RIP Rusty

Hello friends and welcome to the weekend. Our pets are part of our family and so when the time comes to say goodbye it is heartbreaking. They keep us company, make us laugh, entertain us and always somehow seem to know just when we need a hug.
 Earlier this week, I got the phone call I had been expecting - and dreading - from some lovely friends that they had had to say goodby to their beloved terrier, Rusty. He had been unwell for a short while and sadly he would've otherwise have had his 17th birthday tomorrow.  But it was not to be. Like many of our much loved pets, he now has a permanent home in the garden where he can rest peacefully.

So of course a card was needed and I realised I have a gap in my stamp cupboard!  As I was going to be using Copics, I went back to the practice sheets from an Online Card Classes course covering Copics and as I practiced, I realised that this image would be the most like him. To give with the card, I have a silver photo frame, so that was my inspiration. So a water coloured background scene was needed and then some Wink of Stella to both the image and the paw prints. The beautiful sentiment is from Stampendous and is so true don't you think?

On the collar is his tag which here is one of the new heart Metallic Enamel Shapes. It is rather opaque and shines just as beautifully (maybe even more so) than the regular coloured ones. The frame is popped up using the new Foam Adhesive Strips - they are higher than Dimensionals but also rather narrow - so easily hidden :-)

Card stock: Whisper White (thick and standard) Real Red,Water Colour paper, Silver Foil
Ink: Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Momento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: D is For Dog
Accessories: Big Shot, Aqua Painter, Large heart punch (retired), Metallic Enamel Shapes, Wink of Stella
Non SU: Dog Image Copyright Online Card Classes (courtesy of Lawn Fawn), Dog Sayings - Stampendous, Stitched Square Dies - Simon Says Stamps

Thanks for stopping by today, and don't forget to give your pets an extra pat today - and especially if they too are called Rusty ( I know of one other very special boy with this lovely name who I'd love to send a pat out to too :-)).

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

D is for Cat Sympathy

Today's card is for a friend who has just had to say goodbye to their 16 year old cat who passed away this week. Such a long and good life, I'm sure he was very appreciative of the love and care he was given and he is very much missed by his human companion.
 I don't own any Cat stamps  but I do have the long retired D is for Dog and as their paws are very similar (except the retractable claws!) I decided this might hopefully work - I was inspired by a lovely saying I read on another stamp set (that I don't yet own) that our pets "leave their paw prints on our hearts":-)

I used an Aqua painter and some water colour paper to make a water colour wash background and then when it was dry, stamped the paw image using Momento ink. I colour washed another piece of card and stamped a few more paw prints, choosing the blue version to cut out and layer onto the Stitched Circle (the cat was male).
A very simple card but hopefully will bring a little comfort to a lovely friend :-)

(All items by Stampin Up unless mentioned).

Card stock: So Saffron, Whisper White, Water colour Paper

Ink: Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Tempting Torquoise, Momento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: D is for Dog (retired), Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Accessories: Big Shot, Aqua Painter, Basi Rhinestones

Non SU : Stitched Circle Dies (MFT)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Thank You - again :-)

It's been a wet start to the first day of February but the sun is trying to break through the clouds and we are having a lovely relaxing Sunday! For those following the surgical exploits of Sally (the Lab) the saga continues…and she had hopefully her last procedure on Friday. A pin in her leg was looking like it might come through the skin and so it was removed before it could cause any problems. It was a small procedure compared to the "never been done before" last op to remove an unusual mass and going by how keen she was for a walk this morning I am so glad we did it! She is as happy as ever and walking at least as well as before the op already - it will be tricky holding her back for the next week or so!

So after taking her in on Friday morning I thought it was time to make a couple of cards to say "thank you" both to the surgeon and his wonderful team and to one of the nurses who has in particular gone out of her way to spoil Sally too. 

And there is of course no other stamp set more suitable than the retired D is For Dog for a black Lab :-)

So a simple sketch but a little "modernising" of the retired stamp with the Large Polka Dots EF and the wonderful Hello You Framelits.

And although the word framelit is actually "thanks," I wanted something a little more formal for this occasion and so cut off the "s" and stamped the word "You" instead. 

Tip: to get the lighter versions of the dog, I used a Stamp-a ma-jig and stamped off once and then twice to get the right shades.

Card stock:Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White, Gold Foil Specialty

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Real Red

Stamps: D is for Dog (retired), Crazy For You

Accessories: Big Shot, Hello You Framelits, Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine, Basic Rhinestones, Stamp-a-ma-jig.

To go with the card I also stopped by Arnolds - one of the best cake shops in Melbourne and picked up a freshly made and full of cream, custard and everything else  decadent little wonder  - though I probably should've brought it out of the fridge for the photo :-)

And next is the card for the special Nurse that has done what I never thought possible - and made friend's with Sally. Poor Sally is really scared at Vet's but she always gets very well treated here and it's the one place she doesn't tremble with fear in the waiting room!

