The $2 Challenge!

Hi all! Hope you had a fabulous weekend! I had a chance to steal away for a bit to stamp Sunday - but before I hit the stamp room - I surfed a bit. You see.... I had bought the stamps below as an impulse item when I was in the check out lane at Michaels. You know those bins full of dollar stamps they have right near the register? Well, I buckled. I've had these cuties for a couple weeks now and have just stared at them wondering what to do with them!

Instead of continuing to stare, I decided to follow in a friend of mine's footsteps! Laura Fredrickson takes time on the weekend to do just what I did. She surfs and picks up a few sketches then hits her stamp room to create a set of coordinating cards using the sketches. She calls it her Weekend Sketch Set! So... Laura.. here's my take on it!

CARD #1

I started with this sketch first, courtesy of a site I had never been to before - The Sketch Lover Card Sketches!

Before I even stamped my first image, I did pick out one color of ink (really old pigment ink pad from Anna Griffin) and a pile of scraps that color coordinated and I just stuck with that. My decorative paper scraps were from Prima, K & Company and Crate Paper. The ribbon is May Arts and the ribbon slides are a part of a new collection from Flourishes called Finishing Touches! The little clip is from Stampin' Up. From there, it really is just cutting paper and layering it up like the sketch!

CARD #2

This next card uses the latest sketch from Card Positioning Systems -- AKA CPS!

I thought this was a really fun and different sketch and I had a ton of fun adding some piercing and sewing on my card. Again, I used the same supplies mentioned above, stamping my bird on a scrap, cutting him out and then popping him up with a bit of foam tape.

CARD #3

And, my last card sketch came courtesy of the gals over at Our Creative Corner! I just thought this sketch was original. I've never made a card quite like this --- but I had fun! This time, I added faux self stick pearls to the edges of each of the strips.

So, there you have it folks! My weekend stamping fun! While I completely admire Laura's ability to knock out a card set each weekend, it might take me a few months to try this again! I'll need to hit the dollar bin before I tackle an entire set again! :-)

Happy Monday!

Stamp Simply.... Spring has sprung!

Hi all! I have another twice as nice Friday for you! First, Friday means Sharon Johnson is ushering in another Stamp Simply challenge and this one... is all about filling cyber space with the fragrant flowers of spring!

Today's challenge (ssnotime89) is to pull out your favorite flower stamp and make a beautiful floral creation. You can use images, primas, stickers or other flowery items! For the official details, click on to Sharon's place. Be sure to check out all the fragrant creations from the rest of the Stamp Simply crew! Barbara, May Guest Designer, Janine,
Jennifer, AJ, Becky, Tammy and Deb!

Well folks, I combined this challenge with the Flourishes Focus over on the Flourishes Newsletter -- Laura Fredrickson put together a fabulous tutorial on clear cardstock and ways to use it. So.... here's my card! I used two kinds of flowers!

I stamped one of my new favorite floral stamps - Nasturtiums by Flourishes with Versamark ink onto a piece of European Watercolor paper and embossed it with gold detail powder. The paper was cut using the Curved Rectangles Nestabilities die. Then, I loosely colored it using a waterbrush and reinkers. I used Tropical Raspberry and Lettuce (both Adirondack by Ranger). I say loosely colored because I wet my paper and let the water flow and color settle.

From there, I matted my piece onto a 4-1/2" by 5-1/2" piece of clear cardstock. The embossed mat behind it was actually a piece of vellum that I cut using a larger Curved Rectangle shape and embossed with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. I taped that to the back of my clear cardstock so none of the tape would show. I made my card by taking a 6-1/2" by 4-1/4" piece of olive cardstock and scoring so that I had a 1" flap at the top. I used the flap to attach my clear card stock to my card base. Add some self stick gold pearls, a pretty ribbon and one of the new embellishments that will soon be in the Flourishes Store! This is one of the Beautiful Brads that comes in a 36 piece kit! I added a rhinestone and just love how this adds just the right sparkle!

