Puppy Love... LooLooLoo, I Love You!

LooLoo, Olaf, and Dottie... before Dottie took Olaf's face off...

Hi all! 

Be ready for tears.... this is a tough one.

October has been a difficult month here in the Winn household.  Our little LooLoo passed away a week ago today.  She spent the last 3 days of her life in emergency vet care in an oxygen kennel.  Despite the doctors and staff going above and beyond to try to help her, our little girl had fluid in her lungs and was working so hard to breathe.  At 4 am on October 4th, I received a phone call letting me know it was time.  LooLoo was exhausted, she couldn't sleep because breathing was work for her, and her condition was not only not getting better it was getting worse, rapidly. She has crossed the rainbow bridge and is now resting with our German Shepard, Lilly, and her grandpa, who I know she has missed.

 LooLoo came to us about 4.5 years ago, she was a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix.  When we got her, she was a grumpy old woman who barked out a tooth in our bed, the first night we got her.  She had several medical issues, a skin fungal disease, several teeth that needed pulled, worms, and hip issues.

Our poor little girl had been living a rough life, she was not very trustworthy of people, hated Dottie, and was terrified of kids.  Despite all of that, she had our hearts immediately.  We worked with our vet to get the medical issues taken care of, and under control. Taught her that she could trust us, and tolerate Dottie and other dogs, and that kids, while clumsy have so much love to offer.

LooLoo, aka Little Bear, aka, Tinkerbell, aka our little monster, was a huge fan of pillows. She would commandeer couch cushions, bedroom pillows, laps, chests, anything that was soft and fluffy.  She did a happy dance or circles whenever she was excited or when she wanted something!  She spoke for Dottie, who doesn't tend to let us know when she's hungry, wanting to go potty, etc. Would tell her Daddy to go to bed or get up if he was taking too long... (hehe) and would demand that someone be present while she ate her food (off the floor, bowls were scary!)

This last week with her being gone has been more difficult than I can express.  In order to help myself come to terms with the fact that my baby would in fact not be coming home, I created thank you card for the two amazing vets that took care of our little girl the last few days of her little life. 

  This first one, I was determined to use only Stampin' Up products.  I needed something to make me focus.  I can't tell you if half of these items are still available, and it's a little rough if you look too close, but for the local vet, who took care of LooLoo at 3 AM on Friday when I came in with her breathing rapidly, I think it's perfect.  They let me cry, made sure I was comfortable with her condition prior to my leaving her there, and when it was time to send her to a specialist, they did all of the research, found one in Tacoma for us, made sure they were aware that we would be on our way, and provided a portable oxygen kennel for us to use on the 30 minute drive. 

LooLoo in her travel oxygen kennel.

The next card, for the doctors and staff at the specialty ER vet, was a bit more personal.  I used stamps from Unity and Paper Smooches, I colored them with my Copics, and finished it with a few Pretty Pink Posh sequin stars.

These people took care of LooLoo for almost 3 full days.  They reached out to their associates who were on days off to get their opinions, one even both an in flight wifi package to review her x-rays, loved on her when we weren't there, promised me that someone would be with her she ate, so she wouldn't be alone, allowed my husband and I to visit every single day, talked to us like parents, not owners, she was our child, not our dog. I could go on. They set it up to we could hold her before we left each day, made sure that when my little sister came with to visit she could see then helped us get her hot cocoa to just the right temperature so that she could have it to comfort her, allowed my other sister and her boyfriend in to the ICU to say goodbye and love her as well.  They made sure we were prepared for the worst but strove for the best possible outcome... I know we paid them to do a job, but I owe them my heart for loving my little girl and taking care of her the way a mom can only hope her child is taken care of. 



Good night mommy's little girl, daddy's little princess.  We miss you each moment of each day.  Watch over us, and remember that sometimes, we will need you to put your little paw on our shoulder to let us know it's going to be alright.

