Flower Soft goodness and a blog hop

To celebrate Valentines Day that is coming up very soon and to give away some really neat goodness, the Flower Soft design team is hosting a blog hop today and our main theme is "hearts" and Flower Soft, of course. To be eligible for the give away, you need to become a follower on the Flower Soft blog.

Here is my card. I used Ultra Fine Flower Soft. If you have never used this good stuff before I'm telling you, you WANT to! It is amazing. You are going to want to check out each blog to see what the other team members create.

Flower Soft blog

Jeanne Streiff

Rose Ann Reynolds

Linda Beeson (me)

Deb Saaranen

Jen Buck

Here is a close-up of my heart covered with the Ultra Fine Flower Soft. It is like VELVET! To say that it dries SOFT is so true. A hint to make it work correctly - use the Aleene's Tacky Glue that the Flower Soft company recommends. They sell this in a container that has a great, tiny applicator tip for getting in little places. Otherwise, this is a glue that you can find in a number of places, including more craft stores. This glue "grabs" the little fibers just right and there is something to the way it dries that allows the finished project to really be soft.

Here is another close up. I cut a heart shape from red cardstock and then gave it a good coating of the Aleene's Tacky glue that goes almost to the edges of the heart shape. This was then coated with the red Ultra Fine Flower Soft and set aside to dry thoroughly. You can then shake off the excess but it is surprising how little excess there usually is. The red, damask design is actually a piece of patterned tape that I picked up at Michaels in the $1 spot.

The team is participating in this blog hop so be sure to visit each blog but from here hop on over to Deb Saaranen's blog. Remember, for your chance to win you need to become a follower of the Flower Soft blog.

I have some other examples of using Flower Soft to share too. This week on the Card Positioning Systems, PaperTrey, Inc was our sponsor. They always share so much goodness with us so I have three creations to show you, two of them show off more Flower Soft.

I used the CPS sketch for this card. The flower is stamped on one of the patterned papers that I had to play with and the leaves are colored with Copic markers.

Get a look at the middle of the flower, see how amazing it looks with the two colors of Ultra Fine Flower Soft.

This card also uses the CPS sketch.

I added Ultra Fine Flower Soft to the little flowers in the bunch.

This card does not use the sketch for this week but it does use more of the PaperTrey, Inc. products. Notice the card base is created with brand new Core'dinations embossed cardstock. All I had to do was sand it.

The flower is colored with Copic markers and accented with Aleene's Paper Glaze. I love adding that little extra interest to an image.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

UNFORGETTABLE card
Materials: Cardstock –Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned tape - Michaels
Rub-on sentiment – Creative Imaginations
Scallop scissors – Family Treasures
Apron Lace border punch – Fiskars
Ultra Fine Flower soft - Strawberry
Tacky Glue - Aleene’s®

SKETCH 153a – WISHING YOU WELL card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned papers and stamps courtesy of PaperTrey Inc.
Ultra Fine Flower Soft
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Copic markers
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Tacky Glue – Aleene’s®
Sandpaper
Foam tape – 3M

SKETCH 153b – FEEL BETTER SOON card
Materials:
Cardstock – Cosmo Cricket Embossed collection/Core’dinations
Patterned papers, stamps and button courtesy of PaperTrey Inc.
Ultra Fine Flower Soft
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Tacky Glue – Aleene’s®
Sandpaper
Foam tape – 3M
Martha Stewart border punchCircle template - Coluzzle

BLUE FLOWER card
Materials:
Cardstock – Embossed cardstock/Core’dinations
Patterned paper, stamps, button and ribbon – PaperTrey, Inc.
Copic markers
Versafine black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Sandpaper
Corner rounder punch - Fiskars

Candy always works

What better gift is there then candy that is dressed up adorable? Well, there would be better things, but I mean something you can give a friend and they would be thrilled.

These are little, cone shaped plastic bags filled with Valentines colored M&M's with some really cute toppers. The little Scottie Dog stamps by Pink Persimmon just seem like the perfect way to make these irresistable.

I have mentioned this before but one of the things that makes this stamp so cute and fun is that you have a choice of a few different coats to stamp on him. The zig zag circle is also a stamp, stamped with black and embossed with clear embossing powder on red paper. These are then cut in a circle shape and matted with white cardstock cut with scallop scissors. This great ribbon by Bo Bunny ties it to the package. I love this ribbon because the dots are on both sides.

For this dog, I stamped the entire dog on a piece of patterned paper. Because the dog is solid black, the black portions cover the pattern and because the coat area stamps empty, the patterned paper shows through giving him a really cut coat. The little bow around his neck is a separate stamp so it can be stamped in the color you want and then glued into place.
Another view.

To remind you, this is the dog when it is first stamped on white cardstock without any coat pattern.

*****

And a couple photos

Look what we discovered this last weekend? RAIN and the joy of walking in the rain. It does not rain here very often, in fact we go months without rain so we had never taken our youngest grandson out to play in it before. He was taken with the entire experience, the boots and the umbrella which he usually forgot goes OVER your head!
The walk would not have been complete without learning to splash in puddles. Here, his big sister was helping him.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SCOTTIE DOG CANDY TREATS card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Rubber stamps – Pink Persimmon
Patterned paper – We R Memory Keepers
Versamark black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Ribbon – BoBunny
Candy package - Wilton

It's a BOY!

One of the gals on the Pink Persimmon design team has been waiting for their new little boy to make his appearance and it happened this week.

To help her celebrate, the team created "baby" themed cards. Check out the Pink Persimmon blog to see what the other team members created.

My card centers around this cute scottie dog. I am in love with using this cutie. There are other dog styles in the same stamp set, but I used this one again because I think that being able to "dress" this cutie is so much fun. The little triangles along the top of the card are from the small banner set and I cut them with mini zig zag scissors.

This is the dog, stamped. Now the set comes with different designs to stamp "on" his coat. I picked the polka dots and inked them with a blue stamp pad.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

OH BOY card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Rubber stamps – Pink Persimmon
Patterned paper – My Mind’s Eye
Versamark black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Ancient Page stamp pad
Machine sewing
Fiskars corner rounder punch
ZigZag scissors – Fiskars
Sandpaper
Ribbon
Foam tape – 3M

2 Sketches 4 You and a photo

A quick post to share my 2 Sketches 4 You card using this last weeks sketch, #45. Most of the their team created circle cards but I saw the sketch as being a square card with a circle on it so here is my take.

I just had to show you the completely amazing goodness of the new embossed cardstocks from Core'dinations. I used one from the new Jenni Bowlin collection and two from the Cosmo Cricket collection. The wonderful thing about these cardstocks is all it takes is a little sanding and they can so stand alone.

Can you see these amazing details in the embossed papers? And I used my new Martha Stewart punch and a new little doily from Martha Stewart too.

***

And I just have to share this photo.

This is our oldest granddaughter and our youngest grandson! I love to see them interact.
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

PINK FLOWER card
Materials: Cardstock – Jenni Bowlin collection and Cosmo Cricket collection/Core’dinations
Doily – Martha Stewart
Lace punch – Martha Stewart
Flower – Prima
Button – PaperTrey, Inc
Mini brads – Making Memories
Scallop circle punch – Marvy
Circle template – Coluzzle
Sandpaper

Lots of good stuff

Just gotta share some serious goodness...

This is a little box of candy with a cute wrapper to make it a fun gift. It is about 6" long.

I created my little bee with punches! I just started creating and this is what I came up with.

I embossed this great Core'dinations cardstock with a Fiskars texture plate. The texture plates will work with a Cuttlebug and the right layer of plates, etc. I love this honeycomb design.

Next a card using Card Patterns Sketch #48

This card includes many neat things. ONE, a new piece of Jenni Bowlin Embossed Core'dinations cardstock. That is the card base. All I had to do is sand the pattern, it is from the Whitewash collection.

Next is a really neat stamp by Pink Persimmon. It is meant to be a button but I just love it for a medallion kind of design. I colored it with Copic markers and the other really great accent to notice is the Ultra Fine Flower Soft! See my fluffy dots? I used Aleene's Tacky Glue to adhere the Flower Soft. That is what the company suggests works the best. It dries just right so that the Flower Soft is still soft when it is dry and it grabs the little flakes just right. Rhinestones finish off my piece.
And this next card is posted at the CARDS blog today. The challenge this week was LOVE cards without using red or pink and that is soooo hard. You have to check out the amazing cards that are posted there because they will take your breath away.

