Dog Wash

It's rainy here, but I don't mind. First of all, we really need it and it is greening things up nicely, and second it gives me a good excuse to stay inside and stamp.

Today's card is for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, where anything goes and they are featuring Stampendous stamps. i was thrilled because I got this Stampendous stamp a couple of month's ago and haven't had a chance to use it. I think it is just so dog-gone cute (see what I did there?)



The stamp is called Dog Wash, and I love it. I'm not sure why I haven't inked it up yet, but I will be sure to use it again soon. I also stamped the sentiment onto vellum and attached it with adhesive under the sequins, a trick I learned in the Clear & Sheer class I am taking at Online Card Classes. I have always loved the look of vellum, but we have never been good friends.

STAMPS: Stampendous - Dog Wash, Impression Obsession - Dog Hair
PAPERS: Tim Holtz water color paper; Simon Says Stamp Apple green; vellum
COLORING: Versafine Onyx Black; Versamark; Derwent Inktense pencils; Tim Holtz markers; Zig Wink of Stella
OTHER: Simon Says Stamp crystal reflections sequins; MFT Bluepint 27 die; Ranger detail black embossing powder

I tried to make the countertop look like marble and I am not sure I succeeded as well as I wnted to. Anybody have any advice how to better achieve that look?

Before leaving, I have to share yet another photo of my crafting companion. When I borrowed a couple of his toys to set up on the table as I took a photo of the card, he became pretty agitated with me. He supervised every movement I made with his toys. I should tell you that in the two years we have had him since we adopted him, he has never once destroyed one of his toys. He is soooo gentle with them!



Can't you see the distress in his eyes?  So Freddie and I will say good-bye for the day and see you again tomorrow with something new to share.



Happy Birthday Jessica

Yesterday was my beautiful niece's 11th birthday. How time flies! I chose this adorable little elephant to celebrate. I thought it was as sweet as she is.



STAMPS: Wild Rose Studio Bunch of Balloons, MFT Gumball Greetings
PAPERS: Ranger Watercolor Paper, PTI Bright Buttercup
INKS: Versafine Onyx Black, SSS Intense Black, Inktense Pencils
DIE: W Plus 9 Sunshine Layers
OTHER: Imagine Crafts Sheer Shimmer - Sparkle, Pretty Pink Posh - Easter Mix sequins, Tim Holtz waterbrush

I know you can't see it very well in the photo, but instead of using plain water with the Inktense pencils on the balloons, I squirted some Sparkle shimmer spray in my palette and used it to blend the colors. It resulted in a nice subtle shimmer effect, I will definitely use this technique again.

This is also my take for this week's Wednesday challenge on the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog. The challenge was to Make It Girlie.

Hope you have a great day!





Not-So-Bad Doggie

Today I am working with the Splitcoast Sketch 589. Here is the sketch:

I needed to make a special thank you card (reason follows!) and this sketch was perfect because it let me use a big image. Here is what I came up with:



The super-cute image is called Bad Doggie from DoveArt Studios via C.C.Designs.

STAMPS: Bad Doggie, Stepping Stones Designs - Sit Happens
PAPERS: Neenah Cream, Stampin' Up! Naturals Ivory, PTI Enchanted Evening
DIE: MFT Blueprint 27, SSS Stitched Rectangles
INKS: Memento Rich Cocoa, Copics
OTHER: Glossy Accents, Sequins from 28 Lilac Lane Paws and Pets

So why did I need this particular tank you card? Well I am so proud because our dog Freddie just completed a training course and passed his Canine Good Citizen Test! This is a thank you card for the trainer. Out next step is to take Therapy Dog training. He has the perfect sweet temperament for that and just loves people.

He was a rescue, so here are the photos I took of him this morning to register him as an AKC PAL which will help in his future training. He is a cuddle-bug. And now you can see why I chose tho colors I used for coloring this card!

We have to provide a full side view



and a front view of his face.



He is definitely NOT a bad doggie, but that image is just so cute I couldn't resist, and the sentiment seemed appropriate for sending to a trainer.

We sure do love our pets, don't we?




My Tribute to Prince

I was working on the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 277 while playing some Prince music and look what happened - Purple. Living in Minneapolis, Prince was a big local and revered celebrity with strong local presence.He will be missed.

Anyway, this is the sketch we had to work with this week:



And here is my very purple musical creation:



Yes, Prince definitely rocked it!

STAMPS: MFT Strike Up the Band
DIES: (all MFT): Strike Up the Band, Wonky Stitched Squares, Blueprint 27
PAPERS: (All MFT): Smooth White, Rainbow Stripes, Boysenberry, Wild Wisteria
INKS: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Spica Gold and Silver
OTHER: Tim Holtz Music Score embossing folder

Thanks for stopping by today, and may your world be filled with music.


Spring Arrives

Hello! How is your spring progressing? Things are starting to green up around here and the birds have returned from their winter vacation.

To celebrate this wonderful time of the year, I happily pulled out the color in My Favorite Things Color Challenge #43. Isn't this palette gorgeous and fun?



I pulled out my new MFT Fly-By-Friends stamp set and my Blueprint 27 and went to work.



I had all the correct color papers except Berrylicious. I substituted Blue Breeze instead. I used MFT Black Licorice to ink the stamp and colored with Copics. And just because I was in a sparkly kind of mood, I added Wink of Stella to the bee and butterfly.



It's hard to see the glitter, but it is really pretty in real life.

OK, I am now off to the craft room to finish up my sketch challenge card! Have a great weekend.




Spicy!

Hello, and hope your week is off to a great start. It's back in the 30s here today, but the promise of more spring-like weather is on tap for the rest of the week.

Believe it our not, Ihave actually finished my weekly MFT sketch ON TIME this week after missing the deadline by an hour of two the last two weeks. One thing about retirement, clocks exist merely to decorate the walls!

This is the sketch I was working from:



I used the adorable MFT Recipe for Happiness set for my interpretation. I used some of the smaller images of cooking tools in the set to make my own patterned background on MFT Orange Fizz paper. I hope you like it!



STAMPS: MFT Recipe for Happiness
DIES: MFT  Blueprints #15 and #28; Stitched Circles
PAPERS: MFT Orange Fizz, Electric Red, Rainbow Stripes, Smooth White
INKS: MFT Blueberry, Pineapple, Wild Cherry, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
OTHER: Ranger detail white embossing powder

My husband built me a new computer recently and installed a Linux operating system instead of Windows. In general I like the Ubuntu, but I am  missing my Photoshop Elements. I am getting used to GIMP but still having a little trouble editing my images for posting the way I like. Bear with me. It will get better with practice.

Have a great week.



Breath of Fresh Air

I am back today with my interpretation for the weekly My Favorite Things sketch challenge. I tried some new things this week and they did not turn out quite as well as I had hoped. There are many boo-boos here, which unfortunately photography seems to enhance. But in real life, it really is kind of cute. I will try again and not try to get creative.




I am loving playing with the March Warm and Fuzzy kit. The stamps are so adorable and the matching die cuts provide a lot of versatility.

STAMPS: MFT Warm & Fuzzy
DIES: MFT Wonky Stitched Squares
PAPER: MFT Cool as Cucumber, white
INKS: MFT Black Licorice, Distress Inks (Cracked Pistachio, Mustard Seed), Copic Markers
OTHER: MFT Stencil, foam tape, hemp cord

Thanks for stopping by. I don't know about where you are, but here in Minnesota we are having a rain/sleet mix kind of a day. Perfect for playing in the craft room.