I KNOW! I CAN"T BELIEVE IT EITHER! That's ME in the middle row on the right!! When Jennifer emailed me the good news I literally had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Obviously, I am wicked excited as I have been a big Newton's Nook Designs fan since they opened, they won me over with their whimsical critter images, and it is an honor to represent this company.
I thought I'd create a little something new for you to feast your eyes upon as I celebrate my happy news, as you were kind enough to visit my blog. My friends & followers already know how to love to distribute treats to Ty's neighborhood doggie friends on the holidays, and this year is no exception. I could not find the totally consumable rawhide lollipops that I used in years past this year, so instead I opted for these festive rawhide 'candy canes' instead.
Isn't that sentiment 'Happy Howl-idays PERFECT for this?!! I KNOW!! The pup is from 'Canine Christmas' and is colored with Copic markers to try to match Ty baby's coloring and framed with some Nestabilities die cuts in festive colors (I was trying to make it resemble a wreath like the one around the pup's neck in the image). I added a red eyelet (who says no one uses eyelets anymore?!!) and wove some red & white 'candy cane' twine through it and tied it in a great big bow. One down... twelve more to go... LOL!
Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share my exciting news with you! I hope you will stop by the blogs of my new teamies as well - their addresses should be listed in the margin (if they aren't yet, they will be later today - didn't want to post too early and spoil the surprise, wink). I hope all of your holiday preparations are coming along smoothly!
Cheers!
~ Crafty Math Chick
Hello Friends & Followers! I hope those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah have a happy & health new year and are written & sealed in the Book of Life for another year. Today I created a card for Newton's Nook's Inky Paw Challenge #2 which was this cool sketch:
I used 'Newton's Antics' and came up with this card:
(please click on image for clearer resolution). DOH! I just remembered I had wanted to put two pins through that yarn ball to act as knitting needles - WAAH! I can still do it - maybe I will swap out the pic later, or take a new one, because I liked that idea...
Newton kitty is colored with Copics and is actually comprised of three layers - can you tell? The body, then his head is popped up, then his little paws are popped up on top of that with the embroidery floss 'yarn' woven through his little pawsies as if he pounced on it. The ball of yard was created by wrapping the floss around a small pom pom and using more and more glue dots to keep it intact. I created the background papers using the cute ball of yarn and fish bone images and a little tone-on-tone stamping with Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss (I miss this color!). The striped 'wallpaper' is from a retired Stampin' Up! collection that is so old I can't even remember the name of it, LOL! lastly, some My Mind's Eye enamel dots grace the upper left corner (LOVE these things!). Card complete. I am also entering this card in the following challenges:
Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and see my creations. I hope you have a terrific Friday!
~ Crafty Math Chick
(Before I get to the pajama party festivities please let me know if you are interested in helping out little Taco Papacito - see this post here - he still needs a foster home or a forever home and I have heard from several stamping companies kind enough to donate supplies for a fundraising blog hop to help cover his eye surgery - thank you!!)
Today I am playing along with Waltzingmouse Stamps' Pajama Party Challenges (which has been challenging to do with my mind on poor little Taco, so if you think this work is not quite my best, you will know why.) I used my new 'Ocean Bound' set on three of these cards, which I was lucky enough to win as blog candy (Thanks Claire & Lynn!!). The first challenge we were asked to 'tie a knot' so I used some thick, rough twine and created this card:
(please click on the photo for clearer resolution). It is based on this week's 'Seize the Sketch'... sketch
I used a Fiskars wave border punch to create the 'ocean' (stamping the ship underneath first) and added a tag next to the knot. Clap clap - challenge 1 complete!
Challenge 2 was called 'Get Nauty' - anything nautical themed (so I technical could have entered all three of my creations thus far) but you got extra bonus points if you made something 3D, so I scoured my pantry for lifesavers to play off of the 'You're a lifesaver' sentiment but found none (EH! - HEY), so instead I used my MFT lollipop die cut and some Fancy Pants paper from their 'Down By The Shore" to create this little thank you treat with a Tootsie lollipop inside:
I fussy cut the cut lifesaver out and tucked the sentiment underneath and added a little crab eyelet from my stash (GASP - how cute would these be with Lifesaver Lollipops?!! I wonder if they still make them...). Challenge 2 - clap clap complete!
Challenge 3 was a coloring combination based on this picture:
I chose to focus on one of the cute seashorse images from the set to create my own background paper:
The chain links were created with an EK Success edger punch I got on clearance at JoAnn's years ago - cool isn't it? And I stamped off the ship image twice with Pcific Point ink to give it a subtle effect behind the 'Bon Voyage' sentiment.
