Cooper Runs with Scissors

Woof! I mean, hello! As you can see by the photo, it’s Cooper here. Mrs. RWS, or as I refer to her “That Woman” (as in “when is That Woman going to feed me? Why isn’t That Woman in the kitchen making food? That Woman gave me a bath again) is off on a trip somewhere. Their trip has to do with something called grandchildren. I wonder if “grandchildren” means those little humans who make lots of noise when they call us using a thing Mr. RWS calls Facetime. Mr. RWS always picks me up and turns me just so when the little humans shout, “Cooper, Cooper!” It kind of makes me nervous, but it makes the little humans happy.

That Woman showed me how to find my way to the Penny Black blog and asked me to see to it that the cards she made before she left were posted. This is the first time I’ve had to help out with any projects around our house, so I agreed. It helped a lot that treats were involved.

I’ve seen these cards before because some days if I want to see That Woman at all, I have to hang out where she is busy doing things with stuff I don’t understand. She uses words like “stamps” and “scissors”. Personally, if you can’t eat it I am not very interested.

The Sweetheart wreath is pretty enough to suit our girly personality but when combined with kraft, masculine enough to be pleasing to our sweetheart. I just had to have some bright pink in there; maybe the guys won’t notice! The center of the wreath is the perfect place to stamp your sentiment. “I Love Us” from the Forever and Always transparent set says it all.

My intent when I saw the Heartlets, was to create a flower, but once I started putting elements together, this is what happened. And I like it. I’ve used the only the bow from the Heart Bow die and the sentiment is from the Filled with Love die set. By using less Valentine-related pinks and reds, this would be a good design for a birthday card, or anniversary card. Messages of love never go out of season.

If you run with scissors, you are allowed to color a Red Blush rose yellow! Penny Black designs some incredible flower stamps and this is one more to add to the collection. As I finished coloring this red rose yellow, I realized the color was brighter than I liked, so covering the image with vellum toned down the brightness. Stitching works so well when attaching vellum to a card. I used yet another strip of vellum to add the sentiment from the Friendship and Love transparent set.

That Woman did not leave behind a story to tell so I think I will tell a story of my own. The biggest story in my seven years is the story of how I became adopted by my beloved Mr. RWS and That Woman.

I am a child of the South. I was born in Tennessee and was a member of a group of dogs that were owned by an older person who used all of us to keep making more and more dogs. It was noisy, there was only one meal a day, and we only knew the space we were kept in. This could have been the only story of my life except one day the older person could no longer take care of so many dogs and she “gave us up”. I didn’t know what that meant until I found myself in an even noisier place which wasn’t a friendly place to be.

I wasn’t there very long when a very nice lady named Shawn from a place called Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue showed up and took me and my brother Graham away from all the noise and scariness. My name at the time was Omelet. Little did Graham and I know how much our lives were about to change.

Shawn took us to her beautiful home with an enormous converted barn attached. Graham and I joined at least ten other dogs, some of whom were great big New Foundlands who called Shawn La Mere. Oh, Readers, what a heavenly place we landed in. Great big windows, sunshine, good food, an acre or more of grass to run around on, even a pond!

There were dog beds and pillows and doggie furniture and doggy toys everywhere. Of course, I didn’t know what any of those things was so I had to learn by watching the other dogs. My favorite thing to do while at Snooty Giggles was to stand up on my hind legs, front paws on the window sill and watch what Ms. Shawn told me were birds. I had never seen such a sight! I didn’t know if they were a good thing or a bad thing, so I just watched and watched trying to figure it all out.

Well, after being at Snooty Giggles for awhile, learning a bit more about life and humans and playing and riding in a car and getting haircuts and baths, Ms. Shawn told me I was ready to be adopted. Graham had already left for his forever home. She told me while they loved having me at Snooty Giggles I was adorable and sweet enough to deserve a forever home of my own.

And one day it happened. Mr. RWS and That Woman came to Snooty Giggles to take me to their home in Alabama. I did not have any idea what an Alabama was, but Ms. Shawn explained to me that Mr. RWS and That Woman had asked to adopt me the first day my picture was posted on PetFinders.com. But Ms. Shawn wanted to make sure I went to the best home possible for a shy and skittish dog like me.

I met a lot of humans and especially little humans before I was adopted. But Ms. Shawn saw how frightened I was of all of them. Especially all the noise little humans make. After weeks and weeks of what Ms. Shawn called “meets and greets”, she sent my new family an email that said “Omelette needs a quiet home to live in and people with the time to teach him about life in the world outside of a breeder situation. When can you come to meet him?” Ms. Shawn told me That Woman replied, “We are coming, but not just to meet him. Our hearts are committed; we will be taking him home.”

