Taylored Expressions

We're BACK!! TE Sketch Challenge #151

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Friday! I'm running around frantically trying to get our little family packed for the flight to California tomorrow... our first big trip with an infant! The laundry still isn't done and the bags still aren't completely packed, but we will get there one way or another. I just hope we're all still in one piece! I'm welcoming any and all advice for traveling with a baby so feel free to leave me a comment below while there's still time to pack and unpack our suitcase and carry-on with all of the necessities!

In the midst of our travel preparations, I really am SUPER excited to get started with the TE Sketch Challenge again! If you're new to our sketch challenge, WELCOME! And if you're a seasoned pro, WELCOME BACK! Everyone will want to continue reading as we're changing up a few things to make it even more fun and exciting!

1. I'm thrilled to welcome Tracy Clemente as our new Sketch Team Coordinator! She'll be keeping us all in line behind the scenes and I can't even tell you how thankful I am for that! These days I need to have someone lay out my clothes for me in the morning. Tracy, can you pop over and do that too!? *wink* I'm also super excited to welcome Jen Shults and Sankari Wegman to the team. Jen, Sankari, and I will be trading off designing the layouts for each sketch challenge!

2. Your sketch challenge entries should be uploaded right here on my blog using the In Linkz below. Previously your cards needed to be uploaded to Splitcoaststampers and while you're still welcome (and encouraged!) to upload there, we'll be choosing the winners from the cards that are linked here on my blog. New sketch challenges will be posted on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month.

3. We're adding in a new twist called the Top Chef! In addition to choosing one random winner for a TE gift certificate, I'll also be choosing my favorite card each week and awarding the creator Top Chef honors! Our Top Chef will participate along with the Sketch Crew in the following week's sketch challenge and have her card and blog featured right here on the TE Blog. I'll be judging the entries based on the three C's....cute, clever, and creative! Can't wait to see what you all make.

OK... so I think I've covered the changes and it's finally time to get to the sketch! Ready!? It's a fun one!

Here are the sketch requirements one more time:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must link your card using the In Linkz provided below by Thursday, February 9th. And here are the prizes that are up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge links to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store! If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

2. I will select my favorite card to win Top Chef honors! The winner of the Top Chef will play along with the sketch crew and have her blog and card design featured here on the TE blog.

While some things change, others stay the same (which is a really great thing when I'm talking about our amazingly talented Sketch Crew!!). They're back to share their inspiration using the above sketch:

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Attention Bargain Shoppers!

2012-01-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Good morning! We're almost ready to head off to CHA to buy all of the latest and greatest products for the TE Store, but first it's time to make room on our shelves with our semi-annual CHA Clearance Sale! We've taken markdowns on tons of products like Puffies, patterned paper, chipboard, Nestabling, vintage buttons, and more!

When: Now through Wednesday, February 1st

Where: Taylored Expressions What's the Deal Department

Details: Use coupon code CHASALE2012 for an extra 10% discount on all of the already discounted merchandise in the What's the Deal department. Get over 50% off some of your favorite products!

Once these products are gone they will not be re-stocked so shop early for the best selection.

New Year.... New Look!

2012-01-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me the other day that I'm heading to CHA in less than a week and I'm going to be seeing lots of friends, customers, and vendors who only know me from the pictures I post on my blog. I've been so busy sharing my sweet Madelyn these days and I realized that I haven't shared my own 'new look'! A few months after Madelyn was born I decided it was time for a change. I needed something quick and easy to style. I'm sure all of the moms can relate that some days it's near impossible to find time to shower, let alone dry, straighten, and style my hair! And I had very short hair in college so when I chopped it all off it wasn't a total shock. Now with short hair my collection of headbands has tripled (from 0 to 3). *grin* I love searching for new headbands and so far I've found my favorite ones at J Crew! After my latest haircut I took a trip to see my friend Diana over at Diana's Photo Expressions and she snapped a few quick pics in her sweet studio! Anyways, enough about my new look because I know you'd prefer to see pics of Madelyn instead!

So I'll leave you with a few angelic pictures. I love it when I find her sleeping with both of her arms in the air. I've also recently downloaded the Camera + and Instagram apps on my iPhone and I'm having fun editing my 'ordinary' pictures into something unique (which is what I did on the black & white pic). If photos could be scratch and sniff I'd add the sweet baby smell to make these moments complete!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

CPS Sketch Sponsorship

2012-01-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had so much fun at the Archivers crop on Friday night and I have more layouts of sweet Madelyn to share later this week! But first, I wanted to let you all know that Taylored Expressions is sponsoring the CPS Sketch Challenge this week! What does that mean? It means that if you participate in the CPS sketch challenge this week you'll be entered to win a free TE stamp set of your choice! And the sketch is super cute so it's a win-win! All of the different panels gave me the perfect opportunity to use up some scraps from the We R Love Struck 6x6 pad. And to go along with it I pulled out an oldie but a goodie, Love is Sweet. I stamped Cuppie in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him with the Cuppie Copic Kit. Then I added a Button Heart Candy Dot for his cherry and colored the chocolates with Copics (E25, E34, E55, E57, E49). I added a bow with red glimmer ribbon, flagged my sentiment for the bottom corner, and called it good!

If you'd like a chance to win a free TE stamp set, then click here to check out the CPS Sketch challenge! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

January Key Ingredients Blog Hop

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? I'm heading to Archivers for a crop tonight and I'm so excited! The hardest part is deciding what to pack! Both of us like to "feel the vibe" before committing to scrapping certain pictures with specific paper which usually means a hefty total by the time I decide what I need in order to do my layouts!

But first, I'm joining the crafty gals on the Key Ingredients Design Team for our monthly challenge and blog hop. This month's challenge theme is Classroom Treat. When I think something to make by hand for 30 children a couple words come to mind... fast, quick, simple, easy! OK... those all mean relatively the same thing so I bet you catch the drift. The kids are just going to tear it apart to get the candy as fast as possible! My project was inspired by Toddlers & Tiaras... yes, it's one of my guilty pleasures. *grin* I was watching re-runs earlier this week and was reminded of Pixy Stix (and how it's probably not a good idea to let a 5 year old eat an entire package of them in one hour). I know they were one of my favorites growing up so I decided to make a classroom treat using Pixy Stix, but I limited each pouch to just two stix! I made the pouches from cardstock and sealed them with 1/4" sticky tape. Then I adhered a strip of patterned paper and found that many of the coordinating stickers in this month's kit work great for the To: From:. Here's this month's kit and you'll want to keep reading for the important updates to our kit club. Now is a great time to sign up so you don't miss the exclusive goodies being released in February!

With another postal rate increase taking effect later this month, we unfortunately have to raise the price of our Key Ingredients kit club subscriptions. While we were able to absorb the previous postal rate increase without raising prices we are unable to do so again. So starting February 1, Key Ingredients kit club subscriptions will be priced as follows:

US - $25.00 per month

Canada - $27.00 per month

Countries outside North America - $37.00 per month

A bonus for you! For anyone who subscribes by the end of January your monthly fee will remain at either $23.95 per month (US & Canada) or $34.95 per month (countries outside North America) through the month of June! After June, your monthly fee will adjust to the new price.

We have also designed a full size stamp set to coordinate with the vintage patterned paper in our February kit. This set will be available exclusively to subscribers at a 50% discount during next month's Key Ingredients discount period! The only way to get the stamp set is to be an active subscriber! Here's a sneak peek of the patterned paper for February along with a glimpse of the exclusive set!

We're super-excited about this new feature and plan to offer these exclusive sets periodically in the future! Click here to join our Kit Club today!

And now you'll want to follow these links to the rest of the KI team's crafty classroom treats!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Fresh Flowers Birthday

2012-01-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning! YAY for Thursday! Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but Thursday is Taco John's day at TE! What's that? Well, we have a taco chain here called Taco John's (it's way better than Taco Bell IMO!). Every Thursday their Taco Bravo is just $1.00. It's a hard shell inside a soft shell with all the fix-ins and I LOVE it! Now that it's super cold outside we might have to do the drive-thru, but either way the Taco Bravo is still one of my favorite weekly treats!

Now that I've finished my tangent for today I'll get to my card! We'll be celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday this weekend so I sat down to make her a card last night. She's the first family birthday of the new year and I'm still on board with my goal of sending more cards! I started out with Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #34 (which is a super fun one!). I didn't want the card to be too cutesy or kiddish so I pulled out a classic standby, Fresh Flowers. I stamped the flower and vase in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copics. Then I cut the image out and created the perfect tag shape by chomping the top two corners with the Angle/Photo Corner Chomper. I paired the image with bright and colorful patterns from the Life of the Party collection of patterned paper by My Mind's Eye. The sentiment is from Branching Out.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Make sure you stop back tomorrow because the Key Ingredients team and I will be sharing our projects around the challenge theme of "Classroom Treat"!

I Love Everything About YOU

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I can't believe it's Wednesday already! I haven't been writing much about the bitter cold this year because we haven't had any bitter cold to write about.... until yesterday. I was just starting to get comfortable and think that the snow might never come. Well, I was wrong and now it's time to complain. It's snowing and blowing and freezing and I hate it! OK... I feel better after getting that out. My cold weather rant is over (at least for today!).

If you missed my post yesterday you're definitely going to want to scroll down to check out the adorable kids in our card kit video! They were so excited to be 'movie stars' for a day and they all did such a great job. It's a cheerful video that will definitely put a smile on your face (and have you singing Jackson 5 for the rest of the day).

Well, since the weather is cold that means I "have" to stay inside and create, right? I've been so excited about scrapbooking my sweet Madelyn that I decided to use our newest Be Loved Project Pantry kit to make another layout for my ~~non~~-Project Life album.

In addition to the patterned papers from the kit I used coordinating die cuts from the Be Loved die cut accessories pack. The two hearts, title, journaling piece, swirly border, adore button, and the little tab that I wrote the date on are all from the die cut accessories pack (love that it all coordinates with the cute patterned papers!). Then I used my Spellbinders Grand Labels 1 to cut the shape from patterned paper and layered my photos over the top. I liked the look of having big and small of the same photograph on one layout. I spelled out her name in glittery chocolate Thickers across the bottom.

Here's a look at the latest kit! It's great for Valentine's Day, but there are so many sweet patterns that can be used year-round too. And it's meant for creating cards, but it works for scrapbooking if you have your own 12x12 paper to throw into the mix.

You can find the Basic Recipe kit and the optional "Spice it Up" ingredients HERE! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

NEW! Kids Valentine Card Kit

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Guess who's in the house today!? Our Tiny Chefs are back! I invited some of my young crafty friends over for a little creative time at Ms. Taylor's last week! They each received our NEW Kids Valentine Card Kit to create handmade valentines for their friends and classmates. It was so fun to see the excitement in their eyes as they stamped their own masterpieces. These kids were soooo creative and I just LOVE the ideas they came up with! Here's a short video from our crafty time:

Perhaps you have a son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, niece or nephew, maybe even a neighbor who might enjoy creating their own Valentines. Or maybe you're a kid at heart and looking to make some super sweet and simple Valentines yourself! *wink* That's just what our Valentine Card Kit is for and it's a steal at just $7.95!

The kit includes the following supplies:

20 - 3 1/4" square flat card bases (5 each of 4 colors)
20 - 3" square image panels
20 - 3" squares of patterned paper (5 each of 4 patterns from the Doodlebug Sweet Cakes collection)
12 Heart Stickers
Assorted cardstock and glittered chipboard heart die cuts
3 yards of ribbon (1 yard each of 3 styles)

Everything is packaged together in a clear bag with a cute label sticker and tied with ribbon. You just need to provide stamps (goes great with the Love Monsters stamp set), crayons or colored pencils and they'll be crafting in no time! Creativity is contagious... pass it on!

I wanted to use the Valentine Card Kit to make a little something for the kids who joined us for the video session. I stamped each of my image panels with different monsters from the Love Monsters stamp set and colored them with Copics. I added a small strip of patterned paper to the bottom and used a black marker to write my 'To: From:' I thought it was so cute that all the kids were calling me "Ms. Taylor" during the video (I'm not used to that!) so I signed all of my Valentines from Ms. Taylor. I bought some heart shaped Crunch bars at the store, punched a hole in the corner of the candy wrapper, and tied the card on with ribbon. I put together 6 of these Valentines in a matter of minutes so 20 would be no problem to complete quickly!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I know the kids are going to be checking out today's post (they were so excited to be "movie stars"!!) so leave them a little love with your comments!

My Project Life Title Page

2012-01-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Monday! Ever since I started playing with paper I've been telling myself that I'd start scrapbooking once we have a baby. Well, now we have a baby and it's time to get started! I've been making cards for the better part of five years and I must admit that I was a little intimidated by the idea of scrapbooking! That 12x12 paper just looks like such an enormous blank slate staring up at me!

So when I starting hearing the buzz among my friends about Becky Higgins Project Life I checked into it and thought "There's my perfect solution."! I told you about how I'm taking Maggie Holmes' photography class (which starts today!) and one of my goals this year is to take more pictures. I figured that Project Life will give me the perfect opportunity to practice my photography skills and record lasting memories at the same time!

