Thursday, January 30, 2014

A Perfect Pear


Just a personal note from me to start with...thanks so much to many of you for your kind encouragment with my post the other day.  Hugs!  



We’re back for another round of fun in our Flourishes Gambler’s Sale!  Today the girls have pulled out some of their favourite sets from the sale to inspire you!


I picked up a really pretty set I hadn’t used in a long time -  Pears, stamping it on Flourishes Classic White card stock (my all time favourite paper to colour on!).  I coloured it up with Copics to match this really lovely paper from Carta Bella - Hello Again.  Aren’t the colors great?  I love the minty green with the pop of orangy-yellow.  

I used Karen’s Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge this week trimming down the pear image with an out-of-the-box style.  


The sweet sentiment (perfect for a wedding don’t you think?) is stamped in Memento Canteloupe ink (only the refill available now), and I’ve added some lace and sequins to accent and then paired it all with Color Made Easy Tiger Lily Cardstock.  



Inside I stamped the smaller blossom stamp - it’s a perfect match for the designer paper.    


Now here’s the fun part for you... our Gambler’s Sale discount is up to 20% off!!  
Gamblers20

Why is it a gamble? Well, all of these items will be going, going, gone -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! This week, all prices will be 20% off with the code GAMBLERS20.   And...this coming Monday brings us 30% off discounts...do you dare to gamble?

Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 20% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, we'll be upping the ante and adding another 10% off!

Head on over to see our Designers inspiration for you to take a peek at this week using some of the items still available!

Have fun shopping -- and don't forget the code  GAMBLERS20 --  remember that once these items are gone they will be gone forever!  Enjoy shopping and enjoy your Friday!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Seasons Changing News

There are days when the words seem to flow on the page or screen, and yet today, I find myself at a loss for what to say.  You can probably surmise that what I need to say isn’t easy for me. 

It begins with my word for the 2014 - Change.  Ecclesiastes says that,  “to everything there is a season and a purpose under Heaven”.  As much as I love to cozy up in one season of life and stay there, it is true that I have come into a new season and that it means new purposes and changes for me.  Over the past several months I have been wrestling with this and have prayed a lot about it too.  This new season means I’m saying goodbye to working at Flourishes.  

This has been a difficult decision for me.  For more than five years I have worked with Flourishes in many aspects, from the Timeless Tuesday Team for a short while, to the last five years on the Senior Design Team and this past season as DT Coordinator.  It has been such a rich time for me, and as you can probably tell, everything about Flourishes Designs has suited me to a “T" as a designer and artist; what an amazing privilege that has been!  I have absolutely loved all the girls and how much fun we have had creating together.  We have a really special bond and I treasure them very much.  I have been so blessed on many levels here and have appreciated Jan Marie’s generosity to me very much. 

However, we all need to grow and stretch our wings, and with the many changes also happening in our work and ministry life, I know I need this space to find a new pathway, to step into new challenges and to have a bit of breathing space for a time. 

I’ll be around through the end of February helping with the Sale going on at Flourishes.  I love the stamps too much to stop creating with them, it just won’t be officially on a team. 


I want to say a huge and tender thank you to all of you who have taken the time to stop by say encouraging words and make such kind comments about my work with Flourishes over the years.  It has meant so much to me!  I hope you’ll still follow along as I enter into new challenges and creativity in what lies ahead. 

Thanks for taking the time to listen!   Blessings!

Christine

Monday, January 27, 2014

Irises for Iris

Timeless-Tuesday-New-Logo


Hello fellow Flourishes fans! It's Tuesday and we're here with another fantastic Timeless Tuesday Challenge for you! Have you checked out the latest and greatest Gambler's Sale this week? You don't want to miss this... it's 20% off everything in the store. Things go fast, so shop now to ensure you get all those stamps on your "must have" list! Click here for more details and your shopping code.

This week Allison is our hostess and she is challenging you to create using the newest Pantone Color of the year... Radiant Orchid... but any shade of purple will do!

