Sunday, August 31, 2008

Flower Soft ~ Part I ~ Flowers

Flower Soft ~ Just sprinkle a little imagination...

As you might have gathered this weeks featured retailer/designer is Flower Soft. I am so excited to be able to share this amazing company with you so much so that this is going to be a 2 part feature!! I think you'll be as excited as I am after you get a look at their products!

Flower Soft is a new company to the United States but has been around for a while in the UK. I got my first look at their products in July during CHA. I was so taken with it all I immediately knew I had to share it at some point with all of you. I received my box of samples from Susan on Friday and have already fallen in love with the stamps and "flowers"! I was even more surprised to find the return address right here in Indiana! YES, their first warehouse in the US is less than 3 hours from my home :) Doesn't get much better than that!

O.k. o.k. enough with the teasing...I know most of you are wondering exactly what is Flower Soft???? Well, it's an amazing little pot of colored "sprinkles" that you turn ordinary designs into a garden of color, dimension and fun! I'm not exactly sure what it is made out of but when it's in the pot it feels a bit like peat moss but Flower Soft is even better because it is acid free and perfectly safe for scrapbooks, cards and more!

I love the story of how Flower Soft came to be...it's such a neat story of how this little company turned lemons into lemonade! In Susan's own words..."We used to have a small business making miniature porcelain dolls and we wanted to make a move from this business into something less labour intensive. After researching we found that card making was a growing hobby in the UK and was something that would still require us to use our creativity. We designed kits that used elements from our doll making and by working with a the world's best doll manufacturer we were able to produce small cameo busts that were made of resin, but actually looked like porcelain. The cameos were beautifully dressed and to finish them off we wanted to add tiny flowers to their dresses and hair. This proved quite tricky to develop and took months of work to get right, but eventually Flower Soft was developed to fulfill this role. Beautiful as the kits were, we soon realised they were just too expensive for the craft market.......which left us with a lot of Flower Soft! Our design team wondered what on earth we would do with it, but I realised that it would actually make a very exciting embellishment in its own right. To persuade them of its merits, I took some paper wrote my daughters name in glue and sprinkled over the Flower Soft......IT WAS FANTASTIC! and we then put all our efforts into developing it further."

Now, talk about a success story! Flower Soft is a HUGE hit in the UK and now it's finally on our shores!

Flower Soft also has a new line of stamps which were developed by popular demand...another fun story so I'll let Susan tell the story ~ "A bit like Flower Soft our journey into stamps was not intentional. We are known for producing card toppers and papers (beautiful designs and backgrounds specifically created for use with Flower Soft, so that texture and dimension can easily be added). We sell a lot of our card toppers through the TV shopping channels Ideal World and Create and Craft and they constantly want new things. Late last year we were half way through designing the Country Collection of card toppers when we were asked for something new. We weren't prepared to rush the designs and so came up with the idea of taking two of the finished one's (The Bicycle and Wishing Well) and turning them into stamps. We released them to the show, which sold out and then into our retailers, who also sold out and this went on for about three months until we were able to stabilize our production. We have sold alot of stamps! All our designs be it toppers or stamps are a team effort. We have three people dedicated to design two on computer and my Mom (Doreen) who is our Creative Director and main Ideas generator.....but we all have input and that includes our customers who will often make suggestions."

Flower Soft Stamps come unmounted and need to be cut & mounted (as desired) to use. The great news is they already have plans to turn the Alpha Pots into stamps and more in the works! The creative minds behind Flower Soft also have some exciting things in store for 2009!! I can hardly wait to see what they come up with next.

Now, since this is a fun new product as I stated before I'm going to split this up into 2 parts. This week I want to talk about the flower embellishment side of Flower Soft. Next week I'll go more in depth incorporating the use of the toppers and stamps.

Flower Soft (actual name of the flower sprinkles) comes in 18 colors - 6 mixed (Heather; Lavender; Spring; Summer; Sweet Pea and Vintage Christmas) as well as 12 solid colors.

Today the supplies I will be using include the Spring Mix, Flower Soft Wires as well as the specially formulated Aleene's Flower Soft Glue. You will also need a piece of craft foam or in my case a piece of foam that some deco brads came in. This is to stand the flowers up in while the glue is drying.

Just a note about the glue...."The glue you use is really important, we recommend Aleene's tacky or Aleene's Flower Soft Glue (only available from us). The Flower Soft glue is in a wonderful soft small bottle with a fine applicator, so if you have dexterity problems it is easy to use....and as you only use a small dots of glue to highlight a design (big splodges of the glue will obliterate the design!) this works very well."

I wanted to talk a bit about the Flower Soft it's self before I move on to the photo tutorial. This is the package that the Flower Soft comes in...

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and here is what it looks like up close....

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As you can see the Flower Soft is really packed in there tight (Spring Mix shown)! You'll need to do a little prep work before you begin using it.

First, dump the Flower Soft out into a storage container. (Christmas Green shown) Told you it was packed in there tight! I wasn't kidding... Looks like a little moss covered hockey puck doesn't it - LOL!!

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Now, simply break it apart and fluff. You'll be surprised how much was in that little jar. Trust me, a little bit of this stuff goes a long ways!

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Now it's ready for use. Just a note ~ the label from the jar is actually a clear acetate piece just tucked inside the jar lid. It can be removed and adhered to the lid of your storage container for easy identification :)

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Instructions:

1. Remove a Flower Soft Wire from the package and straighten....There are 10 Flower Soft wires in each package and they are very long. Each wire will yield anywhere from 5-10 individual flower wires depending on how long you cut them.

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2. Cut to desired lengths. I cut my wires anywhere from 1" - 2" long. I tried to vary the lengths so my flowers would be taller and shorter as needed. The wire is easily cut with Tonic or like shears.

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(No, that's not dirt under my finger nail....it's a blood blister from earlier this week when I was flattening bottle caps! Warning, do NOT miss the bottle cap...it could result in bodily harm!)

Now, the Flower Soft Wires are covered in a white paper which is perfectly fine because in most situations the "stem" is going to be covered up. If for some reason you're stems are going to be exposed you can color them using inks and water!

These stems were inked using Peeled Paint Distress Ink. The lighter colored stems were made by pouncing the ink onto my Non-Stick Craft Mat. I added 1 squirt of water and simply placed the wires in the mix turning until completely covered. Place in the foam to dry. The darker stems were made by placing the wires directly on the Distress Ink Pad and rolling around until completely covered. Yes, this will result in Ink Stains on your Fingers but that's o.k....we like Ink Stains right?!?!? LOL!!! You can wear gloves if so desired ;)


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3. Now apply a dab of glue alone the upper portion of a stem. You can be generous, this is a specially formulated glue and it won't drip or run like other glues.

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4. Hold the glued stem over the bowl and sprinkle the Flower Soft over the wire. Remember to turn the wire as you go to ensure an even coverage. (the photo is a bit blurry...action shot you know!)

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5. Shake off any excess Flower Soft and place in the foam to dry.

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6. Repeat steps 3-5 making as many flower stems as desired.... Be warned though ~ this can be addictive! I made 12 flowers stems in very little time and ran out of foam to stick them into - LOL!!

Now that we've made the stems, what do you do with them?!?!? WELL, here you go....

Gather your stems, adhesive and a little tissue cone. (Notice how I bent some of the wires...you'll see why in a minute)

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Place a dab of glue down in the center of the cone and start adding your stems. Here is where the height difference of your stem length comes into play. Just like arranging real flowers you'll want the taller "flowers" in the back, shorter in the front and to the sides.

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You will end up with something like this!!! Now how cute is that!


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And finally...the little bouquet in action!


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Beautiful isn't it? I told you that you'd be amazed by it once you saw the finished project! If you like this are you even in store for a treat next week!!! I will be using the flower soft on the Page Toppers and using it pared with the Flower Soft Stamps so you'll definitely want to check back next Sunday!!

NOW....I think it's time for a Give-A-Way!!!

If you like what you've seen here tell me what you like best about Flower Soft...the colors, the styles, ease of use, whatever you want. As long as you post you're entered to win!

Win what you ask?

WELL, how about "The Lampost" set of stamps to start off with...

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as well as an assortment of wires, card toppers and samples of 9 different Flower Soft colors!

