Mark's Finest Papers January Blog Hop Day 4

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's January Blog Hop!
This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Love Remains Featured January 17
Cowgirls Rule Featured January 18
Sending Happy Thoughts Featured January 19
You Are Cherished Featured January 20

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!)We will announce all four winners on January 21, 2012 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!) The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Friday January 20, 2012.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Pat G.
Karen H.
Patty P.
Mary
Dawn M.
Marilynn (This is me)
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Nancy
Bonnie
Harriet
Kathy
Silvia
Brenda
Mark's Finest Papers

My favorite set of this Months release would have to be this one. I love the big Pansy Heart. I stamped it on heavy white cardstock. I then water colored the pansies. I took strips of white tissue paper and ink spray smashed it with blues and purples. When it was dry I accordian folded it and added it to the back of my heart. I stitched the heart to the tissue paper with my sewing machine. Then I took my deckle scissors and cut the edges. I printed the sheet music and flourish dp on my computer. I sewed them to the black cardstock and added the lace. Then I sprayed the whole surface with antique gold spray. I printed the scripture Joshua 1:9 on my computer because that is this week's scripture at WORD ART WEDNESDAY. I added a paper tole pansy from an older MFP set called Happy Pansies.

With this close up you can see the gold spray.

I used a different translation than Cassandra used because when my kids were little they learned this version in their VBS. Music has such a power to help memorize scripture. All I have to do is say Joshua 1:9 and all my kids can still say it word for word even though it was almost 8 years ago that they learned it. If you would like to hear it I placed it below.

Apple blossoms for Spring

I saw this apple blossom tutorial the other day and knew I had to give these adorable flowers a try. I couldn't find crinoline like Linda used. I tried but my fabric store had none. I did buy some tulle. (I got 1/8th of a yard -$0.14 worth) When the lady went to cut the tulle, the edge was uneven so she cut it off and threw it in the trash can by the cutting table. It was a strip about 1 1/2 inches wide. All I could think of was that I could get several flowers out of it. So I asked her since she had thrown it away if I could have it. My kids rolled their eyes and were so embarrassed. They harrassed me all the way home from the store about the trash tulle. I have made 9 flowers and still haven't used up the trash tulle. I decided to use it up first before I started on the other tulle.

How my apple blossoms differ from Linda's is that I don't have crinoline, so I substituted what I had on hand. These flowers each have a layer of lace, typing paper, coffee filter, paper towel, tulle and cardstock.

This is for the sketch challenge at SCS. The dp was some I got on Saturday. It is from a K & Company pack. The bees and sentiments are from a Mark's Finest Papers set called HAPPY PANSIES. I stamped the bees on the card and colored them in with a yellow prisma colored pencil. I also stamped bees on the inside of the card as well as on the envelope. This is one of the first cards in a long time that I haven't sewn on. My daughter took my sewing machine last night to alter costumes for a muscial that she is in. My sacrifice for her art

Paper Tole Pansies Tutorial

Here is my tutorial I promised on yesterday's post.

This is how I pieced my pansies. This type of piecing is called paper tole.

I started by doing the ink spray and smash technique.

I scribbled several markers onto my acetate report folder.

This is how it looked after I sprayed the folder with water. I placed my cardstock on the marker-water droplets. When it was dry I stamped the pansies image 4 times. Time to cut... I first cut out the whole pansy.

Next I cut out all but the top left petal.

Then I cut it out, cutting the top two petals off.

Lastly, I cut just the top petal out.

I took scraps of craft foam that had adhesive on one side.

I cut the foam into pieces and stuck them to the bottom 3 flowers.

Since the adhesive was only on one side, I added Aleene's tacky

glue to the tops of the foam.

I placed the flowers on top of eachother in the order I cut them out.

To finish the pansy off. I added a pearl bead to the center.

Here they are on my card. I made this card

for the Technique Lovers Challenge at SCS for cutting

along the edge. I cut along the lace. The pansies are from

a Mark's Finest Papers set called HAPPY PANSIES. The

get well sentiment is from another Mark's Finest Papers set called,

AFRICAN VELDT.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This scripture was chosen for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge. The two words that really stood out to me were Anything and Everything. I have found in my life that worries or anxious thoughts fall into two categories: Big things and little things.

Big things are things that I know I have no control over. Will my husband loose his job? Will my friend's mom be healed of her cancer? Will the economy get worse? You get the idea. I know that have no control over whether my husband has a job or not. I know I can't heal cancer. I know that I can't control the economy. How do I deal with the big problems? I give them over to my God. I love the phrase that says... I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.

The other category of worries is the little things; You know, the little things that seem to aggitate us and stress us out. These are the things that I feel I do have control over. I find that these can make me more anxious than the big things. I start my day thinking ok I'm handling this but as they add up I start to feel overwhelmed. When I finally reach my breaking point I give those stresses over to God because I say "I just can't take it anymore!!!" How much more peace would I have in my life if when the little things came along that I gave them right away to God.

