Day 1 of TE Sneak Peeks for February!

It's that time again...sneak peeks of the newest stamp sets and goodies available later this week (Friday, Feb. 4th at 8:00AM PST) at Taylored Expressions, which is always an exciting time for me especially when I've illustrated a set and coordinating dies. Today Taylor's talented team is showcasing a very special Giving Tree set, Cozy Cottages, which will benefit Habitat for Humanity when purchased during the months of February, March and April.

When I was illustrating this set, Taylor asked for a mushroom house. We had just returned from my son Henri's wish trip to Give Kids the World and Disney so I was thrilled. What a very special place founded by an truly inspiring man, Henri Landwirth. So I included a whimsical beanstalk/vine tree in the set inspired by the merry-go-round at Give Kids the World village that my Henri enjoyed so much.

...And my first card is inspired by this memory.

I stamped the mushroom house and sentiment in Momento tuxedo black ink; coloured the house with copics and prismacolors, then whitened the spots with gel pen; die cut the whimsical tree for my beanstalk and distressed it with ink; cut the clouds in white wool felt using the new TE Cloud Duo die; and cut the bottom border with the TE medium scalloped border die. Did anyone notice that I also finally made a standard size card?

My second card makes me both happy and sad. The card makes me happy. But it's gone with my neighbours who just moved back home from Canada to Connecticut and I could cry just typing this. So back to the card...I've used the birdhouse and separate bird image from Cozy Cottages coloured with copics and prismacolors for this card and created a bit of a scene with a felt hill and TE picket fence using the new picket fence die available on Friday.

Again, the clouds are die cut with the new TE Cloud Duo die and given a silver lining with a little Glamour Dust. I forced myself not to make another square card!!!

Check out and enjoy the inspiration today...

Charmaine Ikach
Danielle Lounds
Donna Baker
Jackie Pedro
Jodi Collins
Karen Giron

Karen Motz
Melissa Sauls
Regina Mangum
Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild

Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by...

~Nancy

Wendy's having a birthday!

...and Wendy has a lot of friends who are joining together for a surprise birthday hop today. I was a little eager on Tuesday and accidentally posted early, so hopefully I didn't spoil the surprise, Wendy!

For my birthday, Wendy sent the most adorable card with this fabulous message...

Nancy! I hope you have an amazing birthday! Do what I would do...turn off the phone, get a good movie, a bit of wine...and STAMP! lol

Wishing you all of this and more, Wendy. I created a miniature faux leather shopping bag for your card and tucked in a bottle of white and red (my images coloured with copics and prismacolors with gamsol)! The sentiments "ENJOY!" and "You deserve it!" are from the Whimsical Wishes set Enjoy! at Taylored Expressions. People are catching on that I don't often 'send' cards but this one is on its way!!

Check out this list of talented friends! Barbara is your next stop and then...

Karen Motz - Paper Playhouse

Dana White - Dana’s House of Cards

Jodi Collins - Stamping a Latte’

Linda Heavens - Heavens Created This

Charlene Austin - Willow & Paisley

Lisa Henke - My Little Creative Escape

Jackie Pedro - The Scalloped Edge

Joanne Basile - Just a Little Something

Cath Groden - Paper Expressions

Jessica Rone - Can You Say Addicted to Stamps?

Jody Morrow - Confessions of a Ribbon Addict

Regan D’Agostino - Stampy McStamperson

Cindy Haffner - Cindy Haffner’s Corner

Amy Rohl - Ink About Me

Christina Fischer - Flowers and Ink

Nancy McKinney - Card Worthy

Barbara Anders - Paper Pursuits

Kim Van der Sanden - My Favorite Things

Jeanie Witmer - The Spotted Chick

Frances Byrne - Stamp Owl

Susan Liles - Susie Stampalot

Elaine Hughes - Quixotic Cards

Paula Williamson - Paper Possibilities

Megan Lock - Megan Lock Designs

Eva Dobilas - For the Love of Life

Pauline Godfrey - Pauline’s Card Cupboard

Jen del Muro - I Heart 2 Stamp

Michele Boyer - Paper Cuts

Maria Fiscella - Maria’s Craft Room

Melody Rupple - A Paper Melody

Julie Dinn - Kreative Jewels

Deanna Woodland - Dee’s Paper Tree

Rhonda Ziemer - Pickles Cards

Cheers!!

~Nancy

January Sneak Peeks at Taylored Expressions!

I'm so happy to finally have some time to create and be a little part of the HUGE January release at Taylored Expressions. Today Taylor's team is showcasing the newest petite set I illustrated, Wreath of Love, and coordinating Seasonal Wreath Die, Basic Bow Die and Hearts Impression Plate.

I wanted to highlight the hearts on the wreath and the sweet nest of love in this petite set, so I coloured and cut the hearts out of a second stamped image and popped some of them up along with the love birds. I also added seed beads randomly on the wreath, flowers and scalloped heart border. Just simple and hopefully sweet...

All of the wonderful new stamps, dies and goodies you'll see today and throughout this week will be available for purchase Friday morning at 8AM (PST). Check out the Baker's Dozen for inspiration!

Charmaine Ikach Danielle Lounds Donna Baker Jackie Pedro Jodi Collins Karen Giron Melissa Sauls Regina Mangum Sankari Wegman Tori Wild

Jami Sibley Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!

~Nancy

Happy Birthday, Dana!!

