A Christmas Card to Paws For

I know you just HAD to look at this post after reading the title - as most of you know, I am a die hard cat lover - well, I'm actually a die hard animal lover and I am in love with ALL that is crazy by Tim Holtz.  Anyhow, you might recall the birthday card I made for my fantastic neighbor, Helen, and her adorable little dog named Lulu.  Well, it's that time of year and I wanted to make another really special card for Helen as I truly treasure her and feel SO lucky she is my neighbor. I also made her a cute little owl ornament since Helen collects owls - how I made that will be in my next post. 

How I Made my Card:

White Card Base

Red Cardstock
Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils
Dove Blender Pen

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Texture Fades Beaded Garland & Snowflakes Embossing Folder Set, #660041 (discontinued) I used the Snowflakes Embossing Folder
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alterations Holiday Words: Script #660058

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Mini Cats and Dogs Stamp Set, #CMS272

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Mini Cats and Dogs Dies Set, #661594
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Movers & Shakers Magnetic Die Mini Wreath & Bow, #658267
Nuvo Crystal Drops in Ebony Black, 650N
Watercolor Cardstock
Ranger Archival Ink Pad in Jet Black
Darice Gems (discontinued)
Red Glitter Cardstock
Gold Glitter Cardstock

The first step I took making this card was the doggies.  I stamped them on watercolor cardstock (I have to say, I've been using the Distress watercolor paper and it has made a HUGE difference in my water coloring.  I can let it dry and reintroduce more water color later and it doesn't pill up as fast as other watercolor papers do.  I have had excellent results using both a water brush and a blender pen) and colored them in using the Derwent Inktense Pencils.  Once I was done fiddling with the color, I colored their noses black with the Nuvo Crystal Drops and set them aside to dry.

Another Look

While the doggies were drying, I cut the sentiment out of gold glitter cardstock (how did I ever live without this stuff?) and embossed the red paper using the Snowflake embossing folder.  I had already cut the cute bow out when I cut one out for another card and I had tested it on the big dog - I think it looks adorable but by the look on the dog's face you can tell he isn't so happy.  I mounted the red embossed card onto the base and adhered the gold Merry Christmas onto the top of that.  Finally, I attached all the dogs and embellished them; Lulu has her signature little gem heart.  This time I added some of the gem bones that were in the set (sorry, I don't know the name of the set. I do know it was made by Darice and I did search the Darice website but nothing came up). Anyway, that is Helen's Christmas card.  I hope she likes it as much as she liked her birthday card.  Thanks SO much for taking time out to read my post! Christi 

I would like to enter my Christmas to Paws for Card in the following challenges:
Passion for Promarkers #375 - Mega Christmas Challenge, Use Your Dies and/or Punches (ends 1/3/17) 
Cards & More #174 - Christmas
Glitter 'n Sparkle  #219 - Xmas with Glitter
Christmas Card Challenge - #2,  Holiday or Christmas Card
Fashionable Stamping Challenges #118 - Anything Goes

A Sweet Happy Birthday

Wow - 2017 is right around the corner! I could fill up this entire post talking about the magical way time flies, but, I won't.  I know you all feel the same way I do and are as baffled as I am, so no need to discuss the time thing any more.

Me and the Fabulous Feline Four recently moved into a house in one of those neighborhoods where people live in their homes for years.  The kind of place I grew up in.  We are blessed to have a neighbor, Helen, who has a little dog named Lolly.  Lolly had a fantastic relationship with the gentleman who lived in the house before us and she learned to jump over the short chain link fence that separates our properties.  She, Lolly, actually throws herself over the fence. She is a very good dog and so loving, plus it is nice to get a change of pace from the cats. She is so sweet we had to break down and get some treats for her.  So now I am giving the dog in back of us treats as well (that is a whole 'nother story). Anyway, Helen had a birthday in November and I made her this card - the dog in the middle is a replica of Lolly.  I used a tiny heart I found in my stash because Lolly has a little heart on her collar with her name on it. 

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Watercolor Paper
Tim Holtz/Stampers' Anonymous Mini Cats & Dogs Stamps, #CMS272
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Mini Cats & Dogs Dies, #661594
Derwent Intense Colored Pencils
Nuvo Crystal Drops in Ebony Black, 650N
Stampin' Up! Set Sincere Salutations (disc. but available)
Gold Embossing Powder
Embossing Ink
Spellbinders Nestabilities, Labels Seventeen, S5-025
DCWV Linen Closet Stack (disc. but available)
Pop Dots

Before I get into the nitty gritty on how I made my card I need to clarify that I used the OLD DCWV Linen Closet Stack - apparently there is another, newer stack out there with the same name.  My stack looks like this: 

This stack is discontinued but I am sure you could find one.  The pictures do not do it justice - it has some stunning papers in it.  The second thing I wanted to tell you is that even if you let your Crystal Nuvo Drop harden overnight, it will flatten if you run your image through a die cut machine.  Ask me how I know <wink>.  OK, on with the show!  

I wanted to make a card that was cute, but not too cute, and I already knew I was going to somehow incorporate the Mini Dogs into the card. Surprisingly, I lack happy birthday stamps (well, after I was done with the card I found some I had forgotten about, but I digress) and that actually helped me decide how "fancy" I was going to make the card.  I stamped the 3 chosen Mini Dogs on watercolor paper and watercolored them using the Inktense pencils.  I usually

Dimension

try to note what colors I used but I was so focused on making the Lolly dog LOOK like Lolly, I forgot.  And I blended them to death so I doubt even if I used the exact colors it would look anything like what I ended up with.  After I colored the pups, I made Lolly's nose shiny black by using the Nuvo Crystal Drops in Ebony Black.  I had seen these demonstrated at the last Stamp Show I went to and I was really impressed by them.  Most gloss type products leave that little "Dairy Queen Curly Q" thingie at the top of the dot but these automatically rounded themselves out.  And another cool thing is that the colors don't seep into each other.  I am currently practicing how to make eyes using the white and the black (small dot of white, topping with a small dot of black).

Another Look

I dotted the noses and set them aside to dry.  I had used 2 designer papers from the Stack, one as a background paper and the other as a layer for the Happy Birthday.  I had gold embossed the Happy Birthday then die cut it out as well as the larger panel for layering.  Once all that was done, I pop dotted the dogs onto the card and I was finished.  Helen really enjoyed her card, so much so I am making her another one like this one for Christmas.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope your holiday season has been happy, healthy & safe! Christi

I would like to enter my Happy Birthday Card in the following challenges:
Pile it On! #123 - Any Holiday/Celebration
Animal Friends Challenge #45 - December - Anything Goes
Card Mania #87 - December - Anything Goes
Simon Says Work It Wednesday - December - Use Dies