Cards Using Taylored Expressions Products

I'm sharing two cards today that use all the same supplies.

The only difference is that I die cut one using white card stock and the other using black.

I have quite the pile of cards ready to finish. I really enjoy creating backgrounds. I just sit and make a ton of them, sometimes for days - well, when I'm not at work! Then I decide what I want to do with them. I've chosen several and already have them ready to adhere to the base cards. I'm just going through and trying to figure out what sentiment and other embellishments I want to use on them. Sometimes I just die cut images out of the backgrounds if I don't like it enough to use for a card. 

I'm not going lie, out of both of these cards my favorite is the one using the black as the die cut.

The colors just pop off the card! The patterned paper is the same on both, but what a difference in how it looks using white. 

I bought this stamp set at the very popular Taylored Expressions booth at the Rubber Stamp Show here in Minnesota either last year or the year before that. This year when I visited their booth I bought the cutting plate. 

Their booth was so completely crazy busy! I stood in line just waiting to move along the wall of products they had displayed. My eye caught this cutting plate and I knew I wanted it. The ladies in front of me couldn't make a decision and it seemed like I was standing in the same spot forever and not moving! Finally I just asked one of them to hand me the cutting plate and a few other items I couldn't reach and off I went to the checkout! 

I'm going to try some other patterns with this cutting plate and see how they look.

The name of the stamp set is Plot Twist. The cutting plate is called Rosette Cutting Plate.

For the background paper behind the flowers and leaves I pulled out an older paper pad by DCWV called The Old World Stack. I chose some bling from my stash and stamped the sentiment using VersaFine onyx black ink.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Canvas

Oh my! I have a new found love/addiction for deli paper! I've been on sites watching videos on how deli paper is used for quite a few months. I just put it in the back of my mind to try sometime. Then I found this stamp from Everyday Valentine at Joggles and I knew I had to buy it. I didn't know what I'd use it for however. When I ordered the stamp I picked up a small amount of deli paper to try. I will definitely need to buy a larger quantity.

For my base I used a 6x6" canvas panel. The background was created using Dylusions paints and my Gelli Arts gel press printing plate. I've had the 6x6" and 3x5" plates for a few years. When I went to a stamp show in June I picked up the 8x10". Love it, I'm so glad I splurged on it! I used three different paints and then printed my background. Because it's kind of a messy job I went ahead and created two more backgrounds on deli paper at the same time. I'm going to use those for canvas projects also.

I added some texture to the background with some translucent embossing paste and some stencils by accident. I meant to grab my white paste. Since you can't see the translucent, I grabbed another stencil and used the white paste. For the flowers I used some I had in my stash from Recollections. The smaller ones where already colored. The larger ones were white so I used distress ink with water on my craft mat and ran them through the ink. After they were dry I matted the sentiment with DCWV burlap, adhered the flowers and my canvas is ready to hang out in my craft room!

I had two scraps of the background paper left. Because I can't toss things, they are large enough to use for two cards. I'm going to go work on them now. I'll post them later.

Thanks for stopping by!

April Swap Cards

I was a little behind in getting my cards out this month! Instead of mailing them on the 15th, mine didn't go in the mail until the 17th. I'm a poky card maker so I had to step it up a bit to get them finished. Generally I don't wait this long but I started a new job on April 4th and I haven't had a lot of creative time. I've been too exhausted at night to do much. By the time I get home it feels as though my head is going to explode from everything I'm learning during the day. It's going to get better, but for now that's the way it is. 

For the card above I used a Hero Arts Clings stamp called Leaf & Floral background. I heat embossed the design and then watercolored with distress inks. I can't remember which colors I used for this card. The sentiment is a Penny Black slapstick/cling stamp from the Life's Messages set. 

The card below does use a background that I had in my stash that I made a few weeks ago when I had my Gelli Arts plate out. When you are using that it's a good idea to make a lot of backgrounds because it's a messy project. I used Dyan Reaveley Dylusions paint in Cut Grass for the background. I used cork from the DCWV Cork Solids Mat Stack for the field grasses. This die is from Die-Namites. Sentiment is from Stampin' Up called World of Dreams.

This next card was stamped with a Hero Arts Reversed Flowers & Leaves background and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I then took three distress crayons in picked raspberry, mustard seed and twisted citron and used my finger to rub them in on the background. The sentiment is from The Right Words stamp set from Dylusions. I heat embossed it and then used a Spellbinders die to cut it. 

