A 'Sweet' Award!

I have to say, I love blog awards, but I am so bad about acknowledging them or passing them on. I have "blonde" moments! :-) This fabulous award came from the ever so lovely Janine, the warm hearted Darlene, and the charming Cheryl! Thanks ladies!!!

Here's the rules for this one. Accept the award from the Sweet Friend (s) that sent it to you, thank her in your post and pass it on to bloggers whose creativity knock your socks off. Then reveal 7 things about yourself. I'll try to make the 7 things interesting, but no promises! LOL!

First, let's get to the stampers that knock my socks off. Ok, first things first, the ladies on my blog roll all knock my socks off. I love the "sisters" I design with on both the Flourishes and IO design teams.

Now, if I had to name some that I don't directly create with, I'd say.....

Debbie Olsen - one of the first blogs I subscribed too!
Asela Hopkins - "hop" on over to visit this sweet and talented lady
Amy Sheffer - when you're in a creative "pickle", visit her!
Yvonne Hagane - has mad coloring skills!
Susan Roberts - sock some of her beautiful ideas away for a "rainy" day!
Joanne Basile - love her sweet, truly heartwarming design
Joan Bardee - Paperlicious, what can I say?
Amy Rohl - clean, crisp, and spunky design all "rohl'led into one!

There are soooo many more names I could list here and probably would if you had all day, but these 8 are some of the gals I go to when I just need a nudge in the creative department. I look at the colors they use, the layouts, the embellishments and nine times out of ten, they inspire me to put my own spin on things. Sometimes, seeing a great color combo or a fun image is all it takes... right?

Thanks for stopping by! I am working on some fun things in my ole stamp room and will share some of it SOON!

Happy weekend!


p.s. I forgot the 7 things about me... if you want, click away now... I'm sure you've got better things to do! LOL!

1. I'm a corvette girl and can't wait until I win the lottery so I can fix up the '77 that is sitting in my garage.
2. My dad was an amateur race car driver, thus I can claim my lead foot is genetic
3. My mom taught me how to craft at birth (really, she did!) and I thank her regularly for loving to create with my hands in so many ways - card making, knitting, quilting, painting etc!
4. I have two fabulous kids and a wonderful husband and thank my lucky stars daily!
5. I love to sing! Music is a huge part of my life.
6. I consider myself a "beer snob" and love trying home grown brews with my hubby. I am allergic to wine, so I've adapted with beer!
7. I am terrified of heights - knee shaking terrified of heights!

It's a BIRTHDAY Blog Hop!

Welcome to Flourishes first-ever Birthday Blog Hop Celebration! Jan Marie, the owner of Flourishes is turning another year older and we thought we'd celebrate! Not just with a party and blog hop, but a special stamp set in honor of her day! Let Them Eat Cake was designed by artist Becky Fleck with a Marie Antoinette flair and, just in case you wondered, it's available now HERE in the Flourishes Store!

So, let's start our Birthday Blog Hop with a hop back through the decades! When you think back over the last 60 plus years, what comes to mind? Those bell bottoms from the 70’s? How about those poodle skirts and ice cream shops of the 50’s? Blu Ray discs of the 2000’s, or Disco from the 80’s? We thought it would be fun to challenge our Senior Design Team and Friends of Flourishes team to pick a decade and using our new Let Them Eat Cake set, be inspired in some way by that era! If this is your first stop on the journey, be sure to click HERE to start at the Flourishes blog!

My decade is all about the poodle skirts, ducktails, soda pop and sock hops! Yep, we're taking a trip back to the 50's! And, this was my little piece of inspiration! Isn't this photo divine?
And here.... is my 50's inspired creation!

I loved the pink and black, the decorative trim and the feminine flair! Use some pink decorative paper, mix in a decorative punch border, some sheer polka dot ribbon, a glittery button and of course, this fabulous image! I stamped using a Versafine Black Onyx and Tea Rose Vivid ink to match my paper. Add some paper piercing and... voila ! You can't see,but my candles to have a little sparkle on the flames thanks to some glitter glue!

So, you made it through the 50s... time to move forward a bit in time and see what the lovely Dee Jackson cooked up with the Let Them Eat Cake Set! And don't forget to start at the Flourishes' Blog! There's details there about some fun giveaways!

See you back here soon!