Shortly after deciding to do Project Life I ran into my first snag. I want to use the Design A page protectors for my Project Life album, but they're out of stock until sometime next month. Once I get the page protectors I'll already be several weeks behind. *sad face* But instead of getting frustrated I decided to tackle that blank piece of 12x12 paper in front of me and do my title page:

I LOVE how it turned out! I used pictures from Madelyn's newborn photo session and paired them with papers from the October Afternoon Thrift Shop collection. I started with a piece of 12x12 cardstock that I cut out with an Accucut die at my local scrapbook store. The I just played around with the different patterned pieces until I had them just the way I wanted. I just glued down all of the pieces, added canvas alphabet stickers for my title, and slipped it inside my album.

Since completing my title page I decided to continue with my 12x12 pages while I'm waiting for the Design A to come back in stock. I already have a couple more pages done that I'll be sharing later this week! So I guess my scrapbook album will be a combo of Project Life and regular scrapbook layouts.

Are any of you doing Project Life too? I'm always collecting ideas and I'd love to see your pages so leave me a link below!

Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge - January

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Thursday! Today I'm excited to introduce a new challenge at Taylored Expressions to kick off 2012! But before I get into the details of our new challenge I want to give you an update on our other challenges. First, the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge will be back at the end of the month! We have some exciting changes in the works to make it bigger and better than ever so mark your calendar for January 27th! Second, we are replacing the Blast From the Past Blog Hop with a brand new monthly Calendar Challenge (starting today!). Not only will this challenge help keep us organized, but perhaps at the end of the year you'll have a completed calendar (or two or three) to give as a gift! There's a lot of freedom in this challenge and I hope you'll all play along! Here are the deets:

Each month the Baker's Dozen will supply inspiration using Taylored Expressions Calendar Products and showcasing designs for the current month. To play along you simply need to choose a TE Calendar Product to use with any stamps or papercrafting supplies you'd like. Create a calendar page using the month in the title of my post (start with January this month), post it on your blog or online gallery, and come back here to add your link to the Mr. Linky at the end of the post.

And what would a challenge be without a prize!? Everyone who participates in 10 out of 12 months of the calendar challenge will be entered into a random drawing for a prize package of TE stamps, dies, and other supplies worth over $150! Now that's an incentive to play along, right!?

I love to have pretty things sitting out on my stamp desk, propped in the windowsills of my stamp room, and all over the shelves! It gives me inspiration and it's a daily reminder of what I love so much about this hobby! So I decided to create a calendar just for me to enjoy in my stamp room. I'll probably duplicate these for gifts once the 2013 calendars are available (in March), but for now this is just for me! I wanted to start the year off with a quote from the New Beginnings stamp set "A New Year is unfolding like a rose with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within." Love that! And it goes perfectly with the new roses from the Rosy Posey stamp set. I stamped the sentiment with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and cut it out with a circle Spellbinders die. Then I trimmed off the bottom part of the circle and stamped the roses in Berrylicious and Pink Pastel inks. The patterned paper is from the MME Vanity Fair collection and I used the Large Scallop Border die to cut out a houndstooth piece for underneath the sentiment. I layered the patterned paper onto cardstock and slipped the insert into the magnetic acrylic frame. Then I just adhered the 2012 Mini Calendar to the outside of the frame with sticky tape so that I can rip off the month of January and continue on with new inserts each month.

Here's a quick re-cap of the TE Calendar Challenge:

The challenge for the current month will go up at 8 am PST on the 2nd Thursday of each month and you can play along any time after that.
Use any TE calendar product and any stamps or papercrafting supplies to decorate the current month (not required to use TE Stamps).
Post your creation to your blog or on-line gallery. If you post your creation on SCS or other on-line gallery please use KEYWORD: TECALCHAL
Add your direct link to the Mr. Linky list below. The linky list will remain open all year, so you have the opportunity to go back and catch up should you start late or miss a month.
Show your spirit for the calendar challenge and grab our blog badge HERE.
ENTER TO WIN! Everyone who plays in 10 or more of our monthly Calendar Challenges in 2012 will automatically be entered to win a Taylored Expressions Prize Package valued at over $150!!!! The winner will announced on New Year's Day 2013.

Now before you get started on your calendar project, you'll want to take a look at the fabulous calendar inspiration from the Baker's Dozen gals:

Attention SoCal Stampers!

2012-01-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

I'm heading out to Southern California at the end of January for Winter CHA and I'm sticking around after the convention to teach a class at Pages from the Heart, my favorite little scrapbook store in Monrovia! So if you're in the area (or maybe you want to make it a weekend trip!?) I'd love to have you join us for a fun Friday evening. We'll also be bringing a selection of TE stamps and dies for cash and carry sales and as an added bonus... this sweet face will be waiting to greet you at the door:

Here are all the details!

When: Friday, February 3rd @ 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Where: Pages from the Heart - Monrovia, California

Cost:
Card Class Only: $25.00
Add Love Monsters OR Rosy Posey: $40.00
Add Love Monsters AND Rosy Posey: $55.00

Sign Up: Call Kathy @ Pages from the Heart 626.358.5334. Space is limited and spots are filling quickly! Make sure you tell Kathy if you want either or both of the stamp sets we'll be using!

New Year...New Key Ingredients

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Happy Tuesday! Today I'm super excited to show you our first Key Ingredients kit of the new year. There is certainly a lot to love in this month's kit!

If you're a subscriber then you already know that this kit will be on its way to your door soon! Perhaps you're not a subscriber and you want to get your hands on this kit. Well, it's super easy to do! You can find our Key Ingredients subscriber options HERE and there are lots of extra special perks just for our kit members! Teaser: we also have an extra special *rubber* surprise coming next month, but it's exclusive to subscribers so join us today to make sure you don't miss out!

Here's a little sneak peek of one of the three projects I'm sharing over on the Key Ingredients blog today! Click here to check out all of my projects!

I also want to make sure you don't miss the exciting KI Design Team announcement over on the KI BlogI We have two new fabulous designers joining our Key Ingredients team! But before I introduce you to them, I must first say a huge thank you to Rachel Sztonyk and Stephanie Kraft who are stepping down from the team. They've provided us all with fabulous inspiration over the past year and they will certainly be missed! While they leave big shoes to fill, I'm certain our new designers are up to the task. Please join me in welcoming the amazing Jessie Rone and Debbie Carriere!

Jessie Rone shares her adorable creations on her blog, Can you say? Addicted to Stamps!. I've long-admired her sweet style and punchy color combinations and I know you'll fall in love too! I can hardly wait to see the inspiration she has in store for us over the next several months! Welcome, Jessie!

Debbie Carriere shares her amazing projects on her blog, Scrappin' My Heart Out. She has such a talent for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary! As a long-time Key Ingredients subscriber herself I have no doubt she'll be sending us over the edge with her creativity! Welcome, Debbie!

And I'm sure you all know Jess Diedrich! She's been a part of our Key Ingredients design team since we began the journey and I'm so excited to welcome her as our new Key Ingredients DT coordinator. Her sunny personality, creativity with our kits, and ability to keep us all in line make her the perfect coordinator for our KI DT. So happy to have you, Jess!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Rose Wreath of Love

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! Did you see the big news yesterday!? We're starting the new year off with a HUGE stamp and die release! In fact, it was so huge that we're already sold out of a few things (scroll down for a backorder update at the bottom of this post). But first, I want to show you a card I made using the new Rose Wreath Petite set. I'm having so much fun "collecting" these wreath sets. I just want to set them on a shelf in front of my stamp desk arranged in order of holiday/season and let them sit pretty. I wanted to play with the sizing of the new Layering Doily Dies along with the wreath and it happens that the wreath fits perfectly inside the Medium Layering Doily. I stamped the image on Choice Buttercream cardstock and colored it with Copics (R81, R83, R85, R46, RV29, G21, G24). Then I cut it out with the Seasonal Wreath die. I also stamped and cut out the larger rose and leaf from the stamp set to add as an embellishment on the wreath. The patterned paper, ribbon, and cardstock (except for the green which is called Pear) is from the Valentine Project Pantry Kit. I embellished the Medium Layering Doily with a Tiny Twinkle on each little heart. Each of the doilies and the wreath are popped up with foam tape for lots of dimension. I'm on a roll with decorating the inside of my cards lately! One of my goals this year is to send more cards and that goal seems more attainable when the inside is finished and ready to write and mail! I used the Hearts A Plenty die along with some Charmed Baker's Twine and a sentiment from the Rose Wreath set.

That's it for my card today...thanks for stopping by! And now for the backorder update:

The Medium Layering Doily die and the Layering Doily Dies (set of 3) are currently backorder items. What does that mean? You may still add these items to your cart and purchase them. The rest of the items on your order will ship immediately, but these items will not be shipped until approximately January 24th. You will not incur any charge for the separate shipment. We will continue to honor the special sale price for the set of Layering Doily Dies (which will expire on Monday).

Thanks so much for your interest in our products! Please email us should you have any questions or concerns regarding the backorder items!

Taylored Expressions January Release Day

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! WOOT! Release Day has finally arrived and all of the new products are now available at the TE Store! Quantities are limited on some of the new dies (with more arriving soon!) so shop early! Did you come to our Preview Party on Facebook last night? We gave away one of each of our new stamp sets and you might be one of our lucky winners. We've announced the winners on our Facebook page so make sure you check it out! And the three winners from the Mystery Baker's Dozen blog hop giveaway are:

Monday (from Jen's blog): Nicole Johnson

Tuesday (from Wanda's blog): Natalie H
Wednesday (from Tori's blog): Holly AKA KopyKat

If you're one of the lucky winners of a gift certificate, just email me to claim your prize!

Before I get to the goodies, there are a few things you'll definitely want to know before you go shopping:

1. Check out our Current Specials HERE! You'll a find a great deal on the new layering doily dies, 2012 calendars, and all of the details on the Animals in Love Buy One Get One FREE Deal.

2. We've created a special Valentine category where you can find all of our patterned papers and Valentine embellishments. Click HERE to check it out!

3. REMINDER ABOUT OUR SHIPPING POLICY: Orders over $75.00 receive free shipping (within the U.S.)! For orders that do not qualify for free shipping, we will refund you for the difference between actual shipping and the shipping charged upon checkout once your order is weighed for shipment. It's a win-win!

STAMP SETS

Totally Tags Valentine - Set of 9 - $21.95

Totally Tags Valentine Inspiration Gallery

Love Monsters - Set of 19 - $21.95
Love Monsters Inspiration Gallery

Rosy Posey - Set of 19 - $21.95
Rosy Posey Inspiration Gallery

MINI STAMP SETS

Love Shack - Set of 9 - $12.95

Love Shack Inspiration Gallery

PETITE STAMP SETS

Moka Cherie - Set of 6 - $7.95
Moka Cherie Inspiration Gallery

Buddy Bear - Set of 8 - $7.95
Buddy Bear Inspiration Gallery

Rose Wreath - Set of 5 - $7.95
Rose Wreath Inspiration Gallery

A LA CARTE STAMP SETS

Love A la Carte - $5.95

Love A la Carte Inspiration Gallery

1 Corinthians 13:13 A la Carte - $5.95
Corinthians Inspiration Gallery

Giraffes in Love - $6.95
Dachshunds in Love - $6.95
Pandas in Love - $6.95
Animals in Love Inspiration Gallery

TAYLORED DIES

Heart Favor Box - $29.95
Jumbo Heart Border - $8.95
Hearts a Plenty - $6.95
Rosy Posey Dies - $15.95

Layering Doily Large - $19.95

Layering Doily Medium - $11.95

Layering Doily Small - $7.95

Layering Doily Set of 3 - SALE! $34.95

PROJECT PANTRY

Valentine Project Pantry Kit - $11.95

So there you have it... all of our January release products! You can follow the individual links above, but make sure you also check out the Fresh Out of the Oven category for all the latest additions!

And our talented Baker's Dozen team has more fabulous projects to share with you today so make sure you hop over to their blogs too!

Taylored Expressions January Sneaks Day 3

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It's time for one more day of sneak peeks before all of the new products are available for purchase at the TE Store! We've saved the biggest day for last as we share projects using two full size sets and three new A la Carte stamps. And we have plans for a super fun Preview Party on Facebook tonight starting at 6pm PST with lots of opportunities to win free stamps so don't be late!

For my first project I used the latest set illustrated by Emily Burger for the Embracing Grace collection. You'll remember Emily kicked off her collection of stamps with the popular Love Grows Here set in November and she's at it again this month with Totally Tags Valentine. You probably guessed it... these tags coordinate with our previously released Totally Tags Holiday set and coordinating Totally Tags dies. I decided to combine the tags with the new Heart Favor Box die to create Madelyn's first Valentine treats to give to her "friends" around the neighborhood. The new Heart Favor Box is super easy to put together and only requires a small piece of sticky tape to adhere it together. The heart window in the front of the box is the perfect way to show off your treats, but that means you'll also need a piece of transparency to cover the heart before filling with candy. The box measures 2" cube when assembled. I used patterned paper from the Valentine Project Pantry to cover the boxes. The tags were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics (R24, R27, R81, R83) and I just added a little button heart candy dot to each one to finish them off and then tied them on with baker's twine.

For my next project I used another set illustrated by Emily Burger called Love Monsters! Now don't get scared and cover your eyes! These aren't the monsters of your nightmares, these are the cutest monsters ever! Sometimes I like to create a card and a gift all wrapped in one so that's what I decided to do here. All of the images you see on the front of the card are actually magnets that can be removed from the card and used to decorate a refrigerator or cubicle. I started by cutting one of the each of the Totally Tags shapes from Choice Snow White cardstock and from thin magnetic sheets. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto the tags and colored them with Copics (R81, R83, YG03, YG05, R46, B52). The patterned paper is from the We R Memory Keepers Love Struck collection and I added red with white polka dot ribbon and a pewter love charm to finish off the card. Here are the dies that I used on my projects today:

As I mentioned above, we're all geared up for a fun Preview Party on Facebook tonight so make sure you "Like" the TE page and join us for some fun tonight! There are also other opportunities to win stamps. You'll find all the details here:

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 will be announced here on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each blog for more chances to win. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST.

Our talented Baker's Dozen gals are also showing off these two sets PLUS three new Animals in Love today! You won't want to miss the the Dachshunds in love, Giraffes in Love, and Pandas in love! And speaking of the new Animals in Love, we have a special BOGO offer starting tomorrow! When you purchase one of the new Animals in Love A la Carte stamps you'll receive one of our previously released Animals in Love stamps FREE (more details on how to take advantage of that offer will be posted tomorrow.)!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll stop back tomorrow to see all the details of our new release!

Taylored Expressions January Sneaks Day 2

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning again and welcome to our second day of sneak peeks for the January release at Taylored Expressions! All of the products the Baker's Dozen and I are showcasing will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8am PST! And we have even more goodies to share today plus I have a little Valentine treat tutorial to share so I better get right to it!

I am super excited to introduce the first in a series of adorable abodes concepted by Jami Sibley. This is Love Shack illustrated by Doug Applegate for the Apple Doodle Ink collection! Each month we'll be bringing you a unique abode making these houses the perfect option for decorating our calendar products. I'm sure I'll be creating a calendar of themed houses sometime this year, but today I decided to create a Valentine card. I started by stamping the house in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloring it with Copics (E31, E34, E55, R81, R83, YG03, YG05, R27). I stamped the tiny picket fence in Colorbox Dark Brown ink, added a silver brad for the doorknob, and highlighted all of the red hearts with Crystal Stickles. I also used the cloud duo dies to cut clouds from the patterned paper. The patterned paper on all of my projects today is from the adorable We R Memory Keepers Love Struck collection.

See the little cone treats hanging from the tree in my photo above? Well, here's the little treat tutorial that I promised using our new Large Layering Doily Die.

Super quick, super easy, and super cute! A few things I learned in creating these: a light weight patterned paper is easier to fold into a cone shape than cardstock... I found liquid glue to hold better than sticky tape... a Ferrero Rocher chocolate truffle fits perfectly in the cone.

My next project uses Cherie, the latest addition to the Moka collection illustrated by Nancy McKinney. I love this gal! I decided to try the Double Dutch fold for this card. It's really easy so if you're not usually one to try unique folds I would totally recommend this one! I stamped Cherie in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored her with Copics (R81, R83, R27, E21, E31,Y21, Y32), and cut out the image with Spellbinders Labels 17. With the die still in place I sponged around the inside of the image with blue ink. I added Crystal Stickles to the large red heart and finished it off with red glimmer ribbon, Doodlebug Valentine twine, and a heart embellishment that I created using our new Hearts A Plenty Dies. Here's a look at the dies that I used on both of my projects today:

I've been so excited to share this next bit of info... eeks...here it comes! We've been working on a fabulous resource for you that I know you'll get so much use out of. And the best part... it's FREE!! We're offering a Moka Hair Color Chart (designed by Nancy McKinney) and a colored inspiration sheet (colored by the talented Jen Shults) for your reference in coloring hair of all shades! In addition, we'll be offering Copic Hair Color kits for purchase at the TE Store making it easy to purchase the colors you need. I almost always color hair brown, but thanks to Jen's fabulous hair color suggestions I stepped outside my comfort zone and colored Cherie as a blonde!

So how do you get the Moka Hair Color Chart? You can find it HERE at the TE Store! It includes Jen's color inspiration, suggested Copic combinations, and a blank sheet for you to practice and record your own favorite hair color combinations. The Hair Color Copic kits will be available for purchase with our new release items on Thursday, January 5th at 8am PST.

Edited to Add: There has been some confusion on how to download and access the Moka Hair Color Chart. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Add the item to your shopping cart.
2. When you are in the shopping cart, select a shipping method and click the Update Cart button (you will not be charged shipping but you must select a shipping method)
3. Click the Check Out button.
4. Select Credit Card for the payment method. You will not be charged for the download but you still need to select a payment method to make it to the next step.
5. Either log in to your account or fill in the required account information (you do not need to fill in your credit card information)
6. Click the Proceed to Confirmation button.
7. Review your order and select a response to the required checkout question in red text.
8. Click the Finalize Order button.
9. If successful, click on the My Downloads link at the top of the page.
10. Click on the Moka Hair Color Chart file to download your file.

The fabulously talented Baker's Dozen has more sneak peeks today so make sure you stop by their blogs. And don't forget to read below for the details of our release and find out how you can win new stamps!

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 will be announced here on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each blog for more chances to win. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST.

Thanks again for stopping by today! You won't want to miss tomorrow for a sneak peek at two more full-size stamp sets...we have LOTS OF LOVE to share this month!

Taylored Expressions January Sneaks Day 1

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning and Happy New Year! Welcome to the first day of sneak peeks for our January release! I am SO excited about all the new goodies we have to share with you this month! Over the next three days we'll be sharing sneak peeks using 3 full-size stamp sets, 3 Petite stamp sets, 1 mini set, 5 A la Carte stamps, and 7 new Taylored Dies! Can't wait a second longer? Well, you don't have to... here we go!

My first project uses our new Rosy Posey set that was illustrated by Nancy McKinney for the Whimsical Wishes collection. It's a beautiful full-size set of roses perfect for the Valentine holiday but classic enough to be useful throughout the year. The set of roses also comes with a set of coordinating Rosy Posey dies. I started with this week's sketch from Jen Shults' Deconstructing Sketch Challenge. Have I mentioned that I love Jen's sketches!?

I stamped the rose in Memento Tuxedo Black ink four times and colored it with Copics (R24, R27, R39). The bottom layer was cut out using the coordinating Rosy Posey die and then I hand cut and popped up three additional layers for more dimension. The patterned paper is from the Pebbles With Love collection which is the featured patterned paper in our latest Project Pantry kit for Valentine's Day. In the middle picture you can see that I decorated the inside of my card with the corner element. And in the closeup on the far right hopefully you can see how I embellished the image panel with Ice White Pearl Pen and trimmed the detailed leaves (colored with Copics G21 & G24) with the coordinating dies from the Rosy Posey die set.

My second project uses the Love A la Carte, the newest addition to our word a la carte series. Again, I started with a sketch from Jen Shults' Deconstructing Sketch Challenge. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copics (R46, G21, G24, R81, R83, RV29). Then I added a heart candy dot to the center of the heart and Crystal Stickles to each of the letters to finish it off with some sparkle. For the inside of the card I used the new Jumbo Heart Border die along with patterned paper to coordinate with the front of the card. The 'Always' sentiment on the inside of the card is from the new Rose Wreath set.

The rest of the Baker's Dozen is sneaking peeks using one of the following new products: Rosy Posey, Rose Wreath, Love A la Carte, and 1 Corinthians 13:13 A la Carte. You'll also see more new dies when you hop around including: Rosy Posey die set, Jumbo Heart Border, Hearts A Plenty, Layering Doily Dies, and Heart Favor Box. Ooooh.... so much goodness.... sooo exciting!

Here's a look at the dies I used on my project today:

Before you head out to check out all the eye candy, you'll want to read the details of our release below. Find out how you could be one of the lucky winners at our Facebook Preview Party or the lucky winner of a TE gift certificate!

January Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 5th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 will be announced here on Release Day! Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each blog for more chances to win. Comments close Wednesday 1/4 at 7pm PST.

Charmaine Ikach
Danielle Lounds
Jami Sibley
Jen Shults
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron
Melissa Sauls
Melody Rupple
Regina Mangum
Sankari Wegman
Taylor VanBruggen
Tori Wild
Wanda Guess

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to see you back here tomorrow for a peek at more new goodies!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Can you believe it!? 2012 already! I hope you all had a wonderful evening of celebration. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we didn't see the stroke of midnight. Although we did see the stroke of 1am and 4am as Madelyn has her first cold and hasn't been sleeping well lately. Does that count for ringing in the new year? *wink*

And now it's time for those new year's resolutions, right? I know a lot of people don't like making resolutions they'll never keep, but I don't mind that. I like to make the resolutions even though I know I won't be able to keep all of them. It gives me something to reflect on at the end of the year. So here are my resolutions for 2012:

1. Do more blogging! I think we're finally getting into a pretty good routine with our little one and I can feel my mojo on the way back. Plus, here I am today starting off the new year with a blog post. AND our sneak peeks start tomorrow for our January release so I'll be here all week. YAY!

2. Exercise! Isn't that on everyone's list? Jon and I were the predictable "end-of-the-year need to get in shape" shoppers yesterday and we went out in search of an elliptical machine. Getting to the gym just isn't possible these days! And I'm so excited that we got a steal of a deal and our new exercise equipment will be delivered next week!

3. Send more cards! I make a lot of cards throughout the year so it's a mystery to me why I find it so hard to get them in the mail. I've decorated and filled in one of the Perpetual Occasions calendars with every occasion from birthday to anniversary and I'm going to get those cards sent... YES I AM!

4. Take more photographs! I signed up for a photography class with Maggie Holmes and I'm looking forward to figuring out how to use my digital SLR. But that's only half the battle... I have to remember to bring my camera and actually take the pictures!

5. Start a scrapbook! For years I've been saying "I'll start scrapbooking once we have a baby".... well, now we have Madelyn and it's time to start scrapbooking before she graduates from high school and I wonder where the years went. I'm contemplating whether I should try Becky Higgins' Project Life or just do my own thing. Or maybe a combination of Project Life and my own thing. What do you think?

6. Win the best decorated nursery contest! OK... I know this isn't a resolution, but I had to throw it in here because I need your help to win! *grin* I entered Madelyn's nursery into a best-decorated contest on Facebook. All you have to do is CLICK HERE and then "Like" the photo of Madi's nursery to vote for us. We're about 40 votes from the lead right now. Crossing my fingers your vote will help push us over the top!

I might have gone a little crazy with Madi's room. You all know I have that 'creative gene' so when we found out we were having a girl my mind went wild with possibilities! Really it's my mom's fault for giving me the 'creative gene'. Can I blame her for the 'shopping gene' too? *wink* Jon was charged with painting the room and assembling the furniture and he did a great job! He even helped me apply the mural to the wall and painstakingly arrange each butterfly with precision. I'm sure he rolled his eyes at me about a million times throughout the process, but it was all worth it in the end. And now that we've welcomed Madelyn into our world I look back and giggle at my own obsession. You'll notice the diaper bag is carefully packed and ready on the floor next to the rocker. Well in today's reality, I'm lucky if I can find the diaper bag and even luckier if I open it to find diapers inside!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! May 2012 be a year of health and happiness! All the best to you and yours!

P.S. See you back here tomorrow morning for sneak peeks! :)

Shop Hop Sale!

2011-12-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Did Santa bring you presents from your wish list? Maybe he 'forgot' a few of those crafty things that you've been wanting? Well now's the time to pick up a little something just for you from some of your favorite companies. Ten fabulous companies are joining together for the 3rd Annual Splitcoaststampers Shop Hop. Click here to check out all the sales in one place. At TE we're sending out 2011 with a bang! Here's our shop hop sale (just click the graphic below to head to the TE Store):

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

May the peace, joy, and blessings of the holiday season

be with you today and throughout the new year!

December Key Ingredients Blog Hop

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today I'm joining up with our fabulous Key Ingredients design team to share more projects using the December Key Ingredients kit! So now for the question of the week.... are you ready for Christmas!? If you're anything like me then you probably have a list of things-to-do that seems to grow even in your sleep! One of the things on my list this week is to make gift-card holders. Since the gift card doesn't look special on its own at least the packaging will look special!

While I was in Cincinnati teaching classes a couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting lots of creative ladies at the stamp store! One of the women brought in a gift card holder and I knew I wanted to try something like it for my gift cards this year.

It was really easy to make! I cut out a rectangular pocket sized to hold the gift card (don't forget to leave space on the bottom and sides for the sticky tape). Then I added the ribbon to make it look like a gift before adhering the pocket to the card. Then I added a strip of ribbon around the gift card and left a tab at the top where I attached the red bow that will be used to pull it out of the pocket. I finished it off with a penguin cut out from the patterned paper, the Merry Christmas sentiment from Woodland Winter, and a couple snowflake brads from the kit.

