Back to my roots...

You see, I started stamping cards back in the late 80's, when it really wasn't popular, and the selection of stamps wasn't that great either. That's what actually got me started down this slippery slope into crafting.

Now, when you look around you'll find TONS of stamps in all sorts of "categories", and all types of materials, from rubber to acrylic, and even those carvable stamps. Who knew that stamping would finally get into the game when scrapbookers finally took notice of stamps.

So, here's a card that I did for one of my Design Team projects. I used one of the stamps from the Wonderland set, put out by The Greeting Farm. Hope you like it. And in case you're wondering, YES, I did use COPIC markers. :)

Until next time, go have yourself a RIPArts kind of day!

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming....

I can't wait....hope you're just as excited as I am....

Until next time, have a RIPArts kind of day!! :)

It's Monday night....

and you know what that means......

It's HEROES; BIG BANG THEORY; and HOUSE night on television. YAY!! I can't wait to see the new episodes. Love Matt Parkman on Heroes....and Sheldon on Big Bang Theory......and of course who could resist House's charm? lol

Monday night also means that I'll be finishing up my DT projects for Remember When. I LOVE the dies they released, and I'm pleased with my projects. I sure hope everyone else does too. I always get excited when it's time to post. Go figure!

Once I finish that, I need to finalize the text for my class handouts for my Silhouette class on Saturday. Then I can get them printed in time.

So, until I post again, have a RIPArts kind of day!! :)

Short & Sweet....

No, I'm not talking about me....lol....though I could be......(yeah, as if).....

Anyway, I've been asked what I mean by "Have a RIPArts kind of day". So here's the answer. RIPArts actually stands for: Rubber Stamp, Ink, Paper Arts (RIPArts). So, when I say "Have a RIPArts kind of day", you now know what I am referring to. It basically means, have a creative day with Rubber Stamps, Inks, and/or Papers. :) Make sense? Great.

Now, go have yourself a RIPArts kind of day!

Well, I'm back....

...and I have to admit that I'm exhausted....today is Sunday, and I haven't gotten a single thing accomplished. We left on Thursday at 2pm...and arrived at our hotel at 11pm (after a brief respite while the hard to understand police officer wrote me my speeding ticket).

After we arrived there, we decided it would be fun to go out and check out the neighborhood. Now bear in mind, that when we got there, we ran into a parade that was taking place on Canal Street. That should have been a warning of how the rest of the trip would last.

So, we went out, cameras in hand, looking very much the part of tourists. The streets were so narrow, it was incredible to look at for the first time. Neither one of us had ever been to New Orleans before. Anyway, as we walked, we encountered some amazing architecture. Where you ask? Well, in the French Quarter, which is where our hotel was located.

So, as we walked around, we realized that it was COLD. So, we had to look for a jacket. We walked and walked around, until we finally found a street that had alot of activity. We walked in that direction, only to realize that it was PACKED. So, we continued looking, and realized we were on Bourbon Street. Who knew!?! Anyway, we found a jacket, and all was well with the world.

We decided that we wanted to explore more, but that our cameras were really in the way. So, we decided to head 2 blocks north to the hotel to drop them off. Along the way, I decided that I wanted get a picture of myself outside the gay bar that we had seen earlier. So off we went in that direction. Below is the result of our little "side trip". The men were very friendly and accommodating, and posed for a pic.

Well, we made it back to the hotel, and dropped off our cameras. Then we went back out again, headed to Bourbon Street of course. We walked back and forth on Bourbon, taking in all the local "scenery". It was alot of fun, but we did have to get some sleep before our class in the morning. So, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. It was 2:30 when we made it back and crashed.

Next morning, we got ready and headed downstairs, only to discover that they couldn't find my vehicle. They left the building with ALL the keys that they had at the booth, and finally arrived back at the hotel with my car, after about 10 minutes. It makes me wonder where my rig was located for the evening.

Needless to say, we were in a hurry to make it to the other hotel for the class, so we drove and drove (gotta hate those one way streets), until we found the hotel. We made it in, only to discover that I had the wrong start time in mind. So instead of being 10 minutes late, we were 50 minutes early. Go figure.

Anyway, the class was JAM PACKED with information. It was crazy! We spent 6 hours actually working and taking notes. We had a pretty nondescript lunch and returned to finish the class, and get our Certification Certificates.

So, we tried to leave the area before it got crazy with parades, etc. Too late. It was 4pm, and we were blocked in the parking garage, because the hotel where the class was located, was on the path of the parade staging area. So, we were literally blocked for over an hour.....when we finally got out, we had trouble getting to I-10. Why? That's easy to explain. Half of the streets were blocked off, and the other half were one way streets heading in the WRONG direction. Needless to say, we didn't get out of New Orleans until 6:30.

Well, we finally got underway, only to discover that traffic still wasn't moving. Between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, we were literally at a dead STOP. On I-10 no less!! We just didn't understand what was going on at all. That is, until we got to Baton Rouge and while stopping for the dinner from h*ll, we overheard a customer saying that there was a parade in Baton Rouge, and that she had been trying for 3 hours to get out of Baton Rouge. The rest of the trip was uneventful, thankfully.

We made it to Dallas at 3:30am. I made it to bed at 4am. Had to be up early on Saturday to go to the Community Center Crop in Whitesboro. So, needless to say, we were a bit late to the crop. We got there at 11:30, which was after several stops along the way for some shopping.

We arrived at the crop, and I was relieved to finally be getting a chance to sit and relax. The rest of the crop was a blast. We had so much fun, and laughed so much. A special thanks to Shelley for my "man bag" in pretty pink. I'll be using it for my COPIC markers. Speaking of which, I LOVE this picture....hope you like it too....

And finally, I'll be teaching COPIC classes at Remember When. If you're interested, please keep an eye out on their webpage....check out the Calendar page. :)

So, until next time, I hope you have a RIPArts kind of day!!

So, it's time...

It's time to head out to New Orleans for my COPICS class....

Oh, how I dread the long drive...it's about 8 1/2 hours away. And to top it off, parking is at a premium down there, so this will not be a cheap trip....lol...

You'd think that as excited as I've been about this class, that I'd be ready. But no. I'm not. I have yet to pack, and I get on the road in an hour and a 1/2. Why the delay? I'm always doing that. I HATE packing. I love trips, but the packing kills me. And besides, Lex isn't going with me, so I'm kind of dragging my feet on this trip. Oh well, time to kick it into gear. I'll be leaving the office at 11am, and getting home, packing, and heading out as soon as I hear from Kim on how she's coming along.

I'll be staying at this quaint looking hotel in the French Quarter. It comes highly recommended by my friend Shelley. I can't wait to explore. Unfortunately, exploring will be at a minimum, due to our arrival time. And when class lets out tomorrow, we have to get on the road again, so that I have time to get home and pack up for the Community Center crop in Whitesboro, which I'm due at Saturday morning at 9am...and that's a 1 1/2 hour drive North for me....so, YAY, I'm giong to be dragging @ss on Saturday....lol....but at least I'll be home again, and with Lex. :)

Anyway, I'll be out of touch till about Sunday, due to scheduled events, so please hang in there until I get back. Until then, have a RIPArts kind of day!

What makes them special?

So, you want to know what makes COPIC markers so special? Well, there are various reasons that I like COPIC markers better than I do regular markers. While there's nothing inherently wrong with other markers, I prefer COPIC because of the following:

Depending on the style of COPIC marker you purchase (Original, Sketch, or Ciao), you get a wide variety of colors. The Originals come in 214 colors. The Sketch come in 322 colors. The Ciao come in 144 colors. How's that for a variety of colors. Why so many colors you ask? Well, it comes down to blending. The more colors you have, the more blending success you'll experience. Basically, to blend with COPIC markers, you take 3 markers of similar color value (a light shade, a mid shade, and a dark shade). You then begin to apply color to your project, starting with the lightest shade, and darkening with each subsequent shade. Once you apply your darkest shade, you go over the entire thing with your lightest shade to smooth out the color. So, the more colors you have, the smoother the blending. How's that for a quick overview?

My favorite of all the markers are the Sketch. They're similar to the Ciao markers, and a bit more expensive, but they also hold more refill ink. Which is the second reason I love these markers. They can be refilled. How's that for saving money. You buy the marker once, then you can refill it to your heart's content.

