Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Remembering Pepper (8/31/2004 - 8/25/2017)

Pepper - August 25, 2017

I'm so very sad to say that I had to let my little buddy, friend and companion, Pepper, go to The Rainbow Bridge on the day Hurricane Harvey made landfall, August 25, 2017.  A day I will never ever forget.  My heart is broken in two and so is Joe's, my husband, as well as our precious kitties, Miss Gali & Lucy.  Yes, they are mourning the loss of their dear friend.  I don't understand how some people can even think that animals don't have feelings and don't have emotions.  They definitely do!  I've always known this, but what I'm witnessing with my own eyes the proof that animals really do "FEEL".  

Miss Gali paces back and forth where Pepper's beds were under my computer table.  Then she sits at a distance and just stares in that spot.  How awfully SAD!   
Just yesterday, she laid on the side of the loveseat where Pepper used to lay next to me.  She NEVER EVER does this!!!!  OMG!  She's heart broken!  Poor thing!
Miss Gali laying in Pepper's 'spot' on the love seat next to me.
She misses her friend, Pepper, so very much!
 
Lucy smells and smells and then lays down in spots where Pepper once laid.  Just breaks my heart!  And Lucy has been sleeping in the scrap/computer room for hours on end, which is where Pepper always was because Pepper was with me.  Lucy NEVER did this before.  How sad.  :(

Two years ago, Pepper was diagnosed with a heart murmur.  If you don't know what that is....it is when the heart valves don't close completely after blood is pumped through, allowing a 'back wash' of blood to come back into the heart chamber.  Over time, this builds up and then the heart enlarges because it's having to pump 'overtime'.  Pepper's heart should have been 10 cm and was 13 cm. The vet couldn't believe how awfully fast her heart murmur progressed.  It was to a point that there was really no saving her.  Also, because her heart enlarged so dramatically, it pushed her esophagus to be at a parallel to her spine - it's supposed to be at a 45 degree angle downwards from the spine.  When I saw her x-rays I was just taken aback!

Back track:
For about 2 months or so, I noticed Pepper having more trouble running a long distance.  She always loved to run real fast to the end of our lawn, right by the road, to do her business and then she'd run at full speed back to us.  Panting like crazy, I just assumed she's getting older and is starting to slow down.  I used to tell her not to run.  Although she was over weight, an unhealthy beginning in life for her, she did lose some weight when she started living with us due to more activity and no table scraps!  She maintained her weight which is always better than gaining.

Then On Thursday, August 24th, I noticed she was breathing really quickly, but her happy and playful demeanor remained constant.  Next day, August 25th, same thing.  It was on my mind all day and I noticed she was a bit slower too.  Then she coughed - a sound I've never heard before.  I knew it was her heart.  I got ready & off we went to the vet.  

At the Vet:

Pepper's nerves got the best of her as we waited in the lobby to be seen.  She started coughing a LOT and then foam came out.  I stood up with her in my arms and demanded a vet immediately.  Pepper received an emergency injection of Lasix to help with the fluid retention.  Her little lungs were full of fluid & edema (swelling).  So the initial plan was to leave her with the vet so she could be monitored and then pick her up and bring her to the Emergency 24 Vet so that someone could watch her constantly.  Well, as soon as I arrived home my phone rang and it was the vet asking me to return quickly because Pepper had stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated!  OMG!  I rushed back to find little Pepper on a comfy mat on a stainless steel table breathing so quickly and had a tube down her throat for oxygen.  When she heard me say "Hi Sweetheart" her little eye turned to look at me.  Awwwwwwwww.  I felt her relief that I was there.  For that I am so very grateful....that she knew Lisa was there and she wasn't alone in that scary place with a tube down her throat.

After listening to the vet I just looked at her and said 'I think I need to let her go.  Don't you think that's the best thing?'  She told me if it was her dog, she would definitely put her to sleep.  I agreed and quickly signed a form and requested cremation.  I picked up Pepper's little head and held it in my hand and kissed her over & over again, telling her "You ole Haggidy.  Lisa loves you so so much.  I love you Pepper.  Now you get to go be with Mom & Pop."  The vet gave her the stop breathing injection and almost instantaneously she stopped breathing; then came the heart stopping injection.  The vet listened and told me she was gone.  I pinched Pepper's eyes closed and asked that the tube be removed so I could see her in a normal state.  I closed her little mouth and proceeded to just ball my eyes out.  Even the vet and the technicians cried.   I kept kissing her and telling her how much I loved her.  OMG!  The pain of losing a pet is, at least for me, much worse than losing a human being.  

