I Ruff You! for The Cutting Cafe and FWF

It's Friday! It's Friday!  And, I have a very special card to share today.  Do any of you other pet lovers make cards for your pets to give to your spouses?  That's what I did for today's post.

At The Cutting Cafe, our assignment this time was anything with a Valentine's Day theme.  Regina has MANY files to choose from.  You can begin looking HERE.

I used a Valentine Window Card Tops set, and created this: 

Sophie, my Golden Retriever, will be giving this card to my husband on Valentine's Day.  He really is her favorite person.  She tells him in many different ways that she "ruffs" him.

The Golden Retriever is a stamp by one of my favorite artists -- Phyllis Harris.  It is co-branded by Unity Stamp Company. The dog is part of the set, "Brandy & Emma, Forever Friends."  In this case, though, it's "Sophie & Shaun, forever friends."  I colored the pooch with Copic markers, trying to make her the same color as our Sophie.  

The crinkle ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM. The Flair button and heart bling are from Close To My Heart.  The sentiment was computer generated.

I hope my husband likes his card.  Sophie worked hard on this one, snoring softly beside me the whole time I made it!

I'm linking this up to
 Unity's Friends With Flair
Creative Cutting Edge -- Valentine's Day
Craftin' Desert Divas - Red, Pink, and White
 

Growing In Unity, day 5, Pinque Peacock, and FWF

Looking for the Simply White Timeless Twine Blog Hop? Click HERE!

Day 5 already of my Growing In Unity week.  I've enjoyed the whole week! Make sure you visit each blog post throughout the week and leave comments to increase your chances of winning two free Itty Bitties from Unity Stamp Company.

I've had a heart theme going all week, and today's card is no exception. Plus, I used another of my favorite stamps -- a Unity/Phyllis Harris stamp.

This is "Brandy & Emma, Let It Snow" by Unity/Phyllis Harris. And what better way to decorate up the card than with some wonderful Pinque Peacock embellishments.  The heart behind the image (colored with Copics, BTW) is a Felt Heartie found at The Discount Hut @Pinque Peacock.  The crinkle ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM, and it's the Hot Chocolate from the Hot & Cold Bundle. And that great button in the middle of the ribbon? It's a Pinque Peacock 3/4 inch Red Corduroy button.

Papers used were:  Echo Park Keepin' Cozy 6x6 papers, and the card base is Close To My Heart Cashmere card stock. I used a Spellbinders die on the image. 

Thanks for a wonderful week!

Growing In Unity, day 4, and 3 Girl JAM

Looking for the Simply White Timeless Twine Blog Hop? Click HERE!

Hello, crafty friends.  I'm so glad you are here today!  I couldn't let a Growing In Unity week go by without pulling out some of my favorite stamps.  And those would be Unity/Phyllis Harris stamps.  I can't get enough of these!  I have one today and one tomorrow.  And, speaking of favorites.  I have a new favorite from 3 Girl JAM.  L-A-C-E!  Wait until you try this stuff! I can't get enough of this either!

The image is "Hold Your Hand" by Phyllis Harris. The sentiment is from the Unity "Handmade Valentines" kit. The two layers of lace are the new "Light and Bright" lace from 3 Girl JAM. And the London Blue ribbon is from the Wine & Jewels Bundle.
If you'd like some of this lace for yourself (or ribbon, cotton muslin bags, Flair buttons, vintage buttons, jute string, etc), just use discount code JO10 at checkout to save 10% in the 3 Girl JAM store.  How easy is that? Get shopping! You gotta try this!
I colored the image with Copic markers, and sponged some Tim Holtz Spun Sugar distress ink around the outside of the die cut shape and on the sentiment. I used My Mind's Eye "Cambridge Court" Kate & Co. 6x6 designer paper on this card.
And, that's day 4 of Growing In Unity.  Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win two Itty Bitties from Unity Stamp Company.

Love Is In the Air Blog Hop for Pinque Peacock -- and Friends With Flair!

Welcome to Pinque Peacock’s

JANUARY BLOG HOP

"Love is in The Air!"

We hope you will enjoy your time as you hop and that you feel

inspired to create after visiting the Talented Pinquettes' Blogs!

This hop will showcase projects that have been created using some of the

NEW Products from Pinque Peacock.

