We interrupt our regular scheduled programme for some sad news.

We said goodbye to a special member of our family last weekend.

Spikey has been declining in health for some months now and we have done several rounds of vet visits, tests and medications in hopes we could fix him. However, his little body gave up on us this past weekend and we felt that it was time to let him go. He had such a big heart and an even bigger personality.

Relaxing in bed in his favorite spot - Mommy's lap

We love you Spikey and you have blessed us for six years (he turned 10 this year) ... may you find health and happiness where you are headed next and we'll see you again some day.

I procrastinated...

... but then again the baby is still new and the parents are still settling in, so I have some time.

A coworker who travels regularly with my husband on his work trips just had a baby girl last month. We are waiting on them to get settled before we visit, meet their new daughter and wish them the very best. From pictures he has sent me and stories he's told she's quite the little spitfire. If only all girls started this way and didn't pay attention to media expectations... but that's another discussion for another time.

Inspiration: Mojo Monday's MOJO297 as interpreted by Julie Tilman of Poetic Artistry.

I couldn't help but bring out some old CTMH product that I had purchased and never used - Just Blooms in White Daisy. And as always, I couldn't tell you where my ribbon came from but it's so gorgeous I had to add it to the card.

Inside the little chick is paper pieced - she was originally for the front of the card but I couldn't make it work!

Other: 
* Solid cardstock
* Red ribbon

CTMH:
* La Vie En Rose Level 2 Paper Pack
* New Arrival
* Happy Easter
* Just Blooms White Daisy Variety Pack
* Gypsy Ink
* Outdoor Denim Ink

It has been amazing to see my city rally after the Flood of 2013... hope you are all safe and dry.

Promotional Item Replacement...

... looks like this past weekend everyone had "mini-banner" on their minds.

If you were hoping to get one of these they are now all sold out :( but as this promotion is running the length of June, they are offering the milk cartons instead for the same deal.

You get two milk cartons and clips to decorate however you like - it's time to start getting crafty! What will you be making this week?

Hope you all have a great week!

It's always exhilarating...

... to hear that one of your closest friends is in the family way. We first got wind of them visiting Calgary late last month, and they are slated to be here end of this month. I look forward to seeing them but more importantly I got invited to a baby shower so the truth comes out!

Congratulations to them - they are our brother and sister of the heart. I can't go to this baby shower empty handed, so I had to make a card. As to what the gift is, I figure it out later.

Today's inspiration: Case Study #140, interpreted by Amy Wanford.

I used the rock and roll technique on the baby image with the kitten, stamping first in Amethyst ink and rolling the edges in Moonstruck. 

I brought the background image on the front to edge the left side of the cardstock on the inside and stamped the sentiment in Moonstruck.

Other: 
* Solid cardstock

CTMH:
* New Arrival
* Baby Love
* Hello Tweety
* Amethyst Ink
* Moonstruck Ink
* Honey Ink
* Paradise Baker's Twine
* 2" Scallop Punch
* Opaque Adhesive Pearls
* Itty Bitty Sparkles

It's still raining around here but at least we're getting some moments of sunshine which is better than nothing!

June 2013 SOTM is here...

... with a few exciting things from CTMH! My plants are back, the snow is *finally* gone and the cat is clamoring to be let out.

First up is the Stamp of the Month: A Flowering Bunch.

 This set is just begging to be colored whether or not it's used as part of a scrappy layout, DIY embellishments, or additions to cards. You can grab this set for 5$ with a minimum 50$ purchase.

Secondly, as you know Mother Nature has turned on Oklahoma. Close To My Heart has pledged 100% of all sales from the stamp set "A True Thank You" from the Autumn/Winter 2013 Idea Book to help tornado victims.

For a limited time, you can support the troops and be patriotic with this limited edition stamp set, Courage (Canadian) and Home of the Brave (US).

3$ from each sale of the B-sized Courage set and 5$ from each sale of Home of the Brave set will be donated to the Canadian Hero Fund from June 1 - June 31. The Canadian Hero Fund supports spouses and children of fallen Canadian military troops by providing post-secondary education in Canada.

And finally, the best for last (I wasn't kidding about all the awesome stuff going on this month) - a free mini-banner if you purchase $25 worth of products that includes a stamp set.

Jazz up parties, office spaces, and even areas in the home by making your own banner to suit the space. This includes 10 chipboard pennants in different shapes and jump rings to connect it all together.

I've just got wind of another couple expecting so I'm off to make another baby card... it is June after all, right?

Another Mother's Day Card

... you know you need a scrapbooking room when you make a card, but in the midst of waiting for said Mom to come for a visit (in a few weeks' time) and the card being done, you actually lose the card. But, I remade the card and now I can post it for you!

On the bright side, the basement development is done and that means I can commandeer a room and a walk in closet for scrapbooking!

I can't figure out which Case Study was my muse for this card, but she had this cool white on cream (Kraft-style) look that I just absolutely had to case. (and yes maybe I'm just a wee bit obsessed with that blog).

The swirls and rose are all embossed in White. I actually found the white powder hard to emboss with. My first time embossing was with silver which changes color as it melts, but white isn't quite as easy to see unless if you're right in the sun with the right angle.

My first attempt at sticking things on top of embossed images didn't work (it kept coming off!) so this time around I got smart. I instead decided to stamp the swirls again from the front in White Daisy ink and this time it really stuck.

Other:
* Solid cardstock

CTMH:
* Dream Big
* Happy Valentine's - Jan 2013 SOTM
* White Embossing Powder
* White Daisy Ink
* Red, Pink and Purple Sparkles
* Just Blooms Flutter Paper Shapes

I hope this rain onslaught ends. You can literally see in my garden when I had to stop digging due to the rain in the last week or so and where the crazy weeds start.

Stay dry,

May 2013 Stamp of the Month and Dream Pop

It's actually May long weekend with no snow. You have no idea how miraculous that is in my hometown - people are known to put off plant buying until after because for the last many years it snows and kills all the plants!!

May's Stamp of the Month is Pinwheel - lots of things you could do with this set.

As you can see once again a few images are highlighted with a red outline - this means by using the Artiste Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart you can cut out coordinating shapes. 

Last but not least is this month's Constant Campaign: Dream Pop. It is an exclusive set of papers that have raised images on them. How cool is that? It'll add new pizzaz to your cards and scrapbook layouts. 

I have another card to post from Mother's Day so keep your eyes open - it's a new style that I tried out and loved the results. Now if the adhesive wouldn't fail because of the embossing...

Hope you are having a great weekend!