FTTC256 Purple
 

According to the Pantone View, "Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute™ has been designating a Color of the Year to express in color what is taking place in the global zeitgeist. A color that will resonate around the world, the PANTONE Color of the Year is a reflection of what people are looking for, what they feel they need that color can help to answer. Not necessarily the hot fashion color of the moment, but a color crossing all areas of design which is an expression of a mood, an attitude, on the part of the consumers." Have fun using purple in your creations this week!


I had a difficult occasion to make this card for.  My Uncle passed away and we went to the funeral out of town last week.  It was tough.  We knew his time was coming - but still it came too soon.  My lovely Aunt’s name happens to be Iris and as I was getting ready to use this gorgeous Flowers for Jan set, I realized how perfect this particular image would be for her.  Irises for Auntie Iris.  

I decided I wanted to make an Iris garden for her, so I stamped the image on both Flourishes Classic White cardstock and then created a mask on Eclipse tape, cutting it out carefully and then stamping twice more with the masks on the cardstock.  The Copics I used were from the Violet Collection as well as the Olive Green Collection, and then filling in with some pretty BV’s in the shadows to add some depth.  I used an out of the box cutting style for the top of the design and I chose a simple layout that also accents the flowers with this pretty Color Made Easy - Crocus Collection of cardstock.  


I’ve added some gorgeous lace, seam binding and enamel dots.  


And just a quick look at the sentiment from another Flourishes set (Anemones) I used because it was perfect - this set is already out of stock...so you know why it’s a gamble to wait on this great sale!

This week, we have asked the Senior Design Team to join us in celebrating the colour purple. Take a moment and leave some lavender love on each one of our designers this week!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Berries for You


Hello all and Happy Monday! Well, quite a few of you took advantage of our 10% discount last week but... we can tell some of you are holding out for bigger discounts. That's okay because today we're upping the ante in our Gambler's Sale with a little bit more of a discount for you! So get ready to grab some of those items you've had your heart set on and save..... 

Gamblers20 

Why is it a gamble? Well, all of these items will be going, going, gone -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! This week, all prices will be 20% off with the code GAMBLERS20. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 20% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, we'll be upping the ante and adding another 10% off! If you missed last week's notice, we've added a fun item to the store and what's inside is a mystery! Consider it a special little surprise that is sure to spark some creative fun!

And I have a very sweet set to show you that you can still purchase to sweeten the deal!


This is Flourishes very yummy Berry Sweet Frames Set.  What I love about it is of course that it’s beautifully illustrated by Marcella Hawley - but that it also coodinates perfectly with our Perfectly Pierced Classic Frames Die.  I stamped it in Memento New Sprout ink on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardtsock and coloured in some of the squares with my green copic marker.  I stamped the pretty berries with Memento Tuxedo Black coloured them up with copics and then trimmed them out with a little bit of border to pop on the other part of this die set - the center part done in pink cardstock.  


The designer paper is Echo Park - Everyday Ecclectic.  I loved this pretty floral piece and I thought it would work perfectly for that soft berry feel.  Some pleated ribbon, ivory lace and soft pink pearls finish the design off.

How about some more sale excitement?

MysteryBag copy
Our MYSTERY BAGS were WILDLY popular in the past and so, why not bring them back? Each bag is valued at roughly $40 but... you pay only $25!!! Each bag has two stamp sets -- YES TWO! One is an unpackaged set that we cannot sell because it doesn't have an index sheet. But, it stamps perfectly and would love a new home! Each bag also has a fun tutorial sheet showcasing a card or technique. Add in a few yards of ribbon and an embellishment and that is what is in each Mystery Bag. It's one heck of a bargain! Once you use your Gambler's Sale Coupon code -- it takes the price down even further! There are limited quantities of these bags so.... pick one up while you can!

Some of the Flourishes Designers have some eye candy for you to take a peek at this week using some of the items still available! So, hop on over and see their fine creations!

Allison Cope
Christine Okken 
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Have fun shopping -- don't forget the code GAMBLERS20 -- and remember that once these items are gone they will be gone forever! Have a wonderfully creative week!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Beauty Captured - Four

Sunrises and sunsets. 


