Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks 1: Let Freedom Ring

It's day 1 of sneak peeks for the May release from Taylored Expressions!!  My cards today are about the "sweet land of liberty!" using a variety of patriotic themed images.

Be sure to check 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 live until Thursday, May 7th, 7 a.m. PST.

Taylored Expressions is celebrating Release Week with some fabulous giveaways! Visit the TE Blog each Sneak Peek Day this week for details on how you can enter to win.

For this first card, I have recreated my city!  I have lived in the Denver, Colorado area for all of my adult life.  I thoroughly enjoy the mix of city - with its theaters and restaurants and shopping - and the outdoors - with its hiking and skiing.  Pictures of Denver give a fabulous picture of this mix.

So when I saw the Downtown Border die, I knew that I needed to pair it with the previously released Build a Scene - Mountain and Build a Scene - Rolling Hills to create a city scene.


I added a sentiment from the new set Of Thee I Sing because it so captures what I feel with this scene.
I love the detail in each little die.  Here's a close-up of the flag with the city in the background.

For my family, we have two different but fabulous ways of celebrating the 4th of July.  Sometimes we stay in town.  We actually live a little southeast of Denver at a higher elevation (5900!) that lets us look down on the entire city and see the Rocky Mountains across the horizon.  Fireworks on the 4th are quite an experience because we can see a dozen or more shows from our house.  They are far away - but they cover the horizon.

On the other hand, we have a little condo in the mountain town of Frisco, Colorado.  Frisco does the 4th the old-fashioned way.  It starts with a pancake breakfast with the firefighters, then a small town parade full of children with decorate bikes.  There are fishing derbies and arts/crafts shows and concerts in the park.  Then at dusk, everybody walks out their front and heads down to the marina to watch the fireworks shot off over Dillon Reservoir.  That's an up close and personal experience!  One year we sat on our sailboat and the fireworks were right on top of us - literally raining down debris. (We didn't do that again!) 

This next card captures the more old-fashioned, country feeling of the 4th with its mason jars and pinwheels.

The Little Bits - Pinwheel is a fun dimensional look.  I stuck it in the Little Bits - Mason Jar cut from some light blue vellum.  The lid and the pole (which is actually from Little Bits - Flag) is from silver metallic paper.

I used the previously released Frame in Frame Cutting Plate to frame my jar.  I added a little embossing for interest using the new Corrugated Embossing Folder.  The sequins are from Summer Nights Sequins - it includes various blues, reds, whites, silver and clear.  The paper is from the Summer Nights Paper Pack.  Did you know you get Taylored Expressions paper in two ways: a pack of the patterned paper, or a matched kit which includes the patterned paper and coordinating cardstock.
Now that you are in a patriotic summer mood - but sure to check out all of the other sneak peeks starting out with the Taylored Expressions blog.  (And leave a comment for a chance to win!)
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Remember - links to new products won't work until Thursday!

My Country 'Tis of Thee

Of Thee I Sing	Little Bits - Flag	Downtown Border	Build a Scene - Mountain Tops
Build a Scene - Rolling Hills	TE Sequins - Summer Nights	Premium Cardstock - Lavender Glaze	Premium Cardstock - Jelly Donut
Premium Cardstock - Blue Corn	Premium Cardstock - Red Pepper	Premium Cardstock - Earl Grey	Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube
Hemp Cord - White (68 yards)	VersaMark - Watermark Stamp Pad	Zing! Embossing Powder - Silver Metallic

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Celebrate the 4th of July

Many Minis - Occasions	Little Bits - Mason Jar	Little Bits - Pinwheel	Little Bits - Flag
Banner Stacklets 1	Frame in Frame Cutting Plate	Embossing Folder - Corrugated	Premium Cardstock - Metallic Neutrals
Matched Kit - Summer Nights	TE Sequins - Summer Nights

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Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Travel On

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

I am fully immersed in high school graduation and college plans with my oldest son, so I have a different perspective on the theme of "Travel On".  Just yesterday, we paid the deposit for Valparaiso University in Indiana!!  My son had very different plans until he actually started visiting campuses - and immediately realized he felt at home at Valparaiso.  I'm not quite sure how I feel given he had good options within an hour or two from our home - but he picked the school that is 1,037.6 miles away!  There is definitely some travel in my future!

I was inspired by the colors and the vintage look of the camera.

