Cookie Treats by Karen Motz

I have a quick little treat to share with you today and it was inspired by the fantastic new Bakery Business set.

I baked some cookies yesterday and was thinking of my Bakery Business set as I was mixing the batter. Then once the cookies were baked and cool I thought it would be fun to package up a few to give to my friends. I used the diaper fold pouch tutorial on Splitcoast for the cookie holder.

The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and cut out with circle Nestabilities. I coloured it with copics and added fun details like a glossy cherry on the cupcake and pink Tiny Twinkles for the earrings and necklace.

The patterned papers I chose for the pouches are all from the My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow collection. To fit my cookies I started with a 7 inch square of patterned paper. The "Diet starts tomorrow..." sentiment cracks me up and it seemed like the perfect sentiment for a little cookie treat!

Do you get the latest news from Taylored Expressions? If not, be sure to sign up for the TE Newsletter (on the sidebar) so you're always "in the know" about new products, tips and specials.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Turtally In Love Anniversary Card by Jackie Pedro

Hi there! It's Jackie here to show you that the ADORABLE new Animals in Love stamps from Taylored Expressions aren't just for Valentine's Day!

My husband is probably like most husbands...he TOLERATES my stamping addiction! Yes, he complains that I spend too much time in my craft area and on the computer, but he LOVES to critique my cards! LOL! AND whenever he needs a card he always turns to my stash! He won't admit it, but I know he loves that I have hobby that I truly enjoy.

My husband and I will be celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary in the next few months so I decided to make him an anniversary card using some of HIS favorite things!

So I bet you're wondering what his favorites might be? Well, you're looking at it! He loves whimsical animal stamps. He'd take that over a flower ANY day! He loves Kraft cardstock, the color green, buttons and he especially loves when I sew on my cards! (he really wishes I'd using the sewing machine for something useful, like hemming and such, but he settles for cards! LOL!) He could probably do without the bow, but I couldn't resist!

I stamped the turtles in Memento Tuxedo Black in onto Choice Buttercream, colored them in with Copic markers and while the die was still in place I sponged some Spring Moss ink (PTI) around the edges. The DP is the new Garden Variety from Cosmo Cricket.

Here is a view of the inside of the card. I continued with some more of the dp and added the "I'm TURTALLY in love with you" sentiment (from Animal Love Sentiments). I know he's going to love it!

Cherry On Top by Laurie Schmidlin

Good morning! It's Laurie, and I'm so excited to share something creative with you here! :-)

Ok...it's confession time for me! I "may" have a slight issue (read: major problem) with hoarding! I know, I know...it's such an unheard of problem in the stamping community right? LOL! Come on, I KNOW I can't be alone!!

Well, I decided that my wonderful and much loved supplies aren't doing me any good sitting in drawers! So, today I decided that not only am I going to actually USE them (GASP! :-), but I was going to use my most favorite ones first!

October Afternoon patterned paper (Cherry Hill), Cupcake chipboard, sparkle, rhinestones...these are all very high on my most treasured list! :-) I even used my favorite Taylored Expressions stamp set - Sprinkled With Love!

Here's a close-up of the chipboard cupcake and tag! I have to to tell you...when I first "discovered" chipboard I was so excited about it! I bought lots of it...then it sat in my craft room collecting dust because I wasn't sure what to do with it! LOL! Now that I know how EASY it is to use, I can't get enough of it! :-) You can paint it with acrylic paint (like I did with the cupcake top), cover it with solid or patterned paper (like I did on the cherry, heart, and cupcake bottom), or you can even leave it plain! Anyway you decide to use it, chipboard is fun way to add that "special something" to your projects!

I hope I have inspired you to not just "hoard" your favorite papercrafting goodies...but to use them, and have fun doing it! :-) ~Laurie

Stamps: Sprinkled With Love (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Choice Buttercream c.s., October Afternoon patterned paper (Cherry Hill), Kraft c.s., Berry Sorbet c.s.
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Antique Linen Distress Ink
Other: Velvet Heart Trim, Berry Sorbet satin ribbon, Dew Drops, Cupcake Chipboard (Maya Road), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Sewing Machine, Acrylic paint, Paper piercer

NOEL by Karen Motz

Happy Thanksgiving to all the US readers!!! Today is a day to spend with family and friends enjoying a wonderful meal, but tomorrow marks the official start of the Christmas Shopping season with Black Friday. So I created a project to help you get in the Christmas spirit.

I picked up these wood letters at my local craft store and I love that they stand up on their own. I gave them a few coats of white paint and once that was dry I misted each letter with Iridescent Pearls Maya Mist for a little sparkle and shimmer. To decorate the letters I used images from Wings of Joy and Holiday Wonder, both available at Taylored Expressions. I love how these two sets can mix and match.

I started by stamping the images with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White then I coloured them with copics. Then I started adding the little touches to really jazz up each image. The tree was decorated with Tiny Twinkles.

I coated the lights on the bird house with two layers of clear Glaze pen and added some sparkly snow to the bird house (white Liquid Applique topped with glitter before I puffed it).

The chipboard snowflake was coloured with a blue copic then I coated it with Waterfall Stickles and topped it with a button from my Whirligig pack.

The snowman received a hint of bling with a red Tiny Twinkle on his scarf.

I also made some quick paper trees to accent my word art. They were super simple...cut two triangles of the same size for each tree (my trees are 6, 5, and 4 inches tall). On one of the triangles, cut along the center line from the bottom to the mid-point. On the other triangle cut along the center line from the top to the mid-point. Then just slip them together...voila! No adhesive required and they'll fold flat for storage.

SALE ALERT!!!

Taylored Expressions is having a big sale this weekend in honour of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the two biggest shopping days of the year! The entire store is 15% off!!!! Just use the promotional code TEBlackFriday upon checkout to receive the discount. Also, Tiny Twinkles are buy 2 get 1 FREE, JustRite products are 50% off, and there are the sweetest new TE shirts and aprons!!!

So skip the lineups and save some time, money and gas by shopping at Taylored Expressions from the comfort of your own home this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Joy Christmas Planner - by Laurie Schmidlin

I don't know about you, but I need all the help I can get when it comes to staying organized...especially around the Holidays!! I kid you not, last year I had over 15 different lists in my purse...which I couldn't always find when I needed them! LOL! I decided that this year I would do things differently! So, when I saw these CUUUUUTE stamps in the new Wings of Joy set, I knew I wanted to make some kind of book/planner especially for all my Holiday "lists"!

I wanted to use some lined 3 x 5 index cards as my filler pages, so I created a cover and back slightly larger than those cards ( 3 1/4" x 5 1/4").

Here's a close up shot of the focal image on my book. I stamped the "Joy" image (from the Wings of Joy set) onto Choice Snow White cardstock using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then colored the images in with my Copics. For some extra sparkle, I added some Stickles to the bird's hat (Frosted Lace) and some to the Holly berries (Christmas Red). The chipboard snowflakes (included in the Christmas Key Ingredients kit) are painted with white acrylic paint and then covered in glitter. If there ever was time to add tons of bling to your projects, then Christmas is the time!! :-)

I added three "dividers" to the inside of my book (just read pieces of Prism c.s. that I cut to the same size as the index cards (3 x 5) and added oval "tabs" to.

I labeled my dividers family, friends, & home. That way, not only are my lists all contained in one place but they are even organized by section! Woohoo!!

Another way to get some wonderful ideas (both for gift giving and organization) is to sign up for the Taylored Expressions Newsletter! It's completely free and full of inspiring ideas!! Just enter your email address in the sign up box on the Taylored Expressions home page!

Stamps: Wings of Joy (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Choice Snow White c.s., Patterned paper (S.E.I.), Prims c.s.
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Accessories: Copic marker, Nestabilities, Fiskars punch, Sewing Machine, Stickles, Chipboard snowflakes, Oval punch, Ribbon

Popping in with a Yummy Treat! - by Karen Motz

When I thought about what to do for my project today I knew I wanted to do something with a Christmas theme. I thought back to my childhood and remembered sitting in the family room stringing popcorn with my brothers while my dad set up the tree. Half the popcorn ended up in our tummies instead of on the tree, but we sure had a great time!

