Friday, December 28, 2012

Sassy in prison.... Day 1...

It's with a very heavy heart that we have decided to cage Sassy because of her bathroom issues.  Wednesday she started peeing on the pad (she's hasn't done that since early August) and this morning she both peed and pooped on the pad right next to the cat box.  Needless to say, we're both frustrated.  We've tried all the methods except this one and this is our last resort.  From here, taking her back to the shelter is our only option and we're sure no one will adopt her if they know she won't use her cat box 100% of the time.  Our plan of attack is to keep her in the cage during the day when she can watch the birds and put her in our downstairs laundry room at night so she can walk around a bit.  Both areas will have a cat box just a few steps away.  We will remove the rugs in the bathroom before we put her in just in case she's tempted by them.

Carl is also off renting a rug shampooing machine so we can clean the carpet in the living room.  We want to keep the litter box in the bathroom if this works; we will not be returning a litter box to the living room and hope that cleaning the carpet will make her lose interest in the living room as a bathroom.

This is the cage we used when we took her to Wisconsin.  Ironically, she spent an entire week in our cabin with no messes at all.  She consistently used her litter box.
The rugs in the laundry room will be removed before we put her in tonight.  She'll have more room to move around and I've even added some of her toys.
If this works, we will move the bookcase and build an enclosure around the box so it's a little less noticeable.  We clean the box every time she uses it so odor shouldn't be an issue.  She'll be confined at least until the end of January, then we will let her out in the family room during the day when we can watch her but lock her up at night for a few weeks.  We should know by the middle of February if we can retrain her to use the litter box.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Seriously? Tom Cruise?...

I am a voracious reader.  If I don't have anything else to read, I'll read the back of the cereal box.  I have a huge library of books and an e-Reader filled to the max with e-books.  If you took everything I owned away from me except my books, I think I could learn to be happy.  Some of you may remember a Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meridith.  I don't remember the entire show but the terrifying part for me would be the destruction of a city, finding an intact library, having the rest of my life to do nothing but read and then stepping on my glasses so I couldn't.  A total nightmare.

Over the years, I've developed a great love for certain characters.  John D. McDonald's Travis McGee, John Sanford's Lucas Davenport and Lee Childs' Jack Reacher.  These are guys I would call if I were in trouble.  I have complete sets of all the books these guys are in and I've read them multiple times.  When I heard they were making a movie with Jack Reacher in it, I was really excited.  And I hoped it wouldn't be like One for the Money by Janet Evanovich.  While I loved the book, Katherine Heigl was absolutely the wrong person for the movie (and I like Katherine Heigl).  Her personality was fine, but when I close my eyes and see Stephanie Plum, I see Archie Panjabi (size-wise - not her character in The Good Wife).  When I close my eyes and see Jack Reacher, I certainly don't see Tom Cruise.  Well, I didn't, until the film came out.  I've never been a Tom Cruise fan and when I saw him jumping on the couch like a monkey, I became even less so.  He may be big box office, but he'll never be Jack Reacher.  As much as I adore Michael J. Fox, I would not cast him as the leader of the Spartans in 300.  As for Reacher, I would have voted for Liam Neeson or Ron Perlman or anyone on this list.  As one person who commented on this list said - "the e-trade baby would have made a better Jack Reacher than Tom Crusie".  That said, I'm not seeing the movie.  It's bad enough every time I open my Kindle Fire HD, there's an ad for the book with Tom Cruise's face on it, I think seeing the movie will ruin an entire series for me.  Lee Childs, what were you thinking?  Postscript:  I haven't purchased an Evanovich book since the movie came out.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Traditions.....

When I was growing up our family was so fractured that I can only remember one Christmas with fondness.  We gathered at my paternal grandmother's house for dinner and after dinner the older kids were dropped off at a local theater and the adults drank and watched football.  All of our holidays were celebrated with lots of drinking and often erupted into fights and slights and recriminations.  Today I have no traditions to pass on to my child.  We do have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner although with our legacy of fractured families, everyone is obligated to be elsewhere including work.  Several years ago when my FIL was still alive, my husband would travel an hour (both ways) to pick him up for dinner at our house.  As soon as we finished eating, he wanted to go home, the kids had other places to visit or my daughter had to go to work.  They landed like a swarm of locusts and two hours later the house was quiet, Carl was on his way to his father's and I was usually left with the mess.  And that's how our Chili Christmas was created.  The day before our holiday (which could have been up to a week before or after the 25th depending on our Christmas trip to Florida and the kids' schedules), I would make a huge crock pot of chili.  Then it didn't matter when people showed up or how long they stayed.  The mess was relatively simple to clean up and the chili was hot all day.  Easy Peasy.

That worked well for several years but this year before Thanksgiving my daughter mentioned turkey.  Turkey?  Oh, no, not that again.  My FIL is no longer with us but the other problems remain - work, other obligations.  Still, I purchased two turkey breasts, lots of Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes (much better than any I can make), a couple of cans of corn, I made Green Bean Casserole, slid some Crescent Rolls into the oven and baked a Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie.  Easy Peasy.  I sent one breast home with the kids and still had enough for sandwiches.  The pan I cooked the breasts in was covered with foil - easy clean up.  I cooked the potatoes in their pans.  I actually had to use a casserole dish for the green beans and a small pan for the corn but the cookie sheet for the rolls was covered in foil.  I only had to load the dish washer once and everything was done.  Easy Peasy.

It worked so well at Thanksgiving, we're doing it again for Christmas Eve.  My SIL is requested at his parents on Christmas so we'll be eating dinner and exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve.  We've always believed that Christmas is in your heart, not on a date; we could have Christmas in July and none of us would mind.  So, I'm serving a spiral sliced ham (ordered from the local butcher already cooked), Bob Evan's yummy potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, rolls and pumpkin pie - all with the easy clean up.  Now, I just have a house to clean, the rest of the presents to wrap and stocking stuffers for my husband to purchase.  Ladies:  what does Santa put in your husband's stockings - I'm looking for ideas.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Suddenly Sassy...

