So Quiet

It seems so quiet in the house. We lost our sweet Pebbles on Saturday. A week ago she seemed to be having some tummy troubles so I took her to the vet. He gave her a shot and sent us home with some medicine, and she bounced right back the next day. She was back to playing, seemed energetic and happy, just our normal little happy dog. Then on Friday evening, she seemed worse again, so I took her to the emergency vet. She was diagnosed with cancer. It was very advanced and the vet said it was untreatable and we needed to think about letting her go very soon, maybe even that night. We were just stunned. I saw the scans and her poor little tummy was so full of tumors.

We brought her home that night with some pain meds and special food and gave her lots of cuddles. The next morning we could see she had declined even more. Her tummy had distended and even though she wanted so much to play, she just couldn't. We knew it was time. I couldn't stand the thought of our sweet puppy in pain. My husband and daughter were there with me. We comforted and petted her as the light left her eyes and now the world just isn't as bright and beautiful without her in it.

I didn't realize how much of my days were centered around Pebbles. She was always just an arms length away. I'm so used to reaching out to touch her and now she isn't there. We had her in our family for nine years and were completely unprepared to lose her so soon. I'm trying to stay busy and get used to a new routine that doesn't have Pebbles in it. Yesterday, when I was heading outside to feed the fish in the pond, I called her to come with me. I'll have to get used to doing these things without her now, but it's going to take some time.

I've been distracting myself with TV and doing some drawing, but when I sit and try to work on a card, I just start thinking of Pebbles and can't seem to concentrate. I'm sure I'll be able to get back to it soon, but I just wanted to explain why I may be absent for a bit. I'll be back soon. Thanks for understanding.

Happy Squirrel

Hello. Today I have another card using images from Heartfelt (Gina K Designs).

I used Copics to color starting with N5. 

Added N3.

Then filled in most of the rest with N1. 

I used W1 on the belly and a few highlights on the tail. 

For the background I sponged Memento Summer Sky. 

Then sponged Memento Dessert Sand on the bottom. 

Sponged lightly with Memento Rich Cocoa along the bottom. 

 Then sponged lightly with Memento Paris Dusk along the top.

I stamped the fence with Memento Tuxedo Black. 

Then started coloring with E49. 

 Added E59.

Added E57. 

Filled in most o the rest with E55 and used my blender pen to soften the transition to the highlights. 

 I stamped the wheat image several times with Memento Rich Cocoa.

 I cut out the squirrel and adhered it with Pop Dots, then stamped the sentiment with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

The card base is  5 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches Pure Luxury Kraft and the background panel is 4 1/2 by 3 1/4 inches. I layered with Pure Luxury Baby Boy Blue and Chocolate Brown and added piercing to the corners.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a happy day.

Apparently Size Does Matter...

Hiya, Stampers! Seems lately I barely go a day without an email asking me to include the card size for my posts. I decided to address this in a post to hopefully answer a few of your questions. I am sorry for not posting the sizes of  my card bases and dimensions of the layers. I'm trying to do better, but I know I'll still forget much (or most) of the time. Also, if I focus too much on measuring, I'm afraid this might start to feel like work (shudder). I did manage to remember to include the card size two posts in a row, then promptly forgot on the third one. I'll share a bit of what typically I do on most cards, since I seem to have so much trouble remembering to mention these things on most posts.

*The overwhelming majority of my card bases are A2 size, or 4 1/4 by 5 1/5 inches. (or 5 1/2 by 4 1/4). This size probably accounts for at least 90 - 95% of my cards.

*When I make a square card it is usually 4 1/4 inches square, although occasionally I have done  5 inches square and rarely 5 1/2 inches square.

*I always make top fold cards, for one reason and one reason only - they photograph better. Every time I give a top fold vertical card to a non stamper, they try to open it like a side fold card, but I can rest easy knowing I got a good photo.

*To make my card base, I cut an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet card stock in half, then score one piece in half. If it is a vertical card, I cut the sheet in half to create two pieces 4 1/4 by 11 inches, then score at 5 1/2 inches. If it is a horizontal card, I cut the sheet in half to create two pieces 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 and score at 4 1/4 inches.

*I always use Pure Luxury card stock and I always use a Scor-Pal or Scor-Buddy to score my card base. Scoring your card base makes it so much easier to fold and the fold looks much crisper and cleaner. I learned from Gina to always run the tool at least two or three times to before folding to get the best score line. If you only score once, the fibers don't always stretch enough and you can get cracking on your fold. Gina did a great demonstration of how to score card bases at the beginning of this video.

When it comes to the size of my layers, things get a bit more complicated. If I am doing a large scene and filling up most of the card, I usually will start with a white layer that is 3 3/4 by 5 inches, or 3 1/2 by 4 3/4 inches. Then to make a framing layer I just place the top layer of the bottom layer and place it in my trimmer and just eyeball it to trim. Other times I just grab a scrap and make it work. I also use my Nestabilities, so those determine the size of my layers. I am probably never going to post all the dimensions on all my cards, but I will make an effort to do it at least once a week.

Well, that was a lot of writing and not a single pretty picture. I'll be back tomorrow with a new card project. Thank you all for your wonderful support, friendship and comments. I so appreciate it and it is what truly inspires me.

Have a wonderful day!

Peachy Coneflowers

Hello! I played along with another SCS challenge today, this time the sketch challenge. I used images from Heartfelt and a sentiment from Various Verses. 

I stamped the coneflowers, from Heartfelt, with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then used Copics to color, starting with RV19. 

Added RV29 (oops, I meant to use RV25 and couldn't figure out why this one was so dark until I saw the photo). 

Added RV23. I bet it would have blended better if I had used RV25 in the step above. LOL.

Then I filled in with RV21. 

I used Y21 on the flower centers. 

Added Y17. 

Then I added just a bit of E33 to deepen the shading. 

For the stems, I filled in with YG23. 

Then added YG97, using YG23 to blend it in.

On the background panels, I sponged Memento Cantaloupe in, using my Jumbo Sponge Dauber. 

 Then sponged Memento Rose Bud at the bottom only.

I stamped the silhouette wheat, from Heartfelt, using Memento Cantaloupe ink. 

I layered the panels with Pure Luxury Black Onyx and used a Just Peachy card base. The flowers were cut out and adhered with Pop Dots. The horizontal layer was sponged with Memento Cantaloupe and embossed with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The sentiment, from Various Verses, was stamped directly on the background.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sunny Coneflowers

Hello! Today I decided to check out the Try A New Technique Challenge at Split Coast Stampers and it was a fun one. We were to go to our favorites and case the very first card we ever favorited. I went to my favorites and this card was the first one I favorited. How funny that it turned out to be by Michelle Woerner who wound up on the GKD DT with me. I didn't know her at all back then.

I stayed with a similar design and color scheme, but used a stamped trio of flowers in place of the prima flowers and left off a few embellishments. I also used a stamped/sponged background instead of designer paper. The images are from Heartfelt and the sentiment is from Sending Sunshine.

I stamped the flowers with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and used Copics to color, starting with YR07.

 Added Y19.

Added Y15.

Then filled in with Y11.

 I wanted a little more dept at the base of the petals, so I added R89.

For the centers I filled in with E19.

 Then I used my blender pen to push in a little highligt.

Added a bit more shading with E59.

I filled in the stems and leaves with G24.

Then I added YG97.

Then blended with YG05. After coloring I cut out the image.

 For the background I first sponged Memento Dessert Sand on Pure Luxury White card stock.

Then sponged Memento Rich Cocoa.

I stamped the wheat image, also from Heartfelt, using Memento Rich Cocoa.  I stamped off once on scratch paper before stamping on the background to make the wheat lighter, then repeated several times.

I layered with Pure Luxury Chocolate Brown and Tan Leather. The card base is also Chocolate Brown. I adhered the coneflowers with Pop Dots and added gold cording like in Michelles card. The finished card size is 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Be the Change

Good morning and happy Friday! Today I'm hosting the Free For All Friday challenge over at StampTV.

The challenge is to case a member of the Design Team and this week it is Cathy Tidwell we are casing. Here is a link to the card of Cat's that I cased. Participants need to change at least two things and I changed...

different layout
tore only one edge of my focal panel
added a dragonfly

All the images are from Follow Your Dreams from Gina K Designs. 

 I started by sponged Memmento Angel Pink ink in a diagonal band across Pure Luxury White card stock.

 Then sponged Memento Lulu Lavender above the pink.

 Sponged Memento Summer Sky.

 At the bottom, I sponged Memento New Sprout.

 Then sponged Memento Bamboo Leaves.

 Then I tore one edge off the background.

 Stamped the trio of trees using Stazon Jet Black ink.

 Stamped the sentiment then used my YG91 Copic to add the hint of a hill and shadow.

 Deepened the shading with YG93.

 I stamped the dragonfly with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then used Copics to color, starting with R85 on the body, then YG03 on the wings.

 I added BG02 on top of the green and extended a bit.

 Then filled in with V000.

 I used a bit of RV21 but it is nearly dry so I couldn't get the wings quite as dark as I wanted. Sound like the perfect excuse for a new Copic order. I really have no choice, now do I?

I layered with Pure Luxury Chocolate Brown and tied a bow with jute twine the card base is Kraft.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Oh, the card size is 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches. :)