Sophie Again

Honestly, I've been working on a batch of Christmas cards, but none are finished yet.  Then the sun came out as brilliant and warm as summertime, so Sophie and I have been outside as much as possible.  We're eager to show her all the fun places, but in the meantime Sophie has a wonderland in her own back yard.

I've resumed working on the trails I built in our woods when Wally was a puppy, and Sophie is having the time of her life "helping" me.  Just like Wally and LuLu (and me) she loves the woods -- so many good earthy smells, so many leaves and sticks and dirt that's okay to dig in.

After her good time in the woods Sophie had lunch and fell fast asleep in the sun coming through the kitchen patio door.  She didn't even see the visitor looking in at us.  A quick phone pic through the window...

This guy is a little too big for a puppy's playmate, but Sophie has several fully vaccinated doggy friends to socialize with, so she's happy.

I hope this finds you happy, too.  

More Pinkfresh Poinsettias

Hi there!  I'm happy to be back with craftiness today.  Card making hasn't been happening by leaps and bounds, but I do have two cards I made in September.  I still had a bunch of Pinkfresh Poinsettia pieces I'd stamped and hand cut so I decided to turn them into cards.

Once again, the pictures don't do them justice.  There's a lot of texture, dimension, gold embossing, and pretty colors.  I plumped up the wreath with some extra pieces, and nestled in a Cottage Cutz bird and sentiment.

The sentiment was cut from a background I'd made on glossy paper.  A small die cut rectangle supports it over the dimension of the wreath.

Coloring on both cards is with Copics.  The second card has quite a few Poinsettia pieces put together as a corner treatment with Joy taking up some white space.  Three tiny gold pearls on this one.

That's it, folks.  I'm so woefully behind in my Christmas card production I'm worried I'll have to skip fall altogether.  What will be will be.  Enjoy your day!

Stamps:  Pinkfresh Poinsettia  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White, other scraps  Ink:  Versamark  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders A2 Devine Eleoquence and Labels Twenty-Eight, Cottage Cutz Greetings and Bird w/Bluebells, SU Joy (retired)  Other:  Ranger Princess Gold embossing powder, gold pearls, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Someone to Love

Hello friends.  It's been a month since I was here on the blog and I've missed it, but a person has to know when it's time to cut back in order to regain their footing in life.  I got pretty wobbly for a while.  One step at a time, no hurry... I'll gradually get back to the crafting and sharing that has been such a joy for so many years.

Today I do not have a card, but I'd like to introduce you to the Healer of Hearts.  She's a rather small package of fluff and love who my friend says looks like whipped cream.  I like whipped cream.  Sophie came to live with us on October 9.

Rich and I were shattered by the loss of both LuLu and Wally within three months of each other.  They filled our lives with happiness and purpose.  They were our Golden Retriever Bubble -- a sanctuary of goodness and sanity in an ever more unrecognizable world.

I always knew I would never be without a Golden again, but was it too soon?  Would grief get in the way of allowing Sophie to feel she was the most wonderful, precious, adorable, loved little puppy in the whole wide world?  She deserved to be special, as all dogs do.  Ready or not, her litter was available and Rich and I are not getting any younger.  It was time.

No worries.  Turns out she's the easiest little girl to love since LuLu.  Friendly and sweet, a true charmer, she wiggles her way into everyone's heart and has certainly found a place in mine.  Those eyes...

She can be a bundle of energy, but at this age it comes in relatively short bursts.  She keeps me on my toes.

In the photo below you see Sophie taking a nap with Wally's big Lambie which he received for his 14th birthday on June 27.  It made both of us cry when we realized... you'd have to have been there to understand.  Of all the stuffies I saved for an eventual new puppy, Lambie was the only one that didn't go through the washing machine.  When I first set it on Sophie's blanket she sniffed it all over, hugged and snuggled and just loved on it as though it was a littermate or Mom.  From the first day it was Sophie's choice when she needed some quiet time.  I often find her like this in my craft room.  Wally would be so pleased.

Thank you for all the lovely cards and messages I've received.  Your comments on Wally and LuLu's posts were heartwarming, especially knowing how much a part of your lives they were, too.

We'll get together again soon and I'm looking forward to it.  Your patience and understanding are very much appreciated.  Have a beautiful day!