I used the Art Impressions “Blessings To You MFT” (mini tri-fold) stamp and die set, but I replaced the sleeping bunny with 2 pups from the Art Impressions “WC (water color) Dogs Set” and stamped and die cut out a card base using Strathmore Bristol Paper cut down to 4.5″ x 11″ and folded in thirds (at 3 5/8″).

Using Black Onyx VersaFine Ink (best for watercoloring without bleeding) I stamped the largest stamp on panel 1 of the card (left third), then die cut out the center. Next I lightly outlined the opening of panel 1 onto the face of panel 2 (right third) with a pencil so that I could center the second stamp onto that outline. Then I die cut out the center of that stamp with the coordinating die. I outlined the opening of panel 2 onto the center panel so that I could center the images of the puppies, which I masked and layered. After all the stamping and die cutting, I erased all the pencil marks (checking that the ink was fully dried beforehand, of course).

I had so much fun using the Viviva Watercolor Sheet colors (after making swatches — a must do since the colors on the sheets are so saturated that looking at them will NOT give you a sense of how they’ll look when you watercolor with them):
*     The sleeping pup (Bandito) was colored with a blended Burnt Umber and Persian Blue, and the sitting pup (Babaloo) was colored with watered down Slate Black.
*     I used the Persian Blue and Violet for the tulips.
*     The drooping pink flowers with yellow centers were colored with Magenta and Chrome Yellow.
*     The yellow flowers were colored with Chrome Yellow and Vermillion.
*     Light Green, Sap Green and Viridian were used for the leaves and grass, and the sky was done with watered down Persian Blue.
Watercoloring is such a forgiving medium. Just blend, dab off excess, and apply second, third or even fourth coats to get beautiful results! I used a single Pentel Water Brush and just cleared the watercolors onto a tissue every time I switched colors. It was so easy!

Lastly I looked for sentiments that I thought would work well for Mr. CraftyPaws and me for our anniversary. I had an old Cloud 9 Designs “Simple Thoughts – Dog” stamp set that had the perfect sentiment that I could stamp in two parts for the first and second panels: “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” — Roger Caras {with 2 paw prints — perfect for our two dogs). Then for the last (center) panel, I used “happy” and “anniversary” from the Neat & Tangled “A Long Time Ago” stamp set and the “happily ever after” from the Clearly Besotted “Mr & Mrs Hoot” stamp set.

CLICK on the following picture to watch the process video:

Disclosure: The Viviva watercolor sheets were sent to me at no charge for my honest review. I really enjoyed them, thought the colors were very vibrant, and found them super easy to carry and use.  Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Art Impressions To Die For Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Stamp it Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Pearls or Lace Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge

When Inloveartshop.com reached out to me to resume my design team work, I took it as a motivation and sign that to remember self-care (which for me is crafting). I picked out a handful of dies, and when they arrived (about a month after I placed my order) I was immediately inspired to return to crafting. NOTE: My readers can get 15% off their entire order from InLoveArtShop.com by using the code FSCraftyPaws at check out.

I absolutely fell in love with the Nesting Dies Set and had so many superhero card ideas running through my mind. This first card is made with just some scrap glittered card stock, navy card stock, shimmery gold card stock (for the card base), and a cute puppy super hero from the Clearly Besotted Caped Cuties Stamp Set (retired, but a recent re-issue is available HERE).

For the explosions, I used every other size of the Nesting Dies to cut out the bursts in the glittered card stock and the navy card stock, leaving a bit of space between (if I had used every size, the burst would have been much closer together). I also used a star die and stacked them to make athe center of the smallest burst. Since the star obviously didn’t look like the other bursts, I covered that last burst with the sentiment from the Clearly Besotted Hooray For Heroes Stamp Set (retired).

I used the following Copic colors to make the puppy super hero look like our Babaloo:
Black spots: N3, N5, N7
Gold medallion: Y32, Y38, YR16
Blue suit: B24, B28
Red cape: R24, R29, R39
Then I fussy cut him out and popped him up on foam dots to add a little dimension.