That's it my friends! I hope you make the rounds and see what the rest of the Flourishes DT cooked up this week with clear cardstock and some of the new Finishing Touches embellishments! And, don't forget to check out Laura's tutorial... HERE!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller

TGIF! See you back here soon!

Finishing Touches Day 2!

Hi all! Hope your week is going well! I can't believe it is almost over. I guess that is the benefit of having a three day weekend --right?

Yesterday, Flourishes started to unveil its brand new line of elegant embellishments called Finishing Touches! Like I said yesterday, these embellies are like the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, the... well, you get my drift!

Today, the DT is showing off another element from this line called Stunning Slides!

Aren't these gorgeous? There are 18 slides in this kit with three of each design. They are available in three metal finishes ~ gold, silver and antique copper! They are just too pretty for words. And, what I love is that they are really light weight - they won't weigh down your card one bit!

So.... here's what I cooked up!

I used the Sweet Violets set and stamped it on a shape cut by the Labels 2 Nestabilities die and colored it with the soon to be released Violet and Spring Greens Copic Collections. The designer paper I used is from the Urban Prairie and Euphoria colelctions from Basic Grey.

Because I didn't want to overpower my main image, I thought this little heart ribbon slide was just the perfect size! I slid it onto a piece of reversible lavender/purple satin ribbon.

You'll have to check out what Christine and Latisha created with these elegant new embellishments!

Thanks for stopping by!

Finishing Touches!

Have you ever found yourself looking for that perfect embellishment - one that is classy yet understated at the same time? Well, Flourishes is now carrying just that kind of embellishment line!

This week the DT is posting "sneaks" showcasing all the fun new things that will soon be headed to the store!

Here's a peek at my card that I made tonight. Just an easy peasy 10-minute card that really lets a pretty stamped image, an elegant saying, and a fabulous embellishment do the talking!

To make my card, I just took a 2 by 4" strip of blue paper, stamped it with Vintage Wallpaper and embossed with super fine detail gold embossing powder. I matted it with gold metallic paper and black. Added it to my card base, added a saying and then attached some beautiful black silk ribbon, gathering the ribbon and attaching my double brad. You can also see there were clear rhinestones added to areas of my brads. If you scroll down, you can see by the photo I layered two of the floral brads to create my square like embellishment.

Want to see the entire collection of brads? These brads come in a kit and are sold by metal color ~ a beautiful gold, silver and antique copper. The kit features 36 separate pieces - 3 each of each style shown plus matching mini brads!

And here's the second kit that will be unveiled Friday! They are called Finishing Florals and the largest flower measures just under 1". It is a way to add a refined pop to your cards!
Before you go... you should check to see what Leslie, Laura and Stacy created with this new line! They have a bit of eye candy for you too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love life!

Hi all! Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend. We have been home bodies! We are all getting over colds in our house and there was just something about being kind of lazy that was appealing to the whole household!

I did break away for a bit to my "mom cave" and crafted this quick and easy card. It's almost one layer! That's odd for me!
I took some light blue paper, took a super long post it and blocked off all but the left edge (about 1" wide) of my card. I stamped the solid hydrangea from Impression Obsession using Versafine Black Onyx. Heat Set, take off the post it and then stamp THIS mesh border. Add some beautiful silk ribbon and a small Labels One Nestie accented with bling and THIS saying and.... you're done! I could see doing a whole bunch of these cards using a different sentiment and a different accent color. What a fun set of cards that's easy!

Hope you were able to kick up your feet this weekend and enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

Flourishes Focus... Just Pierce It!

This week over on the Flourishes Newsletter, the lovely Christine Okken is offering up a fabulous tutorial on ways to make your cards sing with a little paper piercing! She used some of Spellbinder's Piercabilities and created some gorgeous cards! You can check it out HERE.

But first, with each Flourishes Focus, the hostess challenges the rest of the team to use her tutorial to cook up some fun!

Here's my card....



For starters, I pulled out the Scallop/Ric Rac Piercability template and that is how I created the pink strip. I also used the die to create the similar edge on my green mat. For a guide on how to use these dies, Christine really takes you through step by step - so be sure to check it out. I love how these dies not only cut and emboss, but allow you to use the die as the piercing template as well! I used this mat and piercer. The mat is a larger size than most and the piercing tool is really a fine tip which creates such a delicate look.