I was planning to be back with something more creative for Dana by now but I spent the afternoon in emergency with my little guy Henri. Since his bone marrow transplant, we've had at least three visits like this when he gets severe abdominal pain...so more tests tomorrow and no creative juice until we get past this one. Anyway, Dana's friends have wonderful cards to share today along the hop Karen organized for her BFF today...

Karen Motz - Paper Playhouse

Leslie Good - card will be shown on Karen’s blog

Wendy Bond - Bond Girl Bliss

Elaine Hughes - Quixotic Cards

Linda Heavens - Heavens Created This

Joanne Basile - Just a Little Something

Jodi Collins - Stamping a Latte

Paula Williamson - Paper Possibilities

Ebru Vatansever - My Scrapbooking and Craft Journal

Ann Kranitz - Stamp with Me

Janet Rossi - Corrosive Creations

Jeanie Whitmer - The Spotted Chick

Cath Groden - Paper Expressions

Michelle Leishman - Miche L Designs

Dana White - Dana’s House of Cards <--the birthday girl!!

Until a little later this week...

~Nancy

More sheep-December Release Day at Taylored Expressions

So I mentioned I’d have something to say about my experience in Scotland with sheep. Come to think of it, it may have been Wales—it was a long time ago...when I was an elementary school kid and we were on summer holidays in Great Britain. I remember sitting in a cafe (probably a pub) and watching the silly sheep grazing out in a marshy field only to have the tide come in and the sheep stranded...standing on any patch of higher ground they could find. Now wouldn’t you think these sheep would have been through this before and might have know not to graze in a loch?! Anyway, the sheep in Knit Wit is inspired by the sheep of Great Britain.

Thought I’d share another card with the sheep and her friend on their little patches of grass.

I’ve used the large scallop border die and the flowers and sentiment from Friendship Blooms. Now that I’m a McKinney (well, actually Ferguson McKinney), I have an attraction to all things Irish. These little blooms remind me of shamrocks with an extra petal. I’ve stamped both the solid and outlined image with chalk ink and cut out the flowers with the coordinating Friendship Blooms die. I coloured the half pearls with copics before placing them in the centres of each flower.

Check out what the Baker’s Dozen has to show you today...

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks for looking.

~Nancy

Crafty Petites!-Day 2 of December Sneaks at Taylored Expressions

It’s Day 2 of December sneaks at Taylored Expressions! These next Whimsical Wishes ‘crafty petite’ sets WARM MY HEART!! Taylor will tell you all about them, but I think they are the perfect little gift for your crafty friend or someone you are trying to convince that stamping is pure pleasure. Can you believe some people need convincing? I used two of the four mini sets being released this month for my cards today—Knit Wit and Kitchy Kitchen. First up...

Sometimes a person is ‘feeling a little loopy’...so this card sympathizes! The sheep and sentiment are from the Knit Wit Crafty Petite set. I used the letterpress technique and a new Cuttlebug embossing folder (part of the Give A Hoot Embossing Bundle). This is really so easy—just brayer pigment ink all over the raised portion of the folder, sandwich your cardstock as you normally would and roll through your machine. I liked the result so much that I didn’t want to cover up too much, so I cut a window and stamped the sentiment on velum paper with Staz On ink. The sheep is coloured with prismacolors and then I couldn’t resist using liquid appliqué on him (or her). I’ll share a story about my experience with sheep in Scotland tomorrow...

I like to knit. I just don’t have much time for it and often don’t finish what I start. These little miniature swatches are so much fun and easy to finish...well, even when they’re not finished, they’re super cute on a card with toothpick knitting needles (I knit with regular needles and then transfer the stitches onto the toothpicks). The sentiment “you warm my heart” is from the Kitchy Kitchen Crafty Petite set. I’ve paired it with a snowflake from Winter Wonderland, embossed with white embossing powder and cut with the coordinating snowflake die. I arranged the dangling yarn pieces to create a heart.

Check out the Baker's Dozen today to warm your heart some more...

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy

Friendship Blooms-Day 1 of TE Sneak Peeks

Today is the first day of sneak peeks for December at Taylored Expressions! Taylor's Baker's Dozen and I are showcasing one of the newest Whimsical Wishes sets—Friendship Blooms, which coordinates with a set of four flower dies and a die for the leafy branch too. I have two cards to share...

First, I can’t resist any stamp set that has coordinating dies! I’ve cut three of the four flowers in felt and used some of the other treats in store for you later this week (notice the border and backgrounds?). Just bright and cheery and super easy!

My next card uses the leafy branch in the set, stamped randomly in versamark and embossed with clear detail embossing powder on my background paper (Basic Grey Marjolaine 6x6 paper pad). Oops...I’ve done it again—you’ll hear more about the scalloped borders I’ve used later this week. Sorry to tease! The sentiment and leafy branch on my focal panel are stamped in Memento rich cocoa and then I used the leafy branch die to cut out the image. I sponged the white panel with chalk ink (the green from the Colorbox ocean breeze chalk ink box). Some half pearls on the border and larger leaves on the image...and that’s it.

Have a fabulous day and be sure to visit the Baker’s Dozen today for inspiration:

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Danielle Lounds

Jackie Pedro

Jami Sibley

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Melissa Sauls

Regina Mangum

Sankari Wegman

Tori Wild, and

Taylor Van Bruggen

Thanks so much for looking...

~Nancy