Life is good.

I am off to my sisters at the lake up north tomorrow,so I wanted to make sure I posted this. Here is your blog candy winner: Cathy!

I used a random number generator from Random.org and the number was 27, so Cathy, email me (click on “contact me” under my pic to your left) your address and I will get your candy out next week! Here were Cathy’s answers:

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Have a great weekend girls, I hope to resume regular blogging on Sunday or Monday!

Hey kids! Here a little reminder ab out swaps due next week! We finally filled round 2 as well! Thanks girls!

 Open for this are 2 rounds of 4.25 x 4.25″ square card fronts. This should be fun! I am looking forward to filling this!!! More details over at SCS as well: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6042692#post6042692

Here are the details:

• 6 Card Fronts– you will get back 6 this includes 1 of your own.
• 2 or more layers
• Must include at least 1 A Muse stamp, but there are no other vendor restrictions
• At least one embellishment preferred, but not required (i.e. ribbon, brads, bling, etc.)

Your swaps are due to me by Monday, July 2nd.

I will swap out on Tuesday, July 3rd.

Please put your card recipe on the back and put them in a ziplock or other protective bag. Your bag should be marked with your name and group number.

Also include a SASE + 1 additional stamp (I will return it if not needed). No meter strips please!

Group 1:
1. Andrea Bentz, SCS: Andee Cate
2. Amy Koehler, SCS: Propecia
3. Michelle Mallett- Recieved
4. Jessica Newton, SCS: NewtNewt
5. Emily Gunnell: SCS: Water Pixie
6. Donna Meeks, SCS: jdmeeks

Group 2:
1. Andrea Bentz, SCS: Andee Cate
2. Amy Koehler, SCS: Propecia
3. Michelle Mallett- Recieved
4. Angela
5. Mo, SCS: Carefulwish
6. Dana, SCS: Danalangdon

So tomorrow is my trip to Pittsburgh and then Oil City with my sisters, their kids, my BIL and Mr. LOL. I am very excited. It should be super fun! I know that on Friday night we will be doing a fire and having food and drinks in honor of that. I am thinking mixed drinks myself… In honor of that, Got Margaritas???

Stamps: Margarita, Got Margaritas? and “M” stitched Alpha, all A Muse

Cardstock: A Muse notecard, whisper white and Pixie Pink

Ink: Pallete Noir

Accessories: Microbeads, Stickles, Transparency, Scallop Punch, SU! Markers, Strano Ribbon

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I also wanted to share a fun little 3×3 card I did too… I just thought it turned out really cute!

Stamps: A Muse

Paper: Little Davis, SU! Soft Sky, Wisper White

Ink: Palette Noir

Accessories: Scallop Punch, SU! Markers, mini hand held hole punch, ribbon from my stash

Don’t forget to register for the blog candy. I am drawing a winner tomorrow!!!

You are one lucky dog if you live in Reston, VA!  Melinda Matzen, A Muse instructor, is going to be teaching A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA classes at Angela’s Happy Stamper.  If you live in the area, I hope you can go!!!

Not much to blog about tonight, but don’t forget to play for Andee’s Candies!! I did a couple of cards tonight, this one being my favorite.

I need to seriously get on the Strano website and order some ribbon. I adore the ribbon I won from the AP contest. It is seriously some of the nicest ribbon I have ever used! I hate cutting in to it because of how wonderful I think it is!

This  card uses some of my new favorite things! Especially my Red/Blue combo- you know how I love that! Some Strano ribbon from my A Muse win… and my Crate Paper paper.

Stamps: SU! Big Blossoms, A Muse Sentiment: Beautiful Day

Paper: Soft Sky, Shimmery White, Crate Paper Snapdragon in Juliet

Ink: Versamagic Red, SU! Soft Sky

Accessories: Strano Ribbon, Staples, pop up dots

Even more fabulous work to show you! Here is my 2nd round ATC swap. Ladies, your work was just amazing! You are all awesome to swap with!!!

 For a better look, click on the pic to enlarge it.

This weeks challenge is easy for me this week: Ribbon Fun! Don’t forget to register for a chance to win the awesome Golfer’s stamp prize!!! Tell them that I sent you when you register!

Here is the round one swap from the ATC swap I hosted earlier this month. I was so impressed with the quaility and creativity these wonderful stampers showed. Thanks ladies!!! You were awesome to swap with and I hope we can do it again soon! Click the pictures to see a larger picture.

Round 1:

Hey girls, a little candy to get you through the week, I have some pretty sweet ribbon, a blue and white funky design and a two tone lilac and chocolate satin; a varitety of Primas and a couple of mega clippies I made. Want in? All you need to do is give me 3 facts about me (teehee, it’s all about me, isn’t it??) and I will put you in a random drawing before I go away on Thursday!

So, 28 was the magic number, huh? Katie Stilwater created 28 cards for the AP challenge last week!!! And A Muse chose the highest number of cards made! Kudos to you, Katie!! Wanna see the prize she won? Click here!

