Thank You

Sometimes it's nice to just have a flat, simple, clean design. I rarely do it, as I love adding layers and embellishments, and all sorts of stuff to my cards. Today I felt like just coloring. So I pulled out my Copics and my Prismacolors, and combined the two on this CAS design.

My images are from Flourishes' Dahlias set. I stamped on Ultrasmooth White CS with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and then colored in using a combination of Copics and Prismacolor pencils. I scored three lines across the top and one along the bottom for some simple dimension. Layers are adhered using ISP Red Line Tape.
I love how this turned out!

 

Deconstructed Sketch #134

It's Thursday and that means a new sketch

at The Deconstructed Sketch!  

My card today uses Flourishes' Dahlias
~ available at i {heart} papers! ~

My image and sentiment are stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black ink on Ultrasmooth White CS and then embossed with Clear EP and colored with alcohol markers. The sweet papers are from MME's Memorable 6x6 designer paper pad. I added some pearls for embellishments.  Zva Dimensionals and ISP Red-Line Tape hold everything together. 

Linked supplies available at i {heart} papers! 

 
To play along, here’s the scoop on what you need to do:

1. Use the sketch up top to make a project, any kind you like using any image you like. Use the sketch to inspire your own creativity. Feel free to substitute shapes for what you have available and mount tags and circles to a card base if you’d prefer.

2. Post it somewhere on the internet (your blog, SCS, Flickr, etc). Use keyword DS134 if you post to an online gallery like Splitcoaststampers.

3. Link back here to Inlinkz at the bottom of the post HERE.

4. Be sure to stop back by net week to see if you are one of the featured projects!

Be sure to check out the rest of the fun inspiration from my teamies!

• Arielle Gordon
• Cresta Woodruff
• Jen Shults
• Joni Wilson 
• Judy Rozema - me!
• Kadie Ensley
• Kim O’Connell
• Lori Boyd
• Sheri Gilson
• Tangii Crain
• Tracey Pickersgill

 

It's All Downhill From Here!

It's Thursday and that means a new sketch

at The Deconstructed Sketch!

Here is this week's sketch #130!

 My card today uses Flourishes' Snow Day ~ available at i {heart} papers!

 I stamped on Ultrasmooth White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then cut with out with a Spellbinders die. The sentiment is also stamped in Tuxedo Black. I colored in my image with Copic markers. Chunky glitter for my icy ground was perfect! I tied an organdy ribbon around the edge and added a few little Rhinestones for sparkle. Zva Dimensionals and 1/4" Scor-Tape hold everything together. Linked supplies available at i {heart} papers! 

To play along, here’s the scoop on what you need to do:

1. Use the sketch up top to make a project, any kind you like using any image you like. Use the sketch to inspire your own creativity. Feel free to substitute shapes for what you have available and mount tags and circles to a card base if you’d prefer.

2. Post it somewhere on the internet (your blog, SCS, Flickr, etc). Use keyword DS130 if you post to an online gallery like Splitcoaststampers.

3. Link back here to Inlinkz at the bottom of the post HERE.

4. Be sure to stop back by net week to see if you are one of the featured projects!

Be sure to check out the rest of the fun inspiration 
from my teamies!

• Arielle Gordon
• Cresta Woodruff
• Dawn Easton
• Jen Shults
• Joni Wilson 
• Judy Rozema - me!
• Kadie Ensley
• Kim O’Connell
• Lori Boyd
• Sheri Gilson
• Tracey Pickersgill

I chose my colors from this week's Color Throwdown 272!

A little purple mug and on the boots, and a heart and tiny sled pull of green ;)

 

It's a Birthday Hop with Flourishes!

Today is a special day for the Flourishes Family to celebrate our Birthday Girl - Julie Koerber! And Julie is definitely worth celebrating!  She's the right hand on so many levels of what's beautiful about Flourishes, and we're so grateful for her and blessed to also call this lovely lady friend. You can read all about Julie's "Princess" status at the Flourishes blog :)

We invite you to hop along today with many of our Flourishes Family to see our pretty Princess and Birthday inspiration, and join in on our wishes for Julie! 

My sentiment is from Flourishes' In And Out You stamp set. I used distress ink on all my cardstock and designer paper edges.  A princess has to have a frame for her mirror to look in, and pearls and jewels (Kaisercraft Latte Pearls and Jenny Bowlin stick pins) to wear. :)
Thanks for taking a peek!

Comment along the way and you could be entered to win any Birthday set of your choice from the Flourishes Store!  Winners will be chosen and announced on Saturday November 23rd on the Flourishes Blog.

I also want to send birthday wishes to my sweet friend, Tosha Leyendekker, who is hopping along with us, as it is her birthday too! Happy Koalas, Tosh! What a great celebration for both Julie and Tosha! Tosha's blog is listed below, so be sure to stop by and wish her a happy day! And don't forgot to drop by Julie's place to send her your Happy Birthday wishes too!

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Heather Jensen

Silke Ledlow

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Cheryl Lea

Deborah Anton

Jenny Gropp

Judy Rozema (me!)

Katie Sims

Aleksandra Mihelič

Kathy Jones

Meredith MacRitchie

Naomi Gong

Stamps: In And Out You (Flourishes) 
Paper: Lost & Found DP (MME), Poptone Whipped Cream CS
Ink: Rose Red (SU!), Victorian Velvet Distress (TH)
Accessories: bird punch (MS), crinkled Rose Petal seam binding (RRR), label punch, frame, silk flowers, stick pins (Jenni Bowlin), Kaiser Latte Pearls

A Winter Scene for Timeless Tuesday

 

This week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge #247 is brought to us by Hostess Deborah:

Oh my goodness, 2013 is flying and December is almost here! Hard to believe. I suppose it would be more believable to me if we had typical Nebraska weather right now. But it is unseasonably warm. Unfortunately, I am sure winter is coming (I am a summer girl)!

 

I used one of my favorite winter sets - images from Flourishes' Snow Day. I stamped them on white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored in a bit with Copic markers. 

I added Clear and Pink Spica Glitter pen to the pom poms and laces.

The cute mini pom pom trim is perfect since the skates have pom poms too!

Be sure to check out what my team mates have created because they do amazing work! And come play along!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema -- me!
• Katie Sims
• Connie MacFarlane, our November Guest Designer

Stamps: Snow Day (Flourishes)

Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics C1, C3, C5, R81, R83, Clear/Pink Spica Glitter

Accessories: chipboard glitter snowflakes (WM), pink rhinestone gems (Studio G), Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders dies, white pom pom trim (Really Reasonable Ribbon)

Timeless Tuesday #246

 

This week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge #246 is brought to us by Hostess Allison:

 Aren't they fabulous?
I chose the second sketch and Autumn Blessings for my card today. 

I stamped my wheat with VersaFine Sepia on Classic Ivory cardstock and then embossed with Clear powder. I colored in the bow with a Copic marker (BG72) and then tied some twine around the middle. It is layered on to the Victorian Ovals large die. 

My sentiment is also stamped with Sepia and then cut out using a Spellbinders banner die. I added a button and twine for embellishment. My designer paper is by Authentique.

I hand cut my wheat but there is a fabulous SVG file available if you have the right machine!

Be sure to check out what my team mates have created because they do amazing work! And come play along!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema -- me!
• Katie Sims
• Connie MacFarlane, our November Guest Designer

Other challenges for this card: 
Going Grey With Scrap-Creations - Give Thanks 
Party Time Tuesdays - Use Twine Or Hemp 
Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Holidays & Celebrations (Thanksgiving)
Tuesday Throwdown - Gratitude

Timeless Tuesday #245 - Gratitude

 

This week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge #245 is brought to us by Hostess Cheryl:

I cut my "negative" frame using a Spellbinders Labels Seventeen die and used Walnut Grove 6x6 paper as my designer paper. My images are from Dreaming of Florence. I stamped my sentiment in Palette Noir ink and colored in the scene using Copic markers. A pretty ribbon and bow, some lace trim, and a fancy brad, and my autumn greeting is ready to send.

Be sure to check out what my team mates have created because they do amazing work!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema -- me!
• Katie Sims
• Connie MacFarlane, our November Guest Designer

Other challenges:
Crafty Boots - Autumn 
MarkerPOP Challenge - Anything Goes with markers 
Victorine Originals - Fall or Thanksgiving 
Make My Monday - Autumn Flowers
 
Stamps: Dreaming of Florence by Flourishes (available at i {heart} papers)
Paper: Pebbles' Walnut Grove DP, Mellow Moss,
Paper Size: A2
Ink: Palette Noir, oodles of Copics
Accessories: lace trim and satin ribbon (RRR), Spellbinders Labels Seventeen, brad (The Paper Studio), Marcy corner punch

Timeless Tuesday #244

 

This week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge brought to us by Hostess Katie is to…

 

My images are from one of my favorite sets, Flourishes' Pinwheels & Popsicles. Sunday was a beautiful day - perfect for ice cream and this card. Today, it is quite a bit colder, so I will have to make another plaid card for tomorrow since I think it is finally going to be moving on to winter here soon.

I stamped my cone Kraft cardstock, and then colored in with Prismacolor pencils. I added a little Spica Glitter pen to the cherry (Red) and cone (Chocolate) hash marks.

Be sure to check out what my team mates have created! Today we are saying goodbye to the very talented and sweet Broni. She will be missed on our team!

• Allison Cope
• Broni Holcombe
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema -- me!
• Katie Sims
• Angel Rivera - Our October Guest Designer!

Stamps: Pinwheels & Popsicles
Paper: Kraft, MME DP
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Spica Glitter Pens
Accessories: Kraft bag, Cotton Candy Baker's Twine, Pink Chevron Ribbon (RRR), pink brads


 

Timeless Tuesday #239 - Pointilism

This week’s Timeless Tuesday challenge brought to us by Hostess Allison is to…

Create a card or project using DOTS to color your back ground and/or part of your image.  This technique is known as POINTILLISM  (FTTC239).

I love this technique and used it to color my image as well as my background.

 

My images are from Flourishes' Love Notes. I stamped the guitar with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored in with my Copics using all dots. I left it a little open and not so blended to match the theme of the card. 

I added Light Blue Chevron Twill ribbon and an embossed button with blue twine to add some color.  Not many other frills, as I wanted this to be more on the masculine side.

Read all about our challenge and find a tutorial on pointillism HERE. Take a moment a leave a comment on the Friends of Flourishes Team member blogs and our guest designer for September…

• Allison Cope 
• Broni Holcombe
• Cheryl Lea
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Judy Rozema (me!)
• Kathy Roney, our September guest designer

Other challenges:
Cards For Men - must be masculine - String or Twine 
Ooh La La Creations - Cards for Men
 

Stamps: Love Notes (available at i {heart} papers)
Ink: Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Glitz DP, Poptone Sweet Tooth, SU! Basic Black
Accessories: Light Blue Chevron Twill, SB dies, button (Buttons Galore), twine

Timeless Tuesday #238 - Let It Shine!

It's Tuesday and that means a new Friends of Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge. This week Cheryl is our hostess and she is challenging us to “Let It Shine”!

Just incorporate a light source in your card: …a candle, lamp, lighthouse, fire, the sun…  
—anything, as long as you “Let It Shine!“.

(FTTC238)

I chose the lantern and matching sentiment from S'more Fun. I stamped with VersaMark ink and embossed with Clear embossing powder. I then used Copic markers from the collections below to color my image. The cloud background is from a handcut stencil and is sponged with Bashful Blue ink. 

Read all about how to join the Timeless Tuesday challenge HERE. The rest of the team has some beautiful creations to show off, so please visit their blogs too!

Allison Cope

Broni Holcombe

Cheryl Lea

Deborah Anton

Jenny Gropp

Judy Rozema - me!

Kathy Roney  Our September Guest Designer

 

A Little Leaf and A Lot of Fun

On Monday I hosted the Splitcoaststampers Technique Challenge. I challenged stampers to use real leaves on their projects - no leaf stamps allowed. What a beautiful gallery of different types of leaves. You should check it out and then play along!

There is no "one" way to stamp with leaves. You can use a brayer, or your hands, or run it through a machine, or use a rolling pin!

I chose one leaf from the elm tree in my back yard. I pressed it into my inks and then again brayered it with Banana ink, then Pumpkin, then Artichoke, all without cleaning the brayer in between. The sentiment was stamped in Pumpkin and was such an appropriate saying for me, as I am made a life changing decision this week, and will gain the great! Keep reading.

I have been teaching music for over 30 years, with the last 12 being where I live now, in an elementary school. This week I took a leave of absence from that job so that I could care for my mother, who has become critically ill. We are sharing some wonderful times and I am so blessed that I am able to do this. It will be a challenge in many ways, but a blessing to us both. "Gain the great."
I have also stepped down from some design teams that I love, but felt the need to free up some time right now. I will continue to post and make cards, as it is a wonderful, creative outlet that I need and love!

Come play along in the Leaf Stamping Technique Challenge! Only real leaves this week!

Deconstructed Sketch 117

It's Thursday and that means a new sketch

at The Deconstructed Sketch!

Here is this week's sketch #117!

I chose Just My Type by Fresh Squeezed Stamps and Echo Park's Sweet Girl designer paper for my card today. Both are available at i {heart} papers.

I stamped my sentiment with Memento's Rose Bud ink and embossed the designer paper mat with Lifestyle Craft's Zig Zag embossing folder. My layers are held together with Sticky Thumb adhesive and Scor-Tape.

Be sure to have a visit at my teammates' blogs too! We are welcoming Kim to the team this week! To play along, link up HERE.

• Amber Hight
• Arielle Gordon
• Cresta Woodruff
• Dawn Easton
• Jen Shults
• Joni Wilson (out this week)
• Judy Rozema (me!)
• Kadie Ensley
• Kim O’Connell
• Lori Boyd
• Sheri Gilson
• Tobi Crawford
• Tracey Pickersgill