FLLC Free for All Friday

Happy Friday everyone~

Today the Flourishes Senior Design Team is pulling out some of our sets that are on the overstock or retiring list and giving them a new spin! We always love when we can do that, because it makes you fall in love with those sets all over again! 

Here is my card:

My card was used Witching You A Happy Halloween set. This is not the overstock or soon-to-be retired one but I just had to bring the Flourishes one and only Halloween set before Halloween is over! I hope you don't mind I am having fun with my favorite holiday :) lol
I used the traditional Halloween colors (purple, orange, yellow and black/gray) and fun papers to design this card. I usually don't send out cards for Halloween but I think it would be fun to send this  my Halloween crazy friend!

Supplies:

Witching You a Happy Halloween

Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy - Tonal Neutrals, Crocus, Sunflower, MME designer paper pad

Memento - Tuxedo Black, Cantaloupe, Potter's Clay

Copic Markers - Burnt Orange, Olive Green

CME ribbon - Crocus/Lavender, button, black jute twine, black pearls

Spellbinders dies, oval punch, circle punch

We know you’ll think so too, so we invite you to take a trip on over to the rest of the Design Team to see what they have up their creative sleeves today:

• • Allison Cope
  • Christine Okken
  • Cindy Lawrence
  • Heather Jensen
  • Julie Koerber
  • Maki Jones (You're here)
  • Silke Ledlow
  • Stacy Morgan
  • Tosha Leyendekker

I have a sad news to tell you. I decided to take a break from Flourishes Design Team and this is the last post as our design team member until I am done with renovating my new place. Hopefully I will get to come back sooner than I think. Until then, I am using my crafting skills to the house I am excited to call "HOME".

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Maki

Flourishes October Free for All Friday

Happy Friday everyone~

The Senior Design Team is back today with another round of beauties created with our October Release Stamp sets. It's our chance to show them off some more while you can still purchase the October Stamp Bundle at a discount! Today is the last day the dscount is available and we don't want you to miss out!

Here is my card:

I love all new release but I picked Handmade Snowflakes because this set will get to use a lot from now on throughout winter season! My card is super duper easy quick card and I am planning to make same ones for Christmas cards to send this year! 

Supplies: 

Handmade Snowflakes

Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Poppy, True Blue

Memento - Ladybug, Summer Sky, Nautical Blue, Angel Pink

blue stripes ribbon, red stripes ribbon, silver pearls, liquid pearls

So hop on over to see what lovely creations everyone has in store for you today:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a great weekend!

Maki

Flourishes October New Release Challenge!!

Happy Friday everyone~
Can you believe there are only 81 days until Christmas? In a few days we'll be giving you our October edition of new Flourishes Stamps all with a Christmas theme.

And because we know you want a chance to win these beauties, this month we have a Color Challenge with a twist.
Your challenge is to create a Christmas Design without the use of the color Red or Green! Get creative and give all of those other colors in the wheel a chance to show their holiday style! Play in the challenge and you could win our whole October Release! Your keyword for entering into online galleries is FLLCOCT13.


Here is my card for the challenge:

I used one of the fun Christmas sets, Dear Santa. As you see, I used pink, teal blue and brown/gray for the color challenge. I think the star pattern paper and the image give a Christmas-y feel to the card ;)

Supplies:
Dear Santa
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Tonal Gray, Emerald Coast, Candy Pink, Echo Park designer paper
Memento - Tuxedo Black, Gray Flannel, Teal Zeal
Copic markers - Tonal Neutrals, Spruce, Terra Cotta, Dogwood (retired)
enamel dots, pink gingham ribbon tape
Tailor-Made Classic Bookplate die, Spellbinders dies, edge punch







  THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Simply create a Christmas themed card or project without the colors of Red or Green in the design.
• Entries need to be in by Friday October at 11th at 5 PM EST
• Those entries using Flourishes Stamps will be counted twice
• You must link your creation on our InLinkz Widgit to be counted
• You must have a link to our challenge in your blog post or gallery post
• Please DO NOT combine challenges from other sites or locations. Only those entries that don’t combine will be in the running. Because this challenge means winning new Flourishes sets we want to see your beautiful creations made specifically for this challenge.
• If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCOCT13
• We’ll announce the winners on Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post here on the blog on Saturday October 12th , so check back then to find out if you are a winner!

