Reminder - Reflections Part 2

Hey Everyone!  I forgot to post a reminder yesterday, so better late than never!

Remember the inspiration photo I used last Saturday?

This post is just reminding you that MariLynn has posted her card using this photo as inspiration.  My original post can be found here and here, and MariLynn's post with her lovely card can be found here.

And don't forget to visit MFP Speedy TV throughout the week as there is a new article under the 'Stampers Columns' tab every day of the week! :)

  Enjoy!

Get Inspired - Reflections

Hi everyone!  Its Saturday which means its time for some cardmaking inspiration!

This week its my turn to share something I've found inspirational.  For the second time my search began on Pinterest and I found this beautiful photo:

I'm not sure who to credit for this beautiful photo, but the pin brought me to a Tumblr page called Sleepless Dreams with a ton of other interesting and beautiful photos. Click here if you would like to explore that page.  

This photo caught my eye at once.  The monochromatic colour scheme combined with the unexpected angle is really striking. Since Father's day is on Sunday I decided this would make the perfect card for my husband.

I love how this card turned out.  I started with a white card base and I thought I would mimic the shape of the mountains with paint.  I was worried I would ruin the card base so I cut a separate panel of white to paint.  I`m glad I did because I like the layered effect.

For the trees I cut a piece of velum and drew a pencil line along the middle to give me a guide for placing the trees.  I used three tiny trees from a stamp set called "Mountain Selections", and stamped them on each side of the line ensuring the two sides of the line mirrored each other.  

I used black Versafine ink for stamping the images because I love how crisp it is.  Originally I was going to let it dry without embossing, but I didn't consider that the ink wouldn't actually dry on the velum.  So in the end I embossed the ink with clear powder and I'm glad I did.  The shine gives much more depth  and texture to the card front.   

Once the paint was dry I adhered it to the card front with foam tape, and adhered the vellum with some glue dots in the center.  For the horizon line I glued several strands of black hemp twine, then trimmed the edges to line up with the edge of the panel.

I decided to turn the horizon line back 90° to where it would usually be, so this formed a perfect place to put the sentiment.  I added a few gems, but as I did so the vellum started to curl.  This bothered me so I added a few more gems and strategically placed some glue dots underneath them where they can't be seen.  

I stamped the sentiment on the inside but I don't think it looks quite complete yet.  Since its for his Daddy, I'll have to have my 3 year old son Zach add some drawings along with his trademark zig zag signature to finish it off.  :)

So that's it for me!  Don't forget to go to the Get Inspired page at MFP Speedy TV next week to see what MariLynn does with this reflective image.  In the meantime have a look around you and see if anything inspires you.  Inspiration to create can come from anywhere!

If you are not a member of MFP Speedy TV, its a free social networking site focused on stamping and cardmaking with MFP stamps.  In additon to our column you will find lots of inspiration, including other informative columns on a daily basis, so why not click over and see what you are missing!

MFP June Blog Hop Day #4 - Classic Dad

Mark's Finest Papers June Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured June 11th
Need a Vacation

Featured June 12th
Fire Fighter
 

Featured June 13th 
Be Proud
 

Featured June 14th

Classic Dad

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on June 15,2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday June 14,2013.

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"You Are an Angel"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Wings"
                                                      

Today's set is perfect for any Dad in your life, especially if they love cars.  Its called "Classic Dad"

Since Father's Day is right around the corner I decided to make Father's Day cards.  Even so I love that there are lots of different sentiments to choose from in this set.  My husband and I have three dads between the two of us, which is lucky since there are three car images.  Here is what I came up with:

I decided to make gift card holders since our fathers are stereotypically hard to buy for, lol.  I decided to keep things fairly tonal (I think white and dark brown on kraft is the perfect combination), but I couldn't resist a pop of red on the white card.  I also couldn't resist the jute twine.  I was all set to use bakers twine in colours to match each card but in the end I decided that was too busy against the crackle background.  The crackle background is one of my favourites and it comes from a set that came out way back in October called Cracked Hello.  Click here to see my orignal post with that set.  

If you are enjoying these sets we are showing this week visit the Mark's Finest Papers store to get some for yourself.  In addition to these stamps they have lots of great sets along with tons of card making and crafting supplies.  

But, the fun is not over! Now that you've had a look at my contribution, you should hop over to the rest of the DT and see what they've come up with.  The MFP Senior DT is a very creative bunch and you won't be disappointed!  

