Running With Scissors...

A Love Song for Three Occasions

Hello!  Just a quick peek today at three cards made with a stamp I purchased months ago and hadn’t used yet.  I thought it was cute, would have multiple uses, and be quick and easy to color.   Since the stamp had sat so long unused I decided to make up for lost time and do three at once.   They’re all the same, but with different colors and sentiments.  The first is the one and only Valentine I made this year and it is, of course, for my One and Only.  The second is a wedding card, and the third, as you can see by the sentiment, is for an anniversary.  The outside sentiments are all from Stampin’ Up!, and the image stamp is Love Song from Penny Black.

I did very simple coloring with Copic markers   The swirly embossing behind the image panel was done with a large-size Cuttlebug folder from the Heritage collection.  The title above each card is actually the inside sentiment, all from JustRite.  So, here you go, a little candy shop of cards:

You Fill My Heart With Love

Happiness is Being Married to Your Best Friend

The Best Thing to Hold Onto in Life is Each Other

I’m so glad you dropped in.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Love Song (image, Penny Black), Holidays and Wishes (Valentine sentiment, Stampin’ Up!), Hugs and Wishes (other outside sentiments, Stampin’ Up!), JustRite Romantic Sentiments and Loving Thoughts (inside sentiments)  Paper:  Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black (all Stampin’ Up!), Classic White (Flourishes)  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers for coloring  Accessories:  Offray ribbon, rhinestones, Stickles Stardust glitter glue, Stampin’ Up! heart punch, Cuttlebug Heritage embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Cheers!

I finally did something I’ve been meaning to do for years – make some New Year’s cards.  It comes so close after Christmas… I guess I’m just not ready for another holiday yet, except in regard to having the day off work.

The first card uses an American Art Stamp couple with an Art Impressions sentiment.  Both stamps have been gathering dust for a few years – not because I don’t like them (quite the contrary), but I don’t have a lot of occasion to use them.  I generally look at them every year when I think about doing New Year’s cards, but that’s as far as it goes.

So… you’ve probably noticed the embossed and cut away card base.  That was done with a new-to-me product called Marianne Design Designable Folders.  I got mine here (in the UK), but you can find them elsewhere, too, if you do a Google search.  I was amazed with the speedy delivery from all the way over there.  I guess those planes fly pretty fast!  The price of these folders is a little scary, but they sure can help you do a cool card design in record time.  That can be important.  However, you can do a little or a lot.  Either way, they’re very fun to play with.

I decked out the couple in glittery party finery by stamping in Versafine Onyx black ink and embossing with sparkly Stardust embossing powder.  The sentiment was embossed with plain clear powder.  You can see the sparkle better in the next photo.  Even the gentleman’s moustache and hair have glitter in them.  Either he’s been nuzzling his lady friend or he’s been wiping his nose on his coat sleeve.  Maybe he’s no gentleman, after all.

I cut the image panel with Spellbinders Labels Sixteen S4-301, and added just a touch of color with Copic markers and a pink rhinestone.

The next card features an image from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called Along the Same Lines.  The sentiment is from A Muse and is cut with a Spellbinders Ribbon Banners S4-324 die.  I sponged with ink while the die was still in place.  The BasicGrey Euphoria designer paper looks all bubbly and floaty (like your head after a few glasses of champagne).

We have sparkling pink champagne for our New Year’s celebration.

I hope your plans for New Year’s Eve are as exciting as mine.  If I’m still awake at midnight maybe I’ll hear some distant fireworks…   Whatever you’re doing, stay safe and enjoy!  See you again soon!

Flourishes Preview, Day 1: Wedded Bliss

 

 

 

 

 

Flourishes illustrator, Lauren Pope, has come up with one of her wonderful silhouette image stamp sets for you this month, and I’m very pleased to share my first card with the Wedded Bliss set.  How nice that Flourishes has chosen this time of year, when our attentions turn, not only to outdoor activities, but to summer wedding preparations, to bring along such an easy set with which to create.  Best of all, it’s a multi-purpose set – wedding, anniversary, engagement – a little something to see you all through the year.

