MRCC #1

I ended up making a second card like my hubs co-workers going away card.  This one is to get a jump start on thank you cards to have on hand for a trip that we're taking next year.

 I used YoYo Yellow, Only Orange, Real Red for the sky.  Blueberry Bushel, Tempting Turquoise, Coastal Cabana for the sky.  My Favorite Things Beach Scene Builder in Black.  I stamped the sentiment from the MFT Big Greeting stamp set in White and Embossed with White Powder.

I powered through and managed to get all my blogging done for my 2023 card making!  I wasn't sure I was going to get it all done, yay me!  Next year I hope to stay on top of my blogging and instagram posting!  I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year!!!

Happy Birthday Pam!!!

The last December birthday to celebrate for our cycling group.  And unfortunately Pam wasn't able to make it to the celebration either, but we celebrated her in spirit too!!!

 I started out making the sky using Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Real Red, Only Orange, and Gorgeous Grape.  I used Hero Arts Desert Sunset Fancy Die in Black.  I also took one of the layered dies from Impression Obsession in black and put it under the circle to give it some more texture/layers of cactus.  I stamped Happy Birthday from My Favorite Things Banner Day Sentiments and topped the card off with a Purple bike die with a Wink of Stella.

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Happy Birthday Larry!!!

Celebrating another December birthday for another great cyclist of ours.  Unfortunately Larry wasn't able to make it to the birthday celebration, but we celebrated him in spirit!

I used the Impression Obsession Desert scene die for this card with Black, Speckled Brown, Shimmery Yellow, and Night of Navy.  I splattered the Night of Navy with opaque white.  I ran the whole panel through the die cut using the MFT Rectangle Stitched Die-namics.  I used the Shimmery Yellow with the My Favorite Things Banner Die and stamped the sentiment from MFT Banner Day Sentiments on it.  I used Bronze cord to tie it together. and finished it off with a black bike die.

Linden, Larry, and me.

 

Happy Birthday Terri!!!

For my dear friend Terri and also my cycling buddy!  Terri loves pink so I had to make her one of the Hero Arts Stencil cards using all PINK!!!  

I got all my pinks out to make this card and just layered and layered them until I had the look I was happy with.  There was no rhyme or reason to my method.  I used the Hero Arts Stencil kit.  Black, White, and Regal Rose card stock.  Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Polished Pink, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, Berry Burt, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pink Passion, and Merry Merlot inks.  Finished my card off with some black birds.

The birthday girl...                                The December babies...

Me and Terri on one of our cycling adventures this year.

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Happy Birthday Tony!!!

Celebrating Tony!!!  Another one of our wonderful cycling friends who's birthday is in December.  Tony is so much fun...he's such a strong cyclist and is always willing to be in the front when we need a little break leading the ride.

Another fun card to make!  I made my sky with YoYoYellow, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Gorgeous Grape, and Night of Navy.  Then I used the Impression Obsession Desert Scene die with Black, Pecan Pie, and Early Espresso and the My Favorite Things Fast Track in Pecan Pie.  I went over the Pecan Pie sections with a Wink of Stella.  I die cut the bike in black.  

The birthday boy...

The December babies...

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Winter Poinsettia...

I fell in love with Rachel Alvarado's beautiful Winter Poinsettia Card from My Favorite Things.  Her card is the whole reason I bought the stamp set, coordinating dies, and the Christmas sentiments to go with it.  When I saw her card I just knew I had to make that card for my Christmas card this year.  What I didn't know or realize was how detailed and time consuming each card would be.  I made 67 of these.  I kept kicking myself thinking why did I pick this as my card for the year?!?!  But the answer was simple...it was just gorgeous.

I made one card just like hers (my daughter got that one) and left off the white stamped leaf on all the rest.  That's 66 less stamps I'd have to make, ha!  I used Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, White, and Crumb Cake.  I used glue dots and jewelry micro beads for the centers.  And tiny Iridescent bubbles to top off the card.

My assembly line.

Total of 67 made.

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Everyone Needs a Warwick in Their Life...

