The Max Factor

There are several inherent truths about living in Texas, one of which is that you gotta have a truck.  (check!) Another is that you gotta have a dog to go along with the truck (aka Truck Dawg).  We'd been wanting a dog for a while and now that we
a) live in TX,
b) own a truck, and
c) now live in a house with a yard big enough to accommodate a dog, it seemed like the natural time to adopt. 

When one of my coworkers posted that a puppy had shown up on his doorstep and needed a home, the stars aligned and we found Max.

Max the WunderPup

Max is a Blue Heeler (AKA Australian Cattle Dog) mix, though mixed with what, we have no idea.  He came to us at about 3 months old.  All we do know is that he is super smart, very loving, and an all around Expert WunderPup.

So how does this tie in with crafting you ask?  With my new subject matter in hand, I was even more motivated to get into the craft room and start working again.  One of the nice things about moving is rediscovering your supplies as you unpack.  If you're like me and loooove paper, you've got a huge stash.  After all, you never know when you might need that special "feel" for a specific project, right?  With my chosen photo in hand I went searching and found the perfect line - an oldy but goody from Basic Grey, Phresh & Phunky.

Max's first Layout

I took a super simple approach and dug out some old supplies as well as some tried and true staples such as Distress Inks and Crackle Paint.  I even used one of my circle punches!  My projects are always about the photos so one of my favorite photos of Max took center stage. Lots of distressing, a little bit of layering, and some pop dots on the title helped it come together in a jiffy.

Embellished Basic Grey letters on pop dots

Of course my favorite part of the project was embellishing the monogram letters to make the title.  I dry brushed them with Vintage Photo Crackle Paint, let them dry, then dry brushed again with Black Soot Crackle Paint.  Once that was dry, I went over portions of the letters with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink.

Inky crackly goodness

Even though it is a very simplistic design, it was a good start to get me back into the swing of things.  Having a designated craft space definitely helps.

Thanks for stopping by!

Items used in this project:

• Chipboard border (Creating Keepsakes)
• Phresh & Phunky papers and monogram letters (Basic Grey)
• Manila tag (Basic Grey)
• Victorian Velvet Distress Ink (Ranger)
• Black Soot and Vintage Photo Distress Crackle Paint (Ranger)
• Black ink (StazOn)
• Circle punch (Marvy Uchida)
• Custom brad (Chatterbox)
• Pop dots
• Metal charm
• Mini Brad (Making Memories)