TGIFlourishes Friday Faves!

 

Hi all and Happy Friday! Today, the Flourishes Design Team is letting the creative juices flow and decided to pick up their favorite sets to serve up a little weekend inspiration for all of you! As you make the hop, you'll see a bunch of different sets being used. What does that mean? A lot of different kinds of eye candy! YUM!

On to my creation!

While we were supposed to pick a favorite set for today - I picked an image that I love and think is just gorgeous but have hardly got the chance to use! It's the large image from Flourishes' Magnolia set.

I stamped and colored up my image -- stamping with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Flourishes Classic White Card Stock. Colored it up with Copic markers (check out my list below for the color families I used) and then I used the "outside the edge" technique after my image was all colored up. That's when you let a portion of your image fall outside of the die cut shape by fussy cutting and setting the cut image on the inside of the die. If you want a great tutorial on this -- Diane Zechman did a fabulous one over on SCS HERE! From there -- the rest is just matting it all up -- with some fun My Mind's Eye paper, sheer ribbon, paper piercing and pearls! Ta da!!!!

As you make the rounds, you'll also see a new name on our designer link list! Guess who is joining us??? This is Ms. Amanda Havon's first post as a senior design team member -- so be sure to stop by her place and tell her congrats!!

Are you ready for some fabulous creativity? Head on over and see our ever-so-talented Flourishes designers!

• Amanda Havon
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan

Hope you have a fabulous and creative weekend! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Supplies Used:

It's A Berry Sweet Day!

Light the candles, cue the music and get ready for a little bit of birthday fun! It will SOON be a very special lady's birthday and so we rallied the troops to send some birthday wishes her way a little early! On Monday, February 25th, Jan Marie Caruso, the fearless and creative force behind Flourishes will be another year older -- what a wonderful thing to celebrate! So, Flourishes' designers from all teams are joining together to help make this day super special with a......

Here's the scoop, there's a way YOU can help Jan celebrate and win some Flourishes stamps as well! HOW? Simply be inspired by the photo above and create a birthday card for Jan. Just that simple! We just love creative challenges at Flourishes and so, why not usher in another one! One randomly drawn winner will get a $25 gift certificate to the Flourishes store, just for playing along! You can find out more about the "official rules" by clicking HERE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN MARIE! Cheers to a wonderful day and a wonderful year full of blessings ahead! You deserve it! For Jan's card, I chose to be inspired by the darker pink and lighter pink shades in this photo and added a pop of green (just like you can see in the photo!)

I chose to use the Sweet Peas set and I started with some Flourishes Classic White and the new Sweet Pea Silhouette Cut file! I colored up my image with just a few Copic markers and I used these collections...

I used some My Mind's Eye paper, some fun lace, some white seam binding, a little gold cording and a splash of pearls for my layout and.. almost done! The highlight was using one of Flourishes brand new sets called Inside and Out Hello that I stamped with some deep pink ink and some Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Here's a close up of the sentiment!

And speaking of new releases, today  is the last day for the New Release Bundle! It's a chance for you to get all three new sets released in February for 10% off. Just click HERE to see for yourself!

One extra note? Jan may be the head of this company but one thing she could use a little more of is... happy mail from customers using her stamps! Let's flood her with some creative "love" by sending her your Berry Sweet Birthday Blog Hop creations! Here's her address so you can pop them in the mail! Jan Marie Caruso 4140 Lyric Lane Pensacola, FL 32514 I know she would love to see "in real life" what beautiful work you all do and I know it would bring a huge smile to her face! So, join us in singing her a special little birthday song! Be sure to check out all the fun and festive wishes and grab some great ideas for birthday cards along the way! 

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Allison Cope
Broni Holcombe
Cindy Haffner
Maki Jones
Aleksandra  Mihelič
Dina Kowal
Iwona Palamountain
Kathy Jones
Meredith MacRitchie
Sasha-Marie Holmes
Deborah Anton
Amanda Havon


Thanks for stopping by and helping us with Jan Marie a wonderful and fabulous BIRTHDAY on Monday!

~Julie

What's Your Hobby?

Hi all! It's Thursday and it's time for another Impression Obsession challenge! So, grab your IO stamps and get ready to "show" us what your favorite hobby is! That's right, this challenge is called What's Your Hobby!

Stick around to find out a little bit more about the challenge. But first, my creation!

Ok, I will admit -- I don't have a ton of hobbies! LOL! I stamp. I quilt and I knit and I love planting flowers! Since I didn't have any knitting or quilting stamps, I decided to show my two other hobbies -- stamping and flowers! How's that for an easy way out! HA! I did take advantage, however, of using some of my newest IO stamps. I just love this flower called Wildflower -- it's a sweet stamp that could be colored like a coneflower or a daisy! I picked up my Copic markers and colored it up in shades of yellow and brown and highlighted around my flower with a little light blue. The sentiment, Blessed, is also a new one and I love those small sentiments that fit on little tags. That's my fave!

Here's a close up!

Add some die cuts, some fun decorative paper, a ribbon, dash of lace and a button and.. ta da! All done! And that, my friends, is it -- a card that shows off a couple of my favorite hobbies!

Would you like to see what some of the other designers consider their hobbies? Head on over and see....

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

And... if you want to know more about this fun-filled challenge, just click on over to the IO Blog HERE for the official rules! You have until February 27th at 10 PM EST to enter by linking your creation up to the Inlinkz widget and remember -- there's a $25 gift certificate that goes to the winner! Hope you join in the fun!

See you back here soon!

~Julie

The Sneaks are OVER!

Hi all! Gosh, this week flew by and by the sounds of it, you like the newest offerings from Flourishes! Well, you'll be happy to know that each and every one of Flourishes' new sets is now LIVE in the Flourishes store! Easter Wishes, Old Fashioned Florals and today's new set that the design team is giving you a peek of called Inside and Out Hello!

Introducing...

 

Give the inside and outside of your cards a dash of pizazz with this fun new set from Becky Fleck! Inside and Out Hello 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! Not to mention -- this set is a PERFECT companion to all of the other Inside and Out sets in this collection! 

On to my creation! 

My daughter has a birthday party coming up so I saw this new set as a perfect way to make a card for my DD to take! I just love the Hello Birthday Girl sentiment -- too cute! And, since I love reaching for the Enjoy the Ride set for kids -- well, I couldn't resist! I picked up the My Mind's Eye Lavendar paper pack, some Melon seam binding ribbon, some bling and then Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Frames die set. I used my Silhouette to cut out the Enjoy the Ride image, stamped with Memento Black Ink and then let the coloring begin with my Copic Markers! (See supply list below for a look at the colors that I used!) Add a little stitching, a sentiment flag, a bow and... ta da!

Here's a close up at this fun sentiment! 

And that, my friends, is it!  Just like I mentioned, you can get all three new sets now -- just click HERE to see them in the store! Or... would you like to try to win today's set? Just leave some love in the form of a comment on all of our designers' blogs and try to guess....

 

We don't know which one is the mystery blogger and which one will draw a name from their posts to win this beautiful new set!Before we get to the link list with all of our designers and let you go and see their beautiful eye candy - a few announcements! First, it's hot off the presses!!

This gorgeous, full color, high gloss catalog is here for the taking! What's inside? Only all of Flourishes stamp sets for you to peek at, more than 60 samples to inspire you in your own stamping spaces, and five step-by-step tutorials just for you! There's even a few peeks at some stamp sets that haven't even been released yet! So click HERE and get your copy today!

Another new item in the store? Silhouette and Cut files for our brand new set called Easter Wishes! Just click HERE to see the SVG version and click HERE for the Silhouette Studio file!

Do you want to see what gorgeous creations our designers created with our new Inside & Out Hello set? Hop on over and see....

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

 

Do You Want to Win Flourishes' Entire
February Release?

If you want a chance to win all three soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in the Pick 1 Challenge! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR ENTRIES -- YOU HAVE UNTIL 5 PM EST!! 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! If you can't wait -- don't forget about our New Release Bundle a special that gives you 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle.

Hope you had as much fun as I did this week! I'll be back soon to share more creative goodness. Until then, have a fabulous weekend! :-)

~Julie

supplies:

 

Sneak Peek Day 2: Easter Wishes!

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes Sneaks for February! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's sneak of some gorgeous florals -- Old Fashioned Florals! It might be the day of LOVE (Happy Valentine's Day!!) but today's sneak is all about sending off sweet Easter Wishes. This new set features classic imagery and religious sentiments perfect for the season!

Introducing...

Three lovely vignettes designed to usher in beautiful well wishes for a blessed Easter. This set, illustrated by Marcella Hawley, offers a breath of spring with three main images and six beautifully scripted sentiments.

On to my creation! When I saw this set, I just fell in love with that beautiful and almost vintage inspired egg. What's fun is -- there are a handful of sentiments designed to fit in the little tag. Too fun! 

 

I started with some fun decorative paper and then built my card and colors around it. Another fun thing? The background to my oval shape is actually a doily that I cut apart and taped to match the curves of my oval die mat. For my main image, I started by using my Silhouette Cameo with the new Easter Wishes cut file (available in both Silhouette and SVG formats!) I grabbed my Tuxedo Black ink and Copics and went to town coloring (see supply list below for the colors that I used). Add some fun ribbon, a stitched edge and decorative border punch and... ta da! Done!

You can see that on the flowers, I did add a little razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue. See?

 

And that, my friends, is it! If you like what you see, you can pre-order this set now HERE or.... do you want to try to win this set? All you need to do is try to figure out.....

Simply leave a comment on our designers' blogs! We don't know which one is the mystery blogger and which one will draw a name from their posts to win this beautiful new set! Do you want to see what gorgeous creations our designers created with Easter in mind? Just hop on over to see...

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

 

Do You Want to Win Flourishes' February Release?

If you want a chance to win all three soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in the Pick 1 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! If you can't wait -- don't forget about our New Release Bundle a special that gives you 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 as we unveil these new sets and show you one more that will add fun sentiments to both the inside and outside of your creations! See you back here then!

~Julie

supplies:

 

Sneak Peeks Day 1: Old Fashioned Florals

Hi all and welcome to day 1 of Flourishes Sneaks for February! We have some fun planned this week and can't wait for you to join in! Today's peek is one that mixes beautiful florals with one very classy custom die Flourishes released not too long ago. What do you get when you pair a beautiful paper pierced die with stunning florals? Gorgeous creations for sure!

Introducing...

Designed to be used with our Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals, this set illustrated by Marcella Hawley adds an old fashioned charm. Fuchsia, Four O'Clocks and Apple Blossoms adorn these oval centers with mix and match sentiments perfect for all occasions. 

On to my creation!

As I mentioned, this new set is a perfection companion to Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals die -- I just love the way the image sets in the oval perfectly allowing you to get that layered look with a single layer! How do you do it? Well, take a peek! Start by stamping the image, and then, center the image in the center of the die like this.....

 

To add a little more dimension, I left the die on the cut shape and added some sponged color thanks to some Angel Pink Memento Ink....

Add some color with the help of some Copic Markers and... this is how it looks when you are done! (See my supply list below to see what Copic colors I used) You can also see that I added some bling and a little sentiment tag. The fun thing is, the mini sentiments in this set all fit in the tiny tag die that is a part of the Victorian Ovals die set!

And that, my friends, is it! If you like what you see, you can pre-order this set now HERE or.... do you want to try to win this set? All you need to do is try to figure out.....

 

Simply leave a comment on our designers' blogs! We don't know which one is the mystery blogger and which one will draw a name from their posts to win this beautiful new set! Do you want to see what beautiful things our designers created with this new set? Head on over and see....

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

 

DO YOU WANT TO WIN FLOURISHES FEBRUARY RELEASE?

If you want a chance to win all three of Flourishes' soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in the Pick 1 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 of the 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 me this week as the team unveils a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!

I’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one is perfect to send sweet Easter Wishes to those you love!

~Julie

supplies:

A DIY Challenge!

Hi all and welcome to another fun-filled Friday here courtesy of Flourishes! Today we have a special surprise for you -- it's a one of a kind challenge where YOU pick the course of your challenge. That's right, it's.....

    

If you play along, you could win Flourishes' entire February release! How do you play? We start with three different choices, and you need to pick one out of each three! So, let's get started! First up, there are three sketches....

 

 Next, three color schemes....

And finally, three embellishments...

On to my creation!

So, as you can see, I chose the last sketch, picked up the Sunflowers set and then some scraps of paper. This is really a mix of papers Flourishes has sold out of that I had little scraps of here and there. Since it was of the yellows and greens in the third color scheme, I thought -- perfect! Since I followed the sketch, the layout is pretty self explanatory!

I stamped the sunflower on a scrap of Flourishes Classic White using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and then picked up my Copic markers (look below for a list of what colors I used). Add some stitching, some epoxy brads, some light yellow seam binding, a wooden button and.. ta da! All done!

Here's a close up! 

So there you have it -- a kind of DIY challenge where every card could, in essence, be different! Doesn't that sound fun? If you need a little inspiration, it’s never far away with our design team’s creations! Hop on over and see…

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber -- you are here! 
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan

  The OFFICIAL Rules…..

• Simply create a card using the Pick 1 formula!
• Entries need to be in by Friday, February 15th at 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. Only those that don’t combine will be in the running.
• If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCFEB13
• We’ll announce the winners Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post on Saturday, February 16, so check back then to see if you’re one of the lucky winners!

Remember, Flourishes' release week sneaks start next Wednesday — so mark your calendar! See you back here soon!

 ~Julie

Supplies:

Shades of Green!

Hi all and Happy Thursday! I am back with another Impression Obsession Challenge and this one will have you seeing green! Shades of Green is the challenge - so pick up those IO stamps and get those fingers inky! If you play along, you could win a $25 gift certificate to the IO store!

On to my creation!

I have to say, I don't use a ton of green when I create, so this was a bit of a stretch for me -- in a good way! Instead of making the majority of my card green, I decided to just make that my pop color. I stamped the Daisy Dress Form in black on white card stock (I used Memento Tuxedo Black). Then, I picked up my Copic markers in shades of green and used G40, G43, G46 and G20. After I was done coloring it up, I cut my image out with the Spellbinders Labels Fourteen Die and while the die was still on, I sponged some light green ink around my image. I matted it onto a green piece that I cut with one of the larger dies in the same set. After embossing, I sanded the edges to reveal the paper's white core. Add a little flower, a rhinestone, some soft green lace, a rhinestone button and -- almost done! You can see I matted up my image onto some black and ivory decorative paper that I grabbed from my stash. I also added this sentiment called A Sweet Note.

And, here's a close up of my main image.....

Want to see what the other IO ladies did for the Shades of Green Challenge? Hop on over and see...

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett
• Kittie Caracciolo 

Keep in mind, you have until February 13th at 10PM EST to enter. Just click HERE for more details! Thanks for stopping by everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with some more creative fun!

~Julie

A Quickie Creation!

Hi all! It's my turn to post the 10-Minute Thursday over at Flourishes!!! If you need a quickie card, this one has the "season of love" in mind! :-) Here's a peek....

And if you want to see the full post, just click HERE! Thanks for stopping by!!! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Little Springtime Fun!

Hi all! Hope the weekend is starting out right in your neck of the woods! I have some fun news to share! Recently, one of my creative friends - Becky Fleck - launched a new venture and will be designing stamps for Penny Black! It's funny, I remember when I first started stamping, Penny Black was one of the companies that I gravitated toward. I loved the images and taught many a class using those designs (and even stickers!)

So, imagine my surprise when Becky asked if I would like to create using some of her new designs! Well, twist my arm! ;-)

So, here's a peek at one of my first creations! I have to admit, this one is a little different from -- no make that A LOT different --  from the cards I usually make. I had a ton of fun!

 

First up, the set is called Home Sweet Home and features a handful of darling little houses to color up, plus some other accents! So, I stamped all of the images on my card base (except for the house) and I did so in a way that I could create my "hills" of decorative paper! I cut slopes out from the paper and then added stitched and paper pieced accents to add a little texture. After that, stamp the house, color it up using Copic Markers (see list below for colors that I used) and add some fun accents. I used a mish-mash of paper from my scrap bin, so I really can't tell you what I used. The red ribbon is some red seam binding, add a button, some turquoise and white twin and almost done! 

You can see in the close up below that I did add some fun effects to the trees. I colored them dark to light from bottom to top and then, when I was done, I used the brush tip of my mid-range and darker shades of green to just stipple in some color. I thought it turned out cute!  You can also see that I popped up the house by cutting it out and mounting in on my card base with some foam tape.

 

And then, for the fun little sentiment, I ended up stamping and cutting out using Spellbinders Classic Circles and matting it on a shape cut from Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles. Add some red marker to the center of the heart and bedazzle it with glitter glue and... ta da!!!!

And that, my friends is it! Would you like to win Becky's entire new collection? Well, leave a comment HERE.  Becky's going to draw a winner MONDAY! 

Thanks for stopping by everyone - have a fantastic weekend!

~Julie

supplies:

 

A Year in Flowers... for YOU!

 

Hi all and Happy Friday! Today, the Flourishes Design Team is serving up a bit of floral fancy! Each one of the Flourishes designers picked up their favorite from the A Year in Flowers Collection. Have you seen these stamps? If not, you're missing out! Each of the three sets offers a different flower of the month to last the whole year long. Here's a peek... 

 

On to my creation! I have to say, of all the flowers, my absolute favorite is the sprig of daffodils in the A Year in Flowers 1 set. 

I started with THIS sketch from the Deconstructed Sketch blog. I loved the way the main image slanted to and fro! I stamped my flowers on Flourishes Classic White using Memento Rich Cocoa Ink and then colored up my image using these collections...

After I was done coloring it all up, I took some kraft card stock (coming soon to the Flourishes store!) and stamped on the Vintage Wallpaper background stamp using Rich Cocoa ink. I matted it up on the darkest shade in the Rich Browns Color Made Easy paper collection.  The decorative paper is Teresa Collins Now and Then (sold out from the Flourishes store.. :-( ). The matching enamel stickers are also from that collection. The ribbon is the Golden Rod seam binding from the Sunflower Color Made Easy Collection. Add some paper piercing, a sentiment from the Life Lines set stamped on a punched circle and that, my friends is it!

Are you ready for some floral creativity? Head on over and see our ever-so-talented Flourishes designers!

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

Thanks for stopping by everyone! TGIF -- hope your weekend is creative and fun! See you back here soon!

~Julie