Thursday, December 11, 2008

More from Flourishes and.... a Stamp Simply Challenge!

Goodness gracious! When I saw the I Love Roses set from Flourishes -- I gasped! Never before have I seen such a beautiful rose set with such versatility! The sentiments are in a drop dead gorgeous font and you get not only a small rose but a large stemmed rose AND all the pieces to create wonderful layers on your rose card-- buds and extra leaves!

So, today, I show you my creation with a Stamp Simply twist! Sharon's challenge today -- ssnotime65 on SCS-- is all about just a smidge of decorative paper - 2 inches to be exact! You can use dp - BUT only 2". It can be a strip. It can be a square, but the smallest side cannot be larger than just two inches! Click HERE for the official details!

So, here you have it!

I used my 2" decorative piece of paper to line the bottom of my card! It's a subtle pattern from Stampin' Up. Add a border of lace and a stamped border of Lace and Trims and you have a vintage looking rose with a lovely blossom. I stamped the rose on watercolor paper, masked it and then stamped the "How Do I Love Thee" sentiment in the background. It is the saying from the Lace Heart set also from Flourishes. I colored the rose using Vivid re-inkers in red and garnet. The leaves were done with an Olive Vivid re-inker. I also cut out the flower and leaf from the rose and layered it over top my main image using silicone glue. This glue rocks for layering because unlike foam tape, you can make your glued piece uneven or unlevel so that the leaf can attach at the base and angle up- just like a real leaf! After that, sponge some ink around the edges and mat it on some metallic gold paper and bam... done! I used a Cuttlebug die to create my tag!

Here's a look at the complete set! Beautiful - eh????


Bear with me,I have a long link list -- but man, oh man, is it worth making the rounds! To see more of what the DT cooked up for the latest Flourish release, visit...

Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Betty Wright
Christine Okken
Cindy Haffner

To check in on the Stamp Simply Crew and see what they cooked up for the 2" dp challenge.... visit these ladies!
Janine
Jennifer,
Tammy,
Dee,
Becky,
AJ,
Jerri, Darlene
LeAnne.



Thanks so much for stopping by! After all this,I am SURE you will have plenty of inspiration for all your crafty weekend endeavors! Take care and see you back here soon!



Stamp Simply Celebrates-- the final day!

We're on DAY 12 - the final day of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play!

Barb Schram - Explore. Dream. Discover. - Today for Barb’s Featured Project she has created a useful Holiday Home Decor item for YOU if you please, or it makes a fabulous gift item that will knock the socks off your friends! It comes completely packaged! How fun!!! I KNOW you won’t want to miss out, so be sure to visit today over at Barb’s place and lap up the inspiration!!!

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08!

Don't forget my candy offering! You can find it on Monday's post from this week!

Leslie Miller - Running with Scissors - Leslie has some BLOG CANDY for you today!

Sharon Johnson -No Time To Stamp? - Has some more tasty candy that is Just Rite!

If you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! Hope you make time for play time and leave a comment for my candy and challenge!

More New Releases From Flourishes!

Hi all! If you haven't taken a peek at the new releases from Flourishes -- you need to! This one is called Thinking of You by the ever so talented illustrator Marcella Hawley and features not only vintage like floral accents but elegant sayings that can be used in tough times.

Here's a peek at the full set....

And, here is what I did with it!

I used my Nestabilities Labels Two dies to create a frame, background and inner frame that was popped up with foam tape. The center is simply the With Deepest Sympathy saying that has been accented with one of the small flowers in the set. I used Olive and Brick Vivid ink to color my small flower and Versafine Black Onyx for the saying. The paper is My Mind's Eye. I used my ticket corner punch from Stampin' Up on all four corners of my decorative paper mat, strung some burgundy grosgrain ribbon through my frame, added a decorative brad (unknown maker) and added some deep rust self stick pearls as accents! I love the simple elegance of this set. Not a ton of stamping, but who would notice?
Hope you are all having a fabulous day! Be sure to check out the other new creations from the designers of Flourishes.....

See you back here tomorrow for one final peek!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

We're on DAY 11 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!

AJ Otto - The Willow Garden - Are you wrapping gifts yet? Probably! I’ll bet you need some pretty tags to dress those packages up! Well, be sure to check in on AJ’s Featured Project today to see all her Gift Tags. And then play AJ’s Challenge so you, too, can have some nice gift tags on hand!!! Be sure to stop in at AJ’s today! You can see more tag samples by checking out the blogs of: Heather, Janine, LeAnne, Jerri and Sharon

Jerri Jimenez - A Touch of Grace - Today Jerri will grace us with her Featured Project which is a beautiful 6 x 6 Scrapbook she made, which is certain to be a real treat for the eyes. Jerri also has BLOG CANDY to offer today (think scrapbooking made easy), so be sure to stop in to see Jerri!!! Other scrapbook samples can be seen by checking out: Barb, Jennifer.

