Thank you with a little help from Lawn Fawn... and the dogs go to the beach

Amuse-bouche:

I recently took the boys to the beach... They had such a wonderful time.  Ezra came too but she wasn't all that fond of the beach.  You can see her on the Video--- standing like a bump on a log.  (See at the bottom of the post)

Lunch at Park Bench Cafe!!!!  Lean Turkey Meat.... (eyed by Colt)

Happy 4th of July!!!!

I had bought the "Ciara" stamp through Stampers' Best to participate in the June tutorial.  I didn't participate however, I had the best intentions....

Here is my card based on that tutorial which basically focuses on paper piecing.  I used the Lawn Fawn Blue Skies to make the stars (and Sakura clear glitter pen around the edges of the stars).  The paper is from Doodlebug!!! Oh My Stars. Love that paper. (I'm afraid to use it).

The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn and the background stamp is from Stampers' Best (for Operation Write Home).

Amuse-bouche:

My friend is SOOO crafty with everything she does--- Look at this cute stage she set up for her little girls.
SO Sweet!!!!!  :)


Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!

And here are the boys and Ezra. True to form, Ezra won't look at the camera!  

Darcie's Heart and Home stamp set.... and Ezra Gets a Sundress

I had gotten a new stamp set... Darcie's Heart and Home: "You Nailed It."  This has some cute masculine images.  I believe you can purchase this brand through Simon Says Stamp.

The light purple background is from Hero Arts.  The little black dash pattern is from Lawn Fawn.

Amuse-bouche:
I have held off on getting Ezra a dress because I thought, "no need" but this was on Sale at Petsmart and I just thought 'what the heck.'

A new member of the workforce...

One of my friend's little girl,  just got her first job at Chik-Fil-A.  It is her first job and she is very excited to have it. SO.... I made this little card, using my Free Alley Way Stamp that I got in May.  If you haven't seen the line of stamps, you should check it out.  Very cute stuff....
I took the sentiments from Lawn Fawn's Office set (I think it's called Just Your Type) and I only used certain words/letters to create the sentiment.   The coloring is Copics.

Amuse-bouche:
I've been walking the dogs 4 miles around town.  Ezra lasts about 1 mile (if that) and then she gets in her stroller and coasts the rest of the way.  Here we are at the local park.

We're rolling along.... with Penny Black

Penny Black has some of the cutest images.  I loved how the Distress Stains came out...

Amuse-bouche:
   Why the long face, Colt?

Ezra has one pose:  "Please no photographs.  The flash hurts my eyes."

A chinchilla xray- for your viewing pleasure....

One of my friends is on Weight Watchers and had lost 20+ pounds.  She is doing so well-- so I wanted to make her this card to give her a little encouragement.  If you're not familiar with Weight Watchers, they assign "points" to different foods (ergo the background paper).  I used some Lawn Fawn stamps to make fruit slices as fruits and veggies are 'zero' points, toward your daily intake.  The scale came from this super cute set from "Alley Way Stamps."  The stamps there are sooo cute. I used Copics to color the fruit slices.

Amuse-bouche:

One of my chinchillas, Dwight, has been a little ill. He hasn't been eating as much as he used to.  He's dropped about 100 grams in the last year and dramatically in the last month.  I've been hand-feeding him and giving him some (intestinal antibiotics) medicine in an attempt to kill any bacteria in his intestinal tract.   Chinchillas can be fussy eaters for 'no reason' so I hope we can surf this wave smoothly.


Here is 1 shot (of many) of Dwight's xrays.  [Yes, I had xrays done.]  I found this fascinating and thought I'd share. He looks like a pterodactyl.  If you look closely, you see what appears to be a 'beak.'  It's actually his two top teeth and two lower teeth (like a gopher or rabbit).  The roots of the tooth go along the top of the roof of the mouth... the bottom teeth roots trace along the line of the chin.  The two white glowing areas are his grinding molars (similar to ours) with roots going up into his sinus area and down near the base of his chin. One of the things we were ruling out was an abscess in the teeth root(s). That would have been very bad.  This is a good sign... however we still aren't 100% sure why he's not eating.

And here is Sam and Ezra at Rubios:
Yes, he is a "shrimp" and she is "special."

 

Happy Grad, Grad....

My mother requested a festive graduation card for her friend who was graduating college at age 76.  

Voila.

I so adore Penny Black's farm animal series.  

The graduation stamp came from a $1 bin at Michaels (I believe).  I colored in the letters and used my white gel pen to make polka dots. I just LOVE this look. The die cut is from SpellBinders Nestabilities.

