I wish I had a happy post today.  A cheery card to make you smile.  A funny story to make you laugh.  Instead I need to share information about Lexi with you.  Lexi is the youngest of the Schach Boxers…a whirlwind bundle of wiggling butt and a tongue that nails you when you least expect it.  She’s as ornery as sin…

 

 and she is beautiful and elegant.

 She has won big…

and has a promising future.

After a few months away from the show circuit, Lexi headed off to Indianapolis with her handler, Amy, preparing to return home victorious.  Instead, she contracted a virus that left her in a severely emaciated state.  Amy took excellent care of her, taking her to the show vet, and then taking her to her vet in Chicago.  But Lexi was still unable to kick the virus that other dogs had recovered from in 24 hours.  In the span of one week, Lexi’s weight dropped from 55.6 pounds to 45.8 pounds.  Amy was concerned that we could lose her.  You could see every vertebrae…every rib.

When I picked Lexi up to bring her home Friday, and saw her condition with my own eyes, I rushed her straight to my vet, who did a complete blood panel, an abdominal X-ray, and a stool analysis/culture.  All of the results came back normal…which is good…but also bad because we still have no idea why she was hit so hard by this.

On the upside, since she has returned home, she has started to eat again.  Her stools are returning to normal, and she is not vomiting. And most importantly, the sparkle is returning to her eyes.  Slowly but surely, she is getting better.  Because of her lack of body fat, she gets cold easily. But the Twins, in that way that dogs have, know she is not well.  They have been so good with snuggling with her.  

I wanted to share this with you, because so many of you have followed the escapades of the furbabies.  We have a long road ahead of us in getting Lexi healthy.  Until next time…

There is still time to enroll in February’s Lesson of the Month, featuring the Peaceful Petals stamp set.  But hurry…the deadline to sign up is Noon, CST on Tuesday, February 18th. 

 Here are a few things students are saying about my lessons:

• If you are interested in learning how to make cards, Ann has a very easy system going. Her videos and written tutorials are excellent…
• I love how detailed the directions are and how much the tips will help us along.  
• This is the best monthly club I have belonged to.
• The completed cards are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. 

 

 You receive:

• Detailed instructions with measurements, supply lists, tips, photos and theory. 
• Links to private videos
• Three completed cards
• The Peaceful Petals stamp set
• Email support, if needed

You receive all of this for a price of $34.95! For more details, check out this post, then email me at: ann@thestampinschach.com.

Until next time…

It’s Sunday, and time to play with The Paper Players! This week, the talented LeAnne is hosting a Clean and Simple Challenge:  Use a Star on your CAS Card or Project.  At first glance, my By the Seashore card may not look very clean.  It’s just that I randomly stamped all of the “white” space.  And really, there are minimal embellishments…I only used 8 pearls. Enjoy!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Not Quite Clean and Almost Simple
This finished card measures 5-1/2″ wide by 4-1/4″ long.

• Seeing stars! A trio of Brushed Gold Stars were punched using a retired Stampin’ Up! star punch.  There is a Star in the Circle Card Thinlets collection, but I felt it was just a tad too big.  Luckily this little punch was still residing in one of my punch drawers.

• Stippled!  The Stippled Flower image, from Stippled Blossoms, makes a subtle and beautiful background. It was inked with Soft Suede and then stamped off  before being randomly stamped onto the Very Vanilla panel.  Notice the soft tinges of stamped-off Rose Red and Pool Party?  They were added by using the Splotch image from Happy Watercolor.

• Whimsy! The Starfish from By the Seashore was inked in Soft Suede and added as a touch of the unexpected. Among many things, starfish can be symbolic of inspiration…just perfect for a card where the sentiment is “Dare to Dream”.  Of course, every well-dressed starfish needs pearls, so I graciously obliged.

In a perfect world, I would have stamped the Rose Red Argyle image from Clockworks off a second time, but in reality I didn’t.  So I embraced it…and I am learning to like it.  Of course, my favorite element on the entire card is the little circle of pearls on the starfish.  What about you?  Won’t you let me know in your comment today? Your comments are important to me.  Of course, if you ever have a questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…