Horse Moon

Good Morning Ladies,
I am off for a dog show trip later this morning. So I will not be posting over this holiday weekend. I leave you with this card to ponder.... Horse Moon ....

Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Gobble Till You Wobble Ornament

Good Morning Ladies,
Today I am preparing to leave for the dog show tomorrow. Lots to do today. I have to get my camper packed, get new tires on the truck, food shop among many assorted other things.
I do have a Gobble Till You Wobble Ornament for you today. I will be taking a sorry little christmas tree up to the co-op shops to display my ornaments on. So stop on by and see what I have been up too. Now here is this mornings ornament....

 This little turtle is dressed up as a turkey. He was cut several times and colorized with copic markers. Then he was layered with pop dots. The layer he sits on is cut with a spellbinders die set. The pumpkins and corn are flat backs.

 This is the back side.

Showing the layers and the glitter.
Now off to work on the rest of the day.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Pickled Toad

Good Morning Ladies,
I will get right to the meat of this post or should I say Pickled Toad. Yes I am decorating food again. This drives my family bonkers. It makes me happy and light hearted.
I ordered a couple of halloween stamp sets from CTMH. A shout out to Kathy Anderson who sold me these lovely stamps. I was excited to play with them. I had purchased a jar of peppers. My husband then told me he was not fond of this taste. So they went unopened for a little while till I grabbed them night before last and said I can use these for a creations. So here are my pickled toads.....

These will be going to my brother in law. We like to tease each other...this will be a new one for him...
Hope your day goes well...
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Winter Wonderland Challenge Red and Green

Good Morning Ladies,
This week the Winter Wonderland Challenge Red and Green is what is on my mind this morning. I had to let dogs out to play and get some laundry going this morning. But I already had my card made and the pictures taken last night.
Here is the link to the challenge... http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/red-and-green-should-be-seen-at-winter.html
The challenge this week is red and green...
Here is my card.....

 I created this card using bright red and green for the layers. I stamped my tree on bristol board and colorized it with Prisma pencil, gamsol, and liquid pearls. I cut the tree into layers and stacked them with pop dots. My reindeer image is from motivet. I stamped him on bristol board and colorized him with prisma pencil, gamsol, and spica pens. I cut him out also. I attached him to the card with a spring so he jiggles and wiggles. I am loving the springs. I then stamped the happy holidays on bristol board and cut it with a spellbinder die set as well as the layers behind it. Pearls top this card off.

 The spring on my reindeer.

The layers on the christmas tree.
Another fun challenge from winter wonderland.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Framed Lattice

Good Morning Ladies,
I had a fun creative weekend. Lots of good food and good friends. I think I ate too much though. I should have been at a dog show. But as it turned out we weren't able to go. So I did the best I knew how and managed to make more fun!
The challenge over at Joan's is Framed Lattice. Here is the link... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2012/08/this-weeks-challenge_23.html
The requirements for this challenge is...
framed lattice background
any type of flowers
a bird
a vertical greeting
Here is my card...

 I had to think out of the box on this one. I used the Cheery Lynn lattice die. Now I needed to frame my die. I decided to use a cheery lynn oval die. I was going to cut the lattice away around it, but decided it looked better framed out this way. My flowers were created using a spellbinder rolled flower die and a memory box rolled flower die. I added diamond dust to the centers. Under the flowers I used a leaf die from memory box and a pearl sprig. Yes I love those pearl sprigs. The bird is a partial La Blanche image that was stamped on La Blanche paper and colorized using copic markers and Tim Holtz distressed ink. The bird was then cut from the scene. I popped him up with a spring that you can see in one of the lower photos. So he kind of flutters above the card. I stamped the word faith on the side and went over it with a black spica marker so it sparkles just a wee bit. Three rhinestones top this card off.

 This is a view of my bird perched on the spring.

A close-up of the diamond dust in my flowers.
Thanks for another wonderful challenge Selma and Joan. It's always such fun. I really look forward to creating each week for the challenge.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Tell Them Who You Are Bear

Good Morning Ladies,
Another fine Saturday morning. The sun is shinning and the dogs have had their playtime. Now a little blog time for me.
Today I bring you the Tell Them Who You Are Bear card. I purchased a few new stamp sets from CTMH. I am slowly using them as the ideas come to mind. I am also mixing them in with stamps already in my collection. I love doing that. My main images are from CTMH and the sentiment is one from my sisters closed store that I have just now used. Sometimes I see a stamp I love and don't put it to use until I purchase the perfect images to go with it. Crazy Huh?
Well here is the card I have been babbling about....

A simple good feeling card to give to one a child on their way off to school.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

TCRS Altered Domino Challenge

Good Morning Ladies,
Well the air is back on. It was so nice having the windows open and enjoying the fresh air. I did quite a bit of creating yesterday.
I worked on the challenge over at Third Coast Rubber Stamps. It is a TCRS Altered Domino Challenge ... you can view it here http://www.thirdcoastchallenges.com/2012/08/tccc3-week-2-of-altered-dominoes.html
I have never altered a domino....can you believe it? So I set right to work yesterday. I created two and thought I would show you both. I used the same image on both, but different colors. Here is the result...

 This is the pin I like best. I retrieved my alcohol inks and started working. I dropped three different colors of blue directly onto my domino. I then added a couple of drops of blending solution onto my colors. I stamped my polar bear image from Third Coast Rubber Stamps on bristol board and hand cut it out. I applied crystal laquer to the back of the bear and attached him to the domino. I then covered the whole domino with crystal laquer. I quickly dropped diamond dust and micro beads into the crystal laquer to create ice. I let this dry and attached a pin back to the back. Shown in the lower photo.

 My pin back.

 This is my second pin using the same method only different colors.

The back of the second one.
I loved this technique and the domino art. What fun! I have a whole box of domino's to alter. New domino creations will be forth coming.
Thanks for the challenge Third Coast!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Welcome Baby Bunny Basket

Good Morning Ladies,
Another wonderful day! I am liking August better than July. The weather is so much more pleasant.
I have been creating as much as possible and letting my muse take over. Today I have created a Welcome Baby Bunny Basket ...no challenge just me creating one of those thing I had an idea for. I acted on it quickly before it left me forever. Keeping the basket on the table did the trick. So here it is....

 To create this piece I used a mini bushel basket. It is pink with a white wash. I used my spellbinder dies and created a center piece for the front of the basket. It is three layers and I stamped Welcome Little One on the banner. I then created rolled flowers in two different styles. The card stock I used is from The little darlings collection from Graphic's 45. I added olive branch leaves cut from a Cheery Lynn design die. Pearl sprigs finished the front of the basket off. White grograin ribbon aged with Tim Holtz distressed ink winds around the top ring of the basket. I fill the basket with excelsior. Inside the basket I added the bunny, four baby washcloths, baby petro jell, and a receiving blanket in pink. Perfect for that new little baby girl. This basket will be at the co-op shoppes for your consideration.

 A close-up of the front of the basket.

One more view.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Tail Wagging Birthday

Good Morning Ladies,
There is a chill in the air this morning. It made the dogs happy to romp around in the yard. They are now resting until they dry off.
My card for today is a Tail Wagging Birthday ....

 I created this card using another wonderful Inky Antics dog image. My sunflower is an image from repeat impressions. It is hand cut and layered. A  Spellbinder die set created my mats. A simple but fun card.

 A view of the layered flower.

The sentiment inside.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Winter Wonderland Challenge Winter Sports

Good Evening Ladies,
I have been battling a headache for two days. I wish it would go away and stay away. I did get a challenge finished today though.
It is the Winter Wonderland Challenge Winter Sports over at http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/its-winter-sports-with-winter.html
I am loving this challenge blog. I am getting so many Christmas cards done. I am going to be ahead for a change.
The theme this week is winter sports. Here is my card....

