Dogwoods in Bloom

Hi all! It's DT Thursday over on the Impression Obsession blog and I'm sharing a creation that is an oldie but goodie! It's one I made forever ago and never blogged. What was I thinking?

On to my creation....

 

I just love this trio of dogwood flowers called ---Dogwood 3 -- and I decided to make the flowers just a soft splash of color. After stamping, I did use the "Out of the Box" technique where you cut out portions of your image that would otherwise be cut off by the die and you pop those portions of the image above the die so that they are kept intact. (I hope that makes sense!). After cutting out my image, I colored the blooms up with Copic Markers. I used YG03, YG05, YG00, RV34, RV32, RV02, RV00, YG63, YG61 and R0000.

Here's a close up....

As you can see, I did stamp the flowers a second time on ivory card stock, cut it out and raised it up on my card. After that, it's just matting it all up! I added some light brown decorative card stock that I scored and sanded along the embossed lines. Add some ribbon and bling and... ta da! All done!

Thanks so much for joining me today! I'll be back tomorrow with some more fun from my stamp room, so be sure to stop by!

~Julie

And, the winner is.......

Hi all -- hope your week is off to a good start! Thanks to all the folks who commented on my Saturday post. I drew 2 names from those that were in the running for my magazine giveaway and....

Winner#1 is... (my daughter drew the number 19)

Mary Ann who said... Congrad!your cards are very pretty,very glad to hear your cards were publish.. scrappinggg.blogspot.com January 26, 2013 at 3:49 PM

Winner #2 is.... (my hubby drew the number 12) 

Stephanie said... WOW 2 cards published, but that is no surprise your card are beautiful! Thanks for a chance to get a copy.... January 26, 2013 at 8:34 AM.

Ladies, email me at juliekoerber@gmail.com with your snail mail addy and I'll get your goodies in the mail this week! If I don't hear from the winners in 48 hours, I'll draw new names! So, stay tuned just in case!

In Other Fun News.....

I have a fun little project to share that my mom and I are undertaking. In our home town in Michigan, one of my mom's dear friends is heading up a fundraising for Catholic Social Services. It's a non-profit that lends a hand to children waiting to be placed in an adoptive family. This luncheon also sends foster kids to camp -- a much needed respite for those kiddos! So, part of the lunch involves a craft sale. Items are donated and all the proceeds go to help the cause. So, feast your eyes on our project called.... My Pet Fish! So, this is how the project started --- with dozens upon dozens of colorful "fish!"

What are we going to do with all those fish??? Well, how about "dunking" them in some colored water i.e. soap! Here's our scented soap in progress....

The goal is, when we're done, to have the fish look like they are swimming in a bag, ready to find a home of their own!

And, when the afternoon was done, we had this many......

Twenty-some fishies ready to rock and roll! But, we're not stopping there. We decided as these fishes rub-a-dub-dub in the tub, they need a partner. How about some home-made and colorful wash rags too! So, my mom got started knitting.....

And, by the end of the weekend, we were OFF! We have about 7 as we speak!

 

And... we hope to knit up about 23! Luckily, we have until April! ;-) Hopefully we'll get the job done and these little fishies will swim their way to Michigan to help raise funds for kids in need! Wish us luck!

Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!

~Julie

Want to win a copy?

Hi all and happy Saturday! Recently, I got this little number in the mail and found that I had not one, but two cards published in the Spring edition of Paper Creations! YAY!

 

Since the magazine gives you 2 complementary copies and I already have a subscription, I decided to give those two copies away for someone else to enjoy! Want one? Just leave a comment on this post and you'll be in the running! I'll draw a name Monday and announce soon thereafter. I might even put some other goodies in the envelope too! :-) 

Have a good rest of your weekend! 

~Julie

Flourishes' Friday Faves!

Hi all and Happy Friday! Today, the Flourishes Design Team has something special for you all! We decided instead of featuring a certain set or a certain challenge, we would just grab some of our favorite sets and... create! 

On to my creation!

 

I decided to pick up the set Garden Dreams for my creation. I just love the sweet images in this set and I honestly haven't had much time to use this one. So, no time like the present, right? And, I decided to also pair this up with this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge. It was a recipe Cindy Haffner shared that was simple - a circle, 4 pearls (I cheated and used rhinestones) and a fishtail tag.

I started by cutting my shape out thanks to the Garden Dreams Silhouette Cut File. I stamped using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and then, grabbed my Copic Markers and used the collections listed below. Mat it up using a mix of Prima, My Mind's Eye and Authentique papers, add some bling and a fun sentiment that is a part of the Tiny Flowers and Tags set and... almost there! For one the the mats, you can see I used the Perfectly Pierced Classic Window die set. I love, love, love the shape in that die set! 

