By the Sea....

Happy Friday Flourishes Friends!  How is the weather in your neck of the woods?  Is that summer heat getting you down?  Well today the Flourishes Senior Design Team has a treat for you focusing on some beautiful summery sets:   Beach Life, Seaside Life and A Guiding Light  because we know that this time of year makes you long for those cool ocean breezes.

On to my creation! 

This creation is one that I actually made as a CASE of myself! HA, do you ever do that? You like a layout and you decide, hey, why not have a "re-do?" Well, I searched and searched but couldn't find the card or the blog post with the original card. So, you'll just have to trust me! I used the A Guiding Light stamp set, stamped on Flourishes Classic Ivory with Memento Rich Cocoa and then pulled out my Copic markers to give this beachy scene some color! (See the list below for the colors that I used!) I also used the Spellbinders Classic Ovals LG to cut out my shape and then, while the die was still on, I sponged some Memento Summer Sky and Distress Ink in Tea Dye. I also, as you can see below, added a little bit of razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue!  For my mat, I used Spellbinders Labels Ten. Add some scraps from my decorative paper bin, a little rugged linen ribbon, some pearls, a fun shell charm and a punched circle for my sentiment and... ta da! All done! 

Here's a close up of my image.....

Need some more serene and beachy inspiration? Well, creativity is only a click away so head on over and visit...

Amanda Havon
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber
Maki Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have a fun weekend planned -- baseball, birthday parties and basketball! A little bit of everything! Hopefully some fun in the sun as well. Be sure to stop back here Monday, I'll have a fun dose of creativity to share -- it's one where you could WIN big too! See you then! 

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

HELLO Flourishes Friends! Lots to tell you today... Today the Flourishes Team is excited to show you one more look at its June Release! We liked everything so much we just couldn't stop at the Sneak Peeks!

So.... on to my card!

I'm just going to share a wee bit about this card because really -- it's quite simple! I stamped my image on Flourishes Classic White Card Stock using Memento Tuxedo Black and then let the coloring fun begin! You can see all the color collections that I used if you gander at my supply list below! Honestly, I have NO idea how long this took to color because I watched a movie, Copics next to me, and by the end of the movie I was done after breaks here and there. Coloring does that to me -- puts me in a transe -- I swear! I added some paper piercing, a sentiment flag and then stamped and cut out the little butterfly from the set, popping it up with a bit of foam tape. The curved bottom was done thanks to the Spellbinders Labels Fourteen . Just that easy peasy! Because the red poppies were so vibrant, I really wanted the image to speak for itself without a lot of "extras" on my card. That's why I kept my layout rather simple.

There you have it! And remember that today is your last chance for this month's New Release Bundle of stamps at 10% off. AND for more fun SALE news... Looking to add to your ribbon collection in your stamp room? Well, now is the time to stock up! Flourishes is having a bonanza of a ribbon sale. Nearly everything in our warehouse needs to go to make room for new collections! Most ribbon can be found at prices up to 40% off retail! And, once these ribbons are gone, they will be gone! So, hop on over and shop now for the best selection!

Speaking of hopping, don't forget to pay these ever-so-talented ladies a visit! You won't be sorry that you did!

• Amanda Havon
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead planned! I plan to have a little fun in the sun. My son has a basketball tournament this weekend, so I'll get my "hoops" fix as well! Maybe a barbecue? That sounds yummy too. Well, wherever YOU are -- have a good one! I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

Colors of Summer!

Hi all and happy Thursday! Today is the day for yet another fun-filled Impression Obsession Design Team Challenge and this one is about capturing the colors of summer..... right on your cards or creations!

For my creation today, I decided to pick up some of Impression Obsession's latest stamps. These images are much too fun and I think are PERFECT for teens and tweens!

This card was so incredibly fun to create because I just started by taking those graphical shapes, picking out ink colors and going to town! I started by stamping the Dot Border down one side of my card font in Versafine Black Onyx. From there, I reached for my Orange Vivid! ink and stamped the Grunge Circles. Above and below, I look some Vivid! Yellow ink and stamped using the stamp Splatter 2.  Add the Bike Silhouette over top using the Versafine Black Onyx ink and then, grab a scrap of white card stock for a strip of the Sketchy Chevron Border using red Vivid! ink. Trim it up, add a bow with some twine.... and to finish it all off? I stamped the sentiment "Amazing" in the lower right corner, matted this piece on a piece of black and then on the front of my bright yellow card stock card!

So there you have it! Nothing says summer like shades of red, orange and yellow! Reminds me of a hot summer day! Want to play along in our Colors of Summer Challenge? All you need to do is grab your IO Stamps or Dies and click HERE to find out about all the official rules. You have until next Wednesday, June 26th to enter! Just click on over to the IO blog and link up your creation!

Need some more summery inspiration? Be sure to hop on by and see what these fine ladies have in store!

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

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see y'all back here real soon!

~Julie

Cardmaps fun!

Hello all and happy Saturday! Today I have a special treat! Some of the Flourishes gals have joined the Pagemaps team to usher in a little source of creative inspiration with Becky Fleck's latest round of Cardmaps sketches! Each designer took a different sketch and created to her heart's content!

Here's a peek at my first sketch...(I have two!)

And here's a peek at my creation!

I just love Penny Black's new Life's Moments set created by Becky Fleck. The phrasing is fun and I thought this set would be a perfect pair with Becky's PageMaps Die collection from Spellbinders! I used the Say What? and On the Edge dies. I love the cute and whimsical feel of layering color and still letting the text shine through! Add some My Mind's Eye Paper, some seam binding ribbon, a button and twine and... there you have it! The bottom edge of my decorative strip in the center was created thanks to Spellbinders Labels Twenty. 

I have one more sketch to share as well! Here's a peek...

And, here's a look at my card!

Pair some fun True Freinds Carta Bella Paper with Becky Fleck's Sweet Home stamp set and this is the colorful result! I really thought that paper piecing the home would be a blast using the brick look of the decorative paper and some red polka dots for the roof. I added a sentiment strip and love the "You're my Homie!" sentiment. Too cute. I also added the On the Edge border at the bottom, some circle and scalloped circle die cuts thanks to Spellbinders Classic Circles LG and Blossom dies.

And that, my friends, is it!  Now if you hop on over to see these ladies below, you'll get fresh inspiration with different sketches and fabulous designs! And, if you want more than that -- you'll find it just a click away HERE -- with even more sketch ideas and samples! So, hop along and have some fun!

Allison Cope

Cindy Lawrence
Deborah Anton
Julie Koerber
Makiko Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by, see you back here soon!

~Julie

The Sneaks are Over... the Sets are HERE!

We're back today with our last day of fabulous New Releases for June! After all of those fun-filled sneaks, we're happy to report all of the sets are in the Flourishes store HERE! What fun!  And, the design team is showing off one last set to close out the week. Today's set celebrates the sweet bounty of a fruitful summer garden! Introducing....

 

This set is surely berrilicious! Designed with three sweet-as-can-be accent stamps of raspberries, strawberries and cherries, this set can deliver a gift from your garden or cheer to a friend. The gingham background is designed as a perfect fit to our Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames Die. Layer using the die or come up with your own fun ways to combine all of these sentiments and images. With this fresh picked set, the creative options are endless!

On to my creation!

When I first laid eyes on this set, honestly, all I could see was a pocket -- a jeans pocket with something fun sticking out. So, I snipped and stamped and dotted and tied and what's above was the end result! I love the fact that this set is a perfect match to Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames Die -- makes it so easy and fun! I stamped the gingham background using Paris Dusk Memento Ink onto some distressed navy decorative paper. I embossed and sanded to reveal the paper's white core. And then, I cut the gingham out to create my "pocket". I did a second die cut shape, keeping it plain. Then, I attached the gingham to the bigger frame. Add some fun Regal Silver Candi for my pocket's "rivets" and add a little white gel pen for some stitching and you're done with that part! 

Next, I ran a white piece of paper through my die cut machine using just a strip and making sure to thread my paper through so that only the top portion of my strip would be cut and embossed. The result is below --- a fun strip that is the perfect size for my pocket! I stamped the strawberries from the set on the top, colored with Copic markers and then stamped the sentiment on the bottom. The button was fun -- it is actually one of the small wooden buttons Flourishes sells that I colored with R29 Copic marker! I love the fact that nearly all of the wooden buttons are untreated -- making coloring them a breeze! 

Because this set is a perfect match to Flourishes' Strawberry set, I thought it would be fun to add a little stamped liner on decorative paper using that set. I stamped in Love Letter Memento Ink, added a little paper piercing and this is what I got....