It’s been a challenging week here.  So the simplicity of a sunrise and sunset seemed good for photos today. 




Truly beautiful to begin and end a day!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Night Fairies


With our wonderful world of savings going on in Flourishes Gambler’s Sale right now - we thought we’d bring you even more wonderful ideas this week.  We want to inspire you with things you might want to put on your shopping list before they’re gone!


Today I thought it would be fun to play with our adorable Garden Fairies set, giving it a dreamy night-time look.  I began with Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, stamping with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then I coloured it with Copics to match some pretty paper in the store - Echo Park - Keepin’ Cozy.  I love to use paper that’s meant for an ocassion (for instance Christmas or Winter) and use it in another application.  The dreamy swirlys and frosty colors of this paper really works for the fairy theme.  


Here you can see a closer view of the colouring and you can also see that I really shimmered the card up by spritzing some Mister Huey’s Shine mist on the card.  It really gives it that magical feel, below when the card is tipped it really shows how shimmery it is.  


I also added some pretty smoke gray seambinding, enamel dots and placed it all on a base of Classic Black cardstock.  


Inside I stamped one of the sentiments in a pretty soft blue green and added some designer paper to match the layout of the outside of the card.  

Our Talented Senior Design Team have some beautiful designs to show off for you today from our Sale so head on over and visit:

Christine (you are here)

And, just as a reminder for you, heres the SALE details.
Why is it a gamble? Well, all of these items will be going, going, gone — never to return again. So, if you see something you really want — buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! This week, all prices will be 10% off with the code GAMBLERS10. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 10% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, we’ll be upping the ante and adding another 10% off!    So…if you dare wait, this coming Monday brings 20% off prices!  

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Ready for Takeoff

How about some fun The Cat’s Pajamas action today?  This week the TCP Challenge is called 3, 2, 1…Three patterned papers, 2 embellishments and 1 twine or ribbon.  



I pulled out TCP’s Take Off set because it’s just so fun to paper piece and would work perfectly for the 3 patterns rule.  I paired him with Carta Bella’s Rough and Tumble line with these fun zany flying airplanes and helicopters in the background.  The layout is from this week’s Mojo Sketch.  



Details are pretty simple.  I cut out the airplane turbine and added it popped up and the wing popped up as well, then took an enamel dot and added on top of the button.  I thought the design needed added weight at the bottom right so that’s where I put the cut out sentiment.  

This bunny always makes me smile!  And how fun would it be to travel in a patterned airplane!  :)  

(Copics:  W00, W1, W3, W3, R0000, R00, R35, R37, BG0000, BG10, BG53, BG57)

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Happy Thoughts


Hello all! 2014 brings new challenges, new vision and a new focus for Flourishes and today starts that focus. If you travel through our store, you know that we have a mix of old and new. Well, with a new year, we want to focus on all new! That means that what you'll find in the store will be smaller in scope, but always something to appeal to your creative side. What does this mean? We need to clear our shelves. What does that mean for you? You get a chance to save and save big! 
We're bringing back the….

Gamblers10


Why is it a gamble? Well, all of these items will be going, going, gone -- never to return again. So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! This week, all prices will be 10% off with the code GAMBLERS10. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 10% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, we'll be upping the ante and adding another 10% off!

Here’s the fun I had with a set that is just now available to you!

It’s our gorgeous set Happy Thoughts,  that previously was only available as a FLIP Incentive.  We’ve now unveiled it as a set you can purchase!  It’s just so pretty, filled with lovely hydrangea images and fantastic happy-themed sentiments.


I stamped the various hydrangea blossoms and leaves onto Flourishes Classic White, and also stamped the sentiment separately as well from a Perfectly Pierced Hourglass Die shape in Classic White.  Then I  coloured up the parts with Copics and trimmed out the little pieces carefully arranging them with the feeling of little petals and leaves spread over the card.    The designer paper is Echo Park - Everyday Ecclectic, and I overstamped the larger hydrangea arrangement in Memento Pear Tart ink on the wonderful green diagonal plaid.  


A smattering of pretty pearls as accent and some pink seambinding tucked behind the layers keep it simple.  I love the cheerfulness of it!

One other item to try to also get your hands on in this great sale?

MysteryBag copy

Our MYSTERY BAGS were WILDLY popular in the past and so, why not bring them back? Each bag is valued at roughly $40 but... you pay only $25!!! Each bag has two stamp sets -- YES TWO! One is an unpackaged set that we cannot sell because it doesn't have an index sheet. But, it stamps perfectly and would love a new home! Each bag also has a fun tutorial sheet showcasing a card or technique. Add in a few yards of ribbon and an embellishment and that is what is in each Mystery Bag. It's one heck of a bargain! Once you use your Gambler's Sale Coupon code -- it takes the price down even further! There are limited quantities of these bags so.... pick one up while you can! Before you go, get ready to HOP! Our fabulous designers whipped up some creativity giving you a wee bit of eye candy before you shop! So, head on over and see...
Have fun shopping -- don't forget the code GAMBLERS10 -- and remember that once these items are gone they will be gone forever! Have a wonderfully creative week!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Beauty Captured Two & Three

Little bits and pieces of Beauty Captured from the last two weeks.  


Some pretty flowers my husband gave me.  


Our daughter holding the sweet little Baby Shower honouree :)


My focus was just slightly off for this photo, because you have to bounce the little guy to keep him content, but isn’t it just the sweetest thing when  little one holds your finger or hand?  I know it’s an automatic response, but I think it’s God’s way of bonding you to that little person and showing you how dependant they are :)


So, we have these plastic dishes from Ikea for the kids’ breakfasts and snacks.  I really like to stack them by colour.  Anyone else a little OCD like that? :)   I just love how the colours look this way!  

Hope there’s lovely bits of beauty surrounding you today!  Thanks for stopping by.  

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Heritage Peonies

Free for All Friday with Border
 
The weekend is here! Hopefully you have something fun in store for yourself.  We’ve got a free night and my mom is cooking for us…so that’s a pretty great Friday for me!

The Flourishes Senior Design team is delighted to bring you another round of inspiration created with our brand new and beautiful January New Release Sets. There is just so much more you can do with these stamps and we can’t wait to show you more. And, the good news is, you can still purchase the January New Release Bundle at a discount! Today is the last day this discount is available and we don’t want you to miss out on a wonderful sale and some fabulous sets!

I just HAD to use the Peony from our Flowers for Jan set.  I think it’s just gorgeous, and I was inspired to create this one because of peonies I have from my Grandma.


I started by cutting out the Silhouette cut file shapes from this set on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock. Then I inked the flowers with Memento Desert Sand for a no-line look and coloured them up with really soft creamy Copic colours.  My grandma’s peonies that I transplanted in my flower bed are just off white with these beautiful centers that are touches of burgundy.  I paired the cut peonies with Flourishes Classic Kraft Cardstock cut with our Perfectly Pierced Classic Window Die, and then a fancy circle Spellbinders Die to frame that out.  


As you can see I paired the design with some pretty Echo Park - Everyday Ecclectic designer paper, my all time favourite cream shimmery ribbon, some pretty petal soft ribbon that looks just like peony petals, clear sequins and shimmery facted gems.  


This is what my Grandma’s - now my peonies look like, you can just see the touch of some of the burgundy tipped petals in the centre.  I love having them, they are a link to my heritage, especially since my Grandma died before I was born, and I am named after her.  



Here is the inside of the card.  Abeautiful scripted sentiment don’t you think?  

So now you can hop on over to see what the rest of our very talented Design Team has in store for you today with these sets:
Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Bears in Tutus

 It’s a party!  Come one, come all!


What could be cuter than a big ol’ bear wearing a tutu riding a bicycle right?  :)  I think this image from Flourishes new set Under the Big Top is so cute!  I inked the bear in Memento Paris Dusk ink on Flourishes Classic White card stock, cutting it with a circle die, the pairing it up with some fun papers, Color Made Easy - Emerald Coast cardstock and Pure Poppy card stock.  The designer paper is Carta Bella Rough and Tumble.  


