Scrapnextras

A Canadian Source for Flourishes stamps!!!!

I'm so excited to share this news with my fellow Canadians!  Flourishes' beautiful stamps are now available in Canada, at Scrapbookersparadise.com!  I work at the Red Deer store and we are expecting them in late next week, and ironically I will be on vacation in Mexico.  I wonder if there will be any left when I return?

Scrapbooker's Paradise has four stores; one in Red Deer and Lethbridge and two in Calgary, and they also have a huge on line store at www.scrapbookersparadise.com, with new CHA stuff arriving weekly.  You'll find their selection of Flourishes' stamps here.

I have to keep this short; we fly out tomorrow and I really should be in bed, but at the last minute, I decided it was my duty to share this with my Canadian readers!  You've waited long enough!

Be sure to tell them Laura sent you! www.scrapbookersparadise.com

Adios!  See you next week!

Eat Cake Through the Decades Blog Hop!

  
Happy Birthday Jan Marie!  I know it's the start of yet another fabulous year and Flourishes design team is celebrating the occasion with a Birthday Blog Hop and a mini release of Let them Eat Cake! 

 
Welcome to Flourishes first-ever Birthday Blog Hop Celebration. Jan Marie, the owner of Flourishes is turning another year older and we thought we'd celebrate! Not just with a party and blog hop, but a special stamp set in honor of her day!Let Them Eat Cake was designed by artist Becky Fleck with a Marie Antoinette flair and, just in case you wondered, it's available now HERE in the Flourishes Store!

So, let's start our 'Hopping through the Decades' celebration! When you think back over the last 60 plus years, what comes to mind? Those bell bottoms from the 70’s? How about those poodle skirts and ice cream shops of the 50’s?  Blu Ray discs  of the 2000’s, or Disco from the 80’s? We thought it would be fun to challenge our Senior Design Team and Friends of Flourishes team to pick a decade and using our new Let Them Eat Cake set, be inspired in some way by that era!

Want to win our new set? All you have to do is hop on through our celebration and leave a comment on all 14 of our designers' post this Thursday and Friday. Once you have left a comment on all 14, you just need to leave a comment saying, "I hopped through the decades with Jan Marie!" We will then randomly draw 2 names on Saturday at 12 pm CST from all those who participated. The winners will receive the Let them Eat Cake stamp set along with some other goodies!

It's the year 2010; 10 years into the new millenium, and my card is celebrating the fun fashion trends we can expect to see this year.  I started by Googling "2010 Fashion trends" and came across the blog Fashionising.com.  It breaks down fashion into categories I had never thought of, but when I saw this collage of trends and then the funky pink head band as you scroll down, I realized I was never going to be in style.  But my card will be!

I love black and pink, and decided on kraft as my neutral.  I'm not sure if bling will continue to be a fashion trend, but it will always be in style in my books, so I loaded up on it!  The Fleur de lis border punch fit so well with the flourishy design of the cake, that I had to go for it!  I added some pink ribbon on the border and of course I had to tie it around the focal panel, because that's the trend!

I hope you have enjoyed our trip through the decades.  You're almost at the end of the hop!  Silke is your final stop and you know she'll finish it in style!

Happy Birthday Jan Marie!  Thank you for all your support, encouragement and generosity!  Wishing you the happiest of days, and a year filled with health, joy and friendship!

Roses Always and Flourishes in PaperCrafts!

 
OK...I have my post, but I also wanted to share some of Flourishes excitement.  So stay tuned at the end of my post for how you might win a Peaches and Cherries set from Flourishes and PaperCrafts Stamp It magazine!

I started by creating a card based on Friday's Limited Supply challenge to used ribbons and border punches.  So I had it done, but you know how it goes...I had yet another idea on how the same idea might work.  So I got to work on it, and pretty soon it was bedtime (the challenge is posted late Thursday evening), so I packed it in, and dreampt of even more ideas.  Before you know it I had a set of four cards, and here they are!

I love the rose from I Love Roses.  It's so beautifully drawn that it looks fabulous coloured or not.  This time I decided not to colour it.  This was the card I made for the challenge. I used SU!'s Night and Day DP, Versafine Onyx Black and added a ribbon slide and red pearls to embellish.  I stamped the sentiment in Riding Hood Red to add that fabulous contrast.