The chipboard piece is sprayed with Glimmer Mist. Love the copper look.

Notice this great piece of Jenni Bowlin embossed cardstock by Core'dinations.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

BE MINE candy wrapper
Materials:
Cardstock –Core Essentials and Black Magic/Core’dinations
Patterned papers – Times Square/Downtown Collection/Pebbles Inc.
Texture plate – Fiskars
Swiss dot embossing plate - Cuttlebug
Sandpaper
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Scallop circle and circle punches – Marvy
Primitive heart punch – Emaginations
Be Mine chipboard – Scenic Route
Heart brad

GREETINGS card
Materials:
Cardstock – Curious Iridescent Cryogen White/CutCardStock.com and Black Magic, Jenni Bowlin Embossed cardstock/Core’dinations
Button stamp – You’re a Jewel set/Pink Persimmon stamps
Patterned paper – Cosmo Cricket
Versafine black stamp pad
Clear embossing powder
Copic markers
Ultra Fine Flower Soft – Citrus Crush
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Rhinestones
Fluid chalk stamp pads – Clearsnap
Sandpaper
Martha Stewart border punch

ADORE YOU card
Materials:
Cardstock –Black Magic and Jenni Bowlin cardstock/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Vintage Black Branch, Black Micro Dot and Black Finial/Jenni Bowlin
Rub-on letters – Jenni Bowlin
Chipboard shape and spray – Glimmer Mist/Tattered Angels
Fluid chalk stamp pads – Clearsnap
Border punch – EK Success
Self adhesive rhinestones – Mark Richards
Sandpaper

Moxie Fab, Ella publishing and Starbucks

You wonder how those three go together, right? Read on...

I love the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab this week and so I of course had to play along. If you know me, you know I love a challenge. I choose to create a patchwork design for my background. I have wanted to do something like this for awhile and so I took from the look of the hearts in the trigger being from different patterns of papers. I wanted my hearts to be white then so that I was using the opposite look from the trigger but the white hearts didn't show up well against the background so I punched my hearts with my new Martha Stewart heart punch and that gave my hearts a scallop edge and I cut red felt hearts that were slightly smaller.

I thought that the felt and the sewn on buttons fit well with the patchwork look. I cut my squares at 1". I sure wished that I had had a 1" square punch but I didn't so I just cut them all. I love this collection from We R Memory Keepers so it was easy to create a coordinated look from these.

And, here is sketch #3 from the Ella Friday Challenge.

I changed the number of photos a little since I needed to print mine out in some different sizes. I wanted my layout to be very simple. I printed the title on the white background cardstock and then added a little color to my outline font with a Copic marker. The other accents are then sprayed on with a couple colors of Memories Mist by Stewart Superior.

***

And, my photos to share which brings Starbucks into this post.

I did a double take when I was driving past this building and I just had to get out of the car and walk in to see if it was a Wells Fargo - a bank, or a Starbucks. Guess what - never before seen - it was BOTH!!! You read that right, BOTH! I walked in the door and they created an entire, real Starbucks in one corner of a fully operating bank. Do wonders never cease!

This Starbucks was on an opposite corner.

I just loved the facade of this building making it actually look a whole lot like the original Starbucks in Seattle.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

PATCHWORK - LOVE card

Materials:

Cardstock –Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Patterned paper – We R Memory Keepers

Heart punch – Martha Stewart

Buttons – PaperTrey Inc.

Machine sewing

Felt

Rub-on sentiment – Making Memories

ONCE UPON A TIME… layout

Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Spray color – Memories Mist
Font for title – Zapped Sticks
Circle punch – Papershapers
Brads – Making Memories
Fluid chalk stamp pad - Clearsnap

Happy News and some photos

My happy news for today is that I was accepted to the Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker design team! Now she has some really cute papers and other products that I am going to just be so excited to play with. Watch out, because I will be showing lots of projects created with these goodies.

***

And I wanted to show you a few pics from around my area. We have a garden that isn't too far from my house that is designed for the public to walk around in and enjoy. It is amazing to go there any time of year to take photos.

You might already know this, maybe not, but our area is known for our orange, lemon, strawberry and avocado crops.

We see these trees everywhere.

I took this in January - it looks like a tree that is caught between fall and spring.

We have lots of these around and it seems that this is the time of year that they are in full bloom. There is just something artistic about them.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)