Birthday Chillin

You would think with all the camping stuff lately I was wanting to go camping. NOT!  My idea of camping is all about a nice hotel and warm water. LOL  Today I have a  little birthday camping fun? I pulled out S'more fun to create a birthday card. The sentiment is from Pinwheels and Popsicles which was perfect I thought. Stamped my image onto Classic White card stock using Memento Tuxedo black ink.

Colored with several Copic  added some larger dot textures for the background and some twine wrapped around the smaller panel. My colors are from the Color Made Easy True Blue and some Classic Kraft card stock. Two simple Candi dots to the corner and voila!  
My sweet friend Cindy Lawrence has a last Flourishes creation to share with you today as well. 
Hope you have a wonderful day! 

Sweet as honey they say

Are you ready for another sneak peek of the March 1st release from Our Daily Bread designs? This set is called Sweeter Than Honey. I stamped the jar and the wand onto white card stock and colored with Copics. Cut each one out and popped up on a dimensionals. The background is also new called Honeycomb Background. Wrapped some ribbon and tied off a paper heart made with Ornate Hearts ODBD custom die. Along with the lacy border using Beautiful Borders ODBD custom die. This sweet little creation didn't quite match what I pictured in my head. I think I should of left the liquid glass off the honey jar? I don't know it just doesn't match what I pictured. The designer paper is from a pack that I no longer have but it was fresh and springy so I went with it. Thanks for stopping in today!

Bee Thankful for today

Good morning! Today is a Bee Thankful day! Well everyday should be a thankful day.  :-)  I am showing you a sneak peek of a new set from Our Daily Bread designs coming out on March 1st called Bee Happy. This is a darling honeycomb image that I stamped onto white card stock with chocolate ink. I colored with Copic markers and then layered with some chocolate colored card stock. The lacy border at the bottom is actually paper using the Beautiful Borders ODBD custom die. I think I found a new love! I adore putting white lace crochet trim and this is just about the same don't you think? Wrapped some ribbon and a wood button twine to tie it off. Voila! I hope you get sometime to play with ink today. Have a wonderful day!

Hydrangea Frame

Good morning! My card today is a rather flat card. When I create this style of card, I find a dry embossed look is a cool touch and doesn't take away from the elegance or beauty of the card it enhances it. Great on postage too! ha!

You can see my tutorial on how to create a Dry Embossed Frame if you would like to try this yourself. We have a few school functions coming up so I might need to make a few more quick cards like this as thank you's.  :-)
I first stamped the Hydrangea onto Classic White card stock using Memento Tuxedo black ink. Colored with Copics and then dry embossed my frame around the image. Layered my image onto some lavendar card stock with a ribbon bow and a few jewels.  Voila! I hope you have time to check out the tutorial. Have a wonderful day!

He is Risen

Today is the day all of you bargain hunters have waited for! Prices are now officially as low as they can go in our Gambler's Sale at Flourishes -- meaning everything left in the store is 60% off. That's right -- EVERYTHING!

The gamble is over and now the rush is on to pick up anything left in the store that you've had your eye on.   Simply use the code GAMBLERS60 in the coupon box at the time of check out to get this fabulous discount! 

This year it seems Easter is late to me, how about you? Third week in April so I better get a move on cards. I am sure some of the girls at DH work will want some. My image is from He Is Risen that I stamped onto Classic White card stock using Memento Tuxedo black ink.

Colored with Copic Collections:

Once colored I cut around the image and added dimensionals to the back.  I layered some white crochet ribbon down the center with some Color made Easy sunflower Primrose ribbon tied into a bow. My base paper is using Color Made Easy Sunflower and Crocus card stock. Added a few flourished pearls and voila!
Be sure to check out the creations from the Design Team today:

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

FS368 Fathers Blessing

This weeks Featured Stamper 368 is Dawn aka Stampinscotsgirl. Dawn is very sweet and her gallery has loads of fun creations. I went with this Sailboat for Dad card to case. I was in a masculine card mood and this popped out at me. I kept the layout, similar colors but changed the image, papers and sentiment placement.

