Themes From the Orient Column 08/23/13

Our talented Columnist Thrifty Stamper is on vacation this week so we do not have a post for you. Be sure to come back next week for her newest post and tutorial. 

Thanks
Debbie Moran
MFPaHC 
Communications Director
MFP SpeedyTV Chief Administrator  

Bamboo 08/16/13

Bamboo
by Thrifty Stamper
Bamboo is a member of the grass family. It is one of the fastest growing plants. It has a documented growth rate of 100 cm in 24 hours during the growing season.
Bamboo is significant in Asia. It is used as building materials, textiles, paper, musical instruments, furniture and food.
Bamboo when harvested regrows quickly. Due to this regrowth, it is a Chinese symbol of longevity. In India it is the symbol of friendship.
Bamboo, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and orchids together are called the Four Gentleman. These plants stand for the four seasons.
You can see bamboo often included in pieces of oriental art.
Here is my sample card made for today.

Here is a link to the full card tutorial!
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/bamboo-card

Lucky Cats 08/09/13

Lucky Cats
by Thrifty Stamper
Maneki-neko is Japanese for beckoning cat. These figurines can be found in many oriental owned businesses. I saw one in a Wally World at a nail salon. The owners were from Vietnam, not Japan. I had a long talk with the owner. He explained that the many oriental cultures have adopted talismans from each other.
Today, the Maneki-neko figurines are often made of ceramic. They have a raised paw that many of us (including me) think the cat as waving. The raised paw with the palm facing out is showing the "welcome" sign in Japanese where the fingers repeatedly flexed up and then down into the palm.
The Maneki-neko cats are referred to as Lucky Cat, Money Cat, Welcoming Cat, Fortune Cat or Happy Cat. Many oriental businesses display the Lucky Cats to welcome in customers.
The cats come in many colors and have a bib, bell, color, or coin. They can have all, or a combination of one or two of these.
Here are some photos I found on the internet of Lucky Cats. (Maneki-neko)



Mark's Finest Papers is releasing a new set next week called Lucky You. Guess what is in it? A Lucky Cat! I love the set because it has a Lucky Cat, oriental coins, and a Chinese Dragon-also considered to be lucky!
Here is the card I made for today's column.

You can find a full tutorial of this card here:
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/lucky-cat-card-tutorial

Dragons the Yang of the Universe 08/02/13

By Thrifty Stamper
A few weeks ago I wrote about Yin the Tiger. This week I'm going to write a bit about Yang the Dragon.
While Yin the tiger represents the earth, Yang the dragon represents the heavens. Such elements include fire, rain and light.
The traits of males are represented by Yang. The universe is equalized by the Yin and Yang and in balance. Yang is full of energy. His energy causes storms.



Here is my card for this week.

Here is the link to the full Tutorial on this card:
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/dragon-card-tutorial

Oriental Lotus Blossoms - 07/26/13

Lotus Flowers

by Thrifty Stamper


Lotus flowers are a common influence in Oriental Art. Their sometimes striking colors hearty flowers and leaves jutting out of ponds bring beautiful thoughts of the orient to mind.
A lotus is not a water lily. Lotus flowers have a seed pod in the center of the flower. Water lilies float on the top of lily pads in the water. Lotus flowers rise up above the water. The flowers may come to rest upon the leaves, but out of the water.
Lotus flowers are native to the Asia Nations and Australia.
Here are a few photos I found on the internet:



Here is my card:

You can see how this card was made and colored in this full tutorial:
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/lotus-card-coloring

Oriental Chops 07/19/13

Oriental Chops
by, Thrifty Stamper
If you follow my tutorials or columns you may have noticed that I often use the word "Chop". There was a comment on one of my blog posts this month questioning the use of the word.
A chop is a seal used in the orient. The first chops were created out of bone or wood. An artist would carve his/her name into the bone or wood to create a square that was then used an official "signature" instrument. The wood/bone was dipped in red cinnabar paste and pressed onto paper. The chops were used in the financial world as a signature. Today many chops are made out of plastic or metal.
Most traditional oriental art carries an artist's chop. The new stamp set called "Be Virtuous" has 4 chops.

I requested this set be made because I was drawing chops with a marker on my oriental cards. If you look closely you can see that these chops have oriental symbols instead of a name. They are left to right: Grace, Loyalty, Peace, Virtue. I think they are perfect for anyone who stamps oriental paper art!
Here is a card I made for this article. You can see that I featured the large Chop and then "signed" the card in the lower right corner with a small chop.

I made a full tutorial of this card. You can find it here:
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/tiger-chop-card

Themes from the Orient 7/12/13 Tigers - The Yin of the Universe

by Thrifty Stamper

Almost everyone has heard of Yin and Yang. These are the two forces that make up the universe. The two symbols are the Tiger and the Dragon. Yin means shady. Yang means bright.
The dragon symbol stands for Yang because it is associated with reigning over the heavens. The tiger is considered the strongest of the wild animals and stands for Yin.

You have heard of the movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." This title describes the way the tiger crouches low to the ground, the sign that lands are the tiger's domain. Wind produced by the tiger's roar bend the trees and grasses of the earth. Tigers have strength and power.

I'll cover the dragon's powers in an upcoming column.
This painting tells of the tiger and her domain.

I found the art here at this website. It's full of exciting oriental art!
http://www.orientaloutpost.com/proddetail.php?prod=t68-sw-1
I made this card from the above inspiration.

You can find a full tutorial on how this card was made here:
http://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/tigers-the-yin-of-the-universe-card