It’s Thursday, and time to play at Pals Paper Arts! This week is a color challenge: Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White. Shhh…don’t tell anyone, but I did add a touch of Old Olive for the leaves. Today’s card is very special to me. Would you think I was crazy if I told you that Muffy was my inspiration? Let me say a few things about my card, and then I’ll share about Muffy.
The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips
This finished card measures 4-1/4″ wide by 5-1/2″ long.
- Serendipity! One of my favorite sentiments from Feel Goods, was inked in Night of Navy and stamped onto the adorable Daffodil Delight pattern from the All Abloom paper stack. At first, I was taken aback by the fact it did not leave a nice, dark image. But the more I looked at it, the more I liked the fact that the little white circles stamped darker than the yellow background. What a pleasant surprise!
- Banner and Blossom! A Night of Navy banner forms the perfect backdrop for a Petite Petals blossom. Of course, a Pearl forms the pearl-fect center! And isn’t the Striped pattern from Sweet Taffy adorable with the Circles pattern!
- Bow-dacious! The new Night of Navy Seam Binding created the perfect double bow!
And now the long story begins…
Although this card is not my usual style, I LOVED creating it. I guess it was because I was thinking about Muffy the entire time. Muffy is my first AKC Champion. After the passing of my beloved rescue, Missy, I knew that our home needed another Boxer. I was fortunate enough to find someone who was having a litter of puppies.
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| Missy the Boxer |
Now I will be honest…Muffy was not my first choice from the litter. My first choice ended up with a breeder in Texas. Nor was she my second choice. That puppy ended up in a show home, too. One-by-one, the show quality puppies were leaving for their show homes. Deemed “pet-quality”, no one wanted Muffy. In fact, the person who was supposed to buy her, refused to take her. She lacked the beautiful head considered to be the sterling hallmark of the Boxer breed. But in my desparation and loneliness, I took her…the last available female in the litter.
When the breeder delivered Muffy, I asked about the other puppies in the litter. Only one male, considered to be the best male in the litter, was left. Half-jokingly, she offered to sell him to me if I would agree to have him evaluated by a handler and show him if he turned out to be the show dog she thought he would be. I jumped at the chance to own such a handsome boy, since it had always been my dream to own a show dog. I rationalized that two puppies would keep each other company and be wonderful playmates. My husband, on the other hand, upon finding that a second puppy would be arriving the next day, exclaimed, “What were you thinking!”
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| Muffy’s 2nd day with us…Brody’s 1st day with us |
I lived up to my word, and had Brody evaluated. Muffy joined us on our journey to the handler. Yes…Brody (Cimarron’s What Were You Thinking) was indeed panning out to be the show quality dog which was predicted. But wait…the handler thought Muffy, with her spunk and sparkle, deserved her chance in the ring, too.
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| Muffy’s first time in the ring |
And so the “pet quality” girl with the horrible head went on to shine in the ring. Over time, the ugly duckling turned into the beautiful swan. Her movement and temperment are excellent. Her neck and topline are beautiful. Her head improved. But most importantly, when she steps foot in the ring, she exudes “presence”. She loves the show ring. She loves to show. You see…no one ever told Muffy she was pet quality. From the moment she set foot in our home, she won our hearts with her personality. “Pretty is, is pretty does”, as my mother would always say.
After being away from the show ring for almost a year, Ch. Cimarron’s Do You Know the Muffin Man, began her journey to her Grand Champion title last weekend with an impressive major win over a Best of Breed winner and a 5 point major winner. Muffy believed she could win…and she did.
I hope you enjoyed today’s card, and I hope you enjoyed learning what inspired me. As for me, my favorite part of the card is the heart to symbolize the love I have for Muff. What about you? Won’t you let me know in today’s comment? And remember, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away. Until next time…
(Oh my gosh…while I was writing this post, I had the television turned on to Wheel of Fortune. One of the puzzles was “Do you know the muffin man?” )
Stamp Sets: Feel Goods, Petite Petals; Inks: Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy; Designer Series Paper: Regals Stack, Brights Stack, Sweet Taffy, All Abloom; Card Stock: Whisper White, Night of Navy; Tools: Bird Builder Punch, Owl Builder Punch, Petite Petals Punch, Hexagon Punch; Glitz and Glam: Pearls Basic Jewels, Night of Navy Seam Binding
