I am an adult, rational woman. I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent and level headed. I never, ever buy anything on impulse. So why…why… did I say “Yes” when Muffy the Boxer’s breeder asked me if I would like to have a second puppy? I now have a much better understanding of the phrase “temporarily insane”. Ladies and gentleman (Mike, I know you are out there), let me introduce you to “Cimarron’s What Were You Thinking”, which is exactly what my husband, Kim, said when I told him that I bought a second puppy.

I had an arsenal of answers ready for that question. After all, I waited a few days before I worked up the courage to tell him. Here are some of what I thought were my better responses:

• “Oh, Kim…Muffy would always have a little friend to play with. We don’t want our little princess to get lonely, do we?”
• “Like they always say…two dogs are as easy to raise as one!” (Whoever said that never met twin Boxers!)
• “Oh, Kim…I bought him for you. I know how you love surprises!”
• “He’s for my Stampin’ Up! business. When people ask me what I love about being a demonstrator, I can say…’Because of Stampin’ Up!’s excellent career plan, not only am I doing what I love, and sharing my passion with others, but I have also been able to purchase not just one BUT two adorable Boxer puppies!”
• “It must have been that bump on my head that I received when I slipped on the overspray from my Smooch Spritz. Wait…who are you again? Where am I? Puppy? What puppy? You bought me another puppy? I remember you…you are my wonderful husband!”
• “Um…um…Muffy made me do it?”
• “We can conserve natural resources this winter because we will each have a dog for snuggling. You know me, Kim…I will sacrifice whatever I have to sacrifice if it’s for the good of the environment.”

Our little boy is just as smart as his sister. We call him Brody the Boxer, not to be confused with Brady the Boy. And what does Brady the Boy think? We picked Brady up from college Friday evening after his Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert (He had two major solos. We hired a puppysitter for the evening.) He only knew about Muffy. Imagine his surprise when he walked through the door and saw double the fun! “Mom…he looks just like Missy!” Well, the resemblance is there with that distinctive gargoyle face.

In case you are wondering about Brody’s strange head wear, that is not his Halloween costume. His little ears have been cropped. When we put our deposit down on Muffy, we specifically stated “No cropping”. This breeder does crop all of her puppies unless it is specified otherwise. And since we did not know that Brody the Boxer was going to be living with us, she had him cropped. I took Brody to visit his new vet Friday, and she gave him some antibiotics and pain medicine.

So, in case you wonder why I have been missing in action for a few days, just blame it on the Boxer babies. Before we turn our attention to today’s card…after all that is the real focus of this blog…let me share three more baby pictures. These are cute because I caught the progression of Muffy’s looks as she is falling asleep.

Graveyard Gala

Need an invite for your Halloween Party? If so, this is the stamp set for you. A little fussy cutting and a little pape tearing, and this card is ready before you can say “Trick or Treat!” It first appeared in the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen June Gallery: Simply Inviting! Please note that since this card was created before the Color Renovation took place, there are two retired colors…Going Gray and Pale Plum.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Sponge it! A little Going Gray sponged onto the Pale Plum sky casts an eerie glow over the graveyard. A 1-3/4″ Circle Punch is used to punch a So Saffron moon. Once again, a little Going Gray is sponged over its surface.
• Stamp-a-ma-jig! Perfectly place the trees from the Lovely As a Tree set over the moon by using your Stamp-a-ma-jig.
• Tear it up! The Always Artichoke hills were free-formed with torn edges, which were then distressed with Going Gray ink.
• Rest in Peace! The smaller tombstones were simpy created using the Word Window Punch. How cute is that! RIP was printed on with a Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker.
• Fussy Cut! The Gravestone was paper snipped in seconds and popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. In addition, the Ravens, Jack-o-Lantern, and Scrollwork were also stamped and snipped!

I hope that you find this card “inviting”, and a treat, not a trick! Please, won’t you leave me a comment to let me know what you think about today’s card? I will be anxious to hear what you think! And remember, if you have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time..>

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It’s hard to believe that The Paper Players are celebrating challenge number twenty! Lesley, our hostess this week, has created a lovely sketch for you to follow:

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Layer the labels for contrast! The Crumb Cake Decorative Label would blend too much with the Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper if left by itself. However, a second label, punched from Cherry Cobbler adds the perfect “punch” of color!
• Elegant bling! Basic Pearls are perfect for accentuating the bands of the bells!
• Quick and easy bow! A quick and easy Cherry Cobbler bow fashioned from 1/2″ Seam Binding completes the look. To view my video tutorial on how to create this bow, simply CLICK HERE!

I will be anxious to see what you create this week using Lesley’s lovely sketch! For more inspirational cards from our Design Team, be sure to visit The Paper Players. And remember, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, please don’t hesitate to email me.

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Stamp Set: Grateful Greetings; Ink: Early Espresso; Designer Series Paper: Deck the Halls; Card Stock: Soft Suede, Brushed Gold, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake; Tools: Decorative Label Punch; Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls, Cherry Cobbler 1/2″ Seam Binding

I love Fall! Without a doubt it is my favorite season! So I was thrilled that this week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge was an Inspiration Challenge based on this photo:

Spying leaves in the picture, I immediately jumped at the chance to create a card using the French Foliage set and the Faux Silk technique. I had plans to share a Faux Silk video tutorial with you today, but Muffy the Boxer had her own agenda, and it did not include having “mom” film a tutorial. So in the meantime, will you settle for a link to a pictorial that I prepared earlier? I will discuss with Muffy how we just can’t play, eat, sleep in mom’s arms and potty all the time!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Faux silk…so easy! All it takes is tissue paper, liquid adhesive (like Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue), and card stock. A) Crumple the tissue paper, unfold, and smooth it. B) Coat your card stock with the liquid adhesive. C) Adhere the tissue paper to the card stock and allow it to dry! Wrinkles are permissible, and add to the charm. Here is the link to the Faux Silk Pictorial.
• Brayering! Don’t you just love the look of the Cajun Craze vertical mat? I simply brayered Cajun Craze ink onto Very Vanilla, and then stamped the “Script” from French Foliage in Early Espresso. A few “Waterspots” and “Post Marks” complete this card element.
• Random stamping! More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke leaves are randomly stamped on the Faux Silk. Soft Suede “Waterspots” help to fill in the bare places.
• Distress! A Sponge Dauber and Soft Suede ink is used to burnish the edges of all of the layers, while a Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker and Color Spritzer Tool add “age spots”. Hint: Soft Suede provides a softer, more authentic look than Early Espresso or Chocolate Chip.
• A stitch in time! The Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch is tailor-made for cross-stitching! Try Stampin’ Up’s Linen Thread for a touch of texture!
• Layer the labels! The “Merci Beaucoup” sentiment from Sinceres Salutations, the French counterpart of Sincere Salutations, was inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto More Mustard card stock. It was then punched with the Decorative Label Punch, and stamped with the Waterspot and Post Mark stamps. A second Decorative Label Punch was punched from Always Artichoke. It was cut in half horizontally and adhered to the bottom of the More Mustard punch.

I hope that you will join us in this week’s challenge! I am so looking forward to your projects! But before you head off to create, won’t you please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s card? And remember, if you any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

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