A little Flourishes Challenge.....

Hi all and Happy Friday! The Flourishes gals were given a challenge from our "Boss Lady" Jan Marie. She sent us all one of these cute little alterable tins....

... And told us to get those creative juices flowing! She also told us that from time to time she'd be issuing a surprise challenge to share some fun projects out there in blog land! I regret to inform my blog community, I failed at this challenge (wiping a tear from the corner of my eye).  My day job has been somewhat grueling so, I will have to post what I have got cooking at a later date.I have an idea... I promise!!!

HOWEVER.... I have, over the years, done some fun things with these little tins and I thought -- what a great way to give you all a news-you-can-use re-run!

First up, I have THIS ATC Note Card Container..... (click the link for directions!) These little cards even have their own envelopes! I found THESE tiny ones here that are just perfect for the inside of this tin. I sued Flourishes' From the Desk of set, which was a perfect set for this project!

A Calling Card Tin...... I used Flourishes Thank You set for this little number! 

And..... A Candy Holder.... using Flourishes Strawberries set! You'll have to click that link to see the whole project! ;-)

Please stop by the rest of the Flourishes gals to see what kind of fun they whipped up! AND, if you feel so inclined, you can snap up some of the tins in the Flourishes store HERE to create your own fun! 

Barbara Anders
Christine Okken
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Sharon Doolittle
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger

Thanks so much for stopping by! As we close out 2011 this weekend, know I am raising my glass (clink) and proposing a toast to a wonderful new year full of nothing but blessings for all of you! :-) 

Happy New Year and I'll see you back here soon! 

Year End Sale!!!

Hi there! Just a little note from your ever so friendly "enabler!!!" Flourishes is having an end of year sale and the savings are pretty good -- especially if you have Christmas money to spend! 25% off everything if you use the code XMAS11 in the coupon code box.

Happy Monday...I hope you had a WONDERFUL holiday!!! I'll be back soon with some fun projects to share! ;-)

Cozy Little Cabin in the Woods!

Hi all and happy Friday!  It's a Flourishes Free for All Friday, which means all the Flourishes gals have some eye candy for you to see using some of Flourishes newly released sets!  I hope you hop around and check out what they have in store!  

Want to see my creation?

When I first set sights on this new stamp set from Marcella -- Snow Wonderful --  I just saw something with a kind of country feel -- and so that is what I went for with this creation! I stamped my little cottage in the woods on kraft colored paper and then, using bleach, "painted" my trees to lighten the color. Afterwards, I took my colored pencils and went to town coloring this little scene up, blending afterward with odorless mineral spirits. Add some sparkle thanks to glitter glue and your image is fini! I did cut out my image using Flourishes new Tailor-made die called the Classic Keyhole Die -- which is a perfect fit! I cut and embossed my image, cut along the stamp line and then cut a second shape out of decorative green paper for my mat. Mat onto some fun Christmas paper (these were from my scraps bin) and you're almost done! Before I assembled, I wrapped my creation with THIS beautiful burgundy ribbon and THIS fun trim! Add a button and a saying stamped on vellum and cut with the word window from the Keyhole Die set and... ta da!!! Ready to send! 

Here's a close up! Don't you just want to cozy in to that little cabin with a cup of hot chocolate? Ahhh.... that would be relaxing! 

FYI: This is the last day to take advantage of Flourishes New Release Bundle -- 10% off all new release sets if you buy them in a bundle. You can check out that fabulous deal HERE! 

Barbara Anders 

Christine Okken 

Danielle Kennedy 

Dawn Burnworth 

Julie Koerber 

Sharon Doolittle 

Stacy Morgan 

Tammy Hershberger

Thanks for stopping by! For those that celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoy this beautiful holiday with family and friends in your homes and hearts. I'll be back here after the holidays with more creative inspiration to share!

Let's 1,2,3, Create!

Exciting news! Both Flourishes sets that I've given you a sneak peek of this week are available for the taking! Shop now, put it on your Christmas list -- the choice is yours! ;-) You can check them both out HERE! 

We all know about the "little black dress!" But, what about your cards and creations? Thanks to Flourishes, you can add a splash of sophistication with the newest kit with the same name -- The Little Black Dress! Check it out!

 

With Flourishes' 1,2,3, Create Kits, you have three essential elements in one kit --paper, ribbon and embellishments all color coordinated to make card making easy! This kit, called Little Black Dress features a 6 by 6" BasicGrey Little Black Dress paper pack, a pack of Prima crystals, 1 yard of braided trim, 1 yard of scalloped crochet lace, 2 yards of satin edged black velvet ribbon, 2 yards of luminous ivory ribbon and a mix of embellished buttons and accents. Isn't it regal? Well, Flourishes actually has a handful of kits for you so that your cards have just the right look. You can click HERE to check them out!

