the creative closet by cindy lawrence

Hoppy Easter!

Hello Stampers~

Happy weekend!  Today's sample was made with the Hippity Hoppity set from Our Craft Lounge.  I adore this sweet frog all dressed up for Easter.  The designer papers are from the Abbey Road collection from My Mind's Eye.   I colored the image in with Copic markers.

Here's the full supply list:

Stamps:  Hippity Hoppity

Papers:  Classic White, Abbey Road patterned papers (My Mind's Eye)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers - YG03, YG06, YG09, E40, E42, E44, RV00, RV02, RV11, Y00, Y02

Accessories:  Circle Nestabilities, White Satin Embroidered Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Rhinestones, Dimensionals

I am off to teach a card class this morning, should be lots of fun! :)

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

Hugs,

~Cindy

JustRite Week: Day Five

Hello Stampers~

It's day five of JustRite week with the Stampers Dream Team.  Have you enjoyed the previews this week?  Aren't these stamps just gorgeous?!

For my card I used the Breath of Spring tulip center.  I stamped it in Black Staz-On and colored it with re-inkers and a water brush on watercolor paper.  I cut out a few extra tulips, and attached them with Dimensionals to make the bouquet really pop.  Those gorgeous designer papers are brand-new from My Mind's Eye.  It's from their fabulous Quite Contrary line, which just might be my new favorite paper. :)  How about that adorable pink gingham ruffled ribbon?  What a sweet statement it makes on the card.  Now I know this will come as a shock to you, but I dyed the pearls with a Copic marker.  Can you believe it?! hee hee

Supply List:

Stamps:  Breath of Spring

Papers:  Classic Ivory, Medium Baby Pink (Prism), Mary Mary Patterned Papers (My Mind's Eye), Watercolor

Inks:  Staz-On Jet Black, Pixie Pink, Melon Mambo, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky

Accessories:  Pearls (dyed with RV04 Copic marker), Labels Four & Petite Oval Nestabilities, Martha Stewart Border Punch, Water Brush, Pink Gingham Ruffle Ribbon, 1/4" Circle Punch, Large Oval Stamper, Dimensionals

Oh my gosh, you have to check out the Stampers Dream store!  Michelle just got in a big shipment of the newest Spellbinders dies...yum, yum, YUMMY!  I can't wait to get them into my hot little hands!

Next you'll want to swing by and see the samples that Dawn & Michelle whipped up today.

In case you've missed any of the other samples for JustRite week, here's the complete "itinerary" for ya.

Monday:  Amy, Carolyn, Dawn, & Laurie
Tuesday:   me, Denise, Michelle, & Tosha
Wednesday:  Carolyn, Michelle, Silke, & Tosha
Thursday:  Amy, Denise, & Laurie
Friday (today!):  me, Dawn, & Michelle

That's all, folks!  Have a fantastic Friday!

Hugs,

~Cindy

Happy birthday, Jan Marie!

Hello Stampers~

Welcome to Flourishes first-ever Birthday Blog Hop Celebration.  Jan Marie, the owner of Flourishes is turning another year older and we thought we'd celebrate!  Not just with a party and blog hop, but a special stamp set in honor of her day!  Let Them Eat Cake was designed by artist Becky Fleck with a Marie Antoinette flair and, just in case you wondered, it's available now HERE in the Flourishes Store!

Here's a preview of the set:

Isn't that a beauty?!

So, let's start our 'Hopping through the Decades' celebration!  When you think back over the last 60 plus years, what comes to mind?  Those bell bottoms from the 70’s?  How about those poodle skirts and ice cream shops of the 50’s?  Blu Ray discs  of the 2000’s, or Disco from the 80’s?  We thought it would be fun to challenge our Senior Design Team and Friends of Flourishes team to pick a decade and using our new Let Them Eat Cake set, be inspired in some way by that era!

 Want to win our new set?  All you have to do is hop on through our celebration and leave a comment on all 14 of our designers' post this Thursday and Friday.  Once you left a comment on all 14, you just need to leave a comment on the Flourishes blog saying, "I hopped through the decades with Jan Marie!"  We will then randomly draw 2 names on Saturday at 12 pm CST from all those who participated.  The winners will receive the Let them Eat Cake stamp set along with some other goodies!

