A Passion for Purple in this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

Hello fellow Flourishes fans! It's Tuesday and we're here with another fantastic Timeless Tuesday Challenge for you! Have you checked out the latest and greatest Gambler's Sale this week? You don't want to miss this... it's 20% off everything in the store. Things go fast, so shop now to ensure you get all those stamps on your "must have" list! Click here for more details and your shopping code.

I thought since I had kind of a light work week, I would jump in and play along in this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge!  This week Allison is our hostess and she is challenging you to create using the newest Pantone Color of the year... Radiant Orchid... Check out this bit of loveliness!

Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute™ has been designating a Color of the Year -- a color that will resonate around the world. It's a color crossing all areas of design which is an expression of a mood and an attitude! So, why not be inspired by "Radiant Orchid" and have fun creating? I did! And, here's a peek at my creation!

I started with the Color Made Easy Violet Paper Collection and layered up the two lightest colors. The lightest shade was my card base that I ran through my Grand Callibur with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder by Stampin' Up. Add a strip of Bo Bunny decorative paper and that's the layers! I used some white seam binding ribbon, the Classic Tags die set and the cute little sentiment is from the Tiny Flowers and Tags set! My main image was stamped on the largest Spellbinders Labels Fourteen. While the die was still on my Flourishes Classic White Card Stock, I stamped the Gerbera Daisy image using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I then grabbed my Copic Markers and used the Violet Collection and  the Morning Glory Collections grouped by Flourishes in THIS color stack. After I was done coloring, I did add some dots thanks to a white paint pen. I found THIS pen (in Signal White)and man -- LOVE IT! My new favorite white paint pen. The color is solid and the fine tip really helps keep the paint where you want it! Oh, I should also mention that my background was actually colored with the V01 Copic Marker. I like the effect!

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends is it! Now take a hop, skip and a jump over to these lovely ladies' blogs and leave some "lavender love" on each one of our designers blogs this week!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber -- you are here!
• Katie Sims
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back here soon with more projects to share! I have a fun "What's on My Needles for my knitting friends out there -- this one will have you in stitches and I mean it! ;-)

~Julie

A Challenge and... Day 1 of Flourishes Sneaks!

Welcome to Day 1 of the Flourishes July Release Week!  Are you as excited as I am about seeing what Flourishes has to offer this month?!  We are simply giddy about introducing the first of FOUR new stamp sets this month.  Don't forget, you'll have MANY instances to WIN some of our new stamp sets for your very own! And this, our first new stamp set....

  .

These beautiful buds, illustrated by Marcella Hawley are as though they are fresh clipped from the garden.  These breathtaking Dahlias would be a prize on any card or creation! This 4 by 6" set features two gorgeous main images plus five all-occasion sentiments, perfect for all kinds of creations.

On to my creation! As you'll see as you make the rounds, the Flourishes Design Team is being joined by the Friends of Flourishes Team and together we are ushering in one fun-filled challenge! It's one that, if you play along, you can win Flourishes ENTIRE JULY RELEASE! So, how do you play? Simply use acetate anywhere on your card or creation! Easy peasy! And, if you haven't tried Flourishes Clear Card Stock-- now's the time! It's amazing stuff!

For my creation, I chose to create a little sentiment window, which I thought was fun!

How did I do it? Really, it is as simple as piecing together strips of decorative paper to create that front panel. I used Flourishes Classic White as my base, trimmed so that there was a 2-1/2" inch topper on my card, took a strip of Flourishes Clear Card Stock and ran it through my Grand Calibur using a Swiss Dots embossing folder. I attached that to the white card stock and then covered up the seam with the decorative green paper. I did the same for the bottom. I attached the decorative green strip and then covered up the glue line with the pink decorative paper. This also beefed up my card so that I wasn't using near text weight paper for  my card base. Add some sheer ribbon, a little gold cording and that's pretty much the base of your card. 

I love how when you close the card, you can see the sentiment from the set in the window! 

Here's a close up of those GORGEOUS Dahlias! I stamped on Flourishes Classic White and then colored with Copic markers. You can check my supply list below for a look at the collections that I used to color this up!

And one of the touches I added that I LOVE is the glitter border. It really adds some sparkle in real life! It's a part of the Far and Away Borders pack. I love reaching for these borders when you don't feel like using your die cut machine -- it's detail in a jiffy! See?

And that, my friends, is it! Would you like ANOTHER way to win this set? It is as simple as leaving some love in the form of a comment on our designers' blogs. Why? Well, one of them will be picking names from comments and you won't know......

So comment away -- you could win this gorgeous new set called Dahlias! Just hop on over and see.....

• Allison Cope
• Broni Holcombe
• Cheryl Lea
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Heather Jensen
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema
• Julie Koerber
• Katie Sims
• Makiko  Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker
• Margaret Gilmer, our July guest designer

So, if you would like to play along, just know that you have until next Monday at 6PM to enter. And, if you want to read up on the official rules (there are a few to follow) just click HERE. Thanks for stopping by everyone. Be sure to swing back by tomorrow when I share another new Flourishes set! This next set is a whimsical peek at those darling little friends that hang out in gardens far and wide in the imaginations of folks young and old. Does that have you guessing? Come back tomorrow to see!

