This card was inspired by our recent adoption of Panda, our precious little Yorkie Poo.  The shelter from which we adopted her is the Furry Friends Refuge.  If you haven’t read about our special Panda, you can read her story by clicking here.

Having spent over two wonderful weeks with Panda so far, it’s time to send a handwritten “thank you” to the shelter.  So, using the Swirly Bird stamp set along with the Swirly Scribbles thinlits and the required colors for participation in this week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge (Smoky Slate, Marina Mist, and Pink Pirouette), I created this thank you card to send to the shelter.

I love this stamp set for its versatility; there are so many different things you can do with this stamp set and the coordinating thinlits set which are sold separately or as a bundle.  If you don’t have this bundle yet, I encourage you to purchase it and add it to your collection. And, purchasing as a bundle will save you 10%.  Now, back to my cards…

I love the required color combo because it includes shades of blue and pink which can be easily applied to a girl or a boy by just changing up the color of the cardstock used for the framing and banner.  You’ll see this concept illustrated in this photo with the two card variations together.  You’ll also notice I used a watercolor technique to color the watercolor paper using the Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad for each color.

New or expectant mothers could also use this card layout to create a thank you note for baby gifts using stamps or dies from the Something for Baby stamp set, the Baby’s First Framelits dies, or the Made with Love stamp set.

I like to add alittle “wow” to the inside of my cards, so I used created the paw prints in an upper and lower corner of the inside.  You’ll also notice that I used the splatter stamp from Swirly Birds and stamped off on my paper first, then onto the cardstock with the Smoky Slate.  I also stamped the “Thanks” sentiment in smokey slate on both cards.  The sentiment comes from the Perfectly Wrapped stamp set.  You’ll notice I also included a small amount of the Smoky Slate splatter on the front of the pink framed card.  Below is a picture of the inside of each card.

Please leave me some feedback and let me know what you think of this design.  What might you change or how else might you use this card?  If you’ve enjoyed visiting my blog and have not subscribed, I encourage you to click on the Follow Me Now button to the right to receive updates each time I make a new blog post.

Now, one final idea…I am so thankful to have created two of these cards.  What you don’t know is, while I was preparing this post this evening I had to walk urgently away from it and rush off to get our Panda to the ER.  While out on her nightly walk before bedtime with my husband, Mark, she got stung and went into anaphylactic shock.  She went limp and was unresponsive almost immediately.

The staff of the Iowa Veterinary Specialities 24/7 Emergency Hospital and Dr. Gearhart were and are incredible.  They took her from Mark’s arms immediately upon entering the door and began administering care.  They found a stinger in the big pad on her right front foot.  When we left she was improving, but will be spending the night to be monitored and then undergo additional labs in the morning before getting to come home.  So, the second card will be provided to them for their wonderful care this evening.

Thank you for stopping by and blessings to you,

Lynn

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Bundle

$46.75

Perfectly Wrapped Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Watercolor Paper

$5.00

Smoky Slate 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

$8.00

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin’ Pad

$6.50

Marina Mist 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

$8.00

Marina Mist Classic Stampin’ Pad

$6.50

Pink Pirouette 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

$8.00

Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin’ Pad

$6.50

Stampin’ Trimmer

$30.00

Paper Snips

$10.00

Stampin’ Dimensionals

$4.00

Aqua Painters

$17.00

Snail Adhesive

$7.00

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