This card, and others I crafted with this InLoveArtShop design team package is shared in the following video:

Disclosure:  The dies used in this post were gifted to me free of charge as part of my design team package. Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Penny Black and More Men and Boys Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Make Your Own Background Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Birthday Challenge

For the 11th and 12th parts of the wreath, I used two critters from the Mama Elephant Lunar Animals stamp set along with a few accessories from the Mama Elephant Yappy Woofmas stamp set and Copic colored them using the following colors (featuring my favorite Christmas color combination – red, white and aqua):
Dalmatian doing the splits: N0, N4, N5
Siberian Husky (TRIED SOMETHING NEW by modifying rabbit from the Lunar Animals into a dog by erasing the ink in the ear areas before stamping and then doodling in the prick ears with a Copic Multiliner Pen in 0.1 pt): N0, N1, N3, N4, N5, R30
Floors: W3 and W5
Antlers (from one of the Yappy Woofmas dogs), bone and bow (also from Yappy Woofas and fussy cut around so the Dalmatian looks like he’s holding it), and present: N0, BG11, BG13, BG15, R35, R37, and R39

I used a Sakura Black Glaze Pen to emphasize the eyes and noses, and since I was keeping all of these tags CAS (clean and simple with zero embellishments). However, to add a bit of interest I added Clear Wink of Stella to the present as well as the bow on the bone for some sparkle and shimmer. I also coated the antlers with Ranger Glossy Accents for some high shine.

I die cut the images using the 7th largest circle die from the Diemond Dies Die-Normous Stack-Ems Circle Nesting Die Set. Then to create frames for the pieces, I used beautiful sparkly shimmer red card stock and the 5th and 7th largest circles from the Diemond Dies Die-Normous Stack-Ems Circle Nesting Die Set.  
My readers can get 10% off and free worldwide shipping at Diemond Dies on all orders of $35 or more by using the code “thankskristina” at check out.

CLICK on the following picture to watch the process of creating these tags:

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

These little critters given Christmas puppy facelifts are being entered into the following challenges:
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Christmas with Snowflakes Challenge
Simon Says Stamps Work it Wednesday Try Something New Challenge
Card Mania Christmas Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Fab ‘n’ Funky Cute Christmas Challenge
ABC Christmas Y – favorite (dogs) and Z – zero embellishments Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Stamping Sensations Winter Sparkle Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner Anything Goes Challenge

For my first card, the hipster glasses and the adorable wrinkles on the Pug’s forehead, seemed to scream out for a partial, top-only stamping with a cute accompanying saying, “Just popping up to say…” with the inside of the card saying, “Happy Birthday!” (or it could be finished off with so many other sayings, like “Hello!” or “Surprise!”) (the sentiments are from the Neat & Tangled “Out of the Box” stamp set).

I kept the vast majority of the card front crisp white, and Copic colored the image (E51, E53, W5, W7, and B41), including reflection lines on the eye glasses with a Uniball Signo White Gel Pen. I also added Black Sakura Glaze Pen for the eye glass frames and Ranger Glossy Accents for the eye glasses.

For the second card, I wanted to play off the concerned expression of the Pug so I used a sentiment from the Mama Elephant “In My Heart” stamp set that says: “MISS YOU more than just a little.” Because I wanted to keep this card super simple, I used VersaMark Ink and Ranger Super Fine Black Embossing Powder to stamp the image and the sentiment. Then, to add a pop of color, I heat embossed a little heart by the sentiment and the eye glass frames with Ranger Adirondack Brights Watermelon Pigment Ink and clear embossing powder. This bit was somewhat tricky in that I had to hand fussy cut the inside and outside of the eye glass frames and then heat emboss this tiny, delicate piece; but it was well worth the extra effort for this added dimension and interest.

For the third and final card, again, compliments the Pug dog’s worried expression. This time, I stamped the dog head at an angle at the lower right corner of the card front and doodled in the top part of his body with Copic Multiliner Pens in 0.1 pt and 0.03 pt. Then I Copic colored the full image (E51, E53, W5, W7, R27, and B41), adding Uniball Signo White Gel Pen reflection marks on the glasses.

Then I used the “So Sorry I Forgot!” sentiment from the Gerda Steiner Designs “Howl Are You?” stamp set. The inside card liner is stamped with “Happy  Birthday,” and “BELATED” both also from the same Gerda Steiner set. For a bit of whimsy, I spaced out the words so that I could use a Red Ultra Fine Point Sharpie marker to add a red carrot to indicate the insertion of the “BELATED”.

