the creative closet by cindy lawrence

A Day in the Country

Hello Stampers~

 I have a quick post for you today.  I made this card for a class last month; so the coloring on it is quite minimal for me. :-) I used Spellbinders Curved Rectangle Nestabilities Die for the card base.  

The beautiful country scene is from the A Day in the Country stamp set from JustRite Stampers.  That set is so right up my alley! 

To make the background, I swiped on three different dye ink pads... black, white, and rust.  I thought it added a neat, aged effect...almost like wood grain.

That's all from me today, folks!  I know...I have tons of pictures to share with you, and I will.  I promise!  Just give me a little more time.   I've been involved in a huge kitchen redecorating project for the last three days...so exhausting, but so worth it!  

Have a very blessed day, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Happy birthday, sweet Ms Julie!

Hello Stampers~

Tomorrow is a very special day...  It is the fabulous Julie Koerber's BIRTHDAY!   I do believe she is going to be 29... Isn't that right, Julie?! ;-)

All of the Flourishes design teams got together to throw Julie a birthday blog hop bash!  Julie is not only an incredible design team coordinator for Flourishes; but she is a dear friend and kindred spirit.  She is the kind of person you wish lived right next door.  

I chose to work with the Feminine Charm stamp set for Julie's birthday card because it reminds me so much of her.  I've always admired Julie's sense of style.  She is always very fashionable, and I have NEVER seen her with a hair out of place.  I just HAD to use the "Hey Lady!" sentiment, since it is a phrase she often uses, and I can just hear her saying it.

The pretty patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Rosy pad.  That yummy flower is one of Basic Grey's Little Black Dress Tissue Flowers.  I sponged on some Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress ink to give it more of an aged look.  To give the card some sparkle, I added some black Metallic Velvet Ribbon, and a few black Sparklets, including one in the center of the flower.

The sketch for my card is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch.

The dress form was stamped on Classic Ivory card stock, and colored in with the following Copic marker collections:

Now, check out the amazing birthday creations the rest of the ladies have to show you:

• Jan Marie Caruso
• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---You are here!
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Sharon Doolittle
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger
• Beate Johns
• Cindy Haffner
• Heather Jensen
• Maki Jones
• Silke Ledlow
• Iwona Palmountain
• Kathy Jones
• Mona Pendleton
• Yvonne Hagane
•  Laura Fredrickson

Now, before you run off... Hop on over to Julie's blog and wish her a very happy birthday!

That's all, friends!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,

~Cindy

Flourishes Friday

Hello Stampers~

Today the Flourishes design team is sharing projects from this month's new release.  I chose to work with the gorgeous Petals and Peace stamp set, along with the matching Classic Keyhole Die Set.

While this set lends itself to elegant holiday cards, as you can see, it also lends itself to other occasions.  I embossed the image in white on some fabulous European Watercolor Paper, and colored it all in with dye inks and a water brush.  Those dainty patterned papers are from Basic Grey's new Picadilly paper pad.  The card base is Classic White.  I added a couple of tiny chocolate pearls to the sentiment tag, some pretty sheer brown polka dot ribbon, and a white Whisper Heirloom Button.  I colored the button center with my Y38 Copic marker.  The final touch is a pretty border punch along the bottom of the card.

Check out what the rest of the gang did today:

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---You are here!
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber
• Sharon Doolittle
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Don't forget that TODAY is the last day to get the entire New Release Bundle for 10% off!  Check it out HERE!

Have a terrific Friday, friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

~Cindy 

Flourishes Alterables

Hello Stampers~

Today I have something really FUN to share with you!  I get so wrapped up in card-making that I completely forget what a delight it is to work with an alterable project.  Flourishes has a whole new section of them (HERE), including this gorgeous Mannequin from Kaiser. 

I began by painting the mannequin with a cream acrylic paint.  Once the paint was dry, I sanded some of the corners and edges to rub off some of the color.  I then used a couple of Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Antique Linen and Walnut Stain) and a sponge to give it a real aged look.  Next up, I added some gorgeous patterned papers from Prima's Alla-Prima pack, which I unabashedly admit that I am head-over-heals in love with...sigh).

Once I had the basics done, it was time to embellish...fun, fun, FUN!  I began with a couple of sweet little doilies.  The first one I added as a collar by slitting the center opening to fit over the neck, and dressing it up with a tiny string of pearls.  The second doily was added in the same way to dress up the bottom.  I held it in place with a bow made from some gorgeous Solid Wrinkled Ivory Ribbon, with a sweet little Arco Iris flower embellishment in the center of the bow.

I added some gorgeous Webster Estate Polka Dot Trim around the waist, wrapped in a yummy Wrinkled Ivory Ribbon, and a bit of rich Teal 1/8" Velvet Trim.  I added a Prima Botanical Sugar Bloom to the center of the bow, and dressed it up with a pearl stick pin, and some pretty Zva Pearl Swirls.  The final embellishment is the "brooch" on the collar, which is made from a Bo Bunny Trinket and a Sea Breeze Sparklet from Kaiser.