Might as well get some Father's day cards done early. This image is from Our Daily Bread Designs called Father's Day. I stamped the moose onto white card stock and colored with Copics. Added a framed layer of Spellbinders Lacey Squares and popped it up on dimensionals. Then a simple button and twine for the side. Voila! Hope you can play along this week! Have a wonderful day.

Friends and thanks

Good morning! Today I get to share with you some new stamps from North Coast Creations! The set I will be sharing with you today is called Floral Sentiments 6. You know what that means? We have 5 other stamps that you need to check out!  ;-)  My first card is a rather frilly feminine and pink creation. I stamped the flower onto white card stock and colored with Copic markers. I then cut around the flower so I could pop it up on dimensionals. The fancy frame is using ODBD Custom Elegant Ovals die that I sponged some pink ink around the edges. Added some flourished pearls and voila!

 This creation is on the sunshine and smiles side with the vibrant yellows. Again using Floral Sentiments 6 stamped down the side of the panel that are colored with Copics. My base for the frame is using Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles with a layer of orange card stock and some yellow gingham. Tied off a seam binding ribbon bow and a few jewels. Voila!

Be sure to check out the Design Team Creations:

Sandee * Dawn * Julie * Lisa * Amber * Lori * Sabrina * Diana * 

For hopping along with us today we have some prize info for you:
Two winners will be randomly chosen from the comments left on the Designers Blogs to receive a $10 gift certificate good towards the purchase of NCC stamps. You have until February 24, 2014 at 10:00PM EST to leave a comment on each of our designers blog posts.  The two random winners will be announced on the NCC Blog on February 25, 2014, be sure to check back there to see if you have won!

Have a wonderful day!

What it takes to be a great leader

This is another great Ted Talks video I watched tonight! She makes some really good points and some food for thought. I sure do like this channel. Have a great evening.

Valentine cards

Good morning! Today over on the ODBD blog we are rewinding our February release and showing you some creations. So I will show you a different and fun Valentine treat and card I created using my Card and Gift Bag technique, but instead of a gift card you get chocolate.  :-)   The card insert is stamped with Bless Your Heart sentiment and hearts. The front pocket is decorated with the Beautiful Ornate Hearts die layered onto the pocket front and a jeweled center.

These are rather quick and a good things since I have to make several of these. Here is what some of them look like. I have a few other creations made using this concept yet with a gift card instead of candy. You can see the Bag Gift Card Tutorial for more ideas if you would like. Lots of variety!

Hope you enjoy all the creations the Design Team share today:

* Sandee * Julie * Grace * Chris * Cathy * Lori * Dawn * Sabrina * Wanda

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Who say's camping isn't warm?

WOW Flourishes Fans! Can you believe we’re at 50% in our Gambler’s Sale?! It’s getting so exciting for bargain hunters! On Monday our last discount goes up to 60% off.

Most of the time camping is cold at least when I have been camping. I like this stamp set called  In Nature. This set works for some quick and easy guy cards I think. I stamped the image onto Classic Kraft card stock and embossed with white embossing powder. After it was embossed I dry embossed the frame using Perfectly Pierced Classic Window. Here is a tutorial on how to Dry Embossed Frame.

The image is colored with Copic Collections:

Added some Color Made Easy Tonal Neutral Ribbon and a few Candi Dots. See camping in the warm... well on paper at least! HA!

To spark your creative wish list we have some lovely and delightful creations from the Design Team to show off to you again today:

• Allison Cope
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence
• Julie Koerber
• Silke Ledlow
• Stacy Morgan

And here are the SALE Details you’ll need!

And here are the SALE Details you’ll need!

Why is this sale a gamble? If you wait too long, the items you want might be sold out at these prices! So, if you see something you really want -- buy it now or take a gamble to see how low the price will go! Like we said, this week everything is 50% off with the code GAMBLERS50. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 50% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off!

