Friday, November 30, 2012

Paperwhites and PageMaps

Today a number of us on the Flourishes Design Teams are partnering with Becky Fleck to bring you her December round of CardMap Sketches on her blog Page Maps!  Be sure you check out all the sketches on her blog and what the team has done with them!

I have a pretty sketch to show you...


It's a little pocket of paperwhites :)  Perfect for the season.  This set called Paperwhites is a lovely one from Flourishes.  I stamped the image on Flourishes Classic White Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black and then trimmed out the image with a bit of an edge around...then I stamped a second set of paper whites, cut one out and one leaf to create the feeling of a stem and used that for the front of the pocket.  Coloring is a breeze with the white paper whites, just add a little depth for shadow with Copics.  


This sketch gives you a lot of real-estate to work with at 5 x 7 inches.  The papers are Teresa Collins - Christmas Cottage and they are so rich.  I've created a pretty little pocket for my posies with one of our newest Flourishes Custom Dies - Perfectly Pierced Victorian Ovals.  These dies are just gorgeous with the piercing built into the design.  I cut an entire oval, then scored in half and trimmed half away, leaving a little pocket shape.  


Here you can see I added some embossing to the bottom 3/4 of the card on the card base and then the pretty detailing around the die, and the lace trim and pleated ribbon, and how I extended the horizontal strip of designer paper behind the panel, making it feel like a ribbon as well.  Below are the Copics Collections I used.  





Now, here are the lovely ladies showing off December CardMaps Sketches
Christine Okken (you are here)

We almost forgot to announce this yesterday...The Gambler's Sale at Flourishes is now down to 35% off!  Check out the sale pages HERE.
I'll have some photos for you tomorrow for my 365 Project and then be sure to come back next week.  I have some exciting news I've been sitting on for a while that I can't wait to reveal!  

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Joy of Snow


Here we are at Friday people!  And it's a Flourishes Friday where we get to show you any little thing our heart desires :)  I thought I'd go with a wintery theme, since I'm still in Christmas mode.  

We had a little snow again the last few days, not too much which is good, because it always looks so lovely when it falls.  But now it's ccccold!  


I pulled out last years snow globe set - Joy is in the Air for some snowy fun.  Our 9 year old plays in the snow most days after school he loves building forts and cutting ice chunks.  So I love the playful fun of this scene.  

The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Flourishes Classic White Cardstock.   I paired the set with some really fun Echo Park - This and That Christmas, and three of our Color Made Easy Collections of cardstock - Poppy, Pistachio and Emerald Coast.   I did some pretty stitching around the layers and then added some thin velvet ribbon, twine and a button.  


Behind the snow globe I added a very glitterfied, flower-softed snowflake that I had cut out with my Spellbinders die.  Gives it that cozy feeling I think.  

Coloring is done with Copics in these collections:  








And above is the inside of the card.  

Now, for extra fun, this sketch I used today was also one I had used on a card earlier this summer and it's being showcased today at iSpy Sketches!  Hope you check it out and join in!  



Now head on over to the rest of the team today to see their fabulous cards on this Free for All Friday!


  • Christine Okken (you are here)
  • Cindy Lawrence
  • Danielle Kennedy
  • Heather Jensen
  • Julie Koerber
  • Silke Ledlow
  • Stacy Morgan
  • Tammy Hershberger


  • And come back tomorrow when the Design Team helps Becky Fleck kick off a new month of Card Sketches at PageMaps!

    Hey gang...I've had to turn on word verification for comments (which I despise because it's so hard to read), because I've had so much spam lately!  Sorry for the inconvenience!  Hopefully this will eliminate the spam for a while and then I'll change it back again.  

    Tuesday, November 27, 2012

    Sledding


    Our youngest had a birthday party this past weekend for a friend, and they live on an acerage near here.    The party included sledding and being pulled by a quad on a sled....needless  to say he had a fabulous time.  I thought this image from Stampin' Up would be perfect for the birthday boy, using the SFYTT sketch this month, and some fun papers by MME - Merry.    



    Very simple use of the elements.  Boys don't like fussy stuff :)  I did add some cut Spellbinders snowflakes along the bottom for a border on the horizontal strip.  Don't you just love his paper pieced shirt?  :) Makes me smile!  

