Happy Friday!  I’m here to share my sample for TESC90.  I hope you’ll play along with Taylor’s sketch challenge this week. This is a particularly easy and versatile one I think.  Yesterday I shared a card made with one of the new release sets from TE and I’ve been dying to play more with all 3 of the sets as well as the Spa Key Ingredients, so the sketch was the perfect excuse.

All of the cardstock, designer paper and ribbon are from the Spa Key Ingredients.  The stamped frame and flowers are from Luxurious Labels and the sentiment is from Celebrate Life (I just LOVE that font!)  Circle was cut with a nestie and scallop border was punched with my SU punch.  I shadow stamped the sentiment using a stamp-a-majig to stamp it a 2nd time slightky off with gray ink for the drop shadow effect.  I added some KaiserCraft dark pink rhinestones and some faux stitching to finish it off.  Yes - I’m probably the last stamper on earth not using a sewing machine yet on my cards…the Janome Sew Mini is officially on my Christmas list (uh…Honey?  or Mom?  you guys reading?)

I have to say that working with a Key Ingredients kit always shortens the time it takes to make a card.  With all the coordinated products right there things go so smoothly.  And with this particular KI, I was so surprised at how many really different looks you can achieve with the same kit.  I really noticed that as I checked out all the samples created by the Baker’s Dozen girls this week.

Now let’s see what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up today:

and of course hop over to see Taylor and get the sketch and play along!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantastic weekend!

It’s time for the Taylored Expressions November Release.  TE has three new stamp sets, a new Key Ingredients kit and oodles of new stuff in the Fresh Out of the Oven Department today.  I hope you’re subscribed to the TE Newsletter - if so you’ll get the full scoop in your e-mail in-box today.  If not, you can sign up on the left hand side of the store home page where it says “Join our mailing list”.  I slaved over a hot keyboard, so I hope you have an appetite for all the sweet news!  LOL!

I’m excited to share a couple of samples from the new set Celebrate Life.  This stamp set by Nancy McKinney is really unlike any previous TE set and it’s GORGEOUS.  It’s so fun to watch TE grow!  

My first card is based on Karen Giron’s Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #42.  I love making mini tall cards and this sketch seemed perfect for a simple card with a little punch.  My late night photo just doesn’t do this card justice.  The big dandelion image was inked with Really Rust ink and then dabbed with Champagne Frost shimmer paint using a sponge before stamping it onto Poison Ivory cs…so it has a beautiful shimmer in real life which is what really *makes* this card.  Card base is Really Rust and the Parisian border punched (EK Success) accent is More Mustard.  Some KaiserCraft rhinestones add a little bling.

This card is 3.25″ x 6.5″ (made from a 6.5″ square) so it fits into a small open ended envie.  I stamped the corner of the envie so it will be ready to go when I want to mail this card.

My next card features one of the open line images in this set - the pumpkin.  I just love the little curly-q vines on this bold pumpkin.  Once again I stamped on Poion Ivory cs - this time with Memento Rich Cocoa ink.  I watercolored the pumpkin with ink from my SU markers scribbled onto a CD, picking up the ink with an aquapainter.  The image was die cut with a Spellbinders Label 1 die and Mustard ink was sponged with the die still in place.  I added some green Tiny Twinkles to the vine.

Card base is More Mustard, layered with Old Olive.  The dp is Really Rust from a SU hostess pack of 6×6 dp.  The placement of the sentiment was all about saving my watercolored pumpkin after a little mishap with my stamp-a-majig.  I never recommend stamping a sentiment on an already colored and die cut panel, but sometimes I just have to live dangerously.  This time being in a hurry did not pay off!  But I was not willing to trash my focal image and start over so you see my attempt to cover my mistake.  I’m actually pretty happy with the final result - even if the sentiment isn’t in the exact spot I would have liked.  LOL!

Taylor an dthe Baker’s Dozen are all featuring Celebrate Life on their blogs today - let’s check it out!

If you want to see all the new offering at Taylored Expressions today just head over to the Fresh Out of the Oven Department where you can see it all in one place!  Thanks for stopping by today.

I hope you’re having a fabulous weekend and Halloween!  Personally I’m not really into Halloween.  Curt and I used to always go to a movie until he got into helping a friend with his crazy haunted house the past few years.  I did intend to create that Halloween card I had in my head for yesterday, but I had the opportunity to help in the kitchen at church for a memorial service today so I didn’t get any stamping done.  I do however have photos of Tessa in her Halloween costume as promised!