Mat it all up and.... ta da! Done! It's a pretty simple creation but honestly -- I tried to add more on the front of the card and didn't really care for the results. So, in this case -- simple is better! :-)

We have some berry-beautiful things to show you with these Berry Sweet Frames, so take a trip on over to visit the Design Team today to see what we have in store for you, and don't forget that today we have one last chance to figure out...

   

One of the Design Team Members is today's Mystery Blogger. If you comment on her blog you could be chosen to win today's berry-great set! The more blogs you comment on the better your chances!

• Amanda Havon
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Do you want to win Flourishes' entire June Release?

• You can play in the Textures of Nature Challenge – there will be multiple winners there! Deadline for entries is TODAY at 5 PM EST. OR, play along with the gals for this week's Timeless Tuesday Open Sesame Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules!
• As I mentioned, all four of the June sets are NOW AVAILABLE and you can check them out HERE. Take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all four together in a bundle. And, for even more creative options here's the coordinating cut files for this release.

Thanks for joining us for this month's new releases! What a dose of outdoor fun, don't you think? We cannot wait to see what YOU create! Be sure to stop on by and visit the Flourishes Blog tomorrow for the Winner's Circle where we'll announce all of our winners of this weeks' challenges! Hope you're a winner!

~Julie

supplies:

Sneaks Day 3: S'more Fun!

You've come back for S'more Flourishes Fun? Well we're bringing it to you today! And for some more outdoor fun today - we think this set might be one of our favorites! Introducing the very darling....

  

Get on the road again with this summer inspired set designed to share S'more Fun! From a darling daisy clad lantern and a vintage RV ready for summer to finger licking good S'mores fresh off the fire, this set is sure to bring smiles! This 4 by 6" set features three main images, an accent image plus four all-occasion sentiments. 

On to my creation.... I thought with summer fun, camping, kids camp, etc. that a single-serving size for S'mores would be a blast to create! And...... this is what the finished project looks like!

I started with a small brown paper bag. It's the kind you can buy at craft stores -- not the standard lunch size. I embossed it using a wood grain embossing folder and that served as the base. From there, I stamped my image on Flourishes Classic White Card Stock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored my image up with Copic Markers (see link list below for supplies used). To make sure my bag stayed closed, I thought about it and realized that if I added the stamped image to the front on a matted circle, I could tuck the decorative top underneath it -- keeping the bag closed! So, that's what I did. I also added a sentiment flag that I paper pierced and added a button to with twine. See?

And here's a peek at the project from the side. I took the Labels Seventeen Die, cut, embossed and then folded it in half, securing the back half of the fold to the back side of my bag. The front I left without adhesive so it could be opened and closed again and again. 

I just think the s'more image that is a part of this set is completely darling! Love the ooey gooey s'mores paired with those darling wildflowers and of course -- some mallows ready to roast! 

And that, my friends, is it!  Stick some marshmallows inside with a few graham squares and mini Hershey bars and you have some single-serving size fun ready for those pint sized people in your life! The flourishes team has some very fun summer inspired ideas to show you with this set, so drop on over and visit the Design Team today to see them all, and don't forget you have another chance to see.....

 

One of the Design Team Members is today's Mystery Blogger. If you comment on her blog you could be chosen to win today's great set! The more you comment on the DT Blogs, the better your chances of winning! So, grab a few marshmallows and head on over to see......

• Amanda Havon
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Do you want to win Flourishes' entire release for June?

• You can play in the Textures of Nature Challenge – Deadline for entries is Friday at 5 PM EST. OR, play along with the gals for this week's Timeless Tuesday Open Sesame Challenge! Be sure to check out the links for the official rules!
• All four of our June sets can be pre-ordered even before you see the last set tomorrow. Take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all four together in a bundle.
• All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release.

There's one more set tomorrow that's very sweet and tasty feeling :) So, be sure to stop on by!
SUPPLIES:

~Julie

Sneaks Day 2: In Nature!

Welcome to Day Two of Flourishes June Releases!  We're thrilled to show off more nature-inspired offerings for you today. One of the things that makes summer so special are those tranquil moments spent in the outdoors.  Think of those peaceful places of solitude away from the hustle and bustle of daily life! In honor of those special places, we bring you...........

   

You can feel the solitude in this beautiful and earthy set penned by Lauren Pope. Whether it's catching the great outdoors by canoe, or sitting by the lake front cabin, this set delivers a serene dose of nature. The images are great for nature lovers or even for the men in your life!