Another December birthday for another great cyclist of ours, Warwick.  He was our first cyclist when we started co-leading our ride just over two years ago and has held a special place in our hearts ever since.

When I saw Sandi Maciver's gorgeous card, I knew I had to recreate it and knew it had to be for someone special and I had the perfect person in mind.  I read over Sandi's instructions for how to make the card, but I don't follow instructions very well, I'm more of a visual learner.  So, I kind of just went for it with an idea of what type of colors I should use.  Surprisingly this was one of the easier cards I made using this stencil kit so far.  I used the Hero Arts card kit, Caramel, Sand, Tangerine Tango, YoYo Yellow, Daffodil Delight, and black.  I die cut the bike several time in black then mounted my panel on a black layer, then a white card stock base.  I added a little black bird to finish off the card.

The birthday boy...

Our December babies...

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Happy Birthday Caroline!!!

For one of my sweet cycling friends, Caroline.  Linden and I had a little surprise birthday party for our December cyclists.  Silly me was too busy handing out Christmas Cards and putting in the birthday peeps coffee order that I completely forgot to give them their birthday cards, ha!  

I'm slowly getting the hang of this Hero Arts Multi Layering Kit and I'm absolutely loving it.  I think it's becoming one of my most favorite things to make cycling cards with.  For this one I used YoYo Yellow, Tangerine Tango, Sand Caramel, Copper Clay Lemon Lime Twist, Pine, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, and Night of Navy inks.I used the coordinating die to make a mask for the mountains so I could blend in the sky.  I didn't have exactly the right size circle to mask the sun/moon so it ended up with some of the sky over it.  There was some white bits in between the sky and the mountains and in between some of the sand, so I took a colored pencil and filled in the white bits. I ever so slightly went over those bits with a Wink of Stella. I used a black die cut bike to finish off the panel.  Layered it on white, then a Lemon Lime Twist card base. 

Birthday Girl...

4 of the 6 December Babies.

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Happy Birthday Linda!!!

For my best friends mom for her birthday.

I CASE'd this from the Stampin' Up catalog, changing it ever so slightly.  I used Earthen Elegance paper, Pretty Peacock, Pebbled Path, and Very Vanilla cardstock.  I stamped Earthen Textures in Pebbled Path.  Then die cut the coordinating dies.  Stamped my sentiment from SU Morning Meadow set in Copper Clay on Very Vanilla.

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Happy Birthday Kellye!!!

For my bestie for her birthday.  

I absolutely fell in love with this card and wanted to recreate it.  I know I didn't do the card any justice as Miriam's card is just stunning!!!  I used Rich Razzleberry and Island Indigo for the background.  My Favorite Things Birch Tree Forest Cover Up Die-namics in white over the top.  Stamped my images from the MFT Polar Bear Pal stamp set in Memento on Neenah, then colored with Copics.  I added Liquid Applique to the top of the cocoa.  Stamped my sentiment from the MFT Cool Day stamp set on Rich Razzlebery and mounted it on a white card base.

My card inspiration.

Kellye with her card.

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Another Furry Friend Crossed the Rainbow Bridge...

 I made a Rainbow Bridge card for my best friends dog.  After my friend posted it online thanking me for it, another friend reached out to me asking if I could make one for her friends cat.  She wanted it just like the card I made for my friend but with a cat.  These are always the hardest cards to make.

I used My Favorite Things Cascading Rainbow, Stitched Cloud Edges, and Flat Bottom Cloud Die-Namics.  I ran the Clouds through a Pin Dot Embossing Folder.  I used a blend of MFT and Stampin' Up card stock.  Cat die in black, highlighted in a white gel pen then wiped with a paper towel to give it a softer look.  Sentiment from Stampin' Up Special Moments Stamp Set.

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Thank You Bruce and Laura!!!

