the creative closet by cindy lawrence

Flourishes Friday

Hello Stampers~

It's Flourishes Friday, and today I'm playing with one of my favorite sets, Nasturtiums.  Before Marcella drew these amazing flowers for Flourishes, I had never even heard of them; but now I am in loooove! :)

I used some yummalicious Stella Rose Mabel patterned paper from My Mind's Eye for this one.  My layout is simple, and my card is big...5-1/2" square to be exact.

The image is stamped on Flourishes Classic White card stock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and colored in with the following Copic marker collections:

The flower centers were created with Ultra Fine Citrus Flower Soft.  The finishing touches include Gold Rhinestones (colored orange with the YR09 Copic marker), orange satin ribbon, and a gorgeous Prima Monarch Flower Center for the bow.

Before I go, I wanted to remind you that Flourishes is having a fantastic Christmas in July sale now through Sunday, July 31st.  All Christmas sets are 20% off!  Check them out HERE!  The design team is showcasing several of the sets all week long; so stop by the Flourishes blog for all the details.

Have a terrific weekend, friends!  Thanks so much for visiting!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

It's Christmas in July!

Hello Stampers~

Did you hear the news?  Flourishes is having an awesome Christmas in July sale!  Between now and the 31st of July, all Christmas sets will be a 20% off!  Just click HERE to see all the great sale offerings!  

I chose to use A Gift For You for my card.  I love the beautiful elegance of this stamp set, and also that it just happens to coordinate with one of my very favorite Spellbinders dies, Labels Fourteen.

 

I used some textured green & Classic White cardstock, as well as the Pixie patterned paper pack from Memory Box.  The ribbon is Sheer Line-Edged Red and Pink with a touch of silver cording to add to the festive feel.  The pretty brads are White Pearl Vintage Brads, which come it two convenient sizes.  The layout is this week's Mojo Monday challenge.

I created the border along the bottom of the card using Spellbinders Lattice Borderabilities Petite Die.  The sentiment was stamped in Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink.  The images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and colored in using Copic markers from the following collections:

Here's a close-up view:

All of that pretty sparkle comes from a Sakura Clear Stardust Gelly Roll Pen, and the background was air-brushed with my Copic Air Brush System.  The card itself is 5-1/4" square. :)

The very talented Barbara Anders also has a Christmas card to share with you today!  AND in case you've missed it, stop by the Flourishes blog to see the fabulous creations from Monday & Tuesday as well!

That's all, folks!  Thanks so much for visiting with me today!  Our family is heading up to spend a week at Steele Hill Resort beginning tomorrow...should be lots of fun! :)

Hugs,

~Cindy

CHA Recap

Hello Stampers~

I thought I'd share a few photos from last week's trip to CHA in Chicago with the Flourishes girls.  I always enjoy CHA; but this trip was an extra-special blessing for me. 

Here's a picture of all of the Flourishes gals that were in attendance.  I stole this one from Stacy, since I didn't get a whole group shot with my camera.  I know it's small; but you get the idea!  This was a wonderful restaurant where we celebrated sweet Ms Sharon's birthday. :)

From left to right standing are: Stacy, myself, Julie, Christine, and Barb.  Sitting are Sharon & Jan Marie.

Next up are the ladies I spent the bulk of my time with, Julie, Christine, and Stacy.  It was the first time I had met Christine, and what a sweetheart she is!  She was my roomie for the week, and we had such a wonderful time of sharing and bonding.   We all had a terrific time together, and I feel like I have three new sisters! :)

I met up with lots of friends along the way...

Sweet Lori Craig, whom I always say should live next door to me...love that girl!

The beautiful Beate...always a treat to spend some time with her!

Sweetest girl EVER, Taylor, who is counting down the weeks until she welcomes her first baby into the world. :)

The amazing Lydia, who is yet another one that I wish lived next door.  She is just a beautiful soul...

Sankari...gorgeous on the inside as well as on the outside...

Lori McAree...SO wish I had more time with her.  She has the most infectious laugh you have ever heard...such a joyful, kind, and wonderful person.

The lovely Karen Giron...  This girl has enabled me to buy more photography equipment than I care to admit! LOL  Love her!