On to my creation!

I chose the cabin in the woods image for my creation and I knew I would have a blast adding a splash of color. I stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then grabbed my Copic markers to bring this image to life! (See my supply list below for a list of what colors I used!) The layout is really simple but is one that I would love for any of the men in my life. I used two strips of green patterned paper, matted it on brown decorative paper, added some twine, a button and the sentiment in the lower corner. Don't forget the paper piercing!

Here's a close up! I did, for some of my coloring stipple my color to make it look more free flowing.....

And that, my friends, is it! I have to tell you - we have some beautiful creations to show you with the In Nature set, so take a trip on over to visit the Design Team today to see them, and don’t forget about today’s…

   

One of the Design Team Members is today’s Mystery Blogger.  If you comment on her blog you could be chosen to win today’s great set!  The more you comment the better your chances!

• Amanda Havon
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Along the way today you'll be introduced to the beautiful Trail Mix 123 Create Kit for this month too - here's a sneak peek at what's in it...

How would you like a chance to win all four of Flourishes' soon-to-be released June sets?

• You can always play in our  Textures of Nature Challenge – there will be multiple winners there! Deadline for entries is Friday at 5 PM EST.  OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Open Sesame 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 three sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all four 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 come back and join us each day this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting fun!

Come back tomorrow when we'll show you something that's pretty and ooey gooey tasty-sweet! See you then!

~Julie

supplies:

Let the Flourishes Sneak Peeks Begin!

Hi all and welcome to day 1 of Flourishes’ fabulous sneak peeks! We have some fun new stamps to show off and.... a way for you to WIN the entire new June release.Since Sneak Peek Day 1 overlaps with the Timeless Tuesday Challenge, we have some amazing projects showcasing our newest beautiful floral stamp set by Marcella Hawley today…

This stunning new stamp set features a glorious spray of wildflowers along with some wonderfully heartfelt sentiments. It will be a ‘must-have’ on your shopping list this week!

AND…another way to win…

You need to find out who today’s Mystery Blogger is! Hidden among the Design Team is one designer who has this set to give away. Comment on that blog and you could win today’s beautiful Picking Wildflowers set!

Ok, on to my card and the challenge! All you have to do to play along in FTTC224 and make a card that  moves or opens in a non-traditional manner with a creative fold or a tri-panel or a pop up -- you choose! If you want some inspiration, the Flourishes blog has some fun links HERE! 

Now to my card! I chose to do a Joy Fold Card. There's a tutorial HERE. And, way back when, I did a fun alternative that you can check out HERE! For this latest card, however, I kept it simple since the image I used was a bit larger!

So, you can see that I stamped the Picking Wildflowers main image using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. And then, I colored up my image with Copic markers keeping it all on the soft side (See Collections I used below). I had never seen pink poppies before but they do exist and are quite lovely! See? Sigh.... 

And here's a peek at how the joy fold works - it's three panels that are basically two folded pieces of paper matted together like this....

Here's the one side with an embossed panel......

And here's what it looks like when my card is fully open!

There's not a ton to this card. Most of it was making my layers all match up. I did add a sentiment tag using the Classic Keyhole Die from Flourishes ( it is on back order but should be back in stock soon!). I added some cream seam binding, gold cording, a gold brad and a bit of bling! You can also see that I did add a little paper piercing as well. 

And that, my friends is it! A relatively easy card that has the "wow" factor when it comes to the fold! If you need more inspiration, you have plenty of it today. Today both the Friends of Flourishes and Senior Design Team are showing off creative folds and this beautiful brand new set called Picking Wildflowers!  And remember -- if you leave comments on their blogs - you could win this set thanks to the "Mystery Blogger!"

Allison Cope
Broni Holcombe
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Deborah Anton
Denise Marzec
Heather Jensen
Jenny Gropp
Judy Rozema
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Makiko Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Berni Cuttino, our June guest designer

If you want to play along, just click HERE   for the official rules! You have until next Monday at 6 PM to enter! We can't wait to see all the fun folds you come up with. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another fun-filled peek. This one takes the nature lovers to heart! It's a beauty!

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

Take a peek!

Hey all! I'm the hostess today over on the Flourishes Blog and I'm sharing a fun new addition to the Flourishes store....AND... an easy peasy idea just in time for Father's Day! Here's a peek!