For my card, I used the Labels One Spellbinders die and made a frame from a 3-1/2" by 3-1/2" square that I corner rounded. The tulips were from the Stamp Simply Thank You set. (This set appears to be out of stock - but I am sure it is on order!) I stamped it on some European Watercolor paper with Vivid Tea Rose and Olive inks and then went over it with a damp waterbrush to move the color a bit. The sentiment is from the Signs of Spring set and was done just by using two sizes of oval punches from SU. Add some Kaiser Craft bling and you're done!

Be sure to check out what the other ladies of the Flourishes DT created!

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

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

Stamp Simply.... Red, White & Blue!

With the long and patriotic holiday weekend upon us, this week's Stamp Simply challenge courtesy of Sharon Johnson is all about showing off your red, white and blue! Check out her place for all the official details!

Here's the catch! You don't have to use traditional flag shades. You can chose any shade of these colors that you like! Just that simple! If you upload to SCS, remember the keyword - ssnotime88!

Here's the super duper easy creation that I cooked up! I used some fun paper and punch out accents from The Little Yellow Bicycle called Zach's Life. They are really fun and vibrant "boy" papers and remind me of surfboarding!

When I dug these papers and elements out of my stash, it took me literally 15 minutes to make this card. I wanted the tag and star to take center stage! Add a fun grommet, some coordinating ribbon, a decorative punched strip, and mat this on a coordinating piece of paper pierced cardstock and... done! This card is a smaller style and measures only 4 by 4. I have THESE envelopes that I love to use when making these small cards!

I plan to give this card to my son on the last day of school along with some summertime fun goodies. I hardly ever make cards for my boys (hubby and son) so... I am sure he will like it!

Before you go, be sure to click on and check out the creations from the rest of the Stamp Simply crew!

Barbara, May Guest Designer
Janine
Jennifer
AJ
Becky
Tammy
Deb

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you make time for play time this weekend and join us!

In the good ole summertime!

Well my friends, summer is almost here! So, why not get in the spirit with some fun summery images? The Impression Obsession gals are all over that! So, we challenged eachother to cook up a creation full of summer time flair!

Thankfully, there is a whole new crop of summer stamps fresh for the picking at the Impression Obsession store! I picked some fresh watermelon slices for my tasty summer creation! I made this little card a 4 by 4" square card and used my circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities to get the shape of my main image. After that, I ran it through my paper trimmer to square off one corner. Stamp the watermelon slices all over it and then color it up with a mix of watercolor pencils and Tombow markers. I did add some sparkle (wish you could see it!) to the seeds with a black Copic Spica pen. The sentiment is actually just a piece of a Halloween stamp. See HERE? Add a loopy brad embellished with a pink rhinestone and some polka dot lime green sheer ribbon and.... DONE! Looks like summer to me!

Want to see what the other IO gals cooked up?

Jeanne Streiff
Dina Kowal
Daniela Dobson
Deborah March
Kelli Richardson
Laura Fulcher
Tina Werner
Shirley Ross


When you stop by Tina's place - don't forget to sign up for her delicious blog candy!!! It's a $25 gift certificate to use however you like in the IO store!!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you back here tomorrow!

A Flower For YOU!

Hi all! Hope you are having a fabulous week! It's hump day -- which means we are one step closer to a holiday weekend!

Recently, I got my hands on a new batch of rubber thanks to Impression Obsession and THIS little beauty was in my package. I know it is supposed to be a pansy but, my darling mother gave me a pack of K & Company paper that was just so lucious, I wanted to give my violet a bit of a rosy flair to match my new paper!

I stamped my image on some white cardstock, accented it with tan chalk and colored it with watercolor pencils blending with a blender pen. I stamped off a second flower, colored it up and then cut out a few of the petals to give my main image a more 3-D look. Mat it up with this fab K & Company paper, add some fun ribbon (Making Memories) and bling (Kaiser Craft rhinestones), and you're done!

That's it my friends! Short and sweet! Have a fabulous day and I will see you all back here soon!

Talkin' bout coffee....

Hi all!

Well, if you spend anytime at all with me you KNOW I am a coffee nut! Complete nut! There are times when I am having a bad day that a double shot latte flavored with a Javakula (Kaluha flavor) will just cause me to say... "ahhhhhh..." It's my Calgon moment!

So, when I saw THIS new set from Sarah Phelps over at Impression Obsession- I said -- PICK ME! I just love the whimsy of it and can see many cards in its future!

So, this is what I came up with!

I had some walnut ink stained paper in my stash that I thought would be fun for some accents on my card! So, I stamped one of the border stamps using chocolate colored ink (Memento) and also stamped the beans along another strip! Color the beans by just running a blender pen over the dye ink stamped beans. Add some paper piercing and a decorative edge from a punch and -- that's the base of the card! I also added some corrugated cardstock for that fun strip that reminds me of those java sleeves. The main image was stamped on kraft colored paper, cut with a nestie, and sponged with some ink while the Nestie was still on my paper. I then stamped the cup a second time on an orangey red and paper peiced over top the main cup. I added some razzle dazzle thanks to a gel pen (Stardust) to the steam.

See?

From there, add a loopy brad decked out with a button and some brown gingham ribbon and.... done!

I had to make a coffee card after taking the kiddos to our local candy shop this weekend. It's kind of like an old penny candy store set up with vintage inspired merchandise and buckets upon buckets of candy!

I stumbled upon this picture and just had to take a photo with my cell phone! I started cracking up!!!


So... there's your thought for the day! Let's raise our coffee cups together! CHEERS!

See you all back here soon!

Say hello to my little friend....

This little guy above is one of the sweet little things sitting in a pot on my back porch. I love planting annuals in containers around my patio. The problem is - but July - they look pretty weak when the scorching temps move in. I admit it -- I'm a bit of a blonde at remembering to water my flowers. Sad..... but true!

So, when I saw the new Nasturtiums set just released from Flourishes, I honestly wanted to stamp it on everything! I love the climbing stems and the big flowers. So.....I had a thought! You know those magnets that you get in the mail and from events and grand openings? The ones that have all the company's info on it that end up on your fridge? Well, here is what I did with one of those!

I created my text from the good ole computer and then proceeded to color my flowers with Copics. I wanted to use a permanent ink. (Tiger Lily and Spring Greens Copic Collections soon to be released from Flourishes with a little Cool Shadow around the outside and blended in) Add a mat, a nestie scallop, a little bling and..... done!

Here's a look at the magnet on the back....

My hope is-- seeing this little vibrant sign on the fridge will help me take more of a time out in my day to water -- and more importantly to enjoy my sweet little flowers!

I know some of the other gals have some creations they shared to wrap up the release week with Flourishes! Check out Laura, Leslie, and Christine

FYI: the Flourishes Store is open with all of the New Releases for May! And the 10% off sale on the whole store is still going on through the 21st! Just remember the code rsc99.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

Happy Shopping!!! :-)

Gosh, this week was so much fun sneak peeking all the great new sets from Flourishes!!! Well, my friends, the sets are now LIVE in the Flourishes store!

Say hello to.....


Nasturtiums
DIY Topiaries

And... A Man's View!

I hope you love these new sets just as much as I do! It was fun seeing what the rest of the DT cooked up!

Be sure to check in on Laura and Leslie who are offering up additional samples on their blogs! Thanks ladies for the extra eye candy!

And, if you entered the blog candy from yesterday -- all the winners are up HERE!

See you back here soon!

Twice Is Nice Friday!

Gosh.. do I have some fun for you today! I have some new stamps and a fun challenge - all to honor the men in our life !

This weekend's Stamp Simply challenge put on by the talented Sharon Johnson was to create a man card -- but there is a catch. You have to use twine, rope, cording -- basically as Sharon calls it -- "man ribbon!" :-)

You can click onto Sharon's place HERE for all the details! And, here's a list of all the other Stamp Simply gals so you can surf on over to their place too!Janine, AJ, Becky, Tammy, Jennifer, Deb, and Barb - our guest designer!

