MFP Blog Hop Day 2 - Coneflowers and Roses

Welcome to the Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company

July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured July 15
Chinese Take Out 

Featured July 16

Coneflowers
Roses

 Featured July 17

Snowflakes

Featured July 18
Sun and Moon
Heavenly Harmony

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on today's participating 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 six winners will be announced on 

July 19, 2014, 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 10 PM EST on Friday, July 18, 2014.

We're featuring two sets today -- both of them flowers (my favorite type of image).  As with yesterday's post, I have a regular card for each set and then something else.  My card for Coneflowers is actually a set of four notecards.

Because these are one-layer cards and Copic markers tend to bleed through card stock (unless it's really heavyweight), I stamped the images on another piece of card stock, colored them and then carefully cut them out.  I ran the cut-outs through my Xyron and glued them down.  I measured in 1/2" on all four sides and drew a fine line with my journaling pen to create a "frame" around the edges.

My second project using this set is also a card, but it's a bit more elaborate.  It's called a Cascading Card.

I made the card base using a tutorial which actually appeared in an issue of Card Maker magazine last year. Then I stamped, colored and cut out the flowers, placing them strategically within the folds of the card.  I added some leaf die-cuts and punched out branches then added the butterflies, which are glued to strips of acetate.

The second set for today is Roses.   For my card, I stamped the rose three times on a piece of card stock. The image actually includes two leaves, but I cut them off because I wanted to use the die cuts behind the rose.  

I cut out the roses --one full one and two partial ones so that I could create a paper-tole flower.  You can see the layers here:

While it's a 3-D project, my second "card" can actually be flattened and mailed in an envelope.  Here it is "unopened."

But, when you open it up, it's actually a bouquet of flowers in a box.

I used the smaller rose from today's set along with a couple of lily-of-the-valley and leaf diecuts.  I added a few punched-out butterflies on acetate strips and two of the many sentiments from this set.

Be sure to check out all of today's blog hop and see what the rest of the team has created with these pretty sets.

Here's the Design Team:

Lois (that's me)

Kelli Jo

Karen 

 Kathy

Toni

Janine

Shirley Q

Vickie
Sandy

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Come on back tomorrow for more creativity.

Card #1

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Coneflowers

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Snow Storm Smooth (regular and heavy)

Accessories:  Copic markers, Journaling pen

Card #2

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Coneflowers

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Bundled Sage

Paper:  The Paper Studio 12 x 12 Rust; MME Dolled Up DP; Mark's Finest Papers - Snow Storm Smooth, Spring Leaf

Accessories:  Copic markers, Spellbinders Foliage die and Labels 8 die, Martha Stewart branch punch and butterfly punch, Cheery Lynn lattice die, acetate strips

Card #3

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Roses

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Bundled Sage

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Scrambled Eggs, August Greens, Snow Storm Smooth

Accessories:  Copic markers, Rhinestone bling, Foam pop dots

Card #4

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Roses

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Bundled Sage

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Scrambled Eggs, August Greens, Snow Storm Smooth; unlabeled DP

Accessories:  Copic markers, Spellbinders Foliage die and Lily of the Valley die, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Circle punches, Acetate strips, Ribbon

MFP Blog Hop Day 1 - Chinese Take-Out

Welcome to the Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company

July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured July 15
Chinese Take Out 

Featured July 16

Coneflowers
Roses

 Featured July 17

Snowflakes

Featured July 18
Sun and Moon
Heavenly Harmony

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on today's participating 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 six winners will be announced on 

July 19, 2014, 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 10 PM EST on Friday, July 18, 2014.

I have two projects for you today -- one of them is a card and one is something different.  I'll start with the card.

I actually stamped the images on another piece of white card stock, colored them, and cut them out.  I laid a piece of oriental designer paper down to look something like a tablecloth then placed the three cut-out items (the take-out box, set of chopsticks, and the fortune cookie) on top.  I shaped the fortune cookie a little bit using my bone folder and stuck it on with a foam pop dot.  Then I stamped the sentiment and added the oriental coin.

I had fun making my 3-D project.  I went on-line and found a template for a Chinese take-out box.  

After I printed the .jpg file and cut it out (four pieces), I embossed two sides of the box and stamped the lotus and words on one of the unembossed sides.  Please note that the words "Take Out" are part of the take-out box stamp.  I carefully cut out those words with a craft knife so that I could stamp just the words on my box.  I punched holes in the sides; and, after assembling the box, I ran a ribbon through and tied knots on the inside.  As the box could be used for a small gift, I decided to make a little gift card to match.

Be sure to check out all of today's blog hop and see what the rest of the team has created with this set.

Here's the Design Team:

Lois (that's me)

Kelli Jo

Karen 

 Kathy

Toni

Janine

Shirley Q

Vickie
Sandy

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Come on back tomorrow for more creativity.

Card

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Chinese Take Out

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Black Linen, Snow Storm Smooth; DCWV Far East DP

Other:  Copic markers, Oriental coin, Brad, Foam pop dot

Take-Out Box & Gift Card

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Chinese Take Out, Oriental Joy

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Snow Storm Smooth, Black Linen, ABC Bubblegum

Other:  Ribbon, Embossing folder, template

Tutorial Time - Beyond Borders

Today's Tutorial Time on Speedy TV challenge is "Beyond Borders," based on a tutorial written by Jane Chambers.   When I first read the title of the challenge, I was not quite sure what was in store for me.  But when I read Jane's tutorial, I recognized it as something I had done before -- called "out of the box."   Here's my card -- you can see where portions of the tiger lily are outside the edge of the oval Nestabilities die.

If you'd like to play along with the rest of the team, link up your card at the end of the post over on Speedy TV.  You could win a free stamp set.

CCEE1428 - Let's Repurpose Something

Shirley Quarry, this month's CCEE Stampers Blog hostess, asked us to repurpose something.  As she said, "We all have bits and pieces of things we have saved in our stash for those 'just in case we need it moments.'"  I have a container full of die cuts -- some were left over from a previous project, while others were cut using a die that I borrowed and returned.  My card contains some of each.  On a visit some time ago, my sister brought her rolled roses die, and I cut a bunch of them out in different colors while I had access to the die.  The same goes for the Fleur de Lis Square.  The little tag, on the other hand, was left over after I cut a tag using a large piece of cardstock with a Sizzix die that had about seven or eight tags.

If you'd like to use up some of that stuff you have laying around, make a card and show it off over on the CCEE Stampers blog.  We'd love to see it.

Tutorial Time - Flower Pounding

This week's Tutorial Time challenge was brought to us by Cheryl Miller.  Check out her tutorial for Flower Pounding.  I tried it with some crepe myrtle that grows in my front yard.  The first time I worked on the leaves, I left them attached to the stem.  However, I didn't like the results.  So I did it again with just the leaves, and then I brushed in the stem with a marker.  The results were much cleaner.

What I found interesting when I did this technique was that the color of the flowers changed.  Here is a photo of the crepe myrtle from which I cut a sprig for my flower pounding.

As you can see, the flowers were definitely PINK not PURPLE.  I'm not sure how that happened!  I'm sure there's a scientific explanation, but I'm not going to go look for it!  I'm just going to enjoy my pink crepe myrtle tree.

We hope you stop over at Speedy TV and try this interesting technique.  Link up your card at the end of the post and you could win a free stamp set.

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Bring on the Sun
Ink:  Memento Teal Zeal
Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Groovy Grape, Premium Heavy White; scrap of DP
Accessories:  Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Pearls, Marker, Crepe Myrtle flowers and leaves

CCEE1427 - Red, White, and Blue

Shirley Quarry is the CCEE Stampers hostess for the month of July, and she's starting off the month with a bang!  Tomorrow is Independence Day in the U.S., so she asked us to make a red, white, and blue card to celebrate.  As some of our team members are not from the U.S., the cards do not necessarily have to be patriotic.  Mine definitely is!

If you'd like to play along with us, link your red, white, and blue card at the end of the post on the CCEE Stampers blog.

I'm also entering this card in Scor-Pal's "More Than One Score" challenge for July, which is "Colors of Your Country/Patriotic."  It's called a Double Display Card, and I found the directions on the Technique Junkies Newsletter CD called "Move It."  There is definitely more than one score on this one!