I pulled out my Hannah stamps because I knew I had the snow bunny set. So I stamped the snow bunny Hannah image on Bristol board. I colorized her with copic markers and spica pens. I used polar ice flower soft for the fur on her hood. Beneath her feet I used diamond dust to create snow. I used the small snowflake stamp out of the set and stamped pink snowflakes floating around her. I took this panel and mounted it on black, white, and pink card stock. To finish this card off I added white braid to the side.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Challenge White on White

Good Evening Ladies,
Another day at the dog show. I started my card before I left and finished it when I got home.
This weeks challenge at Joan's Challenge White on White
The challenge rules...
Make a Christmas card
Make it all white
Add something from nature....deer, bird, bear...
Add stickles or glitter...
Here is the link to the challenge... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2012/08/this-weeks-challenge_16.html
Here is my card....

I started with a white card base. Next I added a white on white embossed card stock from sei. Then I started to build my scene from dies that can be purchased at Joan's. The country house from memory box was the first die I put down. I think this die looks like a church. I then added the bare branch die cut from memory box. I popped up the bird diecut from memory box. I recently purchased the cloud die from Joan. Never knew it would end up on a Christmas card, but it seemed fitting. It is also from memory box. I added white braid to the side next. I then cut snowflakes from a spellbinders die set. Then came the glitter. I added a tad of stickles to the branch. I added stickles to the center of the snowflakes. And for the finishing touch I added diamond dust to the bottom of the scene.

 A view to show the popping...

Another view to show the popping...
Another great challenge from Joan and Selma!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Great Dane Hello

Good Evening Ladies,
Late night here. I'm doing laundry, creating, and blogging. Sounds like a fun Saturday night right?
I have a card for you.... Great Dane Hello

 I created this card using the Inky Antics Great Dane image. I stamped him on Bristol board and colorized him using Prisma pencil and gamsol. He was then cut with a spellbinder die set with a grey mat to match. This was mounted on a black mat then a grey mat. To top this card off I added a black checked ribbon to the side and four holographic rhinestones on the corners.

This is the sentiment on the inside of the card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Butterfly Gratitude

Good Morning Ladies,
Thursdays ... my day off...the day I think I will get everything done. Sometimes I do...Sometimes I don't. It always turns out to be an interesting day.
I do have a card today. No challenge. This card was possible because a friend taught me a new technique. This is a technique I love. So here goes with my card Butterfly Gratitude

 The butterflies were created using the new technique. You cut your butterflies out of white card stock. You then cut your butterflies out of black card stock. You want the white card stock to be cut straight because this is your frame for the black butterflies. You pop the black butterflies into the white frame. Now here comes the technique part. You then put double sided sticky tape on the back of the butterfly panel. Now you have sticky on the top side. Add clear crystal fine glitter to your butterflies and burnish with a soft brush. Turn the panel over. Peel the backing off of the sticky paper and add a vellum panel. Take some cheap markers and color onto the vellum. Turn it over and you have beautiful colored glittered butterflies. Just how you want to create them. I layered a Martha Stewart border punched black strip to the panel. My butterfly panel was secured to layers of pink, black, and purple. I want to thank my friend for teaching me this. I also want to thank my sister because the upper floral embellishment was created using ribbon roses and floral wire twisted for the curls. These flowers and curls were purchased on our thrift store trip. I bought a whole baggie of floral stuff. I cut the flowers apart and made this little bouquet. What a pretty card this is.

 A close-up of the flowers.

This is the inside of my card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Winter Wonderland Photo Inspiration

Good Morning Ladies,
I have not posted in two days. Boy it seems like a long time. Things were a little bit busy around here. But I am back today.
Today I bring you my card for the Winter Wonderland Photo Inspiration challenge blog.... Click on the link to see the photo that inspired us all... http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/photo-inspiration.html
The photo was inspiring to me from the stand point of all the gold. It made me think of glitter and how shiny Christmas is. My quote sentiment on the card rings true for me.
Here is my card....

