Posh Posies: Taylored Expressions Release Day!

It's Release Day at Taylored Expressions! I am so lucky to get the chance to continue to guest design for TE, especially when I get to work with these darling new Silhouette Stem Dies and the newly released set, Posh Posies. I was really in the mood to make some very modern looking cards, and these dies were just the ticket!

I kept things very clean and simple, letting the dies do the work for me. To make this a matched set, I simply used different colored pieces of the same patterned paper.

On this turquoise card, I die-cut the lovely stems twice and trimmed a few of the blossoms off to add some dimension.

I used the negative of one of the silhouette on the green card, popping up the entire panel over a die-cut silhouette I cut from the same patterned paper.

BEAN NOTES

Stamps: Posh Posies (Taylored Expressions); Patterned Paper: Snap! Color Vibe (Simple Stories); Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah), Kiwi Kiss, Bermuda Bay, Close to Cocoa (Stampin' Up!); Dies: Silhouette Stems 1, 2, and 3 (Taylored Expressions)

I absolutely adore all the simple and elegant sentiments from Posh Posies. I hope you enjoyed my cards today. All the new products are now available in the Taylored Expressions store in the Fresh Out of the Oven department! Be sure to visit the Baker's Dozen for more amazing creations featuring this month's Release!

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jami Sibley (DT Coordinator)

Jen Shults

Kerri Michaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess

Nancy McKinney (Illustrator)

Regina Mangum (Media and Promotions)

Clouds & Doilies

Hey there, Crafty Friends! Lifestyle Crafts just released its Fall Core Collection of dies and I have a couple more projects to share with you using a few of my faves. Plus, as an Affiliate, I get to offer readers an exclusive 20% discount code for use in the LC Store (details below.) I made two cards, this time showcasing the new Nesting Clouds and, as promised, one using the Nesting Lace Doilies!

My first card features the Nesting Lace Doilies -- these are the small and medium put together -- aren't they pretty? I created a birthday card in one of my favorite color combos: orange, blue, and white.

Since the Doilies are so lovely, I decided to leave the card relatively simple and without adornment, save for some coordinating patterned paper.

This card featuring the Nesting Clouds set of dies makes use of the negative space after using the dies on some patterned paper. I added some text paper behind and popped up the whole panel. It's a very graphic and easy way to make your project pop.

Here is a close-up -- the clouds are all nice and puffy and come in a variety of sizes. (I also used the new Sugar Cookie 4" x 4" Alphabet to make my sweet little sentiment.)

I hope you enjoyed my cards today. Tune in tomorrow as I show you another project that shows what you can do with some dies and negative space!

BEAN NOTES

Celebrating Your Birthday Card

Stamps: sentiment from Movers & Shakers Sentiments set (Papertrey Ink); Patterned Paper: Splash (Echo Park); Cardstock: Peach Parfait (Stampin' Up!), Solar White (Neenah), textured light blue (Bazzill); Ink: Bashful Blue, Peach Parfait (Stampin' Up!); Dies: Nesting Lace Doilies (Lifestyle Crafts)

Hi! Card

Patterned Paper: Sweet Day (Echo Park); Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah), Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!), Aqua Mist (PTI); Fibers: ribbon (American Crafts); Dies: Nesting Clouds, Sugar Cookie Alphabet (Lifestyle Crafts)

I hope you enjoyed my cards today -- if you do any shopping in the Lifestyle Crafts Store, be sure to enter Promo Code: BEAN for a 20% discount. Have a wonderful day!

More Maritime Fun

Good Tuesday to you, Crafty Friends! Today Lifestyle Crafts is releasing its fun Maritime line of dies and I am excited to share some projects I created with them! Plus, as an Affiliate, I get to offer readers an exclusive 20% discount code for use in the LC Store (details below.)

Today I'm featuring two darling new dies, the Whale and Crab Maritime Dies. I love anything that has to do with the sea, so I was really happy to create these two clean and simple cards

The whale is 1" x 2.25" and the crab is 1.5" x 1.75".

My first card features the Whale. This easy to make card was a breeze to make by border punching some waves from some complimentary patterned paper and popping them up with foam tape.

I then nestled the whale inside the waves. (Bean Tip: if you are creating a background of a lot of pattern, make your focal image a solid color to make sure it stands out!)

Next up is this card I made with the Crab Die. I wanted the cards to be similar in style, so I repeated the idea of layering patterned papers which were simply free cut to simulate the sands of a beach. 

The wee crab was adhered onto the card -- the die comes with eyes, which can be done in the same color or any that you want. I kept things simple with the same color cardstock.

BEAN NOTES

Whale Card

Stamps: sentiment from Moka Pearl (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah); Aqua Mist (PTI)

Patterned Paper: Petite Prints (Doodlebug)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Tools: Paper Piercer (Making Memories); Wave Border Punch (Fiskars)

Dies: Whale Maritime Die (Lifestyle Crafts)

Crab Card

Stamps: sentiment from Oops a Daisy set (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah); Aqua Mist (PTI)

Patterned Paper: Petite Prints (Doodlebug); In-Color DSP (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Tools: Paper Piercer (Making Memories)

Dies: Crab Maritime Die (Lifestyle Crafts)

I hope you enjoyed my projects today -- if you do any shopping in the Lifestyle Crafts Store, be sure to enter Promo Code: BEAN for a 20% discount. Have a happy day!

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.

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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

Just Another Day in Paradise...Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day One!

• 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.

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Can you believe tomorrow is JUNE?! This is a big month for me: moving across the country next week, a birthday mid-month, and I have to start driving again! Happy, happy, it also means another Release Week at Taylored Expressions and this week is SO much fun. Today I have two projects to share and I'm so glad that you've stopped by.

First up is a really fun new set, A Day in Paradise, illustrated by the uber talented Nancy McKinney for the Whimsical Wishes line, and it brings to mind lovely relaxing days at the vacation house at the Cape or at the Vinyard. I created this keepsake card using the beautiful adirondack chair (one of a pair) and umbrella -- the set also includes a gorgeous beach house -- and drew in a long dock on some tranquil water. The "frame" was created with a very cool new impression plate (the Baker's Dozen will showcase more of it later this week!) and I love the look of the sentiment. My dad-in-law is retiring in the next few years and I thought of him and how much he would LOVE to relax in a place like this.

Next I have something totally fun -- how absolutely adorable is this little surfer dude penguin? (By the way, if you check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen, you'll catch the little guy's sweet little girlfriend!) This Surf's Up! is a petite set illustrated by Doug Applegate for the Apple Doodle Ink line and is so perfect for summer. I used the new Splash patterned paper from Echo Park and the darling wave border is a new die from TE that will get you itchin' to catch a wave!

BEAN NOTES
Happy Retirement Frame Card

• Stamps: A Day in Paradise (Taylored Expressions)
• Cardstock: Choice Snow (TE)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa and Desert Sand (Tsukineko)
• Coloring Medium: Black Multiliner SP (Copic); Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Dies: Woodgrain Impression Plate (TE)

Surf's Up Card

• Stamps: Surf's Up! (Taylored Expressions)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
• Cardstock: Choice Snow (TE); More Mustard (SU!); Hawaiian Shores (PTI)
• Patterned Paper: Splash (Echo Park)
• Accents: Buttercup Liquid Pearls (Ranger)
• Dies: Wave Border Die (TE)

So, surf's up and it's time to relax...but wait! Tune in tomorrow for one of life's greatest moments to celebrate. And, don't forget to get more summer fun from the rest of the Baker's Dozen. Thanks for stopping by!
Charmaine Ikach
Danielle Lounds
Jackie Pedro
Jami Sibley
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Karen Motz
Melissa Sauls
Regina Mangum
Sankari Wegman
Taylor VanBruggen
Tori Wild
Wanda Guess
and illustrator, Nancy McKinney

Bonjour!...A Special Taylored Expressions Release!

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Today is a fun day of surprises, as we have a mid-month Release for Taylored Expressions! TE is bursting at the seams with so many wonderful new goodies that there is just too much to wait for until next month's release. So, happy, happy I have two projects to share and these three fabulous new sets are already available at the store!

My first project features the lovely new set, Labels of Love, full of gorgeous images that coordinate perfectly with the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3 dies. I chose to use the very French "Bonjour" sentiment with a pretty label and used some of the included flourishes to create easy background paper. Pssst! If you like my little 3-D scene of Cuppie strolling along the boulevards of Paris, you might like to know that it is a FREEBIE at the Taylored Expressions Splitcoast Stamps Member Company Forum (It's a great place to get the latest news on TE and chat with other TE fans!)

By the way, a few months ago, Spellbinders was kind enough to give all of the Baker's Dozen a Grand Calibur die-cutting machine -- pretty sweet, yes? I use mine for everything from cutting a bunch of dies at once to running through the uber cool Grand Nestabilities, which are great for scrapbooking and 3-D projects. I thought I'd show how easy it is to stamp and line-up the coordinating die I used on this card:

a piece of removable tape holds the die in place perfectly

of course, the die would be flipped when running it through the machine

 My second project showcases two new sets from TE that I am really excited about, You're My Type - Upper and You're My Type - Lower, font sets that are so utterly cute! They happen to fit perfectly inside the new Spellbinders Pennants dies!

 

For my second project, I thought I would make a page for the rugrat's scrapbook, and I chose to do a school page. I used You're Just My Type - Upper, punching out circles and popping them up over some fun red pennants, which I then strung on some baker's twine. I created the seal using the recently released Dream Big set (I know, Class of 2026 is so hard to imagine!) and another of the nested pennant dies. 

