Thursday, June 28, 2012

Let's hear it for the Red, White and Blue!

Hi all! And... Happy Friday! In just a matter of days, sparks will fly as fireworks hit the skies over the United States to celebrate our independence! To get ready for the fanfare, the Flourishes Design Team is getting ready to share a little of the red, white and blue by using Flourishes' set Patriotism on Parade! Even Christine Okken (one of our resident Canadians decided to share in the spirit!)

On to my creation!

I started by stamping "Proud to be an American" right on what looked like a label on a piece of paper from the Genuine paper pack. Doesn't it look sewn on? I loved that and while I didn't know when I stamped this what on earth I would do - I knew I had to work it in!

And, here's a peek at my creation! All paper is from Genuine with the exception of the red and white polka dot paper that I grabbed from my scrap bin. I added some stitching, a bow made out of the solid red wrinkled ribbon, a punched border and epoxy flower and... almost done!

The focal point of my card was, of course, these cute kiddos in silhouette! You can also see that in addition to stamping them (using Tuxedo Black Ink), I stamped some fireworks as well on the paper using Danube Blue and Love Letter Memento Inks.

And.. lastly, while I loved this tag - I decided the paper that it was on was too light - so I cut it out and attached it to this darker blue damask pattern. And... to keep the stitching look - I actually attached it by sewing it on! Put your matted image on a card made out of Flourishes Classic White paper and that, my friends, is it!

Now you'll have to head on over and see what splash of patriotic creativity the rest of the design team is firing off this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend!
~Julie

Friday, June 22, 2012

It's a Friday Free For All!!

Hi all! Just as in release week's past -- the week after Flourishes' release the design team hosts a free for all -- where they pick up their favorite sets of the release and play with any or all! So, get ready for a feast for the eyes today from all of them! Oh... and just a little note! TODAY is the very last day to take advantage of the June New Release Bundle -- when you can get all three sets for 10% off the retail price. Just click HERE to see the bundle in the store!

On to my creation! The card I'm showing today is actually one that I created for my very first Flourishes card class! With ZERO stamp stores in my home town, I decided it was time to have a class to show some of my stamping friends what Flourishes is all about! (I'll have some pics later in this post)

Here's one of the three cards we made....

This card is really quite simple and is actually similar to another card layout I did here not too long ago. A few months ago, I started to play around with shaped cards (thanks to my friend Stac) and every now and then -- I need to make one to get my "fix!" For this creation I used a series of Spellbinders Circle Dies - Grand Circles and Classic Circles LG. The pink shape is the Blossom Die and the tag is a part of Flourishes Classic Tags. After I cut and embossed, I took my trusty sanding block to distress the edges. I stamped the floral from Summer Blossoms in Versafine Black Onyx on Flourishes Classic White and then colored it up with watercolor pencils. Add some ribbon, and the tag with the help of some gold cording and... ta da!!

Here's a close up!

And here's a peek at the fun that was had this week! My friend Joyce (who we lovingly call my daughter's "extra grandma") hosted at her house and we had 10 ladies who sat in on the fun. It was so nice to get together with this gang of gals to stamp! Here's Jayne, my DD and my mom having fun.....

And here's the rest of the gang -- Laura, Jeanine, Mary Francis, Denise, Dawn, Joyce, Pat and Ann!

It was fun! Well, thanks for taking a peek! Now, be sure to hop on over and see what fun the design team has in store!

Happy Friday and I'll see you back here soon! We're in the middle of summer basketball so -- son has a tournament with five games. Daughter has her first league game so I will literally be watching HOURS of basketball this weekend. Ahhh.... love it! Go Rams! :-)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Flourishes Release Week Wraps Up!

Hi all and welcome to the final day of Flourishes’ Release Week! And, guess what? If you like what you’ve seen this week, I’m happy to report that all of Flourishes’ new sets for June are in the Flourishes store!! Just click HERE to see for yourself! Are you ready to see our last set being revealed today? We actually have a set and a digital download to help celebrate all kinds of occasions!

FYI: I'll have the three winners for my 5th Blogoversary Blog Candy at the bottom of this post!

Introducing.....

The new Happily Ever After set (a perfect companion set for their new set Summer Blossoms), is a pint-sized sentiment set that packs some punch when it comes to wishing "The Happy Couple" well! Use it for Anniversary wishes, weddings, bridal showers or even to congratulate a newly engaged couple!

