Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Taylored Expressions September Studio Challenge

Hi Everyone!

It's time for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge.  This is a monthly opportunity for the Taylored Expressions team to share what makes our stamping studios hum.  Each month we  have a fun, crafty question or theme so we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.

The theme for September is:
We’re continuing our month-long TE Birthday Bash celebration with a special birthday-inspired Studio Challenge! Sometimes all we need to help us create is to simply see something that is beautiful, cool, or unique. Did you know that Taylored Expressions has over 30 boards on Pinterest filled with crafty eye-candy? We’d love to have you follow us at http://pinterest.com/tayloredexpress Today’s challenge: choose a photo from Taylor’s Birthday Inspiration Pinterest Board to inspire a stamped creation!

There are SO many awesome pics - but I had to choose the sunny sunshiney party themed one which is this one: I love love love love all the sunshiney happy party themed pics - sigh... so so so lovely!

Somedays I wish that I could just spend a few weeks doing nothing but creating in my pajamas - is that too much to ask - I mean do I have to also do laundry and dishes and make dinner and do that other thing where I go off to work? ;) LOL! But looking at all these pictures was so satisfying - just seeing all the lovely inspirations makes me sigh! So for my project today, I created a little birthday giftset using the Graphic Greetings stamp set, Pennant die, the Sunshine Cutting Plate and the Bracket Notecard Die:

In the little glass candy jar, I put some small dried pineapple pieces and then created a little a hanging note with the Bracket Notecard die. I used the Sunshine Cutting Plate to create the background for the card with some DP from the Echo Park: All About a Boy alternating the yellow DP with some yellow cardstock. My little cupcake embellishments are from the Build A Treat Borders stamp set - I stamped a line and then colored two cupcakes that I cut out and then popped them up over the sentiments :) Here is one angle of my card:
I used some Taylored Felt: Sunflower to cut the die and then layered a sentiment from the Graphic Greetings: Birthday stamp set over it.  I love the feeling of the felt and it is a fun way to give texture to cards and projects. I added a little line of bling over the pennats and a line of liquid pearls around part of the sunshine rays:
Here is a closer picture of the glass jar with the dried pineapple slices (serious YUM!) and the little notecard:
I loved making this sunshine project with all the different shades of yellow and all of the dies and stamp sets from TE - so so so much fun!
All of the Taylored Expressions Design Team have picked one of the fun pins from the TE Pinterest Board - So grab another cup of coffee and please hop around with me and check out all the fun inspiration and creations that the DT has created today:
Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin 
Kerri Michaud
Sankari Wegman 
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess


AND - you can play along with the Pinterest Boards - just hop over to Taylor's Blog for all the details!
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Big hugs,
Sankari :)


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Taylored Expressions Share Joy Campaign: Inspiration Challenge Week

 Hi Everyone,

Today over at Taylored Expressions - the TE birthday bash is continuing with the awesome Share the Joy campaign - where we share our joy of cardmaking and paper crafting to benefit different charities that are bringing joy in different ways. Taylored Expressions is proud to work with the Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles, Prodigal's Home of Phoenix, and Iowa Homeless Youth Shelter of Des Moines. These wonderful charities work tirelessly to bring comfort and care to many homeless individuals and families throughout the year. One way they are sharing joy each and every day is by celebrating the birthdays of their participants, and you can help by sending in your handmade birthday cards! 
I think this is such a wonderful wonderful way to bring joy - and such a great way for us as card makers to help share joy! This week, Taylored Expressions will help you to create with a different Birthday Inspiration Challenge each day and today's challenge is create birthday cards using Washi Tape!

Now, let me start off by confessing that I am not a big Washi Tape user - actually - not really a fan of it (I know some of you - are like say what?!!!) Its true, not really a fan of washi tape - but do you know why?! ---- its because I don't really know what to do with it :)
Seriously -- I have these super cute washi rolls - and I am never really sure how to incorporate it - so there they stay on my desk! So I thought, this was the perfect challenge to get me to roll with the Washi! For my Washi Birthday Challenge - I created a border using different washi tapes (check out all the different kinds of washi tape at the TE store) - and used the Party Banner Border die to cut it out - and Voila - you have an INSTANT cool party banner!!! 
I used my banner with the super cute Candy Monster stamp set - I have been waiting to color him in - what a fun little monster - perfect for Halloween or birthday cards - or any card really - he would definitely bring a smile to anyone!!
When I was making my Washi Pennants - I realized that I could cut a few out because of how I rolled the tape - So I cut out two and then created a little mat for them by cutting out some green party banner dies - and then popping them over the green mat - it gives it alot of texture and dimension:
And for my little monster's eye - I colored a little bling with some black copic - and insant blinged out eye!! Like a PIRATE! Aww! I love how my little monster turned out - and I can't wait to use washi rolls more!!
 So I know that you want to play along - what a great way to share joy -!! - please check out all the birthday week challenges and samples from the different DT members over at Taylor's Blog!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Big hugs,

Sankari

Friday, September 6, 2013

Taylored Expressions September Spotlights: Big Bold Birthday Table decorations!

Hi Everyone,

Did you see the amazing release yesterday from Taylored Expressions September Release along with TE's 5birthday celebration?!! WOWOW!!! Today we are going to continue the party theme and with more party games - today's game is: Guess the Number and that readers can get all the info for playing along and winning prizes on Taylor’s Blog!

For my project today, I created little table decorations for someone's birthday using the Big Bold Birthday stamp set. I cut out the awesome sentiments from this stamp set and cut it out with a circle nestie and then layered it with the Bloomin' Stacklets Label 1
which creates such a cool sweet flower when stacked all together! Here is my finished project - I love these fun birthday table decorations :)
I added some flowers behind each floral stacklet and a little bit of ribbon around the glass jar. Here is a picture of each one - the jar below's sentiment is: "May your day be filled with love & laughter"


I love the sentiment of the jar below: "It's your birthday, Eat Cake!" ... Ummmm YES!!!! I colored in the eat cake sentiment with some copics and kept the same layout for the rest of the decorations:
  

For this jar, I mixed in the sentiment from the From Me to You stamp set - and added a little bling in the middle:

Here is another one of the jar - with more of a downward angle so you can also see the candle in the jar:
And here is another peek of all the jars and candles ready to be displayed together for a fun birthday dinner!

I can't wait to see what all the designers have created!! Please hop around with me and check them out!

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

Also, there is a FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE - Your order of $50 or more (before tax and shipping) qualifies you to receive the petite stamp set and die combo From Me to You (a $17 value).  This offer is good through September 15th or while supplies last.  One free set per customer. Say What?!!! That is awesome!!! Have fun shopping!!
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Big hugs,

Sankari :)


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Taylored Expressions September Release Day:


Hi Everyone,

Today is not only Release Day at Taylored Expressions, but also the actual 5th birthday of Taylored Expressions - turning 5 on the 5th!! TOOO awesome!! A huge congratulations to Taylor and Jon and her amazing team who have created TE into the huge success it is! I still remember the first release and knowing that I HAD to have everything in the release - and that feeling has been there ever since - I love TE's style, love the way Taylor puts the kits together - and love this amazing DT!! Congratulations dear Taylor on this milestone birthday - wishing you greater and greater success every year!!! Congrats congrats congrats congrats congrats!!! woot!

So I for today's post, I was going to use the Cupcake Wrap die - to create a little set of cupcake toppers. I do have a confession to make - I made 5 cupcakes to celebrate the birthday of TE - but as you will see only 4 are pictured... ummmm.... Blush - blush... yea.... sooooo, I might have eaten one before the photo shoot... sigh... they were just too tempting.... so yea... 4 cupcakes is still better than no cupcakes right?! And just so you know -there are no longer any cupcakes left! I love this sweet Cupcake Wrap die - it makes it so easy to create a personalized set of cupcakes for any color scheme. So I went for some fun teal and pink colors - cause I could make some pink frosting :) I cut out some of the wraps with some cardstock and then decorated with the sentiment from the stamp set: "From Me To You" which also comes with a coordinating die to cut out the die image - here is a pic of my cupcakes:
To create a two toned wrapper - I cut out in one color one of the bottom of the cupcake part and then cut another one in a different color  - to easily create a two toned cupcake creation - just cut one color's cupcake die in half and then adhere the top one side and the bottom on the other and voila - instant coordinating cupcake holders!!
Here is a little cupcake for you to check out - I love the ay it turned out - such a fun way of making something so so special for the ones you love! To the top of the cupcake, I added some topping by adhering the bling pieces to the center of the heart!

Here is a closer up peek at all of the fun! Hope you like it - it was so so so enjoyable to create these fun dies! Can't wait to create Halloween cupcakes, Christmas cupcakes, Valtneinte's day cupcakes! OMG!!! Endless possibilities!!!


Card Ingredients:
Stamp set: From Me To You from Taylored Expressions

Inks: Memento Teal Zeal
Paper: Cardstock: Bazzill cardstock and Choice SNowwhite Cardstock
Accessories: Bling, Cupcake Wraooer die, Circle and Scallop punch, bling, buttons from stash, mini heart punch, Bloomin' Stacklets 1 and foam tape.

I can't wait to see what all the amazing artistes have created for the release today - please hop along with me and check them out!! 
Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Heather Jensen
Jami Sibley
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Regina Mangum
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess
Thanks for stopping by today!
Big hugs!
Sankari