 Love,

Mommy and Daddy 

If you are interested in helping make an animal's life a little better, and can't bring a pet (or another pet) home, please donate in LooLoo's name to the Thurston County Animal Services.

What Happens When I'm Itching to be Creative but My Fibromyalgia Forces Me to Sit on the Couch!

Long ridiculous title, I know.  Today's card is a product of forced "relaxation," aka sitting on the couch because pain and fatigue have taken over your life, and an itch to actually use a few of my new stamps from So Suzy Stamps! 

Last week I missed a few days of work, dealing with a flare up of my fibromyalgia... not fun.  After so many hours watch Netflix I tend to get a bit stir crazy.  

My husband ordered me to turn on some music and color so I would relax.  Out came my Copics and Wink of Stella markers, and sitting in a bin unused looking at me with sad eyes was the So Suzy Stamps Seahorse that I had so desperately wanted (I may have even threatened a few friends to make sure I was first to order when Suzy restocked!... Good thing they love me!)  

I started coloring up Polo (the seahorse) first, but seeing as I had put on Fantasia (my version of turning on music!) He ended up a little psychedelic, but as adorable as I always knew he would be!!  He turned out to be a she... as did all my little critters, in fact, she ended up being a bit of a Rapunzel Disneybound! HEHE!

 


Next, I grabbed some little fishies.  This little ladies are tooooooo cute, I was suppose to add googly eyes, but I forgot, good thing they turned out perfect anyways!

I ended up with Tink, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora.  All covered in glitter, as princess fishies should be.  Can you tell yet just how much time I had been sitting on the couch without any sort of creative outlet?

 

I also colored up a few more critters and my adorable coral.  Not everyone could fit on my small card so at least they can have a little moment to shine here!  Meet Ariel the Octopus, and Belle, the Sea Turtle

Today, I decided they needed a home and created a card using a few of my critters! Here, are Rapunzel, Cindy, and Snow by their sea castle on a "Happy Birthday" card.

I used the Fireworks available from So Suzy Stamps to create a fun blue violet water-colored background.  Then took her Castle stamp (another I NEEDED, but had not used!) and stamped it onto the background.  I used Stampin' Up Stamp 'n' Write markers to color in the castle and walkway. 

For the "Happy Birthday" I took a Close to My Heart Stamp I had on hand and used my MISTI and Wedding Dress White Memento Luxe ink.  I had to put down several layers to make the white stamp out from the water-colored background, the final result is pretty awesome! Using some dimensionals and adhesive I placed the critters on where I felt they fit best. I finished the card off with some DoubleClick Skittles as little air bubbles from the fish!

I double mounted the base I had created on some pretty seaweed green CS from my stock and the on top of that I used a water print from a designer paper that I got several years ago at JoAnn Fabric. 

Check out So Suzy Stamps August, Be The Sea Challenge on her blog!

As always, thank you for dropping by!

 ~R. Winn

Visit my Stampin' Up website if you need some supplies!

Something New and Exciting!

Hi again!

I've been working on making sure to post here more frequently!  Sometimes that's easier said than done!  Today, I've got fun, exciting things to share with you!  

First, is... my Etsy shop!  I've created a shop to sell a few of my cards and the newest R. Winn creations, hand painted signs!  Check me out ladies and gents, RWinnCreates Etsy Shop.  I've actually got a coupon code being offered now through Monday, July 6th, "Disbride" will get you $2.00 off your order!

I have gotten my first 2 orders thanks to some of my beautiful friends on Disney Bride Diary (official home of Disbrides, LLC) who wanted some beautiful signs for themselves and their loved ones.!  I'm super excited to run to the story today to pick up supplies for these orders!

This is the face of pure excitement and joy at FINALLY remembering to order white embossing power... it's the little things that make life worthwhile!
 I placed a nice big order from Stampin' Up! on the 30th, yesterday, I had the world's heaviest box at my door step and LOTS of new goodies to play with... are you jealous?

We JUST has a new catalog start last month, which means... New In Colors!  The Mint Macaroon really caught my eye and so I decided to use it for my new favorite background stamp (it's almost too pretty to put anything on top of it!

