One Beautiful Stamp Several Lovely Cards

Great Impressions makes this great rose trio stamp number G454. I have had the stamp for awhile but what I really wanted was to color it in red using my Tombow Markers and I finally got the exact right color and love the finished card.

Before I got the chance to color these roses in red, I used my orange and it looks lovely too.
I have already showed you the lovely pink card with lace and the Stampabilities, ballerina silhouette number GR1160, I have to show it to you again.

It's lovely and so perfect for a little girl's birthday!
One stamp or maybe two, but great looks, with a bit of a change! I love versatility...don't you?

Cancer and Cards Part 2

Yes, I'm doing my art work on my cards in my studio, but before I tell you about it, I will give you the latest on my journey to find the right treatment for my melanoma. It takes time and several explanation going over the same questions to understand and be satisfied with medical recommendations. Having a discussion with a second opinion doctor, an independent unbiased physician gives peace of mind and satisfaction about the treatment options.

I saw the doctor at the Mayo Clinic simply because I wanted to be sure that there is no stone left unturned in my care. The doctor at the Mayo saw me as an individual and looked at what I would be facing with the prescribed treatments. He knew my quality of life would change with little benefit of the courses of action proposed by my previous doctors. His estimates of benefits matched what the nurse from the Cancer Society said on the phone only a day before. He outlined the risk and complications and how he would monitor me in the future, if I were his patient. I believe what we decided was the best for me and I asked him to take over as my Oncology doctor, putting myself in his care.

By the way the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is wonderful and it's only a short distance from my children. This will be a good fit for me. This doctor is on the same page with me and my children are close by!

Doing my art work not only keeps me busy , but gives me peace of mind taking my mind off the healing foot. I enjoy using my Tombow markers and the water brush. Sheena Douglass rubber stamps have such wonderful detail. My latest cards were done with "A Little Bit Sketchy" "Mile Stones and Moments." The stamp comes unmounted. Since I really wanted a scenic card without a sentiment, I cut off the wording and trimmed the stamp close to the scene. Then I adhered the trimmed stamp on EZ Mount and from there I mounted this lovely country lane scene to an acrylic block.

When I was all set to stamp my image onto my Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper, I realized my "Stazon" ink pad wasn't wet enough to make a good print. I like "Stazon" for my work with water color because it dries fast and doesn't run. So I tried my  new "Memento" dye ink pad. For this I stamped images the night before and let them have time to dry. It worked, the "Memento" ink was just fine!

Oh I just got a new and juicy "Stazon" ink pad and new paper too! Now I need to be careful to not get my images over loaded with ink...everything is working great now!

Watercolor With Art Impessions Stamps and Tombow Markers

I recently stopped in at my favorite scrapbooking store, Gingham Buttons 2 at 5 Utility Dr. #21 in Palm Coast, Fl.. I finally bought the stamps, that I have been looking at for a few months. I love my Tombow Markers and wanted to try some new techniques with them. I bought a set of Art Impression stamps.

I couldn't wait to get home and try these quality stamps, which remind me of the watercolor painting I so enjoyed doing years ago. Using these stamps, I can create not just cards, but small pieces that look like art...so easily. I just knew that I had to create a project with the stamps as they look so quaint! What I love is that they don't look stamped, and most people will think you've been so clever and drawn these masterpieces yourself. The individual stamps can create multiple scenes, giving good value to the original purchase. The many set and individual pieces work well together and the company puts out a DVD, books and pamphlets with step by step instructions. You can even watch the process on Utube. The picture above is my very first piece which I created into an attractive greeting card. Check out the additional cards I recently completed below! Although the technique calls for 140 lb. cold press paper, I used 90 lb. and it worked out fine. Next time I'll use the 140 lb. and see if it is a marked difference.

Here is the list of my supplies:
Tombow Markers:
985- Chrome Yellow
725- Rhodamine Red
772- Blush
173- Willow Green
245- Sap Green
195- Light Green
977-Saddle Brown
946-Gold Ochre
Water Brush
UM 3521 - AI Unmounted rubber stamps on repositionable cushion
Clear Acrylic Blocks

Check out this site for Utube videos:
 http://www.artimpressions.com/YouTube.asp

I can't wait to try it again!

Simply Elegant Card

Passing through St. Augustine on the way home earlier this week, we stopped at Claire's Collectibles located at 78-A San Marco Avenue. You can check the store out online at Claires-rubberstamps.com. I'll be willing to bet she has lost count of the amount of rubber stamps on display in her shop! My fabulous find this time was a Rose Trio G454 stamp, a product of Great Impressions. That stamp combined with my Ballerina Silhouette GR1160 a product of Stampabilities, work well to make a lovely card for mom or even a birthday card for an avid dancer.

Tombow Markers, cardstock, card base, Beacon 3 in 1 glue and a bit of lace make a lovely composition, without the need of a sentiment. A quote or saying handwritten inside the card is all that's need.