March 19, 2010

Happy Spring, Happy BlogHop






Hi! If you have reached my blog first and want to go back to the first blog so you don't miss anything, head back to Stars and Stamps and then come back 'round to visit here!

In January I had no blog. Tonight I am determined to figure out how to participate in a blog hop! So far, I've managed to post part of it too soon (deleted that) and put all the pictures on the top of the post in the wrong order (which I probably will do again) but.... here goes!!! Happy Spring, Everyone!

1. A spring-y card! Which should be at the top but is on the bottom left! I made this card for my husband's granddaughter who got baptized last week but it's a great "any message" card. I thought the litte flowers were so cute for a 7-year old and accented the flowers and leaves with sage and raspberry FlowerSoft...love love that stuff!

2. Blog candy - interesting term and mine is the top picture on the left! I am a scrapbooker who happens to do cards and this "candy" is called "Perfect Layers." You can buy them on HSN or get 'em free here. If you do any scrapping and love to mat or double mat your photos and get perfect corners, this is a great system! It also comes under the heading of "you know you have too much 'stuff' when..... you buy something you already had"! My loss = your gain. The first person who leaves a comment on Scraps of Time blog here telling me what my dog Rio said gets the candy! (hint: it's on my blog...). If you are not a blogger and want to participate, please leave an e-mail addy!

3. Inspiration - This note from a soldier in the Philipines really struck a chord with me. He picked up the last card. He hopes there will be more. I hope no hero ever has to pick up the last card.

4. My inspiration story isn't about the kind of hero that sends our cards home to his family or posts on the blog. It's the story behind the middle picture you see up there. It's about the hero behind many of our brave soldiers who also risk their lives. Did you know that a hospital opened in 2008 dedicated solely to the recovery and rehabilitation of the military dogs? These brave canines currently serve with bomb sniffing and other units in Iraq and Afghanistan and get sick, shot at and injured along with their human companions. As a dog lover and someone active in animal rescue, it was so gratifying to read an article in People magazine about this outstanding unit. Some may wonder why we spend our tax money on a dog? Because they have sacrificed much in combat in many, many theatres of operation and performed invaluable tasks after 9/11 alongside our troops. And, because many of these loyal, hardworking dogs sacrificed their lives, our heros who might otherwise have been lost to us have come home to their families. That's why. We owe them this. I hope you will take a minute to learn more about the Military Dog Hospital and the wonderful work they're doing. (Rio just loved this article!)

Thanks for stopping by!

CHECK OUT THE LOVELY CARDS ON THE NEXT STOP ON THE BLOG HOP WHICH IS PAT'S BLOG!

56 comments:

  1. Hi Caro! I like your card:) You post is great too! You'll get the whole picture placement thing down...it just takes practice.

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  2. Such a wonderful post about military dogs. I didn't know much about their plight. Your dog Rio is a beauty, too.

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  3. Caro,
    Thank you for sharing your cute card. It is perfect for a baptism or just hello. I would have not thought about the dogs needing rehab.
    again thank you for sharing,
    darlene a

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  4. Rio loves his mom!! :)

    And SO DOES OWH! You're such a dear and have a huge heart - thanks for all the cards you make for our heroes. I love the one you showed here - I have some flowersoft that IS going to come out of its container and end up on cards soon. It will! Maybe you're my inspiration to do just that!

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  5. Great card and thanks for sharing about the Military Dog Hospital!

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  6. Great card. I love the springy feel. Your dog is so cute. Thanks for sharing the story about the hospital for the dogs, that's so great. They deserve the help also.

    I think your dog said "I love my mom"

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  7. Hydro therapy for canines, been there! What a great cause for you to support, thanks. My cousin is a dog handler in A'stan and its amazing what those dogs do. Thanks for supporting OWH.

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  8. Cute card, I love the row of flowers, so whimsical. And yes, I hope we all continue to be inspired so that no hero lacks a card to send home.

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  9. love the way you did the butterflies. Looking forward to many more of your creations!

