BLOG CANDY - Flourishes Grand Opening

Whew!! We had a whirlwind day yesterday at the official grand opening of the Flourishes Boutique!! It was hard to keep up with the orders but with everyone pitching in I think we worked wonders!!

To celebrate the grand opening, I am giving away some BLOG CANDY. Eligible participants include anyone who has placed an order with Flourishes. If you've already purchased from us, then you are already eligible. If you have not - what are you waiting for?? Flourishes is having a grand opening special through August 1 - get the combo kit for 15% off!!

Here are the details on the blog candy - make a purchase anytime through August 1 (if you've already done so - you're already in the running).

I will randomly select one lucky customer on August 2 to receive the following blog candy:



-Two cuttlebug embossing folders (yes, two!!) - Snowflakes and Hearts Blocks
-Four cards made from beautiful blue metallic cardstock
-Four cards made from beautiful rose metallic cardstock
-Eight card fronts of white linen paper
-Five yards of silver cord
-Five yards of gold thread

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

Flourishes is officially open for business!! It's been a whirlwind for Jan Marie, Sharon and all the wonderful people we've been working with. It's also been an incredible learning experience for all of us as we venture into the e-commerce business.

Our online boutique is up, and while there still may be a few bugs to work out here and there, we are in business. Flourishes is having a "grand opening" special from July 27 - August 1 where you will get 15% off the Combo kit. The kit contains the two new stamp sets, a pack of Basic Grey Infuse 6x6 paper and some pretty ribbon.

Also, check out the designer gallery on the store - our design team has been working hard and have created some incredible cards for you!! Who would've thought that a Cake Decorating Stamp set would yield not only cakes, but also vases and a lamp?? These gifted women have let their creative juices flow - take a look.

Now, I am nowhere near as talented as those ladies, but here is my card......

RAK'ed again!

Take a look at this cute and colorful RAK I received from Sheri Thomas - I love the pinks and blues and she added sparkley glitter in several places to add some dimension. Sheri, thanks so much for the card. Please check out her blog at http://www.stampernmore.blogspot.com/.

Flourishes Design Team and Sneak Peek

Please join me in welcoming the charter Design Team of Flourishes. I am so thrilled to have these incredibly gifted stampers join us and can't wait to see what they create! Many of you may know them from their blogs and from Splitcoast, but if you don't check out their work - I've linked their blogs over on the left.

Flourishes Design Team

Nancy Grant from Alaska

Sharon Johnson from Michigan

Paula Bloom from Texas

Leslie Miller from Oregon

Julia Stainton from Canada

Alex Eaton from the United Kingdom

Tracy Durcan from New Hampshire

Also, check out the new Flourishes Newsletter for more information!!

Now for the sneak peek---we are having so much fun with the new cake set and here is a little peek at it! My favorite parts are the little things hanging from the cake plate - I call them "cake bling!!)

Is there a Designer in the building???!!!???

Jan Marie, Sharon and I have looked at more blogs and galleries these last few weeks than ever before as we search for our design team! I've seen an incredible amount of amazing work - and have even MORE blogs on my favorite list to check - as if I have the time to surf.....

To all of you who expressed interest in the Design Team - I want to say thank you so much. The level of interest and incredible quality of talent made our decision very difficult and we are so pleased with our final selection.

We've notified everyone and we'll do the big announcement on Wednesday - so check back in. Also on Wednesday, I'll have a little "sneek peek" at our stamp set - we've been having so much fun working with this set....

...... Actually, I am taking time out from stamping to post this....having a bit of "designer block"....where are those new designers when you need them!!

Computers, modems, routers, NSR

While I am no computer expert, I have installed my share of printers, scanners, cameras, PDA's, GPS, and tons of software over the years. So, installing a wireless router so that my dear husband can use the laptop (already wirelessly equipped) to surf the net while I'm on SCS should not be a problem, right?

Saturday night: Tried to install several times, broke down and called the dreaded Tech Support for Linksys (the router manufacturer). Spend over two hours with them, with 3 different people, two of whom I could not understand. Frustrated, ended the call with no success.

Sunday: Dear husband finds "geek by the minute" tech support on line and insists we (meaning ME) call them. I say, what do we do after we spend a hour and $120 and still have the same problem? He says this will work. I call, spend an hour with them, they finally say that I have to call my ISP and have my internet password reset and then it will work. Now, I am not a computer expert, but I know this is not going to be the fix, but do so anyway. It does not work. I call back and speak to the same guy, complaining about them charging me without solving the problem. We spend another 20 minutes trying to fix things with no success - they insist it is the ISP's fault. I call the ISP and spend another hour with them, they try to blame the other two and insist there is a problem with my computer (it was working just fine before all this, and works fine without the wireless router). Mad at everyone now, I tell DH I will call a computer person in the morning and get at home support. Hungry and in need of a strong drink we go out to the local sports bar/burger joint and order....but.... oh no...... it is Sunday and no alcohol served in our county on Sunday AAARRRGHH!

Monday: Call Karl's Computer Service serving the Pensacola/Pace area. Karl is retired USN with over 20 years experience. I tell him my woes and he says he will fix the problem within an hour and if he does not he will not charge me. He shows up on time, works on the router for 1/2 hour - no success. Says he has a different router in his car - let's put that one in and see if it works. He pops it in and in 5 minutes we are in business!!

I call Geeks by the Minute and tell them I want some type of refund because they did not fix the problem, we agree on a 45% discount - I grudgingly agree since it was a bad router.

Linksys sends me a customer satisfaction survey to which I blast their use of people who cannot speak English and their inablilty to recognize that their product may be defective.

I send an e-mail to my ISP support telling them they should admit when they don't know what the problem is, instead of passing the buck.

I tell Karl he is the best thing around!! Let me put out a good word for Karl's Computer Service serving Pensacola and Pace area of Florida. If you need computer service in the area, he is listed in the yellow pages...give him a call!

Two more RAK's!

Today I received two more RAK's in the mail!! I just love getting mail and SCS RAK club is great.



This first card is from Debra Tack. This card is so pretty with the green and yellow color scheme. Debra - just last month I ordered the vases set, don't know how I overlooked it for so long. I love the paper you used - thank you so much!!

The second card is from Shannon Erskine and is just as pretty!! The pink and green color combo is so soft and I love the polka dot ribbon. Thank you Shannon!! Visit Shannon's blog at http://www.hoppycreations.blogspot.com/ for more.



Hey - Shannon and Debra - did you guys get together with the color combos? These cards go great together!!

Call for Design Team - Part 2

For those of you who have contacted us, by now you should have received the initial response back. We're reviewing all who have expressed interest and are busy checking out your blogs, galleries, etc. Wow - there are some wonderfully creative people out there!!

For those of you who have not contacted us - time is running short!! We've set a deadline of July 5 to contact us if you are interested. We're looking to make our final decisions within two weeks so we really need this deadline.

If you are not interested, please pass this on to your stamping friends, or feel free to post it on your blog.

Thanks for the interest...keep checking in.