A Blog Called Wanda

Penny Black Valentines!

Hello! Are you ready for some Valentine's Day cards? Hearts? Red? Well…then you're in the right place on this day! I am the guest designer over at the Penny Black blog today sharing some Valentine's goodness. I was super excited when Jenyfur asked if I wanted to play with some new images. Everything they do just rocks in my opinion. She asked me to keep it simple and elegant…not tons of layers and patterned papers…so that's just what I did! Please click HERE to go directly to the PB blog. Have a wonderful day everyone!

I think this first one is my favorite of the bunch. Isn't that heart just a gorgeous image? When you do this watercolor technique you never know what you're going to end up with. You put the ink on and stamp and see what develops. I think in this case, the colors blended together very nicely. I added a strip of vellum and one of my favorite PB sentiments.

This second one is also made with the watercolor brushstrokes technique. This time in a more masculine color scheme. I shaded with a light tan color against the really vivid red. I added distress ink around the edges of the paper to make it look aged and worn.

These images are from one of the new clear stamp sets and I like the way they are drawn. That little envelope is the cutest thing. I know I will end up using that stamp a lot.

The image here is one big giant background stamp! I stamped the whole stamp in white ink and then went back over just the one heart with red ink. Kept it simple…

Have you started working on Valentine's cards yet? I am excited about all the new stamps to play with and hope to have mine done early this year! Have a wonderful week.

January 10, 2012
Spring Birthday Card!

Hi everybody! Hope you are enjoying a nice Sunday! I'm in the crafty cave cooking up all kinds of things to share this week! You are probably able to tell that I am all about Spring right now. I'm ready for bright, happy colors and sunshine in my craft projects. It's been very dry here and windy and yesterday it was warm too. Very odd weather. I would like a spring shower….that would be nice. Anyhoo…I'm off track now. OH! Before I forget…I set up "A Blog Called Wanda" Facebook page this week. I would be very happy if you would "like" it. The link is in the blog left side bar.

Today's card is a cheery Spring birthday card made with what has to be one of my favorite paper collections of all time… October Afternoon Sidewalks. I could make 500 projects with this paper. The palette is wonderful and it works for so many types of cards. Do you have a very favorite paper right now? Share with us so we can check out your fav!

You know this paper just screams out to be matched with gingham right? The flower was cut with PTI flower dies. The center is a pin that matches the paper collection. Don't you love how it is perfectly matched to the paper? Um, I'm not OCD or anything….

I decided to pop some bright red to pick up that color. I used my Martha Stewart butterfly punches. I cut a window out of a Nestabilities die and put the text paper behind it.

I matched the green with Stampin' Up Kiwi Kiss paper, and popped my top layer up on some foam tape for more dimension.

I crumpled the flower in the palm of my hand to make it not so hard and straight. This way it has a gentle curve to it, like a real flower might.

Thank you so much for coming by to see me today! This week has some fun things in store. I am guest designer over at Penny Black (yay!) on Tuesday and I will post my cards here too. They are all new Valentine images. Thursday I will be back with a calendar project that we are all working on for Taylored Expressions. I'm making a whole calendar using Cuppie images! Have a fabulous day!

January 8, 2012
You’re my type of friend!

Hi peeps! Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week and that you're looking forward to a fun weekend! I'm super psyched that I get to have lunch tomorrow with one of my besties and get all caught up with her. Yay! I don't get to see nearly enough of Ms. Patty! It was a crazy week here at the bloggy blog with the new Taylored Expressions release! I hope you found something you liked. That is such a fun whirlwind.

Today I'm sharing a card set that I entered in the Hero Arts December contest. One of the challenges was to make a set of cards….with no specific theme required. I went through my stash and found that cool typewriter set and decided to use that. I made a set of cards and each would be just a nice little note to pop in the mail to a friend. I have had these tins around the crafty cave forever…and figured it's time to use 'em up.

Here's my tin with the cards inside. I adore this paper collection from Basic Grey! I used only papers from that collection – Picadilly! I used corduroy distress ink for my type and typewriter and a light aqua for the lines on the paper.

Here are my cards. Each one is just slightly different. Aren't those sayings cute?

My supply list:

I felt the need to add a few butterflies into the mix!

