I was so happy to be able to easily create this over-sized card using the Inloveartshop Stackables Spiral Pattern Decor Dies to create a background that highlights two focal point images. I cut out 4 sizes of the stackable spiral circles in various shades of purple — lavender, periwinkle, and deep purple. I stacked them progressively smaller and then spaced them out on a white card front on a periwinkle card base. To keep a cohesive look, I connected the stacked spirals with a strip of lavender card stock through the middle of the card. I also used a simple circle die (from the versatile Diemond Dies Die-Normous Stack-Ems Circle Nesting Die Set) to create a light background from which the puppy images could pop.  NOTE: My readers can get 20% off by using the DISCOUNT CODE: G-36967 at the Inloveartshop checkout. ​ 

For the focal images, I finally got to color up the poodle and the paws-up puppy from the Gina K Designs “Playful Pups” stamp set (retired). As my niece’s new puppy is an apricot mini poodle (like my sweet Biscuit was), I colored up the dogs with the following Copic colors:
Fur: YR21, YR23, YR24
Nose: W7
Tongue: R22 and R24
Ground for background white circles: C1
After fussy cutting them with my Fiskars Spring Loaded Reverse Scissors, I inked the edges of the cut images with a Memento Tuxedo Black Marker for a clean finished look. I also popped up the puppies on double sided foam adhesive to add even more dimension.

For the sentiment, I used the “Here’s to a day full of belly rubs and puppy treats” from the same stamp set. To help the sentiment stand out, I matted them with more scraps of the lavender and deep purple card stock that I had used for the background, and I also back the sentiment with more double sided foam adhesive. I had a few enamel bones from a Doodlebug Designs sticker set from the Puppy Play Collection (retired), so I added 3 to the sentiment for embellishments.

For the inside card liner, I used the remainder of the lavender card stock sheet. And for a little interest, I also used an old Fiskars Furry Friends Paw Squeeze Punch with a bit of the deep purple card stock for an accent paw print inside the card.

CLICK on the picture below to watch the card making video:

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:
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Use Green Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Stamping Sensations Monochromatic Challenge – purples

I had the full starter kit that includes 3 different colored wax sticks, a sample wax stamp (mine has a clock, but they have a whale and a magic circle image too), a melting spoon, and a couple of tea lights in a pretty giftable box, the Chinese Zodiac Dog, and a smaller Paw Print with a Heart.  I also designed a monogram stamp and Craspire made me a Custom Stamp with that design.

Since I knew it might be a while before I got to craft again, I decided to make a bunch of wax seal embellishments at once. I also got out some tiny paper flowers, my Sharpie metallic markers, and some bits of satin ribbon to add unique touches to the embellies.

I used a non-stick mat (mine is a jumbo size, but you can use a simple silicone baking sheet mat) to pour my melted wax and easily assemble these embellishments. It was fun to test out these ideas that have been floating around in my head for a while. Making a bunch at once will also save me from having to do multiple clean ups, etc. whenever I want to add these special elements to a card or envelope.

CLICK on the photo below to watch the demonstration video:

Thanks for stopping by today! PAWS to enjoy the process!

I stamped out the adorable pup with the Santa hat covering his eyes from the Art Impressions “Santa Paws” Stamp Set and colored him up like my niece’s dog, Boomer (even though the image is not a poodle), who is an apricot Poodle.
Dog: YR20, YR24, YR27
Santa hat and coat: R24, R27 and R29 with W0 and W1 for the fur trim
Flame: Y38 and R27 Lantern with candle: W1, YR20, YR24
Candy cane: R24, R27
I also used a Sakura Black Glaze Pen to add a tiny bit of shine and dimension to the nose and a Uniball Signo White Gel Pen to add some brightness and visual texture to the white fur trim.

For the background, I used Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Dies and some scrap card stock in pale blue, silver and shimmery white. I used the “Here Comes Santa Paws” sentiment from the same Art Impressions “Santa Paws” Stamp Set. To add extra sparkle and shine, I added 7 iridescent sequins with glitter glue.

For the inside liner, I used some scrap foiled silver and blue snowflake patterned paper scraps from my scrap box. Then for the inside sentiment and note writing space, I cut a smaller bright blue card stock, and stamped the “Happy Holidays to the coolest person I know” stamp from the Sugar Pea Designs “Eskimo Kisses” stamp set.