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  10. I've definitely bought a duplicate of something I've already had - but with sewing supplies. I'm still relatively new to paper stuff! Your card is very cute. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Roi is saying I Love my Mom! You have got some cute cards(and dog!)


    AprilsL8@windstream.net

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  12. Cute card, Caro. I like the butterflies.

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  13. Lovely card... love the soft colors. TFS Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving your kind words. Good luck in my giveaway

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  14. Great card. The story on the dog hospital is great. I had no idea.

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  15. Great card! And you are right on about the military dogs. My husband is a part of the bomb squad and is now serving his 4th deployment. He has said multiple times how helpful these animals are. He loves spending time with them, and bonds well to them. In addition to the work they are trained to do in the field - their presence on deployments is so helpful to the morale of the teams they work with. Just as I like to come home to my dogs, these soldiers have that same feeling when they get to come back to base to a sweet K9 - gives them a feeling of home in a place so far from it. .. Okay I'm done rambling now. Great post. And as a military wife I must say thank you for helping OWH keep families together in heart despite being apart because of duty.

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  16. Cute card! I love the touch of flower soft. I hadn't heard of perfect layers but will definitely have to check it out.

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  17. Your card is wonderful and I like the soft colors..

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  18. So touched by the story of the bomb dogs, what a blessing they are, so good of you to post about them for our info. Butterflies are my favorites.

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  19. Your card is precious and the story of the dogs is amazing. My sister was blind and had two seeing eye dogs, I have always been in awe of them but I'm glad you brought this to our attention. If you need any help with your blog let me know.
    God Bless, you have a huge heart.
    Jeanine #14 on the blogshop.

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  20. Great card today! If you add your photos in the opposite order you want them to appear on your blog you'll get them the way you want them. Choosing the large size will show case them better for you too. You'll get the hang of it!

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  21. Rio wants to be in the blog too. Great card. This blog hopping is fun, but I am beginning to get very sleepy. I have been reading blogs most of the day:) This is a great cause and I am enjoying the awesome talent of everyone. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  22. You got your post up! Rock on, Caro! I knew you could do it! You handled the misplaced pictures very well. No confusion at all!

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  23. Congrats on your new blog. I was intimidated when I first started but now I love it. I even change things around every once in a while. I love your card, and I'm also a fellow scrapper. Thanks for sharing your art and your story.

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  24. I agree with Rio, there is a local group here in SC that works with military dogs and getting them reconnected with their handlers when the "humans" come back. Thanks for the spotlight on our 4 legged service "people"

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  25. Great job on your card and your new blog. You'll catch on to the blog world in no time!!

    As a military spouse and someone new to OWH, I thank you for taking part in this awesome blog hop and in OWH!

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  26. Great card, and great story about the military dogs!!! Thanks for the reminder of how much dogs really do add to this world! Happy Hopping!

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  27. Thanks for telling us about the dog hospital! I didn't know about that! I'm an animal lover/rescuer too!

    And, very cute card! Love those butterflies!

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  28. Lovely card and you've come along quickly for just a beginner blogger. Nice work!!! Happy to hop by. :)

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  29. My local vet, although she is a cat expert, takes great care of all our K-9 units here in the area. She has a bone shaped dog pool, how great is that! I think Rio is saying, "i'm a LUCKY dog1" and I love your card, the simplicity makes it light and springy.

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  30. Aww. I love the idea of a military dog hospital. Thanks for telling me about it. Your card is so cute.

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  31. Caro, Yours is a great post! As a dog lover and a person who loves my fur-person, I couldn't agree more! And you are right, this card could be used for anything. I like it very much. Blessings and thanks, Louise

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  32. Great post!! love the card too..

    great job!

