Queen of the Hive

Sometimes I break out in a rash, and by "rash" I mean hives, and by "hives" I mean one.

One hive.

Like just one lone bump that is insanely itchy. One might be persuaded to call that a bug bite, but they'd be wrong.

Seriously, I'm just too lazy to make more than one itchy bump at a time.

#EczemaRules #NOT!

The Fine Print: Stamp by Copperleaf, wee little bees by Recollections. Rash by Nature, who is a mother. 

Last Day

How sad is that that today is the last day for the Cat Lovers Hop? I decided that I had to show off my newest cat stamp from last month. I kept the project sweet and simple today (just like me! [don't laugh]) . Isn't he just a sweetie?!

But before you go, I want to share with a you a picture from a few years back. I pulled out some stamping storage to make room for bigger and better storage and in true cat fashion Dio had to go sit in the place where the furniture had come out from. He also found something I lost under there and saved it to show me when I peeked over at him.

Look! Mom! I found your paper spider!

Yeah, that's enough to give you a heart attack, isn't it?!

The Fine Print: Simple Elegance cat stamp by Carabelle Studio.

Buzz

What's the buzz, you ask? This is the buzz!

The Fine Print: Stuff by Stampin' Up.

World Card Making Day

Saturday was World Card Making Day, the day we must all set aside all other obligations in order to make cards all day. Except I was sick. So about all I made was snot.

Although I did make this one lone card, which was a CASE card.  In hindsight that orange color is a bit jarring. I should have followed that card I was CASEing a bit closer.

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio "Bee Happy."

Let Them Soar!

Let your dreams soar! Unless, of course, your dream is the one where you suddenly realize you are in lecture hall and have to take a test that you didn't study for and it turns out all you are wearing is your underwear.  You probably shouldn't t let that dream soar. You should probably should keep that dream under wraps.

The Fine Print: Parts is parts from a Basic Gray kit.  BTW, for a while there our school had the tagline "Bring your dreams to us!" which of course made us all joke about the lecture hall surprise test in your underwear dream. Also, BTW, I can't say I ever had that dream. 

Bugging Me

I zapped up nine of these little bug themed ATCs the other day. I love ATCs. And by that I mean I love what other people do with such small canvasses, layering on this and that and making things so artsy and creative. Me? The best I can do is make a tiny card. I did layer the umbrella even though it looks flat in this photo.

The Fine Print: Bug stamp by Penny Black, bug border punch by Martha Stewart.

Dragonfly Birthday

I am seriously lacking birthday cards these days so it was time to get cracking. I checked out Seize the Birthday to see if they could motivate me. They always have an "anything goes" birthday to inspire you and this time they had an optional topping of floral which really got me thinking.

I made a card like this before but always felt if needed a few flowers to it. They tiny punch art flowers continue on the inside as well. I apologize for the lousy quality of photo. I really need to toss my camera out the window of a moving vehicle. As you can see I made my dragonfly very sparkly.

 Same card on an angle.

 The Fine Print: Stamps by Stampin' Up "Awesomely Artistic" and "Simply Sketched," small floral punch by unknown, gauze ribbon from my stash.

Be Very Afraid

The reason I have my craft rolling cart and some other random things piled up in my craft room is because there is a big pile of kits in the closet where they need to go. I thought that would motivate me to work on those kits. 

So far I've pulled out two of them and shuffled things around inside them but that's about as far as it got until I decided to put this card together.  Really, it was a no brainer.  As was decorating the inside of the card thusly:

I got this spider punch from my friend. Isn't it a scream?!

The Fine Print: Stamped greeting, card base, brad, and designer paper from Club Scrap "Hopes" kit, dark green twine from May Arts, and fabulous spider punch by McGill.

Dragonfly Window Scene

As we packed up I found this long lost card tucked away between the desk and the wall. It is an oldie but goodie that I received in a swap once. I really liked it and have kept it for years. I was a bit disappointed to see that it got creased and bitten by a cat but overall it is still in fairly good shape.

The Fine Print: Stamps and stencil by Close to My Heart. Card by Jackie D.

BEEcause I Said So

I don't have a card of my own to show you today so I thought I'd show you this card that was sent to me awhile ago. I often pin this card to my bulletin board to admire it in all it's springy glory.

And also to covet this stamp BEEcause it is so much fun. My reason for sharing it is to ask you if you know who makes the stamp and/or the name of it BEEcause I would like to own it myself. I can't ask the person who made the card BEEcause it was made by own of those people who don't sign the backs of their cards.

The Fine Print: I don't know! If I had to guess I'd have to say that this looks rather Penny Black-ish.

SU Cards

Here are the cards I made at a workshop the other evening. I think these are both fabulous cards--kudos to the lady who picked them out. It was a fun evening.

The Fine Print: All products and supplies by Stampin' Up, some retired, some current. Stamps used: "Artistically Awesome" and "Stipple Rose."

Feeling Dotty with Penny Black

It's been far too long since I've played with any Penny Black stamps. Luckily the Penny Black Saturday Challenge Blog was there to give me a nudge in the right direction. This dotted piece of paper recently turned up on my desk so it seemed that this card was just begging to be made:

Since this was put together with scrap and leftovers I'm going to play in Pixie's Snippet Playground as well. I haven't been for awhile. I hope my key still works!