~Julie

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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

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Whatcha got around the house?

Hey all and happy Tuesday! Last week I decided to play along with Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday gals and I thought -- heck why not make it two weeks in a row? This week's challenge is all about finding something around the house and using it on your card! This one kind of threw me for a loop. I have to admit!

On to my creation! For starters, I have a confession to make. I designed this card using a real, life bottle cap. But, come to find out -- it is a lot harder to get good results from a real bottle cap than it is one of those embellishments you can buy and smash in your die cut machine. So, please know -- a bottle cap off one of my hubby's beer bottles was my true intent. It didn't, however, end that way! LOL! Here goes....

 

I have a quick and easy card with the center of my card all about the bottle cap! I stamped the Medallion Motif image on Flourishes White Card Stock using Versafine Black Onyx.  Add some color to my image thanks to this Copic Collection....The Lenten Rose Collection.

 And here's a close up of the coloring. You can see I added some bling to parts of my image! This one really sparkles! I added some 1/2" black ribbon and some extra bling and.... almost done!

 

I matted my image onto some of my decorative paper that was in my scrap bin -- some of it is My Mind's Eye from forever ago and the black and cream, I have no idea! ;-) I matted some of my panels onto some Flourishes Classic Black card stock just to give it a little extra pop! And that, my friends, is it! Done!

Hey... did you know... if you like playing along with the Timeless Tuesday gals, don't forget that they have a Friends of Flourishes DESIGN TEAM CALL!  You could become another fabulous designer for your favorite stamp company... yes.. .YOU!!! You can get all the details on how to send in an application right HERE!  Good luck! And... before I forget -- the Flourishes sneaks start tomorrow with the design team showcasing April's New Release - fun and beautiful images that you will want to check out for sure! See you back here then!

~Julie

Flourishes' Friday Faves!

Hi all and Happy Friday! Today, the Flourishes Design Team has something special for you all! We decided instead of featuring a certain set or a certain challenge, we would just grab some of our favorite sets and... create! 

On to my creation!

 

I decided to pick up the set Garden Dreams for my creation. I just love the sweet images in this set and I honestly haven't had much time to use this one. So, no time like the present, right? And, I decided to also pair this up with this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge. It was a recipe Cindy Haffner shared that was simple - a circle, 4 pearls (I cheated and used rhinestones) and a fishtail tag.

I started by cutting my shape out thanks to the Garden Dreams Silhouette Cut File. I stamped using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink and then, grabbed my Copic Markers and used the collections listed below. Mat it up using a mix of Prima, My Mind's Eye and Authentique papers, add some bling and a fun sentiment that is a part of the Tiny Flowers and Tags set and... almost there! For one the the mats, you can see I used the Perfectly Pierced Classic Window die set. I love, love, love the shape in that die set! 

Here's a close up!

And that, my friends, is it! So, as you make the rounds today, you'll see a little bit of everything -- and hopefully it inspires some creativity in your own crafting spaces! So, grab a cup of coffee and head on over to see....

• Christine Okken -- is taking the week off! Her hubby needed surgery and now needs prayers!
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber -- you are here!
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Also, we have some BIG news for you if you are a bargain hunter! Flourishes had put their Gambler's Sale on hold over the holidays because there were so many different sales. Well, they've resumed it to try to further clear the shelves at Flourishes' home base. So now, many of our items on the Sale Page are....

That's right -- 55% off! You will see some additional items on sale. As a limited time special, all Aquamarkers are 20% off. These water-based markers are fabulous to have on hand for coloring and watercoloring - so if you need a water-based marker, now is the time to stock up! 

Thanks for stopping by,  I hope you have a fun weekend planned! See you back here soon!

~Julie

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A Sneak Peek .... and a Challenge!

Hi everyone! I have a double dose of fun today. For starters, the design team and Friends of Flourishes team will be showing off a fun little set that will be released this week. AND, I also am also helping usher in this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

Want to see the first set that's been sneak peeked this week for  Flourishes' November Release?

Give the inside and outside of your cards a dash of pizazz with this fun new set from Becky Fleck! Inside and Out Just Because 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! If you like what you see, you can pre-order this set today!

On to this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge! It's one that hopes to deliver a bit of inspiration! Just take a look at the photo below and make something that is inspired by the colors or objects you see! Check it out...

On to my creation! I decided to be inspired by the color dots at the top and decided to make my creation tones of brown - green browns, rose browns and tans. 

I started by stamping the Just Because portion of the set with Memento Toffee Crunch. Then, I took the I Care and stamped it using Rich Cocoa. I used Classic Ivory. From there, I figured out how large my panel would be above. On this, I stamped the scripted background in Toffee Crunch and the flowers in Rich Cocoa from the Sweet Nature set. Then... I grabbed my Copic Markers! I used E04,  E81 (from the New Browns set) and E84, and E87 and then blended with YR0000. 