    Hugs x

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  33. I love Rio & I'm glad he likes to say how much he loves his mom!
    Seriously now, my daughter is a soldier who will be deployed to Afghanistan soon. Just after returning from Iraq, she went to school in Ohio to become a certified dog trainer. She & her husband have been in the business for a few years, but she wanted to be a trainer for assistance dogs (she trained mine), police dogs & military ones. This is why she joined the military, but unfortunately there aren't many slots available. I'm so glad to see this post & really need to check into it further. I'll also tell my daughter about it too. She is an animal welfare officer as her regular job which operates out of the local humane society. I can't be prouder that I raised this loving & sharing girl! She also works w/4-Hers w/dog training. She will be missed this summer!
    Thanks for being involved w/OWH! I love your cards & projects on your blog. Any servicemember would be proud to have a card from you!

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  34. Love your sweet card! All those little flowers lined up just so makes me happy just seeing it! Thanks for taking part in this hop--your blog is off to a great start! What an awesome story about our military working dogs too! They're definitely heroes right alongside our troops!

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  35. Rio loves his Mom, of course! I'm sure this has been answered many times. Just wanted to congratulate you on your blog and your card. I, too, hope that no Hero ever has to pick up the last card! Thanks for your support of OWH and our Heroes, two and four footed!
    R/

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  36. I love your little springy card! Very delicate and pretty... Rio is very lucky to have a mom like you. :)

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  37. What a cute stamp with those flowers! I love to hear about the military dogs. That is awesome. They totally deserve cards too :)

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  38. Love your card.....it says "Spring" for sure.....I've read your blog and I really dont see anything that Rio say....so my guess would be
    "woof".....
    gw0109@gmail.com

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  39. Since so many people answered the "candy" question I changed the picture where Rio says "I love my mom" to my profile picture.. of course he put that on the picture with photoshop too so he's a very smart boy:)

    In all seriousness I was wondering about the reaction to my military dog story and am so heartened by the comments about family and friends of OWH bloggers who are involved in doggie rescue and who have knowledge of what these wonderful dogs do for our troops! Each member of the team is important~ Happy Sunday, ladies~

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  40. TFS and the military dog story was wonderful. I am a big dog lover. I own two of my own. I tell evertibe that I love my dogs as if they were one of my kids! Thanks again and God bless!

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  41. Wwo, I didn't know that about the military canines. Loving dogs as I do I am glad the services appreciate their abilities and sacrifices. And I am glad our soldiers have such loyal 4 legged comrades. Thanks for the story and the sweet flower card.

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  42. I think your blog is wonderful and trust me, there is a learning curve. Truly, what order the pictures, doesn't much matter, I just love seeing your creations and sweet puppy!! Thank you for your work with OWH!

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  43. Great card. It is gorgeous and will be treasured by a young girl!

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  44. What a sweet card!!! I love the beautiful blossoms and the wonderful butterflies!!! Such a refreshing and cheerful creation!! I also loved reading your write-up about our canine heroes!!! Thank you for bringing this to our attention!!

    Hugs!
    Carolyn

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  45. Sweet card. I love the flowers & butterflies.

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  46. Your card is precious!!! Thank you for sharing about the dog hospital. As a dog lover/owner I always have a soft spot for my furry friends.

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  47. Your card is so pretty. I love your row of flowers.

    And Rio is so pretty too! :)

    Corinna
    www.myscrapbooklife.com

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  48. Great spring card! I love the butterflies!

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  49. Great card, this org. is amazing, and I am joining...I have only had a blog since early February. I had a White German Sheppard, she was my best friend, she was beautiful and smart, and the best dog I ever owned...These animals do so much, and do not get enough kudos for it!
    thanks for the story!
    Susan

    PS...following, and I think Rio said, hey what about me?

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  50. A very cute springy card. I had no idea about the dog hospital but am so glad to know that our canine heroes are also being taken care of.

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  51. Lovely spring card. Thank you for the other blurbs of info too ... I'm bookmarking you so I can come back to read up more on the Military Dog Hospital. I didn't get a chance to see the note from the soldier who picked the last card til your post here. Made me feel glad and sad - glad, of course, that the cards are being used and appreciated by our troops - sad, of course, because it was the last one and he was looking to see if we'd send them more ... Thanks for hopping with us this weekend - you'll get the hang of where to put everything re: your pictures & such as you go along.

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