Now... to my creation - which just so happens to use the brand new set - A Man's View from Flourishes! It's a set that will be released TONIGHT with the two other sets we sneak peeked this week!
Don't you just love that little newspaper? It says -- World's Greatest Dad! And, what would maxing and relaxing be -- without the remote! :-) This card is truly in the Stamp Simply style. I used my Nesties scalloped circle and circle dies for my shapes and the rest is just layering paper! Use a loopy brad to tie on your tag and -- THIS twine! I love this stuff! It is fine enough to thread through buttons!

Here's a close up! I just added a little detail with a cool grey Copic marker and a red water based marker. Cut it out and pop both pieces up for a little extra dimension and... done! Want to win this set??? Head on over to the Flourishes Newsletter and leave a comment on today's post! And.... be sure to surf around and see what the rest of the Flourishes Senior Design team cooked up!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Julie Koerber
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Don't forget our RELEASE PARTY is set for TONIGHT from 8 to 10 PM central time over in the Flourishes Forum on SCS. And, if you want a chance to win all three sets being released - try our challenge HERE! You have until 5 PM Eastern!!

And... we have a special Spring Sale going on right now at Flourishes! Now through May 21 everything - yes everything in the store is 10% off! All you need to do is use this promo code: rsc99 Thanks for stopping by!

Hopefully, I'll see you at the release party tonight! We'll have more samples, designer chat, giveaways and games! FUN!

A Special Birthday!!!

For those of you that are fans of Impression Obsession - you know Mitra Friant is the mover and shaker of the company. She started it more than a decade ago and really wears every hat in the company!! So, this card is my way of saying -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Kick back and relax my friend - you deserve it! I am sending along some HAPPY thoughts!

See? ;-)

This card was made with some brand new Leigh Hannan stamps! This one is called Bird Cages and I think it's just darling. I just stamped, colored with Copic markers and added a little sparkle with some Copic Spica pens. The sentiment is called Happy Thoughts. Layer it up with some decorative paper, add some ribbon and bling and.... done!

Here's a close up....Happy Birthday again Mitra!!! The other IO gals wanted to send birthday wishes too!

Jeanne Streiff
Dina Kowal
Daniela Dobson
Deborah March
Kelli Richardson
Laura Fulcher
Shirley Ross
Tina Werner

Did you see IO is serving salad now??? You have to check THIS out. So incredibly cute and.... what fun! AND... Tina has some tasty blog candy going HERE!!!

See you back here soon!

More New Stamps from Flourishes!

Welcome back everyone to day two of the sneak peeks for Flourishes May Release! I love this next stamp set. Why? With its help, you don't have to be a green thumb to "grow" a beautiful garden treasure!

Introducing.....

This set is so creative because of the fact that you can mix and match the pots and foliage to create dozens of different topiaries! What fun! You could use the pots on their own, or like I did, mask parts of the topiary to make it look like a bush instead!

See?
I wanted my card to have kind of an earthy feel, so I stamped one of the pots using Rich Chocolate Memento onto kraft card stock, masked, and then stamped the second pot using Potter's Clay Memento ink. I added some color to my pots by picking up some of the color from my ink pads with a damp waterbrush.The rest is simple - just ink and stamp your foliage! I also used last month's Sweet Violets set for the sentiment. Add some twine with some hardware and... you're pretty much done! I wish I knew which dp this was -- I used scraps!

Don't miss out on all the other sneak peeks! Check out what the rest of the Senior DT cooked up.....

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

News to remember: Don't forget our release party is set for this FRIDAY from 8 to 10 PM central time over in the Flourishes Forum on SCS. And, if you want a chance to win all three sets being released - try our challenge HERE! Be sure to head on over to the Flourishes Newsletter for a chance at winning this set!

Flourishes Spring Sale! Now through May 21 everything - yes everything in the store is 10% off! All you need to do is use this promo code: rsc99

See you back here tomorrow for day three of the sneak peeks!