The Caruso Manner

The Atelier is moving

2007-09-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

That's right I have a new address for the blog from the Caruso Manner Atelier.
Please go to www. thecarusomanner2.wordpress.com. I hope you will sign up to get regular updates in your email box.

Ciao

Fantasy Floral Garden--More Beautiful Images

2007-09-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last Friday NancyK and I had a chance to really play with our Fantasy Floral Garden set by Flourishes,llc. Nancy brought over her Zia mist inks which I had not played with before. These were great fun to play and create with...we both accomplished totally different results. We worked on watercolor paper. These misters have an intense coloring to them. This is certainly something I will be adding to my stash. For my card I misted the colors, blotted off and dried with the embossing gun before starting with another color. I found that it was best to start with the lightest colors and progress into darker colors..this I have found to be the most standard way of working with colors. I have found that it is best to work with the same shade of color before moving to different colors...say all yellows, before switching to blues, etc.

I used three colors in my card, then began to cut the paper and stamp the images. I find that the Hybrid Palette Inks work especially well with our Flourishes stamps sets. These very high grade polymer stamps are made in the USA and while they have a tendency to stain and will never be completely without color after use, they stamp beautifully.

I really like the Fantasy Floral Garden set...the images and the words are so fresh and different, yet retain a very today look. I used the small images from the set, added some small bling that I have had forever. The sentiment is also from the set, using two different sentiments, placing both images on the same block and stamping all at once. Have I said that I love this ability with the use of clear stamps!

My card is made of SU Basic Black, layered with Cool Caribbean and Regal Rose.....such a bright yet soft look when all assembled. The finished card is 4 1/4" x 9 1/4" fitting nicely into a legal size envelope. Oh, how I love this set !

Ciao from the Atelier at Flourishes!

Simply Peace

2007-09-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

Hello from the Atelier,

This was easy work for such a beautiful card. I was inspired by Sharon Johnson, notimetostamp, one of our Design Team Members. I used a decorative paper called Holiday Swirl. The color matches SU Rose Red perfectly. The card base is a metallic paper called Carmel and is available at Flourishes,llc. The strips of paper were cut to highlight the swirls. The ribbon is from SU's Sherbet collection and I think it gives a nice monotone accent. The focal point is cut and embossed with the Nestabilites, the larger from Rose Red and smaller from metallic Carmel. Unfortunately the photo just doesn't capture the shimmer of the paper. The stamp from Flourishes,llc Christmas release is the smaller of the Peace images in the set.

This set makes such beautiful cards and is ideal for someone that is seeking elegance and simplicity in an easy to do format.

Two of my sisters are visiting in town so I'm off to spend the day with them. But I do have another card ready to post...so please come back to visit.

Ciao

OH Lookie At My Christmas Tree!

2007-09-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my, have I had some fun! This was as much fun as doing the real thing...and I love that so much!

Creating stamps for this kind of fun has been almost uncharted territory. I wanted to give our stampers the greatest flexibility and not feel so tied to only the look of the stamp...I wanted to allow you to have as much or as little as your heart desires. This set certainly delivers that and more.

For the focus image I inked the stamp with Hybrid Palette Burnt Umber ink. Then the fun began and did not end until I had added each and every detail to the tree. A note, I did not ink the base of the tree (pot) and simply ink and stamp that sassy tree skirt. This was colored with my Copic Lipstick Red (R29). The skirt reminds me of a 50's poodle skirt...another time maybe. Then I began to color using a mixture of reinker and watercolor crayons, blending until I was happy with the shades of green and the aura around it. I colored in the trunk with Close to Cocoa. The ornaments were all placed on a single block and inked up with Hybrid Palette Noir inks ( these are all available at Flourishes.org). I repeated this process and used again a myriad of colors and inks including the new Copic iridescent pens. The little icicles that don't show up here very well were Versamarked and embossed with iridescent EP. My next step was to add a garland of pearls...stamped in Black ink and then each dot was highlighted with Pearl Scribbles. After the pearls dried I began to add ornaments, I cut each ornament out and used a piece of the large glue dot for another dimension and added them to the tree. The angel was the perfect little topper for this tree. She is sweet and I love the tree. I hope you do as well.

Now for more ideas.....they are just ready to be put on paper. Let me see how creative you can be with your trees. Remember we have a customer gallery over at the Flourishes website....Your creations are most welcome!

Ciao from the Atelier....

Than You -Simple, Elegant, Quick

2007-09-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

I needed a really quick and easy thank you card, but I did not want to sacrifice any elegance. My mind was set to whirling and I settled on a punch from Impress, used a vellum tag and then the small two hole punch from SU!. The rest was simple. Place a snippet of ribbon on the two holes and trim, attach the punched tag on a square of black card stock and then add a layer of brushed silver cardstock, available from Flourishes. That little extra touch of silver is part of the design function...repetition of the tag. Our eye sees odd numbers better in design. I accomplished this with three elements, the tag, the black, and the silver. The sentiment is a script I took from an old SU! retired set.

Now, that's quick, easy, and elegant.

Now back to work on my Christmas tree card...this is one you won't want to miss. So I am going back to work in the Atelier and getting it to post. Ciao

Fantasy Floral Gets Water Colored!

2007-09-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

Today is a banner ad day for Flourishes at SCS. So I hope you pop over there and see our ad. My choice to work, if you can call it that, was to Fantasy Floral again. I wanted a different look and had placed a few challenges for myself. I wanted white on vellum and to water color the main image. I wanted a sophisticated yet lively look. So here it is:

This card is large, finished card front is 5" X 7". I used three of the smaller images from the Fantasy Floral, one of the Flourishes, llc new releases, and arranged them all on my clear block at the same time. I inked in Brilliance White and then stamped the image repeated on the vellum and allowed to dry. Meanwhile, I stamped the main image on water color paper and set out to color in using Rose Red, Lovely Lilac, Garden Green, and Bashful Blue. I cut a layer just slightly larger than the water colored image and assembled them. Then I cut two larger pieces of water color paper and placed them on the inside of the card. One attaches to the back of the image to cover the mechanics and the second is for the sentiment on the inside card back. To add some softness I used one of Flourishes, May Art ribbons from Flourishes and a piece of hardware to attach it all. The sentiment is stamped in Burnt Umber palette Hybrid ink and is from the Flourished words set also by Flourishes, llc.