The Fine Print: Loving Ladybugs by Penny Black, bug border by Martha Steward, scalloped circles by Stampin' Up, dotted paper and ribbon from my stash.

Bee Happy

I made this card.

Really, that's all I have to say.  

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio. Bee happy! Or not... I suppose you can be blah and morose if you really want to be. Just do it someplace not near me.  

Bee All That You Can Bee*

*Unless you don't want to bother, of course, no pressure here!

Whilst rummaging around in an overly stuffed drawer of designer paper I ran across this black and white bee paper that I've had since my early stamping days.

Yeah, I know it isn't black and white now, but that is because I colored all those little bees in and then added the big queen bee in the middle and a greeting and called it done.

The Fine Print: Bee paper by Penny Black, queen bee stamp by Copper Leaf Creations, greeting by Peddler's Pack, circle dies by Spellbinders, and that's all there is to it.

Happiness with a Lady Bug

They are keeping me flitting all over the place today.  That's okay though because it makes the day go faster. It has gone so fast the thing is just about done now.  I have just enough time to slap up a bright card to share with y'all.

The Fine Print: Stuffs by DeNami Designs except for the brads which were lolling about on my desk.

Bugging Me

This is a scheduled post because it is the first day of school so I have to be on the front lines listening to all those stupid questions that people who don't work in customer service insist don't exist.  I have the mantra at the ready: this may be the one thousandth time you've been asked this question but it is the first time asking it for the person speaking.  What the heck, it's a living.  And it is fun... in slow down to look at the car wreck kind of way.

Meanwhile, in preparation I got all crazy with dots and made this love bug notecard.  Pink and black together always make me smile.

The Fine Print:  All products by A Muse Studio, My Punny Valentine stamps and matching dies, stitched tag die, Valentine and tuxedo washi tape, blush, grapefruit and onyx polka dot cardstock, and onyx and white baker's twine.  You know what Mister Garrison in South Park says. Feel free to put what he says in the comments.  There is a prize involved if you know it.

Just BEEcause

Recently a friend asked me if every card I made ended up on my blog.  I said no because I often forget to photograph things; or I make several of the same design so I'll show you one card, but not the others that are the exact same thing; or sometimes I go back and remake something from the past.

Other times I don't share things because they are a complete and utter copy job (CASEd).  Then I don't always fee comfortable sharing my card because it really isn't *my* card.  Sometimes I do because I'm still proud of it but that makes me nervous because I don't often remember who I copied.  One should give credit where credit is due.

That said I copied this card from Lyn Bernatovich, another A Muse consultant.  I brought the consultant sampler set, which had these stamps in it.  I wanted to make a sample card using it but was stumped for ideas so I copied hers because it is fabulous.

The Fine Print: CASE = Copy and Steal Everything.  All products by A Muse Studio.  Stamps used-Bee Happy and Mini Blooms. Cardstock used-Sugar, papaya petite polka dots, grass, and bubblegum pink. Other products-Stardust shimmer spay and crystal clear jewel strickers.

Buggin' Me

Just to prove to y'all that I do still have other stamps besides my bathing beauties ones, here's a bug.

This is an old wood mount stamp I've had for a long time. I don't use it often because I'm rather at a loss of what to do with it except stamp it.  There ins't a lot of coloring on it, so as you can see I invented some parts to color to give it some more interest.  I colored it with Twinkling H2Os. I've had those for a long time too and hardly ever think to break them out.  They have a fun shimmer to them.

The Fine Print: Stamp by Stampers Anonymous, embossed in black ep, colored with twinking H2Os, ribbon by A Muse Studio (retired), and cardstock from my stash.  I made this card for a "Buggin' Me" swap and the day I made it I had killed two bees inside my house.  That meant I wasn't about to put a bee on my bug card! I'd been bugged by bees enough by then.  We once had a hive in our cinder block siding. I thought they were back.  Apparently those were just advance scout bees and since they didn't return the hive moved elsewhere.

Green & Yella, Kiss a Fella

Yesterday I mentioned that I just happened to have a boy-friendly stamp set sitting out on my desk.  That's because I was bound and determined to use the frog out of it. And I did!

 My embroidery floss comment yesterday made me pull it out again to wrap around the striped layer.  If you didn't rush out yesterday to buy some in every color, never fear!  Today is another day.  I'm really happy with how this card turned out. I'm especially tickled with the dots on the frog.  They are made with a blender pen. Hot damn! It almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

Since I used snippets (the designer paper and yellow cardstock) I'm going to hook up with Pixie's Playground to see whatever one else is up to.  Go check it out!  Use some of the newly purchased embroidery floss with your snippets and join in today!

The Fine Print: Frog stamp by Paper Smooches "Little Fella," designer paper snippets by KI Memories, eyelet square by Spellbinders, bling, flower, and big brad (swoon) from my stash.... Oh, just learned that American Crafts makes those big brads.  Buy some of those too!

Bee-Cause Why Not?

I thought I'd continue the bee theme today with this card.  I went boldly where this crafter rarely goes and put a dimensional sticker on my card. I buy them with the intention of using them and then promptly forget they exist.  Funny how that is, isn't it?

The Fine Print: Stamps by Imaginations, colored with Copics, bee sticker by Recollection.