We are thrilled to have you joining us this month!
Are you Ready to See these products IN ACTION?
I have several projects I created, just for this hop.  And of course, they have a "love" theme.
I "love" Unity stamps, and Phyllis Harris images in particular, so it was only natural for me to reach for my rather large stash of Phyllis Harris images when looking for a card to fit the theme for this hop.

The Pinque Peacock Elegant Floral, made with 3 Girl JAM crinkle ribbon, the Pinque Peacock pearl stick pin and Unity/Phyllis Harris stamp, "I Will Give You my Heart" go together beautifully. I cut the heart shaped card out on my Silhouette, using a cutting file from The Cutting Cafe, found here.
I colored the image with Copic markers. Papers are My Mind's Eye, Kate & Co. "Cambridge Court" 6x6. The sentiment is from Kraftin' Kimmie.
Love is about friendship, too, so I made a friendship card for today's hop...

This card uses an image from Great Impressions Stamps, colored with Copic markers, and a retired stamp from Close To My Heart. What makes it really great, though, are the embellishments.  There's a red 3/4 inch fabric covered button from Pinque Peacock, and a Pinque Peacock beaded stick pin nestled in 3 Girl JAM ice blue ribbon from the Hot & Cold Bundle.
After you look at all the products in the month's new release, don't forget to hop on to the ever amazing Rebecca's blog to see what she has created for today's hop. Then, hop with us Saturday and Sunday for more great inspiration!

This release is showcasing some NEW products as well as some products that have been available in the shop for a while. This is a great way to see the Pinque Peacock Products in action and to get your creative imaginations in "Full Speed Ahead" mode!


Our JANUARY Release will focus on the theme of:
♪♫*~ ♥ LOVE ♥ ~*♫♪

A wide array of products were created to be able to share

the projects you will see over the course

of this Blog Hop weekend.

All New Products will be added to the SHOP

for you to Purchase and start creating your very own

Masterpieces!!!

Here is a Glimpse at some of the things

you will see incorporated into

the Pinquettes' Artwork:

Small Layered Garden Beauties

SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492503737485127.1073741837.396055180463317&type=3

You can order them in ANY Color Combination YOU WANT!

AND HOW COULD WE FORGET TO INCLUDE

THE DARLING . . . . .

ANGEL STICK PINS

SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.474614289274072.1073741832.396055180463317&type=3

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

YOU WILL BE DELIGHTED TO SEE SOME FABULOUS PROJECTS

CREATED USING A FEW OF OUR

DISCOUNT HUT SUPPLIES, TOO

SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.515599308508903.1073741840.396055180463317&type=3

LIKE THESE . . . .

Mini Kraft Bags

SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=556028464465987&set=a.515599308508903.1073741840.396055180463317&type=3&theater

Mini Bags - Kraft Paper - 25 pieces per pack $3.50 per pack

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

AND THESE...

***NEW*** HEART FELTIES

AND HERE ARE
SOME OTHER ITEMS
THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE
WITH THIS NEW RELEASE

Fabric Poppers
SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.491189970949837.1073741836.396055180463317&type=3

Elegant Florals - Pleated Petals
SHOP LINK: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428343290567839.94220.396055180463317&type=3

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

BE SURE TO WATCH
THE FACEBOOK PAGE
FOR MORE PRODUCT SHOWCASES TOO

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

After hopping, be sure to visit the Pinque Peacock Shop on FB to

order these items (and many others) to use on your very own projects!


!!!!Now, let's talk about the

BLOG HOP PRIZE!!!!

One winner, who has hopped all 3 days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) of our Pinque Peacock JANUARY Product Release and followed the RULES BELOW will win


A $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO THE SHOP

Here is How*:

1 – Hop to ALL of the stops over the course of the 3 Day Hop and comment at each Pinquette Blog (Lineup for all 3 Days is below)

2 – Follow the Pinque Peacock Blog and Facebook Page/Shop

3 – Follow EACH of the Pinquettes’ Personal Blogs who are participating as Hop Stops this weekend.



4 - COMMENT at the Facebook Page telling us what you liked most about the 3 Day Hop

*You MUST do ALL of the steps above

to be included in the random drawing for the prize.

We would hate for you to lose out on winning just because you didn't follow these easy rules :(

The Hop will remain open until Wednesday, JANUARY 15th, at 8:00 a.m. EST.

