And the winners are......

Well, the celebration is over and the winners are in! After seeing some fabulous cards in Laura and I's CASE challenge, we threw the names in a hat and......

The winner of the Impression Obsession Easter Seals set is....

And, the winner of a Flourishes stamp set of her choice along with a $10 gift certificate to the Flourishes store is......



Congratulations ladies! All you need to do is email me at juliekoerber@bresnan.net and I will get your goodies sent to you!

Remember -- Laura has winners too so just click HERE and she'll have a post on how to collect your winnings!

Thank you so much for playing everyone! It was so fun looking at all of your creativity!

You'll have to stop by tomorrow! A brand new set is being released by Flourishes and, trust me, it's fun, spunky and 100% girl! It's perfect for the girls of all ages in your life!


See you then!

Chick It Out!!!

Want a fun little project that is perfect for boxing up some small Easter Treats? Well, this little "tag" box is easy peasy to make! Want to see how it's put together?

First, here's a peek at the supplies you'll need to get started!

• ¼-Hole Punch

• Sm. & Lg. Oval Punch - Stampin Up
• Urban Prairie Paper by Basic Grey
• 1/4" hole punch

• Sheer Yellow Polka Dot Ribbon - May Arts
• Ruler

• 1" wide Pink Satin Ribbon - May Arts
• Palette Noir Ink

• 1/2" wide Pink Scallop Ribbon - May Arts
• Fine Tip Orange Marker

• Fine tip back pen
• Yellow Ink Pad

Next, to whip through this box in a flash, I like to cut my paper/decorative paper before I even get started. I used Basic Grey Urban Prairie for my patterned paper!

• Start by cutting 2 strips of white card stock to measure 2-1/2” by 11”. From the long side, score at 1-3/4”, 4 - 1/4”, 6-3/4”, and 9-¼”. Do this to both pieces.
• Corner round all of the edges of your strips.
• Cut dec. paper #1 into 4 pieces that measure 2.5” by 1.25”
• Cut dec. paper #2 into 4 pieces that measure 2.5” by 2.5”
• Cut dec. paper #3 into 1 piece that measures 2.5” by 2.5”
• Cut dec. paper #3 into 4 pieces that measure 2.5” by 1.75”
• Cut pink satin ribbon to measure 11” (this includes excess)
• Cut scalloped pink ribbon to measure 11” (this includes excess)
• Cut yellow sheer ribbon to measure 11”

Let's Get Started!

Rememer the two long strips that you created and scored? You'll want to criss cross them adhering them in the center square. Mark the center of each end and punch a 1/4" circle roughly 1/2" from the top.

Next, adhere decorative paper #2 so that it looks like the picture below.

Adhere decorative paper #1 so that it overlaps decorative paper #2 and looks like the picture below.

Adhere the decorative paper #3 so that it looks like the picture below...

Next, it's time to deck out part of your box. I stamped the little chicks from the Signs of Spring set from Flourishes using Yellow Ink (Memento Dandelion). After I stamped my chicks in yellow, I went over the beak with a fine tip orange marker and the feet with a fine tip black marker like this.....

After that - wrap your box with 1" pink satin ribbon and 1/2" pink scalloped edge ribbon and secure using a high tack tape - cutting off excess.

Stamp the words Happy Easter and For You also from the set onto some scrap decorative paper using black ink. Then, using a small and large oval punch (SU) punch out both phrases and punch a hole at the top of both of these ovals to make a kind of tag.

Knot the 1/2" wide yellow polka dot sheer ribbon and thread through all four flaps. To keep the flaps secure, slide the ovals over the ribbon like this....

All you need now are some fun treats to stuff inside! If you make one of these boxes, be sure to link it up so I can see! I had a blast making mine and can see making some for the kiddos in my life!

p.s. I'll be back with the winner of all of Laura and I's blog candy tomorrow---- so stay tuned!

Friday 2-fer!

Hi all! TGIF! I have another Friday two-fer....for you!


STAMP SIMPLY

First things first, it's Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply challenge! This week it was all about breaking the rules! Stripes, polka dots, and lots of patterns! You know, kind of like when you were a kid and wanted to dress yourself!

So, I grabbed a new set from Flourishes called Gigi and Chloe that will be released April 1st (make sure to check the Flourishes Newsletter for details then!) Then, I went to town!


Meet GIGI! Isn't she the cutest thing? I can't wait for you to see this whole set! Because she has her shopping bags and is ready to go, it really lent itself to lots of patterns. I knew that I wanted to paper piece like mad! So, I stamped my main image in black ink, colored up her skin, hair and gave her a blushing glow! After that, I stamped her on black and cream print, a dusty red paisley and again on a blue paisley. Then, get out your detail scissors and glue pen and piece away!


Here's a close up of her!

I colored her handbag and shoes with two shades of light brown Copic markers and then used a Zig fine tip silver pen to add some studs on her purse. I love how she has this demure look on her face as if to say -- 'Don't worry! I got it all on sale!'

Don't you just love this saying???? I think it's too fun! Perfect for the SU Word Window punch!

Add some more decorative paper, a ribbon tab, and some threaded orange buttons and you are good to go! Shopping anyone?

For this week's Stamp Simply challenge, check out all the official details at Sharon's place, then visit these fine ladies.....
Barb, March Guest Designer
Dee
Tammy
Janine
AJ
Jennifer
Becky

FLOURISHES FOCUS

This week on the Flourishes Newsletter, the "focus" is on ribbon. Latisha is heading things up over there! She has a great tutorial on how she ties a bow! She challenged all of us to make a card WITHOUT decorative paper and instead focus on simple elegance - with a nice fancy bow!

So, away I went! I have to admit, this was a bit hard for me! I don't often make bows - I might knot - but not make a flouncy bow!

I started by cutting out some white cardstock with a Curved Rectangle Nestie. Then, I did one of my favorite things, I left the die on and then sponged on some Antique Linen Distress Ink. This masks the edge and almost looks like a faux mat.

Stamp the large daffodil from the Signs of Spring set on some scrap white twice, color it up with some watercolor pencils, blend with a SU blender pen, cut it out and layer some of the petals over top! One of my biggest tips --- ditch the foam tape when you do this kind of 3-D layering. Afterall, you really don't have a lot of control on how you can angle your pieces on top if you use foam tape- it's just a raised layer. Instead, I use THIS glue. It's a silicone glue that allows you to manipulate your piece of paper to actually be angled.

Here's a close up!

After that - add some bling and a big bow and BAM.... done! As you make your way out into blog land... you have to check out Latisha's fabulous ribbon tutorial HERE. And, then hop your way around the rest of the DT!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Have a fabulous weekend!

p.s. Don't forget Laura and I's Celebrating 300K blog candy! There are just two challenges and lots of randomly drawn prizes on the line! you have until Monday, March 30! Case Laura and link to this post on Laura's blog, or upload to SCS with the keyword CEL300L. OR, case me and link to this post here on my blog, or upload to SCS with the keyword CEL300J. The clock is ticking!! ;-)

Got A Button???

Today I'm sharing an O2M, N2U (old to me, new to you!) project! Last fall, I submitted this project to Crafts 'N Things when one day Dawn Gehring, the magazine's Editor gave me a ring and asked if I would whip up a coordinating button jar using the same Gina K. Designs set!

Well, after I wrapped my mind around it - this is what I came up with!
I kind of chuckled when I printed out the Have a button? Give a button phrase thanks to my printer. I thought of it after a trip to the gas station and saw one of those penny jars! I thought -- it works! Don't you just love that measuring tape twill ribbon?

Here's a peek at the top! Thanks to a scalloped circle Nestie and classic circle Nestie, I came up with a decorative way to deck out the lid!

If you want the actual directions for my button jar and card, it's actually an on-line extra project for Crafts 'N Things! All you need to do is click HERE to print off your copy!