BEAN NOTES

Bonjour Card

•  Stamps: Labels of Love (Taylroed Expressions)
• Digital Media: Cuppie in Paris digi-stamp (TE)
• Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah); Brocade Blue (Stampin' Up!); Maraschino Textured (Bazzill)
• Ink: Real Red, Brocade Blue Classic Dye (SU!)
• Fibers: Marina Mist Grosgrain (SU!)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Dies: Ribbon Tags Trio 3 (Spellbinders)

Class of 2026 Layout

• Stamps: You're Just My Type - Upper (Taylored Expressions)
• Cardstock: Maraschino Textured (Bazzill); Basic Grey (SU!)
• Patterned Paper: Schoolhouse (October Afternoon)
• Ink: Memento London Fog (Tsukineko); Real Red Classic Dye (SU!)
• Dies: Nested Pennants, Classic Circle Nestabilities, and Inverted Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
• Tools: 5/8" Circle Punch (EK Success)
• Fibers: Baker's Twine (TE)
• Other: Photographs

I hope you enjoyed today's special mid-month release from Taylored Expressions. The Store is open and be sure to visit the rest of the Baker's Dozen for some terrific inspiration using the new sets featured here on TSB! Have a lovely day!

• Charmaine Ikach
• Danielle Lounds
• Jackie Pedro
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Karen Motz
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild

  and friend Jami Sibley 

Hello Sunshine!...

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It's still cold outside and I am sorry to say that I am so over Winter. I can see the sun peeking through the clouds and I'm wishing it would just burst through. Lucky for me, Verve is hosting a Color Me Spring Dare and Wee Memories' Scrappy Saturday Challenge is a Free Your Creativity Challenge -- I thought I'd make a card to bring a little sunshine into my day. I created a little riot of flowers for this sweet elephant to peer over and cut out a few blooms to add some dimension. Originally, I had a very elaborately embossed shadowbox frame to go over this scene, but when I showed my husband, he suggested leaving it clean and simple (I just love it when he gets "into" my papercrafting!) So, while Winter is keeping Spring at bay outside, I can pretend to have a teensy bit of sunshine inside.

BEAN NOTES

• Stamps: To the Moon, Miracles Blossom and Accent Notes (sentiment) Clear Stamps (Verve)
• Ink: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzaz, Pale Plum, Delightful Daffodil (Stampin' Up!); Memento Summer Sky (Tsukinkeo)
• Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Fibers: Delightful Daffodil Satin Ribbon (SU!)

A Coquettish Hello...

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Today I have another "gently passed up" card for a recent publication call. I actually really like this card, mostly because I created my own template for the fan. If you would like a printable template, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to email it to you! (Please keep in mind that I'm new at this, and this is a .pdf file.)

For this card, I began by printing the template on some pretty designer paper. I then cut out each piece, sponged the edges, and glued the slats together. Next, I threaded some gold cord and ribbon through the punched holes of the fan, adding some sparkly jewels at the ends. I trimmed some card stock and more of the designer paper for the background, stamping my sentiment a francais for an elegant and inviting card.

BEAN NOTES: Stampin' Up Adorable parc (sentiment) Stamp; SU So Saffron and Soft Suede Classic Dye Ink; Pink Paislee Think Big Designer Paper; Neenah Solar White and SU Baja Breeze and So Saffron Card Stock; Gold Organdy and Cord (generic); Fiskars Hole Punch; Beads (generic)

HAPPY BEANS: Fan Template

Bonjour...

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It seems like forever since I stamped (okay, it's been three days, which is the same thing!) so I really wanted to create something today. I decided to make one for the Moxie Fab Olympics of Stamping Challenge in the Hello/Thinking of You category. I am an Olympics nut, so this is a perfect way to get into the fun side of competitive card-making!
For this card, I wanted something clean and modern. I began with stamping these images from Circle Circus in Dusty Durango and Soft Sky ink on white cardstock. Next, I used a square punch to punch them out (I purposely went off-center for some visual interest.) I rounded specific corners and then layered coordinating color cardstock so that I would have a nice vertical panel. I stamped my sentiment a Francais before adhering any of my elements and first glued down a strip of Soft Sky with matching ribbon and popping up my panel. For a final touch, I rounded out more corners and added a pretty metal brad.
BEAN NOTES: (Unless otherwise noted, all materials are Stampin' Up) Circle Circus and Adorable parc (sentiment) Stamps; Dusty Durango and Soft Sky Classic Dye Ink; Neenah Solar White Cardstock; Dusty Durango and Soft Sky Cardstock; Soft Sky Grosgrain Ribbon; EK Success 1-3/8" Square Punch; Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper
HAPPY BEANS: Filigree Metal Brad