And, to make sure all your events are truly memorable, Flourishes added a do-it-yourself invitation to deck out however you wish! Baby showers, potlucks, bridal showers and more! This blank download allows you to personalize any get-together with that elegant, handmade touch! This invitation blank offers endless opportunities for entertaining in style! Click HERE to see this in the store and CLICK HERE for instructions on how to download this image after your purchase!

On to my creation! I actually have three to share today!

First up, I knew I wanted to combine the Happily Ever After set with the set we sneak peeked on Wednesday -- Summer Blossoms! You can see that I stamped the Happily Ever After sentiment in the center of a frame I created with the fern leaf line (made into a circular shape) and one of the floral brackets from the Summer Blossoms set! Card Tidbits! Songbird Prima Paper, Ivory Cotton Linen Ribbon, Golden Yellow Pleated Ribbon, Toffee Crunch Memento Ink, Classic Ivory Card Stock, Copic Markers (I used the Green Grass, Dahlia, and Sunflower Collections).

Here's a close up!

Now, these next two samples are fun -- in my humble opinion and show that you can do a little or a lot and create an impact with this Invitation Blank! I used the same basic layout for both creations. For the first one, I stamped the Summer Blossoms with Tuxedo Black Ink after printing my invite on Flourishes Classic White. I colored with Copics (Daffodil, Poppy, Spring Greens and Dahlia Collections), added some paper piercing, matted it on some Howdy Doody decorative paper and then before attaching it to my mat, wrapped and tied a ribbon with some May Arts ribbon! Ta da!

Here's a close up of the flowers!

And... here's the CAS version! I stamped the Summer Blossoms using Memento London Fog, added some liquid pearls to the cetner of my largest flowers, edged my invite with some silver leaf pen and added some silver cording! I did mat it up on some black card stock for a little extra pop. I think this would be a great invite for a small wedding or even a silver anniversary party!

And heres a close up!

Would you like to win our new Happily Ever After 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 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! What are you waiting for? Time to hop along and see what these fabulous designers created!

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE JUNE RELEASE? Have you checked out our 10 Minute Creations Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play! You can also play in our Noon Time Challenges, click HERE to check out the Pop It Challenge and HERE for our Arts and Letters Challenge! All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST–TODAY– and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck! I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing a bit of creativity with us this week!

Now.... to the WINNERS of...

Winner 1 is.....

....which means the lucky lady is...Janet Swanlady 21!!!

Winner #2 is.....

... which means the lucky winner is Shelly Schmidt!

Winner #3 is.....

...which means the lucky person here is... Emily Keaton!!!

Ladies, just shoot me an email at juliekoerber@gmail.com with your snail mail addy and I'll get your goodies in the mail this weekend!

Are you ready for another fun-filled Flourishes' Noon Time challenge for their June release? Well get ready to get your fingers inky because if you play along, you could win all three of our new stamp sets this month! All you need to do is take the…..

HOW TO PLAY: To play in the “Arts and Letters” challenge, all you need to do is just do what the title suggests — create Art... with Letters! Use a letter as a focal point in your card or creation and you will be in the running! If you upload to a Splitcoaststampers gallery, please use the keyword FLLCJUNRW2. Entries must be in before Friday, June 15th at 5PM EST. To enter, make sure you link up your creation below using the Inlinkz widget!

On to my creation!

For my card, I wanted to try to use the Letters in Blossom set with its sister set called Summer Blossoms. I stamped the brackets from the set to kind of "frame" my letter with Tuxedo Black ink on Flourishes Classic White and colored with a mix of Copic markers. I also cut out both the letter and the image with a Spellbinders Classic Circle die and before I took the die off - I sponged on some Spun Sugar Distress ink. Add some stitching, some crochet lace, a fun dash of seam binding ribbon (Flourishes will soon be carrying this!) and a pearl and .... ta da! I made this one for my darling mom a.k.a. the Rubber Maid and will be sharing with her soon!

Here's a close up to peek at!

While you’re hopping, don’t forget to go over and see the rest of the fabulous Flourishes designers who took on this challenge!

The OFFICIAL Rules…..

Simply create a card making a letter the focal point
Entries need to be in by Friday, June 15th by 5 PM EST
Those that use Flourishes stamps will be counted twice for their entry
You must link your creation on this post using our inlinkz widget in order to qualify
You must have a link to our challenge in your blog or gallery post
Please DO NOT combine challenges.
If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCJUNRW2
We’ll announce the winners Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post – check back Saturday, June 16 at noon CST to see if you’re one of the lucky winners!