I made this card to thank a wonderful couple that I've never met before.  My friend asked me if I'd like to do El Tour de Tucson.  She came across a post in one of her fb groups that someone was giving away their entries.  We decided to take Bruce and Laura up on their kind offer and entered in the 60 mile event.  El Tour was 6 days away and we hadn't trained for it at all...well, we kind of unknowingly did.  Terri and I had been cycling part of the route every Saturday morning since it was in our neighborhood.  Our Saturday morning rides paid off.  We knew the route, the roads, and what to expect along the way.  This was Terri's first El Tour de Tucson and I'm so proud of her for going outside of her comfort zone and riding with thousands of people.  We had such an amazing time and I can't thank Bruce and Laura enough for their generosity.   

My inspiration for this card came from a finishers medal for a local half marathon I saw in the early fall.  I knew I wanted to recreate it "some day" but didn't quite have the products I needed to do so.  Well, I came across this fabulous Desert Scene from Impression Obsession and went to work.  I used a Circle Die on Black then ran it through the die cut machine with MFT Wonky Stitch Rectangle die.  The Impression Obsession die in black.  My Favorite Things Skinny Stripes to get the perfectly sized and perfectly straight lines in black in between each color.  The colors I used for the "sunset' are Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegranate.  Tangerine Tango for the bike, with many layers and paper glaze on top.  Very Vanilla and Black for the moon.  Mounted on a white card base and splattered with black.

My inspiration photo.

Cassie caught us at a stoplight.

Emily and her husband met us with snacks, water, and the funniest sign!!!

Our friend Donna caught us right after crossing the line and getting our finishers medal.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 

Farewell Sade...

For my hubs co-worker who was moving to Florida.

 A quick, easy, CAS card.  I'm still working on using those blending brushes, but kind of getting the hang of it.  I used YoYo Yellow, Only Orange, Real Red for the sky.  Blueberry Bushel, Tempting Turquoise, Coastal Cabana for the sky.  My Favorite Things Beach Scene Builder in Black.  I stamped the sentiment from the Hero Arts Card Kit in White and Embossed with White Powder.

Thank you for having a peek at my blog!

Happy Birthday Brooke!!!

Celebrating another November birthday for another one of our cycling friends, Brooke!

This is another "toy" that I got that I hadn't used yet and was wanting to try...the Gina K Wreath Builder Template.  I had so much fun creating this card!  Most cyclist love coffee, they go hand in hand.  It's a never ending cycle...ride, coffee, repeat.  So, I had this idea of making a card with a bike and coffee, the never ending circle of love and life.  I used many stamp sets to create this card to find the perfect little stamps to fit within the wreath.  My Favorite Things Coffee Break, Hero Arts, Woodware Craft Collection, and Verve.

Happy Birthday Tod and Brooke!!!

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Happy Birthday Tod!!!

For a cycling friend for his birthday!  We had a little surprise birthday celebration for a couple of our cyclist who had birthday's in November.  I made the cards and Linden made the treats, we make a great team!

I've been looking forward to using this Hero Arts Card Kit my best friends got me for my birthday.  Living in Tucson, I of course love all things cactus and that I can turn into a "cycling scene".  This stencil card kit was perfect for that.  It was my first time using a layering stencil kit so I followed along with Hero Arts Inspirational video on their website for this kit.  I changed a couple of things on my card vs. what they showed in their video/card.  I started with a white panel, used Caramel, Sand, Pine Tangerine, Granny Apple Green, YoYo Yellow, inks.  Mounted my panel on an Eggplant Envy layer, then a white card base.  I ran the bike through the die cut machine 3 times using Eggplant Envy, then added paper glaze to it.

Linden lighting Tod's birthday treat.

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Crossing the Rainbow Bridge...

Our best friends sweet puppy of 16 years crossed the rainbow bridge.  Solo was a character.  He was the only pup in his litter, hence his name, Solo.  He had such a funny personality, knew what he wanted when he wanted it, and loved to cuddle...of course when he wanted to cuddle.  Losing Solo was definitely a heart felt loss, I shed many tears making this card for them.