 This is the first photo inspiration card that I have ever created so I hope I got it right. I started with my sentiment and stamped it on Bristol board. This was then cut with a spellbinder die set. My mat that covers my card base is cut from a thick gold glitter card stock. I added olive branch die-cuts cut from a cheery lynn die from the gold glittered card stock. My flowers were created with a rolled flower spellbinder die cut from white card stock and then sprayed with gold smootch. The holly vines was cut from a cheery lynn die. To finish this card off I added sheer ribbon with a pearl slide.

A side view of my flowers.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Vintage Bird

Good Morning Ladies,
A wonderful Sunday morning it is. The weather is cooler and that makes everyone happier. Boy have we had a hot summer. I am glad to have my windows open and fresh air coming in the house. It has been a more productive summer creatively for me. So that is my silver lining. I always seem to find one.
My card for today is a Vintage Bird card. And here it is...

 My sister gave me some old old books. She thought I could use them in my work. Of course I had to give it a go right away. So I die cut a rolled flower from one of the print pages in one of the books. Before I cut it I inked it up with some Tim Holtz distressed ink. I loved the way it turned out. This gave me the thought of my La Blanche stamps. I knew this bird stamp was perfectly vintage. I stamped it on La Blanche paper and colorized it with copic markers and Tim Holtz distressed ink. I then tore the piece and inked the edges. I popped this panel up with two stacks of pop tape. I grabbed a little lace and added it to the bottom. Along with my book print flower I created two brown pin wheel flowers. These flowers were cut and created using a Memory Box die. The leaves are silk leaves from a baggie of flowers I purchased at the local thrift store. Also a find from a recent trip with my sister running errands. My bottom layers are a brown card stock and a green Swiss dot card stock.

A close-up  of my book print flower.
Thanks Sis!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Anniversary Swans

Good Morning Ladies,
Up and at it early today. I am dog training at 8 am this morning. So I figured I would blog before I go so the day doesn't get away from me.
Today I bring you a card .... Anniversary Swans....

 This is a simple card. I started with a swan scene from Sweet Stamps. I stamped the image on Bristol board and colorized it with Prism pencil and Gamsol. I then layered it with black and white. To finish this card off I added a sheer white ribbon.

The inside of the card.
I had a request for anniversary cards. So I am working on it.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Second Week Anything Goes Plus Yellow

Good Morning Ladies,
Yesterday was a good day creatively for me. I spent the time to just let things flow.
Today I am posting Second Week Anything Goes Plus Yellow over at the Third Coast Challenge blog. You can view the challenge and enter if you wish here... http://tcrschallenge.blogspot.com/2012/08/tccc2-mid-week-of-anything-goes-plus.html
The challenge is anything goes plus yellow....Here is my card...

 For this card I went back to my polar bear stamp set from http://www.thirdcoastrs.com/ Yet get a lot of polar bear poses in this set. I stamped my polar bear on bristol board and colorized him with Prisma pencil and gamsol. I then hand cut him out. My background is created using two different stamps combine. They are stamped on bristol board and colorized with prisma pencil. I popped up the bear on the ice. This panel is layered in blue and yellow. At the end of my panel is an iron fence die-cut that was cut with a memory box die. I tucked it under the polar bear panel to create a non fence border.

A side view of the popped up polar bear.
Thanks for the challenge Third Coast!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Challenge Birds

Good Morning Ladies,
I had a card ready to post this morning. But I checked my e-mail first. Joan's new challenge was already up. So I went to the table and began to work thinking I would post the other card later this morning. Well I worked and I worked and nothing seemed to be working. And then it started to flow and lo and behold I had finished the challenge card. So that is the card I am posting this morning.
Joan's Challenge Birds is what I dubbed this challenge. You can see the challenge by clicking here... http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2012/08/this-weeks-challenge_9.html
The requirements for this challenge are...
Make a Thank You card
Use purple and green
Use something to do with music
Use a bird
Here is my challenge card....

 This card started with many different elements. Some stayed and some went bye bye. So I feel this was a real challenge for me. The music part came right away and stayed to appear on this card. I took a piece of La Blanche paper and a La Blanche sheet music swirl stamp. I stamp the image several times to create a music background. The black and white was quite boring and I need to add green and purple to this card. So I got out my Tim Holtz distressed ink in forest moss and sponged it over the entire sheet. This created my background piece. I love making my own dsp to fit my creation. By the way all of those products can be purchased at Joans. http://www.atjoansgardens.com/ As well as other elements on my card. A lot of creating happened between the background paper and the rest of the card. I took another piece of La Blanche paper and stamped thank you on it and sponged tim holtz concord ink on it. I then cut this with a spellbinder oval set. The bird cage was die cut using a memory box die. I added a strip of pearls to the bird cage and placed two plastic doves on top. My purple and white flowers were created using a spellbinders floral die cut from glitter card stock. Rhinestone swirls from K&Company were the perfect match to go down the sides of the card. Oh yes and just a wee piece of ribbon through the top of the bird cage loop.

 This is a side view to show the little birds...

A close-up of the flowers.
Thanks again Selma and Joan for the wonderful challenge!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Get Well Dog in Yellow

Good Morning Ladies,
I had a fun time yesterday running errands and goofing off with my sister. She went with me and we had fun shopping at thrift stores. This is her kind of shopping and she really takes the time to find the treasures. She spent a whole four dollars and I spent under five.
Here is my card for today... Get Well Dog in Yellow ...

 The dog image is from Suzy's Zoo. I stamped him on bristol board and colorized him with Prisma pencil, Gamsol, and Spica pens. I then cut him out with a spellbinders die set. I used the die set to cut a matching die cut from K&Company embossed card stock. I layered this on glittered card stock. This was layered on embossed vellum from K&Company that matches the flower card stock. A white ribbon tied in a knot finishes off this card.

This is the get well wish on the inside.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Winter Wonderland Ribbon and Lace

Good Morning Ladies,
I am ready for Monday to begin. Go groom the doggies!
First I have a card for you today....It is for the challenge Winter Wonderland Ribbon and Lace...you can see the challenge and enter yourself if you want...click here.... http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/ribbon-and-lace.html
The challenge of course is to use ribbon and lace.
So here is my card....

 I thought about this quite a bit. How can I do a card with ribbon and lace and not create something cutesy or super delicate. I always come back to my animals. I started with bristol board. I stamped a large pine tree image from Heartfelt Creations three times. I colorized it with Prisma pencil and gamsol. I then added stickles to the tree branches on the ends and at the bottom of the panel to create snow. There was plenty of room at the top left corner to add the sentiment from CTMH. I then stamped the Australian Shepherd dog on bristol board and colorized him with prisma pencil and gamsol. I hand cut him out and popped him up on the scene. I mounted this panel on a piece of green swiss dot card stock. For my ribbon and lace I took a piece of thin lace and layered a black and white checked ribbon on top. I took this and added it to my main panel. I layered a maroon card stock panel over my card base.

This is the sentiment inside my card.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

The House That Stamps Built Color Challenge

Good Morning Ladies,
I went out to my garden yesterday after the storm and lo and behold there was the first ripe tomato in my garden. I brought it in sliced it and ate it. It was so yummy! I am looking forward to more ripe tomatoes.
I was not well yesterday. So the most I did was sit and create. I created a card for The House That Stamps Built Color Challenge
You can visit the challenge by clicking here.... http://www.thehousethatstampsbuilt.com/designers-choice-challenge/dcc81-color-challenge/
The challenge is a color challenge
Black and White and one other color.
Here is my entry....

 To create this card I started with a Repeat Impressions image. I colorized this with prisma pencil and gamsol. I then cut it using a spellbinder die set. I cut a second mat in red. Then I got to work on my black and white elements. I made flowers using a Cheery Lynn Designs die set. I cut two layers for each flower using black glitter card stock and white glitter card stock. I curled the petals and stacked  them adding a pearl for each center. I used a cheery lynn designs die to accent the flowers with a leafy swirl. Black and white floral dsp is the layer on top of my card base.

 A close-up of the flowers.

The leafy swirl.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog