I have just a quick share for you today.  Kayla had her final chemotherapy treatment on Monday followed by acupuncture today.  "Chemo weeks", as we call them, are the hardest as it takes her several days to return to her normal self.  She definitely turned a corner today and her appetite has dramatically improved.  She is enjoying remission (and so are her humans).  Kayla goes back to the oncologist in 4 weeks for a re-check which I am certain will continue to show her cancer-free.

With so many people involved in her care, we make a lot of thank you cards. We made another one today.  The image is not Stampin' Up! but all of the other products are. This dog image so closely resembles Kayla I couldn't use anything else (I'm sure SU! would understand).

I've received some really awesome emails from some of you expressing your concern and support for Kayla.  I can't tell you what it means to me.  Thank you! 

Have a great weekend!

I've been absent from my blog for awhile.  I guess the best explanation is to say that I have been tending to matters of the heart - me, my family and my beloved dog, Kayla. The good news is, everyone is doing well, especially the dog.  Kayla was diagnosed with Lymphoma a couple of months ago as I explained in this post.  Between modern medicine and alternative medicine, I am happy to say Kayla is officially in remission!  She has responded to all the treatment protocols, conventional and holistic and is enjoying a "normal" dog life.  She still has a few more chemo treatments left to go.  I'm not able to be with her during her chemo treatments, but I am with her during her acupuncture.  This is what holistically fighting canine cancer looks like:

Acupuncture often gets a bad rap, but as someone who partakes in acupuncture myself, I know first-hand the healing benefits it offers.  Kayla loves her acupuncture appointments.  She often drifts off to sleep for the 30 minute session.  She knows a good thing when she sees it!

In addition to acupuncture and chemo, she takes a plethora of meds and supplements - 19 pills a day to be exact.  She's such a trooper.

So, we are enjoying having a "healthy" dog again and are grateful for each day we have with her.  It's been such an emotional roller coaster ride, but I have learned so much.  We don't know how long this good fortune will last, but I have come to appreciate living in the moment.  My heart is full and I feel so blessed.

And because this is a stamping blog, I do have a card to show you.  It uses some non-Stampin' Up! items and retired items as well.  This dog stamp from Inky Antics looks so much like Kayla, I had to get it.  This is a card for Kayla's acupuncturist - she loved it and has it proudly displayed in her clinic.  Kayla even put a real paw print on the inside with ink!

Thank you for letting me share my update with you.  I have received such wonderful emails from some of you and I can't begin to tell you how much your support means.  Thank you!

Tomorrow I get to introduce you to a new member of my Ink Happens team!  C'mon back tomorrow to learn more about her!

Enjoy this day!

When I sort through my stash of cards, it's easy for me to find feminine looking cards but I always run into trouble when I need something masculine.  I didn't realize how often I made cards with flowers!  Today's card uses a stamp I have had for years - probably at least 7 years.  It's not from Stampin' Up! but rather PSX.  I love the detail on this image.  This card is going to my son and he loves to golf so it was an easy choice.

I kept the embellishments to a minimum knowing the post office will charge me an arm and a leg if the card is more than 1/4" thick.  In fact, I may already have a problem with the button I used, but I felt it really needed something.  The button is from the Stampin' Up! Sherbet designer button pack which has a really nice variety of styles and sizes.  If you look closely, the center of the button is not tied with thread or ribbon, but rather a thin piece of chocolate paper. It adds an unexpected element to the card.

It's a beautiful day today in Central Florida.  I'm off to do my 3-mile walk with my friend and neighbor.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow so I can show you the awesome surprise my husband gave me over the weekend!

Supplies: Stamps: Sincere Salutations, golf bag (PSX); Ink: Black, Chocolate Chip, Copic markers; Paper: Very Vanilla, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Welcome Neighbor DSP; Accessories: Button, Big Shot Texture plate SU Backgrounds 1, Chocolate double-stitched grosgrain ribbon.

Tourists are everywhere and I mean everywhere!  Every other car on the road has an out-of-state license plate and has what seems to be at least two college-aged kids in it.  If the car isn't full of college students, it usually consists of your typical, everyday, garden-variety family of 4 with "Dad" at the wheel.  "Dad" is often the frenetic driver bobbing and weaving from lane to lane trying to read the signs for the Disney theme parks and frustrated at the number of toll roads leading to them (By the way, we thank you for your generous donations to the maintenance of our highway system).  Oh, to be a tourist in Central Florida during Spring Break!  On behalf of THE Mouse and myself, we welcome all of those fabulous, revenue-generating tourists to to the happiest place on Earth!

Okay, on to the business at hand...

The main image of this card isn't Stampin' Up!, it's made by Magenta.  I've had this stamp for about a year and this is my first time using it (sad, but true).  I thought today would be perfect to do something with it with all the kids out of school for Spring Break.  These images depict what a perfect Spring Break should consist of.  I used my Stampin' Write markers and Aquapainters on watercolor paper for the images.  The white embossed background is the new Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder.  Various Stampin' Up! cardstock, brads and ribbon finish it off.

This sketch is a mild adaptation of the sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers (sketch challenge 169 ).  I didn't follow it "exactly" but it certainly served at a nice guideline.  These sketches, and others like them, are just what I need when I'm not feelin' the stampin' love.

Happy Spring Break.

Mary Ann