Tuesday, December 18, 2012

December Studio Challenge from Taylored Expressions



Hi Everyone


Every month the Taylored Expressions Design Team has a studio challenge where we answer a few questions, share some tips and a project that we have created. Here is this month's TE studio challenge: which is to CASE another one of our Team Members:
The question for December is:
Inpsiration is all around us.  Many of us learned to stamp by CASEing other stampers we admired.  (CASE = Copy and Share Everything)  We want everyone to know that, not only is CASEing perfectly OK, it's actually pretty flattering and a lot of fun!  And it can be especially helpful in the midst of the busy holiday season when it's hard to think straight!  So take some inspiration from your fellow Baker's Dozen Teammates, and show us how you can turn any great inspiration into a fabulous holiday card!
For my CASEing challenge - I got to CASE the amazingly talented creative Regina Magnum! Regina is always blowing my mind with her cards that are in motion, 3-dimensional and her mixture of stamps and the way she arranges everything to look awesome! I was really nervous to try to do Regina's style - she is amazing and her gallery is so much fun to look through! I picked this card from her gallery and blog to try to duplicate. I love the 3-D'ness of this card and followed the side step card tutorial created by Beate to create this version using the Garden Shed stamp set:

I used the same layout in that a house is on the right side and the sentiment on the left - but the papers, house and sentiments are different. It was fun to break out of my box and CASE the style of someone I admire and try something new!!

 On the front panel, I stamped some clouds and the little bird bath that I put behind the fences that colored and cut and layered in the front. I also added some trees from the Falling for You stamp set that I paper pieced and sponged on the edges and layered behind the house. The shutters of the house were colored and cut again so that they could open - here is another view of the house:
 
 Card Ingredients:
Paper: Choice Snow White and Choice Buttercream cardstock
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Ladybug Red and copics
Stamps: Falling for You and Garden Shed from Taylored Expressions
Accessories: CLoud Border die, Grass punch from MS, dimensionals, lace border punch from MS, glue dots


Some TIPS on making a project like this:
1. The tutorial from Beate makes it super simple to create the layout - even for someone mathematically challenged like me :)
2.  The long end does make a nice sentiment panel - also if you have a longer vertical sentiment - it will fit perfectly on the left side.
3. If you have a larger focal stamp (like the house) putting it in the middle mountain fold gives the card a nice perspective - that way you can layer something behind the stamp and even in front of it - the focal stamp then looks nestled in the card.
4. Cut all the "pieces" of the card out first and then arrange them here and there over the card before gluing/adhering everything down - that is a nice way of seeing where things go and what more are needed or not needed.
5. Use the TE gallery for a source of inspiration - all of the different stamp sets have so many different options for how they could be stamped and all of the different designers have such amazing styles! It is a great place to get started!!

It was so much fun to CASE the lovely Regina (and nerve racking to try to honor her amazing creativity!) and I can't wait to see how everyone on the TE team CASED everyone else!! What a fun hop - please hop along with me to check them out:

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

PS - here is the Cloud Border Die that I used in today's project:

    Saturday, December 15, 2012

    Happy Birthday Cardset

    Hi Everyone,

    December is a busy month - lots of holiday planning and activitties as well as lots of December birthdays. I created two cards using the "happy birthday" sentiment from the You Take The Cake stamp set with the rose from the New Beginnings stamp set.  I used some leftover paper from EP Victorian Garden for the DPs in the card and then found some matching cardstock. The rose was stamped in three different shades of ink and then hand cut out and the leaf dies are from the Leafy Branch die. I added some liquid pearls to the outline of the dark pink cardstock and some white pearls under the sentiment:

    The sentiment was stamped in the oval die and layered in the oval die's coordinating Labels Stacklets 3 dies which was layered into the Frame It Up 1 die. Here is a close up of the card:
    Card Ingredients:
    Stamps: Sentiment from the You Take the Cake stamp set, Rose from the New Beginnings stamp set
    Paper: pink cardstocks from stash, DP from Victorian Garden from EP
    Inks: Memento Rose Bud, Angel Kiss,  and Chalk Ink Berrylicious
    Taylored dies: Frame it Up 1 die, Label Stacklets 3, Leafy Die
    Accessories: corner chomper, liquid pearls, pearls, butterfly punch from MS, Spellbinders and dimensionals


    I love that the New Beginnings stamp set has a rose that can stamp solid or can be colored in - this is one of my most favorite sets - the sentiments touch my heart everytime...

    Thank you for stopping by today -
    Big hugs,
    Sankari


    PS - Here are the dies used in today's project:

    Saturday, December 8, 2012

    Taylored Expressions December Release Spotlight Hop

     HI Everyone!

    Weclome to the December Release Spotlight Hop from Taylored Expressions where today we are hopping around and seeing what gorgeous creations the designers have created with this amazing December Release!!!

    Today for my project I used the super Chic set Bonjour Couture illustrated by Nancy McKinney that comes with coordinating dies for the two forms. I used both of them in my card with some extra paper from my September Key Ingredients kit from TE (these Key Ingredients are awesome!! so easy to keep this coordinating!!) Here is my card using the set and the dies:

    I can't wait to see what all the amazing designers have created for today's hop! Please hop along with me and stop by the Taylored Expressions store for all the deals and steals that Taylor has in store for you!


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

    Friday, December 7, 2012

    TE December Petite-a-Palooza Embracing Grace



    HI Everyone,

    Welcome to the Taylored Expressions December Release Week Petite-A-Palooza !! Today, we are continuing our parade of peeks showing all the fun stamps that were just released on Thursday - all of these stamps are a cute petite size and are perfect stocking stuffers for any crafty friends or even just to keep for yourself! Today, I made my card using the sweet stamp set: Tea-riffic set illustrated by Emily Burger. This petite comes with one die to cut out the tea cups and this set's sentiments which also coordinates with the Mini Tags die set

    I love the stacked up tea cups and I love cutting it out with the dies because it cuts out the inside of the handles too!! I cut out two sets of stacked up tea cups with the dies and then paper pieced some of the tea cups with the Indie Chic Ginger and colored in the others with copics (love the polka dot cups!!). After coloring them, I added a little glossy accents on the cups:

    Card Ingredients:
    Paper: Indie Chic Ginger and Buttercream cardstock
    Stamps: Tea-rrific from Taylored Expressions
    Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and copics
    Accessories: Labels Stacklets 2, bling, Small Border Scallop die, white gel pen, Small scallop border die from Taylored Expressions, Glossy Accents, satin ribbon from stash and liquid pearls.

    I cut out the sentiment with the Labels Stacklets die 2 and then created a mat for the sentiment with the larger stacklets and lined it with some liquid pearls. I love this tea-rrific stamp set ;) and can't wait to see everyone's projects today - please hop around and check them out with me:



    Thank you for stopping by today! 
    Please hop by tomorrow for the TE spotlight hop!
    Big hugs,
    Sankari :)

    PS - here are the dies that I used in today's project:


    Thursday, December 6, 2012

    Taylored Expressions December Release Day!!!

    HI Everyone,

    Welcome to the Taylored Expressions December Release Week Petite-A-Palooza !! Today all the petite stamp sets are in the store ready for purchase!!! Woohoo!! There are so many new sets and so many coordinating dies - its making me dizzy with glee!!

    Today I have a project using new Moka on the block: Moka Nancy, illustrated by the talented Nancy McKinney! I love this set - Moka Nancy is SO cute! I colored her with copics and then cut her out with Labels Stacklets 1 (and then trimmed the sides. I used the same Labels to cut out papers from the My Mind's Eye: Indie Chic Nutmeg that I then put Moka Nancy on top of the Labels mat. I paper pieced the knitting stamp set on two different design pieces of paper and then layered them together on one side of the card. I added the tag: "Knitting keeps us from unraveling" on a tag and hung it from the other side of the card and added some liquid pearls and rhinestones for a little bling:

    Card ingredients:
    Paper: Indie Chic Nutmeg (from MME)
    Stamps: Moka Nancy from Taylored Expressions
    Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Navy Blue
    Accessories: twine, dimensionals, copics, Label Stacklets 1, bling, liquid pearls, ribbon from stash and corner chomper.


    And the previously released stamp set: You Take the Cake set (illustrations from all the different TE designers) with so many fun cakes and sentiments! Here is a project that I created that I posted a little while ago - a little set of birthday cards - some with sentiments and some without - ready for the next birthday that I forgot to make a birthday card for ;) - This sweet cake is just so adorable!! Now this set is also available for purchase today:
     



    Can't wait to see all the gorgeous creations from today's amazing designers!! Please hop over with me and check them out!!




    Wednesday, December 5, 2012

    Taylored Expressions December Sneak Peek

    HI Everyone,

    Welcome to the Taylored Expressions December Release Week Petite-A-Palooza which features stamp sets from all the TE illustrators! These little petite stamp sets are the perfect stocking stuffers and they will make the sweetest little present for all your crafty friends (or just for you ;)!! The BEST part of this release is that there are coordinating dies that will also be released with most of the stamp sets! That makes it soooo awesome to stamp and die cut all at once!!!

    For today's projects - I am using two new petites: the stamp set: Splish Splash (illustrated by Emily Birder and come with 2 dies) and Sunny Days (illustrated by Nancy McKinney and comes with 4 coordinating dies) - both of which are the cutest stamp set!!!

    For my Splish Splash Card, I created a little scene using the previously released Bird and Branch dies (set of 5 dies) and sponged some clouds with the Cloud Border Edge die and then cut it out with my circle Spellbinders. I cut out the cute birdies in the Splish Splash stamp set and paper pieced and colored the other with copics. I used the Miss Caroline (Dilly Dally) papers from MME for the paper piecing and for the card. I added some little hearts with some bling on one side and the sentiment: "you make my heart sing" on the other side:

    Card Ingredients:PaperMiss Caroline (Dilly Dally) from My Mind's Eye and Snowwhite Cardstock
    Stamps: Splish Spash from Taylored Expressions
    Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa and Tuxedo Black
    Accessories: copics, Bird and Branches dies (set of 5), small heart punch (Fiskars), circle and scallop punch from SU, EK success border punch, liquid pearls, circle Spellbindders, Cloud Border Edge die and sponger, red ribbon grosgrain, bling and dimensionals



    For my second project, I used the Sunny Days stamp set and created a project where I painted a box and created a mail holder for all our mail. 


    BEFORE PICTURES:
    I found a wooden box for a quarter at a garage sale last week and I couldn't wait to paint it and alter it a little. After I started painting, I remembered that I hadn't taken a before picture - so here are some before pictures of me painting the box: It started out as this lavender box with some painted flowers on the front - it seemed like the perfect mail holder size - so I got (for a quarter!! woohoo!!) and painted it a mixture of orange and red (I liked that the orange streaks kinda show up in the red at random). As you can see I am a Fly-By-The-Seat-of-My-Pants kinda painter - just right there on the floor with a grocery bag to catch the paint spills :)

    After I painted the box, I added some papers from the Indie Chic Ginger papers from TE and then adhered a picture of my wee ones using the Label Stacklets 2 dies and then added the sweet sun using the Sunny Days stamp set and the cooridnating dies with the sentiment - you are my sunshine on the other side. I stamped the sun and then added another layer using the die that I layered the stamp sun over and then added a button with twine to the center. I also added a little string of hearts on one side and some liquid pearls around the edges. I covered the box with some ModPodge to protect the picture and the papers. Here are some pictures of box from different angles and a closer peek at the sun:



    Here is a closer picture of the end project:

    Project Ingredients:Wooden Box UpCycled
    (Paint: small Acrylic paint bottles in red and orange)
    Papers: Indie Chic Ginger (My Mind's Eye) 
    Stamps: Sunny Days stamp set from Taylored Expressions
    Inks: Memento Dandelion and Rich Cocoa
    Accessories: Cloud border die, chunky glitter, buttons and twine from stash, liquid pearls, EK border punch, Mod Podge


    I can't wait to see what all the lovely ladies have created!!! There will be inspiration everyday this week through Saturday and everything will be ready for purchase tomorrow!! Hop around with me and check out all the projects today:

    Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll check out the rest of the blog along our hop for more inspiring holiday tag ideas!

    Thanks for stopping by today!
    Hugs

    Sankari :)



      


    Friday, November 23, 2012

    Black Friday Blog Hop & TE Studio Challenge


    HI Everyone,

    Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all things big and small, family and friends and to be part of the wonderful global crafting family! As today is the start of Black Friday - we are going to celebrate that with the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge and a BIG Black Friday Sale at Taylored Expressions! 

    Today, Taylor will be releasing a brand new set of Stacklets: Labels Stacklets 3 - which coordinates with the Frame it Up 1 die - so when you are shopping today - you get to buy these dies as part of the sale!! Woohoo!!!

    Each month, the Taylored Expressions design team has a  Studio Challenge  where we answer a question and create a project based on a challenge. So the challenge question for November is:

    As crafters, we often talk about a hand-crafted Christmas. How much stamping do you do for the holidays?  Do you mail hand-stamped cards, make gift packaging, tags, handmade gifts?  Or do you stamp year-round, but not so much for Christmas?  Please show us some handmade tags and share a tip or two on how to keep stamping fun for the holidays.

    How much stamping do you do for the holidays? 
    Well for me, the holiday season starts right around the time I have to make costumes for Halloween! And then we celebrate Diwali (the Indian Festival of Lights) which is a super busy time around the same time as Thanksgiving, and then after that comes so many family birthdays in the month of December and teacher appreciation gifts for the holidays and then traveling to go see family for Christmas - it is a super crazy busy time - so the answer is - I stamp as much as I can - but it never seems to be enough!!! LOL! I must need to figure out a way to make the days last longer!

    Do you mail hand-stamped cards, make gift packaging, tags, handmade gifts?
    My favorite is to make handmade gifts - I love making special things for family and friends and then wrap them with handmade tags. There are a few friends that I send their handmade tags, presents and cards in the mail (always cutting it close at the post office!!).

    Do you stamp year-round but not so much for Christmas?
    I used to stamp year round for Christmas - but as the kids have grown up it hasn't been easy to keep a regular stamping schedule... but I love my stamp therapy and hope to stamp for Christmas year round this year! :)

    Tips for stamping during/for the holidays:

    Ha! I am not much of a tip person - but here are a few things that work for me:

    • Making lists always helps - I have categories of kids, teachers, family and friends and that helps in figuring out how many tags/cards I need to make - which makes mass producing them way easier. I can try to do all the kids stuff in one day and the same for teachers and friends. The family ones take a bit longer for personalizing each one
    • Coming up with a layout, figuring out your papers ahead of time - this is always why it takes me 4 hours to make a card - because I am constantly trying to figure what I want to do and what supplies I need. Once the layout is decided - then its easy to start mass producing - 
    • Tupperware containers :) - I keep a box or two of tupperware containers by my craft area - anything that I finish goes right in the box - otherwise what usually happens is that it gets lost somewhere on my craft desk :) I have another longer container ( 8x11 size) for projects that aren't finished yet - so that all the little pieces of a project don't get lost. The tags below were made over 3 days - one day was die cutting the labels, the next in the snowflake die cutting and assembly, and the last in putting together and stamping. After each step, I just put it in my container and take it out the next day - so that my craft desk doesn't swallow my projects :)
    • I would love to hear your tips for stamping during the holidays! Please let me know what works for you - I am always on the lookout for ideas and helpful hints!

    Let It Snow Tags:

    For today's studio challenge, I made a set of tags using the newest stacklets: Labels Stacklets 3 and the awesome set of snowflake dies: Make a Snowflake (which die cuts: 6 different dies) with the stamp set: the Cool Crowd. Here are what the tags looked like:


    I started by die cutting the largest of the stacklets in white and embossed it with some large dots - and then layering the stacklets with the Frame It Up 1. One tip when using the Make a Snowflake die set is to run all the dies at once (not to separate them into individual dies) - by doing this - just run the die set through your die cutting machine only a few times and you have a choice of snowflakes to assemble together. I picked two snowflakes to put together and assembled them with a little dimensional in between and then with a button on the center from the Teal Ice button collection. I wrapped some twine, added a line of liquid pearls and then stamped the little birdie and sentiment from the Cool Crowd stamp set for each tag. I LOVE the font on this sentiment - it feels so jolly :) And the little cutie bird is too sweet with his hat!!

    The snowflake was adhered to vellum and then the whole tag was tied with some White Glimmer ribbon - here is another picture of all the tags - I LOVED making these tags - and can't wait to make more!! Can't believe the year is almost over and the holiday season is really upon us!!!


    Tag Recipe:
    StampsThe Cool Crowd
    Inks: Memento Teal Zeal and Tuxedo Black (copics for the little birdie)
    Papers: Bazzill cardstock and kraft
    Accessories: Labels Stacklets 3Frame it Up 1 dieMake A Snowflake dies (set of 6), Teal Ice buttons, twine, dimensionals, eyelets, White Glimmer ribbon and Cuttlebug embossing folder:

    Please check out all the wonderful tips, hints and tag creations from the wonderful Baker's Dozen!
    AND - to kick off Black Friday, Taylor is offering a HUGE Black friday sale starting NOW! Please check out Taylor's Blog for all the details - you won't want to miss this!!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    For all my US friends - have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! 
    Grateful for all of you!
    Big hugs, 
    Sankari :)

    PS - here are the dies used in today's project: Make A Snowflake Set of 6 Dies and Frame it Up 1 die and Label Stacklets 3:

    Taylored Expressions November Release Spotlight Day!!!

    Hi Everyone!
    All of the brand new awesome stamps and dies that we have been sneak peeking this week are available at the Taylored Expressions store!! You can check out all the new products at the Fresh Out of the Oven Department!

    For my project today, I created a little home decor block using the Mega Leaves dies with some cardstock and the image from the Simple Stories DP (from my October Key Ingredients Kit). I painted a wooden block a copper brown color and then die cut the leaves with some colored cardstock and then sponged the edges with a little bit of brown. I love these dies and the impressions that they make are nice and deep. My favorite was die cutting some gold paper that I then crumpled up. The sentiment is from the 6x6 Simple Stories paper pack that was part of the October Key Ingredients kit added the sentiment to the block with some dimensionals and then added a scalloped border to either side of the images. I finished it off with some red ribbon (2 different size bows) to the top that I also wound around the block. I love seeing this little home decor block every time I come home!
    Project Ingredients:
    Paper: Simple Stories Harvest Lane and different colored card stock
    Accessories: Mega Leaves dies from TE, ribbon, paint, wooden block, Small Scallop die and liquid pearls

    I can't wait to see all the lovely projects that these amazing ladies have created using all these lovely stamps and dies!!!  Please hop along with me and check them out!!






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