Peaceful Nuthatch - Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop Day 1

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's November Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Peaceful Nuthatch

A Trip to Lancaster

What a Fox

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! We will announce all three winners on Thanksgiving Day. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Wednesday November 23, 2011.

Lois

Vicky

Anne

Connie

Linda

Karen H.

Patty P.

Geri

Dawn M.

Marilynn

Chrissy

Karen K.

Pam

Debbie

Brenda T

Bonnie (that's me!)

Harriet

Mark's Finest Papers

For my project, I had so much fun working with this beautiful set, I just had to make TWO projects for you to see - not to mention Christmas presents!!  *grin* 

My first project involves using an altered candle.  Last year my husband took a bunch of white candles we found at the dollar store and then drilled out the center to fit a votive using his drill press.  This way, I could put any color votive candle on the inside to match my card, color scheme, etc.  For today's project, I am using a pine scented votive I picked up at Michael's last year on clearance - and it still smells strong.

I started out by taking some vellum card stock and stamped Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company Peaceful Nuthatch in memento tuxedo black ink and allowed it to dry before coloring the backside with prismacolor markers.  Once my coloring was dry on the vellum, I wrapped it around the candle and adhered it by using some large glue dots before adding a strip of ribbon and bow.  The pine cone "rose" is from the fir tree in my front yard and looks beautiful as an embellishment for the picture and for the overall gift including the additional votives.  Here's a pic of the final gift package. 

For my second project, and gift, I took a notebook I picked up at Target on clearance last year and wrapped it in Stampin Up! pacific pointe.  Then taking my Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company Peaceful Nuthatch and stamped the bird twice in memento tuxedo black onto Grandma's Snow Covered Porch card stock before coloring with prismacolor markers. To keep the notebook closed, I cut a small "flap" and then used some velcro dots to hold the flap in place.  Taking one image and cutting it out, I popped it up over the layered main image using some Michael's Recollections square pop dots and then added a Sizzix die cut flourish with some gem stickers. 

Now ever since Kittie747 started making her own flowers, poinsettia's, pine cones, etc, I have been wanting to try them out and have done so from time to time.  Since the Peaceful Nuthatch's main image has pine cones in it, I decided to give Kittie's pine cone tutorial found here a try.  Following her directions, I made my pine cones and distressed them, then made my floral spray and ran it through my dusted off paper crimper.  ;)   Using Ranger's Crystal Accents as my glue, I carefully added each layer of the floral spray and the pine cones before adding some small punched "holly berry" flowers.  Here's a close up of the floral spray detail: 

For the final touch, I took a RSVP pen from Walmart and added some matching homemade "designer paper" to the inside to complete the gift ensemble before placing everything into a see through gift bag with some shredded paper filler. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great day.  I'll see you back tommorrow for the second day of Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company November release blog hop.  Don't forget to stop by all of the participating designers to see the wonderful eye candy everyone has come up with.

Stamps: MFP Peaceful Nuthatch

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin Up! Bashful Blue

Card Stock: MFP Grandma's Snow Covered Porch, Gold, Chipboard, Stampin Up! Pacific Pointe, Garden Green Scraps, Handsome Hunter Scraps, Real Red Scraps, Vellum, Copy Paper Scrap

Accessories: Prismacolor Markers, Stipple Brush, Spellbinders, Martha Stewart Punches, Mouse Pad, RSVP Pen, Velcro, Candle, Votive, Glue Dots, Ribbon, Ranger Crystal Accents