A Blog Called Wanda

Taylored Expressions May 2013 Studio Challenge!

 

 

Hi there! Yup, another month has gone by and it's time for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge again! This is a monthly opportunity for the Taylored Expressions Design Team to share what makes our studios tick...and a time to share ideas and tips. Each month Taylor and Jami think up a fun, crafty question for us to answer!

The question for May is: "What is your favorite time of year? Some of us love the sunshine and the heat of Summer, while some of us long for the crisp cool air of Fall. Do Spring flowers make your heart sing or is it snow and the scent of pine that makes you jolly? Tell us about your favorite Season and your favorite time to stamp and make a caledar project to showcase your Season!"

I have two favorite seasons! I love Fall because of leaves and football and cozy evenings. But, I love Spring because of all the color, and the poofy clouds after a Spring rain, butterflies, and flowers... So those are my two favorite times of year to stamp. (And frankly, Christmas stamping kinda stresses me out!) 

I decided to make a Spring themed card and calendar gift set to share with you today. I often will use a tiny calendar page to make a card. It is fun to showcase a significant date for the recipient - a birthday, or anniversary, or retirement date...

Here's my calendar, framed and ready to gift! I think this would be pretty sitting on someone's desk at work on home... 

 

 

This elegant butterfly die is a total favorite of mine! And, oh, that paper..... 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a matching card to go with my calendar gift! I have a friend whose birthday is January 17th, so I marked the date with a teeny butterfly! To keep the gift matchy matchy I used all the same papers and the same stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendars make great gifts, especially for gal pals and co-workers. I love to make calendars every year for my closest friends. They make nice New Year presents! All of the 2014 (ack!) calendar products are in the TE store for those of you who like to get a jump on things.  

SUPPLY LIST: Happy Heart Stamp Set, Bikes and Trikes Stamp Set, Elegant Butterflies Dies, Label Stacklets 2 Dies, Petal Pop Ups 2 Dies, Whimsy #'s Dies, Simple Stories Vintage Bliss Paper, Pearls.

Here are the links to the Baker's Dozen Design Team! Have fun looking at all the cool calendar projects posted today:

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess 

 

Victorian Dogwoods...

Hello bloggy friends! Did you see my last blog post? Oy. Well, the new A/C unit is installed and the cool air is blowing again...and my crabbiness is waning... Yesterday I went to  a lovely tea party birthday party for one very cool artsy chick I know! I'll be sharing her birthday card soon - been dying to show everyone! Today is my day to post over at A Blog Named Hero, and I'm sharing the same card here. This card was inspired by a gorgeous pink dogwood tree I found a few weeks ago while out taking pictures. The Hero Arts Dogwood stamp was the perfect stamp! I don't know why, but dogwood trees always remind me of antiques and old times? Is that weird? They are so beautiful and elegant. I decided to make sort of an Antiquey/Victorian card.  

 

 

 

I stamped my image twice onto watercolor paper, in brown ink. I stamped two, since I knew I would want to layer at least part of the image later. Turns out that Victorian Velvet Distress Ink is the EXACT color of those blooms! I watercolored with my water pen and my ink pads.... You can see I added a touch of Spruce ink as a shadow around parts of the image.

 

 

 

 

I really love the sentiment stamps with this new font from Hero Arts! I added some text in the corner using just part of a large background stamp. (You can see my full supply list on the ABNH blog!)

 

 

 

Thanks for coming by to check out what I'm up to! Have a fantastic weekend! XO

 

 

And here is a photo of the inspiring tree!

A little crabby?....

Hello friends! How are you this fine day? Hope you are having a good week! It's been hot here in these parts and on Saturday the air conditioner broke at our house. The new one is installed today and I'm pretty sure I'm still having a heart attack about how much it's all going to cost. OMG. Trying to find the opportunity to be grateful!  So, we've been without A/C all week and I've been a little 'rough around the edges' shall we say. I do not like to be hot when I'm sleeping!

Since I'm feeling a wee bit crabby, I decided to go with it and make a funny crabby card to share with you! It's one of my days to post a Taylored Expressions project and I adore this Under the Sea stamp set....and this little crabby guy. (Although he doesn't really seem crabby) LOL. I hope this makes you smile and laugh at me!

 

 

 

I used my circle nestabilities to cut out three circles on my white panel. Then I lightly drew the outlines of the circles with a pencil on another piece of paper - to get my images all lined up where I wanted them. I like the first one - upside down. Makes me giggle. I colored them with my Copics in R24, R27 and a bit of R20.

 

 

You know that no project is complete unless it has half a roll of foam tape on it! I mounted my 'circle' panel with foam tape to pop it off the page. At the last minute I added some red gems. I resisted the urge to glitter....

Here's to cooler days ahead and a great weekend! Thanks for coming by - hope ya didn't get pinched!  

Sharing some photos today!

Happy Saturday! This week sort of kicked me in the butt! I slept in today and really just relaxed all day. I just finished re-reading The Great Gatsby on my Kindle....so it would be fresh when we go see the new movie. Really can't wait for that!! Now it's already 8:00 at night and I'm sitting down to write a post and share some photos with you guys! 

About three weeks ago I got a new camera (again!) My other new camera didn't work out and it was sent back in December. It took me this long to decide what to do next. The hubs, and my camera store owning uncle finally convinced me that I needed to get a DSLR. So now I am the proud owner of a Canon Rebel T4i! Yippeeeeee! It really is a big adjustment to get the feel of it and learn all the menus and such. So, we've been out shooting on the weekends. I'm finally getting a chance to post some of the snaps I've taken with it. Hope you enjoy a little taste of my corner of the world. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by to visit me! XO

 

Taylored Expressions May 2013 Spotlight - Mr. & Mrs. Cutting Plate!

Hi Friends and Happy Friday! Unfortunately all good things must come to an end...and today is the last day of the May Taylored Expressions Release. It's been so much fun sharing products and projects with you all week. Did you order something?  Thank you for your support and kind comments. I love this gig! Best wishes to you for a happy weekend!

Today is Designer Spotlight Day and we are able to choose whatever product we want to feature today. I just knew I wanted to share this gorgeous new cutting plate with you! One of my co-workers is getting married in a couple of months and this will be my card for him and his new bride! The details on this are absolutely exquisite. This die is so neat - you can add as much as you want to it, or leave it simple and elegant. I chose to use crisp white and a pretty light teal. I love how this one came out!

 

 

 

Here's a good close up shot of all the detail in the die. I started adding pearls and then I just couldn't stop myself! Too much? I don't think that's possible!

 

 

I wanted to add an accent color and give a pop of a different color. Since they are a young couple, I used some modern colors. I did the hearts and some of the flowers in a nice bright orchid shade.

 

 

There are a couple of ways to adhere this die to your layering piece. I sometimes use a glue pen and sometimes I will use the liquid Tombow glue. It takes a little patience, but well worth the effort!

 

SUPPLIES:  Mr & Mrs Cutting Plate (new), Pearls, Bazzill Papers.

One last link list for this awesome Release Week, Your Baker's Dozen Design Team:

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess 

Taylored Expressions May 2013 Release Day - Shades of Thanks!

Welcome to Taylored Expressions May RELEASE DAY! Yeah! You can now buy all the amazing new products in the "Fresh out of the Oven Department" at the TE Store! What do you have your eye on this month?? Or do you want all of it!? LOL. Have fun shopping and blog hopping today! Dont' forget to check back tomorrow for one more day - Designer Spotlight Day!

Today each of us on the Design Team was challenged to use the same product in two different ways. Fun! I am featuring the "Shades of Thanks" dies in two different projects for today. One is a Spring card and the other is a Fall home decor frame. Let's get to it!

You guys know how much I love Fall... I made this fun home decor frame to put out on the mantle when the time comes. I bought this inexpensive frame at the craft store and took the glass out... Voila!

 

 

I like the Shades of Thanks Tree die as a silhouette...Gives the project some depth... I went a bit crazy with the dies on this one.... And then added some paper piecing.... You know, more is more!

 

 

Here's a side shot to show my layers....

 

 

Some pretty Fall leaves for an accent....

 

 

Now, my second project with the same dies...couldn't be more different! It's a Spring Thank You card using fresh bright colors and some pretty patterned paper. I used the Shades of Thanks Tree and "thanks" word dies in black again. SO crisp.

 

 

 

I mounted my tree onto the front layer of my rectangle to make is stand out from the background. Isn't that paper too cute?

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES - Spring card:  Shades of Thanks Dies (new), Cloud Duo dies, Greetings for Him Stamp Set (new), Echo Park Sweet Girl paper pack, Rectangle scallop Nestabilities, Memento Inks.

SUPPLIES - Fall frame: Shades of Thanks Dies (new), Banner Stacklets 1 dies, Spooky Fence Border die, Falling for You dies, Mini leaves dies, Made in the Shade Stamp Set, Autumn Wreath Stamp Set, Memento Inks.

RELEASE DAY LINKS!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess  

Taylored Expressions May 2013 Sneak Peek - Damask Flourishes and Happily Ever After!

Welcome Back for day two of Taylored Expressions May Release! Did you like everything from yesterday? I hope so! I know I loved seeing everyone's projects! Today the Bakers Dozen Design Team has much more in store for you! I have two cards to share with you....both are floral, but they are really different styles! Hopefully a little something for everyone....

First up is a soft and pretty floral card made using the Happily Ever After Stamp Set and the Lifetime of Love Stamp Set. I have a friend who got engaged a couple of weeks ago and this will be her engagement card! I added some bright sparkly diamonds just for the occasion! :-) 

 

 

This is a great card technique...make your own patterned paper and then cut it into strips. Easy Peasy, but so classy and pretty. You can use any design.

