I have a few ’summery’ cards to share, and since our weather is screaming FALL I want to get them posted and out of the way. If I can’t have a summer, I may as well embrace the fall.

This bright and cheery card was made using one of my new paper packs - the ones I found on clearance at Winners. Its such a nice quality and I enjoyed cutting all the different papers up to make cards out of.  This floral pattern matched the SU ‘Pink Pirouette” card stock! The label was Cricut cut — I cut a 12×12 sheet of them, so I’d have some on hand for quick cards.

I added some deetail with my Sakura glitter gel pen - I sure get a lot of use out of that pen!! I’m not sure who makes the (clear) stamps - there are no markings on the acetate backing sheet.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a good day.

Sasha update:  Guess what? Our vet doesn’t really think it’s Lymphoma! The swelling at Sasha’s throat - which was the size of a small apple on Saturday - was down to an apricot size when we saw the vet late yesterday afternoon. Dr. Schell said that lymphoma affected nodes don’t shrink down on their own, especially without any steroids. She was hesitant to do a biopsy, thinking since the swelling episode was so recent that we may get a false positive. We can re-evaluate this in 2 weeks.

However there IS something wrong, so now we have to try to figure it out. This morning I discovered that sometime last evening, Sasha (or possibly Brandi???) had ‘lost their dinner’ over in a corner, practically under a chair. I’m not positive that it WAS Sasha — and maybe it could have even been Cooper. So I will be watching all three closely today to see if it happens again. I didn’t know which dog it was, so who to give rice to this morning. I mean, it’s PROBABLY Sasha, but I’m only 60% convinced. Craziness.

We are doing another blood panel for Sasha, also checking her thyroid … but this time it’s going to Pathology. They analyze every cell, which is a much more detailed examination than then can do at a vet’s lab. Hopefully that will tell us something.

Onto today’s post - I combined one of my ‘black and cream’ cards, with the Stampin’ Up Two Step Bird Punch to make this pretty birthday card. I’m sure getting my use out of that bird punch — and still have a couple of cards made with it to share.

Once again, that top panel is reading white in the photo, but it really is CREAM.

Flourish stamp is by Verve and the pretty textured cream folded card is from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by today!

I’m on the fly this morning, so won’t spend any time chatting. Just a quick card to post!

The layout was based on a card in the January 2009 Cards magazine. The white scalloped border was Cricut-cut using the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, and the butterfly is a K&Co 3-d sticker. Patterned paper is from my stash - by ProvoCraft, I believe. The pointed end strip is by Martha Stewart and the word stamp is by Stampendous.

Thanks for stopping by today.

We heard back from the emerg Vet last night, and while the results aren’t definitive - they do point to Lymphoma. We take Sasha in to see our vet on Monday, and I think the next step may be a biopsy of a lymph node. Her lips aren’t as swollen and droopy today, but her neck is still very swollen and she is moving at a snails pace. I just gave her some yogurt on a plate and she was pretty happy!

This black and white/glitter paper was in one of those paper stacks I found on clearance at Winners awhile back — and I thought it would make a good sympathy card.

I printed the words on the computer, then used a Nestability die to cut it out. Black seemed to fit my mood today.

Thanks for stopping by today - have a great weekend.

On Friday I had a chance to make a quick card using the new FTL104 sketch at the Clean and Simple Stamping blog, but am just now getting it uploaded. It’s a great sketch for using up scraps, and I know I will get a lot of use out of this one.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:  I chose to use a strip of coordinating paper rather than a ribbon - to keep it mail friendly.

Then, because it seemed to need something — I layered punched circles then trimmed the finished one in half. One half went below the paper strip and the 2nd half is inside on the left, at the bottom edge.

Thanks for stopping by today!

I love this embossing folder - it makes a nice deep impression and the design is so appealing to me. These cards are larger than my normal A2 - they are 4.5 x 6″, as I had a couple of envelopes that size. The little paper strips were in a package by Martha Stewart, and the stamps are by Hero Arts.

I think these would make lovely sympathy cards too, and have another idea (sponging) that I want to try before I tuck this folder away for a bit.

Happy Friday - Thanks for stopping by today!

Hi - this is the same sketch as yesterday’s post (FTL103) - it just worked out perfectly for this CAS (Clean and Simple) card! Everything was sitting on my table - scraps and layers, ready to be put away. Even the scalloped border sticker - which was leftover from another project. I just HAD to try out my new stamps (River City Rubber Works). The card practically made itself!

Again, I popped the decorated panel up with foam tape. I never get tired of that look.

Thanks for stopping by today!

There is a new sketch at the Clean and Simple Stamping blog … and I finally had a chance to play! I missed the past couple, so I really didn’t want to let this one get by me too.

I’m not trying to hurry summer along by any means. However, I will likely get a couple of orders for Thanksgiving cards so I need to have some on hand. I adapted the sketch to work with this pumpkin die cut.

Back before I was a Cricut owner, I had picked up this Pumpkin Sizzix die at Michaels at a 40% off sale. I cut 4 of the same pumpkins, 1 for a base and 3 out of different patterned papers or coloured card stock. I stacked the three coloured ones, then sliced them into three sections. After inking all the edges, I reassembled the pumpkins back together on the base and added some pen stitching. I have 3 patchwork pumpkins, each a little different and can get three Thanksgiving cards done! I did end up colouring the stem with a Copic marker as I wanted it to be a different colour.

Both the pumpkin and the white panel are raised up with foam tape. The inside is blank, but once I have the other two assembled I will figure out a Thanksgiving verse to print inside.  I was happy to use up this plaid card stock too — I’ve had it for years and years and am really trying to use up some of my older papers in addition to my fun new ones.

Thanks for stopping by today!

This is the card I made for my Mom’s birthday this month. Can you tell she enjoys a cup of tea?  :-)  Originally I designed this to be a teacup shaped card, but … it didn’t work out and I had to improvise. I went with a large (about 7″) square card instead, using pretty pink pearlized card stock.

The ‘teacup’, ‘teapot’ and ‘little girl pouring tea’ are all from ‘A Child’s Year’ Cricut cartridge. Still love that cartridge.  Here’s a look at the inside:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Here are my August Christmas cards for Splitcoast’s ‘Christmas Card 2010′ challenge, where we are to make 10 Christmas cards a month. I somehow screwed up the group photo of this first card, so I don’t have it to post. I used pre-designed card blanks, and there were not 10 of any of the designs. So I went with 5 each of two different designs this month:

On this first card (group) I used a Sizzix die to cut out the reindeer. The antlers and collar were coloured with a gold metallic marker and the edges were sponged with brown. I added a red self-adhesive gem to the reindeer noses for some fun.  The ‘merry & bright’ stamp is by Stampin’ Up.

The mistletoe on the 2nd card group was cut with my Cricut. I actually cut these out last November, when I first got my Cricut. I remember being SO darned excited that a machine would do this for me! I ran the greenery and the red bows through various Cuttlebug embossing folders and added some inking. Again, I used a pre-designed card blank … they are by DCWV.

Stickles on the white berries add some sparkle to these Christmas cards, which are ones that I am putting aside for customers who order their Christmas cards through me. Such a great challenge … I’ve done 80 Christmas cards now!!