And so still D is for Dog but this time used the fun Balloon Framelits :-)

Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White, Silver Foil Specialty

Designer Series Paper: Best Year Ever (Saleabration)

Inks: Real Red, Momento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: D is For Dog ( Retired), Crazy for You, Celebrate Today

Accessories: Big Shot, Hello You Thinlits, Balloon Framelits, White Cotton Twine ( Saleabration), Basic Rhinestones

And here she is looking a little sleepy still from her previous op - the little cute dressing from her favourite nurse of course :-) Now you can see why D is for Dog was the obvious stamp choice too!!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Thank You Again

Today has been one of "those" days when I felt a little behind most of the time…our Sally (black Lab) was not impressed to find she got no breakfast this morning and straight away she knew that meant a trip to the Vet (Specialist) And she was absolutely right! A couple of months ago she was diagnosed with a "most likely benign"mass behind her Right knee. There was no need at the time to hurry removal because it was benign, was cutback during Biopsy and she stopped limping. But lately the limp has returned so she is having a CT scan today and the Specialist and staff are so patient and good with her - she is not an easy patient, due to her former life prior to adoption she gets very scared and has been known to snap at Vets in the past  - but not here which is testament to their good care.
So today's card is for the Vet hospital staff. I needed some inspiration….and in a hurry, so I turned to Freshly Made Sketches as I have already used this sketch this week and it has inspired me again!

This time I changed the Twine and button to a ribbon and bow…

And yes, it features the long retired "D is for Dog" stamp set but as dear Sally is a black Lab and wears a red collar there really was nothing else more suitable :-)

So to "update"this card, I added the new Polka Dots EF, the wonderful Back to Black DSP, black Satin ribbon AND some sequins of course :-)

The main dog image is embossed in Black with the collar coloured with a Red Marker. The greeting is embossed using Clear EP over the Red ink to give it a lovely shine and textural feel also.

Card stock: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Back to Black

Inks: Versamark, Momento Tuxedo black, Real Red

Stamps: D is For Dog (Retired) Sassy Salutations

Accessories: Big Shot, Polka Dot EF, Black Satin Ribbon, Black and Clear EP, Silver Sequins (non SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today - for those wondering, Sally is happy and home although of course we are still waiting on the Scan results for now.

  I do hope you have time to check out all the great inspiration at Freshly Made Sketches  and maybe you too might be inspired to enter the challenge this week!!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Thinking of Sally

Good afternoon and what a mild Autumn day it is too here in Melbourne! It has been at least a week since I have had the fun of playing along with a challenge and  I was needing to make some doggie cards for some animal loving friends and Le Anne's  sketch at The Paper Players this week seems perfect!

There are some cute new dog and cat stamps coming in the new Catalogue available here in July but for now I turned to a retired favourite:

This stamp is so like my own Sally I had to mirror her red collar :-) But more on Sal later…

The card base is of course the bright and lovely Real Red and the DSP is from the Polka Dot Parade pack which has seen a lot of cards this year!

To stamp the "Sally replica":-) I used a Stamp a Ma Jig to line up the images to make them look a little like a walking dog.

Card stock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Polka Dot Parade

Inks: Real Red, Black Stazon

Stamps: D is for Dog (Retired), So Happy for You (Saleabration, retired)

Accessories: 3/4 and 1" circle punches, Basic Rhinestones, Stamp -A- Ma-Jig

Now this card was definitely made with Sally in mind - she spent a day last week in Hospital having X-rays and it seems her limping is caused by worsening hip dysplasia. We are resting her completely to try and avoid the need for a hip replacement for several reasons - one, she is a Rescued girl and gets really anxious away from home and two - not being able to play again with her best friend Monty will break her (and his) heart.

This photo was taken some weeks ago now but its still obvious they are happy together :-)

Hopefully after a rest she will be able to be back on top of things and showing her younger friend she still has it soon!

In the meantime, I hope you have time to check out all the wonderful designers cards at the Paper Players and maybe you might be inspired to join in too.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Doggie Coasters

Today I have something other than a card to share for a change! It is a little gift I made for one of our dog loving friends that was calling in today. I was inspired by seeing the coasters Justin Krieger made using the By the Tide stamp set that you can see here. I just LOVED these as an idea and when I needed a quick gift I knew that using the "D is for Dog"stamp set borrowed from another good friend would be perfect! But I'll let you be the judge :-)

So I had previously managed to find the Mason's Jar lids at a local Matchbox store - and bought all they had :-)

The cork I sourced from my local craft store and to make sure it would stick well to the Jar lids I used the Multipurpose Adhesive backing sheets prior to stamping with the Stazon ink. You may notice that the ink seems a bit uneven? Well, that is just the slightly uneven surface of the cork and can't really be helped. Next I used my Circle Framelits to cut the cork to fit inside - it is a little bit smaller than the lid size but still looks ok. 

And, because these are likely to get wet, I gave each coaster 2 coats of Modge Modge to seal.

Inks: Black Stazon

Stamps: D is For Dog

Accessories: Big Shot, Circle Framelits, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Non -SU Cork, Mason Jar Lids

Now you can't have a gift without some packaging….so that was my next job:-)

I really wanted to make a bag using DSP and the Scallop Tag Topper punch - but at 3 inches in circumference, the coasters seemed too big. So instead I made a little box and a bookmark…

For the box I just cut a 12"x12" piece of DSP to 9"x9" and then scored at 3" and 6" on all sides and put together. For the lid I used the same DSP and cut a 4" square and scored at 1/2" on all sides. Next I used the same size circle Framelit as for the coasters in the middle and then cut a 3" x3" square from the Window Sheets and attached that to the inside of the lid using glue dots.

The little book mark has a Black card stock base and I used the other side of the same DSP page to cover it after Punching with the Scallop Tag Topper punch and stamped with the same images as the Coasters.

Card stock: Basic black, Whisper White

DSP : Sweet Sorbet

Inks: Black Stazon, Calypso Coral

Accessories: Scallop Tag Topper Punch, 1/14 and 13/8 Circle punches, Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack, White Organza ribbon

The surprise gift was well received and so I might just have to make some more! 

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan