Monday, August 31, 2009

Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash

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I can hardly believe it! Almost one year ago on September 5th, we released our first three stamp sets at Taylored Expressions! And today we still continue to follow the adventures of our whimsical, cartoon Cuppie illustrated by Jessie Oleson. It's fun to look back and see how far we've come during the past year. We've been blessed to have so many wonderful customers and we're excited to celebrate our birthday with you! The Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash will be chock full of party games (i.e. card challenges hosted by the Baker's Dozen) and party favors (lots and lots of prizes!).

You can read all about the Birthday Bash on the SASI blog. And find out how you can get the party started today and be entered into a drawing for your choice of one of our 4 new releases! Sneak peeks start on Thursday... hope to see you right here on my blog!


Happy Birthday, Cuppie!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #80

Good morning! Happy Friday... wooo hooo! Although weekends don't seem much different than weekdays around here. Jon and I both work from home now so we're just always home... weekend or not! And we're usually always working too, but this weekend I get to do some fun work! Guess what's coming again? Another Taylored Expressions stamp release! Announcements and sneak peeks start on Wednesday with a jam-packed release on Saturday. So I'll be huddled away in my studio playin' with some new rubbah this weekend! As I sat down to create something this morning I was feeling in a Christmasey mood. I just got this new Jolly by Golly holiday paper and by golly, it IS jolly! I love it! This little JustRite penguin has been calling my name lately too. It's from the new Christmas Joy Borders & Centers set. I didn't quite follow the sketch literally because I thought Mr. Penguin needed a "rolling hills" look in the background, but it's the same concept. I added some clear crystal strips to highlight the swoosh in the background. I received a few samples of a new DMC product called Memory Thread recently. It's about the same consistency as DMC embroidery thread, but the thread keeps whatever shape you form it into. So I made a teeny tiny bow with a little swirl on the ends. Fun stuff! I'll definitely be using it again! I finished it off with the 'holiday cheer' sentiment from the Kim Hughes Heartwarmers stamp set at Cornish Heritage Farms. I know today's Featured Stamper is no stranger to all of you... the sweet Lori Craig! I've had the pleasure of spending lots of time with Lori and I know those of you who know her will agree that she is a joy to be with! Sweet is one word to describe her, but talented is another! I love Lori's card today! Not only the scripture it portrays, but the lovely accents she adds to all of her creations! You can check out all the details on this card and more of Lori's gorgeous creations on her blog: Make a Difference. Thanks for sampling the sketch today, Lori! Now it's your turn to try the sketch! Just create a card using this sketch and link your creation below with Mr. Linky by Friday, September 4th. I'll choose the cutest creation from the submissions to be the Featured Sketch Sampler. Your design and blog will be featured on my blog during the sketch challenge on Friday. If you're uploading to an online gallery use keyword TESC80 (for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 80). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to check out the inspiration from the rest of the Sketch Crew:

Jami Sibley
Donna Baker
Monika Davis
Stephanie Hargis
Vicki Chrisman
Sherrie Siemens
Lynn Mercurio
Jackie Pedro
Lisa Hjulberg
Lori Craig

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Berries & Cherries Thank You Set

Good morning! I've done it again! I've gone almost an entire week without blogging. *sad face* But I've spent my time away wisely... I've been organizing the stamp room and the TE Store (finally!). The STUFF that I've collected came to a critical mass over the weekend and it was time to find a home for all of it. It may not be a permanent home, but at least it's out of sight and out of the walkways! Now instead of feeling overwhelmed in my space, I feel inspired! When I'm in the organizing mood it seems like any break in the process would get me off track so I decided to just keep going and going and going. I'm feeling more settled, but definitely not "finished" yet... really, when are we ever finished organizing!? But I'm excited to show you some of my new organizational solutions and maybe some pictures of my stamp room! It just never seems to be ready enough for guests! So for today I have a set of thank you cards I created using the Berries and Cherries stamp set and Key Ingredients kit. I showed a couple of these to you during the release, but I thought I'd photograph the entire set. It's so much more fun to see all the inspiration together... at least I think so! The images were colored with Copics and then I used some Zva crystal swirls on each card for some bling. The chocolate on the strawberries looks so real with the help of Espresso Dimensional Pearls. The rest of the supplies (cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon) are from the Berries & Cherries Key Ingredients. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll stop back tomorrow for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #79