I saw so many others that I neglected to get a photo with.  So much going on to distract me, you know? ;)

The one meal that I must have while in Chi-town...Giordanno's stuffed pizza...oh. my. word.

While we're on the subject of food...check out my dessert at the Rosewood!  It was White Chocolate Mousse Cake, and was absolutely deLISH!  It was also big enough to feed three people! 

Here are a few of the awesome products we saw...and some that we purchased for Flourishes store... ;)

 
I could honestly share a bazillion more; but I think you get the idea...gorgeous stuff on the horizon, peeps!!!

The final photo I'd like to share is of myself and the dear, sweet lady who made this whole adventure possible...Jan Marie Caruso, owner of Flourishes.  Thank you SO MUCH, Jan Marie!  I puffy heart love you!

Have yourselves a fantastic day, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy

Flourishes Friday

 
Hello Stampers~

With all of this super-hot weather we've been having, my mind has been vacationing in the tropics.  Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have sent my mind along without me...LOL

Today's card is made with Flourishes Beach Life stamp set, and some pretty Gabrielle patterned papers from Bo Bunny.  I know this card looks strikingly similar to the card I posted on Monday; but that's because they were made to coordinate on the same page of Flourishes 2011 Spring Catalog. 

I used Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die-Cutting Machine to cut out the Classic Oval Nestability Dies...easy peasy I tell ya!  

There was very little coloring required on this image, but I did make it pop with some Copic Air Brushing in the background.

If you look very closely, you can see the bit of sparkle I added with a Copic Clear Spica Glitter Pen.

Check out the awesome creations made by the rest of the Flourishes design team:

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Sharon Doolittle
• Jan Marie Caruso

Have a fantastic Friday, friends!  As this post goes live, I am flying the friendly skies home from CHA!  It has been an amazing week, and I can't wait to share it all with you! :)

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Down By the Sea Shore

Hello Stampers~

Look at me...posting on a Monday!  I am flying out to Chicago this morning to attend the Craft & Hobby Association's annual summer event.  I will be hanging out with the fabulous Flourishes team, as well as owner extraordinaire, Jan Marie Caruso.  In addition to having an absolute blast, we are going to find you all some AWESOME new products for the Flourishes store!!!  I can't wait to see what is unveiled this week...so much to see, so little time! :)

My card today uses Flourishes beautiful Seaside Life stamp set.  I paired it up with Bo Bunny's Gabrielle patterned papers.

I used Copic markers to give the seashells a very soft bit of color, and air brushed the background with my Copic Air Brush System.  The sparkle was added with a Copic Clear Spica Glitter Pen.

The awesome die-cuts I used are Spellbinders Labels Twenty One set.  I added a few pretty pearls and some twill ribbon to finish things off.

That's all from me until Friday, friends.  I will have a Flourishes Friday post, but until then....have yourselves a fabulous week!

Thanks so much for visting!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Flourishes Release Day!

Hello Stampers!

Happy Friday to you!  Flourishes entire July release is now LIVE in the store!  Today the design team is showcasing Moments In Time, a perfectly vintage, masculine set created by Lauren Pope.

For my card, I used a couple of the images in creating a background, stamped the hourglass as my main focal image, and added one of the great sentiments on a little banner tag.  Flourishes Classic Ivory card stock is the perfect compliment to the dark brown and kraft card stocks I chose.  The only patterned paper on this one is the green textured strip from Basic Grey's Sweet Threads collection.  I added some roman numerals to it with a Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink Pad.  I also used a couple of Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads to distress the background.  The sentiment was stamped in the Olive Distress Ink Pad.  The soft shading around the hourglass was done with a YG95 Copic Marker and the Copic Air Brush System.

Spellbinders awesome Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine came to my rescue once again to cut out the Spellbinders Labels Eighteen die-cuts.

I used some ivory twill ribbon, a bit of natural burlap string, a pretty Basic Manila Glazed Brad, and three copper nail heads to finish off the details.

I added some Glossy Accents to the hourglass to give it a real glassy look.  The little bit of coloring I did was done with Copic markers.

Remember, you have a chance to win today's stamp set, simply by leaving a comment on all the designers' blogs today!  One of us is today's...

That means, one of us will draw the lucky winner from the comments that you leave on our blog for Friday’s Moments In Time post!  So, here's your "moment in time"...time to get hoppin' and win a free stamp set! ;)

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Sharon Doolittle
• Jan Marie Caruso

Did you see that Flourishes has a brand-new 123 Create Kit?  This one's called Timepiece, and coordinates PERFECTLY with the Moments in Time stamp set!  The kit features a 36 page pack of 6 by 6″ double sided decorative paper by Bo Bunny, 12 aged copper decorative brads, 2 yards of burgundy burlap string, 9 antiqued watch sprockets, 1 yard of tan double dot grograin ribbon, and 2 yards of 3/4″ brown twill ribbon.  Here's a look at what you get:

 

Time is almost running out to win  the ENTIRE FLOURISHES RELEASE FOR JULY!  Check out these challenges below. You have until 5PM Eastern tonight to enter….. 

Farm Fresh Challenge
Get Sketchy Challenge
Copy Cat Challenge

Finally, we want to point out that ALL winners will be chosen and announced tomorrow (Saturday) in our Winner’s Circle post over on the Flourishes blog!  With so many chances to win between all the challenges and our Mystery Blogger contest — YOUR NAME could easily be on the winner’s list! So, check back tomorrow!  Thanks everyone for joining us this week. We had a blast and hope you did too!

Have yourself a fabulous Friday, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Flourishes Release Week Day Two

Hello Stampers~

It's day two of Flourishes release week!  Today we have another one of Marcella Hawley's amazing creations!  This one is called Sweet Nature.  Those gorgeous flowers are called "ranunculus"...not the prettiest of flower names, but certainly one of the prettiest flowers I've ever seen!  I love all the layers and layers of petals!

 I just had to use Basic Grey's new Sweet Threads patterned papers with this set, since they seem like a match made in heaven.  I love the pinks and corals together, such a happy color combo!  

I did a little bit of stitching on my card, and added some pretty Pink Say It In Pearls, which I colored using my R14 Copic marker.  The pretty ribbon is May Arts Two-Tone Peach ribbon...yumm!  The sparkle on the flowers and sentiment was added with a Sakura Clear Stardust Gelly Roll Pen.

Here's a close-up of the image:

I used Spellbinders Grand Caliber Die-Cut Machine to cut out the Petite Oval Nestabilities shapes.  That machine is a LIFE-SAVER when you need to cut out multiple die-cuts!

Here are the Copic markers I used to color the image in:

Just like yesterday, you have a chance to win this gorgeous stamp set, simply by leaving a comment on each one of the designers' blogs.  Remember, one of us is the...

 

That simply means, one of us will draw the lucky winner from the comments you leave on our Sweet Nature posts.  Here's the list of all the design team blogs:

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Sharon Doolittle
• Jan Marie Caruso

Want a chance to win the ENTIRE FLOURISHES RELEASE FOR JULY?

Stop by the Flourishes Blog today at Noon CST for another one of the daily challenges. Yesterday's challenge was a fabulous sketch, which you can still play along with!

FYI: All of this week’s sets will be live in the Flourishes store first thing Friday morning!  If you like what you see on the designers’ blogs and want the sets before they are fully released, you can pre-order! Just click HERE! We also have the New Release Bundle, which gives you all four of our stamp sets for 10% off!

Enjoy your Thursday, friends!  We are surprising the kids tonight with a midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movie.  It's a double-feature at the drive-in...should be lots of fun! :)

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Flourishes Release Week Previews Day One!

Hello Stampers~

It's time for Flourishes July previews!  As always, this month's newest additions are absolutely drool-worthy. :)

Today we actually have two sets for you to preview!  The first is called Bee My Honey, and the second is a fabulous coordinating Honeycomb background.  Both sets have been illustrated by the amazing Marcella Hawley.

