Sunday, October 26, 2014

Always Remembered RIP Raj

I haven't really been in the right frame of mind to craft anything. My crafting partner died on 9/30/2014. Raj was my German Shepherd mix. She was diagnosed with mass cell tumors 7 months ago. I made this scrub top to honor her memory. To me, this shirt is Art. 

Many people don't understand what it feels like to lose such a huge part of your life, but those people usually aren't "animal" people. For those of us that have the unmistakable bond with a furry friend it is devastating to lose them. 

Raj was the only constant part of my life for 15 years. We were homeless together, slept in abandoned cars, the park. She made everything okay in the world. She was my rock. 

Every day that goes by makes me miss her more, not less, because it is yet another day that we aren't together. 

I am a veterinary technician because of Raj. I wanted to provide the best possible care for her and was successful for 15 years but I couldn't save her. All of my schooling and knowledge......we tried everything to beat the cancer. She was such a brave, fearless fighter until the very end and I couldn't have asked for anything more. She was happy and playful until the last surgery, she had 6 surgeries total and chemo. 

Not many people will read this blog post but to those that happen upon this and have lost a beloved pet-just know that you are not alone and my heart hurts for you. Only you will know what you are feeling, no other person can tell you when things will get better but when that day comes that you are able to talk about your lost loved one, know that I am there with you in understanding that feeling.

I miss my baby girl so very much and I am thankful that nobody is telling me to move on, or get over it, because I would probably go a bit PG-13 on them. Thank you for reading this and hugs to all the furry critters out there. 

RIP-Raj 12/25/1998-9/30/2014. 



Thursday, October 23, 2014

ATB with a Sweet Twist

I had to try this and see what all the craze was about. I don't have the ATB die so I made this block by using a template I drew out. 4x4x13 with 1/2 inch on each end. Cut 2.


I painted all the edges black to go with my theme and then cut each paper down to the correct size. It was time consuming but good to do.

I labeled each side so that I would know the correct direction to put items and words and thank goodness I did!


I kept cutting paper and glueing to give my sides some layers. 
Once everything was dry it was time to decorate each side. I kept everything in the same color pallete of Tiffany Blue, black, and some pink to keep with my inspo-"Breakfast at Tiffanys". I wanted to keep clean lines and add an air of elegence to my ATB. I also added white feathers and pearls to keep it "soft". 





Now for the Sweet Twist and Disguise! Keeping with the Breakfast at Tiffany's theme, I made a washcloth cupcake to put in the ATB. How many of you have eaten a cupcake for breakfast? I have! So cute. 



This ATB is for a swap buddy and she lives far away so I knew I couldn't ship a real cupcake. I made this one from a rolled washcloth and then added the "wrapper" and some bling. Fun and easy to do! The feet of the box are some blinged beads. 

This project will be shared with the following:

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge (HERE)-Ribbons/Twines/Fibers-I used lots of Tiffany Blue ribbon

EileenHull Art with Heart Challenge (HERE)-October Tricks and Treats (my trick and my treat is the "cupcake" inside the ATB

Inspiration Emporium-In Disguise (HERE) (my cupcake is a washcloth, my ATB is actually a cupcake holder, and my bling diamond like pieces are shhhh! fake) :)

The Mirror Crack'd-Body Beautiful (HERE)(I used a curvaceous dress form, think Audrey Hepburn. 

Country View Challenge-Sparkle and Bling. (HERE) (This wouldn't pass for Breakfast at Tiffany's without bling and sparkle right? Lol! I used so many blinged items and sparkle, loves it in this piece!)

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Halloween with the Raven-For World Card Making Day!

Did you know that today is World Card Making Day and there is a special challenge over at Mixed Media Mojo? I did and I made this card to join in.

I started by cutting out my paper to roughly a 4.5x5 I used a pewter colored chalk to edge the piece. This is the first card I have ever made so bear with me. 

I cut the purple paper just a tad smaller than the card and applied the Raven stamp on the bottom section of the paper. I used the Tim Holtz edging tool around the edges. 

I then used my spooky fabric piece to cover the top. This is to go along with the Mixed Media Mojo October Challenge of using Halloween/Fall and Fabric, check it out HERE. There is a prize if you join in our special edition CARD making challenge by Sunday Oct 5 Midnight EST HERE

After applying the fabric I added the purple and black twine/ribbon piece to help separate the fabric from the Raven quote. The metal skull piece was added last. 


On the inside I kept it simple. A few die cut spider webs that were embossed with black glittery embossing powder and the Trick or Treat stamp that I applied clear embossing powder to. 


Hopefully you are joining in the Card Making Spirit and remember-have fun and get sticky! 

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your lovely comments. It brightens my day! Carpe Diem!

I am sharing this with:

World Card Making Day Blog HERE

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge-Finishing Touch HERE

Aud Sentiments Challenge-Halloween Sentiment HERE



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Halloween and Fabric

Happy October everyone! I love Halloween and wanted to make a piece that I knew I could put up in my house for Halloween. I also need to get started decorating my stoop!

This is my second design team piece for Mixed Media Mojo. The theme this month is to use a Halloween/Fall theme and add Fabric. You can check out the challenge HERE

I started with and 8x10 canvas and glued the orange paper to it after I edged the sides with brown chalk ink. I added the Sunrise/Sunset checkered stencil with some Graphite Ferro Special Effect paste (TIP: this stuff dries super fast so remember to clean your stencil and whatever item you use to spread the paste)!

Next I added the spider web looking fabric to the upper left corner and glued the Boo foam piece to it. That fabric was hard to glue to the canvas!

While that was drying I started my fabric pumpkin. I cut out a pumpkin shape using cardboard and then glued my fabric to it. I stuffed the fabric and added the stick as a stem. I am doing a more detailed tutorial on October 15th on the MMM blog if you want to learn more about the pumpkin. I will tell you now that cotton balls and glue don't mix well but if was a fun, sticky mess! I did use part of a stick I found in my backyard as the stem. 

I added the black stem items before adhering my fabric pumpkin. I think it looks like a corn field but black, not wheat colored. The stems were purchased at a local craft store as a pick and just snipped into pieces. The small glittery pumpkins at the base of the stems are made of foam-I cut those in half. 

That is pretty much everything that made this project. I hope you enjoy and Happy October!

This piece will be shared with the following:

Altered Eclectics-Anything Goes HERE

Rhedd's Creative Spirit-Halloween or Not? HERE