Here's a close-up view for you:

Now, in case you're wondering what you would do with something like this, aside from the obvious display piece, here's a shot of what I'm doing with mine.

Doesn't it look so pretty draped with some of my favorite  jewelry?  I just LOVE it!  

Now, you'll want to stop by Christine's (She has blog candy!) and Stacy's blogs to see their gorgeous handiwork with the Mannequin.  What fun it is to see such different looks from the same piece! :-)

Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

Hugs,

~Cindy 

Splitcoaststampers Tutorial - Holiday Card Pouch

Hello Stampers~

I know I said I was going to upload my {365} pictures this weekend; but I just didn't get to it.  I will catch up...promise!

Have you seen the Holiday Blitz tutorials over at Splitcoaststampers this past week?  There are some really great ideas!  Check them all out HERE.

I had the final tutorial, and chose to do this card pouch.  I know several of you have been chomping at the bit for a tutorial on how to make it...so here you go! :-)

Here's a shot of the inside:

My pouch perfectly fits 4-1/4" square cards; but you could certainly adapt it to fit a different size card.  I won't get into the details of how to make it here on my blog, because you can just hop on over to Splitcoaststampers to check out the tutorial for yourself.  There's even a video for ya!  Check it out HERE.

Here are the cards I made to go inside:

The cards were made using Flourishes awesome Poinsettia and Boxwood set.  I think I have used that set more than any other set I own...love, love, LOVE it!

The pretty patterned papers are from Echo Park's Seasons Greetings pad.  The gorgeous 1/8" Red Velvet Trim can be found in the Flourishes store, along with that awesome Spellbinders Blossom Tags Accent piece behind the main image.  The image was colored in with my favorite Copic reds, which can be found in Flourishes Copic Poppy Collection.  I added just a bit of Lemon Flower Soft to the center of each flower.  The final touch is a Martha Stewart border punch down the left side of each card.

If you'd like to learn how to make the envelopes to match these little cards, check out the tutorial I did for SCS a couple of weeks ago HERE.

I hope you enjoy the tutorials, friends.  If you make the pouch, let me know.  I'd love to see your creation!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,

~Cindy 

Flourishes Friday

Hello Stampers~

Have you been enjoying Flourishes sneak peeks this week?  The sets are fabulous, as always, aren't they?  Today's set is a beautiful rendition of the first Christmas, called The First Noel.  

For my card, I used Flourishes Classic Ivory card stock, and this month's 123 Create Kit.  I am somewhat obsessed with fancy card borders, whether it be at the bottom or down the sides.  The pretty border on today's card was created with Spellbinders Classic Petal Edgeabilities Dies.  The image was embossed in a sparkly embossing powder from JudiKins that I've had kicking around forever!  Gosh, when I first started stamping nearly 15 years ago, all I did was emboss!  Now I hardly ever touch my powders.  I forget they're there!  This is the perfect image for embossing...allows you to make a quick card that still has some pizzazz. :-)

The papers, ribbon, and pearls that I used all came from Flourishes brand new 123 Create Kit.  Check it out:

Isn't that a beauty?!  I did include one embellishment on my card that doesn't come in the kit, but that you CAN get in the Flourishes store... Antique Heirloom Buttons.  I added just one to my card, and gave it some touches of gold with a Zig Gold Painty Pen.  The card size is 5-1/4" square.

Stop by the rest of the design team blogs to check out their fabulous creations with today's stamp set.

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence <--- You are here!
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Jan Marie Caruso
Heather Jensen
Beate Johns
Cindy Haffner

Remember, you need to figure out….

One of the lovely ladies on our blog list will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today.  We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win!

Did you know there are a handful of ways that you could win OUR ENTIRE NOVEMBER RELEASE?  Be sure to check out our Snowy Delights challenge HERE. You can also play in our Noon Time Challenges. Did you see the Tag You’re It Challenge we posted on Wednesday at noon? Click HERE to check it out! Or how about the Christmas Sweets Challenge?  You can check that one out HERE.  All challenges will close this Friday (TODAY!) at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post!  So get those fingers inky and good luck!

All of this month's sets are now available for purchase in the Flourishes store!  You’ll also see that we are offering our special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four sets in one bundle!

Have a fantastic Friday, friends!

I'll be back tomorrow with some catch up {365} photos from the last couple of weeks.  It's been an eventful couple of weeks for SURE!

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Joy Is In The Air

Hello Stampers~

Oh my gosh, you are going to LOVE today's Flourishes sneak peek set!  It's called Joy Is In the Air, and it comes with a beautiful snow globe and several sweet, wintry scenes.  Here's my sample:

I chose to use the little girl building a snowman image, and created a 6" x 3-1/4" card.  I used a decorative edge punch down the left edge, and some yummy Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies for the main image.  I am in love with those Picot Edge Circles!  The fabulous papers are from Prima's North Country paper pad.  I added three Cameo Sparklets from Kaiser in the upper left corner.  I colored them with a E29 Copic marker.  I also used a bit of the gorgeous 1/8" Brown Velvet Ribbon from May Arts.  The snowman was made sparkly with a Sakura Clear Stardust Gelly Roll Pen.

