Will You Be Mine??

I've been on quite the roll making cute little Valentine projects and I couldn't resist buying this latest set from Taylored Expressions called Will You Be Mine to make for my special honey. It's just soooo cute and these little penguins are absolutely adorable!!! I always need some kind of sounding board to create, so I used two challenges from Splitcoast to begin my card-making journey. :) First off was the Free For All Challenge to use at least one warm color and something fuzzy.

So my warm color was brown to "ground" the sweet couple and my fuzzies are the pink sparkly fluff bow and necklace that was provided in the Valentine Project Pantry. As a matter of fact...all my supplies came from the Project Pantry because it's just so darned cute!


The card sketch here came from the latest Sketch Challenge #317. It's kind of hard to see, but my red cardstock panel was dry embossed with the new Hearts Impressions Plate and it looks soo lovely and adds some gorgeous texture to an otherwise plain piece of cardstock! I used the Scalloped Eyelet Border Die at the bottom of the same panel. I colored entirely with Copics and used the airbrush system for the background sky.

Here are some better views of the products that I used!



And that is all she wrote for today! I'll be busy for the next while preparing for the Taylored Expressions February release starting next Tuesday....can you believe February is already almost here?!?!?!

Have a great one and thanks so much for your visit!

Valentine gift packaging

First of all, thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! I had a GREAT birthday evening which ended up being a surprise girl's night out...filled with stories worthy of their own blog post, LOL!

Anyway, I was just itching to getting back to creating so I grabbed TE's latest Valentine Project Pantry...some bits of odds and ends here and there, and got to work!


So I started with papers from the kit and added some heart doilies and tags....


Made a handful of these (totally inspired from Michelle Wooderson's blog)! Gathered all of my supplies together in the kitchen like this...

And made a tag to put on a cello bag (the completed tag is on the bottom right of the picture above.


And then just started cranking out tags from there...all quick and easy to put together with the all of the trimmings from the Valentine Project Pantry....and a few other goodies available in the store.

I used the set A Little Love, to make my tags and the coordinating Favor Frame Die of course!


And my first prototype here. I used the Small Scallop Border die on the colored cardstock...and with all the tags actually!


I couldn't resist using my Scalloped Sparklers in the centers of all of the yo-yo flowers...just adds the right amount of sparkle!


They all turned out so fun and unique...each made with a special person in mind...


I can't wait to get to shopping to fill those bags with special treats for the ones I adore.


Really easy peasy!! The longest part was making the fabric yo-yo's....and I actually am inspired to make some more. What about you? How are you coming along on your Valentine projects? Hope you got some little nifty ideas here. :)

Thanks so much for your visit and I truly appreciate all your sweet comments! Have a great one!

Taylored Expressions January Release!

Hello again!! It's the first Friday of the month and that means that the January release of stamps and accessories at Taylored Expressions are now live and available for purchase!!! For a quick link to see all of the new items available, just visit the Fresh Out of the Oven tab.

I thoroughly hope you enjoyed yesterday's post and were able to visit the rest of the Bakers blogs for more inspiration and the introduction to more Tiny Chefs! I know I got a huge kick out of seeing all of the beautiful creations and all of those beaming children's faces....so proud of their crafty accomplishments!

But if you're in need of a little more inspiration, we have a little more to show you today....all of the design team have taken on different sets to showcase today so you just don't know what you're going to see.


As you can see, I am showcasing the gorgeous mini-set, Wreath of Love. I paired it with the new larger frame die Frame It Up 1, and don't forget, this also comes with a coordinating Seasonal Wreath die! For this entire project, I used all papers and accessories (minus my own stash of pearls) from the super adorable Valentine Project Pantry Kit. I'm totally smitten with this entire release....definitely one of my top faves!!


And I am just spent, LOL! What a way to start a new year with such fun projects to share!! Have fun shopping in the store and I hope you can make your way to the rest of the Bakers Dozens to see what they have in store for you!

Oh!!! And Taylor actually will be featuring a limited time special!!!

How would you like to receive the Love Everywhere stamp set for FREE?!