CLICK on the following picture to watch the crafting process video:

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 Celebrate Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Sparkle and Shine Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Christmas Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner Tis the Season Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge

MFT Stamps Sketch Challenge 521

I kept the card simple; making it a single layer card.  I used Strathmore Watercolor Paper and cut it down to 3.5″ x 8.5″, and simply inked up the line of pups on the slim line card card front with VersaFine Black Onyx Ink, which is safe for watercoloring. I then doodled on a rustic wooden fence with a Faber-Castell S Point Black PITT Artist Pen so that all the pups could look like they were jumping up over the fence from their yard into our garden to join in the party.

For watercoloring the scene, I used the following Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers with a Pentel Waterbrush:
Fence: Dark Brown (062), Mid Brown (065), Brown (060), Beige (072)
Golden Retreiver: Yellow (050), Beige (072)
Brown and White Pup (with my Bandito’s coloring): Light Brown (061), Brown (060), Beige (072), Light Grey (091)
Black and White Pup (with my Babaloo’s coloring): Beige (072), Light Grey (091), Dark Grey (095), Black (010)
Black Labrador: Light Blue (036), Dark Grey (095), Black (010)
Bulldog: Light Brown (061), Brown (060), Light Pink (026), Dark Brown (062), Dark Grey (095)
Tongues: Geranium (029), Wine Red (024), Dark Grey (095)
Sky: Light Blue (036)

I kept the inside card liner simple too. As if the dogs on the front were popping up to say, “Woofing You A happy Birthday”, I stamped the sentiment from the My Favorite Things Lucky Dog Stamp Set (retired). For an added “extra” I stamped out the little bulldog looking over his front paws on the bottom edge of the card liner to make it look like this pup was also peering in. The card base was cut from a navy blue card stock to nicely frame the card front.

CLICK on the picture below to watch the watercoloring process video:

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 doggy birthday party card is being entered into the following challenges:
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Art Impressions Rustic Roundup Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Add Texture Challenge
Penny Black and More In the Garden Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Crafty Gals Corner You’re the Man Challenge
Stamping Sensations All Creatures Great and Small Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
MFT Birthday Party Challenge

I used Memento Desert Sand Ink to ink them up to try a bit of no line Copic coloring, and I really love the results. To color up the pups like my sweet Havanese, I used a Copic Multiliner in 0.3 pt to define the eyes and noses, a White Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen to add white fur texture, and the following Copic colors:
White fur: W0 and W2
Brown fur: E11, E13, E15, and E57

I fussy cut them out with my favorite Fiskars spring loaded reverse scissors. Then to highlight them, I mounted them with foam tape onto scraps of pale pink tone on tone damask patterned paper that I cut into pennant and mounted on dark pink shimmer card stock. The standing and sitting pups were positioned on the upper pennant and the pup ready to play was positioned on the lower.

I used 3 small wooden hearts from my stash and coated them with Hibiscus Pink Stickles for sparkle (I had to let these dry overnight) and glued a heart by each puppy. I cut off the shank of a metal bone button and it fit perfectly glued in with E6000 as an embellishment  in the gap created by the two facing pennants, between the 2nd and 3rd puppies.

I used the left over scraps of the damask paper and the dark pink shimmer card stock to create a simple liner for the card. I hand printed the sentiment, “Happy Mothers Day to the BEST Dog Grandma!” using a hot pink Permanent Fine Point Sharpie.

CLICK on the following picture to watch the crafting process video:

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 puppy themed Mothers’ Day card is being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday For a Special Lady Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Flowers Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Pet Project Challenge
Penny Black and More All Things Feminine with Anything Goes Challenge
Crafts Galore Encore Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
MFT Stamps Sketch Challenge #436

I love how this hound dog came out after Copic coloring it with what I consider a more neutral Steampunk color combination:
Ears, legs and tail: Y00, Y15, Y35 and Y26
Body, N0, N1, N2, E40 and E41
Boots, heart and jowls: E11, E13, E07 and R08

CLICK on the following picture to watch the Copic coloring process video:

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!

Thanks again for stopping by. As soon as I figure out what to do with all these funky puppies, I’ll be back to share that with y’all. Till then, I hope you’re having a wonderful crafty day!

