Sunday, April 28, 2013

Itty Bitty Box!



How would you like to learn how to make this itty bitty box? Well, I just so happen to have a tutorial HERE today over on the Flourishes blog! So..... be sure to check it out!


~Julie


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Thursday, April 25, 2013

It's time for Flourishes Friday Faves!

Hi all and happy Friday! Today the Flourishes Senior DT has some eye candy planned for you today. It's all a part of Friday Favorites -- a time when we as designers pick up our favorite sets and simply... create!

One set that doesn't get nearly enough attention in my stamp room is Zinnias! 


My mom, the Rubber Maid, uses it all the time and has a lot of cards on her blog using it. So, I figured I'd take out my Silhouette Cameo, cut out the shapes with the Silhouette Zinnia Cut file and.... get to stamping! I chose to use the long zinnia stem for my creation.....


It's funny, this card was one of those creations that just "happened!" I started flipping through the So Noted pad and grabbed the notebook style paper. I thought - "Hey, I have a new border die from Spellbinders that is kind of like a ripped notebook edge!" I grabbed that and cut it along the edge. Then  I thought -- "Oh, a wood button and some twine would give this an earthy feel!" Done. I wanted an all occasion card, so I grabbed the Oh Happy Day sentiment from the Old Fashioned Florals set. Stamp that in the bottom using Versafine Black Onyx ink. Add a little pizazz with some rounded corners. Then, I actually had the half doily and the strip of polka dot paper (from the True Friends paper pack) on my desk. Add some stitching and lay those onto a piece of yellow decorative paper (from the So Noted pad) and... before I knew it -- I had a card! It was kind of a happy accident if you ask me!

Here's a close up of my flower - you can see I colored with Copic Markers (see below for the color families that I used!)

And that, my friend, is it! And.... like I said, all of the gals on the DT were asked to pick up any set they like and simply create! So, you're likely to see all kinds of fun things as you hop, skip and jump to their blogs!

And, if you haven't stopped over to the Flourishes Blog -- there is some fun news to share! Just click HERE to find out what it's ALL about! Thanks for stopping by and spending a little time with me this Friday! Have a good weekend and I'll see you back here soon!

~Julie

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Message From Afar.....

Hi all! Do you need quick and easy cards that you can make in a jiffy or keep to be able to send in a jiffy? Well, I have one for you today that has a kind of masculine feel! I picked up some of Teresa Collin Designs new goodies recently in the Flourishes store and in a matter of minutes, whipped up this creation below!

I started by stamping the boat from A Guiding Light stamp set in Rich Cocoa Memento Ink on a piece of neutral decorative paper. I also stamped the Antique Map on another piece of decorative paper from the Far and Away paper pack. After that, I did a little paper piercing and sponged around the edges of both papers with Tea Dye Distress Ink. I matted the boat up on some more decorative paper from the pack and matted up the map with Flourishes' new Classic Kraft paper. That also served as my card base!

And....  as you can see, attached to my main panel, I added a sentiment from the set using Rhubarb Stalk Memento Ink and I also added a portion of one of the Far and Away Borders. Have you seen these borders? OH MY! You get a pack of decorative border strips in coordinating colors and patterns. This is what they look like...


Yummy... don't you think????? ;-) And below you can see I literally only used the last inch of one of the borders. I loved that little pennant feel! Add a brad and... ta da!!!


And that, my friends, is it! A quick and easy "man card" that's ready to send! I have to say if you like this paper, Jan Marie, the Owner of Flourishes put together a post on this paper pack and all the fun things that go with it! So, click HERE to see what she picked and pulled to show off today! 

Thanks for stopping by this Wednesday. Hope life is good in your neck of the woods! I have been creating .... and so... I'll be back a little later this week to share some of that fun! See you back here soon!