Later I will be posting a fun and easy Thank you note...so do come back to the Atelier.

Ciao for now.

Fantasy Florals Sympathy

2007-09-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

For today's image I used the newly released Fantasy Floral Garden by Flourishes, llc. I also wanted to do the SCS challenge on limited supplies-Sympathy. This required the card to be a sympathy card and must include the use of a background stamp. The challenge further pushed the stampers as no decorative papers could be used nor could an embossed image us a stencil or folder. So here's my card, I meet all the requirements.

The main image is from the new Fantasy Floral Garden from Flourishes,llc, and the words are Flourishes Words also from Flourishes,llc.

I created the main focus using a misting technique which I had not done in some time. The technique is easy, but the results are not always predictable. It can be an extremely satisfying (or frustrating) process...but I love it. Varying solid stamps are best for this technique. Here I used the retired SU, The Shape of Things. I generally use 3 colors of ink, which are applied directly to the rubber, apply lightest to darkest. In this case, I broke my own rule and applied the Purely Pomegranate, then inked off several times, then applied Sky Blue and Almost Amethest. I try to focus the ink on the area I would like it to be on and to not muddy the colors too much. I then mist the rubber image, which I hold about half an arm length away. I have a favorite old hairspray bottle that I keep loaded for this purpose. The image is now placed inked side down on the paper and I allow the paper to absorb the ink by letting the image set for a few moments. Then carefully raise the image and behold your beauty. I repeated this process, varying the colors to include some green.

While that was drying I made my required background using the SU retired Paisley background stamp inked with Versamark and then applied a mixture of lavender and micropearl Pearl Ex to get a softer color. Cut the strips for the corners. Now that my focus image was dry I completed it by stamping the Fantasy Floral image in SU Going Gray. I added a small ribbon in Amethyst from the SU Sherbet Collection. Two layers were added to the back of the main image, both from SU, Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery. Attach the strips of background to the opposing corners and then anchor it all down with my trusty ATG.

Flourishes,llc will host the banner ads on SCS on Wed and I hope you will visit SCS and click onto our site. Our design team will have lots to post as well.

So from the Atelier, Ciao for today.

Peace on Vellum

2007-09-09T15:40:00.001-07:00

This card is CASED from one of my favorites of last season on the SCS gallery. It was created in its original design by StamperSharon and featured the same papers and ribbon type I have used. She used SU's Flourishes and I was taken by its beauty.

I thought this card required some constraint to allow the beauty of the Dove-Peace to be the central focus, so I streamlined my version.

All in all, I am very well pleased with the card, although the next time I make this card I would probably heat emboss the sentiment.."Let There Be" in gold EP for definition. I also masked off the end of the sentiment so not to clutter the card. I think there is always room for improvement on my cards.

So here is my list of items I used:
Peace stamp set-Flourishes,llc
Brushed Gold metallic paper from Flourishes,llc
Vellum Card stock
White wired ribbon...I removed the wire
Beige with white dot sheer ribbon
Corner punch from SU
Brilliance White ink pad
Gold Encore Ink

So from the atelier, I say
Ciao
Jan Marie

Fantasy Florals and SCS Color Challenge

2007-09-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to really play and late last night got a few nice things done. I was really intrigued with the color combination on SCS for the Color Challenge. I will be the first to admit that Guava is not my favorite color, but in a moment a card popped into my head.

Of course, I was really ready to play with our new released Fantasy Floral Gardens. I used the two fuschia like flowers placing them close together. I stamped in Hybrid Palette Burnt Umber and then used my ink pads and waterbrush pen to lightly color in the flowers. For the stems I used Certainly Celery and Always Artichoke, a slight bit of yellow and the most beautiful color of the season, Purely Pomegranate. I lightly shaded the inks literally planting the flowers on a bit of earth. I ever so lightly brushed lite blue Copic marker and then used my Copic colorless marker to create a lite sky of blue. Then some edging along the cardstock with my Always Artichoke inkpad gave the edges some definition.

To really make the card dance for me I selected some Basic Gray Papers for the face of the cards and the stripes...of course all layered on Guava and Artichoke. The final touch was small ribbons, one from SU Sherbet collection and the other from Flourishes, a pretty scalloped edge olive green ribbon. Now what I really think lights up this card is the little bit of Purely Pomegranate in the background and on the tiny flowers. what are your thoughts?

So that's it from the Atelier for today..but come back because I have something else ready for next time.

Ciao,
Jan Marie

FLOURISHES RELEASE THREE NEW SETS!

2007-09-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT !!

We are six weeks old and this month we are releasing three brand new original stamp sets!

We are beginning the release of the original calligraphy of a friend of mine, Joan Machinchick. She is a well known calligrapher in the Washington, D.C. and Maryland area. I have had the great pleasure of working with this very talented artist over the years and was pleased when she agreed to do some calligraphy for Flourishes,llc. Her beautiful work is all penned by hand and I think it is a great treasure to have her artistry to add to our line of stamps.
Please visit the Flourishes Newsletter and read her impressive bio. I think you will want to own these beautiful words to add to your own collection.

For my first set I choose to spotlight Joan's peace dove. I think you will agree with me that this set lends itself to a beautifully elegant card, but don't be fooled this is more versatile. Several of our designers have made beautiful cards samples that can be seen on the Flourishes,llc website. They are all stunning, but be sure to check our Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) and her beautiful card using pine boughs and twine. Peace...down to earth!

