Sneak Peek -- Something To Celebrate!

It's a new year and it ushers in a new way Flourishes plans to host its releases! On the second Wednesday of each month - we'll begin our Sneak Peak Countdown to our Friday night release. It will give you a chance so see all the creations from our fabulous designers, and you'll have a shot at winning the set featured each day.

Today's set is.....
And, we have a lot to celebrate with this brand new set! It is fresh from the hands of our newest artist, Lauren Pope.

Lauren is a professional illustrator whose work can be found in everything from children's books and school text books to the world of fashion. As a child, she could be found sitting before open comic books, sketchpad in lap, pencil in hand, diligently honing the skills that would mature into the tools of a true artist. She earned her B.S. and M.A. degrees in Commercial Art at Pensacola Christian College. Her award-winning work has been featured in venues such as the Pensacola Museum of Art in Florida, the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, Texas, and the Roundhouse Gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Lauren’s artistic flame can be ignited by a walk through a garden, a trip to the farmer’s market, or a chance encounter with a captivating human face. To look at her original work visit her etsy site HERE.

If I had been looking for a new artist for Flourishes the very last place I would have expected to find her was at my dining room table. We hosted a birthday party for a young friend of ours and told her to invite some of her friends. Lauren and her hubby were some of the delightful friends we met that night. Lauren and I talked and someone told her I was into art...(hehe) well not her way I soon found out. She wanted to see Flourishes stamps. I saw the love in her eyes as she touched and poured over them. A few days later she came over to talk and brought a small sampling of her art and I was excited at what I saw. I perused her etsy shop and then talked with her later and told her that I could not identify her definitive medium or style. She replied that she hadn't either. Needless to say that now months later I think she and I both know her new medium (she says it makes her smile) and I know that it makes me smile as well. I hope her work will make you smile as well.

I asked Lauren to develop a birthday set for Flourishes. As we talked and set up the standard and concepts for the set she gleamed and I caught a bit of mischief in her eyes. When she sent us the first "rough outs" of the set we knew that this was a charmer, with a timeless look but certainly for today's papercrafters.

Looking above at the collage, can you get a glimpse of Lauren's creative style? Here it's just a sneak peek, but travel to the blogs of our designers and you'll see Lauren's work in living color...

Julie Koerber
Sharon Doolittle
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Faith Hofrichter
Latisha Yoast
Laura Fredrickson
Dee Jackson
Nancy Kirk
Jan Marie Caruso --OH that's ME!

Before you go blog hopping, here’s your chance to win this set! Just post a comment to this entry and we'll randomly select one person to win. The candy will move quickly - we'll announce the winner for the Birthday Celebrations set tomorrow. But, don't worry, more chances to win are on the way. We'll be giving away the sets revealed in our Thurdsay and Friday sneak peeks as well! So, be sure to stop by each day to comment.

Have you checked out our Celebrating Home challenge? (Details on that challenge can be found HERE) Take part in this challenge and you can win all three of our new sets this month. The winner will be announced at our release party Friday night from 7pm - 9 pm Eastern time over at the Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast. That's where we'll reveal all the new sets and give you an opportunity for more prizes!

For those of you who love the work of our artist Marcella Hawley, check back tomorrow for her set that celebrates life in a whole new way!

Yes, you will have to come back tomorrow and see what Marcella has in store for us.

Viola! That makes for another great day of sharing with you. I am so glad you stopped by the Atelier at Flourishes.

I'm hoping that your day will be filled with blessings and that your mojo will be overflowing.

Ciao,