Flourishes Magnolias

Today's card started out with an idea I had while trying to sleep last night. Isn't that great, even when you're trying to fall asleep, these creative ideas just pop into your head? The idea was to do a bit of paper tole with these magnolias. I ended up just doing one popped up layer, but the effect is still noticeable. Using the branch stamp, the 2 different magnolia images, and the leaf, I put together a glimpse of a magnolia tree. I stamped, cut out, coloured, and attached the flowers one layer up. I also applied a layer of Pure Mica Metallic Luster to give the blossoms more shine. The card base comes from the Basic Grey Sugared 6x6 paper pad. The angled twist to a fall-to layout came from an oops at the paper cutter (while I was cutting a different paper, some chocolate chip cardstock was underneath).

Supplies:
Stamps: Lilac
Ink: Burnt Umber, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, White
Paper: Sugared paper pad, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink
Accessories, etc.: Pure Mica Metallic Luster, Pink Sheer Ribbon, pop dots, nestabilities, white EP

Many Thanks!

Oh my goodness, do I ever love this new floral set from Flourishes! I was about to stamp this image on some white paper, but then I recalled how lovely vanilla is. I stamped it on vanilla, coloured it in with markers, reinkers, and blender pens. Next, I used some Eclipse masking tape to mask the image. I stamped a script background over top, then sponged all around the edges of the panel, and of the flower. I was just in the mood for a really worn look for this card- lots of sponging, lots of distressing. I really love how it turned out!

Supplies:

Stamps: Lilac, Many Sentiments, French Script

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Lovely Lilac, Lavender, Celery, Wasabi, Caramel

Paper: Vanilla, Chocolate, Caramel

Accessories, etc.: blender pen, eclipse masking tape, sheer brown ribbon, pop dots, sponge

Rock a bye baby

Today, I've got a sneak peak at one of the new Flourishes sets being released this week. This one is called Rock a Bye Baby, and it has some absolutely darling images in it. For my card, I stamped the image, then coloured it with copic markers. I wanted the moon to really twinkle, so after I coloured it with markers, I added just a touch of twinkling H2os, yellow rose specifically. The card is a big format, 5.5x5.5. I cut the main image out with some oval nestabilities, then reshaped the sentiment so that it would follow the shape of the oval. I added some faux stitching to the card base, and some ribbon, and it was all done!

Also, you'll probably want to check out Sharon's blog, as she has some exciting news!

Supplies:
Stamps: Rock a Bye Baby
Ink: Versafine Black
Paper: White, Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue
Accessories, etc.: paper piercer and guide, inkssentials white pen, ballet blue ribbon, copic markers, twinkling h2o

Just Because

How lovely is this Basic Grey paper? This piece inspired my entire card. I chose my green (True Thyme) based on the colours in it. I stamped a topiary from Flourishes Siberian Iris set, then watercoloured that with the True Thyme ink, and some Chocolate Chip. Next, I added cut it out and embossed it with nestabilities, added it on a scalloped Thyme mat, and then added in some chocolate flourishes. The stamps, nestabilities, paper pad, and ribbon are all available from Flourishes.

Supplies:
Stamps: Siberian Iris
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, True Thyme, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Textured White, BG Sugared 6x6 paper pad
Accessories, etc.: rectangle nestabilities, sheer chocolate ribbon (both available from Flourishes too), brads, aquabrush

Siberian Iris

I cannot wait for the irises in my garden to start blooming. It's still about a month away, but in the meantime, I have this beautiful set, Siberian Iris by Flourishes, to satisfy that spring craving. The purple and yellow ones are my favorites, so that's what I made this one. I used Stampin' Up markers, as well as reinkers and an aquabrush to colour the iris. The card base is made from some Bazzill Bling cardstock, I also spritzed the main image panel with some white shimmer spray to bring in more shine. The card measures 5.5 square.

Supplies:

Stamps: Siberian Iris, Damask Background

Ink: Versafine Black, Lovely Lilac, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi

Paper: Bazzill Bling yellow, lovely lilac, wild wasabi, white

Accessories, etc.: shimmer spray, aquabrush, eyelets, ribbon

From this day forward...

Here's another simple and elegant creation using the Flourishes new set, Wedding Essentials. For this one, I started with the fancy divider from Many Sentiments. I placed the wedding sentiment and the pair of rings between the dividers. I used the flourish from the wedding set to make my gold background paper that little bit more special. I embossed the flourishes so they would really stand out on the gold paper. Even though black isn't really a colour associated much with weddings, when it's used as an accent colour, it can really make the whole design "pop".
Supplies:
Stamps: Wedding Essentials, Many Sentiments

Ink: Versafine Black, Versamark

Paper: Black, White, Gold

Accessories, etc.: piercer and guide, thin black organdy ribbon, gold EP

Damask Gown

Paper piecing is a technique I rarely do. I think it's because I am more attracted to using bolder images. However, this new set, Wedding Party, by Flourishes is great for paper piecing! I stamped the bride onto two pieces of white paper. I coloured in the hair, skin, and flowers on the the one piece. On the other, I inked up the Damask background with versamark, stamped it over the dress, then embossed it with pearly sparkle embossing powder. I cut that out and pasted it onto the fist image. For the flowers and veil, I added in some stickles to really make them sparkle. The background on the pomegranate is the Damask stamp again, and the word Love comes from Flourished Words.

Remember, check out the SCS member forum here for some contest fun!

Supplies:

Stamps: Wedding Party, Flourished Words, both Damask BG stamps

Ink: Versafine Black, Moonlight

Paper: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, White

Accessories, etc.: stickles, pearly sparkle EP, copic markers, glitter

Simple Elegance

Simple elegance- this is a style I truly love. This latest Flourishes set, Wedding Essentials, is perfect for this style of card. I cuttlebugged the swirl background onto vellum, attached that to my card base with pink brads, then put the focus of the card on the Mr & Mrs stamps. I used an oval nest to cut that out, mounted it on some pink paper and added in some luscious pink satin ribbon. It was a snap to put together, but still so elegant. Be sure to check out all the new releases here and check out some contest fun here.

Supplies:

Stamps: Wedding Essentials

Ink: Berry Sorbet

Paper: White, Vellum, Sweet Blush

Accessories, etc.: cuttlebug swirl BG, pink brads, oval nests, pink satin ribbon

Cheers!

Here's another fun card using Flourishes latest release, Menswear. This time I wanted my card's focus to be on the beer steins. I coloured them in, cut them out, then added some liquid pearls as the frothy head of the beer. I mounted all that on some mustard paper that I had previously shimmered up with gold shimmer spray. I added LOADS of eyelets, and the Cheers sentiment to finish it up nicely.

Supplies:
Stamps: Menswear by Flourishes
Paper: Caramel, Mustard, Chocolate
Ink: Palette Noir, Chocolate Chip
Accessories, etc.: Liquid Pearls, eyelets, Copic markers, crop-a-dile

Number One

Here's a sneak peak at the new Flourishes release. It's called Menswear and contains a great collection of images and sentiments for the guy in your life. The shirt in this set works great for the paper piecing technique. I stamped this one on some SEI patterned paper, cut it out, included a little hanky in the pocket, and placed that on white paper. I placed my greeting on a few circle punch outs, and made the card a bit more interesting by throwing on some other patterned paper. I also thought an angled layout worked better with the images and patterns here.

Supplies:

Stamps: Menswear

Paper: SEI patterned paper, kraft paper, white

Ink: More Mustard, Versafine black

Accessories, etc.: circle punches, pop dots, wide vanilla grosgrain

Fuzzy Bunny

So I've had this white flocking powder since the summer and I rarely use it. I finally found the perfect use for it! This bunny and chick image from Flourishes Easter Bunnies was perfect for flocking. First I stamped the image with Palette Noir. I let it dry for a few minutes, then I coloured it in with Copics. This is important since the next step was to use white glue overtop. If I had used the waterbased markers, there might have been some colour running! Then I poured the flock over and patted it gently into the glue in some spots. I love the fuzzy look! Here's a close up of all the fuzzy cuteness!
Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Supplies:

Stamps: Easter Bunnies
Ink: Noir, Gable Green

Paper: White, Orchid Opulence, Gable Green

Accessories, etc.: Fun Flock, polka dot organdy, Copic markers

Easter Flowers

Just a pretty Easter card for this Saturday. This image is perfect for watercolouring, especially with the twinkling watercolours. They have such a beautiful and subtle shimmer to them.


Supplies:
Stamps: Damask BG, Easter Blessings (by Flourishes)
Ink: Versafine Black, Pink, Jet Black
Paper: Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink
Accessories, etc.: Twinkling h2os, oval nestabilities, pink EP

Love Birds

I really love this pair of birds from Flourishes' Love Nest. They are so sweet! For this card, I did a tiny bit of masking with the birds and the nest. These were coloured in with Copics. I figured Bluebirds would be the featured bird today. The cocoa background is stamped with a flourish from the Mardi Gras set. The patterned paper was taken from a 6x6 Basic Grey Perhaps paper pad. There's also a touch of stickles on the little hearts of the word Love.

Supplies:
Stamps: Love Nest, Mardi Gras by Flourishes
Ink: Palette Brown Umber, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Cocoa, Blue Ballet, White, Perhaps
Accessories, etc.: Copic markers, ballet grosgrain, pop dots, stickles

Simple Thinking of You

I've been seeing a lot of really quick cards using punches of circles or squares and patterned paper. I thought I'd make my own patterned paper using the Damask and Reverse Damask, as well as a sentiment from Open to Love. I didn't happen to have a square punch handy, but squares are quick cuts. I cut a long strip (1-3/8'' wide) and started stamping the background stamps on it, then trimming each colour to a 1-3/8'' square. I mounted the squares on some saffron paper, then added my sentiment. I also rounded the corners of the card base, just to add a little something extra to the card. This layout is SUPER quick, and can work for any theme.

Supplies:

Stamps: Damask, Reverse Damask, Open to Love

Ink: Brown, Moss Green (colorbox), Paprika (versafine), Elegant Eggplant (su!)

Paper: White, So Saffron

Accessories, etc.: corner rounder

In other news, make sure to check out Flourishes new Easter releases. There's a religious one here, and a fun bunny-themed one here .

Spring Swing Card

I have really been on a circle card kick lately. It's nice to change up the shape of your canvas now and then. For this card, I used the largest scalloped circle nestability die and cut out 2 circles. I lined them up and punched a 1/8th hole punch through one of the bumps. This is where I put the brad which also acts as the hinge. Next, I stamped a small floral scene using Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden. I added in a sentiment from Many Sentiments. The finishing touch was a small piece of knotted ribbon. I got this 5/8'' grosgrain from Michaels this weekend. It's American Crafts and was on sale (woot!). For the inside of the card, I adhered a small white circle waiting to be written on.

Supplies:

Stamps: Fantasy Floral Garden, Many Sentiments by Flourishes

Ink: Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery

Paper: Cool Caribbean, Prism Light Green, White

Accessories, etc.: American Crafts ribbon, brad, glue dot, nestabilities

Flourishes Fun for Monday

Monday is Jan Marie's birthday and she's throwing a party and giving out prizes.

Prizes include:

Xyron 900

Nestabilities-Standard Classic Circles

Nestabilities-Classic Scallop Circles-LGA

Pair of Fiskar scissors engraved with Flourishes,LLC

Various Flourishes stamp sets

Smaller gifts throughout the 24 hour period.

To win, upload any card or project made using Flourishes, llc. stamp sets using the keywords: fllcjanmariesbirthday

There will be a random drawing throughout the day and the big prize winners will be announced Tuesday. Join us in celebrating!

Here's a sweet and simple card I made for the occasion! I cuttled out a scalloped square frame from chipboard and coated it with embossing powder and put a dainty little cupcake inside the frame. The sentiment is also embossed. The card uses Sweet Treats and Many Sentiments

Let the Good Times Roll!