Yep  - she’s a hot dog!

She’s really been a good sport about having her costume put on her whenever we’ve had friends over the last couple of weeks, but I think she got a little tired of the whole thing during our photo session this morning.  LOL!  I’m actually getting ready to put it on her one more time to take her over to visit Curt at our friends’ scary house.

R.B was begging to have his photo taken when I was working with Tessa this morning (he kept saying “HI!” and blowing kisses) so, although he and Beaker don’t have costumes, I snapped a couple of quick pics of them to share with you as well….

R.B. (short for Red Bird) our Green Wing Macaw

and

Beaker our Red Fronted Macaw

(he plucks some so he’s partially nekkid, but I still think he’s beautiful!)

So that’s our whole flock…yes we consider Tessa part of *the flock* since the birds were here loooong before her!  OK - I’m off to take her trick or treating.  LOL!

Happy Friday!  Boy oh boy has this been a busy week and it’s not over yet!  I was excited to sit down and get creative for the TESC this week!  I even managed two very different Christmas samples, before I remembered that I had wanted to make a Halloween card for today’s sketch.  D’oh!  I even knew which stamps I was going to use.  After spending time to make these 2 cards, there was none left to go back and start over on Halloween.  Oh well!  Maybe tomorrow morning - we’ll see.  Either way you’ll need to come back to see Tessa in her Halloween costume!

The first card I have to share is a fun 4.25″ square card featuring an Anna Wight Whipper Snapper stamp set (try saying that 10 times fast!) called Cozy Critters.  I love Anna’s whimsical style - especially her drawings of all sorts of animals.

*Christmas Fishes*

I took my color scheme from the retired SU designer paper.  Card base is Certainly Celery layered with Basic Black and then Purely Pomegranate.  The fish were stamped on TE Choice Snow White cs and colored with Copic markers and the scarves were highlighted with a Spica glitter pen.  That entire panel was covered with Crystal Effects.  I used a small brush to spread it in streaks to look more like moving water and I added 3 clear Taylor Tots as bubbles.  Mr Penguin was also colored with Copics, his scarf glittered with Dazzling Diamonds, and he was cut out and popped up with foam tape.  The sentiment was stamped repeatedly on Bashful Blue.  Three blue Tots finish off the corners of this silly happy card.

*Peace on Earth*

As I looked at the sketch, it occurred to me that the nativity scene from TE Christmas Blessings would work wonderfully for the main image, so I created this 5″ square card with Sahara Sand, Taken with Teal and Basic Black.  The stamp was inked up with Taken with Teal Classic ink and then dabbed with Frost White ShimmerPaint before stamping onto the Sahara Sand cs.  This gave a subtle shimmery look that doesn’t really show up in the photo.  I used my old Fiskars deckle edge scissors to trim around the image.  Originally I thought of using a CB embossing folder on the teal panel, but it’s a little too big.  Then I saw my Medallion stamp sitting out and realized it would make the perfect background stamped off the top corner in Teal ink.  The dp is from the SU 6×6 hostess pack.  Final touch are some black Kaiser Craft pearls.  This would be very “do-able” to mass produce for Christmas cards and could be done in a number of different color schemes.

After I was finished, I realized that I had used black on both of these cards to provide the contrast or *pop* I needed.  Goes back to my old adage of Fall Back on Black - whenever a card seems to just *need something*, try some black cardstock!

So now it’s time to see if I’m the only one who didn’t make a Hallowen card for today’s challenge…let’s check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up -

I’m off to work.  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Friday!  It’s been a busy busy week and I was so happy to carve out a little time to create a card for Taylor’s sketch today -TESC88.  And I’m so excited to welcome the four new members of the Sketch Crew - Lisa, Melissa, Alice and Rachel. 

Earlier this week I was inspired by a gorgeous card I saw on Tosh’s blog.  I couldn’t get it out of my mind and just had to create something with an embossed frame.  I can’t believe I’ve never used my nesties to make a frame before - it’s so cool.  I have to say though that I think I may have ruined my favorite CB embossing folder by putting the frame in it with the dies still on it - uh oh.  I need to run over to eclectic Paperie and see if they still have this folder!  This is one of those cards that is just so much prettier in person, that I almost hate to even post this photo.