My last card was a little bit of a struggle. I'm still learning how to stamp flowers. I'm getting better, but I'm not where I want to be yet. I used this card by Yana Smakulav as the inspiration for mine. The stamp set is by Hero Arts called You're So Lovely. I used Altenew crisp inks in coral berry, ruby red, frayed leaf and evergreen.

I hope my swap partners like the cards I've sent them. Thanks for stopping by!

Card Swap Pals

I belong to quite a few craft related groups on Facebook. The newest group I joined I learned about through a group called Stamping Enablers. The group is called Card Swap Pals. I like swapping with others but I just don't do well if there is a theme as I really struggle with the constraints of that. I like to be able to just create whatever strikes my fancy. With this group you are assigned four swap pals and you can send all of them the same card or each something different and whatever type of card you want. This type of swap is right up my alley. Since this was my first time I decided to send four different cards. 

I want to back up a minute to the group I mentioned called Stamping Enablers. This group is by far one of the best groups I have ever joined! The group has grown to over 4200 members in a short amount of time. I have been in the group since it started. There are so many knowledgeable and wonderfully talented crafters from all over the world in this group. It's been a joy to be involved with such a wonderful people. You can join it by clicking here.

I like to create all kinds of random card fronts and then when I have a pile I make cards with them. This seems to work for me since I never really know what I want to make when I sit down and start crafting. It's also easier for me if I go craft with others. I don't feel like I have to get something done. 

The first card for one of my swap partners I created using a Tim Holtz layering stencil called wildflower. I used PaperTrey Ink white cardstock and I used worn lipstick distress ink. The sentiment and die cut is from WPlus9 called Hand Lettered Hello stamp set and Die. I stamped the hello sentiment with distress ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder and then die cut it. The sentiment "a note to say"was also stamped with distress ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I used Cloud 9 Design rain drops for my bling. I matted the image using DCWV canvas.

This card was created using using the smooching technique. I saw this technique from an email newsletter I received from Kristina Werner. Here's the link to her blog post. This is a fun technique and I know I'll be using it a lot! The die cut and sentiment are both from Wplus9 called Hand Lettered Thanks. I heat embossed the sentiment with black embossing powder. The You die was cut using foam. The bling is Hero Arts Hues Decor. I used PTI cardstock for my base and watercolor cardstock for the smooching. The blue mat cardstock is by Recollections. I don't remember what distress inks I used for this card.

 

Again I used the smooching technique for this card. I don't remember what distress inks I used. The sentiment is from Unity Stamps called Storms Make Deeper Roots. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder. The base is PTI cardstock and the mat is by DCWV called The Jeweled Colored Cardstock Mattock. I also used watercolor cardstock.

This next card that was sent off to one of my swap partners is a technique I saw on the blog Pine Is Here. This was my first attempt and I loved it! I need to explore it a little more and go through my stamps to find more that will work. I used Hero Arts Delicate Leaf Cluster for the images. I heat embossed with white embossing powder. The distress ink I used is peeled paint. The die cut was cut from foam and is from Hero Arts called Thanks Stamp & Cut. I just used some pearls I had in my stash of supplies. Cardstock and base is from PTI. 

That's it for now. Time to start working on my swap cards for next month! I'll post the cards I receive.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cardabilities Sketch #114

I love the sketches from the Cardabilities blog. I was able to get this one done by the skin of my teeth! I was procrastinating a little because I had too many cards I was working on at once. 

I see so many possibilities with this sketch. I want to create more cards with it. I used PaperTrey Ink cardstock for my base in white. The colored cardstock is from the Jewel Colored Cardstock Mattock by DCWV. Love the texture of this cardstock! I used Nestabilities to cut my circles, the foliage and the pennant. The Thanks sentiment was cut from a die from Simon Says Stamp. The pearl bling is from Hero Arts and the ribbon is just a piece of scrap from my stash.

Cardabilities Sketch #114

Stop by and check out the other cards from their design team and other contributors for this challenge. The cards are gorgeous! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Retrosketches Challenge #146

Hope everyone had a great New Years! Mine was very lazy. I worked on a few cards for some challenges that I want to participate in and that's about it. 

For this card I used PaperTrey Ink cardstock as my base in white. The colored cardstock and the patterned paper are by Core'dinations called Carnival and Brights. I also used DCWV's Burlap Stack. My leaf image is from a stamp set by Hero Arts called Delicate Leaf Clusters. I cut down a piece of distress watercolor cardstock from Tim Holtz and using the Tim Holtz waterbrush I painted on three different Tim Holtz Distress Stains. The colors I used are broken china, picked raspberry and salty ocean. The sentiment is also from Hero Arts called Thanks A Bunch. The enamel dots are from My Mind's Eye. I loved this versatile sketch and know that I will use it over and over. 

Retrosketches #146

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 249

Fun sketch! It reminded me of another challenge I participated in recently. Love the sketches that are clean, simple and fun to work with. 

For this card I chose to use DCWV's burlap and cork paper. I ran the cork paper through the Big Shot using a Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder. The sentiment was cut using a Hero Arts Fancy Dies called Thank You DI080. The pearl bling is also from Hero Arts. 

Be sure to stop by and check out all the other beautiful works of art!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 249

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Mojo Monday Challenge 377

Whew...I just finished my card for the Mojo Monday Challenge! I was even able to get a half decent photo before the sun went down. I had planned to finish my card yesterday so I wouldn't feel rushed today but I got detained with other stuff. 

I used DCWV's The Old World Stack for the patterned paper and PaperTrey Ink cardstock in vintage cream for my base. The die cut is called Arianna Lace from Heartfelt Creations by Spellbinders. I used the edge punch from EK Success called dotted scallop for the edges on the the pinkish/maroon colored cardstock. The butterfly was punched with a Martha Steward punch. For the sentiment I used a Hero Arts stamp set called Find Joy. Gems are also from Hero Arts. 

I haven't played along with a Mojo Monday sketch for a long time! I used to love creating from their sketches. Hoping to be able to do them every week if I can squeeze it in!

Mojo Monday Challenge 377

Thanks for stopping by!

CAS - Colours and Sketches: Christmas Sketch Challenge #104

My card today is for the CAS - Colours and Sketches Blog: Christmas Sketch Challenge #104. The challenge is to pick a sketch from their previous sketches in the archive. The one I chose is below. It's from sketch #31 from June 27th, 2013.

I decided to go with a snowflake theme for my card. I used an embossing folder by Provo Craft for Cuttlebug called Snowflakes. The very cool rustic snowflakes are from Favorite Findings. The Christmas sentiment I chose is from Hero Arts called Celebrate Everyday. I used the Cork Solids DCWV as a mat for my snowflake background. Inked edges and ink for sentiment is Memento's Lady Bug and Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Barn Door. Card base is White and Kraft from PaperTrey Ink. Metal Stickers by Mark Richards. I do LOVE those wood snowflakes!

Be sure to stop by and see the sketches that other participants have chosen.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Unscripted Sketches 5th Blog-iversary + A Giveaway!

Unscripted Sketches is celebrating their 5th Blog-iversary! 

We've got some fun giveaway's planned. 

Head over to the Unscripted Sketches Blog to check out all the fun!!

Here's my take on this week's sketch:

 

I used some Golden Light Molding Paste with a Prima stencil for my design on black cardstock from PaperTrey Ink. The background paper peeking out from behind is called Everyday Kraft from the Paper Studio. I die cut the burlap flowers using the Tattered Flowers Die from Tim Holtz using the Burlap Stack from DCWV. Sentiment is from Hero Arts called "Thank You For Being My Friend".

For the Blog-iversary I'm giving away a Sympathy Stamp set from Hero Arts called Remember.

To be eligible to win here's what you need to do:

1. Become a follower on either my Blog or my Facebook page (or both!).

2. Leave a comment.

Winner will be chosen at random Friday, April 18th and announced on my blog on Saturday, April 19th. 

Hope you'll join us this week with your take on the sketch above. All the details are on the blog post over at Unscripted Sketches!

This post is also linked up to Virginia's View Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used For This Card:

Base Cardstock - PTI in True Black & White

Patterned Paper - the Paper Studio - Everyday Kraft, DCWV - Burlap Stack

Ink - Tim Holtz Distress - Black Soot, Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black

Gems - DCWV Gem Stickers

Stamp - Hero Arts - Thank You For Being My Friend - CL487
Flowers - Tim Holtz Tattered Flower Die
Prima - Stencil
Golden Light Molding Paste

Unscripted Sketches #249

I really LOVE this new stamp set I bought from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

For my background I used textured paper from DCWV. This pad of paper called The Old World Stack really has some beautiful patterns. Overall I think my card is fairly clean and simple even if it does use quite a few enamel dots! The flower is from Hero Arts that I've had for a few years. It's from a package called Art Flowers - Vintage Collage. I love the rusty, brown and yellow color! I stamped my sentiment on a piece of vintage cream cardstock from PTI  that I die cut using the Lacey Squares die from Spellbinders. Great sketch from Unscripted Sketches this week. Hope you play along with us!

