Beautifully Rustic!

Hi all... it's time for Flourishes' Bring Back Beautiful Challenge for September! Mark your calendars because we'll be ushering in a new challenge... every first Monday of the month! This challenge that kicks off today asks YOU to try to capture the feel of fall! As the leaves start to change colors to usher in fall, Flourishes wants to see your rustic beauty! Want to use a little distressing? How about just shades of rust on your creation? It's up to YOU! You can click HERE for all the official BBB02 details! You'll also see some fabulous eye candy from what Flourishes calls.... their first ever "True Beauties!"

On to my creation! I am not great at distressing on cards -- I dabble in it a little here and there but nothing major! ;-) I decided to take this challenge and turn instead to rustic colors!

I used a mix of the new Basic Grey Curio paper (on it's way soon to the Flourishes Store!!) and the Victorian pack from 7 Gypsies. From there, I picked up the Gerber Daisies set -- this is one of my go-to stamp sets. I just love coloring up these flowers -- in all shades! I wanted this version to look almost washed out when it ended up on my card. I used the Falling Leaves and Evergreen Copic Collections grouped by Flourishes and blended the flowers with YR000. Score the edges (with my favorite new Score Buddy!), add the sentiment thanks to a few oval punches, add a few brads, some fun ribbon, an understated border punch and... voila... all ready to go!!

Want to catch a glimpse of the rustic beauty delivered by the rest of the "Beauty Girls?" Be sure to click on over and see.....

Beate Johns
Becca Feeken
Cindy Coutts
Kathy Jones
Michelle Woerner
Yvonne Hagane

So get rustic and get creative! We'd love to see how you Bring Back Beautiful in your own creations! See you back here soon!

The Look Who's 3 Challenge!

Did you know we all blinked, and Flourishes turned 3 years old? Even though August was the company's birthday month, we felt better late than never! Flourishes is throwing itself a belated party and you can get in on the action! Can you say THREE chances at a birthday present for YOU? Each valued at more than $150?

The first way to win????? Play along in......

HOW TO PLAY! Enter Flourishes Release Week Challenge by making a birthday card honoring Flourishes big day and you and you’ll be in the running to win all FOUR of our releases for September PLUS 6 extra stamp sets! You have until Friday, September 10th at 5 PM EST to enter for your chance to win. Use Flourishes stamps if you have them but if you don’t, please play along anyway. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCSEPT10. Keep in mind, in order to be eligible, you need to link your creation HERE in this post using the inlinkz linky. We can’t wait for you to join the birthday bash!

OTHER WAYS TO WIN:
You can “LIKE” Flourishes on Facebook! The fabulous Dawn Burnworth is now the hostess with the mostess over on our new Flourishes Facebook page ! Join us for almost daily inspiration, news about new product in the store, sales, challenges… you name it!If your name is drawn here out of the list of those that “like” Flourishes, you’ll win 10—yes 10 new sets courtesy of Flourishes.

Or, you could “Follow” our Flourishes blog! If you are a follower now, you’ll automatically be entered into the grand prize drawing. If you don’t follow us yet, you don’t want to miss out. If you win, you get 10 new sets from the Flourishes Warehouse with your name on it! FUN!

Moving on to my understated birthday card.... I wanted to create a "sweet" birthday card and so I picked up Flourishes Cherries and Peaches set, colored it up with Copics in the Poppy and Fields Collections grouped by Flourishes. Add a little pink chalk around the edges, cut it out with a Spellbinders Circle Die, mat it on a Blossoms die cut shape (also from Spellbinders) and the rest is just adding a dash of ribbon, a whimsical button, a fun sentiment and a little bit of stitched dp (both from BasicGrey)and.... Ta-Dah! :-)

Want to see how the other gals helped light the candles on Flourishes' birthday cake????

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Laura Fredrickson

Thanks so much for stopping by! TGIF!!!

Hey all! Ready for fall y'all? Well, the IO gals are... Halloween to be specific and that's at the heart of one of this month's Impression Obsession challenges! You can click HERE for all the details. It's a fun challenge because you can win a mini-shopping spree in the IO store!

Ok, the challenge is called... the Shake It challenge. Well apparently I shook too hard because all I could remember was Halloween not the Halloween Shaker Challenge. So... OOPS! I'd say I had a blonde moment, but... well... I'm not blonde! :-)

Moving on! This card couldn't be any easier! I used one of the new Cover a Card backgrounds called Cover-a-Card Halloween. That's the whole top of my card on some distressed orange decorative paper (BasicGrey). Add some distressed edges and random stitching and you are almost done! Seriously! Add some more decorative paper on the bottom, some crochet lace and fun gingham and the next is just stamping and punching the sentiment called Hallow's Eve. You can see I did add a little white dot to one of the pumpkin's eyes just to ramp up the freaky factor.

Want to see some of my other IO gals shake it?? :-)

Dina
Kathy
Daniela
Jenny
Jeanne

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

A Pair of EXCITING Challenges!

Every quarter, Becky Fleck of PageMaps dishes out 10 fabulous sketches to get those creative juices flowing with her CardMaps. Well, this month, some of the lovely ladies from Flourishes did the honors and took her sketches to bring CardMaps to life with beautiful and creative samples for each and every sketch. To check out CardMaps for September, click HERE. And, don't forget to hop on over to each of the ladies' sites to see their creative work and leave them some love!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Maki Jones
Barbara Anders
Betty Wright

Now to my creation! Here's a peek at Becky's fabby sketch...

And, here's my card!Pretty easy peasy... I used some decorative paper adorned with a flourish (this is from my scrap!), add a scalloped border, a ruffled ribbon, a button and... you're almost there! The flower is from the recently released Sunflowers set and was colored with the Flesh Tones 2, Sunflower and Poppy Copic Collections grouped by Flourishes. Meantime, cut out a circle accented with Y21 and Y23 from the Sunflower Copic Collection, Add a distressesd mat from the Blossoms 1 Spellbinders Die. Cut the flower out with detail scissors and pop it up with the help of some foam tape. Since I wanted a big scallop and didn't have a tool to create this kind of border, I actually took a 3/4" circle punch, punched a bunch of them and overlapped the circles to create my scalloped edge. And that, my friends, is it!

Now, if that wasn't enough -- 10 beautiful and fun-filled sketches -- then hold onto your hats because we have another challenge that could have you turning BLUE! That' right, it's the 1st of September, which means it's time for another Christmas Spirit Challenge!

HERE'S HOW TO PLAY: Be inspired by that famous Elvis tune, 'I'm dreaming of a blue Christmas' and use blue to create this month's card. When you wrap it up with a bow, just link up to the SCS challenge thread here and you'll be in the running to win a Flourishes Christmas stamp set of your choice!! Fun stuff! If you've played in the past, you can check out the SCS thread to see who August's lucky winner was! ;-)

I've gotten a few emails from you gals asking how my dear mom is settling in. Well, she's good! This was a huge move to make -- from Michigan to here in Montana. If you have a second and want a giggle, you'll have to read up on one of her first experiences here in town.... HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Roses...

Sometimes, just a simple image can make a card. It's an image that when you take a step back, you realize, "This card really doesn't need a lot of stuff. It can just "be" all on it's own!" And that, my friends, is what I decided when I picked up the Beauty Within set.

I stamped the stained glass roses and just cut along the line, added some beautiful silk ribbon, some pearls (added a little color to the pearls with my Copic markers), matted it with foam tape onto a Labels 8 die cut shape and then matted this all onto a piece of decorative paper adorned with a small zig zag stitch. Just that simple! I did stamp two of the stained glass roses and popped up part of the image in places just for a little extra pop. To color my image -- I grabbed my Copics and went to town with RV32, RV34, YG00, YG03 and YG63. The image was accented with the help of a B000 marker. Easy peasy lemon squeezy for this 'Flourishes Friday!'
Speaking of Flourishes Friday, Leslie Miller has a great tutorial over on the Flourishes blog today showcasing the wonderful world of background stamps! So, be sure to click HERE to check it out and... don't forget to stop by the other Flourishes gals spots on the web to see what they cooked up this week!

Danielle Kennedy
Cindy Lawrence
Christine Okken
Dawn Burnworth
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

Timeless Tuesday... On Saturday!

It's a good thing Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday is just that -- Timeless! I wanted to play along with Cindy Haffner's sketch so badly that I had to make some time to play!

Here's a peek at the sketch....

Isn't that fun???? And, here's a peek at my card!

The paper is a mix of C'oredinations, Basic Grey, and My Mind's Eye. Color the image up (Strawberries) on Flourishes Classic White paper (I stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento first) with Copic Markers (a mix of Grass Green, and Dahlia Collections plus Y13 and Y17 and B0000) and then accented with some Cotton Linen Ribbon, a bow, a button and a little 1" circle sentiment (also from the Strawberry set!) From there, add some stitching and a little distressing around the square by scoring and sanding... and voila!!!

I can't tell you how much I LOVEEEEEE sketch challenges. It just takes so much out of the work out of card design. I know. I know. It's all supposed to be fun but there are just some days when I blow far too many brain cells trying to figure out what might look nice! LOL!

Hope you can take some time to play Timeless Tuesday too!! Remember... it's Timeless! ;-) See you back here soon!

The Peeks are Over!

Hi all and welcome to the final day of Flourishes Release Week! It's just been so much fun sharing the new offerings with all of you! Today, I'm wrapping up the week with a bow by showcasing a set that is not only beautiful but fresh in its design...

Introducing....

This set drawn and stippled by Marcella Hawley features different herbs that create just a beautiful "stamp and go" card. No coloring needed on this one, the flowers and herbs sing all on their own! Do you want to win this set? If so, please leave a comment here on this post.

On to my creation! It's super duper easy peasy! I love these stamp and go styles -- no coloring -- so you get an elegant and quick creation in record time!

Every now and then when I look at a creation -- I am stumped on layout. I decided I wanted this card to be a quick and easy one... so... I picked my decorative paper first and then, turned to a layout that you might have seen before HERE! I have to say when I created that sketch, it wasn't my typical sketch and that's why I had fun "recycling" it! It wasn't exact... but it was fun just the same. I inked up my scented geranium with two ink pads -- Rose Bud and Bamboo Leaves -- and stamped it on Classic White paper cut it with a circle die cut, add some chalk, and the rest is just matting it up! The decorative paper is from my scraps bin so... I couldn't figure out the maker... sorry! I did add some bling and some white cotton linen ribbon. And... done!

Here's a close up so you can see that beautiful flower!! After adding the chalk, you can see I added some paper piercing. I left my die cut shape on the image and used it as a guide to paper pierce!

Now it's time to see the fabulously fresh creations from Flourishes' talented Design Team!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Laura Fredrickson

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

And last... but not least! Some News!

Did you see the New Release Bundle? 10% off when you buy all three sets! This deal is only good through August 20th! So, click HERE to check it out! Flourishes also has a fabulous SALE page set up. All Spellbinders and select May Arts ribbons are 40% off! Click HERE to see!

If you would like a shot at winning all three of newly released sets, play along in our Kids Play Challenge! Just click HERE for all the details! You only have until 5 PM CST tonight! Winners for not only the daily drawings but this challenge will be announced TOMORROW on the Flourishes Blog at noon CST!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all had as much fun as we did!!

Sneak Peaks Continue....

Hi all, and welcome to day 2 of our sneak peaks! This sneak is a fun one for me since it features my all-time favorite flower! Seeing it on polymer makes me say -- 'be still my heart!'

Introducing.....
This Sunflowers set amazingly drawn by Marcella Hawley, features not only a full sunflower but pieces that you can combine to create your own bouquet. Not to mention, she's added some fabulously casual sentiments that just remind me of a summer picnic -- laid back, relaxed and divine all rolled into one set! Do you want to win this set? If so, please leave a comment here on this post. The winner will be announced on the Flourishes blog on Saturday!

I have to say this set all started when I, on a whim, emailed Marcella and said -- what do you think of these flowers??? (hint, hint!) This is a photo I took in the field behind our house...

When Marcella saw them, she said that was just the inspiration she needed and now I am one happy stamper! :-)

Moving on to my project. I wanted to use this set to not only create a fun card but a cute matching notepad. I love these style of notepads that Michaels sells that has a pen included.They are perfect for purses when you just need something to jot a note down on!

Here's a peek at the card....

I stamped the sunflower using Rich Cocoa Memento ink onto Flourishes Classic White cardstock. And, then, I colored it with Copics using the Sunflower, Green Grass and Flesh Tones 2 collections adding a little B0000 around the image for a highlight. The lady bug was done with R24 and R29 from the Poppy Collection. After that, pretty easy peasy! Add a sentiment from the set with thehelp of a tag, add some stitching and a fun button and bow (avacado cotton linen ribbon) and.... done!

Now here's a peek at my journal....

I used basically the same elements for this -- (dp is from my scraps bin, not sure what it is!). The only difference is, I masked off the edges of my smaller sunflower piece, paper pierced and then sponged on some Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress Inks. After coloring it up (same colors as card) I added a button and some twine and... done!

Here's a close up! You can see I did add some glitter (Distress Glitter - Rock Candy) to the center.

The sentiment, is from the Tag Lines set -- which is perfect -- for just a note! And, what's also perfect is I have a little gift set ready to go for someone special! :-)

Now it's time to see the fresh picked creations from Flourishes' talented Design Team!

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Other Flourishes Happenings this week!

• Want to order our new sets? Check out our web store’s home page to see how you can preorder all three fabulous sets now! Click HERE to check it out!
• Be sure to join us for our RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT over in our Splitcoast Member Company Forum -- it's set for 9 PM central! We'll have games and giveaways plus-- all the chatter you would want and more!
• If you would like a shot at winning all three of our soon-to-be released sets, play along in our Kids Play Challenge! Just click HERE for all the details! You only have until Friday at 5 PM CST!
• SALE! Right now Flourishes is having a house cleaning sale to make way for lots of new goodies! Click HERE to go right to the sale page. All Spellbinders and select May Arts ribbons are 40% off!

I'll see you back here tomorrow as we wrap up our peeks! Tomorrow's set about those sweet smelling bits of nature that are not only for beauty but can bring relief to the senses and give flavor to our favorite foods! Be sure to tun in tomorrow to see what I'm talking about! ;-)

Let's HOP!

Are you ready for some fun? The Impression Obsession and Flower Soft Design Teams are playing together in a fun-filled HOP! Aside from seeing a little bit of cardmaking eye candy, there are also fabulous prizes on the line!

HOW TO WIN: As you make your way through the hop, make sure you comment on each and every post. Four random winners will be picked from those blog comments! Two $25 gift certificates from Flower Soft and two $25 gift certificates from Impression Obsession will be given away!! Winners will be announced on the Flower Soft and IO blogs on Wednesday August 18th! Now, if you didn't start at the beginning of the hop, be sure to start hopping from the Flower Soft Blog!

Moving on to my creation! I just used a little big of Flower Soft on a brand spanking new IO image just released at CHA called Winter View.
After stamping the image, I colored it up with Copic markers and used R46, R59, Y21, Y23, C01, C03, C05, B000, E33, E31, E25 and YG63. After coloring, then the Flower Soft fun begins! Lining the window wells and the base of each tree with a bit of Flower Soft Glue, I used the Flower Soft Diamond Range in Polar White. This is just incredible because it really does look like snow! After it was done drying, I did add a little bit of glitter glue here and there for a little sparkle!

Here's a close up! It's fine and fluffy and just adds that little extra something! What's fun is -- a little goes a LONG way!
Want even more inspiration? Do you like video tutorials? How about Challenges? Make sure and check out both Flower Soft TV and the Impression Obsession blog!!

For the next hop on the IO-Flower Soft tour, click on over and see Linda Beeson!

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Almost Release Time for Flourishes!

Hi all and welcome to the challenge we use to heat up the fun around Flourishes! It’s Release Week Challenge time and that means a brand spanking new set of stamps is about to be unveiled! Since the summer is winding down, we thought we’d focus on the pint sized people in our lives that seem to have all the fun!

So, grab some creativity and take…

The Challenge:
With the dog days of summer winding down, kids far and wide are trying to squeeze in as much of the great outdoors as they can before fall rolls in. Remember those fun neighborhood games that your parents couldn't drag you away from as a child? Our challenge this month is to be isnpired by a kids game! For example, use a red and green combo that's inspired by a game of Red Light/Green Light. How about a tag on your card to tell some one "Tag... you're it!" Four square anyone? What about a little flag on your card to represent a game of capture the flag? Enter, and you could walk away with all three stamps in Flourishes’ August release! You have until Friday, August 13th at 5 PM EST to enter for your chance to win. Use Flourishes stamps if you have them but if you don’t, please play along anyway. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCAUG10. Keep in mind, in order to be eligible, you need to link your creation HERE in this post using the inlinkz linky. We can't wait to see all the kids at heart!

For my creation, I decided to be inspired by a little "Hide & Seek!" A map is good for that... right??

This card isn't really what I'd call my normal style -- I wanted it to be a little rough around the edges and I wanted the Antique Map to really take center stage. Not much to share here in the way of details -- stamp the map on kraft card stock, crumple the page up, add some Antique Linen Distress ink to accent the creases, a sentiment from the A Guiding Light set, some twine, some antique brads and last but not least, I took the NEWS symbol from the map background, colored it up with markers and then set it on it's own as a kind of focal point for my card. That's it! Done!

Be sure to stop by the Flourishes Design Team’s homes on the web to see what childish fun they created! I know you won’t be disappointed!

Christine Okken
Dawn Burnworth
Laura Fredrickson
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by!