I've been thinking seriously about starting another blog just for the trials and tribulations we've had with our rescue cat, Sassy Boo Boo.  We came back from our winter vacation to Florida on Saturday.  When we travel, we have a family that looks in on Sassy every day making sure the litter box is clean, she has fresh water and food and they stay and play with her for a while if she's amenable to that.  Periodically, we get updates.  Only one accident, she hid every time they came over, she didn't eat her treats, they couldn't catch her to give her the Prozac.  A call to the vet said there would be no problem discontinuing the Prozac until we got home so we told the sitter to just leave her alone.  When we left she was skittish, hid from us, hated to be picked up, would run every time we approached her and was generally not very friendly, although she has never been mean.  If you follow my blog, you know we've tried pheromones, we've tried different litter boxes, different litters; in fact, we've tried everything the vet recommended except locking her up in a small space with her litter box.  We are in this for the long haul, we will not give her up and I can't help thinking there is something we're missing.

Since we returned home, she's been the most loving she has ever been.  She comes when called, she lets us love on her, she's ok with being picked up, she follows me everywhere - and the biggest change:  she lays on my footstool and allows me to brush her.  Since she's a 'fluffy' cat, she has lots of fur, it isn't long but it's very dense.  She wouldn't let me anywhere near her with a brush before; now, I just tap the footstool with the brush and she's there.  Her temperament has done a 180.  She's vocalizing more now.  Last night she actually woke us up by sitting on the floor next to our bed and caterwauling.  It sounded like two cats fighting under our bed.  When I woke up, I sat up and patted the bed, she jumped up, we did the loving bit for a few minutes, she jumped down and was quiet the rest of the night.  As if she needed to reassure herself we were still there.

This morning we found another mess on the waterproof pad.  The Feliway bottles are still full, not due to be changed for another week and I'm not so sure they're helping anyway.  She's getting all the attention she's demanding.  She's eating and drinking well.  She has three bird feeders that vie for her attention, she has a good life and still....

We tried one more experiment today.  We have large round plastic discs with a one inch high edge that originally were to put under a Christmas Tree so you didn't get water on the floor, they're about the size of a sled saucer.  We put one of those in the center of the two extra large boxes we have out now and put cat litter in it.  Maybe it's edges she doesn't like.  We've noticed when she uses the litter box, 100% of the time she scooches back until her rear touches the side of the box and then she goes.  She never goes in the middle, at least, we've never found a mess there.  She also doesn't like to cover anything up, so the scattered litter won't be a problem.  We're tried almost everything else, trying this won't hurt anything.  Stay tuned....

Friday, November 30, 2012

A small rant and other things.....

First the rant.  We're getting ready for a trip to Florida and I'm trying to get my toiletries together.  Am I the only one that's unhappy that everyone who makes shampoo and body wash thinks you need the ubber large size?  I have a small bathroom bag and wanted shampoo and body wash that would last about two weeks.  Isn't going to happen.  I couldn't even find travel bottles in my brands.  So, I purchased 4 three ounce bottles of cheap body wash and shampoo at Walmart.  I emptied them out, washed them and refilled them with my brands.  Now I have a week's worth for my bathroom bag and an extra week in my suitcase.  Two of the three ounce bottles have flip top lids and two have screw tops.  I put the screw tops in the suitcase (ever have a bottle of shampoo leak all over your underwear?) and the flip top lids in a sandwich bag and then into my bathroom bag.

The other thing is my Christmas present from my husband arrived on Thursday.  I ordered a Kindle Fire HD.  I've been researching for weeks trying to find a portable tablet that would do everything I wanted to do at a price my husband wouldn't get stomach cramps over.  The iPad is too much machine for me.  We usually travel with my top of the line laptop.  Even the mini iPad is too much machine.  I researched the Google Nexus but I have an investment in Kindle.  I had the 1st generation Kindle thanks to a generous husband and a brilliant son-in-law.  I loved it.  I graduated to the Kindle Touch (not so much).  It was hard to read at night in bed, it had a dark screen.  I kept touching the wrong places and turning pages - hitting the back key and getting totally out of my book with no bookmark.  By the time I realized I loved my 1st gen, my daughter had her hands firmly on it and .... mama was looking for a new device.

So, I get the Fire HD and start working on it.  First, I have to say it was relatively easy to set up.  I had my Facebook and e-mail accounts in no time.  Netflix took a little longer.  You can't just go buy an app and have it magically appear on your HD - you have to 'down' from Amazon and 'up' from the Fire - sync it - turn around three times and eat a raw egg -  but that was a minor glitch and I'm good with apps now.  Any movies you might have on your computer (digital copies of movies you've purchased) will not run on the Fire.  The Fire only plays MP4 files and you have to search the web for info.  I found two pieces of software:  Wondershare Video Converter and iSkySoft DVD Ripper.  Wondershare worked very well for those digital copies, it converted the WMV files into MP4 files - I loaded them onto my Fire and played them - easy peasy - it just took time.  When I tried to turn my VOP files into MP4 files, the Fire wouldn't play them.  So, I used the iSkySoft which worked really well.  I even changed the resolution to to 1280x800 which looks really good in the Fire.  When you load these movies on your Fire, they will appear in the "Your Videos" category, not in the movies.  Confusing a little bit?  All in all, so far I'm a happy camper.  Now, I just have to learn how to play Angry Birds - anybody got a tutorial?

A small rant and other things.....

First the rant.  We're getting ready for a trip to Florida and I'm trying to get my toiletries together.  Am I the only one that's unhappy that everyone who makes shampoo and body wash thinks you need the ubber large size?  I have a small bathroom bag and wanted shampoo and body wash that would last about two weeks.  Isn't going to happen.  I couldn't even find travel bottles in my brands.  So, I purchased 4 three ounce bottles of cheap body wash and shampoo at Walmart.  I emptied them out, washed them and refilled them with my brands.  Now I have a week's worth for my bathroom bag and an extra week in my suitcase.  Two of the three ounce bottles have flip top lids and two have screw tops.  I put the screw tops in the suitcase (ever have a bottle of shampoo leak all over your underwear?) and the flip top lids in a sandwich bag and then into my bathroom bag.

The other thing is my Christmas present from my husband arrived on Thursday.  I ordered a Kindle Fire HD.  I've been researching for weeks trying to find a portable tablet that would do everything I wanted to do at a price my husband wouldn't get stomach cramps over.  The iPad is too much machine for me.  We usually travel with my top of the line laptop.  Even the mini iPad is too much machine.  I researched the Google Nexus but I have an investment in Kindle.  I had the 1st generation Kindle thanks to a generous husband and a brilliant son-in-law.  I loved it.  I graduated to the Kindle Touch (not so much).  It was hard to read at night in bed, it had a dark screen.  I kept touching the wrong places and turning pages - hitting the back key and getting totally out of my book with no bookmark.  By the time I realized I loved my 1st gen, my daughter had her hands firmly on it and .... mama was looking for a new device.