There's still time to get in on the fun ingredients in this month's kit by joining us as a subscriber through December 31st! And the great thing about this kit is that the supplies can be used throughout the winter... not just for Christmas! Click here for more info.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful week leading up to Christmas! Don't forget to check out the rest of the design team's creative projects!

Where does the time go!?

2011-12-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today Madelyn is three months old and I find myself wondering "Where did the time go?" I remember everyone reminding me to cherish those precious tiny moments because they never last long enough. Well, you all were right! Each morning when I pick out an outfit for Madelyn to wear I find one of her newborn outfits that doesn't fit anymore. And now when I want her to sit in her once beloved bouncy seat, she cries until I put her in her big girl Bumbo. We took her for her three month photo session last week and here's a picture of our big girl (she decided she wanted to take serious pictures):

Since I told you about her once beloved bouncy seat and her new favorite Bumbo I thought I'd share these two pictures as well. In the one on the left she is about 6 weeks old and the picture on the right was taken a couple weeks ago.

I've also been asking myself "Where does the time go?" in regards to my creative time these days. I've definitely had to adjust my creative time around Madelyn's nursing schedule, diaper changes, bath time, etc. etc. I think becoming a mom has really made me realize why so many of you love our Key Ingredients kits! Anything that saves me time and still allows me to be creative is a must-have! I wanted to get a head start on some post-holiday cards so I got out the December Key Ingredients kit last week. I often find myself with blocks of creative time (when Madi goes to visit grandma!) and so I like to get out all of the coordinating supplies and create a bunch of cards all at once. Here's what I came up with using this month's kit:

You can read all of the details about my cards and this month's kit over on the Key Ingredients blog! If you happen to be short on creative time (or maybe you just like to have all the ingredients coordinated for you!) I hope you'll consider subscribing to our kit club! The fabulously creative gals on our Key Ingredients design team will be posting projects on the KI Blog all week so make sure you stop by and check 'em out!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Tag Hop Winner!!

2011-12-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! I hope you're all having a great day and feeling relaxed and ready for the weekend! Today has been a productive day around here!

First, we made a good dent in the release orders! All orders placed yesterday are going out tomorrow and if you still want to get in on the Petite-a-Palooza fun this weekend, all orders placed through Sunday will ship out on Monday! We love to give you speedy service!

And as an added bonus to my day I finished a couple loads of laundry and got dinner simmering in the crock pot. Now I just need to clean the house as we're having guests this weekend for Madelyn's baby dedication service on Sunday.

One more thing for today...I know I promised I'd announce the winner of the fabulous tags from our Baker's Dozen Black Friday Tag Hop earlier this week, but time got away from me with all the new release excitement. I'm very happy to announce that the winner of a set of 11 unique tags from some of the most fabulous designers in the industry is......

Joey Thomas!

Congratulations, Joey! The tags are being swapped out next week and once I receive them I'll get them off in the mail to you!

Taylored Expressions December Release!

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

The December Release is finally here and I'm so glad you're joining us! I hope you've enjoyed the sneak peeks this week and now all of the new products are available for purchase at the TE Store! And did you come to our Preview Party on Facebook last night? We gave away one of each of our new stamp sets and you might be one of our lucky winners. We've announced the winners on our Facebook page so make sure you check it out!

Before I show you all of our new products, here are a few reminders:

PETITE-A-PALOOZA SPECIAL: For every 6 Petite Stamp Sets that you purchase (new or old & on the same order) through Friday, December 9th you'll receive a Petite Storage Case absolutely FREE! You do not need to add the free storage case to your card. It will be automatically shipped to you with your purchase of 6 Petite stamp sets.

REMINDER ABOUT OUR SHIPPING POLICY: Orders over $75.00 receive free shipping (within the U.S.)! For orders that do not qualify for free shipping, we will refund you for the difference between actual shipping and the shipping charged upon checkout once your order is weighed for shipment. It's a win-win!

Our original debut of Petite stamp sets was one year ago and they've become quite a popular item at Taylored Expressions! So this release we're dishing up a DOZEN new Petite sets so I better get started with the introductions!

PETITE STAMP SETS

Strawberry Wreath - Set of 9 - $7.95

Strawberry Wreath Inspiration Gallery

Apple Wreath - Set of 5 - $7.95
Apple Wreath Inspiration Gallery

Snowflake Wreath - Set of 7 - $7.95
Snowflake Wreath Inspiration Gallery

Moka Nora - Set of 7 - $7.95
Moka Nora Inspiration Gallery

Moka Kristie - Set of 5 - $7.95
Moka Kristie Inspiration Gallery

Fly Your Flag 1 - Set of 7
+ 1 Coordinating Die - $13.95

Fly Your Flag Inspiration Gallery

Fly Your Flag 2 - Set of 7
+ 1 Coordinating Die - $13.95

Fly Your Flag Inspiration Gallery

Fly Your Flag 3 - Set of 7
+ 1 Coordinating Die - $13.95

Fly Your Flag Inspiration Gallery

Sky's the Limit - Set of 9 - $13.95
+ 3 Coordinating Dies
Sky's the Limit Inspiration Gallery

Polar Pete - Set of 5 - $7.95
Polar Pete Inspiration Gallery

Simply Magical - Set of 7 - $7.95
Simply Magical Inspiration Gallery

Your Ways - Set of 2 - $7.95
Your Ways Inspiration Gallery

A LA CARTE STAMPS

Happy New Year A la Carte - $5.95
Happy New Year Inspiration Gallery

CALENDAR PRODUCTS

Desktop Calendar Set (2012) - $5.95
Perpetual Occasions Calendar - $6.95

Mini Tear off Calendar - $.30 each
or 10 for $2.50
Desktop Acrylic Base - $2.25
Magnetic Acrylic Base - $2.25

CARD KITS - $14.95 each

From top left to bottom right:

MME Happier Card Kit
Basic Grey Indie Bloom
October Afternoon Sidewalks
Echo Park Times & Seasons

PETITE STORAGE BOX
$6.95 each

So there you have it... all of our December release products! You can follow the individual links above, but make sure you also check out the Fresh Out of the Oven category for all the latest additions!

And our talented Baker's Dozen team has more fabulous projects to share with you today so make sure you hop over to their blogs too!

Taylored Expressions December Sneaks - Day 2

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It's time for our second day of sneak peeks before all of our new products are available tomorrow morning at 8am PST! I hope you enjoyed the calendars yesterday and today the Baker's Dozen and I are bringing you inspiration using 4 new cards kits along with our sneak peeks from the 12 new Petite stamp sets. Here's what you'll want to know for this release:

December Release At a Glance

Tuesday is Calendar Day as we showcase FOUR new TE calendar products - all perfect for gift giving!
Wednesday is Card Kit Day as we introduce FOUR new Taylored Card Kits available just in time for the holidays!
All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, December 1st at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
PETITE-A-PALOOZA SPECIAL: Purchase any 6 Petite Stamp Sets (new or old) through Friday December 9th and receive a Petite Storage Case absolutely FREE!

I thought I'd start today by showing you a picture of all four of our new card kits:

Each card kit features one of the following patterned papers (from top left to bottom right): My Mind's Eye Happier, Basic Grey Indie Bloom, October Afternoon Sidewalks, Echo Park Times & Seasons. We've paired the patterned paper with 10 card bases, 10 image panels, 10 envelopes, 3 yards of ribbon, and a package of Kaisercraft Pearls/Rhinestones. Each card kit is packaged up with a full color supply list and inspiration sheet in one of our new Petite Storage Boxes! Yep... you read that right! We're now offering a storage solution that's perfect for keeping your Petite stamp sets in order. Each storage box holds 6 Petite stamp sets:

If you read the December Release at a Glance then you know about our Petite-a-Palooza special! For every 6 Petite stamp sets you purchase, you'll receive a FREE Petite Storage Box! YAY!

My first project uses the Indie Bloom Card Kit along with the new Fly Your Flag 1 stamp set! Each Fly Your Flag stamp set offers a uniquely shaped flag with a coordinating die. All you need to do is stamp the image, trim with the coordinating die, fold the flag in half, and string along a piece of ribbon or Baker's Twine! Each flag image is double sided allowing you do decide if you'd like to spell out a word in the opening or just string a plain flag. The Fly Your Flag stamp sets coordinate with the previously release You're My Type Upper and Lower alphabet sets. Let me show you just what I mean. Here's a photo of the Fly Your Flag 1 stamp set and coordinating die:

The die trims out the entire flag shape and you can either cut them in half and pop up your pennants on foam tape or fold them in half and string them along a piece of ribbon or twine. Or maybe you'll find a new and clever use for the diamond die shape on its own! I'm super excited for all the possibilities with this series of stamp sets!

My next project uses the Happier Card Kit and the new Simply Magical Petite Set. It just doesn't get better than Cuppie and Unicorn! Wouldn't this make a sweet set of cards for a young girl? I also used the Medium Scalloped Border die and an Ice White Pearl Pen on each scallop for more detail. And the clouds are covered with glitter for even more sparkle and shine (just like the sentiment says!). :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Our fabulous Baker's Dozen is sharing sneak peeks using the card kits and even more new stamps. You don't want to miss Polar Pete, Sky's the Limit, and more Fly Your Flag so make sure you hop along to check 'em out:

Taylored Expressions December Sneaks - Day 1

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning and welcome to the first day of sneak peeks for our December Release! I can't believe how quickly the months have been flying by, but I've been so excited to show you the new products in our December release that you won't hear me complaining! We're celebrating this month with a Petite-a-Palooza as we introduce A DOZEN new Petite stamp sets from every stamp collection available at TE! In addition, we're introducing a Petite Storage Box, 4 new calendar products, and 4 new card kits. This release has everything you need for gift making and gift giving in the upcoming year!

If you want to be 'in the know' for this release, then keep on reading!

December Release At a Glance

Tuesday is Calendar Day as we showcase FOUR new TE calendar products - all perfect for gift giving!
Wednesday is Card Kit Day as we introduce FOUR new Taylored Card Kits available just in time for the holidays!
All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, December 1st at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
PETITE-A-PALOOZA SPECIAL: Purchase any 6 Petite Stamp Sets (new or old) through Friday December 9th and receive a Petite Storage Case absolutely FREE!

If you paid attention to the release points above then you already know that today is calendar day! Each of the Baker's Dozen is featuring one of our new Petite stamp sets along with a calendar product. Today we're sharing new stamps from the Whimsical Wishes & Moka Collections illustrated by Nancy McKinney. The first project I want to share uses our new Desktop Calendar Set:

Our Desktop Calendar Set comes with both the calendar case and the monthly calendar inserts ready for you to personalize with your choice of stamps! We're filling in our Seasonal Wreath series with 3 new wreath stamps this release so now you'll have a full-year of wreaths to fill a calendar. I decided to use all of the wreaths to create 12 unique calendar inserts:

Here are the wreaths that I used for each month:

January: Snowflake Wreath (NEW)
February: Wreath of Love
March: Wreath of Luck
April: Spring Wreath
May: Strawberry Wreath (NEW)
June: Summer Wreath
July: 4th of July Wreath
August: Sunflower Wreath
September: Apple Wreath (NEW)
October: Spooky Wreath
November: Autumn Wreath
December: Wreaths of Joy

The second project I have to share uses our new Mini Tear-Off Calendar and magnetic acrylic base. I've always wanted to have these cute mini calendars without having to download and print them and now we're bringing that to reality! Each little cutie measures 2 1/4" x 3" and the possibilities are endless. I decided to start January off with the sweet new Moka Kristie!

But wait, there's more! This next calendar product is even more exciting because it helps keep me organized (which I need a lot of help with these days!). This is the Perpetual Occasions Calendar! Decorate it once and use it for a lifetime to help you keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Just decorate the small insert that separates each month and hang the calendar on the wall. Wouldn't these make a great gift too!?

I decided to do a different Bible verse for each month so not only will it remind me of upcoming birthdays, but it will be a constant reminder of some of my favorite Scripture. January features a verse from the Rest & Renewal stamp set and February features a new Petite set that we're introducing during this release... I'll be sharing more about that tomorrow!

And last, but certainly not least, is a long-time customer favorite...our 6x6 calendar download and Frame Your Imagination Stand. While this isn't a new product, some of the Baker's Dozen will be sharing new and inspiring ideas for creating a fabulous calendar using this stand. Here's a project that I made last year and you can find all of the months of my calendar HERE:

Whew... that was a long post, but I hope you see some new ideas that inspire you to start creating for the new year! The rest of the Baker's Dozen also has some fabulous sneak peeks to share with you today so check 'em out:

TE Tag Hop & Black Friday Sale!

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

* Sale excludes gift certificates and Key Ingredients subscriptions
and is only good on in stock items while supplies last.*

Welcome to the Taylored Expressions Black Friday Sale & Tag Hop!!!