Here's a peek at the flower! So subdued and almost "antiqued."

I edged with gold leaf and matted it on some brown card stock (one of the lightest shades from the CME Rich Browns Collection), added some gold cording and... ta da!

And that, my friends, is it! If you want to play along with this week's Timless Tuesday challenge, just click HERE for all the details! 

Like I mentioned, the design team is teaming up with the Timeless Tuesday gals so you have a lot of hopping today to see all the fun creations! And... you should know that one of the ladies below is the...

You don't know which lady is the Mystery Blogger, so be sure to leave comments on all of these fine ladies' blogs! Why? One of them will be drawing a name from the comments and the winner gets our new Inside & Out Just Because stamp set! Woo Hoo!!!  So, get hopping! 

• Allison Cope
• Amanda Havon
• Broni Holcombe
• Cindy Haffner
• Denise Marzec
• Maki Jones
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Danielle Kennedy
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Sharon Doolittle
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger
• Karen Wallace - our November Guest Designer

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek and this one will have you grabbing a glass of wine and heaving overseas! :-) Yes, that is your hint! See you back here then! 

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Timeless Tuesday & A Sneak Peek!

Hi all! It's time to start kicking off the sneak peeks for Flourishes' August release and today's fun comes with a challenge as well as a sneak!

As a special treat today, the FTTC and senior design team are joining forces to show off a set that has been a favorite of some this past year but hasn't been available to the public until now! It's called....

The stamp is called With Gratitude! Coneflower and Bell Flower -- two beauties perfect for sending a note of gratitude. This set was released as an exclusive set for FLIP members and is now availble to the public. Before you had to be a FLIP member to get your hands on it, but now, you can buy it! Illustrated beautifully by Marcella Hawley, this set measures 4 by 6" and offers not only 2 beautiful focal flowers but 6 sentiments and a script border. The stamp set is available right now as a pre-order HERE. It’s a beauty!

On to today's challenge! All you need to do is use this sketch for your Timeless Tuesday creation...

And, here's my card....

To create my card, I stamped on Flourishes Classic White using Memento Tuxedo Black and then grabbed my Copic Markers! I used these collections...

I did use some retired paper from my scrap bin because the colors were perfect and I realized the hard way that my decorative paper is lacking purple right now! ;-) These are a mix of Memory Box and Bo Bunny. The ribbon is White Cotton Linen.  Add some stitching, a button and ta da! I should mention, before I stamped, I did cut out my image using the Silhouette Cameo. Stay tuned -- the machine, cut files, blades and accessories will SOON be in the Flourishes store!

We can’t wait to see your take on this fun filled sketch! Make sure to click HERE for all the challenge rules.  Need a little inspiration? Just hop on over and see what these fellow designers whipped up using the new With Gratitude set and this sketch!

Amanda Havon
Allison Cope
Broni Holcombe
Cindy Haffner
Heather Jensen
Makiko Jones
Denise Marzec
Sasha Holmes
Cindy Lawrence
Stacy Morgan
Jan Marie Caruso
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Silke Ledlow

As you make the rounds in today’s Timeless Tuesday hop, you’ll notice that some of the designers are using a fresh picked 123 Creat Kit called Delightful!

These kits have everything you need to create color coordinated cards with paper, ribbons and embellishments – all in one kit! Travel HERE to see for yourself! 

The August sneaks continue tomorrow — so you’ll have to come back to see what other fun Flourishes has up its sleeve! See you back here soon!

Mix and Match Patterns!

Hey all! How's your week shaping up? Good I hope! I'm squeaking in the Timeless Tuesday challenge.. on Tuesday! That hardly ever happens in my world!!! :-) Betty Wright is the hostess with the mostess this week over on the Flourishes Blog and her challenge was to add not one, not two, but three pattern papers to your cards! The patterns can be bold and dramatic or soft and mellow.. your choice!

So... here's what I came up with....

I kind of went for a bold look... big polka dots, a small patterned green paper (as a mat to my berries) and then a kind of distressed light pink pattern... all adds up to a lot going on but I kinda dig it! LOL! Since my patterns were pink, I stamped on classic white cardstock and then chose to color up my strawberries with shades of pink Copic Markers as well. I used the Spring Greens and Peony Collections grouped by Flourishes. I also added a smidgeon of yellow on the little flowers (Y08 and Y13). Add some B0000 to highlight and some glitter glue to the flowers' centers and... almost done! Mat it up, add some bling, a sentiment matted up on a Spellbinders' Blossom die cut shape (embossed and sanded), add a ribbon and bow and.... Ta Da!!! :-) I have to tell you, I just love coloring up those strawberries. Gets me in the mood for summer! We had a 63 degree day here in Billings, which is a tad unusual for February so -- I was lovin' it! 

Want to join in on this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge? Just click HERE! You have until next Monday to enter!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back Thursday with another challenge and this one promises to be really sweet! :-)