~Julie


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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Beyond the Garden Gate

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1JsIdRIHkaSZS8QXD_Zdiz-7JrkM1Q2u0s3BPOBiLas48iddst9RdBzYJlcBeQxZolye93Sb2iKAVlAoLxPNARjIf0QCX7n4yMjZxMr8B4GOcIcqzIelqCqKrUeaU0bjpRqBrKp1zqQ/s1600/Free+for+All+Friday+with+Border.jpg
Hi all! Just like we do every Friday after our release, our designers pick up their favorite new sets and let their creativity go crazy with a "Free for All Friday!" The goal is to show off those new images and give you even more ideas on how to use them!

On to my creation!
I had to use this image from Flourishes' new set called Garden Gate. I just think it is so sweet and pretty at the same time! I used the new Garden Gate Silhouette file to start and cut out my shape from Classic Ivory Card Stock and I stamped it in Toffee Crunch Memento Ink. After that, I reached for my Copic markers and went to town coloring!  (See supplies list below for a peek at the colors that I used!) Add some paper piercing, a cut, embossed and sanded die cut shape (Labels Seventeen by Spellbinders) and then a little fun with some crochet trim, a doily, some seam binding ribbon and a schnazzy and blingy button!
And that, my friends is it! I left the inside empty for a sentiment in the future. I've been doing that more and more these days -- leaving the inside blank or the outside void of a sentiment. That way, I have a card ready for pretty much anything - birthday, thank you, thinking of you, get well -- you name it! 

Before I go --  you should know that time is running out for Flourishes' New Release Bundle Bargain! Today is the last day to get all of the new sets at 10% off when you purchase them in a bundle. If you want to know more, just click HERE to see the bundle in the Flourishes store!

Ok, now it's time to hop on over and see.....

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and that you have some fun plans! I have a ton -- it's opening weekend for my daughter's softball team - YAY! I got invited to a movie with a friend - YAY! I am going to an reunion with some old co-workers -- YAY! And, some friends asked me out for a girl's night. OK -- that's a lot of fun planned. Hope you can find some in your neck of the woods this weekend! :-) See you back here soon!

~Julie

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Flowers for YOU!

Hi all and happy Thursday! Today, I have a bit of floral fun for you courtesy of Impression Obsession! The first and third Thursdays of the month, the design team ushers in a new challenge that could have you walking away with a $25 shopping spree to the IO store! So, this week's challenge? It's called Flowers for You! So, pick up those IO stamps, get them inky and let's see some flower power!

On to my creation....

Not too long ago, Impression Obsession released a darling clear set called Spring Medley and it's got four fun florals that are just begging to be colored! I picked the rose for my creation! 

I started by first cutting out my shape using the companion die called Flower Trio. After I cut my shape, I stamped my clear stamp with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink over top -- so easy with clear stamps! And then, I went to town coloring up my rose. I used these Copic Markers -- R00, R30, R0000, YG61, YG63 and G20. After I was done coloring, I added a sentiment using Versafine Smokey Gray, punched it using a 1" circle, add some gold cording and.. ta da!


The rest is just matting it all up! I mat it on THIS die cut frame. While the frame was still on my cut shape, I sponged on some Adirondack Peach Bellini ink. I also sponged some of the ink around my card base and the tag as well. Add some bling, a doily and then pop up the image with some foam tape and... voila! That, my friends, is it! 

If you want to play along in the challenge, just click HERE for all the official details! Do you need a little more floral inspiration? Just pay these fine designers a visit!


Hope your week is going well! It's been downright cold here in my neck of the woods, not feeling much like spring at all when snow flurries hit! UGH! Hopefully a little sunshine will hit this weekend in my neighborhood -- and YOURS! See you back here soon!


~Julie


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Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Sneaks are Over!

After a few days of peeks and tons of eye candy courtesy of the Flourishes Design Team, I'm happy to say that all of Flourishes' April sneaks are over and all of the sets we've been showing off are LIVE in the Flourishes Store HERE! Today, we bring you one more hop and this one will have you hopping past the garden gate to see a bevy of beautiful roses!

GardenGateGraphic
Garden Gate, illustrated by Marcella Hawley, takes the beauty of a shrub rose and makes it a card maker's delight! The set features one beautiful arched shrub rose branch and a fun-filled,whimsical scene welcoming you beyond the garden's gate. This 4 by 6" set also offers 5 beautifully scripted sentiments.

On to my creation! For starters, this card was made a whole lot easier because I used the brand new 123 Create Kit called Stationery Noted. I love how those kits take the complete guesswork out of trying to match up papers, ribbons and all those little extras! And... here's what I made!

I started with my Silhouette and used the brand new Garden Gate cut file. I cut the image out of Flourishes Classic White and then, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Cut some decorative paper using Spellbinders Labels Thirteen. Color the image with Copics (see list below for the collections that I used), add some paper piercing, some ribbon, enamel dots and... that's all that there is to this card!

Here's a close up showing this sweet sentiment that is a part of this set...
And, here's a close up of those beautiful shrub roses -- Marcella Hawley has such a way with flowers! You can also see I did add some razzle dazzle to the flowers' centers thanks to some glitter glue....

And that, my friends, is it! I love the red shades with that pale blue -- it's kind of calming on one hand with a pop of drama! ;-)

Would you like to win this set? Well, just as we have done in past release weeks, we offer our little guessing game of….


Mystery Blogger Graphic 

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Garden Gate Stamp set! Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this gorgeous array of shrub roses? Head on over and see…..


And.... if you own a Silhouette Cameo, you should know that there are a number of new cut files available too! We have the Bees and Blooms Cut File both for the Silhouette Cameo and in a SVG version as well. We have the Spring Blossom Cut file for the Silhouette Cameo and we also have the Garden Gate in a Silhouette Cameo Cut File as well! What creative fun! You can click HERE to see all of our cut files in the Flourishes store! There are a ton!

Do You Wan to Win Flourishes' April Release?

If you want a chance to win all three of Flourishes new sets, you can always play in our Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here AND you only have until 5PM EST today to enter!!! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. And, while you're shopping, did you check out the WHAT'S NEW PAGE on the Flourishes Store? There is a WHOLE BUNCH of new stuff that you'll want to check out! 

Thanks for joining me this week!!! Hope you had as much fun as I did! ;-) TGIF!
~Julie

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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Sneaks Day 2: Bees and Blooms!

Hi all and welcome to day 2 of Flourishes' fabulous sneak peeks! Today's stamp set is one that is close to our hearts in more ways than one. For starters, it's the last stamp set penned by Becky Fleck for Flourishes. And because of that, Flourishes decided to make it a special set that will help a cause close to Becky's heart. Take a peek at....

Bees&BloomsGraphic
This stippled beauty called Bees and Blooms features apple blossoms and bees buzzing in such an artistic way. And, Becky created a SVG and Silhouette cut file to be used with this set. It's a unique look that is begging to be water-colored, colored up with Copics or just stamped on its own! Now, the special part of this set. Becky is donating 100% of her artist fees to benefit the Relay for Life. Each year, more than 4 million people in over 20 countries take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. And, Becky's team takes to the track in my own home town of Billings, Montana to help make a difference. You'll have to click HERE to read all about why Becky walks! And you should know, to help Becky in her mission, 10% of all sales of Bees and Blooms will go to help Becky's Relay for Life team!

On to my creation!
I just love the stippled feel of this set, it is just too beautiful and so easy to color because Becky took the work out of coloring it with her fabulous shading. I only used a few Copic collections (you can scroll down to the bottom of this post to see which colors I uesd!) and when I was done, instead of just shading and blending around my image, I decided to make the shadows stippled too! See?


I added some paper piercing to my decorative paper, added a sentiment thanks to some Rich Cocoa Memento ink and then, added a brad and a bow and... ta da! The die is one from Spellbinders called Wonky Rectangles. And that, my friends, is it!

Do you want to win this set? All you need to do is figure out......

Mystery Blogger Graphic 

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Bees and Blooms Stamp set! Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this set designed for a fabulous cause? Head on over and see…..

Do you want to win Flourishes' April Release?

If you want a chance to win all three of our soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in our Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! Also, if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. All sets will be live first thing Friday morning -- that's tomorrow -- along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!

I’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one will have you taking a trip past the garden gate for some beautiful inspiration!


~Julie
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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Flourishes Sneaks Day 1: Spring Blossoms!

Hi all and welcome to day 1 of Flourishes April Sneaks! Oh my goodness, where does the time go? I have to tell you that the Flourishes Design Team is excited though because our April release brings a bevy of beauty that is ripe for spring. Starting with this little number......
SpringBlossomsGraphic
Did you recognize the flow of these flowers? Well, you should! This gorgeous stamp set is the final set in our Blossoms Collection, this beautiful array of spring blossoms illustrated by Marcella Hawley features a bouquet, corner stamps, and pieces to create your own borders or frames. Add in four of all occasion sentiments and you have the perfect set to create cards for every day correspondence. Set measures 4 by 6" and is the perfect companion to sister sets Happily Ever After SS199 and Letters in Blossom SS198. If you like this set, you might also like our Summer Blossoms set featuring summer florals, our Autumn Blossoms set featuring Autumn florals, our our set Winter Blossoms with gorgeous late winter/early spring blooms.

 On to my creation! For starters, this card was made a whole lot easier because I used the brand new 123 Create Kit called Stationery Noted. I love how those kits take the complete guesswork out of trying to match up papers, ribbons and all those little extras!



All that... for just $15! And.... below is what I made with my kit!


I started by using the Perfectly Pierced Classic Windows Die from Flourishes. I cut and embossed my shape from Flourishes Classic White and while the die was still on, I sponged on some Memento Summer Sky Ink. From there, I stamped one of the bracket style images (with those beautiful magnolias and berries) at the top and bottom of my die cut shape. I grabbed my Copic markers and... went to town coloring! (See the supplies used below for the colors I used!)

And, here's a close up! you can see I did add a little sparkle thanks to some glitter glue!
Afterward, it is just matting up my image! The doily is actually from one of my friends, Becky Fleck's Montana Misfits Grandma's Attic Collection. I also added one of these cute heart Sparklets. Other details? I did use Spellbinders Grand Labels One die for the shape at the bottom of my card and a corner rounder for the top. Ta da! Done!

Well, just as Flourishes has done in past release weeks, the design team is offering up our little guessing game of…. 

Mystery Blogger Graphic 

We don’t know which one of these ladies below will be the Mystery Blogger but one will, so leave comments on all of our designers’ blogs and you’ll be in the running to win today’s Spring Blossoms Stamp set!

Want to see all the beautiful things you can create with this gorgeous array of spring blooms? Head on over and see…..

Do you want to win Flourishes' April Release?

If you want a chance to win all three of our soon-to-be released sets, you can always play in the Summer Lovin' Challenge – there will be multiple winners here! OR, play along with the gals for this week’s Timeless Tuesday Challenge! Check out the links for the official rules! Also, if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well). You can also take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off when you purchase all three together in a bundle. All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!

I’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one is blossoming with beauty as well!


~Julie
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Whatcha got around the house?

Hey all and happy Tuesday! Last week I decided to play along with Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday gals and I thought -- heck why not make it two weeks in a row? This week's challenge is all about finding something around the house and using it on your card! This one kind of threw me for a loop. I have to admit!