So I decided to do a popcorn themed project. It started out in my mind as a "Tree Trimming Kit" (just add needle and thread) but it evolved more as a wonderful hostess gift. You could easily personalize this by replacing the 'JOY' with a specific person's name. Wouldn't it be fun to start a family tradition by giving each child their own bag of popcorn to string?!?

I started with a plain Kraft Bakery Bag as my base. I wanted it to be bright and cheery so I pulled out my Christmas Key Ingredients. I cut the pink cardstock to the size of the bag but I didn't want to fiddle with cutting out the window exactly as it is on the bag so I used my Labels 3 Nestabilities to create the opening in the pink cardstock.

The images are from Wings of Joy...I just love this set! I stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream and coloured them with copics.

The chipboard snowflakes were fun to alter. First I coloured the red one with a red copic then I covered it with Rockstar Red Sparkly Fluff (from the Christmas Key Ingredients). For the blue one, I coloured it with a blue copic then covered it with Waterfall Stickles. I layered them together and added a pink button from my Rhonna Christmas pack.

Of course you could use these bags for cookies, chocolates, even a small gift! How would you embellish a Kraft Bakery Bag? I'm sure we can brainstorm plenty of fabulous ideas. :)

Don't forget to sign up for the TE Newsletter if you aren't already a subscriber.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

TEBB Challenge #2 Hosted by Karen M.

Welcome to Challenge #2 for the Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash! There are lots of fun challenges and fabulous prizes to celebrate Cuppie's 1st Birthday! We hope you'll play along in as many challenges as you can. Did you already start working on Taylor's challenge? Isn't her inspiration piece just yummy!

A new challenge will be posted each hour by our fabulous Baker's Dozen design team. We'll have a variety of challenges including sketch, technique, colour and inspiration. You'll have 5 days to complete these challenges and be eligible for the prizes.

My challenge is the first sketch challenge of the day and I've kept it clean and simple.

So what do you need to do to participate?

CHALLENGE: Create a card, scrapbook page or 3D item using the sketch. You're not required to use Taylored Expressions images for our challenges.

KEYWORD: Upload your creation to your blog or online gallery (or both). If you're uploading to online galleries, use the keyword TEBBKM. Then 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 favourite 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 $50.00 gift certificate to the TE Store in addition to an 8x10 custom watercolour 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 12 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".

Here's the sample I created using Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates.

I stuck with the simple layout but added plenty of detail and texture. The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream. The tire is paper pieced, the branch is covered with Espresso Dimensional Pearls, the leaves are popped for dimension and I added a swipe of Green Apple Smooch to each one after colouring them with copics. I pleated some paper and stitched the pleats down so they'd lie flat then added some ribbon. Lastly I added some Multicolour Twinkles for a little sparkle.

Thanks so much for playing along! I can't wait to see what you bake up with the sketch! Don't forget to check back every hour for a day full of the fun challenges!

Happy stamping!

Karen

Stamps: Branching Out, Branching Out Coordinates

Paper: Choice Buttercream, Prism Blush Red Medium, Prism Frosted Yellow, Prism Suede Brown Dark, My Mind's Eye PP

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: copics, circle Nestabilities, Espresso Dimensional Pearls, Green Apple Smooch, Multicolour Twinkles, foam tape, ribbon, sewing, scallop border punch.

Girls Night Out

Are you ready for a girls night out? Well if you're not, maybe this little project will get you there! How about a night in Margaritaville?

I knew when I saw the little circle from the Berries and Cherries set, it would be the perfect size to shrink for little wine charms, and that is where this little set got it's start. For each charm, I stamped the circle in Stazon Jet Black, then the lime image from Chillax inside the circle on clear shrink plastic. Then I turned the shrink plastic over, and coloured the limes with Sharpie markers, giving myself a little latitude in the colours of citrus fruits. I used the 1 3/4" circle punch to punch them out of the shrink plastic and a 1/4" hole punch to make the hole for the jump ring. I wanted them all to be fun bright colours, and easily identifyable so no one could lose their drink! The rings are earring hoops and the coordinating beads are from my vast stash.