I used a transparency for the base of the card. The Peace image was stamped on Shimmery White paper from the paperie at Flourishes. I really wanted the Peace and the dove to work together, but somehow distinct of each other. In order to achieve this end I stamped the word peace with SU Craft Going Grey ink, added silver embossing powder and heat embossed. Now here is where the beauty of using clear images becomes a wonderment. I cleaned the stamp and re inked the dove this time and because of the clear stamp I was able to place them perfectly without a mask! I again heat set the ink and then shaded the dove with some light soft watercolors and adding the olive branch. The card has a slightly larger layer of SU Bordering Blue behind the Shimmery White and then on the back of the transparency (to hide my mechanics) I added a piece of the Blue Steel metallic paper also available at the Flourishes in the paperie. The inside of the card and back of the card also have white shimmery paper with the verse stamped on the inside from the set. I topped it all off with a soft satin bow in a blueish gray.

I will drag out my releases of the other two set over the next couple of days...so please come back to the Atelier and visit with me.

The three new sets, Peace On Earth, O Christmas Tree, and Fantasy Floral Garden are all available to order as of tomorrow. We has three wonderful combo kits each featuring one of the newly released sets. I hope you will visit SCS Wednesday 5 Sept for our banner ad and then click on over to Flourishes,llc to see all the new goodies. I'm pretty pleased.

Ciao, for today.
Jan Marie

Catch A Falling Star & Put in Your Pocket

2007-08-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today is our BIG push to support the GinaK Make A Wish Foundation Set. We do not sell these stamps at Flourishes,llc; but certainly recognize the need for all of us to be conscious of others needs.

I unfortunately have spent too many day and nights in hospitals and have seen some truly sick people, especially children. We all can make a difference, and sometimes it is as easy as buying a stamp set. Gina K has been so community consicious and willing to share her profits with worthwhile organizations that I felt a real need to come on line and support her effort.

In a way, I have had many wishes and dreams.....and too my surprise, I have had the chance to live many of them out. Flourishes,llc is one of those dreams. Please join me in supporting GinaK, Stamping Freak.com for the Make a Wish foundation....purchase a stamp set and tell her Flourishes sent you, please.

Now the card:

Well I hope this simple attempt is obvious....it is a pocket and I was inspired by a song that my Dad would sing to us as we would swing on the front porch on summer evenings when I was a child. The song was Catch a Falling Star and Put in you Pocket......save it for a rainy day...for love may come and tap you on the shoulder some starless night....and you'll have a pocket full of starlight. Last night here in Pensacola was stunning, the moon was as big and white as could be, as I took a few moments to recline in my brand new hammock--gift from DH--I watched the dragonflies, lighting bugs, and then the bats all come out ( they just love the mosquitos--yeah)
It was delightful and I knew exactly what to do with today's card.

Cardstock: SU Bayou Blue (that is a place not far from my home in South Louisiana) and Whisper White.
The BB cardstock is cut 3 1/2" X 8 1/2, scored at 4 1/4" .
The WW cardstock is cut at 3 1/2" but the length is 5 7/8" and scored at 1 1/2" to make
the pocket flap. The sentiments were computer generated. The front logo image was
treated to one of my new Spellbinder Nestabilities (order them from us at Flourishes,LLC)
The Star image was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with Gold EP. The bling was in the form of stars that I had seen at the local hobby store.

The white stitching was done with a White Singo pen from SU.

Please support GinaK --It will make us all feel good to know we can do a little and get some great rewards--yes, even stamps sets produce good deeds. And go ahead, catch a falling star and put in your pocket, you deserve it!

Ciao!
Jan Marie

Make a Wish--Happy Birthday Diane

2007-08-26T12:28:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is my sister Diane's birthday. I made her this card and it is my way of kicking off a special week for Flourishes,LLC. We are starting a week long campaign to support GinaK stamp set to support the Make a Wish Foundation.

You will notice the my partners NancK, Seaside Creativity, and Sharon D, Sewflake, as well as all of the designers on the Flourishes Design Team will be working on this concerted effort. It is my hope that you will support GinaK and her great generosity of helping making dreams come true.

This is also very close to my heart, for I too have made a wish and that was to have Flourishes become a thriving entity. We are certainly on that journey.

Please watch for our banner ads on SCS on Wednesday to support GinaK. Please make a purchase and tell her Flourishes sent you.

You also will probably notice that this is my first post in a few weeks. I have been ill and required some hospital care. My heartfelt thanks to NancyK and Sharon for keeping things rolling in my absence. I am glad to be back home and on the mend. My goal is to have a post each day to support GinaK and the Make a Wish sets. Hats off to the nursing staff of Baptist Hospital, Pensacola and UAB in Birmingham. The care they gave was the best!

For Diane's cards:
This card had to be special, because she is so special. She is a glass artist and makes the most adorable "Dammit Dolls" .Check out her website: Impressions By Diane. She is a cool and very supportive sister.

--Base card was white cardstock with Basic Grey LilyKate over it.
--I punched a 3" square and then added a row of horizontal slot punches (SU).
--Then I wove a long piece of the lavederar grosgran ribbon from the Fairytale collection (SU), pulling it thru and covering the weaving on the back side and then to the front where I made a small bow...kinda cute do you think?

-- The stamp is yes, from GinaK "Make a Wish set" I colored it with my Copic Markers and actually used the G21, &Y15, BV00...I think the colors work well and were blended make for a good match.

--I added a little glitz with stickles in yellow and iridescent. so Diane, I hope you enjoy your day....and thanks for all you do for me! I love you.

Check out this Viedo on Seaside Creativity

2007-08-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

One of the flourishes..Nancy Kirk has a great new viedo on masking and reversing masking...and all using Cake Decorating 101. It is her first attempt and is just a little scratchy...but very informative.....her card just below the viedo link is the finished product.

I think you will be please and take on masking if you haven't donet this yet...even it you have give it another shot....What inspiration!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=masking_0001

http://www.seasidecreativity.blogspot.com/

Let us both know what you think...Yes the studio is a fun place to learn.

Thanks Nancy

How Stamps Develop--Concept Card

2007-08-09T20:31:00.001-07:00

I know that many of you have been following me since I mentioned that I wanted to develop a new line of stamps. That seems like such a far leap for me, let alone having NancyK and SharonD believe in me that much! These ladies joined me in this huge undertaking and without them Flourishes would not exist.

