Limelight Week 4 with Michelle -fun with yellow

Hi everyone, it's Michelle and welcome to my last post as your Flourishes Limelight designer for May. What fun it's been hanging around here and a big THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by and those of you who left such lovely comments. Every single one is appreciated!

For my last week, I didn't do a set of MIM/LIM cards. Instead, I did some fun bright cards using yellow! Just cause yellow makes me happy! My cards all use the same ingredients, ie. pattern paper, rhinestones, dies, and ribbon -making it easy to get a couple cards done fast!

This first card uses Coffee With Friends in a different way. I stamped the coffee mug and colored it by doing a couple swipes with 3 copic markers. The flower "stem" is actually one of the steam images! The flowers are from one of my Prima jars and they have Kaiser rhinestones in the centers. The pattern paper is from DCWV Citrus matpack. FUN! I usually do something a bit more elegant with this coffee set, but I love to do a "floppsy doodle" card from time to time. By the way, floppsy doodle is just a funny term I use to describe cards that are a bit whimsical.








This next card uses the Summer Blossoms set. I have mentioned before, I love the images from this set! I thought it would be fun to turn the "stem" image into a kind of whispy grass with rhinestones on it! I used the same pattern paper pack, ribbon and Top Note die. Aren't those dragonflies the cutest? They too have a yellow rinestone on them. For the buttons, I actually (gasp!) hand sewed them to the panel! When I was finished, I used an orange marker to outline the Top Note piece and went over it with my Stardust Clear pen, making it extra sparkly! You can click on the card for a closer look.

Thanks again for stopping by. It's been such a pleasure and great fun being the Limelight Designer!!

This has been quite the week at Flourishes! We've showcased some of our beautiful new additions to the store called Finishing Touches and we are happy to report..... these little beauties are now available for you to buy!

Click HERE to visit the store and see the entire collection! We know you are going to like what you see!

Finishing Touches... the big finale!

The time is near when you will be able to get your hands on our brand new embellishment line we call.... Finishing Touches! We hope you've enjoyed all the sneak peeks this week and we'll have a post up later today when they are up in the store! So..... stay tuned!

But first, our final two peeks at the final pieces of this collection!

Introducing......

Mini Messages offers tags that measure up to 1" and are perfect for those little words and sentiments that we all love to add with a little splash of ribbon! Like all of our Finishing Touches collection - they come in gold, silver and antique copper! And, with all the gorgeous ribbon in the Flourishes Store, we thought we'd give you one more way to dress it up! We now have these gorgeous stick pins available in hearts and flowers. The flowers have rhinestone accents in the center (gold and silver have pale blue centers and the antique copper floral pins have a pink rhinestone) They are so sparkly and just add that special touch!

Be sure to scroll down... Laura Fredrickson not only showcases some of these new embellishments, she is the hostess of this week's Flourishes Focus and shines the light on a way to be "clearly creative!"

Flourishes Crystal Clear Focus

Friday's mean Flourishes Focus, and this week everything should be crystal clear. Crystal Clear cardstock that is! I am so happy to be sharing some fun ideas for using Flourishes Crystal Clear cardstock. It is my number 1 choice for clear projects, be they boxes, cards, window cards...anything where you need clear, you need Crystal Clear cardstock. My projects today, won't rock your world, but hopefully they will give you some fun ideas with clear cardstock, and by the time you've made your rounds to the rest of the design team, you'll have so many ideas, you'll be amazed.

I absolutely love Flourishes Crystal Clear cardstock. It is a vinyl, and it is 10 times sturdier than the acetate I had picked up at a stationary store. It is beautiful to work with, and makes strong containers and beautiful cards.

My first project is a clear card, and it was in part, inspired by this card by Michelle Girard. (scroll down to the clear card). I started with a base of Crystal Clear Cardstock, vertically oriented with a top fold, along with a horizontally oriented card in kraft card stock. I added some designer paper to the front of the card stock card.

On the Clear Cardstock, I stamped the script from the Thank You set, and on the designer paper I stamped the open flourish from Flourished Elements. I attached the cards by adhering the back of the clear card to the inside of the paper card. I covered the inside with white to write a note. I like this style because it lets the clear card really stand out, yet there is room for a note inside without it showing through.

Once the cards were adhered together, I placed the new Finishing Florals on the clear cardstock over the flourish, using it as a stem. The Crystal Clear Cardstock is sturdy enough to hold four of them with no problem! I added a sentiment in kraft cardstock, cut with the Tags Trio Nestability to balance out the colours. Here's a view of it laying down.

I wanted to show you how strong the Crystal Clear card stock is! Check this out! I have one of the Finishing Floral brads attached to the corner of the card, and it stands up better than card stock. A card made with Flourishes Crystal Clear cardstock really lets the clear element stand out and stand up!

I would have liked to have made a dozen projects with the clear cardstock, but I had to settle for sharing some of the other benefits. One of my other favorite things are my Spellbinders dies, and the Crystal Clear card stock works beautifully in them! Here I ran it through my Cuttlebug with the Labels two die. I edged it with White Stazon to give it some definition, and I couldn't resist showing off one of the ribbon slides along with it! This would make a great sentiment for a card or tag for a gift!

Crystal Clear card stock works beautifully when punched! I found office acetate didn't punch well, but I used several punches, including border punches, with the Crystal Clear Cardstock and they all worked perfectly! Here I quickly punched a flower, edged it in Red Stazon and of course, I had to add a Beautiful Brad to finish it.

Are you ready to be amazed? Well not only will you have the pleasure of seeing more ideas with the Crystal Clear card stock, you'll get to check out the previews on the latest addition of Flourishes Finery!! The creativity of these ladies just blows my mind every week!

Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Leslie Miller
Latisha Yoast

Thanks so much for joining me today and have a fabulous weekend!

Finishing Touches-- Day 2!

If you liked yesterday's peeks at our new Finishing Touches line - wait until you see what we have in store for you today!

Who doesn't love elegant ribbon? And who doesn't love ways to dress up a card? Well, today's peek offers the best of both - a way to show off your ribbon with style!

Introducing....
These ribbon slides come in 9 different, elegant designs! Since we know you'll want them all, we've packaged them so you get 3 of each style for a total of 18 beautiful slides in this kit! Each kit is organized according to metal color and is available in gold, silver or antique copper! While threading 1/4" - 1/2" ribbon through will give you a wrinkle free look, we happen to love what these slides look like on our 1" satin ribbon creating elegant gathers in an already luscious ribbon!

Or, if you look at Stacy Morgan's creation, you don't even have to thread the ribbon all the way through. Look what she did!

Want to see what some other members of our team cooked up today with these Stunning Slides? Check out...

Christine
Latisha
Julie

Tomorrow, we'll be back with our final peak along with a special treat courtesy of the fabulous Laura Fredrickson! She's the hostess for our Flourishes Focus. This tutorial will have you seeing your cards in "clearly" creative ways! ;-)

Introducing....

A whole new line of "fine jewelry" for your card creations! It's not unusual that a stamp company known for its elegant images would turn around and give you the best of the best when it comes to beautiful embellishments!

So, we introduce to you our brand new embellishment line called.....

We call them finishing touches because they are like the cherry on the top of a sundae. They are embellishments that will surely add that extra "wow" factor and a touch of class to your cards or projects. Because a stamper's style is constantly changing, we have you covered with three different metal colors ~ gold, silver and antique copper! While we can't share the whole line with you today, we will be giving you plenty of eye candy over the next few days courtesy of our fabulous design team!

Today, the team is showcasing our new kits called...
The Beautiful Brad Kit features 36 brad elements. There are medallions, square architectural elements, filligree flowers, flourish and floral brad elements paired with matching mini brads to secure them to your creations. Each kit comes in its own metal color ~gold, silver or copper. Buy one -- or buy them all!

The second kit offers 6 large Finishing Floral brads that measure up to 1" wide for a bold yet refined statement! This kit also is arranged according to metal color and is featured in gold, silver and copper finishes.

Like what you see? Wait until you see what the design team crafted with our new Finishing Touches! Be sure to visit...

Leslie
Laura
Stacy
Julie

By week's end you will have seen all five of our new kits which will be available in the Flourishes store on Friday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Coming Soon.....

Elegant "jewelry" for your cards like nothing you've seen before! Check back Wednesday for the start of our sneak peeks from our talented designers!

Timeless Tuesday Challenge

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC17)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's square card challenge!!! Keep reading to find out who won!

For those of you who are new, the Friends of Flourishes blog team are bringing you exciting and different challenges each week. Everyone can PLAY and anyone can WIN! Make sure you continue reading to find out how.

Last week I mentioned that we had a big surprise this week. Well, it is time for the big announcement! You may be asked as a Timeless Tuesday Challenge participant to guest host a challenge with the blog design team. As a guest host you will be asked to choose the challenge, make a card, and be showcased along with the other blog design team designers. Just keep playing along in our weekly challenges and you could be ask to guest host with us. Without further ado, it is time for this week's challenge!!!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC17)! This week we are introducing our first Flourishes Guest Challenge Host Connie McCotter(cmc2stamp)! Thanks so much Connie for hosting this week!! Connie is challenging us to sponging. Sponge coloring, sponge distressing, sponge shading, and sponge stenciling to name a few are some of the hottest techniques in stamping. So, grab you ink pad and sponges and add a little sponging to your card. We would love to see what you create!

Let's go see what the blog design team and our guest created for you this week!!!

Up first is our challenge host, Connie McCotter! She is using the newly released DIY Topiaries set. Connie has stamped the topiary and colored it using copics. For her background she has layered the focal panel with the background and created a continous beautifully sponged sky effect for the topiary. She used a sentiment from the Flourished Words stamp set. Connie finished her card with some rhinestones and ribbon detailing. Beautifully done, Connie!!! Thanks so much for being our Challenge Host this week!!!

Next, is Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using the newly released DIY Topiaries and A Man's View sets. Great colors and coloring, Kim!!!! The topiary is beautifully colored with copics and the sky and grass background elements are beautiful. Kim's embossed background has some sponged distressing around the edges to give the cardstock a deeper, richer color around the border. I love how she finished the card with a little hanging tag, some wrapped twine with a bow, and a button accent. Wonderful card, Kimberly!!!

Silke Ledlow is next on our card tour. She is using the Swing Set stamp set. She used the various images in this set to create her outdoor scene. Silke has sponged colored the tree and the grass. The fluffy cloud background showcasing dark and light sky detailing is a reverse stencil technique. I love how Silke finished her card with some scored cardstock detailing, ribbon, and silver pearls!!! Love the colors and the whole created outdoor scene!!! Lovely card, Silke!!!

Up next is Betty Wright. I am using Thinking Of You and the Vintage Wallpaper stamp sets. I stamped my background and focal image using versamark. I embossed both in black. I sponged colored and shaded the background in verying shades of yellow inks. I stenciled the focal image using oval nestabilities as a stencil and sponging on the inside. I love the dramatic effect of these colors and sponge techniques. I finished my card with some buttons, dry embossed border, and black satin ribbon.

Next up is Cindy Haffner. She is using the newly released Nasturtiums set. Love these colors and the beautifully colored flowers. Cindy is also showcasing some fabulous Spellbinder shapes. I love the layered look of these shapes and designs. Cindy has stenciled the outside edge of the focal image. Love this look and effect. Cindy finished her card with a punched border, some flowery ribbon that she adorned with touches of pearls. Wonderfully done, Cindy!!!

Be sure to check out each designer's blog links for more specific card details.

Because of today's sponge it challenge - here's a fun little incentive to add a little more color to your ink pad stash!
That's right -- all ink pads are on sale for a limited time only! So, now's a great time to run over to the store and stock up! Just click HERE to check them out!

This week's Flourishes Timeless Tuesday(FTTC16) Winner

chosen by Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:6
Timestamp: 2009-05-26 03:01:29 UTC
Ann V. (raindropecho) you WON!!! Congratulations!!!!

You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

By the way, if you still do not have theTimeless Tuesday blog button for your blog, check here for the codes.

Now, it is your turn to play! Here is what you need to know!

• Anyone can play whether you have Flourishes stamps or not. Of course, if you have Flourishes stamps, by all means, use them.
• Use code word FTTC17 when linking to SCS or public gallery.
• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation. Please give a direct link to your blog post so we can see the Flourishes challenge post and not just the generic page. To get the full link, click to read the comments. Another page will open that will have just the one card and your comments. Copy and paste that link here in the comments section.
• If you use either your blog link or online gallery, please give an active Flourishes Newsletter link.
• You can combine this challenge with as many others as you want.
• The challenge runs from Tuesday, 12:01 am until Monday at 8 pm EST
• Enjoy yourself!!!

