Cardmaker to Cardmaker

This week, my teammates and I at Imaginisce are showing off projects made with the cool tool, the i-Top. I got to play with Brad Daddies and boy, did I have a grand time!

I love coordinating products -- it makes creating something so much easier and really takes a lot of the guesswork out of finding the right colors, matching patterns, etc. It's one of the reasons I love using my i-Top and Brad Daddies. I can create perfectly coordinated embellishments from whatever patterned paper I happen to be inspired to use.

I have several friends who are dog lovers and who are also cardmakers. I thought it would be fun to put together a coordinated card kit for them to use to create multiple complimentary cards. Using the Good Dog collection and my own stash of twine and card stock, I had many of the right elements, but what the kit really needed was some cute coordinating embellishments. So I made my own using the i-Top punch, the i-Top, and Brad Daddies!

I put all the brads on a card back and placed everything inside a sturdy plastic box. It was enough for my dog loving friend to create 6 cards! The card kit idea will work with any collection, so now I'm off to create some for my surf, treehouse, and birthday-loving friends!

BEAN NOTES

(patterned paper from Good Dog collection) Imaginisce; Cardstock (various colors) Stampin' Up!; Fibers: (twine) The Twinery; Tools: (i-Top Punch, i-Top, Brad Daddies) Imaginisce; (Heart Punch) Stampin' Up!; Other: (plastic box) Taylored Expressions

I hope you enjoyed my fun card kit project. Be sure to check out the Imaginisce blog for more inspiration on what you can do with the i-Tool and Brad Daddies! Plus, Imaginisce is doing a cool giveaway and you could win an i-Top and accessories of your very own, so visit them for details!

Good Dog!

It's Good Dog Release Week at Imaginisce and I am so tickled to get to share two projects with you today! While I don't have a dog, we know many, many dog lovers and I was glad to see a collection with which I could create things for all my dog-crazy friends! For my first project, I created a Side Step card (tutorial can be found HERE), to which I added the absolutely adorable Doggy Diecuts. The "I {Heart} Dogs" sentiment stamp was pretty perfect for this puppy and I know of several friends who will be delighted to receive this card!

Next up, is a fun project that would make a great gift for any dog lover!

My brother-in-law and his wife own a basenji named Maya, who is a very sweet and energetic little dog. They love her and I thought I would put together a few of their favorite photos of her and create a little accordion frame to display on their mantle. The frame is just a piece of 8.5" x 11" cardstock scored in four equal parts and trimmed down to fit 1.75" square photos. 

I took apart some of the sweet little Doggie Diary Sticker Stacker stickers to embellish the frame and spelled out Maya's name using the bright and fun patterned paper from the collection.

I hope you enjoyed my Good Dog projects. Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog to see more of my teammates' creations! They are pretty doggone cute!

BEAN NOTES

I {HEART} DOGS Card

Patterned Paper: Dog Parade, Paw Prints, Dog Dreams from Good Dog Collection (Imaginisce); Stamps: I Heart Dogs Snag'em Stamp (Imaginisce); Cardstock: Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!); Accents: Stickles (Ranger); Dies: Classic Circle, Scallop Circles (Spellbinders)

MAYA Accordion Frame

Patterned Paper: Paw Prints, Dog Parade, Dog Biscuits, Dawg Days, Dog Speak from Good Dog Collection (Imaginisce); Stickers: Doggie Diary Sticker Stackers (Imaginisce); Fibers: red twill ribbon (generic); Dies: Merry Alpha Dies (Lifestyle Crafts); Cardstock: Pacific Point, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Accents: Stickles (Ranger)

Fun With Flock!

Happy Friday! Today is my day over on the ScrapbookSteals.com Blog and I'm showing off something really fun -- Doodlebug Designs Velvet Flock! If you are like me, you may not have even heard of flock! What is it? I like to think of it as soft, happy fuzz. 

At first, I was a little intimidated by these darling little jars of crushed velvet flock, but then I realized that it would be a great way to add some fun texture to a project. I decided to create three cards with just a small sampling of the amazing colors that come in the package of 12.

First up is one for all you owl fans! After die-cutting out my tree, grass, and owls, I applied some of the flock to the shapes. 

Tip: to get a smooth, even texture, apply adhesive with either an adhesive sheet before you die-cut your shapes or with an adhesive applicator (like a Xyron Create a Sticker) after you have cut your shapes. Then, sprinkle liberally, press down, and shake off excess.

Next, I thought it would be fun to create a shaped card. What could be more warm and fuzzy than a happy brown bear? I die-cut the bear shape using my electronic die-cutter and applied the flock to just the top overlay. I love the touchable texture of the "fur" and added a sweet banner and fun googly eyes.

For my third card, I thought I would make a girlie thank you card for my aunt, who is a poodle lover. The trimmed fur of a poodle was just perfect to use with flock!

I love how the flock looks on the tail and legs of the poodle. 

I hope you enjoyed my "fun with flock" cards today. Once I got over my initial intimidation, I had such a terrific time adding texture to my projects. Thanks so much to ScrapbookSteals for bringing a little flock into my life--head on over there for some terrific deals on this and other scrapbook supplies!

BEAN NOTES

Owl Card

Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah), brown and gray textured (American Crafts), Delightful Daffodil, Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Patterned Paper: Petite Prints (Doodlebug Design); Accents: Velvet Flock (Doodlebug Design); Fibers: Hemp Twine (Stampin' Up!), Stamp: sentiment from Tiny Valentine (PTI); Dies: Scallop Square (Sizzix); Digital File: 2 Owl Set, Apple Tree (Lori Whitlock for Silhouette)

Bear Card

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); Accents: Velvet Flock (Doodlebug Design), Google Eyes (generic); Stamps: Bannerific (Lawn Fawn), Alphabet (PTI); Digital File: Card Kit Bear (Lori Whitlock for Silhouette)

Poodle Card

Cardstock: Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!), Solar White (Neenah); Patterned Paper: Petite Prints (Doodlebug Design); Accents: Velvet Flock (Doodlebug Design); Fibers: ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Dies: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Stamps: Bannerific, Merci (Lawn Fawn); Digital File: Poodle (Loni Harris for Silhouette)

Salsa & Molé...

Happy Thursday to all my crafty friends! I just got back from a trip to the beautiful Southwest and am glad to be home. I'm especially excited today because I got to come back and play with some fun products from Canvas Corp, pairing them with Imaginisce for a very cool blog hop! 

I thought I would make an unusual layout for today's hop. I was very intrigued by the 12" x 12" Canvas Fabricpage and loved the rustic feel of the "sheet." I've been wanting to scrap my little rugrat's day with the sheep at the zoo, and I thought this would be just perfect.

I "laced" up some Canvas Cord by attaching eyelets along the bottom of the page. It was very easy to do, as the canvas was pretty sturdy.

Using the Imaginisce i-Top and some extra canvas, I created some canvas brads. First, I sprayed some glimmer mist on the material and let it dry. Then, I used they-Top to make these cool brads, quick as a wink!

The names of the sheep that my son was so attached to were Salsa and Molé -- cute, yes? So, I decided to make their names the title of my page. I die-cut the letters from the Happy Harvest collection paper I still had on had. I love the colors and they went just perfectly with the burlap pennant from Canvas Corp.

BEAN NOTES

Patterned Paper: Happy Harvest collection (Imaginisce)

Fibers: Canvas Cord, Canvas Fabricpage, Canvas Tags, Burlap (Canvas Corp.)

Accents: Metallic Hot Rocks (Imaginisce); Brad Daddies (Imaginisce); Large Eyelets (Making Memories); Red Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)

Tools: i-Rock, d-Stress,  and i-Top (Imaginisce); Crop-a-Dile (Making Memories)

Dies: Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Cardstock: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

I hope you enjoyed my layout today! Please visit the Imaginisce blog for more Canvas Corp fun from my other teammates. You could win a fun prize!

HAY There!...Taylored Expressions Release Day!

• All of the new products are now available for purchase! Check out the Fresh Out of the Oven category and Taylor's Blog for all the deets!
• Did you win one of the Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaways? Find the list of winners on Taylor's Blog
• Another chance to win... head on over to our forum and tell us your favorite stamp set from this release. We'll be choosing one person to win their favorite set FREE!  You have until Saturday June 4th at 6 pm PST to enter to win.

to view an image up-close, please click on a photo

It's Release Day at Taylored Expressions and that means that all the goodies we previewed this week are now available in the TE Store! I have one more project to share with you with my new favorite set, Green Acres featuring one of the darling farm animals and a new impression plate!

I used the sweet little cow and double stamped her, trimming out just her head and popping it out for some dimension. I decided on a red, white, and black color palette, and kept things simple with just a die cut oval frame and some fun patterned paper. The background impression is chicken wire! This is the "B" side to the woodgrain on this brand new Taylored Expressions Impression Plate and it's so perfectly perfect for these farm friends. (I use TE impression plates with both a Big Shot and a Grand Calibur machine and TE carries an embossing kit that leaves behind clear and crisp embossed designs!)  I finished off with a simple ribbon and a cute sentiment for an all-occasion card that is sure to please!

BEAN NOTES

• Stamps: Green Acres (Taylored Expressions)
• Cardstock: Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Choice Snow (TE)
• Patterned Paper: Modern Homemaker (October Afternoon)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
• Template: Woodgrain/Chicken Wire Impression Plate (TE)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Dies: Classic Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

Have fun shopping at the TE Store and don't forget to visit the rest of the Baker's Dozen for more inspiration and a look back at this week's faves. If you are new to Taylored Expressions, you might be curious to know that all TE stamps are made from high quality, deeply etched rubber and the stamps are all pre-cut! Have a terrific weekend!

• Charmaine Ikach

  Danielle Lounds

  Jackie Pedro

  Jodi Collins

  Karen Giron

  Karen Motz

  Melissa Sauls

  Regina Mangum

  Sankari Wegman

  Taylor VanBruggen

  Tori Wild

  Wanda Guess and friends
  Nancy McKinney
  Jami Sibley
  and Guest Designer Amber Hight

Farms & Flags...Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day Three! (GIVEAWAYS, too!)

• We have sneak peeks to share Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  All of the new products will be available for purchase on Friday, June 3rd at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the OvenDepartment in the Taylored Expressions Store.
• Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets on Thursday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
• Special Early Bird Offer on Release Day for the first 15 orders over $100.  It's TOTALLY SWEET!
• Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaway: Each day one lucky blog commenter will be chosen by random draw to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate.  Winners will be chosen from a different Baker's Dozen blog each day and all will be announced on Taylor's blog on Release Day!  Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each and every blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day, please.  Comments close Thursday 6/2 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

to view an image up-close, please click on a photo

Mooooo! It's the third day of sneak peeks at Taylored Expressions and it's a fun one!

The first of two projects I have to share today uses the new Green Acres set (from illustrator Doug Apple for the Apple Doodle Ink line) and this may be, hands down, the most fun set I've ever had the pleasure of creating with. I may have gotten a bit carried away with this card, but I just couldn't resist. With the exception of one tiny image, my fun stair step card features every image from this darling set plus a couple of the witty sentiments. This card is for my big bro, who always enjoys my cards, though my little secret is that it's really a simple card to make -- just stamp, color, and fussy cut! If the "sun" looks familiar, it's from the same patterned paper I used earlier this week on my Surf's Up penguin card! This type of card is a great way to create little scenes that are perfect for sets with lots of complimentary images.

Next up is a little door hang I created using the soon-to-be released petite set, Patriotic Wreath, which is the next installment in the fabulous Seasonal Wreath series that features coordinating wreath die! 

I love this series (originally concepted by the lovely Jami Sibley and illustrated by Nancy McKinney) and this patriotic set is just in time for Independence Day. I thought I would make a decorative pennant to hang from our new apartment door (if we ever find one!) on the Fourth of July and I chose to use some old-fashioned rustic shades of red, white, and blue. With a Spellbinders die, I cut the larges pennant in red and white strips, then trimmed with with a TE scalloped border die that was stamped with stars from the set. The wreath was stamped, colored, and die cut, and the fun sentiment placed inside one of TE's fab banner dies (BEAN NOTE: did you know that you can manipulate some TE stamps because they are not mounted? How cool is that?) A bit of twine to hang and I was all set to wish the U.S.A a very happy birthday!

BEAN NOTES
Green Acres Stair Step Card

• Stamps: Green Acres (Taylored Expressions)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
• Cardstock: Bashful Blue and Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!); Green Textured (Bazzill); Solar White (Neenah)
• Patterned Paper: Splash (Echo Park)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Tools: Crop-A-Dile (WRMK)

Happy Fourth Door Hang

• Stamps: Patriotic Wreath and It's a Banner Day-1  (Taylored Expressions)
• Cardstock: Ruby Red, Night of Navy (SU!); Choice Buttercream (TE)
• Ink: New Canvas Hybrid Ink (Pallette); Night of Navy and Ruby Red Classic Dye (SU!)
• Dies: Seasonal Wreath, Banner Day 1, and Large Scalloped Border (TE); Nested Pennant (Spellbinders)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)

Tomorrow is Release Day at Taylored Expressions and I hope you enjoyed this week of sneaky peekies! Don't forget to check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen for more patriotic and moo-ilicious inspiration! Thanks so much for dropping in and have a wonderful day!

• Charmaine Ikach

  Danielle Lounds

  Jackie Pedro

  Jodi Collins

  Karen Giron

  Karen Motz

  Melissa Sauls

  Regina Mangum

  Sankari Wegman

  Taylor VanBruggen

  Tori Wild

  Wanda Guess and friends
  Nancy McKinney
  Jami Sibley

Little Yellow Schoolbus...

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It is hard to believe that summer is almost over already and that school is about to begin. My own little rugrat will be starting pre-school this fall (gulp!) and so are many of his little friends. When I saw this week's Friday Challenge: Back-to-School, I thought I would take the opportunity to help these little wee ones celebrate another milestone in their young lives.
I began with this cute little lion head image, stamping and coloring with Copics. Since I planned on hand-drawing around the image, I also outlined the whole thing with a black pen for consistency. I sketched out a body for the king of the jungle and then built a little yellow school bus around our furry bus driver. I colored in my drawing with Copics and wrote the word "School Bus" over the window with a white gel pen. Then, I cut the whole thing out!
For the inside, I created a custom sentiment with a font set that reads: "Hope your first day is roaring with fun!" I was happy with my finished card -- can't you just see this guy tooling around town with his precious cargo? Happy First Day of school to all the sweet little rugrats out there!

BEAN NOTES:  JustRite Stampers Let's Celebrate Borders & Centers and Times New Roman Font (inside sentiment) Stamps; Copic Sketch Markers; Foam Tape

HAPPY BEANS: Copic Black Multiliner SP Pen (0.5); Signo White Gel Pen

A Little Birdie Told Me...

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This week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge is just the kind I like. It's a KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) and, when you've had a week like mine, that's perfect. This is such a simple card, that I made it in 10 minutes, making liberal use of my Big Shot and some fab punches.
For this card, I die cut a large scallop circle as the base of my card. Then, I punched out the bird and branch, running the chickie's wing though the Big Shot with an embossing folder before adhering. The Modern Label Punch was an easy way to frame my sentiment, and, for just that little something extra, Liquid Pearls circled my sweet little chickadee.
BEAN NOTES: Papertrey Ink Everyday Button Bits (sentiment); Stampin' Up Bashful Blue Classic Dye Ink; SU Soft Suede Textured Cardstock; SU Bashful Blue, Whisper White, and Certainly Celery Cardstock; SU Modern Label and 2-Step Bird Punches; Sizzix BIGZ Scallop Circle Die; Big Shot; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic)
HAPPY BEANS: Baby Blue Liquid Pearls