Taylored Expressions

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Taylored Expressions May Studio Challenge

Hey there! Today the Baker's Dozen and I are joining together for our May Studio Challenge and it's a fun one! Each month we have a fun, crafty question so we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.

The question for May is:

What is your favorite time of the year? Some of us love the sunshine and heat of summer, while some of us long for the crisp cool air of fall. Do spring flowers make your heart sing or is it snow and the smell of pine needles that makes you jolly?

Tell us about your favorite month or season and also tell us about your favorite time of year to stamp.

In addition to telling you about our favorite time of the year we've all made calendar projects to show you our favorites. If you've been hanging around the TE blog for long then it probably comes as no surprise that Halloween is my favorite holiday to stamp for! So I started with an October calendar:

Our 2014 calendars are now available! I used the 2014 Mini-Tear Off calendar and cut my base to fit inside the Desktop Calendar Case. I'm so excited to get a head start on my calendar Christmas gifts. This will be my third year giving calendars and the recipients love them. It gives them something to enjoy for the whole year!

The From My Window scenes and Arched Window die fit perfectly along the left side so my first task was transforming one of the images into something Halloween-ey. I stamped the sky in Sweet Plum ink and colored the stars with Copics glitter pens. With the help of the window cat cut from black cardstock, pumpkins and bats from the Hangin' Out Wicked Wardrobe stamp set, and the spooky fence die along the bottom, the scene was transformed into spooky!

Fall is my favorite season with the changing of the leaves, and the smell of cool, crisp air. I love burning apple scented candles, visiting the pumpkin patch, and watching the leaves turn color. I really dislike what comes after fall (I can't even say it!), but nevertheless, I love fall itself and wish it would last longer! So here's my September calendar page to show off my favorite season:

Again I used the From My Window stamp set and Arched Window die and this time paired it with some pretty plaid paper in fall colors and the picket fence border die. I colored the image with Copics and added brads to the corners of the calendar for this page.

I hope you feel inspired to get started on some calendar projects! We've got you covered with lots of different calendars to choose from. You can find them all in the Calendar Department at the TE Store! Don't forget to check out the creative projects from the rest of the Baker's Dozen:

Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Kerri Michaud
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess

Monday, May 20, 2013

We have winners!

Thanks so much to all of you who joined us for our partnership with Bazzill Basics last week! I hope you got some great ideas for Father's Day because it's going to be here before we know it!

Our prize winners have been chosen. Here are the lucky winners of the Mac Collection kit from Bazzill:

Lisa Bankes-Lahiff

Melissa Ml Stark Hinkle

Lori Ann Pickett-Whaley

Amanda White

And the Grand Prize winner of a Bazzill Mac Collection kit, Boys will be Boys stamp set, and Tall & Skinny Alphabet dies from TE is...............................

Angelica Chambers!

Click here to email me and claim your prize. Thanks again to all who participated!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

May Stamp of the Month & Key Ingredients Kit

Hey there! We're still recovering from our May stamp and die release last week, but today the Baker's Dozen & Key Ingredients team are joining forces to share lots of inspiration using our new Key Ingredients kit and coordinating Stamp of the Month!

Not familiar with our Stamp of the Month and Key Ingredients kit clubs? Well, here's a quick run-down of the coordinating options we offer to take the guess work out of your creative experience! Below you can also see all of the yummy goodies that are included in the May Deluxe Key Ingredients. (Of course if you only wish to receive the kit supplies OR the stamp of the month, those are options too!):

The Key Ingredients Kit Club

Includes a 6x6 paper pad, 12 sheets of coordinating 8.5" x 11" cardstock, and 5 yards of ribbon all packaged together in a clear storage case. The Key Ingredients is exclusive to subscribers and can be purchased for a monthly charge of $24 (U.S.), $28 (Canada), $35 (other countries), which includes shipping.

Stamp of the Month Club

A new stamp set shipped directly to you each month. The stamps are made from pre-trimmed, deeply etched, red rubber and come on a sturdy 4" x 6" storage panel. The Stamp of the Month is exclusive to subscribers and can be purchased for a monthly charge of $20 (U.S.), $22 (Canada), $24 (other countries), which includes shipping.

