It's an After Christmas Sale!

We hope you had a blessed holiday – however you celebrate! It was wonderful time to rest, relax and reflect on the beauty of the season surrounded by friends and family! We know some of you probably have some Christmas money that you’d love to spend and guess what? Flourishes needs to reduce what is on their shelves before our year-end inventory count. So, a sale is in order!

It’s Time For Their…..

 

Simply use the code MERRY13 in the coupon code box and you'll get 25% off your entire order -- even the Sale Page -- which already offers a discount on items listed there! All codes are case sensitive, so please use all caps, just like shown above. You have to act fast, this sale runs through December 30th. Another note to shoppers, Flourishes will be closing down the store for a few hours on the 31st in order to do inventory. For about a 4 hour period, folks will not be able to take or process orders. They promise they will try to be as quick as possible!


Enjoy the rest of your holiday season -- 2014 will be here before you know it!

~Julie

Merry Christmas!!

Hello all! As you read this, I'll likely be surrounded by family getting ready to enjoy a feast and sharing time with loved ones. I wanted to wish you all a wonderful holiday and hope nothing but the best for you all! Enjoy!

I thought I'd take today to share a couple of the cards I hadn't blogged for the holidays yet -- and guess what? These cards were made with a Class in a Box kit  that is still available (only a couple left). With Flourishes After Christmas Sale (which kicks off tomorrow with everything at 25% off) -- you could get this kit at a bargain! :-)

This kit comes with all the paper, stamps and embellishments you need to finish off your projects and not one, not two, not three, but FIVE card ideas spelled out in great detail in full color instructional sheets! So, when you are done with the cards, you have details on how to recreate them in all kinds of ways. I love these instructional sheets because I use them for sketch ideas with other stamps as well!  I used all Memento inks for my creations -- Lady Bug, Toffee Crunch and Tuxedo Black. I also brushed on some white pigment ink (it is an old Encore pad that I had lying around) to give a frosty feel to the card above. The rest is done for you -- pre-cut and all -- in the kit! :-) How easy is that?

And here's card 2!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you all the blessings of the season and even more for the year to come! 

~Julie

29? Again? Welcome to a Flourishes Free for All!

  

It’s another Friday and we're bringing you another round of inspiration created with our brand new December Release Stamp sets by the Senior Design Team. It’s always fun for us to show off the versatility of these beautiful sets one more time while you can still purchase the December New Release Bundle at a discount! Today is the last day this discount is available and we don’t want you to miss out!

On to my creation!

You might not recognize it right away but there's a "touch" of humor in this card! I have a friend, who always wishes me a Happy 29th Birthday. I am honest -- I say thanks and tell her that I'm 29.95 plus some hefty shipping and handling. So this year -- SHE'S getting the 29th Birthday Wishes! I used Flourishes' new Numbers in Blossom set for my numbers and then used the Summer Blossoms set for the Birthday Wishes Sentiment. I stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it up with Copic Markers! (See my supply list below for the full details!) Add in some fun decorative paper, some ribbon, bling and a few different die cut shapes and... almost done! On the die cuts I used for my banner and my mat, I did leave the die on and then sponged on some Spun Sugar Distress Ink. 

Here's a close up! See... couldn't help but add a little razzle dazzle with some glitter glue! 

And that, my friends, is it!!! You'll have to hop on over to see what our very talented Design Team has in store for you today with these brand new sets!

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend! T minus 5 days until Christmas! Hope you are enjoying all this beautiful holiday season has to offer!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

InLinkz.com

Stitching up some fun!

Hey all! As promised -- I'm going to shake it up here on the old Out to Impress blog and share other crafts here from time to time! 

One of the latest crazes seems to be boot cuffs. They started as all out book socks but many folks complained that stuffing pants and bulky socks inside a boot was, well, complicated. So, out came the boot cuff -- a little strip of knitting that can adorn the tops of boots without the bulk! Since winter weather sprouted, I've been wanting to make a pair and I wanted to do it with versatility in mind! 

I found this little FREE pattern HERE.

I love the fact that it is super easy to knit with a kind of faux cable! Here's the start of my cuff....

And, although you can't see the stitch definition when it's not spread out -- it did turn out just like the picture. Super cute. I started with some heather grey sport weight yarn. (This was in my stash) I know I bought this yarn at Hobby Lobby, but I can't remember what it is! I wanted something inexpensive because I didn't know how these bad boys would turn out! ;-) 

I will warn you -- if you want to make this pattern, make sure to measure your calf and then figure out the gauge of your yarn. For instance, if your calf is 14 inches around, and your yarn knits 4.5 stitches per inch, you'll need to cast on at least 63 stitches (keeping in mind the pattern). The woman who wrote the pattern mentioned she has  -- her words, not mine -- "chicken legs." I had to add stitches to fit my calf. So, instead of knitting it all up and figuring out it doesn't fit -- just measure and adjust your stitches according to the yarn's gauge. 

And while the pattern called for the whole boot cuff to be made in the pattern, I decided to make half in the pattern and then make the bottom half in a simple rib stitch so that I could flip the boot cuff and have the rib pattern or the faux cable pattern.

And, here is the finished product! The cuff measures about 6 inches, which is perfect -- not too bulky and just enough of a design to show off above the top of your boots -- with either design! 

And that, my friends, is "What's on my needles" this week! My niece hinted that she would love a Fair Isle hat for Christmas. I found some fun and soft yarn and so I thought I better get knitting! I hope I can get it done on time. If I do, you'll be the first to see the finished project!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

~Julie

A 10-Minute Creation this Tuesday!

Hi all! Happy Tuesday! I have a super quick and easy creation for you today! This one really couldn't get more simple BUT... just think, if you have ribbon and matching ink -- wouldn't this make the cutest little gift set? You could even add a little sparkle if you like on the berries or floral centers to bling it up a bit -- and it would still be under 10 minutes to create one card!

So, here's a peek! I started with a Flourishes Classic White card base.....

I stamped the Summer Blossoms using Rose Bud Memento Ink. I had a ribbon that is almost a perfect match! So, I used that around the middle and then stamped the "From the Desk Of" also from the Summer Blossoms set. You can see, just above the sentiment and just below the ribbon, I flipped my paper over and using 1/4" lines, I scored four lines just to add a little extra interest! Here's a close up of those lines and the sentie too! 

And that, my friends, is it! An easy peasy card that can be recreated in every color of the rainbow and shared with friends far and wide! 

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start! See you back here soon! I have some knitting fun to share, so I'll be back tomorrow with a little peek at "what's on my needles!"

~Julie

Sneak Peeks Day 3: Lots of Thoughts!

Well, we’ve arrived at our last day of December New Releases at Flourishes! Haven’t they been true blossoming beauties? Today, we’re pleased to bring you one more! It’s an all occasion set that celebrates some of the most delightful events with wonderful playfulness!

   

This stamp set is called Lots of Thoughts for a reason! With six whimsical images illustrated by Marcella Hawley, you have just the right mix of sentiments for birthday, congratulations, thank you and cards of encouragement. It's the perfect set for any and all occasions! Set measures 4" by 6”.

On to my creations -- I have triple the creations to share today! I started because Flourishes is carrying a cute little coin style envelopes! They measure 3-1/8" by 5-1/2". Darling.... right? I see tons of potential!

This picture isn't the best but these envelopes are a very crisp white. And, with that size, I make a card that was 3" by 5-3/8" folded. And... I ended up making a three-card set!

Here's card 1, perfect for birthdays! I stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored it all up with Copic Markers. The paper is a mix of Echo Park and Carta Bella (see supply list below). Super easy peasy! 

Love that there is a Silhouette Cut File for these cuties! See the sparkle I added too?

And, you can see I even stamped a little cupcake on the envelope!

 Here's card 2 -- a fun little pick me up card. I call it -- sunshine in an envelope!

Here's a close up!

And here's card 3! I love the paper from Everyday Eclectic with these little clouds! It was perfect for the little plane image -- don't you think?

Here's a closeup! Again.... loving the Silhouette Cut File!

And that, my friends is it! Ideas are blooming plentifully in our design team creations with this sweet set. Remember, while you’re hopping and looking at their creations, don’t forget to try to figure out….

Hidden among the Design Team’s blogs today is our last day of Mystery Blogger. Comment on her blog and you could be chosen to win today’s set! The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber --- you are here!
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Do you want to win Flourishes’ December Release?

• If you would like a chance at winning all newly released December sets…you can play in our Flip It Challenge – we will have multiple winners there! Deadline for entries is TODAY December 13th at 5 PM EST. Check out the link for the official rules!
• All three of our December sets are available now HERE! Take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three sets together in a bundle. This discount will only be available through December 20th, so you have to act fast!
• We’re also excited to offer companion Silhouette cut files for these new sets. Check them out here!
• And, don’t forget to come back to the Flourishes Blog tomorrow, Saturday, December 14th for the Winner’s Circle where we’ll announce all of our winners of this weeks’ challenges!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

InLinkz.com