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Flourishes Floral Calendar...Finally!

I finally finished my calendar!!  I am thrilled with the way it turned out.  I encountered a few "production" issues that made me detour half way through the project, but I think it was for the better.  I had intended on adhering each page to the chipboard page that came with the calendar stand, but I was about half through, when I realized that the bulk of the layers, ribbon and pearls made that idea rather cumbersome.  Honestly, the calendar looked like a rolodex it was so "fat" LOL!  I ended up removing the pages I had already adhered and just sticking with the paper page.  Really, Flourishes Classic White is such a nice sturdy cardstock that it is just fine.  It still fans, but at least you can tell which month it is open to!

So here they are, really quickly.  I used paper from just about every Basic Grey paper pack I have.  The months don't match the months from the set, but that's OK.  I chose them to match the colour of the printing on the calendar page, since I wasn't using the month/flower word stamps, I just worked with the colour the month was printed on the calendar.  You can click on each photo to enlarge it.

 

 

 

 

Now I realize that I didn't photograph January's, which has the crocus image on it.  Oh well.  I will try to get that this evening.  Right now I'm off to do some Christmas shopping.  Oh and speaking of shopping, Flourishes Bundle special ends tomorrow!  So don't delay that purchase any longer.  You'll get all three sets, plus the calendar download is free with the bundle purchase.  This is really a fabulous set, and you'll be seeing a card from me on Friday...so these gorgeous flowers are definitely not just for calendars!

Have a fabulous day and thanks so much for dropping in!  I love it when you do!

Flourishes Preview; A Year of Flowers Calendar set 3

  
Happy Flourishes Friday!  We are almost at release time, and today we are previewing the third set in Flourishes "A Year of Flowers" Calendar set.  All the sets and the calendar download will be available in Flourishes store tonight at 10:00 Central, right after the release party!  I hope you plan on being there for the games and prizes, and of course the full reveal of all three sets!  Here's my sample for the third set.

 

Today, I'm fast forwarding to November, 2010!  I chose to showcase the gorgeous chrysanthemums from Set 3, pairing them with Basic Grey's "Indian Summer" designer paper.  The bouquet was coloured with Copic markers, and sponged with a little Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango.  I used EK's postage border punch and some black grosgrain ribbon to finish.  So simple!  Here's a close up of the image.

There's more of this set to soak up, and the rest of Flourishes Design Team has some fabulous creations to show it off!  Pop in for a quick visit at their blogs for a fabulous treat!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

I know you're anxious to win this set, so leave a comment on this post on Flourishes blog, and you'll be entered to win!  The time to get your Floral Finesse challenge card posted is closing in!  Make sure you have it posted and/or linked by 5:00pm Eastern for your chance to win all three sets! 

I'll be at Flourishes Power Hour release party tonight!  Will you?  I hope you'll join us in Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast Stampers, 9:00pm Central for fun, games, prizes and of course the full reveal before the shopping starts!  It's the fastest hour of the month...guaranteed!

Have a fabulous day, and your visit is much appreciated!  I love that you've taken a minute of your day to visit!  Make it an amazing day, and I look forward to seeing you this evening!

Flourishes Preview: Year of Flowers Calendar Set 2

  
We're back today with previews of the second set in Flourishes Year of Flowers Calendar set.  Oh my these are beautiful images to work with.  I have 2 versions of a July calendar, using the same Tigerlily image.  I think it might be my favorite in this collection! 

  

This uses the calendar download and the Tiger lily image.  I coloured it with my Copic markers using the Tigerlily collection and paired it with Basic Grey's "Ambrosia" designer paper.  Incidentally, the calendar set does have the months paired with the name of the corresponding flower images, however, they were a teensy bit too large to fit on the tab, and it seemed redundant on the calendar, so they are not on these calendars.  "July" is from an old calendar set and it's not near as classy as the Flourishes version, but it fit.

 

Here is the second version.  This one I sized to display in a CD case, which is such a nice presentation.   The image was cut with the Labels 4 Nestability and the background was sponged before removing the paper from the die.  I used the same Basic Grey "Ambrosia" paper and Fiskar's Apron Lace border punch.  Here's a close up of the flower.  What a beauty!