Be sure to check out the full post HERE!

~Julie

Time for a Release Week Challenge!

Hi all! Can you believe another Flourishes release is just around the corner? And, to get you ready, the design team is asking you to look out your windows and be inspired by what you see with the beautiful textures and colors that only nature can deliver! In just a few short days we’ll be unveiling a new round of stamps at Flourishes inspired by the outdoors. We’re really excited to show them to you! So today, we’re challenging you to be inspired by the TEXTURES of nature!

How To Play:

Create something with an outdoorsy texture in mind – or use an element from nature as part of your design. It could be the texture in an embossing folder that has woodgrain, leaves or vines, it could be a leaf rubbing behind your image, something glossy like rain or shiny like a berry. The interpretation is up to you! If you play along with us, you could win Flourishes entire June Stamp Release! If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCJUN13. You can enter as many times as you like, but we want you to know if you use your Flourishes stamps, your entry counts twice! You have until Friday June 14, 2013 at 5 PM EST to enter. Just click HERE to link up your creation!

On to what I created!

There are some weeks where you just don't have a ton of time to create and sadly, (sniffle, sniffle) this week was one of them! So, I tried to create an "earthy" card that didn't require coloring. Instead, I turned to one of my favorite silhouette sets called Country Road. I love the peaceful imagery in this set and I thought it would be perfect for this challenge! I started by stamping using Espresso Truffle Ink and stamped the barn image on Flourishes Classic Kraft card stock. Add a little paper piercing and then mat the image onto the darkest shade of the Color Made Easy Rich Browns Collection. The red strip of paper is from the Teresa Collins Far and Away paper pack. I added some twine and a few antique copper brads and... almost done! The sentiment is from the Old Fashioned Florals set and I thought it was a fun one to go with my image. So, where is the earthy texture? I decided to use a wood grain embossing folder and some Core-dinations paper that had a base of kraft in it. I thought once I embossed and sanded my image that it might resemble an old piece of weathered wood! And, after I was done matting it all up -- I think it worked!

Here's a close up! You can see I did add some Antique Linen Distress Ink around the edges of my image just to add a more distressed/weathered look. See?

And that, my friends, is it! So, do you need a little inspiration brought on by Mother Nature herself? Head on over and see the beautiful creations from our Senior Design Team before you get started. Hop on over and see.....

Amanda Havon
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber
Maki Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
And be sure to welcome our NEWEST Senior Design Team Member - Tosha Leyendekker!! See more about her HERE. We’re so excited to have her with us! Woo hoo!!!!

If you want to check out the official rules -- be sure to click  HERE   And, get ready to get your fingers inky! If you play along, you could win Flourishes entire new release for June! Oh, and be sure to mark your calendars because the sneak peeks for the June release start next TUESDAY! Have a fabulous weekend and hopefully I'll see you back here soon! 

~Julie

SUPPLIES:

Bloom where you're planted!

Hi all and happy Thursday! It's time for another fun-filled Impression Obsession challenge and this one is all about the beauty of flowers! So, grab those IO stamps and join us for the "Bloom where you are Planted" Challenge! You can read up on the challenge details HERE but know, if you play along, you have a chance at a $25 gift certificate to the Impression Obsession store!

On to my creation.....

I picked up an oldie but goodie stamp for my creation and used Twin Tulips. I thought this image from Alesa Baker was super sweet. I started to color the tulips and realized that the color was going to be a bit more vibrant than I expected! ;-) I used Copic markers and used RV21, RV23 and RV25 and then added a splash of color to the outer part of my vase with G0000 and then added a little flick of color with C00 and C01. The leaves were colored with YG21 and YG23. Add a little sparkle with some glitter glue and... that's pretty much it!

And, the sentiment is just called Bloom,   which I thought was perfect for the challenge! I stamped it on a panel of white and then ran it through my die cut machine with a chevron design -- so that the sentiment would be part of the embossed area. And, because the coloring was a bit bright, I decided to keep the colors low key for my card. I added a splash or pink and light blue and then green for my mat. Here's a peek at the sentiment....

And that, my friends is it! Add a bow, a button and a little bit of twine and you have a card that could be good for any occasion! Need a little more inspiration that you can watch blossom? Just head on over and see....

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

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you decide to join us in the challenge -- find a flowery stamp and get those fingers inky! See you back here soon!

~Julie