Amuse-bouche:

A few weeks ago, we had some April showers (in May!).  Ezra couldn't get enough of the damp air and the mist on her face. She was LOVING life.   Despite me pulling over and putting her back in her pet booster seat, she kept leaning out.  She has a pink harness on AND she is tethered in her seat.   She was wearing a little soft fleece hoodie that I got her at the Pet Expo.  She couldn't feel the dampness on her neck or back so she wasn't afraid to get wet.

And finally (gosh I have so much to share)....
Here is my favorite audition so far on SYTYCD.  His name is Fik-Shun  (Fiction).
I hope he gets a permanent dancing job from this. He is a phenom.





And this is from his YouTube channel, free styling on Fremont Street in Vegas.





And yes, I'll be back with another card tomorrow!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!! ... featuring Any Hero Cards....

I've become obsessed with Sandy Allnook's weekly OWH video casts.  Sandy is the creator of Operation Write Home.

Before we get to my Memorial Day card, let me first show you some Any Hero cards.
They're double sided cardstock, as opposed to a full card.  Here is the information on ANY HERO cards in case you're interested in making some.
They're simple.  Sandy has a post about it with a link to her video show talking about Any Hero cards.
Click here for the post

Here is my card for Memorial Day.  In June, OWH is doing a tutorial featuring Sandy's stamp that she created for OWH, featuring her Golden Retriever, Ciara.
click HERE for more information.
The background stamp of the Star Spangled Banner is from Stamper's Best that sells the OWH stamps. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn.
The coloring is copied from Sandy's video for this image....   HERE is the video link to see it.

Colored with Copics, Sentiment stamped with Jenny Bowlin ink

Happy Memorial Day from the Canine Gang...

Thank you card.... Stimpy has risen....

Another thank you gift card using Paper Smooches and Lawn Fawn stamps. The blue background is a Penny Black set I had purchased.  WHEEEE!

The bird was purchased with Paper Smooches.






Amuse-bouche:

Stimpy has woken up from his winter slumber. Here he is, eating lettuce... And guess who is waiting for him to walk away, so HE can eat the leftovers---- Yes, that would be SamUL!




And here's Ezra... enjoying the sunset,... watching the front driveway

Still floating in the stratosphere... with 12" less hair....

Finally back... with a card (and unrelated scrapping photos).

Last year's New Year's Resolution was to make all 'original design cards.'  This year's resolution? TO MAKE CARDS!!!

AGH!

So, here's one for this quarter. (LOL).

I cut paper from a DCWV paper pad for a Baby Shower.  The image is from Stampin' Up.  I colored with Copics and accented with Liquid Pearls.

Amuse-Bouche:
Here's a photo of me with my cut hair that I'm donating to Locks Of Love.
My head feel so much lighter.  Now I can DEFINITELY hear the rattling when I shake my head (LOL).

And, I went to the 2013 Toshiba Golf Classic yesterday.  I followed Freddie Couples, David Frost and Jim Gallagher, Jr around the Newport Beach Country Club (along with about 100 other people).

Here's a photo that I took:
(cameras weren't allowed so I was sneaking 1 photo to capture the event).

Fred Couples on left in black sweater and David Frost in pink outfit.

And last of all.... YOU MUST SEE THIS DANCING CHILEAN DOG!!!!
Viv:  Enjoy!

No card today.... just a photo update....

It's been 1 week since Ezra has come to live with us.  She has had 8 teeth extracted, gotten new clothing, and slowly adjusted to life at our zoo.

Her gums have pretty much healed however she's still eating canned food... (at least until her follow up visit), she has gone for a number of car rides, gone to Petsmart TWICE to look for more outfits, went on a very long walk (although she was carried part of the way), eaten at Rubios, and seen her new Grandma and Grandpa several times.

She also has learned the ways of the household and the new sounds: the Labrador next door that barks, the young college kids who have friends over- prompting her and Colt and Sam to stand on my bed (and use a few pillows as boosters) to watch them diligently, the squirrel marathon that Colt has- running back and forth as the squirrel runs overhead on the telephone lines (She still can't figure out why he bothers), and finally... WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS LIVING IN THE OTHER BEDROOM???  LOL.  She finally noticed there are a chinchillas in the other bedroom.  It was like being a Disneyland- her eyes were WIDE OPEN.

She still has her sad moments but she's doing better.

On the other hand, SamUL has had to learn to share and has been nipped at a few times for his overzealous behavior.  Both boys are learning that Ezra is no-nonsense and doesn't want to participate in their tomfoolery.

Here are some recent photos, including a nice new shot at the local park.

It's not even bedtime and they've been like this for the last 4 hours!

At the local park...

At Rubios...
Sam and Colt, waiting for a piece of chicken

Ezra, in her reflective harness, waiting for a very small piece of chicken.  She's small- about 13 lbs.

See you soon with a card. I've been busy with work but I hope to have some time to craft tomorrow.

Happy Presidents' Day.  I hope you have something fun planned to celebrate!