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08!

Don't forget my candy offering! You can find it on Monday's post from this week!

Deb Saaranen - Dream in Color - Deb has an offering of BLOG CANDY for us today!

Jerri Jimenez - A Touch of Grace - Jerri also has BLOG CANDY to offer today so be sure to stop in to see Jerri!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow! Hope you make time for play time and leave a comment for my candy and challenge!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Flourishes New Releases!!! Day One!

The new stamps from Flourishes are hot off the presses and boy are they beautiful! My "go to" stamp set today was the set called Lace and Trims. It is a realistic looking stamped image of beautiful vintage lace that was actually created from an heirloom piece handed down in Jan Marie Caruso's family (one of the owners of Flourishes LLC.)

I couldn't wait to open up this set and see just how it stamped! Believe me, it did not disappoint!

Basically, there are two stamps on this card! The lace, which was stamped in a light tan ink (Fawn, CTMH) and then cut out around each edge. The saying is from the new I Love Roses set. I thought this lace background and a sentiment was really all this card needed! Add some pretty decorative paper, a punched edge, some self adhesive pearls and some pretty satin ribbon and you are pretty much done! The saying was stamped on a layered tag cut out with the help of a Sizzix tag die.

Here's a close up of the lace! I did use a craft knife to cut the inside part of the lace out. And, here's a fun tip for you! If you cut this out entirely and then put the lace piece face down on a piece of craft foam, you can round the edges and make the lace look even more realistic by running a large ball stylus over every edge. The stylus will push your paper down into the craft foam and it will, in essence, emboss the edges! Do you see what I mean?

Want to see the entire set? I am in love with it! I just think it's a classy way to add some pizazz to either your card or even as a background stamp!
I can't wait to see what the other design team members cooked up! Be sure to check out these blogs to see!

Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Jan Marie Caruso
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Sharon Doolittle
Betty Wright
Christine Okken
Cindy Haffner


Before I let you go, there are still sale items over at the Flourishes store and there is a new release bundle! If you buy all three - you get 10% off! Maybe you can drop a hint for some Christmas gifts!! LOL!

Remember, if something you see inspires you when you hit the Flourishes store, please use my promotional code - juliek when you check out! Thanks so much! I'll be back tomorrow with another look at some of the new releases! See you then!

We're on DAY 10 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!

Leslie Miller - Running With Scissors - Today we are treated to the beauty of Leslie's work with her Featured Project where she is showing us how to Alter Food Packaging to turn it into a wonderfully warm, cozy, and sweet gift item that anyone would love to receive!!! And it's something we can all easily do! I know you won't want to miss this, so be sure to visit Leslie today!!! You can see more great samples of Leslie's Project by: Dee and Jennifer

Joan Fricker - Joan's Garden - Joan offers us a beautiful Featured Project today! Who doesn't love beautifully presented Soap and Candle Gifts? Well, you can make your own as a part of Joan's Challenge, with inspiration from many!!! Be sure to check out this sweetly scented event! And there are many more samples of Joan's Challenge. Check out: LeAnne, Dee, AJ, Heather, Barb, Darlene, Janine, and Sharon.

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08!

Tammy Hershberger - Stamp Happy - Tammy is offering BLOG CANDY today!

LeAnne Pugliese - Wee Inklings - LeAnne also has a BLOG CANDY offering today!

Don't forget my candy offering! You can find it on Monday's post from this week!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow! Hope you make time for play time and leave a comment for my candy and challenge!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Quick and Easy Christmas Cards!

We're on DAY 9 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!

Today's challenge is courtesy Jennifer Buck over at The Buck Stamps Here - With time speeding by, do you need some quick cards? If so, check out Jennifer's Featured Project today where she also challenges you to create some quick cards! If you do, you will be able to enter her BLOG CANDY drawing. You can see more great Quick Card samples by checking out Jennifer's designers: Janine, Tammy, AJ, LeAnne, Sharon and me!

My creation is almost too easy. If it takes 10 minutes that would be saying something! All it took was some glittered paper, some pretty ribbon, a Christmas sentiment, a punched scalloped circle and a pretty sticker! Put it all together and what do you get?

This card.... Here's a close up of the sticker. It is an Elizabeth Brownd design by K & Company and is actually embossed! It has some fun dimension to it! On my scalloped circle you will also see I added some faux stitching too thanks to a dashed circle stamp from an Impression Obsession clear set called Circle Elements 2.

And, here's a peek at the other offerings in that sticker set!