Of course another reason I like them, is that you can also replace the NIBS (tips) if they become worn. How's that for not wasting money? You can basically use this pen for as long as you'd like to own it and refill it. The color label/information on the barrel of the pen is burnished INTO the barrel, so it won't wear off either.

Finally, the markers are ALCOHOL based, so once the alcohol dissipates from your project, it is acid free!! YAY for scrapbookers!! Doesn't that just excite you! I know it does me!!

Now, still with me? Good. For the record, if you'd prefer not to have to deal with refilling your pens, you can always go with the COPIC Ciao markers. They have a smaller barrel, thus holding a little bit less ink, you can change the tips, and refill them if you'd like. However, if you'd rather not, they're the least expensive of the markers, so you can just throw them out. Or, if you're feeling generous, give them to a fellow scrapper/crafter who wouldn't mind dealing with refills. And there you have it.

So, how's that for a product endorsement? Bet you didn't think you'd be curious about these markers. If you are, I highly recommend going to their Blog (listed on the right of this space), and read up on them.

Final thought on these markers. If you like what you see/read, bear in mind that Remember When is planning on carrying these markers in the near future. From what I understand, they've been ordered, and should arrive soon. And in case you're wondering, they're stocking the CIAO markers. So, crafters rejoice!!

The purpose of evil in the world...or so I think...

I often wonder why some people can be so mean spirited, and in some cases just plain evil. This just doesn't apply to the world in general, but to most of our lives.

I've recently experienced the dark side of human nature at scrapbook stores, and I must tell you that I didn't like what I saw. It took some thought, but after awhile, I thought "You know, I have to accept the evil people in the world, just so that I can truly appreciate all that is not evil". Without the counter balance, I think it would be easy to take the "good stuff" for granted.

I hope that as I go through life, I don't take the "good stuff" for granted. I also hope that some of these mean people find the happiness that they're missing in their lives so that they don't live their entire lives being miserable, and by extension, making those around them miserable in the process.

So, to the evil, mean-spirited people in the world, I want to say "Thank you". Thanks for enabling me to appreciate all the "good stuff".

Until next time, have a RIPArts kind of day!!

PUSH

So, we went to see PUSH tonite at the theatre. I have to say that Iunderstand why it didn't do better at the box office. What's that you say? Frank didn't like the movie? Nope, that's not what I'm saying at all. In fact, we loved the movie, but having seen it, we see why it didn't do well. The fact of the matter is, that it's more a thinker's movie, rather than an action packed spectacle.

It's rather misleading to see the commercials on television, in that they show one of the action scenes. However, there are really only three real action scenes in the entire movie. The rest of the movie involves dialogue which actually moves the storyline forward. Hmmm, go figure, an actual movie with dialogue.

I'd have to sum the movie up as a cross between Blade Runner (for sheer atmosphere), and a storyline much like that of Firestarter. Both movies that I enjoyed. We'll see how PUSH does in the long run, in terms of longevity.

Anyway, that's my mini review of the movie. Until next time, have a RIPArts kind of day.

Can you ever have enough?

Seriously, can you ever have enough paper, dies, embellishments, ink, stamps....well, you get the idea. It seems like every weekend, we go shopping for more. More of all of the stuff I just mentioned. Do I really need it? Probably not. Do I enjoy it? Absolutely. Isn't that what it's all about?

Today, I went and got some 6x6 papers from The Memory Box that I had ordered. I got the call that they came in, so off we went. After that, we ended up at Hobby Lobby for some Nestabilities dies, and some Copic markers for my friend Melinda. She's working on her Recipe Swap project for the group from Remember When.

Speaking of Remember When, I'm totally EXCITED to know that Sherri has decided to carry Copic Markers. YAY!!! I can't wait....this will make life so much easier. Once I finish my Copic Marker Certification class in New Orleans, I'll be ready to tackle teaching classes on their use. I've been experimenting with them already, as you've seen on my posted projects so far.

