Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek 1: Mangers and Ornaments

It's day 1 of sneak peeks for the October release from Taylored Expressions!!  This release is all Christmas and winter and it is fabulous!  It's sweet, it's elegant, it's funny, it's Christian - you'll see a little bit of everything. 

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, October 1, 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.

I'm starting today with a fabulous die called Away in a Manger. Does it get any more perfect for Christmas? I love that you could make it elegant; you could keep it soft and sweet; you could tons of detail; you can keep it clean and simple - and it always makes a statement.

I backed the die cut with the previously released Starry Night Cutting Plate and added some silver glitter paper.  The sentiment is from the previously released Sing of the King which is full of lines from all of our beloved Christmas hymns. I put it on a banner that I cut using Banner Stacklets 1. I cut it once then flipped the die around to cut the other side.
To be clear, the stitching isn't on the die. That's another new die set called Stitched Circle Stacklets, so you can choose whether or not to add the stitching.  The stitched circles also allow you to cut paper the right size to go behind the die cut. The red paper is a scrap that came with a very subtle pattern - I thought it gave a very elegant look.

Another set of dies being released is the Ornament Overlays along with the Ornament Accessories. There are five ornaments and I love them because they sit between the line of elegant and cute so you could go either direction. I used a patterned paper from the new 6x6 pack Build a Scene - Christmas, then matched the ornaments.

I sprinkled them with a few silvery snowflakes cut from the new Little Bits - Snowflake Confetti. (As the week goes by, you'll see that I use these snowflakes a lot - it's handy to have these itty bitty snowflakes!)
The sentiment is a sneak of a sneak!!!  The In & Out Christmas set will be introduced tomorrow.


Get ready to see some Christmas joy and head over to the Taylored Expressions blog to see all sneak products today and then hop to each of the designers blogs for a wide variety of peeks!  Enjoy!
SUPPLY LIST
Links to new products will not work until the release on October 1.
Away in a Manger

Away in a Manger	Stitched Circle Stacklets	Banner Stacklets 1	Starry Night Cutting Plate
Sing of the King	Metallic Twine - Silver (10 yards)	Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube

InLinkz.com

Merry & Bright

I have linked to the 6x6 paper pack, but Taylored Expressions also sells a Matched Kit which includes coordinating cardstock.  I do need to point out that I did not use the pink cardstock that comes in the kit.  It's a softer pink and since my pink ornament was the focal point of my card, I went for a slightly deeper color.

Ornament Overlays	Ornament Accessories	Little Bits - Snowflake Confetti	In & Out Christmas
TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Build a Scene Christmas	Premium Cardstock - Mulled Wine	Premium Cardstock - Peapod	Premium Cardstock - Pink Champagne
Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube

InLinkz.com

Merry Monday: A Rainbow of Snowflakes

I am thrilled to be a guest designer at this week's Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  I like this week's challenge a lot. I've spent quite a bit of time over the last week working on Christmas cards with mainly very traditional colors - either greens and reds, or blues for winter snowflakes. This week's challenge at Merry Monday is a rainbow!

I thought long and hard about using Christmas ornaments - just like in the graphic.  But I had a new set on my desk that was calling my name so I decided to make it work.  I'm not sure if a rainbow of snowflakes makes much sense - but it is definitely "merry"!

I love these snowflakes.  I needed another snowflake set like a hole in the head, but I love their open, knotted, almost Celtic look - so they definitely found a home in my collection.  I used basic Stampin' Up colors to create the rainbow - even the long-retired Marvelous Magenta.  I actually have every color they have ever come out with - along with reinkers and cardstock.  I'm obsessive like that!  But clearly it's necessary because Marvelous Magenta was absolutely required for that last snowflake.

I hope to see you playing along with Merry Monday.  You'll definitely see me in the gallery each week from now until Christmas because I can't afford to miss a week with at least 2 or 3 Christmas cards coming out of my craft desk.  I love the variety of challenges at Merry Monday - they will keep me motivated!

SUPPLY LIST

The bottom purple snowflake is Stampin' Up Marvelous Magenta.  The snowflake centers are Stampin' Up rhinestones colored with Copics.

SU Flurry of Wishes	SU Snow Flurry Punch	SU Holly Jolly Greetings	SU Christmas Greetings Thinlits
SU Rhinestone Basic Jewels	SU Bermuda Bay CS	SU Real Red Ink	SU Pumpkin Pie Ink
SU Daffodil Delight Ink	SU Old Olive Ink	SU Bermuda Bay Ink	SSS Clearly Beloved Sequins

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A Quilted Autumn Anniversary!!

Today is my brother and sister-in-law's anniversary. They had a spectacular fall wedding in a small stone chapel in the foothills of Colorado.  So every year, the card that I make for them has a definite autumn theme.  This year, I used my brand new Quilted Autumn stamp set and dies from Papertrey Ink.  I am an autumn person and I have way more than my fair share of leaf stamps and dies - but this quilted set may have just jumped to the top of my favorites!


I like a little gray and a little sparkle with my autumn colors.  First of all, the gray really makes the autumn colors pop.  But these colors and the sparkle also represent what I love most about autumn - the crisp, frosty air with the bright fall colors.

SUPPLY LIST

PTI Quilted: Autumn Stamp Set	PTI Quilted: Autumn Die	PTI Banner Sentiments	PTI Double-Ended Banners Die
PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate	PTI Soft Stone CS	PTI Terracotta Tile CS	PTI Terracotta Tile Ink
PTI Orange Zest CS	PTI Orange Zest Ink	PTI Summer Sunrise CS	PTI Summer Sunrise Ink
PTI Simply Chartreuse CS	PTI Simply Chartreuse Ink	PTI Ripe Avocado CS	PTI Ripe Avocado Ink
PTI Smokey Shadow Ink	SSS Clearly Beloved Sequins

InLinkz.com