I used three types of cardstock for this card.  The base and all of the ivory pieces are Posion Ivory Shimmer - so elegant!  The reddish/burgundy panel is also a shimmer cardstock - I don’t remember what it’s called, but I got it at Paper Zone on a Portland trip 2 years ago.  There is also a tiny bit of Handsome Hunter cardstock - just the one layer panel peeking out.  I cut an ivory panel with a circle nestie and then embossed it with an SU embossing folder.  Then I sponged Champagne Mist shimmer paint (SU Holiday Mini) on that circle - it’s supah sparkly!  The frame was cut using 2 of the label 1 nesties and a magnetic mat.  (I bought that magnetic mat a long time ago and this is the very first time I’ve used it.)  The frame is popped up on Taylor’s foam tape.  The dove from TE Christmas Blessings was inked with SU markers and then sponged with the Champagne Mist paint before stamping it on to Poison Ivory cs.  I cut it out and popped it up on Taylor’s double thick foam tape.  I punched some holes and threaded some burgundy organdy ribbon for the 3 square elements on the sketch.  The bow was attached with mini glue dots.  This was such a fun card to work on!  Hope you like it!

Now it’s time to see what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up:

Be sure to check your e-mail today for the latest newsletter (written by yours truly) from Taylored Expressions for all the TE scoop!  One thing you’ll want to note for sure is the sale today through Sunday on all Halloween sets and the Halloween KI - 20% OFF!  Also TE has a new Storage Solution available today - see it here - I’ve already been using these for a little while and am so excited to see them available to everyone in the store.  Trust me - you need some of these!  And they are offered at an Introductory Sale Price just through Sunday.

Hope you have a great day and an awesome weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!

We had so much FUN in my stamp class Friday night!  I’ve previously shared 2 of the cards we made, so here is the 3rd one.  It features Autumn Splendor from the Holiday Mini.  The main image is a leaf that was stamped in Ruby Red Classic ink, cut out and watercolored with ink from markers (Mustard, Rust, Pumpkin) and an aquapainter.  The leaf was then covered with Versamark and embossed with clear ep.  It curled slightly in the process and I just love the look of it.  The bakground piece was created with the same leaf set and I gave the girls this guide to help them create a half sheet of patterned paper (click on it to see it larger.)  They used a piece 3.25″ x 3.75 and then took the rest home to use later. Here’s the finished card.

Card base was either Pumpkin Pie or Ruby Red (half of the group got each).  We stamped the leaf pattern on Naturals Ivory.  The mat and the scallop circle are Chocolate Chip.  The dp is from the hostess pack and the ribbons are Pumpkin Pie grosgrain and retired Chocolate Chip satin.  Brads are Ruby red.

Here’s a shot of all 3 of the cards we made Friday night.

Did you see the announcemnet on Taylor’s blog?  She’s added four new members to our Friday Sketch Crew for the TESC and she’s also featured snippets of around 10 or so cards from TESC86.  There were so many entries for the Sketch Crew that it was overwhelming…just tons of fabulous creations…so fun to look at them at all ( and I DID look at them ALL!)  If you entered, but didn’t get chosen I hope you won’t feel bad because Taylor had a really tough choice on her hands with that one! A BIG Congrats to Melissa, Rachel, Alice and Lisa!

Remember - there’s still time to play in the most recent sketch TESC87….and you might get your card featured in the Top Crops.

Thanks for stopping by!

It’s time for another fun sketch from Taylor - TESC87.  This card fought me every step of the way…not because there was anything particularly difficult about the sketch…I just couldn’t seem to make anything work.  I started this card and totally messed it up and decided to do a Christmas card instead.  The Christmas card turned out so ugly I couldn’t bring myself to post it.  I needed this card for last night so I went back and started this one over again and had several problems with it, but here it is!  *phew*

October is Clergy Appreciation Month so our church family is doing a couple of special things for our Senior Pastor and our Worship Pastor.  The choir had a little reception for Pator Joe last night before practice so Curt asked me to make a card for him to take to Joe.  We are so blessed to call Joe and his wife Pam our friends, so I was more than happy to create a card for him…not sure why it turned into such a struggle…maybe it was just the deadline.  I’m not a good stamper under pressure.

Card base is Basic Black cardstock.  Designer paper is from the TE Christmas Key Ingredients and seemed perfect for the Worship Pastor/Choir Director.  Sentiment is from SU God’s Blessings (as is the inside sentiment) and it was stamped on Poison Ivory cardstock and die cut with the Spellbinders Labels 1 die.  Ribbon is from my stash and the finishing touch is some black and red KaiserCraft pearls.

Here’s a view of the inside.

Now it’s time to see what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up:

I hope you have a fantastic Friday.  I’ll be prepping for my stamp class tonight.  :)  Thanks for stopping by!