Friday, October 28, 2011

A gift for you!

Hi all and T.G.I.F!  It's a free-for-all Flourishes Friday so you'll have to make the rounds to see what fun creations the rest of the DT whipped up for your viewing pleasure this week! 

To get those creative juices flowing, I do have a fun and easy little project to share, just in time to get you thinking about the holiday season! Paper Creations Magazine featured one of Flourishes' sets A Gift For You in one of it's on-line bonus projects. Here's a peek at the project made by yours truly....
 

And HERE is where you can find this project on line! Enjoy, and while you are out and about hopping around, be sure to stop on over and see our ever-so-talented designers and what fun they created for you this week! 

Julie Koerber -- you are here! 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I'm looking forward to it -- pumpkin carving, a few Halloween parties and lots of spiced cider!! I just love fall... how about you??? Have a good one and I'll see you back here soon! 

~Julie

Friday, October 21, 2011

Merry Kissmass!


Hi all and, more importantly, T.G.I.F! Today, all the Flourishes gals are showing off more of their release week "fashions" from Flourishes brand new October release. I cannot tell you how much fun I have had getting in the Christmas spirit a little bit early! And, as you'll see with my creation today -- I had another excuse to pull out the Kisses! I know what you are thinking... I might just need to buy a case of Hershey's Kisses for all these sweet projects. And, you know what? You might be right! ;-)

On to my creation! This "sweet" window box!
I used a mix of papers from my scrap box, and some of Flourishes' Clear Card Stock to create my little acetate window... see?
So, how did I make the box? Pretty easy peasy actually! I took a piece of red card stock that measured 8 by 8" and using my Scor-Pal Mini, I scored 2.5" all the way around. This will create the bottom of the box. I did cut the flaps so that I could fold the flaps on the inside for the box construction. For the lid, I took a piece of paper that measured 5.25 by 5.25" and I scored 1" all the way around, snipping to create flaps and securing with a bit of glue runner. Before I assembled however, I did center a circle die on the center of the scored area, ran it through my Grand Calibur, and then added the clear card stock, adhering to the inside of my box top with glue dots.

Inside is a little trifold card! The top has the Mistletoe sprig from the Meet Me Under the Mistletoe set that was stamped on Flourishes Classic White and cut out using the Spellbinders Blossom Die. I colored this up with Copics and you can see the collections I used below!
This is the bottom of my card, I actually used the mistletoe border from this set to create a kind of frame. I colored it up and added some glitz to the berries with the help of some glitter glue!
Add in some little tasty kisses and you've got one sweet little gift to give to someone you love! I will say, the middle panel is blank for a reason -- I plan to print off a photo of my family and put that in the center.  I can see this going into a basket of goodies that our family will shower on someone!

You'll want to check out the other fabulous creations the Flourishes DT whipped up using these brand spanking new sets! And don't forget, today marks the end to Flourishes New Release Bundle -- 10% off all four new sets when you purchase as a bundle!




Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you all back here soon! It's supposed to feel like fall here in my neck of the woods. I might have to find some colorful leaves to play in! ;-) Take care!



SUPPLIES I USED..............

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Color Purple....

Hi all! Happy Thursday! It's time for another Impression Obsession DT Challenge and this one will have you thinking about The Color Purple! That's right, this is a color challenge folks and the color - the only color is purple! The challenge starts today and continues through next Wednesday. Winner... gets a $25 gift certificate to the IO store! What fun! 

On to my creation!

When I saw it was the color purple, I knew I had to color up these darling Pansies. I used just a few Copic markers to color it up - the pansy was colored with BV000, BV000, BV02, Y13, Y08, B00, BG10, B0000, YG21, YG23, YG25 and shaded with Y21 and Y0000. The paper is a mix of Memory Box. Add a little gold stitching, a lush ribbon, a fun sentiment (It's Your Birthday) matted on a die cut shape (Spellbinders Blossom Die  that I cut thanks to my Grand Calibur) and... ta da!!!! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I have to say while the layout isn't exact, I was influenced by this week's Mojo Monday sketch! 

You can click HERE for all the IODT challenge details! Before you go running off, remember to stop my some of the other IO Gals' blogs to see what fun they had with this fabulous color!





