We're still in the midst of Service Dog Boot Camp this week, getting us human handlers to a fraction of the level of training that Booth, the 4-year-old dog who's been training since he was 7 weeks old, has attained.

But I do get time off to do some other things, and yesterday for the first time in a long, long time I was drawn to participate in the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

For this card I decided I wanted to use the lovely Moonlight DSP Paper Stack, and chose papers that feature Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Sahara Sand and Whisper White.  For the sentiment I used the Simply Wonderful set from Sale-A-Bration, and the dots come from Draw the Line.  I also chose to omit the ribbon and embellishment.

Here's the sketch...and a picture from today's training where we're learning how to handle a dog at a counter-service eating establishment (Starbucks).  Lots of details to pay attention to when getting a cup of joe!  Can you spot Booth under the table?  He's wearing orange and black booties to protect his paws from the already-hot Arizona pavement.

Do you Big Shot?  Have you been waiting for just the right moment to purchase a Magnetic Platform?  To round out your Framelits and Embossing Folders collections?  That moment is NOW!

Meet Booth, Nicole's new service dog.  He's a 4-year-old black German Shepherd Dog and is as sweet as can be.  He loves hanging out with Nicole while she's reading, sleeping or doing anything, which is as it should be.

We'll be tied up with the training "Boot Camp" for the rest of this week, but I'm hoping to get back on to blog a few times.

Here's another card we made in the March class.  We used embossing folders (Honeycomb and Chevron) and daubed ink on one side.  Then we spritzed a bit of water on the ink, just enough to make it bead up slightly.  We pressed a piece of Whisper White card stock onto the ink, and lifted off to find these neat patterns.  Then we mounted it up and added a flower, ribbon and a sentiment and had some fun, Spring-y birthday cards.

This is one of the cards we made at my March class.  We all wondered if the kids today would recognize what it's recreating?

I think this is one of the best uses of the From the Herd stamp set.  Staz-On ink on vellum layered over Sahara Sand card stock works very well as the screen.  The card base is Real Red, and an additional layer of Real Red has the center cut out to be a frame.  

On one of the many tutorials I've seen, someone suggested using the smaller rectangle of the Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, and while that does work perfectly for this, when I was prepping for my class I didn't have it yet!  So I used one of the Square Framelits, eyeballed an even margin around the left end, cut, then moved the framelit over to the right side, eyeballing another even margin while keeping it within the square I'd already cut.  So I wound up cutting a full square plus a smaller rectangle to create my frame.

I've also seen these with sentiments embossed in white, which looks good with the white "knobs" (¾" circle punch).  But I looked up pictures of the original Etch-A-Sketch, and it's name was in gold, so that's what we used.

Really easy ("no coloring!" said one of my attendees), and super fun!  You can do this style card with almost any stamp set.

Click on any item to see it in my online store.  Don't forget, with a $50 purchase you can get
a FREE Sale-A-Bration item through March 31...Clearance Rack items count!

Yes, I've been MIA the last week or so...here's what's happening in my life:

• Getting ready for Nicole's service dog.  This is huge and has many parts.  We're cleaning out and reorganizing her bedroom.  We've also taken a trip to Ikea to get a new bed frame to replace her still-quite-new loft bed so the dog can sleep with her.  Today I listed the loft bed on Craigslist and have gotten a few inquiries already - yay!  Each week we've been attending dog-training sessions at various venues around town, helping younger dogs learn commands and get used to all kinds of situations (action movies, shopping malls, pizza & arcade restaurants, etc.).  Now we're up to our eyeballs studying a textbook and video lectures for our two weeks of pre-dog-arrival training.  There are quizzes after each lesson, and a written final when the dog arrives a week from Friday!
• March's Monthly Class was last week.  I taught 2 sessions, and then my son, home from college for spring break, and his girlfriend asked to make the cards, so I taught another session just for them.  All were fun!  Here's a quick shot of all the projects...look for detailed blog posts about them soon.