I inked up the pennants in different inks, Memento Love Letter, an SU greeny blue ink and more Paris Dusk.  The enamel dots are too cute too I think.  Such easy embellshments to use.  Then to go with the pennant theme, I added some fishtale style seambinding in red to finish it all off.


Monday, January 13, 2014

Baby Shower Bonanza

As promised, I’m back with some of the creative projects I put together for the baby shower of one of our former students this past weekend, I thought I’d share them with you!


I knew that I wanted to start by making a banner for the little guy.  I often do this for baby showers, and I’ve done it for our kids too.  It is such a sweet way of decorating for the party, but also in making something for that child’s room too.  Wherever they go, he knows what spot is his.  I went to the fabric store and picked out a few fabrics I liked.  One of the gifts she requested for him was books, so when I saw this lighter blue fabric with the words from “Goodnight Moon” on it I knew I had a winner.  

It’s really to make banners.  I just cut out the banner shape, iron on some lighter weight interfacing, hem the edges, and then decorate.  Above you can see I appliquĂ©d on a circle and die cuts of the letters of his name, interfacing those and then zig-zagging them on with my sewing machine.  It’s all sewn onto a long length of wide grosgrain ribbon (probably about 8 feet) then accented with buttons.  

As I was looking at the banner I thought, “hmm, I wonder if I could make a quilt too?”.  I have never made a quilt, but I knew the basic steps, and I’ve sewn a long time and have a mom who’s a professional Seamstress, so I knew I’d have help if I needed it.  So, here’s what I did!


I started with the center panel.  I knew I wanted the design to have a similar feel to the pennants so I appliquĂ©d the pennants onto the panel first.  


I  knew I wanted it to be really simple because it was my first quilt, so I picked a layout I knew I could manage alright.  So, these were my contrasting fabric layers, laid out how I thought I might like them.  


As I looked at that center panel, I realized I needed something in the bottom corner, so to also personalize the quilt like the banners,  I added the appliquĂ©d “m” for his name, and then added rows of the center panel fabric on the outsides of the rows.  I don’t have quilt cutting equipment so I was hand-cutting and measuring and re-cutting and measuring….quilt equipment would have been easier, but that’s not in the budget right now! :)  So this is the front all sewn together before I started the quilting.  


Here it is quilted (just stitching in the ditch style) and the binding pinned on the back before hand-sewing.  I don’t have a walking foot for my machine, so it’s not perfect by ANY stretch of the imagination, but its soft and sweet.  And I was really proud of how it turned out, especially for my first quilt.  


Here’s my tall son holding up the finished quilt for me.  It was a real work of love, not perfection, but I know it will keep him cozy, and it’s made especially for him.   Finished quilt was 36 inches by about 50 inches.  Not perfect baby quilt size in the length but that’s all the fabric I had.  


Here’s a closeup of the quilt.  It was a really hard project (as in time consuming and brain work :) but a fun project too.  I think I might even make another one!  

Here’s a few more pictures from the party.  


Paper banners I made with one of the girls for the decorations, we had several strings throughout the rooms.  


Here was his banner at the party.  


This fun onesie project was thought up by one of my other girls.  She took quilting fabric and scraps from the quilt and used double-sided interfacing on it.  Then she had the Baby Shower Guests create onesies for him.  TOO CUTE!  Check out the little moustache!  Most of them had designs on the front and on the bum :)  



And these are my girls.  Each of them have graduated in our Youth Ministry and I love them.  Two are leaders with us right now, and one is a former leader.  The bottom five are all former students of mine.  We’re all laughing and have funny faces because the photographer didn’t know you also had to look through the view finder on my camera.  The beautiful laughing lady with the baby is the new mama :).  The two dark haired ladies and the lady on the lower right are the ones who did the shower with me.   It’s a beautiful stage of life to still share with them.  I’m so blessed to have known them all these years.  I’ve known each of them since they were 14 or 15 and now they’re seeing new milestones in their life.  So grateful for God’s goodness.  

Thanks for dropping by to share the fun with me!