Hi Friends and Happy Friday! Unfortunately all good things must come to an end…and today is the last day of the May Taylored Expressions Release. It's been so much fun sharing products and projects with you all week. Did you order something?  Thank you for your support and kind comments. I love this gig! Best wishes to you for a happy weekend!

Today is Designer Spotlight Day and we are able to choose whatever product we want to feature today. I just knew I wanted to share this gorgeous new cutting plate with you! One of my co-workers is getting married in a couple of months and this will be my card for him and his new bride! The details on this are absolutely exquisite. This die is so neat – you can add as much as you want to it, or leave it simple and elegant. I chose to use crisp white and a pretty light teal. I love how this one came out!

 

 

 

Here's a good close up shot of all the detail in the die. I started adding pearls and then I just couldn't stop myself! Too much? I don't think that's possible!

 

 

I wanted to add an accent color and give a pop of a different color. Since they are a young couple, I used some modern colors. I did the hearts and some of the flowers in a nice bright orchid shade.

 

 

There are a couple of ways to adhere this die to your layering piece. I sometimes use a glue pen and sometimes I will use the liquid Tombow glue. It takes a little patience, but well worth the effort!

 

SUPPLIES:  Mr & Mrs Cutting Plate (new), Pearls, Bazzill Papers.

One last link list for this awesome Release Week, Your Baker's Dozen Design Team:

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess 

Welcome to Taylored Expressions May RELEASE DAY! Yeah! You can now buy all the amazing new products in the "Fresh out of the Oven Department" at the TE Store! What do you have your eye on this month?? Or do you want all of it!? LOL. Have fun shopping and blog hopping today! Dont' forget to check back tomorrow for one more day – Designer Spotlight Day!

Today each of us on the Design Team was challenged to use the same product in two different ways. Fun! I am featuring the "Shades of Thanks" dies in two different projects for today. One is a Spring card and the other is a Fall home decor frame. Let's get to it!

You guys know how much I love Fall… I made this fun home decor frame to put out on the mantle when the time comes. I bought this inexpensive frame at the craft store and took the glass out… Voila!

 

 

I like the Shades of Thanks Tree die as a silhouette…Gives the project some depth… I went a bit crazy with the dies on this one…. And then added some paper piecing…. You know, more is more!

 

 

Here's a side shot to show my layers….

 

 

Some pretty Fall leaves for an accent….

 

 

Now, my second project with the same dies…couldn't be more different! It's a Spring Thank You card using fresh bright colors and some pretty patterned paper. I used the Shades of Thanks Tree and "thanks" word dies in black again. SO crisp.

 

 

 

I mounted my tree onto the front layer of my rectangle to make is stand out from the background. Isn't that paper too cute?

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES – Spring card:  Shades of Thanks Dies (new), Cloud Duo dies, Greetings for Him Stamp Set (new), Echo Park Sweet Girl paper pack, Rectangle scallop Nestabilities, Memento Inks.

SUPPLIES – Fall frame: Shades of Thanks Dies (new), Banner Stacklets 1 dies, Spooky Fence Border die, Falling for You dies, Mini leaves dies, Made in the Shade Stamp Set, Autumn Wreath Stamp Set, Memento Inks.

RELEASE DAY LINKS!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess  

Welcome Back for day two of Taylored Expressions May Release! Did you like everything from yesterday? I hope so! I know I loved seeing everyone's projects! Today the Bakers Dozen Design Team has much more in store for you! I have two cards to share with you….both are floral, but they are really different styles! Hopefully a little something for everyone….

First up is a soft and pretty floral card made using the Happily Ever After Stamp Set and the Lifetime of Love Stamp Set. I have a friend who got engaged a couple of weeks ago and this will be her engagement card! I added some bright sparkly diamonds just for the occasion! :-) 

 

 

This is a great card technique…make your own patterned paper and then cut it into strips. Easy Peasy, but so classy and pretty. You can use any design.

 

 

Here is my stamped panel before I cut it into three pieces. These new flower stamps are perfection! They will be my new go-to flowers for sure.

 

 

And, a side view of my layers. The sentiment was stamped on vellum with stayz-on ink for an elegant touch.

