Flourishes Friday Favorites

Good Morning Flourishes friends! It's time for another Friday Favorites, and today I'm using A Year in Flowers 3, featuring the Chrysanthemum. By the way, I just love the Flourishes idea of a flower for every month of the year!

I stamped out the A Year In Flowers 3 in Versafine Vintage Sepia and the sentiment from Tiny Flowers and Tags in Memento Rich Cocoa. I colored my image in with Olive Greens Collection, Tiger Lily and the Beehive Collection Copic markers. I added some stitching along my patterned paper and matted it with Color Made Easy Rich Browns cardstock. I added a pearl flourish, some Color Made Easy Chocolate Brown ribbon, a Color Made Easy Poppy Button, and some Ivory Jute Twine.

I really had so much fun using this stamp set and letting my imagination run wild. I hope this Friday Favorites encourages you to pull out your favorite Flourishes stamp set, too! Also please stop by and  visit the Flourishes blog today for our special news! Christine is going to take over some of the design team management for Julie so she can help Jan Marie more. You can read all about it here: Flourishes Blog.

Please visit the rest of the team to gather more inspirations to fuel your creative passion!


Amanda Havon
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Julie Koerber 
Maki Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan


Have a great day!

Product Review!

Good morning, friends! It's been awhile since I've posted about a product review and I'm super excited about this one!! Today the Splitcoast Stampers Product Review Team is reviewing Stamp-N-Storage!! They offer the most amazing organizational items that are perfect for any scrap space both large and or small! They come unpainted in a variety of option for you to customize your space. But don't take my word for it, read what all the other Product Review Team's thoughts: HERE! :)

I guarantee, you won't be disappointed with this company or review ;)
~ Amanda

Free For All Friday!!

Hi all! Just like we do every Friday after our release, our designers pick up their favorite new sets and let their creativity go crazy with a "Free for All Friday!" The goal is to show off those new images and give you even more ideas on how to use them!

This is just a taste of what you'll see when you hop around and see what the design team has to offer today! Also, time is running out for our New Release Bundle Bargain! Today is the last day to get all of our new sets at 10% off when you purchase them in a bundle. If you want to know more, just click HERE  to see the bundle in the Flourishes store!

 I chose to keep my card simple and as if you were looking out a window.

I used Flourishes new "Bees and Blooms" stamp set that I stamped onto Classic White cardstock, in Memento Angel Pink. I stamped out my sentiment, also from Bees and Blooms, in Versafine Onyx Black, then I added Kaiser Kraft pearls in Blush. I framed the card with Color Made Easy Candy Pink cardstock and popped it up on popdots to make it seem like you were looking out a window at the Bees and Blooms.

Ok, now it's time to hop on over and see.....

   Amanda Havon
  Christine Okken
  Cindy Lawrence
  Danielle Kennedy
  Heather Jensen
  Julie Koerber 
  Maki Jones
  Silke Ledlow
  Stacy Morgan

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and we’ll see you all back here soon!

Flourishes Release Week : Garden Gate

After a few days of peeks and tons of eye candy courtesy of the Flourishes Design Team, we're happy to share that the April sneaks are over and all of the sets we've been showing off are LIVE in the Flourishes Store HERE! Today, we bring you one more hop and this one will have you hopping past the garden gate to see a bevy of beautiful roses!

Garden Gate, illustrated by Marcella Hawley, takes the beauty of a shrub rose and makes it a card maker's delight! The set features one beautiful arched shrub rose branch and a fun-filled,whimsical scene welcoming you beyond the garden's gate. This 4 by 6" set also offers 5 beautifully scripted sentiments. 

Would you like to win this set?  Well, just as we have done in past release weeks, we offer our little guessing game of….

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Garden Gate Stamp set! Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this gorgeous array of shrub roses? Head on over and see…..

   Amanda Havon
  Christine Okken
  Cindy Lawrence
  Danielle Kennedy
  Heather Jensen
  Julie Koerber 
  Maki Jones
  Silke Ledlow
  Stacy Morgan

And.... if you own a Silhouette Cameo, you should know that there are a number of new cut files available too! We have the Bees and Blooms Cut File both for the Silhouette Cameo and in a SVG version as well. We have the Spring Blossom Cut file for the Silhouette Cameo and we also have the Garden Gate in a Silhouette Cameo Cut File as well! What creative fun! You can click HERE to see all of our cut files in the Flourishes store! There are a ton!

I used the Garden Gate stamp, stamping it with a solvent ink onto a sheet of Clear Cover Cardstock and colored everything in with the following Copic Collections : Crocus Collection, Flesh Tones 2 Collection, Olive Green Collection and the Evergreen Collection. I made a frame with the lightest cardstock from each of the Color Made Easy lines in Rich Browns and Pistachio, adhering my acetate to it using popdots to lift my image off the background paper. For my embellishments, I added some Scalloped Guipure Ivory lace, some Iced Lime Color Made Easy ribbon, a single Cream Leaf Pin and some small flowers.

*Note: If you are planning on coloring items in on clear Acetate cardstock, I have just a tip or two. You can't blend on clear cardstock very well. I have had mixed results, mostly success, but the more color you lay down, the stickier the cardstock gets. Which leads me to my next tip, if you do decide to color an image in, notice my image is "reversed" from the actual stamp image. I did that on purpose, to show the versatility of stamping on a clear cover cardstock. But when you color your image in, besure to place the colored inside so it's not facing out because it can get sticky, by facing it forward it will be smooth.

And of course I couldn't help myself, so I made another card because I really missed fussy cutting out my images!

I used stamped the Garden Gate out in Versafine Onyx Black onto Classic White cardstock, and colored my image in with the following Copics: Poppy, Olive Green, Terra Cotta, Copper, Flesh Tones 2, Sunflower and Blue Jeans Collections. After fussy cutting out my image, I adhered it on a die cut shape I cut in half and mounted them onto popots. I sponged my background diecut in Broken Glass Distress Ink, then I used my ScorTape and adhered everything to my card base that I diecut out. I made a base from Clear Cover Cardstock, which holds all those delicate pieces of the card together for me. kept the embellishment simple, only adding some Snow White Kaiser Pearls.
Here is the back of the card.

DO YOU WANT TO WIN OUR ENTIRE RELEASE?

If you want a chance to win all three of our new sets, you can always play in our Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here AND you only have until 5PM EST today to enter!!! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. And, while you're shopping, did you check out the WHAT'S NEW PAGE on the Flourishes Store? There is a WHOLE BUNCH of new stuff that you'll want to check out!

Just like we do each release, we offer you the Saturday Winner's Circle -- a day when you can find out if you were one of the lucky commenters or.... winners in our Release Week Challenge! We'll have that post up tomorrow at noon -- so be sure to check back and see if your name landed in our latest Winner's Circle!


Thanks for joining us this week!

Flourishes Release Week : Bees and Blooms

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes' fabulous sneak peeks! Today's stamp set is one that is close to our hearts in more ways than one. For starters, it's the last stamp set penned by Becky Fleck for Flourishes. And because of that, we decided to make it a special set that will help a cause close to Becky's heart. Take a peek at....

This stippled beauty called Bees and Blooms features apple blossoms and bees buzzing in such an artistic way. And, Becky created a SVG and Silhouette cut file to be used with this set. It's a unique look that is begging to be water-colored, colored up with Copics or just stamped on its own!

Now, the special part of this set. Becky is donating 100% of her artist fees to benefit the Relay for Life. Each year, more than 4 million people in over 20 countries take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. And, Becky's team takes to the track in my own home town of Billings, Montana to help make a difference. Here's what Becky has to say about this powerful, uplifting, tear-jerking, survivor-uniting event....

"My aunt Linda took me to my first Relay for Life in July of 2005. It was 6 in the morning and the track at West High was three-deep in burning luminaries. It was such a breathtaking sight and I  remember how quiet and peaceful it was. That day, we formed our first team to walk the following year. We are a small band of sisters, nieces and friends called "Nip It In The Bud," and we joyfully celebrate the birthdays of three cancer survivors on our team. We are proud to have taken first place in the "Family & Friends" category the past three years for our fundraising efforts.

There is so much more to Relay for Life than just walking a track for 14 hours. Camaraderie is shared by everyone, support is given to those who need it, survivors are honored, lost battles are remembered, caretakers are appreciated, and everyone comes together with like minds and like goals. 

