Do you realize, as of today there are exactly two months left till Christmas?! Are you ready?
I signed up for a shaker card exchange on SplitCoastStampers, and I've been working on some ideas. After a couple of epic fails (like glueing the darned thing closed *before* putting in the shaker bits!!) I finally completed a working prototype. Not sure if I want to make 5 more of these, but I do like the end result. And as it happens, this week is The Cats Pajamas Anything Goes challenge. Since this is from TCP set 'Reindeer Kisses' how perfect did that work out, huh? I haven't played in a TCP challenge for ages, so I think I deserve that part lining up for me... since I spent the weekend working on my failed cards. ;) They were both completely different ideas so maybe this one is meant to be!
I could point out all the glitches, but I won't! It's not like anybody reads my blog to learn stuff so I'm sure I can just keep those things to myself, hehe. I colored in the penguin and reindeer with Copics, and used Tumbled Glass distress ink for the 'sky'. I tried a new-to-me trick for the glitter. I used my clear double sided tape (the tape with the red liner that sticks to your fingers like crazy when you peel it off! lol) and covered it with glitter. Sure enough, once you've shaked and rubbed off the excess glitter, it still looks shiny and glittery but nothing comes off. I love that tape, it's pretty much my favorite adhesive. I just bought two 50 meter rolls for super cheap, I think I'm set for a while now. :)
One of my biggest pet peeves is the photography part. I suck at it. My hands are really shaky so I have a teeny tiny tripod that I use, but it's not very stable so I still need to steady it with my hands. And my camera isn't that great. Honestly, some days I get better pictures with my iPhone! So I'm bummed that you can't see that the sentiment is heat embossed. I used Crimson Red Versafine ink and Judikins clear detail embossing powder. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get the light to catch the gleam of the embossing so it just looks flat in the picture.
Both the big and little circles were done with the Simon Says Stamp stitched circles. The stitching really takes it up a notch without any extra effort. Really glad I finally bought that set! I just need me some squares... and some rectangles... and, and, and... :D
I hope you're all having fun working on your Christmas cards. I'm not going to start mass producing till my MISTI arrives this week. Super squeeee!
Alright, I'm done for today.
Please indulge me while I talk about something other than crafting for a moment.
My Scotties are my babies. I love them more than life itself. Last May we lost our little girl Jenna to cancer. It was fast and furious, only a week from the time we noticed her appetite had decreased till she passed. She had just turned 6 years old. Six years, what is that? It's nothing, it's the blink of an eye. I still can't talk about it, or even write about it without crying. That's Jenna in my profile picture. My beautiful baby.
In my grief, I turned to the online Scottie community on Facebook. Everybody says their dog breed is the best, but Scottish Terriers are one-of-a-kind, very special creatures. They are stubborn and independent. They only do things if it makes sense to them, but they are fiercely loyal to their family. And it takes very special people to love and understand them.
Scotties are 10x more prone to cancer than other dog breeds. Every breed has it's medical issues, and as I sadly learned, the big C is a big problem for Scotties. In my worldwide online Scottie community, it seems that a week doesn't go by without somebody losing their baby, or having him/her diagnosed with cancer. Even with pet insurance, the costs are astronomical. Dogs respond surprisingly well to chemotherapy if it is caught soon enough, but the problem is money. Who has $10,000 to drop just like that on cancer treatment for a dog? And the costs can go far beyond that.
If you're not a dog lover, you probably won't understand why anybody would spend that kind of money on an animal that will only live naturally between 10 to 15 years. And that's okay, I don't expect people to understand, just to be respectful of those who would give their lives for their fur babies. I'm one of those people. I would have traded my life in an instant for Jenna to live.
Anyhow, there are many dear dear people I have met online and come to cherish through our mutual love. Scottie owners are very giving and generous, especially when it comes to taking care of their big Scottie family. At least once a month, there is an auction or fundraiser for a particular Scottie with cancer. This month it is Kiki's turn. Her momma is one of the sweetest ladies ever. She is a very talented sewer, and she frequently donates her handcrafted cushions to any fundraiser that is going on, or sends one to a Scottie parent in need of moral support. Kiki has a rare form of mouth lymphoma, and if I recall correctly she was diagnosed perhaps a year ago and has been receiving treatment ever since.
So this project is for beautiful Kiki and her momma Teresa. I made a set of 8 tags that I am donating to the Mad Loves for Kiki auction.
You may recognize the primary colors from the last card I made. I guess I'm on a 'primary color kick', lol. I ran the Sizzix Originals Tags (Scallop Combo #2) die through my Fiskars Fuse and used the largest tag, which is about 4" tall.
I stamped Poochie from The Cat's Pajamas Official Grinch set, and the sentiment is from the Reindeer Kisses set onto each tag. It made me realize that I really should have bought a MISTI when I had Christmas money in January!!!
I then stamped the middle (sweater) section of the Poochie stamp on the argyle patterned paper from a retired Stampin Up! Prints pack. Then I had the joy of fussy cutting eight sweaters (did I mention I hate fussy cutting?). To be fair, I stole this idea from The Cat Pack during Sneaky Peek Week of their winter release. :) Lacking a better implement, I ran a sharpie along the edge of each sweater so that it is black when looking at it from the side. This is a tip I learned from Kristina Werner (she uses a better marker than a sharpie though!)
As you can see, I put a couple of pearl embellishments in the corner, dabbed some Glossy Effects on Poochie's nose, and tied up a bunch of bows out of grosgrain ribbon. I'm pleased with how they turned out, even though I admit I always struggle with 'taking it to the next level'. I'm a very plain and simple kind of gal, and I have to learn how and what to add to give it that extra bit of oomph without it being over the top. If you've endured with me this far, I welcome any comments or suggestions as to what I could have done differently. Bearing in mind that as a beginner I still have limited supplies, and have to make do with what I have on hand. :) I thought of distressing the edges of the tags, but I didn't quite have the right colors. If I'd had some black embossing powder, I might have embossed the sentiment. Shoulda, coulda, woulda right? Still, suggestions are good because it also gives me an idea of what is missing in my arsenal.