So, I get the Fire HD and start working on it.  First, I have to say it was relatively easy to set up.  I had my Facebook and e-mail accounts in no time.  Netflix took a little longer.  You can't just go buy an app and have it magically appear on your HD - you have to 'down' from Amazon and 'up' from the Fire - sync it - turn around three times and eat a raw egg -  but that was a minor glitch and I'm good with apps now.  Any movies you might have on your computer (digital copies of movies you've purchased) will not run on the Fire.  The Fire only plays MP4 files and you have to search the web for info.  I found two pieces of software:  Wondershare Video Converter and iSkySoft DVD Ripper.  Wondershare worked very well for those digital copies, it converted the WMV files into MP4 files - I loaded them onto my Fire and played them - easy peasy - it just took time.  When I tried to turn my VOP files into MP4 files, the Fire wouldn't play them.  So, I used the iSkySoft which worked really well.  I even changed the resolution to to 1280x800 which looks really good in the Fire.  When you load these movies on your Fire, they will appear in the "Your Videos" category, not in the movies.  Confusing a little bit?  All in all, so far I'm a happy camper.  Now, I just have to learn how to play Angry Birds - anybody got a tutorial?


Don't you love Memory Box dies?  I love my Spellbinders but it's nice there's something a little more delicate out there.  And in particular, I love these two.  The background is the Debutante die and the tree is an overlay.  I painted some Mod Podge on a piece of wax paper, laid down the overlay and rub it with a sheet of paper, picked it up with tweezers and placed it on my background.  It's a great way to glue these delicate little pieces.  The snowman is a Lily of the Valley stamps and such fun to color.  Until later....

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Back in the saddle again.....

I've been playing with the new Sizzix Pop-Up dies and enjoying how quickly you can put a card together.  I think the best part of this card is the paper.  These cards are a wonderful use for that card stock with patterns too big for A2 cards.  The flowers in the center were cut with my Cameo - I can't remember where I found the file, it isn't mine.  I wasn't writing down my recipe when I created this card, I was just playing with a new die but I like the way it turned out and will probably send it out as a Christmas card this year.



Friday, November 23, 2012

So stuffed.....

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  We had the whole feast including two turkey breasts so we had plenty of left-overs.  I have been working on an order of 50 Christmas cards for a dear friend.  I finished them last night, late.  I have labels to print and then I can deliver them - a really good thing since we might be leaving for Florida the first week in December.  Yesterday was a really pretty day for late November, today, not so much.  Very cold and very windy - I know - I had to fill the bird feeders this morning.

Sassy Update:  We had invested in a Cat Attract cat litter from PetSmart and filled one of the cat boxes in the living room with it.  We have three boxes, two on one level and one on another level.  She has used the single box once.  She uses the multiple boxes daily.  We refilled the Feliway and now have three dispensers throughout the house.  She doesn't spend much time in the basement, only going down there when one of us does or to chase a ball.
We went five whole days without an accident but had one this morning.  Luckily she is still using the waterproof pad so clean up is simple, but still....  She's a young cat, we can't spend the next ten years cleaning up messes.  So, today I started her on the Kitty Prozac, half a tablet a day.  She hates it and we'll have the devil to pay when we try to catch her tomorrow.  She has an inherent distrust of us and it takes days of no meds or eye wiping to be able to stroke her and she always cries when we pick her up like she fears something really bad is going to happen.  I'm still worried about her left eye which leaks copiously.  The vet ruled out infection in the eye but after research, I've discovered it could be a blocked tear duct or inwardly growing eyelashes.  It has to be uncomfortable but we don't have a cat ophthalmologist nearby.   I doubt that's causing the problems with her missing the cat box but cats are weird so you never know.  If the Prozac doesn't work, next is confining her to the travel cage which is truly a last resort for us.  I can't help but think there is still something going on with her.  She knows where the potty area is, she always uses it.  She's within six or eight inches of the cat box when she makes her mess.  One thing we've noticed is when she poops in her cat box, it's a relatively small deposit but when she poops outside the box, it's a major effort.  She also backs her butt up to the side of the box to go to the bathroom, as if touching the box triggers release.  These things could be factors or maybe not.  At this point we're just walking in the dark.  We have at least a week until we leave for Florida to test the Prozac.  Stay tuned....

So stuffed.....

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  We had the whole feast including two turkey breasts so we had plenty of left-overs.  I have been working on an order of 50 Christmas cards for a dear friend.  I finished them last night, late.  I have labels to print and then I can deliver them - a really good thing since we might be leaving for Florida the first week in December.  Yesterday was a really pretty day for late November, today, not so much.  Very cold and very windy - I know - I had to fill the bird feeders this morning.

This card is one I created a while ago.  I'm still infatuated with just stamping.  These stamps are from Cornish Heritage Farms, Stampscapes and MFT.  Just a simple masking, sponging and stamping but I like the feeling it gives.  I'm sure somewhere in our travels I have seen this landscape.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Time to quit foolin' around....

On another front:  Sassy is having her ups and downs.  After installing the Feliway diffusers and the extra litter box, we had 17 accident free days.  Then an accident, skip a day, an accident, an accident.  But lucky for us she was using the water-proofed pad next to the cat box.  She had been sweet with touches of affection and then started reverting to running away from us.  The Feliway is supposed to last for 30 days and when my calendar notified me it was time to change the bottles, I discovered them bone dry.  I refilled them two days ago and no accidents.  While this isn't scientific and it isn't conclusive, I would be willing to go out on a limb and suggest the Feliway is really working.  Last night she actually patted me on the back while I was working on the computer.  She hasn't done that for over a week and I just didn't think about why she quit.  She used to spend the day with me in my craft room on the shelf in front of the window and she quit doing that also.  Last night she was back on her shelf.  And she's talking to me again.  She's still so new to us that we're not in tune with her habits and personality.  If she continues accident free, we will reduce the number of boxes (we now have three) and push the remaining one into the corner (we pulled two of them back out into the middle of the living room when she had her first accident).  In the meantime, I've ordered a six pack of Feliway refills.  Here's hoping.....