Don't forget, you have until next Monday at midnight to take part in Laura and I's celebrating 300,000 hits challenges! You can check out her challenge HERE and mine HERE! That's also where you can read up on the prizes that are on the line! There are some serious goodies up for grabs!

I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Celebrating 300K -- Day 2!!

If you stopped by yesterday you know that my friend Laura Fredrickson and I are celebrating a blogging milestone with 300,000hits!

Yesterday, we asked you to CASE a Laura creation to be in the running for one of two drawings from both of us. Well, today, I am your CASE target!

All you need to do is find a card on my blog or in my SCS gallery, CASE it or be inspired by it and let us see what you came up with! All you need to do is share your link on my Mr. Linky widget on this post or upload to SCS using the keyword CEL300J.

So.... let's cut to the case!

I chose THIS card of mine to case. BUT, when I remade it, I changed up the size to be a 4-1/4" by 4-1/4" size! I am loving these minis - especially now that I have a source for fun little matching envelopes!

The paper I used is a mix of scraps that I had in my stash. It's amazing how little green/yellow I have! When I found some that kind of matched the scheme I had going on in my head -- I quickly grabbed it up! It's a mix of Bo Bunny dp, SU dp, Yellow Bazzill and some old Kaliedoscope dp.

Put it all togethere and.... here's what I came up with!

I used the Mixed Greetings set for my main image and the word is from the old Fantasy Floral Garden set -both from Flourishes! I stamped the floral image using Palette Hybrid ink, colored with watercolor pencils and then blended with a SU Blender pen. I stamped one of the bowls from the Mixed Greetings set using Bamboo Leaves Memento ink and stamped it onto a patterned paper in the Basic Grey Urban Prairie pack. I wanted it to have a little more dimension than just the bowl stamped on plain white paper. I think it worked! Layer it all up, add some decorative corner accents and bling (Heart corner punch from Fiskars), add your message "tag" thanks to two oval SU punches and... done! The message and pot was popped up with some foam tape.

Here's a close up!

The winner of my drawing will win not only a Flourishes stamp set of your choice, but a $10 gift certificate to the store to pick up some other goodies as well! Keep in mind, Laura will be drawing too from this list for a giveaway ofher own. Check out her blog HERE for those details!

Want to take part in the fun??? You have until next Monday (March 30th) at midnight to make and upload your card for each of the challenges. We'll announce winners of each set of goodies sometime on Tuesday! Play as many times as you like!

You can leave a comment, but I'd love it if you left the link to your creation here....



Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

Celebrating 300K!

Not too long ago, I was surfing around my friend Laura Fredrickson's blog when her stat counter caught my eye. I saw that she was really close to hitting 300,000 and.... so was I! What are the chances of that? So, I emailed her and said, "Hey, let's celebrate together!" So.... here we are!

Because we are so excited to hit this blogging milestone, we want to share our excitement with you with a challenge or two! For day 1, all you need to do is page through Laura's blog or her gallery on SCS, find a card you would like to CASE, put your own creative spin on it and then post a comment with a link to your creation on Laura's blog post. You can also upload to SCS using the keyword CEL300L. From that list of folks, you'll be elligible for Day 1 of her goodies giveaway, and if you play, I'll also draw a second person to win some goodies from me!

So... let's cut to the case!

THIS is the card of Laura's that I chose for my inspiration (it's the card with the pair of boots)! And..... this is my card!

I loved the spring like colors of Laura's, the scalloped edge along one side of her card, the decorative paper, the ribbon and the corner accent. So, I took all that -- and added to it!

Instead of tying the ribbon in a bow, I just used it as a wrap and, instead of just leaving the corner exposed -- I added a button! The papers are all Basic Grey from the Bitterweet and Urban Prairie Collections. THIS was the stamp set I used from Impression Obsession called Easter Seals. Just LOVE this set for Easter -- it has such fun potential! The "grass" was actually from a Gina K. Set by Carolyn King called Framed Flowers. Inks used were Vivid Brown and Pear Tart Memento. Put it all together, add some paper piercing... and DONE!

