TE Sneak Peeks Day 1: Skulls and Emojis

After a month off in July, we're back for the first day of sneak peeks for the August release from Taylored Expressions!  And it's time to start planning for fall and Halloween. Everything you see in the next four days of sneak peeks will be available on Thursday, August 3rd.  Be sure to check out each of the creative team members' blogs for all of the sneak peeks - starting with the Taylored Expressions blog.

I had SO much fun coloring this first card!!  Bright cheerful colors .... on a skull .... how fun is that??!


This is such a brilliant stamp set.  The Sugar Skulls are SO cute (and those are words that don't normally go together.)  You can make cards for the Day of the Dead and/or Halloween.  Or I think my card could actually be used almost any time!

The background is another new stamp - the Happy Flowers Background.  You are definitely going to have to check out the rest of the design team's use of this one.  I used it with skulls - others made beautiful floral cards!  I love stamps that can be used in multiple ways at multiple times.


The sentiment is also new - You Make Me Smile.  It's full of a variety of sentiments (see my next card) in a fun font.  I used the previously released Let's Talk Edger 1 with the Striped Background from our last release to make the sentiment stand out.

Here's a supply list for this card and be sure to keep reading for a chance at prizes and for another sneak peek!

SUPPLY LIST

Sugar Skulls	Sugar Skulls Dies	You Make Me Smile	Happy Flowers Background
Striped Background	Let's Talk Edger 1	Stitched Rectangle Stacklets	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube
TE Premium Cardstock - Oreo	TE Premium Cardstock - Lollipop	TE Premium Cardstock - Cookie Monster	TE Premium White Pigment Ink - Sugar Cube - Full Pad
TE Premium Ink - Oreo - Full Pad	Lemon Meringue Enamel Shapes

LinkDeli.com

We are also celebrating release week with some fabulous giveaways! Visit the TE Blog to answer Taylor's Question of the Day for a chance to win a prize from the latest release!

I almost named this post "Smiles" because I had the smiling Sugar Skull and now I'm using an emoji.  But then I decided I wouldn't use a smiling emoji so I had to change the title!

Here's my card.  It uses the previously released Peek-a-Boo Circles die to frame my little crying guy.


This sentiment is another sentiment from You Make Me Smile.  This is a great all-around set.  I used the smile sentiment above.  Now I have "that stinks".  There's also birthday and thanks and get well and more!

Here's my card again but with the dies in the background - I wanted you to see how big and amazing this set is.  You can create an emoji for any occasion.  I couldn't count the number of mix and match expressions.  Plus there's party hats and bow ties and more!



My supply list for this card is below but I didn't want you to miss the exciting news about these dies! For a limited time, earn DOUBLE CRAFTY POINTS on our Build an Emoji die set! If you're not a Crafty Points member, it's free and easy to join. Just create an account at the TE webstore and you're automatically enrolled to begin earning crafty points with every purchase. You'll earn 48 Crafty Points on the purchase of our Build an Emoji die set! Offer valid on qualifying purchases made between 9am CST on Thursday, August 3, 2017 and 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, August 6, 2017 and only while supplies last. Crafty Points are only available on purchases made via our retail site: www.tayloredexpressions.com.

Tomorrow, I'll have some classic Halloween cards with cats, witches and ghost towns! Be sure to head over to the TE Blog for links to the rest of the creative team and to enter the question of the day contest.

SUPPLY LIST

Build an Emoji	You Make Me Smile	Peek-A-Boo Circles	Stitched Banner Stacklets
Embossing Folder - Corrugated	TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Build a Scene	TE Premium Cardstock - Cookie Monster	TE Premium Cardstock - Sprinkles
TE Premium Cardstock - Lemon Meringue	TE Premium Cardstock - Poppy Seed	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	Lemon Meringue Enamel Shapes
VersaMark - Watermark Stamp Pad	Zing! Embossing Powder - White Opaque

LinkDeli.com

Freshly Made Sketches: Season's Greetings

I am very late to Freshly Made Sketches this week. (Apologies to the rest of the design team!)  Life just got in the way when the sketch came out last Wednesday.  It's been over a week since I sat at my craft desk.  I am not a happy person when I go that long without a little crafty time.  So last night, while my guys were focused on the Colorado Rockies baseball game - after we all spent a long day hauling stuff to the dumpster that is sitting in our driveway (no reason except we've lived in the same house for 26 years and it's way past time to rent a dumpster and clean out)  - I used the current sketch to make a Christmas card.


Here's this week's sketch by Linda.  The challenge closes tomorrow - so have fun today!!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Lawn Fawn Stitched Borders, Tim Holtz Winter Words and Holiday Words Script
Distress Inks: Candied Apple, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn

Freshly Made Sketches: oh frap!

Edited to add: This is last week's sketch. Be sure to check out 

the Freshly Made Sketches blog for the newest sketch.

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell.

I like the quirky look of the angled panel so I decided I needed to add another card to my stash for my college student.  I had this "oh frap!" that I hadn't used and it seemed like the perfect fit.

I then went looking for a coffee cup (or a frappuccino mug!)  I almost hit a roadblock there.  Most of mine were either too big for the card or they were too "nice" for the sentiment. I finally saw this very old set by Papertrey Ink.  It also has cute little swirls of steam and my original card used them until I remembered that frappuccinos are cold.  Bummer, because it was a nice design element.

I hope to see you playing along!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Warm Happiness (I think it's retired)
Dies: Stamplorations Oh Frap, PTI Warm Happiness, Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Woodgrain and Stitched Squares
Cardstock: PTI Tropical Teal, Dark Chocolate
Ink: PTI Tropical Teal, Summer Sunrise, Taylored Expressions Sugar Cube
Other: Doodlebug Glitter Dots Bumblebee

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Surf's Up

It's time for a new challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge:

trendspanama.nu

Be sure to check out our guest designer for this challenge: Lenae at SugarGem

I was inspired by the curved edges and the variety of blues (although I didn't realize until I saw my card photo how much more turquoise my card is than the inspiration photo!)  First I did the curved edge then I had to figure out a sentiment.  I realized that my son heads back to college in less than a month and he has said repeatedly how much it meant to him that I sent regular cards of encouragement.  So I decided I had better work on my stash.

Unfortunately, I think I blew it for my son at the end.  I had stamped the little asterisk type things then decided to add some dimension with white Nuvo Crystal Drops.  Now they look like funky little flowers!  Darn.  With the picture taken and posted, I'm going to try to scrape off those dots - or maybe do some die cut stars - or something to get rid of the flowers!  Fingers crossed I don't ruin it all!

I hope to see you playing along!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Neat and Tangled Awesome

Dies: Neat and Tangled Awesome, Simon Says Curved Edge

Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Sprinkles and Salt Water Taffy, Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise and Island Indigo

Ink: Taylored Expressions Sprinkles, Stampin' Up Island Indigo

Other: Simply White Nuvo Crystal Drops

Freshly Made Sketches: Flashy Florals

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jennifer Timko.

Last week I talked about having been in my current job long enough now to know my office mate's personalities and being able to create cards specifically for them.  Then I checked the calendar and realized the next birthday was for our department director who started just a few weeks ago!  I have absolutely no idea what she likes - so I played it safe and went with flowers (but fun flowers).


I wanted a very rich look so I used my Misti and double-stamped the base colors. It makes the top layer a bit harder to see, particularly on the red flower, but I love the intensity of the colors.  These flowers have such a bold and quirky look, I just added a strip of diagonal black stripes to finish it off.
I hope to see you playing along.  I love to browse the FMS gallery and see all the different directions you all take the sketch!
SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: My Favorite Things Flashy Florals (with coordinating dies), Birthday Greetings Dies: Taylored Expressions Stitched Square Stacklets Ink: My Favorite Things Red Hot, Electric Red, Jellybean Green, Olive, Daffodil; plus I used Stampin' Up Crushed Curry for the top layer of the yellow flowers

Taylored Expressions Farewell Sale

Taylored Expressions is bidding a fond farewell to over 120 products as we retire some of our favorite items with an amazing SALE. Choose from a variety of stamps and dies at prices up to 85% off -- but hurry, once they're gone, they're gone forever! Visit the SALE HERE.Plus, for a limited time, you can receive additional savings on these soon-to-be collector’s items. Additional discounts expire 11:59 pm CST on July 16, 2017.

There's one retiring set that I got specifically to make cards for a sweet-tea-loving friend and it still hasn't seen ink.  So I had to pull it out and show you Hey, Sweet Tea along with the Mason Jar Glass & Lid die.  I also pulled out the rounded rectangle and the flag from the retiring die set Pockets & Pages - Stitched Essentials.

Here's the supply list for this card - but keep scrolling because I have flashbacks to six different cards using the retiring products.

Hey, Sweet Tea	Mason Jar Glass & Lid	Pockets & Pages - Stitched Essentials	Embossing Folder - Braided
TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Build a Scene	Doodlebug Glitter Sprinkles - Bumblebee	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	TE Premium Cardstock - Lemon Meringue

LinkDeli.com

There are so many more products that I have used and loved but are now retiring.  Here's a sampling of some of my favorites.

Chevron Cutting Plate

I just used this die during the May release - click here.  I think it does a wonderful job of highlighting a sentiment!

Potty People Border
I adore this row of people holding hands with their little hearts.  See three versions of this card here.


Hi, Hey, Hello die set
Way back before I was even on the Taylored Expressions team, I did this card that use the Hi, Hey, Hello dies.  (There is also a really cute old-fashioned telephone die with this set, a set of quotation marks and some nice basic banners.)


Little Bits - Schoolhouse
This card uses the Little Bits - Schoolhouse for a fun teacher thank you.


Smarty Pants
I love the Smarty Pants set for encouragement cards for my 17-year old and 21-year old sons. The stamps are very cute, but not cutesy.  (The sentiment on this card is from Talk Nerdy to Me.)


Fancy Banner 2
This is a beautiful set with a floral banner and a variety of sentiments that fit inside.  Here's the card I did when it was first released.

As much as I hate to see these products - it is a GREAT sale.  Head over to Taylored Expressions and have fun!