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Flourishes is doing a search for the next Stamping Idols? Think you'd like to apply to be a new celebrity stamper? In just a few short weeks we will have our grand opening of our webstore, Flourishes.

We will also be debuting the first two stamps set form our very own line! Now if I have you interest peaked and private message to either Nancy, nkirk@aol.com or me, flourishes@cox.net for the details. Feel free to pass this opportunity to any stampers you think may be interested.

We also have the newest Basic Grey paper releases, ribbons, ink pads, and other accessories.


Looking froward to hearing from all that great untapped talent in Stamper's Land!

I

Warm Good Bye to Cool Color

Au Revoir, Chooseie, Cioa!

Can't believe that there really gone.

This was done using my much under used Plaid maker which was retired by Stampin Up! I always love the results and it is so versatile.

Simply taped town the vellum card stock and the template, then used a dauber for each color and pulled in one direction. Let it dry and then came back and change the direction on the plaid maker (after a through) wipe down and repeated the process. Attached to SU Whisper White card stock, stamped the sentiment (Polka Dots & Paisley), added the ribbon and flower and bling....there finished....just like the paper!

Now back to the studio to wonder, dream, imagine, & experience...

Restraint Experienced

Painting by Amy Ross





Let me say this was an experiment and it took a couple of tries, but I am pleased with results.
I recently saw the painting above by artist Amy Ross. She had painted a cone flower. The center of the flower looked normal but on second glimpse a small bird's beak was seen. How clever is that! What first drew me to the image was the wonderful tones of white, tan and greyed greens that you see in her painting.

So this is what I set out to achieve. I settled on SU Very Vanilla cardstock and stamped the image very lightly in Barely Banana. I used a combination of Copic and Tria (Panatone) alcohol markers. The alcohol markers flow so beautifully, never leaving the tell tale over strikes of color. The Copic colorless blender pen is the finishing touch . I very carefully choose the colors and they were more numerous that you would believe. The second layer of the card is SU Mellow moss and the sentiment is also SU stamped in Palette Noir ink.

So how close did I come? Amy Ross- I am not, but oh, she is an inspiration!

Note on Amy Ross: She is a well published artist with a wealth of Biblical training. Most of the animals she works into her art are from the Bible. A google search is well worth a look. You will truly be amazed at her work.

Fluttery Thank You

The second cards I promised using my Prismacolored pencils using one of Lockhart's new butterflies. These butterflies are so fun, really neat to color. One of Susan tips on coloring is choosing your lightest color as a base to others. Prismacolor pencils have a no color blender which makes blending easy/

The details on the butterfly were added by using a pearl metallic glue made by Ranger....oh what a look!

The sentiment is from Flourishes,llc, in our new Flourished Words set. Yes, our grand opening is very soon.....stayed tuned.

The dotted circle is from Impress Rubber. The trail from the butterfly is one from the Swirl series by Autumn Leaves. The ribbon is from Michael's and the "stitching" is a from Tuesday Technique. The scallop punch is the mega from Marvy. The Marvy company has plenty of new punches they are adding to their family of punches, so this will be fun and newly versatile

Thank You Berry, Berry Much

I am working on my coloring techniques using my Prismacolored Pencils. So this is the first of two cards I finished and added to the Splitcoastampers sketch challenge SC129. The card uses that fabulous Fabriano now available at at Flourishes. This is beautiful Italian watercolor paper, easy to work with and gives such a texture to a card.

Susan Lockhart the designer of the set--which can be found at Ellen Hutson's store--has a series on coloring techniques. I have found her tips and tutorials to be very inspiring. They are hosting a recipe card contest, so check out the site

I also have some new equipment to help with my photo. I got the Portable Lighting Studio by Digital Concepts on the advice on Nancy Kirk, my stamping partner, at WalMart.

POPPIES, BOLD AND BRIGHT

My last post was soft and ethereal...but not today. Yesterday I got some additional Prismacolor pencils from Dick Blick, and last night I started to play. I've had this idea lurking in my mind...and now it is on paper. The stamp is by Stampendous. I started by making a mask of the image and then stamped it on to SU Whisper White--I know that this may be hard to believe. I then carefully moved the mask to stamp on multiple images.

Then I began to color! My favorite part...starting from light to dark and using techniques from Susan Lockhart. There are so many shades of pinks to reds for the red poppies; yellows, pinks, and oranges for the coral ones; and a lots of yellows to get great shades of yellow. The white poppies were colored on and shaded with a light touch of cool gray. The colorless blender smoothed and blended all the colors on the images. Several shades of black, navy blue and finally my Tria Panatone markers in black created a unified background. I removed all excess white paper using my paper snips very closely around the image. Then I layered on papers and ribbons.

Papers are SU Real Red, Basic Black, the tiny dot is from JoAnn's (Hot Off the Press). Ribbons: the green is from Hobby Lobby and the Polka Dot is May Arts from our company, Flourishes, LLC.

Now baby, That's Bold and Bright!

Soft and Ethereal Sympathy

I wanted this card to be delicate, have a lightness and almost unearthly look....
somewhat spiritual. Butterflies have those qualities and are a good way to project new life. The card proved to be as much as a challenge to photograph and get all the subtle details. The card stock used Is Stampin' Up! Close to Cocoa. But the real challenge in this cards was really achieving the soft & ethereal look of a shade of brown. That process took several attempts......yes a few pieces of card stock got used front and back and ended up in the trash can. But it's all part of the process. So here how I finally achieved the look:

The first layers was done with the leaves only from the apple on SU's Sun Ripened Fruit. I inked with Brilliance Moonlight White and place it randomly on the card, but not to close together.

Next, I inked up SU's Toile Blossoms with Vanilla craft pad. I find that it gives Pearl Ex and chalks more ability to stick. Achieving the color was a bit tricky....Creamy Carmel became yellow on the brown with vanilla ink.....so I added some pink to the mixture and liked the result.

The butterflies, SU Botanicals, were inked in the same manner. I mixed up Pearl Ex in Micropearl with Turquoise to get the aqua look. It was buffed with a piece of "swifter" sheet which collects the loose particles.

The bees also from SU Botanicals, were inked and applied with Versamark.

Finally on a square of Close to Coca I stamped with OUR BRAND NEW STAMP SET FROM FLOURISHES,LLC the sentiment "With Sympathy" in Brilliance Moonlight White. The ribbon is just perfect, tiny 2 sided satin from Michael's on the wooden spools.

If you check my blog yesterday you saw that our proof set arrived. They print just beautifully! So now we are just waiting for the boxes of the sets that you can purchase. Look for that to come in early July. We will have a second set that will compliment this and the Marvy Punches! Yes, I said that! So you can look forward to our Grand Debut.

Flourishes, LLC First Stamp Set Arrives!!!!!!!!

Oh My, Oh My, What a thrill ! Today is beginning on some very high notes. The approval sheets for our first set came today!!!!! We have placed out first order. The pictures will give you a sneak preview of what you can come to expect from Flourishes, LLC. We will actually debut with two sets our opening day.....we can hardly wait. We are busting at the seams to share it all with you.
So maybe you can gleam a little from the photos included--no they are not both word sets-- a little today.
I guess I should introduce you to the other "Finest Flourishes" Sharon Doolittle is on the bottom left and Nancy Kirk is bottom right and I am the one in the back.