Power Poppy Day 5: Let's Take Two!

Well, it's the last day of the sneaks! Tomorrow the Bloom Brigade will be kicking off its Power Poppy Hop, letting you get another peek at the Share your Sunshine Collection before you hit the Power Poppy Shop! What fun! Today's set features an image you've seen before but its now making its debut in polymer!

Introducing.....

What's not to love about Geraniums? And this set  -- Geraniums Take Two -- offers two very different and very happy renditions of this robust flower! This potted up version in a rustic old pot next to an antique plant mister is the definition of charming! Don't you think?

On to my creation!

I had so much fun coloring up this vignette that I literally got lost in it! A splash of reds (R20, R24, and R27) for the petals. A dash of greens (G20, G21, G24 and G28) for the leaves. A few shades of copper for the terra cotta pot (E08, E31, E00) and a little C00, C03 and BG000 for the mister. Add a little W00, W01 and W03 as a bit of shading and that's pretty much it! 

I die cut my image out using Spellbinders Labels Twenty Two and while the die was still on, I did sponge on some Antique Linen and Old Paper Distress Inks. I added the sentiment from the set and then matted it all up with some Bazzill decorative paper and May Arts burlap trim. Add a little wooden button and that's pretty much it!

Here's a close up!

Want to see the rest of the Bloom Brigade share some "happy?" Then, hop on over and see these fine ladies and their beautiful creations!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Julie Koerber >>> you are here!
Kathy Jones
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan


Tomorrow is the Power Poppy Hop so be sure to come back for one last release week hurrah! See you then!

~Julie

Power Poppy: The Final Day!

Hi all and welcome to the final day of the Power Poppy Digi Release! Today's image -- Countryside Bouquet -- is such a beauty don't you think? Those vibrant flowers are just screaming to be added to your next creation! What a delightful mix of California Poppy, Cosmos and Russian Sage! And this digi set comes with a beautiful sentiment. See? It's just one more addition to Power Poppy's fantastic Digital Sets!

On to my creation! Just like the past two days, I wanted to challenge myself a bit to be inspired by something out of the norm when creating. So, I challenged myself to pick three decorative papers -- use only those three (other than a card base) and then, use those colors dominantly in my creation! So, here's what I picked....

I chose a mix of purples, rich oranges and light blues for my image and I really love how my card turned out! I wish I could share the Copic markers I used but honestly, I forgot to write them down! Sorry! After printing off my image on to Cougar Opaque White Card Stock, I took my time to color this beauty up! I used a Spellbinders Classic Circle die to cut out my image and then, I used a Grand Scalloped Square die for my plaid mat. Add a button, some twine, a bit of seam binding white ribbon, a bit of orange lace, a wee bit of paper piecing and... ta da! Easy peasy! I chose a really simple layout because I really wanted my image to take center stage!

Wait 'til you see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade created with this image! I know some of your jaws are going to drop for sure!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
Power Poppy Blog >>> stop by to see some of Marcella's inspiration for this set!


Tomorrow, we'll wrap up the festivities with an all out Power Poppy Hop with all of the design team! So, be sure to tune back in for some more fantastic creative inspiration! See you then!

~Julie

Power Poppy Digi Release: Day 1!

Hi all and welcome to a brand new release for the fabulous Power Poppy! Over the next three days, Marcella Hawley's illustrations are SURE to WOW! And... the Bloom Brigade cannot wait to show you what we've been up to creatively! The card above is the first little glimpse of what is available now with Power Poppy's all digi release!

This beautiful image is paired with that fabulously scripted sentiment above and all you need to do it go HERE to the Power Poppy Shop, purchase the file and download in minutes! Just that easy! While you're at the shop, click HERE to check out all the digital "fabulousness" that Power Poppy has! Instant gratification I say!

For my creation today, I wanted to challenge myself a bit. So, I decided that I would be inspired by one of my other loves -- knitting! How can a card maker be inspired by knitting? Well, just you wait and see my inspiration....

I loved the tonal nature of this yarn and so, I decided that not only would I use these shades as inspiration, I could ONLY use these shades as inspiration. I picked 5 Copic Markers: R0000, R01, R81, R83, and R85 and that was it! 

I printed my image on Cougar Opaque White Card Stock and then, let the coloring begin! Afterward, I die cut my image with THIS beautiful Spellbinder die called A-2 Fancy Ribbon Threader. I weaved in some cotton satin ribbon, added a Queen & Co. bit of bling and layered up my image. It is really a super easy peasy creation! And that, my friends, is it!

Be sure to hop on over to see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade created with this darling set! I know you are going to love what they have in store!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Power Poppy Blog  >>> see some of Marcy's inspiration for this set!