This quote, by Margaret Mead, hangs on a plaque in my pastor's office and offers a thought-provoking idea of the true meaning of Relay for Life: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  To all of you who purchase my last stamp set from Flourishes, on behalf of my entire team, thank you for your support!

For my card I kept it simple and inked up the Bees & Blooms stamp with Cantaloupe, Potter's Clay and Rhubarb Stalk Memento inks, by just tapping the inks directly on my stamp, in a random fashion. I stamped out my image onto Flourishes Classic White cardstock, to which I then scored two lines across it using my ScorBuddy. I stamped the sentiment In Versafine Onyx Black, onto on of the Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals die set. Then I tied a ribbon from the Color Made Easy Poppy line called Basque Red, added a Poppy Button and some Metallic String to finish my card.

Because Flourishes supports Becky in her mission, 10% of all sales of Bees and Blooms will be funneled right into Becky's team fundraiser to raise money toward cancer research. Every single one of us has someone that we know that has been affected by this horrible disease. So, let's join forces to help stamp out cancer!
And, we'll also be giving away a set today. All you need to do is figure out......

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Bees and Blooms Stamp set!  Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this beautiful set for a fabulous cause? Head on over and see…..


  Amanda Havon
  Christine Okken
  Cindy Lawrence
  Danielle Kennedy
  Heather Jensen
  Julie Koerber 
  Maki Jones
  Silke Ledlow
  Stacy Morgan

DO YOU WANT TO WIN OUR ENTIRE RELEASE?
If you want a chance to win all three of our soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in our Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! Also, if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. All sets will be live first thing Friday morning -- that's tomorrow -- along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!
We’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one will have you taking a trip past the garden gate for some beautiful inspiration!

Flourishes Release Week : Spring Blossoms

Hi all and welcome to day 1 of Flourishes April Sneaks! Oh my goodness, where does the time go? We are excited though because our April release brings a bevy of beauty that is ripe for spring. Starting with this little number......

Did you recognize the flow of these flowers? Well, you should! This gorgeous stamp set is the final set in our Blossoms Collection, this beautiful array of spring blossoms illustrated by Marcella Hawley features a bouquet, corner stamps, and pieces to create your own borders or frames. Add in four of all occasion sentiments and you have the perfect set to create cards for every day correspondence. Set measures 4 by 6" and is the perfect companion to sister sets Happily Ever After, and Letters in Blossom. If you like this set, you might also like our Summer Blossoms set featuring summer florals, our Autumn Blossoms set featuring Autumn florals, our our set Winter Blossoms with gorgeous late winter/early spring blooms.

I used Spring Blossoms, coloring it in with Lenten Rose, Dusty Rose, Dahlia, Fuchsia, Poppy, Sweet Pea, Sunflower, Daffodil, Beehive, Terra Cotta, New Leaves, and Olive Green Copic Collections. I fussy cut the image out and popped it up on popdots and placing it on a small die cut for stability, then mounted that onto a piece of old lace I found at a Garage Sale. I matted my background paper on a dark piece of Color Made Easy Rich Brown cardstock, then mounted them on to a lighter Rich Brown cardstock that I cut with a decorative punch along the side of the card. I added some Ivory Laurel Venise lace, some Color Made Easy ribbon from the Poppy Collection, called Basque Red, and a hatpin I made.

I enjoyed this stamp set so much I made two cards! So my second is a little softer and a little more pink!

Once again, I used Spring Blossoms and colored it in with Lenten Rose, Poppy, and Olive Green Copic Collections, that I fussy cut and popped up on popdots. I used the dotted frame image from Flowers and Frames set stamped in Memento Angel Pink (under my popped up flowers) and stamped out my sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black ink. I used a Antique Frame and Accents, Spellbinder die cut, to center my image and give it some presence and stitched around the card. With some pink ribbon and Kaiser Blush Pearls, my card was complete.

Well, just as we have done in past release weeks, we offer our little guessing game of….

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Spring Blossoms Stamp set!  Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this gorgeous array of spring blooms? Head on over and see…..

   Amanda Havon
  Christine Okken
  Cindy Lawrence
  Danielle Kennedy
  Heather Jensen
  Julie Koerber 
  Maki Jones
  Silke Ledlow
  Stacy Morgan

As you make your way around blog land to visit Flourishes’ designers, you might notice that some of them are using a brand new 123 Create Kit called… Stationery Noted! Check out the lovelies in this kit!

To find out all the goodies in this color-coordinated, elegant kit, just click HERE! DO YOU WANT TO WIN OUR ENTIRE RELEASE?
If you want a chance to win all three of our soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in our Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! Also, if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off, when you purchase all three together in a bundle. All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!
We’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one is blossoming with beauty as well!

Flourishes Release Week Challenge: Summer Lovin'!

Ahhhh..... summer will be here before we know it and... that means longer days, hotter nights, sitting under the stars and soaking up the nice weather. We know the grass is just starting to green up and spring flowers haven't even really begun to see their full glory -- but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate those warmer days ahead! We're getting in the spirit of outdoor fun now and if you play along with us, you could win Flourishes' entire April release! All you need to do is play in the...

Summer Lovin Challenge

HOW TO PLAY: To join us in this challenge, all you need to do is be inspired by this beautiful color palette above OR create with summer in mind! This one can be loosely interpreted -- bottom line, we just want to see the fun things you create! If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCAPR13.  Enter as many times as you like, but know that if you use Flourishes stamps, your entry counts twice! You have until April 12, at 5PM EST to enter. Just make sure you link your creation up below using our Inlinkz widget. As we said, winner gets our full April Release. So get those fingers inky!

I love so many things about summer, but I've always loved to travel, so I pulled out my Dreaming of Florence set.

I stamped Dreaming of Florence out on watercolor paper and colored it in with Letraset Aqua Markers, then matted it with Color Made Easy Rich Brown cardstock, then tucked some Chocolate Laurel Venise Lace underneath. I wrapped some Ivory Jute Twine around the matted image, then added Ivory, Emerald Coast, and True Blue buttons from the Color Made Easy line.

The OFFICIAL Rules…..
    

 Simply create a card and be inspired by the photo above or by... SUMMER!

 Entries need to be in by Friday, April 12th at 5 PM EST.

 Those that use Flourishes stamps will be counted twice for their entry.
 You must link your creation on this post using our inlinkz widget in order to qualify.
 You must have a link to our challenge in your blog or gallery post.
 Please DO NOT combine challenges. Only those that don’t combine will be in the running.
 If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCAPR13
 We’ll announce the winners Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post  on Saturday, April 13th, so check back then to see if you’re one of the lucky winners!

If you need a little inspiration, it’s never far away with our design team’s creations! Hop on over and see…


Amanda Havon
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Heather Jensen
Maki Jones
Silke Ledlow
Stacy Morgan

Thank you for visiting and have a great day!

Spring's Coming!

Spring's coming! I just called my mom and she told me that the weather forecast has called for SNOW this weekend! But out here in California, the blossoms on the trees have fallen off and fruit is starting to appear. One of my favorite thing to do is pick fruits and berries in the spring. This year I look forward to cherry, strawberry and raspberry picking. So I pulled out my Flourishes Berry Sweet set to celebrate the coming fruit season.

I used Berry Sweet stamping it out and coloring it in with the Poppy, Sweet Pea and Olive Green Copic Collections, then fussy cut it out, popping it up on popdots. I placed my image on a diecut that I stamped   Love and Lace in Stampin Up Sage Shadow, then I matted everything with a Spellbinder Romantic Rectangle. After I matted it, I tied an Ivory May Arts bow, that I added an Ivory Button and Metallic String to finish my card.

I have to admit, fall is my favorite time of the year, but spring is my close second! There's something about all those blossoms and the anticipation of the coming fruit! :)

Molly Kate's Card Classes

I don't normally post many things that promote me personally, on my blog, but I will be teaching card classes at Molly Kate's Tea and Gift Boutique in Lancaster, CA. Classes are limited to 10 for each class, due to space, so sign up now!

Here is the list of classes:

Please call 661-726-7060 to reserve your place, but more then that, I would love to meet each and everyone of you :)

I'm so excited to teach you how to make these, they are fun and easy to make and I can't wait to see you there :)