Nine Lives for As You See It Theme Challenge

We've always had pets in our lives, since I was about 12 years old and my grandparents brought a little cocker spaniel puppy to our house. Not sure if my parents were aware it was coming or not, but we kids were totally delighted! Not long afterward, we also acquired a kitten. My dad pretended to be grumpy about it, but it soon became apparent that not only had a truce developed between he and the cat, but they had somehow become best friends!

Since that time, I have never been without an animal in my life, usually a cat or two. Dogs are great, but require a bigger commitment than cats, so we usually opt for cats in our busyness. At present, we have two aging cats - Pickle and Beetle. They are sisters - totally opposite in every way and living side by side in enforced truce. They are actually getting too old for open warfare now so a little hiss or growl suffices when total indifference doesn't do the trick. But when some threat to our property presents itself, suddenly they become a united front - fearsome in their show of shared aggression!

All that to say, the As You See It Challenge this week is a great way to honour the pets in our lives this holiday season! They deserve a shout out after all they do for us!

To be completely honest, I didn't have any current stamps or DSP that were pet-themed. I had to raid my retired products stash for the Nine Lives stamp set which coordinates with the current Cat Punch. I also plundered my retired paper for my Playful Pets DSP. Here's how it turned out:

• I used the colour scheme from the Designer Paper with Cinnamon Cider, Real Red, Flirty Flamingo and Basic Black. But for the cat, I went more realistic colours with Crumb Cake, Black and Early Espresso.
• I used several die sets for this card: Stitched with Whimsy die for the background paper, Stitched Rectangles dies for the image panel and it's backing, and the Tasteful Labels dies for the sentiment.
• I used some of the Frayed Grosgrain Ribbon from the Whimsy & Wonder Suite in the Jul/Dec Mini Catalogue for the little Blushing Bride Bow at the bottom.

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If you live in Canada, and don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store.

Product List

*Nine Lives Photopolymer Stamp Set [148703] $20.00	*Playful Pets Designer Series Paper [152489] $15.75	Cinnamon Cider 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [153078] $12.00	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [120953] $12.00	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $13.25
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $8.25	Cinnamon Cider Classic Stampin' Pad [153114] $10.25	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [147052] $10.25	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $10.25	Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154899] $12.00
Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154884] $12.00	Blushing Bride 3/8'' (1 Cm) Frayed Grosgrain Ribbon [156341] $11.00	Cat Punch [144666] $24.00	Stitched With Whimsy Dies [155314] $39.00	Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] $48.00
Tasteful Labels Dies [152886] $42.00	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $5.50	Stampin' Seal [152813] $11.00	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $7.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50

*Retired products - no longer available from Stampin' Up!

Playful Pets in a Slimline Card

This was my first time making a slimline card and I have to say, I love this format! It allows you so much either vertical, or in this case, horizontal room to make more of a statement! I've been dying to play with my Playful Pets Designer Series Paper (DSP) and my Pets Dies ( I didn't get the Pampered Pets stamp set yet.) and I thought a slimline card (3 1/2" x 8 1/2") would be a great way to highlight the suite.

I love the striking colour palette of this suite, by the way - one of it's biggest charms, I believe. And the images of the pets are almost right out of a Disney animation! You can totally give each one a name and a personality! I was under the impression that the dies would all work for an image in the DSP, but it turns out that only two of them do, so I may have to get the stamp set after all.

Let's get a closer look at the card:

• I used Whisper White Thick cardstock for the base. I used the width of the cardstock for the length of the card and just cut the cardstock once at 7", then scored at 3 1/2" for the slimline shape.
• The first layer is Basic Black cardstock cut a t 3 1/4" x 8 1/4". The second is the Real Red stripes from the Playful Pets Designer Series Paper, cut at 3" x 8". I also cut a 1" strip of another of the Playful Pets DSP designs to add to the card front.
• I picked some of my favourite characters from the dogs and cats in in the DSP. Two of them I could die cut using the Pet Dies - the first cat and the first dog. The other two I had to fussy cut because there was no coordinating die in the set. 
• The first sentiment, on the left, is from the Whale Done stamp set, stamped on Whisper White with Real Red. It's die cut using the Stitched Shapes square dies. Then I used the Stitched So Sweetly dies to make the scalloped frame for it, by adjusting the rectangular frame - die cutting a second time after measuring the rectangle against the sentiment square. This is adhered together and onto the card front with either glue or Stampin' Seal.
• The second sentiment, on the bottom right, is from the Game On stamp set. I thought it would be appropriate, considering how dogs love to roll! It was stamped on a Whisper White strip with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and added to the card front with glue or Stampin' Seal.
• All the pets are added using Stampin' Dimensionals and Mini Stampin' Dimensionals for some vertical variety.

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If you live in Canada, and don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store. 

Product List

Game On Cling Stamp Set (English) [152646] $26.00	Whale Done Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [152470] $23.00	Whale Done Bundle (English) [154053] $42.25	Playful Pets Designer Series Paper [152489] $15.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $11.25
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $12.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $8.25	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084] $10.25	Paper Snips [103579] $13.50	Pets Dies [152705] $31.00
Stitched Shapes Dies [152323] $41.00	Stitched So Sweetly Dies [151690] $44.00	Stampin' Seal [152813] $11.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $5.50	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $5.50