Today we're kicking off the biggest shopping day of the year with a Tag Hop, new product introduction, and a HUGE SALE! We are so thankful for you, our customers, who make the dream of Taylored Expressions a reality! I love hearing the stories of how you use your crafty talents to bless those around you with handmade love and I'm so thankful to play a small part in that by satisfying your creative sweet tooth with stamps and stamping supplies. Thank you from all of us at Taylored Expressions!

So now that you know about the sale, why don't I show you some of the cool new stuff you can buy with the discount!? I'm super excited to introduce our new Tags & Tag-a-longs! We've put together the perfect little kit of coordinating tags and tag essentials... wide eyelets and Baker's Twine...enough to make 20 tags! The Tags & Tag-a-longs are offered in four color packs: Pink, Green, Brown, and Aqua for $6.95 each.

And now to inspire you with ideas for creating beautiful tags for your holiday gifts the Baker's Dozen and I are joining together on a Tag Hop! The best part of this blog hop is that you have an opportunity to win one of each of the tags we've all made! How cool is that!? Everyone who places an order at Taylored Expressions Friday - Monday (11/25 - 11/28) and writes "I want those tags!" in the comments section will be entered to win. The winner will be announced here on Tuesday 11/29.

We've all used TE Stamps and the new Viva Pearl Pens & Paper Pens on our tags. I hope you leave the hop feeling inspired! Don't forget to check out the video I posted on Wednesday on how to use the Pearl & Paper pens. They are so fun and versatile! For my tag project I decided to create a wine bottle tag.... the perfect way to dress up a popular hostess gift for the holidays.

I couldn't stop with just the wine bottle tag so I decided to use the Pearl Pens to decorate a set of wine glasses with a holiday theme. I used Ice White, Green, and Red to create a swirly pattern with holly and berries mixed throughout. I mentioned in my video that these pens are water resistant and machine washable so they're a great way to decorate glassware, canisters, ceramics, fabric, and much more.

Don't miss the rest of the fabulous tags along the hop and don't forget to put "I Want Those Tags!" in the comments section of your order so you can be entered to win a set of tags from the amazing Baker's Dozen!

Jami Sibley
Karen Giron
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Jodi Collins
Lori Craig
Melody Rupple
Danielle Lounds
Sankari Wegman

Viva Pearl & Paper Pens Video

2011-11-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Happy 'day before' Thanksgiving! My sister and I went to the mall yesterday and the Black Friday sales have already started at a lot of stores. Don't you think they should change the name of the sale if they're going to start it on Tuesday?

You know that feeling you have when you get a new toy and you just can't put it down? Well, I've been playing with a new toy for the past week and somehow every single project I make now has pearly dots on it! If you haven't seen or heard of the Viva Pearl & Paper Pens then I'm excited to introduce you to them today. We discovered these pens at CHA and fell in love! First, the pens solve a problem I was having with other pearly products. I kept getting these little tips on my dots that wouldn't settle and then instead of looking like half pearls, my dots looked like Hershey kisses. You know what I mean, right? Well, these pens are specially formulated to create dots that settle into perfectly rounded pearls. And the fine applicator tip makes it easy to create pearls in a variety of sizes.

While that was enough to sell me on these pens, I continued to walk around the Viva Decor booth and discovered four words that make these pens an absolute must-have for any crafter: water resistant & machine washable! Check out this amazing sweater that we found... don't you just want to reach out and touch those fantastic pearly dots!? And the pretty floral shirt underneath is decorated with pearls too! I've already scoured my current wardrobe to see if I have anything I can bedazzle with pearls! *wink*

And because the pearl pen is water resistant you could also use it to decorate glassware, dishes, canisters, ceramics... the possibilities are endless! We also found this fabulous chandelier.... can you believe all of those strings were made with pearl pen? WOW!

Here's a video I made to show you just how easy these pens are to use and give you even more ideas on how to use them! You can find all of the Viva Pearl Pens and Paper Pens at the TE Store!

And speaking of more ideas, the Baker's Dozen and I will be back on Friday morning at 12:00am PST (the evening of Thanksgiving) to share even more ideas for the Pearl & Paper Pens to go along with our

HUGE Black Friday Sale.

If you receive our newsletter then you already know this is the biggest sale we've ever offered...up to 30% off everything in the store! And the earlier you shop the more you save! So don't forget to mark your calendar and set your iPhone reminders for midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning! See you then!

Thanksgiving Plans in full-swing!

2011-11-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far! This is one of my favorite times of the year! I love welcoming family and preparing for the big Thanksgiving meal! My sister and her husband arrived from California yesterday and my aunt and uncle and their kids are driving in from Texas today. And then we welcome more aunts and uncles on Thanksgiving Day. It's such a wonderful time to be together and give thanks for the ways we've been blessed throughout this year.

One of the most fun parts of preparing for Thanksgiving is designing the table setting. My mom and I like to go all out! This was our table setting two years ago:

We used the Celebrate Life set to create the different elements like the napkin ring, menu, and place card. And we also made a Blessing Mix favor for each person. You can read about the ingredients for Blessing Mix HERE.

We just finished up the place cards for this year's Thanksgiving table so I thought I'd share. My mom is a bit obsessed with acorns... each time I go over to her house I spot a new acorn that I haven't seen before! My aunt gave her a bunch of these little acorns that she picked up at Tuesday Morning and we figured out a way to transform them into a name card for each place setting. We cut out oak leaves using the Mini Leaves die, punched a little hole through the top, tied some brown baker's twine through, and hung them from the stem of the acorn. It was super easy and I love how they turned out!

And now I'm off to make my famous sweet potato casserole for the big meal! You can find the recipe HERE. I hope you'll stop back here tomorrow... I think it's about time for a new video! What do you think? We spent some time recording over the weekend so come back to get a first hand look at the new product we're bringing in to the TE Store!

I hope you're all having fun with your Thanksgiving preparations! Oh just one more thing... have you seen the iPhone app that plans out your Black Friday shopping for you? I don't think I'll go crazy early morning shopping this year, but I still have it planned out *just in case*! *grin*

Calling all Cincinnati Stampers!

2011-11-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I have an exciting announcement today! Do you live in the Cincinnati area? If so, I'm heading your way soon! I'll be teaching two classes at Stamp Your Art Out, a fabulous stamp store in Cincinnati. All of the class details are below and if you'd like to join us, just give Connie & Kat a call and they'll get you all signed up (513) 793-4558.

Love Grows Here Card Class

Date: Friday, December 9th
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Cost: $26.00

It's a great time to stock up on all-occasion cards using the cute Love Grows Here stamp set. I'll be showing the versatility of these stamps as we create five cards using Echo Park's Country Drive collection and Copic Markers.

* Special thanks to Charmaine, Karen, and Melody for inspiration on 3 cards created above!

Friendship Blooms Desk Set

Date: Saturday, December 10th
Time: 9:30 - 11:30 am
Cost: $31.00

Are you looking for a great gift for that special someone on your list, or maybe you want the perfect addition to your own desk? Come join me as we create a desk set including a bound journal, desk calendar & notepad, and three cards.

*Special thanks to Lea Lawson for inspiration on 1 card created above!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope to see you in Cincinnati! :)

November Key Ingredients Blog Hop

2011-11-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I hope you're all having a wonderful and relaxing Sunday! Today the Key Ingredients Design Team and I have more projects to share that we made using the November Key Ingredients kit. We're doing our own little blog hop so make sure you check out the rest of the links below! Here's a pic of this month's kit:

I decided to create a 'desk set' including a journal, desktop calendar, and three cards. I used the Friendship Blooms stamp set along and the following colors of ink (Lime Pastel, Rouge, Maroon, Yellow Ochre from the Colorbox Chalk collection and Sea Breeze from the VersaMagic collection). And I must give credit to KI Design Team member Lea Lawson for the card on the bottom right. I cased my version from her beautiful original.

These projects were all super quick and easy to make... even the journal with the help of my trusty Cinch machine! This will definitely make a fabulous gift for someone on my Christmas list this year.... now I just have to decide who gets it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Now you can follow the links below to check out what the rest of the Key Ingredients design team has created using their November kit! And as always, you can find inspiration for our past and present kits in the Key Ingredients Gallery! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

November Blast from the Past Blog Hop

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! The weeks fly by so quickly lately that I don't think of Wednesday as hump day. This is how I would describe a week... I start out on Monday sitting on a sled at the top of a snowy mountain. I really don't want to start down the hill, but eventually someone gives me a giant push from behind. And so my sled starts traveling down the mountain and gaining speed quickly. By the time Friday night arrives I've been going at the speed of light for four days and I can't stop the sled! It takes me two days to slow it down and then on Monday morning I'm magically sitting atop the mountain again waiting for that big push! *grin*

I'm sure y'all can relate to that picture, huh!? Especially as the holidays draw near! And speaking of the holidays, today I'm super excited to join our customers on a Blast from the Past blog hop with a Thankful theme. As Thanksgiving is literally right around the corner (or right down that mountain I'm traveling!) I thought it'd be a great time to show our thankfulness! I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the hoppers have created using their 'older' TE stamps! And as always, the fabulous Sankari has designed a sketch to give us a creative jump start. We'd love to have you join us on our next Blast from the Past blog hop. We'll be taking a 'holiday break' for the month of the December, but we'll make sure you have all the details to sign up in January! And maybe Santa will bring you some new goodies to play with before our next hop! ;)

The sketch that Sankari provides is optional and I'll be filing it away to play with a little later. I decided to share a set of baby thank you cards that I made using the Welcome Little One stamp set. Unfortunately, I didn't make enough of these and I've since resorted to sending store bought thank you cards for gifts we've received. (*gasp*) I've been hoarding this pretty patterned paper from the Cosmo Cricket Little Girls collection and decided to finally use it for these cards. I stamped and trimmed each of the icons and popped them up on foam tape. The inks I used are Olive Pastel, Rose Coral, and Warm Red. The sentiment is from Labels of Love. I used up ribbons from my stash and of course my Bow Easy helped me finish it off with the perfect little bow!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Don't miss the rest of the projects along the hop. I'm always blown away with the creativity!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #150

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning & Happy Friday! It's time for another sketch challenge and it's a big one! I can hardly believe we're at Sketch 150 already! I've been sharing some of my past favorites on Facebook this week and we also have a special prize drawing for cards entered into Sketch 150!

I hope you all have some time to participate in this sketch over the next few weeks as this will be our last sketch challenge of 2011. The sketch crew and I will be taking a break for the rest of 2011 to enjoy the holidays! Let's go out with a bang!

Here's this week's sketch designed by sketch crew member Jami:

Here are the sketch requirements:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus if you do! Those who use TE stamps will be entered into the prize drawing twice! To be entered into the prize drawing you must upload your card to Splitcoaststampers using keyword TESC150 by Thursday, November 24th. And here's the prize that's up for grabs:

1. We'll be giving away 3 prizes for Sketch 150... one of each of our newly released stamp sets: Love Grows Here, Labels of Love II, and Thankful!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TESC149 sketch! There are so many fabulous entries! You can see all of the entries HERE. The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store is:

Debi Costello! Check out the beautiful fall cards she created HERE!

And now here is the inspiration from our talented sketch crew:

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

Taylored Expressions November Release!

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for joining us for the November Release at TE! I hope you've enjoyed our sneak peeks this week! All of the new products are now available at the TE Store! Did you join us for the Preview Party on Facebook last night? If so, you might be one of our lucky winners. We've announced the winners on our Facebook page so make sure you check it out! And the three winners from the Mystery Baker's Dozen blog hop giveaway are:

Monday (Danielle's blog): Miriam Prantner
Tuesday (Jen's blog): Karen Day
Wednesday (Tori's blog): wendy

If you're one of the lucky winners of a gift certificate, just email me to claim your prize!

REMINDER ABOUT OUR SHIPPING POLICY: Orders over $75.00 receive free shipping (within the U.S.)! For orders that do not qualify for free shipping, we will refund you for the difference between actual shipping and the shipping charged upon checkout once your order is weighed for shipment. It's a win-win!

STAMP SETS

Thankful - Set of 15 - $21.95

Thankful Inspiration Gallery

Suggested Paper Collections: Echo Park Times & Seasons, October Afternoon Campfire, Crate Paper Farmhouse, MME Vanity Fair (pictured on above sample)

Labels of Love II - Set of 27 - $21.95
Labels of Love II Inspiration Gallery
Coordinates with Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3
$5.00 donated to Union Rescue Mission for each set purchased

Love Grows Here - Set of 18 - $21.95
Love Grows Here Inspiration Gallery
Suggested Paper Collections: Echo Park Country Drive, October Afternoon Sidewalks, Crate Paper Farmhouse (pictured on sample above)

MINI STAMP SETS

Life is a Dance - Set of 9 - $12.95

Life is a Dance Inspiration Gallery

Suggested Paper Collections: Authentique Uncommon, MME A Beautiful Life (pictured on sample above)

PETITE STAMP SETS

Moka Morgana - Set of 5 - $7.95
Moka Morgana Inspiration Gallery
Suggested Paper Collections: MME Hazel (pictured on sample above), MME A Beautiful Life

Moka Katie - Set of 5 - $7.95
Moka Katie Inspiration Gallery
Suggested Paper Collections: MME Happy Go Lucky (pictured on sample above)

Sunflower Wreath - Set of 8 - $7.95
Sunflower Wreath Inspiration Gallery
Suggested Paper Collections: Echo Park Times & Seasons, MME All Spice, Lost & Found Sunshine, Crate Paper Farmhouse (pictured on sample above)

A LA CARTE STAMPS

Thanks A la Carte - $5.95

Thanks A la Carte Inspiration Gallery

Suggested Paper Collections: October Afternoon Campfire, Crate Paper Farmhouse (pictured on sample above)

TAYLORED DIES

Mini Leaves Impress Dies - $5.95

So there you have it... all of our November release products! You can follow the individual links above, but make sure you also check out the Fresh Out of the Oven category for all the latest additions!

