Beauty in the Spotlight!

Hi all! It's time for another Bring Back Beautiful Challenge courtesy of Flourishes and this one will put a fun technique in the spotlight! When you take a peek at my creation, you should also know that I'm showing off a brand new kit from Flourishes that is soooo fun! This 123 Create Kit is called Yacht Club and it features a mix of patterned paper from Webster's Pages. Some of it is masculine with a seaside feel, other papers have a floral garden feel and the third paper has a farmer's market feel -- I love the fact that there is so much variety in this kit! You also get all these fun embellies and ribbons too!
Before I get to my creation, I probably should tell you a little bit about the BBB Challenge!

HOW TO PLAY: Beauty in the Spotlight! If you haven't tried the Spotlight technique -- the goal is to make just part of your image POP! For this fun-filled challenge, let's use this technique and 'spotlight' only a portion of your image with color! Link up your Bringing Back Beautiful Challenge creation HERE using the inlinkz widget to enter. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword BBB10. You have until June 30th to enter!

On to my creation! I have to say it's been forever since I've used this technique and it was fun to give it a try again after all these years!

I used the A Guiding Light stamp set and stamped using Vivid Taupe ink. I cut out my shape using Spellbinders Labels Eighteen that I embossed and cut out using my Grand Calibur machine. While my die cut shape was still on, I did sponge on some Antique Linen Distress Ink. And, that was my "canvas" for my spotlight technique! I just used an oval punch and took out a piece of my image and colored it up with Copic Markers. I used B000, R35, Y21, C3, C00, and C5. All of hte papers and embellishments are a part of the new Yacht Club Kit. How easy peasy is that?

Here's a close up....

And that, my friends is it! Be sure to check out the other BBB gals below!

Cindy Coutts
Heather Jensen
Kathy Jones
Laura Fredrickson
Julie Koerber <<< You are here!
Yvonne Hagane
Beate Johns

And, if you want to see another beauty of a sample using the new 123 Create Kit, head on over to Sharon Doolittle's place and give her some love! ;-) She's got a darling and patriotic card using this new kit! See you back here soon....Happy Monday!

The Beauty of a Flower

As April showers bring May flowers... that's what this month's Bring Back Beautiful is setting it's sights on -- FLOWERS! Let's show off those beautiful blossoms. This month's challenge is being hosted by 'yours truly'. And, on top of using one of my favorite floral vignettes from the set From the Desk of -- I'm also using the brand new 1,2,3 Create Kit called Gabrielle! This kit has some gorgeous shades of blue and coral. If you haven't checked it out -- just click HERE to see just what you may be missing! ;-) Fellow DT members Barbara and Stacy are also showing off this kit as well, so hop on over to see!

On to the very simple details of my card. After stamping on Flourishes Classic White cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, I colored my image using Copic markers and used the lighter shades of the Sunflower Copic Collection grouped by Flourishes plus the Spring Greens, Cool Neutrals, and my flowers were colored with the Sweet Pea Collection.I did highlight with the Copic colors B000 and B0000. After coloring, I did add some sparkle in the centers of my flowers thanks to some glitter glue! I added a sentiment from the Tag Lines set too.

HOW TO PLAY THE BBB CHALLENGE: Simply be inspired by some of those gorgeous botanicals that every stamper loves! Link up your BBB Challenge creation here on this post using the inlinkz widget. If you upload to SCS, please use the Keyword BBB10. Click on the link above to see all the challenge details! Be sure check out all the beautiful creations our challenge team whipped up with the beauty of a flower!

• Beate Johns
• Cindy Coutts
• Heather Jensen -- will be uploading later. Please send prayers, power is out because of last week's Tornados in the south.
• Kathy Jones
• Laura Fredrickson
• Julie Koerber -- that's me!

I can't wait to see what the rest of you create this month with a little "flower power!" Have a good start to your week and I'll see you back here soon! It's soccer tonight -- DD is on a high because, after three years of soccer, last week she actually scored her FIRST GOAL! Woo hoo! So fun to see my little 7 year old excited! Hope the sun is shining today in your corner of the world!

BBB-- the beauty of springtime colors

With spring officially here, that's what this month's Bring Back Beautiful challenge is ALL about! We want to see you infuse those beautiful spring time colors into your stamping creation!