Be sure to stop back by tomorrow for more florals that will tickle your fancy! Tomorrow's set is actually of a blossom that graces my yard each year -- so excited to share! See you then!

~Julie

Time to Remember....

Hello all and welcome to day two of the Power Poppy Release! Today's dose of flower power is all about strength, faith and remembrance -- that's what the Gladioli flower stands for! I absolutely love the range of colors this flower comes in and, if I must say, Marcella drew it up in such a beautiful way. Don't you think?  I should mention, if you like what you see when you make the rounds to the blogs of the Bloom Brigade, you can get this beautiful image RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! How? It's a digital release, meaning instant gratification for YOU! Just purchase, download to your computer, print, color and make into a beautiful card or creation! 

On to my creation! I have to say that for my card, I was definitely influenced by THIS card created by my fellow "Bloomer" Christine Okken. I loved the sketch she used from Deconstructing Jen and so... I followed her link and tried THIS sketch too! 

I used scraps from my pattern paper bin, so I wish I could tell you what these papers are -- I need to do a better job of keeping track! After printing my image, I used an oval and scalloped oval die from Spellbinders -- Classic Oval LG and Scalloped Classic Oval LG. While my oval die was still on my white paper, I did use the die as a guide for some paper piercing. I then colored my image up with my Copic markers. I used R30, R32, R34, R14, R0000, G20, G40, G43, G46, BG0000, BG000, and BG10. The centers of the flowers were just a touch of YG21 and then some glitter glue. 

I wanted the inside of my card to be special too so I printed off the sentiment on some decorative paper and before I printed, I also added some of the gladioli and took down the opacity so that it was about 35% of the image and would show up a bit as a decorative accent around my sentiment. I did this in Photoshop Elements. I added some paper piercing and... ta da... the inside of my card! 

And that, my friends is it! I forgot to mention -- the ribbon is Melon Hug Snug and the little splash of bling is from Queen & Co. Just that simple! :-) Again, if you want to have some fun coloring up this beauty of an image, you can do it  RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW -- with this oh-so-special digi release! :-)

One more fun note, during the month of May, the Bloom Brigade will not only be sharing ideas on how to use these digital beauties, but we'll also give those who purchase them extra ways to win some Power Poppy goodies! The fun will happen each Friday in May!

Well, I've done enough chatting -- time to head on over and see what kind of Gladioli goodness the rest of the Bloom Brigade crafted!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Kathy Jones
Leslie Miller
Tosha Leyendekker
Coming up tomorrow, another flower takes center stage and this one has a flair of fullness and romance. It's a breath of spring that you can add to a card any time of the year! You'll have to come on back and see what Power Poppy has in store!

See you then!

~Julie

Flourishes Free for all Friday!

WOW Flourishes Fans!  Can you believe we’re at 50% in our Gambler’s Sale?!  It’s getting so exciting for bargain hunters!  On Monday our last discount goes up to the final discount of 60% off!!

One of the sets that is still in stock is one that I think is truly beautiful! It's called Friendship and Flowers and it was illustrated by Sam Pickard. Dina Kowal did the fabulous friendship sentiments that I know I will be reaching for -- for years to come!

I kind of went BOLD on this color scheme but I have got to tell you -- it makes me happy! I love that shade of blue and orange, well, that is one of my favorite colors! I stamped the flower on a scrap of white, punched with a 2" punch and matted it on the Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Circles LG die (The shape was embossed and then I sanded the edges). I colored the flower up with the Clematis Collection grouped HERE by Flourishes. The butterfly was stamped on a scrap of Flourishes Classic White and colored with the Tigerlily Collection. Add some light blue shadowing from the Iced Aqua Collection and the rest is just matting it up! I added a little button in the top corner that was accented with some blue and white twine. You can see in the close up below that I also added a splash of white from my gel pen. LOVE! 

It's a pretty simple creation but -- like I said -- the colors make me happy!  Want to see some other fun bits of creativity? The Design Team has some lovely and delightful creations to show off to you again today:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken 
• Cindy Lawrence
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan

 And here are the SALE Details you’ll need!

Why is this sale a gamble? If you wait too long, the items you want might be sold out at these prices! So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 50% off with the code GAMBLERS50. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 50% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off! USE THE CODE GAMBLERS50 TO GET 50% OFF!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Julie

Flourishes Sneaks Day 1: Flowers for Jan!

Hello all and welcome to a very special kick off to Flourishes' January Release! Not only are we ushering the new release in with a fun-filled Timeless Tuesday Challenge but we are showcasing a set designed to honor Flourishes' owner and founder.

INTRODUCING....

 

Wisteria, Peonies and Bearded Iris -- all three of these flowers are favorites of Flourishes' founder and owner Jan Marie Caruso. Sentimentally illustrated by Marcella Hawley, these beautiful blooms honor the lady at the helm at Flourishes. Three breathtaking flowers paired with three beautifully scripted words and five accent words. This 4" by 6" set is sure to be one you reach for just to send creations to friends far and wide for any and all occasions!

So what is the Timeless Tuesday Challenge?

That's right -- just make a shaped card of any kind! On to my creation!

For my shaped card -- I picked up Spellbinders Labels Twenty. I cut my card base by using the largest die in the set. And then, created the pink mat using the next largest die. For my green panel (Alphabet Junction Paper), I used the largest die, embossed, sanded and then cut off the edge so that it would reveal the white base. FYI: I did have to add a full size white panel on top of my card base because of the way this card folds -- at the top. From there, I used the new Silhouette Cut File (released on Friday!) for this set. I cut it out of Flourishes Classic White, stamped with Tuxedo Black Ink and then colored with Copics using the Pistachio, Sunflower and Lenten Rose Collections Grouped by Flourishes. 

On my inner mat, I sponged on some Spun Sugar Distress ink and then stamped the peony on this panel to give it a little extra something. Stamp the "peony" word and then it's just assembling! Add in a Cotton Candy gemstone, some white seam binding ribbon and attach the flower with some foam tape and... ta da!

Here's a close up for you! I forgot -- I did add some dots of white gel pen to the center of my flower! 

One of the things I learned from Stacy Morgan is how to make those shaped cards "stand!" She shared that you just cut off the bottom edge of your shape so that you have a straight surface on the inside of your card. She's so smart! ;-) You can see that I added a few more peonies and a sentiment on the inside!

Would you like to win this set along with the other two sets being released this month? All you need to do is play along with us!!! We have a special treat for you today -- two actually! First, in honor of Jan Marie and this very special set, Flourishes' Senior Design Team is joining along in this challenge to give you double the inspiration! As you hop around getting inspired on ways to "Get In Shape", don’t forget to try to figure out….

Hidden among the Design Team’s blogs today is our Mystery Blogger of the day. Comment on her blog and you could be chosen to win today’s set! The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Heather Jensen
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Katie Sims
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what the Senior Team has in store! Tomorrow's release is one that's meant for celebration and a little "clowning" around! See you back here then!

~Julie

Sneak Peeks Day 3: Lots of Thoughts!

Well, we’ve arrived at our last day of December New Releases at Flourishes! Haven’t they been true blossoming beauties? Today, we’re pleased to bring you one more! It’s an all occasion set that celebrates some of the most delightful events with wonderful playfulness!

   

This stamp set is called Lots of Thoughts for a reason! With six whimsical images illustrated by Marcella Hawley, you have just the right mix of sentiments for birthday, congratulations, thank you and cards of encouragement. It's the perfect set for any and all occasions! Set measures 4" by 6”.

On to my creations -- I have triple the creations to share today! I started because Flourishes is carrying a cute little coin style envelopes! They measure 3-1/8" by 5-1/2". Darling.... right? I see tons of potential!

This picture isn't the best but these envelopes are a very crisp white. And, with that size, I make a card that was 3" by 5-3/8" folded. And... I ended up making a three-card set!

Here's card 1, perfect for birthdays! I stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored it all up with Copic Markers. The paper is a mix of Echo Park and Carta Bella (see supply list below). Super easy peasy! 

Love that there is a Silhouette Cut File for these cuties! See the sparkle I added too?

And, you can see I even stamped a little cupcake on the envelope!

 Here's card 2 -- a fun little pick me up card. I call it -- sunshine in an envelope!

Here's a close up!

And here's card 3! I love the paper from Everyday Eclectic with these little clouds! It was perfect for the little plane image -- don't you think?

Here's a closeup! Again.... loving the Silhouette Cut File!

And that, my friends is it! Ideas are blooming plentifully in our design team creations with this sweet set. Remember, while you’re hopping and looking at their creations, don’t forget to try to figure out….

Hidden among the Design Team’s blogs today is our last day of Mystery Blogger. Comment on her blog and you could be chosen to win today’s set! The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Heather Jensen
Julie Koerber --- you are here!
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Do you want to win Flourishes’ December Release?

• If you would like a chance at winning all newly released December sets…you can play in our Flip It Challenge – we will have multiple winners there! Deadline for entries is TODAY December 13th at 5 PM EST. Check out the link for the official rules!
• All three of our December sets are available now HERE! Take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three sets together in a bundle. This discount will only be available through December 20th, so you have to act fast!
• We’re also excited to offer companion Silhouette cut files for these new sets. Check them out here!
• And, don’t forget to come back to the Flourishes Blog tomorrow, Saturday, December 14th for the Winner’s Circle where we’ll announce all of our winners of this weeks’ challenges!

~Julie

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