Things always happen for a reason in my life. Last year I was wondering if I would make it day by day...and today --OK with a few set backs-- Flourishes,llc has been launched.

I would like to take a few moments and share with you just parts of that adventure....the conception and design of the stamps.

Flourished Words is a group of words that I thought up, Nancy and Sharon tweaked and we decided to go with them. There are a few things we would change, but then nothing is perfect the first time or two. The Cake Decorating Set is one that I conjured in my little old brain. During my college years and then beyond I made and decorated many a cake, some for family birthdays, sisters' weddings and even the cake for the Marine Corps Ball for it's 200th anniversary--a few years ago. Thank goodness there were many more successes than Opps....I remember doing a wedding cake for a big name family here in Pensacola, FL. The mother of the bride really wanted a pure butter icing and it was the heat of August. I tried to explain the horrors of butter icing melting on one of Pensacola's hottest days. But in the end she got just what she wanted. The cake was as beautiful as any I had ever done, if not my best. It was stored in a room that was as chilly as we could get it at the bride's home, but they wanted to bring the cake outdoors for all to see....OH HORRORS!!!! Well, you know what happened and it did so very quickly....the cake was carried out to great applause, set on a table to be admired, but Mother Nature had her way quickly and the icing began to melt.....Fortunately I asked the servers to quickly cut up that beauty before it could melt away. There are lots of other similar cake stories I could share.

I wanted to create a way for every one to have the chance to make the cake or two of their dreams. I started sketching to come up with what I knew could be done and how to translate that to a stamp. I saw Marcella Hawley's name one night while I was surfing the net at my sister's studio (Diane is a glass artist and doll designer) in Baton rouge, La. I eventually wrote to her about the design of our website and she sent back some of her background. I asked her if she had ever taken concept drawings and turned them into stamps. No, but she is an illustrator and a very good one I might add (see her bio on the Flourishes Newsletter). I then set out to learn and teach her what I could about the production of photo polymer stamps. She refined our images and formated them for production.
One night she asked me to come up with what I thought a Cake Decorating 102 card might look like......the card you see here is just that. I sent her the first one and kept the 2nd choice. The colors of those cards varied...the first one was all in last year's SU! In colors. This is a slightly updated version. A Flourished Original! Cool don't you think...just you wait to see what else we have collaborated on in the upcoming stamps to be released!

The Card:
SU! Morning Marigold, Basis Black, Guava -over colored with Prisma yellow- and Purely Pomegranate. I used a mixture of watercoloring, Prisma pencils and stamping for all of the cake and it's pedestal.

Another Note: Our Flourishes Design Team is one really creative group of ladies, but in case you have not checked the SCS gallery for today please do so as Sharon Johnson(notimetostamp) has outdone herself with a cake turned hat and pedestal. Nancy Grant has a dragonfly made from the ruffled cake plate, Leslie Miller has a darling cake on a piece of furniture, Julia has a great journal and Paula has a Greetings card that showed up in my very own mail box today--thank you Paula. Tracy Durcan has the sweetest flourished Thank You. Alex has a special English cake for us...all are too cute. So if you have not been to the Designer Gallery of Flourishes,llc, please saunter on over and have a fest for your eyes--no calories--no kidding!

Again the Spellbinder-Nestabilities Pre order is in full swing and we are giving you the very best deal we can offer. We hope that you will take advantage of the deal....it won't last long!

Rubber(photopolymer) Hugs
Jan Marie

I'm Home--And Back At Flourishes !!

2007-08-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

Well I am glad to say that I am back home....a small detour last week had me in the hospital for a few days, but I am now up and roaring to get running again.

I hope that all of you have visited the Flourishes,llc website and ordered your very own Infuse Combo kit...it is a great deal. The Basic Grey Infuse papers are neat and the two Inaugural sets are fun and easy to use. Great beautiful words make up the Flourished Words set and Cake Decorating 102 is fun to use. This set gives you all the creative flexibility to create those special birthday cakes.....and who doesn't need a birthday card???

We are working on the upcoming sets to be release by Flourishes as well! One is definitely a holiday set and the 2nd set we are holding out on announcing ! You know we all love surprises and we have lots of them in store for you at Flourishes,llc

SPELLBINDER NESTABILITIES PRE-ORDER SPECIAL--- I told you earlier Flourishes haS gotten our own store copies of the coveted Spellbinders- Nestaliliblities die cuts. We are offering two different packages for Pre Orders.

The first is to pre order the sets for each group, circles, squares, rectangles, ovals and the scallops in each of the different shapes or if you can order the whole package. We have a great package offer as well. Please remember that these are exactly what they say...a Pre Order...Spellbinders will begin shipping them as soon as they arrive at their site. As soon as they arrive at Flourishes we will begin shipping them out. Again, check out the webstore for all the details. Nancy Kirk has a great pictoral purchase guide on the Flourishes webstore.

Now that I am home and can use my right arm I will begin to churn out some goodies for you to enjoy.

This Card featured today is one I did before the big hospital stay.........
I used:
---White cardstock is the base, then layered with a transparency of pink and pale yellow stripes.
I then cut a piece of decorative paper from the Dena's Closet package of Transparency Overlays I got on the reduced section at Michael's.

The rest is all Basic Grey Papers from Phoebe Collection which we have in the Flourishes,llc store. We also carry lots and lots of May Arts Ribbons.

--The Cake was actually stamped on a sheet of the BG Phoebe, and cut out. The flowers were punched from from the coordinating paper. I used pop dots to get some dimension on the cake and then added the Jelly Roll Glaze pens with iridescent to give it all some sparkle.

--The cake plate was also stamped onto the BG coordinating paper and cut out and glazed to give the look of glass. Small snippets of ribbon were added at the bottom for some flair.

-- I used the Brilliance white inkpad for the icing and drops and highlighted with white Signo pen, by Uniball.

--The sentiment was stamped on white using the Palette Hybrid in Burnt Umber as were all the images. The white scalloped cardstock was then attached to more of the BG coordinating paper and all attached to the front of the card.... Now that's a Sweet, Very Sweet, Happy Birthday card! Another Flourished original!

Now I think it's your turn to show off the creations that you have come up with using our two versatile Flourished Words and Cake Decorating sets. Send them to me and I will select 3 winners on 1 September and send the three selected a surprise gift from Flourishes! I will also post them on the brand new Customer Gallery on the Flourishes site. If you don't have the sets yet....then hurry on over to Flourishes and see what you are missing and place your order.

A special round of thanks and hugs to NancyK and Sharon Doolittle, for taking care of Flourishes while I was gone.

I missed you all.....glad to be home.

Rubber ( Photo polymer) Hugs,

Jan Marie

Last Day of Grand Opening Special for Flourishes

2007-07-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

August 1st--Wednesday is the last day of the Grand Opening Special for Flourishes,LLC. Our first days have been wonderful. It was such a pleasure to see the first thread on SCS regarding customers receiving their packages.I got goosebumps....dreams can come true. As of today I can say with pleasure that all orders as of noon today were shipped out this afternoon. That shipping room is a busy place. I hope that all of you will enjoy your packages as they arrive.

Watch for our banner ad and SCS newsletter ads. Rush over there and take advantage of the 15% discount on the Infuse combo kit.

We are busily working on the final details for the September release. You can count on more detail to come.

Update on my right arm.

The big hard cast is gone! YEAH!...so I am in a sling and started my first exercises as passive, assisted, that means my left arm is helping my right to do them. I can also gradually begin to remove the sling for periods of time each day. Sleeping without the big cast will be wonderful. And the biggest news is that I can begin to use my hand to color! No stamping, punching etc, but Mike, "Manual Labor" is helping me to work on some new things (secret for a little longer) using the Nestabilities. I'm progressing and you will be seeing some pictures, maybe by the weekend.

Visit SCS tomorrow and check out the newsletter ads. And yes if you haven't placed your order ..to ahead and do so.

Till later..Many "Rubber Hugs" to all.

Flourishes, LLC is OPEN!

2007-07-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come to fling open the door of Flourishes, LLC. It's official at midnight tonight! We are so very proud of our website, and the talented art work of the Flourishes Charter Design Team.

Flourishes is the banner ad on SCS, Splitcoastampers, July 25, and August 1st. Please share this news of ours with all your friends...one can never have to many friends.

So without further adieu...please visit the website, Flourishes, LLC. We would love to hear your comments...come grow with us.

We're Counting Down--SCS Banners Today

2007-07-24T20:13:00.001-07:00

Well, It's finally close, tomorrow (Wednesday, 25 July) we are running our first series of banner ads on SCS. What an exhilarating and exhausting time this has been. I'm not sure if I feel more like a new bride with the jitters or an expectant mother getting ready for birth. This has been a long hard labor...but certainly one of love. I owe much to many...my love Mike, my partners Nancy and Sharon, our illustrator and web designer Marcy Hawley, and the star studded Design Team. Thank you...(insert -see me throwing kisses) !!!!

This is the card I made a few weeks ago...Mike stamped it for me. I have a cast on my right arm so I placed the card on a clipboard on my knees and began to watercolor. I have so many concepts to get out of me using this set, Flourishes Cake Decorating 101, I am counting the days until the cast is off.

If you haven't been to the blogs of the Flourishes Charter Design Team...visit them now. Hold your breath, we open The Gallery on Friday. Several clever and creative cards have been added to SCS gallery by Paula Bloom (prbloom), Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp), Nancy Grant (TACgirl), Leslie Miller (leslierich), Julia Stainton (julia's).

I hope you also visit the new Flourishes Newsletter, it will be a special feature of Flourishes with updates, happenings, and yes techniques. I hope you will stop by for a visit , or better yet .. subscribe and never miss a beat.

Now, about the card. I used Hybrid White Canvas ink on White, stamping the outline of the cake then adding in the slice to the left. A little hard to see at first....then I used SU! Real Red classic ink and an aqua painter, starting with a light wash, I added color and gradually shaded in leaving a whiter area near the cut slice. The inside of the cake was done in the same manner with Creamy Carmel. I made a mask of both the entire cake and the slice and placed the mask over the stamped image. I stamped in the plate and pedestal with Hybrid Palette Noir. I added a wash of Barely Banana to both plate and pedestal. Then I added some detail with my Sakura Black Glaze pen adding stripes to the pedestal. The bling was colored with markers and added to hang around the plate. When it was dry I added some dots in White with my Signo white pen by Uniball. The I decorated the cake using this time the slice mask to cover the area and stamped with Real Red around the top and bottom of the cake. I stamped the sentiment from Flourished Words, rounded off the end with a circle punch and pinned it on with a touch of ribbon. I layered it all on black cardstock, then onto a Cuttlebugged Pretty In Pink background before placing it onto the black card. Viola.....Love at First Bite with the Cake Decorating Set! Too Sweet!

Lookie What We Got--SPELLBINDERS

2007-07-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

That's right, Friday was pure pandemonium here at the Flourishes Studio. My darling hubby, Mike, "Manual Labor" as he has been dubbed, came in with not one but two packages. The first was from May Arts and contained our NEW selections of ribbons...now that was very expected.

But the second was a sheer surprise...it was from Spellbinders! We opened it with pure exuberance..... We have SIX of the new Nestabilities from Spellbinders. We have been talking with Jeff, VP for Spellbinders, and knew we had gotten the go ahead to get the coveted dies so our designers can begin to work some rubber magic.

This means good things for all of you. Flourishes,LLC will begin to accept orders for the dies on 27 July. These will not be available to us from spellbinders until the last two weeks of August. If you place an order, we can't ship it until we get our Spellbinders order, but we can guarantee that when the order arrives our shipping department .... "Manual Labor", will be in high gear.

We are forwarding cuts of each of these dies to our Flourishes Design Team beginning on Monday. I can't wait to see what the team turn out. The Nestabilites are an absolutely revolutionary tool for card makers and scrapbookers. I will be adding more about these wonderful Nestabilities--and their adapt- abilities with our already existing tools.

Let's Peek at FLOURISHES New Sets &the DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS

2007-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

As promised I am posting a peek at the new sets that Flourishes will launch on July 25th. Our design team will all soon have both of the sets and begin to work their magic.

You are seeing a sneak preview of Cake Decorating 101 as well as Flourished Words.
Both sets are clear acrylics. The Cake Decorating 101 will be loads of fun to play with with lots and lots of possibilities. Flourishes Words has a beautiful style....just perfect to flourish your creations!

DESIGN TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

As I have said before Flourishes has made it's selection for our Charter Design Team members. As you can see we are an international lot and spanning the US. We are very proud that these ladies are a part of Flourishes!

So without further delay........roll the drums and play the trumpets

THEY ARE:

NANCY GRANT
SCSer: TAC Girl
Blog: inkcicles.blogspot.com
Nancy lives in Barrow Alaska

SHARON JOHNSON
SCSer: notimetostamp
Blog: none at this time
A Dirty Dozen member she is from Baraga, MI

PAULA BLOOM
SCSer: prbloom
Blog: prbloom.typepad.com
Paula and hubby live in Lewisville, Texas

LESLIE MILLER
SCSer: leslierich
Blog: leslierich.splitcoastampers.com
She is from North Bend, Oregon

JULIA STAINTON
SCSer: julia's
Blog: bellepaper.blog.splitcoastampers.com
Julia is also a Dirty Girl and this talented lady lives in London, Ontanrio

ALEX EATON
SCSer: sillybird
Blog: sillybirds.blogspot.com
This talented stamper is our British representative and lives in Dorset

TRACY DURCAN
SCSer: tracy-stamper
Blog: durcandesigns.typepad.com
She and family live in Chester, New Hampshire

PRETTY IMPRESSIVE DON'T YOU THINK!

Their bios and photos can be seen at our new Flourishes Newsletter today. Please visit there for all the wonderful details of this team. Please check their blogs and get the view from their perspective.

I hope that this is peaking your interest and you will watch for our Splitcoastampers Ads. There's lots more.

We Have a Flourishes Team !

2007-07-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that today has been an absolutely thrilling day! Nancy Kirk notified our Flourishes Charter Design Team selectees today and they all accepted! I then had the pleasure of placing a personal telephone call to each of them. The joy and excitement can only be likened to a child under a Christmas tree. It was pure joy.

Today their goodies were packaged with care and shipped. Now we can wait for their magic to begin!

SO JUST WHEN AND WHERE CAN YOU FIND OUT

WHO'S ON THE TEAM...
drum roll and trumpets.....well not just yet.......

We will make the Team announcement Wednesday on Splitcoastampers
under the Announcements forum.

We are excited to be working with Splitcoastampers with our upcoming advertisements. Our new monthly Flourishes Newsletter will also be announced in the same message. You will also get a peek at the sets here and at Seaside Creativity

I want to thank all of our fellow stampers that submitted applications. Remember there will always be a next time. Boy, oh boy, have we found of ton of wonderful blogs to surf....you all are so creative!

We will be building a gallery to spotlight the Flourishes Design Team creations We will add your creations as well as looking forward to seeing your work in your galleries at SCS.

DUM...DA DUM, DUM.........

2007-07-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

That is the music background for what is happening in the Atelier at Flourishes today. The air is filled with suspense and excitement.

Who will be the next STAMPING IDOLS?
All the 'wantabe' stamping idols have applied. The talent in Stamp Land is huge and we are completely overcome with the response and the quality of the art work that has come to us. We are surely glad that they all" Wanta Be Stamp Idols".

We have narrowed the playing field of applicants, the final deadline for submission has past and now today it is the real hard part of making the final decision of the Flourishes DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS.......
So Nancy, Sharon, and I have it all laid out on the tables with the letters and submissions and we will make the final call tonight!

Design team members will be notified tomorrow and we will ship the packages of goodies and wait for the magic to start thru their hands. This is real important for me especially as my stamping ability is so limited and it is killing me because I really want to stamp with the set.

A peek at the Cake Decorating Set will be ready for you to see here Wednesday...on my blog and at Seaside Creativity....so stay tuned.....The excitement here will only continue to grow!

Update on my Progress

2007-07-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well I am 12 days post op......the staples were removed today. I am still in a cast that controls most of the use of my right arm...yes...naturally I am right handed. My DH, Mike, has lowered my keyboard and mouse to a ridiculously low level that allows me to type and use the computer.

I will start physical therapy next week--ouch! Since this is my second time with this surgery since Jan of this year I know what to expect. I am struggling to figure a way to stamp using my left hand....oh boy do I wish I was ambidextrous!

A big thank you for the thoughts, prayers and good wishes I received form all of you.

With Mike's help I have completed a first real card using Flourishes, LLC's new stamps that will be revealed on July 27th at our Grand Opening. I think both sets have the potential to make great cards. Watch for the first of our banners on Wednesday, July 25th on Splitcoastampers. We also have banners running on July 27 and August 1. Our Grand Opening Specials on the weekend of the 27 July through Aug 1st. The new Flourishes website is OH SO Pretty! Very different from most sites....but then we are a paper arts boutique! Watch for the preview dates.

We will also be launching the Flourishes Newsletter, through a new blog. Watch for that announcement real soon here and at Seaside Creativity. This is something that you will want to share with your friends.

OK, I have pushed my arms usage enough for today....till next time.

Rubber Hugs,
Jan

SU Stamps & Portofolo Books for Sale-List I

2007-07-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

The following SU! stamps and portfolio series books are for sale. All stamps are mounted on sealed wood blocks and in their original containers. All prices listed are US $. I prefer PayPal payments, but will accept money orders and personal checks (shipment made after checks clear). Buyer pays postage, whenever possible USPS flat box rate postage will be used, I will advise you of this amount prior to payment. Multiple purchases will be shipped the most economical method. For international sales/shipping please PM me. Thanks for looking, hope you find what you want.

