Hug those Fathers in your life!

Hi all! Just wanted to remind you to tell all those men in your life that are great dads....

Happy Father's Day!!!

Today in our house, this man is king!
If hubby read my blog I'd say something cute here but... well... I love him anyway! :-) And thus, my Father's Day card to share!

What you've got here is the Guiding Light set from Flourishes, a mix of Webster's Pages Paper, a Curved Rectangle Spellbinder's Die, some Antique Linen Distress Ink (for the sentiment) Memento Tuxedo Black for the main image, some twine, a gromet, a little bit of stitching and a handful of Copic Markers (Flesh Tones 2, Water, Y21, and R27)! And that my friends, is all it takes!

My kids are so funny -- when I asked them what we should get their dad for dad's day -- they had a million ideas - "Let's get him a book", "Let's get him a ticket to opening day at the baseball field", "Let's get him beer - he likes beer!" So, we got him all those things and called it Dad's little relaxation basket. :-) It's so fun to watch the kiddos get excited about making someone elses day -- especially when it's their dad.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and a great end to your weekend! See you back here soon!

Let the Flourishes Sneak Peeks Begin!

April showers are bringing more than May flowers! They are bringing a whole new crop of Flourishes stamps for you to enjoy! It's day one of our sneaks and today, it's all about the men in our lives.

Introducing...

A guiding light, a steady ship, a bottle on the shore ~ all are focal points in this brand new set called A Guiding Light from Lauren Pope. This set offers four focal images along with seven sentiments perfect to honor the men in your life - husbands, dads, grandads and more!

Flourishes' second offering is called Antique Map and we couldn't love this beautiful background any more for those masculine cards. Use it on its own to create a background or have it as a perfect companion to our A Guiding Light set.

Would you like to win this set and background stamp? Simply leave us a comment over on the Flourishes Blog on today's post!

Moving on to my card! I actually used both the A Guiding Light and Antique Map on this creation....

When I first laid eyes on this set, I just knew that the lighthouse in this set would create the most serene scene! I colored it with Copic Markers in the Water, Spring Greens, Cool Neutrals, Flesh tones 2 and Poppy Collection (just used R27 and R29 for the lighthouse top). I also picked up a few from the Daffodil Collection to create a warm glow in the windows. All of the markers are collections grouped by Flourishes and you can find them here.

After I was done, I cut out my lighthouse and popped it up on my card front....
Add some paper piercing and the rope from the set as an accent and you're almost done! I did use the Curved Rectangles die from Spellbinders from one of my layers and after embossing, I sanded the edges to give it that wind blasted look.

If you look at the finished card, you can see that I picked up some Antique Linen ink and stamped the Antique Map as a background on my card front. I distressed the edges and then attached it to my card base. I also used it on the inside of my card too! I did ink up my background and removed some of the ink so that it would look more distressed. I also sponged on some Antique Linen ink afterward too to make it look aged. The sentiment is from the Guiding Light set.

And that, my friends is it! I am going to use this card for my hubby as a surprise but I could see it being a great Father's Day card or even a nice thank you to that person who really is a role model in your life!

Before I go, some announcements....

WHAT'S NEW THIS WEEK AT FLOURISHES!

• You might notice that with each set above, there's a link to the Flourishes store. Starting today, all of our new release sets will be available for pre-order! You won't get to see the FULL set until Friday, but if you like what you see from the design team samples, and don't want to wait to get your hands on these new offerings, you can be the first to order! Just click HERE to visit our store home page to see all the pre-order sets.
• Flourishes' New Release Bundle is also making a comeback! From now through Friday, May 21st, when you purchase all four of our new sets, you'll be able to get them in a bundle for 10% off! Click HERE to check out this great deal!
• Flourishes' POWER HOUR Release Party is also being switched up a bit! Join the DT THURSDAY, MAY 13th at 9 PM Central Standard Time. Flourishes will not only take the lid off all of the new sets, but showcase cards and projects you've never seen before! All the chat, games and giveaways will wrap in 60 minutes when all the stamp sets we've been sneak peeking go live in the Flourishes Store! You can join the party HERE in the SCS Flourishes Forum!
• If you still want a chance to win all four of our new stamp sets, please click HERE to check out our Release Week Make It Manly Challenge!

So, be sure to set sail and see what the rest of the gals on the Flourishes DT created....

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Laura Fredrickson

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Sharon Doolittle

Tomorrow's set is sure to leave a sweet fragrance in the air. If you're anything like our Design Team, you might just say that this is your favorite floral yet from the ever-so-talented Marcella Hawley. Stay tuned for that sneak! See you back here tomorrow!

Twice is Nice Friday!

Hi all! TGIF! I have some fun things for you this Friday --- two challenges actually! We've got the weekly Stamp Simply challenge and a second - a Flourishes challenge aimed at giving you a chance at winning all three of their new release sets!

This week's Stamp Simply is all about the little things in life and being there for your MOM!! You were to design a creation that includes a small gift of some sort! The Flourishes Release Challenge is a "his & hers" challenge. Use the same layout and create a masculine AND a feminine card!

So.... I combined this challenge! I made a small gift just for mom... and used the same layout to make one for the dad in my life -- my hubby!
Starting with the feminine flair, I used Flourishes Sweet Pea set for my focal image - stamped it and watercolored it up on watercolor paper. The seeds were put into a pink vellum sleeve and stitched around the edges with some gold thread. Add a button and some gold cording and... you are almost done!
I stamped the saying in aqua dye ink. I thought this sentiment was perfect for this creation! Want to see the other motherly creations cooked up my our Stamp Simply team? Check out Sharon's place for all the official details, then be sure to stop by and say hi to Barbara - our Guest Designer for May, Janine, Jennifer, AJ, Becky, Tammy, and our newest team member Deb! We have a sad goodbye. Dee is taking a break from the team to focus on her health. Please keep her in your prayers! We will miss you Dee! Big hugs to you!

Changing gears -- let's hear it for the dads! I used the same basic layout as the seed pocket but this time - I mixed it up with Flourishes Menswear set and instead of seeds-- I added some coveted baseball tickets! How fun is that? I also made the pennant by using a triangular piece of cardstock, paper pierced it and added #1 Dad to it. The wooden handle is actually... just a toothpick! Add a button and a wish for a "Happy Father's Day" and... you're done!

If you want to find out more about the Flourishes challenge click HERE and be sure to stop by the other DT member's places to see what fun they cooked up!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here soon!