The Fruits of My Labor

We’ve come around again to Flourishes’ monthly pre-release challenge as the time draws near to begin the new set previews.  Old / new. . . it doesn’t matter – I love working with Flourishes stamps.  This month’s challenge is called “What’s Cookin’?”, and you’re invited to share your favorite recipe in a stamped creation.  Enter for a chance to win all three stamp sets in Flourishes’ July release.  You have until Friday, July 16th, at 5 pm EST to cook up something fabulous.  Upload to your blog, or if you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCJUL10.  Don’t forget to link your creation on the Flourishes Newsletter pre-release challenge post using the Inlinkz Linky.

I considered making a recipe card for this challenge, but decided instead to make something infinitely more practical for my type of recipe organization – you know. . . the bring-home-all-the-recipes-my-coworkers-share-and-slip-them-in-a-folder-with-no-rhyme-or-reason type of organization.  I have two bulging folders, a recipe box, and two drawers full of recipe books.  It’s not so much that I love to cook, but I do love to eat delicious foods!  Some of my favorites year round are recipes with fruits.  Good thing the team is focusing on fruit recipes.  I love them all!  How could I settle on one?

So I decorated a folder specifically for fruit recipes.  Judging by the current state of my other two folders, I can stuff a lot of fruit recipes in this. . .

I worked with what I had on hand.  Since I’d colored every single fruit in Flourishes repertoire on the cover I needed a background that complemented all of them.  The blue seemed to work.  This folder will be shuffled around in a drawer with other folders, books, etc., so I thought I might as well start out with a scuffed up look since it will wind up that way eventually, anyway.  I might “accidentally” forget to put this one away once in a while, though.  The scuffing was done by sanding the white-core cardstock and designer papers with regular sandpaper from the hardware store.

 
Though the placement of the fruit may look rather haphazard, I did stamp all the letters in brown first, then stamped the fruits around them to be certain I had things showing where I wanted them to show.  I did all the coloring with Copics.  The blue letters (from a retired Stampin’ Up! alphabet set) were then embossed, cut out and glued in place.  The last step was to stamp another pair of lemons and glue them over top of the first two letters.

The fruit sets I used are Life, Love and Lemons, Cherries and Peaches, Figs and Pomegranate, and Strawberries.

If you really want a recipe, here’s a favorite quickie (you can click to enlarge, and then print if you wish):

The page the recipe is printed on is from a digital recipe book I compiled with clip art.  I put together my favorite easy recipes and made a book for a girlfriend and one for me.  It’s my most frequently used cookbook.  The pages are all laminated to protect them from messy cooks.

Okay. . . that’s enough talk from me!  How about taking a look at what the rest of the team is sharing?  There’s lots of inspiration to be seen, and I imagine you’ll want to get cookin’, too!

Christine Okken

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Laura Fredrickson

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a great weekend!

Comments

[Karen W]

This is really pretty!!! I love the idea of using all the stamps.

[Dawn B.]

Oh my heavens... Look at what you did here.. This team never ceases to amaze me.. I LOVE that you used all that fruit. What a pretty folder.. Your coloring is amazing.. This is awesome Leslie.. My daughter and I were just talking about recipes with peaches.. Great job and I will have to try this..

[Betty]

Oh, my word! Absolutely gorgeous and so beautifully colored, Leslie. All of those wonderful fruits! Here is a recipe I must try, too! Sounds easy enough. Sounds delicious, too! Wonderful recipe book idea!

[Betty]

Oh, my word! Absolutely gorgeous and so beautifully colored, Leslie. All of those wonderful fruits! Here is a recipe I must try, too! Sounds easy enough. Sounds delicious, too! Wonderful recipe book idea!

[Silke Ledlow]

Super cute Leslie!!! Your fruity card is awesome and the recipe sounds yum!!! Have a wonderful weekend!!! Hugs ~S~

[yogi]

you're right. I want to try this recipe. Sounds delicious. I too LOVE food, but I also love cooking and baking. Love the digital recipe stuff.
The folder to hold your fruit recipes is really nice too.

[Stacy aka Twinshappy SCS]

Oh I have lots of fruit recipes also so this is perfect. Very festive front cover and I am sure you will love it all in one book.

[Gabi With An Eye]

Leslie, my dear, your fruit folder is undeniably the finest in all the land. Goodness what excruciatingly detailed coloring. Clearly you are a master with those Copics. I'm so very impressed and I SO love your image(s). The blue papers, gingham and other are so sweet and that little floral border punch in white is too. My husband greatly admires your work, as do I.

[ChristineCreations]

Leslie this is completely awesome! I so love how you've used all these Flourishes fruits! Beautiful vibrant looking, such great coloring! It's like a celebration! Wonderful idea!

[Joseline Capre]

What a great folder!!

[Danielle]

Wowzers lady! This is gorgeous! I need more fruit recipes so I can have book like this! Gorgeous work!

[Carolyn King]

what a gorgeous folder Leslie! Doesn't even matter about the recipe inside---that looks good enough to eat!

[Makiko Jones]

Wowza!!! What a fabulous design and coloring, Leslie! Beautiful work as always!

[Heather T]

What a beautiful folder, I love your arrangement of fruits and the colours and papers you chose to put around them.

[Cindy haffner]

Leslie this is so fun!! FABULOUS job.

[Denise (peanutbee)]

Love the folder!...so colorful!!

...I have that same "stuff-it-in-a-file-until-I-can-try-it system"...lol! I should make a pretty folder like you did. :)