Time to quit foolin' around....

It's been ages since I've published a card - the auction ran for two weeks and I was so busy with bids that I didn't have time to get anything done.  So, this morning I actually entered a challenge, something I don't do very often.


This card was created for the Outlawz Monday Greeting Card Challenge which you can find here.  The challenge is for a non-traditional Thanksgiving card with a greeting.  I'm having such fun discovering why I started stamping in the first place.  My hubs, bless his heart, purchased me some huge Super Sticky Post-its (8" x 6") which I used to mask my white card stock.  I added Memento Summer Sky and Nautical Blue using the rule of thirds.  I stamped my tree and my sentiment and called it a day.  It feels good to be back in the saddle again.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Free Astrological Sign - Scorpio

I realize this is late - what can I say?  Life seems to get in the way of all the things I want to do.  I will try to be more on top of these in the future and I apologize to those of you who needed it earlier.


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Papelitos Guest Designer - 2nd Time

Whoo Hoo!  I've been asked to be the guest designer for Papelitos 18th Challenge - Music.  I love me a singing boogieman, don't you?  And Stewart is just fabulous.  When I got this digital stamp, I envisioned Stewart as a very well dressed ghoul.  Somehow with a striped vest, he doesn't look so scary, right?  I paper pieced much of this image.  I have a huge stack of paper that I had cut down from 12x12 years ago and every once in a while I drag it out for paper piecing.  Most pieces are 5x7 and they're easy to run through the printer.  All in all, this was printed four times.  Twice on white cardstock, once for the red striped and once for the gray suit.  I had to fussy cut the suit, vest and one white Stewart, I assembled one Stewart and popped it up over the one printed with the music.  His suit has been colored with C3, C1 and C0.  I looked to the internet for words to a song he could be singing as he walked along.  I've never heard this one, but you have to admit the words are wonderfully fitting.  And, I think the skull is really a lantern so I added some yellow Stickles to the eye.  This is my second and last guest design spot for Papelitos and I hope I'm asked back, I love these images.


Recipe:  Georgia Pacific 110lb cardstock, stash design paper, Yellow and Stardust Stickles, Recollections Pearls, MTC/Cameo Musical Notes cutting file, music background was a clip art image, Copics: [skin G40, G43, G82, R22, R00, C00, B02][Tie R37][Shirt C1][Shoes E55, E57]

Edited to add:  I received the following comment from a reader.  I have no way of knowing who is right and who is wrong - this image is still for sale at the Papelitos web site.  If anyone knows the artist who drew this image, I would love to contact him/her and ask permission to use it.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Here we go again....

Carl and I have been shopping for the materials for our next remodel - my bathroom.  My bathroom is like a railroad car, it's 60 inches wide and very long, divided into two rooms.  The first room has a wall to wall vanity, a large 3 door medicine cabinet, and a huge linen closet across from the vanity.  The second room is the tub and toilet.  We originally planned to gut the master bathroom and just update my bathroom.

I had a small list.  I wanted a mirror instead of a medicine cabinet, I wanted to change the light above the medicine cabinet, I wanted my vanity painted and new hardware, I wanted the room painted, two grab bars installed by the tub and a new electrical plug installed on the left side of the vanity - easy peasy, right?

Now we are ripping out the tub enclosure and the vanity and countertop and replacing the tub with a whirlpool tub, the vanity with a much smaller vanity and two cabinets on either side.  Since the new tub is white and the old tub enclosure and toilet was beige, we will need to replace the toilet, too.  We're taking down the wall and door between the rooms to open it up, putting tile on the walls around the tub and tile on the floor which is now linoleum.  And then we're going to paint the room.

I've found all the materials - the whirlpool tub, the vanity, the two cabinets, the mirror, the light over the mirror, the light over the tub (a chandelier), the toilet, the wall tile, the curved shower rod and gorgeous curtain and the floor tile.  I even found the paint and don't tell anyone but it's Martha Stewart (it was the only color that matched the glass tile - honest).  The tile around the tub will be white glazed subway tile (size still to be determined) but the trim is a 1x1 white and greenish gray glass tile, three rows high which will run in a band around the tub, height still to be determined.  I'm hoping for an alcove to put soap and shampoo in, that size also to be determined.  Right now I have a tiny ledge that doesn't even hold my body wash, it keeps falling off onto my foot.

Originally the plan was for Mike to start work next Thursday, but the tub takes two to three weeks to arrive so we're assembling everything and he and Pat will start work in January.  Mike's having surgery on his foot the end of November and will need six weeks to recuperate.  And we need to measure for the wall and floor tile so we know how much to purchase.  I was so very happy with the kitchen, I can't wait to get the bathroom done.  I've wanted a Jacuzzi since forever, I'm going to love this tub - I may never get out of it.

Sassy Update:  No accidents since October 22.  The cat boxes are still in the living room but now in a corner partially hidden by a Norfolk Island Pine.  She uses both boxes, sometimes in the same potty session, part in each box.  We clean the boxes two or three times a day.  We have the Kitty Prozac but haven't given her any yet.  We're still hoping the double boxes with two different types of litter will do the trick.  Fingers crossed.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

New (to me) Style of Card

Another company that I've been buying a lot from lately is Clear and Simple Stamps.  Their excellent quality and style of stamps keeps me going back to them.  They have a series called "Ragdoll" that has dolls, props and scenery.  They rival PTI in everything but customer service and Clear and Simple Stamps kicks their butt in that.  My last order contained a free copy of PaperCrafts Holiday Cards & More, volume 7.  It's 162 pages of ideas for cards, gifts and decorating and retails for $14.99.  In smaller orders I've received large packages of buttons as a thank you.

This little guy, is Rag Doll Jake:  Cool.  He comes with several phrases and a small apple.  The large apple is from the Rag Doll Scenes 1 which leads me to believe there might be a Scenes 2.  I used Spellbinder's Labels 22 to build on and added a white one to the back for a note and a signature.  I stamped the apple on red textured paper, stamped again on a scrap of brown and once more on a scrap of green, just inking up the part of the stamp I wanted to stamp.  Then I fussy cut the three pieces and glued them together.  It's hard to see in the picture, but I really like the texture of the Bazzill paper.  I can't tell you the name of the designer paper because the cover has been lost but I really like it, it has a nice sheen and embosses beautifully.  I touched up the word 'cool' with Studio G clear glitter glue.
The easel is from Joy Crafts and I purchased it on e-bay.  The company is from the UK but I got it very quickly.  I took another crafter's advice and glued two of them together which made it much sturdier.  I folded my easel, placed it behind the card with the envelope and put all three pieces in a clear cellophane jacket.  I also included a note that the package contained an easel for display.

