Friday, November 30, 2012

A Sketch for Inspiration!

Hi all! The Flourishes gals have a special treat today! We teamed up with Page Maps to give you some fun inspiration in the form of.... nearly a dozen sketches! Each quarter Becky Fleck with PageMaps releases 10 new sketches to spark some creativity in your craft spaces and today, those sketches are being put onto paper with the help of Flourishes!

Want to take a peek at my sketch?

And.. here's my take on this sketch!

I used the stamp set Joy Is In the Air and just used the Santa Image. I colored him up using Copic Markers. The sentiment is from the Sentimental Christmas Set. I used the snowflakes from the Warm Winter Wishes set and then punched out Santa and the flakes using a 1-1/4" and 1-3/4" circle punch. I sponged some Summer Sky Memento ink around all of the circles and the rest is just matting it all up! I picked up the Echo Park This and That Christmas Paper pack. Added a button with some red and white baker's twine and.... ta da! Finished!

Here's a close up of Santa! You can see I did add some sparkle thanks to some glitter glue!

You can click on over to PageMaps.com to see all the sketches in one place. If you want to hop instead, we have ten amazingly talented designers you can hop on over and see as well!

Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Cindy Lawrence
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger

Ally Cope

Cindy Haffner

And.. before I go! Some fun sale news! If you've been watching the prices drop with Flourishes' Gambler's Sale, you should know that this week, they dropped another 5%, bringing the total discount to...

These deals are too good to pass up -- don't you think? You can buy up and stock up on what you need now at 35% or... take a gamble and see just how low these prices will go! Click HERE to check out the sale page for yourself! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend ahead!

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It's a Flourishes Favorites Kind of Day!

Hey all and happy Friday! I have a bit of a Flourishes Free For All for you today! Each designer got to pick one of their favorite sets to create with and we have a hop to show off all the goodies! Hopefully, seeing some of their creativity will inspire some creations in your own craft spaces!

On to my creation! I have to tell you, I am way behind on my Christmas cards -- so much so that I am not entirely sure they will all go out this year! :-( So, when I heard that we would be having a free for all, I was excited to make at least one more Christmas card!

I started by using my Silhouette and cutting out the shape that coordinates with the Naturally Merry stamp set. After I cut, I stamped using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. From there, I colored my image up with Copics. (Check out my supply list below for the colors I used!) I used Spellbinders Classic Ovals and Labels Eighteen for my shapes, added some burlap twine, some tiny jingle bells and burlap ribbon. The paper is from Echo Park called This & That Christmas. And that, my friends, is it -- an earthy kind of way to usher in some Christmas joy!

As you are hopping, make sure you head on over and see.......

You'll have to join me back here tomorrow -- more excitement and more creative inspiration. I can't give you the details now but let's just say there is more fun in store! See you back here then!

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Happiness with Friends

Hi all! It was my turn to host Impression Obsession Design Team Thursday, which means I get to show off an IO creation. So... on we go! If you are ever looking for inspiration, you need to check out the IO blog, there's something new all the time to get the creative juices flowing! You can find it HERE!

Recently, Impression released a series of silhouettes and gosh, they are CUTE! I just love them for all occasion cards because honestly, they bring a smile to my face!

I started by stamping the background called Textured Scalloped Background in a Summer Sky ink. Over top, I stamped the silhouette called Fun Friends using Versafine Black Onyx. I added some stitching and some bling on the little flowers and the rest was matting it up! I added the sentiment Happiness along the side. Add fun patterned paper, a rhinestone with shimmery ribbon and... that, my friends, is it! This card is almost a 10 minute card and is a great one to have around for those times when you just need to get a word of encouragement in the mail!

Here's a close up of these kiddos -- aren't they cute?

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a little bit of time with me! I have to say that I used this oldie but goodie because right now Impression Obsession is gearing up for it's next big release and man, oh man, are there some GREAT images that will soon be released! I can't wait to show you!

Hope your week is ending up on a good note! I'll see you back here soon!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Fun Sale & More!

Hello all! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family or friends! The folks at Flourishes feel stuffed -- not only in their bellies but their warehouse as well! They are ready for the Christmas season and to get YOU ready, they are having one heck of a Black Friday Sale that kicks off NOW! Check out these deals! The earlier you shop, the better the deal! To take advantage of the deals, use the codes below, hit the "Apply" box and the shopping cart will automatically take your discount off. Make sure, however, that you use the right code for the time of day you are shopping because these codes will only be active during the correct time. All times will be based on the Central Standard Time Zone!