Flourishes Sneaks Day 2: Letters in Blossom!

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes Sneak Peeks! Hope you loved Summer Blossoms as much as I did. That's for sure going to be one of my "go to" sets! The next set in Flourishes' new Blossom Collection features beautiful letters perfect for monograms, short sentiments, even name cards! And, it offers the alphabet -- from A to Z -- in pure florally embellished perfection!

Introducing...

Doesn't the look of that letter just make you want to sigh? This 6" by 8" set is larger than the standard Flourishes set -- offering a nice size monogram to create gorgeous correspondence, monogrammed items, or even home decor. This set is the perfect companion to sister sets Happily Ever After SS199 and Summer Blossoms SS197! If you like what you see, this set is available for pre-order now, just click HERE! And, you can buy all three in the New Release Bundle HERE! Keep in mind though, the bundle will only be available through June 22nd!

On to my creation!

I knew when I first set sights on this set that I wanted to use it to create easy yet elegant monogrammed creations! And so, with just a few items, I *think* I pulled it off! I stamped the letter "T" using Memento Toffee Crunch ink and colored it up with Copic markers. I used these collections!

When I was finished coloring, I did cut out my letter using Spellbinders Classic Circles LG die and then the Classic Scalloped Circle LG dies for the mat. I embossed the scalloped circle and then, using a sanding block, sanded to reveal the paper's white core. The actual card base was run through my Grand Calibur with THIS beautiful brocade embossing folder. On the bottom, I scored some vertical lines using my Scor-Buddy to give it some depth. Add some melon colored seam binding accented with some Prima crystals and... ta da! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I am thinking of the friends that I can use this set for to create personalized cards in a flash!

Here's a close up of the darling little floral adorned letter!

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 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! So... make some time to see the A-B-Cs of how the design team used this set!

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN FLOURISHES' ENTIRE JUNE RELEASE? Have you checked out the 10 Minute Creations Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play! You can also play in the Noon Time Challenges, click HERE to check out the Pop It Challenge and tune back in today over on the Flourishes Blog at noon for our last Noon Time Challenge! The noon time challenges are fast-paced chances to win Flourishes' full June release! All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

See you back here at noon for more Flourishes FUN!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Fun with Stamps & Stencils!

Hi all! Today the Impression Obsession Design Team is whipping up some fun with the BRAND NEW IO Balzer Design Stamps! Hop around and you'll see the fun you can have when you use these stamps with Crafter's Workshop Stencils/Templates! Want to know what's fun about this concept? Each stamp works independently. Each stencil works independently. Each stencil has a matching stamp set and they can ALL work together. Think of all the fun possibilities!

For my creation, I used The Clear Stamp Butterflies Set along with the matching 6 by 6" stencil (you can see the bottom of this post for all the links!) When I saw the words Tell your Story and Journal and Create, I just knew I wanted to cover a journal with all of these pretties!

I started by covering my journal (just a $1 composition book I got at Target) with all kinds of aqua decorative papers. You can see in the top right corner, I used THIS Cover-A-Card Graph Paper background, stamping it in Memento's Teal Zeal. In the upper left corner, I just used the Layered Beads Template Stencil and some pearl acrylic paint that I sponged on. I have to tell you -- I love the glimmer this technique added. Photography really doesn't showcase it well enough. I think I will take an afternoon to make my own pearlized background papers thanks to these fun stencils!

For my focal piece on the journal, I used some of Impression Obsession's new dies. This one is meant to be used with the Shake It Pouches -- but I decided to be a rebel and use it for layering up this beautiful butterfly! This die is called the Circle Shaker Frame Die. After I was done stamping my butterfly, I did accent the wings with a white gel pen.

Check out a few close ups!

On the butterfly above, you can see how I stenciled over the butterfly wing using the same pearlized acrylic paint!

And for the icing on top, I added these fun little butterflies to accent the ribbons I'll use to save different places in my journal. I just attached them to some seam binding ribbon thanks to a few glue dots. The butterflies are also a new die from Impression Obsession called Butterflies Die.
Want to see what the rest of the IODT whipped up using these fun new stamp and stencil combos? Hop on over and see.....

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer --- leave a comment here for a chance to WIN goodies!
Mitra Friant
Jeanne Streiff
Daniela Dobson
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett
Jenny Gropp
Dina Kowal

Where can you find these goodies? Click for the links below! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you back here soon!