Deluxe Key Ingredients

Perhaps you've noticed that our Stamp of the Month and Key Ingredients coordinating perfectly making the two a match made in heaven! As a Deluxe subscriber you'll receive both the Stamp of the Month and the Key Ingredients kit for a reduced price! This option can be purchased for a monthly charge of $39 (U.S.), $45 (Canada), $53 (other countries), which includes shipping. In addition our Deluxe subscribers will also receive an exclusive coupon code for a 10% discount in the TE Store all month long!

You can join in the fun anytime! When you subscribe before the end of May you'll receive these lovely goodies on your doorstep.

And now for the inspiration! We've all been hard at work putting our own spin on the Cutie Pie stamp set using the supplies from the Key Ingredients kit (including the adorable Sweet Girl patterned paper from Echo Park!). Here's what I came up with:

For the card on the left I stamped the dresses, colored them with Copics, and then masked them in order to airbrush the cloudy background. I cut the banner out from the coordinating Branches, Banner, & Bloom set and stamped it with the sentiment. Then to finish it off I just added the little heart candy dot buttons.

For the card on the right I stamped the background flowers and leaves with Love Letter, Lime Pastel, and Yellow Ochre inks. I added rhinestones to the flower centers and stamped the sentiments over the top in Memento Tuxedo Black.

Here's a look at the set of coordinating dies: Branches, Banner, & Bloom:

Check out the rest of the super cute inspiration from the Baker's Dozen and Key Ingredients teams:

Monday, May 13, 2013

Taylored Expressions & Bazzill Partnership

This week, Taylored Expressions is teaming up with Bazzill Basics Paper to celebrate Dad! Every day this week, we'll be sharing Father's Day Card inspiration on the Taylored Expressions Facebook Page, and our friends at Bazzill will be showcasing projects on their blog. Plus, 5 lucky winners will win a fantastic prize!

Designers had the chance to create with Bazzill's Mac Collection and Card Shoppe Cardstock alongside stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions. We'll be featuring all of the creations throughout the week on the Taylored Expressions Facebook Page and on the Bazzill Basics Blog! Visit both each day for some fabulous Father's Day Card ideas that we hope will inspire you to create something cool for Dad.

Here's a little sneak peek at what you'll be seeing this week:

samples by Heidi Lynn Schreiber, Susan Mast, and Margie Romney-Aslett (Bazzill Basics Paper)

sample by Carole Burrage (Taylored Expressions)

sample by Sankari Wegman (Taylored Expressions)

sample by Tammie Edgerton (Taylored Expressions)

Father's Day Card Inspiration Giveaway!

Every day this week, Bazzill will be giving away a Mac Collection! Plus, one lucky Grand Prize winner will also receive a Boys Will Be Boys full-size stamp set and a Tall & Skinny Alpha Die set from Taylored Expressions!

TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment on this post about your favorite element in the Mac collection.
2. Then, head over to Bazzill’s Facebook page, and leave a note that says, “I love Taylored Expressions and Bazzill.”
3. Contest ends Friday, May 17 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
4. The winner is drawn randomly from all comments left on this post. If you also have a comment on the Bazzill Facebook page, you win!
5. Winner announced Monday, May 20, on the TE and Bazzill blogs.

Thanks so much for popping by today! Make sure you stop by the TE Facebook page for even more goodies throughout the week. Thanks to Bazzill for such a fun partnership!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Taylored Expressions May Spotlights: Dad Frame

Hey there! It's time for our May Spotlights where each of our talented design team members has chosen to showcase one of her favorite products for yet another piece of inspiration using the new goodies! The release kicked off yesterday and if you missed it you can find all of the new releases in our Fresh Out of the Oven department. Now on to my project!

My dad is one of my favorite people to make gifts for because he always gushes over what I make for him. Someday I've got to take a picture of some of the trinket boxes I made for my dad when I was a little girl. He's saved them all these years (another reason I love making things for my dad!). Here's frame I made for him using the new Graphic Greetings Dad stamp:

I embossed the stamp with white embossing powder onto black cardstock and used a sponge dauber with white pigment ink to create the smeared look of a chalkboard. Then I added patterned paper from the Crate Paper DIY Shop collection around the sentiment and a bit of stitching around the patterned paper layers.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! The rest of the Baker's Dozen is back to 'wow' you with more fabulous creations! Check 'em out!

Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Kerri Michaud
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Taylored Expressions May Release Day: One Die - Two Ways

Good morning & Happy Release Day! The Baker's Dozen and I have had so much fun sharing our sneak peeks over the past couple days and now you can find all of the new products in the Fresh Out of the Oven department! We've got you covered for everything from masculine to matrimony and more!

If you joined in the fun during our preview party on Facebook last night, I'm happy to announce the winners of our drawings for gift certificates to the TE Store! Please email me to claim your prize!

$20 gift certificate: Jennifer Scanlan
$20 gift certificate: lanagram (OFallon, Missouri)
$40 gift certificate: Miriam Prantner

Before you head out to shop and hop around to see the inspiring projects from the Baker's Dozen, check out this video I recorded to show you all the new products!

For today's inspiration we've challenged the Baker's Dozen gals to take one of our new dies and share two very different cards using the same die. The cards could have different color combinations, different layouts, or be for different occasions. The purpose of today's hop it to show off the versatility of the dies this month.

For my projects I used the Mr & Mrs Cutting Plate. I absolutely LOVE this cutting plate for its intended purpose in making quick and absolutely gorgeous wedding cards. So that's what I did for my first card:

Lilac reminds me of weddings because it was one of my wedding colors. So I started by taking Lilac glitter from Elizabeth Craft Designs and burnishing it onto a piece of paper covered with sticky tape. The effect is really stunning and the type of glitter I used doesn't come off on your finger no matter how hard you rub over it. I'm not a fan of messy glitters and this is the anti-mess of glitter while still providing a beautiful, sparkly result. Then I just layered the cutting plate over the top of the glittered piece and adhered it to a card base with foam tape.

For my second project I decided to cut out the Mr & Mrs portion of the die and I went on a hunt through my stamps to see what sentiments would fit in the open space. I came up with this cutie from Happy Heart:

I cut the Mr & Mrs plate out of patterned paper from the Park Bench collection and adhered it to black cardstock to really make it pop. Then I embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and added a few rhinestones to the flower centers.

Thanks for stopping by for release day inspiration! I hope you see something that inspires you to get creative! Make sure you check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen "one die, two ways" projects!

Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Lynnette Kauffman
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

May Release Preview Party - Comment to Win! UPDATED

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED! PLEASE VISIT MY MAY RELEASE POST TO SEE WHO WON!

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Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! Wasn't the Preview Party a ton of fun? Huge thanks to Regina for running it!

Now if you're confused by what I just wrote, head on over to the TE Facebook page and check out the Preview Party posts from Wednesday evening that reveal the new May Release items. That should help clear up the confusion.

As Regina noted during the party, we are giving away 3 gift certificates to the TE store - two $20 certificates and one $40 certificate! To enter to win one of the certificates, please leave a comment on this blog post letting me know what your favorite new release item is and what you hope to make with it. Comments will close at 7am PST on Thursday, May 9 and the winner will be announced in my May 9 Release Day post at 8am PST.

That's it for me tonight! I look forward to reading your comments!

Taylored Expressions May Sneak Peek: Blooming in Love

Hello crafty friends! Welcome to the second and final day of sneak peeks for our May Release! In case you missed any of the amazing projects from Day 1, you can start the tour by clicking here. Today I'm excited to feature our new full size stamp set, Happily Ever After. With wedding season fast approaching I needed a stamp set that combined the elegance of a wedding with traditional TE cuteness. This set does just that!

I began by using watercolor paper for my card front, stamping the flowers in Versamark, and embossing with white embossing powder. I watercolored inside each of the blooms with Tim Holtz distress markers. Then I masked all of the flowers and airbrushed around them with Copic BG10. It took a bit of time to achieve the end result, but I really love the softness that the watercoloring and airbrushing gives! Here's a closeup:

To top off the card I inked up the Mr. & Mrs. stamps (also included in the Happily Ever After set) and added pearls and brads to the center of some of the blooms to make them pop even more.

