Timeless Tuesday #256: Pantone Color 2014-"Radiant Orchid"

... 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! 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!

Personally, I don't usually pay much attention to the Pantone Color of the Year. Actually, I didn't care for the colors they chose over the past two years, at all. But, this year is different. Wow! Radiant Orchid is a gorgeous color! I even like the name. :)  So...create a card using this year's Pantone Color of the Year? Noooo problem!

I stamped the iris image, from the new Flowers for Jan stamp set, on Flourishes Classic White Cardstock, using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, then colored it with Copics, using Prismacolor pencils to do some shading. After die cutting the image with a Nobel [sic] Rectangles Spellbinders die, I masked it, then colored it with my Copic Air Brush while still in the die. The tilted yellow layer was cut and embossed with the same die set.

I kept the inside subdued and simple. After that eye-popping card front (and yes, it is that vivid IRL, too!), I thought your eyes might need a breather. :)

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

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea - You are here!
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Katie Sims
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

Okay, now it's your turn! I hope you'll play along! I can't wait to see how everyone takes on this challenge!

You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, PURPLE week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenge:
613 Avenue Create Challenge #56: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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Get Well Soon, Mrs. A!

I've got a two-fer post today! ;) Mrs. A, one of my 9-year old DD's favorite teachers, is out for a couple of months with health issues that require surgery. I wanted to make her a card from our family, but my DD wanted to make a card for her, too. I'll start with mine, and save the best for last!

UPDATE: This card was featured on the Viva la Verve Blog, here!

I used the January 2014 Week 4 Viva la Verve sketch for my layout, and a Verve stamp for the front sentiment. The sentiment panel is a Spellbinders die cut, which I cut out of black and also out of pink. I glued them together, offsetting the pink one just slightly to give a shadow effect. I like how it looks, but it actually serves a purpose--without it the pretty scroll cuts just disappeared over the black dp. The sentiment was heat embossed with pink ep, then stamped over that with a white pigment ink to give it a chalky look. I distressed the black typographical dp by tearing it and sponging Walnut Stain Distress Ink on the edges, and backed that with a pink distressed panel, also. A little sewing, a couple of foliage die cuts, and a cluster of flowers finish off the front.

On the inside, I sponged Victorian Velvet Distress Ink along the lower left corner edges, then used a Flourishes distress stamp and Tea Dye ink to add an old wallpaper look. The sentiment is stamped in Victorian Velvet ink. The top strip is just what was left over from tearing the black dp on the front of the card. The photo corner is a Sizzlet die cut.

I LOVE my DD's card that she made for her teacher! She has a ton of Sizzix Dress Up dies (I think most of them have been retired), with all kinds of outfits and hairstyles, and she likes to make cards very personal by putting people who look like her and whoever she is making the card for, on the card. This is her best one, ever! Mrs. A is on the left, and my DD is on the right. In the past I've had to help her a little bit with designing a card, but she did this one all by herself--choosing dp for the bg, cs for the die cuts, a stamp, rhinestone buttons, ribbon, and this time, she even did all the cutting and stamping by herself! All she wanted me to do was enter it in a challenge! ;)

Get Well, Mrs. A! We miss you!!!

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 4 Sketch Challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge: A is for...Mrs. A!

613 Avenue Create Challenge #56: Anything Goes

The Stamping Chef Challenge #13: Anything Goes

Flat Friends Challenge #16: Anything Goes

I'm entering my DD's card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: A is for...Mrs. A!

613 Avenue Create Challenge #56: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

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Timeless Tuesday #255: In With the New

Hello there! I'm your hostess for this week's Timeless Tuesday Challenge! By now, we've packed up all the holiday decorations, eaten all the leftovers, and put another year behind us. Ahhh...Everything has calmed down, and we're back in our normal, comfortable routines. But, as nice as that is, isn't it fun when something NEW comes along that begs to be celebrated?

For this week, I'm challenging you to create a card that celebrates something NEW...a house, job, baby, marriage, car, hope, year.... You get the idea. :)

Around our house these days, we are celebrating a new attitude and a new focus. Up until recently, school has been easy for my DD. She has been able to learn most everything by osmosis--her focus was primarily on "play," not "study." But, this year is different, and she is finally having to make a more studious effort. It's a whole new way of being for her, and she is handling it beautifully! So, to celebrate, I colored up this sweet fairy from the Garden Fairies stamp set, using Copic markers on Classic White Cardstock. I cut her out with a Spellbinders die, using the out-of-the-box technique and popped it up over a circle die cut and a Flourishes' Victorian Oval die cut, which was cut from Spring Breeze cs. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

I used the same Spring Breeze cs on the inside, die cutting a decorative curve in it, then topped that with a piece of die cut white cs. The inside sentiment is from the Always Blooming stamp set. I just love that the sentiment could be curved to match the die cut curve.

So, what is NEW with you? Create a card to celebrate it and play along with us in this week's challenge for a chance to win! You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

But, before you go, be sure to click over to the rest of the DT's blogs. I'm inspired by them every week, and I'm sure you will be, too!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

~Hugs,

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Happy "Bee" Day

I had so much fun making this little project today! You're probably thinking this is for a birthday, and it could be, but it's not. A friend's son is in a spelling bee next week, so I made a tag for her to use on a bee-themed gift package that she put together for him.

I embossed a Honeycomb background stamp with Distress embossing powder, then spritzed with several colors of Dylusions Ink Spray. After drying the ink with my heat gun, I spritzed gold Perfect Pearls Mist over it so it would glisten like honey. "Happy" was stamped with the Inside & Out Happy stamp set from Flourishes, using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed with black ep, and the letters in "day" are die cuts. The bee was made by punching out yellow and black circles, folding them in half, and gluing them together. The bee face (stamped on cs and colored with a Copic marker) and wings (stamped on vellum and coated with Diamond Stickles) were stamped with a Recollections stamp set called Don't Bug Me, and fussy cut. A strip of Washi tape and some ribbons and jute finished it off. (I thought about adding more, but since it's for a boy, I figured less IS more!) I didn't take a pic of the back, but it is white with the honeycomb bg stamped in Scattered Straw Distress Ink. My friend has plenty of room to personalize it.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

I'm entering this tag in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Emboss It

613 Avenue Create Challenge #54: Anything goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Timeless Tuesday #254: Button It Up!

Wherever you are right now, I hope you are warm! We had some unusually cold weather blow through Georgia recently, and I don't fare well when the wind chill dips below zero! Thank goodness we're back into our normal temperature range...for now! Well, our Timeless Tuesday hostess this week is Jenny Gropp, and her challenge for us is right in step with the weather. It's cold outside, so she is challenging us to "Button It Up!" and use at least one button as an embellishment on a winter card.

I used Flourishes' Snow Wonderful stamp set for my winter scene, colored it with Copic markers, and cut it with the Classic Keyhole Die. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but I used Copic Opaque White Pigment on the image for a little textured snow and Diamond Stickles for the sparkly ice crystals. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, and was heat embossed onto vellum with silver embossing powder, then "buttoned" to the image with a couple of tiny buttons. Behind the image are several layers of die cuts and some gray satin ribbon.

This birthday card is for a friend I don't get to see often, and the "true friends" sentiment, from the Friendship & Flowers stamp set was perfect for the inside of the card.

Stop by my teammates' blogs to see their take on this week's challenge, then link up your own creation on the Flourishes' blog, here..

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

I hope you are able to play along with us this week. And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize!

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to "Button Up!" this week! ;)

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 2 Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Ice Inspiration
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #54: Anything Goes/Optional Theme: Party/Celebrate
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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It's Your Day...Smile!

I saw a pretty color palette today over at Designs by Dragonfly, and used it to make a birthday card for a friend.

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#327) for the card layout, and used a mix of stamps and dies from several different companies.

On the inside, I used a Sizzix diffuser when I embossed the white panel, to keep the center flat. Also, the yellow ink that I sponged inside the oval isn't nearly as vivid IRL as it is in the photo, but for the life of me, I couldn't get it toned down in the pic!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #327
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Blues
613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes/Optional Theme: Party/Celebrate
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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A Happy Birthday

Did you hear...Viva la Verve has a new home--it's very own blog! If you are a fan of sketch challenges, this is a good challenge--one of my favs! You should check it out!

The first week of the month is now a sketch+color challenge, but there are several options for how you can use it. I used the sketch and part of the colors. Instead of blue, I went with green (my fav color!).

I followed the sketch fairly close, however, I switched the shapes, using a square where the circle is on the sketch, and circles in place of the squares on the sketch. The sentiment is stamped on kraft cardstock, and the loopy border was painted with acrylic paint (I had to mix yellow, leaf green, and apple green colors to get just the right shade.) ;)

Instead of decorating the front of a card with the entire sketch, I trimmed part of the front of the card off, where the bottom layer would have gone, and I put that layer on the inside of the card. I like that when it's closed you can't tell at all that the front of the card is shortened. Kinda cool, I think!

And, once you get the card opened, this is how it looks. 

Thanks so much for dropping by. I appreciate your visit and your sweet comments. I'm a bit behind on my commenting, but I'll get caught up soon. :)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 1 Sketch Challenge
613 Avenue Create Challenge #53: Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Timeless Tuesday #253: Get In Shape With a New Release!

Hello all and welcome to a very special kick off to Flourishes' January Release! Not only are we ushering the new release in with a fun-filled Timeless Tuesday Challenge but we are showcasing a set designed to honor Flourishes' owner and founder.

INTRODUCING....

Wisteria, Peonies and Bearded Iris -- all three of these flowers are favorites of Flourishes' founder and owner Jan Marie Caruso. Sentimentally illustrated by Marcella Hawley, these beautiful blooms honor the lady at the helm at Flourishes. Three breathtaking flowers paired with three beautifully scripted words and five accent words. This 4" by 6" set is sure to be one you reach for just to send creations to friends far and wide for any and all occasions!

For the first Timeless Tuesday Challenge of 2014, my good friend, Katie, is challenging us to "Get in Shape!" That is...get your card in shape! Whew! That's so much easier than getting ME in shape! ;-)

Isn't that peony a beauty? I stamped it on Classic White Cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, die cut it using the out-of-the-box technique, colored it with Copic markers, and did my shading with Prismacolor pencils. It is popped up on the card base with foam squares. The card base is from Flourishes Candy Pink Paper Collection (the Sweet Tart shade), and I cut it with the Spellbinders Gold Majesty Circles die, adding a sprinkling of Stickles for some subtle sparkle. I backed the base with white cardstock that I first dry embossed with a Swiss Dot embossing folder. To tone the white down just a little bit, I inked the embossing folder with Memento Angel Pink Ink before embossing, then afterward, I spritzed a silver Shimmer Spray over it. I made a seam binding and twine bow and topped it with a clear button.

The inside sentiment is from the Flowers for Jan stamp set, also. Because I like to be able to stand my cards up, I trimmed a little bit off the bottom of the back panel of the card. This keeps it from rocking or tilting, even though it is only balancing on a small point on the front of the card.

Would you like to win this set along with the other two sets being released this month? All you need to do is play along with us!!! We have a special treat for you today -- two actually! First, in honor of Jan Marie and this very special set, Flourishes' Senior Design Team is joining along in this challenge to give you double the inspiration! As you hop around getting inspired on ways to "Get In Shape", don’t forget to try to figure out….

Hidden among the Design Team’s blogs today is our Mystery Blogger of the day. Comment on her blog and you could be chosen to win today’s set! The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Deborah Anton
• Heather Jensen
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Katie Sims
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan
• Tosha Leyendekker

So, get hopping, and "get in shape!" And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

~Hugs,

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