Thanks for stopping by everyone -- love the comments you leave, they make me smile! ;-) See you back here soon!

p.s. Impression Obsession is hosting another challenge over on the Touch Twin Markers blog. The challenge was to use a floral! Check it out HERE! Winner gets a set of 12 markers!


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Let's Light some Christmas Candles...

Hi all and welcome to the Grand Finale of Flourishes' October Release! Have you enjoyed the Christmas offerings so far? If you answered yes, I have some good news for you! All four of Flourishes' brand new sets are now LIVE in the store! So you can click HERE to see them all in their full glory! Today's last hop involves a set that is sure to light up your holidays!

Introducing....

 

Light up the joy and wonder this holiday season with this beautiful set called Christmas Candles penned by Marcella Hawley. Stamp up a candlescape, a set of votive candles or a beautifully decked out hurricane lamp. This 4 by 6" clear set comes with three wonderfully scripted sentiments to share the spirit of the season!


On to my creation!
Because this set is just, in my opinion, full of beautiful imagery, I wanted my main image to sing without a lot of extras. So, I chose a simple layout with Spellbinders Labels Fourteen (cut thanks to my Grand Calibur). I stamped my votive image on Classic White using Memento Tuxedo Black and then colored it up with Copic Markers. I used the Poppy, Fields, Sunflower and Flesh tones 1 collections grouped by Flourishes. I also shaded with a few of the lighter shades in the Cool Neutrals collection as well. I also added some paper piercing and a bit of stitching with some gold thread to give it all a little glimmer.

Here's a close up!

I added some decorative paper, a sewn gold edge and a sentiment from the set on the inside. 
Now, the fun part is, all of the papers, embellishments and ribbons are a part of a brand new 1,2,3, Create Kit called Sunshine. You can check out all that's offered in this fun kit below and can click HERE to see it in the Flourishes store!
Would you like to win Flourishes new Christmas Candles set? Well, it's as easy as leaving a comment on one of these fine ladies' blogs below! Why? Well, you have to guess....

 

 One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! So, head on over and see how our fabulously talented DT used this beautiful set that will light up the holiday season!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Jan Marie Caruso

And, Flourishes has something else that is new and exciting! Flourishes 2011 Christmas Catalog!  

Flourishes is decking the halls to get ready for the Christmas season and they have stocked the shelves with a brand new Christmas Catalog. This 20-page full color catalog offers a look at not only every Flourishes Christmas set that is available, but a handful of tutorials showcasing projects that are perfect for the Christmas gift giving season. It even offers a sneak peek at some of our Christmas sets for November! At just $6, this catalog is a must have! You can check it out HERE!

Time is running out on all of Flourishes Release Week Challenges! You have until 5 PM EST tonight. So hop on over to the Flourishes Blog to check out all the action before it's over!

Thanks for stopping by! See y'all back here soon! 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Hi all and welcome to day three of Flourishes ever-so-festive sneak peek week -- one full of Christmas themed surprises! Today offers a look at the season through the eyes of a child. We all know that Lauren Pope knows how to capture children with her delightful silhouettes and this set is no exception!

Introducing....
What's better than watching the joy of a child during the holiday season? This set penned by Lauren Pope, called A Season of Celebrations, captures that wonder in the form of whimsical silhouettes. Children opening packages, decking the tree, or taking time out for a sled down the hill. Add in four sentiments and you have a perfect set to share in your Christmas cards and creations!

On to my creation!
I knew when I started my creation that I wanted to use THIS fabulous paper as my inspiration - it's My Mind's Eye Breeze and has some lovely shades of blue in it! This card couldn't be more simple. I stamped on Classic White using Vivid Teal, added some glitter, cut my image out with a Spellbinders Classic Oval, added some fun teal twill ribbon and a crystal Sparklet and the rest, my friends, is simply matting it all up! The sentiment from the set was stamped and punched thanks to a Stampin' Up Oval punch. My main image was matted on a shape cut (thanks to my Grand Calibur) using a Spellbinders Labels Eighteen die. After I embossed my die cut image, I did use a sanding block to reveal the paper's white core. Mat it up on a layered card front that's been accented with a little ivory stitching and... voila!

Here's a close up for you!

And that's all there is to it! Want to win this set? Be sure to hop on over to the blogs below. Why? Because it is one big guessing game and you need to figure out…. 


