In the Dog House...

This, Ladies and Gents, is a birthday card... for a dog!

Yup! That's right! I designed this for my client, Corey. Corey is my sister's dog -- a Black Lab, Great Dane mix. He was invited to his friend Thor's birthday party. Thor is a Golden Retriever. Happy Birthday Thor!

This card was almost entirely paper-pieced. Some of the elements - like the sign above the door, the "shingles" and the photo - were created using Photoshop. I also added shading to some of the different paper pieces before printing and cutting them out. For added dimension, I used my favorite little trick of adhering some of the elements with foam tape. The only non-paper product that I used was the dog paw print stickers on the inside. The design was based on a combination of clip art and my own creations.

I designed the card so that you can't see any of the "gifts" from the outside of the dog house. But once you open the card, you'll find everything a dog could wish for! I included "indoor plumbing," toys to play with, and every pup's favorite treat -- a pile of bones! Not to mention the love of a good human.

In retrospect, I think I should have swapped out the photo for a poster of a French Poodle, but what can 'ya do?