Danes In Distress

Don't ask me why I am getting ready to attend the Daneathon tomorrow? It's a huge gathering of Great Danes, all running and frolicking together off leash. I don't really know anyone with a Great Dane, nor have I ever really known one personally but I think I've always harboured a secret wish to have one. I think because their splashy coat colours reminded me of my favourite Dalmation or maybe it is the adorable Marmaduke or Scooby Doo from childhood cartoons.

Danes in Distress is a local Rescue that helps to recover and re-home abandoned and unwanted Great Danes in Ontario. They seem like a nice group of people and they are crazy about their dogs.
Sooooo, I put together a nice basket for their raffle table, made them some doggie/Dane greeting cards and baked up some yummy cookies and tarts. It is supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to a nice hike and an afternoon with my friends, both furry and otherwise.

Delightful Inspiration April Stamp of the Month

Well, I just barely made it. The Challenge closes in a few hours and I really want to reach my goal of doing every Monthly challenge at Delightful Inspiration because not only is it fun but I get a free digi everytime I participate.
This month we were back to the Pigwit, who is "almost" as cute as the Birdbrain and since I needed a birthday card ASAP for a pig lover in the family, here's what I came up with.

I popped him up and quickly added a sentiment in the inside of the card. Whaatt! no diecuts. Nope, clean and simple this time and I think it works!

Here's the April Stamp of the Month set that I used...

Where have I been?

I will cite the usual excuses; work, spring cold, dog knee rehabilitation (lots of walking), spring clean-up and various other commitments but mostly I've been in high gear taking registrations and getting ready for the Loonies for Lindor Fundraiser in June. I've had a really good response with attendance, prize donations and help from friends and family.

It will be all hands-on deck from here on in. Here's a little sneak peak..

OH wait! Let me add computer issues to that list.... just trying to get around them and get some things posted. Ahh! computers, when they work they are really helpful.

It hasn't been too spring-like around here but I did enjoy this beautiful spring arrangement that was a gift. 

So I don't want to give away too many surprises so I'll keep my "cards" close to my chest. (a little play on words there) Off to do some organizing.

Freshly Made Sketches

I love using a Sketch to figure out a new card. I find it so helpful and this time I decided to deviate a bit from my usual style and do a little stamping with my Unity Stamp set "Insightful Meadows". I only have a couple of large ink pads in various colours so I had to work around that. I really like this sketch. left lots for room for any interpretation.
Here's the sketch from Challenge 179.....

And my card...

From the Heart Stamps Monthly Challenge

Three months in a row... I'm determined to do the Progressive Challenge at From the Heart Stamps every month for a year and get 12 free digis. The good news is; the digis are always really cute.
This month I intended to use the entire set of 3 but as the creative process unfolded, my design changed completely.
This is the free set if you played along last month....

And here's my card...

I've been dying to use these little bunny diecuts and finally I got a chance on the inside of this card.

Now if Spring would just "get here"!

Tim Horton Roll up the Rim

For whatever reason, I delight in keeping track of my Tim Horton wins each Roll up the Rim season.
If I could be so careful tracking other items, like spending. lol.  So just for fun, here's the Tally....
48 coffees purchased, (about a month and half)... WIN 5 coffee and 3 donut.
Does anyone else think that the wins are a little less frequent? I also heard that you don't even win the car, it's a lease. Seriously Tim's, don't you think we spend enough money at your stores every day?

Dog Sympathy

I finally got my hands on the Paper Smooches Dog Icons and Rescue stamps. I can never have too many dog stamps and most of the Loonies for Lindor attendees are dog lovers also, so I just might make a few more of these for the Crop card sale.
I decided to play along with Freshly Made Sketches this week because I really liked the sketch.

I can see myself using this particular sketch a lot. I used the new line of paper (or maybe its new to me) from American Crafts.

Sorry for the poor lighting, it's a dismal day today. I diecut the heart twice and layered it and also popped it up and I even stamped a little pawprint on the inside.

I feel like I'm starting amass a little collection of dog related stamps and dies, not just random paper lines so its a lot more fun to design the various cards. I hope I don't need to use this particular card anytime in the near future.