Love is a Four-Legged Word

March 24th was a sad day for fans of the Jenny L. Cote book series, The Epic Order of the Seven, which happens to be my daughter's all-time-favorite books. The main character of the books is Maximillian Braveheart the Bruce, a Scottish Terrier, who is based on Mrs. Cote's own beloved pet, Max. Well, sweet little Max passed away last week after battling cancer. Besides loving Max as the character in the books, my daughter is also a dog-lover in general. (March 24 was also our own terrier's 15th birthday, too.) So, when I told her about Max's passing, my daughter was devastated, and fell asleep on a tear-dampened pillow, while holding tight to a plush Scotty that looks just like Max. 

Mrs. Cote does a lot of creative writing workshops for kids, and she just happens to be coming to our town for a workshop for our homeschool group next week, so I made this sympathy card for my daughter to give to Mrs. Cote while she is here. I love this Tiddly Inks image, which I colored with Copics, and I've used it before, for a card that I intend to eventually give to my daughter because it looks so much like her and our dog, Ozzy, but it is also perfect for this occasion, since it resembles Mrs. Cote and Max, too! See...

Jenny Cote, Max, and Liz

I used the Viva la Verve March 2015 Week 4 Sketch for the card design, and all the patterned paper, including the sentiment on the die cut faux leather belt, is from the Raining Cats & Dogs paper pad by Graphic 45. I added the detailed eye to the image, and worked quite a while on the girl's cheek to make it look more dimensional. I still need practice, but I was pleased with how it finally turned out. 

The sentiment inside the card was typed in Word and printed onto cardstock. I added little paw print stamps and a red flourish in the corner. The monogram letters (M-A-X) are from the Paper Sweeties Fancy Monograms stamp set. I stamped them with Versamark onto black chipboard, then heat embossed them in white. I can't get over how much detail is in the monograms, even when embossed! After cutting the letters with a die from the Beautiful Little Wishes Sweet Cuts die set, I mounted each letter onto a square of craft foam, then onto a square of gold mirror foil. It's pretty in real life, but since it truly is mirrored, the gold doesn't show up well in a photo. The sentiment at the bottom is written in Gaelic (I just love Google sometimes!), to go along with Max's Scottish heritage. Again, it doesn't show well in this photo, but the sentiment strip is wavy, rather than glued flat to the card. I used Pearl Pen dots under the center of the strip to keep it from getting smushed.

My daughter loves the card and can't wait to give it to Mrs. Cote, along with a little gift she made just for her. ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve March 2015 Week 4 Challenge
Tiddly Inks Challenge #154: Anything Goes With a Tiddly Inks Image/Stamp
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #117: True Anything Goes...No Twist!

~Hugs,

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Bundle of Love & New Copic Storage!

If you're looking for my Paper Sweeties March Release Party post, click here.

Three years ago, my sister-in-law asked me to make her an African-themed wedding card. Well, that couple is now having a baby boy, so I was asked to make an African-themed baby card for the baby shower, using yellows and browns.

Using one of this month's Viva la Verve sketches, I chose to use jungle and giraffe print paper, and some burlap for texture. The giraffe image was colored with Copics. I like to try to add some kind of sparkle or shine to most of my cards, so I opted for metallic sequins around the edge of the picot edge die cut, and added Glossy Accents to the ball of the rattle. I hope she likes it.

Now, I just had to share this, too...

NEW STORAGE FOR MY COPICS!!!

My brother (the same one who is married to the SIL who needed the above card) and I live fairly close to each other and get together every few weeks. The last time he was at my house, he started talking about some new woodworking tools he had gotten. I didn't even know he did woodworking! Well, in jest (ok, partly in jest) I mentioned that it sure would be nice if he could make me some storage for my Copics. I've tried different things in the past, and there has always been something wrong with them. Mostly the little cubes weren't deep enough and if I pulled a marker off the bottom of a stack, all the other markers would come tumbling out. Well, my thoughtful brother got right up and measured one of my Copics, got a few details of what I needed, and in just a few days I had this new storage! The wood is bare so I can paint, stain, or cover it any way I want, but, honestly, he did such a great job sanding it, I can't bare to cover it up!

Here it is all loaded with Copics. His measurements were perfect!!! OMGosh, this just made me SO happy! Thank you, Paul! You're the BEST!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend! And, don't forget that Paper Sweeties' newest releases are available now! And, I'll be back tomorrow with my March Release Rewind post, where we create by mixing the new releases with older releases. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve March 2015 Week 2 Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: B is for... (Baby)
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards Challenge #86-For a Child
Corrosive Challenge #220: Our Animal Friends

~Hugs,

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Look What's New--Blog Hop at Your Next Stamp!!!

Your Next Stamp is Celebrating their New Website Launch with a New Release and a Fun Blog Hop!

Karen started Your Next Stamp 5 years ago, and she's celebrating, not only with some sweet new stamps, dies, and Gumdrops, but also with a super fun blog hop, and she is giving away 5, yes 5, $20 YNS Gift Certificates! Whoo Hoo!

Here's what I did with one of the newest stamp sets:

I was so excited when Karen contacted me about being a Guest Designer for a Special Blog Hop for Your Next Stamp, and when this adorable stamp, Seasonal Sweeties, arrived, I couldn't wait to color it up with my Copics! The little critters are super sweet and it was lots of fun "decorating" their personal stockings. The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto X-Press It Blending Card. After coloring, I die cut the image with a Labels 30 Spellbinders die, trimming the ends off. To make the red borders along the top and bottom, I just cut pieces of the dp with the same die and glued them behind the image. The card base is cut from a Labels 28 die, and I dry embossed the snowflake image with a Snowflake Swirl embossing folder. The rounded strip of red dp is a smaller Labels 28 die, of which I trimmed the top and bottom from. Karen also sent me a package of Green Apple Glittered Gumdrops. How'd she know that's my favorite color??? ;) I used two of the larger ones on the red dp and two tiny ones on the top and bottom of the image.

This stamp set comes with a sentiment, too! I love the elegant font.

Now, about that Blog Hop. 5 random winners will receive $20 to spend in the YNS Store – prizes are randomly placed amongst all the blogs, and all you have to do to be eligible is comment, and the more blogs you visit and comment on, the more chances you have to WIN!

And, that's not all! If you create an account in the new store, you will get a code for 10% off your entire purchase in the new store, plus Karen has marked the new releases down 15%! So, really, everyone is a winner! ;) 

So, what are you waiting for? Leave a comment here, and get hopping! And, once you've finished the hop, create an account in the store and go shopping. You are going to LOVE all the new products!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday: O is for... (Owl)
Kit and Clowder October Challenge: Anything Goes
The Stamping Chef Challenge #51: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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