My card uses both sets, along with some sunny yellow card stock and Max & Whiskers patterned paper from Basic Grey.  I love how the patterned paper kind of mimics the pattern in the Honeycomb background stamp.  I spritzed the background with some Gold Shimmerz; but, alas, you can't even see it in the photos.  I guess you'll just have to imagine that it's shimmery! LOL

The fun embellishments are a Webster's Pages Vintage Sparkler with a Vintage Teal Blue Marble Brad set off-center on top.  I also used a Martha Stewart border punch, and some of my favorite White Braided Trim.  The main image was cut out with Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities Dies, and colored with Copic markers (about a million...way too many to list!).

Here's a close-up:

Now, I'm going to take a wild guess that you might just like to win both of these sets.  Well, of COURSE you would!  It's sooo easy too!  All you need to do is leave a comment on each of the designers blogs for your chance to win both sets.  One of us is the....

That means, one of us will draw the lucky winner from the comments you leave on our Bee My Honey/Honeycomb posts.  So...what are ya waiting for?!  Time to get hoppin'!

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Sharon Doolittle
• Jan Marie Caruso

Want a chance to win the ENTIRE FLOURISHES RELEASE FOR JULY?

Stop by the Flourishes Blog today at Noon CST for one of the daily challenges. This one is a little sketchy! ;)

FYI: All of this week’s sets will be live in the Flourishes store first thing Friday morning!  If you like what you see on the designers’ blogs and want the sets before they are fully released, you can pre-order! Just click HERE! We also have the New Release Bundle, which gives you all four of our stamp sets for 10% off!

That's all, folks!

Have yourselves a FANTASTIC day! :)
~Cindy 

Flourishes Friday: Farm Fresh

Hello Stampers~

I sure have been a slacker blogger lately, haven't I?!  I guess it's just the nature of summer for me.  Last July, I took the entire month off from stamping and blogging.  This year, I decided to continue, but in a rather minimalist way. :)  I hope you don't mind only getting one or two posts a week from me for a bit.  I am taking advantage of the beautiful weather, and spending time with my family as much as possible.

It's time for Flourishes monthly pre-release challenge, and the theme this time is Farm Fresh.  All you need to do is simply make a card or project using any fruit or vegetable images and upload them to an online blog or gallery with the keyword FLLCJUL11.  Then, hop on over to the Flourishes blog and link up your project for your chance to win this month's entire release!  The deadline for the challenge is next Friday, July 15th at 5pm EST.  I can't wait to see your creations!

Here's what I came up with:

I chose to use the beautiful Cherries and Peaches stamp set, and Basic Grey's new Sweet Threads patterned paper pack.   I am so in love with the old-fashioned look of these pretty papers...just perfect for those luscious peaches!

My card also fits into this weeks Timeless Tuesday Challenge, which is to use the word "friend" on your card.  Check out all the details right HERE!

I used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circle Nestabilities as a backdrop for the peaches, as well as for the sentiment.  I air-brushed on some YR31 Copic color for a bit of contrast.  The scalloped border along the edge is a Martha Stewart border punch.  The ribbons are Two-Tone Peach, 3/4" Natural Linen, and  Natural Burlap String.  The finishing touches are a peach-colored button and a pretty little butterfly stick pin.

Here's a close-up for you:

I kept the coloring on the peaches soft and muted with several shades of Copic markers.  Funny thing is, the color I picked up thinking it was a perfect color for peaches...is actually called "peach".  Hmm...imagine that.

Here are the markers I used:

Stop by the rest of the design team blogs to see what gorgeousness they've cooked up for you today!

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan
• Sharon Doolittle

Have yourselves a fantastic weekend, friends!  Thanks so very much for visting with me today!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Flourishes Friday

Hello Stampers~

Happy July to you!  It's a Flourishes Friday free for all; and the fabulous Barb has a fun tutorial for you over on the Flourishes blog.   

For my card I chose the gorgeous Fuschia stamp set.  The card size is 5-1/2" x 3-1/4".  I colored the image in with Copic markers.

Here's a close-up:

 I am loving those awesome RV63, RV66, & RV69 Copic markers that make up the Raspberry Collection.  The pearls were white, and I colored them with the RV69 Copic marker.

Stop by the rest of the design team blogs to see their fabulous creations:

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---you are here
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan

 Before you go, it's time for another Flourishes Christmas Spirit Challenge.  Check out all the details HERE.

Have a fabulous Friday, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy