Penny Black Fetching Slippers Masculine Retirement Card

Hi everyone,

Last December, we adopted a beautiful 7 years 8 months old Groodle (Golden Retriever - Poodle cross) from a Council pound in a country town several hours away from where we live.  He had been surrendered by his family to the pound which is so incredibly sad and had been there for many months.  We saw his ad on a Pet Rescue website and I just had such a good feeling about him.  I get alot of strong senses about many things and have always been that way since I was little.  I guess they call it a sixth sense (?) but it is more than that - and interestingly, my late Father and his Mother (my Grandmother) were exactly the same.  My Father and I even used to sometimes have the same dream on the same night which used to be quite unnerving to say the least!  I even have senses about someone's imminent passing even when they aren't sick.  Anyway, I am digressing.......  

So we rang up the Council to find out more about the dog and they told us he was good with children and adults and other dogs and not aggressive in any way nor had separation anxiety.  So we made the trip up to see him and oh, he is just the LOVELIEST dog and we couldn't wait to bring him home with us.  Tucker is very gentle and has the sweetest nature - doesn't pull on the lead when you walk him - loves being brushed - honestly, we hit the jackpot.  He just wants to be cuddled and loved.  I also love that he doesn't shed because of the Poodle in him.   Here is a photo of Tucker rocking his bow tie:

Honestly, he is just like a teddy bear!  And who could resist that adorable face?!  We took him to the dog groomer for the first time yesterday and he was brilliant.  The lady who groomed him said he was so friendly and relaxed the entire time and made friends with her friend's dog that was already there and they sat on the mat together like they were besties.  

Now that we are retired, it means we have the time to put into having a dog plus it is good company for my husband when he is pottering around in the garden or garage - or when any of us is outside.  We just adore him and so happy that he now has a fur-ever home.  We are his 3rd family and I really can't imagine how sad he must have been when he was given up not just once, but twice 😢

So, I HAD to make a card to celebrate my husband's retirement with a dog on it - it just seemed so fitting for the occasion!

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each challenge:

• Crafty Catz - #708 - Anything Goes
• Critter Crazy - #108 - Anything Goes with a featured critter (real or fantasy)
• Ellibelle's Corner - I Spy with my Little Eye - Something You Love - I chose dogs
• Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It WT1055 - Make it Masculine - this is from a while ago and there are no time limits to play their challenges
• Crafty Animals - #103 - Anything Goes - Must include an animal but birds, bugs, bees and insects are all OK

The main image is an old stamp from Penny Black - Fetching Slippers - and was stamped onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  I tried to colour the dog to look similar to Tucker and to also make the fur look curly.  I used a mix of Watercolour Pencils and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers + a Zig Blender Pen.  Check out those cute bunny slippers!  They sure put a smile on my husband's face!  Here is a close-up:

I still had my Basic Grey Max and Whiskers Designer Papers on my desk from a birthday card I made the other day for my BIL - see HERE - so I thought I would use them again.  I do love these papers - Basic Grey had such unique designs and I really miss them.

I went over the black lines on the main image using an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen to darken up the lines after my colouring.  I diecut the image using a Quickutz Nesting Card Templates Die and my Big Shot - then layered it onto some Blue Designer Paper and then onto Dark Brown Cardstock from my stash.

I added the 1/4" wide Grosgrain Ribbon in two separate elements and glued the knot on using Helmar's Fabric Glue.  I find that attaching the ribbon elements separately saves some ribbon because I don't have to wrap it around my card and the knot sits flatter and just looks neater and better IMHO.

To do the sentiment, I stamped the banner which is from a very old WPlus9 Basic Banner and Die Set (2013) - and fussy-cut around it using my Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, which meant I could then diecut the banner from the Blue Designer Paper so I had a layer underneath it.  It just looked better that way instead of just having just the banner on white cardstock.  I went around the edges with my Anko Black Pigment Brush Pen to hide any imperfections in my fussy-cutting.  The sentiment is by Penny Black - a Bear of all Trades - and went perfectly with the image I thought.  I stamped it using Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip Ink which is a very dark brown and looked better than using black ink.  Yep, retirement is all about "taking it easy".   I diecut the banner again from white cardstock and glued that underneath so I could have a little bit of dimension for the sentiment panel.

The centre panel was popped up on scraps of white cardstock as is the main image panel.

The buttons on the RHS are also by Basic Grey from their Granola Collection released in 2008.  I sewed matching threads through each button then glued them on using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

The hearts either side of the sentiment were diecut from a Reddish-Orange sheet of Designer Paper using an Impression Obsession - Heart of Hearts Die.  This is a well-used but retired die that has seen alot of love over the years because it diecuts many different sizes and styles of hearts - just perfect for anytime you need a heart:

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

As finishing touches, I added Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen to the dog collar plus the hearts.

Finished size is 6" x 4-1/8" or 153mm x 105mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Fetching Slippers 2085F + Bear of all Trades 30-108, WPlus9 Basic Banners (2013 - retired)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip (retired)

Designer Papers:  Basic Grey Max and Whiskers 6" x 6" (2009-retired)

Accessories:  Big Shot, 1/4" - 6.5mm wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Buttons - Basic Grey - Granola (2008-retired), Matching Sewing Thread, Needle, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive + Fabric Glue, Anko Black Pigment Pen - Brush + 0.05, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers + Blender Pen, Watercolour Pencils, #2 Round Paintbrush, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen, Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolor + Scraps of White Cardstock + Dark Brown

Dies:  WPlus9 Basic Banner WP9D-059#-32557 (retired), Quickutz Nesting Card Templates DC0431 (retired), Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I (retired)