Friday Focus: Flourishes Favorites

Honestly, when I said, "Let's do a Friday Focus on our Flourishes favorites" I didn't realize how difficult it would be. Sounded easy enough, as I have so many favorites... but how do I choose which favorite for my focus? Or... how many favorites can I fit on one card? As I started working, things became clear -- I rarely make any card without using at least a few of my Flourishes favorites.

Hi, stampers! It's me, Leslie, playing favorites today. Here's my card:

And these are the favorites I used to put it all together:

Florals -- A Year in Flowers, any one of the three sets, is a recent favorite. These Cyclamen are from Set 3. Flourishes offers a bountiful garden of amazing botanicals... and it's okay to pick these flowers!

Designer paper -- BasicGrey, Memory Box, Cosmo Cricket, 7 Gypsies... The scaled down patterns of the 6x6 pads are well suited to cards and smaller projects, and they're easy to store on a shelf. One pad guarantees perfect color matches and coordinating patterns.

Spellbinders -- I want them all, really. Nestabilities, Frameabilities, Shapeabilities, Borderabilities, Pierceabilities... Oh, my goodness! However did I manage without them?

Silk ribbon -- Let me just sink into a bed of these decadent silks and wrap myself up in their luscious folds!

Pearls -- Got pearls? Got elegance! These days I love anything self adhesive for those easy finishing touches.

I also used watercolor paper and Palette Burnt Umber so I could paint my image with dye-based inks. Did you know Palette inks are waterproof? I even slipped a little of Flourishes Classic White cardstock in there so I'd have a nice surface for stamping the script. That's quite a few favorites on one card!

A few of the Flourishes girls are sharing their favorites today, too. Why not pay them a visit?

Christine

Julie

Laura

Thanks for your time today! Happy stamping!

-- Leslie

Limelight Week 4 with Makiko -- Bath Gift Set

Hello everyone. It's Makiko and this is my last post being in the Limelight! I think you have already noticed that I LOVE Flourishes stamps, lol. I just got the newly released set, Cherries and Peaches. Of course, I had to get them dirty :):) Did I mention my other addiction is buying stamp supplies?? LOL.

For today's project, I embellished a bath set to match a cute card. As a stamper/paper crafter, I love decorating gifts and adding a personal touch, and I love seeing the smiles when I give them :) Embellishing gifts also gives the impression that you got them from a specialty store, don't you think? As a matter of fact, those bath bottles are sold at major discount stores ;)

Here is the close-up

I stamped the sentiment & the word "peach"on Flourishes classic white cardstock, then it was sponged with wasabi green ink. I layered it under the apricot mat that was cut out with Nestabilities label four and embossed with the embossing folder so that it peeked from behind the window. The peach image was stamped on the classic cardstock and colored with Prismapencil colors, then blended with Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS). I also used Twinkling H2O's (chestnut brown) to emhasize the shadows.

The colored peach was trimmed and mounted as you see. I embellished the card with the silk ribbon, rhinestones and decorative corners. I made a step by step tutorial slide show on how I colored the peach image on the bottom of the post if you are interested! ;)


Using the heavy duty adhesive tape, the bath bottle was wrapped with 2 mats that were cut out with Nestablities label four (the largest die). I folded the mats in half and scored the other folding line to fit the side of the bottle. The ribbons were wrapped around the mat and the bottle lid. The sentiment was shaped to fit the circle mat when it was stamped. After the mat was sponged, I adhered the colored and trimmed peach image on the same mat and embellished the rhinestones.






The slide show below is the tutorial show how I colored the peach. If you have any questions about all of my tutorials including the past ones, please e-mail me (makikojones@hotmail.com). Enjoy!




Well, that's it from me! Thank you for taking your time to see my Limelight projects. I would also like to thank Flourishes giving me this wonderful opportunity. I'll continue to show what I create in my blog. I hope you will have a wonder week!!

~Makiko

A few new products in the store

Hello friends!

Just a note to let you know that we are starting to receive some of the products we ordered from our recent trip to the CHA trade show.

Just arrived are 7gypsies 6 x 6 papers in the Nottinghill and Savannah series:

You get 4 sheets of each design for a total of 48 pages! Click HERE to shop for these!

AND - we have in stock MANY of the new Spellbinder dies just released! Click HERE to see them all!

Happy Shopping!

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

Friday Focus - Piercabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

So there you have it!

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

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

Timeless Tuesday!

It is time for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge!!!! Thanks so much to all of you who played along with us last week and used vellum on your cards. I know many of you mentioned that you rarely use vellum, but all the cards looked fantastic!!!! Keep reading to find out the winner from last week's challenge and the Monthly Winner, too!!!!

For those of you who are new to the site, 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 Becca Feeken is hosting the Timeless Tuesday Challenge. Becca is challenging us to use our Spellbinder‘s die cuts!!!! If you have any of these products I am sure they need no dusting off. For many they have become as necessary as the trimmer and adhesive. Whether it is a cutting edge, petite, scalloped, long, short, framed, flowered, or all of these, you are to make a card using your Spellbinder’s die cuts. No Spellbinders? Do not fret you can use your favorite punches.


We would like to Congratulate our very own Friends of Flourishes Blog Team member Kimberly Crawford for making the Spellbinders's Design Team! We are so very proud of her!!!! Congratulations, Kim!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!


Let’s go see the many different ways the blog team used Spellbinders's on their cards. Also, keep in mind that Flourishes sells Spellbinders. The 2009 release are due to ship at the end of this month, too!!!! Cannot wait!!!!


Becca Feeken is up first. Since she is on the Spellbinder's Blog Team, she is showcasing the new to be released Label Four. She is using the Flourishes Birthday Celebrations set. I love how Becca created the stamped background using the cupcake in the set. The birthday cake is wonderfully colored and framed so beautifully with the Spellbinders layerd oval and label four nestabilities. Beautiful Birthday card, Becca!!! Great color combo, too!!!!

Next is Betty Wright. I am using the Flourishes Summer Blossoms set. I was in the mood for bold and dramatic. I have combined MB Fernbrae and Basic Gray Marrakech paper packs. Both are available at Flourishes . Love the patterns and the colors. I think the colors work great with this dainty flower image, too. I am using layered oval nestabilities, layered ribbon labels, and one of the little pieces in the decorative frames as a butterfly look.

Love these colors!!! Cindy Haffner is using Flourishes All Wrapped Up set. Love the dimensional package and the ribbon trim around the box. Great color combo, too. Cindy is using Memory Box Sugardrop dp and Basic Gray brads found at Flourishes . She is using Spellbinders's Piercerabilities RicRac Scalloped Border to create that edge at the bottom of her card!!! Wonderful, Cindy!!!

The next card to see is Kimberly Crawford's. She is using the Butterfly Moments and Many Sentiments sets to create this beautiful card. I love the Basic Gray Sultry dp and Sultry brads she uses found at Flourishes . The bold pattern and the layered Spellbinders just set the sentiment off beautifully. She is using classic oval and circles with the label one. Love the stamped butterfly for an added detail. Lovely card, Kim!!!!

Last up this week is Silke Ledlow . She is using the Flourishes Signs of Spring set. Love the Spellbinders's layered curved rectangles. She actually uses the large curved rectangle to create the card base. That is a fantastic look!!! Love the tole daffodil flower technique and her beautiful coloring. Great colors and love that lush green satin ribbon detail. Beautifully done, Silke!!!!

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

Timeless Tuesday Winner(FTTC4)!!!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 16
Timestamp: 2009-03-03 01:32:03 UTC

Michelle(SF9erfan) Congratulations!!!!!

Michelle, email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net

and they will send you the gift card code!!!!

The Monthly Winner for February
Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 108
Timestamp: 2009-03-03 01:34:55 UTC

Linda(Lovely Linda) Congratulations!!!!!

Linda, email: flourishesllccustomerservice@cox.net
and they will send you the monthly winner gift card code!!!!

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

Now, it is your turn to play in our challenge!!!!

Here are the Rules!!!!

• Anyone can play whether you have Flourishes stamps or not. Of course, if you have Flourishes stamps, by all means, use them.
• Use code word FTTC5 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 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!!!
• Make sure you post your card link back here to the Flourishes Newsletter and use the code FTTC5 if you load your card to SCS or another gallery.

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

Your Flourishes Friends!!!