So, get ready for a time warp!  I am first up with a trip back to the 40's!  As I researched 40's style, I discovered that it could be summed up in three words:  classic, elegant, and feminine.  So, here's what I came up with:

I started with the gorgeous Le Romantique patterned papers from Graphic 45.  The addition of pearls, fancy punched borders, and a luscious silk bow really give this card an elegant, feminine feel.

The backgrounds on the sentiment and green circle layers were both air-brushed with my Copic Air Brush System.  The cake layers themselves were embossed in vanilla embossing powder and colored with dye ink and a water brush.

To get the fancy border around the circles, I used the corner punch from my Martha Stewart Around the Page border punch set, and manipulated them to fit around the circles.

The sketch is Mercy's Tuesday Sketch for this week.

Here's the full card recipe:

Stamps:  Let Them Eat Cake!

Papers:  Classic Ivory, Co'ordinations Textured, Le Romantique Patterned Papers

Inks:  VersaMark, Always Artichoke, Groovy Guava, Copic Markers - G82, R11

Accessories:  Martha Stewart Around the Page Border Punches, Vanilla Embossing Powder, Pearls, Water Brush, Large Pearl Brad, Champagne Silk Ribbon, Labels Four & Circle Nestabilities, , Copic Air Brush System, Dimensionals

Now, you'll want to keep on hopping through the decades!  Next up is Julie Koerber with some fabulous 50's style.

Here's the complete two-day blog hop list:

Thursday, Feb 25th:

Cindy Lawrence (you are here)

Julie Koerber

Dee Jackson

Christine Okken

Maki Jones

Leslie Miller

Barbara Anders

Friday, Feb 26th:

Dawn Burnworth

Betty Wright

Stacy Morgan

Latisha Yoast

Cindy Haffner

Laura Fredrickson

Silke Ledlow

Thanks for hopping along with us today!  I hope you will take a moment to wish Jan Marie a happy birthday today.  She is one special lady! :)

See you tomorrow!

Hugs~
Cindy

Pure Innocence

Hello Stampers~

How adorable is this sweet li'l punkin'?!  When I saw the adorable Pure Innocence line of stamps in the Stampers Dream store, I knew I had to have them!  I paper-pieced her shirt with some Early Bird patterned paper and added color to the hearts & trim with Copic markers.  The rest of the image was colored in with Copic markers.  I airbrushed the background with YG93 & BG72.  That fun border was made with my new set of Martha Stewart Around the Page border punches...looove them!

With the exception of the red one, the buttons were not quite the right shades for my card; so I colored them with Copic markers.  What on earth did I ever do before I had those wonderful markers?!  I will never again be without the exact shade of button, pearl, ribbon, flower...you name it!  It's a beautiful thang! ;)

The sketch for my card is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch, pictured here:

Here's the full supply list:

Stamps:  Pure Innocence Flower Girl (MFT)

Papers:  Classic Ivory, Co'ordinations Blue, Early Bird Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Not Quite Navy, Copic Markers - BG72, BG75, BG78, YG93, YG95, R24, R27, R29, Y35, Y38, E000, E00, E02, E21, E25, E27, E29

Accessories:  Crocheted Trim, Olive Ric Rac, Buttons, Linen Thread, Pearls (colored with BG75), Corner Rounder, Martha Stewart Around the Page Double Loop Border Punch, Copic Air Brush System

Enjoy your Wednesday, my friends!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,
~Cindy

JustRite Week: Day Two

Hello Stampers~

It's JustRite week at Stampers Dream, and the Dream Team is showcasing the newest JustRite stamps all week long.

Here's the schedule for the week:

Monday:  Amy, Carolyn, Dawn, & Laurie
Tuesday (today!):   me, Denise, Michelle, & Tosha
Wednesday:  Carolyn, Michelle, Silke, & Tosha
Thursday:  Amy, Denise, & Laurie
Friday:  me, Dawn, & Michelle

My sample uses the gorgeous Beautiful Blossoms set of borders and centers, that fit in the Large Oval Stamper.  I embossed my geraniums in Detail Black Embossing Powder, and colored it in with re-inkers and a water brush.  The pearls were dyed using my RV19 Copic marker, as was the satin ribbon.  I even pulled out some brand-new Life Stories patterned paper...love that gorgeous plaid!