And our talented Baker's Dozen team has more fabulous projects to share with you today so make sure you hop over to their blogs too!

Taylored Expressions November Sneaks - Day 3

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and welcome to the third day of sneak peeks for our November Release! It's definitely feeling fall-ish around here as we're expecting snow later today (I guess that would actually be winter-ish!). Waahhh... I'm not ready for snow!! But I am ready to share more new goodies with you today! I probably sound like a broken record, but I don't want anyone to miss out on the prizes we're offering during this release so make sure you check out all the details of the release below:

November Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, November 3rd at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day. Comments close Wednesday 11/2 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

My first sneak peek project uses a new full-size set called Thankful that was concepted by Jami Sibley and illustrated by Doug Applegate for our Lasting Impressions collection. Can I just say that I love the way this card turned out!? I started with another deconstructed sketch by Jen Shults. I stamped the pumpkin image and sentiment onto Choice Buttercream cardstock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink. Then I colored the pumpkins with Copics and cut it out with the Spellbinders Deckled Rectangles die. With the die still in place I airbrushed inside the die line with Copic marker. To finish off my image panel I added Glossy Accents to the pumpkins. The patterned papers are a combination of MME Vanity Fair 6x6 pad and the Crate Paper Farmhouse 6x6 pad. I added a bow with olive and cream polka dot ribbon and used the new Mini Leaf Dies and added a few little leaf sprigs behind the bow. The rest of this set includes 15 images and sentiments that can go super cute or elegant. They'll be perfect for showing your thankfulness throughout the year!

My second card uses the latest addition to our Word A la Carte collection illustrated by Nancy McKinney! We all need thank you cards for our stash and this sweet and simple stamp will do the trick! I stamped the 'Thanks' in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored it with Copics. I added a large brad to the center of the sunflower, Crystal Stickles to the bee's wings, and a coat of Glossy Accents over all of the letters. The patterned papers are from our October Key Ingredients kit (Crate Paper Farmhouse collection). I added bit of brown crochet trim and two more leaves from the Mini Leaf Die set. After cutting the dies I traced the impressed veins with Luscious Lime smooch to bring out the detail even more.

The rest of the Baker's Dozen girls are showcasing projects using Thankful, Thanks A la Carte, and the Sunflower Wreath...the newest addition to our seasonal wreath series! You want want to miss their fabulous projects!

One more reminder... don't forget to join us on Facebook tonight for our Preview Party and a chance to win all of the new stamp sets!

Taylored Expressions November Sneaks - Day 2

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It's officially November and we're diving in to Day 2 of sneak peeks for our November Release. The Baker's Dozen and I have more fun stuff to share with you today, but first here's everything you need to know about this month's release:

November Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, November 3rd at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day. Comments close Wednesday 11/2 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Today I'm thrilled to introduce a new artist to the talented crew of stamp designers at Taylored Expressions! Emily Burger is a self-taught artist and stay at home mom to two beautiful children in Urbandale, IA. She enjoys creating digital designs for use in home decor, fabrics, and other crafty projects. Today we're kicking off her cutesy collection, embracing grace, with sneak peeks of an adorable set called Love Grows Here. I LOVE it and I know you're going to love it too! The project I created uses the 'winter tree', but you'll want to make sure you hop around to the rest of the Baker's Dozen blogs to see all 7 of the trees included in the set! I used Jen's deconstructed sketch and started with the large cutout from the Fleur de Lis Doily Motifs because I thought it looked kinda like a snowflake. I stamped the tree and snowman (one stamp) with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored it with Copics. Then I stamped the snowflakes in the air with Prussian Blue ink. I added Crystal Twinkles to each snowflake and also put white liquid applique on the branches and on the ground. The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Nordic Holiday collection. Of course I couldn't resist blinging it up with more rhinestones on the Fleur de Lis die cut and then finished it off with some red and white polka dot ribbon. I had so much fun getting fussy with this image!

Today we're also featuring Moka Morgana and the mini set, Life is a Dance, illustrated by the fabulous Nancy McKinney! You might remember me telling you that Moka is the combination of Nancy's daughter's name (Morgana) and friend (Katie). So now I'm excited to finally introduce the dancer that started it all.... Ms. Morgana herself! I started by stamping her on Buttercream cardstock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink. Then I masked her and stamped the dance bar behind. The bar and sentiment are part of the Life is a Dance set. I colored the images with Copics and added Crystal Stickles to her skirt. I think pink and grey is one of my new favorite color combinations and this piece of patterned paper from the MME Stella & Rose Hazel 6x6 pad seemed to fit what I was envisioning perfectly! I added a few rose pearls and some pink accordion ribbon to finish off the card.

The rest of the Baker's Dozen and friends are also highlighting Love Grows Here, Life is a Dance, Moka Morgana, and Moka Katie so you'll definitely want to hop along to check out their fabulous creations! And don't forget to leave comments along the way for a chance to win a TE gift certificate!

Taylored Expressions November Sneaks - Day 1

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Halloween! Not only is today my favorite holiday, but it's the start of sneak peeks for our November Release! What could be better than massive amounts of candy paired with new stamps!? It's gonna be a great day! *grin* The Baker's Dozen and I have some fun stuff to share with you today, but first make sure you read all of the details of the release below. You may just be one of the lucky prize winners if you know how to enter!

November Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, November 3rd at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day. Comments close Wednesday 11/2 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Today I'm so excited to introduce the latest stamp set in our TE Giving Tree charitable program! The TE Giving Tree is designed to raise funds for a different charity each quarter through the sale of stamp sets. Today we're introducing a must-have for any stamp collection called Labels of Love II. And Taylored Expressions will be donating $5.00 for each stamp set sold during the months of November, December and January to benefit the Union Rescue Mission.

The Union Rescue Mission (URM) was founded in 1981 and is one of the largest missions of its kind in America - bringing help and hope to the homeless in Downtown Los Angeles. My husband Jon worked on staff at Union Rescue Mission during our time in California and we were able to see first hand the positive impact the mission has on the homeless community. This is such a wonderful way to contribute to those less fortunate during the holidays and throughout the year!

Labels of Love II adds to the options for our original Labels of Love stamp set and is a must-have for any stamp collection! The set is filled with 7 labels and 20 year-round holiday sentiments made from high-quality red rubber and pre-trimmed so they're ready for you to use as soon as they arrive on your doorstep. The labels in this set coordinate with the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3 dies. I decided to pair the 'Boo' sentiment and label with Moka Tabitha to celebrate Halloween today. I stamped Tabitha in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, paper pieced her dress, and colored the rest of her with Copics. I added Crystal Stickles to her hat and cut her out with scissors. The patterned paper is from the Bella Blvd. Too Cute to Spook collection. I stamped the label in Colorbox Lime Pastel and cut it out with the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3 die. To finish it off I added rhinestones in Orange, Lilac, and Split Pea along with Black Pearls.

Today we're also introducing the Mini Leaves Taylored Die set designed by Nancy McKinney. These four leaves include the impressed vein lines for even more detail! They didn't fit into my Halloween card today, but I've used them on a bunch of projects later this week and you'll definitely be seeing them on the Baker's Dozen blogs throughout the week too!

The rest of the Baker's Dozen is also highlighting Labels of Love II so you'll definitely want to hop along to check out their fabulous creations! And don't forget to leave comments along the way for a chance to win a TE gift certificate!

Baker's Dozen Announcements

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend! We're gearing up for our November Release as the sneak peeks begin tomorrow! Can you believe it's almost November already!? But before we start the peeks I have a few Baker's Dozen announcements to share with you.

Today it's time to say a fond farewell to a long-time member of the Baker's Dozen. I count myself blessed to have been able to get to know Karen Motz over the last several years! And Motz rhymes with 'boats'...not Motz (like the applesauce)! Karen is truly talented and her creations over the past several years always make my jaw drop. Not only has she contributed her beautiful creations, but she's also contributed her price gun skills at our trade shows! *wink* Karen, thank you for your contributions to Taylored Expressions and you will certainly be missed! But I know I speak for everyone when I say that you can't get too far away... we'll still be checking up on you on your blog!

While I'm sad to see Karen leave, I'm super excited to welcome Jen Shults as the newest member of the Baker's Dozen! You may recognize Jen as our September/October Guest Designer. She has done such an amazing job showcasing Taylored Expressions stamps and she'll be a perfect fit to join the team and continue providing all of you with fabulous inspiration each and every month. If by chance you're not familiar with Jen's work, you can find her fabulous creations on her blog: deconstructing Jen!Welcome welcome!!

As Jen steps down from her Guest Designer job, I'm thrilled to announce that Lori Craig will be joining us as our November/December Guest Designer! Lori wears a variety of hats from mom to marathoner in addition to gracing the pages of papercrafting magazines and creating for her fabulous blog: Make a Difference. I can hardly wait to see what she has in store for us with her sweet signature style! Please join me in welcoming Lori!

And I'm just so excited about our new release that I want to share a little snippet with you today! Hope to see you right back here tomorrow at 8am PST for the sneak peeks!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #149

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! So are you getting ready for a spooky weekend? We have a Halloween party for the kiddos this afternoon and Madelyn is ready to put on the costume that I made for her! Then we have trick or treating on Sunday evening. And the best part is that the weather is supposed to cooperate... no snow on Halloween this year! Hopefully you all have time to squeeze in the sketch challenge during the next couple weeks... it's a fun one:

Since TE is a proud sponsor of the Hope You Can Cling to card drive here on SCS, we're combining this week's sketch challenge with sketch crew member Jami's Hope You Can Cling to Challenge to create a holiday card incorporating the color pink.

We're also encouraging all of you to mail your cards to the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. So if you're up for the extra challenge, then create a holiday card using the sketch that includes the color pink and send it along for the card drive. It's sure to brighten someone's day and that's what this hobby is all about, right!? You can find all of the details on Jami's challenge HERE and more about the card drive and where to send your cards HERE.

And now here are the regular sketch requirements:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must upload your card to Splitcoaststampers using keyword TESC149 by Thursday, November 10th. And here's the prize that's up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge uploads to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store!

2. If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TESC148 sketch! There are so many fabulous entries! You can see all of the entries HERE. The winner of a $20 gift certificate to the TE Store is:

karylim! Check out the adorable Christmas card she created HERE!

The fabulous sketch crew is here to inspire you with their *pink* holiday sketch cards!

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Today I'm joining a group of fabulously talented stampers to bring you the Taylored Expressions Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop! There are 22 designers featuring Christmas and winter stamp sets from TE with projects ranging from cards to gifts and more. We want to inspire you to get your holiday crafting in gear and you won't want to miss one stop along the hop! I'm starting off the hop today and from here you'll want to head to Margie's blog to check out her amazing project. Of course, if you get lost along the hop you can head back here for the full list of participants. And be sure you stick with me to the end of the post where you'll find a coupon code for 25% off holiday stamps at TE!

The stamp set I'm showcasing is Moka Betty from our most recent October release. This is the perfect stamp for all of the Betty Baker's out there. I certainly don't profess to be a Betty Crocker, but I have been wanting to host a holiday cookie exchange for years and Moka Betty gave me just the push I needed to make it happen this year!

I started by printing the details of the invitation on the computer. Then I stamped in the images and sentiments from the Moka Betty set and colored them with Copics. I needed to include the rules for the Sweets Swap which made me re-think the design of my invitation. I started with a regular A2 size card and then cut off a portion of the front of the card leaving enough of the card front remaining in order to stamp Moka Betty on the left. As you can see below, the left Betty panel flips up and reveals the rules for the Sweet Swap.

As I was creating for this hop I started thinking back to all of the fun holiday projects I've done in the past and I thought I'd share one of my favorites with you too. I love creating my own gift tags for Christmas presents. It's that special touch that I like to add and it always receives a "You made these tags!?" from my gift recipients. Last year I designed the stamp set Tag You're It with my own gift giving in mind. I wanted something quick and something cute. Here are the tags I made last year along with the little container that still holds my leftover tags to use this year:

So.... are you feeling inspired to stamp!? You might also want to check out the 12 Days of Christmas video series that I recorded last year. I shared lots of fun gift ideas like calendar stands, canvas totes, card sets, recipe boxes, gift card holders, journals, display art, pins, barettes, magnets, and much more! Click the link below to watch the series!

