Taylored Expressions December Release Day!

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 Pam Sparks21 Comments

Taylored Expressions December release is here! Time to think about Happy Heart Day! Valentines! I admit I wasn’t quite ready to myself but once I got started, I was delighted with the new stamps and dies!

I’m featuring the NEW Picture Perfect Valentine Dies today. I love the TE series of stitched frames and words. I added a little ‘snow’ Frosted Lace stickles to the tops of the words and banners.

The colored images I’m using in my cards today are from the Love Makes the World Go Round stamp set and with this release there are dies to cut out three of the images from the set too! I fussy cut this penguin by hand though. It’s colored with Copic Sketch Markers. There’s a NEW Swiss Hearts Embossing folder and a NEW Banner set called Skinny Mini Valentine Borders and a NEW Love and Be Mine Borders dies set.

I was so tickled with how this whimsical scene turned out! I used the new cardstock color Mint Julep from last month to ‘play’ off of.

The darling couple is part of Love Makes the World Go Round die set that is part of the release this month. Such a cute stamp set and I had so much fun coloring them in a ‘sketchy’ kind of way, with Copic Sketch markers.

The other TE dies I used are Build A Scene Winter Trees dies, Build A Scene Central Park dies and the Neighborhood Border die.

I swiped Distress inks on the Neighborhood Border die and the background embossing folder is Snowfall. The sentiment is from the TE stamp set Ready, Set, Snow, inked with Shaded Lilac Distress ink.

Did you laugh at this one? What a cute couple!!! See why I told you I ended up having so much fun with this stamp set?! lol

Some more sketchy Copic coloring…then die cutting the piggies with the NEW die set. I stamped the background stamp twice but leaving off the sun and cloud on the right. Carrying over that mint julep influence. 😀

Last one!

The House and sentiment are from the same stamp and die sets. Colored with Copics. Floral Vine embossing folder with white gel pen highlights and die cut with the Stitched Rectangle Stacklets. I used the Welcome Home Stamp set and Build a House dies for the banner.

and…look at the beautiful NEW Stitched Heart Stacklets dies! They cut so beautifully!

Thanks for visiting my blog today and this week! If you’d like to see more TE projects and new product information, please head over to the TE Blog for a complete list of our participating designers!

Links to shopping the new release at the TE web store…

InLinkz.com

cards · Christmas · copics · Memory Box · Printworks · rubber stamps · Snowman · Winter

Printworks 2015 Christmas release stamps…

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 Pam Sparks17 Comments

Meet Big Bow Bertie … some serious personality for a snowman! I love this happy guy! I mean, how many guys would wear a big festive bow like this?! I stamped him on Hobby Lobby watercolor paper and colored with Zig Clean Color Brush Paint markers. Spritzed with Pearl spray…

The happy winter sentiment is from Printworks too.

I used four dies from Memory Box, Modern Tile Background for the window look, Dancing Snowflake Frame and the Small Winter sled. I die cut the sled from three cardstocks. Silver for the base, red for the curved guide bar and woodgrain for the slats. I left the silver whole, trimmed off the red bar, trimmed the woodgrain down and used a silver gel pen between the slats so it’d look like the base showing through. Easy and it looks like one of those Jolee stickers! The snowflake is from the Wintry Snowflake Bundle. Oh, I did use an ⅛ inch hole punch to put the paper cord through on the red guide bar.

Next – This delightful creature is this year’s Limited Edition Snowman! Isn’t she gorgeous?! Fairy Snow Queen is her name! I softly watercolored her, then painted Frosted Lace Stickles over her. Heart of Gold Prills on her crown.

The sentiment is new, Magical Winter, heat embossed on vellum with Judikins Silver Twinkle embossing powder. She’s mounted to a piece of American Crafts Glitter cardstock.

I think she’ll be a hit with the granddaughters!

Last for today… the Grinchmas Tree! I love it! Stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored sloppily with two green Copic sketch markers! Oh and a couple browns. Some Heidi Swapp Gold splatters… some more Prills…Minnie Pearls this time.

Some Washi tape… one of the faster cards I’ve ever made!

So many wonderful stamps in this release and in all the past releases too! Be sure to check them out at Printworks Collection.com

Thanks for stopping by! ttut!

cards · Christmas · Foiling · Memory Box · Minc · Winter

Memory Box, Foiling and the Minc…

November 25, 2015November 30, 2015 Pam Sparks29 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving week! I know, I should be posting something with pilgrims on it! I did love studying about Pilgrims and all they endured to come to American! Amazing! I don’t know that I could’ve been that strong a person. Thankful they were!

Here’s a fun, festive card using dies again… I did something different with them though. I foiled everything! A couple months ago, I needed a new printer so I went ahead and got an HP laser jet, so I could foil of course too! I ‘leaped’ into the beauty of foiling with the mini 6×6 Minc after a friend demoed her’s at stamp club.

Here’s the scoop. If you photocopy the back side of your dies with a laser printer, then run them through the Minc foiling machine, then die cut them, you get this neat edge like you see on this Elliana Ornament. You’ll see it on the next card below too. One trick I figured out though, you have to photocopy your die twice. So when it spits out, just copy again, to get it black enough because the dies are silver… if you can’t figure out which way to put it back in, put a mark on your paper, you won’t use that part anyway. I also found that smoother cardstock works the best. I used Hammermill Color Copy Cover cardstock. I use it a lot for coloring with Copics too.