And they did. I remember that it was a Sunday about lunch time. Ms. Shawn told me they lived about two hours away and that I would have to manage the long car ride. Well, Readers, it was not easy. I hated leaving Snooty Giggles and the birds and Ms.Shawn. I was very frightened of this thing called a “forever home”.   I started out on That Woman’s lap, but ended up lying on the floor of the car. That woman said I was carsick. That was not a good thing.

Thankfully we finally arrived in Alabama. Mr. RWS took my leash off when we entered their house and instinct made me run looking for a place to hide. And there it was … a thing called a bed and I could fit under it. Ahh… dark and cozy and no more car sickness. That Woman finally got me to come out from under the bed by offering Cheetos, one at a time, making me crawl a little closer for each Cheeto.

Oh, Readers, I was so happy when I learned I would no longer be named Omelet (what kind of a name is that for a dog?). I loved my new name Cooper. I think that was the start of feeling a bit more courageous and curious about my new world. I learned that walking around the block was a good thing and that cars whizzing by would not hurt me. It took longer for cars pulling trailers, mail trucks and bicycles. Oh, and the day I first saw that thing called the ironing board, I went a little crazy barking and growling.

Now, after five years of living in this thing called Alabama, I have learned that being cuddled, being petted, going for walks, riding in the car, and eating doggie tooth paste are all good things. I still don’t care much for being wet, but I have learned warm baths are not so bad. I even wag my tail when I see Christina who cuts my hair and makes me look what my family calls “cute”. And the best part: That Woman divides my food into three meals a day. No need to worry about being hungry anymore. And the windows in our house are low enough that I can stand on my hind legs and watch the birds flying above and landing in our yard, just like they did at Snooty Giggles. I am living happily ever after.

The End

These Bunny Love bunnies make my heart sing.   They are sweet and adorable enough for Valentine’s Day, but also think spring and Easter. And wouldn’t they be perfect on a baby card or for a child’s birthday? I’ve used Penny Black designer paper for the background so no stamping necessary for this card.

Red, white and kitty: perfect. This is a card for any age, any gender. Swapping out some of the red for kraft would make it more masculine if you prefer. I’ve altered the A Lot of Love diecut as well as the Heart Dart to make my elements fit. The Heart Drops die will provide great backgrounds for so many other Penny Black images. The punched out hearts are an extra bonus, to be used later.

Is this not the sweetest kitty ever? Who wouldn’t love to find this cutie in their mailbox? She is Purrfect! I’ve dressed her in a paper pieced tiny gingham hoodie. The floating hearts are the punch outs from the Line of Hearts diecut, used here as a border. I think she is standing on a hill of marshmallow fluff, the only thing that might be sweeter than she is.

Now that I have finished my assignment, I have packed my bag and put on my travelin’ hat. I am off to visit my doggie buddy Deuce and spend time with his humans, Vicki and Dave who take care of me when my family leaves town. Deuce and I will have our own doggy park, a gorgeous deck with a view of the lake, and two long walks a day. Ms. Vicki is very strict about meal times, however. There will be no “people” food and no treats. She knows I need to lose a few more pounds and she seems immune to my pitiful stares.

Well, since That Woman stowed the scissors before she left town, all that’s left for me to do is to say good-bye for now. Doing the Runs with Scissors post today was more work than I planned (and why so many cats?). All this time on the computer cut into my nap time as well as the time I spend in the kitchen hoping someone will drop tasty morsels for me to scoop up. That Woman tells me that I should have been named “Hoover”. I don’t know what that means, but that is what she says. Oh, and she asked me to remind you to post your Penny Black art in the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery. I don’t know what that means either, but if it is like that thing called Alabama, it is all good.

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies

Card No. 1: 30-401 Forever and Always, 40-503 Sweetheart

Card No. 2: 51-299 Heart Bow, 51-294 Heartlets, 51-284 Filled with Love

Card No. 3: 40-506 Red Blush, 30-399 Friendship and Love

Card No. 4: 51-289 Bunny Love, 51-231 Border Edgers, 51-187 Triple Love, 80-008 Gentle Whisper

Card No. 5: 30-400 Hearts Aplenty, 51-298 Heart Drops, 51-290 A Lot of Love, 51-287 Heart Dart

Card No. 6: 30-396 Purrfect, 51-285 Line of Hearts