.  that summer was the second a*muse*a*palooza, and after quietly following the first the summer before, i really got into playing and posting about all of the challenges on my new blog.  it's hard to believe that i've been blogging so long and that i'm not just an a muse fan, but on the design team too!  anyway, now's your chance to add the couch to your collection if you've been eyeing it on the lounge banner--not only is it the best icon for the lounge, but it's a really fun image to create with!

have a great long weekend!
:) lexi

original post:  june 21, 2007

old, new, borrowed, blue

just in case you were thinking that i didn't stamp invitations anymore, i found one from the "forgotten" file that was stamped!  the hosts of this party asked specifically for a little blue and something completely wedding.  a muse has a ton of great stamps that fit that description.  the perfectly simple gown, with the added touch and texture of tulle coming out of the top of the dress form, gave this card the winning edge.  but it was one of those times that the ideas just kept coming...

i had 4 back-ups!  while i like to give choices, i don't usually have five for a given order.  lately, i feel like i'm lucky if i can come up two, but that's probably because i'm working on several different themes at a time right now.  everyone's throwing parties!  i finished one, in particular, today that i can't wait to share once the party takes place!!  until then, i guess i'll have to keep digging through the forgotten files...

:) lexi

flashback friday :: arrrrr!

while working on a pirate invitation this week (a re-make to be posted later), this card came to mind.  it was an instant favorite.  a design that made me smile and i couldn't wait to post it.  i feel like i haven't had much time to stamp and create wow cards like this one lately.  it's good to be busy with orders, but i need some stamping time!!  until then, flashback friday is great for looking back at some of my old buried favorites...

enjoy!
:) lexi

original post:  september 4, 2007

school daze

where did summer go?  today was the first day of school and i have mixed feelings.  we had such a good summer, but it felt like the shortest ever!  this first week is always the busiest, trying to blend in the final days of the girls' summer with my beginning of school meetings, while also helping them get ready for their first couple of days.  but when school starts, i can finally settle into my normal working schedule of a little teaching, a lot of designing, and a healthy dose of parent volunteering.  that's the up side, i guess!  i created my usual bags of back to school essentials for the teachers just like last year (why fix it?!), so i have a different back to school card to share today.  the pencil, which i also used on the bags, is definitely one of my top favorite a muse images, paired with solid apple on this mini card.  i added a few micro dot twinkle stickers to the top for a little bling detail.  i love it as a traditional yellow #2 like here, but it also makes great colored pencils too! 

happy back to school!
:) lexi

flashback friday :: back to school

as soon as the girls get home from camp, it's time to start thinking about the first day of school.  in fact there are only four days between the two!  and actually those four days are more for them--i have teacher meetings to attend starting monday.  today's flashback is one of my all time favorite projects, and with school starting next week, i have to pull together a few of them very soon.  i create these little "back to school essentials" kits every year.  they include tylenol, mints, hand sanitizer, quarters for the coke machine, etc.  you know, any of those small things a teacher might really need (or want) at some point during those first days back.  of course, i always include chocolate nuggets with stamped labels.  this particular kit is from last year, but there are a couple more examples of the same thing in the various august and sepember archives.  i love this pencil stamp from a muse so much that i might just do them the same again this year!

have a great weekend!
:) lexi

original post: august 20, 2009