Set Name Year Price Sold

Tag Line (unused) ' 05 $15.00

Tropical Blossoms 03 15.00

Travel Time 03 15.00

Travel Post 04 15.00

Definately Decorative Daisy 00 15.00

Something to Celebrate 04 12.00

Flower Filled 05 12.00

Terrific Tulips 01 12.00

Perfect Party 01 12.00

Border Builders 02 11.00

Sketch an Event 02 11.00

Holiday Wishes 02 11.00

Sweet of You 04 10.00

A Light Heart - 10.00

Little Layers II 03 10.00

Simply Sweet 03 10.00

Simple Florals 03 10.00

Stepp 'n' Stlye 02 10.00

Fiqures of Speech 04 10.00

Little Layers Plus 04 10.00

All The Best 04 10.00

I Like Your Style 03 10.00

Anytime Greetings 01 10.00

Lacy Snowflakes 98 10.00

Love It - 10.00

Never Ending Joy 05 9.00

Smorgasborders 04 8.00

Just Journaling 00 8.00

Mini Messages 04 8.00

Gently Falling 8.00

Burst into Bloom 04 7.00

Lexicon of Love 05 7.00

Smile - 6.00

Paint Prints 05 5.00

Listen With the Heart 04 5.00

Send a Celebration - 5.00

Portfolio Series Keeping in Touch(book) 15.00

Portfolio Series Gift and Giving(book) 15.00

Portfolio Series Portfolio II - Books I, II, and IV

with slipcase 45.00

Jan is home

2007-07-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Jan is home, the surgery was successful. She wants to stamp, but I have her in a 24 hour time out. Jan is awaiting the arrival of "Mr. Brown" with the 2nd stamp set for Flourishes and the new Basic Gray collection of papers, Infuse. Cheers, Mike

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all. As we celebrate our independence this great day, please take time to remember our service members that keep us FREE.

I will be out of pocket for the next week, I am having rotator cuff surgery Monday 1 July. See you soon.

Design Team Search Deadline

2007-07-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our search for new untapped talent for our design team will end on July 5, 2007 . If you have not applied and would like to do so please drop a note to Nancy (nkirk@aol.com).

We are thrilled at the applicants so far and decision making will be tough. I knew we had great talent in Stamp Land!

Design Members Search

2007-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-28T08:10:00.001-07:00

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

2007-06-21T18:15:00.001-07:00

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

2007-06-21T06:43:00.001-07:00

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

2007-06-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!!!!

2007-06-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

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.

RAK for a Peach of a Pair

2007-05-31T20:12:00.001-07:00

This card was created as a RAK for a special lady, Nicole Seitler, who designed my blog banner. She and her hubby sent me detailed instructions and then when it was still overwhelming, they actually installed the banner and watermark for me. That makes them a Peach of a Pair, so I'm taking some creative license and making them this RAK using a pear stamp from Lockhart stamps. The image is stamped on the fabulous Fabriano paper from our own new store, Flourishes, LLC , then watercolored. I used the wonderful Prisma color pencils to add the brightness and punch. The striped paper and background are from Basic Grey, Blitzen series. I know this was last year's Christmas papers, but the unusual color combination made my heart sing. I am so NOT afraid of color. The rest of the card was simple, I incorporated Stampin' Up! solid papers, Marigold and Cranberry Crisp (In colors 2007) and ribbon.

I hope that Nicole and hubby will enjoy this RAK, hope she hasn't looked here just yet!

BREAKING NEWS!!!
I invite you to visit our store, Flourishes, LLC, soon. It does not have all the bells and whistles yet, but keep watching for really BIG NEW real soon. We have some wonderful things that we will be revealing. My very dear friends and stampers, Nancy Kirk, Sharon Doolittle and I are working to stock the store with our favorite goodies. The store is open, in the "Paperie" you will find Fabriano card sets and the new line of Basic Grey papers, Perhaps, Stella Ruby, Scarlet Letter and LilyKate as well as the ribbons that coordinate with that line. We have a nice selection of May Art ribbons in stock. We are awaiting the arrival of Palette Hybrid Inks and Marvy Punches. Yes you read that correctly, we will be carrying the much coveted punches, circles, squares, ovals, rectangles and scalloped ones as well. Even the new ones not yet released by Marvy punches will also be available from Flourishes, LLC. That's just the start.....but you will have to wait for the rest of the revelations.....so stay tuned.

Please check out Nancy Kirk's blog, Seaside Creativity, she is sharing our news and also has Blog Candy to give away! So be sure to check out her creative blog.

Very Berry Sweet

2007-05-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

This card will start our week in a sweet way! I am am "berry" happy with how it turned out. The card features Strawberries from Lockhart stamps. I have not watercolored in a while, and find it so very relaxing. I started with a light watercoloring of the entire image on Fabiano paper then brightened it up with my Prisma colored pencils. Now what to do for the background? Hum, a look through my stamps and came across Green Thumb by Paper Trey, ink More coloring, this time direct to rubber on Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Basic Black and Gable Green by Stampin'Up! on a card that fits in a 4" X 9" envelope. And how fun is that green felt Ric Rack? The finishing touch was the black and white Polka Dot ribbon from our very own new webstore, Flourishes,LLC. Watch for our Grand Opening and our own exclusive line of stamps.

Now how very berry sweet is that!

Today I placed a widget enabling you to subscribe to my blog. It's located at the top right side of the blog page. So I invite you to join me and get my updates via email.

Enjoy Your Memorial Weekend

2007-05-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is a special weekend for Mike and I, as he is retired Army. We make it a special point to reflect on the countless deeds of giving that our military service personal have given to keep freedom here and abroad. Please remember them, they serve no matter their personal political convictions....and do a GREAT JOB!

The cards for today is one from our Stampers Group.The stampers take what was taught and the following month return with a card for each of the stampers using one of the lessons learned. This was my swap card. The class was on reverse masking had been on reverse stamping.