My son's journey is obvious.  He has a major life change in front of him.  Prayers are welcome and needed!  
I've been on my own journey and I'm afraid it's moving my cardmaking to a backseat - sometimes it feels like the backseat of a bus!!  Many of you have followed me through my pursuit of a second college degree so I could move back into the work world.  Now I'm doing some volunteering as an accountant.  I raised my hand to volunteer because I knew the work experience would be invaluable on my resume.  But I actually volunteered to do a few hours of bookkeeping a day - and now it's many, many, many intense hours a day as we have realized there are issues.  I haven't even had time to apply for a real job yet...but my resume is going to look fabulous!  In the meantime, we have my oldest son's graduation and my youngest son's battle with an extreme anxiety disorder.  Life is getting in the way!!  
I am blessed to be on three design teams that I adore.  I love the people, the challenges and the product.  I hope that I am of some benefit to them - because they are truly important in my life. Sometimes you have to be "forced" to have fun and my design team commitments require me to sit down and craft.  I am committed to carving out time to craft.  It's my sanity check - and I bet you can all relate to that! And I still make time to browse blogs - typically as I'm falling asleep at night.  This cardmaking world is a fabulous place and I wish I were still living in it full-time!  But even part-time is worth it and I can honestly say that it makes me a better person to have this happy place! 
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The arrows are Studio Calico Wood Veneer but I can't find the exact package to link it.  The dots that look like gems by each sentiment are actually Silver Nailheads by Mark Richards - I can't find them either.  Sorry!

PTI Building Blocks	PTI Building Blocks die	PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate	PTI Classic Kraft CS
PTI Smokey Shadow CS	PTI Winter Wisteria Ink	PTI Limeade Ice Ink	PTI Aqua Mist Ink
PTI Smokey Shadow Ink

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Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Travel On for the challenge details and to play along with us!

Freshly Made Sketches: A Special Mom

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and guess what, it's a sketch by me!

I am challenging you to go over the edge! I want to see something hanging off the edge of the card. You might want to consider adjusting the size of the front of your card so that it still fits in a regular envelope.  For example, if your shape goes over the edge by 1/4", make your card front only 4" wide instead of the standard 4 1/4".  If your shape goes over by 1/2", make your card front 3 3/4", etc.  I hope you have fun with this - I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle this challenge!

I recently picked up some flowers and flower dies by Essentials by Ellen, and I thought this sketch was a perfect place to highlight them.  The flowers have a matching stamp set, and I started out using the stamps with my brand new ombre stamp pads, but quickly realized that the stamp pads are simply not in colors that I liked (but it was a great effect!)  I ended up just using the dies and finding paper with an ombre effect so that there is a slight color variation across the flowers.

I hope to see you play along - I love browsing the Freshly Made Sketches gallery and seeing the amazing variety of uses of each sketch! SUPPLY LIST
The stamp is an old Hero Arts wood block stamp - just a classic stamp that I'll never let go of!  The paper is also hard to find - it's We-R-Memory Keepers Chalkboard 6x6.   \

Essentials by Ellen Bold Blooms Stand-Alone	Essentials by Ellen Bold Blooms Matching	Hero Arts Blackboard Ink	PTI Melon Berry CS
PTI Limeade Ice CS	PPP 4mm Sparkling Clear Sequins

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Taylored Expressions: Petal Pop-Ups 2 Die

In my home, I don't get sweet or elegant Mother's Day cards, my teenage boys and husband always go for the funny and sarcastic kind.  I don't ever make cards for them to give me - that would be making it way too easy for them. But if I did, the following card would be perfect.  (Except they would probably say "I turned out fabulous in spite of you!"

It's such a fun sentiment - I wanted it surrounded by bold and unique flowers.  These are the Petal Pop-Ups 2 die from Taylored Expressions.  There are three sizes as you can see from the big polka dot, the middle sizes and the smaller one on the orange flower.  I bent each petal to get tons of dimension.

Every once in awhile, I wish that I would get beautiful, sweet and elegant cards - but I wouldn't trade my loud, funny and goofy guys for anything.  I know they turned out fabulous!!
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My Favorite Mom	Petal Pop-Ups 2	Leafy Branch	Banner Stacklets 1
Embossing Folder - Dotted Lattice	Matched Kit - Build a Scene	Premium Cardstock - Plum Punch	Doodlebug Sprinkles - Beetle Black

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