I'm going to make my Christmas cards this year in exactly the same way - using different stamps, of course.  If you haven't tried Clear and Simple Stamps, check them out.  I think you'll be really happy with them.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Sassy Update - Shopping Trip...

We still haven't received the Kitty Prozac from the vet but it should be here today.  Yesterday we made a visit to PetSmart in Peoria.  We're trying to discover the reason that sometimes she uses the cat box and sometimes she goes right next to it.  Litter problems?  Size of the box?  Depth of the box?  Depth of the litter?  Stress?  We purchased two large disposable cat boxes with high sides and an XL plastic cat box.  Lots of room in that puppy.

We put the large waterproofed pad in the living room where she likes to potty and arranged the three boxes (one box has been here for several weeks - sometimes she uses it, sometimes she goes right next to it) From left to right:

Box number 1: disposable with high sides and a corn litter in it.  This litter has a high fragrance and it's the litter my husband likes the best - no dust, clumps really well and the only odor is the litter, but my husband isn't the one I'm trying to retrain..  It's a little more expensive and our last cat used it with no problems.

Box Number 2:  disposable box with a sand litter in it.  Very fine, very dusty, very cheap, it's the one my husband likes the least.

Box Number 3:  extra large plastic box with her usual Arm and Hammer no fragrance clumping litter in it and fairly low sides.

In order to tell which box she's been in, we smoothed the litter in all three boxes.  I hadn't finished smoothing Box Number 3 before she was peeing in it.  A good sign to be sure.

This morning (Tuesday morning), I checked the boxes.  All three had paw prints in them so she had at least been in them.  Box Number 1 was empty, just paw prints.  Box Number 2 had a small amount of poop in it (when she poops on the waterproof pad she poops big).  Box Number 3 had several clumps of pee in it.  We're going to keep all three boxes in place, checking, cleaning and smoothing them three times a day for a couple of weeks.  Having three cat boxes in our living room isn't a solution I like but if we can't alter her bathroom habits, the alternative isn't looking good.  Carl is very tender-hearted and would hate to see her go back to the shelter but he also doesn't want our entire house smelling like a cat box.  I'm a little more understanding - I know where she's been emotionally and I'm willing to clean up messes until we solve this problem. 

 Our course of action:

1.  Leave these boxes in place for several weeks and monitor closely.
2.  If that doesn't work, we'll start the meds and continue #1 for several weeks.
3.  If that doesn't work, we'll continue the meds and lock her in my craft room with her food and cat box.  I spend a lot of time in there and she has a shelf next to the window.
4.  If that doesn't work, we're at a loss.

She's just discovered a new place to sleep - my big yellow corduroy chair in the family room.  Ironic since she used this chair as her first inappropriate potty place and I had to have the cushion cleaned three times.  We removed the cushion and put down a waterproof pad under the cushion, over the arms and up the back.  If she uses it again, it will just be the cushion we need to have cleaned, not the chair itself.  I think that she won't use it again because she's sleeping there.  I will give that a few more weeks and remove the water proof pad.  We've already removed the pad on my husband's chair but one remains on the couch.   My fingers are crossed that we can solve this problem.  I can't imagine not being able to give her belly rubs.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Sassy Update - De-stressing...

Sassy went to the Vet yesterday.  We're trying to rule out medical problems in dealing with her bathroom issues.  I've read everything on the internet I can find about cats that won't use their cat box.  While she does use her cat box, she also uses other places.  She now seems to be focused on the rug in the living room.  We've placed a cat box on the rug and a waterproofed pad under it.  She is now using both the box and the pad.  So, we made an appointment with the Wyoming Veterinary Service in Wyoming, IL.  Dr. McFarland thoroughly tested her for anything that could medically cause problems (thyroid, kidney, liver, bladder, and a fecal test) and ruled her extremely healthy.
Our first course of action was Feliway.  Feliway is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone, used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure.  Their literature says their product will de-stress most cats.  Apparently stress in cats is hard to detect.  And she has had a stressful life.  First she was a stray, then locked up in a small cage for a month, the vet, and lastly, our house, medicine for her bacterial infection and salve for her eye infection along with the trip to Wisconsin.  Lots of changes since August 2.

We've really grown to love her.  She's energetic, funny, entertaining.  She loves to play with balls and feathers and rings from the milk jugs.  She purrs every time you touch her and while she's not trusting enough to climb on our laps, she doesn't run when you approach her as much as she used to.  She's curious and any time we're making noise she's there to find out why.  She's developed some really cute habits like following me into the bathroom, jumping into my tub and playing with the shower curtain.  I've dropped a ping pong ball in the tub and I hear her in there playing with it.  She also comes to bed with us and plays with our feet for a while.  Then she gets bored and leaves.  She doesn't sleep on our bed and can't be coaxed back up once she gets down.  She has just started letting me rub her belly once in a while and she makes these little chirping noises that are really cute.

We need to solve this problem, for her sake as much as ours. After discussion with Dr. McFarland, we've decided on the Feliway - one diffuser in each of the two rooms she spends the most time in and Kitty Prozac which she will take once a day.  I've read a lot about giving meds to your cat and the press is mostly positive.  The only other alternative is to lock her in a small room with her cat box for a couple of weeks.  Then periods out supervised until we have a period of time with no accidents.  We hate to have to lock her up.  She's already been through that at the shelter but we may have no choice.  I'll keep posting about our journey and if you have any ideas, be sure to share.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Papelitos Guest Designer - Challenge 16 - Witches

I'm honored to have been asked to be a guest designer for Papelitos, for their "Witches" challenge.  I've been a fan since I discovered they did witches, and cute witches they are.  The witch I've used on this card is called Blairy.  She looks like my idea of Marie Lavaux thinking up a spell to turn a man who did her wrong into something small and slimy - and who doesn't like Dr. Hook?  I'm pretty pleased with the way this turned out.  I'm doing another guest designer spot on October 30th - Challenge 18 - Music.  So, stop back by and see Stewart, my singing ghoul and visit the Papelitos blog and enter for your chance to win a great prize.



Recipe:  Cricut October 31st Tombstone, Poppystamps Grassland Border die, Martha Stewart Bat punch, Martha Stewart glitter, Imaginisce Rhinestones, Stardust Stickles, Copics: [skin G20, G43, G82, E93, B000, BV00][broom Y35, Y32, E57][Purse E31, E30][Clothes BV34, BV11, W3, W00][Hair 100, W8, W5]

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Halloween Birthday

Do you know someone who was born on October 31st?  My husband's sister was.  Not too many classy Halloween birthday cards on the market these days.  I've struggled to come up with something but this year I think I nailed it.  I purchased a Stampin' Up stamp set on e-bay called "Wicked Cool".  I placed a bid on several sets up for auction but the price always topped what I was willing to pay.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a set with a 'buy now' button for much less than the last auction price I saw.  I really like the possibilities in this set which includes the hat, boots, bats, a candelabra, "have a wicked halloween" and a spider web. 

I used the same set to create this card:
The pumpkin in this card and the Happy Birthday in the top card are also Stampin' Up stamps.  It's raining here today but warm.  Hope the weather is nice wherever you are.

Friday, October 12, 2012

I don't usually do this but....

In a world where less than stellar service is usually the norm, I'd like to give some credit to people/companies that go above and beyond to make their customers happy.  I have personally purchased from these places and have been really happy dealing with them.

PB Stamps:  If you like Penny Black, PB Stamps is the place to purchase them.  They have almost every stamp produced by PB, even retired stamps and they don't charge exorbitant prices.  I placed an order for two clear sets of stamps on October 9th.  My package mailed on October 10th and I received it today.  PB Stamps is located in Alexandria, Ohio, so admittedly, if you lived in California it would take longer to arrive, but that is the USPS' fault, not John's.  No elaborate web site here, an e-mail with the stamps you want and their SKU numbers will place your order and John can take either credit cards or invoice you with Paypal.

This is one of the Penny Black Bluebell images I've purchased from PB Stamps.

Another great company with wonderful service is Susana's Custom Art and Card Design.  A great source for Memory Box and Poppy Stamp dies, Susana also designs her own dies.  If the shipping is less than you were charged, she refunds the extra.  A huge gripe I have about shipping is a standard fee for something like a Memory Box die.  It weighs next to nothing and fits in an A2 envelope and I've been charged as much as $6.99 for shipping (can you say "PTI"?).  Sometimes I believe that companies make their profit from shipping.  Susana and PB Stamps both charge actual shipping.  Susana also has great service, packages arrive quickly and she carries her own line of stamps (if you like cute monsters, check out her "Complete Oddly Sweet Curiosities Sets").

My third shout-out is to StampingScrapping.com for the wonderful Card Creator Dies.  I can't even begin to count the number of times I've reached for these sets (I have the A and B set).  When I'm in a hurry, I can't be bothered measuring.  And I've yet to find a really great portable cutter that cuts straight every time.  My Cuttlebug sits on a small table right behind me and my Card Creator dies are right next to it.  I often make cards using dark bases and I only decorate the inside if I'm sending it myself.  I prefer to leave the inside blank so my customers can add their own words.  But a dark card base needs a light inside so I use the Card Creator dies to quickly cut a sheet of lightweight paper to insert inside my cards so a message can be written on them.  While I have tons of dies, this set has quickly become my fav.  So, kudos, Cindy.  I'm lucky to be able to say I knew you when.....

Thursday, October 11, 2012

More from Fossil Rim...

I have more photos to share with you:

These are Aoudads.  They look like Big Horn Sheep but come from the deserts of Morocco, western Sahara to Egypt and Sudan.  Young Aoudads can climb rocks within hours of birth.  They continue to decline in their native habitats due to hunting pressures.  Aoudad are also known as Barbary sheep and are the only African wild sheep.  The little cutie in the second picture was born this spring.

This guy looks like a fox but is actually a Maned Wolf native to Eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil where their status is listed as threatened.  Their name comes from the distinctive patch of black fur across their shoulders and neck.  Though termed a wolf, the maned wolf is actually in its own genus and more closely resembles a large red fox.  They are not part of the drive through park, you will need to take a photo tour in order to see the maned wolf.  They use one small corner of their large pen as a toilet - it just happens to be at the only section of the fence the tourists are allowed to approach.  A commentary on what they think of tourists maybe?

The top picture is a male Blackbuck from India and Pakistan, the second picture is a female.  Considered near threatened, adult males are black and white, females and young males are tan and white.  Only the males have horns.  Due to their popularity on hunting ranches, there are more blackbuck in Texas than in their native India.  The creation of protected preserves in India has rescued this animal from almost certain extinction.  The male blackbuck walks the perimeter between his territory and the next male's territory.  They puff up their chests and throw their heads back in order to intimidate each other.  Males try to steal the females from each other and we witnessed lots of chasing of both other males and females who might have been tempted to move to the dark side.

These are Wildebeest (affectionately referred to as Wildeburgers by the staff of Fossil Rim - every predator in Africa prefers to eat them).  They are common in Southern Kenya and Angola to northern South Africa and are not threatened.  Both males and females have horns.  Calves are up and walking within 15 minutes of birth, right at their mother's side.  Adults can be seen forming a circle around the younger members of the herd.  Fossil Rim is home to one of the largest captive herds in the world.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Update from Fossil Rim...

We finally made it home yesterday afternoon.  We made a detour after leaving Fossil Rim and stopped at the Vicksburg National Battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi and Shiloh National Battlefield in Tennessee.  Both are beautiful parks and rich in history.

From Shiloh we made it to Miner, Missouri where we found the Holiday Inn Express all filled up so stayed at a America's Best Value Inn which was large but badly in need of maintenance.  We had two rooms, two TVs and the beds were comfortable with good pillows but there was mold in the bathroom and a hole in the sink.  The bathroom reminded me of a shabby Motel 6.  I hate to think I've become a hotel snob but that bathroom was pretty bad.

I have some pictures for you from Fossil Rim but it will take a couple of days to show them all so let's get started.


By far, the sweetest and most gentle animals were the giraffes.  On some of our drives through the park (and we took many of them over three days), the giraffes were up close to the road. The tour guides encourage you to feed them to keep them close to the road to the delight of everyone who sees them.  You can purchase food at the visitor's center and the Overlook.  The animals seem to love it.  Some of them wait for a car to stop and then rush it but not the giraffes, you'll need to coax them over.
I resisted feeding the animals because I really didn't want to get all gunky (and, trust me, some of them are seriously gunky).  But these guys are so beautiful I finally had to do it.  Their muzzles are as soft as velvet and they are so gentle.  Amazing creatures.
I sent this picture to our good friend, Rich.  My message to him is always a Bronx cheer so this picture was especially perfect, eh, Rich?

This is a European Red Deer and responsible for keeping me awake so many nights while we stayed at the park.  Between the Fallow Deer and this guy grunting, coughing, bugling, I hardly got any sleep the three nights we stayed in the Safari Camp.  In his attempt to lure the girls in, he urinates in dirt and rolls in it (apparently this is attractive to the ladies).  We were early in the rut, soon he will be covered with mud, dripping little balls of it and he is the first to run to a car to be fed.  If you want to keep all of your nose hairs, roll up your window before he gets there, you will be glad you did.
This is a male Fallow Deer.  Fortunately they were always way too tired after a night of cavorting with the ladies to come to the car.  In fact, it was rare during the day to see their eyes open.  Just completely sacked out.

We keep talking about going back in May to see the babies.  They are expecting a baby Grevy's Zebra in the spring (a huge deal since they are endangered).  They also had a baby White Rhino born last October (her name is Ursulla) and they've had 125 Cheetah cubs born since 1986.  This park isn't just a lot of fun to go through but a dedicated nursery for animals that are struggling in the wild.  Kudos to the volunteers that lead the tours, the interns that take such good care of the animals and the scientists and doctors who keep the animals healthy and breeding.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Hello from Fossil Rim...

I will share more animal pictures with you tomorrow but thought I would first share where we are staying.  It's called the Safari Camp and it's a collection of about seven tents with hard floors, bathrooms and some even have air conditioning although ours seems to be broken at the moment.  The tents are close to one of the bigger waterholes so we see animals across the fence from our tent all the time.  Last night there was a large flock of turkeys, fallow deer, European Red Deer and a crane which called for a long time.  The fallow deer and European Red Deer are mating right now and I have a snippet of video showing two red deer locking antlers.
Our tent contains two single beds which I swear are just crib mattresses.  The pillows are completely flat, no four star hotel here.  But we don't come for the amenities.  Breakfast is wonderful, and it's all about location, location, location.

 The shower is actually larger than my husband's shower at home.  The bathroom is teeny but adequate for the amount of time we spend there.
The view from the front of the tent is awesome, at night it looks like we can see hundreds of miles since we're up so high.  And this is the front of our tent.  We sat outside this morning and watched the world come to life and listened to the fallow and red deer grunt.  They all spent the day sleeping since all night grunting seems to wear them out.  Temperatures are in the high 80s here down to the 60s at night.  More tomorrow.....

Monday, October 1, 2012

A little of this, a little of that....

Sassy seems more comfortable with us everyday.  She spends a great part of her waking hours in my studio so we've arranged a platform in the window overlooking the bird feeders and that's where she hangs.  When we're in the family room, she's down there playing with the toys that are scattered all over the house.  She has balls, feathers, fuzzies, and the rings that are left when the cap is removed from the milk.

On the potty situation, while not an ideal solution, we have added a cat box to the living room in the spot where she has been going.  If that does the trick, we will purchase a cat box that doesn't look like a cat box and keep it in the living room.  So much easier than cleaning up the mess.  But so far we have only two days since the last mess.  And she has been using the box in the basement, too.  And everyday we fall a little more in love with her.  She follows us to bed at night just long enough to play the "toes wiggling under the covers" game.  And she's developed the habit of following me into my bathroom and jumping into the tub.  Then we play the "fingers in the shower curtain" game.  She likes to hide between the liner and the shower curtain and jump out at me.  She runs and waits for us to chase her.  So, she's part of our lives now, faults and all....

A little of this, a little of that....


Tomorrow we leave for Fossil Rim and I will be sharing that trip with you every evening that I have WIFI.


In the meantime, I leave you with this little candy box.  The cut file comes from SVGCuts.  Their latest offering, Gimme Candy Boxes, is the best so far.  Darling boxes, easy to make.  I've used a Sizzix embossing folder and Recollections card stock to make this cutie.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Traveling again...

We're in the process of packing for our trip to Texas.  We will be spending three nights at Fossil Rim, an African wild animal park in Glen Rose, Texas.  We will be sleeping in a tent with a real floor and a small bathroom.  Tiny but comfy.  The tents are located very close to the watering hole at the park although we are separated from the animals with a chain link fence.  No predators running loose, just herd animals including giraffes.  There's a patio by the tents and a large common room with tables and WIFI.  I am taking two bottles of Barefoot Wine with us so we can sit on the patio and watch the sun go down.  Temps down there right now are in the 90s, so we're taking summer clothes.

During the day we will drive the park with food.  The animals know that stopping cars will have food so they congregate around the car making it a perfect place for photographers.  By buying food, we subsidize feeding.  I'm not sure what running a place like this costs, but I'm guessing with all the animals to feed and doctor, it's pretty expensive.  They have a cheetah breeding program and have Rothchild's Giraffes, Grevys Zebra, and White Rhinos all three endangered and beautiful.  You will have to pay for a tour to see the zebras but the giraffes are out on the plain where they are easy to see and you can get pretty close to the rhino paddock.

Glen Rose has one of the best BBQ places I've ever eaten at as well as a superb Italian restaurant.  You can also hire a chef to provide meals in the common room.  There are several good hotels in town and Dinosaur Valley State Park is close by.  Lots of stuff to do in Glen Rose.

Sassy update:  we are still having bathroom problems, one on the 19th and one either last night or early this morning.  We clean her cat box every day; we haven't changed the type of her litter or her food.  We haven't yelled at her and she acts very comfortable with us.  She's affectionate if you pick her up but she's not a lap cat and she has no health problems.  She loves to play with toys and carries them all over the house.  If you have any suggestions, please share them with us.

It's a beautiful day in the mid west today.  I hope it's as beautiful where you are.

Love the bow...


This was a pretty simple card.  The blue green paper was from my stash tub, the Beckett Radiance card stock was embossed with a Sizzix embossing folder, the sentiment is from Stampin' Up and the ribbon is Hug Snug seam binding.  I just layered and used a corner rounder on the bottom of the card. The rhinestones are from my i rock.