The random drawing will be held sometime during the week that follows and announced by Wednesday, JANUARY 22nd.

Now, if you find yourself Hopping off the Path on any of the three days, you can use this Lineup to get back on the Right Track . . .

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

DAY 1 (1/10/14):

Pinque Peacock ~ http://pinquepeacock.blogspot.com

Rhonda -- http://flowersbyrhonda.blogspot.com

Julie – http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

DAY 2 (1/11/14):

Pinque Peacock ~ http://pinquepeacock.blogspot.com

Kimberly -- http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com

Paula -- http://ScrapYourWorld1.blogspot.com

Amanda B ~ http://thescrapoholiccandyshop.blogspot.ca/

♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

DAY 3 (1/12/14):

Pinque Peacock ~ http://pinquepeacock.blogspot.com

An’Jenic -- http://anjenicgibson.blogspot.com

Heather -- http://www.papercrafteranonymous.com

Mary -- http://Mary-fortheloveofart.blogspot.com

Thank You for hopping along and we hope you have Loads of Fun!

Peacock Love

and

Crafty Hugs

~ Jessica, The Quirky Queen

and

her BELOVED,

TALENTED, &

EXTRAORDINARY Pinquettes

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥-♥

I wish you Joy! for Pinque Peacock and Friends With Flair

Happy Friday, crafty friends!  Things are winding down a bit at work.  One more Christmas party today and then I can really catch my breath.  Then, I can start practicing for all the Christmas services at church.  Uff da.  This season is tiring!

I'm posting today on the Pinque Peacock blog.  I've been wanting to use this gorgeous beaded pearl stick pin for quite some time.  So, I designed a card around it.  That was a new approach for me!

When in doubt, reach for a Phyllis Harris stamp. I looked through my collection of Unity/Phyllis Harris stamps and decided on "Christmas Surprise" -- tell me what you think...

 

 

Isn't that the cutest image?  I colored it with Copic markers, did a little paper piecing and fussy cutting on the bow, used some Icicle Stickles on the little girl's hat, matted both the image and the sentiment on DP's, made a pretty bow with 3 Girl JAM London Blue ribbon from the Wine & Jewels Bundle, and added that Bea-u-ti-ful beaded stick pin.  Ahhh!

 

I have nothing else to say about such perfection.  That pin is perfect!

I'll leave you with the sentiment from the card, because it's my Christmas wish to all of you:

"May your season be filled with happiness and joy."

 

 

 



Its Friday, the middle of the month, and Friends with Flair!

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of November.  It's been so cold this week that if I didn't have a calendar in front of me I'd think it's December or even January.  Just a prelude of what's to come!

I so love Fridays and linking up to Unity's Friends With Flair.  And I love spending time throughout my weekend visiting all of the blogs that are linked up.  Such talent and inspiration!  Oh, what fun!

There's a story that goes with today's card.  One of my staff members has had an aging dog that she knew wouldn't make it much longer.  Well, last Sunday was Eddie's day to cross to the Rainbow Bridge.  She called me Sunday evening, too distraught to come to work on Monday, needing one more day to mourn his loss before facing everyone.

When I got home from work on Monday, I made her this card in memory of her English Bulldog, Eddie:

 

I used a new Darice embossing folder to get the paw print background, then painted some of them with Chocolate Creative Inspirations Paint. 

This was the first Phyllis Harris stamp I ever bought, and it's still my favorite.  You'll find it in the Unity Store here.  It's called "First Love".  I colored the image with Copic markers. The sentiment is from a Market Street Stamp set.  It's also one of my favorites, and my "go to" quote for situations like this one.  The paw with wings stamp is part of the MSS set.

Don't forget to check out the Unity Store for this weekend's new releases.  I love the Snow Peeps! I need to get going on making some Christmas cards with them!  OK, I'm off to visit my FWF blogs.  Can't wait!

TGIF! For Sure!

Last Saturday started with a call from the facility where my father lives.  They found him sitting in a chair and he was "not himself"  The nurse felt I should take him to the emergency room. After 5 hours of testing, they discovered pneumonia.  He was scheduled for discharge Tuesday.  Then, Tuesday morning, multiple blood clots were discovered in his lungs. He will not be able to return to his apartment right away.  When he leaves the hospital, he will go to a nursing home for (hopefully) a short stay to get off oxygen and get some strength back. Trying to be with him while juggling work AND some time for crafting has proved interesting.  I'm very glad it's the weekend!

I made this card last weekend to send to our local veterinarian and his staff.  And so you, my dear FWF audience, get yet another post referring to the death of my dog, Molly.  I wanted to send a thank you to the vet's office along with the bill for the services that day.  They truly went over and above what they would have had to do.  I drove 3 hours across the state so Molly could see her own vet.  They worked us in as soon as we made it to town, even interrupting a surgery to accommodate us. So, a heartfelt thank you card seemed the least I could do to show my gratitude.

 

Of course, I had to use a Golden Retriever on the card, making it look as much like my Molly as I could by coloring it with Copic markers.  This is actually very close to her coloring.

These papers were in a grab bag, so I don't know what they are. If anyone recognizes them, please let me know.  The ribbon is from the Seasons blundle from 3 Girl JAM.  The bling is from Close To My Heart.  I used a Lifestyle Crafts Circle die in two different sizes for the circles on the card.  The stamp, of course, is Unity.  It's a Unity/Phyllis Harris co-branded stamp Brandy and Emma: Forever Friends.

I used this sketch from Sunday Sketch and Stamp:

I had planned to link up, but missed the deadline because of the ER visit. So, I saved it for FWF. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Red, White and Beautiful -- a Tribute to Molly

I'm hopping today with 3 Girl JAM. You should have arrived from Kendra's blog. We're celebrating a special birthday of Julie, the owner's, sister.  And, we're celebrating some fantastic new red, white, and blue ribbon. For me, though, this post is going to deviate from the birthday theme.  It is my chance to share my news and celebrate a special life well lived.

Those of you who follow my blog regularly and who hop with me each week with Friends With Flair may remember my post from last week.  I was heading across the state with my 3 dogs to stay with my BFF.  Well, we made the trip, but the day we got there, my 12 1/2 year old Golden Retriever, Molly, got ill.  She got sicker and sicker as the day and night went on.  By the next morning, I cut our visit short and returned home, knowing her end was near.  I wanted my husband to have his opportunity to say good by to our Golden girl.  She died last Thursday, being held and told by both of us that we loved her very much.  I hope when my time comes, I am as lucky to die in the arms of a loved one, with a loving voice in my ear.

In honor of her, I got out one of my favorite Unity/Phyllis Harris stamps, and started the therapeutic process of creating something in her memory.  Here is my "Molly Art". 

Molly was a very dark colored Golden.  She was sometimes mistaken for an Irish Setter by people who didn't know their breeds real well.  I worked hard on this to get her color just right. She had just a touch of gray around her eyes and under her chin so I tried to get that in, too. And she was my special friend, so that's the sentiment I used.  The girl is no one in particular.  Molly loved people.  It wouldn't have mattered to her who this girl was -- Molly would have loved her.  Molly wagged her tail at everyone -- even cars driving by.  She absolutely loved people and attention.  One of the things my husband is missing the most is Molly's kisses.  She gave the gentlest kisses in the world. That's the reason I chose this particular image to stamp.  Molly and her gentle kisses.  Yeah.  We both miss them.

I used October Afternoon papers on this (Hometown and Fly a Kite) and made it 5x7 so I could frame it.  The stamp is Unity/Phyllis Harris "First Love".  The ribbon is, of course 3 Girl JAM, and it's the newest, prettiest, gotta have ribbon -- the Red, White, and Blue bundle.  Here's a close up of the ribbon flower I made. There is a sale going on to launch this new ribbon bundle, so make sure you check out the store this weekend!

Isn't that ribbon beautiful? I love the streaking in the white.  So fun!  The chipboard star is from UmWow Studios.  My friend, DeeDee has many innovative products you need to check out at her store. I used a Spellbinder label die and the heart bling is from my stash. I used a We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, too.

I rarely remember to list the Copic markers I used on this, but this time I did. Here they are:  The dog was colored with: E99, E39, E18, and YR23.  The bib overalls:  B93, B95.  Shirt -- R24, R27.  Shoes -- R27, R29, C1.  Skin -- E11, E00, E000, R20.  Hair -- C3, C5, C9.

I have some pictures and a few memories of Molly to share, but I realize that not all of you may want to hang with me for that long, so I'm going to give you the hop order here, and send you on your way if you want to hop along.  If you want to stick with me and see my pics, I'd love to share a few memories with you.

Here's the hop order:
Julie- http://3girljam.blogspot.com/
Jessica B - http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com
Kendra - http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/
Julie O - http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com -- you're here
Rebecca- http://bloomingpink.blogspot.com/ -- go here next!
Nicole~ http://teachdanz.blogspot.com
Mackenzie~ http://kraftingwithkenzie.blogspot.com/
Carri~ http://www.doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
Scrappin Madge~ http://www.thescrappinlounge.com/
Cheri- http://djssundries.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth- http://www.217creations.com/
Abby- http://scrappin-abby.blogspot.com/
Jessica~ http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com
3GJ Challenge- http://3girljamchallenge.blogspot.com/

Molly loved to play ball.  She was obsessed with it.  The last day that we were at Sheri's, she wasn't feeling well, wanted to play ball, but was having difficulty.  She collected everyone's tennis balls and laid on them.  If she couldn't play catch, she didn't want anyone else to, either.  Here's a couple pictures taken of her that afternoon.

Molly's vet said her kidneys shut down on her.  We had that happen to the first Golden we had - years ago - too.  It is hard to have her gone, but she lived an incredible life.  She was healthy, happy, an athlete.  She was full of love, full of energy, never lacking for attention.  She  was slightly quirky, somewhat timid, always, always loving.  I miss her everyday.

I will leave you with a couple of my favorite pictures of my silly Molly. Here she is, resting on her pillow.  She could be a real lounge lizard, especially in her later years.

And, finally, a picture of the whole family, taken last Fall, shortly after Sophie came to live with us.  Sammy is on the left, Sophie in the middle, and Molly St. Valentine is on the right.  That's Shaun with all 3 of them.  He loved walking them together.

Thank you  for allowing the chance to share a few precious memories and to let my blogging friends know of my loss.  A big thank you to Julie K for her understanding, allowing me to deviate from the birthday theme today to pay my tribute to Molly.

I'm hosting a challenge this week at Crop Chocolate contest blog, Cocoa Creations.  The theme, in honor of Flag Day, is Red, White, and Blue.  Make a project of any sort using at least 2 of the 3 colors and link up with us.  You can win a bag of scrappy goodness (USA) or a gift certificate to an online retailer of your choice (Canada) for your creation. I will be submitting this project in the challenge.

Now, hop on off to Rebecca's blog and see what artistic goodness she has to inspire you with today.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Oozak's Challenge Blog -- Blues, Stars, and Stripes
Sister Act Card Challenge blog -- anything goes
D. L. Art Thankful Thursday Linky Party -- anything goes
Marker Pop -- Challenge #24, Loving You
CMC Copic Challenge Group -- Brunettes (Molly was a gorgeous brunette)
AUD Sentiments Challenge Blog -- Anything Goes

Turquoise -- some words are hard to spell!

If you are looking for the Get Inky! Stamps hop, please click here.
If you are looking for the Craft Lovin' Challenge Blog Post, click here!

Happy Saturday All That Stickles fans!  We're in the middle of the turquoise linky party and it's my day to share a little inspiration over on the All That Stickles blog.  I had so much fun making this card featuring turquoise Stickles.

 

 

I used turquoise Stickles on the big flower and on the ribbon, there's Star Dust Stickles on the smaller flower.  The silk ribbon started out white and so did the largest flower. I dyed them to match with Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers distress ink and turquoise Stickles.  Pretty cool, hunh?!? Love how they match the one girl's dress.

 

And, speaking of girls, they are a Unity/Phyllis Harris stamp, "The Heart of a BFF".  The sentiment is from Mama Elephant Stamps.  I stamped the girls on Cryogen paper with Memento black ink and colored them with Copic markers. I used some Creative Inspirations paints in Fairy Dust on the girls' dresses to make them shimmer.

 

The card is 6 1/2 x 5 inches.  I used Fancy Pants Park Bench 12x12 papers.  The flowers are Close To My Heart.  The brad is a My Mind's Eye Indie Chic.

 

 

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Sister Act Card Challenge -- Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations Paints -- Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp -- Anything Goes