Good morning and Happy Friday! I'm getting ready to head over to my parent's house for breakfast so I'll have to make this one quick! My sister's boyfriend flew in from L.A. last night and my mom and sister made a family favorite called overnight french toast for breakfast this morning. While it's always nice to see my sister's boyfriend, we all know why I'm going over there... the french toast! *grin* In keeping with the Key Ingredients theme this week I created another card using my August 20th Key Ingredients which were released for individual purchase yesterday! There's also still time to sign up for your 3 or 6 month KI subscription and receive the August kit as your first installment. This card started with inspiration for the vellum layer from this gorgeous card that Laurie Schmidlin made using the Chillax stamp set. I decided to pair the same patterned papers with the bouquet of flowers from the Fresh Flowers stamp set. I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and then I colored it with the August 20th Copic Kit (a set of five markers I picked specifically to coordinate with our August Key Ingredients! And then I used the brand new Labels 9 Spellbinders die to cut out the image (check out our Fresh out of the Oven category for lots of new Spellbinders goodies!). The sentiment on the card is from the Branching Out set. And now I'm excited to introduce you to our Featured Sketch Sampler this week! If you've looked through my previous sketch challenges you've probably seen many of Lori McAree's beautiful creations! I think Lori deserves the "perfect attendance" award when it comes to participating in my sketch challenges! Her simple designs always have the perfect touch! I also had the pleasure of meeting Lori at the CHA Craft Supershow in Orlando and boy is she sweet! Just as sweet as the yummy sundae on her sketch card! You can check out all the details on this card and even more of Lori's beautiful work on her blog: Stamping while Smiling. Thanks for sampling the sketch this week, Lori! Now it's your turn to try the sketch! Just create a card using this sketch and link your creation below with Mr. Linky by Friday, August 28th. I'll choose the cutest creation from the submissions to be the Featured Sketch Sampler. Your design and blog will be featured on my blog during the sketch challenge on Friday. If you're uploading to an online gallery use keyword TESC79 (for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 79). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'm off to eat french toast, but first I'm stopping by to see what these wonderful ladies have created with this week's sketch!

Jami Sibley
Monika Davis
Stephanie Hargis
Vicki Chrisman
Lori Craig



Thursday, August 20, 2009

August 20th Key Ingredients Now Available!

The August 20th Key Ingredients is now available for purchase! This month we're excited to bring you one of our most fabulous kits including 12 sheets of cardstock, 20 sheets of patterned paper from the Linnie Bell collection by Pebbles, Inc, 5 yards of ribbon, a package of Lippy Red rhinestones, and one sheet of Bo Bunny colored rub-ons! Not only is this one of my personal favorite kits, but I'm also excited to offer a new charge option for the budget savvy among us! Now instead of paying for your entire subscription upfront, we'll break it down into monthly installments. So now you can craft on a budget with fabulously coordinated supplies! Sign up for the subscription service to receive the Key Ingredients kits released the 20th of each month for just $15.95 a month plus shipping for the 3 month subscription. Or for the best value, you can purchase the 6 month subscription for just $14.95 a month plus shipping. As a BONUS we'll include 2 Perfect Package Card Boxes ($5.95 value) FREE if you order by August 25th! Of course all of the KI kits are also available for individual purchase ($16.95 each) while they last.

Today half of the Baker's Dozen and I are showing you our KI Subscription Challenge projects! I issued a challenge to these awesome designers to create 10 minute cards using elements from the August KI kit. Not only are we all on a spending budget, we're all on a time budget as well! With already coordinated kits it's easy to add your own images (or use the rub-ons!) to create a bunch of quick and cute cards! I used every last one of the rub-ons from the sheet on these six cards and my coordinating box. But you could make it stretch much further by simplifying the designs even more and using more stamped images. I paired the rub-ons from the kit with images and sentiments from our Branching Out, Branching Out Coordinates, and Fresh Flowers stamp sets. I also cut the swirl pattern and leafy stem from the patterned paper included with the kit. I was so pleased when my little card set was complete that I decided to decorate one of our Perfect Package Card Boxes to give the set as a gift. I had been saving my favorite of all the rub-ons for the front of my card box. In keeping with my simple theme I decided to apply the rub-on directly onto the card box and it worked perfectly! A little ribbon, some rhinestones, and a touch of patterned paper on the sides finished it off! My cards are 4.25" square cards which will leave me some room on the side of my standard A2 box for a roll of stamps, a small pen, or a set of monogrammed envelope seals. I c;an guarantee you don't want to miss the 10 minute card inspiration from the Baker's Dozen today!

Sankari Wegman, Dawn Easton, Laurie Schmidlin, Jen del Muro, Karen Motz, Denise Marzec

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you've enjoyed our Key Ingredients week and I hope to have you back here tomorrow for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Key Ingredients Video

I'm so excited about this month's kit... I just haven't been able to put it down! I've made over 10 cards so far and the supplies just keep going and going and going. I couldn't wait any longer so I decided to show the full contents of the kit a day early! Tomorrow the Baker's Dozen and I will have lots of samples to show you using the ingredients from our latest kit so I hope you'll stop back then! In the meantime, check out the video below that I created to show you exactly what's included when you purchase our Key Ingredients subscription service!






You can now purchase our subscription service to receive our monthly Key Ingredients kits for just $15.95 a month plus shipping for the 3 month subscription. Or for the best value, you can purchase our 6 month subscription for just $14.95 a month plus shipping and as a BONUS we'll include 2 our Perfect Package Card Boxes FREE if you order before August 25th! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Key Ingredients - An Announcement!

It’s almost time to introduce another Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit and today I have a little sneak peek of the KI that will be released on Thursday, August 20th. I also have some wonderful news about our Subscription Program! We’ve had many requests from our customers to split up the cost of the subscription into monthly increments and we are thrilled to announce that all 3 Month and 6 Month Subscriptions purchased today and anytime in the future will be charged to your credit card on a monthly basis rather than in one lump sum upfront. We hope that many of you will find this helpful!

If you’re new to Taylored Expressions or not familiar with our Key Ingredients kits, let me take a moment to tell you about them. Each Key Ingredients kit includes everything you need to make at least 16 cards (including 6x6 patterned papers, 8.5 x 11 cardstock, ribbon, and various embellishments) in a different color palette each month. The kits coordinate well with the TE stamp sets, but you can also use them with the many other stamp sets you own. Simply add the stamps, ink, and adhesive to bake up a batch of coordinating cards. All of the elements of each KI are hand-selected by me to make your crafting easy, fun and stress-free!

Here’s what some of our current Subscribers have to say about the program –

Susan Walsh:
"I like the idea that I receive a new product before it is available to all. I appreciate the fact that I could order other items and they would be shipped with my Key Ingredients kit at NO additional cost. I also like that every item in the monthly package coordinates together. You can make many cards from one month's kit. The only thing I have to provide is an idea for the card! All my materials are right at hand in a great plastic container. Also, if I was going to go out and purchase all the items included in the kit separately I know I would be paying more."

Mary Corlett:
"What I like the most about the KI kit is that everything coordinates and I don't have to make any decisions about coordinating colors! And I love the embellishments! And I love coming home from work to find a PACKAGE at the front door! And I think you should have bi-weekly KI kits instead of monthly and then I wouldn't have to wait so long!"

Pat Dillman:
"I enjoy being a KI subscriber because it's like getting a fun surprise in the mail every month! It arrives like clockwork every month and as soon as I see that Taylored Expressions return address, it's a race from the mailbox into the house to tear that box open to see what fun stuff is in store for me this month. I really like the way every item is carefully selected to coordinate. You get a dozen sheets of great cardstock in colors to coordinate with the patterned paper included in the kit. There's 5 yards of ribbon in lots of beautiful colors and patterns - and always some blingy goodness. One month it might be glitter or liquid pearls along with some cute little brad or other fun embellishment. You never quite know what's going to be in the kit and that's part of the fun of it - but you always know it will be something good! Before the order is shipped you receive a handy dandy email to remind you that you get a 10% discount on items ordered between the 10th and the 14th of the month and it's combined with your Key Ingredients order so you don't pay extra shipping costs. I'm never disappointed by what's included in the kit and appreciate the high quality products...not to mention the great customer service."

Thank you ladies! We are thrilled to hear from our happy customers!

As a subscriber you'll receive a ton of great benefits in addition to your monthly kit shipment! I don't want to keep you by writing a novel on my blog today, so you can read all about the subscriber benefits HERE. But I bet you're most interested to know how the price breaks down on a month by month basis.

ยบ Key Ingredients savings

- 3 Month Subscription price = $15.95 per kit + shipping ($22.95 charged to your credit card on the 14th of each month for 3 months)
- 6 Month Subscription best value price = $14.95 per kit + shipping ($21.95 charged to your credit card on the 14th of each month for 6 months).

Not only do you save $12.00 over the individual kit price by choosing the 6 Month Subscription, but if you purchase a six month subscription on or before August 25th you'll also receive 2 Perfect Package Card Boxes absolutely FREE (a $.5.95 value) to allow you to package sets of cards in a perfectly coordinated gift box!

If you're already a subscriber then the August 20th kit is on its way to you! If you haven’t enrolled in our Key Ingredients Subscription Service, you can do so at any time! If you purchase your subscription on or before August 25th, you'll receive the August 20th Key Ingredients kit as the first KI in your series. If you purchase your subscription after the 25th your first shipment will be for the September 20th KI. Of course you are always welcome to purchase any Key Ingredients kit individually as well.

I will be featuring the August 20th KI kit on my blog the rest of this week so come back tomorrow to see another project created with this new KI along with a video presentation of our kit contents! Then the kit will be available for individual purchase on Thursday morning at 8 am PST and you will be able to see some fabulous inspiration from half of the Baker’s Dozen Design Team. And of course on Friday I’ll have a brand new Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge for you to play!

In the meantime why not head to the Store and get your Subscription order placed now so the August 20th Key Ingredients Kit can be on it’s way to you today?

JustRite Christmas Blog Hop

It's time for another JustRite blog hop and this one has "gone wild" with 33 participants! You'll have lots of JustRite goodies to check out today! You can see my link list below, but first I want to show you the Christmas cards I created with the new Christmas Treasures borders and centers set. The borders and centers in this set fit in the 3 1/4" circle stamper. I really love the three wise men and the city of Bethlehem from this set. I thought it would be fun to emboss them and try something a little different (at least different for me!). I'm not usually a "sponger", but these images were begging for it! I did this little tutorial to show you how I created the images for my cards:

1. I started by stamping the images onto Eclipse masking tape and cutting apart each layer that I wanted to be a different color. Then I stamped the images again onto Choice Buttercream cardstock with Versamark ink and embossed them with copper embossing powder.



2. After embossing the images, I covered the top portion (the sky) of the image with the coordinating mask we created in #1 and sponged Desert Sand ink onto the bottom portion (the sand) of the image. I repeated this step with all of my embossed images. Then I covered the opposite portion of the image with the coordinating mask and sponged the sky with Sage Shadow ink.


3. After sponging all portions of the image, I cut them out scissors. This way I didn't have to worry about sponging outside the lines. Tip: Sponge the color darker toward the bottom and then pull the color up toward the top to create the shaded effect.













Once the images were finished, the cards came together really quickly! I used some leftover Cosmo Cricket patterned paper from last season's Be Good collection along with Prism cardstock in Blush Red Dark, Island Mist Medium, and Birchtone Dark. I stamped the elegant border from the same Christmas Treasures set directly onto the blue layer with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and popped up the image inside. A little chocolate satin ribbon provided the perfect finishing touch! And there you have it... quick and easy Christmas cards! I can guarantee you don't want to miss any of the other fabulous JustRite Christmas creations so head on over to the fabulous blogs listed below! All of the stamps you see in today's blog hop can be purchased at the JustRite store. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a wonderful day!

JustRite Blog, Becca Feeken, Sankari Wegman, Sharon Johnson, Kazan Clark, Sharon Harnist, Laura Davis, Debbie Olson, Michelle Woerner, Taylor Van Bruggen, Jenn Balcer, Michelle Wooderson, Lori Craig, Lauren Meader, Beate Johns, Barb Schram, Kimberly Crawford, Michele Kovack, Jami Bova, Kellie Fortin, Jennifer Buck, Heidi Blankenship, Angela Barkhouse, Lisa Somerville, Gerrie Johnnic, Kathy Jones, Debbie Seyer, Kim Sonksen, Terre Fry, Sheryl Dickinson, Bonnie Sharp, Mary Pfaff, Holly Simoni, Angela Robledo

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Iowa State Fair

Hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday! I remembered to take my camera to the Iowa State Fair on Friday so I thought I'd share a few of the pictures I took. We had heard the fair was filled with delectable cuisine as you can see in this photo. Actually I'm not quite sure about this...deep fried Oreos, candy bars, cookies, and Twinkes? That sounds like a heart attack on a stick to me! The streets were lined with vendors just like this one selling everything from pulled pork sandwiches, lemonade & smoothies, to sweet corn slathered in butter. Jon and I shared a pulled pork sandwich and it was gooooood! I was slightly uneasy though as the "Super Boar" weighing almost 1100 lbs. was sitting in the barn next to where we were eating. To me there was just something wrong about that! I know where meat comes from, but I prefer not to be reminded as I'm eating it! Speaking of the "Super Boar", we also got a picture of the "Super Bull" weighing in at 3400 lbs. Can you believe it!? Pictures just don't do a bull of this size justice. Again I felt slightly uneasy as I'm sure a 3400 lb. bull could find his way out of those little red rails surrounding him if he really wanted to. So I made Jon go up and snap this picture while I stood near the door! Gosh, I'm such a city girl! I think my favorite sight at the fair was the little chickens hatching. I learned that it only takes about 3 weeks for chick to hatch. They had incubators filled with eggs in one of the barns and little chicks were popping their beaks out as we watched! One of the last things we saw were the butter sculptures. Each year they carve a figure completely from butter! I heard last year was Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnast) and this year was supposed to be Michael Jackson, but that he turned out to be a little too controversial for the Iowa State Fair so it ended up being an astronaut. Bummer! I would have liked to see Michael made from butter! Well, those are my thoughts from the Iowa State Fair 2009. Until next year...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #78

Happy Friday! Today Jon and I are heading to the Iowa State Fair with both of our families! I grew up in Iowa for the first 21 years of my life and I have never been to the fair. This will be my first time and I'm really looking forward to it! I hear there's some pretty awesome sweet corn and lots of other fun activities. It's been ages since I've been on a Ferris wheel so I'm definitely doing that! Anyway, on to the real reason why you're here... the sketch challenge! For today's sketch card I pulled out my Penny Black Party Animals stamp. I love Penny Black character stamps! I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored it with Copic markers. I decided to stamp the turtle again and make him a part of my angled panel. The patterned paper on this card is Cosmo Cricket from the Girl Friday collection. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday set. I added a little Liquid Pearls and Stickles to the image and some grosgrain ribbon from my stash to finish it off. And now I'm excited to introduce you to our Featured Sketch Sampler this week! Julie Lacey caught my eye with this beautiful butterfly creation and she has another beautiful butterfly creation to share with us today! I love the color combinations she chooses and the little row of brads underneath the sentiment is the perfect touch! You can check out the details on this card and all of Julie's gorgeous creations on her blog: Stamps and Taxes. Thanks for sampling the sketch, Julie! Now it's your turn to try the sketch! Just create a card using this sketch and link your creation below with Mr. Linky by Friday, August 21st. I'll choose the cutest creation from the submissions to be the Featured Sketch Sampler. Your design and blog will be featured on my blog during the sketch challenge on Friday. If you're uploading to an online gallery use keyword TESC78 (for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 78). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures from the fair... let's just hope I can remember to put the camera in my purse between now and when we leave! :) Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to check out the sketch challenge inspiration from the rest of the crew this week! Donna Baker, Jackie Pedro, Jami Sibley, Lynn Mercurio, Sherrie Siemens, Vicki Chrisman, Stephanie Hargis


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Divine Design - August 2009

I think this is the longest unplanned sabbatical I've ever taken from blogging! Let me tell you what I've been up to! On Sunday evening I started having some back pain. This has been happening more and more frequently lately so I'm wondering if I have a pinched nerve or something. By Monday morning I could hardly move enough to get out of bed! I spent the day in front of the TV with my laptop. Thank goodness for a laptop as I was still able to do some work! I was still in pain on Tuesday, but I had to take Jon to the airport for a 3-day business trip. Before the back pain kicked in I was actually looking forward to his trip. I thought I'd be able to live in my stamp studio for 3 days straight! Nobody wondering about dinner or bedtime or anything! But then I was having such back problems that I didn't want to be alone...who was going to bring me water and Tylenol every 4 hours!?

Anyhow, I survived Tuesday and woke up feeling significantly better on Wednesday morning. Good thing too because my Aunt and two cousins were knocking on my door at 8am. They drove all the way from Dallas to spend some time with us. Yesterday was a full day and we capped off the evening with a dance party and some fort building! It's been ages since I built a fort so I left it up to the kiddos. I must say they built a pretty awesome fort made from blankets, pillows, chairs, and even an air mattress! Today, my grandpa drove down from Minnesota to visit so I had breakfast over at my parent's house, then a couple meetings, and now I'm FINALLY posting on my blog! This post was supposed to go up on Monday, but if you read through the above I hope you understand why I'm late!

I had to take a break from the monthly Divine Design challenge for a couple months while we moved and got settled into our new place, but I've been looking forward to getting back into it! I'm a little out of practice having not crafted in almost a week so I decided to keep it simple with a little 4.25" square card. I used a Bible verse from the Faith & Hope stamp set that says:

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you, He will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

This is a verse that I need to keep right in front of my face all the time! I need this constant reminder that the Lord wants me to cast my cares on Him. I tend to cast my cares back on myself, somehow thinking I'm more well-equipped to solve my own problems? Riiiiiight... OK... I think God is really trying to push this point with me. I just realized that this is the same verse I used for my April Divine Design project.

We'll be posting our Bible verse creations on the 9th of each month (although we were a little late this month), and we hope that you'll join us in sharing a verse that has meaning for you. There are very few rules to this challenge, but you can read all of them on this thread at Splitcoaststampers.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Divine Design inspiration from my fellow Scripture Chicks: Angel, Jami, Lori. These women are so amazing and I feel privileged to do this challenge with them each month! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to see you here tomorrow for the sketch challenge!

Friday, August 07, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #77

I woke up in the mood to get dirty this morning! OK... I realize that sounds bad if you're not in the right context, but this is a crafty blog so get there with me! *grin* Usually I'm not one for misting, spritzing, embossing, sponging, etc. because those things are messy! But I decided to pull out all the stops for this little scrapbook layout. Yes, I said scrapbook layout! Most days scrapbooking is foreign word to me, but I decided to give it a shot again. I started with a piece of cupcake chipboard. I traced the frosting onto Razzleberry Light cardstock and cut it out. Then I covered it with Versamark Dazzle ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then in a total Sankari moment I decided to decorate my cupcake with Pastel Raspberry Liquid Pearls. The Baker's Dozen girls are always inspiring me with their creations and in another moment of inspiration I remembered the cloud template that sweet Jodi gave me for my birthday. She creates the most fabulous clouds so I asked her how she does it and then a few weeks later I found a cloud template in my mailbox! At first I was intimidated by the template thinking that it had to be super hard. Guess what? It was so super EASY! Gotta love that! The cardstock and patterned paper I used is from the Cupcakes Key Ingredients and I also used a few stickers from the Doodlebug Sweet Treats Icons sheet. Now I have an even more fabulous creation to show you from our Featured Sketch Sampler! Janet Marks and I have emailed with each other several times over the past few years. Not only is she such a sweet lady, but she's also such a talented stamper! I'm always in awe of her creativity! She said this idea popped into her head right away when she saw the sketch. Now why can't I have ideas like this!? Isn't it fabulous!? Everything from the coloring to her patterned paper choice is just perfect! She used our Beach Bum cuppie and the Early Bird paper collection on this card. You'll definitely want to check out the rest of the details on this card and even more of Janet's beautiful creations on her blog: L-inked with Friends! Thanks so much for sampling the sketch, Janet! Now it's your turn to try the sketch! Just create a card using this sketch and link your creation below with Mr. Linky by Friday, August 14th. I'll choose the cutest creation from the submissions to be the Featured Sketch Sampler. Your design and blog will be featured on my blog during the sketch challenge on Friday. If you're uploading to an online gallery use keyword TESC77 (for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 77). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to head over and check out what the crew designed: Donna Baker, Jackie Pedro, Jami Sibley, Lynn Mercurio, Sherrie Siemens, Vicki Chrisman,


Thursday, August 06, 2009

Whipstirs Strawberry Margarita Mix

Well I hopped right out of bed this morning ready to pack orders! Thank you all for your orders yesterday! I can tell you like these two new sets as much as I do!! And if you haven't placed an order yet we still have a few of our fabulous bundles left (see yesterday's post for details) as well as Chillax and Berries & Cherries stamp sets! While I was out on one of my recent shopping trips (at TJMaxx) I picked up this bag filled with strawberry margarita mix. It did have a cute sticker on the front of the bag, but I knew the Chillax stamp set would make an even cuter label. The blender & margarita are from Chillax and then I added the strawberries from the Berries & Cherries set. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them with Copic markers (R14 Light Rouge, YG13 Chartreuse, Y17 Golden Yellow). I highlighted the images with Stickles (from the Kick Back Beverage Bundle). Then I adhered the label to the front of the bag with foam tape. A little lime swirl organdy ribbon, a margarita charm, and the mini whip finished it all off! The nutrition information and directions are on a label on the back of the package. I also took a little closeup picture to you can see the sparkle of the Stickles. I think this would be so fun to give as a hostess gift or bring to a neighborhood block party. And it coordinates perfectly with the card set that I made yesterday! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day and I hope to see you here tomorrow for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Taylored Expressions Release Day!

