The Card Concept: A New Little Someone

 It's time for a new challenge at The Card Concept. My Clean and Simple card was inspired by the colors, the various patterns in the photo and the fresh clean look.

I broke one of my personal challenge rules today.  Typically no matter what the challenge may be, I challenge myself to do a card that I will actually use.  I did a baby card for this challenge but there are no babies anywhere in my life.  Although my sons and all of my friends' children are of the age, there are no signs from any of them that they plan on children. I actually started in a different direction with this card and had the stripes cut using the colors and the various patterns. Then I had a bold black (non-baby) sentiment cut but it just didn't feel right.  So I took my cue from the boats in the photo and found this charming  sailboat from Verve Stamp and I knew it was right - even though the card may stay in my stash forever!

I don't have unlimited space in the craft area so every so often I do have to de-stash.  I am fairly brutal when I do a clean out because my mojo can be severely threatened by clutter!!  But stamps that will stay in my stash forever are everything I have by Verve Stamps.  Unfortunately, they are no longer around but the fabulous Julee Tilman does have new sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps under J Tilman Designs!!  They have her same sweet style and her fabulous use of fonts.  (The stamps that I used on my card today are from the original Verve.)

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at The Card Concept. I love seeing all of the ways that people are inspired and all of the styles that are used.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Verve Stamps Hope Blooms (the sentiment) and With Love (the boat)

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames

Paper: Various patterns from Doodlebug Designs

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek 3: Marriage, Babies, Anniversaries

It's day 3 of sneak peeks for the April release from Taylored Expressions and today I have the life events starting with marriage, babies and an important anniversary!  Everything you see this week will be available on Thursday, April  4th. Be sure to check out each of the creative team members' blogs for all of the sneak peeks - starting with the Taylored Expressions blog.  

Let's start with the wedding card.  There's a fabulous new Framed Script die - Mr. & Mrs.  These are wonderful because there's a gorgeous cutting plate that they fit inside for a full card front - but they are lovely enough to work on their own.


I loved the detail in the font - so I kept the background simple with the previously released Cherry Blossoms Cutting Plate in pure white and a few pink butterflies in Little Bits - Butterflies.


It's quick and easy and wonderfully elegant!

Here's the supply list for this card.  Keep reading because I have another sneak peek and a chance to win prizes!

SUPPLY LIST
Remember that the new links won't work until Thursday.

Taylored Expressions is celebrating Release Week with a a giveaway during each day of sneak peeks! Visit the TE blog to answer Taylor's Question of the Day for a chance to win one of the latest products before you can buy it!

Sometimes next on the life list are babies.  I used the new Color My World in soft Peaches 'n Cream.  I used letters from the previously released Initially series to create the word "baby" right out of the background.  The sentiment "Hello My World" from Color my World was the perfect finishing touch.


You can go so many ways with Color My World - it certainly doesn't have to be a soft baby card.  There's also a separate soft outline - World Map Background that coordinates with it.

To keep my card sweet and gentle - I cut the Floral Eyelet Border - then used half of it at the top and bottom of the panel for lace.


Here's the supply list for this card. I have one more card for you - my favorite of the bunch - so keep reading!!

SUPPLY LIST
Remember that the new links won't work until Thursday.

Finally we have an anniversary.  There's a fabulous new die in this release - Love Story. Isn't this just the most charming couple you have ever seen?


I used the previously released Gardon Arbor & Gate and the Arbor Accessories along with some softly brushed ground in Spearmint and sky in Salt Water Taffy to create this sweet background for our couple

The sentiment is also new from The Inside Scoop - Anniversary.  I've always loved that saying.  And give the sentiment is from the "inside scoop" series of stamps, I also created a coordinating inside with two other stamps from the set.


After 30 years of marriage (this October), I'm sure I could give this card to my husband!!  I'll keep it in my stash.



Today was all about life events.  Tomorrow, I have two very different cards - we are "wild and free" and brimming with love!   Head over to the TE blog for more sneak peeks, then I hope you come back tomorrow.

SUPPLY LIST
Remember that the new links won't work until Thursday.

TE Sneak Peek Day 3: Hippos, Birdies and Babies

It's day 3 of sneak peeks for the March release from Taylored Expressions!! I have some fun new products today. Both could be used for babies, but I turned one into a fun masculine birthday card.

Be sure to check out all of the other designers starting on the Taylored Expressions blog because there is just too much for one designer to show off in just a few days.

All the products that I have used are linked at the bottom, but remember that new products aren't available until Thursday, March 3, 7 a.m. PST.

Taylored Expressions is 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!

Baby Bottle Shaker

There's nothing cuter than a new baby - except maybe a shaker card!!  Just kidding...but I love the fun of a shaker and with the new Baby Bottle Shaker die along with the previously released Little Bits - Baby Confetti, it's easy to create a fun baby card.


I wanted the full focus on the bottle so I kept the background simple using the new Welcome Baby Banner and one of the banners from the previously released Skinny Mini Party Borders.  Here's a close-up of the confetti along with some seed beads.

Here's the supply list for this card (but new product links won't work until tomorrow) - there's another card after this so be sure to keep scrolling!

Baby Bottle Shaker Supply List

I had problems getting the picture link for the confetti - so here's the verbal link to Little Bits - Baby Confetti.