The next two Steampunk pups I colored up are the Terrier and Dachshund, and these are the Copics I used:
Terrier: R81, R85, R89, B93, B95 and B99 with Gold Gelly Roll Pen
Dachshund: YG61, YG63, YG67, G29, Y23, YR24, E71, E74, and E79

CLICK on the following picture to watch a Copic coloring process video:

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!

Thanks for stopping by, and please join me when I share what I create with all these Steampunk puppies!

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 first made a card using the pup from Paper Smooches’ “Chubby Chums” stamp set. I thought I could stamp a background with the pup and leave all but one of them in their simple stamped state. The one chosen pup, I melonized with the following Copic colors, and added a hand written sentiment with a white Stabilo Uniball pen that reads, “You’re One In A Melon!” This is for a friend who has a winter birthday and is turning 60 soon, but really likes the summer (especially summer fruits).

Green rind: G29, 17, 12, and 40
Red watermelon: R20, 22, 24 and 37 (for the tongue)

To help blend the light green and pale pink, I used the 0 blender, and I drew in the seeds with a 0.1 Copic multi-liner pen.  I also used a black Sakura Glaze pen on the nose and paw pads of all the dogs on the second card. I thought that without the eyes open on these pups, they needed a little more of a shine element to help them pop a bit.

I made the second card using one of the pups (the one that most looked like a collie to me) from The Greeting Farm’s “Lucky Dogs” stamp set (this is a new-to-me set I picked up during The Greeting Farm’s last Farmer’s Market Sale). I used the same Copic colors, and hand wrote, “Don’t Be Melon-Collie” for the sentiment. This card will be sent to a friend who is having a really rough time lately, and I hope it will cheer him up (or at least bring a smile to his face).

I know these are simple silly cards, and I think that is one of the beauties of paper crafting. We paper crafters can brighten someone’s day by creating a simple silly thing and sending a little happy snail mail. I love this avocation. Thanks for spending a little time with me today! Big hugs, Kristina

The following is an easy-to-follow repeat stamping technique tutorial with lots of stamping tips and tricks to create these types of backgrounds on cards:

These cards are being entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday Make Something New with New Product Challenge
Penny Black and More Anything Goes Challenge
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes with an Optional Totally Technical Challenge
Not Just Cards New Beginnings Challenge
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional Winter Challenge
Paper Crafter’s Corner #168 Inspiration Challenge – red and green colors – WINNER

The Melon-Collie card is being entered into
The Greeting Farm Farm Fresh Anything Goes Challenge

The You’re One In A Melon birthday card is being entered into the
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Winter Birthday Challenge

I made two CAS cards, one with the poodles for a crafty friend who is celebrating her dog, Sandy’s, birthday, and one with the rottweilers for a different crafty friend who recently got a new Rottie puppy. For the Rotties, I used the following Copic colors: E50, E51, E53, W3, W5, W7 with a hint of R20 for blush. For the poodles I made them all different colors. The one on the left is colored in E40, 70, 71 and 74; the center is: E31, 33, 35, and 37; and the right is: E50, 51, 21, 11 and 13. All the tongues are R32 and all the cheeks have a little blush with R20.

I made little post-it note masks of each pup and did a bit of Tim Holtz Distress Ink Blending to give the sense of a floor and to add a little color. The Rotties are standing on Twisted Citron with a wall of Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick while the poodles are on a floor of Spun Sugar blended to white.

For the banner titles, I just printed “All the single ladies…” from my computer one one of my favorite free font, Magnolia Sky, and popped them up on double sided foam adhesive. Other than that, I just added some well-placed sequins and doodled on some shimmery dots with a Clear Star Gelly Roll pen. Oh and the poodles card has the sentiment “Yappy Birthday!” from the Mama Elephant “Playful Pups” stamp set on the inside of the card.

The following is a video share of these cards:

These cards are being entered into the following challenges:
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Anything Goes Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door Anything Goes Challenge
613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge
Seize the Birthday Anything Goes Challenge – Poodles card
Creatalicious Anything Goes with Optional CAS Challenge
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes Challenge
Addicted to Stamps And More Anything Goes Challenge
Seven Hills Crafts July Colour Challenge – Rotties card