Wednesday, April 17, 2013

MFP April 2013 Blog Hop day 2


April Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured April 16
Columns and Topiaries
 
Featured April 17
Be A Showoff 
 
Featured April 18
Honor and Glory

  Featured April 19 
Birds and Trees

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 April 20,2013 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 April 19,2013.



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

"Zoo Friends"

 The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"You May Bow"
                                                         

Patty P.
Pam 
Toni 
Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co 


When it came time to make this card, I was at a loss for what to do. I was in need of inspiration. I told my friend and fellow design team member Pam that I was going to look at photos of peacocks to see if that gave me any ideas. I must have looked at over 100 photos. When I looked at each one, I was amazed by the brilliant colors of these amazing birds. The blues and greens were fantastic, but then I noticed that they had white and brown. Such ordinary colors mixed with the bright. I stamped the peacock onto white cardstock and watercolored it. I used simple crayola
watercolors the kind that my kids use to use in school. I thought it would look cool to have it in an oval with the tail out of the box. Then I thought it would look good with a black mat behind the oval. I got that far and got stuck. I wasn't sure what I was going to do next. Every paper that I pulled out of my stash just didn't fit. Then I decided that I would go with black and white background so that the colors of the peacock would stand out. I knew it needed some embellishments, but I wanted something that would add to the card not fight with the peacock for the eye's attention. I tried rhinestones and gems, and brads, but none of them looked just right. Then I decided to look at beads on silver wire, with another KEY charm and more sheer ribbon. 




                          A close up view of my coloring on the peacock's feathers.




 I know that we project that the peacock is being proud when he displays his feathers, but in my opinion he is just finding joy in being how God made him.  This blog hop, with 20 different designers, will have 20 different cards even though we all started with the same set. Some might be similar, but each one will be unique.
 When we compare ourselves, we either experience PRIDE or DESPAIR a feeling of being "Better than" or "Not good enough"

The following is a scripture that my mother was always quoting to me when I was growing up:

 2 Corinthians 10:12  We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.


The KEY on my card is to remind me that the key to being happy is to realize that I am one of a kind and to enjoy being who God made me to be. 


I love this song by Scott Krippayne.  "I'm Not Cool" my favorite part is at 2:00 into the song. The lyrics say...He says that I am a one of a kind, and I don't have to try to be somebody else. He believes in me and says I'm free to BE MYSELF

31 comments:

  1. Beautiful card and a fitting scripture to go with it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing choise of colors you really Got some inspiration from all the photos you looked at. Love the pearls too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Talk about the WOW factor!!! Beautiful coloring, MariLynn...and I love the out of the box on the tail feathers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow this is amazing. Love the key chain you used. Just pretty. TFS AJ-

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not heard that song before but made me smile and it reinforces stuff I have been trying to take on board recently! Card is really lovely and the colouring of the feathers really pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love those embellishments. TFS

    kren@
    http://afourthlife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for the beautiful card and thanks even more for the message!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This peacock is beautiful! You did a great job, Marilyn!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your card is stunning! I wish I could sit with you and learn how to add embellishments!!! You always add such fabulous things to your cards. Love the design of your card with this color combo!

    What a gift, sharing this song and your thoughts today! I hadn't heard it before either. The El Camino line made me LOL but the overall truth is going to run through my head today...I might have to add it to my youtube and play it a few times too! I have such a hard time with accepting myself and it's so hard not to compare even when we know we are not supposed to. Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So pretty, I love how you added the beads and the charm.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Marilyn your card is beautiful with the black and white really showing off the lovely peacock colors. I so loved the scripture and your encouraging words for today. My husband and I listened to the song, made us smile. Thanks ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your card is beautiful. And I love the way you added the beads to your bow.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, your card turned out really nice...I like the beads that you added...well done

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the colorful peacock on the black & white! You're instincts led you to create a beautiful card-sometimes we all need to listen to that inner voice.

    ReplyDelete
  15. One of my favorites!! Love it! That key and those beads are super. Hope you will stop by and link up at Craftin Desert Divas “Peacock Color Challenge” Linky Party.

    Tara
    Craftin Desert Diva's

    ReplyDelete
  16. Marilynn,
    Your card is really lovely and the key is a wonderful embellishment!

    ReplyDelete
  17. WOW!!! This is just fabulous!! Love the stamping and coloring and then when you add the beaded wire and sheer ribbon...perfection!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love the layout you came up with for your card. And keeping the background more subtle sure made the peacock stand out. Beautiful coloring of the bird also.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Your watercoloring is beautiful! We had a couple peacocks that lived on our street. One was completely white, but I didn't think that would translate so well to a card.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow! For using simple Crayola watercolors you came out with amazingly beautiful work.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh so beautiful! I love the blues and green of the peacock against the white card base!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Beautiful! you did a wonderful job of watercoloring your peacock.
    stamping sue
    http://stampingsueinconnecticut.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  23. Beautiful work on this card!!! So much detail and your coloring is excellent!!! Love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Very pretty. I love how you colored the peacock.

    ReplyDelete
  25. How beautiful and elegant MariLynn! Just love it! TFS

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow! Really a work of art! Love the beading accent and your coloring is fantastic! The blue against the white/gray background really works so beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  27. MariLynn this is stunning - love the soft black and white background which really shows off the peacock to great advantage!
    Blessings
    Maxine

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh WOW! this is beautiful. Love the design and the coloring. Looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Just beautiful! The embellishments look great!
    Pam
    scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Love this card and the stitching. It looks like it is framed.

    marg0006 at Verizon dot net

    ReplyDelete