I think this Pug dog stamp is so sweet, and I hope that the personality exuded from these Puggy CAS cards will bring smiles to the recipients. 🙂

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

Click on the following picture to watch the process video of creating all three of these CAS cards:

These cards are being entered into the following challenges:
Happy Little Stampers Smile CAS Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Buttons and Bows Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Flowers Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner Anything Goes Challenge
The Corrosive Anything Goes Challenge

For this card, I decided to combine three of the images from the   with the dies from the Diemond Dies Sending Love Die Set that I designed (FYI: a part of the proceeds of every die I designed is donated to no kill animal shelters). The three stamp dies from the die set were the perfect size to frame the three pups I Copic colored and fussy cut.

I used the following Copics to color up these pups like my Havanese, Bandito; my brother’s Havapoo, Cookie; and my aunt and uncle’s Affenpinscher, Naco:
Spotted Havanese: W0, W1, E11, E23, E25, R24 and R27
White Havapoo: W0, W1, W3 and R22 and R24
Black Affenpincher: W1, W3, W5 and W7
I also used my favorite Fiskars Spring Loaded Scissors to fussy cut all the pups so that just their heads would be popping out of the stamp frames and for the spotted Havanese and the Affenpinscher I shortened their ears from the original stamp images.

I used a pale blue card stock for the card base, and die cut the stamp frames from white card stock that I popped up with foam tape. I also lined the areas of the windows with some peach and coral patterned floral patterned paper from the 6 x 6 Crafts Sensations Pastels & Whites paper pack. For the sentiment, I die cut the “sending love” sentiment from the same card stock that I used for the card base three times. Stacking and gluing the die cut sentiments gave them a bit of dimension and made them feel substantial. I offset them in the lower, middle and right parts of the card front, lining up the “g” and “l” for what I thought was a nice, swooshy look (that’s a technical term – LOL). Lastly, I added a handful of clear silver sequins in three sizes for a bit of sparkle.

The inside of the card, I used one of the stamp dies to create a couple of heart embellishments with the same peach and coral floral patterned paper and some darker coral card stock. For one of the hearts, I also used the surrounding stamp die to create a stamp embellishment. The inside sentiment is a wooden stamp from My Sentiments Exactly that I picked up on clearance last week at Hobby Lobby. It says “Love begins with a wet nose and ends with a tail!” Unfortunately, since I moved my stamp when I was re-stamping for a darker impression, I had to cover the smear by re-stamping it on a separate piece of card stock and die cutting it out with a Kat Scrappiness Stitched Postage Stamp Edge Rectangles Die that more or less fit the sentiment. Whew – card salvaged!

The following is a process video of crafting this card:

My readers can get 10% off and free worldwide shipping from their order of $35 or more at Diemond Dies by using the coupon code: thankskristina at checkout.

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday A Trio of Something Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes With Optional Friends/Friendship Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Use Vellum Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner Anything Goes Challenge
MFT Color Challenge #90

I stamped out the tissues and tea cup first, then masked that and stamped out the sweet pup napping with it’s teddy. Then I used the following Copic colors to color up this little scene:

Dog: Y00, Y21, Y26, E31, E55, E57, E59 and R30
Tea: E55 and E23
Tissue and tea bag: Y00, Y21 and W1
Tea cup and teddy bear: B00, B01, B12 and B14
Slippers and pillow interior: B12, B34, B37 and B39
Pillow and floor: W0, W1 and W3

I fussy cut out the little scene, including paper piecing the tissue box with a blue plaid patterned paper from the My Mind’s Eye Moments Paper Pad. For the scene background, I used the second largest die from the My Favorite Things Die-Namics Stitched Rectangles Die Set to cut out a piece of white card stock. I glued down the fussy cut scene, except for the puppy’s raised paw and slippered feet, which I popped up on double sided foam dots for a little extra dimension and interest. I also stamped out the sentiment, “Sit…Stay…Heal.” from the stamp set in the upper left corner. 🙂

To frame out the scene, I used the largest die from the My Favorite Things Die-Namics Cross Stitched Rectangles Die Set to add a cozy textured layer in dark blue. To add continuity, I used more of the blue plaid patterned paper on the lower 1/3 of the card front. Then for the top 2/3 of the card front, I wanted to keep it bright but add more cozy texture, so I ran a piece of white card stock through my Big Shot with a We R Memory Keepers Next Level Quilted embossing folder.