Woooohooo! The day you've been patiently waiting for has finally arrived... it's RELEASE DAY! I've got a ton of information to share with you so grab your favorite morning beverage (mine happens to be Mountain Dew *grin*) and settle in! Today we are releasing two new stamp sets, one Key Ingredients kit, two Bundle deals, and hundreds of other products "fresh out of the oven"! Hundreds!? Yep... I said hundreds! Taylored Expressions is now a proud retailer of Copic markers with over 125 colors to choose from along with a full line of Spica Glitter Pens. You can see all the new Copics here and check out the rest of our new products in the Fresh Out of the Oven category!

Berries & Cherries is one of our new additions to the Whimsical Wishes collection of stamps. Our illustrator, Nancy McKinney, hit it out of the park with this one! All of the images in this set are so 'berry' cute (yes... I know that was lame. lol)! In addition to these adorable stamps, we're also offering the Berries & Cherries Bundle. I have hand-selected all of the items in this bundle to coordinate with the images in the stamp set. You get an opportunity to try a little bit of everything at a terrific discount! You can see all the products included in the Bundle in the picture above. For the list-makers among us, you can see a list of all the products included in the graphic below. And for those of you wondering what you can create with the items included in the bundle you can check out my cards below. I used cardstock, patterned paper, and ribbon from the Berries & Cherries Key Ingredients. In addition, I used the 1 3/4" circle punch (which is the size that fits the circle in the Berries & Cherries stamp set), Espresso Dimensional Pearls (to create the yummy dripping chocolate look on the strawberries). You also don't want to miss the fantastic strawberry and cherry pewter charms included in the bundle. You can see them in the photo above... they are so cute!




















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Chillax, another stamp set in our Whimsical Wishes collection, is the second in our August Release! This set is so cute I can hardly stand it! I'm speaking from experience when I tell you that you'll be craving an iced beverage when you get done using this set! After I finished my set of Chillax cards I ran to the kitchen and blended a smoothie! In addition to the stamp set, we're also offering the Kick Back Beverage Bundle! Once again, I hand-selected these products to coordinate perfectly with the images in the stamp set. There's a little bit of everything from brads to bling. Above you can see a picture of all the items included in the bundle and for the list-makers you'll find the graphic below with a list of all the items included in the bundle. For those of you who want to see what you can create using the items in the bundle you can check out my set of cards below. I used the Stickles from the bundle to highlight around the Chillax definition and on each of my drink images. The yellow swirl ribbon and the cutie charms are from the bundle too! You might also want to pick up the matching cardstock (Blush Red Medium, Sunflowers Medium, and Intense Kiwi) as well as the matching Copic markers (Y17 Golden Yellow, R14 Light Rouge, YG13 Chartreuse).




















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A Note From Cuppie: "To my Friends & Fans... Whew! Guess what? I took my first trip to the ocean back in June! The surfing was totally rad... cowabunga, dude!... but then I almost got eaten by sharks. Yikes! After narrowly escaping with my life I decided I needed to take a break before embarking on another adventure. But never fear... I'll be back to my adventures next month!

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Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our new releases! I hope you'll head over to the store to find just what you're looking for! And don't forget to check out what the rest of the Baker's Dozen have created for release day:

Ana Wohlfahrt, Charmaine Ikach, Dawn Easton, Denise Marzec, Donna Baker, Jen del Muro, Jodi Collins, Karen Giron, Karen Motz, Laura Fredrickson, Laurie Schmidlin, Sankari Wegman, Jami Sibley