One of the lovely ladies on our blog list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! So, head on over and see how our fabulously talented DT used this whimsical set that captures the joy of the holidays through the eyes of a child!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Jan Marie Caruso


There are more ways to win Flourishes' ENTIRE RELEASE! Have you checked out the Heavy Metal Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how! Did you see the Name Game Challenge posted yesterday at noon? Click HERE to check it out! And, be sure to click back today at noon over on the Flourishes Blog when Flourishes will have another very talented guest hostess helping to usher in one very fun-filled challenge! You have a shot at winning Flourishes' entire October Release! All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in the Winner’s Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

Can’t wait until all of the sets are revealed Friday morning? Well, you can pre-order them now if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs! Just click HERE. You’ll also see that Flourishes is offering its special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four sets in one bundle!

Thanks all for stopping by! I'll see you here back here tomorrow with another festive sneak peek!

~Julie

A very Merry Kissmas!

Are you ready to pucker up for some fun with Flourishes' sneak peek today? Well you should be because the name of today's set tells you why!
This gorgeous series of mistletoe images in the set Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Marcella Hawley will  ensure a Merry "Kiss"mas for all! It features a beribboned sprig, a kissing ball, and a jaunty border of mistletoe full of holiday charm along with seven fanciful sentiments!

On to my creation! It's funny, my mother-in-law is addicted to those grocery store check out lane magazines and as I was flipping through, I actually found the project I created today! In the magazine, it showed you how you could fold old magazine pages to create an eco-friendly pocket for goodies. Mine, however, uses some decorative paper instead!

So, here's a peek at my finished project....
Now, a peek at how I made it. It's a great one for the kiddos in your life because it couldn't be easier!

Step one: fold a piece of 8 by 8" paper on the diagonal, like this...


Step two: Lining the point up from the right side to the left side, fold and crease, like this....
Step three: Bring the other point over and fold, like this....
Step four: Separate the two top point flaps and fold down, like this.... (sorry for the somewhat blurry photo!)

Add some decorative accents with the help of the new Meet Me Under the Mistletoe set like so....

Here are the details! I cut out my image with a Spellbinders Classic Circles and Spellbinders Blossom Die. I stamped my image on Flourishes Classic White and colored it up with Copics using the Fields and Poppy Collections grouped by Flourishes. I accented around the image with colors B000 and B0000. Add some sparkle on my mistletoe berries thanks to some glitter glue, add some ribbon, a sentiment on a notched out strip of paper (also from the set)  and some oh, so chocolatey kisses and hang it on the door for someone you love! Just that easy peasy! Here's a peek again.... I'm not going to tell you how many of those kisses are already missing... :-)

And that, my friends is it!


Want to win this set? All you need to do is leave a comment on each of the blogs below. Why? Because it is one big guessing game and you need to figure out....

 

One of the lovely ladies on our blog list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! So, head on over and see how our fabulously talented DT used this new set with plenty of kissability!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Jan Marie Caruso

There are more ways to win OUR ENTIRE RELEASE! Have you checked out Flourishes' Heavy Metal Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how. You can also play in their Noon Time Challenges that they will post starting today and again tomorrow on the Flourishes Blog! All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in Flourishes' Winner's Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

Can't wait until the sets are revealed Friday morning? You can pre-order them now. Just click HERE. I'll see you back here tomorrow when Lauren Pope takes the lid off of her fabulous Christmas themed set that is sure to warm your heart!  See you soon! 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Hi all! Today marks day one of Flourishes ever so fabulous October release! Christmas is in the air and the set being revealed today is a perfect set to use to adorn not only your tree but all of your holiday creations as well! 

Introducing....

This darling and homespun set penned by Marcella Hawley is a perfect companion to Flourishes' All that Glitters set - which also features vintage style Christmas Ornaments! Wait until you see the beautiful beaded snowflake, a pair of glass acorns, ornamental vintage pieces,even this darling Santa above! When all is said and done, you have one whimsical set with endless options for Christmas card making! 

Actually, today all the Design Team and Friends of Flourishes' team are joining in the fun with this week's Timeless Tuesday challenge a.k.a. FTTC 139. The challenge was to make an ornament or use one on your card or creation! You can read up on this week's fun filled challenge HERE.  The winner of this week's random drawing wins THE ENTIRE OCTOBER RELEASE! So, let's get those fingers inky!