Today, I’m thinking of summer weddings – easy, breezy, light and fresh – a garden party sort of celebration.  I scored the Flourishes Classic White cardstock on the diagonal to suggest a lattice framework, and gave it summer colors, pearls, layered Prima flowers, and a banner wafting in a gentle breeze.  The happy couple were embossed with detail clear embossing powder on Classic White cardstock, then sponged over with blue ink.  Loving my Spellbinders dies, I combined these shapes:

• Classic Circles Small
• Labels Eighteen
• Ribbon Banners

All the dies were cut simultaneously in my Grand Calibur.

If you haven’t already taken a moment, please do visit the rest of the team to see more ideas for the Wedded Bliss set.  I know you’ll enjoy them:

Barbara Anders

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

This month Flourishes has a lot of fun activities lined up for release week, and a lot of chances to win BIG!  Check the Newsletter today through Friday to see what’s happening.  Chances are by the time you’re reading this the full set has been revealed and is ready for purchase in the store.  The reveal is scheduled for 9 am CST and the first challenge is up at 12 noon CST.  The winner takes all!  It’s a busy week!

Don’t forget the Pre-release Challenge, either – yet another chance to win.  You could walk away with the entire May release.  One little card = four stamp sets.  There’s a winner every month, and this month it could be you!

I so appreciate the time you took to stop by here today.  I wish you all a happy day, and I hope to see you again for the next new set sample tomorrow.  Take care!

Stamps:  Wedded Bliss  Paper:  Bashful Blue textured, Flourishes Classic White, Wild Asparagus designer paper  Ink:  Versamark, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue  Accessories:  Spellbinders Classic Circles Small, Labels Eighteen,  and Ribbon Banners, Prima Flower, Zva pearl flourishes, Kaiser flat backed pearls for flower center, detail clear embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Flourishes Preview, Day 1: Orchids

Hello, everyone!  Are you ready to see the first preview of Flourishes’ April release?  Let’s start out with one of Marcella Hawley’s beautiful florals.

Gosh, the above graphic makes it look pretty tempting, doesn’t it?  The girls have colored up some exquisite images and turned them into stunning cards.  Orchids!  I’ve never had an orchid stamp before.  Very exotic flowers, but in such a wide array of colors you simply cannot go wrong with your coloring.  And with all those colors to choose from, what did I do?  White, with just the lightest blush of pink and deep rose throats.

My orchids are watercolored on 90 lb. hot press watercolor paper.  I wanted to display them on a black background and, rather than paint in the black, I chose to cut out the flowers and mount them on black velvet.  It’s actually black sueded paper which I’ve had in my stash for years.  The velveteen effect is lost in the photo, but it’s quite elegant in real life.  A click on the photo will give you a closer look.

Love these new Spellbinders shapes, too, and I used them for the first time on today’s card.  I found this combination interesting:

• Labels Twenty
• Labels Eighteen
• Grand Ovals

And, of course, all cut with my Grand Calibur die cutting machine.

Be sure and visit the team for lots more ideas, and all of them very colorful:

Barbara Anders

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

Jan Marie Caruso

• You can preorder the Orchids here if you’d like.
• All sets will be released this Thursday night, the 14th, after the Release Party in the Flourishes Forum on SCS.  The party begins at 9 pm Central and lasts one hour.
• Would you like to win the Orchid’s set?  Just leave a comment on today’s Orchids post on the Flourishes Newsletter.
• How would you like to win the entire April release?  Now, that would be fabulous!  Read up on the Pre-release Challenge and link a card.  This may be your lucky month!

I do hope you’ll come back tomorrow for another preview.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Orchids  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White, pink textured, black sueded  Ink:  Palette Noir, water-based markers for watercoloring  Accessories:  Silk ribbon, pearls, oval punch, Spellbinder’s Labels Twenty, Labels Eighteen, and Grand Ovals Nestabilities, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Love Tank

This will be my husband's Valentine this year.  I knew it as soon as I saw this darling image in Flourishes' new Tokens of Affection set.

I made it simple and manly, but fun (how could you avoid fun with an image like this?).  The coloring was done with Copic Markers and the designer papers are BasicGrey Sugar Rush.

It's Flourishes Friday Free For All Day, so you'll be able to see more Flourishes samples when you visit the rest of the team:

Barbara Anders

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

I have sad news and happy news today.

Sad:  Laura has retired from Flourishes' Senior Design Team.  She's cutting back on some of her obligations so she can focus more on family life.  We've all been there, haven't we?  I can understand completely, and while it's sad news for those of us who are losing our teammate, it's a happy decision for Laura and her family.  Happy:  Laura is staying in the Flourishes family with the Bring Back Beautiful Team, a much lighter committment.  Whew!  I feel better now.

More happy news:  With open arms we welcome Barbara Anders to the Senior DT!  Barbara's been stamping with the Friends of Flourishes team, so she's certainly no stranger.  In fact, she's darn sweet and super talented.  Welcome, Barbara!

Just a reminder that today is the final day to take advantage of this month's New Release Bundle from Flourishes.  Purchase all three of the new sets in a bundle and save 10% off the total.

Wishing you all health and happiness as we head into the weekend!  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Tokens of Affection  Paper:  Basic Gray, Riding Hood Red, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Sugar Rush designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, screw brads, 1" circle punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 100th Challenge Blog Hop and Another New Release Sample

Hello, and happy Friday!  Today's post has a two-fold purpose. . . 1)  to introduce you to the last of this month's new stamp sets from Flourishes and 2)  to hop in on the Blog Hop fun.

 
Every month, I generally have a favorite among Flourishes' new releases, and this month it's Tokens of Affection.  It's just so darn cute and clever!  Today, I've used one of the simplest stamps in the set to make a little box for Kisses, and a card to go with it.  Extra tokens are ready to be plucked from the card and cashed in later (or all at once, perhaps).

 
 

 
 
And now for the challenge. . .  It's all about favorites --  favorite stamps, papers, colors, techniques, embellishments, whatever!  Well, every time I pick up my Flourishes stamps, I'm using some favorites.  They are my favorite stamps!  And since Tokens of Affection is my favorite new set this month, it's #1 on the list today.

Other favorites I used today are ribbon and bling.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the chocolate Kisses in the box, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to count them, tsk, tsk.

Be sure to check the Flourishes blog right here to see more of everyone's favorites, read up on the details, and maybe link a favorite of your own.  There's still time, and it's going to be a lot of fun (and prizes)!

Now, if you'd like to see more samples with the new Tokens of Affection set, hop right on over to the rest of Flourishes design team -- cute stuff!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Laura Fredrickson

Stacy Morgan

Don't forget the limited time New Release Bundle -- 10% off when you purchase all three sets.  A good deal if you love them all and can't decide.

I've had fun this week, but I'm so ready for some R&R.  How about you?  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Tokens of Affection  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Riding Hood Red, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestones, clip

Flourishes Preview, Day 2: Love Notes

Today, we have for you a fun Valentine set packed full of great images with cute and clever sentiments to match.

 

I think one of the things I like best about Love notes is how "guy friendly" it is and, let's face it, most of us stampers are women making Valentines for our guys.  However, this is a versatile set and many of the images can go either way.

I chose to make a masculine Valentine today.  You know -- not too much froufrou, but a guy has to put up with a little bit of sweet, mushy stuff on a day like this.  Most of them appreciate it more than they let on, I think.  My own special guy is pretty sweet and sentimental, but it usually comes cloaked in a little bit of humor.

There's more to love here:

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

 

Stacy Morgan

• Be sure to stop by the Flourishes Blog and leave a comment on the Love Notes post for a chance to win this set.
• Join The Color of Love Challenge and you just might win the entire release.
• Save a bundle (10%)  by purchasing all three new sets in the New Release Bundle.
• Join us for chat, games, and giveaways at our Power Hour Release Party tonight in Flourishes SCS Forum.

There's more to come tomorrow, so drop by when you get a chance and see a sample with the third new set of the month.  Take care!

Stamps:  Love Notes  Paper:  Chocolate, Riding Hood Red, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Sugar Rush designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Riding Hood Red, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestone hearts, 1 1/4" circle punch

Flourishes Preview, Day 1: Hearts and Flowers

Today begins the previews of Flourishes new stamp sets for January, and I'd like to introduce you first to:

 

This is the time of year many folks turn their thoughts to matters of the heart, and we have some very pretty hearts to share with you today.  I started by coloring these roses and making a wedding card.  It was initially a Valentine, but with February 14th being such a big day for weddings, I decided to change my tune.

 

I colored the roses with Copic markers, and surrounded the heart with scallops, delicately patterned papers, soft colors, pearls, sheer ribbon, and pretty crochet trim.

This sentiment inside the card is, I think, perfect for the occasion.

Visit the Flourishes team to see more Hearts and Flowers with the lovely sentiments which complement the set: 

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Laura Fredrickson

Stacy Morgan

Jan Marie Caruso

You can win this set by leaving a comment on the Hearts and Flowers post on the Flourishes blog, or win all three of Flourishes new releases by participating in the Colors of the Heart challenge ---> here.  You can also preorder any of the new sets ---> here.  For extra fun -- games & prizes, chat, more samples --  we'd love to have you join us for the Power Hour Release Party at the SCS Flourishes Forum this Thursday night , too.  After the party the new sets will be available in the Flourishes store.

Thanks for dropping in today, and I hope you'll check back for the next preview tomorrow.  Have a super day!

Stamps:  Hearts and Flowers  Paper:  Bazzill pale aqua, Flourishes Classic White, Prima Fairy Flora designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Pomegranate (inside sentiment), Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Seafoam sheer ribbon, crochet trim, pearls, Spellbinders Lacey Squares, Classic Squares, and Fancy Tags, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

The Colors of Love -- Flourishes Pre-Release Challenge

 

Hello!  Today is just for fun. . .  the Flourishes team is heating things up with a Valentine-inspired color challenge in preparation for next week's release.  To enter our Colors of Love challenge, simply link up to the challenge post on the Flourishes Blog.  If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCJan11.  You have until January 14 at 5 pm Eastern time to enter.  Use Flourishes stamps if you have them, but if you don't, please play along anyway.  The winner will receive our entire new release!

 

Red, pink, and white -- those are the colors of a traditional Valentine and our challenge.  I've used the Fanciful Flourishes butterflies, with the solid image stamped in a very pale pink, then overstamped with the flourished image in a darker pink pigment ink which I embossed with a sparkly embossing powder.  Red rhinestones dot the dry embossed flowers and, oops, I see I forgot one!  Did you notice?  For now, let's just pretend it's there, and I'll add it in later.  The "Love" in the heart tag is one of the Tag Lines words.

These samples from the team should help get you in the mood:

Christine Okken

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Stacy Morgan

I hope you'll have time to play!  I'll be checking out all your entries as you link them.  Have fun!

Stamps:  Fanciful Flourishes, Tag Lines  Paper:  Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Sugar Rush designer paper  Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Color Box Orchid Pigment ink, Ruby Red  Accessories:  Ribbon, gold cord, rhinestones, Elegant Bouquet embossing folder from Stampin' Up!, Spellbinders Scalloped Heart Nestabilities, scallop edge punch, sparkly embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape (under the wings)

Something Free from Flourishes!

No strings attached. . . no purchase necessary. . . Flourishes has a downloadable 2011 calendar template for you  ---> here.  How do you download a calendar template from the store?  Well. . . Julie has prepared a complete tutorial to help you through the process.  You can find her tutorial right here.  If, for some reason, that link doesn't work, just check the Flourishes Blog and you'll find the tutorial there today.

These pages make beautiful calendars, especially when printed out on Flourishes' bright Classic White cardstock.  But what more can you do with a calendar page?  Well, it's a little like designer paper and, heck, it's free, so I had this idea for a Mother's Day card:

 

I circled the day, trimmed down the page and stitched it to a mat.  Added some pearls, and now it's a pretty companion for this sweet bouquet from the new Mix-N-Mugs set.  Of course, you could do this for any special day -- birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversary, wedding. . .  I used Nook & Pantry designer paper with a bow made from May Arts Two-Tone peach taffeta ribbon.  This ribbon and paper seem to have been made for each other.  Another absolutely perfect match for the paper is Flourishes Sweet Pea Copic collection -- one of my favorites.  It's the peachy-pink tone I used on some of the small flowers.

The team has more samples to share with you, as well.  Take a look:

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Laura Fredrickson

Stacy Morgan

I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the team's offerings this week.  Have a very pleasant weekend!

Stamps:  Mix-N-Mugs  Paper:  Wasabi textured, Classic White, Sweet Blush, BasicGrey Nook & Pantry designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Garden Green, Barely Banana, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, pearls, 2011 calendar from Flourishes, Spellbinders Classic and Lace Edge Circle Nestabilities, and Scalloped Heart Nestabilities, Scotch brand foam mounting tape