Want a crack at a little blog candy???

If you've picked up Paper Crafts' new Stamp It Cards issue, you might have spotted a few Flourishes beauties on the pages inside! Former Friends of Flourishes team member Kimberly Crawford has two gorgeous creations using our Cherries and Peaches set as well as our Life, Love and Lemons set(Pages 17 & 19)! To celebrate the new issue, the magazine is shining the spotlight on some of their contributors. Today it's Kimberly's turn! Head on over to Paper Crafts Connection to see her fabulous creation and you'll have a shot at winning one of the three Cherries and Peaches stamp sets they are giving away!

And... if you haven't noticed, Flourishes has a new home on the web! www.flourishes.org got a facelift! Click on and check it out! It will go live sometime Monday!

Just Tab It...Stamp Simply Style

Hi all and TGIF! It's time for another Stamp Simply challenge! This one you could say... is a recipe card with a twist! Think of flipping through a recipe box filled with cards -- the tabs/dividers come to mind instantly. That's where we are headed with this one! It doesn't have to be a recipe... in fact, all it needs is a tabbed element on it to give you that impression of a traditional recipe card in a box.

Well, when I started creating, I realized my tab is on my card... not really hanging off -- so I think this is my own spin on the challenge! :-)

This card is super duper easy peasy.... it's stamped simply because there is only one stamped image on it and that's the sentiment! I used some Crafty Secrets Cotton Scraps, did a little stitching, matted it up on some Basic Grey paper, added a tab, a button threaded with some fun Burlap String and then stamped my sentiment (From the Garden - Flourishes) using Denim Adirondack ink. The base of the card is actually an unusual size. It was cut to fit in one of those banker's envelopes. You can see I did try to add some pizazz to my base layer. I used a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder and ran my decorative paper through and then lightly sanded it to really reveal my embossed design! I really love the look!

And that, my friend, is it! Hope you make time for play time! When you create your cards, don't forget to link up to the challenge post on Sharon's Stamp Simply post using Mr. Linky! Don't forget to hop on over and see what the other Stamp Simply gals cooked up!

Deb --- our Guest Designer for February!
Sharon
Janine
Jennifer
AJ
Tammy
Barbara
Jenny
Barb
Deb

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

Gift From a Friend!

Hi all and happy Wednesday! Hope you are having a fabulous week! I wanted to share a very sweet R.A.K. I received from an equally sweet lady! I had a week recently that wasn't just stressful, it was crazy. Being the sweet woman that Stacy Morgan is, I got this beautiful gift in the mail recently!

She used the new Let's Have Tea set from Flourishes to create this BEAUTIFUL gift set that I am just so very thankful for! She told me she used a container that used to hold sliced apples that she puts in her twin sons' lunches. Golly jeepers, I really need to think about 'repurposing' more after seeing what she did!

I love the blue she used! And, I love this beauty of a card she created....

Here's a close up of the top of the box. Just beautiful with the pearl accents and that gorgeous coloring!

And, if that wasn't enough... look what was inside? My FAVORITE candy bars, some beautiful smelling candles (they remind me of fresh laundry - so sweet, clean, and relaxing!) and then, because we've been hit by bitter cold weather here in Montana, some hot chocolate. YUM! Her "orders" were to take a bath, light the candles and follow it all up with some hot chocolate. Isn't that sweet, in more ways than one!?!?!

Just had to share! Thanks Stacy!!! I'll be back soon with some of the fun I've been whipping up in my craft room. I actually took some down time from the day job just to be creative. We all need those moments, don't we??? ;-)

Time for Tea!

Hi all and Happy Monday! The kiddos have the day off so..... time to think how to entertain two kids when the thermometer is less than kind. We might hit the lanes for a game of bowling. As I type this it's a mere 12 degrees with a bitter wind. ICK! Isn't spring supposed to be just around the corner!?!?

With weather like this, there's nothing like a toasty cup of tea and that's exactly what I am serving up today! This card features the brand spanking new set from Flourishes called Let's Have Tea!
This card is really quite easy. I took a mix of Basic Grey and 7 Gypsies paper and covered my card front with the help of a Martha Stewart border punch, some stitching, crocheted lace, some olive green trim and a few color coordinating buttons. The main panel was done by cutting out some Flourishes European Watercolor Paper using my Labels 8 Spellbinders Nestabilitie dies. After I stamped my tea set using Versafine Black Onyx, I used Ranger Distress Inks and a water brush to paint my tea pot, tray and cup. I used Worn Lipstick, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Antique Linen and Weathered Wood inks.

Here's a close up! Fun stuff! I know there's only one cup there, but if anyone wants to join me, I'll grab a few more! :-) I will say that now through Thursday the entire Flourishes February Release is 10% off! You can click HERE to see.

While you are hopping around this morning, there is some FUN news over on the Flourishes Newsletter! There's a very talented woman who will be joining our DT! Just click HERE to find out who!

That's it for today! I'll see you back here soon!

For the love of..... Chocolate!

Hi all and Happy Valentine's Day! I thought I'd send you all some goodies today.... virtually of course!

How's about a chocolate fountain.... served up just for YOU!?!? This is one of the cards I made for the booth for Impression Obsession for CHA. I just think it's so cute and yummy!!! Does anyone have any strawberries? :-)

The stamp is called Valentine Fountain...

I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black and then colored it up with just a few colors of Copics! R24, R27 and R29 and then E25, E27 and E59. The blue shading was done with one of the Copic pastels - B0000. Add some glitter glue to the dots on the stamped area and... bam... almost done!

Along the side, I did stamp the sentiment -- Did Someone Say Chocolate? overtop one of IO's Cover A Card backgrounds (Gingham) that I had stamped in red. Has anyone seen the Mega Mount block that IO created for these Cover A Card Backgrounds? OH MY! I cannot tell you how easy stamping is with this rocker block. It truly is amazing! From here... mat it up, add a bow thanks to Bow Easy, some bling and.... voila! Easy Peasy!

And that, my friends, is it for today! Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day and shared some love in your life! I hope you feel some warm and fuzzy thoughts coming your way! I send you wishes for all the best! :-)

Sharing a little love!!

Is everyone getting "schmoopy" out there for tomorrow's holiday of love? Hubby is -- don't die of shock-- taking me on a date. I real date! I am now wondering if there is anything in my closet suitable for a date. Hhhhmmm...

I digress! :-)

Because Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I thought I'd share a cute card I made for the Impression Obsession booth for CHA.

This is a new one just out illustrated by Leigh Hannan called Love Chandelier. Isn't it cute? What a fun and cheery stamp that you could use for so many things. I even think you could send it as a pick me up for a friend! I stamped and then colored using Copics -- just a few colors RV32, RV20, and then some of the pastels in the Copic Pastel collection. I also took my clear Copic spica pen and added some razzle dazzle to parts of the chandelier.

See? The area that looks like heart halos around the candles was actually painted on using Candlelight Shimmerz paint.

The rest is just matting it up! I have some Making Memories trim, my labels 8 die to cut and mat, a glitter button and a sentiment strip (sentiment is You Light Up My Day!) that I knotched out the "v" on at the end. Just that simple folks! Oh, I almost forgot. I did use the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing folder on the top part of my card. And.... voila!

That's it my friends! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and feel the love coming your way! ;-)

See you back here soon!

The sneaks are over!!

I had such a blast this week showcasing the brand spanking new sets hot off the press from Flourishes. There's a little something here for everyone.... and now... all of the sets are in the store! Click HERE to shop!

From the Garden
Let's Have Tea

Tea Rose Background

Irish Blessings

Thanks so much for joining me this week! See you back here soon!

Celebrate Good Fortune... the last of the Flourishes sneaks!

There are times in my stamping, when really a friend just needs a word of encouragement or a little good luck wish. And, while this brand new set from Flourishes is perfect for St. Patty's Day, there is so much about it that could be used all year long!

Introducing....

This beautiful set drawn by Flourishes' artist Marcella Hawley offers an Irish blessing complete with clover, a claddagh and beautiful sentiments that are perfect for friends far and wide. It's drawn in Marcella's classic style and really is like no other set out there!

So, when I started creating, I knew I had to grab the claddagh image. When this set arrived in my hands, I actually did some research on this Irish symbol and discovered it means Love, Friendship and Loyalty. Isn't that beautiful?

Moving on to the card! I knew I wanted it to be a simple and classic layout to match this one of a kind image....

After stamping my image in Memento ink a few times, I colored with Copic markers - R24, R27, Y23, and YR0000. And then, the cutting began! Here's a peek at how it all stacked up so to speak!
The tag is a part of the Spellbinder's Fancy Tags set. I cut out one from gold and the other, I embossed in white and then, using the embossed line as a guide -- cut it out to mat it on my tag. Add some bling and... almost done! Add some decorative paper, an embossed piece of card stock, and some satin ribbon!

Here's a peek at the inside with my sweet and simple sentiment!

And that, my friends, is it! A not to difficult creation perfect to let a friend know just how special he/she is! Want to see what good fortune the rest of the Flourishes design team is wishing for all of you? Hop on over and see....

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

And, of course, if you would like to win this set, all you need to do is leave a comment over on the Flourishes Newsletter to be in the running!

And, we'd love it if you joined us tonight for Flourishes Power Hour Release Party! It's a blast! There is fun, chat and freebies starting tonight at 9 PM Central in our Member Company Forum on SCS. One more thing! The clock is ticking on our 'What's Your Cup of Tea?' challenge! The contest closes today at 5 Pm Eastern. You still have time to WIN all four of our new release sets! Just click HERE to find out all the details!

See you tonight at our Release Party!

Sharing a little Stamp Simply luck!

Hi all and TGIF! It's time for another Stamp Simply challenge and this one will have you seeing green.... and purple! It's a color challenge. Any shades go, so grab your stamp, some lucious papers, and embellishments and let's Stamp Simply!


For my creation, I picked up the brand new stamp set from Flourishes (being released tonight) called Irish Blessings.

I stamped my main image using Memento ink a couple times onto Flourishes Classic White Card Stock and then colored the clover up with Copics in the Spring Greens collection grouped by Flourishes. I also added B10 to part of the wrap to give it some depth as well as the centers of the flower. Cut out your clover and cut out some extra four leaf petals and pop them up on your main image and bam... almost done! I did add some pearls to the wrap and Stickles to parts of the clover to give it some razzle dazzle!

For the card, I matted my main image onto a Labels 8 Nestabilities die that I had sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink. Add some beautiful satin ribbon to mimic the wrap on the clover bunch along with some more pearls and finish it off with a stitched border and a small sentiment.

Here's a close up to show the popped up parts...

I will say I added sparkles because of this GORGEOUS decorative paper that Miss Sharon sells in her store. Oh my, this is beautiful stuff and it's actually a part of a kit that you can see HERE.
Not to enable, but in the kit you get beautiful ribbon and bling in addition to the paper. I decided I would try to challenge myself to create at least a half dozen cards with this kit so look for that next week!

Want to see what the other gals whipped up this week? Head on over and see....

Deb --- our new Guest Designer for February!
Sharon
Janine
Jennifer
AJ
Tammy
Barbara
Jenny
Barb
Deb

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

Celebrate Friendship... Day 2 of Flourishes' Sneaks!

Welcome to day 2 of the Flourishes sneaks! Today's peek, Let's Have Tea, is all about those quiet times to enjoy with friends... over tea! This set drawn by Flourishes illustrator Lauren Pope is full of classy and classic images that take tea time to a whole new level!

While I love the main images in this set, I wanted to show just how fun it is to use some of the smaller images in this set as well. The lattice style background is a new background that will be released Friday too called Tea Rose Background. More on that in a few seconds!

After stamping my tea cup on a scrap of Flourishes Classic White card stock, I colored using Copics in the collections grouped by Flourishes - Poppy, Spring Greens and Flesh Tones 2 for the tea. The spoon was colored with the second lightest shade in the Cool Neutrals Collection. I punched out with a 1-3/4" circle punch, did some paper piercing and also used a 1-1/2" circle punch to create a mask so that I could create a sponged "frame" around my image. I also used a slightly larger Spellbinders Nestabilities Circle die to notch out a half circle from my tea rose background. Add a punched border, some paper piercing, some bling and a nice sheer ribbon and... almost done!

Here's a close up of the tea cup.....

And... inside is the fun part!

This sentiment is so fun for tea inspired gifts! To make my tea pocket, I just cut a piece of craft paper to measure 7.5" by 5" and then scored 2-1/2". Fold up, stamp the tea bags along the side, add the sentiment and a paper pierced decorative paper liner and scalloped border and all you need now is the tea!