Seriously, some killer prizes for this one!  Congratulations Ericka! Here are stamps she won! To see Erica’s entry, click  Here. Super cute!

 Kristina Lewis, congratulations to you for winning the random weekly drawing from the Ambassadors girls!  Click here to see the nifty prizes she won!!!

Wow… some major prizes were given out last Friday! Congrats Zoe Farmer and Nichole vanSenus!!  Click here to check out the rockin’ prizes!!!

I wanted to update quick before I went to bed. I did get a chance to stamp and really love this card and how it turned out. I love my polka dot paper- I wish I had more than some scraps left… but you use what you got! I also must say, that the Sakura Glaze pens are just wonderful to work with. I love them!

Stamps: A Muse

Paper: Confetti White, Basic Black, Designer Polka Dot paper

Ink: Palette Noir

Accessories: Black Stiched ribbon, round tab punch, ticket punch

I was in NYC over the weekend… I am not going to get into it too much, but I don’t like NY really. It’s dirty and expensive IMO. However, the trip to the city was not for me. It was for my niece Victoria. We went to visit the American Girl Store.

I have to say, that I have never seen an establishment quite like it- thousands of dolls, doll clothing, matching clothing for little girs, tons of accessories ranging from Coconut the dog (whom had her own section) to miniature cafe sets with tiny cookies and cakes!

American Girl store is 4, yes FOUR floors, there is a theater and tea room.Victoria purchased Nikki at the store. She saved for her . Here we are at the tea room with Victoria, Nikki (who by the way gets a high chair that connects to the table provided by the American Girl Cafe, no less) and Kelly. We were dying taking these pictures!! The cafe makes the dolls part of the “tea room” experience. It’s hilarious! They get these little high chairs, and they tiny cups and saucers too.  

The weird thing about the American Girl cafe is that they don’t serve soda. They DO serve alcohol. What the heck? So Kelly, being the Diet Pepsi addict she is, bought one earlier that was warm. She needed a glass of ice.

So when she found out they didn’t have soda, she asked for a glass of ice. I told her they were going to fill it up with ice tea. She poured her diet Pepsi, promptly guzzled it down and they came around and filled it with tea *rolleyes*

We all started laughing! The poor waiter asked Vicki what was so funny and she said, “Nothing! bwhahahahaha!!” Poor guy thought we were laughing at him.

I ended up telling him Kelly smuggled in outside drinks and he laughed and we apologized for making him think that we were laughing at him.

The food was so-so, but the dessert was adorable! You got a tiny flower pot of chocolat mousse, a vanilla heart cake and flower sugar cookie. Aren’t they cute???

Anyway, we had a great time together, as always! NY isn’t my cup of tea, but for the day, I can handle it! Plus I laughed all day long. It was great!

Strano Designs is the featured sponsor at the AMAP blog this week. I can vouch for their wonderful ribbon, as I won some a few weeks ago. Honestly, it is the nicest ribbon I have ever worked with. I will be putting an order in with them!!!

Everyone that knows me well, knows that I like to spend Friday nights at home doing odds and ends and taking time for me.  Since it’s summer and Mr. LOL loves to golf, I encourage him to golf every Friday after work with his dad and brothers or friends… So in honor of Challenge 8, Silly Celebrations, tell your husband to golf this weekend! You can tell them that it was my idea too *wink*

Stamps: A Muse, Putter, large oval, Grass, Golf Cart, Sentiment: created with Ma Simple Pleasures font downloaded

Note card: Amuse

Ink: Palette Noir, Old Olive

Accessories: Sakura Glaze pens, bling for golf ball

Check out the A-Muse-A-Palooza blog for Challenge 8: Silly Celebrations… You can see it here! I wonder what I can come up with!!

I obviously make cards. A lot of cards and all the time. It what I do.  I have a confession to make…

It’s hard for me to give cards a lot of times. I forget! I constantly forget birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and so on. I am much more of a “I was just thinking about you, so I will send you a line.” kind of girl.  I like to have a lot of “no occasion” cards on hand. If you get a card from me, you can almost guarantee it’s “just because.”

 I was doing some work on my Round 2 swap and decided to stop and play around with Sniffer. Dogs are so near and dear to me. I am a total sucker for any and all of them!

The base on this card is Wild Wasabi. I used the Purely Pomegranate as my accent. I cut the edges with scalloped scissors and pierced holes and circled them with my gel pen. Sniffer is stamped with Palette Noir, and cut, popped up, and blinged out on his collar. I used the A Muse large oval to create the “hill” and sponged Tempting Turquiose for the sky. The MM brads actually match the pomegranate and wasabbi. The sentiment is stamped in Pomegranate and is by A Muse.

 I hope you are all having a great week. Friday is sooner than you think!

Congratulations Kaylyn Conver for winning the AP Scavenger Hunt!!! How did you do? Check your answers here! I did really well… LOL. But you all know how awesome that prize was, right? Enjoy your prizes Kaylyn!!!