Sunday, July 20, 2014

Always Wear Your Invisible Crown!

I have this dog, Sophie.  Everyone calls her the princess.  She's my Golden Retriever that goes to work with me everyday.  She has free reign of the nursing home.  That's 97 residents.  And 145 staff.  And families.  And volunteers. And....well, you get the picture.  She's the princess.  So, when given a choice of The Cutting Cafe assignments this time (Top Hat Set, Party Hat Set, or Assorted Crowns), there was really no choice.  It HAD to be the Assorted Crown set.  And, it HAD to be all about Sophie:


I made this layout of Sophie, at the nursing home, with some of her subjects friends.  She's with some nursing students who instantly fell in love with her, 2 young girls who spent all afternoon lying right beside her, and she's with 2 of the ladies that she spends time with each and every day.  Sophie is a well-loved dog!  I could go on for hours about the benefits of having a free-roaming dog in a nursing home, but I think these pictures speak for themselves.  Does this look like an institution or a home?  Do you see people living in these pictures or waiting around for life to end?  Sophie may be the princess, but being princess is no easy job!
The Path of Positivity Challenge Blog has a theme of "Dreams".  Sophie fulfills many dreams for the residents of the nursing home where she and I work.  She is the reason some of them get out of bed in the morning.  They have to make sure her water dish is filled, they have to make sure and "save her a little something" at meals, they have to go to the activity room to "see what Sophie is up to."  She is a dream maker and fullfiller of dreams at the same time.  Our dreams change as we age and become simpler.  Finding joy in something as basic as a beautiful dog makes life better.  I truly believe that Sophie knows she is at work and has a job to do.  Her favorite rooms seem to be the hospice rooms where she spends countless hours with families.  Yeah, she's the princess, but she deserves the title!
Here's a closeup of the sentiment stamp (it's from Close To My Heart), and Sophie.  The crown I placed above her head is from the Assorted Crown Cutting Files set.  Seriously, that dog was made to wear a crown!


Here's a closeup of another crown I used in the set:


I used my Cricut to cut the heart overlay (CTMH Artbooking Cartridge) and my Silhouette to cut the crowns and the Sophie font.  All products are by CTMH, except the 2 foil papers I used on the crowns -- they are DCWV.
I haven't made a layout for a long time, so it was fun to take some pictures and make this one.  Sophie is a great subject to scrapbook about!
Make sure to check out the Cutting Cafe blog on July 21 to see the rest of the projects by the talented design team.  Leave a comment and you may win 3 sets of your choice. Fun!!
(All pictures used with permission)
I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
Fantasy Stampers -- Animal Magic
D.L. Art Thankful Thursday -- July Linky Party
Fussy and Fancy Challenge blog -- All About Gilrs

21 comments:

  1. awe very cute doggie...........love the layout

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  2. What a wonderful, wonderful dog and beautiful also. I can imagine how much joy she brings to everyone's lives and what a soecial job that she does. Your layout is fabulous and really shows how wonderful that she is. Thanks for joining us at BBTB2.

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  3. Awesome layout!! Love Princess Sophie!! She is beautiful and doing a wonderful service!! Thank you so very much for joining our 'Dog Days of Summer' challenge at BBTB2!!!! :)

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  4. I am sure Sophie helps with improving quality of life every day. What a wonderful subject to scrap. Thx for joining us at Bbtb this week

    Maureen

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  5. What a gorgeous layout, Julie - Sophie certainly deserves her crown. As a dog lover myself, I know exactly what they bring to our lives, and what a fabulous opportunity that you get to take her to work with you and let everyone enjoy her company. Thanx for playing along with us at Fantasy Stampers for our 'Animal Magic' challenge.
    Hugz, Jan (DT) xx

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  6. Beautiful LO and I just love the story you shared with it. What a gift to have such a wonderful dog that can touch so many. Thanks for joining us at Great Impressions!

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  7. What a fabulous layout! LOVE the crown you put on your princess! Thanks for joining us at Great Impressions! :) HUGS! Mynn xx

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  8. I think my dog Gracie needs a crown, too! Very cute.

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  9. Very, very cute! I call my Ziva, Princess Ziva. Every puppy needs a crown!!

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  10. How very sweet:) lots of super cute details to look at:) Krista

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  11. fab layout
    thanks for playing with us at fussy and fancy
    hugs
    céline

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  12. Great LO and a lovely story behind it as well. Thanks for joining us at Fantasy Stampers, Cindy (DT)

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  13. I always feel that if one is to "own" a pet that they should be treated like royalty. They are ours for such a short time. I love your layout with the crowns , bright colors and the story behind it. *bows to the princess*

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  14. I love that you take Sophie to work each day! Her invisible crown (yours too) is beautiful. :) Thanks for the warm welcome!

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  15. Sophie is so beautiful!! LOVE the crown you gave her :)

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  16. Oh wow what an amazing story with Sophie as the star. She really is stealing hearts and make dreams alive again for those who come in contact with her. Thanks for sharing this special story on your beautiful page. This is so perfect for our DREAMS theme this month. Thanks for sharing your talent with us and good luck.
    Hugs
    Desíre
    {Path of Positivity DT Member}
    {Would love you to visit my blog and join my 900 Follower Give-Away. Thank you so much, if you have already entered, and good luck.}
    {Doing Life – my personal blog}

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  17. Great layout, and kudos to you and Sophie for brightening the days of so many people!! Thanks for sharing your project in the Path of Positivity challenge this month!

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  18. Love your layout and the amazing relationship that your Sophie has with the residents at the home. They are lucky to have such a wonderful dream-giver around them. Thank you for joining us at the Path of Positivity blog! Lynda - DT member.

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  19. A lovely layout with lovely photos and a beautiful story about your golden retriever. You will have to get my vote because I've just come home from seeing a hypnotherapist and her GR Oscar was there to relax me. He's an angel too. Good luck to you and Sophie. Hazel x

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  20. Sophie certainly is a princess, and precious for sure. What a wonderful way to share love and encouragement!

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  21. A beautiful layout with such amazing story. Hugs xx

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