Falliday Leaves

Hey!  I missed you guys yesterday.  I had a card to post, but things got busy and I didn't have time to sit down and do it.  I'll share more on that later.  :)   First here is my card.  Dina's challenge was to use die cuts for masking.  I cut some leaves out of masking paper and masked off some watercolor paper.  I followed up with some Brusho crystals.  I finished it off with a bit of distress ink and a die cut sentiment.   Fun, huh?  the Stampin' Up! Dictionary stamp added some fun detail as well.  Be sure to go check out the Falliday challenges!

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Dictionary (retired)
Ink:  Brusho Crystals, Vintage Photo distress ink
Paper:  Stampin' Up! More Mustard, Canson Watercolor paper
Other:  Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves dies, Concord & 9th grateful die, bakers twine, masking paper

Now about yesterday...

As I sat down to eat dinner I looked outside and saw a little dog.  He was cute, a little black scruffy one.  I looked closer and I could tell that he was a stray.  His fur was matted and he was so dirty.  I set up our extra dog crate, got some food, and headed out to see if I could catch him.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I at least wanted to feed him.   I caught him and he was the sweetest thing.  Laila and I took him to a vet and they didn't find a microchip.  He had a collar but no tags. I could tell he had been out on his own for a while.  I contacted a local rescue and they were able to take him.  I was sad to leave him, but my life is too crazy for anything else.  Here he is:

Laila and I drove him over to the rescue's vet this morning.  Last I heard he was being groomed.  I can't wait to see some after pictures and see him in a loving home.

I appreciate everyone's words about Laila and sharing our struggles. I'll try to share as I can to let you know how we are.  I know Kelly mentioned that I don't share as many photos of Laila like I used to.  Part of the reason for that is because she doesn't make eye contact with the camera much anymore.  It's a struggle to have her be still long enough to snap one too.  If I do ask her to take one, I get this.  lol

Stripping Down

I forgot I had one more HYCCT card to share.  I made this one for Holly's challenge to "strip down" and use strips on our card.   I love this technique as it is a great way to use up scraps!  We did this one at my World Card Making Day class too and it was fun to see how different everyone's looked depending on the papers they picked out.   I added a big shabby bow for fun.

I recently signed up for a daily email of toddler activitiy suggestions.   One of them was a bowl of water with a bit of dish detergent added and a whisk.   It has been a hit this week!   I was able to get some work done in the kitchen while she "cooked bubbles" and it was great for both of us!   It has activities for lots of ages, so I totally recommend it.

Simon Says HUGS!

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge was to make your own background.   They are showcasing Gelatos over on the blog, so I thought I'd pull out mine and try them again.  I still don't think I have the hang of it, but it was fun to play with them.   I paired the purple I used with the darker Concord Crush color.  It's retired, but still one of my favorite purples.  I popped up my diecut you on dimensionals to give it a little more depth.  

She came clopping through the house with Jason's shoes on the other night.  That girl loves her some shoes.  We struggle to find ours now because she's always put them on and walked off with them.  

Stampin' Up! Love & Sympathy

I combined my scrap card with a Dare To Get Dirty challenge this week.  Everything on it minus the base and first layer came out of my scrap bags.  The base, layer, and ribbon were all left from yesterday's stamping, so I was happy to use those up too!  I don't really know how to do sympathy cards that well because I like fun cards, so hopefully this one is okay.  

Do you like the Crumb Cake layer? I inked up the Dictionary background here and there with Versamark and then stamped it.  I like the hint of words without stamping the entire layer.  It adds interest but doesn't overwhelm the card.  I also sponged pretty much all the layers with Whisper White craft ink to soften it a bit.

Stamps:  Love & Sympathy, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Dictionary
Paper:  Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Textured Whisper White (retired), scraps
Ink:  Versamark, Crumb Cake, Pool Party
Accessories:  Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Neutrals buttons (retired)
Tools:  Big Shot, Perfect Pennants die, 2 1/2 circle punch

Laila got to go play in her pool again today. Amazingly, she was able to crawl in and out of it all by herself.  I was a nervous wreck, but Jason stayed close just in case she slipped.   She had an okay day today.   Jason checked her mouth and he said he thinks she's getting four molars!   Three of them have broken through the gums already (some more than others) and the other one is just really swollen.  Poor baby.   She won't let us brush them at all right now because it's so painful.  :(

Scrap Card Sunday #3 Perfect Blend

Wow! I've actually stuck with this for 3 weeks.  lol  I'm not the best at doing that lately, so we'll see how long I can keep it going.  Plans never work out with a little one in the house!   For this card I decided to go with an old standby for scraps, but tried to put a different spin on it.  I wanted a grunge look, not the comfy quilt look that I normally like.   I grabbed my brown and green scrap bags and only let myself use the pieces I found in there for that part. I think I'd have liked it better if I had let myself cheat a little and used some different strips, but I like how it turned out for the most part.   I had a friend in mind to send it to, so that helped with the design idea and stamp choices.  :)   I also used some retired ribbon and a retired button to try to clear out those as well! 

Stamps:  Perfect Blend, Dictionary, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Paper:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, scraps

Accessories:  Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon, Regals Designer Buttons

Tools:  Big Shot, Top Note Die, Stylish Stripes embossing folder 

I think someone's new name is going to be She Who Throws Tantrums.  Oh boy was I unprepared for this stage!  If you tell her no or don't let her have something she wants you'd better cover your ears.   The toddler years are going to be tough ones for me I can see.   I have a list of wines to try out now thanks to my fellow moms on Facebook.  Ha! 

Stampin' Up! Zoo Babies & Dictionary

While Mom and Jason assembled playroom furniture last night, I ran off to my craft room to stamp.  It feels like it had been ages since I made anything and I needed the break!   I decided to combine Dynamic Duos and Retro Sketches and here's the result.  I think it's kinda cute.  :)

Stamps:  Zoo Babies, Dictionary

Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate

Paper:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  White Baker's Twine, Neutrals buttons (retired)

Tools:  Big Shot, Alphabet Press TIEF, 2 1/2 inch circle punch

     

Laila's party went great.  It was a lot of work, but she seemed to have fun.   Now we are doing some serious work on getting her a playroom set up.   My favorite "decoration" was a timeline of photos from birth to 12 months.  I saw one on Rochelle's blog a while back and immediately pinned it.  Mine didn't turn out as cute as hers, but it was so great to look at her development.  ;)  

Zoo Babies for Fab Friday

More new stuff!  Zoo Babies is my favorite set from the new catalog and one I couldn't wait to get my hands on.   I paired it the the new Dictionary background and the Alphabet Press embossing folder.  Aren't they fabulous together?!  I used the cute sketch at Fab Friday to make this lovely little card.  

Stamps:  Zoo Babies, Dictionary

Ink:  Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight Coredinations, Whisper White

Tools:  Big Shot, Perfect Pennants die, Alphabet Press EF, 2 1/2 circle punch

Accessories:  Neutrals buttons (retired), White Baker's Twine

We bought Laila a tunnel the other day and it's been a hit...with the cats.  lol  She's crawled through it a few times, but they LOVE it.