Thanks for stopping by today and we look forward to seeing what you create! We’ll see you here on Wednesday October 9th when our gorgeous October Sneak Peeks start! Have fun with those colors! And now for some wonderful Christmas with a Twist inspiration, our Design Team has pulled out all the stops to get your Christmas creativity jump-started:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Maki

Flourishes Free For All Friday! - Retire Sets

Hello everyone~

Friday has rolled around again and the Flourishes Design Team has a treat for you today! We're digging into the Flourishes vault to showcase some of our sets that are retiring! As we make room for new, it means we need to clear out some of these beauties. So - if you like what you see along the way - be sure to add them to your shopping cart, because once they're gone - they're gone for good!

Here is my card:

I used Christmas Tea set for my card. I always use this set to make some Christmas cards to my tea lover friends. Not only I get to use those pretty images, but I was also able to use the little sentiment for the bottle cap embellishment! Doesn't it look so cool? It is available HERE and HERE at Flourishes :)

Supplies:

Christmas Tea

Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Pistachio, Poppy, MME designer paper pad

Memento - Tuxedo Black, Angel Pink, Olive Grove

Copic markers - Pistachio, Poppy, Rich Browns, B000, C1, C00

chrome bottle cap, glitter epoxy dot, red stripe ribbon, red pearls

Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass die, circle punch 

It always feels a little sad to say goodbye to some beautiful sets we've loved so well - so I know the Design Team will show them off wonderfully and you'll be inspired!

Drop by and see:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a great weekend!

Maki

Flourishes Free for All Friday - September Release

 

Happy Friday!!
Today we're excited to bring you one more look at this month's New Release Sets at Flourishes! Its our chance to show off some more from our favorite sets, and with five gorgeous stamps this month, there's so much to choose from! Remember that today is the LAST day you can purchase the New Release Bundle at a discount, so we don't want you to miss out on the deal!


Here is my card:

My favorite set from the release is That's a Wrap :) It is such a wonderful set and I love the dynamic bow I can color/paper piece! For this card, I decided to color with red! I designed the main image panel to look like a wrapped present :) I wanted to embellish and added those tea roses and punched pine needles. The sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Supplies:
That's a Wrap
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - True Blue, Poppy, MME designer paper
Memento - Tuxedo Black, Teal Zeal, VersaMark
Copic Marker - Poppy
red pearls, ribbon tape, tea roses, white embossing powder
pine needle punch

 Come and see what beauties the Design Team has to show off for you today!

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Jan Marie Caruso
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a great weekend!

Maki

FLLC September New Release Challenge !!

Happy Friday everyone~

It is time for another Flourishes New Release Challenge (FLLCSEP13)!!
Now as we see the days turn the corner into deep blue skies, colorful leaves and cooler nights we see that Autumn is nearing! Many of us get back into "stamping shape" in the fall and this is the perfect challenge for you, turning your fingers to some paper crafting fun! In just a few short days we'll be unveiling our beautiful September Release of FIVE sets, and playing in this challenge is your chance to win our whole September Release!

Want to know how? All you need to do is create a Shaped Card OR a 3D Item. You can either create a card using any non-standard shape (we encourage you to think creatively), or a lovely box, ornament, home decor item, or anything 3D....it's all up to you!


Your keyword for entering into online galleries is FLLCSEP13.


 THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Simply create a shaped card (not a standard rectangle) OR 3D object.
• Entries need to be in by Friday September at 13th at 5 PM EST
• Those entries using Flourishes Stamps will be counted twice
• You must link your creation on the Flourishes Blog InLinkz Widgit to be counted
• You must have a link to our challenge in your blog post or gallery post
• Please DO NOT combine challenges. Only those entries that don’t combine will be in the running
• If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCSEPT13
• We’ll announce the winners on Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post on the Flourishes blog on Saturday September 14th , so check back then to find out if you are a winner!

Here is my Get in Shape challenge project:

I had a beautiful season, Autumn in my mind :) I am such a slow crafter... it actually took about half days worth of time to finish all of them but I love how they are tuned out in the end. I did a lot of coloring, cutting and punching. I even used the acrylic paint to color the chipboard. I spend 98% of my creative time to make cards but sometimes I need to make something other than the cards to refresh my ideas and step out outside of my comfort zone. It was super fun and I hope I gave a little inspiration for  your future projects :)

This shelf deco piece was started with 6 x 6 inches scalloped chipboard. I painted it with the acrylic paint and some orange chalk ink on the edge. The letters "THANKS" was stamped with Letters in Blossom set. I cut out the daisy flowers from Autumn Blossoms and added on each letter to hide the tea roses so that they were matched with other images. I also used the same blossom set for the corner flower cluster images and Autumn Blessing for the sentiment.

The card is a little smaller than 4" squares. All of the flower clusters were stamped and colored. I really like the corner clusters can create beautiful frames and corner accents :)

This gift box is easy to make. It is basically the same way to make 2-4-6-8 box.
Cut the cardstock 3 1/4" x 8 1/2".
Position the cardstock lengthwise. score cardstock every 1 inch. (you will have extra half inch tab for adhesive)
Turn cardstock, and score at 1/4".
Cut the extra little flap that is right past the 8 inch score line
Fold the score lines and make a hexagon shape.

The scalloped circle piece was simply attached to the bottom of the hexagon tube and the decorative border was adhered for the handle. A small candle jar from Bath&Body Works fits perfectly. BTW, this candle smells sooooo good!
I also stamped the tissue paper to add a little extra detail :)


Supplies:
Autumn Blossoms, Autumn Blessings, Letter in Blossom
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Tiger Lily, Evergreen
Memento - Rich Cocoa, Tuxedo Black, Pistachio, orange chalk ink, brown chalk ink, acrylic paint
Copic markers - Burnt Orange, Sunflower, Terra Cotta, Hyacinth, New Browns, Evergreen, Rich Browns
pearls
Classic Hourglass die set, Classic Window die set, Spellbinders dies, decorative edge and corner punch, decorative border punch

Thanks for stopping by today and we look forward to seeing what you create! We’ll see you here on Monday September 9th when our FIVE wonderful September Sneak Peeks start! Enjoy getting back into stamping SHAPE! And now for some wonderful shaped inspiration, our Design Team has pulled out all the stops to get your creativity jump-started:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

FLLC Free for All Friday

 

Today you're going to see some fun creations from the Design Team with a couple of our still beautiful but older sets Ferns and Fiddles and Falling Leaves ...perfectly inspiring for the upcoming season of Autumn!

Here is my card

I don't even remember the last time when I used this set! I am so glad it was focused on today. It is such a fantastic set to create some nature and earthy cards and projects! Have you noticed I made my own designer paper? Remind of vintage wall papers, don't you think? ;) Including the background, I combined some nature elements and colors for the entire card.

Supplies:
Ferns & Fiddles
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Evergreen, Rich Browns, Sunflower, MME designer paper
Memento - Espresso Truffle, Pistachio, Cantaloupe
Copic Markers - Evergreen
burlap lace trim, rhinestones
Classic Keyhole die, decorative edger

Be sure to head on over and visit other FLLC Sr. designers and Flourishes Blog to find out our last Friday Forcus (I guarantee you will be so excited who she is!)

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Maki Jones (You're here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Maki

Flourishes Friday Focus - Watercolor

Happy Friday everyone~
It is time for Flourishes Friday!

Today the Flourishes Senior Team is going to do something a little different! We're going to spend this Friday on a Technique Focus we think you'll enjoy. It's one that's very "hot" in the cardmaking industry right now, "watercolor".
You'll see many examples of some great watercoloring techniques along the way with the Design Team.

We're also going to focus on a product we have in store that's great for watercoloring, AND it's in our OVERSTOCK Sale too! It's our Letraset Aqua Markers, which are perfect for watercoloring, and on sale - who can beat that!
Here's the details about the sale: If you click HERE, you can take a trip to our SALE page you'll find hundreds of items with prices that will be slashed at the time of check out! Just add the coupon code OVERSTOCK25 and 25% will be deducted from your total. This coupon code will ONLY work on SALE PAGE items. We have inks, paper, embellishments, ribbons and even overstocked stamp sets. On those items with sale prices, you will be able to take an ADDITIONAL 25% off! It's the deal of the season! So click HERE to shop early for the best selection!


As well we wanted to remind you that today is our last day to purchase the August New Release Bundle at a discount. Here's a reminder of how beautiful the August sets are:

 

Autumn Blessings

Chrysanthemum

Mountain View

Here is my watercoloring card :)

I used Anemones set for my card. Sam's artwork is so perfect for water coloring! I used Ranger Distress ink and an aqua painter watercolor brush for coloring. This method is great because I can control the amount of water and add or take off the colors until I satisfied with it. I stamped the parts of flower image on the edge of watercolor paper to create the frame design. I used only ink pad to color...just dab the brush on the corner of the pad ;) This method is great if you have a only small amount to color but you color a large image, I recommend to use reinker. I've been coloring with Copic markers for a long time and I was a little nervous with watercoloring at first. I am just glad it all looks good in the end, lol. 

Supplies:

Anemones

Watercolor paper, Color Made Easy cardstock - Tiger Lily, Evergreen

VersaFine - Onyx Black, Distress Ink - Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen

lace trim, enamel dots

decorative edger, blending tool

So you can head on over to the Design Team and see their Focus on Watercolor today. But don't forget to keep reading here...there's more for you!

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones (You are here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker (She is this week's Flourishes Forcus! Be sure to check Flourishes Blog to find out more about her!)
• Jan Marie Caruso

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Maki

FLLC August New Release Challenge!!

Happy Friday!

Flourishes August NewRelease is around the corner and it is time to play another FLLC Release Challenge (FLLCAUG13)!! How about we throw a fun color challenge at you that mixes Summer and Autumn colors together and challenge you to create something with the potential to WIN our August New Releases!

Here are the colors:

   

A lovely teal, a rich rust and a neutral gray. What we love about this challenge is that all of these colors can be found in our Flourishes Color Made Easy Collections. Emerald Coast, Terra Cotta and either Cool Neutrals or Tonal Neutrals, isn't that great?

Some of the Flourishes Design Team were blessed to be able to gather together just a few weeks ago in Yellowstone National Park for a wonderful weekend. We realized that there was some beautiful scenery right in front of us that matched the colors of our challenge this month, so we thought we'd show that off to you as well...

   

Beautifully colored mineral Ink Pots in just the right shades! 

Here is my color challenge card :)

I used Bees & Blossoms set. I had to add a little yellow & green with the color combo but that's necessary for the blower and bees, right? ;) The hardest part was to keep the blossoms with more terra cotta than orange. I hope they are close enough to the terra cotta cardstock color.

Supplies:

Bees & Blossoms
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Terra Cotta, Emerald Coast, TC Summer Stories paper pad
Memento - Flannel Gray, Morocco, Teal Zeal
Copic markers
Color Made Easy ribbon - Terra Cotta-Japonica, pearls
Spellbinders die, decorative edger

Now, for some lovely card inspiration with these colors, here's what the Design Team has to show off…

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Simply create a card using these colors in the graphic above
• Entries need to be in by Friday August 16th at 5 PM EST
• Those entries using Flourishes Stamps will be counted twice
• You must link your creation on the InLinkz Widgit of the Flourishes Blog to be counted
• You must have a link to our challenge in your blog post or gallery post
• Please DO NOT combine challenges. Only those entries that don't combine will be in the running
• If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCAUG13
• We'll announce the winners on Saturday in our Winner's Circle Post here on the Flourishes blog on Saturday August 17th, so check back then to find out if you are a winner!

Thank you for stopping by.
Have a great weekend!

Maki

Flourishes Friday Focus - Sweet Peas

Happy Friday everyone~
Today the Design Team has some fun for you with a sweet-smelling summer flower that we all love...Sweet Peas! These dainty and colorful blooms look so beautiful on this stamp set that you'd be sure you can smell their fragrance as well!




I decided to use the large image from the set and create the border design. My favorite sweet peas color is red and I used it for the main color :) I stamped the images with light brown ink to look them softer even though the flowers are red and bright.

Supplies:
Classic White cardstock, Color Made Easy cardstock - Poppy, EP designer paper pad
Memento - Toffee Crunch, Dandelion, Espresso Truffle, Pear Tart
Copic markers
Color Made Easy ribbon - Poppy-Basque Red, enamel dots
Perfectly Pierced Classic Frame die, decorative edger

 Take a look at the beauties the Design Team has for you.

• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Heather Jensen
• Julie Koerber
• Maki Jones
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Lastly, I am Flourishes Designer Focus today over the Flourishes Blog. I hope you enjoy reading and find something new about me, lol.

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a great weekend!