*it's the little things that matter*

Heather, over at One Little Spark, posted a new weekly challenge called *Share Your Spark Friday*. Catchy, isn't it? Today's challenge is to "make something (anything!) warm and sunny with yellow being the predominant color". I *love* A Muse's new yellow kitchen notes, so I was thrilled to play along! I made this scalloped mini card using my Marvy giga punch. Wouldn't it be cute attached to the top of a little gift bag?

A big hug to those of you who made my day by playing along with my first challenge. If you haven't had a chance to play, there's still plenty of time! Be sure to leave a link to your card along with your comment so I can see that fabulous handwriting of yours!
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A Muse papers and sentiment. Elzybells image. Stampin' Up scalloped circle punch. Marvy punches. Ribbon Trends orange gingham ribbon. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers.

*up for a challenge?*

I'm not especially thrilled with my handwriting. It's not very neat; it's definitely not uniform; and it rarely comes out the way I want it to. And let's face it... A Muse has so many original and fabulously cute handwritten sentiments that a stamper really doesn't *need* to use their own handwriting! But sometimes it's fun to try something different... to step out of your comfort zone. Are you up for a challenge? How about handwriting your sentiment instead of stamping it? If you'd like to play along, be sure to post a comment with a link to your card. I'd love to see what you create! And I know some of you stampers have way better handwriting than I do!
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Notecards and papers by A Muse. Images by Elzybells. Marvy punches. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers, multiliner pen, and Spica glitter pens. Stampin' Up sanding block.

*oh baby!*

The new Elzybells images aren't just for spring. Those sweet little chicks are perfect for baby cards! This particular image is called Daisy Canopy, and I paired it up with an A Muse sentiment. "Oh baby!" has been around a while, but I still love it. The font is so stinkin' cute, and I love how the dot for the exclamation point is actually a tiny little swirl! How cute is that?
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Elzybells NA image. A Muse sentiment, notecard, and papers. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Prismacolor markers. Copic markers and Spica glitter pens. Marvy punches. Stampin' Up sanding block. Ribbon Trends orange gingham ribbon. Provo Craft Floral Fantasy embossing folder.

*welcome to the flock*

Yesterday, I was digging through a few boxes I have stored away in an upstairs closet and found these little cuties in a 6x6 paper pack by Lasting Impressions. When you're looking to make a quick card, paper packs are definitely the way to go! They take all the guesswork out of matching papers. When I came across the blue polka dot paper I knew it would make the perfect sky. And as I flipped a few more pages, I found these darling little rows of flowers and knew they would make the perfect field for my Saltbox Studio sheep. Two amazingly talented stampers, Novell and Lexi, made the cutest cards with the baby sheep jumping the over the fence... an idea I was too dense to come up with on my own! So I thought, "How about baby sheep jumping over the fence to graze alongside mama sheep in a dreamy field of flowers?"
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Images and sentiment by The Saltbox Studio. Stampin' Up kraft cardstock, very vanilla cardstock, and sanding block. Patterned papers by Lasting Impressions. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Ribbon Trends brown gingham ribbon. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers.

*you warm my heart*

Here's a vintage card I made this afternoon with my Winter Wonders set by The Saltbox Studio. It's my favorite set, and for the last few weeks it has been sadly neglected. I thought I would do the little snow lady up "vintage style"... so with a few stitches, just the right papers, an old button, some gingham ribbon, a little sanding, and a lot of creamy carmel ink... I came up with this very vintage card that "warms my heart".

Please don't look too closely at my stitching. It's been a long time since I've pulled out my sewing machine, and I'm afraid I need a whole lot of practice!

I know many of you are curious about the next Saltbox release. The *planned* release date is April 10th, with *sneak peeks* beginning on the 5th. I just got a preview of the new sets yesterday, and I'm so excited! They are absolutely darling! You're gonna love 'em!
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Images and sentiment by The Saltbox Studio. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers. Stampin' Up sanding block, creamy carmel ink, and very vanilla cardstock. Making Memories "Vintage Hip" patterned papers. Ribbon Trends gingham ribbon. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Button by Tres Jolie.

*best bunnies* and *happy for you*

Yesterday, Linda posted a picture of the new window display at A Muse. You can see it here. I was thrilled that two of my cards were chosen to be part of the display. I don't always get to *see* how my designs are used, so seeing these really makes my heart happy! If you scroll down through the pictures you can see close-ups of the darling paper flowers created by the fabulously talented Nina. Those little flowers make my heart happy too!

Both cards feature goodies from the A Muse spring release. The new kitchen notes and ribbons come in the *yummiest* colors, and the images are versatile and easy to use for lots of different occasions. "Best bunnies" would be perfect to send to a dear friend, and "happy for you" would make a darling Kindergarten graduation card.
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A Muse notecards, papers, ribbon, twinkle stickers, images, and sentiments. Marvy punches. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers. Fiskars mini scalloped scissors. Stampin' Up sanding block.

*i'm so ready for spring!*

It has been such a long and harsh winter here in the Midwest. Cold and dreary days like today make me so anxious for spring! I made this bright and cheery Elzybells card this morning thinking it would lift my spirits a bit and bring on spring. Well, it did make me feel better... but spring's still not here!

My daughter, Livi, and I spent yesterday afternoon in my stamping room. She was busy making cards for the Kids' Gallery over at The Saltbox Studio. She is so excited, and I can't wait until the gallery is up so she can see her very own little "masterpieces" on the computer. While she was stamping her little heart out, I was cutting out stamps. Livi loves to help me peel the paper off the back so I can attach them to the blocks. I wish I got such a kick out of cutting them out. I was happy that the Sale-A-Bration sets came die-cut. I will be even happier if some day all of Stampin' Up sets come pre-cut. A girl can only hope.
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Elzybells image. A Muse notecard, papers, and sentiment. Brilliance graphite black pigment ink. Copic markers and Spica glitter pens. Stampin' Up sanding block.