It is nearly impossible to tell in the photo above; but I used some Sparkle Psst Shimmer Spritz on the plaid layer.  It leaves a gorgeous shimmer that does not over-power the card.  I MUST get some more of that fabulous stuff!

Here's a close-up that shows the shimmer a bit better:

Can't you just see it used on primas...or ribbon???  Yum-O!  It comes in several delicious shades too! :)

Here's the supply list for my card:

Stamps:  Beautiful Blossoms

Papers:  Kraft, Medium Razzleberry, Dark Razzleberry (all from Prism), Watercolor Paper, Life Stories Patterned Paper

Inks:  VersaMark, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Always Artichoke

Accessories:  Black Detail EP (JudiKins), Large Oval Wood Stamper, Pearls (colored with RV19 Copic marker), White Opaque Pen, Labels One Nestabilities, Houndstooth Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Water Brush, Ivory Crocheted Ribbon, Satin Ribbon (colored with RV19 Copic marker), Silver Heart Charm, Sparkle Psst Shimmer Spritz, Dimensionals

Have a fabulous day, friends!

I'm so glad you stopped by today!

Hugs~
Cindy

Some bunny loves you!

Hello Stampers~

Did you hear about the new Our Craft Lounge weekly sketch challenge?  Hop on over to The Lounge to find out all the details about this week's sketch!  I do so love a sketch challenge, don't you?! :)

Here's this week's sketch:

Pretty cool, huh?!

My sample uses the adorable Pea-nut Bunny stamp set.  I also went with a square card (shocker, I know...) because Mr. Pea-nut fit better on that size.  He's a big guy, you know! ;)

Here's the supply list:

Stamps:  Pea-nut Bunny

Papers:  Pure Luxury White, Basic Gray, Textured Pink Pirouette, Sugar Rush Designer Paper (Basic Grey)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers - RV0000, RV00, RV34, C00, C01, C4

Accessories:  Pink Polka Dot Ribbon (Strano), White Ruffled-Edge Sheer Ribbon, Heart Punch (SU), Heart Nestabilities, Long Rectangle Nestabilities, Cotton Candy Pink Sparkly Fluff, Cosmo Crystal Crafty Sparkles, Dimensionals, Glossy Accents, Sparkly Heart Button (PTI)

Guess what else I did this weekend???

Yes, I sewed on FABRIC!  How about that?!  Abbi and I made this fun rag quilt purse for her, and it was sooo easy!  You can find awesome instructional videos HERE.  The squares are made with the Scalloped Square Big Shot Die...cool, huh?!

So, after we made that one, I decided to make another one for myself using some shabby chic fabrics:

My tote is one row taller, and has longer handles as well...more "adult" sized.  I am so happy with these totes that I could just SQUEAL...and I did! :)  I used some of my fabulous PTI buttons for the closures, and a pink crocheted flower that i found in my stash as well.  These were so much fun to make, that I think I might just have to make a few more to give as gifts!

If you've picked up Paper Crafts' new Stamp It Cards issue, you might have spotted a few Flourishes beauties on the pages inside!  Former Friends of Flourishes team member Kimberly Crawford has two gorgeous creations using the Cherries and Peaches set as well as our Life, Love and Lemons set(Pages 17 & 19)!  To celebrate the new issue, the magazine is shining the spotlight on some of their contributors.  Today it's Kimberly's turn!  Head on over to Paper Crafts Connection to see her fabulous creation and you'll have a shot at winning one of the three Cherries and Peaches stamp sets they are giving away!

Before I run off for the day, I wanted to tell you that Flourishes got a FACELIFT over night!  Check out the awesome new site at www.flourishes.org.  It will go live sometime today!

Hope your Monday is spectacular! :)

Hugs~
Cindy

Watch the laundry GROW!

Happy weekend, stampers! :)

Today I have a fun Our Craft Lounge sample to share with you.  This one uses Live Laugh Lounge and The Spin Cycle.  The designer paper is from the All Fall collection from Fancy Pants.  I colored the images with Copic markers - a lot of them!  I am not going to list the colors because it would take me forever to figure them all out.  Instead, I am going to try to take photos of the markers I use on my projects from now on.  The pretty burgundy pearls in the corner were white before I colored them with a Copic marker.  The polka dots on the pillow were made with a white gel pen.

