An Orchid and IDOL news!

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by! I made this card forever ago and just realized - I never posted it here! It was from Gina K's release in late June. I just love Asela Hopkin's new images for Gina K. This set is called Botanical Dreams and it creates such sophisticated cards!

I stamped the orchid in Sepia Brown Versafine ink and then used watercolor pencils to color it. I actually printed off some photos of orchids just to make sure I colored it right. That's fun! Google "orchids" and man, you will be able to pull up library upon library of photos showing all the different varieties. The kind I chose is fairly common - a white orchid with blush accents and a vivid yellow center. After I colored my image, I distressed the background with a stipple brush. Mat it on a green piece of paper that is edged with the help of a gold leaf marker and you're almost done! I added the word "friend" (also in the set) on a strip of paper that I embellished with some gold embroidery thread and then matted everything on a piece of textured paper. Coloring is really the hardest part of this card and-- that's not hard!

Thanks so much for the emails and comments about the PC Idol contest! If you read yesterday's "This Just In" post, you know now why I have an intense love/hate relationship with computers. Voting is now set to begin at noon mountain standard time - so be sure to check back here for the link as soon as it becomes available. The good news is - the voting doesn't end until Friday at noon MST. So, we've got some time --- thankfully!!

Now to fun news from Flourishes! You have probably heard the name Faith Hofrichter before. She's the stamper who loves to have her cats help her in her stamp room, loves white dots, and has a son that is a little jokester! She often sprinkles stories of her day to day life on her BLOG in between fabulous creations. Well, I am blessed to create with her on the Flourishes design team. And, now YOU can hang out with Faith every Tuesday night in the Flourishes Forum! From 7 to 9 eastern time, Faith will be there LIVE to answer you questions. So, check it out HERE!

And, don't forget tomorrow the Flourishes fun begins with the reveal of their new stamp sets for July!! BEAUTIFUL new sets! As promised, I'll have a fun tutorial on using mica powders to create gorgeous accents to your stamped creations. It's one of my favorite techniques - can't wait to share!

Oh, I almost forgot-- Susan still has Flourishes blog candy! Check it out HERE!

That's it for now! I know, that was a lot to throw at you! It's a busy fun filled week! What can I say!?!? See ya back here tomorrow I hope!