MFP Blog Hop Day 2 - Duck Hunting and a Bonus Calendar

Nov. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured Nov. 12 - Tigers

Featured Nov. 13 - Duck Hunting

 Featured Nov. 14 - Out on the Town

Featured Nov. 15 - Chill in the Air

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed below (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 Nov. 16, 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 10 PM EST 
on Friday Nov. 15, 2013.

If you're like me, guy cards are not easy.  If your guy is a fan of Duck Dynasty, today's set Duck Hunting is the perfect one to use.  I confess I've never seen the show, but it seems to be all the rage.  I used the large scene image for my first card.

My second card is less dramatic, although  I did add some square metal brads.  The birthday sentiment is from another set from this month, Out on the Town.

After seeing Patty's tutorial for her Coaster Calendar using this month's extra set (Calendar) the other day, I decided to try to make a spiral calendar using my Bind-It-All.  My son's mother-in-law is a huge cat fan, and I thought I would give this calendar to her for Christmas.  The kitten picture on the cover is from the internet.  The ones inside (along with the months) are from a little calendar I bought at Michaels for $1.50 (less 40% with the coupon!).  Most of the images are from Calendar, but some of them are from several other MFP sets.

Be sure to check out the rest of the design team members' blogs for more inspiration.  And don't forget to comment when you visit.  You might just win a free stamp set from this month.

Here's the Design Team:

Patty

Lois (that's me)

Jane C

 Pam

Pat G

Thrfity Stamper

Marilynn

Karen K

Bonnie

Kathy

 Cathy C

Toni

Sue W

Janine

An'Jenic

 Shirley Q

 Amy

Gail

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Card #1 
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Duck Hunting
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Tumbled Glass
Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Deep Olive, Desert Sand, Licorice Whips, Snow Storm Smooth
Accessories:  Copic markers, Die-namics Cloud die for template, Sponge dauber

Card #2
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Duck Hunting, Out on the Town
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Walnut Stain
Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Deep Olive, Desert Sand, Licorice Whips, Natural Vanilla Bean
Accessories:  Copic markers, Ticket Corner punch, Cuttlebug Wicker Weave embossing folder, Metal brads, Sponge applicator

Calendar
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Calendar, Christmas Selections, Halloween Selections, Silly Shells, Rain Clouds, Mother's Magnolias, Joyous Season
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Summer Sky, Lady Bug, Bamboo Leaves, Nautical Blue, Rich Cocoa; Versafine Crimson Red
Paper:  The Paper Studio - Seasonal Papers; various other DP
Accessories:  $1.50 calendar, Copic markers, Brads, Buttons, Stickers, Rhinestone bling, Prima flowers, Charms, Die-Namics Cloud die, Bind-It-All

MFP Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 1

Speedy the Cat at Mark's Finest Papers likes to get a head start on special Christmas gifts and memories for friends and family. He gathered the design team at Mark's Finest Papers to bring you 12 days of exciting paper crafting gift ideas to get that holiday mojo flowing. The hop runs for 12 consecutive days, starting today! Start off on the MFP Blog and relax with a cup of eggnog (or sprig of catnip, your choice) as Speedy leads you though a short, daily hop. You'll find your holiday paper crafting ideas and supplies at Mark's Finest Papers.

Today's ideas are Bind-It-All projects, mine being a small 4" x 4" photo album. I covered the front and back pieces with Christmas paper and added two strips of gold sticker lines to create a frame -- and then bound the album together. After stamping the small cardinal from MFP Cardinals in Winter onto some Snow Storm Smooth cardstock, I cut it out using a Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament die and sponging around the edges with Tim Holtz Distressed Barn Red. I added a few gold pearls and attached the ornament to the cover.



If you haven't already checked out the other projects for today, here are the links for the participating DT members:

Day 1 Bind-It-All Oct 17
Lois
Markie
Patty
Faith


We hope you enjoy our "12 Days of Christmas" in October. We'll be sharing lots of fun and creative projects with you over the next twelve days and hope you'll be able to incorporate some of them into your holiday planning.

Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop - Day 2

Welcome to the MFP February Blog Hop! This month, we are releasing 4 NEW SETS!

Our New Sets are: Greet the Day with Gerber, Big Cats, Spring Has Sprung and He is the Lamb. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

We have a BRAND NEW Blog Candy Contest! BE A GUEST DESIGER!

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY!

All Blog Hop participants will have the chance to win a Month Long GUEST DESIGNER position on our Senior Design team! That’s right! ONE lucky winner will receive a Guest Designer package that will include March 2011’s Four New Release sets, a selection of Premium Papers, and beautiful embellishments. The winner will also receive a Guest Designer Watermark, Blog Button and have the choice to participate in the March 2011 Blog Hop!
What do you need to do to qualify? Just comment on the Design Team blogs during the blog hop. EACH DAY that participants comment on all the Design Team blogs, their name will be entered once in the random drawing. Each participant has the opportunity to have his/her name entered up to four times. (There are four days of the blog hop, so there are up to four entries per person.) The winner will be announced on the Mark’s Finest Papers blog on Saturday, February 12, 2011.

My first project for Big Cats is a chipboard calendar made following the tutorial on Splitcoaststampers.



I used some coasters I found in the clearance bin at Michaels right after Christmas -- eight coasters for a dime! I covered the coasters with some DP from a DCWV Photo Stack -- grass. Using my Bind-It-All I connected the two coasters and added the lion image and the calendar.


I must confess that this tiger card is my favorite project of the month. He is stamped on MFP White Storm 100 lb. cardstock. Because he is a white tiger, there is very little coloring -- some gray shading, the pink nose, and the blue eyes -- all with Copic markers.



I matted him on black and glued him to the cardbase. Then I used a square nestie and embossed the frame around the black square. The final touch was the sentiment.

Be sure to visit the rest of the DT blogs to see what they have created with this "wild" set.

Nancyruth
Lois (that's me)
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Claudine
Dawn M.
Joanne T
Nicole
Marilynn
Geri
Lynn
Emily N.
Mark’s Finest Papers

MFP Blog Hop - Day 4

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Our very talented Design Teams have created exciting paper crafts for your inspiration. With the addition of New Design Team members, we’re going to have a really fun-packed Hop! Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride! Come Hop along with us! We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released today: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, visit and comment on each of the design team members' blogs on July 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th. On Saturday, July 17th, a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day! Four different winners, one winner for each day. THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

The 4 Winners will be announced on the Mark's Finest Papers Blog on July 17, 2010. Each winner will receive 1 Stamp Set that will be released NEXT month.

We end the Blog Hop with a very pretty set, Apples and Camellia.





My card today is a fun fancy fold – a tri-shutter card. If you’ve never made one, here’s a link to the tutorial on SCS. My base is MFP Ripened Tomato and the designer paper is from Basic Grey’s Capella paper pad. After doing all the folding and cutting, I stamped the large apple onto Snow Storm Smooth and colored it with Copic markers. I cut the row of apples in half so I could place them strategically on the long panels. I love the sentiment, which is stamped directly onto the designer paper. I added some gingham ribbon and little apple charm, and I was done.

My second project is not a card at all, but a photo album, which I put together with my Bind-It-All. Before my mom’s health deteriorated and she had to give it up, she did volunteer work at a local botanical garden in town. She loved flowers, having been a floral designer for many years. I’m going to put some pictures in it from the 90th birthday party we had for her and give it to her as a remembrance. There’s not a whole lot of explanation need for this. I stamped the camellias onto Strawberry Freeze and Morning Sun and then embossed them with some Ranger Bridal Tinsel Embossing Powder and cut them out. I cut out the white panel with the next-to-the-largest Label Ten Nestabilities die. The layered piece was hand cut after tracing around the outside of the die. This gives a narrower mat. I still had yesterday’s set (Flourishes and Frame) on my table, so I used one of the sentiments from that set. The corner pieces were cut from a Cuttlebug die.

Be sure to visit the rest of the team to see what they did with this fun set and comment on each blog. You have one more chance to win one of the stamp sets to be released in August.

Here is the Blog Hop LINE UP:

July Guest Designer – Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth

Lois - (that’s me)

Vicky

Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Vicki
Liz

Claudine

Dawn
Mark’s Finest Papers

MFP Blog Hop - Day 1

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Our very talented Design Teams have created exciting paper crafts for your inspiration. With the addition of New Design Team members, we're going to have a really fun-packed Hop! Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride! Come Hop along with us! We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released today: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, visit and comment on each of the design team members' blogs on July 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th. On Saturday, July 17th, a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day! Four different winners, one winner for each day. THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

The 4 Winners will be announced on the Mark's Finest Papers Blog on July 17, 2010. Each winner will receive 1 Stamp Set that will be released NEXT month.

I’m starting off the Hop with a bang – I have three projects for today’s set – Background Fun.

I imagine I could use this set on virtually every card I make – you always need backgrounds! My first card utilizes one of the Tim Holtz Sizzix dies, Hanging Sign. The bracket and oval are cut from MFP Clean Oven Gray, the sign from one of the papers in Basic Grey’s Porcelain paper pad, as is the background. I used the crackle background to stamp on the bracket, the oval, and part of the sign; and then I sponged around the edges with Palette Noir. I was just going to stamp Happy Birthday on the oval, and then I decided Speedy would look good on there. So I cut the words off the watermark stamp and popped him on there too! I poked a couple of holes in the background and ran some wire through to “hang” the sign.

I decided to do a 3-D project using the other background in this set. I found a basket template on-line and cut out the basket from MFP Hazelnut, then stamped the woven background onto it. The liner is from Basic Grey’s Wisteria. I have to admit I had to cheat on the liner. The pattern is wider than 6 inches, which is the size of the DP. So I copied it (shhh, don’t tell) at 146% on my printer and then drew the template on the back and cut it out. The birthday sentiment is stamped in Palette French Lilac on MFP Morning Sun. I had these silk flowers left from another project.

My third project is also a 3-D project using the basket weave background. This time I used my Bind-It-All to create this cute little basket. I knew I would need light-weight paper so I couldn’t use cardstock. Otherwise it would have been too thick to punch through. So I used blue copy paper. You use what you have! After making all four 2 ½” x 2 ½ inch panels, I put them together to make the basket. I still had some of those silk flowers left, so I became a floral designer for the day. I admit I’m not as good as my mom was! The sentiment panel is cut with a Labels Ten die.

Oh, by the way, did you know that Mark’s Finest Papers sells the Bind-It-All and accessories now?

Be sure to visit the rest of the team to see what they did with this set. And remember, you have a chance to win one of the stamp sets to be released in August.

Here is the Blog Hop LINE UP:

July Guest Designer – Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth

Lois - (that’s me)

Vicky

Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Vicki
Cathleen

Claudine

Mark’s Finest Papers

Baby Book

A woman in my office is having a baby girl in April, and we are giving her a baby shower next week. The office staff is giving her a gift card, but I wanted to give her something special. I had made a similar book for my daughter-in-law a couple of years ago. She was having a little boy, so I had to change several things for this book -- mainly the color scheme!


I love this quilt-like paper that I used for the cover.

I googled "verses for cards" to get many of the quotes I used throughout the book. Unfortunately, the site I had used the first time, Stampers Versalog, seems to have shut down. Fortunately, I had this cute little bit of advice in my computer.

Here are four more pages from the book. In total, there are 16 sides with various poems and stamped images -- including one page on which she can insert a photo of her Abby Rose.

Many of the pages had patterned paper from a wonderful DCWV pad called Nana's Nursery. The page on the left uses paper from that mat stack. Most of the stamps were from a Fiskars clear stamp set, along with several other stamps I had gotten at a garage sale -- the names of which I have no idea. The main colors were Stampin' Up's Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery.

Featured Stamper -- Calendar Project

Today's Featured Stamper on SCS was WeeBeeStampin. After looking through Wendy's gallery, I found this card, which had the perfect layout for my calendar project. Using Flourishes Calendar Sets, I have completed six pages of my calendar. Because they will be back-to-front mounted, I was able to construct the calendar, even though the last six pages have not been stamped. I used a small calendar I picked up at Michaels in their $1 rack. All of the images are cut out using Nestabilities Labels Three. All coloring is done with Copic and Prismacolor markers.

Hopefully, I will be able to complete my calendar tomorrow. This will serve as my office calendar. And I'm thinking that I can replace the calendar sheets next year and use it over again. The Flourishes pre-release challenge is to show some love. I do love Flourishes stamps and alcohol markers. I hope that is enough to qualify for this challenge.