Flourishes Free For All Friday!

Hello and welcome to another Flourishes Free For All Friday! It's my turn to host the Flourishes blog and show off a creation using another Flourishes Image.

I am using another Flourishes retiring set called The Sweetness of Friendship.

I stamped out The Sweetness of Friendship on an acetate frame with some Memento ink so that it wouldn't smear after drying. Then I took an old back piece of Prima flower packaging and used that as my card background. After letting the stamped sentiment dry on the acetate, I placed popdots under the acetate to lift it off the card background to create depth. After placing the acetate image where I wanted it on the card, I added some flowers, leaves and some pearl swirls over the white popdots so that they couldn't be seen and also add some color and beauty to the card's overall look.

This was an experiment to see if I could find a way to place popdots under the acetate so I could lift it off the card to add some depth and interest. I really like how it all turned out and I may try this again, although working with acetate is tricky and it doesn't photograph easily. I'd like to encourage you to try it, if you haven't, you may find you like it!

Don't forget that Flourishes is having a huge blow out sale to retire old sets and make way for some of the new ones! Don't miss out, you only have a couple days left to buy your favorite sets. The sale ends July 31st.

Thank you for visiting and I will see you next Friday for another Free For All Friday!
~ Amanda

Zinnias

Good morning and happy Saturday everyone! I have an easy and fun card to show you, today.

I stamped out the Zinnia image onto Flourishes Classic White cardstock and colored it in with Copic markers, using a large variety.

Then after coloring the image in, I cut it out using Spellbinders A2 Borders and added some popdots under the diecut image so it will pop off the Color Made Easy Taupe cardstock background. After placing my image on the background I added a few white pearls to my card to highlight the diecut shape movements, and that completed my card.

I just got a new set from Flourishes called Zinnias and I got right to crafting with it! I have wanted this set for quite a while so imagine my delight when Flourishes brought it back for a limited time! When I was young, my mother would plant Zinnias near our back porch for some fall color and I just loved how cheery they made the garden look and feel. I just loved how those flowers gave such pop of color and the richness of their color depth! Don't let the amount of petals intimidate you at all, they are incredibly easy to color in and look fabulous when finished. Keep it simple and stick to three colors at first and let your creativity flow.

Don't forget that Flourishes is having a pretty large blow out sale, until July 31st!! This Zinnia set and many others are on sale at a deep discount so get them while they're available! They are being cleared out to make room for more inventory, so please don't delay in getting some nice floral and many other kinds of images!

Join me next Friday for another Flourishes card, which is one of my recent favorites, so don't miss it!

~ Amanda

Happy Birthday To You!

Hello crafting friends! It's time for another Flourishes card post.

Today I made a universal card created from two Flourishes stamp sets.

I chose to use Flourishes Peacock and Sentimental Favorites stamp sets. I colored the peacock with Copics and fussy cut it out. I found a decorative acetate photo piece and attached it to my DP, then popped it all up on Popdots. I cut out a window using Flourishes Tailor-Made Classic Frames die, so you could see the sentiment under the front half of the card. I used some old lace I found at a garage sale and some May Arts Silk Ribbon in Ivory to add a bow. I finished the whole look with some rhinestone bling to pull some of the peacock's color around.

If you like what you see and you would like any of these two stamps or others, you're in luck, Flourishes is having a blow out sale!! You can get Flourishes past stamp sets, but you need to get them soon, because they are Retiring and going away on July 31st!! Don't miss this opportunity to get some fresh sets for your crafting needs. Every stamp set is on sale marked down, ready to go! Just visit the Stamp home page HERE in the Flourishes home store to see what's new and on sale! Happy stamp hunting!

~ Amanda

YOU Are Special

Hello friends and welcome back to another fabulous Flourishes card. This such a special and pretty card, I just love how it turned out!

I used Flourishes You Sentiments that I stamped and framed in a metal frame and I painted over with white paint to "shabby it up", adding some pretty pearls under the sentiment. After that, I added some Prima flowers, a half a doily, and some Flourishes May Arts Mauve Ribbon. Then I matted everything in Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock cutout into a frame using the Spellbinders Regal Frame die.

I wanted to go for a mixed media shabby chic look, so I decided to use something's I usually never use on my cards, such as Prima flowers and a metal frame to frame my sentiment. I am not comfortable in the mixed media realm, but I like to push myself creatively just to see where it goes.

I have created all of maybe 3 mixed media items or projects and I always over analyze each embellishment or accessory thinking it looks like too much or looks too "heavy". This time I just rolled with it and decided not to look at the in-process card too critically. After it came together I realized because I wasn't used to it, it was all "too much" before I even gave it a chance to evolve. So next time you're creating your next card, try using something you don't normally use or like to use, keep an open mind and see where it goes!

Thank you for stopping by and I'll see you next week with some new inspiration!

~ Amanda Havon

Happy Independence Day

Hello crafting friends happy early Independence Day! Today I am showing you a card I made for the 4th of July.

I used Patriotism on Parade, I stamped onto Flourishes
Classic White Cardstock I matted with Flourishes Color Made Easy Christmas Red Cardstock & Iced Aqua cardstocks. Then I stamped out the sentiment onto a Flourishes Tailor-Made Classic Tags die and tied a 1/4 May Arts Red Silk Ribbon to the top loop of the tag die.

I sponged the background in a yellow to represent the fireworks glow and I added a few heavier sponge circles to show the fireworks "die off" effect, like the afterglow after a firecracker dying out.

I hope this card gets you in the crafty mood for the weekend, because Flourishes is having a 4th Sale!! They are offering 10% off the entire store!  Plus, if you all three of the 3 June Releases, you will save 20% off on them!!
Also, starting JULY 5th, ALL DIES are on sale 40% off - once they are gone, they are gone. First come first served. Find all the details here at FLOURISHES.

I'll be back next week with a nice Shabby Chic card I know you'll all love!

~ Amanda Havon