 

 

Here is my stamped panel before I cut it into three pieces. These new flower stamps are perfection! They will be my new go-to flowers for sure.

 

 

And, a side view of my layers. The sentiment was stamped on vellum with stayz-on ink for an elegant touch.

 

 

 

My second card for today is really graphic and bold. I used the new Damask Flourishes dies to make my own damask background paper in black and white. Pow! This has lots of impact. I paired it with some bright daisies and a nice sentiment. This damask die is really versatile. Can't wait to use it in some different applications - I'm thinking shabby chic!  

 

 

 

 

Here are my Damask dies pieces before I put them on the paper. SOOOOOO nice!

 

 

And a close up of the flowers and the die shape... Yup, added a pop of glitter to the centers!

 

Be sure to come back tomorrow - there is so much to share with you this week! XO

SUPPLIES - pink and green floral card: Happily Ever After Stamp Set (new), Lifetime of Love Stamp Set (new), Vanilla Cardstock, Vellum, Memento inks.

SUPPLIES - black and yellow card: Damask Flourishes dies (new), Banner Stacklets 1 Dies, Oops a Daisy Stamp Set, Oops a Daisy dies, Embrace Beauty Stamp Set, Memento inks.

LINK LIST!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Nancy McKinney (TE Illustrator!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess  

Taylored Expressions May 2013 Sneak Peek - Birch Tree Cutting Plate!

Hello bloggy friends! It's time for the May Taylored Expressions Release! Wahoooooo! This month has some gorgeous new cutting plates and dies, and pretty stamp sets that are perfect for weddings! Yup, it's time for Summer activities! I just know you are going to love everything in this month's release.

Today I am introducing and featuring my favorite thing from May's Release! It's the beautiful Birch Tree Cutting Plate. Taylored knocked this one out of the park! Wowza. I can think of a million ideas for this die, and I know I will use it for every season...

 

 

 

 

This photo shows my layers. I used the Birch Tree Cutting plate (in white) and then the single Birch Tree Border (in grey) and cut out just one of the trees for my layer. The little birdies are part of the Accessories dies! LOVE!

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my Cardinal! Tweet!

 

 

I just HAD to add one more birdie to my sign!

 

 

Do you love this die or what??? It's so gorgeous. Cannot wait to see what everyone else makes with it!

 

SUPPLIES:  Birch Tree Cutting Plate (new), Birch Tree Border Die (new), Birch Tree Accessories (new), Delightful Day Stamp Set.

LINKS LIST FOR TODAY!

Joan Ervin (awesome guest designer!)

Nancy McKinney (TE Illustrator!)

Carole Burrage

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Mchaud

Lynnette Kauffman

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Wanda Guess 

 

Clean & Simple Daisy Bouquet

Hi! Happy Weekend! Hope you have fun plans! Hubs and I are headed to San Francisco for a day trip and then Sunday it's all day in the stamp room (oh and chores, too).  Today I'm here to share a CAS creation made with one of my favorite stamps sets from the TE Bouquet series! These daisies are so fresh and pretty, perfect for May.  I thought they just needed to be clean and bright with lots of white space...oh...and a cute little bumblebee! Hope you like it!

 

 

 

 

I thought about adding a layer of yellow paper as a background layer, but I thought this looked better. I popped my layer on some foam tape to add dimension.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my bouquet. A little tip for making things "white" is to add a touch of light grey. I used a C1 Copic Marker on my daisy petals. This gives just a hint of shadow to your object. I have also done this using a light aqua, such as BG10. For my bouquet, I cut out the main flower and layered it with foam tape. I also added a touch of superfine prisma glitter....

 

 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Whatever you do this weekend....have fun! :-) 

SUPPLY LIST: Daisy Bouquet Stamp Set,  Sunflower Wreath Stamp Set, Glitter, Copics.

 

ABNH - May Challenge - Shimmer & Bling!

Hello my dears! It's MAY! How the heck did that happen? It's been H-O-T here this week and the pollen bombs are still exploding inside my brain. I'm ready for Summer! How about you? What's going on with you? Hope you are having a marvelous week. Today is Challenge Day at A Blog Named Hero! Our May 1st Challenge is Shimmer! (Or as I like to say...Bling it on!) Our challenge for you is to create a project that shines - using glitter, bling, or shimmer and your favorite Hero Arts stamps. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Click Here to enter your card!

Well, for my card I used glitter and blings to make a super girlie card in a fun color combo of black and pink. Can't go wrong with that. I adore the matching stamps and dies from Hero Arts/Sizzix. These chairs and chandeliers cut out perfectly every time.  

 

 

 

The quatrefoil background is one giant stamp - LOVE! I stamped in black ink and then added pops of pink with blings and paper piecing on the chairs.

 

 

 

Here's a side view of my layers.... This one was FUN to make!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so very much for coming by today! Be sure to check out the rest of the DT cards on the blog today...and don't forget to submit your card!! My full supply list can be found on the ABNH post! All the stamps and dies are from Hero Arts....of course!