I had in mind a fun ensemble, something to really get a party started, and since we'll all be drinking margaritas, a little salt (and lime!) was in order. I had an tin that had once held a stamp set, but I took the stamps out since I couldn't see them through the tin. I created a label with nestabilities and a belly band to tie it all together. I used the same images as in the charms, and coloured it with Copics. I added some stickles around the edge and on the cut lime slice. Inside is the salt for the rim of the margarita glass, and being a circle tin, it's just perfect for the job!

Finally I finished up with a little gift bag that makes this kind of a party in a bag ensemble! I covered the bag with Pink Passion and Kiwi Kiss cardstock, adding some designer paper from Basic Grey's "Lime Rickey" paper. Those little birds remind me of the little bobbing birds that used to be a popular decoration when I was younger. You don't see them much now, but I was fascinated by them as a kid! I stamped the margarita sentiment and images from Chillax in Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured them with Copic markers. Again, I added some stickles to the cut lime and along the edge of the margarita glass. The ribbon is the gorgeous Glimmer Twill from Taylored Expressions, and I added a few gems to finish it off!

Now how fun is that? I love these sets and the possibilities for projects is endless! I hope you have one in mind right now as we head toward the weekend! Make sure you take the time to Chillax and enjoy the last days of summer!

Recipe: Stamps: Chillax, Berries and Cherries (Taylored Expressions) Paper: Choice Snow White, Pink Passion, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Grey's "Lime Rickey" DP Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Accessories: Glimmer Twill ribbon, Patina and Crystal Stickles (Ranger), Scallop border punch (SU!), 1 3/4" circle punch, pop dots, Shrink Plastic (Judikins), Sharpie markers, Copic markers, earring hoops, beads

Taylored Expressions New Releases!

Woooohooo! The day you've been patiently waiting for has finally arrived... it's RELEASE DAY! I've got a ton of information to share with you so grab your favorite morning beverage (mine happens to be Mountain Dew *grin*) and settle in! Today we are releasing two new stamp sets, one Key Ingredients kit, two Bundle deals, and hundreds of other products "fresh out of the oven"! Hundreds!? Yep... I said hundreds! Taylored Expressions is now a proud retailer of Copic markers with over 125 colors to choose from along with a full line of Spica Glitter Pens. You can see all the new Copics here and check out the rest of our new products in the Fresh Out of the Oven category!

Berries & Cherries is one of our new additions to the Whimsical Wishes collection of stamps. Our illustrator, Nancy McKinney, hit it out of the park with this one! All of the images in this set are so 'berry' cute (yes... I know that was lame. lol)! In addition to these adorable stamps, we're also offering the Berries & Cherries Bundle. I have hand-selected all of the items in this bundle to coordinate with the images in the stamp set. You get an opportunity to try a little bit of everything at a terrific discount! You can see all the products included in the Bundle in the picture above. For the list-makers among us, you can see a list of all the products included in the graphic below. And for those of you wondering what you can create with the items included in the bundle you can check out my cards below. I used cardstock, patterned paper, and ribbon from the Berries & Cherries Key Ingredients. In addition, I used the 1 3/4" circle punch (which is the size that fits the circle in the Berries & Cherries stamp set), Espresso Dimensional Pearls (to create the yummy dripping chocolate look on the strawberries). You also don't want to miss the fantastic strawberry and cherry pewter charms included in the bundle. You can see them in the photo above... they are so cute!




















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Chillax, another stamp set in our Whimsical Wishes collection, is the second in our August Release! This set is so cute I can hardly stand it! I'm speaking from experience when I tell you that you'll be craving an iced beverage when you get done using this set! After I finished my set of Chillax cards I ran to the kitchen and blended a smoothie! In addition to the stamp set, we're also offering the Kick Back Beverage Bundle! Once again, I hand-selected these products to coordinate perfectly with the images in the stamp set. There's a little bit of everything from brads to bling. Above you can see a picture of all the items included in the bundle and for the list-makers you'll find the graphic below with a list of all the items included in the bundle. For those of you who want to see what you can create using the items in the bundle you can check out my set of cards below. I used the Stickles from the bundle to highlight around the Chillax definition and on each of my drink images. The yellow swirl ribbon and the cutie charms are from the bundle too! You might also want to pick up the matching cardstock (Blush Red Medium, Sunflowers Medium, and Intense Kiwi) as well as the matching Copic markers (Y17 Golden Yellow, R14 Light Rouge, YG13 Chartreuse).




















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A Note From Cuppie: "To my Friends & Fans... Whew! Guess what? I took my first trip to the ocean back in June! The surfing was totally rad... cowabunga, dude!... but then I almost got eaten by sharks. Yikes! After narrowly escaping with my life I decided I needed to take a break before embarking on another adventure. But never fear... I'll be back to my adventures next month!

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Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our new releases! I hope you'll head over to the store to find just what you're looking for! And don't forget to check out what the rest of the Baker's Dozen have created for release day:

Ana Wohlfahrt, Charmaine Ikach, Dawn Easton, Denise Marzec, Donna Baker, Jen del Muro, Jodi Collins, Karen Giron, Karen Motz, Laura Fredrickson, Laurie Schmidlin, Sankari Wegman, Jami Sibley

It's what sunflowers do.

It's finally Friday and I'm so happy it's my day to post something fun for you!

I've been hoarding this unfinished frame I bought from Michael's quite a while ago and I thought it would be perfect to fix-up and stamp on and embellish, and... well, you get the idea. I've wanted to make a framed sentiment for quite some time and the new set, Faith & Hope, is perfect!

I traced the frame onto a piece of Bloom & Grow paper from My Mind's Eye and then used ModPodge to glue it to the frame; I sanded the edges of the paper after gluing it so the edges would be smooth and even. The stamped images are from Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates - I paper pieced the flowers and used Copic Markers to color the other images, and no flower is complete without a Tiny Twinkle! The sentiment says "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do." - Hellen Keller. Isn't that fantastic?!

This has to be one of the easiest ways to spice up an otherwise ordinary frame. I love altering houshold items, and this one is relatively quick and easy.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and please be sure to sign up for the Taylored Expressions newsletter so you don't miss a beat! You can sign up on the Taylored Expressions homepage.

Karen


recipe -
stamps: branching out, branching out coordinates, faith & hope
ink: memento rich cocoa, copic markers
paper: choice buttercream cardstock, bloom & grow (my mind's eye)
accessories: unfinished wooden frame, blue satin ribbon, tiny twinkles, labels 1 nestabilities (spellbinders), modpodge glue, stampin' dimensionals

*Honey Do* Book

We all have LOTS of fix-it things for our husbands to do, right? I know I do. "Honey do this, honey do that....." Well, here's a place to write it all down. {smile}

I found these notebooks (with the pen!) at Michael's in the dollar aisle...that's right, it only cost a dollar! They had a bunch of colors to pick from too. I knew I wanted to use some of the papers and ribbon from my Father's Day Key Ingredients so I picked up an orangey-red colored book.

Here's what the notebook looked like when I bought it. I turned it to accommodate the toolbelt image from the Boys Will Be Boys set. The pages on the inside of the book are completely blank without any lines, so it totally worked out to turn it on its side.



It was super easy (and fast) to make. I just cut a piece of the plaid DP to 4-3/8" x 2-7/8" as the "base" and then decorated it like a card. The white deckled rectangle is up on 1/16" foam tape and so is the sentiment on the double-ended tag. Taylor has both of these Spellbinders products in her store!

I made the "Honey Do Book" sentiment with my JustRite Lowercase Times New Roman Font, another product in the Taylored Expressions store! I love one-stop shopping!

While you're here today, don't forget to sign up for the Taylored Expressions Newsletter! The sign-up window is over there in the sidebar.

SUPPLY LIST ~
Stamps: LALI Boys Will Be Boys, JustRite Lowercase Times New Roman Font
Paper: TE Choice White CS, Basic Black, DP from Father's Day Key Ingredients
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Really Rust
Copics: 0, E42, E43, W1, W3, W5, Y38, YR68, R17, R59)
Accessories: Ribbon from Father's Day Key Ingredients, Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities, Spellbinders Double Ended Tags, 1/16" Foam Tape, Black Brads

Thanks for stopping by today! We love when you do!
Denise