 

While today is the last day of the hop, I'll have another post for you tomorrow with more Father's Day fun.  Of course on Saturdays fellow Senior DT teammate MariLynn and I try to offer you some cardmaking inspiration on MFP Speedy TV, and tomorrow its my turn to offer some new inspiration that I hope you will enjoy.  You can find my post here on my blog, or on the columns tab at MFP Speedy TV. I hope to see you then! :)

MFP June Blog Hop Day #3 - Be Proud

Mark's Finest Papers June Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured June 11th
Need a Vacation

Featured June 12th
Fire Fighter
 

Featured June 13th 
Be Proud
 

Featured June 14th

Classic Dad

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on June 15,2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday June 14,2013.

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"You Are an Angel"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Wings"

                                                      

Today's set is called "Be Proud" and its perfect for the upcoming July 4th holiday in the US:

For my first card I thought I would keep it CAS on a white background so that the blue and red would pop:

I used the fine tip on my water based markers to colour in the image, and I think the navy baker's twine and red gems are the perfect embellishments on this card.

For my second card, I thought I would attempt something that wasn't obvious.  Since I'm not American, and I know there are other international MFP fans out there, I thought it would be fun to create a card that anyone would enjoy receiving:

I think this card would be great for a graduation, or to remind a loved one of something they should be proud of!  To make this card I simply stamped and embossed the image, and after colouring I trimmed it out, leaving out the banner the eagle is holding in its talons.  Alternatively, you could ink the image and try wiping the ink of the unwanted area, or you could try masking your image with a post it, but since I wanted to trim out the eagle anyway this was the easiest thing for me to do.  The sentiment from inside the card comes from an April set called "Be a Showoff".

If you are enjoying these sets we are showing this week visit the Mark's Finest Papers store to get some for yourself.  In addition to these stamps they have lots of great sets along with tons of card making and crafting supplies.  And don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the next set we are showcasing.

But, the fun is not over! Now that you've had a look at my contribution, you should hop over to the rest of the DT and see what they've come up with.  The MFP Senior DT is a very creative bunch and you won't be disappointed!  See you tomorrow!  :)

MFP June Blog Hop Day #2 - Fire Fighter

Mark's Finest Papers June Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured June 11th
Need a Vacation

Featured June 12th
Fire Fighter
 

Featured June 13th 
Be Proud
 

Featured June 14th

Classic Dad

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on June 15,2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday June 14,2013.

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"You Are an Angel"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Wings"
                                                      

Today's set is great for those with Firefighters in their lives, or maybe just loved ones who love firetrucks (like my little boy, lol).  Today's set is called "Fire Fighter"

I decided to focus on the two largest images in the set:

I enjoyed watercolouring these images, and they pop against the black background.  I decided to use a kraft base as I thought it kept the cards from looking to dark and dreary.  I couldn't resist adding some glitter pen to the badges on the hats and the axe as well.

If you are enjoying these sets we are showing this week visit the Mark's Finest Papers store to get some for yourself.  In addition to these stamps they have lots of great sets along with tons of card making and crafting supplies.  And don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the next set we are showcasing.

But, the fun is not over! Now that you've had a look at my contribution, you should hop over to the rest of the DT and see what they've come up with.  The MFP Senior DT is a very creative bunch and you won't be disappointed!  See you tomorrow!  :)

MFP June Blog Hop Day #1 - Need a Vacation

Mark's Finest Papers June Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured June 11th
Need a Vacation

Featured June 12th
Fire Fighter
 

Featured June 13th 
Be Proud
 

Featured June 14th

Classic Dad

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on June 15,2013 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11PM EST on Friday June 14,2013.

The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

"You Are an Angel"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Wings"
                                                      

Its now June, and if you haven't had a vacation yet this year you are probably counting the days until you get to have one.  Thats why today's set is perfect for this time of year.  Its called "Need a Vacation".

I had fun with this set and some beach themed papers.  Watercolouring seemed like the natural choice for these images.

I had a lot of fun playing with bright colours on these cards.  My Glossy Accents on the second card wasn't as neat as I would like but I still think its pretty.  

If you are enjoying these sets we are showing this week visit the Mark's Finest Papers store to get some for yourself.  In addition to these stamps they have lots of great sets along with tons of card making and crafting supplies.  And don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the next set we are showcasing.

But, the fun is not over! Now that you've had a look at my contribution, you should hop over to the rest of the DT and see what they've come up with.  The MFP Senior DT is a very creative bunch and you won't be disappointed!  See you tomorrow!  :)