On to my creation!
When I first saw this set, I just loved this little Santa, it reminds me of those vintage style ornaments that we all knew and loved when we grew up. This one is just darling in my humble opinion! I stamped with Tuxedo Black on Flourishes Classic White and colored with Copic markers and used the Poppy, Flesh Tones 1, and Spring Greens collections grouped by Flourishes and then accented Santa's cheeks with RV00 and RV02. I also stamped the sprig of greenery onto my patterned paper, colored and then accented with a white gel pen. I matted it all up with the help of some Webster's Pages, My Mind's Eye and October Afternoon decorative papers and almost done! I did mat up my image with the help of a Spellbinders Labels Fourteen  cut thanks to my Grand Calibur machine. Add in some crochet lace and... ta da!

Here's a close up for you! You can see that I did add some Polar White Flower Soft  to the cuffs and hood of my Santa.

And that, my friends, is it! Want to win this set? Well, one of the lovely ladies below on my link list has a very special surprise up their sleeves!

That's right, one of the ladies below is the Mystery Blogger, which means, if you leave a comment on all the blogs below, you have a better chance to win this brand new set from Flourishes! One of the folks that comments on the Mystery Bloggers' blog post today will win this fabulous set! So, let's get commenting!



  • Barbara Anders
  • Christine Okken
  • Cindy Lawrence
  • Danielle Kennedy
  • Dawn Burnworth
  • Julie Koerber -- you are here!
  • Jan Marie Caruso
  • Stacy Morgan
  • Tammy Hershberger
  • Beate Johns
  • Heather Jensen
  • Cindy Haffner
  • Iwona Palamountain
  • Mona Pendleton
  • Silke Ledlow
  • Rosemary Dennis, October Guest Designer


    Thanks for stopping by everyone! Keep in mind, if you like what you see today, this set - Holiday Sparkle is available now for pre-order. Flourishes also has its fabulous New Release Bundle,which offers 10% off the entire new release sets -- all four! And, if you want a chance to win them - check out today's Timeless Tuesday challenge or last Friday's Heavy Metal Challenge for your chance to win!


    Grab your number two pencil, there will be a quiz on all of this later. Just Kiddin'! See you all back here tomorrow when we sneak peek another fun and fabulous set!


    ~Julie
  • Sunday, October 9, 2011

    Let's get swimming!


    Hi all and happy Monday! I have a very special post to share with you today and I'm not alone. I'm with a "sea" of talented designers to honor one very courageous and talented woman and mom. Starting today though the 12th of October, some of the best stampers out there in blog land are joining forces to support and encourage our friend, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you don't know Katie, her fight with cancer started just before Christmas last year. After going to the doctor complaining of stomach aches, she discovered that she had stage 4 gastric cancer. This beautiful, bubbly wife and vibrant mom of three with an infectious smile was facing this very difficult diagnosis. Her first post about it is here.  The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

    This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file.  100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family.  Her husband, Kevin, and her three young children need our help and support.  In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale.  Direct donations are also being accepted.  Information central is HERE.  This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.
     
    Here are all the items available for sale... they are cute! You'll want to check them out!


    On to my creation using this ever-so-darling Octopus!
    I actually used the digi version of this darling little lady and colored her up with Copic Markers using BV0000, BV00, BV02, R81, R83 and RV00 to give her a bit of rosy cheeks! Afterward,  cut her out and mounted her on this fun Jillibean Soup paper. The zig zag paper is from My Mind's Eye and I just trimmed that along the design line. Add some sparkle, a stitched edge and some fun May Arts ribbon and that's prettymuch all there is to it! 

    Here's a close up of this cute little gal...


    I hope you will join me in supporting Katie through a purchase of one of these digis or through a donation. We are really hoping to do some wonderful things for her family during this difficult time. Like I said, we were blessed to have more than 100 designers join in today's hop. Here's the list -- we hope you stop by and leave these designers some love!