I decided not to use ONE 123 Create Kit but TWO! Let's start with the Little Black Dress!

I just think ivory and black patterns are so posh -- add in a dash of color and you have one classy look! I used Spellbinders Classic Ovals and Classic Scalloped Ovals Nestabilities for a mat (cut thanks to my Grand Calibur)and one of my favorite sets-- A Year in Flowers 1!  (Colored up with Copic Markers in the Daffodil, Sunflower and Fields Collections!) I also love that everything I used --- is in the kit! 

And, a previously released kit is still one of my faves!! This little number is the 123 Create Kit called Sunshine! Match it up with Flourishes Christmas Candles set and you have a color coordinated creation... in a jiffy! I colored up my image with the Flesh Tones 1, Evergreen, Poppy, Cool Neutrals and Sunflower Copic Collections.  I again used my Classic Oval die to cut my main image! 

Again, you can click HERE to see all of Flourishes fabulous kits!  Would you like to win a 1,2,3, Create Kits of Flourishes choosing? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out…..

One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! And, if you need some more eye candy, all you need to do is pay these ladies a visit - they are all showcasing one of Flourishes' 123 Create Kits!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle 
Heather Jensen
Jan Marie Caruso

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE?  Have you checked out Flourishes' Feminine Flair Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play! You can also play in their Noon Time Challenges!  The Night and Day Challenge  or... the Perfect Pear Challenge! All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday!!

Can't play? Well, you could take advantage of a fabulous deal! Just click HERE  for a peek at Flourishes' New Release Bundle -- order both sets for 10% off when you buy it in a bundle!

I hope you've had a blast hanging out with the Flourishes gals this week! I'll see y'all back here soon! :-)

A Perfect Pair!

It's day two of the sneak peeks for Flourishes December release and I hope you've enjoyed the offerings so far! This next set is about as classic as it comes and reminds me of those beautiful Harry and David catalogs that seem to sprout this time of year. So, without further ado!

Introducing…  

Lush pears ripe for the season -- that's what this beautiful set by Marcella Hawley delivers! This 4 by 6" set features a flowering branch with fruit, a trio of pears and a beautiful section of a blossoming pear branch. And as if that wasn't enough, this set comes complete with four gorgeously scripted sentiments that are perfect for all occasions!

On to my creation! When I first saw this stamp set, I knew I wanted to watercolor it up. It just seemed like the perfect medium for such a beautiful image!

So, after stamping my image on watercolor paper with Sepia Versafine ink, I heat set the ink and then grabbed some of my Distress Ink reinkers, a palette and a watercolor brush to let the fun begin! I used Spun Sugar, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo. Wetting my paper first, I then brushed on the color, dabbing the excess water off and adding color until I got the right look. Afterward, I did take an Antique Linen Distress Ink Pad and sponged on some ink around my image.

The rest is just matting it up! I used some Alla Prima Paper and My Mind's Eye paper, some fabulous May Arts Ribbon and some beautiful Prima Crystals (these little bits of bling are super sparkly!) As you can see below, I also added some glitter to the centers of my flowers as well.  

And that, my friends, is it!  Want to win this set? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out…..

 

One of the ladies on the link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Christine Okken
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle 
Heather Jensen
Beate Johns

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN FLOURISHES ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE?  Have you checked out Flourishes' Feminine Flair Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play! You can also play in Flourishes' Noon Time Challenges! Check out yesterday's  The Night and Day Challenge. Or, you could check out the Flourishes Blog today at noon for another special, fast-paced challenge designed to give you another chance to win some wonderful goodies! Keep in mind, you can pre-order the new sets HERE. You’ll also see that we are offering our special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four stamp sets in one bundle!

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

The Most Wonderful Time of the Month!

Yes, it is! And, I'm not only talking about the holidays, which are upon us, but Flourishes' December Release! It's a time when I get to show off some of Flourishes newest images! So, without further ado, today's set is another with class, style and lots of shape!

Introducing…

Flourishes' newest set Snow Wonderful offers an elegant window into the winter with two beautiful vignettes that capture the serenity of the season. Marcella Hawley's set features a country cottage alive with the winter fires burning and a pair of birds nestled in some greenery. This set features six lovely sentiments and both the images and sentiments are a perfect match with Flourishes' new Tailor-made Classic Keyhole Template Die!  When you look at the stamp set above, how nice is it to know that you have a coordinating die — a “Tailor-made” die — that delivers a beautiful cut and embossed shape each and every time? This die not only coordinates perfectly with Snow Wonderful but with Flourishes' Petals and Peace set as well!


On to my creation! 

I really wanted to keep  my design simple since this image "sings" all on its own! So, I paired some My Mind's Eye paper (Vanity Fair and Breeze) with some fabulous May Arts ribbon, crochet trim and a fun button!  Add some stitching and... the big part of this card is stamping, using my Classic Keyhole die and coloring my image up!  I stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento and then grabbed my Copic markers! I used these collections ---

And, as you can see below, I did add a little glitz to my image with the help of some glitter glue. I also added a sparkle to my birdie's eye with a white gel pen. . One trick I used to create a layer with my Keyhole die? I stamped my image, embossed and then cut along the black line on the stamp so that when I cut a Keyhole shape out of my pink paper, it would be a perfect mat. So easy peasy!

And, here's a peek at my sentiment tag (also using the die set!)

And that, my friends, is it! Want to win this set and matching die? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out…..

 

One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Christine Okken
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle 
Heather Jensen
Beate Johns


DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN FLOURISHES ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE?  Have you checked out our Feminine Flair Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play! You can also join Flourishes today over on their blog and tomorrow at noon for two more ways to win! 

Can’t wait until all of the sets are revealed Friday morning? Well, you can pre-order them now if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs! Just click HERE. You’ll also see that we are offering our special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four stamp sets in one bundle!

Thanks all for stopping by! I'll see you back here tomorrow for another sneaky peek! ;-)

A little feminine flair!

The folks at Flourishes are busy at work getting ready for next week's big reveal! New polymer is in the house and they can't wait to take the lid off some of the newest sets for December! In the meantime, here's one way you can win their entire release! You just need to play in the.....

HOW TO PLAY: Lace, pearls and flouncy ribbons - these are the things that make up a creation with a truly feminine flair. That's what is at the heart of this month's challenge. To enter, let's see how you add a dose of femininity to your cards or creations! Link your project up here ON THIS POST. If you upload to SCS, please use the key word FLLCDEC11. Use Flourishes stamps if you have them, but if you don't please play anyway! The winner will recieve our entire December release. You have until December 16 at 5 PM Easterm time to submit. 

On to my creation! My feminine creation was actually inspired by a retired set from Flourishes that is making a big comeback.....

Last summer, Flourishes retired Lace and Trims last summer. Well apparently some weren't so happy about that, so Flourishes brought it back for a limited run for a great price! (Just $10) Call it an early Christmas gift! Here's a peek at the set..... 

My creation is really quite simple. Why? I used the sketch from this week's Timeless Tuesday challenge courtesy Silke Ledlow! Click HERE to check it out. Moving on! For the centerpiece of my card, I used the Sweet Nature set. I just LOVE the flower in this set -- it's so sweet and romantic at the same time. I thought it was perfect for this challenge. Pair it up with the Lace and Trims set and you have one girlie card! You can see, I cut the lace image in half and used it as a strip down the side of my card. I also added some stitching to give it a more realistic look. I added some beautiful ribbon and some gorgeous bling and almost done! My image was stamped on a piece of Classic Ivory Card Stock that had been cut with a Classic Oval Nestabilities die (cut thanks to my Grand Calibur) The image was stamped using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink, sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink and colored with Copic Markers. I used these collections: Fields, and Dahlia and then highlighted with BG000 and BG0000. 

One of the elements in the Lace and Trims set is this beautiful little lace medallion below. I used it as a classic backdrop for my "Thank You" sentiment (from the Hello Hyacinth set)

You can also see, I added some paper piercing around the oval as well. And that, my friends, is it! You'll have to make the rounds and see what the rest of the Flourishes gals did with this set and this fun-filled challenge!

Barbara Anders 
Dawn Burnworth 
Danielle Kennedy 
Julie Koerber-- you are here!
Stacy Morgan 
Tammy Hershberger 
Sharon Doolittle

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend. I hope you enjoy!

~Julie

Just "Soup"er!

Hi all! "Soup" anyone? Jillibean Soup of course! The gals over at Scor-pal have teamed up with Jilllibean Soup for a fun-filled hop showcasing a sampling of projects you can create when you match up these fun paper and embellishments with one very essential scoring tool!

When I first laid eyes on the Hearty Barley collection from Jillibean Soup, I knew I wanted to think ahead to Valentine's Day for this project. I know. I know. It's hard to think Valentine's Day when we haven't even celebrated Christmas yet, but trust me, you'd want to play if you saw this darling collection too! The inspiration for my creation all started here....

This darling paper is called Beef Broth and when I looked at it, I saw a set of "love notes" that I could slip in my hubby's brief case from time to time! Aren't they cute? So, I started by cutting these notes apart and rounding the corners on all of the little cards. And, this is what I ended up with...

From here, I wanted to create a matchbook style cover to stick my love notes inside! I started with a 3-1/2" strip of THIS paper called Fresh Mushrooms. It's a darling wood grain. 

From there, I picked up my Scor-pal and scored on the 1", 1-1/4". 5-1/2", and 5-3/4" lines. I folded, and using a 1/16" hole punch, I punched a hole through the two layers on each lower side, adding some fun red brads. Here's a peek.....

