Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC22)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's sketch challenge. Keep reading to find out who won!

The Friends of Flourishes blog design 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.

We have a lovely challenge for you this week! It is the last Tuesday of the month, so it is time for another Guest Challenge Designer! Today we welcome Linda Lucas(Lovely Linda) all the way from Australia! Welcome, Linda!!! Linda is challenging us to use our chalk!!! There are so many techniques that you can do using chalk. Whether you want to color, sponge distress, create popping pastels, chalkboard technique, or another technique of choice, the point is to dust off that chalk container and Chalk It!!! We would love to see what you create!

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

Up first this week is our challenge host, Linda Lucas. Thanks so much Linda for hosting this week's challenge. Linda is using the Chairs For You and Ornamental Elements sets on her card. Linda is using some Memory Box dp. Linda stamped the chair and colored with chalk to coordinate with the dp. She embossed and cut out the ornamental element and urn then attached to the card using dimensionals to complete her scene plus add visual interest. Wonderful colors and dimension, Linda!!! Just beautiful!!!

Next this week is, Silke Ledlow . Silke is using the Summer on the Patio and Sweet Violets stamp sets. Silke is also using some Basicgray euphoria dp. Beautiful colors and design, Silke. Silke stamped the floral image using versamark then colored each flower and leaf with chalk as well as the watering can. She finished her card with some deep rose satin ribbon and a sentiment from the Sweet Violets set! I love the colors and the popping pastel technique with this image. Gorgeous card, Silke!!!

Next, is Betty Wright. I am using the Sweet Peas and Sweet Violets stamp sets. I am using some Basicgray sultry dp. I think this is one of my new favorite color combos. I am using the Flourishes classic white cardstock. I colored my sweet peas using the Flourishes Copic Color Collections in Hollyhock and Spring Greens. I used chalk to enhance the stripes on the background section that I stamped in versamark. I finished with ribbon, a tag, and sentiment from the Sweet Violets set.

Cindy Haffner is next. Cindy is using the Spring Ephemerals stamp set. Love these colors! To create some texture Cindy is using the Spellbinders flower impressabilities. She created a cording frame around the edge of the card. Love this look. Cindy framed the silhouette flower with the Spellbinder's label four shape. She used chalk to create shading and dimension around the framed image. She finished the look with some dainty butterfly brads. Beautifully done, Cindy!!!








Next up this week is Connie McCotter. On behalf of the Flourishes and the blog design team we would like to let Connie know just have much we have enjoyed her guest designing with us this month. Thank you so much, Connie!!! Connie is using the Patriotism on Parade set. I just love the fireworks sky background Connie created using one of the images in this set. The technique is called background burst. The vibrancy of the colors is beautiful. It really shows the detail of the image in this set. Wonderful patriotic card, Connie!!! Please check out the Designing for a Cause Challenge to see how you can help with the Wounded Warrior Project and Cards for Heroes.

Last this week is, Dee Jackson. Dee is using the newly released Life, Love and Lemons set. Dee used chalks to enhanced the embossed image of her embossing folder background. She colored the lemons image using Flourishes Copic Color Collections. She is using the Daffodil and some of the Spring Greens and Fields color collections. Dee also enhanced her ribbon treatment with shades of the daffodil copic collections markers. Lovely card, Dee!

Be sure to check out each designers blog links to get more detail card information!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC21)

decided by
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:23
Timestamp: 2009-06-30 01:36:39 UTC

Carla(stargirl) You Won!!! Congratulations!!! You need to email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

Don't forget it is not too late to still win not only for FTTC22 challenge but also for any challenges for June. Go back and complete a few and add your link to the list for that challenge to compete for the monthly winner drawing!!!

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 FTTC22 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!

Copics 101

Hello Flourishes Friends! It's Christine here with you today. It was just 6 months ago that I worked with Copic markers for the first time. Those first few months I wondered what I had gotten myself into! (are any of you there right now?) I found the learning curve so big, and it was so different from watercoloring, that I had to experiment a lot to figure out what worked for me.

So, I'm here today as no expert (by any means!), but as someone who is learning and wants to show you what I've learned so far about coloring with Copic Markers (instructions below each picture). Hopefully this will help you as you are playing with these great markers, and maybe this will help you see it's not so hard after-all!


Here I begin with a nice stamped image, the ruffled Tulip from the Thank You set, stamped with Tuxedo Black ink on our Flourishes Classic White paper. It is the best paper I've found for blending quality. Excellent heavy weight, a beautiful buff-soft surface, and lovely pure white. I've shown you above the two color collections I've used, Crocus and Evergreen. Flourishes really has eliminated one of the hardest steps in Copic coloring - they've made the color range choices for you. You already know what will work together!

I colored each marker shade on the paper to show you the range of color. Evergreen also has one deeper shade included in the Collection, but I didn't use it in this creation.


Here I've colored the entire tulip with the lightest Crocus shade (V01).



Above I've added a 2nd layer of V01 in some of the deeper areas of the flower. Do you see how just that subtle addition of a second layer of color gives you tone on tone shadowing?

Next I've added some depths with the next color in the Crocus Collection V05. I add my shadows or depths into areas of the image that would be appearing to recede. Deeper colors recede, light colors advance. This is also why Flourishes stamps work so well with Copics - our artists have given you great clues about where to add your deeper colors in the stamp. Don't worry about it not looking blended yet.... that's the next step!


Then I come back with the V01 shade and blend the V05 and V01 together. Do you see how the color separation is softer now?

Above I add the V06 shade to deepen smaller parts of those shadowed areas. Then after this picture I did another round of blending between the colors with the V01 (I've really found that your lightest shades are key for blending with Copics).

Above I've added the deepest color (V09) in the smallest but most deeply shadowed areas of the tulip.
And here is the finished tulip bloom after I've blended with the V01 Marker. By this point in the coloring you can also blend with some of the mid-shades too if you prefer. I really like the contrast between light and dark so I use more of the lightest shade.

On to the stem and leaves:

I use the same process with the leaves and stem. I color the entire surface of the leaves and stem with the lightest shade in the Evergreen Collection - YG91.

In the above photo I've added a layer of YG93 and blended it with my YG91. The area is very small but you can see or imagine where the shadows would be under the leaf where sunlight wouldn't get to, tops of leaves would be lighter.

And here it is above with the last touch of YG95 added in the deepest areas and blended with YG91. And above is the final creation!

Many of the Flourishes Design team are experts at Copics, others of us are with you in the learning process so be sure to see these creative girls today to see what they've done with their Copics! Hop on over to see Faith and Julie!

Coming up Wednesday, Cindy Lawrence will be back with Copics 102 featuring another one of our fabulous Copic Collections. You won't want to miss it!

~Christine

Limelight Week 4 with Sherry - Faux Bleach

Good morning! Last Sunday, I showed you an example of the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique. I have had a number of questions about this technique and when I looked back at my post, I failed to link the written tutorial. You can find it under Resources on Splitcoaststampers – Wrinkle Free Distress.