    AJ Otto 
    Beate 
    Carolyn Mustopa 
    Dawn Burnworth 
    Deb Felts 
    Gretchen Belknap 
    Heather Jensen 
    Jen del Muro 
    Julie Ranae 
    Kate - i {heart} papers 
    Kendra Wietstock 
    Lisa Johnson 
    Loretta Lock 
    Lori Tecler 
    Lynn Mercurio 
    Marianne Walker 
    Michele Gross 
    Stacy Morgan aka Twinshappy 
    Tracy Schultz 
    Debbie Olson 
    Cindy Lawrence 
    Cindy Haffner  
    Julie Koerber 
    Christine Okken 
    Tammy Hershberger 
    Danielle Kennedy 
    Barbara Anders 
    Makiko Jones 
    Ashley N Newell 
    Shannan Teubner 
    Taylor Usry 
    Jen Tapler 
    Jenn Balcer 
    Jenny Chesnick 
    Jess Larsen 
    Jessica Knutsen 
    Jimmi Mayo 
    Joan Bardee 
    Joan Ervin 
    Julia Aston 
    Julie Day 
    Julie Ebersole

    If you'd like to send Katie a card, here's her mailing address. I'm sure she'd love some snail mail.

    Katie Renz
    PO Box 5913
    Bellingham, WA 98227-5913


    Or, if you'd like to donate to this fund set up to benefit her children, please click the Donate button to make a secure donation. 



    I have to say a very special thanks not only to Becky Oehlers and Marianne Walker for designing such darling images but to Kate at i heart papers for organizing this amazing event. We hope it not only warms Katie's heart but helps provide some support for her family. God Bless!


    ~Julie

    Really honored!!!

    Imagine my surprise when I woke up today, one eye open and a fresh cup of coffee in my hand to see emails from some of my stamping friends saying, 'Hey.... did you know you are the Featured Stamper over on Splitcoaststampers?' What? Really? No Way! I'm tickled at the honor of being at the center of a fun-filled challenge and will have fun seeing other folks take on some of my gallery creations! You can check out the challenge and thread here at the Featured Stamper over at Splitcoaststampers! It's going to be a super fun week!

    Friday, October 7, 2011

    Turn up the Metal!

    Are you ready to rock? Well, you would think that's what Flourishes' Release Week Challenge is all about just by looking at the title! Actually, it's about the shine and glitz that metallic can bring during the holidays. So, we offer you.....

       

    HOW TO PLAY: Silver, gold, copper, or bronze -- whichever metal you pick, just make sure it has a presence on your creation! Just that simple -- use a little metal on your card and you're in the running.

    Want to see my creation? I have to say I started with a little Mojo Monday inspiration. You can check out this week's sketch HERE! It's a fun one!
    I used the Sweets of the Season set from Flourishes for my main image. I just love this candy cane - there are so many cute images in that set, I tell ya! After I stamped the candy canes on Flourishes Classic White Card Stock, I colored them up using the Poppy, Spring Greens and Holly collections grouped by Flourishes and added a dash of Glitter Glue! The rest is just decorative paper, some metal faux nail head stickers, a little glitz in the way of some gold stitching, green ribbon and some fabulous red foil paper. I used the Spellbinders Classic Circles Die and Blossom dies for my main image and mat. The punch is a Stampin' Up punch. And that, my friends, is it! Where's the metal? In the metal foil paper, the nail head stickers, even the gold thread! Want to see a close up?


    Keep in mind, the deadline for this challenge is Friday, October 14th at 5PM EST. If you upload to SCS, please use the Keyword- FLLCOCT11 so folks can find and see your entries! After you create your card, be sure to head on over to the Flourishes Blog and link up your creation on the challenge post there. This month, Flourishes has FOUR new stamp sets to share. The previews start next Tuesday and just think, by entering this challenge you could WIN them all! This card also qualifies for Stacy's Christmas Spirit Challenge that you can read up on HERE!  It's called 'Shiny Like a Piece of Candy!' :-)

    Need a little inspiration to get you on your creative way? Check out what our DT whipped up.....

    Barbara Anders
    Christine Okken
    Cindy Lawrence
    Dawn Burnworth 
    Danielle Kennedy
    Julie Koerber
    Stacy Morgan
    Tammy Hershberger

    Thanks for stopping by! We can't wait to see how you let a little metal sing on your cards or creations! See you all back here soon!

     Supplies I used:
    http://mystampingthyme.blogspot.com/