Baby Bottle Shaker	Welcome Baby Banner	Skinny Mini Party Borders	Stitched Rectangle Stacklets
TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Double the Joy	Premium Cardstock - Potato Chip	Premium Cardstock - Cupcake	Premium Cardstock - Lavender Glaze
Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube

InLinkz.com

Hippo Birdy to You

The stamp set Hippo Birdy has been available for awhile - but guess what's new tomorrow - the coordinating dies!!  I no longer buy any stamp set without dies - I love that you can put the images on top of patterned paper and that you can create dimension by popping images. (And I can't cut a straight line so I'd never hand cut anything!)


There are so many cute animals in this set and there are four sentiments two for birthdays, a thanks and a welcome baby. (I want to stamp a variety of animals on sweet patterned paper and make a zoo card to welcome a new baby!)  I used the basic die set Pockets & Pages 3x4 Essentials (it's for pocket scrapbooking but has multiple basic shapes that can be used for cards). The embossing folder is new with this release - it's Houndstooth Embossing.

You have one more day for a chance to win a prize over at the TE blog - be sure to head over there and leave a comment.  The new products will be in the store tomorrow; I'll have one more peek.
Hippo Birdy Supply List

Hippo Birdy

Hippo Birdy Dies

Pockets & Pages Essentials - 3x4

Embossing Folder - Houndstooth

InLinkz.com

Taylored Expressions: Welcome Little One

A couple of days ago I posted a sympathy card which I made after I realized that I hadn't made a sympathy card since last April. I then got to wondering what else I hadn't made and consequently, which section of my scary-big stamp collection was being ignored.  The next longest was a baby card.  I have no need of baby cards, but my church always does, so it's a good excuse to pull out cute images and soft papers.

The first thing that caught my eye was an elephant, but I wanted to do it like a stuffed animal. So I decided to paper piece it with some fun papers.


It's been awhile since I paper pieced anything.  I've always loved the look of bringing patterns into an image, but my scissor skills are really limited. I always try to remember the advice to move the paper and not the scissor but I still can't cut cleanly along a line.  So I gathered a few tools to help cover my mistakes!

Good, fine-tip scissors are critical.  I also always keep a black marker nearby.  Then if I don't quite cut up to the black stamped line and I have a little patterned paper hanging off the edge - I just run a black marker along the edge.  I would run a marker along the edges of the pink inner ear and along the outside of the ear to make the edges cleaner.

The other thing that I do because of my lack of scissor skills is stamp the image on the base cardstock even if I'm going to completely cover it with paper. That way, if I happen to cut in a little too far on the patterned paper and completely lose some of my black line, you can still see the black line from the bottom stamped image.

To add a little interest to my elephant, I cut his head off!!  I wanted to pop it and give him some dimension.  I also used a builder sentiment set called Little Bits of Baby.  It's fun because I can pick the words that I want, use different colors, and even overlap the words.

This was fun!  I used colors and images that I don't normally have a need to use. And I reminded myself of a fun technique that I hadn't done in awhile because I always seem to reach for my Copics!
SUPPLY LIST

Wild About You	Little Bits of Baby	Stitched Rectangle Stacklets	Stitched Circle Stacklets
Stitched Banner Stacklets	TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Hello Happiness	Premium Cardstock - Mint Julep	Premium Cardstock - Pink Champagne

InLinkz.com

World Card Making Day: Color Challenge

The next challenge from Winnie & Walter is a color challenge: mint, aqua, yellow and kraft.  It said baby to me so I went for this quick and easy card using strips of patterned paper.



I have to admit that this idea isn't original to me - I saw it just this week when I was crafting at a friend's house.  She did the weaving with Washi, her card was vertical and it framed a Christmas image - I fell in love with the look.  She doesn't maintain a blog - she does pin cards here but I don't see the card that I based this on.

Winnie & Walter The Big, the Bold and Blessings
Papertrey Ink Hanging Out dies
Lil' Inkers Of the Heart dies
Hero Arts White Embossing Powder
Taylored Expression Toffee CS
MFT Homespun Gingham Paper Pack
MFT Berrylicious CS
SU So Saffron CS and patterns
SU Mint Macaron CS
Ellen Hutson Iridescent Daffodil Sequins
White Hemptique

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Beginnings

Just a reminder that there is still time to play along with the challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge:

That sweet little lamb on the inspiration photo inspired me to pull out a die set that I got from Taylored Expressions. They have a series of dies called "Sack It" which are larger dies that allow you to create animals or other characters on the sides of gift bags.  I don't do a lot of 3D projects so I haven't played around with them much.  But this little lamb called my name and I knew he would fit on a regular sized card (his head really does fit in a regular envelope!)  Plus...what better for a "beginnings" challenge that a new baby card.


Thank goodness for challenges.  I'm not sure that I would have pulled out the lamb dies if I hadn't seen the lamb in the inspiration photo - and I'm so glad that I did.  He's easy to work with and he is really, really cute!!!
You have just a few more days to play along with the "Beginnings" challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge.  I hope to see you there!
SUPPLY LIST
The pink paper is Taylored Expressions "Cupcake" but isn't available until Thursday!!

TE Sack It - Lamb	TE Many Minis - Occasions	TE Designer Mini Tags	TE Grass Border
TE Little Bits - Flowers & Stems	TE Potato Chip Cardstock	TE Peapod Cardstock	TE Poppy Seed Cardstock
SSS Fog Gray CS

InLinkz.com