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of sneak peeks at Taylored Expressions! Today the Baker's Dozen and I are featuring sneak peeks using Chillax, another new release in our Whimsical Wishes collection available for purchase starting tomorrow, August 5th at 8am PST! Chillax is defined as "to chill and relax simultaneously... to loosen or reduce the level of stress by employing a more relaxed and groovy outlook." Sounds pretty good to me! The images and sentiments in this set are sure to help you chillax while you're creating...and your favorite iced beverage couldn't hurt either! I decided to use the lemons and lemonade sentiment for my project. I started with the little treat bag. This brand new treat bag die cut will be offered as part of our Kick Back Beverage Bundle and also available for purchase separately in a limited collection of colors. Just add your favorite candies, drink mix, small toys, etc. to a cellophane bag and hang it inside the window of the box for a perfect see-through gift! I filled my treat bag with Crystal Light lemonade drink mix and stapled it inside the box. Then I traced the front of the bag onto patterned paper, cut out the window, and adhered it over the top. I used Black Crystal Strips to outline the window and make the lemonade pouch stand out a bit more. The sentiment and image are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers. It needed a little extra embellishment so I cut out one of the lemon slices from the patterned paper and used my JustRite Times New Roman font and Rectangular Stamper to stamp out 'Just Add Water'. Then I added Glossy Accents over the top. It felt like I waited forever for that stuff to dry, and I still goobered it up when I went to glue it onto the project! Oh well, it's handmade! The imperfections give it character... that's my story and I'm sticking to it! *grin* The card is super simple! I started by stamping the lemons along the bottom to create a border. The I punched the border with my SU scalloped border punch and added the sentiment over the top. The super wide striped grosgrain ribbon added the perfect finishing touch! That's all I've got to share with you today. I hope you'll stop back here tomorrow for all the release details and more Baker's Dozen inspirations!

And don't forget to check out the sweetness the Baker's have for you today: Ana Wohlfahrt, Charmaine Ikach, Dawn Easton, Denise Marzec, Donna Baker, Jen del Muro, Jodi Collins, Karen Giron, Karen Motz, Laura Fredrickson, Laurie Schmidlin, Sankari Wegman

Monday, August 03, 2009

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks Day 1

Woooohooooo.... can you hear me shouting!? I'm so excited to show you what I made with the latest Taylored Expressions stamps! I'll make it official... Welcome to Day 1 of sneak peeks at Taylored Expressions! I really missed having a release in July, but with all the craziness of our move we had to skip it. Now that we're all settled into our new home, we're back to our regular monthly releases on the 5th of every month. Today the Baker's Dozen and I are showing sneak peek projects made with the new Berries & Cherries stamp set, part of our Whimsical Wishes collection. This stamp set will be available for purchase in the TE Store on Wednesday, August 5th. I knew I wanted to use one of our new Perfect Package Card Boxes for my project. The intended use for the Perfect Package Card Box is to hold a set of A2 cards and envelopes as a quick and cute gift-giving option. But I wanted to see what I could do with it outside of its intended use. I immediately thought of a cute little box of chocolates... but better yet, a box of chocolate covered cherries would coordinate perfectly with the images in the stamp set! So I ran to the grocery store at 10pm to find a box of chocolate covered cherries to fulfill my vision. I think the checkout cashier thought I was crazy. Who goes to the grocery store at 10pm and buys only a box of chocolate covered cherries!? That would be me! *grin* When I got the box home I was pleased to find that all I needed to do was cut apart the box that the cherries came in and include some packaging inside. No need for the custom dividers I had been planning, although they would be fun to try anyway! I decorated the outside of the box with patterned paper from the Berries and Cherries Key Ingredients (also available for purchase on Wednesday, August 5th). I had so much fun choosing an assortment of buttons to create a frame on the top of the box. Then I stamped the chocolate covered cherry images onto Choice Snow White cardstock and colored them with Copic markers. My very favorite sentiment in the set is "Why eat fruit when you can eat fruit covered in chocolate?" and it's so appropriate for my chocolate covered cherry gift box! I added Espresso Dimensional Pearls to the chocolates, popped up the image, and added a big brown grosgrain bow at the top. I couldn't resist sharing the peek of the chocolates inside the box. Don't they look enticing? I must admit that I did eat one of the chocolate covered cherries while I was making my project... it was a good thing I bought an extra box! And then last is the picture of the open box. I cut apart the gold cherry holders from the original box in order to fit my package and then cut small inserts to fit around them so they wouldn't slide around. This project was really easy... gluing on all those buttons took the longest!

The rest of the Baker's Dozen has some sweet sneak peeks to share with you today so head on over to their blogs and take a look: Ana Wohlfahrt, Charmaine Ikach, Dawn Easton, Denise Marzec, Donna Baker, Jen del Muro, Jodi Collins, Karen Giron, Karen Motz, Laura Fredrickson, Laurie Schmidlin, Sankari Wegman

Thanks for stopping by for our first day of sneak peeks! Hope you'll join us tomorrow for more sneak peeks!