HOW TO PLAY: Soft shades remind us of spring flowers sprouting from the ground - these shades are the focus of this month's BBB challenge! the color choice is yours! Link your Bring Back Beautiful Challenge card HERE on this post. If you upload your creations to Splitcoaststampers, please use the keyword BBB09. You have until April 30th to enter! As we unveil our challenge next month, we’ll share our True Beauties — those card makers who wowed us with this challenge! Winners will be featured right here on the Flourishes blog and will recieve a Bring Back Beautiful Winner blog button to proudly display on their blogs!

On to my creation!

This card was created using one of Flourishes new stamp sets called Lenten Rose along with one of the 1,2,3, Create Kits (click the link to check out their current kit!) called Sparkling Spring. I just love how Flourishes takes the guess work out for you! I am becoming a "kit addict!" HA! The paper was layered and the pink decorative paper on the left was scored and the embossed lines were sanded a bit to reveal the paper's white core. I stamped my image on Flourishes Classic White paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored up the Lenten rose using Copic Collections grouped by Flourishes and I used the Fields and Peony collections and then highlighted with B000 and B0000 markers. I also sponged some Spun Sugar Distress Ink around the edges of my image. Add some pearl mosaics and some ivory silk ribbon and... fini!

Be sure to check out all the beautiful creations our challenge team whipped up this month all with springtime colors in mind!

• Beate Johns
• Cindy Coutts
• Heather Jensen
• Kathy Jones
• Laura Fredrickson
• Yvonne Hagane

Thanks so  much for stopping by! Hope you have a great start to your week and I'll see you back here soon!

Hi all and Happy New Year! It's the first Bring Back Beautiful challenge of 2011 and this one actually takes a trip back in time!

HOW TO PLAY: The Beauty of Vintage: Take a trip back in time with this BBB challenge and show us some vintage beauty on your card or creation. Use a little lace, a vintage looking button or some decorative paper with an old time feel. Link up your Bringing Back Beautiful Challenge card HERE using the McLinky widget to enter. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword BBB06. You have until January 31st to enter! As we unveil our challenge for next month, we'll share our True Beauties – those card makers who wowed us with this challenge! Winners will be featured on the Flourishes Blog and will receive a True Beauty blog button to display proudly on their blog!

Need a little more inspiration? Be sure to pay a visit to all our Beauty Girls to see what they cooked up with a vintage flair!

Cindy Coutts
Heather Jensen
Kathy Jones
Yvonne Hagane

On to my creation! When I think vintage, I think papers that look like material that you might use for a quilt, I think lace, velvet and buttons. I think distressed, sewn edges and soft, almost washed out images. So, that's exactly what I tried to accomplish!

Using the Berry Sweet set, I stamped on Flourishes' European Watercolor paper using Versafine Sepia ink. I used Distress Inks to watercolor my image afterward. (I learned that distress inks make great inks to use with watercolor thanks to my BBB teammate Yvonne!) I used Worn Lipstick and Peeled Paint and then accented my image with Adirondack Butterscotch ink.

Here's a close up!
The rest is just matting it up! I used Spellbinders Eyelet Circles die. After I embossed the shape, I did go back and sand the edges to give it a distressed feel. Add some beautiful Crochet and Velvet May Arts Ribbon,a button, a stitched edge and a little flag style sentiment and.... voila! The papers I used were BasicGrey Green at Heart and Olivia. Done!

Hope you make time to play! I'll have some more fun here on the ole blog later this week so, be sure to tune back in! :-)

The Beauty of a Gift!

Hi all and welcome to another Bring Back Beautiful challenge! THE CHALLENGE FOR OCTOBER: As we get closer to the season of giving, let’s take the wraps off your creativity to come up with beautiful ways to gift give. Do you have a fun template for a beautiful box? Or, do you have a beautiful presentation for gift cards? Show us what you’ve got! Link up your Bringing Back Beautiful Challenge card here on this post to enter using the inlinkz widget. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword BBB03. You have until October 30th to enter!

Now... to my "gift"! Since we are entering cold and flu season, there really isn't anything better than a warm cup of cider full of vitamin C when you come down with a case of the sniffles. So, my creation is meant to be slipped into an envelope to share some cheer with those friends who are a bit under the weather!