YOU are definitely my type of friend! Thanks for coming by today and have a great weekend! See you soon!

January 6, 2012
Taylored Expressions January Release Day!
Happy Release Day! Now the store is open and you can shop for all the fun new stamps, dies and papers we've been featuring all week. Have a great time looking around! I hope you find something you love. My one last card to share for Release week is another valentine. This image just reminds me of those cute valentine's we used to send when we were kids. I think it would also be a nice baby shower image.

The ribbon and the heart pin are from the Project Pantry Kit for this month. This is just the prettiest shade of pink ever! I combined it with the We R Memory Keepers "Love Struck" collection of papers.

Would you be mine?? Hee hee. This stamp is a single, from the Whimsical Wishes collection drawn by Nancy McKinney. Like the Scotties from yesterday, it's part of the Animals in Love A la Cartes: Dachshunds in Love, Giraffes in Love, Pandas in Love, are continuing the Animals in Love A la Carte series (see also Animal Love Sentiments). Last year TE introduced Animals in Love A la Cartes with the Elephants, Fish, Flamingos, Owls, Scotties, Snakes, Turtles, and Whales along with the full size set Animal Love Sentiments.
Special on these – Buy one of the three new Animals in Love and select any one of the eight 2011 Animals in Love for Free!! (yes, I said free!)

TE Release Day!
- All of the new products are now available for purchase! Check out the Fresh Out of the Oven Department to see everything in one place!
- More projects from the Baker's Dozen to inspire you. Just follow the link list below.
- Did you win one of the Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaways? Find the list of winners on Taylor's Blog.
- Buy one Animals in Love A la Carte and get one free/Select calendar products 50% off/Layered Doily Dies Special – get all the details on our January Release Specials by clicking here.
Ready to take one last hop around this week? Here's the list for today. Thank you for coming by!
Charmaine Ikach
Danielle Lounds
Jami Sibley
Jen Shults
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Melissa Sauls
Melody Rupple
Regina Mangum
Sankari Wegman
Taylor VanBruggen
Tori Wild
Wanda Guess

January 5, 2012

Hi everyone! It’s time for a new year and that means time for some cleaning and reorganizing in my craft studio! I am very blessed to have so many awesome crafty things to play with…but alas…there isn’t room for it all anymore. So, I thought I would sell some grab boxes. It’s like a grab bag, only bigger – and better!!

I’m putting together some goodie boxes…the big, flat priority mail boxes from the post office (see more info below) filled with stamps, stamp sets, paper, ribbon, doo-dads, glitter, dies, stickers, flowers, magazines, embellies, etc… The stamps are either brand new or gently used. (I’m pretty careful with my crafty things.) I think I have enough stuff to do twelve boxes.

Here are the details:

1. USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Box (13-5/8″ x 11-7/8″ x 3-3/8″) filled with stamps, stamp sets, paper, dies, glitter, flowers, magazines, ribbon, embellies, and/or stickers.

2. $55.00 – which includes the $10.95 shipping charge and much more than $55.00 worth of goodies! OR, if you’re local, and I’ll be seein’ you, choose the paypal option for a Grab Box for $44.05 (no shipping)!

3. Payment via Paypal to United States addresses only. I will use Paypal shipping so you can track your goodies.

If you are interested, please click below!

Taylored Expressions January Sneak Peeks – Day 3!

Today I have TWO projects to share using two great TE Valentines images/sets! Yay! Today I went with the traditional bright red for Valentines. This color of red paper that comes in the Project Pantry this month is luscious. The first project is a tin with mini cards inside. I meant for this to be a nice gift for a friend…and then she can give the notes to her family as a surprise. I used the Totally Tags Valentine set…but it doesn't have to just be for tags!

I decorated a tin using the Project Pantry Kit for this month, some pretty twine and this gorgeous new Doily Die from Taylor! That flower was in my stash and I have no idea where that's from (sorry!) You can see two the the new Doily dies in the picture below. There is a third, larger one, too. The little hearts are the centers of the Jumbo Heart Border Die (see the end of the post).

The stamp set is from the Embracing Grace collection by Emily Burger. It's called Totally Tags Valentine – and it's a new set of tags to coordinate with the Totally Tags Taylored Dies…great for all sorts of cards and treats for Valentine’s Day and beyond! It is a Full-sized set that includes 9 large tag images.