Monday, August 28, 2017

Welcome to the Marcy Jungle

For those that may not quite understand this title....I used the title of a fave song by Guns & Roses 
"Welcome to the Jungle" because Marcy, my Grand-kitty, looks like she's on the prowl and don't get in her way!  This totally awesome photo was taken by my daughter, Brianne, in April 2010 in our back yard. 
Such a gorgeous cat and quite the little bitch too >^..^<
But that doesn't deter my love for her.  
Don't you just love the natural 'eyeliner' that's around Marcy's eye?!

I've really loved this page for a long, long time and just never felt that I had the 'right' photo for it.  
This is Blue Ferns Studios Tranquility collection page named Patience.
I used another BFS page in the same collection under the photo.
Just a minimal amount of scrapbooking was needed 
because I love to use the beautiful print on the paper as part of my design. 

You have to know Marcy to really understand the 'huntress' in her.  
She can spot a lizard (lee-zard as we tell her) a mile away!  ha ha!

I decided to keep this layout simple and focus 100% on the beautiful photo of Marcy!
I randomly punched the edges and then under-laid the backside of BFS Serenity paper.
Stenciling was done with Versamark and BFS Imagine Ink embossing color Sand & Sea
Sand & Sea has a very dark concrete color base with a beautiful blue over-tone.  YUM!

I chose to use The Dusty Attic chipboard Branches & Berries to frame this gorgeous photo!
Heat embossing it in BFS colors - Sage for the leaves & Black Sand for the stems & berries.
As you can see, the Black Sand EP is a light mushroom color with jet black specks.

My flower choices were in coordination with the photo.
Marcy has a beautiful earthy tone in her fur, so I picked this same flower color and then enhanced them with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst color Wake Me Up Before You Go Gold (retired color).  WOW!
To these I touched the petal tips with ColorBox Pigment Ink color Chestnut Roan.
Also I added some green wild roses that I touched the petal tips with Curry color.  Another WOW!


Below Marcy's photo I chose to place a beautiful Petaloo Anemone in Pistachio color.
Along with a white resin birdcage by The Paper Studios collection at Hobby Lobby, I painted it sparingly with Prima Finnabair art Alchemy acrylic Metallique paint color Brass Hardware. 

This was a very welcomed relief for me during a very heartbreaking time, which I will talk about later. 

Thank you so much for visiting and have a wonderful week dear friends,
Lisa : )


Products used:

Blue Fern Studios - Tranquility collection - 
main page - front
under photo - back side

under photo - back side



Black Sand


Sand & Sea

EK Success - punch - 
Scroll & Dots

The Dusty Attic - chipboard - 
Branches & Berries

Stampers Anonymous - Tim Holtz layering stencil - 
Crossed

Petaloo Bontanica collection flowers -
Anemone - Pistachio

Wild Orchid Crafts
Earth Tone Curly Wild Roses -30mm

Earth Tone Hip Rosebuds

Green Mix Curly Wild Roses - 30mm


Prima Finnabair - Art Alchemy acrylic paint - Metallique Brass Hardware -

Recollections - Black pearls
Hobby Lobby - Resin Birdcages

Sunday, August 20, 2017

En Vogue2

Over the past few days I've been working on two layouts of my daughter.  
These professional photographs of her are Vogue style. 
(You can also view the partner layout titled En Vogue1).  
Since the photos are similar, I wanted to scrapbook them similar.  

Brianne is not only a natural beauty, but she's also very photogenic.  
Photography by Jack Potts of Houston, Texas

I was thrilled to have two matching pages from the Blue Fern Studios Mémoires collection in the perfect garnet color to begin creating the two similar layouts.  
Headband ribbon, resembling the open knit sweater Brianne is wearing, 
was adhered horizontally in the center of the page.
The photo is mounted on two pieces of cardboard - one on the top & one on the bottom 
to be able to fit evenly over the ribbon.

I recently received my order from Wild Orchid Crafts and was able to use the pretty red lilies I bought!  
I used silk long leaves from my stash that I removed from some artificial stem flowers.  
  
The color tones & variations in the red lilies are such a great accent with the paper!

