More is More

Oh my word – it’s been so long that I almost forgot how to type up a blog post!  LOL!  Today is Release Day at Taylored Expressions and there’s so much goodness, that I just had to carve out some time to play along.  So, I have projects to share today AND tomorrow!  Today the Baker’s Dozen is showcasing all the new products with a special emphasis on the new dies.

I hadn’t stamped in so long that it took me a little while to get going, but once I did, I really had fun creating this card.

I used the new full-size stamp set Posh Posies (in the Embracing Grace line by Emily Burger).  I love having solid stamps for some old-school stamping and this set has so many possibilities!  I used Island Indigo and Poppy Parade ink and added some stickles and a Kaisercraft rhinestone.  The patterned paper is Pebbles Seen & Noted.  I used the new Circles Cutting Plate on Island Indigo cardstock to lay over a piece of the patterned paper. And check out that butterfly!  It’s the new Elegant Butterfly Overlays die over the previously released Elegant Butterfly die. The image is was cut with the Stacklets Banner 1 die set and the sentiment tab was created with Stacklets Labels 2.  I started out with one of Karen’s older sketches – Sweet Sunday Sketch 163.

Here’s the inside of my card.

Now, let’s see what the Baker’s Dozen has cooked up:

• Carole Burrage
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jami Sibley (DT Coordinator)
• Jen Shults
• Kerri Michaud
• Lynnette Kauffman
• Sankari Wegman
• Shannon White
• Shelly Mercado
• Stephanie Kraft
• Tammie Edgerton
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Wanda Guess
• Nancy McKinney (Illustrator)
• Regina Mangum (Media and Promotions)

Thanks for stopping by and happy shopping!

Would you like a spot as a Guest Designer for two months with Taylored Expressions?

Taylored Expressions is proud to announce the premiere of a new and exciting stamping talent competition, Last Card Standing. Based in part on very popular reality competitions such as Last Comic Standing, Project Runway, and Chopped, TE is looking for the very best and creative card-makers to stamp their way to the top. Each week, finalists will be challenged to create a themed card for a panel of celebrity judges in hope of avoiding elimination. Finally, the Top 5 Finalists will be voted on by the public, with the stamper receiving the most votes to win the title of Last Card Standing!

What’s at stake? An amazing prize package that includes a 3 month subscription to the Key Ingredients kit club plus 2 full size stamp sets of the winner’s choice and a coveted Guest Designer spot for the November/December Release!

Going on now:  Open Casting Round. To enter, simply upload your best cards to your Splitcoaststampers Gallery using keyword: TELASTCARD. For this round, ANYTHING GOES — Birthday, Thank You, Holidays, Get Well, Congratulations…the sky’s the limit! The only requirement is that you use at least 1 stamped image from Taylored Expressions. Do you have a card that you think could get you a callback to the next round? Go for it — submissions do NOT have to be a new creation for the Open Casting Round and you may enter as many cards as you want! Both new and old projects will be considered.

Deadline for submission to Open Casting Round: Thursday, September 20, 2012 by 11:59 pm PST.

For contest details, visit the Taylored Expressions Member Company Forum at Splitcoaststampers. They even have free digital images you can use!  Good luck!

I made a pair of cards featuring TE Let’s Chat, Circles Big Background and dies Take Note 1 and 3 with SU Melon Mambo cardstock.  With all these similar elements, each of these cards has it’s own personality.

For the first card I stamped the Circles BG in Melon Mambo ink on white cardstock.  I kept this card pretty simple and straighforward, adding the Curly Border Die and some Goosbumps sparklers for some fun finishing touches. I used a black layer of cardstock to tie in with the black candlestick phone.

For the second card I stamped the Circles with Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder onto shimmery white cardstock.  Then I watercolored over that with ink from SU markers.  I just scribbled them onto a cd and picked up the ink with an aquapainter.  I love the ombre effect it produced.  The payphone was also watercolored and then cut with the coordinating die and popped up on foam tape. I didn’t want to add an extra layer like I did on the first card, so I just rounded the corners for a little extra interest.  I added some rhinestone sparkle and a fun flower brad from my stash.

These were really fun to create!  I’m looking forward to playing with this set some more!  I apologize for the quality of the photos.  I took these indoors with my phone.  A little moment of honesty here – I love making cards, but I don’t so much enjoy photographing and editing the photos.  In this case, it was a choice between sharing less-than-great photos, or not sharing these cards at all.  Of course, they are so much cuter in person and a better photo would be awesome, but for now I’d rather share than not.  I hope you get where I’m coming from on that.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Happy Saturday! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  It was 107 degrees in SoCal yesterday and today is supposed to be about the same.  YUCK!  I feel very blessed to live here – what I consider to be the best location on earth – so I don’t want to sound whiny, but I get grumpy in any heat over 90.  When it’s over 100…well…let’s just say YUCK!

To counteract the grumpies, I have a beautiful card to share today.  (Is it ok if I call my own card beautiful?  I just love the way this one turned out!)  This card features the new Petite set from TE, Mixed Blooms.  I adore this set and could hardly wait to color it up.  I actually had this card done during release week, but didn’t get a chance to show it.