USE THE CODE GAMBLERS50 TO GET 50% OFF!

On a personal note: Many of you have read some of the changes that have been happening with me and my family. One of the biggest changes was a new school for the boys, as we had been at our previous school for 5 years. Friendships and a family environment was our comfort at this school and a change was going to be very hard. We knew a change needed to be made and God was directing their path to another place. I am happy to say that they are doing wonderful and seem to be in a routine and more settled after the first few months. There is a saying that when God closes one door he opens a new door. Sometimes you have to accept the doors he closes, especially when it is not the door you expect him to close.

 Another change for me personally was with Flourishes. In June 2010 Jan Marie and Julie gave me the opportunity to run the Wholesale side of Flourishes. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity of running wholesale and working with an incredible company. Julie was more than helpful and gracious to me as I learned the day in and out’s of Flourishes. Wholesale grew to an amazing number of retailers who were carrying the beautiful Flourishes line of stamps.

As of December 2013 the wholesale section of Flourishes was closed and I stepped down from the design team. I let Jan Marie know that I would stay through February and help with the sale through the end of the month. This was a hard decision to make as I have been on the team since 2009. This is a bunch of very talented ladies and some wonderful friendships have formed. Flourishes is moving into some new directions as most of you can see and that is wonderful news for them. I wish them all the best in the future.

 As I said above God will close doors and some of them you don’t expect to be closed. His blessing always far exceeds what you planned or thought possible. Does this mean I will not work with the beautiful stamps I have? Are you kidding! I have 5 bins of stamps for crying out loud. Marcy is beyond amazing with her designs and who can resist that, right? :-)  I am trying to plan a post of my favorite Flourishes creations for later this week, however we will see if I have time to look through them all. HA!! I appreciate you reading through all this and everyone who has said a prayer for me and my family. Have a wonderful day.

I have a hangover today...

I bet that title piqued your interest and for some of you are going to pass right on by this blog post. I have to say that I don't have the "traditional" hangover that most talk about when that word is mentioned. Yes I do have a soar throat, my head is throbbing, my body is achy and I am moving a bit slow. However, what I have is a Toby Mac Hangover!! Woot Woot!!!

That's right! Last night the 4 of us went to the Soul Blowing, Spirit Filled, Enthusiastic, WOW concert of the year... Toby Mac's Deep Hits Tour Concert!  With the amazing artists Brandon Heath, Mandisa, Matt Maher, Matthew West, Capital Kings and Ryan Stevenson. That place was PACKED out and on a Wednesday night that is amazing. The last time that my husband and I went to a Toby Mac concert was when (and this will date us a bit) was at a DC Talk Concert. GASP!! I know how can that be when we look so young. ha ha  Let's just say that I was not as achy after that concert yet I was a lot younger and jumping around wild for a few hours was easier on the body. To sing for Christ and have a stadium packed all singing his glory is the most amazing feeling! You would not know from looking at us that we are almost 40 as we were jumping, screaming and having as good a time as the teen boys sitting to our right! We are rocking parents!  :-)  Oh yea... we are cool. hee hee

The funny thing is at the concert Toby said that he had talked to all the principles, deens and employers and everyone had the day off tomorrow because he knew how we were all going to rock the place. Funny thing as my husband was driving the kids to school we got a message that school was cancelled. The boys were whooping and hollarin saying Toby did it... he did it. LOL  Not exactly, the power is out due to the huge wind storm we had last night. So the three of us are at home, however my husband still had to go to work. hee hee  On that note I have an extra day with my boys and I plan to use it wisely and relax and enjoy today.  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Love to the core

Good morning. Sometimes when you stamp and you have this idea in your head you think, oh that will look great. Well this is NOT one of those cases. ha ha!  I wanted this Small Banners Die-light to be like a hanging lantern effect across the card. Well not quite like I pictured. The sentiment is from Back To School stamped in Memento Tuxedo black ink. Colored the apple with Copics. Added a few jewels to the banners and done. Hhhmm... I think I need to head back to the drawing board on this one.  ;-)   Hope you have time to stamp and play today.