When I first laid eyes on Flourishes' new Apple of my Eye set, I just knew that one time, I would want to paper piece the entire branch... leaves, flowers, apples and all! So, using the Prima Annalee 6 by 6 paper, I literally ripped page by page. The green is actually from 7Gypsies Victorian paper pack. I just stamped the branch multiple times on different decorative papers. Then... the cutting-fest began! I did decide to add some depth by adding color to portions of my flowers and leaves with the help of some Copic pens. I used RV02 and RV00 on the petals and G24 on the leaves. Add some white to the centers of the flowers with the help of an Inkssentials pen and you're pretty much done! After I added all my "pieces" to the base, I did some shading with E53, blending with a Copic Blending Pen. Mat it up on some decorative paper, add some stitching and... voila!

Now to the gift part!! Here's a peek at the tag that sits on the top sending well wishes!

And, when you tug on this ribbon, you can reveal the treat inside! I've made a ton of these in the past -- mostly with hot chocolate. But, I think, no matter what you put inside, it's a fun little surprise. To make the sleeve, you just litterally fold the paper around whatever you stuff inside. Keep the bottom open and punch some holes at the top to allow the ribbon to slide through. Easy Peasy!

Want to see how our Beauty Girls tapped into the beauty of a gift... hop on over and see....

Beate Johns
Becca Feeken
Cindy Coutts
Kathy Jones
Yvonne Hagane
Michelle Woerner

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with me! I'll see you back here soon!

Beautifully Rustic!

Hi all... it's time for Flourishes' Bring Back Beautiful Challenge for September! Mark your calendars because we'll be ushering in a new challenge... every first Monday of the month! This challenge that kicks off today asks YOU to try to capture the feel of fall! As the leaves start to change colors to usher in fall, Flourishes wants to see your rustic beauty! Want to use a little distressing? How about just shades of rust on your creation? It's up to YOU! You can click HERE for all the official BBB02 details! You'll also see some fabulous eye candy from what Flourishes calls.... their first ever "True Beauties!"

On to my creation! I am not great at distressing on cards -- I dabble in it a little here and there but nothing major! ;-) I decided to take this challenge and turn instead to rustic colors!

I used a mix of the new Basic Grey Curio paper (on it's way soon to the Flourishes Store!!) and the Victorian pack from 7 Gypsies. From there, I picked up the Gerber Daisies set -- this is one of my go-to stamp sets. I just love coloring up these flowers -- in all shades! I wanted this version to look almost washed out when it ended up on my card. I used the Falling Leaves and Evergreen Copic Collections grouped by Flourishes and blended the flowers with YR000. Score the edges (with my favorite new Score Buddy!), add the sentiment thanks to a few oval punches, add a few brads, some fun ribbon, an understated border punch and... voila... all ready to go!!

Want to catch a glimpse of the rustic beauty delivered by the rest of the "Beauty Girls?" Be sure to click on over and see.....

Beate Johns
Becca Feeken
Cindy Coutts
Kathy Jones
Michelle Woerner
Yvonne Hagane

So get rustic and get creative! We'd love to see how you Bring Back Beautiful in your own creations! See you back here soon!

Bring Back Beautiful!

Hi all and welcome to the very first Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful Challenge! This team was started by Flourishes to truly showcase beauty in card making – whether it just be in a beautifully colored image, a fabulous way to incorporate an embellishment or a new twist on a card layout. Today kicks off the challenge team's first challenge with a look at one of the things that can evoke a lot of beauty in card making – COLOR!

FIRST Here’s your challenge: pick your favorite medium – watercolor, colored pencils, markers, Copics, alcohol inks… the sky is the limit! Show off your color and join us! Link up your Bring Back Beautiful Challenge creation here on the BBB post using the Inlinkz linky to enter. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword BBB01. You have until August 31st to enter!

Now.. to my creation... I picked up my Copics for this one along with a brand new special edition stamp set just released yesterday by Flourishes called Fuschias in Bloom. This set is available now ONLY to FLIP members but will be released in mid-september during our September release.
I stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then picked up the Hollyhock, Peony and Petunia, and Evergreen Collections grouped by Flourishes. I just love these beautiful colors -- hot pink is one of my favorites in life!

After I colored it up, I added a sentiment from the Around the Arbor set, a punched border, some fun lace trim, cotton linen ribbon and, of course, bling! The paper is from the Green at Heart Collection from Basic Grey.

Here's a close up....

And, now to our "beauty" of a team! All of these women put their own personal and beautiful spin in their creations!! You can look for the challenge the first Monday of each month!

Beate Johns
Becca Feeken
Cindy Coutts
Kathy Jones
Michelle Woerner
Yvonne Hagane

So grab your favorite coloring medium and get those creative juices flowing! We'd love to see how you Bring Back Beautiful in your own creations!