A World of Thanks is such a gorgeous stamp, I stamped all over using the Mint Macaroon ink pad and decided on a Smoky Slate SU cardstock base.  Then I grabbed some of the riches colors I could find in my arsenal of Stampin' Write Markers, Indigo Island, Tangerine Tango, Blackberry Bliss, Always Artichoke, and Cherry Cobbler and hit the special characters and accents on the stamp to add just a little bit more color.

I used my MISTI to line it up and stamp a clear image .  I love how it had the worn feel, like you are looking at something from years past. 

I mounted the stamped background on a Blackberry Bliss SU cardstock to tie in the accent colors.  Finally, I grabbed my new FAVORITE embellishments, the Expressions Natural Elements and hit it with a very fine layer of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to add some sparkle and another tie in with the accent colors on my background stamp.  In the worlds of my 7 year old sister, "I think whoever gets that card will love it very much."

So to recap, go like my Etsy page, take a look at the new items on my Stampin' Up website, maybe even order yourself a catalog there, oh yeah, and Happy 4th of July!

~R. Winn

My Stampin' Up Website

My Etsy Shop

 

Happy days! Stamping for a few fun people!

Every once in a while, I get asked to do something and I get really excited about the project that I know it will result in.  Sometimes, its attending a 1 year old's birthday party, sometimes it's creating a card for a great cause or special person!  Here are a few of the cards I've completed the last week or so, all of which, got me really excited to do!


A little over a week ago, one of my friends since high school had a huge landmark, her adorable son, Kaleb turned 1!  He is one of the HAPPIEST babies I have ever been lucky enough to know.  

His party was Mickey Mouse themed, which you KNOW I was excited about.  I came up with an adorable little card featuring Mickey Mouse!  I have over the last couple of years, been gathering Disney stamps (they're hard to come by!) but this one seemed perfect to me. I colored Mickey up using my Stampin' Up Blendabilities. 

The letters were a new acquirement, I had to stamp each one individually so it ended up looking handmade, but it is so I'm still happy.

I used Mickey Mouse colors for the cardstock to pull it all together and this ended up being my little pal's birthday card from Auntie Disney! 



My next exciting project was a retirement card for a member of the Orlando Fire Department who has been with them for 27 years (WOW!)  For this card, I 
found a fantastic set of digital stamps on Etsy (after searching for the right one for hours!) I ended up blowing the truck up MUCH larger than 
I intended, but I love how it looks!  I colored it up using my Stampin' Up Blendabilities & Copic alcohol markers.  To make the windows and the light really POP, I hit them with my Stampin' Up Crystal Effects, then at the last minute used it on the ladder too so it stood out from the paper.

My friend requested I use the OFD Maltese (funny story there, long story short, it's not a dog, it's their logo haha!)  That I shrunk so that I could make it legible but work well on the card.

I had planned on using the word "Congratulations" as the sentiment, but when I pulled out my favorite congrats set, Bravo by Stampin' Up, I say that "Woo-Hoo!" and knew it was the one!  It pops off the old designer paper from Stampin' Up! that I love.  I put it all together on some Crumb Cake Cardstock from Stampin' Up!  This is one of my favorite colors to use as a base because it's so easy to pair with everything, it is just rustic enough to add depth but not too flat!

My most recent project was a last minute birthday card for a friend to send to a friend!  Again, the Disney stamps, I've collected and ADORE.  The birthday girl LOVES classic Mickey (who doesn't??) For the balloons, I used Stampin' Up! embossing powders in Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Iridescent Ice & Gold (it's like magic!) They are on SU Pacific Point cardstock.

  

I used my SU Blendabilities to color up the sitting Mickey and dimensionals to make him POP after I fussy cut him and mounted him on SU Melon Mambo cardstock.   I carried the Melon Mambo into the card base and the pop up for the sentiment!  I used my Decorative Label Punch to give the sentiment a pretty display.