Be sure to stop by out check out all the other Design Team Members Blogs:

Adriana

Billie

Claire

Debbie

Henva

Kimberly

Michelle

Patty - that's me!

Rebecca

SarahKaye

Shir

Susan

Tammy

Tracey

Hope you'll join us this week with your take on the sketch above. All the details are on the blog post over at Unscripted Sketches!

Products Used For This Card:

Base Cardstock - PTI in Vintage Cream

Patterned Paper - DCWV - The Old World Stack

Ink - Ranger - Archival - Jet Black

Gems: Hero Arts - Black Metal Decor, Mark Richards Nail Heads & BasicGrey Candy Buttons

Stamp - Sweet 'n Sassy - Bloom & Grow
Flower - Hero Arts - Art Flowers - Vintage Collage
Spellbinders Die - Lacey Squares

Believe

I've made it a goal of mine to make cards with every stamp I have this year. I had so many sets that I purchased and only used once or twice. I went through them, weeded them out and sold them. I have a lot of new ones now and they're too cute to just let sit. I also have many embossing folders I've picked up and am going to try and use more. I'm so guilty of buying certain items and then they just get lost in my craft room somewhere. 

For this card I used a stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy called Celebrate Today. The patterned paper is from DCWV - The Old World Stack and The Paper Studio - Bella Bohemia. I know it's hard to see, but the black strip on the far left is a piece of fabric called Additions by Mark Richards. It's almost has a light burlap/linen feel to it. I die cut the edge with the Tim Holtz Alterations - Torn Notebook.  I die cut the oval with the Spellbinders Beaded Oval Die and then cut it in half. The Field Grasses die is from Die-Namites. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Sympathy Card For A Friend

I had a pretty productive evening last night. I managed to get several cards finished and I'm feeling pretty good about being caught up. The card I'm sharing today is for an friend that recently lost her mother. 

I used patterned paper for my background from DCWV. It's from The Old World Stack. All of the paper in this stack is beautiful! Each sheet is textured and I love that! The die is called Field Grasses from Die-Namites. I used the Hero Arts stamp set called Remember CL577. This is a wonderful sympathy stamp set I will be using over and over. I finished my card off with some pearl gems.

This post is linked to these parties: Craft-O-Maniac, Made by you Monday

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Card Swap

As promised, here are the cards I received for the Birthday card swap I was in! The one above is the one I created. For my card I used the Lemon Flower Stack by DCWV for the patterned paper. The borders were punched using the EK Success bracket edge punch. The sentiment was stamped using Hero Arts stamp set called "It's Your Day" CL661. The bling is by Mark Richards and Doodlebug Design.

Below are the cards I received. If I have the name of the person that created the card, I listed it below each one. I will find out the names of the others and add them later. 

Briana

Heather

Tasha Cosenza-Mechels

Tiffany Sham

Tina

Judy Stech

Shell

Myrna Mejia

Serena

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed seeing the Thinking of You cards and the Birthday cards I received in the swap I participated in. Next swap I'm working on is a Sympathy card one. I will post the card I receive toward the end of February or beginning of March depending on when I receive it. This swap is just for one card!

Thinking Of You Card Swap

I belong to a group of ladies called Scrappy Girls that do a lot of swaps. They swap tags, cards and books. Since I didn't join in the fun the last few months with the mini book, tag and the Christmas card swap, I thought I'd start the new year right and participate in a card swap in January!

We did a "Thinking of You" and "Birthday" theme. The card above is the card I created for the "Thinking of You" swap. I just received my cards from the swap yesterday. Below you can see all the "Thinking of You" cards I received.

I used a kraft base for my card with just a piece of red as my background, leaving an 1/8 of an inch border. I used my "new" Teresa Collins eBosser Sophisticated embossing folder with kraft card stock for my next background again leaving an 1/8 inch border.

I stamped the flower image using a Sweet 'n Sassy stamp set called  Celebrate Today. The image was stamped with Tim Holtz Festive Berries distress ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. For the sentiment I used a Hero Arts stamp set called Thinking of You. I lightly inked all the edges with Tim Holtz black soot distress ink.

Now for the cards I received! I can't give credit to all of the ladies because some of them didn't sign their card unfortunately. I've added the name of the person below each card if I know who created it. Update: I've now added the name of the each person who created each card.

Serena Repsold

Tina

Judy Stech

Tiffany Shuma

Melanie Swanson

Kim Russell

Briana

Marina

I'll share the Birthday cards in the next few days! Thanks for stopping by!