This week’s technique challenge at SCS provided the opportunity to break out my chalks, which had been gathering dust in the closet for so long!!   This is such an easy and forgiving technique I often wonder why I don’t do it more often. 

The main image for this card started on a piece of textured card stock from DCWV.  I started by rubbing light blue chalks around the edges.  Then I stamped the images, which are all from the Lilac set from Flourishes,  with versamark and lightly pounced green, pink and purple chalks over the versamark.  This technique almost always comes out great the first time!  This panel was mounted on a purple panel with corner punch pieces and a chocolate half pearl added for detail.  Oh yes, that pretty chocolate half pearl….is also available at Flourishes in lots of lucious colors!!

The base card of lavender was stamped with versarmark using the branch and small leaf images also from the Lilac set. SU’s chocolate grosgrain ribbon accents the base card.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Monday is Jan Marie’s birthday and we are having a celebration over at the Flourishes Forum on SCS and giving out prizes!.

Last month Lisa Somerville told me about an online contest going on at Paper Crafts magazine.  They have contests each month and the January contest was to upload cards made with clear stamps.  I uploaded several and this morning found out that I am one of the three winners!!!  This is the card they selected, and you can see the gallery at this link:

http://www.papercraftsmag.com/gallery/

Thank you  Lisa for providing this info to me!!

My SBS5 Blogging sister challenged our group to make a Valentine’s Card in colors other than the traditional red or pink - here is my entry and I think the colors are perfect.

I used Amethyst and Chocolate - amethyst is the birthstone for February and chocolate is a valentine staple!!  I stamped the heart in chocolate on vanilla card stock, sponged on amethyst and cut it out.  On a piece of amethyst I stamped the “how do I love thee” phrase in versamark for a nice soft background.  “Love” was stamped in chocolate in the lower right and this was mounted on chocolate.  The designer paper is from the Basic Grey Urban Coture collection.  The ribbon is from the $1 bin at Big Lots.  The base card is vanilla.

All stamps are from the Lace Heart set from Flourishes.  This is a great set - the large heart makes it easy to create not only Valentine cards, but birthday, anniversay and wedding cards as well.  I am going to get a ton of use out of this set! 

This weeks sketch at SCS answered the question - just what am I going to do with these black prima flowers I received in a kit ages ago?  They’ve been sitting in my stash of things for well over a year and every time I saw them I thought - why don’t I just give them away - I can’t do anything with black flowers!  Well, I kept them and one was the perfect accessory for this card.

I stamped and emossed the flower in black on glossy and sponged ballet blue over it, then attached it to another piece of white then black.

I stamped a flourished elements using Palette Noir on another piece of ballet blue and mounted that on black.  Both this and the main image were mounted on ballet blue, then on a white card. 

All stamps from Flourishes:

Flower - Fantasy Floral Garden

Celebrate - Flourished Words

Swirls - Flourished Elements

A lovely dress was the inspiration for today’s challenge over at SCS - one of those pretty sparkly cocktail dresses!   Here is my submission based on that inspriation.

I started with a large chocolate card, 5 1/2 x 5, on which I embossed images from the Flourished Elements set.  The embossing powder is called “Black Hills Gold” from Creations Unlimited and it has a wonderul effect to it.  Depending on the light, the embossed powder looks either gold or copper - just like the Black Hills Gold jewelry!  I stamped another flourished element on  piece of scrap chocolate and cut it with nestabilities circle dies. 

Love is stamped on vanilla and embossed with the same powder.  This stamp is from the Lace Heart set from Flourishes and was cut with nestabilities as well.

Then I took a piece of gold scrapbook paper and did a “tuxedo” fold - thought it would look well with the formal look of the stamps.  If you are doing a fold like this use thin paper, not cardstock, which is just too heavy.

I attached the gold paper to the card and wrapped a gold cord  - which is actually metallic needlepoint thread - around it, then attached the Love circle to the cord.

Here is my submission on this week’s technique challenge - it calls for using Dazzling Diamond dust.

I started by stamping the angel stamp from the Rejoice set from flourishes in Palette Noir ink on glossy white.   Dazzling Diamond dust was used on top although from the photo you cannot see how sparkly it came out.   I used the nestabilities circle dies to cut this image, then used the scallop circle dies to cut  circles from pomegrante and silver metallic paper.  The card was made with SU’s holiday paper with pomegranate and silver ribbon on top.

Flourishes is sponsoring the sketch challenge at Card Positioning Systems this week.   The designers at CPS have created some wonderful designs  featuring Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden set.  Participating in challenges is so much fun - I like it because I don’t have to think up the sketch,  which is sometimes the hardest part for me!!  Here is my submission for this challenge. 

I started with a vanilla card then added background papers from the Basic Grey Blush collection.  On a strip of vellum I stamped a few floral images in cocoa ink and attached it to the left side.  The main images were also stamped in cocoa then colored with Twinkling H2O’s - bashful blue and cherry sorbet colors.  I mounted the main panel on coordinating solids from the Blush collection as well.   I wish the photo showed the colored images a little better.  The Twinkling H2O’s provide a nice shimmer.

Today’s post covers two topics - this weeks sketch challenge at Splitcoast and a sneek peak at the soon to be released set from Flourishes - Flourished Elements.

I started with a darker blue card then added some paper from the Basic Grey - Periphery line.  The Periphery series from Basic Grey is so pretty - it has a nice romantic look with shades of soft blue, greens and brownish-grey.  Take a look at the flourished oval stamp - it is one of ten stamps in the new Flourished Elements collection that will be released soon.  The word “DREAM” is from Flourishes Fantasy Floral Garden set and fits perfectly in the oval.  I stamped both with Ancient Page’s Indigo because the color was just the right shade of blue.

Flourishes has this new Basic Grey paper in stock and we expect to release Flourished Elements within the week. 

I don’t know about you, but whenever I do a cracked glass project, I always prefer the image just before I have to do the “cracking” - it just never looks as good to me once the cracks are there, but the challenge is cracked glass so here is mine.  I used the angel stamp from Flourishes Rejoice set because it had that old world feeling and thought it went well with this technique.  I embossed her with Sepia EB from BMuse.  I’ve had this powder forever and provides a nice old look, although you cannot tell from the photo.  I colored her using pearl ex - Super Copper for the dress, Sparkle gold for the wings and Interference Gold for the hair - which stayed white.  A little gold glitter glue was dabbed on the wings and along the edge of the red circle.  Once the cracking was complete, I rubbed creamy carmel into the cracks to provide the aged look.  The background paper is scrapbook paper from a pad of victorian style papers and was the perfect balance against the red.  “Joyeux Noel” is also from the Rejoice set.  I stamped and mounted the sentiment on circle cut with the Nestabilities die cuts.