Today's other challenge is from the talented AJ Otto over at- The Willow Garden - How about a game? Check out the DT Trivia Game AJ is hosting! The winner will walk away with some fabulous blog candy!

Speaking of blog candy... Sharon Johnson at No Time To Stamp? has more! Yes! More! So go check it out!

Hope you enjoyed today's Stamp Simply creation! Don't forget to check in on the other gals! And remember, if you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow!


Sunday, December 7, 2008

A Gift Idea and Challenge!

We're on DAY 8 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!


Today, I'm up to bat for the Stamp Simply Challenge! Do you need an idea for a small gift to give to someone you want to honor for all they do no matter how big or small? Well, how about some cozy brew -- you know, my favorite-- a coffee concoction! I decided to make some Fireside Coffee and dress it up in a glass canister with some hand stamped details!


I bought the canister at Hobby Lobby for $4 and then just grabbed some stamps, paper scraps, ribbon, a button, a pre-punched tag and some rhinestones and went to town!

The main piece was done with the Labels One Nestabilities Die in a small and larger size. I stamped the fireplace on a scrap from the Lizzie Anne Designs set called Rockin' Holiday, colored with Copic markers and accented the stockings and fire with Diamond and Crystal stickles and added tiny red rhinestones to the "garland" on the fireplace. Afterward, I cut it out and popped it up with some foam tape and added it to the smaller white label. I punched some holes on each side of the matted label and strung the wire-edge ribbon through. I added a star button and tied on the small tag that was stamped with Warmest Wishes from the Paper Trey Ink Holiday Treats.


Here's a close up! I even tried to color on some bricks on my fireplace. That was fun! And, here's a peek at the top! These stamps are also from the Holiday Treats PTI set. Want to make your own Fireside Coffee container? Here's the recipe!
2 cups of Cocoa Mix
2 cups of non-dairy creamer
1 cup of instant coffee
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1-1/2 cups of sugar

I will warn you, this makes about 1-1/2 quarts! Enough for a a few canisters! But its a fun creation that I really find rather tasty! :-)

So, here's the challenge today! Show us your favorite small gift ideas! Create a new one that has been floating around in your head or link up to a creation that you've already posted on your blog or gallery! What I would love is for a list of ideas that people can turn to for holiday gifts in a pinch!

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot a deadline in my original post! Sorry! Let's do one week - so you have until Sunday night -11:59 PM. I'll post a winner sometime Monday during the day. Also, some have commented that they don't have blogs so they can't play. If you want to play, all you need to do is make a small gift idea, take a photo and upload it to a gallery. You can even upload it to a photo sharing site and provide that link! Whatever works! We just want to see your ideas! I'll put together a link list so that you can find all the ideas in one spot without jumping from comment to comment.

Meantime, you can see more great examples from these talented ladies:
Leslie, Deb, Joan, Barb, Jennifer, Tammy, and Sharon!

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08!

Today - it's me giving away the candy! All you need to do is leave a comment showing your favorite small gift idea with a link to your blog or gallery! Like I said, it doesn't have to be a new creation - it can be an oldie but goodie too!

Here is what is up for grabs- some of my favorite things! Cards dressed in white with satin ribbon like sashes, glitter that stays on my nose and eyelashes, An elegant stamp set that reminds me of spring, these are a few of my favorite things!

You'll get this stamp set from Impression Obsession along with some glitter and a bundle of satin ribbon in spring shades. Sharon Johnson - No Time To Stamp? - has more.. yes... more BLOG CANDY offerings!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow! Hope you make time for play time and leave a comment for my candy and challenge!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A quick and easy project and... more on Stamp Simply Day 7!

Hi all! I don't know about you, but when I am at Michael's, I really scrounge through those dollar bins. I am always guaranteed to find SOMETHING fun! One of my latest finds was a Laura Ashley little note pad with it's own pen and I thought, "How cute that would be to alter!" So, with some small paper scraps, some bling, a "Just A Note" sentiment and a rose image from Impression Obsession - I had a note pad that was all my own that I could stuff in a purse or better yet, make matching note cards to give as a gift!

So, without further ado -- here it is! It's a super duper quick and easy project that could be personalized for whoever you choose to give it to!

We're on DAY 7 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days! Susan Roberts over at Rainy Day Creations is helping make sure when we give gift cards this holiday season that they are decked out in style! That's her Featured Project today - she shows us a quick gift card holder to make and she challenges US to make our own, using her template or your own. Susan also has a BLOG CANDY offering today! So, check it out! You can see some more wonderful samples of gift card holders from Susan’s designers by checking out these blogs: Janine, Jennifer, Darlene, and AJ

Dee Jackson over at Stampin cuz I Luv 2 is putting together some gorgeous packaging for your food items! She's got gorgeous samples and her challenge is to have you show how you package up your treats for the holidays! Be sure to stop in at Dee’s today to see the sweet treats she and her designers have prepared for you! These designers also have some ideas for you too! CAT, Jennifer, Darlene, Heather and Barb.

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08! If you do Sharon's challenge - be sure to add the ssnotime64 key word as well!

Susan Roberts - Rainy Day Creations has a blog candy offering today in addition to her challenge.

Sharon Johnson - No Time to Stamp? - 0ffers yet MORE candy so check that out too!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow with a Featured Project of my own!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Stamp Simply -- Day 6!

We're on DAY 6 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!

Heather Telford over at bits and pieces is sharing a Featured Project sure to dress up your table! And, you can strut your table top creations too! She has a challenge that is easy as 1-2-3 for us to deck out our holiday tables! And, be sure to click on and check out the ladies who gave her challenge a try! Jennifer, Darlene, Joan and Jerri.

LeAnne Pugliese at Wee Inklings offers up a challenge that is sure to benefit moms on the go! Doesn’t every Mother need a helper, especially during the Holidays? Well, LeAnne’s Featured Project is a Mother’s Holiday Helper! LeAnne is running a Challenge along with her project, providing us with templates and instruction so we can quickly and easily create our own helper! And you can see more samples from LeAnne’s designers as well. They are Barb, Deb, Janine, Darlene and Sharon.

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08! If you do Sharon's challenge - be sure to add the ssnotime64 key word as well!

AJ Otto - The Willow Garden- AJ has some BLOG CANDY to share!

Sharon Johnson - No Time To Stamp? - has more.. yes... more BLOG CANDY offerings!

And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow! I promise I'll have a creation of my own!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Hold on tight -- a lot coming your way!

We're on DAY 5 of a major celebration!! My bloggin' bud Sharon Johnson over at No Time To Stamp celebrated a huge milestone recently and now the festivities are underway to celebrate! She hit one million on her blog counter!!!! So, she invited her Stamp Simply design team along with some wonderful friends along to play! There will be candy and challenges and plenty of gift giving ideas ripe for the holiday pickings for 12 whole days!
Today's challenge is two-fold! Cat over at Cat’s Creations is offering up some blog candy... if you take part in her fabulous sketch challenge! And, it's Friday -- which means Sharon has her regular Stamp Simply challenge! So, guess what? I decided to combine both!

CAT'S CHALLENGE: It's a sketch--- and here it is! SHARON'S CHALLENGE: Make a Christmas card -- with a twist! You cannot use a traditional Christmas stamp or Traditional DP! You may use any stamp --- just NOT a Christmas stamp! You can use a Christmas Sentiment though! And, you can use any colors you like -- even Christmas colors! As always, click HERE for the official details of ssnotime64!!

So..... here's what I came up with! I used THIS set called Mardi Gras just for the crowns! I gold embosssed three and then cut them out and popped up the center one with foam tape -- add some rhinestones and self stick gold nail heads and you have three decked out crowns -- fit for a king! The sentiment is from the City of David set also from Flourishes and says- "Wise Men Still Seek Him." The top is glittered red paper (I kind of cheated on this because this is a Christmas paper but I didn't think it was a gimme-- you could use this for Valentines day too easily!! Shhhh! Don't tell Sharon! LOL!) The bottom of my card is plain green that was embossed with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. Mat it all up on some cut out images from my oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities, add some satin ribbon and some "bling" and you are done! Super duper easy!

Want to see what the Stamp Simply team did with this challenge?

Check out LeAnne Pugliese’s sample here.
Check out Jennifer Buck’s sample here.
Check out Janine Orchard’s sample here.
Check out Tammy Hershberger’s sample here.
Check out AJ Otto’s sample here.
Check out Becky Oehlers‘ sample here.
Check out Dee Jackson’s sample here.

For more inspiration on Cat's challenge, check out these fabulous friends of Stamp Simply!

Darlene
Heather
Leslie
Susan

Remember! If you want to try your hand at a challenge, you can upload projects and link to your blog in a comment or you can upload to Splitcoast using the key word SSC08! If you do Sharon's challenge - be sure to add the ssnotime64 key word as well!

Barb Schram - Explore. Dream. Discover. - Barb has an offering of BLOG CANDY today!


And, if you do the sketch by Cathy Tidwell at Cat’s Creations - you can sign up for her blog candy!


And, if you want to stay up to speed on different daily challenges and blog candy giveaways, click HERE to travel to "Party Central!" That's where you'll find a daily rundown of all the Stamp Simply Celebrates happenings!

That's it for today folks! See ya back here tomorrow!