We cannot wait to see what you create!
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Your Flourishes Friends!

Limelight Week 3 with Michelle -Summer Blossoms

Hi everyone, it's Michelle again for week 3 of my Limelight Designer month of May. This week, I used the amazing set, Summer Blossoms. I love the delicate images in this set. They allow for so many possibilities!

This week, my More is More and Less is More cards look a bit more like each other than last week. LOL! I stamped the stem and bud images in Adirondack Slate ink then lightly colored them with Copic markers.

The patterned paper is SU!'s Pretty in Pink DSP and the butterflies are punched from a small Marvy punch with Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink. Each butterfly has a sliver rhinestone in the center. The silver cardstock is from DCWV Metallic cardstock and the corner piece is from the Vintage die cut set from Cuttlebug. The bottom right corner piece is from the scraps from cutting the top left corner -I love using every last piece of silver cardstock that I can!!

This is the Less is More version. The differences are as follows:

-white cardstock card base

-no silver cardstock layering

-added a fourth square

-piercing

-ribbon only at stem instead of around panel

-image panel up on dimensionals

-has pink rhinestones on the butterflies

I have one more card to share using Summer Blossoms. I really wanted to use those gorgeous and delicate open blossoms. I stamped them 3 times and punched them into squares. I drug the edges in pink ink and mounted them to a piece of Tempting Turquoise cardstock. I colored them with Copic markers and put yellow stickles in the centers.

The sentiment was made using the Double ended tags. Before I removed the die, I lightly sponged pink inside leaving a crisp white edge. The designer paper is SU!'s retired Loves Me and the ribbon is May Arts velvet.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to browse on this Memorial Day weekend. Make it a great one and see you next week for my last post!

Card Deets (MIM):

Stamps: summer blossoms
Paper: pretty in pink, white, pink DSP (all SU!), Silver (DCWV)
Ink: Adirondack slate
Accessories: copic markers, clear rhinestones (Kaiser), pink taffeta ribbon (SU!), marvy butterfly punch, Vintage corner die (Cuttlebug)

Card Deets (LIM):

Stamps: summer blossoms
Paper: pretty in pink, white, pink DSP
Ink: Adirondack slate
Accessories: copic markers, pink rhinestones (Kaiser), pink grosgrain ribbon scrap, marvy butterfly punch, paper piercer

Card Deets (Blossoms):

Stamps: summer blossoms
Paper: Tempting turquoise, white, Loves Me DP (all SU!)
Ink: Adirondack pitch black
Accessories: copic markers, silver mini brads, Turquoise velvet ribbon (May Arts), Yellow stickles (Ranger), Double ended tags (Spellbinders)

Friday Focus - Piercabilities

Hello Everyone, it's Christine and I am your Flourishes Focus hostess today giving you an inside look at a wonderful item in the Flourishes Store, and that's the Spellbinders' Pierceability Template.

Like all the Spellbinders products, these templates give you some versatility in bringing shape, and elegance to your papercraft project. If you know me, you know I love to pierce my creations. It's just that touch that seems to finish things beautifully without distracting from your focal image.

The Pierceabilites come in several styles, I'm going to be showing you the Victorian Border (there are three varieties in the store). Other items you'll need are a die cutting machine, and I have the Ornare piercer and mat from the Flourishes store as well...a must have for the tiny piercing holes. I LOVE this mat because it gives you so much more surface area and the piercer is so precise that you can achieve very fine holes.

Pierceabilites are designed to do three things for your projects: cut, provide a piercing template, and emboss; or any combination of those three things. Excellent value for your money.

In this first sample I focused on the cutting and piercing ability of the template. Here's the finished card, and then I'll show you how I got there.

First I began by using the template to cut a decorative edge off the side of my card. In this case, leave one side of your card under the bottom cutting plate and the top side above. Then you line up the template with the cut side down on the edge of your paper. Run this through your die cut machine and you'll get a decorative edge (with a very light embossed image).

Then to create the accent piercing on the main focal image, I've used a precut (Labels Four) Nestability shape and placed my cut out lilac at approximately the spot where I'll be attaching it. This gives me an idea where I'll want to pierce. The I line up my template on my Ornare Piercing mat, hold it firmly in place with my left hand (my Kindergarten son would say "my helping hand") and take the vellum piercing tool and pierce the holes in the desired pattern. The instructions say to use as "vertical" a motion as you can to get nice round holes, and use similar depth of pressure on each hole to keep them consistent in diameter. As you can see I omitted piercing part of the design of the template (the larger holes).



The template also comes with a clear sheet with the template printed on it, so you can also use this to see where you'd like to align your holes or embossing as well.
If you ever lose your place or your template slips, lift it up to the light to realign your holes and pierce again.
Here is a closeup of the piercing and gems as accent. The main image was colored with Copic Markers.

This second card shows you how to add a deeper embossed image with the template and to add accent color, as well as pierce. I used the other template in the Victorian set (each set comes with two templates).

I took a 1 inch x 5 1/2 inch black piece of paper, cut the first edge of the paper with the pierceability, and the flipped the template and lined it up, taped it down (I'd recommend something like painters tape, not the masking tape I used!). The I ran it through my Big Shot again with the cut edge side up. I find I get deeper embossing by using it this way. You're left with a pretty edged border that is also embossed. (you could also add the Embossing Mats to give you a deeper embossed image as well)

Next I flipped the template over and used my White Craft ink and a sponge to highlight the raised embossing with ink. Be sure to clean your templates well right after sponging.

Then I flipped the border again and added my piercing to the tiny holes.

And here's a closeup of the design. I also added piercing to the area around the sentiment and some Kaiser pearls as accent. The image is again colored with Copic Markers.

So there you have it!

The rest of the Senior Design Team Girls have also put together some decorative piercing so you'll want to see their blogs for some other great ideas.

Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Julie Koerber
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Sweet-Just in Time

We are happy to announce that our replacement of Sweet Pea and Sweet Violet has been shipped. You still have a chance to purchase them while they are on sale....But we have just a few days left.

Don't forget, it's the Spring Sale!!!!
Flourishes is having a Special Spring Sale!!! EVERYTHING in the store is 10% off!!! That means Spellbinders, Flowers Soft, Inks, Designer Paper, Ribbons, Pearls...and more! You get my point!!! Got to love that! You must use the code rsc99! This offer expires May 21st! So hurry!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC16)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's Happy Birthday challenge!!! Keep reading to find out who won!

For those of you who are new, the Friends of Flourishes blog team are bringing you exciting and different challenges each week. Everyone can PLAY and anyone can WIN! Make sure you continue reading to find out how.

This week Silke Ledlow is hosting the challenge!!! It is all about shapes this week. Silke is challenging us to go square with our cards. A square has four right angles and fours sides the same length. We are stepping away from the standard A2 card and going square!!!

So, go square with us this week!!! We would love to see what you create!!!

Come along with me and let's go see what the blog design team created for you this week!!

Up first is our challenge host, Silke Ledlow . She is using the newly released DIY Topiaries. This set is fabulous and so versatile for all kinds of cards. Silke is using one of several topiaries and pots that come in this set. I love the red and white color combo and the beautifully colored rose topiary. The scored background is fabulous and adds wonderful texture and sophistication to this card!!! She finished her card with some layered red bling brads, a red ribbon, and a wonderful sentiment from the Many Sentiments sets! Beautifully elegant, Silke!!!

Up next is Betty Wright. I am using the newly released DIY Topiaries and Many Sentiments sets, too. Instead of using one of the topiaries as my focal point, I opted for one of the smaller groupings of topiaries in the set to create a stamped background. It was super easy and fast to do with clear images to see where I stamped. I outlined each of the mini topiaries with a copic shadow marker(C1) to give the topiaries some definition. I finished with my sentiment as the focal image with a stamped off image of the topiaries behind. I love the way it turned out!!!

Next up is Cindy Haffner. She is using the Sweet Pea set. The colors and coloring of the Sweet Peas are gorgeous, Cindy. She is also showcasing many fabulous Spellbinder shapes. She is using as her square frame the Classic Squares and she punched holes in the scalloped borders for an added detail. She has layered that with the Inverted Scalloped Circles. Then, she topped it off with the Octagon shape. She finished her card with some Sakura gel pen dotting around the scalloped edge. Beautifully done, Cindy!

Last up this week is Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using the newly released DIY Topiaries and Sweet Violets sets. The colors and patterns are fantastic and the topiary coloring is beautiful!! Kimberly is using another one of the large topiaries and pots in this set. She stamped the sentiment from the Sweet Violets set directly to the dp. She finished her card with a pretty red ribbon bow and heart shaped button detail. Beautifully done, Kimberly!!!

Be sure to check out each designer's blog links for more specific card details.

Don't forget the Spring Sale!!!!

Flourishes is having a Special Spring Sale!!! EVERYTHING in the store is 10% off!!! That means Spellbinders, Flowers Soft, Inks, Designer Paper, Ribbons, Pearls...and more! You get my point!!! Got to love that! You must use the code rsc99! This offer expires May 21st! So hurry!

Make sure to stop by next week for a big surprise announcement!!!!

You will not want to miss it!!!

This week's Flourishes Timeless Tuesday(FTTC15) Winner chosen by

Random Integer Generator is
Here are your random numbers:6
Timestamp: 2009-05-19 02:05:34 UTC

Peggy (marilynprestonn) you WON!!! WooHoo!!! Congratulations!!!!
You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

By the way, if you still do not have our lovely Timeless Tuesday blog button

for your blog, check here for the codes.

Now, it is your turn to play!

Here is what you need to know!

• Anyone can play whether you have Flourishes stamps or not. Of course, if you have Flourishes stamps, by all means, use them.
• Use code word FTTC16 when linking to SCS or public gallery.
• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation. Please give a direct link to your blog post so we can see the Flourishes challenge post and not just the generic page. To get the full link, click to read the comments. Another page will open that will have just the one card and your comments. Copy and paste that link here in the comments section.
• If you use either your blog link or online gallery, please give an active Flourishes Newsletter link.
• You can combine this challenge with as many others as you want.
• The challenge runs from Tuesday, 12:01 am until Monday at 8 pm EST
• Enjoy yourself!!!
  

We cannot wait to see what you create! As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Your Flourishes Friends!

Limelight Week 2 with Michelle - Roses

Hi everyone! It's Michelle, and welcome to Week 2 of my Limelight Designer month of May. This week, I used the amazing set, I Love Roses. Some of you may know that I LOVE roses. Really love roses! They have been my favorite flower all my life and are even my birth flower (I was born in June). I actually named my blog using Roses in the title!! So, can you believe up until I recently ordered this set, I did not own one rose stamp? Not one, not even a tiny one! Well, this set is amazing and seriously the only one I need -LOL!

You may remember from my post last week that I am showing More is More and Less is More cards in my Limelight posts.

This is the More is More card. It has lots of layers, silver cardstock, a bead pin with pearls and silver spacers, organdy ribbon, lots of glitter and dimension! I stamped the rose image twice on shimmer white cardstock and I colored them with copic markers. I then cut out a part of the second rose and leaf and popped them up.

The bead pin and pearls were purchased at Joann's and is my version of SU! Pretties Kit!! I love using the 1/8" silver wired ribbon as I can wind it around a pencil and it keeps it's lovely twirly shape!

The sentiment uses the Double ended tags die from Spellbinders. I actually made 2 tags so I could decide which shade of pink cardstock to use. The one I didn't use here I used on the LIM card. It's a great way to utilize all the "practice" pieces you end up with during the process!

Here is a detail shot (click to enlarge image).

Here is the Less is More card. I took everything down several knotches. This time, I didn't keep the same layout as the MIM card, but did keep the same elements (ie. image, black framing, silver accents and sentiment). I used the curvy Mega rectangle nestability for the shape of the card. I stamped the image on a scrap of pink paper from the first card, and lightly colored it with copics. I wrapped silver cord around the front several times and mounted the image over it with dimensionals. As I mentioned above, the sentiment panel is leftover from my "decision process" from the first card.

Before I go, I want to thank you all for the lovely comments left for me on last week's post. Several of you even made it over to my personal blog and left comments there too! I read and appreciated every single one!!

EDITED to add: The bead pin can be found in the bead/jewelry section of craft stores, or I sometimes use corsage pins which can be found in the wedding section. I like corsage pins because they have a sharp point and the stopper fits on it slightly better. The stopper I use are silver earring backs which are found in the bead/jewelry section.

Thanks for stopping by, and see you next Sunday for another MIM/LIM set.

ALERT Reported Problems At Checkout!

Hi Everyone, I am hearing comments of difficulty in obtaining the discount on the current sale we are having at FLLC. Here are some tips you need to know and follow to insure you obtain the discount.



1. The code is rsc99.

2. Place your order as normally done.

3. Sign in and on Step 1 you should now have a block that ask s if you have a promotion code, you will see this after you have typed in your name and address. ENTER the code. Proceed to Step 2.

4. Here you will have a visual of your items in your cart and on the lower left hand corner you will see (for this sale)

May 2009 Virtual Convention. This confirms that you have placed in the code; however the discount does not show here but will later, after you have paid and completed the transaction.



I hope that this will make your shopping experience less stressful and certainly more exciting. This sale will be active until May 21th, 2009.



Happy Shopping!!!!!



Ciao,

We had a blast!

Gosh, this week was so much fun seeing the creativity ooze from all of our Senior Design Team. With a sad goodbye to all that talent being shared, we say hello to all three sets that are now LIVE in the Flourishes store!

Say hello to.....


Nasturtiums
DIY Topiaries

And... A Man's View!

We hope you love these new sets just as much as we do! We sure enjoyed showing these sets off this week and sharing some pretty creative uses of these sets!

Be sure to check in on Laura, Leslie, Christine, and Julie who are offering up additional samples on their blogs! Thanks ladies for the extra eye candy!

Now, to the winner of the "A Man's View" set! Random.org drew the number 21, which means Gabriela is our winner!

Gabriela said...
Well, it looks like Lauren Pope's outdone herself again. This set is fabulous! Can't wait for its release!

Congrats! All you need to do is email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net with A Man's View Winner in the subject line! Be sure to give us your address and we will go ahead and get your stamp set sent right out!

And.... if you played in our His & Hers challenge - we have a winner there too! Congratulation goes to......... Deena a.k.a. Moonrise! Here's a peek at what she cooked up! So cute! Deena, you are the lucky winner of all three of our new releases! Simply email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net and give us your address and we will ship your sets right out to you!

Thanks everyone! We'll see you all back here Sunday when Michelle Woerner will be back to WOW us with another edition of the Limelight Stamper!

See you then! Happy shopping!!!! ;-)

His & Hers--- final day!

We hope you've been enjoying all the fun and fabulous sneak peeks this week! We have one final set to show off and this one -- is for the #1 guy in your life -- your DAD!

Introducing....

This fun set drawn by the talented Lauren Pope features a handful of images sure to make your dear ole dad or... the father of your children smile! It's a way to say - kick back and relax -- this is your day! Use it for birthdays, a little pick me up, or Father's Day. Anytime you want to tell the men in your life that you love them!

Want to win this set? All you need to do is leave a comment here! It's just that simple! We'll announce a winner tomorrow as we wrap up this week's big event.

Now, on to the winner of yesterday's DIY Topiaries set! Random.org drew the number 45, which means that Susan Parnell is the winner! When I counted out the entries, I realized that Susan was nice enough to give us all a recipe! Check it out!

Susan Parnell said... My favorite summer treat is Blueberry Almond Bars! They are yummy in the tummy! I have attached the recipe!

Blueberry Almond Bar
½ cup butter
1 (12 oz) pkg. white baking chips
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberry jam
¼ cup sliced almonds
½ cup blueberries

1.) Preheat oven to 325. In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of baking chips (do not stir); set aside. Grease 9x9 baking pan. Set aside.2.) In medium bowl combine eggs & sugar. Add butter mixture to egg mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in almond extract.3.) Stir together flour & salt. Add to egg mixture; stir just until combined. Spread half the batter in prepared pan. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven. 4.) Meanwhile melt jam over low heat. Spread jam evenly over warm crust. Stir remaining white baking chips into remaining batter. Drop batter in small mounds onto filling. Sprinkle with almonds & blueberries.5.) Bake about 35 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 16bars

Thursday, May 14, 2009 9:54:00 AM

Looks absolutely YUMMY! Susan, to claim your prize, all you need to do is email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net and put DIY Topiaries Winner in the subject line. Be sure to give us your address and we will get your stamps right out to you!

Now hop on over to see what fabulous creations our Senior Design Team has to offer!

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

Don't forget our RELEASE PARTY is set for TONIGHT from 8 to 10 PM central time over in the Flourishes Forum on SCS. And, if you want a chance to win all three sets being released - try our challenge HERE! You have until 5 PM Eastern!!

And... we have a special Spring Sale going on right now! Now through May 21 everything - yes everything in the store is 10% off! All you need to do is use this promo code: rsc99

Thanks for stopping by! We'll see you at the release party tonight so get ready to be wowed by more samples, designer chat and plenty of fun, giveaways and games!

New Flourishes Stamps--- day 2!

Welcome back to day 2 of our sneak peaks! Be sure to stay tuned all the way to the bottom of this post for news about our Spring Sale!

Today's little pleasure includes a fun way to build your own garden treasure. We introduce to you....
This sets features topiary parts and allows you to pick the foliage and the pot to create your own "scenes" in such a classic way! It's another elegantly drawn set from Marcella Hawley.

With yesterday's little lesson on Nasturtiums, I thought I'd give you a little research on these garden beauties. Did you know the Latin word for a landscape gardener is topiarus from which the word topiary is derived? This type of gardening has been practiced for at least 2,000 years and was used in the gardens of the wealthy from early Roman times through the 18th Century. It had a short period of being out-of-style and was then revived during the Victorian era. Now, we have some elegant topiaries that are just as pretty -- and they don't even need to be watered! ;-)

Want to win this set? Simply leave us a comment telling us your favorite summertime treat! If you have a recipe you feel inclined to share -- that's ok too! Delicious food and stamping - is there really anything better?

Now to the winner of yesterday's drawing! We loved reading all your favorite things to do in the summer. It gave all of us some fun ideas! Thanks to random.org, the winning number was 64 - which means the winner was.....

eggette who said...
I am basically a listener or a quiet person so I love sitting out on our deck with the kids and grandkids just listening to them gab!!

To claim your prize, all you need to do is email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net and put Nasturtiums Winner in the subject line. Be sure to give us your address and we will get your stamps right out to you!

Now hop on over to see what fabulous creations our Senior Design Team has to offer!

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

When you make your way to Faith's place -- make sure to wish her a Happy Birthday!!!

News to remember: Don't forget our release party is set for this FRIDAY from 8 to 10 PM central time over in the Flourishes Forum on SCS. And, if you want a chance to win all three sets being released - try our challenge HERE!

Spring Sale! Now through May 21 everything - yes everything in the store is 10% off! All you need to do is use this promo code: rsc99

Thanks for stopping by. We'll see you back here tomorrow to unveil a new set drawn by the talented Lauren Pope that is perfect for the guys in your life -- with a special focus on dear ole dad! See you back here then!

A "His & Hers" Release

It's just about that time when we say "hello" to the next batch of Flourishes stamps! This release has a little something for the guys in your life and a little bit more for those who can't live without the botanical treasures drawn by the talented Marcella Hawley.

Since we knew you couldn't wait to see what luscious flower was next on her list, we introduce to you.......

It's funny. When the Senior Design Team first set sights on this beautiful floral set, many emailed saying, "How do I pronounce this?" (Nahs-ture-shums) Others said they had to "google" it to find out what color these flowers were. I have to admit, I was in both of those groups.

So, I asked Jan Marie, the garden lover and one of the owners of Flourishes to give us all a little lesson on these beautiful buds. For starters she said these flowers come in vibrant shades of orange, red and yellow. Here's what else Jan Marie had to say.....

"Nasturtiums are part of that home and heart kind of garden. They actually became popular in victory gardens during World War II. When pepper became scarce, families started to grow Nasturtiums because it is an edible flower with a peppery flavor. It gave food the peppery taste that their dinner table was missing."

There's your little history lesson on this beautiful and easy to grow flower!Since the design team did a little research on its own, they've created some gorgeous cards with this set and are all offering up a bit of a sneak peek today before this set is available Friday! FYI: All of the new releases will be available in the store starting at 10 PM CST-- right after our release party in the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast Stampers! The party starts at 8 PM Central -- so mark your calendars!

Want to win this set? Simply leave us a comment telling us your favorite summertime pastime!

Now hop on over to see what our DT cooked up with these fiery colored flowers!

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

Thanks for stopping by. We'll see you back here tomorrow to unveil another fabulous Marcella Hawley set and to announce the winner of our first sneak peek giveaway. See you then!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC15)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's bead it challenge!!! Keep reading to find out who won!

For those of you who are new, the Friends of Flourishes blog team are bringing you exciting and different challenges each week. Everyone can PLAY and anyone can WIN! Make sure you continue reading to find out how.

This week Dee Jackson is hosting the challenge. It is Dee's Birthday today!!! WooHoo!!! Happy Birthday, Dee!!! As many of you know Dee is having some health issues. We are continuing to keep her in our prayers and we miss her very much!!!! Dee is challenging us to create Birthday cards!!!! We are celebrating life, health, and happiness!!!! So, whether your Birthday card is for a newborn or someone celebrating over 100 years, we would love to see what you create!!!

Come along and let's see the Birthday cards the blog design team has created this week. It is important to hum or sing the "Happy Birthday" song as you stroll along!!!

Up first on our Birthday stroll is Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using the Lilacs and Sweet Violets sets. I love these rich spring time colors. The copic colored tulip magnolias are so beautifully done. I love the basicgray sultry dp pattern choices in the background. The Happy Birthday sentiment from Sweet Violets stamped directly to the dp is a great look as well. Wonderful ribbon detailing and the gems touches are terrific. This is so beautiful, Kimberly!!!

Next on our Birthday walk is Silke Ledlow . She is using the Thinking of You, Vintage Wallpaper, and Sweet Violets stamp sets. The Vintage Wallpaper is a companion background to the Thinking of You set. The layout and color choices are fantastic, Silke. I love how Silke scored lines to frame the the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Sweet Violets set. The pearl detailing is just wonderful. So gorgeous, Silke!!!

Up next on our Birthday tour is Betty Wright. I am using the Poppies and Many Sentiments sets. I stamped all of my images on European Watercolor paper using Palette Noir ink. I watercolored the entire background using saffron. I then water colored all the flowers and cut them out and popped them up for added dimension. I shrinky dinked the sentiment tag. I finished with some black gingham and button detailing.

Strolling along on our Birthday tour, we end this week with Cindy Haffner. She is using the Sweet Violets and Coffee With Friends sets. I love the opposite white and black layered Nestabilities Labels Four framing for the elements flourish and Happy Birthday sentiment. A card this striking only needs a piece of ribbon to complete the look. Beautifully done, Cindy!

Be sure to check out each designer's blog links for more specific card details.

To further celebrate Birthday's, Flourishes is offering 10% off the following theme Birthday sets. So, Birthday Celebrations, All Wrapped Up , and Many Sentiments are available for a 24 hour Birthday discount!!!

The Winner for Timeless Tuesday Challenge FTTC14
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:25
Timestamp: 2009-05-12 02:19:32 UTC

Jill Haddad you WON!!! Congratulations!!!!

You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net

for your coupon code!!!!

By the way, if you still do not have our lovely Timeless Tuesday blog button for your blog, check here for the codes.

Now, it is your turn to play!!! Here are the rules!!!!

• Anyone can play whether you have Flourishes stamps or not. Of course, if you have Flourishes stamps, by all means, use them.


• Use code word FTTC15 when linking to SCS or public gallery.


• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation. Please give a direct link to your blog post so we can see the Flourishes challenge post and not just the generic page. To get the full link, click to read the comments. Another page will open that will have just the one card and your comments. Copy and paste that link here in the comments section.


• If you use either your blog link or online gallery, please give an active Flourishes Newsletter link.


• You can combine this challenge with as many others as you want.


• The challenge runs from Tuesday, 12:01 am until Monday at 8 pm EST


• Enjoy yourself!!!
  

We cannot wait to see what you create! As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Your Friends of Flourishes!

The new stamps are coming!!!!

It's getting kind of quiet over at Flourishes. It's the calm before the storm! We've got three fabulous new sets that will be unveiled in sneak peeks with our Senior Design Team starting (drum roll please..............) Wednesday!

We are so excited to show you this new crop of polymer pretties! We've got a little something for the guys this time too! So, check back Wednesday and get ready for a storm of creativity coming your way from our DT!

To get ready for the big reveals, why don't you check out our His & Hers Challenge! If you play along - you could win all three of our stamp sets being released this week!

Betty will be back with the Friends of Flourishes team tomorrow to kick up some fun with another Timeless Tuesday challenge!

Limelight week 1 with Michelle -Sweet Peas

Hi everyone! It's Michelle and I am so excited to share with you my first Limelight Designer post. I thought about what I could show you all that would say something about me as a designer. That was kinda tough, but I decided that each week I would show you More is More and a Less is More cards.

As a mom to 2 preschool aged boys, wife, housekeeper, maid, driver, etc for me it's all about time and energy! Seriously, I always seem to be short on both. When making a card, I usually start out with a sketch (cause I can't design a layout to save my life, LOL), then chose the papers/colors I feel like using and then select a stamp that fits the layout and theme of the card. What I love about MIM/LIM cards is by using the stamps, paper, ribbons already picked out, you can create 2 totally different cards with 1/2 the work!

This week, I have cards using the amazing set, Sweet Peas. This is the MIM version. I stamped the image on white cardstock 3 times and colored with copic markers. Next, I cut out the larger blooms and popped them up on the image, put glitter on them, and saved the 3rd image for my LIM card. The designer paper is My Mind's Eye, Asparagus line. The sentiment is from the Many Sentiments set and is also edged with glitter.










For my LIM card, I used the same layout, but flipped it. I reduced the amount of layers on the base and image panels. I kept the piercing, but changed where it was placed, allowing it to still highlight the DP. I changed the embellishments to a simple organdy ribbon and 3 Kaiser Scrapbook pearl accents. I usually leave off the sentiment on my second card, and save it for any occasion in the future. In this case, my sister picked this card to give to our mom for Mother's Day.

Well, that was a tiny peek into my process. Thanks for stopping by, and see you next week where I will share another set of MIM/LIM cards!

Card Deets (MIM):
Stamps - Sweet Peas
Paper - Sweet blush, white, Sahara sand, MME DP
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories - Pink brads, 1/4" circle punch (SU!), paper piercer, Crystal glitter (Art glitter), CM oval cutter

Card Deets (LIM):
Stamps - Sweet Peas
Paper - Sweet blush, white, Sahara sand, MME DP
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories - 3/8" pink organdy ribbon, paper piercer, Kaiser pearls in Champagne

Release Challenge!

Our May release is just around the corner and you know what that means-- a chance for you to win ALL THREE of our newly released stamp sets! All you need to do is put your creative hat on and join us in the "His & Hers" challenge!

Since our next release has a little bit for "him" and a little bit more for "her" - we thought it would be fun to challenge you to use the same card or project layout to make a "guy" card... and then a card for the gals!

We put our Senior Design Team to the test... and they did not disappoint!


Faith Hofrichter used the same layout, stamps (Forest of Trees) and overall design but gave her card a feminine and masculine color scheme. I love the highlights she added in white.... Stacy Morgan also used the same stamp set (Spring Ephemerals) but by downplaying the embellishments - she shows you can make a card more masculine with some metal brads and simple satin ribbon!


Christine Okken used the Figs & Pomegranite set to create her "his and hers" card! Don't you love how a simple switch to earthy paper gives the card on the left a more manly feel!

Yours truly (Julie Koerber) decided to mix it up a bit with the stamp sets but kept to the same concept - a pocket card with goodies stuffed inside! For the "hers" card, I used the Sweet Peas set and tucked some seeds down into the pocket. For the "his" card, I used the Menswear set and stuffed some coveted baseball tickets inside! Perfect little gifts for the women AND men in your life!

Latisha Yoast decided to make the "His & Hers" challenge for the little ones in life -- using the Rock-A-Bye set! Didn't she make up a darling pair of cards??

Leslie Miller used the same basic design... and even some of the same colors and jazzed this tree up in "his & hers" style. How did she do it? Simply by swapping ribbon and using different colors of Flower Soft! Great idea!
And, last but not least, Cindy Lawrence created this gorgeous combo fit for a King and Queen using the All Wrapped Up set and Thank You set! Those colors could just make a gal drool!

Want to play for a chance to win? All you need to do is make a "his" and "hers" card using the same basic layout. As you can see, you don't need to use the same stamp set, the same paper, or the same embellishments - just the same overall card/project layout. Use Flourishes stamps if you have them, but if you don't we'd love it if you played anyway! You have until 5 PM Eastern on May 15th (next Friday) to upload your cards to SCS using the key word fllcmay OR provide a link to your card on this post! The randomly drawn winner will be announced during our RELEASE PARTY which is set for May 15th from 8 to 10 PM CST in the Flourishes Forum over on Splitcoast!

We hope you make time for play time and join us on the challenge! We can't wait to see what you create!

~Julie

Timeless Tuesday!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC14)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's sketch. Keep reading to find out who won! The April monthly winner is up, too!!!

For those of you who are new, the Friends of Flourishes blog team are bringing you exciting and different challenges each week. Everyone can PLAY and anyone can WIN! Make sure you continue reading to find out how.

This week Betty Wright is hosting. She is challenging us to use beads. There are all kinds of shapes and sizes as well as materials that beads come in. You can choose from the tiniest microbeads to the largest you can find to add to your card. Halfback beads count, too!!! There are glass beads, plastic beads, wooden beads, clay beads, and paper beads to name a few. So, bead it, girls!!! We cannot wait to see what you do with this one!!!

Let's go see what the blog design team has created for you this week using beads!

Up first is Betty Wright. I am used the Signs of Spring and Siberian Iris sets. I needed another Mother's Day card and this sentiment in the Siberian Iris is perfect. I watercolored the daffodil using European Watercolor paper for my paper of choice. This is amazing watercolor paper. I also used some Memory Box dp. For my bead detailing, I used a stickpin with clear beads and I stuck it into the ribbon detailing coming from the tag.

Next is Cindy Haffner. She is using the Sweet Violets set. Love the colors and patterns, Cindy. The Nestabilities Labels Four frame is fabulous with these wonderfully colored sweet violets. Cindy, colored and cut out the leaves and flowers to create wonderful dimension. Love how she tucked the little sentiment tag into the flower's leaves. Cindy has chosen to use halfback pearls for her bead detailing. Beautifully done, Cindy!!!

Next, we move on to Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using the Strut Your Stuff and Sweet Violets sets. I absolutely love how Kimberly showcased this beautifully colored peacock. I think the layered paisley shaped nestability is perfect!!! I love the Impressabilities - Paisely textured background, too. Love all her tiny bead detailing around the scalloped paisley frame and along the feathers of the peacock!!! This is gorgeous, Kimberly!!!

Next is Silke Ledlow . She is using the Mixed Greetings stamp set. I love this color combo. The pattern dp is fantastic, too. She paper pieced the vase holding the flowers, cut it out, and added dimensionals to give it some height. Beautifully colored arrangment, too, Silke! I love the added piercing detailing Silke added to the sentiment. Silke chose to use black halfback pearls for her beads of choice. Beautiful layout and design, Silke!!!

Up last this week is Becca Feeken. She is using the Sweet Pea and Sweet Violets sets for the sentiment. These colors are so light and refreshing. I just love how Becca colored the Sweet Peas and created a double layered effect with the flower image. She added her beads as little finishing touches along the side of the card. The sentiment comes from the Sweet Violets set. Wonderfully done, Becca!!!

Be sure to check out each designer's blog links for more specific card details.

The Winner for Timeless Tuesday Challenge FTTC13

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:15
Timestamp: 2009-05-05 01:55:28 UTC

Dannie Graves is this week's winner!!! Congratulations, Dannie!!!!

You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

Our April Monthly Winner!!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:74

Timestamp: 2009-05-05 02:01:05 UTC

Connie(cmc2stamp) Congratulations!!!!

You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

By the way, if you still do not have our lovely Timeless Tuesday blog button for your blog, check here for the codes.

Now, it is your turn to play!!! Here are the rules!!!!

• Anyone can play whether you have Flourishes stamps or not. Of course, if you have Flourishes stamps, by all means, use them.
• Use code word FTTC14 when linking to SCS or public gallery.
• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation. Please give a direct link to your blog post so we can see the Flourishes challenge post and not just the generic page. To get the full link, click to read the comments. Another page will open that will have just the one card and your comments. Copy and paste that link here in the comments section.
• If you use either your blog link or online gallery, please give an active Flourishes Newsletter link.
• You can combine this challenge with as many others as you want.
• The challenge runs from Tuesday, 12:01 am until Monday at 8 pm EST
• Enjoy yourself!!!

We cannot wait to see what you create! As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Your Friends of Flourishes!

Introducing.....

When Flourishes decided to bid farewell to it's weekly Featured Stamper, we knew we needed to find a new way to put those designers who shine with Flourishes in the limelight! We scoured the galleries and surfed blogs week after week jotting down the names of talented stampers that we would love to feature here on our Newsletter.

We're happy to say, we have a Limelight Designer that will now be joining us every Sunday for the month of May giving us some insight into her creative process and sharing her talents with us! And, that stamper is........

I've always loved Michelle's clean and classy style. When you look at her creations, you see interesting and sophisticated layouts usually with ribbons, rhinestones, and elegant patterns! You could spend hours surfing her blog or SCS gallery! Take a look at some of our favorite Michelle Woerner creations....

Because Michelle is going to be hanging out with us for a while, we thought you might like to know a little bit more about her! So, here's what she had to say in her own words!

"My name is Michelle Woerner, but you all may know me better as sf9erfan from SCS. I started stamping 2 1/2 years ago completely by accident. I answered an add on Craigslist to buy some scrapbook paper, and while I there I saw her lovely handmade Christmas cards. She said she made them using stamps from a company called Stampin’ Up!. This was a novel idea to me, I never knew people MADE their own cards?!? How funny is that? Well, I went right home and looked SU! up on Ebay. Through a link on an auction, I found SCS and the rest is history! I am a SAHM of two wonderful boys (ages 3 1/2 and 5). I am surrounded all day by dinosaurs, cars and trains cardmaking is a wonderful escape into the world of designer paper, ribbon, flowers and all things pretty whenever I want. I absolutely love making cards and go through withdrawls if I don't craft everyday! I first discovered Flourishes when they released the Coffee with Friends set -which I have to say is still my favorite! I absolutely fell in love with the elegant style of Flourishes stamps and have been a HUGE fan ever since. I am so thrilled and honored to be asked to be Flourishes Limelight Designer. I hope you all like the cards I will share with you and look forward to you all getting to know me better these next few weeks!"

We are so excited to have Michelle joining us each Sunday during May! She has some fun and creative projects in the works and I just know, you won't want to miss them! See you all back here soon!

Flourishes Focus: Watercolor Made Easy!

It's Friday... which means it's time for another Flourishes Focus. Julie Koerber here! I wanted to share with you one of my favorite "cheat" techniques. It's a technique I use to create soft images that look watercolored without a lot of work!

Here's what you'll need to get started....

• European Watercolor Paper
• Dye based in a couple shades of the same color
• Water brush filled with water
• Signs of Spring (or your favorite Flourishes set!)
• Paper towel

To start, I inked up my large daffodill with the light yellow and light green ink, going over my image a second time and just "thumping" the darker yellow and darker green randomly to create some shaded areas on my image. It's random! Just don't do too much or you won't get the color variation from light to dark.

This is what the image looks like after you stamp....
The next step is easy! Within a few minutes while the ink is still soaking into the watercolor paper, you want to run your clean and damp waterbrush over your image making sure to clean off your brush when you move from color to color.

See?
After you are done, this is what your image should look like! You can see, I drew the color in and didn't color evenly. I wanted the color to be darker in some areas -- just like you do when you really DO watercolor! It gives your stamped work depth with ease!
The next step is a watercolor wash so that your image doesn't just "float." You'll want to start by wetting the paper around your image. This is how the color will flow around your image.
Now, it's time to add your color. Pick any color that you think will compliment your image. I picked a baby blue. And, this is how I picked up my color - from the lid of one of my ink pads!
And, this is what my image looked like after I added my hue of blue..
The next part is simply putting my card creation together and... VOILA!
I used my oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities, the Vintage Wallpaper background stamp on my card base, some Kaiser rhinestones, sheer olive ribbon, a tag to stamp my "daffodils" word on and some decorative paper from both the Basic Grey Urban Prairie and Memory Box Rhubarb Tart collections.

Before I go, I wanted to show you a few of the cards I made over the past year using this technique!

And finally, on this one, I used the watercolor wash and also stamped the grass and flowers below my swinging lady and then used my water brush to blend the color.
Be sure to stop by these fabulous Flourishes designers to see what kind of easy watercolor creations they cooked up this week!

Christine Okken
Faith Hofrichter
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

I hope you enjoyed my watercoloring made easy tutorial! I also hope you give it a try!

~Julie