The following emails were exchanged between me and my Mom, a couple weeks back, regarding a birthday gift for her husband, Randy…
Three days later, I received one of Randy’s train cars…
…along with a little note from my Mom…
So I printed out some letters from Dafont.com to use as a guide…
…and (nervously) began to draw…
…and paint…
…and sent the train car back to her as soon as it was dry.
Thanks to all the Mom’s out there that continue to encourage their children to create and color outside the lines. Us kids really, really appreciate it.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
PS- I’m happy to report that Randy loved the train car (whew!)…
“We hooked it up during happy hour, and smiled every time it went by. We named it ‘The Love Train’. We have a little guy in one of the open doorways in another car on that same train, and we like to envision that it’s his Valentine from whomever he’s leaving behind, too. Hope you two have a great day!
Love, Mom”
(Me, my Mom, and Randy…watching the trains go ’round, a couple years back.)
LOVE THIS!!! you’re good girl!! my papa had trains and we spent lots of special time together setting things up when i was little. thanks for sharing this…makes me want to go buy my sweety his own train!
Thank you Leanne! I was so nervous to paint on one of his beloved train cars!
I’m so glad he was happy with it, and that my Mom still encourages me to do stuff like that! 🙂
Oh my goodness! That is soooo fabulous! What a great idea your mother stumbled upon and you executed flawlessly! I want a toy train now and paints and the talent to do something like this…oh who am I kidding, I”ll just live vicariously creative through you!
That is such a fantastic idea! Turned out amazing!!
so sweet! Happy Valentines day!
That is A W E S O M E ! ! !
Awww how sweet of an idea is that?! Love it- and your mom is right- you did an awesome job! My little boy (3 years old) LOVES trains and I finally convinced my Dad (his Papa) to set up his train set again & show him….now all Little Man can talk about is “Papa’s trains are so cool! They are like REAL trains mama!” 🙂
Love that!
THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!
So Cool!!! What a wonderful idea!!!! My husband is a train engineer, and its got me thinking………
You did a great job Layla, and I would say it was a good colabrative effort. Turned out great and sounds like it was well appreciated.
Your attention to detail is phenomenal – this is really effective. How gorgeous that you can help manifest your mumma’s creative ideas.
When someone believes in you, the sky is the limit to what you can achieve!
It came out great, Happy Valentines Day!
You amaze me more and more everytime you post something new! I love the graffiti on the train. Such a cute idea! I’m glad Randy loved it too.
Have a great day.
Pam
Love love love love love this!!!!!!! Just how sweet is that!Susie~
Layla, I love this post on so many levels!! First because you did such a fantastic job, and because this entire idea is original and creative! And second, because of what you said about mamas… I always want to be that kind of mama who encourages my kids in their creativity. Awesome reminder.
Also… I just posted two kitchen photos of the house we are in the process of buying. My sis in law and I were skyping about it the other night and I asked her what she thought and she said, “I don’t know… ask Layla.” (My sentiments, exactly.) If you had any thoughts, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear them… I know, I shouldn’t ask.. I just can’t help myself. I don’t know what to do with 100 year old houses…
Mwah!
Sasha
I love it! That is such a cool idea! I wish I knew somebody who were into trains, because that is just an amazing idea!
Thank you for sharing it!
Details details… they can make all the difference no matter what the subject. I think your mom is extra special cute knowing you could do exactly what she was envisioning. I have fond memories of putting my Little Kiddle dolls in the coal cars on my brothers train platform. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.
Hope you have a sweet Valentine’s Day.
My best- Diane
Layla – you are AWESOME! What a cool idea, and you did such a great job! Thanks for all the inspiration and encouragement that you provide with your blog!!!
That is adorable! I’ve always admired the artistry of graffiti.
I just had to comment (I’m not sure I ever have, but I’ve been a follower for quite a while)! This idea is totally unique and cute! LOVE it! You did an awesome job! Love your blog and find it interesting and inspiring!
I love it. What a great gift to a train collector. Your totally rock and so does your mom.
oh no, I’m 40 and I just used the pharse…you totally rock…my child would die.
I don’t know what is cooler…the fact that you can do that…or that your mom ASKED for it! What a wonderfully creative family!!
AWESOME!
Your blog always makes me smile!
So talented! Love it! Nothing better than a big ol’ virtual fist bump from Mom!
That is just so UNIQUE!!! How nice to have a special car all to themselves….graffitized!!!!
I ADORE THIS!!!! I’ve always loved trains. What a perfect way to make them personal. You did a fabulous job. My uncle (deceased) used to have an entire barn filled with trains and tracks and I could sit out there for hours watching them go round and round.
This is so cute! We are building a model train set for my six year old who just loves trains. I am so going tag a train car for the inaugural run!
Perfect Valentines Day post in honor of the ‘first’ love we received! You did a great job. What a sweet gift! Hey, come to think of it I saw “TLC was here” sprayed on an overpass. You never told me you were a graffiti artist or that you were in NJ!
: )
Your Friend,
Deborah
You did do an Awesome job, of course! And what a cool, outside the box idea for a gift for your mom’s sweatheart! Creativity must swim laps in your gene pool – I suppose. 🙂
So true. Except for me it was my sister and husband pushing me to follow my creative path. My sister did the same thing for me when she was pregnant with my first niece. She told me I HAD to paint the mural in her baby room. I hadn’t even done that before, yet she knew I could do it. Sweet post.
What a cute idea and a really original Valentine gift for a guy who probably has “EVERYTHING”.
That is truly sweet. Graffiti love. I love it!
Awww, totally sweet and your graffiti ROCKS!
choo choo!
this is a most awesome post in every way possible …
full of love and gratitude and creativity …
you just may be the cutest little goofball ever
with a momma who adores her through eternity …
thanks, from a mom …
xoxo
prairiegirl
That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! Are you the one going around Homewood leavin’ your tag everywhere, Layla??? I wish we had a train set now. LOVE IT!!!!
Can I just say, your mom is so COOL!
Adorable! Love it!
That is the cutest most sentimental gift. I love it!
OMG! I am TOTALLY gotta do it for my hubby. He works for the NS Railroad and our 5 years old boy is really into trains. Thanks for the grand idea!!! xo
what a unique and meaningful gift. Even more special you were able to do this for your mom. Love it!
thanks for sharing. : )
What a sweet idea!! Oh I love it! Super kudos to you too for the creativity and steady hand. I would have been sweating bullets. 🙂
SHUT UP… that’s adorable! so cute!
Perfect post for this day.
You’re just totally rad. You can’t even help it.
Awe! You have a wonderful mommy!!! AND you did such a wonderful job!!! Wow!!! It’s really beautiful! And what a sweet idea! Bring on the inspirations!!!!
xoxo
I absolutely love this. You did a wonderful job!
How absolutely wonderful! What a creative idea Mom had! And you followed thru beautifully!
Outstanding job to such a unique idea! I love it!
Donna
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
That is seriously an AWESOME idea! You NAILED it. It looks so fantastic!
Is there anything you can’t do????????????
It looks so cool! Thanks for sharing!
What a fantastic idea! This would have to be a hit for almost any avid train collector. Thank you for sharing.
Oh my word, this is amazing!! I had to show it to my husband (who has his own train set that he loves) and he agreed that it is awesome!