The following is a Copic coloring and paper piecing process video for this card:

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

This card is being entered into the following challenges
Art Impressions Anything Goes Challenge
Card Mania Monochromatic Challenge – blues
CASology Hugs Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Winter Blues Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Patterned Paper Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Wish Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Twist Something New Challenge
MFT Sketch Challenge #367

I started with a cream colored card base and created my own background with the Docrafts Wooden Boards Background Stamp. I wanted to match the Stampin’ Up! rosy colored card stock from the Affectionately Yours collection so I used Simon Says Stamp Rose Apple Premium Ink.

I then cut the card base down so that it would be 6″ x 4.25″ (this is slightly taller than a standard A2 size but I wanted plenty of room for my image and sentiment inside the card).

I next worked on the inside of the card. I printed from my computer the saying that inspired this card, “Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never had a dog.”

Then I used the MISTI and stamped in the lower 2/3 an adorable C.C. Designs image of a girl cuddling her puppy; it’s called Birthday Puppy. I set this aside to Copic color later, but I needed it figure out the positioning of the heart window on the card front.

I used the Darice Love Theme Embossing Essentials and embossed the card front with the scalloped heart frame die and a Sizzix Silicone Embossing Mat, using the girl and the puppy stamp to approximate the positioning of the die on the card front.

I next used an X-Acto knife to cut out the center heart to create a window in the card front. To create a bit of dimension and add stability to the card front, I die cut the XOXO and the scalloped heart frame three times each and glued them stacked all together with Art Glitter Glue (the Fine Tip Nozzle makes this easy). I positioned the XOXO in the upper third of the card front and the stacked scalloped heart frames around the heart window I had cut out by hand.

To soften the card a bit, I rounded the two right corners with the 3/8″ side of a We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, and I did the same to the inside of the card liner piece too. I also inked the edges of the card front and the card liner with more Simon Says Stamp Rose Apple Ink to give a finished look.

Before attaching the card liner piece to the inside of the card, I colored the little girl and her pup with the following Copic colors:

Skin: E50, E51, E21, R20
Puppy: W0, W1, W3 and R30
Hair and shoes: B01, C5, C7, C9
Socks: C00 and C1
Pillow, puppy’s scarf, and girl’s dress: BG11, BG13, R24, R27 and R29

Disclosure: Many of the supplies I’ve used for today’s project are linked. Some may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog!

The following is a start to finish process video of making this card:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Monochrome Challenge – mostly reds
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Halloween Challenge
Not Just Cards Anything Goes Challenge
Just Keep On Creating Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge

I first stamped out the cute pug couple with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink in the lower right corner of a plain white card stock card front and used the following Copic colors to bring them to life:
Pugs: E51, E81, E84, W5 and W7
Bow and heart: R22 and R27
Ground shadow: C3

I also cleaned up the bleeding markers along the edges of the image with 0 Copic, a 0.03 pt Copic Multi-liner Pen, and a Uni-ball Signo White Gel Pen.

To add a little interest, I die cut a fancy lower edge to the card front using a die from the Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Borders 2 Die Set. Then I cut off about 1″ off the top of the card front to make some room at the bottom of the card front for a scrap of plaid patterned paper from the Graphic 45 Good Ol’ Sport Collection.

I adhered the whole card front to a kraft card stock card base, because I thought the kraft would add a nice coziness and coordinate with the warmth of the pug colors. For the inside liner of the card, I used another scrap of the Graphic 45 plaid paper as a mat and used a scrap of white card stock for the message area. The sentiment is from the My Favorite Things “You Make My Tail Wag” stamp set, and I used some Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen to stamp out some small paw prints.

As finishing touches and a little sparkle to the card front, I coated the heart with Cranberry Stickles and added a handful of Champagne Gold Stickles dots around the pug couple. I added Glossy Accents to the pugs’ eyes and noses for a tiny bit of shine and dimension too.

The following is a process video sharing the step by step process of making this card:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with Optional Monochrome Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Add Sparkle Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday You’ve Got the Edge Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Not Just Cards Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes Challenge with Optional Summer
Crafty Gals Corner Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge