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,

Supplies Used:

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Openings in Heaven

Oh my Gosh! I was shocked to see that I haven't posted in 2 weeks! This summer is just flying by. And, as usual lately, I'm short on time, so this will be brief.

Our community recently lost a young man in a tragic accident. Cody owned the lawn company that has been maintaining our yard, as well our neighborhood's common areas for the past five or six years. I literally never saw him without a big smile on his face. The day he told us about his new fiance, he was practically walking on air, he was so happy. He was also kind, honest, fair, and hardworking, and he has left behind his young wife of just 3 years and a six-month old baby girl. Such a sad, sad loss. I made this card for our neighborhood to send to the family.
The dark purple die cut is cut from a piece of purple foil. It was about the thickness of an aluminum can (maybe even thicker), and it was difficult to cut, but after embossing, it was really pretty. I stamped the sentiment twice--first in lavender, then over that, offset just a bit, in a dark purple, achieving a shadow effect. The crystals are Swarovski.

The green color inside the die cuts on the front and inside of the card was airbrushed with a Copic. I took the Copic Airbrushing class last weekend, and it has made a world of difference in my airbrushing skills. I highly recommend that class to anyone who wants to airbrush with their Copics.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #77: Anything Goes w/optional Pink
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Sweet Pea
Sugar Pea Designs SPD06 Challenge: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Timeless Tuesday #261: MASKuerade!

Hello, and welcome back to another Timeless Tuesday (on Wednesday this week) Challenge! 

This week, the super-talented Allison is hosting a MASKuerade! And here's how you play along...

I went with the stencil option for my card...

I used the Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 sketch, turned sideways (see, I told you...another turned sketch!) for the layout, and the crackle design on the background was made with a stencil and molding paste that I colored with Distress Reinkers. I used Flourishes Calla Lilies stamp set for the image and sentiment, stamping both with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. The image is colored with Copic markers. I ran the flourish die cuts through a Xyron, then coated them in white glitter.

On the inside, I punched a Footlights border and added a strip of dp diagonally across it. On the personalization panel, the lily image is stamped in Angel Pink Memento Ink.

I hope you'll join us for the MASKuerade this week! And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Be sure to take a moment to be inspired by the rest of the team, and leave some blog love for them, too! :)

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

On a personal note...Sympathy cards are always hard to make, but this particular sympathy card was made with an unbelievably heavy heart. My dear friend, Linda, had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I knew I was going to eventually need a card for her family. I thought I was being proactive by making the card early, as I knew it would have been difficult, emotionally, for me to make it after she was gone, but the day after I finished the card, Linda suddenly passed away. I can't believe she is gone, but I am so grateful to have had her in my life. She was an amazingly strong, caring woman, and she had a wicked sense of humor that could make you laugh, even, or maybe especially, on days when all you wanted to do was cry. She was one of a kind, and I will miss her.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week! And, to all of you, my blog friends, a great BIG virtual HUG!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes With Pearls
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Perfectly Peach
613 Avenue Create Challenge #61: Anything Goes
Paper Issues: Tip-Toe Through the Tu-lips

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Wishing You Hope & Comfort

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch for a sympathy card I needed to make. The last sketch of the month is always Round or Square, and obviously, I went with square.

Rather than put circle die cuts on the card front, I decided to use negative die cuts and let the image on the inside show through to the front. I heat embossed a sentiment, from the Calla Lilies stamp set, with a lavender embossing powder, then heat embossed it again in black, offsetting the second stamp a little. 

The bee and flower images, which I colored with Copics, are from Flourishes' Chrysanthemums stamp set. The inside sentiment is from the Calla Lilies stamp set, and I highlighted a couple of the words with a Copic marker. I cut a skinny strip with a curved border die, making sure it was positioned so that it didn't show through the little "window" over the bee, and added just a tiny sliver of the yellow embossed cs that I used for the banners on the front of the card. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #313
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Say It With Stamps
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Perhaps...

Hi Blog Friends! A short post here tonight. I needed a sympathy card for a friend, so no challenges, just the card.

Here's a shot at an angle so you can see the layers and a close up of the "metal" bracket, which is cut from chipboard, colored with Distress Ink, spritzed with Perfect Pearls Mist, and has Enamel Accents dots.

I left the inside blank so I could add my own message.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps:  Perhaps they are not stars (Quietfire)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey)
Ink: Staz-On; Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Dies: Fleur de Lis Rectangles, Labels Four, Parisian Motifs, Foliage, Classic Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Damask embossing folder (Sizzix); ribbon; pearls; flower (Recollections); Stickles; Enamel Accents; Perfect Pearls Mist; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x5.5")

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