Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Color Throwdown #181

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It's Color Throwdown time again, and this week Lynn is our hostess with this really pretty, Spring-like color combo!  I hope you'll decide to play along.  Stop over at the Color Throwdown blog for all the details!

My new job is kinda' kicking my butt this week.... and the butt is dragging!  I was without mojo when I sat down to create my card for this week, so I turned to the "master" and CASE'd my BFF Barbara Anders' card seen here.  I say why mess with perfection, right?  I used papers from the new My Mind's Eye "Howdy Doody" (Miss Caroline) line, and my stamp is the new Vertical Greetings stamp set and Die-Namics from My Favorite Things.


For more inspiration, please be sure to visit my Throwdown sisters blogs...



Happy stamping, and thanksabunch for stopping by today!


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Timeless Tuesday #158

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Hello Flourishes Fans, and welcome to another Timeless Tuesday challenge!  I'm the hostess this week, and have a fun challenge idea.  My challenge this week is Country Comfort.... create something inspired by country living, whether it's a farm-theme, gardening, patterns (calico, gingham, plaid), quilts, wildflowers... anything inspired by the country.

For my card I chose to use the Seasonal Wreaths stamp set because no flower says "country" more to me than sunflowers.  I paired my image with some rustic October Afternoon papers, gingham ribbon and May Arts Ivory Crocheted Trim.  My wreath was colored with Copics from the Sunflower, Poppy, Evergreen and Flesh Tones 2 collections on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock.  My wreath was cut out with a Nestabilities Standard Circle die, and matted on a Big Scalloped Circle die.


I hope you'll decide to play along with us this week!  Stop by the Flourishes blog for all the challenge details!  And visit the other Timeless Tuesday designers for more inspiration...

Tera Fujan, February Guest Designer

Thanks so much for visiting today!


Monday, February 27, 2012

Verses on Monday - Flowers and Friendships

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Life has been pretty crazy the last few weeks as I adjust to the schedule of my new job, so I've missed a week or so of bringing you a Verses creation every Monday, but I'm back on track today with this card!

I picked up some new "Fabulous" paper from Simple Stories this weekend, and used it to create this card using this "Flowers in Bloom" (#FS1119-D) stamp from Verses Rubber Stamps.  For the layout, I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #153.


I'm so in love with these pretty papers, and I hope you all like my card today, too!

Happy Monday, and happy stamping!


Friday, February 24, 2012

Happy Birthday, Jan Marie!

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Let's light the candles, and strike up the music!  The owner of Flourishes - Jan Marie Caruso - is celebrating a birthday and we're helping her by getting the party started with the Flourishes Crew!  Why not leave some birthday love on her blog HERE, and while you are hopping around, pay a visit to the Flourishes team members who are honoring her special day!

For my card today, I decided to use the beautiful "With Gratitude" FLIP stamp set, (this is a FREE set that you can earn after you spend $100... click the stamp set name for more information) and my Happy Birthday sentiment is from Tag Lines.  I colored my flowers with Copics from the Evergreen and Lenten Rose collections on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock.  My designer papers are the new "Dolled Up" from My Mind's Eye, available in the Flourishes online store.


In honor of Jan's special day, the worker bees behind the scenes decided to have a COLORFUL sale to help celebrate!  TODAY and TOMORROW ONLY all Copic markers are 15% off!  Just use the code COPIC15 in the coupon code box at the time of checkout to get this great discount.  

Be sure to check out all the fun and festive wishes for Jan Marie and grab some great ideas for birthday cards along the way!


Happy Birthday, Jan Marie!  We hope your day is the absolute best and cheers to an even better year ahead!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Color Throwdown #180


It's Color Throwdown time once again, and this week Lori is our hostess with this bright, versatile color combo!  You can go in a lot of different directions with these colors, as you'll see from the designers' cards today!  I chose to go a little bit masculine with my design, keeping everything pretty simple.  This little guy and his puppy splashing in the puddles is "Splish Splash" from My Favorite Things, and I paired them with some new My Mind's Eye papers.


Stop by the Throwdown blog for all the challenge details, and play along!  And for inspiration, please visit my Throwdown sisters...




Thanks bunches for stopping by!




Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Timeless Tuesday #157

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It's time for Timeless Tuesday again, and this week Mona is our hostess, and I have to say I'm SO excited that she chose making Corner Bookmarks for her challenge!  This is something I've always wanted to try, but never got around to it, and now I think I'm addicted!  LOL  Please give it a try this week... I know you're going to enjoy the project!  Beate's tutorial on Splitcoaststampers will help you out!

For my bookmark, I'm hoping to force some Spring-like weather by using the tulips from the April Showers stamp set and some LilyBee Designs papers.  Plus I also stamped the sentiment from the brand new Tiny Flowers and Tags stamp set, and cut it out using the new Tailor-Made Classic Tags Die set.  I attached the tag to the bucket with a silver brad, and accented my bookmark with a scalloped border and some pink baker's twine.  The frame around my tulips was made using the Spellbinders Big Scalloped Squares and Classic Squares.  My tulips are colored with Copics from the Dogwood, Evergreen and Tonal Neutral collections.


The rest of the Timeless Tuesday girls are ready to inspire you with their corner bookmarks too, so be sure and stop by their blogs...

Tera Fujan, February Guest Designer

Happy stamping!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Dear Local Readers...

I want to share with you some recent events and changes that have taken place in my life.  I know that many of you who read my blog have also been my wonderful customers at Toyrifix in Smithville, Ohio.  I am very sorry to have to bring you the news today that I am no employed by Toyrifix.  In 2007 when I accepted the position of manager at that store, it appeared to me to be a dream job... getting paid to stamp 40 hours a week!  What could be better?  However, stamping 40 hours was not what I spent most of my time doing.  I also spent a great deal of time just being a store manager, dealing with employees, office work and selling toys... not what I envisioned when I took the position. I also did a large amount of the job from home, which made for some long days and evenings.  For a variety of reasons, over the past 18 months I was finding myself very restless with the position and in need of a change, and I began to casually watch the help wanted ads and seek out other options for employment.  I recently had the opportunity to interview for some other jobs, and was lucky enough to be offered a position that in my eyes appeared to be a win-win situation for myself and Toyrifix.  I would be able to, after some initial training time, be able to do both jobs for several months to come and continue to provide Toyrifix stamping customers the high quality of products, customer service and attention that you've become accustomed to in the last 4 years.  I was excited to make these changes!  In my plans for the next few months were classes that many of you were already signed up for and had paid for, and a lot of the content of these classes included things you had been asking me for as far as new techniques and products.  And I know you were all going to love the Stamp of the Month board for March!  My plans were to continue to be there for you in the coming months!

However, on Thursday evening I was informed that my services were no longer needed at the store and was ordered to pack up my desk and leave.  I am still reeling from this blow, and greatly distressed and disappointed at the sudden turn of events in this situation.  As I stated, this could have been nothing but a win-win for both parties here and the thought of what will now become of the stamping department that I so lovingly built up over the last 4 year saddens me greatly.  It makes me sad for you, the customers.  I want you all to know how much I have loved and appreciated all of you and that leaving so abruptly with no chance to tell you all good-bye was not my decision!  Helping you with your stamping needs and teaching new techniques, seeing people excited about new products and supplies and sharing my love of this hobby with all of you was my greatest joy!  I urge anyone who wishes to to please keep in touch with me!  Leave me a comment here, or send me an email  (tammyhershberger at gmail dot com) as I want to hear from you!  And if you still want to learn and stamp together, let me know that, too!  I'd love to continue to get inky with all of you!

My very best to you all,

Flourishes Friday Free-for-All


It's Free-for-all-Friday again with the Flourishes Sr. Design team so we're back to refresh your memory on all the wonderful stamp sets that were released last week!  Remember, there's still time left today to pick up the New Release Bundle in which you'll get all the new stamp sets at a 10% reduction, so don't delay!

For my card today, I found that I actually needed a sympathy card for a male friend of our family who recently lost his father, so I wanted to keep my design very clean and simple with no frills.  So I just very minimally colored the small bouquet of lilies from the new Calla Lilies stamp set, and adding the "sending prayers" sentiment.  My card base is Flourishes Classic White cardstock, and the image is colored with Copics T2, B00, G40, and Y21 from various collections.  (Click on each of those Copic colors to be taken to the collection they are from.)


On the inside is one of the sentiments from the set...


Be sure to visit the rest of the members of the Sr. Design team today with plenty of inspiration to share with you with those beautiful newly release stamp sets...



Thanks so much for stopping by today!