I Got My Kit!!!

I'd been waiting, and waiting, and waiting...OK, so it wasn't really THAT long, but I was so excited to get it that it felt like a really long time.  I thought I'd share with you the contents.  I got the "deluxe" kit (as opposed to the basic - just a few more goodies that I thought I'd get some good use out of, so I went for it). Check it out:

Sixteen, yes, count them, 16 new, gorgeous colors to work with.  I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about using the pigment ink, since I've been using dye inks almost exclusively for so long.  I'll let you know how it goes, but so far, I'm thoroughly enjoying them.  I was worried they wouldn't dry quickly enough, but it hasn't been an issue at all.

The basic kit comes with an assortment of solid card stock, but one of the reasons I chose the deluxe kit was because it also came with the polka dot and gingham assortment.  I'm so excited to try them out!  It's hard to see the gingham here in this picture, but it's the light pink on the left.  Seven Copic markers (6 colors, one blender pen), glittery embossing power, satin ribbon, grosgrain ribbon, stick-on bling in both rhinestones and pearls, plus the prettiest paper flowers to add to your cards! 

A Muse send a stamp cleaner and solution - love them.  And an adhesive runner as well as a little glue pen.  Apparently this can be used for embossing, adhering glitter, dust, etc...I used it today to glue on some tiny little paper pieces I'd done on my "mishap" card.  It worked like a charm!  Also, pictured here is one of each of the acrylic blocks available through A Muse.  I always thought the ones you can get in the craft stores or craft sections of super stores were just as good as any other you might find...I have to say, "Not so!"  These blocks are WONderful!  I've been using them this week and the thickness of them, the indented sides for gripping, and the weight of them are absolute perfection.  I've always leaned more toward wood mounted stamps because I wasn't a huge fan of the acrylic blocks, but I'm totally converted to these blocks!  Which leads me to my next discovery...

I should have taken a picture of the stamps themselves (I'll post a picture of the stamps themselves in the next day or so).  These are the sets you get with the deluxe kit - the four in back come with the basic kit.  It's a great assortment of stamps and I've been having a blast playing with them.  What I love about them though, is that they are still made of the red rubber that a typical wood mounted stamp is.  The image is just as crisp and clear, and there isn't any of the "wobbliness" that I've experienced with a lot of the clear mounted stamps.  In short, I LOVE THEM.  

Kitchen Mishaps

I thought I had it all down - tote my supplies out of my craft room and into the kitchen so that the boys can keep playing in the family room, I can keep an eye on them, and they aren't getting into every little nook and cranny of my stuff while I try to be creative.  It's worked pretty well this week, while I try to dig into my a|muse stamps and pump out some great Father's Day cards for my Etsy shop before it's too late to sell them there.


I'd been thinking, "Wow, I'm really close to a lot of different things here in the kitchen that could get all over my card stock, etc..." but I told myself how careful I am.  Plus, the counter I'm working on is just high enough that the boys really can't reach it.  Well, today, I had my very first stamping disaster...and it's all because I was located in the kitchen, at the counter, just beyond a sink full of dirty dish water.  I'd been looking for a little glue pen (one that I just had the pleasure of using for the very first time today - one of my a|muse products that is surprisingly helpful - more on that later!) I needed to complete my cards.  I had assembled all the pieces of my cards, but had not actually adhered the pieces to the card itself.  So, as I lifted one end of my paper cutter, down slipped the unfinished pieces (that I'd worked SO hard on and was SO excited about!) right into that sink full of nasty water.

Apparently, that would be one of the downsides, or hazards as it may seem, of working on your cards in the kitchen.  Sigh.  So sad...at least I got to blog about it.

Just Do It

That's my motto this year...I'm tapping into my creativity, acting on my instincts, and starting something I've never done before.  For years, I've thought about what it might be like to open a boutique selling beautiful things, to learn photography well enough to make a living with it, to write and publish a story or poem, to  sell the things I create with my hands - art, literature, nature and music being my muses.  "How?" has always been my first stumbling block, with lack of time and motivation a close second and third.


Maybe it's the milestone birthday I had not too long ago, or the stay-at-home mom stir-craziness, or the lack of creative outlet I've had the past few years, or just the realization that those so-called stumbling blocks were really just excuses.  But I have come to the conclusion that it's time to change.  So, here I am: starting a card-making/crafting blog, opening a stamping business with A Muse Studio, and selling my card and craft creations on etsy.com.


I've always thought that my talent was somewhat average, that many people have the same or more talent than I do, so who would be interested in, let alone pay for, MY artwork?  But even if that's true, I think I've recognized that no one has exactly the same creative expression that I do and that there's merit in the uniqueness of my own creativity.  The innovation and individuality itself is of value.   So, the self-assuredness and  a-ha moments that come with age are at least a couple of things I can be thankful for as I get older (even if the number of candles on the cake isn't).


This new adventure will allow me to pierce my artistic recesses and draw on all of these passions: the stamping, creating, photography, and writing -  I'm excited to get started.  Join me.  Create with me.  Branch out.  You've always known the sky's the limit.