February Key Ingredients - Day 5

Good morning & Happy Valentine's Day! We're coming to the end of our February Key Ingredients blog week (tomorrow is the last day). I hope you've enjoyed all of the inspiration! The Baker's Dozen and Key Ingredients teams have really outdone themselves with the gorgeous eye-candy they've been sharing this week and now I'm excited to see what YOU will do with the kit ingredients too!

There's still time to join us and get in on our exclusive stamp set promotion! Have you seen all the amazing projects using Vintage Dreamer?

This set is exclusive to our subscribers so as soon as you join us you'll get an email with the super-secret link to purchase the stamp set. And even better? Now through March 10th our subscribers can purchase the set for only $10.98 (a 50% discount off retail price)! Click here for more details on subscribing to the Key Ingredients kit club!

And here's a sneak peek of today's inspiration (click on the graphic for a look at their full card and all the details!):

February Key Ingredients - Day 4

Good morning & Happy Monday! It's time for another day of inspiration using our February Key Ingredients kit! The fabulous eye candy is almost never-ending this month. Both of our design teams have done an incredible job showing SO MANY amazing ways to use the ingredients in our February kit!

Have you joined the kit club yet? If not, I thought I'd go over a few more benefits today that are sure to push you over the edge!

Are you on a crafting budget? Or maybe you just love a good deal? The Key Ingredients monthly subscription helps you plan your craft spending AND you enjoy a 10% discount on everything the TE Store has to offer! Shipping is included in the price of the monthly subscription and if you're within the U.S. then shipping on additional items is FREE!

Who doesn't love simple organizational tools? You will love the way the Key Ingredients kits are packaged! All of the supplies come together in an 8.5" x 11" plastic storage case. And once you're finished with the kit ingredients the cases can be used to organize lots of crafty items (like ink dew drops, cardstock,and embellishments)! And the best part? The plastic storage case (a $3.25 value) is passed on to our subscribers absolutely FREE!

Maybe it's time to give the kit club a try for yourself!? Find out about our current special and Click here to subscribe today! Here's even more inspiration from our talented team (click on the sneak peek graphic for a look at their full card and all the details!

February Key Ingredients - Day 3

Welcome back for another dose of Key Ingredients inspiration using our February Key Ingredients and exclusive Vintage Dreamer stamp set! If you've missed the details on our special offer, you can start from the beginning HERE! I can guarantee you won't want to miss it!

Today I want to have a chat with the stamping veterans out there! I've heard from SO many people "I'm just not a kit person." Of course I have an answer to that! Our kits are put together so that they can be everything a person needs to create beautiful cards, but they don't HAVE to be everything. Maybe you like to add your own touches and embellishments you already have on hand. Key Ingredients gives the seasoned stamper a starting point, perhaps even helping you out of a style rut by providing coordinating supplies you might not normally choose. And you'll never have to wonder if you have the right color red cardstock to match!

Here's the inspiration from our design team today! All of these ladies are seasoned stampers and I've heard from every single one of them about how much they love working with the kits. Maybe it's time to give it a try for yourself!? Click here to subscribe today!

February Key Ingredients - Day 2

Good morning & Happy Weekend! We're continuing with our big celebration for the February Key Ingredients kit and exclusive Vintage Dreamer stamp set!

If you're not currently a KI kit club member, now is the perfect time to jump on board! Not only is this month's kit beautiful, but you also have the opportunity to purchase the exclusive  stamp set for only $10.98 (a 50% discount!).

Perhaps you're fairly new to stamping and you're feeling overwhelmed by all the supplies you need to coordinate and gather in order to complete a project? Or maybe you're a seasoned stamped with a friend in this situation? Key Ingredients are the perfect solution because each kit gives you coordinated patterned paper, solid cardstock in several colors, neutral cardstock (to stamp and color on), ribbon, and embellishments. Plus our Key Ingredients team supplies you with inspiration sheets each month with step by step instructions for creating the projects they design. You'll have everything you need right at your fingertips!

Find out all the details about our current special and how you can join us HERE! And check out even more inspiration from our design teams below! Just click on the sneak peek graphic for a look at their full card and all the details!

February Key Ingredients & NEW Vintage Dreamer Stamp Set!!

