A Day To Remember

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Time to pay tribute to those who have fought and to those who continue to fight for our freedom. I made this card last night with that in mind. Thank you, Heroes.

This morning I awoke to the rattling news of the resignation of Jim Tressel. So, in Buckeye Nation, we are dealing with the raw emotions of that. It's the kind of news where you remember where you are when you hear it. I was nine when Woody was fired and though young, knew it was major. I was a senior in high school when Earle was fired, and stayed home from school the next day because I was sad and had listened to the radio all night to figure out "WHY?". (I still don't know "WHY?"). I was relieved when Cooper was fired after the Outback Bowl in 2001, though a very nice man, he just didn't get Ohio State football. And today, on Memorial Day, I am dealing with the news that the Tressel era is over.

My Facebook status reads: "It was time. I am sorry that he was asked to resign. I wish he would have done it on his own months ago. I think the timing certainly suggests the turbulence ahead (starting with the SI article that hits the stands tomorrow). I am sad, and mad about the mess that is now OSU football, but I am also grateful for the decade of memories. What a fun ride it was. Thanks so much for 1/3/03, Tressel. I loved every second."

So that aside, it is important that Buckeye Fans, including myself, not lose sight about what today is really about. Which is why this card was made.

The adorable digital image called "America Tootle" was a freebie from Broken Box Designs that was posted right after the Bin Laden news a few weeks ago. I snagged it and thought it was very appropriate for today's card. I printed it onto X-Press It cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. Red cardstock and patterned paper from Lasting Impression form the the layers to this card. Some paper piercing, patriotic ribbon, a star brad and computer-generated sentiment complete the card. Some light touches with Stickles make the stars sparkle.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I usually try to stick with stamping when it comes to my posts so I am sorry about the the events of today weighing so heavily on my mind. It is a part of me.

Go Buckeyes!
Go USA!

Wish

The school year is winding down, so there is a lot more stamping time on the horizon. Wishes really do come true!

This image, called "Birthday Fairy" is available from The Stamping Boutique. I printed it onto X-Press It cardstock and colored with Copic markers. So much fun! I added Stickles to highlight the wings, and put some sparkles into the cupcake. I paper pierced around the image panel.

The other panels were made using patterned paper from Lasting Impressions, The Paper Studio and black cardstock. I paper pierced along the Lasting Impressions panel. I added some ribbon, and used a Nestabilities die to cut the shape for the sentiment, which is from Stampendous and was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

This card was actually inspired by the current Inspiration Challenge #286 on Splitcoast, specifically this napkin. I immediately thought of Tracey's image. I did deviate from the little girl pink colors, using other colors to try and make this a more general purpose birthday card, rather than a card for a little girl.

Wishes really do come true...go to The Stamping Boutique to grab some images at 35% off through Memorial Day. They truly are so much fun to color.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.

Dog Days of Summer

Here's another card I made during the Virtual Stamp Night challenges on Splitcoast. Specifically, this one was inspired by the challenge, "Off, Into the Sunset," which challenged us to sponge a background.

I knew I wanted to create a beach scene, and I wanted to use the dachshund image from Cowtown Stamps. And, from that, this card emerged. I sponged the sky and water using the following dye inks: Memories Soft Baby Blue, Marvy Caribbean Blue, Adirondack Sailboat Blue, and Adirondack Denim. A white gel pen provided some of the whitecaps. The sand is made with a torn strip of paper sponging the following dye inks: SeaShells Sandal, SeaShells Peach Bellini, Adrirondack Latte. A Stampendous sand stamp was stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent Beige Pigment Ink randomly to give the sand the appearance of texture. Also dots of Copic markers and a Sakura glitter pen helped with this effort.

The adorable dachshund sandcastle image from Cowtown Stamps was stamped with Marvy black dye ink onto X-Press It cardstock and colored with Copic markers. The image was then cut out and placed into the scene. A little shadowing with a Prismacolor pencil was done on the sand, along with two faint paw prints. The beach ball is from a larger image from Inkadinkado, and the birds are from My Favorite Things.

The patterned paper is from Bo Bunny and the card and scene are framed with black cardstock. The sentiment is computer-generated, Baker's Twine and a clear button were attached as the finishing elements of this card.

