CAS Sympathy

K's great grandmother passed away last week, so some sympathy cards were needed. I decided since this was a somber occassion, that I would forgo the embellishments and just leave this as a clean and simple card.

I must say though, that the first time I saw this stamp set (Paper Trey Ink, With Sympathy), I absolutely fell in love with it...and actually delayed my purchase (I have no idea why) and have now used this set for several upcoming projects I have...I am truly in love with this set! These leafy vines can be used for so many things and the floral choices in the set can really change the look of your project! Check back here in the next few weeks to see what else I have done with this Sympathy set (and it's totally not Sympathy)...thanks for looking ... recipe below as usual!

Recipe:

• Stamps: Paper Trey Ink, With Sympathy
• Paper: SU Kraft, Heavenly Blue
• Ink: SU Heavenly Blue, Tim Holtz Shabby Shutters, Old Paper

Good Weekend...and slightly Mortifying....

We are back from yet another horse show...although it's been since Thanksgiving since we've attended one, but we had a really good show. One of our clients really got it together with her new horse this horse show and had some really great placings and another client had her parents visit her and won her class also... sooo... good horse show... some happy tears (which are much better than the other kind!)... oh the mortifying part...well...
As many of you know, we have a new addition to our family... JR, our rescued Jack Russell and this was his first horse show. We typically keep the dogs crated in the tack room, but for some reason we left them loose in the tack room and shut the door... well when we opened the door JR shot out of there like his tail was on fire and ran STRAIGHT INTO the make up pen...and proceded to "attack" the big, monster dogs (horses)...luckily at the time no one was riding, but K was running after him, trying to grab his leash, the trainer giving the lesson was screaming at him (K and JR) and the students were just trying to get their horses under control...sigh...K came slinking back to the stall with JR and we were both totally mortified! We've got a LOT of obedience work to do... who would think this 10 lbs would be such a terror??? (ok, me...but seriously, does that face look like an attack dog to you? LOL) that was day 1...the rest of the weekend went better and he was crated from there on out...LOL...oy!

Digital Stamp Oasis Sketch Contest

Have you been to the Digital Stamp Oasis Blog? There's a sketch contest going on right now...here's the details:

"To celebrate the new Digital Stamp Oasis Design Team I am giving away some blog candy. I don't have a picture of it yet, I still want to get a couple of things to add to it. But wanted to post the sketch and details today.To win this blog candy you will have to
1. make a card using the sketch below...but there is a catch...you have to use something digital on your card. It can be a digital image (from any [digital] stamp company), a sentiment you make on your computer, digital Designer paper, or anything else digital you can think of.
2. Post your card on your blog and post about this blog candy challenge with a link to my blog.
3. Post a comment in the comment section with a link to your creation."

So here' s my card in celebration of the contest;

I used Susie Squirrel Loves Dandelions (isn't she just the cutest? she also reminds me of a skunk...kind of like Flower from Bambi...doesn't she remind you of Flower?) for my image and colored her in with Copics. I layered her and used my Threading Water Border punch for the scallops on her border. Now, I NEVER have enough Thank You cards...so I decided this would be a perfect opportunity, so I stamped my sentiment and then punched it out with my Martha Stewart Pinking punch, I then stamped, cut out, pop dotted and stickled the little butterflies. I followed this sketch a little loosely, but a still happy with the results. Be sure to take a browse around Digital Stamp Oasis' Store...lots of cute images that are easy on your pocketbook! Recipe, Sketch and a close up below...thanks for looking and be sure to enter the contest to win some fab blog candy!

Recipe:

• Stamp: Digital Stamp Oasis Susie Squirrel Loves Dandelions, Hero Arts Sentiment, Doodlebug Teen Girl
• Paper: DCWV
• Punches: Fiskars Threading Water border, Marth Stewart Pinking and Leaves, EK Success Circle and Flower
• Other: Ribbon by Big Lots, Stickles

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.... I MADE the Digital Stamp Oasis DT!!!!!!

I'm sooooo excited, Ellie has chosen me to be one of her members of her new DT for the Digital Stamp Oasis! I can't wait to meet all of the DT members and start working with them! I decided to do a personal celebration and make a card for the occassion!
I chose todays SCS Sketch Challenge (SSC221) and used Susie Squirrel Watering the Flowers from Digital Stamp Oasis. I started with my VERY colorful background paper and chose everything around THAT...I've had that paper for AGES (by Frances Meyer) and I've always thought it was pretty...but very, very busy! I knew I needed to use it sparingly! LOL! However it says "spring" to me...as does Susie...and I'm itching to see flowers and green again...it's been a LONNNNNGGGGG winter!
I colored Susie in Copics, and then I wanted to mimic the flowers she was watering, so I punched pink circles, then I highlighted with my Copic marker, then I used a black lining marker and mimicked them from the image and then I added Stickles (gotta have that bling!). The sketch and a couple more photos (as well as the recipe) are below...thanks for looking!

Recipe:

• Stamp: Susie Squirrel Watering Flowers from Digital Stamp Oasis, Sentiment by Studio G
• Paper: Frances Meyer
• Punch: Circle by EK Success, Leaf by Martha Stewart
• Markers: Copic C3, YG03,YG11, RV02, RV10, R32, B00, Y06, Y17, Blender

CAS with the Free Digi Stamp from Two Scoops of Rice

Here's my Pink Elephant Challenge Entry...I decided to go clean and simple today...and I didn't add a sentiment, this card could be used for Easter, Hello, Thinking of You...or???? This card is fairly straight forward, played with my Copics again, recipe is below...thanks for looking...and if you want the image...look at my posting below on how to get it for free!

Recipe:

• Stamp: FREE Digi Stamp by Two Scoops of Rice (see below post on how to get it)
• Punches: Fiskars Threading Water
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
• Other: Organza Ribbon, Queen & Co. Flowers, Brads, Copics

FREE Easter Digi-Stamps...

...THAT got your attention didn't it? LOL...in my "blurfing", I have found not one, but TWO sites that have FREE DIGITAL EASTER images.... and they are:

TWO Images by Dustin Pike, one is an Easter Bunny, the other is an Easter DRAGON...yes, you read that right...DRAGON...but they are both sooooooo cute! I have a feeling any little boy on your Easter list would LOVE an Easter Dragon card...LOL

The OTHER image I found is from Two Scoops Rice and it's an adorable bunny sitting in a pot, but you have to email Two Scoops Rice (click on the link for details) for that one...

I have MORE NEWS COMING regarding Digital Stamping....staaaaaayyyyy tuned!

Introducing JR

After many lengthy discussions, K and I decided that the household was just too quiet without Spanky, not that he was a "noisy" dog, but a very entertaining one...we also decided we wanted to "rescue" a Jack Russell in need of a good home. (I also knew we'd get another dog and didn't want too much time to pass for our two other furbabies to be just two and then add a third, I didn't want them to get used to one routine and then switch YET AGAIN, I wanted an easy transition for them) So I perused Petfinder.com and there were TONS of Jack Russells looking for homes. I think most people think Jack's are cute, but don't realize that they are HIGH ENERGY dogs...however we live in an ideal situation for Jack's...we live on a farm with lots of activity going on daily and the dogs are a part of our working day as well as our personal home life. So I found two candidates...one was in Virginia and had an adoption in the works and one was in Illinois...so we applied for Illinois and in about 3 days I drove the 10 hour round trip and adopted him. Isn't he cute? So far he's working out wonderfully, although he's still very unsure of the horses and barks at them at every opportunity. He is by no means a replacment for Spanky, Spanky Doodle will always be in our hearts, but JR is a nice addition to our family and I'm glad we were able to "rescue" him...

...there will be more JR stories coming...he's a Jack Russell...there's ALWAYS cute stories about Jack Russells! LOL...