    Stamps:  Stampin' Up! - Merry Crittermas, Little Friends;  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Paper:  Baja Breeze, Flourishes Classic White, MME - Merry;  Accessories:  Big Shot, Spellbinders Snowflake Die, Standard Circles Die, SU - Snowflakes Embossing Folder, SU - Buttons, Dimensionals, Copic Markers

    Monday, November 26, 2012

    Warm My Heart


    How about a little snow cutie for today?  I found this image I had coloured up and hadn't put into a card  yet and these days when you're trying to get Christmas cards together - I'll take any image I can get!  She's Snow Day from MFT - Pure Innocence.  She's coloured up with Prismacolor Pencils.  I used this weeks MFT Sketch for fun.  There is actually a little bit of a blue glow around her, but you just can't see it in the photo.  


    Here's a bit closer picture of her.  I used some great Echo Park paper - Christmas This and That, and then some pretty glittery ribbon and pearls plus lots of zig zag sewing.  I think browns and reds are so cozy together!  

    Have a cozy Tuesday everyone!  

    Sunday, November 25, 2012

    Soaring

    Today was my beloved husband's birthday.  We celebrated by going to a movie (Wreck-It Ralph) with the kids after Church, and then out for supper with some friends.  It was a great day to celebrate him.  He is such a good man, and I'm blessed he's mine!

    Here was the CAS card I made for him...


    I love the idea of soaring ahead for the year ahead for him.  We'll be adventuring with our sabbatical in the new year and he and I look forward to it very much.  This cute plane is from PTI.  I colored it up with Copics, and gave the card quite a bit of dimension, the plane is popped up, the open clouds are recessed back and the banner has extra pop in the center.  On a CAS card I really think that little details like this make the design interesting.  


    Cut hey?  I love the little felt clouds.  

    And since I barely had any time for photos this week for Project 365  (it was incredibly busy), I'll leave you with a few shots of the family today celebrating Daddy.  We really are blessed.  




    And of course you have to have a funny shot in my family.  

    Love. This. Man.  :)  Happy Birthday again honey!  

    Thursday, November 22, 2012

    Love Stitching


    Welcome to another Friday at Flourishes!  We've got some more peeks at this month's fabulous release for you today!

    For Black Friday....I put together another fun card with the pretty Stitched for You set and the 123 Create Kit - For the Record.  There is so much you can do with this set and kit!  The image was cut out with our new Silhouette Shape for this set, and stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Flourishes Classic White Cardstock.  



    I layered the cut image onto a Fancy Tags Three Spellbinders Die to give it that pop of black.  And look at that cute knitting needles and yarn charm from the kit!  I added some stitching because it fits the home made theme.  


    And for a change I also decorated the inside of the card, stamping some of the pretty "embroidered" elements from the set on the bottom of the card as well.  

    LOTS happening today at Flourishes! We have our Black Friday Sale combined with the Gambler's Sale...making for some really great bargains in the store!  Be sure to check it all out!

    The Codes below are for percentage off total order and no back orders will be accepted. Discounts will not be applied to gift certificates or wholesale orders of any kind. Discounts will apply to all items already on sale – so check out our Gambler’s Sale items HERE! Prices have dropped on this sale list  to 30% off. So, the time is now to buy with these additional discounts!

    PLEASE NOTE: This sale must exclude Copic products due to MAP pricing requirements.





    Now head on over to the rest of the Design Team to see what they have in store for you with November's Sets!




  • Christine Okken (you are here)
  • Cindy Lawrence
  • Danielle Kennedy
  • Heather Jensen
  • Julie Koerber
  • Sharon Doolittle
  • Silke Ledlow
  • Stacy Morgan
  • Tammy Hershberger


  • Wednesday, November 21, 2012

    For You, Mum!

    Happy American Thanksgiving to my many friends south of the border.  Because we are a "dualie" family, we'll also be having an American Thanksgiving supper tonight with some friends.   So, I'm cooking today too.

    One person I am especially thankful for is my Mom.  She's a tremendous woman period.  And this past week she came over for the day to help me paint my daughter's new room.  At 76 she's still amazing and was such a kind help to me.  So I made her a card with the perfect new set from Flourishes.


    I don't know if it's the Canadian in us, but I've always called my Mom - Mum.  And my kids call me Mum.  I didn't even realize that was different from anyone else till I was an adult.  And to have a set that has a sentiment "For you, Mum" just makes me smile :)

    I had fun with these beautiful fluffy yellow wattle flowers, coloring them up with Copics, but then adding some dimension (and realism) with some Flower Soft.  Did you know you can color your Flower Soft too?  All I had was Polar White Flower Soft, so I just used a few drops of Copic reinker in a little container and threw in a pinch of Flower Soft, mixed it around and it was the perfect color I was looking for.  Below you can see the dimension a little better.  It has more of the look of what I've seen wattle to look like.


    The image from Bloomin' Aussie Florals is stamped in Memento Ink on Flourishes Classic White.  I used our brand new Flourishes dies to cut out the shape, this one is called Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I've finished the bottom of the card with Edgeabilities Dies, Classic Decorative Inserts and Classic Edges Two.   The scroll design and piercing matches perfectly.  The papers are from our new 123 Create Kit - For the Record.  And then a little bit of rhinestones and  Nestabling to frame out the image and balance the big old silk bow on the other side.  

    Now get yourselves ready for this tomorrow at Flourishes !!!



    Tuesday, November 20, 2012

    Round Snow Men


    I picked up a pack of MME's Merry 6 x 6 paper from Michaels and the cutie little snow men were begging to be made into a card.  I paired it with my old SU set Snow Buddies, and they look like they were made for each other.  I love all the round little snow men and their chubby bellies.  Especially paired with this week's Mojo Sketch with lots of round elements.


    The white background snowflakes are embossed to add texture, and I added a little touch of glitter on a 1/8 inch Scor Tape strip along the bottom because I thought it needed another touch of shine, and to ground the images.  Coloring on the little snow men with copics, and Spellbinders Circles and Picot Edge Circles.  Too cute :) And another card for the stash!


    Sunday, November 18, 2012

    Stitched With Love


    How about another sewing themed card from the New Releases at Flourishes this month?  This image from the Stitched for You Set in particular just popped out at me from the set.  I love the little tomato pin cushion with the strawberry hanging down.  And those fat quarters of fabric!  AH!  Don't get me started.  I know that fabric for a sewer or quilter is like designer paper for a card maker.  Bliss!

    I colored and paper pieced the image with these new papers from the For the Record 123 Create Kit.  The top and bottom fabrics in the stack are paper pieced (from the kit papers) and the middle two coloured with copics.  Then I've accented with ribbons from the kit and a sweet little pin that also come in the 123 Kit.  The image is also cut out with the coordinating Silhouette Cut File from Flourishes.  It gives such a polished finish to images.  



    The sentiment is stamped with Memento Tangelo Ink and Memento Love Letter Ink.






      
    Busy day ahead for me.  My mom and I are painting my daughter's new room!  Catch ya later!

    Saturday, November 17, 2012

    Project 365 - Week 44

    Not a full line-up of shots this week.  To be honest, I didn't have the energy for more shots.  I am the Mom to 2 teenagers, and one of those teenagers (who shall remain nameless) is giving me a run for my money.  Now, said teenager is still a great kid on so many levels, but has been very challenging to have a positive relationship with lately.  Sigh.  You'd think that because we work with teenagers every day I'd have the inside track, but nope, it's a whole different ball game when it's your kid :)  We'll make it through, I know we will.  Hopefully better for it all ....eventually :)


    Fuzzy Peaches.  These are our youngest son's favourite candy treat.  After Daddy had eaten some of his  fuzzy peaches finishing off what was in the little guy's bag....he was so heartbroken that they were gone.  Daddy sheepishly bought him some more.  :)


    PD Day Shopping with Grandma.  I love this picture of our daughter and my mom.  We went shopping  on a day off from school - for paint and fabric for our daughter's new room, with a nice lunch in-between.  


    Snow Fort!  This little guy loves playing in the snow after school.  He's built a great fort in the yard to play in.  This picture SO captures his personality...and you can see his broken tooth from falling in Mexico this summer.  Soon to be finished repairing we hope!  


    This shot isn't so photo-spectacular but it has a funny story.  My husband and I were sorting through the linen closet and pulled out this old Pooh Bear towel and we both were flooded with memories :)  This used to fit this little guy to the floor...it was the towel we would wrap him in after baths or even at the pool after swimming.  So cute...and how much he's grown!


    Volleyball - our middle son was cleared to play volleyball again after his thumb injury (he's the one crouched in the middle waiting for one of the coaches to pop him the ball), I love the intensity he approaches every sport with.  He's all in :)