Saturday 13 July 2013

Get Inspired - Yellow Bicycle

Hi Everyone!  Its Saturday which means its time for a dose of weekly inspiration to get your crafty juices flowing, and it's my turn to provide some. :)


If you've read this column before it will not surprise you to learn that I found today's picture from Pinterest, which is a great source of all kinds of  inspiration. The below picture originally comes from a Tumblr page called The Bicycle is Art.  Feel free to click over there to see the other great bike inspired art they've collected.


I love this picture - the simplicity of the bike against the textured yellow wall.  This is the card I came up with:


I started with the yellow base, and cut a panel for the front that I embossed using a Tim Holtz folder in my Cuttlebug.  I added a bit of ink to highlight the texture and added some orange bakers twine.


I foam taped the panel to the front of the card, and punched a piece of cream that I stamped with a sentiment.  I attached a bicycle paper clip and foam taped the sentiment and bike over the twine.  Some gems finished the front off.


I kept the inside simple with a panel of cream and sentiment.  I used two of  Mark's Finest Papers sets "Cracked Hello", and "Classic Dad".

I enjoyed making this card so much I also made a green version:



These were really fun to make.  Are you inspired to create?  If so why not let us know what you make in the comments below. In the meantime don't forget to go to the Get Inspired page at MFP Speedy TV next week to see what MariLynn does with this bright image.

As I mentioned before, this post is part of the  Get Inspired page at MFP Speedy TV .   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!

Friday 12 July 2013

MFP Blog Hop Day #4 - Presents

Mark's Finest Papers July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are:
 Featured July 9th - Lotus Blossoms
Featured July 10th - Shello 
Featured July 11th  - Be Virtuous 
Featured July 12th - Presents

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 July 13, 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 July 12, 2013.




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




 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is
"Dragonflies"     



Today's set is perfect for your Christmas creations, and believe me July is not too early!  Its called "Presents":

This set is really festive and fun, and I thought I would make two versions of the same card - one for Christmas and one for a birthday.






I really enjoyed this set!  But of course this isn't the only set Mark's Finest Papers offers.  You can find this month's sets along with many other beautiful sets at the Mark's Finest Papers Store.  In the meantime, why not have a look and see what the other design team members have to offer?  The lovely Toni is next on the hop, but if you haven't visited the other designers I really encourage you to visit everyone.  There is lots of inspiration to be had!  And don't forget, today is the last day of the hop but the fun isn't over! Tomorrow I will be contributing to the Get Inspired Column at MFP Speedy TV.  You can either visit there to view my post, or I will also be publishing my post here.  See you then!  :)

Thursday 11 July 2013

MFP Blog Hop Day #3 - Be Virtuous

Mark's Finest Papers July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are:
 Featured July 9th - Lotus Blossoms
Featured July 10th - Shello 
Featured July 11th  - Be Virtuous 
Featured July 12th - Presents

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 July 13, 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 July 12, 2013.




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




 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is
"Dragonflies"     



Today's set is another asian themed set called "Be Virtuous":


I wanted to do some cards that were very simple, and as usual I came up with two:







As you can tell  I love the black and red combination.  I decided to make these note cards so the insides are left blank.  The good thing about this is that later on I can always stamp a sentiment if I feel the need too.

This set was lovely to work with, but of course this isn't the only set Mark's Finest Papers offers.  You can find this month's sets along with many other beautiful sets at the Mark's Finest Papers Store.  In the meantime, why not have a look and see what the other design team members have to offer?  The lovely Toni is next on the hop, but if you haven't visited the other designers I really encourage you to visit everyone.  There is lots of inspiration to be had!  See you tomorrow for day #2!  :)

Tuesday 9 July 2013

MFP Blog Hop Day #2 - Shello

Mark's Finest Papers July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are:
 Featured July 9th - Lotus Blossoms
Featured July 10th - Shello 
Featured July 11th  - Be Virtuous 
Featured July 12th - Presents

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 July 13, 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 July 12, 2013.




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




 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is
"Dragonflies"     




Today'set is a really cute one, perfect for summer.  Its called "Shello":


I decided to pull out my sparkly water colour paints and came up with two cards:









Its hard to see in the pictures but the paint is really sparkly.  I embossed the images because it resists the paint really well, and I love the gems with the paint.  There is no such thing as too much sparkle! :)

This set was really fun to work with, but of course this isn't the only set Mark's Finest Papers offers.  You can find this month's sets along with many other beautiful sets at the Mark's Finest Papers Store.  In the meantime, why not have a look and see what the other design team members have to offer?  The lovely Toni is next on the hop, but if you haven't visited the other designers I really encourage you to visit everyone.  There is lots of inspiration to be had!  See you tomorrow for day #!  :)

MFP Blog Hop Day #1 - Lotus Blossoms

Mark's Finest Papers July Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are:
 Featured July 9th - Lotus Blossoms
Featured July 10th - Shello 
Featured July 11th  - Be Virtuous 
Featured July 12th - Presents

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 July 13, 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 July 12, 2013.



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



 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is
"Dragonflies"     



Today's set is lovely, called "Lotus Blossoms":


This set is really pretty.  I created two cards to showcase the images:

 


I had fun playing with a 'shabby chic' style that I love, but haven't really used in a while.  I started with the main image and decided on a red and black colour scheme.  I decided to add some white and grey, an I love the result.  The felt flowers with gem centres are a new addition to my stash and I love them as a final touch.


 



For this card I wanted to keep everything really soft and feminine so I started with a white card base and brown ink.  I originally was going to keep everything really clean, but after the first card I couldn't resist more ink!  In additon to the inking some dry embossing and water colouring helped the images to pop, and the jute twine that I love so much is the perfect embellishment.  

I had a ton of fun with this set, and I really think there is a lot you can do with it.  But of course this isn't the only set Mark's Finest Papers offers.  You can find this month's sets along with many other beautiful sets at the Mark's Finest Papers Store.  In the meantime, why not have a look and see what the other design team members have to offer?  The lovely Toni is next on the hop, but if you haven't visited the other designers I really encourage you to visit everyone.  There is lots of inspiration to be had!  See you tomorrow for day #2!  :)