As I was scrolling through my pinterest feed the other day, I stumbled across the  below of a French café. I was looking for inspiration for my father's day card and this was it. It's not what you would think of for a card for you dad, until you know why this struck me instantly. My dad is known for his English Toffee. I mean KNOWN for it. He's been making it for as long as I can remember.  The recipe is a family secret that was passed down from my grandmother who actually owned a candy shop. My dad has tried to teach me said recipe multiple times, but for some reason, mine don't come out like his. He uses his senses to make it. Not temperature or time.  He just knows when it's the right temp or consistency to remove from the heat and pour into the pan to cool. And then there's the tempering of the chocolate.  He's perfected a blend of chocolates that work for his recipe.  

Over the last few years, he's expanded his offerings to include dark and milk chocolate caramels, mint creams that taste just like peppermint patties, as well as raspberry, orange, and maple creams. All of which have been big hits will all my friends who benefit from his hobby. This all lead to what I was searching for as inspiration for a card for him.  I wanted to make a candy store, but not just any candy store. In my head I had envisioned a small, chic french boutique that would beg you to come inside and see all that was to be had.  When I found this image, I knew it was the basis for what I wanted to create. The inspiration image lead to my illustration:

One more look at the inspiration to final card. I'm happy with how it turned out and more importantly my dad loved it!

Card Materials:

Paper: Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink), Night (Paper Source), Indigo Print (Craft Smith - Paper Pad), Envelope in Pure White (Paper Source)

Drawing done with Copic Sketch Markers, Prismacolor White Pencil, Copic Mulitliner Pen