Oh, before I forget, the size of this card is 3" x 6".

My weekend is going to be full of craftiness.  Abbi & I are going to be making the quilted tote bags that everyone has been making lately....which, of course, I will share here on my blog when they're done.

I hope your weekend is lots of fun!  See ya back here on Monday!

Hugs~
Cindy

Flourishes Friday Focus!

Hello Stampers~

Happy Friday to you!  I am so glad the weekend is upon us.  My day job has kicked my butt this week!  Well...staying up until midnight watching the Olympics every night probably hasn't helped either. :)  

Today's sample was made for this week's Flourishes Friday Focus, which just happens to be on Copic Extras...so right up my alley!  Christine has some fabulous tips for different ways to use your markers.  Stop by the Flourishes Newsletter to learn something new today!

I used Copics to color in my image, to color my pearls a pretty pink, and to air brush the background on the center circle.  The pretty lilac image is from the Lilac stamp set, and the sentiment is from the new From the Garden set.  The designer papers are from the Gossamer pack by Memory Box.  I literally just got this paper yesterday, and gasped out loud when I saw it...soooo gorgeous!  I love the "shabby chic" of it all, don't you?!

The sketch is Mojo Monday Sketch #125, which I think is such a fabulous sketch!

Here's the card recipe:

Stamps:  Lilac, From the Garden

Papers:  Classic White, Gossamer Designer Papers (Memory Box)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers - Fields, Flesh Tones 2, Hollyhock, & Peony Collections

Accessories:  Pink Crocheted Ribbon, Pink Scalloped Edge Satin Ribbon, Pearls, Circle Nestabilities, Sewing Machine, Copic Air Brush System, Dimensionals

Have a lovely Friday, friends!

Hugs~
Cindy

A Cross for Easter

Hello Stampers~

Are you ready for spring?  How about Easter?  I'm sure most of us are more than ready for spring, and, whether we're ready or not, Easter will be here before we know it. :)

My sample today uses a beautiful cross image from Holly Berry House.  This is the first time I've used a Holly Berry House image, and I am smitten.  The detail on this cross is incredible!  I chose to paper-piece my cross by stamping it three times, cutting out different sections and layering them on top of each other with foam dots.

Here's a close-up view to give you a better idea of the layers:

...and another view:

I colored the cross in with Copic markers and added a bunch of lilac rhinestones for some extra pizzazz.  I had such fun making this card!  You can find a selection of Holly Berry House images at Stampers Dream.

Here's the full card recipe:

Stamps:  Kildare Cross (Holly Berry House), "Happy Easter" (SU), leafy branch (Flourishes)

Papers:  Classic White

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Eggplant Envy, Copic Markers: Y0000, Y00, Y02, Y15, BV01, BV02, BV04, G21, G24, G28

Accessories:  Cuttlebug Folder (don't remember the name), Sponge Dauber, Petite Oval Nestabilities, Circle Nestabilities, Sizzix Tulipe Die (swirls), Lilac Rhinestones, White Sheer Ribbon, Dimensionals (ya think?!), Piercing Tools

Have a terrific Thursday, friends!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by today!

Hugs~
Cindy

Nurture Yourself

Hello Stampers~

It's gonna be a short post today...spent waaay too long on ancestry.com last night!  I've been having so much fun searching my genealogy.  It's also somewhat frustrating when you hit a wall.  Have any of you done this?  Got any tips or great sites for me to check out? 

Today's sample is made with Flourishes brand-new From the Garden stamp set.

Here's the supply list:

Stamps:  From the Garden

Papers:  Classic White, Origins Designer Paper (Basic Grey), Co'ordinations Green Card Stock

Inks:  Memento Rich Cocoa, Memento Tuxedo Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Copic Markers: BG000, B32, BV000, BV20, YG93, YG95, YG99, E08, E37, E40, E42, E44, E49, Y31, Y35, Y38

Accessories:  Copper Finishing Touches, Label Nestabilities, Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals, Reversible Satin Ribbon

Have a fabulous Wednesday, my friends!

See ya back here tomorrow! :)

Hugs~
Cindy