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! So, as you make the rounds today, you'll see a little bit of everything -- and hopefully it inspires some creativity in your own crafting spaces! So, grab a cup of coffee and head on over to see....

• Christine Okken -- is taking the week off! Her hubby needed surgery and now needs prayers!
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber -- you are here!
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Also, we have some BIG news for you if you are a bargain hunter! Flourishes had put their Gambler's Sale on hold over the holidays because there were so many different sales. Well, they've resumed it to try to further clear the shelves at Flourishes' home base. So now, many of our items on the Sale Page are....

That's right -- 55% off! You will see some additional items on sale. As a limited time special, all Aquamarkers are 20% off. These water-based markers are fabulous to have on hand for coloring and watercoloring - so if you need a water-based marker, now is the time to stock up! 

Thanks for stopping by,  I hope you have a fun weekend planned! See you back here soon!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

 

Need a quick and easy creation?

I'm the hostess over on the Flourishes blog today for 10 Minute Thursday -- a post where we show you how to make a quick and easy creation - in just 10 minutes!

Here's a peek at what I whipped up!

If you  have time, click HERE and see what I whipped up this week!
See you back here soon!

~Julie

It's Free for all Friday!

 

Hi all and welcome to another Free for all Friday, when the Flourishes designers get to pick up one of their favorites from the recent release and.... give you some more ideas on how to use this new and wonderful set! It's also the last day of our special January New Release Bundle. This special deal gives you 10% off all three of our new sets when you purchase it in a bundle! So, click HERE to see this deal in the store and remember -- today's the last day! 

On to my creation!

I had this idea in my head for a while now and really thought this set would be perfect to give it a try! It was such an easy peasy card but I love the bold pop of color. All I did was use the largest floral cluster from the Roses Are Red stamp, stamped on kraft card stock using Versamark ink. I embossed using a detail white embossing powder and then grabbed some Aquamarkers. I didn't want to use Copics because the nib on the Copic marker can get damaged by touching the areas with embossing powder. Then, I literally took the fine point nib on the marker and scribbled! Yep, scribbled. I added color closest to the embossed lines and then drew the color out using the Aquamarker blender pen.

I matted it all up on a piece of medium red paper from the Poppy Color Made Easy paper collection, added some white seam binding ribbon, a punched tag and a sentiment from the Mix-n-Mug set and... ta da!

Here's a peek at that darling little tag (from the Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals die set).... 

 

And, if you wondered how I added the white embossed line, I used a Versamark Pen and a straight edge from my paper trimmer. I simply lined it up at the 1/4" mark all the way around my card and drew on my line, adding embossing powder afterward and embossing! I might use this trick more often!

Want to see what other creativity the Flourishes gals whipped up this week using the new sets? Just hop on over and see....

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! I have a fun one ahead. My daughter (who is in 4th grade) is in her first ever basketball tournament with some girls from her class. They are a hoot to watch because they are all just spit-fires. Should make for a fun weekend! Hope life is good wherever you are! Until next time!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

Sweet Thoughts!

Hi all! Happy Thursday! I'm back today with more fun from Impression Obsession and today it is all about "Sweet Thoughts!" That's the focus of this week's challenge, so grab your IO stamps and get those creative juices flowing! You can find out more about this week's challenge by clicking HERE and heading over to the IO blog!

On to my creation!

 

When I first set eyes on this darling little fruit and veggie container, I knew that I wanted to stamp off some of those sweet strawberries to set inside! And, to add dimension, I stamped my container and then stamped over top using the Cover-A-Card background called Distressed Lines.  I stamped using Vivid! Taupe ink and then, while the ink was still drying, I went over the lines with a blender pen to add a little shading in places.I stamped the stamp Three Strawberries a handful of times, colored them up with watercolor pencils and then cut them out layering them behind my little berry basket. The rest is adding a sentiment on a strip of paper -- the stamp used is called You're a Sweetie. I made my circle card thanks to a large circle die cut and matted it up with smaller shapes and a little doily. Add a ribbon, a button and OF COURSE some glitter glue and... ta da! All done!

Here's a close up of my berries -- too cute!

One thing I forgot to mention is -- if you play along with us -- the randomly drawn winner gets a $25 shopping spree over at the Impression Obsession store! All you need to do is link up your creation over on the January 17th post there.

Need some inspiration? Hop on over and see these IO designers and their "sweet" creations!

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber--- you are here!
• Kitti Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Valentine Drive for Kids in Need!

 

Hi all! I have a special little favor to ask of my friends in blog land! A number of years ago, my mom started a charity that serves the children staying at Children's Hospital of Michigan. She makes cards and Valentines for those kids who are staying in the hospital -- to brighten their spirits when they are facing some difficult times. Right now, my mom is hosting a card drive to make sure that all of the 250 kids being treated there get at least a handful of Valentines to share. My mom is offering up some REALLY nice mystery blog candy for those who donate and you can find out more about the drive by clicking HERE.

So, what did I do this weekend? Well, make Valentines of course! I was at JoAnn Fabrics and stumbled upon these darling stickers below. I thought they would be perfect! Afterall, kids love stickers and this would make them cute... and fast!   

I did have helpers! My darling daughter and I camped out and literally overtook my mom's dining room table! Oh my gosh was the paper flying!

Speaking of paper, this is pretty much were my mom sat to cut card after card after card!

We decided to make ATC sized creations. We stamped some and printed off sentiments thanks to the good ole computer. Here's just a small sampling! By the end of the afternoon, we had a couple hundred done!

Again, the more the merrier with this heart touching campaign. I can tell you from personal experience, there is NOTHING like seeing the smiles on these kids faces when they see something that was created just for them! The hospital has even set up mail boxes so the kids can have their Valentine's delivered to their door. The doctors and nurses, from what I am told, even get in on the action playing post man. It's quite a sight to see and is so amazing to be a part of. So... please... if you have some time and can make a few cards for some kids in need, I know my mom, and more importantly the KIDS would love it! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Julie

Flourishes' January Release is HERE!

Well, it's the moment you have all been waiting for -- the Grand Finale of Flourishes' January Release! If you've been following the sneak peeks this week, they are no longer peeks! All three of their new sets are now live -- RIGHT HERE! As always, we have our special New Release Bundle as well -- which will give you 10% off all sets when you purchase them in a bundle.

The set the design team is showcasing today is part of a collection of sentiment sets aimed at giving you oh-so-many options for the insides and outsides of your cards!

 

Inside and Out You by Becky Fleck the perfect little sentiment set for all the different ways to tell that someone special so many different things! The mix and match sentiments are all packed on this 4″ by 3″ set! If you like this set, you might like our others called Inside & Out Just Because , Inside & Out Thank You or Inside & Out Happy! Be sure to check them out as well.

On to my creation!

I have to tell you, I have been having so much fun with this 123 Create Kit called Love Story. I just love, love, love pink and well, this paper pack has a ton of it! :-) This card was rather simple -- not a ton of layering, I just used the Silhouette Cut File for the Roses are Red set, cut, stamped and then grabbed my Copic markers. (Check below to see which collections I used!). Mat it on a doily and again on a piece of decorative paper that has been accented with a stitched strip of card stock, and accented with a little sentiment flag and... almost done! I had to bling it up a little bit with some little heart sparklets!

Here's a close up of the set we're showing off today -- I love how you can layer these sentiments however you like! I stamped the I Heart in Love Letters Memento Ink and then the word You in Memento Tuxedo Black. See?

Would you like to try 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!

Before I get to the link list of talented ladies – we do have some fun news to share! First up, we have a brand new Silhouette cut file designed to coordinate with our new Roses are Red stamp set! You can find it right HERE in the Flourishes store. The SVG file will come along as well very soon! So, stay tuned for that! And so, without further ado --- hop on over to see our fabulous design team and the gorgeous creations they fashioned using our brand new and ever-so-versatile set that’s perfect for.... YOU!

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

 

THE CLOCK IS TICKING TO WIN THE JANUARY RELEASE!

If you want a chance to win all three of Flourishes' brand new sets, you can still play in the  Love Letters Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! BUT, you have to act fast -- the deadline to enter is 5PM EST today! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! I sure hope you had a blast with us this week! We had fun showing off these new designs and can't wait to see what YOU do with them as well!

~Julie

SUPPLIES USED:
 

IO: Day 5 of the New Spring Line Up!

Hi all! It's the grand finale for the CHA Sneak Peeks featuring Impression Obsession! I hope you've had fun seeing some of the new spring images and I hope it inspired some creativity -- that's what I aim for! Like I've been saying all week, all of the Impression Obsession design team is showcasing all of IO's newest stamps! You can click HERE if you want to see them all! And.... keep reading because you could actually WIN some too!

On to my creation!

Gosh, I love hydrangeas and when I saw these little numbers (Hydrangea Plant Small), I squealed. Aren't they darling? I colored them up with my Copic markers and used BV60, BV63 and BV66 plus YG21, YG23, and YG25 for the leaves. Now, the centers of these little blossoms were also fun. I decided to use some liquid pearls and add a little dimension! See?

The sentiment, also fun, is called Thanks Bunches. I literally used scraps from my scrap bin, add some die cuts, a button and some fun crinkled ribbon and... that.. my friends.. is it! Want to see some of the other new IO images for spring? Hop on over to see these ladies below and just know -- all the fun starts over on the Impression Obsession blog! 

• IO Blog 
• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Here's some fun details about this week's hop -- if you comment on all DT blogs including the IO blog, you'll be in the running for a $25 Gift Certificate! If you comment each day, there will be an extra drawing just for those folks! So, hop on over to everyone and comment away. It could be your chance to get your hands on some of Impression Obsession's newest images!

Thanks for joining us! Mark your calendar, there will be another IO challenge coming your way next week on the 17th!

~Julie

Flourishes Sneaks Day 2: Roses Are Red!

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes’ January Sneak Peeks featuring three of our newest sets! Today's sneak is all about love and a cute little poem we all seemed to learn when we were kids! Only now, it's paired with a few beautiful botanicals that are just screaming to be colored up! Are you ready?

 

Roses are Red by Marcella Hawley puts a new spin on that old, sweet poem! Roses are Red, Violets are Blue --- you finish the phrase with these mix and match sentiments! This set offers a bunch of roses and violets and a single flower bunch that is perfect to send to your sweetie. Use this set for Valentine's Day or any time you want to serve up some love in the form of a card! Set measures 4" by 6".

On to my creation! I just love the little rose that is in this set. I thought it was so sweet and when I looked at Flourishes Victorian Ovals, I knew that this stamp had a "home" right there in the center of this pierced die!

 So, I started with the die, and when it was still on, I sponged on some Angel Pink Memento Ink. I used my Silhouette to cut out the cut file -- the new one to match this set will be released Friday! From there, I grabbed my Copic markers. Be sure to check below to see the color collections I used! Add some lace, pearls and some fun bits of Candi and you're almost done! I used the paper and ribbon from the brand new 123 Create Kit called Love Story. LOVE this paper -- so classy! You might wonder how I got the shape of my card. Well, I played around with the Grand Labels One die and used it to cut and emboss my paper and then, I trimmed the edges to serve as a curve mat for the front of my card.

And... here's a close up of that darling little rose and violet combo!

Would you like to win this new set? Well, why don't you play our little blog comment game......

 

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Roses Are Red set! Want to see all the fun things you can do with this little number? Head on over and see…..

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

 

   

Another little tidbit for you? Have you "Liked" Flourishes on Facebook yet? They will have some giveaways there this week as well and you won't want to miss out on the fun! Just click HERE for more Release Week FUN!

DO YOU WANT TO WIN FLOURISHES' RELEASE?

If you want a chance to win all three of Flourishes' soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in our Love Letters Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! Also, if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release. 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 is another way to add to your sentiment collection! It's a fun one so stay tuned!

~Julie

SUPPLIES USED:

IO Spring... Day 4!

Hi all! The fun continues here with MORE peeks of images that are just now being unveiled to get ready for next week's big CHA show! With the big event right around the corner, the Impression Obsession design team is busy showing off some of IO's new images ripe for spring! (Keep reading, because you could actually WIN some too!) 

On to my creation!

 

Gosh, when I first saw this stamp -- Party Pinwheels -- I just smiled. Doesn't this, in a way, remind you of just blowing and blowing to get those little pinwheels to spin as a kid? It's fun to remember back and that's what I did when I first set eyes on this stamp. It is actually just one stamp (a large and small pinwheel) that I stamped twice on my piece of white card stock. After that, I knew that I wanted to paper piece some of those wheels, so I took five different designs of decorative paper and just stamped it on all of them, adding contrast by cutting and piecing each piece to each wheel. It was a bit time consuming, but I like the result! After that, I added some decorative paper for my square card, added some stitching and accented around my pinwheels and their sticks with Copic Markers. Add a sentiment -- this was called Life Is Good, plus a little button and some twine and... ta da! All done

Here's a close up of the pinwheels, you can see that I also blinged up the centers with little red rhinestones!

 

And that, my friends, is it! Want to see some of the other new IO images for spring? Hop on over to see these ladies below and just know -- all the fun starts over on the Impression Obsession blog! 

• IO Blog 
• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Here's some fun details about this week's hop -- if you comment on all DT blogs including the IO blog, you'll be in the running for a $25 Gift Certificate! If you comment each day, there will be an extra drawing just for those folks! So, hop on over to everyone and comment away. It could be your chance to get your hands on some of Impression Obsession's newest images!

See you back here tomorrow for more fun! 

~Julie