The Layering Doily Dies will be sold separately and there will be a special discounted price to purchase all 3 together!!

Okay….so that's not it for today!!! I'm also sharing a doggie Valentine using Scotties in Love!! SOOOO fun! These little doggies are so cute! This is one of the Animals In Love from last year…but you can still get it!

This Die is TO DIE FOR! Get it? No seriously….one of my favorite products EVER from Taylor! It's new this month and you will love it. I'll be using it on everything! The hearts that come out of the center are the perfect size for the top of the dog house!

I used papers from the My Minds Eye "Love Me" Collection again for this card. Kept the colors simple and clean. Just red, off white, and charcoal grey. I love this paper!

The Scotties in Love stamp is from the Whimsical Wishes collection by Nancy McKinney, and is part of the Animals in Love A la Carte: Dachshunds in Love, Giraffes in Love, Pandas in Lovecontinuing the Animals in Love A la Carte series (see also Animal Love Sentiments). Last year TE introduced Animals in Love A la Cartes with the Elephants, Fish, Flamingos, Owls, Scotties, Snakes, Turtles, and Whales along with the full size set Animal Love Sentiments. Our customers loved these, so we've added 3 more this year. Fun for Valentines as well as showing your love year-round.

Special on these – Buy one of the 3 new Animals in Love and select any one of the 8 2011 Animals in Love for Free!

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaway: Each day, one lucky blog commenter will be chosen by random draw to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate. Winners will be chosen from a different Baker's Dozen blog each day and will be announced on Taylor's blog on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each and every blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day, please. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Here's our hop list for today! LOTS of projects going on everywhere today. Go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has for you!

Taylored Expressions January Sneak Peeks – Day 2!

Hi! Welcome back for Day 2 of TE Sneak Peeks! Today's card is made with the new {adorable} Buddy Bear stamp set! He's super cute and make such a fun valentine card. He would also be a great image for baby cards! I used the brand new Project Pantry Kit papers for this card too.

This is such a great sentiment stamp and comes with Buddy Bear. I love using kraft/brown with this bright clear red.

Here's my Copic Palette….

I used some sweet tiny scallops of kraft to match the cuteness factor of the image. I left my coloring kind of simple and primary since that, to me, fits the style of the card.

The stamp set is from the Apple Doodle Ink line drawn by Doug Applegate. He's called Buddy Bear – and he can be a Polar Bear, a Brown Bear, a Teddy Bear? You decide! Any which way, he'll capture your heart! This is a Petite set with 8 images/sentiments.

We're offering our Project Pantry Basic Recipe Kit along with additional Spice It Up Ingredients that you can pick and choose from to build the kit just the way you want it! I used the papers from the Kit on today's card and some of the ribbon on my card for Thursday. Here's the deets:

Valentine Basic Recipe Project Pantry Kit includes:
20 sheets of double sided patterned paper (American Crafts 'With Love' Collection)
12 sheets of 8.5 x 11 solid cardstock
6 yards of ribbon (2 yards each of 3 different styles)
*Plus lots of optional Spice It Up Ingredients to add in to create a truly personalized kit.

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaway: Each day, one lucky blog commenter will be chosen by random draw to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate. Winners will be chosen from a different Baker's Dozen blog each day and will be announced on Taylor's blog on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each and every blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day, please. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Here's the link list for today…have fun and hop around!

Taylored Expressions January Sneak Peeks – Day 1!

Hi everyone! This month, for Taylored Expressions, we're working on all things that have to do with LOVE! Cool new stamps to make projects for Valentines and Spring time events. Hope you will have fun with us all week sharing our projects. Here's my first one for the week:

A pretty new set with matching dies that's really versatile…Rosy Posey! I used an acetate card base and some pretty papers from the Project Pantry Kit and the My Mind's Eye "Love Me" collection for 2011. This is a really cool technique that I haven't done in a long time. Those flowers are such a pretty focal image I wanted to show them off.

Here's my Copic Palette for this project….

The stamp set is from the Whimsical Wishes line by Nancy McKinney. It's called Rosy Posey – and it's a beautiful set of whimsical roses! This set coordinates with the Rose Wreath, the brand new Rosy Posey Taylored Die set, Mini Leaves Die set, and Leafy Branch die. Anyone who loves roses will go crazy for this set! It's a full size set that has 19 images/sentiments. I could really see this one for Mother's Day cards or Wedding cards too.

The TE stamps are made of high quality red rubber and come on a full color panel and store perfectly in our Mini Binder Boxes (4 sets to a box). The full size set panels are 5.75" x 8.5" like this set. Taylor's sets are an outstanding value.

Here's a sneak peek at the matching dies:

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaway: Each day, one lucky blog commenter will be chosen by random draw to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate. Winners will be chosen from a different Baker's Dozen blog each day and will be announced on Taylor's blog on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each and every blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day, please. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Click on the links to check out everyone else's cards and projects for Day 1 of Sneak Peeks. Have a wonderful day! Thanks for coming by.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year! WOOOOO! It's time for another year and a fresh start and a time of renewal. To me it's also a time of reflection and thought. I like to look back on the year and think what worked, and what didn't work, and prepare myself to begin again. Do you do that? I don't really make resolutions per se, just more of an effort to have a consciousness about what I'm doing and where I'm going. I truly hope that 2012 is a year of many blessings for you and your family. I wish all of you health, happiness and success in the coming year. Thanks to everyone who's been leaving me Happy New Year's wishes!

{photo from weheartit.com}

From the standpoint of being a blogger, New Years will always mark another year of blogging. I purposely started my blog at the beginning of the year…and now it's been exactly two years. I'm still here, typing away, sharing what I love to do and enjoying the comraderie and love. I can't even imagine not blogging anymore!

I find it interesting to note the changes since last year… Last January 1st, I wrote: "In the past year, I have written 195 blog posts, received 889 comments from readers, and had 30,324 "hits" here at A Blog Called Wanda!" As of today I can say that I have written 387 blog posts, received 3104 comments from readers, and had 221,000 "hits"! Isn't that amazing!? I find it truly amazing. So much fun…it should be illegal. I really am so excited every time someone leaves me a comment. THANK YOU!

The past year presented me with so many wonderful opportunities and I just want to say a big thanks to the people who believed in me enough to let me be a part of their companies. I don't ever take that for granted.

2012 will start off with a trip to my first CHA Convention in Anaheim at the end of January, where I will get to meet some of the other Baker's Dozen Designers. CAN'T WAIT for that! I'm trying to figure out how to (properly) blog from my iPhone so I can share photos with you of any cool new stuff I spot there. I have wanted to go to a CHA convention forever!

I don't know what else 2012 has to offer…but I'm so looking forward to finding out! Thank you for sharing this journey with me, for coming along with me, and crafting with me! I appreciate it so much more than I can write. Thank you…and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The first {heart} card of the season!

Hi everyone! How was your Christmas? I hope you had a lovely day and that Santa was good to you! I hope you were surrounded by friends and family and that the true meaning of the season touched you in some way. The DH and I had a very nice, mellow weekend. On Christmas Eve we went to one of the "mega" churches near our house for a wonderful service full of BIG music and a performance by "The Silhouettes" from America's Got Talent! Do you remember them? They were my favorite act from this year. They are the group that performs behind a big curtain and they make shapes out of their bodies. It was really wonderful. There were lots of people at church and everyone was in a good mood. Hubs and I didn't do presents this year, but I did get a new Bearista Bear and a couple of gift cards for Christmas…thanks honey! We spent the day relaxing and it was wonderful.

Also, on Saturday, I was so happy to get a big box of Memory Box and Poppystamps goodies from the new collection. Dave has outdone himself again! I don't know how he does it, seriously. The new collection is called Love and Kindness (sigh) and has all kinds of neat new dies and stamps for Spring and Valentine's Day. I had to get my hands on them stat! Here's my first card with the new stuff!

Three new butterfly dies…are you kidding me??? YAY! I layered two here for more depth and interest. I used a color palette of pink and grey, which is always a favorite. I think this could be a Valentine card or even a wedding card.

The detail on these new dies is amazing…I used a dark charcoal grey bazzill paper for my keys.

What are you up to in your craft room right now? I'm working on starting Valentine's projects and also making some calendars…oh…and I gotta start on New Years cards too! I hope that you have a wonderful week! Thanks for coming by here today!