CATS OR DOGS?

Have you ever taken a look at the cute Deigner Series Paper, Playful Pets, on page 149 of the Annual Catalog? It's a must-have if you love cats and/or dogs. 

Even though I am definitely a cat AND a dog lover, there was another reason I personally was especially drawn to this DSP. FUSSY CUTTING! A wonderful treasure trove for fussy cutting aficianados. That would be me!

I cut up almost entire sheets of the four that sported large animals. During blissful summer deck type weather, I had such a wonderful time doing this. 

But, then, what do I do with all these animals???

I ended up using the following card sample for projects for my girls. I first asked them if they preferred cats or dogs. And, if they preferred dogs, large or small? It was fun to see how this played out.

Since our Harley -- a big black lab mix -- crossed the rainbow bridge five years ago (I still miss the big lug!), I am left with only one pet, my cat, Fred. Fred, I am sorry to say, I think won't be with us much longer. At 14 years old, he seems to be ailing some.

Anyway, with my Fred (and my other long lost kitty, Pretzel) on my mind, I chose a cat for my sample card. To me, it looks like the Stampin' Up! version of Grumpy Cat.

Do you love that gorgeous texture on the flag behind Grumpy? That comes from the Wrapped in Texture Embossing Folder. Hope you have it!

If the girls chose the cat for their card, the background DSP is what is shown on my card, all cat type toys, dishes, etc.

The dog people got a coordinating doggie DSP for their background. Also, the cat was on Flirty Flamingo cardstock, while the dog cards boasted Real Red.

I used the Dark Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blend to color the pearls to match:

Doesn't he look like the epitome of love?

An even closer look at this poor face: 

Read on for the tutorial on how to recreate the card.

SUPPLIES:

Flirty Flamingo cardstock OR

Real Red cardstock

Playful Pets Designer Series Paper (page 149, Annual Catalog)

Itty Bitty Greetings (page 44, Annual Catalog)

Black ink

Stampin' Blends in either Dark Flirty Flamingo or Dark Real Red

Die Cutting/Embossing machine

Banners dies

Wrapped in Texture Embossing Folder

Small Pearls colored with Stampin' Blends

White Woven Trim

Stampin' Dimensionals

Fussy Cut Animals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of either Flirty Flamingo or Real Red cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder to form your card base.

Depending on whether you are working with a cat or a dog, choose the complementary DSP as your backdrop. Cut it to 4" x 5 1/4". Stretch a length of chosen ribbon or trim just above the center point, and fasten the ends to the back of this piece. Adhere the piece to the card base.

From either Real Red or Flirty Flamingo cardstock, die cut a flagged piece. Repeat with a smaller die to fit inside the first flagged piee, but this time from white cardstock. Run this white piece through your die cutting/embossing machine inside the Wrapped In Texture Embossing Folder.

Adhere the two flagged pieces together and add to the card front.

With a few Stampin' Dimensionals, add your chosen pet to the far right side of the flagged piece.

On a scrap of Whisper White cardstock, stamp in black your favorite sentiment from the Itty Bitty Greetings. With a small flag die, die cut these words.

With either a Dark Real Red or Dark Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blend, color two of the smaller Basic Pearls. Add this to the sentiment piece.

Attach the sentiment with Stampin' Dimensionals alongside your furry friend.

Furry

Smiles.