Pickle Post #37 - An AMuse challenge to 'die' for & a Retro Sketch too!

Hi friends! Another crazy week and time got away from me!

It's time for another challenge at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog!  You have two weeks to enter your creations and you don't have to use AMuse products to enter, but if you do use AMuse, you get two chances to win per entry! We would LOVE to see your stuff and give you some goodies, so come on over and join us!

This week, our challenge theme is to use die cuts in your creations. I LOVE my AMuse dies! They cut so cleanly and there are so many fun choices! Here's what I created for this challenge:

Well, can you tell I love purple? :) So does my mom and I think she will love her Mother's Day card! My die cuts - the felt butterflies and the label. I stamped and embossed the strip across the card with one of our new background stamps - such a fun circle pattern! I can never quite capture the beauty and sparkle of stuff on my card with my little Kodak...I am looking for a new digital camera with better zoom capabilities!  I am thinking about a hybrid. Any suggestions? :)

Here's the inside - simple and pretty. I like room to write inside my cards. I LOVE these new butterfly stamps from AMuse - you will see more of these on future creations!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products):
Stamps - Say It With Style, Mod Backgrounds 2, Vintage Labels, Papillon
Cardstock - Amethyst, Grape
Ink - Amethyst, Grape, Versamark
Dies - Vintage Labels, Butterflies Trio
Other Stuff - Heather Felt, Clear Twinkle Stickers (rhinestones and teardrops), White Embossing Powder

Sketchy Inspiration - Retro Sketches # 9 (I just LOVE what those talented girls come up with!)

More to come SOON...I have been promising a fun surprise and I think I will save it for my Blog Birthday ... 38 days and counting! Where does the time go??? :)

Thank you for stopping by!

Pickle Post #36 - Thanks Again!

Hi there! Sorry to be absent again. Just when I think I am back on track - so many things happen!

My internet was giving me fits for almost 3 weeks! Every afternoon from around 1-5 p.m., I had no service at all. That's the time I have available to do anything online, so I was not too happy! We finally got a tech out to fix it and I hope it stays fixed.

I am now battling a sinus infection (OH SO FUN) and I am just so tired. BLECK. :(
But I am working through it and playing catch up. 

And it's time for a new round of challenges over at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog!
I am now design team coordinator and co-administrator of the blog - what a learning experience! :) We have 5 new team members, new crafty stuff to inspire you - and prizes just waiting for you! We also have a new format - we are now doing challenges bi-weekly to give more time to enter your crafty goodness. Come on over and join in! I would love to see YOU win some AMuse goodies to play with!

The theme of the April 16 challenge is Thank You Thank You Thank You! :)

Here is what I created for the challenge:

 

Isn't this AMuse stamp set fabulous? It makes me smile! I got my layout inspiration from the latest Retro Sketches challenge - I love the sketchy inspiration there! I was feeling summer coming on - it's supposed to be 100 degrees here in Arizona by Sunday, so I used sunny yellows and greens. And you know how I love polka dots. :) So I added the green polka dotted paper. Big surprise there LOL!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio products):
Stamps - 'Tini Time
Cardstock - Sugar, Grass, Buttercup, Grass Polka Dot
Ink - Grass, Buttercup, Memento Tuxedo Black
Other Stuff - Scallop Border Dies

Retro Sketches Challenge #7

More fun stuff to follow...sooner than later this time!  :) Thanks for stopping by!

Pickle Post #35 - Thankful for You!

Hi there and happy Tuesday...well it may be Wednesday before you get this. :)

I was so darn busy last week that I got a little behind. I wasn't feeling great over the weekend, but I am getting back on track and feeling better so I have to get my posts up!

Thank you all for your support in light of my lengthy absence and my re-entry into the blogging world of crafty goodness! :) There are so many of you out there I truly consider my friends even though we haven't met in real life. I am so grateful for your creative inspiration and your sweet comments that give me a much needed boost!

In support of the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog, I created a card for this week's challenge. If you haven't joined us in a challenge, please do so! We would love to see what you create and give away some fun AMuse goodies - hopefully to YOU.