JUST A NOTE: This sale does not apply to Copic Markers due to their price mapping requirements for retailers like us. It also does not apply to wholesale orders or gift certificates. Anything else is fair game! Even sale prices can have extra discounts added! So, be sure to check out our Sale Page as well! The sale ends tonight at midnight -- so what are you waiting for???

Before you go, the Flourishes Design Team whipped up some virtual treats for you! Since today is the LAST DAY for the November New Release Bundle - they wanted to show you some beautiful ways that you could use the new November stamp sets! Remember, the New Release Bundle is 10% off the price of the November Release when you purchase it in a bundle!

On to my creation!

For my card, I wanted to use some of the new goodies besides stamps! I used this month's 123 Create Kit for all my papers and embellishments! Check it out HERE! I just love that ruler twill ribbon -- so perfect for sewing themed creations! To start, I cut out my shape using the Silhouette Cut File for the Stitched For You stamp set. After I cut my shape, I stamped this darling image from the set Stitched For You! I just love this image! I even paper pieced some of those cute fat quarters using the decorative paper from the kit!

See? You can also see that I used one of Flourishes new custom dies called Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass -- I love the pierced look -- don't you?

From there, I colored up my image using Copic Markers and I used these collections! Poppy, Tiger Lily, Sunflower, Pistachio, and Candy Pink! And that, my friends, is it! Easy peasy! I do think this card is a bit bold, but gosh, if you know a fabulously funky quilter who loves modern prints and bold designs -- this is the card for her! :-) I know a few of those ladies, so I am all set! :-)

Now.... be sure to check out these ladies' fabulous creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I sincerely hope you have a wonderful, restful and relaxing rest of your holiday weekend!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Flourishes Grand Finale!

Hi all! I hope you've enjoyed all the sneak peeks this week! Today, we get to take the lid off the entire release AND share some fun things that are also in the Flourishes store as well! Are you ready? We are so excited we can hardly stand it! For starters -- all the stamp sets that we have shown off this week are now in the Flourishes store HERE! Remember, you can take advantage too of the New Release Bundle and save 10% when you purchase all four sets in a bundle!

Speaking of deals.. if you are looking for some great sale items... HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT FLOURISHES' GAMBLER'S SALE? All items on their sale page dropped another 5% -- they are now 25% off! Click HERE to see the savings!
Today, all the designers are showing off a set that was inspired by the Land Down Under! Yes, Flourishes Fans -- we are talking about Australia! Our own Kathy Jones, who hails from Australia, helped develop this set concept, which has two beautiful botanicals as the centerpiece of the set!

Take a trip to the land "Down Under" to see a pair of beautiful botanicals alive in this island continent. In this set called Bloomin' Aussie Florals, Artist Marcella Hawley brings the Golden Wattle and Sturt's Desert Rose to life with these illustrations and pairs them with true Aussie sentiments!

And.... to serve as the perfect partner to this set, Flourishes has a Silhouette Cameo Cut File to coordinate with this set! You'll find the new file HERE. And, if you click HERE, you will see the file in an .SVG format, to make it compatible with other digital cutting machines! They also have a cut file for the set we peeked yesterday called Stitched for You. You'll find the Silhouette file HERE and the SVG file HERE! Fun stuff!

On to my creation!

I just think this floral is gorgeous! I used the Silhouette cut file and cut out the shape from Flourishes Classic White, I stamped my image using Rich Cocoa ink and then colored it up with Copic markers (see the supplies used below to see which collections I used!) Add some fun decorative paper - a mix of My Mind's Eye papers, add some Melon seam binding ribbon, some bling and paper piercing and... you're done! Just that easy peasy!

Here's a close up! You can see that I did add some glitter glue to the center of my flowers to add a little extra pizzazz!

And here is the sentiment -- spelled the way the Aussies spell it!

If you look closely, you'll notice a new die cut shape on my card -- yep -- I used one of Flourishes' new custom dies called Perfectly Pierced Classic Windows! These dies are so cool! Why? Because in addition to being nested template dies custom created by Spellbinders Paper Arts exclusively for Flourishes, these dies all offer pierced accents! Say goodbye to piercing templates - these dies do it for you in one step! They are all a part of the Perfectly Pierced Collection! And, here's a peek!

