The Stampin' Bean: School

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Uniquely Spectacular...Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day 2!

Happy Tuesday! It's Day Two of sneak peeks for Release Week at Taylored Expressions. I have two projects to share today, both featuring some darling spectacles!

Now, I've worn glasses since I was in the third grade, so when I saw that two of the new sets feature them, I was tickled. This card also shows off one of the cute new Spectacles Dies! I created this card using the new set, Glasses & Staches, for a little friend of my son's who is already wearing glasses. I know that it was hard being one of the only kids in class to wear glasses and I would have loved to have gotten this card when I was trying so hard to fit in!

I stamped one of the glasses from the set on Moka Gwen (I may be biased, but I think she looks so much cuter with these glasses on!)

This month, Taylored Expressions is also releasing a really fabulous set, Signature Style, which features darling identification stamps! I'll be showing off more of these throughout the week. Here's the perfect one for this card...

My second card features the new set, Spectacular. I wanted to make a very graphic and clean card so that I could give this to my father-in-law for his birthday. Every single person in my family, with the exception of my son (who will no doubt, join us) wears glasses!

I began by creating my own patterned paper by stamping several of the spectacle images on cardstock.

I just love these images -- all the specs are so cute and the sentiments are perfect. I couldn't resist putting the birthday well wishes on the inside of the card (which I think could also work as a card by itself.)

This card also features one of the Spectacles Dies. Isn't it fun?

And, for the back of this card, another Signature Style image, signed by moi.

BEAN NOTES

Be Unique Card

Stamps: Glasses & Staches, Moka Gwen (Nancy McKinney for Taylored Expressions); Patterned Paper: School Daze (My Mind's Eye); Cardstock: Real Red, Midnight Muse (Stampin' Up!), textured green (American Crafts); Dies: Labels Stacklets 2, Spectacles (Taylored Expressions); Fibers: red twill (generic); Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)

You're Spectacular Card

Stamps: Spectacular (Nancy McKinney for Taylored Expressions); Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Dies: Spectacles (Taylored Expressions)

For more sneaky peekie inspiration, check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen! Join me tomorrow for Release Day and another fun project. Have a happy day!

Kerri Michaud (Guest Designer)

Nancy McKinney (Illustrator)

Friday, June 1, 2012

A Little Red School House...

Happy Friday! It's Challenge time over at the Imaginisce Blog and this month's is a Sketch Challenge. My fabulous teammate, Diana Fisher, is the sketch artist on this wonderful sketch and I hope you play along. There are always amazing prizes to be won and I hope my layout today inspires you to enter!

It's hard for me to believe that my little rugrat's school year is already over. And yes, it did take me the entire year to scrap his very first day of school! But, better late than never, and I'm glad I waited because I wouldn't have had this terrific sketch to play with:

If you look closely, I really did follow Diana's sketch almost exactly. I found this darling schoolhouse die-cut file and cut it from paper from the Imaginisce Geek is Chic collection. I replaced the door with a photo of my little guy from his first day of school. He has really grown!

The background paper is from the same collection, and I spritzed on a little misting spray before laying down each element. I die-cut the "RED" in the title from the same patterned paper as the schoolhouse for continuity. The rest of the title is from paper that has little paper clips on it!