The little sentiment on the front is from Daisy Bouquet and die cut with TE Mini Tags.  I love that the fonts in these little bouquet sets coordinate.  I colored the bouquet with Copics and added some stickles.  The pitcher was covered in Crackle Accents. I fussy cut around the image and popped it up on foam tape squares. Patterned papers are from Echo Park.  The bottom detail was created with the TE Scalloped Eyelet Border Die (I love that this die doesn’t cut the bottom edge.)  Cardstock and ribbon are from SU.

On the inside I used a sentiment from the Mixed Blooms set.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope your day blooms with happiness!

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend.  I managed to clean off my stamping table which always makes me want to stamp.  🙂  Here’s a birthday card I made for a great friend of ours.  He’s a graphic designer, so I figured he could handle some bold colors and patterns.  LOL!

This card features the new TE stamp set Doodle Notes plus the Notepaper A la Carte stamp and the Notepaper and Clipboard Taylored Die set.  I am so in love with this clipboard die idea right now along with the Notepaper and Grid Paper A l a Cartes…I mean…MINIATURE OFFICE SUPPLIES!!! Love it!

I stamped the Notepaper image onto TE Choice White cs by inking it up with Pool Party ink and then using a Riding Hood Red SU marker direct to rubber to color the line down the side of the stamp.  Then I die cut it.  I stamped the Doodle images in Memento black ink and colored with Copics.  Of course you have to be mindful that the Pool Party ink will smear.  I covered the star with yellow stickles.  The back piece of the clipboard is simply a rectangle of Espresso cardstock with the corners rounded.  I shaped the clippy die cut by wrapping it around a pencil and then popped it up on a foam dot.  Row of stars was created with the TE Reach for the Stars Border Die. Finishing touches include Bronze Viva Pearl Pen, orange Kaisercraft rhinestones, and brown Doodle Twine.  Patterned paper is Echo Park.

I didn’t take a photo of the inside as I was rushing out the door to church with this card in hand.  Inside it says “Birthday Wishes” and there is another diecut star border.

It’s funny, when the Doodle Notes set was in development (concept by Jen Shults, illustrated by Nancy Mckinney) we talked about it being primarily for creating notes for kids’ lunchboxes. Sounded cute, but I assumed I wouldn’t  have much use for it.  However, I LOVE this set.  It’s SO FUN and really super versatile.  I just love it when that happens!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Happy Friday! I’ve spent most of the day sorting out medical and dental bills. You’d think after 19 years of working in medical collections that I find that stuff a breeze, but when it comes to doing my own I get really twitchy and procrastinate as much as possible.  It’s a good thing I finally made myself do it today.  I found a large posting error in our favor in the dentist’s bill and I discovered that the facility never submitted their claim from when Curt had his procedure done back in Februrary.  They did manage to collect money for our deductible (which we don’t owe) and hold it hostage, however.  So 2 1/2 hours, a letter, and several phone calles later I might be on the road to having it all straightened out.  Just in time to start over again with Curt’s next lithotripsy next week!  All this has made me ready for the weekend! I need some stampy time for sure!

Here’s a card I created for a close friend’s 50th birthday.  I hadn’t had a chance to ink up Adventure Land from the TE July release yet and all the samples from the Baker’s Dozen made me itchy to play with it.  I think it’s great for a guy’s birthday, don’t you?

This is Karen’s Sweet Sunday Sketch 162 which is a really fun one!  The paper is Simple Stories Summer Fresh 6×6.  I used lots of dies including Spellbinders Circles and Lacey Circles and TE Medium Scallop Border, Majestic Border and Seeing Stars.  Little finishing touches that might be hard to see in the photo include clear glaze pen, stickles, Taylors Tiny Twinkles, and KasierCraft rhinestones.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend ahead!

• The Baker’s Dozen has 4 days of inspiration, today through Saturday, featuring all the July Release products.
• All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, June 28th at 8 am PST. You’ll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
• Join us as a fan on Facebook for a look at the stamp sets and a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, tonight (Wednesday) at 6 pm PST.
• Blog Giveaway – TODAY ONLY – Two lucky commenters will be randomly chosen to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate. Hop around to see the sneak peeks and leave comments on each blog for more chances to win. Winners will be announced on Taylor’s blog on Thursday morning.

Let’s see what the Baker’s Dozen has cooked up today!

• All of the new products are now available for purchase! Check out the Fresh Out of the Oven Department to see everything in one place!
• More projects from the Baker’s Dozen to inspire you.  Just follow the link list below.
• Be sure to check the TE Current Specials page for May Release Bundle options.  The new Father’s Day Digi Image and inspiration sheet is available FREE with purchase of any Bundle!
• Did you win one of the Mystery Baker’s Dozen Blog Giveaways? Find the list of winners on Taylor’s Blog.

And here’s that Mini Tag Die set – so cute, HUH???

• Charmaine Ikach
• Jami Sibley <— you are here
• Jen Shults
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Michele Boyer – Guest Designer
• Nancy McKinney – Illustrator
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Stephanie Kraft –
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild
• Wanda Guess