 
I'm sure you can tell, I'm starting to get a little brain fuzzy, it's dinner time and I've had a long day.  I hope you enjoy my creations.  Make sure you stop by my Stampin' Up! website to shop the new catalog and get yourself some new goodies!


~R. Winn
My SU Website

Light It Up Blue for Autism Awareness Blog Hop!

Hello and welcome to the Light It Up Blue For Autism Awareness Blog Hop!

I'm not lucky enough to be a parent yet, but I'm a big sister, a little sister, and aunt.  I've got a large family, and that means a lot of love.  That also means, I end up caring deeply about children, Autism has not touched by family as of yet; but it's touched some of my dear friends, and their children. 

For a short time after high school, I was lucky enough to get to teach dance, one of my favorite students was Ali.  Ali was a little ball of energy, still is only, she's not so little anymore! I developed a strong bond with her, and will always consider her mother, Carmen, one of the strongest women I know.  She's done everything for Ali, given her a love for dance and music (the girl's got moves), the opportunity to love animals, horses, dogs, I'm pretty sure Ali loves anything with 4 legs.  We had our ups and downs when it came to dance class, but ultimately, Ali showed me a whole new world and taught me patience I didn't know I had, and a love I will never forget.

 After completing just enough college to participate in the Walt Disney World College Program, I moved to Florida for 4 GLORIOUS months and became a Disney slave (if you know me, at all, you know this was the best time of my life).  During my program I worked at the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway (Speedwhat?), one of the full-time cast members was Aimee.  Now, I would love to say Aimee and I were best friends, but we weren't. She was, and still is, one of the kindest people I've ever met, she never treated me different because I was literally the youngest person working there (barely out of high school folks!) She is a kind, patient person.  She has two absolutely ADORABLE children, her youngest was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two.

Little Mr. Dom, has stolen my heart.  This kid, he's so cute.  Currently, Aimee and her husband, Kevin, are working on fundraising towards getting Dom a therapy dog!  He's had a huge amount of success with the dog that visits during his speech therapy sessions.  I've done a few small things to help how I can, on April 2nd I will be wearing a shirt that another of the Cleffi family's friends created to support their fundraising efforts, I've also been able to create a few sets of cards for Aimee, some to sell at a craft fair, and some for personal use.  

Please visit their fundraising link, if you can, donate a dollar or two, otherwise, just read a little bit about this amazing kid and imagine how much a parent must love their child to want so badly to give them everything they can to succeed in life, to say nothing negative about their struggles and to simply ask for help when they need it, sometimes from a perfect stranger, sometimes, from an old friend.  You can also follow Dom's Ninjas on Facebook.

Back to the Blog Hop!  We have so many fantastic sponsors that have shown their support for Autism Awareness and you can see the complete list here: Autism Awareness Blog Hop. 

  Please take a few minutes to look around at what these wonderful artists have created.  If you would like a chance to win a prize from one of these fabulous companies leave a comment on this blog, and any of the other blogs participating in today's hop! Winners will be chosen at random and will be announced on Monday April 6.

 Now here is the card I created for today's hop! 

The image is from the The Amy Doodle Stamp Company, puzzle pieces are used to represent Autism and blue is the color used to represent it.  Now what you can't really see it that my card isn't done in the traditional sense, normally, your crease would be at the top of the card, mine however, is different, not less.

I folded my card on the bottom, why? A few reasons, I wanted to be different.  Also, I wanted to use this adorable heart punch and I couldn't make it work any other way.  Sometimes, with Autism, it's different than what you would expect, things don't work the way you want, but in the end, if the child gets what they need, a dog, a horse, to dance, to see Mickey... what ever it may be, the hurdles are worth jumping to get to the end result.  

Aimee and Carmen, I love you both, I hope that when I am lucky enough to become a mother, I'm half as good as you are, because even then, I will be a wonderful mom.  Thank you for being an inspiration and for allowing me to be part of your children's lives, they truly are blessings.