The next thing I wanted to show you all quickly is the Tea Rose Background. It looks kind of funny on the stamp. Can you kind of see? It's a criss cross pattern...

And, this is how it stamps....

The fun thing is, once you line it up, you get a pattern that could repeat from here to eternity! How fun is this! (Sorry I took a picture of it both times upside down! LOL!)

And that, my friends, is it for today! You need to hop on over and see what kind of creativity is steeping over at my fellow design teamates' blogs!

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

If you want to win this set and fun new background, head on over to the Flourishes Newsletter and leave a comment on today's post to be in the running for the daily blog candy. Thanks for stopping by! We'll get together and share some good fortune with tomorrow's sneak peek! It's just in time for St. Patty's Day! :-)

Celebrate Life....From the Garden!

Welcome to another fabulous few days of Flourishes sneak peeks! I can't count how many stampers I know that split their time between paper crafting and gardening when the warm months hit. And this new February release takes to heart those stamper's passions!

Introducing....


This set drawn by Flourishes' illustrator Marcella Hawley is downright whimsical! This darling set features 7 focal images and 6 different sentiments that you can mix and match. Oh, the potential!

I started by stamping the garden vignette (so cute!) using Memento ink and then coloring with my Copics. It's been a while since I've used them! I should say, before I started coloring, I did chalk using tan around my image to add some depth. As for Copics, I used Cool Neutrals, Falling Leaves, Sunflower, Fields, and Flesh Tones 1 in the collections grouped by Flourishes. I also used Y63 as well on those little leaves.

The rest is just matting it up! I stitched along a decorative piece of paper that looks like wood grain. Add in a scalloped edge, some beautiful silk ribbon, and fun decorative paper (Making Memories) and you're almost done! The sentiment is also a part of this set. After I stamped, I punched it out using the large SU oval punch and matted it on a shape cut from a scalloped oval punch. You can also see that I used my Scor-it to create a border around my green decorative paper piece, which I then sanded. I also embossed a frame around my stamped piece too. Add a button that has been threaded with some burlap string and... voila! Just that simple!

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! Want to see what the Senior Design Team created in their hand stamped gardens?

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

Want to win this set? Just head on over to the Flourishes Newsletter and leave a comment on today's post for your chance! There's also details there about a way you can win the entire new release, plus the other fun release week happenings!

Thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow, we'll get together and share some tea with tomorrow's sneak peeks, how about that? Yep, that was a hint! :-)

See you then!

What's Your Cup of Tea?

With Flourishes sneak peeks and February Release just around the corner (starting next Wednesday),how would you like to win all 3 of the brand spankin' new sets? Join me and the rest of the DT for the "What's Your Cup of Tea?" Challenge!

Here's how to play:
Be inspired by the container of your favorite kind of beverage! Can't live without your daily grind or brew? Look at the label and be inspired by the color or layout of the package. Crave your daily Diet Coke? Use silver and red as a color challenge for your card! The sky is the limit with this challenge - so grab your favorite drink and let that creativity flow! You can click HERE to read up on all the official details!


So, here's my card... and my inspiration!

Not too long ago, my kids and I went to a Ceramic shop in town where you can pick out your ceramics, paint them up, and they'll fire them for you. Well, I started "doodling" on this coffee mug and this was the fun result -- just a little Italian villa overlooking some fields with trees in the background. This is a coffee cup I use quite regularly when I am stamping because it's BIG and I don't like trudging upstairs for refills!

So, I didn't have to look far for the stamp set I would use with this as my inspiration! I picked up Cottage Home from Flourishes so I had the home and trees feel and then I tried to match up the colors for a warm and earthy feel! The home was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored up with Copics! I used the Daffodil, Cool Neutrals, Flesh Tones 2, Spring Greens (plus YG63), and the Dusty Rose Collections grouped by Flourishes. For my shape, I did use the Labels 8 Nestabilities die by Spellbinders. Add a scalloped edge, a button and... bam! Done!

Want to see what the other members of the DT whipped up with their favorite drinks as the inspiration? Hop on over and see.....

Leslie Miller
Christine Okken
Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan
Laura Fredrickson

Hope you make time to play! You could win the entire February release for Flourishes! What fun! See you back here soon!