Final thought for the day, and it ties in to my original intent for this post "Can you ever have enough". I was going through my pictures from our recent Disney World vacation. Guess what, between Lex and I, we took nearly 12,000 pictures. Is that crazy, or what! OMG, who knew we could take so many pictures! My friends thought I was crazy when I told them that we'd take several thousand pictures. This ended up surprising even me. Oh, and we took several hours worth of videos. Crazy, I tell ya!!

So, can we ever have enough? Who knows. As long as we're having fun, I could always handle more. Can't you? So, until next time, I encourage each of you to have a RIPArts kind of day!!

Sad day...

Just remembering and revisiting my pics from our most recent vacation over the Christmas holiday to Disney World.....we had such an exhausting time, but it was soooo worth it! So, thought I'd share a few pics....hope you enjoy...and have a RIPArts kind of day!

Another day...

Another card.......finished this one over the weekend, but finally got it scanned. I'm doing this same card in three different colors......I have three friends, and each one has a favorite color, so you'll see this same card in pink, green, and powder blue. Enjoy, and until next time, have a RIPArts kind of day...

Bummed...

Well, I had hoped to work on my Valentine's Day cards last night. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Yes, I realize that VDay is just around the corner. Go figure, I'm running a bit behind...lol....We had a major storm front move through the area last night, and the conditions were not right for crafting. So, we watched some older movies on our laptops instead.

For those of you in the D/FW area, I hope you fared well after the storm.

I know I have some shopping to do. I have to get to HL today to get some stuff to take with me to New Orleans. I'd do it this weekend, but I have a TON of stuff I'm trying to wrap up.

Oh, and before I forget, we have almost finished the video that we were asked to produce for Remember When, featuring QK VINYL. I hope people take the time to watch it and like it, since alot goes in to making these videos. We like for them to be "right".

So, here's hoping that each of you has the time to finish up some of your open projects today. I'm sure I'll try and finish up a few tonight, and post them either late, or tomorrow. Until then, have yourself a RIPArts kind of day!

New Orleans!!

Here I come.....

So, I submitted my name, etc on the I Like Markers blog, for a chance at going to a COPIC Marker Certification class in New Orleans next week. I got picked!! YAY me!! So, now I have to get my stuff together for the class, since I'll be leaving the day before class....gotta love that 8 hour drive!

I'm really soooo excited that I can't stand it! I am looking forward to improving my skill in using these markers on my projects. And I can't wait to see what else I can use them on.

So, I'll try and post as soon as I get back to Dallas, but I know that I have to be in Whitesboro for a crop the following day....which out to be fun, since I'll be arriving back in Dallas at about 1 am on Saturday, and have to be up North at 9am.

I'll keep you all posted.

Till then, have a RIPArts kind of day!

Ever have one of those day...

When all you can think about is crafting? Well, I'm having one of those days....so I thought I'd throw up a couple of other projects...

What's this you ask? Why you guessed it....it's Riding Hood Anya. This was one of my first cards ever done with Copic Markers. I also used some Quickutz dies for the rounded corner squares and the sentiment. What do you think? Oh, and that cute little fox is from the Imaginesce line of dollar stamps. Can't beat that!

Now for a change of pace.....

The layout above is made using QK dies....the Squirrel, Tree, and Leaves are all Quickutz diecuts. Along with lots of Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink for the edging. The paper is Laundry Line from My Mind's Eye. How's that for not posting a card! hehehe

Anyway, gotta get back to work....break time is over. Have a RIPArts kind of day, til next time!

So, let's get this thing started....

Hi, and welcome to my new blog. I'm starting this blog because there aren't many blogs from guys who participate in the Rubber Stamp, Ink, or Paper Arts who have one. So, I'm here to hopefully change that fact.

I hope you enjoy my projects, and I'll try and post frequently.


So, here are a few projects to get us started today.

So the image above comes from The Greeting Farm line of stamps. They have totally cute stamps of their characters: Anya & Ian. She was finished out with Copic Markers (my new obsession). It's designed as a wall hanging for my craft room. Isn't she just too cute?

Next up, I have two more cards, again from The Greeting Farm line. This is Princess Anya, and she was also finished out in Copic Markers and stickles for finishing touches.

And finally, we bring you Mad Hatter Ian. Again, finished with those wonderful little Copic Markers. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the scalloped circles are from Spellbinders and their Nestabilities line.