Well, today is Mardi Gras, so I thought it was best to post a card celebrating the holiday! I used Beate's weekend sketch as my starting point. I didn't end up with the exact proportions because I wanted to keep the masks in 2x2 squares. I stamped the masks, then coloured them in with gel pens (we all have them, and have for so long, it's time to start using them, lol!). Next, I wanted even more sparkle, so I inked the squares with versamark and then embossed Pearly Sparkle embossing powder over top. I found some metallic purple paper and rhinestone brads from my collection to go with the theme. The little white tag is polyshrink. I stamped "Let The Good Times Roll" on there, then shrunk it down and tied it one with some gold cord. This card is quite big, 8x4.25!

Supplies:

Stamps: Mardi Gras by Flourishes

Ink: Palette Noir, Garden Green

Paper: Metallic Purple, Lovely Lilac, White, Black, Garden Green

Accessories, etc.: gel pens, pearly sparkle EP, rhinestone brads, polyshrink, gold cord, pop dots

Caribbean Bayou?

This card started out because I really was in the mood to use some Cool Caribbean paper. I stamped the Harlequin background and used the row of flower accessories. I didn't want to cover too much of that background, so I went with a pretty basic layout. Some lovely flowers coloured in with a few Copics then outlined with a sparkly blue gel pen, and a scripted birthday greeting. I also outlined the flowers with a 10% grey marker. LOVE that effect!

Supplies:
Stamps: Fantasy Floral Garden, Harlequin & Accessories, Flourished Words all by Flourishes
Ink: Palette Noir, Not Quite Navy, Cool Caribbean
Paper: Cool Caribbean, Blue Bayou, White
Accessories, etc.: Copic markers, gel pen

Quick 3x3s

When you're not feeling ultra creative, these little 3x3 notes work out really well. I sketched out a few layouts that work on such a small scale, and thought that the crowns from the Mardi Gras would look great in this layout. I chose some Basic Grey papers first and matched my colours from there. For the first one, I used the new Two Scoops 6x6 pad, drawing out Regal Rose and Barely Banana. I also added a little bit of stickles to the crown.

For the second card, I used some paper from the Mellow 6x6 pad. I drew out the Cranberry Crisp from it. I thought about doing Mellow Moss as well, but I wanted to show more of the background since it wasn't as repetitive as the Two Scoops one.

Generally doing these small note cards is a great "warm-up" activity. Or if you're not feeling too creative, it's a little something that can be useful in the future. You never know when you want to add on a little note to a hostess gift, flowers, or something like that.

Supplies:

Stamps: Mardi Gras, Flourished Words

Inks: Regal Rose, Cranberry Crisp

Paper: Basic Grey (two scoops, mellow), Regal Rose, Barely Banana, Cranberry Crisp, White

Accessories, etc.: Fruit Punch stickles, pop dots, cranberry stitched grosgrain

Mardi Gras

How fun are these stamps from Flourishes? It's funny, a few years ago, my mom threw a Mardi Gras party and we couldn't find any mask stamps anywhere. I ended up designing my own mask (thankfully it was a pretty small party). But now, there are these available! The background stamp is also a new release.

For this card, I brought out a ton of glitter and shimmer. I coated the masked with glue, put on purple glitter, then outlined the mask and the feathers with gun metal Stickles. The mustard and eggplant are both sprayed with my glimmer mist concoction (pearl ex + hairspray). I made the word strip and frame using Jan's method seen here. I cut my paper to 3/4'' and used the 1'' circle punch. The card really sparkles in real life. Of course most of those details are lost with photography, but it's quite pretty. Here's a close up of the feathers. Here you can see all the stickles on the feather, as well as the shimmer on the eggplant and mustard.

Supplies:

Stamps: Mardi Gras, Harlequin & Accessories

Ink: Palette Noir, Lovely Lilac, Handsome Hunter, More Mustard

Paper: White, Eggplant, Mustard, Hunter

Accessories, etc.: Purple glitter, 1'' circle punch, copper brad, gun metal Stickles, shimmer spray