This set, along with all of the new stamps and dies, will be available in the TE store starting tomorrow at 8am PST. In the meantime, the gals on the Baker's Dozen Design Team have whipped up another amazing batch of sneak peeks using the new items. Just click on any link below to see what they came up with! And don't forget, we have a ton of fun and prizes planned for tonight's Preview Party (6pm PST) over on our Facebook page. I'd love for you to join us!

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with all the details on our May Release.

Happy stamping!

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Taylored Expressions May Sneak Peek: A Buck for Father's Day

Hey there! Guess what starts today? The sneak peeks for our May Release... WOOT WOOT! Mother's Day is this weekend so hopefully your creations for moms, grandmas, aunts, and sisters are finished. Because today the Baker's Dozen and I are focusing on fathers with spectacular new dies and sentiments just for him! All of the new products you see today will be available at the TE Store on Thursday at 8am PST.

So let's get started! Here's the card that I created for today's sneak peeks using the amazing new Birch Tree Cutting Plate, Birch Tree Accessories, and Band It:

I started with a piece of Choice Buttercream cardstock and used my Copics to airbrush the orange/yellow background. Then I popped the Birch Tree background (cut from Kraft cardstock) over the top with foam tape.

The Band It die is a super cool 3 piece die set that includes a band that can wrap around a vertical or horizontal card front and two additional dies that can layer inside the frame of the band. I chose to use the 'Happy Father's Day' sentiment from the new Greetings for Him set to finish off this card. Oh wait, I almost forgot about the super cool buck! It's part of the Birch Tree Accessories die set that also includes an owl, cardinal, birdhouse, and sign that you can place among the trees. So other than the stamped sentiment, my card is made completely with dies!

The rest of the Baker's Dozen gals have totally outdone themselves with their sneak peek projects so you'll definitely want to hop along to check 'em out! And make sure you mark your calendars to stop back tomorrow for more peeks of the May Release!

Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin - Guest Designer
Kerri Michaud
Lynnette Kauffman
Nancy McKinney
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess

Monday, May 06, 2013

Introducing our May/June Guest Designer!

Good morning & Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I've been crafting up a storm over the last few days getting ready for sneak peeks for the May release! The Baker's Dozen and I will all have our new creations up starting tomorrow and the release will be on Thursday, May 9th!

Before we get started with the sneak peeks I have a special introduction to make. It's time to reveal our May/June Guest Designer and I'm thrilled to welcome Joan Ervin to the team!

Joan has been a long-time supporter of Taylored Expressions and I simply cannot wait to see what she creates for us to *oogle* over the next couple months. Joan does a little bit of everything from shabby chic to clean & simple to lots of layers and she does it all so well!

Join me in welcoming Joan to the team! When you pop over to her blog Stamping with a Passion you'll find a brand new TE creation that she whipped up just for the occasion!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Taylored Expressions April Studio Challenge

Hey there! I'm so glad you're stopping by today because the Baker's Dozen and I are joining together for another fun Studio Challenge! Each month we're given a crafty question so that we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice, and more.

The theme for April is:
Mix & Match! TE stamp sets are designed with plenty of images and sentiments so they are "self-contained" for lots of creativity, but sometimes it's fun to mix and match several different sets for even more possibilities. The challenge is to create a project combining three or more TE stamp sets.

As I searched through my stamp sets I found myself inspired to create a holiday card. Perhaps it's the unusually cold spring weather that put me in the holiday spirit, but I figured it's never too early to begin on Christmas cards! I chose these three stamp sets:

I started by inking only the branch from Bless Your Nest. Then I stamped the bird house from Wings of Joy hanging from the branch. Finally I added the 'ornaments' to the tree in various holiday colors using the two solid dots from Very Merry. The sentiment is also from the Very Merry set. Here's my finished project:

I loved this challenge because it really encouraged me to think outside the box instead of just working with the images and sentiments that come within a set. If you decide to tackle this challenge yourself (and I really think you should!!) my little tidbit of advice would be to consider a scene you want to create. There are tons of animals that could be masked into a scene, trees added in, a little sun from another set, and voila! you've got yourself a combo card!

I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the team combined to make a masterpiece! Check 'em out along the hop:

Broni Holcombe

Carole Burrage