Let's see what the rest of the team has been up to with this set!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

Hop on over to Flourishes blog and leave a comment for your chance to win this set!  You can win all three sets in this release by playing along in our Floral Finess Challenge.  You have until tomorrow at 5:00pm Central to get your project done and uploaded.  Tomorrow is the final preview and you can be there for the full reveal of all three sets at Flourishes Power Hour release party.  There will be more samples, lots of chat and prizes.  The fun starts at 9:00pm Central in Flourishes Forum on Splitcoast Stampers.  I hope to see you there!

OK, that's it for me today.  I'll be back same time same place tomorrow with the final preview.  I hope you will be too!

Flourishes Preview; A Year of Flowers, Calendar set

 
We are nearing Flourishes next release, and this month we have something very special to share with you.  Flourishes has created a set of stamps featuring twelve of Marcella Hawley's fabulous florals.  These gorgeous images will be beautiful on a card, on a calendar or whatever project you decide to work with.  Today we are previewing Set One, containing four amazing florals and January through April.  In addition, Flourishes has created a downloadable calendar that will be free with your bundle purchase, or $2.00 on it's own! 

  
I worked with the pansies in the set, and the calendar download.  The calendar download is a 6"x6" inch calendar, but by printing 2 or 4 to a page, you are able to get a variety of sizes to work with.  I chose the 4 to a page option for this calendar, (only printing 2 at a time) to get the size that worked.  The calendar stand is by Maya Road and I picked it up at my LSS (on sale!), a while back.

Aren't those pansies amazing?  I had so much fun colouring them! Marcella has outdone herself with this collection!  Don't miss seeing the fabulous projects the rest of the design team created with this set!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

You could be the proud new owner of this set, simply by leaving a comment on the preview post on Flourishes blog.  If you want to win all three, then don't forget our Pre-Release challenge.  You'll find all the details here.  Friday brings our release party, and of course that means more chances to win, plus more samples and the full reveal.  I hope you have your calendar marked, because this is one release you will want to see it all!

I'll be back tomorrow, advancing the calendar to July!  Until then, have a fabulous day, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Recipe:  Stamps:  A Year of Flowers (set 1) (Flourishes)  Paper:  Classic White, Euphoria DP (Basic Grey), Soft Sky  Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa  Accessories:  Bliss Pearls (Kaiser), Soft Sky ribbon, scallop border punch, crop-a-dile

A Quick and Easy Gourmet Christmas gift!

I think you'll love this idea if you have a few people on your list that you want to give a sweet something to acknowledge their kindness and friendship this Christmas.  All the details are posted on the Stamp a Sweet Impression blog.  I hope you'll pop over and let me know what you think!

Thanks for dropping by!  I'll be back tomorrow, and I hope you'll be able to drop by again!

Flourishes Release Day! The Sets are in the Store!

Yes, you heard right!  The sets are up and you can go shopping!  You can purchase them individually or save on a New Release Bundle....but only until November 19th!  It's been a fun release with so many options.  I can't wait to see them in your hands!  Here they are, just for you:

Christmas Bouquet

 Here's the framed gift I made with this set, originally seen in this post.

Fancy Labels

Christmas Borders

Here are the candle wraps I made:

 All the deets are in this post.  

Lampost Greetings

My "emergency card" gift set, and the details are in this post.

Christmas Tea

My little gift bag/gift card holder card.  The full post is here. 

There you are!  Happy Shopping!  I hope you are off to an amazing weekend!  Happy Friday the 13th!  Stay safe, and I'll see  you again on Sunday!

Lamp Post Greetings; Flourishes Preview Day 4!

  
We are getting closer and closer to release day!  Today is Day 4 of Flourishes previews and the set we are sharing today is a fabulous and versatile set!  Lampost Greetings is so clever and unique I know it will become a year round favorite!  Here's what I came up with.

 

I wanted to create a set of "Emergency Cards", for those events that pop up that you really should have remembered but didn't.  This set will get you through a whole lot of emergencies!  I created six nearly identical cards, varying the background colours and ribbons, and adding white puffy paint (snow!) on two.  The sentiments were stamped and coloured separately, and each has a pop dot on the back.

 With a variety of senitments, the recipient can choose exactly the right one, peel off the back of the pop dot and position the "flag" on the card and it's good to go.

I added one sentiment to one of the cards so you could get an idea of  what the finished card might look like. 

 I used Copic markers to colour the images with, and sponged blue ink around the lamp post to accentuate the glowing lamp.  I used the same colours throughout to keep the colour matching simple and easy for the recipient.

I was thinking this would be a good gift for a teacher...what do you think? 

This set is up for grabs on Flourishes blog...leave a comment as soon as you can!  A winner will be drawn tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the final preview and the release party on SCS!  It's always lot's of fun, so join us for the final reveal, games prizes and lots of chat!

Oh, and tomorrow is the last day to get your Favorite Things challenge uploaded and posted.  A winner will be selected to win all five sets!

OK, now have a quick peek at what the rest of the design team did with this fun set!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan
 

That's it for me today folks!  I will be back tomorrow with our final preview.  Have a fabulous day!!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Lampost Greetings (Flourishes),  Paper:  Classic White, Ballet Blue, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Always Artichoke  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories:  Copic Markers, sponge, various ribbon scraps, pop dots, Sakura Glaze pens, Puffy Paint, Apron Lace border punch (Fiskars)

 

Christmas Borders; Flourishes Preview Day 3

  
We're on our third day of previews with Flourishes November release.  Today we are sharing our creations made with Christmas Borders.  This is a beautiful set that will stand alone, or will add a fabulous border to your Christmas creations.  Keeping with the theme of gifts and giving, I decided these borders would make a perfect wrap for a candle, so that's what I set out to do!

  
I love these images and coloured them bright and fun as they would suggest.  I used Copic markers along with some Sakura Glaze pens to add a little pop!  The gold border strips added the perfect finishing touch, and you'll find them in Flourishes store! A border punch and taffeta ribbon finish them off, and the entire project could be completed in under an hour!  That's perfect when you're in need of a quick little hostess gift!

Here's a look at them individually.  (you can click on the pictures to make them larger)

 We are fast approaching release day on Friday, Nov 13.  You can celebrate with us in Flourishes Member Forum on Splitcoast Stampers at the release party which starts at 8:00pm Central.  There are always lots of games and prizes, plus the full reveal just before the store opens.

Want to win this set?  Leave a comment here on Flourishes blog, but do it quickly, the draw will be made tomorrow!  And lastly, a quick reminder to get your Favorite Things challenge creation done and linked back to Flourishes...all the details are here.  

I know you're curious as to what the rest of the design team created, so I will send you off for a quick tour!

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

I'll be back tomorrow with another preview and I hope you'll join me.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I always love it when you do!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Christmas Borders (Flourishes)  Paper:  Classic Ivory, Real Red, Certainly Celery  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories:  Copic Markers, Gold Border strips, Celery taffeta ribbon, border punch (MS), tacky tape, Sakura Glaze pens

Christmas Bouquet; Flourishes Preview Day 1

  
I know what you're thinking...it's Monday...how can it be a Flourishes Preview?  Well, you're in for a real treat, as we will be previewing five fabulous sets this week, one a day until release day on Friday, November 13!  This time we're focusing on gift ideas and packaging, so you'll be inspired to get going on all those handmade gifts you promised yourself you would make this year. 

Today, we're previewing "Christmas Bouquet", and you probably guessed it's another amazing illustration by Flourishes Marcella Hawley.  I love working with her images, they are drawn so beautifully and have wonderful and crisp details.  They just call to me to bring them to life, and this time I decided to frame it!

The square nature of the image made it perfect for framing.  I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black on Classic White and coloured it with my Copic Markers.  I also used my Sakura Glaze pens to add some depth to the white and red berries.  They really pop.

The sentiment is the quote from the old song "The Holly and the Ivy", which is part of Doves in Holly set released last month.  I think this might be a great gift for my daughter's Choral teacher.  DD loves her and I think she would appreciate the reference to the song.

The rest of the design team has some amazing gift and packaging creations to inspire  you this season.  Have a peek!

Julie Koerber

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Latisha Yoast
Stacy Morgan

 

I hope you will be playing in our pre release challenge, creating something inspired by the lyrics to the song "My Favorite Things".  You'll find all the details here.

 

Of course you know your opportunity to win this set is as simple as leaving a comment on Flourishes blog post here.  And don't forget to mark your calendar for Friday evening to be a part of Flourishes Release party, starting at 8:00pm Central.  It's always so much fun, and you are the first to see all the sets revealed!

 

Tomorrow the Friends of Flourishes will be treating you to a preview of one of the new sets this month.  So be sure to drop into Flourishes blog to check it all out!  I'll be back on Wednesday with more previews!  I hope you will be too!

 

Recipe:  Stamps: Christmas Bouquet (Flourishes)  Paper: Classic White  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Accessories: Copic Markers, Sakura Glaze pens, ticket corner punch (SU), gold brads, frame (Dollarama)

 

A Gift of Luxury; Taylored Expressions preview Day 1

 
It's that time again, and Taylored Expressions is gearing up for another fabulous release on Thursday, November 5!  There are three sets this month and today we are previewing "Luxurious Labels", which will help you get all your hand made gifts done with flair and pannache!  I love the possibilities of this set, so after you've seen my preview, make sure you take a quick hop over to see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has cooked up with it!

Here's the full set.  It includes a bottle of home made bath salts, body lotion, a pink exfoliating glove and emery board and toe separator for those fabulous feet!

 
Let's start with the Spa bottles.  I stamped the label on sticker paper in Melon Mambo and cut them out with the Large Oval Nestability.  The little tub and sentiment were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, and coloured with Copic markers.  I used pink gel pens to colour the bubbles so they have a wonderful shimmer in real life.  Each bottle has the name of it's contents stamped on the label...those stamps are part of the set!  How cool is that?  I finished by tying a slip of swirly organdy ribbon, which is part of the Spa Key Ingredients kit, around the neck of the bottle.

The box was very simple.  I scored a piece of 12x12 cardstock at 4 1/4" on all four sides, cut out the corners leaving a tab on each to adhere the sides together.  I adhered panels of the designer paper from the Spa Key Ingredients kit, and a scalloped border along the top.  The image was stamped on Choice Buttercream same as the Spa Bottle labels and accented with layered shimmer flowers, also from the Spa Key Ingredients kit.  I tied a length of green trim (yup, that's from the Spa Key Ingredients kit too) in a big bow...fitting for a gift.  Inside are 2 sections 4 1/8 x 3 3/4", slit down their centres to 2", and slid together to form a divider for the contents!

My card started out with the intention of using TESC89, however, I struggle with offset panels, so it ended up being nice and balanced (unlike it's maker LOL!).  I used the same scalloped label stamp and bath tub image, and the same designer paper from the Spa Key Ingredients kit.  I pierced all around the perimeter of the card and added some shimmer flowers to the top of the oval. 

What a sweet stamp set and a fun little gift!  I am going to be so prepared for Christmas this year!! 

OK, have a look at the amazing creations designed by the Baker's Dozen.  The versatility of this set is endless as you will soon see!

Jodi Collins
Dawn Easton
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Sankari Wegman
Donna Baker
Sharon Harnist
Charmaine Ikach
Denise Marzec
Laurie Schmidlin
Jackie Pedro
and of course Taylor herself!

I will be back tomorrow with a preview of the next set in this release!  I hope you'll be back to join me!  Until then, thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Recipe:  Stamps:  Luxurious Labels (Taylored Expressions)  Paper:  All from the Spa Key Ingredients kit except the 12x12 cardstock and sticker paper  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Melon Mambo  Accessories:  Ribbon and shimmer flowers both from the Spa Key Ingredients kit, Oval Nestability (Spellbinders), Copic Markers, Spa Bottles (Taylored Expressions), glitter gel pens (?), paper piercer & template, pop dots