Monday, May 30, 2011

Flying By to Say Hi


How about a fun and vibrant color challenge today from There She Goes!  I love how fresh this color combination is.  Here's my take on it using a deeper teal color...


I stamped this little cutie from Flying By to Say Hi and let her look like she's soaring in the sky.  Coloring is with Copic markers, and I've stamped the smaller balloons from the set in the background layer and colored them up too.   The red balloon she's holding is popped up and added a little shaded cloud too. 


I matched the little ruffles on her dress with a little scallop punch action on the main panel and the sentiment.   Can you see I added a tiny bit of teal into her hair too?  

Alrighty...hope you can join us in the challenge...

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that utilizes Red, Teal and Ivory, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday. The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the look out to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :) 

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG109 so we can check out your beautiful work!

Stamps:  TSG - Flying By to Say Hi;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Taken With Teal, Cherry Cobbler, Flourishes Classic Ivory;  Accessories:  Big Shot, MFT Cloud Die-Namics, Scallop Edge Punch, Vintage Lace, Dimensionals, Copic Markers (BG05, BG07, BG09, R46, R59, E50, E51), Embossing Folder

Sunday, May 29, 2011

From the Garden

Hello Friends and happy Monday to you!  It's the start of a new week, and for many of you a happy start because it's Memorial Day in the US, we already had our May holiday last week with Victoria Day.

The title of the post is appropriate because I finally did get my garden in the ground on Saturday.  This was the first year I let the kids plant everything with me, and we had fun.  Hopefully in a few weeks we'll see some of those seeds pop up, and I'll look forward to our produce.  In other news...my cherry tree and apple tree have TONS of blossoms this year, so I'm very excited about the potential of that too!  Then I weeded and yanked out a ton of our rhubarb.  Boy that plant has gotten away from me this spring!

I have a lovely post today with a garden theme and the latest kit from Flourishes called Venice.  Wouldn't this be a nice card to pop into some garden gifts?


I used Flourishes whimsical From the Garden set as well as the Venice Kit.  Isn't that Baja colored ribbon just dreamy?  It's like an iridescent crushed taffeta that's really light and lovely to tie.  


I used the Spellbinder's Labels Fourteen Die to it's fullest on this card cutting the main image, and then cutting the bottom edge of the up and down panels on the card as well.  I love all the curves it gives to the rather straight panels of the design.   Copic coloring to match the papers and then the pretty brads from the kit on both the card and to accent the ribbon.  



So be sure to check out the other girls showing off the Venice Kit today.

Julie
Dawn 
Sharon

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Flourishes From the Garden;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, 7 Gypsies Venice, Flourishes Classic Ivory;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Fourteen Nestabilities Die, Antique Brads, Baja ribbon, Copic Markers, Dimensionals. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

A Rad Birthday!

Sigh.  Our middle son turns 12 on Sunday.  I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone with him.  He is a great son,  and has always brought our life lots of love, fun and entertainment.  He's at such a great age  - still a bit of a boy...but then you turn your head and he's a young man.  For his birthday he asked for things like a go-kart to build, and dress shirts and ties.  See what I mean?  ...boy and young man all at once.

We delight in him.  Here is his birthday card I made for him today for our family celebration Friday night.

I used this fun PI boy from MFT called Skater Boy.  Our son is the kind of kid who loves to bike, skateboard, scooter, rollerblade...anything athletic so I made him a RAD card.   If you'll notice I centred everything to the right to give the card the feeling of motion (even adding little circle motion under the wheels).  


To match the Skater Dude I added the sentiment onto a little skater helmet that I had cut out and then drew the helmet vents onto, then added some paper straps, and then a little copic shading.  It's a little wild and crazy, but fun I think.  

Here's a picture of the birthday boy at the party.  One of his favourite gifts was a Jordan Eberle Oilers Hockey Jersey... Jordan is ALL the rage here  - as he was the 1st round draft pick a couple of years ago, and he is one talented hockey player, which our son aspires to be too :).    


We've always called this son the Joy Child.  He's got this exuberant smile and laugh that is so contagious.  And he's been that way since he was a baby....I was looking through some of his baby pictures the other day....this is what he looked like... wasn't he adorable? See that big grin?  Now keep in mind this scrapbook page was done YEARS ago :)


Thanks for indulging this slightly wistful mama today.  Blessings on your weekend friends!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Flourishes Friday - Beauty Within

We're back to another Friday folks!  I have a weekend ahead with just me and my kids as my husband will be taking some students to a huge Youth Conference called appropriately... YC.  Big bands, big speakers, very loud - which is why he is going and not me!  :)  On Saturday I have both boys with ball hockey games at the same time in two rinks in the same arena...I'll be going back and forth between one side and the other!  At least it's not different arenas!

Today on the Flourishes Blog Cindy is focussing on some of our new and beautiful Copic Collections in the store, you'll definitely want to check it out.  One new Collection that I especially wanted right away was the Creamy Collection.  Being able to give a design that creamy value is really nice.  I pulled out a set that needed some ink again ....Beauty Within.  It has such a gorgeous stained glass effect, and I thought creamy roses against the deep turquoisey blue would look nice.  




The sketch is this months SFYTT... and I've used some pretty papers from Memory Box - Brioche.





You can also see that I added a little Ribbon Rose accent with Seam Binding ribbon.  It's really easy to make and I did a tutorial on it SEE HERE.  In fact it is consistently the most looked at post on my blog  :)   So hopefully it's something that you'll enjoy! 

Be sure to check out the beauties at the rest of the Flourishes Design Team today..

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

She's a Princess!


How about something sweet and full of dreamy imagining for the last day of TSG Sneak Peeks?

Needing a fairytale moment? Let this Prince and Princess escort you to a land far away! These wonderfully illustrated images from Di Carubia were designed to create a number of different scenes that you will enjoy using time and time again. 

Once Upon a Time is a 4x8 stamp set that includes a total of 15 of stamps and will sell for $18. 



Doesn't she look sweet?  She reminds me of a friend's daughter who's just 4 and she has long blonde wavy locks just like this little girl.  She keeps saying she's going to grow her hair as long as Rapunzel's hair :)  I think I'll give this to her, she's definitely a little Princess.   

Coloring is done with Copic Markers and I've cut all the shapes with my Grand Calibur.  


I added a little swirly yellow glow around her too, and every princess needs silk (ribbon) and a little bling right?  She has a Cinderella feel doesn't she?

You'll see lots of fun Fairy Tale dreamy-ness with the rest of the TSG Blog Hop...you should have come from Ann's blog and after me you're headed to Corinna's Blog, if you get lost along the way just head back to the TSG Blog where the entire list is there.  

NOW.....Would you like a chance to win the Once Upon a Time stamp set? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their Happily Ever After Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Happily Ever After stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (May 28) during the Release Party Chat. 

Stamps:  There  She Goes - Once Upon a Time;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Cool Caribbean;  Cardstock:  Soft Sky, Cardstock Vellum, Flourishes Classic White Cardstock;  Accessories:  Grand Calibur, Grand Scalloped Ovals Dies, Lacey Circles Nestabilities, MFT - Dienamics Doily Die, Flower Die, Felt, Zva Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Copic Markers, Silk Ribbon, Sponge, Bow Easy Tool.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Forever Flowers


Welcome to day TWO of New Release Sneak Peeks at There She Goes!  Today we have a lovely floral set illustrated by the very gifted Torico!  It showcases her flawless and realistic illustration of these hearty flowers and is paired with several sentiments that coordinate with the image. This set is a must-have for any flower lover!   You should have come from Ann's Blog along the Hop...but if you get lost head back to the TSG Blog for the whole list.  




Forever is a 3x4 stamp set that includes a total of 5 of stamps and will sell for $7. 


I have some beautiful paper from Pink Paislee called Sweetness that was perfect for this card, and it inspired my color palette.  I added some sponging around the image as well as some pointillism shading to really soften the feel of the design and the sentiment.   Then added some pretty bling and some lovely ribbon in pleated satin and silk.  


Would you like a chance to win the Forever stamp set? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their Forever Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Forever stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (May 28) during the Release Party Chat. 

Now head on over to Corinna's Blog to see more loveliness!

Stamps:  TSG - Forever;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Pink Paislee - Sweetness DP, Flourishes Classic White Cardstock;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Mega Deckled Rectangles Spellbinders, Silk Ribbon, Pleated Satin Ribbon, Copic Markers, Zva Rhinestones, Dimensionals, sponge. 

Monday, May 23, 2011

You're the Best Thing Since Sprinkles!


Yippee!  It's new release time at There She Goes!  I'm so excited to show you a little of this adorable new set today!  It is called Freeze the Moment.  You should have come from seeing all the fun at Ann's Blog...but if not you can head to the TSG Blog to start the hop.


Here's the details:  Wishing for a hot summer day? This gorgeous stamp set designed by Melyssa Connolly will get you in the mood with it’s deliciously delightful summery sentiments and images!   Freeze the Moment is a 4x8 stamp set that includes a total of 29 stamps and will sell for $18. 


Isn't she just the CUTEST???  I'm totally over the moon about this set - you will see some fantastic summery, ice-creamy elements that are just adorable!   And look at her cute pig tails!  EEE!

I've colored up this cutie pie with Copics to match the sheet of paper from Basic Grey's Life of the Party.  I thought this sheet in particular had a fun 4th of July...summer picnic, fire-cracker sort of feel.  


I added some cute mini banners and some twine and mosaic tiles with some embossed fish-tail banners behind the main image.  All in all....cute :)  And the sentiment?  Perfect hey?  

Would you like a chance to win the Freeze the Moment stamp set? Here’s what you need to do- go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their Freeze the Moment Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog and add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Freeze the Moment stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (May 28) during the Release Party Chat. 


So...now you can head to Corinna's blog to see what yummy creation she's created with this set!

Stamps:  TSG - Freeze the Moment;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Buckaroo Blue, Real Red, Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, Basic Grey - Life of the Party Designer Paper;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Lattice Rectangles Nestabilities, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Twine, Mosaic Tiles, Dimensionals, MFT Mini Banner Die-Namics, Copic Markers (E00, E50, R01, RV11, E31, E33, E25, E27, E29, E57, C5, C7, Black, B91, B93, B34, R27, R29, R39).  

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Manly Trip to Venice

Well, we managed to cut that big ol' tree down in our yard on Saturday!  I feel so proud of us!  It was at least a 25 year old evergreen tree and probably 30 feet tall.  It had taken over almost half our front lawn and was beginning to ruin the yard...so it was time.  Now to pay a tree remover it would have probably been about $300, so doing it ourselves saved us a lot.  We still have to work on taking out the stump in the next days, and then the re-landscaping.  But it's so nice to be able to see so much more!  I am sore though...it's hard work :)



Today begins a brand new kit from Flourishes, and it's one I think you will really love, it's called Venice.  It incorporates some gorgeous paper from 7 Gypsies and some really wonderful accents to complete your cardmaking, and it's really quite inexpensive.  You get all these goodies above for just $15.  This was the first card I made with the kit - and it was for our Facilities Manager at Church when we did our Administrative Appreciation Day.


I masked and stamped the cup and tools from the set Mix-n-Mugs, then stamped a second set of tools cutting out a few and then cut a slit in the top of the cup and slid the extra tools in for a little bit of subtle dimension.  It's such a fun set and I love how these paper really go with that masculine theme.  I've sponged the Baja layer with a little Ranger Distress ink to antique it a little more and warm it up.  I've used Labels Twenty One for the main image.  And then Deckled Rectangles for the Baja layer.   The grey corded ribbon and the bronze metallic squares also come in the kit (as well as LOTS more!)


So be sure to check out this beautiful kit, and these Flourishes girls' samples today with it too!  IT's always so fun to use the same kit - and see how differently our creations turn out!

So stop by and see:

Julie, Dawn,  Sharon

Friday, May 20, 2011

You Make My Day Brighter

We had a gorgeous day Friday...the first day where there was a taste of summer in the air, our youngest son had an all day field trip to a lake discovering plants and bugs and my husband was able to go with him.  Our daughter had the day off from Junior High and she had her friends over and they baked cookies and played games, and I had a meeting with a beautiful young lady I mentor, and then we went to my parents house for supper and I played with my niece and held my nephew who is SO darn cute...a good day.  Today we will be trying to cut down a huge evergreen tree in our yard ...HUGE.  So I hope it goes well.

Tonight I wanted to play with the latest TSG Challenge...a great Inspiration picture brought to us by Tammy.  Here it is...


and here's where I went...


Now it is a wee little bit late for me to be taking pictures...though we do have a lot of sun right now...10:15 at night is a bit dark...a few weeks more and it will still be light :)   - so the picture is a bit darker than I'd like, but isn't this little girl CUTE?  She's from the set Under the Weather, which is seriously adorable.  

I've colored her up with Copic Markers to match the colors in the inspiration photo and added some glitter pen to the raindrops.  


On the Pomegranate layer and the Buckaroo Blue layer I've over-stamped some of the other elements in the set that are so cute (like seriously,  raindrops with little faces?  - LOVE them!)  

Ok gang...I'm heading to bed because of the busy day ahead tomorrow.  So nice to have you over here today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Wonderful Life

Happy Friday to all of you.  Its been a very busy few weeks for me, and honestly, I'm really grateful for the weekend ahead, and the extra day off on Monday!  We're here at another Flourishes Friday, and this week we're showing off more creations from the most recent release.  Today is the last day you can purchase the New Release Bundle of four sets at a discount...so hopefully you don't miss out on the savings on these great sets.


I have used the very lovely Wedded Bliss set from this release and created a very warm and vibrant card - either for a wedding or anniversary.  I thought it would make a really lovely sunset, outdoor summer wedding card, or say a 50th Anniversary card too.  

I stamped the couple in VersaMark ink on Flourishes Classic White cardstock, and then embossed it in black detail embossing powder.  Then I sponged in the deep colors of Rich Razzleberry, Riding Hood Red and Tangerine Tango using a Labels Twenty Nestabilities die to cut it out with my Grand Calibur.  The pretty border is cut with the Parisian Accents die, and then adding the sentiment with my Ribbon Borders die.  What you may not be able to see is that the Tangerine Tango layer is embossed.  



Now I'm sure you're going to LOVE heading to the other Design Team members blogs today to see their Flourishes Friday creations.  Have fun!

Barbara Anders  When you drop by...wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Retro Wednesday - Baby Sweet

It's another Retro Wednesday at Flourishes and today I'm going back to the archives and pulling out a design I used with one of our retiring Flourishes sets that are on sale....this set that I'm going to show you is called Lamp Post Greetings  and it's a great set that can be used for all occasions, with all sorts of styled flags.... but I've used it here for a baby girl.   And the best part?  It's on sale for $5.59!  And just so you know, when it's gone, it's gone forever.  


When our little niece was born 2 years ago I knit her a blanket in pinks and ivories and then made a card to match with all kinds of pinkness to it.  



I inked it up in White Craft ink, embossed and then did all the soft pastel pink coloring with Prismacolors.  The sign on the post with the stork reads "It's a Girl!"  I really like the monochromatic feel to the design to match the blanket.  And that blanket has been well loved by her too :)

Two of the Flourishes Girls have some fun Retro Wednesday creations to show you today so go check out... Leslie and Barbara. 

Blog Candy Winners Announced!

Hey Gang!  Here we are at Tuesday night and I've picked three random winners for my blog candy...  honestly I appreciate all of you so much, I wish I had more prized to give away!

But...my husband picked three random numbers and here's what he chose...

Winner of Prize #1 is commenter #48 - Angelika

Winner of Prize #2 is commenter #89 Merilee Lane

and Winner of Prize #3 is commenter #7 Marthamh2

I've dropped all of you winners an email....you have 48 hours to contact me with your snail mail address (by 9pm MTN time on Thursday).  You can find my email by clicking on View My Complete Profile in the top right of my side bar and then clicking on the email me inside the page.

Back later tonight with a sweet post :)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bouquets of Tulips

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was asked to make all the cards for our Administrative Staff Appreciation ...the girls in the office are wonderful and I wanted to do something special for them so I spent quite a bit of time on these tulip bouquets for each of them....I took individual shots of the cards, each had a different palette.  (so lots of pictures ahead :))    One of the things I love best about tulips is that they are so varied in their beautiful colors, and I tried to convey that in each piece.


I've used the very lovely PaperTrey Ink sets Friendship Jar and Friendship Jar Spring Fillers.  and then the lovely sentiments from Simple Sentiments


All of the cards are 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches and I kept the same elements and layout on each card, changing up the ribbon and location of the sentiment etc. 










And finally in the purples.  




It was really delightful to make all of these.  I had so much fun coloring all the different shades and the jars and the shadows, and which green tones would go with the different flower colors.  And all of the girls loved their cards and it was fun to pick certain colors for each girl.  So which color is your favourite?  

I did actually write down which copics I used for each one - but you think I can find it right now?!  Nope!  If I do find them I'll add it to the post. Have a great Tuesday friends.  I have a very busy week this week - but hope to catch up with many of you in the days ahead. 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Groovy Gray-Scale Girl

I had a fun little post last week on the TSG Blog about a trend in card-making ...using gray-scale to color images.  It's really fun to play wtih because it simplifies the coloring process to be about contrast, shade and shadow and not as much about specific color.  And it can give you the effect of a sepia or black and white photo.  


I played with the very pretty Blossom by Blossom set from There She Goes, drawing a line beneath her feet with a Copic Multi-Liner to ground her and then have a place to put the shadow from the source of light in the upper left.  


Above are the Copics I used.  I chose to add some soft pink to her skin because I wanted her to look natural and sweet not goth :)  And the greys are more warm greys to match the Sahara Sand paper.


After I added the soft shadow on the wall, I gave it a little depth with some pointillism from my marker on the edges of the shadow, and along the puffy dandelion to give it the feeling of movement.

I also added some pretty pearls to make it look like the dandelion seeds blowing away, and it adds to the polka-dot theme in the paper and embossing too.

So sweet and it was fun to do!

Stamps:  TSG - Blossom by Blossom:  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Sahara Sand, Blush Blossom, Pink Paislee - Butterfly Garden DP, Flourishes Classic White Cardstock;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Eleven Spellbinders Nestabilities, White Silk Ribbon, Kaiser Pearls, Copic Markers, Dimensionals.  

Friday, May 13, 2011

Country Charm Borders and Labels

Whew!  Blogger had many of us going for a while there hey!?  Well back to our regularly scheduled programming!


We don’t need to tell you that tags and labels are two of the trendiest items to hit the card making market in a long time! And, to help you add style and pizzazz to your creations, Flourishes has teamed up with Spellbinders Paper Arts to make sure you have the perfect set of stamps to match a darling set of tag style dies. Wonderfully whimsical and reminiscent of Grandma’s calico prints, Flourishes charming set offers three labels that coordinate perfectly with Spellbinders Grommet Tags (S4-322). Designed by Becky Fleck, you'll also find 6 beautiful sentiments and 4 accent stamps to dress up your labels! Pair that with Flourishes Country Charm Borders and you have the perfect set to make darling note cards in minutes. Flourishes coordinating Country Charm Borders set features five border strips that match the labels set to a tee. What fun!
I have 2 cards to show you with these fun sets!  First a little country and Mary Engelbreit style...

I've matched the beautiful Grommet Tags Spellbinders that go with the Country Charm Labels, for the sentiment with Labels Seventeen for the accent stamping, and then added some color with Copics to match the very fun Memory Box Pixie Designer Paper.  




And now with Number Two....something bright and sunny - with some fun folding!


I took the button borders and curved it slightly to fit around the Small Octagon Nestabilities then I stamped some extra buttons from the strip, cut them out and popped them up.  




FYI: Because of issues with Blogger and the inability to leave comments, You NOW have until Sunday, May 15th  at 3PM CST to comment and participate in the week’s challenges. Remember, when you take part in our challenges, you could just win THE ENTIRE FLOURISHES RELEASE!

Because Flourishes knew this set was a match made in heaven with Spellbinder's Grommet Tags,  both design teams are joining forces for a fun-filled show and tell blog hop! Make sure to hop on over and see....
Christine Okken  (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Julie Koerber
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Heidi Blankenship
Beth Pingry
Margie Higuchi
Holly Simoni
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Deborah Young

Kazan Clark
Terre Fry
Becca Feeken
Julie Overby
Linda Duke
Sherry Cheever
Christine Emberson
Gloria Stengel
Judy Hayes
Michelle Woerner
Tina McDonald
Tonya Dirk
Windy Robinson