Good morning & Happy Friday! I hope you all have some fun weekend plans! I plan on sleeping (which I actually consider to be 'fun' nowadays!). *wink* We've been burning the midnight oil getting ready for today and I am SO excited to finally share what has been keeping us busy!

The Baker's Dozen and Key Ingredients design teams are joining together today to share our projects using the NEW February Key Ingredients kit and coordinating Vintage Dreamer stamp set! There's lots of information so hold onto your hat and I'll get to all the goodies!

First, here's the February Key Ingredients kit! I've fallen in love with the vintage look of the Lost & Found Rosy collection and this month we're proud to bring you an entire 6x6 paper pad for the first time in our kit club. This will be the first of many 6x6 pads as we strive to provide our subscribers with extra value and supplies specifically tailored to card-makers!

In addition to the 6x6 paper pad, the kit also includes 12 sheets of coordinating cardstock (8.5x11), 5 yards of ribbon, 6 Prima Fairytale Roses, and an entire package of Want2Scrap Pearls! If you're not familiar with the kit club, here's how it works:

We design a fabulous kit of coordinating supplies which is automatically shipped to you on the 15th of each month. Subscribers also enjoy a 10% discount on everything at the TE Store between the 10th-13th of every month. And if you're located in the U.S., you'll receive FREE shipping on any orders placed during the discount period. Here's how the price breaks down:

United States: $25.00 per month
Canada: $27.00 per month
All other countries: $37.00 per month

Shipping is included in the above price so there are no additional charges. Before you head off to the store to check it out, you're definitely going to want to know about our current special!

CURRENT SPECIAL

We've designed the fabulous Vintage Dreamer stamp set to coordinate with our February Key Ingredients kit and it's available exclusively to our subscribers through 2012. And as an extra special thank you to both current and new subscribers, we are offering this set at an incredible 50% off now through March 10th only! That's a full-sized (5.75" x 8.5" panel), deeply etched rubber stamp set for only $10.98!

When you become a subscriber anytime between now and March 10th you'll automatically receive an email with the super-secret exclusive link to purchase the Vintage Dreamer stamp set at a 50% discount and no additional shipping charge. If you're already a subscriber then the email should be waiting in your inbox (please contact us if you didn't get it!). And finally what you've been waiting for... a look at this gorgeous stamp set illustrated by Nancy McKinney:

Isn't it beautiful!? I love the vintage elements...especially the typewriter and the gorgeous damask image! And speaking of the Damask image, we also have a new double-sided impression plate that coordinates with the kit, Houndstooth & Damask! The impression plate is available to everyone (you do not need to be a subscriber) and you can find it HERE.

I also recorded a video to show you everything in this month's kit and explain a little more about our special stamp set!

The Baker's Dozen and Key Ingredients design teams have been busy cooking up some fabulous projects using this month's Key Ingredients kit and the Vintage Dreamer stamp set. Above is just a small sampling of what you'll see when you continue along on the blog hop:

• Debbie Carriere
• Jessica Diedrich
• Jessie Rone
• Lea Lawson
• Monika Davis
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jami Sibley
• Jen Shults
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Melody Rupple
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild
• Wanda Guess

DON'T MISS A CHANCE TO WIN!!
We're giving away our March Key Ingredients kit (next month's kit) to one lucky person who leaves a comment on this blog post! That's all you gotta do...leave a simple comment and you could win a kit to try for yourself! And if you're already a subscriber then your March kit will be delivered free of charge!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you're as excited as I am about our February kit and Vintage Dreamer stamp set! Don't delay...click here to subscribe today!

TE Sketch Challenge #152

Hooray! It's Friday... but not just any Friday... it's the second Friday of the month which means it's time for another TE Sketch Challenge! This sketch was designed by the fabulous Jen Shults and I LOVED using it! It may look like a lot of layers, but they came together quickly and easily... here it is!

Here are the sketch requirements:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must link your card using the In Linkz provided below by Thursday, February 23rd. And here are the prizes that are up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge links to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store! If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

2. I will select my favorite card to win Top Chef honors! The winner of the Top Chef will play along with the sketch crew and have her blog and card design featured here on the TE blog.

So are you wondering about our winners from last week? Well, the random winner of a $20 gift certificate to the TE Store is Bernadette! Congrats!