I really love the look of foil and it really is easy! 😀 I used Heidi Swapp Red Foil on the Ornament… I die cut a piece of vellum with the Drop Ornaments die to put behind the Elliana Ornament die.

and Heidi Swapp Gold on the Poinsettia Ornament and Plush Poinsettia Corner dies. Pine Needle Distress ink sponged on with the ink blending tool. What a gorgeous color. I need to use it more!

Here’s a card I made with the Elliana Ornament last year and some posts with the Plush Poinsettia here.

Linking up to some challenges…
Simon Says Stamp – Anything Goes

SSS is also having a one day sale on their brand! YAY!

The Challenge #52 – Create a Christmas Card

Christmas Card Challenges – Anything Goes

Then how about a silver foiled snowflake! This is the Limoges Snowflake die and Lindeman Snowflake die. I photocopied both for foiling.

Can you see how the silver is just on the edges of the cut? That’s because there are holes in the die, so the holes leaves white when you photocopy it. cool. My photos don’t do it justice. Here’s a couple pictures of the parts, photo taken under the ott lite.

I did run these back through the Big Shot to get the embossing too.

I layered the Modern Tile Backgound die cut from white cardstock to a piece of navy cardstock that I’d spattered with white ink and the Ink splatter tool and then to a white top folded A2 card base. The snowflake was mounted with thin mounting squares cut to fit and the center flake mounted with regular thickness mounting squares. The Lindeman snowflake is stuck on with a dot of glue in the center.

Crazy but fun seeing what you come up with! : )

I used the Limoges Snowflake die on a couple cards last year too… here and here. Three different looks between the three cards.

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate it! Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Dies and Supplies I used to make these cards… be sure to check out my links for the Big Shot and the Minc machine…great prices @ scrapbook.com. Thank You!

cards · CAS · Christmas · copics · Memory Box · PTI · rubber stamps · Winter

Merry Monday, Memory Box, Make It Monday – Motif, Papertrey Ink…

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 Pam Sparks25 Comments

Almost a last minute loo-loo here…. whew! I couldn’t just not play in the Merry Monday Challenge – use a reindeer!

So here’s my cutie little Memory Box ‘reindeer’ called Happy Fawn. I colored him with Copics and then built a scene for him to live in.

I die cut the Circle Forest die in white cardstock, recut it with a pinpoint circle layer die to make it the right size, mounted a couple extra trees in the snow… die cut the frame first with the Pinpoint Circle Layers die, , then recut it with the Shaker Circle Frames die. That way I still had the little dots, although I think I would’ve liked it just as well with just the frame cut! : )

I used one of the Snowglobe Bases dies, cut in woodgrain cardstock. Adhered everything to a top folded A2 card base and stamped the sentiment from Into The Words clear stamp set. The holly leaves and berries are from the Mini Holly Leaves die set.

I’ll tell you how I made the sky sometime this week in another post.

Then I watched the Papertrey Ink Video Monday on motif building…well…I’ve been thinking about it most of the week! ugh! I just don’t have enough of their stamps for the center motif, so being me, I used dies so I’m linking up! I hope it counts! lol CAS!

Yes, we’ve got snow! All of the dies I used are from Papertrey Ink. I cut the word snow away from one of the dies that says Let It Snow.

In the Meadow
I think the snowflake center and flakes are from the Tinsel and Tags set, can’t remember for sure.
Christmas Cheer

Here’s another shot…

Thanks for stopping by! Here’s some snow from Iowa for all my friends that went south or live in warm states! : ) I took this when I got up yesterday a.m. The city had already been out making all kinds of racket. grrr They can’t just leave it pretty, they have to plow it a million times and make it look dirty. boo. This is one of the churches across from us…we live on a corner. Sympathy for ppl that live on the corner please?! lol

ttul! TFL!

cards · Christmas · Penny Black · rubber stamps · Watercolor · Winter

Penny Black Brush Pines…

November 7, 2015November 9, 2015 Pam Sparks45 Comments

Penny Black stamps and dies put me in a festive mood! I had fun inking up this brush art style stamp…I used the MISTI for stamping…some watercolor markers and stamp pads. Next time I need to try the Zig Clean Color Paint markers! I didn’t think of that ’til now!

The sentiment is embossed in gold detail powder and is from the Believe Transparent stamp set.

In this next pictures you can really see the Tim Holtz Jingle Bell brad! I LOVE these! I did poke holes in the watercolor paper first for the prongs. I used Canson Montval 140# this time.

The snow is Stampendous Frantage Chunky Embossing Enamel. Another reason why the heavy watercolor paper was better this time. You lightly sprinkle on the chunks and heat from the underside. Years ago we used to heat up an old electric frying pan and lay the card in it to heat UTEE. That would be easier to keep the chunks in place for sure! Be careful you don’t get too much… you can see I kinda did on the left pinecone.

A pretty stamped card…the bell brad might be a little too much for Uncle Sam’s mail machines though. ugh.

Oh the twine is one of Lawn Fawn’s, sparkle green. love it!

I inked the edges with Broken China Distress ink and the ink blending tool.

Sharing my card on the following challenge blogs…
Penny Black and More – Anything Christmas
Craft Stamper Magazine – Take a Stamp/Anything Goes
Stamp Ink Paper Challenge – CAS Christmas
Addicted To Stamps – Clean and Simple
Stamping Sensations – Festive Flowers and Foliage

THANKS for stopping by again! I am so excited to ‘make’ Christmas! I’m hoping to post a lot cuz I love to share and I miss hearing from you if I don’t post! lol Enjoy the pretty weekend!

Shopping links to what I used on this card…