 

 

 

My second card for today is really graphic and bold. I used the new Damask Flourishes dies to make my own damask background paper in black and white. Pow! This has lots of impact. I paired it with some bright daisies and a nice sentiment. This damask die is really versatile. Can't wait to use it in some different applications – I'm thinking shabby chic!  

 

 

 

 

Here are my Damask dies pieces before I put them on the paper. SOOOOOO nice!

 

 

And a close up of the flowers and the die shape… Yup, added a pop of glitter to the centers!

 

Be sure to come back tomorrow – there is so much to share with you this week! XO

SUPPLIES – pink and green floral card: Happily Ever After Stamp Set (new), Lifetime of Love Stamp Set (new), Vanilla Cardstock, Vellum, Memento inks.

SUPPLIES – black and yellow card: Damask Flourishes dies (new), Banner Stacklets 1 Dies, Oops a Daisy Stamp Set, Oops a Daisy dies, Embrace Beauty Stamp Set, Memento inks.

LINK LIST!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Nancy McKinney (TE Illustrator!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess  

Hello bloggy friends! It's time for the May Taylored Expressions Release! Wahoooooo! This month has some gorgeous new cutting plates and dies, and pretty stamp sets that are perfect for weddings! Yup, it's time for Summer activities! I just know you are going to love everything in this month's release.

Today I am introducing and featuring my favorite thing from May's Release! It's the beautiful Birch Tree Cutting Plate. Taylored knocked this one out of the park! Wowza. I can think of a million ideas for this die, and I know I will use it for every season…

 

 

 

 

This photo shows my layers. I used the Birch Tree Cutting plate (in white) and then the single Birch Tree Border (in grey) and cut out just one of the trees for my layer. The little birdies are part of the Accessories dies! LOVE!

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my Cardinal! Tweet!

 

 

I just HAD to add one more birdie to my sign!

 

 

Do you love this die or what??? It's so gorgeous. Cannot wait to see what everyone else makes with it!

 

SUPPLIES:  Birch Tree Cutting Plate (new), Birch Tree Border Die (new), Birch Tree Accessories (new), Delightful Day Stamp Set.

LINKS LIST FOR TODAY!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Nancy McKinney (TE Illustrator!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess 

 

Hi! Happy Weekend! Hope you have fun plans! Hubs and I are headed to San Francisco for a day trip and then Sunday it's all day in the stamp room (oh and chores, too).  Today I'm here to share a CAS creation made with one of my favorite stamps sets from the TE Bouquet series! These daisies are so fresh and pretty, perfect for May.  I thought they just needed to be clean and bright with lots of white space…oh…and a cute little bumblebee! Hope you like it!

 

 

 

 

I thought about adding a layer of yellow paper as a background layer, but I thought this looked better. I popped my layer on some foam tape to add dimension.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my bouquet. A little tip for making things "white" is to add a touch of light grey. I used a C1 Copic Marker on my daisy petals. This gives just a hint of shadow to your object. I have also done this using a light aqua, such as BG10. For my bouquet, I cut out the main flower and layered it with foam tape. I also added a touch of superfine prisma glitter….

 

 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Whatever you do this weekend….have fun! :-) 

SUPPLY LIST: Daisy Bouquet Stamp Set,  Sunflower Wreath Stamp Set, Glitter, Copics.

 

Hello my dears! It's MAY! How the heck did that happen? It's been H-O-T here this week and the pollen bombs are still exploding inside my brain. I'm ready for Summer! How about you? What's going on with you? Hope you are having a marvelous week. Today is Challenge Day at A Blog Named Hero! Our May 1st Challenge is Shimmer! (Or as I like to say…Bling it on!) Our challenge for you is to create a project that shines - using glitter, bling, or shimmer and your favorite Hero Arts stamps. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Click Here to enter your card!

Well, for my card I used glitter and blings to make a super girlie card in a fun color combo of black and pink. Can't go wrong with that. I adore the matching stamps and dies from Hero Arts/Sizzix. These chairs and chandeliers cut out perfectly every time.  

 

 

 

The quatrefoil background is one giant stamp – LOVE! I stamped in black ink and then added pops of pink with blings and paper piecing on the chairs.

 

 

 

Here's a side view of my layers…. This one was FUN to make!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so very much for coming by today! Be sure to check out the rest of the DT cards on the blog today…and don't forget to submit your card!! My full supply list can be found on the ABNH post! All the stamps and dies are from Hero Arts….of course!

 

Hi friends! Happy Friday! Today is the last day of our last week of Birthday Collaborations at A Blog Named Hero. {sad face} All month long, we have been celebrating our one year blogaversary by teaming up with our favorite companies. This week we teamed up with Simon Says Stamp and used some of their exclusive products together with our Hero Arts favs. Have you been checking out everyone's cards? They are FAB! Today is my turn to join the fun!

I had this new GORGEOUS paper pad on my desk and wanted to use it for sure. Then I chose some pretty collage themed stamps from Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp… Kinda layed it all out on my desk and played around with it. Here is my card!

 

 

 

 

My butterfly embellishments are stamped butterflies on patterned paper! Cut them out and you have the perfect touch. Here's a close up of the SSS exclusive stamp and die set called Apothecary Labels. So fresh!

 

 

 

The background stamping on my manila tag is a giant Hero Arts background stamp – done with light linen distress ink.  (Full supply links at the bottom of my post)

 

 

 

I couldn't resist throwing some mustard yellow washi tape on there…oh and some pearls too!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to give a big thank you and shout out to both Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp for their support of A Blog Named Hero, and for providing us with such great products to play with! Bravo!  

 

 

 

 

It's that time again – for our monthly Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge! SO happy you popped in to check it out. I just know that everyone has great projects for today. I can't wait to check out everyone's blogs today! This is our chance to share what makes our craft studios tick, and what goes on behind the scenes. Each month Taylor gives us a fun, crafty challenge so we can share our favorite stamp sets and some tips and advice with you.

The theme for April is: "MIX & MATCH! Taylored Expressions stamp sets are designed with plenty of images and sentiments so that they are 'self contained' for lots of creativity. Sometimes, though, it's fun to mix and match several stamp sets for even more creative possibilities! Our challenge for April is to create a project using three or more stamp sets."

Well, you guys know that this is right up my alley! I love to do this, and actually do it all the time. You might remember that in this month's release I used a graduation set to make a wedding card! It's because the sentiments are so versatile. This month, I'm ready for warmer weather, and kind of feeling the Sea Life and Nautical vibe. So, I went through all my TE stamp sets and dies and came up with this collection of things:

 

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my waves and anchor! The waves are the 'negative' space left after using the scallop die. I love this layered effect. The little anchor die is done in black paper.

 

 

 

Here's my funky happy octopus, just swimming around…

 

 

 

Here you can see my layers and dimensions, created with foam tape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one last shot…the inside of my card! I didn't want to waste those scallop papers!

 

Some advice for working with your stamp sets… Have fun! That's the most important thing! When I'm brainstorming I get out all my stuff and lay it out on my table and just sort of let my mind wander. Sometimes I'll choose a theme (like today) and sometimes I have a topic – ie birthday or wedding – and look for possible matches.

SUPPLIES:  Life Saver Stamp Set,  Under The Sea Stamp Set, A Day in Paradise Stamp Set, Medium Scallop Border Die, Life Savers Dies, Copic Markers, Twine.

LINK LIST FOR TODAY'S FUN!

Broni Holcombe

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess

 

POW! SHAZAM! KAPOP! BAM!  Today I have a total color explosion for you! Remember last month when Taylored Expressions did a product swap with Doodlebug?  Well, I still have some cards I haven't shared with you yet made with those awesome and colorful supplies.  Today's cards use some fabbie Taylored Expressions supplies to make cheery wishes! Better put on your sunglasses!

Here are my two cards together:

 

 

 

 

See what I mean folks? COLOR! Love it so much! I think that TE font is perfect! Full supply list at the bottom of my post.

 

 

 

 

Here's a side view to show you my layers and dimensions….

 

 

 

It's easy-peasy to make you own flower accents. Here are my die cut shapes ready to go…

 

 

 

Take your water mister and soak the flowers pretty thoroughly in your hand….and then crumple them all up into a ball so they are really wrinkled.

 

 

 

While they are still damp, assemble your pieces with a brad and shape them how you want them. Then set them aside to dry all the way!

 

 

 

Then, it's fun to put them on your card! 

 

 

 

 

This one is just a sweet little note to tuck into a present or onto a gift bag… 

 

 

 

I used a Doodlebug embellishment and then added a bling to it!

 

SUPPLIES: