Hello! Today’s card has a story behind it. An interesting fact about my mom, sisters, and I is that animals always find us in their time of need. We’ve rescued baby squirrels from a wind storm that was quickly destroying their nest, we’ve saved countless cats, birds that had fallen, bees that needed water before they could fly again….it’s a really long list, and truthfully, I should really write all of these experiences down. There was also the racoon that was living in my mom’s garage for many years (please, no judgement here) and she gave him the name Mr. Baggins, after Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings. He had a damaged ear, walked with a limp from an old wound, and was just adorable. Baggins was easily recognizable and had a pretty chill demeanor for a racoon. Near the end of his life, he had gotten injured again, we’re not sure how, and we saw him crawling in the street. We were really worried for his safety, so I grabbed a blanket and picked him up, bringing him back to my mom’s house. He was quite calm. We tried to keep an eye on him, but one day, Mr. Baggins disappeared. We haven’t seen him since. We guess he left her property to pass away alone, so that we wouldn’t be sad. Of course, we are sad, but grateful we didn’t have to see him after he passed. I made this card in honor of Mr. Baggins. I used some of the enchanting stamps from Josh Griffiths and Spellbinders. As soon as I saw the racoon in the Wild Friends Stamp Set, I knew I needed to make something with him.
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I started by creating a likeness of me using the Can’t Stand Still 1 Ladies Stamp Set and the Illustrated Lady Stamp Set. Everything was stamped with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink onto Scrapbook.com’s White Mixed Media Paper. I believe those legs are intended for her to be stepping forward, but I liked the whimsy of this position. I gave myself a hand reaching forward, as if about to pet Mr. Baggins under the chin. I drew in the hair using a black Micron Pen. Next, I worked on Baggins and the stump. I should have popped the stump back a bit, but this position is okay. He is from the Wild Friends Stamp Set.
I finished the background with some additional elements from the Custom Woodland Stamp Set. Then, I watercolored everything with my Koi Watercolors. I used Princeton Snap! Brushes, which are my favorite to watercolor with. My sentiment is from Allison Frazer and Spellbinders’ Summertime Sentiments Stamp Set.
I think this came out really precious, and i think it captures the essence of how my mom, sisters, and I feel about animals. We miss Mr. Baggins, but we hope we made his life a little better. Please visit Spellbinders to see all of their latest releases. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!
Thank you so much for your kind words!