I, for one, cannot wait for the dogs days of summer. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having my summer off. This warm summer-like weekend was just a preview.

Proud Paisley Peacock

This weekend Splitcoast is hosting Virtual Stamp Night Challenges. They are so much fun. However, it almost seems criminal to stay inside and stamp today, since it is finally a beautiful sunny day here. What has it been? About two months since we've seen the sun?

I did sneak some time to participate in the "Polly Wanna Cracker" Challenge, which is to make a brightly colored square card using a bird image.

I've been wanting to color "Paisley Peacock" from The Stamping Boutique for a few weeks now, so this challenge finally satisfied the urge. I printed the image onto X-Press It cardstock and colored with Copic markers. I added many touches of Stickles, so in real life, the card truly glistens. Patterned paper from Bo Bunny and black cardstock make up the layers of this card. A sheer ribbon and a small tag cut with a Cuttlebug die puts the finishing touches on this card. The sentiment of "So Proud" is computer-generated.

I'm so proud of myself for balancing my day between sunshine and stamping, though I fear now that the sun has gone down, I may pull an all-nighter in my stamp room.

Lilacs in Full Bloom

In my backyard, at my work...the lilacs are in bloom. In fact, they are even in my stamp room.

I wanted to share a non-card with you. Just a practice sample, if you will. It is a lilac image drawn by Marianne Walker for Copic, and colored by me.

On Friday, I was so excited to have a much-needed day off and was able to attend the Intermediate Copic Certification class in Columbus, OH, taught by Colleen Schaan. I figured that if I traveled all the way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2008 for the Standard Certification, then I had no excuses for not going, given it was just 15 minutes away.

Anyway, it was a great class! I urge all of you to take it if you have the chance. I hope I will be able to apply some of my learning in my future projects.

The lilac image was final project for the class, which I actually took home and finished on Sunday...one thing I learned, I'm a slower colorist than most with a "light touch". ;-)

I will link this particular post to Sassy Cheryl's Show Me #24 Challenge. Seems to fit.

And take a look at a photo I took after school today. The blossoms are kinda positioned the same, aren't they? Now if only the sun would shine around here so I could see those cast shadows. ;-)

Stacked Presents

Whew! It has been a busy May, with no signs of it letting up anytime soon. The end of the school year is just crazy, like always. But, I did sneak in some coloring time today, so I thought I would share the results.

The image is a recently released image from The Stamping Boutique. It is called "Stacked Presents". I printed it onto X-Press It cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. Patterned paper from Bo Bunny and bright blue cardstock form the layers to this card. A curly ribbon and orange rhinestones help embellish the card, along with little highlights of Stickles. The sentiment is a $1 stamp from Michaels, stamped with Marvy Dye black ink.

I made this card for my stash of cards, though I was inspired by the following challenges...Make a Tall Card at Paper Playtime and Spots or Stripes at Lexi's Creations.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I will be coloring for sanity during the next couple weeks, so check back soon. I should have something to share. Have a great week.

Treasured Friend

Ahoy, Matey!

I found some time to participate in one of the Virtual Stamp Night mini-challenges on Splitcoast, Pretty Polly, which was to create a card using a parrot's colors...green, orange and yellow.

I immediately thought of a set I have from Starving Artiststamps called Doodle Factory Tropics, which includes the image of a pirate parrot. Using Marvy black dye ink, I stamped the parrot and the treasure chest of gold onto Neenah solar white cardstock. I colored these images with Copic markers and a atyouSpica glitter lemon marker. I cut close around these images, leaving just a small border of white, using my Cutter-bee detail scissors.

I then stamped a Darcie treasure map using Versafine Onyx Black pigment ink onto a scrap piece of Lasting Impressions cardstock. I sponged around the edge of the map with Distress Ink Walnut Stain and adhered to black cardstock. I arranged the parrot and gold onto the card.

The sentiment is computer-generated and is affixed to the card with a rhinestone brad.

Gotta tell you a pirate riddle I found on the internet that cracked me up as I was making this card:

What is a pirate's favorite restaurant? Arrrrrby's! (Yes, I know, my sense of humor is a bit warped.)

I had a lot of fun making this card. I need to ink some of the other stamps in this set. They are so fabulous and fun to color.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Have a terrific week ahead!