On the 15th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 Hello, crafters! Today I offer you a hybrid canvas. It's a cross stitch canvas stretched onto a wooden frame, with a painted background and stitches using embroidery thread. I also embellished my canvas with a felt wiener dog, a sticker (bells) and small sequins for tree ornaments. The branches and the ribbons and bows on the presents showcase my stitching. I guess you can call it a mixed media project!

Art Journal Pages I'm Sharing Today

Recently, I chose to draw animals and fill them with doodles. Here's the first of three. I love this one. Just the noble canine and nothing else on the page. It looks so sharp. Personally, I prefer smaller dogs. Our first was a SiIkie Terrier rescue we named Wilson. We found out he had some big health issues, but by then he had been with us for three months. He was part of our family, and he gave us love for five years before giving up the good fight. Our second dog was also a rescue, mixed-breed terrier we named Honeycomb, Honey for short. She was six years old when we got her and she had some minor health issues. She's now 8 yo and has exactly that many teeth left. I guess terriers have an issue with their teeth rotting. We've always brushed our dogs teeth every night, but obviously many owners don't even think of doing that!

Here is my dolphin (well, not mine personally but my art journal page). After filling in her body, I doodled some waves and gave her the quote, "Don't just float, make waves". Do you doodle? What's in your art journal?? Happy crafting!!
 

Sparkle n Sprinkle Sponsors the Path of Positivity

This month on the Path of Positivity the theme calls for PASTELS as far as color scheme goes. Now, I'm sure you are wondering what could be positive about the death of a furry family member. I think the sentiment tells it all. 
Pets are heaven-sent, a gift for us to cherish and to be cherished. Our family has only offered a home to our Wilson for almost three years now, but even to think of losing him sends tears to my eyes. And yet, since the death of my husband last year, my daughter and I have a new appreciation of the cycle of life and death.
We have learned to live in the moment, savoring each happy memory and continuing to make new ones, regardless of the stress and strife of every day life. There will always be loss along the path, but we must continue on until we each come to the end of our own. How much happier that path is to have known, loved, been loved and made memories with companions throughout it all.
My neighbor has had a rough year. She lost her oldest pup, Posie, at the start of the New Year. Just last month, her dear Rocky lost his battle with diabetes. I wanted to show her that we are praying for her in her time of loss, and she can count on us whenever she needs anything.
SPARKLE N SPRINKLE is this month's guest sponsor, and I used Pet Sympathy digi Set to create my card. The set comes with a few sentiments, as well as black-line and pre-colored cat and dog images.  I colored my own image with Copics, using one of the offered sentiments.
Of course, PASTELS is an OPTIONAL theme. But...
If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so you are included in the draw for the prize for Most Inspirational. We'd also love to find out how this month's color palette makes you feel, if you'd like to share that with us. What kinds of feelings do PASTEL colors bring out in you? You can write a sentence or two in the body of your post, write a sentence at the bottom of your post next to the link up for this challenge, or simply leave a comment on the challenge post of the main blog if you'd like. 

Remember, in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $15 gift certificate from Sparkle N Sprinkle, our guest sponsor this month. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win an additionally-sponsored prize of a $15 gift certificate also from Sparkle N Sprinkle, for the project chosen as Most Inspiring.

  Whether you choose to create with the theme of PASTELS or not, don't forget to link your art to the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog before the end of April for your chance to win a gift certificate to the Sparkle n Sprinkle Store! Good luck and happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafting with Friends - ANything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Ringing in a New Challenge at Craft your Passion

Happy New Year, crafters! 2016 brings a new challenge to blog land at Craft your Passion challenge blog. Our sponsor this week is All Dressed Up.

I created a card using the digi image "A Cuddle Makes It All Better." Our family recently added a new member to our household. His name is Wilson. He is 7 years old and we got him from the Buddy Foundation, which rescues dogs from kill shelters. After his first vet visit, we were saddened to learn that he had Lyme Disease, but he's been on antibiotics for two weeks now and we can see a big difference.

Here he is enjoying a nap in his Christmas present, a new bed. He is a Silkie Terrier. He has been easy to train, and will sit, give us paw and stay pretty well. We're in the middle of training him to get in his crate, but we're still at the treat part of his training there. He doesn't often bark, but when he wants to get out for a walk, he lets us know!
Why am I going on about our new family member? My card was inspired by Wilson and I decided that since his cuddles make us all feel better, I would create a Get Well card. What inspires YOU to create? Let me know, as my muse has been spotty this new year, and I could use some new inspiration! In the meantime, have fun creating this week, and link up your project with Craft your Passion for your chance to win!!