Heart Mini Album

When I was playing around with the new Heart Treat box Die-light I kept picturing a photo album with the die so I created a little photo book to match my treat box I made. What a fun little gift combo, right? The front image is the same as the box I created using I Heart You.
If you would like to see the photo album created check out my Heart Mini Album tutorial to create your own.  Easy peasy today! Hope you have a wonderful day.

Goodie bag

I wanted to create another kind of goodie bag for the Valentines treats they kids were handing out this year. I have a few goodies inside this white bag that I layered a paper doily over the top to close. The beautiful Heart and Soul paper from ODBD came in the mail for me to play with, yea!  Wrapped some seam binding ribbon around the paper and bag tied into a knot. My scripture is from the stamp set Heart and Soul that I stamped using Memento Tuxedo black ink. I die cut the frame using ODBD custom die Elegant Ovals and added a few jewels to the corner. Voila! I adore how these turned out with the little extra touch to the sweets inside. Hope you have a great day!

Canning pears

Who doesn't love a fabulous deal? This week, the stakes are getting higher in Flourishes' Gambler's Sale! As the items sell off, the discounts get a little bit higher! Are the items on your wish list still in the store? If so, you might want to act now before they are going, going, GONE for good! This week, all prices STOREWIDE are 50% off!

These Pears are overly rip colored and ready for canning! For some reason I thought I was canning these pears and not stamping them as they are super ripe. ha!  The Pears are stamped onto classic white card stock using Memento Tuxedo black ink.

Colored with Copic Collections:

Once colored I simply scored around the border and added some stickles. The panel is layered over some white lace trim and Color Made Easy Sunflower Primrose ribbon with a paper doily underneath. Added a few Candi dots to the corner and voila!

Why is this sale a gamble? Well, ALL of the items now in the store will be sold off -- 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! Like we said, this week everything is 50% off with the code GAMBLERS50. Just use that code in the coupon box at the time of check out to get 50% off your entire order, even on already reduced sale prices! Each Monday, between now and February 24th, we'll be adding another 10% off! And while you're shopping -- don't forget about our MYSTERY BAGS! Each bag is valued at roughly $40 but... you pay only $25 (before the discount)!!! 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, a few yards of ribbon and an embellishment. What a bargain! Click HERE to visit the store and pick one up today! Before you go, I have to tell you that the design team created some eye candy so sweet, it could give you a cavity! So, hop on over and see their beautiful creations to serve as a dose of inspiration to kick off your week!

• Allison 
• Christine 
• Cindy 
• Julie 
• Heather 

FS367 First Christmas

This weeks Featured Stamper 367 is Lorraine aka Yorkshire lass. I knew first thing what I was casing before I even went to her gallery... a house mouse. We were on the HM design team together for several years and I adored her creations. So the hard part was deciding which one. Since I just got this stamp and only inked it up once I went searching for hers to match. I found this Sock Mice creation to case. Kept the stamp, colors, over all layout and similar designer paper. Changed the layout some, moved the jewels added a button and a heart side panel.

The Dirty Dozen Christmas challenge this month is all red. This fits perfect into the challenge. These mice are stamped onto white card stock and colored with Various Copic markers. My heart border edge is using Fancy Hearts die light. Some twine and a button to tie off my bow. Voila! Hope you can play along this week. Have a great day!

Relaxing is mice

Did you see the latest CardMaker Magazine Interactive Cards 2? I have a few tutorials in there along with some fabulous ones by others. I created another version of one of mine in there using this House Mouse Poppy Cot. Isn't he just adorable? He makes me smile. I have been in a house mouse mood lately since I inked up a few recently if you didn't notice. ha!

This guy is stamped onto white card stock using Memento Tuxedo black ink. Colored with various Copic markers. Below is the belly band pulled off the card for you to see.

I hope you have a chance to grab the latest magazine! Have a wonderful day.