I was reminded of the folk story about a man who was walking down the road carrying a heavy load. Let's say his name was Mike. Another man, lets call him Joe was driving down that same road. Joe saw that Mike was really struggling with the load and he took pity on him. Joe offered Mike a ride. Mike accepted the ride but continued to hold on to his heavy load. After they had gone for a few miles, Joe asked Mike why he didn't just set the load down. Mike replied that he was so appreciative of the ride that he felt bad about Joe having to carry the load too.

My holding on to the little things and worrying about them makes just as much sense as Mike's logic.

So to not worry about ANYTHING, Paul tells us to pray, ask, and give thanks about EVERYTHING and give those requests to God. The result will be PEACE. The world sees peace as the absence of all problems. To me PEACE is knowing that when problems come, my God is in control and He has promised never to leave me or forsake me!!! What an awesome God I have!!!

The challenge for this week is to make a card with the homonym of PEACE... PIECE. We were to make a project with the technique called paper piecing.

If you have never tried this technique here is a link to the resource section of Splitcoast Stampers that describes it.

I chose to paper piece these pansies. These pansies are from the Mark's Finest Papers set called HAPPY PANSIES. I chose to use these pansies because of the big areas. It is a lot easier to piece big pieces. I started by stamping the pansy on purple paper. I stamped it 5 times for each flower. I then cut the pansies out 5 times. Each time I cut one less petal. To assemble I added a piece of craft foam in between the layers. Check back later this week, and I hope to have a tutorial on my blog showing this step by step.

I made this for a special girl named Ericka. She is one of my daughter's best friends.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.

Chris

Grace

Kris

Linda

Lisa

Miesje

Pegggysue

Rebekka

Sabrina

Grace Greater than Our Sin

The Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge this week was to make a vintage card to remind us of God's unchanging love for us. I used the VINTAGE hymn GRACE GREATER THAN OUR SIN. This may not be the first song or thought that might come to you when you think of a love song, but what shows love more than a God who loved us while we were still sinners. He loved us so much that he gave his only son for us. I have 4 kids that I love, and I can't imagine "Giving" them for someone who didn't know me or care about me, but that is what God did. Before I knew him, HE LOVED ME. Before I wanted a relationship with him, HE LOVED ME. Before I repented of my sins, HE LOVED ME. HE LOVES ME STILL AND ALWAYS WILL.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord. Grace that exceed our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Sin adn despair like the seawaves cold. Threaten the soul with infinite loss. Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, points to the refuge the mighty cross.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide. What can we do to wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide. Brighter than snow you may be today.
Marvelous infinite matchless grace, freely bestowed on ALL who believe! You that are longing to see His face, will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace, Grace, God's Grace, Grace that will pardon and clease within. Grace, Grace, God's Grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!

This card was also for the Technique Lovers Challenge at SCS. We were to make faux tiles. I made my faux tiles with the hymn page that I printed on dp. I added lace, pearls, and ribbons for the vintage look. I stitched the panels on to the card. I used the butterfly from Mark's Finest Papers TAKE A PEEK set and the sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers HAPPY PANSIES.

Mariposa Flying

Layers of Color is the sponsor for Card Patterns Sketch Challenge. What a fun sketch. I used cardstock from DCMV The Mariposa Stack. I love this paper. It looks especially great with my Layers of Color FLUTTERESCENT butterfly. I love all the sparkle and gold in the papers. I embossed the Layers of Color butterfly with gold ep to coordinate. I watercolored the butterfly after it was embossed. I cut it out and gave it dimension by rolling it over my fingers. I stitched a lace panel at the bottom. I used a stampin' up border punch at the top. Instead of a ribbon at the top, I used a piece of decorative trim. I used the sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers HAPPY PANSIES set.

Day 2 of Mark's Finest Papers's Blog Hop for January

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


And…LOOK for the WINNERS of the Blog Hop on Saturday!

Our New Sets are: In the Forest, Happy Pansies, Sew What, and Floral Tea.For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs TODAY. On Saturday, January 15, 2011, a winner will be chosen from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for today. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day of the blog hop. You DO NOT have to comment every day. However, the more days you comment, the more chances you have to win!) If you miss a day, you can go back and comment on each day's blogs, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning.



WEDNESDAY, January 12, 2011- Happy Pansies

Nancyruth

Lois

Vicky

Dawn L.

Anne

Peggysue

Susan

Connie

Claudine

Dawn

Joanne T

Nicole

Marilynn (You are here now)

Geri

Lynn

Emily N.

Mark’s Finest Papers

I remember my grandmother's garden. She loved pansies. I remember going with her in the early morning to cut flowers from her garden to bring inside the house. She had little bud vases throughout her house. In memory of my grandma, I wanted to make this card with a vintage feel. That is why I added lace and pearls. I W.I.S.H-ed the background with green, blue and purple markers. I watercolored the pansies. I cut them out added brads for the centers and popped them up with craft foam.