Flourishes Newsletter: July 2007

Our Grand Opening of the Flourishes online store is scheduled for this Friday, July 27 and we hope you will visit. We'll be having a special sale on our Flourished Infusion Combo Kit, which includes both new stamp sets, a pad of Basic Grey 6x6 Infuse paper and two yards of coordinating ribbon from May Arts. Watch for our ad on Splitcoast today and Friday.

In our first post we introduced the design team and they have been hard at work making wonderful creations. We are thrilled with what they have created so far and will get them in a gallery soon, but if you can't wait, check out their blogs (links are on the left) and take a peek!!

Today we'd like to introduce to you another member of our team - Marcella Hawley - our web designer and illustrator. Here is some information about her:

Marcella Hawley

Marcy Hawley is the creative director/owner of Marcella

Hawley Creative, LLC located in St. Louis, Missouri. She specializes in designing and producing print and new media communications for the "enthusiast" category. Her client list includes artists, horticulturists, fly fishing outfitters, a purveyor of gourmet baked goods and many more businesses of all types. Marcy was founding art director of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, a pioneering art-centered decorating magazine. As assistant to the art director at Martha Stewart Living, she was part of the team that developed MSL Television and MSL Weddings magazine. Marcy is a passionate gardener, illustrator and decorator, as well as wife and mother of two. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the Univeristy of Illinois. For more information, see her web site at http://www.marcellahawley.com/.

Welcome to the first issue of the Flourishes Newsletter, created to provide the latest happenings at Flourishes, LLC.

What is Flourishes?

Flourishes is an existing paper arts studio in Pensacola, Florida. It has been growing for the last seven years and now is expanding into an internet retail boutique. Our paper arts boutique Flourishes- will open on July 27 with special discounts available through August 1.

Who is Flourishes?

Flourishes is the combined effort of 3 experienced papercrafters with a wide variety of training and skills. Each of us brings to flourishes a wide variety of talent and skill. Get to know each of us our thru our Splittcoastampers galleries and blogs.

Jan Marie Caruso--The Caruso Manner
Flourishes SCS Gallery

Nancy Kirk-- Seaside Creativity
NKirk SCS Gallery

Sharon Doolittle The mysterious Ms. Doolittle is an multi-accomplished crafter who is in the process of putting together a gallery! Sharon is a terrific stamper, quilter and photographer and soon you will be seeing her work.

Please join in our excitement as we expand and come grow with us. Each month Flourishes will offer:
-Original stamp sets,
- A card kit,
- An update on the most current paper crafting tools.

Our newsletter will be issued each month and will offer tips and techniques as well as the latest happenings at Flourishes. Subscribe and get up to date releases

Please join Jan Marie, Nancy and Sharon in welcoming

The Flourishes Design Team:

Nancy Grant from Alaska

Stamping found me a short two and a half years ago. One of my friends from church became a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and invited all us ladies over for a workshop. I hesitantly bought some stamping supplies and gave it a try. I can still remember feeling so lost with my first cards but I felt like I had already made the investment and needed to keep trying. A couple of cute cards later I discovered that I was hooked on stamping. Six months after that I signed up with The Angel Company to support my creative outlet. I recently became a stay at home mom, which has allowed me more time and less stress to continue to develop my stamping skills. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to teach basic stamping and techniques to my friends in my small arctic village and to share my paper crafts on-line through several stamping galleries and through my blog. It’s really hard to say what the highlight of my stamping career is to this point. The people that I meet, the opportunity to be on this design team, or the card contests that I’ve won. All in all I am going to keep stamping and I am thankful for having this God given talent and for the support of my husband.

Sharon Johnson from Michigan

My name is Sharon Johnson, but I am better known to the stamping community as “notimetostamp”. I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a rural community along the shores of Lake Superior.

When my children were young all of my creative energy was spent at the sewing machine, making clothing and doing craft type projects – dressed up long-eared bunnies, personalized sampler-type baby bibs, Victorian looking Christmas stockings, to name a few. In about 2000 I was invited to a Stampin’ Up! party by a neighbor. I made that first purchase with some skepticism, but it didn’t take too long for me to realize that this new-found hobby could be quite enjoyable. I stamped at a moderate level, pretty much on an as-needed basis, until April of 2006 when I stumbled upon a website called Splitcoaststampers. From that day forward life has never been the same – truly!!! I became totally enamored with the craft of rubber stamping, and have never looked back. Stamping became a very big part of my daily routine, and it remains so today.

I became a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator in July, 2006 and continue to do so. I also teach classes out of my home, both rubber stamping and scrapbooking. The scrapping is rather new to me, and I am really enjoying it! I find teaching others to create beautiful stamped projects to be highly rewarding, and we have so much fun while we’re at it!!!

I am currently a member of the Dirty Dozen Design Team at Splitcoaststampers. My term with them will expire on August 15, 2007. I have only submitted work for publication on one occasion, and was fortunate enough to have it published. My card entitled “Happy Everything” is in the current issue (June/July 2007) of Stampers’ Sampler. I would like to pursue further publication work, as time permits.

Paula Bloom from Texas

Hi, my name is Paula Bloom and I am so thrilled to be chosen as a member of the new Flourishes Design Team! It’s wonderful to be part of a brand new design team and be able watch it grow.

Since childhood I’ve loved to play with paper, scissors, and ink. Paper dolls, paper chains, and even paper dresses! Who can forget those wild and crazy 1960’s? When my own children were little, I did lots crafts with them and my own crafts included sewing, needlework, and latch hooking. When I discovered rubber stamps, I found the creative skills I was seeking. My painting talent is very limited and I found that with rubber stamps, a little ink, and some pretty paper, I can create anything! Just think, it all started with one handmade birthday card a co-worker gave me a few years back.

I have been a member of the “Dirty Dozen Design Team” for SplitcoastStampers and a designer for “Simply Sentiments” magazine where my work was published I have also worked for “Creative Cuts and More”, an online die cut company.

I’ve been asked what “my” style of stamping is. Some might say it’s busy, but I love combing different prints and patterns and have them come together to make a perfect card. My work reflects the upbeat person that I am. My goal to always bring a smile to the person who opens it. My first choice is always making floral cards, but I also have fun with turning rubber stamped animals into bright charming creations. Nothing like a good blue frog or a pink cow!

I’ve been married to Barry for almost 37 years. Barry is my rock and my strength and always stands by me. We both enjoy traveling and seeing new places. Our goal each year is to try and get away as often as we can, even if its craft shows. We have two grown sons. Our eldest son Lawrence is married to Tina. They have given us two bright and beautiful grand children, Justin who is a senior in High School this year and Madelyn who is 4. Our other son is Evan is our world traveler. While he’s still single he enjoys travel all over the world.

Leslie Miller from Oregon

Hello! I've been stamping and papercrafting for about ten years and now I'm very happy to be a charter member of the Flourishes Design Team. I'm an alumni of the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Design Team and maintain a gallery at SCS under the username, leslierich. I've been published in Stampers Sampler and someday I'd like to submit work elsewhere. In February 2007 I started my blog, Running With Scissors... and I've been concentrating primarily on that. I'm also a Stampin' Up! hobby demonstrator. Aside from stamping, I work full time in a medical laboratory and enjoy tending my large ornamental garden and spending time with family and friends. I lean toward quiet pursuits such as reading and good movies in addition to my stamping and gardening. I've surely enjoyed the adventures my stamping passion has brought about for me and now I'm about to embark on a new one. Life has a surprise around every corner!

Julia Stainton from Canada

I am so excited to be part of the new Flourishes Design Team! My name is Julia Stainton and I am a Stay at Home Mom as well as a Concept Designer in my free time. I have been a life-long crafter and started papercrafting and scrapbooking 9 years ago. I just loved taking photos and keeping our families memories, combined with the fun of designing. About 3 years ago, I discovered rubber stamping and was soon hooked. I loved the creativity, the design, the techniques..everything about it was a great outlet for me. I now have 5 children between the ages of 16 and 2 so we have a very busy household here. Papercrafting provides me with a hobby that I really enjoy and I love that I can create designs to fit my schedule. They can be as complex or as simple as I wish. I live with my wonderful husband of eighteen years in a century farmhouse in Ontario, Canada.

The past year has been really exciting for me as I take my hobby to new levels. Last year I had the opportunity to be part of the Splitcoaststampers.com Dirty Dozen Design team. I started submitting designs for publication last December & since then have designs published or upcoming, in Papercrafts magazine, specialty Papercrafts issues, Giftmaker, Cards, Scrapbook Trends, Cardmaker, Paper Made Easy and Paper Creations. In the past few months I have also been working on design teams for Lizzie Anne Designs, My Favorite Things Stamps & the new Flourishes! I also write articles for Craft Critique, an on-line crafting blog where I have the opportunity to review new products and share my crafting skills with others. At my web-site, Belle Papier, I blog daily as I love sharing my designs, photos, recipes and pieces of my life with you. I can't wait to get working with the new Flourishes line! Thanks so much for the opportunity!

Alex Eaton from the United Kingdom

I am Alex, 35 (just!!!) married for 14 years on 14 Aug this year, have three beeeeautiful little girls, Bethany, Caitlin and Madison. Live in Weymouth, Dorset, United Kingdom which is right on the beach (bliss, when the weather is nice!!).

I have been crafting for about 1 year and 7 months, started when my daughter came home with some Iris Folding from her grandmother (who is a huge cardmaker and makes a really good living from it). I started out by helping her to cut and place the papers etc, then started myself and basically got hooked. About two weeks later I was like a woman possessed, couldn't get enough of ebay for all my crafting goodies. Bought my first stamp (cannot for the life of me remember what it was though) and I have not looked back since. I have most definitely improved and got better as the year and half have gone on, lol. I have had a few of my cards in a magazine called Beautiful Cards as well as Cardmaking and Papercrafts (both UK cardmaking magazines).

I am a Design Team cardmaker for http://www.firstclasscrafts.co.uk/ ( as well as their bricks and mortar shop) and I also design cards for http://www.onefourzero.co.uk/ and have them on their website now (if you fancy a peek!!). I am having a ball right at this moment with my cardmaking and have improved so much since finding Splitcoaststampers and want to thank all the wonderful new friends I have made who have given me help, understandgin and fantastic inspiration.

racy Durcan from New Hampshire
Hi, my name is Tracy Durcan. I am a stay-at-home mother living in Southern New Hampshire with my husband, daughter and two sons.

I first started scrapbooking when I was 28 because of the desire to document my life creatively. Not long after that, I was introduced to stamping and card-making by my local Moms Club chapter. I fell in love instantly. The idea that you could make little works of art in a matter of minutes was very exciting. I love trying new techniques, and finding creative ways to use my supplies. In terms of style, I like to keep my designs simple.

I have been very fortunate to have some of my work accepted for publication by Paper Crafts, Scrapbook and Cards Today and CardMaker.

I am very excited and honored to be part of the Flourishes Design Team!