Here's a close up of the cute little bunny! I popped him up as well as the grass with some foam tape....

So, if you give this challenge a try, like I said, you'll not only have Laura's goodies up for grabs - I'll pick a name from her post to win this Impression Obsession clear set that I used on my card! To be elligible, you need to leave a post on her blog or upload to SCS using the keyword CEL300L.

Find your inspiration and let your creative juices flow! You have until Next Monday, March 30th at midnight to make and upload your card! We'll announce a winner sometime on Tuesday!

We'll be back tomorrow with ANOTHER challenge and more goodies up for grabs! So.... check back!

B-Day Memories!

Hi all! I was tagged by my good friend Jennifer Buck and it's a pretty cool tag! You had to go a searching in your photo files and post the 6th picture in the 6th folder on your computer. Well, that took me all the way back to July 15th, which just so happens to be my little Ellie's fifth birthday! To the right of her is my son Cal - who just turned twelve a couple days ago, my niece Sarina and hubby! It brought back some fun memories!

So, now I need to tag 6 people and I pick.....

Christine
Laura
Latisha
Janine
Betty
Jacki

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! I'll be back with a celebration of my own-- so stay tuned! ;-)

Sweet Peas for a Sweetie!

Last weekend, SCS picked my bud Stacy Morgan as the Featured Stamper and I couldn't have been more excited for her! So... I quick-like searched her SCS Gallery and found a beauty to case! I just love her crisp and clean design. She does it so well!

So THIS is the card I picked. And below is my version!

For starters, I stamped my Sweet Peas (Flourishes) off the right side using Versamark ink and then embossing it with silver detail embossing powder. Then... let the fun begin! I started by coloring all the flowers with Shimmerz! Many times you will see folks color their image with markers, colored pencils or even Copics and then go over their image with a neutral color of Shimmerz. Well, I opted to paint directly with Shimmerz!

For starters, I used a base coat of Pink Poinsettia. While the paint was still wet, I dabbed on some Pink and Hotty Pink to add some depth to all my flowers. For my leaves, I painted the base in Celery and then added a splash of Sagebrush to add some depth. It you meld these colors while the base color is still wet, these paints blend beautifully!

The rest is pretty self explanatory - my dp is Stampin' Up, Silk ribbon tied in a knot, Scallop created by an SU edge punch, grommets (Mark Richards) and pearls (Kaiser Craft)

Now for a peek at the sparkle! It just looks so soft and feminine in real life!

I am convinced that there are hundreds of ways to use these paints!!But, when in doubt, a simple paintbrush and a lovely stamp to color works beautifully too!

For more details on the Featured Stamper -- click HERE. This is one of my favorite challenges so it was double the fun being able to case a friend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Two-Fer! Warning -- long post!

TGIF! Today I have a fun challenge and I'm "in focus" today! :-) Friday means -- Stamp Simply time! And, Friday also means Flourishes Focus!

First things first, Sharon Johnson has "tabbed" the Stamp Simply team! Today's challenge is all about little bits of ribbon -- ribbon tabs -- rather than dressing your card up with wraps or bows! Have fun using your scraps!

Today on the Flourishes Newsletter, Leslie Miller decided to help us get over our inhibitions when it comes to using different kinds of decorative paper --- on one card! She gives us all some pointers in picking the right combinations to come out with beautiful results! You'll love her cards-- trust me! She successfully used three and challenged the rest of the DT to do the same.

So, here goes! Decorative paper with ribbon tabs! A Friday Two-fer! A couple weeks ago, I started this project in a class at my LSS. It was the coolest class -- you know why? First of all I took it with my BFF Lovely!