Sound like something you'd like to win?

If so, remember to post a comment here and/or on Part II next weekend to be entered to win. You'll have until September 13th to post you're comment at which time I'll pull out the name of one lucky winner (using Random.org).

Good Luck Everyone!!

51 comments:

  1. Ooh, that looks like a very cool product! I love anything that adds dimensionality & texture, so I guarantee I'm gonna love this stuff :)

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  2. Just last week I found out about Flower Soft...went to their site and watched the videos...great ideas there if you haven't seen them!

    I'd LOVE to try some of the product...keeping my fingers crossed!!

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  3. That is soooooo cool! Love your blog and I found you through Tim's blog! Glad I did!!

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  4. es look so cool, I have always passed it in the shops as it appeared hard work.

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  5. Living in the UK I have had access to Flower Soft for ages and have couple of the mixed colour pots. It really is a neat way to add dimension to a card and very easy to use - if you can sprinkle gliter you can sprinkle Flower Soft.

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  6. What an amazing product! thanks for sharing.

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  7. On first look I like it because it's different. And because I can think of at least 6 things I want to do with it!

    I have got to stop reading blogs. It's murder on my wallet!

    Thanks for a great blog,

    rachel

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  8. I can think of a dozen ways to use this product! I love the way you used it along the edge of the oval image......and especially liked your "action shot" of you applying the glue and flower soft to the wires! LOL! What a great way to add some texture to stamped images as well as 3-D wire bouquets!

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  9. I love the look of it when it's all done! :) It does look soft! And fluffy! And FUN :)
    Great tutorial! Such a sweet card :)
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    bunnybx at gmail . com

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  10. WOW! That looks like a really cool product. I 'm on my way to the website to find out more about it.
    Thanks for the demo.
    Theresa Dalzell-Wells
    stampincatstrio@yahoo.com

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  11. what a cool product. I love the way they look when finished and even easy enough that i could do it with little ease, i may have to put this on my wish list. I can imagine making little oval and square 9and maybe even triangle and other geometric shapes) to put with pictures to make them look like they are in victorian frames and in little baskets on cards and ......well i can think of lots of things to do with them

    Brenda S--cause for some reason I cant log on :-/

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  12. Oh my this stuff is sooo cool! I love the colors and the ease and the flexibility!!! sooo many possibilities...I'd love to win some...and will check out the site to put some on my wish list
    Thanks!!!!
    Patti V

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  13. All I can saw is WOW! This looks supercool to use and I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

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  14. This is a really neat idea! It looks fairly easy to do and it creates such a unique "soft" look! I would love to give these a try. Thanks for the giveaway Roni!!

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  15. Hi, I visited the Flower Soft site and I had some questions but Windows won't recognize the address so many you can find out the answers. Is the product non-toxic? Is it reasonably durable? Could I put the special glue on my own stamps and would it wash off?
    I'm thinking of making my own Christmas cards from scratch this year (I'm not really a cardmaker) and I'd like to use this product.
    Molly

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  16. Arrived at your site via the pink donut list and saw the tutorial on flower soft. I'd never seen anything like it, but it turned out so pretty:)

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  17. I love the delicate look of the Flower Soft. I'm thinking it would be perfect for baby pages, wedding items, baptism, nature, reflective pages, just about anything!

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  18. hello roni. :) i am from the philippines and i haven't encountered flower soft yet. will be on the lookout for this to add on my layouts and (future) cards. would like to try cardmaking. :)

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  19. this stuff looks really interesting!
    Very cool. I love the bicycle stamp.

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  20. That stuff is really cool!!! I was wondering how you used it and you did a great job!!

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  21. What fun!!I can see why you were so easily addicted!

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  22. Something new to discover the posibilites in... who would need another reason???
    Okay, sweet, petitte, textural, versatile,
    gosh just choose me, okay? :-)

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  23. This is an amazing product Ive beeen using it for about 18 month now and it always looks good. It can give the finishing touches to alot of images on cards and scrapbook pages and or atc's. Im glad you have finally got access to it, I didnt imagine for one minute that you were unable to get it over there. I am lucky enough to live close to the place in England that make it, and it is very popular here. Enjoy creating with it, Jaqi

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  24. Wow...I'm so excited to hear that Flower Soft is available here! I had received two ATC's from traders in the UK who had used it and I just love the way it adds some soft texture. Thanks for the giveaway...I can't wait to try it!

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  25. Thank you for the step-by-step on using the flower soft.

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  26. How cool is that???? That's amazing! I've never seen anything like it. I really like the fact that it is NEW and very different from any other stamping product out there. I also like how easy it is to use... talk about a way to be creative! GREAT share... thanks!

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  27. This is the first time I've seen Flower Soft. It looks like it would be lots of fun! Love to try it sometime.

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  28. What cool stuff. I've never seen it before. Looks like so much fun to play with.

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  29. I like that there's really nothing like it out there. It has tremendous potential for adding dimension to all kinds of crafting.

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  30. This is looks like so much fun. My fingers are itching to try it.

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  31. Seen Flower Soft quite a bit on Tv and it just looks so wonderful. Love how you start off with such a small pot and then when you put it into a bigger one it expands. xx

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  32. that is so cool - I never heard of Flower Soft before. I love new products and figuring out ways to use them. I like the idea that they provide texture - so cool!

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  33. What a cool product!! Thanks for another give away and neat project!!

    Hugs, Nanette :)

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  34. OOO I have some FLower Soft and I'd love to have stamps to use it with. Thanks so much for your tutorial! QP

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  35. That is so cool!! The colors are pretty and it does look easy!

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  36. i love this stuff. so cool!!! so cute and very very artistic! you can do a lot with it. does this work like the microbeads? anyway, thanks for sharing!

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  37. I always enjoy reading your blog, whether it's for learning about new products, new techniques, simply for some great tips, or a big dose of inspiration. Thanks for sharing, Roni, and for the opportunity! :)

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  38. Hallo
    What beautiful this is! I didnot see it before!
    You have a beautiful blog with lots of ideas thank yuo very much!
    greetings Thea

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  39. Wow- they look like fun. Hope they come to my area real soon.

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  40. I've seen this Flower Soft used in a scene with trees/shrubs/flowers. Just gorgeous. Linda Grady

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  41. i received some flower soft as a gift and LOVE it. it is unique and gives lots of fun dimension - i would love the chance to win some more goodies - i had no idea they made other items!

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  42. Wow - this product is so versatile. I absolutely love how easy you make it look and how beautiful your final projects are. I love the wishing well most of all.

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  43. OMG - how cool is this stuff? Thank you so much for the tutorials! I learned so much!! This is the first time visiting your blog but now that I've found you, you will be lovingly stalked!! I hope you have a great week!!!

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  45. that looks SO AWESOME Roni!!! Where do you find all of this stuff?? I'd so love to try, here's hoping lady luck shines on me :)

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  46. I never new I was missing something that fills this niche- heck, I didn't even know I had a niche that needed fillin'! Now I do, so I need to win it to feed the ravenous niche in the tudio.....

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  47. WOW! How cool is this? So "romantical" looking!

    I've been staying away from all the new product announcements and stores (economy you know) and this is the first I've seen of this product. I'm lovin' in and on the hunt for it now! I think this will be a fabulous add to the "Ministry of Cardmaking" class I'm teaching in our Homeschool Co-Op starting next month - I'm one of the "artsy" teachers :0}

    Thanks for the great tutorial! (So glad you clarified about the "dirty" nail :0)

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  48. I'm glad for these stamps ... as I love the sentiments on cardstock ... but now I can enjoy to stamps these lovely images in my scrappages aswell as on my cards ... love it!!! ... I'd love to have the opportunity to have these stamps ...

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  49. What An Heart touching Product.It’s really informative stuff. I really like to read.Hope to learn a lot and have a nice experience here! my best regards guys!

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  50. I would love to have the flower soft stamps ... I've bought myself a few tiny pots of flower soft ... and tried my hand at it ... enjoyed it ... want to get more!!! ... and play more !!!! ... just a pity that the spring flower soft wasn't available .... would have loved to have it ...

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  51. I had never heard of this product until a few days ago. I love the whole idea. I really like the stamps too. Looking forward to working with the products.

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Thanks for your thoughts and comments!