I used My Favorite Things Cascading Rainbow, Stitched Cloud Edges, and Flat Bottom Cloud Die-Namics.  I ran the Clouds through a Pin Dot Embossing Folder.  I used a blend of MFT and Stampin' Up card stock.  Stampin' Up punch for the dog, highlighted in a white gel pen then wiped with a paper towel to give it a softer look.  Sentiment from Stampin' Up Special Moments Stamp Set.

Solo at one of our Thanksgiving gatherings.

Solo checking in on me.

Solo and Jetta (my Chihuhua) going for a walk.

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Happy 2 Years Co-Ride Leader!!!

Celebrating two years of Co-Ride Leading with the best cycling partner I could ever ask for.  Leading with Linden has been such a fun and rewarding experience these last two years.  We have met so many amazing people and have been truly blessed with this wonderful opportunity that Tim with Cyclefit Solutions has given us.  Here's to many more Co-Leading Rides with my partner in cycling!

Linden and I took a trip to Colorado over the summer to ride our bikes up Mt. Evans.  I wanted to make her a card that resembled Echo Lake Park.  You get to see this beautiful lake just before making the turn off to head up Mt. Evans.  I used Stampin Up's Snow Front to create my scene.  Shaded Spruce, Chocolate Chip, and Pool Paty inks.  I blended YoYo Yellow and Only Orange lightly over the scene.  I stamped the bike from Stamps by Impression in black.  Then added two black birds from My Favorite Things Shady Palm Die-namics to resemble me and Linden.  I mounted my panel on YoYo Yellow then a Chocolate Chip card base.

Echo Lake Park, CO

Me and Linden 

Us

Our 2 year Anniversary Ride!

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Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

For my best friends step dad for his birthday.  I had so much fun creating this card!

 I started out by blending Only Orange and YoYo Yellow inks with a blending brush.  I ran a piece of Crumb Cake with Snow Drifts Die-namics and the Palm Tree Trunks from the Beach Scene Builder Die-namics set.  I splattered various brown inks with the ink marker gun to create a bit of a sandy look.  I colored the Palm Tree Trunks with Copics.  I used Shaded Spruce, Garden Green, and Chocolate Chip for the tops of the Palm Trees and Coconuts, then highlighted with a White Gel Pen.  I ran the Beach Bungalow through the die cut a few times in order to get all the colors I needed.  Using White, Blueberry Bushel, Gray Granite, and Real Red.  I colored the door and window with copics then highlighted the porch with a gel pen. I mounted my layer on YoYo Yellow, then a Crumb Cake card Base.  I finished off the card with some black birds and a sentiment from the My Favorite Things Life's a Beach Stamp Set.

Thank you for having a look at my blog.

Sugary Birthday Wishes...

For my beautiful daughter for her birthday.  She loves Sugar Skulls so I've been on the hunt for Sugar Skull stamps for the last couple of years.

I used Gray Granite for my card base and sprayed Silver Glimmer Mist on it and the Gray Granite Oval.  I layered a White strip, then a Cherry Cobbler strip with white splatters on it and on the Cherry Cobbler Oval.  I mounted the ovals on White, then on a Black Scalloped Oval.  I stamped the Sugar Skull from the Hero Arts Halloween Icons Set in Memento, then colored with Copics and mounted on Pop Dots.  I stamped my sentiment from the same set in memento.

My daughter loved her card.

Thank you for taking a peek at my blog.

 

Overflowing with Fun!!!

For my best friend, Jeremy for his birthday.  Each year I try to make him a funny card for his birthday.  This year I copied a picture he sent me after I asked him a question about how it was going at work...

When My Favorite Things came out with the Bathroom stamps and dies, I knew I had to have it all.  I tried to copy the photo he sent the best that I could.  I used Basic Gray as my card base.  Layering Copper Clay ran through a brick embossing folder from Stampin' Up on the bottom 1/3 of the card and My Favorite Things Floor to Ceiling paper on the top 2/3 of the card.  I used MFT Bathroom Essential die-namics to build the toilet and plunger.  Then I stamped my sentiment from the MFT Bathroom Banter set on Very Vanilla.

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