A Reason to Stamp - Pet Memorial Day

Morning!

Over on the Gingersnap Creations Blog they have a brilliant excuse to get inky and messy for each day of the month...you know, those days, like a Father's Day or Take Your Iguana To School Day....well, today, it is Pet Memorial Day. Well, what better excuse do I need to get all inky and messy and, at the same time, remember the very reason why I actually am sitting here typing at you all, wearing an ink stained t-shirt I have to admit LOL

I started crafting because I lost my little cat Poppy...indulge me here, I have told this story loads of times before but it never fails to make me feel both sad but also makes me smile; Poppy was my fur baby, we lived together...with no daft men to interfere and make us watch sport...and she got me thru some pretty dark hours of my life. And then, I met Grim...and once she saw me happily married and settled, she got very sick and sadly, there was nothing I could do to save her. You know, sometimes you read how upset people are when they lose their fluffy friends, well absolutely nothing could ever have prepared me for that sense of loss, and it is one of those things that we all go through because we love having our pets. She was only 7 years old and far too young to leave us. I miss her as much today as I did the day she left me to go and wait at the Rainbow Bridge.

Because I was so upset, Grim ordered me a TSV from QVC, so I could make some cards and occupy my mind...like diversion therapy....and the rest, as they say, is history. I was well and truly hooked on crafting ... and now I have a wealth of friends and crafty companions whom I would never have met if it weren't for losing Poppy and Grim's kindness. I am a great believer that out of something bad, something good will always happen....




This is a little Pocket I made using the rubber stamp that Jennie made for me, using a photo of Poppy...you see, she will live on forever now and the Poppy stamp is also available to buy, which just makes me so dang chuffed because I have seen other crafters use the stamp and everytime I see it...well, it brings that lump to my throat and still makes me smile.




I guess I should say a little apology here for being such a sentimental old moobag...but the whole point of the Reason to Stamp for today is to remember our pets.

Thanks for looking, I am off to find a hanky now....

Hels x

My Beautiful Poppy

Evening Peeps,

Well, what better way to start a brand new year than to make a scrapbook layout of the little cat that is the reason that I started crafting in the first place. I am sure I have bored you all with this story before, but for those of you who haven't heard this before.....this photo is of Poppy, my little cat who was my very first "furbaby" and my constant companion throughout my twenties and my "single years" as I call them.




Sadly, Poppy got very ill when she was just seven years old. She had renal failure and the kindest thing to do was to let her go. This completely broke my heart and I never thought that I would be able to smile again. As I was so upset, Grim decided that to buy me a cardmaking kit in the hope that my mind would not dwell on my loss. Little did he know that he opened up a whole new world and a whole new addiction for me.

I like to think that the reason I am a crafter is because of Poppy - and Grim of course - and she is, and always will be, my source of inspiration.




So, I have this photo of her, that was taken the year before she passed away. She loved sitting in the sunshine and as you can see, her black fluffy coat often caught the sun and turned brown. Poppy went deaf when she was three years old, so whenever she was out in the garden, I made her wear a collar with three bells on it - so I could hear her wherever she was!




For my layout, I have kept it simple and used a couple of pieces of the new Basic Grey range called BitterSweet. I edged all the papers with Warm Violet Chalk Ink and then stamped and cut out lots of my Stitchels flowers, which I then edged with the ink and layered up onto 3D foam. The title is made from some Alpha stamps - and I planned on a three word title as this layout is also my effort for the challenge from months ago that I kept saying I would do and never got the chance to......see Shaz....told you I would get there eventually :O)) LOL The little dots in the middle of the flowers are DewDropz ... I just love these little dome shaped gems, they just add that little extra something to a project.




Thanks for looking and I would love your comments as I have had a comment from Grim which I have taken on board - wonder if any of you will say the same thing though? LOL




I am planning....get this....to make a Blog entry every day in January....do you think I will be able to do it though? Well, here is hoping! Oh and I almost forgot to mention.....dear Jennie from The Artistic Stamper made this photo of Poppy into a rubberstamp for my birthday last year and it is available to buy if you are interested....click here and you will be taken straight there :O))

Happy New Year to you all...may 2009 bring you much health, wealth and happiness and above all, may you have the stength to cope with what life chucks at you.

Lotsa love Hels xx

In My Pocket........There is a PussyCat

Morning Crafters,

Thank you to all of you who joined in with the challenge last week - I loved seeing all your snowy Pockets.

This week I have a Cat in my Pocket, well, not literally cos that would be a bit painful (claws) :O))

Here is the template for your Pocket:




I made this Pocket a while ago and I just haven't had chance to use it yet, so here it is.

I used my most beloved stamp for this Pocket. It is an image of my cat Poppy who is no longer with us. I have probably said this before so I won't bore you too much but she is the reason I am a crafter for when I lost her, Grim bought me a crafty TSV to try and help me think about something else and I haven't looked back since!

Anyways, this year Jennie from The Artistic Stamper very kindly used my favourite photo of Poppy and made it into a stamp for me.




This Pocket is my little tribute to Poppy - I printed off the words and then matted them onto red and black Bazzill cardstock. I edged the whole Pocket with Fired Brick Distress Ink and used some Grungeboard to make her a crown and some wings. The closure is actually a small piece of velcro which I have hidden behind the wing. Inside the Pocket I had just stamped, matted and placed another image of her and added some more words and some ribbon. The hearts are also made from Grungeboard - I simply coloured with Fired Brick and spritzed with a mixture of water and gold mica paint.



All the bits and bobs I used for this Pocket are available from The Artistic Stamper, including the stamp of Poppy, so if you would like to have your very own Poppy in your collection, I would be really honoured.

As usual, once you have made your Pocket, please leave a comment here and add a link to the place you are showing yours - then I can come and visit.

Have a good day everyone, happy Bonfire Night - be safe with those fireworks peeps.

Hels x

Poppy

Hello,

I have made a card today using a brand new stamp that Jennie from The Stamp Connection has made especially for me.

The image is of my cat Poppy, who sadly passed away five years ago. Poppy was my "baby" and I was distraught when I lost her and it is still painful after all this time. When I first lost her, Grim bought me a craft TSV from QVC because he thought that the diversion of making cards would help me. And it certainly did!! I like to think that the reason I am crafting now is because of Poppy and this is the most wonderful and fitting tribute to her.

This stamp is taken from a photo I have of Poppy. She was sitting in the garden on a really sunny day so she was actually closing her eyes against the sun and whilst she was black and white and a fluffball, she had had rather a lot of sun that year and her fur was a lovely brown colour!



I used black StaZon ink for the impression and then used a Brush Stroke stamp from Penny Black, inked with Distress Inks, to make a background. Matted onto red Bazzill and black card, I added the words, which are also available from The Stamp Connection, to finish the card off.



I have to admit that I shed a few tears when I first saw this stamp this morning but I love it and just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to Jennie for making this for me.

Thanks for looking

Hels xx