When I saw the graphic for the card Concept Challenge 138c, I knew exactly what I wanted to make, well sort of, kinda. This was one of the hardest cards that I have ever made, lol! I think because I knew what look I wanted but I wasn’t quite sure how to get there. I knew that I wanted sassy and fun, with the dog in sunglasses. The sunglasses turned out to be the tricky part. I lay in bed at night trying to remember which stamps that I had that contained sunglasses! I finally came up with 2 that were the right size to fit my Pampered Pets. One is from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called More Monkey Accessories that went with a Sock Monkey set, the other is actually from a stamp and I cut the sunglasses off of the image.

Once again, I’ve leaned towards the Clean and Layered style of stamping. This card has clean lines with lots of layers. I’ve used multiple designer papers and added a ribbon embellishment. It is clean and fresh looking with one of the dogs being a colored image.

I like to continue stamping on the inside of the card and like to use some of my scrap strips to jazz it up a bit. I’m not a big writer so I don’t need lots of open space on the inside of the card. This way I feel less threatened with a job to do (write a long note) and I’m more apt to get the card in the mail.

I also struggled a bit with what to place the cool pups on once I had them designed. I wanted to go for a beachy look. The piece of patterned paper that I chose is from the World of Good Specialty DSP and is the front and back of the same sheet. It’s actually words on the “sand” but I thought it worked good to ground the pups.

I chose to stamp and color the larger dog with Cinnamon Cider Stampin’ Blends, I LOVE THE CINNAMON CIDER color! The little dog is fussy cut (scissors) from the cute Playful Pets Designer Series Paper. I also colored the little guy’s glasses with Smoky Slate because I had stamped them on whisper white but it was just too white and needed to be toned down. Both dogs are popped up with dimensionals.

I had a cardbase already stamped with the Buffalo Check (discarded from another project – never throw those misfits away) and it was perfect for the beach look. It reminded me of an old blanket that we used to have in the trunk for picnics.

I hope you enjoyed my take on the Dog Days of Summer. Be sure to check out all the other entries to the Challenge

P.S. I just had to sneak this Challenge card in. I know that I said I would be posting my Hallows Night Magic cards over the next week, but don’t worry, there is more spookiness to come. Keep tuned in.

Pampered Pets Bundle [154069] $39.50	More Monkey Accessories [clear-mount] [120468] $12.95
Buffalo Check Clear-Mount Stamp Set [147794] $15.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00
Early Espresso Classic Stampin’ Pad [147114] $7.50	Cinnamon Cider Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [153105] $9.00
Real Red Combo Pack Stampin’ Blends [147935] $9.00	Smoky Slate Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [154904] $9.00
Playful Pets Designer Series Paper [152489] $11.50	World Of Good Specialty Designer Series Paper [152491] $15.00
Copper Foil Sheets [142020] $5.00	Cinnamon Cider 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [153078] $8.75
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Crumb Cake 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [120953] $8.75
Early Espresso 1/4″ (6.4 Mm) Faux Suede Trim [152472] $6.50	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00