SUPPLIES:

Paper: Martha Stewart Cloud & Pink Carnation,
SU Whisper White, Chocolate Chip,
Cardstock Vellum, Printed striped paper.

Stamps: Teacups from Stampington,
Paper Trey,

Inks: Palette Hybrid-Burnt Umber
Brilliance Moonlight White

Accessories: Cuttlebug die cuts

Technique: Reverse Masking

The card is a standard A2 with a top fold. The teacups were stamped onto the striped paper, so no coloring was used. The stamp actually has three teacups on it. I made a mask allowing only one of the cups to be stamped onto the paper. I used very careful placement to get the stripes to "fit" in the desired shape of the cup. Then I cut them with my paper snips, used my Xyron to attach them to the white card stock, squares I had punched. They were layered onto slightly larger squares of the MS Cloud and Pink Carnation paper, then onto the Chocolate Chip. Each layer was run through the Xyron. I used on one half of the die cut from Cuttlebug for the vellum and it too was run through the Xyron, then is was adhered to the Chocolate Chip strip. The tiny row of circles from Paper Trey place on the SU Perfect Layer ruler. This give precise placement and keeps these tiny line just where I want them. For me it is perfect solution with the clear strip type stamps. The ink used for this was Brilliance Moonlight White . I think this is a soft and pretty multi purpose card. If you have not done reverse masking, check the Splitcoastampers website for a technique tutorial.

Conquering the Blog World --A learning Curve

2007-05-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering if this blog was ever come to return. Ah yes! I have and have added some beautiful details. Nicole Seitler of nicole@webseitler.com, at designed a custom banner for me and the water mark was made by Cindy, at watermarkdesign@shaw.ca. Give them a huge round of applause. If you should need either of their services, tell them Jan said they were great! Both of these ladies were a dream to work with. Now I need to figure out how to add their little boxes to the sidebar. It is all a big learning curve.
The second card I have posted is one that has been rolling around in my noggin for a while. When I first saw the new Basic Grey paper I knew that it had to be a part of my collection. You will soon be able to purchase them from our webstore -- Flourishes, LLC-- the doors there are just about to swing wide open. In the store you will find a Paperie, The Ink Well, and a Ribboniere. And surely there will certainly be some very BIG surprises as well. So stay tuned.

Now about the card.

Supplies Used

Stamps: none

Papers: Basic Grey--Stella Ruby, SU Whisper White, Old Olive, Basic Black, brushed metallic card stock came from Flourishes's new store.

Embishments: Black Brads and Hodgepodge hardware from SU, Ribbon from one of the local big line shops. Cuttlebug folder -Swirls and my Big Shot.

Inks: Versamark and clear embossing powder.

The sentiment was computer generated.

The Process:

All card stock was cut to appropriate sizes. The base card in metallic is the standard 4 1/4 X 5 1/2" . The BG Stella Ruby is 3 1/4 " square. The BG yellow is from the same pack , Old Olive and Basic Black were all cut to layer sizes. The SU Whisper White was cut slight smaller that the card stock. The white and Stella Ruby were both placed in the CB Swirls and embossed. The Stella Rubby was then over inked with Versamark and then covered with clear embossing powder and heat set. I then reapplied the embossing powder while the image was still hot, and repeated that process again. It is surprising and and wonderful to see how well the embossed image stay visible. That may be difficult to see on the picture. The black brads were added to the Stella Ruby layer, then layers were all attached to the white card stock. The ribbon and hardware were added. The sentiment was computer generated as I could find any that reall7y just "fit". This was all layered as previously stated.

Enjoy!

Welcome to my Atelier

2007-05-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, today I have flung open the doors of my studio and welcome you inside. Please join me as we peruse the Atelier in an effort to identify just exactly what is my manner of doing things.

For my very first effort to share with you I will show you the card that I have made for my wonderful Mother. I hope this will encourage you to make a card for your Mom if you haven't done so, but also remember all the other mothers in your lives, maybe even an elderly some one else's mom in a nursing home or a special friend. It's a good day to tell them that their mothering instincts are appreciated.

So on to my Mother's card. She's seen it and knows I am using it to spring into the blog world. She is an extremely creative person herself, having taught us all to do crafts and sew (more on those efforts another time)

For this card I used a stamp from Impress Rubber. They have such neat things, please saunter on over and check out What's New at Impress Rubber! Supplies Used:
Stamps: Impress Rubber
Markers ,Ink :Markers from SU, Versamark
Papers: SU Whisper White strip, Certainly Celery Card size 4 1/4" X5.12,
Embellishments: Antique pale pink loop trim from the "Wonder Closet:

Technique: Misting

Process:
I used Stampin' Up! markers to color the images and then misted the image very lightly with water. It was placed on SU Whisper White paper. The base card is also SU in Certainly Celery and I have stamped the same image on the white card stock, but this time using Versamark. The sentiment (SU) is stamped in Old Olive. That delicate pink trim is very old. I actually found in the "Wonder Closet" at Mom's. See I told you there would be more to her story.

The Wonder Closet
Yes, she has a "Wonder Closet" and it is bigger that some of the rooms in which I have lived. It is full to the ceiling with great goodies. My sisters, nieces, and I, sometimes even friends of ours often shop the "Wonder Closet" before purchasing anything. Fabric is folded neatly, and organized by color or type. These fabrics can go back many decades. Buttons are arranged in jars, by color and size. Trims, and Lace are all neatly folded on cardboard and are stored in boxes and labeled. Believe it is always a walk into her Wonder Land It is nearly impossible to know what may be found there, but it is always a treat. Anyway, a few weeks ago, I told Mom that I was looking for neat, tiny trims suitable for cards....she said she thought she my have some things I might like. Boy oh boy did I come away with some oldies and goodies. As I use them I will point them out.

So I will bid you adieu for today. I hope you enjoyed your first visit to The Caruso Manner Atelier.

{{{Rubber Hugs}}}}
Jan Marie