And the winner of our very first Top Chef honors is Cheryl Lea who created this fabulous card! I love all of the little details, especially the tiny hearts spilling out of the basket. Cheryl will be joining with the sketch crew for TESC153 and we'll learn more about her then! Congrats, Cheryl!

For my card I wanted to use the new My Mind's Eye Dolled Up 6x6 Pad. This is my personal favorite of the new MME pads so you'll likely be seeing lots of it over the next several months! I started by stamping the flowers from Discover Your Wings onto Kraft cardstock with Dark Brown Chalk ink. It's tough to see in the picture, but I covered the image panel with sticky tape sheet and opaque glitter (it's super sparkly in person!). I stamped the butterfly in Rose Coral ink, added extra highlights with Copics (R22, R24), and cut it out with scissors. The sentiment is from Rest & Renewal.

And several of the amazing ladies from our sketch crew are back at it again this week with inspiration using the sketch! Just click on their blog names below for more details on each beautiful creation:

 Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

 Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

  Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

 Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

  Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge - February

Good morning & Happy Thursday! I can't believe how quickly the days have flown by this week. We have something BIG going on here tomorrow which has taken lots of planning, but it will all be worth it! Make sure you stop back to see some new *rubber* goodness tomorrow morning! But first, I'm joining together with the Baker's Dozen for the February Calendar Challenge. If you missed our January Calendar Challenge, you can join in any time! Here are all the deets:

Each month the Baker's Dozen will supply inspiration using Taylored Expressions Calendar Products and showcasing designs for the current month. To play along you simply need to choose a TE Calendar Product to use with any stamps or papercrafting supplies you'd like. Create a calendar page using the month in the title of my post, post it on your blog or online gallery, and come back here to add your link to the Mr. Linky at the end of the post. GOOD NEWS!! All of the 2013 calendar products are now available at the TE Store so you can start working ahead on gifts for next year. Find them all in the Fresh Out of the Oven department!

And what would a challenge be without a prize!? Everyone who participates in 10 out of 12 months of the calendar challenge will be entered into a random drawing for a prize package of TE stamps, dies, and other supplies worth over $150! You can join in anytime and catch up on past challenges too. If you didn't play along in January, you can click here to upload your January project.

I've really enjoyed having my calendar out on my desk during the month of January so I decided to continue on with the magnetic acrylic calendar and create a new insert for February. I pulled out the sweet Love Shack set and patterned papers from the We R Memory Keepers Love Struck paper pad. I also used Crystal Stickles on all of the hearts and the Cloud Duo die up in the sky. And then I thought the mini calendar page needed a special little something to mark Valentine's Day so I used a small heart image from the Fly Your Flag 2 set and stamped it in Warm Red ink over the 14th.  The mini calendar is adhered over the top of the acrylic frame so that I can easily rip off the month when it passes and just create a new insert for the base.

Now here's a quick recap of the calendar challenge rules:

• The challenge for the current month will go up at 8 am PST on the 2nd Thursday of each month and you can play along any time after that.
• Use any TE calendar product and any stamps or papercrafting supplies to decorate the current month (not required to use TE Stamps).
• Post your creation to your blog or on-line gallery. If you post your creation on SCS or other on-line gallery please use KEYWORD: TECALCHAL
• Add your direct link to the Mr. Linky list below.  The linky list will remain open all year, so you have the opportunity to go back and catch up should you start late or miss a month. Find January link list HERE.
• Show your spirit for the calendar challenge and grab our blog badge HERE. 
• ENTER TO WIN!  Everyone who plays in 10 or more of our monthly Calendar Challenges in 2012 will automatically be entered to win a Taylored Expressions Prize Package valued at over $150!!!!  The winner will announced on New Year's Day 2013.

Now before you get started on your calendar project, you'll want to take a look at the fabulous calendar inspiration from the Baker's Dozen gals:

• Jen Shults
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melody Rupple
• Regina Mangum
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild

CHA Whirlwind....Back to Reality

Hey Y'all! Sooooo... it's been a while since I've been here and I thought I better check in! *wink* The whole TE crew made a trip out to California for Winter CHA which included sweet Madelyn (who ended up being the hit of the show!). We met up with these beautiful ladies (Melody Rupple, Jami Sibley, Regina Mangum, and Wanda Guess) and enjoyed a fabulous time of shopping and chatting and eating and more shopping!

