Taylored Expressions January Studio Challenge

Hi Everyone!!

Welcome to the January Taylored Expressions Studio Challenge! Every month we get together and have a theme that we create around and share a little bit about what makes our studios hum. The question for January is:

Helpin' out a newbie!  It's so exciting when a friend discovers the joys of stamping. But do you remember how overwhelming it was to decide what to get when you were new to the craft?

You have a {hypothetical} friend who started stamping less than a year ago and she is loving it!  She has some Christmas money burning a hole in her pocket, and she has seen your fabulous TE creations, so  she is asking for your advice on what stamping supplies to purchase. So let's hear your sage advice!

This is such a fun thing to think about. It made me reminsce about when I first started out I could fit everything into a shoebox!!! HA! That is some craziness!!! I don't think I could fit a shoebox with anymore stuff in my jam packed craft corner - but I still do ;) Talk about being addicted really into papercrafting :D!! So I remember totally being overwhelmed when I first started stamping - partly because I wanted everything everyone was using during blog surfing - but I couldn't figure out what I really needed and would use the most... so here is some advice if you are in the same boat:

Paper:
- I love all the lovely DPs out there - but I think my favorites are the 6x6 paper pads because the print is perfect for making cards, they already coordinate with each other and they don't take up much space like 12x12 papers (but who am I kidding - I like to buys those too :) You can check out the 6x6 papers that Taylor has in the store HERE
Inks:
I love the Memento Ink Pads - they stamp really cleanly and are perfect for coloring with copics (they don't bleed like Stazon. Also the Memento inks come in little dew drop sizes so you don't have to get the really big pads if you want to try out how much you would use a certain color! And if you want to ink up a stamp that is solid - I would recommend some Colorbox Chalk inks - they are so juicy and leave a great impression!Check out all the Ink options at the TE store HERE
Copics:
I remember wanting to get all of them - until I saw the price- WOW! And then I didn't know which ones to get. I am definitely not a copic expert - but someone gave me really good advice that helped alot - they told me to get the colors of the things that you color the most instead of getting a ton of colors that you probably wont' use - for example, if you like coloring cupcakes - definitely get some pinks and browns and then go from there. If you are getting a color - get shades a little lighter and darker than that color to help with shading - but here is a warning - copics are highly addictive!! Check out all the copics at the store HERE
Dies:
You definitely want a die cutting machine - because you are definitely going to want to cut out all the different variety of die shapes out there! It's always good to have the basic shapes (squares, circles, scallops, etc.) but also all the label stacklets that Taylor has just started releasing - AND alot of the sets also come with coordinating dies - and that makes the cutting so much easier (even for someone who loves to cut out stamps like me :))) Check out all the Taylored Dies HERE
Stamps:
Well - I love love love my Taylored Expressions stamps - all die cut, super cute and awesome - and deeply etched pink rubber that creates the perfect image every time!!! I always think I have a favorite - but its hard to pink one stamp set - I want them all!!!
Storage:

One of the problems of having a small stamp space is storage - so I am always trying to find good storage options. One of the best storage systems for holding all my TE stamps have been the TE Storage binders - which snaps shut so none of the little stamps can escape and become lost in my scraproom - and one of the best ways to organize my dies has been the Magnetic Binder Box Inserts which can fit right into one of the storage binders - I have been loving organizing all of my dies in one place with these magnetic inserts - GENIUS I tell ya!!! You can check out this video where Taylor explains how these inserts works HERE.

Those are just some general things - but I thought I could share some specific products. Say you are someone who already has all the basic tools like: a paper trimmer, some good cutting scissors, a die-cutting machine, some acrylic blocks and a few shape dies d(like the circle nesties) - I thought I could share some of my"must haves" - all of which went to create these two cards:

I used the Sweet Sunday Sketch 175 for making these two cards - what a fun layout! I started out by using the Beary Special stamp set and made one more for a little boy and the other for a little girl. I used papers from the Simple Stories paper pad (6x6) Snap Life and stamped my images on to the Choice Snow White cardstock which is a must have for copic coloring! I wanted to keep everything simple - so I used two sheets of DP and cut them out to fit the A2 card - and the remaining pieces I cut in the banner shape using my Banner Stacklets - and so the cards are almost the same but have the opposite DPs for the layout. Iinked the little bears in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them with copics and then paper pieced the ears and the little paws :)





 

I wanted to add a little bit of hearts in the corner - so I used some large eyelets to wind some Bakers Twine through and added some hearts to them with some pearls in the middle - here is a closer look:

Card Ingredients:
Stamps:  Beary Special stamp set from Taylored Expressions
Paper:  Choice Snow White cardstock and Simple Stories paper pad (6x6) Snap Life
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copics: For the pink Bear ( here is the link for the RV family) RV01, RV04 and for the blue bear (here is the link for the BG family) BG 11, 13 and 15
Accessories: Spellbinders Circle dies, Banner Stacklets, mini heart punch, Baker's Twine,, Pearls and dimensionals

Say you have a budget of $60 that you are burning to spend at the store - Here are all my must haves that I used on this card:

$5.19 Memento Tuxedo Black  Ink
$4.50 Choice Snow White (essential for copics) comes with 20 sheets - a total deal!!
$26.95 Banner Stacklets - I love these for sentiments and for card layouts - and you might think - eh, I can just cut it out myself - but when you are making a lot of cards - the best thing is that you can just run it though the die machine and allthe angles and dimensions will be perfect everytime - I have been using this die alot lately - love how it works!
$25.00 Dimensional Foam Tape 1/16" - at first I wasn't sure because it seemed like a lot of money - but trust me - this is one of my most favorite products - I go through this like I eat chocolate!! It is so worth the money - and you don't have to worry about running out anytime soon - and you cna cut it ot the lenght that you need - and it is such a great size thickness - awesome awesome awesome!!!

I hope that some of this has been helpful - I can't wait to see what the rest of the design team has in store for us with the studio challenge - please hop with me and check them out:

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

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!!
Big hugs,
Sankari :)