Perfectly Pierced Classic Windows

Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals

Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass

Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames

You'll see our designers using these dies in their posts today - what fun! I know we'll get asked if stamp sets are on the way to coordinate with these beauties and the answer is undoubtedly - YES! We just knew that you didn't need a coordinating stamp set to use these dies and so, we wanted YOU to enjoy them NOW! :-) So, do you want to win some goodies or what? We'll have not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE ways to win today. All you need to do is figure out...

And guess what -- today there will be FIVE mystery bloggers! So, the more love you leave in the form of a comment on these blogs below, the better your chances of winning!! We'll be giving away today's set - Bloomin' Aussie Florals plus we'll be giving away one each of our four new die sets! So get hopping and amp up your chance to WIN!

If you want a chance to win the entire stamp set release for November, don't forget about the Be Progressive Challenge that closes today at 5PM EST!! There is still time to enter! Thanks for stopping by this week and joining me for all the fun! Happy Stamping!

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Sneak Peek Day 3: Dreaming of Florence!

Hi all and welcome to the third day of Flourishes’ fabulous November Release Sneak Peeks! Today, we take you to a far away place with picturesque scenery, a glass of wine and some fresh picked figs for the tasting. Are you ready for a picnic in Florence? Well we are! Take a sneak peek at this lush new set!

From the rich Italian landscape host to Cypress trees and sunflowers to a table set with wine and figs, this set called Dreaming of Florence is sure to add a dreamy feel to your cards or creations. This 4 by 6" set illustrated by Marcella Hawley even offers a handful of beautiful, all occasion sentiments.

On to my creation!

I knew I wanted to create something with a rustic feel for this fabulous set! I have never been to Italy, but I swear, googling images to serve as inspiration for my cards sure gave me a bit of a traveling bug! :-) So, for the card tidbits -- here goes! I stamped my image using Rich Cocoa ink onto Flourishes Classic White, after cutting out my image, I added some paper piercing and then let the fun begin with my Copic markers! I used quite a few different collections, so you will have to check the supplies used link list below for those details! I matted this up on Spellbinders Beaded Squares die. You might say - well this looks like a rectangle. Well, it is! I literally cut one section out of the die cut and then, you can see, I covered that section with my thick ribbon. It works! To mat it all up I used a mix of Echo Park and Teresa Collins papers. And then, I added my little sentiment thanks to a new die that will be unveiled this Friday! It's the smallest of three in the set and I thought it was perfect for my little sentie. I added it thanks to some gold cording and.... ta da! All done!

Here's a close up....

And that, my friends, is it! Would you like 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 who is the…

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 what are you waiting for? Let's take a trip to see what these ladies crafted with this serene set -- you don't even need a passport!

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE NOVEMBER RELEASE? Have you checked out our Be Progressive Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play– there are four ways to win! Play along in this week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge and that’s another way to win! Play along in the Be Progressive Challenges before this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! (You have until Monday at 6PM EST for the Timeless Tuesday challenge!) So get those fingers inky and good luck!

If you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other three sets as well) and if you purchase all four sets, you can take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off all our new sets when you purchase it in the bundle. What fun! All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with another special surprise! So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!

We’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one will have you taking yet another trip to a far away place to witness some beautiful botanicals! Come back tomorrow and see what fun we've dreamed up! See you then!

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Sneak Peeks Day 2: Stitched For You!

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes' fabulous November Release Sneak Peeks! Today, we have a cozy offering that is sure to warm the hearts of those who receive creations made from this set! It's one full of images designed to tell that special someone that you've stitched up something for them with love! Want to take a peek?

Whether you knit, sew or quilt, this set called Stitched For You is perfect for those hand stitched gifts or home-spun cards and creations! Illustrated by Marcella Hawley, this set features 3 main images plus a handful of mix and match sentiments perfect for all occasion cards and gifts!

On to my creation!

I started by cutting out the knitting image out of Classic White Card Stock with the Stitched For You Silhouette Cut File (it will be in the store Friday!) and after I was done cutting, I stamped the scene on the cut image using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. Then, I grabbed my Copic Markers to color this image up! (See Supplies Used below for colors!). After I was done coloring, I took papers from the new 123 Create Kit called For the Record. I just love the papers in this kit - so fun and vibrant! I cut out my mat thanks to the Spellbinders Beaded Oval die. After I was done embossing, I used a sanding block and sanded the embossed edge to reveal the paper's white core. The little strip of nordic knitting along the side is actually from the Snow Day set. JUST LOVE that little border that you can repeat! Add some stitching, some seam binding ribbon and a button and... ta da! Just that simple! Oh, I did add some razzle dazzle thanks not only to a glitter pen (on the knitting needles) but on the steam thanks to some glittler glue!

Here's a close up....

Would you like 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 who is the…

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 what are you waiting for? Head on over to see all the fun ways the team stitched up some creativity!

As you make the rounds, you'll also see that some of the gals are using Flourishes' newest 123 Create Kit called For The Record! It's a colorful kit with so many creative possibilities!

This kit features a 6" by 6" Echo Park paper pad called For the Record, 4 quilting, sewing and knitting inspired charms, 2 yards of measuring tape twill ribbon, 3 yards of coordinating green seam binding style ribbon, 2 yards of red looped grosgrain ribbon, and 12 floral and button stick pins. All this for just $18!

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE NOVEMBER RELEASE? Have you checked out the Be Progressive Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how to play-- there are four ways to win! Play along in this week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge and that's another way to win! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

The good news? If you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other four sets as well) and if you purchase all five sets, you can take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off all our new sets when you purchase it in the bundle. What fun! All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with another special surprise! So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!

I'll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one will have you dreaming of far away places! Yes, that was your hint! See you then!

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Monday, November 12, 2012

A Sneak Peek .... and a Challenge!

Hi everyone! I have a double dose of fun today. For starters, the design team and Friends of Flourishes team will be showing off a fun little set that will be released this week. AND, I also am also helping usher in this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

Want to see the first set that's been sneak peeked this week for Flourishes' November Release?

Give the inside and outside of your cards a dash of pizazz with this fun new set from Becky Fleck! Inside and Out Just Because is the perfect little sentiment set for all occasion creations! There are so many mix and match sentiments packed on this 4" by 3" set! If you like what you see, you can pre-order this set today!

On to this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge! It's one that hopes to deliver a bit of inspiration! Just take a look at the photo below and make something that is inspired by the colors or objects you see! Check it out...

On to my creation! I decided to be inspired by the color dots at the top and decided to make my creation tones of brown - green browns, rose browns and tans.

I started by stamping the Just Because portion of the set with Memento Toffee Crunch. Then, I took the I Care and stamped it using Rich Cocoa. I used Classic Ivory. From there, I figured out how large my panel would be above. On this, I stamped the scripted background in Toffee Crunch and the flowers in Rich Cocoa from the Sweet Nature set. Then... I grabbed my Copic Markers! I used E04, E81 (from the New Browns set) and E84, and E87 and then blended with YR0000.

Here's a peek at the flower! So subdued and almost "antiqued."

I edged with gold leaf and matted it on some brown card stock (one of the lightest shades from the CME Rich Browns Collection), added some gold cording and... ta da!

And that, my friends, is it! If you want to play along with this week's Timless Tuesday challenge, just click HERE for all the details!

Like I mentioned, the design team is teaming up with the Timeless Tuesday gals so you have a lot of hopping today to see all the fun creations! And... you should know that one of the ladies below is the...

You don't know which lady is the Mystery Blogger, so be sure to leave comments on all of these fine ladies' blogs! Why? One of them will be drawing a name from the comments and the winner gets our new Inside & Out Just Because stamp set! Woo Hoo!!! So, get hopping!

Allison Cope
Amanda Havon
Broni Holcombe
Cindy Haffner
Denise Marzec
Maki Jones
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber
Sharon Doolittle
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Karen Wallace - our November Guest Designer

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek and this one will have you grabbing a glass of wine and heaving overseas! :-) Yes, that is your hint! See you back here then!

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Friday, November 9, 2012

It's a Progressive Challenge!

