Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks - Day 2

Good Morning Everyone,

Its release week over at Taylored Expressions and I am telling you - that there is a TON of new amazing, beautiful and awesome TE stamps that are about to be released (Friday at 8am PST) that you will not want to miss!!! Tomorrow Taylor will be releasing 5 new stamp sets as well as some 4th of July a-la-carte stamps along with some beautiful Project Pantry kits!!

You might be wondering where I was for Day 1 of sneak peeks - I was wondering that myself - I can't even describe my absolute horror, panic, chills, and upset stomach when I realized that missed Day 1 of sneak peeks. The sneak peeks from Day 1 will be coming a little bit later this week - but today we are showcasing the beautiful stamp sets: Care&Comfort and Summer Afternoon. These two stamp sets were the exact stamp sets that I needed this week for all that happened here in our town.

If you are living in our town and reading this - you might have know that last week the Swartz family lost their beloved son who was 25 years old. It has been a unifying time as people in our town gather to give the family their support, love and prayers - it has also been a not so easy time. I was over at their home on Friday and as I sat on their porch, listening to the beautiful stories that people shared about his life - I watched the butterflies flutter by over the lawn and flowers and it was hard to somehow integrate life and death. I didn't know what to say to his parents other than to express my love and prayers for him & for them, that we have in our hearts. I wanted to create something for them - but I felt like it was so hard to create a sympathy card. Taylor will be releasing a beautiful stamp set called Care and Comfort that has the perfect sentiments that you can use to create what I think one of the most difficult kind of cards - sympathy cards. This set also coordinates beautifully with the Summer Afternoon stamp set that will also be released friday.

I wanted to give something to this beautiful family who is integrating the loss of their son. I created this little giftset of a birdhouse that I painted and stamped with images of butterflies and vines from the Summer Afternoon stamp set and used the sentiment from the Care & Comfort stamp set: "May Angels be always by your side" - I felt like the little butterflies that I saw were like little angels fluttering by us that evening, while we sat in shock on their porch, un able to believe that this beautiful soul had passed on.

Here is a close up of the birdhouse - after painting and stamping on it - I sprayed an acrylic finish on it to protect it from the weather - so that they can put it outside if they would like.

Here is a close up of the card that I created using the SCS sketch #283 for this week - everytime I stamped a butterfly - it felt like I was stamping a little angel to support and protect the family. Its hard to make sympathy cards - but somehow as I made this card using this beautiful sentiment - I felt a little bit more at peace.

The Summer Afternoon stamp set has some gorgeous sentiments that uplift the heart - I created this card using Taylor's Friday Sketch #115 to create this card with this beautiful sentiment from the amazing and always inspirational poet Kahil Gibran: "Be like a flower, turn your face to the sun" - I love the silhouette stamps and loved all the cardtherapy that I got from making this card:

I absolutely love each stamp set - and can't wait to check out all the AMAZING creations from the Baker's Dozen below!!!

Alex Maldonado

Charmaine Ikach

Carolina Buchting

Donna Baker

Jackie Pedro

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Jeanie Winter

our wonderful illustrator: Nancy McKinney

and of course!: Taylor VanBruggen

There is more fun-ness, whimsy and TE in store tomorrow - so I hope you stop by!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Big hugs,

Sankari :)