It's all in the details!

When you look at a really great card, one thing you might not notice right away are all the little elements that go together to make a really fabulous design. You know you love the images and the colors, but do you really look at all those little extras? This weekend, I spent some time looking at some of our designers work to show you just what I mean. Not to mention, all of these things I am about to point out are very inexpensive additions. Without these extras, these cards would still be pretty but with them, they are over the top fabulous!

Take a look at what Cindy Lawrence did with a few pearls. Her gorgeous hanging ornaments now take on a very regal flair! All thanks to some Kaiser Craft Pearls! Did you know these little cuties come in a handful of different colors? Hhhhmmmm..... ;-)

Just look at the razzle dazzle Christine Okken created with a few rhinestones! It makes her gorgeous poinsettia even more lovely!

Leslie Miller wanted to create some shine on her Christmas wreath, so what did she do? She picked up her Inkssentials pen and let it do the work! Do you see what can happen with a gentle flick of the pen? So much dimension can be created in seconds!And, last but not least, just look at the fun created when you add a little sentiment on a fun metal tag! These Mini Messages Tags come in three metal colors - copper, silver and gold and can really add pizazz to your cards and creations! I just love how Laura Fredrickson added it to the point off of her Nestabilities shape! The image and sentiments are from our Think Pink set!

Now... another fun thing to fill you in on! We can't tell you just how popular our clear boxes are. They come in two sizes and the small one -- will fit two of our 4 by 6 stamp sets! The larger one is perfect for backgrounds. One question we've heard time and time again is - how do you store them? Well, they fit perfectly in those decorative photo boxes! Organize the boxes according to theme and you'll never have to search again to figure out where you put one of your favorite Flourishes sets! Here's the fun part! With every purchase you'll now be given a index sheet to use on your clear boxes!

See? Just peel the backing off and it fits perfectly on our clear storage box!

So, as you gear up for one of the busiest card making times of the year, just think about some of these tools of the trade! I know that I am planning to stock up so that whatever I need to create that card in a flash... is right there at my fingertips! :-)

Happy Stamping!

~Julie

Classic Chair with a Twist!

I love this chair! There is nothing better than curling up in a big comfy chair. It has such a classic design and so many fun and creative possibilities. I'm so excited to be back again to share another project with you.


You will need - Chairs for You , a black ink pad, Copic Markers E31, E33, E35 and R02, a scrap piece of fabric (I used some from an upholstery sample swatch book), Flourishes Classic White paper, scrapbooking paper and ribbon. And of course some cute little pearls!

Stamp the chair onto Classic white paper and also onto your piece of fabric. When chosing fabric for your project keep in mind scale. You need to pick a pattern that is in proportion with the scale of the artwork or else it will look wrong. So look for smaller patterns. I loved not only the coral color of this fabric but also the vertical stripes. Very classic.

Color in the rest of the fabric. (Looks like orange in my photo, but its not really quite that orange but more of a pinkish coral color). Remember that the devil is in the details. Make sure that the color marker that you use matches as close as possible to

the fabric color. Always test your marker on a scrap piece of paper exactly the same as the paper that you are coloring on. I used E31 for the wood and R02 to color the areas of the chair - skirt and arms.

Start adding shading to your wood and to the skirt and the fabric arms of the chair. Use Copic Markers E 33 . I added the E33 to the R02 colored skirt for shading. Add E35 for more contrast in the wood tones. I didn't' do a lot of blending to the wood, since wood does show grain and I felt that it was important to show the marker pen lines.

Cut out the fabric, going around the edges of the chair pad and back. Using your R02 add some shading to the cushion. Also make sure to go around the entire edge of the piece of fabric using E31. Use a very fine black marker to fill in any lines that did not stamp dark enough on the fabric.

Stamp the little dog on a small piece of paper. Use E31, E33, E35 to color him in. Carefully cut him out and adhere him to the front of the chair using dimensional tape. He is so cute! Reminds me of Toto from the Wizard of OZ.

So not only do you have lots of gorgeous scrapbooking papers to chose from when you think about piecing art work together you also can start to think about all the things that you can cover using scrap pieces of fabric.

I hope that you will start thinking of all of the wonderful possibilities that you have .

Download Chairs for You Tutorial

A Season That Sparkles!

Can you believe we are less than a week away from all the sneak peeks for Flourishes' October release? I will tell you, this will be one of our BIGGEST releases ever. We have 6... yes 6 sets that we will start to sneak peek starting next Tuesday! So be sure to hop back!

Like we do before each release, we want to get you in on some fun! Play along with us for our A Season That Sparkles Challenge and you will have a chance to win each and every one of our sets for October! Wouldn't you love that prize?

Glitzy packages, the new fallen snow, a Christmas ornament shimmering from the lights on the tree - all of these things equal magic during the holiday season. Capture that sparkle on a card and share your creativity!Please leave your link below using Mr. Linky. If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the KEYWORD: FLLCOCT. This contest will close Friday, Oct. 16th at 4PM CST.

To get ready for the big reveal, our DT had a blast getting glittery to give you some inspiration!

Stacy Morgan used some Stickles to make her Sweet Peas twinkle - literally - in the sun!

Leslie Miller added some pizazz with the help of some gold tinsel embossing powder to her tree image from the Flourished Christmas set. She assures me that it sparkles even more in real life - so what do you say - maybe we should all just pay her a visit! :-)

Laura Fredrickson used some of our clear card stock, stamped her Seasonal Wreaths with Stazon and used Stickles on the back of her creation. This is truly festive... don't you think?
Lastisha Yoast must have been covered head to toe with glitter after creating this beauty. She took one of the new pendant dies from Spellbinders to cut out her shape before covering it with tacky glue and glitter! She used the All that Glitters set for her main image.
This gorgeous journal that Christine Okken created using the Cherries and Peaches set uses a mix of sparkly mediums! For her cherries, she covered them with Crystal Effects and then microbeads -- don't they just look "sugared?" The leaves were colored up and then accented with some Spica pens.

Cindy Lawrence wrapped up her creation made with the All Wrapped Up set with a gorgeous splash of color and a little razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue!
And, last but not least, I picked up the Spica pens to color up my entire wreath from the Seasonal Wreaths set. I love the vibrant color in real life and the micro sparkle!

To read up more on how the DT created their cards, don't forget to visit their homes on the web to find out more!

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

And, if you make a card for our Season That Sparkles Challenge, be sure to link up here! Only those that link up with Mr. Linky will be in the running! You have until 4PM Central next Friday!



Thanks for stopping by! We can't wait to see what you create! Remember, the ever-so-talented Asela Hopkins will be back Sunday as our Limelight Designer. This week, she raided her fabric drawer to add some pizazz to a card! You'll love it!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC36)!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge(FTTC36)!!! A big thank you to Francie Gumprecht(Francie G) for guest hosting with us last week. Also, a big thank you to those of you who played along with the out of the frame challenge. Keep reading to find out who won! I also have the September monthly drawing winner posted today, too.

The Friends of Flourishes blog design team are bringing you exciting and different challenges each week. Flourishes gives away a store gift certificate each week. Random.org decides who wins!! Everyone can PLAY and anyone can WIN! Make sure you continue reading to find out how.

This week we have an announcement. You all know Makiko Jones from her Limelight work this past summer with Flourishes. The Flourishes decided to ask Maki if she would like to be the Blog Teams Guest Designer for October, November, and December. We are so thrilled to have Maki join us for awhile. Please give a warm welcome to Maki!!!

With that said, Maki is the challenge host this week! Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Maki is challenging us to make a card or project for a woman in our life and to use PINK as the main color. There are no limitations on theme. Whether you want to make a Happy Birthday, Thinking of You, or Congratulations card to name a few, just remember it is for the girls and to think pink!!! We look forward to seeing what you create!!!



Let's go see what the blog design team created for you Thinking Pink!!!


Up first is Makiko Jones. Maki is using the Gerbera Daisies and Think Pink sets. Maki chose to combine colors of pinks and greens for her card. She is using a basicgray houndstooth pattern dp and layered die cuts. Maki stamped the gerbera daisies several times using Momento Tuxedo black ink. She colored with Flourishes Copic Color Collections using Holly Hock, Dusty Rose, and Fields. She cut out some of the daisies and popped them up for added dimension. She finished her card with a pink bow and a layered scalloped circle of Hope sentiment from the Think Pink set. Beautifully done, Maki!!!

Next up is Silke Ledlow. Silke is using the Think Pink stamp set. Silke is using melon, crisp white, and black as her color scheme. The focus is think pink so the dominant color is pink. Silke stamped the T shirt and sentiment using momento tuxedo black ink . Silke softly colored the T shirt using Flourishes Copic Color Collection in Hollyhock. Silke finished her card with some black gingham ribbon with button accenting. For some striking detailing, Silke lined the sides of the card with some black rhinestones . Beautifully done, Silke!!!

Up next is is Betty Wright. I am using the Home Tweet Home and Gerbera Daisies sets. I am using a melon cardstock with Flourishes classic ivory cardstock, and kraft. I colored the branches, leaves, and bird using Flourishes Copic Color Collections in Holly Hock and Flesh Tones. I layered the largest spellbinders fancy tags. I softly stencil some light pink around the edges of my oval die cut. I added a small pink gingham Hope ribbon and sentiment from the Gerbera Daisies set. I finished my card with some kaiser pearls and clear rhinestones.

Cindy Haffner is next. Cindy is using the I Love Roses and Strawberries set. Cindy has designed a unique and dimensional tag. She combined several oval scallop die cuts to frame the single stem rose beautifully. She colored the rose using Flourishes Copic Color Collection in Hollyhock and Fields. She softly sponged the oval frame with some light pink ink. She added some texture and a Hope ribbon with burlap string wrapped bow. Love the clip with smile sentiment from the Strawberries set. Lovely tag and beautifully done, Cindy!

Next this week is Dee Jackson. Dee is using the Thank You set. Dee is using a combination of light pinks, dark pink, and white. Dee is using a solid distressed sheet of basicgray dp in the background. Dee stamped the tulips using Momento black tuxedo ink onto Flourishes Classic White Cardstock . She colored using Flourishes Copic Color Collection in Holly Hock and Evergreen. She cut out one of the flowers and leaves and adhered to the top of the others to create a fluid arrangement. Dee finished with a gorgeous satin pink bow!!! Beautifully done, Dee!!!






Last up this week is Kim Crawford. Kim is using the Think Pink stamp set. Kim is using some Basicgray Lemonade dp with shades of blues and pinks. She stamped one of the sentiments from the Think Pink set on ruled paper and cut out with a circle spellbinders die cut. She added a deep rich paper ribbon of hope. Lovely card, Kim!!!

Please check out our individual blogs for more card details!!

Maki Jones

Silke Ledlow

Betty Wright

Cindy Haffner

Dee Jackson

Kim Crawford

We also have the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday blog button working properly again. If you need the code, check here.

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC35)!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:28
Timestamp: 2009-10-06 02:44:25 UTC

Cammie M(Sweet Violets Paperie) Congratulations!!! You Won!!! Please email:
flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

September Monthly Drawing Winner

is
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:28
Timestamp: 2009-10-06 02:52:16 UTC

Sonya Appel(sea777)Congratulations!!! You Won!!! Please email:
flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net for your coupon code!!!!

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 keyword code FTTC36 when linking to SCS or public gallery.

• Be sure to use the Mr. Linky to be eligible for the gift certificate drawing!

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

  As always, thanks so much for stopping by and playing Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge with us! Don't forget to use Mr. Linky!!!!

  Your Flourishes Friends!
  

Glitter Daisies

I couldn't believe it when I received an email from Julie asking if I'd like to be the Limelight designer for October. Julie is one of my stamping idols. I was so excited.


This spring I sat at the same table as Jan Marie during a Copic Certification class that Flourishes hosted. It was such a blessing to meet her and learn about the Flourishes beautiful stamp lines. As an illustrator I appreciate other talented artist. And love the quality of the clear acrylic stamps that Flourishes produces.


One of the sets that I have coveted for a long time was the Gerber Daisies. I'm going to share some photos that show how you can create gorgeous coloring using glitter and glue.


Stamp your image onto a clear piece of acetate (Crystal Clear Card Stock) using black Stazon ink. I add the glues and the glitter to the side that has the inked image on it. So when I am finished and flip the acetate over the image will be reversed. This is a fun alternate way of using the stamp set. (If you don't
want the image flipped than add the glitter to the side that you did not stamp the image on to.)


You will need Alene's Tacky glue, small paintbrush, glitter and water for the next step. I squeezed some glue onto a palette and added a small amount of water to it. Stir it up. It should be the consistency of Elmer's Glue. Not to thick but thin enough to spread with the brush. You will be working in small areas, one at a time as the glue does dry fast. Remember, you are working with glitter and it can get messy. Also, you want thin layers of glue, not big globs.

Using your small brush begin applying glue to the petals of the flowers. Sprinkle the glitter over the top and press down gently. Tap the excess onto a scrap piece of paper. You will be using the glitter that you just tapped off, don't discard it. Go back and continue to add more glue. Doing small sections at a time. Do NOT fill in all of the petals. You will be adding another color of glitter to give the flower more dimension. This gets very messy.




Next color you will be adding is the orange from the set. Add the glue to the petals that you did not add glue to and sprinkle the orange over top. Press gentle with finger. Tap of excess and look to see if you need to add more yellow or orange to the petals. It's easy to go back over top of the glitter with the glue in areas that you see are thin. You should have a good covering of glitter on all of the petals.


Next you will be adding the green. And then the red to the center of the flowers. These glitters are not a solid color and therefore give you a very luxurious look. The daisies are the perfect image for this technique. I can see using so many of the other beautiful images that Flourishes has colored with glitter!


Once the glues is dry gently tap off any remaining glitter. Please be careful when handling the image as the glue is only on the surface of the acetate and can be easily scratched off. Take a very soft wide bristled brush and gently brush off the glitter that sticks to the acetate due to static. Flip your image over onto white card stock (or any color card stock you wish.)


Adhere the acetate to the
cardstock using tape. I created my card by sandwiching the acetate below scrapbooking paper, creating a window.


I look forward to seeing all the beautiful Flourishes creations you do!

World Card Making Day FUN!

Did you all see that Flourishes is hosting a FUN challenge over on the SCS challenge thread for World Cardmaking Day?? Well, we are and all you need to do is click HERE to see what kind of fun we are cooking up!

You have until Sunday at midnight in order to be in the drawing for prizes!! We have three goody bags that we'll randomly draw for!! What's inside?? Oh... only a stamp set, a pack of paper and some of the most luscious ribbon EVER!!! So, get those creative juices flowing and let's see what you've got!

Happy Stamping!!! ;-)

Join us for some FUN!

Happy World Cardmaking Day!!!

Flourishes is so excited about this day that officially kicks off the holiday card making season! It's a time when we as card makers can come together and "virtually" craft together! And Splitcoast Stampers is hosting one big shin-dig!!! A party that will bring thousands and thousands of stampers together to 'virtually' create with eachother!

Being a member company over at Splitcoast, we've banded together with other member companies to kick off a few challenges on this one of a kind day of fun! The challenges start at 10 eastern and Flourishes will host it's own challenge at 7 PM Eastern - so stay tuned! There's another interesting twist on this celebration! SCS and all the member companies are helping give a shout out to Operation Write Home (Formerly Cards for Heroes)and helping to spread the love! This organization takes donations of hand made cards to send to the troops serving overseas. You can read up about their operation HERE! And if you'd like to send your challenge cards to this fine cause, all you need to do is click on the link for all the details on how to make it happen!

There are goodies on the line if you play! We are giving away three goody bags with a stamp set, paper and a ribbon grab bag full of our most lucious ribbon! It's a random drawing - so all you need to do is play and you are in the running!

Click on the World Card Making Day Blinkie to the right on our sidebar and that will take you straight to the WCMD Forum on SCS! Fun stuff!

We have some more big news today and we are tickled to announce that the fabulous.....

.....will be joining us in the Limelight each Sunday to give us a glimpse into her creative process! I snuck a peek at her card for tomorrow and let's just say she's looking to create a disco ball of sparkle in tomorrow's limelight! If you've never visited her blog, click HERE for a royal treat!

We also want to give a huge thanks (clapping now!) to the ever so talented Michelle Giraud. Her style is just incredible and we were so blessed to have her sharing her talents with us all September long! Thanks Michelle!!! You are one talented cookie! You can click HERE to visit her blog and keep tabs on her there!

So, be sure to hop back here later today for more news on our challenge and don't forget to come back tomorrow to see what Asela cooked up! :-)

Happy Weekend!
~Julie