Friday, September 21, 2012

From this window - 9/21/12

The weather has abruptly turned in the midwest.  From hotter than normal to cooler than normal this early in the year.  We're enjoying late fall weather right now.  In the low 70s during the day and down to the upper 30s in the evening.  Normally I would be panicked bringing in the plants that will winter over in the house but for some reason this year I'm unconcerned.  Maybe I'm just burnt out on gardening.  And my joints are feeling the strain of cleaning my studio.  I'm just about ready to call my doctor and beg for a cortisone shot in my shoulders.  No one who knows me would ever believe that I would be begging for an injection.  Aleve no longer cuts the pain so I won't be carrying any plants inside for a while.  We have a huge Norfolk Island Pine that spends the summer on what we call a porch.  It must be three feet across now and at least five feet tall.  There's an angel's trumpet that's blooming and should come in when temps fall below forty.  A Calamondin Orange tree that has ripening oranges on it.  An amaryllis and its five babies, a jade that's really getting big, several ivies that spent the summer outside and a tub of tropical pond plants.  Hubs says we move half the garden inside and I suppose we'll start soon but what a lot of work.   We (by we, I mean hubs) will have to dig up the cannas and I have to harvest seeds for the tithonia, zinnias, cleome, marigolds, and cardinal vines.  There are bushes to be removed from the front yard which block the sidewalk and plants from around the pond to be transplanted into that bed.  Such a lot to do and here I sit.  I'm tired just typing it.

The doe with the twins walked down the road next to my studio Tuesday evening.  We've only seen them a few times and were glad to see they were all fine.  The hummingbirds have come through in huge numbers, they can suck a feeder dry in no time.  Soon they will be all gone but we've had them as late as early October.  The white pelicans are migrating and we often now see large flocks of them circling over our house which is really close to the Illinois River.  The Asian Pears are ripe at the farm down the highway but it looks as if the owner isn't taking good care of his property.  It's up for sale, the road leading to the barn is in incredibly bad shape and the weeds are almost as high as I am tall.  I couldn't drive the road in my car so we take Carl's SUV to pick pears.  The pears are so wonderful.  They're my favorite fruit in all the world.  They have the texture of a crisp apple, the flavor of a pear and more juice than any one piece of fruit should be allowed to have.  I'll eat them until I can't get them anymore.  We've already gone through a small bushel and I'm out, so a trip to the pear farm is in order today.  Our local orchard (Tanners) is also open now.  The apples are much smaller than usual but I'm told are sweeter this year.  We made our first pilgrimage on Tuesday.  Taffy apples and brownies for Carl, Gala apples and caramel dip for me, apple pie for him, apple cider donuts and pumpkin butter for me.  My family has been going to Tanners in the fall since before I was born.  They started with just apples and cider and now it's a destination.  Petting zoo, picking apples, seasonal decorations, bakery, waterfall and pond inside, restaurant, corn maze, I've watched it grow over the years.  When Carl and I first started dating we made a trip to Tanners in my Bravado and I locked my keys in the car (that's what he does to me).  We had to call my SIL to break into my house and bring the extra car key out to us (in the boonies).  I gave him all my purchases from Tanners as a reward and went home apple-less.  The whole fiasco took us well past closing; it was dark and cold (without jackets) by the time we got the key.  It's the reason why I'm no longer allowed to drive him anywhere (and he married me anyway).

More sponging....

I'm still playing with the sponging and have added some more masks to my MTC file.  Today I'll be playing with some 5.5 x 5.5 inch masks so I'll let you know how they turn out.  In the meantime, here's a fun one I did yesterday with some Peachy Keen faces I received in the mail yesterday.  I cut out the mask with the four squares on it and taped it down.  A little Dandelion and Cantaloupe ink and bob's your uncle.  The sentiment is a K. Andrew stamp.  You could also cut these transparencies with a die cutting machine like the Cuttlebug.  These masks would also work really well for solid stamps.  Need a black cat but don't have the stamp?  Find a svg, MTC, or Silhouette file, size it, cut it out and use it to stamp (sponge) your cat.  Think of the negative pieces of your die cuts in this new way and I'll bet you come up with lots of ideas.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Thank you, Heather Telford, Ottawa, Canada

OK, now that my studio (crap room) is all cleaned up, I've been hesitant to start a new project.  I REALLY don't want to mess it up so I was just browsing the blogs I've added to my reading list and ran across this blog entry: OLW 106 Sponging.  I have always admired artists that could mask, sponge and stamp single layer cards that make me go "wow".  I've tried it throughout the years with little success (maybe it's a talent thing) and always had that technique on my 'I've got to learn that' list.  When I saw Heather's card, it renewed my interest.  As it happens, I have those two colors of Memento Ink so I pulled them out.  And, as I was cutting post-its I had an epiphany.  One of those aha moments.  So, here's what I did:  I pulled out my Cameo and opened MTC.  I added a rectangle from the "Import Basic Shapes" button and sized it to 4.25" x 5.5".  I then copied it so I had two rectangles.  On the first one I added a square smack dab in the center, on the other I added a heart.  I did a 'join' on both rectangles and this is what it looked like:

Then came the inspiration part - I cut these out of  a light weight transparency material.

I cut a piece of Georgia Pacific cardstock to create a 4.25" x 5.5" card and scored it but did not fold it.  I placed the mask with the heart on top of the front of my card and used a piece of Scotch Removable tape to tape it to the card.  I pulled out my large daubers and my Summer Sky Memento Ink and started sponging:

I sponged the top of the heart with Summer Sky and added Nautical Blue at the bottom.  I sponged first testing the intensity of the color on a piece of scrap paper.  After I determined I had enough ink on the card, I then blended with a circular motion.
I went through my stamp collection looking for a stamp that I thought would look good on my heart and ended up with this Penny Black stamp that had never seen ink before.



The sentiment is from my Stampin' Up collection and this is the final version of the card.  I may add some Star Dust Stickles to the snow on the right side but other than that, I'm calling it finished and I'd like to thank Heather for the inspiration.  And to let her know that I ordered four more Penny Black stamps like this one just for this technique.   These masks can be created for any sized card with any shape on the front, they can be used over and over and are easily cleaned.  Hope this inspires you as I was inspired.