So, those are my first three cards. There are two more challenges I hope to be able to play along with before the Pajama Party ends - hope you will play along too! Thanks for stopping by!~ Crafty Math Chick
Hello my friends & followers! I wanted to get my entry in for Some Odd Girl's August Sketch Challenge before the window of opportunity was completely closed. Here is the sketch:
And here is my card using SURPRISE! - SOG's Preppy Pups set along with SURPRISE! - My Mind's Eye 'Sunshine' paper collection in my favorite color combination: sky blue & chocolate brown - I used to think this color combo.
looked funny, but after seeing it plastered all over the campus of my alma mater for four years it kind of grew on me and since undergrad was such a positive experience those warm, fuzzy feelings probably seeped into that color combination as well - I am always drawn to it when I see it in products in stores. I used Copic colors E74, E77 & E79 to color in the adorable pup. I am going to start needing refills in my E-family soon with all the pups I color, LOL!
(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution). I am also entering this card in the following additional challenges:
I've had some folks inquire about how Taco Papacito is going (for the original story, please see this post). Thankfully, he has found a foster family (even if it isn't mine, sniff sniff!) so he at least isn't living at the vet's office anymore. I am waiting for more information on the cost of his eye surgery so I will know how much needs to be raised and have already had a BUNCH of really sweet ladies representing several stamping companies step up and offer to help with a blog hop and crafty goodies for blog candy - so please keep checking back! And a HUGE thank you to those who have already donated (since Taco is now at a foster, it is probably easier to donate to Jansen's Animal Hospital directly if you are interested in helping out - just ask your donation be put toward Taco Papacito's bill for neutering, shots, and boarding fees). Thanks so much for your concern and support of this sweet little dog trying so hard for a second chance at a happy life!
~ Crafty Math Chick
Hello friends & followers! You know my blog is called 'Canines and Card Designs' - well, today is all about the CANINES! My friend Kelli Jo posted a link to a video by Laurie Bershin about this little stray she rescued, meet Taco Papacito:
You can watch his adorable youtube video here - I dare you not to fall in love: Taco Papacito.
This poor little man has vet bills that are really stacking up and needs to have surgery left eye. I implore you - please do what you can to help Laurie care for this little guy, share his story on your blogs and on FB and Twitter, if you tweet. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated and can be made to the vet's office (Dr. Sauer at Jansen's Animal Hospital in Torrance, CA - just tell them to add it to Taco Papacito's account) directly over the phone at 310-328-0380. A bunch of kind stampers and stamping companies have been kind enough to donate products and design digis for an upcoming fundraiser to cover his expensive eye surgery - so stay tuned for information on that. Please help Taco get healthy and find his forever family (I want him in MINE but hubby is still saying 'no' sniff sniff), he is such a sweet little boy. Thank you all for your love, concern and help, from the bottom of my heart!
~ Crafty Math Chick
Happy Friday Friends & Followers! I hope you have some fun things planned for your weekends! Today I have two cards that I created for some of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' release day challenges over on Splitcoaststampers.com. Ceal's challenge was to create a card where the sentiment was featured. I took this as an opportunity to make some stick pins (LOOOOVE making stick pins for my cards!) in some happy yellow colors and let a warm sentiment from SNSS' 'True Friend' set shine:
(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution). I love big bold striped patterned papers like this, so classy - if you know of any collections with them I'd always appreciate a heads up in the comments! I used a large EK Success punch to punch out the sentiment and punched a black circle behind it to make it stand out a bit more, and an EK Success Anthus Leaf border punch for the horizontal strip that I tied some satin & sheer Offray ribbon over from the days when I was able to road trip to the Offray Ribbon Outlet in Hagerstown, MD (if you live within an hour or so - DC, Carlisle PA - it is worth the trip if you like ribbon or have a function like a wedding coming up!). I made the stick pins with some beads from a pretty yellow collection at Walmart believe it or not (it is difficult to find yellow beads for some reason). I added a little golden bling to the outer edges of the sentiment as well. I am also entering this card in the following additional challenges:
Korin's challenge was really pretty - to stamp a silhouette image behind the sentiment. I always love the way this looks when it see it in other people's projects, but I never remember to do it so I appreciated the incentive. I don't have many silhouette images in my collection (I think I love to color too much) so I stamped some paw prints from SNSS' 'Woof You' set, stamping off once to give the ink a more subtle look and created this card, with another sentiment from 'True Friend':
The layout was inspired by the sketch in A.R.T. Challenge #10:
I also entered this card in the following additional challenges as well:
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
~ Crafty Math Chick
Hello Friends & Followers! Today I have a retirement card based on this week's sketch from Sketch Saturday:
I used Papertrey Ink's 'Polka Dot Parade #3' stamp set & dies paired with a retirement sentiment from their 'On the Links' set to create my card:
(please click on the photo for clearer resolution). At first I was going to use the same colors I used in the card I created yesterday, but then I decided how the yellow looked in place of the tangerine for the particular recipient of this card. Isn't the little recliner image cute? Hee hee! Since my card is CAS I am also entering it into My Crafty Spot's Clean & Simple Challenge as well.
Thanks so much for stopping by - feels good to be creating again on a regular basis!
~ Crafty Math Chick