For this week’s post, I’m going to work with both the Home Tweet Home and Birds in Vines sets. My first card uses Home Tweet Home.

The image was water colored with markers and I used the new Spellbinders S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities for the border along the bottom. The new Spellbinders Pendants and matching Borderabilities will be available from Flourishes when they are released. Stay tuned for the announcement!

Did you see Leslie’s wonderful post the other day on What can you do with solid image stamps? It was an awesome post, especially the section on Versamark Resist! I was so inspired, that I decided to show you one more technique using solid image stamps, and another of my favorite techniques -- Faux Bleach. I’m on top of it today, and have provided the link to the Splitcoaststampers tutorial – Color Wash Faux Bleach.

I've used a variety of mediums before with the Faux Bleach Technique (i.e., alcohol inks, color wash dyes, water based inks), but I’ve never tried it the way I have for this post. I recently noticed that Flourishes now carries Copic Markers, and thought it would be fun to try airbrushing with Copics for today.

The idea of the Faux Bleach Technique is to stamp your image with embossing ink and then emboss with clear embossing powder. You then cover the embossing with any medium you wish, place between two sheets of paper and iron off the embossing. I have found that I like to use cardstock for the ironing because then I end up with another background I can use. An example of this would be the two tags below.

The tag on the right is the one I airbrushed with Copic Markers and the one on the left is the image obtained when the embossing was ironed off. Working with the airbrushed tag first, this is the card I came up with.

Now the tag created with the ironed-off embossing. Instead of a card, I decided on a bookmark to show you how versatile the backgrounds can be.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share my love of techniques and paper crafting with you. I’ve had fun writing these posts for you and hope that I have inspired you to try some new techniques!

What Can You Do With Solid Image Stamps?

Hi, everyone! It's me, Leslie, here to share some thoughts and ideas with you about using solid image stamps. There's a lot of versatility to these stamps since you can do a little or a lot with them. Many prefer solid images for their ease of use, and that's primarily what I'll be focusing on today.

When I need a card in a hurry, there's generally no question as to which stamps I'll turn to -- solid images. I might be the world's slowest stamper, but the first two cards I'm sharing today were made very quickly in the evening after work. I kept the layouts simple and the stamping even simpler.

I love this foliage image from the Summer Blossoms set. I stamped it twice in pink, and a few times in green, added a sentiment, and my main image was done. By doing the pink first, I didn't even have to clean the stamp between colors. I just stamped it off a few times and went straight to the green. The BasicGrey Perhaps designer paper (one of my favorite collections) helped determine my colors. Plenty of white kept it sweet and summery looking.





You may notice this next card uses the same basic layout as the first card but, rather than designer paper, I did a little Cuttlebug embossing and replaced the entire center with the stamped panel. I used the Versamark resist technique, which I love for the ethereal, dreamy, soft and lovely quality of the image. It gives a card a very special look with very little bother.




To accomplish Versamark resist, you need only the most fundamental supplies:

• Your choice of solid image stamps (I used images from Spring Ephemerals)
  


• Glossy cardstock
  


• Versamark stamp pad
  


• Regular dye-based ink
  


• Wadded facial tissue (bathroom tissue...TP)

Stamp your solid images on the glossy cardstock with Versamark ink. The images will be clear, but you'll be able to see where you stamped them. Glossy cardstock is slippery, so hold the paper firmly as you lift the stamp, and do your best to avoid slippage. Let the ink set for a few moments -- no worries about it drying out. Use the wadded TP to take up ink from the dye-based ink pad and simply rub it over the panel and watch the image emerge. You can also use a brayer to apply the ink if desired. A spectrum pad gives a very nice effect, too. Or, experiment with blending different areas of color with the wadded TP or brayer. Today I used just one color for simplicity. The sentiment from Many Sentiments, stamped in Palette Umber, finished off the panel.



I'll finish up here with just a few more quick samples of ideas for solid image stamps... On this card I stamped the image, then stamped it again slightly offset, without reinking, to create a shadow:







An embossed image gives an elegant result:

I stamped this solid image from Thinking of You in Palette Cognac (waterproof) and colored it very simply with regular Stampin' Up! water-based markers. No special shading...just very simple coloring. Really...not the least bit difficult, and not even very time consuming, but it gives the opposite impression:

Pretty fun stuff! I know you'll enjoy seeing more samples, so take a peek at what the rest of the team is sharing today:

Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, and Stacy

I'm so glad we could have this visit. Now, let's go stamp something!

Copic Coloring in 10 minutes!

Copics are the premier art marker and all the rage for paper crafters and Flourishes is happy to provide you with our unique groupings - colors specially selected for their natural color blends.

If you are new to copics and want a little tutorial, we’ve developed this quick ten minute video to show you how I colored this image - using some simple techniques to get you started. In it we’ve used colors from the Sky Collection and the Poppy Collection.

Stamps: Flourishes All Wrapped Up; Ink: Palette Noir, Copic: Sky Collection and Poppy Collection; Paper: Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, Basic Gray Euphoria, SU; Embellishments: Light Blue Rhinestones, Flourishes Finishing Touches - Beautiful Brads, Blue Silk Ribbon

Here is the link to the video:

Copics in 10 Minutes


Did you notice the embellishment on the bottom of the card? This was created taking one piece from Flourishes Finishing Touches – Beautiful Brads collection and pairing it up with our light blue rhinestones for a perfect accessory!

Please check back tomorrow when the fabulous Flourishes Design Team will show you what they've been working on and Saturday, Jan Marie will have another great article on copics!

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting to Know Copics

The introduction of the Flourishes Collection has presented to many of you some questions that have been on your mind for a while. To that end, I will try to answer some of those questions about Copic Markers.

What is a natural color blend and why is this important?

To get the most out of Copic markers you should use a variety of shades to blend from light to dark for a realistic look. There are 310 different colors and with so many colors to choose from it's hard to know which to choose!

We've done the work for you! Flourishes created 20 different groups of markers in their natural color blend.

We offer a wide color range and the groups contain either 3, 4, or 5 markers. You will find the lightest to darkest in the select color range and intensity for each color group.

This does not mean that you will not add in a little extra here and there for highlights, but by sticking with these color groups until you have become Copic savvy you will have success.

Why did Flourishes decided to make Copics available in this manner?

Some stores sell Copics individually and leave you to figure out what are the natural blends. Others sell Copics in groups of 12 markers - with NO guarantee that you'll get a natural color blend group, and you may get colors you'll never use! Other stores require you to make a 6 month commitment - very expensive and you may never use them all! Still others continue to match them to a paper group.

A lot of thought and research and attending Copic certification classes led me to believe that the problem for most stampers was the way that Copics were marketed.

Why are Copics so expensive and do you think they will go down in price?

Copics are an artist quality medium. These markers have been on the market for 25 years and the formulations have not changed. These markers are refillable and the tips can be changed, but probably will never require you to do so. Considering that they are a lifetime investment I do not think they will go down in their price. The markers speak for themselves.

Flourishes choose to carry the Sketch markers for two basic reasons:

1- There are 310 colors available in Sketch, more that in any other style.

2- They hold the most ink in the chamber, requiring less refilling. Ciao markers sell for less but hold much less ink requiring more refilling and have less colors available.

What important things do I need to know about my new Copics?
By choosing Copics in the Flourishes Copic Collection you have already made the best choice. A few tips about your markers and you will be ready for my next post on simple coloring techniques.

Let's look at the markers.

Here I have a marker closed and open. You will notice that the oval "can't roll" styling makes the stay in one place. They are clearly engraved as to the style and colors of markers.

The closed marker on the top has a grey stripe around the cap opening. This grey band denotes the brush tip of the marker, so that you can tell which end you are opening....COOL !

The open marker on the bottom again shows the grey marking at the brush tip of the marker. The rest of the marker is the same color and the opposite end of the marker is a chisel end marker. Both of the tips are virtually indestructible.

Copics do not require any special direction in storing. I store mine in a case I obtained from Copic class and will share that with you on another day.

Can I blend one group of color groups with another?

Absolutely! Again, the more savvy you become - the more you will learn about blending. I will tackle this in another session, I don't want to overload you today! This is just an introduction of our groupings.

OK, I think you have convinced me to purchase my Copics from Flourishes, how do I determine which one to purchase first?

Flourishes' unique groupings allows you to select the natural blend groups that appeal to you and our groupings are small enough that the investment in minimal! So if you tend to use pinks and yellows, start with those groups. If blues and greens are more your style, we have several groups you will like!

Not only have we taken the time to put together these groups, but we'll also provide you with information on what we've learned about Copics! We'll let you know what those letters and numbers on the marker mean (yes they are important!), the type of paper that works well with Copics, and the Flourishes Design Team will dazzle you with incredible cards!

One last question Jan Marie. I have heard that the learning curve is hard and paper is very important , is that true?

Well in all truth and honesty, I have had a learning curve with every new medium I began learning to use. Just because I started out using Tombow or Stampin UP markers, did not make me a wiz at Copics. They are all different mediums and if you are like me, practice will make perfect. If we already knew how to do every aspect of art and most things in life, there would be nothing called learning!

Now on the subject of papers. Having sat through several of the Copic Certification classes with Marianne Walker, I know she has has some basic guidelines, but endorses no one paper exclusively. Again when FLLC started on this path, we knew that finding the best in our estimation for the products we carry was important. We want successes for our customers not customer service issues. To that end the search was long and intensive. We have worked directly with a very large paper company, and they were so helpful. They learned about the needs of stampers along the way as well. The bottom line, we think we have made an excellent choice. The whiteness of the white is a very bright white. The ivory is a beautiful buff. The paper is absorbent but does not suck up the ink. Being alcohol based inks, these are actually absorbed into the paper, rather than sitting on the top of the paper. Our paper is environmentally friendly, it is not a coated paper. I think you will find it a great paper for many of your projects, but it may not be a one paper fits all of your needs paper.

Thanks for joing me and Getting to Know Copics.

Ciao

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC21)!!!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC21)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's inspiration challenge. Keep reading to find out who won!

The Friends of Flourishes blog design 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. Silke is challenging us to a sketch she has designed.

As far as sketches go, there is not much explanation necessary. You can turn it and enlarge the sections to fit your card size. However, in the end, it should still look like the sketch. Good Luck!!!! Looking forward to seeing what you create with it!!!

Let's go see what the blog design team created using this sketch!!!

Up first this week is our challenge host, Silke Ledlow . Silke is using the Sweet Peas and Many Sentiments stamp sets. Silke is using the newly released Flourishes Copic Color Collections. She colored the sweet peas using the Hollyhock and Fields color collections. Wonderful coloring, Silke. Love the beautiful shades of pinks and greens with the warm golden dp frame detailing. Beautifully done, Silke!!!

Next, is Betty Wright. I am using the Nasturtiums stamp set. I used the large image to create a background. I stamped one of the smaller images along with the sentiment to create my framed focal piece. I am using the newly released Flourishes Copic Color Collections. I colored my background and focal images with the Tiger Lily, Dusty Rose, Poppy, and Spring Greens collections. I used the Cool Neutral collection to create shadow.

Cindy Haffner is next. Cindy is using the newly released Life, Love and Lemons stamp set. I love how Cindy is using the sentiment as the focal image and one of the slices as an accent. The layered inverted square Spellbinders is a terrific look to the framed spellbinders card framing. Great colors and sparkly dp choice!! Wonderful detailing, patterns, and design, Cindy!!!

Next up this week is Connie McCotter. Connie is using the Summer on the Patio set. This is a wonderful set with so many images to create lovely summer patio scenes. Connie is using some some beautiful basicgray wisteria designer paper to accent the image scene for her card card. I love these colors and patterns. She added some ribbon and hardware detailing. She finished with pearl accents. Lovely card, Connie!!!

Up next is Dee Jackson. Dee is using the newly released Waterlilies set. Dee is also using some of the newly released Flourishes Classic White and Classic Ivory cardstocks. You have to get a pack of each and just try it for yourself. This cardstock is fabulous and wonderful with copics. Speaking of copics!!! Dee is also using the newly released Flourishes Copic Color Collections. She is using the Tea Rose, Dusty Rose, Hollyhock, and Fields color collections. Beautifully colored, Dee!!! Gorgeous card!!!

Last this week is Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using one of the newly released sets called Patriotism on Parade. Wonderful coloring and cut work detailing, Kim. I love the wrapped twine detailing. Wonderful Patriotic card!!! Please check out the Designing for a Cause Challenge to see how you can help with the Wounded Warrior Project and Cards for Heroes.

Be sure to check out each designers blog links to get more detail card information!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC20)

decided by
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:24
Timestamp: 2009-06-23 03:23:45 UTC

Anita Hovey 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 FTTC21 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!

A Match Made in Heaven!

More than a month after our announcement that Flourishes would be adding Copic Markers- we are happy to report - each and every collection is now in the store!

When we started to put together the names and colors in each of our Copic Collection Natural Blending Families, we knew that we really needed the perfect paper to serve as our canvas for these wonderful markers. We searched high and low and tested paper after paper until one day, in a place we least expected to find the paper of our dreams - we found it! It was a match made in heaven!

Introducing.....

We will now carry this fabulous paper in Classic White and Classic Ivory. Both are 100 pound cover weight paper (270 gsm - grams per square meter) offering a wonderful weight for either layering or as your card base!

The Classic White offers an extraordinarily bright white surface - the brightest white we found - and smooth finish to help deliver rich, vibrant colors and sharp images with startling results. This hand-picked paper blends your Copic markers like no other card stock and won't dull or gray your colors like other papers. This is truly the best paper for Copics that we have found in the marketplace (and we've tried them all!). As you'll see in the store, you'll be able to pick up 25 sheets for just $4.99.