Hi all! The excitement is building for you challenge chasers today! Flourishes is ushering in a four-part, fun-filled progressive card making challenge that has your name written all over it! If you haven't been following today's festivities, you need to click on over to this post HERE to get caught up and read up on why Flourishes decided to kick off this progressive challenge! Why follow all four steps in this challenge? Because it will give you FOUR WAYS to win all four stamp sets in their November Release! What fun! You can find the second step right HERE! The third step is HERE, which means we are ready for your last and final clue!

Bring on Step 4!!

STEP 1: Simply use this sketch! Just that easy!

STEP 2: Use a Monochromatic Color Scheme! Need some inspiration? Check out Flourishes' COLOR MADE EASY System!

STEP 3: Add a splash of decorative paper somewhere on your card!

STEP 4: Add some sparkle! Any kind will do - glitter, bling, you name it - if it sparkles, it counts!

Once you are done with Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 and Step 4, be sure to link up your creation HERE on the Flourishes blog using the Inklinkz widget. HERE'S THE CATCH!!! If you want to be eligible for ALL FOUR ways to win, you need to be progressive and add your creation to each step of the challenge. You can make 4 cards or wait until all four steps are revealed and incorporate all four steps into one card. BUT, even if you only make one card using all the steps, you need to link it up on all four posts. Random.org will chose four winners so we want to make sure you are counted for each step you used on your creation! If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCNOV12 as your keyword for all four parts to this challenge. You have until next Friday, November 16th at 5PM EST to enter – so get those creative juices flowing! You have a shot at four sets valued at more than $60! Woo hoo!

On to my creation!

So, you can see, I have the sketch, the monochromatic look, the patterned paper (went a little overboard there) AND... if you look closely - you can see the bit of sparkle in the glitter glue on the flowers! See?

I have to tell you, thanks to the Color Made Easy system, this card was a BREEZE! I had the Poppy Collection at the base here with paper, and ribbon. I could have used the matching Copic Collection, but wanted to skew more pink thank peach. So, I chose the Lenten Rose Collection instead. (See below for links and supplies). I found out the My Mind's Eye Lavender Paper is a pretty sweet match! So, there you have it my friends! Be sure to also stop by Cindy Lawrence's place HERE for a peek at how she put all four steps into ONE fabulous card!

Thanks for stopping by! The Timeless Tuesday gals will be kicking off the sneak peeks for Flourishes next Tuesday for the Timeless Tuesday Challenge -- with yet another way to win this release! Fun stuff ahead! We'll see you back here soon!

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Friday Faves!

Hi all and happy Friday! Today the design team is going to start a new feature that we plan to do every so often -- it's a day when we can all show off a few of our favorites - whether it be a favorite set, a favorite layout or even a favorite color combination. The sky is the limit!

On to my creation....

Sadly, this was a card I had to make when one of my friend's mothers passed away. While I don't like having to make sympathy cards, I do like having a classy set like Flourishes' Calla Lilies set to turn to for those tough cards to make. There is very little coloring on this one and I kept the layout simple. I think clean and classy is the way to go when sending sympathy cards. (See below for a list of the supplies and Copic markers used).

As you can see, I added some paper piercing and some glitter glue to add a little something extra.

And that, my friends, is it. Be sure to see what the other favorites the Flourishes gals have to showcase this Friday! It promises to be a fun-filled hop that will give you a little creative inspiration, just in time for the weekend!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy -- please keep Danielle in your thoughts. She is in the midst of clean up after Hurricane Sandy.
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber
Sharon Doolittle
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger

Thanks so much for stopping by! Remember, today the prices will DROP again with Flourishes' Gambler's Sale!!!! It is now.....

That's right -- all of our sale items have now been marked down to 15% off! Why is this the Gambler's Sale? Because you can get the sale items today for 15% off, or take a "gamble" to see how low prices will go before our sale items are going, going, GONE! Click HERE to check out this fabulous and FUN sale!

Oh, and before we go -- one more bit of FUN news! You asked for it and now Flourishes has got it -- BUTTONS to match their Color Made Easy System (paper, ribbons, Copic collections all designed to color coordinate)!

So far, they have buttons to match the Rich Browns, Tiger Lily, Sunflower, Emerald Coast, Pistachio and Terra Cotta Collections. Click HERE to see for yourself! Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of fun with me! I hope you have a fun weekend planned ahead. Mine will be full of football playoffs, basketball, a birthday party and a date with hubby - sounds fun to me! :-) See you back here soon!

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