Enjoy the Ride !

• Sentiment and embellishment are Cricut Cutouts Graphically Speaking and Street Sign
• Ink is Memento and Copic Markers and Airbrushing
• Cryogen white cardstock, with black and brown layering
• Stamp vendor unknown, please let me know if you recognize it.

Enjoy the Ride, Bob!

A dear friend of our family has retired and I created this card to send him off on a joyful journey of fun and relaxation.  Bob loves trains.  He belongs to a train club in northeastern Ohio.  He and his wife Linda have traveled the U.S. to see train exhibits, track engineering phenmonen through mountain passes and view other train memorabilia that exist in our countrysides.  Bob is an industrious fellow and a few years of ingenuity, elbow grease and tender loving care with nuts, bolts and steel plates out in the family barn has resulted in a small scale model train that is large enough to ride.  My husband and I have had the pleasure of a twilight train ride through the woods on a moonlit night on Bob's treasured train.  Bob's wife Linda says that she finds the evening rides so restful.  I would have to agree.  Thanks Bob, we enjoyed the fruits of your hard work!

Happy 100th Birthday Aunt Mary!

• Memento Dye Ink
• Copic Markers and Airbrushing
• Cricut Cartridge "A Child's Year
• Spellbinders Corner Die
• Stampendous background stamp
• Rubber Stamp Tapestry Butterfly
• Sentiment -unknown
• Black and White Photo

The card and 1st layer were cut with the Cricut cartridge then stamped with a roller (unknown)  and a Stampendous Faux Finish Quad  cube.  I airbrushed the edges with Copics. The picture is edged I with the Making Memories Distress Edger  The picture is a black and white of me that I colored and air brushed with Copic markers.  This was my first attempt at coloring a black and white photo and I have to say it is an amazing experience. It is like coloring the best rubber stamp image ever created.  I just couldn't believe the way the skin looked so natural.  I do see where I could have done better, but all in all, I though it came out well.  Copics blend so nicely.  Another item worthy of note, is that I did this on regular cardstock that you buy for your computer printer.....the cheap stuff, and it blended and absorbed nicely, no blurring of computer ink (I have a Canon). 

Copics used:

• Card background and Layer E31, E55, E25, E27, E13 (love this one), E37, E55, E19
• Skin E00, E02
• Hair Y21, E00, E31, 0, E40
• Butterfly stamped with Memento Tuxedo, E00, E13
• Birthday Cake E00, E25, RV13, Y08, YR16
• Wash Tub E40, C0, C2
• Air Brushing edges and corners of card E13, E31, E35, E25, E27, E19

Happy Birthday Aunt Mary!

When I was a little girl, we used to go on vacation in July and frequently we would visit the Cook family who lived on a farm in Chattanooga TN. The Cooks had raised a very large family of 6 children who were married with children of their own by the time that I became one of their visitors.  Their household was always active with lots of people around doing fun things.  I tasted fresh cows milk there for the first time. OH! and chocolate gravy too!  Those visits to the Cook farm were a highlight of my childhood.  Theirs was a faithful Chrisitan family and spending time with them increased my faith as I noted the good examples that they modeled.  It just so happened that my birthday fell in the middle of a few of our visits and one one particular visit, my loving Great Aunt Mary asked me what kind of cake I would like her to bake for me. Of course, there is only one kind of cake to my three year old mind (and yet today) and that is chocolate! Aunt Mary baked me a chocolate cake several times for my birthday. Part of the birthday ritual at the Cook household was to go outside in the yard and turn the wash tub upside down and set the toddler on it to take their birthday picture. This year it is now time for Aunt Mary's birthday and she is 100 years old!! Aunt Mary's heart will truly stay young because she has such a loving heart. And doesn't she look great too! 

Starry Starry Night and Air Brushing

Today the Stampin Chix met for our monthly gathering.  We had a good time stamping and scrapping with each other. The theme for Lisa Somerville's blog challenge this week is STARS.  She left it open for interpretation, hollywood stars, or stars above, I suppose even starfish could qualify.  I chose the kind you see at night.  Starry, Starry Night was created with Stampscapes, Copic markers.  I did some airbrushing on this one too.  The ease of air brushing is one of the greatest things about Copic markers.  I enjoy that it is not messy or smelly and you can get that "just right" look that you are by blending the colors with the airbrush.  It is also fast and easy to change from color to color in the air brush gun.  Air brushing is especially great for skies and grass.

Monochramatic Blues Blog Challenge

This card was created for the Monochromatic Blues Blogger Challenge.  I haven't worked very much with blue, so this was truly a challenge!  The stamps are from Our Daily Bread Designs and are colored with Copic Markers.  They are fussy cut and placed on the ovals cut from Nestabilities. The sentiment was embossed.  I like the design of this stamp set as it seemed meant to frame an oval so nicely.

Ready, Set, Fire!

Today's card was created with stamps from Stampscapes and Gray Wolf Graphics.  Dyes are Distress Ink Pads used with Stipple Brushes and Copic Markers.  Distressing with Memory Makers tools. The Stamps are a perfect 4th of July scene, but the secret is that this card was created to celebrate my son's graduation from college.

Today I have been working with some new stamps that are from Clear Dollar Stamps and Our Daily Bread Designs.  The theme for The Great Family Adventure this year is CELEBRATE FREEDOM!  Freedom from sin, Freedom from fear, Freedom from sickness and Freedom from this world.  I think it is going to be a great camp!

The inks are Memento with Copic markers.

This card was created with Stampscapes, Tweety Jill and many other brands of stamps. I airbrushed the background with Copics, B02, B04 and B08. Greens are YG07 , YG 09 and Y 08. I used a little bottle cap to mask for the sun.

I have been on several excursions in the past couple of months some of which included a short jaunt to Dayton Ohio and another longer trip to Schaumburg Il. Of course when I travel I check out the local craft suppliers for Rubber Stamps, Cardstock and unusual items of interest.

While in Dayton, I made my first trip to Marco's Paper in the Kettering/Dayton area. I was interested in purchasing some Nina cardstock to use with the Copic markers alcohol ink.

Upon entering the store, I was pleasantly greeted by a display of Tweety Jill's Rubber Stamp Collection by TJ Designs. These are deeply etched red rubber stamps mounted on cling foam and made to use with acrylic blocks. These collections are sets of themed rubber stamps in clear cases. There are coordinating designed paper for each theme. The colors in these designs took my breath away. They are beautiful.

While on the Schaumburg trip I had a lot of free time in the evenings. I was very blessed on this trip as I was able to stay in a large room. The room was able to accomodate two banquet luncheon tables. I brought my stamping materials with me and so I was able to spend every evening and two weekends creating cards!