While the standard that we placed on this paper was to work with Copics, we are sure that you will find many other uses for this wonderful paper as well. Our design team tested it to the max and also found fabulous results with colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits as well as watercolor pencils. We know you'll have fun taking this fabulous paper for a "test drive!"

Since it has been awhile since we first announced our Copic Collection was coming, we wanted to showcase each of the collections again for you to peruse!

Aren't those colors delicious? Coming up Wednesday, right here on the Flourishes Newsletter, we'll give you a little insight into how we came up with each of our natural blending families. And, Thursday we'll follow it all up with some basic coloring lessons. Bottom line, we love the way these colors blend and we know, given the right knowledge, you'll have beautiful results too!

~The 'Flourishes'

Limelight Week 3 with Sherry

Good Sunday morning! My project for you today uses Flourishes Lilac Set. I have had a fondness for lilacs since I was a little girl, and when I saw this set I just HAD to have it.

One of my favorite techniques is the Wrinkle Free Distress. This is a technique using dye based inks and water, dip the paper into the water/ink mixture, dry the paper and continue adding layers of color until the desired color is reached. I used this technique in making the background for the lilacs. The colors used were purple, lavender and blue, along with watercolor paper. I have done this technique many, many times and only realized a few weeks ago that watercolor paper makes a fabulous background.

Once the background was made, I stamped the larger of the Lilacs on the background twice and then embossed in gold. Using the same lavender and purple, the lilacs were water colored over the background, as were the leaves. A third lilac was stamped on an extra background that I made at the same time and embossed in gold. This lilac was trimmed out so that it could be raised over the background.

Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities was used to cut and embossed the lilac background. The die was laid over the image and pencil marks were made where I wanted to the lilacs to hang over the edge of the Label. I trimmed the section of the lilacs that I wanted to highlight. When the die was realigned with the images, the sections I trimmed out were put under the die to keep them from being cut. For the bottom of the card, a border was made using Spellbinders Victorian Border Pierceabilities.

Thanks for joining me today and I’ll see you next Sunday!

Honoring Our Wounded Warriors...

Don't you just love this classic card above created by one of our talented designers - Cindy Lawrence? We did! One, it's design is crisp and clean with a bold pop of color and second, it honors a very special project we have going here at Flourishes!

When we launched our June release, we knew we were saving the best stamp set for last. That's because it was packaged up with love knowing that each stamp set sold, would go to benefit the injured soldiers in our country. A percentage of all stamp sets sold will benefit....

The Wounded Warrior Project is an amazing non profit that offers programs, resources, training and more to both the injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families who are trying hard to help their loved ones. We read the emails that poured in and we thought.... how can we keep the momentum going and honor those customers who bought/want to buy the set to help us in our effort and do more good?

We came up with a plan!

For those who purchase the Patriotism on Parade set, we would LOVE to see your cards! In fact, we will create a "parade" of our own! To make it easy to find on SCS - please use the keyword: FLLCPOP. Each Saturday in July, we'll be scouring Splitcoast and the comments that you leave here on this post and we'll be publishing YOUR cards right here on our blog! We'll have a new crop of cards each week to showcase!

Click HERE to see the Gallery Submissions! FYI: If you made a card using this set before our announcement, just add the keyword: FLLCPOP to your post!

Here's the clincher! If you use this set to create a card or two or three - send them to us at:

Flourishes LLC
4140 Lyric Lane
Pensacola, Florida 32514-6871

We will send them straight to the troops that are now serving over seas! It will tell those that are selflessly serving our country that there are some wonderfully creative people back home that care enough to send the very best -- a hand made card created from the heart!

What is in it for you? With each card you send by August 1st, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Flourishes to use however you like! There will also be 2 (two) $25 gift certificates for the runners up!

TIPS FOR CARD MAKERS

Once we gather the cards up, we will donate them to Cards For Heroes. Below are a few tips delivered straight from their site!

What kind of cards are needed?
Blank General/all occasion cards are in greatest demand. i.e. miss you, love, birthday, thinking of you, hello, thank you. The soldiers will use the blank cards to send to their wives, husbands, children and family. FYI: You do not have to use the Patriotism on Parade set for all of your cards. All you need is one to qualify all of your creations as entries into the drawing!

What kind of cards should I avoid sending?
No glitter that will flake off the card—it is a safety hazard!! It can make a mess on a uniform and make a hero visible to night-vision goggles! Please do not send suggestive or risque cards. We don't want to offend any of our service members. Funny cards are okay, but keep them positive and upbeat.

Can I include some extra cards geared toward the holidays?
YES!! If you wanted to send some extra cards geared toward holidays, Cards For Heroes is also looking for Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Independence Day--lots of Any Hero cards please, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Can I use dark colors?
You can use dark card stock, but if you do, please attach a liner inside with lighter colored paper. Our heroes may only have a Bic pen or a pencil to write with, so please give them space and surface to write on.

Can my cards be embellished?
This question usually refers to those with "lumpy" embellishments that can require extra postage. This is not a problem for our servicemen and servicewomen since cards are mailed for free for them.

Do I need to send an envelope?
Sending an envelope with your card is much appreciated! Cards For Heroes did have some envelopes donated, but if you are able to send one, it will help their donation go that much farther!

Hope these tips help! We can't wait to see this project take off. We know our customers are some of the most thoughtful, generous bunch out there. We can't wait to band together and really help impact the lives of soldiers here on U.S. soil and abroad!

Thanks in advance from the bottom of our hearts!

~From all of us at Flourishes!

Friday Focus: Spellbinder dies

Hello everyone, Latisha here today for our Friday Focus - which is Spellbinder dies! Spellbinder makes wonderful dies that can cut, emboss and stencil, and you can use them with any die cut machine which makes them universal. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned stamper these really are a wonderful tool to have. I enjoy using the dies, because they give your card/project a really nice polished look. The sky is the limit when it comes to using them!


Here I scored my card stock as I would normally do when I make a card, but I placed my die a little above the scored/fold line. You do this when you want your card to have a shape to it.

1. score card as usual
2. place die over card stock leaving a little of the die over the fold line
3. emboss (I use a cuttlebug so "a" plate, "b" plate, embossing mat, cardstock, die facing down, "b" plate again)
4. cut
5. remove from machine, ready to create
For this card, I used a curvy rectangle for my card base, by leaving a little over the edge of my score line. Spellbinder dies "nest" which means you can layer them without thinking, you just use a smaller die, no math involved. I cut the scalloped octagon in black, then used a regular octagon to cut and emboss the white card stock, an again, they "nest" perfectly. 1. score card base
2. place curvy rectangle die over card stock leaving a bit over the score/fold line.
3. emboss
4. cut
repeat #3 & #4 to cut the octagon shapes.
Spellbinder dies can go through a lot of different material, here I took some card board that came in a pajama set, cut it down just a little, then ran them through my machine...waa laa...perfectly cut chipboard pieces.
When you use the Spellbinder dies, mix them up a little. You don't need to use just circles, squares, ovals etc...together. Here I used a Labels die, two different sized circle dies, and a double ended tag die.


I stamp first and then cut them out, however if you are new to Spellbinder dies, I suggest cutting an embossing your paper first then stamping. They are such a valuable and easy tool to use, I find that when people are having a hard time with them, its because they are "sandwiching" them wrong. Check your die cut machine to find out the correct sandwich to use.

Take some time to check out what the DT has done with Spellbinder dies.

Julie Koerber

Laura Fredrickson

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Christine Okken

Faith Hofrichter

Stacy Morgan

Sharon Doolittle

Have a wonderful Weekend!

hugs

Latisha

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC20)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's designer paper 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 Betty Wright is our host. I am challenging you to get inspired from Kim Poloson's posters. Search through the many posters to find an inspiration piece. As with all inspiration pieces, there may be one or two things in the photo that inspires you whether it is an element, layout, or color scheme, or you may want to recreate the whole look. There are so many wonderful ones to choose from you will probably want to play several times. Make sure you include a link in your write up as to which one you chose and why. We would love to see what you create!!!

Let's go check out what the blog design team has created for you this week with the inspiration challenge.

First up this week is our challenge host Betty Wright. For my inspiration pick, I chose Blooming Paris II . I am using the newly released Waterlilies set. For the large pink portion of the card, I used a soft distressed piece of solid basicgray paper. I am using the black line Jenni Bowlin paper for my center text background section. I stamped one of the sentiments in this set several times to recreate the look of the inspiration piece. I colored and cut out my water lily flower using the soon to be released Spring Greens, Fields and Hollyhock copic color collections. I finished my card with an ivory organdy ribbon bow.

Up next this week is Cindy Haffner. Cindy chose as her inspiration pick the Bel Bouquet IV. She is using the Spring Ephemerals set. This is a wonderful solid line stamp set that looks perfect in color or in silhouette. Cindy has combined some rich sponge detailing with this lovely set to create some depth and a vintage look. I love how Cindy used the Spellbinders label four and sponged within the frame to create added dimension and texture to the card. Beautifully done, Cindy!!!

Next up this week is Connie McCotter. Connie chose Back to the Garden I as her inspiration pick. Connie is using Butterfly Moments and Flourished Words stamp sets. I love how Connie recreated the look of the poster using some wonderful patterned designer papers. Of course, the highlight of the card is her wonderfully colored butterfly. The sponge distressing just adds so much richness to the overall look. Just beautiful, Connie!!!

The next card is Dee Jackson. Dee chose Le Jardin Secret II as her inspiration pick. She is using Peony, Thank You, and Autumn Flourishes sets to recreate the look in the inspiration. I love how she used the solid leaves from the Autumn Flourishes set in a tone on tone. The thank you script sentiment saying is beautfiul stamped at an angle. I love the how she cut out and colored the peony and used it to finish the the look. Of course, all of the sponge detailing really adds to the overall feel of this card. Wonderfully done, Dee!!!

Next, is Kimberly Crawford. As her inspiration pick, Kimberly chose Garden Shadow I. Kim is using the DIY Topiaries, the newly released Life, Love and Lemons for the sentiment, and Autumn Flourishes sets for her card. I love the Autumn Flourishes image used to recreate the look of the flourished elements in the poster. The punch borders and score line detailing along with the sponge distressing puts some fabulous finishing touches on this card. The topiary image with sentiment are just perfect to finish the look. Terrific card, Kim!!!

Last this week is Silke Ledlow . Silke chose Tuscan Fruits II as her inspiration pick. She is using the newly released Life, Love and Lemons stamp set. This is a fabulous new fruit set. You can choose whether to make them lemons or limes. I also love the terrific sentiments that come in this set. I love the clean, simplicity of the poster Silke chose. She did a wonderful job recreating the look with this set. I love the overall colors, patterns, and coloring!!! Lovely card, Silke!!!

Be sure to check out each designers blog links to get more detail card information!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC19)

decided by
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:35
Timestamp: 2009-06-16 01:34:41 UTC

Deanna Cosgrove 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 FTTC20 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 Sherry - Sanding!

Good Sunday morning! I hope everyone had a good week and you’ve enjoyed your weekend so far. Remember last week when I told you that I wasn’t happy without my daubers and sanding tools in front of me? Well, this week I have decided to do a sanding project. The best thing about this project, is that I recently received some gorgeous SEI papers that have a white core. Another one of my favorite ways to distress.

Before I get into the details of my card, my favorite sanding tool is nothing more than a nail file that you can purchase at any drugstore or discount store. One of the cheapest sanding tools I’ve found. There are two ways I like to sand, which I will try to explain in the next few photos.

Sanding the embossed accents by holding the file flat.

Sanding the edges by angling the file.

Here's my card for this week.

Hopefully you’ll be able to tell in the photo, that the striped background paper was wrinkled, crushed and crumpled and then unfolded. Holding the file flat, I sanded along the top of all the wrinkles and then at an angle to sand the edges.

The bottom background layer was embossed with the Spellbinders Paisley Impressabilities and then sanded the Spellbinders Grand 12” Classic Lace Borderabilities and then sanded to show the highlights of the embossing.

The background layers for the rose, was die cut and then embossed with Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities. These edges of these layers were sanded with the file at an angel. The only sponged layer on this card, is the white panel the rose is on; and it was sponged very lightly with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink.

The rose was stamped out 3 times and each image colored with Copic Markers. The two extra layers were trimmed out, and then layered on top of the bottom using foam tape in between the layers. Here’s a closer look:

Even though the inside of the card is finished, I didn’t add a sentiment. Since this image is quite versatile, a sentiment can very easily be added to the inside for any occasion.

• Stamps: I Love Roses from Flourishes Stamps
• Paper: Prism Blush Red Light; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; SEI Dill Blossom – Poi, Myrrh and Licorice
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Antique Linen
• Accessories: Spellbinders Paisley Impressabilities, Grant 12” Classic Lace Borderabilities, Labels One Nestabilities; May Art Ribbon, Venture Foam Tape, Copics and Airbrush System; Sanding Tools; SEI Brads; Tsukineko Sponge Dauber; Ranger Matte Accents

Thanks for joining me today and I’ll see you next Sunday! I would love to see your work if you try sanding. You can either post a link here or send me an email.

Hot Summer Sneaks Are Over!

We just wrapped up our Flourishes Power Hour and HAD A BLAST with all of you! What fast paced fun we had showing off samples, chatting it up with the DT and playing games! But, all good things must come to an end and such is the case for the Hot Summer Sneak Peeks from Flourishes. The good news is... now the stamp sets are in the store and you can see them in their full glory!!

Waterlilies

Lemons

Patriotism on Parade

If you missed the announcement about the Patriotism on Parade set and Flourishes effort to make a difference in the lives of wounded soldiers, you'll want to read HERE! It's pretty special! You should also know... we have BIG things planned for this set and ..... if you own it - you will be able to get in on the fun!!! We can't wait to share this news so... stay tuned!

Before we go, we want to share the winner of yesterday's blog candy -- the winner of this Patriotism on Parade set! Random.org drew the number 62 which means the winner is......

Julie Campbell said...
Love a chance to win, love this stamp set, love that it's for a VERY worthy cause, really falling in love with FLOURISHES! I'm new to you, but so impressed with what I'm seeing and happy to jump in--thanks for letting me!

And, speaking of winners, after all the names were put into the hat, we stirred it up and the winner of the Easy Breezy Challenge and all THREE of our new release sets is Makiko Jones! You can see her 10 minute creation HERE. It's stunning!

Julie and Makiko, all you need to do is email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net. Be sure to include your address and we'll get your stamp set sent right out to you!

Thanks so much for sticking with us this week! We are always over the top excited when we can share the latest work from our talented team of artists! We love it even more when we see their talent -- on YOUR cards!

See you back here soon! Remember, Sherry Cheever will be stopping by on Sunday with part two of being "in the limelight!" So, stop back!

Hot Summer Sets- The Grand Finale!

What's more American than baseball, apple pie and the Fourth of July? Not much! That's why Flourishes wanted to capture that American spirit on polymer. This set, drawn by the talented Lauren Pope, features fun images that center around not only our American Patriotism - but Canadian patriotism as well! These images are perfect for not only cards but we could see this set really taking off on scrapbook pages as well!

Introducing....
We knew when we launched this set that we wanted to use it to honor the men and women who serve and have given their lives for the freedom of our country. As many military men and women will tell you -- Freedom is not free. In times of war, soldiers come home wounded and are in need of a helping hand in life. Having deep ties to our country's military, Flourishes wanted to be a part of the solution. If you didn't know this, all three of the Flourishes' husbands are retired military. Jan Marie has a grandson that is currently headed overseas to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty. That's why we are honoring this fine organization....
Flourishes will proudly donate a portion of the proceeds of our brand new Patriotism on Parade set to the Wounded Warrior Project. It's a non-profit organization who's mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. We believe wholeheartedly in the work they do. They have training programs to help wounded soldiers transition into the workforce. They have caregiver training focusing on PTSD. They have support groups and rehabilitative retreats that they fund. They are going above and beyond to help the men and women that went above and beyond to protect and serve. We can't wait to give back to this one of a kind charity!

We hope you make time to see how our design team put this whimsical and patriotic set to use! Please stop by and visit....

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

Do you want to win this set? Simply leave us a comment over on the Flourishes Newsletter -- the winner will be announced first thing tomorrow morning! Speaking of winning sets... did you check out our Easy Breezy challenge HERE? All you need to do is create a ten minute card and link it on THIS post by 5 PM Eastern tonight and -- you're in the running for the drawing for all three of our new release sets! We'll announce the winner during our Release Party!

Now, to the winner of yesterday's Life, Love and Lemons set! The Random.org number was 37 which means the winner is....

Our Little Inspirations said...
Your DT has made some incredible projects with this wonderful new stamp set! Thanks for the inspiration ladies......you all rock!!

To claim your set all you need to do is email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net with Patriotism On Parade Winner in the subject line! Be sure to include your address and we'll get your set sent right out to you!

FYI: Before I go-- don't forget the Flourishes Power Hour! It's our fast paced summer release party over at the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast! Join us for an hour of reveals, games, chat and fun! The party starts at 9 PM Central TONIGHT!

Thanks so much for making this week a blast for us all! Your comments about the new sets and the work of our designers is truly heart warming! We feel the love! Hopefully we will see you tonight!

Hot Summer Sets -- Day 2!

When you think of summer, who doesn't think about kicking back and relaxing with a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade! Well, being that Flourishes is located in the heart of citrus country, we know that this is a part of summer we relish! We knew when we put our artist Marcella Hawley to work on a summer fruit set that this one would have people puckering up with joy!

Introducing....

This set is full of fun with a number of lemon images that are sure to please gardeners, cooks and those that just see lemons as a slice of summer! Our designers have been busy at work squeezing out some of their creative juices! So, be sure to stop by and see what they whipped up using this tasty set!

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

Do you want to win this set? Simply leave us a comment here and we'll announce the winner first thing on Friday! Speaking of winning sets... did you check out our Easy Breezy challenge HERE? All you need to do is create a ten minute card and link it on THIS post and -- you're in the running for the drawing for all three of our new release sets!

Now, to the winner of yesterday's Waterlilies set! We had so many comments and most of you said you loved this new set! Thank you! We love it too! And... drum roll please... the random.org number was 23 which means the winner is....

Etha said...
ohhhhh Koi!!!I have ponds but no lilies, too high :) Love what I see from this set, so pretty!

Etha, email us at flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net with Waterlilies Winner in the subject line. Be sure to include your address and we'll get your set sent right out to you!

FYI: Before I go-- don't forget the Flourishes Power Hour! It's our fast paced summer release party over at the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast! We know you all love to be outside and have more family commitments - but we don't want you to miss out on the fun! So join us for an hour of reveals, games, chat and fun! The party starts at 9 PM Central on Friday, June 12th!

We can't wait to share our set coming up tomorrow. It has tugged on our heart strings more than you will know! Stay tuned......

Hot Summer Sets...... Day 1!

Hello Flourishes Fans! It's the dawn of a whole new release from Flourishes and this one is aimed at bringing out some of the best of summer..... summer fruit, summer celebrations and the peaceful easy feeling that summer beckons. In day one, we usher in a kind of calm.


Introducing....

If you don't have a watergarden, I bet you know someone who does! This set, drawn by the talented artist Marcella Hawley, truly captures the beauty and serenity of a water pond full of gorgeous waterlillies and Koi. It's the perfect set to create stunning and peaceful scenes. Not to mention, it comes with a handful of sentiments and words designed to bring out the best in this set.

While we can't show you the set until it's Friday night release, you can hop on over to the "pads" of our talented designers and see what they crafted using this beautiful set!

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

Do you want to win this set? Simply leave us a comment here and we'll announce the winner first thing on Thursday!

And, mark your calendar for the Flourishes Power Hour! It's our fast paced summer release party over at the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast! We know you all love to be outside and have more family committments - but we don't want you to miss out on the fun! So join us for an hour of reveals, games, chat and fun! The party starts at 9 PM Central on Friday, June 12th!

See you back here tomorrow to savor some of summer's best! This one will have you puckering up it's so yummy! :-)

Ask and you shall recieve!!!

When we first put our European Watercolor Paper in the store, we got quite a few emails from customers asking if we would consider selling this fabulous, artist quality watercolor paper in 10 sheets instead of 20. Many wanted the smaller quantity because they only watercolor here and there. That makes sense! Well, we listened and have broken down our packaging to offer you this amazing 140-pound cold press watercolor paper in 10-sheet packages! Keep in mind, these are full sized 8-1/2 by 11" sheets! What a great deal for such high quality paper! We know when you try it, you'll agree!

Stay tuned... sneak peeks of our brand new sets for June will start on Wednesday!!

Timeless Tuesday Challenge

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC19)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's "frame 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 Cindy Haffner is our host. She is challenging us to use designer papers. Now, I realize that designer papers are about as necessary to card making as spellbinders die cuts, but there is a lot that you can do with designer papers. You can stamp on them, use border punches, color them, paper piece, die cut shapes, cut out images to use as a focal point, or just to enhance the look of your card. Whichever option you choose to do, we would love to see what you create.

Let's go see what the blog design team has created for you with the "DP" Challenge!

Up first this week is Cindy Haffner our challenge host. She is using the Lilac set. Cindy has combined this set with the beautiful basicgray wisteria dp. Cindy has colored this image and the oval silhouette beautifully!!! I love the fanciful details Cindy has done with the designer paper. Layered punch borders and paper piercing adds quite a bit of flair to this beautiful card!!! Wonderful card, Cindy!!!

Next up this week is Connie McCotter. She is using the newly released A Man's View stamp set. This set is a fabulous set for making manly cards and with Father's Day right around the corner, now is the time to get it. Connie has combined some wonderful colors and designer papers to decorate the room. She has paper pieced the chair, the carpet, and the lamp for a wonderful manly feel. She colored the rest of the images to create some visual interest and coordination with the paper pieced furnishings. Lovely card, Connie!!!

The next card is Dee Jackson. She is using the newly released DIY Topiaries set. She is using some Memory Box designer papers. This particular pattern is very soft and subtle, but adds enough detail to create visual interest. Love the coloring and shading on the topiary, Dee!!! Dee finished her card with some chocolate organdy ribbon. Beautifully done, Dee!!!








Next, is Kimberly Crawford. Kimberly is using the newly released DIY Topiaries set, too. This set is so versatile in many ways. There are several topiaries that come in this set. Kim chose the three-tiered topiary. She colored the topiary and added flower soft for extra dimension and detail creating a true topiary-like feel. I love how Kim created visual interest with her designer paper as the background. Lovely button detailing, too!!! Terrific card, Kim!!!

Up next is Silke Ledlow . She is using the newly released A Man's View stamp set as well. This set is so versatile for making many different looking masculine cards. I love the silhouette image of the recliner with the sentiment quote stamped over the top. Silke has used some wonderful colors and pattern designer papers in a fabulous layout. Love the hardware detailing, too!!! Fabulously done, Silke!!!

Last up this week is Betty Wright. I am using Coffee with Friends set. I love paper piecing the cups. I decided to go all out out with four columns of paper pieced coordinated coffee cups. I love the finished look. It is bold and dramatic. I used some much loved designer paper and chose different patterns to stamp my cups on and cut out individually. I finished my card with a sentiment from the Timeless Quotes set.

Be sure to check out each designers blog links to get more detail card information!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC18) decided by

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:25
Timestamp: 2009-06-09 02:33:22 UTC is

Ali (newenglandstamper) 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 FTTC19 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 1 with Sherry - From the Beginning

Good morning! I’m so excited to be the Flourishes Limelight Designer for the month of June and I look forward to joining you every Sunday.

As Julie said yesterday, I do have a very distinct, somewhat eclectic if I must say so myself, style. I love vintage anything and truly enjoy trying to make something new look old. I also enjoy techniques and will be sharing a few with you during the month of June. I can honestly say that even though I do stamp in a variety of styles (which is why I say my work is eclectic), I’m most comfortable when I have my sanding tools and daubers in front of me and my fingers are covered with ink.

I think today I’ll share with you how I start a design. More than 99% of the time, there is no rhyme nor reason as to what I am going to do. I typically start with my image first, and as I work I pull it all together. It might be inchies, a single image or as in today’s card, multiple stamping of one or two images. Once I have the image colored and/or stamped if they are solid, then I pick my paper and start putting down my layout. After I have a basic layout it’s time to determine the shape of my image and start putting the card together. I lay it all out on my work surface to determine how it will look and what embellishments it might need. I try to decide what the card needs before I start to assemble. I truly don’t like to see anything on the inside of the card but paper, so I always work on a second background layer that will be attached to the card front. This way, I won’t see stitching or brad and ribbon ends on the inside of the card.

For today’s card, I knew I wanted to work with the Poppy Patch set and I definitely wanted them red! That was the first thing I did . . . stamped and water colored my image. My background paper is 7 Gypsies Market that has a number of oriental pages and the one I chose to work with had a dragon. Poppies and dragons . . . oh yeah! I made sure the dragon appeared at the bottom of the card and would be showing.

The poppies were stamped randomly on watercolor paper and then water colored with Ranger Distress Reinkers. The background was painted very lightly with Broken China to add some depth and then the image was die cut and embossed using Spellbinders Petite Oval Nestabilities. The edges of the image were sponged with Old Paper Distress Ink and the edges of the designer paper were sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Once I had the layout I liked, the designer paper was sewn to a layer of cardstock on the sewing machine. The black border was then sewn to the background separately. The sentiment was stamped on a tag die cut and embossed with Spellbinders Tags 5 Shapeabilities. A vintage black button was used to tie the tag on the ribbon.

• Stamps: Poppy Patch from Flourishes Stamps
• Paper: Prism Spring Willow Medium and Black; 7 Gypsies Market
• Ink: Ranger Archival Jet Black; Ranger Vintage Photo, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose, Aged Mahogany, Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick, Broken China and Old Paper Distress
• Accessories: Spellbinders Petite Oval and Deckled Mega Rectangles Nestabilities, Petite 5-1/2” Deckled Scalloped Borderabilities, and Tags 5 Shapeabilities; May Arts Ribbon; Vintage Button; Venture Foam Tape; Sewing Machine; Koi Water Brushes; Tsukineko Sponge Dauber; Ranger Matte Accents

Thanks for joining me today and I look forward to next Sunday!

June's Limelight Designer...

With June comes a fond farewell to Michelle Woerner, our first Limelight Designer to grace the pages of the Flourishes Newsletter each Sunday! We really feel Michelle lent so much creativity here and we've heard from a lot of you that you have loved her fabulous less is more, more is more creations! So, from all of us in blogland - Thank You Michelle for sharing your time and talents with us! It was such a pleasure getting a peak into your creative process!

With June - we have a brand new Limelight Designer who will be joining us Sundays this month. We're happy to welcome........

Sherry Cheever!


Sherry has such a distinct style. We can't wait to see what she will cook up with Flourishes stamps! I've been following her work since I started blog hopping two years ago and have been really impressed with her incredible creativity! We hope as you spend Sundays with her, you'll be inspired too!


Here's a little bit about Sherry in her own words.......

"I’ve been married to my husband, Lance, for 30 years and we have two beautiful daughters, 23 and 20. My passions are my family, stamping, reading, automobile racing, and gardening; however, sports and art have always been in the foreground. I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t a crayon or a paint-by-number set (even balls, gloves, bats, bikes and skates) around when I was a child. I learned to knit from a neighbor many, many, many years ago, and have continued learning things every since. I’ve been through my needlepoint and cross-stitching phases, as well as my oil painting and water coloring. When I headed out to college, my focus was on receiving degrees in physical education and art. I wanted to coach, but I also wanted to teach art. Unfortunately, those dreams never materialized, but I have continued to dabble in arts and crafts over the years. I bought my first stamps in 1997 at a Stampin’ Up Workshop. I stamped a few cards and things for my daughters but never truly was inspired to do much else. I moved my supplies to the basement and there they sat gathering dust for close to five years. In 2003 all things changed for me. I had been working only part-time for a number of years and decided to quit and stay home with the girls while they were in high school. I needed something to keep me occupied during the days and felt the need to start crafting again. I brought my stamps upstairs and started stamping again. I joined Splitcoaststampers where I became instantly addicted to all things rubber and ink. Currently I am an Alumnus of the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen, Design Team Coordinator for Rubbernecker Stamps, and on the Spellbinders Blog Team."

Thanks for the insight Sherry! Stay tuned everyone..... Sherry will be back tomorrow with more!

Easy Breezy Challenge!

Summer's here and the time is right..... for easy cardmaking! We are all busy going here and there in the summertime. But, our cardmaking can't stop -- it's in our blood! So, what's a cardmaker to do? Create easy breezy cards!

We decided to get you in the swing of summer with a challenge and a chance to win all three of our new releases that we will start sneak peeking next Wednesday!

Here are the rules! Make a card that would not take more than ten minutes to create. Use Flourishes stamps if you have them, but if you don't we still want you to play! After all, you could WIN some Flourishes stamps. Once you are done with your card, link it up here on this blog post OR upload your creation to your Splitcoast gallery and be sure to use the keyword: fllcjune.

We'll keep the contest open until Friday, June 12th at 5PM Eastern. We'll draw a name and announce the winner during our release party set for that night! Stay tuned for the official RELEASE PARTY details.

Need a little inspiration? Check out the ten minute creations our Senior Design Team cooked up....

Stacy Morgan paired up a great sentiment, some beautiful decorative paper, a classic Nestabilities die and a Piercabilities die, some bling and Flourishes new Finishing Touches ribbon slides to make this gorgeous, yet simple creation!
I (Julie Koerber) reached for my Vintage Wallpaper background, the Spring Ephemerals set and my Sweet Violets set for those fabulous sentiments! Just a couple layers, some sponged ink, a silk ribbon, some bling and a nice ribbon slide sentiment and you're done!
Leslie Miller used some soft ink colors to create this breath of fresh air! She used the Birds and Vine set and the Timeless Quotes set to create a soft and stunning creation. I love how she added the little bow as a kind of tie at the base of the flowering vine!
What do you get when you mix Flourishes' Home Tweet Home set with some fun Lime Rickey Paper, a bit of satin ribbon a button and some twine? A super cute and quick card courtesy of Latisha Yoast!
Christine Okken created a high contrast beauty by coloring up her daffodil from the Signs of Spring set direct on the stamp and keeping lots of lovely white space. Layer it up with the help of a Labels Nestabilities die, some pretty ribbon and add some fabulous hardware in our Beautiful Brads kit and... done!

Faith Hofrichter took a classic photo of her son to make this 10-minute creation! Add in a background stamped with the Birds and Vine set and a Flourished Word, a decorative edge and... voila!

And, last but certainly not least, Laura Fredrickson adds a bold pop of color and texture with the help of an embossed background and a splash of hot pink! She used the Spring Ephemerals set for her main image and the Many Sentiments set for her sentiment. I just love how those little extras really make a card look like a million bucks---things like the decorative edge bedazzled with rhinestones and beautiful flower accented with a finishing touch!

We hope you enjoyed today's easy breezy creations! I think these ladies make it look so effortless! And, when the summer is here - isn't that just what we all need -- effortless creations?

Be sure to check out the designers' blogs for a more detailed look at their card creations! We hope you make time for play time and join us in this challenge!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC18)!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in last week's sponge challenge. Keep reading to find out who won! Also, the May Winner pick 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 Kimberly Crawford is hosting the challenge. She is challenging us to use frames. Now, frames can be something as simple as adding a matt to the main image to "frame" it out, or adding some marker detailing around the main image to create a doodle frame or faux layered frame. In addition to these, you can create your own frames with spellbinder diecut shapes using different materials. There are also ready made frames that you may have to add to your card. Whichever type of frame you choose, we would love to see what you create!!!

A big shout out and a warm welcome to Connie McCotter who has agreed to be a guest designer with us for June!!!! Thanks so much Connie. We love your style and cannot wait to see what else you create with Flourishes stamps!

Let's go see what the blog design team created with the "Frame It" Challenge!

Up first is Silke Ledlow . She is using the Sweet Pea stamp set. Love colors and the texture, Silke!!! Silke has colored these sweet peas beautifully. Love the textured kraft frame for the image. Silke also used a nestabilities tag for her sentiment. Love how she accented the image and the sentiment with varying sizes of silver domes. Beautifully done, Silke!!!

Up next is Betty Wright. I am using the Nasturtiums stamp set. I stamped my image with Palette Noir ink and colored it with copics. I just love this flower set. There are so many wonderful images in the set. For the "frame it" challenge, I added a repeated loopy die cut around my rectangle frame to create a light feeling frame. I love how it turned out.

Next up is Cindy Haffner. She is using the Flourished Christmas set. Cindy is using this set for a card that could be used for an event other than Christmas. I love the monochromatic feel and the light and dark hues. Cindy also create a frame for the beautiuflly flourished deer with the nestabilities label four die cuts. Beautiful, Cindy!!!

Last up this week is our guest designer, Connie McCotter. She is using the Nasturtiums stamp set. Connie is using one of the many images in this set to accent her nestabilities label four created pattern frame. Love these colors and the beautiful coloring, Connie!!! Connie finished her card with a few pearls as accents. Wonderful card, Connie!!!

Be sure to check out each designers blog links to get more detail card information!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC17)
decided by Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:1
Timestamp: 2009-06-02 01:50:15 UTC is

Neva(n5stamper) You Won!!! WooHoo!!!

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

Timeless Tuesday Monthly Winner for May

decided by Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:125
Timestamp: 2009-06-02 01:44:25 UTC

Angel (Angela R.) 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 FTTC18 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!