The Good & The Bad

Rest in Peace
My grandma passed away early Monday morning. Needless to say, it's been a rough week for me and my family. I'm very sad, but I'm also very thankful that she's no longer suffering. She was ready, I believe. We made last minute arrangements to fly to Portland, Oregon this weekend to scatter her ashes. My uncle (her oldest son) lives there, and she wanted to be at the ocean. Lily and I will be on a flight tomorrow night - along with my mom, uncle, aunt, and two cousins. We're also going to visit my cousin's memorial while we're there, since my cousins and I were not able to fly out for that in February.

Adios, 3M
In other news, I'm leaving my "real" job. Yes, it's true! It's been a dream of mine for years, but we've not been ready to take the leap. There are many reasons (personal and work related) why we've decided that now is the time. I've been repeating to myself over the last couple of weeks - leap and the net will appear and if not now, when? My last day will be May 29. Then ... watch for me around town, as I'll be teaching more great A Muse classes more often! I'm looking forward to spending the summer teaching, being with Lily, going on walks, being crafty, and working on projects around the house. We're all very excited about starting this new chapter!

Lily Goes Camping
We sent Lily off to school this morning with a suitcase, sleeping bag, and pillow. She's attending an overnight camp two hours north with her fellow third year classmates. It's a right of passage of sorts ... to celebrate their three years in the lower elementary level of montessori . It's also a big thing for Lily because she'll be attending a different school next year. They're going to be staying in a cabin, doing some journaling and watercolor painting, a nature walk, and a bog exploration. How fun does all of that sound? She comes back tomorrow afternoon, just before we need to rush to the airport to catch our flight to Portland. She is one jet-setting girl!

Birthday Bonanza
I'm teaching birthday cards at Smudges tonight. Are you joining me? :) I mean really - look at those party chicks below - so fun!

More Snazzy Scor-Pal Creations

I taught another fun Snazzy Scor-Pal Creations class at Artsy Tartsy last weekend.

As promised, here are some instructions for the projects.

Trifold Gift Card Holder - instructions here

Candy Bar Wrapper - instructions here

Mini Matchbook Treats - template in this thread

Pizza Box - template in this post

Stairstep Card
Using an A Muse 4-Bar note (3.5" x 10"), score at these measurements:

1", 2", 3.5", 5" (this is the pre-scored line), 7.5"

Busy Week!

I had such a great time at Down Memory Lane on Saturday! If you haven't been to the store, what are you waiting for? It's awesome! So much fun stuff. Of course I made a few purchases before coming home. ;) I'll be back again on May 30 - Birthday Bonanza and Summer Sparkles! Hope to see you there.

THIS WEEK ... I'm teaching THREE fun classes. Please call the stores to sign up if you plan on joining us. :)

Flower Power - Thursday, May 14 (6:30-8:30pm)

Smudges Rubber Stamps (952-974-9885)

Just for Friends - Saturday, May 16 (9:30-11:30am)

Smudges Rubber Stamps (952-974-9885)

Snazzy Scor-Pal Creations - Sunday, May 17 (1-3pm)

Artsy Tartsy (952-447-1433)

Here's another sneakie peek of a card we're making in my Flower Power class ...

Photo Shoot Outtake

I just have to share this photo with you. It cracks me up! I made the card in yesterday's post, and wanted to photograph it outside but it was 11pm. Sooo - I tried to make a little photo area in the kitchen where I thought the light would be better than my basement craft room.

As I was snapping away (trying to get a photo where you could see the glitter on my card) - look who decided he needed to be part of the action.

Hahaha! I do love my little kitten boy. :)

A Muse 8th Anniversary

Hello lovelies! Oh boy, do I have something FUN to share with you today. :)

Did you know that A Muse is celebrating their 8th anniversary this month? How exciting! In celebration, there are contests and inspiring ideas happening on the A Muse blog through May 15. Don't miss out on the fun!

A Muse has created an exclusive clear stamp set that will be available for the month of May only. Want to find out how you can get your hands on one?

--> Check out the details <--

I fell in love with this set the moment I laid eyes on it. :) It's a set of labels that fit into various punches that so many of us own. How cool is that? (Check out this post for information on coordinating punches.)

Now that you have all the important info on getting a set of your very own ... here's my little bit of inspiration for you today. I used the large oval label to create a border inside the Marvy Uchida Mega Scallop Oval punch. I also glittered around the inside edge of the label image ... I hope you can tell in the photo. Look at how that simple label stamp adds that little something extra to this card. Don't you love it? (Yes, long grass and mini flower have made another appearance ... I just adore them!) :)

Enjoy!

This Weekend!

I'm so excited about my classes this weekend ... hope to see you!

Saturday, May 9 - Flower Power (10am-12pm) & Just for Friends (1-3pm)

Down Memory Lane - Eau Claire, WI (call 715-855-0025 to sign up)

A sneak peek of the Flower Power class ... :)