And second... this lady taught it!!!! Becky Fleck is the founder of Page Maps, she's the author of the book Scrapbook Page Maps, she works with Memory Makers magazine AND, she is the Creative Director at Basic Grey--- she designs some of my favorite paper!!! In fact, the cards I made with her are using the Basic Marrakech line - a line she designed! How cool is that?

Here's a look at all the cards in my set.... I decked out the envies with the new set from Flourishes - Ornamental Elements.

The fun thing is, this design will work with any pack of coordinating paper -- pick your poison basically! ;-)

Here's a look at the card "purse" that your cards will fit inside. The front was decked out not only with different decorative papers but some scalloped edge scissors, rub-ons and a button!
And, here's card one that showcases not only my not 3 but 4 different decorative papers but my ribbon tab too!

Card #1

This card is super duper easy - Make a strip of paper down the center using one dp, mat it up and edge it with a decorative edge punch. I used one of the new slim profile edge punches from EK success. I picked it up at Michaels. For my brad, I used a third decorative paper, punched a 1/2" circle, and with a glue dot, put it on a 1/2" brad, cover it with one of those pebble stickers. It's basically the same concept behind Stampin' Ups build-a-brad! On the tag I used Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden words and my SU tag corner punch to create my tag. Add some 1/2" black satin ribbon scraps and... there's my tabs!

Card #2

My second card really doesn't need any explanation! I used 3 decorative papers and a base with the same edge punch. I also used two sizes of oval punches for my word (Fantasy Floral Garden). Add a green ribbon.... and VOILA!

Card #3
My third card is a little more complex. My left side is actually a 2" strip that is matted up with dp. I made a 1" strip for my band across the card and secured it under my decorative paper that is the base on the inside of my card. How do I keep my flap down? One of those nifty Basic Grey mini magnets! Add a tab from a SU punch and a fun button and almost done! The word DREAM was added, again, from Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden.

And, when you are done.... this is what your cards fit inside!

Basically, you start with a 12" piece of paper and cut it so that the length will support the two pockets and a flap. Each pocket width and height will be about 1/2" bigger than the width of your cards. Score so that it is also a 1/2" bigger than your cards. Use some decorative paper to create your pockets as well! You can tack these down using some red line tape to make sure it is ultra tacky. Then, go crazy decking it out however you like! I used matching buttons and some of the Basic Grey rub-ons that match the Marrakech paper. Too fun! You can make sure your card purse stays closed, again, with those fun Basic Grey magnets/snaps. Love those things!

Ok, now I am going to send you on a fun blog hop! Want to see what the rest of the Stamp Simply team did with some fun ribbon scraps? Here you go!! Sharon - challenge master!, Barb, Dee, Tammy, Janine, AJ, Jennifer, and Becky.

Next, you have to head on over and check out Leslie's fabulous tutorial! She has such a knack for combining patters and paper in a way that is so inspiring! You can find her tutorial HERE. Then, travel over to the rest of the DT and see what they cooked up! Christine Okken, Cindy Lawrence,
Faith Hofrichter, Latisha Yoast, Laura Fredrickson, and Stacy Morgan.

Wow... what inspiration to kick off your weekend! Hope you are inspired from all these gals and their work so that you can cook up some of your own creativity!

See you back here soon!

p.s. Don't forget to check back here Monday for some fun blog candy giveaways! I'm teaming up with my buddy Laura Fredrickson for a celebration! We are both soon hitting 300K on our blog counters!!! Boy, do we have some fun planned!

Celebration Brewing!!!

Guess what I noticed??? I am pretty darn close to 300,000 hits on my little ole blog!! You know what else? So is my friend - Laura Fredrickson! Since we are so close to hitting this milestone together, we decided why not have a little celebration? We'll be hosting a couple challenges AND we've gathered up some goodies to give away too! So, check back Monday for all the details!

It's all about friends!

This week the Impression Obsession DT challenged eachother to whip up a creation that is all about friends! With some of the new Sarah Phelps stamps aimed at friendship - this was a pretty easy "get" for me!

I just used two sizes of the curved rectangles for my main image and my mat. The images are from a new clear set called Flowers & Friendship. Stamp using Momento Tuxedo Black ink, chalk around the outside of your shape and then stamp the flowers off to one side and color with watercolor pencils. I blended my pencil with a SU Blender Pen. Mat it up with some 1/2" ivory satin ribbon, a decorative button and some fun decorative paper and that is pretty much it!

Here's a close up showing the colored flowers and sentiment!

You'll have to hop around and visit all the DT and see what they cooked up!

Shirley Ross at the NEW Impression Obsession blog!

Laura Fulcher's blog
Tina Werner's blog
Deborah March's blog
Michelle Giraud's blog
Dina Kowal's blog
Daniela Dobson's blog
Kelli Richardson's blog

I might be burning the cardmaking midnight oil tonight! It's my baby boy's birthday today! Yep, he's a whopping 12 years old today and nearly stands eye to eye with me! EEK! My hubby reminds me I'm only 5'4 -- but still! So, for his birthday, I've got to make him a wild and crazy birthday card! Everything with my son is -- I like it..... BECAUSE IT'S AWESOME! I love how he says "I like it" really quietly and then blurts out the rest kind of loudly. Too cute. I am sure this will wear off but for now - I crack up at my kiddo. So, wish me luck -- I hope I can create something he likes -- because it's awesome!!! ;-) We're going to Pizza Hut tonight (his pick) with the whole extended family, so it should be "good times!"

Hope life is treating you well in your neck of the woods!

Cute & Classy Card Set

When these cute little Jenni Bowlin paper packs made their way into the Flourishes store, I knew right away they would make up perfect card sets! So, of course, I had to give it a try!

Before I share the entire project -- here's a peek at how the set came together! I just love how it turned out!

Making The Box:
Start with an 8" by 8" piece of red cardstock and score 1-1/2" in on all sides. Now, cut the edges of every other flap so that it looks like this:

From here, bend in the flaps so that you form a box. You will want to use a red line style super tacky tape to make sure your box stays held together well. Here's what the bottom will look like...

Making the top of the lid is very much the same. The top measures 7-1/4" and you will score 1" in on all sides. The center measurement will = 5-1/4" so that it will fit nicely on top of your base.

Now, it's time to deck out the lid! I used the bird paper from the Vintage Cream and Black, matted it on a 4-1/4" piece of deep red that I edged with a gold leaf pen. Add a 1-1/2" strip that was edged with the help of a Martha Stewart punch. Add some black scallop edge ribbon and then, a tag created by two sizes of oval punches. I used the "For You" from the Signs of Spring set. Add some gold bling and the lid is done! I should tell you, I did pop up the center image with some foam tape. Making The Cards:

This is where you can really let your creativity shine! Just think - with one paper pack, you get 24 color coordinated papers with 4 of each design. That means -- you could potentially make 5 of these sets with one of these little paper packs! Pretty cool huh?

I used the Timeless Quotes set for all my sentiments and I sponged distress ink on the edges of all of them. Since the cards are pretty self-explanatory, I'll just show you what I did. In some of the photos, you'll see I decked out the envelopes too! I just used the little floral scroll that is a part of the Timeless Quotes set and stamped it using the distress ink.

Card #1

Card #2 Card #3
Card #4

Here is what the entire set looks like in the box! Wouldn't this make the neatest gift?


Here's a look at the supplies I used!

Jenni Bowlin Papers from these collections: Red/Black Line, Vintage Cream & Black, Vintage Red, Black Card Stock, Cream Card Stock, Deep Red Card Stock, Scallop Edge Black Ribbon, Palette Noir Ink, Martha Steward Edge Punch, Ornare piercing tool and mat Mini Square Envelopes, Antique Linen Distress Ink and sponge, Self stick pearls or rhinestones, Two sizes of oval punches (Stampin' Up), Cutter with scoring blade

That's it folks! Hope you enjoyed.... thanks for stopping by!