12 Days of Christmas with Taylored Expressions

Now who loves a SALE!? Ummm... I do! Use the coupon code HOOPLA2011 to get 25% off the following holiday stamp sets (released in 2009 & 2010) now through November 2nd:

Christmas Blessings, Enjoy!, From the Heart, Hangin' Out - At the North Pole, Holiday Wonder, Home Sweet Home, Keeping Tabs, Merry Little Cocktail, Penguin Pals, Season's Sweetings, Sparkle & Cheer, Tag Treats, Tag You're It, Take Note - Holidays, Wings of Joy, and Winter Wonderland.

The coupon code is case sensitive. Follow these instructions to apply the discount to your order:

1. Add the desired items to your shopping cart.

2. Insert the coupon code into the Promotion Code box.

3. Click the Update Cart button. Your discount should now be applied to the appropriate items.

4. Proceed to checkout to finalize and submit your order.

October Key Ingredients Blog Hop

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Today the Key Ingredients Design Team and I are having our own little blog hop to share more projects that we made using the October Key Ingredients kit. This month's kit has been super popular! We still have a few kits left so if you want to jump in and join us as a subscriber now's a great time! Here's a pic of this month's kit:

My favorite part of this kit is the embellishments. I love the pumpkin mum trim and the fabric covered brads that go along with the pretty paper from the Crate Farmhouse collection. For my card I pulled out the In the Park set. I usually think of this set as a summertime set, but as I looked at the tree stamp I wanted to create a fall tree inspired by the beautiful changing leaves right outside my stamp room window! I started by stamping the images in Memento Rich Cocoa and coloring them with Copics. I stamped and colored some of the leaves twice so that I could cut them out and pop them up with foam tape. Then I covered all of the leaves with Glossy Accents. The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory and I think it'll make a fabulous birthday card for a fabulous friend of mine with an upcoming birthday!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll hop along to the rest of the Key Ingredients design team blogs to see what they've made using the October kit! And as always, you can find inspiration for our past and present kits in the Key Ingredients Gallery! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

October Blast from the Past Blog Hop

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning & Happy Wednesday! Today I'm super excited to join our fabulous customers on our Blast from the Past Blog Hop. The creative Sankari has designed another fun sketch for us to use to make a project with the Trick or Sweet theme! That means all of our hop participants created either a Halloween themed project or something sweet to share today. I just love these hops because I always come away inspired to bust out my 'older' TE sets to create! That's why we call it a Blast from the Past... because everyone is also using TE sets released more than three months ago. We'd love to have you join us next month (everyone is welcome!) and you can find all of the hop details on this page.

But before you head off to sign up for the hop next month, check out all of the projects by clicking on the links below!

I decided to use the Punchy Potions set to make a Halloween card and a treat. It's been a while since I pulled out this set and now I remember why I like it so much! The images are super cute and easy to color and I love that they work for both cards and potion bottle treats. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored them with Copics. Then I added a bit of glitter to the spider webs with a Quickie Glue Pen. The ovals were cut out with Spellbinders oval dies. The patterned paper is from the Too Cute to Spook collection by Bella Blvd. To finish off the card I added a bow using orange and black polka dot ribbon along with some orange glittered brads. Yes, I know I switched up the sketch, but sketches are for inspiration, right!? And this one is certainly inspiring!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Don't miss the rest of the projects along the hop... I'm sure they're super clever and creative!

Be Strong - I'm Here for You

2011-10-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I made this card for the TE Sketch Challenge on Friday and thought I'd share a little bit more about it today. I combined the sketch challenge with Lori's Hope You Can Cling To challenge on SCS to use pink bling on a card. The Hope You Can Cling To challenges are going on all month at Splitcoast (there's a new one posted every day!). It's a great opportunity to try a challenge and get involved in the fight against breast cancer by creating a card to send to the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. I'll be sending this card along with a few others that I hope to create before the end of the month. It makes me happy to know that something I made might bring joy to someone fighting breast cancer. You can find out more about the challenges and the card drive HERE!

For my card I used the beautiful Moka Hope. And in case you missed our latest release, Moka Hope is one of our new October stamps and we'll be donating $1 for each set that is purchased to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! I started by stamping Hope in Memento Rich Cocoa and coloring her with Copics. I cut her out using Spellbinders Labels 17 and then added soft pink rhinestones and plum pearls to her scarf. I added more pearls and rhinestones along the side and stamped the 'Be Strong' sentiment randomly on the left. The patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye Vanity Fair 6x6 pad.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #148

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! It's almost time for another weekend! I'm not sure why that's so exciting for me because all of the days just seem to run together into one. Half the time I'm not even sure if it's one in the morning or one in the afternoon! *grin* But I did get a chance to create a card for this week's sketch challenge and I hope you'll play along too. Here it is:

We have a special challenge for you this week! Since TE is a proud sponsor of the Hope You Can Cling to card drive at Splitcoast, we thought we'd include an extra challenge with this week's sketch and encourage you to mail your cards to the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. So if you're up for the extra challenge, then create a card that includes the color pink and send it along for the card drive. It's sure to brighten someone's day and that's what this hobby is all about, right!? You can find details for participating in the HYCCT challenges and sending your cards to the cancer center HERE.

And now here are the regular sketch requirements:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must upload your card to Splitcoaststampers using keyword TESC148 by Thursday, October 27th. And here's the prize that's up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge uploads to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store!

2. If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TESC146 sketch! Once again there are lots of pretty entries! You can see all of the entries HERE. The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store is:

Sara Snoddy! Check out the fun Halloween card she created HERE!

Just like always, the fabulous sketch crew is back at it again with beautiful samples to inspire you!

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gal

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

October Key Ingredients Now Available!

2011-10-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning & Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! We enjoyed the beautiful October weather by heading out to the World Food Festival in downtown Des Moines. YUM!

I wanted to give you all a heads up that our October Key Ingredients kit is now available and it's a must-have! Here's a picture of this month's kit featuring the gorgeous Crate Paper Farmhouse collection. You can find out more about how you can join us as a kit subscriber HERE.

Also, I'm kicking off a week of inspirational projects from the Key Ingredients Design Team using the supplies from the October kit. Head on over to the KI Blog to see what I created using this "equation". *grin*

Taylored Expressions October Release!

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for joining us for the October Release at TE! I hope you've been enjoying our sneak peeks! All of the new products are now available at the TE Store! Did you join us for the big reveal party on Facebook last night? If so, you might be one of our lucky winners. We've announced the winners on our Facebook page so make sure you check it out! And the three winners from the Mystery Baker's Dozen blog hop giveaway are:

Monday (Karen G.'s blog): sharon g
Tuesday (Sankari's blog): JessicaK
Wednesday (Charmaine's blog): Carol Scheevel

If you're one of the lucky winners of a gift certificate, just email me to claim your prize!

REMINDER ABOUT OUR SHIPPING POLICY: Orders over $75.00 receive free shipping (within the U.S.)! For orders that do not qualify for free shipping, we will refund you for the difference between actual shipping and the shipping charged upon checkout once your order is weighed for shipment. It's a win-win!

STAMP SETS

Woodland Winter - Set of 21 - $21.95
Woodland Winter Inspiration Gallery

Peaceful Poinsettia - Set of 16 - $21.95
Peaceful Poinsettia Inspiration Gallery

Totally Tags Holiday - Set of 9 - $21.95
Totally Tags Inspiration Gallery

MINI STAMP SETS

Banner Holidays - Set of 15 - $12.95

Banner Holidays Inspiration Gallery

Glad Tidings - Set of 10 - $12.95
Glad Tidings Inspiration Gallery

Wreaths of Joy - Set of 13 - $12.95
Wreaths of Joy Inspiration Gallery

PETITE STAMP SETS

Moka Hope - Set of 7 - $7.95
Moka Hope Inspiration Gallery

Moka Betty - Set of 6 - $7.95
Moka Betty Inspiration Gallery

A LA CARTE STAMPS

Snow A la Carte - $5.95
Snow A la Carte Inspiration Gallery

TAYLORED DIES

Poinsettia (set of 5) - $15.95

Trim the Tree (set of 8) - $15.95

Totally Tags (set of 3) - $15.95

BASIC RECIPE PROJECT PANTRY KITS

12 Days of Christmas Basic Recipe Kit - $11.95

Holiday Wonder Basic Recipe Kit - $11.95

So there you have it... all of our October release products! You can follow the individual links above, but make sure you also check out the Fresh Out of the Oven category for all the latest additions!

And our talented Baker's Dozen team and friends have more fabulous projects to share with you today so make sure you hop over to their blogs too!

Taylored Expressions October Sneaks - Day 3

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and welcome to Day 3 of sneak peeks for our October Release! We have more fun stuff to show you today, but first make sure you read all of the details of our release below. You may just be one of the lucky prize winners if you know how to enter!

October Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, October 6th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 Wednesday 10/5 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

And now for the sneak peeks! Today the Baker's Dozen and I are showcasing two new mini sets. First, the popular wreath series is back with Wreaths of Joy illustrated by Nancy McKinney for the Whimsical Wishes collection. We couldn't settle on just one holiday wreath so we have two in one stamp set! For my card I stamped the wreath in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored it with Copics, and cut it out with the Seasonal Wreath die. I added red pearls to the berries on the wreath and highlighted the holly leaves with Luscious Lime Smooch. All of the cardstock, patterned paper, and ribbon on the card are from the Holiday Wonder Project Pantry kit. It's a super simple card and could be easily mass-produced for the holidays!

The rest of the Baker's Dozen is also highlighting the Wreaths of Joy and a super cute nativity set, Glad Tidings, from the Apple Doodle Ink collection. I hope you'll hop along to check out their fabulous creations:

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to see you back here bright and early tomorrow morning for the big release!

Taylored Expressions October Sneaks - Day 2

2011-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It's time for Day 2 of sneak peeks for our October Release! Are you ready to see some more holiday goodies!? But first I want to make sure you don't miss an opportunity to win free stamps so check out all of the details of this month's release below:

October Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, October 6th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 Wednesday 10/5 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

And now for the sneak peeks! Today the Baker's Dozen and I are sharing projects using two new stamp sets that were illustrated by Nancy McKinney for the Whimsical Wishes collection. First, I'm sharing my project using Peaceful Poinsettia, a gorgeous stamp set filled with this beautiful holiday flower and coordinating sentiments. For my first card I started by stamping the poinsettia pieces tone on tone (i.e. I stamped the poinsettia on red cardstock with red ink and the leaves on green cardstock with green ink). Then I used the coordinating poinsettia dies to cut out all of the layers. I embellished the poinsettia with red glitter and the leaves with Luscious Lime Smooch. Then I adhered the layers together using foam tape and put a rhinestone brad through the center. It turned out so pretty that I thought it needed another purpose... not just a card embellishment. So I adhered a pin to the back of the flower, cut an opening in my card front, and now the recipient of the card can take the pin from the front and wear it during the holidays.

And since I'm a proud new mommy of a beautiful little girl, I've been paying special attention to all the adorable headbands, hats, and bows in stores. So of course I thought the pretty poinsettia embellishment would be perfect on a headband for Madelyn! What do you think? She was so cooperative for her little photo session. *grin* There are so many things you could do with these poinsettia stamps and dies... card embellishments, pins, headbands, bows for holiday packages, etc. etc.! I'm in love!

My second project today features Totally Tags, also illustrated by Nancy McKinney for the Whimsical Wishes collection. I think I've mentioned before how much I love to create my own gift tags for the holidays so it's probably no surprise that we have another tag set! I started by creating a little 'envelope' to store my tags. I folded a sheet of cardstock in half and sewed a transparency piece to the inside with three openings for the three different tag shapes. I decorated the front with the Trim the Tree die set that we showcased yesterday. The tree embellishment is attached to a piece of elastic that stretches around envelope to keep it closed. I embossed snowflakes in the background, added Crystal Twinkles, and the word 'tags' with Thickers. Then I stamped and colored several tags and added them to the pockets inside the envelope. Oh... and did I mention that I cut out the tags with the new Totally Tags dies!?

Here's a look at the dies that I used today:

Thanks so much for stopping by for our second day of sneaks! I know the rest of the design team is going to blow you away with their fabulous creations! Don't forget to leave comments along the way for a chance to win a TE gift certificate!

Taylored Expressions October Sneaks - Day 1

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and welcome to the first day of our October Sneak Peeks! I can hardly believe it's October already! I've been super excited to share our holiday stamps with you and the time has finally come. Although I must admit that I'm not quite ready for winter to come. Brrrrr!

You won't want to miss out on anything during this release, so make sure you read all the details below:

October Release At a Glance

We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday. All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, October 6th at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
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 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 Wednesday 10/5 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

And now for the sneak peeks! Today the Baker's Dozen and I are featuring a new stamp set that's part of our Apple Doodle Ink collection illustrated by Doug Applegate. The set is called Woodland Winter and has the cutest little holiday woodland critters. I started by stamping the deer in Memento Rich Cocoa ink. Then I masked the deer and stamped the trees behind. I colored the images with Copics and added Crystal Stickles to the knots in the tree trunks and white enamel accents to the santa hat. Today we're also featuring Banner Holidays which includes 15 holiday sentiments to coordinate with the previously released It's a Banner Day 1, 2, and 3 stamp sets. The polka dot frame is from It's a Banner Day 1 and then I added the 'Across the Miles' sentiment from Banner Holidays and cut it out with the Banner Day 1 die.