This is the base for my matchbook style note holder. From there --the embellishing began! this is the fun part if you ask me! I used this die cut sheet called Pea Pods below for all of the accents on my holder...

And this below is how my holder turned out! 

I also added a button from the collection called Cool Beans, some Maraschino colored twine from the Twinery. Here's a closeup! You can see how I used one of the frames and sentiments, a punched border and one of the fun index cards. I love how no matter what you do -- it's all color coordinated!

And here's a peek at how my cards fit inside. The punched border ends up holding the flap from the front down when it tucks down inside.... 

And that, my friends, is it! I darling little love note holder to dig into when you want to tuck some hugs and kisses in a briefcase, or leave them next to the morning coffee! ;-) 

Thanks for stopping by! You'll have to head on over to the Scor-Pal blog HERE to see what some of the other Scor-Pal designers whipped up using some of the Jillibean Soup collections! The projects are to die for--- so be sure to check them out!! TGIF everyone! 

~Julie

Mark your Calendar!

It goes without saying that 2012 will be here before we know it and what better way to keep track of your days than to custom create a beautiful hand stamped calendar? With all of Flourishes' beautiful botanicals and the A Year in Flowers series, there are so many ways to beautify your own calendar and truly make it your own! Just like in years past, Flourishes is offering a calendar created by Marcella Hawley designed for just that reason! It's available to download right from their site and is a bargain at just $2!

Want to see what I created with this new calendar? On to my creation! I found this frame at the dollar store and thought -- I could dress that up! The calendar file is 4 by 6", which makes it perfect for a frame!

January Calendar....

I knew I wanted to use the A Year in Flowers stamp sets to deck my creations out but I wanted to use the technique of masking to make sure I could layer my images to line the top of my calendar. To mask, you simply stamp your image on a post-it, cut it out with detail scissors, stamp and using that mask to protect the image you stamped when you stamp over top. It creates a beautiful layered look! If you want to see this technique in action, just click HERE for a few different tutorials that I did over on the Flourishes blog. My actual creations were as simple as stamping with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, masking, and stamping until the top of my calendar looked like I wanted. I then colored with Copic markers. (You can see the colors I used below.) I will say when stamping and masking, it's not a bad idea to have a fine tip multi-liner like THIS. Why? Because sometimes you will have a little gap between the images you stamp created by the post-it note. A multi-liner will help you just create a line to complete the image. It just polishes off your creation! On to the rest of my "show and tell!"

February Calendar...

March Calendar...

April Calendar...

And here's a peek at the rest of the pages I have yet to color! I have some work cut out for me -- thank goodness it's fun! ;-)  I'll try to show off the final project when I finish it up! 

Here's a look at the Copic Collections that I used....

I also used some of the new Copic Colors, B60, B63, B68 and then used B0000 and B000 to highlight around some of my images. 

Today all of the gals with Flourishes used this fun calendar blank to fashion some pretty inspiring creations! You'll have to hop around to check them out!

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber --- you are here!
• Sharon Doolittle
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Want some help on how to buy and download this file? Just click HERE to check out the Flourishes blog for more details!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend on tap. Happy stamping!

~Julie

Hot and toasty drink anyone?

I don't know about you, but in my "neck of the woods" it's feeling a wee more like winter each and every day. Today was in the thirties and to me... BRRRRRR! That's why Impression Obsession's latest challenge could be downright yummy! The challenge is to share your favorite drink! Well, this time of year, my fave would have to be a peppermint mocha. YUM! Thankfully Impression Obsession has an image that fits that bill perfectly! 

On to my creation! 

I started with this darling image called Comfort Cocoa. I just love how warm, toasty and delicious this image looks! I stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and then finished it off by coloring it up with some Copic markers and here's a peek at the colors I used - R24, R27, G40, G82, G85, G94, W3, W5, W00, E50, E53, E27 and a little B0000 to highlight around the top of the mug. Add some sparkle on the berries and polka dots and the rest is just matting it up! I used a bunch of Making Memories scraps from my stash. This was actually from last year's collection. Frame it up with an oval Spellbinders Nestabilities die and some red mirror paper and you're almost done! I added some May Arts ribbon and a Kaiser Craft Sparklet. Here's a close up.....

I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the card but I did stamp THIS sentiment, which says... "Warm and Cheery Holiday Wishes" Perfect, right? 

Want to see what some of the other IO gals would pick for their favorite drinks? You'll have to hop on over and see......

Daniela Dobson

Jenny Gropp
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Julie Koerber -- you are here!

Deborah March
Vicki Garrett

Thanks so much for stopping by! I've been working on a major project this week in my craft room and I'll have a peek at that coming up tomorrow. So, be sure to stop by! ;-) Have a great Thursday!! 

~Julie