Thursday, February 27, 2014

Poppy Sunshine

Hello Everyone!

A quick note before my card to let you know that next week I’ll be putting things up on my blog for SALE.  I have about 75 stamp sets from numerous companies, and some Copics that I’ll be listing right now...so stay tuned for that next week!  :)

Now for the card!  I’ve had this image from A Day for Daisies Digital stamps forever and have been longing to get some time to colour it up.  I love their images - they are very artsy and very open...so it leaves a lot of space for creativity in colouring.  This one is called Vintage Poppy Cluster.  Her artwork is very beautiful and there is a lot to choose from so be sure to check them out if you haven’t already.

I’m playing along with 2 challenges - the ADFD Challenge to use green and I thought I’d jump in on the Card Concept Challenge - Floral Themed for the first time  They ask you to pick your style of card based on several categories as you’re designing.  I would probably have to peg myself as Classy and Elegant or Clean and Layered, I fall in both of those categories with most of my designs.


I gave these poppies lots of rich orange colour and a very dappled pointillism green background for fun.  I absolutely love lime green.  It’s my favourite shade of green and I love to colour with it and wear it too :)  
I’ve used a Spellbinders Border, frame, some satin finish ribbon and these pretty orange gems to accent as well as a sentiment from Flourishes - Inside and Out Hello set.  

Thanks for dropping by everyone and I’ll catch you next week for my SALE!  Hope you can check it out!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Golden Mustache Birthday


How about a little The Cat’s Pajamas action?   There’s such a big trend in papercrafting right now with anything golden, so this week’s challenge to Go For the Gold was one I thought I’d jump in on.  


I paired TCP’s The Mustache Set with this masculine design for some fun.  As I was flipping through my TCP sets I thought...hey I wonder how an gold embossed mustache would look...and I like it!  The embossed design is cut out and popped up and paired with this Teresa Collins Memorabilia paper.  I really like how dipping the gray cardstock in VersaMark and embossing took on the texture of the paper.  

And here’s the inside of the card....



Hope you have a “fun TACHE tic” day too!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Spring Wishes


Well, the temperatures have dropped here once again below the “Shiver-Me-Timbers” range so I thought it would be fun to jump in on the PTI Hop this month with the theme of Spring, I haven’t hopped with them for so long!   Aren’t we all longing for Spring to come already?  


I loved the butterfly invitation in the graphic above and thought maybe I could try and re-create something along those lines with this design.  I used a few PTI sets - Friends till the End, and Mat Stack 3 Collection for this design, colouring up the flowers with Copics, fussy cutting them out and then using ink for the frame matted on a Mat Stack 5 Die and then stamping background in various colour inks.  It’s a pretty palette don’t you think?  

A few little sweet details, including the glittery strip along the side and some pretty clear sequins for some added interest.  

Copics in case you’re interested are B60, B63, B66 and YG21, YG23.  

Enjoy your day!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Garden Gate

Here we are at my last official post for Flourishes.  It’s been quite a ride these last 5 years.  I have grown as an artist and designer and have been honoured to have worked with some of the very best illustration available in the market.  What a blessing to have my first Design Team enable me to work with this calibur of Designers and images!  I have been truly touched by the opportunities and relationships these last five years have afforded me!  I am grateful beyond belief to count these wonderful DT girls as my friends.

I thought I’d pull out one of my all time favourite images from Flourishes, this is no small thing, since a majority of the sets are so fabulous.  This is Garden Gate, illustrated by Marcella Hawley.  It captures everything I love about her designs, wonderfully drawn botanicals, with a bit of whimsy in each.  

I began by using the Silhouette Cut File for this set to cut out the roses shape.  I stamped the spray with Memento Gray Flannel ink to soften the color a bit and then coloured up with Copics in some deep greens and deep rose colours.  For the background I stamped the gate image in Memento Olive Grove and using the Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Window Die as a mask, I sponged the inside of the die to create a shadowed effect.  Maki Jones did something similiar with this set a long time ago and I just loved how it looked.  I think the images look wonderful placed together like this.  The designer paper is Echo Park Style Essentials.  
A smattering of sequins, some pretty lace behind the flowers and some rhinestones finish off the design.  

Here is...the last week sale details!
The gamble is over and now the rush is on to pick up anything left in the store that you've had your eye on. Simply use the code GAMBLERS60 in the coupon box at the time of check out to get this fabulous discount!

The Flourishes Design Team has been at it again -- creating beautiful cards to show off and inspire! So, head on over and see.....

Thank you friends and fans of Flourishes!  It’s been a wonderful journey of beauty and creativity with each of you!  I’ve appreciated all of your support.   I can’t wait for what’s ahead for me in the Design World...I’m excited to say there’s lots in store and I can’t wait to share it all with you! March and April are going to be fantastic months! :)

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Beauty Captured - Eight

Both of our boys have been chosen to be a part of the running teams at their schools when they were in Grades 4 - 6 in Elementary School.  They compete with other schools in the city in 8 x 200 relay, thousands of kids run over the course of the days.  I love it!  I love watching all the kids run, and I love the privelage that our sons have been given to do that.  This week was the competition.  So...these are action shots, not my best type of photos, but they do tell a bit of the story of the day.  
This is our son with his teacher/coach with her hand on his head.  Oh she’s such a great lady!  A runner herself, she has such passion for the running team and for these kids.  I really appreciate her.  She is so supportive and encouraging with the kids too.  Here our son was getting ready for his turn to go toward the track.


And here’s the baton pass.  See my son’s intent open mouth?  So ready to run!  :)  




And here he is mid-stride, rounding the last corner ready to head toward the next pass.  He ran a personal best again.  He’s a great runner and we're really proud of him. 

That’s all I've got for you this week :)  I’ll be back tomorrow!

Friday, February 21, 2014

He is Risen!

With this being the last week of the Flourishes sale coming up and my last week of posting for the company....I thought I’d return to some of my first loves.  I hope you enjoy...

One of my first loves is my love for my Saviour - Jesus.  It shapes everything that I am.  So I wanted to symbolize that with this lovely set - He is Risen, Marcy really did a beautiful job illustrating this set (no surprise :).  I stamped it with VersaFine ink onto Watercolour paper so that I could return to one of my other first loves - watercolouring.  It’s how I first started colouring any of my stamped creations and though I use it less, it still is special to me to spread ink with a brush on paper and bring life and colour to something.  I used Letraset Aqua Markers and a waterbrush for the watercolouring.  It works well for stamped creations because you can wash colour onto an acrylic block and use it like a palette, or because they have really fine pen tips you can add it direct to your watercolor paper and get really pigmented colour that you can wash in.    

I decided to go with the simplicity of a one-layer card to really accent the image.  On the background of the paper I washed in clouds, some softly stamped sentiments from the set and then another set of Flourishes’ So Distressed in Memento Gray Flannel.   

Along the bottom of the card I used my Curvy Spellbinders die to cut the curve off of the bottom of the card and added a more decorative curve with the dies from Color Made Easy - Tonal Gray cardstock. 

Lastly I added some washi tape and seambinding with some enamel dots.  

And here is the inside of the card.  Hope you enjoyed some of the return to my first loves!


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Honey of a Day

Free for All Friday with Border


WOW Flourishes Fans!  Can you believe we’re at 50% in our Gambler’s Sale?!  It’s getting so exciting for bargain hunters!  On Monday our last discount goes up to 60% off.   Are the items on your wish list still in the store? If so, you might want to act now!
And speaking of gone...only 1/2 the sets used on this card today are still available!  I used Bee my Honey (already sold out - but the Silhouette file is available) and the background set Honeycomb... which is still available!  

I found a fun scrapbook page that I really liked and thought the layout would work for a scrappy styled card, so that’s what I did!  I stamped the flowers and clover image onto Flourishes Classic White with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copics to match these sheets of Designer paper from Teresa Collins - Memorabilia.  Before I put down the designer paper I stamped the Honeycomb background in Memento Peanut Brittle and Canteloupe ink sponging the corners.  

I love the idea of cutting out little hexagons as background, which I did with my Hexagon Spellbinders die.  All of this is backed onto Flourishes Classic Kraft card stock.  

I accented the design with some wood buttons, sequins and then tiny bits of seambinding peeking out from under the main image.  The card size is larger than I normally do 5 1/2 x 5 1/2.  But I wanted all that real-estate for the layout.  

To spark your creative wish list we have some lovely and delightful creations from the Design Team to show off to you again today:
And here are the SALE Details you’ll need!  Time is running out!  Only one more week left of the sale!
If you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 50% off with the code GAMBLERS50. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 50% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off!

USE THE CODE GAMBLERS50 TO GET 50% OFF!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Tea Rose


I didn’t want to let this month go by without using this gorgeous Old Tea Rose set from Flourishes.  I knew from the moment I saw it that it would be really popular.  It has that sketchy style that Sam Pickard is known for and I love watercolouring it.  So, it’s no surprise to me that it’s already sold out (Silhouette Cut File still available).  I began by stamping it on watercolour paper with VersaFine ink watercolouring it with Letraset Aqua Markers.  After colouring I used our Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Window die to cut it out and then paired the design with some pretty Webster’s Pages paper I purchased this summer.  I’ve been wanting an excuse to dig out this particular sheet with the roses on it, and this was the occasion.  
I’ve added both pleated ribbon (still available in yellow and pink) and creamy lace to the design as well as a resin flower, some swirly rhinestones and placed on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock.  

And that is my “just because” card for you today :)  Enjoy the day in front of you, I hope you can make it a good one!  

Monday, February 17, 2014

Bubblegum Son



For Valentine’s I had some cards on hand for my kids, but none quite “manly enough” for our older son, so I pulled this one together for him.  He is the son that LOVES candy.  He is constantly taking the gum from my purse, sneaking things out of the snack cupboard, and if I find an empty wrapper anywhere, I know it’s him.  He is 14 and constantly hungry...and not an ounce of fat on him, but he does loves to sneak treats.  So, right away I thought of these sets from PTI, Friendship Jar and Friendship Jar Fillers.  This would be what I would find, an open jar...with a bunch of gumballs missing :)  

When I went searching for some fun paper to match the gumballs I found this great pack from Echo Park - All About A Boy.  When I saw that sentiment strip I knew it was perfect for what I wanted to say to him.  


Cracks me up when I look at it - I’ve been playing Bejeweled on my little iPad and the colours totally remind me of the game!  

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Richly Blooming


Who doesn't love a fabulous deal? This week, the stakes are getting higher in Flourishes Gambler's Sale! As the items sell off, the discounts get a little bit higher! Are the items on your wish list still in the store? If so, you might want to act now before they are going, going, GONE for good! This week, all prices STOREWIDE are 50% off!

For a change I decided to do a round shaped card using some Gray Cardstock from our Tonal Neutrals and the Always Blooming set.  I cut the shape out with the Silhouette Cut file for this set and stamped it in Memento Gray Flannel ink to soften the lines a bit and then coloured it up with some rich copic colours, pairing it with this pretty damask paper from the Teresa Collins Far and Away designer pack.  I wanted to make use of a curvy lined design so I used my Spellbinders Curvy border die to trim the dp.  

I love this sentiment in the set and I curved it a bit to match the design and then framed the bottom of it with a little burgundy cardstock in the same curvy style.  A little gray seambinding bow, silver twine and faceted gems finish the bottom with a strip of washi tape adding a little more colour in the center.  

Here’s the sale info!  

Why is this sale a gamble? Well, ALL of the items now in the store will be sold off -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 50% off with the code GAMBLERS50. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 50% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off!  


USE THE CODE GAMBLERS50 TO GET 50% OFF!

Looking for some creative inspiration? Visit the Design Team to see what they have been up to! 

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Beauty Captured - Seven

Good day to you!  How has your weekend been?  We’ve had a busy week of shopping for grad dresses for our daughter (ordered one!), youth activities and sports...even a dance for our middle son.  I captured a few things along the way. 


Remember that spring basket I took pictures of in the last weeks?  Well the tiny little flowers were not grapevine hyacinth, but crocuses.  I should have realized that....they’re just so pretty and delicate.


We’ve now officially passed the days of making Valentine’s for each class member with my kids, but at our youngest’s request we made cookies for the class.  It was fun to have him do the baking.  


GAH...love that smile :)  


The cookies really turned out great.  Chocolate Chip.  Our favourite recipe from my mom.  My mom is SUCH a good cook.  Really I know I’ll never match up to her skills.  


And this handsome young man got asked to the Valentine’s Dance at school by a girl.  It’s been soap opera central with girls lately, texting, facebooking....all drama I could do without if you ask my honest opinion.  The funny part is that it’s caught him totally off guard, girls beyond friends had not really been on his radar yet.  (Seriously they are SO forward - if you have a teen you probably know this - and I know it too - it’s just a whole different ball game when it’s your own son!).  I keep reminding him that it’s only just beginning.  We had some VERY funny conversations as a family about all of this and how he could handle it.  He was a very wonderful gentleman though and I was very proud of him, he was very clear with the girl that this was just “as friends”.  All of his friends went together with “dates” and had fun.  But LORD help me!  I know I’m in for it!  :)

Thanks for popping by friends!  Blessings on your Sunday!


Thursday, February 13, 2014

My OH My, What a Wonderful Day

Free for All Friday with Border


Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!  What a great day set aside to tell people you love them!  I for one also feel so blessed to have a craft I love and people I love which stamping has connected me to.  And on that note today we bring you another round of inspiration from our amazing Design Team in our Gambler’s Sale...this week we’re at 40% off!  In just a few days the prices will drop again to 50% off...the gamble is how long you wait before those items you love are gone!


I just LOVE this Magnolias set.  I began by stamping the smaller of the flowers in the set several times and colouring with Copics to match the variety of magnolias below.  Then I trimmed each out carefully, adding some extra greenery in the set, popping it all up onto a die cut of Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass die from Flourishes Classic White cardstock.  I stamped the inside of the die shape with this fun sentiment from the set and sponged it with a soft pink ink.  





I surrounded that with another Spellbinder’s die shape, then paired it with Echo Park Everyday Ecclectic Designer Paper that I sewed onto the design, some pretty pink lace and accents with the Perfectly Pierced Victorian Oval die (the smaller die in the set) and the faceted gems.    I really love how it turned out!  

The girls are picking out sets and goodies they love to show to you, so head on over to visit and leave them some love:
And here’s all those SALE details in case you need a reminder... This week, prices are dropping again in our six-week Gambler's Sale. Starting now, all prices STOREWIDE are 40% off! With prices this low, your favorite sets won't be on our store shelves for long! In fact, many are already gone for good!
 
Why is this sale a gamble? Well, ALL of the items now in the store will be going, going, gone -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 40% off with the code GAMBLERS40. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 40% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off!  What an amazing opportunity to save on these fantastic Flourishes stamps and supplies!

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you enjoy the inspiration from the team today!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Will UB Mine?

How about a cutie Valentine today?
I pulled out Tokens of Love from Flourishes for a last go-around.  It has the cutest little Valentine elements, especially this little robot.  I stamped him in Memento Tuxedo Black on Flourishes Classic White and trimmed with Color Made Easy Tonal Neutral cardstock, colouring with T2, T4, T6 Copics.  Then I paired him up with some cute Valentine Paper that I got recently, Echo Park  - Head Over Heels.  I played with a recent Deconstructing Sketch.  I ruched a little red seambinding behind the horizontal panel and also used Flourishes Tailor Made Classic Tags die for the sentiment.  
Some iridescent twine and some Bakers twine tie off the tag and an enamel dot finishes it off.  


Isn’t that an adorable sentiment inside the design?  

Catch you again soon!  Have a great day!  

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Citrus Friend

All of you folks looking for a bargain? We've got one at Flourishes! This week, prices are dropping again in our six-week Gambler's Sale. Starting now, all prices STOREWIDE are 40% off! With prices this low, your favorite sets won't be on our store shelves for long! In fact, many are already gone for good!

How about I start by showing off what I made today?  It’s very cheerful and bright! It will make you feel like eating an orange :)


I started with the very lovely ranunculus flower in the set Sweet Nature.  Honestly I think that ranunculus are some of the most unique blooms out there.  So compact, so full of colour, just amazing!  I’ve seen the fields upon fields of them blooming in Carlsbad, CA, it’s really quite a sight as you can see below.  


I stamped the tiny bouquet of blooms onto Flourishes Classic White cardstock (wow already gone...best paper out there I’m telling you!  But here’s a link to Classic Ivory still left), colouring with some fun orange Copics and then carefully trimming out.  I placed this onto a Flourishes Perfectly Pierced Classic Frame die, where I had stamped the inside of the die with the scripted sentiment from the set in Memento Pear Tart ink, sponging the inside of the die too to get that nice citrusy green.  The designer papers are Echo Park Everyday Ecclectic.  



I added a couple of cute pennants sewn in and accented with Enamel dots.  



Here’s the inside inked with Tangelo and Pear Tart ink with the single bloom stamps.  

Here’s the sale details this week.  Remember, items are going fast now.  Everytime I check something else is gone from the store!  



Why is this sale a gamble? Well, ALL of the items now in the store will be going, going, gone -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 40% off with the code GAMBLERS40. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 40% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off!

And while you're shopping -- don't forget about our MYSTERY BAGS! Each bag is valued at roughly $40 but... you pay only $25 (before the discount)!!! Each bag has two stamp sets -- YES TWO! One is an unpackaged set that we cannot sell because it doesn't have an index sheet. But, it stamps perfectly and would love a new home! Each bag also has a fun tutorial sheet showcasing a card or technique, a few yards of ribbon and an embellishment. What a bargain! Click HERE to visit the store and pick one up today!

Before you go -- be sure to hop on over and see what Flourishes Design Team whipped up for weekend inspiration! Most if not all of the sets that they used are still there for the taking -- so hop on over and be creatively inspired!

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Beauty Captured - Six

If you’ve been on Facebook at all the past few weeks you may have noticed people playing with a fantastic new app called Waterlogue.  It’s for iphone and it makes watercolors of your pictures.  It’s fabulous.  I rarely ever pay for apps but this one was SO worth it ($2.99).  For a girl who loves watercoloring but never has the time to create actual paintings this is an awesome substitute.


This was that spring basket I showed you photos of last week.  Isn’t the watercolouring cool???

This week we had our annual Pastor and Family retreat at our Camp.  It’s a retreat our whole family looks forward to each year.  Today I thought I’d show you some of the watercolors from the app of photos I took at Camp.

The creek and one of the bridges at Camp in the distance.  



The Camp Chapel  - it was snowing so beautifully this day.  


Another shot of the Chapel



Sunset driving on the highway.  See, even the highway can look beautiful!  

Gah!  It just makes me want to polish up my watercolouring skills again!  Thanks for popping by today!