I always experiment with colors and techniques using 'test chipboard' - (the pieces you normally throw away).  
After a few different tests, I settled on ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in Dark Brown 
to color most of the pieces. I love it!  
I used a craft nib dabbed on the ink pad to color all of the intricate 'insides' of the chipboard for an even coloring.  Then I sprayed the pieces with Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio (retired color)Ruby Red Slippers.  Lastly I randomly dabbed on some ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink color Maroon

Starting with the fabulous and intricately detailed Dusty Attic Layered Corners, I used Prima's Finnabair White Crackle to coat the bottom layer.  Once dry, the top finished layer was adhered.  
Look at the color variations in the top layer!

On the sides and below the photo, as well as along the bottom of the layout, is The Dusty Attic chipboard Fancy Trim #5.  These were colored in the same way as the top layer of the corner pieces above the photo. 

Thanks so very much for the visit and hope you can come again!
Have a great day!  Lisa : )

Products used:

Blue Fern Studios - Mémoires Collection - 
Songbird's Drama - Backside

The Dusty Attic - Chipboards - 
Layered Corners

Fancy Trim #5


ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink - Petal Point 'Nightfall' set - 
(used Dark Brown & Maroon inks)

Ranger - Craft Nibs with Holder
Craft nib Holder

Replacement Nibs


Prima - Finnabair White Crackle Texture Paste - 


Lindys Stamp Gang Flat Fabio - Retired color Ruby Red Slippers 

Wild Orchid Crafts flowers - 

Red-White Mix Lilies

Hobby Lobby - Whisper White Headband ribbon

Adhesives - 

Tombow Liquid Glue
(for chipboard)

Scor-Tape
(for photo)

Beacon 3-in-1
(for Flowers & leaves)


En Vogue1

Over the past few days I've been working on two layouts of my daughter.  
These professional photographs of her are Vogue style. 
(You can also view the partner layout titled En Vogue2).  
Since the photos are similar, I wanted to scrapbook them similar.  
Brianne is not only a natural beauty, but she's also very photogenic.  
She has maroon dye in her hair and don't you absolutely love the heart on her lips?!
Photography by Jack Potts of Houston, Texas
I was thrilled to have two matching pages from the Blue Fern Studios Mémoires collection 
in the perfect garnet color to begin creating the two similar layouts.  
Headband ribbon, resembling the open knit sweater Brianne is wearing, 
was adhered horizontally in the center of the page.
The photo is mounted on two pieces of cardboard - one on the top & one on the bottom 
to be able to fit evenly over the ribbon.

I recently received my order from Wild Orchid Crafts and was able to use the pretty daffodils I bought 
that are a beautiful flesh-cream color with deep red centers!  
I used WOC long grass with them because daffodils have long straight leaves.
  
Let me show you some close ups. I love pretty flowers!


I always experiment with colors and techniques using 'test chipboard' - (the pieces you normally throw away).  
After a few different tests, I settled on ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in Dark Brown to color 
the gorgeous Dusty Attic Ornate Corner #6 pieces. I love it!  
I used a craft nib dabbed on the ink pad to color all of the intricate 'insides' of the chipboard for an even coloring.  Then I sprayed the pieces with Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio (retired color), Ruby Red Slippers.  Lastly I randomly dabbed on some ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink color Maroon

The Dusty Attic Fancy Trim #2 chipboard under the photo is acrylic painted 
with a mixture of colors (Sand, Fawn & Light Pinkto closely match the Fleshy Cream in the daffodils. 
The edges are inked in Creamy Brown.

Here you can see both chipboard pieces and the brown-maroon color variations.




Thanks so much for your visit and please come again!

Have a great day, Lisa : )




Products used:

Blue Fern Studios - Mémoires Collection - 
Songbird's Drama - Backside

The Dusty Attic - Chipboards - 
Ornate Corner #6

Fancy Trim #2



ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink - Petal Point 'Nightfall' set - 
used Dark Brown, Creamy Brown & Maroon inks 
Ranger - Craft Nibs & Holder
Craft Nib Holder

Replacement Nibs


Lindys Stamp Gang Flat Fabio - Retired color Ruby Red Slippers 


Wild Orchid Crafts - 
Cream-Deep Red Daffodils

Green Long Grass


Hobby Lobby - Whisper White Headband ribbon; Sand, Fawn & Lt. Pink acrylic paints


Adhesives - 
Tombow Liquid Glue
(for chipboard pieces)

Scor-Tape
(for photo & ribbon)

Beacon 3-in-1
(for flowers)