After the show we stuck around for a few extra days to visit old friends, teach a class at Pages from the Heart, celebrate my sister's 21st birthday, and go to Jami's 50 & Fabulous birthday party. It was a super fun time, but it was SO nice to be home on Sunday and sleep in our own bed. Over a week in hotel room with an infant is HARD... I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you're not fond of sleep! LOL!

We have so many new goodies that will be arriving at the TE Store over the next several months. Here's just a sampling of what you can expect to see:

Cosmo Cricket, Doodlebug, Prima, Pink Paislee, Echo Park, October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup, Lily Bee, Basic Grey, Bella Blvd, Crate Paper, American Crafts, NEW Colorbox Chalk inks, NEW Memento inks, NEW Glitz Smooch, NEW Copics, Webster's Pages, and much much more!

If you need a little something to whet your appetite for new goodies, all of the new My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pads arrived earlier this week! Which one is your favorite? You can find them all in our Fresh Out of the Oven department!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day! The Baker's Dozen and I will be back tomorrow morning with our February Calendar Blog Hop! Hope to see you then!

We're BACK!! TE Sketch Challenge #151

Good morning & Happy Friday! I'm running around frantically trying to get our little family packed for the flight to California tomorrow... our first big trip with an infant! The laundry still isn't done and the bags still aren't completely packed, but we will get there one way or another. I just hope we're all still in one piece! I'm welcoming any and all advice for traveling with a baby so feel free to leave me a comment below while there's still time to pack and unpack our suitcase and carry-on with all of the necessities!

In the midst of our travel preparations, I really am SUPER excited to get started with the TE Sketch Challenge again! If you're new to our sketch challenge, WELCOME! And if you're a seasoned pro, WELCOME BACK! Everyone will want to continue reading as we're changing up a few things to make it even more fun and exciting!

1. I'm thrilled to welcome Tracy Clemente as our new Sketch Team Coordinator! She'll be keeping us all in line behind the scenes and I can't even tell you how thankful I am for that! These days I need to have someone lay out my clothes for me in the morning. Tracy, can you pop over and do that too!? *wink*  I'm also super excited to welcome Jen Shults and Sankari Wegman to the team. Jen, Sankari, and I will be trading off designing the layouts for each sketch challenge! 

2. Your sketch challenge entries should be uploaded right here on my blog using the In Linkz below. Previously your cards needed to be uploaded to Splitcoaststampers and while you're still welcome (and encouraged!) to upload there, we'll be choosing the winners from the cards that are linked here on my blog. New sketch challenges will be posted on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month.

3. We're adding in a new twist called the Top Chef! In addition to choosing one random winner for a TE gift certificate, I'll also be choosing my favorite card each week and awarding the creator Top Chef honors! Our Top Chef will participate along with the Sketch Crew in the following week's sketch challenge and have her card and blog featured right here on the TE Blog. I'll be judging the entries based on the three C's....cute, clever, and creative! Can't wait to see what you all make.

OK... so I think I've covered the changes and it's finally time to get to the sketch! Ready!? It's a fun one!

Here are the sketch requirements one more time:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must link your card using the In Linkz provided below by Thursday, February 9th. And here are the prizes that are up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge links to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store! If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

2. I will select my favorite card to win Top Chef honors! The winner of the Top Chef will play along with the sketch crew and have her blog and card design featured here on the TE blog.

While some things change, others stay the same (which is a really great thing when I'm talking about our amazingly talented Sketch Crew!!). They're back to share their inspiration using the above sketch:

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

 Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

 Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

 Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

 Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Attention Bargain Shoppers!

Good morning! We're almost ready to head off to CHA to buy all of the latest and greatest products for the TE Store, but first it's time to make room on our shelves with our semi-annual CHA Clearance Sale! We've taken markdowns on tons of products like Puffies, patterned paper, chipboard, Nestabling, vintage buttons, and more!

When: Now through Wednesday, February 1st

Where: Taylored Expressions What's the Deal Department

Details: Use coupon code CHASALE2012 for an extra 10% discount on all of the already discounted merchandise in the What's the Deal department. Get over 50% off some of your favorite products!

Once these products are gone they will not be re-stocked so shop early for the best selection.