On to my creation! For starters, I have a confession to make. I designed this card using a real, life bottle cap. But, come to find out -- it is a lot harder to get good results from a real bottle cap than it is one of those embellishments you can buy and smash in your die cut machine. So, please know -- a bottle cap off one of my hubby's beer bottles was my true intent. It didn't, however, end that way! LOL! Here goes....
I have a quick and easy card with the center of my card all about the bottle cap! I stamped the Medallion Motif image on Flourishes White Card Stock using Versafine Black Onyx.  Add some color to my image thanks to this Copic Collection....The Lenten Rose Collection.


 And here's a close up of the coloring. You can see I added some bling to parts of my image! This one really sparkles! I added some 1/2" black ribbon and some extra bling and.... almost done!
 

I matted my image onto some of my decorative paper that was in my scrap bin -- some of it is My Mind's Eye from forever ago and the black and cream, I have no idea! ;-) I matted some of my panels onto some Flourishes Classic Black card stock just to give it a little extra pop! And that, my friends, is it! Done!

Hey... did you know... if you like playing along with the Timeless Tuesday gals, don't forget that they have a Friends of Flourishes DESIGN TEAM CALL!  You could become another fabulous designer for your favorite stamp company... yes.. .YOU!!! You can get all the details on how to send in an application right HERE!  Good luck! And... before I forget -- the Flourishes sneaks start tomorrow with the design team showcasing April's New Release - fun and beautiful images that you will want to check out for sure! See you back here then!

~Julie


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Monday, April 8, 2013

Make A Wish!

Hi all and happy Monday! I have some creative fun to kick off your week and this one is all about sending along birthday wishes!

On to my creation! For this one I picked up one of  Becky Fleck's new sets for Penny Black. You have to see this set HERE so you can see all the possibilities! There's a little cupcake stand and you can place these items on it! Instead of masking and creating a scene -- I literally wanted to use ALL these cute images on one card!




So I started by stamping all of the images on some scratch pieces of white card stock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I grabbed my Copic markers and went to down coloring. There are far too many colors of markers to mention but as a general rule of thumb -- when I am coloring small images, I usually just pick a light and a dark of the same color family and then color that way -- so for the chocolate -- I'd pick a light brown and a dark brown and let the color variations show just with the two. After I was done coloring, I used a 1" circle punch to punch out all my images and a 1-1/4" circle punch to serve as my mat. I matted it all up on a square of decorative paper and a larger piece I cut out using the Grand Scalloped Squares die by Spellbinders. 

And, here's a close up! You can see on some of those little images, I did add some razzle dazzle with the help of some glitter glue! 

And that, my friends, is it! a fun and colorful way to send along some Happy Birthday Wishes! I don't know about you -- but I can always use more birthday cards in my stash of creations to have on hand!

There's going to be lots of fun here on the Out To Impress Blog! Wednesday starts the sneak peeks for Flourishes and man, oh man, there are some beautiful blossoms that are about to be released -- so stay tuned for those sneaks! Until then!

~Julie


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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Lovin' Summer!

Ahhhh..... summer will be here before we know it and... that means longer days, hotter nights, sitting under the stars and soaking up the nice weather. We know the grass is just starting to green up and spring flowers haven't even really begun to see their full glory -- but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate those warmer days ahead! The Flourishes Design Team is getting in the spirit of outdoor fun now and if you play along with us, you could win Flourishes' entire April release! All you need to do is play in the... 

SummerLovinChallenge  

HOW TO PLAY: To join in this challenge, all you need to do is be inspired by this beautiful color palette above OR create with summer in mind! This one can be loosely interpreted! If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCAPR13. Enter as many times as you like, but know that if you use Flourishes stamps, your entry counts twice! You have until April 12, at 5PM EST to enter. You can CLICK HERE to enter your card using the Inlinkz widget!

On to my creation!
I just love this little image from the Sweet Days of Summer set! I have such fond memories of just setting up the sprinkler with the neighbor kids and running wild! I think most days my mom would have to drag me inside because playing outside (most often in a bathing suit) was the best way to spend the day! So, that's why I picked this image!

My card is really simple -- I used Memento Teal Zeal ink for both my image and my sentiment. Matted it all up on some decorative papers (these are a mix of papers from my scrap bin that coordinated) Add some paper piercing, stitching, some ribbon, a button and mat it all up on a 5" square card out of Flourishes Classic White!  And that, my friends, is it! This is probably only a 15 to 20 minute tops card. The hardest part is cutting paper and die cutting! Easy peasy!

If you need a little inspiration, it’s never far away with our design team’s creations! Hop on over and see…
  The OFFICIAL Rules…..
  • Simply create a card and be inspired by the photo above or by... SUMMER!
  • Entries need to be in by Friday, April 12th at 5 PM EST
  • Those that use Flourishes stamps will be counted twice for their entry
  • You must link your creation on this post using our inlinkz widget in order to qualify
  • You must have a link to our challenge in your blog or gallery post
  • Please DO NOT combine challenges. Only those that don’t combine will be in the running.
  • If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword FLLCAPR13
  • We’ll announce the winners Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post on Saturday, April 13th, so check back then to see if you’re one of the lucky winners!
Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have some creative fun planned this weekend. I know with Flourishes' release week coming up next week that I do -- so stay tuned -- sneaks start next Wednesday! Happy stamping!

~Julie

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Time to ..... Think Spring!

hi all! It's Thursday, which means the Impression Obsession gals are ushering in another fun-filled challenge and this one is all about --- "thinking Spring!" You can interpret that how ever you like! Outdoor fun? Flowers? Sunshine? It could be all of those things! If you want to know more about all the challenge rules, just click HERE!

On to my springtime creation!

When this stamp was released at CHA, I made THIS creation and I wanted to use this beautiful stamp again (it's called Poppy Bouquet). I had heard about Blue Poppies, but I don't think I've ever seen one in real life. Thanks to Google -- I saw inspiration like this....

I grabbed my Copic Markers and only used a handful of markers - B60, B63, B66, G43, G40 and G20. I did use RV00 and RV0000 to give a little bit of shading around my flowers. Add some decorative paper (Stampin' Up), May Arts wrinkled ribbon, a doily and some fun shapes courtesy Spellbinders (Grand Labels One and Labels One) and... ta da! Done!

Need a little more inspiration? Hop on over and see these fabulous IO gals!


So, think spring, pick up some IO stamps and get those fingers inky -- did I mention that the winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the Impression Obsession store? What fun! You have until Wednesday, April 10th at 10PM EST to enter!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back with some more creative fun tomorrow --- so see you back here then!

~Julie


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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Wrap it With Ribbon! FTTC214

Happy Tuesday everyone! The sun is shining here in my neck of the woods and it is really starting to feel like spring outside. So, I thought I'd usher in a little spring on a card and take part in Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday Challenge -- which is FTTC214 -- to layer two or more ribbons on a card or creation! 
So.... on to my creation!You can see below that I decided to layer up some lace with some pink seam binding ribbon!


What's fun about this stamped image? You might not recognize it because I only used a portion of the stamp. It's actually just a snippet of the Apple of My Eye set -- see? I just love that portion of the branch and decided it would be fun just to use that snippet.


I started my creation by using the Apple of My Eye Silhouette Cut file and cut the shape out of Flourishes Classic White Card Stock. I stamped my image using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. Then, I colored up my image using Copic Markers (see below for which colors I used). Add some lace, some seam binding ribbon, a little paper piercing, some bling, a doily and... almost done! The layout that I used was actually this week's Mojo Monday! Here's a peek at the sketch!
And, here's a closeup of those fun Apple Blossoms....


And that, my friends, is it! If you want to play along in this week's Timeless Tuesday, just click HERE to find out all the challenge details! Thanks for stopping by! Hope your week is off to a great start and that you are experiencing a bit of spring in your neck of the woods! 

See you back here soon! 

~Julie

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