MFP July Blog Hop Day 2 - SHELLO

Before we get to today's hop, here is the answer to my question yesterday.

 What is the difference between a water lily and a lotus blossom?

Answer: a water lily floats directly on the surface of the water. A lotus blossom has a stem that raises the leaves and blossoms out of the water.

  "The lotus is a plant that grows out of the slimy mud- the still, putrid water – to produce the most beautiful flower. It’s compared with life; that whatever your life circumstances, it’s possible for the most pure and beautiful thing to rise.”  Geoff Cochrane

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"
                                                      

Here's the Design Team:
Patty
Lois
Jane C
Debbie
Pam
Pat G
Thrifty Stamper
Marilynn
Karen K
Bonnie
Kathy
Angela
Cathy C
Toni
Sue W
Janine
An'Jenic
Kate Z
Shirley Q
Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.



What I like most about the set we are showcasing today is that it is so much fun to color.
When ever I start coloring an image I like to look at images on-line to give me inspiration. I got inspiration for coloring my sea turtle HERE. 
 Now everyone knows that you need expensive markers, or colored pencils to color images. Right?
No!
I like to use cheap crayola water color paint.  I think I spent $4.00 for this box at Walmart around Christmas. I plan to get more when Walmart has the back to school specials. I bet you can get some for very little money then.

On the lid of my box, I just mix the colors until I get a variety of colors to work with. For my sea turtle, I mixed orange/brown, green/brown, black/brown and red/brown and pink/brown.

I started with my black/brown mix. I didn't color the shell all the way in so that there would be shading.
I painted the edges and then wiped the excess paint off of the brush unto a scratch piece of paper. Then with a mostly clean brush I pulled the color from the edge to fill in the shell.

 Here is a video showing a little of my painting. It isn't the best video, because it was hard to video and paint at the same time, but I think it will give you an idea of what I was doing.

 

Here is how my turtle looked all colored.

I then fussy cut him out to put him on my card.

Here is how my card turned out.
I used the get well sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers set called

Birds and Trees

and I used the praying for you sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers set called

Hum Along

I made this  easel card for my friend Steve who had surgery. Praying that he heals quickly.