Your Sweet New Place by Charmaine Ikach

One of my favorite things to do with my stamps is to find other ways to use them, or to use them "out of the box". When I was playing with the new Window Shopping set from Taylored Expressions, I discovered something interesting that I wanted to share! I had stamped the one window on a smaller piece of paper in order to layer onto a card. I went on to pick out paper and when I went to look for my stamped window, the paper had been turned upside down on my desk and I looked at it and thought "Hey, that looks like an aquarium!" And so this idea was born! So, I colored the "aquarium" and the "gravel" on the bottom. Then I inked and stamped the fish from the Fish in Love stamp. None of the sentiments from the Animals in Love Sentiments set conveyed the message I wanted to get across with my discovery, so I started looking at all of my Taylored Expressions stamp sets and came across Sweet Occasions. How perfect would "Congrats on your sweet new place" be for two fish who bought a new aquarium! LOL Anyway, I thought it was a cute new way to congratulate someone on a new house. . .and another way you can use your windows in the Window Shopping set! Hope you enjoyed my tip!

Snowman Soup by Charmaine Ikach

Each year at this time, I try to come up with some type of holiday treat I can mass produce for my girls to take to school for their classmates. Each year I try to keep it cute but very simple! I never seem to have the time I expected to have to create the treats! As I went shopping to look for candy that looked festive, I couldn't find anything that I liked or if I liked it, it wasn't safe for Savannah's allergies. We were on our way to the cashier when I saw it and decided on the treat. . .a box of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate packets! I picked up some mini marshmallows and mini candy canes, and I was all set to make some SNOWMAN SOUP!

The most time consuming part of assembling the treats was the coloring, and that didn't take all that long! I put both the image and sentiment on one block, so I only had to stamp each piece once. I used the Snowman Cuppie from the Home Sweet Home set, and the sentiment is from the old Tag Treats set.

First I filled resealable treat bags with a packet of hot chocolate, a handful of mini marshallows and two mini candy canes.

Next I stamped, punched and colored all of the images, cut the belly bands and added foam dimensional adhesive to the backs of the scallop circles and Scor-Tape to the end of the belly bands.

Finally, I wrapped the belly bands around the packets and attached the snowman to the front! Easy peasy! The kids just loved them. . .and that's the important thing, right? SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Home Sweet Home, Tag Treats (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Pure Poppy, True Black (PTI), Choice Snow White (Taylored Expressions); Accessories- treat bags, Jumbo and Mega circle and scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida), Copic markers

Holiday Luminary by Charmaine

When I was thinking of what to create for my post today, I remembered something I wanted to do when I created this project a month ago. I wanted to create a luminary using this house image.


When I was a little girl, I remember many Christmas Eves at my grandparent's house. My grandma had this church that used to sit on the mantle. It was a wind-up musical church. There was a light inside that glowed through the faux stained glass windows. It played Christmas carols like Silent Night and Away in a Manger and I spent many Christmas Eves winding it up and listening as I watched the glow through the windows and imagined a little village with little people. . .I had quite an imagination growing up! :) Anyway, when I created my little box last month, I knew I wanted to re-vamp it and create a luminary box!



The first thing I did was cut all of the windows from the image using a craft knife.









The next thing I did was stamp the house image from Holiday Wonder on a piece of vellum.















I cut the window sections from the vellum.







Then I adhered the vellum windows behind the cut out windows.














I didn't have another of the tall gable favor boxes, so I opened up and traced the one I had onto brown cardstock. I cut off the top tabs so that the box would be flat on top. Before assembling the box I cut out the front portion that would be hidden behind the house image.












I assembled the box and inserted my battery-operated tea light.













I attached the house image to the front of the box and there you have it! A cute little luminary that hopefully will give my girls lots of the special memories that I have! Can't you just imagine little Cuppie and family inside all toasty in front of the fire opening presents? LOL The tea light flickers, so it really does look like a fire is going inside! Hope you enjoyed my project and try one yourself!

TEBB Challenge #4 - Hosted by Charmaine

Are you having fun with the challenges yet? I hope so! I'm bringing you challenge #4 in the Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash (TEBB). . .a color challenge! It's no surprise that I LOVE bright, happy, fun colors that make me smile!


The colors for my color challenge are (in Prism colors) Intense Kiwi, Nautical Blue Light, Sunflowers Medium. You can find this color pick HERE in the store! Of course, if you don't have Prism papers, use like colors in the brand that you do have!

So how do you participate?

CHALLENGE: Use Intense Kiwi, Nautical Blue Light and Sunflowers Medium (or like colors) on your creation. You can find the Prism Color Pick HERE.

KEYWORD: Upload your creation to your blog or online gallery (or both). If you’re uploading to online galleries, use the keyword TEBBCI. Come back to this challenge and leave a comment with a direct link to your creation! In order to be eligible for the prizes, you must leave a comment with a link to your card by midnight PST Wednesday, September 9th.

PRIZE: I will choose my favorite creation from among all the participants and mail you the card I created for this challenge along with a $10.00 gift certificate to the TE Store!

GRAND PRIZE: One random person who participates in ALL 13 of our Birthday Bash challenges will receive a $50 gift certificate to the TE Store in addition to an 8x10 custom watercolor Cuppie painting by our very own Jessie Oleson! Click here to check out all of Jessie's adorable artwork at her Etsy Shop. Once you complete and link all 13 challenges, send an email to tayloredexpressions@gmail.com to be eligible for our grand prize! Just include your name and “I completed all 13 challenges!”


I can't wait to see what you create! For my card, I used the Season's Sweetings and Home Sweet Home sets from Taylored Expressions. I'm not a big fan of winter and the cold weather that comes along with it, but I just LOVE sunny days in the winter and how the sun sparkles off of the snow! These colors remind me of that and would bring warmth and cheer to anyone during those cold months, or it would just be a perfect Christmas card for someone on your list who lives in a warm, sunny place!

Enjoy the Birthday Bash and I look forward to seeing your creations!

Make It Yourself Gift

Did you ever need a gift for someone who's crafty and likes to create things themselves? When I'm thinking about gifts for someone who makes cards themselves or likes to do crafts, I feel like a pre-made card set is boring. I'm sure they'd appreciate it anyway, but I like to change things up a bit.

The project I have to share with you today has all the pieces for the recipient to put together their own card set! I've started off with one of the Perfect Package Card Boxes from Taylored Expressions. These make the packaging so easy! All I did was add some patterned paper to the top and sides of the box and wrap it with a BIG bow!

The inside of the box contains all of the pieces for someone to put together their own cards. There are:

-six 4.25" square card bases

- six 4 1/8"x 2 1/8" pieces of cardstock and patterned paper for a layer

- six image/sentiment pieces

- six scallop circles to matte the image/sentiment pieces

- foam dimensional adhesive

-Tombow adhesive

-six envelopes.

Here's what a finished card looks like. Of course, the recipient can make it "their" way and even add things (like ribbon or other embellishments) that weren't included in the package. If not, the cards are simple and cute as is.

The envelopes didn't fit in the bottom of the box because of the little "divider" I created, so I made a little pocket on the lid to hold them!

For the divider, I took an 8"x 4 1/2" piece of white cardstock and scored the 8" side at 4 1/2", 5 5/8" and 6 7/8". "Mountain and valley" the folds and add some adhesive to the inside of the "mountain" to make the divider and insert into the box.

For the envelope pocket I took a 10 3/4" x 3" piece of cardstock and scored the 10 3/4" side at 2" and 2 1/2" from each end, then score one end of the 3" side at 1/2". Fold on all score lines, cut tabs and remove end squares from 1/2" section and adhere pocket to lid.

Insert all of the pieces into the box and affix ribbon and tag and you've got a gift that anyone would love! I hope you've enjoyed my project today! Thanks for stopping to see it! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Berries & Cherries (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Berries & Cherries Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions); Accessories- Copic markers, Perfect Package Card Box (Taylored Expressions), circle and scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida), Ticket Corner punch (SU)

Life Is Good

As a mom with children of (or nearing) preschool age, I'm always looking for new ways to package little treats to send with them to school. My kids LOVE Swedish Fish, so I thought I'd create a summery treat incorporating fish. The Beach Bum set was perfect for this project. I used the Matchbox Bigz die from Stampin' Up along with paper from the Beach Bum Key Ingredients to create my little treat. I stamped the palm tree on colored cardstock and cut it out, layering the top twice and adding some Parisian Mist glitter. I also added some Nut Brown Flower Soft to ground the palm tree and add more of a "beach" feel.

I could barely finish the project and take a picture before my daughter took the matchbox for her very own! :) Hopefully you've been inspired to create a treat that's different than your norm and makes your kids or grandkids eager to get their hands on it! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Beach Bum (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- Beach Bum Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), acetate; Accessories- Parisian Mist Glitter (Taylored Expressions), Nut Brown Flower Soft, 1 3/4" circle punch, Matchbox Bigz die (SU);

A Little Sunshine

When I was thinking about what to create for today's blog post, I thought it would be nice to make something simple and inexpensive, but that could be HUGE for the recipient. Back when the Target $1 spot had these little planters, I bought a bunch of the Sunflower pots because that is my favorite flower. When Taylored Expressions came out with the Faith & Hope set, I immediately fell in love with this particular sentiment. I thought it would be perfect for a little gift of encouragement or just to say "I'm thinking about you!" It was especially perfect for this little sunflower pot. I used the Flowers Cuttlebug die to create the sunflower embellishment and covered it with Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft. The ribbon and papers are all from the Beach Bum Key Ingredients. Perfectly packaged in a small cello bag, this little gift is ready to bring some sunshine to somebody special! Thanks for dropping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Faith & Hope (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Dark Brown Chalk Ink (Colorbox), Burnt Umber (Palette); Paper- Beach Bum Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions); Accessories- cello bag (Darice), Plain and Scallop Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Flower Cuttlebug die (Provocraft), ribbon from Beach Bum Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft (Flower Soft)

For My Little Man

Let me start by saying that I do not sew! LOL I have always wanted to try embroidering a stamped image on a shirt. When I saw the Boys Will Be Boys set, I knew it would be perfect for this! I used the golf image and the ties from the set. I stamped them on the tshirts in light blue ink so that I would have a "pattern" to follow. I have to admit, I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was, so I have a new respect for those of you who can REALLY embroider! Let's just say, I'll stick to stamping! :)



Since I wanted to make these for my son, Isaac, who is almost 18 months old, I added my own sentiments to fit the images. I just handwrote them and stitched over the handwriting. The golf shirt says "putt putt" (meant in more ways than one LOL), and the ties shirt says "little man", which is what I call Isaac all the time, "my little man." I think they'll be cute on him. . .kind of playful.

After I finished all of the stitching, I decided I wanted to package them so I used a template I had purchased previously. The paper is from the Father's Day Key Ingredients, as well as the ribbon and button. I used a partial sentiment from the Boys Will Be Boys set for the tag. I created an acetate sleeve to slide the box into so the shirts would be nice and secure.


Hope you enjoyed my project! Make sure you hop on over to Taylored Expressions today for the release of the new stamps, the Father's Day Key Ingredients and the Boys Will Be Boys Bundle!! They are available NOW! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Boys Will Be Boys (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Ocean Tides (PTI); Paper- acetate, Father's Day Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions); Accessories- embroidery thread, Desk Top Organizer Template (PTI), ribbon, button from Father's Day Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), oval and scallop oval punches (SU)

Egg-stra Special

During the sneak peeks, you may have seen the egg box I made for a dozen Cadbury Mini Eggs. Well, Taylor asked if I thought the Taylored Expressions Window Favor Boxes would work for an egg box, and they work perfectly! As a matter of fact, it makes it MUCH easier because you don't have to fuss with measuring and cutting the box! All you have to know is how to create the egg insert!





So, here you go:


1. Cut a piece of cardstock measuring 5 3/4" x 3 1/2" and score the two ends at 1/4". (this will make the "inside" length of your egg insert 5 1/4" and able to fit inside the favor box)













2. Flip the cardstock over to the underside and measure and mark at the following:

The 5 1/4" side - 3/4", 1 15/16", 3 5/16" and 4 1/2" (make sure you measure from the score line you made and NOT from the edge of the paper)


The 3 1/2" side - 1/2", 1 3/4" and 3"

3. Now center your 5/8" circle punch at the intersections of the measured lines you drew and punch out your circles.

4. For the two middle, end circles, fold the 1/4" scored end before punching to enable the punch to reach.

5. Double stack dimensional tape on the underside of your insert. This helps to keep the center from "drooping" and keeps the insert in place.

6. Place insert into box.

7. Add eggs and embellish center as desired.

8. Embellish outside of box, add some acetate to the inside of the window and tie with ribbon!

I hope this helped you to create a simple and quick little Easter treat!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sweet Spring (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- Pink Pirouette (SU), Easter Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), acetate; Accessories- Copic markers, Plain and Scallop Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, 5/8" circle punch (Marvy Uchida), white grosgrain from Easter Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), window favor box

Teacher Gift

When I was thinking about a project to create for today's post, I thought a teacher's gift would be a cute idea and something that I'll be needing soon! This is a card and a box containing some supplies for a teacher. I used the A Year of Sweets 3 and A Year of Sweet Sentiments sets. The box I used is the Window Box that you can find at Taylored Expressions. I used the Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug folder on the lid before assembling the box, and then I added a little frame around the window with Plain and Scallop Oval Nestabilities and some acetate behind the window. Here's a view of the inside of the box.

I put a sticky note pad, paperclips and push pins in the box. If you notice, I created a little divider to separate the paperclips and push pins. I cut a 4 1/2"x 1 13/16" piece of green cardstock and scored it at 1 1/2", 2" and 2 1/2".

Glue the "mountain" fold together and attach inside the box and add sticky notes, push pins and paperclips.

As far as the frame around the window in the box, I used two Plain Oval Nestabilites for the outside part of the frame and Scallop Oval and Plain Oval Nestabilities on foam dimensionals for the inner part of the frame. If you've never made a frame using your Nestabilities, it's really very simple. Just take two different sized dies that nest (along with the paper and cutting pads) and run it through your die cutting machine according to the instructions for your particular machine. Here is a picture of how the dies should look before going through the machine.

I use a Cuttlebug, so the dies would actually be ridge side up. (They're pictured ridge side down so that you can see how they are nested). For the Cuttlebug, your sandwich for cutting would be Plate A, Plate C, Spellbinders dies ridge side up, paper/cardstock, Plate B.

And there you have your teacher gift set! If you haven't tried the favor boxes available at Taylored Expressions. . .trust me, you will LOVE them! They make an adorable little project quick and simple!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- A Year of Sweet 3, A Year of Sweet Sentiments (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black, Versamark (Tsukineko); Paper- Prism, Dark Chocolate (PTI); Accessories- Copic markers, double stitched grosgrain in Wild Wasabi (SU), Distressed Strips Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), Plain Oval and Scallop Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Happy "Heart" Day!

Remember a couple of months back when I created this Cupcake Kit? Well, I thought for this post I would actually MAKE the mini cupcakes rather than just give the dry ingredients as a gift. I made the Origami Box that was featured for one of the Technique Lover's Challenges on Splitcoaststampers a couple of weeks back. I added my own little insert to hold the cupcakes inside.

I've included a mini-tutorial for how I created the cupcake insert. The directions for the Origami Box can be found by following the link above.

Cupcake Insert

1. Start by cutting a 5" square piece of cardstock.

2. Score at 1/2" on all four sides.

3. After making the score lines, punch out 5 circles from scrap paper using the 1 3/8" circle punch from Stampin' Up. Arrange these circles on the 5" square piece of cardstock (inside the score lines) for spacing.

4. Once you are happy with how they are spaced, use temporary adhesive to hold them in place while you trace them.

5. Remove the scrap circles and then use the 1 3/8" circle punch to punch out the four corner circles using the traced circles as your guide.

6. Cut on ONE of the 1/2" score lines at each corner so that you can fold them and attach the "tab" behind the neighboring side. Attach your sentiment circle over the center traced circle. NOTE: If you happen to cut out the little squares at each corner, it's okay! The insert will still stand in the box, just not alone. Having the little tabs and connecting them to the neighboring sides just reinforces the insert stand.

7. Place insert inside box and add mini cupcakes!

I have a mini muffin pan that makes 12 mini cupcakes at a time. . .that's enough mini cupcakes for 3 of these gift boxes! The origami box doesn't take too much time to make. . .it's the embellishing of the box! :) You could be working on your boxes while your muffins are baking! I used the Love Is Sweet set for the image on the front of the box, and the Tag Treats set for the sentiment inside. You can make the box as decorated or as plain as you like. The recipient will be just tickled with the mini sweetness that's inside! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Love Is Sweet, Tag Treats (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Pure Poppy (PTI); Paper- Valentine Key Ingredients, Choice Snow White cardstock (Taylored Expressions), brown and rose cardstock (DCWV); Accessories- Copic markers, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop border punch, scallop circle punch (SU), heart brads, grosgrain ribbon from Valentine Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), Scallop Heart and Plain Heart Nestabilities (Spellbinders).