Happy Spring Bunny

Good Morning Ladies,
My goodness old man winter is keeping us in the cold this year. Brrrrr....it cold this morning. I am sending a plea to mother nature to kick his butt out of here! We need some warmer weather. Spring has got to be just around the corner. So today I created a Happy Spring Bunny card.

A fun bright card to warm your day. This card started with the Peachy Keen Bunny Stamp (crunchin' carrot bunny PK-261. He was stamped on Bristol paper and colorized with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. He was then hand cut and popped up on a Spellbinder die Labels Twenty-One s5-027 in pink cardstock. Flowers and foliage was added next. The Lorelai Leaf Poppy Stampsdie #839 was cut twice from apple green cardstock.The roses were created from a Sizzix rolled rose die. A pearl sprig tops this card off.

 A close-up of the bunny.

A view to show the popping of the bunny.

The inside sentiment is from an Image Tree clear set.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Touch Challenge #2 flowers

Good Morning Ladies,
I am loving that the challenges are back! Something to look forward to in this lingering cold winter. But then Joan is always a breath of fresh air. I put in an order at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/ yesterday. I spoke to Terri for the first time. We had an enjoyable chat and got to know each other a bit. Joan picked an awesome lady to take over her store.
I have created a card for Joan's Touch Challenge #2 flowers. Here is the link to the challenge... http://joanstouch.blogspot.com/2014/02/this-weeks-challenge-2.html
The requirements this week are as follows:
three flowers handmade or purchased
Vintage colors
something for texture
something you can purchase at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
I love when I have to think outside of the box and texture got me thinking outside of the box for sure. Here is my card...

I kept this card simple to show off the flowers. I dug into my fake family vintage photos to start this card off. Granny at the floral wishing well seemed perfect for this challenge. She is matted with Basic Grey cardstock for the first layer, Kraft cardstock for the second layer, and Graphics 45 playtime past to cover the card base. The Graphics 45 playtime past was purchased at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/ Today I ordered one of the new Graphics 45 pads from Terri. I love Graphics 45! I created my flowers using Cheery Lynn Designs die B338 Black Eyed Susan Strip. I also purchased this die at Joan's. It is a simple die to assemble and make a beautiful flower with. One cut makes one flower. To create the flower I used cream cardstock for the petals and Kraft cardstock for the flower centers. The edges of the petals are inked with Archival ink in the color of sepia. And now for the out of the box texture. I used reindeer moss for the texture. I think it goes perfect with the vintage look.

A close-up of the flowers.

A close-up of granny.

A better look at the texture created with the reindeer moss.
Thanks Joan for another great challenge!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Manchester Terrier

Good Morning Ladies,
Wow! It's a cold one out there! When oh when will a little warm come? I would love to feel the warm sunshine on my face and be able to go out in just a hoodie and running pants. Soon I tell myself....soon.
I have a Manchester Terrier card for you today...

The Manchester Terrier image is from Stamp Cabana. I have several breeds from Stamp Cabana. These are very old stamps but still can be found on the internet. I stamped the dog on Bristol paper and colorized him with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. He seemed to be an oval kind of a guy so I used an oval spellbinders set to cut him and the mat behind him out. The background paper is from my old stash. I created the roses with a Sizzix rolled rose die. A pearl sprig and faux rhinestones top this card off. Blank on the inside for a personal message.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Hey Chickie Card

Good Morning Ladies,
The dog training class I teach on Mondays was great. I have an awesome class of students. I am having so much fun teaching. Busy Busy...that's just how I roll. LOL!
Today I have a Hey Chickie Card for you....and here it is...

This card started with the Totally Stampalicious Chickie clear stamp set. I stamped the chicken and sentiments on Bristol paper. The chicken was colorized with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. It was then cut with a Spellbinders die set as well as all the other stamped pieces and mats. Yellow, black, and red work well for this chickie. 

This is the inside of the card.
I thought of my sister when I made this card. She has chickens and she is also an excellent cook.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Australian Shepherd Agility

Good Morning Ladies,
We are still in a cold slump. Good thing spring is right around the corner. I can't wait to put my winter coat away for the year. At any rate the dog shows have started and that makes me happy.
I noticed I am getting low on dog cards so today I have an  Australian Shepherd Agility card for you...

I choose the Aussie stamp and the washi tape to start with. The Aussie image is from Dog Stamps Plus. I stamped him on Bristol paper and used Archival ink to stamp him in. I choose to make him a red Aussie. He was hand cut and popped up. The background cardstocks are from a DCWV stack. The washi tape was added at the top and bottom of the top layer. This is the only washi tape I have purchased. When I saw it I knew it was just right for dog agility cards. I stamped the top layer with agility stamps from Dog Stamps Plus in black momento ink. I had all of this assembled and thought it needed something more. I dug around in my dog stamps and found the ribbon stamp from Whispers. I stamped it on blue cardstock and hand cut it. The ribbon is also popped up. I left this card blank inside for a personal message.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Joan's Touch challenge lady

Good Evening Ladies,
I have been in a creative slump lately. I didn't realize how much Joan's challenges kept my juices flowing. I also have realized how much those challenges kept me in touch with the other challenge takers. I do dearly miss it. So when I saw that Joan had a challenge for us I was so excited. http://joanstouch.blogspot.com/2014/02/challenge-for-this-week.html This will certainly fill the gap until Terri starts the challenges back at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
 Joan's Touch challenge  lady
So the requirements for this weeks challenge are as follows...
Use pink
Use black
Use a lady
Use a bow
Use something that can be purchased at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/
So without further ado here is my card...

I decided on hot pink for my pink. Just seemed to be a bright and happy color to brighten up the dreary winter we are still having. I chose my lady first. Of course she has a dog with her. The image is from Great Impressions. I colorized the image with Prisma pencil, gamsol, and Copic markers. She was then hand cut. I then decided that she needed to be presented on a die-cut. So I grabbed for an old favorite I purchased at http://www.atjoansgardens.com/  The die is from Cheery Lynn and is number DL103 Italian Flourish. Black cardstock backs this doily die. I layered pink check under the black. I created my bow with sheer polka dotted ribbon. This bow has several loops. I learned how to make these bows in grooming school. It has come in handy for card making also. To the bottom of the card I added roses that I created with a Sizzix rolled rose die. A black pearl sprig peaks out from behind the roses.

A close-up of my lady. The inside sentiment reads Get Well Soon so I can harass you in person again. This sentiment is from River City Rubber.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Happy Easter Lamb

Good Morning Ladies,
I am short on time this morning. Still getting ready for the dog show.
Here is a Happy Easter Lamb card for you.

This card was created using an Our Daily Bread cling stamp set. The lamb is stamped on Bristol paper using black momento ink. It was then colorized using Prisma pencil and Gamsol. This and the background layers were cut with a Spellbinders Die set. The background paper is form a DCWV stack. The rose was created using a Sizzix rolled rose die. A ribbon and a crystal sprig tops this card off.

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

Australian Shepherd Flip Card

Good Morning Ladies,
I am off to the dog show this coming weekend. What better thing to do on Valentine's weekend than spending it with the love of my dogs.
Today's I bring to the table Australian Shepherd Flip Card

The flip-it card die is by Sizzix. This is another fairly simple card. I love that all the cutting of the card is done by the die. The Australian Shepherd head is a stamp by Dog Stamps Plus. This is my favorite company for dog stamps. They have so many breeds to choose from. I stamped the image on Bristol paper and colorized it with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. It is attached to the card with pop dots. The paw print image is by Cloud Nine. The leaves are cut with a die from Memory Box. The rose is made from Graphics 45 cardstock using a Sizzix rolled rose die.

This card flips open to reveal the inside sentiment stamped on a heart cut with a Spellbinders die set. The sentiment is from CTMH.
I used many different elements from many different companies. I love when I can pull everything out and use it all together.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs Swandog

Retriever Dog Sympathy

Good Morning Ladies,
Uggh....another cold one this morning! It seems to be -7 this morning. I am going to so feel blessed on every warm day this year.
Today I have a Retriever Dog Sympathy card for you.

This is a very simple card. The dog is cut from DSP. The hearts are cut with a Spellbinders Die set. The inside sentiment and paw print are stamped from an Our Daily Bread cling mount set. A simple brown ribbon tops this card off. I find using all brown tones to be very soothing.

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

PSX Bunny Basket

Good Morning Ladies,
They called for way more snow than we got yesterday. That was a blessing. As a card maker I am looking toward spring already. I am thinking spring cards will warm me some. So today I have a PSX Bunny Basket card for you.

This is an old PSX stamp. Some say use only available stamps. But I do so love the old images too. And PSX was everybody's favorite. We miss that company! The bunny basket was stamped on Bristol paper with black ink. When I stamp a stamp this large I let it sit before pulling it away from the Bristol. This helps the ink to sink deep into the paper. It was colorized using Prisma pencil and Gamsol. My flowers were created using a Sizzix rolled rose die. If you look silk roses have been added among the paper flowers. Pearl sprigs accent the flowers. At the bottom of the image beaded trim peaks out underneath it. 

A close-up of the flowers. I do so love making flowers.
Mostly I use my scrap box to create flowers. It's a great way to use up those scraps. And when you want to add flowers you have a wide variety of colors to choose from.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

Red Rubber Designs Butterfly

Good Morning Ladies,
They are calling for more snow tonight. This will be a winter I will never want to do over again. Geez...enough with the snow already!
So today I am looking more toward summer with Red Rubber Designs Butterfly stamp set. Here is my card...

The images on this card are all from Red Rubber Designs. I purchased them unmounted. I just thought this set was so cute. Check them out if you haven't yet. The images were stamped on Bristol paper with black memento ink. They were then colorized with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. For the jars I sprayed a little bit of Tattered Angels spray on my finger and painted it in with my finger. It was light enough to create a glass look. All is cut with a Spellbinders die set. The mats and background paper are from an 8 by 8 super stack from DCWV. The roses were created using a Sizzix die. A crystal sprig tops this card off.

This is the inside of the card. This set would also be great for scrapbook embellishments.
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog

the Stamps of Life Popcorn

Good Morning Ladies,
Another cold one here this morning in Northern Indiana. Seems to be the theme this winter. So this morning I have a version of my own of the Stamps of Life Popcorn

I am a member of the Stamps of Life die hard club. I must confess I hand cut the pieces for this card. I stamped the popcorn box on Bristol paper and colorized it with Prisma pencil and Gamsol. The oval pieces and the popcorn was stamped on yellow cardstock. The oval pieces and the popcorn was popped up with pop tape. A ribbon was tied around the red cardstock to top this card off.

The inside of the card.
I have found the Stamps of Life stamp sets fun to create with. The have a good price point and they arrive once a month in the mail. No fuss...no muss!
Happy Scraps,
Mrs. Swandog