I liked it, but I had yet another idea I wanted to try, so this is what happened next.  I always admire Silke's white cards, and I thought I would try white on white.  Of course, it always looks good when she does it, but when I put this card together, it didn't seem to work without the black.  I also added some red velvet ribbon and more red pearls, and then I thought of another way I could do it...without the black!

This is my interpretation of the card without black.  It's actually a one layer card.  I drew the red border with a red marker, and masked it off to stamp the roses inside.   A couple of pearls and it was done.

Finally, I remembered the challenge I started with and decided to give it one more shot with border punches and ribbon.  This card is very reminisce of Dawn McVey's style.  Although I didn't case any specific card, I love her style and I know this was heavily influenced by it.  I reached for SU!'s Night and Day DP again and I used a couple of border punches, some satin ribbon and more pearls. 

Well, I have to say I love this set of cards.  I have no idea how I might use them but then most of my cards have no specific recipient in mind...it's the creative process that makes me do it!

OK, I promised to share with you how you could win the Peaches and Cherries set from Flourishes and PaperCrafts!

If you've picked up Paper Crafts' new Stamp It Cards issue, you might have spotted a few Flourishes beauties on the pages inside! Former Friends of Flourishes team member Kimberly Crawford has two gorgeous creations using our Cherries and Peaches set as well as our Life, Love and Lemons set (Pages 17 & 19)! To celebrate the new issue, the magazine is shining the spotlight on some of their contributors. Today it's Kimberly's turn! Head on over to Paper Crafts Connection to see her fabulous creation and you'll have a shot at winning one of the three Cherries and Peaches stamp sets they are giving away!

http://papercraftsc onnection. com/

Recipe:  Stamps: I Love Roses (Flourishes) Paper: Flourishes Classic White, Basic Black, Night and Day DP (SU)  Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Riding Hood Red  Accessories: Versafine Onyx Black, Riding Hood Red, Scallop border punch, MS border punch, red velvet ribbon, red satin ribbon, black/silver satin ribbon pop dots, labels 4 Nestability, heart slide

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #57....X2!

 
Sweet Sunday it is!  I hope you're up for a double feature, because I loved Karen's sketch this week so much, that I made two!  It's funny, because the design team had quite a discussion on this sketch, but I think the consensus ended up in it's favor!  We'll have to do a little blog hopping just to see what they came up with!

So here's the sketch.  I think it was quite fun to work with...I love circles, layers and all these panels...ah well, the cogs and wheels in my brain were just whirring with all the possibilities!  I only had time for two, but if I can squeeze in some time, I would love to try three and four!

I decided I need to ink up some of the stamps I continue to buy.  Sheesh, like I don't have enough already, that I need more.  But they call me.  Loudly, sometimes in my sleep, and always on pay day LOL!  So my first uses a little set by American Crafts called Sentiments.  I pulled out some scraps of Urban Prairie DP by Basic Grey, and fit it all together like this!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Sentiments (American Crafts)  Paper:  Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Urban Prairie DP (Basic Grey)  Ink:  Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, Versafine Onyx Black  Accessories:  Swiss Dots embossing folder, Circle/Scallop circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Rose Red ribbon, piercing tool, embroidery floss, pop dots 

Now while working with Urban Prairie I was reminded of the colours in Stampin' Up!'s first 6x6 pad, called Prints.  Oh, I remember just loving that paper, the colours and designs were divine.  Honestly, I hardly ever pull it out now, and while I used the better part of one pad, I have a full one sitting here, that I have never cut into.  So I figured it was about time they saw the light of day again, and I sent them all into action.

The butterfly is from a Basic Grey stamp set...and don't you think it's like the perfect match for the paper?  I thought I would try to make a daisy flower out of SU!'s 5 petal punch to match the daisy design, but I think it's more of a dahlia...don'tcha think?  The sentiment is Curvy Verses by SU!, and so is the ribbon.  It's long retired, but it was a perfect match for that paper pack!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Basic Grey (?), Curvy Verses (SU!), Paper:  Whisper White, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Prints DP  Ink:  Almost Amethyst, Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories:  Circle/Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), 5 Petal punch, ribbon, buttons (SU), pop dots, pop up glue dots

OK, let's go see what the rest of the design team did this week!  I really can't wait after all the chatter we had!

Jennifer Tapler
Nancy Riley

Karen Motz

Lynn Put

Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale

and of course Karen

I'm back tomorrow with another set of cards!  Not a sketch set, but fun anyway!  Thanks for dropping by today, and I hope you make your way back tomorrow!  Have a Sweet Sunday!!

 

 

Two more with Distress Inks and something Special for You!

 
I'm sharing the last two cards I made while playing with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  These are both more traditionally distressed.  No special technique, just a little sponging and paper distressing.  We won't be creating either of these cards in my Make and Take tomorrow, but it's always nice to see other ways to use the product.

Speaking of tomorrow's Make and Take, all participants recieve an envelope with a discount coupon for your shopping that day (Thursday, Feb 18).  If you tell me the name of my blog when you come in tomorrow, you'll get an extra 5% discount on top of the coupon you draw!  How cool is that?

Now, on to my cards.  I did both masculine and feminine, just to show how versatile these inks are, and that distressing isn't limited.  Now, my regular readers know that distressing stresses me out.  I just find it hard to dirty up perfectly good paper, and sponging has never been my strong point.  But I will say, sponging is much easier with the Distress Inks.  They are wetter when they go on, and since they don't dry immediately on contact, the motion of sponging will help "smear" them, and you get a soft edge without a lot of effort.  The inks are softer in colour than many inks and minor mistakes soften so they aren't as noticeable.

For my first card I used Inkadinkado's "Flourishes", and the sentiment is from Hampton Art's Footlong set "Thank You".

I softened all the edges of the card including the Marrakech designer paper by sponging Antique Linen.  I use Tsukineko's Ink Sweeper.  I like the size and control it gives and I find the denser sponge makes for a softer edge. 

I also swiped the ink pad across the designer paper giving it and aged, water stained look.  The scrunchy flower was cut using Spellbinder scallop circles in 3 different sizes (6 layers total) and is secured with a fabric button. 

The owl and flourishes were stamped with Broken China, and a few tiny gems were added to the eyes and sentiment.

I really like the soft feminine feel of this one.

Recipe:  Stamps:  Flourishes (Inkadinkado), Thank You (Hampton Arts foot long)  Paper:   Simply Smooth Vanilla, blue, Marrakech dp by Basic Grey  Ink:  Broken China, Antique Linen (Tim Holtz Distress Inks)  Accessories: Tsukinkeko's Ink Sweeper,  Circle/Scallop Circle Spellbinders, fabric button (MM), gems (Hero Arts), satin ribbon (?)

  My second card is a little more masculine with warmer tones.  I chose Hero Arts "Scattered Leaves".  The leaves were stamped in Vintage Photo and Shabby Shutters, then the paper was crinkled and sponged around the edges and along the "wrinkles".  It was edged with EK's binder punch and the sentiment tied around it with hemp twine.

I pierced along the left side, drawing in faux stitching randomly to mimic a "thread bare" look.  The designer paper border is from Basic Grey's "Origins", and a few buttons finish it off.

Now that I have discovered the ease of sponging with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, I think I will use the technique more often.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow at the Make and Take at Scrapbooker's Paradise.  It runs from 11:00 - 3:00, and tell me the name of my blog (Scrapnextras), and you'll get a bonus 5% discount!

That's it for me today!  Make yours amazing, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Recipe:  Stamps: Scattered Leaves (Hero Arts), Greeting Vase (MSE)  Paper:  Simply Smooth Vanilla, brown Bazzill, Origins DP by Basic Grey  Ink:  Shabby Shutters, Vintage Photo  Accessories: Tsukineko's Ink Sweeper, Spellbinders Tag Trio dies,EK binder border punch, pop dots, paper piercer

More with Distress Inks

 
I've got another card using Tim Holtz Distress Inks!  I love the way it turned out, and honestly, it's a 10 minute card.  10 minutes to reproduce...I played with the Distress Inks a lot, and while my creative process is much longer than 10 minutes, it's really very simple!

I used exactly the same sets as I did on my card yesterday.  Botanicals by Hot of the Press and Happy Birthday sayings by Cloud 9 Design.  I used the same Wrinkle Free Distress technique, and the same colours, Broken China and Shabby Shutters, only this time the colours were more vibrant.

I made a long card, measuring 6" x 3 1/2", and added a top and bottom border with Fiskar's Apron Lace Punch.  The sentiment and floral silhouette were stamped in Black Soot and embossed in clear.

I thought I would also mention, that Tim Holtz Distress Inks are not Alcohol Inks.  They are very different.  Distress Inks are a water based Dye ink.  They are "wetter"...and by wetter, I mean water wet, as opposed to tacky wet that pigment inks are.  This wetness allows you to achieve different results...such as embossing with a dye ink.  It also makes sponging a breeze, as they don't dry immediately on contact, so as you sponge to distress, you get a nice soft even edge.  I'll have another card for you tomorrow that shows this better.  Their wetness also allows them to soak into any wrinkles more so than regular dye inks, and this can be further accentutated by spritzing water on your creation to "promote" the effect.  And yes,  you can stamp with them, just like a regular dye based ink!

I love this card...it's so simple and elegant, and the vibrancy of the background is beautiful!  This along with all the cards I made with Distress Inks will be on display at Scrapbooker's Paradise, Red Deer, so you are welcome to drop by and see them in person!

OK, I'm off to get some errands done.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Botanicals (HOTP), Happy Birthday (Cloud 9 Design) , Ink:  Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Black Soot (Tim Holtz Distress Inks)  Accessories:  Clear embossing powder, pop dots,Apron Lace (Punch Fiskars)

Make and Takes at Scrapbooker's Paradise, Red Deer

 
It's my week for Make and Takes at Scrapbooker's Paradise where I work part time.  So when I saw the Clean and Simple Challenge on SCS to "Think of Spring", I thought I could combine them and come up with an idea.  If you were here in Red Deer with me, you would certainly believe that spring is on it's way.  We're a few degrees above 0 (35F) and the sun is shining brightly.  Great day to try a spring card!

Our Featured Product at the store is Tim Holtz Distress Inks, so I wanted to design the card to show a few of the properties of distress inks, and I quite like the way it turned out.

I picked up Botanicals by Hot off the Press, along with Cloud Nine's "Happy Birthday set".  I am a sentiment and quote junkie, and I love fabulous quotes!  I did the wrinkle free distress technique that produces a fabulous watercolour background using Broken China and Shabby Shutters.  Then randomly stamped on the card base and the focal panel in Shabby Shutters.  Lastly, I embossed the quote using Black Soot distress ink and clear embossing powder.

I popped up the focal panel then pierced around it to create a frame, and to finish it off I added some Basic Grey "Lemonade" buttons.

Now I can't say this will be the exact card we will be making.  It will depend on what suppies are available in our little cupboard, but if you're just a little curious about Distress Inks, then join me to learn about their unique properties and see for yourself what makes them such a fun and versatile ink.  

Make and Takes with Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Where:  Scrapbooker's Paradise, Red Deer, AB
When:  Thursday, February 18
Time:  11:00am - 3:00pm
What to bring.....Nothing!  Just bring yourself, and let me know if you read about it here!!

I did a lot of playing this weekend, so I have more to show you, but I'm gonna make you wait until tomorrow, because I have to get supper started.  I hope you can make it.  Until then have a wonderful day and thanks for popping by!

Stamps:  Botanicals (HOTP), Happy Birthday (Cloud 9 Design)  Paper:  vanilla and green (Bazzill?) Ink: Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Black Soot  (Ranger Distress Inks), Accessories: Paper Piercer, pop dots, buttons (Basic Grey Lemonade)

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #56

 
Happy Sweet Sunday!  Gotta another sketch for you...and I gotta tell you , I just love my card today.  I decided to work with Basic Grey's "Wisteria", a paper pack that I bought thinking I would love it all, as I do with most of Basic Grey's papers.  Except, I really ended up liking only a few of the designs.  So it sat.  I'm not much for pastels.  You know me, I love it bright, bold and beautiful, so frankly, Wisteria sat unloved for way too long.  Today, I decided I needed to make it work for me, and I worked my card backwards. 

I started by building the sketch first.  I love this sketch...lots of layers to work with! 

I picked two of the designs in the Wisteria paper pack and coordinated them with some Prism card stock.  When I had the card built, I was left to decide the stamp.   Damask has been on my mind for a few days now, so I pulled out a single by Inkadinkadoo that I picked up on clearance.  I stamped it in Almost Amethyst and then I decided to punch out some scallops with the scraps and added one of those layered flowers I've been seeing everywhere in blogland.

Gosh, I definitely want to start working backwards more...I usually pick my stamp first and then go wandering with it...for days LOL!

The Sweet Sunday Stampers all have some eye candy for you, with their take on the sketch. so grab a quick coffee and let's go say hi!

Jennifer Tapler
Nancy Riley

Karen Motz

Lynn Put

Vicki Burdick
Sarah-Jane Kale

and of course Karen

You are always invited to give it a shot, but don't forget to link it up to Karen's post so we can all have a peek!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  Have a fabulous day and do something you love!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Damask (Inkadinkadoo), Sentiment (SU)  Paper:  Very Vanilla (SU), Twilight Light , Herbal Garden Light (Prism), Wisteria DP (Basic Grey)  Ink:  Almost Amethyst, Versafine Onyx Black  Accessories:  pearls (Recollections), circle/scallop circle Nestabilites (Spellbinders), pop dots, scallop circle punch (SU), Wisteria button (Basic Grey), hemp thread (SU)

Flourishes Release! The sets are in the store!

 
Well, we're all partied out, and Flourishes store is now open! All four of the new Flourishes sets we previewed this week are available now, and for a limited time, you can save 10% when you purchase them all as a New Release Bundle!!

Here they are along with some of the cards I shared at the release party!

 

From the Garden Let's Have Tea Tea Rose Background

Irish Blessings

 

 

Well, that's it for me tonight.  I plan on relaxing by playing with all these fabulous stamps!  Thanks so much for joining me over the past few days.  I have really enjoyed sharing these previews with you!

 

Happy Shopping and have a wonderful weekend!

Flourishes Release Preview Day 3; Irish Blessings

 
It's release day at Flourishes, and tonight after the release party, all four sets will be available for sale!  Today, we are Celebrating Good fortune with Irish Blessings.  Oddly enough, because I'm not Irish at all, I found this set to be the most fun to work with.  The images are drawn by Flourishes, Marcella Hawley, and they are unique and whimsical while being elegant and pure fun to work with.

I kept it fairly simple, working with the whimsical clover frames which I coloured with Copics and added a few highlights with a gel pen.  I love the book look of the Labels 7 nesties, and I lightly sponged the paper before removing the die.

Now if I can draw your attention to the bow.  Ahem...that is a hand tied bow.  No bow easy to help me, and I am so astonished at how perfect I got it.  I made sure my banner preview had a nice close up of it!  The rest of Flourishes design team ties beautiful bows, so I have been trying to keep up, and this time I think I got it!  I sure love that bow! (you can click on the picture for a life size view of the bow...and the rest of the card LOL!)

You definitely want to see the rest of this set...and as luck has it, the design team has a fabulous line up of creations to share with you!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

If you would like to win this set, leave a little love on this post on Flourishes blog!  And if you'd like to win them all, you have until 5:00pm to get your pre-release challenge card uploaded or linked.  One lucky winner of the pre-release challenge will win the entire release!  You'll find all the details to play here.

The release party starts at 9:00pm Central in Flourishes Member forum on SCS.  We will be revealing all four sets, and you'll see more samples as well as games, prizes and lots of chat!  I'll be there and I hope you will be too!

Happy Friday...and thanks for stopping by!

Recipe: Stamps: Irish Blessings (Flourishes)  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White, Always Artichoke, Always Artichoke Patterns DP (SU)  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories:  Inkssentials White gel pen, Labels 7 Nestability (Spellbinders), Copic Markers, sponge, button, embroidery floss, pop dots, ribbon (SU)