Hollywood Squares, How A Musing!

There's another fun game over on the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA blog. All you have to do is guess which designer's square is hiding a prize to get through to the next round and the game will continue, adding new prizes each time until they get to one eventual winner. That person (and I soooo want it to be me LOL) will pick up all the prizes from every round - so it could be a huge prize.
As with all the games, you will need to be registered so if you're not already I guess you better do it now LOL. Please do mention me as the referrer as I'm entered into the ambassador's competition & I think I might have already mentioned how much I want to win that LOL.

There's still time to enter a card into the Week 5 designer challenge too. The winner is always picked by a random number generator (which is sooo cool I've used it to pick my blog candy winner) so it doesn't matter whether you are a beginner or have been stamping forever, you'll have just as much chance as the next person. You have until Sunday!

Good luck everyone!!

I Want (blog) Candy!! (Does That A Muse You?)

Each comment I received got one chance in the draw and each person that registered for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA was allocated an extra five chances. I used this random number generator to pick a winner. The winner of the Blog Candy is ....

LEONIE!!

Congratulations!! I already have your e-mail address, so I'll contact you to get your postal address and your blog candy will be on its way.
Thank you to everybody who posted a comment & especially those who registered for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA. Keep your eye on this blog - there will be lots of other chances to win over the coming weeks.

I Got Caught Out! (How A Musing!)

Well it seems I was wrong & this week's A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA design challenge was posted at the crack of dawn (just past midnight actually) so it's up already. Challenge 5 is to create a scene (of the pictorial kind - not a tantrum LOL) & I think it's going to be - well, a challenge really LOL. You can view all the details here and just take a look at that yummy prize MMMMmmmmmm! An A Muse clear alpha set, two new Clearsnap pigment inks and Strano ribbons - I'm loving all the products from the sponsors of A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA & can't wait to get mine!! Why not pop over to the sponsors websites (there are links on the AP blog) & take a look for yourself.

And don't forget to register to take part in the free weekly draws - please mention me as the referrer - I want to win stuff too LOL

Don't forget to make a comment to win blog candy at the bottom of this post

I Bet The Winners Are A Mused!

Loads of winners posted on the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA blog today (& nope! I wasn't among them ). A mammoth FOUR prizes this week: the usual two drawn from registrations (see! there is a reason you all need to register); the design challenge winner (who I believe picvked up a prize a couple of weeks back too - you lucky, lucky lady); and an extra one this week to celebrate A Muse's 6th birthday! You can check out all the winners so far here.

I can't believe how much cool stuff is up for grabs - they've had Strano ribbons, rubber stamps, clear stamp alphabets & numbers, splitcoast stampers stuff, t-shirts, stickers, notecards & pretty little papers - I soooo need all this stuff!

Keep an eye out tomorrow (oops! that's today now LOL) for the next design challenge. With the difference in time zones, it hits the blog at around 5-6 pm in the UK! But never fear - I'll be looking for it & will post here too!

Bee A Mused!

I spent a few hours making cards today for the AP Ambassador's Competition. They are, of course, all available to view in my gallery but I just wanted to share this one with you (it's my favourite!!). The flowers are punched from ribbon (yes really!) that has been treated with a very cool product called ribbon stiffener (see, there's a clue in the title there) which, once dry, allows you to punch, die cut etc without fraying.

The challenge for this week, which ends today, was to use punches as well as the A Muse stamps so I had a lot of fun trying out the ribbon stiffener with various punches and conbining with a few of the stamps that I've not used before. This card uses two punches, the flower and a circle punch for the greeting. I've also used a couple of the stamps that Auntie Jane has lent me and some Strano ribbon samples (the joys of owning a shop!) sent over from the US for me to try out (they also make the ribbon stiffener). The flower centres are mini heart Twinkle Stickers, also by A Muse. I usually avoid gems, partly because they are a bit fiddly but these are self adhesive and soooo easy to use that I think I might becaome a BIG fan. To add movement to the bees (this stamp is sooooo cute!) just add a few dots with a fineliner - v. effective!

There's another card posted over on the shop blog and more info on the ribbon stiffener!! And if you haven't already, don't forget to post a comment on the post before this for your chance to win blog candy!!

Blog Candy To A Muse You

Yep! It's completely true. I have blog candy as shown in the picture and I will send it to one lucky person who leaves a comment on this post. And if that's not enough, pop over to A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA and register there, leaving my name (Beverley Todd) as the referrer, for five extra chances to win! Just don't forget to tell me you've done it when you post LOL.

You better hurry tho', I'm going to announce the winner on Tuesday 29th May. So good luck & don't forget to register!

This Will NOT A Muse You

If you didn't get over to the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Blog yesterday, then you missed out on the first sneak peek of the new Fall (Autumn - we are multi-lingual here LOL) collection. I guess the post was only there for 24 hours, so it's definitely worth bookmarking the blog and visiting every day! There are promises of more sneak peeks to come and you wouldn't want to miss any more LOL. There's still time to enter this week's challenge to make a card using stamps and punches but you will need to register - and put me down as the referrer please as I'm desperate to be the first ever A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Ambassador.
And watch this space for some exciting blog candy coming later today!!

This Will Impress AND A Muse You

The sneak peek has finally appeared - see it here I had already seen this (all the participating stores have had access to the make n take & card class images for a few weeks - but don't ask me - we're all sworn to secrecy ON PAIN OF DEATH LOL) but I still LOVE it and can't wait to get it for my own collection!!
Don't forget to post a comment - I guess if the A Muse Crew get enough requests, they might just give in and post another sneak peek LOL.
And don't forget to register if you haven't already - you could get your hands on some free stash just for doing so - and I need the points, so put me down as the referrer please!

A Mused Again!

The run-up to the 2nd Annual A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA is well underway and yet another winner has been announced. Find the answer to 'how many stamps are there in Jennifer's suitcase?' here . For this competition there was a $100 gift certificate for A Muse Artstamps up for grabs - and all you had to do was guess a number. And while we are talking about prizes, did you realise that there have been SIX prizes given out so far - just for registering! That's three sets of A Muse rubber stamps and Strano Designs ribbon worth $40 each & three T-shirts - no cards to make, just for registering.

So why not do yourself a favour & register now - and do me a favour and put my name as the referrer (Beverley Todd) - 'cos I want to win stuff too LOL!

At the beginning of the week the A Muse team promised a sneak peek at some of the new designs that will be launched internationally at A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA & as yet they haven't posted it. So it must be coming soon & I'm popping over there regularly to have a look. If you're in the UK like me, bear in mind that they are across the pond and 8 hours behind us - so there's no point at all checking first thing in the morning LOL. But if you have a bit of time in the evening (the later the better really) it's well worth checking out the blog. I have seen the yummy designs that we'll be using in our events & I guarantee you're gonna love them!

Paper Punches A Muse Me!

The next challenge is up on the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Blog & this time they are looking for cards that incorporate paper punches in the design. There's a link to Julie Ebersole's gorgeous Dandy-Lion card, which is just sooooo cute! The best thing about this competition is that, because they pick a random winner (using a number generator programme thingy) that a complete beginner has an equal chance of winning as a professional designer! So what are you waiting for, pop over and register (they gave even more free stamps & t-shirts away yesterday - just for registering - no real effort required) & have a go at a hand stamped card, using a paper punch!! The prize this week is a mystery but just have a look on the blog at what they've given away so far & you know it's gonna be good!
And when you register, please, please, please put me down as the referrer 'cos I really, really, really want to win the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Ambassador Competition LOL. Will post my efforts at the end of the week!

This, However, IS A Musing

I think I'm going to run out of witty titles before I run out of posts about the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA run-up events.
If you are quick, there's still time to guess how many stamps (all A Muse, of course) there are in Jennifer's suitcase. There's $100 gift certificate to spend at A Muse up for grabs so it's gotta be worth a guess. There has been a bit of a problem with the survey site but, if you cannot get the link to work, scroll to the bottom of that post and there is all the info you need to e-mail your entry.
They have given away another $80 of stamps & ribbons in the last week, plus TWO A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA T-shirts in addition to the weekly challenge prize - so it's well worth joining in!! You do need to register - and I might have mentioned before, PLEASE put my name (Beverley Todd) as the referrer as I am entered into the separate ambassador's competition and I REALLY WANT TO WIN!!!

The A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA blog is also promising a sneak peek at some of the new designs that will be launched internationally on July 9th - sometime this week - how exciting is that? So it's gotta be well worth popping over there just to see if they've posted it yet! And, of course, the next design challenge should be posted very soon!!

It's Only A Card Post - It Doesn't NEED To Be Amusing!

I've been busy the last couple of days, hiding out at my Mum's where I have access to a large table & a room to call my own (well, for a few hours anyway.)And very productive it has been too! I'm hosting a children's craft party on Sunday for 10 six year old girls so there has been a whole host of pink and girly things to design. I'm not going to post them until after the event as I know her dad has been blog-hopping in the vicinity LOL.

As well as that, I have made four cards for this week's A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Challenge. This one, I think, is my favourite as I am primarily a collage artist (that's cutting and sticking to the uninitiated!). The background is two strips from a 6x6 paper by The English Paper Company & what I like about their papers is they are scaled down on the smaller pads so the images are suitable for cardmaking. I often use scrapbook papers to make cards but the houses on this one are too big on the 12x12 format. Anyway, I trimmed the strips to get the rows of houses closer together in the background, inked the edges and stuck the layers together before sticking to the card. The girl was stamped on to white linen cardstock and coloured with brush pens. I had to hand cut the oval as I don't have a suitable oval punch (the template came from my tagmaker frames - resourceful eh?) Then the phrase was stamped directly on to the card and the little bird stamped in position so that it is perched on top of the proverb.

I had to reverse the sketch for this challenge as the girl was facing the wrong way & would have looked like she was walking straight off the card if she was on the right. I hope that's not cheating LOL. The other cards are all in my A Muse gallery if you'd like to have a browse, they are all just basic stamping - no masking, embossing or other techniques - just stamping on to card with ink. I hope you like them.

This A Muses Me!

Yay! The new challenge (number 3) has now been posted on the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Blog. We've already had use only black ink (which I missed), use NO black ink (which was hard) and now there is a sketch to follow! Looking forward to this one, although I wish I had some of the larger stamps - which would make it soooo much easier LOL. I'm sure I'll think of something though. I've never used a sketch for a card before, only once for a layout when I had a REALLY bad case of Scrapper's Block, so that will make a nice change.
AND it seems that we might all have misread the rules slightly! EACH design challenge post says 'use at least one A Muse stamp if possible' so that seems to imply that if you don't have any that you don't have to use them! So no more excuses - you can ALL register to take part in the challenges and win free goodies - and PLEASE put me down as the referrer because I really, really, REALLY want to win the Ambassador's Competition LOL.
I'm stuck at home with the flu at the moment but out of bed today at least. I've had to lay down a couple of times but really I'm much better. I'm looking forward to getting some of those things done for which the deadlines are looming. I have a children's party to host on Sunday and a design team entry to make for the end of the month - plus all the yummy challenges for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA. So looks like I'm gonna be a creative little bunny over the next couple of weeks. Here, for starters, is the third card I was making for last week's challenges. I didn't finish it in time as I had managed to misplace my glue dots LOL.

I'm Still A Mused!

Just uploaded these photos of the cards I made for the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Ambassador Competition. The challenge this week, which closes tonight was to create cards without using black ink. Rather than using brown instead, I opted to use suitable colours for the fish and reeds on 'best fishes' and go with the background red for the 'make a wish' card. The fairy was coloured with shimmer chalks for a little extra sparkle & then matted onto a piece of antique silver paper. The ribbon (stapled to the greeting) is from Strano Designs, who are also sponsors of A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA. The notecards & all of the stamps I used are by A Muse Art Stamps. Look out for A Muse and Strano products coming to Crop 'Til You Drop soon, all new stuff is announced on the shop blog, along with all the DT creations, latest news and events, so it's well worth a visit. Oh! and HUGE thanks to Auntie Jane, who generously gave me a bunch of A Muse notecards, I've never had them before but love them sooo much that I'm definitely getting them for the shop!!

Phew!! There's about 7 links in that paragraph LOL. Keep checking back this week as I'm going to post info about the next
A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA design challenge as soon as I get it & there will be some cool images for the makes we are doing for a child's birthday party on Sunday. There might be one or two more A Muse cards too!

I'm A Mused LOL

So I've still not actually done a challenge for A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA but still I've managed to collect a few points for this week LOL. The latest fun thing they've added is a 'frapper map' those taking part can add their details & voila! you appear on the map. Sadly, I seem to be all alone in the UK, the next closest being Heather in Germany (but she's A Muse Crew). Why don't you all pop on & register - there's some great prizes up for grabs & don't forget to put me down in the referral bit - I could do with the points LOL.

I've been busy down at the shop sorting out insurance stuff & all sorts of boring paperwork so there hasn't been any time at all for crafting - but just thinking about the challenges has been great fun & I still have time to get a few in LOL.

Are You A-Mused?

Found this great little event through one of the many newsletters I'm signed up for!
And as I like to sign up for the occasional challenge (!) I couldn't resist. I think I missed the first week or two - but never mind, I could catch up yet LOL. There's loads of stuff going on over there, giveaways, challenges & the chance to be the A-MUSE-A-PALOOZA Ambassador (with lots more prizes!!). First you have to register and if you do it through the link, please don't forget to put me down as the referral name (Beverley Todd), because I'm in the Competition too!! But even if you don't want to do the challenges, there are other ways to win!! & don't forget to let me know you've registered so I can claim my points!!
The competition is basically to spread the word about A Muse Artstamps over in Seattle - I've always liked their quirky designs but it has been difficult to get all the other stuff that they do over here, Auntie Jane has been raving about them for AGES ... Check out their website here, especially the galleries - particularly brilliant if you love the designs but didn't quite know what you'd do with them, certainly made me want to play more!!

Look out on the shop blog in the next few days for an exciting announcement!!

Sooo much to do right now, I have a DT entry deadline looming, The Best Of British Scrapbooking competition has been announced (deadline mid-june) the Ambassador title to win(!) AND my printer has died (Noooooooooo!). But I will find a way - there has to be a way LOL

I've Made It To New York!

The blog that I spoke about on April 28th has now gone live & I've been blogrolled LOL! Nicole spotted my personal Blog & asked if she could use some of my stuff on their blog - well I didn't take much persuading (modest little thing that I am LOL) & yep! You guessed it, it's that chair again!! You can see the blog entry here (scroll down to may 2nd) & all my other decopatch projects are here if you'd like to take another look. And if you've not heard enough about it yet, the Crop 'Til You Drop members only club are getting full instructions to make the top hat in this month's mailing (including the instructions on how to get it just the right size!! It's a bit of a 'Blue Peter' moment (minus the sticky backed plastic LOL)

Win My Stash!!

This is a copy of the post I've put over on the shop blog but I didn't want visitors to this site to miss out! It's not been altered at all, so it might not make so much sense here as it does over there, where you can read the previous posts to put everything in context. But I'm feeling a bit lazy today (& we've had another break in since the fire - so I've tons of stuff to be doing really) so I thought I'd just copy & paste it here!
This is what it says:
So it looks like I was being seriously over optimistic about when we will be able to open again & realistically it's not going to be this week either. This is causing major interruptions to the Mad May Sale, which ran for all of two days prior to the fire. We have discovered some serious structural problems, which is going to delay our re-opening & we might even be relocated - the fact is we just don't know yet! You can still shop with us online, of course.
Anyway, as I'm at a bit of a loose end, that's given me a bit of time to think (always a dangerous thing LOL) & I have decided to give away a big box of my personal stash to one lucky visitor to our forum!! All the details are here & as it's a FREE draw, all you have to do is talk to me to be in with a chance of winning!! The more you chat, the more chances you get (we don't often get a reward for chatting, do we?) If you don't already visit our forum, this is such a good time to start. I'll announce the winner on June 1st.
Be Lucky!!

This Isn't Funny Anymore!!

Yesterday I received a modem from Talk Talk! You might wonder why that's a problem, well I hope you are sitting comfortably, for I am about to tell you a story...
I switched from BT to Talk Talk back in November '06 & the broadband was due to go on December 3rd (also '06 - they are late, not early!!) So after a few months (3, I think) of the constant calls to the call centre (polite but no help at all) We finally cancelled the lot and switched to NTL (now part of Virgin Media). So now I have a modem! Makes you wonder how pointless one company can be!

So in itself that's not a big deal... tonight was! Within half an hour of my husband leaving for his night shift, I was taken from my home IN A POLICE CAR (that's never happened before!) Now obviously, I've not been incarcerated (I don't think they give you internet access in the cells LOL) just teasing a bit. So the police car bit was true ... but the reason was to take me to my shop to inspect the damage done by the fire on the derelict land next door. Yep! more bad stuff little over a week since the last one.

So I spent my evening with the police. fire brigade, electrician & glazier (for the emergency boarding of the same window as last time - and the door that the fire brigade broke in through!)
My kitchen has gone (I only cleaned it yesterday!) the stock room is both fire & water damaged & I won't know how much I've lost to smoke damage until the morning - it got dark, I have no electrics. So I'll spend tomorrow cleaning up again ...

Actually, I can't even be bothered to rant. I guess I don't even know how bad it is until I speak to the insurance company tomorrow (I've had to borrow a mobile phone as I don't possess one & the phone is down too!) I'll keep you posted.