Here is the inspiration for this week's challenge:

Lovely colors, layers, florals, scallops...so much inspiration to choose from. :)

Here is what I created for the challenge:

I wanted my card to be simple to bring focus to the AMuse shimmer cardstock I used - I LOVE IT.  It is one of my favorite 'go to's' at the moment! I tried so many angles to photograph the sheen of it but it is so much prettier in person! I love blues and browns together so I worked with those colors. I am drawn to the stitching, scallops and florals in the picture. That inspired the rest of the card. The polka dotted flowers are another favorite of mine. They just make me happy. :)

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products):
Stamps - 'Life is a Song'
Cardstock - Sugar & French Roast Shimmer, Bermuda Polka Dot
Ink - French Roast
Dies - Flowers 2, Scallop Borders, Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangles
Other Stuff - Bermuda Buttons, French Roast Stitched Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder

AND I still have a fun surprise in store...I have to get that post put together to share with you.
I am eternally behind LOL! :) Stay tuned...

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pickle Post #34 - Where in the world is Mrs. Pickle?...and an AMuse Challenge!

Hi there! I have missed you, my crafty friends! HOW ARE YOU?!

I guess the bigger question is how am I? It's been a LONG time since I last posted. Life has been crazy hectic! Work, lack of sleep, family stuff and schedule changes all took their toll on me...I truly lost my mojo. :(

No matter what I did to rekindle my creative energy, projects just sat on my craft desk - half done, sad, forlorn, gathering dust. Seriously I was just in no mood to make or finish anything.

Then I sustained a workout injury to my leg and hip right in December that wouldn't allow me to sit or stand or even lay down for lengthy periods of time without major pain. Try crafting while in pain and lacking mojo...no fun!

I am just about back to 100% and I am finally getting back on track! To all of you who handle chronic illness, full time (or even very busy part time) jobs and family obligations and still post your creativity to your blog on a regular basis - I salute you! :)

My goal is to keep posting at least twice a week. I am working on some new projects to post, but today I am going to share what I created for the weekly AMuse Studio Challenge! I am this week's hostess and my theme is 'Bloom Where You Are Planted' - to create something with flowers. Use flower stamps, paper, felt - whatever puts you in the mood for Spring! Come and join us over at the challenge blog for a chance to win some free AMuse goodies! :)

Here is what I created - it is in honor of YOU, all of my crafty friends who still love me! :)

My flowers are created using blue satin ribbon that I twisted and glued onto big glue dots. I accented them with ivory pearls and stamped leaves. That fabulous blue chevron ribbon is new from AMuse - LOVE IT. The white face of the card is embossed with a diamond pattern and placed onto blue shimmer cardstock, which is GORGEOUS in person but so hard to capture with my little Kodak camera. You can kind of see the shimmer at the top of the card. The sentiment is stamped with black pigment ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Stuff I Used (all AMuse Studio products):
Stamps-True Blue Friend, Leaves Trio
Cardstock-Sugar, Bermuda Shimmer
Ink-Onyx and Grass pigment ink
Other Stuff-Harlequin/Woodgrain Embossing Plate, Bermuda Satin Ribbon and Chevron Ribbon, Ivory Pretty Pearls 
  
Thank you for stopping by to visit after such a LONG LONG time. :) 
I am so happy to be back and blogging! I will have more stuff to post and a fun surprise to share by week's end - so stay tuned!

Pickle Post #33 - AMuse Blog Weekly Challenge

Hi there! Happy Monday! It's time for a new challenge on the AMuse Challenge Blog! 

This week's challenge is hosted by ME. Hooray! :) It's my first time hosting an AMuse challenge and I am SO excited! My challenge is to create a Thanksgiving card or a holiday themed thank you card. It's that time of year again  - I hope you will get into the holiday spirit, get creative and enter the challenge this week for a chance to win these AMuse Studio goodies!

Who doesn't love free goodies? So please enter your creations! You don't have to use AMuse Studio products to participate, but if you own some, we would love to see them in your creations. Remember - you must be 18 or older and live in the U.S. to qualify to win the AMuse prize of the week.

Here is what I created for the challenge:

Since we generally don't have leaves changing color here in autumn in Arizona, I decided to create some for my card. :) I used pigment ink in fall colors on sponge daubers to create the colorful leaves. The leaves by the sentiment are embossed with satin pearl embossing powder. I chose cardstock in fall colors to pull the card together. Brown stitched ribbon and pearls add the finishing touches.

Stuff I Used (all AMuse Studio products):
Stamps - 'Autumn Beauty'
Cardstock - Cherry, Vanilla, Latte
Ink - Latte, French Roast, Papaya, Sage, Fern, Evergreen, Orange, Cherry
Other Stuff - Satin Pearl Embossing Powder, French Roast Stitched Ribbon, Chocolate Pearls

I am thankful you stopped by today - I hope you will join me over at the AMuse Challenge Blog this week!