Stamp Talk with Tosh: Flourishes Get In Shape Challenge

We hope you've had a great summer Flourishes Fans! Now as we see the days turn the corner into deep blue skies, colorful leaves and cooler nights we see that Autumn is nearing! Many of us get back into "stamping shape" in the fall and this is the perfect challenge for you, turning your fingers to some paper crafting fun! In just a few short days we'll be unveiling our beautiful September Release of FIVE sets, and playing in this challenge is your chance to win our whole September Release! Want to know how? All you need to do is create a Shaped Card OR a 3D Item. You can either create a card using any non-standard shape (we encourage you to think creatively), or a lovely box, ornament, home decor item, or anything 3D....it's all up to you! Your keyword for entering into online galleries is FLLCSEP13. THE OFFICIAL RULES:

Simply create a shaped card (not a standard rectangle) OR 3D object.
Entries need to be in by Friday September at 13th at 5 PM EST
Those entries using Flourishes Stamps will be counted twice
You must link your creation on our InLinkz Widgit to be counted
You must have a link to our challenge in your blog post or gallery post
Please DO NOT combine challenges. Only those entries that don’t combine will be in the running
If you upload to SCS please use the keyword FLLCSEPT13
We’ll announce the winners on Saturday in our Winner’s Circle Post here on the blog on Saturday September 14th , so check back then to find out if you are a winner!

Boy did I have a blast with this week's challenge! I haven't made a shaped card for quite some time and thought it would be fun to try my hand at a Twisted Circle Easel Card. I knew if I went to Splitcoaststampers I'd be able to find the tutorial by Beate. She's provided video for many, many fabulous creative tutorials. For my main image, I chose to use the milk can scene from the Autumn Blessings set. This set has jumped to the top of my favorites. Now, it might be because Fall is my favorite season, or that we're dairy farmers, or that I collect pumpkins...who knows. All I know is that I LOVE the images, and I LOVE the variety of sentiments.

I made this little basket with a Silhouette cut file and added the sentiment with the smallest Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass Template die. I stamped the little wheat image, with Soft Sand (Hero Arts Shadow Ink), in the background.

Isn't this a beautiful sentiment? "Give Thanks for the simple things in life." I think with life being so hectic and society focusing on "bigger and better", we can forget about the sweet little things that are such blessings!! I love how this sentiment reminds us about the "simple things"!!

I also want to take a moment to reiterate what I've said before when I first joined the Flourishes DT. I love coloring with Copics. And the Copic Marker Collections they've put together makes it oh, so easy!! Seriously!! I'm not a pro like so many on this DT. I totally do not get the whole "light source" thing. And shadowing can even be a challenge. But the collections make it a whole lot easier. Of course, the beautifully designed images with the shading included helps a ton too!! :)

Okay...enough about my coloring.

Thanks for stopping by today and we look forward to seeing what you create! We’ll see you here on Monday September 9th when our FIVE wonderful September Sneak Peeks start! Enjoy getting back into stamping SHAPE! And now for some wonderful shaped inspiration, our Design Team has pulled out all the stops to get your creativity jump-started:

Here are the links to the Copics I used for today's project:

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Stamps: Autumn Blessings (Flourishes)

Paper: Follow Your Heart (MME), Classic Ivory and Kraft (Flourishes)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Soft Sand (Hero Arts Shadow Ink), Smokey Gray (Versafine)

Accessories: Copics, Perfectly Pierced Classic Hourglass Template Die (Flourishes), Circle Frame & Elements Die (Marianne Design), Circle and Oval dies (Spellbinders), Natural Burlap String, Button, Chrome Silver Pearl Pen (Viva Decor), Lace, Silhouette, Brad, Clear Bag