On my second card, I used the present image and a sentiment from Woodland Winter, to accent the holiday tree that I made with our new Trim the Tree die set. The tree came together really easily and it was super fun to pick the different patterns for each layer. The full tree die in this set also coordinates with the Christmas tree stamp image in the Woodland Winter set. Here's a peek at the die set that I used:

All of the supplies on my cards are from the 12 Days of Christmas Basic Recipe Kit, one of the two holiday kits we're introducing this month! Here are all the details on the kits:

Again this month we're offering our Basic Recipe Kit along with optional Spice It Up Ingredients that you can pick and choose from to build the kit just the way you want it!

The 12 Days of Christmas Basic Recipe Kit (above) is $11.95 and includes the following coordinating supplies:

My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas 6x6 pad
12 sheets of 8.5" x 11" cardstock (2 sheets each of 6 different colors)
6 yards of ribbon (2 yards each of 3 different styles)

The Holiday Wonder Basic Recipe Kit (below) is $11.95 and includes the following coordinating supplies:

Authentique Holiday Wonder 6x6 pad
10 sheets of 8.5" x 11" cardstock (2 sheets each of 5 different colors)
6 yards of ribbon (2 yards each of 3 different styles)

When you go to check out these kits on release day you will see the Spice It Up Ingredients linked under the Basic Recipe kit, so you can pick and choose the additional coordinating supplies you'd like to add to your cart. I hope you have fun customizing your kit!

And speaking of fun, the rest of the Baker's Dozen is featuring Woodland Winter and Banner Holidays in addition to two new Moka's and a cute new A la Carte stamp that you won't want to miss! Follow the links below to check 'em out!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to see you back here tomorrow for another day of sneak peeks!

Introducing our new Baker's Dozen Design Team Coordinator!

2011-10-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you're all enjoying a relaxing weekend! Sneak peeks for the October Release start tomorrow so I've been busy putting the finishing touches on my projects and getting all the new goodies ready to share!

Speaking of getting things ready for the release, there's a special person who's been putting in even more work behind the scenes during these past few weeks. Today I'm excited to share the news that Jami Sibley has taken the position of our Baker's Dozen Design Team coordinator! She has done a fabulous job as our Marketing and Promotions coordinator for the past three years and while she'll continue doing some of those same things, keeping us all organized and helping to bring even more TE fun to our customers will be her top priority.

I can't think of another person more well-suited to be our design team coordinator and I'm thrilled Jami agreed! Welcome, Jami!

Join Us! - Hope You Can Cling To Challenges

2011-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Saturday! I hope you all had a great week! Did you know that today is World Cardmaking Day? Today also marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So what better reason to make a few cards with a very special purpose?

Today I'm excited to announce that Taylored Expressions is a proud sponsor of the Splitcoaststampers Hope You Can Cling To event! The second annual card drive kicks off today as stampers around the world join together to create cards of hope for the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. Last year the cancer center collected thousands of cards from the generous members of Splitcoast in order to bring hope to patients, friends, and family members affected by breast cancer.

So you wanna join in!? Check out the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge Forum for details on how you can participate in the daily challenges throughout the month of October, send your cards of encouragement to UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and even win some prizes!

I also have a little stamp sneak peek to share with you today! We're excited to get involved in the fight against breast cancer by donating a portion of the proceeds from each of the Moka Hope stamp sets sold during our October Release to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Isn't she sweet? And of course, the color of her ribbon can be customized for any number of causes. She'll be available for purchase beginning Thursday, October 6th at 8am PST at the TE Store. Before the big release, we also have a selection of pink products available for 20% off! Perhaps some of these could help you with the cards you'll be creating for the cancer center?

Petal Pink Liquid Pearls
Pink Apple Blossoms
Angel Pink Memento Full Pad
Angel Pink Memento Dew Drop
Hot Pink Bling
Soft Pink Bling
Soft Pink Baby Bling
Candy Shoppe 6x6 Pad
Pink Baker's Twine
Berry Cooler Buttons
Pink Lush Chipboard Alpha
Uncommon 6x6 Pad
Alphabet Soup Girl Project Pantry Kit

Thanks for stopping by today! I have a special announcement planned for tomorrow and our sneak peeks begin on Monday so I hope to see you back here soon!

Moments with Madelyn

2011-09-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! I'm sure y'all know just how much time and energy goes into caring for a newborn so it's probably no surprise that I haven't been around my blog much this week. We're all doing well though and Jon and I are enjoying every precious moment with Madelyn (even the poopy moments)!

I hope you don't mind me sharing a little of my sweet girl today! We were so lucky to welcome the amazingly talented Tori Wild into our home last week for a newborn photo session. You may recognize Tori as one of the members of the Baker's Dozen, but you'll see from the amazing photos below that she's a 'wildly' talented photographer! Here are a few of the moments she captured with Madelyn:

Thanks so much, Tori! We will treasure these photos forever! You can find more of Tori's beautiful work (and more pictures of Madelyn) on her Facebook page or her Wild Photography website.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #147

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! It's amazing how much life can change in just a few short weeks! Now I can't imagine life without our little Madelyn. And I'm also having a hard time imagining what life was like when I got more sleep! But some things haven't changed around here and one of them is the TE Sketch Challenge! Today the Sketch Crew and I have another sketch for you to try out... here it is:

Just create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must upload your card to Splitcoaststampers using keyword TESC147 by Thursday, September 22nd. And here's the prize that's up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge uploads to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store!

2. If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TESC146 sketch! Once again there are lots of pretty entries! You can see all of the entries HERE. The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store is:

passioknitgirl! Check out the fun Halloween card she created HERE!

Just like always, the fabulous sketch crew is back at it again with beautiful samples to inspire you!

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Lori Craig: Make a Difference

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

And last, but certainly not least, when I was searching for new members of the sketch crew there were so many fabulous entries so I decided to invite all of the participants to join us as Guest Designers on the sketch crew over the next several months. This week I'm so excited to welcome Bonnie (raduse) and Michelle (eliotstamps)! Here are their fabulous cards:

Created by Bonnie: Stamping in the Light

Created by Michelle: The Crafty Cat

September Blast from the Past Blog Hop

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and happy hump day! I have to keep reminding myself which day it is since all of the days run together with the lack of sleep lately! *wink* Today I'm excited to be participating in the September Blast from the Past Blog Hop. Each month we issue a theme and a sketch to all of our customers along with a challenge to get crafty with TE stamps released more than three months ago. It's such a great way to get inspiration for the stamps that may already be in your collection or perhaps you'll find a new must-have favorite along the way! We'd love to have you join us and you can find all of the hop details (including sign up details) on this page. I hope you'll come play with us next month!

This month we have a dual theme... Birthday or Birth Day and the challenge is to create a card to celebrate a birthday or the birth of a baby. As always, Sankari has provided us with a fabulous sketch to get started. I decided to pull out my Make a Wish stamp set and the fun Echo Park Happy Days 6x6 Pad to create my card. I started by stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloring it with Copics. I also added Stardust Stickles, Glossy Accents, and Espresso Dimensional Pearls to decorate my cake. I cut the cake out and matted it on a Wonky Rectangle. Then I used the Seeing Stars die set to create the circular embellishment from the sketch. I popped up the image panel and then added a bit of ribbon and some glittered brads to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll all hop around to see the fabulous inspiration from our customers!

September Key Ingredients Blog Hop

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! Today the Key Ingredients Design Team is blog hoppin' to share some super fun projects using our September Key Ingredients kit!

Our kit of the month takes the guesswork out of your papercrafting by delivering perfectly coordinated embellishments, patterned papers, and cardstock packaged together in a perfect storage case. There are several extra benefits for our subscribers including a gallery packed with samples from our design team and an extra 10% off plus free shipping every month during our subscriber discount period!

You can read more about the benefits of becoming a subscriber HERE. And when you subscribe to the kit of the month before September 30th you'll receive this kit as your first installment. It's filled with fabulous fall colors and fun embellishments!

I hope you'll hop along to see the cute projects from our talented design team! And as always, you can find inspiration for our past and present kits in the Key Ingredients Gallery! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Introducing Madelyn Grace VanBruggen!

2011-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pop in today to introduce our new bundle of joy, Madelyn Grace VanBruggen! We welcomed her into the world on Tuesday, September 13th at 9:46pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measured 20.25" long. We're all doing well and getting adjusted to our new routine!

Thank you to all who have left messages on Facebook and sent your congratulations! We feel truly blessed by this new addition and the support of our family and friends as we dive into parenthood!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #146

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy Friday! It's another beautiful day here and we're supposed to have a gorgeous weekend ahead! We get one fabulous week of weather in Iowa each year so we really have to make the most of it! *grin* Today the Sketch Crew and I have another sketch challenge for you to try out and I made it an easy one with lots of possibilities for images! Here's this week's sketch:

Just create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You're not required to use TE stamps to play, but there's a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must upload your card to Splitcoaststampers using keyword TESC146 by Thursday, September 22nd. And here's the prize that's up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge uploads to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store!

2. If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TESC145 sketch! Once again there are lots of pretty entries! You can see all of the entries HERE. The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store is:

Kathy D.! Check out the adorable card she created HERE!

Just like always, the fabulous sketch crew is back at it again with beautiful samples to inspire you!

Created by Cassie Trask: A Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Mom

Created by Margie Cortina: Oh Bumble is Me

Created by Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Created by Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions

Created by Tracy Clemente: Eat, Sleep, Stamp

Created by Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow

Created by Jami Sibley: More is More

And last, but certainly not least, when I was searching for new members of the sketch crew there were so many fabulous entries so I decided to invite all of the participants to join us as Guest Designers on the sketch crew over the next several months. This week I'm so excited to welcome Chris (cveneruso) and Jessica (JWill795)! Here are their fabulous cards:

Created by Chris Veneruso: Easily Amused

Created by Jessica Willison: Farm Fresh Designs

Halloween Treats

2011-09-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It's a beautiful day here...a perfect day for a baby to arrive! C'mon little girl, we're ready to meet you! And I'm soooo ready to be the only person occupying my body!

While I'm waiting for our little bundle to make her grand entrance, I've been working ahead on some Halloween treats and I thought I'd share them with you today. I am a total candy monster! I love just about every kind of candy (just nothing with peanuts...ick!) and the Halloween candy has already hit the shelves at Target! I picked up a few things to make these projects and after eating what I wanted for myself I think I'll be making another trip back to the store to get more candy to complete my treats! *wink*

For my first Halloween treat I started off with Jelly Bellies and one of our plastic potion bottles. I thought the potion bottles in the new Toil & Trouble stamp set would be perfect for decorating the actual potion bottles. It all came together pretty simply! I just stamped the frame in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and added the potion bottle inside. I colored the liquid with orange Copic, covered it with Crystal Stickles, and then covered the entire potion bottle image with Glossy Accents. To finish it off I decorated the cap with the skull and crossbones and added an orange and black polka dot bow around the neck of the bottle.

Potion Bottles
Toil & Trouble Stamp Set

I showed this treat box during our sneak peeks last week, but it wasn't finished because I didn't have the candy for the inside. So on my latest trip around town I went in search of foil-wrapped mint patties. Apparently York Peppermint Patties don't come wrapped in foil anymore but I finally found what I was looking for at Walgreens! I stamped several of the small images from the Fangtastic set to decorate the mint patties. I know they're just going to be ripped open and devoured so I didn't want to spend a ton of time. This was super simple... easy stamping, minimal coloring, and lots of punching!

Silver Take Out Box
Fangtastic Stamp Set

And my last project is one that I created last year using our Test Tubes and Fright Night Favors stamp set. I stamped the labels onto sticker paper, trimmed them out with the Favor Frame die and chose different sentiments and images for the inside of each label. And of course more Jelly Bellies inside each tube!

Test Tubes
Fright Night Favors
Favor Frame Die

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Build A Treat & A Birthday

2011-09-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning (or I guess it's afternoon already)! I hope you're all enjoying a nice long weekend. It happens to be pouring rain here, so that means time indoors to stamp! Today someone very special is having her birthday! Nope... it's not our little girl yet. She's decided she's very happy staying where she's at right now. Today is Sankari's birthday! I'm sure you all know what a beautiful person Sankari is and I thought it'd be appropriate to wish her a happy birthday using the Build a Treat stamp set that she concepted. I paired the stamp set with patterned paper from the Doodlebug Cake & Ice Cream collection. The frosting was cut out with the Build a Treat Tops & Bottoms and the cherry is from the Tiny Toppers die set. I couldn't pass up the chance to use my Tiny Twinkles so I added a few around the image and one to each scallop at the bottom. I finished it off with a little ribbon and a Bow Easy bow.

Sankari, I hope you have a birthday that's just as sweet as you are! Sending lots of love to you and your family! Please eat some extra cupcakes for me... at least 2!