Keep Dreaming for MLK Day

Today we observe Martin Luther King Jr Day in the United States. The day celebrates Dr. King’s birthday and honors Dr. King’s tireless work for civil rights. While he is most known for his platform against racial segregation on public transportation and his fight for racial equality, Dr. King was also an advocate for the poor and worked to end poverty for all people. The Martin Luther King Jr Center is here in Atlanta – if you ever make it to Atlanta, it’s an eye-opening and heart-warming center that you should check out. Today’s card is a simple nod to Martin Luther King Jr Day. Here’s my card:

Mountain Air Bundle, Silhouette Scenes, Stampin Up!, Brian KingIn a subtle way, my cards is a nod to two of Dr. King’s most notable speeches – the “I Have a Dream” speech and the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.

Tips, Tricks and Reminders

  • Mountain Air & Silhouette Scenes. Over the years, Stampin’ Up! has released several stamp sets centered around trees and mountain landscapes. The Mountain Air Bundle, showcased in the January – June 2020 Mini Catalog didn’t initially catch my attention because I thought it was so much like so many things we’ve had before – but I was wrong. I only looked closer when I saw so many of my customers buying the bundle. That’s when I realized how innovative the layering options in the set were. Here’s a look at the Mountain Air Bundle: Mountain Air Bundle, Stampin Up! 153820And here’s a closer look at the focal point of this card: Mountain Air Bundle, Silhouette Scenes, Stampin Up!, Brian KingThere are dies for most of the elements in this set, and each one works differently. While the dies that can be used to cut out the mountains (shown in Seaside Spray here) cut out the entire tops and bottoms of the stamped image, the die that cuts out the trees (shown in black) only crops along the tops of the trees. Here’s  how I built my focal point:
    • Cropped Thick Whisper White cardstock with the largest circle from the Layering Circles Dies.
    • Stamped the Seaside Spray mountains along the cropped circle.
    • Stamped the image of trees on Whisper White with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
    • Cropped the tops of the trees with the coordinating die.
    • Cropped the trees with the largest circle from the Layering Circles Dies.
    • Glue the half circle with trees to the full circle with mountains.
    • I popped up the focal circle with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
  • Video. I didn’t fully understand HOW the Mountain Air Bundle worked until I studied the samples in the new catalog and watched the video. How eye-opening! Here’s a look:  Mountain Air Bundle VideoDespite all the options I had to layer with these stamps and dies, I decided to keep it clean and simple by just stamping one and cropping another.
  • Color Combination. The color scheme of this card is quite simple – a cold blue, a cold gray and black. Works perfectly to build a project with beautiful tones but not too much color. If you like this mix of Seaside Spray, Smoky Slate and Basic Black, please save this:Stampin Up! Color Inspiration - Seaside Spray, Smoky Slate, Basic Black

Bundles: Mountain Air  Stamp Sets: Mountain Air, Silhouette Scenes  Papers: 2019-2021 In Color 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (Seaside Spray), Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Whisper White, Thick Whisper White  Inks: Seaside Spray, Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories: Majestic Mountain Dies, Layering Circles Dies, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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New Catalogs are LIVE

Stampin’ Up!’s January – June 2020 Mini Catalog and Sale-a-Bration catalogs are live to customers. What fun! The pages of the Mini Catalog are FILLED with amazing products you will need for your Valentine’s Day and Spring projects – so much to love! AND there are so many great products to earn through Sale-a-Bration. To download these books and read more about how you can earn during Sale-a-Bration, CLICK HERE.


Placing an order today?  Of course you are! If you are placing an order for $150 or more, I want you to enjoy all of the Host Rewards you have earned.  If your order is less than $150, I’d love for you please add this Host Code – ZQ3D2PM4 when prompted. Thank you!

41 Comments

  1. Lovely card and sentiment. Handsome color scheme. Perfect timing for MLK Day!

  2. What a nice tribute to MLK on his birthday. Love the color combo and the wonderful mountain scene you created. Enjoy your day!

  3. What a gorgeous, elegant card to celebrate Martin Luther King’s Day, Brian.
    The color combination is just perfect for your serene mountain scene.
    Have a wonderful day!!
    XO
    Maria.

  4. Love this color combo! Brian your MLK Card is perfect to relate to his speech. Your creativity has no bounds.

  5. Oh my that scene is gorgeous! Love the card!

  6. Mountain Air was my very first choice to purchase from the new catalog. I love photopolymer stamps and I love scenic stamps so it was a natural favorite for me. Your card is fabulous as always and having it representing MLK’s inspiring speeches really makes it special.

    • Thank you so much, Grace! The landscape is gorgeous – I really enjoyed playing with all of the element options before settling on this one. So happy you like it. Can’t wait to see what you make with it. ♥

  7. Mountain Air was in my initial order but I haven’t used it. This scene is beautiful and inspires me to get the ink out! Thanks for sharing this great card. Have a great week! 🙂

  8. What a beautiful tribute to Martin Luther King!

  9. Your card is lovely. And yes, the center is amazing, a must-do for any trip to Atlanta. I was humbled and my heart wept yet again.

  10. The card is beautiful. I am impressed with how the mountain stamps look. And the card is a fitting tribute to today’s holiday for Dr. King. I love it!

  11. So pretty! My favorite places combined ~ sea and mountains. Reminds me of California.

  12. Brian, now I have a reason to want to visit Atlanta! Yours happens to be the first tribute I have seen to MLK today, and paired with a beautiful and meaningful card–hooray!

  13. WOW! What a beautiful card to reflect on Martin Luther King. It’s just perfect. I have to admit, I was on the fence about this set. I adore making “scenery” cards, and have all the other sets, but this one seemed to always get pushed aside. No more. Next order for sure. Beautiful card!

    • Thanks, Bobbi! That’s exactly how I felt about it until I noticed how well it was selling with my customers. So easy to work with and can make so many great landscapes. Always nice to hear from you, Bobbi! ♥

  14. Virginia (Ginger) Toivonen

    Gave me goosebumps when I saw your card Brian. A perfect tribute to MLK day.

  15. Really nice card and perfect for the MLK day. Great job today, Brian.

  16. Gorgeous…..just loving that blue!

  17. SO lovely!!!

  18. Brian, I never comment publicly, but I must tell you how much your card and your explanation as to its meaning touched me. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much!

  19. Brian,
    Such a lovely card. All of your creations are beautiful , this was just especially beautiful in composition & explanation of choices. You are so gifted!!

  20. I’m late to the party, as usual – just wanted to tell you how beautifully done these cards are! I got the set right away, but was intimidated until I saw your work. Thanks, Brian. You have inspired me!

    • Thank you so much, Sally! I appreciate your kind feedback. I’m so happy when I can inspire someone else. I know you’ll have fun with this set. ♥

  21. Your cards are always inspiring, it just takes me longer to mention. This was just right to case for a birthday card.. Thank you for sharing your creativity.

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