This is actually the project I made with it last year....a little vellum box for treats and matching card...
Well, you can receive it FREE with the purchase of the Valentine Bundle!!

The bundle includes almost the entire release and will have EVERYTHING you need to make all your Valentine goodies!!

Thanks so much for your visit this week and now I'm off to visit the rest of the Baker's Blogs and our Guest Designer for the month, the very talented, Lea Lawson!!

• Charmaine Ikach
• Danielle Lounds
• Donna Baker
• Jackie Pedro
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Karen Motz
• Lea Lawson - Guest Designer
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild

Have a wonderful weekend and happy shopping!!

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Day 3

Welcome back everyone!! I'm sooo glad you are here today because this is just going to be a monster of a post!!!! Today we are sneaking 3 new sets...1 full-sized set called Kid at Heart, a mini-set called A Little Love, and finally, a full-sized set of Cuppie's friends called Sweet Friends. So...we also have a "little" addition to the Design team today that I am just THRILLED to announce as members!!! My 6-year old son is a proud card-carrying member of the....

Tiny Chef Design team!!!

Taylor had the BRILLIANT idea of having some of our children make Valentine's for their classmates using the new Kid at Heart stamp set...and get this...coupled with the Kid's Valentine Card Kit!!!

And well...I also have a 3 year old daughter, Catie, who just couldn't resist "assisting" her older brother with his projects...

She seriously spent probably 10-15 minutes so meticulously coloring her project with my Spica Glitter pens. And let me tell you, she loved every single minute! Just goes to show...even your 3 year old can complete this project!!!

And here they are so proudly showing off their Valentine projects...which they LOVED!! I have to tell you this too....Harrison completed his project from start to finish ALL ON HIS OWN!!! All I did was pick the color scheme and he did the stamping, die-cutting, adhering...everything! I'm such a proud momma! :)



Catie's completed project...do you think she colored enough of the gumball machine? She must have been bound and determined to not have one square inch exposed!

Harrison just loved the greetings to match those images. He kept giggling about it and was already picking out which friends should get which Valentines. :)

What an absolutely FUN project!!! If you have kids or grandkids or even friends with kids, this is such a WONDERFUL craft to do together...both of you will have such a grand time making them!

Now...let me continue with MY design team commitments! So, I chose one of the images from the Kid at Heart stamp set that the kiddos got to play with and that was the Cupcake image. This release I've been completely into doing more 3D projects so I created a cupcake topper for my Cupcake image!


I stamped the frame from the set in Warm Red Colorbox Chalk ink and then die cut it out with the coordinating Take Note #3 die. I then cut out some patterned paper from the Valentine's Project Pantry kit for an inside background for my frame. I stamped my cupcake with Tuxedo Black ink and then colored with Copic markers in R32, R35, and R37. I wanted my topper to match my yummy Red Velvet Cupcake so I left the top white and glittered it up for funsies. :)

Since I couldn't resist buying just one cupcake, I wanted to show how you could also make another simple topper with the set, A Little Love.


Another super adorable topper made to match that yummy Strawberry Lemon swirl cupcake. I stamped one of the frames from the set (there are 3!!) in Yellow Ochre Colorbox Chalk and then stamped my sentiment with Pixie Pink ink. I also stamped the hearts from the set and fussy cut those out and then added some dimension with some Crystal Effects. I glittered up the border hearts for fun as well. :)

And finally I wanted to make one last project just to show how well these two sets work together!


A matching card to go with the cupcake!! I actually used the frame from the From the Heart set with coordinating From the Heart Frame die as a border for my main image. The border was stamped in Warm Red Colorbox Chalk and I stamped the leaf stems with Sage Shadow ink. The hearts were stamped with Warm Red Colorbox again and then I topped it with some fluffy glitter that was included in the Valentine's Project Pantry. All my paper and ribbon were also from the Valentine's Project Pantry and that yummy hearts impression you see is from the new Hearts Impression Plate! The heart behind my frame is actually from the Classic Hearts Nestabilities.

So what do you think?!?! A lot to take in today, I know!!! Well, the Bakers have so much more to share and you will get to meet more Tiny Chefs!!! Please be sure to visit:

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

Finally, tomorrow morning is the big release and one last roundup from the team on all the new sets and accessories that will be for sale! See you back here tomorrow and thanks sooo much for looking and hanging in there with me. :)

All My Love

This month has been all about Love on my blog in the preparations for the upcoming holiday. I must say, I'm breathing a large sigh of relief that I'm prepared for the big event. :) In a few days, I'll hopefully start mailing out those letters of love to loved ones and friends that I hold dear to my heart.

One project I wanted to complete, as my last days as a Verve Guest Diva dwindle, was a Love banner. Before I show my project, I just want to take a moment to thank Julee over at Verve Stamps for the invitation to join the rest of her fabulous Divas this month. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to work with your latest release and stamp alongside such fantastic stampers! Special thanks to the Divas as well for openly and warmly welcoming to the crew. :) It's been a fabulous month!

So, this is about to be picture heavy, so hold onto your hats ladies! Here's how my banner started.

The paper is called Spring Petal from Autumn Leaves (I bought this at the Hot Spot paper item at Archiver's) and I stamped the leafy image from Love's Flower randomly throughout with Antique Linen Distress ink...I just love how soft it turned out.

And then I poured my heart into creating each letter....


"I Love You" was stamped repeatedly across the top in Tea Dye Distress Ink using the Heart's Desire set.


The "O" fit perfectly atop my stamped image from Accent Notes...I was just tickled pink! This letter's a regal one with a large rhinestone from Anna Griffin in the center and a crown adorned to the side.

"V" for Valentine...and what's a Valentine without a heart? I placed a delicate crocheted heart under my "v" with a dainty ribbon rose.


And finally the "e," embellished with a single flower with pearl center and Prima bling flower centers on the sides.


And the banner in it's entirety. Made from my heart using all my favorite little things...


Hanging on my mantle...you can really see all the shimmer here. I sprayed Bed of Roses Shimmerz on my chipboard letters (which were also covered with fine glitter and glitter glass) and over the crepe paper rounds.

And finally a couple more projects that I haven't shared with you yet that I made early for the release.

I've always wanted to try a mussy tussy...romantic, Victorian, and just pretty in general.


Here I used vintage sheet paper and used the romantic images from the set Heart's Desire. Spritzed entirely with Bed or Roses Shimmerz again...can you tell I love that color? :)


And finally a card using the set Love's Flower. I'm not sure why I haven't shown this card earlier...I absolutely adore it! I love the fun colors from the latest Valentine collection from Pink Paislee. I want to make more cards with it! I wish I had more time..


And I think I've inundated you with enough pictures today. :) Enough to last the rest of the month maybe?? hehe I'm soooo looking forward to Friday tomorrow. Today was a rough one...my little girl took a Sharpie marker to the kitchen tiles...I cleaned up the evidence, but the grout didn't fare too well. My boy...he's just being a boy. Rough and into trouble. I'm a strict one though...we'll get a handle on it.

Until then, I look forward to my usual Friday evening margarita at my usual place with my usual suspects.

Any plans for you? I'd love to hear!

Thanks so much for your visit...and getting, "in stamping mode."

My attempt at Clean and Simple

I don't know what it is, but I am seriously drawn to cards that are "clean and simple." They are always so striking...send a clear message, and most of all, so tidy! Now, I don't consider myself a CAS stamper, but I decided to try it out! I tell you the one MAJOR plus about it...you're finished with your card in a matter of minutes! SCORE!! A typical card for me usually never takes me less than an hour. This card took me about 10 minutes, tops! *cheers wildly*

I got the layout from Card Positioning Systems latest sketch challenge #102. I've had the large Heidi Swapp heart in my stash for a long time and I wanted to use paper with hearts in it, so I reached for my Bittersweet by Basic Grey paper. It always feels so good to use something that's just sitting there collecting dust. I'm sure it makes them happy to be loved too. :) Anywho! On to the deets.

Stamps: none
Ink: none
Paper: Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Bittersweet by Basic Grey
Accessories: Love Notes ribbon by Making Memories, Love & Happiness rubons, Heidi Swapp XL ghost heart, pink taffeta ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping in! :)

A Teddy Bear Picnic

My son's teacher (mind you, he is in pre-kinder) always comes up with such clever ideas on how to celebrate the holidays. For Valentine's this year, she has decided that the children will have a teddy bear picnic as their Valentine "party." In preparation for this event, she has begun reading a book to the children that says if you have a picnic, the bears will come. All the parents are to sneak a bear to her with a little love note attached for their child. She will then have the bears sitting at their desk when they arrive to school on the 13th. They will have the bears with them for the duration of the class, and for lunch, the parents will pack their children's lunches in a basket so that they may eat outside, "picnic style!" How cute is that?! The baskets will then be used for the children to store and bring home their Valentines that they receive at school. Oh my gosh this is such a cute idea!! Can I join along?! LOL :)

Well when I went to Target the other idea, I just happened upon the CUTEST little picnic basket in the toy section! Oh...my...gosh...I was giddy with excitement! I just knew what I wanted to do with it...embellish it, of course!! Here's what it looked like when I bought it.


It was an adorable little tea set! I didn't think he's appreciate a pink basket, so here's the after.


I used a Build a Brad as a "button" to secure the top for closure. The ribbon is retired Soft Sky double-stitched ribbon.

Here's the inside.


Recognize the paper at all? It's retired Stampin' Up dsp, aptly called, Afternoon Tea. I wanted something pretty but not too girly...he is all boy afterall! :) I used the Scallop Edge punch to scallop the edges to make them look less like paper and more like pretty fabric. I also added large eyelets and weaved Groovy Guava doublestitched ribbon through. All the paper is adhered to the basket with a glue gun. I've always said, "men have duct tape...women have glue guns." :)


The sentiment is a stamp set from Verve Stamps that I absolutely love called Hundred Hearts. I knew that this would be PERFECT on my little bear...even though my little human bear can't read it yet. :) I wrote a little love note on the back from Mommy, Daddy and Catie. I'm so thrilled with how this turned out!!
Verve is actually hosting a challenge called the "Kid at Heart Project Parade," and you know how I'm a sucker for challenges! hehe I'd been wanting to participate in this for a month now, but had total mental block on what to create. This project for the class just worked perfectly!

Thanks so much for looking and getting "in stamping mode."

Sooo many sketches...

....and sooo little time. I have a lot to show today! It started last weekend with my goal to complete 9 sketches from Celebrating a year of cupcake sketches with Taylored Expressions. I began the project late last week, and I've finished over half of the cards. This first one was used in a shoebox swap I participated in over the weekend. It follows the sketch you can see here. All supplies are Stampin' Up! in this one. I embossed the heart from the new Sale a Bration set, "Polka Dot Punches" in white on So Saffron cardstock. I then cut it out and then punched another piece of cardstock and used the new glitter around the edge of the heart...popped the embossed heart on top and voila! It looks very pretty and sparkly in person. The bashful blue piece of cardstock was embossed with the next Texture plate and I also used a small strip of designer paper (also from Sale a Bration) at the top punched with the new lace edge punch. The saffron ribbon is also a Sale a Bration "set." Whew! Lots of Sale a Bration in there! :)

I've only completed 4 more of the sketches (I'm running out of time!!!), but I decided to use these sketches to make a set of cards to give to my son's teacher as a little pre-Valentine's gift. Here are the cards and the sketches they follow:


This one follows Taylor's sketch here.

This one follows Jackie Pedro's sketch seen here.

This one follows Vicki Chrisman's sketch seen here.

And finally this one follows Donna Baker's sketch here.

I wanted to create something to present these cards in and decided to use the template I had purchased from Papertrey Ink called All Boxed Up. It's an AWESOME little box and sooo simple to make...and only 5 bucks! Anyway, I created the box and here's the outside cover.



And here it is open with the cards inside. :)



Isn't it cute?!?! I think she will love it and I'm so excited to give it to her! I used the Valentine key Ingredients for all of the cards.

Thanks for sticking with me if you've made it this far! Don't forget to leave a comment in my previous post HERE to win my blog candy! Until later...thanks for getting "in stamping mode." :)