• We're still getting ready to start our kitchen remodel.  We pushed the date back 3 weeks to mid-April to give Glenn a few more weeks of normal for his concussion to heal, and to give Nicole and her service dog a chance to get through their first few weeks before chaos descends.  In the meantime I'm trying to pick out light fixtures, floor tile and coordinate samples of cabinet finishes and countertops.
• And finally, I've been hired to design and do much of the production of wedding invitations for a friend's daughter.  The friend will do much of the final assembly, but I've been hard at work getting all the elements together.  Here's the shipment of supplies that came recently:

I'm sure I'll be showing you more as the elements come together.

Don't forget that Sale-A-Bration runs through the end of the month!  Did you see my email yesterday about the additional products SU! has added to the Sale-A-Bration offering?  Check out the flyer here...and don't miss out on your choice of FREE products with your $50 purchase in my online store!

Just an advance warning that I'm not sure I'll be able to hold classes in April.  The first few weeks will be chaotic with the service dog's arrival, and then we're right into the kitchen demolition.  As we get closer I hope to have a better idea of the timing and disruption factors and be able to work out a schedule.  I'm sure you'll be as disappointed as I will if I can't pull off a class.

This vibrant, fun card was designed by Paula Richards, as seen onPatty Bennet's blog.  All of the stamps used come from the Butterfly Basics set.  The fern image was inked with Pear Pizzazz and stamped twice without re-inking.  The border and sentiment were stamped in Rich Razzleberry. The butterfly was also stamped in this color on a separate piece of Whisper White, then cut out with the smallest die in the Butterfly Thinlits set and popped up with a Dimensional.  A Rhinestone Basic Jewel is the simple embellishment on the butterfly.  The Whisper White image panel was layered on Pear Pizzazz and mounted on a Rich Razzleberry card base.


Did you know that you can save 15% when you order the Butterfly Basics stamp set and Butterfly Thinlits Dies as a bundle?  Well, you can!  See the supply list below and click on the version you want to go straight to my online store to order.

Thursday, March 12
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
9:30 am - noon  
$15.00
RSVP by Tuesday, March 10

I CASE'd the basic design of this card from Vicki Boddicker.  It's very simple, but makes a nice impact.  They're so easy to reproduce they'd make a great all-occasion card set.

The Painted Petals stems are stamped in Wild Wasabi, and the flowers are stamped in Daffodil Delight.  Daffodil Delight is also the mat and the ¼" Cotton Ribbon color.  The Whisper White base is embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, and has a strip of the Painted Blooms DSP along the side.

Tuesday, March 10
Monthly Class in Peoria
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, March 8

Thursday, March 12
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
9:30 am - noon  
$15.00
RSVP by Tuesday, March 10

Have you seen all the neat cards being made with the Indescribable Gift stamp set?  The image is so beautifully drawn it doesn't seem to matter what one creates...it just comes out well. 

 Do you think the picture is of cherry blossoms?  I grew up in the Washington, DC area, where we had lots of them, plus I was a Japanese Studies major in college, so that's what I tend to think.  I could also see them as apple or pear blossoms, too.  I suppose the coloring and shading might play a role in how they're perceived, right?  

For this card I stamped the image on a piece of Whisper White card stock and then colored it in with my Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi and Crumb Cake Blendabilities.  

Once the coloring was complete I smeared my VersaMark pad all over the card stock, being sure not to get fingerprints or un-inked areas.  Then I covered it with Irridescent Ice embossing powder and set with my heat tool.  Super sparkly!

Then I added a Basic Black mat and a Whisper White layer stamped with sentiments from the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set and put it all together on a Basic Black card base.  

Simple, seasonal (almost!) and elegant.

Looking for a fast and easy set of cards to make?  Look no further than this gorgeous sheet of DSP from the Painted Blooms series in the Occasions Catalog.

Simply cut the sheet into six 4" x 5.25" pieces (cut into three 4" vertical columns, then cut 5.25" from the top, and repeat so you wind up cutting off the bottom of the stems).  Then stamp your choice of sentiments on the top three, and affix all six to card bases.  I chose to use two sheets of Rose Red, and one of Soft Sky for my set.

What a great set to have on hand yourself, or to give as a gift!

Tuesday, March 10
Monthly Class in Peoria
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP

Thursday, March 12
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
9:30 am - noon  
$15.00
RSVP