The image was colored with the following Copic marker collections:

Stop by the rest of the design team blogs to see their fabulous creations with today's set.

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence <---You are here!
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Heather Jensen
Beate Johns
Cindy Haffner
Jan Marie Caruso

Remember that one of us is today's...

Simply leave a comment on each of the blogs listed above, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win today's stamp set!  Easy, right?

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE NOVEMBER RELEASE?  Have you checked out the Snowy Delights Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how. You can also play in the Noon Time Challenges. Today and tomorrow at noon, Flourishes will have special, fast-paced challenges designed to spark creativity and give you a few more chances to win some wonderful goodies!  All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

 Can’t wait until all of our sets are revealed Friday morning?  Well, you can pre-o rder them now if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs!  Just click HERE.  You’ll also see that we are offering our special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four stamp sets in one bundle!

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, friends!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

Petals & Peace & a Diecut Too!

Hello Stampers~

It's time for another fabulous Flourishes release week!  Not only is today's set GORGEOUS; but you are in for an extra-special treat today as well!  Flourishes now carries their own custom dies! 

Flourishes newest set, Petals & Peace,  offers an elegant window into the holidays with a classic and beautiful collage of images ready to take center stage on your cards or creations — an Amaryllis paired with a musical score and jingle bells or a bouquet of winter roses surrounded by pine boughs.  This set features five beautifully scripted sentiments to match and better yet, they fit perfectly in the new die set’s word window.  Use these images with the Tailor-Made Classic Keyhole Template Die for a perfectly cut and embossed image every time!

Check out the new dies...

Gorgeous, aren't they?!  

Here's my card sample made with both the Petals and Peace stamp set, and the Classic Keyhole Template Die Set.

I paired my image up with some beautiful patterned papers from Kaiser's December 25th paper pack.  I added some pretty Natural Cotton Fringe, Burgundy Satin Plisse Ribbon,  and gold cording, as well as a few gold rhinestones.  The final finishing touch is Sakura's Clear Stardust Gelly Roll Pen, which I used to add some subtle sparkle to the sentiment tag and around the edges of the main image.  I gave the image a little pop by sponging on some Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Here's a close-up:

I used the following Copic marker collections to color my image in:

 

Want to win this set and matching die? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on each of the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out…..

One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! So, head on over and see how our fabulously talented DT used this beautiful new set and matching die combo that is sure to be a holiday fave for years to come!

Barbara Anders
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Danielle Kennedy
Dawn Burnworth
Stacy Morgan
Tammy Hershberger
Sharon Doolittle
Heather Jensen
Beate Johns
Cindy Haffner
Jan Marie Caruso

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE NOVEMBER RELEASE?  Have you checked out the Snowy Delights Challenge? Just click HERE to find out how. You can also play in the Noon Time Challenges. Today and tomorrow at noon, Flourishes will have special, fast-paced challenges designed to spark creativity and give you a few more chances to win some wonderful goodies!  All challenges will close this Friday at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! So get those fingers inky and good luck!

 Can’t wait until all of our sets are revealed Friday morning? Well, you can pre-o rder them now if you like what you see on our designers’ blogs! Just click HERE. You’ll also see that we are offering our special New Release Bundle again – 10% off if you purchase all four stamp sets in one bundle!

 That's all, friends!

Thanks so much for visiting with me today!

Hugs,
~Cindy 

 

Passing By with a Holiday Hi!

Hello Stampers~

This is NOT the card I had intended to post for today's Flourishes post!  However, I am having some technical difficulties over here, and am just happy I had a card already loaded that I COULD post.  You see, we lost power for a few days due to a freak snow storm that occured over the weekend.  When we lost power, something happened to cause our router AND one of our computers to be fried.  We have a new computer on order, and got a new router up and running last night.  Unfortunately, I cannot figure out how to get a photo uploaded from this computer...just won't DO it.  I've tried for hours, and am now officially fried myself. lol

This card is not a huge favorite of mine; but the stamp set definitely IS!  It's the fabulous Season of Celebrations set, which I embossed in white over the gorgeous Vintage Wallpaper background stamp.  I then sponged on some Tim Holtz Distress Inks, added a pretty punched border, and some pretty Textured Light Blue Ribbon to finish it off.

I just figured out that I can copy and paste the graphic for this week's challenge...yahoo!  (Little things make me happy.)  Here it is:

HOW TO PLAY: It sparkles, shines and glistens on the landscape. Let’s capture some of that snowy sparkle on our cards or creations! Use glitter, Flower Soft, or any kind of bling that offers up a snowy feel! If you use a gallery with a keyword, please use FLLCNOV11. And remember to link up below on this post using the inlinkz widget in order to be in the running! You have until November 11th at 5PM EST to enter— so let’s get creative and make up some snowy delights!

Check out the rest of the design team's gorgeous, snowy creations this week:

• Barbara Anders
• Christine Okken
• Cindy Lawrence <---You are here.
• Danielle Kennedy
• Dawn Burnworth
• Julie Koerber 
• Sharon Doolittle
• Stacy Morgan
• Tammy Hershberger

Hugs,
~Cindy